From the Times-Union in Albany:
ALBANY -- The Episcopal Diocese of Albany is weighing changes to local church law that will likely touch off fresh controversy around homosexuality and marriage issues when they come up for a vote next month.
One resolution mandates that only a person who is in a heterosexual marriage or "celibate and abstinent" can be eligible for ordination as a priest or consecration as a bishop. Another holds that only heterosexual marriages can be celebrated or blessed in the diocese -- and marriage between a man and a woman is the only kind of union permitted on diocesan or parish property.
Clergy and lay delegates will vote on the proposals during the 19-county Albany Episcopal Diocese's annual convention June 6-8 in Speculator. The debate comes at a time of renewed national attention to gay marriage in the wake of a California Supreme Court decision allowing it.
....
"The national church has gone off the rails," said Torre Bissell, a lay person who runs a diocesan intercessory ministry and has asked on a blog that people pray for passage of both measures.
The Schenectady computer consultant added, "I don't know that there's ever been any place in Scripture where marriage was not between a man and a woman. It's always been between a man and a woman, and the current culture is trying to change that."
Some liberal upstate Episcopalians are marshaling opposition to Albany's new marriage and clergy proposals. They see the latter as an attempt to bar gay clergy and argue that it conflicts with national church policy against discrimination. They also say the abstinence requirement is unenforceable and would encourage dishonesty.
I wonder about the phrase "celibate and abstinent". Why are both words necessary?
I can't envision a loving God, the God that I know and love, demanding that two people of the same sex, who love each other faithfully, never express that love physically. I can't see it. I know of all the citations in the Old Testament that seem to indicate same-sexuality is always wrong. I have read them and pondered them. The Old Testament calls for the punishment of stoning for non-virgins, for virgins who commit adultery, and for disobedient sons. Do we follow those laws today?
I am also aware of the passages in the New Testament. I know that certain Scripture scholars interpret them as not being specifically about same-sexuality, but about other matters, such as prostitution. I say again that I don't need those citations repeated to me in comments, because I have read them already, and I have prayed and thought about them. In addition, Jesus never mentioned same-sexuality. The Gospels are my touchstone, my guide, my light along the way, and there is nothing in them about same-sexuality.
My conclusion is that same-sexuality is, in itself, neither good nor evil. It is neutral. What's important is the nature of the relationship between the two people. Is the relationship loving and faithful? In that context, I simply do not believe that same-sexuality is wrong.
Of course, many disagree with me, which they are certainly free to do. But is this a matter of such importance as to divide the church? I don't think so. I am willing to live in a church with those of you who disagree with me. Why not the other way around? Why aren't you willing to live with me?
Please join me in praying for the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany and for Bishop William Love.
UPDATE: H/T to Fran at FranIAm. Sorry I didn't give you credit first time around, Fran.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
MY FIVE NEW BOYFRIENDS!!!
I am seeing 5 gentlemen every day.
As soon as I wake up,
Will Power helps me get out of bed.
Then I go to see John.
Then Charlie Horse comes along,
& when he is here, he takes a lot of my time & attention.
When he leaves,
Arthur Ritis
shows up & stays the rest of the day.
He doesn't like to stay in one place very long,
so he takes me from joint to joint.
After such a busy day, I'm really tired & glad
to go to bed with Ben Gay.
What a life! Oh, yes, I'm also flirting with
Al Zymer.
and thinking of calling JACK DANIELS or
JOHNNY WALKER to come and keep me company.
now remember:
Life is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes...so have fun, think 'good thoughts' only, learn to laugh at yourself, and Count your blessings!!!!!!!
From Guess Who!
Jindal McCain's Veep?
Folks want to know what I think of the possibility that Governor Bobby Jindal will be John McCain's choice as a running mate.
From the Advocate:
WASHINGTON — Bobby Jindal may not become U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential running mate, but just being invited to Arizona this weekend with vice presidential contenders signals his meteoric rise in the national Republican Party.
Washington political analysts contend the inclusion of the first-term Louisiana governor means GOP national leaders consider him pivotal to their future.
“All this does is get him in the room,” said John Samples, director of representative government for the libertarian Cato Institute. “And this is a roomful of people who might run for the highest office in the nation in the next 10 to 15 years.”
