40 effing days!

I like support under my chairs and tables but that's just me.

40 days without a Mary Worth appearance. Will Mary reappear before the end of Ramadan (September 30 - October 1 in North America)?* That's one pious biddy - Lent and Ramadan.

*Source: http://www.when-is.com/ramadan-2008.asp

Feel free to participate in the newest poll - Mary Worth will reappear for which holiday?

September 30: Eid ul-Fitr (last day of Ramadan) - Muslim holiday
October 9: Yom Kippur - Jewish holiday
October 28: Diwali - Hindu holiday
December 9: Bodhi Day - Buddhist holiday

You know... morons

Clause 3, Article 6 of the United States Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the
several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the
United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation,
to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required
as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

I added the emphasis.

During the work week, I watch Morning Joe on MSNBC while I eat breakfast. This morning some poll numbers were quoted - 12% believe that Barak Obama is a Muslim and 32% believe that he attended a madrassa. How much effort does it take to remain willfully ignorant?

I posted the quote above to remind people what our constitution says. Obama, a Muslim? No, but it does not matter. ...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

When Mitt Romney came to the Bush Library to speak, he should have quoted Clause 3, Article 6 and left. He should have kept repeating, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States", until it penetrated the thick skulls of people trying to impose such a test.

Back to the poll numbers quoted on MSNBC. In a perfect world, when news people quote a poll showing a percentage of people believing something proven untrue the phrase, "you know... morons" should accompany the quote.

An example:
According to a 1999 Gallup poll, 6% of Americans believe that the Apollo moon landings were faked. You know... morons.*

It would ease my pain.

*You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons. - From Blazing Saddles

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Eating left over tuna casserole alone in the dark

Ron Amalfi has learned his dumping technique from Dr. Drew Corey. Mary will find him with Dr. Jeff at the Bum Boat. Who will receive the slap?

Mary needs a red hat to complete the ensemble.

Today, I found humor in unexpected comics - Heathcliff and Ziggy.

What is the minimum number of countries required to form an axis?

The "God is punishing with a natural disaster" crowd has been quiet about the flooding in the Midwest. Surely, Iowa has done something to earn God's wrath. Maybe God disapproves of the overuse of high fructose corn syrup in our food.

Good save, Jesus!

I like the WTF? expression on the other girl. Dolly does not realize that using every moment, no matter how trivial, as an opportunity for proselytizing is the root cause of her lack of friends.

I knew people like Dolly. They steered every conversation toward God, Jesus, and salvation.

During a casual volleyball game:
"Good save, Bob!"
"Thanks, but it was not as good as the save Jesus performed when he died for our sins!"
"uh, yeah ...praise Jesus."

The New Testament refers to a variety of "gifts of the spirit". I wonder if the ability to make every interaction slightly awkward counts as a gift?

Going paperless sometimes uses a lot of paper

I just made a PDF from a printed Master's thesis.

I had a bit of a dilemma: time vs. greenness.

Thesis was bound. I could have used my flatbed scanner and scanned a page at a time. Very tedious. Or I could make a copy and put that into my multi-page feed scanner. Job done quickly but require the use of extra paper plus whatever energy expended by the copy machine.

I decided to make a copy. I made the copy two-sided since the multi-page scanner can scan two sides. The copy ended up in the recycle bin. A copy of some one's Master's thesis will eventually become toilet paper or whatever they make out of the recycled paper.

At least the process happens only once.

It is a testament to my religion that I even weighed the options.

You Inspire Me, Mary

Inspire me to roll my eyes and laugh derisively.

A Mary Worth strip that made me laugh out loud. It helps to interpret Toby's comment in the second panel as sarcasm.

Send Mary Worth to Iraq. She will solve the sectarian violence with advice and tuna casserole. Is tuna casserole halal?

Something Shifted

Something inside me shifted too. I dealt with it in the bathroom. Could the man in the second panel look any creepier?

I should be a bit more fair to Mary Worth. I experienced an inner shift as a teenager. To someone looking from the outside it would have appeared very mundane. The experience was profound enough for me to remember the date - May 17, 1986 but it would not make a very interesting set of two panel comic strips. I certainly would not pull someone aside from a pool party and bore them for 3 and a half weeks. It would take me 5 minutes.

A small life lesson: what you believe is a profound spiritual experience bores the hell out of people when you go on and on about it. I'm talking to you, white people people who are raising children. It may be a spiritual journey to you but to me it sounds like a lot of drudgery.

