Another Day From Hell

Now, don't get too cozy just yet. Before you get settled, I want to warn you that this promises not to be one of my more well-written rants. That is because I am writing it in the heat of the moment. Even worse, I'm doing the unthinkable and typing it directly into my blog as opposed to creating it in a word document. Yep, it's that kind of post.

For starters, I just got back from making an emergency beer and cookie dough run. I rarely make runs. In truth, I guess it's not so much that I never need a beer and cookie night, than it is more because we usually have beer on hand and, if truly desperate, my husband offers to get the cookie dough (usually as a form of redemption for whatever he did to put me in the mood in the first place). But we are out of beer and he is upstairs sleeping through the chaos that has brought me to my current state. Just so you know, I don't eat the dough straight up--I do actually bake it into cookies. I'm one of the only people I know who actually prefers the end product to it's raw form. Anyway, considering I haven't had lunch or dinner, I should be in a much better mood by the time I finish a honey lager. Being too busy to have eaten is probably one of the major factors contributing to my foul mood.

Back to my bad day. Luckily, I have had one of those days that, although it was one big piece of crap, it was the kind that I'll probably be able to laugh at in the near future. Maybe even tomorrow. Maybe even by the time I finish my beer.

Nope. Not laughing yet.

I could have claimed a sucky day based on the first half alone after hauling someone's ass back and forth for a procedure. A procedure that was not even discussed with me prior to signing on, and that requires me to be a chauffeur to more appointments in 24 hours than should be allowed by law. And this is just week one. I'll spare the details, but if you've ever known anyone who has had lenses implanted into their eyes so that they don't have to wear contacts anymore, you may know the never-ending string of events that is involved.

Of course, the commotion couldn't have just ended there. I have also had the night from hell. I abandoned the post I was working on that was supposed to go on today in order to cook several different things to appease the troops (which I normally don't do), and cleaned up even more messes than foods I prepared from off the floor. Then just when I thought things had settled down enough to call a friend back, I made the mistake of returning to the kitchen where I thought the children were finishing up the meals I had prepared them. But what do I find? My nine-year-old had taken one of the hard-boiled eggs I had just made and unshelled, and was standing in the middle of the kitchen squishing it in her fist, watching it ooze all over the floor! OMG,WTF? Is she out of her too-smart-for-her-own-good mind?

Because of this ghastly sight, I again had to abruptly end my all-too-short phone call. I called her back a while later, but when my second phone's battery died, I decided it wasn't meant to be since I had already cut my phone conversation short once due to my other phone's battery failure--and twice because of my kids! I assured my friend that if I was still alive and not imprisoned, I would call her tomorrow. Oh, but not in the morning because you-know-who has another follow-up appointment I get the privilege of driving him to.

Just then my son decided he didn't like his dinner and wanted something else, my middle daughter told me she felt like she was going to throw up, and two of our four toilets were backed up. Not to mention, the phone kept ringing off the hook, although I only had two minutes to talk before it died again. After cleaning egg off the floor for the umpteenth time (don't ask), I went into the laundry room and discovered a forgotten load of towels that had been sitting in the washer since yesterday. Yep. Smelled like ass.

Oh, that reminds me. I need to go switch the laundry over. How is it that I still have housework after midnight? I think I blog too much.

My Sunday Sermon: Modern Mythology

It took years to cultivate, but I distinctly remember when the seed of religious doubt was planted within me. I was in the cradle of my youth, a sophomore in high school, when we examined Greek and Roman mythology in my Honors English class. I found the study culturally intriguing, yet ironically parallel to present times. These bygone civilizations, not unlike contemporary ones, placed the utmost reverence into superstitious deities who possessed unearthly powers. Several of my fellow Honors students found foolishness in these fictional far-fetched fables. Yet, what I found interesting was how the same intellectuals who mercilessly mocked mythology on Monday, mindlessly spent Sunday singing sappy sanctimonious songs.

Then I had an epiphany: it suddenly occurred to me that we super-intelligent present-day humans have done nothing more than reject one form of mythology to adopt another. How were the ancient mythological teachings any more preposterous than biblical ones? Mythology is defined as a body of stories held true by a particular culture which use the supernatural to decode the nature of the universe and humanity. Therefore, theistic theory is even more absurd today because we now have the scientific evidence revealing the answers to the mysteries that religion was originally created to explain!

