Ode to Casey-Jo

Years ago, I nearly ruined my afro by doing a terrible job of cutting it myself. Lucky for me, my mother came to my rescue. As she went about her business with her clippers, she said something that stuck with me.

“A haircut shouldn’t look like an apology.”

Hilarious, but true.

Those words came to mind as I was taken in by bits and pieces of the Much Music VJ Search last night. I chose to watch because of the previews. They suggested some racial tension might be brewing. (Supposedly Erik used a racial slur against Frank. But from what I saw, no footage was shown (taken?) to back up Frank’s claim.) However, while I came for the promised mini race-war, I stayed for the debacle that was…The VJ Makeovers.

Which brings me to the focus of this entry. Casey-Jo. I have to ask the people at Much one question: What were you thinking? For those who didn’t see it, essentially, these are the basics: The VJ hopefuls were whisked off to a uberchic salon to be transformed for a photo shoot. I’m talking the works: Hair, makeup, clothes.

Clips were deftly interspersed—there was the fashion stylist, the hair stylists, VJ wannabes, etc. Of particular interest was the head hair stylist…er…Visionary, Jie Matar, of Salon Jie (pronounced like a soft, buzzing, "G"). He commented on the wannabe VJs and their attitudes.

Mr. Matar complained quite a bit regarding Casey-Jo. In fact, as far as I could tell, she was the only one he really had anything negative to say about. Apparently, unlike her contemporaries, CJ wasn’t grateful, blah, blah, blah…

Unbeknownst to the people at Jie, given the way they made her look, if I was in CJ’s place, “grateful” would have been the least of their worries.

Casey-Jo’s haircut was hideous. I don’t care how cutting-edge any fashionista said it was. You know that adage about the right thing at the wrong time…? Well, the right hairdo on the wrong person is just wrong. Period.

Yet the coverage of CJ’s reaction….I don’t know what to make of Jie’s comments. His minion made CJ look preposterous. Her only consolation? As mentioned on the show, “Hair grows…”

In the end, I applaud Casey-Jo. She strikes me as one who doesn’t believe in putting up with anyone’s crap. Honestly. What did the people at MuchMusic expect her to do? Smile and act nice?

I recognize the footage last night might have been hewn together in an attempt to make Casey-Jo seem like an ungrateful little waif. Instead, it made Jie, and (inadvertently) MuchMusic, seem arrogant and presumptuous. “I am a styling superstar. You must approve of my decisions, no matter how ghastly I make you look. After all, I am a Big Name, no?”

No.

It’s a pity Casey-Jo probably signed a waiver/contract to be on the MMVJS. If it was me…Hmmm....Let's look at the facts...You made a fool out of me on national television...And your editing team did their best to make me look like a whiny harpy. Failing miserably, I might add.

I don’t know who I would have to get in touch with. But someone would be getting sued.

You're kidding me, right? RIGHT?

One of my favorite authors, Josh Harris, has two younger brothers. They have a blog.

I just read this entry, and I'm still stunned by the details. Apparently, down the road, Ms. Stacy Dow, of Scotland, might have a talk with her daughter explaining her existence. For, you see, young Jayde was born by accident due to an unsuccessful abortion. (She's suing the hospital and everything.) The Harris boys quote another blogger's solemn commentary. He says, "Try to imagine the conversation..."

And in truth, as soon as I read that, my mind actually considered such an absurdity.

Stacy (to Jayde): Honey, I have tragic news regarding your birth. The doctors screwed up. They were only able to abort your twin sister, but somehow they made a mistake when it came to you...You shouldn't even be here in the first place.

Where is this woman's head? How could she possibly think that these circumstances warrant a mother-daughter talk?

Olympic Thoughts

Watching the closing of the Torino/Turin 2006 Games. Canada's hosting the 2010 Winter Games (Woohoo!). And now...A question:

Why was Avril* doing an impression of Alanis?

You'd have to have heard her to know what I mean.

