On Christianity, Steak, and Insensitive Political Cartoons

I was waiting in line at Chase Bank (formerly Bank One, formerly First Chicago, formerly???) last week, attempting to convert a huge jar of coins into paper bills. BTW: Said jar usually reaps $200, but this time only $50. Hmmm... Anyway, the line was short but the teller was grumpy and SLOW, so Polly had plenty of time to study those around her.

The guy standing in front of me was twentysomething, and sporting a messenger bag with tons of pro-vegetarian, anti-cruelty to animal buttons all over it. The bag also had a button which read, "I TALK TO JESUS EVERY WEEK. HE IS MY MEXICAN GARDENER." Polly was polite. I did not take the little twit to task and point out he was trying to convince others to convert to a vegetarian lifestyle which he believed to be morally imperative, while glibly insulting a religion that is morally imperative and dear to billions. Such logic would have been lost on him. I was tempted to point out that he was being racist. After all, why would someone named Jesus (pronounced "Hey Suess" for anyone confused) necessarily be A) Mexican and B) be employed as a gardener? Why not an accountant? Or doctor. They have doctors in Mexico, you know.

Ah, but this is America. You can be wrong if you want to. It's protected speech. More importantly, we are secure. No chip on our shoulder, if you want to wear a button that says 1+1=6, well, that's fine too. Moreover, Christians are strong. We can take it on the chin. No need to start a riot over some dumb bunny's insensitivity and rudeness. Christianity expects no special status. No exemption from critique or, in this case, an uneducated dumbass who will likely never excel any higher than his current job as a barista boy at Starbucks.

I did start an interesting conversation with the guy standing in line behind me, however.

"Gosh, this line is moving so slowly. I was hoping to get to Hardees to indulge in one of their Monster Burgers before going back to work. Have you tried one yet? Fabulous."

"Oh Yeah! They are my fast food fave! Love them. Not today though. My wife and I just had an anniversary lunch at F. Scott's. Best steaks in town, I tell you."

"Mmmmm.... I'm jealous. Have you tried Bud's yet? Their steaks are good, but very pricey. Not F. Scott's by a long shot."

"Yeah, we haven't found anything that beats the medium rare porterhouse steak at F. Scott's. Not even Alexander's."

"I don't get Alexander's. I don't want to cook my own steak. If I wanted to stand around, tending to a huge, juicy, piece of tenderloin sear and sizzle on a grill, I'd save money and use my own BBQ sitting on my deck at home. You have to pay extra to have someone else grill your steak at Alexander's. Doesn't seem fair."

"I agree. Although I think Alexander's meat is a better than a lot in town. Their steaks are more marbled. I wonder what they feed their cows?"

"Ah, probably only organic grains."

"Works for me. You probably won't believe this, but they have the best veal Parmesan at IHOP, of all places!"

"Really? Maybe I'll go there today instead of Hardees."

At the mention of veal, Vegetarian Barista Boy turned a deep shade of reddish purple and stormed out of the bank.. without depositing his precious latte money.

Heh. Heh.

My Christian brother and I high fived each other after his departure.

Where's the love for Betty?

Betty Friedan. I know she wasn't a funny filthy comic who used drugs or set herself on fire, but gosh, she did lead a revolution and wrote a book -several books, actually- that changed the lives of many for the better. I read the Feminine Mystique in college. I can't say that I agreed with everything she did, but what an eye opener. Does anyone know if there are there any schools or streets in Peoria named for her? How about a memorial service in her hometown? It will be interesting to see if Mayor Ardis says anything about her passing tonight at City Council. AHEM! If not, I'm pretty sure we can count on Councilwoman VanAuken.

I'd go on and on about this, but I couldn't do a better job than SnazzyBird did here.

Gotta Admit It...

Vonster has a point.

I know, it's not fair. Anyone can take a bad picture. Nonetheless, it made me laugh. Oddly, I have a lot of liberal friends. Opposites attract? Or maybe I'm not all that conservative. Anyway, it seems to me that liberals are sure pissed off a lot. Their heart might be in the right place -or not- but damn, they sure do seem angry. I would avoid being a raging liberal simply because they seem to age horribly and at very accelerated pace.

