UnCertain

Warning: Waxing philosophical today, I'm hating work. All I want to do is read and write (and run, of course). I'm tired of this mindless distraction humans create so that they can ignore life, look at that, I'm doing it now.

Our existence, the existence of all life on our bit of cosmic depris, is mindblowing. We live on a relatively thin, cracked crust of basalt and granite floating on a cocktail of boiling rock which is ready to detonate in an all obliterating sulphurous fireball. This sphere is not only spinning on its axis but is also is hurtling through space at over 107,000 km/h. This is quick. The muzzle velocity of an M16 rifle is 3,510 km/h and Concorde used to cross the Atlantic at 2,171 km/h. Oh, let us not forget the pieces of rock, asteroids and black holes which are peppered along the way. Our journey through our universe is like cars and truck cruising along a Interstate highway. Sometimes the way is clear, sometimes it gets crowded. Eventually things crash and bump into each other. Philosophers and other strange people have considered whether the Earth and the Universe are the grains of sand in a desert of a giant parallel universe or whether in fact a grain of sand on a beach is in turn a universe containing billions and billions of stars and planets teeming with life. Just trying to put things in perspective. The chance for our existence is very, very , very miniscule, yet here we are. We need to celebrate the consciousness we have and enjoy it for the small fraction of "time" we are allowed to use this incredible gift of awareness we have been given. Tomorrow is uncertain. What we doing to make the most of life? Judging others - Killing - Destroying the planet - Inventing meaningless superstitions to make sense of what we are, and why we are here.

So what should we do with to make the most of this gift of life. Only you know the answer to that. How about dance.

"There are organizing principles in the universe which we can no more understand than my dog" -- Kurt Vonnegut

"Dear Future Generations, Please accept our apologies. We were roaring drunk on petroleum. Love, 2006 A.D." -- Kurt Vonnegut

Later, Got to run. I mean literally, I need to run. I need a endorphine fix. I'll be thinking of each and every one of you.

Auteur Fainéant

Okay! Yes, I am being lazy lately, I have been very busy (stupid work, so many buttons). So you get a little bit of U.S. History. These quotes were lifted from The Toad Report.

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

“Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
Thomas Jefferson 1802

"I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth. "
Thomas Jefferson

"I am for freedom of religion and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another."
Thomas Jefferson, 1799

"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it."John Adams, Lawyer / 2nd President of the U.S.“Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”
James Madison - "Father of the Constitution" / 4th President of the U.S.

"The establishment of the chaplainship to Congress is a palpable violation of equal rights, as well as of constitutional principles."
James Madison

“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect.”
James Madison

"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."
Thomas Paine-Age of Reason

“I would not dare to so dishonor my Creator God by attaching His name to that book (the Bible).Among the most detestable villains in history, you could not find one worse than Moses. Here is an order, attributed to 'God' to butcher the boys, to massacre the mothers and to debauch and rape the daughters. I would not dare so dishonor my Creator's name by (attaching) it to this filthy book (the Bible).It is the duty of every true Deist to vindicate the moral justice of God against the evils of the Bible.Accustom a people to believe that priests and clergy can forgive sins...and you will have sins in abundance.The Christian church has set up a religion of pomp and revenue in pretended imitation of a person (Jesus) who lived a life of poverty.”
Thomas Paine

"as to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of our government to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which the government hath to do therewith."
Thomas Paine

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute--where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote--where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference--and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him."
John F. Kennedy,1960

"Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question: why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?"
Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, 2005

Here's one I think the U.S.'s current "leader", and his religious right-wingers would agree with:

"Secular schools can never be tolerated because such a school has no religious instruction and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith.... We need believing people."
Adolf Hitler, April 26, 1933

Coincidence

It's happened before, and maybe a similar entry was made here long ago. I am listening to a quiet piece of music. The music pauses before the next note, and suddenly, startlingly, a bird outside sings the very next note -- same octave, same key, same pitch. The music goes on (only a moment has elapsed). The bird flies on. An almost palpable sensation is left in the room.

