About Me

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...over-educated and under-experienced, or so they say...

Saturday, November 22, 2008

In Case You Were Wondering...

One of my readers sent me an email asking why I chose the title Mixed Number and asked me what my mixed number, in mathematical terms, actually was. He was the first to ask me this, and there is a solid reason behind my choice. So in case the rest of you were wondering, I thought I would share my answer.

The name actually came about while I was taking an advanced math class that my job required of me. I hate math, I’m not too good at it, so I had to do some back up study to successfully reach the point of mathematical understanding my job required. While doing this, I had to cover a basic chapter on mixed numbers.

Now, my brother is the one that always bothers me to write (blogs especially, for some reason). Before this particular blog, I'd tried my hand at a couple others (Pandora's Payday Loan was one and All Addictions Allowed was another). Neither of the previous blogs got very far. They had a consistent theme running through them, which turned out to be somewhat of a frustration because it limited my ability to write freely (I was forced to focus on one topic), and given the irregularity of my writing (or my desire to do so) it was sometimes difficult to get excited about that one topic. But running across the words Mixed Number, the mathematical term being a whole number with a fraction attached to it (like 7 3/4), made me think of music.

Music can have (particularly in classical music) three different movements in one song: the first movement being something soft and slow, the second being more playful and upbeat, and the third being something exciting or even somewhat zealous or angry sounding (like the three movements of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, for example). It also made me think of talent shows and the various acts that would come up on stage: some music, some drama, and some comedy -- all equally entertaining to the audience. So why not do this for a blog? This is why I'll have some poetry thrown into the mix of some social, political or religious commentary, reflective personal thoughts, as well as perhaps a few comical rants that are meant to do nothing but entertain myself and hopefully my reader. My blog then is, like the talent show or the sonata, a show with various acts or a single piece with many movements: a mixed number.

As far as an actual mathematical number, I never really thought about it. I suppose I would like 7 and 3/4. Why? Because I associate 7 with God, completion, perfection, and the three fourths I would associate with myself -- almost whole but 1/4 seems to still be missing; we'll just call this room for human error. ;-)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Single Thirty-Something Menace

The other day I was having lunch with a good friend. Because of my heavy Baptist background and his heavy Mormon background, we often find ourselves discussing some of what we consider the quirks of the religious system. This time the topic was the Mormon notion a single individual over the age of twenty-five is a menace to society. Of course, we were poking fun at one another, neither believing the other to be a “menace,” but afterward I couldn’t help but ponder the idea.
A menace... The word has such a strong connotation. A terrorist is a menace. A serial killer, a rapist, those are menaces, but a single thirty-something grad student? …a med student? An individual so focused on bettering themselves they haven’t taken the time to marry is a menace?

Knowing what little I do about the faith, I suspect the concept stems from notions of family and populating the earth with new life, new souls. If I’m correct, the concern makes sense considering the biological clock is always ticking and from twenty-five on it becomes increasingly difficult to rear and raise children. Therefore, it is a threat to the well being of society if you can’t contribute more good individuals to the growing population. All of that aside, my musing of the topic went another direction.

If we turn our attention to the reliable Mr. Webster and his third reference to the word “menace” we’ll find it simply defined as “a person who is a nuisance.” As a single thirty-something with mostly married friends, I’d have to agree that my marital status can be a nuisance – the whole third wheel issue. And I have a feeling that some of the other single thirty-somethings I know, in the prime of our physical lives, might agree that we are, at times, a menace to ourselves because of something called “the lonely goggles,” skewing our otherwise good judgment resulting in poor dating decisions.

One good example of such a nuisance is a new fellow in the office, a recent law school graduate, who is most definitely a menace to my work environment. He is “on the make,” even proclaimed himself “a chaser of tail,” who has repeatedly harassed me, along with some of the other female menaces, with his egotistical sexually charged self. If this thirty-something man were married with a family to occupy his time and money, I may not have to endure his torment. Similarly, if I had a husband, whose photograph I would willingly sport upon my desk, I may be less of a target for this idiot and the tripe that spews forth from his mouth.

Another example would be a friend of mine who, at thirty-something, constantly laments over her dating dilemmas, her desire for a mate, her longing for children, and her dread of that ever ticking biological clock. Her recent quest for love has exposed her to the horrors of online dating, of which her most recent endeavor was a weekend rendezvous with a man of bad hygiene and bad manners. The situation, to her, is one worthy of tears because “the good ones” are all married and “the left-overs” well… cold meatloaf is the metaphor that comes to mind.

Personally, I’ve paid my fair share of dues: pretty faces with empty heads, scolding the married men for their improper propositions, and my own set of lonely laments. I was once engaged, a few years after my divorce, but I panicked and called off the wedding. My father used that opportunity to suggest that God may have bestowed me with the gift of celibacy. I laughed as he placed the Bible in front of me, referring to a scripture that, paraphrased, means some are born into celibacy, some (like myself, he suggested) are forced into it, and some (like the ever so chaste and honorable Catholic Priests) choose that path for “the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 19: 11-12).

I still laugh at this because I know that I don’t have “the gift of celibacy.” …please… I also know that my dad suffers from something I call “No Man Is Good Enough For My Daughter Syndrome,” so it would please him to no end if I were to live the remainder of my life as a nun (a protestant nun-like woman, that is). But if I think about what he said too long, I’m reminded that his hero, the Apostle Paul, stated that if a person lack self-control it is better for them to marry than to burn (I Cor. 7: 2-9). So… there we have it again, in my own religious background, a menace to myself… the longer I remain single the more susceptible I am to the temptation of the ever so pleasurable but sinful flesh… the slippery slope into the fires of Hell… Guess I better hurry up and make a rash decision to marry, lest I fornicate myself into the eternal abyss… which brings me to my next point.

