Sunday, January 25, 2009, 03:42 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
This weekend was a heck of a lot better than last weekend. Most importantly, my hip finally stopped aching yesterday. It's been warmer the past few days and it's been less damp. So I was able to do a short workout yesterday (2 miles) and a regular workout today (5 miles).
It was sunny today and Thistle was able to fly. I am so glad to have energy again. I know most people don't understand what it's like to have a companion spirit that can travel outside one's body and feed on sunlight. But that's the case. I'm not human either; I just occupy and animate this human body. It's good to have energy again. Winter is always such a difficult season.
The battery in my 2001 Accord is almost dead. I'm hoping that it will last three more days until payday. The cold weather we had last week pretty much finished it off. I suppose it doesn't help much that my drive to work is fairly short so the battery gets utilized for starting the car but the alternator never runs very long on the way to work.
It's only three more weeks until my initiation. I have to say that the Wiccan path has been a good one for me. Wicca isn't for everyone (nor do we say it is). But for me it seems like the right spiritual path. I've been a lot happier and Halo hasn't inflicted injury on the body in a very long time. We still go to church once per month since Thistle is a Christian, but he doesn't mind that we go to a Wiccan service once per month too. Life's too short to pray to an angry, hateful, capricious desert god. I am really glad to be loved by the Goddess.
The game on Friday night was pretty cool. I'm roleplaying a shaman that's sort of a redneck. He spits, drinks, and gets into bar room brawls. I was sort of inspired by the redneck demon hunter from the series "Supernatural". In that show, the dude has a Caterpillar hat, a bowie knife, and then says stuff like, "I was up all night translating this here cuneiform parchment. Now get your ass over here and help me cast this spell!" Ha ha ha ha!
All in all, it was a good weekend. :)
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( 3 / 1972 )Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 06:57 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
I have to say how impressed I was by Barack Obama's speech today. It's been eight long, hard, terrible years since we've had a president that knew how to read and write. Obama spoke like a *real* president, not a delusional cowbow. He spoke like a real leader, not like someone who hides out at a "ranch" for months at a time. Obama, unlike who he replaces, has worked for a living. He knows what it's like to have to work one's way through college and to have to pay back a student loan. He knows what it's like to work without a net.
Will Barack Hussein Obama succeed at everything he wants to do? Probably not. But at least we have a president now that understands that minorities are real Americans, that gays are real Americans, and pagans are real Americans. He's going to be a president of America, not president of tthe religious right or president of a handful of multinational corporations.
I wish him well. It's a job I couldn't do.
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( 3 / 1242 )Monday, January 12, 2009, 06:37 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
Well, in just eight days it will be the End of an Error. A "president" who stole two elections and single-handedly crafted the Second Great Depression will be leaving office at last. I have to say, however, that the Bush years did teach me quite a bit about what it means to be a "Compassionate Conservative Christian". Here's what I learned from Bush's many leadership examples:
-- It's okay to start a unilateral, unprovoked war against a Third World country when "god" tells you to do so.
-- It's okay to lie to the American people if it gets your agenda accomplished.
-- It's okay for Christians, Jews, and Muslims who die in the service to our country to be buried with full military honors, but the same is not true for Wiccans. (Bush had to lose a lawsuit in 2005 before that could be corrected).
-- It's okay to give a trillion dollars to millionaire bankers and Wall Street speculators, but to give a dime to the Main Street citizens whose homes were being taken by the same banks that got the "bailout" was out of the question.
-- It's awesome to reform bankruptcy laws while at the same time letting credit card companies charge up to 38% interest.
-- When it comes to hurricane relief, it's important that millionaires get plenty of federal aid while hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens are left behind in a morass of contaminated, hip-high flood water.
-- When things go wrong, blame gays.
-- It's okay to perpetuate the lie that gays threaten heterosexual marriage if it stokes up enough hate that it gets Red State votes.
-- When gays get murdered by Christian fundamentalist who cite Bible passages as the motive for the killing, that in no way should be considered a hate crime.
