tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58793473146355303982024-02-20T23:44:42.553-08:00Traveling Through Time and Space...attempts at pithy remarks along the wayFantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-85265511390400469752011-04-05T12:41:00.000-07:002011-04-05T13:06:11.016-07:00Envy Makes Me Do Crazy Things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cWxxuRVJneGEOy77yJX_ez8sIVnGAWH0BIDy6FVT-sxys2rT47UUjjnxkadN5n_axMDQBk_G70aU7jBFOIAisjm5Kd4b5iq-ffZDY2VYQcw12YznynFKFDglpIj06gLxgF7lAe4voHDC/s1600/capricorn-one-movie-poster-1020466094.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cWxxuRVJneGEOy77yJX_ez8sIVnGAWH0BIDy6FVT-sxys2rT47UUjjnxkadN5n_axMDQBk_G70aU7jBFOIAisjm5Kd4b5iq-ffZDY2VYQcw12YznynFKFDglpIj06gLxgF7lAe4voHDC/s400/capricorn-one-movie-poster-1020466094.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592188337346442882" border="0" /></a><br />I suppose it began when my friend Peggy announced she was going to a lovely Pacific island for a couple of weeks. She started posting these gorgeous pictures of palm trees and sand and water - warm, swimmable water. And there was blue sky and sunlight. We don't have much of any of those things here right now.<br /><br />Then my friend Patricia bid me farewell as she prepared to jet off to Paris and Positano with her family for spring break. She was uncharacteristically cruel when she told me excitedly that "it's about 75 degrees in Paris right now, can you believe it?" I had consoled myself with the thought that although Paris is absolutely fabulous, it would be grey and chilly. A few days ago, I glanced at the temperature when I got up, and it was 38. Gah!<br /><br />My lovely neighbor Jenn and a gaggle of choir kids and chaperones have spent the past week in New York City, continuously posting photo after photo of themselves in iconic spots: atop the Empire State Building, in Times Square, at the Natural History Museum.<br /><br />I grew quite out of sorts. I told my family how jealous I felt.<br /><br />Yet my son could not understand my discontent. "You've been to all those places, Mom. What's the big deal?"<br /><br />Those of you who know me understand that I suffer from CTD (Compulsive Travel Disorder). If I am not somewhere else, I am sad. I love to plan trips, and to go on trips. When I am on trips, I think about new trips.<br /><br />I snapped. If I could not actually travel, I could virtually travel. So I have been posting photos of places on my Facebook, pretending I am on spring break. I use clever language to provide hints that all is not real: "This spring break is simply unbelievable! Love Neuschwanstein" "Our fantastic spring break trip continues at the Tower of Pisa!" "It is incredible to think we are here at the pyramids." The only problem is that people are taking me seriously. They are commenting sincerely, wishing me a great trip, expressing envy at my good fortune. I am a fraud, but I cannot stop.<br /><br />Today, I posted this.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xWMUJKgj6irTY2Z7SS17WrL-7jEXomHGxSzGySYtNEqn9akyl-ZXZlN7QrQHY9YJ8vViAaRcT0CfFAnj8jr08lFq_1f3h9MeJF02lhgiVgTKfJydzLkilly8E3wR4Vlyib1Hqow9tNOJ/s1600/moon_astronaut.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xWMUJKgj6irTY2Z7SS17WrL-7jEXomHGxSzGySYtNEqn9akyl-ZXZlN7QrQHY9YJ8vViAaRcT0CfFAnj8jr08lFq_1f3h9MeJF02lhgiVgTKfJydzLkilly8E3wR4Vlyib1Hqow9tNOJ/s400/moon_astronaut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592192643704125554" border="0" /></a><br />I wrote this caption: <span style="font-style: italic;">Last day of our unbelievable spring break has been a little disappointing. As my husband pointed out, the place just has no atmosphere.<br /><br /><br /></span>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-6872453133616521672011-03-08T15:00:00.000-08:002011-03-08T15:02:30.788-08:00My New Second HusbandYes, I still love all my other second husbands. But this guy won my heart big time:<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0xuFnP5N2uA" frameborder="0"></iframe>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-92060510481666270612011-02-23T20:24:00.000-08:002011-02-23T21:01:59.075-08:00Richard Nixon, Musical Censor<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UhMaJMtJb9j5xkxtTz_PekMV2oWOyLW9UosEVfcHUYuIDsp7YmimPHurqKi9BlMixuy1eUrAGLVX87UxUg-YBLPCCYw4pSYm4TRGd98p0vMwq5q8BRLZnBssXQbXO9DGSxuTGYCq65k1/s1600/dickinson.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UhMaJMtJb9j5xkxtTz_PekMV2oWOyLW9UosEVfcHUYuIDsp7YmimPHurqKi9BlMixuy1eUrAGLVX87UxUg-YBLPCCYw4pSYm4TRGd98p0vMwq5q8BRLZnBssXQbXO9DGSxuTGYCq65k1/s400/dickinson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577116454801609442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">John Adams (William Daniels) is displeased with the words of Dickinson (Donald Madden) of Pennsylvania in 1776.</span><br /></span></div><br />Hello, my darlings! I've been preparing material to share with my current crop of students in Religion and Race in Revolutionary America. It's a course dreamt up by a historian who teaches at the same community college I do; he is off gallivanting out of state the final two sessions, so I get to do those.<br /><br />One of my favorite tricks to avoid having to actually learn things so I can teach is to have guest speakers. It's a little tough when the course is set in Revolutionary times. I'm going to skype in some re-enactors from the east coast for some of the time, which should be very fun. And I'm going to play some film clips and some music that addresses the theme. I'll share my playlist with you over at Holly Forrest Teaches, my other blog. If you have any ideas, comment here.<br /><br />But I digress. When I was researching the films, I thought of <span style="font-style: italic;">1776,</span> a great musical we'd seen years ago in Cedar City, Utah. I just previewed the film version and was delighted with it. Then I started looking into fact vs. fiction. Lots of the plot points were added for dramatic tension, some of the noble intent and conflict was fictionalized, but the most surprising thing was that an entire musical number was cut out of the film release, only restored after it was put on DVD.<br /><br />Apparently, back in 1972, President Nixon asked his friend Jack Warner, studio head, to pull one of the numbers because he felt it was critical of the Republicans. Take a look. I think it's a pretty accurate portrayal of the right. The line that Dickinson from Pennsylvania says before they break into song rings true today. It's something that bothers me a great deal about those who criticize President Obama and his work to help the poor and middle class by taxing the wealthy; the critics are those who would be helped! He says "Don't forget that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor."<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4JDNTS2wHHo" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-60564190030895928172011-02-03T09:51:00.001-08:002011-02-03T11:12:09.914-08:00A Lesson on Proverbs 29:7 for Junior Teabaggers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL-ilE9cK57pa8AYLV_NuHYBRgLjZ5twVjdcZ-w245paDiCZMVLi7glw97r5dLvt3fP3gafY4xmL7P-pUm3dRuey6FAO6coxId56SCqRhRZjv4xw08_EK7eZ2z2uQDbKXxMYoXMbdIszy/s1600/Cartoon-10-Comdmts-Jesus.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL-ilE9cK57pa8AYLV_NuHYBRgLjZ5twVjdcZ-w245paDiCZMVLi7glw97r5dLvt3fP3gafY4xmL7P-pUm3dRuey6FAO6coxId56SCqRhRZjv4xw08_EK7eZ2z2uQDbKXxMYoXMbdIszy/s400/Cartoon-10-Comdmts-Jesus.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569542638332176626" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Proverbs 29:7<br />The righteous considereth the cause of the poor:<br />but the wicked regardeth not to know it.</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > </span><br /></div><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> </span></b><br /><br />My beloved son came home yesterday extremely upset. He is in a World History class, and the teacher posed the question "Do the rich have an obligation to help the poor?" The overwhelming consensus of his classmates was NO.<br /><br />What made it particularly disturbing to him was that so many of his classmates proclaim themselves devout Christians. They are all about the Jesus. In my immediate family, we believe Jesus was a great guy, but we are not churchgoers. We do not seek to convert anyone, and we sure as hell don't hold with the notion that if you don't believe certain things, you don't get into heaven. I know this bothers my mom, who has the view that if you simply believe Jesus died for your sins, you will be saved. We've gone round on this, because I think that if you're a Jesus follower, you also should at least try to live a good life and follow his teachings in order to get through the pearly gates. It seems way too easy to me that just being a believer lets you make the cut. She has a convoluted reasoning that if you believe, you will live such a life, as though it's inherently connected. Yet I know so many people who loudly proclaim themselves Christians whilst practicing extremely selfish, un-Jesus-like behaviors.<br /><br />Let me quickly interject here that many Christians I know are extremely generous, loving people, who work their butts off to help others and do not begrudge (okay, they might prefer to decide how their money is allocated, but they don't complain very much) paying taxes. They contribute to causes which help the poor. Some, like our friend <a href="http://shoesforkids.me/">Isabel Jones</a>, take it up a notch or two with ambitious endeavors to really make a difference.<br /><br />My son's previously been informed by some of his more judgmental peers that he is going to hell because he's not a Christian. I am certain that many of the others privately think it, too, but at least they are classy enough not to say it to his face. Yet I'd wager that his heart is a whole lot bigger and kinder than theirs. He believes that individuals don't need enormous wealth, that they should share with the poor. After all, how many millions does one man require while others go hungry?