Ruminations from the Temple

Heraclitus – You can’t eat the same donut twice. Plato – All donuts share in ideal ‘donut-ness.' Aristotle – A donut contains its donut-ness. Augustine – Donuts need grace to be fully donut. Descartes – A donut hole proves the existence of the donut. Locke – Donuts taste good to me. Hume – Donuts exist because I imagine donuts. Kant – A ‘donut’ = my total experience of donuts. Wollstonecraft – Women deserve donuts, too. Mill – Donuts are good if they make people happy. Kierkegaard – I have faith that donuts are delicious. Marx – Everybody deserves donuts. Nietzsche – Stop at nothing to get your donut. Saussure – Beignet/Krappen/Ciambella/Bunuelo = donut. Wittgenstein  - Fried pastry, zero, parking lot spin, spare tire. Beauvoir – Patriarchy is responsible for the shape of the donut. Malcolm X - We should all be afforded the opportunity to get donuts…by any means necessary. Ayn Rand – A donut is a donut. S...

If you haven't yet heard of the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), surely you will soon. This method has been around for a long time, and I know even the inhabitants of the Ancient Near East used oil as a body cleanser and beautifier. So, the premise is that soap and chemicals strip and dry the skin, as well as result in sensitivities over time. The consequences of stripping the skin of its protective skin oils can lead to acne, itchiness, extreme dryness, eczema, premature aging, and more. In my ongoing effort to combat all of these nasties (yes, I do suffer!), I am giving the Oil Cleansing Method a try. my new cleansing routine - no chemicals! To further research this well-attested method, check out these links: Oil Cleansing Method Trying and Troubleshooting OCM Oil Cleansing Method on Acne.com Everything You Wanted To Know about OCM on Reddit Alright, are you convinced yet?? Yeah...I was, too! So, here is what I'm doing. I have been using a Clarisonic too...

We, my besties and I, are currently working through Brene Brown's book, Gifts of Imperfection . In this book, she talks quite a bit about shame (since she is a shame researcher) and 'owning your story'. This owning is essential to becoming shame-resilient. I have borne a lot of shame for the past, as I never have felt as if I have achieved the expectations of others I considered important in my life. My failed efforts to be smart enough, strong enough, good enough, talented enough, pretty enough, thin enough, funny enough, and to never to smile "too big" or laugh too loud have gained me nothing but shame and an every-present drive to be perfect. However, I am now striving to learn to accept my colorful journey, along with past hurts and destructive events, as essential in the process of becoming who I am today. Below is a re-post of the About the Author on another of my blogs, which is a start to owning my story, and not feeling shame as a result of it. This ...

It is pretty frosty outside. That's is not so unusual at the beginning of January in the PNW, as a general rule. And, as it is the 4th of January (the anniversary of my entrance into mortality), I will luxuriate in a little retrospection. One more year and I will be at a milestone, of sorts. I am eternally grateful for this journey, always. So many amazing things happened this year that I would have never imagined. I am blessed beyond my wildest imagination. Just for my own gratification, and for the sake of posterity, I will attempt to encapsulate all that still leaves me thanking the Holy One daily and profusely... This year I won a scholarship, entered university, and am 'livin' the dream' of higher education. I am still amazed at this one - every time I walk onto campus, I wonder what the heck I am doing here! As of this moment and after much contemplation, I have decided upon my goal: double major in religion and classics, with a minor in...

My first semester at university was pretty intense. I have heard from many experts that the first year is the hardest for any number of reasons, but I think it was intense for me due to the nature of the classes I took. Heavy gender study focusing on violence probably wasn’t the way to start, eh? My last final was on the 18 th , and we, my roomies and I, have been trying to cram a whole lot of down-time into this two-week break. Here’s some of what we did: Saw a couple of movies If you haven’t seen Saving Mr. Banks , then stop reading this immediately and go see it. Yes, I mean it. It is that good! I am a non-stop Tom Hanks fan, and again, he does not disappoint. What a film! We also had the pleasure of enjoying Frozen with two of my favoritest people in the whole world, Laura and Patty. I was expecting to come out of the movie with a rippin’ feminist critique of the newest animation from Disney, but no dice. Except for a couple of minor feminist glitches, it was great. Gonna catc...

In contrast to how a child belongs in the world,  adult belonging is never as natural, innocent, or playful.  Adult belonging has to be chosen, received, and renewed.  It is a lifetime's work. ~John O'Donohue Have you ever wanted to be included? To fit in? Yeah...me, too. Well, I have a simple suggestion for you. It may be a no-brainer, but hang with me, here. Don't go to a private university if you are 40-something or over. When I went for the competitive interview for academic scholarship, I took the (rather cheeky) opportunity to ask my interviewers about the percentage of "older students" currently attending. I was quickly corrected that the term is "returning students," and that there was a small, but important contingent of these older wannabe scholars. In retrospect, that small number of students must be hard to find, as I have seen only 1 or 2 in the 3+ weeks I've been walking around campus. No, they are not in th...

is this the definition of what it means to be masculine? I will assume that you may not have heard this song before, but it is worthy of a listen. When I heard it on satellite radio, it was intro'd by the artist saying that he was so excited to perform it in concert. Well, hell yeah...doesn't it have all the markings of a perfect party-concert song? Let's take a peek at the lyrics and see what the song is really saying, shall we? "That's My Kind Of Night" sung by Luke Bryan I got that real good feel good stuff Up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck Rollin' on 35s Pretty girl by my side You got that sun tan skirt and boots Waiting on you to look my way and scoot Your little hot self over here Girl hand me another beer, yeah! All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown But y ou look like the kind that likes to take it way out Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat Floatin’ down the Flint River, cat...