Excuse Me While I Rant for a Minute...

The school I went to, Bob Jones, really frustrates me. I started out there in 5th grade and went through about half of my Sophomore year of college. I LOVED it in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. And then I got into college and it was like an entirely different school. I couldn't stand it, there was so much hypocrisy and nobody really cared about you, I don't even know that the teachers and professors saw us as actual people. When you went to them for help they were always in a rush to get you out of their office and they treated you like you were stupid while you were in there. So I left. I moved back up to Maine, where I was born and where I feel the most at home. One of the reasons the school still frustrates me is they keep asking me for money. They have chapel every day, it's about 30 minutes of worshiping God, and they would have a couple graduates they would pray for each day. They would always send out a letter to them asking how they were doing and when they got the reply they would pray for them in chapel. I've been gone for a little over 4 years now, and do you think they've sent me a letter asking me how I'm doing? Not once. One of their many slogans is "B.J. Cares" with a little heart. Now, the way I left, I just stopped going to classes, left home without telling my parents, for that culture (Southern, Fundamental Christian) that was VERY unconventional. And VERY wrong, and it signals a heart problem. Not even all of that was enough for them to send me a letter to ask how I'm doing, not even asking me if I'm right with God. But they care, don't ya know. Instead of any concern on their part all they ever send me is requests for money. Remind me why I should send people money who care nothing about my well-being and walk with Christ? *silence* Exactly. The other reason they still frustrate me is hypocrisy. The former president of the university constantly told us to read the Bible for ourselves and come to our own conclusions and thoughts on it. The rules in place at the university were to govern a campus of thousands of people, and while they were based on Biblical principles the rules themselves were not straight out of the Bible. He CONSTANTLY told us that. And I believe he actually meant it. And everybody else on the campus would nod their heads and agree with him...provided you came to the same conclusion they had. Because that's the only right way to interpret the Bible. Don't ya know. The Bible only ever says (concerning drinking) "be not drunk with wine wherein it is excess", in other words don't get drunk. There are plenty more places where it says to "eat, drink, and be merry" etc. But according to just about everybody on that campus it's not Biblical to have a drop of alcohol in your body. And if you drink you have a heart problem and you're probably not even a Christian, and you're certainly not a good person. It's the same way with SO many things there, it's all black and white, grey areas do not exist. And it would be wonderful if life worked that way, but there are grey areas in life, and God provided answers for those things in the Bible too. What do you do when you see in the Bible that God says it's wrong for a man to sleep with a man, or a woman to sleep with a woman, and then a close family member turns out to be gay/lesbian? Do you condemn them to hell, do you make an exception case for that one person, do you just ignore it and pretend it/they don't exist? Just because WE think they're wrong, why does that give us an excuse to judge them and condemn them and try to forcibly change them? Why can't we just love them? I thought God gave us free will and a brain to use them? Again, "B.J. Cares" until you don't agree with them, and then...not so much. How much more effective will we be if we feel we need to change somebody if we are loving about it, if we show we care, than if we are judgemental and condemning? Nobody responds well to being treated that way, so why do we, Christians, Bob Jones, do it? We shouldn't, and that's all there is too it. I'm glad I left that school, and I hope and pray I never turn into that kind of Christian, that I will always love people for who they are even if I don't agree, and if I feel like I should try and change them, I only do it with love for them and their best interest in my heart.