<br /><br />I found the approach he used to argue his point fascinating. He quoted scripture. I'm not familiar with the passage myself, but his father (raised in Catholic schools) knew it well.<br /><blockquote><br />Luke 3:11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://bible.cc/luke/3-12.htm" target="_top"><b>12</b></a></span>And <i>some</i> tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://bible.cc/luke/3-13.htm" target="_top"><b>13</b></a></span>And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” </blockquote>Actually, my son may have just used the tunic and food line. I'm not 100% sure. But I think it's worth including the tax collector lines here because the class was talking about taxation, whether the government should tax the rich to help the poor. Count me and my son on the yes side. We've read Barbara Ehrenreich's <span style="font-style: italic;">Nickel and Dimed</span>; we don't believe the extreme differences of sumptuous quality of life for a relative few while others go without is acceptable.<br /><br /><br />I tried to cheer my son up and told him maybe some of the people who didn't speak up in his class felt the same way he did. He asked why they didn't speak up too. I told him I thought maybe they were intimated by the eloquence of his speech and didn't feel they had anything to add. He called bullshit on that. He was cheered that one girl did say similar things to what he had expressed. But he was really depressed about the rest of them, especially one of his friends, who twisted what he had said and spoke against it, claiming my son was extolling religious virtues and that he (the friend, a regular church-goer, BTW) was in favor of the separation of church and state. Geez, Louise. Talk about a fallacious argument. I can't decide if it's a straw man or a red herring, but either way, it stinks.<br /><br />Of course, many of these schoolmates who are against the principle that the rich should help the poor also believe Obama is a Muslim. Oh, and a socialist/communist to boot. Stupid feckers. Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they say.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cozzsIPWsE-6JkfaudUkS_DoJHBmwjNR8dxWHmalbUs6iK58txVWSppiaurph2WxV_JVVx0L0ECeDoE6wOk_ItjxIzQhXqJ7DMW73sojL4B6wI9c0xKoimTvS6Fe49K98cqLhIk1KkXp/s1600/2wmqc9c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cozzsIPWsE-6JkfaudUkS_DoJHBmwjNR8dxWHmalbUs6iK58txVWSppiaurph2WxV_JVVx0L0ECeDoE6wOk_ItjxIzQhXqJ7DMW73sojL4B6wI9c0xKoimTvS6Fe49K98cqLhIk1KkXp/s400/2wmqc9c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569522570030648866" border="0" /></a>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-70439372936866698892011-01-10T11:20:00.000-08:002011-01-13T22:03:33.403-08:00A Most Troublesome Servant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yJRpv9Mhq11UDY-5N3vnKovMfBB-rtyLaoNDVG8oKpGNDZRtUFBWsQqpPMZdVYjZnP0WsY42XPPxSXraawDuRQmefZteo97LfSknW9wnmX7Qkonv8WwaLi2a7kuwvAsQhpe9IasCjt60/s1600/1670.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yJRpv9Mhq11UDY-5N3vnKovMfBB-rtyLaoNDVG8oKpGNDZRtUFBWsQqpPMZdVYjZnP0WsY42XPPxSXraawDuRQmefZteo97LfSknW9wnmX7Qkonv8WwaLi2a7kuwvAsQhpe9IasCjt60/s400/1670.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560820074131080978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">CLARIFICATION: As I confess at the end of this post, it is not my finest, clearest writing. I wish to clarify that two things I refer to, the program "Rachel's Challenge" and the book </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span class="by smallText"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="by smallText"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">by James C. Hunter are not directly connected. The book is </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">not</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> part of the group's presentation.</span><br /><br /></span></span> I am spluttering right now. Somehow a discussion with my mother about my concern regarding an upcoming school presentation by a group called Rachel's Challenge has degenerated into her blaming an Arizona community college for not doing something about the gunman who shot Congresswoman Giffords, her bemoaning the loss of US jobs to foreign countries, implying strongly that it is the fault of the current administration, and her saying the ACLU gives her a pain in the ass.<br /><br />WTF. Just.....WTF.<br /><br />I love my mother. But Fox News has alienated me from her. Do you think I have a case? I know that most states have eliminated alienation of affection lawsuits, but geez.<br /><br />I think Fox News has eliminated her ability to think coherently. I am not joking. She skips around from topic to topic, complaining about stuff or expressing fear.<br /><br />Thankfully, the one thing she did agree with me on is that simply praying is not going to prevent tragedies like the one in Nebraska or the one in Arizona. Rachel's Challenge is a program aimed at preventing incidents like the Columbine shooting. Presenters came to my son's high school today. I was not impressed with the reports I read of it. You can read a discussion <a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2208431894&topic=5227">here</a>.<br /><br />And I was unenthused that the organization founded by the man who wrote and recited this simplistic poem when he testified before Congress was being paid by public school student funds to come talk to my community's students:<br /> <blockquote> <tt>Your laws ignore our deepest needs,<br /> Your words are empty air.<br /> You've stripped away our heritage,<br /> You've outlawed simple prayer.</tt> <p><tt>Now gunshots fill our classrooms,<br /> And precious children die.<br /> You seek for answers everywhere,<br /> And ask the question "Why?"</tt></p> <p><tt>You regulate restrictive laws,<br /> Through legislative creed.<br /> And yet you fail to understand,<br /> That God is what we need!</tt></p> </blockquote> Darrell Scott, father of Columbine shooting victim Rachel Scott, son of a preacher, is entitled to his opinion.<br /><br />I get that we have free speech. Yay, free speech!<br /><br />I get that we have Second Amendment rights. <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /> Though I would prefer that mentally ill people weren't packing heat. </span></span><br /><br />But we also have a little thing I like to call the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.<br />I hoped the presenter wouldn't try to push his religious beliefs on our kids.<br /><br />I went to the session this afternoon, and it was a cheery message that focused on inspiring kids to be kind to each other. I didn't see any overt religious message. So my concerns were abated, at least, about that. But then a friend told me that she'd learned the presentation likely cost a few thousand dollars, based on the estimates she'd seen when her own school was considering (but declined) to host the program. I question whether this is the best use of student activity fees. Surely our own teachers could have conveyed a similar message for a lot less.<br /><br />Still, that's not the thing that's bugging me the most. In the course of my research about Rachel's Challenge, I learned that the local school is using a book for a leadership course that I believe is.....hmm. What <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> I believe it is? That it's violating the Constitution's prohibition of establishment of religion? I dunno. That it's inappropriate? Yes.<br /><br />It's entitled <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span class="by smallText"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="by smallText">by James C. Hunter. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><br />I have only been able to read excerpts so far; I'm hoping to borrow the book in the next day or so and read the whole thing. It's pretty clear from all I've seen that it is rooted in evangelical Christian thought. There are multiple references to Christ as a servant leader. There is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181736.The_Servant">one review</a> that particularly piques my interest. Or perhaps a better way to phrase it is to say it causes me concern.<br /><br />Here's an excerpt of the review written by Jonathan at Goodreads:<br /><br /><span id="reviewTextContainer65140802" class="readable" style=""><span id="freeText7896842733153792503" style="" class="reviewText"></span></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span id="reviewTextContainer65140802" class="readable" style=""><span id="freeText7896842733153792503" style="" class="reviewText">PG 120 </span></span><blockquote><span id="reviewTextContainer65140802" class="readable" style=""><span id="freeText7896842733153792503" style="" class="reviewText"></span></span></blockquote><span id="reviewTextContainer65140802" class="readable" style=""><span id="freeText7896842733153792503" style="" class="reviewText">Throw-away society<br /><br />No doubt we are a throw-away society and perhaps I am the worst offender in this regard. But I find the use of abortion to support this point to be problematic.<br /><br />There is a comment here suggests that the decision to have an abortion is as simple and easy as tossing away something unwanted. There are so many points to be made against this that I am not sure where to begin. But I will end here, this is a difficult decision for any person or couple to make. If they are pro-life (that's right folks pro-life people have abortions) or if they are pro-choice, it is a emotional, serious, and tough choice to make. It is even tougher to follow through with. I would be naive if I did not say that there are people who are flipant about this decision but that is extremely rare. The vast majority of people make such a significant decision carefully and thoughtfully.