This is pretty much solely for my uncle Charlie, who continues to ask me why I never update my blog. Answer: I just got out of school (finally), I have a job (yeah, still! Crazy, ain't it?), Blogger has been taken by Google (meaning I had to try about a bajillion different passwords to remember which one was the real password), and I'm just a lazy little booger (read: teenager).
Life here's been all right since my last update. There has been some drama from a certain juvenile delinquent (not me), but nothing that my family hasn't been able to handle without the help of a lawyer and a lot of sarcastic humor when we're in our own little corner. I've been breezing through my taekwondo training, though I've been busy this summer. On Saturday I'll be testing for Recommended Black belt, the last belt I will have to complete before being certified as a full-fledged black belt. In other words, I'll probably get the black belt some time in the winter. Makes me glad I have a job; apparently the test costs about $160 to test, even with the Black Belt Club discount. Mind you, that price includes certification, a new uniform, and the customization of the belt (the thing gets embroidered with your name and the name of the school). But for right now, I'll focus on completing the requirements for Recommended Black as fast as I can; I'll probably try to get some private lessons in to make up for the time I lost this summer.
Why was I gone so much, you ask? Well, in the second and third weeks of June I was involved in a program called Servants, which is run out of Kentucky Christian University. The first week was spent at the university in a musical boot camp of sorts. The director was really strict, but still had a great sense of humor (often could be seen popping his collar during morning rehearsals, ew). I was reminded constantly of the director of my elementary church choir; upon leaving the first practice session on the first night, I was thinking, "I've found Perry's brain twin! SWEET!" The music practices were really tough, much more so than I expected them to be. For example, we would practice about 6 to 8 hours a day (with breaks every hour or two) in order to prepare our concert. In between practice sessions were many devos and sessions with our family groups (THOSE were hilarious fun!), during which I got the nickname "Spruce." Our family name was the First Forbidden Frumptious Forest, mostly because the only thing my entire ADD group had for sure was that we were all named after trees.
The second week was the tour. That was the most fun I have ever had on a bus since Bible Bowl: for one thing, taking pictures of people sleeping was pretty amusing, plus the fiasco with Prayer Partners (and how I was pulling many anonymous stunts on my PP, who happened to be the director of the choir, heh heh) were just PERFECT. We (all 76 of us) stayed in the houses of people attending the churches we performed at. Those folks were some of the nicest people I could ever hope to meet-- one lady took in eight girls (me included), and the first thing she did when we got to her house was to feed us chock-full of sandwiches and homemade cookies, and then encouraged us all to swim in her pool (which she opened just for us). Another couple let us four girls have the run of their basement apartment, complete with a fridge and freezer stocked with strawberry ice cream. Everyone in the choir became pretty much family, with no real cliques or groups forming within. The drama was left at home, which was a real relief and a change of pace for me. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I plan to go back next summer!
The next trip I took was to Bible Bowl Nationals in Kansas City. We did really pretty well in the competition, making it through 5 rounds of double-elimination competition (which is the best my team has ever done) and ranking right in the middle of all the teams at the tournament. Who loves the upper 50th percentile!!! We actually got our team into the standings on the Bible Bowl Web site, of which Mom was really proud. The text for next year will be the gospel of John, 1-3 John, and 1-2 Peter. Should be interesting, since there aren't nearly as many places to memorize (unlike a couple years ago with Acts...). We'll see how this year goes; hopefully we can all beat our own bests while actually learning the Word.
A week from today, I'll be flying up to Minnesota to visit my brother Chris. I'm really looking forward to it; I haven't seen Chris since Christmas. Amy should be up there as well, so we'll at least have a three-fourths voting majority. Not sure what we'll be voting on, maybe Phil. Should be fun.
Mom has already enrolled me in my courses for junior year. This year I'll be taking American History, Chemistry, Accounting, AP English Literature and Composition, and Trigonometry. The trig only lasts for a semester, though, so perhaps I'll start Pre-Calculus in January. It's either that or statistics. Either way, I start school on August 6, sooner if my books arrive. It should be an interesting year. I'm sort of nervous about the literature course, but if I work hard enough things should come to me. I'm not big on recognizing symbols and whatnot in novels, not to mention I tend to see the 'wrong' lesson within the story. For example: In Romeo and Juliet I decided that the lesson was "Don't marry the 14-year-olds," but apparently that wasn't it. (Yes, I knew that the lesson was not to carry huge grudges against random people for no reason.) Ah, well, good thing I'm getting some practice, then.
Well, I do hope that this has been (somewhat) satisfactory for those that haven't seen anything out of me for a while. (Hi, Charlie! Next time I know I'm going to see you I'll bring some bread. :] )
Current Mood: Waiting in utter excitement
Random Useless Fact of the Day: James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, dressed up in a style similar to that of George Washington. Why? Apparently he was THAT flattered by folks' comments about his resemblance to Washington. (talk about someone's fashion being out-of-season....)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
*rises from the dead*
Okay, okay, yes, my minions, I have returned from the fictional realm of Noblogger. Who hates it when the site randomly changes hosts and so everyone has to redo their accounts? *raises hand*
So, um, yeah. Everyone knows how I turned sixteen last October. Mid-November I hit another milestone: The almighty driver's license. I even am driving a car that I call my own (though Earl the 1989 Oldsmobile really belongs to my grandmother) to just about wherever I need to go. Happy stuff. I like that car; once I figured how to handle it, it works well for my purposes.
Event number two since my last update was Journey to Bethlehem, in which I somehow landed the role of Mary. It was really very fun; that baby bump was a two-person job to take on and off. Joseph had a really good sense of humor through the whole thing, so that made it more fun. I was sorry when it was over and done.
Event number three: the red belt. I still have a scar on my hand from punching my board at that particular test. Taekwondo in general is still going swimmingly. In fact, I've got Black Belt Club this afternoon, squee!
School is, again, going pretty well. I made it through my first semester with good grades (mostly; geometry is much harder than I give it credit), and am still trucking along. That reminds me, I've still got homework to do. Oh, joy.
Running sound tomorrow in the youth service. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, seeing as I don't normally get along well with teenagers who deliberately act like idiots, but I still love fiddling around with electronics. It should go well, though; this week I get the good worship team, the one that actually knows what's going on and has some actual talent. Crazy! Hopefully, I won't have to mute the mics on the drums. Either that or hand the drummer some paper sticks.
Well, I best be off. I'd like to catch a nap before Black Belt Club, since I'm truly going to need it. After all, right afterward is movie night with some of my friends. Yipee!
Current Mood: Excited
Ranomd Useless Fact of the Day: Studies show that chickens, like many humans, like attractive people best.
So, um, yeah. Everyone knows how I turned sixteen last October. Mid-November I hit another milestone: The almighty driver's license. I even am driving a car that I call my own (though Earl the 1989 Oldsmobile really belongs to my grandmother) to just about wherever I need to go. Happy stuff. I like that car; once I figured how to handle it, it works well for my purposes.
Event number two since my last update was Journey to Bethlehem, in which I somehow landed the role of Mary. It was really very fun; that baby bump was a two-person job to take on and off. Joseph had a really good sense of humor through the whole thing, so that made it more fun. I was sorry when it was over and done.
Event number three: the red belt. I still have a scar on my hand from punching my board at that particular test. Taekwondo in general is still going swimmingly. In fact, I've got Black Belt Club this afternoon, squee!
School is, again, going pretty well. I made it through my first semester with good grades (mostly; geometry is much harder than I give it credit), and am still trucking along. That reminds me, I've still got homework to do. Oh, joy.
Running sound tomorrow in the youth service. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, seeing as I don't normally get along well with teenagers who deliberately act like idiots, but I still love fiddling around with electronics. It should go well, though; this week I get the good worship team, the one that actually knows what's going on and has some actual talent. Crazy! Hopefully, I won't have to mute the mics on the drums. Either that or hand the drummer some paper sticks.
Well, I best be off. I'd like to catch a nap before Black Belt Club, since I'm truly going to need it. After all, right afterward is movie night with some of my friends. Yipee!
Current Mood: Excited
Ranomd Useless Fact of the Day: Studies show that chickens, like many humans, like attractive people best.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Hey, Lookit!!!
Yes, I know I'm a little late in saying this, but a momentous event has happen six days ago: I turned 16 and managed to live through it. (Much to my siblings' surprise, but I'm then I can be alittle spiteful when it comes to surviving things when people think that my parents are going to kill me.) I haven't tested for my driver's license yet, but I plan to do so in the next month (so I can beat Joel to the punch and so prevent him from rubbing it in my face like last time).
So yes, life is good. School is still going, and I have recently taken my midterms. The only one I wished I studied more for was Spanish (dang preterite tense), but I still made A's on all the rest. Happy me. Work is fine, though I am getting a little tired of summarizing bread ingredients for people that don't bother to read labels. I've also probably made more sandwiches in my life so far than any teenager should deal with, except for those in fast food. Quite frankly, I think working where I do is a really good deal, especially over a place like, say, McDonald's or Subway. Nasty places, them; I've heard horror stories from friends who have worked there.
