The definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior over and over again, expecting different results each time. it doesn't seem so insane the first, say, dozen or so times, but after a couple of years worth accrue, one has to wonder what sort of deficiency blocks the realization that things are simply not going to change.
So why is it that I continue to be baffled by what people do? Surprised that I can't get a straight answer to simple questions, mystified when I am cut off and stepped on as I exit the subway train, nonplussed when some hothead flips out over something that would seemingly be pleasant and beneficial to him or her.
And yet I continue. I say please, thank you and excuse me, knowing that such courtesies will most like not be returned and more often than not, will be met with a blank, perplexed stare. Sometimes to boot, I will also get a challenge from the recipient, as if a fight should break out. It's like bizarro world, sometimes and all I can really do is just laugh a little. What a bunch of odd folk, out there.
Only a couple more obstacles in my way, until I am whisked away on a train, to rumble past the obnoxious and confusing and head out to a place of warm cookies and family dinner and lounging around - at least for a day.
I bid you a happy turkey day, in advance. May your plate be full and your mind be empty.
26 November, 2008
25 November, 2008
rally
So occasionally during the day, friends stop by to chat for a second. Often times, we will briefly discuss relevant social, economic, or political issues, with varying degrees of intensity.
dude: rally. effing rally.
me: okay that reminds me of a steel pulse song. "rally round the flag, rally round the flag, rally round the red, gold, black and green...."
dude: I'm hoping for a market rally
me: haha....aren't we all. my bonus potential is tied to that damn market
dude: 7k is scary. we should do a road race fundraiser for stock market relief
me: i know right? we'll get a band called "the economists" to play and everyone can flick their four pound, engraved lighters. we can have a bake sale and a t-shirt stand too. The t-shirts could say "capitalism is hot"
dude: only serve redbull to drink
me: I'll make little dollar sign cookies
dude: give away free yay
me: hahaha we can weave hats out of ticker tape
dude: get e'rwon firrredup for dat rally!
me: good stuff, man
It's okay to be disturbed.
dude: rally. effing rally.
me: okay that reminds me of a steel pulse song. "rally round the flag, rally round the flag, rally round the red, gold, black and green...."
dude: I'm hoping for a market rally
me: haha....aren't we all. my bonus potential is tied to that damn market
dude: 7k is scary. we should do a road race fundraiser for stock market relief
me: i know right? we'll get a band called "the economists" to play and everyone can flick their four pound, engraved lighters. we can have a bake sale and a t-shirt stand too. The t-shirts could say "capitalism is hot"
dude: only serve redbull to drink
me: I'll make little dollar sign cookies
dude: give away free yay
me: hahaha we can weave hats out of ticker tape
dude: get e'rwon firrredup for dat rally!
me: good stuff, man
It's okay to be disturbed.
20 November, 2008
grid
I have had about all I can take for the moment, and it seems it is time to steel up. I think now is a good time to just fall off the grid.
Here I go.
Here I go.
vitriol ?
Well I guess my intermittent internet is only working after 3am. Lucky me, I'm up again.
Trying really hard to tap into this vitriol thing right now. See, spewing witticisms and loathing things like loud neighbors, idiotic 20 year old Marines and stinky, rude and annoying people is a talent of mine, in my opinion.
But really what happened is, I came home from the latest day of work EVER, and made myself a killer stir-fry and had a glass of wine, procured from Adam, the Polish wine guru down the street. Adam tried to force a shot of "sweet" vodka on me, while I perused the inventory, but settled instead for a small shot of a lovely beaujolais nuveau, which I ended up buying, because in a fantastic hippified way, the company bottled the wine in recyclable plastic and is planting a tree for every bottle sold. I feel more crunchy already.
No, I'm not "drinking alone".
So I have settled in, enjoyed my mini feast and drink and watched Top Chef. Sounds like I'm enjoying myself, doesn't it? I find it pretty fucking annoying that I'm so diluted at this point that I can't even bring myself to give a scathing dissertation. This is attributable to many things, of which I am all too painfully aware, but mostly because another one is moving away and the city is about to get even bigger again.
More on this later, maybe. This isn't really reflecting the level of vagueness I was hoping to achieve.
Trying really hard to tap into this vitriol thing right now. See, spewing witticisms and loathing things like loud neighbors, idiotic 20 year old Marines and stinky, rude and annoying people is a talent of mine, in my opinion.
But really what happened is, I came home from the latest day of work EVER, and made myself a killer stir-fry and had a glass of wine, procured from Adam, the Polish wine guru down the street. Adam tried to force a shot of "sweet" vodka on me, while I perused the inventory, but settled instead for a small shot of a lovely beaujolais nuveau, which I ended up buying, because in a fantastic hippified way, the company bottled the wine in recyclable plastic and is planting a tree for every bottle sold. I feel more crunchy already.
No, I'm not "drinking alone".
So I have settled in, enjoyed my mini feast and drink and watched Top Chef. Sounds like I'm enjoying myself, doesn't it? I find it pretty fucking annoying that I'm so diluted at this point that I can't even bring myself to give a scathing dissertation. This is attributable to many things, of which I am all too painfully aware, but mostly because another one is moving away and the city is about to get even bigger again.
More on this later, maybe. This isn't really reflecting the level of vagueness I was hoping to achieve.
19 November, 2008
warp
It was Sunday and now it's only Wednesday and I just cant believe how long it feels like it's been.
Hard to be without what you were so used to for so long, without feeling like on some level that it's all wrong, even if it's right for right now.
Change is good, change is hard, change sucks ass, but ultimately change will make it all better, I hear. Everyone is growing and it's all so....dare I say....healthy.
Am I getting healthy?
Whoa.
Hard to be without what you were so used to for so long, without feeling like on some level that it's all wrong, even if it's right for right now.
Change is good, change is hard, change sucks ass, but ultimately change will make it all better, I hear. Everyone is growing and it's all so....dare I say....healthy.
Am I getting healthy?
Whoa.
where i'm at.
I'm like the 9ers right now. A dynasty, classiest team in the sport, but who had some management issues. Me and the niners are in a rebuilding phase. I'll start with the literal.
