Badpie Bakery

I May Never Sleep Again

Last night I watched an amazing documentary on Jonestown.  And I'm just gonna start this post by saying, sorry to bring the party down and get all serious, but it was incredible.  I learned things about the whole thing that I never knew.  Actually I never really knew all that much about Jonestown at all except that here's this crazy guy and a bunch of brainwashed followers in this suicide cult.

Imagine my surprise to learn that was totally wrong.  Actually, the People's Temple was less like a religion and more of a social and political movement.  It was very progressive, very all inclusive, did amazing things to battle racism and influence immigration laws.  Jim Jones was actually kind of a brilliant man.  He even won a humanitarian award.  In fact, the more I learned about this movement, the more I thought to myself that I could see myself having gotten involved in something just like it.  The people of Jonestown were not brainwashed, zombie-like blind followers as I thought.  Because it's easy to reconcile the deaths of 909 people if it's a "mass suicide" of "crazy cult members" etc.  But they weren't.  They were families, normal people and the point of this documentary was to reveal how little of the mass suicide was ACTUALLY suicide.  How people were held there against their will at the whim of Jim Jones, who essentially went mad, and how many people during this event were injected at gun point with the cyanide and forced to follow this crazed man into death.

The video footage in this documentary is so haunting.  But not the images of the aftermath.  The things that I cannot get out of my head are the videos of the faces and people living there.  Videos people at the community took, news footage, audio tape (including a recording of the last few minutes when Jones orders the mass suicide, which is CHILLING).

I know most people won't get a chance to see this, but if you do, watch it.  It's fantastic and informative and amazing and truly one of the saddest stories I have ever heard.

Here is the preview, which features many former members of the temple, some of whom were able to escape as it was happening, but had to watch their families and friends die.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Two Years Down, Fifty-Something to Go

Today marks the two year anniversary of my marriage, and while I'd rather not get all sappy and talk about how awesome my husband is, I suppose I should at least throw it out there that he is, indeed, a pretty amazing man.

And we have a pretty great marriage.  So even with any drama that may occur, we can at least be sure that we love each other and are both willing to put in the hard work (sometimes exasperatingly hard) to make our partnership work for as long as possible (preferably that whole "as long as you both shall live" thing).

It's teamwork, incredibly brutal honesty, friendship and lots of laughter that make a partnership like ours work, and while it may not always be candy and roses, it's real and it's beautiful.  For instance just the other day I turned to Matt and said "You know, I really appreciate that sometimes you make little adjustments before I know just because you know I can be kind of a bitch."  And he appreciates a lot of ridiculous things about me. 

Mostly we're very good at putting up with the little things that bug us.  He loses his keys and cell phone all the time, I roll my eyes and snap at him a lot, his side of the bed is a mess, I rarely do the dishes, sometimes he forgets to flush, I leave clumps of my hair in the shower drain, etc. etc.  But there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other, and nothing that could break up our team.

So happy anniversary, Matt.  Thanks for putting up with my crap.  And hooray!  I think we beat some sort of statistic or something already!  We are awesome.  :)

Oops. I'm Unplugged.

Due to a um...slight oversight on my part...well the thing is... see what had happened was...

Okay okay okay I totally forgot to pay our cable/internet bill and now it's shut off.  I admit it.  I failed at paying attention to stuff.  I fail at life...sort of.

Basically I have to wait for next pay, which is in just a few days to really pay off that balance and get us turned back on.  In the meantime that means that at home I have no internet and no TV*.

No internet means that I cannot get online, which means I can't play any Warcraft right now.  No TV means I can't just watch that instead and as I stated in my previous blog, since my Xbox is broken I couldn't play video games.  I have just finished reading a gigantic book so I didn't feel like reading.  Also, the book I want to start next is still at Barnes and Noble.

This is no big deal.  It's probably good to unplug sometimes right?  Good to um...to get back to...to nature...to...to really um...uh...sort of sit...sit there and...do nothing...  Yeahhhh..  I have to tell you.  It's been one evening and I'm already freaking out without my basic modern technological comforts.  I was seriously considering slitting my wrists last night just to see something exciting happen.  But instead I just watched a DVD of Wonderfalls on my computer.  That was probably the healthier option.

I have internet at my temp gig this week and my Blackberry is functioning as a tool of communication still.  But I have no access to Facebook for the time being since it's filtered here at work.

It makes me sad how much I rely on tecnhology in my daily life.  We all do.  If some sort of life changing event happened and all of our technology were rendered inoperable, our world wouuld fall into dark chaos.  On a lesser level, the fact that I can't just enjoy a quiet evening at home with a book or something without feeling disconnected from the world is a little disturbing.

*This means I missed So You Think You Can Dance, but since I'm following two of the judges on Twitter I had to endure their cryptic tweets.

UPDATE:  Mary mother of God, VODKA!  I totally forgot about vodka!  Nevermind.  Everything's cool.

The Disease of Debt

I have come to view my debt as a cancer that I have given myself slowly over the years.   Bleak?  Yes.  Depressing thought?  Oh sure.  Occasionally one straw away from not only breaking the camel's back but also ripping its limbs off and throwing them into a wood chipper?  Indeed.

Most of us have some form of debt.  Some are luckier than others in that they only have one credit card or they have a great job and lots of money to put into savings.  My husband and I fall somewhere in the middle of this, I think.  We do have credit card debt, student loans and the like.  And actually our debt is not even that massive, and we don't have a mortgage or anything, but we still struggle to make ends meet for one reason or another most of the time since monthly bills added on top of the debt and interest rates seem to make us take one step forward and two steps back.

We've recently come up with a pretty good attack plan for our debt and I got curious about what other Americans might be going through.  So I did the standard Google search just to see what kinds of things popped up.  Nothing really that surprising, but still depressing and horrid, nonetheless.

From Progressive Relief:

 • There are 1.3 billion payment cards - including credit cards, debit cards and store cards - in circulation in the United States. The average American home has 13 payment cards.
• Americans make over 1.5 trillion dollars worth of credit card purchases annually.
• The typical credit card purchase is 112% higher than if using cash.
• Over 40% of US families spend more than they earn.
• Americans carry, on average, $8400 in credit card debt. If one were to make a 2% payment every month at an annual APR of 15%, it would take about 30 years to pay off and include about $13,000 in interest.
• The average U.S household pays $950 in interest each year.
• About 18% of all U.S. personal consumption expenditures (PCE) are made on bank credit cards. If retail cards and debit cards are included, the figure rises to 24%.
• 96% of all Americans be financially dependent on the government, family, or charity at retirement.
• Almost 1 in every 100 households in the United States will claim bankruptcy.
• According to the National Association of Realtors, the average homeowner stays in his home for 7.1 years. With an 8% mortgage, he will sell his home still owing over 90% on his mortgage. If he was to continue this trend, he would never pay off a mortgage in his lifetime. Only 2% of homes in America are paid for.
• On average, Americans can expect to receive only 37% of the amount they will need to live comfortably from their retirement plan.
• Nearly half of all Americans have less than $10,000 saved for their retirement. 39% of Americans are anxious about their ability to achieve their desired retirement lifestyle.

Anyone got a wood chipper handy?  Actually I dont' know if I've mentioned this?  About my birthday coming up?  Yeah.  What a SUPER present it would be to PAY OFF ALL MY DEBT.....JUST throwing that out there.

I Hope You're Paying Attention, Universe

Yesterday, at Au Bon Pain I purchased half of a sandwich and a cup of soup for lunch.  Somehow for some ungodly reason this came to $8.76, but the price of my lunch is not the topic of this post (even though I'm pretty sure a cup of soup and half a sandwich should never be over $5).

The reason I'm writing today is because I handed the cashier lady a $10 bill and she proceeded to give me some change and a $5 bill back instead of the single I was due.

I will admit, I noticed right away, or rather I noticed that I was confused right away, but it didn't take me long to realize that she had in fact given me the wrong change.  I walked away, feeling awkward, but mostly thinking "score! I just got a discount!"

Unfortunately I suppose I was raised properly and before I could even sit down I was seiged upon by a battle with my conscience.  I began to think that it would be wrong of me to steal this four extra dollars.  That was in essence what I would be doing.  I actually thought of the cashier at the end of her shift scratching her head over why her drawer would be short four dollars (or who knows how many.  Perhaps I'm not the only one she gave the wrong change to).  I imagined her boss giving her shit for it.  So I sighed, walked back over and gave it back, explaining what had happened.  She was of course grateful for my honesty.

As I walked away I felt good about myself, but I couldn't help thinking:  Why was that such a difficult decision?  I always try to do the right thing and usually it feels much better for my soul than doing the wrong thing, but I wondered why I had even stopped to think about it, even for a few seconds.  What would I have done if she'd accidently handed me a thousand dollars instead of four?  Would I take it and run?  Would I feel horrible? 

