Matters of Faith

Some of the buzz today has been about revelations of Mother Teresa's spiritual struggles. It seems that everyone is so surprised about it. But really, wouldn't it be even more surprising, and possibly disturbing, to learn that she never had doubts and struggles with her faith? She was human after all.

In some scientific circles it's even being considered that she was some sort of closet atheist. I guess that reaction is understandable when so many of those people consider calling something "religion" is the ultimate insult because it implies blindly accepting things despite any contradictory evidence. Perhaps Mother Teresa can minister to them even after her death by showing them that even the most faithful of religious people don't always blindly accept things without question. Wouldn't you imagine that scientists would recognize that already if they are so smart and logical? But I guess even they can confuse faith and certainty.*

My point here is not to bash atheists or scientists though. My point is to say that the lesson in Mother Teresa's struggles is that we all are human with the same emotional, intellectual, and spiritual conflicts regardless of how we label them. And her example clearly illustrates what our relationships with God are supposed to look like. If we never question things we never learn and grow. God knows that and that is why we have our minds and souls anyway. God wants us to evolve, not just physically but also spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.

I think that it's entirely possible that Mother Teresa suffered some depressive stages in her life. She was a woman, and we women do go through stages in our lives that can affect us in every possible way. At the time of her publicized "crises of faith" she was past her reproductive years, and I must wonder if she had some sadness about not living the fullest possible life as a woman. Yes, I know that her relationship with God was utmost and her service to humanity was her "calling." But she was also fully human and could not exactly escape all the human needs.

This is where I think the Catholic Church has gone way off track in their teachings. I just don't believe in celibacy. It's not normal, and it's not necessary to be celibate in order to have a deep, meaningful relationship with God. I think God wants us to fully experience our humanity and the bodies and minds that we have. God does not think that sex is dirty or sinful. Why in the world would God 'create' sex and require it for our own reproduction (creation of new life) if it was a bad thing?

Of course, this is only some twisted kind of psychological 'thought experiment', but I wonder, how would Mother Teresa's views, thoughts, feelings, faith, and so on have changed if she had ever experienced the total physical union of love with a man? And by extension, how would those things have changed if she had born children from such a union? Surely she would have recognized the divinity incarnate in deep human love and reproduction. And the darkness that seemed to torment her might have been lightened by her appreciation of the power of the human body to celebrate God and Creation in that way.

Certainly, all the suffering and poverty that she saw in the world would challenge even the strongest faith. It can be hard not to ask why God allows such things in the world. But perhaps that's like asking why we must crap. It's just the world working according to the "Natural laws" prescribed by God. Why would God want to go around breaking the Laws of Nature? That wouldn't teach us anything but confusion. If you had created a Universe would you go around messing it up with random changes? Well, I wouldn't. I'd want to watch how it grew and evolved without my interference.

But that's not to say that God has abandoned us and the Universe. God is always here/there for us. Although we are "separate" from God in some sense, He has provided us with ways of being closer to Him. I'm sure that Mother Teresa knew these things intellectually. And it's perfectly acceptable that doubts about this truth entered her mind.

It would have been fascinating to meet and talk with her.


* On further thought, I'm afraid that paragraph sounds a little too crotchety. I certainly didn't intend for it to come across that way. Apologies about that.

Chalkboard

make your own chalkboard

List

Things that need fixed:

1. laptop (needs speakers and the battery charging pin-hole thing broke)

2. Centipede game (trackball is out of track)

3. microwave oven door (falling apart)

4. electric outlet downstairs (replacement)

5. Corvette lights (opening switch went out)

6. Sony Vega TV (won't turn on)

7. swing frame (needs welding)

8. credit card reader (for business, it's just completely f'd up)

9. beverage refrigerator (door falls off)


I'm sure there is more, but isn't this enough?

Startled by the Obvious

Do not use my name for evil purposes, because I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name.

Exodus 20:7 (Today's English Version)

Also known as the Third Commandment, or the Second Commandment for Catholics and Lutherans

How Religions Start

Thinking back to the time of the earliest Homo Sapiens it seems there must surely have been some highly intelligent individuals who thought of questions like "Why am I so different from the other animals?" He might have noticed that humans look somewhat similar to the other ape species, but how did we end up different?" These are not new questions that have arisen only in the last couple of hundred years.

Maybe some guy thought up something like "I can see some greater wholeness to all of this world and I will call it God." He figured out that we are the "highest" forms of life and tried to figure out how that happened. That intuitive knowledge about ourselves and our universe is what he called "God spoke to me." Where else did these ideas come from? He didn't know about brains and neurochemicals and all the other biological stuff that makes up our consciousness and creativity. At that time his revelations about his thoughts were novel and revolutionary.

So he told others what he knew, and his explanations made some sense of otherwise unknowns and people talked about them because new ideas tend to stimulate people that way, even way back then. ;-) And he was probably the family or community or tribal "wise man" that everyone trusted because he had been right so often in the past. So an oral tradition of passing along these ideas and stories began to grow and spread.

So over time maybe some people would ask, "Why do we believe these things?" And many people would say, "Because so-and-so told us and he's always right." And maybe they got angry when their accepted ideas were questioned without the questioners offering better answers. Some basics of human nature probably haven't changed all that much since then.

Aside: A Question of Time

There is no dividing line or boundary in "real time" evolution. The timeline of human evolution constructed by paleotheorists is rather imprecise in when exactly the different Homo species lived and died. When they say that the Neanderthals disappeared it doesn't mean that one day they all just disappeared. It took thousands of years for them to die off (or be absorbed into Homo Sapiens, my own particular pet idea). What do we think really happened in the time between this species and that species? The changes were gradual, not instantaneous. I suspect one might could apply some kind of quantum or whatever view to the evolving human populations and see that at the individual and small groups levels the forward movement in development isn't always obvious. Well, maybe that's a really whacked out thing to say. I don't really know. Anyway, my point is that it's wrong to think of these different periods of time as distinct or discreet in that one starts and one stops and there is no overlap. There is a lot of overlap.

The Relevance of Religion

Eventually new evidence is discovered that challenges old ideas. Not everyone is open and accepting of their long-cherished knowledge being questioned. But some people can take new knowledge and integrate it with the old, while yet others will completely dismiss the old ideas as worthless and accept the new, sometimes as blindly as some refuse it. Like with the "timeline" of evolution, there aren't always distinct boundaries within the range of beliefs.

Looking back at our guy who "saw" God and thought his intuitions were God speaking to him, we must remember that his language and ability to describe his intuitions were much more limited than ours today. The old stories were told in the ways that made sense at their time. And at one time these stories were novel and revolutionary not because of the words they used but because of the ideas they conveyed. The revolutionary idea behind God was that there is a reason why we are humans and not apes, or pigs. ;-) In our modern time we know the real, scientific reasons we are human, and not apes or pigs, but knowing the ways how doesn't diminish the significance of the idea itself. Well, I don't think it should anyway.

Even today, we are still processing our intuitions and observations of the universe. It's important to respect the origins of these processes, whether the origins are explained in the modern parlances or the old oral traditions (mythology and religion). They are basically explaining the same things if you can reduce the words into the ideas that they convey. And this is one of the reasons why it bothers me so much when Religion is vilified and degraded: becasue doing so completely disrespects the intelligence of our ancestors and the evolution of our minds.