Technically I can walk. I'm not about to try on my hot, dusty heels at the moment, but my orthopedic clogs and running shoes are doing all right. More healing to do there. My shoulder is still a fucking pain in my....well, my shoulder. It's going to take some time, money and a commitment to various therapy techniques, which are new to me, but it's on the horizon.
Due to the injurious nature of things, I have started an "anti-inflammatory" diet. Not a hey, I need to lose 15 pounds diet, but between that and the upswing in swimming and lifting, I'm sure it will be a byproduct.
This diet is actually recommended for people who have rheumatoid arthritis and I plan to stick to it for about 40-60 days to see if it really does reduce the pain in my foot and shoulder. This means more effort with food. Nothing processed. Nothing out of a box (which pretty much equals processed). No dairy, except for yogurt. No night shade veggies, or at least in very small quantities.
Berries, peppers, fish, spinach, are a full-on go. Fortunately, I like all of those things already. It's not such a huge stretch, just an amendment to my current diet. And in line with my whole universe and effort thing, here it is....out there. I am on day one. I lifted, and my 70% for bench is actually about 105, which means my 1 rep max is 10 pounds higher than I thought it was.
I have started and lined it all up to go. Only thing now is to follow through and adapt. And stop hitting the refresh button, because all of the same stuff that was there before, will be there after I hit it the next time and the next and the next. Time to focus on what I need and must do in order to achieve all of the stuff I tossed out there to get.
I'm drifting and carrying on now.....time to go. This is all very exposing. Perhaps I will operate under more vagueness going forward.....but there it is, where I'm at.
Technically I can walk. I'm not about to try on my hot, dusty heels at the moment, but my orthopedic clogs and running shoes are doing all right. More healing to do there. My shoulder is still a fucking pain in my....well, my shoulder. It's going to take some time, money and a commitment to various therapy techniques, which are new to me, but it's on the horizon.
Due to the injurious nature of things, I have started an "anti-inflammatory" diet. Not a hey, I need to lose 15 pounds diet, but between that and the upswing in swimming and lifting, I'm sure it will be a byproduct.
This diet is actually recommended for people who have rheumatoid arthritis and I plan to stick to it for about 40-60 days to see if it really does reduce the pain in my foot and shoulder. This means more effort with food. Nothing processed. Nothing out of a box (which pretty much equals processed). No dairy, except for yogurt. No night shade veggies, or at least in very small quantities.
Berries, peppers, fish, spinach, are a full-on go. Fortunately, I like all of those things already. It's not such a huge stretch, just an amendment to my current diet. And in line with my whole universe and effort thing, here it is....out there. I am on day one. I lifted, and my 70% for bench is actually about 105, which means my 1 rep max is 10 pounds higher than I thought it was.
I have started and lined it all up to go. Only thing now is to follow through and adapt. And stop hitting the refresh button, because all of the same stuff that was there before, will be there after I hit it the next time and the next and the next. Time to focus on what I need and must do in order to achieve all of the stuff I tossed out there to get.
I'm drifting and carrying on now.....time to go. This is all very exposing. Perhaps I will operate under more vagueness going forward.....but there it is, where I'm at.
18 November, 2008
to the universe
Part of what has gotten me down for a while now, is that I feel like I've lost something; a part of myself that I used to embrace. I let it trickle away very slowly and now I have overturned every box and piece of furniture in my brain and I can't seem to find it.
I used to have the gift of clarity and calm. I still have it when it comes to other people, but I used to have it inside; that ability to separate from situations and realize that while I have a role in everything good or bad, that happens in my life, that only a calm and level mind could direct me properly.
I used to visualize. Yes, the hippie version of visualizing, putting what I wanted out into the universe, writing it down, posting a photo as a reminder and then thinking of myself having it. I achieved great athletic success that way and got myself several jobs that way, as well. And now, where is it? I've slugged it out and done quite well for myself, but it's just not enough because I have no sense of peace. I need to regain my peace.
I have allowed myself to accept many situations that I should not have. I threw myself into jobs at companies that undervalued me and I undervalued myself as well. I chose relationships that did not fulfill me, both with friends and men, and I made excuses for why that was, accepting the responsibility for actions that hurt me, when the responsibility was not mine to take. This is wrong for a couple of reasons.
By taking the responsibility for other people on myself, I take away their opportunity and obligation to deal with their actions, themselves. It's not fair to me and it's not fair to them either. It has made me react instead of act and to shrink instead of growing. I don't feed myself, because I'm too worried about feeding others, who already have a full plate of food. It's bullshit and I am now seeing how I have done this to myself. The bottom is a good place from which to start building.
So this is me, sending a note to the universe.
I am starting over with the way I view every single relationship in my life. I don't have to ignore others in order to take care of myself. I will only accept healthy people into my life and I will only behave in a healthy way towards them and toward myself.
The next dating relationship I enter will be with a person who is totally stoked about me and who lets me know it often and in a variety of ways. I will only be with a person who will take care of me, consider me and protect me and who will let me do the same.
I don't know when this will happen and at this point in time, I have enough to work on, that I don't care. Maybe I already know that person, maybe not, but that is how it is going to be for me and I will accept nothing less.
I am nearing a career and starting to carve out what I want to pursue for the near to long term and I will pour myself into being excellent.
I will be fast again and I will race. I will be sharp, I will train hard and I will take care of myself in every possible way. I have done it before, lost my bearings and now it is time to pick up and move forward. No more brooding.
So universe, I will put in the passion and the work, now help me get what I want and deserve. The time is now.
I used to have the gift of clarity and calm. I still have it when it comes to other people, but I used to have it inside; that ability to separate from situations and realize that while I have a role in everything good or bad, that happens in my life, that only a calm and level mind could direct me properly.
I used to visualize. Yes, the hippie version of visualizing, putting what I wanted out into the universe, writing it down, posting a photo as a reminder and then thinking of myself having it. I achieved great athletic success that way and got myself several jobs that way, as well. And now, where is it? I've slugged it out and done quite well for myself, but it's just not enough because I have no sense of peace. I need to regain my peace.
