Beware the Deer

This past weekend was the annual Youth ski trip. This year, we went to Winterplace in Ghent, WV. For lodging, we stayed at Pipestem State Resort Park in cottages. Pipestem is about ten or fifteen miles from Winterplace as the crow flies. It’s a forty-five minute trip as the Big Blue Bible Buggy drives, though. Still, once the sleeping accommodations were worked out, there was no complaining.

Out the back door of the boys’ cabin was a small deck about a foot and a half off the ground. Beyond the deck was a ten foot clearing, then trees. The trees only went for about 40 feet to the left half of the cabin before there was another clearing for the golf course. To the right half was the beginning of a deep, wooded ravine. Saturday morning, one of the boys went out on the deck and said there were deer. I went out to take a look, and over the next couple of minutes, a group of twelve deer started appearing from the golf course in pairs. They rummaged through the leaves looking for food and paying no mind to the fact that they were being watched. One of the boys who had come outside went back in, then came out again with a cinnamon roll. He tossed it out into the leaves. Two of the deer moved closer to the deck and started digging through the leaves to see what was dropped. We all went inside before seeing if it was found.

The next morning, I walked out onto the deck as the sun was coming up. There were three deer just past the tree line. They started moving to the right as more deer came into the trees from the golf course. When there were seven deer present, they started moving up to the edge of the clearing around the deck. They stood there staring at me. They didn’t move. They didn’t look for food through the leaves as they had the morning before. They just stared. Eventually, four more deer came off the golf course and within a few minutes, all eleven deer were standing in the trees at the very edge of the clearing, doing nothing but staring at me. After a few minutes, it got to be too much for me to handle. I went back in and shut the curtains.

I learned a very valuable lesson this weekend. Never feed the deer. You’ll just end up feeling like you’re living in a Stephen King novel.

Positivity

I tend to look at the world and see what can be. This seems to annoy people.

Some people think that I’m an optimist. They usually call themselves “realists” when they are, in reality, pessimists. I don’t see the world through rose-colored glasses. I leave that stuff for the Emerald City. I see hungry people. I see war. I see depression. I’m not some Pollyanna, going through life thinking everything is perfect. No. I see what can be.

If you put half a glass of a liquid in front of me, I won’t say it’s half full or half empty. Instead, I’ll say it’s half a glass and demand the rest of my beer.

I tend to believe in people. When I meet someone, I tend to look for the positive side of them. He may come off as mean, but he’s extremely loyal to his friends. Maybe she watches every reality TV show in existence, but she helps care for her grandparents. Mary Sunshine sings that “there’s a little bit of good in everyone,” and that “although you’ll meet rats, they’re not complete rats.”

I’m no Mary Sunshine, although I do have the vocal range. I also see that people aren’t perfect. I just try to look at them as a whole person instead of writing them off for their faults. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to be their best friend. (At least, I hope for their sake that I’m not the best friend they have.) It just means that if you ask me about them, I won’t give the “She’s an awful person” that you expect.

The same goes for situations. Getting lost in the woods is a chance to get some extra fresh air, exercise and peace, as long as you stop griping about it. Honestly, it’s 2012. If we keep walking in the same direction, we’re going to find a road pretty soon. I think things out. I rarely panic, and I show it even less.

I wake up in the morning and decide it’s another day that I get to live. I get off work and decide it’s going to be a good evening. Sure, I have days when I feel good and days when I feel bad. If you put a full glass of beer in front of me, I’ll be feeling better, no matter which it was!

 

**On an unrelated note, I’ve just been informed that this is my fiftieth entry on this blog.**

Protected: The Guide To Dating Good Guys

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I’m back… for now…

I haven’t posted since April of last year. Since then, I’ve worked on three drafts that I haven’t completed.  I have no idea how often I’ll post now, but I just needed a chance to write to get some things off of my head. What will probably be the next couple of posts are just what’s running through my mind right now. At least one will have coarse  language and raw emotion. Normally, I would password protect that, but I don’t much feel like it today. (I may go back later and do that though.*) For those of you who follow me, hi. It’s good to be read again. For those of you who don’t get notifications of my posts, you probably quit looking for updates long ago. Sorry for your loss on the excellent writing to come.

*I password protected it. Since I have a link here from facebook now, I thought it best. If you want the password, just let me know, and I’ll probably give it to you!

