Since it was my last week at the coding job (blog post on the new job coming soon), last Thursday my co-workers decided to take me out to lunch. Awwww.
Now, apparently there have been questions in the office about my sexuality, partly due to the fact that I only came out to a select few co-workers, and partly due to the fact that I’m apparently not the most straight-acting gay man on the planet. So, in an attempt to determine my sexuality, my co-workers decided to take me to the restaurant that no gay man finds intriguing (or stimulating).
Hooters.
I suppose they thought that I would be against eating at such an establishment, citing the objectification of the women’s body or some such, and thus confirm my homosexuality. Instead, I was thinking, “mmm, greasy food, bring it on!”
Our waitress was nice, the table conversations were lively, the food was…um…mediocre, but the big moment came when our waitress pulled me from our table to go do the Hooters Hokey Pokey. She had been informed that this lunch was in my honor, and saw it fit to help me celebrate...or rather have me do something embarrassing in a room full of strangers.
And so, with Hokey Pokey music playing, and rather timid, uninterested onlookers forced to observe this display in Hooters culture, I was made to put my “right wing in” (elbow), then my arms, legs, and “whole chicken.” As usual, this dance was punctuated by shaking of aforementioned appendages, tuning myself around, clapping, and proclaiming that “that’s what it’s all about.” Hilarious.
My co-workers were impressed with my “being a good sport.” I’m impressed that I’ve now been to Hooters.
sidenote: The employees actually called the dance the "Hooters Pokey" to fit into the flow of the song. I refrained from refering to it as such, because poking a hooter just sounds wrong. ha ha.
30 April 2006
26 April 2006
$2.89 a gallon
The jump in gas prices has hurt, but it could be worse.
Everyone with a fuel-efficient car, please stand up.
Everyone with a fuel-efficient car, please stand up.
22 April 2006
White House shake up
Ha ha.
Indeed, when the guy who was in charge of the budget is now in charge of the White House staff, and the guy who handled policy and politics dropped the policy, are you really getting a refreshed staff who will help pull you up from a 33% approval?
18 April 2006
How do you?
How do you tell a friend that he’s drinking too much? No, scratch that; how do you tell a friend that he’s getting drunk too much?
How do you tell him that his recent over-indulgence in alcohol and marijuana is unhealthy? How do you tell him that he is using substances to escape the uncertainties in his life?
How do you tell him that, as a man who wants to become a pastor, as a man through which the Christian and non-Christian world views Jesus Christ and the Lord God, he is doing the religion a disservice?
How do you tell a “brother in Christ” that he is stumbling?
And what do you do to help?
I suppose I’ll find out soon. Sigh.
How do you tell him that his recent over-indulgence in alcohol and marijuana is unhealthy? How do you tell him that he is using substances to escape the uncertainties in his life?
How do you tell him that, as a man who wants to become a pastor, as a man through which the Christian and non-Christian world views Jesus Christ and the Lord God, he is doing the religion a disservice?
How do you tell a “brother in Christ” that he is stumbling?
And what do you do to help?
I suppose I’ll find out soon. Sigh.
16 April 2006
God Be in My Head
I attended Easter service at the Duke University Chapel, and the choir sang such gorgeous choral blessing. The paean was so soft; it verged on being a lullaby, but its words were so powerful and touching, that I wanted to share the blessing with you all:
God be in my head and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes and in my looking. God be in my mouth and in my speaking. God be in my heart and in my thinking. God be at my end and in my departing.
God be in my head and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes and in my looking. God be in my mouth and in my speaking. God be in my heart and in my thinking. God be at my end and in my departing.
by John Rutter
11 April 2006
llegal Immigration
(Note: I use the term “illegal immigrant(s)’’ to refer to any person from any another county who enters the United States via clandestine and non-legal means with intention to reside here long-term.)
Monday was “National day of action for immigration justice,’’ a massive, nation-wide demonstration which advocated the rights of—and pushed for amnesty for—illegal immigrants. The issue of illegal immigration has been in the news for weeks now, and during this time, I have attempted to wrap my head around this complex issue and determine where I stand.