“This is a party that is in real trouble if John McCain loses,” Samples added. “They’re going to be discussing where do we go from here and Jindal will be in the mix of that discussion.”
Jindal's not really my kind of man, Republican, staunch supporter of Bush, etc. He never really was, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt once he was elected, with his major pitch being the promise to clean up corruption in state government. It was not long before word came out that Jindal's campaign had failed to include certain moneys, a mere $118,264, in their reports on campaign funding. Whoops! It was just an oversight, an accounting error, blah, blah, blah. Nonetheless, he had to pay a $2,500 fine, the maximum. That's how Governor Clean began his term.
Louisiana's lieutenant-governor is Mitch Landrieu, a DEMOCRAT, who would succeed Jindal, if he became vice-president. I'd love to have him as governor, but I surely don't want McCain elected president so that Louisiana can have a Democratic governor. No, indeed! If Jindal is McCain's choice, I presume that he will not resign his position as governor during the campaign.
So. How has Jindal measured up so far? A few examples from my fellow Louisiana blogger, Jim, from JindalWatch, who keeps a closer watch on the governor - thus his blog name. Here's his post on Jindal's request for expert advice on the appointment of a new general to lead the Louisiana National Guard, only to ignore the expert advice in making his choice.
Another of Jindal's pre-election promises was transparency in the governor's office. However, when the rubber met the road, Jindal sang a different tune - to mix up the metaphors dreadfully. As the Louisiana Legislature considered the passage of an ethics bill, again from JindalWatch:
Also, according to [reporter, [Mark] Ballard, "A Senate committee forwarded legislation that would make secret most documents involving the governor and his staff. Though Jindal yakked up his “gold standard ethics reform” with TV talk show host Jay Leno, he spent more than a week ducking local press questions about all the loopholes and surprises in those ethics bills. The most seminal image — also televised — showed the governor’s press secretary’s body blocking a television reporter who tried to ask those questions as a door closed on a silent Jindal."
Just two examples among others of why I don't see Jindal as any kind of new beginning for the Republican Party. His press secretary Melissa Sellers and his chief of staff Tom Teepell are already on the enemies list of many local reporters because they reach out to the national media and tend to ignore the the Louisiana press corps. The danger there for the Jindal administration is in a heightened determination on the part of the local press, to seek out what the Jindal administration may be hiding from them. Jindal seems to have large ambitions beyond the boundaries of Louisiana, perhaps even the presidency of the US. Well, a boy can dream, can't he?
Folks who know the odds, think that Jindal will very likely not be chosen, but he'd surely settle for the keynote speech at the Republican convention. He's not that good a speaker, so I don't know if he'll get that either. Any speech in prime time would probably be fine with him, too.
From the Advocate:
WASHINGTON — Bobby Jindal may not become U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential running mate, but just being invited to Arizona this weekend with vice presidential contenders signals his meteoric rise in the national Republican Party.
Washington political analysts contend the inclusion of the first-term Louisiana governor means GOP national leaders consider him pivotal to their future.
“All this does is get him in the room,” said John Samples, director of representative government for the libertarian Cato Institute. “And this is a roomful of people who might run for the highest office in the nation in the next 10 to 15 years.”
“This is a party that is in real trouble if John McCain loses,” Samples added. “They’re going to be discussing where do we go from here and Jindal will be in the mix of that discussion.”
Jindal's not really my kind of man, Republican, staunch supporter of Bush, etc. He never really was, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt once he was elected, with his major pitch being the promise to clean up corruption in state government. It was not long before word came out that Jindal's campaign had failed to include certain moneys, a mere $118,264, in their reports on campaign funding. Whoops! It was just an oversight, an accounting error, blah, blah, blah. Nonetheless, he had to pay a $2,500 fine, the maximum. That's how Governor Clean began his term.
Louisiana's lieutenant-governor is Mitch Landrieu, a DEMOCRAT, who would succeed Jindal, if he became vice-president. I'd love to have him as governor, but I surely don't want McCain elected president so that Louisiana can have a Democratic governor. No, indeed! If Jindal is McCain's choice, I presume that he will not resign his position as governor during the campaign.
