(no subject)
Wow! Three postings in one day. Although the one about Nesta and my ex
hardly counts. For right now, I feel compelled to write, and so write I
shall.
Maybe it's the Baroque orchestral music playing as Jenn and I read in our apartment, with the left-overs from dinner still warm on the stove and the cat alternately curled up then stretched out in the middle of the carpet. Maybe it's the good day at work, during which the incessant banter with Nesta never got hurtful or out of hand, and Brandon and I laughed at everything and especially me, because I really do have a talent for being a complete idiot. Maybe it's the amazing people I've been meeting lately, although I never imagined that meeting someone be accomplished without being able to shake their hand and say, "mucho gusto." Maybe it's just that for the first time in months I'm not pulling my hair out about money. But somehow, some way, I find myself happy right now. I dare not guess at how long this will last, and worrying about the end will only ruin the time I have, so I will simply try to enjoy this foreign sensation for as long as it choses to stay. If you'd like to share in my quiet happiness, please feel free to write, "for I am quite at leisure."
For some reason I'm convinced I have something going on on the 23rd but I can't remember what. If you know what I'm supposed to be doing, please let me know so I can write it down ... it's driving me crazy, and we all know that I'm crazy enough as it is.
I've had some great conversations lately, with danceofeternity and vanyelashkevron and emceeahurra and Roger, who knows my drink at Starbucks, about literature and such. I think I needed the reaffirmation that people don't stop reading after college, and maybe there is hope for the human race. Although my dad was telling me about this tax case that went to trial by jury, and although the records proving the defendant's guilt were available, the jury dismissed them because the documents didn't have the defendant's fingerprints on them (they were printed off his hard drive), so the guy got off. Dumbass jurors. I keep recommending that people read "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn, that I need to read it again soon. If you've read it: OMG isn't it great? If you haven't: read it today, and you won't think the same way afterward. I'm still reading the book about the Historian's search for Dracula. I love the descriptions and hisorical annecdotes liberally scattered throughout. I want to re-read it, but this time research pictures of the places the narrator describes and print them out and stick them in like illustrations, but more like a scrapbook. If they're anything like my imagination, it will look so cool.
Another interesting side-effect of these conversations is I find myself climbing up onto soapboxes, and they all seem to be the same ones over and over again. Does this mean I actually care about something in this world outside of myself? How cool! I'm not as selfish as I thought. Seriously, I've come to realize I have some core beliefs. Vauge outlines:
-- Ignorance is Dangerous. Igorance is one of the causes of many of the world's primary issues (racism, terrorism, etc) and that to reduce the ignorance in the world (through education) is a step towards world peace (I sound like I'm in a beauty pagent! For those of you who know what I look like, don't laugh too hard at that analogy, thanks)
-- Religion scares me. For centuries, people have slaughtered without thought in the name of religion. As often as "Kingdom of Heaven" drove me to pull my hair out, Ridley Scott managed to get some good perspectives on religion built into the film. I've seen religion brainwash people into hating and fearing those not of their own religion, even though the spiritual elements of their two faiths may be very similar. And too too many Sunday Christians. Religion is a good thing, but I would much sooner trust a moral person to a religious person.
-- Homosexuality is. Deal with it. I have gay friends and I love them to death; they are interesting, intelligent, wonderful people ... huh, much like my heterosexual friends. If you hate homosexuals, why? Is it because you don't understand them? There! Ignorance again! Is it because you were brainwashed by your religion? There's religion getting in the way of spirituality. Stop for a minute, and think about why you hate. Once you're sure, then we can talk.
-- Abortion. I don't know where this came up ... in a conversation with someone in the past couple of weeks I think. I'm pro-choice, but if it were me, I know that I would choose life. If you're not pro-choice, good for you; I won't tell you you're wrong, but I won't suffer you to tell me I'm wrong. BUT, if you are one of those abortion-clinic bombing nutheads, you damn-well better be on every adoption list you could find, because there are too many children without homes right now. Do something pro-active if you care about the children so damn much, instead of reacting to another person's life and situation that you could know nothing about.
-- Education in America. In reality, the censorship of education. People freak out because they teach evolution. Oh. my. god. Not a possible explination for how the world came to be that doesn't involve your omnipotent deity! The insanity! We had to take God out of schools, so we have to take evolution out as well? Why? Because not knowing anything is better than hearing something that scares you. If you're that scared of it, then you should probably question your faith first, if it's so unstable. And now some congressman is proposing to ban any books that portray homosexuality in a favorable light. Why? Because you don't like homosexuals, so you're going to pretend that it doesn't exist. How does this help? It can't. Ignorance can help nothing, save the promotion of more ignorance.
-- War. War is hell. Period. But I'm increasingly convinced that American foreign policy with regards to POWs is falling apart. We hold prisoners in uncomfortable cells with bad pop music and stupid guards, where the prisoners at least have access to their religious texts. Before capture, these prisoners were killing Americans. They would bypass all the legal issues involved with Geneva Convention by simply decapitating the prisoners on national television. Just think of the tax dollars they save. Our politicans need to grow some balls and start treating these prisoners like ... well ... prisoners.
So, Jenn read over these, and has informed me that I am, in fact, a bit liberal. Oops. I thought I was more conservative. Anyway, since I've just realized that I actually possess these opinions, I'm open to discuss them. I will warn you, however, that I tend to be irrationally stubborn, but I'd love to have you challenge me on any of these, because how do I know if they'll stick if they can't stand up to argument?
