My thoughts on life, relationships, and everything else!

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

417: why its SO nice to know that drugs are named after where I live

I'm not joking, they have been having meetings in my town because the meth problem is so bad that one of the street names for meth is our area code. My town has had the #1 worst rating for drugs in the us for about 4 years now, and it only gets worse. Today while I was getting stuff to build a table at walmart, the cashier had to get my age and ID me to get the paint and any other chemicals I needed. I was also informed that if I needed more, I would have to come back another day due to anti- meth laws, I was maxed for the day due to paint and an OTC medication. But then a really good point was brought up: If they really were making meth out of it, wouldn't they get a bunch of users together and hit different stores, and max out until they get what they need? Or do they just hope that all the meth junkies have killed enough brain cells to not think of it. In high school, we had a guy who lived in the apartment above us who actually was running a meth lab. You could smell the chemicals when he cooked it. We thought it was strange we kept smelling stuff(we had first just assumed he was a pothead) but it finally dawned on me when he was sitting on the front porch with his friends and they were counting how many boxes of pills they had been able to buy. We moved a couple weeks later. This guy is actually pretty normal here, I can almost guarantee,even in the nice neighborhoods, that there is at least one meth lab within four blocks of anywhere, and you will never be able to guess who it is. whats more weird is our town is the place you would least suspect it. we are known for our friendly people and our lack of influence from the outside world, but our problems go far beyond the norm. Just goes to show, things aren't always what they seem.

BTW, if anyone knows how to fix my haloscan comments, I would greatly appereciate any tips you can give me, it doesnt separate them!

Monday, August 30, 2004

Ok, this is me, BEYOND high school!!!

but other than the sickening part and popular( i was an imbetweenie with popular friends) it was me in HS too! :D

Take the What High School
Stereotype Are You? quiz.

But hey, atleast im a brainy flake!!!

My comments are gone....GONE I TELL YOU!!!

but only the old ones. i had to switch to haloscan for my comments because the standard blogger version just wasn't cutting it, i couldnt hardly read them becaue they didn't really work with my template all that great!! Bad thing is though, i didnt really get to comment on any of my old ones, so if you have something to say, let me know! :) once again i have been too busy to really post, but another real one is on the way!!

Sunday, August 29, 2004

why people can never be satisfied.

I went to the doctor a couple days ago and learned that i had lost ten pounds, but i already knew that, i could tell from the loose, flabby skin on my stomach. But as i was about to ask the dr about my options on getting rid of the extra skin,. i started wondering, why is it that when people get what they really want, they then analyze it to death, criticize it and never just enjoy it?I think its human nature.

It's like how when something is offered to you for free, you are reluctant to accept. my pastor quite often does a little experiment on this: he holds up a $5 bill in the middle of the church and tells the congregation that "if you want it, just come up here and get it", but no one ever comes up to get it unless one of the kids do. its the same with God, hes there, offers you everything for nothing,but people still are unwilling to take it and when they do get something, they usually gripe about it.it doesn't make much sense to me!

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

The super hero Mentality

With all of the Bush-Kerry speeches going on, and everything else, the Super hero mentality is everywhere. There was a really good post about it on Kiihnworld, and here are my thoughts on it.

All of the politicians here lately (when not bashing each other) are making a lot of promises to save the world...Thing is, they can't. I figured out a way to prevent all of this nonsense last night. If a merchant or a service, or well, anyone else in any sort of business, makes a false promise and for reasons within their will, they are thrown in prison for fraud....Why can't we do that with a politician?!? Like, for example, Kerry gets president, and he decides OK no healthcare!! Then he is thrown in prison for placing fraudulent claims to put himself in the white house..That would be nice. Then maybe we can actually believe what they say and, for once, get a president who will actually be worth the trouble.

Thursday, August 19, 2004

God's big plan

Sometimes i wonder if God puts in a certain place for a certain reason sometimes. And wat further confuses me on the issue is that one second all you hear is "God is in control of everything" and then the next it's"God has us do everythign at pur own free will and does not control what we do." This also goes for love "God doesn't have anything to do with who you love, or who you marry, you make yourself love them" if thats the case, why am i not married yet?!?But still, i wonder if somethings we do, and if we are in some places, for a purpose?

I was once told that "God has a reason for everything you choose o do, he gives you options and roads to follow, the free will is which one do you choose" but i catch my self wondering if this is true.does God give you paths to choose from? is every single thing we do for a purpose? Is it like where, for example, the elderly woman i mentioned in my kindness post. Do you help the woman and make her life better and also inspire others without knowing it? or do you just walk on by, and when you need her help, she denys it to you leaving you in a bad situation? are we given situations for a reason, or do we create our own situations? I have heard it both ways at once and just don't understand.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Why I understand Vietnam

I just now (since the start of the Iraqi war) realized what our parents and grandparents were protesting during Vietnam. This post may seem a little anti-American to some people, but I don't lack patriotism...I love my country...... I just don't like whats going on. Also a lot of people will not agree with many things I say I know, but they are the truth, and from being in a national guard unit when everything started, I know what some things are like first hand.

