Mini-Sermonette: The Great Commandment

It's pretty annoying when people refuse to read the holy words only because they don't want to learn the hard lessons.

14 ‘You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16 ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.
17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:14-18

That's from the "Old Testament" God. I basically just opened up the book to randomly find something interesting. This was it. That's the way it should work when people read the holy words. They should let the words lead them. The magic of the words is that you always end up reading exactly what you needed. Sometimes that is a hard lesson or reminder of the right way to be and act. There are a lot of people in the world right now who need to reminded of these things (myself included). Some more holy words:

33 ‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:33-34

And now from the "New Testament" God:

18 Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES and leaves behind a wife AND LEAVES NO CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. 20 “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21 “The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; 22 and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. 23 “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:18-33

Those who have ever thought that the Old Testament and the New Testament don't really belong together just aren't actually reading the words. They are the same messages from the same God. Reminders to the new generations who have moved away from "God's standards." And as we see above, God's greatest standard (commandment) is that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.

Incidentally, just to alleviate any friends' worries that I've gone Fundamentalist on them, please, don't worry.

What Happened?

What is this mark on my neck (yes, it is real and not photoshopped)? Please see poll on sidebar. You may choose multiple answers. You have until 1 pm on the 26th to participate. And if you're especially generous you'll leave a comment with any other guesses or the poll answer(s) you picked. Thanks!

The Universal Language

Music, that is. Although my Lyrics of the Moment blog only averages less than 50 hits a day, they come from all over the world:




Just the other night I was wondering if more than a just a handful of people ever really read any of this. By far, most hits to this blog, as well as the Lyrics one, are from Google searches for various, sometimes terrible, things. Some posts here probably never have been read by anyone, except me. I guess that's okay because it's mostly for my own entertainment, but still, it's kind of a bummer to know that so few other people are entertained too. Maybe there are some who read the feeds. I have no way of knowing if they never actually visit the blog itself.

My Favorite Valentine

Nine years ago today I received the greatest Valentine's Day gift ever, my daughter:



She is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving, and as corny and cliche as it sounds she is everything I ever wished I was. It was as if God had made her to my exact order. Even when she was born all the nurses talked about how she was one of the most beautiful babies they had ever seen. That's a lot coming from people who see so many babies.

But she's not only beautiful out the outside. She's one of the sweetest and most generous and thoughtful people I've ever known, except when she's being bossy and nagging her little brother. ;-) Sometimes it is apparent that certain personality traits are innate. Her conscientiousness emerged at a very young age.

She is truly a great blessing and as she grows and matures it is even more obvious how lucky we are to have her. Call it some kind of Divine intervention or pure luck or good genetics, whatever created such a wonderful girl was some kind of magic. When she was just a tiny baby I felt so much joy just from holding her that I could imagine that we were surrounded by some halo of love like in paintings of Mary with the baby Jesus. And now, when we are together she lightens my spirit and soul.

Of course, she's not "perfect"; none of us are. But she's as close to an angel as you could ever meet. Happy Birthday, my favorite Valentine. Thanks to God, David, and all the other forces that brought you into my life. I love you more than I can ever express.


And Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. I hope your lives are as blessed as mine and that you have all the love and joy in your lives that you want and need.

Huckabee Poll

Click on poll to see a national map. Most states support him.

Tre-flip

My 12 year old landed a "tre-flip" on his skateboard:





As you can see, long hair and tight pants are the style for skaters. ;-)

Good Old Days

Area Senior Remembers A Simpler Time When His Anus Didn't Leak

CARSON CITY, NV—Once, movies were a quarter, soda pop only cost a nickel, and Hank Fletcher's sphincter was strong enough to expand and contract when he intended.

Romney Drops Out

Today's political bombshell was Romney's announcement that he is suspending his campaign. I wonder if that decision had anything to do with my reversal of endorsement? Oh, I know correlation does not mean causation. ;-)

So now what? The media are basically saying now that the nomination is McCain's and that any of us evil conservatives that aren't happy about it are only hurting the party's chances and morale. Boo-hoo-hoo. Sorry, but my allegiance isn't with some party. I'm thinking that now the time is ripe for an Independent or Third Party candidate. I'm sick of the strategies and behind-the-scenes deals meant only to keep certain people in power, and those people are almost indistinguishable from each other.

I'm not bending over for McCain. He's gonna have to do a lot of singing and dancing to impress me. Who's the boss, anyway? Not the candidate who's running for office. He's supposed to whoo me and my vote. I'm not supposed to change my views to fit the choices. And maybe I'm a little bitter that my state is usually passed over and considered too "insignificant" to visit and work hard for our votes. It's all a stupid game to them, and we are reduced to pawns.

Obama is scary. All he talks about is change and building a "new nation." Sorry, but we don't need a new nation. This one is just fine, thank you. Sure, there are problems but not enough to warrant anyone thinking that it things need to be completely changed (destroyed?) and rebuilt. His speech on Tuesday night was full of "I'm going to give you this" and "I'm going to give you that." I was just waiting for him to throw in free powerchairs for everyone! ;-) (Maybe that could be a new energy-saving solution: people would have to get around in their Jazzy or Hoveround chairs instead of cars.)

Hey, how about this? I think that most problems could be solved if people would stop being whiny, spoiled-rotten babies who expect the government to provide everything for them. Health care? Eliminate the insurance companies and their middle-man tactics that only drive up costs and inequities for everyone. As it is now, two different people can end up paying widely varying costs for the same 5 minute doctor visit. How is that a fair business practice? Much of the "managed care" crap comes from Hillary's ideas in the early 1990s. But I guess most people don't remember that. Before "managed care" insurance companies weren't the discount clubs that they are now. It's all a scam. You pay the insurance company for discounted healthcare, but it's just a completely unnecessary step in the process of getting treatment. Back in the "old" days we directly paid the doctor $30.00 for the visit, everyone paid the same price, and the insurance was only used for very big, serious, expensive things like hospitalization. Anyone who thinks that some government healthcare program that is administered by the existing insurance companies is a good idea is living in koo-koo land.

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Changed My Mind

Well, yesterday I had a change of mind about who would get my vote in the Republican primary. I had previously said that I'd vote for Romney, mainly because he seemed to be the most practical choice. But I've always liked Huckabee and my "gut" (or heart, if you will) kept telling me to vote for who I liked and not who I thought had the best chance of winning or whoever wasn't McCain. Apparently, lots of other people in Tennessee had similar ideas and feelings because Huckabee ended up winning the state. But the media refuses to acknowledge that Huckabee could be more than just a "regional" candidate who appeals only to "evangelicals." I'm certainly not an evangelical and religion didn't enter at all into my calculations.

Woo-Hoo!

