TeamRawDog Forums - Blogs http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php The Official Team RawDog.Com Forum. en Sat, 19 May 2012 01:35:37 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/images/blackhead/misc/rss.jpg TeamRawDog Forums - Blogs http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php Almost Slipped http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=22 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:29:21 GMT So it has now been 2 weeks, 2 days and 12 hours... So it has now been 2 weeks, 2 days and 12 hours since my last cigarette. For the most part, it has become easier but yesterday was bad. I got into it with my boss and came damn near buying a pack. The only thing that stopped me was that I didn't want that prick to be the reason I started smoking again. Still, I'm stressed and really want to smoke but fuck him! ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=22 Midway Through Day 5 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=21 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:06:43 GMT Well, almost midway. Yesterday was definitely... Well, almost midway. Yesterday was definitely better. While the cravings are still there, they have subsided slightly, especially considering I spent about three hours driving. I really thought driving would do me in but not so far.

Nothing much else to say about it right now. ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=21 Getting Better? http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=20 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:11:15 GMT So I survived the first three days (actually 84... So I survived the first three days (actually 84 hours now). I've always been told that the first three days are the hardest so I'm hoping it gets easier from here. Overall, it hasn't been too bad, but certainly not easy. Its amazing to me how is it is to justify "just one smoke." There are literally thousands of reasons that I could use (although, really none are "good" reasons). I just keep telling myself how much easier breathing will be without cigarettes. My first test will be hiking this weekend. Well, I guess not really a test as much as setting a benchmark. This spring I'll be hiking more and I'll see by then if it has become easier.

Either way, I'd still kill for a cigarette right now. ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=20 Day 3 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=19 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:35:47 GMT Day 3 SUCKS but I haven't broken down yet.

That is all. ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=19 Day 2 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=18 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:23:25 GMT Well, I'm up to 36 hours now and still no cigarette. Apparently, I'm not supposed to think of it as "quitting" but rather becoming "nicotine free." Some pyscological bull shit. Either way, I'm still sans cigarettes.

It actually hasn't been as hard as I expected. As long as I stay busy, I'm pretty well distracted. What happens though is, all of a sudden I'm bored and this little voice says, "You're bored? Have a smoke!" It only takes a second to realize, nope can't do that, but for that first second, it really sucks.

I know these are just ramblings but they do seem to keep me some what distracted. ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=18 Continuing http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=17 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:58:23 GMT So we're coming up on hour 16 without nicotine. For you non smokers, that probably doesn't sound like much (so fuck you). For the smokers out there, you know that's awhile to wait between smokes.

At times, its been incredibly difficult and other times have been fairly easy. However, easy or hard, it is ALWAYS on my mind.

And let me tell you, it is EXTREMELY easy to find a way to justify having "just one quick cigarette." However, I'm sticking to it, I hope! ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=17 Hell Has Begun http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=16 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:17:22 GMT So, I've been taking Chantix for seven days now and today is the first day sans cigarettes. Its been 11 hours so far and I'm ready to kill for a smoke. I don't think its physical cravings as much as it is the habit. Either way though, it SUCKS!

I've been a smoker for 28 years now ( minus 30 days 25 years ago and 5 days 11 years ago). I'm not sure what I'll do without my best friend in hand. This is going to be incredibly strange.

I keep trying to remind myself about the benefits. Breathing better, less coughing, regaining the ability to taste and smell. In fact, I'm going hiking this weekend and I'm hoping that, knowing a hike is coming up, I can just stay focused on that. So far, its not really working. ]]> Willam http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=16 Kids and mobile phones: Realizing when the moment is appropriate http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=15 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:35:59 GMT Many parents wrestle with whether a kid should... Many parents wrestle with whether a kid should have a mobile phone, and many more will cave beneath the social pres-sure and make the purchase. For those looking to the precipice, here's some children and mobile phones guidance suggested by the National Consum-ers League. Source for this article: [URL="http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2011/09/19/kids-and-cellphones/"]Kids and cellphones: Knowing when the time is right[/URL]

[B]Children using mobile phones: They're getting younger[/B]

Cellular industry experts note that approximately 75 percent of U.S. teenagers own cell phones, and the fastest-growing group of cellphone users is the demographic between ages 9 and 12, says NCL representative John Breyault.[INDENT]"The age a child gets a first cellphone is getting progressively younger. Parents want to be in touch with their kids," said Breyault.
[/INDENT]Whether it is for emergencies or simply keeping up with the Joneses, the NCL advises that you keep several things in mind before getting the first cellphone for your child.