Back to Mary Worth. The seemingly simple act of saying grace and showing hospitality had a huge inner effect on Mary because of her circumstances. Again, something hard to convey in a comic strip especially one written in such a ham-handed manner. Comic strips are a limited medium when depicting the inner struggles of the soul and considering that Mary Worth does not have much of a soul the only logical conclusion to this storyline is a somewhat vaguely religious experience (to coin a word - religiousy). Mary Worth is what it is and to expect anything else leads to suffering. Mundane is Mary Worth's essence.

3 and a half weeks

The Steve, the Pitbull storyline lasted 3 and a half weeks? I hardly noticed the passage of time because the story was engaging, funny and helped raise awareness about the negative but false stereotypes about Pitbulls. Karen Moy might learn a few lessons here.

The young Mary flashback storyline has lasted 3 and a half weeks or at least it seems that way. The lamest religious experience ever. The experience fits the pattern that Mary set for the rest of her life.

It's my fault for expecting more. Comes from reading too many comic books and biographies.

Coming back from the flashback and finding Toby Cameron almost slashing her wrist would provide a satisfactory ending to this story.

Does Karen Moy get paid with money for writing this or does King Features just sends her a favorite item for each comic strip? I suspect Joe Giella finds a case of beer on his porch every week.

I would be willing to write Mary Worth in exchange for light housekeeping services. Think about it, King Features. I write trite dialogue and weave slow moving plots that go nowhere (but only slightly better - I will attribute Mary's quotes to actual people rather than generic wise men) and the syndicate sends someone to my house once a week to dust, sweep and vacuum.

Participate in the new poll: What would you want from King Features in exchange for writing Mary Worth?

The joys of running

Runner's World often has articles about the joys of running. Great scenery, learning the layout of the neighborhood, getting to know neighbors, good health, less stress and many other benefits. Every issue of Runner's World features a photo of a "Rave Run", a place of majestic scenery. For some reason most of these photos are from the Pacific Northwest. John Bingham has a column in which he writes about runners knowing where to find streets, familiar faces and the little adventures one experiences while out on the road.

I experienced a little adventure while running today but I doubt it would qualify for Runner's World. As I was running down a street, a woman sitting in a chair under a carport called out to me and asked if I had a cell phone. She wanted to call her son whose car had broken down in Brenham and she wanted to check on his progress. The son found a flywheel for the car and was in the process of fixing it. So I paused my tracker on my cell phone and dialed the number. She left a message and told him that she was using the phone of woman who was jogging by. After that, she told me the back story. Oh boy.

[content about race (not the running kind) ahead]
She and her son had a disagreement regarding his girlfriend. The girlfriend is going to have a baby that is the wrong color. The woman was not going to allow the girlfriend to stay in her house. This angered both sons and her husband. They all left with the vehicles and all the meat except for the sausage which the lady does not care for. She was not giving up the house that a man had fixed up real nice for them. She ranted a bit about the poor treatment she had received despite the financial help she had given them and other acts of kindness. She mentioned a neighbor willing to intervene if they did not start treating her right, her sister in Louisiana dying of kidney failure and attempting to hitchhike to the doctor. The lady has a very visible disability - it was the prime reason that I did not mind approaching and allowing her to use my cell phone, I did not perceive her as a threat. Anyway, the lady mentioned that she has not seen me jogging down this street before and asked if it was my first time. I told her I think it was my second time. She told me about a group of Mexican ladies that walk/ jog several laps and that if she had good legs she would do the same thing. She hoped they will come back because she needed to go to the doctor this week. I hope the neighbor she referred to will help. Ten minutes later she finished her story and I was back on my way.

I made it home and related my adventure to Walter. We both reflected on the weirdness. White people assuming other white people have the same views (this happens in any group - church, social, racial, economic, work). The other people in the lady's life surprised by her views. Focusing on the color of the baby as a reason for the disagreement as opposed to other legitimate reasons such as her son not being the father or adultery. I wondered if I would have missed out on this adventure if I had been a different color. Then I thought of the real irony behind prejudice: she and others who I've met like her cannot afford to live in a neighborhood that does not have a lot of the people that they dislike in it. Odder still, she and others like her would not consider themselves racist. The KKK are racists, skinheads are racists, Neo-Nazis are racists, not them.

I will drive by the lady's house later and see if anyone made it back. Part of me wants to help and a larger part of me does not want to get sucked into this wreck. I understand why the others in the Bible story walked on - they could have gotten hurt. I will add her to my meditation. I know it is the wimpy way but I'm not Christ nor the good Samaritan.

Snow

That is snow on my car. Snow fell in huge flakes but it was not cold enough for it to accumulate on the ground. Walter took some pictures of the snowflakes coming down. Now the sun is out and any traces of snow is gone. Should have saved some in the freezer.

The dogs were not impressed with the snow. They looked out the door and then resumed playing in the living room. They have short coats, they were not designed for this weather.


