I was generously invited to join my good friend
Shane and his family at a Habitat for Humanity waffle-feed this morning. If you’ve never been to an event at which you can eat as many waffles as you please, I
highly recommend it. My waffle hunger has been sated for now, but only just.
I was priveleged also that our group was joined by the Sattlers’ friends Greg and Sarah. Following the waffley madness, we were planning to attend a “Young-Earth Creationism vs. Theological Evolution”
debate at the Eagles. As Shane and I are both card-carrying atheists (at least we would be if they made a card for that), and Greg is a Lutheran pastor and a
short-earther (and a fair-minded, intelligent, well-spoken, darn nice guy, I hasten to add), we were planning on a good ol’ time.
The main event was
Brock Lee (on the side of a 6000 year-old universe) vs Pastor
John Weisenberger (on the side of God being in charge of evolution).
It was an entertaining discussion. Obviously, I come down squarely in neither camp, but I sympathize with the Theological evolution side. After we get past the whole “there is a god” thing, we’re pretty much in lock-step. Mr. Lee, on the other hand, while having some talent for rhetoric, showed his weak hand early: refuting evolution on the basis of the assertion that “life cannot come from death”. Characterizing evoloution in this way (using an out-of-context quote from
Origin of Species) is such a vapid straw man argument that it barely merits a head-shake. He also characterized atheists, by virtue of a lack of faith in a god, as believing that they themselves are or will become gods. Mr. Brock again showed his comfort with the straw man.
I was also pretty entertained when John asked Brock what he thought about scientific evidence showing that the sun was several billion years old and had another few billion years of fuel remaining. Brock responded that scientists don’t even know how or why the sun burns, so those same scientists are not qualified to make assertions about its age.
I beg to differ.
Delicious waffles and a spirited debate are not a bad way to spend a Saturday, I must say. Plus, I got this photo out of the deal:
The plate says "I deliver waffles" while the number "5" says "I am but one of several like me."
I’m oddly glad to say that my short drama with my new thermos ended in tragedy this afternoon. I removed the lower section that should not contain coffee (but did, in fact, contain coffee), and out slipped the (evidently) fragile inner portion, which promptly shattered in the sink at work. I cleaned up the remains, being careful not to cut myself, as I’m convinced my blood would have been the final catalyst in the demon object’s becoming. I am still working myself to a fine bubbly froth, perhaps to send a strongly worded letter to these Thermos people. To be continued!
I enjoy a bit of coffee during my workday, so having a container by which I can transport this coffee from home to work is essential. As it happens, 32 fl. oz. is the perfect amount of coffee. As it also happens, 32 fl. oz. is a damned difficult size of a thermos to procure locally. But, the Wal-Mart came through, or so I thought. I discarded the “instructions” immediately, thinking “How difficult is it to do the job of a thermos?” I now imagine that those same instructions carried a disclaimer similar to the following: “Will contain liquid (results vary)”.
In case the picture doesn’t clearly depict it, the thermos is positively weeping coffee. Oh well. I’m just drinking it a little faster today.
I wouldn’t usually care to admit that I have some Maroon 5 in my iPod’s everyday-listening playlist, but for the purpose of this post, it’s worth the hit on my dignity.
I have 214 songs in the list, 14 of which are Maroon 5. Therefore, Maroon 5 comprises 6.54% of this playlist’s content. With my iPod set to “shuffle”, I should expect roughly every 15th song to be one of Maroon 5′s. Again, this number is far too high, a predicament I have procrastinated in resolving – but I belabor the point. In reality, my iPod spews forth Maroon 5 more than 10% of the time. Here are three samplings:
- 4/37 (10.81%) – meaning 4 of the first 37 songs played were Maroon 5
- 5/50 (10%)
- 6/52 (11.54%)
This last, as may be gleaned from the short span between samples two and three, sent me over the edge and prompted this post. The only feasible conclusion is that my sentient iPod is purposely misrepresenting my musical preference in an effort to coerce me into purging at least some Maroon 5 from Its playlist, if not Its library. I have duly taken this under advisement.