[B]The reason for get-ting the mobile phone [/B]

Every parent should look at this first. No mobile phone should be bought without first contemplating this. Emer-gency Global Positioning System use is a given, but things like standard gab moment, texting, chat, Internet access, music downloads and gaming should all be con-sidered. Plus, if they're prone to losing things, you'll want to ponder pur-chasing handset replacement insurance.

[B]Picking a plan[/B]

You may have figured out the need for child already. That does not mean you have figured out which service plan you want. Will your tween stick to limits on texting, calling and data, or do you need a plan with a hard cap?
You might want a prepaid plan. Occasionally you will want a standard contract plan. A contract plan offers detailed bills that spell out all charges and allows you to lock in a package of choices, but the typical two-year contract comes with a stiff early termination fee if you decide to try something else. The prepaid plans allow you to ignore the idea of overage fees. It typically costs more with a smartphone though.
Reception should be accessible at all places your child will be. This consists of friends’ houses, school, malls and sporting areas. Sometimes you aren’t able to get reception. This makes a phone less helpful.

[B]A few words on texting[/B]

Most cellphone plans depend on texting and SMS. Doing 2,000 to 4,000 texts a month isn't unlikely for a teenager or tween. That means unlimited plans are generally the best choice. Are you going to be sharing minutes and texts on a family plan? This is an even more significant issue then. Getting unlimited texting doesn’t cost much more. It is only around $10 to $20 a month.
Texting, IM, Twitter, Facebook and other services should be of concern when it comes to finances. “Sexting” should be involved in the talk moms and dads have with their kids before purchasing a cellphone. Being online continuously can hurt a child too. This is true due to cyber bullying and other difficulties on the internet.
Your kid could not be ready emotionally for the technology. Figure out if they can deal with all the bad things on the internet. Talk about when the cellphone is okay too. Each family and school will have different rules.

[B]Video where DadLabs speaks[/B]

[URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7WQcOPHuc[/URL]

[B]Citations[/B]
[URL="http://pediatrics.about.com/od/otherparentingissues/i/kids_cellphones.htm"]
[/URL][URL="http://pediatrics.about.com/od/otherparentingissues/i/kids_cellphones.htm"]About.com Pediatrics[/URL]

[URL="http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/18/1864271/claudia-buck-tips-offered-for.html"]The Modesto Bee[/URL]

[URL="http://www.nclnet.org/technology"]National Consumers League[/URL] ]]> http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=15 Immigration http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=14 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:12:19 GMT Okay, Im going to collect my ideas about... Okay, Im going to collect my ideas about immigration here.

It's a problem, can't be ignored ]]> Emjanss http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=14 Apparently I can have a blog here http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=13 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:58:13 GMT ---Quote (Originally by Emjanss)--- nah, no one...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emjanss View Post
nah, no one would read it
and at least a couple of you said you would read it... ]]> Emjanss http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=13 Godzilla 12 Step Part 2 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=9 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:20:11 GMT **TEN: Choosing** Godzilla sleeps badly that... TEN: Choosing

Godzilla sleeps badly that night. He gets up and plays the monster mash on his little record player. He dances around the room as if he's enjoying himself, but knows he's not. He goes over to the BIG MONSTER RECREATION CENTER. He sees Kong there, on a stool, undressing one of his Barbies, fingering the smooth little slot between her legs. He sees that Kong has drawn a crack there, like a vagina. It appears to have been drawn with a blue ink pen. He's feathered the central line with ink-drawn pubic hair. Godzilla thinks he should have got someone to do the work for him. It doesn't look all that natural.

God, he doesn't want to end up like Kong. Completely spaced. Then again, maybe if he had some dolls he could melt, maybe that would serve to relax him.

