update: This post has been linked in a paranormal forum thread about strange body markings, and some whackadoodles have suggested that I was somehow paid to post this to "discredit" the people who think aliens are branding them. Sorry, folks, but there is absolutely NO conspiracy going on here. I simply had an accident with a hair dryer and thought it was funny and wanted to share my experience and complain about a really bad hair dryer design. DUH!! Some people have way too much time to sit around worrying about alien conspiracies. And I would bet a chunk of money that nearly all of the "mysterious markings" that people claim are caused by aliens are just self-inflicted cries for attention.
The mark (3 cm) is still there after 8 days. I've been putting stuff on it to help it heal and hopefully reduce the scarring.
I guess I made the outlandish options a little too outlandish. ;-) Indeed, I was burned by a hairdryer, but in my prejudice against made in China crap I erroneously assumed the offending, defective appliance was made in China. But it was made in Costa Rica. (I couldn't edit the poll after I discovered my error.) I didn't know they made anything there. ;-) Okay, evidently they make lots of stuff there, including evil hair products:
As you can see the metal on the end of the dryer extends past the plastic housing. I think it is clearly a bad and dangerous design. I've had this dryer for probably 10 years though I haven't used it a lot since most days I let my hair air-dry. I've checked the government lists of recalled products, but it isn't listed. It should be. Let me explain how easy it was for me to get burned. Last Monday I was in a hurry and upset because my dad had been put in the hospital with bad pneumonia. Somehow while drying my hair the dryer slipped out of my hand and barely brushed my neck. It happened very fast and at first I didn't think I was burnt that bad because the contact with my skin was so quick. But within an hour the burn was very obvious and painful. I don't know how hot that metal gets, but it must be very hot in order to burn like that.
If I was the suing kind, I think I'd have a decent claim of product liability. I might could even get enough money to pay off the swimming pool. But I kind of think it's immoral to sue just because you can. Well, maybe I'm just an idiot who's passing up a chance to get some money?
Anyway, so all week I've been joking about it being a gang sign or something like that. Some of the most practical advice surprisingly came from my sister who told me to just "wear it with pride." Yeah, what other choice is there? ;-) I've done some research into symbolism and discovered that my mark is pretty similar to the Native American medicine wheel:
But it most resembles a weapon's crosshairs:
Well, I've decided to call it my Vicious Momma gang sign (for leader of the GESDVMs), but some might rather call it the Mark of the Beast, especially considering how evil I was last week. Hopefully, no one will see it and think it is literally a target to shoot. I do think it's kind of ironic how it all went down. In my own personal and private imagination it really does seem like a shamanic initiation mark with some powerful symbolism. For many years I thought I wanted a tattoo but never could decide what and where exactly. Looks like as soon as I got over my desire for a tattoo, I ended up with something anyway. Maybe it won't really be a permanent scar, but I suspect that it will.
I’m travelin’ down the road, I’m flirtin’ with disaster. I’ve got the pedal to the floor, My life is running faster. I’m out of money, I’m out of hope, It looks like self destruction. Well how much more can we take, With all of this corruption
Been flirtin’ with disaster, Y’all know what I mean. And the way we run our lives, It makes no sense to me. I don’t know about yourself or, What you want to be - yeah. When we gamble with our time, We choose our destiny
Civilization has always been flirtin' with disaster. Diseases, climate changes, migrations, invasions, wars. It's always something. Sorry if I've inadvertently plagiarized something I've read somewhere.* It's so hard to remember sometimes. Anyway, what do people do to create order and harmony in the world? Make rules forbidding those things they have learned will cause conflict. And make rules requiring certain things known to reduce conflict. People have known this for millennia. It isn't some new idea created by Fundamentalists, or "evangelicals" or however you say it, who just want to make life a little more complicated than an animal's instincts.