Just a Day in the Life of Me

Can I first just say that I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow at 11:00 am? Because I am, it is the start of my week long vacation, the only one I've ever taken that's paid. It's a week long. That's a week's worth of sleeping and not wearing work clothes or sneakers and not being told two different things to do 50 times a day... and you get the picture. I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO WORK! And aside from picking up my check next Friday I'm not stepping foot in that building until my vacation's over. I may not even go into town. It's going to be a good week. Speaking of work, we had a pot luck today to raise money for the Dempsey Walk, and I was making stuff to bring in and I picked out a piece of sausage and ate it and then licked my fingers off. Except I forgot that I had just, as in seconds before, painted my nails. Do you know how hard it is to get nail polish off your teeth and lips without nail polish remover? It's difficult. Trust me. I've started couponing again, The Boy has set break times now so takes his own lunch and comes home for supper most nights so I actually have to have food around. I forgot how expensive that can be. There's something to be said for McDonald's dollar menu. Anyway, one of my friends gives me the coupons in the free newspapers that get thrown in her driveway because she doesn't use them and I also pick up the Sunday paper (I've really started doing this as an excuse to read the Sunday Comics ;) jk). This week alone I ended up with enough coupons for yogurt to last me a few months, which is nice because I like bringing them to work for breakfast, and they're usually on sale anyway. Almost Free yogurt here I come! All this talk of food is making me hungry so I'm going to sign off and go eat, but before I go just a thought. God is a very ironic being. I'm a Christian, I may not talk about it as much as others do, but I'm very firm in what I believe. However, since I've moved back up to Maine I've learned to be much more accepting and loving. I've learned that just because somebody is doing something I believe is wrong doesn't make them a horrible person, and even if they profess to be a Christian it doesn't mean they're lying. The school I went to was like that, very judgemental, if you did anything wrong your salvation was automatically in question, and being there so long you tend to get that mindset as well. I always thought that was silly while I was there but it took me moving up here to realize that without knowing it I'd picked that up a little myself. Today, I'm glad I've learned that lesson, to not be judgemental and to really love people, not just say you do and then show by your actions that you really don't, no matter what they do. There's going to be some tough times ahead for some people I know and I'm glad that I can stand back and not be caught up in it. FOOD! :) Later :)

Happenings

As promised, a picture of the cake I made for my parents July 4th party:

And now, pictures from the concert I went to last night. Halestorm opened, then 3 Doors Down and Daughtry played. There was almost a preshow thing by this group of, literally, kids. I think the drummer was 11 and the lead singer was 15, and they're just on tour with, you know, Daughtry. No biggie. Oh, and did I mention that they were actually really good, like, I see them making a name for themselves, even if I don't remember it ;) Oh, and for the record, I only took videos of Daughtry, so no pics, sorry.