Is it coincidence? Or is the question left by the incident a conceit or delusion? If everything is caused by something else, then every possible event is bound to occur, isn't it? Coincidence is then nothing more than the perception or interpretation that something has visibly and verifiably occurred.

I interpret the coincidence as suggestive and perhaps meaningful, but of what? No rationale or reason says that a coincidence must occur when I observe it.

In this case, imagination and intuition delight and thrill in finding not coincidence but convergence, while the dismissive mind is forced into a corner, having to calculate the odds of the event occurring, or at least occurring when I would notice it. Such calculations are beyond me. I settle back to savor the "convergence," as I will call it, since it was so positive. Convergence is for good things. Only bad things are coincidence. Or bad luck, or fate.

"May you only have convergences!" might be a nice salutation.

- from Hermit's Thatch

I just felt like commenting........

My Blogs for Bush comment "Deleted - really asinine...".

Here is my deleted comment from the Blogs for Bush site. (I mistook it as as Neo-conservative satire site) To be fair to the Bush Bloggers, it was off-topic:

LOL, Now I'm a liberal because I think this is a satirical site. Coming from the "wisdom" I see on this site, I take that as a compliment.

I have always been an independent thinker, not letting the popular media control my mind and opinions. I have always leaned more conservative than liberal. Neo-Conservative opinions like this blog and Fox "News" are mere propaganda. They do not have the journalistic integrity to be taken seriously. Blending facts with opinions and pushing it out with partison rhetoric is irresponsible in a country whose ideology is supposed to be based rational and logic consideration of its people and not on one extremist group like the far-far-right portrayed here.

This is like a scary version of "Beverly Hillbillies" go political.

But if this is serious, you have the right to have your say. Please keep up the hard work. Really, I mean it! If this is what the American public wants, they deserve it.

Their response:

Nick,

You haven't the slightest right to comment here at all - it isn't your blog.

No more needs be said. Let them "remove all doubt". I thought I was posting on an open forum, Like WatchBlog, where the left, right and independents can have intelligent partisan debate, but I guess it really is a extreme right-wing controlled site, opposing views must be censored.

Damn, why do I pay attention to such political nonsense.

I came across this site in my daily blog reading from the link below at SWIFTSPEECH, which I was led to from BBC's post about Stella's Struggle Post:

Extra, Extra! "Blogs for Bush" Declares: Science is Dead! Extra, Extra!

For a Friend

For a Friend. (Hoping to make you smile)

When you are sad - I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

When you are blue - I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

When you smile - I will know you finally got laid.

When you are scared - I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

When you are worried - I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be and to quit whining.

When you are confused - I will use little words.

When you are sick - Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

When you fall - I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

This is my oath...I pledge it till the end.

"Why?" you may ask? Because you are my friend.

Both Sides, Now

I have always loved piano music. Classical, Rock, Pop, Alternative, anything played on the piano has always mesmerized me. Well, not country music, I have a bad Pavlovian response to country music which I'll explain at another time. Anyway, when I was ten years old, I started piano lessons. I learned a lot my first year and thought my progress was good. My teacher was also my 5th-6th grade music teacher, and he made me play for my class. I guess that was his way of making sure I practiced, because he knew I wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of my whole class. He knew what kind of music I enjoyed and let me learn to play that music. But life changes.

My father, serving in the military in Germany had become married and wanted his two sons to live with him. I moved to Germany. My relationship with his new wife was bad, she was a bitter emotionless woman who constantly insulted my Mother, Brother and myself. In this new household, it was stated almost constantly, children are to be seen and not heard. We were just bad pets. The dogs were treated better than the step-kids.

