Hola!
I'm writing you from Cancun, Mexico. We decided we're tired of all the thunderstorms forcing us to change our plans at the last minute, so we decided to just leave the country.
Okay, so not really. I'm actually in Asheville, NC which is where we had planned on being today. Which is pretty much the first time in two days we've been on "schedule". We decided with all the storms that were going through that getting on the Parkway would not be a good idea. Pretty much right after I clicked "publish" on my last post, Cody went down to the desk to extend our stay another night in Savannah. We had another enjoyable day walking around Savannah, took a riverboat cruise (I'm still kinda salty about that), and had an awesome dinner.
Paula Deen is a pretty big deal in Georgia, and Savannah in particular. She owns a restaraunt there with her two sons, and people line up for hours to eat there. We, however went to her brothers restaraunt farther out in the coastal marshes. They specialize in seafood, which was one of Cody's goals while we were in the south: we HAD to eat at a seafood joint that served fresh seafood. This place was awesome. Fantastic views and even better food. Uncle Bubba's. I highly recommend you try it.
From there we drove out to Tybee Island, which is at the mouth of the Savannah River (and a few more coastal rivers and creeks). Awesome beach. We hung out on the pier for a while, where I got to see a fisherman pull in a skate (think baby stingray, like what you get to pet at zoo exhibits), and Cody took some pretty ridiculous pictures of the surfers. We were there right before the peak of high tide, so there were a lot of people surfing. We walked the beach for a bit, and while Cody took more pictures, I acted like an 8 year old and hunted shells.
Yesterday we went back to the island to tour the lighthouse and keepers houses. We climbed all 178 stairs to top, at which point Cody went out on the catwalk to enjoy the view and take some pictures. My ass stayed firmly planted in the safe confines of the stairwell.
On to the beach again, where Cody finally got the chance to get in the ocean and wade around and body surf a bit. I don't like getting in natural bodies of water over my knees, so I just waded around and checked out the tidal pools since it was low tide this time around.
Then it was on to Fort Pulaski, which I can't really describe. It's nothing like Fort Meigs in Perrysburg that we're all so familiar with. We got some really good pictures that I will hopefully post some time this year so you can see for yourself. The bonus of that trip was the alligator in the moat that surrounds the fort. Yes! I real, live alligator in the wild! We were stoked at that!
The rest of the day was the ho-hum drive from Georgia to North Carolina. Today I'll be touring Biltmore (again!) while Cody putters around Asheville all day. With any luck, the gardens will still be in bloom and I'll be snapping pictures like a botanical papparazzi!
We'll be staying here again tonight, and HOPEFULLY the weather will hold out in the morning so we can actually do the last portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to Gatlinburg. It's the highest and most beautiful portion of the parkway (the whole thing is gorgeous, but the mountain views can't be beat on this portion). Since it's so high, if it's cloudy, we're going to have to skip it, and I'm probably going to pout.
Time to strap on my fanny pack and camera bag and play the role of tourist I love so well!
May 8, 2009
May 5, 2009
rain, rain, go away...
Hey guys,
Sitting in our hotel outside of Savannah, GA right now, listening to Cody yapping on the phone to his brother. I finally got a connection, so I figured I would post a quick update. The WiFi was out yesterday, and it took a while to connect tonight, so we'll see if it lasts long enough to actually post.
Can I just say that nothing messes up plans worse than a stalled low pressure system over the entire eastern half of the U.S. Oy, enough with the rain!
We left Ohio Saturday morning and drove through Pennsylvania (VERY expensive turnpike, btw) to start Skyline Drive in Virginia. We actually drove through Maryland and West Virginia as well, and even though we were in each state for under 10 minutes, we're still counting them on the official tally.
Skyline Drive is a scenic road built in Shenandoah National Park that puts you right up in the mountains. We went through two years ago, and it is beautiful. There are scenic overlooks where you can pull off the road and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Off the top of my head, the highest point on the drive itself is somewhere over 3,000 feet. The problem is, when there are storm clouds in the area, it blocks all the views. As an added "bonus", because you're driving so high in the mountains, you're actually driving through the clouds. It's kind of cool, but the charm wears off pretty quickly when you're driving 10mph (normal speed limit it 35mph) on a winding mountain road because you literally can't see more than 10 feet in front of you. It was a bit intense at times. We did make the hike down a wooded trail to check out the waterfall we saw on our last trip though. We had discussed trying to hike to one of the other falls we hadn't seen yet, but after 6-plus hours in the car, we were just too damn sore.
Once we made it out of the park, we had about an hour drive to our hotel. It was a nice enough hotel, and there was a nice little Chinese restaraunt right across the street, so that worked out well.
We were supposed to start the first leg of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday morning, but after checking the weather and seeing more storms rolling through all of Virginia, we decided it would be over 10 hours of driving through clouds again, which is tense (not to mention a bit dangerous, what with the deer and all) to say the least, we decided to head straight to Charleston, SC instead. We were planning to quit the Parkway with enough time to drive most of the way that night anyway, which would have given us less than one full day in Charleston. Since we got there early, we were able to do a carriage tour and take a nice leisurely walk through the historic distric. I LOVED it. It's absolutely beautiful, but a bit pricey to live there, I assure you.
Monday morning, we did a quick walk through the historic district of another nearby town called Summerville. Not as many houses, but still impressice to me. I was treated to the added bonus of seeing a snake in the road as well. Since Cody was walking about 15 feet in front of me (I was stopping to take pictures), I ripped him a new one for not warning me. Since he's Captain Oblivious, he never saw it and thought it was absolutely hilarious that I went all the way to the other side of the street to get by it. He of course had to take pictures. He insists it was indeed alive, but there was a twinkle in his eye that leads me to believe it was dead in the road and he just thought it was funny.
I was able to explain to him later that because of that one snake, I was too nervous to take my eyes of the ground long enough to snap photos, at which point I think he finally realized that it's not just a funny little quirk but a real fear for me. So there's hope for him yet!!!
We then moved on to Patriot's Point outside of Charleston. It is basically a large maritime museum where they have docked decommissioned ships and turned them into museums. The big mama-jama is an old aircraft carrier. Can I just tell you that those things are HUGE!!! And to top it off, it was an old one! They're much bigger now. It was awesome to go through the ship and see how the sailors lived and worked on it. There were many exhibits mixed in, some of which were quite exstensive.
Also moored there were an old diesel sub, a destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter. We weren't able to tour the destroyer, as they are currently working on it, so that was a big bummer. The other ships were fantastic though!
After leaving Charleston, we headed to Savannah, GA and had a nice dinner and made it to our hotel fairly early. After a mucho enjoyable double foot rub (LOTS of walking, stairs and ladders yesterday!), we crashed pretty hard.
Today we took a trolley tour of the historic district in Savannah and walked the streets taking pictures the rest of the day. The clouds started rolling in a little before four o'clock, and by 4:30, it was obvious we needed to get out of there or we would get wet. We were on the freeway by 5:00, and boy did we ever make a good decision! It POURED so hard and so fast the road wasn't draining well. Not that hydroplaning was a problem, as we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour...
But, we're back at our hotel safe and sound (and dry), so I can't really complain. Tomorrow we will do a little more walking around Savannah, and then head back north to pick up the BRP where we would have left off on Sunday had we not changed our plans. My only hope is that we can do the Parkway without any more issues. There is a chance of thunderstorms on and off for the rest of the week in all the areas we'll be in, so hopefully we won't have to change all our plans again.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
Sitting in our hotel outside of Savannah, GA right now, listening to Cody yapping on the phone to his brother. I finally got a connection, so I figured I would post a quick update. The WiFi was out yesterday, and it took a while to connect tonight, so we'll see if it lasts long enough to actually post.
Can I just say that nothing messes up plans worse than a stalled low pressure system over the entire eastern half of the U.S. Oy, enough with the rain!
We left Ohio Saturday morning and drove through Pennsylvania (VERY expensive turnpike, btw) to start Skyline Drive in Virginia. We actually drove through Maryland and West Virginia as well, and even though we were in each state for under 10 minutes, we're still counting them on the official tally.
Skyline Drive is a scenic road built in Shenandoah National Park that puts you right up in the mountains. We went through two years ago, and it is beautiful. There are scenic overlooks where you can pull off the road and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Off the top of my head, the highest point on the drive itself is somewhere over 3,000 feet. The problem is, when there are storm clouds in the area, it blocks all the views. As an added "bonus", because you're driving so high in the mountains, you're actually driving through the clouds. It's kind of cool, but the charm wears off pretty quickly when you're driving 10mph (normal speed limit it 35mph) on a winding mountain road because you literally can't see more than 10 feet in front of you. It was a bit intense at times. We did make the hike down a wooded trail to check out the waterfall we saw on our last trip though. We had discussed trying to hike to one of the other falls we hadn't seen yet, but after 6-plus hours in the car, we were just too damn sore.
Once we made it out of the park, we had about an hour drive to our hotel. It was a nice enough hotel, and there was a nice little Chinese restaraunt right across the street, so that worked out well.
We were supposed to start the first leg of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday morning, but after checking the weather and seeing more storms rolling through all of Virginia, we decided it would be over 10 hours of driving through clouds again, which is tense (not to mention a bit dangerous, what with the deer and all) to say the least, we decided to head straight to Charleston, SC instead. We were planning to quit the Parkway with enough time to drive most of the way that night anyway, which would have given us less than one full day in Charleston. Since we got there early, we were able to do a carriage tour and take a nice leisurely walk through the historic distric. I LOVED it. It's absolutely beautiful, but a bit pricey to live there, I assure you.
Monday morning, we did a quick walk through the historic district of another nearby town called Summerville. Not as many houses, but still impressice to me. I was treated to the added bonus of seeing a snake in the road as well. Since Cody was walking about 15 feet in front of me (I was stopping to take pictures), I ripped him a new one for not warning me. Since he's Captain Oblivious, he never saw it and thought it was absolutely hilarious that I went all the way to the other side of the street to get by it. He of course had to take pictures. He insists it was indeed alive, but there was a twinkle in his eye that leads me to believe it was dead in the road and he just thought it was funny.