Gas Out Day

Did you hear the news? April 15 (tomorrow) is Weekly National Gas Out Day! I just got a couple of emails about it this morning:

LET'S REALLY GET BEHIND THIS EFFORT...A FEW IN THE PAST NEVER GOT PAST THE PLANNING STAGE, BUT IT IS TIME TO
ACT!  BUY YOUR GAS THE DAY BEFORE AND NOT ONLY WILL THEY LOSE BILLIONS ON THE 15TH BUT ANY PLANS TO RECAPTURE
LOSSES BY RAISING PRICES ON THE 16TH MAY BACKFIRE IF WE DON'T NEED ANY GAS ON THAT DAY!

and…
Subject: no gas on April 15

In April 1997, there was a “gas out” conducted nationwide in protest of
gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On April 15th 2011, all internet users are being asked to not go to a gas
station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.40 a gallon in
most places.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take
$2,292,000,000.00 (that’s almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets
for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on April 15th and
let’s try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one
day.

If you agree (which I can’t see why you wouldn’t) resend this to your entire
contact list. With it saying, “Don’t pump gas on April 15th”

If running low, just get your gas the day before on April 14 or the day
after on April 16. Every little bit helps.

Thank-you,

That’s right. It’s hear again: The day that you don’t buy gas. This time it actually tells you to fill up the day before or the day after, meaning the oil companies move just as much gas over the three days as they would have otherwise. Gas prices won’t decrease, and there won’t be an overflow of gasoline. For a second, let’s imagine it did cause enough supply problems that they had to stop producing and transporting gas for a day. Do you know what would happen then? There wouldn’t be enough supply to meet the demand today and on April 16, when everyone is getting the gas they won’t get tomorrow. That means that the gas stations would run dry without fuel trucks coming to refill them. When the stations see the increased traffic and the upcoming shortage, it would give them the opportunity to RAISE the prices. After all, it’s not like you can go without your gas, so you’ll pay whatever they demand you pay because by tomorrow, you’d be running low already.

In reality, they do not stop production because one day of selling less gas would not back up the system. There would be a larger stockpile at the gas stations and at the refineries, ready to be sent out and sold. It would hurt the companies though. Not the big oil companies that you want to send a message to. It would hurt the independent gas station owners. Most of them make little or no money off of the sale of gasoline. They depend on people coming in to buy candy, soft drinks, donuts, lottery tickets and cigarettes after they fill up outside. This is where they not only make a profit, but how they make up for their operating expenses. If people don’t stop at the gas stations for a day, it can take a week or more to make up for the actual losses from paying employees and electricity and other expenses. You won’t be sticking it to the man. You’ll be sticking it to the guy who gives money to the local school in return for having a small advertisement on the scoreboard or in a program. You’re sticking it to the guy who sponsors local festivals. You’re sticking it to the guy who supports his community, not the big oil company, who doesn’t give a darn.

In short, just get gas when you need it. If you want to make a difference with oil prices, then ride a bike or the bus!

The Color Purple

I’m not talking about the movie or the Broadway musical.  Today is Spirit Day.  On Spirit Day, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) encourages people to wear purple to bring attention to the deaths of six teenagers, who committed suicide over the recent weeks after being bullied over their sexualities.  Why purple?  For some reason, purple has become associated with homosexuality and gay/lesbian rights.  I don’t know the reason for this, and I’m really just feeling too lazy today to try to figure out why.  If someone out there knows, feel free to leave a comment.

I don’t particularly want to get into the gay rights debate on here right now, but I do feel that Spirit Day is worthy of being addressed.  Although GLAAD intended the day to be specifically to address the trials that teens experience in school due to homosexuality and perceived homosexuality and to show these students that there are others out there who support them, GLAAD misses that the larger issue is bullying as a whole.  There are a number of people out there who argue that bullying is good for a number of reasons: It forces people to conform – They say that like it’s a good thing, not me. – It lets people know what’s expected of them and that there are consequences for not meeting expectations.  It’s Practical Darwinism, weeding the outliers out of the society to create a group that functions better as a whole.  All of those reasons are a bunch of hogwash.

