Creating a Domain

I have decided to create my own domain, PhilosophyofMalcolm.com. Although it will not be up right away it is a site that is basically going to be How-to's, Study habits, Life views, Political views, and anything else I deem worthy of writing articles about. I really need a way to generate some extra passive income and I feel this would be a good avenue to go down and explore because if I can get people to come to my site and find it useful then that to me is more rewarding than money because it is intangible yet useable, which is the beauty of knowledge. I think it is important to see in life what things we can do in order to help others come to find a useful perogative for themselves, and certainly with a site like that I can get started in that direction. Hopefully, something will come about for my work. I will let you know when it happens.

What to do, what to do...

Greetings people, I am back for a post. I just want to rant a little bit about how those of you who post ads on craigslist.com need to respond to them. I have sent out about twenty resumes for a host of different companies and or individuals to review for a possible job opportunity, and yet not one person has emailed me back yet, and I have done this over a spread of about two weeks. My resume is not a bad resume either, I think it is pretty nice actually and I would definitely consider me if I were offered me for a job, but for some magical reason no one seems to want to even respond the the posts that they themselves post looking for people. That is just mind boggling. You want employees? Then respond to the very ad you posted.

Secondly, I think I am going to change the layout of this website so that it fits all resolutions, then I am going to start speaking more on Catholic philosophy, and if some theology gets thrown in there, that will be good too because you can't really seperate the two. Also I am going to add some more things to the menus, that way there will be more content, since I know there is practically nothing on here, so it is somewhat of a boring website.

So that is it for now, I will stay in touch.

Fun, Joy, and Happiness

Well, that is a bit of a stretch, but I must say that I am in desperate need of a job since I was laid off from my I.T. position. There is the possibility that I would be moving to either Naples, FL to return to Ave Maria or to Berkeley, CA to go to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, but the third option is to stay in GA, but I highly doubt I will do that because I am getting somewhat of a cabin fever living at home for so long, so we'll see what happens.

Fortunately I am in a good relationship with my girlfriend, although it is difficult being so far apart, but we have managed to stay together for almost 3 months now, so that is the farthest I've gotten in any relationship, so I am very happy because I love her.

I am currently reading some Dorothy Day, who is a Distributist. Her method of writing is very vivid and not boring, she really is quite imaginative and helps draw you into what she is writing, unlike most writers. I think that proper use of the imagination and stepping away from over abstractification helps the reader to getter a better sense perception of what the writer is trying to convey, so kudos to ol' Dorothy.

I will try and post more in the future.

Schooool and other tasty items.

I am back in school now, Southern Catholic College, and I this blog reminds me of winter, which I like. So, anyway I feel that this will be good although I have to wake up pretty early, but everyone does. It's interesting going back, out of the sem and meeting a girl. Life can be interesting and odd at the same time. A interior drowning pool of temporal goals and thoughts. I guess its saying that I have resurrected a post.

Jobs and Business

So I have been having a lot of trouble finding a job that will stay a job, if you know what I mean. I had an interview at a Catholic Computer company called CrownTech Computers Inc., and everything went really well, but unfortunately, the CEO seems to like to keep putting me off until he has time to train me, which is very frustrating because I have bills that I need to pay. So I am going to wait until May 1st and if I do not have a definite start date by then I am just going to forget it.

A friend of mine from Ave Maria wants to start a Catholic book company with me of obscure rare and hard to find Catholic books, which I think could be extremely productive since I have a little experience with book-binding and typesetting and have researched it a lot. It could be a profitable endeavor if we could get enough exposure and really try to advertise ourselves. I have always wanted to provide good traditional Catholic materials to people, so maybe it will happen. I will keep you posted on new developments as they arise.

Please pray for me because I am seriously struggling financially and spiritually right now with a lot of things. Thanks!

Long time no post...

Well, I haven't exactly been updating my blog, but I am sure only a few of you read it anyway. I am trying to score a job with this Catholic IT company who does networking administration, which is pretty fun stuff. I will post later on when I think of something to say, so stay tuned.

