December 31, 2004

Some advice this Eve

Make memories, drive safely, and strive to live better than this. Have a wonderful new year, and remember you're blessed.

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December 30, 2004

Another day on the slopes

After spending three full days physically incapacitated the last time I ventured out on skis, you would think I would never dare hit the slopes again. My old roomie, who had the privelage last week of watching my ass thrice make contact with the cold, snowy trail, was certain that all the demons in hell would snow ski before I would. But alas, she was wrong. Everyone was wrong. Look:

How could I stay away from the slopes when I look so gosh darn cute on skis? I think I'm ready for Aspen. That picture was taken right after I conquered the bunny hill without falling a single time. Actually, I conquered it twice. Watching the three-year olds glide effortlessly to the bottom gave me the inspiration to finally face that bunny hill and show it who's boss. Yeah, that bunny hill is mine.

Next time I'm going to conquer the intermediate slopes too... the ones the eight-year olds do. And someday, I promise you, I'll make it through the adult courses without falling. And I'll look really cute while doing it. Just watch me. Yeah.

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December 29, 2004

New Year's Resolution #2

I resolve to stop watching MUST! SEE! TV! and clean up a park.

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December 28, 2004

The evil we do

Today I read that the tidle waves in Asia has killed over 50,000 people. To see pictures of mothers mourning over their children is so heartbreaking to me, but apparently this is not so for everyone. I've spent the last two days in shock after reading the comments at Little Green Footballs (a conservative blog that doesn't deserve a link) that celebrate the deaths of the tsunami victims because many of them are Muslims. Other message boards have seen the same kind of reaction --cheering on the horror.

Three years ago, we witnessed some Arab Muslims similarly cheering on the attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States. They believed Americans to be evil, and celebrated God's wrath on the infidels. Yet we believed that they were evil, or at least very lost. We proclaimed ourselves to be morally superior to those who found pleasure in seeing other people die. We thought we were so different. We would never revel in the misery of others, because we're good Christians.

But are we really so different than those who hailed the 9/11 tragedy? How could any decent person enjoy hearing of thousands of children being swept out to sea? Or seeing photographs of people crying over the bodies of their loved ones? How could any human being with a single shred of morality get any satisfaction out of a tragedy like this? And how can we miss the fact that we're exactly like the people we hate?

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December 26, 2004

Camera phone holiday shot

A cellie photo of me and my sister Klara at our aunt's house on Christmas. Notice the exquisite copy of Jon Stewart's America (The Book) on the table. A little gift from the aforementioned aunt. She's pretty cool.

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December 25, 2004

Dude, I got a Dell

I guess my family got sick of me complaining. Seriously. Look:

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December 24, 2004

Preach it, Shmuley!

There is nothing more appropriate on the eve of a Christian holy day than to examine whether the example of Christ is being followed this day in age. An observation from Rabbi Boteach:

There are far too many religious Christians who are undermining Christian aims with appalling public statements that deeply discredit the wholesomeness of the Christian message. Those fraudulent TV evangelists who are more interested in money than souls are obvious culprits, but so are abominable mutterings like that of Jerry Falwell, who said two days after 9/11 that the United States was being punished for its sins.

Religious Americans have a propensity for blaming the secularism of American society on atheists, but seem blind to how their own bad example can contribute to the public's rejection of a spiritual message.

In recent weeks, fundamentalist leaders and pundits have been shouting some horribly anti-Jew sentiments, many reminiscent of pre-Holocaust slander. On the day many Christians celebrate the birth of the Jewish messiah, why not ask ourselves what we can do to halt the growing hatred of Jewish people in America?

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December 23, 2004

The holiday thing

The snow is coming down pretty fiercely in Cleveland. The cars are all buried under huge mounds of snow, so I didn't bother venturing outside. I kept myself busy by baking various sugary goodies and eating various sugary goodies. I had one too many Hershey's Kisses. And I've probably been thinking too much, too.

This may get me in trouble with Bill "defender of Christmas" O'Reilly, but in my life this season has become less and less important. When I was a kid I was always told that it was nothing short of blasphemy to pretend that this day was like any other. But the older I get the more I realize that Christmas is something we created, and something we could scale back if we wanted to.

Personally, I could do without the blinking lights, decorated tree, frantic shopping, Santa suits and pine cone wreaths. I could do without the fiber-optic nativity sets and candle-lit church rituals that pretend Jesus is still a baby. And I could certainly leave behind the family gatherings when relatives demand to know the date of my non-existant wedding. That, especially.

I could live without Christmas. And I'm sure God wouldn't be too pissed off if I stopped pretending it was really his birthday. An indulgent party is not what he's after, anyway. I'm sure there are other things on his agenda.

Of course, this will never happen. My family won't let it, and my country won't forgive me. I'm required to celebrate Christmas whether it's spiritually necessary or not, and my life will forever be filled with endless star-shaped sugar cookies and ceramic Baby Jesus figurines. But even though it's no longer an important day for me, I know it still is for most of you out there. So, I'd like to formally wish everyone the most wonderful Christmas ever.

