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Showing posts from September, 2012

Question and Answer, part two

Like last time, this is one question, and the answer that I gave. The question came in an email; the asker has been having pro-choice conversations at their place of work, and has been trying to explain to people who are generic-christians* how and why they feel choice is important. As always, this is merely my opinion. I'm no advice columnist, but when someone asks me something interesting, I would have no problem getting their permission to share the exchange. Question:   So I just had an interesting conversation and it made me think of something:  Am I a hypocrite because I feel that things like a women's right to choose is hers and cannot be taken away, but I am for things such as seat belt laws and helmet laws?  My argument is that a woman choosing does not cost me anything as they pay for it all, whereas an idiot biker who cracks his head open because he wasn't wearing a helmet raises the cost of my insurance, so he is affecting me with his decisions. Answer: Ar

Happy Birthday to my best friend, Matthew

Today my dearest friend celebrates his birthday. He'd be mortified if I made a big deal out of it, so I won't go on overly long. Matt and I met while playing City of Heroes, a now, soon-to-be-defunct, holy crap it's closing!, MMORPG. We hit it off pretty famously, and have been quite close ever since. I joke he's my other, other half, because he's more like half of myself, or my twin, than just my friend; and I really do like it that way. [Besides, who wouldn't want to be part of a three-halfed person, sounds kinda cool, doesn't it? That's 150% of a person, instead of the standard 100%.] Matt is a relatively quite, hermit-like gentleman, and so we don't have to talk/chat every day to keep close. I like that, because I tend to be like that, myself. He is rather introverted, and not flashy at all. You'd probably miss him in a crowd, because he doesn't draw attention to himself-- aside from his awesomely loud shirts! This hu

Objectification

  Trigger Warning: This blog will discuss my opinion, thoughts and discomfort with being a redhead, and therefore a wanted commodity. It's my opinion. I'm not trying to change minds, or even ask opinion, only really looking at my feelings on it. I'm sure that this post will upset and possibly piss off redhead fans, of which there are multitudes, and possibly redheads themselves. I'm not trying to do that. I'm merely working through something that's bothering the fuck out of me. At the risk of sounding like a whiny little git, I am feeling a little odd this morning. I don't even know why this bothers me, and to be completely frank-- I'm not bothered, but more weirded out, maybe. Confused? My friend has a thing for red headed women; a lot of men, and women, do. The other day he shared a photo on Facebook, from a group called, "I love Redheads". This girl was a typical, young looking redhead, complete with big brown, sultry eyes, making love to

Autumnal Equinox

Blessings this Mabon to everyone, neo-Pagan, Atheist, Humanist, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist, Heathen and Agnostic. Happy Mabon! What is this holiday, you say? It's the Pagan holiday that recognises the harvest; the Autumnal Equinox, and the first official day of Autumn, or harvest-time. Officially it's not until Saturday, but I haven't been having a very festive time lately. I've been frustrated and annoyed and generally ready to throw things-- which isn't a very good way to feel. Today and yesterday, alone, I've been fighting with Borderlands... it won't load, and I can't figure out what's corrupted! I'd like to throw the game away, except I have about 150 hours into it, and love it so. So, I'm pulling out my hair trying to find the fault. Of course, that's the all; my kids have been bickering non-stop; I've been in the middle of a nasty case of insomnia; amongst other things. It's normal, really, a part

Meandering thoughts on animal consciousness, and what I think about it

Warning: this one meanders and is a bit long, and touches on the recently released Declaration on Consciousness. This might be an odd blog to read, as I explore my own feelings and thoughts on the matter-- touching lightly on what society as a whole, will have to do when animals are granted a form of personhood. This is merely my exploration of this subject, and I am in no way judging anyone aside from myself.   If I asked, “Do cats have feelings?” Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat would say, “Well, yeah! They're selfish buggers too, and independent, sorta irritating, but damn, they're cute when they play with string!” If I asked, “Does a dog have emotions?” Anyone who's ever had a dog will agree they do, indeed feel. They anticipate play when you have their ball, or rope; dogs get excited when they see the leash, to take a walk; I've even had dogs that would dance in circles of happiness, tails wagging so hard their entire back ends were moving, when

Passing on some resources on IFBs

This post is just, at its most basic, a hat tip to a gent by the name of John Shore. Shore wrote a book that made me laugh my ass off when I bought it, I'm OK--you're not! About the lousy way Christians treat non-Christians. He was sensitive to our reactions when we're threatened with hell, he was understanding that there are lots of ways to God, and he is absolutely not a fundie. So, when he posted a letter to IFB survivors on his blog, as well as some resources for people escaping that hate and abuse, I wanted to share it. He is a progressive christian, so his blog is religious in nature. I don't hold that against him, because he seems to be one of what I call "a real" christian: he cares about people, not whether you're doing what he thinks you should be doing. I also never got the feeling, reading his work, that he's trying to convert anyone. Anyway, if you want more information on the craziness, or are in need of some good resources to help

September 11: I remember.

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Photo Credit: Wikicommons: multicoloured candles I remember where I was when the first plane hit. I was getting petrol. I was on my way to work, and stopped into a little station in Lawrence Michigan. As I waited in line to pay, for once I was using cash, I looked up to the little television behind her counter. Boom! Everyone in there stopped talking, there must have been half a dozen, it's a busy place first thing in the morning. We just looked at each other. Staring with instantly hollowed eyes. "What a horrible accident!" We all said. Oh My god, how terrible! I telephoned home, "Turn on the television! There was an accident, a plane hit the Trade Centre!" I stayed on the line, listening to my very groggy mother telling me what the guy on MSNBC said, listening with my other ear to NPR. I drove to work. Just as I got onto the freeway, my mother and the DJ said, in a strange chorus, "No, not another one! They crashed into the other tower!&q

Cooking with me four (photo heavy)

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Nothing terribly difficult today. I'm going to share my recipe for grilling pizza, complete with photos. The idea came to us one day when my husband sent me a link to Simply Recipes , and we got to thinking, could we do that, it sounds really good!? So we made it, following the recipe as exactly as we could, being that I don't have a pizza stone, or peel (that's that funny flat board thing you see guys using at pizza joints.) So, if you want a pretty generic recipe, go there, and you won't be disappointed. We were quite please. However. There's always a however, isn't there? We thought it needed something... something else. So I started experimenting, and this is what I came up with. The recipe is close, but not the same, but I still wanted to give credit, where it was due, to the gent over at Simply Recipes for his great recipe and the ideas that germinated. The photographer for most of these was my lovely Husband, and most excellent sous chef!