-- It's in the best interest of heterosexual "Family values" that gay couples should be denied access to employee-sponsored health insurance or Social Security benefits.
-- Tax cuts for the rich is something that Jesus would have approved of.
-- It's okay to start a war for no reason so long as your running mate's company gets plenty of no-bid contracts to clean up the mess you's made.
-- Freedom of speech is great, but criticizing the president is unpatriotic and should be punished.
-- It's consistent with conservative fundamentalist Christian values to detain accused criminals indefinitely without legal counsel or judicial review -- and to subject them to torture for years on end.
-- Jesus was a rich, white Republican who would have hung out with Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson.
-- God make Katrina and 911 happen because Christians didn't murder enough gays and Wiccans.
-- Being a compassionate conservative Christian means never apologizing for any mistake and never having to admit doing anything wrong -- ever.
-- It's okay to ruin the ecology since Jesus is coming back "any day now".
-- It's great when fundamentalist churches use church funds to cause a state's constitution to be ammended in order to further their Christofascist agenda.
-- It's awesome for millions of middle class Americans to lose their jobss to outsourcing if the end result is that a few CEOs get billion-dollar bonuses (along with their federal handouts0.
-- We don't have to worry about Bush's doubling of the national debt. Jesus is coming back "any day now!"
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( 3 / 1210 )Friday, January 9, 2009, 09:53 AM - Random Thoughts
I blatantly stole this from Carol's Blog. I tag Tigeryogi and Whim :)
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My 99 Things:
1. Started your own blog. (Actually, I run three parallel blogs on different servers)
2. Slept under the stars. – I’ve done it, but I don’t actually like camping that much.
3. Played in a band. – Sort of, if being in handbell choir for 15 years counts for anything.
4. Visited Hawaii – I’d like to, but I’ll avoid picking up cursed Brady Bunch idols.
5. Watched a meteor shower – I’d like to, but it’s doubtful I ever will, given the light pollution in Baltimore
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Heck no. I can barely afford to keep the heat on in winter.
7. Been to Disneyland/World – No interest – when they invented the “butt in front of everyone else” pass for the rich visitors, I said the heck with it.
8. Climbed a mountain – Not yet, but I’ve done some hiking on moderately high hills (2,000-3,000’ or so.)
9. Held a praying mantis – Yup. They are very cool.
10. Sang a solo. – In church once. I actually did OK.
11. Bungee jumped. – No interest. I used to go hang gliding before I got fat.
12. Visited Paris. – No interest. Parisians hate Americans and I don’t feel like having the waiters spit in my food and then laugh at me in French.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. – Nope, but I’d like to.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. – Sort of. Does teaching myself to use FrontPage count? How about Wicca?
15. Adopted a child. – I used to want kids. But I cannot afford them. Also, if I did adopt, then some Christofascist group would probably make a law that would take my kids away from me anyway.
16. Had food poisoning. Twice. It sucked, big time.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. I’d like to, but we usually go to NYC for Broadway shows.
18. Grown your own vegetables. I’d like to. I’ve grown some flowers before, however.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. – I have no interest in setting foot in France. I’d see the Mona Lisa if it was in a museum somewhere else, however.
20. Slept on an overnight train – the closest thing I’ve been to a train is the Light Rail, and it broke down every time I rode on it.
21. Had a pillow fight. Who hasn’t?
22. Hitch hiked – No, but in my younger/dumber years I have picked up hitch hikers.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill. – Never. I don’t even call out when I am actually ill. I’ve missed six days of work in 18 years.
24. Built a snow fort – Who hasn’t? Hee hee.
25. Held a lamb – No, but I’ve held a little goat once.
26. Gone skinny dipping. – No, I don’t want to cause terror and psychological injury to anyone who might inadvertently see my naked body. (Besides, I don’t look like this body anyway).
27. Run a marathon. – I’d like to. So far it’s just been a few 5km races. I lost – big time.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. – I’d like to, but I don’t know if I will ever be able to afford to go.
