Still no pony.

I am working on a post featuring answers to questions posited by darling Wry.

Patience, precious…patience.

This is my cousin, Rachel. She’s entered in an online contest with Columbia Records. Now, Country isn’t really my thing, but she’s got the voice for it and I think you should go and vote for her! Just click on the link under the photo!

Vote for me on Bix.com!

A Spiritual Athiest!You scored as Spiritual Atheist, Ah! Some of the coolest people in the world are Spiritual Atheists. Most of them weren’t brought up in an organized religion and have very little baggage. They concentrate on making the world a better place and know that death is just another part of life. What comes after, comes after. Scientific Atheist 83% Spiritual Atheist 83% Agnostic 67% Apathetic Atheist 67% Theist 33% Militant Atheist 0% Angry Atheist 0% What kind of atheist are you? created with QuizFarm.com

BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!

• He obssessively does the crossword puzzle in the paper everyday.

• Even tho he says he hates dogs, you know deep down he really doesn’t.

• He has quite a generous nature and if it’s in his power to do so, will help you with whatever you need.

• He’s gone from voting for Nixon to voting a straight Democratic ticket.

• As he was a lawyer, he has some great stories about the grimey underbelly of the small town we grew up in.

• He had the good sense to marry Frances.

• He speaks Japanese.

• He listens to Al Franken.

• He likes to make a good burn pile in the back yard.

• Jack likes to drive his cars until they are literally begging to be put out of their misery.

• He scratched out the tune Island Girl on my sister’s Elton John album because he thought it was evil, thus earning him the name “Benito”.

• Once he had the idea that he would become a “worm farmer”. It never panned out, surprisingly.

• When I was sixteen he taught me how to drive a stick shift.

• Sometimes after he would come home from taking a long trip to the county courthouse (a good couple of hours away) we’d find that the volume was cranked on the stereo and there was either The Cars or Talking Heads in the player.

• He’s the hardest person to buy gifts for.

• He hates his birthday.

• He had a kidney stone operation when I was a little kid. They cut him from his belly button to his back bone. When I saw the stitches I said, “Eww, bugs!” To this day, the scar is referred to as “my bugs”.

• My favorite thing about Jack is that he is a genuinely nice and good person.

Happy Father’s Day, Pop!

Ladies and Gentlemen… I give you Blackberry-Rhubarb Cobbler.

Yeah, big shock. The fat girl likes to bake.

(If you read this before on my other blog, feel free to ignore this.)

Over on my sister’s blog, she mentioned that she didn’t want to get into her religious past, and I agree with her. It’s not something that I’ve really wanted to write about, because frankly, I don’t know where I stand on the issue of god. On religion…oh yeah, I know exactly where I stand. I don’t think there’s any room for god/the universe/whatever (g/tu/w) in religion. People seem to forget about god and concentrate on the rules, regulations and dogma that put a straight jacket on any type of real communion with g/tu/w. I think religion kills that. In my opinion, organized religion is probably the main cause for most of the problems in the world. Not g/tu/w, but religion.

Since I’ve left the church that I grew up in, I’ve been struggling with how to define my beliefs. I guess I’m still working on it and don’t ever expect to know it all. I’m very suspicious of people that claim they have all the truth and knowledge. I just don’t think that’s possible. I grew up with people telling me that the church I belonged to was the only one on earth that was true and the only way to “God”. Of course, now I know that’s a steaming pile. Does there have to be a way to g/tu/w? Why? Why isn’t it ok not to know? Why are people so scared of that? To me, it’s been so freeing to not have any answers. It’s left room for questioning and discovery of other ways of thinking. I feel so much more open to what the world has to offer now than I ever did as a member of organized religion.

There are alot of issues that I have with the church I grew up in, but I’m choosing not to get into that right now. When I think about them my head feels like it’s about to explode. However, I did have a “d’oh!” moment yesterday after reading the aforementioned sister’s blog…and this is it: I don’t HAVE to care about this anymore. I don’t HAVE to worry about that church ANYMORE! What those old men in SLC have to say doesn’t concern me or touch on my life ANYMORE! I swear to you, I sat here at the computer, looking out the window and a part of my soul enlarged and was set free. It may sound kind of crazy, but that’s just what it felt like. See, the thing is, even though I have left the church o’ my birth, it is still part of my cultural heritage and I still feel it’s tentacles reaching out for me. Yesterday I was able to bat those tentacles away a bit further and feel free.