I wanted to continue my piano lessons, and my father was supportive up to a point. His wife didn't want to spend the money. They compromised. They bought a second-hand piano that was terribly out of tune, required much internal work, and hired a piano teacher that was hard for me to understand. He spoke only a few words of English, and I spoke "broken" German. He only taught classical music. Now, I like classical music, but it was very hard to learn, and it's not what I wanted to play at the time. I supplemented the music he wanted to play with my own selections, but he do not approve, thought it was bad influence. After a few months, we quit the piano lessons because the teacher said I didn't have the motivation to play. He was right, he had removed all my motivation to play the piano. The out-of-tune junk piano didn't help matters, some keys didn't even play.

Skip to sophomore year of High School, Northern Indiana. The high school offered a piano class. So it was for beginners, so I didn't have a practice piano, at least it would get me touching a piano again. The class was free-form, go at your own pace class. The teacher would give a lesson, we would practice it and she would go around giving us tips. We played what we wanted to play. Our grade was not based on how well we learned but our effort. At the end of the year, everyone had to play a piece at a recital. This was our motiviation to learn. It didn't matter how skilled we became or the difficulty of the music, we had to play something.

Now, I had to be honest. I didn't really have the talent to play the piano. Yes, I could learn music and with lots of practice, I could play it reasonably well, but I really didn't have the talent to play. I decided to play Joni Mitchell's Both Sides, Now. (Yes, it was the Judy Collins version that was popular, but Joni Mitchell wrote and sang the song first). It was simple and easy and I had always loved the lyrics. No, I wasn't going to sing it, I have even less talent in that area.

When the time came for the recital, my favorite relative, Aunt Mary, was going to be in town. When she heard of the recital, she insisted on going. Now my family wasn't planning to come, but Aunt Mary talked my "Step-Mother" into accompaning her to the recital. I was very glad my Aunt was going to be at the recital, I was beaming. When I was 5 or 6, Aunt Mary had taught me how to play a few simple nursery rhyme songs because she was tired of me just banging keys making annoying, irrating noise on her piano. The recital came, the teacher introduced us and explained that this was the first year and first recital for most of the students. There were a few of us that had more experience, but the teacher didn't go into detail. One girl played Mozart, another guy played Beer Barrel Polka, it was quite an eclectic selection of music. I played my song, it sounded perfect to me, I was quite proud of my performance.

Afterwards, people came up to me and congratulated me. I remember a few people had said they knew that song, and they loved my version of the music. My Aunt Mary came up to me, smiling, giving encouragement, then asked my "step-mom" if she liked it. She sneered and stated loudly, "He's been playing the piano for six years, it was about time he learned to play something." She then looked directly at me and publicly scolded me, "How could you lie about only playing for one year". I didn't answer. My Aunt saw embarrasment in my face. I was not embarrased of my playing, I was embarrased of this "step-mother's" reaction, and dissappointed. As always there was nothing I could do that was acceptable in her eyes.

I have never touched a piano since. To this day, I cannot forgive her attitude that day. And she probably doesn't even remember this irrelevent event.

My Aunt Mary saw my dissappointment, she offered to let me take a vacation with her and one of my other cousins. My "step-Mom" said no, because her kids couldn't go and I don't deserve special treatment. First, there wasn't enough room in the camper, and second, they weren't even related except for this bad marriage. When I was much younger, spending summers with Aunt Mary was a routine occurance, and I was looking forward to it again. My Dad said yes, but
his wife said no. So the trip was off. It was then I decided when I graduated from High School, I would leave that family, and never return, which I did. Wow, I didn't know life could be this good. I now must thank this "step-parent" for making my teenage years so miserable, that any kind of life I had afterwards was going to easy and pleasant.

I have met a few people since with wretched attitudes and ethics, but I have learned to quickly put those people out of my life and ignore them, it's not worth the effort to argue and let them enrage me. I'm a very thin-skinned person, an Highly Sensitive Person. Insults do effect my morale, motiviation, and moods. I need to surround myself with people who are positive.

There are many irrelevent events from my past, just passing moments in time that otherwise would be forgotten, that I cannot erase from my mind. The more painful, the longer lasting the scar. Do these events shape my personality, or would I have become like I am now, regardless of the actions of the people around me. There are more positive experiences also, but I'm embarrassed to bring these up into the open, I don't want others to know how good my life has been, someone might work to cut me down, again.

