We didn't go to church as a family for a long time. We really just started about four years ago. I'm pretty sure this story pre-dates that, because even before we started going to church, we said bedtime prayers with the kids every night, and would sing "Jesus Loves Me," and sometimes, we read them Bible stories.

One Lenten season, when Christopher was a toddler, he kept saying something we could only parse as "Chocolate Jesus." No matter how many times he repeated it for us, all we (even the other kids) could make out was "Chocolate Jesus." I couldn't decide if I should feel convicted of the poor excuse for religious education we were giving the kids, or glad that at least he was able to connect A Big Candy Getting Holiday with Jesus -- in some way.

The mystery of the Chocolate Jesus finally resolved itself during yet another episode of his earnest evangelism of the "Chocolate Jesus!" He pointed at a party invitation Ben had received, and I realized he was actually saying, "Chuck E. Cheese's."

What are/did people have for dinner?

I had the best deal I've had food-wise in a while, and in the South End, no less. There's a Southwestern place called Masa, and they have a bar-only tapas menu. The tapas are a buck each, there are ten of them and you can get a combo platter with all ten for $10. On Sun, Mon and Thur (I think; definitely Thur) the platter (not the individual tapas) is $5. And while I didn't love everything, most of it was amazing, and I tried a couple of items I haven't had before (or in a while), including a tuna saviche. I was expecting to have one nibble, gag, and leave the rest, but it was surpringly good (and non-fishy). It's not a ton of food, but I was more than satisfied. Of course, the (very good) maragaritas range from $8-15, but I figure it's a hell of a deal anyway.

The mystery of the Chocolate Jesus finally resolved itself during yet another episode of his earnest evangelism of the "Chocolate Jesus!" He pointed at a party invitation Ben had received, and I realized he was actually saying, "Chuck E. Cheese's."

Of course, given the Tom Waits/Chocolate Jesus connection, that should be "Chuck E. Weiss'".

So apparently while I'm busy sleeping through my alarm, I can come up with a coherent narrative that combines my considering a haircut sometime soon, the fact I really need to be up and showering, an old crush, the following which I'm guessing came from the news on the radio:

• roadside bombings
  
• mutual funds
  
• traffic bogging down on one of the *95s
  
• the death of the last WWI Navy vet at 109 (a woman)
  

I'm tired.

Last night I ate macaroni & cheese for dinner, and afterward wondered why I'd been craving it. Tonight I think I'll make some grown-up food.

I skipped dinner because I had book club and expected treats. Our book was a Chinese theme as was the food.

Breakfast this morning was asparagus and swiss omelet. It was yum. Yes, I added red pepper because I like the hot.

tommyrot posted this story about a life-size chocolate Jesus in the Music thread, by accident, I think:

Nah, it was on purpose, because of the Tom Waits song. Not sure if that humor worked, though.

In the Chicago Tribune I found this link: Courtney Love rapidly losing weight

Is it bad that my first thought was, "Oh, so she's doing speed now"?

Coffee cup empty. Woe. Must find more. Maybe stab coworker and steal his coffee.

First they came for the pirates

Weaverville – When you’re a pirate, some dangers just come with the territory: scurvy, grog hangovers, a walk down the plank at sword point.

But being kicked out of school for a day?

Bryan Killian doesn’t think that’s a fair reaction to his decision to come to North Buncombe High School wearing an eye patch and an inflatable cutlass.

The sophomore spent Wednesday at home after an administrator took issue with his accessories.

Buncombe County Schools says the eye patch was disruptive to classroom instruction. The student’s refusal to take it off after four warnings led to discipline, the district said.

“I feel like my First Amendment was violated,” Killian, 16, said. “Freedom of religion and freedom of expression. That’s what I tried to do, and I got shot down.”

Freedom of religion?

Yes, Killian says, his “pirate regalia” is part of his faith — the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The parody religion, whose “Pastafarian” members worship a sentient, airborne clump of noodles and meatballs, originated in a letter to the Kansas school board urging it to add the religion to its plans to teach evolution and intelligent design side by side.

It became an Internet phenomenon, spawning a belief system that holds pirates to be divine beings and blames global warming on the disappearance of the buccaneers.

Satirical though it may be, Killian isn’t laughing.

“If this is what I believe in, no matter how stupid it might sound, I should be able to express myself however I want to,” he said.

An eye patch is no more disruptive than a Christian cross around one’s neck, he said.

PZ Myers is not happy: [link]

Someone posted this interesting comment on PZ's blog:

Well, the worst thing about stuff like FSM and certain neo-pagan nature-worshiping types, is that by discriminating against some and not others, it puts the government in charge of actually determining what is and isn't a "religion", which in itself is something the government simply shouldn't be doing.

This is particularly a crazy when it's not a "traditional" religion but one where the history is actually quite modern. If you can say that FSM is not a religion because we know who made it up and why, what does that say about Scientology? (yeah, a question that can be answered both ways, work with me here. :) )

How does the government decide what's a religion and what's not? Religions have to achieve a certain popularity? What if the Jedi religion becomes popular?

But I just saw a non-Donohue rep of the Catholic League on TV saying something like, "Would they do this with other religions? Would they make a chocolate Mohammed??" OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Muslims don't wear Mohammed jewelry, either! I mean, for crying out loud, people. That's the stupidest argument against this I can imagine -- Christians love creating art images of holy figures. Muslims, not so much.

I must have seen the same report as you-- I got so annoyed at the most ginned up controversy EVER. Jesus can't be naked! He must be barely covered by a loincloth! And the whole thing about how Catholics are MORE discriminated against than other religions. And come ON NY1, there's no way that gallery is considering taking down newsworthy, controversial art, even if the idea is kind of stupid (oh, it's chocolate, just like the Easter bunny, and My Sweet Jesus is a pun!) Needless to repeat, I was so annoyed.