...and then there was the YELLING...

Holy moly. I was raised in a very quiet household. I can remember a college boyfriend commenting that he was nervous in my parents' house because it was so quiet. When I first met Scott's family I was the nervous one because they were so loud! I will admit to being a bit sensitive to the raising of the voice.

I was doing my daily blog-read and got to this entry on Simply Left Behind. Before you click, beforewarned, it contains a video clip from Fox News of an "interview" with someone from the Westboro Baptist church...you remember them? The crazy people who think that God hates the USA and gay people and the military and and and and...the ones that desecrate funerals by picketing...those folks.

Watching that clip was interesting... It reminded me of one evening when I was still living with Scott and he sat down to watch "the news" while I was on the computer. I wasn't paying attention to what he was watching because most of his TV time involved surfing and invariably I would see something I'd like to watch that would get passed by...so I was just focusing on the computer. I remember that he paused to watch something so I looked around. To this day I couldn't tell you the name of the program, only that the Fox News logo was in the corner and the so-called journalist/anchor/person in charge of moderating the interview and the person being interviewed were screaming at each other. Screaming. Loudly. Angrily. I asked him what it was and he said he didn't know, just "whatever Fox News is showing right now." So from that moment on, Fox News became the Shouting News Network or the Angry News Network. "Scott, do we have to watch the Shouting News Network?" "Scott, aren't they covering that same story on a channel other than the Angry News Network?" I asked him once why he watched Bill O'Reilly (other than the obvious, he was a closet conservative who I think voted Republican) and he said, "because it's funny to watch how worked up Bill gets over stupid stuff." I think he said the same thing about most anything he watched there...

Now, on the other hand, I don't really watch CNN either, before that gun comes out a'blazin'...CNN has been, since the beginning of the business in Iraq, "the Green Network" to me. There are people there that shout, just like on Fox, and invariably on CNN there is someone showing me something using infrared/night vision camera work so everything is green. For my news, I read the BBC website (because I'm too poor to afford digital cable so I can watch BBC America) and listen to NPR. No one yells on NPR. Garrison Keillor, while not a purveyor of news save that of Lake Woebegon, doesn't yell. Larry Abramson doesn't yell. Robert Siegel and Melissa Block don't yell. I feel comfortable there.

Kudos though, to Simply Left Behind...you made my blog roll for a reason.

An Interesting Experience

I've been thinking for a week now that I've wanted to write about the experience of going to church with my parents over Father's Day weekend, but I haven't been able to form the murky thoughts into coherent sentences...until now. I have, at this point, 25 minutes to get this done, get dressed, and leave for work. Amazing what procrastination can do, hey?

My father is currently serving a small church in the mountains of northern Georgia as what is called in the UMC a "retirement appointment." The demographics of the church are pretty homogenous...for example, when they called for the oldest and youngest fathers to stand, the youngest one was 50. It's a wonderful place for my parents to serve, I think, because everyone is just like them, and the congregation loves them. Couldn't ask for more than that.

I attended Sunday School with Mom and Dad, and Dad taught the class. The subject was the story in the Bible where God tells the faithful that they no longer should have divisions among the people. No more Jew vs. Gentile. All are welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven. Etc. Etc. Etc. The discussion stayed within those boundaries until one of the men in the class asked about the Muslims that hate us so much. I held my breath.

I worried in vain. My father admitted that he didn't know that much about the Muslim faith, but that what he did know was that those people that are committing acts of terror under the banner of Islam are not mainstream. In fact, they aren't even truly Muslim. He and I talked about that after church, and I told him about my experience getting to interpret for a leader in the Muslim faith in South Carolina to talk about his religion. As I understand it, devout Muslims don't really even have an opinion about non-Muslims because it is not their place to judge. That is reserved for Allah, and wouldn't even enter their minds to contemplate.

Now take what I've said there with a disclaimer because I was interpreting at the time and I typically remember about 50-75% of what I interpret. However, I do remember clearly the gentleman reiterating that it was not his place to question Allah, that Allah gave instruction to the Prophet and that is all he needs to know. While my western thinking mind can't quite wrap itself around that kind of blind submission, there is something intriguing about it. Perhaps such obedience to the words of our High Holy Leader in Christianity, Jesus, would do a lot toward the eradication of the divisions within the church. Perhaps if some of our leaders really listened to the meaning behind the words in our Gospels, we wouldn't see issues come up in the church like whether or not to permit homosexuals to join the church, let alone be clergy...we would be more apt to reach out to the marginalized in our communities and our world...we would be better at loving each other's differences rather than trying to convert others to our way of thinking...we would understand our obligation to help those who need it, be they gays or Muslims... or even Republicans. :)

Thanks, Daddy, for getting me thinking, and for introducing me to your wonderfully accepting and loving congregation...and for remaining the model of tolerance and love that raised me to be the liberal-minded person I am today.