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December 21, 2004

Cross-country evil

Here's a puzzle for y'all to solve: What does a snow-covered hiking trail with three idiots on wobbely skis look like?

Any guesses?

No? Okay, I'll tell you. The answer is: pretty damn funny. That's what it looks like. At least, that's I think it looks like.

Today, I went cross-country skiing with my old roomie and another friend. As a ski virgin, I expected nothing more from our outing than a red rump and sore thighs. What I ended up with was a red rump, sore thighs, and a good excuse to endulge in a massive piece of chocolate cake from Max & Erma's.

Of our fearsome trio, I was the first to fall. I actually fell twice in the first five minutes, but managed to steady myself long enough to watch my old roomie fall in front of me a couple times. Limbs flailed, and skis went a-flying. Boy, that was entertaining.

The third time I hit the ground something happened to my shoulder. It popped and stung, and now hours later I can't really move it. I gave up five minutes after that.

My brave roomie, however, didn't give up until she came within six inches of losing her life to an oak tree. Our friend Angie, though wobbeling herself, skied relatively safety and didn't fall once. But she still counts as one of the three Metropark Ski Lodge idiots.

We were... pretty damn funny.

I must go ice myself now.

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December 18, 2004

New year's resolution #1

I resolve to make 2005 a Walmart-free year.

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December 16, 2004

Top 5 in 2004

Blogging nerds unite in search of great posts! The Corner is giving folks a chance to shamelessly plug their top five posts of the year. What makes a post among the top five, you may ask? I haven't a clue. All I know is that there are a few stipulations:

First, create an entry with your best 5 entries of the year. Then, send me the entry link at bobcarlton@speakeasy.net. I am going to repost your entry on The Corner. Subscribe to the RSS feed, spread the word, and enjoy the fun!

It took me some time to trying to find five posts worthy of being read by anyone (even my most loyal readers, you know who you are, because you're probably related to me or have lived with me at some point in the recent past). Without further ado:

1. The New American Jesus, November 23rd.
2. Preemptive Benevolence, October 11th.
3. Conflicted About St. Anthony? October 8th.
4. Those Crazy De-materializers, September 21st.
5. My Digital Confessional, February 1st.

I hope these prove tolerable. Spread the word. Enjoy the fun.

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December 15, 2004

I wish

While still working on my Dogma essay, I decided to post my wish list for this Christmas season. I know, I know, I already made my Christmas list, and it was a pretty extensive one at that. But this wish list isn't about presents... at least not the tangible kind you can wrap with paper. This list is all about the way I wish things were. So here it is.

• I wish those in interacial relationships did not have to endure family gossip and animosity.
• I wish I could switch the salaries of professional ball players with those of factory workers and elementary school teachers. That way, these people would be truly compensated for the work they do, rather than being grossly overpaid or grossly underpaid.
• I wish we'd stop calling Curt Schilling a hero, and save that honor for real heroes like Margaret Hassan and Deitrich Bonhoeffer.
• I wish overweight people were not made fun of.
• I wish Americans were more afraid of drunk drivers, lung cancer, gun accidents and domestic violence than they are of terrorism. The chances of getting run off the road by an SUV with a Bush/Cheney sticker are much greater than getting popped by Osama bin Laden.
• I wish Christians in the United States cared more about promoting mercy than demanding that city hall be covered in Christmas-themed lawn junk.
• I wish those who order wars were required to fight on the front lines.
• I wish the American definition of moral values included abstaining from flag-worship, treating the homeless with dignity, and reacting with compassion to victims of AIDS.
• I wish pet rats lived longer than two or three years.
• I wish Christmas was a time to remember Christ as a grown man that spoke of mercy, not a silent infant incapable of pissing off sanctimonious religious leaders.
• I wish Christians cared as much about the born as the unborn.
• I wish our desire to care for the planet and all the people living on it was stronger than our desire to have the biggest, most bad-ass motor vehicle. I wish people who drive Hummers would rethink their decision.
• I wish this list didn't have to be so long.

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December 12, 2004

Dogma

I finally got around to watching Dogma, per the advice of several readers of Sonafide.com that insisted I do so. It was very thought provoking, and I've got a lot of thoughts on the message of the movie, which I'll be posting in a day or two. Warning: this may be another one of those annoyingly long posts.

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December 10, 2004

Comforting words, sugar, & ebay

The last two days were spent trying not to make an ass of myself in public, lest someone ask me what was wrong or why was I crying. I certainly didn't want to tell anyone I was grieving over a rat. An old, sickly, dead rat. Most folks probably wouldn't understand, and I've got enough peculiarities about me to make somebody suspicious. I don't need to make myself look any weirder.

My old roomie came over after she learned of the news, armed with a box of chocolate-covered Oreos (which are now gone) and some Ben & Jerry's ice cream (ditto). We watched some show on VH1 about highschool geekiness and proceded to get fat(ter). Junk food always makes me feel better, and the visit was definitely what I needed.