I have allowed myself to accept many situations that I should not have. I threw myself into jobs at companies that undervalued me and I undervalued myself as well. I chose relationships that did not fulfill me, both with friends and men, and I made excuses for why that was, accepting the responsibility for actions that hurt me, when the responsibility was not mine to take. This is wrong for a couple of reasons.
By taking the responsibility for other people on myself, I take away their opportunity and obligation to deal with their actions, themselves. It's not fair to me and it's not fair to them either. It has made me react instead of act and to shrink instead of growing. I don't feed myself, because I'm too worried about feeding others, who already have a full plate of food. It's bullshit and I am now seeing how I have done this to myself. The bottom is a good place from which to start building.
So this is me, sending a note to the universe.
I am starting over with the way I view every single relationship in my life. I don't have to ignore others in order to take care of myself. I will only accept healthy people into my life and I will only behave in a healthy way towards them and toward myself.
The next dating relationship I enter will be with a person who is totally stoked about me and who lets me know it often and in a variety of ways. I will only be with a person who will take care of me, consider me and protect me and who will let me do the same.
I don't know when this will happen and at this point in time, I have enough to work on, that I don't care. Maybe I already know that person, maybe not, but that is how it is going to be for me and I will accept nothing less.
I am nearing a career and starting to carve out what I want to pursue for the near to long term and I will pour myself into being excellent.
I will be fast again and I will race. I will be sharp, I will train hard and I will take care of myself in every possible way. I have done it before, lost my bearings and now it is time to pick up and move forward. No more brooding.
So universe, I will put in the passion and the work, now help me get what I want and deserve. The time is now.
17 November, 2008
later pontificator
I am lucky enough to have a friend of many, many years, who is just as wierd and existential as me. Although there are sometimes relatively long silences in our correspondence, and although we have flip flopped coasts in such a convenient manner that we are never less than 3000 miles apart, I have an unending appreciation for my friend's thought process and sense of humor.
An excerpt.
E: Do you have more questions or have you discovered more answers as to the meaning of this whole thing? As to what extent are we supposed to toil around in the muck of this bizarre thing called life? I can't even get any semblance of clues...all I do know, or seem to notice, is that there seems to be this path that I have no control over...that when I throw caution to the wind and do things I know I shouldn't be or when I do things that I merely do for the sake of shaking up the continuum, after a while, no matter short or long, I stop, glance around, and, alas, I'm back on the path. It's very David Byrne "How did I get here?" All in all, through it all, it instills a mild fear and unpredictable doubt to the point I question my invincibility...and, yes, that may come out egotistical and/or obnoxious, but it goes back to the path...no matter what I say or how I interpret these boorish observations. It's almost, dare I say, quite boring. I shrug my shoulders.
Hope you are well superstar!
Me: On the one hand, I feel like it's a waste of time to analyze the path, because it is there and we seem to be on it, whether we want to be or not. On the other hand, I feel the need to bruise my grey matter, banging its casing against the proverbial wall, wanting to will it to break down, stop closing me in, and just let me be. I lose either way, it seems, and I am finding myself getting to the point of just truly letting go, in some cheesy zen-like surrender to the universe. Maybe the abandonment of everything is the true road, we could get away with anything that way.....
I don't think I know what I'm talking about.
An excerpt.
E: Do you have more questions or have you discovered more answers as to the meaning of this whole thing? As to what extent are we supposed to toil around in the muck of this bizarre thing called life? I can't even get any semblance of clues...all I do know, or seem to notice, is that there seems to be this path that I have no control over...that when I throw caution to the wind and do things I know I shouldn't be or when I do things that I merely do for the sake of shaking up the continuum, after a while, no matter short or long, I stop, glance around, and, alas, I'm back on the path. It's very David Byrne "How did I get here?" All in all, through it all, it instills a mild fear and unpredictable doubt to the point I question my invincibility...and, yes, that may come out egotistical and/or obnoxious, but it goes back to the path...no matter what I say or how I interpret these boorish observations. It's almost, dare I say, quite boring. I shrug my shoulders.
Hope you are well superstar!
Me: On the one hand, I feel like it's a waste of time to analyze the path, because it is there and we seem to be on it, whether we want to be or not. On the other hand, I feel the need to bruise my grey matter, banging its casing against the proverbial wall, wanting to will it to break down, stop closing me in, and just let me be. I lose either way, it seems, and I am finding myself getting to the point of just truly letting go, in some cheesy zen-like surrender to the universe. Maybe the abandonment of everything is the true road, we could get away with anything that way.....
I don't think I know what I'm talking about.
14 November, 2008
ah
Yet another reason why I love Brooklyn. After an escapist night watching football and drinking (a lot of) beer, it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to get home, party people.
The total mileage of the trip was about 7 miles.
So my pontificating post for this Thursday evening / Friday morning, will have to wait, because I got back to no-man's-land a little too late. Yup, I'm a poet.
So while I'm at it, with shit that doesn't matter and things I'm not really interested in, 3 months until I can start looking in Manhattan again and be back closer to my peeps. Having to constantly travel to the people who actually care if I'm around is a total pain in the ass, but it's been an interesting spell I've spent here in the stix and I don't regret the clarity it has given me on many levels.
Well then. That was interesting to approximately no one, so I will beef back up with all sorts of fantastic anecdotes, real soon. Yeeee haw.
The total mileage of the trip was about 7 miles.
So my pontificating post for this Thursday evening / Friday morning, will have to wait, because I got back to no-man's-land a little too late. Yup, I'm a poet.
So while I'm at it, with shit that doesn't matter and things I'm not really interested in, 3 months until I can start looking in Manhattan again and be back closer to my peeps. Having to constantly travel to the people who actually care if I'm around is a total pain in the ass, but it's been an interesting spell I've spent here in the stix and I don't regret the clarity it has given me on many levels.
Well then. That was interesting to approximately no one, so I will beef back up with all sorts of fantastic anecdotes, real soon. Yeeee haw.