I'm so happy that Eli and the Giants beat the crap out of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Final score: 17-14. And it was a great game that kept my interest all the way through. And the final Giants touchdown was perfectly timed.

They really put Brady in his place. He was sacked and knocked down a lot. I don't think that the Patriots had really expected the Giants to be so good. Most of the broadcasters didn't either and the pregame shows were obviously biased in their coverage. Even after the game there was too much focus on the Patriots and not enough on the Giants. Well, it was NOT a fluke that the Patriots lost. The Giants really did play much better.

I hadn't heard about the Spygate issue until yesterday's pregame shows. Briefly, the Patriots have been accused of illegally taping their opponents' practices, etc., to gain an unfair advantage. Well, maybe that's why they had been undefeated? Maybe they are cheaters who needed to get beat? It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds.

Congrats to Eli Manning and the Giants!

Super Days Ahead

Super Tuesday, February 5

See previous post about my tenative endorsements for the election day that is now being called Super Duper Tuesday.


Super Bowl Sunday, February 3

This year I've been pretty much into watching football. From year to year my interest in football and the Superbowl varies, but this year it has been lots of fun watching it with David because he doesn't mind my frequent questions about the rules and technical calls and such and because he thinks it's funny that I look at the butts (and bellies) in spandex, especially the biggest ones like of the linemen.


photo by Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

"The Giants hope Tui Alailefaleula, left, and Manuel Wright, each listed at 345 pounds, have talent to match their size."

The linemen are big and strong and very athletic although they might not look like the "ideal" athlete. Football players need to have different builds to match the different roles/positions they play. For example, the receivers are smaller and quicker while the linemen need to be big and strong to block each other. One thing I like about football is that you get a little bit of many different kinds of sports in one game. You have the thinking and throwing skills of the quarterbacks, the sprinter fast running of the "backs", the Sumo-style meetings of the offensive and defensive linemen, and the acrobatics of the tackling and catching of the "tight ends" (which is a giggle-inducing name) and other receivers. Okay, so David laughs at me for not really knowing all the proper names of the positions and what they do, but even though I'm ignorant of the rules and other technicalities I can still find my own enjoyment in the game. (Maybe it's similar to my interest in theoretical physics: I like the bigger picture even though the details aren't so well-comprehended.)

I'm lucky that he is secure enough not to feel threatened that I look at other men's butts (and guts) in spandex. Really, it's purely innocent and in no way a sexual or lustful looking. It's just interesting because it's different. It's the only time you see big, tough guys in spandex who seem oblivious to the fact that they are wearing spandex. Of course, there is a double standard here because I'm not secure enough to not feel threatened if he was looking at and commenting on the bodies of the cheerleaders. That might have to do with the fact that he looks more like the quarterbacks and other very "fit" players than I look like the beautiful cheerleaders. ;-)

Speaking of quarterbacks, I have to confess to having a slight, little celebrity crush on Eli Manning:



Well, I think it's his eyes actually. I find brown eyes kind of exotic because all of my family has blue or green eyes. Anyway, he's cuter than his big brother Peyton, who was the University of Tennessee quarterback in the mid to late 1990s. No offense to Peyton, of course, but he has plenty of admirers already, and he really is a good guy. You can even get free pep talks from him if you're feeling down.

Anyway, back to the Superbowl. This year the half-time entertainment will be Paula Abdul (oops, she was actually just a pre-game feature) and Tom Petty. I always liked Paula Abdul's early hits because they were fun and cute, and I've also always liked Tom Petty's music.

Oh, and in case it hasn't been apparent, I'm hoping that the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots and their winning streak. I guess I do sometimes find myself cheering for the underdogs. ;-)

And last but not least, the Superbowl snack menu will include guacamole because I've been craving avocados. There must be some nutrients in them that I'm especially needing right now. ;-) (It's probably a good thing that you don't usually put olive oil in guacamole because that might be an overly potent combination. LOL)

2008 Endorsements

Well, I have to admit that I've been somewhat apathetic about the Presidential campaign, but since our primaries are next week I decided to read up on some things and make a decision. It's no surprise that I will be voting in the Republican primary, and in Tennessee we cannot have mixed votes in our primary. In the big, general election we can vote as mixed as we want though.

The Republicans

Okay, it seems pretty apparent that the main choices are McCain and Romney, but I do like Huckabee for his casual Southern style and personality. While McCain is a great hero with lots of service and sacrifice for our country I cannot in full conscience support him because he's on the global warming bandwagon. Romney seems to have a more reasonable approach to that issue. Most of the other issues seem not really too different between them, although they seem to want to separate themselves from each other. So, that means that, at this point in time, I am endorsing Romney.

I do want to say that this endorsement isn't without some hesitation, but the reasons for that aren't well-defined or easily justified. He's slick. He's a politician. But I guess we hire politicians to politic so we should probably want one that is politician-like. ;-)

Anyway, it looks like if McCain gets the nomination he'll choose Giuliani as his running mate. They are getting really chummy and seem close to making out or engaging in some other PDAs (public displays of affection). ;-) It's hard to imagine that if Romney gets the nomination McCain would agree to be his running mate, but stranger things have happened. I suspect that Romney might ask Thompson to be his running mate. But I'm just guessing.

The Democrats

I tend to think that Hillary and Obama will kissy-kiss and make up and ultimately join forces, but it's not too clear yet who will be the running mate. I could be wrong about that, though, and Obama might choose Edwards if he gets the nomination. They are about as chummy as McCain and Giuliani, but it's really hard to trust all that this soon. Probably my worst nightmare would be for Hillary to choose Al Gore as running mate if she gets the nomination. ;-)

Closing Thoughts

What bothers me most about all of the candidates, except for maybe Huckabee to some extent, is that they seem pretty clueless about how real life and the real world of the average person actually are. I'm not sure McCain really understands the actual basis of the subprime debacle and what really needs to happen about it, and he seems to think that some "stimulus package" will solve everyone's problems. Not that we taxpayers don't like the idea of getting money back, but some of us do realize that it's not quite 'free' money, like taking a deposit out of a savings account. And what in the world is up with giving "tax rebates" to people who don't even pay taxes? That's just pure communist feel-good garbage.

I might change my mind about things as we go along, but for now Romney seems like the least of the evils. ;-)

Told You So

Okay, in the spirit of Vi Mo and some cruel tutelage, let's look at the current economic "crisis" centered on the housing "crunch" or whatever they are calling it now. A big part of the problem was that the crooked banks were giving people insane loans to "buy" more house than they could really afford. You see, this variable interest thing has been around for a long time, but only in the last few years have many people been fooled or just plain stupid enough to fall for it. And you can be certain that the banks were pushing these loans very hard, though I really have trouble understanding why an industry would shoot itself in the foot like that, unless they just refused to acknowledge that ignoring long term risks while focusing on short term profits is not a good plan.

