Chlorinating the Gene Pool

Charlie and I watched The Darwin Awards this evening. I learned that many accidental deaths are caused by:

1. Unregulated military surplus
2. Second children who do stupid things to get attention
3. Drug and alcohol use

After the movie, I viewed the Darwin Awards website and I can’t believe how stupid some people can be! And don’t forget to check out the Honorable Mentions: stories of stupid people who actually survived their own attempts to chlorinate the gene pool.

Someone in the chatroom last night claims Barack Obama said in a Barbara Walters special as saying he was going back to his Muslim roots. The entire special is on ABC website, but without captions, I can’t verify this. Almost everyone I know that didn’t want Obama as president is STILL playing into that fear game. The saddest thing is, most of these people claim to be “Christians”. Whatever happened to “there is no fear in love” and “perfect love casts out fear” ?

Why is it so difficult for people to believe that Obama and his familiy are Christians? I know plenty of people who claim to be Christians but don’t live a Christian life in any way, shape or form. I don’t think Jesus would get drunk, have sex outside of marriage, or think up new ways to bully people. And what’s wrong with our political leaders being Muslim anyway? America was founded on religious freedom and one of the greatest things about living here is the diversity of cultures, races and religions.

I haven’t done much today except CRAMP. So the better part of the day was spent in bed. Almost 2 years after my Novasure surgery was done, I still have problems but no where near as bad as they used to be.

Move Over Tricky Jim!

Took me an entire year, but I finally watch “An Inconvenient Truth” and I’m ready to do my part! Despite a clip showing Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe stating global warning is nothing but emotional hype, I’m naïve and optimistic enough to think I can actually “think green” in Oklahoma.

I wrote all the PC comments below first, but what I really want to say is:

I know why Tricky Jim thinks Global Warming is emotional hype. He represents a state mired in oil and beef, two of the major contributing factors to global warming. Fossil Fuel consumption is the #1 creator of greenhouse gases. Cows give off methane gas, the 2^nd major contributor of greenhouse gases, when they breathe, so the environmentalists encourage people to consume less meat.

I’m more than willing to do my part by taking the bus. The pass is $40 a month, the same amount of money I spend each WEEK driving back and forth to work. So, Charlie and I checked out the OKC Metro bus schedules. I’d have to catch the bus at 6:45 a.m. and I’d get to work at 7:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the bus leaves my office at 4:29 p.m. and I don’t get off until 4:30, so I wouldn’t get home until almost 6:00 every night. I’m not sure losing 2 hours a day using public transportation is worth the sacrifice of spending time with my family. Plus, the bus system isn’t reliable and I wouldn’t want to risk being late. When is Oklahoma going to get a train system? Can you imagine the convenience of a train between OKC and Tulsa?

I checked out the website for An Inconvenient Truth and looked up how I can help. Interesting list, but how feasible are these things in Oklahoma?

• Replace incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs.
  
  • We’ve been doing this for awhile. Only problem with CFL’s is they don’t work with dimmer switches, but we don’t use dimmers.
• Set thermostat up 2 degrees in summer, 2 degrees down in winter.
  • We already do this. I set the programmable thermostat to 75 in summer, 68 in winter and remind Charlie to quit trying to run around half-dressed when its 32 degrees outside.
• Clean/Change filters on furnace and air conditioner.
  
  • The programmable thermostat reminds us to do this!
• Install a programmable thermostat.
  
  • Done. (Came with the house)
• Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases.
  
  • Yep, did this. Bought Energy Star compliant Kenmore appliances when we bought the new washer/dryer and frig a couple of years ago. The High-Efficiency washer is awesome! The tub is able to measure exactly how much water is needed for washing the load and doesn’t use more than it needs.
• Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket.
  
  • I’ll send Charlie to the store this week to price some.
• Use less hot water. Install low flow showerhead.
  
  • Charlie said no way to the low flow thing so I’ll just have to shower faster huh?
• Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible.
  