*Better yet, why does Google state that Avril's official URL is www.garbage.com? It's true. I typed "Avril Lavigne", and that's the first link that appeared. By the time you read this, I hope they will have fixed the problem.

How is it...?

How is it that we go on this way? And just who are we? Day by day, I find myself consumed by thoughts of love. And more. I am consumed by trying to comprehend this madness, and this beauty, into which we have been...Inserted.

Inserted? Does that make sense? Because I know that I and we are here with reason. Too often, my senses fail to comprehend the plan behind it. God creates nothing if not for something. Am I making sense? The only soul I care to feed as I type this randomness is my own. Yet I want to share my methodless madness with someone, as I believe deeply that my strangeness is another's sanity.

Why do so many of us attempt to defy human nature, insisting that we can do all alone? For we are better together. I say this in earnest, though I risk dragging you into my mire. Are you inspired? For, I love my solitude. Crave it, when others insist that they must follow the crowd. Yet I long for like-minded beings to mingle with, to commune with. It's as Alanis once said in song, "...and what I wouldn't give, to meet a kindred."

Kindred.

Calling to mind my childhood and my favorite book Anne of Green Gables, and how she, Anne, used to speak of wanting to meet a kindred spirit. Until she found Diana Barry.

One day I will find my bliss. One day I will know peace. I will know love. And a person to whom I can speak my language and be understood.

Red Alert!

Rick Mercer has a blog! Canadian political humor abounds. One of my favorite pics:

Time well wasted

Something occurred to me today. The amount of time that I'm online on various message boards could be better spent blogging. Over the past while I have spent (squandered) a considerable number of hours debating and discussing various issues with strangers.

I care more about expressing my opinion than about whether or not Poster #6 agrees with me. Therefore, the blog wins over my need to babble. I mean really. I could have written a novel by now. Or ten.

Don't mess with Michael

Mr. Bloomberg, New York City's mayor isn't messing around.

I used to enjoy a good game of solitare. Heck, I found it addictive. I used to spend ages playing it.
But on my PC at home.

I'm not saying I feel sorry for the employee in question. However at work...You've got to use your judgment.

Why am I here?

No, not me. My blog.

I look at pages like the list of links on Josh Harris' web site, and I feel both ashamed and inspired. Ashamed because at times in my blogging I feel purposeless. Sometimes I realize that I can seem a bit flighty and odd. (Where else on the web can you go for a rant about the importance of hanging onto one's faith, and a commentary on the latest lingerie?) Inspired... Because I feel more and more these days, a need to cling to my divine inklings, and write about what I know.

And what I know is that I need God.

Recommended Reading

The back of my copy of The Imitation of Christ states that, "After the Bible, this is the touchstone and probably the best-loved book of Christianity". I'm inclined to agree.

When I read my Bible, I am drawn in. I am overcome. And in pondering the meditations in The Immitation... I feel the same way.

On one level I cannot help feeling a sort of longing...For a distant time. Free from the constant rush of interDVDmicrocell distractions. I'm convinced that the simpler our lives get, the quieter, and the more likely it is that we will be able to hear the Lord's voice and feel his presence.

(The other night I turned my computer off early. I felt so glad. I was in the mood to meditate on my faith, and I felt no regret. Only peace.)

Most recently, I have felt the weight of these words: "If you seek comfort or gain from others you will often meet with loss. If you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Jesus." (76)

Jesus.

The man who is beyond men. The peace that he brings is deeper and more rewarding than any pleasure this world could ever hope to contain.

Any book that points your soul to the one who created it is a blessing indeed.

Just Jesus.

This morning I read this article about Jesus. Made me long for the days when everyone wasn't determined that he take sides.

“Abstinence is for Virgins” aka The World Thinks Christians Don’t Have a Clue

Especially when it comes to sex.

I like glarkware. I really do. Currently I covet their "Good Grammar Costs Nothing" tee.