And where do I stand?
On one hand, there is the argument that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and do not possess necessary documentation to make use of services afforded to American citizens, thereby causing a drain on American resources. You may think that illegal immigration can not cause that much of a drain on resources, but there are an estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the nation. Many, if not most, of these immigrants have children who attend public schools; but these families do not contribute tax dollars for school upkeep and improvement—legal immigrants and American citizens are paying for illegal immigrants to go to school and use school resources.
Furthermore, hospitals are required to assist whoever comes through their doors, even if the patient has no health insurance or a personal means by which to pay for services (illegal immigrants rarely have either). With no way to seek compensation for services rendered, the hospital has to eat the cost of the services, which in turn causes them to raise fees and costs, which causes health insurance companies to raises prices to compensate for higher hospital bills. Yeah, classic snowball effect.
During this illegal immigration debate, I have been very disturbed and confused by the notion that illegal immigrates have some form of “rights’’ that the American government is trying to ignore or circumvent. This notion is perpetuated when people avoid using the term “illegal’’ when discussing “illegal immigration.’’ You may call them “illegal,’’ you may call them “undocumented,’’ but in the end, these are people who gained entry into this nation surreptitiously. They purposely and knowingly avoided the proper channels and process by which to enter the nation, and as such, are not citizens of this nation. So, while illegal immigrants certainly have human rights, they have no rights under the U.S. Constitution. The American government can not circumvent the rights of people who have no (Constitutional) rights.
I have also been baffled by protesters proudly waving non-American flags during pro-illegal immigration rallies and demonstrations. I do not understand what place another nation's flag has at a demonstration that tries to encourage change in the American government. Having pride for your native country is fine, but such pride does not, and will not, persuade the American government, or people, to support your cause. Thankfully, the protest organizers have disseminated the idea that the American flag should be used to persuade the American government to action. Yet, the fact that this idea had to be disseminated demonstrates the protesters’ lack of appreciation and understanding of the nuance of this complex issue. Do they really understand how to get what they want in the confines of American society, history tradition, and culture?
Furthermore, do the protesters understand that for most Americans upholding the law is paramount? If the protesters do understand this, how can they advocate for better treatment for law-breakers? As I mentioned before, illegal immigrants are called such because they broke the law. The idea that we should forgive law-breakers and help them better themselves baffles me.
Imagine, if you will, that you take a vacation for a month. Now during your vacation, a homeless man breaks into your home, eats your food, and wears your clothes to go on a job interview. You then return home to find your house occupied by the homeless man’s family. You order him to leave, but he refuses, citing that he has found a job, that his kids are in school, and to make him leave now would be inhumane. However, he suggests that you should make room for him and his family in your home because he deserves to be treated fairly. This allegory reflects the (unsound) logic used by supporters of illegal immigrants—the supporters would let the homeless man stay.
Supporters of immigrants also claim that illegal immigrants “do the jobs that Americans won’t do.’’ The jobs that are supposedly too demeaning for Americans are: construction, housekeeping, large-scale yard work & landscaping, low-level restaurant staff, etc. But I argue that there are Americans who will do these jobs. I once met a man who lays concrete during the warmer months. He does a job that is not easy, prestigious, or high-paying, but it is a job that he can do. However, every winter he is out of work when it gets too cold to lay concrete. With a lack of job openings in his field, he spends the winter months at home, jobless. Here is a man who takes a job during the summer that most Americans would avoid, but he can’t find work during the winter. Supposedly, illegal immigrants are doing jobs that he wouldn’t, but I think that he would take these jobs if he could. And what of the homeless population with their “will work for food’’ signs? Yes, some of them are mentally unfit to hold down a job, but these men and women desire employment to lift them up out of poverty. In all, where American politicians and illegal immigrant supporters see Americans who won’t take low-paying jobs, I see an untapped workforce.