29. Seen a total eclipse. – I’ve seen a 90% eclipse and it was pretty neat. The sky seemed so deep blue and the sunlight was so thin.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Plenty of times, and it never gets old.
31. Hit a home run – Uh… I was the kid that always got picked last. I don’t think I’ve ever even gotten to 2nd base on one of my hits. Usually I strike out.
32. Been on a cruise – Several times, and it’s always awesome!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person – I’d like to, but there’s no way I’m riding a barrel to the bottom!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors – I haven’t, but I would like to see Ireland someday.
35. Seen an Amish community. Eh… too low tech for me.
36. Taught yourself a new language. Does Ebonics count? (C’mon, yo! I is ain’goan doon no workin’ when da welfare payz muh billz!)
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Nope. But then, we’ve had Bush for eight years.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person – That would be awesome to see, if I ever get the chance.
39. Gone rock climbing. – It was very cool.
40. Seen Michaelangelo's David in person. See #38.
41. Sung Karaoke. I’ve never been drunk enough to do it.
42. Seen Old Faithful Geyser erupt. See #38.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. I bought a meal for a homeless person once. (Amazing for me, since I usually just tell them to get a job.)
44. Visited Africa. Let’s see… It’s mostly Muslim-controlled regions that hate whites, gays, and witches. Run by penny-ante dictatorships. No medical facilities. I think I’ll pass on that one.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. It never gets old!
46. Been transported in an ambulance. – Hopefully I’ll never have to be either.
47. Had your portrait painted. – I don’t look like the body, so what would be the point?
48. Gone deep sea fishing – Before I was a vegetarian, I caught a 90 Lb tuna
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person. See #38
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If they somehow moved it out of France, I’d go.
51. Gone scuba diving. I’d like to. I’ve been snorkeling and that was pretty cool.
52. Kissed in the rain. – Yup.
53. Played in the mud. Nah… I have too much of a cleanliness issue going on.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. – When I was a kid. It was John Travolta in “Blowout”.
55. Been in a movie. – Nope. But if I could have my choice, it would be cool to be the recurring villain in some cheesy kiddie faux martial arts action series. I have a good menacing laugh!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China – I’d like to if it was a safe place to visit. But I don’t feel like putting myself at risk for imprisonment by way of being Gay, American, and Pagan.
57. Started a business. I am not that good with accounting.
58. Taken a martial arts class. I was taking martial arts before a catastrophic diving accident. Afterwards, I found I lost too much dexterity and coordination to continue.
59. Visited Russia. Er… no.
60. Served at a soup kitchen. Once. That’s pretty amazing, considering that I usually tell the homeless to get jobs.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. No, but I certainly have eaten a lot of Girl Scout cookies over the years.
62. Gone whale watching. I’d like to before they become extinct.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason. Doug gave me flowers once. It was nice.
64. Donated blood. That was when I was still a virgin. The Dread Doublecross apparently thinks that ALL gay men have AIDS and thus won’t let any gay man who has had gay sex even once ever donate blood.
65. Gone sky diving – I’d like to. I have been hang gliding and parasailing before (before I got fat).
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. – I don’t think I could psychologically withstand it.
67. Bounced a cheque. Plenty of times.
68. Flown in a helicopter. No, but I’d like to. I’ve been in a biplane before.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy. I tried to. The father-monster took everything I ever owned – literally – even my stuffed animals.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. It wasn’t all that memorable.
71. Eaten Caviar. Yeah, but it didn’t make me feel rich or sophisticated. It just tasted sorta fishy.
72. Pieced a quilt. Nah. I’d like to learn how to knit, however.
73. Stood in Times Square. Plenty of times. It’s not that big a deal.
74. Toured the Everglades. I’d like to. The fan boats look cool.
75. Been fired from a job. No, but I’ve had some close calls.
76. Seen the changing of the guard in London. Eh… not a big priority for me.
77. Broken a bone – No, but the diving accident came pretty damned close to breaking my neck. I think it sorta shoved bones out of the way – a lot. It still hurts sometimes to this day.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. I used to have a motorcycle before they all cost as much as cars.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. I would love to see it.
