A Rose By Any Other Name Still is not a carnation!
Once upon a time a woman was dating a man who worked in the city of Pittsburgh. The woman and the man had frequent viscious arguments, often resulting in temporary break-ups to the relationship. But the man knew how to remedy the problems caused by these arguments. There are many street vendors in Pittsburgh who sell roses at a very reasonable price. A dozen red roses and all was forgiven, until one day the woman had enough. She was tired of the breaking up and making up game. She met another man who she thought would treat her better. She told the rose bearing man to hit the road. She told the new man that if she never saw a rose again in her life it would be too soon. Big mistake!
Twenty years ago today, the woman and the new man were married. Their relationship has been just as turbulent as the other one, yet for some reason unknown to anyone they are still wed. The woman has long since forgotten her aversion to roses. As a matter of fact, she thought that a dozen red roses would be a lovely anniversary gift. She told her sons as much, and asked them to drop some major hints to their father.
Today the woman got a call on her cell phone while she was at work. It was her husband calling to wish her a happy anniversary. She was surprised, she said. She thought he would have forgotten. He said that a couple of people (their sons) had helped him to remember. The woman became very excited. She was going to get her roses. She could hardly wait to get home from work to see them!
When she eventually got home from work the woman found flowers and a card on the kitchen table, but the flowers were not roses. They were carnations!!
The woman questioned the man about the flowers. This is what he had to say:
"The boys said that you wanted roses, but I remembered that you didn't like them, so I got you these instead."
Of all the things I've ever told him about what I like and dislike he has forgotten just about every one. Why the %*#$ did he have to remember THAT!!!!
I guess that you've figured out by now that the main characters in this fractured fairy tale are myself and "the estranged one." Still working on that odd reconciliation of ours...
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Tuesday, August 30, 2005
I've Got The Rainy Day Blahs
There is just something about dark gloomy rainy days that depresses me, and brings out my inner squirrel. Well, maybe that squirrel isn't all so inner, but he's really rearing his ugly head today. For example:
I saw a truck while sitting at a red light today. On the trailer these words were printed in large letters... "Big bang theory, you've got to be joking!" - God
My response to this was:
Book of Genesis, YOU'VE got to be stupid! Exactly which of the TWO fables about creation contained in the first book of the Bible do you believe to be the historical truth, dimwwit? Or didn't you ever bother to READ it well enough to notice that the Bible begins with two completely different stories of creation (Seven day creation and Adam & Eve). Maybe you should quit thumping that Bible so much, and read it a bit more. Jesus taught in parables. No one ever seems to have a problem with that.Why then do people have such difficulty believing that most of what is written in the Old Testament is also written in parable form? There were dinosaurs, there were cavemen. This is fact. The evidence is there. The world was NOT created in seven days (And don't give me any crap about God having ultra long days). There was no Garden of Eden. There was no Adam and Eve. Does this mean that I don't believe in God? Does it mean that I think that the Bible is full of shit? My answer to both questions is a resounding no. Just because I believe in scientific fact, doesn't mean that I have no faith in God. Why is it so difficult for people to believe that God works through science, and through each and every one of us? Why can't they see that the significance of most of the stories in the Bible lies in the lessons that they teach us about ourselves, not in their being historical fact? I could go on and on about this, but you get the point. The squirrel is loose.
And don't even get me started about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I'll let Foamy do that for me. Check it out! And heed the advice of my lord and master...
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Monday, August 29, 2005
1. Do you own a dishwasher (and if not, do you even want one), or do you have to do your dishes by hand? I wouldn't say that I OWN a dishwasher, but I do have one. His name is Michael!
My Dishwasher
2. Do you put your dishes away immediately after washing them? My dishwasher does that for me!
3. In the warm weather, do you like hanging your laundry out on the clothesline to dry, or do you prefer a dryer? Mmmmm... Clothes smell so much nicer when they are hung outside to dry. And since my dryer is on the fritz, I don't have much choice...
4. How many loads of laundry are done in your household each week? One or two (weather permitting), but they are damned big loads!