I cannot be anyone that who I am. If you want me to change, or want me to be different, that is the same thing as rejecting me. This is me, and if you don't like it, please go away. Repulsive Literature Reference: Exodus 3:14.

"But now old friends are acting strange

They shake their heads, they say I've changed

Well something's lost, but something's gained

In living every day
I've looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all"

The Good Life

In my previous post I talk about family that rejected me and my life in which everything a did was belittled and insulted. These are the families from my childhood, and not from my adult life.

I did have the good life once. I was married at twenty and was very happy with a loyal wife (now ex-wife) I would still trust with my life. I had two kids who are adults now. Nobody could ask for a better son and daughter. I could fill volumes with stories from the incredible life, adventures we had. And recently I have gained two grandaughters. Yes I had the good life, I had it all, a life others would envy. But I lost it all, because I thought there had to be something more. I went off to search for a land over the rainbow. I didn't find it, it doesn't exist. I was naive. I now have to learn how to live again.

"What are these voices outside love's open door, Make us throw off our contentment,And beg for something more?" - The Heart of the Matter, Don Henley

Anyway, enough of this damn emotional stuff. Check this out: The Purple Planet.

"Kindred Spirits" and "Happy Tears"

"Kindred Spirits"and "Happy Tears" are words from comments left on my blog that have deep meaning for me.

I've been searching my whole life for "kindred spirits", and I'm only recently finding them thru my blog. Minou-in-France, BBC, Badtux and Scott Adams have made me realize that I'm not the only one with those voices in my head. I'm honored these people have taken the time to comment on my blog. Why are they so hard to find around here (or where ever I'm at at the moment)?

One commenter said that a certain song made her cry "Happy Tears". I cry more of those tears than others. Many songs do that for me, Los Lobo's "One Time One Night". Jewel's "Don't" and many other of hers. The list is too long.... Why do my eyes well up at these times, but times that I'm sad, like the deaths of family and friends, no tears come. There are some movies with happy endings that have me crying so much I'm afraid to watch those with friends because they'll think something is wrong with me. The tears came when favorite pets have passed away, but that is about the only times sadness brings me to tears, most of the time I cry when I discover and see true love and happy endings, animals or humans.

What makes a person act the way they do? Recent therapy has enlighten me, but most of our emotions, quirks, obsessions, attitude, etc, are hard-wired, they are in the genes. I can put a lot of blame on parents and step-parents, brothers, and family friends that have done immoral, evil, and hard-to-forgive acts against me. But when I look at other family members it is a wonder how much alike we've become. (as well as how much different we are). My whole life my family has rejected the way I choose to live, my ideology, the choices I've made, but yet my life is so much better than theirs, how can they say my choices are wrong. I don't have much contact with my family anymore, I was tired of hearing how the whole world is against them. Really? Me too. Join the club. What are you doing to fix that? There is a lot of good in the world, too, don't you see that, or are you too focused on the negative side that you are blind too the positive side?


I dream of traveling. I grew up in Germany, West Texas, Northern Indiana and have lived in New Mexico, Virginia, DC and presently Alabama. Alabama has the worst climate, great winters, but miserable summers. New Mexico is the place I can see myself living. High Desert, pleasant summers, moderate winters and beautiful landscapes. New Mexico had the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen anywhere. I loved traveling in the Alps of Germany and Austria and dream of extended vacations there, doing the hut-to-hut hiking adventures, seeing Vienna on foot, sipping coffee in the sidewalk cafe's. I've never been to France, but I like the French culture and attitudes, from what I've seen on travel shows and read about in books.

