The Lion, The Witch, and the Ridiculously Political Slander

Okay. I recognize that to the greater majority of extremist liberals the representation of closed-minded, authoritative, dictatorial conservativism is currently represented by the religious right. Moral conservatives who have such extreme beliefs that they want to undo the teaching of hundreds of years of scientific discovery because their "faith" dictates that science is wrong. (I am not going to get into my personal definition of faith, which strongly contradicts the moralistic definition, hence the quotation marks, but I do want to mention that I am not, in any way, dogging faith or those who have it.) I understand that, for those of us who believe in scientific progress, the benefits and reasons of parable, and the true concept of an open, inclusive state would be frustrated by that regime. I get it. I really do. I am against the concept of Intelligent Design and am glad that it has been overturned in court as unable to be separated from its religious context and therefore cannot be taught in schools.

But when did representing anything Christian become automatically fascist? I am a moderately liberal Democrat. I am also a Christian. I do not believe that the two are mutually exclusive. In fact, I find that most of my Democratic beliefs coincide with those that I have cultivated on a spiritual level. I believe in supporting the American people. I believe in protecting the rights, freedoms, and personal choices of each and every American. It seems that recently, the frustration with the religious right has turned into a war against Christianity. I believe that certain members of the religious right are crazy. I believe that they do not understand the separation of church and state and that they want to convert the entire nation with tyrannical laws and prescriptive beliefs. I believe that our founding fathers were specifically trying to avoid this tyranny when they left England.

So I am angry right now that The Chronicles of Narnia is being slandered as Christian propaganda. Does it have Christian undertones? Of course. C.S. Lewis was never deceptive about that. Is it preachy? No, I don't believe so, but I guess that is up to personal opinion. Is it propaganda? Come on, people. NO!! Do these people even understand what propaganda is? This is a story of coming of age, of good versus evil, and yes, of sacrifice, but I think it is a cynical stance to say that the concept of "sacrifice" is a solely Christian one. Mythology, folklore, history, and even current affairs are brimming with stories of sacrifice. The real propaganda can be found in the extreme religious right, and in the extreme left where it seems they want to abolish organized religion. The propaganda is someone telling you what you have to believe, or belittling you for what you stand for. Propagandists are those who would label you for what you believe with scathing epithets like fascist or un-patriotic.

When are we, as a common nation, as Americans, going to get back to understanding our founding principles? We are the open arms for the weak and weary, the soldiers protecting what is just and right, the haven for all people, with every different kind of view point, belief, race, and gender. Everyone has a place here, no matter their background. This is America, and I am tired of politics getting in the way of that. I, as an American, am tired of being split from half of my countrymen. I believe that most of us are right around the middle, and the sensationalists are trying to force that middle to the edges. I don't want to be so far from my Republican brethren that I can't speak to them civilly and understand their viewpoint, even if I disagree or have a different perspective. I am tired of this bipartisanism. And so, this is me reaching out to everyone who wants to try and bring the country back to the middle, the ground where most of us would be more comfortable anyway. Who's with me?

I Am Better Now

Sorry for the crazy post. Bad day. You know.

Happy Holidays!!

WHY WON'T THIS *&#$%*4(# YEAR END?!?!?

I shouldn't have boasted. I shouldn't have pretended that the year had already ended, therefore ending "that crazy 2005" where all that crap befell our happy home. That was arrogant and I apologize.

And so, in the truest form of 2005, and in the giving spirit of the holiday, during my final burst of holiday shopping on Friday, I lost my credit card. Having no reason to shop or, for all intents and purposes, leave the house for the two days following that fateful shopping trip, and the fact that SPF didn't work on Monday and so treated me to lunch, I didn't find out about my missing credit card until today at 6:00 after a long and arduous day at work where I had already been belittled, patronized to, scoffed, and ultimately disheartened.

I finished filling up my car and ran home to desperately seek the missing plastic and found, instead, the vast emptiness of places that might hold a credit card if, for some unbeknownst reason, it had been removed from my wallet for safe keeping. Upon the lack of discovery, I turned to the internet where my trusty account is monitored and updated daily.

The internet confirmed two things. I had left my card at Target, and someone else had used it. Once. At Target. So I called the store. Maybe I had bought two things and didn't remember. I was definitely in a hurry to leave the store, it being stark raving mad and me being madder, but I was pretty sure that I hadn't. None the less, the mostly helpful staff found my card and told me that they would hold it at the guest services kiosk until my arrival.

Upon my arrival they could not find it. I assured them that I had just called and confirmed its presence within the greater walls of the establishment, but that was somehow not believed. After too long of a wait and the explanation that my name was not Samantha (I am not sure how this misnomer occurred) my card was returned to me.

The kicker? The receipt for the goods that had been purchased with my card not ten minutes after I left it there was lovingly wrapped around the card. So now I know that someone either stupid or strangely torn between guilt and the fact that they are morally challenged bought two game boy games and some cuticle remover with my card before they promptly left it behind for some better, and kinder-minded person to find and turn in.

I know what you are thinking. This isn't that big of a deal. No. I agree. It is only sixty six dollars and twenty one cents that could have been a hundred times worse, especially considering that I didn't find out for almost four days. That isn't the point of this prose. The point? I am stretched really thin and this was but the icing on the cake of a particularly rancid year.

Of course the man at citi bank did not choose to believe me, and seeing as how I have not only the card in my possession, but the receipt for the ill purchased goods, I don't blame him. A sixty six dollar and twenty one cent lesson. I'll take it. But only if it is the Very. Last. One.

At least for 2005.

Holiday Cheer

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful holiday season in general. I hope that you all got to spend time with family and friends and are happy and healthy.

