Ruminations from the Temple

Think you can just delete your account from Facebook and escape data collection? Think again. I deleted my FB account quite a while ago. It was not easy, and took a couple of sessions of attempts prior to actually 'deleting,' including a waiting period (cooling off period?). When, in the course of my Masters study I was alerted to a private student group, I saw a definite need to jump back on Facebook. Yes, I have benefited from the group, but I also learned that Facebook had retained all my information. More than that, it reminds me regularly that I was another 'identity' at one time, and that I may want to meld the two. But wait...I thought I deleted. Think again. Take a look at this from the NYT - I think you would need to have a post-grad degree in comp-sci to actually accomplish what so many think they are doing by deleting their account: How disheartening. This is where we are now, watched and milked for demographic data like a herd of cows, but wher...

It is still dark outside. The world, as I know it, is still snoozing away snuggled in their homes, quietly peaceful. Even the birds are not awake yet, as I stick my nose out our slider door to enjoy a deep breath of salty air. Within that breath are the memories of many years, countless people, and truly, all of my life. I love doing that, and I am never disappointed. However, I made a mistake this morning. While my beloved continues to slumber, I quietly got my morning coffee and intended to write, anticipating the small slice of solitude in which to attempt to organize my thoughts. I love writing, and I love having the space and time to do so. Unfortunately for me, like I said, I made a mistake. I read someone’s blog that, once again, called me out as a crappy person, a used-to-be friend who lacked the integrity to hang in there and ALWAYS be there. So, no, that wasn’t the best way to take the first bite of my ‘slice,’ as it were. I should know better by now. Every time t...

"One of the most difficult tasks in life is removing someone from your heart. But remember, no relationship is a waste of time. The wrong ones teach you the lessons that prepare you for the right ones." Facebook is chock-full of pithy wisdom. I'm sure everyone has a different experience on the social media giant, but my recent experience has been quite a lot of visually stimulating photos, either real or digital, paired with quotes that either cut to the quick or proclaim self-worth. Perhaps it is indicative of the times; it seems that so many people are desperately trying to hold onto whatever is good, right and healthy - to just not get lost in the crowd. Mental adjustments don't come from these types of things, however. Actual experience of sloggin' through the hard times is the only way to change our point of view and adapt healthy attitudes about ourselves and others. I am guilty, too. I have been known to put up heart-wrenching proverbial quotes fro...

Pet Peeve # 523 : 'that moment' when you realize the one speaking hasn't a clue about grammar, let alone simple sentence structure, while making the assumption everyone else has had the same experience and frustration. Ugh!  Alright, it's my problem. I'll admit it. What is it about these sentence fragments that really gets me? Irritatingly, it is like stepping into the middle of a conversation. It's a rather bold assumption that I, or anyone else, has had the same experience (even if we probably have). How frustrating it is to have the scene described but have no action, no direction, no...anything! The listener/reader is just left hanging, flapping in the breeze, riding an ellipsis and abandoned to experience the frustration and apparent lack of general language skills. Now, I'm all about using sentence fragments to make a point, or to facilitate a better flow of thoughts into the written word. But really...this pushes the bounds for this writer a...

Molly is sitting shiva for Picnik... Yes, the long-hated day that our beloved photo site Picnik will be closing it's doors. What's a blogger to do?? No more touch-ups. No more automatic fixes. No more bumpin' up the color, adjusting exposure or adding a border. It was gonna be such a grief-stricken outcry of anguish from heartbroken bloggers and photo aficionados. 'Til now. Take a minute and check out PicMonkey . It is free for now, but for access to this type of site, I would pay. Don't tell Google, but it is suspiciously similar to Picnik. Squeee! before adjustments in PicMonkey   after adjustments in PicMonkey

hero , n ., a person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualities. The chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities. Or heroine , female. Who would you say is your hero? Do you have one? I just read an article  talking about heroes. Addressed to leaders (more specifically, in ministry), it talks about the need for heroes in our lives, and the influence those heroes have on our success. It made me stop and ask myself the question - do I have heroes? And, if so, how quickly can I identify them and why? It brought me up short, honestly. There are four categories, so says the author of this article, that heroes can fall into; familiar (family, teacher, ancestor), famous (a celebrity, or public figure), faith-based (bible character, or religious figure) and fictional (heroic or legendary character from a movie or literature). I found these to be fascinating categories, and wondered if I could discover a hero ...

Ode To My Friend, a poem My dear friend, You humble me with your words, your spirit and your faithfulness. A simple thank you is not enough to express my gratitude  for such a gift and treasure that is our friendship. love you always, Liz

I couldn't have said it better myself. Please, take the time to watch and absorb this woman's research. I believe if she was an empathic, she would have started with the conclusion and worked backward to substantiate what she knew what was true. However, she is a researcher, which makes her conclusion even more interesting and poignant. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” ~C.S. Lewis

I should be on payroll with Facebook. No really; I have spent way too much time defending and explaining the ins and outs of communication and maintaining relationship on this giant of social media. I never expected to be in this position, I can assure you. I can say with all honesty that I learned these rules through rough-and-tumble experience - a hard lesson, it was. Relationship via social utilities can be sticky business. As with any form of communication between humans, things can be misconstrued, feelings can be hurt and respect and trust can be lost. I've even heard it described, not altogether inaccurately, as a minefield; one misstep and ka-blooey! And it happens to everyone once, and hopefully it only takes once to learn that there are definitely unspoken rules of engagement on Facebook (or any online social media, for that matter). 1.  Remember your public wall is public. Public is public, which means everyone and anyone can see. There are 'privacy settings...