So. How has Jindal measured up so far? A few examples from my fellow Louisiana blogger, Jim, from JindalWatch, who keeps a closer watch on the governor - thus his blog name. Here's his post on Jindal's request for expert advice on the appointment of a new general to lead the Louisiana National Guard, only to ignore the expert advice in making his choice.
Another of Jindal's pre-election promises was transparency in the governor's office. However, when the rubber met the road, Jindal sang a different tune - to mix up the metaphors dreadfully. As the Louisiana Legislature considered the passage of an ethics bill, again from JindalWatch:
Also, according to [reporter, [Mark] Ballard, "A Senate committee forwarded legislation that would make secret most documents involving the governor and his staff. Though Jindal yakked up his “gold standard ethics reform” with TV talk show host Jay Leno, he spent more than a week ducking local press questions about all the loopholes and surprises in those ethics bills. The most seminal image — also televised — showed the governor’s press secretary’s body blocking a television reporter who tried to ask those questions as a door closed on a silent Jindal."
Just two examples among others of why I don't see Jindal as any kind of new beginning for the Republican Party. His press secretary Melissa Sellers and his chief of staff Tom Teepell are already on the enemies list of many local reporters because they reach out to the national media and tend to ignore the the Louisiana press corps. The danger there for the Jindal administration is in a heightened determination on the part of the local press, to seek out what the Jindal administration may be hiding from them. Jindal seems to have large ambitions beyond the boundaries of Louisiana, perhaps even the presidency of the US. Well, a boy can dream, can't he?
Folks who know the odds, think that Jindal will very likely not be chosen, but he'd surely settle for the keynote speech at the Republican convention. He's not that good a speaker, so I don't know if he'll get that either. Any speech in prime time would probably be fine with him, too.
Blame It On Doug
The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. "Hello?"
"Is your daddy home?" he asked.
"Yes," whispered the small voice.
"May I talk with him?"
The child whispered, "No."
Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"
"Yes."
"May I talk with her?"
Again the small voice whispered, "No."
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?"
"Yes," whispered the child, "policeman."
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he's busy", whispered the child.
"Busy doing what?"
"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"
"A helicopter" answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, "The search team just landed a helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?"
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...
"ME."
"Is your daddy home?" he asked.
"Yes," whispered the small voice.
"May I talk with him?"
The child whispered, "No."
Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"
"Yes."
"May I talk with her?"
Again the small voice whispered, "No."
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?"
"Yes," whispered the child, "policeman."
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he's busy", whispered the child.
"Busy doing what?"
"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"
"A helicopter" answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, "The search team just landed a helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?"
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...
"ME."
Tale Of The Leaking Levee - NOLA
From NOLA.com:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Despite more than $22 million in repairs, a levee that broke with catastrophic effect during Hurricane Katrina is leaking again because of the mushy ground on which New Orleans was built, raising serious questions about the reliability of the city's flood defenses.
Outside engineering experts who have studied the project told The Associated Press that the type of seepage spotted at the 17th Street Canal in the Lakeview neighborhood afflicts other New Orleans levees, too, and could cause some of them to collapse during a storm.
....
Among other things, they repaired the wall by driving interlocking sheets of steel 60 feet into the ground, compared with about 17 feet before the storm. The sheet metal is supposed to prevent canal water from seeping under the levee through the wet, toothpaste-like soil that lies beneath the city, which was built on reclaimed swamp and filled-in marsh.
Over the past few months, however, the corps found evidence that canal water is seeping through the joints in the sheet metal and then rising to the surface on the other side of the levee, forming puddles and other wet spots.
Bear with me, peeps, while we get into some really technical stuff. No, I am not an engineer. I have no expertise whatsoever in levee design or construction. However, I do have a brain that is, on occasion, functional. We went to Lakeview about a year ago to see the repairs which had been made to fill the gaps in the levees. The repaired portions that closed the breaches were reinforced and built better and stronger than the original levee. However, right alongside the reinforced levee sections were the same old levees of the type that failed. It did cross my mind that what the US Corps of Engineers had done didn't make sense and that the older unreinforced levee sections (which were inadequate during Katrina) right next to the new stronger sections could possibly be weakened by the new construction. Is it possible that no engineer working on the project had this same thought? Perhaps. Or perhaps, if they did, they did not give voice to those thoughts.