Sure, over history many terrible things have been done in the name of God or religion. But so has it happened in the name of love and any other ideas. Does that make love and other ideas necessarily evil? Of course not. You can't really blame an idea or feeling for the actions of evil or bad people. And that is the meaning of the Commandment quoted at the top. Do not use the name of God for wrong purposes.

Well, here in the Baptist dominated Bible Belt, people are told that this Commandment forbids using God's name in an invective phrase, such as "Goddamn!" or "Oh my God!" or whatever endless variations people can create. Strictly, or Fundamentally speaking, I suppose that's true enough, but it's just completely naive and misses the deeper meaning of the Commandment. Besides, when someone exclaims, "Oh my God!" in surprise or any other strong emotion God knows those are really just prayers. ;-)

The people who are really breaking the Commandment are the ones like Al Gore, the current AntiChrist, who invokes God's name for his own selfish purposes (fame, glory, power, influence, and so on). But there are others who are abusing God's name as well. They are the ones who try to tell everyone that a belief in God and religion is the source of all the problems that have ever existed. How is it not obvious that the Commandment is a warning against any kind of abuse of power and control? And these antireligionists, or militant atheists as some call themselves, are really just false prophets abusing the name of God by spreading lies of ommission about religion and its influence on the evolution of mankind.

Well, of course, who am I to indict anyone? But I do want to show people their misunderstandings about the role of religion and a belief in God in our human development. There is a deeper meaning to the stories and mythology of religion, and to deny that or to demean it is a asking for trouble. ;-)

China, Britney, and Other Observations

China

More Chinese manufactured toys have been recalled due to lead paint and shoddy workmanship. Well, I'm kind of concerned about all the recent recalls of Chinese products. Some have suggested that it's not really "that big a problem" or that more attention is being paid to China's errors than those of others these days. If you have young kids with popular toys that were made in China, then it is that big a problem. Duh. And if your tires have exploded or if your dog died from bad food or if you were poisoned by tainted toothpaste, it is that big a problem. My concern is that the Communist government of China, in its movement into their own form of Capitalism, is just not playing by the rules. They seem to be making their own rules which aren't exactly ethical or fair. And what of our huge 'trade deficit' with China? My prediction is that it will shrink considerably as more and more crap from China is discovered to be crap and fewer and fewer Americans tolerate it. And maybe they should start balancing things out a little differently if the quality of what we're getting is so low. Of course, there are some quality products from China too. But that's not what I'm thinking about here. Basically, I think that when an institutionalized atheist communist government tries to do capitalism they will have to learn that quality matters as much as price, and that is the kind of 'ethics' that institutional atheism doesn't teach. Well, neither does communism for that matter.

Britney

She is clearly suffering from some severe mental illness. Perhaps it's postpartum depression or maybe even bipolar disorder. Both of those conditions can manifest themselves in erratic, reckless, and psychotic (lost touch with reality) behaviors. Exactly like Britney has demonstrated over the last year. Someone please have her committed to a mental hospital so she can get the treatment she needs before she ends up dead. It's really sad for her two young sons when she's obviously not interested in being a good mother to them and when her skank of an ex-husband looks like a saint in comparison to her. Well, maybe he's not really all that bad after all? If any "regular" person did the things that Britney has done they would most likely end up in a mental hospital. I recall a couple of college classmates who "flipped out" (had psychotic episodes of crazy behavior) and had to leave school for a while for treatment (both did finish their degrees). Getting treatment for mental illness is not a stigma or anything to be ashamed about. On the contrary, not getting treatment is the thing to be ashamed about when there are so many things available nowadays, especially to those for whom money is not an obstacle. If there are any people who are still close to Britney they really must do some kind of intervention before it's too late.

Weather

I absolutely hate the Weather Channel. I'm certain that they are one of the biggest players in the whole "global warming" hoax. I mean, just look at how the channel has changed and become so slick and highly produced in the last 10 years. Climate change is big business for them and they are milking it for more than it's worth. For several years now we've been comparing the Weather Channel's forecasts with our local meteorologists' forecasts. The Weather Channel is consistently off by 3-4 degrees, like if the local guys say it will be 96 the Weather Channel says it will be 100. The same is true for the cold weather forecasts: the Weather Channel consistently says it will be 3-4 degrees colder than what the local guys say. And the local guys are always more accurate. You'd think that after so many years of being wrong in their forecasts that the Weather Channel would try to be more reliable. Well, no, apparently reliability and accuracy aren't their primary motivations. Their primary motivations are to promote extreme weather and climate change and to increase their profits. I really wish someone would do a big expose and reveal the Weather Channel's corruption.

Local Government

Recently we've been learning about the wide extent of corruption in our local government. Apparently, people have no qualms about exploiting public money for their own benefit. This is the core reason why communism and socialism will never work well. One of my favorite high school teachers used to talk about how communist and socialist systems tend to promote people wallowing in the "muck of mediocrity." The longer I live the more I see he was absolutely correct about that.


Jesus, why didn't someone alert me to that typo in government?

HOT

I think that title is a good subsequent one, and I'll like the way it looks on the sidebar. ;-)

It is HOT here, as it usually is in August. Yesterday was 94 and today it is 95 and tomorrow is supposed to reach 97 and then Friday is supposed to reach 95. But no, it's definitely not a sign of any kind of global warming or climate change. We have hot times in the summer, usually in July and August. Seven years ago when my youngest was born, it was 96 (Aug. 6).

Well, whether or not it is remembered as normal by everyone, it's still miserable and worthy of complaint. Just like the aches I get every month. ;-)

Anyway, school starts tomorrow. Wow, this summer has flown way too fast, and it's the first time I haven't been really ready for school to start. It could have something to do with the kids being old enough now for us to really enjoy being together. And we've had a really fun summer.

But something else really bothers me about this starting school in early August. It makes no economical sense in any way. Here we are at the peak of the hot weather and TVA is bitching about record power demand. How much sense does it really make to go and start school at that time and add even more stress to the power system? Knox County has a lot of schools and that means a lot of air conditioning. There should be at least another month of summer break or we might really cause some global warming! ;-)

SEX

How's that for an attention grabbing title? ;-)

Top 10 Reasons Why Men and Women Have Sex

Women

1. I was attracted to the person
2. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure
3. It feels good
4. I wanted to show my affection to the person
5. I wanted to express my love for the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. It's fun
9. I realized I was in love
10. I was "in the heat of the moment"

Men

1. I was attracted to the person
2. It feels good
3. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure
4. It's fun
5. I wanted to show my affection to the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. I wanted to express my love for the person
9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm
10. I wanted to please my partner

Source: "Why Humans Have Sex." (PDF) Cindy M. Meston and David M. Buss. Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2007.

Never Trust a Pig

From the Wiki article:

Pigs are omnivores, which means that they consume both plants and small animals. Pigs will scavenge and have been known to eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, tree bark, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs. In the wild, they are foraging animals, primarily eating leaves and grasses, roots, fruits and flowers. Occasionally, in captivity, pigs may eat their own young, often if they become severely stressed....