Single thirty-somethings, like myself, have a tendency to obsessively dive into their work – a welcome distraction from all that is lacking in the love department. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in an over developed sense of perfectionism or an uptight approach to insignificant details. Because of this, there always seems to be that observant married individual who somehow finds it necessary to approach and say something stupid like, “Damn… you really need to get laid.” This is a comment that I have grown to hate. Not only does this pour salt into an open wound, but coming from a person whose biggest sexual challenge is to go home and entice their partner into the realm of intimacy, they have no realistic grasp of what their suggestion entails.

Their advice implies that it would somehow benefit me to seductively dress myself and wander into some random bar with intent to score myself an easy lay for the night. They seem to think that a night in bed with a strange man would do me some good, relieve some tension, and cause me to wake the next morning with a miraculously well balanced and stress free approach to life. These married individuals have lost touch with reality and equate single life with the romanticized ideals they watched on their most recently viewed Netflix. The reality of their suggestion is that I walk into a room of meatheads who recognize nothing but the physical attributes of my body (if that) and my willingness to be a temporary replacement for the Five-Fingered Lady. These meatheads know nothing about what makes me tick, nor do they care. They don’t care to know my name, where I come from, where I’m going, nothing. I would also venture to say that they could care less about my physical satisfaction in the bedroom arena because life to a meathead is little more than one big porno where women are nothing but objects to conquer and dominate with their manhood that I’m so privileged to receive. And I suppose I don’t need to address the issue of disease; after all, we live in a world where we advertise prescriptions for Herpes on television as though it were as common as a migraine and a bottle of Excedrin (and if I write anymore like this I might convince myself about the thirty-something menace to society). So, excuse me. I may not have the gift of celibacy, but I do have enough common sense and self-respect to say, “Married people, this may be your version of sage advice, but I think I’ll pass…”

But…I must digress. Do I really believe that being a single thirty-something makes me or my comrades a menace to society? No. But do I think the concept was worth a few moments of provocative thought? Obviously… However, the best advice I think I’ve received from anyone, during this thirty-something phase of my life, came from a sixty-something man who said:

The problem with people is that they’re constantly convinced something is wrong with their lives if they don’t have a mate. Because of this, they either find themselves in a bad marriage they blindly walked into or they constantly jump from one person to the next. All they really need to do is stop, relax, stay the course, develop the self, let nature have her way, and one day they’ll open their eyes and see the perfect person standing right next to them.

Bingo! Someone give that man a cigar! That makes all the perfect non-religiously charged sense in the world.

~ Pandora: The Notorious Scribe/Menace to Society

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Like Water

…and for some reason I have the words like water running through my head. I have to wonder why. What does this mean? [like water] It cleanses…, it purifies…, and yet I feel unclean and I am far from pure.

Like water, over and over inside my head. … on the brain, perhaps?

I feel heavy.

Water can be heavy.
If contained in a five gallon jug, it's nearly impossible to lift and place on a refrigerated dispenser without first spilling a gallon on the floor.

That's how I feel--like I need to spill a gallon on the floor.

I go for water and a measly four ounces dribble into my glass. My eyes stare at the five gallon jug on the floor and my mind says, "that's too much work." I drink my four ounces and I head for my shower.

Like water-- that's too much work, now flows through my head.
What the hell … ?

I step into my shower hoping the sense of cleanliness will cure me, but it doesn't. It's too much work to enjoy the pleasure of soft warm water running over my aching self. I force myself into the stream and I hurry about my business.
In complete silence, I shut the water off... and dry.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Challenge

You are standing on The Pinnacle,
in your mind.
You are facing The Setting Sun
and The Wind blows behind you.
How many hours have you been standing here?
How much time has been wasted wondering?
...about that leap of faith...
...that thrust toward greatness...
...that fear of failure...

The Specter says, "Don't quit your day job."
The Poet says, "I know why the caged bird sings."
Day jobs are sufficient for paying bills and clipping wings.

How beautiful it is to stand here, isn't it?
The Pinnacle in your mind...
What a view...
Such color... Such freedom... Such life...
That an endless amount of Sky...

So why don't you, Dreamer?
Take that step, that leap of faith.
Nothing lasts forever,
and you're running out of time.

Time is, after all, of the essence.
Time is everything and nothing,
all at once,
when suddenly your number is up.
And everyone's number is up,
in Time.

So, Dreamer, why don't you?
Why don't you do it...now?

Now is The Time,
with The Sun in your face
and The Wind at your back.

Now is The Time.
Live what you see,
stand on The Pinnacle,
and be That Person in your mind.

I dare you...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Words of Wisdom

Considering the fact that America is about to instill BIG GOVERNMENT, just thought I'd let some other great writers do the talking. Hmmm... The winds of "Change" don't always blow like zephyrs... do they.

If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support
of Paul.
-.George Bernard Shaw

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what
to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich
countries to rich people in poor countries. -Douglas Casey, Classmate of
Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to
teenage boys.
-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live
at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops
moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs
when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as
possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics
won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in
session.
-Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at
one end and no responsibility at the other.
-Ronald Reagan

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the
taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress.
-Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)


A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to
take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson