Gene, Prom King 2008!! profile picture

Gene, Prom King 2008!!

Certain favors shouldn't be given, much less accepted. When will I learn??

About Me

I'm 29 years old, as of this writing. However, I suspect this might change on an annual basis. I'm from Luxembourg , a tiny country in Europe between Germany, France, and Belgium. I currently reside in El Paso,Texas. At least. my body does - my brain is usually in a higher sphere of awareness. Or is that lower?

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
- Dr. Seuss


Thanks to my friend AliceMoonlight for the above quote of utter brilliance.
I study for and work with computers. I love computers! They're logical, follow simple instructions, and don't yell back at you. Hence, my nextgirlfriend will be a computer. Or maybe not - they have their deficiencies also. No soft parts, and stuff.
ABOVE: The Gare du Luxembourg. Was there every day for two years to take the train to Trier, Germany, where I went to school. Of course,traveling across Europe by train is very much fun. I miss it.
ABOVE: Luxembourg , my home city, at night. Purty, ain't it? :)

"Stultus in risu exaltat vocem suam; vir autem sapiens vix tacite ridebit"
-- "The fool raises his voice in laughter, but the wise man will scarcely laugh in silence."


This myspace site has been created as an outlet for me to display what I like. I hope like-minded people enjoy it, and non-like-minded peoplewill learn something new. I'm NOT here for cybersex or other junk that mature and self-assured people do not need, so do NOT message me withany of that. However, I am always interested in a good intellectual discussion, of themes mature and silly alike. I speak English, German,Spanish, French, and Luxembourgish, so feel free to contact me in any of those languages. Assuming you have a basic understanding of thespelling and grammar in your language of choice, that is. I do not tolerate people who think they know enough about computers to post half-naked, drunken-hazed pictures of themselves on-line yet are unable to find the spell-check button.

Inside me a light was turned on
And then I was alive
- Waterproof Blonde: "Just close your Eyes"


I link stuff a lot. I consider myself educated, and thus consider it my divine responsibility to educate the less fortunate. Hence, if you readthis (and you are, right now) and want to find out more about what I'm blah-blahing about, just follow the links.
I'm a goth . I am also Gothic. That's a difference, which I am quite aware of. I am a goth -which, unlike popular belief, does not mean that I wear black and sacrifice cats at midnight but, in it's truest form, means that I am a freethinker and a non-confirmist. I do wear predominantly black, have long dyed-black hair, various earrings and tattooes and all that stuff, butthat's my personal choice and preference and is not done in order to "fit in" or conform to any group. See, you can be a Goth without "lookingGoth" - (which I don't, half of the time... I even have a pair of white jeans! GASP!). If you had to conform to a certain look or dress code tobe "Goth" then you'd be disqualified from being one because Goths are essentially non-conformists. Ever since the Middle Ages, when Goths builttheir architecture different and everyone else thought they sucked. They didn't care then, we don't care now. Makes sense? I just like the wayI look better than if I tried to look any other way. I am not, however, an anarchist. I obey laws. I just don't obey customs, unless I likethem. That's an important distinction.

Don't believe in fear
Don't believe in pain
Don't believe in anyone
That you can't tame
- Garbage: "Stupid Girl"


ABOVE: translated from German: "close your eyes, and listen to what your heart tells you" Yep, that's why we're goths.

I've come to know the cold
I think of it as home
When there ain't enough of me to go around
I'd rather be left alone
- Guns N' Roses: "Breakdown"


I am also gothic, both by birth and by choice. I have a germanic, central European upbringing and I enjoy gothic and romantic literature (andmusic, and certain movies), including gothic horror and tragedy. In it's purest form, I love a good story - and I just seem to find one moreoften when turning to Homer and Bram Stoker , to Plautus and Mary Shelley, from Lord Byron to Anne Rice, from H.P. Lovecraft to Colleen McCullough. If it involves the darker aspects of the human psyche, I'm likelyto read it. Or watch it. Or listen to it. I do like vampires and ghosts and werewolves and fairies and dark gloomy castles in the moonlight andall that stuff.