No. After the real thing, what was a Barbie? Some kind of form of Near Beer. That's what the debris out back was. Near Beer. The foundry. The Twelve Step Program. All of it. Near Beer.

ELEVEN: Working for the Government

Godzilla calls the government assholes. "All right," he says. "I'll do it."

"Good," says the government man. "We thought you would. Check your mailbox. The map and instructions are there."

Godzilla goes outside and looks in his box. There's a manila envelope there. Inside are instructions. They say: "Burn all the spots you see on the map. You finish those, we'll find others. No penalties. Just make sure no one escapes. Any rioting starts, you finish them. To the last man, woman and child."

Godzilla unfolds the map. On it are red marks. Above the red marks are listings: Nigger Town. Chink Village. White Trash Enclave. A Clutch of Queers. Mostly Democrats.

Godzilla thinks about what he can do now. Unbidden. He can burn without guilt. He can stomp without guilt. Not only that, they'll send him a check. He has been hired by his adopted country to clean out the bad spots as they see them.


TWELVE: The Final Step

Godzilla stops near the first place on the list: Nigger Town. He sees kids playing in the streets. Dogs. Humans looking up at him, wondering what the hell he's doing here.

Godzilla suddenly feels something move inside him. He knows he's being used. He turns around and walks away. He heads toward the government section of town. He starts with the governor's mansion. He goes wild. Artillery is brought out, but it's no use, he's rampaging. Like the old days.

Reptilicus shows up with a megaphone, tries to talk Godzilla down from the top of the Great Monument Building, but Godzilla doesn't listen. He's burning the top of the building off with his breath, moving down, burning some more, moving down, burning some more, all the way to the ground.

Kong shows up and cheers him on. Kong drops his walker and crawls along the road on his belly and reaches a building and pulls himself up and starts climbing. Bullets spark all around the big ape.

Godzilla watches as Kong reaches the summit of the building and clings by one hand and waves the other, which contains a Barbie doll.

Kong puts the Barbie doll between his teeth. He reaches in his coat and brings out a naked Ken doll. Godzilla can see that Kong has made Ken some kind of penis out of silly putty or something. The penis is as big as Ken's leg.

Kong is yelling, "Yeah, that's right. That's right. I'm AC/DC, you sonsofabitches."

Jets appear and swoop down on Kong. The big ape catches a load of rocket right in the teeth. Barbie, teeth and brains decorate the greying sky. Kong falls.

Gorgo comes out of the crowd and bends over the ape, takes him in her arms and cries. Kong's hand slowly opens, revealing Ken, his penis broken off.

The flying turtle shows up and starts trying to steal Godzilla's thunder, but Godzilla isn't having it. He tears the top off the building Kong had mounted and beats Gamera with it. Even the cops and the army cheer over this.

Godzilla beats and beats the turtle, splattering turtle meat all over the place, like an overheated poodle in a microwave. A few quick pedestrians gather up chunks of the turtle meat to take home and cook, 'cause the rumor is it tastes just like chicken.

Godzilla takes a triple shot of rockets in the chest, staggers, goes down. Tanks gather around him.

Godzilla opens his bloody mouth and laughs. He thinks: If I'd have gotten finished here, then I'd have done the black people too. I'd have gotten the yellow people and the white trash and the homosexuals. I'm an equal opportunity destroyer. To hell with the twelve-step program. To hell with humanity.

Then Godzilla dies and makes a mess on the
street. Military men tip-toe around the mess and hold their noses.

Later, Gorgo claims Kong's body and leaves.

Reptilicus, being interviewed by television reporters, says, "Zilla was almost there, man. Almost. If he could have completed the program, he'd have been all right. But the pressures of society were too much for him. You can't blame him for what society made of him."

On the way home, Reptilicus thinks about all the excitement. The burning buildings. The gunfire. Just like the old days when he and Zilla and Kong and that goon-ball turtle were young.

Reptilicus thinks of Kong's defiance, waving the Ken doll, the Barbie in his teeth. He thinks of Godzilla, laughing as he died.

