Tuesday Picks & Pans
yes, kids, it's that time again. And I have my soapbox out and I'm ready to go, so here's the weekly list. sorry so long. I know I have been verbose lately...
PICKS
my new hair-- it is fabulous if I do say so myself! :) thanks to my team for the gift certificate and to Louanne and Chez Madeline for being all they were touted to be. This was also the first time I've had a conditioning mask (their explanation for why there was a plastic bag on my head) and the first time I had my hair cut without ever seeing a pair of scissors. And yet like half my head is gone and my hair is sleek and smooth. amazing.
Smithsonian Magazine-- I just got the first issue of my own this week, but I have always loved reading my Dad's copies. almost as good as the museums themselves. I need to take a DC trip...
Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits-- my new snacking addiction-- they taste like the bread you get at good Italian retaurants. yummmm
my fave new bumper sticker-- "I considered being atheist, but there weren't enough holidays." hehehehehehe
Michelle Kwan-- I watched the figure skating national championships and remembered how much I love athletes that are talented and classy but still humble and respectable. It's so nice to have people like her to root for rather than your cocky asshole athlete types (Randy Moss, anyone?)
innovation-- no real reason behind this except that I love the creativity of my team at work and this concept relates to some very good business advice my Dad gave me that has stuck with me. And no matter what I'm involved in, I always want to be the one that's ahead of the game and never the follower. I'd rather be onto something new while everyone else is still catching up...
wearing an Eagles jersey-- in Philly it's practically a weekend uniform, but down here it's something else entirely. EVERYONE has an opinion when you wear an Eagles jersey, and to me that is so much fun! I think I'll try this again next weekend to prepare for kicking the Falcons' tails!!!
cats-- my cat is so dumb that he chases the reflections of anything shiny on the walls. And he doesn't just watch them, he launches himself at the walls at them. and I cannot help but die laughing every time at his acrobatics and his wide-eyed expression. pets are fun.
PANS
Cox Cable-- yes, they make the list AGAIN. In fact, I am so annoyed that I will probably be switching to DirectTV and Verizon DSL in the next month just out of principle, even though this issue was with the phone. Cox is just unbelievable. My next move will be to somewhere with a different cable company, mark my words...
work drama-- again, no huge reason, but I'm just so over it. it's not worth it. I just wish I could make other people understand that. one of my people just got promoted and she's already about to flip over what people are saying. sometimes I really feel like I'm in junior high again.
Virginia Beach drivers-- I have been all over, and really Virginia Beach drivers have to be the worst ever. I mean really. In Philly and Jersey you know that everyone drives aggressively, so as long as you watch out and keep up, you're fine. And in Fredericksburg you're fine once you've figured out the largest demographic (male, hat with NASCAR driver's number, pickup truck with confederate stickers on the back). But in Virginia Beach you just never know what you're going to get. the worst offenders: the people that make rights on red onto high speed roads right in front of you. grrrrrrrrrrr.
stupid money stuff-- well, I got my hair done this morning like I said, and I just had to pay for the products and the tip. But my debit card gets declined. and this is in front of two of the people that work for me. Well, I wrote a check and went on my way, but I was freaked! So, I go right to the bank, where three people from the branch office and home office tell me there's absolutely nothing wrong, I have plenty of money, and the transaction never even hit the bank to be approved or declined, so it's the hair place's problem and not mine. All right I guess, but still a terrible experience I hope not to repeat anytime soon. How embarassing.
baseball & steroids-- come on Major League Baseball, step up to the plate!!! the players union needs to start really looking at what's going on, because as a loyal fan, I am one of the many who are pissed off. There should be real penalties for steroid use; it's unfair and more importantly, it's unsafe! Enough of the small penalties and scheduled testing. This is getting silly.
the courts & evolution-- okay I can understand that schools wouldn't want to teach Creationism as it is very much a religious doctrine and I don't believe in imposing one's religion on others. But, the last time I checked, evolution was still a theory. And I don't believe any theory should be taught as fact, whether or not it has anything to do with religion. So, with that said, this article really pissed me off.
importing music to my iPod-- still taking forever, and now I've imported my whole recent CD collection and I still have lots of space! Wow, 20 gigs can really make you feel like you aren't anywhere near the music fan you thought you were... Anyone have a CD collection I can borrow from??? :)
the weather changes-- 75 last week and 20 today! WTF!!!! this needs to stop! I'm really freaking cold!
