Really, Neil Sedaka??? Really?

This last Friday, I had drinks with a friend. She has been going through a break up. I care a great deal for this person. One of my favorite people and all. There are about 50 to 60 of them. The rest... meh. I was actually married to her and we actually broke up... On a greater scale. More on the difference between breaking up and divorce later...

We were having many drinks. I am pretty sure the reasoning my ex-wife wanted to get a drink with her ex-husband is because she has more than a modicum of trust in me. I would suspect she would also be tired of getting the same ol' platitudes that one, without fail, receives upon announcing a break up...

"Everything happens for a reason"... Sure, care to share what that reasoning is, ass face?

"When one door closes another one opens..." Well... Given the number of doors on the planet... Given the number of people on the planet... I am sure, statistically speaking, the probability of a door being closed, and a completely different door being opened, simultaneously are pretty fucking high, Einstein.

"There are plenty of fish in the sea..." And a metric fuckton of medical waste... Thanks for that, would you like to jab me in the eye with a dirty needle that just washed up on shore while you are at it???

The spouting, while well intended, does nothing. Much like when someone says, "I am praying for you." They should have said, "You are on your own, best of luck. I am doing the least amount possible." I do not send "prayers" or "positive thoughts"... I have been known to send a dirty limerick...

She came to me because she knew if, in the midst of her explaining the situation and factors contributing to the break up, I smelled bullshit, I would call her out on it. While never a fragrant affair, from what I gleaned, she knows what her shortcomings were in the relationship. I, not knowing the other parties take on things, but knowing her, feel she was justified in pronouncing it dead.

It is one of the bigger precipices you will face... It is the cliff at which most of us have stood before. Below us, the murkiness of the "Unknown". All around us, the "Present Situation", in the form of a maelstrom of anger, doubt, insecurity and the glimmering hope of "what could be". The cliff becomes higher and more daunting the longer the relationship has been going on. 

No one can decide how bad the storm of the present that you are weathering has to be before you make the decision to jump. That is yours and yours alone. It can depend on how real the hope of everything working out is, versus the colossal shitstorm that has driven you to the edge. One thing I can suggest... "To thine own self be true". Has a better ring to it than, "Fuck all the bullshit, trust yer gut."

When you start to doubt yourself in a relationship, every previous relationship barges back into the ol' cabeza. Your own special Hell! Joy! 

This mental deluge, is all our baggage we have not dealt with. You do not get to be in your late 30's or older and not have some baggage. I have always tried to at least make mine a matching set. One of the biggest foibles is to try and denounce your baggage at the beginning of a relationship. I am not suggesting you shine a spotlight on it or anything...

"So, do you have any baggage?"

"Want that alphabetically or chronologically?"

If you are in a relationship and you are feeling neglected, shit on, taken advantage of, or just not getting out of it what you think you deserve, ask yourself "What would I tell someone I care about to do in the same set of circumstance?".

Another wonderful thing about breaking up... The damn truth usually comes out. Most will say communication is vital to every relationship. Granted... So is being honest in what you are communicating. To do that you FIRST have to be honest with yourself! 

Discovering how a person REALLY felt can be cathartic or Damage, Inc..

The other person has assured you time and time again, "No, that doesn't bother me at all."... 

You break up... 

"That bugged the living shit out of me. Every time you did that, I wanted to attack your genitals like a rabid honey badger wielding a cricket paddle and a blowtorch."

It is a matter of deceitfulness... It is wrong... It paints the entire relationship with more than a hint of wasted time. Living a lie. 

Most males will do this, only on little things, to ensure that nudity and touching will continue.

___________________________

My only advice is the same with everything you feel falls in the "Failure" column. Learn from that shit. 

"Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG

"Those who do not LEARN FROM history are doomed to repeat it."

In those "In Between" times of being in a relationship, work on YOU. Be better. Love your self. Sometimes twice.

More importantly, work on sorting your baggage. Examine all those old relationships with a self deprecating eye. Be critical of yourself. Then... Put them away. The next time they rear their hydra like head, you have a better command of them and are stronger for it. They will be a preservior rather than an anchor weighing you down.

Before getting into another relationship, know your WORTH. If you are reading this, you know me... So, you have that going for you...

__________________________

Now, as for the difference between a break up and divorce... One costs a whole lot more. One has an ass load more paperwork, and one is legal and public decreeing of Failure! There is only one sure fire way to avoid it... Don't get married.

