"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." —André Gide
Today marks Obama's 100 days in office mark, a completely arbitrary number of days to take inventory of how well he is doing. There are many views out there. Marty's assessment? A- Now the only reason he has a "-" is because he was worried too much about the party of No and their distractions. I wish he would fight back a bit more. We should be investigating Torture and not watering down his economic policies for political reasons, and not claiming states secrets as they have done in court. The economy is going to be his real test, but my main hope is that we get healthcare. That is my #1 issue. But, Enough With This ‘100 Days’ Nonsense. Also, when Americans feel less ‘positive’ about Bush since he left office I'm thinking we are going in a great direction.
I've been trying to study music theory on my free time thinking it might help me learn to sight read better. So far well, not so good, but practice and time right? Oh and patience.
April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined Did you see that? Combined! I just don't understand. I know I keep saying this a lot, but I'm always floored. I mean, I get it if you don't want to watch MSNBC (even though I'm a HUGE fan), but then why not just watch CNN (as I did), but FNC? Really? Don't you want news? The majority has spoken I guess. I won't talk about this anymore.
Ok, well it is a slow day when it comes to random thoughts. Maybe the less going on up there is a good thing. Oh, tomorrow is Abram's last day of work. We plan to go out after work to celebrate. It should be fun.
"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do." —John Ruskin
I went to Best Buy during lunch to make a return. While I was there, it became apparent that I was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants. I was asked by two different people for help, thinking I was an employee. The first person was kind of upset at me for how long she had to wait to get some service, which was a bit funny because she was going to need to keep waiting. The second lady actually helped me find what I was looking for, so that was cool. Instead of browsing more, I decided to leave. I think the last time this happened was when I wore a red shirt to Target.
On my way to my car, I saw this car. I don't know why, but I want one. It is so small and kind of ugly, yet cool, but it just seems like a great cost efficient way to get around. Now, I wouldn't want to be going too fast in one.
I feel like I should talk about the swine flu. For now I'm not going to worry too much and try to be careful, but the media is really over reacting I think. Maybe if they were calm we could be calm too. Instead they sensationalize and then tell us to be calm. I wonder when we will start closing schools.
I was talking to Abram about my pull up chart and how I can do a whole 2 pull ups right now. He asked me what goes though my head when I clearly used to be in shape and able to do many pull ups among other things, and now that I can only do two. It was a good question. I told him that for a long time I was comparing myself to my hypothetical ideal self or my former self and it made me feel like such a disappointment. I need to just accept myself where I am at and go from there. So lets say I used to be able to do 30 pull ups easily. If I move up to 4 pull ups, then I'm +2 better than I was and not -26 from where I should be. Apply this logic to everything from running, to bench to all my former stats. Yeah, it sucks to have to start all over, but it is that self pity that has kept me back for so long. This applies to so many aspects of life, from relationships, love and money.
Today we won a big case. Well, we won a proposal for decision, but nevertheless, it is the first case I have worked on since the beginning. It feels good to have been a part of that. Now it is time to defend that win. I really do enjoy what I do.
I figured I'd practice taking candid shots of things while out in the real world. This magazine is something that caught my eye. "Look Great Naked." How do you say no to that? Ladies, I think you should pick up this months (weeks?) issue of Women's Health. I wonder how they find so many ways to say the very same thing. I mean even on top it says, "Get a strong and sexy beach body." I wonder if next issue they will take the swine flu? or maybe just more about weight and looking sexy.
Arlen Specter Switching Parties From Republican To Democrat I was very happy to hear this. I know this doesn't mean we will get his vote, but it is still better than him being a Republican. Does this mean we have a chance for healthcare? Now if only we could get Franken seated. A little history, Specter was originally a Democrat before running as a Republican to become Philadelphia’s district attorney. According to Wikipedia, Specter also co-authored the magic bullet theory, which argued that a lone gunman assassinated JFK.
Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water: Health Spotlight According to a study by the Environmental Working Group, bottled water is just as polluted as a tap water. In fact, twenty percent of bottled water has more chlorine than California's state regulations will allow in tap water.
"Maria Elena:You're still searching for me in every woman. Juan Antonio:That is not true, Maria Elena. I was in Oviedo some weeks ago with a woman who was the antithesis of you. An American, and something beautiful happened with her. So you're mistaken. Maria Elena: You'll always seek to duplicate what we had. You know it. " - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, selected quotes.
"Juan Antonio:I devote all my time to you - pampering, nursing our tics and phobias. My work suffers. Maria Elena:It is not my fault." - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, selected quotes.
The weekend went by just as fast as I thought it would. I feel good about it though, like I got a lot of things done that I have been putting off for quite some time. It all started after work on Friday when I went on what felt like a spending spree at Walmart. I didn't mean to, but once you factor in $30 for dog food, a contraption to hang clothes, some supplies for the pull up bar, work out clothes and a weeks worth of groceries, things start to add up.