I was able to explain to him later that because of that one snake, I was too nervous to take my eyes of the ground long enough to snap photos, at which point I think he finally realized that it's not just a funny little quirk but a real fear for me. So there's hope for him yet!!!
We then moved on to Patriot's Point outside of Charleston. It is basically a large maritime museum where they have docked decommissioned ships and turned them into museums. The big mama-jama is an old aircraft carrier. Can I just tell you that those things are HUGE!!! And to top it off, it was an old one! They're much bigger now. It was awesome to go through the ship and see how the sailors lived and worked on it. There were many exhibits mixed in, some of which were quite exstensive.
Also moored there were an old diesel sub, a destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter. We weren't able to tour the destroyer, as they are currently working on it, so that was a big bummer. The other ships were fantastic though!
After leaving Charleston, we headed to Savannah, GA and had a nice dinner and made it to our hotel fairly early. After a mucho enjoyable double foot rub (LOTS of walking, stairs and ladders yesterday!), we crashed pretty hard.
Today we took a trolley tour of the historic district in Savannah and walked the streets taking pictures the rest of the day. The clouds started rolling in a little before four o'clock, and by 4:30, it was obvious we needed to get out of there or we would get wet. We were on the freeway by 5:00, and boy did we ever make a good decision! It POURED so hard and so fast the road wasn't draining well. Not that hydroplaning was a problem, as we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour...
But, we're back at our hotel safe and sound (and dry), so I can't really complain. Tomorrow we will do a little more walking around Savannah, and then head back north to pick up the BRP where we would have left off on Sunday had we not changed our plans. My only hope is that we can do the Parkway without any more issues. There is a chance of thunderstorms on and off for the rest of the week in all the areas we'll be in, so hopefully we won't have to change all our plans again.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
May 4, 2009
quick update
Hey gang,
I don't have a whole lot of time, which I can't get into because, well, I don't have a lot of time.
We're about 25 minutes outside of Charleston, SC right now and we need to leave soon. I had intended to do a quick mini-post every night, but that hasn't worked out for me so far. We couldn't get a connection Saturday night, and Cody needed the laptop to re-route us yesterday morning. The connection here last night (and currently) is in and out constantly, and I just didn't have the energy or patience to deal with it last night.
If time and our connection allow for it, I'll try to post an update tonight (from Savannah, GA).
So far we've been through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina!
We're getting ready to head out for a walking tour of Summerville, SC, which I admit is pretty much all about me. Today is Cody's big day though. We're going to tour a bunch of Naval vessels in Charleston Harbor, including an aircraft carrier (which I'm even a bit stoked about).
Gotta run!!!
I don't have a whole lot of time, which I can't get into because, well, I don't have a lot of time.
We're about 25 minutes outside of Charleston, SC right now and we need to leave soon. I had intended to do a quick mini-post every night, but that hasn't worked out for me so far. We couldn't get a connection Saturday night, and Cody needed the laptop to re-route us yesterday morning. The connection here last night (and currently) is in and out constantly, and I just didn't have the energy or patience to deal with it last night.
If time and our connection allow for it, I'll try to post an update tonight (from Savannah, GA).
So far we've been through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina!
We're getting ready to head out for a walking tour of Summerville, SC, which I admit is pretty much all about me. Today is Cody's big day though. We're going to tour a bunch of Naval vessels in Charleston Harbor, including an aircraft carrier (which I'm even a bit stoked about).
Gotta run!!!
April 15, 2009
March 24, 2009
what a day
I've managed to make it through the day pretty positively, I think. I made a conscious decision this morning when I got up to not let any of yesterdays drama weigh me down. Turns out it kept me flowing through the rest of the day with some pretty good spirits. Unfortunately, though, I'm now exhausted. Being happy and productive is hard work!
Work went really by very smooth and easy, but I was just busy, busy, busy. When I got home, I decided to beat tomorrow's rain and get the rest of the raking done. I hope that's the last time till fall, but we'll see. Then it was on to dinner, dishes, etc.
I'm pooped!
I just wanted to pop in and say "Thanks" to all you guys for the prayers and warm wishes. I don't know what I'd do without y'all some days!
I was visiting elsewhere earlier, and the post I read made me realize how helpful we have all been to each other. Bethany is pretty much a full time small group leader for all of us now; Sharen is helping us all save money and be more conscious of our budgets; Pete is helping to keep us grounded through his experiences of late as well as the growth he's going through (not to mention we're all excited for and with him on all these big strides); Katy is always there to be our cheerleader, encourage us, and tell us how special we are (even though it's usually on Facecrack, cause she doesn't post too often); Jul-Z, has unfortunately had her hands full lately, so we haven't heard from her since October. Though she is on Twitter and Facebook if y'all want to friend her up...
I think I'm officially your pimp now people. I'm not putting a feather in my hat though.
At any rate, I'm lovin' how much I'm able to depend on you guys when I need it, whatever the reason.
Ugh. It's already 8:00. I need to take a shower and get my hiney to bed!
Work went really by very smooth and easy, but I was just busy, busy, busy. When I got home, I decided to beat tomorrow's rain and get the rest of the raking done. I hope that's the last time till fall, but we'll see. Then it was on to dinner, dishes, etc.
I'm pooped!
I just wanted to pop in and say "Thanks" to all you guys for the prayers and warm wishes. I don't know what I'd do without y'all some days!
I was visiting elsewhere earlier, and the post I read made me realize how helpful we have all been to each other. Bethany is pretty much a full time small group leader for all of us now; Sharen is helping us all save money and be more conscious of our budgets; Pete is helping to keep us grounded through his experiences of late as well as the growth he's going through (not to mention we're all excited for and with him on all these big strides); Katy is always there to be our cheerleader, encourage us, and tell us how special we are (even though it's usually on Facecrack, cause she doesn't post too often); Jul-Z, has unfortunately had her hands full lately, so we haven't heard from her since October. Though she is on Twitter and Facebook if y'all want to friend her up...
I think I'm officially your pimp now people. I'm not putting a feather in my hat though.
At any rate, I'm lovin' how much I'm able to depend on you guys when I need it, whatever the reason.
Ugh. It's already 8:00. I need to take a shower and get my hiney to bed!
here we go again
Well folks, I've got about a half hour of "me" time before I need to get ready for work. I usually spend my mornings catching up on blogs and reading the news, but since it's a bit of a slow news day, I find myself with a little extra time.
Well, there is a little news to share, via Sharen: Send your thoughts and prayers this way, if you get a moment.
I'm not sure how far I'll be able to get in 30 minutes, so let's just jump right in. Hubby got laid off yesterday. Yeah. Sucks. That's what prevented me from hopping on here and writing the post I had promised yesterday. I spent the day flitting around the house cleaning and being all June Cleaver and shit, with the intention to wind down after dinner and write here for a bit.
Well, Cody called about a half hour after leaving for work yesterday afternoon to let me know he had been laid off, and could I please drive out with my truck to pick up his tool boxes.
*sigh*
I don't want to puff up my chest too much or anything here, but I was kind of proud of myself while we were loading his tool boxes. I don't remember what he said, but I stayed completely quiet for almost a full minute, then calmly said, "I'm not mad at you, but I don't trust myself to talk right now."
Who was that guy?
It felt good to hold my tongue for a change. No guilty feelings from running my mouth too far or too angrily. I'm going to try to remember to do that more often.
So I wanted to write yesterday about how things have been going around here lately, and a big part of that is kind of a follow-up to my earlier post about the church I had found that I was so eager to try out.
I'm going to get there eventually but I don't know that I'll have time this morning to do that. What I'd really like to say is something I mentioned briefly in and e-mail that I quickly fired off to a friend last night before bed.
I only told one person last night about Cody being laid off. He made a couple of phone calls himself yesterday, both of which I encouraged him to make. I thought he needed to let his mom know before his weekly lunch with her on Friday so as to avoid any possible hurt feelings from not telling her. The other was to two of our closer friends, not so much to let them know what was going on, but because one of them was laid off a couple of months ago, and is currently taking advantage of an educational opportunity that I thought Cody could benefit from if he qualifies.
The reason I had only e-mailed one person was because she has been a prayer warrior for Cody and myself in the past, and I decided it would be uber-helpful to have her jump on it as soon as possible.
I didn't rush to let everyone else know about it for the simple fact that I refuse to go into panic mode, or let this affect me in the way it would have in the past.
I am not giving in to worry. I started to become overwhelmed back in December when they moved me to a job with lower pay and started laying people off at work. Then, when they cut hourly employees (that includes me) back to a 32 hour work week, I started stressing more. I decided at that point to give up my worries to God. I wasn't dealing with it very well at all, and I asked God to take the burden of concern from me. True to His word, He has been faithful in doing that very thing from that moment forward. The only time worry and stress start to press in on me since then has been when I give in to myself and start participating in the gossip and telling tales at work. Once I start doubting, the worry starts flooding back into my mind, and I realize I'm not trusting God to do what I asked Him to do, and I have to check myself.
Therein lies the secret to why I kept my mouth shut yesterday. I'm not going to give in to the temptation to shout my woes and hurts from the rooftops. Not this time.
I've noticed over the past few months, that closer I try to press in to God, the harder the enemy presses against me.
I'm on to him.
I'm not playing that game.
I refuse to give over my life, my relationship with God, my relationship with Cody. I'm not turning tail and running from this. I'm going to press through harder, and fight even more viciously than ever before.
So while it would be easy for me to despair and be worried about where we go from here, I refuse to give in to that mentality. That's why I didn't blog about this last night. I needed to first bring this to God and let it settle in my mind and spirit, and allow His peace to return before opening my mouth.
So, rather than shouting my bad news from the rooftops and begging you to pray for us, I'm shouting the good news of God's peace from the rooftops and telling you how awesome it is to know Him and feel His presence in spite of the seeming hurdle in front of us.
