Emerson said that sometimes “a scream is better than a thesis,” and tonight I want to scream, but how do you convey a cry across a keyboard and into the ether? How can you type a suppressed sob, or a yell that lies dormant in the pit of your stomach?
Entries from November 2008
Better than a Thesis
July 30th, 2008 · by John · 5 Comments
Tags: Uncategorized
Overheard in the UCI Medical Center Cafeteria
July 29th, 2008 · by John · 5 Comments
This morning, between me and my daughter, aka CatGirl. This is pretty typical of our exchanges:
CatGirl: What’s that?
Me: This? Cream of Wheat.
CatGirl: More like Cream of Weird.
Me: You mean Cream of Awesome.
(I italicize my words when I talk. It’s a rare talent.)
CatGirl: You know, I don’t think I’ve ever tried Cream of Wheat.
Me: Here’s a […]
Tags: Uncategorized
the Myth of “Third Party” Votes
July 28th, 2008 · by xJane · 7 Comments
As a voting member of a “third” party, I am often annoyed by the assumptions of non-third party voters. First, I’d like to take issue with “third”. In general, yes, this is a two-party system. But “Green” is not synonymous with “Third”. Especially since there are some really whacked-out “thirds” that deserve to be called […]
Tags: Activism · Belief · Current Events · Dialog · Education · Musings · News · Politics · Reason
Caption Contest
July 27th, 2008 · by John · 10 Comments
Mary, I know it’s hard to let go, originally uploaded by mind on fire.
But little Jesus died in that accident with the silver smelter.
I took these pictures on the grounds of the Crystal Cathedral in Orange. They are just screaming for caption. You can see the fear in Joseph’s face:
I challenge you–go forth […]
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Obama’s (Secret) Prayer
July 27th, 2008 · by xJane · 3 Comments
During Obama’s recent visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, according to tradition, he wrote a prayer on a piece of paper and left it there. However, since he is under media scrutiny right now, it was stolen by a young seminary student (who should have known better!). While I disagree completely with its theft, […]
Tags: Belief · Christianity · Church and State · Current Events · Dialog · Ethics · Gods · Judaism · Meditation & Prayer · News · Politics · Religion · Ritual · Spiritual Progressives
Idealism v. Pragmatism, Take Two.
July 25th, 2008 · by John · 7 Comments
I was hoping to hear a bit from the rest of y’all on the question of idealism v. pragmatism, so let me cut through the obscure pretentiousness of my last post and ask a question:
Have you had to decide between doing what’s obviously right to you (at the risk of being marginalized and limiting your […]
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Pragmatism v. Idealism
July 24th, 2008 · by John · 1 Comment
We make sense of the world and our relation to it through the stories we tell. Back in my young and wild Mormon days (riding bikes with the gang down the street of Japan, doing drive by conversions), I told the story of Joseph Smith to anyone who would listen. The cool thing was that […]
Tags: Activism · Humanism · Musings · Pacifism · Personal · Politics
Spark: Training
July 22nd, 2008 · by xJane · No Comments
I’m sorry for all the sparks recently, but I couldn’t resist this one. Enjoy!
Tags: Art · Atheism · Belief · Bible · Christianity · Comics · Creativity. · Fiction · Getting over Religion · Gods · Humor · Pop Culture · Religion · Satire · Skeptic · Spiritual Progressives · Spirituality · Undead
Spark: Kilts!
July 21st, 2008 · by xJane · No Comments
At the post office.
Tags: Activism · Current Events · Gender · News · Society · Spark
Spark: Women in the Box Office
July 20th, 2008 · by xJane · 2 Comments
“Could It Be? Did Hollywood Execs Get The Memo?” speculates on the reason for the number of movies-about-women (which seems to correspond with movies-by-women). I would take issue with her assertion that Mama Mia! or Kit are any great leaps forward for womankind, but I’ve not seen either, so I won’t get into that here.
Tags: Art · Current Events · Fantasy · Feminism · Fiction · Gender · Movies/Hollywood · Pop Culture · Women · Writing
