I was saving this for next week, but since Alaina got voted off last night, I have to come to the confessional this week. Dammit!
I have been known to point out hypocrisy on this blog, so it is only fair that I admit to it when I am guilty of it myself...so forgive me readers, for I have sinned.
Wednesday night I am watching Alaina perform "Hopelessly Devoted," which is another song I don't think anyone should attempt to sing. It is hard to hit those high notes at all, and harder still to hit them with the purity of Olivia. Alaina didn't even try to hit them, which of course seems like a sell out. I also agreed with Simon...her blue dress was a tad prom-ish, but she is only seventeen, so we should forgive her. Certainly her performance was not as bad as Amanda's who miraculously escaped the axe, so what was it that was bothering me about her? What?
It's the gap in her two front teeth. The gap is bugging me. Really bugging me.
Those of you who know me in real life now understand the need for this confession.
Me: "Oh my god! That gap in her teeth. I hate to say this, but it's bugging me."
CO silently looking at me thinking "hypocrite!" but not saying it aloud.
Me: "Is my gap that noticeable?"
CO: "I don't notice it at all...now."
Now? We were so close and he had to add the now?
"But you used to notice it?"
He shrugged noncommittally.
Of course he did. Mine is twice the size of Alaina's. I am a complete and total hypocrite for daring to comment on the gap in her teeth. I am awful.
Thursday at work, a co-worker and I were discussing the A.I., and she mentioned the gap in Alaina's teeth bugging her, too. I didn't comment, as my lips were clamped together in an effort to hide my own offending gap. But my coworker pointed to her own tiny gap and said, "Like I should be talking about someone else's gap!"
I felt better. Hypocrisy loves company, I suppose.
---
In a related note, during previous shows, CO has made the comment that Alaina and Kady looked like they just stepped out of the trailer park. So last night, when Ryan called the two of them to the center, CO sang "Two trailer park girls go 'round the outside...'round the outside...'round the outside."
It made me laugh...and earned me 150 negative karma points, to go with the 500 from the night before. I need to get a new hobby. I am racking up a karmic bill I might never be able to pay with this A.I. stuff.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Religious NON-Rant
I always rant when I am bugged by religious issues, so to be fair, I should tell you when it's good, right?
Last night at work, several of my co-workers launched into a religious discussion. It wasn't so much doctrine, as ritual that we discussed (although there was a bit of doctrine in the way of explanation). We had a practicing Catholic, Mormon and Seventh Day Adventist on hand, and we discussed the varying bans on things...meat (on Fridays or every day), caffeine, alcohol, birth control, etc.
It was a wonderful and informative discussion, where questions were asked and answered. No one criticized, no one got offended, no one was defensive, no one judged...it was simply information sharing. People were even laughing here and there...not at anyone, but with them.
It is nice to be reminded of the good people who practice religion. I get this a lot from my blog friends, but not as much in my real life, so this was incredibly refreshing for me.
Just thought I'd say so.
Last night at work, several of my co-workers launched into a religious discussion. It wasn't so much doctrine, as ritual that we discussed (although there was a bit of doctrine in the way of explanation). We had a practicing Catholic, Mormon and Seventh Day Adventist on hand, and we discussed the varying bans on things...meat (on Fridays or every day), caffeine, alcohol, birth control, etc.
It was a wonderful and informative discussion, where questions were asked and answered. No one criticized, no one got offended, no one was defensive, no one judged...it was simply information sharing. People were even laughing here and there...not at anyone, but with them.
It is nice to be reminded of the good people who practice religion. I get this a lot from my blog friends, but not as much in my real life, so this was incredibly refreshing for me.
Just thought I'd say so.
Idol Chit Chat...10 Girls
Again no time, so my quick opinion...
Carly was the best by a mile...maybe two. It kills me to say this, because I do not want to like her, and I didn't last week, but this week...
Amanda was hideous and going home, I think. It kills me to say this, because I did want to like her, but I haven't either week.
Is it me, or is Simon a bit gentler witht he girls than the guys? Of course, the girls aren't as mouthy and argumentative, so that could be a reason.
And what was with Pauler's ugly blouse? Tuesday night she had the twins on full display, last night she was buttoned up to her earlobes. Twas not good.
