Made my drive from Detroit to Columbus today. This was my passenger seat:
Discovered last year that long drives are easier if I have an audiobook. I was getting tired of my music for 4 hours repeatedly.
Wanted to track my books here, so I can keep a list.
I really liked this book. Especially since I heard the chapter where she spoke of doing interviews, and what she looked for in an interview, just as I’m about to go into an interview tomorrow. Perfect timing.
Today was my last day of work in Detroit. I’ve been working as a consultant in downtown Detroit for the last 2 1/2 years. I’ve loved my work, loved the people, and even loved the company too. I’m sad to be leaving; have created friendships of some of my colleagues. Here’s a picture I took on a walk on my work complex one day:
But I need to move. It was the city. Detroit had nothing for me. I tried dating… nothing. I’ve tried restaurants, but none appealed to me. I didn’t really have friends that would go to events with me. Maybe 1 out of every 5 events I wanted to attend, I could find someone to go with me. And few events actually came to Detroit.
I needed to move to a city where there were lots of things going on, and I had people who would go with me to events. People who wanted to go out.
I’ve gotten a job in Columbus, and have a week off before I start there. Very excited about the move! I have siblings there. And get this – my best friend from high school and my best friend from college live there! I’ll also be closer to Cleveland, so it’ll be easier to go up there to see my girls! As a foodie, I already know there are lots of restaurants I’m looking forward to exploring.
I’m just very excited about moving back to Ohio. I think I’m going to be very happy there!
So, he’s not really my friend in real life, in that he doesn’t know he’s my friend. But I’m his friend.
Have you ever liked someone so much that you felt you know them, and feel their pain? I have so much love & respect for W. Kamau Bell, and feel the need to share what happened to him on his birthday.
I’m such a big fan of his, that when he said he was canceling his tour due to the impending birth of his 2nd daughter, I had nothing but mad respect for him. I mean, how could you not admire a father putting his family first?
Here’s his post about his birthday:
You know how much I respect my POTUS. I did live tweet the State of the Union address tonight, which can be seen to the right for the time being. As I’ve done in the past, I like to have my own personal transcript of his speech so I can come back to it in the future.
Speech after the jump…. Continue reading
I get that people should be free to exercise their religion. But I *still* don’t get how corporations are people. Am I missing something? People are people. Corporations are legal entities. I don’t get (still) how a corporation is a person. Yes, I know I’ve been told this for years, that corporations are people. I must be missing something, because I just STILL don’t get it.
Let’s go back to my first sentence. I get that people should be free to exercise their religion. Honestly. Not like in some states (like FL, TN, NC) where they’ve tried to make Sharia law illegal. What is Sharia law? Simply religious belief. So, this religious freedom is extended for a corporation, but not for people. As I believe it was originally intended.
Now, let’s take a look at Hobby Lobby specifically. In their specific case, I get that they are against these “abortion drugs”. We’ll interchange the terms “abortion drugs” and “emergency contraception”, as we will use them to refer to the same thing. Now, you’re against emergency contraception. You are anti-abortion, and emergency contraception is the equivalent of abortion to you.
But here’s the thing…. you INVEST IN THESE SAME DRUGS. Your 401k plans invest in the companies that MAKE these drugs. So… um… where’s the morality then? Oh. Because you’re MAKING MONEY from it. I see.
And what about the 90% of your goods that come from a country that has FORCED ABORTIONS. That’s ok too, right? Because you can get your products for cheap, and sell for a greater profit.
Ok. So, to recap. Money is good. Abortion is bad. However, it’s ok to make money off of abortion, but not to provide emergency contraception in case a zygote has formed. Just in case. Not even an embryo yet. Maybe not even a zygote. But the lady does not want to find out later, and have to perform an ACTUAL abortion, which likely will happen if she was planning on getting one of these emergency contraception drugs.
I get that everyone’s all excited about SCOTUS repealing these laws as unconstitutional, but c’mon. Really?
These laws were unconstitutional. Of COURSE they were going to get stuck down. I’m surprised Americans didn’t have more faith in our Supreme Court.
I mean, if I can tell something is unconstitutional, then how could ppl who’ve studied the Constitution should be able to tell.
So, of course it was going to be struck down.
NBD.
Howevers – gentle reminder [ahem, to prod your reps] that it is still legal to fire someone simply because they are lgbt.
I’m pimping a blog today. I just discovered Hipster Book Quotes. It makes me want to read more! I actually discovered it through Better World Books’ facebook page.
Better World Books: It’s a pretty awesome online bookstore. Basically, everytime you buy a book online through them, they’ll donate a book. I saw a “buy 3, and they’ll donate 6” deal too! Pretty cool. They are so cool, & I kinda want to pimp them too, but there’s SO MUCH to say about them! So, I present to you this screenshot of their home page (links to them too):
And here’s the link to Hipster Book Quotes, complete w/ a sampling of what they offer. Hipster pictures w/ great quotes from books! Hence the name. (picture links to their site)
There’s a new movie coming out, “Bully”.
It’s gotten an “R” rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, ONLY due to the usage of the “F-word” in this film. But the words used are those of children, ages 11-17, told to other children. There are much more violent & adult-themed movies given a rating of PG-13.
But this movie, one that should prob be shown in schools, one that is teaching our youth of the real consequences of bullying, has been given an “R” rating, & will not be seen by those who need to see it most.
