Another Quiz, Because I find them amusing

Duty and Loyalty: You serve your purpose and do
what you must do. People would consider you
someone to rely on, and one who keeps his/her
word when he/she gives it.

Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait)
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Omnipotent Beings

Has it occurred to any of you that there really is no reason to assume that the God and the Goddess are omnipotent or omniscient?

Look at how smooth that was. In one sentence I have probably outraged my religious readers and led my non-religious readers to realize this is one of the posts they are going to want to ignore. Just in case anyone is still reading thi, though, I will continue.

In the above statement I first presume a belief in some such deity. Obviously an atheist can say yes and launch into the argument of the existence of God, but that isn't the goal of this particular article. Second, I will say that I refer in the first sentence of this post to a somewhat pure interpretation of those two words. An assumption that the God and Goddess are all powerful and all knowing. That there is nothing that they can't do, nothing that they don't know.

Some would say that this belief is required in order for us to have faith in a higher power. How could we trust our lives and our souls to a fallible being? A tough one to answer for people who require a scenario in which there is no room for error, no room for things to go astray of a divine master plan. Still, consider this. To continue your faith in your cosmic parents, one can use the same basic words with a slightly modified concept in terminology.

You see, I don't understand why any of the basic religious tenets of most religious wouldn't survive just fine under the concept that God was capable of doing everything we could and a whole lot more. That God knew everything that we did and a whole lot more. In relevance to us, then, we can apply the labels of omnipotence and omniscience even though they don't precisely apply.

Why would we want to believe that there were things that God couldn't do? Things that God didn't know? Frankly, I think it makes our ability to justify our faith a lot easier. It helps remove some of the crises that we face in our spiritual quests.

Think about it. Which is easier to handle and accept? The fact that in some cases there are things that God doesn't know/can't do, or that he is fully capable of making it better but chooses not to?

In the Charge of the Goddess (Disclaimers: 1) I don't take everything said there as gospel, but I do believe in the basic tenets as being a fairly accurate interpretation of the true Charge. 2) I have nothing to do with the site linked, it just happens to be one that I found so you could easily link and read what I referred to if unfamiliar.) it is said that what you do not find without, you will not find within. I have heard many say that we live within God. I have heard many say that the earth is our mother. The bottom line? There are many things we can accomplish using the laws of nature. There are many things now that we accomplish that would seem "magical" to our ancestors. Is it unreasonable to assume that these laws might define the confines of the God and Goddess themselves?

Of course this brings up an argument. If we continue to learn, and manage not to destroy ourselves, is it possible that we might one day grow to be equals, or at least close to the level of our creator? I find it unlikely, but then, I don't understand why people thing this is horrible and blasphemous either.

Many religions have concepts of heaven or the summer lands or some equivalent. Where we spend eternity with God and/or Goddess in loving grace in the picnic to end all picnics. Think about this. If this is the goal of the deity, don't you think our growth to such proportions would be the design? After all, would you want to spend your eternity hanging around with nothing but preschoolers? I don't think God would either.

So, am I suggesting that we should jump up and water down our vision of what the God/dess is? Of course not. Ultimately, all of the above is pointless philosophy. There is nothing we can do with either side. But since what God knows or doesn't is such a frequent topic of conversation lately, I thought I would throw that out there to chew on. If God is the highest order, that makes him perfect by default, he is the standard. It doesn't make him incapable of being hampered by himself. Look at the various texts considered sacred in this light. The perception of God changes and expands. Did the writers mature with their societies over the ages, or did God continue to expand? Has God finished the race, or is he just so far ahead of us that it doesn't matter? Finally, in the grand scheme of things, does it pay for us to dwell on these questions? Are there answers, or is it the questions that define life, or something close to it?

Another Quiz

I haven't posted in a bit. Now I have a topic I plan on posting about but I am working out a few more details. So for now you get this:

Rohirrim

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
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Not exactly exciting, but that's just life, or something close to it.

