"Where Feet, Fist and Faith Collide."
February 3, 2010
People come up with some of the strangest things and Christians are no exception.
Apparently, there aren't enough 18-35 year old males in the church pews these days. The reason for this lack of testosterone seems fairly clear to me: The majority of the men in this age group are University students, parents, working two jobs, homosexual (and feel unwelcome), non-believers or simply have better things to do on Sunday morning before the work week.
But as some people believe starting your week without Jesus is like trying to run your SUV on grape koolaid, something had to be done.
And what can attract such an age group more than a FIGHT CLUB?
You'll have to click to believe me. It blows my mind! To try and lure men (gang members) into their congregation, some pastors have decided to portray Jesus as a "man's man." Sure he was compassionate and healed the sick and all... with a six pack! After he walked on water he headed downtown to pop open a cold one in front of the game.
Here's an example of one of their ministries. Don't immediately turn the song off; I'm pretty sure the beginning of the first verse contains both "Jesus" and "pussy." Let me know what you hear!
And here is a great social networking site for Real Christian Men: AnointedFighter.com. Check out the "kids" section.
I couldn't even make this up if I wanted to.
Labels: typical
Just a Third World Country
January 25, 2010
I am so angry right now.
This is a conversation I read on someone's Facebook status message this morning. Behold:
Some jerk: "Rob B. is wondering why we are getting invoved in Haiti?"
An idiot: "Because Obama needs to look like he's a hero to cover up his big Christmas terrorist attack attempt fiasco, take the attention away, that's why......at least that's why I think he's going overboard with the situation....."
Some jerk: "It just seems like we can come up with something better to spend the money and time on. We are over a trillion dollars in debt our employment rate is skyrocketing.
Haiti is a third world country before the earthquake, its a third world country now, and it will be a third world country after they have milked the United States and other more advanced countries for all the money that they can.
I read an article the other day about the sanitation situation. People doing their business or dumping it in the streets. Meanwhile on the news you see people walking around with nothing to do. Why aren't those people cleaning things up, and at least digging latrines? That little bit of sanitation should have been one of the first things done. I guess it is just easier to sit around waiting for someone else to do things for you."
This disgusts me more than I can even express. What is wrong with people? What happened to humanity, to compassion, to caring about other people whether they are from the USA or France or Iran or Haiti? By saying that Haiti is just "a third world country" are they trying to imply that the value of human life there is less? That we shouldn't waste food/money/medicine on a shithole? That's what is being said, right? Because these people were unfortunate enough to be born in Haiti instead of a loving family in Rhode Island... well, who cares what they get up to! It's their business! Sucks for Haiti! Somebody wasn't praying hard enough!
I understand that there are a lot of people in the United States who have problems and need money for whatever reason but open your eyes. There are already so many government programs which thousands of Americans are benefiting from (milking for all the money that they can)... and I really doubt that you or anyone you know has ever had to live in the conditions that so many Haitians lived in BEFORE the earthquake. Does giving up something to these people hurt you so much?
I'd like to think that only a very small minority of people feel this way but I have seen some really shocking comments on Facebook lately. We may have gone to High School together but with some of you I have nothing in common.
Saw death on a sunny snow
January 17, 2010
So I've been feeling a little crazy lately. Not committable but I'm definitely experiencing a severe lack of Vitamin D. There has not been a non-overcast day the whole of 2010 so far and it makes me want to jump out of my skin. Or to do insane things like
run from here to the Rhein and jump in.
clean the whole house from top to bottom.
drink 20 cups of tea in a row.
Sometimes I'll stand in the living room and stare out the balcony window and clinch my toes into the carpet, wanting to do something so badly but not knowing what it is.
Tuesday, however, is reported to be filled with nothing but sunshine. Tuesday is SUN DAY and, before class, I am going to go out and lie naked on a bench and soak it all up.