Punk and the Rockness

My sister let me borrow a pretty good white Fender Strat Mexican made, which means its lower grade but still a good guitar, even though I would never buy it. I have been writing a lot of songs lately, but I haven't gotten around to writings any lyrics. I am pretty close to starting a new band I think because one of the guys I work with plays bass and I've known him for a really long time and he is down with the idea. I want to start something along the lines of just plain old new rock, not nu-metal but new rock kinda indy sound, like At the Drive In, Promise Ring, Angels and Airwaves, 30 Seconds to Mars, Quadiliacha. It would be a good mix of hardcore punk, riff rock, and and epic vocals of a sort, which would be an awesome mix. When I say hardcore punk though I don't mean like minor threat or fugazi or the pixies, more like Kid Dynamite, and Lagwagon style.

I am working at this retaurant now, Nine, and I am making pretty good money. It rules. Get some!

So soon, so very soon.

Yes, that's right kids, I am going down to Naples for a week, which will be awesome. Aaron Sandbothe and I are driving down together from my house in Atlanta. The good thing about this trip is that I don't have to pay for everything, and secondly, all of my old friends from Ave will be there except Martin Ford, who is in San Francisco leading young people to their demise. Anyway, there is going to be a Sodality of St. Gregory the Great party for all the members when we get down there so the new members can meet the Alumni founders, that is, if Fr. Garrity hasn't basically dissolved it, but it is not like it would matter anyway because we would still get together and plot things against unsuspecting victims. It will be good to go down and see the new campus in its not so glorious glory, and have dinner and beer with a lot of my friends.

I gotta find something to do tonight so I don't go insane. Pax Christi!

Be a man.

From TrueKnights Blog:

The "Other" Vocations Crisis
by Kenneth Henderson

What does it mean to be a man? We live in a time when the meaning of what it means to be a True Man has all but been lost. The vast majority of men are searching for meaning in their lives but don’t know where to find it. Many seek it in success, money, possessions and sex. Sadly, no man can ever find himself or the meaning of his life in these things.

We hear about the vocations crisis and how we need good priest to come into the Church, but there is another "Vocations Crisis" that is probably doing even more harm to our Church than the lack of priests; the “Other” Vocations Crisis is the crisis of Husbands and Fathers.

Of course this crisis is nothing new; it has been going on for a long time, ever since Adam failed to protect Eve from the temptations of the devil in fact. He froze in the face of danger and thereby exhibited a flaw that all men would deal with for many years to come…passivity. But there have been times in history when husbands and fathers where more in tune with what it means to be a True Man, to be a True Husband, True Father…a True Knight for the Kingdom of God. Arguably, the 20^th Century saw the greatest increase in this crisis in all of history.

God created man for a purpose; to be the head of his family, to lead his family to God and protect his family from the dangers of the world, the flesh and the devil. This purpose requires that men strive to live lives of heroic honor, virtue and purity, in an impure world. However, the 20^th century could also be labeled the most impure society in all of history.

Modern Men started to loose their sense of purpose early on in the beginning of the 20^th century with the feminist movement wanting to equalize the roles of men and women. Later with the introduction of contraception and the “free love” movement that followed in the 60s more and more men became enslaved to a sense of false manhood, a manhood based primarily on financial success and sexual prowess. Isn’t it ironic that in an attempt to equalize the roles, the feminist movement played a major role in the most intense period ever for the objectification of women? Women are valued less now for true womanhood than ever. With the onslaught of pornography, more and more women are falling victim to the mindset that to find love is to be sexually desirable. But I digress and this is a topic for yet another time.

Men are just as much to blame if not more so for this “vocations” crisis. We have abdicated our roles due, yet again, to passivity; the very same flaw that our first parent Adam displayed. We live in a time when false men are fighting false battles, because they have no idea what it means to be a true man; many display swaggering machismo to compensate for a loss of their true sense of purpose.

Man and woman are not to only ones to blame here. Remember that the serpent was also present in the garden, just as he is present today, and with a renewed intensity. The devil has one goal in mind; to destroy humanity. He is also a great strategist and he knows that to defeat any foe, you must take out its leader. Man was created by God to be the “head” of the family, while woman was created to be the “heart.” When the head is cut off from the body, the body dies. Our society is filled with many dead bodies.

