Love, Not Hate

I am haunted by something I read the other day. I am so disturbed and deeply sad that anyone would have to feel this way, even for a moment, and, yet, I'm sure there are so many more that experience this same horrible, oppressive, devastating feeling. Self-hate so strong, so suffocating and painful, that a person would rather end their life than endure another second of it. There is no one who deserves this. No one. And to think that a wonderful, unique, and worthy human being, as each of are, feels this way, or ever felt this way, is a tragedy. What can we do to help? What can we do to end self-hate?

Please consider carefully how your words and actions affect other people, people who hurt and bleed just like you. Please offer a kind word, a friendly gesture, a compassionate deed, a hand of friendship. Let's help each other to become, to grow, to heal. There is enough sadness, despair, loss, and death in the world. Be one who spreads love and life and peace.

I understand what it feels like to be hated, to be the butt of jokes, to be the object of ridicule and disgust. It's a horrible, soul-crushing, nauseating feeling and it leaves scars that never completely fade away. Please talk to someone about your pain, especially if it is unbearable. It's OK to show that you hurt, that you're vulnerable. We all do. We all are. There is healing and hope.

The author of the sentiment I read might not feel like this anymore and I hope with all my heart that they don't. But I know there are others that feel this way, too. Here's a number to call if the pain is more than you can handle:

1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Please know that you are deserving of kindness, happiness, love, and life.

Movies Purchased 7/24

$4/movie
Lust, Caution (2007) - never watched
The Tourist
Salt
Iron Man 2
How To Train Your Dragon

$1/movie (I've never watched any of the $1 movies)
Stage Beauty
The Matador
Strangers with Candy
Message In A Cellphone
Eyes of Fire
Off the Black
K Street: The Complete Series
Offside
Kart Racer (for friends)

Did Rep. Anthony Weiner Send a Photo of His Weiner?

Rep. Anthony Weiner denies posting the photo of a bulging crotch in gray boxer briefs that was posted from his Twitter account. However, in this article Rep. Weiner states that he "can't say with certitude" whether or not the photo is of his own weiner. He says in another article: "I have photographs. I don't know what photographs are out there in the world of me."

Early on, in one of the interviews, he was asked about the photo a second time and Weiner replied: "You know ... we've been sitting down for a brief moment and you're already asking if there are pictures of me in my drawers."

The second article also tells us that Weiner revealed that "he's called in an Internet security firm and a law firm to take a 'hard look' at the incident and find out what happened."

Viewable by his 45,000 Twitter followers for the few minutes the photo was posted, it was actually sent to a 21-year-old college student from Seattle who claims she has never met Weiner, though she says she is a fan. Rep. Weiner was married last July to Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with former U.S. President Bill Clinton officiating, according to this article.

Whether or not Weiner sent the photo, I hope he and his wife are able to work through this. I wish them well and hope their marriage is strengthened rather than weakened by this incident.

My thoughts about sending crotch pictures are as follows:

Sending a photo of the bulge in your underwear is hot. Sending that photo to someone who isn't your spouse, if you have one, is not.

(All emphases mine.)

Naked (Or Not) And Unashamed

Note: This is something I wrote a few weeks ago.

I'm tired of people being mocked, teased, and insulted for normal, natural sexuality, most notably, arousal and masturbation. This came to mind following a line I heard in the movie "Superbad" and an online article I read listing movies with masturbation scenes. (No, I wasn't looking for movies to add to my Netflix queue.) I had only seen a few of the movies mentioned, but I remember the person walking in on the private act almost always reacts with shock, disgust, and derision. There are similar stories in books and magazines, in conversations among friends. We all laugh and look around nervously, hoping we are never the one being discovered doing the one thing almost everyone does, but no one talks about. Well, I propose a new way to look at the situation. We are human beings with bodies that touch, feel, respond, and react in marvelous ways. Why should we be ashamed? Why should someone discovering that our body functions in the way it was intended to cause us to turn away in shame and extreme embarrassment? Is the fact that we have desires and sometimes act on them ourselves something that should cause public mocking or personal humiliation? Absolutely not! I'm not saying it's a good idea to expose yourself to strangers or stick your hands down your pants in the middle of a public park. I'm saying, be proud of your body and what it can do. If someone notices that you're aroused, so what? If someone walks in on you pleasuring yourself, so what? Shrug it off, let it go and be the confident, strong, beautiful sexual being that you are. We all get aroused, the vast majority of us masturbate, and there's nothing wrong with those things. Being sensual, sexual, and human are things we were born to be, and there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Me, Myself, and I

Well, I guess I'm back! Nice to have place to share your thoughts and just get them out and put them out there, y'know?

You know what? I kinda suck at friendship. I want to have a lot in common and make an emotional connection and then I want to just jump in and get to know a person really quickly, and sometimes that's just not the way it naturally goes and you can't force it. I guess I'm at least partially clueless when it comes to relating to people.

I love people and I love meeting and interacting with people. I'm somewhat of an extrovert sometimes and when I've been housebound a lot, I just really crave getting out and being with others. I have so few outlets for that, though. Most of my friends are online. I have a couple good friends IRL, but they're busy with their own lives and it doesn't work out for us to get together that often. I don't know. I just wish I had someone that I could feel comfortable sharing pretty much anything with and we would just get each other, you know? I have that with my husband and I am so lucky and blessed and thankful to have that. He truly is my best friend and I wouldn't want it any other way. However, I still want and crave friends. Good friends. Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that I have no family nearby. I talk to my dad on the phone pretty often, but they live a few states away.

Something else I wanted to discuss is that sometimes, when I do have a promising friendship, I kind of retreat and procrastinate. It might partially be afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing to put the person off and maybe also getting discouraged or impatient if the friendship doesn't move along fast enough. I know those are unhealthy ways of thinking, but - ugh - that seems to be how it goes. It's a bit depressing.

I am very, very thankful for my family and friends and love and appreciate them very much. I think I will pray about making more close friends. I know God cares about this and lots of other little and big things and I'm also so very grateful for Him.

Looking for Amy Barton

The Amy Barton I am looking for attended Beaubien School (or Jean-Baptiste Beaubien Elementary School) in Chicago, IL, in the late '80s. If anyone knows how I might get in touch with this person, please contact me.

Thanks so much!

Maggie
gentlemama2mineTAKETHISPARTOUTPLEASE@gmail.com

Nate Silver and Smart Guys

Nate Silver is cool!

Who He Is And How He Became Famous
A Video Related To The Article

He seems like a nice guy, too. :)

I'm tellin' ya; smart people are gonna rule the world. However, we can't forget to add love to the mix. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Lucky (and blessed) me, I have a smart, cute, funny, sweet, adorable, loving and lovable hubby. :D <3

Girls, go for brains (and kindness) first. Six-pack abs will get boring and wouldn't make a very good pillow. A smart jerk will quickly get irritating and intolerable. So, find a smart, sweet, funny guy (especially one who loves Jesus) and you're all set. *grin*

I made a smoothie, using that unsweetened original hemp milk we just bought, which, by itself, is somewhat icky. Maybe it just takes some getting used to.

The smoothie ingredients:

unsweetened original hemp milk (about 10 oz?)
unsweetened vanilla almond milk
frozen mangoes
cinnamon
vanilla extract
almond extract
stevia
ground flax seed

It was very yummy and filling.