RedHead Confetti

I know I haven't been writing, but I have been busy with fostering and work. I got hired in at the Hermitage a couple weeks ago, and the adjustment of schedules has been a little difficult. I'll write more about my awesome, kick-ass job later. Today, I want to talk about mental illness. I read Salon.com with some regularity. Maybe twice a week I pop over there to see what's up, and what's new. A couple weeks ago I found this article, and as I adore Greta Christina, I read it! (She's an amazing speaker and writer, and you can see her blog here ). I remember I had seen a headline at CNN that Rick Warren's kid had committed suicide and that week Warren had finally started preaching again. I didn't know anything about the gent, except he was Warren's kid, and well, I have a very low opinion of Rick Warren. That doesn't mean I celebrated his death, or anything like that; in fact, I felt bad for his family, like everyone with a heart does wh...

I had a dream the other night-- well, just before my alarm went off in the morning. I was dressed in a suit, with stockings and heels and sitting with a dozen other men and woman dressed the same. We were waiting for the next “class” to start, so we could finish up something or other. I was sitting next to an old friend from high school-- she had aged, changed into what my mind says she'd look like at 40. She was a Senior, back when I was in 8 th grade, and we got along amazingly well; part of it was because we were both the “youngest kids in our class”, so she knew what it was like to be treated like every one's baby sister all the time. Ronna was a good friend and I sincerely hope she got out of the cult of IFB and has a fabulous life-- she was rather irreverent, and I loved her for it. Amidst that closed atmosphere we were both stuck in, she was a breath of critical thinking.. In my dream, Ronna turned to me and said, “So, after Armageddon, and all that, then they expe...

Trigger Warning: Yes, this is another post about the Roman Catholic Church. No, I don't intend to link shit; it's my opinion, and I can rant about the monolithic, gold-plated charlatans if I want to do so. However, if you don't want to deal with my profanity, anger and annoyance, then skip this one. I figure it's the least I can do, warn you... I know, I've been lax about writing. I'm mentally preparing the explanation, and you'll get it here soon. Mostly the TL:DR version is: shit has been crazy busy and I haven't had time. This doesn't mean I Haven't been keeping up on current events, however, or that I don't know what the fuck is happening "out there". Oh, I know... and I don't like it. But, what can ya do, right? Seems that the last Pope, Ratzinger, Benedict the 16th, decided to retire. This is not really unprecedented, but it's surprising as hell. I mean, this is God's Voice On Earth, right? When does God's...

Today on CNN I saw a blog in their Belief section: My Take: A word to Christians- Be nice . The writer, a pastor in Prescott AZ writes about his dismay at his fellow christians and their often, very vocal hate filled Tweets, blogs, comments etc. He has written in the past about christians general bad reputation here in the States, and he didn't shy away admitting that the biggest reason christians are called hateful is because a lot of them are loudly hateful! Not because they're being persecuted, or because the media has a bias against them,but because they're setting out to shove their busy-body noses into the lives of others, and scream hateful things when we disagree. The crux of his piece sums up his arguments really nicely: More and more, I see hateful Christians chalking up their disrepute to “persecution.” God tells us otherwise. In 1 Peter 4 we’re told, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed. …” And that’s the truth; sometimes w...

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...

Warning: This one meanders, a lot! It might be really boring, or confusing if you're not well-versed in the minutia of evangelical Christianity and their reverence for pastors. I'm sorry, I tried to make it as clear as I could, but some things you just have to be exposed to, to fully understand. I hope this blog isn't terribly rambling and boring. It's also kinda snarky, but that isn't much of a surprise, I'm sure.   So, I woke up this morning with the usual fog in my head. I'm not a morning person, much more of a night owl, and so waking up is not a strong point for me-- unless I'm waking up naturally, at which point it's probably 10ish, so my brains are much more amenable to the whole "thinking" thing that they are supposed to do. This morning, though, and I mean Right Now, my brains are still not awake-- they just have the weirdest thoughts thinking in there. I must have dreamt about it, but I don't remember. [So, thank the dig...

Trigger Warning: This blog deals with rape, a politicians attempt at rape apology as a reason to outlaw abortion and the idea that only good girls get raped by strangers jumping out at them. Of course it's bullshit, and I treat it as such; however, it might be triggering for some people who have been through a sexual assault. I don't want to cause your healing to stop, or regress, so you might want to skip this one. It meanders a bit, too. Topics like this are hard for me to deal with in a linear way, as they touch on the very core of who and what being female, a woman and human means. I am almost 35 and still trying to figure that out for myself, so I can't expect to be able to explain it properly for anyone else. As always, you can get help from RAINN , SNAP , or the Hotline . You can also Google "rape survivor resources" and find myriad links to people who have been through it, and who want you to come out the other side, too.  I spent the weekend doing ...