5. Do you own a pet? If so, do you buy them presents for holidays? Do you consider your pets spoiled? I do not own pets. I do, however have four furry four-legged children in addition to the to my two-legged ones. Some people may think that they are two cats and two dogs, but to me they are people. I spoil the hell out of them! They are so much better behaved than the two-legged children. And I buy them gifts all of the time, not just for holidays!
6. It's Friday evening and you're planning your weekend. What's on your agenda? Weekend? What is this thing called a weekend? I work on Saturdays. Yep, that's what I'm going to do this weekend. I'm gonna whine about working on Saturdays... AGAIN!
10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
This weekend was pretty darned boring. Therefore, these are the first ten songs that Media Player selected to play for me today.
1. Imagine - Neil Young 2. Running On Faith - Eric Clapton 3. Valerie - Steve Winwood 4. In The Heart Of The Young - Winger 5. Just Like A Prisoner - Eric Clapton 6. Higher Love - Steve Winwood 7. Soul Behind The Face - The Scorpions 8. Nighttime For Generals - Crosby Stills Nash & Young 9. I'm Addicted - L. A. Guns 10. Lotta Love - Neil Young
And now for the picture...
Look! I did my laundry this weekend. Isn't that just SO exciting?!
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Saturday, August 27, 2005
I'm A Magician (And I didn't even know it!)
Move over David Copperfield, Lady Starlight has come to town! I may not be able to make the Statue of liberty disappear, but I can make a grown man vanish for several days just by uttering a few simple words. I can, of course, make him reappear using yet another simple phrase. Pretty good, huh?
Now, unlike most magicians, I am going to reveal to you the secret of my magic.
The incredible disappearing man is "the estranged one." In order to make him vanish, all I needed to do was utter the phrase, "Why don't we go to Kennywood on Labor Day?" I haven't seen or heard from him since. This phrase works so well because it seems that it is some sort of unforgivable sin for any member of his family to do anything on a summer holiday other than gather at Mom's house for the customary picnic of burned burgers and yellow potato salad. BLECH! You'd think that after twenty odd years I'd know this. Well, maybe I did.
Not to worry, though. I am 100% certain that the words "I've got a coupon for Olive Garden that expires today. Wanna go?" will make him reappear just as quickly as he vanshed...
Top five "Peace"ful songs. (Interpret as you like)
1. Wind Of Change - The Scorpions Klaus wrote this one back in 1989, around the time of the fall of the communist bloc in Europe. It makes a beautiful statement about the peaceful changes that were occurring at that time.
2. Under The Same Sun - The Scorpions "Do you ever ask yourself Is there a heaven in the sky Why can't we stop the fight.
'Cos we all live under the same sun We all walk under the same moon Then why, why can't we live as one..."
Ever so eloquent, and ever so true.
3. Crossfire - The Scorpions "Why cannot the people we made leaders of the world Understand that we don't want to fight Understand that we are much to young to die..."
I can think of a certain "leader of the world" who needs to take heed to this message.
4. Soldiers Of Peace - Crosby Stills Nash & Young An oxymoron, but an excellent message for peace.
5. Peace In Our Time - Gorky Park I couldn't leave out this peaceful tune by my favorite Russian rockers.
All of these peaceful tunes are available for download, just click on the title.
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Thursday, August 25, 2005
How To Tune A Guitar
Yes, Lady Starlight is giving free guitar lessons, so listen up! I'll spare you the agony of my rants about how you really should learn to read music before starting to play, because we've been down that road before. If you really want to learn to play by aping a bunch of diagrams, that's fine by me, but learning to read music will help you to understand what those diagrams mean, not to mention the fact that it will give you the ability to transpose if necessary and write your own music if you so desire. But, go ahead, be a monkey if that's what you want...
No matter whether you are playing from music or from those icky guitar tabs, you are going to need an instrument that is in tune. Tuning a guitar is a quite simple procedure. Your instrument need only be in tune with itself when you are first learning, but if you want to be tuned perfectly you'll need to find a source to provide you with a single note to get you started. That note is E. A pitch pipe is the simplest and cheapest way to do this. They are readily available in music stores and even at your local Wal Mart! Some beginner's guitar packages even include one.