The evil one knows the easiest way to render a man helpless, to cut him off from the body; by attacking him with lust and enslaving man to the sins of the flesh. This is why our society is the most sexually immoral society ever. With the easy accessibility of porn on the internet, Satan has been able to enslave more men to sex than ever before. St. Thomas Aquinas said that when man gives into the sins of the flesh, his intellect becomes darkened. So much so that even simple truths can not be understood. Many men are living lives in the darkness. This is why men have been abandoning their families in record numbers, if not by outright abandonment, then by passivity, leaving their families like a body without a head. As The Irish philosopher Edmund Burke observed, all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Sadly this problem is passed on to the next generation because sons will often follow in the footsteps of their fathers. Only when a man comes to recognize his weakness and call upon the grace of God can he begin to break this generational curse.

More men in the middle ages knew their true purpose in the family than many men do today. They practiced the "Code of Chivalry" in which they knew that the key to true manhood was to place women above themselves; to serve and honor women and protect them, especially their wives. They also knew that it took a knight to raise a knight. They knew that the only way to ensure that their sons would be worthy to lead their own families was to strive to be a role model for a life of virtue. They also knew that they where instrumental in determining the fate of their daughters and strove to be the model of the man that their daughters would one day marry. Now while not all men of that period lived this ideal, many did and many also knew the supreme importance of spiritual headship. They understood the importance of being the primary instructor of the faith for their children. This can be seen exemplified in the life of St. Thomas Moore, who placed the welfare and salvation of his wife and children as most important job of his life, even above that of Lord High Chancellor of England...second most powerful man in all of England.

St. Thomas Moore knew that to be a man of heroic honor, virtue and purity, he must also be a man of prayer and a man who defends the supreme Truths of the Catholic faith. He knew that only by centering his life on Jesus Christ and our Lord’s presence in the Holy Eucharist could he have the strength to be the True Man that God created him to be. St. Thomas knew that this meant great sacrifice and was not willing to compromise on any of his beliefs, even if it meant losing his own head...defending the sanctity of marriage. King Henry the VIII had Thomas beheaded because Thomas would not support his decision to go against the Church and divorce his wife. St. Thomas Moore is a model for own times, and there are many others like him. His example shows us the answer for the “vocations” crisis of fatherhood…in fact the priestly and religious vocations crisis as well, because when fathers begin to model the Truths of the faith, then their children will be more inclined to do so as well.

Adapted from a talk given by Kenneth Henderson at the 3^rd Annual Hudson Valley Catholic Conference on July 21^st, 2007

Lent Cometh

Well I have decided to give up the internet except for absolutely necessity during Lent, mainly just email use will be my thing. And I may use Craigslist to look for jobs here and there if I don't have one soon, so that is it. So I will not really be updating except for Sundays, not that I updated a whole lot anyway, but I waste to much time on the computer as it is.

Not much else to say right now, so keep me in your prayers as my car is messed up and I look for a job that pays well.

Pax Christi,

Malcolm

Just some thoughts

Well, I got the job at Domino's, but the day I was suppose to go in for orientation my car's fuel injector decided it wanted to die, so I don't think I will be taking that job after all, besides I should spare my car the cross. The library and an electronics store (Fry's) I like a lot are hiring, so I think I will probably end up working at one of those places, the electronics store already called me back, so that is good.

There is a good chance if I get my car fixed by Thursday, which I most likely will, that I will be coming down to Naples, so that will be fun. I really need to get out of Atlanta and hang out with some friends because I do not have a lot of people to chill with around here. Hopefully my car wont do something naughty on the way down there, but once I get there I am going to try and get everyone to donate me 5$ to help with the cost of gas to get down there, kind of like a Malcolm ticket, you wanna see me you gotta pay man! What a horrible, horrible world we live in.

I discovered this new author the other day and went to the library and checked out a couple of his books. He is a Catholic author from down south, Georgia that is, but he is not like Flannery O'Connor, his books are a little more fun I think, not so abstract, although he is extremely philosophical. Anyway his name is Walker Percy, and I am reading Love in the Ruins right now, which is great so far, it about this guy who creates this stethoscope type thing and can see the problems with people's souls and how he lives his life in rural Georgia. His imagery and ways of describing events are fascinating, just his metaphorical and allegorical usage is really some of the best I have read in awhile. I get bored with literature very easily, I don't like it to be overly abstract or in poetical form unless its simple, that is why I am not a big fan of the Iliad or the Odyssey, though I think they are great works, but for me, they are a little to difficult to read because they break thoughts so quickly and use ancient symbolism like crazy, which can be difficult to ascertain sometimes, and I just like to understand things when I read them, not have to look in the dictionary of Homeric literature every five seconds to understand it, so that is my qualm. If I am going to put all that effort into reading something, I'll just read St. Robert Bellarmine in Latin, since I would most likely gain more from it anyway. So after I read this novel I am going to read his philosophical work Life in the Cosmos, which looks really cool, like a psychological Thomistic approach to life, just my thing.

