Australian xmas song

over-crowded commercialism and smiles

The Christmas season is upon us once again...and depending on how often you shop, you may feel this announcement is much belated (since most of the shops announced it in October). Yet much like every year, i find it difficult to really through myself into Christmas before December.

Every year, i comment on how different Christmas in Australia is to the Christmas i grew up with. This year i find myself enjoying the similarities.

My favourite similarity is the packed shopping centres. Now i am not a fan of over crowded commercialism, i am a fan of getting reactions from people. The easiest time to do this is Christmas season. There is the stress of finding presents for all your family and friends AND the office bitch who you would rather not buy a present for, but her stupid secret Santa HAD to be you this year. So as people try to navigate past the crowds to find that gift for so and so, i often see a somber facial tone. Yet it only takes a grin from a pregnant lady to reset the face to friendly. Like no other time of year, do you find people more willing to smile back at you. It is really kind of cool.

Merry Christmas

A beautiful lights display featuring the music of Trans Siberian Orchestra.

Think for yourself and know that i believe you can

As i prepare for the birth of my child, i am constantly thinking about things that i want my child to know; things i want them to believe.

The thing i want for them most is to be able to think things through for themself. I want them to believe in their heart of hearts that i believe in them.

I don't expect my child to have all the same beliefs that i have, but i do hope i have the courage to support their conclusions and praise their effort to get to the conclusions.

And every day i will quote them dr. seuss: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."

living down to expectations

Click picture to enlarge

Child pornography in society

For as long as there has been artists, there has been controversy about art. If art is meant to challenge society, not all art work will be pleasant. If art is meant to reflect society, not all art work will be pleasant. If art is meant to entertain society, art work will be frivolous.

Almost 2 years ago now Bill Henson displayed a photo of a naked 13 year old girl. She didn't wear make up or strike a seductive pose, she wasn't lit provocatively- but she was naked. This caused a fury about child pornography. The girl was nude, therefore it was porn, was the general gist of the news articles i read on the subject.

In a few days Miley Cyrus will turn 17. She is not yet at the legally be of the age of consent. About one month ago, she released the video 'Party in the USA' which (it can be argued, and i do argue) sexualise her. The song opens with her in short shorts and the camera panning up and down her legs. While the video refrains from showing her naked, it does sensationalise her sexuality even though she is not 'legal' in the United States, presumably where it was shot.

Why was there no outrage over this? Why is there no outrage when underage celebrities gyrate for a camera or an audience?

Perhaps the fault lies with the belief that naked = porn when in fact titillation = porn. If the object of pornography is to arouse the viewer, then Miley's video makes a good effort. If the object of pornography is simply to show a naked body...then shower gel commercials should be banned.

My point is not to say that Bill Henson was blameless to display images of a naked girl. My point is to question our values as a society. Perhaps while we were busy boarding up our house from the obvious we forgot what we were really trying to keep out. We've inadvertently attempted to gag those who want to talk about our exploitation of children and paid the exploiters extra for more shows.

ritual, tradition, and hell

Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Greetings
Originally uploaded by Fort Photo

Growing up my family had few traditions. But one of the few was celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. We would read the Christmas Story, open presents, and all sleep under the tree. It was magical.

A good friend of mine, however, did not have these traditions for Christmas. In fact their family tradition at Christmas, was to pretend it didn't exist. They were fearful that the roots of the Christmas celebration hearkened back to pagan origin. They of course had proof. The evergreen tree was part of this ritual, the time of year Christmas is celebrated corresponds with winter solstice celebrations...and of course the family was absolutely correct. These are the origins for many of the things associated with Christmas. So does this suddenly make Christmas less Christian and more 'evil'?

I have often noticed that my local Church carries around dual baggage. On one hand they are quite fearful of the idea of accidentally celebrating and revelling in something that may actually hold less than savoury beginnings. Halloween, for instance, is definitely out! There is a fear that if you celebrate something that has "satanic" origins than, you are in fact worshipping the devil himself.

On the other hand, it is impossible to accidentally worship God. They tell me that even if i do all the rituals, like go to church weekly, say prayers, and read my Bible, I'm not *really* worshipping unless i give my heart to Him.

So dual beliefs continue. If i ritually keep a holiday, i could in fact be unconsciously giving myself to evil, yet if i ritually keep religion, i'm still in danger of hell.

I suppose there is no satisfying others.

