One of my facebook friends posted a link to this article today and commented on how she really liked it and had never considered whether libertarianism was "Christian" or not. To be fair, she also welcomed debate on the issue, for which I gladly took her up on her offer.
My response:
I'm not going to address the Tea Party Movement part of this article (or Rand Paul for that matter), but I must say I got all of two sentences into bullet point one and had to stop to draft a response (although I did finish the entire thing - I just had to calm down for a minute first.)
First, Christianity, in my opinion, is in no way, shape, or form about the common good. Jesus spoke to individuals and healed individuals. Most evangelicals emphasize a "personal" relationship with God. Conflating "loving thy neighbor" with the "common good" is not only poor semantics, but poor theology. Now, the converse argument could be made that Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for the "common good." To this I would 100% agree. However, as individual Christians we are called to love God and love our neighbors. There is certainly room for doing things for the "common good," but more often than not through history doing any thing in the name of common good has only ended in abusive tyranny that has hurt, instead of helped, the common good. Because, who in all their infinite wisdom outside of God, actually knows what the "common good" is? There are some fundamental precepts that I could loosely agree to for this definition, but most of those could be met with a government about 1/100th of the size we have now. Including social programs.
As a fairly ardent libertarian, I align myself with that ideology (not the political party) largely due to my strong Christian beliefs and values. The author makes a critical error in that second sentence - saying that libertarianism heralds the triumph of individual rights "at the expense of others." This is simply not the case. Most libertarians have strong training - or at least a strong interest in - economics. Specifically, public choice theory. In a nutshell, this theory espouses that individuals can better judge what is best for themselves than anyone else and therefore should be allowed to pursue their own interests AS LONG AS those interests do not infringe upon the rights of other individuals. Where there is conflict, this is the proper place for the law to intercede. Libertarians do not claim that this type of life is Utopian (despite several popular libertarian "theorists" who espouse as much.) Instead, libertarianism is based on the fundamental assumption that humans are flawed, i.e. sinners. Yet, they take an almost Federalist position that instead of having one person exert force to control the sins of another, that we should be left to pursue our own interests (including sins/vices) as long as they do not demonstrably infringe on the rights of another. Essentially, "ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of men must be tied to the constitutional rights of the place... In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself," as noted in Federalist 51.
So, coming back to the original point, a libertarian point of view assumes that all people are flawed and that is better to suffer for your own foolish flaws - regardless of how detrimental they may be to you - than suffer from the flaws/sins - such as hubris - of another who can use force to impose their will on you. The negative components of this argument comprise 99% of the public discussion, however, this fails to address the positives which include improved freedom and the ability to truly make changes in your life and immediate community. In a Christian context, this allows not only more freedom for worship and association, but also greater freedom to use resources to help those in need (because obviously libertarians believe in paying minimal taxes since the people making the decision with individuals' money has not made it and therefore does not know the best way for it to be spent.) Will some choose to spend their extra money on things like big houses, fancy cars, and big screen TVs? Absolutely. Yet, even those "greedy, selfish, uncompassionate" people are still adding value to society through their actions because the products they buy allow people in poverty-stricken nations to have jobs and provide for their families. Ultimately, still making everyone better off even if not through direct charity. That being said, would there be a large contingent of us who would take that extra money and use it to help others instead of merely boosting our own material standing in the world? Yes. Because if you have the view of Christianity that I do - it is all about choice. God chose his Son. Jesus chose us. We choose to follow him. No one compels anyone to accept Christ because that is not the point. The government can try to compel us to do the right thing, but at the end of the day the legal code should be the very base level of our morality, not the epitome of it.* When you start compelling people to accept moral outcomes is when tyranny reigns - which I fundamentally believe to be evil. Therefore, freedom (in Christ and in society) can be used for ill or for good. I see examples of both every day of my life. However, it does mean that I want to take that freedom away from people. Even if I think they are stupid, immoral louts who do nothing to add value to society. I would rather have the opportunity to use my freedom for good, than to take the chance that someone who wants to use their freedom for ill is put into power over me (although I still think individually they have a right to act however they please.)
One of the best examples of a positive - and in my opinion Christian outcome - of a libertarian view deals with the drug trade and the continued subjugation of minorities in this country. If we were to legalize all drugs tomorrow, would there still be suffering? You bet. There would still be plenty of addicts - and maybe even some people who would try drugs simply because they are legal despite being educated on their adverse effects - but the drug trade would no longer keep inner city youth essentially imprisoned to a life of crime and violence because there would be no crime in selling or using these substances. I'm not sure if you've ever see the TV show The Wire, but they try a project in Baltimore in the show that they call "Hamsterdam." (They make it legal to sell drugs in a certain section of the abandoned projects as long as they stay in that area.) At first it's a bit of a disaster, but then the local churches come in to provide food, medical help, AIDS testing, and counseling. Now, I'm not saying this is a good or ideal situation. I'm ardently anti-drug use for everyone. However, addicts are going to use, why make it a crime that imprisons an entire society - and keeps our prisons filled with people who are largely only hurting themselves? Also, if it is legal to use, it severely lessens the affect of a parent's addiction on the future of a child. There are countless examples of this with the legalization of alcohol. There are many alcoholics that do many bad things, however, their children often can still get out their bad situation. Not all the time, but often through public schools and other resources - such as social services (which I still support despite my ideology.)