Taekwondo? Still good. I'm getting ever closer to being able to test for my red belt. If I really hustle in the next few weeks, I should be able to make the November testing. Either way, I will have tested for red belt by New Year's. I also have gotten my photos taken for that (there was the annual photo shoot), which various family and friends might be able to see if we stick them in the Christmas Brag Letter. They're cool-looking, believe you me, particularly the one with the sword. (Yes... Phil got me a sword. It's a pretty sword.) I had my usual Black Belt Club class Saturday. I'm just happy that I came out with only one or two big bruises, and that I didn't hit myself in the face with my nunchucks. Clumsy weapons, nunchucks.
Right, then. I've got homework and Bible Bowl studying to get to. Plus I feel like a nap.
Current Mood: Achy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: You know the 1990's movie "Twister"? Rumor has it that the sound effects used for the tornadoes themselves was made of... wait for it... yawning camels; the yawns were slowed down considerably in order to make the tornadoes sound more realistic. (Why they used camel yawns, I have no idea...)
So yes, life is good. School is still going, and I have recently taken my midterms. The only one I wished I studied more for was Spanish (dang preterite tense), but I still made A's on all the rest. Happy me. Work is fine, though I am getting a little tired of summarizing bread ingredients for people that don't bother to read labels. I've also probably made more sandwiches in my life so far than any teenager should deal with, except for those in fast food. Quite frankly, I think working where I do is a really good deal, especially over a place like, say, McDonald's or Subway. Nasty places, them; I've heard horror stories from friends who have worked there.
Taekwondo? Still good. I'm getting ever closer to being able to test for my red belt. If I really hustle in the next few weeks, I should be able to make the November testing. Either way, I will have tested for red belt by New Year's. I also have gotten my photos taken for that (there was the annual photo shoot), which various family and friends might be able to see if we stick them in the Christmas Brag Letter. They're cool-looking, believe you me, particularly the one with the sword. (Yes... Phil got me a sword. It's a pretty sword.) I had my usual Black Belt Club class Saturday. I'm just happy that I came out with only one or two big bruises, and that I didn't hit myself in the face with my nunchucks. Clumsy weapons, nunchucks.
Right, then. I've got homework and Bible Bowl studying to get to. Plus I feel like a nap.
Current Mood: Achy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: You know the 1990's movie "Twister"? Rumor has it that the sound effects used for the tornadoes themselves was made of... wait for it... yawning camels; the yawns were slowed down considerably in order to make the tornadoes sound more realistic. (Why they used camel yawns, I have no idea...)
Friday, September 29, 2006
And I Thought I Was Lazy!
My, my, I have been gone a while... But not nearly so long as some others on the links list. Hmm. And yet I keep getting bugged my the grand total of two, count'em, TWO people that actually check this page regularly, so I suppose I should go ahead and reveal a little bit of what's been going on the past coupla months since I last got the initiative to update.
First off, the most significant thing I got is my job. I now work late morning/early lunch at one of the local bread companies, and am enjoying it (or at least the paycheck; I don't care if it's only minimum wage). I make loads of sandwiches, I wrap lots of... stuff (muffins, scones, cookies, and the like), I bag bread, and I take people's money (that is, if they wish to leave the shop with anything without my chasing them down in the parking lot). Thus far, it's an okay job. It's not something I'd want to do for the rest of my life, but hey. They were desperate enough to hire me, so I'll take what I can get.
Taekwondo is going swimmingly. A while back I got initiated into blue 1st, meaning I now have a much longer stretch between tests. My red belt probably won't be acquired until between Thanksgiving and New Year's, and I got my belt in either July or August, which should tell you something about how long it takes. I've also lately been attending the Friday night sparring classes. I think that they're great fun, and I'm already learning how to fight a bit smarter. The bad thing, though, is that I seem to be getting injured a lot more, no matter how much protective gear that we have to wear. Right now my left knee is an interesting shade of green from the bruises (note the plural) I received last week, mostly from colliding with my partner's knees. There's a nasty tendancy for that. I've also been kicked in the face by a black belt. My nose was throbbing for a good three days, but it didn't bleed or break, so I am grateful at least for that. I've also been allowed to sing the National Anthem for the Missouri Taekwondo Invitational, which went extremely well. (You know you've done all right when your instructor admits to tearing up and hugs you onstage. Whaddaya know, he does have the ability to show emotion!) So now I'm booked for next year; hopefully I actually compete.
School is also going well thus far. I've made A's in all of my tests, which I'm sure you expected. Pur-leeeze, you thought I'd stoop to making B's? My parents would kill me.
My sister and I are going to be running around a bit tomorrow. We're heading over to Barnes and Noble to attend a book-signing by Brian Jacques, the author of the Redwall series and a number of other books, one of which I am attempting to get read by tomorrow (I haven't actually read anything else of his, you see; I thought I'd at least read one of his books before going to shake his hand). The book is pretty good thus far, if a tad confusing with the sheer number of characters involved. Not to mention that it's the third book in a series... Bit of a dumb idea to start off with the third book in a series... Ah well.
Black Belt Club class tomorrow afternoon. This should be interesting, since I think that we're working with the escrima sticks. I'll do my best not to injure myself, although I might say that this has been a bit harder than it sounds as of late, as I've described above.
Well, I'd better get to bed. Long day tomorrow, and I took Nyquil an hour ago, so I'm feeling a little drowsy.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: In Nuweiba, Egypt, you can fork over about $400 to learn how to properly ride a camel. That's right, they have camel-riding school. Sure, it only lasts for three days because it's meant more for tourists, but you know what? You get the camle license. Sweeeeeeet.
First off, the most significant thing I got is my job. I now work late morning/early lunch at one of the local bread companies, and am enjoying it (or at least the paycheck; I don't care if it's only minimum wage). I make loads of sandwiches, I wrap lots of... stuff (muffins, scones, cookies, and the like), I bag bread, and I take people's money (that is, if they wish to leave the shop with anything without my chasing them down in the parking lot). Thus far, it's an okay job. It's not something I'd want to do for the rest of my life, but hey. They were desperate enough to hire me, so I'll take what I can get.
Taekwondo is going swimmingly. A while back I got initiated into blue 1st, meaning I now have a much longer stretch between tests. My red belt probably won't be acquired until between Thanksgiving and New Year's, and I got my belt in either July or August, which should tell you something about how long it takes. I've also lately been attending the Friday night sparring classes. I think that they're great fun, and I'm already learning how to fight a bit smarter. The bad thing, though, is that I seem to be getting injured a lot more, no matter how much protective gear that we have to wear. Right now my left knee is an interesting shade of green from the bruises (note the plural) I received last week, mostly from colliding with my partner's knees. There's a nasty tendancy for that. I've also been kicked in the face by a black belt. My nose was throbbing for a good three days, but it didn't bleed or break, so I am grateful at least for that. I've also been allowed to sing the National Anthem for the Missouri Taekwondo Invitational, which went extremely well. (You know you've done all right when your instructor admits to tearing up and hugs you onstage. Whaddaya know, he does have the ability to show emotion!) So now I'm booked for next year; hopefully I actually compete.
School is also going well thus far. I've made A's in all of my tests, which I'm sure you expected. Pur-leeeze, you thought I'd stoop to making B's? My parents would kill me.
My sister and I are going to be running around a bit tomorrow. We're heading over to Barnes and Noble to attend a book-signing by Brian Jacques, the author of the Redwall series and a number of other books, one of which I am attempting to get read by tomorrow (I haven't actually read anything else of his, you see; I thought I'd at least read one of his books before going to shake his hand). The book is pretty good thus far, if a tad confusing with the sheer number of characters involved. Not to mention that it's the third book in a series... Bit of a dumb idea to start off with the third book in a series... Ah well.
Black Belt Club class tomorrow afternoon. This should be interesting, since I think that we're working with the escrima sticks. I'll do my best not to injure myself, although I might say that this has been a bit harder than it sounds as of late, as I've described above.
Well, I'd better get to bed. Long day tomorrow, and I took Nyquil an hour ago, so I'm feeling a little drowsy.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: In Nuweiba, Egypt, you can fork over about $400 to learn how to properly ride a camel. That's right, they have camel-riding school. Sure, it only lasts for three days because it's meant more for tourists, but you know what? You get the camle license. Sweeeeeeet.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Before I Get Beaten
Yes, my cousin has been threatening hacking into the computer again, so here I am with a long-awaited update. (So I know that there are at least two people that read this thing.)
