Posts by Razziel

37

Flawed Heroes

by jgnat in

being the inquiring sort, i've read deeper in to the past of some of my heroes, and found....flaws.

it shakes me up.

i wonder; is my hero worth emulating?

In a sense, we're all fractured characters. We can compensate for our weaknesses, but I don't think that we can turn them into strengths as strong as our natural strengths. I think a portion of wisdom is identifying what our weaknesses are, and then when confronted with a situation involving that weakness, to carefully solicit and consider the advice from others we consider strong in that area before making a decision, even if we decide to follow another path. That quality also makes a good Manager.

The other thing is no matter how strongly we feel that we are correct, at least keep in the back of our mind that we could be wrong, and anticipate the need for alternative solutions (i.e. have a Plan B and a Plan C). Don't overly second guess yourself, but at the same time don't be so rigid that you stick to a tactic that has become an obviously losing one. Adaptation to changing circumstances or new information can be the difference between success and failure.

/sigh I've read too many war books.

37

Flawed Heroes

by jgnat in

being the inquiring sort, i've read deeper in to the past of some of my heroes, and found....flaws.

it shakes me up.

i wonder; is my hero worth emulating?

Razziel

No it's not good enough to learn the best. You have to learn the worst too. I think you can actually learn more from the mistakes of others rather than the successes of others. Oscar Wilde said "Experience is merely the name men give to their mistakes".

Success in whatever you are trying to do is open-ended. There are many ways to get there. But there are even more ways to set yourself up for failure before you get out of the gate. You have to get rid of the road blocks. You have to clear away the rubble first. And one of the ways to do that is by considering the mistakes of others.

The hard part is taking all that you learn, and tailoring it to your own personality, strengths and weaknesses. If you try a cut-and-paste it won't work.

37

Flawed Heroes

by jgnat in

being the inquiring sort, i've read deeper in to the past of some of my heroes, and found....flaws.

it shakes me up.

i wonder; is my hero worth emulating?

Razziel

Don't model your life after one person. Choose several heroes in a wide variety of areas, and take the good and learn from the bad. Generally, the more exceptional someone is in one aspect, they have greater failings in another aspect. Find qualities to emulate and the qualities to avoid. People often develop a "soapbox" that they fight for with such focus that they lose sight of things they consider of less importance until those things devolve into such a state they become more of a problem than what they were fighting for.

22

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and go....

by HintOfLime in

each night i draw closer to completing towers of midnight.

i'm on page 918 or so right now, and somehow it makes me sad.

i started over from the beginning about 8 months ago (this is my third time through the available canon), and i'm nearly through everything published up to now.

Razziel

I was just tooling through Wal-Mart, and they have them on sale early. Just picked up a copy.

65

I need prayers about Engine Out Service on my Ferrari.

by james_woods in

jw
friends

should i do it this year - which would be the minimum five year interval, or wait until the maximum ten year interval?.

divine guidance is needed..

Razziel

I own a '94 Lexus SC400, which also has cam belts as opposed to chains. It's not as labor intensive as yours but I can remove a small portion of the front cover and observe the cam belts for signs of dry rot and cracking.

65

I need prayers about Engine Out Service on my Ferrari.

by james_woods in

jw
friends

should i do it this year - which would be the minimum five year interval, or wait until the maximum ten year interval?.

divine guidance is needed..

Razziel

James, is it possible to remove cam covers or the front shroud to observe the condition of the cam belts? All of the other maintenance items you listed are done for convenience while everything is exposed.

22

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and go....

by HintOfLime in

each night i draw closer to completing towers of midnight.

i'm on page 918 or so right now, and somehow it makes me sad.

i started over from the beginning about 8 months ago (this is my third time through the available canon), and i'm nearly through everything published up to now.

Razziel

If you enjoy fantasy novels, this series is a very good one. Like Lime, I'm actually kind of sad to see it coming to an end. In many long book series, a new threat or element is usually introduced in each book as a plot device to advance the story, and that particular story arc is also resolved in that book. (Like the Sword of Truth series.) Many "series" are almost stand-alone books set within a fantasy realm, that just continue the story of a set of characters.

In WoT, the author developed the framework for the entire series before he wrote the first book (supposedly he also wrote the ending when he wrote the beginning), and it has always been a more seamless series for me. There are subplots along the way, (and a few in the middle of the series that would have been better left off-screen. I didn't care for most of Winter's Heart or Crossroads of Twilight). But nearly every primary arc was developed or foreshadowed in the first few books, and we've been waiting 20 years to see the resolution. We did get a couple resolutions in the last book, Towers of Midnight, including a well placed use of chekhov's gun. But for the most part, the entire series will be resolved in the final book. I just hope there is not too much deus ex machina.

22

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and go....

by HintOfLime in

each night i draw closer to completing towers of midnight.

i'm on page 918 or so right now, and somehow it makes me sad.

i started over from the beginning about 8 months ago (this is my third time through the available canon), and i'm nearly through everything published up to now.

Razziel

The spoilers are already up on dragonmount, it seems a lot of people got advanced copies.

22

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and go....

by HintOfLime in

each night i draw closer to completing towers of midnight.

i'm on page 918 or so right now, and somehow it makes me sad.

i started over from the beginning about 8 months ago (this is my third time through the available canon), and i'm nearly through everything published up to now.

Razziel

Back in the mid-90's, I secretly hoped Armageddon would wait long enough for this series to be finished. It looks like my prayer was answered!

22

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and go....

by HintOfLime in

each night i draw closer to completing towers of midnight.

i'm on page 918 or so right now, and somehow it makes me sad.

i started over from the beginning about 8 months ago (this is my third time through the available canon), and i'm nearly through everything published up to now.

Razziel

Just a reminder, the final book is released this Tuesday, January the 8th. I've been reading the series since 1993, and can't wait for the conclusion.