Facebook Bull Session 01

MY Facebook Status Post:
I have committed the sin of cogitation, and in so doing, I may have inadvertently tempted non-thinkers to convert to cogitation themselves. Such was not my intent, and I apologize to any non-thinkers who may have been forced, briefly, to think because of my own sinful ponderings...

FB FRIEND:
Hey when you get to the point where your cogitation causes loquaciousness resulting in verbose conversation, let me know. I have a poem to share.

ME:
Well, I think my post up there is quite loquacious and verbose enough for your poem; let's have it!

FB FRIEND:
ok....but remember, you asked for it....

Here goes...

If only the loquacious could be persuaded of the obnoxiousness of talkativeness, verbose conversationalists would probably become extinct....

In promulgating your esoteric cogitations, beware of platitudinous ponderosities.

Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a coalescent consistency, and a concatenated cogency.

In other words....
Say what you mean, mean what you say, and DON'T USE BIG WORDS!!!

ME:
HAHAHA!! I love it! And I will never stop using big words...

Private vs. Government Health Care

If my health insurance company is worried that I, and millions of other users of private, for-profit health coverage plans, may dump them in favor of a government program -- they should be! -- because I would drop them in a heartbeat if there were something better out there. So instead of lobbying Congress to stall the President's health insurance plan, maybe they should be working on ideas for providing a better product to their customers so that they can compete with a government program.

Oh, wait -- that would mean actually working for their customers, and possibly even having to give up this year's new Mercedes because of lower profits. God forbid the insurance executives should have to drive last year's car!

And what is the difference between a "government bureaucrat" deciding on a patient's health care treatment, or an "insurance executive" making the same decision? The bureaucrat and the executive are the same person, just with different titles on their name tags. The difference would be that, hopefully, the denial by a government employee of a request for patient benefits would be for real medical reasons, and not because it would move that employee any closer to owning a yacht, or a collection of $1000 designer shoes and handbags.

Furthermore, I believe people who go to medical school to "get rich", acquire power, or retire early are there for the wrong reasons. Their motivation should be, like that of teachers, a desire to help and benefit their communities. Removing the huge profits from the health care system might just make room for fairness for everybody.

My Dog, My Worshiper

My dog lays at my feet. When I move, she follows me and lays at my feet. Everywhere I go, even to the bathroom, she follows me and lays at my feet. In bed, she lays at my feet. If she's lucky, I even let her lick my toes. This is her idea of heaven.

She adores and worships me. She calls me Woof, because she can't pronounce my name. I control every aspect of her life; she cannot even wander freely or have sex unless I allow it. I provide her with everything she needs; her food and water, a warm and safe home, unconditional love. I existed before she was born, and I will exist after she dies.

I AM A GOD!

Peel banana like monkey. [VIDEO]

Peel banana like monkey. [VIDEO]

The Moral High Road?

I have to question the righteousness of churchgoers who accept the notion that it's okay for someone else to pay the price for their own offenses. My morality requires me to take personal responsibility for my actions, and to suffer the consequences myself. This is how I learn to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. How will anyone learn from their errors if it's acceptable that another individual is punished in their place? Using a "personal savior", to me, would be immoral; just as, in the old days of slavery, the Master's children had their "whipping boys" to take their lashes.

Now, before you say it - "hell" is a fantasy, not a consequence. I further claim that I cannot be a "sinner", because I am not a Christian. Sin belongs to those who believe in it. (This is not to say that I cannot do wrong; far from it! But if I do harm, I must seek forgiveness from the people who were hurt, not from a third party like Christ.)

And what heinous atrocities are Christians committing, anyway, that require A DEATH to atone for them? In our society, only the most horrible of crimes merit a death penalty. So I am forced to ask: Are Christians as "good" as they claim they are??

When There's Nothing To Talk About, There's Always The Weather

The wind blows across our yard without ceasing and sends the leaves & branches of our trees & shrubs into a crazy dance. It picks up sand & dust and flings it into the open windows of our house, and even when the windows are shut, the dirt finds its way in through every tiny crack.

Sometimes a twisting little dust devil scrubs the roof with debris; other times I glance up, startled, as a piece of airborne trash blows by the window, and I make sure my little chihuahua is inside - he doesn't know how to fly!