I rise up like the Phoenix from the Ashes of an older Way
With Wisdom gained, I turn away, I turn away
Hollow Man, find yourself some other Prey
- Iced Earth: "Hollow Man"


I collect stuff. Like I said, I love a good story, and there are several good mediums for one. Books, Movies, Comics, Video Games, RPG andTabletop Games, Art, Music. And other people, of course. I collect them all. (Well, I don't collect people. The rumors that I have some in myfreezer - or parts of them - are completely untrue. But I like meeting them). One day I'll buy a house. I need more storage space!

And someday, you will ache like I ache
Someday, you will ache like I ache
- Hole: "Doll Parts"


ABOVE: Another powerful picture. Don't know the artist, unfortunately. True art doesn't need anything busy or in-your-face, but subtle, yetpowerful imagery. For example...

Ich freu' mich auf mein neues Leben
Auf alles was noch vor mir liegt
Ich habe nur noch einen einzigen Wunsch
Nie wieder stillzustehen
- Die Toten Hosen: "Testbild"


ABOVE: ...I always admired how Charles M. Schulz could get so much impression and love out of a fewpencilstrokes in his Peanuts strips.
ABOVE: Computer-generated art can be great also. The above picture is the train from Syberia , currently leaving from France through Eastern Europe into Russia to find thewoolly mammoth, and what wouldn't I give to be on it right now.
I'm an epicureanist , a skeptic , a cynic by choice ( cynicism - even self-applied - is humorous tome, although not by definition), an aspiring Toreador, an agnostic , a Gruftie , an amateur historian, a hedonist, anarcissist (some would say Metrosexual, but that depends on what your definition of the word means; its meaning has been misinterpreted,butchered, and abused quite a bit over the years), a geek , and a social darwinist . The answer to life, the universe, and everything, is, of course,still 42 . And always remember - TANSTAAFL . And if you don't know what that any of this means, just f'n google it :)
I give more than I take. I give plenty. But I do take some. Don't take unless you can give. Else, don't even bother with me.

My Interests


ABOVE: The E-Werk , possibly Europe's finest techno and industrial club.
I like Belgium Lambic black cherry beer , white wine (especially when mixed with Coke... yeah, I know it sounds weird, but 1/3 white wine and 2/3 Coke is the drink of choice where I'm from), my favorite whites are Riesling and Elbling , although I admit I'm biased since I grew up in that area. Chardonnay will usually do around here. I also like Smirnoff Twisted and Bacardi Silver , good cider ( Strongbow , Bulmer's , Cooper's, Woodchuck ).
ABOVE: The greatest beer in the world!
I like computers and all kinds of electronic geeky nerdy gadget stuff. I miss the late 80s / early 90s gaming scene when Commodore and Atari and Sega were still contenders. I support Apple and AMD , and I have just about every Nintendo ever made. I like video games, mainly RPG's and strategy games. Anything Sid Meier will do. Sierra On-Line and LucasFilm Games, and good old Infocom are among my fondest memories. Al Lowe is still around, thankfully, and his website is well worth a visit. I'm fairly fluent in Java, html, Turbo Pascal and some basic (started Locomotive Basic on an old Amstrad CPC464 ) and also have some coding experience with C++, LISP, Fortran 77 . I'm an avid World of WarCraft player, running Starglow on Silvermoon.

ABOVE: Loom , the greatest video game ever made. Ah, for the good old days where a deep story was more important than random CGI crap in games...
I am an avid sports fan. Mainly soccer and hockey, but I'll follow most team sports. I'm an avid Blackburn Rovers (soccer) and Ottawa Senators (hockey) follower. As much as I enjoy a good story of drama and suspense, real life has always created the greatest, dramatic, most unbelievable stories of them all, and sports illustrates this quite clearly.

ABOVE: The Blackburn Rovers . Just 'cause. Heh. Seriously, I love the team, and the logo is great also.