Now, are there plenty of Libertarians who are not Christian? Of course. Just as there are many Republicans and Democrats. However, when you want to consider a political ideology that is actually focused on justice and compassion, it is libertarianism not the other two that exist simply to impose their values on others and engage in political grandstanding to stroke their own egos. If you adhere to libertarianism you truly adhere to a code of equality - because everyone is responsible for his or her own actions (including helping others) and in that lies immense opportunities for the betterment of mankind as a whole.
*See Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Harvard Address. A key passage:
"I have spent all my life under a communist regime and I will tell you that a society without any objective legal scale is a terrible one indeed. But a society with no other scale but the legal one is not quite worthy of man either. A society which is based on the letter of the law and never reaches any higher is taking very scarce advantage of the high level of human possibilities. The letter of the law is too cold and formal to have a beneficial influence on society. Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relations, there is an atmosphere of moral mediocrity, paralyzing man's noblest impulses. And it will be simply impossible to stand through the trials of this threatening century with only the support of a legalistic structure."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Ranting, 2010 Edition
Dear Sweet Baby Jesus, what a 2010 it has been! Whoo Boy! I kind of made a pseudo-resolution as I sat watching Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve with my husband and two sick dogs instead of attending one of the multiple parties we were invited to that I would try to be a little more positive in 2010. I mean, I'm a York, there's really only so much I can do about this, but I thought I would give it a genuine good effort. Or at least in the blogosphere. After all, I got into a fender bender on Dec. 27th and then my dogs proceeded to eat about 3 lbs. of chocolate on New Year's Eve. I thought surely those were signs that only sunshine and roses were to come in 2010 - I mean, a couple of last grains of salt in the wounds of 2009 to make everything all warm and fuzzy. Surely, I thought, 2010 could in no way be as bad as 2009 was. And I was right. However, life has certainly been a resounding "not good" on the life Richter Scale.
Between work issues, family issues, and house issues. Did I mention the FLOOD? Oh, because we woke up to a downstairs that was underwater two Mondays ago. It was awesome, except that there should never be STANDING WATER on new hardwood floors. EVER. So now my house is completely torn apart. The positive: almost the entire house is getting a new coat of paint. Good bye asylum beige and good riddance!
The downfall of this situation - please sense the sarcasm here - is that while workers are in the house, the dogs can't be there. Because they are dogs. And they like to defend their property. And they surely have a case of autism they are so cemented into their now completely disrupted schedule. So, we've had to take them to "Doggie Day Camp." The insurance is paying for this thankfully, but I still was not overly thrilled. PetsMart's Doggie Day Camp is the only one reasonably close to our house and let's just say we've run into some issues. Despite the fact that the dogs just spent the last week being boarded at their trainer's facility and getting a little training refresher while we were away. The trainer - who is one of the best, if not the best in the state of Georgia, loves our dogs and thinks they are great. Rambunctious, sure. Spirited, definitely. But overall, great dogs who occasionally need us to be a little more strict with them than we are. They also play very well with all the other dogs there. All of this sounds incredibly reasonable to me. However, I bring the dogs back to PetsMart after a little altercation on Friday afternoon (two weeks ago) where Eva nipped at a little dog who was up in her business. At first they were banning her, but after evaluating the situation, decided that it was fine and that she just needed to be placed with the bigger dogs that would leave her alone a little better. Then, not 30 minutes after I dropped them off this morning I received a very disjointed phone call (or rather voicemail) informing me that they would no longer be welcome at Doggie Day Camp because they had already had some "altercations" that morning and had to be separated. Below is my response:
Dear PetsMart,
Upon receiving an incredibly vague and smug voicemail from one of your employees this morning, I feel the need to reach out. To rectify my grievance with your asinine institution, maybe you should consider hiring people at your doggie day camp who 1. Are actually sober, 2. Actually like animals, specifically DOGS, 3. Do not force dogs to perform actions in direct contradiction to their formal training, and 4. Can remember their own phone number.
I have encountered an employee at your Buckhead location who violates at least 3 of these 4 items, although I greatly suspect all four. I certainly will no longer be patronizing your establishment despite having spent several thousand dollars at your store in the last year since adopting my two dogs. I have had no pleasant experience with Petsmart and will not recommend your services to any of my dog-loving friends or family. The only reason I have been a loyal customer is due to the convenience you formally provided. However, since my dogs are apparently too "excitable" to be in your doggie day care program despite multiple consultations with your staff on how to best acclimate and treat my two dogs - who, for the record, were dogs that were rescued after being abandoned and abused. Despite the incredibly hard first part of their lives, they are remarkable dogs with nothing but loving spirits. They will, however, bark or growl in self-defense. They have spent extensive time with one of the best trainers in Georgia who thinks they are great and have minimal to no behavioral programs. They just spent all last week at his boarding facility where they received an update on their training. So, while they may be spirited and rambunctious, the only place they ever seem to have a problem is in your care thus indicating that maybe it is a "you" problem and not the dogs' problem.