Avenue Q

I was invited to go see a play in Sydney with Melody. It was so much fun. We went to see Avenue Q. It had some striking similarities to sesame street. The main difference was the language, drug references, and sex with puppets (which was very funny). Here is a taste...without the sex scene:)




And a bit of background, if your interested...

pop dogma

I was first introduced to 'Buddy Christ" in the film Dogma. Buddy Christ is used as a religious parody icon. It was created to BE a parody icon. It was created with the idea of making people go "woah! someone is taking their religion to the ridiculous level"

So it always makes me second glance when i see Buddy Christ being held with reverence, or placed in a home where it is taken seriously. "Of course, Christ is my buddy" i hear people say.

I suppose i could be in awe that something that was created to be ridiculous has been re-branded for a 'holy' or more meaningful purpose.

But generally i just think those people got scammed.

creating a top five

Could you come up with a top five favourite Joss Whedon characters? Sci Fi Uk thought they could.

They compiled a list of characters they believe are the most enduring Whedonverse characters. I disagree. So because i have my own blog, i will give my list.

5. Fred
4. Dr. Horrible
3. Willow
2. Spike
1.River Tam

The only problem is that after writing this list up, i realise that there are other characters who really should make this list.

Xander, Anya, Zoe, Captain Hammer, Lorne, Kaylee, Faith, Buffy, Tara, Topher....oh dear...my list of top five is turning into quite a mess. I guess the truth is i can't limit it to a mere top five. I'm not even sure i can really put them into an order!

I am left with no alternative but to admit that Joss and his people have some mad skill when it comes to character creation. I wonder if i can learn the skill...

sad story

Details are still emerging but it looks to be more proof that carrying a gun doesn't protect you from gun violence.

A US mother who openly carried a gun to her 5 year old daughter's football game last year was shot dead this week. (story here)

Whether she was carrying her gun at the time and who was responsible for the shooting are still being investigated.

Her open advocacy for her right to carry a gun did nothing to protect her from getting shot. Nor did it keep the trauma of that kind of violence from her 3 young children.

I could give another speech on gun control, but i think i've already made myself very clear on the topic.

Cleopatra Stratan

The translation (as far as i can find out) is a children's song about animals and a very talented cat. I found the translated lyrics here, but you might find the song fun without knowing the lyrics. She is such a talented little girl.

I do feel bad for the director though. They say never work with children or animals and this poor person obviously did both to an insane level. You can see the dogs barking in some of the background scenes and the cats getting upset...it could not have been a headache free set.

Top 5 reasons to be happy

For the last couple of weeks i've been working on building a tiny life form. Some of the time it sucks...(or rather blows). If i'm not careful i can find myself completely obsessing over the hard part of it. So i thought i would remind myself of 5 things that are great about my life right now.

5. Getting to eat blueberry pie without any guilt at all.
4. Getting phone calls from friends/family to cheer me up
3. Being brought meals in bed
2. Listening to my animals 'talk' in their sleep. (it makes me giggle)
1. Watching my husband's eyes light up when we talk about bub

celebrity obsession

Has anyone else noticed that the children of celebrities seem to be getting a lot of media attention? For instance, Angelina Jolie's children Tome Cruise's daughter, Suri, all get their own column in gossip pages. There is an unholy amount of chatter about their diet, and i'm not sure any of them have past the age of 10. What are they wearing and how cute they can be, all make the gossip pages and sites.

Once they grow up, you would think the media might lose interest. But if Rumor Willis is any indication, the answer is no.

It seems that the world has created a virtual village of people (celebrities) to watch. We watch what they say, they do, they eat, they wear. And now we watch their children and put the same level of expectations on them as we do their adult parents. We want them to entertain us...And they will.

Generations of child stars have proven that the pressure of constant media scrutiny leads to some pretty messed up teenagers and adults. The world applies the pressure and the media watch these children crack and we sit back at home and shake their heads. "celebrities" we say.

Are we really encouraging this kind of coliseum entertainment? It appears so. We can't take our eyes away. We pay our entrance fee with subscriptions and website advertisements. With every click we create the lion that has the potential to tear a life apart. But we just can't look away.

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience! - GB Shaw

too cute

photo from Alyson's twitter page. Click here for the link

FYI

Its coming. Slowly, but it is. We have not been able to assertain if it is human or not, although i've been assured, it is.

So far, we (we, meaning me) are 10 weeks pregnant.

As for how i feel about it...