If it would load faster than the speed of snails in molassas I'd post the video I took of Chris Daughtry and the lead singer of 3 Doors Down singing Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight", but sadly it won't load any faster than that, so I'll just tell you that it was amazing. As soon as I get done this post I'm going to see if they've actually recorded it, I have my doubts but it's worth a shot! And that's about all for tonight, going to go work on my story for a little bit and then head to bed. Later :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It's been sooooo RAINY!!!!!!! I have nothing against rain, but when the sun finally shines again and I look at it suspiciously because I'm not quite sure what it is anymore...it's a little too much! So my computer had that "FBI virus" attack it, which is probably my first actual excuse for not getting on here for a while ;) I had to take it to the geek squad to fix it. Which is a story. Then again, when is anything to do with Best Buy not a story? Anyhow, needless to say I was a tad perturbed when this whole shebang started, so The Boy called up the geek squad for me. They told him they could tell me how to get it off via the phone (which looking back I should have just done) but I also had the option of bringing it in and having them do it, which in my mind made more sense than trying to have someone explain something technical to me and not actually being able to watch me to make sure I didn't mess up, and in bringing it in I would have a year of free service on it and 2 other computers for a year. The Boy's mom said she would split the cost with me so that her computer could get in on the deal, and I decided that where my computer is less than 2 years old this made more sense than risking frying it and having to get a new one (MUCHO more moola). I probs should have just got a new one. They told The Boy on the phone that I could just walk in and drop it off, it would take about 5 days for me to get it back, and everything would be hunky-dory. HA. I walked in to drop it off and the lady asked me what she could help me with and I told her and she said, "Oh...well...it looks like you don't have an appointment...so...we're not going to be able to help you today." Excuse me? Didn't matter that I was told to just drop it off, no no, I had to make an appointment. So I left. Because I had to get to work. After an emergency trip to Dunkin for a coolatta... but I had to get to work. So I made an appointment. And I dropped it off. This is where the only good part of my story takes place. The gentleman, yes gentleman, who helped me when I dropped it off was amazing. If I could have dealt with him the whole time I would be singing the praises of best buy. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't deal with him the whole time...anyway, he informed me that I also got free virus protection for a year for 3 computers total, and it would only take 2-3 days to get my computer back. Even better? He called the next day telling me everything was good, and he had updated everything for me since I was having trouble doing some of it myself. (Note: that was not because I'm technically challanged, but my computer would start the updates and then just stopped. And sometimes wouldn't even start them at all even though I did everything I was supposed to do. Again, I may have been better off with a new computer. Hindsight.) I called them back that day to make an appointment...their system was down so I'd have to go online and do it or call back another day. How exactly was I supposed to get online to make an appointment if my computer was with them? "Can I just borrow my computer to make an appointment to pick it up? Thanks." Yes, I have access to other computers, but they belong to other people, who happened to be using them for important things that I couldn't interrupt. So I called back another day. Evidently the geek squad closes at 6, and nobody else in Best Buy is bothered by an incessantly ringing telephone. So I just showed up, because the guy I dropped my computer off with said it was "recommended" to have an appt. to pick up a computer but not "required". And when I told the girl this when I walked up to the desk, she said "Yes, that's true, but you need an appointment." What part of "not required" means both yes and no? Especially when there were no appointments except 1 right then and a few people out back doing nothing. Apparently doing nothing takes about 15 minutes. THEN, the guy that was ringing me out asked if I had the receipt with my number on that matched the one on my computer, which I had forgotten, which did not make me happy, but he was like, well then I can't help you at all, bye. Thank you for pretending to be an ounce sorry for me. My friend that was with me gave him the death stare, I think she may have actually gone over the counter if he hadn't then said "Well I guess if you have your license I can get it for you." Your enthusiasm is overwhelming, sir. Please, stop. Finally got it back, good as new. Still hate Best Buy. Definitely not fond of the geek squad, except for that one guy... And now, off to start my recipe binder...probably won't get far tonight, but it'll at least be a start. Oh, and making a strawberry cake from scratch tomorrow night for July 4th party at my parents. If I remember to take them I'll post pics :) Later :)

Tiki Had a Moment...

So when I went to bed last night Tiki, my cat, had food and water. She finished that through the night so when I finally got out of bed this morning she was howling, yes howling, for more food like I hadn't fed her in days. She's only slightly dramatic. Anyway, I put food in her bowl, and then I picked up the water bottle I keep to refill her water bowl, and she immediately stuck her head in her bowl. So I said to her, "you have to wait for me to put the water in the bowl, smart one," to which she looked up at me like, "oh yeah, I knew that." (side note: I really do think that cat understands English fluently, it's almost creepy) After she moves her head I start pouring the water in and she sticks her head under the pouring water, backs up and shakes the water off and looks at me like, "what'd you do that for?" I just can't win with that cat.

Two Things

1) I am greatly amused by all the girls who offer to cook their significant others' a big fancy meal, yet when the significant other simply asks for a sandwich the girl gets all huffy. 2) I ate chili at 10:30 tonight and I didn't worry once about sleeping peacefully through the night. I love those little moments that remind me I am young. That is all. Night :)

What Have They Got That I Ain't Got? Courage!

I had an epiphany today. All those classes you have to take in college with all those projects that force you to mortify yourself in front of that guy you want to impress and where all your friends try to get you to crack up and you can't because you need that A to pass...the class itself doesn't matter. I think the whole point is to teach confidence. I had to talk to someone about something important tonight and I used a lot of things I learned in freshman speech to prepare myself, didn't use those points per say in talking to this person, but knowing I was prepared made me very confident and the talk went pretty smooth. And in my job, being in a position of leadership where I have to talk to people about stuff and I'm in charge of things and I have to make decisions and stand by them, confidence is a major plus. Just my profound thought for the day :)