I highly recommend that you use better discretion when hiring your staff and maybe give them a basic course in customer relations.
Sincerely,
Prudence.
Good bye PetsMart and your "doggie experts." And a heartfelt, "GOOD RIDDANCE!"
Just wait until I get to pick them up tonight. I bet the employees can't wait to get an earful from me. It's been a while since I've chewed out someone publicly, so this should be quite the experience. I'm now working on getting all my adjectives in line so that I don't start spewing expletives in my guaranteed fit of rage.
Between work issues, family issues, and house issues. Did I mention the FLOOD? Oh, because we woke up to a downstairs that was underwater two Mondays ago. It was awesome, except that there should never be STANDING WATER on new hardwood floors. EVER. So now my house is completely torn apart. The positive: almost the entire house is getting a new coat of paint. Good bye asylum beige and good riddance!
The downfall of this situation - please sense the sarcasm here - is that while workers are in the house, the dogs can't be there. Because they are dogs. And they like to defend their property. And they surely have a case of autism they are so cemented into their now completely disrupted schedule. So, we've had to take them to "Doggie Day Camp." The insurance is paying for this thankfully, but I still was not overly thrilled. PetsMart's Doggie Day Camp is the only one reasonably close to our house and let's just say we've run into some issues. Despite the fact that the dogs just spent the last week being boarded at their trainer's facility and getting a little training refresher while we were away. The trainer - who is one of the best, if not the best in the state of Georgia, loves our dogs and thinks they are great. Rambunctious, sure. Spirited, definitely. But overall, great dogs who occasionally need us to be a little more strict with them than we are. They also play very well with all the other dogs there. All of this sounds incredibly reasonable to me. However, I bring the dogs back to PetsMart after a little altercation on Friday afternoon (two weeks ago) where Eva nipped at a little dog who was up in her business. At first they were banning her, but after evaluating the situation, decided that it was fine and that she just needed to be placed with the bigger dogs that would leave her alone a little better. Then, not 30 minutes after I dropped them off this morning I received a very disjointed phone call (or rather voicemail) informing me that they would no longer be welcome at Doggie Day Camp because they had already had some "altercations" that morning and had to be separated. Below is my response:
Dear PetsMart,
Upon receiving an incredibly vague and smug voicemail from one of your employees this morning, I feel the need to reach out. To rectify my grievance with your asinine institution, maybe you should consider hiring people at your doggie day camp who 1. Are actually sober, 2. Actually like animals, specifically DOGS, 3. Do not force dogs to perform actions in direct contradiction to their formal training, and 4. Can remember their own phone number.
I have encountered an employee at your Buckhead location who violates at least 3 of these 4 items, although I greatly suspect all four. I certainly will no longer be patronizing your establishment despite having spent several thousand dollars at your store in the last year since adopting my two dogs. I have had no pleasant experience with Petsmart and will not recommend your services to any of my dog-loving friends or family. The only reason I have been a loyal customer is due to the convenience you formally provided. However, since my dogs are apparently too "excitable" to be in your doggie day care program despite multiple consultations with your staff on how to best acclimate and treat my two dogs - who, for the record, were dogs that were rescued after being abandoned and abused. Despite the incredibly hard first part of their lives, they are remarkable dogs with nothing but loving spirits. They will, however, bark or growl in self-defense. They have spent extensive time with one of the best trainers in Georgia who thinks they are great and have minimal to no behavioral programs. They just spent all last week at his boarding facility where they received an update on their training. So, while they may be spirited and rambunctious, the only place they ever seem to have a problem is in your care thus indicating that maybe it is a "you" problem and not the dogs' problem.
I highly recommend that you use better discretion when hiring your staff and maybe give them a basic course in customer relations.
Sincerely,
Prudence.
Good bye PetsMart and your "doggie experts." And a heartfelt, "GOOD RIDDANCE!"
Just wait until I get to pick them up tonight. I bet the employees can't wait to get an earful from me. It's been a while since I've chewed out someone publicly, so this should be quite the experience. I'm now working on getting all my adjectives in line so that I don't start spewing expletives in my guaranteed fit of rage.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
And I Thought the House Situation Was Bad
There are very few moments when I wish I had an aptitude for poetry. This is one of them. How fun it would be to cleverly and poetically demonize these people so adversely affecting my life in verse. Alas, I do not have a poetic bone in my body. It just seems like poetry and opera are two mediums that can adequately express the complete horror, demoralization, and tragedy of the situation.
