benjerin.com Blog

Like most people, I have several fears, and I think most of them are pretty standard.  I’m afraid of spiders, the dark, failure…  But I’ve decided that one of my biggest fears might be hypocrisy.  I am terrified of being a hypocrite.

Two definitions that decribe my understanding of the meaning of hypocrisy.

1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.)

2. Insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have. (WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University)

I used to say that hypocrisy was my biggest pet peeve.  Yet, I always thought it was a dangerous pet peeve to have.  Because I believe, that at some point in their life, at least once, everyone is a hypocrite.  So if I were to state hypocrisy as my biggest pet peeve, then any act of hypocrisy on my part makes me twice the hypocrite!

Maybe my fear of hypocrisy is why I’m so wishy-washy and undecided all the time.  When I try to explain a personal belief or quality of mine, I have such a hard time.  I feel like I talk in circles, or over-explain, when I’m trying to explain my behaviors.  Much like I am right now.

Anyway, just something I was in deep thought about this afternoon.  I thought I had more to say about it.  I got distracted, our hammock stand arrived (thank you freecycle!) and Benjy is home and bugging me to go to the store.

Just a random update.

On the homefront: Benjy and I have been spending a lot of time around the house lately.  Hooray for money-saving efforts!  We had a bit of a movie-marathon this weekend.  We watched Shawshank Redemption, Full Metal Jacket and O Brother Where Art Thou.  Great movies!  Thank goodness for Benjy’s movie collection.  We also used a gift certificate to buy the third season of “Friends” on DVD.  Great show!

On the workfront:  Work has been busy for me and I’ve gotten a little bit of overtime lately. Hooray for overtime!  Benjy has had a couple of interviews lately.  Last week, he interviewed at a kennel.  Today he interviewed at a company where he would frame art, etc.  We are still waiting to hear back from both.  Send us good vibes!

On the dogfront:  We still have Oz.  He is such a wonderful dog that we really haven’t tried our hardest to find him a new home.  How cruel of us!  We have plans to make him a website, post flyers, and put ads in the newspaper…hopefully this weekend.  The new favorite puppy past-time is to chase all the flying insects that are emerging with the warmer weather.  It is really quite amusing. And we are having such beautiful weather!  I LOVE our backyard!  Benjy is fascinated with Search and Rescue dogs so we checked-out a few dog-training books from the local library.  (As a side-note, the Athens Library could use a lot of improvement!)  We also finally broke down and bought Halti collars for Obi and Keena.  They are terrible leash-pullers and we are hoping the Halti collars will help.

On the beerfront:  Benjy started a new home-brew last night.  He is aiming to perfect his “Smokey Hollow Porter” recipe, which has chocolate and coffee flavors.  Also, he has gotten in touch with “Spike” of Terrapin beer, and had a few exchanges discussing how to start your own microbrew.  How cool of Spike to offer Benjy some insight!  The Classic City Brew Fest is approaching.  Benjy is volunteering with the Blockader Homebrew Supply booth, and I hope to volunteer elsewhere in the event.

Coming Soon: The end of March is approaching and I should post an update on my progress with my Goals for 2007.  I have an appointment with an endocrinologist this Friday to discuss my hypothyroid diagnosis.  And I plan on posting some fabulous chili recipes soon.

Stay tuned!

That’s right.  I have reverse envy.  Every time I see someone get in their vehicle, I get the dreaded reverse envy.  That’s right, where ever I go, I have to park with the ability to leave going forward or use a hill and gravity to  go in reverse, because the reverse no longer works in my truck.  Fooy!

At the end of my last post I forgot to leave a ‘Place that quote:’ so I’m going to leave two on this post.

Place that quote:        “Well um I I guess I just never think of money as an issue.”

                                    “That’s cause you have it.”

                                    “That’s a good point.”

Now some wisdom for you to utilize even though I can not.  A wiser person would worry more about how things are, rather than how things should be.  I get my feet stuck right in how things should be and I can’t seem to let go, or it can’t seem to let go of me, just like a tar-baby.  I try to let go, but I feel it’s that kind of attitude that allows things to be, well I’d say ‘imperfect’, but to be more reasonable I’ll say ‘not good enough’.  But, as I said before, A wiser person would worry more about how things are, rather than how things should be.

Place that quote:        “Why aren’t you shooting?!”

                                    “We aren’t being shot at yet!”

                                    “How can you tell?!”

                                    “A hiss means it’s close!  A snap means (peeeeeooow)  Now they’re shooting at us!”   (pop pop pop … pop pop pop pop) (Ratatatatatatatatatatatat)

The February photos are posted.  A lot of doggie pictures!  It is a pretty good representation of how Benjy and I have been spending the majority of our free-time lately.  We’ve developed a routine of chatting in the backyard with a glass of wine, watching the puppies play and then nap at our feet.

This past weekend was really relaxing.  We did a lot of chores.  Cleaned the house.  Cleaned the dogs (baths for everyone!).  Benjy also cleaned up the backyard some.  There is one corner of our backyard that is overgrown.  Benjy cleared out most of it last summer, and then blocked-off the very corner because there was poison ivy, lots of trash, etc.  Well, Obi, and now Oz, are very insistant on getting back in the blocked-off corner.  They hop the flimsy green fencing or nose their way under it, so Benjy decided to clean it up some.  He found close to 10 used oil filters and other miscellaneous rusted objects.  Just more evidence of the slobs that must of inhabited this house before.  Ick!

And on that note, here is an adorable photo that Benjy snapped Saturday night.  If we stay up too late, the puppies often make their way back to their “dens” before Benjy and I go to bed. All the pups squished into one den.  Puppy cuddle puddle!

