Wasteland

Well it has been about a month since I last updated. Again nothing reall much going on here. Just of little things.

I guess there has been an upset at the Academy awards with Crash beating Brokeback Mountain. Honestly I think it deserved it. While I think Brokeback was a great film, I think that Crash was done right. But then again I am always a fan of movies with multiple story lines and intersecting plots like Magnolia. In Brokeback, the characters were extraoridnary, not usual people who we can't relate to. In Crash, I think we can relate to the characters in some aspect. I think even the best of us rely on stereotypes in some aspect, usually out of fear. We find out someone is a Muslim, and uknownly and unfairly we associate them with the terrorists. Why? Because we know that most terrorists are Muslims and all we know about the person is that he is Muslim. As humans, fear is built in to us. And when we don't have anything else to go on, we rely on fear.

I almost bought a kayak this week on ebay. I find that it is hard to come upon kayaks that are make for the big guy. I have been wanting to buy a kayak for about 7 years but kayaks and the necessary acessories are expensive. The good thing is that they last forever. On of my most memorable vacations was kayaking the Apostle Islands in wisconsin. Nothing like riding the waves with your life supporting supplies with you, camping on the edge of a Great Lake with no way to get to it except by boat.

One thing I have noticed is the rise of the "Crunchy Conservatives" basically kind of morally conservative version of the 70s hippies. They are usually Christians who live off the land, home school most of the time, are not big fans of big business. I would have to say that I kind of find the idea attractive. Growing up on a farm I appreciate growing your fresh food. In fact I think that people in general need to be more materially self sufficiant. In fact I would dream of having a farm where I can grow my own food and share with my friends. Plus I would have windmills and solar panels. I think if we work for material needs instead of buying them, we are more responsible and less wasteful. Plus I use Linux vs. Windows, don't like Walmart, and I believe that greed is by far the most overlooked vice by Christians in america.
The one thing that bothers me about the Crunchy Cons is that they tend to isolate themselves socially. The whole home school thing is not something I am a fan of because I believe that my kids should be challenged spiritually and learn how to deal with temptations. Even adult Christians isolate themselves too much or they put on a face. We need to learn how to build real relationships with people who don't share our faith. Jesus didn't isolate himself. He was very much in the culture but not part of the culture.

Finally website of the day.