Survival?

I must admit I was intrigued by the first show. But each show after that has left me with a nagging feeling that, like most of these "reality" shows, they got it all backwards.

If these wilderness survival scenarios had a ring of truth to them, wouldn't the point be to keep the people? The more that survive, the better the chance for long-term survival. Wouldn't continually narrowing the field down to only one mean you wouldn't survive? Tribe against tribe or man against the elements, the idea should be to have as many left standing as possible, not to turn on each other and knock your tribal mates off.

If they want to use that definition of survival, put it in a corporate environment.

Woman Knocked Unconscious While Shopping

And for $29, the damn thing will probably only last about as many days.

My parents always taught me not to buy cheap. Don't go for the most expensive, either, but realize that if you buy cheap, you get cheap. And when it breaks and you have to replace it, you end up paying more in the long run. That lesson has served me well, as I have a multitude of objects that are still in use and working fine (tvs, vcr, computers, appliances...)

They also taught me that shopping on Black Friday is just plain nuts.

L.A. Official: Computer Labels Offensive : "LOS ANGELES - A county official has asked computer and video equipment vendors to consider eliminating the terms 'master' and 'slave' from equipment because they may be considered offensive. "

Well, I never...

I had no input into the designation of "official" nor for the qualifications thereof, so I am offended by the use of this designation for said person. As there are neither vending machines nor foot travel involved here, thus "vendor" is a wholly inappropriate term. Eliminating implies freeing oneself from, thus implying captivity or bondage, thus, again, a wholly inappropriate and denigrating term. Equipment, being defined as "something with which a person, an organization, or a thing is equipped" and as "equipped" is determined to be supplying "with necessities such as tools or provisions" and as there is no determination as to the degree of necessity or who is qualified to make this kind of a judgment, I also find this term offensive. And angels are everywhere. What right does this place have to lay claim to them?

"Primary!" "Secondary!" How offensive to pit one's capabilities against another!

Some people have too much time on their hands. Oh, right. Government employee.

Whoops.

"Greater opportunity for women is probably the most significant gain for human freedom in the last century. But with this gain has come a somewhat unexpected problem: How do we restore a sense of masculinity that is vaguely civilized?"

Why should gain on one side result in loss on the other? It's not a seesaw, dammit.

None? There is a difference between religion and spirituality. Too many are brought up to feel that they must adhere to the specific "rules and regs" of a particular religion.

I am fortunate to have found an interfaith community, where I am free to use Buddhist prayer beads without declaring myself a Buddhist, recite prayers without declring myself either Catholic or Protestant, perform rituals without declaring myself Pagan.

Regardless of what the Bible says, it is still the "word of God" as interpreted by man.

I once saw a very amusing example of this. A simple sentence, like "I didn't tell everyone you were an idiot" with the emphasis placed on different words creating different interpretations.

"I didn't tell everyone you were an idiot." (Someone else did.)
"I didn't tell everyone you were an idiot." (But I should.)
"I didn't tell everyone you were an idiot." (They reached that conclusion entirely on their own.)

You get the idea.

So, thru various storytellers, interpretations, and translations, who really knows what the "word of God" was? What was mis-interpreted? What was twisted around? Ecclesiastical Whisper Down The Lane...

"Woman Leads Fight Against Nigerian Fraudsters "

Well, there's a .000000002% drop in my spam...

"The women, he said, simply knocked on the door of his hotel room, entered and had sex with him. He said he did not know if they were prostitutes because they never asked for money and he did not pay them. "

So, another one inherited the dips--t gene.

1. What is your favorite room in your house/apartment and why?

The sunporch. Warm, breezy, with a view of the gardens. Protected from the unpredictableness of the weather, it's where I meditate, write, read, or just muse.

2. Have you ever read a book you hated, but had to keep reading anyway? What book was it?

Just about every high school textbook encountered.

3. What's the best way to eat a cupcake?

Icing last. And lots of it. So sweet it makes your teeth hurt and you swear you'll never eat another one. Which you do about 20 minutes later.

4. What detail do you remember best in the last book you read?

"Creativity and imagination are not frosting on a cake: They are integral to our sustainability. They are survival mechanisms. They are of the essence of who we are. They constitute our deepest empowerment." Matthew Fox, in Creativity, Where the Divine and the Human Meet.

5. In his Absolute Blank article this month, Stephen Simpson (Macfisto) compares writing a first novel to running a marathon. What sport would you compare your writing process to?

Swimming - in uncured concrete

Questions from Toasted Cheese.