Carly was the best by a mile...maybe two. It kills me to say this, because I do not want to like her, and I didn't last week, but this week...
Amanda was hideous and going home, I think. It kills me to say this, because I did want to like her, but I haven't either week.
Is it me, or is Simon a bit gentler witht he girls than the guys? Of course, the girls aren't as mouthy and argumentative, so that could be a reason.
And what was with Pauler's ugly blouse? Tuesday night she had the twins on full display, last night she was buttoned up to her earlobes. Twas not good.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Idol Chit Chat...10 Guys
No time for a line by line run down. I will quickly say David Cook was my favorite...except the arguing with Simon. They just make themselves look worse when they argue.
One more quick note on David Archuleta...he CAN sing. No doubt. But I absolutely HATED that. You don't mess with certain songs...and that is one of them. I thought that arrangement was awful.
And I realize he is only 16, but he really needs to stop crying when people tell him he did a good job. If he is randomly stopping AI contestants in hotel lobbies to sing for them at the age of 11, he KNOWS he can sing. Stop acting as if this is all news to you. The Sally Field "You like me...you really like me" act is not endearing in this case, because it seems like such a put on to me. Maybe I am just jaded, but I'm not buying this innocent thing for a second.
One more quick note on David Archuleta...he CAN sing. No doubt. But I absolutely HATED that. You don't mess with certain songs...and that is one of them. I thought that arrangement was awful.
And I realize he is only 16, but he really needs to stop crying when people tell him he did a good job. If he is randomly stopping AI contestants in hotel lobbies to sing for them at the age of 11, he KNOWS he can sing. Stop acting as if this is all news to you. The Sally Field "You like me...you really like me" act is not endearing in this case, because it seems like such a put on to me. Maybe I am just jaded, but I'm not buying this innocent thing for a second.
Monday, February 25, 2008
And Then There Were Two
Saturday I told you about our 2008 intern crop...the Clown, the Joker, and our precious, drowsy Apple.
What I didn't tell you was that last Thursday, the Clown was a no show no call. He doesn't work on Fridays, but today rolls around, and another no show no call.
So I called HIM.
"Hi Clown. This is Maggie."
Silence.
"From the office?"
Clown: "Oh. Hi, Maggie."
Hmmmm. Hi Maggie. HI, Maggie? That's all I get?
"I was calling to see that you are alright. I was getting worried since you didn't show up for work for two days."
Clown: "Oh. I was meaning to come by and talk to you about that. I didn't want to do it over the phone, because that isn't professional."
Really? You think?
"I understand, Clown, but it is also not professional to go AWOL for two days with no phone call."
Clown: "Yeah...I guess you're right."
Oh, I am.
Turns out, Clown is overwhelmed. This is MUCH harder than he thought it was going to be. He never dreamed that when we told him in the interview he would be expected to work 24 hours a week, that we actually meant for him to work 24 hours a week.
He's tired, you see.
And it's hard, you see.
Oh, I see.
Buh bye, Clown. And good luck. You're gonna need it.
What I didn't tell you was that last Thursday, the Clown was a no show no call. He doesn't work on Fridays, but today rolls around, and another no show no call.
So I called HIM.
"Hi Clown. This is Maggie."
Silence.
"From the office?"
Clown: "Oh. Hi, Maggie."
Hmmmm. Hi Maggie. HI, Maggie? That's all I get?
"I was calling to see that you are alright. I was getting worried since you didn't show up for work for two days."
Clown: "Oh. I was meaning to come by and talk to you about that. I didn't want to do it over the phone, because that isn't professional."
Really? You think?
"I understand, Clown, but it is also not professional to go AWOL for two days with no phone call."
Clown: "Yeah...I guess you're right."
Oh, I am.
Turns out, Clown is overwhelmed. This is MUCH harder than he thought it was going to be. He never dreamed that when we told him in the interview he would be expected to work 24 hours a week, that we actually meant for him to work 24 hours a week.
He's tired, you see.
And it's hard, you see.
Oh, I see.
Buh bye, Clown. And good luck. You're gonna need it.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Stuck in the Middle With You
Every year, for the past, oh I'd say five years or so, I have ranted about one intern or another...and this year is no exception.