Now, I'm being intentionally vague as I do not know all the people who actually read this and no use putting myself back in the hot water that I appear to have been slightly pulled out of. Not by much, but I appear to no longer be in a direct line of fire unlike last week. How sad is my life when not being in line for direct physical attack is "looking on the bright side?" But that's what it has become. You see there were certain acts committed by a person distantly close to me that have rained their destruction down on me personally and my husband. Because we insisted that the truth be provided and appropriate actions taken as a result. Well, this little confrontation ended up in our degradation for reasons such as: "It's none of our business." "We're too young to understand." "Child-rearing is not a perfect science." "Women have no place or say in this." "You have to respect this person." "You're tearing this [relationship unit] apart." Etc.
And through it all, perhaps the worst thing for me is that I never truly knew people could be this horrible. Not in real life. Or rather, not in my real life. Anyone who has a modicum of historical literacy understands that maniacal bastards have been tormenting people for thousands of years. However, it's nice to think we live in a civilized society and that people - especially those who cling to what they espouse to be Christian morals and beliefs ought to at least try to embrace this civilization. Well, they should, but the people in question most certainly have chosen a different path. And then used their "morals" to condemn us.
My complete shock is in no way adequately expressed here. I have been left speechless with it - and if you know me, that's quite the feat. I don't know how to respond. I don't know how to even go on with my daily life knowing that such horrible people exist and for a time were very close to me. Thankfully it was a very short period of time and I was always wary of their behavior anyway. But still, these people are alive and breathing down destruction with every move they make. It's completely put me on edge to a degree I might have to go on anti-anxiety meds because I just can't deal anymore. Which is - again - saying a lot.
In some ways it's probably good that we bought a house or I would already be packed and gone - off trying to find a new life. Now, I would go first and let my husband unwind stuff here so he could then join me, but we honestly can't swing it despite that being what we both want more than just about anything right now. I almost went to stay with my family is the frozen north this week, which I wish had happened because then I'd be snowed in indefinitely. But I didn't because plane tickets were absurdly expensive. So, I'm stuck here all by myself while my husband travels for work and it sucks. I've dealt with varying stages of depression for most of my life, but no bad event, circumstance, or decision ever truly shook my core world view. This has and I don't know where to go from here because I clearly can't continue with life as usual or it will smother me to death. I spend most of my days fighting the urge to either throw up at my desk or run away screaming down the hall. I'm incredibly afraid I'll get into a car accident or tumble down the stairs because I am so out of it. I haven't even been able to decorate my new Christmas tree correctly...despite having A Charlie Brown Christmas on in the background. That's how upset I am.
These bastards screwed with Christmas. That is going too far.
Yet, I have no recourse. The one upside is that we decided to go church on Sunday for the first time in over a year. We've been trying to go back for a long time and it's just very hard for me due to some bad experiences in the past. However, I feel that it's important and a good place to be. Especially now. And it was. I'm not sure if I've ever heard a sermon that spoke more my current situation or reaffirmed my faith and values more. That was certainly comforting. Strength in the Lord alone indeed.
So I have no idea where to go from here. We have an exit strategy in the slightly foreseeable future (if you consider 3-4 years foreseeable...) but even that is pretty shaky at the moment. At least Chelsea Handler's new book is being released in March. With that kind of humor in print, life can't be all bad can it? I sure hope not... Meanwhile, I'll be trying to rediscover some hope in the world or just suffocate. Whichever happens first.
Now, I'm being intentionally vague as I do not know all the people who actually read this and no use putting myself back in the hot water that I appear to have been slightly pulled out of. Not by much, but I appear to no longer be in a direct line of fire unlike last week. How sad is my life when not being in line for direct physical attack is "looking on the bright side?" But that's what it has become. You see there were certain acts committed by a person distantly close to me that have rained their destruction down on me personally and my husband. Because we insisted that the truth be provided and appropriate actions taken as a result. Well, this little confrontation ended up in our degradation for reasons such as: "It's none of our business." "We're too young to understand." "Child-rearing is not a perfect science." "Women have no place or say in this." "You have to respect this person." "You're tearing this [relationship unit] apart." Etc.
And through it all, perhaps the worst thing for me is that I never truly knew people could be this horrible. Not in real life. Or rather, not in my real life. Anyone who has a modicum of historical literacy understands that maniacal bastards have been tormenting people for thousands of years. However, it's nice to think we live in a civilized society and that people - especially those who cling to what they espouse to be Christian morals and beliefs ought to at least try to embrace this civilization. Well, they should, but the people in question most certainly have chosen a different path. And then used their "morals" to condemn us.
My complete shock is in no way adequately expressed here. I have been left speechless with it - and if you know me, that's quite the feat. I don't know how to respond. I don't know how to even go on with my daily life knowing that such horrible people exist and for a time were very close to me. Thankfully it was a very short period of time and I was always wary of their behavior anyway. But still, these people are alive and breathing down destruction with every move they make. It's completely put me on edge to a degree I might have to go on anti-anxiety meds because I just can't deal anymore. Which is - again - saying a lot.
