The Trials and Tribulations of the not-so-New Bear Icon

Alright, time to turn on the randomizer...

* First, there's a pick-up truck in our parking garage - one of many as you might guess, we have people driving everything from trucks with acetylene torches for welding to ones where the guy advertises his cattle ranch. Seriously, he'll sell you fresh beef from his ranch. Still, this one truck is out there and the entire bed of the truck is filled with empty oil bottles. On the back window there's a sticker that says "Save Ocean Wildlife".

Luckily for the seals the oil slick is under this guys truck, and not out at sea.

* Next, apparently Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia defended the US use of torture by giving his support to the efforts of fictional character Jack Bauer. He stated, "Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles. ... He saved hundreds of thousands of lives," Judge Scalia said. Then, recalling Season 2, where the agent's rough interrogation tactics saved California from a terrorist nuke, the Supreme Court judge etched a line in the sand.

Yes, Jack's techniques work because the writers wrote that it would work. That's kind of like endorsing vigilantism because Batman's effective.

Really, does anyone in Washington know what reality is anymore?

* Here's an odd, morning addled conversation Chris and I had, as much as I can recall it.

I'm at the computer and a noticeably hungry Chris is ready to go get breakfast. I turn and ask him where he's going, and he states he has to get something to eat before he comes over and eats my hand off. I said, "So, eat my hand off, huh?" He replies, "Yeah, then what are you going to do?" "I don't know, wait for the bleeding to stop then stump you?"

Stumping - verb - A sexual act of penetration involving an amputated limb.

Chris, clearly put off by the image starts to walk down the stairs. I needed to pile on. "So, would stumping be something like "Phantom Fisting?"

Chris was done with me for a while.

❄ Other people in the DFW area have been talking about snowflurries today. I haven't seen any here, so I must be in the warm part of town. Still, there's predictions of more as we drop below freezing tonight. I doubt any will stick, but it is still strange. I'm guessing that this is going to put a big damper on the Easter Pet Parade in Lee Park tomorrow, which sucks. We always see some great folks and their pets out there. Last year temps were in the 90's!

❆ About a month ago I saw a story stating that gas prices shouldn't go to $3.00 a gallon this year (in Texas). At that time prices had risen to $2.25. Now the price is 2.75. I'm going to guess that we'll hit $3.00 right after April 15th. *sigh*

❅ So I've been catching up with episodes of 24 this weekend. It's the first season that I've watched this show as I've seen a few people rave about it. I have one question: Has the show always been this bad, or is this season just terrible?

It's not necessarily the acting, but it's just the writing that seems awful. They have an interesting scenario, a suitcase nuke goes off, and not only do we see how we try to get those responsible, but we also see leader's response to it. The problem is, they throw away characters all the time. Someone shows up for an hour or two and then they disappear, having little impact on the plot arch of the show. Then there's the need to give the series regulars something to do, so they look for moles and have office romances and suspect each other of drinking on the job, none of which is interesting or does anything to move the story forward.

I wonder if the writers are also writers of videogames, as there is a similarity of plot devices where you go from one situation to another on a path to the finish. There's several small bosses that must be defeated (or as Jack Bauer does, interrogate them) until you finally get to the big boss.

There's also a lot of M. Night Shamalan "Ohh! What a twist!" moments that aren't as big a reveals as they seem to think.

I'll watch the rest of the season just to see what craziness they pull out to show that it's not the Muslims or the Russians or even the Cheney-like vice president. It's probably Jack's Dad who was seen in two episodes early on and promptly forgotten. After it's over, it's getting deleted off the Tivo.

❄Otherwise, Chris and I were at the local mall last weekend and it was a little dead. We walked by center court and there was the Easter bunny sitting there waiting for children to come up and get photos. At this mall he's a overly large brown furry with a nice waistcoat and tie. He was sitting on a park bench and the area was decorated like it was New York's Central Park. Why this was, I have no clue.

We're looking at the rather-lonely bunny from the second level, and Chris asks me if i found the bunny a little creepy. I said no and asked him what he meant.

He says, "Well you have a guy in a bunny suit waiting on a park bench for kids to come and sit on his lap."

Yeah, when you put it like that, yeah, it's creepy.

I have to say that the events in the middle east are troubling, but it's nice to see that some people are very, very happy about it, so I'm happy to link to Rapture Ready, the website that's just for those who think that the second coming is sometime between next week, and my birthday, two weeks from now.

What's really great are the people posting on the bulletin board who are giving out advice, looking at the signs, and trying to help people know where to leave a message for their left behind loved ones when they have left this earth. My favorite note hiding place is "in the liquor cabinet," because you know people are going to drink when all of these folks are gone.

Of course one of the threads on the bulletin board was deleted when some bloggers, like Andrew Sullivan, Jonathan Swift and Daily Kos started noticing the fact that the posters were getting just a little happy about the Mid East bombings between Israel and Hezbola. luckily they kept some of it around...here's a quote:

Is it time to get excited? I can't help the way I feel. For the first time in my Christian walk, I have no doubts that the day of the Lords appearing is upon us. I have never felt this way before, I have a joy that bubbles up every-time I think of him, for I know this is truly the time I have waited for so long. Am I alone in feeling guilty about the human suffering like my joy at his appearing some how fuels the evil I see everywhere. If it were not for the souls that hang in the balance and the horror that stalks man daily on this earth, my joy would be complete. For those of us who await his arrival know, somehow we just know it won't be long now, the Bridegroom cometh rather man is ready are not.

That's from poster Ohhappyday. Perky and ready to vanish. Good for the war, even though he/she feels bad about the suffering, because she's not going to have to deal with the aftermath, it's OK. Let's try another one:

If He tarries, I will just have time to get my hair and nails done (you know let all I come into contact with know of my Bridegroom and what He has/will do). So i am all spiffied up for Him when He does arrive to take me home. No disappointment, just a few last minute details to take care of to be more pleasing to look at. Sound the shofar! Let the Enemy know the alert has been sounded and Yeshua is stepping onto the battlefield.

This is another one that just makes me think of the people in the Heavens Gate group who were ready to die to get placed on a spaceship. I'm guessing that she's ready to go because she can't get a date, so why not save yourself for Jesus? The Kool-Aid waits for you.

It's fascinating, and troubling. These people are ready to give up on the world, and that's OK, i guess, but to me they just seem desperate hoping for more suffering that seems like a sign to them. I'll admit that I can't quote the Bible, but I remember something where God said that you won't know the time of my coming. I'm going to stick with that, and try not to mess up the world that we live in now, just because I'm not worried about those who will have to fix it later.

Still, I wonder...how many people might be trying to promote conflict thinking that they will bring on the rapture...it's been suggested that people in the Bush administration belive this, so what would they do, and how far would they go to make it happen?

These folks are dangerous, and a bit sad.