We have three interns this year, who I will call Clown, Apple and Joker. I have many gripes about Clown, which I will save for another day, and a few about Joker, which are minor. So far, Apple has been stuck somewhere in the middle of Clown and Joker in both performance and annoyance.
You can see where I'm going with this.
Of course like any intern, dear, precious Apple was unhappy with the clowns to the left and jokers to the right, so she had to do something to unstick herself from the middle. So what does she do to distinguish herself?
She falls asleep at her desk. I am talking face down, drooling on the files asleep.
Okay, so I don't actually know if she was drooling...but she was definitely face down on the desk sleeping. Anyway, she sits right by the bathroom, so suffice it to say she was seen by more than one person...which in this office means everyone knows about it.
One of my fellow managers came and told me I should go wake her and explain to her that it is inappropriate to sleep at her desk.
Excuse me...explain to her?
Do I really need to wake her and tell her it is not okay to sleep at her desk? Isn't that self-evident? Shouldn't she know this already? Didn't nap time end in Kindergarten?
Will I ever stop asking questions?
Uhm, yes. To all of those.
One of the staff tried making excuses for her, saying "Maybe she was on her lunch hour." To which I replied, "Then she should go sleep in her car." By the way, we live in a temperate climate where it is neither too cold nor too hot to sleep in your car in February. I wasn't condemning the girl to a nap in 5 degree weather.
He came back with, "You don't understand. You have an office where you can close the door if you need to."
I agreed that, yes, this was true, but I reminded him that I earned that office. How you might ask? Well, for starters, back in the days when I did sit in a cube, I DIDN'T FALL ASLEEP AT MY DESK!
Have I just gotten old and out of touch? Am I expecting too much here? Whatcha think?
Generation ME strikes again! I am afraid we truly are stuck in the middle with them!
We have three interns this year, who I will call Clown, Apple and Joker. I have many gripes about Clown, which I will save for another day, and a few about Joker, which are minor. So far, Apple has been stuck somewhere in the middle of Clown and Joker in both performance and annoyance.
You can see where I'm going with this.
Of course like any intern, dear, precious Apple was unhappy with the clowns to the left and jokers to the right, so she had to do something to unstick herself from the middle. So what does she do to distinguish herself?
She falls asleep at her desk. I am talking face down, drooling on the files asleep.
Okay, so I don't actually know if she was drooling...but she was definitely face down on the desk sleeping. Anyway, she sits right by the bathroom, so suffice it to say she was seen by more than one person...which in this office means everyone knows about it.
One of my fellow managers came and told me I should go wake her and explain to her that it is inappropriate to sleep at her desk.
Excuse me...explain to her?
Do I really need to wake her and tell her it is not okay to sleep at her desk? Isn't that self-evident? Shouldn't she know this already? Didn't nap time end in Kindergarten?
Will I ever stop asking questions?
Uhm, yes. To all of those.
One of the staff tried making excuses for her, saying "Maybe she was on her lunch hour." To which I replied, "Then she should go sleep in her car." By the way, we live in a temperate climate where it is neither too cold nor too hot to sleep in your car in February. I wasn't condemning the girl to a nap in 5 degree weather.
He came back with, "You don't understand. You have an office where you can close the door if you need to."
I agreed that, yes, this was true, but I reminded him that I earned that office. How you might ask? Well, for starters, back in the days when I did sit in a cube, I DIDN'T FALL ASLEEP AT MY DESK!
Have I just gotten old and out of touch? Am I expecting too much here? Whatcha think?
Generation ME strikes again! I am afraid we truly are stuck in the middle with them!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Idol Chit Chat...12 Girls
I don't have much to say about the girls. As is my way, I prefer male singers to female, and thus, my favorite Idol is always a man. Personally, I didn't think the girls were all that great, but my opinion should probably be discounted.
If pressed, I would pick Syesha and Asiah (I can't remember where the apostrophe in her name goes, and I am just too lazy to look ot up so...). Amanda the rocker chick was okay, but I couldn't really hear her for being distracted by the crazy hair. I don't get the Carly Smithson thing AT ALL, and I think it is bogus that she is on the show after already tanking a record deal, so I wouldn't vote for her, even if she was da bomb. Everyone else was pretty forgettable.
