Ray - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Well, I have traditionally used this space to share some lessons with you that I feel like I have learned from life. What I would like to share with you now is what I consider to be the biggest lesson of all. And I will tell you that I feel a little funny telling you this, lest you think of me as some kind of weirdo or phony or something... but this stuff is meant to be shared, I think, so here goes.
The main thing is having faith in God and His goodness. In remembering that you are not in control of things, that instead all events are guided by the wisdom of the Creator of the universe. A Creator and Father that wants each of us to be happy and to live a life full of joy and free from worry. Unfortunately, when we are suffering, it can be hard to see that God's plan for us is good even though suffering is a part of it.
And maybe this is a little trite, but what is joy without suffering? Unless you know suffering, how can you know what it is like to be free from it?
Look, one of my favorite comic books of all time is Preacher, and this book casts a pretty jaundiced eye on God, it makes Him out to be a manipulative creature that really wants us to love Him back. And while I'm sure God wants us to love Him (since He is life and He wants us to love life) the much more important thing to remember is that He loves you personally and that He will never abandon you, never stop guiding you, never stop trying to reveal the path to you that will make you happiest if you take it. But if you can find enough faith to really believe that an all-knowing and all-powerful invisible God loves you and wants to shepherd you through a life that will, without a doubt, contain pain and trials... if you are willing to defer to that wisdom at all times and you are willing to trust that He knows better than you what you need from life, you don't need to worry.
I'm probably one of the last people you would expect to put this kind of thing on his MySpace page (well, maybe not the last person, but certainly not the first)... but I'm very grateful to have learned this lesson. I feel like this is very deep. In fact, as my therapist said when I told him about this, "There is none deeper." And he's a quasi-mystical Jewish guy, so he would know.

My Interests

I am passionate about ideas and philosophy, although I am not really a student of it. I love understanding complicated theories or seeing patterns in chaos, especially as it relates to personality, interpersonal relationships, or art but "getting" anything is a feeling I enjoy. (Feelings in general are something I enjoy.) What else? I like walking around in urban and natural environments (especially when the weather is nice but double especially when it has just barely rained). I like attending concerts and films and visiting museums. I live for road trips and deep conversations. I enjoy black coffee, hoppy beer and fruity wine. I like taking antidepressants and talking with therapists, psychics, and my friend Maryann. I like dining out for every meal. Also, I seriously enjoy a good nap and/or a pepperoni pizza. When I get a chance to, I have been known to commandeer the karaoke stage... I'm not any good at it but I really pour my heart into it. (Signature songs: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and "Nothing Compares 2 U"). Another thing that I like doing but don't do all that much is riding roller coasters — super-scary on the way up, but so much fun on the way down. One hobby that I want to take up is hiking rugged trails — I've only done this once so far, but I really liked it. Jumping out of planes is something else I tried recently and it was quite the experience but I'm not totally sure it's one I want to repeat. Unless, you know, there are snakes on the plane.

I'd like to meet:

I'm pretty much interested in meeting anyone who's interested in adventures and deep conversations. In fact, I have been accused of being a little too open to meeting new people, as though there is some kind of danger in befriending strangers or something. So I am always down for meeting people who want to have fun, party, go and do things, etc — especially if you are the type of person who likes organizing the going and doing of things, that way I just have to show up. That said, if you don't seek me out (or vice versa) and I'm just kind of thrust into a situation with you, it can take me a long time to feel comfortable around you, but once I do — look out.

Music:

U2 is probably my all-time favorite artist — the whole Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop, ATYCLB, HTDAAB sequence is full of such richness and emotion and it really speaks to the human condition. (At least my own.) Other favorites of mine include Everything but the Girl, old school Liz Phair, Beth Orton, Jet, Pulp, Oasis, The Streets, Wilco, and The Stone Roses. I will also confess to an unhealthy obsession with very early Evanescence (who am I kidding? Evanescence, period) although I don't expect you to understand.

Movies:

I was a film student for awhile, so my tastes are all over the place. I've got "pretentious" favorites like Citizen Kane, Black Narcissus and A Brief Encounter but I also have some off-the-wall ones like Battle Royale and When Time Expires (starring Richard Grieco *and* Mark Hamill). Of course, I've got all the standard ones (Fight Club, Empire Strikes Back, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine, Pulp Fiction, The Life Aquatic etc) but my all-time favorite movie has got to be Kicking and Screaming — the 1995 Noah Baumbach version, not the Will Ferrell travesty of the same name. (Not that I've seen it.) Oh, and High Fidelity and SLC Punk! are both very dear to me. If you really want to understand me, check out these last three films. Human Traffic and Strange Days are also worth mentioning.

Television:

To tell you the truth, I don't really watch that much TV anymore. Although when I do kick it on, I like to check out The History Channel or The Discovery Channel. G4 is also fun — the writing on X-Play is very good and the personalities on Attack of the Show are great... except for Zach Selwin, who tries too hard. (To be fair, Vodka in a Stapler is brilliant.)

Books:

I really prefer non-fiction, self-help books but I do manage to squeeze in the occasional fiction book. For one, Lucky Wander Boy is pure genius. I guarantee you have not even heard of this book, but it is mind-blowing. I also like High Fidelity. Oh, and Red Dragon is brilliant as well. On the comic front, Understanding Comics is genius. And Watchmen, of course. Anything by Alan Moore, really. Or Garth Ennis — especially Preacher. Or Grant Morrison.