It snowed about 4-6 inches early this morning, so I can't go to work today. Grrr. I hate having only rear-wheel drive. Anyway, I'm having to stay at home due to the weather, and I thought I'd update my blog roll on the side there. I took out some blogs that had become (quite) inactive, and added some new places I've been visiting. Let me know if there's anything I should add, or if you see I took your blog off, but you are actively posting (maybe somewhere else, under a different name).
Okay, so every year, I try not to make New Year's Resolutions, but just outline some general goals/plans. But if I'm honest with myself, I really do make resolutions, I just don't usually tell anyone. I keep them locked away in the back of my brain and only think about them on occasion, either to confirm that I'm actually working on them (somewhat), or to be glad that I kept them secret, since I'm failing so miserably, and hey, that's okay, because I didn't Make Them Official. Does that make sense?
So, my secret resolutions are pretty typical, and I secretly make them almost every year. They are as follows:
1. Get in shape/lose flab/eat healthier/work out more/get more sleep.
2. Work on improving my posture.
3. Floss regularly.
4. Stop procrastinating.
5. Get organized.
6. Get my finances in order/create a working budget/save more money.
Maybe I'm just influenced by the culture and that's why these secret resolutions are so typical, but I really do need to improve in all these areas. Some years, I might make one or two of them "official" so that I really try a bit harder. I guess the reason they are secret is because I tend to make so many of them, and if I made them ALL official, I think I'd get overwhelmed. I don't know if posting about them now counts as making them official, but it hardly matters. I don't think it improves my chances of keeping them, whether I make them official or not.
What about you? Do you secretly make any resolutions?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained
Wasp Jerky posted this a while back, and I thought it was pretty funny, so I'm re-posting it here. Women have been subjected to similar reasoning for why they can't be ordained (or really, work outside the home at all). Enjoy.
10. A man's place is in the army.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.
10. A man's place is in the army.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Furniture for Pets
Seriously. There's got to be a better solution than generic bone-printed fabrics covering shapeless doggy beds, and beige carpet-covered cat scratchers that announce to all your guests: "We have a cat!"
Pets need furniture too, and the pickings have always been slim. Just like we've realized that pets enjoy better-tasting and healthier food, fresh water, and stimulating toys (yeah, I said stimulating toys), it's time we realized that pets will insist on sleeping on your bed, your sofa, and your favorite chair. Why do they do it? Well, the same reason you do: it's comfortable. But as hairless bipeds, we tend to get frustrated when our fuzzy friends leave their hair all over our stuff, scratch up our drapes, or drool on our sheets, so we get them "furniture" of their own. And, as anyone with a modicum of style cohesiveness will tell you, it's nearly impossible to find pet furniture that manages to keep up the aesthetic you've decorated your house with.
Oh sure, some have tried, but it seems they care more about furniture as art, rather than furniture as function. Hepper Furniture offers these futuristic oddities that look like they'd be fit for the Jetson's robot dog, Lectronimo.
I'm in ur over-designed plastic crap, desiring some cardboard.
And why, aside from those monstrously-huge pet beds, is nobody making
furniture for big dogs?
Now here's a cat-scratcher that's actually pretty sophisticated and well-designed. It's made by moderncritter.com. They have a deal with FLOR carpet tiles so you can get a semi-custom design, plus the ability to change out the carpet when it gets too ratty.
But holy crap, two-hundred and eighty-five dollars for a cat scratcher?! I'm sorry, but for that price, it better also make ice cream and lattes on-demand.
Actually, that's kind of what I'd really like to see (or maybe one day I can take it upon myself to design): furniture that works for people and pets. That is, a coat rack that doubles as a cat scratcher, or an ottoman that is durable enough for a big golden lab to sleep on (and could store her toys inside). I have seen kitchens that incorporated pet food dish storage (such as in a toe-kick) as well as open shelving big enough and close enough to the floor to insert a pet bed. Still, cats like to perch up high and sit on the windowsills, and it would be great to have some furniture that benefits both people and pets alike, although in different ways (for instance, a tall dresser or bookcase that's easy and safe for a cat to climb and "perch" from). And if there was an elegant way to hide the sights and smells of the litter box while making a useful piece of furniture for humans, I'd do my best to design it for the masses--and offer it at a (relatively) affordable price.