What is Ryan's deal with being such a little brat? He thanks everyone at the end of the show but Simon? Ryan can delude himself all he wants, but Simon is the star of that show. Not the dawg, not the drunk, and not the junior prom queen also known as Ryan. I know Ryan is often rude and disrespectful to Simon, but this early in the season? I am bored with it already.
If pressed, I would pick Syesha and Asiah (I can't remember where the apostrophe in her name goes, and I am just too lazy to look ot up so...). Amanda the rocker chick was okay, but I couldn't really hear her for being distracted by the crazy hair. I don't get the Carly Smithson thing AT ALL, and I think it is bogus that she is on the show after already tanking a record deal, so I wouldn't vote for her, even if she was da bomb. Everyone else was pretty forgettable.
What is Ryan's deal with being such a little brat? He thanks everyone at the end of the show but Simon? Ryan can delude himself all he wants, but Simon is the star of that show. Not the dawg, not the drunk, and not the junior prom queen also known as Ryan. I know Ryan is often rude and disrespectful to Simon, but this early in the season? I am bored with it already.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Idol Chit Chat...12 Guys
Finally! Some actual performances! It seems like it took forever to get her this year. So here’s my take, if you care:
1) David Hernandez – not bad, not fabulous. Whatever.
2) Chekezie – Yuck. If you’re going to wear the pimp suit, you’ve got to bring it. What made it even worse was the arguing afterward. No one is interested in your opinion of yourself. Shut up and listen!
3) David Cook – I’m liking him. Not a big fan of the hair, but the performance was good.
4) Jason Yeager – Lose the blond thing in the front of your hair. That is not good. The performance was kind of corny and boooorrrrriiiiiinnnnng.
5) Robbie Carrico – I must admit right off the bat, that I am partial to the rock guys, so of course, I loved it.
6) David Archuleta – I like him. He is so sweet. CO hates him…thinks the innocence is all just an act…we're a little jaded around here, apparently. I laugh when Paula says that she forgets how old he is. I think she is hoping the authorities will forget to, so she can sneak into his room. I don’t agree with Simon though…his performance was good, but not the best.
7) Danny Noriega – Hmmm. I have such mixed emotions about him. He can sing well…normally. Tonight was fairly sucky. The thing that gets me about him, is that I don’t expect THAT voice to come out of him…it just doesn’t match. But in the end I have to say, he is just too…well, you know where I’m going with this. I like him, I just wouldn’t expect him to generate a lot of votes, because of the overt, uhm, you know. Paula thinks he has many colors. I think it is just pink.
8) Luke Menard – Oh he is pretty to look at, but I’m not loving the voice. I agree with Simon that it was forgettable…except for the prettiness. I’m going to remember that.
9) Colton Berry – Love that song! He’s doing a decent job of singing it, but since I love that song, it is hard for me to hear it by anyone other than Elvis. CO thinks he looks like one of the ginger kids on that South Park episode. He loves to tease about that episode, since I am a ginger kid myself. I ignore him, but I have to agree…he does look like a ginger kid.
10) Garrett Haley – Okay yes, he does kind of look like Leif Garrett and/or Peter Frampton, but those guys had their heyday before this kid was even born, so asking him about them seems silly…like he would know? His performance was pretty awful. I think he may be leaving us.
11) Jason Castro – Hate the hair, but loved the performance. He redeemed himself for the hair. CO thinks he looks and acts like John Travolta, and proceeds to amuse me with a very good John Travolta imitation (from the Sweat Hog days). I laugh…and I can actually see where CO is coming from.
12) Michael Johns – Risky to sing the same song he already sang in auditions. It makes me wonder if he can only sing a few select songs…like me on the karaoke machine. But I loved it…again. If you can only sing a few songs, sing them great…and he did. I like him…his look, his voice, his accent. Yum.