Here's some music for you: (<---- Cliiiick)
Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Laura Marling - My Manic and I
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - Broadripple is Burning
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The xx - Basic Space
Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - Bookworm
Bright Eyes - Lua
Bon Iver - For Emma
The Guggenheim Grotto - And a Tear Isn't Such a Bad Thing
Jack Johnson - Middle Man
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard - Roll Bus Roll
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Bare: A Pop Opera - Spring
I wish I were posting this from the beach. x
As ye sew, so shall ye rip.
January 4, 2010
I started a new project today: a quilt. Before someone comments with how ridiculous this is, let it please be known that I am already aware that a quilt is not really the best newbie-sewing project. I know! But I'm one of those "jump in the deep end" type people. I can't really be bothered to first learn how to stitch properly and then move onto baby doll dresses and so on.
So! After spending Saturday trying to figure out where in Germany one can buy craft supplies, I went to Ikea today, picked out some cheap fabric and went to town.
First, I cut out some squares. They are all approximately 20 cm square. Yes, approximately. I'm sure I will run into problems because of this later but I'll just... patch on some extra fabric somewhere later. Or use duct tape.
The unevenness of the squares became a problem sooner than I'd expected when I began making rows. Oops. However, I think the unmatchyness of it all gives it a little something extra. I sort-of finished 2 rows today. Behold:
I know it's looking all kinds of dodgy and uneven but all I have is a pair of scissors, a threaded needle, some pins and a tape measure. I spend half of the time shoving the cat off of the fabric -- who cares if it looks a little funny? After sewing it badly by hand, I'll be happy if it stays together in the wash.
A good day's work.
In the end, it may not be a quilt at all. Perhaps it's really a table cloth or the perfect material to shove in the bottom of Spleeny's sleeping hut. We'll just have to wait and see.
I will keep you updated on my progress.
May or may not be my favorite Christmas present...
December 27, 2009
Labels: typical
Ah, the lovely Boylan Sisters!
December 26, 2009
For so long I've been trying to introduce Rames to my beloved movie musicals but he always avoided the topic all together. He hated when people broke into song in movies, he said. He hated when people "sang in a choir." Above all, he didn't want to be watching a film where random actors started dancing in bizarre situations. I gave it up for a bad job and refrained from bringing the subject up. It's okay to differ in opinion, I told myself. Not everyone has to like the same things... I hated it, but everyone says this is what makes life interesting.
But how can anyone not like Annie? It's a classic! Then, after some discussion, I realized Rames had never actually seen the movie. It was surreal to me. I was constantly singing "Tomorrow" while cooking dinner or I'd burst into "Hard-Knock-Life" while in the shower... he always seemed to know the songs but had actively refused to watch the movie. I always assumed he was familiar with the plot. How should I have known Annie never really reached Europe?
Tonight, on a whim, I downloaded Annie (1982) and simply insisted he sit down and watch it with me. I snuck into the office and pouted... "If I clean the entire Christmas dinner dishes ON MY OWN, will you watch Annie with me?" Because he had missed me while I was away at the Essers and felt like indulging me a bit, he agreed.
At the beginning of movie, I warned him whenever a song was approaching: "Okay, so it starts with a song but it's a nice one... there's another shortly after but it's nothing annoying." And, 20 minutes into the film, he admitted that it wasn't annoying after all! That it wasn't as bad as he'd thought! He found it heart-warming, Annie grew on him, he enjoyed Oliver Warbucks... he finally understood who Bernadette Peters is!
He liked it.
Then, he admitted that all this time he thought "Annie" was about a 20-something year old woman who finds love after having a hard life.
He had no idea that it was about children.
This, I believe, is the core of Rames's confusion/dislike of musicals -- he really and truly has some bizarre misconception of them. Just like the time I made him watch "Mulan" and he enjoyed it... afterward he told me he had been under the impression the movie was about a dragon.
I have discovered something phenomenal. Now, I just have to decide which musical movie to show him next.
Labels: rames, review, typical
It was her best thing.
December 22, 2009
I'm off to visit the Essers this morning. My first order of business will be to tickle Ronja and Luca 'til they turn purple. I haven't seen them since mid-October!
