When did my gut get so big? You can spend a large part of your life wishing you looked different or had more money, drove a different car, had a better p.c. or whatever. Problem then is that the self-absorption keeps you from appreciating the peripherals like a beautiful sunset (taken in Maui, as was the picture of me snorkeling). There is a period of my life where I took very little pictures of myself. I didn't like seeing them developed and being disappointed with the way I look. Now when I run into the few pictures I took then, I think, "damn, you were a good looking dude. Wish I had more pictures to remind myself of that." I think that we all like the pictures we took 3 years ago but dislike the ones we took yesterday.
Canada. Sean Penn caused a hotel to be fined because he smoked a cigarrette in an inside area. I have always enjoyed his work; from Spicoli to the government agent in "The Interpreter." As an antagonist he also nails the part. His portrayals in "Casualties of War" and "Dead Man Walking" brought out my own hate for the characters. In "I am Sam" he made me cry. There is no question that he is a deep and talented actor. It is too bad he can't obey the rules. The article mentioned his brief marriage to Madonna in the eighties. That marriage and the marriages of Emilio Esteves with Demi Moore and with Paula Abdul are ones which I can't forget because they just don't seem plausible.
Rome. The pope is apologizing (according to the article I read) for Muslim reaction to what he said about them which he was only reading, not his words. Is that really an apology? "I am sorry for how you feel about what I said when I was reading out loud." BTW If someone was to insult Catholics, I wouldn't take it personally. Depending on what he or she said I would judge it as an ignorant comment, irrelevant comment or a cutting observation with unwarranted blanket implications. Respectively:
To say Catholics are responsible for evil on earth is ignorant. To say that about any one religion, people or creed is ignorant.
The Spanish Inquisition is a cruel example of hate and persecution fueled by Catholic zeal is a true statement but irrelevant. After a certain amount of time the mistakes of the past cast no guilt on the inhabitants of the present time. Bigotry is not a genetic trait, it is learned (watch science prove me wrong).
Catholic Priests are child molesters is a generalized statement made upon relatively few examples(percentage of priests guilty of child molestation vs. percentage of priests who are not). The fact that many such priests have been found out is true but it doesn't mean they all are.
When I think about it, anytime religion is brought up I tend to become quite the bag of wind. Religion is something that can either make you a better person or a worse one. I read (present tense) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and I think how enlightened His words were. If I could remind myself of these lessons everyday, my life would be blessed with clarity and satisfaction. However, if I go around trying to proclaim and defend my religion all I would encounter is enemies and obstacles. I would become vain and overbearing.
At this point a giant hook comes on stage and pulls the failing performer offstage.
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