Pigs harbour a unique (when compared to other domestic animals) range of parasites and diseases that can be easily transmitted to humans. These include trichinosis, cysticercosis, and brucellosis. Very commonly, pigs are also known to host large concentrations of parasitic ascarid worms in their digestive tract. The presence of these diseases and parasites is one of the main reasons why pork meat should always be well cooked or cured before eating. Some religious groups that consider pork unclean refer to these issues as support for their views.

Pigs are extremely susceptible to pneumonia, usually caused by weather. Pigs have small lungs in relation to body size; for this reason, bronchitis or pneumonia can kill a pig quickly.

Pigs can be aggressive and pig-induced injuries are relatively common in areas where pigs are reared or where they form part of the wild or feral fauna.

Domestic pigs are often inbred, leading to the expression of recessive traits. Congenital malformations are common. One such malformation is the duplication of a pig's head.

Traffic Jam of the Brain

Sitting with the thinker
Trying to work it out
It's a traffic jam of the brain
Makes you want to scream and shout
Presidential party
No one wants to dance
Looking for a new star
To put you in a trance
Let's go all the way
Let's go all the way

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Let's go all the way

"Let's Go All the Way" by Sly Fox

Snakeoil Sales in the Marketplace of Ideas

Lubos recently posted an interesting and stimulating essay on the market of ideas and how it might work better in science. Well, I'm not really going to talk about that detailed of a topic but more of a survey of one of the problems with a market of ideas. (We're only wading in here since my intellectual tide is so low. ;-) )

Every market that has ever existed has had its share of snakeoil sales. This is just one of the inherent traits of an open and free market in which all types can participate. There will always be room for less than honest people trying to make a buck off of gullible and/or desperate people, whether they are offering some miracle cures for ailments, a utopian sociopolitical system, a perfect religion, a scientific theory, or any other good, service, or idea (or combination of those). It would be nice if I'd go and list a bunch of examples of each type and how and why they fall into the snakeoil sales category. But can't everyone already think of some examples? Besides I don't want to get caught up in some "debate" about which examples are or aren't snakeoil. That's not my point here. (I'm using that reason because I learned it from an "intellectually serious" person. ;-) )

Okay, now what was I going to say? Sometimes I crack myself up and lose my train of thought. It's an occupational hazard to being the Sacred Fool. ;-) Well, crap. That train's done left the station. I'll have to wait until it comes back around. Sorry.

La, la, la, la, la. Well, here comes another.


The previously mentioned Lubos essay got me into a miscommunication with someone. I was trying to help him save some time by telling him that something was snakeoil and why it was snakeoil. I was only trying to tell him the "bottom line" but he didn't want to hear it for some reason. Some people are like that though. I'm like that too, actually. I like to think things out on my own before I decide if some advice is valuable or not. Anyway, some people too readily dismiss some ideas which is as much a problem as too readily accepting them. Sometimes it is hard to know which is the snakeoil and which really is a good new thing. But things being hard to do shouldn't mean that we shouldn't try to figure them out.

So now what? We know that snakeoil will always exist and that some people will buy it right up without any thought and that some people will quickly know that it's snakeoil and not buy it at all. And we know that sometimes fights break out when the two different types of people start talking about the snakeoil. But we also know that sometimes fights break out because some people who make snakeoil will say that the good stuff isn't good in an attempt to make more money. It's all part of that dishonesty trait that all snakeoil salesmen have.

Well, what in the world can you do to maintain some peace in the marketplace when there is all of this fighting? And how do the customers know who to believe and what to buy? How do the good guys convince the people that the snakeoil guys are lying and not to waste their money? Testimonials. (See, I'm the Great Wizard of Hoes, and I'm giving out prizes to the fearless few who dare to listen. ;-) )

Testimonials are when someone tells you from their own experience that something works well and is a good value. I guess testimonials vary in value too depending on the giver's and receiver's own traits, and that is why they aren't always successful. (And why my own testimonial was dismissed in the previous miscommunication.) Of course, the snakeoil salesmen can make up and/or buy fake testimonials too, and that further complicates things.

You know, that train just stopped. I think I'll get off of it and see about another one. Wait a minute. Why am I talking about trains when we're supposed to be wading in a low tide?

Okay, sorry, this is how things go when you are constantly interrupted with "momma, momma, momma" when you're trying to think and write.

Maybe what I was going to say is that sometimes there are people who just have to try that snakeoil for themselves just so they know for sure, even when they've been told plenty that it really is snakeoil. And even though that is going to cause problems in the marketplace, if it's going to be a truly free and open marketplace then they should have that freedom to try the snakeoil if they really want to. Of course, we must have laws to protect people from things that are obviously more dangerous than not, but I don't want to get in a debate about examples of those right now either. ;-) (I've already covered some of those in the past anyway.) And there will always be a few people who just don't ever realize that the snakeoil is exactly that. Maybe they like it? But it is their choice, I suppose.

So there you go. I hope your feet aren't too soggy, but maybe it wasn't too hard to see the point of wading instead of diving (not that there's anything wrong with diving). I haven't "solved" any specific problems here, but I hope I've at least shown that when looking at certain concepts it is necessary to accept some "pre-existing conditions" (or "assumptions", I guess, is what the serious people call them ;-) ), like the existence of snakeoil. You don't have to dive too deep to see the bottom when you're wading in the low tide. And sometimes that's a good thing.


The fine print: In case it's not obvious, I really did intend to use the Wizard of Oz, a snakeoil salesman himself, as an ironic allusion.

The Dark Side

The dark side's callin' now, nothin' is real

"On the Dark Side" by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

Sometimes I have the opposite of Messianic fantasies. Sometimes I wish I could be the vigilante anti-hero who rids the world of all the asshole bullies running around being mean and nasty. If I had the gumption to write fiction I'd tell the story of Rae the Emasculator, a modern female incarnation of Vlad the Impaler. But instead of impaled bodies the Emasculator would string up all the nuts of the asshole bullies. Of course, my weapon of choice would be a hoe. ;-) Maybe sometimes it would be a razor sharp one for when time is at a premium, and maybe sometimes it would be a dull, rusty one for when I want to devote a little more time to my task (and want to inflict more pain.) Some men truly do not deserve to have testicles.

You can't have light without dark. Just last night I was watching a show and heard a guy say that if you played a guitar on Mercury you wouldn't hear the sound because there is no atmosphere to transmit the sound waves. Well, of course, I had learned that in school but hadn't thought about it since then. It was one of those "oh yeah" moments. Just because we have no way of detecting or sensing something does not mean it doesn't exist. Those guitar strings are still vibrating and sending out waves of energy even though we can't hear them. We all have a dark side even if we don't recognize it or acknowledge it. The Universe has its Darkness too.

Not to sound all Star Wars or anything, but this light and dark balance stuff has been around a lot longer than George Lucas. When I was a kid I sometimes secretly wanted to be Darth Vader. The power of the dark side is seductive. The ability to crush your enemies with your mind was very appealing to a girl who was frequently by bullied by boys. Before the boys grew bigger than me I used to kick them between the legs when they were mean to me. (the Emasculator tendency started young) But after they outgrew me I had no physical means of fighting back. But if I could have crushed their nuts with my mind, there would presently be quite a few sterile bullies in the Southeast.