To further distract myself, I designed a birthday greeting card that I'm selling on Ebay. In honor of Fat Bastard, the most excellent rat to ever walk to the Earth, I've created RatArt Design, just so that I can send out Fatty's picture everywhere. He modeled for the card, and I've got enough pictures and videos of him to make hundreds more. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Also, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who left me a kind note and sent positive vibes my way. I appreciate it. I'll leave with this awesome message, from a member of JonathanBrandis.org: May he never run out of cheese or any of his other favorite treats...

UPDATE: I just noticed that Fatty's last photos can be seen from the last Monday Morning Rat Blogging post on November 29th. here.

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December 08, 2004

My Fatty McFatterson

Fat Bastard was euthanized at 8:30 this morning after spending the night in near paralysis. The doctors think he had lymphoma, with the cancer having spread all over his body and putting pressure on his organs. I'm just shocked he deteriorated so quickly. Early this morning I fed him some of his favorite baby food with a syringe, then made my way to the vets office where they put him to sleep. He was the best damn pet I ever had.

Thanks Fatty, for making me realize that expensive sheets don't matter (because they functioned just fine even after you put holes in them), for doing flips every time I gave you a piece of cheese, and for tolerating the babies when I'm really sure all you wanted was a cage of your own. You kick ass. And since you're probably the most photographed rodent in the history of modern civilzation, I can't end this post without including some of your finest pictures.

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December 07, 2004

A pet parent's nightmare

After six months of on-and-off antibiotics for respiratory infections, many x-rays, and countless syringe feedings, I got the worst news a pet mom could have from her veterinarian: something is horribly wrong, and they don't know what it is, or how to treat it.

A few days ago, my eldest rat Fat Bastard became really weak and lethargic, and I noticed his tail, feet, and testicles turned from their usual fleshy pink to a pale blue color. He hasn't been eating much the last 24 hours, and today he could barely lift his head.

I got three different medicines and a can of dog food to give him, at a cost I'd rather not say (though to give you an idea, I'm even more determined now to find a new job). But my vets have no clue whether or not it will do any good.

I don't know if he'll make it to tomorrow. I'd hate to think of finding him lifeless in the morning. But if he doesn't, even though I'll be incredibly sad, I'll at least know that he's had a really kick-ass life with someone that would have severed her left hand for him. Love you, Fatty!

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December 06, 2004

Shopping woes

I wish everyone was as up-front about their wish lists as I am. I have no clue what to get anyone, save for one friend who blatantly told me, "Drina, buy this for me, okay?" whilst shopping at Pat Catan's one day. Holiday shopping sucks.

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December 04, 2004

Cleveland, 10 minutes ago

Man, I love having a digital camera.

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December 02, 2004

A scandelous welcome mat

Chuck Currie posted yesterday about a story involving a church's struggle to get its own commercial aired on CBS. To many of those who believe that the American media has a liberal bias, this would hardly seem surprising. After all, many believe that CBS is anti-Bush, anti-conservative, and consequently anti-Christian. So it naturally follows that it would also be hostile to the Christian message, right?

Well, yes and no.

Personally, I don't believe that the media is generally liberal or anti-conservative, CBS included. Let's keep in mind that Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and Brit Hume are all part of the media, and that virtually all of the major outlets are owned and operated by the most conservative men in the country. So, considering this, it would not naturally follow that CBS is hostile to the Christian message because it has a liberal bias.

In reality, CBS is hostile to the Christian message because it fears offending the conservative powers that be.

The advertisement in question was a spot promoting the United Church of Christ, a socially progressive Christian denomination that accepts everyone that walks through their doors, including people who are gay. The message of the inappropriate ad was, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." The commercial was intended to highlight their unconditional welcome, but was apparently too scandelous for CBS to air. Currie quotes CBS:

"Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the networks."

In essence, since the Bush administration is in favor of changing the Constitution to deny gay couples marriage rights, CBS believes that it's inappropriate to run a commercial showing a church welcoming gay people. The message of inclusion is as scandelous today as it was in Christ's time... That's no surprise. But why would an alleged bastion of liberalism refuse to run such an ad? It doesn't make much sense according to conservative logic. Sure, the ad is produced by a church, but it runs contrary to the conservative ideal of exclusivity. This is a liberal ad from a liberal church. What is CBS so afraid of?

Is it the Christian content? The Bush administration crack down? The scorn of conservative media pundits? All of the above? What?

I am neither a member of the United Church of Christ, nor do I care about running television commercials. If it were my money, I'd use it on something other than dramatized television ads aimed at boosting church membership. But such an example of aversion to inclusive Christianity begs the question, is it possible for the media to be both anti-liberal and anti-Christian?

Or is it inevitable?

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December 01, 2004

A friendly pick-me-up

My old roomie, statement 1: Drina, you're like, my life!

My old roomie, statement 2: My life sucks!

Drina's natural deduction: Drina sucks!

Drina's natural reaction: Fooey, all of you!

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