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Credit Card Whores

Lunch. It's a pretty simple thing. You go into a local sandwich shop, order, pay and eat. While eating, an exchange of witty banter or just general chit chat is expected. It started out as that, just Lunch. Then it turned ugly on that fateful day. Two females, dressed as tightly as clothes will allow, scampered in with a laptop, a couple of Blackberry PDAs and cleavage. Oh, and there were TShirts too. Four young college men (used loosely) followed close in tow. They were dates? No, too much stuff. Ah. The answer rose to light as I overheard them say just fill out this form and get your free TShirt. Your card will arrive in 2-4 weeks. WAIT!! STOP!! I wanted to scream. Then the skankdevil (new word I am trying out) turned and pointed at Em and myself and speaking to the counter help said, "I would like to set up over there but I figured I'd let them finish eating first." Oh no you did not! Em said something unlike her. I giggled a bit and then started the muttering. The muttering bcame louder as I heard the obvious leader of the Nineteens ask if he could pay off his already acquired credit card debt. Ok, to boil it all down, Why oh Why do we sell our credit rating off for a TShirt? Why do all credit hagglers look like Jamie Pressly? On drugs. My best answer? To take your mind off your credit rating. Americans will do anything for free crap. I could tell 25 Nineteens that if they would staple their hand I would give them $20 and most of them would after the first of them did it. Idiots. Wome are not immune either. Whoever told the first woman that ug boots and denim mini skirts looked good together convinced a bunch more female Nineteens and some older ones that it looks great. LIARS!!! I beg of you all, please dear God, stop the madness. Look in a mirror or see through the Mary Kay of that person and realize they are leading you poor lemming. Leading you to the cliff of immortal idiocy. Good Luck.

Pondering

I've been away from here for a bit. It's not that I havent thought about my little journal which 4 people in the world read. I just have had to take some time to think. I have the opportunity to open a new website, my fourth in 6 years, and really draw attention to things a bit more than my cubby hole in cyberspace does now. At the same time, I have never been a trailblazer so to speak. The uncomfortableness change brings sometimes cinges me a little too closely. I have been pondering. Thinking about what to do. The cost of the website isnt an issue. The content is the issue. I need to have a platform. Whether it be news and notes from my boring little world or celestial tidbits and the like, either way, it needs consistency. Some genre of thought. I might be in and out over the next few days, just figured I owed all of you an explanation or something like one.

-C

Touching Heaven

This is a fair warning. This post is not intended to offend but merely raise questions about things and to ask why?

I went to a funeral today. Interestingly enough, I struggle more with my religious indoctrination at funerals than anywhere else. That's what pulls at my heart today. The church where the Home Going Celebration was held is called the People's Choice Assembly. Not -of God or Lutheran Episcipalion or Latter Day anything. Just a community church. But not JUST a community church. One that knows God. And knows heaven. I was there today. Both at church and heaven. So was God.

The service or celebration was for a 34 year old woman who died very suddenly from cancer. Doctors said months, it was more like hours. The reason I went isn't important because I think God wanted me there. He wanted me to ask some questions. He wanted me to answer my own questions and be uncomfortable in my own skin, if only for a couple of hours.

The preacher started with some scriptures, some kind words and informed us all, it was a Home Going Celebration. Not a sad day but a glad day. I had heard it before and my coldness inside stayed untouched. After a few more words from various people and a prayer, God pulled the blinds on my reality. Opened them all the way up, not just turned the louvres but pulled the string hard. The choir and small three piece band started to praise. Loud, proud and happy don't do the notes justice. The choir were angels. Clapping, almost dancing and so energized and happy. I got caught up. The emotion couldn't be explained away. How do dear friends of the newly delivered sing with such smiles and joy if not sincere? This wasn't show boating. This wasnt grand standing. This was a family of believers thanking God and singing to their friend who now waits on them. And then my synicism kicked in. Was this right? Was it wrong? Oh my goodness, what NOW? My stoic C of C roots were ripping up from the soil as I sat and watched my foot start to tap and my heart start to lift. This sounds more like heaven to me. These notes, the joy, that is heaven, standing at the gate, I was amazed. How can you not feel betrayed? Heaven is not going to be streets of berber carpet and quiet time all day like some church camps want you to think. If a multitude in the millions gather at the biggest barbecue since the Prodigal Son, are they all going to keep it down to inside voices? NO! Dancing, singing, praising, instruments, the whole nine will be there. I'm going to play a bit of guitar and maybe try my hand at tambourine. I'm going to talk and walk with all my buddies and then wait in line to talk to Jesus just to say thanks.