I mean, imagine that you're a banker with some money to loan on a big house that is really more than the buyers can afford, but you decide that even if they default on this loan you'll have this house to cover it. You've assumed that the house will either retain its value or go up in value, so it seems like a pretty fair deal. But the buyers really need a more affordable payment, so you offer them a variable rate loan with an "introductory" very low or practically non-existent interest rate for a couple of years. Everybody's happy, right?

But if we think about it a little more, even if the economy doesn't falter and the house doesn't go down in value, can you really expect that the buyers will have the money to pay the higher payments in a couple of years? Nothing in history tells me that anyone should depend on such things. In their greed the banks and the buyers have shot themselves in the feet. I don't want to pay for their mistakes.

While some dummies want to blame Capitalism itself for these problems, they too are just being too short-sighted and narrow-minded. Saying that all capitalists are greedy and crooked like some bank executives is just as stupid as saying that all Muslims are terrorists. There are bad apples in every bunch but you can't say that all apples are rotten. Duh!

Well, it might be tempting to blame the consumers and call them all stupid, but that would also be too simple and wrong. I do feel some empathy for those who were pressured into bad loans because we all have had experiences of being "sold" on a bad thing. However, when it comes to homes and ownership, there have been a lot of 'get rich quick' schemes around that have encouraged people to "invest" in homes and rental properties, etc. I guess I'm conservative enough to keep my "investments" (in the liquifiable sense) separate from my basic needs, such as shelter. Anyway, good advice is always "buyer beware," and it's unfortunate that nowadays buyers must beware of even those who are supposed to be helping, like real estate agents who certainly do make arrangements with lenders to push certain types of loans.

My solution to this particular problem with the bad loans, etc., is to say to the banks, "You should have known better." Who else but financial institutions should be most careful with money? I think that they should foot the bill for the whole mess that they were mostly responsible for creating. We have trusted them to use our money (which ultimately it is our money that they've been carelessly lending out) wisely but they haven't. I would say, "You play, you pay."

We don't use a traditional bank anymore. We use a credit union. Maybe big banks are becoming obsolete in the same way as labor unions.

Fallen Tree Destroyed Nearby Church

A small, old church about a half mile from my house was destroyed when the wind storm blew through on Tuesday night. We didn't have any damage- just lots of tree limbs fallen on our road.

See WBIR for story and video.

Dream On

(video is "Dream On" performed by Kelly Sweet)

Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin' clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay

Yeah, I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life's in books' written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know it's true
All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on...

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away


"Dream On" by Aerosmith

Last night I had an eerie feeling, but I can't really elucidate it here for many reasons. Although I can't "prove" it or whatever I do know that our consciousness was a gift of Divine Infusion, an evolutionary and natural process that was helped along by the touch of some Divine Force.

Dream On in this life and Dream On in the next. Dream On until your dream comes true. Even if the only evidence of our lives is just a few electromagnetic traces here and there that might fade eventually into the vast void, I know it was real.

Lordy, Lordy, So This Is Forty

*

Happy 40th Birthday to me! The older I get and the harder life becomes the more thankful and happy I am to have another birthday. I'm unashamed to be forty, with plenty of natural gray highlights. ;-) I wonder if at some point in my youth I had fantasized about what life at forty might be, but I don't remember now any of that. Maybe I didn't ever imagine it. I just can't recall having any specific expectations.

I love my life and wouldn't want it to be very different. I have a beautiful home, nice cars, and a comfortable lifestyle. But above all of that, I have been blessed with three wonderful children and a great husband. I love my family (not limited to biological or geographical ties) of soulmates and I've been so lucky to find the love of my life.

Of course, it hasn't been easy, but it's the struggles that make us appreciate it all. And there will be more struggles to come, but we can hope that they won't be too much.

I'd like to party like Britney Spears and 50 Cent, but I lack the resources and connections for that. Besides, I might not survive that kind of partying at this age. ;-)

Go, go, go, go
Go, go, go shorty
It's your birthday
We gonna party like it's your birthday
We gonna sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
And you know we don't give a fuck
It's not your birthday

You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub
Momma got what you need if you need to feel a buzz
I'm into having sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into to gettin' rough

*Okay, so these pictures are from a few hours before I actually turned 40, but surely in the morning I won't wake up looking a whole lot different. ;-)

Shadow of the Day

I heard this incredibly sad song last night and thought it seemed eerily parallel to Heath Ledger's death on Tuesday. He was only 28 years old. I tend to think that his death was accidental and very similar to Anna Nicole Smith's accidental overdose. But we'll have to wait for the toxicology reports to know more. My deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends, especially his young daughter.

I close both locks below the window.
I close both blinds and turn away.
Sometimes solutions aren’t so simple
Sometimes goodbye’s the only way

Oh,and the sun will set for you
The sun will set for you
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey,
And the sun will set for you...

In cards and flowers on your window,
Your friends all plead for you to stay
Sometimes beginnings aren’t so simple
Sometimes goodbye’s the only way

And the sun will set for you,
The sun will set for you
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in gray,
And the sun will set for you..

And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in gray
And the sun will set for you..

And the shadow after the day
Will embrace the world in gray,
And the sun will set for you.

"Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park

The video is available on YouTube, but its political theme does not appeal to me.

The Cruel Tutelage of Vi Mo

In case you don't know, the title is a play on the chapter of Kill Bill Vol. 2 called "The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei". Get it? Vi(cious) Mo(mma). ;-) And if I was a guy and could grow a beard I'd have a long one like his.


Sometimes my methods of enlightenment are a bit too similar to Pai Mei's, but most wise students know that their most difficult teachers are usually the best and most effective. And learning the most valuable lessons should involve some challenge and struggle. One shouldn't expect it to be easy to learn great and powerful things. Wise students should also, instead of getting angry and offended by a tough teacher, be honored and grateful that the teacher is even bothering with them. And you can be certain that a tough teacher has learned that toughness from her own hard lessons and hard teachers.

Well, of course, this is fantasyland, but if I was a Kung Fu expert you can be sure that I'd be just like Pai Mei. I could kick your ass without moving much more than a finger. You wouldn't know what hit you.

Maybe I'm just in an ass-kicking mood and the only way to express it is through these encoded words pounded into the make-believe realm of cyberspace, and since none of that is really real then it shouldn't matter what I say or do. It's all fake and secret (incomprehensible to me) codes anyway, unlike a firm kick to the ass that would leave a very real and unmistakable bruise.

I Can Do It, Again!

In trying to keep one of my resolutions to finish projects, etc., around the house I finally decided to repair the broken cabinet drawer in the kitchen. It had been broken for probably almost a year (because one of the kids mistakenly thought it could be used as a step-ladder), and the reason my husband didn't fix it was because he works so much that when he comes home he doesn't want to have to do even more work. ;-) The reason I hadn't fixed it was because I was intimidated by it and also because most of last year, as I realize in hindsight, I was really too ill to do much of anything.