Well, I suppose I've frightened every male who has happened to read this. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about as long as you are nice. And why would you expect anything less from a Vicious Momma? ;-)


PS Another little bit of disclosure: the truth is unfortunately that I am genetically 25% pitch fork.

Thrilling Physics

This summer we got the family season passes to Dollywood, the current incarnation of a theme park that has been around for longer than I have. When I was a young child it was called Goldrush Junction, and then in 1977 it was changed again to Silver Dollar City. In 1986 it became Dollywood and has since grown in size and significance as a theme park. (click link above for more detailed history)

In 1978 Silver Dollar City opened a roller coaster called The Blazing Fury. I was one of the very first riders and received a badge proclaiming "I survived the Blazing Fury." My dad knew the promotions director for the park and got us season passes so we got to go on opening day and ride the new ride when it opened.


I knew I would be glad I saved this thing after all these years. ;-) You can sort of see where I scratched in my then initials, RAH.

In recent years Dollywood has added some very high quality roller coasters. I hadn't been to Dollywood in many years due to having babies and children too young to really enjoy the experience. But this year we decided to get season passes since our youngest is now big enough to ride all the rides there. His favorite is Thunderhead, an impossible-looking (click for series of photos showing the odd angles and turns) wooden coaster that is a few years old.



Most wooden coasters don't look like this one. It's kind of insane that people have been able to manipulate the laws of physics to create this coaster that looks like it shouldn't even remain standing let alone hold a train full of people traveling at 55 mph.


click for more photos from site this one is from

I like the Thunderhead, but my very most favorite ride is Dollywood's newest, opened this year, called Mystery Mine.



It is absolutely maniacal! There are two totally vertical lifts, the second and tallest plummeting 85 feet at a 95 degree angle. That's practically straight down. Insane! And totally thrilling.


construction photo of the vertical drop

Click here to listen to the queue line music that is perfectly creepy to set the mood. This ride is so good that I could ride it all day long. Well, almost, anyway. ;-)

I may not be able to understand the physics (and engineering) that make these rides possible, but I sure do feel and very much appreciate the thrilling results. ;-)

Jelly Day

Blackberry juice looks kind of like blood when it's draining from the strainer into a bowl. And the large quart jars are full of the thick, somewhat viscous juice too.

It's not an accidental or an artificial coincidence that I made jelly on almost the same date last year. It is just the way it has worked out. Despite a very late freeze this Spring and a drought this Summer the blackberries came as they normally would. This is because most life on this part of the Earth is well-adapted to big variations in conditions from year to year (and even from day to day because it was 20 degrees cooler today than it was on Monday). No year is ever the same as the last.

Also the big, late Spring freeze killed all the newly emerged leaves on the trees and shrubs like the blackberry canes. Did that spell disaster for the them? No, they sprouted new leaves within weeks. The trees and shrubs "knew" to do this because they have adapted to changes over many millennia and have retained the "knowledge" to replace frozen leaves. Life is resilient that way.

And actually, my blackberry yield has been even greater than last year's despite the bad weather. (But in all fairness several people have marveled at my yield because their own blackberry patches haven't done as well this year. Maybe I have magical powers? ;-) ) Last year by this time I got enough juice to make 14 cups of jelly, but this year I've made 20 cups. There are still berries ripening, and I'll probably pick a few more for pies. But I think I have enough jelly now. ;-)


I think I'll label these "Vicious Momma's Intense Blackberry Jelly" because it is that good. ;-)

I love the sound of lids popping and pinging to let me know the vacuum seal worked. As the jelly-filled jars cool from their boiling water bath in the canner, the change in temperature causes a suction to pull down the lid for an airtight seal. Pop, ping, pop, ping! Music to my ears. :-)

Hey, maybe I should get some kind of carbon tax credit for making my own jelly. No illegals were hired to pick and process the berries. I didn't even have to drive to get them. The jars are reused from last year. I wonder what the total economic cost of twenty cups of store-bought jelly is compared to twenty cups of homemade. Someone should do those calculations and lobby for a new tax credit for homemakers. ;-)

Which brings me to an opportunity to use some pictures I've had a while and wanted to put up here at some point. Back in the WWII era people were asked to do many things to help their country get through the Depression and the War hardships. One of those things was planting a "Victory Garden." Unfortunately, Al Gore might read this and decide to make it one of the sacraments of his Global Warming Religion. ;-)




For instructions on juicing berries see last year's jelly post.

Broken-Hearted Savior

Yeah... Out on the back street,
Taking love where I can,
I found a sweet madonna
Ooo with a bible in her hand.
She's waiting,
Anticipating well,
For someone to save her soul;
Well I ain't no new messiah,
But I'm close enough for rock and roll

"Rockin' Into the Night" by 38 Special

Rock and Roll Fantasy

Sometimes I have Messianic delusions (a variety of delusions of grandeur and persecution), but then it always gets to the part when I'm supposed to suffer and die. And I change my mind. Well, can you blame me? Nobody likes true pain, the kind inflicted upon us by others. (Masochists don't count.)

Most of us will pain ourselves with various things at times, like worrying over silly things, or sometimes serious things too. But that kind of pain is really just an illusion because we have ultimate control over it. We can stop thinking about whatever and the pain subsides. We can't and don't have ultimate control over external forces though.

Most saviors have to suffer on the behalf of others because the very nature of saving is dangerous. Why do some of us willingly suffer for others? I'll get to that in a minute.

Even Jesus bemoaned his fate because the physical and emotional pain really hurt:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 27:46 (KJV)

It is a totally natural reponse to avoid pain. And to complain when we feel it. But pain is a very normal and basic experience, and often unavoidable. So what makes that pain bearable? Well, some people call on God to give them strength, but for those who object to God we can call it Love. God is Love.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7-8 (New American Standard)

Love is Divine. How else could such a thing exist than by the hand of God? And if it's purely "chemical processes" in our bodies and brains that result in this feeling and knowing of love then why can't that be considered evidence for God? How can one prove love to someone who's never felt it? Some people spend entire lifetimes trying to prove their love to one person. Why must that mean that love isn't real, just because the one person has never felt it or refuses to see it? Why must it mean that God doesn't exist if no one can prove it? Can anyone disprove love? Likewise, can anyone truly disprove God? Well, if they have I sure haven't heard about it and you'd think that would be pretty big news. ;-)

And if God (and Love) are delusions, as Richard Dawkins proclaims, then they're pretty f*cking awesome delusions and that's why they survive. :-) I'm sure Dawkins is a nice enough guy, but his focus on the bad aspects of human-created, imperfect religions is very similar to the cherry-picking of evidence that the global warming alarmists do to support their ideas. I'm sure if someone wanted to take the time and energy, he could write a book about all the evil done in the name of Science and it would equal if not exceed that done in the name of religion.

Thorns In My Fingers

This post's title comes from a song I heard the other night. I'd been thinking about this post for a while and thought that was an appropriate title.

And now, even later, I've thought of Thorns in My Fingers because I literally have some broken-off blackberry thorns in my fingers. They do hurt. What does this have to do with love?