I'd like to meet:

I like to meet intelligent and literate people, who can converse and discuss in a civilized and at least somewhat rational manner. I tolerate any race, age, religion, race, social class, and other attributes, so long as above characteristics are met. In other words, I like to meet people who hold my interest. I like to meet honest and forthright people - posers and fakers disgust and bore me.

"Be yourself, no matter what they say"
- Sting: "Englishman in New York"

Romantically, I am not in need of meeting anyone. There's a little box provided by myspace where you can checkmark why you are using myspace, including "dating" and "serious relationships" - mine are not toggled on, and there's a reason for that. I do not use myspace as a dating service. I've loved and lost in my lifetime, I've learned, I've evolved - I have other priorities now than I did when I was younger, and my libido isn't hurting. That does not mean I will never become romantically involved with the other sex again, and I do not wish this to sound cold, I just am not actively looking. I have the rare talent to be able to enjoy my own private space and time quite well. I like people also, but I dislike sheep. Especially the two-legged variety :)

Here and now, I feel that I'm embracing freedom
Even though I may be alone, but that's ok
- Delerium: "A Poem for Byzantium"

Below are some people I've already met.

ABOVE: Verenize (left), Dolores (right)

ABOVE: Dolores (left), Bobby (right)

ABOVE: Kara (Left, the girl) - Octavya from FoA; and Thomas (Right, the guy) - Lexani from FoA

ABOVE: Fabiola, Shawn, myself (looking weird because I forgot to put on the pale-making make-up of awesomeness that day)

ABOVE: Shane and Gene. All smiles. Before that f...er got me drunk and lured me to the slaughterhouse (i.e. Dolores' paddle)

ABOVE: Mo, Shawn; Other Mo and me as Batman

ABOVE: with Melissa, looking hardcore & sexy at Dedo; SO hardcore & sexy, actually, that I had to give it a full size space on my page.

If I follow along
does it mean I belong
If I follow along
does it mean I belong
If I follow along
does it mean I belong
or will I keep on feeling different from everybody else?
- Dave Matthews Band: "Sing Along"

I'd like to meet:
Cleopatra, back when she was alive. Ruling the richest country on Earth with the most beautiful woman ever must have been fun.

ABOVE: Ah, Cleopatra. In another lifetime, indeed. A man can dream...

Talkin’ jivey, poison ivy
You ain’t gonna cling to me
Man taker, born faker
I ain’t so blind I can’t see
- Nazareth: "Hair of the Dog"

Music:

Alternative, Goth , and Punk : The Sisters of Mercy (First and Last and Always, indeed... they will always top my list), Die Toten Hosen (German Punk), Die Aerzte (German Punk), Bauhaus , Sex Pistols ,The Clash , Iggy Pop , Nirvana , The Offspring , Radiohead ,R.E.M. , Waterproof Blonde , Beastie Boys , The Ramones , Smashing Pumpkins , The Bates , Nine Inch Nails , Joy Division and their successors New Order , Dead can Dance , Siouxsie and the Banshees (some of it), Velvet Revolver ,Weezer , The Presidents of the United States of America , Spin Doctors , Delerium

ABOVE: Die Toten Hosen, the greatest punk band ever, completely awesome to see live.

ABOVE: The quintessential album, the quintessential goth band. Rest In Peace, Ofra Haza !

ABOVE: Andrew Eldritch . The man. Period.
Metal & Rock: Guns N' Roses (yes, I love their early stuff), Metallica (ditto), Iced Earth , Body Count , Garbage

ABOVE: God, disguised as W. Axl Rose.