80. Published a book. It was a flop, but I did get published once.
81. Visited the Vatican. Let’s see… I’m gay and I practice Wicca. Nah…
82. Bought a brand new car. I got Doug a Scion xD last year. It’s ultra-cute.
83. Walked in Jerusalem. I’m averse to getting blown up in a pizza parlor by islamofascists.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. Nope. I hope I never do either!
85. Read the entire Bible. I have. I think it’s part of why I turned to Wicca. YHVH is a cruel, capricious war god who breaks his word.
86. Visited the White House. – I toured the part they let tourists see. I’ve never seen the Monica Lewinsky suite, however.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Er… no. Part of me becoming a vegetarian is the knowledge that buying pre-killed animals to eat is sorta dishonorable. I would eat meat if I was actually a hunter and needed to kill an animal in order to survive.
88. Had chickenpox. It sucked.
89. Saved someone's life. Not that I’m aware of.
90. Sat on a jury. I almost had jury duty a few times.
91. Met someone famous. I am not impressed by fame.
92. Joined a Book Club. I let it lapse, however.
93. Lost a loved one. – Jewel, 2/10/2008.
94. Had a baby – Well… I’m a man…
95. Seen the Alamo in person. – If I was in the neighborhood, maybe. But it’s not high on my priority list.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake – Are gays allowed in Utah?
97. Been involved in a law suit. – Yeah, some dude in 1998 tried to say I discriminated him for employment because of his disability. But it was a crock since the person I hired had more experience and was better qualified. I won.
98. Owned a cell phone. I used to sell them too.
99. Been stung by a bee. Yeah, and I’m also allergic. Ugh.
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( 3 / 1458 )Monday, November 17, 2008, 07:23 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
Well, my web hosting service has been down for two days, so I had no email access and my website was down. Oh well. It sucked. But I make backups of everything that I can make backups of.
The changeling effect burned out yet another cell phone this past week. The "changeling effect" is the effect I cause on electronics when I get emotionally agitated. If I'm really angry or really upset (usually rage, not sorrow does this), electronics tend to burn out. That's why it's no use wearing a watch. So I was really pissed off about Prop-8 and I was pissed off about my loathsome uncle, and I was talking on the phone with Java and the phone went "zzt...pzzzt.. zzt..." and that was it for the phone.
It's not the first time this has happened.
I also can't seem to keep a wireless router working or compact fluorescent tubes. Or MP3 players.
Oh... Carol wanted to know some of our favorite songs:
Indigo: "In Your Eyes", Peter Gabriel. (the live version from Secret World)
Thistle: "Platform Cloud", Flowchart.
Halo: "The Celebration of the Lizard", The Doors
Ashen: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", AC/DC
Willow: "Oro", Morira
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( 3 / 1505 )Saturday, November 1, 2008, 09:26 AM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
I read recently that Microsoft is getting ready to unleash a newer version of Windows in early 2010. Of course, the first thing I thought was, "but wait, Microsoft hasn't fixed Vista yet!" Apparently it's never going to be fixed. Customers are going to be expected to simply buy new computers and a new OS 18 months from now. Nice!
Well, I regret not buying a Mac every time I turn my computer on. But, I'll throw in my two cents worth for how I think the next Microsoft OS should be.
-- It needs to be faster. That is a huge gripe all by itself. There is no reason why a computer with a 2.2 GHz processor (on Vista) should run as slow as a 900 MHz processor (on WinXP).
-- It needs to be more stable. Currently, I don't actually have any software applications that run better in Vista than they did in WinXP. And there is no excuse for Internet Explorer to crash as often as it does, considering that it was designed by Microsoft specifically for Vista. Microsoft really needs to figure out how Vista got released with such sloppy code.
-- It needs a special "compatibility" window. Considering that almost NONE of my older applications run in Vista, I think the next version needs to have Microsoft Virtual Machine integrated into the OS so that folks with older applications can access them in a separately-run window.