In light of the above tirade, you’d think my opinion on illegal immigration would be cut and dry. But, in the end, illegal immigrants are trying to better themselves and their families. I know that if I lived in a developing nation and saw a way to gain entry into one of the richest nations on Earth, I’d do whatever it takes to get there. And the fact remains that illegal immigrants want to work hard, make a decent wage, and achieve the American Dream—a universal goal for most Americans, legal and illegal.
Furthermore, as an American, I remember the words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty,
Also, as a Christian, I KNOW that God and Jesus Christ see no distinction between “legal’’ and “illegal’’ Americans—that kind of love is unrestricted. In my lifelong journey to be more Christ-like, shouldn’t I try to emulate such loving-kindness?
Alongside my American and Christian status, another facet of the illegal immigration debate complicates my opinion of the issue. There can be no easy, uncomplicated, inexpensive, and/or universally agreed-upon method by which to remove all illegal immigrants from this nation. Illegal immigrants are here, they have burrowed deep into the underbelly of the American workforce; they are a buttress that numerous American businesses rely on. In essence, any federal dragnet meant to remove illegal immigrants would be too porous to get the job done, and too immediately destructive to American business and the economy.
So what are the options? Cut and dry amnesty for those who knowingly broke the law, and continue to do so every second they spend in this country, repulses me.
As mentioned above, forcibly sending every illegal immigrant back to their nation of origin would be complicated and improbable, if not impossible.
Granting illegal immigrants some form of less-than-full-citizen status would clearly create second-class citizens, which is not a viable option.
So, it seems that a guest-worker program is our best choice; but I fear that such a program will come nowhere near resolving the issue.
I suppose that all I can do is hope that our elected officials can make sense of this complex, emotionally-volatile, core-defining issue and devise a workable solution.
I’m not holding my breath…
Monday was “National day of action for immigration justice,’’ a massive, nation-wide demonstration which advocated the rights of—and pushed for amnesty for—illegal immigrants. The issue of illegal immigration has been in the news for weeks now, and during this time, I have attempted to wrap my head around this complex issue and determine where I stand.
And where do I stand?
On one hand, there is the argument that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and do not possess necessary documentation to make use of services afforded to American citizens, thereby causing a drain on American resources. You may think that illegal immigration can not cause that much of a drain on resources, but there are an estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the nation. Many, if not most, of these immigrants have children who attend public schools; but these families do not contribute tax dollars for school upkeep and improvement—legal immigrants and American citizens are paying for illegal immigrants to go to school and use school resources.
Furthermore, hospitals are required to assist whoever comes through their doors, even if the patient has no health insurance or a personal means by which to pay for services (illegal immigrants rarely have either). With no way to seek compensation for services rendered, the hospital has to eat the cost of the services, which in turn causes them to raise fees and costs, which causes health insurance companies to raises prices to compensate for higher hospital bills. Yeah, classic snowball effect.
During this illegal immigration debate, I have been very disturbed and confused by the notion that illegal immigrates have some form of “rights’’ that the American government is trying to ignore or circumvent. This notion is perpetuated when people avoid using the term “illegal’’ when discussing “illegal immigration.’’ You may call them “illegal,’’ you may call them “undocumented,’’ but in the end, these are people who gained entry into this nation surreptitiously. They purposely and knowingly avoided the proper channels and process by which to enter the nation, and as such, are not citizens of this nation. So, while illegal immigrants certainly have human rights, they have no rights under the U.S. Constitution. The American government can not circumvent the rights of people who have no (Constitutional) rights.
I have also been baffled by protesters proudly waving non-American flags during pro-illegal immigration rallies and demonstrations. I do not understand what place another nation's flag has at a demonstration that tries to encourage change in the American government. Having pride for your native country is fine, but such pride does not, and will not, persuade the American government, or people, to support your cause. Thankfully, the protest organizers have disseminated the idea that the American flag should be used to persuade the American government to action. Yet, the fact that this idea had to be disseminated demonstrates the protesters’ lack of appreciation and understanding of the nuance of this complex issue. Do they really understand how to get what they want in the confines of American society, history tradition, and culture?