In some ways it's probably good that we bought a house or I would already be packed and gone - off trying to find a new life. Now, I would go first and let my husband unwind stuff here so he could then join me, but we honestly can't swing it despite that being what we both want more than just about anything right now. I almost went to stay with my family is the frozen north this week, which I wish had happened because then I'd be snowed in indefinitely. But I didn't because plane tickets were absurdly expensive. So, I'm stuck here all by myself while my husband travels for work and it sucks. I've dealt with varying stages of depression for most of my life, but no bad event, circumstance, or decision ever truly shook my core world view. This has and I don't know where to go from here because I clearly can't continue with life as usual or it will smother me to death. I spend most of my days fighting the urge to either throw up at my desk or run away screaming down the hall. I'm incredibly afraid I'll get into a car accident or tumble down the stairs because I am so out of it. I haven't even been able to decorate my new Christmas tree correctly...despite having A Charlie Brown Christmas on in the background. That's how upset I am.
These bastards screwed with Christmas. That is going too far.
Yet, I have no recourse. The one upside is that we decided to go church on Sunday for the first time in over a year. We've been trying to go back for a long time and it's just very hard for me due to some bad experiences in the past. However, I feel that it's important and a good place to be. Especially now. And it was. I'm not sure if I've ever heard a sermon that spoke more my current situation or reaffirmed my faith and values more. That was certainly comforting. Strength in the Lord alone indeed.
So I have no idea where to go from here. We have an exit strategy in the slightly foreseeable future (if you consider 3-4 years foreseeable...) but even that is pretty shaky at the moment. At least Chelsea Handler's new book is being released in March. With that kind of humor in print, life can't be all bad can it? I sure hope not... Meanwhile, I'll be trying to rediscover some hope in the world or just suffocate. Whichever happens first.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Amazing
Amazing cartoon from the AJC's Mike Luckovich. Especially considering my great love for Eeyore. And the typical poor quality of anything in the AJC. Thanks Luckovich for providing one redeeming element to our illustrious paper.
Did I mention I'm having breakfast with Eeyore on my birthday? That's right, a very live human dressed up in an Eeyore suit who can sign my stuffed animal and Eeyore pajamas. I kid about the pajamas... maybe... Also, this is assuming Disney doesn't crap out on me and give Eeyore the day off... or that he's "sick." After all it is my birthday we're talking about. *Oh bother.*
Monday, October 19, 2009
Success!
I typically do not boast about domestic endeavors for two reasons:
1.) My domestic achievements are not that great in the big scheme of life - no where approaching where they would be in my ideal world. (Largely due to lack of time.)
2.) I have an incredibly complex view of domesticity. I think it is important, necessary, and worthy work. I greatly respect women - and men - who do it well. However, these other women who cite their big "achievements" throughout their "busy" days make me want to hurl a brick at them. These are the women who stay at home with their only child and barely manage to keep the house clean and walk the dog let alone prepare gourmet meals or other high quality projects. These women also feel the need to broadcast their meal schedule, workout schedule, cleaning schedule, and errand-running schedule on Facebook with updates every 15 minutes. Really? I would love to get some of these women alone in a room and explain to them what real work is like. And how some of us can't even begin to think about what's for dinner until after 6pm. That's right - typically not until AFTER my husband gets home from work. Shocking, I know. What a bad wife I am. Especially after having worked all day myself - at a REAL job - too. I clearly do not care about my family's well being.
However, this weekend I had three domestic achievements that I am actually proud of. First, I made some lemon cupcakes with a light vanilla butter cream frosting from scratch. This typically would not be cause for pride in my book because I love baking from scratch and refuse to use boxed mixes for anything unless I'm in a brownie pinch at the last minute, but lemon cake absolutely disgusts me. And it happens to be the favorite of my husband and his mother. So, since it was her birthday, I decided to go on a quest to find a good lemon cupcake recipe that didn't make me want to vomit upon first bite. Leave it to Martha's cupcake book - there was a perfect recipe! The cupcakes were light, moist, and delicious with just a hint of lemon for some nice refreshing citrus flavor. I also found a butter cream recipe elsewhere on Martha's site that took about half the butter of typical ones. Still very rich, but when applied in a very thin layer absolutely delicious. And further counteracted the lemon flavor. I also think it helped that we got the lemons from Fresh Market which always has the best produce. It's the only store outside of Brooks Brothers, Crate and Barrel, or high end purse designers that I actually enjoy visiting... and at which I willingly part with my money. So, the cupcakes were a success.