I like to believe in the law of reciprocity, that whatever deeds we do in life earn us an equal reward or punishment at some point - Karma, I suppose.  I sincerely hope against hope that this is the way things work, or I have been wasting my time being a good person.  I jest, but bear with me.  Consider now all the shady folks that do lots of really bad, or even just kind of bad things for the purpose of their own personal gain.  Sure, some of them do get what's coming to them, but what about the people that don't?  Or is there such a thing as not paying for your misdeeds?

On the other end of the spectrum, think of the people who only do things right (or at least most of the time).  Sometimes they get "rewarded" in some way, but does this happen for everyone?  Just like there might be some asshole out there who dies feeling peachy keen as a huge winner in life, isn't there also some poor good-hearted shlub who dies feeling like the world owes him something?

It's something to ponder anyway.  I personally am just going to keep doing what I do, which is probably the right thing 99.9% of the time (there was that one time I store $20 from my friend Keren.  But I gave it back....because I got caught...because I was 6 years old) and hope that good things will come my way because of it.  Maybe we all get ours, in this life, or the next, or the next.  Who knows?

Anybody have any confessions to make?

Genuine Question For the Folks in The Ohio Valley

I am from Martins Ferry, Ohio.  There it is.  Isn't it cute?  The surrounding general area from which I sprung is a pretty nice place.  Good to raise a family, kind of sleepy and quiet.  Very Mayberry.  It's cute.  I don't live there anymore because like some other folks who grow up in a small town I wanted something bigger.

I grew up and went to school with some great people.  And a lot of those people are now on Facebook, where we have found each other.  And even though we're not in the day to day workings of each others' lives, it's pretty neat to have a general sense that so and so is doing well since last I saw her in 8th grade.

I have noticed something odd about the status updates of several people from this area.  In case you don't know, status updates are just little one liners like "going grocery shopping, then to my kid's game" and stuff like that.  At first I could just chock it up to a spelling error here or there.  I mean who doesn't make spelling errors?  But then I was seeing the same type of thing from 4 or 5 different people.  Things like "I am just CHILLEN" and "going FISHEN with the kids", etc.  I have seen several words that normally end in "ing" that in correct spelling would end with "IN'" spelled with an "EN" on the end there.

At first, this irked me.  I don't claim to be a perfect typist but thanks to the severe and often annoying tutelage of my grandmother growing up I cringe at blatant misspellings, grammatical errors and when folks don't know the difference between "your" and "you're."  So yes, at first I had to fight the urge to privately message folks like a giant asshole and say "psst.  You spelled that wrong."  But again, that would have made me an asshole.

So since I have seen it from numerous individuals I am simply wondering:  Is it that you know what the correct spelling is but have just chosen to spell a word a certain way because that's just how things are?  Or is it simply a very common spelling error.  Keep in mind I have only seen it from folks where I grew up and we have a lot of regional things like "yinz" (don't ask) and such.  I'm just wondering if this is one I've never heard of...or if you all skipped school the day we learned about "ing."

I mean no offense.  I really am just asking.  Thanks.  And if this pisses you off, feel free to point out all my spelling errors in this blog. 

The Mitzvah Tank

 

I was out on my lunch hour today, reading my book, when I looked up and spotted a Mitzvah Tank.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  Mitzvah.  Tank.  There were several Hasidic Jewish men outside of it asking passersby if they were Jewish and if they were interested in what the "tank" aka tricked out Winnebego had to offer.

This amuses me.  So I had to look it up on Wikipedia.  Because though they have apparently been tanking around NYC for quite some time I have never seen it.  Wikipedia says this:

Mitzvah tanks are usually seen on the eve of major Jewish holidays, or on Fridays prior to Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). The vehicles often have large banners on them extolling some aspect of Judaism or something about Rabbi Schneerson. Some Mitzvah Tanks have external speakers attached which are used to play klezmer-style music. The tanks, usually manned by young male Lubavitch students in the Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim, park in areas with heavy people-traffic and seek Jews to perform Mitzvahs by asking passers-by: "Are you Jewish?"

Lubavitchers manning the tank will usually hand out brochures or cards with information about performing mitzvot. They will also assist those who are willing to perform religious rituals, such as the putting on of Tefillin (phylacteries) with men and boys, or provide the materials to do so, such as handing out candles and candle-lighting times to women and girls to light for Shabbat. They believe that the completion of enough mitzvot will bring the Moshiach (the Jewish Messiah), and view the Mitzvah tanks as a way of hastening this process.

This rules.  And it gives me an excuse to post a link to the I Heart Jews Website, which is pretty great. 