Furthermore, do the protesters understand that for most Americans upholding the law is paramount? If the protesters do understand this, how can they advocate for better treatment for law-breakers? As I mentioned before, illegal immigrants are called such because they broke the law. The idea that we should forgive law-breakers and help them better themselves baffles me.
Imagine, if you will, that you take a vacation for a month. Now during your vacation, a homeless man breaks into your home, eats your food, and wears your clothes to go on a job interview. You then return home to find your house occupied by the homeless man’s family. You order him to leave, but he refuses, citing that he has found a job, that his kids are in school, and to make him leave now would be inhumane. However, he suggests that you should make room for him and his family in your home because he deserves to be treated fairly. This allegory reflects the (unsound) logic used by supporters of illegal immigrants—the supporters would let the homeless man stay.
Supporters of immigrants also claim that illegal immigrants “do the jobs that Americans won’t do.’’ The jobs that are supposedly too demeaning for Americans are: construction, housekeeping, large-scale yard work & landscaping, low-level restaurant staff, etc. But I argue that there are Americans who will do these jobs. I once met a man who lays concrete during the warmer months. He does a job that is not easy, prestigious, or high-paying, but it is a job that he can do. However, every winter he is out of work when it gets too cold to lay concrete. With a lack of job openings in his field, he spends the winter months at home, jobless. Here is a man who takes a job during the summer that most Americans would avoid, but he can’t find work during the winter. Supposedly, illegal immigrants are doing jobs that he wouldn’t, but I think that he would take these jobs if he could. And what of the homeless population with their “will work for food’’ signs? Yes, some of them are mentally unfit to hold down a job, but these men and women desire employment to lift them up out of poverty. In all, where American politicians and illegal immigrant supporters see Americans who won’t take low-paying jobs, I see an untapped workforce.
In light of the above tirade, you’d think my opinion on illegal immigration would be cut and dry. But, in the end, illegal immigrants are trying to better themselves and their families. I know that if I lived in a developing nation and saw a way to gain entry into one of the richest nations on Earth, I’d do whatever it takes to get there. And the fact remains that illegal immigrants want to work hard, make a decent wage, and achieve the American Dream—a universal goal for most Americans, legal and illegal.
Furthermore, as an American, I remember the words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty,
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Also, as a Christian, I KNOW that God and Jesus Christ see no distinction between “legal’’ and “illegal’’ Americans—that kind of love is unrestricted. In my lifelong journey to be more Christ-like, shouldn’t I try to emulate such loving-kindness?
Alongside my American and Christian status, another facet of the illegal immigration debate complicates my opinion of the issue. There can be no easy, uncomplicated, inexpensive, and/or universally agreed-upon method by which to remove all illegal immigrants from this nation. Illegal immigrants are here, they have burrowed deep into the underbelly of the American workforce; they are a buttress that numerous American businesses rely on. In essence, any federal dragnet meant to remove illegal immigrants would be too porous to get the job done, and too immediately destructive to American business and the economy.
So what are the options? Cut and dry amnesty for those who knowingly broke the law, and continue to do so every second they spend in this country, repulses me.
As mentioned above, forcibly sending every illegal immigrant back to their nation of origin would be complicated and improbable, if not impossible.
Granting illegal immigrants some form of less-than-full-citizen status would clearly create second-class citizens, which is not a viable option.
So, it seems that a guest-worker program is our best choice; but I fear that such a program will come nowhere near resolving the issue.
I suppose that all I can do is hope that our elected officials can make sense of this complex, emotionally-volatile, core-defining issue and devise a workable solution.
I’m not holding my breath…
06 April 2006
Katie Couric
I don’t know about Katie Couric’s move to CBS. I mean, the ''whole first female solo anchor'' thing is all well and good, but as the above cartoon insinuates, Katie may not be the best choice as an evening news anchor.
Sure, she reported the news on the Today Show, but she also moderated cooking segments and showed us the new-spring fashions. She’s like that nice neighbor lady who would bake you cookies, show you her new milkshake maker, discuss the protest in France, tell you what Salma Hayek is like, and ask how your first year at college went.