There I go, turn the page,

d

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Jesus Hates Indiana

I let the Christians off last weekend for two reasons... It was Easter, the Day of the Zombie Jewish Carpenter, and I had to go back and make sure I did not repeat myself from an earlier blog...

I should really categorize these a bit better with meta tags... But that is not your concern... Moving on...

In the state of Indiana, the Religious Freedom Act was passed. I can only think this was a move to give attention to the epidemic plague of Christian values getting trampled. I know it is all to common to see homosexuals, liberals, Atheists, and the rest of the heathens, blocking good little Christians sheep from going to church... If I see one more bible burning... ugh... It breaks my heart when I am in a public bathroom and see a Crucifix toilet cake...

I have repeatedly heard the cries of the god-fearing, trying to protect our nation from Sharia law. It reminded me of a time when I tried to protect everyone from Shania Twain... It took a while, but, have you heard her lately? You're welcome. They both pose about the same threat level.

The main language of the Sharia law bills is such that it "Stops religious texts from a foreign land dictating the laws in the U.S."... Um... The Bible was NOT written in Joplin, Missouri and yet, more than a few laws have a huge slant towards one particular cult.

Christians main role model... A martyr. So, when they wear a bracelet that says "What Would Jesus Do?", they take it as "If I have been inconvenienced ever so slightly... It must be because I am a Christian... Which means they hate my religion. Ohhhhh... the persecution... it burnses!"

You are probably receiving the slight inconvenience because you are an asshole. Just because you are a Christian, you are probably a bigger asshole because you have a "Holier Than Thou" attitude about it.

In Indiana, if you are a business, you can now refuse to serve anyone if they live a lifestyle that you do not approve of, based on "Religious Freedom". I personally do not know how this needed to be a law. Let's role play this out...

1) Gay people/Muslims/African Americans/Canadians come into your place of business.

2) They would like to give you legal tender for your goods or services.

3) You, being a homophobic/religious extremist/racist/homophobic/jingoist whatever, piece of shit, don't want to take their legal tender. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

4) You have a sign that says "We exercise our right to be religious homophobic/extremists/racist/jingoist whatever, pieces of shit and refuse the right to serve anyone". Hell, you have it painted that painted in your window. Which is good, because you should never hide your true feelings... regardless of how fucked up they are.

5) You point to said sign. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

6) Gay people/Muslims/African Americans/Canadians look at you with pity and leave. They tell their friends. Their friends tell their friends. Soon, you are left with the KKK in your joint. Seig Heil. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

End of story. Why did this need to be a law? A private business retains the right to ask people to leave. Darwinism will sort that shit out. Were people able to sue the business for "Denial of service"? I would think that would only apply if a contract had been entered into, not a simple transaction.

I probably should have researched that part a little more for the blog, but since I think it is just more stupidity under the banner of "Religion"... I am only concerned because the fucking Christians are passing laws. How long before I am rounded up for moral indecency?

A co-worker has talked about opening a martial arts dojo. I asked about his business plan. I also asked what would happen if a homosexual man wanted training. I asked this because my co-worker told me he once refused a drink because it came in a martini glass and he felt "threatened" or "emasculated" by it. Nice guy and all, just a tad afraid of catching the "gay".

Well, if Texas gets "Religious Freedom", he may have an out!

A lot of people are boycotting Indiana... Um... What was the draw to Indiana in the first place? Honestly? What is the only shining light on this topic is that Indiana businesses have been obtaining stickers for their windows that express "This Business Serves Everyone". You can be damn sure if I were to ever find myself in that state and I had a choice... I'd pick the business with that sticker in the window.

Voting with the almighty. The almighty dollar.

Speaking of cash, I am almost finished with "Going Clear: Scientology and The Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright. In this book he details the history and incidents within the church and life of L. Ron Hubbard.

It is indeed shocking what people will put up with in the name of religion, and how much it costs them.

I think about explaining all the stuff about Xenu, Aliens, Galactic Confederacies from a Quadrillion years ago, and "thetans", to some of my friends... And how they would, without fail, tell me that is "Crazy".

Yet, these same people will get up early on Sundays. Get all gussied up. Drive to the Lower Case "t" Building. Listen to stories about resurrections. Living in a whale. The raping of angels. And a deity punishing his disobedient subjects in a lake of fire, for all eternity, because he loves them?

