Kristen's Written Ramblings: My Online Journal
Friday, August 29, 2008
Add Some History Lessons to Sunday School Please
I saw a church yesterday. There was a banner on the front of the building. On the banner were bright big letters that read, Bible Gladiators. It's how the members of the church referred to themselves.
I wonder if the people who came up with that title knew anything about gladiators, especially Christian gladiators (also known as lion chow).
I wonder if the people who came up with that title knew anything about gladiators, especially Christian gladiators (also known as lion chow).
Labels: Oh the Irony
Monday, August 18, 2008
Circus Animals Are Tortured Animals
The ASPCA is fighting Ringling Bros. in court for abusing elephants:
But it's not just elephants. All circus animals are abused. Why else do you think that a lion would jump through hoops or a bear would ride a bike? For the cheer of the crowd? For fame? To make their trainer happy?
No! They perform because they are scared of being beaten, starved, electrocuted, or stabbed with hooks.
Circuses that use animals are sick. DON'T GO TO THE CIRCUS.
You can read more about the ASPCA's stand on circuses at
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_circuses
You can read the Human Society's articles and watch their videos about circus cruelty at
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/circus_myths.html
You can see PETA videos at
http://www.petatv.com/circ.html
and read PETA articles about the circus at
http://www.circuses.com/
But it's not just elephants. All circus animals are abused. Why else do you think that a lion would jump through hoops or a bear would ride a bike? For the cheer of the crowd? For fame? To make their trainer happy?
No! They perform because they are scared of being beaten, starved, electrocuted, or stabbed with hooks.
Circuses that use animals are sick. DON'T GO TO THE CIRCUS.
You can read more about the ASPCA's stand on circuses at
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_circuses
You can read the Human Society's articles and watch their videos about circus cruelty at
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/circus_myths.html
You can see PETA videos at
http://www.petatv.com/circ.html
and read PETA articles about the circus at
http://www.circuses.com/
Labels: Activism
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Putin's Fascist-Communist-Democracy
Why is Putin acting like a fascist and a communist at the same time while screaming out that he's pro-democracy? Why does he have youth camps that advocate hate? Why does he pay children and teenagers to stage protests to any opposition? I guess it's easy to get away with stuff like that when you have 99.9% control of the media in your country. I feel sorry for the Russians. So many of them have no idea that they're being suckered, especially the Russian youth.
Here's an interesting documentary:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/russia703/
Here's an interesting documentary:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/russia703/
Labels: Things that Annoy Me
Friday, August 15, 2008
Disneyland: The Greediest Place on Earth?
My brother worked at Disneyland for awhile. He loved it. All of his coworkers loved working there, too. They spent all their time either working or hanging around in the park. When they weren't there, they were talking about it and watching Disney movies. It wasn't a job; it was a cult.
Back then, a job at Disney was pretty good. The pay was decent. They had benefits. And as long as you were pretty (or could fit inside a giant character mask) and perky, they'd let you mingle with the customers.
But now they want to treat their workers like dirt. Disney is stripping it's hotel workers (housekeeping, dishwashers, bellhops, and cooks) down to size. Apparently, Disney thinks that the work they do is inferior to the work that other employees do, and they're going to make sure that those inferior workers know it. They're taking away their sick pay. They're taking away their holiday pay. They're taking away their vacations. And worst of all, they're taking away their health insurance (for their employees and their families). And I can't forget to mention those hotel workers already being paid several dollars less per hour than other hotel workers in the area.
Why? Because inferior workers don't deserve to go to the doctor. They don't deserve a day off. And if they get sick... well, that's just to stinking bad. They should have thought of that before they decided to become an inferior worker. And their children certainly don't deserve health care because they might actually survive childhood and grow up to become inferior workers just like their parents. (If those kids have any brains at all, they'll think about running away and getting adopted by parents who aren't inferior workers.) Oh yeah, and we can't forget the biggest reason of all: money!
After all, Disney is struggling to get by. I mean, really, they only made about $1.2 BILLION dollars net profit last quarter. How can we expect any company to run on a mere $1.2 billion of profit for 3 whole months? That's why they have to charge $5 for a $0.25 soda and serve cheap junk food, filled with artificial colors and preservatives, instead of food that won't kill it's customers in the long run. They're doing everything they can just to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, those lazy inferior workers are squandering Disney's profits with cushy perks like sick days and health insurance. It's not like they're really working hard or anything. They just clean stuff and tend to back-breaking labor all day. Any pimple-faced teenager could do that for minimum wage and zero benefits (plus they're full of energy at that age, so they could probably do it faster).