While there are some actions, such as streaking and throwing pencils into the ceiling tiles, that are unwelcome distractions in places like sporting events and school and should be curtailed, there is a need to nip it in the bud.  The process of doing that does not require threats and abuse though.  Well, the threat of jail, fines or detention are acceptable.  Picking on someone because of who they are or a disability they may have is an entirely different story than reprimanding streakers and delinquents.  Sexuality, race, religion, economic status and so many other differences do not affect maintaining order and civilization.  There is no place for taunting and hazing that can – not will, but can – lead to long-lasting psychological effects.  They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but given the levels of emotion running through teens and the extremes that they see the world in, it doesn’t take as much to emotionally drive a teenager to death as it does an adult.  The “fun and games” aspect of harrassment must be stopped.

There are people who also feel entitled to abuse others because their lives do not agree with their faith.  My response to hate sometimes spewed in the name of God is this:

Leviticus 19:18 - Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 13:9 – The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

There’s some old school and some new school Christianity for you.  Even if you don’t agree with how someone lives, you are still commanded to love them.  Love is not teasing, pushing, hitting and kicking.  Love is peace.  If you know someone who is experiencing bullying, be there for them.  Hug them.  Listen to them.  Let them know it gets better.

non-recovering

Last night I went out with some friends for karaoke (video on facebook) and was generally having a good time.  I did backup vocals for a friend while he sang and then after a couple more songs, the DJ got a call saying someone had tried to break into his house.  Understandably, he packed up and left, bringing an early end to the musical stylings of the locals.  I was the last of the group to settle up my bill, and when I walked out to meet the others, I saw someone I hadn’t seen in awhile.  I stopped to say hi, and then noticed somebody else I hadn’t seen in an even longer time.

I thought it somewhat odd that she would be there on karaoke night.  The last time I saw her, she was an alcoholic/addict in recovery with over 2 years of sobriety.  She was a very sweet young woman then, who had her life back on track.  I’ve been told that alcoholics will drink again.  It’s a question of when, not if, and the only thing that will stop them is dying before it happens.  Still, I thought that she would beat the odds.  I thought that with all she had been through during the time that I knew her, if she could stay sober and clean, she’d make it just fine.

Last night, I saw her smoking on the patio with a few people who were drinking.  We smiled at each other.  I still wanted to think the best, although I knew why she was there, and that’s the reason I didn’t walk over to ask how she was doing.  After a few minutes, I went to meet up with my friends at their car.  As I went, I saw her pick up the bottle of beer that had been sitting out of my view behind someone else and down whatever was left in it.

I don’t know why I got my hopes up that she would be alright.  Everybody I’ve ever heard talk about alcoholism has said that sobriety doesn’t last forever, even with support.  Even an alcoholic I know who has been sober for over 24 years always says that he’s just a day away from his next drink.  I guess I just always want to think the best of everyone and hope the best for everyone.  After seeing her last night, I’ve felt pretty crappy.

Although I’m leaving this post public, I’m turning off comments for two reasons.  One is that I don’t particularly want to talk about it right now.  I just wanted to get it off my chest and leave it for awhile.  The other reason is that I don’t want say any more about her.  She has a hard enough road ahead of her without me telling everyone who she is and everything else about her.

Banned Books Week

Happy Banned Books Week!  Yes, it’s that wonderful time of year again when the American Library Association protests the banning of books from libraries and schools.  Join in the festivities, which started on the 25th and runs through Saturday.  That’s right, it’s actually Banned Books Week And A Day this year because we can’t protest the morality being forced on literature in just one week.

Personally, I’m against banning and restricting access to books… in most cases.  That being said, I don’t think Sex by Madonna needs to be in any high school library.  I believe that there is a place for Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov in the library, but it definitely does not belong in the children’s section.  There are many, many books that I would never read, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think others shouldn’t be able to read them.  Just about everything should be offered for reading if it exists.  (That sounds a little Google-y, but I stand by it.)

The real question is, where should the line be drawn when it comes to age-appropriateness.  The Hobbit is too violent for my 10-year old, but it’s fine for yours.  1984 has sex.  Of Mice And Men has cursing.  Harry Potter has witchcraft.  There are books in the romance section with all of those!  Should a 7th Grader be reading those romance novels.  The answer is obviously no, otherwise the middle school library would have its own romance section instead of the Judy Bloom section.  (On a side note, why is it that since the 1984 comment, I can’t stop typing “sextion” by accident?) 

