CC - The Delights Of Laundry

One of the joys of marriage, is that we now have a shared responsibility of doing laundry. And we usually both chip in.

The first few times though, were extremely weird.

While sure, a few times he had seen my "delicates" (to say the least) (CG), (and she saw my socks! (MA)), it was weird for me to think of him looking through those things.

I mean, until we got married, no one had seen some of my VS stuff before, let alone handled them.

Not gonna lie...a few times in the beginning I would do special loads while he was out working, just so I could keep my hands only on those stuff.

MA - Unfortunately, she has now gotten over that "fear of me handling her delicates", meaning I get to do the laundry more and more frequently. Joy. :)

Either way, couples, just let each other do your laundry from the start. It's bound to happen sooner or later, and no point in wasting extra loads in the beginning. :-P

Open Letter To A Rose

This letter is in bullet points, and no specific order:

Dear You.

- You've been there when I am up. But even more importantly, you have been there when I am down.

- You have given me more than I could ever have asked for, and asked for even less in return.

- I may seem to spend extravagantly on you, but you, and what you stand for, are what keeps me going through life, and let me earn the monies to spend.

- The parents I was once hidden from, are now close "friends".

- We met in the most random of ways, yet forged a strange friendship, that was odd and improbable.

- Made me comfortable to be who I am.

- Random words that probably only make sense to you: Cupcakes. Ice Chests. Agatha Christie. Chocolates. HIMYM Calendars. +.

Thank you for being there when I need you the most.

Sincerely,

WM

100 and Counting!

Wow, I can't believe this is my 100th post (and that I almost wrote episode).

Since the beginning of this blog, I didn't think that was a possibility...of course I didn't think the amount of page views was possible either, but I guess things happen!

Taking a quick peak back over the last 14+ months, I see lots of things that failed early on (anyone remember Tanka Thursdays? or how about a Schedule with specific topics depending on the days...oy.).

I mean, looking at my first "Blog Note", I noticed comments saying that I probably wouldn't last a week, let alone two weeks or even a year+. (Ahem, Altie.)

And then there are the Easter Eggs hidden throughout these pages.

Things like the locations of each post, which has been written about, and how they are either about where the post is talking about, or subtle hints at what I really meant.

Or things listed in the labels, some of them since Day 1, other reminders popping up throughout.

Either way, thanks to the 3 of you that still religiously read this blog, and to the 173 others of you that browse through once in a while!

Anyone think I can't make it to 200?

Mind Your Own Business

People will often ask me: "What are you doing with your life?"

To which I'll reply one of many things, such as: "Classes", "Working", "Partying" or some other nonsensical answer.

But when I say: "Yeah, I take classes from 12:30PM-7:30PM" or "Sure, I work the graveyard shift, from 6PM-6AM", their first question back always surprises me.

When do you daven Mincha? When do you daven Ma'ariv? When do you daven Shachris? When do you make time to learn? Or a host of other questions along the same lines, depending what time slot we are talking about.

How about this: Why don't you learn to mind your own business.

If I choose to daven, that's my issue.

If I choose to do it solo, that's still, my issue.

If I choose not to do it at all...well, I think everyone gets the point by now.

Why does everyone think that my religiousness, is their issue?

I am not talking about family members, who even though it isn't their issue, I could see their reasons for asking.

I am talking about people I haven't seen in a few years, or people I am just meeting for the first time.

While everyone gets curious, and I expect those questions at some point. It's really infuriating when its the first thing that is said to me in conversation.

So as I said before, it's time for people to learn to mind their own business!

The Cautious Couple

We want to start off by thanking Wondering Minds for letting us write on this blog.

Our posts will usually be in both our words, with agreements or disagreements voiced out within it. We don't know how much we will write, although he has said however frequent or non-frequent we'd like, so we'll take him up on that offer.

Our names will be kept to initials, and ones that are hopefully not too distinguishable, so let's start off by introducing ourselves.