In other words, she’s trustworthy, intelligent, and resolute; but she’s also sweet, personable, and non-threatening. I’m not sure those last qualities are what are needed behind the anchor’s desk of a hard hitting, news driven program.
Of course, the other problem for CBS—and in general, the concept of the evening news cast—is that by 6:30 pm, people have already gotten the day’s news via their cable stations. I know, personally, by 6:30 pm I’ve already watched an hour of The Situation Room with Wolf Blizter (CNN), an hour of Hardball with Chris Mattews (MSNBC), and 30 minutes of Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN). That’s quite a force for CBS, ABC, and NBC to compete with, and I don't think that Katie Couric is the solution.
04 April 2006
Congrats to Florida, "ha-ha" to Tom Delay
I have a confession: I didn’t watch the college basketball championship game tonight. The entire tournament comes down to this one game, and I didn’t care to watch.
I don’t really know why I was so indifferent to a Florida/UCLA match-up. Maybe my ambivalence was due to the fact that I couldn’t care less about either team or the players, maybe it was due to the dismally boring Final Four games, maybe it was due to no UNC/Duke/or even George Mason in the final.
Nevertheless, I’ve been posting about basketball for a while now, and in the interest of consistency, I felt I should comment on Florida’s win over UCLA, 73-57 (another blowout, blah).
So, um, yeah, good job Florida.
In far more interesting news, U.S. House Representative Tom Delay isn’t going to run for re-election, feeling that his connection to lobbying scandals have hurt his chances of re-winning his seat. It’s always nice to see a powerful yet pompous, arrogant, power-hungry, gerrymandering politician go down.
And yeah, I changed the templete of the blog. You like?
I don’t really know why I was so indifferent to a Florida/UCLA match-up. Maybe my ambivalence was due to the fact that I couldn’t care less about either team or the players, maybe it was due to the dismally boring Final Four games, maybe it was due to no UNC/Duke/or even George Mason in the final.
Nevertheless, I’ve been posting about basketball for a while now, and in the interest of consistency, I felt I should comment on Florida’s win over UCLA, 73-57 (another blowout, blah).
So, um, yeah, good job Florida.
In far more interesting news, U.S. House Representative Tom Delay isn’t going to run for re-election, feeling that his connection to lobbying scandals have hurt his chances of re-winning his seat. It’s always nice to see a powerful yet pompous, arrogant, power-hungry, gerrymandering politician go down.
And yeah, I changed the templete of the blog. You like?
01 April 2006
Crazy girls in coffee shops
Today, I awoke to a voice mail from my friend Fiona. She was in Durham for the day and wanted to see me. You see, Fiona was a co-worker at the infamous “residential mental health facility” that I worked for a year back in ’04-’05, so it has been a while since I have seen her. Color me excited!
So, we arrange to meet at a coffee shop in Durham. As I’m enjoying my lemonade and ham & cheese sandwich, I overhear a strange girl talk about how she can’t eat raisins and grapes in the same day because they’re essentially the same fruit. I chalk her up to being one of those people with particularly odd dietary habits that they think will keep their body in balance or whatever, and continue with my Fiona time.
Then, Fiona says that the strange girl and her friend just said “Virgil” and “CooperRiis.” You see, Virgil is the Executive Director of CooperRiis, so apparently this random strange girl knows some info about the “mental health facility.” I figure there’s no way that such a random coincidence could occur, and I tell Fiona that she must be mistaken. Then, I hear the strange girl and her friend say even more CooperRiis-specific words, and I am officially convinced.
How peculiar. One current and one former employee of CooperRiis met for lunch in Durham (four hours away from The ‘Riis) and they are sitting next to two girls talking about the place. Wow.