<br /><br />Perhaps a better example, one that is never touched on very strongly, is the amount of resources that we use compared to our population. Not sure the exact percentages here but in the USA we consume a large portion of the available resources relative to our population. How about those gianormous SUVs we see crusing around the burbs? You know the ones that get about 10 miles to the gallon? I could be wrong here but their sole purpose seems to be to prop up the ego. Is that not wasting resources? The take more material to manufacture, utilize, and maintian than cars 1/2 to 1/3 their size. If the purpose of a vehicle is to get us and our gear from point A to point B AND a smaller vehicle will do the job, then isn't any vehicle larger than that in effect a waste? Is that not simply throwing away resources that could be better used elsewhere? Wouldn't our world be better served by a more wise use of our resources? How about applying servanthood in this context?<br /><br />PG 153<br />Smokers blame cigarette companies to their addiction.<br /><br />For the most part, I have to agree with the book on this one but fact is the cigarette companies deliberately manipulated nicotine levels so as to maxmize the chances for the smokers addiction. Yes, everyone who put that first cigarette in their mouth made that choice freely AND there are plenty of people who struggled with the difficulty of quitting to shake the habit. So we know it can be done. But the fact is, the cigarette companies stacked the deck...or pack...in their favor to intentionally addict users and ensure a continued market for their product. They even went so far to create cartoon characters to market their product so as to get young people to smoke. Here again, coupled with nicotine levels intended to produce addiction, they ensure a stable and reliable market for their products and profits. All this while internal documents clearly and directly link their product to cancer and heart diesease. Were it not for these actions, the books point would have been stronger.<br /><br />If we are talking about being servants here then where is the service in the cigarette companies actions? Where is their responsiblity? There is a subtle message here that corporations are not to blame for the impact of their actions. Why isn't the notion of responsibilty that is applied to individuals also leveled at corporations? </span></span></blockquote><br />Let me be clear. I like Jesus. He seems like a good person. I like many the things he is reported to have said and done. I'm sure that most of this book gives good examples and principles of leadership. But I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to leave Jesus out of it when teaching in a public school, and to have picked a book that didn't have some of these other issues.<br /><br />I apologize for the length and rambling nature of this post. It's been written in stops and starts throughout the day. I'm eager to read your comments about all of this! Please share your thoughts, particularly about what you would do or what you think I could do to constructively express concern about this book.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-54792153760105685802011-01-05T18:58:00.000-08:002011-01-05T19:18:45.632-08:00Lord, Hear My Prayer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxHvXhMJcVkAYj8U-Zc3h1vLEPYP0GDMM1fqyBJal0qL3ce1rrOARsp4OgGl9VMxhSCXicQwLV8ZlrLYvcmeuI0Ws_HpGv7VgB35gCGf3FiOlGTr7IkaHj1FSztTmWSyRt7TNCNqNyH40/s1600/shocked-crowd.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxHvXhMJcVkAYj8U-Zc3h1vLEPYP0GDMM1fqyBJal0qL3ce1rrOARsp4OgGl9VMxhSCXicQwLV8ZlrLYvcmeuI0Ws_HpGv7VgB35gCGf3FiOlGTr7IkaHj1FSztTmWSyRt7TNCNqNyH40/s400/shocked-crowd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558905085123365522" border="0" /></a><br />Just read this article:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newser.com/story/109057/guess-whos-flirting-with-a-presidential-run.html">http://www.newser.com/story/109057/guess-whos-flirting-with-a-presidential-run.html<br /></a><br />Dear Jeebus, no. No, no, a thousand times no. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO!<br /><br />Please, deliver us from the crazy.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-12549005715409340112010-12-19T23:39:00.000-08:002010-12-19T23:52:24.560-08:00Wall of Separation or Good Neighbor Fence?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8KPQ-mzcgpdK_Y4ioW-KwBXzlNOlp4PNwkEI-ckcKTTK5daYMPnXcz83T6pObOPMJD_Wrf5hQqIi16K_55WYwuBsyvcYIQoqX21T_KtxVpvG5CcHUuYGv2I2-2GmeqJHVTyRBH1Ofq0r/s1600/Image_%25253D_Christmas_At_School.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8KPQ-mzcgpdK_Y4ioW-KwBXzlNOlp4PNwkEI-ckcKTTK5daYMPnXcz83T6pObOPMJD_Wrf5hQqIi16K_55WYwuBsyvcYIQoqX21T_KtxVpvG5CcHUuYGv2I2-2GmeqJHVTyRBH1Ofq0r/s400/Image_%25253D_Christmas_At_School.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552667486611945906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Whilst looking for the perfect illustration, I found this at <a href="http://garlicgingerturtles.blogspot.com/">http://garlicgingerturtles.blogspot.com/</a></span><br /><br /></div><br />Hello Internets!<br /><br />I need to get to bed, but I wanted to check in with you to see what you think about the concept of the wall of separation between church and state. It seems to be a hot button topic these days, but usually comes up pretty regularly at this time of year because of Christmas displays in public places and celebrations in schools.<br /><br />I have my own stories and thoughts to share, but I thought I'd ask you for yours first. Please comment! I'm going to be teaching a Mature Learning college course on the Wall of Separation in January, so I'm eager to mooch off your experiences and mighty brains.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO1AUelvqaGew780caUUgIIhuPLA9Mg02HnNf6p-EqnR8QRz6hNI5uc0EAgkFAfoIjSkzWGIxJKtNrDocnGS8ODR7Jl7Q6G_wFtN1AcPI7YhzWdcm2ET2epZ5Vb4n37gOGlnjAWya9FwM/s1600/Elf_600x600-300x300.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHO1AUelvqaGew780caUUgIIhuPLA9Mg02HnNf6p-EqnR8QRz6hNI5uc0EAgkFAfoIjSkzWGIxJKtNrDocnGS8ODR7Jl7Q6G_wFtN1AcPI7YhzWdcm2ET2epZ5Vb4n37gOGlnjAWya9FwM/s400/Elf_600x600-300x300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552668686124701602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bonus points if you also share your favorite holiday memory/film/song!<br />Note that I say "also" - be sure to answer the main question first!!<br /></span></div>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-55068687209319580842010-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:002010-12-09T13:29:19.255-08:00Heartbreakers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHM_Q6txyJ5Mf5OIXa3wRy37wiPN5BReM0mldgYd2BHeXivZnrUINg_OxDE-W2TIt8_bC6qyLaVkHiMW-Q-00zBLaLAdncAgicwezXJidPW4R1yLH3d-IwwN4XtPP_gyVNsg9hCNUXd8i/s1600/Davey-key-l.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHM_Q6txyJ5Mf5OIXa3wRy37wiPN5BReM0mldgYd2BHeXivZnrUINg_OxDE-W2TIt8_bC6qyLaVkHiMW-Q-00zBLaLAdncAgicwezXJidPW4R1yLH3d-IwwN4XtPP_gyVNsg9hCNUXd8i/s400/Davey-key-l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548797024537474722" border="0" /></a><br />Just a quickie for you darlings this afternoon, I'm afraid. I've been more than a little busy with this life thing. But I'm just bursting to share something, and I know that you are a sympathetic ear.<br /><br />This morning, I read a <a href="http://jonesbones5.com/2010/12/09/fathers-daughters-and-boys/">blog post</a> from a friend who has three girls. She entitled it <span style="font-style: italic;">Fathers, Daughters and Boys</span>, and began with the words: <blockquote style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><p style="font-style: italic;"></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Our girls are precious cargo, treasures, like fragile crystal.</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">HANDLE WITH CARE.</span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">My husband is protective, cautious, wise and strong, and he will go out of his way to make sure our daughters are treated like beautiful creations of God. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">My husband used to joke with the girls about the day they brought home a boy. “I will be cleaning my guns.” He would say, and they believed him.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><blockquote></blockquote><br />For some reason, this Facebook page title popped into my head:<br /><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:130%;">If you hurt my son I will make your death look like an accident.<br /></span></div><br />Yeah, that pretty much sums up what's in my heart. Boys are quite possibly even more fragile. And girls can be unbelievably brutal. <br /><br />I think that many parents of just girls think that boys are the enemies.<br />And that many parents of just boys think that girls are the enemies.<br /><br />But many parents of at least one boy and one girl realize that <span style="font-weight: bold;">all</span> other children, regardless of gender have the potential to hurt their kids equally.<br /><br />Right now, with only my teen son out in society, I tend to think of girls as cruel, capricious and generally all the spawn of Satan.<br /><br />Some day, when my little girl enters the wild world of dating, I will undoubtedly hate and fear boys as well.<br /><br />I'm glad I have a boy and a girl because I see their strengths and weaknesses, and cherish both. And I hereby send a fervent request out to the divinity that shapes our ends that no one hurts either one of them.<br /><br />We are all God's creatures.