Reptilicus finds a lot of old feelings resurfacing. They're hard to fight. He locates a lonesome spot and a dark house and urinates through an open window, then goes home.






One of the few good memories from my childhood in Illinois was waking up early saturday morning and watching cartoons, kung fu movies, and various monster movies. So, this story has always stuck with me and remains a favorite of mine. ]]> Bastard http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=9 Godzilla 12 Step Part 1 http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=8 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:16:51 GMT GODZILLA'S TWELVE STEP PROGRAM

by

Joe R. Lansdale




ONE: Honest Work

Godzilla, on his way to work at the foundry, sees a large building that seems to be mostly made of shiny copper and dark, reflecting solar glass. He sees his image in the glass and thinks of the old days, wonders what it would be like to stomp on the building, to blow flames at it, kiss the windows black with his burning breath, then dance rapturously in the smoking debris.

One day at a time, he tells himself. One day at a time.

Godzilla makes himself look at the building hard. He passes it by. He goes to the foundry. He puts on his hard hat. He blows his fiery breath into the great vat full of used car parts, turns the car parts to molten metal. The metal runs through pipes and into new molds for new car parts. Doors. Roofs. Etc.

Godzilla feels some of the tension drain out.

TWO: Recreation

After work Godzilla stays away from downtown. He feels tense. To stop blowing flames after work is difficult. He goes over to the BIG MONSTER
RECREATION CENTER.

Gorgo is there. Drunk from oily seawater, as usual. Gorgo talks about the old days. She's like that. Always the old days.

They go out back and use their breath on the debris that is deposited there daily for the centers use. Kong is out back. Drunk as a monkey. He's playing with Barbie dolls. He does that all the time. Finally, he puts the Barbies away in his coat pocket, takes hold of his walker and wobbles past Godzilla and Gorgo.
Gorgo says, "Since the fall he ain't been worth shit. And what's with him and the little plastic broads anyway? Don't he know there's real women in the world?"

Godzilla thinks Gorgo looks at Kong's departing walker-supported ass a little too wistfully. He's sure he sees wetness in Gorgos eyes.

Godzilla blows some scrap to cinders for recreation, but it doesn't do much for him, as he's been blowing fire all day long and has, at best, merely taken the edge off his compulsions. This isn't even as satisfying as the foundry. He goes home.

Three: Sex and Destruction

That night there's a monster movie on television. The usual one. Big beasts wrecking havoc on city after city. Crushing pedestrians under foot.

Godzilla examines the bottom of his right foot, looks at the scar there from stomping cars flat. He remembers how it was to have people squish between his toes. He thinks about all of that and changes the channel. He watches twenty minutes of Mr. Ed, turns off the TV, masturbates to the images of burning cities and squashing flesh.

Later, deep into the night, he awakens in a cold sweat. He goes to the bathroom and quickly carves crude human figures from bars of soap. He mashes the soap between his toes, closes his eyes and imagines. Tries to remember.

FOUR: Beach Trip and The Big Turtle

Saturday, Godzilla goes to the beach. A drunk monster that looks like a big turtle flies by and bumps Godzilla. The turtle calls Godzilla a name, looking for a fight. Godzilla remembers the turtle is called Gamera.

Gamera is always trouble. No one liked Gamera. The turtle was a real asshole.

Godzilla grits his teeth and holds back the flames. He turns his back and walks along the beach. He mutters a secret mantra given him by his sponsor. The giant turtle follows after, calling him names.

Godzilla packs up his beach stuff and goes home. At his back he hears the turtle, still cussing, still pushing. It's all he can do not to respond to the big dumb bastard. All he can do. He knows the turtle will be in the news tomorrow. He will have destroyed something, or will have been destroyed himself.

Godzilla thinks perhaps he should try and talk to the turtle, get him on the twelve-step program. That's what you're supposed to do. Help others. Maybe the turtle could find some peace.

But then again, you can only help those who help themselves. Godzilla realizes he can not save all the monsters of the world. They have to make these decisions for themselves. But he makes a mental note to go armed with leaflets about the twelve-step program from now on.

