Weirdo Tag

Blueberry tagged me..........

According to the rules...
Each player of this game starts with the “6 weird things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Six weird thing about me:
1. I am a runner that hated running as a teen. back then I was a swimmer. I couldn't run because of asthma, I would start out at full speed and be falling over wheezing before the first quarter mile lap was finished. In my adulthood I have finished marathons and always place in the top of my age group on shorter runs like 5K's and 10K's and 10 Milers.

2. I'm not from anywhere. When people ask that I don't have an answer. I was a military brat, who moved from place to place every 3 or 4 years, then I was in the military for 20 years. Of all the places I lived, I liked New Mexico the best. I will retire somewhere around Taos.

3. Religious confusion. My mother was Jewish who wouldn't let us practice that faith. At age 11 I lived with a step-mother who was a very hypocritical Catholic. She was always wanting to put me through the Catholic classes and be confirmed. I refused. Back then I claimed I was an atheist, but now I realize, I was just a an "Bible" G-d atheist. Today I'm smart enough to say, it's all about how you define the word G-d or Creator. Religion is nonsense.

4. Chick Flicks. I like romantic comedies, what most people call "chick flicks". I cry at happy endings in the those movies. It always brings me to tears at the end of "You've Got Mail" when Kathleen realizes it's Joe she's been emailing and they finally meet. ("Brinkley...") It doesn't help when that Harry Nilsson version of "Over the Rainbow" starts playing. ("I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.") . Hey for a guy, that's weird. I hate the action/SFX movies, BORING!

5. Guy Stuff - Most things that amuse men, do nothing for me. Big Screen TV's, football or any sport on TV, going out drinking and partying, hunting, trucks, video games, BBQ, greasy french fries, and on and on goes the list, I have no interest in any of those things. The one exception is beer. I love a good quality beer. Guinness,MMMMMM.

6. I'm a weather geek. I love cloudy days, rainy days, stormy weather, lightning storms. Bright sun gives me a headache, which is why you always see me with sunglasses on outside. I think I'm hyper-sensitive to the sun.

I tag:
BSB (because she wants to be tagged)
AB (because it will make her say "GAAAAAAAAAAAA")
Minou (because she's over there)


I'll finish this later........... work calls

Update:

7. I never finish what I say I'm going to finish later. That's niCk code for "I'm done". Therapist's order. The world will not end if things are left unfin

Little Green Apples

I love little Granny Smith apples. Not the big ones that the grocery stores have on display, those taste like crap. I mean the small ones, crisp and tart. They are hard to find sometimes, usually the farmer's markets have them. Has anyone else noticed that they have seem to have taken the flavor out of Granny Smith apples by making them huge. I'm pissed because when I went to the store today they didn't have the little ones, only the huge ones. So I got a couple of those, and they taste like crap. No wonder kids don't want to eat fruit. They grow produce to make them look big and beautiful, but there is no flavor.

This summer I did a 10k run in Clanton Alabama, which is a rural farming community. It is the peach Capital of Alabama, and every year they have a peach Festival. There was a drought this year and the peaches were very small. Everyone who placed in the run got a basket of peaches along with their award. The peaches were very small, and people were making fun of them, but they were the best peaches I ever had. I had to go back the next week and get some more.

Culture Jam

Lets start jamming.

A few years ago the notion of "jamming" culture arose, from Kalle Lasn's book Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge and Why We Must. An alternate title for this book is Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America.

This post was inspired by the end of my observance of "Buy Nothing Day", which is now two days observed on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Observing this was easy for me, it is a time when the shops are crowded and the traffic is unbearable. I loathe shopping, simply because the American tradition of shopping is so grotesque. If I lived in Europe, I would be able to meander the streets and shops of some small city center, stopping to sip coffee at a quaint cafe, enjoying the personal treatment from the shops, perhaps having a meal at a locally owned restaurant. In that environment I would get out and do more shopping than I do now, but I would still avoid the crowded times. In the U.S, shopping is such a bland, ugly, unethical task, it's easy for me "voluntarily" avoid that distraction.