Thus far, no one that I actually know has died, at least since my last post. Injuries have been few, though I did get diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. So now I have to puff an inhaler before I get into my taekwondo classes... Not that terrible, but the stuff makes me really twitchy. At least I can breathe now, which is better than I could say a couple of weeks ago. Now if only I could figure out what was wrong with my puffy foot... (Two weeks and I'll be heading in to see the orthopedist, who will probably refer me to vascular guy, since the x-rays my normal doctor took didn't reveal anything abnormal. Joy.)
I'll probably be starting school on Monday. I've sneaked a peek at my new video teachers, and I have some strange first impressions. My biology teacher looks like a bug. My geometry teacher is sort of fat and balding, so I'm not sure how he'll do. We'll see. My history teacher I'm really looking forward to; my cousin had him a couple of years ago and not only is he good-looking, he's funny! Great combo. My Spanish teacher is the same woman as last year, so I know she's good. My English teacher, though, she has this really quiet "I will kill you in your sleep and eat your children" tone of voice. Freaky. Makes me miss Mrs. Schmuck. Ah, well, I'll see how these folks do; it normally takes a couple of weeks to get aquainted. I've got all of my books and whatnot, and the boxes are all cluttering my desk. Got a new desk chair, so I should be a bit more confortable during the homework part of the day.
The 19th is going to be a good day: I'm testing for blue first in taekwondo! Yay! It's always good to be moving up rank, since now I won't be at the bottom of the heap in the Intermediates' class anymore. Always a good thing, not being at the bottom of the food chain. It gets annoying after a while.
Bible Bowl started off (I think) on the right foot on Sunday. This year, we're studying 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel chapters 1-6. Yay, blood and gore! Always a good thing to teach the younger ones. I especially like the part where Samuel slays Agag (Phillistine king) with the sword. Moral: Don't mess with the preacher. And then there's the part about David, Saul's daughter, and the foreskins... I can't wait until Mom has to explain to the innocent 6th graders what a foreskin is. Appropriate response: Well, if you're a nice Jewish boy, you don't have one. Okay, changing the subject.
The animal shelter business is still going nicely. I'm quickly coming up on my fourth year of volunteering. Once I hit sixteen, though, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with that or try to get a job (or volunteer) at some veterinary clinic. Because honestly, my parents are getting tired of shuttling me around and if I ever get my driver's license, that's another $100 bucks on the insurance that I'd want to pay for. I need to get paid more than $5 a week for doing Grandma's laundry (read: Julie needs a job). Driving will be a good thing once I actually learn how to do it.
Well, I think that's pretty much everything that's been happening on my end of the wire.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Four percent of men prefer to wear thong underwear.
Thus far, no one that I actually know has died, at least since my last post. Injuries have been few, though I did get diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. So now I have to puff an inhaler before I get into my taekwondo classes... Not that terrible, but the stuff makes me really twitchy. At least I can breathe now, which is better than I could say a couple of weeks ago. Now if only I could figure out what was wrong with my puffy foot... (Two weeks and I'll be heading in to see the orthopedist, who will probably refer me to vascular guy, since the x-rays my normal doctor took didn't reveal anything abnormal. Joy.)
I'll probably be starting school on Monday. I've sneaked a peek at my new video teachers, and I have some strange first impressions. My biology teacher looks like a bug. My geometry teacher is sort of fat and balding, so I'm not sure how he'll do. We'll see. My history teacher I'm really looking forward to; my cousin had him a couple of years ago and not only is he good-looking, he's funny! Great combo. My Spanish teacher is the same woman as last year, so I know she's good. My English teacher, though, she has this really quiet "I will kill you in your sleep and eat your children" tone of voice. Freaky. Makes me miss Mrs. Schmuck. Ah, well, I'll see how these folks do; it normally takes a couple of weeks to get aquainted. I've got all of my books and whatnot, and the boxes are all cluttering my desk. Got a new desk chair, so I should be a bit more confortable during the homework part of the day.
The 19th is going to be a good day: I'm testing for blue first in taekwondo! Yay! It's always good to be moving up rank, since now I won't be at the bottom of the heap in the Intermediates' class anymore. Always a good thing, not being at the bottom of the food chain. It gets annoying after a while.
Bible Bowl started off (I think) on the right foot on Sunday. This year, we're studying 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel chapters 1-6. Yay, blood and gore! Always a good thing to teach the younger ones. I especially like the part where Samuel slays Agag (Phillistine king) with the sword. Moral: Don't mess with the preacher. And then there's the part about David, Saul's daughter, and the foreskins... I can't wait until Mom has to explain to the innocent 6th graders what a foreskin is. Appropriate response: Well, if you're a nice Jewish boy, you don't have one. Okay, changing the subject.
The animal shelter business is still going nicely. I'm quickly coming up on my fourth year of volunteering. Once I hit sixteen, though, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with that or try to get a job (or volunteer) at some veterinary clinic. Because honestly, my parents are getting tired of shuttling me around and if I ever get my driver's license, that's another $100 bucks on the insurance that I'd want to pay for. I need to get paid more than $5 a week for doing Grandma's laundry (read: Julie needs a job). Driving will be a good thing once I actually learn how to do it.
Well, I think that's pretty much everything that's been happening on my end of the wire.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Four percent of men prefer to wear thong underwear.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
A Small Rant
Yeah, yeah, I know I should be getting to the Cult of the Month, but I feel like being a dirty little procrastinator at the mo'. So here I sit, having just finished the 4th Harry Potter book and a few chapters into the 5th (why yes, I AM attempting to re-read them all before the next school year starts!). The coffee cup is empty, which means that I will probably be forced out of the Dungeon of My Black Despair, Down We Plunge to the Prison of My Mind. (Er, yeah, random "Phantom" lyrics. Yes, I know. I'm a freak.)
There's one thing that I've been thinking a little bit about lately, and that is swearing. You know what I'm talking about- the 'f' word and such. I know that some might look at me funny and yell "HYPOCRITE!!!" at the moment, but rest assured I'm working on my own problems with certain words in the English language and have thus far made a tiny bit of progress. (There are a few issues that I won't go into that it's stemming from, and so I'm trying to treat the disease and not merely put a band-aid on the symptoms.)
But this isn't about me. Not this time. This time it's been directed at my friends, and it's meant to wound and hurt and downright offend. It's disrespectful, and it's wrong. And you know what? This might sound really really weird to some, but guess what? IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU LOOK MORE MATURE. Quite the contrary, really. It just makes you look like some... I don't know... like some illiterate nutjob that just has to "emphasize" their situation instead of actually taking care of it. (Lauren and Linsdey's mother/supposed!friend, I'm looking at you. That's not a good thing when I've got coffee and a rising Pavlovian urge to kill.)
And it doesn't convey any sort of idea, either. When you think about it, you simply have to wonder where these words came from and what they were originally meant to mean. Take the 'f' word, for instance. You hear that one all the time (unfortunately) and it seems to have lost any sort of shock factor that it might have, since it's so overused in pretty much every aspect of society. It's a noun, verb, adjective, and any other part of speech you can think of. The only thing people don't know about it is where in the world such a word actually came from. I sure don't know, and I'm not really in the mood to type such a profanity into my search engine and find out. All that anyone really knows is that it's there, it's mean, it's disgusting, and it's probably here to stay, at least until someone thinks of something nastier.
*sighs* I kinda wish I knew why people choose to use things like that, especially when they have essentially no meaning. Sure, you can use them in the place of proper words, but why? There are a bunch of other words that sound a lot funnier than, say, the 's' word when you mean a pile of defecation. Come, now, you can't say that you've tried the word "defecation" and didn't smile a little bit. (Or maybe that's just me again.) It's a mind-boggler, to be sure, but it's one I'm interested in, both for myself and for others.
And just to let those strangers who tell me to show them a Bible verse that denounces cussing, I've got one: James 5:12- "Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned."
Or perhaps this one, Matthew 5:37- "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
I do believe that last one was straight out of Jesus' mouth. It's right up there with the Beatitudes and the whole "Salt of the Earth" thing. Sermon on the Mount, you know what I mean?
Perhaps I should add the last verse of that chapter, verse 48: "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
I can't think of anything quite as simple as that, can you?
Current Mood: Curious
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Radioactivity doesn't make stuff glow. You need phosphor (the stuff you find covering the TV screen) for that. Besides, you're lucky if you can make all the little particles stick, so it's not contagious either.
There's one thing that I've been thinking a little bit about lately, and that is swearing. You know what I'm talking about- the 'f' word and such. I know that some might look at me funny and yell "HYPOCRITE!!!" at the moment, but rest assured I'm working on my own problems with certain words in the English language and have thus far made a tiny bit of progress. (There are a few issues that I won't go into that it's stemming from, and so I'm trying to treat the disease and not merely put a band-aid on the symptoms.)
But this isn't about me. Not this time. This time it's been directed at my friends, and it's meant to wound and hurt and downright offend. It's disrespectful, and it's wrong. And you know what? This might sound really really weird to some, but guess what? IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU LOOK MORE MATURE. Quite the contrary, really. It just makes you look like some... I don't know... like some illiterate nutjob that just has to "emphasize" their situation instead of actually taking care of it. (Lauren and Linsdey's mother/supposed!friend, I'm looking at you. That's not a good thing when I've got coffee and a rising Pavlovian urge to kill.)