-- Get rid of the "paranoia" prompts. In Vista, every time it launches a dialogue box for user input regarding even the most trivial changes to the system, the user gets treated to: "bloop"... black screen... wait wait wait wait wait... "bloop"... greyscale screen... "Are you sure you really want to do this?"... black screen... wait wait wait wait wait wait. Done. This is REALLY annoying.
-- Make it a LOT less expensive. Asking $200 for the crippled version of Vista (Home Premium) and over $400 for the real version (Ultimate) is a crock. Bill Gates might be a billionaire, but most folks aren't. (Side note: I would have gladly upgraded to Office 2007 Professional if the $379 price tag hadn't been in the way. Think in the $150 range next time!)
-- Make it easier to set up dual-boot. There may be a way to put WinXP and Vista on the same machine already, but I haven't figured it out. The next version of the OS should have an optionally activated "boot console" for allowing users to choose from various installed operating systems (ie. Windows-7, WinXP, command prompts, ancient DOS for those vintage video games). Mac has had this for years.
Personally, I don't see any of these changes being made, since I'm pretty pessimistic about Microsoft. My prediction is that the next OS will require 64 Gb RAM, an 800 Gb hard drive, an Intel QuadCore processor array running at 4.5 Ghz, and a 512 Mb nVidia chipset. That will, of course, be the *minimum*. To run the OS correctly, simply triple these estimates. Oh, and it'll still run like a 900 MHz Celeron.
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( 3.1 / 1625 )Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 08:39 AM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
The interesting thing in Maryland this year is that the day after Thanksgiving has now been declared American Indian Heritage Day. I think it's a good thing, since it's good for white people to be reminded that the Thanksgiving feast the Native Americans helped provide for the colonists was repaid with betrayal and genocide.
When I think of how people of my ancestry conducted themselves, I feel ashamed. North America is a *very large* land mass. There is no reason whatsoever that Europeans and Native Americans could not have shared the land, shared the resources, shared culture, and shared knowledge. Instead, the settlers traded food from the Indians and in exchange gave them clothing and blankets that were purposefully contaminated with small pox. The white government conquered and subdued the Indians through the use of superior firepower and sheer manpower. And, considering that the Europeans came to America seeking religious freedom, they organized a campaign to wipe out the Native American religious practices as well as their culture.
Fast forward four hundred years.
The Religious Reich hasn't changed one bit. They still like it when misunderstood minorities die in huge numbers (remember how the Religious Right danced a jig when AIDS wiped out a big chunk of the gay population in the late 1980s?) They still make laws to punish people of different religions (it's still illegal to practice Wicca in some areas of the country, despite the 1st Amendment!) I guarantee that the Religious Reich would have no moral opposition to the government setting up death-reservations to exterminate gays (if only their elected officials would agree to do what is "right" for the sake of their "truth").
So, at least in Maryland, the white folks' betrayal of the Native Americans is thrown in their descendants' faces now. I think that's a good thing.
If I had a time machine and a universal translator (ala Star Trek), I'd warn off the native tribes. I'd tell them that it's really in their best interest to avoid the people who worship two perpendicular sticks because they are actually thieves and genocidal maniacs. People with a five-pointed star, on the other hand, are not thieves and aren't genocidal maniacs. If enough of the Religious Reich had been starved out in the early days of colonization, things might have been VERY different for this nation.
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( 3 / 1744 )Friday, October 24, 2008, 01:12 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
Y'know... I thought that the McCain/Palin team couldn't get much more disconnected from reality than they already are. But I was wrong! The past two weeks have just been dizzying in their defiance of common sense.
Tell me: What was Palin thinking about when she bought $150,000 worth of clothes 13 days before the general election. That's twice what Doug and I paid for our friggin' HOUSE. What kind of wardrobe costs $150k? Is she going to write it off on her taxes as a "business expense", and thus make us taxpayers foot the bill for her wastefulness? How can somebody who claims to have "mainstream conservative values" blow in one day what it takes me five years to earn (before taxes)?! This is someone who obviously has no clue about how the average American has to scrimp and budget in these days of high inflation and stagnant income. And yet she thinks she's somehow representative of America because she knows how to shoot a moose.