Oh, yeah, Love Hurts too. Like being a savior and having blackberry thorns in your fingers - or a thorn in your side, whatever works for you. ;-) All of this is related. I endure the pain of picking blackberries because of love. Blackberries need blood (no, I can't scientifically support that statement, but as a 'shaman' I know it), and it's right and proper to offer them a little in exchange for their nice berries. And also I know my family enjoys the berries, and I am willing to suffer a little to make them things that they enjoy. Actually, my entire life is pretty much devoted to my family which means that I've sacrificed many selfish concerns for them. But that doesn't necessarily make me their savior. I'm just the Momma.

This is kind of falling apart, but maybe I can tie some of the loose ends. Or maybe I'll just start a whole new string?

Where was I anyway? Broken-hearted saviors. Yeah. Why are saviors broken-hearted? Well, they are broken-hearted because they know that their sacrifice will not really matter all that much to everyone, especially not to those who refuse to acknowlege the Divine Forces. All of their pain and suffering will largely go unnoticed and unappreciated and even criticized and scorned by the unfaithful. They are also broken-hearted because it's only through a broken heart that Love can really do its work.

Viruses of the Soul

Dawkins calls religion "viruses of the mind." The viruses of the soul are hubris, greed, and other purely human traits that separate us from God/Love. The war on religion and God that so many militant atheists are trying to fight is nothing less than an attack on the Freedom of Thought which is the root of our First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech and Religion. It's terribly unfortunate that 'distinguished' scholars can't or won't see that, ignoring it like a (spiritual) mole that is destined to become a malignant melanoma (of the soul).

Love is God's immune response for our souls. Love can heal our pains, but also the process of healing is sometimes painful, like the hot inflammation of the skin where the body is fighting an infection or has been burned. This relationship between God and Love and pain is complex. It is a mistake for people to judge God because of the pain in the world. That is like judging Nature by viruses and other predators. It's all necessary and natural.

From the broken-hearted savior maybe someone can learn that God is no more a delusion than Love or the Space that scientists still don't quite understand.

And that is today's sermonette.


Previous post on very similar subject.

7-7-07

This morning we've been making all manner of fun of the "Live Earth" concert today. It's so stupid for these silly entertainers to be up there using up all kinds of electricity to run their guitars, amps, microphones, speakers, light shows, air conditioning and whatever other amenities they have backstage. They are doing this all in the name of saving the planet from a "Climate in Crisis." That is like giving out beer to stop alcoholism.

There is no crisis except for mass stupidity and hysteria over bad weather. And that they think having a bunch of electricity-sucking concerts will help anything is just the icing on the cake of hypocrisy.

The Joker

Some people call me the space cowboy
Yeah
Some call me the gangster of love

"The Joker" by Steve Miller Band

My oldest is very interested in card tricks and other illusionist/magic stuff and was opening a new pack of cards. He asked me why there were always Jokers in decks of cards. Since I don't really know much about card games I told him that it's probably because some games need them, but I don't know for sure.

In Tarot, the Fool card is somewhat related to the Joker somewhere back in their histories.


Please click picture to be able to read the meaning next to it, but "ancana" should be "arcana". Sorry for the error.

Along comes a Trickster.

About six months ago I solved the riddle of my clown phobia.

There is a basic psychological truth that says we most fear those things that reflect the parts of ourselves that we hate or reject. I'm only now, at 39 years old, beginning to accept my fate or role as the Holy Fool, Trickster, Jester, Clown.

This is probably why I was such a quiet and shy child. I refused to be the Clown or Trickster but had not yet learned how to be something else. It took me a long time to learn how to provide comic relief, at least that's how I remember it. ;-) God love her and this is not a serious criticism, but my mother seemed to be startled or puzzled by me most of the time until I became an adult. I think I interpreted her puzzlement as disapproval or some other subtle form of persuasion to subdue my "tricksterness." Well, maybe that's just a bunch of psychobabble. ;-)

Whatever the reasons, being the Joker isn't as bad as my mom or I worried it would be. Maybe it's because being a gangster of love is pretty fun. ;-)

Previous mention of the Trickster

Electric Hoe

Black and Decker has made a cordless electric hoe (cultivator).

I suppose now all of us old-fashioned types are really becoming obsolete. Well, lately it appears to be a real trend since my husband also seems to wish I was newer and more electrically charged. Maybe I should buy him this vibrating hoe for his birthday in a few days. ;-)

Busy, busy, busy

Although it might be good news for some, I really haven't dropped off the face of the Earth. I've just been very summer busy with the kids and so on. Been picking lots and lots of blackberries and juicing them for jelly. Started painting the dining room, but I'm not sure I like the color though I have a fix for that. I've been piddling with a new sermonette that I hope to finish this week. As usually happens in the summer I'm the go-to woman for child care and am providing free babysitting to various kids for various amounts of time. This really isn't a problem. I consider it a form of volunteerism. ;-) It's very hot and dry here so keeping the gardens and plants watered is a job too. I'm very much enjoying home and home-centered activities these days. I hope everyone else is having a good summer so far.

Very Cute Car

Photo from Business Week.

I've been seeing these incredibly cute little roadsters lately and was very surprised to learn that they are made by Saturn. They are the Saturn SKY. Well, actually, the really cute ones are the Red Line series.



I have to say it's about 89% as cute as my Corvette. Maybe that's because it looks a little to me like baby Corvette. ;-)

It has an Ecotec engine and is supposed to be pretty peppy, but from the information on the webpages it doesn't outperform a Corvette in either fuel efficiency or power (260 hp vs. 345 hp). And even though a new SKY is about half the price of a new Corvette, I'm not about to go trade my vette for a SKY. But dang, they sure are cute little head-turners. And I'm not usually so easily impressed with new cars anymore.

Well, kudos to General Motors. Some American cars are still pretty cool.

Two Scoop Sundae

You Are The Godfather Ice Cream

Someone crosses you, and they'll end up with a scoop of this in their bed

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

You Are Karamel Sutra

Plain on the outside, but once someone gets in, they're stuck

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

What the World Needs Now

"... is love, sweet love..." Uh, nope. That's not really what I was going to say. I was going to say, "What the world needs now is a conservative female dictator."

That's right. ;-)

Today I've been told that fascism is an inherently leftist philosophy. When did they change that definition? I hate this postmodern crap. My pre-postmodern education which ended 21 years ago told me that fascism isn't necessarily "left" or "right". It can be either. But apparently because recent fascists have been socialists of some variety it has been decided that fascism is necessarily "leftist." Whoda thunk it?

Well, let's play that postmodern game for a minute. Let's give them some new evidence so they can change their definition again, back to its orginal, non-"handed" meaning.

I would be a perfect conservative, "rightist," fascist dictator. Give me that power and I'll prove it. ;-) I could easily crush that notion that fascism is inherently "leftist" or socialist. And actually, I think that is exactly what the world needs about right now. A conservative female fascist. A Vicious Momma to rule the world. ;-) I could whip, scold, scorn, reprimand, and time-out (imprison) everyone into better behavior. There are too many people running around these days who have never known real punishment. That's what's wrong with the world. I could change that. Yes, I do think that is what the world needs now.



"Ironman" by Black Sabbath as played on the game Guitar Hero. My eleven year old has this game and has played this song for me, but this isn't his video.