I got some movie watching in that I had been putting off. Independent films that I have had sitting here in my TiVo unwatched. I finally watched Rachel Getting Married, which I found to be good and then saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It has the same male lead actor from Love in the Time of Cholera. I liked that movie for other reasons. I included some quotes I liked from VCB, a movie which I don't know exactly what to think about it. Penelope Cruz was really good, I think she has the prettiest face. The one place in Spain that I wanted to visit, but didn't get to was Barcelona. I really need to go some day soon.
I got home on Friday and gave Max a walk, which is starting to become a more constant happening. I then went for a short jog on the treadmill, something I hate having to start all over at again. Abram and I finished the new pull up bar project we had started last week. I went to the store and purchased new bolts for the pull up bar that would not only go through the beam, but also through the stud behind it. Supporting enough weight is a pretty important safety feature. Abram was the one that put the pipes together, while I just made sure it had the correct support. I'm pretty proud of our project, too bad right now I can't do many pull ups.
This Saturday was supposed to be the airing of the next episode of the series Kings, "Brotherhood." Well like I had mentioned in my last entry, the series got pulled by NBC until the summer. I don't know why they couldn't just burn the episodes off on Saturday. I enjoy the series and thought it was good and was really looking forward to it. My tivo still recorded it, but it was a Law and Order re-run instead. I just wanted to complain about that.
I got in some more lessons on the guitar this weekend. It is coming along very slowly, but at least I'm practicing each day. I need a music stand. I think I have the song Ode to Joy down, which is a big deal for me. I know I might not be musically inclined, but I feel like I never really got the chance to find out if I was. The new lessons I started instead of the ones I had purchased are a lot better. If only I could play a chord where all the strings would sound right instead of just half not being able to vibrate correctly. I guess I just need to keep practicing. I can't wait for the day my hands have the position memory down, the same way they know where all the keys on the PS2 controller is or each key on a keyboard. How cool would it be to be able to play a song on a guitar.
I rearranged my room a bit this weekend, but nothing significant, mainly just organized my closet by labeling all my pants by sizes. I have so many different sizes I don't always know which pants I can wear or which don't fit correctly. It makes me pick the same ones over and over just so I don't have to check. I also did a months worth of ironing. I hate to iron, but it is just so much cheaper than dry cleaning. I have this great steamer, but it feels like double work to steam a shirt and then iron it, even though it works pretty darn well. It is these boring domestic things that must be done from time to time.
Torture Was Used to Try to Link Saddam With 9/11 In order to justify George W. Bush’s illegal and unnecessary invasion of Iraq, Bush administration officials put heavy pressure on Pentagon interrogators to get Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah to say there was a link between Iraq and the 9/11 hijackers. That link was never established.
This was my guess. Torture has historically been used to garner false confessions for propaganda use. Seems like we were trying to get some "connection between Iraq and 9/11" propaganda going. It kind of flies in the face of the new conservative argument, "It isn't moral, but it works." Other than being a lie, why is that party wanting to be the party of torture?
"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." —Lao-Tze
Thursday when I got home from work I tired to do more than I usually would. After a phone call with my Mom and sister, I helped Abram install a home made pull up bar. I think I was able to do two once we had it up. It still needs some work since our science on it was probably not the best, but I think it looks good. I then took Max for a walk. I'm never going to tired that guy out. We tried the bike and walk thing, but he started pulling me and at one point I crashed into a curb. Yes, it was so embarrassing, me, riding my bike with all the neighbors outside and crashing and falling down. I wasn't hurt, but my ego was. Max then ran on the treadmill for 3 minutes and it made no difference when we took another walk. I then tried to put Max in the backyard when Brooks and Memphis stormed the door and go off running into the neighborhood. Max follows suit. Great I thought. It took some time, but we corralled them up and I fed them dinner. I then decided to walk on the treadmill myself and do a very quick job. I guess I have to start with baby steps and that day was as good as any.
I was done with a short jog on the treadmill and I decided to take a quick round at the punching bag. I am one weak gentleman I have to say because that bag was not abused much, yet my wrists were starting to feel the pain. I then went inside and while I was inside cooling off, I had an idea. I asked Abram if he was up for grappling (with no actual punching). I wanted to see if all these moves that I thought I understood in my head were actually possible in real life. We didn't know what we were doing of course, but it seemed like a fun idea. We created a point system very quickly and Rino decided to ref. We both started on the ground and Abram quickly went for my back. It became apparent to me that having another person with an agenda of their own made things a lot more difficult than my imagined scenario. He was finally able to get my back (which counted as a point) as I tried to keep his hands from getting under my neck. He was finally able to get me in a choke, but he didn't have it fasten tight enough for me to tap. While he was doing this he had a low body lock on me and decided to stretch me out, both pulling on my body and tightening his hold on my neck. I tapped. We started again, this time I held him at bay with a butterfly guard and then alternated from half guard to full guard. He kept trying to get past my guard in side control and keeping him there wasn't so easy. I had it in my mind that I would be able to get my arms around him and pull him toward me so that he wouldn't have the space to hypothetically be punching me, but I couldn't even get close to getting my arms around him while I was in full guard. He kept grabbing my arms making it difficult to do much. He did not get in full mount though, but try as I might I still wasn't able to get to the top position or ever get to his back which was the whole reason I wanted to try the idea. He later tried for my back again and I tapped second time. The final time I was able to work my way from his guard to a full mount. In real life I wouldn't be able to do much damage because he kept very good control of my arms the whole time. He ended up changing position on me and I put him in what I would call something like a body lock with my legs which I could tell interfered with his breathing. We ended up giving up not too long after that. I think I might have hit him in the face once, I got hit in the teeth once by accident and I think my left ear might be cut in the back from trying to get out of one of his holds. It was fun, but something I don't plan to try again for a very long time. And the next time with a mouth piece and a head guard. The rug burn I have on my knees and elbows does hurt. I know this all sounds very silly and completely useless, but it gave me an appreciation for something that looks a lot more simple on TV than it really is. It was also kind of fun. I always thought if I got in a fight I'd want to take it to the ground, but it isn't that easy. The plan now is standing up, punch and run from here on out for me. I think the final score we tallied was about 8-2 with Abram being the winner. He did just have dinner, which helped me out a bit.