Later, he calls in to his sponsor. Tells him he's had a bad day. That he wanted to burn buildings and fight the big turtle. Reptilicus tells him it's okay. He's had days like that. Will have days like that once again.

Once a monster always a monster. But a recovering monster is where it's at. Take it one day at a time. It's the only way to be happy in the world. You can't burn and kill and chew up humans and their creations without paying the price of guilt and multiple artillery wounds.

Godzilla thanks Reptilicus and hangs up. He feels better for awhile, but deep down he wonders just how much guilt he really harbors. He thinks maybe it's the artillery and the rocket-firing jets he really hates, not the guilt.


FIVE: Off The Wagon

It happens suddenly. He falls off the wagon. Coming back from work he sees a small doghouse with a sleeping dog sticking halfway out of a doorway. There's no one around. The dog looks old. It's on a chain. Probably miserable anyway. The water dish is empty. The dog is living a worthless life. Chained. Bored. No water.

Godzilla leaps and comes down on the doghouse and squashes dog in all directions. He burns what's left of the doghouse with a blast of his breath. He leaps and spins on tip-toe through the wreckage. Black cinders and cooked dog slip through his toes and remind him of the old days.

He gets away fast. No one has seen him. He feels giddy. He can hardly walk he's so intoxicated. He calls Reptilicus, gets his answering machine. "I'm not in right now. I'm out doing good. But please leave a message, and I'll get right back to you."

The machine beeps. Godzilla says, "Help."


SIX: His Sponsor

The doghouse rolls around in his head all the next day. While at work he thinks of the dog and the way it burned. He thinks of the little house and the way it crumbled. He thinks of the dance he did in the ruins.

The day drags on forever. He thinks maybe when work is through he might find another doghouse, another dog.

On the way home he keeps an eye peeled, but no doghouses or dogs are seen.

When he gets home his answering machine light is blinking. Its a message from Reptilicus. Reptilicus's voice says, "Call me."

Godzilla does. He says, "Reptilicus. Forgive me, for I have sinned."


SEVEN: Disillusioned. Disappointed.

Reptilicus's talk doesn't help much. Godzilla shreds all the twelve-step program leaflets. He wipes his butt on a couple and throws them out the window. He puts the scraps of the others in the sink and sets them on fire with his breath. He burns a coffee table and a chair, and when he's through, feels bad for it. He knows the landlady will expect him to replace them.

He turns on the radio and lies on the bed listening to an Oldies station. After a while, he falls asleep to Martha and the Vandellas singing "Heat Wave."


EIGHT: Unemployed

Godzilla dreams. In it God comes to him, all scaly and blowing fire. He tells Godzilla he's ashamed of him. He says he should do better. Godzilla awakes covered in sweat. No one is in the room.

Godzilla feels guilty. He has faint memories of having awakened to go out and destroyed part of the city. He really tied one on, but he can't remember everything he did. Maybe he'll read about it in the papers. He notices he smells like charred lumber and melted plastic. There's gooshy stuff between his toes, and something tells him it isn't soap.

He wants to kill himself. He goes to look for his gun, but he's too drunk to find it. He passes out on the floor. He dreams of the devil this time. He looks just like God except he has one eyebrow that goes over both eyes. The devil says he's come for Godzilla.

Godzilla moans and fights. He dreams he gets up and takes pokes at the devil, blows ineffective fire on him.

Godzilla rises late the next morning, hung over. He remembers the dream. He calls into work sick. Sleeps off most of the day. That evening, he reads about himself in the papers. He really did some damage. Smoked a large part of the city. There's a very clear picture of him biting the head off of a woman.

He gets a call from the plant manager that night. The managers seen the paper. He tells Godzilla he's fired.


NINE: Enticement

Next day some humans show up. They're wearing black suits and white shirts and polished shoes and they've got badges. They've got guns, too. One of them says, "You're a problem. Our government wants to send you back to Japan."

"They hate me there," says Godzilla. "I burned Tokyo down."

"You haven't done so good here either. Lucky that was a colored section of town you burned, or we'd be on your ass. As it is, we've got a job proposition for you."

"What?" Godzilla asks.