12 November, 2008
11 November, 2008
stupid yorkies
I have been a 9er fan, ever since I can remember. The dynasty, the classiest team in football, the team to some of my greatest sports heroes.
But that damned York family has turned it all into a mess and now they are struggling to beat and eventually losing to the Cardinals. The fucking Cardinals? Are you kidding me??
My grandmother must be turning over in her grave. I can only hope that Singletary can overcome the mess that family has left him and put my team back together to be the stellar clan I remember them to be.
My niners will triumph despite the owner's meddling and bullshit and from the ashes of the past several years, will be the phoenix that is my team. I really need them to do well again so I can start talking shit. It's not as much fun to trash talk when you know your team is going to lose.
Let's go, boys.....gitterdun.
But that damned York family has turned it all into a mess and now they are struggling to beat and eventually losing to the Cardinals. The fucking Cardinals? Are you kidding me??
My grandmother must be turning over in her grave. I can only hope that Singletary can overcome the mess that family has left him and put my team back together to be the stellar clan I remember them to be.
My niners will triumph despite the owner's meddling and bullshit and from the ashes of the past several years, will be the phoenix that is my team. I really need them to do well again so I can start talking shit. It's not as much fun to trash talk when you know your team is going to lose.
Let's go, boys.....gitterdun.
10 November, 2008
dumbest thing ever.
In reference to the protesters outside the mormon temple in L.A., I happened into a conversation / debate with two individuals whom I have never met, through a friend I have known for most of my life. It's the dumbest conversation ever and I'm not sure why I stayed engaged as long as I did, but it's kind of funny, so I present it for your horror and amusement.
Fanatic #1:
I love it when they say that they're all about tolerance...Yeah! So long as everybody agrees with them! If not, they will picket, harass, shout abuse, vandalize and sue until they get their way! Everyone is going to support gay marriage or they will make sure their life is a living hell!!! Yeah, that's real tolerance for ya!
me:
If someone told you that you couldn't go to the church you wanted or raise a family because you were mormon, you would have something to say about that, too. I think it is a violation of civil liberties to keep people who love each other from being legally recognized as married. If the church doesn't want to see them that way, that is the church's prerogative, but legally, it is unfair.
Fanatic #1:
It is no such violation. Marriage is recognized by God as a union between a WOMAN and MAN. The supreme court nor individual states have the right to redefine WHAT THEY DID NOT CREATE!!! The perameters of marriage were not outlined by the supreme court or any legal body. Marriage is not a legal union to provide equal rights to individuals. If same sex couples want to have a civil union, that is fine, but they do NOT have the right or authority to redefine marriage, pure and simple. Please...the people have voted on this TWICE and made their decision....why won't people let it go??? THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!!!
Fanatic #2:
What if a 50 year old man and a 12 year old girl "love each other?" Is it a violation of civil liberties to keep them from getting married? What about the woman who is "in love" with a dolphin and wants to marry it? Is her civil liberties being violated? There will always be laws that some think to be unfair, because people come up with some pretty weird shiznit to practice. So the state decided to put it to a vote, and guess what? The people decided.
me:
So being gay is the same as bestiality? A 12 year old girl is a minor, whose parents would have to consent for her to marry the 50 year old man, so that argument doesn't work either.
And by "the people", you mean that since the majority are straight, that they should be able to override the rights of minorities then, yes?
Fanatic #2:
So, who decides that a 12-year-old is a minor? The people do! There are some who think that 12 years old is plenty grown up, After all, 12 year old girls menstruate, shouldn't they be considered women, able to bear children and be married? But no, the people have decided that 12 years old is too young to be married. How dare they discriminate against this 12 year old woman who is in love? How dare they take away her civil rights! You're accusing this dolphin of being a "beast"? You're willing to discriminate against a dolphin just because it doesn't look like you or act like you? That's discrimination! You're violating that dolphin's civil rights! That dolphin hasn't ever done anything to you! The dolphin and the woman love each other and so they deserve to get married! You're saying that just because YOU think the 12-year-old is a "minor",and YOU think the dolphin is a "beast", that they shouldn't be legally allowed to be married! And, since the majority of people don't marry 12-year-olds, and the majority of people don't marry dolphins, that YOU should be able to override the rights of THESE minorities?Everyone has to draw a line somewhere. Whether it be at gays or at dolphins, the definition of "marriage" is always going to have limits, it's always going to have boundaries. Otherwise, marriage would be meaningless; women would be marrying dolphins, and old men would be marrying children, and then what sanctity would marriage have anymore? No matter what, that "line" is going to discriminate against certain people and their choices. Apparently, the majority of the people draw the line before gay marriage.
me:
Wow. I am both amazed and appalled at your lack of logic. I grew up in a very religious household, went to church at least twice a week and attended seminary every morning, just like many others did. I was spoon fed the same rhetoric and managed to come out being open minded and having an understanding that the mormon god is only one collective group's opinion of religion and life.
Do you know the definition of bestiality? By that definition, a dolphin, or any other animal would fit right in. And being gay is in no way akin to being an animal.
Do you think that marriage or civil union will be any less sacred and important to two consenting gay adults than it would be to anyone else? Obviously you don't know a very large sample of gay people, if you think otherwise.
No one is challenging your family or your religion. They are only challenging the obvious discrimination which prevents able people from being married and living a happy life. Persecution against anyone is wrong.
Fanatic #1:
[quoting me] "They are only challenging the obvious discrimination which prevents able people from being married and living a happy life. Persecution against anyone is wrong."