These kids already know these words. Geez, I am shocked by how much kids know these days. I certainly did not use any type of bad words when I was a kid. I never saw a movie that had the “F-word” in it until I was 18; and my jaw dropped when I heard it b/c I was in a large public space & there it was, coming off a huge movie screen. But these kids today? They hear bad words & see questionable content everywhere. I don’t remember songs with bad words on the radio when I was a kid either. But I hear stuff on the radio now; & even when they attempt to bleep stuff, you know what they’re bleeping.
Anyway, I’ve signed this petition. It was started by a Katy Butler, a high-schooler in Ann Arbor, MI. I heard about this on the Ellen show today (it was a previous episode on my dvr); and I had to post about it. Katy has started this petition to change the rating to PG-13 so that this movie can be seen by those who need to see it most.
You may also want to contact the Motion Picture Association of America: ContactUs@mpaa.org
Phone & Fax # for offices in major cities: http://www.mpaa.org/about/contact
Trailer for the movie:
You knew I had to talk about it here at some point, right? I mean, I’ve been tweeting & leaving comments on everyone’s fb statuses about it.
First of all, “mosque” is in quotes b/c it’s not a freakin mosque. It’s an Islamic Community Center. Yes, there will be a place for prayer there, but it’s a smaller part of a $100 MILLION Cultural Center. It will also have a swimming pool, a gym, basketball court, an auditorium, a restaurant (& culinary school), a library, and art studios. Are we calling it “the ground zero pool”? No? Then why “ground zero mosque”? Plus, wouldn’t it be nice to stimulate the economy ($100 Mill project) whilst adding to the community?
If you want to find a Mosque, there IS one INSIDE the Pentagon, open for worship, rebuilt after the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon.
Are we criticizing Christian churches around the Oklahoma City building site? Why is it that American laws seem to apply or be exempt for Christians? Division of church & state doesn’t exist like it should. Lots of religious organizations receive tax-exempt statuses, then give money to fuel their political interests. It’s like certain things are ok, as long as you’re the “right religion”.
“Ground zero” is in quotes b/c it’s not at ground zero! It’s 2 blocks away. Though, there was a mosque already 5 blocks from ground zero (GZ); it was there for like 30 years!
Though, there are currently strip clubs way closer to GZ. & they’re planning to build a 55,000 sq. ft. mall right on GZ. How is a mall paying tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11?!?! Mall to me means a bunch of corporate stores. Not even small businesses. Starbucks. The Gap. Banana Republic. How does that remember fallen heros?
Roger Ebert recently re-posted an op-ed piece that he originally published on Sept. 12, 2001:
A Green Field
If there is to be a memorial, let it not be of stone and steel. Fly no flag above it, for it is not the possession of a nation but a sorrow shared with the world.
Let it be a green field, with trees and flowers. Let there be paths that wind through the shade. Put out park benches where old people can sun in the springtime, and a pond where children can skate in the winter.
Beneath this field will lie entombed forever some of the victims of September 11. It is not where they thought to end their lives. Like the sailors of the battleship Arizona, they rest where they fell.
Let this field stretch from one end of the destruction to the other. Let this open space among the towers mark the emptiness in our hearts. But do not make it a sad place. Give it no name. Let people think of it as the green field. Every living thing that is planted here will show faith in the future.
Let students from all lands take a sunny corner of the field and plant a crop there. Perhaps corn, our native grain. Let the harvest be shared all over the world, with friends and enemies, because that is the teaching of our religions. Let the harvest show that life prevails over death, and let the sharing show that we love our neighbors.
Do not build again on this place. No building can stand here. No building, no statue, no column, no arch, no symbol, no name, no date, no statement. Just the comfort of the earth, to remind us that we share it.
I’ve always known I’d be cremated. It’s never even been a question. I’m from India, we don’t bury our dead, we cremate them. The physical body is no longer, & the soul is freed. No biggie.
I think more & more ppl in the US are now cremating too. I think it’s becoming more widely accepted everywhere.
But I just saw this note on Time Mag’s website:
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When You’re Dead that read…
With something called “bio-cremation,” a liquid chemical is used to dissolve the body, no fire or global warming emissions necessary.
The LA Times reports on funeral homes and crematoria are trying to get bio-cremation, a.k.a. alkaline hydrolysis, legalized in California. The process is not only environmentally friendly, it costs about the same as standard cremation—which is a lot less expensive than a standard burial:
The average price to the consumer for alkaline hydrolysis is expected to be about $2,500, similar to prices charged for cremation by fire.
Either process is far below costs far less than the $7,500 cost for a conventional funeral and burial in a casket.
Here’s the deal. I understand that the fire causes more emissions. But for one thing, I love fire. Fire is cool. Well, hot. But you know what I mean. It’s enchanting.
I don’t want to be dissolved by chemicals. That’s like the “black oil” & that other crazy stuff from the X-Files. It’s the stuff scary tv shows & movies are made of.
I mean, I work consciously to recycle, save water, conserve energy. I think about every last thing I throw away. I just replaced my wiper blades & am looking up the best way to recycle, or give them to be re-used.
I mean, I’m going to be dead for cryin out loud. Can’t I just have that one thing & be burned?
Do your ppl even get your ashes if they use the chemicals? & fire is natural. Earth, water, & fire. There’s no mention of alkaline in that.
Sweet Sunshower 