I love me some cinema. But I just watched The Incredible Hulk, and holy shit. I don’t want to go all Jeremy Hotz, but what a miserable movie that was. So, Liv Tyler survives a helicopter crash with just a scratch on her eye, while hardened soldiers instantly die on impact (with the inevitable trickle of blood from the corner of the mouth)? We’re going to do the “powerful protagonist vs. the suddenly more powerful antagonist” deal? Really? At least bring it (see Iron Man).
And what is William Hurt doing in a role that is a) beneath him, and b) clearly intended for Ted Levine?
This movie is a turd.
I tried. Everyone seems to love you. I am, evidently, not everyone. I do not care that someone I knew 10 years ago and have had no contact with since is now friends with someone I’ve never met. I am unbelievably annoyed at purposefully obscure status updates that are supposed to, I don’t know, prompt me to admire what a unique and interesting person someone is? If I post, unbidden: “The table shouldn’t do that,” I should be immediately ostrasized from the people I thought were my friends. That is natural. If you say stupid things out of context to members of your family, they should think you mental, and consequently send you away.
I will not replace my portrait for a day with a picture of someone I know who has suffered from constipation simply because it is “Poop Awareness Week”. Nor will I take incessant movie quizzes. Nor will I “poke” anyone via Facebook that I wouldn’t “poke” in real life. Nor will I respond to the song lyrics anyone posts, as if their own creativity were on display. I used to post song lyrics, too: on my assignment notebook when I was 13.
I will continue to monitor you for the few updates that I do genuinely care about. But I will not be updating you. I am sorry. I hope you understand. You horrid, horrid creation.
Jeremy
Paul Krugman always has something poignant to contribute to our national conversion. Case in point.
Listening to my iPod during my walk today, I was treated to the guys at Reasonable Doubts playing this, to which I later found a link on YouTube. As kind of a Sagan fan, I thought it was a surprisingly powerful and adept attempt to capture some of the sense of wonder he was trying to convey through Cosmos. Enjoy.
… so I figured out the lyrics to Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter. You are better off reading these when the song is actually playing.
On the ceilin’, on the voice of Delizah: Land’s End; I wanna leave it again.
Juan’s a zaher, on a beast, ahhh, with arms, head.
Mona said: I wanna leave it again.
On a wheel-end. On a wizard on a way-ee-ay-hay.
And I call Lonna say, nonna oh wanna say, manna coal outta gayyy.
And the rest side, on a levah combine, oh!
I said: I know, Walla well walla bike solar beck!
Ah ay ah ay ah ay ayyyy!!!!
Gida see thayo!
Oh, on the boys. Ell, a geddon wayyyyyyyy…
Fah-ozzy, thayayayo! Bida ber wayyyy yeahhh!
And I know, and I know. I don’t wanna zayyyy… (Make me cry).
[Guitar solo…]
Ahhhh eeeheeeee… I don’t wola sonter nayo.
On a goldmine, on a wheeere.
Ah theddah. I don’t, I don’t know a well wiza bike solar beck!
Ah ay ah ay ah ay ayyyy!!!!
Gida see thayo!
Oh, non the boy. Eh, a geddon wayyyyyyyy…
Fah-ozzy, thayayayo! Bine da ber wayyyyy yeahhhh!
And I know, and I know. I don’t wanna zayyy… a doe…
I don’t wanna snayyyyyyyyyah!!
I don’t wanna stayyyeeaheee!!!
I don’t wanna stay! Oh!
Nahnnmmmm…
Ahhhohhh…
Ahhhh ohhh ohhh ohh.
In a statement from Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, on its Q3 loss:
“This was an important quarter for us; sustainable profitability remains our primary goal in the near term.” Mr. Pandit said in a statement. While consumer credit trends are improving in international markets, the U.S. consumer credit environment remains challenging.” -NYtimes.
Who can argue against the fact that today, wealth is being built upon ever-growing dunes of debt? We value debt over production. Investors must be banking that Citigroup will do better by convincing consumers to do worse – spend more than you can afford on Christmas this year – you deserve it. Does anyone else see that this is just a Ponzi scheme of monumental proportions? Creditors will have to convince more consumers to take on more debt in order to cover their losses. Hello?
Oh, and by the way, What the hell does “sustainable profitability in the near term” even mean?