I will always appreciate any prayers. I only ask that you don't send up a "pity prayer" today. Send up a prayer of thanks that through Christ, Cody and I have already overcome this. Pray that God grant us the strength and wisdom we need to follow His course by His will.
I refuse to be sad. I refuse to give in to the temptation to be afraid of a single income in a bad job market. God will provide for our needs, including our peace.
Now I need to get ready for work. I'll get to that other post soon. Promise.
Well, there is a little news to share, via Sharen: Send your thoughts and prayers this way, if you get a moment.
I'm not sure how far I'll be able to get in 30 minutes, so let's just jump right in. Hubby got laid off yesterday. Yeah. Sucks. That's what prevented me from hopping on here and writing the post I had promised yesterday. I spent the day flitting around the house cleaning and being all June Cleaver and shit, with the intention to wind down after dinner and write here for a bit.
Well, Cody called about a half hour after leaving for work yesterday afternoon to let me know he had been laid off, and could I please drive out with my truck to pick up his tool boxes.
*sigh*
I don't want to puff up my chest too much or anything here, but I was kind of proud of myself while we were loading his tool boxes. I don't remember what he said, but I stayed completely quiet for almost a full minute, then calmly said, "I'm not mad at you, but I don't trust myself to talk right now."
Who was that guy?
It felt good to hold my tongue for a change. No guilty feelings from running my mouth too far or too angrily. I'm going to try to remember to do that more often.
So I wanted to write yesterday about how things have been going around here lately, and a big part of that is kind of a follow-up to my earlier post about the church I had found that I was so eager to try out.
I'm going to get there eventually but I don't know that I'll have time this morning to do that. What I'd really like to say is something I mentioned briefly in and e-mail that I quickly fired off to a friend last night before bed.
I only told one person last night about Cody being laid off. He made a couple of phone calls himself yesterday, both of which I encouraged him to make. I thought he needed to let his mom know before his weekly lunch with her on Friday so as to avoid any possible hurt feelings from not telling her. The other was to two of our closer friends, not so much to let them know what was going on, but because one of them was laid off a couple of months ago, and is currently taking advantage of an educational opportunity that I thought Cody could benefit from if he qualifies.
The reason I had only e-mailed one person was because she has been a prayer warrior for Cody and myself in the past, and I decided it would be uber-helpful to have her jump on it as soon as possible.
I didn't rush to let everyone else know about it for the simple fact that I refuse to go into panic mode, or let this affect me in the way it would have in the past.
I am not giving in to worry. I started to become overwhelmed back in December when they moved me to a job with lower pay and started laying people off at work. Then, when they cut hourly employees (that includes me) back to a 32 hour work week, I started stressing more. I decided at that point to give up my worries to God. I wasn't dealing with it very well at all, and I asked God to take the burden of concern from me. True to His word, He has been faithful in doing that very thing from that moment forward. The only time worry and stress start to press in on me since then has been when I give in to myself and start participating in the gossip and telling tales at work. Once I start doubting, the worry starts flooding back into my mind, and I realize I'm not trusting God to do what I asked Him to do, and I have to check myself.
Therein lies the secret to why I kept my mouth shut yesterday. I'm not going to give in to the temptation to shout my woes and hurts from the rooftops. Not this time.
I've noticed over the past few months, that closer I try to press in to God, the harder the enemy presses against me.
I'm on to him.
I'm not playing that game.
I refuse to give over my life, my relationship with God, my relationship with Cody. I'm not turning tail and running from this. I'm going to press through harder, and fight even more viciously than ever before.
So while it would be easy for me to despair and be worried about where we go from here, I refuse to give in to that mentality. That's why I didn't blog about this last night. I needed to first bring this to God and let it settle in my mind and spirit, and allow His peace to return before opening my mouth.
So, rather than shouting my bad news from the rooftops and begging you to pray for us, I'm shouting the good news of God's peace from the rooftops and telling you how awesome it is to know Him and feel His presence in spite of the seeming hurdle in front of us.
I will always appreciate any prayers. I only ask that you don't send up a "pity prayer" today. Send up a prayer of thanks that through Christ, Cody and I have already overcome this. Pray that God grant us the strength and wisdom we need to follow His course by His will.
I refuse to be sad. I refuse to give in to the temptation to be afraid of a single income in a bad job market. God will provide for our needs, including our peace.
Now I need to get ready for work. I'll get to that other post soon. Promise.
March 23, 2009
hurumph!
Hey gang,
I'm going to have to offer you all a rain check on the post I promised for today. This afternoon didn't go quite the way I planned, so I'll have to catch you up later.
I'm going to have to offer you all a rain check on the post I promised for today. This afternoon didn't go quite the way I planned, so I'll have to catch you up later.
grrr
I wanted to post this am, but I'm already running later than I would like. Am I the only person who can run late on a day off?
I should be able to come back later on to write more. Lord knows I'll need a break from cleaning!!!
In the meantime, I wanted to give y'all a heads up that I set Cody up with a reader, since he has a hard time keeping up with all his "funnies" on a regular basis. Cake Wrecks, Engrish, etc.
I also took the liberty of adding all your blogs to his list as well. Never fear, I changed all the subscription names so he'd be able to keep you straight, and made sure to indicate which ones were private.
I wouldn't expect any comments any time soon, but I thought you'd like to know you all have one more stalker!
I should be able to come back later on to write more. Lord knows I'll need a break from cleaning!!!
In the meantime, I wanted to give y'all a heads up that I set Cody up with a reader, since he has a hard time keeping up with all his "funnies" on a regular basis. Cake Wrecks, Engrish, etc.
I also took the liberty of adding all your blogs to his list as well. Never fear, I changed all the subscription names so he'd be able to keep you straight, and made sure to indicate which ones were private.
I wouldn't expect any comments any time soon, but I thought you'd like to know you all have one more stalker!
March 20, 2009
wow
I saw this on Ryan B.'s blog this morning, and I HAD to steal it and post it here.
That's MY King!
That's My King! Do You Know Him?
That's MY King!
That's My King! Do You Know Him?
February 27, 2009
pull up a chair
This is probably going to be a rather long post. Okay, okay. Stop jumping up and down, Pete. You're going to spill your drink on your keyboard.
I really don't know how to begin this. I could just listen to Fraulein Maria and sing, "Let's just start from the very beginning; a very good place to start." Unfortunately, there is more than one thread to this story, so there I'm not sure which line to follow first.
As most of you (all five of you, anyway), I have been looking struggling for quite some time with depression and anxiety attacks. I forget the fancy words the doctor typed into the computer at this point, but that's the gist of it.
I came to the conclusion, or rather, finally admitted to myself that I knew I would not and could not make any progress towards a healthy life until I started working on my relationship with God.
I know some of you may be groaning, but bear with me here.
I wish I was able to link to some of my old posts in order to explain some of this without having to type it all out. Chalk that one up to another one of my downhill slides. I usually don't regret taking down all those posts, but sometimes it would be so handy to have them available.
At any rate, as some of you may recall, I've posted about my struggle with all these issues. They're still very much a part of my life, and still affecting me and those around me. Cody has brought up counseling pretty much once a month since I stopped last year. He's not really pushing meds, but he really wants me to start seeing someone. I apparently scare the crap out of him when I'm on the downswing. Go figure.
So I've slowly been starting to realize that there is more to the story than I've been admitting to myself. Some of you know that I was raised in a Christian home, and I myself am a Christian. I grew up loving God and thought there were several years I didn't attend church at all, by the time I had graduated high school I was attending at least Sunday evening services regularly.
Oh good grief, if I go through this like an autobiographical time line, I'll never get to the point.
For about the past seven years, I haven't attended church more than a handful of times. As you can imagine, growing up gay in a Southern Baptist Church was no picnic. I went through a lot of internal warfare growing up trying to reconcile what I was taught with what I felt in my heart.
God hates boys who like boys "that" way.
I'm surely going to hell.
Those are just a couple of thoughts I struggled with. I assure you; there are plenty more.
I don't want to give anyone the impression that I hold my parents or the church at fault for my depression. I won't lie and say that they hasn't contributed vast amounts of fuel to the fire over the years either. We can discuss all that more in depth at more appropriate times.
The point I want to get to is to basically say this: I grew up with a close relationship to God. I struggled for years with what we now call my homosexuality because I was taught that it was wrong. I had actually started to come out of the closet an inch at a time when I was 21. Then I re-dedicated my life to Christ (it's church lingo for turning your back on your wickedness and seeking the path of righteousness you were previously on, and it's very real) and I ran back in the closet and buried everything. I severed ties with a few people at the time, and actually did some lasting damage it took a lot of years to repair.
Then, shortly after I turned 23, I hit probably one of my deepest "episodes" yet. At that point, my relationship with my parents became very strained, and I started pulling away from the church as well. It was a pretty rough patch, and I'm confident that nothing short of the grace of God could have pulled me through that.
I eventually ended up on better footing with my parents, and the other relationships that were being affected at the time were also beginning to mend. I never really got back a good, solid footing at church though. I felt like a fraud and a failure. Here I was, going to church 2-3 times a week, doing everything I could to fight off my demons, and they just wouldn't go away. I still knew I was gay. I was checking out guys at church, for cryin' out loud! And I was still depressed.
So I started skipping services more and more. Unfortunately I also stopped seeking God's face. The only one who mattered and could have helped the whole time, and I was ashamed to go to His feet.
Several months later, I met Cody. Little known fact: Cody and I have been together every weekend except two since we met almost seven years ago. Considering we lived 90 miles apart for the first three years, that's something I'm proud of. We've had some rough spots, but we did what couldn't be done. Provided I don't kill him or vice versa, we'll be going strong till were old and wrinkly.
Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to reconnect with God in a quality way. Until now.
See, I've been looking for a new church "home" for the past 6-7 years. I've found some that were friendly, to be sure. They just weren't right where it really mattered though. I so don't want to get into a theological debate or anything, so let me throw in a disclaimer here:
These are my beliefs, and I take ownership of them. I'm not trying to shove anything down your throat, and I hope you don't feel that way. But these are my beliefs and convictions, so I won't apologize for them.