Speaking of wildlife, Palin also thinks that "285" isn't a "small number" when referring to the population of Beluga whales. That's right: she fought tooth and nail to keep Beluga whales off the endangered species list despite the fact that they have been hunted to near-extinction. She was overruled, thankfully. But I can't help but to think that since she is a hard-core Creationist who thinks the world is only 6,000 years old, she can sort of pretend that Beluga whales never existed if they go extinct. After all, dinosaurs are extinct and she doesn't believe in them either.
Another departure from reality is how she instituted a policy in Alaska that rape victims have to *pay* for the forensic kits. That is just so harsh as to simply boggle the mind. But then, this is the same person who wants to deny rape victims the right to abortion if she is impregnated as a result of the rape. Palin obviously thinks it's fair that a rape victim be forced to carry a rapist's baby to full term. Once the baby is born, of course, the rapist has full legal right to visitation and can even sue to get full custody of the child and then ask for child support from the rape victim for raising the child! Unbelievable.
Oh, and the "family values" VP wants to undo all the gay marriages and civil unions in this country. That would be quickly followed up by nullifying all adoptions done by same-sex couples. She really does think gay people are inherently evil. I wonder how she'll be on separation of Church and State? I wonder how she'll be on civil rights? How will her treatment of other minorities be? She obviously thinks gays are evil, and she doesn't think much of people who aren't tongue-speaking fundamentalist Christians.
And, of course, there's John "Nine Mansions" McCain with his Wall Street Bailout Bonanza. It amazes me that the guy who claimed to be a fiscal conservative had no problem signing on to a piece of legislation that forked over nearly a trillion dollars to foolhardy speculators. And yet, the bailout did not provision one single penny for stabilizing shaky mortgages. So there are thousands of people every month who continue to lose their homes while millionaire bankers get a huge bailout check. Maybe McCain doesn't know that most citizens don't own nine mansions. Maybe he thinks that if one mansion gets foreclosed, the average citizen still has eight more mansions in reserve. Who knows? But what he seems to not understand is that most households are barely hanging on to the single (non-mansion) home they do have in the face of spiraling food, fuel, medical, and education costs that have completely outstripped any income growth this country has seen lately.
McCain is also a big fan of taxing health insurance. I guess he thinks the average American can afford an extra $50-$80/month in new taxes.
I realize that most Republicans who want to vote for McCain are doing so because they fear gays, that they think Bush was sent by God to lead our country, and that McCain will continue the Bush doctrine. But the American people really need to start thinking in terms of self-preservation. Yes, Obama isn't going to clamp down on homosexuals (sorry to the Religious Reich), but he's also less likely to keep sending our country down the path of absolute ruin (as the Bush doctrine has done).
With McCain/Palin, you get Bush-III (McCain) and an uber-bigot (Palin). McCain is just like Bush, but older and with a lousy temper. I think Palin is so far "out there" that she's from another planet!
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( 3 / 1508 )Saturday, October 18, 2008, 03:12 PM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
I started getting my case load this week. I now had 12 ne'er-do-wells under my direct supervision. I've got one burglar, two drunks, and eight junkies and a dope dealer. Ironically, the dope dealer is the only one with a legitimate job too. Eventually my case load will be built up to the 60-70 range. But I am very glad that I'm not in the violent offenders unit. Most of my cases are going to be junkie bums, drunk drivers, and dope dealers.
Doug and I did our usual Saturday morning pancake breakfast at First Watch. The pancakes are huge and the food is pretty inexpensive. Yay!
It was really sunny today and windy. Thistle got to fly for a while. It's good for him to have energy. It will be a shame when the skies grow dark with the upcoming winter. Halo doesn't mind the dark, but it's hard for Thistle (and me too!) Thistle likes the music written by a recording artist named Hae. I'm not sure what Doug thought of it, however, heh heh.