The joints! It's the joints! The joints that hold the old and the new sections together leak. They don't hold the water back even when there is no hurricane. There is water on the side that the levees are supposed to keep dry, the part where the houses are.
Next month hurricane season begins, but people of New Orleans, do not worry. Everything is under control.
Donald Jolissaint, chief of the corps' technical support branch in New Orleans, denied the problem at the 17th Street Canal is serious.
"I personally do not at all believe that this little wet spot is anything that is going to cause a breach or a failure of any kind," he said. A newly installed floodgate could be used to cut off the flow of water into the canal and reduce pressure on the levee, he said.
What's a little wet spot? It's not an indication of possible future trouble or anything. But, just in case....
Nevertheless, the corps is concerned enough that for weeks, workers have been analyzing the wet spots and digging a 160-foot-long, 10-foot-deep trench to zero in on the source. "We're doing everything we can to chase this down," Jolissaint said.
Read the comments following the article, and you will see that folks in NOLA don't have a lot of confidence in the Corps.
H/T to Scout at First Draft for calling the article to my attention.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Despite more than $22 million in repairs, a levee that broke with catastrophic effect during Hurricane Katrina is leaking again because of the mushy ground on which New Orleans was built, raising serious questions about the reliability of the city's flood defenses.
Outside engineering experts who have studied the project told The Associated Press that the type of seepage spotted at the 17th Street Canal in the Lakeview neighborhood afflicts other New Orleans levees, too, and could cause some of them to collapse during a storm.
....
Among other things, they repaired the wall by driving interlocking sheets of steel 60 feet into the ground, compared with about 17 feet before the storm. The sheet metal is supposed to prevent canal water from seeping under the levee through the wet, toothpaste-like soil that lies beneath the city, which was built on reclaimed swamp and filled-in marsh.
Over the past few months, however, the corps found evidence that canal water is seeping through the joints in the sheet metal and then rising to the surface on the other side of the levee, forming puddles and other wet spots.
Bear with me, peeps, while we get into some really technical stuff. No, I am not an engineer. I have no expertise whatsoever in levee design or construction. However, I do have a brain that is, on occasion, functional. We went to Lakeview about a year ago to see the repairs which had been made to fill the gaps in the levees. The repaired portions that closed the breaches were reinforced and built better and stronger than the original levee. However, right alongside the reinforced levee sections were the same old levees of the type that failed. It did cross my mind that what the US Corps of Engineers had done didn't make sense and that the older unreinforced levee sections (which were inadequate during Katrina) right next to the new stronger sections could possibly be weakened by the new construction. Is it possible that no engineer working on the project had this same thought? Perhaps. Or perhaps, if they did, they did not give voice to those thoughts.
The joints! It's the joints! The joints that hold the old and the new sections together leak. They don't hold the water back even when there is no hurricane. There is water on the side that the levees are supposed to keep dry, the part where the houses are.
Next month hurricane season begins, but people of New Orleans, do not worry. Everything is under control.
Donald Jolissaint, chief of the corps' technical support branch in New Orleans, denied the problem at the 17th Street Canal is serious.
"I personally do not at all believe that this little wet spot is anything that is going to cause a breach or a failure of any kind," he said. A newly installed floodgate could be used to cut off the flow of water into the canal and reduce pressure on the levee, he said.
What's a little wet spot? It's not an indication of possible future trouble or anything. But, just in case....
Nevertheless, the corps is concerned enough that for weeks, workers have been analyzing the wet spots and digging a 160-foot-long, 10-foot-deep trench to zero in on the source. "We're doing everything we can to chase this down," Jolissaint said.
Read the comments following the article, and you will see that folks in NOLA don't have a lot of confidence in the Corps.
H/T to Scout at First Draft for calling the article to my attention.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Leave It To Mary Clara....
Mary Clara has left a new comment on your post "To Blog Or Not To Blog - Part 2":
Mimi, I read your 'to blog or not to blog part 1' post late last night -- too late to prop myself up and comment -- and then grabbed yesterday's mail to look at as I soaked in the tub before bed. What should I find in the Scientific American (June issue) but an article by Jessica Wapner, 'The Healthy Type: The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of study.' It's on p. 32 of the magazine but also online at Scientific American.