I am going to post again pretty soon on another interesting topic, stay tuned kiddies!

Domino's Pizza

Yes it is true, I got a job as a delivery driver at Domino's. I think I will like this a lot more than working at that other place where I was going to be a mail clerk. At least I will get tips and free pizza from Domino's, and you can make a lot of money in tips, not to mention I will have more free time since I will only be working part time hours like 20-25hrs a week. This will give me time to work on other projects, pray, and think about other ways to make money as well.

I met with Fr. Ballman who is the diocesan vocations director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The meeting went very well but I am still unsure if I should apply to the diocese or not, so he just gave me his card and told me when I am ready to take the next step to contact him. So I am going to continue to pray and we shall see what will happen... until then.

Jobs and the Adventure!

I decided not to take the job with Scientific Games, in fact, I think I will be much happier with less money and more free time since I really dislike working for other people unless I have some kind of stock or share in the company itself. I am very big on being against wage slavery, which is basically what most people are under if they do not run their own business or 75% of the time do not have a college degree. Aristotle talks about this in his Politics, but I may be wrong, it might be another work, but he makes great points even though it was written so long ago it is still relevant today and it is as if he is talking to us about the present time we live in.

Anyway, I have a few ideas up my sleeve to be my own businessman, which is much more rewarding spiritually and economically. I already placed some of the books I own on Amazon as used products and many of them are in great condition and I should get a pretty good amount of money for them since I have a lot that I don't read. I am not one of those people who keeps everything they ever buy, I consider things useful for the things they do. So, I bought the books and read them and now have the knowledge contained in them, which is what they are for after all, so when I am done with them, I sell them and get my money back. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the book will go out of print then you can charge more money than what you paid for it, which has happened to me, so I consider them an investment as well, especially if they are not public domain.

Now, some of you might think I am insane, but dumpster diving can be very profitable, so I might try that this week a little and see what goodies I can find. I have known people who have found literally factory sealed cases of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and another person I know found boxes and boxes of designer shoes, and I would definitely sell the latter on ebay since it is free game once its in the trash if you ask me.

I have some other plans as well, like continue to do and promote my freelance computer work, which has been successful in the past. So for now I am perfectly content with where I am at, and I do not mind not having a lot of money because often times I just waste it anyway.

Observations and other thoughts.

Well, lucky me, I got that wage-slave job at the lottery ticket place, Scientific Games, though I am not entirely excited as I found out I have to work with a troubled white man who thinks he is black, I am sure you could guess the name for these kinds of people. Anyway, I am suppose to be starting on Monday but I am not entirely sure if I want to go, as I want to start my own business of tech consulting instead, seeing as how I would most likely make more money and have a lot more free time. I am not sure what I will do, I think I might try it out for a little while and we'll see what happens.

I have been praying and trying to really put myself in the presence of God and ask Him what it is that he wants for me to do with regards to my vocation, and I am pretty sure that I am not called to the diocese, though this would be more economically stable for me, but I don't think I would be capable of handling all the Novus Ordo psychosis that goes on, seriously, I just don't think I am able to deal with such a high level of insanity in these parishes and amongst the clergy. It would be incredibly difficult for me.

Of course there are some things that I wish the FSSP would change with regards to their seminary rules, but I think they are probably for the best amongst most seminarians. Mainly that you can't play videogames or watch movies or have any kind of electronic entertainment in your room except a computer, which you can only use that to get on the net and do work. Also they are very strict on going all 7 years of their formation, which has been discouraging for a lot of seminarians who have had previous philosophical and theological training.

I really dislike having to decide between these types of things but I guess they are part of life, so I am open to your comments to see what you have to say.

I have been reading a few books lately that you people should check out in case you haven't already:

-An Infinity of Little Hours, the lives of Carthusian monks
-Life on the English Manor, a study of medieval peasant conditions
-Crowd Culture, a study of the American way of culture and education in modern times, very intersting written by a Catholic in the 1950's
-Small is Beautiful, Written by E.F. Schumacher it is a really good book on economic philosophy written in the mid 70's promoting Distributism, very good as well.

