An Out of Character, Optimistic Post--And a Couple Side Notes on Science, Skepticism, and Agnosticism
I miss you Life Line.
I have a little time this morning to write, so I thought I'd drop in to say hello. I have to start getting things ready to pick up my boys soon.
But for now, I have my coffee, computer, and a little bit of precious, precious free time, and there is no one I would rather spend this time with.
I also think it's great how, even after time apart, we can pick back up where we left off. The sign of a true friendship.
Truth be told, I have not written nearly as much this year so far as I would have hoped. The new semester has started, and I am busy as ever with work and my boys. But it's a good busy, and things are getting better on all fronts. Or it seems that way to me now.
You've been such a great medium to let me rant and rave about crap in my life...during a really difficult life transition. You were there for me, when others were not...and in a way others simply could not be. I am forever grateful.
There are other reasons I have not been writing. A cold. STILL battling it. But the worst is over. At least my boys have not gotten it (although I feel pretty certain it is a viral infection from day care that they gave may that eventually became a bacterial infection). It was pretty intense. I usually get over cold pretty quick. I am happy to say I did not miss any work. I powered through. A couple snow days also helped.
(*Side-note: The weather extremes are pretty freaky and very much in line with Climate Change predictions. I worry about how the future, continued weather extremes will impact my boys...because I really need more things to worry about. It would be great if the "evil scientists" were wrong. I would be all for that. But I am pretty amazed at how people can disregard the overwhelming data and evidence. But then again, there are a significant amount of people who don't believe in evolution. Welcome to scientifically illiterate America...where in a technologically-based culture that was build on and depends on science, we can somehow rationalize marginalizing science and the "evil scientists". What. The. Fuck.)
I also have been applying to more jobs, and therefore writing more cover letters and vitas. I hope I am more successful than my most recent attempts.
In other news, my divorce is oh so close to being finalized. So glad to have that almost behind me. Yes, I miss having a "whole" family and I, at times, miss the relationship I thought I have with the women who is still legally my wife. And if she magically wanted to reconcile, I would seriously consider it for my boys (because I think divorce is one of the worse things you can do to children--assuming neither of the parents are not mentally or physically abusing the children). But I can no longer see how my wife and I could ever be a couple again. I would take some major...I don't even know what it would take. Perhaps divine intervention, said the self-professed agnostic.
(**Second side-note: I would say I lean more towards the atheist end of the agnostic spectrum. I could go into more depth on that. Maybe I will some time. But what is comes down to is a claim of absolute certainty that there are no "higher beings" or whatever you want to call them out there, is just as short-sighted and fanatical as a claim of certainty that there is. Agnostic seems to me to be the more skeptical position. And I am a skeptic, which, despite the more popular, negative perceptions of the word, is a good thing.)
Well, thanks again for listening.
-Jim
I have a little time this morning to write, so I thought I'd drop in to say hello. I have to start getting things ready to pick up my boys soon.
But for now, I have my coffee, computer, and a little bit of precious, precious free time, and there is no one I would rather spend this time with.
I also think it's great how, even after time apart, we can pick back up where we left off. The sign of a true friendship.
Truth be told, I have not written nearly as much this year so far as I would have hoped. The new semester has started, and I am busy as ever with work and my boys. But it's a good busy, and things are getting better on all fronts. Or it seems that way to me now.
You've been such a great medium to let me rant and rave about crap in my life...during a really difficult life transition. You were there for me, when others were not...and in a way others simply could not be. I am forever grateful.
There are other reasons I have not been writing. A cold. STILL battling it. But the worst is over. At least my boys have not gotten it (although I feel pretty certain it is a viral infection from day care that they gave may that eventually became a bacterial infection). It was pretty intense. I usually get over cold pretty quick. I am happy to say I did not miss any work. I powered through. A couple snow days also helped.
(*Side-note: The weather extremes are pretty freaky and very much in line with Climate Change predictions. I worry about how the future, continued weather extremes will impact my boys...because I really need more things to worry about. It would be great if the "evil scientists" were wrong. I would be all for that. But I am pretty amazed at how people can disregard the overwhelming data and evidence. But then again, there are a significant amount of people who don't believe in evolution. Welcome to scientifically illiterate America...where in a technologically-based culture that was build on and depends on science, we can somehow rationalize marginalizing science and the "evil scientists". What. The. Fuck.)
I also have been applying to more jobs, and therefore writing more cover letters and vitas. I hope I am more successful than my most recent attempts.
In other news, my divorce is oh so close to being finalized. So glad to have that almost behind me. Yes, I miss having a "whole" family and I, at times, miss the relationship I thought I have with the women who is still legally my wife. And if she magically wanted to reconcile, I would seriously consider it for my boys (because I think divorce is one of the worse things you can do to children--assuming neither of the parents are not mentally or physically abusing the children). But I can no longer see how my wife and I could ever be a couple again. I would take some major...I don't even know what it would take. Perhaps divine intervention, said the self-professed agnostic.
(**Second side-note: I would say I lean more towards the atheist end of the agnostic spectrum. I could go into more depth on that. Maybe I will some time. But what is comes down to is a claim of absolute certainty that there are no "higher beings" or whatever you want to call them out there, is just as short-sighted and fanatical as a claim of certainty that there is. Agnostic seems to me to be the more skeptical position. And I am a skeptic, which, despite the more popular, negative perceptions of the word, is a good thing.)
Well, thanks again for listening.
-Jim