"From My Cold Dead Hands!"....okay.

Let's talk about guns!  Hooray!  Guns!  Gun control is such a touchy issue with people and I don't seem to know why.  I find the NRA to be a bunch of redneck survivalists for the most part and I find it odd that police officers have to get certified in firearms training, but the average dumb civilian doesn't.  Who thought of this anyway?!

Let's start with the constitution.  I know our glorious second amendment declares that we have "a right to bear arms."  Okay.  Sure....That's all fine and good, but do you know why they said that?  Because the law was basically a militia-type regime that needed to be ready just in case those damned Redcoats or Injuns came around looking for a fight.  Um...we don't HAVE a militia now.  We have police.  The idea that we have changed several things about the constitution that are outdated, innappropriate and dated but we haven't even touched this one, not even to tweak it kind of baffles me.

But what about the right do defend your home, you ask?  I'm all for it.  Defend the shit out of your fortress, your castle, you sanctuary.  Yes, we need to feel like we're safe there.  I don't know if you know this, but there have been major scientific advancements in the fields of non-lethal defense, such as say - oh I don't know - tasers, mace, rubber bullets.  The idea that people are not only fully willing, but practically ITCHING to blow the head off of an intruder into their home, scares the crap out of me.  Dude, there's no reason you need to kill this person.  You're not a pioneer in the middle of nowhere with no law in sight.  Taze the shit out of that mother fucker, bust his head open with blunt object and handcuff him to the radiator until the cops get there.  Don't just go shooting shadows willy nilly.  The wrong people (like your fucking children) are always the ones that get hurt.  At least if they taze themselves they live.  I mean do we care nothing for the sanctity of life?  Sure I'd beat the shit out of someone coming into my place, maybe to the point of near death - but ya know...I just don't know that much about him to want to kill him dead.

Look I'll admit.  I'm scared of guns.  But they also fascinate me.  Because of my mild fear of firearms I have been to the gun range once or twice.  I figure the more familiar you get with your fears, the less afraid you are of them.  And I had a blast (no pun intended).  I LOVE shooting a gun.  It's awesome.  It feels great, the way it kicks, hitting the target, the smell of gunpowder, even the burn of a hot shell hitting my arm.  I mean I love it.  Can't wait to do it again.  And I have thought someday buying a gun to shoot at the range.  And this is where my argument gets muddled.  I am all for people being able to buy guns, but i am way against being able to use them in home defense.  Sounds like it doesn't make sense, but if I'm pointing at a target, there's no chance I'm gonna mistake a toddler for a burglar and riddle it full of holes.

And when I say people should be able to buy guns, I'm not saying they should be able to buy semi-automatic Uzis or shit like that.  No one needs this to hunt or defend their home:

My point is not that I want to stamp on the Constitution or take away anyone's rights, but seriously?  Shouldn't this amendment be, I dunno....UPDATED to the times....the times where the Brits are our friends?

I Couldn't Even SPEND That Much

I. Hate.  Money.  Hate it.  It truly is the root of all evil.  Think of all the horrible things people do for money.  Greed is a horrible thing and it makes me ill.

I think of all the people who have tons of money, millions, billions of dollars and I think - what can you even DO with that much money?  How can you satisfy yourself?  What could you possibly in your entire life ever spend all that money on?  The answer is you couldn't possibly spend it all.

People COULD give their money to good causes, you know, help a brother or sister out.  But they don't.  And I know some people are like "well if they EARN the money it's theirs to do whatever they want.  They have a right to blah blah blah."  Well fuck that, kids.  You know what?  We have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate than us.  Period.  If you're not doing that, you're a jerk.  And you can do it in many way, yes.  If you don't have the money, volunteer your time or write letters or whatever.  But I'm talking about the people who have the money to make a difference.  And don't use it for that.

These same people, while there are starving children and curable, treatable diseases in 3rd world countries and failing, underfunded programs here in our country - decide they just need that third boat or that 7th house or a $3000 bag or $4000 shoes.  It just kills me. 

There is enough money in this world and plenty more to solve a myriad of the problems we face - humanitarian crises, environmental problems. 

I was watching the Lehman hearing today and that's what really inspired my rage.  I mean these jack-asses failed because of their greed.  TOTALLY FAILED.  They are made of FAIL, and because of it the market is a mess.  And I don't give a crap about the idiots who lost a few million because they had a few million to lose in the first place.  I feel bad for the old guy who was planning on retiring and now isn't sure he can, because he's might not get any of his money back and if he does it won't be for a few years.