Okay My Top 6:
1) Michael Johns
2) Jason Castro
3) Robbie Carrico
4) David Cook
5) David Archuleta
6) hmmmmmm…player to named later
Bottom and Going Home:
1) Garrett Haley
2) Chekezie
3) Jason Yeager
Garrett might get by on youth and appeal to the screaming tweeners, and Jason might get the “I’m a Daddy” sympathy vote, so I put them both on the list, since I’m just not sure which will prevail.
Did you see the trailer for the College Road Trip movie, or whatever it’s called. That pig is precious! I want a pig! This launches CO and I into a discussion of how our dogs would get along with a pig, and we decided the dogs would get an inexplicable craving for bacon, and the pig would be in trouble, so no pig.
Did you follow that change of subject there? Good!
1) David Hernandez – not bad, not fabulous. Whatever.
2) Chekezie – Yuck. If you’re going to wear the pimp suit, you’ve got to bring it. What made it even worse was the arguing afterward. No one is interested in your opinion of yourself. Shut up and listen!
3) David Cook – I’m liking him. Not a big fan of the hair, but the performance was good.
4) Jason Yeager – Lose the blond thing in the front of your hair. That is not good. The performance was kind of corny and boooorrrrriiiiiinnnnng.
5) Robbie Carrico – I must admit right off the bat, that I am partial to the rock guys, so of course, I loved it.
6) David Archuleta – I like him. He is so sweet. CO hates him…thinks the innocence is all just an act…we're a little jaded around here, apparently. I laugh when Paula says that she forgets how old he is. I think she is hoping the authorities will forget to, so she can sneak into his room. I don’t agree with Simon though…his performance was good, but not the best.
7) Danny Noriega – Hmmm. I have such mixed emotions about him. He can sing well…normally. Tonight was fairly sucky. The thing that gets me about him, is that I don’t expect THAT voice to come out of him…it just doesn’t match. But in the end I have to say, he is just too…well, you know where I’m going with this. I like him, I just wouldn’t expect him to generate a lot of votes, because of the overt, uhm, you know. Paula thinks he has many colors. I think it is just pink.
8) Luke Menard – Oh he is pretty to look at, but I’m not loving the voice. I agree with Simon that it was forgettable…except for the prettiness. I’m going to remember that.
9) Colton Berry – Love that song! He’s doing a decent job of singing it, but since I love that song, it is hard for me to hear it by anyone other than Elvis. CO thinks he looks like one of the ginger kids on that South Park episode. He loves to tease about that episode, since I am a ginger kid myself. I ignore him, but I have to agree…he does look like a ginger kid.
10) Garrett Haley – Okay yes, he does kind of look like Leif Garrett and/or Peter Frampton, but those guys had their heyday before this kid was even born, so asking him about them seems silly…like he would know? His performance was pretty awful. I think he may be leaving us.
11) Jason Castro – Hate the hair, but loved the performance. He redeemed himself for the hair. CO thinks he looks and acts like John Travolta, and proceeds to amuse me with a very good John Travolta imitation (from the Sweat Hog days). I laugh…and I can actually see where CO is coming from.
12) Michael Johns – Risky to sing the same song he already sang in auditions. It makes me wonder if he can only sing a few select songs…like me on the karaoke machine. But I loved it…again. If you can only sing a few songs, sing them great…and he did. I like him…his look, his voice, his accent. Yum.
Okay My Top 6:
1) Michael Johns
2) Jason Castro
3) Robbie Carrico
4) David Cook
5) David Archuleta
6) hmmmmmm…player to named later
Bottom and Going Home:
1) Garrett Haley
2) Chekezie
3) Jason Yeager
Garrett might get by on youth and appeal to the screaming tweeners, and Jason might get the “I’m a Daddy” sympathy vote, so I put them both on the list, since I’m just not sure which will prevail.
Did you see the trailer for the College Road Trip movie, or whatever it’s called. That pig is precious! I want a pig! This launches CO and I into a discussion of how our dogs would get along with a pig, and we decided the dogs would get an inexplicable craving for bacon, and the pig would be in trouble, so no pig.
Did you follow that change of subject there? Good!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Caution: Religious Rant Ahead
Some people are unbelievable. Truly.