Ohhh, I got a GOOD one today...

DISCLAIMER: I am still very much a Liberal. I am not poking fun at any country in this post, especially not "Zimababwe." I am poking fun at idiots that think they can get away with scams like this just by mispelling a few words...and at those unfortunates who fall for them. Just so we're clear...

Boy, this kid's gonna have a helluva time continuing his education with this level of grammar and spelling...I guess they don't teach that in Zimababwe?

From: "ovie2006" (ovie2006@terra.com.mx)
Good day
How are you today.
I am Ovie Onorode,19yrs old from Zimababwe .
I got your contact through a thorough seacrh from industries of trade and commerce.
In regards to my contacting you,i would want to entrust
the transfers of the sum of us$1.5milllion into your country,under your supervision.
I would also want you to help me invest on any profitable business that you would be able to help me handle while i continue my education in your country when i come over, as you would be my gaurdian that would take care of my investment and secure a good inetrnational standard school.
In your positive anticipation to my mail,i would furnish you on every
information that would be necessary on how i would get the fund to you before i come over to your country.
I have accredited 10% out of the total fund for your assistance and your trust,bcos this fund is the only hope i have in life which i inherited from my late parents.My late father was a white farmer in Zimbabwe before he died,he was accused of treason and trying to over throw the president of mugabe,so all his asses,inlcluding land farms and bank account where siezed,you can comfirm most of this story on:www.zimbabwesituation.com/ aug9_2001.html
but he manage to secure this fund in a security company,b4 his death i was made the beneficiary to the consignment.
so i hope i can trust you with this.
Relpy soon.
Onorode.

Wow. I'd hate to have the government sieze [sic] my asses. Seriously. I'm lonely sometimes, granted, but...

New Wallpaper for the Week

"Hey, Mommy, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, let's hit a happy hour!!"

Wherein I Refer You to Older Lettuce

Some other discussions I've had about my job, since that's apparently where my head is today...

More Lessons Learned

How Not to Use an Interpreter, by G.W. Bush

Things I've Learned (blogging after a really tough assignment)

Revelations in Green...Day

The Truth Needs No Translation...?

I had an interesting experience last night. I had a headache so I skipped my normal Friday night's Everquesting and watched a movie instead. Some time back I had bought "The Interpreter" on DVD because my boss had recommended it to me, but I hadn't even gotten around to taking it out of the shrink wrap until last night.

If you are a doctor or a lawyer or even a mental health professional or a teacher, you can find movies that are written about your profession. It is very rare that I find movies about my profession unless they are mainly about Deaf characters with interpreters as necessary evils, thrown into police stations or at the moment that the Deaf protagonist stands up to his or her hearing oppressors and gives a speech. I found myself identifying with Nicole Kidman's character in her professional role but on a different level than I do with the interpreters in the movies I just described.

I got into my field because I love languages, not because I have Deaf family members or because I have this burning desire to HELP. (Heh, I got into mental health because of the desire to HELP! Just kidding...sorta...) I have always found it fascinating to watch spoken language interpreters work. One of the best interpreting jobs I ever had was to work with a Russian-English interpreter when a former leader of the Soviet Union came to speak at the University of Georgia...I was more interested in meeting his interpreter than him!!

Anyway, back to the movie...One of the things that struck me was her reaction when she overheard the people talking in the GA after hours. I know now that part of the reason she didn't tell anyone right away was her connection to the situation, but that wasn't revealed until much later in the movie. Without that knowledge, I saw someone struggling with the same kind of ethical decision that interpreters are faced with on a regular basis. I think it happens even more with signed language interpreters because there is NO whispering in a signed language...and our consumers trust that we are ethical and competent professionals and that we won't run tell things that we see communicated that were meant to be private.

However, I also applauded her coming forth the following morning to report what she'd heard, even though it was against her own personal and political convictions to do so. I have faced similar situations, obviously not of the same magnitude, but I know it is a very tough call to make and even tougher to follow through on to go against your training and expectations as an interpreter and report something that you "overheard."

All in all I would highly recommend the movie, and that's saying a lot because I don't care for crime dramas and political thrillers normally. But this one hit close to home... I only wish I'd seen it sooner.

One Year Ago Today

I have never in my life felt this much pain, and she's still here, she's still snoozing on the floor like nothing is any different than it was yesterday. Only it is...