So, what does all this mean? Absolutely no clue. I’m no closer to defining my beliefs and that’s ok. I don’t have to know and it feels great.

Update: I’m still no closer to being able to define my beliefs in any tangible way…and I’m still ok about it. I find that what I do believe is very close to deism, but I won’t label myself. I’m ok with LIVING LIFE AS IT COMES.

Oh. My. Vishnu.

Check out this article from the Daily Herald newspaper from Central Utard.

I’m sorry, but them peoples is KUH-RAZY. There are lots and lots of reason to never live in Utah/Utah County. I think this article pretty much lays it on the table why you shouldn’t. Oy vey!

Some highlights of the article:

“Utah County Republicans ended their convention on Saturday by debating Satan’s influence on illegal immigrants.”

“…Satan’s minions want to eliminate national borders and do away with sovereignty.”

“Illegal aliens are in control of the media, and working in tandem with Democrats, are trying to “destroy Christian America” and replace it with “a godless new world order — and that is not extremism, that is fact,” Larsen said.”

“At the end of his speech, Larsen began to cry…” (too many Testimony meetings for this guy, I guess.)

“[State Republican Chair Enid ]Greene said she was disappointed in BYU professors who protested Dick Cheney’s visit to campus, calling them ’self-appointed intellectuals.’“

“I’m not calling for BYU to fire them but if no one signs up for their classes …” she said. “If they say the Vice President doesn’t have anything to say we want to hear, I’m not interested in having my daughter learn from them.”

“Lt. Governor Gary Herbert said Utah County Republicans are “guided by correct principles” and are the “best of the best” of the Republican Party. ” (How freakin’ Mormonish is that?)

Look, Utah is a beautiful state. Scenic, lovely, etc. But to actually live there amongst (not all Utahn’s are like this, I know) this bullshit? I just couldn’t do it. I give major props to those that do.

Today at 2:15 (well, probably 2:45 after sitting in the waiting room for half an hour) I’ll be in the stirrups getting the dreaded yearly exam. Hence, going to my happy place. You’d think after lo these many years I’d be used to it by now. I don’t think you ever get used to being in that position with a stranger all up in your biz-niss. I know, I know… cancer check. It’s a good thing.

In other health news, another trip to Dr. Dumbass, M.D. This time around it was a bit better. He actually listened to me and prescribed me with some drugs. It’s a step forward. I’m feeling better, I don’t have the headache all day long anymore. I’d say we’re down to about 1/2 to 3/4 of the day. I know it doesn’t sound like much of an improvement, but I’m reveling in the fact that I don’t wake up every morning with a screamer of a head. I feel like things can only improve from this point.

I’ve gotten back into quilting a bit lately. I’ve been working on a quilt for a friend back in the States. We traded services. She gave me one of her watercolors that was based on a photograph I had taken and I am quilting an antique top that she had on the frames forever, just sitting there. I’m getting there with it, but handquilting a double bed sized quilt on my own takes a bit of time. Plus it’s a Grandmother’s Flower Garden, so there’s lots of quilting involved. I’ve also been trying to get to the Boutis I bought at the quilt show in August.

About Boutis: During the 19th century, quilting motifs became larger, and stuffing was made with cord and thin strips of cotton batting. The technique was consequently simplified, and it took less time to complete such a piece of needlework, sometimes also called Marseilles embroidery. Boutis is a Provencal word meaning ” stuffing “. A special needle, also called boutis and made out of boxwood, was necessary to delicately stuff the work. The motifs in a boutis are bulkier, and loaded with symbols: animals, flowers, fruits, hearts, but also cornucopia, oak leaves, various crosses, religious symbols. The Provencal girls also chose naive motifs inspired from their personal lives.

At the quilt show in August there was a booth set up by a little shop in France. They had all sorts of kits to make a boutis. I bought one, plus the cotton cord, needles, etc. I’d love to go to their shop in Brittany and take a class, however I need to go with someone who speaks French because my vocabulary doesn’t go past first year French in high school. And I’m sure I know less now than I did then.

It’s been nice getting back into stitching. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

This was kinda cool…scary, tho.

Elizabeth took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! “Wants interesting and exciting things to happen. A…” Click here to read the rest of the results.