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-68582652330957741102010-12-03T12:11:00.000-08:002010-12-03T13:49:08.012-08:00Laurence Olivier, Eat Your Heart Out<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieibO3hFLwbN92hR44uKrqR3bZrWBJW3oNEnAAUe4ID9PIEJHEsW0DZICohyphenhyphenJ_J3L-HI5z1BExe56HNOjTBY-X_XYEG_aNhHhtUPCmZGU6HDZ9sdriOgWVQ4rp-zA5lTaB_5Fd1C2G2cqq/s1600/painted+portrait+with+canvas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieibO3hFLwbN92hR44uKrqR3bZrWBJW3oNEnAAUe4ID9PIEJHEsW0DZICohyphenhyphenJ_J3L-HI5z1BExe56HNOjTBY-X_XYEG_aNhHhtUPCmZGU6HDZ9sdriOgWVQ4rp-zA5lTaB_5Fd1C2G2cqq/s400/painted+portrait+with+canvas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546552132442660274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Andrew Forrest as Mr. Darcy, December 2010</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />Imagine this image enlarged to 20 x30, framed, hung above a fireplace, lit by gleaming brass chandeliers. A shy young woman acting as the housekeeper at Pemberley inquires of a more confident young actress portraying Elizabeth Bennet whether she has met Mr. Darcy, the character who is depicted. Another confident young woman in the role of Elizabeth's aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, asks her if the painting is a good likeness.<br /><br />And my heart is full.<br /><br />It has been a busy couple of months preparing for the local high school production of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span>. I have worked harder than usual and performed a number of new tasks to support the students and their wonderful directors. And, honestly, even if everyone had missed their cues and forgotten all their lines, it would have been totally worth it. <br /><br />But of course they didn't. The students and their teachers are incredibly talented, and put on a fabulous show. I have loved every minute working with them, assisting whatever way I could in order to be part of this magical process of transformation. <br /><br />I have also made some fantastic friends in the form of my fellow drama mamas. They are women I might never have met were it not for the fact that our children are in a production together. And what a loss that would have been. Kim, Robyn, Tracie, Rachael....four busy women who have shared anxieties, hopes, triumphs and a lot of laughs and hugs.<br /><br />There is also the experience of watching my son. My firstborn, my pride and joy. He interprets Darcy in his own unique way, with his beautiful deep voice reciting the classic lines of Jane Austen. I confess I am probably quite prejudiced, but I think his English accent is gorgeous. I am so thankful for all the hard work the directors and so many students have put into this production. They capture their characters so very well, and have so much enthusiasm. We've all seen shows where one or two people are super, but the rest are mediocre. That's not the case here. While I might tell myself that my son is the best thing evah, I also honestly feel that his peers are great. And I am so happy he has some very good friends in the group.<br /><br />Like I told you, my heart is full.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-41978175992120913752010-11-07T11:50:00.000-08:002010-11-07T22:48:15.887-08:00Adventures in Speech and Debate and Englishmen<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuFwNGPOsZKrrxs1MRMNUDgtoOgEmaTmWO9JGTPTE8T6CRF090VBU7tln9FgGu-Ax156tP-zC3fmdQpbhsXoZLDudet5Q4aiGkjtqXYhKKvH3j9rsps393b2N3ozst5B7Zuf9NadcG_Ua/s1600/everything_i_say_is_fully_substantiated_by_my_o_tshirt-p235859259498908554tr1k_400.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuFwNGPOsZKrrxs1MRMNUDgtoOgEmaTmWO9JGTPTE8T6CRF090VBU7tln9FgGu-Ax156tP-zC3fmdQpbhsXoZLDudet5Q4aiGkjtqXYhKKvH3j9rsps393b2N3ozst5B7Zuf9NadcG_Ua/s400/everything_i_say_is_fully_substantiated_by_my_o_tshirt-p235859259498908554tr1k_400.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536901786314581698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >I found this at <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/">http://www.zazzle.co.uk</a><br /> <br /> </span></div><br />I feel a bit like Michael Palin's character in <span style="font-style: italic;">Monty Python's Flying Circus' </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68GeL8PafE">"Gumby Brain Surgery"<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sketch.</a><br /><br />My brain hurts.<br /><br />It was a long weekend for la Famille de Forrest. Super Son competed in a Congress Debate event whilst Professor X and I scurried about doing Speech and Debate Booster Club support activities, including judging some events. We heard some great stuff from a lot of wonderful young people. I especially love judging events like impromptu, where they're given a choice of three topics and have to choose one, then make up and deliver a speech on the spot. It takes guts to do this type of activity. It's been over a quarter of a century since I participated in speech and debate, and I can still remember how nervous I felt before each round, how my heart pounded and my stomach churned.<br /><br />I had lots of good stuff I wanted to tell you about regarding the speech and debate topic, but I got distracted with hanging out with the kids and my man, going to the local fitness center to get more sleek, eating a great steak dinner grilled by the man, watching The Simpsons featuring Hugh Laurie and Daniel Radcliffe, and enjoying my new secret boyfriend, Benedict Cumberbatch, in his brilliant portrayal of Sherlock.<br /><br />I was first introduced to him when I watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Fortysomething</span>, a funny television series starring Hugh Laurie. Have a peek at some of the scenes with Cumberbatch. Hearing all those lovely British accents gets me very excited about our upcoming visit to the UK this summer. I do love me some Englishmen. You're just going to have to wait for my Speech and Debate recollections and observations, I'm afraid.<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QzuglRS2T0U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QzuglRS2T0U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-58206190223337052322010-11-03T08:57:00.001-07:002010-11-03T10:15:59.915-07:00WTF Has Obama Done So Far?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYuKUxJLsRN0XypxF1t7Lq6mQXmzOZUukyNcerqkMp_-omq1xu52R8cpXvG08FOxKch2UnOCEY392Y3CKamSBmIopzA2UKGFcYlqS1qSwnqTkeN1H7H2F6FJrsJXaN6kmQbzHO5M9CcNJ/s1600/tshirt3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYuKUxJLsRN0XypxF1t7Lq6mQXmzOZUukyNcerqkMp_-omq1xu52R8cpXvG08FOxKch2UnOCEY392Y3CKamSBmIopzA2UKGFcYlqS1qSwnqTkeN1H7H2F6FJrsJXaN6kmQbzHO5M9CcNJ/s400/tshirt3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535372611963851186" border="0" /> </a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://tomwatson.typepad.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>http://tomwatson.typepad.com/</a></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><br /></div>I had prepared myself for bad news yesterday, so I wasn't shocked when the tide of red began to sweep the map. Still it was a blow when my own congressional district chose a woman who does not represent my values.<br /><br />I've heard a lot of people say that the election of all these conservative candidates is a backlash against the President and the Democratic-controlled Congress.<br /><br />I just don't get it. A backlash against <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">what</span>, precisely?<br /><a href="http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/CollegeAffordabilityFactSheet.pdf"><br />Significantly expanding Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college</a>?<br /><br /><div id="text"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html">Signing financial reform law establishing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans?</a><br /><br /><div id="text"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html">Signing financial reform law prohibiting banks from engaging in proprietary trading (trading the bank's own money to turn a profit, often in conflict with their customers' interests)?</a></div> <div id="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html"><br /></a></div> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Cut%20prescription%20drug%20cost%20for%20medicare%20recipients%20by%2050%%20http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary"><br /></a><div id="text"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Cut%20prescription%20drug%20cost%20for%20medicare%20recipients%20by%2050%%20http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary">Cutting prescription drug cost for medicare recipients by 50%?</a><br /><br /><div id="text"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_of_2009">Signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers</a>?<br /></div></div></div><a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/pentagon-will-help-families/"><br /></a><div id="footnote"><a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/pentagon-will-help-families/">Providing travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB</a>?<br /><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/veterans"><br /></a><div id="text"><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/veterans">Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America's Veterans</a>?<br /><a href="http://themiddleclass.org/bill/children039s-health-insurance-program-reauthorization-%20act-2009"><br /></a><div id="footnote"><a href="http://themiddleclass.org/bill/children039s-health-insurance-program-reauthorization-%20act-2009">Signing the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which provides health care to 11 million kids -- 4 million of whom were previously uninsured</a>?<br /><br /></div>Or maybe it's something else?* God knows they've accomplished a lot in just two short years, after 8 years of an administration that screwed our environment, turned a surplus into a deficit, and sent our troops into wars that shouldn't have been started in the first place.<br /></div><br />I am angry today. But unlike Sharron Angle, I don't intend to <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/sharron_angle_floated_possibil.html">"resort to Second Amendment remedies."