Second, I finally repaired our couch cushions that the dogs tried to destroy about 6 weeks ago. Now, it took some creativity to repair the zipper that was torn through the center of some of the teeth, but after breaking one zipper head and tearing apart an old pair of jeans to get a strong metal zipper head I managed to do it without having to replace the entire zipper (which was something I don't really have the skill to do. Granted, I could always learn and plan to, but didn't want to exert that effort at this time.) I also sewed up a hole around the base of a zipper on the other cushion that looks like it will hold just fine. So, after an hour or two of trial and error, we finally have our couch back! It was nice to actually be able to sit next to my husband and watch some TV last night instead of sitting across the room from each other like strangers. It was even better to save the $200 it probably would have cost to have someone fix it. Overall, I was very pleased with the situation.
Third, I spent about 4 hours finally unpacking and trying to organize the office. Woo hoo! We can actually see the wall because I put away about 10 boxes of books and was then able to move all the boxes of Christmas decorations and remaining boxes of books into the closet. Once we get the spare bed put together tonight it might actually look like someone lives there instead of looking like someone is getting ready to move out. Or that the biggest room in our entire house has been set up as a permanent storage facility. Bring on the holiday guests!
Sorry for the lack of whit in this post, but I just wanted to share because these things have been hanging over my head and I'm so happy that they all worked out! I also have not really looked at the news today causing me to generally be in good spirits. I expect that to last all of about 30 more minutes, but I figured I'd take advantage of while I could.
1.) My domestic achievements are not that great in the big scheme of life - no where approaching where they would be in my ideal world. (Largely due to lack of time.)
2.) I have an incredibly complex view of domesticity. I think it is important, necessary, and worthy work. I greatly respect women - and men - who do it well. However, these other women who cite their big "achievements" throughout their "busy" days make me want to hurl a brick at them. These are the women who stay at home with their only child and barely manage to keep the house clean and walk the dog let alone prepare gourmet meals or other high quality projects. These women also feel the need to broadcast their meal schedule, workout schedule, cleaning schedule, and errand-running schedule on Facebook with updates every 15 minutes. Really? I would love to get some of these women alone in a room and explain to them what real work is like. And how some of us can't even begin to think about what's for dinner until after 6pm. That's right - typically not until AFTER my husband gets home from work. Shocking, I know. What a bad wife I am. Especially after having worked all day myself - at a REAL job - too. I clearly do not care about my family's well being.
However, this weekend I had three domestic achievements that I am actually proud of. First, I made some lemon cupcakes with a light vanilla butter cream frosting from scratch. This typically would not be cause for pride in my book because I love baking from scratch and refuse to use boxed mixes for anything unless I'm in a brownie pinch at the last minute, but lemon cake absolutely disgusts me. And it happens to be the favorite of my husband and his mother. So, since it was her birthday, I decided to go on a quest to find a good lemon cupcake recipe that didn't make me want to vomit upon first bite. Leave it to Martha's cupcake book - there was a perfect recipe! The cupcakes were light, moist, and delicious with just a hint of lemon for some nice refreshing citrus flavor. I also found a butter cream recipe elsewhere on Martha's site that took about half the butter of typical ones. Still very rich, but when applied in a very thin layer absolutely delicious. And further counteracted the lemon flavor. I also think it helped that we got the lemons from Fresh Market which always has the best produce. It's the only store outside of Brooks Brothers, Crate and Barrel, or high end purse designers that I actually enjoy visiting... and at which I willingly part with my money. So, the cupcakes were a success.
Second, I finally repaired our couch cushions that the dogs tried to destroy about 6 weeks ago. Now, it took some creativity to repair the zipper that was torn through the center of some of the teeth, but after breaking one zipper head and tearing apart an old pair of jeans to get a strong metal zipper head I managed to do it without having to replace the entire zipper (which was something I don't really have the skill to do. Granted, I could always learn and plan to, but didn't want to exert that effort at this time.) I also sewed up a hole around the base of a zipper on the other cushion that looks like it will hold just fine. So, after an hour or two of trial and error, we finally have our couch back! It was nice to actually be able to sit next to my husband and watch some TV last night instead of sitting across the room from each other like strangers. It was even better to save the $200 it probably would have cost to have someone fix it. Overall, I was very pleased with the situation.
Third, I spent about 4 hours finally unpacking and trying to organize the office. Woo hoo! We can actually see the wall because I put away about 10 boxes of books and was then able to move all the boxes of Christmas decorations and remaining boxes of books into the closet. Once we get the spare bed put together tonight it might actually look like someone lives there instead of looking like someone is getting ready to move out. Or that the biggest room in our entire house has been set up as a permanent storage facility. Bring on the holiday guests!
Sorry for the lack of whit in this post, but I just wanted to share because these things have been hanging over my head and I'm so happy that they all worked out! I also have not really looked at the news today causing me to generally be in good spirits. I expect that to last all of about 30 more minutes, but I figured I'd take advantage of while I could.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Week of Letters: Today, Entertainment
Dear Wall Street Journal,
I faithfully read and enjoy your paper. I think it is one of the few remaining journalistic endeavors that actually requires its writers to be able to put together a sentence more complex and eloquent than "See Spot run." I enjoy your financial analyses - especially regarding the financial crisis. I couldn't get through the end of my week without Henninger and Noonan. Evan Newmark expresses 90% of my inner hostility to the masses.Your Real Estate section makes me drool with house designing envy and your Life and Style section always provides interesting insights.