"Jamming" differs from voluntary simplicity movements in consciously opposing modern popular culture, essentially created by corporations to stoke consumption -- of corporate logo apparel, unhealthy food and habits, exploitative entertainment, competitive sports, etc. The idea is that by withdrawing from consumption and the use of what drives the moneyed economy of profit one could pursue an authentic life of simplicity and frugality. Simplicity is not merely a subjective phenomenon or a matter of personal taste. The premise is that the individual succeeds best (and the world benefits) when conscious of the sources of the products he or she consumes.

Being conscious of simplicity and the degree of change it brings in the world as well as to the individual is a useful model for solitaries like myself, who already have a psychological disposition for what young people call "jamming."

Global Energy Shift

Coming Soon. Literally:
GlobalOrgasm
Blog
Demo

Just doing my part to publicize this worthwhile pursuit. I'm going to need a little help with my contribution.

Volunteers? (females only please)

Now for something to get you in the mood, an erotic web site that only shows faces: BeautifulAgony

I hope I made at least one person blush......

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Dog Day Friday

Forget about shopping. The shops are full of fools.

Go out, find a dog, a let him lick your face. That's the best medicine in the world for whatever ails you. Don't go to a psychiatrist, a puppy in your lap is all you need.

Make sure you return the kisses.

"I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog -- completely exhausted after a hard day in the field -- limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend."-- Gene Hill

Darkness

Here it is, Thanksgiving. The beginning of the "holidays". I enjoy Thanksgiving, because we can show we are grateful for what we have. I don't make a big deal about going to some feast anymore, I'll be volunteering at a community center up in Birmingham to help with a run to raise money for the center and then feed some of the senior citizens the community center supports. I'm thankful I can help, it makes me feel better than the show of gluttony. As long as I can have a piece of pumpkin pie, I'm happy.

But then, comes the day after. What has become known as Black Friday in the U.S. It is aptly named. It is the beginning of the dark side of the holidays. The month log selfish, greedy consumerism before the wretched day of Christmas. What makes humans long for this abhorrant ritual, that for me, shows the dark side of the human? I'm hypocritical for sure. I went along with these rituals for years, to be accepted by our loved ones, to show friends we are "normal", to show ourselves that we can fit into "civilized" culture. A person can put up a false front for only so long. I know that most people think these same thoughts, but just go along with what our capitalist consumer based culture has brainwashed us to do. I have had enough of this CRAP.

What do I want? I don't want things. I want people to start living a life that creates, serves and protects life, all life, not just human. I want them to show respect for life by protecting the environment that is required for life to thrive. This season is about a man who taught us humility, not pride, is the right way to live. He taught us that we will be weak, but by knowing our weaknesses, we can build our strengthes to overcome these weaknesses. Anger and Vengeance are weaknesses, look at how it destroys us. (uh, niCk, get back on track).

How should we celebrate this season? First of all, for those that have plenty, they should be insulted by receiving more. When you have plenty, you share with those that don't. Loud, proud displays of roman origin should be erected by those that disagree with teachings of the man who this time is supposed to honor. We should give as much as we can, anonymously. To give, in order to seek confirmation of generosity, is just about pride, it is a weakness. Do not envy those who have things you don't have, enjoy the the fact the you are not burdened with more than you need. Work so that others may have the comfort you enjoy, so they may one day enjoy a life of charity. Work so that the comfort of sloth be replaced with the zeal to achieve an end to the need of consumer-driven events to fill the empty spaces of your lives. The lust for riches should be replaced with for craving for simplicity.

That's what I want. I want the darkness of the season to be filled with light.

darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear

Oh, while your out shopping for me, can you grab me some World Peace.