The bottom drawer was the broken one, but actually it was the drawer slide hardware that was broken and not the drawer itself. In this picture I had already removed the white rail that was broken:



Here is my cute little Makita drill and the drawer with one of the new heavier-duty rails installed:



I only made one mistake at first by mis-aligning the slide bracket in the back of the cabinet, but in the end I was able to get it perfectly aligned. Here is the finished drawer:



I keep my frying pans and skillets in the drawer:



Now I don't have to leave them in the floor anymore and it's nice and neat again. The cabinets are made of hickory wood which is popular in this area for more rustic style kitchens.



Well, of course, I was very proud of myself for finally getting it done and getting it done right without too much trouble.


See also I Can Do It! for phone installation.

Old Wisdom

I was browsing through a book that I had forgotten about, and found this passage that I want to share. The book is Seven Arrows by Hyemeyohsts Storm and is a story about the Plains Indians and their struggles and triumphs. It also discusses much of their spiritual wisdom, though I have to confess, I haven't read most of it yet. However, I've read a bit about the Native American spiritual ideas and most of them are pretty close to ideas I've independently formed. Anyway, here is just a very small but significant piece of that old wisdom:

To Touch and Feel is to Experience. Many people live out their entire lives without ever really Touching or being Touched by anything. These people live within a world of mind and imagination that may move them sometimes to joy, tears, happines or sorrow. But these people never really Touch. They do not live and become one with life.

The Sun Dancer believes that each person is a unique Living Medicine Wheel, powerful beyond imagination, that has been limited and placed upon this earth to Touch, Experience and Learn. The Six Grandfathers Taught me that each man, woman, and child at one time was a Living Power that existed somewhere in time and space. The Powers were without form, but they were aware. They were alive.

Each Power possessed boundless energy and beauty. These living Medicine Wheels were capable of nearly anthing. They were beautiful and perfect in all ways except one. They had no understanding of limitation, no experience of substance. These Beings were total energy of the Mind, without Body or Heart. They were placed upon this earth that they might Learn the things of the Heart through Touching.

According to the Teachers, there is only one thing that all people possess equally. This is their loneliness. No two people on the face of this earth are alike in any one thing except for their loneliness. This is the cause of our Growing, but it is also the cause of our wars. Love, hate, greed and generosity are all rooted within loneliness, within our desire to be needed and loved.

The only way that we can overcome our loneliness is through Touching. It is only in this way that we can learn to be Total Beings. God is a presence of this Total. Heamavihio, the Breath of Wisdom, and Miaheyyun, Total Understanding, are but two of the words in the Cheyenne language which express this Wholeness.

Elvis Born 73 Years Ago

Elvis Presley was born 73 years ago today. Unfortunately, he died more than 30 years ago. The flashy jump-suited Elvis of this video was always my favorite, but it's too bad that it doesn't show enough of his famous pelvis thrusting. I do recall watching this "Live Aloha From Hawaii" concert on TV with my parents when I was almost five.




In 1993, after my mom's first liver cancer surgery, I took her to Graceland in Memphis.

Elvis was a hoe for sure. I shall now officially induct him into the Hoe Hall of Fame. ;-)

Resolutions 2008

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but since last year was so chaotic I decided maybe it couldn't hurt to make some resolutions for this year.

1. BACKUP FILES! If there is something that I think I'll be sad to lose then I must back it up.

2. Finish the household projects (painting, etc.) I started last year and get the list repaired if possible (#8 has already been fixed).

3. Actually start some of the projects that have been knocking around my mind for a while.

4. Continue with some self-guided cognitive work to focus on the good and positive instead of worrying too much.

5. This one is probably the hardest: put myself on a schedule so that I don't neglect certain jobs that I really dislike (like filing paperwork, etc.).


What are your resolutions, or even anti-resolutions?

Aeron the Hare

I haven't seen "The Golden Compass" or read the book(s). But Bee had this fun quiz so I had to try it. ;-)

I'm not sure if I'm well matched with Aeron the Hare. But hey, you take what you get, right? ;-) This daemon soul-keeper idea is very similar to shamanic animal spirit guides. Apparently, Aeron is one of 31,748 Hare daemons (so far) in a total daemon population of 853,745.

Jib Jab's 2007 Review

glumbert - In 2007

Roll With the Changes

I knew it had to happen
Felt the tables turnin'
Got me through my darkest hour
I heard the thunder clappin'
Felt the desert burnin'
Until you poured on me
Like a sweet sunshower

"Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon

Usually I do a year-end retrospective and review the major events of the year, but I think I'll skip it this year. Let's just say it's been a real roller coaster year, literally and figuratively. If I tried to go over all the losses and traumas of the year it might sound like I was trying to write a Book of Job Lite (50% less heavy than the original). ;-)

Of course, it all hasn't been bad. And focusing only on the hard times isn't a healthy perspective anyway. If I had to concentrate the lessons of it all into one word, I think that faith is it. I've learned a deeper meaning to faith than the one that its critics like to use (believing blindly or some such thing). Faith is an intellectual decision to be satisfied with knowing something without a physical sign of it. There are many physical things that are fleeting and ultimately unnecessary for us to know what they symbolize. The physical world is sometimes only a symbolic representation of our ideas and feelings, or even our very existence. If those symbols disappear it does not mean that our ideas and feelings never existed or don't continue to exist. This is what I mean by faith. A true knowing without the need for 'evidence'. I don't see this as a weakness or whatever else certain types of people call it. I see it as a strength and maturity and trust.

I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
I can't offer you proof
But you're going to face a moment of truth
It's hard when you're always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It's a matter of trust

"A Matter of Trust" by Billy Joel

Indeed, faith and trust go hand in hand. And without them we can't roll with the changes, which is essential to survival. So fasten your seat belts, make sure your lapbar is securely in the locked position, hang on, and enjoy the ride!

And Happy New Year 2008!

Friday Fluff

Borrowed from Friday Fiver:

1. Tell us something you love: My family of soulmates.

2. Tell us something you know to be true: Life is precious, even when it hurts.

3. Tell us about someone new in your life: The newest person in my life is my 5 month old nephew who reminds me so much of my youngest when he was a tiny baby.

4. Who can you never please? People who disagree with me. ;-)

5. Friday fill-in:
You know I ___. believe in miracles.

Making My List and Checking It Twice

This year I'm happy to report that unlike last year the Christmas spirit is pretty strong even though I lost two weeks of shopping time. I'm just pacing myself and getting the shopping done a little bit each day. Maybe it's because I'm thankful to even be shopping at all. :-)

So no "ba humbug" this year, but more "God bless us every one!"