So, when I saw that you had launched the "Speakeasy" entertainment and culture blog I was ecstatic. No more embarrassing trips down the TMZ road I thought. No more having to stoop down to New York Times reviews. No more messy and inaccurate Drudge Report posted articles from the UK. I imagined I would be able to combine my high interest in television and film (and all the messy gossip revolving around them) with tasteful writing and thoughtful analysis. I assumed you would pick some bright up-and-coming writers who actually enjoy entertainment to write these pieces. I was wrong.
So wrong that I perpetually deceive myself into thinking that I will enjoy the recaps of my favorite shows only to read the article and think, "Wow, did you even bother to watch this episode... without the distraction of your European boyfriend drizzling hot Swiss chocolate all over your face to 'improve the mood of boorish American television?'" Or, maybe detract yourself enough from your dissertation on the lack of whit in Woody Allen films to realize that television is actually supposed to be enjoyed? Despite popular belief, it does do more than rot one's brain. Actually, I'm fairly confident no "brain-rotting" actually occurs.... certainly far less than reading the editorial page of The New York Times.
Now, I am a firm believer in criticism. I don't think that something should be deemed "good" that clearly is not. However, these writers do not even depict the events of the shows accurately which is typically a pre-requisite to critiquing an event. Sadly this trend has crossed mediums in this country and is now the rampant form of expression: pre-forumlated criticisms based on your own views regardless of circumstances or facts. Empiricism is sadly dying, but the arts (including banal television) should not be a place where such lack of regard is EVER applied. It's a disservice to readers and the atrocious writing is a disservice to your distinguished publication.
I hope you sincerely take my criticisms under advisement and proceed to rectify the situation at Speakeasy. It can only help to improve the blog itself as well as the goal of you becoming a more broadly encompassing paper of high quality.
Best Regards,
Prudence
I faithfully read and enjoy your paper. I think it is one of the few remaining journalistic endeavors that actually requires its writers to be able to put together a sentence more complex and eloquent than "See Spot run." I enjoy your financial analyses - especially regarding the financial crisis. I couldn't get through the end of my week without Henninger and Noonan. Evan Newmark expresses 90% of my inner hostility to the masses.Your Real Estate section makes me drool with house designing envy and your Life and Style section always provides interesting insights.
So, when I saw that you had launched the "Speakeasy" entertainment and culture blog I was ecstatic. No more embarrassing trips down the TMZ road I thought. No more having to stoop down to New York Times reviews. No more messy and inaccurate Drudge Report posted articles from the UK. I imagined I would be able to combine my high interest in television and film (and all the messy gossip revolving around them) with tasteful writing and thoughtful analysis. I assumed you would pick some bright up-and-coming writers who actually enjoy entertainment to write these pieces. I was wrong.
So wrong that I perpetually deceive myself into thinking that I will enjoy the recaps of my favorite shows only to read the article and think, "Wow, did you even bother to watch this episode... without the distraction of your European boyfriend drizzling hot Swiss chocolate all over your face to 'improve the mood of boorish American television?'" Or, maybe detract yourself enough from your dissertation on the lack of whit in Woody Allen films to realize that television is actually supposed to be enjoyed? Despite popular belief, it does do more than rot one's brain. Actually, I'm fairly confident no "brain-rotting" actually occurs.... certainly far less than reading the editorial page of The New York Times.
Now, I am a firm believer in criticism. I don't think that something should be deemed "good" that clearly is not. However, these writers do not even depict the events of the shows accurately which is typically a pre-requisite to critiquing an event. Sadly this trend has crossed mediums in this country and is now the rampant form of expression: pre-forumlated criticisms based on your own views regardless of circumstances or facts. Empiricism is sadly dying, but the arts (including banal television) should not be a place where such lack of regard is EVER applied. It's a disservice to readers and the atrocious writing is a disservice to your distinguished publication.
I hope you sincerely take my criticisms under advisement and proceed to rectify the situation at Speakeasy. It can only help to improve the blog itself as well as the goal of you becoming a more broadly encompassing paper of high quality.
Best Regards,
Prudence
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood!
Dear Neighbors,
Thank you so much for our warm welcome to the neighborhood! It's been so great to know that we have friendly neighbors who are genuinely nice people who care about one another enough to leave each other alone in their proper spheres. What a relief! We all know how busy-bodies are my biggest pet peeve on the planet next to stupid people, so all my fears have been alleviated.