ABOVE: one of my favorite bands when I was growing up, although I guess it doesn't fall within my usual kind of genres. Saw them twice live inGermany, and they kicked all kinds of ass. Of course, original members Mooseman, D-Roc , andBeatmaster V are all dead now. Gunned down and stuff. Guess that what happens when you follow musicians who are even remotely connected to therap genre.
Rhythm & Blues, Classical Rock: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple (gotta see them live to really appreciate their stuff), Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers , Gianna Nannini , Bon Jovi
Classical: Beethoven, Dmitri Shostakovich , Vangelis , Maurice Ravel ... some Mozart... very little Bach(usually too busy for me)

ABOVE: Good ol' Ludvig Van!
some early Techno and Synthesizer/Dance and Eurodance: Heaven 17, 2 Unlimited , H-Blockx (their first album rocked), Eurythmics , Prodigy, NewOrder, Technotronic , Eurythmics, Aqua, Dolls United, Snap!, a lot of German technoyou probably have never heard about

ABOVE: They made techno and dance music before it was cool. Way ahead of their times. You'll probably have heard the song "Temptation" in theTrainspotting soundtrack. You know, the nightclub scene where Bigbie throws his beer glass intothe face of some girl who ends up bleeding like a stuck pig.
very little pop, especially Britpop : Pet ShopBoys , U2 (some of it), Deep BlueSomething , Blue Man Group & Venus Hum (okay, so it's not reallypop, but they're fun to watch live), Oasis , The Doors , Sugarplum Fairies , Udo Lindenberg , Marius Müller-Westernhagen , Alanis Morrisette , Roxette , Murray Head

ABOVE: Udo Lindenberg , the great old man of German coolness. Pay homage, now!
and of course, the entire Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack

ABOVE: The greatest musical ever. As if there was any doubt.
My favorite song? Oh gosh... best metal song is Metallica's "For whom the Bell tolls"... best pure instrumental tune is Maurice Ravel's " Bolero "... best Goth song is the Sisters of Mercy's "Temple of Love"... best dance songis New Order's "Confusion" (you know, the dance club scene from the movie " Blade ")... bestsong to be alone with a girl in some dark corner in a seedy night club is Radiohead's "Street Spirit" (Oh God... I'm having flashbacksalready)... best classical dance goes to Shostakovich's "The Second Waltz"... best song to be depressive and introverted at on a rainy day areSugarplum Fairies' "Sugarfree" and the classic "Greensleeves"... darkest song ever, and if I ever buy a sawed-off shotgun to blow my head offI'll probably be listening to this whilst doing it is the Sisters of Mercy's "Afterhours"

ABOVE: Odds are he's dancing to Shostakovich. And well he should!

Movies:

Too many to count. Generally speaking, if stuff blows up, I like it. If it has vampires, werewolves, mummies in it, I like it. If it has twoadults in it who like each other but stupidly enough don't realize it until two hours of movie time, a bucket of popcorn, seven bucks, and manyfake tears have come and gone, I probably don't like it. My own life is complicated enough to have to suffer through other people complicatetheirs.
The following movies have touched me, in one way or another.
The Shop Around The Corner (1940), Casablanca (1942), It's A Wonderful Life (1946), Forbidden Planet (1956), 12 Angry Men (1957), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Jaws , The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Alien (1979), The Wall (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Legends of the Fall , Shallow Grave , The Crow (1994), Don Juan DeMarco (1995), Star Trek: First Contact , Trainspotting (1996), Contact (1997), Meet Joe Black (1998), Office Space , Stir of Echoes (1999), Donnie Darko (2001), The Ring (2002), House of Flying Daggers , The Life Aquatic (2004), Sin City , Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
ABOVE: "Suddenly I heard a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."
ABOVE: "You see, before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. If he weren't up there now... I don't think it would besnowing. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it."
ABOVE: "I envy you... taking these first steps into a new frontier."
ABOVE: "You underestimate my power!"
ABOVE: "I thought you were hot as fire. In fact you're cool as water."