And it doesn't convey any sort of idea, either. When you think about it, you simply have to wonder where these words came from and what they were originally meant to mean. Take the 'f' word, for instance. You hear that one all the time (unfortunately) and it seems to have lost any sort of shock factor that it might have, since it's so overused in pretty much every aspect of society. It's a noun, verb, adjective, and any other part of speech you can think of. The only thing people don't know about it is where in the world such a word actually came from. I sure don't know, and I'm not really in the mood to type such a profanity into my search engine and find out. All that anyone really knows is that it's there, it's mean, it's disgusting, and it's probably here to stay, at least until someone thinks of something nastier.
*sighs* I kinda wish I knew why people choose to use things like that, especially when they have essentially no meaning. Sure, you can use them in the place of proper words, but why? There are a bunch of other words that sound a lot funnier than, say, the 's' word when you mean a pile of defecation. Come, now, you can't say that you've tried the word "defecation" and didn't smile a little bit. (Or maybe that's just me again.) It's a mind-boggler, to be sure, but it's one I'm interested in, both for myself and for others.
And just to let those strangers who tell me to show them a Bible verse that denounces cussing, I've got one: James 5:12- "Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned."
Or perhaps this one, Matthew 5:37- "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
I do believe that last one was straight out of Jesus' mouth. It's right up there with the Beatitudes and the whole "Salt of the Earth" thing. Sermon on the Mount, you know what I mean?
Perhaps I should add the last verse of that chapter, verse 48: "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
I can't think of anything quite as simple as that, can you?
Current Mood: Curious
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Radioactivity doesn't make stuff glow. You need phosphor (the stuff you find covering the TV screen) for that. Besides, you're lucky if you can make all the little particles stick, so it's not contagious either.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
*yawn*
So yeah. I just realized that I'm really quite unusual, at least in today's society. How so? Well, aside from my obvious mental quirks, there's quite a lot that would get me some weird looks in certain parts.
I don't have a boyfriend, nor do I really want one at the moment.
I don't think boyfriends are a big necessary for a fifteen-year-old.
My family is stable, my parents have been married to each other for over 30 years, all of my siblings and I share the same parents, and my parents have only been married once.
I think that obeying the parents is a good way to live (and continue to stay alive, at least in my house), and that having good familial relationships is a wonderful thing.
I am Christian, and am not afraid to stand up for that fact that I am religious.
I'm one of the teens who can say they are satisfied with their bodies (or at least mostly satisfied).
I have friends that I can actually talk to, not just call my friends and not actually mean it.
I enjoy reading for hours a day.
I believe that going to college is essential for making a decent living to support onesself and one's family.
I believe that brains and character are more important than beauty.
I think that abstinence is a really good method of birth control/being safe/avoiding a whole lot of trouble.
So did I miss anything?
Current Mood: Thoughtful
Random Useless Fact of the Day: There's a reason that copper rivets are only used on the pockets of blue jeans. Levi Strauss (of denim fame) heard about the little problem of cowboys settling next to a campfire, causing copper metal to do what a metal does best: conduct heat. The rivets would heat up to pretty high temperatures, and, well... You can imagine why cowboys sang mournfully.
I don't have a boyfriend, nor do I really want one at the moment.
I don't think boyfriends are a big necessary for a fifteen-year-old.
My family is stable, my parents have been married to each other for over 30 years, all of my siblings and I share the same parents, and my parents have only been married once.
I think that obeying the parents is a good way to live (and continue to stay alive, at least in my house), and that having good familial relationships is a wonderful thing.
I am Christian, and am not afraid to stand up for that fact that I am religious.
I'm one of the teens who can say they are satisfied with their bodies (or at least mostly satisfied).
I have friends that I can actually talk to, not just call my friends and not actually mean it.
I enjoy reading for hours a day.
I believe that going to college is essential for making a decent living to support onesself and one's family.
I believe that brains and character are more important than beauty.
I think that abstinence is a really good method of birth control/being safe/avoiding a whole lot of trouble.
So did I miss anything?
Current Mood: Thoughtful
Random Useless Fact of the Day: There's a reason that copper rivets are only used on the pockets of blue jeans. Levi Strauss (of denim fame) heard about the little problem of cowboys settling next to a campfire, causing copper metal to do what a metal does best: conduct heat. The rivets would heat up to pretty high temperatures, and, well... You can imagine why cowboys sang mournfully.
Monday, June 05, 2006
And Here We Go Again
Well, I promised you people an actual post, didn't I? I suppose I should get to that before I forget (again).
Aside from the events surrounding Memorial Day, like my grandpa getting into a car wreck (he's okay; he's got a new car, it was the other guy's fault), the annual family barbeque at my aunt's house (and her gigantic swimming pool), and getting out of school for the summer (thank you, Jesus!), there's not a whole lot that's been happening. Well, I did get my blue belt in taekwondo, moved up to the intermediates' class, and was invited to join the Black Belt Club (which I will, woot!!).
Not exactly sure why I was invited for the Black Belt Club; I'm just getting the hang of my blue belt. It was really a surprise to see the invitation in the mail. Only a few students get invited, and only the instructor's reccommendation will get you in. Apparently I fulfill all the necessary qualities, so I'll be heading to that particular class. The thing I'm really looking forward to in this class is that I get to start learning stuff with weapons. That's right, they're giving me nunchucks and a pair of escrima sticks! Yay blunt objects! Well, not giving; there's a membership fee, but still. And then there's the little patch you get to stick on your uniform... I'm sure it'll be a blast.
That's pretty much what's been happening around here at Lake Woebegone, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average. (Now let's see how long it take Garrison Keillor to sue me for using his quote.)
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The guillotine WAS NOT invented by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a deputy to the French Estates General. The first working model of the guillotine was made by a German engineer, so no one knows how it was named after Dr. Guillotin. The e was added at the end to make the word rhyme in various revolutionary ballads.
Aside from the events surrounding Memorial Day, like my grandpa getting into a car wreck (he's okay; he's got a new car, it was the other guy's fault), the annual family barbeque at my aunt's house (and her gigantic swimming pool), and getting out of school for the summer (thank you, Jesus!), there's not a whole lot that's been happening. Well, I did get my blue belt in taekwondo, moved up to the intermediates' class, and was invited to join the Black Belt Club (which I will, woot!!).
Not exactly sure why I was invited for the Black Belt Club; I'm just getting the hang of my blue belt. It was really a surprise to see the invitation in the mail. Only a few students get invited, and only the instructor's reccommendation will get you in. Apparently I fulfill all the necessary qualities, so I'll be heading to that particular class. The thing I'm really looking forward to in this class is that I get to start learning stuff with weapons. That's right, they're giving me nunchucks and a pair of escrima sticks! Yay blunt objects! Well, not giving; there's a membership fee, but still. And then there's the little patch you get to stick on your uniform... I'm sure it'll be a blast.
That's pretty much what's been happening around here at Lake Woebegone, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average. (Now let's see how long it take Garrison Keillor to sue me for using his quote.)
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The guillotine WAS NOT invented by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a deputy to the French Estates General. The first working model of the guillotine was made by a German engineer, so no one knows how it was named after Dr. Guillotin. The e was added at the end to make the word rhyme in various revolutionary ballads.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
We don't exist. Not physically, anyway.-- Christian Science
No, I'm not talking about science in the Christian perspective. That's a completely different subject, one that actually makes sense. Today it's the religion. Strap on your helmets, kids! It's the Cult of the Month!
Christian Science
Founder: Mary Baker Eddy, via the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
First Founded: 1875
Some Basic Beliefs: Are you ready for this? *ahem* Sin doesn't exist. Go ahead, re-read that. I'll give you a second. Done? Yeah, physical matter doesn't exist, either. Disease is also nonexistant. All physical matter, disease, and evil are a product of Malicious Animal Magnetism. God is Principle, Truth, Love, and Goodness all rolled into one, but is very impersonal; He is described as a "divine Mind." Biblical prayer is actually a hinderance to spiritual growth. (Yeah, I'm weirded out about that one, too.) Man is "spiritual and perfect" (according to Mrs. Eddy herself). Since God is Principle, Principle is all, God is good, and God is all, then all is good. (My logic machine just broke.)
Evaluation: Argh. Right, let's first tackle the whole "there is no sin" thing. If Mrs. Eddy really did believe the Bible, then she would know that God completely validates the existance of Satan and evil. So we can throw that one out the window. Next, God created Adam out of material things and took part of his material body to create another material body- Eve. He gave man material bodies with material needs. In other words, you really have to have pretty much no ability to think logically in order to follow this religion. There are too many gaping holes.