This is where the day is headed:
And I'm pretty okay with that. :)
Labels: typical
A few more days 'til Christmas break!
December 16, 2009
Class is pretty much over now. I took a moderately important German test yesterday and I feel quite good about it. There's always the chance that I somehow managed to screw up everything on paper, but it seems unlikely. I find out on Friday!
That's the bad thing about German grammar. If you're being honest with yourself you just... never can be sure.
ESG Christmas party tomorrow... I'm supposed to bring some "typical food from my homeland" but I seriously don't want to be responsible for anyone having an early heart attack. I thought about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but I'm afraid they would clear the room. I think I'm just going to make chocolate cupcakes. Those are safe enough. Throw on some Harry Potter wrappers and M&Ms to decorate and that's as American as it gets.
Today I'm meeting up with some friends at the library to help them with their University English work. Last time it was a bit embarrassing as the most I could come up with was, "I've never seen that word before in my life." Thanks US Education system!
My favorite album at the moment: Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More. Click to you-know-what.
I knew it was going to happen.
December 13, 2009
I've stopped running. And blogging. Pretty much simultaneously. And now it's snowing outside which doesn't make putting my shoes on and going outside tomorrow very likely at all.
But I haven't ran in a month! It's so frustrating because I thought I had a plan. While other people were getting all bummed out about winter I was going to run right through it. Instead, I'm sitting inside with a mug of tea and my coziest pants on, slowly turning into a solid.
Not that I'm not busy... things to do, people to see, etc... but I really do require constant exercise to keep my mood up and mind healthy. Right now my "workouts" include catching the bus and climbing the stairs to class. Sigh.
I'm going to go meditate on how much I paid for my running shoes.
Labels: health, running, typical
Regarding Maine repealing a law allowing same-sex marriages...
November 4, 2009
My favorite quote from Reddit today:
"When prop 8 passed in California, there was a shot of the reaction from the campaign headquarters. I'll never forget this. At the center of the image was a guy in a suit throwing both hands up, mouth agape in pure jubilation of victory. It was as if he's just won the Lotto. I just couldn't understand how someone could be so thrilled about having gotten so little. What did he get? Nothing. How did his life change? Will he not have to get up for work in the morning? Are his bills any cheaper? Has a loved one who was sick been cured? Does he get more money, video games, blow jobs, or whatever he likes to do in his spare time? He gets nothing. It was all because it felt so good to hurt someone."
I know I have a lot of friends who are vehemently against same-sex marriage and won't agree with the above sentiments -- but it's exactly how I feel. This is bigotry, plain and simple.
To be fair, it is stated in the bible that God is against divorcing one's spouse. I think divorce should be made illegal in the United States. Let's see how all of these hypocrites feel then.
It's no joke that the mid-western states in the USA are privileged to have the highest divorce rate on the entire planet.
Labels: typical
There she is with another hour before her.
November 2, 2009
He never brought the poem to class. Should this be a direct hit on my self-esteem?
Class is going perfectly well, albeit slowly. We're reading "Der Vorleser" and it's slightly frustrating. We're not supposed to read ahead but we're finishing three chapters a week and I could have that whole stupid book finished in an hour. This is typical of any schooling I've ever done -- I may not be a genius but I do read super fast.
A Running Update: It's killing me. Not the running part, mind you, but November. I despise November for so many different reasons, one of them being the fact that from dawn to dusk for 30 days the outside world is a depressing gray-and-white wet fest. Absolutely nothing out there encourages me to put my shoes on, stretch, and go.
What's worse is I know if I don't run 3 or 4 times a week I'm going to be an unhappy mess come February and I really, really don't want that. More importantly: I can't afford it. I have other things I need to do and previous years have shown that being depressed puts a real damper on my plans.
I need a treadmill.
The cat spends her days recently going in and out of the door, bringing us leaves which have blown onto the balcony. By the time autumn is over, we'll have a little wooden tray filled with them on display in the living room. I think it's her version of storing away food for the winter.