Zen Punctuation Challenge

that that is is that that is not is not that that is is not that that is not that that is not is not that that is is not that so it is
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On Being Left-Handed....

One of my favorite words is: sinistromanual. That is the medical term for left-handedness. (Righties are dextromanual.) It sounds like a serious affliction, doesn't it? Not to minimize the very real medical conditions that some people live with, being left-handed does feel like a small handicap sometimes. The world is "made" for right-handed people.

Here are just two examples, from my job as a school lunch worker:

(1) My manager and I both share a computer that sits on a small, multi-shelf cart. On the top shelf there is room for the big, old-fashioned monitor, the keyboard, and a full-size spiral notebook where we record daily student monetary transactions, with no space between the keyboard and the notebook. The notebook is always placed on the right side of the keyboard, because my manager is right-handed. When I need to write something there, the keyboard and even the spiral wire of the notebook interfere with my hand, forcing it into a very awkward position and making my writing look sloppy. (My manager doesn't like me to move the notebook.)

(2) The large plastic pans that we use to serve fresh foods are washed by hand in a three-sink system. The first sink, on the right, is used for washing, with a detergent dispenser attached to the wall over the sink. The middle sink is used for rinsing, and the third sink, on the left, is used for sanitizing (which must be done last), again with a dispenser for the sanitizer solution fixed to the wall. Now, working right-to-left is all backwards for me! I can't reverse the direction of my work because the push-button dispensers for the detergent and the sanitizer are affixed to the wall over the sinks -- some right-handed person did that, I'm sure!

Even everyday things, like coffee mugs with pictures on them, are designed for right-handed people; the picture is on the wrong side of the mug when used with the left hand.

Now, on the other hand (so to speak), being a southpaw is kind-of cool. For one thing, it's my own little bit of "specialness". And I notice that a lot of famous actors and other celebrities, and also several of our recent presidents -- including President Obama -- are lefties. And when I crochet pinwheel or spiral patterns in doilies, they go the opposite direction than those in doilies made by righties, which makes my doilies unusual.

It's not that difficult to learn to do things "backwards"; left-handedness is a minor inconvenience. I'm glad that I was allowed to remain left-handed, and was not, as was done in the past, forced to use my right hand. All in all, I like being sinistromanual; if nothing else, it's a good conversation starter.

Witch Bottle Incantation

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(art from paganart.dreamdivining.com)


For the record, I don't believe the Goddess is any more real than any other deity; but she is a far more pleasant fantasy than the God of the Christians/Jews/Muslims. I wrote this poem to be recited at the planting/burial of a Witch Bottle, which is a glass jar containing "magical", and "protective" ingredients, and is most ideally buried on the night of a full moon. I post this blog for balance, as I see that my other writings here (so far) are more atheistic than Pagan.
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Witch Bottle Incantation

Magical herbs and tokens stand,
Hidden underneath the land
To give our home a helping hand.

A stone of white for purity;
Red, white, and blue for liberty;
A coin for luck and prosperity.

Basil, bay leaf, sage and mint
Strong protection now imprint –
Bold as granite, sharp as flint.

Blueberry, almond, garlic and rice
Guard our home and add some spice –
Love, luck, and wisdom will suffice.

Wax from ritual, scent of clove
Add psychic power, cleansing and love.
– And I ask all this of Great Mother above.

If it do no harm let my spell go forth
Into the world – east, south, west and north,
And bide my will, today and henceforth.

Oct. 27, 2004 Full Moon

True?

If religion was genuine, then I think there would be just one religion (the "true" one) with clearly stated standards that everyone on Earth would understand. There would be no need for "mysteries" or "interpretations"... there would be no confusion, no need for doubt, no "holy" wars... "God" would be a known fact, with everyone in agreement and no need for "belief" (I don't have to "believe" that the moon exists, I can look outside after dark and see it). If God was real, he would not be, as he is now, the subject of eternal conjecture.

As children, we are taught to believe in Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, God, etc. For the first three, we are even given "evidence" for the existence of these characters: Christmas presents, a coin given in exchange for a lost tooth, hidden colored eggs. And yet, we are expected to give up the only childhood beliefs for which we have actually seen "evidence", but to continue in the fantasy of God. Since no evidence for God can be given, we are simply instructed to Believe, Believe, Believe! -- Faith makes God real. Without belief, God would be nothing.