I am not an addict!

Robert over at Backroad Blog directed me to this quiz:


What Gun Are You?
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aww. . . gawrsh. . .who, me?

Wandering thoughts

Can't access my comments! Somebody left one, too, which always thrills me. Except that it's on the 'Over-analyzing Santa' post. I don't do a lot of talking about God - atheists get all snooty and superior about my belief (at least some do) and Christians (most) get all shocked about my doubting-Thomasness, if that's a word. In fact, when I start talking religion there are very few people I can't irritate. It's worrisome; gentleness is what I'm supposed to be striving for, NOT stirring up wrath. I know this, but I know what I believe and also what I cannot believe without reason. Also I read the bible, and I don't see where it says many of the things that other people say it says.

Like fer instance: "judge not." I can't find that in the bible, in the context a lot of holier-than-thou types like to use it. It says "Judge not, for as ye judge so shall ye be judged" and "Thou shalt judge a tree by its fruits" and "Wine perverteth the judgment." The consistent message is to judge with care, and to remember that you may be measured by your own yardstick. That's not the same as cowering under the bed, fearing to take a moral stand.

Anyway . . .!

Lazy

I'm too lazy to blog for a while. If you look to your right (that would be your computer's left), you'll see a whole list of darn good blogs.

Here's a Halloween joke, though. Yeah, I know I'm about 3 months behind, but that's life:

Q. Where do beginning vampires learn to suck blood?

A. Law School!!

toodle-oo

Over-analyzing Santa

Eric at Classical Values points to an article by Lee Harris called Blaming Christmas, which he calls "The Best Christmas Essay." I couldn't even make it past the first paragraph . . .

C'mon - really?. Do people really take that Santa crap that seriously? Santa had the same handwriting as my mom; he used the same wrapping paper! Were other parents more deceitful, or was I the only kid who had each present under the tree memorized by the time Christmas eve came around? Are the rest of you silly, or am I just very, very greedy? Or, possibly, both.

I cannot take this Christmas angst seriously. Get over it. If you believe in Christ, that the Word became flesh and walked among us, you know that Christmas is available to you throughout the year, on the coldest, darkest loneliest nights. There is a direct line from your heart to God's love, open whenever you remember to open your own heart (easier said than done - but I digress).

If you don't believe in Christ, than what's the big deal about Christmas to you? If it's just feasting and loot, maybe you should just celebrate Saturnalia or something. I dunno, I don't get the trauma here.

Here are some things to remember about Santa, maybe they will help?

Santa is just an excuse your parents have to give you more than you deserve. They want to do this because they love you.

Santa is a personification of the loving, giving spirit. This spirit lives within us all, and eases the pain of the coldest, darkest, longest nights. It is no coincidence that Christmas (and many other such festivals from many other cultures) falls so close to the winter solstice. It is good to surround yourself with people you are close to at Christmas. If you are a Christian, even if you are completely without human companionship Christ is with you and you are assured of God's love. If you're an atheist, I can't help here - you're on your own I guess but that's YOUR choice, not God's, so don't come crying to me about it.

Jiminy, I am really not the proseltyzing type. Probably didn't even spell it right . . . but if you don't care about Christ's Mass, then DON'T CARE ABOUT IT!!!! If you would like to, or would like to know if it's worth caring about, take it up with God.

I will tell you a dirty little secret: You don't have to believe in God to talk to him. God is tough. He can take anything you dish out, as long you are being honest with him. My first prayer was something like "Okay God, I don't believe in You. I'm talking to You because I could be wrong. So far, though, I haven't seen any reason to think you exist or, if you do exist, you're an asshole. I hear people talking about blind faith, but that's stupid. If we're supposed to go on blind faith, we'd be following every shyster and snake-oil salesman that comes along. So what's the deal here?"

That horrible, awful prayer was my first real step towards God - but He's tough, He can take it. More, He will take the honest outpouring of the heart. In fact, He requires it. At least, that is what He has required of me.

Anyway . . . I'm puzzled by Christmas Angst, but that is probably because I have backup in the form of God's love.

Mandatory Disclaimer: I'm not mature in my Christianity; I'm not conventional or orthodox in my interpretations of the bible. Don't take my writings or thoughts as representative of the Christian community. I am not a theologian, nor do I play one on TV.

The Rich Facets of My Cookieness


What Kind of Cookie Are You?
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It's Quiz Day at Classical Values!

The Friday Five

What the hey:

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?
not getting laid off

2. What was your biggest disappointment?
not getting laid off - o not really.

3. What do you hope the new year brings?
Politicians and judges who've actually read the Constitution and think "Hey! That's pretty neat!"

4. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions? If yes, what will they be?
Same one I make every year: to try to be kinder and at the same time, less of a sap.


5. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?
Dunno. I'll either stay in or go out. I hate starting the New Year with a hangover.

Merry Christ's Mass

Praise and Glory and Gratitude
To Jesus, my Peace.
Ever-merciful Prince of my unruly conscience.

Of humble birth
Cloaked in flesh
Walked this sorry earth
Faced a man's temptations
Walked a man's stride
Lived a man's death
Like a man, died:
scorned
whipped
spit upon

You didn't have to do it;
but You did it for me.
You set me free.

Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, the Word, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, my Guide, my Shepherd, my Bridge.

My Elevator, to lift me above the mean things that crawl upon the earth, not by my doing, but by the Grace and the Glory of God.

& on earth, peace; goodwill to men.

A Christmas Wish for Iraq and Afghanistan

You Iraqis and Afghanis, you just gotta get yourselves a successful democracy. Ya just gotta!