</a> Instead, I take comfort in the fact that at least she and some of the other more obvious wackos didn't win. Still, Michele Bachmann is reelected. And that woman scares the shit out of me. You probably saw the footage of her interview with Chris Matthews. Here Matthews reflects on the interview. Shades of Joe McCarthy! I want to know WTF Minnesota voters are thinking. Seriously?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://videos.mediaite.com/embed/player/?layout=&playlist_cid=&media_type=video&content=H1G53T1T6GWT8D0S&read_more=1&widget_type_cid=svp" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="421" scrolling="no" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><br /></div>*Check this out for more examples:<a href="http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/"><br />http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com</a>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-45613476568686197872010-11-01T17:57:00.001-07:002010-11-01T19:56:26.004-07:00Second Chances<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoxOhJ7mcxr5uL0_QA16Bqw8MQkj82zsoyOTEU63QpPUFYY78inlb1iLtVzjbzKgJmDCIXjwSzfOyRu36TQG5qL2g56JMCTzLiRz6tstAsgJeplWeVPmU1r_fMHt7AqoP2KEmbaPP79A7/s1600/theauthor.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoxOhJ7mcxr5uL0_QA16Bqw8MQkj82zsoyOTEU63QpPUFYY78inlb1iLtVzjbzKgJmDCIXjwSzfOyRu36TQG5qL2g56JMCTzLiRz6tstAsgJeplWeVPmU1r_fMHt7AqoP2KEmbaPP79A7/s400/theauthor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534750855689892946" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and<br />Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict<br /><br /></div>I have to tell you the sad news: I didn't win any of the Austen books in the giveaway I mentioned in my last post. But the good news is that the author is offering another giveaway! Check it out and watch a funny clip about chamber pots vs. toilets: <a href="http://janeaustenaddict.com/" target="_blank"> http://janeaustenaddict.com</a><br /><br />Laurie Viera Rigler is the author. She just visited Portland, but sadly, I didn't get to meet her. Though I volunteered to help at the JASNA AGM event, and worked at the registration table, our paths didn't cross. I wish now that I had coughed up the money for the event, but it was spendy and I'm saving for a trip to visit Jane Austen's home in England this summer. Life is all about choices.<br /><br />Speaking of choices, I hope Laurie chooses me to win her books!Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-79347413850079304332010-10-30T21:52:00.000-07:002010-10-30T21:58:25.912-07:00Fun Jane Austen Goodies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlEkxwBPyXD8Qu1s4bwmbXjI0zKS91WjeNv4BHcGvFL4fiYZa7KiJChv3PnzN2onueYBkqL1CkrPkM7pxTtfwh_cLN1nf0KKKQjNo2lWFfd7X6EsZDU40WEwcCKzA7gGW1pzrQkL9gXVa/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlEkxwBPyXD8Qu1s4bwmbXjI0zKS91WjeNv4BHcGvFL4fiYZa7KiJChv3PnzN2onueYBkqL1CkrPkM7pxTtfwh_cLN1nf0KKKQjNo2lWFfd7X6EsZDU40WEwcCKzA7gGW1pzrQkL9gXVa/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534070080966471298" border="0" /></a><br />I'm excited about the prospect of winning a pair of novels by Laurie Viera Rigler:<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict</span>" and "<span style="font-style: italic;">Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict</span>." I just learned of the contest at <a href="http://janeaustenaddict.com/" target="_blank">http://janeaustenaddict.com</a>.<br /><br />Go check out the website for details, and to watch a very clever video clip.<br /><br />This has been a busy weekend for me - I helped with a great Halloween theatre event/fundraiser, and volunteered at the Annual Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America. When I'm less exhausted, I'll post some observations about it all.<br /><br />For now, I've got my fingers crossed about winning these fun-sounding novels!Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-6030589751194641732010-10-24T08:35:00.000-07:002010-10-24T10:34:40.787-07:00Don't Believe Everything You Read<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLgxRaVtJFnjRgTgLYgYg25je6c1mWNuyhikXdHb5KI5EIAoln5bObLhCmjDdN6IhWQZqh0YpK8YRxvgQ2YS5UnoFVewbnKfO4WZyBMJ2PoFO2vwy9Vt-RjS0wK6nh51CcTj7zbn8oh1b/s1600/ObamaBible700.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLgxRaVtJFnjRgTgLYgYg25je6c1mWNuyhikXdHb5KI5EIAoln5bObLhCmjDdN6IhWQZqh0YpK8YRxvgQ2YS5UnoFVewbnKfO4WZyBMJ2PoFO2vwy9Vt-RjS0wK6nh51CcTj7zbn8oh1b/s400/ObamaBible700.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531656538443193266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am just going to say it:<br /><br />A literal interpretation of this writing leads to absolute abominations.<br />Am I talking about <span style="font-style: italic;">Hustler</span>? The Marquis de Sade's libertine novel<span style="font-style: italic;"> Juliette</span>? Joseph Goebbels' anti-Semitic ravings?<br /><br />Nope.<br /><br />It's the book that John Muir's father deemed “<a href="http://librivox.org/the-story-of-my-boyhood-and-youth-by-john-muir/">the only book human beings could possibly require</a>,” the book that both Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama used to swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, the book that is so often quoted to justify hatred and violence.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OC_-4RU85vwNIoUyO4a1PQgZa_bKKINl7QuJW-68or4TwCy2xTk4RslhkmqdgoH6iDIyEU31lv3ZkLKsxYHmOm8Rs2cGHq2VtK96i2SMXTI1-xW1PSD91chF9u0EiZiIALrtmEKjqW7e/s1600/l_b8f8be0b2bfaa760c240098fb9203988.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OC_-4RU85vwNIoUyO4a1PQgZa_bKKINl7QuJW-68or4TwCy2xTk4RslhkmqdgoH6iDIyEU31lv3ZkLKsxYHmOm8Rs2cGHq2VtK96i2SMXTI1-xW1PSD91chF9u0EiZiIALrtmEKjqW7e/s400/l_b8f8be0b2bfaa760c240098fb9203988.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531652286564685778" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not just talking about loons like the Westboro Baptist Church, Rev. Donald Spitz or James Dobson. I'm thinking of people like a very nice lady who was my mom's friend, who took us out on her boat when the kids were little. Somehow we got into a discussion where she espoused the view that AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality. I was as stunned as if she had mooned me and crapped on the deck. I disagreed with her politely <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(after all, we were on a boat, and I needed to get back on dry land eventually) </span></span>and we moved on to other topics. But it was an epiphany for me. It's not just whack jobs like Dr. Laura who think this way.<br /><br />I've been working on my upcoming Freedom of Religion class, reviewing popular culture films and television shows to serve as discussion starters. Here's a doozie on this theme.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eD52OlkKfNs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eD52OlkKfNs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />I LOVE this clip. I love the writing. I love the delivery. <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">And I have adored Martin Sheen since sixth grade, when a teacher screened The Missiles of October, in which he played Bobby Kennedy.</span></span><br /><p align="left">Just in case you can't get the clip to play, here's the script excerpt.<br /></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Bartlet: "Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality ‘an abomination.'"</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Jacobs: "I don't say homosexuality is an abomination Mr. President. The Bible does."</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Bartlet: "Yes it does. Leviticus-"</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Jacobs: "18:22."</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Bartlet launches into an impassioned diatribe interspersed with shots of an uncomfortable Jacobs fidgeting: "Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? [silence in the room] While thinking about that can I ask another? My chief-of-staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police?</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >"Here's one that's really important, 'cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean, Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side-by-side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you.</span></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > </span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >"One last thing. While you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the ignorant tight-ass club, in this building when the President stands, nobody sits."</span></span></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="left">This is not to say that I don't acknowledge there are lots of great lessons in the Bible. Many of my friends do wonderful things, helping others in amazing ways. They choose to focus on the aspect of love rather than be judgemental.<br /></p><p align="left">As a teacher and parent, I've been encouraged to foster critical thinking in learners and my own children. To comprehend, analyze and evaluate rather than simply swallowing whole everything I hear or read.<br /></p>I find it troubling that some folks who rationalize their prejudices do so by contending they believe everything in the Bible, yet ignore many, many parts of it. If you're going to be a fundamentalist, I don't think you get to pick and choose.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIpFPWidtrhbvUkxC8C0sjOaeS_sXss6wI7k1gps1CNd_WzovdMJJ8PmBMEgsfFZSYkdEcANKvtOF1cDaGgGX_mca0wYos7tjE3ilGSeEdLcwVpn1Yds33sp8kcnO1l2ZPxjP6Fw1t4d1/s1600/leviticus-homosexuality.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIpFPWidtrhbvUkxC8C0sjOaeS_sXss6wI7k1gps1CNd_WzovdMJJ8PmBMEgsfFZSYkdEcANKvtOF1cDaGgGX_mca0wYos7tjE3ilGSeEdLcwVpn1Yds33sp8kcnO1l2ZPxjP6Fw1t4d1/s400/leviticus-homosexuality.