55fan

PARTY AT KONNAN'S! I would love to go some year, but finances and obligations forbid it. Have a blast, those of you who are going.

It depends on what it is. If it's the truck or furnace or something like that, I have to borrow. Otherwise I wait. Frosted flakes or corn flakes?

Not really. I wish I had more time to do a lot of things, but reading novels isn't one of them. The person below me has a puzzle book that they never get around to doing.

I'm going to surprise those of you who know me by disagreeing with prayer in school. Praying to all deities would take forever, and still would not respect the wishes of those who deny all deities. The generic "to whom it may concern" type prayer is an insult to all, and a real heartfelt prayer to none. I would believe in a moment of silence to collect one's thoughts or offer up prayer in times of crisis, such as 9/11 or such things. Where we've gone wrong is teaching kids about rights without teaching them about responsibilities. We've taught them a nominal "self-respect" without teaching them to earn the respect of others. We've taught them that they are "special just the way they are" without teaching them that others are equally special. We've taught them to demand to be treated well without teaching them that they must earn it. We've taught them that respect is a noun, but failed to teach that it is a verb. We've taught them to feel good about themselves, but failed to teach them to do things that they can feel good about. There are two kinds of respect. There's the respect that we should have for each other as fellow human beings, and there's the respect that is earned. One is there to protect people from harm from other people. Martin Luther, the German theologian, explained the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" in this way: We should neither hurt nor harm our neighbour, but help and befriend him in every bodily need. In other words, we should hold the condition of being human up to a level that we will not allow our brothers and sisters to fall if we can help them to stand, nor should we cause them to fall by our actions against them, whether intentional or not. The other kind of respect is that which makes one truly special. It makes one stand out. It is reserved for those who have done something or who live in such a way that they are recognized as different from the rest of us. They are the wise, the strong, the well-guided. They show us what we can be if we get off our duffs. There is no shame in not being one, so long as we learn from their example and strive to become one. No wonder kids today are confused. They learn that they have "choices" but when they choose to do something, they are told that it was the wrong choice. Not much of a choice, is it? Don't tell me I can choose chocolate or vanilla, but you're out of vanilla. How can they feel true self-respect if they do nothing worthy of such an honour? They know it on the inside, and must act with bravado to cover the emptiness within. This is where we get anger and frustration. With no moral guidance, they act out, buoyed by our insistence that they are special and that there is no right or wrong, only choices. When they are called into account for their actions, how can they possibly understand the sudden reversals of fortune? We give them a new set of rules, but judge them by the old ones, to which they are not privy. I see it in my Sunday School kids all of the time. I try to teach them that something is wrong, and I can tell which ones have involved parents who are actually teaching them morals, and which ones are allowing the schools to raise their kids to believe that we can not judge anything. Try arguing with a first-grader who has been taught that no one can tell anyone else what is right and wrong. You tell him that it's wrong to hit people, and he responds, "Unless you feel like it. Then it's a choice." This is not a bad kid. This is a product of our society.

We tried to send him a contract. He never got it. It went five hole.

Paul Buy or rent a dwelling?

Not more than usual. I do tend to be a loner. The person below me can quote a line from an Emily Dickinson poem from memory.

I am a rock. I am an island. But then, again... I am not a man. I am woman; hear me *****. Good news on Flip. Three games will be ok. Gives him a bit of a breather before the playoffs, and with Homer coming back, we'll be ok. Whew.

Sure. Why not. Of course I do. Just so long as they are productive enough that she gets a raise too. The person below me works 40 hours per week.

Caramel. Ebony or ivory?

^^^ I fully agree. ^^^ Somewhere along the line "freedom of speech" went from being a guarantee that all ideas could be voiced without fear of government censorship of the ideas themselves to "I can say whatever I want and if you try to correct me on my manners, facts, or language, I'll scream and you'll be the bad guy. Yeah. I have freedom to say what I want and you don't have the freedom to have an opinion of my opinion." The fact that the internet has no breathalyzer or intellect check only compounds the issue. Manners and civility. When are people going to find the lost art of civil disagreement? It can be profitable. We need more Jedi. They knew how to be polite as can be, and the Republic stood for over a millennium without going to war thanks to their diplomatic skills.

14 1/2 years in the house. Nope. I'm not leaving unless there's a family emergency and mom or sis needs me to move in with them. Too much work to put into it to sell. The person below me is in a rut.

You read my mind. Kidding. I only had two last night and was home by midnight. Alone. Again. Some Valentine's Day. At least I got a hug and kiss. Back to the game: Donuts with the fruit filling or donuts with the hole?

I'll give Snow a pass on not taking Emery. It's not like it was someone on Nabby's level. He might think that considering how "well" they are playing, the last thing they need is someone who has proven himself to be lacking maturity. Snow's wish list might look like this: 1) Nabby 2) Anyone but Emery 3) What we have now 4) Me 5) Emery

Muff...cabbage...?

Slight sprain. Homer back. Stuie on the way back. All is good. For now.

Chicken. Always chicken. Pierre or Doc?

I am always in the mood for Chinese food. The person below me is always in the mood for some kind of food and, if so, will tell us what sort of food that is.

Hope it's just a charley horse. He's been doing well, IMO, this year. He's not afraid to go after the puck and all of that. Plus we need him to tell us if he sees his shadow. If he does end up in Africa, do we have to put him on waivers when he comes back from his injury, or is it considered a loan since he started the season with us?

Depends on with whom I'm communicating and for what purpose and if I need to get a message to them without risking disturbing them. Oral, anal, or epidermal medications?

Mostly. I enjoy the planning stage more, so I tend to spend more time with it. The person below me has yet to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them and thus is often disappointed over little things.

Iron Maiden. I'm old school. I didn't answer the last one since I was so torn. Lawyers, guns, or money?

Usually I work 12 hour shifts. I get home and plop down with the computer and that's all she wrote. The person below me is drinking tonight.

Homer should be back. I hope.

Wow. Just Wow. Thank you to the Wings who played well. Get well soon, Flip. Welcome back, Pavel.