It is a short article worth reading in full. But I would like to comment about why blogging of the kind you do (which I love to participate in) may be found to be 'therapeutic'. I find it a great outlet myself to post comments on other people's blogs regarding matters both serious and silly. Why? Among other things, blogging RESTORES TO US OUR VOICE AS CITIZENS of our nation and of the world, and as members of the Church. We are living in a time when so much of what happens to our country, the world community and ourselves is being controlled by big institutions and mediated by propaganda. Blogging undermines that. It enables us to find each other regardless of geographic distance and speak out against the crimes and the lies, imagine alternatives, and organize actions (including prayer which is a powerful kind of action).
It goes without saying that selfishly I hope you will continue, but not at the cost of your own well-being. I haven't had time to read all of yesterday's comments yet but will just encourage you, if you do carry on, to put this on a schedule that allows for your life to be balanced. Maybe treat it like a job that you do a certain number of hours per week, at a particular time of day, and stay within those boundaries. The blogging should nourish your soul and keep your spirits up, not wear you down or wear you out.
Whatever you decide we'll stay connected, dear Mimi.
Yes, Mary Clara and everyone, we will stay connected.
Here's an excerpt from the article to pique your curiosity:
Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.
Mimi, I read your 'to blog or not to blog part 1' post late last night -- too late to prop myself up and comment -- and then grabbed yesterday's mail to look at as I soaked in the tub before bed. What should I find in the Scientific American (June issue) but an article by Jessica Wapner, 'The Healthy Type: The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of study.' It's on p. 32 of the magazine but also online at Scientific American.
It is a short article worth reading in full. But I would like to comment about why blogging of the kind you do (which I love to participate in) may be found to be 'therapeutic'. I find it a great outlet myself to post comments on other people's blogs regarding matters both serious and silly. Why? Among other things, blogging RESTORES TO US OUR VOICE AS CITIZENS of our nation and of the world, and as members of the Church. We are living in a time when so much of what happens to our country, the world community and ourselves is being controlled by big institutions and mediated by propaganda. Blogging undermines that. It enables us to find each other regardless of geographic distance and speak out against the crimes and the lies, imagine alternatives, and organize actions (including prayer which is a powerful kind of action).
It goes without saying that selfishly I hope you will continue, but not at the cost of your own well-being. I haven't had time to read all of yesterday's comments yet but will just encourage you, if you do carry on, to put this on a schedule that allows for your life to be balanced. Maybe treat it like a job that you do a certain number of hours per week, at a particular time of day, and stay within those boundaries. The blogging should nourish your soul and keep your spirits up, not wear you down or wear you out.
Whatever you decide we'll stay connected, dear Mimi.
Yes, Mary Clara and everyone, we will stay connected.
Here's an excerpt from the article to pique your curiosity:
Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.
To Blog Or Not To Blog - Part 2
My friends, I was overwhelmed by the responses to my post on whether I should continue my blog. Thank you for your kind comments and suggestions. For now, I will probably continue to post, but at a lesser pace. Some of your suggestions, I will put to use. If I don't get something posted every day, I'll try to make myself believe that it's OK. See. I'm already in trouble.
Last night, one friend told me in an email to ask the real (as opposed to the virtual) people in my life what they thought of my time spent blogging. Grandpère was the only person present, so I asked him. Now he has complained about my time spent on the computer in the past, but he seems to have become used to it. (Or should I say trained?) I asked him if our lives together would be better if I quit the blog. He looked at me as though I were crazy. Well, I am, you know, but he's accustomed to that. He said, "No, it doesn't matter to me, one way or another." So much for that. We have interests in common, but we often go our separate ways in pursuit of activities we enjoy. I believe that may one of the secrets of our long marriage. Too much togetherness has always seemed sort of smothering to me.
Thanks to all of you for your lovely expressions of support and for excellent suggestions on ways to make blogging less onerous for me. Hugs and kisses all around.
Photo from Flickr.
Too Old
Sadie was sitting in the waiting room for her first appointment with a new dentist. She noticed his diploma, which bore his full name. She began thinking, and suddenly remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name from her high school class nearly 60 years ago. Could the dentist be the same man that she had a secret crush on, way back then??