I'm finding it hard to get back into the routine of updating regularly. I apologize.
Labels: health, running, typical
Shiny Blue Passports
October 26, 2009
My German class today was less of a class and more of an informational meeting. It lasted all of an hour and the professor spent the biggest part of it fielding questions from some guy (I shall call him Moses) who seemed he would want to teach the class on his own were his German not so ridiculous.
"That's how you're going to teach us? I've spent two years teaching English and I always found that it's better if you..."
The professor was extremely patient but the rest of the class started shifting uncomfortably after his third attempt to explain to Moses that no, we will not be using standard text books for the time being and yes, he would be required to bring paper with him to class. Yes, every day. And a pen. Yes, a pencil is okay, too. We all clinched our water bottles and looked at the ceiling. Would he ever shut up? More importantly: Would he be back tomorrow?
After what seemed like ages, we were dismissed. I cheerfully said goodbye to my neighbor, pulled out my ipod and almost had the earplugs in when You-Will-Never-Guess-Who popped in front of me.
Damnit.
"You speak English??" he asked eagerly, blocking my way out the door.
"Um... yes. I'm American, actually. From the US."
Excitment was written all over his face. Shifting his bag to his other shoulder, Moses proceeded to tell me he was from Jordan, how surprised he was that no one else in our class spoke English, and that he was really lucky to have found me, a native speaker. I smiled and replied as politely as I could as we left the building, hoping he wasn't planning on following me home.
Fifteen thousand questions later we reached the bus stop and, after admitting that I wasn't planning on going straight home, he offered to accompany into the city center. I didn't really mind at this point because I figured I could just deal with him until we reached the train station and then hop on a bus home, citing laundry as an excuse.
Yeah, right.
We ended up at some generic cafe where he insisted on paying and began to talk. We talked and talked and talked. In fact, I learned very much about Moses today: where he's from, what he's studying, how much he misses his mother's cooking, what he thinks about this country's education system, his friends' names, and what car he used to drive before he sold it to come to Germany.
I also learned what Moses loves to do most: write poetry.
Did I want to hear some? Of course. Nothing would thrill me more. Please, read your poetry to me while I sit here and attempt to slit my wrists with this teaspoon.
Pulling a pad of paper and pen from his bag and using his cellphone as a dictionary, he slowly began translating the Arabic stanzas into English. I tore my croissant apart with my fingers and stared determinedly into my coffee.
"I do swear that my love for you increases daily..."
My spoon hit the ground. I ducked briefly under the table and tried to compose my face into something resembling a neutral state of interest before popping back up.
"I do swear that I will be by your side every moment..."
I couldn't look at him. If I did, I would have laughed. I dug my nails into my palm instead and started doubling numbers in my head. I knew it couldn't last forever. Eventually he would stop translating his saccharine poetry and I would be on my way home listening to the Glee soundtrack and kicking the seat in front of me.
"I do swear that nothing will separate us. Not mountain nor hill..."
I tapped my coffee mug, my eyes darting every 5 seconds to the bus stop directly behind me. Another bus gone. I'll take the next one...
"I do swear that I will love you until the day I die."
I don't remember what I said exactly when it was all over. I think I used the words "lovely" and "nice" at least twice each. In fact, I was still telling him how much I liked it as the bus doors closed in front of me.
He's bringing me a properly translated, handwritten copy to class tomorrow.
Day one.
Labels: typical
What is your quest? What is your favorite color?
October 24, 2009
Rames and I watched Paranormal Activity last night and it was such a let down. I'm really picky about my scary movies, see -- I'm not a gore fan and I don't like watching 90 minutes of someone getting tortured/slashed/dismembered. But haunted house movies are totally my thing. That's why I was really pumped about seeing PA; I'd read that it was horrifying and I was looking forward to being scared.
What the hell, though? The first 30 minutes were utterly boring and the rest of the film was a jerky hand-held camera adventure of really stupid people going to sleep... and waking up. With their door wide open every night, I might add. Granted there was approximately 5 seconds of some vaguely interesting thing that happened to them around 3 a.m. every night but nothing overly startling. I went to bed and, after Rames was finished making fake demon noises outside of my door, I fell into a nightmare-free sleep.