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531649734908649058" border="0" /></a></span></span>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-8029971619025637752010-10-11T19:59:00.000-07:002010-10-11T20:38:17.109-07:00Fangirl for a Redheaded Hamlet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa24Cqw9yEzq_8VB0sKclHrGVGRUzzSBX7F3PBpCWyNkO71veaKTtmN-nIl0QyaUPc3lzL6lx8A2jljzS7GiTXhX7zRWS-bMIRhRLcHmmyU-C4RMGe0BVJrMjXVyoupJF3IQ9tfX49kp0/s1600/osf-2010poster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa24Cqw9yEzq_8VB0sKclHrGVGRUzzSBX7F3PBpCWyNkO71veaKTtmN-nIl0QyaUPc3lzL6lx8A2jljzS7GiTXhX7zRWS-bMIRhRLcHmmyU-C4RMGe0BVJrMjXVyoupJF3IQ9tfX49kp0/s400/osf-2010poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526997197127691730" border="0" /></a><br />I have seen a LOT of plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival over the past 22 years.<br /><br />I have NEVER seen the same one twice.<br /><br />Until now.<br /><br />I've endeavored to see every play with Dan Donohue since he joined the gang in 1994.<br /><br />I've really enjoyed his comedic turns in roles like <span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:-1;color:#333333;"><br />Dvornichek in Tom Stoppard's ROUGH CROSSING<br />Andrew Aguecheek in TWELFTH NIGHT<br /><br /></span>Not to mention his incredible work in<br /><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:-1;color:#333333;"><br />the three year cycle playing Hal in HENRY IV, PARTS 1 & 2 and Henry in HENRY V.<br /><br /><br /></span>This year, the man has outdone himself. He is totally hilarious as<br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:-1;color:#333333;">Waiter in She Loves Me</span>.<br /><br />And he is amazingly masterful as<br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:-1;color:#333333;">Hamlet in Hamlet.</span><br /><br /><br />So amazingly masterful, in fact, that I paid for tickets not just once, but TWICE.<br /><br />And the family adored him just as much, so they did the same.<br /><br />He is the most physical, funny, clever Hamlet ever. His intonations and expressions as he performs are so unique. They illuminate this character in a completely fresh, wonderful way. For the first time, I really gave a damn that <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">SPOILER ALERT!</span> Hamlet dies at the end.<br />We loved every minute of the play in August. And again a week ago.<br /><br />We drove five hours down and five hours back in order to see him again.<br /><br />And in between those five hour drives, we were thrilled to be rewarded for our wait by the stage door by him coming out and visiting with us. Even though he was clearly exhausted, he signed our programme and shook our hands, and permitted us to love on him for a few minutes.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:-1;color:#333333;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lFcBO84ryoPZ3MOvcCpYvzidJMhF-Vqz5kbBobYd3r_rAQmFV2fd5iY5Dmx5NQ_d_uCqP8vuNzcVoMNOj5CrVwsg0xVuMmrwgq7a_sPhb8tMu2k5I4Dk-Ynsv45kS1esC-mcX7JV33VS/s1600/hamlet_1_dc_0394crop-460x1024.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lFcBO84ryoPZ3MOvcCpYvzidJMhF-Vqz5kbBobYd3r_rAQmFV2fd5iY5Dmx5NQ_d_uCqP8vuNzcVoMNOj5CrVwsg0xVuMmrwgq7a_sPhb8tMu2k5I4Dk-Ynsv45kS1esC-mcX7JV33VS/s400/hamlet_1_dc_0394crop-460x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526997970865944034" border="0" /></a></span>I confess it. I am a fool for this actor.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-37577048873635223272010-09-19T01:30:00.000-07:002010-09-19T01:50:44.807-07:00Quick! Talk to Me About Free Speech<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH9xZr7a5oQTxPStRS9NcamehGe3ZMPUGPAL23wumCnUN1m9w3WaBjbJbg7LYEFCYAqoCAo4uBnKH0-IBFCBYKew_C9lw4xTZZBGR9gv_9_RD525Kko9Phj_4fIh_EXR6mw44f1ka989j/s1600/panic-button.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH9xZr7a5oQTxPStRS9NcamehGe3ZMPUGPAL23wumCnUN1m9w3WaBjbJbg7LYEFCYAqoCAo4uBnKH0-IBFCBYKew_C9lw4xTZZBGR9gv_9_RD525Kko9Phj_4fIh_EXR6mw44f1ka989j/s400/panic-button.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518542195046308354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am putting the finishing touches on my course notes for the first class of <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The Right to Offend: Freedom of Speech in America.</span><br /><br />And I am just a wee bit panicky.<br /><br />I feel like I'm overlooking something.<br /><br />I'd love to hear from you, dear readers. If you were attending a community education course for mature learners (aged 55+) over the span of five weeks, meeting once a week for two hours, (ie we have ten hours to cover everything) what would you want to learn? <br /><br />What topics would you find most interesting? <br /><br />What specific examples of free speech issues in action would you enjoy discussing?<br /><br />Use those free speech rights! Comment now!<br /><br />I am all ears.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQHcJpX6T5lGiDWrWuYjEZFKXQPoMdBvoBDporl1-JHieGIeYUTkyyv4eHYkiuTdwVLc2J3_Ywc6iFBnDU6GuWWEJ_dH_JMce7cx3PyApBnxweKzuVx-L8E_-sCh0tRYC0LCI9jJxuBz0/s1600/collage-of-ears.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQHcJpX6T5lGiDWrWuYjEZFKXQPoMdBvoBDporl1-JHieGIeYUTkyyv4eHYkiuTdwVLc2J3_Ywc6iFBnDU6GuWWEJ_dH_JMce7cx3PyApBnxweKzuVx-L8E_-sCh0tRYC0LCI9jJxuBz0/s400/collage-of-ears.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518542095286593698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">http://wrir.org/index.php?/blog/entry/1078/<br /></span></div><br />Admittedly, this is not really a picture of me. But I thought it would make you laugh, and then maybe be more inclined to share your brain. Well, not your <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">actual </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>brain....just your ideas.<br /><br /><br />PS Bonus points for cool things I can share with the class. I found one neat clip tonight: <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j_LKARB_iGs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j_LKARB_iGs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-81668423176949628462010-09-15T15:55:00.000-07:002010-09-15T16:29:00.005-07:00In Which I Confess My Prejudice<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwXukSbhRU8X7cgmJyYXJBZlfGRMFMo-OgzzjBIGSCKB5cAEmZ0IruEM1grgwQBjSdhtHABvtHgMtDghHaXFDT_US24zorJES5gIWPdPzSKUPbV_qRTX7O267MsLVr5dLgG9pYTwY0K5t/s1600/party-jane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwXukSbhRU8X7cgmJyYXJBZlfGRMFMo-OgzzjBIGSCKB5cAEmZ0IruEM1grgwQBjSdhtHABvtHgMtDghHaXFDT_US24zorJES5gIWPdPzSKUPbV_qRTX7O267MsLVr5dLgG9pYTwY0K5t/s400/party-jane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517281804908778290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Austen is celebrating to learn that her most famous male character will be played by the best actor evah!</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><br />I am bursting at the seams to share some outstanding news with you. My brilliant son has been chosen by a pair of incredibly insightful directors to play <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(drumroll, please)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">MR. DARCY</span></span><br /></div><br />in <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span>.<br /><br /><br />My stage mother instincts are in full gear. I am seriously thinking about buying a full page ad in <span style="font-style: italic;">Variety</span> to announce this. I think the child is going to be absolutely incredible. But I am honest enough to admit that I am totally prejudiced.<br /><br />Get it? Prejudiced? Ha ha ha. I am so hilarious.<br /><br />I am also super proud.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-68217613913518191282010-09-06T23:43:00.000-07:002010-09-07T00:26:21.283-07:00Lord, Protect Me From Your Followers<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X1Uzya0XSTwlk6GmaoGxcfL3Q8ciFQ-CNWZ4lBybzE4TXVMXpjIHIhE_VY-UX-Pk2ZmM_VV72Mx2YJHCv9PlMQq3rubieVVzXwW9Eo9N1D-qEcA8noCartJZnMAF7BejqH7L7FVEUwr7/s1600/harry-potter-book-burning.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X1Uzya0XSTwlk6GmaoGxcfL3Q8ciFQ-CNWZ4lBybzE4TXVMXpjIHIhE_VY-UX-Pk2ZmM_VV72Mx2YJHCv9PlMQq3rubieVVzXwW9Eo9N1D-qEcA8noCartJZnMAF7BejqH7L7FVEUwr7/s400/harry-potter-book-burning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514066783009825026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo found at parody site </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=21782">Landover Baptist Church</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Sadly, the article link below is true.</span></span><br /></div><br />I read <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703713504575475500753093116.html">this exciting newsflash</a> tonight.<br /><br />I try really hard to remember that many Christians I know are fantastic people. But when this kind of shit happens, I get sick to my stomach.<br /><br />When we moved to the Pacific Northwest years ago, Professor X and I joined a church. We attended services, participated in the parents with young children group, helped with Vacation Bible School. One of the things I really loved about the whole deal was that the pastor who led the new member class spoke to us about his view that there are many paths which lead to heaven, that our denomination wasn't the only way. He was accepting of other religions and embraced learning about others' beliefs.<br /><br />It seems like so many Christians now adopt the "my way or the highway" attitude when it comes to faith. And when I see behaviors ranging from <a href="http://halfirishrover.blogspot.com/2010/09/wickedness.html">a teen's thoughtless post attacking non-Christians</a> to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/06/florida.quran.burning/index.html">this sort of organized, pastor-led libricide</a>, I wonder if we are headed for a real cataclysm.<br /><br />I talked to a man tonight who clearly enjoys saying provocative things about politics and negative things about our current administration to elicit responses from others. One of my friends witnessed our exchange, and I think he was surprised I didn't bother to respond to the man, voicing my own opinion. Why bother? I have had experiences with such folks in the past, and it's a waste of my time.