Although we won't usually say which one of us is doing the "talking", when we do, we'll sign off our thoughts:

My name is CG, I am 22 years old, and the wife in this unlikely arraignment. I was lucky enough to meet the love of my life about 11 months ago, and couldn't wait to get married to him. We got married in March, and have been figuring it out ever since. <3

Finally, I get to write something...my name is MA, and all that previous stuff, was all CG. I am 25, from the Virginia area, and had looked high and low, before finally finding the right one. Thankfully she has been a blessing to my life, and besides for personality and humour, she is also good looking...or at least I tell her she is :) . I am also clearly a trouble maker...
(Luckily I am the better "proof-reader" between the two of us, so I get to write second, and tidy everything up. I also get to hit "publish" :) hopefully she'll never reread anything after it's up already!)

27 and Counting

Last week Frum Geek wrote an article talking about Online Dating and issues he had with it, and it got me thinking about the flaws in Jewish dating, and marriage as well.

An article in the New York Daily News on Friday stated that the average age of the American woman getting married is 27 years old.

Now clearly, in the Jewish community it is lower than that, or at least everyone thinks it has to be (I can't state for sure that it is, since I obviously don't have numbers on that).

One of my best friends at work is getting married next year. At that time his girlfriend and him will both be 27. Talk about living the American dream, right?

So when he told me that, on Friday too, no coincidences there, it got me thinking as to why, in my mind, marriage was such a pressing issue.

And I have just the answer.

It's because I want kids. I want a lover. I want to be loved. And I want a close knit family.

But the Jewish aspect of being in my low 20s, and not even having dated much, means that in my mind, I am behind the bell curve.

And it is time for me to stop letting it f**k with my mind.

Starting now.

Now let's go make out somewhere quiet.

Blog Note #2

The Wondering Minds are once again expanding!

We would like to welcome to the big picture, The Cautious Couple, newlyweds married in March, who will be contributing and doing featured pieces on this blog.

I'll let them do more about saying who they are! 

Stay tuned...

The Minds Have Returned

With this blog being dormant for a long period, the Minds have determined that it is time to come back.

For at least the next couple of weeks, there will hopefully be a post a day, just like things were back when this blog launched.

Topics that are in the works include marriage issues, privacy and an open letter to someone that's always been there for me.

I hope that those that have been here since Day 1 are still around, and those that are just discovering me, will stick around!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Minions are awesome.

Need I say more?

Except this:

That video really is bananas.

Light In My Life

Everyone needs a reason to live.
A reason to look forward to life.
Purposes to be happy, and smile.
And things to look forward to.

Sometimes the light grows dim.
And things get harder.
With a struggle, and a lack of desire.
To live and keeps things going.

But then you get that ray of light.
Something there that keeps you going.
A thing to look forward to at the end of the day.
A glow in the dark mines.

Whenever you see it, it makes you smile.
It reminds you why it is all worth it.
What the purpose is.
And feeling all happy inside.

Bundles of joy.
Unconditional love.
Light in the eyes.
Reasons to power on.

<3

Nostalgia

I spent 11 summers at the same place.

From 2000-2010, I went to the same place, with the same people, and did almost the same thing.

And even though the last four years of it was grueling manual labor...I loved it.

For the last three summers I've been telling myself to go visit...but who wants to drive 5+ hours (before traffic kicks in) round trip, just for the sake of visiting?

But this July 4th, I went out and did it.

I went back upstate...and can't believe how much I missed in.

Whilst I only have a few people that I still knew there, and some of them are miserable grouches, it was good to see them all again.

I even helped a little, and did some manual labor, voluntarily, for old times sake. And loved it.

I miss those days...

I wanna go back...

Give The Wedding Gifts Back!

When people get engaged, I don't get them a gift. The reason is quite simple. If I get you an object, what are you doing with it? You guys aren't living together, and if it is opened in one of your houses, chances are it'll never make it to your newly married house.