The U.S. is very close to becoming a 24*7 country, people need instant gratification for any want or need that might arise. The European countries are not like that, they know how to live, how to "take it easy", how to enjoy life. I'm tired of being around people where making money and working is the most important thing in life. They cannot understand her that I don't want any overtime, but they keep trying to get me to work overtime like I'm lucky to get it. Give it to someone who wants or needs it. I really enjoy my time off, but I get so damn little of it, and there is so much to do, books to read, trails to discover, beers to sample, coffee shops to try, plays............ I love to watch little kids playing soccer on Saturday mornings, so I try to plan my Saturday morning runs to go by the soccer fields. They just seem to be having so much fun, just being a kid, no cares who wins, they just want to get out there and play. Adults take life so seriously, life is too short people. I don't want to be an invalid by the time I have enough time to enjoy my life.

Anyway, I'm just rambling again today. This weekend I'll try to be more focused.

"There are two different kinds of people in this world: those who finish what they start, and." ---Brad Ramsey

Ramble On

Addiction:

I have an addiction. Some people praise me the more I give into my cravings. Other's ask why. The addiction controls me. I cannot function properly until my craving is fulfilled. It consumes my life. I don't feel right until get what I need. If I'm depressed, a fix instantly improves my mood. If I'm mad, it quells the rage. When anxious, it calms me, when I can't think clearly, it clears my mind. If I can't satisfy my hunger, my addiction suppresses the appetite. I use it to handle all my problems.

My addiction is running. I started running to stay in shape. I was in the military and was tested once year, and the test was running. But now, I don't need to run. I run because I want to. I've tried to quit, but I just end up wanting to run even more. Most people think running is a healthy activity, but is it healthy when it becomes an obsession? My whole social life revolves around the next weekend running event that I'll attend. I'm not fast enough to win any awards, but I get an occasional door prize. But there are many other runner's that I can talk to about running. Running has become more important than work. If I couldn't run because of work, I'd have to find another job, or another way to make a living.

Preoccupation:

Why are so many people preoccupied with the existence of God?

Look, it's even happening to me. Humans have this obsession because evolution has developed the human mind for survival. We have an internal instinct to survive, even after death. The survival instinct is strong, people obsess about it and create fantasies so they can believe, even after their death, their consciousness will continue.

This sentiency is real, but it only exists within the physical structure of the mind. When the mind dies, so do your thoughts and brain functions. The mind is not where the spirit resides. I do believe were are eternal, but not in the popular way religions use to explain eternity. The material of the universe, including our planet, is all made from the same matter. We were made from the earth, and when we die, if left to nature, we return to the earth, to be risen again in some other form, no matter what happens to the earth, our substance will live.

Everything evolves, that is a fact, and there is plenty of evidence. Long after humans have disappeared from this planet, the material we were made of will continue in some other form. The universe, the solar system, the earth, and all things upon the earth. They are all as alive as we are, we just think we're "divine" because of the how the human mind has evolved.

Ancient minds didn't understand as much as we do know, and still our knowledge is very limited.  There is much we will never know.  I'm okay with that. God is wonderfully complex but incredible simple at the same time, and beyond comprehesion of what the human mind is capable of so far. Distances and times are just too great.

As we look beyond the earth, the solar system, we find more and more knowledge, but there is much yet to be discovered, and much  humans will never discover? The more we discover about the material of our existence, the cells, the molecules, the atoms, the nucleus, the more we understand how life evolved on this planet.  As technology increases, we discover more and more, however it is not possible to know everything. People replace what they don't know and call it "God". Well, okay, I don't disagree with that, but the ancient literature that has been created by man to define God, has actually very little to do with reality or fact.  That literature is anti-spiritual, full of rules and control that has nothing to do with the real nature of God. People and God killing other people and destroying nature because they want you to believe their opinions.

Everyone's mind is an unique evolution of previous minds.  No two minds are exactly alike.

Instead of trying to control people with repulsive ancient rules from ancient fables and folklore created by humans who had much less knowledge than we do today, lets live in a way that creates and protects life, all life, not just human, but animals, plants and the planetary ecosystems we need to survive.