Conservatives seem to have a better time, IMHO. Maybe hoarding money helps them sleep better at night, which slows the aging process?

You know, Bill Dennis used to provide useful tidbits of information like this. In fact, I remember him soliciting funds for a fax machine solely for the purpose of receiving and then posting local press releases.

Bill has been a bit busy with moving and messing up his blog format lately, so I will help pick up the slack.

Other than the recommendation to deny Crusen's request to de-annex, tonight's Council Agenda seems to be a bit of a snoozer.

Stop Playing With Your Thingy Young Man!!!

Jeeze! It's disgusting! Bill Dennis has changed the format of his blog once again. He seems to experiment every other month or so. It is nearly as disturbing as the thought of Germans owning the water company, the Kellar Rail Line being converted to a bike path, AND giving a bunch of yahoos a TIF for an underground parking garage for a museum very few are anxious to have. The Peoria Pundit is my first and main read of the day. Imagine if the New York Times changed it's font/format once a month.

Frankly, this new format is wierder than any of the others. There's a recently showered woman wrapped in a towel posing in the top left corner. Not unattractive by any means, but when I first clicked on the site, I immediately thought it was a pop up advertisement for Dove Soap.

Bill, eye candy is dandy. Give us more. However, changing the friggin' format of your blog every time the wind changes direction is simply unprofessional.

This is the Midwest, Son. Peoria no less. We thrive on consistency, not change. We loathe change. Fear it even. Really, you are going to go blind any second now, Bill.

Polly is Planning a Vacation

Typically, I would go for something more odd/adventurous. However, this year I'm a little run down, and I'm thinking about getting back to the basics.

Doing a little bit of nothing all day long.

On a warm beach.

On a hammock.

And a bottomless Mai Tai.

Now departing blog for expedia.com.

I Don't Know Why Exactly....

...but I feel strongly that these two pictures belong side by side. Maybe it's because these two women portrayed themselves as being something they are not and now we have seen their true colors. I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm tempted to blow these photos up, frame them, and hang in the john at work. Employees are spending way too much time in there. If you're going to be an evil dorkwad boss, you might as well do it with style.

Hat tip to Mike, who is a bit rough around the edges, and could be offensive to those who have not worked years in construction or played professional baseball. I strive to be Grace Kellyesque, but my ID directs me to banal blogs now and then... ;)

(For those of you who might not otherwise recognize her, that very pregnant girl with the tatoos on her belly, lighting up a cig, is none other than Brittany Spears. For anyone who doesn't recognize the lady on the right, well, what gives me the right to ruin your ignorant bliss?)

I'm a little concerned....

As always, my significant other (S.O.) brought me a cup of coffee and the newspaper in bed this morning. I drank the coffee, but could only muster up enough energy to glance at the front page of the PJ Star. VERY abnormal. Usually I devour the Journal Star, as if it were a fine meal, or a newspaper actually worth reading.

Today, I simply couldn't give a rip.

Time to plan a vacation. Definitely.

FOOD BLOG ALERT!!!

If I had it to do over again, I would be a chef. I'm a foodie. I love food. I love to eat it, cook it, shop for it, and buy expensive equipment to prepare it. Some want porches, mansions, yachts... Polly dreams of a full set of Henckles knives. And a Viking Stove. And a commercial dishwasher. Anyway, it was with great delight I discovered Chef Kevin's Blog which I highly recommend.

Chef Kevin actually works in Corporate America/Peoria now, having exchanged his Chef hat for a 401K, (Chef Kev, you can have mine. Money is just paper. Food is forever. Just ask my thighs!) but he still wines and dines frequently at area restaurants and does an outstanding job of letting us know where to go and where to avoid.

God bless him.

IT'S SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!

And I could not care any less.

I know this is going to sound arrogant and negative, but I don't know why people get so excited when "their team" wins. It's not like the fans did anything to help the athletes accomplish their goal. It's not like most athletes are loyal to "their team." Hell, offer just about any of them a little more moola and they will be playing for some new team next year.

So, as my house's foundation shudders and cracks due to all the yelling and screaming from those watching the game downstairs, Polly reminds you....

You are just rooting for a jersey.