<br /><br />We engaged in some further chitchat, and he said that politics was like armpits. "Both sides stink," he chortled, obviously considering himself a great wit. I was moved to comment that I liked the Irish system of government, with more than two parties, so that leaders were compelled to negotiate and form coalitions to create policy. I think that would be a good system to adopt here. He had no response. Apparently a serious discussion of alternatives wasn't fun.<br /><br />My mom used to say that politics was a dirty business, and that our governmental system wasn't any good, but it was still better than any other nations'. Mind you, she hadn't studied any of the other countries' governments, but she was a proud American. We don't talk politics much these days, but I am betting her opinion hasn't changed much. I always thought it was kind of cool that other countries had different systems, and found some good in many of them that would be worthwhile for us to consider.<br /><br />After reading tonight's disturbing news story, I can't help thinking that having multiple religions is a good thing too. With our current system of Democrat vs. Republicans, all too often people fall into a sort of sports fan mentality, cheering on "their team" rather than considering whether a policy is good or not. And when leaders of Dove World Outreach Center think it's okay to burn the holy books of another religion in a kind of fucked-up rally demonstration for their team, I am angry on behalf of the religion they're attacking.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-1010674776134843292010-09-01T20:36:00.001-07:002010-09-01T22:16:38.622-07:00Wickedness<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6jjGeLAF9SwZShn4u5Q8TV_2nj5hQmtAMP0czg51mnCRm2nqC4lzUtc8HoL_D34nu3coHWbfIJ1F-7guNccfbDSd07-0GggxIRMjeK2Fl2vz7_Rnaa7vPxMjht2OFhuKHc010Mh0TQg6/s1600/merchant-heald-haugenjpg-ed5cd03baa74900a_large.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6jjGeLAF9SwZShn4u5Q8TV_2nj5hQmtAMP0czg51mnCRm2nqC4lzUtc8HoL_D34nu3coHWbfIJ1F-7guNccfbDSd07-0GggxIRMjeK2Fl2vz7_Rnaa7vPxMjht2OFhuKHc010Mh0TQg6/s400/merchant-heald-haugenjpg-ed5cd03baa74900a_large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512172328402141202" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:78%;" > <span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-photo" style="display: inline;"><span class="adv-photo-large"><span class="photo-data"><span class="byline"> Photo by Jenny Graham, OSF</span><span class="caption"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Merchant of Venice,</span> Anthony Heald and Jonathan Haugen </span></span></span></span></span></div><br /><br />Can I share something with you? Today I read something that really ticked me off. It was posted as a high school girl's status update.<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" > </span><h6 style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span style="font-size:130%;">Corinthians 6:14~Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?</span></h6>Give me a friggin' break.<br /><br />I am <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">so</span> tired of some Christians' attitudes that they are better than anyone who is not a Christian. <span style="font-size:85%;">(Not to mention those who think they are better Christians than other Christians.)</span> This particular phrasing the young woman employed has been used in many other places; a google search yielded over 600 hits.<br /><br />We recently spent a glorious week down in Ashland<span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> (insert genuflection here)</span></span> at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, seeing plays and attending discussions with actors and dramaturgs. I'll share more about the details in future posts, but I want to mention something specific here: my family's response to <span style="font-style: italic;">The Merchant of Venice.</span> It was a brilliant production of a troubling play. Spoiler alert: Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Venice, is forced to convert to Christianity in order to retain his property. Both kids were outraged at this turn of events. And they found it totally believable, given the intolerant, holier-than-thou attitudes of so many of their Christian peers.<br /><br />I read <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2010/06/seasoned_by_broadway_and_holly.html">a great piece</a> about Anthony Heald, the actor who portrays Shylock. The first Jewish actor in the 75 year history of OSF to perform the role, Heald wrestled with many issues. I love his analysis:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><br />"I think the biggest mistake is to present all the Christians as bigots and Shylock as noble. What that does is leave the suggestion that even noble Jews are capable of vicious acts. No -- Jewish people with psychological flaws, like Christians with psychological flaws, are capable of vicious acts."<br /><h6 style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); text-align: right;" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX9e28Wdu0JRpeU1z9a9T3E-T4MF1N3zYBSr4Q7YrXQkyv-MD_-gQIPBno2xFhb9gCMIz4q96e9q8u_1I4tp3UUihyphenhyphen-uyQL4r9prmQr6QpQ3f8UIB1lourcR-kmTc8f4ERHbjMfS38cpu/s1600/healdmirrorjpg-0a673c81256b0115_large.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX9e28Wdu0JRpeU1z9a9T3E-T4MF1N3zYBSr4Q7YrXQkyv-MD_-gQIPBno2xFhb9gCMIz4q96e9q8u_1I4tp3UUihyphenhyphen-uyQL4r9prmQr6QpQ3f8UIB1lourcR-kmTc8f4ERHbjMfS38cpu/s400/healdmirrorjpg-0a673c81256b0115_large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512173533472377314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" class="byline">Photo by Jamie Francis/The Oregonian</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-photo" style="display: inline;"><span class="photo-breakout photo-center large"><span class="caption"></span></span></span></span></h6><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor Anthony Heald has found a rewarding home in Ashland, where he's become a key member of the talented company. Director Bill Rauch describes him as "a brilliant craftsperson" and a "seeker of the truth" through his art. ~caption from Marty Hughley's Oregonian article</span></span><br /></blockquote>I'd encourage Christians to really consider these words:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;"><div class="poem"> <p>Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,<br />dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with<br />the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject<br />to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means,<br />warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer<br />as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?<br />If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,<br />do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?<br />If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.<br />If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility?<br />Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his<br />sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge.<br />The villainy you teach me, I will execute,<br />and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.<br /> (Act III, scene I)</p></div></blockquote><div class="poem"><p></p> </div><br />Right on, Will.<br /><br />I am sick of sanctimonious schmucks.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-8133087991763391542010-08-20T00:25:00.000-07:002010-08-20T01:01:50.441-07:00Departing Friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oPhN_HgW0RlbLV5OTQDSOHnifo1ypnrnvbTiqONMGvuOBMOF0QqCSW9Bjs_-6c3XHfAF9L-xnYC5rMuH0E7v4hD_XKDEM54uEnErtuC49ZujUNIzafoUvhAPuFKkDjvtUGIHWVj-7L2W/s1600/farewell_420_420x300.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oPhN_HgW0RlbLV5OTQDSOHnifo1ypnrnvbTiqONMGvuOBMOF0QqCSW9Bjs_-6c3XHfAF9L-xnYC5rMuH0E7v4hD_XKDEM54uEnErtuC49ZujUNIzafoUvhAPuFKkDjvtUGIHWVj-7L2W/s400/farewell_420_420x300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507398964182572418" border="0" /></a><br />I'm feeling melancholy this evening, as I contemplate the upcoming move of a very good friend. <a href="http://mamamilton.blogspot.com/">Mama Milton</a> is leaving our town, headed to a place a few hours away. I know that I will miss her very much, and Daring Daughter will miss her wonderful girl. But I've tried hard not to think about it since she broke the news. Like Scarlett O'Hara, I told myself I'd think about it tomorrow.<br /><br />Very soon, there won't be any more tomorrows. She will be down the road, and I'll no longer be able to just call her up on the spur of the moment to get together.<br /><br />This sucks.<br /><br />But she will still be close enough that we can, with a bit of planning, rendezvous someplace between our homes. Or we can travel down a few hours to see her. Still, it is a loss, and I'm mourning.<br /><br />There's another friend I met through blogging that I won't be able to visit. His name was Barry Fraser. He lived in Canada with his wife, and they had many adventures together. I discovered his wonderful storytelling and commented at his blog, <a href="http://anexplorers.blogspot.com/">An Explorer's View of Life</a>. Soon, he was reciprocating. I always looked forward to his observations on my posts. We shared a love of nature, a willingness to protect it through environmental activism, and a progressive view of politics. Then he discovered he had cancer. And though he battled it with determination and grace, he passed away on July 20th.<br /><br />His blog has a wonderful quote that gives me comfort. But I still miss him very much.