Fears Revisited

It happened again today. Well "it" has happened several times in the past couple of weeks. Oddly to some of you who note what I am referring to, I consider the episodes of the last couple of weeks to be more minor than today. In that the greater fear that I have had was in regard to exactly the scenario playing out right now.

Three times in the last month I have lost consciousness. Twice at work, (Fortunately the folks at work are very understanding, and take it lightly now. The last time, only a passing joke from my manager about getting back to work, no other mention was made.) and once at home. Nothing too serious. You get used to it.

Today was one of those "minor" days that concerns me more. When I am on the edge and just not quite working properly. Spiking a couple of times with slight difficulty speaking, and my body just doesn't quite react the way it is supposed to. Kind of like your body being drunk while your mind is sober enough to notice how it isn't quite working right. This lasts for hours sometimes. It has lasted nearly the entire day today. Again, something I have gotten used to.

Why the fear then? It isn't an immediate concern for myself. It is much more deep rooted. IT ties in with the fact that my mother has been watching the baby all day. When she was upstairs relaxing and the baby was in her cradle, I had to come up and get my mother because I wasn't trusting myself to pick the baby up even to bring her to her. This is the fear that was associated with Martha's pregnancy and my continuously not knowing what was going on. Now that I have a better understanding of the scope, concern for myself isn't so great. Concern for my capacity as a father is.

I think to some extent, the subconscious concerns along these lines have been manifesting. As of yet I have never been in a scenario in which I was the only one in the house with the baby. Part of this is the fact that my mother lives here and isn't employed. I think I would have engineered assistance anyway. The bottom line is, what kind of a father can I be when I require backup? When I can't actually be trusted to be alone with my daughter. Not on the short term. I see it coming in enough time to ensure she isn't in danger, but long term plans. How can I engineer a time span of hours in which I am responsible for her when we don't know in advance that I can do it.

Mom was chatting with the baby as she looked over my mom's shoulder at me and watched me recede (mom was headed upstairs with her, I wasn't) after waking up from her evening nap. It was as if she knew that this was the time frame where she hung out with me at the computer or watching television. My mother said "Daddy's having a little trouble today. Hopefully by the time you are old enough to understand, you won't have to."

I know this was kind of an optimistic statement aimed at me, but I can't help but be angered by this whole situation. "You're going to hang out with Nana for a while because daddy is broken. Don't worry about it, we are used to this."

Now I know that this won't kill me. I also know that it won't go away. They are optimistic about their professionals and the ability for them to fix me. I am not. I stopped going to the doctors. I stopped taking the medications that they want me to take. Not recently. Months ago on both counts. Before the baby was born. Why? Because they are treating symptoms while admittedly not knowing the cause. The treatments frankly have little impact in comparison to my state when I am not using them. The bigger disperity is in my wallet one way or the other. Frankly, I am just not willing to let people poke around anymore without having a clue what is going on. Perhaps this is part of what makes my fear of being a poor father legitemate, but I am at an impass. I can't play their games for years waiting for them to accidentally figure it out. I keep telling myself I can live with the alternative. Maybe I can. Today it just slapped me in the face kind of hard.

Sometimes your situation sucks and so do all of the alternatives. That's part of life, or something close to it.

My Role In Your Life

You pray to me to help you catch the bus on time. To smile on you so you draw the right card on the river. To make a certain plan or a certain day work out right. You pray to me for a lot of things, and most commonly it is with a request. Infrequent lately are the days when you simply say hello. Just a little thought to say that you remember me. Not that it makes that much of a difference. Not in regards to what you ask.

What makes you think that I am concerned about your poker game? What makes you think I am concerned about your picnic? Does it ever occur to you that virtually everything that you would have me give you includes me taking from someone else? And what makes you think you deserve it more?

This world of mine has rules. Rules and laws that every thing in that wold interacts by. Everyone has to follow. You have known what many of these rules were for centuries. Your sciences teach you more of these rules every day. As you learn more of these rules and how everything effects everything else, you should realize how unlikely I am to grant a simple whim of yours. No matter how much you love me or I love you.

