It sounds like a very nice family weekend, Teppy. I hope you are well rested today.
Interview~ma for Joe!
My mom's last surviving lifelong friend passed this morning. It was expected, but it leaves mom the sole survivor with no one that remembers stuff from her childhood. The woman's 4 surviving children grew up with me. Her daughter that was my age passed earlier this year. Poor woman lost her mother, husband, daughter, and younger brother within a few years. She was quite ready to join them.
I'd planned to head back to Florida on Friday but now I need to wait until I know what the funeral plans are. Not that it is all about me, but I do need to make some plan since my son's 16th birthday is Sunday and school starts Monday. Going home really does need to happen soon.
Job~ma for Joe.
And peace and comfort~ma to your Mom and you, and everyone who loved this friend, Laura.
Interview~ma for Joe.
Well, that was interesting. I needed to fax a form back to my university in DC so that I'll be able to graduate. I first went to the library, where they told me that they don't have a fax machine, but the drugstore down the street does. So I went to the drugstore, where they tried faxing the forms, but said the pages were too wrinkled (they were maybe slightly wrinkled from where I'd been holding them) and told me to go to the copy shop around the corner. So I went there. While I waited, I read the stuff on their bulletin board. There were a bunch of cheesy religious stories, a few email joke forwards that weren't particularly funny, and a page of quotes from Thomas Jefferson. There was, of course the tree of liberty must be refreshed by the blood of patriots one. Also a few about how a free society will always allow the right bear arms, and how democracy will be over when we take from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not. (Is that one really Jefferson? It doesn't seem right for that time period.) Also one about how our society will become corrupt if we all get concentrated in big cities, which I found a bit ironic next to the "9/11 brought us all together" poem.
Anyway. Fax sent. Finally.
Oh the wacky on that bulletin board, Hil.
Yesterday, my sister posted one of those "funny" quotes as her status on FB, to the effect of "Why can't our children read the Bible in school, but they can in jail?" Several of her friends commented about what a good point that is. So I had to respond that no, it isn't actually a good point because it is not true, including a link to a U.S. Dept. of Education statement that students in public schools must be permitted to read a Bible or whatever scripture they choose, during non-instructional time (study hall, lunch, recess, etc.) to the same extent that they are allowed to read any other book. I pointed out that if they knew of any school district which is not following this policy, formal complaints could be filed. Oddly enough, no one has yet responded "oh wow, that's great, I didn't know that".
I saw someone a few months ago wearing a t-shirt that said on the back something like, "Dear God, Why do you allow all the drugs and violence in our public schools? Love, Student. Dear Student, I'm not allowed in public schools. Love, God." That's not only a bad grasp of government, it also seems to be a pretty bad grasp of theology.
Yeah, that's not how the Divine works. And it isn't how Separation of Church and State works, either.
It is an excellent grasp of soundbite, however, which seems to be rapidly taking over both government and theology.
If I can make a small side track on the religion thing:
I know I've mentioned this before: Tim's dad is super-duper involved in his Catholic parish, and is gung-ho on Catholic doctrine.
After we got back yesterday afternoon from the family trip, Tim asked his dad if, since he couldn't make it to mass Sunday morning because of the trip, would he be going to a Sunday evening mass. Tim's dad said that he had a lot to do that evening, so he probably wouldn't, even though it would be a mortal sin to skip mass.
I went O_o (but internally), and looked it up later. Sure enough, skipping mass is right up there with murder.
I just can't get down with a God who is so petty as to condemn me to the fires of hell for not going to a specific building once a week to recite the same pre-printed prayers with a group of people. And if it turns out that I'm wrong, well, I guess the joke will be on me.
But...seriously?!?
(Also, as we were looking it up, other mortal sins were listed, including extra-marital sex and masturbation [yes, whacking off is equivalent to murder], and it explained how the sinner must make a full confession of such sins to a priest, including FULL DETAILS of EACH INCIDENT. Uh...really? Again I say, that is FUCKED UP.)
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But it almost makes me want to go back to the faith just to make my confession. I would totally do that.