To me, God is an abstract term to give a name to the unknown power or source of our creation, the creation of all universe and the life within. To act to destroy any part of this is an act to destroy God. If you look to define God the same for everyone, that kind of God only exists within your mind, and the submissive minds of those who cannot think for themselves. Let me have my illusion of God and I'll let you have yours, but don't tell me I'm wrong, when you seek to explain something you cannot know, then base it on human-created literature known to be false and immoral.

People, let yourself out of the cage and start living life before it's over. If you can do that, maybe I will one day.

The Source

I've always been a fan of folk-rock music. From the 90's til today, one of my favorite songs has been Indigo Girls "Closer To Fine". I like the music and the lyrics. I have always been one to favor good lyrics over the music, strong meaningful lyrics makes the poem timeless. I always like statements within the lyrics that have deep meaning for myself, and this Indigo Girls song was one.

In that song there is a line, "The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine". When I heard this line, even before I knew what the words meant, I liked the way the words sounded. But then when I thought about was the meaning of the words, they touched me even deeper. Epiphany! I have had the same thought, just not expressed so succinctly. What it means to me; The less I try to define what the meaning of life is, why I am here, where I we come from, and what is God; the better I feel, the better my emotions, the better I treat other people, the better I feel about myself. Instead of trying to figure out an answer to a question that cannot be answered, an answer does not exist, lets just live our lives and treat others the way you would like to be treated.

When I studied the rest of the lyrics to that song I found plenty of similar ideology to my own. There are too many to list here so I'll just paste the lyrics at the end of today's post. "I stopped by a bar at 3:00 AM....... "

I find a lot of songs with lyrics that match my own personal ideology, or philosophy of life. One recent one is Spingsteen's "Devils And Dust". They don't always deal with G-d or life, some deal with relationships, some with traveling, some with getting older. Mellencamp's "Minutes to Memories" has always been a favorite, a story about realizing previous generation's wisdom. "Now that I'm older I can see he was right". Powerful words, if one does more than just sing-along with the music and realize what the poems are saying.

I've always wanted be able to be poetic like some of my favorites songwriters, but I never had a talent for it. I like to write, but I've never had the artistic touch to my writing. I'm always saying " I wished I had wrote or said that" when I hear these lyrics.

CLOSER TO FINE

Indigo Girls


I'm trying to tell you something about my life
maybe give me insight between black and white
and the best thing you've ever done for me
is to help me take my life less seriously
it's only life after all
yeah

well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
and the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

and I went to see the doctor of philosophy
with a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
he never did marry or see a b-grade movie
he graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
got my paper and I was free

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

I stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.
to seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
and I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
and I went in seeking clarity.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
yeah we go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
we look to the children, we drink from the fountains
yeah we go to the bible, we go through the workout
we read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

Brain Food

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty - DOH!

Thank you BadTux and RoguePlanet for this warning about our feline "friends":

The Power of Cat

This mysterious power seems to be working on BBC: Stealth Kittens

More Useless Words

As long as humans are infested on this planet, we will have creationism fantasies, conspiracy theories, gossip and hearsay based on exaggeration of facts and ignorant prejudiced human views. It is the nature of humans to make reality more complex than it really is, to believe the worst from other humans, to be afraid of those that are different from us, and to put our own own needs ahead of others.

But, some say I'm not "human", since I believe that creationism is a mere metaphor of how the universe and humans on earth came into existence. Evolution is the reality. Emotion versus Science. It doesn't matter what you believe, but how you treat the "creation" that "G-d" made and evolved to it's present state. Humans are not the most important living thing on this planet, this planet survived long before humans infested it and started destroying it for their endless materialistic needs and selfish cravings.

In my view, the religious literalists are the ones who lack morality and ethics to live in a world were they are not the only "divine" animal creation.

Is there any beer left?

Stubborn Mule

Only in Alabama.

I think if Cindy Sheehan would have used these tactics, King W (Bush) would've brought the troops home by now. (or gouged his eyes out)

Please Dear Leader, bring them home, or the highways are going to be filled with old naked cowboys. Who knows, Willie Nelson might join the protest. GAH!