Maybe it's the Baroque orchestral music playing as Jenn and I read in our apartment, with the left-overs from dinner still warm on the stove and the cat alternately curled up then stretched out in the middle of the carpet. Maybe it's the good day at work, during which the incessant banter with Nesta never got hurtful or out of hand, and Brandon and I laughed at everything and especially me, because I really do have a talent for being a complete idiot. Maybe it's the amazing people I've been meeting lately, although I never imagined that meeting someone be accomplished without being able to shake their hand and say, "mucho gusto." Maybe it's just that for the first time in months I'm not pulling my hair out about money. But somehow, some way, I find myself happy right now. I dare not guess at how long this will last, and worrying about the end will only ruin the time I have, so I will simply try to enjoy this foreign sensation for as long as it choses to stay. If you'd like to share in my quiet happiness, please feel free to write, "for I am quite at leisure."
For some reason I'm convinced I have something going on on the 23rd but I can't remember what. If you know what I'm supposed to be doing, please let me know so I can write it down ... it's driving me crazy, and we all know that I'm crazy enough as it is.
I've had some great conversations lately, with danceofeternity and vanyelashkevron and emceeahurra and Roger, who knows my drink at Starbucks, about literature and such. I think I needed the reaffirmation that people don't stop reading after college, and maybe there is hope for the human race. Although my dad was telling me about this tax case that went to trial by jury, and although the records proving the defendant's guilt were available, the jury dismissed them because the documents didn't have the defendant's fingerprints on them (they were printed off his hard drive), so the guy got off. Dumbass jurors. I keep recommending that people read "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn, that I need to read it again soon. If you've read it: OMG isn't it great? If you haven't: read it today, and you won't think the same way afterward. I'm still reading the book about the Historian's search for Dracula. I love the descriptions and hisorical annecdotes liberally scattered throughout. I want to re-read it, but this time research pictures of the places the narrator describes and print them out and stick them in like illustrations, but more like a scrapbook. If they're anything like my imagination, it will look so cool.
Another interesting side-effect of these conversations is I find myself climbing up onto soapboxes, and they all seem to be the same ones over and over again. Does this mean I actually care about something in this world outside of myself? How cool! I'm not as selfish as I thought. Seriously, I've come to realize I have some core beliefs. Vauge outlines:
-- Ignorance is Dangerous. Igorance is one of the causes of many of the world's primary issues (racism, terrorism, etc) and that to reduce the ignorance in the world (through education) is a step towards world peace (I sound like I'm in a beauty pagent! For those of you who know what I look like, don't laugh too hard at that analogy, thanks)
-- Religion scares me. For centuries, people have slaughtered without thought in the name of religion. As often as "Kingdom of Heaven" drove me to pull my hair out, Ridley Scott managed to get some good perspectives on religion built into the film. I've seen religion brainwash people into hating and fearing those not of their own religion, even though the spiritual elements of their two faiths may be very similar. And too too many Sunday Christians. Religion is a good thing, but I would much sooner trust a moral person to a religious person.
-- Homosexuality is. Deal with it. I have gay friends and I love them to death; they are interesting, intelligent, wonderful people ... huh, much like my heterosexual friends. If you hate homosexuals, why? Is it because you don't understand them? There! Ignorance again! Is it because you were brainwashed by your religion? There's religion getting in the way of spirituality. Stop for a minute, and think about why you hate. Once you're sure, then we can talk.
-- Abortion. I don't know where this came up ... in a conversation with someone in the past couple of weeks I think. I'm pro-choice, but if it were me, I know that I would choose life. If you're not pro-choice, good for you; I won't tell you you're wrong, but I won't suffer you to tell me I'm wrong. BUT, if you are one of those abortion-clinic bombing nutheads, you damn-well better be on every adoption list you could find, because there are too many children without homes right now. Do something pro-active if you care about the children so damn much, instead of reacting to another person's life and situation that you could know nothing about.
-- Education in America. In reality, the censorship of education. People freak out because they teach evolution. Oh. my. god. Not a possible explination for how the world came to be that doesn't involve your omnipotent deity! The insanity! We had to take God out of schools, so we have to take evolution out as well? Why? Because not knowing anything is better than hearing something that scares you. If you're that scared of it, then you should probably question your faith first, if it's so unstable. And now some congressman is proposing to ban any books that portray homosexuality in a favorable light. Why? Because you don't like homosexuals, so you're going to pretend that it doesn't exist. How does this help? It can't. Ignorance can help nothing, save the promotion of more ignorance.
-- War. War is hell. Period. But I'm increasingly convinced that American foreign policy with regards to POWs is falling apart. We hold prisoners in uncomfortable cells with bad pop music and stupid guards, where the prisoners at least have access to their religious texts. Before capture, these prisoners were killing Americans. They would bypass all the legal issues involved with Geneva Convention by simply decapitating the prisoners on national television. Just think of the tax dollars they save. Our politicans need to grow some balls and start treating these prisoners like ... well ... prisoners.
So, Jenn read over these, and has informed me that I am, in fact, a bit liberal. Oops. I thought I was more conservative. Anyway, since I've just realized that I actually possess these opinions, I'm open to discuss them. I will warn you, however, that I tend to be irrationally stubborn, but I'd love to have you challenge me on any of these, because how do I know if they'll stick if they can't stand up to argument?