But one of their pieces of merchandise leaves me cold.

They have a shirt that says “Abstinence is for Virgins”.

Its accompanying write-up includes a few things which I will comment on. Keep in mind that the tone of the description is facetious…

in many parts of America, high-school students aren't even taught how sex works

Which, if it’s true, is a cause for concern.

their sex education ends with the deadly serious admonition that they not do it
until they get married (whereupon it will surely be just...awesome.)

So? Who says it won’t be? I intend to have a great sex life. In fact, I’m sure that I will. When I’m married. And what is it with this idea that people who choose to wait are doomed to have a boring bedroom life?

Abstinence-only education leads to one thing, people. No, not to a generation of
students so misinformed about sex that the rates of teen pregnancy skyrocket

When people make statements like that…I wonder what planet they’re on. (In keeping with the tone of the text, it's clear to me that the people at glarkware believe that abstinence education does lead to students being misguided, having sex without comprehending its consequences.) I would argue that the main reason for the high pregnancy rate among North American teens lies with the way sex is--or rather, isn't--taught to students. That, combined with what young people are fed by the media should be enough to cause everyone to be concerned. The prevailing idea is the idea that sex is a fun activity. And consequences, schmonsequences! ;) A properly-used condom, a few birth control pills…Prophylactics can help anyone avoid all harm! :D

Yet there is reality. A condom is not a cure-all. That information is readily available on ordinary web pages such as this one at iVillage. Not just Abstinence Education sites.

And notice what they said on that page:

Condoms make sex *safer* -- they do not make it absolutely safe...The only
surefire way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases is to avoid sex.

Back to the t-shirt. What, according to glarkware, does abstinence result in?

it leads to happy, healthy, well-adjusted virgins who don't understand how their hoo-hoos and pee-pees work, but who love the Lord.

By the time the write-up reaches it’s conclusion, it’s gotten on my last nerve. I’m a happy, healthy, well-adjusted-and-not-just-technical virgin. I know very well how my entire body works. And I love the Lord.

A challenge.

And it is an interesting one:

Read the Bible in 90 Days.

Reading the Bible from cover to cover is something I need to do. I've completed the New Testament and Psalms more than once. The Old Testament is foreign to me. I've read a few sections, but never the entire thing. The only thing that puts me off of this challenge is the idea that I would need to buy a book to motivate me to do so.

La Perla, eh?

So I'll admit it. I'm a grown woman. I like window shopping...er...web shopping for cool undies.

Not that I have anyone to wear it for. No husband.

But even then. Given the money, I'd wear something that I liked...Purely for myself. ;)

Just now I decided to check out the La Perla site. (The link's in this entry's title.)

Something about the way some of those girls were posing...They frightened me.

And I wish I could tell you I was kidding about that. But I'm not.

My hero.

Still thinking about the Mohammed cartoon disaster.

I wanted to point you to someone I admire and respect very much. And it's not just because she's Canadian. ;)

Irshad Manji.

I applaud her for speaking her mind about the problems within her faith. For, while I know there are decent people who profess to be Muslim, I'm disturbed by the fact that militant Muslims are neglecting to examine their extreme interpretation of the tenets of their faith.

Favorite new music video

So I don't have cable. No MTV. No Much Music. But I do have the internet.

Over the weekend I saw Pink's "Stupid Girls". Follow the link. Tell a friend. ;)

All I could say when I saw it is, "It's about time!"

In this era, when it comes to young women, "stupid" is the new "intelligent". Somehow it's cute to appear brainless or ditzy. After all. *batting eyelashes* "How else can a chick expect to empress a guy these days?"

I wish I could tell all the girls across the globe where real beauty lies. It's not in 10 pounds of MAC make-up, double-d breasts, and a pair of overpriced jeans.

Coming to a TV near you

Black. White.

I want to see this show. However, I don't have cable. :(

Chances are it won't tell me much that I don't already know. But I think it'll make one hell of an interesting social experiment.