I'm excited and scared but very happy...and SICK. OMG! i am so sick! you would not believe how ridiculously sick i am. So far been to the hospital once to get an IV drip...but at least that made me feel better. Even though the nurse took samples of my blood and spilt them all over me, the bed, the floor, and the blanket. YUCK!

Well...i hear the morning sickness usually stops after the first trimester...or 16 weeks...i live in hope.

the promised photo

The end of an exciting drama weekend



One cast member show her appreciation for all the pies in the face i made her go thru.

hehehe

see more Political Pictures

tripping

Been researching our trip to New Zealand. I'm quite excited about it. I've never been. We've got lots to see. Hubby is taking me on a whirlwind tour of places he grew up and things he fondly remembers. So it is my job to find the house we'll stay in over christmas. So far, lots of luck finding fabulous places that are all booked out. Perhaps i'll have to rely on my charm to help us find a place....then again, my charm rarely works on anyone besides Hubby. perhaps an alternative plan is in order.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Penguin

The last little bit has been crazy!! Between general 'life' and organising the awesomest play ever (suck to be you if you missed it) i've been too busy to actually post a thing here.

Now i'm finally back at life, in a normal since of the word, and basking in the glow that comes after such a performance...er...2 performances actually.

The 14 member cast gave me 2 large bunches of flowers and a cream pie in the face at the end. it was fun! Pictures will come...when i can track them down. For now, know that i'm happy, healthy (mostly), and tried.

Play time!

If you live in the Newcastle (Australia) area and love Pratchett, we've got a show for you. A Random Bunch of Thespians are putting on a production of Terry Pratchett's Men at Arms. This production will be at the Newcastle Playhouse. For tickets, visit Ticketek

HELP!

I need my american girl friend to come to my house ASAP! her dress making skills...no...her CAPE making skills are required. She made my awesomest cape ever when we were in high school...now i need her to address the dress required for Terry Pratchett's death.

JENNE I NEED YOU! i'm sending out the seamstress signal!

From Comic-Con

A brief statement between Comic-Con attendees...
Guy #1: "I haven't seen a single slave Leia this year."


Guy #2: "That's gotta be a sign of the apocalypse. I blame the vampires."





More quotes found here

great songs from Commentary: the musical

Warning: the following rant may offend

[insert music "lets talk about sex, baby. Lets talk about you and me...]

If you were raised in a Christian lifestyle you would have had it pounded into you (hehe.."pounded into you") that you were NOT supposed to have sex before you were married. Every good christian girl knows that they are supposed to wait because sex will be "amazing" once they finally made it to that big glorious white ceremony at the church.

Christian books will tell you that waiting makes you better able to connect with your future spouse. They tell you it builds trust between two people. That sex will be better and your marriage is sure to last if you abstain. They tell you that if you don't wait, you will instantly become pregnant and or contract a STI.


The problem with these books is that they use fear and manipulation to pressure people into an early marriage. I have known more than one couple who chose to get married because they wanted to have sex. An early marriage does not build trust. A rushed relationship does not guarentee a good marriage just because genitals weren't bumped before the "i dos" were said.

I don't have a problem with waiting for your spouse. I think a big reason why i chose to wait was because i didn't want to tempt the fates and get a disease or become pregnant (which i kinda saw as a disease anyway).

Things that really make a relationship work have more to do with communication, thoughtfullness, forgiveness, growing together, and shared goals....and more communication. While sex might impact these things, the impact is minimal if the communication is great enough. There is very little that can't be overcome with a well thoughtout discussion.

It has been my experience that 90% of the Christian dating books have been useless. They have done little to address the real issue of marriage, learning how to communicate with your spouse. They spend too much time warning of the dangers of sex and telling you how amazing it will be after you get married. But really, IT IS JUST SEX! it is far smaller an issue that being true to yourself through adolence or learning how to interact with the opposite sex without losing yourself.

There is much to be said for waiting for marriage...this is more to be said for developing fabulous communication before marriage. I just wish more would be written about it.

(watch this space for Kristin's new book: Beating back the Christian social bullshit)

this is funny!

It is so much fun when a tv series is able to mock itself, IN SHOW!...This is from the series Angel...watch as it mocks where it came from: Buffy

sharing the passion

I do love Joss Whedon...it is not a big secret. I have adored his Dollhouse series and was somewhat disappointed with the response it got. However, that seems to be changing. I read a great little blog entry about what dollhouse is about. I thought i'd share the link because Alyssa says it so well!

Click here

Too much radio goo goo!