By your own logic we should not persecute against 12 year olds who want to marry 50-year-olds or women who want to marry dolphins. Don't these people want to live their definition of a happy life? Should we challenge the obvious discrimination that prevents them from living a happy life?I'm not saying that gay marriage is the same as bestiality, not at all. I am simply pointing out that the talking points you use to justify gay marriage could just as easily be used for far more heinous crimes. You could use the same "right to a happy life" to justify rape, pedophilia, bestiality, abuse, neglect, theft, abortion, bigamy, drug addiction, larceny....the list goes on and on. Most people would not say that gay marriage is as bad as these incidents, but again, where do we draw the line? The people have decided where the line should be drawn.Gay partnerships already have the same rights in California as heterosexual couples, married or not. Prop 8 was not about discrimination; gays are already allowed all of the same rights. This was a decision made by the people to determine what the definition of marriage is, nothing more, nothing less. A paper certificate should not be the deciding factor between whether a person is leading a "happy life" or not. No one is challenging a gay person's "family or religion" with Prop 8; we are not preventing them from being together as a couple or living happily together for the rest of their lives. We are not preventing anyone from being happy, merely preserving the definition of marriage as per tradition.
Fanatic #2:
I'm just wondering what the point of voting is when the sore losers refuse to hear the MAJORITY's answer and try to overturn it? If Prop 8 had not passed, we would have to accept it, but guess what? IT DID!!! Live with it already! Enough! Nobody is stopping same sex couples from being together so quit crying about it! Rachel you are missing the point.. Prop 8 goes SO FAR past the marriage issue...look at MA and how they are indoctrinating school children as young as kindergartners that gay marriage is acceptable and good. Parents who oppose this are powerless as to what their children are taught in school! Rediculous!!! They do not even have the option of taking their children out of the classroom and can be jailed for this. You tell me, who is not tolerant and who discriminates!!!
Me:
Teaching children to be open minded and accepting of the world they live in is absolutely not intolerant, in fact it is quite the opposite. Forcing children to listen to prayer in class is just as offensive, to many people. And you do have an option to change schools. There are plenty of schools that teach creationism and discrimination all over the country.
Gay marriage IS acceptable. Using the majority as a bully crowd is the same thing that happened when blacks and women were denied the same rights and privileges as white men. Funny how quickly we forget. Discriminating against a minority group who contributes so greatly to our society and culture can easily be likened to the LDS people being driven out of Nauvoo and having to take a century or so to gain acceptance by the mainstream population.
Using the 12 y.o. / 50 y.o. example is faulty because if the 12 y.o.'s parents consent, then it is perfectly legal for that to happen. Frightening, but legal. Religion has no place in govt.
Fanatic #1:
Why should my children have to "change schools" because we don't want to swallow the "gay is okay" kool-aid??? Gay marriage is NOT acceptable - homosexuality is a sin. Don't even compare this to blacks or the saints driven from nauvoo. Nobody is being driven out of anywhere nor told to sit on the back of a bus. We are standing up for what we believe in because is it THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Do you remember Soddom & Gamorah (sp?)...Maybe you should reaquaint yourself with the definition of a sodomite! Sounds like someone needs to dust the cobwebs off their Book of Mormon or Bible and read up on the last days.....
me: (at this point, I am getting tired and it's not as funny to argue with ignorance anymore)
Why should my children have to suffer through a bunch of religious nonsense, in a publicly funded learning institution? Who says being gay is a sin? Your god? Certainly not my god. No god that I would believe in would ever be so cruel as to deny anyone the right to live and participate equally in the world with everyone else. Those books were written and interpreted by men and are interesting historical allegories.
And if you really want to go there, why were blacks not allowed in the church until conveniently, god came down to president kimball to tell him that it was suddenly okay?
Sodom and Gommorah blew up because the entire area was like a sulfer-filled powder keg, not because people were gay. Don't be so naive.
Excluding people from what is supposed to be a free society is not the right thing to do, ever. I wouldn't agree with it if someone did it to anyone based on religion and I don't agree with it based on sexual preference.
**I gave up on it after this point, mostly because it wasn't fun to debate it anymore and it started to make me sad how vehemently some people will hold onto beliefs that are just asinine. Then, I had to laugh, because the whole discussion was surreptitiously removed and the comment I had sent to the person who started the whole thing was not replied to and deleted. Funny stuff. This is why I love religion.....it makes people so logical and rational.
Fanatic #1:
I love it when they say that they're all about tolerance...Yeah! So long as everybody agrees with them! If not, they will picket, harass, shout abuse, vandalize and sue until they get their way! Everyone is going to support gay marriage or they will make sure their life is a living hell!!! Yeah, that's real tolerance for ya!
me:
If someone told you that you couldn't go to the church you wanted or raise a family because you were mormon, you would have something to say about that, too. I think it is a violation of civil liberties to keep people who love each other from being legally recognized as married. If the church doesn't want to see them that way, that is the church's prerogative, but legally, it is unfair.
Fanatic #1:
It is no such violation. Marriage is recognized by God as a union between a WOMAN and MAN. The supreme court nor individual states have the right to redefine WHAT THEY DID NOT CREATE!!! The perameters of marriage were not outlined by the supreme court or any legal body. Marriage is not a legal union to provide equal rights to individuals. If same sex couples want to have a civil union, that is fine, but they do NOT have the right or authority to redefine marriage, pure and simple. Please...the people have voted on this TWICE and made their decision....why won't people let it go??? THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!!!
Fanatic #2:
What if a 50 year old man and a 12 year old girl "love each other?" Is it a violation of civil liberties to keep them from getting married? What about the woman who is "in love" with a dolphin and wants to marry it? Is her civil liberties being violated? There will always be laws that some think to be unfair, because people come up with some pretty weird shiznit to practice. So the state decided to put it to a vote, and guess what? The people decided.
me:
So being gay is the same as bestiality? A 12 year old girl is a minor, whose parents would have to consent for her to marry the 50 year old man, so that argument doesn't work either.
And by "the people", you mean that since the majority are straight, that they should be able to override the rights of minorities then, yes?