Argh!
I hope this gets more publicity. Disney keeps portraying themselves as a company that wants to help people and bring joy to the world. I'm sure there are lots of employees who have that vision too, but the greedy overlords at the top only care about dollar signs and fat wallets, and they'll even abuse their own employees to put a few extra dollars in their pockets.
Worst part about all of this, is that I had to explain to my kids why Tinkerbell and Cinderella were in handcuffs for protesting with union picketers against the wickedness of a corporate giant instead of living happily ever after. Solidarity my fairytale girls.
Go find out more about this at
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jXGsA6a9caN4qHy8j7npWIv68-GwD92IGR380
Back then, a job at Disney was pretty good. The pay was decent. They had benefits. And as long as you were pretty (or could fit inside a giant character mask) and perky, they'd let you mingle with the customers.
But now they want to treat their workers like dirt. Disney is stripping it's hotel workers (housekeeping, dishwashers, bellhops, and cooks) down to size. Apparently, Disney thinks that the work they do is inferior to the work that other employees do, and they're going to make sure that those inferior workers know it. They're taking away their sick pay. They're taking away their holiday pay. They're taking away their vacations. And worst of all, they're taking away their health insurance (for their employees and their families). And I can't forget to mention those hotel workers already being paid several dollars less per hour than other hotel workers in the area.
Why? Because inferior workers don't deserve to go to the doctor. They don't deserve a day off. And if they get sick... well, that's just to stinking bad. They should have thought of that before they decided to become an inferior worker. And their children certainly don't deserve health care because they might actually survive childhood and grow up to become inferior workers just like their parents. (If those kids have any brains at all, they'll think about running away and getting adopted by parents who aren't inferior workers.) Oh yeah, and we can't forget the biggest reason of all: money!
After all, Disney is struggling to get by. I mean, really, they only made about $1.2 BILLION dollars net profit last quarter. How can we expect any company to run on a mere $1.2 billion of profit for 3 whole months? That's why they have to charge $5 for a $0.25 soda and serve cheap junk food, filled with artificial colors and preservatives, instead of food that won't kill it's customers in the long run. They're doing everything they can just to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, those lazy inferior workers are squandering Disney's profits with cushy perks like sick days and health insurance. It's not like they're really working hard or anything. They just clean stuff and tend to back-breaking labor all day. Any pimple-faced teenager could do that for minimum wage and zero benefits (plus they're full of energy at that age, so they could probably do it faster).
Argh!
I hope this gets more publicity. Disney keeps portraying themselves as a company that wants to help people and bring joy to the world. I'm sure there are lots of employees who have that vision too, but the greedy overlords at the top only care about dollar signs and fat wallets, and they'll even abuse their own employees to put a few extra dollars in their pockets.
Worst part about all of this, is that I had to explain to my kids why Tinkerbell and Cinderella were in handcuffs for protesting with union picketers against the wickedness of a corporate giant instead of living happily ever after. Solidarity my fairytale girls.
Go find out more about this at
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jXGsA6a9caN4qHy8j7npWIv68-GwD92IGR380
Labels: Things that Annoy Me
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My Grandma's Dream Journal
My paternal grandmother, Margaret, loved to tell me stories about her life, and I loved listening to them.
She told me about what it was like to hide in a bomb shelter in Plymouth, England during World War II, playing cards and telling jokes to pass the time with neighbors, and then emerging to witness the destruction, clean up, and move on with their lives.
We laughed at stories about "French letters" (condoms) littering the streets of England, her 20-something sister's naive explanation of sex (it involved nudity and urinating), and nude theatrical performances that she had attended with my grandfather.
She told me about camping trips. On one trip, a bear began rocking their teardrop trailer, where my father, grandfather, and uncle were sleeping. Then it began rocking the car, where my grandmother and aunt had been sleeping. Each group suspected each other of playing a joke them. When they realized that there was a bear nearby, they began to yell, and the entire campground came to life and started yelling at the bear and chasing it into the woods. My uncle, who was only three years old at the time, also began chasing the bear with a stick, and they had to save him from getting into a fight he would certainly lose. On another trip, another bear, begging for food, slammed down the passenger window of their car as they parked in line and waited to leave Yellowstone. My grandmother had been sitting in the passenger side of the car, and the bear hit her arm. Fortunately, rolling up the window was enough to discourage the bear from persisting.