I'm what's called an "Evangelical Christian". At least that's what the term du jour was last time I checked. (I so can't spell in French...) I believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and therefore born free from sin, which enabled Him to take the sin of the world, be punished for it by death, go to hell, and then rise again victorious over sin and death. I believe He did that for me and for you. He did that for everyone for all time.
I also believe that knowing that isn't enough. Even satan knows all that. The salvation Jesus brought about on the cross is a gift. A gift can be given freely, but it does no good without receiving it. I believe you actually have to consciously accept the gift Christ has given in order to be free from sin and go to heaven. I'm so blowing through this faster than I should, but that's the gist of it.
So here's the problem. Some of you may be aware that in recent times, more and more churches have become what's called "Open and Affirming" congregations. I won't try to drop a percentage on you as though I'm an authority on this matter, but from my own personal experience, the churches I have found in my search that are open and affirming have thus far fallen short of that basic requirement of mine. I don't want to settle for a church that doesn't believe you must be "born again" (it's written in red, folks) just so I can participate in a congregation and feel welcome. Don't get me wrong, I've been to a couple of nice churches that are very welcoming and show a lot of love. But that's not enough for me, and I don't apologize for it.
So, as I said (typed, if you wanna' get technical on me), I've been looking for a church I can call home off and on for many years without much luck. I've been disappointed so many times that it gets harder and harder to even try any more. I think there's another post there, but I'm not going to chase that rabbit right now.
Let me take a moment to say something else. If you work for a company with a web presence, and there is an e-mail link for people to contact you, it damn well better work. And you need to check it and respond.
Where was I? Oh, right.
So I've talked about some of this before. I actually wrote Bethany a big ole' letter once explaining a lot of this and some more as well. She's been so super supportive that it never ceases to amaze me. Considering the roots of our relationship, I'm astonished at how healthy it is! Sorry, I love her to pieces and I gotta brag on her now and then.
Well, since Bethany and I started to reconnect a couple of years ago, we've both been blogging. She's much more faithful about it than I am, and she's so gifted... I think God has already been using her in big ways (not just in my life), I can't wait to see what He's got in store...
So Bethany's blog has a link to another "little" blog called "Stuff Christians Like." This site rocks. Seriously. This post is already huge, so if you want to know what it's all about, go here first.
I've been reading SCL (as it's affectionately called by it's faithful readers) for quite some time. I've gotten through the majority of the archives, though not all, and I've been reading it daily for the past few months.
The wicked awesome author of this blog, Jon Acuff, writes a couple of other blogs that I'm rather fond of as well. I highly recommend 97 Seconds with God. Talk about a gifted writer! And he knows where his gift comes from, and isn't afraid to admit it.
Being a busy man with a lot on his plate and a family as well, Jon occasionally has guest authors post on his site. I've read some pretty awesome posts, as he's not willing to let just anyone post. Stacy, one of his first guests, gained her notoriety through some awesome sarcasm that I find can only be responded to with "OH SNAP!" Sarcasm is a love language on SCL, so it's all in fun.
No more rabbit holes, I swear! (Yeah. As if.)
So another guest on SCL, who also gained this honor through some incredibly insightful yet hilarious comments, is Nick the Geek. I'm not calling him names. That's what he named himself. Nick is a youth pastor, and man did God call the right guy. He's insightful, hilarious, and just as high energy as any of his "kids". That's a nice way of saying I think he might have a touch of ADHD. Not really, but he's definitely intentse, though in a good way.
As you may have guessed, Nick has a blog (or four) of his own. The site is My Experience as Youth Pastor, and it is listed in my "dailies" in Google reader. Yeah, it's that good.
Yes, for those of you following along, my addiction to blogs is severe enough that I have a seperate category for the blogs I read every day so I can filter out all the other stuff and just get to what matters until I get more time.
At any rate (Is it just me, or do I say that a lot?), I bookmarked Nick's blog a few months ago when he wrote a guest post for SCL. I like the post well enough to check out his blog, and loved the few that I read there. Nick is always very gracious about responding to everyone's comments, too - which is just awesome.
So, now I'm up to the point where I'm looking for a church home off and on, building a closer-than-I-could-have-imagined friendship with Ms. Bethany, reading SCL and 97Seconds every day, and I have Nick bookmarked.
Hey, I told you it would be a long post. Go to the bathroom and stretch your legs a bit. I'll wait.
Better? Good.
A few months ago, I also stumbled upon another site, called Straight-Friendly. It's tagline is "A daily devotional for GLBT and other alienated Christians -- with occasional personal observations." I read a couple of posts and thought it was pretty awesome, so I bookmarked it to come back to later (thus defeating the purpose of the "daily" part, I know).
As an aside, the author of this site, Tim, is also a very gracious host and, much like Nick, tends to respond to every comment personally. I love that.
Believe it or not, I think you're all up to speed enough that I can get on with the damn story already...
At the beginning of this month, I went back and started reading through Nick the Geek's archives from the beginning. He really is a talented writer, and a gifted teacher as well.
I came across a post from August of last year in which was writing about his feelings concerning how Christians, and the church as a whole, tend to treat homosexuals. I felt inclined to leave a comment (Big surprise, right?) explaining my biggest bitch about the way Christians treat gays and lesbians.
True to form, Nick responded to my comment. I didn't get even a hint of condemnation from him, which I didn't really expect, but I just want to throw that out there before anyones hackles go up.
Nick's response to my comment ended up being so long, he felt it deserved to be a post in and of itself. In his own words, "I'm reposting my comment because it ended up being super long and it bears saying often."
Nick and I don't agree on some things. Unlike a lot of Christians, Nick is a standard bearer for the love of Christ. The man actually gets it.
He doesn't agree with me, but he doesn't care. He's not looking at me in judgement trying to keep my from anything. He's showing the love of Christ as Christ Himself taught we should.
Not only is that awesome, that takes balls! I don't know what denomination, if any, Nick works for. I do know that his viewpoint is considered radical by some though. But the more Nick's we have in this world the better off we will be.
Nick wrote a follow-up post to the original that I first mentioned. In it, he explained that the main reason he brought the subject up is because there are two teens he feels are likely wrestling with their sexual identity in his group. I have to say, I gotta' give credit to Nick and anyone else who voluntarily work with kids and young adults. That's a lot of responsibility (and a lot of noise!).
This is what's important to me, and why I thank God for men like Nick:
The kids in his class will grow into adulthood without a skewed and dangerous view of homosexuals. They will love them as Christ calls them to. None of that "Love the sinner, hate the sin" bullshit that so many people hide their hate behind (not so successfully).
More importantly, the young people that come through his doors who are questioning their sexuality don't have to grow up like I did.
That, to me, is so deep and important that I can't put it into words.
It brings tears to my eyes to know that even on child will be spared the anguish of growing up gay in church because Nick is obedient and loving enough to obey his Lord and love these kids.
Thanks, Nick. Not only for what you have written to me. But thanks for doing what you're doing. It matters. Thank you.
Crap. How do you follow that up?
Honestly I've been putting off responding to the last of Nick's comments and his post until I could say what was in my heart.
Oddly enough, in these short few weeks, Nick has been a big part of some changes that are happening in me.
As I mentioned, Nick isn't just funny; he's a good teacher too. So I've been reading a lot of his posts lately. I've also been reading a lot of Bethany's incredible insights and Jon's learn-through-humor as well as his more serious stuff.
In addition to that, I've also come to the realization that I really need to strive to rebuild my relationship with God. I know enough to know that I will not know real, lasting peace and peace of mind without Him.
So I've also been reading Tim's posts every morning, and using them as the daily devotional they're intended to be.
Oddly enough, I followed a couple of links from Tim's site this morning and stumbled upon something that rocked my world and brought tears to my weary eyes.
I think I have found a church, my friends.
I'm trying to temper my excitement for the time being, while I try to get more information and wait to attend an actual service. It's also hard to not be jaded as I've been burned so many times before.
Either way, I'm getting closer to Him, and He to me.
I really don't know how to begin this. I could just listen to Fraulein Maria and sing, "Let's just start from the very beginning; a very good place to start." Unfortunately, there is more than one thread to this story, so there I'm not sure which line to follow first.
As most of you (all five of you, anyway), I have been looking struggling for quite some time with depression and anxiety attacks. I forget the fancy words the doctor typed into the computer at this point, but that's the gist of it.
I came to the conclusion, or rather, finally admitted to myself that I knew I would not and could not make any progress towards a healthy life until I started working on my relationship with God.
I know some of you may be groaning, but bear with me here.
I wish I was able to link to some of my old posts in order to explain some of this without having to type it all out. Chalk that one up to another one of my downhill slides. I usually don't regret taking down all those posts, but sometimes it would be so handy to have them available.
At any rate, as some of you may recall, I've posted about my struggle with all these issues. They're still very much a part of my life, and still affecting me and those around me. Cody has brought up counseling pretty much once a month since I stopped last year. He's not really pushing meds, but he really wants me to start seeing someone. I apparently scare the crap out of him when I'm on the downswing. Go figure.
So I've slowly been starting to realize that there is more to the story than I've been admitting to myself. Some of you know that I was raised in a Christian home, and I myself am a Christian. I grew up loving God and thought there were several years I didn't attend church at all, by the time I had graduated high school I was attending at least Sunday evening services regularly.
Oh good grief, if I go through this like an autobiographical time line, I'll never get to the point.
For about the past seven years, I haven't attended church more than a handful of times. As you can imagine, growing up gay in a Southern Baptist Church was no picnic. I went through a lot of internal warfare growing up trying to reconcile what I was taught with what I felt in my heart.
God hates boys who like boys "that" way.
I'm surely going to hell.
Those are just a couple of thoughts I struggled with. I assure you; there are plenty more.
I don't want to give anyone the impression that I hold my parents or the church at fault for my depression. I won't lie and say that they hasn't contributed vast amounts of fuel to the fire over the years either. We can discuss all that more in depth at more appropriate times.