The most important role of religion is to instruct and instill a moral code of living in harmony with others and nature. If you try to get rid of religion in a society and transfer its role to some other institution, you always have worse problems than you were trying to solve by eliminating religion in the first place. History tells us this, but many "intellectuals" don't want to acknowledge it. They only want to point out the original problems and how religion contributed to the problems, blah, blah, blah.
Okay, so back in the beginning of civilization there were some wise people who taught the others how to get along. The wise guys didn't know how they got this information that others didn't have, so they decided that it must come from the Source of all the other cool stuff our minds can do that none of the other creatures can do. Those old wise guys could intuit that we really are made in the image of the Creator (and Destroyer).
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Exodus 20
These are usually considered the First and Second Commandments, though there are some variations among different Christian traditions. They were meant to establish the authority of the Source. They mean 'look to Me first and don't think that something or someone else is where all of the world comes from or who has the answers.' Wouldn't we expect the creator of something to be the ultimate source of how things work and how to make them work better? Anyone with half a brain would know that we don't come from a Golden Cow or any other silly idols that people have worshipped over the ages. An idol can be anything that people give more power and influence than they give the Source. The "no graven images" means that we shouldn't try to limit God with our own imaginations and creations. It doesn't mean not to take pictures or make artwork or whatever. As long as we don't worship them and give them power over us they aren't forbidden as idols.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus: 20
This means that people should never use God's name for their own personal gain. It has nothing to do with cussing, contrary to popular mythology. What this is talking about is what Joel Olsteen does, and many other people who sell God's word for their own profit. Basically these people are not living as God commands and are encouraging others to live that way too.
8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Even God took a day off. After He created the world he stood back and said, "This is good. I'm taking a break." That six day creation is symbolic, and that day of rest is too. How can we truly appreciate and enjoy our world and our lives and our Source if we don't take at least one day a week to focus on all of this wonderful creation? People really lose their humanity when they stop appreciating all of these things. Our minds have evolved to need time to rest and process our experiences of life. Dreaming is one way of doing that, but of course, our awake minds and bodies need resting and processing time too.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you."
Again, respect your Source. All of these first Commandments are about acknowledging and honoring our Source.
13 “You shall not murder"
This is the first of the restrictions on our behavior. Murder always causes more conflict than it could solve. It's kind of a no-brainer rule, but sometimes the animalistic instincts overtake people and cause them to break the rule. There are lots of arguments in our modern world as to what exactly is murder. What about self-defense? Abortion? The death penalty? Well, there is probably something in the Bible about self-defense, but at the moment I'm not interrupting my limited quiet time to write in order to find it. There is a lot in the Bible about people being punished with death. I personally believe that some criminals, like murderers, etc., have forfeited their right to live. And I also do personally believe that abortion is murderous, but I also recognize that women should have 'control' over their own bodies. This isn't a topic I really want to explore right now though.
14 “You shall not commit adultery"
This is one of the reasons for murder, so it's natural to forbid activities known to cause other bad things to happen. Makes sense.
15 “You shall not steal"
Stealing causes more conflict than it solves. And it indicates that one does not trust and honor the Source.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"
.
Again, lying only causes more conflict than it solves. This Commandment means that we shouldn't falsely accuse others of wrongdoing. We shouldn't lie in someone's defense either.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Coveting means to want or envy that which others have. Coveting is probably the cause of most adultry, stealing, and lying. When we compare ours with others' we are on the road to coveting. God was wise to recognize that coveting leads to other sins and to warn against it. If we all could actually follow the Great Commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we would be happy for others' wealth and blessings instead of feeling jealous and resentful.
So you see, there is a lot of wisdom in those old holy words. People who hate God and religion are only showing how much they don't understand about it.
18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”
It's all about getting along with others. It's so simple and maybe even elegant. Not that it is always easy to follow all those simple rules, it isn't. As humans we still have many animalistic instincts and urges. We modern people are no different from the ancients in that way. All of our knowledge and technology have only increased the sophistication and complexity of our sins, but they haven't really changed the basic nature of them. And in many ways, the "intellectuals" today have made their own knowledge into idols that they worship and place before the Source. Well, no matter how smart they think they are they are still flirtin' with disaster. ;-)
And that's today's sermonette.
