If I were a rich man...

My collection of musicals on DVD is growing nicely, but it's not even close to being complete. Here are a few that would help make it whole:


Older stuff:
Me and my Gal
An American in Paris
Mary Poppins (such a great movie, I can't believe I don't have it)
Annie
A Chorus Line
Hello Dolly
Funny Girl
My Fair Lady
The Sound of Music
Guys and Dolls

Newer stuff:
Dreamgirls
Hairspray
Mamma Mia

"Creationist nonsense"

For a required course in order to graduate, I have to read an article called, "15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense". I'll be honest. My blood started to boil as soon as I read the title. And it doesn't really have to do with my own personal, spiritual views. Here's why- up until this point this same EXACT book from this same EXACT class has been preaching tolerance and understanding and respect of everyone, everything, blah blah blah BLAH. Yet, oh- when it comes to a Creationist's point of view, we can call that nonsense, they say, and explain our half and make them sound like incoherent, uneducated idiots. But heaven (or the lack of one, I guess) forbid that we EVER second-guess why drug dealers do what they do in the streets of Harlem.

I exaggerate a little, of course. But seriously. I'm so f***ing sick of hypocritical, liberal tolerism. There. I said it. Bite me.

Resurrected!

It's been awhile. Here's what I've observed/learned/concluded in the past year:

• YouTube is a strange concept. People talking to computers in their bathrooms/bedrooms/living rooms, to receive responses from complete strangers about their thoughts, music, etc.? It seems as though everyone needs to get out more. Technology is sucking the social life out of this generation. YouTube is fine for posting films, music videos, or maybe sharing home videos with family far away... but everything else is just weird.

• Blogs are also a strange concept. Sharing your written thoughts with, virtually, the WORLD? What a bunch of crazies. Most of us aren't even professionals. We should be taken out by those who actually know what they're talking about, whoever that may be...
  

• Giving up is not an option.

• Phish is an okay band.

• Politics are hilarious. This continual rivalry between Hilary and Obama is a hoot, and I hope they eat each other alive. That's not saying I want McCain to win...

• Marriage is just something people do. The first couple weddings seem like, oh, wow, this is a big deal. What great fun! But after about the 8th one within a year, you just sort of yawn and think, "Okay, so how long will this honeymoon last?"
  

• Organizing your closet by colors is the best way to do it.
  

• Global warming is quite the fad nowadays. I guess "greenhouse effect" didn't sound as cool, so they had to switch up the terms to make people take action. (Whoops, no irony/pun intended there.) Let's not forget this also allows the government to create taxes, letting people think they're helping this world by sticking more money in politicians' big, fat pockets. Hmmmm... I won't comment any further.
  

• After reading autobiographies on Patti Boyd and Rita Marley, I'm determined to never become the wife of a famous musician. What a headache...

That's all I can think of, off the top of my head. I'm sure there's some stuff down at the bottom somewhere...

The following may be too graphic for those who may not like to discuss crap.

Today I wondered what it must be like to be a brand new human being, just a day or two old, and taking your first poop.

I mean, it's gotta scare you out of your mind. Here you are, trying to adjust to your new surroundings, no longer in the comforts of your mother's uterus (womb, whatever), and there's this warm, squishy, wormy thing coming out of the lower part of your body. What's going on?!? you must wonder. What IS that?? And when do I stop pushing?!

Then, you continue on, day after day. Pooping. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't. Why isn't it consistent? you ask yourself. How come on some days it feels like a little Winchester cigar coming out of my butt, and other days it feels as though a mudslide is about to overtake California? Am I sick, am I dying? Do the cigars mean good luck? Why do my mommy or daddy wipe it away from my butt every time I do this? Am I doing something wrong? Should it be a different color? But even when it is a different color, they still wipe it all away. Then it comes back. Day after day. Sometimes even hour after hour.


Seriously. It's gotta freak a kid out that first week.

Good-bye Grandma.

Mildred (DeHond) Stephany.
Born May 19th, 1905.

Married to Alfred J. Stephany.
June 15, 1926.

Mother of six children,
Grandmother of 29 children,
Great Grandmother of 70 children,
Great-Great Grandmother of 5 children.

2 months and 3 days shy of her 102nd birthday,
She died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
Her hand was never left unheld for the last 3 days of her life.

You were such a rock.
We miss you.
You were awesome. :)

Controversial matters

10-week old baby, 4-D ultrasound.
I see a head, arms, legs, and a body.
Looks like a person to me.

things i have learned by living through 2006

• America is way too rich for its own good. and too many people are spoiled rotten without even realizing it. this includes me.