If you definitely want an interesting read I suggest you pick one of these books up!

Vocation

Well I have a meeting with the Archdiocesan vocations director of Atlanta on the 23rd, so we shall see how that goes. Though I am somewhat doubtful as to whether or not I will truly follow through with the Archdiocese because I just find it so incredibly difficult and insane to be forced to celebrate the Novus Ordo and be around those type of people constantly, don't get me wrong many of them are good Catholics, but they have no love for the beauty of the church, like chant, liturgy, proper dress and other things that are important. I can go back to the FSSP in the Fall, which is what I will probably end up doing since I was very happy there, and don't ask me why I left! So please keep me in your prayers that I follow God's will, I just want to be a saint, and find the best place to do it.

Things break to easily.

One thing I hate about buying things is that there is the potentiality for that object to break, especially computer hardware, and I don't mean break in the literal sense like it cracking in half but when it comes to computers it seems like something is never working. I suppose this is a given due the intense complexity of circuitry and microchips, weighing all factors for proper practicality can be difficult like heating, placement, currents, etc. Anyway, so I was playing a game recently and running the graphics card on stock settings, that is default, and thing overheated and is now totally ruined! A 180$ graphics card! Anyway, I am sure people have heard of Xbox 360's red ring of death, that is exactly the problem that came my way, only it was with a much higher end graphics processor. Why don't these companies just put proper cooling into these components? Because it costs to much to manufacture. I often wonder if they seriously have someone who does the math on whether they lose more money taking the chance with crappy heatsinks and hoping the people don't return the items in their warranty versus doing the job right, chances are they make money manufacturing a not so perfect product. Although this is not every company it is often the company that sells that particular product for the cheapest, but unfortunately most people don't have the time nor the care to do a lot of research into which product is the best and wont fail, but in today's economy people are not looking for insane quality necessarily but for a bargain, yet this comes to bite them in the keister. Anyway, this is just a rant about how I shouldn't have to replace expensive computer parts, especially 180$ one's, just make it right the first time!

Interviewing is stupid, but I did well I think!

Firstly, I would like to direct you to my friend Martin's Blog, he has a really good post on working for corporations: HERE

Before you read it though, read my post, cause you're here already. Anyway, I went in for my interview at SG Games, which is a lottery ticket company, that's right they are one of the largest producer of lottery tickets in the world, exciting eh? Really. No. Who cares, the lottery is stupid, although it helps a lot of people get into college because a bunch of Mexicans and other insane people buy the tickets. I have never once bought a lottery ticket, and I never will because they are a waste of money, you will make money playing poker, so learn that instead of scratching a piece of paper. I heard once that you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than you do winning the lottery, well most people deserve to get struck by lightning, so I hope it's true.

Anyway, I think Martin was talking about the guild system and Distributism, which is one of my favorite topics, but he said that people worked more in this system and had less wealth, which is not necessarily true. In medieval England they had the Distributist system and most people only worked 3-4 days a week, and that was at their home or in their shop where they had a trade, like blacksmith or butcher or pottery maker, whatever it may be.

I may not take this job just because I hate the idea of working for a base wage for a huge corporate entity, its so dehumanizing and uncatholic, it makes me feel like an expendable commodity being used as a machine so that the fat CEO can sit on his freaking huge mound of cash while we all slave at 8$ an hour trying to make ends meet. I admit the living conditions in America are a lot better than some countries, but nonetheless if you compare wages and working conditions now compared to medieval times, people had a lot more leisure time then, and a lot better liturgical life too!

And finally, I am drinking Jones's pure can sugar soda berry lemonade flavor, it is a small time company, my favorite... and the soda rules. God bless everyone!

So I am going in for an interview at this company, apparently the guy who is suppose to hire me is a devout Catholic, so we shall see how it pans out. I will let everyone know what went down when I get back, plus some other thoughts on my situation right now, that is, where I may be going in the future and what is going on right now.

Out of the depths I have come back to blog to thee

Sorry, I haven't posted in awhile because I wasn't sure if anyone was reading. I will try to post more often because now I know people are reading, so comment on what I say so I know you're out there. I have been avoiding the computer a bit lately and been trying to read books more because I have been playing way to many video games, but since I sold my newly built PC that will change a bit.

So I will post something of reading significance later on today, so stay tuned kiddies.