Fanatic #2:
So, who decides that a 12-year-old is a minor? The people do! There are some who think that 12 years old is plenty grown up, After all, 12 year old girls menstruate, shouldn't they be considered women, able to bear children and be married? But no, the people have decided that 12 years old is too young to be married. How dare they discriminate against this 12 year old woman who is in love? How dare they take away her civil rights! You're accusing this dolphin of being a "beast"? You're willing to discriminate against a dolphin just because it doesn't look like you or act like you? That's discrimination! You're violating that dolphin's civil rights! That dolphin hasn't ever done anything to you! The dolphin and the woman love each other and so they deserve to get married! You're saying that just because YOU think the 12-year-old is a "minor",and YOU think the dolphin is a "beast", that they shouldn't be legally allowed to be married! And, since the majority of people don't marry 12-year-olds, and the majority of people don't marry dolphins, that YOU should be able to override the rights of THESE minorities?Everyone has to draw a line somewhere. Whether it be at gays or at dolphins, the definition of "marriage" is always going to have limits, it's always going to have boundaries. Otherwise, marriage would be meaningless; women would be marrying dolphins, and old men would be marrying children, and then what sanctity would marriage have anymore? No matter what, that "line" is going to discriminate against certain people and their choices. Apparently, the majority of the people draw the line before gay marriage.
me:
Wow. I am both amazed and appalled at your lack of logic. I grew up in a very religious household, went to church at least twice a week and attended seminary every morning, just like many others did. I was spoon fed the same rhetoric and managed to come out being open minded and having an understanding that the mormon god is only one collective group's opinion of religion and life.
Do you know the definition of bestiality? By that definition, a dolphin, or any other animal would fit right in. And being gay is in no way akin to being an animal.
Do you think that marriage or civil union will be any less sacred and important to two consenting gay adults than it would be to anyone else? Obviously you don't know a very large sample of gay people, if you think otherwise.
No one is challenging your family or your religion. They are only challenging the obvious discrimination which prevents able people from being married and living a happy life. Persecution against anyone is wrong.
Fanatic #1:
[quoting me] "They are only challenging the obvious discrimination which prevents able people from being married and living a happy life. Persecution against anyone is wrong."
By your own logic we should not persecute against 12 year olds who want to marry 50-year-olds or women who want to marry dolphins. Don't these people want to live their definition of a happy life? Should we challenge the obvious discrimination that prevents them from living a happy life?I'm not saying that gay marriage is the same as bestiality, not at all. I am simply pointing out that the talking points you use to justify gay marriage could just as easily be used for far more heinous crimes. You could use the same "right to a happy life" to justify rape, pedophilia, bestiality, abuse, neglect, theft, abortion, bigamy, drug addiction, larceny....the list goes on and on. Most people would not say that gay marriage is as bad as these incidents, but again, where do we draw the line? The people have decided where the line should be drawn.Gay partnerships already have the same rights in California as heterosexual couples, married or not. Prop 8 was not about discrimination; gays are already allowed all of the same rights. This was a decision made by the people to determine what the definition of marriage is, nothing more, nothing less. A paper certificate should not be the deciding factor between whether a person is leading a "happy life" or not. No one is challenging a gay person's "family or religion" with Prop 8; we are not preventing them from being together as a couple or living happily together for the rest of their lives. We are not preventing anyone from being happy, merely preserving the definition of marriage as per tradition.
Fanatic #2:
I'm just wondering what the point of voting is when the sore losers refuse to hear the MAJORITY's answer and try to overturn it? If Prop 8 had not passed, we would have to accept it, but guess what? IT DID!!! Live with it already! Enough! Nobody is stopping same sex couples from being together so quit crying about it! Rachel you are missing the point.. Prop 8 goes SO FAR past the marriage issue...look at MA and how they are indoctrinating school children as young as kindergartners that gay marriage is acceptable and good. Parents who oppose this are powerless as to what their children are taught in school! Rediculous!!! They do not even have the option of taking their children out of the classroom and can be jailed for this. You tell me, who is not tolerant and who discriminates!!!
Me:
Teaching children to be open minded and accepting of the world they live in is absolutely not intolerant, in fact it is quite the opposite. Forcing children to listen to prayer in class is just as offensive, to many people. And you do have an option to change schools. There are plenty of schools that teach creationism and discrimination all over the country.
Gay marriage IS acceptable. Using the majority as a bully crowd is the same thing that happened when blacks and women were denied the same rights and privileges as white men. Funny how quickly we forget. Discriminating against a minority group who contributes so greatly to our society and culture can easily be likened to the LDS people being driven out of Nauvoo and having to take a century or so to gain acceptance by the mainstream population.
Using the 12 y.o. / 50 y.o. example is faulty because if the 12 y.o.'s parents consent, then it is perfectly legal for that to happen. Frightening, but legal. Religion has no place in govt.
Fanatic #1:
Why should my children have to "change schools" because we don't want to swallow the "gay is okay" kool-aid??? Gay marriage is NOT acceptable - homosexuality is a sin. Don't even compare this to blacks or the saints driven from nauvoo. Nobody is being driven out of anywhere nor told to sit on the back of a bus. We are standing up for what we believe in because is it THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Do you remember Soddom & Gamorah (sp?)...Maybe you should reaquaint yourself with the definition of a sodomite! Sounds like someone needs to dust the cobwebs off their Book of Mormon or Bible and read up on the last days.....
me: (at this point, I am getting tired and it's not as funny to argue with ignorance anymore)
Why should my children have to suffer through a bunch of religious nonsense, in a publicly funded learning institution? Who says being gay is a sin? Your god? Certainly not my god. No god that I would believe in would ever be so cruel as to deny anyone the right to live and participate equally in the world with everyone else. Those books were written and interpreted by men and are interesting historical allegories.
And if you really want to go there, why were blacks not allowed in the church until conveniently, god came down to president kimball to tell him that it was suddenly okay?
Sodom and Gommorah blew up because the entire area was like a sulfer-filled powder keg, not because people were gay. Don't be so naive.
Excluding people from what is supposed to be a free society is not the right thing to do, ever. I wouldn't agree with it if someone did it to anyone based on religion and I don't agree with it based on sexual preference.
**I gave up on it after this point, mostly because it wasn't fun to debate it anymore and it started to make me sad how vehemently some people will hold onto beliefs that are just asinine. Then, I had to laugh, because the whole discussion was surreptitiously removed and the comment I had sent to the person who started the whole thing was not replied to and deleted. Funny stuff. This is why I love religion.....it makes people so logical and rational.