• Be truly grateful for everything you have, everything you own, everybody around you who cares for you, everybody around you who doesn't care for you.

• Hating somebody means they have won, and you have given up. And it doesn't make you feel any better.

• You can forgive, but you don't ever, ever have to forget. Forgetting only sets you up for deception and manipulation later on down the road.
  

• You're allowed to switch your major, even after 3 years of college.

• When you're in your 20's, don't ever tell people where you are going to be one year from now. Chances are you'll be wrong.

• If you truly love somebody, let them know. Even if it will cause a ruckus, you're worth telling them, and chances are, they're worth hearing about it.
  

• Cars can almost always get fixed within a couple days if something goes wrong. Human bodies take a lot longer to heal.

• Only two types of kids go to private universities: ultra-rich ones and ultra-poor ones.

• No matter how bad you think matters are, they can always get worse. And, these matters all usually work out in the end, and everyone ends up being okay, even if they are just "okay" (the true meaning of the word).

And, last, but not least:

• God has a crazy sense of humor. and He really, really likes to let me know constantly that i am anything but in control of my own life. And that's a-OK with me- it causes pain sometimes, but it also creates much joy.
  

me, myself, and aliens, ooooh....

Today was a pretty good day. I got my hours at American Red Cross bumped up so I now get out 3 hours earlier than I was before. This will leave for plenty of room to run errands during the day and visit with friends, as well as seeing the boyfriend more than just on mondays for swing dancing. AND it will enable me to practice my clarinet every day. Also, my 300-dollar car repair only ended up be one-hundred sixty-four, 100% of which my parents paid for. So....

300-136=164 + [(12-4)(9-1)] sums up a good day.


I created a budget for myself today, during the 2 hours of downtime I had. (Yes, that's right- I got paid 22 bucks to sit there and create a budget for myself, talk to Leo, and browse msn.com.) I'm pretty satisfied with it, and it's nice to have something on paper to look at when I feel like I have no money to spend.


I found some interesting news articles today while perusing. This excited me. It's about time we have some sort of device in cars that detects alcohol in the person behind the wheel. If there is one thing that truly, genuinely pisses me off, it's drunk drivers. There is just no reason for it. My mom's cousin killed a guy on a bicycle because he was driving drunk, during broad daylight. Lives are ruined because of peoples' incredible stupidness, and it's uncalled for. Hmm, I really should probably join SADD or something...

Another article that picqued my interest was The Blasphemy Challenge. It's some new internet fad among atheists, founded by Brian Flemming who directed some anti-God film awhile ago. (The article says anti-religion, but religion and God are two completely different ideas- religion is law made by man, and God is, well, God. Not even an idea. Just... God.) Anywayyy, the challenge is for people to "stake their souls against the existence of God". Like, they are telling God to send them to hell if He is really there, but they're not afraid of Him, or something, because He's not really there? Um, sorry all of you blasphemy challengers, but... no comprendo. Let me see if I got this right- Okay, so you don't believe in God, so you have to make a point to prove it. If there is no God, why then do you even have to make a point? I don't believe in aliens, therefore I don't post videos of myself on the internet, daring them to abduct me. It's all so silly, really....

death penalties and frail abnormalities

So Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging a few hours ago. Are there any death penalty protesters out there that would like to object to this?

See, there is something I don't understand about protesting the death penalty, but before I go into detail about what I cannot comprehend, let me share what I can:

As somebody who has never had to deal with violence, murder, etc., and also as one who wants to be Christ-like, I can easily say that I think the death penalty is wrong. I believe, that if Christ were down here on earth, He just may have frowned upon it, and asked us all to give these people on death row a second chance. He loves them as much as some people hate them, and after all- who are we to play God and decide who gets to die, and who gets to live, all by using our horrific, twisted Justice system?

So yes, there is one side of me that thinks we should not use the death penalty. But what about the other side? What about the other side that cannot put myself in another's position- this other's position which is one of these: a father who lost his two kids to a complete maniac that used a shovel and a couple tools to beat the kids with (all because the father was a law-abiding citizen who had his guns locked and in a hard-to-reach spot where his 12-year-old daughter couldn't get to to protect herself and siblings), or a husband whose wife died because some guy who likes to strangle people out of pure evilness decided to use her burger king uniform bow-tie as a senseless tool of death (see, guns aren't the only thing that kill).

