I had a new thought today that everything is a product of Nature. It is interesting to think that if we do find other planets like Earth (see my Delicious link), that they have potentially evolved metal contraptions like cell phones and subway trains. It is cool to think of these things as not separate from Nature, but born OF Nature.
It is mind-blowing to think that life has evolved to create all the different languages, video games, music, etc. All these are a product of the Universe expanding. Wow!
I think sometimes we can get caught up in the thinking that we are somehow aliens on this planet and that our stuff is not natural. Everything is natural!
I heard a radio show where they were explaining how crop "circles" sometimes come out in the shape of the greek letter "pi." How weird is that? But it makes sense when you realize that that symbol is contained within Nature. Nature used humans to write the symbol "pi" over and over again. Perhaps these symbols, letters, numbers that we all use are not really our "inventions," so much as they are "inspirations." The crop circle explanation given was that extreme winds high up in the atmosphere gusted down and bent the crops into patterns.
Even if you aren’t impressed by that hypothesis, you must be humbled by the fact that symbols, words, and inventions like cars, internet, and rocket ships EVOLVED on planet Earth. Yes, our minds, hands, and bodies were involved, but our inventions, these things, in the end, are all just funny-looking children of Nature.

In our cars
On our buses
On oil-drenched roads
In our maze of concrete walls
We feel safe

Because we are safe now
We worry about tomorrow
Or yesterday
The present is gone
Only mindless action remains

In our freezers
On our plastic plates
Our dead food sits
We don’t have to chase our food
So we take what comes easiest

The most expensive factories
Were built to produce
The cheapest food
Colorless
Lifeless
Thoughtless

Gone are the gardens that nourished us
Within our concrete walls

But our minds are gone too
So our stomachs grow
Disease is our new enemy
Because we like our safe life.

In our cars
On our buses
On oil-drenched roads
In our maze of concrete walls
We feel safe

Because we are safe now
We worry about tomorrow
Or yesterday
The present is gone
Only mindless action remains

In our freezers
On our plastic plates
Our dead food sits
We don’t have to chase our food
So we take what comes easiest

The most expensive factories
Were built to produce
The cheapest food
Colorless
Lifeless
Thoughtless

Gone are the gardens that nourished us
Within our concrete walls

But our minds are gone too
So our stomachs grow
Disease is our new enemy
Because we like our safe life.

Sport teaches us to be
Completely in the moment
To focus
Discipline
It gives us a yardstick
By which we measure our
Growth
In points, rebounds, feet, seconds, tackles, catches, home runs
We learn things about our bodies
We never would have noticed on our own
Our thoughts become manifest
Our weaknesses become manifest
Our strengths manifest
In our movements through space and time
We are as good as we believe we can be
Sometimes we feel the power of the gods
Sometimes we feel lower than scum
But sport shines a light
On us
And in that spotlight
Others watch as you choose
Courage over fear
Or fear over courage
And pride is bound to surface
When the light on you feels hot
But we must always remember
We were chosen to perform
And we did not turn on that light.

The story of Jesus’ life is a beautiful example.

Born to a carpenter and homemaker, but Son of God.

The story of the Virgin birth reminds us that though we are all born TO our parents, we are all Sons and Daughters of God ultimately.

I too was born to a carpenter and homemaker. I too am a Daughter of God.

Our shot put ring at San Francisco University in late afternoon.

One rainy night
I got caught.
One can get away
With habits of haste
And complacency
As long as conditions are perfect.

But on a rainy night
You might slip in your haste
And break the delicate glass
That held your dreams.
The shards will cut deep
Into your hand
And force you to start
All over again.

On that rainy night
Those that drink from your cup
Will miserate in the cold
And wonder what you are doing.
‘Why must we wait outside?
We should walk away.’
They can’t see you or hear your
Sighs of regret
Through the dark, pounding rain.

On a sunny day
You get the benefit of doubt.
You don’t have to be perfect
When they’re are all having fun.
You can cut a few corners
And no one will care
Until it rains.

My roommates’ 16-year old daughter relayed the following information to me about social networking sites today:

“Myspace is for young people with no lives.
Facebook is for old people with no lives.
DeviantArt is for artists with no lives.”

(she is a DeviantArt type)

I just got invited to join FaceBook today, but that is not going to happen. I hardly have time to keep up with my real friends, much less time to chat with virtual friends (i.e., associates?). Unless they come any farther on that technology that allows you to wear a pair of glasses that projects your computer’s desktop image in front of you, and some sort of fancy keyless keyboard, I will be stuck in actual reality a bit longer, separated from most of my virtual friends who live on my computer by 2 or 3 days at best. I can’t exactly take out my laptop on the bus everyday (for one, it might get stolen (or at least envied), secondly, it’s too bright outside to see much of the screen during the daylight commutes).

I would be a lousy virtual friend anyway.

For anyone that grew up in the “country” like me, we learned 2 basic rules to apply at any 4-way stop intersection:

1. Come to a complete stop
2. If 2 people stop at the same time, the person on the right has priority

Occasionally, a third rule applies, which is if the driver on the right is male, he will forfeit his right to go first and curteously yield to the driver on the left if she is female. Or, if both drivers are male, the driver on the right may choose to wave the other driver to go first if it gives him a chance to prove his graciousness, mercy, superiority, or control of the situation to any passengers in his vehicle.

It dawned on me today that common law rules in the city are quite different, to accommodate the more rushed and impersonal pace of city life:

1. If you come to a complete stop, you effectively yield your right of way to anyone else approaching the intersection, who most likely will make a “California” stop. Drivers behind you will likely honk to signal you have made an inefficient, actual stop.
2. If 2 cars “stop” at the same time, the car going straight through the intersection (not turning) has the right of way, no matter if they are in the right position or not.

Now that you’ve sold your soul,
It’s an eye for an eye.
Everything that can go wrong,
Will go wrong.

Now that you needed the devil’s
Easy way out,
You must endure his
Nasty tricks,

Twisted promises,
And outright lies.
A fructose-sweet smile at first
Concealed her forked tongue.

Now that the contract is signed in blood
And your debts are paid,
You can’t turn back,
Even though

The walls begin to reek of sulfur,
The horns come out all around,
And your feet begin to burn,
But there is nowhere to run.

Like a puppet in the hands of Fate,
You are no longer in control.
It’s not long before you don’t recognize
Yourself by your actions.

You’ll lay your firstborn on the altar
And drive the stake
All the way through.
But the games have just begun.

And the devil is laughing
A wicked laugh behind your back,
While you wonder how much more
You’ll have to endure…

An infinity? You didn’t even read the contract.