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Getting my Stock On
Oct. 13th, 2006 02:48 amAfter re-taking part of my InvesTOOLS stock trading course online, I returned to my beleaguered portfolio to do some damage control. ( Read more... )
Seen on a car passing me in traffic.
Oct. 3rd, 2006 06:10 pm"If Mary was pro-choice, there would be no Christmas!"
If Mary had a choice, she might have kept baby Jesus anyway.
If Mary didn't have a choice, she was effectively raped by God. Are you saying that having Christmas is so wonderful that it justifies worshipping a rapist?
Note to anti-choice advocates: It's not the pro-choice crowd that's trying to force anyone to do anything. There wasn't anyone present at the Divine Conception saying "we should force this woman to have an abortion." There isn't anyone doing it now, either.
I'm not saying this is a simple issue, because it's not. The above bumper sticker makes anyone associated with it look like un-educated knee-jerk dipshit. If I had issues with the idea of unborn babies being killed, I wouldn't want this bumper sticker making me look like an over-simplifying moron.
It's hard to take the moral high road when you're tripping over your untied shoelaces.
If Mary had a choice, she might have kept baby Jesus anyway.
If Mary didn't have a choice, she was effectively raped by God. Are you saying that having Christmas is so wonderful that it justifies worshipping a rapist?
Note to anti-choice advocates: It's not the pro-choice crowd that's trying to force anyone to do anything. There wasn't anyone present at the Divine Conception saying "we should force this woman to have an abortion." There isn't anyone doing it now, either.
I'm not saying this is a simple issue, because it's not. The above bumper sticker makes anyone associated with it look like un-educated knee-jerk dipshit. If I had issues with the idea of unborn babies being killed, I wouldn't want this bumper sticker making me look like an over-simplifying moron.
It's hard to take the moral high road when you're tripping over your untied shoelaces.
...so I'm talking to a partner of mine on the phone about something important, something she's been trying to communicate to me for a long time, something that's potentially threatening our relationship of over three years. I'm very engaged, pacing the house, trying to find the best way to get to understanding, when I realize I'm hearing a water noise that isn't supposed to be there. I run into my master suite, and the hot tub is overflowing all over the floor. There are already water spots several feet into the carpet, and I remember that I had been filling it earlier (a very slow process) and allowed myself to get distracted. I usually set an alarm of some kind while I do this, but I didn't this time and I payed for it. Immediately I think to (and at) myself:
"You stupid motherfucker! How could you possibly let something like this happen! Not only is this flood worse than when the pipe broke, but you never did any of those things to re-enforce the tub pit to prevent this water from getting out into the rest of the house! You *knew* this was inevitable! Why are you so lazy? Why didn't you at least set a fucking alarm!"
Luckily I own a steam cleaner that doubles as a wet-vac. I've already emptied a good 10 gallons of water sucked out of the carpet and mat, and that's only the first run. I'll go to Home Depot tomorrow and get another snail fan like the one I rented last time, and the damage will probably end up being under $200 total. It could easily have been $10k or more.
I've been reading a book called Non Violent Communication (Rosenberg) recently. It was recommended to me by the citizens of Poly Paradise, a polyamory camp at Burning Man. It's about expressing everything in terms of observations, feelings, needs, and requests. It also emphasizes the importance of doing this when communicating with yourself, as we are often our own worst oppressors. So, I'm applying it to the above situation.
The Observation: I let the hot tub overflow while filling it because I was distracted on the phone.
The Feeling: I feel very angry, and also scared (my house might get mold, the walls might fall down, etc.)
The Need: (In this case we discuss the need I was fulfilling, *and* the need I would prefer to have been fulfilling instead.) The first need was to have a better relationship with my partner. That relationship is very important to me, and I felt like paying it close attention without distractions would serve that need. The need I would prefer to have been paying closer attention to was the need for shelter and safety, both physical and economic, represented by my house. I could have chosen a better time for the discussion, set an alarm (or several!) to remind me to check the water, or simply had the discussion without leaving the master suite. Any of these choices would have satisfied both needs. There was also a conflict between my need to provide a better drainage system should this happen again, vs. my general cluster of 50,000 other needs that prevented me from doing it LAST time. Having had my bedroom flooded not once, but twice by this kind of situation, I will likely re-evaluate my priorities and elect to do the improvement project (once things dry off.)
I can't wait for the hot tub (now full of clean water!) to reheat. I could really fucking use it right now.
G'night.
"You stupid motherfucker! How could you possibly let something like this happen! Not only is this flood worse than when the pipe broke, but you never did any of those things to re-enforce the tub pit to prevent this water from getting out into the rest of the house! You *knew* this was inevitable! Why are you so lazy? Why didn't you at least set a fucking alarm!"
Luckily I own a steam cleaner that doubles as a wet-vac. I've already emptied a good 10 gallons of water sucked out of the carpet and mat, and that's only the first run. I'll go to Home Depot tomorrow and get another snail fan like the one I rented last time, and the damage will probably end up being under $200 total. It could easily have been $10k or more.
I've been reading a book called Non Violent Communication (Rosenberg) recently. It was recommended to me by the citizens of Poly Paradise, a polyamory camp at Burning Man. It's about expressing everything in terms of observations, feelings, needs, and requests. It also emphasizes the importance of doing this when communicating with yourself, as we are often our own worst oppressors. So, I'm applying it to the above situation.
The Observation: I let the hot tub overflow while filling it because I was distracted on the phone.
The Feeling: I feel very angry, and also scared (my house might get mold, the walls might fall down, etc.)
The Need: (In this case we discuss the need I was fulfilling, *and* the need I would prefer to have been fulfilling instead.) The first need was to have a better relationship with my partner. That relationship is very important to me, and I felt like paying it close attention without distractions would serve that need. The need I would prefer to have been paying closer attention to was the need for shelter and safety, both physical and economic, represented by my house. I could have chosen a better time for the discussion, set an alarm (or several!) to remind me to check the water, or simply had the discussion without leaving the master suite. Any of these choices would have satisfied both needs. There was also a conflict between my need to provide a better drainage system should this happen again, vs. my general cluster of 50,000 other needs that prevented me from doing it LAST time. Having had my bedroom flooded not once, but twice by this kind of situation, I will likely re-evaluate my priorities and elect to do the improvement project (once things dry off.)
I can't wait for the hot tub (now full of clean water!) to reheat. I could really fucking use it right now.
G'night.
