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Ruthless.
100 Thing Challenge. This would be BEYOND a challenge for me. As I’m packing to move my daughter and I from a house of nearly 1,000 sq feet into a bedroom the size of my living room I am realizing that I think I own at least 100 things in my bathroom alone. Its insane. BUT, I KNOW I own more things that I really want to own, or need to own. While is nice to always be prepared - I’m tired of having to sort through millions of things knowing that “somewhere around here” I own that one tiny thing that you use maybe once in five years.
What things do I own that I probably don’t really need? 17 types of hair spray, gel, mousse, etc… I can understand needing 1 gel, 1 mousse, 1 hairspray. If I can’t do my hair with those things, then I can work with just a simple ponytail. Honestly, even though I own all of those things, I use them maybe once a month. If that.
If I pair down my bathroom to things I “need” I would have: Three towels, Shampoo, Conditioner, container of nail polish, nail polish remover. All the standard headache remedies (always around for other people, but I never take them – do I really need to keep them, or should I find a new home for them?) I have several different allergy medications I’ve had for a few years and never taken. I’m having a huge problem saying “get rid of it” because the moment I do….
Bedroom: Bed. Desk. Posters (‘cause they take up no space anyway). Battery charging center/batteries. Blankets – how many? I think right now I’m looking at a pile of at least 5 comforters. I’m pretty sure I’ve only purchased two of them. My ex-husband hated the first one within a week of me buying it, and I LOVED it and kept using it anyway. But now, I shared it with him – I don’t want it. Hmm, that was easier than I thought. I realize at this very second that I’m holding on to things in FEAR of the emotion that may arise when I attempt to release it. My dresser is a must. Clothes? I could easily keep only half of what I have now. More difficultly, probably just a quarter of what I have now. Shoes? HA! No. Those I must keep. All million pair of them.
Kitchen: Utensils that are used maybe once a year – gone. If I need them, I’m clever enough to use something else. Crappy appliances that are a pain in the ass to clean? Gone. I hate cleaning. I can make a grilled cheese on a pan instead of a sandwich maker just as easy. Eggs are what I use my sandwich maker for anyway – and this one is too small for that effectively.
Plates: I can see four as the max needed at any time until I’m happily married and can have people over for dinner (yeah, I’m laughing at that idea, too). Until then – Londyn and I are only two people. I’ll keep four in the event of possible guests, but the rest? GONE. Glasses? If it says “Guinness” or has a princess on it – it can survive.
Furniture? I don’t need couches. I spend too much time on them now anyway. Owning a couch will just be getting in my way of attempting to end up in law school [yeah, I know – odds are slim – but STILL. I WANNA TRY!!]. Bed. Dresser. End Table. Desk. Desk Chair (no point in a desk, if I can’t sit).
Books: Okay, so THIS is the ONE challenge I really face. I own a library worth of books. BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE A LIBRARY SOMEDAY. However, thinking about it. I don’t have time to read right now. If I want to read a new book, I’m actually buying it read to me on audible.com. I loathe reading hard copies on computers or cell phone… but maybe I can learn to like it. Until then, I’m moving my books all into storage if I don’t “need” them. Books on topics I really appreciate [physics, law, LSAT, politics, math] I will keep. My “favorite” books that I think Londyn may appreciate reading someday, I’ll keep as well [Watership Down, Juniper, Wise Child]. But everything else, I’m going to Craigslist/Free Cycle/Donate. Books I’ve had since I’ve learned how to read… I’m hoping I don’t regret getting rid of my library. Inside I’m already crying at the very thought of not having the library I want… My ebook wish list can be read here: [ http://amzn.com/w/2E3UJFXSHBEML ]
Do I really need anything more than that other than food? Likely not. Can I get rid of all that extra stuff? No, but I’m certainly on my way to being closer to that list. Maybe I’ll start with under 1,000 things.
Do you live with way too much stuff? How do you cope? How does it work – do you find that it crushes your life because you spend so much time searching for things? Or where to put things? Or trying to figure out how to move through all your things?
On the other side - do you live with not enough stuff? Do you find yourself always in want of something else, but not the time/resources to get it?
I really could use some advice and thoughts. Tell me how you live.
I wrote this December of 2005.
I’m sitting just inside the center of the universe
Might as well be another black hearse
Hands reach out to touch the nearest thing
Streched clear out into the unseen
Can see you with my eyes feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go
Can see you with my eyes feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go
I spend my time all alone in the dark
Closer to the world yet farther apart
My heart yearns to be one with the earth
But I’ve been separate from everything since the day of my birth
Lonliness consumes my heart
The harder I look the more it gets dark
I search within my self hoping to see
all I can find is an emptier version of me
I can see you with my eyes I can feel you with my soul
The closer I come to me the farther you go
I can see you with my eyes I can feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go.
You reach out your hand to touch
I am just not into feeling that much
I try to sit still try not to loose control
I can’t let the world grab ahold.
