TV repair man

For the past several months I've been living without television. We have a TV in our home, we even turn it on once in a while, but it is usually to see if the picture is still blurry beyond hope. It always is. Today i decided I'd finally fork out the money and call the antenna repair man.

Being a tight ass, i called the all the antenna repairmen in our district. I informed both of them that i would be home all day EXCEPT between 12:30 and 1:30. Both of them came out to have a look. The first guy arrived at 12:27 and took 5 minutes to assess the situation. He saw that our antenna was permanently gone and we were going to need another one. it would cost us $300. i smiled sweetly and informed him that i would need to consult my husband before waisting...er...i mean spending that much money.

The second man showed up around 2:15. He took 20 minutes to assess the situation. he spent lots of time testing various different cables and wires. Finally he said to me, "i can fix it for $122 but you won't get channel 3."

i can live with that.

God bless America

This month's scare

About a week and a half ago, i went in to the doctor for a personal issue. (we won't name the issue because its PERSONAL!) The doctor looked me over, took various liquid samples and diagnosed me on the spot. She then said she's send in these samples to be tested but she was 90% sure it was exactly what she said it was, which was nothing to worry about.

I went on my car trip knowing that if it turned out to be something serious, she'd call me. Upon my return, i found a letter from my doctor. It informed me that i needed to visit her again in regards to my URINE sample. The letter concluded with a reassuring line that the issue was not urgent.

I thought to myself, what information could she have about just my urine sample that would be not urgent? The only thing that came to me was that i was pregnant. All morning i worked myself into a knot because of it. I called my nurse friend to find out if a doctor would label pregnacy as "urgent" or "not urgent". She said it was up to the doctor's personal disgression.

I paced back and forth for much of the morning, finally, i went into the doctor's office 20 minutes early. as soon as i arrived, the nurse looked at me sympathetically and said, "she'll see you next". there were 5 other people in the waiting room and i was bumped to the front of the que. i was really nervous now.

After a mere 39 seconds (yes, i was counting) i was ushered into the back room where the doctor discretely shut the door. She searched around for my file for 1 minute and 42 seconds and finally found what she was looking for.

"AH! your tests came back exactly as i expected. your test show that i was right in my original diagnosis. your urine sample shows nothing abnormal, nor does your other [samples] Take this piece of paper out to the nurse and she'll bill you for this visit".

i was not pregnant. there was nothing wrong me with. she had no questions about my further health since i had seen her last, instead i was called in so she could tell me she was right. as i numbly walked to the nurse's station and handed her the paper, i was in a daze. It didn't last too long though, because the nurse billed me for $34!

THE YEAR'S BEST [actual ] HEADLINES: 2006

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
[No, really?]

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
[Now that's taking things a bit far !]

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over.
[What a guy!]

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
[No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and -sos!]

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
[See if that works any better than a fair trial!]

War Dims Hope for Peace
[I can see where it might have that effect!]

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
[You think?]

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
[Who would have thought!]


Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide [They may
be on to something!]

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
[You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?]

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
[he probably IS the battery charge!]

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
[Weren't they fat enough?!]

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas In Spacecraft
[That's what he gets for eating those beans!]

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
[Taste like chicken?]

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
[Boy, are they tall!]

And the winner is....

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

back from road trip

It started in the tiny, two door car with four people. ...
We met up with the little sister.

Caught up with college friends...



Saw some animals...

Then went to a 6am wedding...

and then drove all the way back....

a trip

It has been over a year since i last spent more than 8 hours in a car. Tomorrow will hearken back to the old days when too many young people would cram themselves into a car and drive for hours on end in order to see more friends.

Tomorrow, four people will squeeze themselves into a two door car and drive 8 hours to the 'half way point', spend the night and then drive another 4 hours to our destination. (yes, i know that 4 hours isn't the half way point of 12. but pretend it makes cents and you'll enjoy reading my blog entry more)

Our trip will be filled with laughter. Probably mechanical laughter from the driver (me) as everyone else will be pushed together to make room from the luggage. The trip will be filled with smiles and sweetly spoken words, like 'if you don't move out of my breathing space I'll rip your head off with the broken shards of glass from the window.'

