Stop the “POP!”
I am calling for a ban on the word “POP!”, as in “That accent color really makes it POP!” I hear it everywhere and apparently anything can be made to “POP!” “Some white frosting will really make those Cinnabons POP!” Come on, you’re not a professional interior designer, you just heard the phrase on HGTV. Do everyone a favor and stop the “POP!”.
Rant finished.
Confessions of a Dandelion Killer
OK, I admit it and I’m not proud of it. The rumors are true, when I was a little boy I used to pluck dandelions from the ground singing “Mamma had a baby and its head popped off” and then with a flick of my thumb the dandelion’s head would fly off of its stem. I know some of you are now reeling in horror so I will pause while you compose yourself………..
Why confess now after all these years? Well, after reading a report on The Dignity of Living Beings with Regard to Plants (PDF) I realized that deep down inside I knew what I had done was morally reprehensible and the guilt had become too much to bare. The report, published by the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology, opened my eyes and allowed me to see that I wasn’t treating plants as living organisms that have worth and therefore rights that I trampled upon. An article by Wesley J. Smith in The Weekly Standard has a nice review of the ECNH’s report and in it he summarizes the ECNH’s findings:
A “clear majority” of the panel adopted what it called a “biocentric” moral view, meaning that “living organisms should be considered morally for their own sake because they are alive.” Thus, the panel determined that we cannot claim “absolute ownership” over plants and, moreover, that “individual plants have an inherent worth.” This means that “we may not use them just as we please, even if the plant community is not in danger, or if our actions do not endanger the species, or if we are not acting arbitrarily.”
I can see the pain and destruction I have caused. Now that I have gotten this out, I hope there is enough time for me to seek forgiveness. I know some of you may see me differently now (I can’t even tell you about the torturous “She loves me, she loves me not” episodes) but I hope that this won’t come between us. Let the healing begin.
photo credit: la bella rivolta
Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder
I think I’m well on my way to acquiring Attention Deficit Disorder. According to this article on CNET News it is possible to actually acquire a form of ADD.
“Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist who’s studied attention deficit disorder for more than a decade, has identified a related disorder he calls attention deficit trait, and he says it’s reaching epidemic proportions in the corporate world.”
While I don’t have a CrackBerry and am not addicted to my cell phone I have found plenty of other distractions. I subscribe to about 120 blogs that I subscribe to using Google Reader. I have 5 email addresses that I check (work, home, Gmail, blog, church webmaster). I also check several news websites throughout the day. Add to that a few phone calls during the day and I can begin to see how distracted I can get. I have started blocking out specific times for these activities to prioritize and limit them. I am definitely more focused. Time will tell if I can stick to this regimen.