During the war in Vietnam (which was from 1957 to 1975) many protesters were seen as unpatriotic because they were not backing their country and instead, they were protesting and trying to stop things, but now that the US is now, again, fighting someone else's war because we think it effects us in some remote way, I see their points.

Vietnam started because we had helped the French in their fight against the Vietnamese and our fight to stop communism from spreading past north Vietnam was a part of our involvement in the cold war wasn't really our war to fight, but we felt it was our responsibility.I know Iraq is a lot different in scenario...but when you get down to it, the feelings are the same.

I can remember when Sept. 11 happened...I was home from school because my aunt had died and my uncle called me into the living room to show me what happened in new York. Not ten minutes later my nat'l guard unit was on stand by. Most of unit ended pulling tours of duty overseas in different locations. I can remember being told I was the first untrained person they have seen being issued full gear..I was told it was prepping me,and it scared me to death . I watched the war every day and worried I would have to see it up close. I think that's why this subject hits me so hard. I can understand why we did what we did in Afghanistan, but Iraq only hurt us. We have gained nothing, and have lost almost everything. We have men and women, losing their lives every day to fight a war that is only hurting us. And then there is the British. They stepped in and are fighting this war with the US and are losing about as much. They are receiving terror threats just as we are for something they didn't even start. All of this makes me want to put on a t-shirt with a big X through A pic of the fighting and the words NO MORE IRAQI WAR!!!!!! Or something. hmm...i need a better shirt idea. But if I thought it would help, I would do it.it didn't work then, it probably won't now.

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Monday, August 16, 2004

Parthenogenesis and cloning: Jesus and the modern scientific world

I had read a BBC news article the other day on cloning and it really disturbs me. Even if it is made from an egg that would otherwise be discarded, It still is formed into a person, and still is a life. It also is a form of playing God and messing with nature.there are many different points of view out there on that.

I had to do a research paper a couple of years ago, and I chose to do cloning and parthenogenesis from a non critical Christian point of view, but what I learned is some really weird stuff! There re many different processes to form a clone, but the most common and the most simple is the nuclear transfer system. This is where they take an empty egg cell(it can be taken from any mammal)and they remove the core of the nucleus (the DNA rich center),retaining the membrane. Then they take a complete strand of DNA from the specimen that they want to clone, inject it into it, forming a new nucleus,zap it with electricity, and let it grow until ready to implant into the surrogate mother. Not something you would do in your garage, but not really complex either. The even weirder thing is that the egg doesn't have to even be from the same species as the clone. For example.they can clone mice with pig eggs and about ten years ago, they tried to clone an extinct animal called a gaur. To do this, they took a DNA sample from a deceased gaur and injected it into the egg of a cow and used the cow as a surrogate. This went well, and produced a young gaur, but it suffered the same serious health issues as all other clones do, which is my second objection to cloning.

Clones are not a perfect replicas of the original. There are many faults due to processing. Most clones have a significantly shorter life span and suffer severe health problems, so if you cloned a pet, not only may it not have the same disposition due to a lack of life experiences, but also would not live very long. The other bad thing is cloning people so that the childless can have blood related children. This is horrid because these kids would have lives full of horrible diseases and pain.believe it or not, there is a compliant supposedly offering this, but they are also raeliens, so what do you expect.

Parthenogenesis is very different and natural though. It's very common in some insects, and ocean life, such as anemones, sponges, and urchins. It has only occurred once in humans, Jesus Christ and will be the only time. Even many scientists and sociologists can not deny the fact that Jesus was conceived immaculately. During my research I read a book, written by an atheist none the less, that proves this point. According to the laws and customs of that era, Mary and Joseph would have been stoned to death if anyone even had an hint that they actually slept together pre marriage , no matter where they were. So, somehow, they had to believe that Mary had conceived Jesus immaculately. This still seems to keep the scientific world puzzled. The theories range from rape in her sleep to when she was conceived the egg didn't separate so she carried her twin, all kinds of strange things, but these all have one thing in common: they are wrong, and have been proven so.

It seems like no matter how hard science seems to prove God to be wrong, he is always right. It's something Christians have known all along, but the rest of the world has an hard time accepting. If everyone would open their eyes and their hearts, they wouldn't have to wonder anymore.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

If a child can do it, why is it so hard for adults?

Chris W.'s post on going to church and being a Christian made me remember this story. It is a true story, a woman I know very well really did this every week as a child.

A little girl wakes up early every Sunday morning while everyone else quietly sleeps. Hungry, she slips into the kitchen, gets a step ladder, and grabs cereal, milk, and a bowl. If the milk doesn't quite work out right, she abandons the idea and eats the cereal dry. After eating, she goes into her bedroom, and picks out a dress. She bathes, brushes her teeth and attempts to do her hair. If her hair doesn't turn out quite right, she knows an adult will help her with it later. By the time she gets all of this accomplished, its time for her favorite Sunday morning TV show, so she proceeds to the living room. She carefully plugs in the TV and if the cables are disconnected in the back(as they often were) she would try to fix it, or wander down the hallway of her apartment building to get a neighbor to fix it. After her show was over, she would walk outside and wait for the church bus.