Merry Christmas to all, even the atheists. ;-)

Lord Have Mercy

A Tsar Is Born

Time's Man of the Year is Russia's Vladimir Putin. When I first heard it I was a little puzzled, but after reading and thinking more about it I see that it is a fair choice. He certainly has the power that many men wish for, especially the wannabe world dictator, Al Gore. ;-)

Interesting facts from the Time article:

He has never sent an email in his life.

Despite growing up in an officially atheist country, he is a believer and often reads his Bible.

He comes from a very modest, poor background.

He has a black belt in judo.

He is quick to aggitation and has little patience for small talk, jokes, and social niceties. He is generally ruthless and cold.

He complains about how he thinks America treats Russia as "an uninvited guest at a party."

"We want to be a friend of America," he says. "Sometimes we get the impression that America does not need friends" but only "auxiliary subjects to command." Asked if he'd like to correct any American misconceptions about Russia, Putin leans forward and says, "I don't believe these are misconceptions. I think this is a purposeful attempt by some to create an image of Russia based on which one could influence our internal and foreign policies. This is the reason why everybody is made to believe...[Russians] are a little bit savage still or they just climbed down from the trees, you know, and probably need to have...the dirt washed out of their beards and hair."

But at the end of the article the writer explains:

Back at the dacha, with snow falling lightly outside, our dinner and discussion continue. Putin has been irritable throughout, a grudging host. Suddenly, at 10 o'clock, he stands and abruptly ends the evening. "We've finished eating, there's nothing more on the table, so let's call it a day," he declares. Actually, the main course (choice of sturgeon or veal) and dessert ("bird's milk" cake)—lovingly printed in gold ink on the prepared menu cards—haven't yet been served. The Russian President's brusqueness is jarring. Have our questions angered him? Bored him? Does he have another appointment? It's not clear. "Bye bye," says Putin—in English—as he walks briskly out of the room.

Well, I have to say that if one acts like that then it's rather natural to assume that Russians "are a little bit savage still." You see, even we backwards Tennessee hillbillies know better than to end a dinner before the dinner is even served. In fact, we would be very insulted if a guest up and left before the main course was served, and we would expect a guest to be equally insulted if we kicked them out too soon.

Runs In the Family

Britney Spears' 16 year old sister, Jamie Lynn, has announced that she is pregnant. You would think that she might have learned what not to do by watching her big sister's series of screw-ups. And what about their mother? Has she never explained to her daughters what happens when you have unprotected sex? I was about to give their mother the benefit of the doubt with one daughter that didn't turn out so great, but now that both daughters appear to be defective one must place some blame on the mother, genetically and environmentally. Actually, I think that Mrs. Spears probably sold her and her daughters' souls to the Devil in order to gain fame and fortune. But as most of us know, when the Devil makes deals they aren't as good as you think they will be.

Cool Christmas Tree

Dear Quentin Tarantino,

I'm sure you get all kinds of kooky letters from crazy freaks with their 'brilliant' movie ideas. Well, I'm pretty kooky and crazy and maybe a little freaky and I do have a movie idea, but I'm not promising anything brilliant. ;-) Just so you know, I'm a hometown girl from Knoxville, just in case that might help a little. :-) I really love some of your movies that I've seen, especially the Kill Bill movies, Sin City (your influence as guest director is obvious), and Pulp Fiction. I'm sorry to admit that I haven't seen all of them. Maybe someday I'll get caught up on some movie watching.

Anyway, if you sex it up a lot and fictionalize most of it, you could make a really funny and quirky movie based on my life. Just a few of the real elements to start with are my status as a vicious momma who drives a red Corvette convertible (when I'm not driving a bunch of kids around in an 'evil', full size SUV - Ford Expedition). Well, that's kind of a good start, don't you think? ;-) For some of the fantasy elements you could have me involved in torrid affairs with Lubos Motl and the Pope. Okay, just for a disclaimer to make sure no rumors get started I must tell you that in actuality Lubos Motl has only ever shown the utmost impeccable integrity towards me, and of course the Pope doesn't even know me. But let's get back to the fiction. Another plot twist possibility could involve all this global warming garbage and how me and my cohorts form a secret alliance to stop the evil AntiChrist who is leading the world astray, and so on.

Kate Winslet would be the best choice to play me. She's much prettier than I am, but that's how it's supposed to be in movies.



These pictures from Romance and Cigarettes capture some of the vicious momma spirit, I think.

Maybe Jude Law could play Lubos, or even you. I know you like to show up in your movies. And maybe Anthony Hopkins could play the Pope. We could throw in Viggo Mortensen as a mystery man without whose aid we couldn't succeed in our mission. Probably Alec Baldwin would be good as the AntiChrist. I really dislike him anyway. He's a true cad so it might not be too much of a stretch for him to play that part.

So there you go. There are lots of cool music ideas too, but I won't get too carried away. I do think that you would have the vision and humor to create a fun, interesting story with these elements. And maybe you could even ask Michael Crichton to collaborate on some of the scientific aspects of the story. I like his movies too, though they are much different from yours. It might be a very strange but complementary mixture to have you two working together. But maybe you two hate each other and it is a terrible prospect? I have no idea. I'm just throwing around some wild notions.

Have a nice holiday.

Sincerely,
Rae Ann

PS How could I have been so thoughtless? I should have mentioned my best friend's brother, Walt Foreman, who is a novelist and filmmaker in California. I think he might have some good ideas too.

Mellow Yellow

Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to be the very next phase

They call it mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

Donovan "Mellow Yellow"

Just changed the background to a nice mellow yellow. Yellow has become one of my favorite colors lately. It is associated with the solar plexus chakra. I'm not sure about the other blog colors, but at the moment I'll leave them as they are.

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow,

I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow

So then I took my turn
Oh what a thing to have done
And it was all yellow

Your skin oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
You know you know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh what a thing to do
Cause you were all yellow

I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
You know for you I'd bleed myself dry
For you I'd bleed myself dry

Its true look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine

Look at the stars look how they shine for you
And all the things that you do

Coldplay "Yellow"

Movie Recommendation

I just watched Madea's Family Reunion, and wow, it was great! It was absolutely loaded with humor, excellent wisdom, and very sweet romance. Very touching and poignant movie, but also laugh-out-loud funny, especially the title character, Madea. She's a great example of a hilarious vicious momma. ;-) If you get a chance to watch it you won't regret it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Bali Summit

I just want to say that I think it's so very apparent what is the real agenda for Gore and his AGW religion when you see how things happen in Bali. If Gore really wanted to appear authentic and honest he would have insisted that this summit was held under big tents outside without using too much electricity for air conditioning and lighting, etc. He should have followed the lead of old-time church tent revivals that most Southerners and Midwesterners have seen at some point in their lives:



I mean really, they're having the summit in Bali. Freaking paradise, right? Why stay all cooped up in a hotel meeting area with artificial lights and air conditioning? They should have put up tents where they could have gotten natural light and fresh tropical air. It would have been better for their health as well as for the environment. But we all know that those are not the true goals of their actions. They don't really care about the state of the world's climate. They only care about their own comfort, image, and power.