It is so exciting i can hardly wait to leave...although apparently the road have been covered in fire for the last two days so I'm not sure that we'll actually be able to leave the area. perhaps divine intervention isn't such a bad thing...

blog update

I've added a few new links to the blog and i thought i'd just give em a little plug. The two best, in my opinion, are from worth1000.com and from popaganda.com be sure to check them out while surfing da net!from worth1000.com

billboard art from popaganda.

Lonely

I've noticed over the last year or so that there are quite a few bulletins that get posted on myspace that ask the writer various questions about themselves. One of the more interesting questions that seems to be asked frequently is 'what is your worst fear?'. I have been amazed by how many times the answer comes back the same. Lots of people seem to be afraid of dying alone.

The phrase, dying alone, seems strange to me. I mean, don't we all die alone really? no one can take the journey from life to death with you. The journey is yours to take alone.

Maybe we aren't so much afraid of dying alone, but living alone. In cities that are populated by thousands and millions, it is easy to get lost in the crowd of people. For all our advances in technology, we can still feel a gap when we try to connect to people electronically. It almost feels uncomfortable to try and meet knew people in person. So much of us is exposed in a person to person encounters, yet we are tired of hiding behid our computer.

No one likes being lonely and somehow it is so much worse to be alone in a city full of people.

i wish that i had a cure all answer to the proplem of loneliness. i wish i weren't a snob who hides behid her perfect house, in her safe neighbourhood, with her nice husband and a laptop. I wish i didn't shake thinking about who i was going to have to meet next, but i do. It is people like me that keep the lonely people lonely. So it is my job to break out of my bubble. It is my job to try to keep people from living alone. Do i take the next step?

scary stuff

while surffing the net i came across the most horrific photo. This photo, while scary in and of itself, is all the more scary to me because i grew up in this part of the world and this place. (i'm not talking about the country, i'm talking about not too far away from where this pic was taken!) okay ready? deep breathe....here it is.

Entertainment and me

I have officially become disturbed by the major businesses. I thought that they could never shut down all the sites on the web for piracy. I mean, anyone can make a webpage, nowadays. So how could they possibly be able to stamp out all the ways you can pirate their stuff?

My thinking has now changed. They are going to be able to shut down all the major sites. There will be small one here and there, but freedom and ease of information is going to be a thing of the past.

I'll probably be sued for saying this (but I'll hire Lindsey for my lawyer so WATCH OUT!) i don't think there is anything wrong with taking business away from the entertainment industries. I think it is time for a major revolution. Fim studios pay actors. Some actors get paid almost nothing, others get paid obscene amounts. If film studios aren't making as much money, they will not be able to pay their actors $6 million for a single film. If actors aren't paid as much, kids won't see being famous as so important. (that might be a debatable issue) but we as a society will hopefully start putting money into other areas of life...and i'm hoping that nurses, teachers, doctors, and social workers start getting more aid.

In short, if the Internet causes a change in the way our society runs, I'll be very happy.

Christian Issues

I consider myself Christian, in that i try to follow the teaching of Christ to the best of my understanding. Lately though, I'm beginning to find myself further and further from mainstream Christian thinking.

Abortion. I happen to be pro-choice. I believe that a child should not be brought into the world unless you can care for it. If you can't, its better off dead. i know its harsh but i can't see what is loving about forcing a hard life upon a person.

Guy Marriage. I don't have a problem if two people want to get married. I am happily married to a man and as long as the guy marriage doesn't mean EVERYONE has to be married to their same sex, I'm happy for it to progress. By denying people legal recognition of their relationship, it forces people to feel compelled to define themselves though their sexual orientation instead of letting them develop who they are outside of who they sleep with.

Environment. I believe it is the christian responsibility to protect the earth. God asked us to be caretakers of it. That should mean we do the best we can to keep it healthy and thriving as long as possible.