Upon seeing the dentist, however, she quickly discarded any such thought. "This bald, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face is way too old to have been my classmate," she thought as he worked on her teeth. "Or could he be?"
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" the woman asked after the dentist had finished.
"No, not at all," the dentist said.
"Did you attend Morgan Park High School?"
"Yes. Yes, I did. I was on the football team," he answered, gleaming with pride.
"What year did you graduate?" the woman asked.
"In 1957. Why do you ask?"
"You were in my class!" the woman exclaimed.
The dentist looked at her closely. "Really?" he asked. "I don't recognize you. "What did you teach?"
Doug strikes again.
Upon seeing the dentist, however, she quickly discarded any such thought. "This bald, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face is way too old to have been my classmate," she thought as he worked on her teeth. "Or could he be?"
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" the woman asked after the dentist had finished.
"No, not at all," the dentist said.
"Did you attend Morgan Park High School?"
"Yes. Yes, I did. I was on the football team," he answered, gleaming with pride.
"What year did you graduate?" the woman asked.
"In 1957. Why do you ask?"
"You were in my class!" the woman exclaimed.
The dentist looked at her closely. "Really?" he asked. "I don't recognize you. "What did you teach?"
Doug strikes again.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Putting It All In Perspective
Let go of those negative thoughts.
This is something to think about when negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. So remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing, and cares less, tries to make your life miserable.
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:
"Rome ? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser, "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight at tendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome ?"
"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks its gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is terrible,and they're overpriced.
"So, whatcha' doing when you get there?"
"'We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant.
"Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.
"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot.
"And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me.
"Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."
"Oh, really! What'd he say?"
"He said: 'Where'd you get the shitty Hairdo?'"
Courtesy of Doug.
This is something to think about when negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. So remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing, and cares less, tries to make your life miserable.
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:
"Rome ? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser, "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight at tendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome ?"
"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks its gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is terrible,and they're overpriced.
"So, whatcha' doing when you get there?"
"'We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant.
"Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.
"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot.
"And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me.
"Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."
"Oh, really! What'd he say?"
"He said: 'Where'd you get the shitty Hairdo?'"
Courtesy of Doug.
To Blog Or Not To Blog
I've been giving serious thought to discontinuing my blog - maybe permanently, maybe temporarily. I'm not at all disappointed by my traffic. It's higher than I ever believed it would be. The problem is the time and effort it requires to do a decent job of it as opposed to what fruit the effort bears. I realize that's a difficult measurement to make.
My thinking is that many are doing a better job of blogging than I am, and an even greater number are doing equally good work. What really do I contribute to the conversation that's not already being said? I'm not one to post only occasionally. It's an every day job for me or nothing. If I took the blog to only occasional posts, the posts would come seldom to never. It seems to be an obsession or nothing for me.
I hope that you respect me enough to know that I'm not fishing for compliments about my blog or looking for bromides about soldiering on. I'm simply bouncing my thoughts off you, my readers, for better or for worse.
I've set up a separate email address on my sidebar for those who may be too shy to leave a comment. How to judge results versus time expended is what I'm trying to work out. In other words, could I better spend my time doing something else?
Of course, I'd still visit around and clutter up the comments boxes of other bloggers, so I wouldn't disappear. I wouldn't delete my blog, either, because I might change my mind.
My thinking is that many are doing a better job of blogging than I am, and an even greater number are doing equally good work. What really do I contribute to the conversation that's not already being said? I'm not one to post only occasionally. It's an every day job for me or nothing. If I took the blog to only occasional posts, the posts would come seldom to never. It seems to be an obsession or nothing for me.
I hope that you respect me enough to know that I'm not fishing for compliments about my blog or looking for bromides about soldiering on. I'm simply bouncing my thoughts off you, my readers, for better or for worse.
I've set up a separate email address on my sidebar for those who may be too shy to leave a comment. How to judge results versus time expended is what I'm trying to work out. In other words, could I better spend my time doing something else?
Of course, I'd still visit around and clutter up the comments boxes of other bloggers, so I wouldn't disappear. I wouldn't delete my blog, either, because I might change my mind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)