Got that E? Now you're ready to go! Tune the first string (the thinnest one) to match that note by loseneng or tightening the tension of the string using the tuning peg. Loosening the tensionn on the string produces a lower tone, tightening it will make it higher.
Now that you have the first string tuned to E, you need no more outside assistance. Your reference point has been established. Place your fingertip on the B (second) string at the fifth fret. Strum the first and second strings together. Are they producing the same note? They should. If not, adjust the tension on the second string only until they do. That was quite simple, wasn't it?
Now you may tune the rest of the strings in much the same way by following the diagram below.
The vertical lines represent the strings. The horizontal lines represent the frets. The dots indicate the position of your fingertip.
Work your way from B to G to D to A to E, tuning each string to match the note produced by the already tuned string next to it.
Now you are all tuned up and ready to go. I told you that it was easy!
I hope that this has been helpful to any and all wannabe guitarists out there.
If you're wondering, yes, Lady Starlight was conversing with such a person last night.
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Wednesday, August 24, 2005
It's Hump Day!
Another boring Hump Day is here. What better way is there to brighten up an otherwise dull weekly midpoint than searching for beautiful Hump Day Hunks?!
Just look at these tasty treats that I found.
This one is quite large. Click on it to appreciate its full demarkified beauty.
But wait! There is more!
This one is a more recent shot.
Finally, we have a couple of different Hump Day Hunks...
Look at all of the lovely trouser snakes in this picture, and I ain't talking about the embroidery on John's jeans!
Welcome to the luau! This week's meme is all about food!
1. Name three songs with food or food related words in the title.
1) Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard 2) Apple Scruffs - George Harrison 3) Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
2. Name three artists with food or food related words in their name.
1) Cream 2) Juice Newton 3) Dave & Sugar
3. Name three albums with food or food related words in the title.
If you want albums with food in the title, you need only look as far as Jimmy Buffet whose albums include:
1) Banana Wind
2) Coconut Telegraph
3) Fruitcakes
An honorable mention goes to Chicago for their tenth album which looks good enough to eat!
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Monday, August 22, 2005
1. When putting groceries away, do you rotate your food so your newest items (cans and such) are in the back, and older food in the front? When you only do your grocery shopping every other week, there is not usually much older food lurking around. Michael is in charge of putting groceries away. He has his own unique way of arranging things, and he gets really mad if Mom messes it up!
2. Do you own a digital camera? If so, how long have you had one? I'd be lost without my digital camera. I'm on my third one in as many years. Each one has been just a better than the last.
3. How do you store your precious photos? Since I seldom get prints made of my photos they are stored on at least one of my computers. More precious photos are store on multiple computers and online at various different sites.
4. It's 6:00 a.m. and you've just lost power due to a severe thunderstorm; they say it will probably take at least 12 hours before power will be restored; what do you do? Get dressed in the dark. Buy a large coffee on my way to work. Arrive at work at 7:30. Business as usual until at least 3:30. Take family to dinner someplace where there IS power. By the time we are finished it should be nearly 6:00 PM and power will be restored.
5. How many times a year do you (or does someone dear to you) wax your automobile? Ummmm.... never!
6. Gas prices; what can we say except they've reached an all-time high. How are you dealing with this? Dealing? Who's dealing? I'm just going broke!
7. Have you ever purchased a book or cd twice, forgetting that you already had it? They say that the mind is the first thing to go. Of course I have!
10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
This weekend was all about Pittsburgh! The Songs are as follows...
1. No Matter What - Def Leppard 2. Tracks Of My Tears - Justin Hayward 3. You Really Got Me - Oingo Boingo 4. Hello, I Love You - Adam Ant 5. That's Amore - Dean Martin 6. Love And Marriage - Frank Sinatra 7. Que Sera Sera - Doris Day 8. Any Time At All - The Beatles 9. Please Please Me - The Beatles 10. Yellow Butterfly - The Scorpions
Songs 1 -4 were playing during the drive to Pittsburgh. Songs 5 -7 were playing while we dined at Buca di Beppo. Songs 8 & 9 wre playing during the drive home. Song 10 is in honor of my purchase of a yellow butterfly pin and earrings at the Phipps gift shop.
And now for the picture...