But when you get married, and I get invited to the wedding (a real invite, not a faux Facebook mass message), I'll look through your registry and buy a few things. I'll look through and buy things that I think could be used.
I won't get the waffle iron or any other item that I think is an impulse buy, and at the same time, probably won't get used more than once per year.
I'll buy practical things. Like pot sets, silverware, or a "tool set" (which has all those useful spoons (slotted and full), spatulas, and beaters).

But when people ask for all those things, and then decide within a year or two, to move to Israel, leaving all their worldly belongings behind, and buying new things when they are there, as its simpler then packing and shipping, I think it's time to give everything back.

People spent money on you, and now you are just throwing it all away.

If you bought all of that for yourself the first time, you would be less likely to leave it behind.

The Cost of Companionship

What would you give up for a companion?

Would you give up money? Years off your life? Something else, whatever they may ask for?

No matter what type of companion you need, be it same/opposite gender, same age/older role model, on and on, I often wonder what people might sacrifice to make it happen.

Over time, I have come to realize, I would give up literally everything for companionship of the right sorts.

Among other things:

Someone that I can pick up the phone and call, be it 1PM or 1AM.

Someone that would hang out, be it on a Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Funday, obviously mutually available times.

Someone to be that shoulder to lean on.

Someone to be the punching bag when the times call for it.

Someone to just call a friend.

An unconditional friend.

Google's Gaming System

That's right, you read that title correctly. Google has a gaming system to rival PS4, XBOX One and the Wii U.

It uses a wireless controller. And chances are, you already own it.

In Google Chrome, go to Chrome.com/campaigns/rollit.

It will load up, and then give you another link to open up on your phone (I've only tried it on Android...) and a code to put in.

You then have a wireless controller (your phone) to play on your system (laptop/deskop/etc).

And then you can play Carnival Style Skee Ball!!!

Now, rumours are that they will also be coming out with a racing game shortly, and then after that, who knows. Stay tuned!

And don't forget, you can always go to Google Images and type in "Atari Breakout". Enjoy yourself.

Cheap People and Subscriptions

Over the last few weeks I have seen a lot of posts that look like this:

"Ugh. My free Netflix subscription ended again. Anyone have one that I can join?"

People are so cheap. 

Yes, I know, money isn't always flowing, and sometimes we live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet.

But we are talking about $7 a month.

Don't buy a coffee for a couple of days a month.

Next time you want to buy candy, buy the smaller version or don't get it that day.

If you save a quarter a day, you too can get Netflix. Or Hulu.

Ke$ha

I know. It's a weird topic...but in my free time, I flip through different TV channels, and happened upon her MTV reality documentary "Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life".

While it does show her fun side, it also shows touching moments with fans...ones that were bullied in school, but through her songs helped stay upbeat, and push through it all.

I'm not saying to go out and watch it...but if you are bored, or flip past it on TV, don't brush it off so fast. Give it a shot.

"This is our last chance"

A Moment Of Escape - RUINED

There is a place that everyone goes to when they need a place to Escape. The reason for escape doesn't usually matter, it can be to:
- Vent to ones self
- Be mad
- Be angry
- Be happy
- Lots of Other Things

And for a lot of people, they have one place that they can go to to do any of the above.

Over time I've heard, and seen, a lot of different places for this:
- Quiet Bench w/ a book
- Running
- Ice Skating
- Gym
- Swimming
- Insert Your Own Special Place/Activity Here

But what happens when you go to your special place, or do your special thing, and it is ruined by others?

Over this weekend I went to my Special Place (to Be Happy), and was enjoying myself at this location.

Until I saw those two Jewish teenage girls.

When you saw them talking there in the corner, you just felt the tension radiating off of them.

They were talking to each other, and clearly very upset about something. Their actions were forceful. Their voices somewhat raised, but not screaming. One was a little redder in the face, the other one was a little tearful.

When they finished that conversation (after about 20 minutes), one went off to sulk in a corner (the tearful one), while the other girl continued the activity as if nothing had happened.

About 10 minutes latter, the second girl stopped her activity to go talk to the first girl. They went out to the hallway for a bit, and came back a couple minutes later, all smiley (albeit looking a little forced from the teary one) and continued the activity.

