Some Days, I Wish I Worked At 7-Eleven

As I sat here today, trying desperately to be witty and engaging in my latest blog (my poor, tired brain fighting me all the way), I thought about the mixed blessing that is my job. Being self-employed means that I'm not allowed to simply punch a time card and go home. I have to always be creating, producing, doing something different than the day before. And it's exhausting! Some days, I wish that my biggest responsibility involved nothing more challenging than pouring Slurpees!

The Therapeutic Value Of Crayons

The other evening, Matt and I ate at a casual waterfront restaurant. Nothing fancy -- plastic plates, disposable napkins, and paper tablecloths. The kind of place that provides crayons to keep the little ones occupied. Of course, we don't have children, but I still wanted the crayons -- Matt and I amused ourselves (and the waitress) by decorating our entire tablecloth with original (and mostly abstract) artwork. I haven't done that in ages, and it was the best kind of stress-reliever!

The Church Of Ramona Is Now Open For Business!

I have always had a problem with organized religion, mostly because there wasn't any one group out there whose story I could buy into 100%. I wanted to pick and choose the bits I liked best from different practices and paste them together into the "Church Of Ramona" -- and now it turns out that I can!

The Healthcare Mess From A Self-Employed Perspective

I have been holding off on commenting about healthcare reform until the bill passed (because everything up to that point was just speculation) -- and in doing so, I've had a sort of epiphany. In watching the debates and listening to the rhetoric, I've come to an important realization -- the division for/against is not along party lines as I once thought, but has more to do with who's currently providing your health insurance right now.

Frivolous Lawsuits -- It's The Judge's Fault

I tripped over a website the other day outlining the most frivolous and ridiculous lawsuits of all time (I should have sued them for a slip-and-fall!) While on some level it was an entertaining read, the whole thing sort of pissed me off. People complain about the legal system being "broken," and this kind of stupidity is a lot of the reason why.

The Church And Celibacy Just Don't Mix

The Catholic church has been accused again (yes, again!) of covering up clerical sex crimes. This has been going on for decades, and the Vatican's "zero tolerance policy" hadn't done squat to stop the abuse. Isn't that a hint that there's something really wrong here? Not just with the priests (obviously something's amiss when an adult thinks it's okay to diddle a choirboy during his off hours) -- but a fundamental flaw in the idea of mandatory celibacy?

Which Do You Prefer -- Freedom From Or Freedom To?

I love travel because seeing the differences between societies is always a real eye-opener. Of course no place is perfect, but a recent visit to Tokyo showed me that they have real leg-up on the U.S. It's clean, no vandalism, no theft, no violence, no homelessness -- not even the petty obnoxious public rudeness that seems to plague so many western cities. It's got me thinking about where a culture's values come from, and wondering whether ours aren't a bit misplaced.

Marriage Versus Civil Union

Washington D.C. has just passed legislation allowing same-sex marriages, a move which delights me on behalf of all my LGBT friends. There have been a lot of arguments from the right -- my favorite is that marriage is a sacrament of the church, meant only for men and women. Despite the fact that legislation based on what a religion considers "sacred" is a violation of the separation of church and state, I'm willing to concede on this point and offer a compromise that everyone can live with.

The Evils Of Required Tipping

I love to eat out -- it is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to experience "local flavor" wherever we travel (as long as you stay away from the tourist traps and go where the natives do.) However I hate, loathe, and resent the requirement that I tip a server. Tipping is supposed to be a reward, but the way the system is set up, you feel as though you HAVE to tip, even if the service is terrible -- otherwise, you're helping to drive some low-wage waitress even deeper into poverty.