For those of you who have had as...interesting...a year as SPF and I, I just have one thing to say... "HOLD ON!!! THE END IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!"

Happy Holidays.

:)

I LOVE KUNG FU!!!

But my legs are killing me.

My knee has gotten somewhat better, though it is still a little on the weak side after the latest "incident." (Kneecap not wanting to stay in place.) I am trying to work up to more classes, more strain, more muscle endurance, etc. We shall see. I want my blue sash, darn it!!!

Meet Brooks

Despite the nay-sayers and the skeptics, SPF and I have adopted a new kitty. One that will, if all goes as planned, help SPF and I fill the void that we will have with our three-year separation during my Brooks education, hence her name.

Brooks was born August 7th, approximately, so for ease of remembrance, we are calling that her birthday. She is thoroughly loving, adores a good head scratch, and already knows her name. She loves to knead anything with her paws, including faces. She is a born lap kitty and has fallen asleep once on my neck and shoulder when I was laying down petting her.

We have begun the introduction to the current pets, Isis and Osiris, but a face to face meeting has not yet taken place. She is aware that there are other animals, as they are aware of her, but we are trying to do this introduction by the books for everyone's health, and she will not have any face time for a couple more days. After that, she will have some supervised visits, and then some actual family time. We are trying to make sure that everyone will handle this okay, so we are taking our time.

Isis is very excited to meet her little sister and sits outside her door most of the day. Osiris avoids the door like the plague, but we aren't sure that is going to turn to aggression as the few times he has been down (we put the food next to her door) he has been curious and not angry.

We shall see.

Until then, world, here is our new baby girl.

Christmas Responsibilities

There are so many things to think of when you are staying at your own house for Christmas. You must purchase your own tree. You must set the tree up and decorate it. You are supposed to check the strands of lights before you hang them. We haven't figured out how to make them work once you find out that they don't when they are already on the tree. You have to buy and wrap the big presents, since you normally have to settle for small if you are taking them with you. You have to hang the stockings, which can be difficult when you don't have a mantle.

You have to hide presents around the house until you have time to wrap them, being sure to get rid of "evidence" like original packaging, shopping bags, and receipts.

You can't forget stocking stuffers. And with that comes a whole new responsibility. Should you wrap the stocking gifts as is tradition in one home, or stuff them in great quantity as is the other? Should you buy the candy now, or wait until Christmas Eve, and if you do wait, will you have enough selection to get something good, or will you only have dusty boxes of raisins to choose from? Is there anything wrong with raisins? And if you buy something really expensive that is also small, should you put it into the stocking or hide it under the tree? And what do you do when the small presents start disappearing and ending up under the couch with the other cat toys?

And don't forget Christmas dinner. No more "helping out with the salad" it is your project now, baby!! Should you sign up for the Honeybaked Ham, and if so, how early should you get to the store to pick it up? How long is the line going to be? And if you have a small kitchen, do you skimp on yams versus mashed potatoes, or do you sacrifice the green beans or the stuffing? Do you do stuffing with a ham? Obviously you aren't stuffing the ham, but you could use Stoffers. Should you? And what about rolls? Should you make your own or buy? And if you make your own are they from scratch or from the "insert spoon here" cans? How early should you make the pie? And what do you do when you have all of that food for only two people who typically don't each that much?

And people say it is troublesome to visit.

Progress?

Bathroom project:

Here is the bathroom before we started. (Well, relatively before...we had already done some sawzall, but we replaced that piece for the picture.)



And here is the bathroom after the demolition. (I know, I know, a job isn't done until the tools are put away, but I can assure you that the job isn't done, so the tools are moot.)

Feathers and Bells

After four days of planning, buying, sawing, demolishing, and framing our new bathroom, we have accomplished....very little. We do have part of the tub frame in, and a tub, shower fixtures, and drain ordered and on the way, but we to wait for them all to arrive before any more work can really progress.

So with our spare time, SPF and I bought a Christmas tree!! We brought it home last night, plopped it up, watered it, watched the cat scuffle under the tree, yelled at the cats, and then began the merry decorating process with the ornaments that we have collected over our mere 8 years together. So fun!!

We were not having any particular trouble with the cats other than the occasional under-the-tree mischief, but all of that changed when I pulled out a new ornament that we just received that is adorned with pink feathers and little bells.

The cats favorite toy is made of multi-colored feathers and bells.

The cats have decided that this ornament is their toy, and they are quite disappointed that they cannot reach it, try and try though they might.

I am a little concerned now that I will go home to a victorious kitty. i.e. a knocked over tree, smashed window and/or speakers and television, destroyed presents, water-damaged carpet, broken ornaments, and pink feathers and bells sticking in someone's teeth.

Quote of the Day

If you can't beat your computer at chess, try kickboxing.

Got this off an Access Help website. Seeing as how I am very frustrated with my database right now, I understand the sentiment.

Thirty Year Old Surprise Presents

SPF and I began the major work on Bathroom # 2 this weekend. When I mean major, I mean Sawsall major, I mean sledgehammer major. We successfully ripped out the bizarre and entirely useless fiberglass shower and found, much to our surprise, all of the building materials used to make our complex that didn't get used. They were all shoved up behind the drywall, tucked under the tub, and shimmied between the studs. All of this, to such a degree, that we had almost as much thirty year old construction waste as we did 2005 demolition waste. The other surprise (that wasn't really a surprise) the tub that was supposed to be supported under the weight bearing components with 2x4 and plywood was missing one of the 2x4s. MISSING!!! No wonder the damn thing collapsed. After thirty years, I think it actually deserves a medal for lasting as long as it did with basically no foundation.

No matter. The project is under way!! But for now, our bathroom smells like basement.