Disclamer: It's really the same one as last time. I'm giving out my (unsolicited) opinion of religions. I'm honestly not trying to rip up any particular person (except maybe Tom Cruise, but that was last month). Don't sue me. I only have about ten dollars.
Christian Science
Founder: Mary Baker Eddy, via the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
First Founded: 1875
Some Basic Beliefs: Are you ready for this? *ahem* Sin doesn't exist. Go ahead, re-read that. I'll give you a second. Done? Yeah, physical matter doesn't exist, either. Disease is also nonexistant. All physical matter, disease, and evil are a product of Malicious Animal Magnetism. God is Principle, Truth, Love, and Goodness all rolled into one, but is very impersonal; He is described as a "divine Mind." Biblical prayer is actually a hinderance to spiritual growth. (Yeah, I'm weirded out about that one, too.) Man is "spiritual and perfect" (according to Mrs. Eddy herself). Since God is Principle, Principle is all, God is good, and God is all, then all is good. (My logic machine just broke.)
Evaluation: Argh. Right, let's first tackle the whole "there is no sin" thing. If Mrs. Eddy really did believe the Bible, then she would know that God completely validates the existance of Satan and evil. So we can throw that one out the window. Next, God created Adam out of material things and took part of his material body to create another material body- Eve. He gave man material bodies with material needs. In other words, you really have to have pretty much no ability to think logically in order to follow this religion. There are too many gaping holes.
Disclamer: It's really the same one as last time. I'm giving out my (unsolicited) opinion of religions. I'm honestly not trying to rip up any particular person (except maybe Tom Cruise, but that was last month). Don't sue me. I only have about ten dollars.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Quickie
Relax. I'll have a new Cult of the Month up tomorrow, and an actual post shortly after that. But right now, I've got an essay to revise.
Current Mood: Thoughtful
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Onomatopeia: The act of naming something by the sound associated with it. For example: Hiss, boom, or crack.
Current Mood: Thoughtful
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Onomatopeia: The act of naming something by the sound associated with it. For example: Hiss, boom, or crack.
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Internets Ate My Baby
This blog entry is brought to you by Internet Explorer and Charter Cable, both of which have been farting so much lately it's hard to check one's email without that internet going down. Much frustration has been spent on this.
On the upside, there has been quite a bit going on here on my end. Take last night, for example: I tested for my blue belt. (It was a make-up test since I wasn't there on Saturday.) Results? Passed! The board-breaking went pretty smoothly; the jump spin side kick went a lot easier than I expected it to. (Snapped on the first try.) So yes, now I have to transfer up to the intermediates' class on Mondays and Wednesdays, instead of going Tuesday/Thursday. Should be a nice change of pace; now I can watch "House" in peace.
Next up on my to-do list is fill out an application for employment (yes, EMPLOYMENT) at the animal shelter. Since a couple of people quite, they're needing people to do pretty much the same thing I do for free. So now I'm going to try to get paid for it; let's see if they'll hire a fifteen-year-old who hasn't quite finished her first year of high school.
Speaking of school, I took three of my finals thus far. I got a 97% on my science one, but the English and geography ones haven't been graded. Algebra will be done on Tuesday, and Spanish would be done in less than two weeks at the rate I'm currently going. So yes, good stuff all around.
Tomorrow will be mostly filled, since Lindsey is graduating from pharmacy school. Should be interesting, and the last of the graduations for a while. So now we'll have our very own drug pusher!!! (Just kidding. Maybe.)
Current Mood: Satisfied
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Wener Heisenburg (yeah, you know, the nuclear physics guy) is either a hero or not as smart as is desirable. He told the Nazis that they didn't have enough uranium for an atomic bomb, overestimating how much they would need by a pretty substantial margin.
On the upside, there has been quite a bit going on here on my end. Take last night, for example: I tested for my blue belt. (It was a make-up test since I wasn't there on Saturday.) Results? Passed! The board-breaking went pretty smoothly; the jump spin side kick went a lot easier than I expected it to. (Snapped on the first try.) So yes, now I have to transfer up to the intermediates' class on Mondays and Wednesdays, instead of going Tuesday/Thursday. Should be a nice change of pace; now I can watch "House" in peace.
Next up on my to-do list is fill out an application for employment (yes, EMPLOYMENT) at the animal shelter. Since a couple of people quite, they're needing people to do pretty much the same thing I do for free. So now I'm going to try to get paid for it; let's see if they'll hire a fifteen-year-old who hasn't quite finished her first year of high school.
Speaking of school, I took three of my finals thus far. I got a 97% on my science one, but the English and geography ones haven't been graded. Algebra will be done on Tuesday, and Spanish would be done in less than two weeks at the rate I'm currently going. So yes, good stuff all around.
Tomorrow will be mostly filled, since Lindsey is graduating from pharmacy school. Should be interesting, and the last of the graduations for a while. So now we'll have our very own drug pusher!!! (Just kidding. Maybe.)
Current Mood: Satisfied
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Wener Heisenburg (yeah, you know, the nuclear physics guy) is either a hero or not as smart as is desirable. He told the Nazis that they didn't have enough uranium for an atomic bomb, overestimating how much they would need by a pretty substantial margin.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Tired
Stupid finals week. Too much homework, especially when doing 2-3 lessons of Spanish in order to catch up... On the upside, I should be done with most of my subjects by the end of Friday. Who knows how long Spanish is going to last; the doubling up is helping me out somewhat, but it still seems like I'll be in school forever.
Nervous about testing tomorrow/Thursday... I actually don't know if I'm testing for blue belt tomorrow or Thursday, but I'm ready either way. Can't wait.
The shelter's been really hectic for a few weeks. There's been a massive outbreak of parvovirus, and another of pneumonia. Both of our back rooms are filled with sick puppies, and it's possible we'll have some more dying from one thing or the other. Some are doing okay, but others... I stopped into the parvo room, and a bunch of them look like they're just waiting for the end. It's so, so sad. It'd make the nastiest old Scrooge's heart break...
On a better note, one of our dogs had a leg amputated and she's doing really well. Dixie's at a fostor home, and she's wearing a little white t-shirt to hide her stitches. She's got to be feeling so much better, now that she doesn't have to drag around a useless foreleg. I'm not sure what caused it to swell up and be generally nasty, but it'd something she had since before hurricane Katrina back in New Orleans. (Yes, she's one of our Katrina dogs.) She's such a sweetie; I hope she gets adopted soon.
Got done watching the "Grey's Anatomy" season finale while doing me homework. All I have to say is, WHY DID DENNY HAVE TO GO AND FREAKIN' DIE?!?! HE WAS MY FAVORITE!!!! (You can tell I'm mad because I'm abusing the exclamation points!) Pfft, the guy had another series to do. I guess he had to get bumped off of one of them in order to retain his sanity. (Sanity? Who needs it? I've never had it and I function fine! */retard*)
Right. I'm dead. The tanning lotion's dry so I can go to bed. Enjoy, y'all!
Current Mood: Brain Fried
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The 1981 wedding of the Crown Prince of Dubai cost $44 million dollars (and you think yours was expensive), had 20,000 guests, and was held in a stadium built just for the occasion.
Nervous about testing tomorrow/Thursday... I actually don't know if I'm testing for blue belt tomorrow or Thursday, but I'm ready either way. Can't wait.
The shelter's been really hectic for a few weeks. There's been a massive outbreak of parvovirus, and another of pneumonia. Both of our back rooms are filled with sick puppies, and it's possible we'll have some more dying from one thing or the other. Some are doing okay, but others... I stopped into the parvo room, and a bunch of them look like they're just waiting for the end. It's so, so sad. It'd make the nastiest old Scrooge's heart break...
On a better note, one of our dogs had a leg amputated and she's doing really well. Dixie's at a fostor home, and she's wearing a little white t-shirt to hide her stitches. She's got to be feeling so much better, now that she doesn't have to drag around a useless foreleg. I'm not sure what caused it to swell up and be generally nasty, but it'd something she had since before hurricane Katrina back in New Orleans. (Yes, she's one of our Katrina dogs.) She's such a sweetie; I hope she gets adopted soon.
Got done watching the "Grey's Anatomy" season finale while doing me homework. All I have to say is, WHY DID DENNY HAVE TO GO AND FREAKIN' DIE?!?! HE WAS MY FAVORITE!!!! (You can tell I'm mad because I'm abusing the exclamation points!) Pfft, the guy had another series to do. I guess he had to get bumped off of one of them in order to retain his sanity. (Sanity? Who needs it? I've never had it and I function fine! */retard*)
Right. I'm dead. The tanning lotion's dry so I can go to bed. Enjoy, y'all!
Current Mood: Brain Fried
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The 1981 wedding of the Crown Prince of Dubai cost $44 million dollars (and you think yours was expensive), had 20,000 guests, and was held in a stadium built just for the occasion.