It was quite difficult selecting just one photo for this weekend. I took so many! I finally decided on this photo of the entrance to Buca, where we had a luscious Italian dinner.
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Saturday, August 20, 2005
Things That Amuse Me
I have often used this space to complain about the things that annoy me, but what about the things that bring me joy? Honestly, there really are such things. Don't believe me? Here is a list...
1. Slot machines
It really doesn't matter if they're the free ones that I play online or the real ones that beg me to give them more money in Wheeling and Atlantic City. I love to play the slots. If they happen to spit out large quantities of nickels or quarters, I love them even more!
2. Pointless internet puzzle games This one is my latest obsession...
I MUST FREE THE CHUZZLES!
3. Dogs!
Not just my dogs, everybody's dogs! I love them, and I'm fairly certain they feel the same about me. I may even have my own fan club. Of course, all of the members are dogs!
4. Cats
I mustn't forget my other furry friends!
5. Buffets Especially ones with chocolate fountains!
They're murder on my diet, but I love them anyway!
1. Blackout - The Scorpions 2. Yellow Butterfly - The Scorpions 3. White Dove - The Scorpions 4. Heart Of Gold - Neil Young
There is a tie at #5!
5. My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue) and Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) - Neil Young
All of these colorful songs are living on my hard drive. If you'd like to give them a listen, I'd be more than happy to zip them up and send them on...
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Thursday, August 18, 2005
What Is The IQ Of Your Average FC? (Fundamentalist Christian)
I was at my mother-in-law's house the other day, and this question has been troubling me ever since. You see, my mother-in-law is one of "them." She is a sweet lady, but (and this is a big but) she takes the whole Jesus thing a bit too far. The only music she listens to is Hymns or gospel music. The only television station she watches is WPCB, the local Christian channel. I can tolerate the music. Some of it can even be quite pleasant, but someone save me from that television station!
There are many things about this channel that trouble me. One of them is that it is always begging the viewers to send funds to support their so called ministry. They need more money to spread the word of Christ, or so they claim. Yes, the good people at Cornerstone Television need lots of money to save more souls. The major flaw in this plea is easy to spot if you've got half a brain. You see, there is virtually no one out there watching this channel who isn't already a Christian. It's not something that you would see being played on the big screen TV at the local pub! So, exactly whose souls are they planning to save? Certainly not those of their already Christian viewers...
Wise up, people! If you really want to help spread Christianity with your tax-deductible dollars, donate to the Salvation Army, Christian Children's Fund, Catholic Charities, or any one of the numerous Christian charities out thre that spread the word of Christ by good works. Actions speak louder than words. There are a lot of words being spoken on that channel, but I've yet to see any action being taken to back them up. As a matter of fact, a lot of what I've seen and heard on that station is directly in conflict with what MY concept of being a Christian is all about.
I am referring to the common practice among their evangelists (and I use that term loosely) of spreading hatred in the name of Christ! Somehow I don't think that Jesus would be pleased with this practice. Case in point, the progam my mother-in-law was watching that day. In it, a screaming preacher was giving all of the reasons that the Islamic religion was totally, 100% WRONG! I'm quite thankful that there most definitely were no Muslims watching this show because it was an embarassment! This preacher yapped on and on about the flaws of Islam, using only the Bible as a reference. This is totally flawed logic. Yes, your viewers believe that the Bible is the word of god, but the Muslims do not. If this were a debate instead of a monologue, any good Muslim could have used the words of the Koran (which he believes to be the word of God).to make the same claims against Christianity. If you want to prove your point with any degree of validity, find yourself an impartial outside source. But there is none, is there? Faith is not something that can be proven right or wrong. It comes from the heart. Leave the good Muslim people of the world alone! There is enough hatred and misunderstanding among the people of these two faiths without idiots like this man driving home an invalid point. ARGH! I just can't abide this sort of thing. It makes me sick. But the really scary thing is that there were countless people watching that program and agreeing wholeheartedly with every word spoken...
~ End of rant ~
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Wednesday, August 17, 2005
What's New This Wednesday?