The other day AOL had a poll asking what Hillary's campaign theme song should be. I didn't look or think about it because I didn't have time and then got sick. Maybe she should use this song. It's pretty catchy. ;-)

Dear Paris Hilton,

You are the ultimate example of a spoiled rotten moron. You mother should be given at least 50 lashes for producing such a bad offspring. I just saw a "Hilton family" (of hotels) commercial that spouts, "Be Hospitable." What kind of propagandacrap is that? Sometimes I'm tempted to believe that people should have to pass some sort of intelligence test to be allowed to have a certain amount of money. You are such a poor example of humanity that it turns me into a semi-fascist!

Unfortunately, people in other parts of the world see you and your ridiculous antics and assume that all Americans are that way. You are such a bad representative of Americans that you should be imprisoned just for that alone. And your mother (and father) should be held up as example of How Not To Be Parents. It's sickening. Almost more so than the bad chicken nuggets from Chik-Fil-A than have knocked me out for several days.

Honestly, I think you are some kind of subhuman species. You should be sterilized before you reproduce.

Sincerely,

Vicious Momma

This Is Good

DuPont and agricultural processor Tate & Lyle have started production in a new $100 million corn polymer processing plant in Loudon, TN, near Knoxville.

The clear liquid compound can replace, and the companies say can improve upon, petroleum-based ingredients. The results could be fabrics that can take dyes more brilliantly, carpets that are naturally stain resistant, face creams that are gentler to the skin and airplane de-icers that are biodegradable.

The companies tell The Associated Press they'll use 40% less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by producing the polymer from corn sugar instead of petroleum-based feedstocks.

Customers already lining up include carmaker Toyota and carpet manufacturer Mohawk.

From WBIRTV

I wish that WBIR had the video of their news story on this from yesterday because it explained very well how this stuff is made and how it makes better than petroleum-based plastics and other materials. Also, from the economic point of view, this kind of development is GOOD for everyone. It helps the consumers and the farmers and the investors and the environment. Even if we aren't too concerned about global warming it is always good to improve the way we do things for many other reasons. And I think that instead of using scare tactics to force government mandates to "control greenhouse emissions" we should let the market do its job of evolving and improving as this example illustrates.

Dupont and Tate & Lyle's website has more information about their BioProducts.

See Google for more articles.

Feminist Indulgence

I'm feeling a little spunky, so I'm gonna share a comment I made over at CIP's a little while ago. The liberal boys were arguing that States should be allowed to secede from the United States. Apparently, some people in Vermont are wanting to secede. You might like to read all of the other comments to get the context.

You people didn't read the Constitution did you? Bad boys, not doing your homework!

It's rather ironic that I, as a "pure-bred" American Southerner, am the one who's defending the strength of the Union. But actually, my roots are split, technically. But of course, there are parts of the Constitution that are intended to deal with the States' Rights and the Federal Rights so that there shouldn't be a need or desire for a state to secede. But if you'd done your homework you'd have learned that already. :-)

And no, it's not correct to think of the States as "little countries." This is a common error in perception, but the correct view is a much more *liberal* approach to things. Irony, again. ;-)

How is it liberal, you ask because you're too narrow-minded to be able to know without help and/or didn't do your homework. Well, the Union of the States was agreed upon for many reasons. One was strength in numbers. Another was that the States had economies that depended upon each other and they wanted to "keep it simple" instead of having the complications of "international" relations. And yet another (and this is the "liberal" part) was because it was philosophically (and morally) correct to gather resources and have easy exchanges among the States so that the less prosperous States could benefit from some of the wealthier States.

"United we stand, divided we fall." Wow, didn't that Unionist propaganda sink in deep into those roots?

And call me dumb or stupid or a purple fairy, I don't care because I know that I'm correct. And the only reason you call me stupid is because you're too intimidated to admit that I make you uncomfortable because I can rattle your foundation. :-) I can emasculate you and that's pretty scary isn't it?

So how's that for a feminist indulgence? How you liking feminism now? ;-) (Hey! More irony!)

Boogie Nights: Star Wars Edition

Freedom of Religion and Thought

Article I (First Amendment)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

We have to remember that our founding fathers were reacting to England's struggles with the establishment of an 'official' religion. There was tremendous persecution done on behalf of religious differences. This was one of the main reasons that the colonists came here. This is why this issue is put first in the First Amendment. It was that important. It still is.

Let's look at what it says exactly. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." What that means is that there will be no law that establishes a National Religion of any kind. What it does not mean is that there can't be laws that respect religious establishments. But to hear some people talk you'd think that's what they think it means. They are totally misreading it. They want to think it means that the government can't have any religious expressions. But that's NOT what it says. People who object to "In God We Trust" on our money and "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and any other phrase that mentions God or any other religious concept are actually VIOLATING the First Amendment. They want to conveniently forget that "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" part. Hello? Free exercise thereof. That means that I have every right to say Christmas, and so does my kids' school and the courthouse and any other person or place that wants to. Calling a decorated tree in a government building a 'Christmas tree' is NOT establishing a religion. It is only the free exercise thereof.

I know some people will say, "Oh, but what about other religions? Why can't they have whatever to celebrate their holidays? If you have a Christmas tree then you should have a Hanukkah tree or whatever too." Well, no one is stopping someone from doing that if they really want it. If you have a town that is mostly Jewish then they would probably focus on their own traditions. If a Christian minority there felt left out then they could do something of their own. Big deal. With freedom comes the responsibility to respect other views. That's what the whole First Amendment is about anyway. And that applies equally to atheists, fundamentalists, and everyone else. If someone is offended by a Christmas tree then they need to reread their history and the Constitution.

Our founding fathers were very spiritual people. They believed in God, and they believed that Divine Providence guided them in creating our nation. People need to go back and reread the Declaration of Independence. For your convenience here are the first two and the last paragraphs:

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

There is a lot of mention of God in there. In today's political environment if we were trying to establish our Independence from Britain it would never happen because of all the dumbasses who can't understand plain English and who refuse to try. That really scares me and bothers me.

The previous was copied from a December 2005 posting.

Today I'd like to extend the discussion a bit. In the months since that posting it seems this issue has only gotten bigger and more serious. It not only affects holiday expressions but everyday issues.

Recently I've gone 'round and 'round with some angry atheists. They insist that Religion is the source of all evil in the world. Is that not the stupidest thing you've ever heard? Of course, no one denies that wars have been fought with Religion closely related to the conflicts. But to say that Religion is evil and has done no good for humanity is just plain dumb. Many wars have been fought over other basic needs, so should we also condemn those needs as well?

Like it or not, Religion is one of the pillars of civilization. It is one of those things that truly separated/separates us from the lower primates. To call for Religion to be abolished is about as silly as calling for architecture to be abolished.

Architecture is another pillar of civilization that has separated us from lower primates. It varies by culture and location, but it is always necessary for humans to survive. Physical shelter is one of our most basic needs, and the architecture that humans have developed and evolved over our history is evidence of our creativity in fulfilling our basic needs.

Religion is a kind of shelter too. It is a shelter for humanity to help it survive the social, emotional, and spiritual hardships that life entails. Religion is involved with fulfilling the basic need for social security (not at all the same as the government program called "Social Security"). Religion has given order and purpose to our lives. It has also varied according to culture and location, and it is evolving as our human society continues to grow. Without Religion humans would still be acting like wild animals with no "higher" attributes. To deny this fact is the same as a child thinking that because a ball is out of his sight, then it must not exist anymore.