The graphic above was scraped from Fuzzy and Blue

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Ideal

Tao Te Ching - Written by Lao-Tzu

The Ideal Society:
80
A small country of few people.
Machines are not needed.
People take life and death meaningfully.
No one travels far.
They do not use their boats or carriages.
They do not display armor or weapons.
They knot rope rather than write.
Their food is plain and wholesome.
Their clothes are fit but simple.
Their homes are secure.
The people are happy in their ways.
Though they live in sight of their neighbors
and hear crowing cocks and barking dogs,
Yet they live in peace with each other

as they grow old and die.

Chili Weather

The weather has turned mighty cold, for Alabama that is. The official lows are in the 40's and its windy and the locals are pulling out the heavy winter clothes, caps and gloves. The talk at the office is the "artic" weather. I just laugh at them. I did have to turn my heater on for first time last night, and frost on my car window tells me it is at least in the 30's. So last night I decided to make my homemade black bean chili, and I'm eating it for the first time for lunch today. Homemade chili has to sit overnight before it is eaten, for the flavors to properly disperse. I'm a long way from being any type of chef, but I can cook chili. MMM MMM it is so good, I decided to blog about it.

Tonight I'm making this Dr Weil Banana Bread recipe for the office Thanksgiving Luncheon: Banana Bread

Wasted Words

I see the U.S. Mint is going to try make the Dollar coin catch on, again. There's going to be a new Dollar coin in 2007.

The one mistake they keep making is they keep printing the Dollar bill. Until they get rid of the bill, the coin is never going to catch on. It is time we get rid of the bill and save the money from having to print the bill, the coins will last longer.


While we're at it, lets get rid of the penny. Round everything to the nearest nickel, I don't think anyone would mind. They been doing that already on U.S. Military bases overseas, and it has worked well. It costs too much to have to maintain the penny coin, and it will make counting cash much easier for businesses.

When the U.S. population was asked about this issue, the majority of the people wanted to keep the penny and Dollar bill. Why? Because they don't want to change? Why are we asking them, let the Mint and the Bureau Of Engraving and Printing make the decision for business reasons, do it because it will save money, our tax money.

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Oh Oh Oh It's Magic, You Know ♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫

Voices have returned. It's all good.

How?

Do you have the ability to choose what you believe?

If you can, please tell me how to do it. How can one believe that "G-D" is a magic being that can do anything, fulfill all your wishes and let you live forever if you just live in a cage while you're alive. Please help understand how the illogical can be rationalized to the point that people are willing to stop living so that this magic can be granted to them. I can believe in "G-D", but I can't force my mind to accept the popular illusion that people have of "G-D". They just don't understand that the true nature of the creator is more rational, natural, and easily understood than the theological mythology people "believe" today.

I know what it really is. It's not they all "believe", it's just the masses following the well worn path. People following others that have been blindly following irrational beliefs because everyone else is doing it.

Yes, I see many people who say they believe, but their actions don't match their stated beliefs. There are some that truly live the life they preach, but those are one in a million. Jesus, Mother Teresa, they actually lived as if they truly believe. The Amish people who forgave the man who murdered their innocent children. They have true faith, they understand and live what Jesus was teaching. People, if you truly believe, then act like it.

I don't choose what I believe, it chooses me. Isn't that they way it is for all?

Maybe I'm too simple minded.

Friday Blogging

Keeping it light and easy today, too much work to do......

The difference between dogs and cats:

A dog says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.'

A cat says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.'

We Are Friends
You smile, I smile
You hurt, I hurt
You cry, I cry
You laugh, I laugh
You jump off a bridge, I'll miss you.

He's mad at someone

It's the middle of the week, and I'm busy again. So I direct your attention to an older post of mine. You can thank Minou for reminding me of this past rant:

Mind Virus

G-d must have been mad at someone yesterday, it wasn't me.


All is OK here. The storms were close, but far enough away to limit the damage we had. These apartments are down the road a couple of miles. We only had flooding at my place.

The second picture was a skating rink and daycare center that was full of kids when the tornado hit. That's our Governor walking thru the debris.