Friday, May 12, 2006
*dons helmet*
Yup, that's right folks, tomorrow is when one of two scenarios will happen:
1) Pigs will fly
2) Jesus will come back
Why, you ask? Oh, yes. Phil's getting his Master of Divinity. (He's already instructed one of my friends to call him "Devine Master.") Translation? He's graduating from seminary. At last! I kind of thought he'd be in school until Jesus came back. Kind of dumb, I know, but when he's one of those carrying on that proud tradition of 10 years or more of college... (But don't forget, I'll be one of those proud traditon-followers; veterinary medicine takes a while.)
So the plan tomorrow is to wake up at 5AM, leave by 6, and be back some time around mid-afternoon. I'm bringing the iPod and I'm curling up in the back seat and I'm going to sleep. Getting me up early on a Saturday is just cruel. (But Dad's making coffee, so... maybe it isn't so bad.) We're all proud of Phil, and are all kind of stunned that he's finally done.
But the fun doesn't stop there! The week after that, my sister-in-law, Lindsey, will be graduating from pharmacy school, so more graduation hoods are in my future.
Speaking of graduating and getting promoted and all that jazz, there's still more: Next week? I'm testing for blue belt. Intermediate class, here I come! Another essay, here I come! School finals? Here I come! Okay, okay, I'll stop now. I've still got homework (oopsie).
Current Mood: Excited
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The current goldfish swallowing record is 300 in one sitting, set in 1974. And yes, I do mean live goldfish. You know, the little wriggly orange things that you can't seem to keep alive for more than three days? Imagine swallowing 300. Ick.
1) Pigs will fly
2) Jesus will come back
Why, you ask? Oh, yes. Phil's getting his Master of Divinity. (He's already instructed one of my friends to call him "Devine Master.") Translation? He's graduating from seminary. At last! I kind of thought he'd be in school until Jesus came back. Kind of dumb, I know, but when he's one of those carrying on that proud tradition of 10 years or more of college... (But don't forget, I'll be one of those proud traditon-followers; veterinary medicine takes a while.)
So the plan tomorrow is to wake up at 5AM, leave by 6, and be back some time around mid-afternoon. I'm bringing the iPod and I'm curling up in the back seat and I'm going to sleep. Getting me up early on a Saturday is just cruel. (But Dad's making coffee, so... maybe it isn't so bad.) We're all proud of Phil, and are all kind of stunned that he's finally done.
But the fun doesn't stop there! The week after that, my sister-in-law, Lindsey, will be graduating from pharmacy school, so more graduation hoods are in my future.
Speaking of graduating and getting promoted and all that jazz, there's still more: Next week? I'm testing for blue belt. Intermediate class, here I come! Another essay, here I come! School finals? Here I come! Okay, okay, I'll stop now. I've still got homework (oopsie).
Current Mood: Excited
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The current goldfish swallowing record is 300 in one sitting, set in 1974. And yes, I do mean live goldfish. You know, the little wriggly orange things that you can't seem to keep alive for more than three days? Imagine swallowing 300. Ick.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Just hop up on the couch, Mr. Cruise-- Scientology
It's that time of the month again, kiddies! Hope you brought your eye protection! Strap in, and please keep your hands and feet inside the blog at all times, because it's time for the Cult of the Month!
Scientology
Founder: L. Ron Hubbard, via the book Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought
First Founded: 1950
Some Basic Beliefs: That man is immortal and a spiritual being, that his capabilities are limitless though they may not be realized (this means I can go leap off a cliff if I only realized that I could fly by taping cardboard to my arms!), can achieve everlasting happiness by reaching a higher awareness (of what, I have no idea). That whatever is true is only what one has observed to be true (Black=white, I tell you!). There is none of this accepting stuff on faith or on a belief system. That absolutely any sort of chemical additive in ANYTHING (yes, including medicine) is a barrier to our well being (So... they would rather us all die of influenza? Mmkay.), and that sweating in a sauna cleanses the system. Anybody that can see the actual source of his problems isn't just a MAN, he's a freakin' higher being, no longer just a "man"! (One, two, three... *steely-eyedglance* *problems vanish* WHEE, I'm a demigoddess! Bow, puny mortals!)
Right. This is just too weird. *takes a breath* Right, to the next paragraph! I'm having a great time with this!
Scientology gives a person the ability to handle POWER (and yes, POWER. ALL IN CAPS.) without abusing it or being scared of it. (As opposed to man being a fallen being and not being physically able to handle any kind of true power without screwing it up somehow. Pfft.) A soul is a thetan, using whacked-out Greek. Having an Operating Thetan means that one exists without physical means and that one is fully onesself (bzuh???).
Aims? Oh, there are aims, all right- impossible ones. A war-free world in which crime and insanity don't exist, and only the honest ones have any rights. (Good luck. I repeat: MAN IS A FALLEN BEING.)
Evaluation: Hoooo, boy. I'm drowning in the humanism-- it's like man pretty much is God, God doesn't exist, and that man can actually make himself perfect without any outside help. Puh-leaze. How many times have we tried this and failed? Merely being influenced by thinking men doesn't help; they're imperfect like the rest of us.
I'm also seeing some suspicion of outsiders in here, a lot more so than I've seen in the Christian Church. Apparantly you'll never be betrayed so long as you are a member of Scientology. According to their web site, the "sun never sets on Scientology", which, in my opinion, attempts to pacify people into thinking that everything will be all right, that there is no impending judgement, and that it's no one's fault that they don't succeed, because it's man's current inability to realize his potential that causes everyone's problems. As a Christian using the Christian point of view, this is simply wrong. Man is limited. Man is imperfect. Man is responsible for his own actions. Man was, is, and will pretty much always be man. Period. End of story.
Okay, I'm done here. Feel free to critique my critiquing; I'm always eager to figure something else out.
Disclamer: Now, tell me you didn't read my little explanation using the First Amendment that I did in my last entry... Please be aware that I am not trying to rip up any particular person (except maybe Tom Cruise, but pretty much everyone makes fun of the odd little man), merely giving out my opinions on various religions. Don't sue; I'm not worth much.
Scientology
Founder: L. Ron Hubbard, via the book Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought
First Founded: 1950
Some Basic Beliefs: That man is immortal and a spiritual being, that his capabilities are limitless though they may not be realized (this means I can go leap off a cliff if I only realized that I could fly by taping cardboard to my arms!), can achieve everlasting happiness by reaching a higher awareness (of what, I have no idea). That whatever is true is only what one has observed to be true (Black=white, I tell you!). There is none of this accepting stuff on faith or on a belief system. That absolutely any sort of chemical additive in ANYTHING (yes, including medicine) is a barrier to our well being (So... they would rather us all die of influenza? Mmkay.), and that sweating in a sauna cleanses the system. Anybody that can see the actual source of his problems isn't just a MAN, he's a freakin' higher being, no longer just a "man"! (One, two, three... *steely-eyedglance* *problems vanish* WHEE, I'm a demigoddess! Bow, puny mortals!)
Right. This is just too weird. *takes a breath* Right, to the next paragraph! I'm having a great time with this!
Scientology gives a person the ability to handle POWER (and yes, POWER. ALL IN CAPS.) without abusing it or being scared of it. (As opposed to man being a fallen being and not being physically able to handle any kind of true power without screwing it up somehow. Pfft.) A soul is a thetan, using whacked-out Greek. Having an Operating Thetan means that one exists without physical means and that one is fully onesself (bzuh???).
Aims? Oh, there are aims, all right- impossible ones. A war-free world in which crime and insanity don't exist, and only the honest ones have any rights. (Good luck. I repeat: MAN IS A FALLEN BEING.)
Evaluation: Hoooo, boy. I'm drowning in the humanism-- it's like man pretty much is God, God doesn't exist, and that man can actually make himself perfect without any outside help. Puh-leaze. How many times have we tried this and failed? Merely being influenced by thinking men doesn't help; they're imperfect like the rest of us.
I'm also seeing some suspicion of outsiders in here, a lot more so than I've seen in the Christian Church. Apparantly you'll never be betrayed so long as you are a member of Scientology. According to their web site, the "sun never sets on Scientology", which, in my opinion, attempts to pacify people into thinking that everything will be all right, that there is no impending judgement, and that it's no one's fault that they don't succeed, because it's man's current inability to realize his potential that causes everyone's problems. As a Christian using the Christian point of view, this is simply wrong. Man is limited. Man is imperfect. Man is responsible for his own actions. Man was, is, and will pretty much always be man. Period. End of story.
Okay, I'm done here. Feel free to critique my critiquing; I'm always eager to figure something else out.
