The Great Vegetarian Experiment

For various reasons, I've been batting around the idea of becoming vegetarian for quite awhile now. It's mostly the moral issue of eating "nothing with a face" (I have no idea how I'll ever give up leather shoes, though).

I've decided to try out vegetarianism for the month of January. That way, once I go back to craving steaks I can do the American thing and not bother to feel guilty about my failure as a vegetarian since I promised to do it only during the month of January.

So three cheers for my favorite simulated chik'n patties and $4.00-a-dozen, cage-free eggs (since this is moral vegetarianism, I do try to buy the so-called "humane" eggs and whatnot - I can't imagine becoming vegan)! You'll no doubt be seeing me hanging out with the EEEEEEEEEEHHH HIPPIES at Strawberry Fields swapping stories of chickpea recipes gone horribly awry.

Wanna!

My dad really likes cars. In fact, I think the only reason my parents have a computer is so he can search out cars on the Series of Tubes. He likes cars that aren't practical. I tend to agree with him: any household of two people really needs only one practical car. The other can be fun. So my mom drives a the practical one and my dad gets the fun one.

Long about the time we got them a computer, my dad decided he wanted to buy a Land Rover Defender 90. Looks something like this:


These beasts aren't even allowed to be imported into the US anymore. We saw quite a few of them in Ireland - several with the exhaust vented above the roof so you can forge a nearby loch.

So, I was home awhile back and dad told me to go into the garage. He'd gotten a new toy. Imagine my surprise:

Yep - the EXACT OPPOSITE direction of a Swiss military vehicle. Thing's a blast to drive and gets 35-40+ mpg (it's a manual).

So now I just have to lie in wait for dad to get bored with this one...

Two New Annoying Things

For some reason, the National Geographic channel has decided to start calling itself "Nat Geo" in its promo commercials. Either the station cannot afford to spend the additional money in air time for the four extra syllables or it is trying to be hip in this "MTV culture" of ours. I can't decide which.

Although this annoys me, it does not rankle nearly as much as the tagline for one mobile phone company. I'm not sure which company it is, but said tagline is "Where you at?" Correct grammar is too much to ask for these day, apparently. Not to mention they end the sentence in a preposition.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you with a random picture of one of our cats, while I go yell at neighborhood kids to keep off the lawn.

Mormons in the News--December 6 Edition

Ah...yeah...so Mitt's speech at Texas A & M ensures that I'm going to have to ask for a Republican ballot in the primary. Thus spake Mitt: "Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."

Then I, for one, prefer to perish. Since when does freedom require religion, and why is it that the only person I'm allowed to open the window and talk to is god? I can't talk to Buddha or the Flying Spaghetti Monster or a yeti? I guess I'll be keeping the windows closed, then.

Mitt didn't bother to address the issue of the racist past of mormons, or why D&C 132 is still on the books (aka the "polygamy clause"), or why women can't hold the priesthood, etc.

In other mormon news today, an update on Warren Jeffs, who has asked for a new trial. According to the AP, Jeffs' attorneys filed a motion stating "errors and improprieties" in his trial. The motion didn't give specific information, but Jeff's attorneys think his prosecution was a form of religious persecution by state officials who oppose polygamy.

Uh yeah....they were probably opposed to polygamy because polygamy is ILLEGAL.

Should I Become a Republican?

Well, here's the deal. I'm pretty sure that, in Illinois, you must declare some kind of party affiliation to vote in primaries - even if that's just asking for a Republican or Democrat ballot when you visit your polling place. Either way, I believe that once you do that, your name goes on some kind of list and behold! you are now affiliated with that party to some extent. This belief of mine is why I've never voted in primaries before. I don't want the local party office to come knocking at my door for stuff (i.e. money).

So, should I become a Republican? Now, don't be getting your panties all in a bunch. Hear me out: this would only be for the purposes of voting against Mitt Romney a/k/a "The mormon." I figure I could pick the least-likely Republican candidate and vote for him, which wouldn't do any real harm, but would be a vote against The mormon.