x5 (not a belief, but an idea)

So, today I put on the cross that one of my sisters gave me for my confirmation. I’m not going to lie – part of the reason is because it’s really, really pretty. And part of the reason is because she gave it to me, and that makes it special. But another part of it is because my friends and I watched Dogma the other day. I love that movie. Every time I watch it, I think to myself, “You know – Christians aren’t that bad. If Christianity was really like this, I think I could be Christian.”

But, unfortunately, it’s not.

So, I’m not wearing this cross because I’m Christian. I’m wearing this cross because I respect what Christianity could have been. Deep down in my heart, I have no beefs with what Christianity should be. In all honesty, I think that Jesus would have been exactly as he was portrayed in that film – a chill guy who is kind of wigged out by how people treated some of the cool stuff he said. Like Salma Heyek’s character said, “No denomination has got it right. What they don’t realize is that it’s not who you have faith in – it’s that you have faith.” And as Chris Rock’s character said, “Don’t have beliefs. Have ideas. People die for beliefs. But an idea you can change.”

I’ve always thought that religion is what you make it. It’s different for every person, but no person is really wrong. There’s one entity, but it presents itself in different ways so that everyone can have a slice of the pie. I call myself Neo-Pagan, but I can respect all religions. It’s not the religions that have the problem – it’s the people that follow them. The way I see it (because I have no faith in humanity whatsoever), about 90% of the world’s population are douchebags. Therefore, 90% of any given group/minority/religion/gender, etc, are douchebags. So I can not only safely say that most Christians are douchebags, but so are most Sikhists, Wiccans, Kabbhalists, or whatever. Each faith has its good points, and most of the bad stuff was probably added on later by – you guessed it – the 90% of the population who are douchebags.

So, that’s my rant on religion. Word.

Add a comment 27 November 2008

x4 (so rude)

So, I got an e-mail on Thursday morning. The e-mail author made it seem like the matter up for discussion was very important and needed immediate attention. The author did not, however, request that I call or meet with them. I responded to that e-mail later that afternoon, and have not heard back from this person. What’s the deal? If it’s so important, why didn’t this person e-mail me the next day? Are they spending this time talking about a situation that pertains to me behind my back?

Speaking of people who talk about you behind your back, one of my coworkers came to me today to tell me something.

Coworker: “So, did the boss tell you about [insert issue here]?”

Me: “No, he hasn’t mentioned it.”

Curious as to why my boss hadn’t talked to me about an issue that pertained to me, I made sure to strike up several conversations with him. He failed to mention it. Did he forget? Should I have mentioned it? But if it was so important to mention to a coworker, why couldn’t he have told me himself?

The same thing happens whenever I end up doing group work for class.

Professor: “[insert group member here] complained about [insert issue here] pertaining to your work.”

Me: “Really? Because [insert group member here] never talked to me. I have e-mailed [insert group member here] and never got any response.”

Why is it that people feel the need to have someone else talk to me when they could talk to me themselves? What’s up with this relay race of information? Are these people not brave enough to talk to me in person? Is it common practice now to have a middle man in all conversations? Why can’t people have the balls to be more direct?

Grr.

Add a comment 22 November 2008

x3 (they got the mustard out!)

So, I got my phone wet awhile ago, and it became posessed. For a few days, it constantly pressed the number three by itself, along with the “#” and “&” symbols. This made it difficult to talk to people on my phone, because it would beep incessantly while I was conversing with them. After it dried off, the three button on the phone would not work – so I couldn’t access my voicemail (which has a three in the password), access the “DEF” listings on my contact list, or call people with a number three in their phone number. It was very annoying. BUT, it is now fixed. I don’t know how, but it did, and I’m very glad.

And by the way… those Twilight books and that Twilight movie that’s coming out SUCK. Fucking Twilight groupies… ugh… they annoy me so much.

<3 Aurora

Add a comment 17 November 2008

x2 (to veg or not to veg?)

So, I figure… if I’m going home and not eating lame cafeteria food, I may as well become vegan. Or if not vegan, at least a more ethically conscious vegetarian. See, I don’t necessarily have a problem with eating milk or egg products, I just have a problem with the way the animals are treated. I would have no objections to eating cage-free eggs (or, for that matter, having a pet chicken) or buying dairy products from a local grass-fed farm with anti-cruelty practices. It’s more expensive, but they do exist.

Probably the hardest thing would be not buying wool, and I don’t think I’d get rid of the wool stuff I’ve had for years. As a general rule, my policy on wool/leather is to not buy it new, but think about it if it’s vintage/flea market/used. I haven’t bought new leather… in about four years, I think. I have two leather jackets I got at vintage clothing stores, and a pair of leather cowboy boots I got at a flea market… so while that may not necessarily be vegan, it definitely isn’t supporting the modern leather industry, so I don’t really feel that bad about it. I thought that purging non-vegan makeup products would be hard, but after going through what I use on a daily basis, I was surprised to find how easy it was to weed out just a few things with lanolin or milk in them. Oh, and there’s another non-vegan thing… I wouldn’t give up honey/beeswax/silk/carageenan/carmine, etc, because I have no affinity for insects. The little fuckers can die, for all I care. Especially mosquitoes and fruit flies. Fucking bugs…

I’ve been using PETA more and more as a resource over the past few years, which is odd. While they do have a lot of useful information, some of their practices are over the top. I just started liking them again when I read an article about a PETA member throwing something on someone, and I got a little annoyed. OK, a lot annoyed. I really dislike extremists – political, religious, or any other kind – because they give a bad name to the rest of us. Not that there really is a large group of “the rest of us”, because I figure about 90% of the world’s population are douchebags; therefore, 90% of the world’s minorities or groups of any kind are douchebags. As you can see, I really have very little faith in humanity. I think the point of this last rant was to assure you, the reader (all .47% of you), that I am not going to be an obnoxious fake-blood-throwing vegan.

<3 to all,
Aurora

1 comment 16 November 2008

x1 (starting over)

So, I’m starting my blog fresh. No more posts of glbt news. It’ll basically be quick updates for those of you who frequent blogs.

I’ll be moving back to Massachusetts in January. My hair is pink. I’m excited about Thanksgiving because I’m going to start redecorating my room. That’s about it for now.

<3  you all…

Aurora

Add a comment 16 November 2008