The point I want to get to is to basically say this: I grew up with a close relationship to God. I struggled for years with what we now call my homosexuality because I was taught that it was wrong. I had actually started to come out of the closet an inch at a time when I was 21. Then I re-dedicated my life to Christ (it's church lingo for turning your back on your wickedness and seeking the path of righteousness you were previously on, and it's very real) and I ran back in the closet and buried everything. I severed ties with a few people at the time, and actually did some lasting damage it took a lot of years to repair.
Then, shortly after I turned 23, I hit probably one of my deepest "episodes" yet. At that point, my relationship with my parents became very strained, and I started pulling away from the church as well. It was a pretty rough patch, and I'm confident that nothing short of the grace of God could have pulled me through that.
I eventually ended up on better footing with my parents, and the other relationships that were being affected at the time were also beginning to mend. I never really got back a good, solid footing at church though. I felt like a fraud and a failure. Here I was, going to church 2-3 times a week, doing everything I could to fight off my demons, and they just wouldn't go away. I still knew I was gay. I was checking out guys at church, for cryin' out loud! And I was still depressed.
So I started skipping services more and more. Unfortunately I also stopped seeking God's face. The only one who mattered and could have helped the whole time, and I was ashamed to go to His feet.
Several months later, I met Cody. Little known fact: Cody and I have been together every weekend except two since we met almost seven years ago. Considering we lived 90 miles apart for the first three years, that's something I'm proud of. We've had some rough spots, but we did what couldn't be done. Provided I don't kill him or vice versa, we'll be going strong till were old and wrinkly.
Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to reconnect with God in a quality way. Until now.
See, I've been looking for a new church "home" for the past 6-7 years. I've found some that were friendly, to be sure. They just weren't right where it really mattered though. I so don't want to get into a theological debate or anything, so let me throw in a disclaimer here:
These are my beliefs, and I take ownership of them. I'm not trying to shove anything down your throat, and I hope you don't feel that way. But these are my beliefs and convictions, so I won't apologize for them.
I'm what's called an "Evangelical Christian". At least that's what the term du jour was last time I checked. (I so can't spell in French...) I believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and therefore born free from sin, which enabled Him to take the sin of the world, be punished for it by death, go to hell, and then rise again victorious over sin and death. I believe He did that for me and for you. He did that for everyone for all time.
I also believe that knowing that isn't enough. Even satan knows all that. The salvation Jesus brought about on the cross is a gift. A gift can be given freely, but it does no good without receiving it. I believe you actually have to consciously accept the gift Christ has given in order to be free from sin and go to heaven. I'm so blowing through this faster than I should, but that's the gist of it.
So here's the problem. Some of you may be aware that in recent times, more and more churches have become what's called "Open and Affirming" congregations. I won't try to drop a percentage on you as though I'm an authority on this matter, but from my own personal experience, the churches I have found in my search that are open and affirming have thus far fallen short of that basic requirement of mine. I don't want to settle for a church that doesn't believe you must be "born again" (it's written in red, folks) just so I can participate in a congregation and feel welcome. Don't get me wrong, I've been to a couple of nice churches that are very welcoming and show a lot of love. But that's not enough for me, and I don't apologize for it.
So, as I said (typed, if you wanna' get technical on me), I've been looking for a church I can call home off and on for many years without much luck. I've been disappointed so many times that it gets harder and harder to even try any more. I think there's another post there, but I'm not going to chase that rabbit right now.
Let me take a moment to say something else. If you work for a company with a web presence, and there is an e-mail link for people to contact you, it damn well better work. And you need to check it and respond.
Where was I? Oh, right.
So I've talked about some of this before. I actually wrote Bethany a big ole' letter once explaining a lot of this and some more as well. She's been so super supportive that it never ceases to amaze me. Considering the roots of our relationship, I'm astonished at how healthy it is! Sorry, I love her to pieces and I gotta brag on her now and then.
Well, since Bethany and I started to reconnect a couple of years ago, we've both been blogging. She's much more faithful about it than I am, and she's so gifted... I think God has already been using her in big ways (not just in my life), I can't wait to see what He's got in store...
So Bethany's blog has a link to another "little" blog called "Stuff Christians Like." This site rocks. Seriously. This post is already huge, so if you want to know what it's all about, go here first.
I've been reading SCL (as it's affectionately called by it's faithful readers) for quite some time. I've gotten through the majority of the archives, though not all, and I've been reading it daily for the past few months.
The wicked awesome author of this blog, Jon Acuff, writes a couple of other blogs that I'm rather fond of as well. I highly recommend 97 Seconds with God. Talk about a gifted writer! And he knows where his gift comes from, and isn't afraid to admit it.
Being a busy man with a lot on his plate and a family as well, Jon occasionally has guest authors post on his site. I've read some pretty awesome posts, as he's not willing to let just anyone post. Stacy, one of his first guests, gained her notoriety through some awesome sarcasm that I find can only be responded to with "OH SNAP!" Sarcasm is a love language on SCL, so it's all in fun.
No more rabbit holes, I swear! (Yeah. As if.)
So another guest on SCL, who also gained this honor through some incredibly insightful yet hilarious comments, is Nick the Geek. I'm not calling him names. That's what he named himself. Nick is a youth pastor, and man did God call the right guy. He's insightful, hilarious, and just as high energy as any of his "kids". That's a nice way of saying I think he might have a touch of ADHD. Not really, but he's definitely intentse, though in a good way.
As you may have guessed, Nick has a blog (or four) of his own. The site is My Experience as Youth Pastor, and it is listed in my "dailies" in Google reader. Yeah, it's that good.
Yes, for those of you following along, my addiction to blogs is severe enough that I have a seperate category for the blogs I read every day so I can filter out all the other stuff and just get to what matters until I get more time.
At any rate (Is it just me, or do I say that a lot?), I bookmarked Nick's blog a few months ago when he wrote a guest post for SCL. I like the post well enough to check out his blog, and loved the few that I read there. Nick is always very gracious about responding to everyone's comments, too - which is just awesome.
So, now I'm up to the point where I'm looking for a church home off and on, building a closer-than-I-could-have-imagined friendship with Ms. Bethany, reading SCL and 97Seconds every day, and I have Nick bookmarked.
Hey, I told you it would be a long post. Go to the bathroom and stretch your legs a bit. I'll wait.
Better? Good.
A few months ago, I also stumbled upon another site, called Straight-Friendly. It's tagline is "A daily devotional for GLBT and other alienated Christians -- with occasional personal observations." I read a couple of posts and thought it was pretty awesome, so I bookmarked it to come back to later (thus defeating the purpose of the "daily" part, I know).
As an aside, the author of this site, Tim, is also a very gracious host and, much like Nick, tends to respond to every comment personally. I love that.
Believe it or not, I think you're all up to speed enough that I can get on with the damn story already...
At the beginning of this month, I went back and started reading through Nick the Geek's archives from the beginning. He really is a talented writer, and a gifted teacher as well.
I came across a post from August of last year in which was writing about his feelings concerning how Christians, and the church as a whole, tend to treat homosexuals. I felt inclined to leave a comment (Big surprise, right?) explaining my biggest bitch about the way Christians treat gays and lesbians.
True to form, Nick responded to my comment. I didn't get even a hint of condemnation from him, which I didn't really expect, but I just want to throw that out there before anyones hackles go up.
Nick's response to my comment ended up being so long, he felt it deserved to be a post in and of itself. In his own words, "I'm reposting my comment because it ended up being super long and it bears saying often."
Nick and I don't agree on some things. Unlike a lot of Christians, Nick is a standard bearer for the love of Christ. The man actually gets it.
He doesn't agree with me, but he doesn't care. He's not looking at me in judgement trying to keep my from anything. He's showing the love of Christ as Christ Himself taught we should.
Not only is that awesome, that takes balls! I don't know what denomination, if any, Nick works for. I do know that his viewpoint is considered radical by some though. But the more Nick's we have in this world the better off we will be.
Nick wrote a follow-up post to the original that I first mentioned. In it, he explained that the main reason he brought the subject up is because there are two teens he feels are likely wrestling with their sexual identity in his group. I have to say, I gotta' give credit to Nick and anyone else who voluntarily work with kids and young adults. That's a lot of responsibility (and a lot of noise!).
This is what's important to me, and why I thank God for men like Nick:
The kids in his class will grow into adulthood without a skewed and dangerous view of homosexuals. They will love them as Christ calls them to. None of that "Love the sinner, hate the sin" bullshit that so many people hide their hate behind (not so successfully).
More importantly, the young people that come through his doors who are questioning their sexuality don't have to grow up like I did.
That, to me, is so deep and important that I can't put it into words.
It brings tears to my eyes to know that even on child will be spared the anguish of growing up gay in church because Nick is obedient and loving enough to obey his Lord and love these kids.
Thanks, Nick. Not only for what you have written to me. But thanks for doing what you're doing. It matters. Thank you.
Crap. How do you follow that up?
Honestly I've been putting off responding to the last of Nick's comments and his post until I could say what was in my heart.
Oddly enough, in these short few weeks, Nick has been a big part of some changes that are happening in me.
As I mentioned, Nick isn't just funny; he's a good teacher too. So I've been reading a lot of his posts lately. I've also been reading a lot of Bethany's incredible insights and Jon's learn-through-humor as well as his more serious stuff.
In addition to that, I've also come to the realization that I really need to strive to rebuild my relationship with God. I know enough to know that I will not know real, lasting peace and peace of mind without Him.
So I've also been reading Tim's posts every morning, and using them as the daily devotional they're intended to be.
Oddly enough, I followed a couple of links from Tim's site this morning and stumbled upon something that rocked my world and brought tears to my weary eyes.
I think I have found a church, my friends.
I'm trying to temper my excitement for the time being, while I try to get more information and wait to attend an actual service. It's also hard to not be jaded as I've been burned so many times before.
Either way, I'm getting closer to Him, and He to me.
February 23, 2009
ugh
Not only have I been on the puter way too long already. I've also commented myself to death. Since I started using a feed reader, it's saving me time keeping up with reading everything I "have" to read, but it's keeping me from commenting as much.