And lastly, some humor, it's almost Friday:

The five best things to say if caught sleeping at your desk:

5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."
4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."
3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."
2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"

The best thing to say if caught sleeping at your desk:

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

Bastards

There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job was to process all the mails that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.

The letter read:

"Dear God, I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check.

Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely,
"Edna"

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.

By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.

Christmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read,

"Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.

By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those bastards at the Post Office.

Sincerely Yours
"Edna"

Shining

BBC reminded me of this amusing kids song, my kids loved this when they were younger. I found a video for it: The Cat Came Back

If you know the song, it is based on this Irish Folksong, that sounds like it could of come from the hills and mountains of Appalachia: The Moonshiner

m'expulser

Today I received a viral e-mail from a friend. This message was adorned with American flags and gave supposedly patriotic justification on why everyone in the U.S. should be forced to speak English, and if don't agree, you should leave.

I need to be deported, becuase I don't agree with this BULLSHIT.

The Text of the message went like this:

I'm sorry, but after hearing they want
to sing OUR National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough!
Nowhere did they sing it in Italian,
Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, French, or any other language because of immigration.
It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it
was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation - not even close.
Sorry if this offends anyone, but this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY,SPEAK UP!

I am not against immigration -
just come through like everyone else.
Get a sponsor;
have a place to lay your head;
have a job;
pay your taxes;
live by the rules;
and
LEARN THE LANGUAGE
as all other immigrants have in the past
and
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM
Think about this:
If you don't want to forward this
for fear of offending someone,
YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
Will we still be the Country of choice
and still be America if we continue
to make the changes forced on us by
people from other countries who came
to live in America because it is the
Country of Choice?
Think about it!
All we have to say is, when will
Someone do something about
MY RIGHTS?
We've gone so far the other way,
bent over backwards to not
offend anyone, that I am now
being offended.
But it seems no one has a problem
with that.

It is Time for America to Speak up
If you agree - pass this along;
if you don't agree - delete it ...
and leave the country !

My Response:

I just can't believe this kind of intolerance and prejudice still exists in the U.S. today, disguised as patriotism.

I won't pass on this kind of bigotry and ignorance. Does that mean I have to leave the country? When will the police be breaking down my door to take me away to the island of "People we don't agree with".

Why don't I agree? Liberty. It is a greater ideal than language. It is a founding principle of the U.S. Yes, it is unpatriotic to demand this kind of obedience on those coming here seeking liberty and the pursuit of happiness from countries where they might not have had those freedoms.

Do you want to deport the people who have to speak in Sign Language. I have learned it, it is not even close to English. How one communicates doesn't dictate what kind of person they are, or to whom they hold allegiance.

I understand and emphasize that learning English will only help you get ahead in the U.S. today. It is the language of business in the global economy and it is the language used to teach most higher education classes in the U.S.. It is also the most common language used in the U.S., but not the only one.

Learning English will only benefit those wishing to do well in the U.S.

BUT to demand immigrants to learn English is kind of, um, FASCIST.

Immigrants are coming to this country and landing jobs easily without needing to learn English. To get ahead in this country, to make their lives a bit easier, they could learn English and learn some technical skills. But if they are happy where they are at and with what they are doing, why should we force education on them. Let them be happy!

I'll never understand how the redneck nationalist culture think they are improving the U.S. by forcing their backward ignorant ideals on those that have not grown-up in their selfish, all-about-me, stay-stupid society. They like to talk about "Freedom" while they keep becoming more fascist, dictatorial, and authoritarian by wanting to take freedoms away from people.

This is not YOUR country, it is OUR country. Start treating people in OUR country the way you would want to be treated if you had to immigrate to feed your family, or to escape a violent or unjust government.

Please think about this when you talk about protecting everyones rights. They are not your rights, they are the rights of the citizens of this country. There is a higher authority, and it demands human rights.