I know many of you are what I would deem "religious," which in Maggie-ese means that you have a clearly defined faith, that you practice in accordance with the organized rites and rituals of a particular church. So before I get into full rant, none of these comments are directed to you, but to individuals I know personally in my daily life. For the most part, none of my fellow bloggers have ever done anything to contribute to my negative opinion of religion. So please...do not think this is directed at you.
As some of you know, I was raised Catholic, but due to an unfortunate experience with a Catholic school, and more specifically, the priest who ran it, and some of the more widely publicized, uhm, issues of the Church, I have ceased that practice. I have tried a few other religions on for size, but nothing else seems to quite fit, due in part to the fact that I simply cannot get past the bad taste in my mouth.
One thing that seems to add to my religious aversion is many of the religious people I know (and again, I mean the one's I know outside the blogging world...in real life). With few exceptions, they are not nice people. Why is this? I mean, I know we are all human, and thus prone to human error, but some people don't seem to remember this. Some people are incredibly judgmental, hypocritical and just flat out rude, yet they hold themselves up as examples of superiority because they attend church once a week and have a bible next to their beds.
I work with one of the worst examples of Christianity I have had the displeasure to know. Today this "Christian" woman, whom I will call "B," happened upon me and another co-worker, "P" in a conversation. P was telling me two of her granddaughters were attending classes at their church called "Love Can Wait," in which abstinence is taught as an alternative to birth control. She expressed that she hoped this worked better on these two granddaughters than it did on the oldest, who currently lives with her boyfriend without the benefit of marital vows.
B voluntarily injected herself into our conversation, uninvited, to give her esteemed opinion, "Either you have a commitment to the Lord, or you don't." In other words, you are either a good righteous woman, or you are a corrupt whore.
I may be overreacting just a bit, but that is what I heard. I should mention here that B is fond of making these kind of pronouncements, and that she does, in fact, mean to offend, so I am not overreacting as much as it may seem at first glance.
I should also mention here that CO and I lived together before marriage, which B very well knows, and both of our sons live with their respective girlfriends as well, which B also knows.
Now I am not saying that CO and my living situation was ideal, but given that we had been having a long-distance relationship, and I had to move to another state to see if 1) our relationship could move to the next level, and 2) having no parenting experience whatsoever, if I could handle becoming a step-mother to three boys, our only financial recourse was to cohabitate. Nor am I saying that my sons' relationships are ideal...because you know I have concerns.
I am not defending my actions, or the actions of my kids. I don't have to. That isn't even my point.
My point is twofold. First, I will concede that by certain religious standards, I am, in fact, a corrupt whore. Fine. That is between me and God, and it is none of B's damn business. She was not asked for her opinion. She was not even a part of that conversation. And I seem to remember from my Catholic school days, that you should "judge not lest ye be judged." Or something close to that.
I also remember that "he who is without sin should cast the first stone." And THAT is my second point. B has been married three times. No, her first two husbands did not die...she is twice divorced. I on the other hand, corrupt whore that I am, married my CO, and have never been divorced. Who the hell is she to stand in judgment of me, or anyone else? What gives her the right to think she is superior to anyone? Regular church attendance and a bible? I would never begin to hold myself out as an expert, but I hardly think that is Jesus' message.
This is not the first time B has demonstrated her hypocrisy. This is a fairly regular occurrence. she has on various occasions told me that divorce is against "God's plan," alcohol is a tool of the devil (oh, she used to drink quite a lot from what I understand), and that being financially bankrupt is akin to not meeting your obligaitons to God (she filed bankruptcy in 2001).
Normally, I simply ignore her. Today, following a few weeks full of shit that have me twisted in knots, I could not. I told her I would not have this conversation with her, because I took offense to what she had just said.
She owes me an apology. I will never get one, but she owes me one.
Now once, on another individual's blog, in the comments of a post, someone accused me of being a hypocrite myself, and using my past religious, let's call them disappointments, as an excuse for being lazy every Sunday. As a preemptive strike, let me address those issues before they turn up in the comments to this post.
Of course all humans are, at one time or another, guilty of hypocrisy. I do try to limit it as much as possible, but I will not ever claim I am hypocrisy free. No one is. But I am not standing in judgment of someone else's life. I am standing in judgment of being judged. I did not look down my nose at her and proclaim myself a better human being...until now, because now I know that I am a better human being, and if that is hypocritical of me, all I can say is hypocrisy breeds hypocrisy.