I'm not much for conspiracy theories. I'm not into hoarding firearms or packing away enough food and water for the apocalypse. I don't like to operate from a place of fear, or pay much heed to fear-mongers or pundits expounding on things I, as one person, can do nothing about.  However, when a friend shared information about our government making some drastic changes that can, or will, lead to the nullification of the Constitution and imprisoning citizens in concentration camps, I had to take notice. Even if you think this site is 'out there' , it would seem that the US Government is moving in a dark direction.  I was totally unaware of FEMA building and staffing internment camps .  I had no idea that these camps are located all over the country. For years, my mentor has spoken about a coming time when our people will be, once again, rounded up and put into concentration camps. This has never been something I have taken lightly; always in the back of my mind...

I typically don't make a practice of simply posting links to other blogs, however, this one really spoke to me. I hope it speaks to you, as well. Look Before You Leap, on Heggthought

No.  The answer, for me, is no.  I don't like confrontation or conflict, so I'm not naturally inclined to debate.  It has been my experience that most debates, either while involved or as a spectator, turn personal in a red-hot hurry.  This violates one of my steadfast life rules; I will not personally attack or state negative judgments that will end up in another person's mental 'recording'. I certainly don't want to be attacked, either; therefore, debating has not been my forte or choice. I also strongly believe that everyone has a right to their opinion and I will wholeheartedly respect that, even if I don't agree. However, it would seem that I am in the situation more and more frequently where I am debating issues; of Scripture, of halachah, of life philosophy. To that end, I clearly see that I need to know more about debating other than the fact that I dislike my past experiences.  You, too?  I found this article in my google surfing, and thought it...

I have been oft criticized, even downright belittled, for blogging about trauma/drama concerning various situations in my recent past.  For whatever reason, some considered sharing my experience through the written word inappropriate, embarrassing, even slanderous.  I have even been told that I need to know that 'life is not a blog', whatever that means.  I respectfully disagree and always have...and will continue to do so.  (As always, they have a right to their opinion.) My best friend found this article  that had some interesting things to say about the matter.  Perhaps you will find it interesting, as well. I diligently make every effort to blog with integrity, and have vowed to do so.  I will never use names, events or the pain of others to mock, belittle or hurt for the sake of 'blog fodder'.  However, I will continue to state my opinions, doctrinal stands and outright finger-pointing at injustice with the intent to uphold righteousness ...

A young man was hacked.  His facebook account apparently cracked, sliced and violated without his knowledge and consent.  What the hacker left behind was ugly, unwanted viruses, nasty videos and chaos in his family.  How does this happen?  And further, should we all learn the lesson and totally shun the social utility facebook as a result? Here's an answer to the first question I quickly found by googling a bit; 5 Ways Hackers Can Get Into Computer Systems : 2. Social Networking sites including: a. Facebook - Hold on, hold on I am not telling you to get rid of your facebook account, I am just telling you to be very careful. Hackers have figured out how to create computer-generated facebook profiles and are using them to trick unsuspecting users into installing malware. This means that attackers have figured out a way to crack the facebook captcha, which is used to ensure profiles are created by humans, rather than computer scripts that automate the...

This is absolutely phenomenal!  Personally, there is a thrill indescribable about being a part of a large choir.  As I listened to all these individual voices blending together, I felt that same thrill for them, as well.   Simply incredible. And, who says there isn't real connection between souls separated merely by distance?  The reality of connection between people is real and tangible, regardless of the method or technology of that connection - be it the internet, telephone, satellite, CB radio, Morse code, paper & ink, hieroglyphs or smoke signals.  No unimaginative mind will be able to convince me otherwise, for the power of relationship is stronger than even we can comprehend.  There is no denying our strong need to connect and more...yes, it is that simple that we all long to feel wanted and needed by others.

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter. "Don't forget your sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them." "Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. You'll need other women. Women always do." What a funny piece of advice, the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the...

Of all the voices calling out to me... I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.

The best part of having access to the internet and it's vast storehouse of knowledge is the ability, with a touch of the keyboard, to search for wisdom long since buried in scholarly tomes.  Since I don't consider myself much of a scholar, much to my chagrin, I truly appreciate the ease and accessibility to the great writings of those intellects that have gone before me.  As I have investigated, slowly at first and working up to the fever pitch of the present day, I have found words of wisdom from all time periods through my inquiries of such a simple word as 'quotes'.  I have come to the rather interesting conclusion that Mr. Emerson may very well be on of my favorite thinkers and writers. Prior to my access to the internet, I knew absolutely nothing about Mr. Emerson.  It is only through close and personal contact with his words, as they are everywhere in cyberspace, that I have sensed a commonality with his thinking.  At least, some of it. Ralph Waldo Eme...

I have just recently been introduced to interesting things called word clouds or word tags. Apparently originating for marketing or analysis of text or data, this Wordie * finds word clouds very, very interesting indeed! 1. word cloud a grouping of words from a blog or site (usually tags) with the most-frequently-used words in the larger, bolder font. the visual effect of the grouping is that of a cloud. Example: David was mad when he saw your blog's word cloud. It showed "David" in a small font, and "Bob" in a large, bold font. David knows you don't blog about him as often as you blog about Bob. ~Urban Dictionary So, I went to the word cloud site, www.wordle.net , to check it out. Immediately I was thinking of a gazillion things I wanted to input and turn into clouds. But, my enthusiasm dampened substantially when I realized I couldn't save it to my computer. What?? The site gave some sort of lame solution of taking a screen shot, which I ...