At this point, the strange girl jolts up, spins around, acts a little spastic, and runs off somewhere in the shop. After some discussion as to if we should say anything to these girls, Fiona and I take Strange Girl's abrupt exit as an opportunity to introduce Fiona and myself to Strange Girl’s friend (hereafter known as “not-strange girl”). Not-strange girl seems as generally shocked at the coincidence. Then, Strange Girl comes back, and seems generally uneasy about the coincidence.
But Fiona and I express loving-kindness, magnanimity, and compassion to Strange Girl, and get her to talk about her CooperRiis experience: how she’s been a visit to The ‘Riis, how her parents want her to go there, how she doesn’t think she needs therapy or mental assistance, etc.
So, as the conversation continued, Strange Girl randomly flipped out about her shoelace, didn’t want to shake any of our hands because of germs, says that she wants to be an astronaut but hasn’t gone to astronautics school, asked to have Fiona’s blueberry pie, and other such strange things. Based on her behavior, I personally (and internally) diagnosed her as Paranoid Schizophrenic, OCD, and maybe a little Manic.
But hold on, we find out that Not-strange Girl went to same college as Fiona! In fact, Not-strange Girl knows Fiona’s sister! Oh, what the…Fiona and Not-Strange Girl then recall that they were roommates! Then, Strange Girl pipes in, “hey [not-strange girl], didn’t I know your roommate? Then the light bulbs go off over Fiona’s and Strange Girl’s heads, as they now remember each other. My mind is blown. Blown. And then, they say, in unison…
"APRIL FOOLS!"
What can I say, they got me.
p.s. Strange Girl is not crazy (or strange), but she is one fine actor.
So, we arrange to meet at a coffee shop in Durham. As I’m enjoying my lemonade and ham & cheese sandwich, I overhear a strange girl talk about how she can’t eat raisins and grapes in the same day because they’re essentially the same fruit. I chalk her up to being one of those people with particularly odd dietary habits that they think will keep their body in balance or whatever, and continue with my Fiona time.
Then, Fiona says that the strange girl and her friend just said “Virgil” and “CooperRiis.” You see, Virgil is the Executive Director of CooperRiis, so apparently this random strange girl knows some info about the “mental health facility.” I figure there’s no way that such a random coincidence could occur, and I tell Fiona that she must be mistaken. Then, I hear the strange girl and her friend say even more CooperRiis-specific words, and I am officially convinced.
How peculiar. One current and one former employee of CooperRiis met for lunch in Durham (four hours away from The ‘Riis) and they are sitting next to two girls talking about the place. Wow.
At this point, the strange girl jolts up, spins around, acts a little spastic, and runs off somewhere in the shop. After some discussion as to if we should say anything to these girls, Fiona and I take Strange Girl's abrupt exit as an opportunity to introduce Fiona and myself to Strange Girl’s friend (hereafter known as “not-strange girl”). Not-strange girl seems as generally shocked at the coincidence. Then, Strange Girl comes back, and seems generally uneasy about the coincidence.
But Fiona and I express loving-kindness, magnanimity, and compassion to Strange Girl, and get her to talk about her CooperRiis experience: how she’s been a visit to The ‘Riis, how her parents want her to go there, how she doesn’t think she needs therapy or mental assistance, etc.
So, as the conversation continued, Strange Girl randomly flipped out about her shoelace, didn’t want to shake any of our hands because of germs, says that she wants to be an astronaut but hasn’t gone to astronautics school, asked to have Fiona’s blueberry pie, and other such strange things. Based on her behavior, I personally (and internally) diagnosed her as Paranoid Schizophrenic, OCD, and maybe a little Manic.
But hold on, we find out that Not-strange Girl went to same college as Fiona! In fact, Not-strange Girl knows Fiona’s sister! Oh, what the…Fiona and Not-Strange Girl then recall that they were roommates! Then, Strange Girl pipes in, “hey [not-strange girl], didn’t I know your roommate? Then the light bulbs go off over Fiona’s and Strange Girl’s heads, as they now remember each other. My mind is blown. Blown. And then, they say, in unison…
"APRIL FOOLS!"
What can I say, they got me.
p.s. Strange Girl is not crazy (or strange), but she is one fine actor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