Further more, no one has the knowledge to say my religious aversion is just a cop-out. I have spent more time thinking about, studying and struggling with my religious beliefs than most people ever dream of, and I assure you, no decision was made lightly. To suggest I used something of such great importance as a convenient excuse to sleep in on Sunday is highly offensive to me, and frankly no one is in possession of enough knowledge to make such a claim. I feel like I was gracious about it on the other blog, to keep the peace for my host, but please don't go there in my own home.
So...thoughts? Insight? What do I do with this woman?
I know many of you are what I would deem "religious," which in Maggie-ese means that you have a clearly defined faith, that you practice in accordance with the organized rites and rituals of a particular church. So before I get into full rant, none of these comments are directed to you, but to individuals I know personally in my daily life. For the most part, none of my fellow bloggers have ever done anything to contribute to my negative opinion of religion. So please...do not think this is directed at you.
As some of you know, I was raised Catholic, but due to an unfortunate experience with a Catholic school, and more specifically, the priest who ran it, and some of the more widely publicized, uhm, issues of the Church, I have ceased that practice. I have tried a few other religions on for size, but nothing else seems to quite fit, due in part to the fact that I simply cannot get past the bad taste in my mouth.
One thing that seems to add to my religious aversion is many of the religious people I know (and again, I mean the one's I know outside the blogging world...in real life). With few exceptions, they are not nice people. Why is this? I mean, I know we are all human, and thus prone to human error, but some people don't seem to remember this. Some people are incredibly judgmental, hypocritical and just flat out rude, yet they hold themselves up as examples of superiority because they attend church once a week and have a bible next to their beds.
I work with one of the worst examples of Christianity I have had the displeasure to know. Today this "Christian" woman, whom I will call "B," happened upon me and another co-worker, "P" in a conversation. P was telling me two of her granddaughters were attending classes at their church called "Love Can Wait," in which abstinence is taught as an alternative to birth control. She expressed that she hoped this worked better on these two granddaughters than it did on the oldest, who currently lives with her boyfriend without the benefit of marital vows.
B voluntarily injected herself into our conversation, uninvited, to give her esteemed opinion, "Either you have a commitment to the Lord, or you don't." In other words, you are either a good righteous woman, or you are a corrupt whore.
I may be overreacting just a bit, but that is what I heard. I should mention here that B is fond of making these kind of pronouncements, and that she does, in fact, mean to offend, so I am not overreacting as much as it may seem at first glance.
I should also mention here that CO and I lived together before marriage, which B very well knows, and both of our sons live with their respective girlfriends as well, which B also knows.
Now I am not saying that CO and my living situation was ideal, but given that we had been having a long-distance relationship, and I had to move to another state to see if 1) our relationship could move to the next level, and 2) having no parenting experience whatsoever, if I could handle becoming a step-mother to three boys, our only financial recourse was to cohabitate. Nor am I saying that my sons' relationships are ideal...because you know I have concerns.
I am not defending my actions, or the actions of my kids. I don't have to. That isn't even my point.
My point is twofold. First, I will concede that by certain religious standards, I am, in fact, a corrupt whore. Fine. That is between me and God, and it is none of B's damn business. She was not asked for her opinion. She was not even a part of that conversation. And I seem to remember from my Catholic school days, that you should "judge not lest ye be judged." Or something close to that.
I also remember that "he who is without sin should cast the first stone." And THAT is my second point. B has been married three times. No, her first two husbands did not die...she is twice divorced. I on the other hand, corrupt whore that I am, married my CO, and have never been divorced. Who the hell is she to stand in judgment of me, or anyone else? What gives her the right to think she is superior to anyone? Regular church attendance and a bible? I would never begin to hold myself out as an expert, but I hardly think that is Jesus' message.
This is not the first time B has demonstrated her hypocrisy. This is a fairly regular occurrence. she has on various occasions told me that divorce is against "God's plan," alcohol is a tool of the devil (oh, she used to drink quite a lot from what I understand), and that being financially bankrupt is akin to not meeting your obligaitons to God (she filed bankruptcy in 2001).