Disclamer: Now, tell me you didn't read my little explanation using the First Amendment that I did in my last entry... Please be aware that I am not trying to rip up any particular person (except maybe Tom Cruise, but pretty much everyone makes fun of the odd little man), merely giving out my opinions on various religions. Don't sue; I'm not worth much.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
All Your Base Are Belong to Us
So yeah, Demolition Ball? Friggin'. Fun. It ranks up there with Laser Tag on the List of Stuff That's Fun But I Still Suck At. My team lost three consecutive times, but the last game was really close. Thank goodness Preston (Birthday guy) actually knows how to play, because the rest of us were really pretty crappy. We had a great time anyway; I mean, it's like bumper cars and wiffleball had a lovechild! Come on! The card I made for the party went over well, especially the whole "*lights come up* Phantom: What the...?! Everyone Else: The PHAAAAAAAANTOM, oh, the Birthday Boy is heeeeeeeeere! Let's cuuuut the caaaaaakkkee! DUNDUNDUNDUNDUUUUUUUNNN!!!" thing I stuck in there (the Wehrenburg gift card didn't hurt either).
I now have a huge bruise just above my knee. It's a royal pain; I kept getting whacked into the control stick of the bumper car... But still, there's just something about yelling "KAITIE, GO GET THE BALL!!! PassitpassitpassitPASSIT!" and crashing into your friends that does it for me.
Right. I've got an essay to write. *stalks off*
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Thanks to break dancing, there are now injuries that are named Breaker's Thumb, Break Dancer's Pulmonary Embolism, and Break Dancer's Fracture of the Left Metatarsal. No kidding.
I now have a huge bruise just above my knee. It's a royal pain; I kept getting whacked into the control stick of the bumper car... But still, there's just something about yelling "KAITIE, GO GET THE BALL!!! PassitpassitpassitPASSIT!" and crashing into your friends that does it for me.
Right. I've got an essay to write. *stalks off*
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Thanks to break dancing, there are now injuries that are named Breaker's Thumb, Break Dancer's Pulmonary Embolism, and Break Dancer's Fracture of the Left Metatarsal. No kidding.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Sing a Song of HU- Eckankar
Before we get started here today, I would like to say that I won't be specifically making fun of the kooky religions. I'll let you do that yourself; I'll only be interjecting myself in occasionally. I'm not witty enough to do these things justice. If you hate the idea of a Cult of the Month, let me know so I can yell at my sister (it was her idea).
Name: Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God (o...kay...)
Founder: Paul Twitcher
Introduced as a Religion: 1965
Some Basic Beliefs: The Soul is eternal, and exists because God loves it. Contact of the ECK (Divine Spirit) is achieved through something called Soul Travel (Yeah, don't ask me what the heck that is).
Main Form of Worship (if any): As far as I can find (or as far as I want to look), it's relaxing and singing the word HU- the Sound of all sounds. (Well, if it's capitalized... */grammar nazi*)
Source of Info: Mostly seeing the ziggurat on top of the Temple of Eck in Minnesota, and watching as my sister Googled the thing. The site she came up with: eckankar.org
Next Month: Scientology! Come on, you guys know I hate Tom Cruise...
So yeah, this is sort of an expirimental thing. I'd appreciate comments on how to make it better, but please don't just flame me- according to today's standards, it's within my First Amendment rights to scrutinize weird religions. I'm not trying to be deliberately offensive to anyone. I'm merely a bored teenager with too much time on her hands.
Name: Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God (o...kay...)
Founder: Paul Twitcher
Introduced as a Religion: 1965
Some Basic Beliefs: The Soul is eternal, and exists because God loves it. Contact of the ECK (Divine Spirit) is achieved through something called Soul Travel (Yeah, don't ask me what the heck that is).
Main Form of Worship (if any): As far as I can find (or as far as I want to look), it's relaxing and singing the word HU- the Sound of all sounds. (Well, if it's capitalized... */grammar nazi*)
Source of Info: Mostly seeing the ziggurat on top of the Temple of Eck in Minnesota, and watching as my sister Googled the thing. The site she came up with: eckankar.org
Next Month: Scientology! Come on, you guys know I hate Tom Cruise...
So yeah, this is sort of an expirimental thing. I'd appreciate comments on how to make it better, but please don't just flame me- according to today's standards, it's within my First Amendment rights to scrutinize weird religions. I'm not trying to be deliberately offensive to anyone. I'm merely a bored teenager with too much time on her hands.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
*breaks out of the bubble*
Yeah, yeah, I'm back. I actually have been for a bit, but I just didn't feel like updating because I'm lazy like that. We got the bathroom installed in my brother's townhouse, I got some new jeans, went to this totally awesome furniture store up there called Ikea, ran around at the Mall of America (the one with the theme park in it), convinced my mom to buy an iPod Nano (black, too!), stuck a bunch of new music on my own iPod, got Little Women finished, totally pwnd the power sander. Yes, fun stuff up in Minnesota, so long as it wasn't raining; the weather up there was awful. Got back all right, obviously, glad to be home.
Not a whole bunch has been going on here on the home front, other than my team getting 1st place in our division at Bible Bowl competition Saturday, and Nights of Praise on Sunday night. Now that's a story!
So yeah, there we were at about 5 on Sunday evening, rehearsing for Nights of Praise. We were in the solo of this big huge choir number, and the light bar above the stage starts shaking! I mean, it's bouncing all over the place, the ceiling's doing the wave, the projectors are swingin' like Tarzan! It was nuts. Then this one lady runs into the auditorium yelling "TORNADO!" And we're all standing there like, "Uh, yer wot?" And the lady's all "TORNADO! Seriously, THERE'S ONE ON THE GROUND!" So we all start running to the community lobby, since the architects were smart enough to stick a basement in there. My mom and I had to help my voice teacher down three flights of stairs (she'd been in a car accident and her legs were still giving her trouble on the stairs). So there we were, all holed up in the basement and wondering if anyone would show up for the actual concert. (People did, by the way, and it was teh awesomes.)
Yes, fun times there. But dang, Mom didn't let me go chase the tornado... (Those that know me know that my life's ambition is to see a tornado before I die.) I'm just that kind of freak.
Finally got my green 1st belt in taekwondo! *glee* Once again, it's a size too long, but I've gotten used to that by now. (Every single one of my promoted belts has been too friggin' long, particularly my yellow 1st belt; that one was hanging past my knees.) Got my form down in its entirety, and for that I got my first two of the three required skill tapes, yay!
Mr. Andrew, one of my instructors, was taping the things onto my belt while Ms. Angie was giving another girl the first tape for her form, and then Mr. Andrew was all, "Julie got two tapes!" Ms. Angie just kind of looked indignant and said, "Mary got it down pat in two minutes." Mr. Andrew, in the spirit of sibling rivalry, shot back "Julie still got two tapes." Mary and I are just kind of snickering through the whole thing, because even though there's still the whole "aura of respect" thing going on through my dojang, Mr. Andrew and Ms. Angie still try to outdo each other. It's hilarious; you should see it sometime.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Some school in the country (I wasn't listening too much to the news) banned anything to do with flags after some schoolboys had disputes over the superiority of America and/or Mexico, to some other dude replied, "It's our country! If you don't like the flag, then you can leave." Of course, these "BANNINATION!" people deserve a kick in the pants...
Oh, wait. If I did that, I'd give 'em brain damage since their heads are so far up their butts... (If you'll forgive my French.)
Not a whole bunch has been going on here on the home front, other than my team getting 1st place in our division at Bible Bowl competition Saturday, and Nights of Praise on Sunday night. Now that's a story!
So yeah, there we were at about 5 on Sunday evening, rehearsing for Nights of Praise. We were in the solo of this big huge choir number, and the light bar above the stage starts shaking! I mean, it's bouncing all over the place, the ceiling's doing the wave, the projectors are swingin' like Tarzan! It was nuts. Then this one lady runs into the auditorium yelling "TORNADO!" And we're all standing there like, "Uh, yer wot?" And the lady's all "TORNADO! Seriously, THERE'S ONE ON THE GROUND!" So we all start running to the community lobby, since the architects were smart enough to stick a basement in there. My mom and I had to help my voice teacher down three flights of stairs (she'd been in a car accident and her legs were still giving her trouble on the stairs). So there we were, all holed up in the basement and wondering if anyone would show up for the actual concert. (People did, by the way, and it was teh awesomes.)
Yes, fun times there. But dang, Mom didn't let me go chase the tornado... (Those that know me know that my life's ambition is to see a tornado before I die.) I'm just that kind of freak.
Finally got my green 1st belt in taekwondo! *glee* Once again, it's a size too long, but I've gotten used to that by now. (Every single one of my promoted belts has been too friggin' long, particularly my yellow 1st belt; that one was hanging past my knees.) Got my form down in its entirety, and for that I got my first two of the three required skill tapes, yay!
Mr. Andrew, one of my instructors, was taping the things onto my belt while Ms. Angie was giving another girl the first tape for her form, and then Mr. Andrew was all, "Julie got two tapes!" Ms. Angie just kind of looked indignant and said, "Mary got it down pat in two minutes." Mr. Andrew, in the spirit of sibling rivalry, shot back "Julie still got two tapes." Mary and I are just kind of snickering through the whole thing, because even though there's still the whole "aura of respect" thing going on through my dojang, Mr. Andrew and Ms. Angie still try to outdo each other. It's hilarious; you should see it sometime.