Because at the rate congress and SCrOTUS are ripping our constition to bits, in 20 more years we in the USA are going to need you to come rescue us from our own dictatorship.

You didn't really think it was just altruism that sent us into your countries, did you?

Looking for Your Socks?

I get the occasional sock-hunter via Google and Yahoo. Sock Hunters looking for lost socks may want to review The Quantum Theory of Laundry or visit the Island of Lost Socks for information. Paranoid types may lean towards The Worldwide Sock Conspiracy. Personally, as as a single female with a drawerful of single socks, I reject the author's premise that sock loss only occurs to married men. It is, however, interesting that Conrad (the author) states that he never lost socks prior to marriage, and that anecdotal evidence indicates married men are more likely to have single socks. This got me thinking on what married men and single women have in common. The answer that came to mind is longer lifespans than their counterparts in alternate marital states. Perhaps it's not an conspiracy of evil; perhaps it's a conspiracy of good towards those whom the Sock Gods favor.

You can witness the birth of socks at justsocks.com. After witnessing this joyous occasion, celebrate by humming along on Dr. Coconut's song, I Lost My Sock. This fine tune can be found at The Bureau of Socks, which also contains helpful medical advice on the Sock Eating Syndrome.

The Internet is a beautiful place, is it not?

Aunty Persnickety's Advice Column

Time flies when you're goofing off.

Congratulations! You're Elrond!


Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?
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Sounds accurate enough!

Worthy Read

Kim Du Toit points to an article on the Good, the Right, and Bush-hating Saddam-lovers over at Tech Central Station. Although I disagree with the author's apparent conclusion that such creatures are more to be pitied than scorned, the analysis is fascinating and could well be correct. Even so, I feel no pity, no empathy, no understanding of those who would see lives lost and souls ruined to advance their own pathetic, limited 'ideals.'

Missing Kyoto

Am I the only person who is totally unexcited about Kyoto? Didn't we all know ages ago that it wasn't going through?

Russia and Japan put the nix on it well before 2001 - the US congress said 'no' under Clinton, for goodness' sake. It's old news. It would make developed nations go broke, and keep undeveloped nations broke, and not really have that great of an effect on the environment anyway.

Did everyone else not know that, or am I psychic and just thought I knew it but really didn't, or has something new come up that I'm totally unaware of to put it back on the table?

Justice and Morality: You believe in doing what is
right for others and maybe even for yourself.
People would consider you one with good morals,
and someone who would not let them down.


Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait)
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I try, I really do . . .

It's quiz day over at Classical Values!

Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

Random Nuclear Strikes found an insult generator specifically for use against conservatives.

Apparently, the creator was distressed by his inability to have reasonable conversations, and so created the insult generator in an attempt to - um - faciliate reasonableness by the use of artificial insults.

Yes, that's essentially what the introduction says. Go read it yourself if you don't believe me.

I look forward to future advances from this person, such as how to stop a flood with a fire hose; putting out fires with alcohol, and stopping oppression by killing everyone who disagrees with you. If this person is representative of liberals, it's hardly any wonder that they and their policies are irritating, worthless, and miserable failures. If brains were blood, the collective liberal establishment couldn't produce enough to keep a misquito from starvation.

I've been remiss!

I coulda sworn I'd linked to Pervasive Light ages ago, but apparently not. Anyway, it's now officially added! He's got some cool pictures over there today. I think this one is my favorite.

He also has a link to the best and funniest article I've read in a long time. Here's a sample:

"eglamkowski informed me today that the french diplomatic corps went on strike for 24 hours. It was almost like someone telling me that I was looking at an invisible object with no mass."

Let's Pretend

Suppose terrorists had chosen a target other than the WTC. Suppose they had chosen Berkely campus and the Oscars instead. What would your attitude towards the War on Terror be? Would you
think and feel the same;
think the same, but feel more strongly against anti-terrorism measures, including Iraq
think the same, but feel more strongly for anti-terrorism measures, including Iraq;
think terrorist were less of a threat to you personally, but feel the same;

or what?

My initial reaction would have been the same. I don't know that my 2+ years later attitude would be the same, though. It would depend on the reactions of the so-called 'anti-war' crowd. Would they still be 'anti-war'? Or would they be trying to secede from the Union in an attempt not to get blamed for 'American hegemony.' Or would they all hunker down and try to quit drawing attention to themselves?

hmmmmm.

Melvin Spaulding Update

Prosecutors will not file an attempted murder charge against Melvin Spaulding.

Kudos and Christmas Cards to Bruce Bartlett and Bob Dillinger:
"Asked about the sheriff's deputies' decision to arrest Spaulding, Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger said, "I think particularly in ones of this nature, they may want to call the State Attorney's Office before they make an arrest."

Raspberries and farts to Tim Goodman:
"Pinellas sheriff's spokesman Tim Goodman said there was nothing improper with the arrest, even though the prosecutors have decided against filing charges."

Thank God for a multi-tiered justice system. If Goodman is indeed representative of Pinellas sheriffs, then Pinellas sheriffs suck. One would prefer that one's police force have a rudimentary understanding of both the letter and spirit of the law.

This was too close for comfort. I hope some shakeups occur within this particular group of police. Tim Goodman and the arresting officers are, IMnot-soHO, miserable failures.

The Tyrant is Now a Prisoner

Praise Jesus!

Update: "Why didn't you fight?" one Governing Council member asked Hussein as their meeting ended. Hussein gestured toward the U.S. soldiers guarding him and asked his own question: "Would you fight them?"

Redneck Bear


Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
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No stereotypes here . . . move along folks, nothing to see here.