Why oh why do people in general fail when it comes to money?  I propose we go back to the barter system.  I'll give you a bushel of apples and a dairy cow and you can paint my house.... in fact I might not have to wait long for this.  Just saw the numbers for the market and since they're not like golf scores and lower DOESN'T mean better, well.... I'd better get me a cow.  But you better be damned sure I'll share some of that milk with folks who don't have a cow!  Darn tootin'.

Things That Make Me Look Bad

We all have them.  People, things, ideas, events that make us embarrased to be in any way closely related to them.  I have plenty, but here are just a few.

Liberal hipster protesters:

I'm liberal, I'm Democrat, I disagree with a lot of stuff, but you know what - I don't make an ass out of myself doing it.  I mean the hair ALONE on this guy just screams "DOUCHE!"  And check out Miss Thang's tight little black jeans.  These are the jerks that are just scraping for a cause because they don't have one of their own.  Their protests and rallies look like an ad for Urban Outfitters.  And they're the type of people who will yell "Bush sucks!" but if you ask them why, they won't actually have an answer.

Weird-ass Pagans.

The gentlemen in this picture is one Oberon Zell, a respected writer and leader in the Pagan community.  But I ask you, Oberon (...sigh) WHY must you look like that?  People see this and think all of us wear weird robes, do magic things, etc.  In fact, people see this and think we're crazy, delusional LARPers. 

Actors.

Oh boy.  Actors are the worst.  Totally into themselves and thoroughly convinced that the shitty, modernized version of Romeo and Juliet they just performed in a 20 seat theater that smells like mold is "high art."  Let it be known that if I ever hear someone start a sentence with the words "Well, as an actor...." I will kick them in the liver.

Militant vegetarians.

I already covered this here.

Celebutards.

Yup.  THIS is what other countries see when they see America: Useless, vapid decadent sluts.  No wonder the world hates us.

Idiot Americans who see the world like this.

Who makes you look bad?

For My BMW!...Okay For The Children

Like most of you, I don't have all that much money.  I mean I'm not a pro-sports player or an actor that makes $20 million a year.  I'm not even a stock-broker or a doctor.  But I still like to give what I can, when I can and if I can afford it.  Sometimes my giving takes place in the form of volunteering when I go to the ASPCA or volunteer with New York Cares (which admittedly I haven't done in awhile).  But I like to think that if I had a crap load of money*, I would do my part to fulfill my moral, spiritual and Karmic obligation to help those who are less fortunate than I am**.  In fact, it really bothers me when people who make obscene amounts of money DON'T give a lot of it to charity, but that might be a whole other blog post.

In any case I have a small wishlist of organizations that if I had the cash I would write gigantic checks to on a regular basis.  In the meantime I can cross my fingers and hope I win the lottery.

The ASPCA - The prevention of cruelty to and adoption of shelter animals across the country is something I feel really strongly about.  I count animals among the most helpless creatures in the world and think we as creatures with bigger brains are supposed to help them out.

Same goes with The Humane Society.

New York Cares - From tutoring high school students for the SATs to aiding Meals on Wheels to hanging out with the elderly to weeding city gardens, New York Cares covers it all.  And since it's right in my backyard I would feel great giving my coin to helping my community.

Project Reach Youth, Inc. - It's in Brooklyn.  My neighborhood and it focuses on the dire need of the youth in the area.  Think globally, act locally?  Is that saying still in?

City Harvest - I don't care who you are or what your situation is.  If you're homeless, if you're a drug addict, if you're just kind of an asshole.  No one should go hungry in New York (or anywhere else for that matter).

SOS Children's Fund - Hey.  If it's got a personal endorsement from the Dalai Lama AND Brangelina it's gotta be good.

I mean who am I kidding right?  There are a ton of charities and I'm kind of a bleeding heart so I've no doubt I'd donate until I put us in the poorhouse.  Well no.  That's not true.  I'm actually not really that good of a person, but I like to think if I had money I could afford to be every now and then.

* This will never happen.

**Seriously I could be totally wrong.  I might get a lot of money and go all a-hole on the world.  Maybe I'll start kicking puppies and spitting on minority children all while mocking the disabled. 

I NEED This on a T-Shirt ASAP

more the engrish!

Seven Years Ago...