Current Mood: Sleepy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Some school in the country (I wasn't listening too much to the news) banned anything to do with flags after some schoolboys had disputes over the superiority of America and/or Mexico, to some other dude replied, "It's our country! If you don't like the flag, then you can leave." Of course, these "BANNINATION!" people deserve a kick in the pants...
Oh, wait. If I did that, I'd give 'em brain damage since their heads are so far up their butts... (If you'll forgive my French.)
Friday, March 24, 2006
Quick Update
General Status: Well
School: Fine, got 100% on yesterday's science test (without studying)
Taekwondo: Just tested for Green First, passed with flying splinters
Dogs: Just fine; shelter is bursting at the seams with so many puppies
Currently Reading: Little Women for a book report
Tomorrow: Leaving really early in the morning to drive up to Minnesota to see my brother and install a bathroom in his old house. Bother the dogs, play with the "Roomba"... Bother the dogs with the "Roomba"...
Current Mood: Tired/excited/did-I-really-pack-everything-I-need
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Gasoline generally doesn't explode unless it's mixed with 93% air, so the car exploding after you crash it probably isn't going to happen.
School: Fine, got 100% on yesterday's science test (without studying)
Taekwondo: Just tested for Green First, passed with flying splinters
Dogs: Just fine; shelter is bursting at the seams with so many puppies
Currently Reading: Little Women for a book report
Tomorrow: Leaving really early in the morning to drive up to Minnesota to see my brother and install a bathroom in his old house. Bother the dogs, play with the "Roomba"... Bother the dogs with the "Roomba"...
Current Mood: Tired/excited/did-I-really-pack-everything-I-need
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Gasoline generally doesn't explode unless it's mixed with 93% air, so the car exploding after you crash it probably isn't going to happen.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Random!
Yeah, yeah, I've been a bad blogger lately. Since I can't think up any particular subject matter to go on, I've decided to just go on randomly. (Oh, dear...)
...
...
Just took midterms, did pretty darn well on them, especially in English, which is among my least favorite subjects (even though I'm actually good at it). The science and geography were no trouble. Could use some more work in algebra. Haven't taken Spanish yet, but it's not too far away. (I started Spanish later than everything else.) So yeah, the scholastic side of things is going pretty decently. Last quarter, yay! Only nine more weeks of school!
In a couple of weeks, my family is going to head on up to Minnesota to help my brother install a bathroom in his old house, since he and his wife recently bought a new house. I'm looking forward to it; I haven't even seen much in the way of pictures in this new house, and besides, this is my brother and sister-in-law we're talking about here. I love seeing them. (Now let's see if we manage to bring the "Uno Attack" thing....)
Taekwondo is still going strong. I think I'll be testing for Green 1st on the 18th, God willing. The injuries have been slowly cropping up; my quad muscles (you know, they're in your legs) keep getting kicked. I think the muscle might've been bruised last night; I was sparring again and caught some gal's heel. One thing I will say is that I'm GLAD I'm not a male. Getting kicks "down there" is not an uncommon occurance, seeing as everything's moving around so it's hard to take aim properly. So there's something being female is good for.
I think I'm catching my mother's plague; she's been pretty sick lately. My throat's starting to bug me and a fever's been slowly cropping up... Yay. Tylenol for me. (Better living through chemistry.) Hopefully it doesn't last long. I can't stand colds; they go straight to my ears and lungs so it feels like every orifice in my head is plugged up. Thank God for vaporizers and those little shower tabs that are made from "Vapo-rub." (Now THOSE are cool! Plus it's a great excuse to take a long, steamy shower.)
So yes, that's what's been going on around here. I'm a very boring person.
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: "How now brown cow?" The "brown cow" spoken of in the old proverb used to mean the large casks of beer in pubs. Simply walk up to the bar and ask for the brown cow of the hour, and one could avoid some nasty hangovers.
...
...
Just took midterms, did pretty darn well on them, especially in English, which is among my least favorite subjects (even though I'm actually good at it). The science and geography were no trouble. Could use some more work in algebra. Haven't taken Spanish yet, but it's not too far away. (I started Spanish later than everything else.) So yeah, the scholastic side of things is going pretty decently. Last quarter, yay! Only nine more weeks of school!
In a couple of weeks, my family is going to head on up to Minnesota to help my brother install a bathroom in his old house, since he and his wife recently bought a new house. I'm looking forward to it; I haven't even seen much in the way of pictures in this new house, and besides, this is my brother and sister-in-law we're talking about here. I love seeing them. (Now let's see if we manage to bring the "Uno Attack" thing....)
Taekwondo is still going strong. I think I'll be testing for Green 1st on the 18th, God willing. The injuries have been slowly cropping up; my quad muscles (you know, they're in your legs) keep getting kicked. I think the muscle might've been bruised last night; I was sparring again and caught some gal's heel. One thing I will say is that I'm GLAD I'm not a male. Getting kicks "down there" is not an uncommon occurance, seeing as everything's moving around so it's hard to take aim properly. So there's something being female is good for.
I think I'm catching my mother's plague; she's been pretty sick lately. My throat's starting to bug me and a fever's been slowly cropping up... Yay. Tylenol for me. (Better living through chemistry.) Hopefully it doesn't last long. I can't stand colds; they go straight to my ears and lungs so it feels like every orifice in my head is plugged up. Thank God for vaporizers and those little shower tabs that are made from "Vapo-rub." (Now THOSE are cool! Plus it's a great excuse to take a long, steamy shower.)
So yes, that's what's been going on around here. I'm a very boring person.
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless Fact of the Day: "How now brown cow?" The "brown cow" spoken of in the old proverb used to mean the large casks of beer in pubs. Simply walk up to the bar and ask for the brown cow of the hour, and one could avoid some nasty hangovers.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
The Prettiness of New Monitors
We recently got my mother a new flat-screen monitor... It's pretty... And that's pretty much All that I know about it; I'm somewhat technologically illiterate. I hope to eventually remedy this situation.
Life is going pretty well for me at the moment; just ask anyone who actually knows my recent news (which should be pretty much the entire church congregation by now, knowing my mother)... I'm not going to say much about it, just that I had a REALLY good Valentine's Day (at least, the last two hours of it). One word: boyfriend. Does that sum it up quite nicely?
School is going well. I'm rapidly coming up on midterms, which should be in about two weeks, depending on which subject you're asking me about. Taekwondo's going fine; I pretty much know what I need to know for my next test. I'm not sure when that'll be, but I should do pretty well, since I've been using up the vouchers for private lessons I got for Christmas. Those have been extremely useful.
As far as I know, pretty much everyone in my family is doing all right, aside from the two youngest members of my clan; they apparently have what I'll call kid-germs. Ick. I'm hanging a biohazard sign on their front door and I'm not going over without wearing a hazmat suit. My immune system has taken plenty of hits in the last six months; I don't plan to get sick for a quite a while, at least not until I get a decent break from school. Or a weekend that's free. Whichever comes first.
Okay, now for the part you REALLY come here for: The current mood and the RUFD.
Current Mood: Tired/achy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The first-ever recognized orchestra conductor, Jean-Baptiste Lully, was the first musician ever to use a baton to lead the rest of the band. This thing wasn't just a little stick. This was a six-foot long rod, which he accidentally pounded into his foot during a performance. Gangrene developed and Lully died a probably painful death.
Life is going pretty well for me at the moment; just ask anyone who actually knows my recent news (which should be pretty much the entire church congregation by now, knowing my mother)... I'm not going to say much about it, just that I had a REALLY good Valentine's Day (at least, the last two hours of it). One word: boyfriend. Does that sum it up quite nicely?
School is going well. I'm rapidly coming up on midterms, which should be in about two weeks, depending on which subject you're asking me about. Taekwondo's going fine; I pretty much know what I need to know for my next test. I'm not sure when that'll be, but I should do pretty well, since I've been using up the vouchers for private lessons I got for Christmas. Those have been extremely useful.
As far as I know, pretty much everyone in my family is doing all right, aside from the two youngest members of my clan; they apparently have what I'll call kid-germs. Ick. I'm hanging a biohazard sign on their front door and I'm not going over without wearing a hazmat suit. My immune system has taken plenty of hits in the last six months; I don't plan to get sick for a quite a while, at least not until I get a decent break from school. Or a weekend that's free. Whichever comes first.
Okay, now for the part you REALLY come here for: The current mood and the RUFD.
Current Mood: Tired/achy
Random Useless Fact of the Day: The first-ever recognized orchestra conductor, Jean-Baptiste Lully, was the first musician ever to use a baton to lead the rest of the band. This thing wasn't just a little stick. This was a six-foot long rod, which he accidentally pounded into his foot during a performance. Gangrene developed and Lully died a probably painful death.
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