I’m sitting just inside the center of the universe
Might as well be another black hearse
Hands reach out to touch the nearest thing
Streched clear out into the unseen
Can see you with my eyes feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go
Can see you with my eyes feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go
I spend my time all alone in the dark
Closer to the world yet farther apart
My heart yearns to be one with the earth
But I’ve been separate from everything since the day of my birth
Lonliness consumes my heart
The harder I look the more it gets dark
I search within my self hoping to see
all I can find is an emptier version of me
I can see you with my eyes I can feel you with my soul
The closer I come to me the farther you go
I can see you with my eyes I can feel you with my soul
The closer you come to me the farther I go.
You reach out your hand to touch
I am just not into feeling that much
I try to sit still try not to loose control
I can’t let the world grab ahold.
A Facebook friend posted a link. She wrote: "Palin Alert!" and then copied this link: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/stand_up_for_npr/?rc=fb_share4
Followed by "Republican leadership in Congress already forced one vote on a measure to defund NPR. When they come back with a majority in January, they'll be looking to finish the job. We can't let Sarah Palin and the right wing bully Democrats into selling out such an important part of our media landscape."
Well, I'm a hardcore Sarah fan [Glenn Beck, too]. As such, my reply to the post was ".... what had NPR done for us?
Go Sarah! Take 'em out!!" -- I was trying to rattle some nerves and encourage an educationally valuable debate.
The Facebook friend replied, proving my thought that she had no idea what she was talking about, with: "What has Sarah done for NPR and our world??? Killed wolves hunted from helicopters offering $150 a forelimb...Seems she's not the only one on a power trip...you should be ashamed Eternity, check out the current headlines from the news sometime will ya?"
I've discovered that more often than not, those who are so against Palin and the "Right-Wing Agenda" have no knowledge base at all about why they are against something. They spout off random material they've given no long term thought to, and spend the other half of the time throwing out un-witty accusations.
In response, I simply wrote:
"I live and breath news and politics, my lady. What should Sarah do for NPR?! Why on Earth should WE pay for something that is inferior? News organizations should be funded by the people, but we should vote with our dollars in that respect, NOT by having our government pay for it. If its really that important to you (not you specifically, but you as an American whole) and you really want them to exist still -- donate.
As for Sarah, she's done more than kill animals [which was done to INCREASE wildlife populations]. As a conservative, I fully believe that the government should be by the people, and for the people -- and should have as little to do with our lives as humanly possible. The more we let them take, the less we have in the way of freedom. The Constitution is our system of laws boiled down to the most simple of concepts. Palin has worked very hard to cut Federal Waste Spending -- there are SO many things our taxes pay for, that don't need to be paid for.
In all reality though, what power does Sarah have? Very little at the moment. She can stand up, boldly state her beliefs and convictions -- which she proudly demonstrates her knowledge of. I believe that Sarah is an honest woman who has incredible morals, and values. NPR shouldn't be taken down - they have every right to free speech - but free speech shouldn't be so expensive."
I can't wait to read her reply. If there is one.
I'm a Juggalo. We're all very different. The most noticeable Juggalos are the kids on Railroad [you will never catch me there]. We are essentially followers of the Insane Clown Posse and the music groups contained within Psychopathic Records [Twiztid, Dark Lotus, Blaze].
Being a Juggalo is slightly different to each one of us; unfortunately there are a lot of "kids" that haven't quite figured it out and think its about running their lives into the ground on purpose. In reality, its recognizing strength within and rising above against all odds -- like a beautiful Lotus flower emerging perfect from the deep, dark mud.
The hardest part about being a Juggalo sometimes is being judged based on the worst acts of the worst members. It would be like judging all of humanity based on the actions of a few small terrorists, or judging all Catholics as child molesters based on the actions of a few pathetic leaders.
It was a regular occurrence. Dad would bring out his guns to clean, and the smell of Hoppes solvent would burn my nose, and sting my eyes -- a smell and feel that do this day brings me incredible emotional comfort with a slight nausea. With a John Wayne movie in the VCR, and me watching with a wide-eyed curiosity only a child can muster, we’d carry on our weekly tradition.
He promised to take me shooting for the first time as a small girl when I was just five years old. I had enjoyed watching John Wayne movies and learned out to aim. It was a large gun, and very heavy for such a tiny child. I needed both hands just to hold it up, even with his help. Watching “The Cowboys” he’d sit behind me and help me aim at the TV . I’d desperately try to use the little strength I had to pull back the hammer, but I don’t think I was able to for several years. One the gun was “loaded”, I would carefully line up the open sights of his .44 caliber revolver with the bright orange on the front sight carefully over Bruce Derns body. Watching Bruce’s character beat Wil Andersen to his eventual death I would pull the trigger, doing my very best to change the end of the movie. ‘John Wayne is my hero! He cannot die! I’ll protect you!’
Squeezing the trigger so hard in an attempt to rescue the man I loved so fondly, my dad would still have help me pull the trigger. The sharp sound of the hammer falling in an attempt to spark a shot was a sharp sound that echoed loudly in our small living room. Over and over, try as I might, the long haired man still spoiled the magic I found in the movie. My dad would gently correct my aiming errors over time, and my imaginary shots at the television grew more and more accurate as I learned to hold the weapon myself. Finally dad decided it was time to show me the true power the gun possessed.