But the tension was still in the air and had been in the air from when I started.

For that one day, my place of escape had been ruined.

Hopefully the next time I go, I can truly use my place of escape.

Silver Linings Playbook - Review (Book & Movie)

To make a great movie, you need to have an even better script.

So when I heard the premise for Silver Linings Playbook, and the release date of the DVD being a few weeks away (at the time), I set out to read the book behind the movie.

And it was great. A great read. A great story line. And some great characters.

So when I acquired the DVD last week, I was excited to watch it, especially with all the award nominations and wins that the movie had received.

Boy was I disappointed.

It was an okay movie.

But they removed some of the key story lines.

In the book, his father won't talk to him when he comes back from Baltimore...yet in the movie, hes all friendly the minute he walks in the door...even go so far as to hug him (which in the book, Pat wouldn't let anyone touch him without cringing, let alone hug him (at first)).

The whole story of Nikki was completely changed for the movie, including the revelations of important memories of why he was sent to the facility in Baltimore.

And don't even get me started on the parking lot fight now being with a fellow Eagles fan. Or the bringing in of Danny throughout the movie (just so Chris Tucker can get more lines, that don't exist anywhere in the book).

If you watched SLP and liked the movie, go out and read the book. You won't be disappointed.

Jason Collins

So yesterday morning the big news came out that Jason Collins was gay.

For those that don't know him, he is an NBA Center who has played for many teams.

Now, this is obviously a big story, as no male athlete in the four major sports has ever come out.

Now, that last sentence is very specific.

We've had big sports stars come out before (Read: Martina Navratilova). We've had current players come out (Read: Brittany Griner).

But never in the big four sports in America. For the underinformed, those being the Men's versions of Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey.

But waking up this morning, nothing has changed for me, and my view of sports.

Which is good I guess. Because big picture, it doesn't really matter that he's gay and a professional athlete.

Read the full Sports Illustrated story here.

PS. Did you notice that he also came out as being black? Who woulda thunk!?

Blogaversary

I was going to ignore it altogether...but really, my life has changed a little bit with all of you in it.

So to my 89 posts, 12,000+ Page Views, and those 9 special followers...

Thank you.

Without you guuuuuuuuuuuuu

No Seriously, "Congrats".

We've all been there.

The friend who suddenly drops off the map, and you just know: "Oh. They must be dating somebody again."

And then a couple of weeks/months later, you hear from them again, as they start up a simple conversation (such as: "Hey, how are things?" or "What's new?"), and at some point, the conversation becomes "BTW, we broke up."

At which point, you respond "Oh, you were dating?", and they vent on you for a bit.

And being the good friend you are, you listen to them, and you let them back into your life, as a friend, until they repeat the scenario again.

But what happens when they drop off the map, and one day, a few months later, you get a: "I'm engaged!!!!" text?

Well. For me. I simply respond: "Congrats."

As now I know, they are coming back again, because they want friends to show up at the wedding, and hopefully give lavish gifts.

But maybe, enough is enough.

"Congrats". I seriously mean it. Congratulations on finding the person you think you are going to marry and spend the rest of your life with.

But I'm tired of your childish games, and that's all I think you'll hear from me.

PS. I think I shared this blog link with the person who this post is referring to. God I hope they still read this.

April 15th, 2013

On this day of tragedy, our hearts and minds go out to those injured or killed in the Boston terrorist act.

As this day is fluid, numbers don't really matter, but what matters most is that lives were lost, and those responsible must be held accountable.

Gun bills. Knives on planes. Security. It all doesn't really matter, when people decide to do the wrong thing.

Absolutely Nothing

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
Valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
That was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
when he cried for him to do it.

Once on a paper torn from his notebook
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question"
because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister
making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
or even talked
And the girl around the corner
wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
but he kissed her anyway
because that was the thing to do
And at three a.m. he tucked himself into bed
his father snoring soundly

That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn't think
he could reach the kitchen.