I think the devil lives in our traditions. I know it sounds like blasphemy or whatever evil words you want to call it but I promise you, Jesus does not put that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach when someone raises their hands in church. Jesus doesn't whisper bad thoughts into my ear when someone says Thank You Jesus. My traditions do. Not my parents or family but my unwillingness to throw open those blinds, to really dig deep and find out for me what heaven is. If you dont like my heaven, I hope yours is more fun than the one I thought I was going too. If heaven is like church camp, I'll take my chances somewhere else. I'm going to be happy when I see Jesus and if you know me at all, you better beleive I'll be guitar in hand and singing as happy as a lark. God pulled the blinds up today. I think it was a message. I know it was a message. The people at People's Choice Assembly know God. Abba if you will. They showed me Him today and for that, thank you Ursula and thank you Jesus.

I Found Him or....

Well really he found me. It has been a few months since I talked with AA but last night he found me. US Probationary Official blah blah blah that he is( sorry I dont know the title) he tracked me down. I have been trying to find him but whitepages dot com sucks. No other way to put it. If your looking for who had your phone number before you, you might have better luck. Chances are it still lists them as the current holder of the number. But true enough, he tracked me down, talked fishing for a bit, planned a loose date of late October to do something and said goodnight. I equate it to the Prodigal Friend. Only I'm not quite sure why. More than anything just a happy reunion. Much BBQ and fishing to be had later. He reminded me of a time when we were not so bright and went wade fishing with bait in the pockets of our swim trunks. We caught a lot of fish but in hind sight should have been shark bitten. STUPID STUPID BOYS. Now days we are more careful. Sort of. He asked me to go wading under a bridge somewhere in the ocean to catch fish. Maybe we're not much smarter. Point being, Im glad I have my long lost buddy back. Fish Beware!

What Are The Odds

I mean honestly what are the odds? I was driving home from work tonight and I heard the scores of the NFL games today. I think Jesus is coming soon. Morning, night or Monday Night Football, I think he's coming. And soon. Any time the Detroit Lions, a 9 point dog, keeps the Packer offense to just 3 points and the San Francisco 49ers win a game and the Colts are held to just 3 points in the first half, something weird and wild is going on. Ok maybe not Jesus but the evolution of the salary cap for certain. For years its been the ongoing opinion that the NFL does it right.

At least compared to MLB, NHL and the NBA. Any year Stromile Swift can make as much money as Jeff Bagwell is a bad bad thing. Guaranteed money is stupid and flexible salary caps are too. Penalties for going over the cap dont penalize the teams who are doing it because they can afford it. Overpaid hockey players gripe so much they lose a years pay and it doesnt hurt. Thats how you know they get paid too much.

Football has it right. You play, you get paid. Spread the wealth. Thats the only way the Packers will ever be in the Super Bowl and the main reason the Expos (read Nationals) are not, nor will they be. Take a hint you panzies.
Take a pay cut Kobe and Sammy and Someguy Who Plays Hockey Whose Name I Dont Know Because I Hate the Sport So Much.
You have a billion trillion dollars right now, which you probably spent on steroids, lawsuits and whatever Someguy claims to lust for. Probably snow cones. Take a cut and do the right thing. Or your league should just do it for you. I bet if the NBA enforced a solid cap that there wouldnt be enough teams to pay the players currently in the league. I think I'll do some research. To Be Continued.....

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