Lots of things, actually! First up are those sixteen pairs of pants that came flying down the steps at me last night. Well, not all sixteen pairs made the flight, but the first few pairs did. It seems that they had become a bit too large for Andea's tiny tush, so... Wooooosh! Down the stairs they flew. They fit me quite nicely. Can I hear a "Woot"?
Why the woot? They're size 8s. I honestly can't remember the last time I was able to get my backside into a pair of pants that small. Now poor Andrea has no pants, and I have LOTS! As a matter of fact, I've got scads of size 14, 16, and 18 pants that would love to find a new home. Does anyone know a needy chubby chick? If not, I guess I'll give them to the Salvation Army...
I also made an interesting discovery in my car. My MP3 player works quite nicely using the cassette adapter. This is a very good thing since it works much more like an actual car CD player would. I've got to make some more MDs! Damn and blast! The software that I use for making them has issues! It doesn't tell me when I have selected too much music to fit on the disc. Or maybe I'm just doing something wrong. I haven't made a new disc for a while. Oh, well, I'll figure it out eventually. Meanwhile I have a nice new Scorpions mix to play in the car. Alas, it's missing a few songs that I wanted on it. I guess I'll have to make a disc 2. I've still got one more blank disc.
Is anyone in the mood for a "Hump Day Hunk"? I most certainly am.
1. Name three songs that begin with that letter of the alphabet.
1) Alien Nation - The Scorpions 2) Aleyah - The Scorpions 3) As Soon As The Good Times Roll - The Scorpions
2. Name three artists that begin with the next letter of the alphabet. (B) 1) (The) Beatles 2) (The) Beach Boys 3) Bernie Barlow
Tee hee! I've got a couple of double B artists in there!
3. Name three albums that begin with the letter that follows the second letter. (C) Don't kill me Fallen, because I decided to go with C!
1) Crazy World - The Scorpions 2) Crossroads - Eric Clapton 3) Cocked And Loaded - L. A. Guns
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Monday, August 15, 2005
This week's questions are all about you! Nothing personal, just for fun...
1. On what day of the week were you born? I was born on a Monday, three days before Thanksgiving.
2. Do you look forward to birthdays? I haven't had a birthday since I turned twenty-nine! Instead I celebrate "Buy Lady Starlight A Present Day." Having a birthday would mean I would have to get older, and I'm just not doing that!
3. How do you usually celebrate your birthday? See the answer to the above question! No birthdays for this girl, just buy me presents! (Dinner and a movie is a really nice present.)
4. Do you like surprises? Unless the surprise is Matthias Jabs knocking on my door, I hate surprises!
5. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party? No, thank God! And I hope that no one ever does!
6. How many family and friends' birthdays can you remember right off the top of your head? I could tell you the birthays of just about everyone in my family (including in-laws), but I'm terrible at remembering my friends' birthdays.
7. Do you send cards to your family and friends on their birthdays? Do e-cards count?
8. What kind of cake do you like? Mmmmmm... Chocolate cherry cake!
9. What kind of ice cream goes best with it? Who cares about ice cream? Just give me the cake!
10. When is your birthday? I was born on November 20, in a year when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth according to my children!
10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
This weekend was for relaxing and not doing much. Therefore, these are the first ten songs that Media Player selected to play for me today.
1. Ride My See Saw - The Moody Blues 2. Miss You In A Heartbeat - Def Leppard 3. All Depends - Eric Clapton 4. Holiday - The Scorpions 5. My City My Town - The Scorpions 6. Don't Believe Her - The Scorpions 7. May You Never - Eric Clapton 8. Deep And Dark - The Scorpions 9. Had Hard Times - Bernie Barlow 10. Any Road - George Harrison
Media Player decided that I should listen to lots of Scorpions' tunes! I've got no problem with that!
And now for the picture...
It's J. J., the center of everyone's attention this weekend!
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Saturday, August 13, 2005
Meet Candace
Susie the Sunbird served me well for nearly four years. She was a good car and I shall miss her, but with her engine dead and her heater core gone as well, it became painfully obvious that I would be needing another car. For a while I had entertained thoughts of putting a new engine in Susie and bypassing the heater, at least until winter. Alas, any hope of doing that went out the window with my brother in-law's death. Dear man that he was, he was going to help put in the new engine when we found one. Putting in an engine is no one man job, at least not for "the estranged one." Paying someone to do such a job would cost more than my old car was worth and could take eons! And so the search for another car began...