This entire world is a complex organism. Everything playing its part to keep everything else in motion, like one great body. My primary concern is obviously for the body, for the body is mine. Within this body is where you operate. As a society I have given you the means to thrive or the means to destroy each other. I have given you the laws that govern how and when you can do either. Now I hear cries that the innocent suffer and I should intervene. Why? Your people suffer at the hands of your people. Why should I interfere? This is your choice. But some of the innocent pay the price. So? Can your toe complain when your whole body succumbs to cancer because it didn't take any part in smoking? No. Neither does it get preferential treatment simply because the other parts of the body didn't care about it. I told you that what you do not find within you will not find without, how else but as I have just explained would I have meant it?

Why do you cry out that I don't do something spectacular for you? If I help you catch that bus, that means I interfered with my own well designed world just for you. Is that not spectacular? Do you claim to deserve more? I wouldn't if I were you.

I don't tell you not to ask me for miracles. I just tell you that you know the rules and can't expect that I will simply toss them out at your request. What should you ask for then? Guidance. This I give all of the time. Ask me to guide you to help yourself within the rules that have been set. If you listen, here I will help you. Here is where the miracles can take place, when you make something of yourself without bending the rules. And when you ask for this guidance, ask with sincerity. Worry about what you are asking for, not what names you use when you ask for it. If you ask for guidance I will give it, whether you aim your request at Jesus, Buddha or a giant Furby. If you ask for miracles, the same result can be expected whether you ask Allah, Amaterasu or Papa Smurf. Know your intentions, be sincere in your request, and know that while I love every one of you, I rank few of you above or below any of the others. In daily life, you are oh so important to me. In a combative stance against my other children, you become the minority.

Behave well. Live well. Say hello more than you say please, and be Blessed in me in all of your endeavors.

How Many Posts In One Day?

I stumbled across this quiz on Rainbowind's Blog when I was wandering through old posts. I've always loved these silly little quizzes. So those of you who know me, what do you think? On the mark or way off base?


Let us put our heads down and be gloomy around you.
You are one morbid, perhaps depressing
character. Your dark mind causes you to talk
about things of the same subject. Others
(myself included) may not mind your talk and
find it interesting to talk to you since death
is just a natural thing. Yes, death fascinates
you, but there is no need to keep bringing it
upon people about their own demise. You may see
life as just a phase we go through before we
die. You may even think of what your funeral
will be like. You are not a depressed person,
although that's a possibility. But yeah, you
could be an outsider and have your own strange
friends. Happy Halloween though, Bleak One.

What Halloween Figure Are You? (MANY RESULTS WITH SIX ALL NEW ONES!!)
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A Low Blow In Bullshit Religious Arguments

This particular issue isn't a particularly huge issue for me, or several of my other readers, but having found it I thought I would share. While this story doesn't really apply to this blog, I know several of my visitors frequent blogs on both sides of the EC argument. I am not likely to comment much on this subject here, but any or all of you can feel free to take this story and run with it on your own blogs in which ever direction you wish. The only comment I will make is that it pisses me off every time someone uses someones death to further their own political agenda. Unfortunately, this is one of the things that you will find happening in life, or something close to it.

The Full Moon

The moon will begin it's rise over Rochester, NY at 4:19 PM EST. 27 minutes prior to sunset. It should be plenty visible, weather permitting, to all by the point it officially becomes full at 7:58 PM. This particular full moon is known as the Mourning Moon. This is the moon that marked the end of the harvest and frequently the beginning of the snow season. (It has also been referenced as the Snow Moon) Many reference the Mourning to be a reference to the Goddess and her coming slumber, but in truth it would probably be called the depression moon if such a word had been common in times past when these names were given. This moon marked the time when you had to huddle in doors and pray that you survived the winter. It was preparation for mourning, knowing you or some of your loved ones might not. Now, thankfully, for most of us it is just a name by which to recognize the passing of the seasons.

While not extensive, if this information is of any use to any of you, I am pleased. If not, that's just life, or something close to it.