Absolutely Nothing by Osoanon Nimuss from The Perks of Being a Wallflower

10,000 Page Views

Not much to say in this post...except that when I started blogging, less than a year ago...I never thought I would have 1,000 page views, let alone 10,000.

So this is just me blowing that little paper horn that people use for New Years, in celebration of a mini milestone.

So thanks for all the reads, people of the internet!

1600 Penn

So for those that have explored the minds, they have come to learn that there are very few Network Television Shows, that have yet to be watched.

But regardless of that...I had yet to see an episode of "1600 Penn".

I have seen lots of bad reviews for it...and the ads were pretty terrible...but what else is one to do on a boring afternoon?

So I started watching.

Nine episodes later:

I laughed.
I cried.
I enjoyed myself.
And I quite seriously have no idea where the last three hours went.

The show is fun.

Sure, some of the story lines are stolen from shows like "The West Wing" (Thanks Donna Moss and Josh Lyman for some great years), but that doesn't take away from a decent comedy.

And with shows like The Office (awesome) and 30 Rock (eh) going into retirement, maybe this can be a good placeholder for Thursday nights?

If only I didn't have three other hours of programming to watch that night already.

Yay. Word play.

Suggestions for the blog? You know what to do with them :)

Woman...Unexplainable Creatures

Status Update

By Chris Jones | ESPN The Magazine

Illustration by Mark MatchoRebecca Marino has a seemingly envious job and life that she's choosing not to lead.

This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's March 18 One Day One Game issue.

YOU PROBABLY HADN'T heard much about Rebecca Marino, at least not until she decided she wasn't going to be that Rebecca Marino anymore. The 22-year-old Canadian tennis pro has announced she's leaving the game again, having already taken a seven-month hiatus and mounting the briefest of comebacks, citing in part the twin devils on her shoulders: depression and idiots on the Internet. Before she held her mid-February conference call to talk about her second departure and her mental illness, she deleted her Twitter and Facebook accounts because she knew what was coming and that it would do her no good. "Social media has taken its toll on me," she said.

In some ways, Marino's story is a small one: Lots of young people decide they've taken the wrong path in life and try to correct it. They go back to school or change their majors or quit their internships. But what makes Marino's story larger is its counterintuitiveness, the seemingly envious job and existence she is choosing not to lead. She was a good player, once ranked as high as 38th in the world, with an overpowering serve and forehand. (After she faced Venus Williams during the second round of the 2010 U.S. Open, Williams said: "Now I know what it's like to play myself.") When someone is blessed and gifted enough even to approach that kind of spotlight, we assume she is going to try to reach the center of it. That's the natural order of things. Nobody chooses to stay in the dark.

Unless the dark is the only place that feels safe. I've also battled depression, and I believe I know what or at least how Marino is thinking. I've thought a lot about giving up my job and vanishing -- if I'm being honest, I've occasionally thought about vanishing in bigger ways too. When I'm in a good place, it seems insane to me that I've ever thought that way. My job is a dream job; my life is a dream life. But depression's worst trick is its powers of distortion. It takes the good and makes it nearly invisible, and it takes the bad and amplifies it. People with depression also have long memories for hurt. Stings linger and layer.

"With professional athletes," Marino told The New York Times, "people put them on a pedestal sometimes, and they forget that they're actually a person still." For someone like her, social media -- where she was berated for her weight or by gamblers who lost when she lost -- isn't the wound. Depression is the wound. But social media is the infection that makes it worse, and there are only so many ways to resist it.

You can choose to become callused and awful like me, the monstrous result of my finally having followed the easy advice and grown a thicker skin. An anonymous stranger on Twitter recently said that he'd like to see me "eat a shotgun." Not that long ago, I would have gone after that guy with all the rage I could muster, which would have been plenty. Instead, I made a joke about it. Later, a (real-life) friend mentioned the exchange and how messed up it was -- not just that someone publicly hoped I would kill myself, which is really something if you stop and think about it, but that I'd laughed it off. My friend was right. I don't like that I can't feel anything anymore, my newly flatlined self. And if my tiny spotlight has changed me this much, imagine the horrors that a larger one could do.