As a 'perk' of my job i get to listen to the top 40 radio station all day long. Every morning they do a segment where the male host calls up some unsuspecting victim and convinces them that something has gone horribly wrong in their life. He continues to pester them until they come unstuck and start swearing or yelling. He then reveals himself (as a radio host) and tells them one of their beloved friends or relatives set them up. and then comes the part i don't get. The person who has just been duped, THANKS the radio host for doing this to them.

I find the whole process annoying at best so perhaps i should find a different topic to speak on but i can't help but want to rant a little.

If anyone did this to me, there would be no "funny ha ha" moment at the end. There would be a 'click'. The person who set me up would find that our relationship had somewhat soured. I have enough stress in my life, i really don't want anyone ADDING TO IT!

and i guess i kind of imagine the rest of the world is the same...

but apparently I'm wrong because these poor losers keep THANKING the damn host for stressing them out til their eyeballs pop!

some days i really do feel like an alien on this planet.

i love my comedy shows...I love Paul McDermott...they should over work him and have him on tv every night.

Maybe i'll petition for a Paul tv sweatshop:)

it might sound sus...but it would make me happy

i really enjoyed postsecrets this week. Can't really say why this week was better than other, but it just seemed to hit the spot...

the stress might be getting to me

If I hear one more advertisement tell me to "trust the experts", i think i'm going to scream! Every advertisement that claims to have found a cure for this that or the other thing continues to demand that i trust them, but give little or no reason why. Perhaps i should trust them because they are on television, the internet, or my radio. But the truth is, very few of the advertisements will give exactly what they promise. In fact, i have yet to find a product that does what a television comercial claim it does.

For instance, IBProfin does not lead to walks on beaches with dogs. At best, it leads to not writhing around in pain.

Various de-greasers do not magically wipe the grease way with an easy swipe. You have to scrub! It is a dirty job and i never get to the end of it and look 'fresh'.

So, dear advertisers, i do NOT want to trust you or whatever product you are peddling. now leave me the FUCK alone!!!!

Becky inspired: Last words

Philby, St John ( -1960) "God, I'm bored."

Rodgers, James W. ( -1960) [American criminal] "Why yes, a bulletproof vest!" (On his final request before the firing squad.)

Thoreau, Henry David (1817-1862)
`Have you made your peace with your God?'
`I never quarreled with my God.'
`But aren't you concerned about the next world?'
`One world at a time.'
(Discussion with his aunt on his deathbed)

Villa, Francisco `Pancho' (1878-1923) "Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."

Voltaire (1694-1778) "This is no time to make new enemies." (When asked on his deathbed to forswear Satan.)

Wilde, Oscar (1854-1900) "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do!"

quotes from: Mapping.com

Spend most of the day trying to do something that i didn't have the skill for....sigh...it feels like a waisted day. grrr.

a response

The Fourth of July is the day Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, not that it was actually signed on July fourth, they just celebrate it then. (We'll blame the teachers for that one) The Declaration of Independence made known to the world (eg, Britain) that the people were no longer going to be kicked around by another country. From now on, they stated, we will kick our own people around! This were their first step away from the parent country. Thus America celebrates her freedom every 4th of July.

Having spent my entire childhood in the United States, I have found myself in a position of losing a holiday when I moved to Australia. Growing up my family loved a good celebration, especially if it held the potential to blow someone's hand off. The day would start out early. Dad would start the makings of vanilla ice cream. Soon we'd have bags packed and be heading out to our favourite firework destination. As any good hill billy will tell you, the best locations are on tops of cars and buildings. We'd stake our spot with friends and start up the barbecue. The barbecue would involve hot dogs and roasted corn on the cob that would swim in butter. For desert, watermelon and ice cream. With our bellies bulging, we lay on blankets (yes, on top of cars and occasionally a roof) to watch the official fireworks show. It would be spectacular. It would feel like you could reach out and touch those big sparkly fireballs. But the end of the firework show didn't mean the end of the night. Now it was time to light our own fireworks. My entire street would line up in their driveways to light off firecrackers. The street lit up like daylight...if daylight was green, blue, red, and gold. The whole neighbourhood was filled with sound. Screaming rockets were thrown into the sky to explode into bright colours. Smoke would hang heavy in the air, it would fill the nostrils and sting the eyes. It was one of 2 nights of the year we were allowed to stay up well past midnight. (the other was Christmas Eve...yeah, we had extra traditions for Christmas)

Over the past decade national freedoms in America have changed. Our understanding of freedom of speech and freedom of press, among many, have all changed. Personal freedom, such as the freedom to make a choice, a stand, a statement of belief, have not. Nationally we may be free, but freedom is not simply a state of a nation. It is a state of mind and body. It is personal. The choices we make about the people we want to be, continues to effect us. If we,as people, take these choices of freedom for granted our personal growth becomes stunted at best, stagnate at worst. No matter what our political stance, we celebrate and revel in our freedom, nationally as well as personally, on July 4th.