I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ARBWKpfA4

The last couple of weeks I’ve been on a bit of a kick of trying to “be green” and trying to “leave each place better than when I found it”.

On “being green”, I have made more efforts to recycle at work.  I have become much more energy conscious at home.  And I have also joined freecycle in an effort to reduce waste.

On “leaving each place better than when I found it” I’ve mostly taken to picking up trash whenever I see it.  I’ve also tried to do this by cleaning and tidying public areas I’m in, such as the breakroom or bathroom at work.  I’ve even made an effort to smile more and try to lighten the mood wherever I go.

It’s not easy, and I’m far from perfect, but I am making an effort!

This afternoon I was in line at a drive-thru (I know, not healthy and NOT green!).  The passenger in the car in front of me very casually tossed a cup out of her window.  I honked my horn and yelled something like “That’s trash! What are you doing?!”.  Both of the people in the car looked at me like I was crazy.  After a few seconds of hesitation, the passenger opened her door, leaned out of the car, and picked up the cup.  I was satisfied, but they were still looking at me like I was crazy. 

Then I heard one of them say “I thought this was America?!”

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

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I posted an ad putting Oz up for adoption on petfinder.com.  The website has a rule that you must require an adoption fee “meant to discourage unethical people from collecting animals”.

I placed the following ad:

“Oz is a german shepherd believed to be mixed with chow. Black and tan, with floppy ears, and black spots on his tongue. Oz is a sweet, friendly, playful dog. He loves to run around with other dogs. Oz would be ideal at a home with other playful dogs and a fenced in yard. He is fixed and fully vaccinated. Weve only been fostering him for a week, and he is quickly learning basic commands. $100 adoption fee requested. Interview, home visit, and vet references required. Picture available upon request.”

I got the following response today:

“hello, how are you doing and your pet? Am  Colins by name and i will love to give your pet a loving home. i reside in utah with my wife and two kids one is 14yrs old and the other is 17yrs old , we will love to adopt your pet as an indoor family pet and we love pet so much than any other thing on earth ,so please let me know the last asking price and i will love to view the pics if available. payment will be made before shippment and my shipping company will handle the shipping , dont be bored about the shipping of this pet cos this company deals with transporting live pets across the coast which i have been a witness of. more so my mode of payment will be in an american cashiers check or money order check which will include the cost of the pet along with the shipping fees and the payment willbe brought to you  by a couries service e.g ups,dhl,fedex or usps, you can get a hold of this shipping company for more information asper the shipping at speedwayshiping_freight@yahoo.com   and they made it known to me that the pet will be pickup right in your door step with out you streesing your self and a vet check will be carried out on the pickup day by the shipers vet doctor. i look forward to hear from you in giving this pet a loving home , i await your response”

Does this sound creepy to anyone else?!  

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Those are just my personal experiences with the world in the last 8 hours and they both frightened me.  Let’s not even go into all the horrible news I’ve read about what has happened the last 24 hours in Athens.  Then the national and international news….ack!  I’m gonna go hide under the covers now!

I don’t want my feelings about gun control, or the fact that I love guns, think they’re cool and love to shoot them and can’t wait till I get my grandfathers M1911 government model Colt .45 past down to me to confuse the issue.  But I have to complain about this.  I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read, “From my cold dead hands.”  Many of you may know that this is a famous phrase from a speech given by Charlton Heston during a NRA (National Rifle Association) rally, which he was the president of for about six years.  The bumper sticker was saying that people have the right to “keep and bear Arms.”  Along with this Heston sticker, I’ve also seen others that get right to the point and just say ‘The 2^nd Amendment gives one the right to keep and bear Arms.’  This issue has bothered me for many years now.  I have no idea how this misconception came about, but the 2^nd Amendment does not guarantee the right of any citizen of the United States to “keep and bear Arms.”

            Gun enthusiasts don’t worry, you still have the right to “keep and bear Arms.”    What does give the right to any citizen of the United States to “keep and bear Arms” is the fact that we live in a free society and anything that isn’t illegal is legal.  Of course there are specific laws about what ages and felon status of perspective gun owners are appropriate.  As well as laws dictating what weapons are legal and when it is appropriate for them to be carried and how.

            Back to the 2^nd Amendment; everywhere one goes there are people claiming the 2^nd Amendment as their end-all-be-all argument for their right to “keep and bear Arms.”  This is a selective argument being that the phrase “keep and bear Arms” represents almost 15% of the 2^nd Amendment.  I’m really baffled that I have to point this out, being that the 2^nd is one of the shortest Amendments.  I mean come on, how hard is it to read an entire sentence?  But what the 2^nd Amendment completely says is:           

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”           

            Now I’m sure that some of the proponents of the everybody is aloud to “keep and bear Arms” interpretation of the 2^nd Amendment may say, ‘me and my buddies keep our militia well regulated.’  I’m pretty sure that when the Framers wrote well regulated, they didn’t mean self regulated.  Next, how can anyone argue that their rag-tag militia is necessary to the security of a free State, when the US has the most superior military in the world back by the Reserves, the National Guard system (US militias), as well as the state police, local police and sheriff offices, not to mention the numerous intelligence agencies.  ‘But Benjy, what about a military coup?’  Well if this happens I wish you and your eight buddies good luck. 

            So, if you are trying to make an argument for your right to “keep and bear Arms”, unless you are in the National Guard, the 2^nd Amendment does not apply to you.  So next time, just say, ‘it’s not illegal to keep and bear Arms.’  I realize that this makes it harder for one to argue in favor of keeping and bearing Arms, but hey, no one said life was easy.