My budget was very limited. I had just spent a large chunk of my savings on the Atlantic City trip and my spending limit was around two thousand dollars. I was beginning to feel hopeless. Then I saw her parked in the Giant Eagle parking lot. She was a 1996 Chevy Cavalier. Her body was nearly flawless. She had a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine, so she'd be easy on gas, a must with today's gas prices. In her window was a sign that said "For Sale." The price was $1995. Oh, did I mention that she was red?! (Lady Starlight has a thing for red cars.) I was in love!
A little bit of talking by "the estranged one" got the price down to $1800. I could never have talked anyone down on the price. I really wnted that car, and it most surely would have shown.
In honor of the Space Shuttle's successful landing this week...
Top Five "Space" Songs (Interpret as you like..)
1. Ten Light Years Away - The Scorpions Klaus really loves those light years!
2. Lady Starlight - The Scorpions Now you all know where I got my moniker...
3. Astral Plane - Bernie Barlow Such a cute and catchy song from my favorite Moody Lady!
4. Rocket Man - Elton John I love Elton's early material. Bernie Taupin wrote such brilliant lyrics for him.
5. Rocket - Def Leppard I don't think it has anything to do with space, but the title is still Rocket!
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Thursday, August 11, 2005
Our Newest Family Member
I adopted an orphan today. You see, when brother in-law passed away he left behind a little bit more than his two grown children and their children. He was also proud owner of several cock-a-poos (Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mixed breed). His daughter was only willing to keep one of them, so there were still two orphans left needing homes. J. J. was Keith's favorite. He went everywhere with him. So, I got no flack from "the estranged one" when I volunteered to take in his brother's orphaned pup.
Here I am with J. J. on his first night in his new home...
Ain't he just the cutest little ball of fluff?!
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Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Lady Starlight's Jukebox From Hell
This fun meme was posted at The Music Memoirs today. What is it exactly?!
10 of the Worst Songs Of All Time (Because we all know that all music isn't good.)
1. Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney and Wings Funny, but I actually liked this song the first 1000 times that I heard it!
2. Help - Tina Turner Tina's cover of this Beatles classic is awful, simply awful!
3. The First Cut Is The Deepest - Sheryl Crowe Or, as I like to call it, The First Slut Is The Deepest. No, wait, that's the dress that Sheryl wore to the Grammy Awards...
4. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen It just goes on and on... and it makes absolutely no sense.
5. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston Why did you take those singing lessons, Whitney dear? I liked your music before you started howling out this Dolly Parton classic. If I were Dolly, I would sue!
6. My Heart Will Go On - Celine (A K A Sealion) Dion Maybe if you quit beating on your chest your heart wouldn't go on...
7. Proud Mary - Tina Turner Tina makes the list again for her murder of this CCR classic. She really should stick to doing her own material.
8. Muskrat Love - The Captain & Tennile Talk about scary mental images!
9. God Only Knows (What I'd Be Without You) - The Beach Boys Probably the only Beach Boys song that I don't like.
10. This Time - The Scorpions I love you, Matthias, but you should never be left to write lyrics on your own. At least not in English. If I were Klaus, I would have bitch slapped you before I was forced to sing these dreadful lyrics.
I'm sure that I could think of more terrible songs, but it would hurt!
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Tuesday, August 09, 2005
The Word According To Lady Starlight
The recent loss that our family has experienced has left me thinking a lot about things spiritual. Mike has insisted upon having countless discussions on the deeper meaning of life. The funeral, in my humble opinion, was a farce. It has all been very emotionally draining. But why do I say this? What do I really believe?
I guess that it really disturbed me to listen to my mother in-law's fundamentalist Christian pastor preach at the funeral. Yes, I said PREACH. His words held no comfort, at least not for me. He seemed more concerned with converting the family to his way of faith than he did with comforting the family. And if he would have used the word "Bible" one more time, I would have bloody screamed! Sorry, Rev, but the Bible is just a book. Granted, it is a great expression of faith and we can learn much from it, but God did not toss it from the sky. It was written by human beings, just like you and me. It was also limited by the intelligence of these human beings. If I were to base my faith entirely on the words written in there, it would die very quickly, indeed! Faith must come from something much greater than the words written in an ancient book.
