Hot Dog

Once there was a man named Alfred Haase, and Alfred's handwriting was such that when he wrote the words "last day" on the calendar, it became "hot dog." As such, today I celebrate my hot dog. Haase means "rabbit" in some language. German, I think.

Mixed feelings. I await the end of today and the beginning of the coming weeks, when perspective will return. I find myself questioning the decisions I have made, because the feelings associated with my circumstances are changing (which is to be expected at the end of anything good and meaningful). But, having made the decision firmly and over a very long period of time, I stick by my guns. Hell or high water, this is my new path. How exciting.

If you have a weblog listed on the side over there, you'd better be updating it regularly. I'll be booting idle writers soon. All I'm asking is a few posts a month.

Video games aren't bad. In fact, they can be very good. Most of them involve killing, which is not a good thing, but it isn't real killing, which is a good thing. I have not permanently banned games from my computer. I have placed a moratorium on them for a period of time because I want to get into the habit of doing other things. And sometimes games are downright boring, particularly in the online world, unless you know the person you're playing with/against. So, feel free to keep playing games, within reason. Some games are too coarse and gratuitous to be worthwhile, says I. What think ye, gamers of the web world?

here stands a monument

My computer is now completely free of games.

....urgh...

I apologize for not maintaining this. I have not had time to update. I have been very busy, and increasingly (but still mildly) anxious about my upcoming lack of job. One thing ends and another begins. Work has been busy, as has personal life. Please forgive me. And send me some holiday cheer. Also, thanks for posting on Target.

ps: It's okay to think, "Stay on target!" It's also okay to think, "Attack pattern Delta. Go now!" Also, I think that if Vader had offered me what he offered Luke ("Join me, and together we will rule the galaxy as father and son!"), I think I would have taken him up on it. I mean, c'mon.

Poop on Target

So, I just learned that Target isn't allowing the Salvation Army to have bell ringers outside their stores. And that means the Sal Army will probably not raise the $9 million it raised at Target stores last year. Disappointing. I have personal weekly contact with the Athens Sal Army, and I give them 5 stars. They are smart, caring, hard-working people, and it disappoints me greatly that Target has decided to give them the shaft. I'm not doing any shopping at Target this year as a result, and I encourage you to do the same. Spiffy ad campaigns be damned. Give money to the Salvation Army. I like them.

In other news, here are three places that if you have extra money, I hope you can give to:

Good Works, Inc Athens' own poverty fightin', poor lovin' machine.
International Justice Mission Global combatant against the international sex trade of young girls and other forced-labor slaves in our beautiful modern world.
World Vision International Helping poor communities become self-sustaining and well-fed across the globe.

Until Further Notice...

...the action will be on the comment board down yonder on the last post. Feel free to comment anonymously, if that's what suits you. Comment on anything you wish. And thanks for your patience with all the reading. I hope you'll find the dialogue interesting and insightful.

A survey. For you.

I am wondering what you think of this. How would you respond to this woman's concerns, and to this author's responses? Please keep in mind that both the woman and the author profess to be Christians, which impacts their thinking the same way yours is impacted by certain influences too.

"I'm at my wits' end," the young woman wrote. "I've asked pastors, friends, parents, God, and message boards this question and still haven't received an intelligent answer that I can live with. Why are homosexual acts wrong? I'm a Christian and believe in the Bible, but this part always stumps me."

According to my friend, Dr. J. Budziszewski, author of the excellent new book, ASK ME ANYTHING: PROVOCATIVE ANSWERS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, disturbing questions like this show that church leaders aren't providing young people with the whole picture about sexuality. They may be faithfully teaching God's rules, but when asked why God made these rules, too often they say, "Take two aspirin, and wait for the questions to go away."

The good news, says Budziszewski, is that we can answer disturbing questions. Where are the answers found? In our creational design.

"People say homosexuality isn't natural," the young woman complained in her letter, "but that can't be true because it's found among animals." Budziszewski answers, "But our nature is how God designed us. What's natural for human beings isn't whatever you can find some animal doing; it's whatever fulfills our design. Men and women were plainly designed for each other -- not men for men, nor women for women." Children can be born in no other way.

"But homosexual acts don't harm anyone," said the young woman. Budziszewski answers, "The idea that homosexual acts don't harm anyone isn't even close to being true; they harm those who perform them at every level. To begin with the most obvious level -- the physical -- how could it not harm a man to suffer physical trauma because body parts are repeatedly forced into bodily openings that were designed for a radically different function?" And the rates of a long, long list of diseases are also much higher among practicing homosexuals, and contrary to popular belief, this is true for lesbians as well as for "gay" men.

At the emotional level, Budziszewski explains, the damage of homosexual acts is just as grave. God designed the male-female pair to balance each other; by contrast, same-sex mating drives them out of balance. If you want an example, think of the anonymous, no-brakes promiscuity of men who have sex with
hundreds, even thousands, of other men.

"And what about spiritual harm?" asks Budziszewski. "In homosexual acts, you're seeking union with someone who is only your own mirror image, so in a way, you're still trapped inside yourself. You haven't experienced the power of marital sexuality to take you beyond the Self; you're rejecting the challenge of union with someone who is really other. In that way, homosexual acts are less like marital intercourse than like masturbation with another body."

That's frank, even startling language, but what's happened to our culture is startling too. When young people confused by the culture ask questions, they need clear, unvarnished answers to set their thinking straight. That's why I recommend this great new book ASK ME ANYTHING: PROVOCATIVE ANSWERS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS.

God's rules for sex are never arbitrary; they are based on how He made us. As Budziszewski rightly says, it's all in the design.

what's happening with my hips?

I posted a few days ago, but apprently it didn't stick. It's a shame, really, because I'm sure it will be more intelligent that this will be.

I am feeling the pinch of having less that 30 days left at my current job, but as of yet not having another job to transition into. If you know of any jobs in the Athens area that pay more than $9/hr, please tell me. I have the capability to do many things.

I just learned that there's a new game called Godzilla: Save the Earth. It looks awesome. It's a shame I do not have a wokring PS2 anymore. Not that I need another distraction.

I like playing music. I like when Kevin has his cello at practice. It makes the songs 2x as good, easily. Grabs at your heart through your ears. Amazing. And we need some way to get a piano of some sort into that practice room too. Maybe it's time to bust out the old Casio ConcertMate. Hey, something is better than nothing, and it's just practice.

How have you been, cherished reader?