I had planned on at least one post this morning. But I'm spent. I do have the day off, but I need to get some things done around the house.
I really have to be more disciplined with my time. I'm bad and getting worse (thanks to a frickin' Facebook invite that sucked up even more of my time).
I'll get it figured out eventually. For now, I'm just going to have to say I'll try to get that post done later. I've got one swirling in my head to post here, and at least one more for AD. I just know they're going to drain me even more.
So for now, turn up the heat, open the curtains and pretend it's summer! Quick, before the snow starts flying again!
I had planned on at least one post this morning. But I'm spent. I do have the day off, but I need to get some things done around the house.
I really have to be more disciplined with my time. I'm bad and getting worse (thanks to a frickin' Facebook invite that sucked up even more of my time).
I'll get it figured out eventually. For now, I'm just going to have to say I'll try to get that post done later. I've got one swirling in my head to post here, and at least one more for AD. I just know they're going to drain me even more.
So for now, turn up the heat, open the curtains and pretend it's summer! Quick, before the snow starts flying again!
February 14, 2009
happy valentines day
Okay, you know I'm getting old when I copy and paste "Dear Abby" on my blog. *sigh* That's okay; it's worth it today. I thought this was a beautifully written letter, and I wanted to share it with you.
Dear Abby:I clearly remember my first Valentine's Day.
I was in first grade. A few days before, my mom asked how many kids
were in my class, and we went to a store and bought large packages of
valentines -- one for every child in the class. The cards were all the
same size and said, basically, the same thing.
Dear Abby:I clearly remember my first Valentine's Day.
I was in first grade. A few days before, my mom asked how many kids
were in my class, and we went to a store and bought large packages of
valentines -- one for every child in the class. The cards were all the
same size and said, basically, the same thing.
When I arrived at school, each classmate had a small box on his or her
desk. At some point during the day, I went around the room and gave
each child a valentine. There was one for the quiet one in the back,
the most popular girl in class, the prettiest and even the boys. This
was long before society taught me that such a show of affection had to
exclude people of the same gender as me. By the end of the day,
everyone had a full box of valentines to take home.
One desk, one box ... the love of a child.
As I grew older, society taught me to narrow my offering of affection,
picking only those I chose to be special or worthy. Eventually, I was
taught to limit my valentines to only one person. More time went on,
and then a card was not enough. To show that really special person what
she meant to you, you needed to send flowers, candy and jewelry.
Apparently, as we grew older it took more and more to fill those boxes.
Now we absolutely could not give to more than one person. People hire
detectives to make sure that the person isn't filling anyone else's.
And if you had no one to send you anything, you were saddened by your
big, empty box filled only with sadness and despair.
Today, I am taking back from society what it has taken from me. I'm
counting how many people play a role in my life, and I am buying
"virtual" packages of cards. I have one for every single one of you --
man or woman, young or old, straight or gay, married or single. Each
card is the same size, they all say the same thing -- that I appreciate
who you are and what you have to contribute to each other.
I invite each and every one to do the same, so that no box is empty and
the shy ones, the pretty ones, the popular ones and those who are less
so go home tonight with a full box of valentines.
One virtual desk, one virtual box, and the love of a child at heart. I wish you all a happy Valentine's Day. -- ERIC IN LOS ALAMITOS, CALIF.
DEAR ERIC: Your letter touched me -- and I am sure that everyone who reads it wishes the same for you.
February 12, 2009
jul-z tagged my sorry ass
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a blog with
25 random things about you. At the end, choose people to be tagged. You
have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I
want to know more about you.
1. I'm doing this cause Lord knows I've tagged jules too many times to have any right of refusal.
2. I shouldn't have eaten those last couple of Reese's.
3. The dog is downstairs whining, so I need to type quickly or she'll shit on the floor.
4. My mind is going to fast with my "to do" list for me to pick out 21 more random things.
5. I need to get this damn house clean. I could write that 20 more times, and mean it for each and every one, but someone will cry "foul".
6. I hope last nights leftovers taste as good the second time.
7. I need to shave and take a shower.
8. Shit. I forget to throw the towels in the dryer.
9. If it wasn't for a select few people, I'd cancel my myspace account. I'm over it.
10. By the time I get done reading all the blogs I follow, I rarely have time and energy to write my own.
11. I wish I had saved some of my older posts, but not having to re-read some of the other ones makes it worth while.
12. I can't make the dog wait any longer. Plus I want a cigarette.
Argh! Little bitch didn't even have to go!
13. Oh! This one is easy. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th! Okay, so it's not technically about me, but I'll be alive and breathing so it sorta is. For me anyway.
14. I really need to respond to one of the bloggers I follow. He has been remarkably kind, and I owe him a reply.
15. Speaking of, I still haven't sent that b-day card I mentioned, much less actually written anything in it.
16. Ten more?! I'm so counting this as a "real" post, no matter what Pete says.
17. I'm still waiting for the follow-up to "Teaser Post" from the beginning of December, Ms. Katy.
18. I wish I could meet Katy.
19. I wish Beth didn't live so damn far away.
20. Ditto Pete and Jul-Z.
You should all move here. Or we can split the cost of a mountain in North Carolina, but we won't go there...
21. I got to have dinner with Mr. Warren and Ms. Clara on Sunday, and it made me very, very happy.
22. I feel so blessed and fortunate every time I hear about someone else getting "let go" at work.
23. I had a couple of really crappy days this week. I even told Cody this time. Didn't help any, but it felt nice to know I was able to keep my promise this time.
24. I just remembered something else I have to do tonight. Argh! I guess that means I won't be watching American Idol on the DVR...
25. Finally!!! Holy cow that took forever! I'm just bustin' your balls. Y'all know I can't resist these stupid things.
Now who should I tag?
How about, everyone that reads all the way to the bottom and misses me enough to give me a morsel of their time to help me miss them a little less.
25 random things about you. At the end, choose people to be tagged. You
have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I
want to know more about you.
1. I'm doing this cause Lord knows I've tagged jules too many times to have any right of refusal.
2. I shouldn't have eaten those last couple of Reese's.
3. The dog is downstairs whining, so I need to type quickly or she'll shit on the floor.
4. My mind is going to fast with my "to do" list for me to pick out 21 more random things.
5. I need to get this damn house clean. I could write that 20 more times, and mean it for each and every one, but someone will cry "foul".
6. I hope last nights leftovers taste as good the second time.
7. I need to shave and take a shower.
8. Shit. I forget to throw the towels in the dryer.
9. If it wasn't for a select few people, I'd cancel my myspace account. I'm over it.
10. By the time I get done reading all the blogs I follow, I rarely have time and energy to write my own.
11. I wish I had saved some of my older posts, but not having to re-read some of the other ones makes it worth while.
12. I can't make the dog wait any longer. Plus I want a cigarette.
Argh! Little bitch didn't even have to go!
13. Oh! This one is easy. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th! Okay, so it's not technically about me, but I'll be alive and breathing so it sorta is. For me anyway.
14. I really need to respond to one of the bloggers I follow. He has been remarkably kind, and I owe him a reply.
15. Speaking of, I still haven't sent that b-day card I mentioned, much less actually written anything in it.
16. Ten more?! I'm so counting this as a "real" post, no matter what Pete says.
17. I'm still waiting for the follow-up to "Teaser Post" from the beginning of December, Ms. Katy.
18. I wish I could meet Katy.
19. I wish Beth didn't live so damn far away.
20. Ditto Pete and Jul-Z.
You should all move here. Or we can split the cost of a mountain in North Carolina, but we won't go there...
21. I got to have dinner with Mr. Warren and Ms. Clara on Sunday, and it made me very, very happy.
22. I feel so blessed and fortunate every time I hear about someone else getting "let go" at work.
23. I had a couple of really crappy days this week. I even told Cody this time. Didn't help any, but it felt nice to know I was able to keep my promise this time.
24. I just remembered something else I have to do tonight. Argh! I guess that means I won't be watching American Idol on the DVR...
25. Finally!!! Holy cow that took forever! I'm just bustin' your balls. Y'all know I can't resist these stupid things.
Now who should I tag?
How about, everyone that reads all the way to the bottom and misses me enough to give me a morsel of their time to help me miss them a little less.
February 6, 2009
...there's been a run of crazy dreams...
That's a line from one of my favorite musicals, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Oh, that life were just a funny little musical with a happy resolution to all problems in the span of a few hours!
It's not so strange for me to have a night filled with crazy dreams. Happens all the time. Sometimes they're just run-of-the-mill crazy, and don't bother me a whole lot. Other times they're so emotionally intense that my mind and body are as active, if not more, than if I were awake. I can get a full nights sleep, but dream through a good portion of it and wake up as tired as if I had only slept a few hours. It can be quite irritating. I've told Cody countless times at bedtime, "I just want to sleep! No dreams! Not even the good kind!"
As you may have guessed by now, last night was one of those restless crazy dream nights. The first "set" wasn't so bad. I dreamed about my ex-girlfriend, current friend (though I unfortunately don't see or talk to her very often) Alaina. It was actually fun at first. We were hanging out downtown for some reason or another, and she wanted to go for a walk. Problem is, she wanted to go for a walk over the Detroit-Superior bridge. This particular bridge has two levels. The top level for cars, and the bottom level for passenger trains. It was built back when Cleveland had the intention of using these train/trolley cars as public transportation, but is now unused. -They do open it up a few times a year for tours if you're ever interested-
So Alaina wants to walk over the Cuyahoga river on the underside of this bridge on steel grating. I'm SO not into it, seeing as I'm afraid of heights. Next thing I know, were under the bridge and standing in the employee area of this train station (which is completely made up, as I've never seen it before in my life). She works there now, and is introducing me to all her co-workers. Weird. Also mental agitation #1, due to the fear of heights.
Then, for some reason, I'm vaccuming all the furniture in my trailer because I don't want the movers to see all the dog hair. Very strange.
Now, I'm walking down the street, though I couldn't tell you where or why. I think I was with my brother, but I don't remember. This sweet old black lady comes out of a big house and invites us in. Apparently a local congregation owns the house, and they're cleaning it out either to sell it of fix it up, I don't remember.