Normally, I simply ignore her. Today, following a few weeks full of shit that have me twisted in knots, I could not. I told her I would not have this conversation with her, because I took offense to what she had just said.
She owes me an apology. I will never get one, but she owes me one.
Now once, on another individual's blog, in the comments of a post, someone accused me of being a hypocrite myself, and using my past religious, let's call them disappointments, as an excuse for being lazy every Sunday. As a preemptive strike, let me address those issues before they turn up in the comments to this post.
Of course all humans are, at one time or another, guilty of hypocrisy. I do try to limit it as much as possible, but I will not ever claim I am hypocrisy free. No one is. But I am not standing in judgment of someone else's life. I am standing in judgment of being judged. I did not look down my nose at her and proclaim myself a better human being...until now, because now I know that I am a better human being, and if that is hypocritical of me, all I can say is hypocrisy breeds hypocrisy.
Further more, no one has the knowledge to say my religious aversion is just a cop-out. I have spent more time thinking about, studying and struggling with my religious beliefs than most people ever dream of, and I assure you, no decision was made lightly. To suggest I used something of such great importance as a convenient excuse to sleep in on Sunday is highly offensive to me, and frankly no one is in possession of enough knowledge to make such a claim. I feel like I was gracious about it on the other blog, to keep the peace for my host, but please don't go there in my own home.
So...thoughts? Insight? What do I do with this woman?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tax Season Queen
One of the staff wrote this lovely little ditty for me...sung to the tune of ABBA's Dancing Queen.
You can prepare, you can review, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Tax Season Queen
Friday night and the lights are low
You want to go home but you can’t you know
Where they play the tax program, getting in the swing
You come in to deduct a thing
Any assets they did buy…
Any employees they did try…
Every bit of business expense, yes mortgage interest is fine
You're in a bad mood, go ask Lance
And when you get the chance...
You are the Tax Season Queen, I’ve told you several times, at least seventeen
Tax Season Queen, feel her beat you with a tambourine (oh yeah)
You can run, you can hide, fearing for your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Tax Season Queen
I guess you have to live it, to appreciate it.
You can prepare, you can review, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Tax Season Queen
Friday night and the lights are low
You want to go home but you can’t you know
Where they play the tax program, getting in the swing
You come in to deduct a thing
Any assets they did buy…
Any employees they did try…
Every bit of business expense, yes mortgage interest is fine
You're in a bad mood, go ask Lance
And when you get the chance...
You are the Tax Season Queen, I’ve told you several times, at least seventeen
Tax Season Queen, feel her beat you with a tambourine (oh yeah)
You can run, you can hide, fearing for your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Tax Season Queen
I guess you have to live it, to appreciate it.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
The Hibernation Begins
It's that time again. The time when I burrow into my windowless cave of an office, turn on the iPod and my pink glitter lava lamp and tune out the rest of the world.
My blogging will be spotty at best, and the silences will be long and frequent, as will my comments on your respective blogs. But I do still read them, during this time of hibernation. They are often the bright spot in my day.
So I am off to help hundreds of hard working citizens comply with the enforced patriotism of the various federal and state governments and get those taxes paid...but not one red sent more than they have to, thanks.
I'll be around here and there with the occasional work rant, and music trivia post...oh, and updates on the progress of Flat Baby #2 and his/her parents.
10 weeks goes fast...except when it is tax season.
For now, I will leave you with a lyric..."Don't forget me when I'm gone...my heart would break" (Name THAT one hit wonder!).
My blogging will be spotty at best, and the silences will be long and frequent, as will my comments on your respective blogs. But I do still read them, during this time of hibernation. They are often the bright spot in my day.
So I am off to help hundreds of hard working citizens comply with the enforced patriotism of the various federal and state governments and get those taxes paid...but not one red sent more than they have to, thanks.
I'll be around here and there with the occasional work rant, and music trivia post...oh, and updates on the progress of Flat Baby #2 and his/her parents.
10 weeks goes fast...except when it is tax season.
For now, I will leave you with a lyric..."Don't forget me when I'm gone...my heart would break" (Name THAT one hit wonder!).
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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