"You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours." Then the men tell him what they have in mind.


End of part 1 ]]> Bastard http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=8 A Successful Day On Facebook. http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=7 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:05:10 GMT So those who know me, and know me well, have... So those who know me, and know me well, have experienced the very precise moment when I cross the line between funny and creepy. Those who REALLY know me understand that I do this on purpose, because I find joy in this similar to the joy that a 5 year old finds in playing cops and robbers with guns made from tree knots.

Today at around 5:30 a facebook user (who will henceforth only be known as JS) started his second ever conversation with me. The first conversation was basically pleasantries such as "What part of the country do you live in?". I only did this because I'm a decent person and I wanted to understand how exactly this person got my name.

Anyways, in this second conversation I decided to show him just how bad of a decision it is to add strangers on the internet. The conversation went like this:

WARNING: SERIOUSLY THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!!!: If you are easily offended please do not continue reading. The following material is intended for adult audiences and people with no soul. Please be advised this is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.


JS
Hey friend, how are you doing?

5:16pmTommy
just sticking my cock into a tub of lypo-butter
5:18pm
you?

5:19pmJS
I finished two assignments. I have been working for a while now.


(YOU'LL NOTICE HE DIDN'T EVEN FLINCH, THIS CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD CAUSE THIS IS A VERY CONSERVATIVE FELLOW.)


5:20pmTommy
same here!
on the work not the assisngments

5:21pmJS
That's good.

5:21pmTommy
yup
its hard to get any good assignments
i pimp asian children illigally
its a tough buisness

5:23pmJS
How tough?

5:24pmTommy
well sometimes they dont want to work so you gotta put things into perspective with a tough backhand...but outside of that theres the competition, sometimes you gotta do some bloody work and such

5:26pmJS
Wow, I never realized that.

5:27pmTommy
well the triads dont appriciate you selling the children of their home country into sexual slavery. so it does get messy but ive got kids to feed nigga!

5:29pmJS
Yeah, I agree with you completely.
(SAY WUT!?!?!)
I have to go, and eat dinner.

5:30pmTommy
i ate a dead baby like 30min ago so im good
can i come over and eat dinner with your family?

5:32pmJS
You can come over if you want, but first, you have to guess where I live.
Can you do that?

5:32pmTommy
kanata in the Bridlewood area

5:34pmJS
close but the Bridlewood area

(I REFUSE TO LET THIS GUY BEAT ME AT MY OWN GAME, IT'S AN OUTRAGE THAT I COULDN'T EVEN GET TO HIM WITH A DEAD BABY JOKE, SO NATURALLY, I CANADA 411'D HIS NAME)

5:34pmTommy
613-599-0679
67 Cedar Valley Dr
Kanata, ON K2M 3A1

5:37pmJS
I did not put that information on my Facebook page.

5:37pmTommy
I'm just fuckin creepy like that. So can I come over?

5:37pmJS
Are you psyhic?

5:37pmTommy
i'll be over at 7 ok?

5:38pmJS
I have homework to do.

5:38pmTommy
its ok i can come over and eat your food while you do your homework
see you sooon!!! xoxoxo



I can only assume he is calling the police and locking his doors. I have no intention of actually following up on JS's gracious offer to eat with his family. I'm going to guess I will not be hearing from JS again.

Hope you enjoyed this story. I certainly enjoyed putting it together.

Tommy Belair ]]> Tommy http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=7 The problem with people… http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=5 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:44:34 GMT The problem with people (well, one of the... The problem with people (well, one of the problems) is the way they define themselves. Too often, people think of themselves first as Christian or Muslim, American or British, Republican or Democrat, male or female, white or black, young or old, rich or poor, goth or punk, et cetera.

First and foremost, we are all human beings, and we should consider this similarity before rushing to distinguish ourselves from everybody else. There's nothing wrong with expressing yourself as an individual, having your own personality, your own identity. In fact, that's good. In fact, that's necessary. But if everybody could just look at other people and, before everything, realize that they're looking at fellow human beings, people with their own conscious needs and desires, entitled to the same basic rights, then we'd all be a lot better off.