Of course, anyone is free to disagree with me, but he would be wrong. ;-) I know my history and my psychology and my sociology and all those other "inferior" aspects of existence. But without them there would be no universities for those high falutin atheists to occupy and exercise their own freedoms. It is so very disturbing to me that these same atheists who claim that Religion is evil are the first ones to turn hateful and vengeful when they are questioned or confronted. Do they really "believe" in Freedom or anything else? I think not. Or at least, I see no evidence of it.

Hey, if someone wants to be an atheist I don't give two shits about it as long as they leave me and my religion alone. Freedom of Speech does not guarantee that atheists have to right to relentlessly criticize, belittle, or otherwise verbally abuse others with whom they disagree. But even I am susceptible to returning fire when attacked. I realize that some religious people are just as guilty of condemning people with whom they disagree, and that is unfortunate and this message is intended for them too.

While Religion is an essential pillar of civilization and will continue to be even though some will always try to destroy it, we all must learn to accept differences in thought and belief if our civilization is to continue evolving in a positive direction. Destroying any of the pillars of our shelters (of whatever kind) will only weaken the entire construction of our human civilization.*

And that is this week's sermonette.


* A note about Science: I love science and generally take a 'scientific' view of the world, but I am also aware that Science cannot yet answer ALL questions and fulfill ALL needs. It could be argued that the atheists who place all of their faith and belief in Science are basically worshipping it, just like the religious people who place all of their faith and belief in God to provide the ultimate and final answers. On a certain level there is no distinction between these approaches. Science is as much a human creation as religion. Oh, I know that's really going to prickle the sensitivities of some, but if they could only remove their emotional attachments to certain thoughts then they would be able to see it that way too.

Family News

Yesterday my father had surgery to remove his gall bladder. He'd been feeling sick for a long time and finally went to the doctor about it a couple of weeks ago. They discovered a 4 cm (about 1.5 inches) gall stone and scheduled surgery. He is doing okay but is in pain today. Even with the less invasive laproscopic techniques they haven't figured out how to do completely painless surgery. But it is kind of amazing that they do this now, on an outpatient basis, what used to put people in the hospital for a week. The surgeon told us that in addition to the large stone there were several smaller ones too. My dad will probably be feeling much better within a week. And his 70th birthday is this Friday.

Serious Conjunction

To the right of Leo's front leg the smaller dot is Saturn atop the larger one, Venus. Click picture for larger view.

On June 30 Saturn and Venus will be very closely conjuncted. Allow me to indulge in a bit of hokey astrological interpretation. After all, all work and no play makes Rae a dull girl. ;-)

I'm not an astrologer by any stretch of the imagination, but I am aware enough of the basics to create my own interpretation of this celestial event. Venus is the planet ruling love and sensuality. Saturn is the planet ruling responsibility and discipline. A conjunction may indicate auspicious, difficult, or some combination of, events depending upon the nature of the planets involved and the extent of the conjunction. This conjunction is very intense (close) in between the signs of Leo and Cancer. I'm not sure in which sign 'real' astrologers would put place this conjunction, but to me it looks on the edge of Leo. Leo is the sign of confidence, leadership, and open expression. Cancer is the sign of sensitivity, nurturing, and protectiveness.

So what do I think it all means? Well, it seems to say that cold, analytical Saturn is in a collision course with warm, emotional Venus, and the results will be intense and possibly daunting, kind of like the immovable object meeting the irresistible force. ;-) But not to say that this will not be beneficial in many ways. This kind of conjunction might be seen as a catalyst (beginning) or a culmination (ending) of unavoidable events. Of course, this isn't meant as any kind of prediction, but more as advice to be prepared to deal with some big happening (internal or external).

Personally, I find this whole thing rather interesting and surprisingly relevant to my own life. Coincidence? Probably, but it is kind of fun to look at the similarities.

Drought Lily

Maintenance

I finally upgraded my template to the "new" blogger. In the process I've cleaned house on some links, removing some non-reciprocated ones and moving some inactive ones to the "resting fields." I should change that to the "Fallow Fields." I couldn't think of the right word this afternoon. Funny how we'll have trouble thinking of something and then a few hours later it will suddenly pop into our minds. If I've overlooked any links please let me know.

At least now I've got a list of labels and a better archive. And waiting a while to upgrade templates was probably a good idea because now it is so much easier than it was when blogger first switched. A lot of people must have complained about it.

I'm still trying to decide what picture to put in the header. I think I'll give the lynx spider eating the wasp a break. Any suggestions? What would you like to see there?

Alien Tomatoes

We have three store-bought tomatoes that are freaking me out. I noticed that they were getting these weird bumps on them, as seen in the first picture. Well, being the curious thing I am I decided to cut one in half to see what was making the bumps. I figured that they might be some kind of fruit fly maggots or something like that. As you can see the tomato is not very over-ripe or anywhere close to rotten. It would still be just fine to eat if it didn't have those strange growths.

In the second picture it looks like worms are growing out of the flesh. It's not worms. It's the seeds sprouting while still inside the tomato.

I have never in my life seen anything like it. And neither has my dad who has grown tomatoes all his life. I'm guessing these are some genetically altered tomatoes that have evolved into self-propagating fruits. While I'm very freaked out and too suspicious of them to eat them I can see how it might be evolutionarily advantageous for a tomato to be able to grow like this. Or maybe they are alien body snatcher tomatoes? Either way I've left it outside to see if the sprouts are going to continue growing and feeding off the "parent" tomato.

Please, if anyone knows anything about this leave me a comment. Thanks!

(And I hope I haven't inadvertently exposed some government secret. Or maybe this is some kind of omen?) ;-)

A Thousand Words

(I will return to this post to add some explanations later.)

How Do You Feel?

Create your own Mood-Meter

Ask the Eight Ball

Create your own 8 Ball

I Can Do It!

I'm no Joanne Liebler or any of those other home improvement mascu-women who like to build houses or do other heavy construction, but I do my fair share (and probably more) of the maintenance around the house. I begrudgingly do some of it, like installing a new two-line phone jack to replace the one that was destroyed when the husband got mad and ripped the phone off the wall. Now, I'm not married to a violent man. I wouldn't marry one of those. But he is human and in the course of our marriage he has had a handfull of incidents where he destroyed some object out of anger and frustration. (I don't think I've ever actually done it, but I sure have wanted to at times. ;-) )

The phone in the laundry room was the one I used most because it was convenient since I'm in the laundry room so much anyway. And also it is near the kitchen where I also am often working. I don't even know why he got mad at the phone or whoever he was talking to because it happened many months ago and I forgot the details. He even got me a new phone for my birthday, way back in January. Well, it sat on the bar for months and months. (I don't nag anymore because it's a waste of energy.) And because the most convenient phone wasn't there anymore many times the phone never got answered before the machine picked up.