  • In Oklahoma? I don’t think so. Maybe if I lived in Phoenix where clothes dry faster or something. They never quite get dry with the humidity being what it is in Oklahoma.
• Turn off electronic devices you’re not using.
  
  • For some reason every light in my house seems to be on even if we’re not in that room using it. Get this – Charlie used to leave the laundry room light on at night for the cat. Hello! Cats have better night vision than we do!
• Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them.
  
  • Ok, maybe the phone charger, the boom box, the vacuum cleaner, etc. But, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna try to unplug the tv on a daily basis!
• Run your dishwasher only when there is a full load and use an energy-saving setting.
  
  • Is there a prize for cramming as much stuff in the dishwasher as possible? If, I win!
• Insulate and weatherize your home.
  
  • I think we need to look into this. I see areas around the house all the time that could use caulking or weatherstripping, especially the glass doors.
• Recycle at home.
  
  • Where do you put it? I guess another area to research, because I’m not familiar with OKC yet. Got a link for Earth 911, so I’ll check that out this week.
• Buy recycled paper products.
  
  • I used to order paper for an office and these actually cost more at the time. I just buy whatever is available.
• Plant a tree
  
  • I don’t think we can plant any more in our yard without screwing up the house foundation, utilities or the sidewalks, but I’m sure we can check with the Arbor Day Foundation about helping or donating money to plant some in other areas. I like the trees planted in the medians on the freeways etc.
• Get a home energy audit.
  
  • ONG called us one day to tell us our gas bill had spiked considerably. They came out to the house and discovered we had a leak in the valve going from the hot water tank, which we were able to fix ourselves. And they didn’t charge us a penny for the service.
• Switch to Green Power
  
  • OGE uses a wind farm to generate electricity for customers.

TO BE CONTINUED (the list is 6 pages long)

Simpsonized!

 

This afternoon we all went to see the new Simpsons movie. The movie was so self-explanatory, even I could figure out what was going on without captions and I thought it was hilarious. The Simpsons Movie was true Simpsons humor, everything we know and love to watch on TV, with the addition of a PG-13 rating. Yes, that means the movie is a little bit “naughtier” than the TV show. Not to be a spoiler, but flipping the bird, saying “Goddamn”, and a cartoon penis make this movie inappropriate for younger children. I was surprised to see the penis, but the way it was written into the movie was a riot. If you like The Simpsons on TV, you’ll enjoy The Simpsons Movie.

Get Simpsonized!

Too Many Crappy Movies

So I finally get around to watching “An American Haunting” today and I think its great, almost as good as Exorcist, until the ending

WTF? What were they thinking? Why couldn’t they end it with a more “spooky” ending? They ruined the entire film with the <spoiler alert> incest angle. The Legend of the Bell Witch is one of the spookiest stories around and Hollywood goes and ruins it. Why not end it the way the REAL story ends? With the spirit returning after 7 years or something…or even better…start the story off with the spirit visiting a Bell relative in 1935 as promised in legend?

I hate it when Hollywood screws up like this. No wonder it didn’t do well.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose was a disappointment too. I waited to see that one and just didn’t like the way they wrote the story. Too much time was spent on the trial of the priest.

Then I watched “The Gathering” starring Christina Ricci and the guy that plays Mr. Fantastic in “Fantastic Four (Iohn Gruffudd). This movie had the potential to be good, but it died. I think it had something to do with the editing more than anything. It was just BLEAH. A first century church is discovered buried in rural England and Christina Ricci suddenly has visions and premonitions of townspeople dying. The storyline had so much potential, but the editing was choppy and I felt like I was missing something until the very end.

But even scarier was “American Dreamz”, a parody of American Idol, because it made me wonder how much of American Idol is scripted. The contestants are not allowed to talk about the show and how it operates. Makes you wonder. Dennis Quaid as the “idiot” president too closely resembled Dubya for my peace of mind. He had no idea what the word “placebo” meant. Omer reminded me a lot of Sanjaya from the most recent season of American Idol. If you watch it, see if you recognize Willem Dafoe.

Damn, yesterday was a really crappy movie day. I need to find some GOOD movies to watch!