This is rare today because such an idea is in conflict with the closely held and fanatically disseminated beliefs of a lot of people all around the world, beliefs that hide behind tradition, faith, patriotism, and any number of other kinds of self-justifying authorities, which cannot be reasoned with. They are designed to be irrational, to admit no objectivity, to brook no argument. People are caught in this trap of tribal instincts, which leads inevitably to considering other people as outsiders.

On the other hand, some people think only of themselves, without considering other people whatsoever. I do think that it is everyone's privilege, right, and duty to follow their own enlightened self-interest. However, that does not mean you should disregard other people entirely. On some deep, unspoken level, certain people (seems like a lot to me) look at other people and don't see them as conscious beings at all. They only register others as means to an end, or obstacles blocking their paths.

In contrast, enlightened self-interest is about pursuing your own happiness while respecting everyone else's right to do the same, which implies the understanding that society can only function when this recognition and respect exists mutually among mankind. And it should be obvious that the continued functioning of society is in our best interests. Living in a society, as opposed to a tribe, transforms us from subjugated parts of a larger, collective whole focused on survival, into individuals free to concentrate on enjoying life.

The inability, or unwillingness, to recognize other people as human beings with equal rights is at the root of a lot of suffering these days, just as it has been for a very long time. This is the paradigm that we need to grow out of, for our own sakes. ]]> Charlatan http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=5 <![CDATA["He that loveth his life shall lose it…"]]> http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=4 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:26:40 GMT This has always been one of my biggest issues... This has always been one of my biggest issues with the Bible, that Christianity seems to be about worshipping God at the expense of yourself and of all mankind, focusing on the afterlife to the detriment of the here and now, as exemplified by John 12:25.

Quote:
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Saint Augustine, one of the most revered and influential thinkers of Christendom, had this to say about that verse in Homilies on The Gospel According to St. John, and His First Epistle.¹

Quote:
A great and marvellous thought … that it is thy duty to hate in this world thine own life.
Thomas à Kempis really laid it on thick in The Imitation of Christ,² "widely considered one of the greatest manuals of devotion" by Catholics and Protestants alike, according to Wikipedia³.

Quote:
Though I am but dust and ashes I will speak to my Lord. If I esteem myself more than ashes, You are of a different opinion; in fact, my very sins are witnesses against me and I am unable to contradict their testimony. But if I belittle myself, think of myself as nothing, throw off all self-regard and account myself to be dust, as I truly am, then Your grace will come upon me and Your light will enter my heart, and all self-esteem, no matter how infinitesimal it be, will be drowned in my total nothingness and will disappear forever.

It is within my very depths that You reveal me to myself: what I am, what I have been, and what I have become. I am nothing and I never knew it! Left to myself I am but a zero and abound with frailties, but when you turn Your face toward me I suddenly gain strength and am filled with new joy. It astounds me when I realize that You are so quick to raise me up and embrace me, who am always sinking to the bottom because of the heaviness of my sins.

It is Your love that does this for me; it precedes me in all that I do, helps me in my many needs, guards me from grave dangers, and delivers me, as I most happily admit, from evils beyond all counting.

By loving myself, as I should not have, I lost myself; by seeking only You and by loving You with an untarnished love, I found both You and myself, and through this love I have more fully brought myself to total nothingness.

My dearest Lord, You treat me far better than I deserve and beyond all I dare hope or ask for.

My God, may You be blessed for ever! Though I am unworthy to receive anything good, nevertheless, Your liberality and infinite goodness never cease doing good, even towards the ungrateful who have turned their backs upon You. Turn us again toward You so that we may be grateful, humble, and devoted to You, who alone is our salvation, our power, and our strength.
Man is reduced to a base creature, worthy only of groveling, undeserving of ambition or happiness. I don't understand how anybody, especially people as supposedly profound as Augustine of Hippo, can accept this, let alone revel in it.

Footnotes
1. http://books.google.com/books?id=BQg...ife%22&f=false
2. http://www.ccel.org/k/kempis/imitati...ion-baker.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...ldid=303033247
]]> Charlatan http://www.teamrawdog.com/forums/blog.php?b=4