From the AP wire:

U.S. man walks nude to protest Iraq war

FORT PAYNE, Alabama - Gerald Lynn Kelley decided to protest the war in Iraq by walking along a highway in a cowboy hat and boots. Just a cowboy hat and boots.

He said he realizes he broke the law and does not encourage streaking, but he hopes the incident encourages people to speak out against the war. Kelley, 52, was charged with public lewdness in the July 30 incident.

"My dad told me years ago if you've got a stubborn mule, you've got to hit him across the head with a 2-by-4 in order to get his attention," he said.

Kelley said he regrets a church event was occurring in a nearby park at the time of his protest. He said he marched in the opposite direction.

Deputy Mike James said deputies were sent to Hammondville after receiving calls about two men walking nude along U.S. 11. The other man could not be found.

Kelley, out of jail on a $1,500 bond, would not comment on anyone else's involvement.

Lightening the Load

Thanks to today's Dilbert Cartoon, I learned a new word today.

Schadenfreude: Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

A sense of schadenfreude came over me as I watched a Chevy Suburban with a "W" bumpersticker pull into a gas station advertising $3.89 per gallon.

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BUMPER STICKERS YOU PROBABLY MISSED BECAUSE YOU WERE DRIVING TOO FAST..

Constipated People Don't Give A crap.

If That Phone Was Up Your Butt, Maybe You Could Drive A Little Better.

To All You Virgins: Thanks For Nothing.

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

If You Can Read This, I've Lost My Trailer.

Horn Broken... Watch For Finger.

The Earth Is Full - Go Home.

I Have The Body Of A God ... Buddha.

So Many Pedestrians - So Little Time.

Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult.

If We Quit Voting Will They All Go Away?

Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.

Illiterate? Write For Help.

Honk If Anything Falls Off.

Cover Me, I'm Changing Lanes.

He Who Hesitates Is Not Only Lost But Miles From The Next Exit.

I Refuse To Have A Battle Of Wits With An Unarmed Person.

You! Out Of The Gene Pool Now!

I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To.

Fight Crime: Shoot Back!

If You Can Read This, Please Flip Me Back Over... (Seen Upside Down On A Jeep)

Remember Folks: Stop Lights Timed For 35mph Are Also Timed For 70mph.

Guys: No Shirt, No Service. Gals: No Shirt, No Charge

If Walking Is So Good For You, Then Why Does My Mailman Look Like Jabba The Hut?

Ax Me About Ebonics.

Body By Nautilus; Brain By Mattel.

Boldly Going Nowhere.

Caution - Driver Legally Blonde.

Heart Attacks ... God's Revenge For Eating His Animal Friends.

Honk If You've Never Seen An Uzi Fired From A Car Window.

How Many Roads Must A Man Travel Down Before He Admits He is Lost?

GROW YOUR OWN DOPE --- PLANT A MAN.

All Men Are Animals, Some Just Make Better Pets.

WANTED: Meaningful Overnight Relationship.

Your Proctologist Called.... He Found Your head.

Appetency Fulfilled

While the world is focused on Israel and Lebanon, lets don't forget the detiorating conditions in Iraq. The military politicians in D.C. think it might turn into a civil war. Don't they read the reports coming out of the embassies, aren't they debriefed by the military personnel coming back from that war. If they had gone to the Helen Keller school, maybe they might have some better senses to judge what is going on. There has been a civil war in Iraq for at least a year, and the daily death toll keeps increasing. We send in more troops, but the death rate still increases. It is mostly Iraqis killing Iraqis. HEELLLLOO Generals. That is called civil war.

