Everybody always says I’m in the wrong business if I want to get rich, but apparently not. I’m just working for the wrong people.
The FBI is hiring a writer and they list the salary range as $91,407-$118,828.
That’s six figures for a writing job. The job description doesn’t sound much different from what I do now, except that it involves a bit more research and it’s the FBI. But still. Six figures.
If you ever wondered why the federal deficit is so high, there’s your answer.
Yes, it’s an addiction. Get over it.
So I started a new blog this week. It’s a parenting blog called But Dad. I started it mainly at the request of my wife who wanted a place to share cute baby stories and such, though so far I’m using it more than she is. Rather than just cute stories, I’m interested in sharing helpful facts and insights about being a parent. Like my search for the lost changing pad. Or grandparents as a wonderful source for free baby clothes (thanks mom!).
Like most of my blogs, it may not be updated often, but we’ll see how it goes. I have reservations about how much embarrassing info I want to divulge (like the bodily fluids post–though after the update I added I think she’s earned what she gets), though I’m also considering that my right as a parent.
And this is exactly why I think the Dick Cheney shot a guy story is so funny.
I like Anne Lamott. I really do. I even put up with her wacky universalism. But it’s comments like these in a pro-abortion op-ed piece in the L.A. Times that I can’t handle:
It is a moral necessity that we not be forced to bring children into the world for whom we cannot be responsible and adoring and present. We must not inflict life on children who will be resented; we must not inflict unwanted children on society.
Forced? Since when was having sex forced (obviously it happens in rare instances like rape and incest, but that’s not the main discussion here)? Usually it’s a choice to drop your pants and jump in bed. If we must not “inflict life on children who will be resented” than the solution isn’t abortion, it’s abstinence.
I like sex as much as the next guy, but sex has consequences. Wonderful, beautiful consequences. And if you can’t handle those consequences, if you’re not responsible enough, then keep your pants on. If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.
Sex is not an unalienable right. It’s a responsibility. Maybe that’s a stodgy viewpoint, but it seems pretty basic to me. Ignoring the biological purpose of sex for the benefit of our own pleasure is a bit messed up. I’m all for the pleasure—have fun. But with it comes responsibility. The two can’t be separated. (link via CT’s Weblog)
I don’t usually jump into the political realm with this blog, but this story of Vice President Dick Cheney shooting Austin attorney Harry Whittington during a quail hunting trip is just bizarre. Apparently Whittington came up behind the group unannounced and Cheney turned around and sprayed him with buckshot. Whittington is still in the ICU (at last report) but they say he’s doing fine.
I’m working on a sidebar for an article about apologetics in a Christian magazine and I need some help. I’m looking for quotes about what people believe and I’m hoping you’ll provide the quotes.
So, what do you believe? Specifically about God, eternity, heaven, hell, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc. We’re talking spirituality here, not Santa Claus. I’m especially interested in responses from people who don’t consider themselves to be Christians (or maybe you consider yourself to be a Christian, but certain Christians might scoff at your claim), but I don’t know how much of my blog audience that is, so for the sake of this entry, I hope everyone will chime in.
For the sake of the magazine there are a few guidelines. You’re welcome to ignore the guidelines for the sake of these comments, but do know that for me to use your quote I’ll have to make them fit the guidelines. And those are: Two sentences max. They may be anonymous, but we’d like to give a first name and a city. If you’d like to be anonymous, feel free to make up your own first name. Personally, I’m partial to Xander. I’m also looking for a wide range of beliefs: Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, etc.
Thanks for your help. I’ll start.
I believe we’re messed up people, but God loves us anyway. Jesus Christ came to mop up that messiness with his own blood, which sounds kind of messy and counterproductive, but that’s the way a sacrifice works.
-Kevin, St. Paul
Today I became a lensmaster.
No, that’s Lens Crafters. And no, it’s not some D&D thing. It’s another funky Web 2.0 deal (I hate the ‘Web 2.0’ lingo, but it’s practical. What are you gonna do?) like Flickr or MySpace. It’s part of Squidoo, a site that lets you create lenses for things you’re an expert on. Essentially, you create single web page that acts as a lens on a specific topic. You fill the page with info and links about said topic to educate the random web surfer.
Where it gets interesting is that each lens can make some cash. Each lens has Google ads on the side and you can link to Amazon or other retailers and earn referral fees. The cash generated goes to Squidoo, charity and lensmasters like me (and potentially you).
So you essentially get paid to be an expert. Not a bad deal.
Almost three years after the invasion of Iraq the U.S. Army has decided it’d be a good idea to teach officers how to speak Arabic. You think? We decide to topple an unauthorized dictaorship (The Tick hat tip: “American Maid! American Maid! We’ve lost our arms, we’ve lost our arms!”) and then occupy the country for a while until we decide they’re on their feet–yet we neglect to bring along a few people who can speak the language (1 in 400 hardly qualifies as a “few”)? And we don’t begin to remedy the problem until three years later?
The image of U.S. soldiers–the best military force in the history of the world–doing a little dance in front of Iraqi locals in order to communicate is just embarrassing.
Sheesh. You’d think after 9/11 speaking Arabic would be one of the most in-demand skills. Why are we still teaching French in high school? We should be teaching Arabic and Chinese.
We brought Lexi home from the hospital today and it’s all starting to feel real. I watched Abby fall asleep while sitting up, we’ve taken our first nap, and I’ve had to try just about everything to get her to stop crying. The dogs also met Lexi today, which so far seems to be going pretty well. Though it’s hard to yell at the dogs when they start barking at nothing, since then I’m even louder than they are and not what Lexi wants to hear.
Check out my Flickr page for more baby photos.