She especially liked talking about her childhood and teenage years. The milkman would pull up in his horse-drawn cart, come in through the kitchen door, and sit down for a chat and a bit of tea. The mailman often did the same. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her family. Her mother raised her and her two sisters alone. Her father was in the Royal Navy but had nothing to do with any of them; he was out having affairs and adventures. The girls often went to the beach where they would burn and blister, but they didn't let that stop them, and they just went back the next day and the next until finally they'd tan. (She later battled skin cancer repeatedly.)
One of the stories I enjoyed the most was a story about how all they all kept a family dream journal. If somebody had an unusual dream, they would wake up and write it down in the journal. Then later the rest of them would read it. It was a major source of entertainment and left them all rolling on the floor with laughter.
I like that idea. I think I'll start a dream journal too. And I'll share it with everyone by posting it here.
She told me about what it was like to hide in a bomb shelter in Plymouth, England during World War II, playing cards and telling jokes to pass the time with neighbors, and then emerging to witness the destruction, clean up, and move on with their lives.
We laughed at stories about "French letters" (condoms) littering the streets of England, her 20-something sister's naive explanation of sex (it involved nudity and urinating), and nude theatrical performances that she had attended with my grandfather.
She told me about camping trips. On one trip, a bear began rocking their teardrop trailer, where my father, grandfather, and uncle were sleeping. Then it began rocking the car, where my grandmother and aunt had been sleeping. Each group suspected each other of playing a joke them. When they realized that there was a bear nearby, they began to yell, and the entire campground came to life and started yelling at the bear and chasing it into the woods. My uncle, who was only three years old at the time, also began chasing the bear with a stick, and they had to save him from getting into a fight he would certainly lose. On another trip, another bear, begging for food, slammed down the passenger window of their car as they parked in line and waited to leave Yellowstone. My grandmother had been sitting in the passenger side of the car, and the bear hit her arm. Fortunately, rolling up the window was enough to discourage the bear from persisting.
She especially liked talking about her childhood and teenage years. The milkman would pull up in his horse-drawn cart, come in through the kitchen door, and sit down for a chat and a bit of tea. The mailman often did the same. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her family. Her mother raised her and her two sisters alone. Her father was in the Royal Navy but had nothing to do with any of them; he was out having affairs and adventures. The girls often went to the beach where they would burn and blister, but they didn't let that stop them, and they just went back the next day and the next until finally they'd tan. (She later battled skin cancer repeatedly.)
One of the stories I enjoyed the most was a story about how all they all kept a family dream journal. If somebody had an unusual dream, they would wake up and write it down in the journal. Then later the rest of them would read it. It was a major source of entertainment and left them all rolling on the floor with laughter.
I like that idea. I think I'll start a dream journal too. And I'll share it with everyone by posting it here.
Labels: I Had a Dream, Inspiring People I Admire
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I want an RV trailer like this
Friday, August 8, 2008
Oh the Joys of Migraines
I have migraines. I hate it.
A couple times a month I see shadows and lights in my peripheral vision. (In my naive days, I thought they were ghosts. I know better now.) Sometimes looking at bright lights will cause a sensation in my head like an electric jolt. Then my face and the left side of my body starts to go numb then tingles for several minutes to hours. (And that's when I always freak out and wonder if I'm having a stroke.) Within hours the pain will start on the right side of my head. At first, it's a stabbing pain, impossible to ignore, and then it goes away. Later, it comes back as a throbbing pain that starts small and over a period of hours or days intensifies. Then it disappears.
For now, the pain is tolerable as long as I take some over-the-counter medicine. I'm debating trying a prescription for migraines. I'm against taking narcotics because I hate feeling out of control, I fear developing an addiction, and they only result in rebound pain anyhow for things like head and body aches. I just hate taking medication. It always comes with side-effects, and you can't forget about the way it trickles money from the family budget.
Argh....
