Symbols--What they say to me

It is well known that Christians were persecuted in the early days of Christianity and still are in some parts of the world. Nowadays, the fish symbol tells me that the person is an active Christian. That is, not just raised as--but a practicing believer.

The NAZIs used the pink triangle to denote gays and it has been used since then in much the way the fish was used by early Christians. Gays are still persecuted in some parts of the world, but not here. The whole Safe Place motto strikes me as more than a little paranoid. There is plenty of moral superiority thrown in as well--as if anyone else would search for the first available weapon if they happened to discover a gay person.

A nice mix of superiority and ignorance. This one reminds me of an old TV show where the main character was a 30 year old paperboy who lived at home and yet felt superior to everyone around him.

It is clearly trying to insult Christians by punking their symbol and yet is unaware that most Christian believe in evolution.

I don't know what to say about it--I just like the picture and the show

Half of the people in this picture are frakking Cylons!

Added: So say we all.

You can see the picture in more detail

Rememberance...

Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed on this day, 40 years ago.

It was a shock to me when I heard on the news today that he was only 39 years old at the time. It got me thinking: Had he not been shot there is a good chance he would still be alive now. 79 years old is not at all an unusual age to reach. His reputation would most certainly be different since his would have kept doing things in these 4 decades. Who knows? He might have been President and if so, it would have been already a long time ago.

Here is food for thought. He has been dead now,-longer than he lived.

I always liked this kind of peace sign rendition.

Why Don't I Eat This Stuff More Often?

This happens all the time: I have something that I have had before and I realize that it has been a really long time since I had it last. I also remember just how much I like it.

This happened today. I was at a luncheon for a manager who is changing his responsibilities: There were lots of good things--most were home made. There was also sushi, which I had some of. It was just incredibly tasty, I should really try to have it more often.

I think it is a healthy thing to eat. It tastes as if it is healthy.

Late New Year's resolution: Eat more sushi, maybe even learn how to make it.

Watch Stopped: That's Never Right!

My running watch malfunctioned early in my usual run, so I decided to go on a longer route. I hoped it would be at least 13 miles, turned out to be less than 12. D'Oh!

What is wrong with Barbie?

Yesterday, was a half day of school and Surenna(11) played Barbie with her younger sisters.

Her mom: "Surenna, you had so much fun, why don't you play with Barbie more often?"

Surenna: "I don't like that optimistic expression she (Barbie) has on her face."

My wife was very pleased by this: Nothing pleases a misanthrope, like seeing it in others.

What?

Pet Food Marketing Plan

My wife's idea for a new brand of canine chow:

Ambrosia: Food of the Dogs

Reading in chronological Order...

I have always been of the opinion that, when it comes to a series of books such as The Chronicles of Narnia; it is best to read them in the order written rather than the order of the story within the series. For instance; The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was written first, while the The Magician’s Nephew --was written 6th but is the first stuff that happens, story-wise.

Now, I have quite by accident done the opposite. I discovered Neal Stephenson with the book Quicksilver--the first of a three volume series called The Baroque Cycle which takes place at the time of Newton. After I finished three hardcover tomes of around 900 pages each, I discover that a few years earlier he wrote Cryptonomicon. This takes place in WWII and in the (more-or-less) present time.

I suppose it is a mixed blessing. I would have enjoyed The Baroque Cycle more, had I read Cryptomimicon first, but I am immensely enjoying Cryptonomicon partly because of having read the other books. It should be noted that the main characters in Cryptonomicon, are all descended from the main characters from The Baroque Cycle.

Usual Sunday Run

I had to really hustle the last couple of miles of my usual 9.5 miler today. Last week I finally got it to 8 minutes/mile and I want to keep it that way.

As I pushed the last miles I was hoping for the day when I will be a couple of minutes ahead of schedule and can use the last mile as a cool-down. On further reflection, I know that this will never happen. If I am ever two minutes ahead of time, I will push extra hard to see if I can set a new PR for the course.

The only way for me to have an easy relaxing run is to not time it!

The First (in a long series) Of Expressions I Invented That Did Not Catch-On

In the Marine Corps, the term "Gung Ho" is (or was when I was enlisted) a term used non-ironically for highly enthusiastic. I was Gung Ho and all good Marines I knew were too.

Some Marines took it a little too far and I would refer to them as "Gung-Holier-Than-Thou".

Some signs of being gung-holier-than-thou: Wearing a newby jacket after leaving a training command, wearing a high and tight haircut when you are not in a unit that customarily wears them, spit-shining civilian footwear etc.