If I put myself in those positions... if I try to put myself in a position where some person brutally attacked/killed loved ones of mine, then my whole ideal "no death penalty" mentality goes out the window. I mean, I'm only human. I'm not Jesus. And, heaven forbid I am ever in such a position, but I would have to say I would want that person to die. Why in the world would I want them to live if they were to take away precious life? I would really rather not be this person, I really wouldn't. I would think I'd rather forgive and forget, but like I said, I'm human. I'm not sure if that would be possible.


I can't find any numbers at the moment (due to laziness, pretty much), but I do know that Saddam Hussein killed a lot of people. A lot a lot a lot. Call me a sicko if you must, but I think if given the chance to watch his execution, I will. And if you are reading this and shaking your head, well... give me a break. We've all seen worse things in the movies. And even though this is a reality, so were all those Iraqi deaths. I did not know any of those people who died under his regime, but I can feel for them, even though it's just the slightest bit and cannot even be compared to the pain the family and friends have gone through. So I am celebrating with them.


Good riddance to ya, Saddam.

Screaming Independent

A Political Satirical Poem, by Me

The Republicans, the Democrats, the Libs and the Cons.
Which one is right? Or are they both wrong?
So sure of themselves, they stick up their noses;
"All that that Democrat thinks he knows is,
That Rush Limbaugh is the devil, Bill Clinton a saint,
Killing babies is what abortion ain't.
The Iraq War is a bomb, no pun intended."
(Oh gee, I'm sorry- was someone just offended?)
The Demmy responds, thinking he's quick,
"Oh yeah? Well, up your butT is a stick.
It's Jesus this, and Jesus that...
Well why don't you pull Jesus right out of your magical
big,
F A T,
hat?
And while you're saving your so-called babies,
How about just giving your death row inmates a shot of the rabies?
For I know you like suffering, we see it on TV.
Because, you know... the media portrays war perfectly."

So they banter back and forth,
like they've got nothing better to do.
Because, you know....
there is nothing better to do,
Like helping your neighbor mow his lawn at no cost
Or helping someone find what they've lost:
Be it an old friendship, or just some consideration for others,
It's about time we call our enemies our sisters and brothers.
'Cause this tolerance both sides preach,
I call them all Hypocrites.
For how can you be so partial to one side,
But then shut out the rest?
That's called intolerance, what both sides have for the opposite.
I think all that I'm sayin',
Is that these people are full of __it.

why i don't have bumper stickers with statements on my car

I have about a 20-25 minute commute to work every day, and it almost always serves to be an interesting drive, usually making me ponder things, like what is wrong with people who tailgate, no matter how fast you are driving? Today I did ponder that, while also pondering the following [ponder becomes a funny word after typing it four times in one paragraph, no that is not what I was pondering (five)]:

A bumper sticker that says “War is not the answer” is probably too much of a generalization. Granted, they are probably referring to the current war we are part of in the Middle East, but I say to these people: “please, don’t give me a general “war is not the answer” statement on the butt of your car for me to read while driving down Route 441. Sure, most of us don’t like the idea of people killing other people, but don’t tell me WWII gave us no results, and no answers. And that the Civil War didn’t provide the U.S. with a much better outcome than if the North just let the South take over. I’m not asking you to support every war that has ever happened in the history of mankind, but please think about what you are actually saying. It makes me have to ponder these things, and think you are an ignorant fool."

Then again, comedian Demetri Martin has told us: ‘Bumper stickers are a way of telling the reader , ‘Hey, let‘s never hang out‘.”

Vi vislike vegan vannaves.

People who claim they are vegan but are, in all actuality, not, really bother me. And I’m not even vegan. I’m not even a full-fledged vegetarian. (Chicken is my only weakness.)

I’ve only met a few people who fit the above description, but on these particular occasions, I’ve looked at them sort of googly-eyed and then gawked in a broken-jaw-giraffe sort of manner. I’m not sure if I should be one to be preaching, but I am pretty sure that real vegans take their diets pretty seriously and put a lot of thought into what they eat, and don’t appreciate self-proclaimed vegans taking the cheese off of their pizza before they eat it and inhaling M&Ms.

Oh, and please don’t call yourself vegan if you haven’t had dairy or meat in like, a week. It’s something one practices in their daily life, for years. Yes, this should be the new vegan/vegetarian rule: don’t call yourself any of those things unless you’ve been practicing it for 1 year. Maaaybe I’ll let that slide and if you really seem dedicated I’ll let you call yourself vegan after 6 months. Maybe.

Yours truly,
The non-Vegan Vegan-Moderator

On the bound, here i am

Life has been picking me up by the hair and swinging me around lately. I thought I'd share my thoughts and experiences on here every now and then.