"Cinnamon spice produces healthier blood "

Yum. And just in time for pumpkin pie.

Short shrift: "Life is a disability. After all, at some point, at some time, somewhere, everyone is going to feel at a disadvantage for not being smart enough or strong enough or beautiful enough or even short enough. The point is to deal, not consider better living through chemistry."

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/25/2003 | John Grogan | The dos and don'ts of using duct tape: "Ever since the Great Duct Tape Scare of last February, an alarming number of parents seem to think duct tape is the greatest child-rearing invention since disposable diapers."

Are parents getting lazy, or are they just plain stupid? Want something cute and adorable with your eye color and hair? Bring back the Cabbage Patch dolls. Tape 'em up all you want. Leave 'em in a hot car. Lock 'em in the basement. But if you don't have the time and energy it takes to be a parent, I suggest you duct tape something else...

Philly.com - "The Region's Home Page": "'To be honest, we really didn't think so many people would want it.'"

So why the f--- did you make it? Honestly, companies can't make prescription drugs unless there's enough of a market for them (regardless of the cost of human suffering and the quality of life of those with rare illnesses) while other companies waste resources on things like this just for a bit of entertainment on ebay.

I'M RIDING IN MY CAR

1. The first car I ever drove was a...

Ford Maverick. The color was Hula-blue. Such a clever play-on-words. (If anyone understands that, it will seriously date me.) I was rather intrigued by the clever commercialism of it.

2. My dream car is...

One I haven't found yet. A small but roomy, little care creation. That can slough off dirt like the coat of an Eskimon Spitz. Sleek, elegant lines on a sturdy, rugged frame. Not the stuff of glitzy commercials, but a jump-in-and-drive-rugged creation with an understated air of elegance. Like an evening gown with cowboy boots.

3. Can you drive a vehicle with a stick shift? If yes, how long did it take you to learn?

Yes. The learning curve was short and pertrifying. The bonding of car and driver was always easy for me. I fleetingly considered the life of a racecar driver, but could not reconcile with the purposelessness of the trip.

4. What is the fastest you have ever driven?

Some insane speed on the turnpike. Keeping up with the rest of the traffic until I considered the possibility of what any one of the idiots around me could do.

5. How many people you have crammed into a vehicle at one time?

8 or 9, in a Volkswagon Beetle. For a 3 hour drive. Absolutely nuts, especially considering the company.

"With fame often comes unwanted attention."

Mischief and Muscle Cramps on the Road to Enlightment.

I envy those people who wake up one morning and "find God". Those lucky enough to be hitching a ride on the right highway at the right time.

I, on the other hand, seem to be reading the map upside down.

I blame it on my parents, who never sent me to Sunday School. I remember one brief stint at a Vacation Bible School, those repositories of summer ebuliation designed more to save a mother's sanity than a youthful soul. There was also a smattering of Sunday Services. My religious foundation is built on solid sand. I know the words to only the most well-known of Bible verses, but not where they can be found. I still need the songbook to get thru a chorus of "Onward, Christian Soldiers". I lip-synch the Lord's Prayer like the soundtrack to a foreign movie.

I've carried on this legacy, I'm ashamed to say. I never taught my daughter "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep". Who wrote that? The mere thought of her dying before she wakes gives me the willies. Surely reciting that little ditty on a daily basis would now qualify as child abuse. What was that person thinking? We do have a book of Children's Bible Stories. We use it to prop up the broken bureau leg.

So, being a bit of a stranger in a strange spiritual landscape with a still supple soul in my care, I decide to remedy the situation. I decide to start by learning to meditate. Something that requires no more of me than to sit still and empty my mind. Now there's an easy task.

Hah.

I stumble at the first step - where do I attempt this? I need a quiet, relaxing place. In a house with one dog, two cats, and one child. The birth of whom has gifted me with Post-partum Sensory Acuity and Maternus Sixth Sensious. I can tell someone's drinking from the milk carton three rooms away. Surely, you jest.

And what time of day? Early morning? Evening?

I chose the end of the day, when all creatures legged two and four are winding down. Of course, it takes a little longer for my day to actually end, but all is quiet by that time. Relax, find a comfortable position, clear the mind...

Extricating myself from that position is a real treat when the morning alarm goes off.

But I try again. Ben-Gay, the body's ability to heal, and the mind's propensity to forget. Morning, this time. My waking triggers the feline chorus. Get the cats fed. The dog out for a constitutional. Maybe I better wait until after the morning routine, when things settle down? Get child up. Make breakfast. Get child up. Pack lunch. Get child up. Let dog out again. Threaten to send child to school in pajamas. Send out the door to the bus stop without a minute to spare. Clean the kitchen. Check the day's schedule.

