Judgment

Now, typically I don't get religious in my posts because I don't feel it is necessary to advertise my beliefs. I believe in tolerance. I let you believe what you will and try to respect you for that. In turn I hope to learn more about what you believe so I may confirm or add to my own beliefs. I don't want to be shut out to ideas because I may have been told to. On that note, it happened again. It happened at Thanksgiving and one holiday later it happened one more time. On Christmas, I'm not sure how, but my family went off on homosexuals again. It's very disconcerting to hear their hateful and un-Christian remarks. It drives me nuts when people claim Christianity but listen to very little of it. I must admit, I said nothing to them, partially because of my voice, but mainly because I didn't want to make an issue. My mom, though, seems to share my mentality which helped restore my views of the obedient Christian.

First of all, we are to reserve our judgment. Matthew 7:1-2 NIV says: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I love the Message Remix which translates the Scripture into contemporary English. Matthew 7:1-5 in it says: "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticise their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing the holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor."

They would argue how they must be sinners. I would counter that all of us are no different. Romans 3:23 NIV says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." More importantly, I was always taught to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 18:19, Mark 12:31). How is loving your neighbor the same as condemning them for something they have no control over and how God made them? In fact, we, as Christians, are not to lash out, but to turn the other cheek when we are attacked (Matthew 5:39 NIV) or as the Message Remix puts it: "'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it." Ah, the fundamentals of tolerance. Similar to love the sinner, hate the sin. You don't have to like what other people do but that shouldn't stop you from loving and supporting them in whatever they choose to do. I just hope my family realizes this before their private opinions may turn into public, and life-damaging remarks.

Do I hate them for this? No, As much as it disturbs me, I must try to help them see the truth. No matter how I feel, one strong Christian value is that of forgiveness. We are to "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32 NIV). Sorry to get all spiritual on everyone, but, as I said, it bothers me when Christians, the people who should be the most loving people you will meet, can act with such hatred.

Holiday Awards

OK, I'm going to go over the presents in a fun way.

Most surprised reaction: Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows for PS2. I got this from my mom's side aunt and I was totally not expecting this. They have never picked up PS2 games before and it is very appreciated.

Least surprised reaction: a brown light-weight coat. I opened this and I was taken back. I already have my brown corduroy coat which I like and this just seemed so similar. I'm sure I find a good use for it though.

Most consistent: iTunes gift cards. I love these things and I got two of them.

Most practical: I got a bunch of long-sleeved shirts and nifty ties with black pants for when I can go back to work.

Least practical: Call of Duty 3 for Wii. I love it and I can't wait, but I don't have the system yet.

Neatest gift: a long black wool coat with scarf and leather gloves. So cool.

Belated gift: Nintendo Wii, when I get one, it counts as a Christmas gift.

Funniest gift: a pillow that says "Be Nice or Go Away."

Unfortunate gift: Call of Duty 3 for PS2. I just got the Wii one earlier in the day and my aunt picked it up. I felt bad but I know I could exchange it for Zelda or something.

Gift you wouldn't expect me to love: CD-Rs. I have none of these at all which is surprising.

Gift I wish I got: an electric razor. Mine has its sideburn razor broken so they get long until I go home and nix it.

Still Wii-less

This is a late post but I find myself with time now. On December 17, I heard that there would be another shipment of Wiis in. Toys R Us would get 7, Target would get a bunch, Best Buy would get some, and Wal-Mart would get some. So I woke up at 4:00 am to get to Wal-Mart in case they sold them at 5 instead of 8 like they did in Norfolk. When I arrived in Fremont, they said weren't getting any in so, not to waste time, I went to Omaha's Wal-Mart and they didn't have any. I was wondering if they were lying in order to prevent a line, but wondering wasn't going to get me one. It was about 5 and I went to Target to see if there was a line. There was, and there were tents. They opened at 8 and I was #37. It was very cold (possibly explaining my sickness) and I had some conversations with the people there. After 45 minutes the Target people came out and said there were only 15 Wiis and 8 PS3s. So I was out of there and went back to Wal-Mart. More people were there expecting Wii and they said they didn't have anybody. They sent someone back to make sure and they said they had none. So I went home to sleep.