Today, I've missed my 7th fourth of July celebration but I am not concerned. I miss the fanfare, but when I'm serious, I know that my personal freedom was not founded on July 4. For me, freedom was very physical. It was when I took my first hesitant steps as an adult, spread my wings and flew away. Freedom to me is about making my own decisions, choosing my own path. Much like the United States, I'll probably make a few mistakes along the way, but no one will ever accuse me of taking my freedom for granted.

wishing

If i click my heals together three times and say "there is no place like buffy-verse, there is no place like buffy-verse" will this come true?

Buffy kills Edward

I can't help but be a little bit happy about this mash up.

Michael Jackson

It appears that the legendary singer, Michael Jackson, has died today. He lived by the rockers creed, Live fast, Die young...although it is debatable whether he left a beautiful corps.

Radio stations around the world will be playing an increased number of his songs tonight. I suppose that is how it should be.

RIP MJ

goodnight moon

it is time to sleep after a very long week of work...

I only have to rise at 6am for my day off!

UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE!

assholes should be banned from the roads. especially assholes that try to merge into MY car then speed off when they cause a major accident.

I started new job this week. AWESOME! I fed a peacock named Fabio yesterday.

I'll post more once training has ended...so...see ya next week.

saying something

original post here

afternoon naptime

The house is suddenly eerily quiet. Kittens are sleeping in odd places around the house. They just suddenly stopped. Now i must be careful not to accidentally sit on them.

Even the mother has slunk off to a quiet nap time space. I feel so alone in this sleeping house. Yet i know that there is one animal i can always rely on to be ready for action. Faith, my trusted companion, won't let me down. She will play with me!

But alas, the kittens wore her out ages ago.

sigh.

i'm so vain

we had some photos of the family taken the other day. They turned out amazing!

bumper sticker

A friend of mine found this bumper sticker. I love it. i want one for my car now.

kitty photoshoot!

It took putting them into the fishbowl only once to get them excited about playing in them. Even after the shoot was over, they sought out the fish bowls to play in them.









These kittens go back to the RSPCA on Thursday (11 June 09) If you are interested in adopting one of these beauties, please let me know. I will be happy to pass your name on to the RSPCA so they can hold the kitten for you.

the scariest picture EVER

the subtle difference between obama and gordon brown

Favourite quote of the week

Apparently in Germany, traces of cocaine were found Red Bull. This has led to a banning of the drink. In New Zealand, a woman who has continued heart problems due to drinking nothing but Red Bull, has claimed the drink is addictive. [linkage here]

In response to these allegations Red Bull issued this statement:

A Red Bull spokesman said there was “scientific evidence that caffeine is not addictive”.

The quote reminds me of the movie, "thank you for smoking". In the film a Public Relations officer must promote smoking to the world, yet teach his child a healthy lifestyle.

I wonder if this spokesman feels he is that Public Relations officer.

Missing Link

The media is a buzz with news that the 'missing link' between ape and human has been found. When i first heard the story i was excited. The implications of this find are more than just history. This potentially challenges religion and by association, society. So it was with great excitement that i went researching this news story online.



I was sad at what i discovered. This is not (yet) the find of the universe. This is a media stunt. This was a publicists wet dream. You see, this story is being promoted along side a documentary about this find. And while the publicists are happy to label this find as 'THE missing link', the palaeontologist and the anthropologists aren't so quick. The Sydney Morning Herald put it this way:

The publicists for the discovery don't object to the description "missing link", but the palaeontologist and anthropologists are much more guarded. It is, however, a critical piece of our heredity puzzle.

The rest of the article proudly declares this the missing link. From what i can tell, not enough research has been conducted to determine this is 'THE link'. I fear that someone just got carried away with promoting a documentary.

I'll come back to this topic in a few month and see where the scientific community places this finding once it has had a chance to really examine it.

suggestion: FAIL

This is one of my best friends:



This is her husband.



I think i'll pass on doing this



see more pwn and owned pictures

Faith and i agreed that it is too cold. We would like to start a petition to bring the summer back.

