Bourne Ultimatum: Fact vs. Fiction

We watched this movie (finally) the other night.

All I can say is that making Jason Bourne be an assassin wasn't a good thing. But, you have to give them a few props for the all encompassing, highly skilled level of training he received. The guy was prepared for absolutely everything.

And, that's how we also know that the movie is a complete work of fiction. There is no possible way the federal government could ever train anybody that well. :-p

-b

Betrayal

I just came across an article about Judas Iscariot in the New Yorker. You know, the guy who betrayed Jesus in the Bible? It's a long article, but it was interesting to me. It was about how some scholars seem to be trying to 'rehabilitate his image.'

Here's a quote that stuck out to me: For two thousand years, Judas has therefore been Christianity’s primary image of human evil.

I have to say that for whatever reason, be it not paying attention in church all those Sunday morning-Sunday night-Wednesday night-plus revival-plus special activities or just plain missing the boat, I've never thought of Judas that way. I was a little taken by that statement because I've always thought of Judas as the Bible's most tragic character. I've always thought it was just devastatingly sad that anybody had to betray Jesus for the whole story to play out, and I've always felt a little sorry for him in the fact that it was, for whatever reason, him. Always. And, he even kind of tried to undo it, but of course he couldn't. And it was so much on him that he killed himself.

I don't know.
I've just always thought it was sad.

And,I just thought that was interesting.
And it's on my mind since I just finished reading the article.
And it's my blog so I can say what I want.

-b

p.s. Here's the link if you're inclined: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/08/03/090803crat_atlarge_acocella?currentPage=1

Our Daily Reflection

My friend Kelley sent this to me just now. It's a quote she read somewhere along the way.

"Never argue with a fool. Those who are listening will not be able to tell which of you is which."

-b

Tammy

I went to Kroger after working to get some dinner.

I chose to use the self check-out option. You know, where you scan your own items, and then you bag your own items, and then you start wondering why you're not getting a discount for doing this? Yeah, that one.

Well, Kroger seems to have updated their self check-out machines. Tonight I walked up with my items, dug my keys out from the bottom of my purse and scanned that ridiculous little card that I keep on my keychain as Kroger insists on this stupid rite of passage to give me a fair price, and began the check-out process. I guess I was hoping for one less conversation for the day. One less confrontation. Maybe just a minute to myself.

Instead, the 'woman' in the machine decided to make our exchange ugly. Very rude, actually. "PLEASE SCAN YOUR FIRST ITEM," she shouted. I actually looked back over my shoulder to make sure she wasn't yelling at someone behind me.

No. It was me she was gunning for. I scanned my Carnation coffee creamer as quickly as I could and she shouted, "PLEASE PLACE THE ITEM IN THE BAG." "Okay, slut," I thought. I'm not going to pretend it has been a great day here at the ranch, and so this deal of telling me what to do as I'm already doing it rubbed me the wrong way.

I wrestled with the bag which was still attached to the little silver arms in the bagging area. You know, the little plastic ones (yes, I recycle them) that are made specifically difficult to open so that we all take a minute to decide if we really want to use that moment to loose our witness or find a new testimony? Yeah, those. I couldn't get it open without a little doing, and at the exact moment I was able to roll the sticky plastic opening apart, Tammy (that's what I named her) yelled again, "PLEASE PLACE YOUR ITEM IN THE BAG. "

"I.AM.YOU.STUPID.TRAMP." I said back...too loud.

And so for the next 6 items, I raced against Tammy, trying to scan and put my item in the bag before she TOLD me to DO what I was ALREADY DOING!!!!

Score:
Tammy - 4
Me - 2

Game on, witch.

-b

Safety First

So, I'm at home in West Virginia. It was the longest drive of all time yesterday to get here, next to the Christmas ice storm. So, okay, the second longest drive. I was a little spent.

Dad and I were sitting there last night and we heard what sounded like something hit the outside of the house beside him. We ignored it the first time, but got up to check the second. They've been having break-ins around here now that so many people are losing their jobs at the plant. Dad went out the back door and I went out the front.

Mom and Dad have a huge piece of property which my Grandpa bought and built the house on when my Mom was little. Mom and Dad have added this terrific long, covered front porch. I stepped out on the front porch, looked out through the darkness and turned to the left. From just off the porch, pointing straight at me was a little red dot.

I.HIT.THE.DECK!!!!!!! I'm about to be shot. You've seen those rifles with laser scopes in the movies, right? Well, I wasn't going to be a standing target, at the very least. I.WAS.DOWN.

I looked up in my panic and noticed that the light had now turned purple. That's odd. Okay, and now blue. And now back to red.

And now my head starts to clear: the light was from the firefly lawn ornament that Mom has over there in her flowerbed.

-b