06 November, 2008
prop-tection
Proposition 8 was up for a vote in a few different states the other day, California being one of them. I take a special interest in this because California is where I matriculated most of my life and also because I have several gay friends whose lives will potentially be affected by the outcome.
There are still a few million absentee ballots to go. At present however, it is so tight a margin, that many are calling it as a passed measure; something which disappoints me greatly. It is, in my eyes, totally unlawful to use god as a reason to keep good people from enjoying the same civil liberties as everyone else. It is discriminatory and wrong.
The signs and proclamations of joy that I have seen in celebration of it's potential passing have involved phrases like "we have god to thank" and "we have saved the families". Saved them from what?
We don't have god to thank for that. The poor, discriminatory souls who voted for that proposition have lots of other unfortunate people just like them to thank for that. No families have been saved and no "winning" was done.
What did these people think was going to happen if it was defeated? Did they think that they would have to shutter their windows and crouch under the dining room table at night, lest some loving, gay couple who wants to start a family should come bursting through their doors and snatch up their little ones, to carry them off to the land of gay-dom?
Or maybe that if gay couples are afforded the same legal rights and obligations when joining together, that the marriage rate would go up? Scary.
Perhaps they think that if gay couples are able to adopt and start families with greater ease, that they will infect the children they love and care for with their gay-ness, thereby spawning a generation of brainwashed youth, wandering around out there in the world being open-minded and tolerant of other people. Can you imagine such a thing?
Marriage is a religious acknowledgement. Union is a legal acknowledgement. The fact that "marriage" as a word is now used as a means to represent a legal union, muddies the waters a bit. If your religion doesn't want to acknowledge people as married, fine. The judicial system however, is ever swayed by what a bunch of self-righteous keeper-outers have to say about other people's lives and it makes me cringe. If two people want to join themselves legally and deal with all of the paperwork and commitment involved in binding themselves, their fortunes and misfortunes, in order to enjoy the tax break and visiting hours they get because of it, I see no reason not to let them do that.
All that will happen by the passage of this measure, is that we will take a step backwards and continue to stunt the freedom of many of our citizens who contribute to our society in a variety of ways. We rob good people of the chance to fulfill their lives the way they want and we steal away from children, the opportunity to be parented by loving and capable men and women.
Those who voted yes, should be ashamed of themselves.
There are still a few million absentee ballots to go. At present however, it is so tight a margin, that many are calling it as a passed measure; something which disappoints me greatly. It is, in my eyes, totally unlawful to use god as a reason to keep good people from enjoying the same civil liberties as everyone else. It is discriminatory and wrong.
The signs and proclamations of joy that I have seen in celebration of it's potential passing have involved phrases like "we have god to thank" and "we have saved the families". Saved them from what?
We don't have god to thank for that. The poor, discriminatory souls who voted for that proposition have lots of other unfortunate people just like them to thank for that. No families have been saved and no "winning" was done.
What did these people think was going to happen if it was defeated? Did they think that they would have to shutter their windows and crouch under the dining room table at night, lest some loving, gay couple who wants to start a family should come bursting through their doors and snatch up their little ones, to carry them off to the land of gay-dom?
Or maybe that if gay couples are afforded the same legal rights and obligations when joining together, that the marriage rate would go up? Scary.
Perhaps they think that if gay couples are able to adopt and start families with greater ease, that they will infect the children they love and care for with their gay-ness, thereby spawning a generation of brainwashed youth, wandering around out there in the world being open-minded and tolerant of other people. Can you imagine such a thing?
Marriage is a religious acknowledgement. Union is a legal acknowledgement. The fact that "marriage" as a word is now used as a means to represent a legal union, muddies the waters a bit. If your religion doesn't want to acknowledge people as married, fine. The judicial system however, is ever swayed by what a bunch of self-righteous keeper-outers have to say about other people's lives and it makes me cringe. If two people want to join themselves legally and deal with all of the paperwork and commitment involved in binding themselves, their fortunes and misfortunes, in order to enjoy the tax break and visiting hours they get because of it, I see no reason not to let them do that.
All that will happen by the passage of this measure, is that we will take a step backwards and continue to stunt the freedom of many of our citizens who contribute to our society in a variety of ways. We rob good people of the chance to fulfill their lives the way they want and we steal away from children, the opportunity to be parented by loving and capable men and women.
Those who voted yes, should be ashamed of themselves.
04 November, 2008
birthday voting
Today is my birthday (well technically it was yesterday). Tomorrow is election day (which is technically today).
For my birthday, I would like for everyone to inform themselves on the candidates, their policy ideas, their contradictions and their ethics.
Then I would like everyone to make an unemotional decision about this at the polls.
Do not vote for the person you think is better looking. Do not vote for the person whose suits appeal to you more. Do not make your choice based on liking a candidate's name better, skin color better, hair better or wife better. These are all emotional choices that have nothing to do with anything and they are bullshit.
DO vote for the person whose economic ideas (you estimate) will get our country out of the cavernous hole we are in. Do vote for the person who you think has the leadership qualities to get necessary policy passed. Do vote for the person you think will be able to improve our standing and reputation with the rest of the world.
And then stand by your decision and have a really good, logical reason for doing it.
If you can't do those things, then don't vote. There's nothing worse than the person who goes out and casts an irresponsible ballot. Better to stay home than fuck the country up even more by being reckless with your privilege.
For my birthday, I would like for everyone to inform themselves on the candidates, their policy ideas, their contradictions and their ethics.
Then I would like everyone to make an unemotional decision about this at the polls.
Do not vote for the person you think is better looking. Do not vote for the person whose suits appeal to you more. Do not make your choice based on liking a candidate's name better, skin color better, hair better or wife better. These are all emotional choices that have nothing to do with anything and they are bullshit.
DO vote for the person whose economic ideas (you estimate) will get our country out of the cavernous hole we are in. Do vote for the person who you think has the leadership qualities to get necessary policy passed. Do vote for the person you think will be able to improve our standing and reputation with the rest of the world.
And then stand by your decision and have a really good, logical reason for doing it.