She went every Sunday. The only time that she missed was if she was very ill or her parents caught her(they were opposed to Christianity). This is a pretty good story, But what makes it amazing to me is that the girl was only 3.

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Why is your radio so loud it makes my fat jiggle? And other weird practices of American youth.

If there is one thing I never understood about High School and college guys, it's why they have to have the radio so loud! I sound like an old lady here, but I just had a guy drive by with the radio so loud and the bass so high that my butt literally vibrated and the pictures on the wall shook. The other thing I don't understand is revving the motor when a guy sees a cute girl in the car next to him. When I was in HS, I had this blue Grand am that had a bolt loose in the motor, so when you revved the motor it roared like the biggest thing you've ever seen! It was sooo funny! We would always have these frat boys come home for the summer, so whenever they would be next to me and my friend, and they would start the engine thing, I always beat them, and make them so mad. But its ridiculous, it impresses no one. It ranks up there with the saggy pants and snot launching. I also don't get the cosmetic surgery thing. It's like all I have heard since the beginning of hs is how this person was getting a rhinopasty or breast augmentation. It was crazy! I am still technically in that lovely age category, and don't even understand it.

Now street racing is the only thing I really understand. Life at 300mph is pretty sweet!:D

Monday, August 02, 2004

Why are people so cruel??

Lily, the dog from the post below, right after we took her home

Lily, post recovery!

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.~ Genesis 1:26-28

Since we have dominion over them, does that mean we should be cruel?

Today I was driving home from the post office when the most horrifying thing happened. There was a chihuahua running across the road and the red SUV in front of me swerved...to hit it! I usually wouldn't accuse someone of something like this, but they almost hit another car so they could get into the other lane to hit it. Then the dog got hit by a few more vehicles in the process. The only time they slowed down even was when I stopped on the street to pick the poor dog up, and I think that was only because I was wearing a short skirt.

I stopped my car, in the middle of rush hour, to pick up the poor dog and drive her to the vet to get checked out. It was kinda funny, in an odd way..The first thing after asking me "is this yur dog?" was "why would you take someone else's dog to the vet? Especially one off the pavement?Most people just don't do that". My answer was simple: shouldn't we help when someone can't help themselves? It's not like a dog can be like "oh! I got hit! I'm going to call 911 and sue you later". They have feelings and emotions: they just can't make much use of it

She was hit by 5 cars, the first had hit her so hard she flew down the street, hit her again and backed over her, and the other four just went over her. The weird thing is, she only suffered a broken cheek bone and her legs had been busted open...But no broken bones. After all of this, she is still the most loving and affectionate thing.....I think we should all be this way. Even when we have had the worst day, and feel like things just can't get worse, we should still be thankful for what we have, not disappointed for the things we lack. If a dog who got ran over 6 times can, I think I can too.

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Christian Commercialism

It seems like an odd concept to me, but more and more churches seem to be using commercialism for the sake of drawing in the numbers. They run news ads to promote"worship opportunities", give members car stickers, and some even run TV ads that make their church seem like a three ring circus. Don't get me wrong, letting people know that your church is out there isn't a bad thing necessarily, especially during things like revivals and VBS, it's just when it gets to the point where you are having to do a song and dance number to draw in the crowds (I have actually seen this believe it or not).

There is also the "odd preacher factor". A church that is struggling will hire a very different type of pastor or youth pastor to "boost the numbers"...Former wrestlers, athletes, and even bikers. Not that these people are necessarily underquailified, but most of the sermons by "publicity preachers" that I have heard have been more about who they are and what they do than about God. There are also the college career, and youth groups, that are supposed to be strengthening the bond between young adults and God, that just seem to be Large, church funded dating services..People go there pick up people, not worship God. I have actually heard churches use that to try to bait people into going there. It seems like in many places, church is more for entertainment than the worship of God :(

The other side of Christian commercialism is so called" Christian celebs" (Jessica Simpson, POD, Evanescence,etc.),also known as "Britney Spears Christians": they are christian only when it is convenient, and as worldly as it gets the rest of the time. Jessica Simpson is a good example of this. She started out a somewhat shy preachers daughter, who could sing, was firm in her beliefs and an excellent role model for girls of all ages...but once stardom actually hit, it all changed. The skirts got incredibly short, the clothing see thru and then came the poses on magazine covers in undies. Also for anyone who watches newlyweds... we all know what kind of language is used....Nice....And lets not get started on a lot of the others. It may make Christians look cool...But goes against a lot of things. Also, you can be cool and still live a Christian life(as I stated in a previous post) without giving into worldly temptations. Whether you are famous, or just an average joe, you never know who is watching or looking up to you: so we should be giving a good example and living for Christ always.