So many high falutin types like to abuse religion and blame it for all the ills of the world and so on, but I think they just don't know how to discern a true, good religion from a false, destructive religion. Gore really is a kind of AntiChrist whose message and intent are not for the improvement of the world but only for his own glorification and fame. If one cannot see what a complete and evil fraud he is then I hope that a flash of revelation will come to them to open their eyes and minds to the truth.

Psalm 56

Just out of curiosity last night I opened the Bible to a random page and this was what I found:

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me;
Fighting all day long he oppresses me.
My foes have trampled upon me all day long,
For they are many who fight proudly against me.
When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?
All day long they distort my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
They attack, they lurk,
They watch my steps,
As they have waited to take my life.
Because of wickedness, cast them forth,
In anger put down the peoples, O God!
You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book?
Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call;
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
In the LORD, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
Your vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
For You have delivered my soul from death,
Indeed my feet from stumbling,
So that I may walk before God
In the light of the living.

Coincidence or not, it was very appropriate for the day. I think it's funny-weird and interesting that good people have been persecuted and tormented by the Godless evil people for a very long time. But it's also a little sad that even after all these centuries and technological, educational, "rational" and other advances, there are still mean, rotten pitchforks in the world who just can't resist being hateful to those who actually try to be good and moral, and especially to those who try to instruct others about goodness and morality. Well, it's just too bad. I guess evolution hasn't been any more successful at cleaning up the human population than religion or any other pillars of civilization.

Divine Infusion

The other day I was looking through the TV channels for something interesting since I wasn't really able to do much of anything else. Sometimes I stumble upon a really good sermon on one of the religious channels, and on that day I really got lucky. I missed the beginning of it but probably only about 25% at most, so I got most of the points. It was one of the absolute best sermons I've ever heard. The delivery style was engaging and entertaining while the message was very logically pleasing, timely and relevant to recent events. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Funny how that happens sometimes.

The preacher was Fredrick Brabson, the pastor of the New Covenant Baptist Church here in Knoxville. I was hoping that there was a video online of his sermon, but I couldn't find one. But I did find that he has a website called Relevant Word Ministries that offers tapes of his messages.

Basically, the sermon was about weathering the storms of life. The first point was that God never abandons us during those hard times and that God never promised that life would always be easy and carefree. Every single person on Earth has the voice of God inside them, even sociopaths, that tells them the right things to do. We don't always listen to that voice because it often conflicts with our selfish desires or demands made on us by the world. Some people even completely deny and ignore that voice of God inside them, but it is still there, waiting for acknowledgement. I think that is the simplest way I've ever heard God explained. God is the good in us. God is that knowing what is the best choice. Anyone who doubts that God exists only needs to look within his own soul and heart and see that God is what tells us how to be good people instead of doing whatever animalistic things we might want to do. It is that Free Will thing I've talked about before. That choice we all have, to do right or to do wrong. That comes from God. How can that not make sense? Anyone who says he doesn't have that inner voice or moral compass that lets him know what is right or wrong is the basic definition of evil. Sorry, but that is the truth, and even some who call themselves atheists acknowledge that they know right from wrong although they are confused as to how they know. ;-)

Another point of the sermon was about those things that keep us from listening to God's voice that guides us to the best way of living. Brabson used a ship in a storm analogy, related to a Bible story that I can't recall now. Anyway, one of the ways of helping oneself get through the storms is to lighten your load. That means tossing overboard all those useless things that weigh us down and impede our progress. That baggage can be material possessions, feelings, addictions, toxic relationships, or any other thing. Get rid of it. It has no value. You can live without it and will be better off without the extra worry. Makes sense, right? Good psychological advice often comes from the Bible. There is a lot of wisdom there if you really listen and think about it.

The final point of the sermon was to never forget your blessings that often come in unexpected forms, even as storms. Be thankful for God's voice in your heart that helped you get through those tough times. God does not throw us into anything that he hasn't equipped us to handle. We just have to listen and use ourselves wisely.

Well, I certainly didn't do Brabson's sermon justice with my short summary. I really do wish his sermon was available online, and maybe someday it will be. It made an impression on me that I wanted to share.

But now I'll add a little something of my own. Last night I was doing a little Bible study and ended up reading about the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus as described in Mark 14 and 15. Even Jesus allowed himself to be overcome by sorrow and feeling abandoned by God at the same time as his being let down by his closest friends, his disciples. Not even his foreknowledge of these events lessened the experience.

32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Mark 14:32-42

Judas, his biggest betrayer, arrived with the mob to arrest Jesus. Jesus was at his darkest hour and his friends lay sleeping. What kind of friends are those? Then some even deny knowing him just to save their own skins. All those men disappeared when things got bad. They were the ones who abandoned Jesus, not God. Just before he died on the cross, Jesus says, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is translated, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" Do you really think he was asking why God had forsaken him or if he was asking why all his disciples had forsaken him? My bet is on the disciples. He truly felt abandoned and forsaken and betrayed by those who had been closest to him. Humans will always fail each other, but God never fails us. Not if we truly listen and follow his guidance.

And unfortunately there are those evil people who are so removed from God and his guidance that they torment and abuse those who are already hurt, just as many tormented Jesus as he was being crucified. Do they have no conscience? If they have one it's so weak and feeble that it can't overcome their animalistic cruelty. What voice do they listen to? Not the one that tells them how to be a good person and do the right things. They listen to their own selfish drives and desires. They think they will impress others with their clever insults or skillful jabs. But what they do is not right. It is wrong. And it does nothing to make the world a better place, which is what God wants. You know who you are. I have no time for you. I'm tossing you overboard with all the other garbage I don't need.




A somewhat related article about Why Secular Liberals Are So Uncharitable.

Today In History

December 11

1844 Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.

1936 King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of Britain for the woman he loved, Mrs. Wallis Simpson.

Stubbed TOEs and Other Pains

This was the post I was working on before my appendix blew. Obviously, even more pains worse than stubbed TOES and dead hard drives were lurking in the near future, little did I know. ;-) (no "seer" is 100% accurate due to the probabilistic nature of our world) These words are no longer really timely or relevant, but what the hell, here they are anyway:


11/07

Let me do the other pains first.

The last couple of weeks have been full of all kinds of annoyances and disasters. The source of the worst and still continuing pains has been the dead hard drive in my old desktop. I did manage to recover my Quickbooks and some percentage of my Paintshop files before it completely died, but because I'm a jack of all trades but master of none it has been somewhat challenging.