Rebecca Marino did that imagining, and it led her to make a different choice from mine: She decided it was better to try to change her world than herself. She doesn't yet know what she'll do instead, but she's talked about going back to school or applying for different jobs, quiet jobs, anonymous jobs, such as a cashier or restaurant hostess. Then at least the strangers in her life will always have faces.

I understand her decision. In fact, I envy her in a lot of ways because she's rescuing the best parts of herself before it's too late. A thick skin doesn't seem like something you would want someone you love to have. You would want them to be able to feel fully. You would want them to be warm and open, affected by the people and lives being lived around them. You would want them to have a big heart and for them to be able to keep it safe, even if that meant they had to hide it away in the dark.

Why Do We, Miss Judge?

SuperBowl: She Noticed Me!!!

Did everyone see it?! She finally noticed me!

Last night, right in the middle of the halftime show, from across the room, our eyes met, and she blew me a kiss.

BTW, yes, I am talking about Beyonce.

Self Explanitory

The Dark Side

I sense the Dark Side is lifting its head...and a storm is coming.

A storm that will lead to the war, to end all wars.

One that will bring out the fiercest of all.

And the filth that inhabits the Earth will come crawling out of its hole.

Only to get smitten by the sword that it brandished.

Evil can never win.

Evil shall never win.

Only the strongest will survive.

Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People

With the recent tragedy of the Newton 26, the ever present debate of gun control comes up. And as an American I believe in our second amendment rights, to bear arms.

Everyone has their own views on it...but I am going to state my case, by bringing up some of the nation's recent mass shootings, and the people who caused them...

Guns don't kill people.

People kill people.

And in all cases I mention what was "wrong" with the killers, leading them to these acts. None of them were sane people, that snapped. They all had issues, and guns or no guns, would've caused damage.

(In date order, from most recent)

---December 14, 2012 – Newtown, Connecticut – Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting – Twenty children and seven adults, including the gunman, are dead after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

SHOOTER – Adam Lanza – Shooter had a personality disorder, and had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.

---December 11, 2012 – Portland, Oregon – Clackamas Mall Shooting – A masked gunman opens fire in a crowded mall, killing two and seriously injuring a third person before turning the gun on himself.

SHOOTER – Jacob Tyler Roberts – Wanted to be a Marine, but a foot injury stopped that dream. Mother died of cancer when he was a child, no father around.

---August 5, 2012 – Oak Creek, Wisconsin – Wisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting – A white supremacist shoots six people and a responding policeman at a Sikh temple before shooting himself in the head.

SHOOTER – Wade Michael Page – White supremacist.

---July 20, 2012 – Aurora, Colorado – Gunman kills 12 and injures 58 at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises”.

SHOOTER – James Eagan Holmes – He had met with three mental health professionals prior to the attack. Self-claimed to have “dysphoric mania”, and in his words was “stay away, because I am bad news”.

---April 2, 2012 – Oakland, California – Oikos University Shooting – A former student at a Christian college fatally shoots seven people and injures three.

SHOOTER – One L. Goh – Being tracked by creditors (owed tens of thousands of dollars). His brother had died in a car crash a year earlier, and later in 2011 his mother died. He was upset at the school, which has expelled him, for behavioral problems.

                                                          

---August 7, 2011 – Copley Township, Ohio – A man in a family dispute uses his handgun to shoot and kill his girlfriend and six others.

SHOOTER – Michael Hance – First killed his girlfriend, and then killed her brother, and the witnesses who saw him commit these actions. The fight with the girlfriend started over a home improvement project.

---March 10, 2009 – Geneva, Alabama – Geneva County Massacre – Eleven victims, ages 18 months to 74 years old, are killed by a lone gunman in a violent family feud.