That’s the reason why I say that books should not be banned or restricted in most cases.  No elementary school kid should see Playboy Magazine on the newspaper and magazine rack in the school library.  The poor girls are already getting distorted ideas about body image from the television and Katy Perry without having to see the full monty!  Obviously censorship is needed in cases of the youth of the country.  Very few would disagree with that – and those would be the same ones trying to take their 6-year olds to see Saw 3D at midnight on Halloween night.  The difficult issue is how to accurately, fairly and respectfully decide what books we permit our young people to read without our specific knowledge, and that’s an issue I don’t have any answers on.

While I try to figure that out, feel free to protest at your local public library if they don’t have Animal Farm in the catalogue, because everyone should read Animal Farm, although perhaps not in kindergarten.

How To Break Up With a Friend

In the movie Charade, Audrey Hepburn says, “I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies, I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else.”  Fortunately, this is no longer true.  I just finished reading an article on breaking up with friends.  The idea is that sometimes you just have to cut someone loose, and oh, how that happens often!

The author seems to be against breaking up with a friend via an email in which you tell the other person exactly and in great, painful detail all the reasons that you no longer wish to be friends with them.  Obviously this was written by a woman with a great deal of time on her hands.  Dropping friends via email is a great plan.  First, you can get all those annoying things they did off your chest, easing your burden greatly.  Second, you don’t have to actually look at the horror on their faces as you list each and every one of your grievances.  Third, you don’t have to worry about their retorts.  You can simply delete their email responses without reading them, or even better, block their email address!  You don’t have to worry about having an awkward moment where neither person is sure if they should just leave or stay for the rest of the baseball game or dessert or the embarrassing outburst of anger and rage from the dumpee.  You also don’t have to worry about the ever-present danger of having hot coffee thrown on you afterward!  Finally – and most importantly – this will ensure that the feeling of not wanting to be friends is mutual, preventing a time of unanswered facebook messages and unreturned calls that, I think we can all agree, is quite uncomfortable.

Instead of the email, the author seems to favor the approach of ignoring the person, which can take weeks to sink in, or just telling them to back off, *$&@^.  If you’re going to do this, I highly recommend telling them your phone is broken, and you’ll call them as soon as it’s fixed.  That way they at least won’t run up your cell phone bill with the texts and voicemail.

Mindset List: 2003

Yesterday, I wrote about the Mindset List for this year’s entering college students.  It made be think of what it must have said when I went to college, so I looked it up.  Here are the highlights from the Mindset List for the class of 2003.

John Lennon and John Belushi have always been dead.  I’ll say it: I’ve never been a huge fan of Lennon’s work after he left the Beatles.  John Belushi is someone I would have loved to see more of.  Instead, he’ll always be Bluto from Animal House and the samuri deli guy.  Of course, there’s also the Blues Brothers.

They have never needed a perscription to buy ibuprofen.  Thank goodness!

Cats has been on Broadway all their lives.  Sadly that’s no longer true.  *tear*  I’ll NEVER get to hear Magical Mr. Mistoffelees live!!!!

Mike Myers is The Spy Who Shagged Me not the first congressman expelled from that body in a century for his role in “Abscam.”  I know not of this Abscam of which they speak, but I do know a psychopathic knife murderer from suburban Illinois named Mike Myers.

The term “adult” has increasingly come to mean “dirty.”  Tee-hee.

They don’t understand why Solidarity is spelled with a capital “S.”  It is?

They have never seen white smoke over the Vatican and do not know its significance.  Sadly, this is no longer true.

They cannot identify the last United States President to throw-up on a Japanese Prime Minister.  Sadly, this is no longer true, either.

They remember when Saturday Night Live was still funny.  Ouch.  Fair, but ouch.

Then there’s the list of things that only children of the 80′s can explain:

They owned and operated a “trapper keeper.”  I think I may still have one or two laying around.  Do they not still make those?

They can explain the “cha-ching” thing.  I kinda miss those commercials.

They know what “psych” means.  Thanks to USA, that’s been expanded to lots of people.

They know that another name for a keyboard is a “synthesizer.”  Is not not still?

Partying “like it’s 1999″ seemed SOOO far away.  It really did, and then it never happened.

They can, right now, hum the theme to Inspector Gadget.  And I am right now!

Poltergeist freaked them out.  How could it not?!?!?

They have occassionally wondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.  Or we wondered about her character.  They did eventually add that little girl smurf with red hair and freckles.

They know what a “Whammee” is.  I still think that is possibly the greatest game show ever made.  Of course, having not seen it for years probably has something to do with my feelings towards it.

That’s been a lovely trip down memory lane for me.  Hopefully it reminded you of something fun, too!