I did a prayer ritual for my mom today. She is very ill and doesn't have a lot of time left. The last time I talked with her, she said she was in pain almost all the time and that she was just getting worn down from being in and out of the hospital all the time. She's down to 81 pounds. She told me she wanted me to remember her how she was when she was healthy. I wish that she was not in pain. I don't want her to go, but I know that it'll be time soon. I hope the cigarette company executives get reincarnated as laboratory rats in their next life.
I went to the gym and did a good workout. The body weighs 182 pounds. I try to stay healthy because I never want to be a burden to Doug.
Oh... I also found out from mom that my bogus sister (Jenny) is basically acting like a teenage slut. She's 36 years old but has been sleeping around town with a seemingly endless string of 20-25-year-old young men. She's still married (but separated) but I imagine she was cheating on her husband long before she moved back to Altoona. Maybe that's also why her finances are so bad: keeping an array of boy-toys happy can get pretty expensive quickly. She didn't put her 16-year-old daughter back in school in Altoona either. She told the school board she is being "home schooled". Yeah, right. Alli (the daughter) has mostly been helping to take care of my mom while Jenny is out whoring around. But she hasn't been schooled at all lately. I find it amazing that Jenny and I actually have the same parents.
Jenny doesn't like to pay bills. She has close to $70,000 in credit card debt and she currently has no income (she ought to become a prostitute, since then she'd be getting cash for her favorite activity). She's declared bankruptcy twice. She also embezzled money from my grandmother (when my grandmother was still alive). By contrast, I have only ONE credit card ($2,100 balance) but I also have $1,900 in a CD, so I'm technically only $200 in debt. Gee... I live within my means. What a concept. When I got my raise, I added $50/month more into automatic retirement savings.
So... that's what's going on this weekend. Whoo-hoo!
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( 3 / 1561 )Friday, October 10, 2008, 08:18 AM - Random Thoughts
Indigo Incarnates
Egads! The "dark" time of year is pretty much at hand. It's pitch black when I get up in the morning and the sun is just crossing the horizon by the time I get to work. My energy level goes way down and I'm a lot more prone to depression when I can't get enough sunlight. Changelings need sunlight. It's going to really be distressing when the clocks change for daylight savings time (an antiquated practice that I wish would be abandoned). The practice of adjusting the clocks by an hour has the effect of making it be dark at 5:00pm. Once that happens, I basically won't see the sun again until spring since my office has no windows, I arrive for work pretty early, and I get off at 4:30pm. By the time I get home, it will be dark. I'm really not looking forward to that. I've survived it every other year and I'm sure this year won't be any different. But that doesn't mean I like it.
My mom's health continues to deteriorate. She's down to 90 pounds. I feel really sad for her, since she spent almost 40 years having an alcohol problem and being a heavy smoker. About two years ago she went to detox and quit alcohol and got her smoking down to about a pack per week. The damage was done, however. And then Uncle Jimmy did a bunch of unsafe home improvements that had the net effect of being the straw that broke the camel's back. All the dust and mold from his cheap/shoddy demolition/reconstruction pushed mom's lung condition from "dangerous" to "terminal". So mom won't get to enjoy sobriety very long. I really feel sad about this because I love her very much. It always seems that rich psychopaths get whatever they want, whenever they want it, and never have to face repercussions for what they have done. I wish that Uncle Jimmy would have to pay for what he's done, but he never will. He follows YHVH, and the angry desert god rewards the strong, the rich, and the cruel.
I start getting my own cases on Tuesday. I am glad that my office is away from the rest of the Case Agents here. I won't get easily sucked into the office politics or the tangled web of gossip and drama. I think most of my coworkers are kinda phoney anyway. After all, not one single person will own up to making an anonymous complaint about my Tree of Life, but one of them must have for me to so quickly have been ordered to take it down. I'm not going to make a retaliatory complaint, since the various Christian sloganeering in their offices don't actually offend me and I don't spend much time in their offices. But it does bother me that I am the subject of a double standard and that someone finds Wicca "offensive". Well, there has never been a "holy" war instigated by Wiccans, and no Wiccan has ever burned a Christian at the stake. so whose faith is "offensive"?
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