Well, what do you expect from a $15,000 employee whose titles and jobs range from bookkeeper to human resources to payroll processing to IT manager? I mean really, according to this website the average Information Technology Manager earns about $100,000 dollars annually. Check the links of the other jobs and you'll see how much I should be making. ;-)

Okay, so, since the Quickbooks on the old computer was the 2002 version I thought I'd go ahead and upgrade to the 2008 version since I had to get a new computer anyway. Well, I really kind of hate Quickbooks and Intuit because they are constantly bringing out new versions and making it difficult to continue using the older versions. It's accounting. How much new stuff can there be every year? Not enough to keep "upgrading" software. Jesus. It's a rip-off. And they want you to subscribe (means pay for) all these other services like online backups, payroll updates, etc. blah, blah, blah. And it's really disturbing that all of your business information that you put into "their" software that you're only paying for the "use of" (license) ends up being inaccessible to you without certain codes and whatnot. Hey fuckers, it's my information in there and you can't steal it from me. I've exceeded my f-bomb quota for the entire year in the last few hours. ;-)

Anyway, I did successfully install the upgrade, but when I was trying to register it ends up that I have to call a number to get a validation code. What? You can't fool me. I know that's just another one of their ploys to get me talking to one of their salesmen who's going to try to sell me a bunch of their shit that I don't need. Is it not enough that they got $200 out of me already?

And get this. In my old Quickbooks I could manually enter paychecks and do all my own payroll processing, but now in this new one they won't even let me do that. I have to pay at least $99 more per year just to be able to track my two employee payroll! This is enough to make me go postal on them. Where is the Intuit headquarters where I can go and tell them in person just how disgusted and outraged I am about their evil business practices? If you read about some crazy woman going postal at the Intuit headquarters it might be me!

Okay, I'll leave that rant and move on to the Stubbed TOE. The big buzz in the science news has been a surfer dude's Theory of Everything. Well, he did make a pretty picture of it, but just because we can create vivid images of things doesn't make them real.




While watching that video I keep thinking intuitively I can see that this "simple" explanation just cannot 'evolve' into the complex universe that we see today. There is no universe in those pretty pictures. It looks to me like the surfer dude has just created a system of explaining how to move those points around in certain patterns. But how that translates into a Theory of Everything just isn't clear at all. He and his advocates call themselves "seers" but as you know, I'm a seer too. ;-) And I ain't seein' anything in this "theory." Well, actually, what keeps coming to my mind is "snowflakes." (If that means anything to anyone then please let me know.)

Other than the scientific aspects of this story, I have to say that this surfer dude seems like a typical slacker who's looking for an easy way to make it. Lubos perfectly summarizes my thoughts too in response to a comment about the recent passing of Sidney Coleman:

LM: Unfortunately, it's not just irony, it's another example of great minds being systematically replaced by cheap crap. What do the media do? For many days, they don't even report about one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the last 50 years - it is much more important to refer a politically correct story about a "poor" imbecile whose main result is a "theory of everything" - a textbook example of a childish proposal that can't work according to a theorem known for several decades. I am irritated by the breathtaking hypocrisy of those proponents of the "right" thinkers. For example, crackpot Lisi is promoted because it is poor. Tell it to most guys in Africa or even Europe - offer them to be poor so that they can surf for whole days on Hawaii. I think that most of them will instantly accept this kind of poverty. But he paints himself as "poor", so he is welcome even though his physical theory and physics knowledge is just a small piece of shit. But the media serve this shit as a yummy dinner. And most of them won't even tell you about Sidney Coleman. The world is just going to hell.

To add to that, if you want to read more of this surfer dude's confused blather about things other than physics you can find it at Bee's.

In addition to that, if you want more details about it all, you can Google it or go to The Reference Frame.

I couldn't resist putting in my 2 cents worth about it. Well, if you ask me, this theory is really only worth about 2 cents anyway. I'm sorry if I've stubbed or stepped on anyone's TOE or toes, but generally, if I'm allowed a little immodesty, my intuition about these things is pretty good. I think the main point of this entire story is that even the scientific world has fallen into the Hollywood fakery mentality that relies only on superficial and artificial prettiness and unlikely plots.

I think the perfect ending to this would be that a little old hillbilly housewife from Tennessee with no formal physics training falsifies the surfer dude's TOE with her own pretty picture:

[unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to post my pretty .gif animation]

Wouldn't that be a perfect, unexpected and unlikely Hollywood plot twist? ;-)

Demerol Daze and Zombie Nurses

Every day brings some improvement in my condition, and later this afternoon I will go to the doctor to have the staples removed from my belly and for a check-up, etc. I was going to post a picture of the three staples in my navel and call it "Temporary Triple Navel Piercing", but it was really much too gruesome to share. ;-) The surgeon did that laproscopic surgery to remove what was left of my appendix and whatever else he did in there (I'll get more details today, I hope), so instead of one large incision there are three small ones. I'm uncertain that there is any advantage to that because the pain has been equal to if not greater than the one large incision I got when having babies and a hysterectomy. Maybe it has to do with the nature of the illness/injury and other factors.

One weird irony is that when my mom was 43 her appendix ruptured, but she ended up in the hospital for a whole month because of it. I think I can thank improved surgical and antibiotic treatments for my much shorter hospital stay. Twenty-one years of medical advancements have made a lot of difference!

I'm sure the nurses hated me because I was very whiny and tearful. But I guess they are used to such things and don't think about it so much. Well, it really does suck to be in constant pain and have the other inconveniences and indignities one suffers when incapacitated in a hospital bed. My IV was in the crook of my right arm so that every time I bent my arm the IV machine beeped and beeped and beeped and beeped. Very annoying for us all, but apparently that was the best vein they could find for it. Both of my hands are bruised from where they played pin the needle to the vein to draw blood for testing white blood counts, etc. I have those 'rolling' veins that means one stick usually won't do the trick. Add to that the 30+ Demerol/Phenergan injections in my hips over the five days and it's enough to really call myself a human pin cushion. On Saturday my first IV finally blew so they had to put a new one in the soft underside of my forearm. Talk about painful! But at least I could move without that incessant beeping.

I had lots of weird dreams during my demerol daze and dozing. One was about a black hole sucking us all up and some others I just can't recall now. But they were weird for sure. At one point I was half awake and a nurse was there I and thought she was a zombie. Her hands were ice cold and smelled like a morgue, or at least what I thought a morgue would smell like. It could have been myself that I was smelling because it had been a few days since I'd had more than a slight sponge bath, but who knows? She also had on what I'd call zombie makeup: dark, exaggerated eyeliner and eye shadow. She was a fine nurse, I'm sure, but in my demerol daze she really did frighten me a little.