*I wasn't following the details of the "Clinton accuses Obama of plagiarism" story, but what I heard was that Obama said some of those typical, classical inspirational phrases of the 1960s. The "I Have a Dream" and "Ask not what your country can do for you...." ones. Well, you know, you better free your mind instead. Oops, I guess I just plagiarized. ;-)
Hey, let's all go down to Georgia and protest. It might be fun to go down there and burn something in the streets. ;-) Of course, I'm joking. But some snooty, self-righteous Europeans et al might think that this border dispute isn't important enough to protest. Well, to some residents of the large city of Chattanooga, TN, and some of the smaller nearby towns, it's a big deal because Georgia has an income tax and Tennessee doesn't. Also, it requires the agreement of Congress to change state borders so it's pretty much just a publicity stunt for Georgia. Georgia just doesn't want to have to pay Tennessee for some water.
And honestly, I'm not making light of the situation in Serbia/Kosovo, well, maybe I am a little. But that's because I'm a childish American. ;-) Okay, so to try to think like a wise European, let's just say that if our border got changed just because of surveying errors back in the old days, then you'd have a bunch of other states trying to grab land from each other too for the same reason. Hey, it might even start a new Civil War. I bet the high-and-mighty, patronizing Europeans et al would just love that. ;-)
Disclaimer: Oh, good grief, now I guess I'm going to have to explain myself. I am in no way anti-European et al. I've just got a little evil streak, and sometimes it comes out as some Vi Mo cruel tutelage. So if you don't consider yourself high-and-mighty, patronizing, snooty, and self-rigteous, then I'm not talking about you. :-)
It's pretty annoying when people refuse to read the holy words only because they don't want to learn the hard lessons.
14 ‘You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. 15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16 ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. 17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:14-18
That's from the "Old Testament" God. I basically just opened up the book to randomly find something interesting. This was it. That's the way it should work when people read the holy words. They should let the words lead them. The magic of the words is that you always end up reading exactly what you needed. Sometimes that is a hard lesson or reminder of the right way to be and act. There are a lot of people in the world right now who need to reminded of these things (myself included). Some more holy words:
33 ‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:33-34
And now from the "New Testament" God:
18 Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES and leaves behind a wife AND LEAVES NO CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. 20 “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21 “The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; 22 and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. 23 “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.” 28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:18-33
Those who have ever thought that the Old Testament and the New Testament don't really belong together just aren't actually reading the words. They are the same messages from the same God. Reminders to the new generations who have moved away from "God's standards." And as we see above, God's greatest standard (commandment) is that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
Incidentally, just to alleviate any friends' worries that I've gone Fundamentalist on them, please, don't worry.
What is this mark on my neck (yes, it is real and not photoshopped)? Please see poll on sidebar. You may choose multiple answers. You have until 1 pm on the 26th to participate. And if you're especially generous you'll leave a comment with any other guesses or the poll answer(s) you picked. Thanks!
Music, that is. Although my Lyrics of the Moment blog only averages less than 50 hits a day, they come from all over the world:
Just the other night I was wondering if more than a just a handful of people ever really read any of this. By far, most hits to this blog, as well as the Lyrics one, are from Google searches for various, sometimes terrible, things. Some posts here probably never have been read by anyone, except me. I guess that's okay because it's mostly for my own entertainment, but still, it's kind of a bummer to know that so few other people are entertained too. Maybe there are some who read the feeds. I have no way of knowing if they never actually visit the blog itself.
Nine years ago today I received the greatest Valentine's Day gift ever, my daughter:
She is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving, and as corny and cliche as it sounds she is everything I ever wished I was. It was as if God had made her to my exact order. Even when she was born all the nurses talked about how she was one of the most beautiful babies they had ever seen. That's a lot coming from people who see so many babies.