It's me new smexy beani!

Oh yeah! i'm rockin the smexy!



My awesome smosm friend made this for me.

kittens!

keeping it in perspective

see more Funny Graphs






see more Funny Graphs

Oh sugar....baba bumba bumba

I ran into a site detailing how much sugar is in everything (or nearly everything) i eat.

It has nearly put me off eating...although...sugar is so yum!

but it is a great visual guide for how much sugar is actually going into your body on a daily basis.


www.sugarstacks.com

Thinking of Heaven

The other day i got into a discussion about the Christian version of Heaven. My friend wanted to preach a sermon on how great it is that Christians have a hope in a second life. The friend wanted to compare two funerals, one Christian and one secular.

Normally I don't get into the Heaven discussion because a person's personal views of what heaven is can be so deeply important to them. That day i felt like i was being told there was two options: Hopelessness in no second life OR Hope that we will see them again.

I felt the sting in that. My personal view (and hope for me) is that there is no heaven. I can not see heaven as a fun or nice place. I know, you will be with your creator forever and ever...

But i feel that it is sort of like being invited to a party but you have to know the secret knock first. (the Secret Knock being the correct religion)

The host says: come to my party. it will be so much fun! you'll love it. Really amazing people will be there!

Me: I don't really like meeting new people, but i would love to hang out. Will anyone i know be there.

the host: no

me: what about my friends?

host: well, no. They aren't friends with me...so...just you.

me: so you want me to come to a party where i won't know anyone and have to share you with a bunch of strangers?

Host: my friends are really awesome.

me: what about my friends?

Host: they are okay. but they aren't as good as my friends. You should be friends with my friends.

Maybe this is being too harsh, but how horribe would you feel if you showed up at the pearly gates and realised you were the only person from your family there? Or you mother didn't come? Then when you ask why they aren't there, you get told "Well, you didn't do enough to save them"....or "They didn't want to make friends with the host".

Generally one life, making the best that you can out of it, sounds better to me than putting all hope getting to do it 'perfect' the next time. I want to make the most out of my time, here and now. I want to value the people around me. I want to believe that we can work towards making the world a better place.

I don't want to believe in a god who hands out party invitations to the ones who figure out the correct secret knock.

LOL

I laughed really hard when i read this.

touching on some big questions

A question i have longed struggled with is why do science followers* go so far in trying to show creationists the flaws in their belief? i mean, if you believe the earth was formed through evolution, what does it matter if some one else thinks it was an act of God that lasted 6 days?

Recently i watched the Bill Mathur documentary called, "Religulous". It was the first time i had the question answered in a way that made sense to me. Bill suggested that while faith had many positives, it also had some scary places it could go.

He cited that many religions around the world believed in an apocalyptic event that would end the world and bring about a new world. He said that when the Bible (specifically) was written, only God had the power to end the world. Today, we have the power to end the world. His concern is with people in charge of nuclear weapons who believe 'the end is near'. Will their beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophesy?

Coming at it from that angle, i can see why non-believers would fear those who believe (in whatever religion they follow).

And yet i wonder if believers are so certain that they would 'push the button' themselves instead of waiting for a god to do it. Certainly the religious nutjobs many shows parade before the cameras would gladly end the world...but what about the run-of -the-mill people? would they be willing to step into God's place (believing it to be God's will) and end the world?


*These are separate from scientists. They believe what science teaches, although they themselves are not scientists.

i'm hooked

It was in high school that i started listening to a series of stories on CD. They were the first 3 books from Janet Evanovich. I was enthralled with the stories. But i moved states and forgot the author's name, (as frequently happens to me) and all i could remember was the series was named according to their order. (eg. One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to get Deadly).

Sadly, i could not find the books when i went looking in my new state. I soon forgot about them...sort of. I stopped looking every time i went into a book store. Every now and again, i'd lazily browse to see if i could find something that looked like it might be part of the series. Two months ago i found the series again.

Realising my pocketbook could never afford the full series from the stores, i bought the first twelve books online. So far i'm up to 'Seven Up'.
If you've been wondering why my blogging is so slack...this is 70% of the reason.

heritage

It isn't often that pride for my 'home' state comes into my life, yet the other day my mother sent me a forwarded email joke to me and it made me smile....then laugh...then show my terrified husband....and now i share with you too!

Three men married wives from different states in America.

The first man married a woman from Florida.. He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man married a woman from Texas. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man married a girl from Idaho. He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.

decoder anyone?

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