Mr. Preacher Man then went on to tell us how we all must accept Jesus as our personal saviour if we want to be accepted into heaven. What a great comfort to a group of people who knew that Keith was not a religious man! (Am I being sarcastic enough?) It seems to me that this moron was telling a bereaved family that the departed went to HELL! How dare he! Keith may not have gone to church. He may not have read the Bible. He did not go around yapping about Jesus to everyone that he met, but he was a good man. He was kind and helpful. If you needed something, all you had to do was ask. If he could help, he would. He was always smiling, even when times were difficult. He knew how to enjoy life. He led a life that I am quite certain would have made Jesus proud. There is NO WAY that he is anywhere other than in heaven today, so don't go telling me anything different Mr. Self Righteous Fundamentalist Christian!
There, I've said my piece, but what do I believe? Cerainly I am a good little Catholic girl. I was raised in that church and it is my home. I feel comfortable there, even though I may disagree with many of its teachings. My faith is pretty much my own. I like to call it "The George Burns Theory of God." What is this exactly?
Remember the 1977 movie Oh God ? In it, God (played by George Burns) was asked if Jesus was his son. He replied that, yes, Jesus was his son, as also were Buddah, and Mohammed, and many others. This is what I believe as well. How could a God who had created a universe so diverse not be manifest in many different ways? We all have different needs. Certainly the God who created us knows that. I do not knock anyone's faith. If it brings you closer to the god of your understanding, that's great. All I ask is that you do not try to foist your beliefs on me. We are different. What brings you closer to God might very well push me away.
As I see it, the beliefs of most faiths teach mostly the same things. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Care for the gifts that God has given you. Give thanks to God for all of the good things that you have. When all seems hopeless, God will be there for you. I would never say that anyone was going to Hell just because he called his God by a different name or none at all. I am not so arrogant. The life you lead is more important than the words you speak.
I shall conclude The Word According to Lady Starlight with a photo of something quite beautiful that was created by some people who call their god Krishna...
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Monday, August 08, 2005
What would you do in the following situations?
1. The store clerk undercharges you for an item you purchase? Considering that almost all stores use a computerised UPC scanner to ring up sales (even small "ma & pa" markets), I would be pleased to discover that the item had been on sale!
2. The cashier gives you change for a fifty dollar bill when you only gave her a twenty, and you don't realize it until you're out the door? There's no question about it, I would go back and return the thirty dollars. I would feel terrible if I kept it after discovering the error.
3. You see your best friend's husband/wife with another woman/man at a neighborhood restaurant? I would stop by the table and say hello. There are plenty of innocent explainations for this situation. The other person could easily be a friend, relative, or business associate who I do not know. If I discover this is not the case, I will keep quiet about the situation unless asked by my friend.
4. Your 15 year old asks you if you ever tried an alcoholic beverage before you were of legeal drinking age (and you have)? I'd be honest. Lies are always exposed in the end, even the ones you tell your children. Besides, this could open the door for some good discussion.
5. You find a one hundred dollar bill laying on the floor of a department store? If I saw who had dropped it, I would definitely return it. If not, I would inquire with anyone nearby to see if anyone was missing some money. If there was no one around, or no one missing the cash, I would keep it and smile over my good fortune, since I had done everything that I could to return it.
10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
I've got a real hodge poge of music this weekend due to all that's going on...
First up are some songs that I heard playing in the Wheeling Island Casino.
1. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver 2. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon 3. Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues
The next few are here because we visited The Palace of Gold, a beautiful place that was originally built to be a home for Krishna leader Prabhupada, but because of his death before its completion became a temple to his memory.
4. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison 5. What Is Life - George Harrison 6. Awaiting On You All - George Harrison 7. If Not For You - George Harrison
The next one is one that was playing in the car on the trip.
8. Alibi - Elvis Costello
These last to are here due due to my family's recent loss.
9. Eye To Eye - The Scorpions 10. Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks
