earth day

Garbage Puff reminds us that "Earth Day" is every day:
(Hmm... maybe the earth is warming because he's sitting on it.)

In any event... in honor of Earth Day, I resumed my bike commuting this week. I had stopped during the winter due to the rain (and/or snow) and darkness. My goal is to do it 2 days a week, weather permitting. (And if I don't wake up too late!)

the proverbial grain of salt

I think we've all been cautioned to take things one reads on the internet with a grain of salt. Case in point! This past weekend I ran across a website detailing a family's genealogy. I don't personally know these people, but as it turns out I am in one of their family tree branches.

I saw that my name was listed. So far, so good. Then Offsprings #1 & #2 were listed, but their names were both misspelled. (Does anybody really name their son Cavid?) I noticed that they got my hubby's name right -- but then stated he was deceased. Yikes! Last time I checked he had a pulse!

Here's the best/worst part: They had me remarried to (drum roll please.....) my stepfather!!! Whoa. That is really not cool.

The family/webmasters had their e-mail address listed so I e-mailed my corrected information. I got a reply thanking me but stating that they were having trouble accessing their website so it probably wouldn't be corrected for a while.

In the meantime, I'm hoping anybody doing genealogy research and using that webpage takes it with a grain of salt. Heck, you need the whole salt shaker for that one.

Jesus, Interrupted

I just finished reading Bart Ehrman's Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible. I had read (and liked) Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why a few years ago, so when his latest book popped up on my Kindle, it was oh-so-easy to click "buy"!

In Jesus, Interrupted, Ehrman considers the Bible from a historical-critical perspective (rather than a devotional approach). He considers questions such as: What do the writings mean in their original historical context? Who were the actual authors? (Hint: not whom you might think!) Those authors lived in their unique time and place with a particular set of cultural and religious assumptions. What were they trying to say?

Ehrman details how the Bible is filled with discrepancies, many small but some quite significant. For example, a side-by-side comparison of the four gospels reveals irreconcilable differences in the accounts of Jesus' birth, baptism, and resurrection. (This was not news to me. Many years back--probably 10 or 15?--I decided to read the entire Bible from beginning to end and found such differences myself.) Ehrman asserts that if one tries to reconcile the discrepancies between various books (or even within the individual books), one will miss the larger theological point of the author.

Jesus, Interrupted also considers topics such as what can be known about the historical Jesus and how the 27 canonical books of the New Testament were chosen over the many other letters, Acts, and gospels that existed. I found of particular interest how the religion of Jesus became a religion about Jesus -- and unfortunately anti-Semitic along the way.

People who base their faith on the Bible being inerrant and written-by-the-hand-of-God will likely be threatened by this book. But I have a hunch many of those people wouldn't consider reading it anyway. I think people who would particulary benefit from reading Jesus, Interrupted are those who have dismissed the Bible as being misogynistic, homophobic, and ultimately irrelevant. I think Ehrman, by putting things into the proper perspective, just may help salvage the Bible for them.

Friday Five: Household Appliances Edition

Sally writes: As I write this I am waiting for my new dishwasher to be delivered ... So being in a domestic frame of mind I thought I'd ask:

1. What is the one appliance you simply couldn't be without?
I suppose the washing machine, because without it I'd have to go to the laundromat... or have dirty clothes.

2. What if anything would you happily give up?
Our current dryer -- because it takes waaaay too long to dry the clothes. (Well, actually it's more of a venting problem we need to address.) But in any event I'd replace it with the Whirlpool Duet Steam Dryer which would nearly eliminate the need for ironing.



According to the ad, "It uses a gentle, yet powerful combination of mist and heat, allowing the garment to be dry, refreshed, and ready-to-wear as soon as the cycle is finished." Yeah, baby!

3. What is the strangest household appliance you own?
I was stumped on this one, so I asked Hubby who said "the quesadilla maker". (Hmmm... perhaps it's just the foods I create with the quesadilla maker that Hubby finds strange.)



4. What is the most luxurious household appliance you own?
I suppose I'd have to say my Starbucks Barista Aroma Solo coffee maker. It brews just enough for one (because it's all about ME!) You can program it the night before to brew right into the tumbler, then grab it to go in the morning.



5. Tell us about your dream kitchen- the sky is the limit here...
Back in college when I was taking lots of chemistry classes (e.g. organic, inorganic, biochemistry), I decided my dream kitchen would be designed to look like a chemistry lab. And I still think that would be fun. You would measure and mix things with beakers and test tubes, heat water with bunsen burners, etc. I must be a mad scientist at heart.



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all images googled

peeps!

The Washington Post recently posted their Peeps Dioramas, and, frankly, I'm inspired. Next Easter, I'm definitely going to create one!

This year's winner was "NightPeeps", Melissa Harvey's tribute to Edward Hopper's famous "Nighthawks" painting.



My personal favorite was "Peeps of Wrath" by Diane Page. I think the Joads look great all "peepified".



You can see all of the top 40 finalists here.

hooray for the cinnabon people!

I have a soft spot for cinnamon rolls. (Or maybe I'm getting a soft spot because of cinnamon rolls...)

In any event, I heard that Cinnabon is giving away free mini-cinnamon rolls on April 15th. It's their "Tax Day Bites" promotion. (Is that a clever title, or what?!)

Details here!

Is it Monday already?

Aaargh.



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Googled the Jetsons