But she's not only beautiful out the outside. She's one of the sweetest and most generous and thoughtful people I've ever known, except when she's being bossy and nagging her little brother. ;-) Sometimes it is apparent that certain personality traits are innate. Her conscientiousness emerged at a very young age.
She is truly a great blessing and as she grows and matures it is even more obvious how lucky we are to have her. Call it some kind of Divine intervention or pure luck or good genetics, whatever created such a wonderful girl was some kind of magic. When she was just a tiny baby I felt so much joy just from holding her that I could imagine that we were surrounded by some halo of love like in paintings of Mary with the baby Jesus. And now, when we are together she lightens my spirit and soul.
Of course, she's not "perfect"; none of us are. But she's as close to an angel as you could ever meet. Happy Birthday, my favorite Valentine. Thanks to God, David, and all the other forces that brought you into my life. I love you more than I can ever express.
And Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. I hope your lives are as blessed as mine and that you have all the love and joy in your lives that you want and need.
CARSON CITY, NV—Once, movies were a quarter, soda pop only cost a nickel, and Hank Fletcher's sphincter was strong enough to expand and contract when he intended.
Today's political bombshell was Romney's announcement that he is suspending his campaign. I wonder if that decision had anything to do with my reversal of endorsement? Oh, I know correlation does not mean causation. ;-)
So now what? The media are basically saying now that the nomination is McCain's and that any of us evil conservatives that aren't happy about it are only hurting the party's chances and morale. Boo-hoo-hoo. Sorry, but my allegiance isn't with some party. I'm thinking that now the time is ripe for an Independent or Third Party candidate. I'm sick of the strategies and behind-the-scenes deals meant only to keep certain people in power, and those people are almost indistinguishable from each other.
I'm not bending over for McCain. He's gonna have to do a lot of singing and dancing to impress me. Who's the boss, anyway? Not the candidate who's running for office. He's supposed to whoo me and my vote. I'm not supposed to change my views to fit the choices. And maybe I'm a little bitter that my state is usually passed over and considered too "insignificant" to visit and work hard for our votes. It's all a stupid game to them, and we are reduced to pawns.
Obama is scary. All he talks about is change and building a "new nation." Sorry, but we don't need a new nation. This one is just fine, thank you. Sure, there are problems but not enough to warrant anyone thinking that it things need to be completely changed (destroyed?) and rebuilt. His speech on Tuesday night was full of "I'm going to give you this" and "I'm going to give you that." I was just waiting for him to throw in free powerchairs for everyone! ;-) (Maybe that could be a new energy-saving solution: people would have to get around in their Jazzy or Hoveround chairs instead of cars.)
Hey, how about this? I think that most problems could be solved if people would stop being whiny, spoiled-rotten babies who expect the government to provide everything for them. Health care? Eliminate the insurance companies and their middle-man tactics that only drive up costs and inequities for everyone. As it is now, two different people can end up paying widely varying costs for the same 5 minute doctor visit. How is that a fair business practice? Much of the "managed care" crap comes from Hillary's ideas in the early 1990s. But I guess most people don't remember that. Before "managed care" insurance companies weren't the discount clubs that they are now. It's all a scam. You pay the insurance company for discounted healthcare, but it's just a completely unnecessary step in the process of getting treatment. Back in the "old" days we directly paid the doctor $30.00 for the visit, everyone paid the same price, and the insurance was only used for very big, serious, expensive things like hospitalization. Anyone who thinks that some government healthcare program that is administered by the existing insurance companies is a good idea is living in koo-koo land.
Well, yesterday I had a change of mind about who would get my vote in the Republican primary. I had previously said that I'd vote for Romney, mainly because he seemed to be the most practical choice. But I've always liked Huckabee and my "gut" (or heart, if you will) kept telling me to vote for who I liked and not who I thought had the best chance of winning or whoever wasn't McCain. Apparently, lots of other people in Tennessee had similar ideas and feelings because Huckabee ended up winning the state. But the media refuses to acknowledge that Huckabee could be more than just a "regional" candidate who appeals only to "evangelicals." I'm certainly not an evangelical and religion didn't enter at all into my calculations.
