Guest Posting On AliLilly

If you haven't heard of the blog AliLilly you should check it out.  Especially if you enjoy making crafts and or cooking/baking.  You should also check it out Sunday because yours truly will be guest posting on AliLilly.  I will be sharing a how to on a useful craft, plus sharing a little of the disaster that occurred the first time I tried making that craft.

Check out my guest post, comment, and follow AliLilly if you enjoy crafting or if you are like me, crafting vicariously.

Here is the link: http://alililly.blogspot.com/

Black Socks Never Get Dirty

When I went to camp as a kid we would sing songs on the bus to pass the time when going on a trip.  I usually remember this one the most often:

“Black socks they never get dirty the longer you wear them the blacker they get.

Someday I’m going to launder them, but something keeps telling me don’t do it yet, not yet, not yet… “

I think I remember this one the most because I have expanded upon this song to other things in my life. The following is a list of items I own that are black:

Couch

Curtains

Bed sheets

6 shirts

Three pants

Sneakers (you may hear about these in another posting)

Trash can

Microwave

Lap top

Backpack

Futon

3 purses

One cat

All of my socks

Two belts

And much, much more.

Individually, these items may seem normal, but together this style of mine may come off as a little emo.   Not the case, couldn’t pull it off if I wanted to. 

You see I have an aversion to having things that look dirty.  Black stuff (except in the kitchen and with cars) tends not to look as dirty as lighter colored items.  If I wear a white shirt it is guaranteed to be stained by day’s end.   Even if you stain something that is black, if you wash it the stain is hardly noticeable.   Plus if the black begins to fade it is easy to buy some Rit dye to make it dark again.  Other colors are hard to match and you just don’t end up with the same teal shirt you loved before.

The downside to so many black items in my house is that things can look a little dreary at times.  The solution…many framed photographs on the wall.  I used to have colorful throw pillows, but the cats always find a way to destroy those…throw pillows are the mortal enemy of cats, second only to toilet paper.   I have also attempted to have wooden furniture and a multi-colored rug, but still I look like I live in a depressed Swedish house.

The other downside is that it can be easy to lose the cats because of camouflage effects in the bed.  As you can (or can’t) see here Joy blends easily into her natural environment.  

This leads to accidental sitting on cats, followed by muffled meows and sharp claws in my hind end.  The solution, do a quick hand sweep on the bed for cats before sitting on or flopping into bed.

It could be worse....everything I own could be white and covered in black cat hair. 

Gay Marriage

Generally speaking I don’t intend to write on politics very often on this blog, but there has been a great deal of chatter out there since New York legalized gay marriage earlier this week.  I believe that same-sex marriage is something that just needs to happen if we as a society truly want equality under the law. I understand that many people have religious/moral objections to gay marriage and wish to see it remain illegal.

There is one question in particular that is often brought to the table and is used both as an argument against and for gay marriage.  I feel both sides make a flawed argument with this question, and for the sake of logic I wish to point this out and how to make a better argument for the side I support.  The question is “Does gay marriage threaten the sanctity of marriage?” 

Social conservatives argue that by legalizing gay marriage the institution of marriage is somehow disparaged because the union of two people of the same sex (according to most who oppose gay marriage) is an abomination in the eyes God. Social conservatives point to holy texts such as the Bible to prove their argument.  While proponents of gay marriage argue that marriage these days isn’t really as holy as many social conservatives would like to believe.  Approximately 50% of all marriages don’t last, people cheat with just about the same frequency of divorce, and pre-marital sex is generally condoned in American society.

Both sides are missing the boat.  Our nation has lived by the excellent concept of separation of church and state.  The argument of whether or not same-sex marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage is really an irrelevant red herring. Our laws are not supposed to enforce the moral beliefs of any particular religion. The sanctity of marriage does not lie in the contract governed by state and federal laws, but in religious beliefs and rites.  Extending marriage to all groups of people gay or straight  under the law does not mandate the holiness of that union nor a particular religion’s right to exclude the weddings of those individuals they deem unfit for marriage within their holy sites (churches, temples, mosques, etc.) or officiated by their religious leaders.  Denying two men, or two women, the right of marriage under the law is not done in the interest of protecting society, but in the interest of forcing one group’s religious beliefs onto others.

The legislation of morality has been met by many failures (such as prohibition), including some failures we continue to try to enforce today.  In many cases legislating morality works because it protects society…we can all agree that murder, rape, and theft cause pain, terror, and damage to individuals and society as a whole. But these crimes which are typically seen as immoral were not put into law simply because they were immoral, but because they threatened the peace and prosperity of individuals and the nation by extension. The danger to legislating morality for things such as gay marriage, which truly affect only those who partake, is that we turn our backs on the basic guiding principles of our nation…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   

And now for a cute cat picture...

The Most Expensive Tomatoes Ever

I had a month or two of delusional thinking.  That is, I thought I could grow a tomato plant and reap the harvest of tasty, juicy, tomatoes.  I bought the potting soil, the planter, the Miracle Grow© tomato food, a watering can, and of course, the tomato plant.  

For two months Tim watered and cared for the plant which I continuously forgot existed.  I was excited to see the plant flower and tomatoes starting to grow. 

Since I am a novice gardener I forgot that you have to plant gardens really early in Arizona because for some reasons tomatoes don’t grow well in 100°+ temperatures.   Last week the plant died.  And I only got two tomatoes.  The most expensive, not even close to ripe, tomatoes I have ever had.  Hopefully they will ripen off the vine and taste somewhat delicious.   Each tomato costs approximately $10.00.  Given that tomatoes at the local grocery store are currently going for about $0.77 a pound, my tomatoes seem to be a little steep in price.

Note to self…buy tomatoes at the grocery store; don’t even try to grow them on your own.

The Pluses and Pitfalls to Being a Housecat

Pluses:

Nap time is whenever you want.

Food, water, shelter, and toys are free of charge.

People will pet you and cuddle you.

You are not required to get a job.

People don’t make you learn silly tricks…unless they are really bored or have a psychology experiment they need to do for a class.

Pitfalls:

Taking a bath requires lots of time licking yourself.

Hairballs

People will pet and cuddle you.

No opposable thumbs

No appreciation for swimming.