Lame.
If all goes to plan (meaning there is no sudden, inland hurricane swooping into Strasbourg) I'll be jumping out of an airplane tomorrow. Skydiving! The weather looks promising right now so the chances of it happening seem pretty good. If this is my last blog post, you know what happened.
Es kommt darauf an, was man daraus macht.
October 20, 2009
Last week, I spent four days working at Interlift 2009, an elevator fair in Augsburg, Germany. On paper the job doesn't sound bad at all; 9 hours a day filled with menial tasks such as getting drinks and preparing Hawaii toast for potential clients is no big deal, right? I would like to truthfully say that I came away from my very first elevator fair with valuable marketing knowledge or memories of a great experience but I cannot. However, I now know why employees at fast food chains occasionally spit in your food.
Our week's sustenance:
To say I had a sugar buzz by the end of each day would be an understatement.
The weekend was low-key: Saturday I spent in a coma and Sunday was Rames's birthday which was spent lounging about and participating in our ongoing Phase 10 tournament. We went out to dinner at an Asian restaurant which has a fabulous buffet -- you can prepare your own dish by personally selecting your own meat, veggies and sauces to throw into the wok. They bring your meal directly to your table when it's done and mmm did I have a lot of mushrooms. Rames amused himself by having kangaroo, crocodile and ostrich and, while I had a taste, I just can't bring myself to believe these animals are for eating.
My Nieceypoo Turned 1 Yesterday
October 18, 2009
And Rames turns... today! I'd go take a picture of him sleeping but I'm not sure that would start his day on the right note. :)
Happy Birthday, Rames. xo
Labels: typical
Palm Trees and Tiki Huts
October 12, 2009
There will be no posting this week as I will be in Augsburg to work at what may or may not be an elevator fair. To be honest, I have no idea what's going on there. Our "booth" for lack of a better word appears to be tropical island themed:
and I will be serving drinks and making Hawaii toast. What inspires people to buy an elevator more than palm trees and tiki huts, I ask you? Yeah, I don't understand it either. I'm sure once I get there and see what is actually going on I will be able to come back and say, "OH, it was like THIS..." and Gaby will not be so mad at me for making fun of it. :)
I get to see Ronja, Luca and Stephanie today. Good thing, too. Ronja and I need to practice our circus act just in case I need to kidnap her and run away to Bora Bora.
Back in a week!
Labels: typical
Making Faye fall over and convulse
March 8, 2009
Disclaimer: I have read all 4 Twilight books. I fully and completely agree that they are crap, horribly written, and pander to the already-confused-emotions of girls who have just started their menstruation cycle. That being said, I enjoyed reading the first 3. The 4th one scarred me for life.
Judge me as you like.
--
Friday evening, Rames saw that there was a DVDrip of Twilight floating around Releaselog. I immediately grinned and suggested he should watch it with me.
Let me clarify: I never in a billion years thought he'd agree. I expected him to give me an at least 2-minute rant about how he would rather watch a 90-minute documentary on laser hair removal or sit through the Rent bonus features. It wasn't his sort of thing and it never would be. In fact, he has teased me about it for months, even going as far as to tape a picture of Edward Cullen on the mirror in the bedroom that says "Good morning, Pixel!"
But he agreed to watch it with me.
And he liked it a bit.
He liked the girl playing Bella. He laughed at many of the jokes. He was appropriately appalled yet slightly amused by Edward admitting he had been sneaking in Bella's room and watching her sleep. There were even a couple of scenes which, even though he'd never admit it, he found a tiny bit cute. Of course, he joked about it. "Oh, Edward, you sucked all the vampire venom out of me. That is so romantic."
When Edward kissed her forehead at the end of the hospital scene, it even elicited an "Aww."
He gave the movie 5.25 Jesuses out of 10.
I'm just saying.