Sex outside of marriage. It isn't a religious issue. It is a personal and physical issue that should be considered fully before engaging in it. Disease, emotional health, and social impact should be the primary things to consider. I believe there are plenty of reasons to wait until marriage for sex, but i don't see that having sex before you're married condoms you to hell. i mean, Esther did it and it saved her entire peoples' life!

Condoms. If your going to have sex and your not sure if/what your partner has, use a damn condom! Touching a condom is not a sin! Getting a STI can end your life or make it much less pleasant!

What amazes me is after talking with some theology friends, they now pray for my salvation. They see that my lack of toeing the line is a sign that I've drifted away from the teaching of Christ. I reconsidered all my believes and now believe exactly the same thing as before. God gave me a brain and i intend to use it. If the Church has a problem with that, they can take away my church car park!

be afraid

I saw the trailer for a filmed called Jesus Camp. I've never been more afraid of christian america in my life! The film is a documentary about christian children's camps. It has me really interested in seeing the film in its entirity. Here's a quote from the trailer you might appreciate.

Levi: At five I got saved...
Becky Fischer: Yeah?
Levi: ...because I just wanted more of life.
(Levi looks like he's twelve here.)

Quiet time

The last of the guest have now departed from our home. It has been a very interesting 4 weeks. We have had a plethora of people stay with us. They range from mildly deranged to out right whack jobs. (if you stayed with us, you can decide where you fit)

So now the house is quiet and I'm supposed to be getting lots of work done. Instead I'm writing on my blog and thinking i might go back to bed.

Older

I wonder what it will be like to grow old.
I wonder if my mind will stay young and my body old
I wonder if my friends will live forever
I wonder if i will know
I wonder what it will be like to grow old.

hair

This is for all those peopel who have now or used to have long hair:)

Democracy in action

I was listening to a speech the other day about democracy by an american politician. He was saying how important it was for the world to have democracy because it was so important for people to rule themselves. He used the USA as an example of democracy in action. I almost choked on my pen.


Since when is the usa democractic? Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why the average citizen doesn't actually vote for his or her president? In case your unfamiliar with the way the voting system works in the USA, it is done by electoral college. It was originally set up because the ruling class did not believe that the lower classes could be trusted to vote for the 'right' person. The electoral college says areas get a certain number of representatives to vote for them. These representatives have NO legally biding contract to vote the same way the people voted. They are just supposed to do it. It is an honour system in politics. (anyone else a little nervous about honour and politics being in the same sentence?)

To give a more practical example, if there are are 6,000,000 people in a state, they might get 3 representatives to vote in the presidental election. The public votes on the representative and the represetative who is voted in goes and votes for the president. So in a community that might be very narrowly split between republican and democrat, if the democrats barely out vote the republicans, the entire republican voting community is unrepresented! Is that fair? Is that the people being ruled by the people? no. it isn't necessarily even the people being ruled by the majority. It is simply the people being swindled by a system that doesn't think its citizens smart enough to vote for themselves!

YouTube Titles

Over the past several months I've noticed that YouTube has stopped giving all the prominent space to CBS. This must mean that CBS has lost some of its viewers cause they've now started titling their clips provocatively.

I am a fan of Craig Ferguson clips. This week, however, i've noticed that the titles don't really match the major content in the clips. Take the title Britney Hoo-Ha Flashing Alert. This is clip is talking about the newest gadgets on display. This is the joke of ONE gag out of many. When i took my writing classes, i was always told the title encompassed what the paper was about. Apparently this doesn't work for film because titles on YouTube tell you bugger ALL!

backyard dragon

Yesterday i leisurely stepped outside to find a fairly large lizard staring up at me. And just because I'm the kind of person who is an Internet junky. I thought to myself, i should take a picture of it so i can post it on my blog!

So i ran inside, grabbed my camera and ran back outside. Please bear in mind i live in a country with some of the most poisonous creatures in the world. The motto seems to be, if its moving, its probably poisonous. So remembering this motto carefully, i ran right up to it and snapped its photo. where upon is proved it was not a slow moving creature.

And now another random video

parody

I am the very model of a modern homosexual. Very funny