I'm so happy that Eli and the Giants beat the crap out of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Final score: 17-14. And it was a great game that kept my interest all the way through. And the final Giants touchdown was perfectly timed.
They really put Brady in his place. He was sacked and knocked down a lot. I don't think that the Patriots had really expected the Giants to be so good. Most of the broadcasters didn't either and the pregame shows were obviously biased in their coverage. Even after the game there was too much focus on the Patriots and not enough on the Giants. Well, it was NOT a fluke that the Patriots lost. The Giants really did play much better.
I hadn't heard about the Spygate issue until yesterday's pregame shows. Briefly, the Patriots have been accused of illegally taping their opponents' practices, etc., to gain an unfair advantage. Well, maybe that's why they had been undefeated? Maybe they are cheaters who needed to get beat? It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds.
This year I've been pretty much into watching football. From year to year my interest in football and the Superbowl varies, but this year it has been lots of fun watching it with David because he doesn't mind my frequent questions about the rules and technical calls and such and because he thinks it's funny that I look at the butts (and bellies) in spandex, especially the biggest ones like of the linemen.
"The Giants hope Tui Alailefaleula, left, and Manuel Wright, each listed at 345 pounds, have talent to match their size."
The linemen are big and strong and very athletic although they might not look like the "ideal" athlete. Football players need to have different builds to match the different roles/positions they play. For example, the receivers are smaller and quicker while the linemen need to be big and strong to block each other. One thing I like about football is that you get a little bit of many different kinds of sports in one game. You have the thinking and throwing skills of the quarterbacks, the sprinter fast running of the "backs", the Sumo-style meetings of the offensive and defensive linemen, and the acrobatics of the tackling and catching of the "tight ends" (which is a giggle-inducing name) and other receivers. Okay, so David laughs at me for not really knowing all the proper names of the positions and what they do, but even though I'm ignorant of the rules and other technicalities I can still find my own enjoyment in the game. (Maybe it's similar to my interest in theoretical physics: I like the bigger picture even though the details aren't so well-comprehended.)
I'm lucky that he is secure enough not to feel threatened that I look at other men's butts (and guts) in spandex. Really, it's purely innocent and in no way a sexual or lustful looking. It's just interesting because it's different. It's the only time you see big, tough guys in spandex who seem oblivious to the fact that they are wearing spandex. Of course, there is a double standard here because I'm not secure enough to not feel threatened if he was looking at and commenting on the bodies of the cheerleaders. That might have to do with the fact that he looks more like the quarterbacks and other very "fit" players than I look like the beautiful cheerleaders. ;-)
Speaking of quarterbacks, I have to confess to having a slight, little celebrity crush on Eli Manning:
Well, I think it's his eyes actually. I find brown eyes kind of exotic because all of my family has blue or green eyes. Anyway, he's cuter than his big brother Peyton, who was the University of Tennessee quarterback in the mid to late 1990s. No offense to Peyton, of course, but he has plenty of admirers already, and he really is a good guy. You can even get free pep talks from him if you're feeling down.
Anyway, back to the Superbowl. This year the half-time entertainment will be Paula Abdul (oops, she was actually just a pre-game feature) and Tom Petty. I always liked Paula Abdul's early hits because they were fun and cute, and I've also always liked Tom Petty's music.
Oh, and in case it hasn't been apparent, I'm hoping that the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots and their winning streak. I guess I do sometimes find myself cheering for the underdogs. ;-)
And last but not least, the Superbowl snack menu will include guacamole because I've been craving avocados. There must be some nutrients in them that I'm especially needing right now. ;-) (It's probably a good thing that you don't usually put olive oil in guacamole because that might be an overly potent combination. LOL)