Some people are just too selfish and Nationalistic to see that sometimes that liberty and tolerance can go both ways. Those non-english speaking immigrants now have to put up with closed minds and bigoted opinions of how they should live, something they were probably trying to escape when they came here.

".... little pink houses for you and me, oh yeah......"

Time to crawl back into my hole.......

The Friday Thing

I'm still busy recovering from being overworked this week. Today I have off, but I'm trying to catch up on all the chores I have ignored all week. I hope to have time to make a decent post this weekend. Saturday's looking kind of busy, also.

Over at bsb's blog, she trying to start an new annual observance.
I'm all for this: Go give someone a squeeze.

For the Friday post, I urge all of you strenghten your faith in Dog.

This week's spirituality book link:

If you were hoping to see a cute dog picture today, I don't have one. May I suggest on older of post of mine: Just let me sleep!

Hugs!

Heaven or Hell

Believe it or not, this did not come from some southern recipe, or from some American State Fair midway food booth. This is a Scottish idea:

Deep-Fried Pizza

That is unbelievably. How to make a piece of junk food even worse for you. Occasionally I do partake of a gourmet homemade pizza with shrooms, veggies, and anchovies. But how did anyone come up with the idea to batter it up and deep-fry it is beyond my comprehension.

But I am wondering what it tastes like.......

Temptation is wicked.

Response

So Mr. President, what do you think of the results?

I'm kind of busy this week and don't have time to write. Hopefully I'll get sometime this weekend.

Have a great day!

Favorite Ape?

Remember to Vote! If you don't like the way the Gorillas have been handling things, then vote in some other apes to take control. I think they all know how to throw shit, is one much different from the others?

Who do you like,

Republicans

Democrats

or the Independents?

I think the Independents have much better hair. That's my reason to vote for them.

Democrats Beware! Cheney is going hunting on Election day!

Band Aid

My weekends are usually set around some kind of running event, if I'm not off somewhere hiking. I usually try to find some worthwhile cause, or popular event, just to be around people who are like me, addicted to running.

Yesterday I went and participated at a run to raise money for a High School band, the High school was way out in the country. When you get out of the city of Montgomery and into the Alabama back country, you meet folks that treat you like they're your best friends just minutes after meeting them. I love those people, and their southern accent is so wonderful, I love talking to them just to hear them speak. Old and young, no matter the race, all are just extremely pleasant people. Contrary to popular myth, those back country folk ain't so dumb. They might act or speak like they don't have good schoolin', but they are very clever, these are the people I want on my side. I thank the folks from Beulah High School, Beulah, Alabama, for an enjoyable Saturday.

If you have a chance to vote on funding for public education, please vote to raise it, wherever we can. Public Education is incredibly underfunded, and the U.S. pays such low taxes. It doesn't matter if you have kids in the public schools or not, everyone in the community benefits from well-educated young people. These are the people that are going to be in charge when we get older, the doctors, lawyers, politicians, technicians, and educators. I want them to have a chance to the best education they can get. In the U.S. we have become too self-centered. Just because you pay for your kid to go to some "academy", doesn't mean you have to ignore the education of the rest of the children. Even if you have no kids, and never plan to have any, you still benefit from a well-educated public.

For your Sunday Spiritualism: Skidboot, the Amazing Dog

P.S. Skidboot's owner is just like those wonderful country folk I met at Saturday's run.

Friday Blogging

From Big Dog Blog - 101 Pictures of Gentle Giants

If Dog was your teacher you would learn stuff like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps. Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout... run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

AND last but still important..........

Never trust anyone until you sniff their . . .well you know.

This week's spiritual guidance link:

Willie

Willie's commentary on CNN:

Willie Nelson: We have a lot to learn from horses

I love this quote from him:

The most superhuman thing about horses is the contrast between their unearthly strength and inherent gentleness. Humans abuse their power while horses use theirs only for good. I'd rather be a horse.

He also notes: Will Rogers said, "You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people."

The picture below is of Scarlett Johansson from The Horse Whisperer