Lit Literature member interviews

I've read all the Stackpole ones up to Malicious Intent, Heir to the Dragon, and one or two other, less important ones to the main plot.

 

ISBNs? What is this, required summer reading?

 

It's called "cut and paste" -- if I were an archaeologist or something, I might consider providing more complete historical information than the ISBNs, but there ya go...

 

Hmmm... some good ones. Some I like because of historical context, especially as discussing how they may fail the "smell" test these days (I'll give a discrete example below) and some are just good quotes.

So, one of the examples I love of what I've described is:

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

What I like about it is it's a part of the vision that founded this country, reflecting the goodness that can be attributed to the goals of America. And, while I generally believe in the sentiment behind the statement, in this day and age it's a harder thing to rationalize. As someone else points out "Franklin didn't have to deal with suitcase nukes..." which is also a valid sentiment. But I tend to view this as a "guiding principle" that we should strive to follow, where possible, and not as an essential truth that we should follow blindly.

Another one I'm fond of pointing out is:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." - Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States

I'm a New Yorker, plus Jewish -- so I tend to fall on the Democrat scale of things. I generally consider myself more Conservative in nature though, which to a NY Jew is two steps to the left of center rather than twelve steps to the left of center. So it really bothers me when many, many of my friends and relatives -- all very fine supporters of the Bill of Rights all conveniently forget that this is enumerated, specifically, in there. You can't be in favor of the protections of the First, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments and be wholly against the Second Amendment. I'm personally a fan of logical gun control, but I consider people who say "guns should be banned" akin to people saying "9/11 was an inside job."

Moving on to just really good quotes...

"They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son." - Jor-El

Goosebumps!

"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're going to see some serious [poop]." -- Dr. Emmett Brown

Edited for language, of course, but that one line basically upped the cool potential of the whole movie -- and it delivered.

"So we'll argue and we'll compromise
And realize that nothing's ever changed" -- Billy Joel

As true now as when first sung in 1976.

I could go on much more, but I'll relate what I feel is possibly my most favorite quote:

"There are no happy endings, because nothing ends."

I give someone two internets for identifying that quote without resorting to Google. It's just such a good quote in general.

Usual answers: Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy.

On a personally-moral level, I admire Harry Truman -- who apparently was a anti-Semite -- for acknowledging the state of Israel on its formation. For good or for ill, he did what he felt was right for the good of the country even if against his own personal

belief system. Similarly, Arlen Specter -- who was very personally opposed to abortion -- would generally vote for pro-abortion legislation because his constituents in Pennsylvania would have wanted it; it didn't happen immediately or all the time, but as the base in Pennsylvania changed their mind, he changed their mind along with them -- rare in a politician.

I also have a soft spot for Ronald Reagan -- his policies and theories were at times either dangerous or horrifying, but he was the right man in the right place at the right time for the Cold War realpolitik he had to deal with, in my opinion. As the Vulcans might say "Only Nixon could go to China."

 

I forgot two quotes:

"I'm not bad... I'm just drawn that way." -- Jessica Rabbit

The ultimate in "don't judge a book by its cover" though, to be fair, I also use "I hit him on the head with a frying pan... so he wouldn't get hurt!" a lot as well.

A paraphrase, I believe...

"Nobody says that about you... that you know of." -- Ty Webb

One of the more underrated comedy lines out of Caddyshack in a film that includes "'... but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that goin' for me, which is nice." and "Be the ball, Danny!" But it's this line that I love; a sarcastic, cheap shot delivered perfectly between two men that wanted to kill each other in real life. Can't beat that!

 

Apologies for the delays... I've worked 47 hours this weekend (12h Friday, 21h Sat/Sun, 14h yesterday) so will try and get to this after my Global Entry interview later today...

 

The travel program? Or is this something else?

 

There's a new TSA PreCheck program which is, I suspect, your domestic version (no 3-1-1 checks, no laptop checks, shoes on, no belt off, etc.) but currently they are doing invite-only, I believe.

 

PS - GrandAdmiralJello -- suck it again for my TSA PreCheck!

For food, it's definitely Chinese. I can generally eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner. I particularly enjoy dim sum (more Shanghai style than not), but also like main dishes, I also generally prefer spicy (though this gets me in trouble sometimes and I personally relive the Terrance and Philip movie from South Park: The Movie).

In terms of drinks, I like a lot of different things at different times. However, if you had to pin me down, I'd say it's a dry vodka martini with as many olives as would fit in the glass (or, with imperial_dork then it'd be a dirty martini with horseradish infused vodka). I'm quite good at making those too (without the infused vodka), but I'd actually say my best drink is a White Russian (mavjade, AaylaSecurOWNED and Miana Kenobi).

I also really appreciate certain beers (Sam Smith Organic Chocolate Stout, proper Guinness, St. Peter's Cream Stout, La Fin du Monde) and my favorite wines are German Rieslings (though oddly not Austrian ones). Ye, I'm a snob -- no, I'm not Jello.

I still have the towers falling live on my TiVo. I can't bring myself to delete it.

This is a tough one, but I guess I shall simply regale the story of why I love Broadway. When I was somewhere between 5 - 6 years of age, I was taken to the first Broadway show that I can recall -- the revival of The Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, et al. For those familiar with the normal story / book -- but not necessarily the revival (though presumably most high school / college productions these days are based on said Papp production) -- it's a more humorous and/or action-packed take. So at that age, I was already at a point where those two things would interest me and I recall enjoying the show.

However, by the time it got near the ending sequences with the police and the pirates and everyone running and chasing and singing and comedy... I lost it. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed so hard I made an actor playing a pirate on stage crack up laughing.

From then on, I decided that Broadway was for me.

 

DP do you act? Like, on stage? (Cosplaying with your buddies doesn't count)

 

Might want to warn him he's up again, first.

 

Havac, how do you feel about switching bodies with dp4m?

 

I have been told that I am funny ("I amuse you? I make you laugh?") but I think I'd be horrible at stand-up comedy or anything. I'm more of a "backstage guy" -- which is not to say I'm shy, as you know I'm not -- but I always more liked building and painting sets than acting on them.

So the last time I've been on stage was as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors in high school; I was the puppeteer though, not a singing voice (trust me, that's for the best).

I sing to my World of Warcraft guild when we raid as a penalty.

 

I can fully attest to the fact that he makes a damn good White Russian.

Fun fact: after you left, we discovered 2 more giant bottles of Kahlua in our barely-used alcohol cabinet, plus 5 other bottles of random vodkas that all had about 2-3 inches of vodka left in them.

So of course roommates and I did the only logical thing and attempted to get rid of the rest of the vodka. None came close to tasting as good as when you make them.

 

In Anaheim. I should be able to not have to Designated Driver too...

 

How did you get away with such a rude username, especially for a Mod, when you should be setting an example?

dp 4 Mara? C'mon man, we can all read between the lines...

I mean, for God sake, stick with continuity. Mara was a one man woman, and she was quite monogamous.

 

How many male JCers have you kissed in the mouth?

 

First of all, under no circumstances do I buy the horrible retcon that Mara and Lando weren't a thing. That was just a bridge too far, in my opinion. Luke's gotten nookie in hyperspace with a Fallanassi, I think he'd survive her drinking a little Colt 45.

Second, though her primary function was as a Hand, Thrawn's descriptions of her dressed up at parties as a concubine essentially doesn't leave me with the warm and fuzzy view that Palpatine just let that go...

2 for sure, possibly as high as 4 (because I can't recall).

 

Okay, I still feel special, then.

 

It's like a dp4m / JTS / Dingo happy time in the mouth...

 

This is why I don't go to cons.