The author did himself a disservice by limiting the "Prison of Belief" to just Scientology.

I saw a quote this week that made me quite happy, "Blasphemy is speech that has been outlawed to keep your religion from losing arguments."

Reese's Peanut Butter eggs are still awesome,

d

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Clever Title To Make You Read

A friend of mine had a birthday this week. I decided to let her pick my topic...

The Trans Pacific Partnership.

Um... So... I have researched it, (sparingly - it is excruciatingly boring...)... And... Um... It could be bad. It is like NAFTA, which... Was bad? You can Google "Trans Pacific Partnership good" and see articles as to why it could be good, and then Google "Trans Pacific Partnership bad" and see another set of articles to the contrary.

International trade agreements are a tad above my pay grade. I do know that lobbyists and big corporations are salivating at the mouth, and other orifices, for this thing to ratify... So... Yeah... It is probably bad. I also know that the all the meetings between the players on this thing have been done in seclusion with zero oversight... Yeah... Most likely bad.

My hatred of corporations is well known, and thanks to this blog thingy, well documented. I will usually defend capitalism. I will not defend capitalism bereft of humanitarianism.

Exxon has devoted a couple of million to clean energy research, while raking in historical profits. Historical as in since there has been commerce on this planet. Fantastic... At the ratio of investing in alternative energy, they will be able to buy Canada after the U.S. coastal region, and Interior region, and the rest of it become uninhabitable.

Monsanto, another monster of a corporation, is literally bulletproof under the law. You can not sue them. It is almost illegal to NOT use their product. This week, or last, a reporter was talking to a lobbyist, who claimed that this one preferred chemical of theirs is perfectly safe to drink. The reporter then went all Erin Brockovich and informed that they had some, would he care for a glass? The interview ended shortly thereafter.

Many European countries have enacted bans/restrictions/regulations on Monsanto. They have specified that the foods treated with their chemicals have to be labelled as "Genetically Modified". That would never happen here... Our politicians are so bought and paid for.

Walmart... They always catch flack when they come to towns and try to build... Mostly from small Mom n' Pop shops who can't compete with Walmart's low prices. The fun part is when you realize HOW Wally got the prices so low... First, pay your employees the least possible and keep them at 38 hours a week, so they don't have to be offered benefits. Second, buy in bulk, which is a sound strategy, granted. Third, become such a global monster, that you can make companies pay YOU to sell their shit.

If I ever find myself in need a fifty five gallon drum of ketchup... Costco. Would it cost me three bucks more than at Sam's? Sure, but it is worth it to me. They are doing it right.

I am not against all corporations. There are some that appear to have a soul. It is usually those built by a dumb schmo like the rest of us. They built it with their own hands. The people who helped them build it along the way, are taken care of. From the shipping manager, to the receptionist. If the head honcho does well, they all do well.

A lot of companies start out that way. Then time takes it's toll. The head honcho dies. His spoiled little bitch kids inherit the company. They don't care about Frank, the guy who drives the forklift in the warehouse. Never mind that Frank and the deceased ex. pres. would have drinks at a bar every other Friday... It is always the "next gen" that perverts what was EARNED and WORKED FOR... Usually because they never had to work for or earn a damn thing in their spoiled lives..

The only exception to that I can find to that example is "Tommy Boy".

Certain institutions have become "industrialized". This does not bode well. The Incarceration Industry? The Military Industrial Complex? The Private Security Industry? The Health Care Industry?

When corporations are in charge of food, war, prison, and healthcare.... oh, and 95% of the world's wealth... and they have made themselves unaccountable to any regulatory body through lobbyists, the bottom line is that constants of death and taxes are now negotiable.

___________________

Slinging ass for money may be the world's oldest profession, I guess that would make the first pimp the world's oldest corporation... Caveman Ugg, Inc. "Did you want a blonde? Redhead? C'mon down to Uncle Ugg's Cave O' Happy!"

In "Aliens", by James Cameron, the bad guy was a slimy, acid in it's veins, black hearted, bastard... Named Burke, played by Paul Reiser. He was the Corporate Liason of Weyland-Utani... Accompanying, and dictating actions of troops during a military operation. Then they ran into some aliens. Upon reflection, almost every Cameron movie is pretty much anti-corporation. Also, for the record, THERE WAS ROOM FOR JACK, ROSE! You bitch.

They mostly come out at night, mostly,

d

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