I was working in the lobby with a teller that was hired when I left for college, Laura. She's fun. She likes sci-fi stuff so I had stuff to talk to her about. She saw Eragon and said they left a bunch of stuff out of the book. She and her husband were also looking for a Wii. She said he was 4th in line at Gamestop for 5 Wiis and had to leave to go to work. He was offered $100 for his spot. During the week, my brother said that my sister-in-law, Jordan, was at Wal-Mart and they announced over the speakers that there were 3 Wiis that just came in. My brother was so mad she didn't stop and pick one up. I didn't mind. The next day Laura said her friend was at another Wal-Mart with the same announcement and picked one up right away. So she got to play one. I was at Best Buy and there was a bunch of PS3s just sitting there with a worker watching them. He said the Wii was all sold out. I did get Call of Duty 3 for Wii so no I have a game and a controller with nunchuk, but no Wii. Hopefully once the holiday hype dies down, I'll be able to pick one up conveniently.

Es muy inferma

I was coughing lightly throughout last week, but on Saturday it began to escalate. We went to see Casino Royale and I was coughing fairly regularly. We got ice cream afterwards and the cod didn't help. My voice lost itself on Christmas Eve and I blacked out on Christmas Day. My voice was gone the following day. Every time I talked, it triggered a coughing outbreak. So I took work off. It didn't get better so I went to the doctor yesterday. I hadn't been there since 1991 when I got my stitches out. The worst thing is both of my parents don't remember me having stitches. That's very depressing. It's weird though, because there's very few headaches, no body pains, minor nasal problems, no stomach problems other than my coughs periodically triggering my gag reflex. It's all throat and chest. So the doctor said I have a form of bronchitis and gave me a prescription for a couple of syrups. One tastes fine but the other has a nice kick. My voice sounds horrible and I try to shut up for most of the day to relax my vocal cords. I hope I get better by the weekend because my cousin's wedding is on the 30th and Daniele is having a New Year's party and I want to go. Until then I'm very contagious and catching up on my relaxation.

The Silver Surfer

Almost There...

Well, I'm so close to being done I could taste it, if it was possible to taste the future. My Ethics and Values final went well. I got the poster project done and the self-assessment done for my education classes. I took the Ancient World test and made history of it. I've got my 15-20 page paper almost done. I just need to proofread for grammatical errors. Then it's under Dr. Taber's door following my Anthropology final at 10:30 and I'm outta here.

I've got a list of games to rent for PS2 and I hope to find the Wii over break. I've also got American Gods to read for Sci-Fi Club. I'm not working too much so I hope to have time for stuff.

I found about a class I want to take. It's the History and Geography of Greece, in Greece. It's from May 21-June 5 and it costs $2500. I'll see what I can scrounge.

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins

Shakedown 1979 Cool kids never have the time On a live wire right up off the street You and I should meet

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Boggle Challenge: 11 words

At the bottom of the window it says there are only 11 words possible in this Boggle grid. My question is: Can you find them? I only found 6 in the three minutes but I'll give you a few days. Good luck:

If you don't know how to play you basically form words that touch horizontally, vertically, or diagonally without reusing letters.

Wii-less

I heard that Wal-Mart would be selling Wiis at 8:00am today so I called them up on Monday to confirm. I asked if they would be available at midnight and they said 8:00am. Someone on Amazon claimed that there is a lock on the Wii so they cannot be sold until 8:00am. So I slept early and woke up to get there at about 7:15. There was no line. I thought it was weird so I got my stuff and listened around. They said that people were waiting at 5 and the Wiis were all claimed. I was thinking it was a ruse to prevent a rush on the systems so I paid for my stuff and waited around the electronics. They kept saying the same thing so I gave up.

That bugged me a bit because they never told me to get there earlier and I was under the impression that they couldn't be sold until 8. I think what happened was somebody got impatient and tried ringing them up to prove a point on the electronics registers. The Amazon guy said that the electronics and jewelry departments don't have the lock for some reason. They saw they would work and sold what they had. So when I hear about the next shipment, I'll just be more vigilant.