Then again...

I know perfectly well that in response to criticism of Christianity, there likely isn't a group of people who would resort to violence. Certainly not to the extremes that I've seen in the news over the past few days. I can't imagine such a thing.

At the very least, I don't want to.

Cartoon Chaos - And curiosity.

Please Note: I am not stupid. I do not believe for a minute that all Muslims are terrorists, evil, etc. That said, this post is looking at the group of individuals who are responsible for the current strain of violence in the East.

I just read about a pending Holocaust cartoon contest in Iran.

I find myself alarmed and horrified at the specter of such a thing. At the same time, a part of me is wondering something:

"Does the West extend freedom of expression to the crimes committed by the United States and Israel, or an event such as the Holocaust? Or is its freedom only for insulting religious sanctities?" Hamshahri wrote.

Recent events have brought up concerns about Jyllands-Posten (the Danish newspaper in question) and their cartoons of Mohammed. Some people question the Muslim people's right to be angry, citing free speech.

On one hand, I wonder why Christians have not been driven to riot in such instances. Pop culture plays with images and ideas pertaining to our Saviour almost all the time? (Most recently in the guise of Kanye West.) Yet I haven't heard of a small--or large--group of us going over the edge and endangering lives.

What is it? At the risk of not being politically correct...Is it that although some of us are fools and fanatics, many more of us have Jesus and the peace that he brings? (He has kept me from losing my mind many, many times. Seriously.) Or does it have something to do with our culture's lack of religious dedication? I've come to take it for granted that certain nations are considered "Islamic" or "Muslim". In saying so I recognize that in different regions, the religion is given more than lip service. From a distance, thanks to the media, I've learned that in places such as Saudi Arabia, Islam virtually defines the air people breathe. Abroad there may be a level of spiritual devotion (fanaticism?) that our culture lacks.

Indeed. In this post 9/11 world, the first time someone referred to the United States as a "Christian" nation...I think I laughed. Mind you, it was a "I can't believe what I'm hearing" kind of laugh. But it was a laugh none the less.

North America has to be one of the most Anti-Christian places I know. In many ways, Christianity is a part of our society. Its remnants are everywhere--from our architecture, to our holidays. Yet people think nothing of mocking Christian traditions. Months ago at the start of a Wednesday-night gathering, I remember a woman told me that someone made fun of her when she said that she was going to a Bible Study. It seems to me that other religions are respected. But Christianity? Not so much.

So...

Is that it?

Are we just used to being made fun of? Beyond the point of caring?

If North Americans strictly followed the religious traditions of our European settlers...Would we be inspired to carry out rash actions that could give Muslim militants a run for their money?

Which brings me back to my original topic.

In my head I have a list of things which no sane human being would dare make fun of. The Holocaust is definitely in the top ten. Yet some people think nothing of mocking Islam. And now, amidst needless violence, comes this ridiculous cartoon idea. Which, in spite of itself, brings to mind a question:

How sacred are our idols?

Waking up.

It occurred to me. I don't need to attend journalism school. What I really ought to do is commit to the words God gives me.

I know I should write every day. At this rate, I certainly could. There's an interesting dichotomy I've noticed. On one hand, I mourn the years. The time between when I graduated with my BA until now is filled with (seemingly) little more than loneliness and screw-ups. Dead ends. In my head there's an image of a scrawny bird with a downy head and flapping wings. She tries to leave her nest more than once but fails miserably. (A pathetic, melodramatic image. But a pretty apt one.)

And then I wake up from that pity party and ask myself what I've done to further the pursuit of my own goals. For example, I have this blog. Do I use it? Not as much as I could or should. I could work to write my way to liberty, but I haven't been. It's strange. As though I've never trusted myself to pursue my heart's desires. Save for teaching. But as much as I love teaching, it is not all of me...

Quote of the day!

"don't be so heavenly minded that you're of no earthly good."

From the vox on the Relevant boards.