When it comes to furniture that pets lounge on, I think it's useless to give pets a version of their "own" furniture when it's not necessary: cats will hop up on the bed with you in the middle of the night when you're too passed out to protest, dogs will steal the comfy chair when you get up to grab a beer on the commercial break, and, unless you are very strict and thorough with training, your pets will sit and sleep on the "forbidden" furniture when you're not home to police them. We have a cat bed to cat ratio of 1.5 to 1, and they still insist on sleeping on the human beds during the day.
It's best in those situations to have a pet-friendly blanket (that's in a color that matches your decor) or slipcover that can be removed when a human wants to sit down. It's unfair to only have one doggie bed or cat bed, because your pets want to be with you--no matter what room of the house you're in--even if it's only to pass out in your presence. Pets are part of the family, and that's part of why we love them: they like to think that they're just extra-fuzzy people, and they want to do what the other people do. They want to hang out with us. Isn't this, after all, why we have pets; for the companionship?
Good kitty.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Which Candidate is for You?
94% Dennis Kucinich
93% Mike Gravel
84% John Edwards
80% Barack Obama
78% Chris Dodd
77% Hillary Clinton
76% Joe Biden
74% Bill Richardson
33% Rudy Giuliani
23% John McCain
21% Ron Paul
19% Mike Huckabee
18% Mitt Romney
16% Tom Tancredo
7% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
93% Mike Gravel
84% John Edwards
80% Barack Obama
78% Chris Dodd
77% Hillary Clinton
76% Joe Biden
74% Bill Richardson
33% Rudy Giuliani
23% John McCain
21% Ron Paul
19% Mike Huckabee
18% Mitt Romney
16% Tom Tancredo
7% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Like Water Through My Hands....
*Warning: this post is pretty random.
Where does all my time go? I had my first class today, and even though I'm not normally excited by this particular teacher and his extremely dry teaching style, it looks like it's going to be okay. I'm actually excited about it, because I think I have a good concept already started.
I meant to do sooooo much over my 3-week break from school: Finish the medicine cabinets, stain the bookcase that's going to be installed in our "library," recover my sleep, and maybe recover some pillows. I did manage to make almost-straight-A's (one A-) last quarter in addition to doing Christmas-y preparations (with lots of help from the Pete on the Christmas-y stuff) throughout December, but the entire week of Finals was a sleep-deprived stress fest as I rushed around, trying to get all my projects finished.
Oh, I also meant to get Really Organized over the break, too, but that didn't happen. And I meant to work on my still-unfinished model from Architectural Modelmaking. It's gonna be cool if I ever get it done. It would make a great portfolio piece. But I never have time to go back and work on it once another quarter is underway. And then my breaks are spent recovering from the hectic pace of Finals week.
I did manage to read three novels and organize the kitchen pantry. That's something, eh? But most of my time has been spent on the internets; which is just proof that I'm not out there living my life. One of these days, I'm going to blog about Death and How People I Know Who've Recently Died have changed my outlook on life. As in, when I'm on my deathbed, I am NOT going to be saying to myself, "Gee, I wish I had spent MORE TIME reading about Britney Spears on the Internet/Bitching about Traffic/Sitting on my Ass Eating Chips." But I might say, "Gee, I wish I had spent more time improving my and others' lot in life, hanging out with my friends and family, and generally sucking the marrow out of life."
If someone can give me tips on how to get and stay motivated to do things I know are worthwhile to be doing (career/life goals, etc.), please let me know.
Where does all my time go? I had my first class today, and even though I'm not normally excited by this particular teacher and his extremely dry teaching style, it looks like it's going to be okay. I'm actually excited about it, because I think I have a good concept already started.
I meant to do sooooo much over my 3-week break from school: Finish the medicine cabinets, stain the bookcase that's going to be installed in our "library," recover my sleep, and maybe recover some pillows. I did manage to make almost-straight-A's (one A-) last quarter in addition to doing Christmas-y preparations (with lots of help from the Pete on the Christmas-y stuff) throughout December, but the entire week of Finals was a sleep-deprived stress fest as I rushed around, trying to get all my projects finished.
Oh, I also meant to get Really Organized over the break, too, but that didn't happen. And I meant to work on my still-unfinished model from Architectural Modelmaking. It's gonna be cool if I ever get it done. It would make a great portfolio piece. But I never have time to go back and work on it once another quarter is underway. And then my breaks are spent recovering from the hectic pace of Finals week.