Something terrible happened.  Seven years ago, the world changed in an amazingly sad and terrible way.  September 11th 2001 is the most infamous day of my generation here in the United States.  I'm not gonna get all shmoltzy or anything, but it is most definitely a day where we should all take pause to realize how fortunate we are in our lives.  Also, in light of all the recent political divide between Republicans and Democrats, it is a day that we can all put those differences aside and look at each other as simply Americans.  Brothers and sisters.  Okay, maybe I got a little Kumbaya on you all, but I suppose if there's a day to do it, it's today.  Peace.

Seriously? Why is This Fun for People?

Hunting.  It really pisses me off.  Now before anyone gets all high and mighty on me I'll go ahead and do my disclaimer.  Ahem.  I do not want to take away anyone's legal right to hunt.  Nor do I think that hermits living in the woods or some remote place that "live off the land" should never be allowed to kill a deer (though, now that I mention it - who ACTUALLY lives like that?  I can't imagine a grocery store of SOME kind not being within an hour's drive...but I digress).

(You know, mom, they say you never hear the one with your name on it.)

I'll get right to the point.  I think people who hunt are psychotic.  Clearly, mentally deficient and lacking in compassion and empathy for living things.  I am afraid of the person who feels like it's okay to personally kill another living thing.  There are people who hunt simply out of enjoyment, which begs the question:  How is it not seriously messed up to ENJOY killing something?  Hm?  For argument's sake let's say you absolutely positively NEEDED to kill something in order to survive.  But taking enjoyment in it?  Pride?  Having....FUN?!  That's messed up, dude.

(Wait...is that?  Oh my god fat rednecks in orange jumpsuits!  Everybody RUUNNNN!!!)

One could try to make the argument that there is a tradition steeped in hunting, that you're getting back to the land, embracing your hunter gatherer roots, being the adept, skilled, finely honed killing machine that your ancestors were.  That, my friends is bull-shit.  You don't need to be finely tuned, smart, sneaky or even remotely skilled in any way to hunt and kill things.  "Hunters" are equipped with high power sniper rifles that can hollow out a deer at 200 yards.  Sorry.  Not impressed with your hunting "skills."  Nor do I think you are "manly" for killing something like this:

First off, pick on someone your own size, like I don't know, a BEAR.  Remember, you have a weapon so its size will offset that making this a fair fight.

Second.  You have to be skilled enough to get close enough to the animal to either shoot it with a bow and arrow (crossbows don't count) or take it down with a hunting knife.  Seriously, if there's not a real chance of you losing an eye or getting your face gauged or having a finger bitten off, then I am not impressed with you.  Sorry.  But if you can take down a bear with a knife.  Fine.  You've earned it.  Go nuts.

It just seems to me like shooting someone in the back.   The animals don't even get a fair shot, a chance to run or whatever.  It's not a sport when it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

(Hm...still not really a fair fight.)

Weigh in on this, people.  Please.  Love to hear your thoughts/arguments.

God I Hate Being Smart

My friend Evan said it best.

"I want to be comforted by Oprah, challenged by Doctor Phil, and entertained by reality television."

Don't we all? 

I am intelligent.  I am knowledgeable of the world around me, I keep up on current events, I make my own decisions and form my own opinions, blah blah blah.  I'm not tooting my own horn here.  In fact, there are times when I just wish I was some rube somewhere in the country blissfully unaware of anything going on in the world.  Happily accepting anything I hear as fact, never thinking, always trusting my government, finding solace in Christianity, the only religion in the world as far as I'm concerned.

But no.  Back me up here, all you people who think about things.  Knowing things about the world is haarrrrrrrd (shameless whine).   Being "aware" is exhausting!  Part of me wishes I could say "Global Warning?  Never heard of it" or "I'm sure whoever gets elected president will do a fantastic job so I'm not worried" or "Well...everything happens for a reason.  Just trust in Jesus."  See?!  If I could say that shit I would never be stressed about anything!  Ever!

                

As it is, I know all about global warming and a million other things that are screwing the planet.  I already know that no people should ever trust their government no matter how great it seems because when it gets down to it there are shades of shady shadeness all over the place, no matter what party or affiliation is in power.  And as far as religion goes, sure Christianity is great and all, but I've been aware of other walks of spirituality for a long time and have been a constantly questioning, knowledge and answer seeking individual who has basically come to terms with the fact that I don't actually know anything that's going on....at all.  So it's not exactly a "blissful" ignorance.  It's one that comes from way too many possibilities.

Why can't I be one of the protesters on the news that has no idea why they're protesting what they're protesting, but they're damn sure they're right?

Sigh.  Such is the burden of being big brained.  Here.  I'll try to make myself dumber.  Here's a video of people getting hit in the balls on a Japanese game show.