Well, yesterday I finally decided that I'd try to install the new jack myself. Here are the empty hole and bare wires:



If it was only a one-line jack that would be very straight-forward, but no, we have to have a two-line phone for business purposes. And it would be really nice if there was a very uniform coloring of the wires, but no, they have to make them all different so that the blue wires on the jack don't have matching blue wires in the phone lines, and so on. So I had to go to the box outside where the wires come into the house to see what colors the lines were and then figure out which ones corresponded on the jack. It didn't help that the only multiline jack at the store was a three-line jack. Well, it took me about an hour to do what it would have taken the husband about 15 minutes to do because of my inexperience with this obscure wire matching procedure. Here is the properly installed jack:



I have to confess that the entire time I was struggling with this man's work I was cursing men and feminism for putting me in the position of having to do a man's job. Is it not enough that I do all the laundry and other housework, as well as much of the outside work? And now I'm expected to install a phone jack too? How much money do men get paid for doing this job all day long? And here I am having to figure it out for free and take time away from my regular jobs to do it. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Man, I'm gonna see how long it takes for the man to even notice I did his job. I'm gonna make him feel guilty for this, or maybe even cut him off for a few days... Grumble, grumble, blah, blah, blah.

I had convinced myself that I would not feel accomplished for doing this thing and that it would be just as satisfying, or more so, if he had done it for me himself. Here is the phone completely installed and working:



So what happened when he got home from work? Did I make him feel guilty for not installing the jack and my birthday present from months ago? Well, of course not. I'm such a wuss. When he came in I felt myself grinning from ear to ear and heard myself ask, "Did you see what I did?!"

He looked bewildered and when I pointed at the phone he smiled with surprise and said, "You did that all by yourself?" (He knew I could all along, of course, and just wanted me to learn how to do it.) And I told him all about how long it took and how I grumbled through the whole process and how yes, I do feel accomplished about it even though I didn't want to do it and feel accomplished about it.

So, Rosie Rivetter, here's to you and doing what we women don't necessarily want to do but sometimes have to.

On the Road Again

This afternoon I'll be leaving for a nice little weekend getaway to visit some friends out-of-state. Of course, I'm happy to get to drive the Corvette for more than just a few miles. And it will be nice to be "kid-free" for the weekend. Mommas need little vacations too. :-) Everyone have a nice weekend!

THC In the News

I suppose by now everyone has heard about the Happy Meal incident. The parents are apparently considering suing McDonalds over it. I think that's just stupid and opportunistic if they do. The offender was arrested and fired which should be enough.

And then there's the police brownie overdose incident. On the 911 call he says he thinks they are dead because "time is going by really, really, really slow..." LOL, well, I've heard that those brownies are pretty potent like that. ;-)

Prostitute Killed In Hoe Attack

(via Tayster)


Wow, the world really must be about to end. A hoe has been implicated in the murder of a transvestite prostitute in California.

I have to say that hoes are just not well-suited for violence and especially not murder. What a mess it must have been! Yuck!

I think that hoe must have been part pitch fork or something. Most hoes are quite peaceful and kind. This is such shocking news.

Rest In Peace: Jerry Falwell

Jerry Falwell was Raptured yesterday. He was found collapsed in his office at Liberty University. Despite his somewhat controversial views, which weren't really all that controversial except to the media, he was a fine Christian leader who generally wasn't afraid to speak his Christian Truth even if it wasn't popular or welcome. I can't include myself as a follower of Falwell's very Fundamentalist views, but I can respect the strength of his faith and his willingness to live the Life he preached. (unlike the AntiChrist)

My personal connection to Falwell is that David's cousin graduated from Liberty and became a minister. He officiated our wedding almost sixteen years ago. It was his first wedding he ever performed. I sometimes wonder how many he has done since then and how many have withstood the test of time. Maybe I have created a sense of pressure to succeed on his behalf so that he can claim some kind of efficacy. ;-) To his credit, I must say that his premarital counseling was very effective, and I will always remember and agree with his statement that love ultimately does not keep a marriage together but that commitment does. After all, what do we think is the purpose of vows? Faith and faithfulness are not easy, and so we must make special promises (commitments) to God and each other that we will honor our agreements despite whatever circumstances arise ("for better or worse" and so on). Well, that's the ideal anyway.

I've dedicated a song, Mindy Smith's "Come to Jesus", to Falwell. My sympathy to his family and friends, but I know that although they will miss his earthly presence they know he is where he most wanted to be.

Happy Mother's Day

I'd like to wish a very happy Mother's Day to everyone, not just the mothers. I've had friends who didn't like their mothers for various reasons. Some women just aren't really good mothers, and some children aren't very good either. It balances out somewhere down the line.

Regardless, try to appreciate the woman that gave you life even if she hasn't always met your expectations. And mothers, do appreciate the children you've been assigned to teach how to be good human beings.

We mothers learn so much from our children if we pay attention to them.

For those whose mothers are gone, like mine, take this day to meditate on how your mother influenced your growth. We are allowed to miss our mothers. There is no shame in it. Taking one day a year to mourn is okay.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Monday

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05-06-07

I just wanted to do a post with that date. And also at 2:34 pm.

Happy Sunday after Cinco de fucking Mayo. Sorry to any Mexican readers, but I think it's pretty much an empty celebration for most people. Not that having parties and drinking beer is a bad thing, but who needs to make up a reason for it? ;-)

A little Hellfire and Brimstone has been brewing in the sermonette kettle, but it's not quite ready yet. Sometimes those things take a while to get good and ready to serve. ;-) I'll let you know when it's time...

Two Years

Wow, I've been a blogging hoe for two years now. With just under 700 posts in all, that is a lot of blather and fun. Is it an anniversary or a birthday? I don't know, and I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. Not that anyone's gonna buy me a cake or any other token of congratulations. I almost forgot it myself since I've been so busy this week with three school fieldtrips on top of all the other usual stuff.

Well, I haven't been a very good blogger lately, and my little blog isn't really very important in the grand scheme of things. But I never started blogging to become famous or infamous or whatever. It has mainly been for my own entertainment and a "creative" outlet. I'm happy that a few other people have enjoyed it as well. Thanks so much to the few who actually read it! ;-) And even more thanks to those even fewer who actually comment!! :-)

(According to my statcounter, only about 15% of hits are returning visitors while the others are mostly Googlers. Those numbers don't include readers who use feed-readers - like Bloglines, Google Reader, etc. - instead of visiting the actual blog, and I really don't know if there are any of that variety in the first place.)


A gift from Nature: the water irises I "planted" last year are blooming now.

Mommapalooza

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Busy Is a 4-Letter Word

Man, I'm getting so behind on reading my favorite blogs.

Breakfast of Champions

Create your own cereal box.

Happy May First

Last year I ranted about the communist takeover of perfectly good fertility celebrations featuring large May Pole phallic symbols.

This year I'll post a picture of my little hummingbird friend that has returned again this year.



Today my fifth grader's class had a field trip. On Thursday and Friday my other two have field trips. My mom never went on field trips with my classes when I was in school. We didn't go on very many field trips back then anyway, but those feminist "working" mothers couldn't take days off from their jobs to be "school" mothers on the rare occasions. Not that I'm scarred from that experience. I'm not. But I sure am thankful that I don't have to go to some office full of catty women every day and have to miss out on some of my kids' education. And it's nice to get to meet and talk with other mothers like myself who make mothering their primary job. Sorry, I mean no offense to women who work by choice or circumstance, but for my family I am willing to "sacrifice" extra money, nice clothes, and whatever other "benefits" come from outside employment.

And finally Spring has come to stay. Happy May!