There are some other events that are just too graphic and gross to share. But I will say that my psyche is still somewhat bruised by that whole experience. However, I am extremely thankful for modern medicine that has saved my life again. If I were a cat, I'd have used up about half of my nine lives now. I'm also very thankful for my husband who apparently still loves me even though he's seen me at my absolute worst. I've been a lot of trouble for him over the years, but he doesn't seem fazed by it. Yet. I really hope not to ever put him through such things again.

So that's just a little summary of my last week. I hope everyone else's has been much less eventful and stressful. And let's all say a prayer of thanks for the modern technologies that we sometimes take for granted. The only worry now is how in the world are we going to pay for it? ;-)

Stronger

"That that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger"

Kanye West

Dear Friends,

Last week my appendix ruptured and I've been very ill. For now I will spare you the plentiful gory details, mainly because I'm just not up to writing that much. ;-) I am slowly recovering and hope to be back to blogging soon. When I first posted this video it wasn't really for any particular reason except that I felt bad for Kanye West losing his mother suddenly. But now it's for me too. ;-)

Giving Thanks

A Happy Thanksgiving to all. Let us take this day to appreciate our blessings.

Not Empty

I'm not sure what they mean, but you can get your own here.

Fluff

TMI Tuesday

It's been a while:

1. Have you ever met a fellow blogger in person?
No.


2. Did you ever play an innocent game of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours"? How old where you?
Yes, probably about 9 or 10.


3. When did you get your first not so innocent kiss?
14


4. Have you ever awoke with someone whose name you did not remember?
Yes, but it was just an old lady and we never touched.


5. Have you ever let someone else wash you while you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself?
of course

Bonus (as in optional): What makes a great first date for you?
Heh, haven't had a first date in so long I wouldn't know. But anyway, it would probably be a nice dinner and conversation and maybe even sex. I'm getting too old to waste too much time. ;-)


Let me go off on tangent about that last question. A lot of people say that sex on a first date is a bad idea. Well, maybe it is for most people most of the time, but it can also be the beginning of a lifelong relationship. ;-) The way I've always seen it is that if two people want to be together then why should they worry too much about some artificially created rules of society? And if a guy won't respect a girl because she desired him and had sex with him, then he's not relationship material in the first place. It's stupid to punish someone for liking you enough to have sex. Though I do think that too many people have sex just because they think it's the thing to do instead of doing it out of true attraction and affection. Sure, we must be discriminating in choosing with whom we share bodily fluids, but we must also avoid being too uptight about expressing our physical feelings.

Pathetic Apathy

It's especially pathetic to realize that I have essentially made no progress in the past year. Just looking over my posts from one year ago it's apparent that I'm still struggling with the same internal problems and concerns.

But now I can add that the big 4-0 is fast approaching. Throughout my thirties I've been promising myself that turning forty would not be some traumatic event. But the closer it gets the more yucky it looks. What's up with that? Is it knowing that my life is at least half over? Is it the realization that youth and beauty are gone and forgotten? I don't really care about wrinkles and gray hair, but goddamn, it's hard to maintain a sensible attitude when all of society is against you. Everywhere you look are images of young, and artificially young, women whose only concerns are how they look and how other people look. It's disgusting.

Well, let's not get into some big rant about that shit. Maybe I should turn my disgust to China. My dad has already announced that for Christmas he will not be buying the kids anything made in China. That's fine by me. Stupid plastic shit. Looking around my house I wonder how much of the Chinese made crap is full of lead paint or some other poison that we don't know about. Stupid communists don't know or care about doing the right thing. What's the matter with them?

I was thinking of doing a sermonette on Crises of Faith, but I can't even muster up enough of whatever to do that. What's the opposite of faith? Distrust? Disappointment? Doubt? Disbelief? No, it's really apathy and indifference and emptiness.

Dancing Indian Condoms

I think they should be running this Safe Sex video on MTV. ;-)

(update: thought of better title)

Motivation

Make your own.

Homemaking 101

Some of my favorite modern homemaking products:

Glad Press'n Seal Wrap



This stuff is just awesome. It's so much better than old fashioned "saran wrap" and Glad says that there are 1000s of uses for it. Well, I don't have time to explore all those, but I can imagine that you can use it for almost anything. I certainly like it and have invented some new uses for myself, such as wrapping wet paint rollers to keep them from drying out while I take a break from painting. Anyway, this is a kind of big step in the evolution of materials for homemakers. ;-)


Swiffer Dusters



These really do work. They pick up all the dust, and it clings to the duster so that it doesn't fall off so that it has to be dusted again immediately. ;-) In other words, they don't just move the dust around and if you just want to do a quick dusting without using furniture spray/wax and a cloth they work great. I've dusted with them just about everywhere, but one caution would be to avoid any delicate items with parts that might get caught on the fibers and fall. My friend broke a favorite collectible when using one a little carelessly.

The Swiffer wet mops are okay, but my floorspace is pretty big and it's inefficient to use them here. I'm usually not a big fan of disposable cleaning products because they seem wasteful and unnecessary, like the disposable toilet brushes. Sure, cleaning toilets is a yucky job, but if the cleaner you use is supposed to kill 99.9% of the germs in the toilet wouldn't it also kill 99.9% of the germs on the brush? It's just a waste of money and resources to use the disposable ones, but who am I to judge people if they want to waste their money on such things? Anyway, the Swiffer dusters might be a modern indulgence, but in my household they are efficient ones. ;-)


Scrubbing Bubbles



I love, love, love Scrubbing Bubbles. And you don't have to keep them confined to the bathroom. They work anywhere. I've even cleaned the inside of the car with them. Yeah, sure, they are chemicals in a spray can, but if they work great that's what really matters. They have been around for a really long time, and I recall the old commercials for them when I was a kid. "We do the work so you don't have tooooooo...." is what they said as they slid down the drain. Cute. In all my years of testing new cleaning products, I've found nothing that is better than Scrubbing Bubbles.


The next installment in the Homemaking series will discuss my favorite floor cleaning machines. I have a particular penchant for these kinds of things.

Zero

Just a clip art and not something I made.


On the sidebar I just noticed that Technorati says I'm a zero. Funny. I guess that's what happens to neglected blogs. Well, lately most of my expressive energy has been spent on "artwork." Maybe I should call that "art therapy" instead, since "artwork" sounds too pretentious to me. The one I've worked on most is really just an exercise to use up my obsessive/compulsive energy and it's not really something that most people would like or appreciate. Maybe I'll post pictures if I ever finish it, but probably not because I don't think a photograph would translate it well. And it's hard to share such things anyway. Maybe I would be embarrassed for people to know that I've spent so much time on something so inconsequential, or trivial.