On a last note that does not fit into either a pick or a pan, I have recently been linked by a couple of other blogs. Weird to me, but hey if I'm amusing someone out there or giving someone else something to write about, then hey that's cool. So anyway, read some of the recent comments and give some love back if you want to check them out.
ok I'm off to relax before class tonight. later all.
posted at 3:04 PM
5 Comments:
>But, the last time I checked, evolution was still
>a theory. And I don't believe any theory should be
>taught as fact.
There's theory and there's theory. Example, if you took a course in radio electronics, you learn radio theory. If you discuss how a radio works, you're discussing the theory of operation. Even though for 100 years now people have been sending and receiving radio waves, it's still considered theory.I'm not trying to pick a fight or offend you with this, especially if don't believe in evolution as being true. But personally, if you're willing to split the idea of evolution being a theory instead of a fact, then we start getting to the intellectual area of how you decide something is fact and beyond the theoretical stage. What evidence or tests are required to make it a fact and not just a theory?
This is one of those things that made me scratch my head when I was a kid, because my father was an electronics tech. He'd talk about electronics theory and I'd say, but it works. It's repeatable. You understand that if you do this, that happens. There's cause and effect. Why is it just a theory?
And why am I not a pick or a pan (as someone who linked and used your blog for my own blog)? I think I'm quite pickable, thank you (just don't pick me apart).
8:51 PM
Well, James, I am not sure whether I believe in evolution or not. But I have never been taught it in any other way than one of many ideas on the matter with some evidence behind it, even in a a public school in one of the most liberal areas of the country. I guess until I see or read something that convinces me otherwise, my only opinion is only that it has never been shown or proven to be absolute fact, like other observable recurring processes, and therefore should not be taught as such. Your question is a good one though-- what criteria are needed to make a theory into a fact? Without debating evolution itself, all I believe is that everyone should be able to hear all the options of the many disputed theories and make their own decisions. If you would like to propose that different theories of electronics or other disciplines should also be taught, then maybe I could get on board with that too. could be kind of fun!
and as far as not being a pick or a pan, what can I say-- I'm just in a non-committal mood. but if you say you're pickable and you consider that to be fact, then I'll consider it true until I hear another theory on the matter, ok? :Þ
9:49 PM
Excellent response; I can't argue much with that. I do believe in evolution, though I don't find it incompatible with a believe in God, but you make good points and I'll be thinking about it as time goes by.
The only thing I'd add would be something I was thinking of later, after I'd written my original comment. The problem with evolution is the same problem with "history" in general. No matter how much you learn, you'll never know the truth for 100% sure. It'll never be a fact the way Newton's laws are, because what you're doing is looking at evidence and hypothesizing what might have happened. Depending on the evidence and how much there is, the hypothesis might be very close to the Truth, but it'll always be off. Maybe it's off a little, maybe it's off a lot. But until we get a time machine and see for ourselves, we'll never know for certain. It'll always be our best guess.
I'm adding you to my blogroll. I hope my 3 or 4 readers funnel over here too.
12:50 AM
Ten bucks says that GA federal judge gets reversed on appeal. It is not anywhere NEAR being an establishment of religion to emphasize that evolution is a theory and not hard fact.
2:17 PM
Thanks to my favorite law school friend for the prediction. And thanks to James for making me realize that my history training and degree, which was before thought just to have been a random liberal arts degree that got me to where I am today, is probably why I have so many non-committal opinions on past and present issues. Keep the debates coming!
7:09 PM
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