Television:

this space intentionally left blank for code tests
avlays

Books:

Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov (the greatest author ever), Frank Herbert , Theodore Sturgeon , Alan Dean Foster, Michael A. Stackpole , Perry Rhodan series (various authors)
ABOVE: if the ending of this book series doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you're not human. Rest In Peace, R. Giskard Reventlov. Rest In Peace, Plainclothesman Elijah Bailey. R. Daneel Olivaw, you are the perfect human being. If only you were one. I don't cry at movies but I do when reading certain books. Am I weird? Oh, and rest in piece, Isaac Asimov.
Horror / Gothic : H.P. Lovecraft , Anne Rice, Stephen King, Christie Golden, P.N. Elrod
ABOVE: another absolutely powerful book. The first two copies of this book that I've owned are so worn and torn beyond recognition because I've read them so often. Currently looking for a third one. Five stars out of five, easily. [UPDATE: I finally found a third copy on eBay. I'm happy. And no, you can't borrow it. It's all mine!!]
Fantasy: Robert Jordan, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, Piers Anthony (the most hilarious author who ever lived - and still does, hopefully for quite some time), Raymond A. Feist, Wolfgang Hohlbein, Michael Ende. I'm not really a big Tolkien fan, but I realize his contributions to the genre of fantasy... much like I do not like Elvis Presley, but recognize that without him there wouldn't be much of the music I do like today.
Contemporary: Agatha Christie, Charles de Lint , Stephen King, Dan Brown, Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton
Ancient History: Colleen McCullough, Peter Danielson
ABOVE: The greatest book ever written! This is the first in a six-book series, each a thousand pages or so. You will not find a greater, classier, better researched epic. Lucius Cornelius Sulla is THE MAN. This is an absolute must read for any ambitious man who is in search of his dignity.
ABOVE: Frank Herbert's Dune . The entire six-book series is one great read, perhaps the greatest epic ever written. Even the sequels (by Herbert's son) are quite readable, so far.

Heroes:

currently under construction/coding/relocation

My Blog

Rest in peace, Markus Zimmer

frontman of the German punk/goth/rock band "The Bates", one of the bands I grew up with. He was only 41. here's their perhaps most famous song, a Michael Jackson remake. ...
Posted by Gene on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:28:00 PST

in every man a darker side, just waiting to be freed

I FINALLY tracked down the video. This is Campino and DTH, the greatest band of all times, doing their version of Alex (for the German theatre play of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange). One of the...
Posted by Gene on Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:09:00 PST

one year of myspace

On January 10th of last year I set up my myspace account; thus, my first anniversary has come. Couple of thoughts on my first year. My myspace page was originally created for two reasons: to test code...
Posted by Gene on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:26:00 PST

"In a year where my rose will bloom"

...and I try my hands on another poem, to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new. This would be easier in German for me, but there wouldn't be many here who could actually read it, so in Engl...
Posted by Gene on Thu, 28 Dec 2006 12:11:00 PST

2006 in review - New Years resolutions for 2007

Well, here we go. 2006 is almost over (and I'm happy it is - that year was DRAINING). Of course, I want to improve in 2007. This is preliminary - I have four days or so to iron out the details. Anyone...
Posted by Gene on Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:57:00 PST

my horoscope

You are analyzing and sorting intense emotional information, making your brain feel like rush hour on a major freeway. The only way to lighten your intellectual traffic is to filter the data more effi...
Posted by Gene on Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:40:00 PST

fun stuff at Dedo last night!

Outside Dedo (for the non-El Pasoans: the local Goth and alternative club of sorts) yesterday, smoking a cigarette... ...so these two disgustingly preppy college girls walk past the entrance of Dedo. ...
Posted by Gene on Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:33:00 PST

La Belgique n'existe plus

for those of you living under a brick (or uncaring about the Benelux countries... heh), two days ago the leading news channel in Belgium announced that Flandern (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) ha...
Posted by Gene on Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:37:00 PST

Quizapalooza

Ever check your myspace and it's full of a gazillion stupid quizzes from random people? Since I don't like spamming my own junk, I just added all of mine together, rather than spamming them individual...
Posted by Gene on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:01:00 PST

FoA myspace directory

Addleak Amarya Brasheel Bristow Cabernet Darion Denlor Dilusiun Foxeyes Heeroyuy Hriedmar Igy Ivory Kamar Ladaa Laemi Malador Masterdream Pik Ravenwings Remdithaad Roxani Starglow Starrynite Suprema ...
Posted by Gene on Sat, 02 Dec 2006 12:33:00 PST