Seems that Jake does not find Ballard Street to be the nirvana that I envision. I like artist's ability to capture the Ballard Street style, down to the lighter ink.

Thank you Jeff and Bil Keane for not drawing that.

The wise person that Mary quotes is the Dalai Lama. He was not mentioned by name because he would probably be annoyed at Mary Worth for twisting the spirit of his philosophy. Silly Toby, you don't need religion in order to be a meddling biddy that mistakes platitudes and unwanted advice for kindness.

Mary has lived in Charterstone for years and no one knows about her background?

This could foreshadow some interesting back story but since this is Mary Worth probably not.

I posted a poll about Mary Worth's possible religion. Likely, a very white bread protestant religion. I included Rastafarianism for fun.

How Privileged Are You

Found this at Ms. Kitty's blog

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

Bold the true statements.

1. Father went to college.

2. Father finished college.

3. Mother went to college.

4. Mother finished college.

5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.

7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.

9. Were read children's books by a parent.

10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.

11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.

13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.

14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.

15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.

16. Went to a private high school.

17. Went to summer camp. It was a day camp

18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.

19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.

20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.

21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child [kid's work is original!]

23. You and your family lived in a single-family house.

24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.

25. You had your own room as a child.

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.

27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.

28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.

29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.

30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.

31. Went on a cruise with your family.

32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.

33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. Not so much as heating as air conditioning but still unaware.

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I am grateful for the privileges, acknowledge that others were not as privileged, hope more would get to experience the same privileges, try my best to treat everyone with respect but I will not be made to feel guilty for what I received and what I have.

The New Reality

The site outage has become quite annoying. I look forward to a lovely afternoon on the phone trying to figure out the problem.
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Attended my father-in-law's funeral yesterday. He is buried in the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. The cemetery is less than two years old. A lovely location nestled among hills. The site is also on the flight line of a small airport and adjacent to Ft. Hood. The would make Walt happy because he did not want to be buried in a place that was too quiet.

Aside from the family, my father, a woman from College Station ISD Transportation and a couple from church attended. The navy sent two people - one played Taps. The sailors folded and presented a US flag that was draped over the coffin.

Regarding the couple from church, I refuse to believe in a God that would condemn these two kind people to eternal damnation simply because they did not say or believe certain things. Going out of their way to support Walter in his time of grief has got to be worth more than just mouthing words and holding beliefs. I'm grateful to have these two people in my life.

It went as well as a funeral could go.

Now comes the time to take care of little details and learning to live in the new reality.

Bible Quiz

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

The quiz had a lot of choices obviously not from the Bible. Facilitated the process of elimination.

Universalism in the funnies

Frank looks like Jimmy Carter.

This is a rather simple explanation of Universalism. I don't think Universalists believed everyone automatically got into heaven but they did not believe in the automatic condemnation of humanity. The entrance requirements are not as strict in Universalism. God is just too loving to condemn for eternity simply because a person failed to embrace or was ignorant of a certain idea.

Train up a child

Biblical Action figures from Train Up a Child, Inc.

Field Goal!
Dark skinned Moses.

Tablets and Red Sea not included.

Cramps and Comics

Visited the mothers this past weekend, mine on Saturday and Walter's on Sunday.

Codeine enhanced Sunday's visit. I attempted to kill some pain - some of the worst menstrual cramps ever. I took large doses to kill the pain. The pain went away after I took 1,000 mg of Ibuprofen. My liver will suffer but at least the pain stopped.

The Bible says women have those pains because of Eve's sin. Something is seriously fucked up about that logic.

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What the hell is happening in panel 2? My artistic skills are lacking but damn it Giella, you are a professional! Is this what cartoonist Alzheimer's looks like? Perspective goes out the window. I'm glad that both characters are female. The character arrangement in panel 2 is making my head hurt. Curses upon you, Giella!

Huh!? Explain this joke and I'll send you some original A Perfect World artwork. Seriously, I'm running out of room to store the pages and I really want to understand this joke.

This joke would have been really hilarious in 1991 (Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country) or maybe in 1994 (Star Trek: Generations or Star Trek: Oh, Look Dramatic Cinematic Lighting!). What prompted this gag? The remastered original series (totally cool), James Doohan's missing ashes, the third anniversary of Enterprise's cancellation, rumors of a Star Trek movie prequel? Why this gag now?

I've reached the age where I'm complimented with the phrase, "You don't look that old." I live in a college town so the age of "You don't look that old" tends to be a bit younger than in other cities.

WTF? Somebody explain this comic. Reading the Old Testament gives one permission to hate? I'm killing brain cells trying to understand this strip. Did Hart just insult a major religion with this strip?


She taking the bait. Don't rush setting the hook, Dr. Cory