A couple times a month I see shadows and lights in my peripheral vision. (In my naive days, I thought they were ghosts. I know better now.) Sometimes looking at bright lights will cause a sensation in my head like an electric jolt. Then my face and the left side of my body starts to go numb then tingles for several minutes to hours. (And that's when I always freak out and wonder if I'm having a stroke.) Within hours the pain will start on the right side of my head. At first, it's a stabbing pain, impossible to ignore, and then it goes away. Later, it comes back as a throbbing pain that starts small and over a period of hours or days intensifies. Then it disappears.
For now, the pain is tolerable as long as I take some over-the-counter medicine. I'm debating trying a prescription for migraines. I'm against taking narcotics because I hate feeling out of control, I fear developing an addiction, and they only result in rebound pain anyhow for things like head and body aches. I just hate taking medication. It always comes with side-effects, and you can't forget about the way it trickles money from the family budget.
Argh....
Labels: My Life
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
I Remember
I've been copying my old VHS home movies to DVD (to preserve the original recording) and DV (to edit on my computer). It amazes me how much old memories, from decades ago, are still fresh in my mind even though I haven't thought about those memories in many, many years. I see a small clip and I can remember entire scenarios surrounding those clips, people, voices, background noises, events, smells, physical sensations, emotions, ... everything. The same thing happens when I look at pictures, smell familiar smells (like the combination of coffee, cigarettes, and dirty ash trays or cigarette breath and beer or Irish Spring soap), hear familiar noises (like the "boing" of a spring doorstop or the hums and clanks of garbage trucks), or see familiar images (like snail and slug trails or acorns). I can even vividly recall things from my toddler and pre-school days.
I often hear parents and "experts" say that children won't remember things when they get older. They say it about bad experiences: "Don't worry. He'll forget about it in a few days." They say it about good experiences: "I don't want to pay to take my kids on trips because they won't remember the trip anyhow." They even say it about everyday activities: "You couldn't possibly remember doing that. You were too young." But I was a kid, and I remember it.
I remember traveling before I was even school-age, and I remember the trips we took during summer school breaks. I remember traveling to the Grand Canyon and looking down at people and mules who seemed no larger than sugar ants. I remember driving to Las Vegas, laughing at the giant cowboy in neon lights, and checking out of a motel room filled with roaches. I remember driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and listening to my dad tell us how there were sharks in the bay and pointing out the San Quintin prison. I remember things grown-ups said, and I remember how confused I was about why grown-ups acted the way that they did. I remember how scared and happy I could be at the same time. I remember it all.
For some reason I feel compelled to tell people about those stories. I've turned into one of those old ladies who tell stories to children, and most of those stories start with "When I was a kid...." Strange.
It has changed the way that I interact with my own children (and other people's children), though. I don't for a second believe that "they'll forget this in a few days." The average, healthy, human brain remembers.
Even if it doesn't access those memories for years, the brain will store them. They will sit in a dusty cardboard box made of neurons, tucked away in a shelf in a closet made of brain tissue, waiting for a trigger, something to open the closet door, so the box can come tumbling down off the shelf and spill onto the floor, revealing the memory movies inside. And the older I get, the more I find myself opening that closet door.
I often hear parents and "experts" say that children won't remember things when they get older. They say it about bad experiences: "Don't worry. He'll forget about it in a few days." They say it about good experiences: "I don't want to pay to take my kids on trips because they won't remember the trip anyhow." They even say it about everyday activities: "You couldn't possibly remember doing that. You were too young." But I was a kid, and I remember it.
I remember traveling before I was even school-age, and I remember the trips we took during summer school breaks. I remember traveling to the Grand Canyon and looking down at people and mules who seemed no larger than sugar ants. I remember driving to Las Vegas, laughing at the giant cowboy in neon lights, and checking out of a motel room filled with roaches. I remember driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and listening to my dad tell us how there were sharks in the bay and pointing out the San Quintin prison. I remember things grown-ups said, and I remember how confused I was about why grown-ups acted the way that they did. I remember how scared and happy I could be at the same time. I remember it all.
For some reason I feel compelled to tell people about those stories. I've turned into one of those old ladies who tell stories to children, and most of those stories start with "When I was a kid...." Strange.
It has changed the way that I interact with my own children (and other people's children), though. I don't for a second believe that "they'll forget this in a few days." The average, healthy, human brain remembers.
Even if it doesn't access those memories for years, the brain will store them. They will sit in a dusty cardboard box made of neurons, tucked away in a shelf in a closet made of brain tissue, waiting for a trigger, something to open the closet door, so the box can come tumbling down off the shelf and spill onto the floor, revealing the memory movies inside. And the older I get, the more I find myself opening that closet door.