In the 5^th century BC once philosophy, history and rationalism began to take hold, poets and playwrights set about revising the myths to coalesce with new concepts and theories. It has been 2,600 years since radical philosophers began calling the tales comprising Greek mythology blasphemous lies. Although considered rebels at the time, they were eventually recognized for their unconventional theories and revered for exposing objective consideration as a necessary element in advancing societal ideals.

Yet, over two millennia later, traditionalists continue to repeat history. As science advances, Christians react in one of two ways. Negating any legitimacy to their claims whatsoever, they can simply reject scientific evidence and theories, such as the wacky fundamentalists who refute the existence of dinosaurs. Going this route is unwise, for in propagating such gibberish, they risk the threat of extinction. The more practiced alternative is to manipulate biblical passages to better fit a modern, scientifically consistent interpretation. This is why the bible's ambiguity is essential in maintaining it's credibility.

Minimizing the impact of scientific inconsistencies, any Christian will tell you that their loyalty is built upon faith, not proof. Of course it is! For without faith religion would cease to exist! Naturally, followers of ancient mythology believed in their traditions as whole-heartedly as current Christians, Jews, or Muslims. People are susceptible to discrediting logic in order to adopt faith because religion serves to ease concerns and provide a purpose to our lives. Moreover, it is inferred that by developing faith in light of what is tangible and scientific, one achieves even greater holiness.

I have yet to hear a compelling theistic argument worthy of my convictions. Personally, I find biblical tales and legends of Zeus equally entertaining. Nevertheless, just as in ancient times, modern mythologies serve a purpose to those who endorse them. In evaluating the purpose, one must consider that attempting to live a righteous existence is one thing; religious fanaticism is entirely another. I am genuinely intrigued how people can advocate one faith unequivocally, yet simultaneously reject the validity of all other religions throughout history. Spirituality is a very personal thing, and should be respected as such. Looking objectively, we can see that building societies on the foundation of fables and superstition only hinders progress for a more unified world.

My Impassioned Little Activist

...And Her Priceless Lesson in Politics

My nine year old daughter came home from school yesterday all fired up. And how. Apparently they had discussed global warming in her Advanced Learners class. I love that she gets so passionate about causes and genuinely cares about important issues. Unfortunately, she hasn't developed the ability to keep it from consuming her. She is urging me to buy 50% more groceries when I go to the store to cut down on the number of trips I make. I already go as rarely as humanly possible, so the hard part would be coming up with even more things to buy as meal-planning is not one of my strengths. I'm afraid the means to accomplish her end would be our family going hungry every other week. And I'm all for bike-riding, however, considering our neighborhood is tucked away between other tucked away neighborhoods, I'm not so sure that it is a practical means to save on gas.

She also informed me that it only takes 5% of the cost, as well as the resources that cause pollution, to produce a recycled can as opposed to a new one. And at this rate, the outer banks of North Carolina (the state we reside in) will be below sea level within 100 years. She additionally mentioned that in my great grand-children's lifetimes the Statue of Liberty will also be submerged and Alaskan polar bears will be extinct. This child has become a spreadsheet for environmental statistics. I haven't confirmed these projections, but she is rarely wrong about these things.

So, she's all impassioned about global warming and how to get the word out about it. I told her that many people are concerned and have been spreading the word. I also explained how many forms of advertising, which is what you are essentially doing by disseminating a message, cost a lot of money. We talked about methods of reaching large audiences such as billboards and commercials. Seeing she had a bunch of pinned up energy, I told her to go implement a creative outlet for her frustration by writing or drawing something that expressed how she felt about it. She came down with an adorable poster she drew advocating good environmental choices. Then I realized a way for to do her little part in spreading her message. She could make a poster that we could put in a window of our vehicle and it could serve as a traveling billboard. I explained that it would be special since it is a child's plea imploring others to save the earth.