SHOOTER – Michael Kenneth McLendon – Shooter killed his mother, uncle, cousins, grandmother, and others, including relatives of the county deputy sheriff. He also burned down the family home, and had a hit list of others he was going to kill, all due to a legal issue with his family.

---December 5, 2007 – Omaha, Nebraska – Westroads Mall Shooting – A 19 year old man shoots nine people at a department store before cops kill him.

SHOOTER – Robert A. Hawkins – Family history of psychiatric problems, and he had previously threatened to kill his stepmother with an axe (leading to him being hospitalized). He had ADD, mood disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, among others. He left a suicide note, reportedly saying “I’m going out in style”.

---April 16, 2007 – Blacksburg, Virginia – Virginia Tech Massacre – A student at Virginia Tech kills 32 classmates and wounds 25 before committing suicide.

SHOOTER – Seung-Hui Cho – The shooter has selective mutism (a severe anxiety disorder), as well as a major depressive disorder.

---March 21, 2005 – Red Lake, Minnesota – Red Lake Massacre – A 16 year old boy kills 11 people, including his grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend, on their Indian reservation.

SHOOTER – Jeffrey Weise – Personal stress and depression led to the shooting. He had twice tried to commit suicide. His father also committed suicide, and lost his mother at a young age, following a car accident.

---December 8, 2004 – Columbus, Ohio – A deranged fan shoots a Pantera guitarist at a concert as he performs onstage, then fires at fans, killing four people.

SHOOTER – Nathan Gale – Shooter was upset over the breakup of the band, and also believed that the guitarist he shot had stolen a song he had written. He also had paranoid schizophrenia, causing delusions that the band was reading his mind, and stealing his thoughts.

---October 2002 – Washington D.C. area – Beltway Sniper Attacks – Two snipers go on a three-week spree, killing 10 people around D.C. and Virginia.

SHOOTERS – John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo – Muhammad had been twice divorced, and had a restraining order from his second wife, after threats to kill her, and reclaim the children. Malvo, who was a minor at the time of the crimes, claims to have been sexually abused by Muhammad.

---April 20, 1999 – Littleton, Colorado – Columbine High School – Two senior students invade Columbine High School, killing 12 students and one teacher and injuring 21, before committing suicide.

SHOOTERS – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold – The shooters planned this for a year, with the intent of a “Grander end” and to “Terrorize the entire nation by attacking American life”. Those they killed were referred to as “Collateral Damage”.

They also planned a bombing, that would’ve killed 600+ people, had their timers not failed.

Klebold was depressive and suicidal.

Harris was cold, calculating and homicidal.

---October 16, 1991 – Killeen, Texas – Luby’s Massacre – An unemployed man drives a truck through a packed cafeteria and fatally shoots 23 people and injures 20 before killing himself.

SHOOTER – George Hennard – Described as unemployed, angry, withdrawn, and a dislike of woman.

---June 18, 1990 – Jacksonville, Florida – GMAC Massacre – A man angry over a reposed car storms into the agency and over two days shoots 11 of its 86 employees before killing himself.

SHOOTER – James Edward Pough – The shooter was upset after his car was repossessed, and killed nine people at the dealership. The day before he committed a robbery of a convenience store, a hit-and-run and murdered two others.

(credit to the New York Daily News for the list of shootings, and parts of the descriptions of the shootings.)

No respect for JB

Yes, I'll admit it, I hate Justin Beiber.

It's not just that he looks like a girl. And sounds like a girl. And grabs his crotch like a girl.

It's the fact that he has absolutely zero respect for those around him.

I mean, would you show up for a meeting with one of the world leaders, looking like this?

(JB with Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper)

Rest In Peace, Innocent Angels

That is the list. Of the 20 innocent children, murdered in cold blood. By someone who's name doesn't even deserve to be mentioned.

Their parents sent them off to school. To learn. The ABC's. Arithmetic. How to write their names.

And they will never return.

The horror. The sorrow. The pain.

The stories of the heroics.

The principal and teachers. Who stood up against their attacker, and were innocently gunned down.