<br /><br /><div class="widget-content"> <em style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">“We shall not cease from exploration</em><br /><em style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">And the end of all our exploring</em><br /><em style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Will be to arrive where we started</em><br /><em style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">And know the place for the first time.”</em><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">- T.S. Eliot, </span><em style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Four Quartets</em> </div>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-64426042790075743572010-08-11T02:31:00.000-07:002010-08-11T02:45:19.359-07:00Obsessing<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoxv0VqISmjRMqX6P5Z9TP1ikdicuSvvn35EHLSiPAg-e1cm8Zhyir_h7aGyzlQVKVaPPAflTMaTjj-hCXADSZO2OGo0rkumIca-CtHZd7Z_Ro3akIi68ixhyphenhyphen-PxWJRD5cFUs9L81foQE/s1600/m_damon_462x600.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoxv0VqISmjRMqX6P5Z9TP1ikdicuSvvn35EHLSiPAg-e1cm8Zhyir_h7aGyzlQVKVaPPAflTMaTjj-hCXADSZO2OGo0rkumIca-CtHZd7Z_Ro3akIi68ixhyphenhyphen-PxWJRD5cFUs9L81foQE/s400/m_damon_462x600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504085016015629906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Slightly pensive but still scrumptious</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PL1y3CcTTyCjGQah5QMEe8g46FeLBUoYn0tUZk_rAe0CqyNHb9sExUAWJBaC8SwgUr7G4qrgqOn5PHLL54s-8C1_8Ji2HeKDCbH22VyTnIL8qphC9lB9gSX1LI9uGZqqFNUm7maKW53y/s1600/E2g3.C921211-02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PL1y3CcTTyCjGQah5QMEe8g46FeLBUoYn0tUZk_rAe0CqyNHb9sExUAWJBaC8SwgUr7G4qrgqOn5PHLL54s-8C1_8Ji2HeKDCbH22VyTnIL8qphC9lB9gSX1LI9uGZqqFNUm7maKW53y/s400/E2g3.C921211-02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504085135220980674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My heart goes pitty pat. He really is not <span style="font-weight: bold;">that </span>much younger than me.</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />When I was in college, I was quite disapproving of the behavior of my various roommates who played the same song over and over incessantly.<br /><br />When I became a parent, I quickly grew resigned to the fact that my spawn would play the same video again and again nonstop.<br /><br />But now that I am a (mostly) mature, well-rounded woman, I recognize there is nothing strange about watching a DVD eleven times in a three day period.<br /><br />Not when it features Jason Bourne.<br /><br />What took me so long to discover these films?!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-FOihVUqhvdQ55W2vLwi6xIiAJegJHwMsBhiDvYQoebqubRcVZLXnkWyW7GYkKDafOrXY22vpPzTafRkX5fIk0zsGTx2HaSuX1kG-8w94lKJ_HMhemaTYbCLj4ypxihAmF3QdLuK-jKV/s1600/20070808-jason_bourne_bw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-FOihVUqhvdQ55W2vLwi6xIiAJegJHwMsBhiDvYQoebqubRcVZLXnkWyW7GYkKDafOrXY22vpPzTafRkX5fIk0zsGTx2HaSuX1kG-8w94lKJ_HMhemaTYbCLj4ypxihAmF3QdLuK-jKV/s400/20070808-jason_bourne_bw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504084869532810242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Put that paper down and come to bed, honey.</span><br /></div>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-35385216703197052772010-08-05T00:02:00.000-07:002010-08-05T00:12:43.040-07:00One Fine Day aka Magic Bus<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3Ste3OPWxrPockbVADSuEP1cf9J1r06W0lIFO2rlvVFAfujboXyXEUzNAAYdpu2mxW5Xk_f7Lf-zuJinqiiH-PdL0WEVKVSYkfqIQ-ObgPMEm1vdcJnVG_U1OGp-5L3PX8pPkPyHE7Ql/s1600/4829513610_9b7f8fc93f_d.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3Ste3OPWxrPockbVADSuEP1cf9J1r06W0lIFO2rlvVFAfujboXyXEUzNAAYdpu2mxW5Xk_f7Lf-zuJinqiiH-PdL0WEVKVSYkfqIQ-ObgPMEm1vdcJnVG_U1OGp-5L3PX8pPkPyHE7Ql/s400/4829513610_9b7f8fc93f_d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501819507257714706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">photo from <a href="http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/08/01/creme-de-la-creme/">http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/08/01/creme-de-la-creme/</a></span></span><br /></div><br />Because I am feeling <del>slightly pooped</del> très fatigué this evening - whoops, this morning <span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(it is now 12:05 am)</span> - I am going to rely on my exceptionally talented writer friend <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/04257126641387033673">Bad Mom</a> to share the deets of the early part of our day together.<br /><br />Please go over <a href="http://www.thebadmom.com/2010/08/local-love.html">here</a> to enjoy her wonderful text and photos.<br /><br />More later. Because she left out a ton of good stuff. She must be très fatigué aussi.<br /><br /><br />XOXOFantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-52308614310459100462010-07-17T03:36:00.001-07:002010-07-17T03:54:02.697-07:00Where Would You Go?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rOt1LC1IMvjPKfMsy86H_JiN5iVyusb0MJ8vy-dE6GbOjkX2hc4YXWs2pBMjknxuvVNHYW2iy7qLpjuZC8Jjg3iQKt4YgOk-UvJ2YQ6VqZSQLOihjpmjwXeRo6_3A4HEvq-Udeup8nXH/s1600/10871_2_lg.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rOt1LC1IMvjPKfMsy86H_JiN5iVyusb0MJ8vy-dE6GbOjkX2hc4YXWs2pBMjknxuvVNHYW2iy7qLpjuZC8Jjg3iQKt4YgOk-UvJ2YQ6VqZSQLOihjpmjwXeRo6_3A4HEvq-Udeup8nXH/s400/10871_2_lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494825442548328674" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Picture from http://www.perfectplaces.com/vacation-rentals/10871.htm</span></a><br /><br /></div><br />Professor X and I were talking today about the prospect of a sabbatical in a few years. We definitely want to go back to Europe; the entire family loved being there. Rather than renting a house for 9 months and then roaming around from place to place for two months as we did previously, we thought it might be better to rent houses in different places for 3 months at a time and roam for a couple.<br /><br />For some reason right now, I am obsessed with the idea of France. I blame Facebook. The advertising gnomes put an ad for a vacation home in Domme into my sidebar. That area is my idea of heaven. I also loved the buildings of nearby Sarlat and the countryside. So I am lobbying for a French locale as one of our three.<br /><br />Where would you stay if you could spend 3 or more months? It's time to share your travel fantasies.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-72737285783557692592010-07-11T15:46:00.000-07:002010-07-11T16:23:37.738-07:00Rejection Sucks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XBspAciDmUowJyZ67B2X2f-Yc8VjhjQ80tGf7pG-_tDdYxlCu2EBzy7Ds2GA4uyzYu6_jcCTKDkCImSDv9sD8w0MQgIS3qGAV6XoVv-FKOxmG1Bd0qrHhzOw_uO_w08QBP1rmvb5mv3I/s1600/3011.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XBspAciDmUowJyZ67B2X2f-Yc8VjhjQ80tGf7pG-_tDdYxlCu2EBzy7Ds2GA4uyzYu6_jcCTKDkCImSDv9sD8w0MQgIS3qGAV6XoVv-FKOxmG1Bd0qrHhzOw_uO_w08QBP1rmvb5mv3I/s400/3011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492788798375847586" border="0" /></a><br />Someone I love has just been rejected.<br />It makes my own heart ache; it gives me cause to reflect.<br />How <span style="font-weight: bold;">hard</span> it is to put yourself out there, to be hopeful, to make an offer of oneself.<br />How <span style="font-weight: bold;">bruta</span>l it is to receive a "<span style="font-style: italic;">no, thanks</span>," no matter how kindly given.<br />So now there is the licking of wounds, the questioning of one's self worth, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">pain</span>.<br /><br />I think about my own hopes and dreams,<br />and resolve to do more to expose myself to rejection<br />because taking the safe path and not trying<br />might not be so dangerous<br />but it also yields no rewards.<br /><br />Whether we are disappointed in love<br />or in our creative endeavors<br />it's a punch in the gut.<br /><br />But if we keep trying like Dr. Seuss did,<br />remain as upbeat as Dante was about Beatrice<br />our hearts will heal and we'll be happy.<br /><br /><br />Still, there will be gloom despite the sunshine today.<br />As Charlie Brown so aptly observed,<br />when musing on the the lack of reciprocity from the red-haired girl:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Nothing quite takes the taste out of peanut butter like unrequited love."</span><br /><br />This song's for all of us who've had our hopes dashed. May it help the peanut butter taste better.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HKBRjZdy8WY&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HKBRjZdy8WY&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879347314635530398.post-29159878556612782202010-07-11T02:25:00.000-07:002010-07-11T02:35:05.203-07:00Say WHAT?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX6imoWa_Z0v3wwMcZJ9ayw5ZprKNPH5AA3HDNN7AlvFPtcro5fNGskHo_ela3b2JOkdMZ_2TZ_KUQg8xLXBG5ElcF_cVoHV1ct9YLUyTPmVCJo3MUblerac7OMnv0ZQsV8KTk4I-Q8Xl/s1600/0087051_PE215999_S4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX6imoWa_Z0v3wwMcZJ9ayw5ZprKNPH5AA3HDNN7AlvFPtcro5fNGskHo_ela3b2JOkdMZ_2TZ_KUQg8xLXBG5ElcF_cVoHV1ct9YLUyTPmVCJo3MUblerac7OMnv0ZQsV8KTk4I-Q8Xl/s400/0087051_PE215999_S4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492578479935426642" border="0" /></a><br />So there we are in Ikea, after a satisfying dinner of 100 meatballs, mashed taters and lingonberries, when we decide to buy some stuff in the food department. And what does my husband get but a bag of this coffee. Our son read the name and could not stop laughing. Our daughter read it and cracked up. My husband was aghast that she found it amusing at her tender young age. <br /><br />I asked her "Sweetie, why is that so funny?" <br /><br />She said, "Mom! It's like that alien guy Robin Williams played! You know, Mork from Ork? Only it's Morkrost, like he's been ground into coffee beans and roasted!"<br /><br />I am very confident that is NOT why our son was laughing.<br /><br />I am also not entirely sure that she wasn't laughing for another reason too.Fantastic Forresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044290192610027408noreply@blogger.com7