By the time I find the quiet, I am ready for a nap.

The sunroom is a calm and beautiful place to begin, and the old wooden rocker means I'll have both feet on the floor. I close my eyes.

How do I make my mind a blank slate? It's crowded with to-do lists, grocery lists, chore lists, appointments, school projects. I need a really big eraser. So, ok, try a chant.

Ooohhmmm....is that the cardinal chirping? Did I fill the bird-feeder?

Ooohhmmm....the hum of traffic. When did I last check the tires? Am I overdue for an oil change? Do I need to get gas before my meeting today?

Ooohhmmm...the cat scratches at the back door.

Ooohhmmm...the Indy 500 professional lawn-mower race starts up next door.

Ooohhmmm...did I mail the electric bill that's due? Or was it the phone?

Ooohhmmm...my nose itches. If I scratch it, is it cheating?

Ooohhmmm...speaking of the phone...

My inner spirit has obviously been captured by my inner child and is playing hide-and-seek.

Maybe I'll try yoga. I've already got the Ben-Gay.

Like the bad fairy's christening gift, a woman's right to choose has somehow come to mean a woman's duty to do the decent thing and take herself off for a quick scrape if that is what the owner of the other half of the embryonic DNA wants.

Kimberly's back, on the eastern shore this time.

I've been reading her blog since I started blogging. This blogging "community" is an unusual sort of place, to say the least. To feel an affinity for someone, to care about their life, worry when they are having problems, feel joy when something wonderful happens. And all about a person who you could walk past on the street and not recognize at all. It's almost like a relationship you might establish with a fictional character, except these people (well, most of them) are very real.

How odd.

Not too long ago, people lived so far apart and communication was so primitive that it was difficult to know even your closest neighbor. Now, you can know so many details about someone who could live only a couple of miles away, who you might see at the local grocer's, or library, or park, and no realize it's them.

Is this a separation of body and soul? To feel like you know someone, put them on your "buddy" list, never having seen them? If you stood next to them in line for a movie, would you be able to tell? Would something "click"? Would there be a sense of deja vu?

I wonder...

Ah, ha!

I like my coffee. I have little time left for vices (or little opportunity), so drinking coffee is about the only one I can regularly indulge.

Of course, now I can say it's no longer a vice, it's a health regimen. So there.

In the year I was born:

Kinsey published Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.
Lung cancer was linked to cigarette smoking.
The Soviet Union detonated its first hydrogen bomb.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed.
The structure of DNA was determined.
The first major motion picture was filmed in wide-screen CinemaScope.
The first issue of TV Guide was published.

There's an interesting question over at Hormonal Bitch about cheating.

I tend to be a black-or-white kind of person in many things, feeling that "grey areas" are often where the excuses and attempts to justify or assuage guilt are found. So I don't see where this kind of thing needs a lot of debate. The bottom line - will what you're contemplating hurt the relationship or help it? Shaving that square peg "just a little bit", or stretching that round hole "just a little bit" is still changing the shape and losing something in the process.

Cheating is, I suppose, whatever you and your partner determine it is. But the essence of cheating is in your own mind - intention is not always revealed by action. Are you honoring your partner and your relationship? Are those "intimate" conversations and "dancing around the edges" going to strengthen your relationship, or damage it? Do you feel the need to hide it from your partner? Would they be hurt if they knew? Are you being honest with yourself about your true intentions?

A simple dinner with an old friend could be only that, or it could be the first step in keeping someone else on the back burner "just in case". Some flirtatious behaviour can be harmless - but when the behaviour causes pain or discomfort to your partner, what is the purpose? You either honor your relationship, or you don't. You are either working to improve your relationship or you're not. "But" is a grey area.

I recently had this issue with someone I work with. She recently made a commitment to a man who is currently overseas (military), so for the time being she has to be content with phone calls, emails and letters. Then she ran into someone she dated a couple of years ago. And she is going out to a movie with him, just friends. Simple action. Or is it? Will she tell this person about her commitment? Will she tell her commited other about the event? The fact that she hesitates on either answer reveals an intention she is not facing.

Be honest with yourself, or you're cheating both of you. Be truthful about what you need and want. Be realistic about what you can give. You know when you're stepping on that line or you wouldn't be asking the question. You can whitewash your actions, but you know damn well what your intentions are, whether you're willing to face them or not.