Others that were saved by these heroics. Children locked in bathrooms and closets, as the teachers lied, telling the gunman, that they had left to the gym.

How many parents came out of that firehouse, with tears of joy, that it wasn't there little angel.

Yet others can only find peace, in knowing that it all happened so fast, and there young ones didn't suffer.

How can you ever forget it...you can't. But just hope that your child was all part of Gods plan, in whatever way it was meant to be.

And yes, for the next few weeks, blame will be put on gun laws. And security at the school. And many other places where it doesn't belong.

For when someone is truly crazy, nothing can stop them.

Rest In Peace, Innocent Angels.

Rest In Peace, Guardian Teachers.

Gayness in the Orthodox World

ZP recently had a post that discussed lesbianism, and there was a flurry of comments on it, against Gayness, and how it is a sickness, and all that other close-minded spewing that is accustomed to Yeshiva-taught students.

I think that a lot of people have to realize that it is not a choice. And it is something that people just are.

You and I, as men, may like girls, like her, and get thoughts of happiness. 

And all you girls out there may like guys, and get warm fuzzy feelings in your heart while looking at guys like this.

But there are a lot of people out there, who just don't feel an attraction to the opposite gender. Their minds aren't programmed like yours and mine, and they feel an attraction to the same sex.

And this happens to both men and woman.

I personally know both guys and girls, who have felt physical attraction to the same gender, and some who have even acted upon it.

No. It is not a sickness.

Stop shutting it down, because it is something you don't understand.

These people try to commit suicide, because of the pressure that they are put under, by Rabbeim, and taunting "friends", to "Snap out of their gayness".

That's not possible, because it's not a "health condition" or "phase".

It's called LIFE.

On a side note, here is a great video of Orthodox Jews, finally being able to speak out, about their stories.

The problem? Your attitude.

Blogger Stalkers

Why do we post for the stalkers to read?

Oh yes...they are out there...people who read our posts, but never say anything to us...learning everything there is to know about us...

Making incorrect assumptions...

Making fools of themselves...

Oh, and before they email me, and say "Why would you tell people about that?", just know, that you can't email me saying that, unless you are admitting to the stalking :)

On that note, I love having stalkers!!! It makes me feel popular again.

Gobble Gobble

Ask, and you may learn.

Sometimes people see things, and don't really understand them.

So they either ignore it (and then the next time it comes up, they still don't know, but by then they really should, so it's too late to ask), or they say "I have no idea what this means", but never ask for an explanation.

If people would just ask, there are plenty of us out there that would just answer.

And then you would know :)

Mr. Google

So, like every obsessive blogger, I check my stats once in a while.

Simple things, that blogger generally provides me with. Things like, "Page Views", "Most Popular", etc.

But then I found a website that can tell me where I rank in Google Searches, based on different search queries.

Some of my posts, I was fairly surprised, when it would give me the ranking, it would say: "Your page is ranked #19 in this query".

19!!!! Yes, I am starting to make a dent in this world.

But then I got a real shocker...one of my pages came up listed as "Your page is ranked #1 in this query."

#1!!!!

NUMBERO FREAKIN' UNO!!!

Granted it was on Google.uk and not Google.com, but still, I'm impressed. :)

I just wish I knew who some of the people reading my posts are...because the ones getting the most reads, are all people I would love to have a conversation with.

Veterans Day

Happiest Day Ever

For those that missed it, yesterday was the happiest day of the year in China!!!

:)

Plain and Simple: Vote

Rules, Rules, Rules

If I don't want to play by the rules, who is anyone else to tell me to?

Especially if the rules aren't really rules, but guidelines, that some choose to do, yet others don't.

Maybe your interpretation of the rules are wrong? Or maybe rules truly are made to be broken...

Now I'm differentiating here between "rules" and "laws", laws are obviously to be followed, or suffer the consequences (death, hell, and all that other good stuff).

But if it's a rule, lay off, and let others do as they wish, and if you don't like it, well then, simply walk away, and don't become a pimple on the rump of society.