Well, except for one or two things. You see, ever since we moved in there has been an ever-growing amount of dog feces left on the common green space - otherwise known as a yard to non HOA-members who live in normal houses and neighborhoods - and today there was some right in front of my door step. Now, seeing that you all put your best foot forward by welcoming us to the neighborhood, we're going to assume that wasn't on purpose. Or maybe that a giant stray cat just happened to wander by and choose that locale as the perfect place to leave a little present for us. Or an old homeless man who decided that would be the perfect place to cop a squat - out in the open in the frigid rain with 15 people watching. Or maybe it's just that you're so old and decrepit that you couldn't be bothered to walk the 10 feet across the street from my house to the dog feces receptacle that has plastic bags affixed to it for just such occasions. After all, I'm sure I have some sort of HOA-decreed moral duty to help those elderly neighbors who can be bothered to have annoying pipsqueak dogs that torment my babies endlessly, but not to pick up the sh*t of their own dogs. My bad. How selfish of me.
Also, when a legitimate source tells me that there is a little group of old ladies huddled around the corner from me making fun of my dogs and my small solar garden lights, it also begins to erode my confidence in your good-intentioned neighborliness. You see, on top of busy-bodies, you women are also old biddies who have nothing better to do than try to drag down the new young couple who is using this house as a stepping stone to a better life down the road. How thoughtful of you to concern us with your bitterness. I'm sorry you are all miserable old ladies, but that's not my fault and I've not even talked to you let alone done anything to warrant blatant criticism and official complaints. Good thing you had all that initial good will to fall back on, huh? Oh wait...
I'm guessing none of you listen to the radio unless someone you know is still broadcasting an old HAM radio show that reminds you of the golden ages of your youth, but 99x has been running these neat ads about a company called Big Daddy Spy. You see, Big Daddy Spy provides certain tools that enable you to capture people in illicit actions - or to free them from suspicions according to the commercials - through things such as cell phone tracking and spy cams. Now, I know you don't have cell phones - again with all this technology, right!? - but you sure do walk around in front of my house a lot. And guess what, according to aforementioned HOA stipulations I can have 2 potted plants on my front stoop. What a perfect place to put a spy cam to catch those neighbors performing their dastardly deeds in front of my entrance way.
Said device may just be the ticket to wishing me, my family, and you - my neighborhood - a very merry early holiday season... free of feces!
Sincerely Yours,
Prudence
Thank you so much for our warm welcome to the neighborhood! It's been so great to know that we have friendly neighbors who are genuinely nice people who care about one another enough to leave each other alone in their proper spheres. What a relief! We all know how busy-bodies are my biggest pet peeve on the planet next to stupid people, so all my fears have been alleviated.
Well, except for one or two things. You see, ever since we moved in there has been an ever-growing amount of dog feces left on the common green space - otherwise known as a yard to non HOA-members who live in normal houses and neighborhoods - and today there was some right in front of my door step. Now, seeing that you all put your best foot forward by welcoming us to the neighborhood, we're going to assume that wasn't on purpose. Or maybe that a giant stray cat just happened to wander by and choose that locale as the perfect place to leave a little present for us. Or an old homeless man who decided that would be the perfect place to cop a squat - out in the open in the frigid rain with 15 people watching. Or maybe it's just that you're so old and decrepit that you couldn't be bothered to walk the 10 feet across the street from my house to the dog feces receptacle that has plastic bags affixed to it for just such occasions. After all, I'm sure I have some sort of HOA-decreed moral duty to help those elderly neighbors who can be bothered to have annoying pipsqueak dogs that torment my babies endlessly, but not to pick up the sh*t of their own dogs. My bad. How selfish of me.
Also, when a legitimate source tells me that there is a little group of old ladies huddled around the corner from me making fun of my dogs and my small solar garden lights, it also begins to erode my confidence in your good-intentioned neighborliness. You see, on top of busy-bodies, you women are also old biddies who have nothing better to do than try to drag down the new young couple who is using this house as a stepping stone to a better life down the road. How thoughtful of you to concern us with your bitterness. I'm sorry you are all miserable old ladies, but that's not my fault and I've not even talked to you let alone done anything to warrant blatant criticism and official complaints. Good thing you had all that initial good will to fall back on, huh? Oh wait...
I'm guessing none of you listen to the radio unless someone you know is still broadcasting an old HAM radio show that reminds you of the golden ages of your youth, but 99x has been running these neat ads about a company called Big Daddy Spy. You see, Big Daddy Spy provides certain tools that enable you to capture people in illicit actions - or to free them from suspicions according to the commercials - through things such as cell phone tracking and spy cams. Now, I know you don't have cell phones - again with all this technology, right!? - but you sure do walk around in front of my house a lot. And guess what, according to aforementioned HOA stipulations I can have 2 potted plants on my front stoop. What a perfect place to put a spy cam to catch those neighbors performing their dastardly deeds in front of my entrance way.
Said device may just be the ticket to wishing me, my family, and you - my neighborhood - a very merry early holiday season... free of feces!
Sincerely Yours,
Prudence
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