And on a completely other topic, does anyone have a good recipe for peppercorn salad dressing? One that I probably already have everything for in my kitchen?

Go to store.

Pick out dressing.

Approach cashier, slowly.

Gradually take out money.

This recipe may take you out of your kitchen, however.

In totally other news, I had a minor freak out in the grocery store tonight when my debit card was rejected. WTFF?? Oh. Right. "expires 04/05."

It's a Bose-Einstein condensate. Just a bunch of really cold atoms huddled together in a ball.

OK, well, just don't jostle it or anything.

Cindy, that's some deep stuff there. And I get *most* of it. It's just that I think religion in general must fill a need within an individual. If that individual hasn't the need or doesn't perceive the need--the religion becomes more of a chore and less of a path to enlightenment or salvation or whatever.

But mostly, I like to keep my Sundays free.

You people MAKE your own salad dressing???

WTFF?? Oh. Right. "expires 04/05."

Doesn't your bank send you a new one before the old one expires?

Just a bunch of really cold atoms huddled together in a ball.

Poor, cold atoms. We should knit them a little sweater or something.

I have no take on god(s). I am all Occam's Razor about that sort of thing.

I do remember, in the 9th grade, being required to read a couple of books from the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, one or two others). I got to the end of Exodus, where Moses (the author) dies before the end of his book, and was like, Ripoff! Soooo ghost-written. Somehow my teacher did not find this a respectful approach, but then, I continue to labor under the impression that a respectful approach, in English class, can be a hindrance sometimes.

Still, it was useful to have read at least some of the Bible (although, it was sad how little of it I recalled; in college, someone had to remind me that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, not in Rome), because it's a cultural competence for reading so many other works. Dante's line "I am not Aeneas; I am not Paul," makes no sense unless you know who Aeneas and Paul are.

Doesn't your bank send you a new one before the old one expires?

It sure does. Which new card was sitting safely here at home. Der.

Poor, cold atoms. We should knit them a little sweater or something.

OK, now I feel selfish. I didn't even stop to consider how the atoms were feeling.

We have the big bang in a trap about 10 feet to the left of me, or so they tell me.

Do NOT cross the streams!

Quantum physics and cosmology are the closest things I have to a religion -- there is some massively weird and powerful shit out there, and it awes me.

This.

Also, the human brain, the human mind is the most amazing thing to me....

wrod.