I did manage to read three novels and organize the kitchen pantry. That's something, eh? But most of my time has been spent on the internets; which is just proof that I'm not out there living my life. One of these days, I'm going to blog about Death and How People I Know Who've Recently Died have changed my outlook on life. As in, when I'm on my deathbed, I am NOT going to be saying to myself, "Gee, I wish I had spent MORE TIME reading about Britney Spears on the Internet/Bitching about Traffic/Sitting on my Ass Eating Chips." But I might say, "Gee, I wish I had spent more time improving my and others' lot in life, hanging out with my friends and family, and generally sucking the marrow out of life."
If someone can give me tips on how to get and stay motivated to do things I know are worthwhile to be doing (career/life goals, etc.), please let me know.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Things I'm Interested in Right Now
Been loving the Left Behind Fridays on Slacktivist. The comments (and they are extensive) are always insightful and entertaining, as well. Fred Clark dismantles the abysmal first book in the series piece-by-piece, revealing just how horribly, terribly wrong and wretched it is, not just from a theological standpoint, but also as a shining example of literary excrement. Want to know what Left Behind is about without slogging through the series yourself? Then read Fred's reviews; they are much more entertaining and informative, and will give you some nifty talking points to share with your redneck fundamentalist aunt that loves them so much.
I am totally enchanted with Steampunk, both the literature and the style. I totally want to use this aesthetic in my next interior design project.
I've been working on designing the garage-with-living-space-above that the Pete and I eventually want to build in our backyard. It needs to have enough room to park two cars below, plus have extra space for a workshop, and have a 750 sq. ft. apartment above, appropriate for a couple to live comfortably. This is in part because we may wish to rent it out to friends in the future (Chris and Cindy, I'm looking at you); but also because it would be great to host extra family members during holidays and vacations, so that we all have more privacy and autonomy. Plus, since we eventually want to do extensive remodeling on our own house, it would be great to just move into our own apartment garage while the major construction is going on.
I'm also captivated by my friend Brian's awesome photography. You should go check it out, and leave some nice comments for him, okay?
How did I not know about the little brown dress project when it was going on from July 2006-July 2007? It happened right here in Seattle! One woman fights the fashion industry pressure to define yourself with spiffy new clothes on an ever-changing basis by wearing the same dress (that she designed and sewed herself) every day for a year. She has since moved on to a new project: only wearing recycled clothing, but the spirit is the same. Americans especially spend too much time, money, and energy buying clothes that only get worn a few dozen times before they are considered "outdated" and end up in the trash or given to goodwill. In the process, tons of resources are consumed (do you know how much land/energy/water/etc. it takes to grow cotton to fill our insatiable clothing lust?) and Americans are encouraged to focus on shallow qualities like appearance to define ourselves and others by. Hey, I'm as guilty as anybody, but this lady is an inspiration. Go check it out, and reflect on how you can make conscious, small changes in your own life to make a difference and consume less.
I am totally enchanted with Steampunk, both the literature and the style. I totally want to use this aesthetic in my next interior design project.
I've been working on designing the garage-with-living-space-above that the Pete and I eventually want to build in our backyard. It needs to have enough room to park two cars below, plus have extra space for a workshop, and have a 750 sq. ft. apartment above, appropriate for a couple to live comfortably. This is in part because we may wish to rent it out to friends in the future (Chris and Cindy, I'm looking at you); but also because it would be great to host extra family members during holidays and vacations, so that we all have more privacy and autonomy. Plus, since we eventually want to do extensive remodeling on our own house, it would be great to just move into our own apartment garage while the major construction is going on.
I'm also captivated by my friend Brian's awesome photography. You should go check it out, and leave some nice comments for him, okay?
How did I not know about the little brown dress project when it was going on from July 2006-July 2007? It happened right here in Seattle! One woman fights the fashion industry pressure to define yourself with spiffy new clothes on an ever-changing basis by wearing the same dress (that she designed and sewed herself) every day for a year. She has since moved on to a new project: only wearing recycled clothing, but the spirit is the same. Americans especially spend too much time, money, and energy buying clothes that only get worn a few dozen times before they are considered "outdated" and end up in the trash or given to goodwill. In the process, tons of resources are consumed (do you know how much land/energy/water/etc. it takes to grow cotton to fill our insatiable clothing lust?) and Americans are encouraged to focus on shallow qualities like appearance to define ourselves and others by. Hey, I'm as guilty as anybody, but this lady is an inspiration. Go check it out, and reflect on how you can make conscious, small changes in your own life to make a difference and consume less.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year!
Got any plans for 2008?
I plan on graduating, switching careers, and working on the house more this year.
What about you?
I plan on graduating, switching careers, and working on the house more this year.
What about you?
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