And this whole Israel and Palestine/Lebanon/Arab conflict. Two cultures, whose personal spiritual beliefs were created from the same ancient mythological literature, are fighting each other and killing G-d over the same piece of land because their fantasies have branched in different directions but are still based on the same territory. Does anyone else see how insane and how far way from G-d it puts these cultures/countries/religions. The U.S. should not be supporting either side in that insane conflict. They are trying to start a world war because their mythology predicted it and that it is their foretold endtimes when they will all be saved and carried off to the land of eternal life and endless sexual gratification (how else would you describe a culture that wants to get virgins in Paradise/Heaven/Never Never Land). That belief is so far away from real spirituality that I consider it anti-spiritual. No one will be a victor, because no one is willing to compromise. When two people want a single item, and they aren't willing to share, there is no solution. Both sides are materialistic, selfish are as far away from G-d as you can get.

I do have a solution, but one side must let go of their physical attributes of their spiritual beliefs. Lets give that land over there in the Middle East to the Arab side, because it is surrounded by Arabs anyway. Lets create a new bigger land, a new Israel state. We could recreate all the shrines and temples and false idols and have their religious scam leaders bless these places and make them just as important as the physical places they represent.

And where could we put this New Israel. The southwest U.S. along the New Mexico, Arizona, California Border with Mexico. Let the U.S. give a 20 mile wide strip along these states, they would have plenty of land, in the desert land they love and even a coast line in California, San Diego could become the New Tel Aviv. They would have a smaller coastline, but look at all they are gaining, land and peace, you can't get any better than that. I sure we could even negotiate with Mexico to give them some of their land along the same border, and give them access to the Gulf Of California. Current residents could stay or move, the U.S. would pay for those that wished to move, and give incentives to those who want to settle the new country. We could give the new country millions or billions to keep out all those immigrants that scare the U.S. white conservatives (they don't speak english, they must be evil).

And then there would be World Peace

That is my Nickmas wish. (Nickmas is my birthday and the day you should worship me).

Its just a fantasy. How sad, I used to only have sexual fantasies, life was more simple once.

-- Another Grumpy Old Dude (aka A G.O.D)
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The following quotes, related to this post, have been lifted from the today's post on "God Uncensored" by BBC (Born Before Christ).

Men live in a fantasy world. I know this because I am one, and I actually receive my mail there. - Scott Adams

If we did all the things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. - Thomas Edison

Everyone has problems, some are just better at hiding them. - Unknown

Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go. - Jon Dyer

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

I Shaka You

I was the victim of road rage. No damage, no injuries, just on the receiving end of a lot of anger. I wasn't as scared as I was entertained, most road ragers are just venting frustration, I know, I used to do it myself, until I learned to just "hang loose". The guy was tailgating me very close, and there was an open lane to go around me, so I'm still confused as to why he was raging at me. He kept on me for about a quarter of a mile, and, as I do with all tailgaters, I slowed and tapped my brakes. This seem to infuriate him. There was an open lane next to me, why wasn't he going around. As we came to an intersection with a right turn lane, he pulled into that lane, got real close to the side of my car. He had his window rolled down and he was yelling something, I had my windows rolled up (A/C on), the radio cranked, so I couldn't hear what he was saying. I just wanted to calm him down, he was obviously upset about something. So I made the hand sign of "hang loose", shaka, at him and smiled. His hand came out the window with a butterfly knife showing me that he could use it, twirling the blade in and out of the handle, and starting acting like he was going to ram the side of my car. His old Dodge Caravan was swerving in the lanes, and I noticed other cars behind him slowing and pointing at him. I started laughing, because it was obvious to me he was playing around, but he seemed to rage even more than. He hit brakes and pulled in behind me and stayed right on my bumper for about a mile, I just kept going slower and slower hoping some cop would notice, he finally did a u-turn and went the other way.
Had I done something to make him mad? I don't see how, I had just pulled out of my nieghborhood street and he pulled out of the opposite side of the road into my lane when the left lane was open, from a shopping center. Poor guy, I guess he was just a neocon having a bad day. Maybe the heat was getting to him, it was 99, heat index of 110.

Come on people, we're all in this together.

I guess I can thank him for one thing, he gave something to blog about.