Labels: My Life
About.com Likes My Site: Kristen's Guide
I've been noticing that about.com has several links pointing to Kristen's Guide. It's mostly for my printables for planners and calendars (and more are coming very soon).
I've been a fan of about.com since they first started (a fan of everything except their pop-up ads and frames), so I'm quite a happy camper that they've noticed my little site.
I've been a fan of about.com since they first started (a fan of everything except their pop-up ads and frames), so I'm quite a happy camper that they've noticed my little site.
Labels: Blogging and Websites
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Really Important Stuff
Several months ago I started writing an article for Kristen's Guide. The article was about the importance of prioritizing your values, doing the most important things first, and living life the way you truly want to live it.
While writing the article, I realized that I had lots of priorities that had been neglected. Quite frankly, finishing the article and writing an update every week for Kristen's Guide wasn't on that list of "if I died tomorrow" priorities, so I set such tasks aside and focused on the big stuff.
I've been playing more with my kids.
I've been making time to exercise nearly every day.
I've been having more fun with my husband and laughing more. (We were starting to become a bit too serious, a bit too "gotta check this and that off the to-do list.")
I painted a pink and purple castle on the wall of my daughters' bedroom. (The room is covered by an every-growing mural, which, I must say, also acts as a record of the improvements I've made when it comes to painting artistically.)
I started transfering all of my old VHS home movies to DVD (the VHS are deteriorating) and have even been working on making a fancy-schmancy compilation, with all the boring bits edited out.
I started reading fiction and poetry again. I've been so focused on non-fiction during the last decade that I almost forgot how important fiction is.
I started writing fiction and poetry again.
I started spending more time working on Corla Kids, a website I'm putting together for my kids. (It has a long way to go, but all good things are built up a little at a time.)
I started standing up for myself, putting my foot down, saying "no," and being honest about how I feel. (The responses that the people I've said "no" to hasn't always been wonderful in this area, but I don't really care anymore, a very nice feeling indeed.)
I've been traveling. (Crater Lake is beautiful.)
I've started volunteering again and am continuing to support causes that are important to me.
And, of course, I've been spending time figuring out what else is really important to me.
So Kristen's Guide has been a bit neglected. But then again, I started Kristen's Guide because I wanted a handy guide to a better life (for me and for anyone else who happened to read it, but mostly for me). And it so far has worked. Kristen's Guide has improved my life so much that I don't have as much time for the website as I used to. Oh the irony.
While writing the article, I realized that I had lots of priorities that had been neglected. Quite frankly, finishing the article and writing an update every week for Kristen's Guide wasn't on that list of "if I died tomorrow" priorities, so I set such tasks aside and focused on the big stuff.
I've been playing more with my kids.
I've been making time to exercise nearly every day.
I've been having more fun with my husband and laughing more. (We were starting to become a bit too serious, a bit too "gotta check this and that off the to-do list.")
I painted a pink and purple castle on the wall of my daughters' bedroom. (The room is covered by an every-growing mural, which, I must say, also acts as a record of the improvements I've made when it comes to painting artistically.)
I started transfering all of my old VHS home movies to DVD (the VHS are deteriorating) and have even been working on making a fancy-schmancy compilation, with all the boring bits edited out.
I started reading fiction and poetry again. I've been so focused on non-fiction during the last decade that I almost forgot how important fiction is.
I started writing fiction and poetry again.
I started spending more time working on Corla Kids, a website I'm putting together for my kids. (It has a long way to go, but all good things are built up a little at a time.)
I started standing up for myself, putting my foot down, saying "no," and being honest about how I feel. (The responses that the people I've said "no" to hasn't always been wonderful in this area, but I don't really care anymore, a very nice feeling indeed.)
I've been traveling. (Crater Lake is beautiful.)
I've started volunteering again and am continuing to support causes that are important to me.
And, of course, I've been spending time figuring out what else is really important to me.
So Kristen's Guide has been a bit neglected. But then again, I started Kristen's Guide because I wanted a handy guide to a better life (for me and for anyone else who happened to read it, but mostly for me). And it so far has worked. Kristen's Guide has improved my life so much that I don't have as much time for the website as I used to. Oh the irony.
Labels: Blogging and Websites, My Life
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