Since almost everyone has heard of global warming she couldn't understand why more wasn't being done to stop it. I had to break it to her that there are a lot of people who don't believe it's a legitimate problem. Many people in the government refuse to give it any priority. That's why it is important to vote for people who care about the issues we care about. She said, “who wouldnRt care about it? Who wouldn't care about the earth and the polar bears?” I decided to be frank. “They're called Republicans,” I gently explained. “Do you want to know who DOES care about it?” She nodded up and down. “Democrats,” I plainly stated, then added, “but this is only one issue of many, so we need to know everything a person stands for before deciding where to place our vote. However, the people that care about the environment are most likely going to care about similar issues I do, although it's never that cut and dry. We have to choose the person who will fight for the most issues that are the most important to us.”

Looking puzzled she inquired, “who would be a Republican?”

"Your father.”

"But why?”

"That I really can't answer, but it has something to do with taxes. And probably the war on terror.”

"Huh?”

"Oh, and the Axis of Evil. Yet, considering Republicans are more concerned with allocating money to military strategies than medical breakthroughs, I would say they are the Axis of Evil.”

"Does that have anything to do with the glaciers melting?”

"What? Oh! No. Never mind. I was just thinking out loud. Why don't you go finish making your poster to put in my car.”

And she did. My little, sweet, bleeding-heart liberal. God, I love her.

My New Mindset...I Hope it Sticks

As many of you may know, I have been struggling with relationship issues for a while now. I think I officially hit rock-bottom a couple of nights ago. I laid down in bed and didn't get up for hours, not even realizing how late it had gotten. I missed dinner time, homework time, all that. I didn't even sleep; I just laid there, miserable.

Then last night, the final nail was secured in the coffin. When my 'husband' failed to heed what I had discussed with him in the morning, the reality of the situation struck me. Hard. I didn't learn anything new, or find any new insight. It was more a confirmation of everything I've known for awhile. Now I have found the fury. The anger. The disgust. But I know I have to let that go because it is only harmful to me.

Here's the optimistic news: By being pushed over that hump I had been teetering on, I am developing a new outlook. It is simply astonishing that changing the perception of one simple belief has the power to affect our resolve. I know that I will still waver, and suffer from doubt. I also know that there will be a grieving period. But I must remind myself that although my current life is dying, a new life will be reborn. The one simple phrase that has helped me believe I can do this, is to consider it an adventure. I've always been a sucker for adventure, and I guess my subconscious finally realized that this would be the best tactic to use.

Of course, my MissAdventuresAbroad blog should be enough to remind me that adventures don't always go as planned. Yet, how do we grow and learn if we don't ever take risks?

Okay, So It Wasn't A Real Award

I apologize if I was misleading in my "First Love" post from Valentine's Day. I realize, in hindsight, I was a little too ambiguous. It was not an actual award, merely a thoughtful gesture from a loyal reader. It was still sweet and appreciated, though!

I may never receive an award if I fail to use any control and post what I've been yearning to write about. I've been having lots of 'stirring' sexual feelings, and since I use writing as an outlet...well, you get the idea. I don't want to offend anyone with sexually laden material, but then again, I do give fair warning that this is not the blog for prude traditionalists. Besides, I personally find it offensive that society has made sexuality a 'dirty' thing when it is a completely natural and enjoyable part of life.

Hey, a girl's got to express herself. Consider yourself warned.

A Chronic Case of Wanderlust

Wanderlust-n. A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel.


I suffer from a chronic condition. It does go into remission briefly a couple of times a year, but unfortunately, the cure is only temporary. Shortly after receiving the only drug curable to treat this disease, which is to get up and go, my wanderlust begins to flare up again. Here is why traveling is my only cure:

My endeavor to live life to the fullest is greatly aided in my pursuit to explore some of the amazing places earth has to offer. Experiencing the world beyond these familiar corridors is paramount to my vitality. Perhaps a fusion of curiosity, intuition and fascination lead to my affinity to travel. Much of it is the novelty of seeing diverse people, places and things. One thing is absolute: enchanting culture, alluring architecture, and unique experiences generate new insights not found in the comfort of conventional surroundings.These elements together are unequivocally the best means to replenish my sense and sensibility.


I think it's time for a trip. If you haven't done so, visit my MissAdventures Abroad blog which recounts the musings and mishaps I've encountered while indulging my soul. Some are humorous, and some just suck. As much trouble as I occasionally endure, I wouldn't trade a single one for having stayed home instead.