Thursday I got home for work and spent a good hour talking to my mother on the phone. I was supposed to be about some routine matters, but it always gets to the topic of religion, mainly because of me and my prodding or a response to a religious comment she may make. I can't help it, I sometimes feel like one of those people out on the streets saying, "Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?", but instead I'm saying, "Can you believe the hypocrisy of some religious Christian groups when they did/said X." I don't want to convert her to believe the way I believe, but just want her to question what she hears from these so called religious leaders and do as she has done her whole life and decide for herself with all the relevant facts.
Let's take a break for a second with some interesting random news. I'm not even going to editorialize since I think they speak well for themselves.
Torture Is a Crime, and Crimes Demand Prosecution Obama wants to avoid a long, wrenching legal drama that almost certainly would be partisan and divisive. But I’m not sure it’s possible to skirt the criminal implications of what we already know.
Shepherd Smith drops F-bomb during Freedom Watch: I don't like FOX NEWS, but this video was great, Shepard Smith has been surprising me. We are America and WE DO NOT FUCKING TORTURE!
U.S. Citizens Detained and Deported by Immigration In its zeal to crack down on illegal immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining and deporting American citizens. The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Andrew Becker talks about his investigation into this disturbing trend.
Sexting—and Common Sense Vermont, Ohio and Utah are among the first states trying to back away from laws that treat a teenager with a cell phone as if he or she were a child pornographer. They know there’s a difference between truly dreadful judgment and a felony.
You're Doing It Right, Jon Stewart - Another great song by Jonathan Mann from therockcookiebottom.
Now back to the discussion I was having with my mom:
Our discussion actually started with the notion of whether America was a Christian Nation. I tried to make the point that what makes America great is that we are free to worship in whatever way we please and to make it a theocracy would have disastrous effects, especially with so many differing Christians groups who don't all believe the same thing. Which Christian nation are we? Protestant? Catholic? Evangelical? Jehovah Witness? Mormon? I could go on. I mean certain Christian factions feel other "fake" Christians are doing it all wrong and well, are sinners for that reason. They may have tenets that unite them, but there are real differences. I respect everyone's right to believe as they wish, but my right to believe as I wish isn't always respected by the Christian Right I feel.
Is America a Christian Nation?
The U.S. Constitution is a secular document. It begins, "We the people," and contains no mention of "God" or "Christianity." Its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as, "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust" (Art. VI), and "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (First Amendment). The presidential oath of office, the only oath detailed in the Constitution, does not contain the phrase "so help me God" or any requirement to swear on a bible (Art. II, Sec. 1, Clause 8). If we are a Christian nation, why doesn't our Constitution say so? In 1797 America made a treaty with Tripoli, declaring that "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Now in fairness, The phrase, "a wall of separation between church and state," was coined by President Thomas Jefferson in a carefully crafted letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, when they had asked him to explain the First Amendment. (via http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/xian.php - for selected source material, but the following thoughts are my own.)
Now God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, and that is great, but that isn't enough to say we are Christian nation. Its purpose was to "dissolve the political bands," not to set up a religious nation. I think we can say "In God We Trust" and it not mean that you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. "under God" I'm not even going to touch, but note that it is a recent addition to the pledge. Religion is part of our history and part of many people's lives, but it has no place in government.
I'm wading into waters that evoke much argument, anger and sometimes hate from otherwise good moral people, so I won't keep going too long since I know many people do not agree with me. I can only learn when people help correct me and that is why I'm always trying to learn more on this topic.
I think it is great that our country has so many people that believe in Christ and glad that we have a Constitution that allows us to do so. But at the point we create this theocracy where Christianity is the legal and moral law of the land for everyone, we give up our freedom to worship as we wish. There are so many other faiths out there from Jewish, Hindus, Muslims and well countless others. I don't want others imposing their narrow morality on me or my fellow Americans no matter what their religion happens to be. What I hate about saying all this is that I feel like this should be apparent and not have to be stated in argument form. God Bless You Everyone!
You see now why it is hard for me to not just let it go. It is something I think about.