If you can't do those things, then don't vote. There's nothing worse than the person who goes out and casts an irresponsible ballot. Better to stay home than fuck the country up even more by being reckless with your privilege.
02 November, 2008
o-lord-prah
So I'm flipping through the television to find CSI: Miami and my favorite, David Caruso, and I happened to pause for about 30 seconds on Oprah.
I don't watch Oprah. While I think she has done some great and meaningful segments on her show over the years, I don't really relate to most of her demographic and I don't need her to tell me what to wear, eat, or read, because I can forage for those tidbits on my own. Being a rower and all, I also know what a healthy shit looks like, so I'm covered there as well.
As I paused however, there was a woman on a tv screen on Skype (about which I know very little), talking about how she "tried to lose the weight by eating right" and she "started to do the exercise" and then she "just didn't".
She just didn't.
Her next quote was about how she is a "real person".....you know, a "real mom, with kids and responsibilities" and she just can't seem to carve it out of her day to eat right or work out, because she doesn't have time to cook like that or exercise.
Load of shit much? Uh, yeah.
There is a huge gap, and therefore a lot of room for play, between the mother of 4 who is an Ironman finisher at 38 and manages a 3 hour workout six days a week, while managing a 50 hour work week, and the woman who feeds herself and her family healthful foods and squeezes in a 30-60 minute workout for health and sanity 4-5 days a week.
There is no real discernible difference between "I never lost the baby weight" and "I'm a lazy sack, who makes tons of excuses," outside of a serious, diagnosed medical issue, and even those include treatment programs that generally encourage strict diet guidelines. So going on Oprah on your web cam and talking about how you are a "real person" is nothing more than a line of crap.
Did she ever realize that in the time she sat, parked on her ass watching Oprah, she could have completed a sufficient workout AND packaged a weeks worth of healthy food and snacks for herself and her family to eat at home, work or school? But then she would have had to miss Oprah?! Quelle dommage!
Oprah sat interested on her little, yellow couch, doing her interested look with her head cocked, interestedly to the side and her hand on her chin. I wished with all my being, that her next comment had been:
"So what I'm hearing you say, is that you are actually not looking to actually do anything healthful to change your bodyweight and longevity, and that you are, in fact, enjoying sitting around bitching about being overweight and unfit."
The "real person" would then have been shocked and horrified and Oprah's viewership would have dropped by about sixty percent, because all of the other "real people" contributing to our country's abominable obesity figures would then have no one to complain to or relate to, and would shun her as smug and un-understanding, like all the other skinny bitches with lightning fast metabolisms.
But she didn't say that, and she didn't say anything that even hinted to that effect either, so the plight of the mother who can't seem to haul her ass out for a brisk walk or do push ups, lunges and a little body circuit before she showers (assuming that there really is NO time in the day to rearrange the urgent viewing the boob tube), will continue to be a mystery that only a miracle pill and a few thousand dollars a year can seemingly fix.
These "real people" will continue to blame their genes and the rest of the universe for the fact that they are full of shit (literally and figuratively) and will never bother to break a sweat for any real or helpful amount of time, because it's too much of a pain in the ass to take care of themselves, and it's so much easier to blame the world and pop ephedra.
Sometimes, I really loathe my gender.
I don't watch Oprah. While I think she has done some great and meaningful segments on her show over the years, I don't really relate to most of her demographic and I don't need her to tell me what to wear, eat, or read, because I can forage for those tidbits on my own. Being a rower and all, I also know what a healthy shit looks like, so I'm covered there as well.
As I paused however, there was a woman on a tv screen on Skype (about which I know very little), talking about how she "tried to lose the weight by eating right" and she "started to do the exercise" and then she "just didn't".
She just didn't.
Her next quote was about how she is a "real person".....you know, a "real mom, with kids and responsibilities" and she just can't seem to carve it out of her day to eat right or work out, because she doesn't have time to cook like that or exercise.
Load of shit much? Uh, yeah.
There is a huge gap, and therefore a lot of room for play, between the mother of 4 who is an Ironman finisher at 38 and manages a 3 hour workout six days a week, while managing a 50 hour work week, and the woman who feeds herself and her family healthful foods and squeezes in a 30-60 minute workout for health and sanity 4-5 days a week.
There is no real discernible difference between "I never lost the baby weight" and "I'm a lazy sack, who makes tons of excuses," outside of a serious, diagnosed medical issue, and even those include treatment programs that generally encourage strict diet guidelines. So going on Oprah on your web cam and talking about how you are a "real person" is nothing more than a line of crap.
Did she ever realize that in the time she sat, parked on her ass watching Oprah, she could have completed a sufficient workout AND packaged a weeks worth of healthy food and snacks for herself and her family to eat at home, work or school? But then she would have had to miss Oprah?! Quelle dommage!
Oprah sat interested on her little, yellow couch, doing her interested look with her head cocked, interestedly to the side and her hand on her chin. I wished with all my being, that her next comment had been:
"So what I'm hearing you say, is that you are actually not looking to actually do anything healthful to change your bodyweight and longevity, and that you are, in fact, enjoying sitting around bitching about being overweight and unfit."
The "real person" would then have been shocked and horrified and Oprah's viewership would have dropped by about sixty percent, because all of the other "real people" contributing to our country's abominable obesity figures would then have no one to complain to or relate to, and would shun her as smug and un-understanding, like all the other skinny bitches with lightning fast metabolisms.
But she didn't say that, and she didn't say anything that even hinted to that effect either, so the plight of the mother who can't seem to haul her ass out for a brisk walk or do push ups, lunges and a little body circuit before she showers (assuming that there really is NO time in the day to rearrange the urgent viewing the boob tube), will continue to be a mystery that only a miracle pill and a few thousand dollars a year can seemingly fix.
These "real people" will continue to blame their genes and the rest of the universe for the fact that they are full of shit (literally and figuratively) and will never bother to break a sweat for any real or helpful amount of time, because it's too much of a pain in the ass to take care of themselves, and it's so much easier to blame the world and pop ephedra.
Sometimes, I really loathe my gender.
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