The Picture Of Me

You know I used this picture because it is one of the only one's of me that I have on the computer that is from the past year. While looking at it today I noticed something interesting. If you look at the enlarged version of my picture you will see the infant of prague over my left shoulder and a gargoyle over my right. It looks almost like your stereotypical angel on one shoulder and devil on the other. I thought I would point this out before someone else did, and assure you that some of my gargoyles happen to live on that one shelf, and Martha's collection of "junior popes" as she calls them reside on the other. Their appearance in the picture is purely coincidental. Just another little quirk in life, or something close to it.

A Cute Little Animation

I stumbled across this animation while visiting Tinkerbell's Blog. It is a version of the story of Persephone. It is kind of cute, and if you are curious about the story or just about how this particular one was animated, feel free to follow the link. If you aren't interested, then don't. Choices are a part of life, or something close to it.

This is me, and I am not sure I know how to use this yet. 

I've been busy

That about sums it up. A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. Not a lot worth posting about, just a lot of the day to day issues that a boring life as a semi-responsible adult provides. I went to the casino a week ago Saturday with MC and another friend. We rushed about trying to get to the casino, and to the poker room in time for a tournament the three of us planned on playing in. We got there just in time. Or would have if the tournament wasn't yesterday. Since we were there, we decided to take the money for the tournament entry and just play a cash game. No play by play is really necessary. Suffice it to say we all left a little unhappy with the rampant luck of one player in particular. He actually was only responsible for the demise of the other two, both incredibly lucky and stupid plays on his part. For my part, I was certain that my opponent who had been busy being pawed by his obnoxious female companion had suddenly realized his cards and tried to bluff his way out by putting me in. I was so certain of this, and annoyed with his toy, that I neglected to recall that I didn't really have much of anything myself.

MC and I have started a poker night at his place. Each person brings five bucks, we play cards, have some beers and enjoy ourselves. Two weeks running now. The first week MC beat us. The second week we all lost to a kid who we taught the rules to on the way out. It was a flashback to the casino.

I don't know if MC went to the tourney yesterday, or if how he fared if he did. I for one got fed up with all of my family telling me I had to organize everything and make preparations for moving out of our apartment. So I got a truck and determined that I would just do it myself. I got about half of the stuff out of the apartment, with the assistance of my wife and brother-in-law. She insisted on being there to help sort things, and later insisted that she call her brother to help because I couldn't possibly do it myself. I am rather sore this morning, but thankfully had two major effects from my activities yesterday. First, I got a lot accomplished. Second, Steve and Martha said they will do the planning next time so it goes smoother. I rather like Steve's plan actually, since it involves me providing a case of beer and him providing four or five guys that he works with to help move all of the crap out with the promise of poker and beer afterwards. It's cheaper than hiring movers.

Emily keeps growing. She is much more interactive lately. She smiles and laughs a lot. She also seems to like the sound of her own voice, calling out and laughing for up to an hour at a time. She seems particular amused by poker, so you can tell she's my daughter. In the evenings I sometimes play on line with her on my lap as we wait for her mother to come home and she laughs every time the cards flip over. Sometimes I play a poker game on my PS2 downstairs and she will sit in her little chair and laugh and bounce.

She already has a favorite show. (Or at least one that they can regularly sit her in front of where she watches and laughs and tries to talk to the characters.) It is called Doodlebops, or something like that. A typical kid show with silly song and outlandish multicolored characters. It's annoying as hell, but she likes it, and it gives my wife and mother a break while I am at work. I use poker, they use the Doodlebops. As long as it keeps her entertained I guess. Not much else going on, I guess. Other than the fact that I have toyed around with some cool little decorations and links for my blog while I haven't been posting. Neither is particularly an impressive accomplishment, but I am amazed that I figured out enough to get them there. So, take a look. The moon links to a site that will let you put it on your blog if you want. The other one links to a Wiccan site that features regular articles and news.

Obviously I haven't succesfully summed up the past two weeks in the above couple of paragraphs. But that's as close as you are going to get, and that's just life, or something close to it.