Religion and Oprah

First thing. Oprah is the most successful daytime soap opera in the history of television...soap opera? Ya, soap opera. God bless ya Oprah Harpo.

OK, this morning on the train

I passed by the Mosque
Whose windows they had broken
I glided past the Synagogue
Whose walls they had defaced
I looked on in horror at the Church
Burned down to its foundation
Did anyone really care?
The silent appreciation from some
The scalding rage of others
Religious all
While the non-believers laugh on
Some day we will all cry
When in the name of God
The devil visits our home.

And Still They Come

Fighting terror is not about bullets and bombs- war as a means of stopping people from feeling disaffected, vengeful and angry, is doomed to failure. The only way, the best way, the winning way is to simply address the issues that have sparked the feelings. Simply doing that though is a lot harder than choosing to kill maim, bomb, and blow rhetoric from the rooftops.

Wow

Wow, I lost my wallet but surprisingly the only thought on my mind is how jealous I was about some random guy taking her home...I think I am completely disgusted with myself for that reaction considering that I'm not even sure if I like her.

Interesting Week End

So there we were on Friday night, just us guys hanging out at the Deli Planet after work having a few brews, thinking about going to our respective homes to do whatever we do on the weekend. There was Parker Flint, Findlay Hill, Zarko Hancevic, John Plescia, and Oscar Robledo (I think that's how it's spelt).

Anyways, we were just hanging, flirting with Asma- the hot bartendress at the Planet- when Oscar decides he has to take off to meet a bunch of NGO friends for a get together. Sadly we parted ways with him...yawn, ciao Oscar, and ordered another round.

We were discussing the usual; PC Mall, politics, women, when I spotted these two gorgeous women at the bar. Judge for yourself:
I say to Findlay, "ok buddy, here's your chance to break out of your shell, go get their names for me."
He was mortified..."Who me, no, I can't do that...ok, maybe, I can...ok, after the next drink..."
"No way Fin, now!...besides, they are gay anyways, so it's not like you're trying to pick them up, you're just making friends."
Anyways, needless to say, he wasn't about to move, so I lean over and say, "Excuse me...yes you...my friend here is really shy and thinks you are absolutely gorgeous..."
And so started a beautiful friendship with Kelly and Rossi.
Oh, did I forget about Asma, the girls loved her!

We left the Deli Planet and headed to Brutopia to meet Parker's date, Sandy...total hottie! The girls loved her too!
The best part about this story is Zarko and Findlay. They take the girls outside for a smoke and just simply disappear for the longest time. I am sitting there twiddling my thumbs with Parker and his date, feeling like the third wheel, when Fin stumbles back in , alone! Now, what the fuck, where are the girls..."Fin, what's going on?"

He's giddy, doesn't want to mention it, and with a little prodding the story starts to come out. Now for those of you who have ever seen American Pie or maybe it was American Pie II...who cares; the scene where the the guys ask the two girls to make out and they spin it around. Ok, you get the picture. Zarko wanted the girls to make out and was insistent, so they said only if he and Findlay made out first. Now apparently, they came pretty close to sealing the deal, even so far as Zarko telling Fin, "come on, we'll do it...no tongue."

Being the pushy guy he is, Zarko scared off the girls, came back to the bar and told us they left and he had no idea why. 5 minutes later, he too had to leave to go home to his wife...geez, thanks buddy.

The night was saved when Kelly answered my called and came back with Rossi. We headed out to Jello where we closed out the night; me, Kelly, Rossi, Sandy, Fin, and Parker.

Green Grass

Sun dropped shimmering, bright and proud;
Across each land and town,
Waves of brightness caressing earth,
Anchored deep to the ground
Is the way it should thus remain-
But for the ways of men-
Nature wishes for it to last;
Prayers on the green grass.

Fire rains down from the sky and hills,
Ashes belched from the ruins;
Anger thunders from weapon mills;
Visions of the obscene,
Coating the land with soot and gas;
Insane insanity,
Politics and policy- lies!
Oh pity the green grass.

From bloodstained hands, comes bloodstained lands;
Torrents of innocence,
Spilling in the streets with the guilt
Of power unattached-
From buttons pushed, omnipotence;
No seeds of ill planted,
When you cannot see what you kill;
Crying for the green grass.

Brown, dried fluids of human life;
A pretty new color;
Black, charred ruin- humanity’s strife;
Building of new powers;
Cycle of vengeance- new old dance;
Round and round it will go-
Many miserable days and nights;
Dying on the green grass.

Just Blabbering

How bizarre, when someone that you are speaking to on the phone tells you that they will not give you their web site address. Why is it private, NO…so let me see, something that you want to share with the ENTIRE world, you’re unwilling to share with me? Are you a moron?!!! OK, I’ll just Google it.

OK, so what's the story with this Lebron James/Gisele Bundchen controversy? I'm trying to figure out why this is a story, why the photo is generating as much interest and controversy as it is. Frankly, I find the controversy to be the more disgusting part of the issue than the actual photograph.

Someone actually said, look at this picture, it makes me mad for X Y and Z reasons and I want you to validate my reasons by being just as mad as I? Come on, it's a picture, it's art, it may evoke unpleasant images, it may evoke passions, it may inflame and arouse; stir something inside of you and all of that is ok.

What's not ok, is to make it a surrogate for how race relations are, what's not ok is for it to be an issue of this magnitude. I mean really, waking me up from my slumber to comment on this...I mean really, is it worth it? Come back when something real happens, like nooses being hung on church doors, or police beating helpless people, or somebody screamed out 'kill whitey' before pulling a trigger. Other than that, just deal with your emotions in a more appropriate, less vigorous way, less nationwide public involve every media way..

More of the same old

I am Garfield’s retarded tongue

I am Garfield’s overwhelming indifference