So we're basically rummaging through this house full of stuff, allowed to take whatever we want. I remember my cousin in here at some point, and some minor agitation, but its lost on me at this point. I do remember pulling a big pile of shirts out of a closet and stacking them up on the floor to go through them while talking to the lady who invited us in. We were laughing about my inability to pass up a good deal and my propensity to grab every button down in sight.
Then, I was at work. I don't know how the rest of the world dreams, but for me personally, I can be in a total unfamiliar place, and still know where I am. The same goes for people. They don't necessarily have to look like their real-life selves for me to know who they are. I guess it's my minds representation of them more than anything else. So I was at Lincoln, but it wasn't the same Lincoln I go to every day. There were some big differences.
The long and the short of it, and the reason my thoughts and emotions are agitated enough to plop my ass in my chair to start writing before I'm even done with my coffee is this: I dreamt of Andy again.
I won't say I dream about him a lot, but it's often enough to keep him on my mind usually. This time, I'm pretty sure it was the other way around though. I don't remember the date, but I know his birthday is in February, so I've been thinking about him a lot, and I have been wanting to get him a birthday card to send him. To wish him a happy birthday, to let him know I think about him a lot and to let him know I still want to try.
I don't usually regret removing all my blog posts, but this morning I kinda do. I wrote a big long post about being reunited with Andy at Belinda's band geek reunion party about a year and a half ago, and it would be so much easier if I could just link to it.
I guess the easiest way to get those who are out of the loop up to speed is to just say that Andy and I met my senior year when we were both working at Wendy's. We were just kind of casual acquaintances for a long time, but then I went through a pretty rough spot, and of all people, Andy was my rock. We became fairly close through all of it, and I credit him for saving my life.
He ended up living with us at my mom and dads the following summer after he graduated, and then a few years later he lived with me for a short time while I was living in the trailer. Our relationship became more and more distant, a lot of details I need to skip for the sake of time, and then we finally saw each other again at Belinda's in Aug. or Sept. of '07. We had a long, long talk in her driveway, and the long and the short of it is, even though we promised to stay in touch, we haven't. I gave him my number. Put it in his phone for him, actually. I never got his though. I've tried looking him up on the internet and the only number I ever got goes un-answered and has no answering machine or voicemail. So I'm not even sure if that's the right number.
At any rate, as I said, it's not strange at all for me to dream about Andy. I'll go through periods where I dream about him at least once a week or more, and consequently think about him a lot in my waking hours too. In these dreams, we're the way we always were. Him being so busy living life to it's fullest, and I'm grateful for anytime I get to spend with my closest friend and most trusted confidant.
This time was different.
I was walking through the plant, and I saw him. When our eyes met, I knew something was different. I gave him a small smile, but we just nodded at each other and went our own ways. I then saw him later, in the restroom of all places. I was at the urinal taking care of business and trying to sneak a cigarette break, and he was leaning against the far wall with someone I don't know smoking a cigarette. (FYI- Way weird part of the dream. There are people stupid enough to smoke in the stalls at Lincoln, you can smell it on occasion when you go into the locker room. They have a STRICT no smoking on the property rule though. I can say with all honesty I have never smoked on the property, so standing out in the open at the urinal with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth was just weird.)
As I finished up, Andy stepped to the urinal to take care of his own business, and I just simply said, "Call me when you get home." Either the dream ended there, or that's all I remember of it.
I woke up absolutely crushed. In the past, my dreams are the one place Andy and I are still friends. Not so much last night. Last night, in that dream, reality and crept over into the land of Nod, and we were estranged even there.
Oddly enough, I still consider Andy my best friend. I haven't acted like it in the past, and I have apologized profusely for it. I promised to make amends, and I looked forward to the opportunity. I have yet to have the chance to do that, but I'm still hopeful. I need to buy that birthday card. I've got to give it one more shot.
It's not so strange for me to have a night filled with crazy dreams. Happens all the time. Sometimes they're just run-of-the-mill crazy, and don't bother me a whole lot. Other times they're so emotionally intense that my mind and body are as active, if not more, than if I were awake. I can get a full nights sleep, but dream through a good portion of it and wake up as tired as if I had only slept a few hours. It can be quite irritating. I've told Cody countless times at bedtime, "I just want to sleep! No dreams! Not even the good kind!"
As you may have guessed by now, last night was one of those restless crazy dream nights. The first "set" wasn't so bad. I dreamed about my ex-girlfriend, current friend (though I unfortunately don't see or talk to her very often) Alaina. It was actually fun at first. We were hanging out downtown for some reason or another, and she wanted to go for a walk. Problem is, she wanted to go for a walk over the Detroit-Superior bridge. This particular bridge has two levels. The top level for cars, and the bottom level for passenger trains. It was built back when Cleveland had the intention of using these train/trolley cars as public transportation, but is now unused. -They do open it up a few times a year for tours if you're ever interested-
So Alaina wants to walk over the Cuyahoga river on the underside of this bridge on steel grating. I'm SO not into it, seeing as I'm afraid of heights. Next thing I know, were under the bridge and standing in the employee area of this train station (which is completely made up, as I've never seen it before in my life). She works there now, and is introducing me to all her co-workers. Weird. Also mental agitation #1, due to the fear of heights.
Then, for some reason, I'm vaccuming all the furniture in my trailer because I don't want the movers to see all the dog hair. Very strange.
Now, I'm walking down the street, though I couldn't tell you where or why. I think I was with my brother, but I don't remember. This sweet old black lady comes out of a big house and invites us in. Apparently a local congregation owns the house, and they're cleaning it out either to sell it of fix it up, I don't remember.
So we're basically rummaging through this house full of stuff, allowed to take whatever we want. I remember my cousin in here at some point, and some minor agitation, but its lost on me at this point. I do remember pulling a big pile of shirts out of a closet and stacking them up on the floor to go through them while talking to the lady who invited us in. We were laughing about my inability to pass up a good deal and my propensity to grab every button down in sight.
Then, I was at work. I don't know how the rest of the world dreams, but for me personally, I can be in a total unfamiliar place, and still know where I am. The same goes for people. They don't necessarily have to look like their real-life selves for me to know who they are. I guess it's my minds representation of them more than anything else. So I was at Lincoln, but it wasn't the same Lincoln I go to every day. There were some big differences.
The long and the short of it, and the reason my thoughts and emotions are agitated enough to plop my ass in my chair to start writing before I'm even done with my coffee is this: I dreamt of Andy again.
I won't say I dream about him a lot, but it's often enough to keep him on my mind usually. This time, I'm pretty sure it was the other way around though. I don't remember the date, but I know his birthday is in February, so I've been thinking about him a lot, and I have been wanting to get him a birthday card to send him. To wish him a happy birthday, to let him know I think about him a lot and to let him know I still want to try.
I don't usually regret removing all my blog posts, but this morning I kinda do. I wrote a big long post about being reunited with Andy at Belinda's band geek reunion party about a year and a half ago, and it would be so much easier if I could just link to it.
I guess the easiest way to get those who are out of the loop up to speed is to just say that Andy and I met my senior year when we were both working at Wendy's. We were just kind of casual acquaintances for a long time, but then I went through a pretty rough spot, and of all people, Andy was my rock. We became fairly close through all of it, and I credit him for saving my life.
He ended up living with us at my mom and dads the following summer after he graduated, and then a few years later he lived with me for a short time while I was living in the trailer. Our relationship became more and more distant, a lot of details I need to skip for the sake of time, and then we finally saw each other again at Belinda's in Aug. or Sept. of '07. We had a long, long talk in her driveway, and the long and the short of it is, even though we promised to stay in touch, we haven't. I gave him my number. Put it in his phone for him, actually. I never got his though. I've tried looking him up on the internet and the only number I ever got goes un-answered and has no answering machine or voicemail. So I'm not even sure if that's the right number.
At any rate, as I said, it's not strange at all for me to dream about Andy. I'll go through periods where I dream about him at least once a week or more, and consequently think about him a lot in my waking hours too. In these dreams, we're the way we always were. Him being so busy living life to it's fullest, and I'm grateful for anytime I get to spend with my closest friend and most trusted confidant.
This time was different.
I was walking through the plant, and I saw him. When our eyes met, I knew something was different. I gave him a small smile, but we just nodded at each other and went our own ways. I then saw him later, in the restroom of all places. I was at the urinal taking care of business and trying to sneak a cigarette break, and he was leaning against the far wall with someone I don't know smoking a cigarette. (FYI- Way weird part of the dream. There are people stupid enough to smoke in the stalls at Lincoln, you can smell it on occasion when you go into the locker room. They have a STRICT no smoking on the property rule though. I can say with all honesty I have never smoked on the property, so standing out in the open at the urinal with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth was just weird.)
As I finished up, Andy stepped to the urinal to take care of his own business, and I just simply said, "Call me when you get home." Either the dream ended there, or that's all I remember of it.
I woke up absolutely crushed. In the past, my dreams are the one place Andy and I are still friends. Not so much last night. Last night, in that dream, reality and crept over into the land of Nod, and we were estranged even there.
Oddly enough, I still consider Andy my best friend. I haven't acted like it in the past, and I have apologized profusely for it. I promised to make amends, and I looked forward to the opportunity. I have yet to have the chance to do that, but I'm still hopeful. I need to buy that birthday card. I've got to give it one more shot.
January 24, 2009
Do me a favor?
I don't tend to pimp people, but I'm making an exception for an exceptional kid...
A friend of Cody and myself is trying to get his feet wet in the music world and I'd LOVE for you guys to go to his page and show him some love!
Ry is only 17 and still in high school, but he's already writing and recording his own music! His first "published" song is up on his page, and I actually thinks it's awesome.
So go show him the love!!!!
http://www.myspace.com/ryanlcrichardson
A friend of Cody and myself is trying to get his feet wet in the music world and I'd LOVE for you guys to go to his page and show him some love!
Ry is only 17 and still in high school, but he's already writing and recording his own music! His first "published" song is up on his page, and I actually thinks it's awesome.