We dressed Alex and Ashley up to come with us. Since they were smaller than me, they got to wear some of my old hand-me-down clothes. Ashley was dressed up in a cute little green dress, and Alex wore my older brothers blue plaid button up. I dressed myself in jeans and a t-shirt and pulled a hoodie over my head. We all got packed into the truck and went for a long drive. Bumping over the road I could see Mt Baker growing larger as we got closer. Eventually we were too close to see it and we continued down the highway. At a small corner store we stopped to grab a few cans of soda since it was a bright, hot Washington summer day. It was the little things like this that made our time together a memorable adventure.
Buckling back up in my booster seat we continued until we hit a gravel road. I’d thought it was bumpy before, but now it was just plain fun! Potholes sent us every which way as we climbed up the narrow dusty road winding its way through the trees. After some time we met something of a clearing. It was a small gravel pit, there was nothing else around but the still of the forest and a soft breeze. Dad got out of the truck, opened the back and placed Alex and Ashley on a nearby boulder to sit and wait. Coming around to my side of the truck he reached in to unbuckle me and set me gently on the ground and then reached behind the seat and pulled out a briefcase. Setting the briefcase down on the tailgate he opened it up and inside of the briefcase were headphones and ear plugs so our ears were protected as he shot.
To give me a clear view he picked me up and placed me on the tailgate of the blue pick-up, legs hanging over the side. He reached his right hand to the holster where he’d been carrying his gun and pulled it out. It had been unloaded, so he slid open the cylinder and carefully placed just two cartridges in to the weapon. Closing up the gun he spun the cylinder a few times and we laughed at the noise. He placed the headphones over my ears and he asked me if I was ready. I nodded gently in both fear and excitement. I’d never seen a REAL gun shot before! I knew it was going to be loud, but I was not entirely prepared for what would happen next. He carefully turned and aimed at his target.
The shot rang out and in a horrifyingly fast sequence of events I saw Ashley sit expressionless as her chest ripped open sending a bright red liquid glimmering through the sky and splattering quickly to the ground. Before it landed on the ground another shot was fired and this time Alex was hit and it felt like slow motion as I saw his body explode sending more of the thick red up into the sky. The gravel pit was eerily silent as I removed my headphones to take in the damage. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Where Alex and Ashley once sat, with a happy smile on their faces, was now just a pile of mess. Bits of shredded anti-freeze containers that had been filled with red jello were laying mangled all around. My dad turned to me and calmly spoke “And now you know why guns are not toys”.
[this is a response to a specific person]
The Bible does not know all. It knows a lot, and its great for basic moral principle, but it does not know all. Being gay isn't a fad by any means -- there are some that go through an experimental 'trying to find myself' phase, but its really about getting down to the core of being male or female. What really ARE the differences between males and females? Very very little. If Men and Women are created equal, then M=1 and W=1; in which case M+M=2; M+W=2; and W+W=2. Where's the problem? You don't have to understand it for yourself. You likely never will because you are straight. . . but then again, can you honestly tell me you've *NEVER* felt any attraction towards another woman? Even when slightly tipsy? We have so little time in our lives to live, is it really worth being so vocal and causing so much pain for other people?
This link is to an article I found regarding Kurk Kirby of Vancouver, Washington. Kirby was at a strip-mall and had the police called on him for "". This is for Case Number 91647 out of Clark County. Kirby has scheduled appearances on 9/28/10 and 10/01/10.
In Washington State we have an entire section of the RCW dedicated to weapons. RCW 9.41.050 is entirely regarding the carrying of firearms, and the only type of firearm it discusses is those which are concealed. In this case there is nothing that was done wrong that violates any section of this code as his weapon was out in the open.
The portion of code in question here is RCW 9.41.270 regarding "Weapons apparently capable of producing bodily harm - Unlawful carrying or handling - Penalty - Exceptions" and states that "(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to carry, exhibit, display, or draw any firearm, dagger, sword, knife or other cutting or stabbing instrument, club, or any other weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm, in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons."
What warrants alarm for the safety of another person? In todays society we are tremendously lacking in both knowledge and experience with weaponry. For many people seeing a firearm out in the open brings about the same paranoia as discovering that you have a Hobo Spider living behind your toilet and their first instinct is to make a mad dash to any direction the spider is not -- and then to call somebody to exterminate the threat.
While the witnesses mentioned in this article who also hold a concealed weapons permit do at least have some crediblity when it comes to being around firearms, there is seemingly no evidence that on this day Kirby was breaking any laws or indicating any intent to intimidate or cause harm.
The article makes it seem that Kirby was exhibiting some off behavior; however, on FOX12 out of Oregon an article on the topic speaks to an employee of the tanning salon he was walking out just before being contacted by police and she felt he was no threat at all - indicating that Kirby was likely of sound mind [ http://www.kptv.com/news/2 2946917/detail.html].
Since I obviously am lacking any substantial information on this case, given what I have found, the prosecution would need to show beyond reasonable doubt that any alarm citizens had was warranted, and I do not feel in this circumstance it was.