Yesterday she was going to the bridge on Saturday. Yesterday I had time, even though I really didn't because I'll be at Mountain Hounds in Gatlinburg starting tomorrow. Yesterday it wasn't real.

Today it is real. She's going to the bridge tomorrow. I sit here and I look at her there and it HURTS. I feel so guilty, she has no idea what is going to happen. She is going to be so happy to go in the car with her Daddy tomorrow night.

I just feel sick. Yesterday it was a dull ache. Today there is no air.

I love you baby girl. Please forgive me, for not being there tomorrow night...for doing this to you...for not doing more for you...for selfishly wanting you to stay...how will I know I've overslept? How will I know that the A/C is on too high? How will I know it's time for doggie dinner?

What will I do at 4:30 on Monday, when no one barks?

What will I do without you?

For the first time...Click here to download "Lizzard's Got A Way." When I made this movie I kept it only for those closest to me that helped me through losing my old broad...but I want to share her with everyone now.

I love you, MamaDawg. Miss you. Awwooooof.

A Late Father's Day Thank You

Thank you, George Edwin Allen, for being a strong example of a family man and father, and being the role model for my own father.



Thank you, Albert Davie McDonald, for being the only grandfather I knew as a child, and raising your daughter to be a great mom.



Thank you is woefully inadequate for Hoyt Albion Allen, so I'll just say I love you, Daddy.

Go Daisy GO!!!

Daisy came in first place last night with a time of 31.12. This means she has "broken Maiden" and will move up to grade D!! I knew she had it in her, and I'm soooooo glad something finally clicked. Good job, babygirl. Keep it up!!

My inner sagittarian is intrigued...

Horoscopes For Today: 6/17/2006
Any discouraging signs you've been seeing lately shouldn't get you down -- the road you're on has quite a few twists and turns, and you need to be ready to take them as they come. Things are way better than you think right now, so what's with this cloud of gloom and doom? Flush it out with a healthy dose of good humor and you can get back on track with a brighter attitude. You are much closer to your goal than you realize, so keep on going.

Confessions and Phone Conversations

Several of you that read the Lettuce have emailed me to ask what I mean when I mention the "Alabama Job." Being the superstitious sot I am, I was trying not to jinx it like I think I did the job in Decatur last year...not that I wasn't offered the Decatur job but that when I was everything else sorta fell through. Well...I'm trying to convince myself that we make our own luck, so here's the confession. I've applied for an interpreter job with the Alabama Dept. of Mental Health. SCDMH was great to raise my salary last year to keep me here, but they have raised it as far as they can without re-classifying me...and I just feel that I really NEED to get out of South Carolina.

Okay, all that aside, on to the phone conversation, which I'm afraid is a harbinger of things to come as far as my moving goes (if I get the job). Kinda reminds me of where I was this time LAST year...

Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: Good afternoon, X apartments, can I help you?
Me: Yes, I'm Nancy Lassiter and I'm calling about your X apartment that I saw advertised on X.com?
Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: Sure, what can I tell you about it?
Me: Well, it says that you allow pets and that you allow large dogs, and I was wondering if you have a weight, breed, or other...
Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: We have breed restrictions for large dogs, yes ma'am. What kind of dog do you have?
Me: A greyhound, I'm sure that's not on the...
Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: Oh no ma'am, they aren't on the list from our insurance company. Greyhounds are not aggressive dogs like the ones on the list.
Me: Well, no, they aren't. So is there a fee for...
Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: Yes ma'am we allow two pets and the fee is $500/per pet. When would you be looking to move in?
Me: Well, I have more than two greyhounds.
Nice Lady at Apartment Complex in Montgomery: Oh, okay, well thank you for calling. (click)

Why don't they just put that on their website and save all of us a lot of time and trouble? 2 pet limit, $500 fee per pet. Not difficult.

From a posting made by my friend Mary:

this is the kind of person I am...
and have always been. Loving dogs is easy, they are part of me.
Please accept me for who I am.
My dogs appreciate my presence in their lives...

Lordy, I didn't even get to the cats...

A Nighttime Days Funny

Thanks to Dustin's Days Page, linked in the title above...

5. RETURN FROM THE DEAD…you or some member of your family has returned from the dead at least once. There have been at least 2 funerals or memorial services in your honor. You die, and come back, then you die again, then come back, then die, then come back as yourself, but you look like Chris Kositcheck, and nobody notices the change.

If you watch Days of Our Lives, you'll know why that's funny. If you don't...you should.

Apparently I'm not the only one...

The Reverend Susan Rebecca Allen Grady

I HATE it when things don't work like they're supposed to...

Jeany's representation of my mood after trying for an HOUR to get into Blogger to answer a comment...let alone post! UGH!