So go show him the love!!!!
http://www.myspace.com/ryanlcrichardson
January 22, 2009
December 20, 2008
for your consideration
Okay, I didn't write this, so it doesn't really count as me posting, but I really am trying to get back into the swing of things, guys. Just been a really busy week for me with the working, the shopping, dogs being sick, etc. (Cleaning up six different slime-puddles at 5:30 am sucks, by the way!)
Anyway, I just wanted to offer an article for y'all to read...
GLBT Community Should Know Bible
Ruth Schneider
I went to see "Milk" this week, intending to write a review of the movie.
The new film about Harvey Milk, the first out-of-the-closet elected official, is already winning copious film awards. And I highly recommend it, but I'm not going to write a review.
While watching it, I was struck by how far the gay-rights movement has come in 30 years. As a product of the '70s, I am thankful that the prevailing attitudes — attitudes of homophobia, even in San Francisco — have changed.
In many ways, Milk was a symbol of the gay-rights movement. As he says in the movie, he was "a homosexual with power." He probably wouldn't have taken credit for it himself, but he mobilized the movement.
And for that I'm thankful — thankful I was never beaten in gay bars by police; thankful I don't have to worry about losing my job because I'm a lesbian; thankful I can walk down the street at night without having to look over my shoulder.
But the most striking difference between then and now is the nature of the fight.
In the '70s, it seemed the churches fought back on the grounds that gay men and lesbians could not reproduce, defying the basic nature of a family.
In the decades since, it has become apparent there are millions of GLBT parents raising children.
And it's clear that queer families raise children who are no better and no worse than the offspring of straight couples.
Today's battle, spurred by the passage of California's Proposition 8 in November, is a direct attack against interpretations of the Bible.
And it was highlighted by Thursday's pick by President-elect Barack Obama to have the Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration.
Warren, the proponent of Propostion 8, repeatedly has compared same-sex marriage with incest and pedophilia.
He uses his pulpit to further hatred about the GLBT community.
"The vast majority of Americans view the Bible as authoritative in one way or another. We have to understand where they're coming from. We have to speak their language, and we have to speak to them in a way they understand," said Patrick Chapman, author of "Thou Shalt Not Love: What Evangelicals Really Say to Gays" and a South Puget Sound Community College anthropology instructor.
"Given that our rights are being voted on by them, we have to speak their language," Chapman said.
Leviticus 18:22 possibly is the most common scripture cited that calls gay sex an abomination. The King James version of the Bible translates the line, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
Chapman said, "What you have are Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They are basically regulations that deal with purity violations. Eating lobster is a purity violation, as was eating dolphins, bats and pork."
But, as "Prop. 8: The Musical," a short video put out by funnyordie.com points out, many pick and choose which regulations to follow.
"You'll find that most conservative Christians don't care about these purity violations because Jesus, Peter and Paul all dismiss the purity violations, so they don't see those types of things as being relevant anymore," Chapman said.
So why is gay-male sex still an abomination? Why is that relevant? What makes it more relevant than the rule banning men from having sex with women who are having their period?
"They will argue that is still relevant because they are condemned in the New Testament," Chapman said.
Really, it comes down to a matter of interpretation and translation. Both the New Testament and the Old are rife with possible examples of same-sex relationships.
Chapman cites a story in the New Testament of a Roman centurion and his six servants.
"The words used in Greek can be interpreted in different ways. You can interpret that as his servant, but it can also be the word for 'his boy.' The wording used and the description of the boy or the servant was his beloved," Chapman said. "Given that we know Romans had same-sex male relationships, it can be interpreted as that."
Corinthians also is commonly used in defense of fundamentalist arguments that homosexuality is a sin.
A modern translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Chapman said, "One of the verses that they use against us is 1 Corinthians 6:9, which explicitly says no homosexuals will go to heaven. But before 1952, no Bible had that. It is very difficult to find any translation that Sodomites will not go to heaven. It's very difficult to find any modern American Christian that knows that."
Which is precisely why the GLBT community needs to be versed in the Bible. That does not mean we need to believe it. But we need to know it.
We need to be able to defend ourselves in this, the new gay-rights fight.
"They need to know what the Bible says. They need to know what biblical scholars say about the Bible. When I enter dialogue with Christians, they are never able to respond," Chapman said. "That is one of the reasons I wrote my book — to give gays, lesbians, bisexuals what they need to defend themselves."
We must be armed for the new fight.
We need to be ready to fight the Rick Warrens of the world.
Ruth Schneider has a mixed religious background. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com.
From The Olympian.
Anyway, I just wanted to offer an article for y'all to read...
GLBT Community Should Know Bible
Ruth Schneider
I went to see "Milk" this week, intending to write a review of the movie.
The new film about Harvey Milk, the first out-of-the-closet elected official, is already winning copious film awards. And I highly recommend it, but I'm not going to write a review.
While watching it, I was struck by how far the gay-rights movement has come in 30 years. As a product of the '70s, I am thankful that the prevailing attitudes — attitudes of homophobia, even in San Francisco — have changed.
In many ways, Milk was a symbol of the gay-rights movement. As he says in the movie, he was "a homosexual with power." He probably wouldn't have taken credit for it himself, but he mobilized the movement.
And for that I'm thankful — thankful I was never beaten in gay bars by police; thankful I don't have to worry about losing my job because I'm a lesbian; thankful I can walk down the street at night without having to look over my shoulder.
But the most striking difference between then and now is the nature of the fight.
In the '70s, it seemed the churches fought back on the grounds that gay men and lesbians could not reproduce, defying the basic nature of a family.
In the decades since, it has become apparent there are millions of GLBT parents raising children.
And it's clear that queer families raise children who are no better and no worse than the offspring of straight couples.
Today's battle, spurred by the passage of California's Proposition 8 in November, is a direct attack against interpretations of the Bible.
And it was highlighted by Thursday's pick by President-elect Barack Obama to have the Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration.
Warren, the proponent of Propostion 8, repeatedly has compared same-sex marriage with incest and pedophilia.
He uses his pulpit to further hatred about the GLBT community.
"The vast majority of Americans view the Bible as authoritative in one way or another. We have to understand where they're coming from. We have to speak their language, and we have to speak to them in a way they understand," said Patrick Chapman, author of "Thou Shalt Not Love: What Evangelicals Really Say to Gays" and a South Puget Sound Community College anthropology instructor.
"Given that our rights are being voted on by them, we have to speak their language," Chapman said.
Leviticus 18:22 possibly is the most common scripture cited that calls gay sex an abomination. The King James version of the Bible translates the line, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
Chapman said, "What you have are Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They are basically regulations that deal with purity violations. Eating lobster is a purity violation, as was eating dolphins, bats and pork."
But, as "Prop. 8: The Musical," a short video put out by funnyordie.com points out, many pick and choose which regulations to follow.
"You'll find that most conservative Christians don't care about these purity violations because Jesus, Peter and Paul all dismiss the purity violations, so they don't see those types of things as being relevant anymore," Chapman said.
So why is gay-male sex still an abomination? Why is that relevant? What makes it more relevant than the rule banning men from having sex with women who are having their period?
"They will argue that is still relevant because they are condemned in the New Testament," Chapman said.
Really, it comes down to a matter of interpretation and translation. Both the New Testament and the Old are rife with possible examples of same-sex relationships.
Chapman cites a story in the New Testament of a Roman centurion and his six servants.
"The words used in Greek can be interpreted in different ways. You can interpret that as his servant, but it can also be the word for 'his boy.' The wording used and the description of the boy or the servant was his beloved," Chapman said. "Given that we know Romans had same-sex male relationships, it can be interpreted as that."
Corinthians also is commonly used in defense of fundamentalist arguments that homosexuality is a sin.
A modern translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Chapman said, "One of the verses that they use against us is 1 Corinthians 6:9, which explicitly says no homosexuals will go to heaven. But before 1952, no Bible had that. It is very difficult to find any translation that Sodomites will not go to heaven. It's very difficult to find any modern American Christian that knows that."
Which is precisely why the GLBT community needs to be versed in the Bible. That does not mean we need to believe it. But we need to know it.
We need to be able to defend ourselves in this, the new gay-rights fight.
"They need to know what the Bible says. They need to know what biblical scholars say about the Bible. When I enter dialogue with Christians, they are never able to respond," Chapman said. "That is one of the reasons I wrote my book — to give gays, lesbians, bisexuals what they need to defend themselves."
We must be armed for the new fight.
We need to be ready to fight the Rick Warrens of the world.
Ruth Schneider has a mixed religious background. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com.
From The Olympian.
December 16, 2008
behold my awesome powers
So Cody is now working afternoons. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but there it is. He goes in at about 4:30pm and gets off work at 3:00am. We kind of compromised and now he stays up a little longer and I wake up a little earlier. It just works that way. Otherwise, he's coming to bed and waking me up about a half hour before my alarm goes off, and then when he's finally falling asleep, said alarm goes off and wakes us both up again.
At any rate, he was trying to be sweet and surprise me this morning by crawling into bed to snuggle with me. Since he had just gotten out of the shower, his hands were a bit cold and clammy.
I was sleeping on my side facing him, and as soon as I felt the presence of cold coming near me, I woke up from a dead sleep and reached out to catch his hand in mine before he could touch me. It was like those creepy vampire movies where, just before someone touches their "sleeping" body, their eyes flip open like one of those creepy dolls from your childhood.
I've always known I have an aversion to cold. I just didn't realize that it was a supernatural power!
At any rate, he was trying to be sweet and surprise me this morning by crawling into bed to snuggle with me. Since he had just gotten out of the shower, his hands were a bit cold and clammy.
I was sleeping on my side facing him, and as soon as I felt the presence of cold coming near me, I woke up from a dead sleep and reached out to catch his hand in mine before he could touch me. It was like those creepy vampire movies where, just before someone touches their "sleeping" body, their eyes flip open like one of those creepy dolls from your childhood.
I've always known I have an aversion to cold. I just didn't realize that it was a supernatural power!
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