Study, Reading, Writing, Movies and Music

I mostly read non-fiction. I'm reading GK Chesterton, CS Lewis, Scott Hahn, the Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, Catholic Christian theologians, historians, apologists, and authors from the 1st century to contemporary times.

The Bible - Gods words. Our glimpse of how God thinks.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

All by Scott Hahn

All by GK Chesterton

All by CS Lewis

Fiction writers I enjoy for a little release now and then are Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Flannery O'Conner, Donald Barthelme, and poet ee cummings

Comedies: Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, Take the Money and Run, The Hospital, Network, Office Space, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Simpsons Movie, Vegas Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Dr. Strangelove, The Party, The Magic Christian, What's Up Doc, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Meaning of Life Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back...........many many more

Dramas: There are so many that my brain starts to smoke if I try to sort them enough to begin listing them. Basically, anything well acted and written, that deals with human emotions. Good examples are things like 'Pay It Forward', 'Life as a House','American Beauty', 'Amazing Grace', Jesus of Nazareth, Pursuit of Happyness, Glory, Patton, etc.

I like CGI animation. My favorite to this day is Finding Nemo.

I like epics, particularly the Lord of the Rings series and the Narnia series.

I can't wait for the new Star Trek movie which will deal with their beginnings.

My very favorite music of all time, forever and always, and above all other music available now, in the past, and probably in the future is summed up in just a small handful of artists:

Frank Zappa
The Beatles (Together, Wings and Solo)
Yes
Heart
Jimi Hendrix
King Crimson
Johnny Cash
Steve Vai
Janis Ian
David Bowie
Elton John
Billy Joel

I like tons of other stuff in all areas of music but the above artists have provided the primary soundtrack for my life, starting with the Beatles when I was just 7 years old, then Zappa and Hendrix from the time I was 10 or 11. They are all somewhat different from each other for the most part, but after all these years, they still spend more time than anyone else in my CD changer. I've had their music on vinyl, cassette, 8 track, CD, MP3, and DVD, and will buy it all again when we have to switch to the next thing.

Some Christian: Jars of Clay, Mercy Me, a handful of others.

Some 90's and Now - Keane, Soundgarden, Hanson, Matchbox 20, Fastball, Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morrisette others

Deep singer songwriters who can elicit emotional response - John Prine, Cat Stevens, Bonnie Raitt, Leonard Cohen, Don McClean, Harry Chapin, Billy Joel some others

Progressive/Art/Avant Garde: Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Spock's Beard, Echolyn, Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Gentle Giant, and a few others.

Classic Rock: Most of it. The usual stuff - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Styx, Rush, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, Van Halen blah blah blah

SOME New agey type stuff.....very limited. The very best pieces of work by Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Clannad, Kraftwerk, Rick Wakeman, Kitaro, Jon & Vangelis and a couple others

Classical: Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tcaichovsky, Chopin, and Mozart

Jazz: John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Miles Davis, a few others.

John 6:51 - 58

John 1:1 - 5

Matthew 16:18

Psalm 23

Psalm 86:15 - 16

Many many more

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I was called to Catholocism through conversion, as a grace and gift of the Holy Spirit late in my life (48 years old), after 20 years as a Buddhist with Christian interests. My path also took me through Protestant sects in my childhood and teens. Primarily Lutheran with some evangelical involvement with the Baptists and Four Square churches. The Holy Eucharist, which I came to understand as the real presence of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, as testified to by the Apostle John in his powerful Gospel, as well as the book of Revelation as seen through the eyes of Catholic author Scott Hahn in his book, "The Lord's Supper", were the gifts that the Lord put in my path to form the catalyst leading both myself and my wife to conversion to the Catholic faith.

The peace and graces of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ be with you always.

Philosophy, Theology, Ethics, Bioethics, Social ethics, Morality, Music, Movies, Literature, Writing

Consumerism, Hatred, War, Injustice, Mixed axiom Political Parties such as the Democratic and Republican parties, sino-soviet communism, unregulated lazais-faire capitalism, regligiously restrictive socialism, moral relativism, cafeteria catholocism, pharisees