I never intended to be a philosophically-bent blog. I know people are going to stop reading me because they probably are already sick of this kind of questioning from the University of Houston's "Human Situation" course. I'll try to correct this soon, and step back from these kinds of rants. After this rant.

An anonymous commenter quoted some Nietzsche at me concerning the nature of goodness in my last blog.
An apt point: the feeling of moral security is just a clouding of the mind's eye to the more subtle evils one takes part in. Like holding the strong back by uplifting the weak, and placing more emphasis on the afterlife than on the current one. Such things are considered good, but admittedly degrade the value of ones current existence. This is where I feel like I've got that "terminology" problem. I don't want to talk about the significance of spiritual practice in terms of a particular religious faith, since many faiths have these images and prejudices attached to them for so many people. If I say salvation, its not the Christian water-dunking kind. If I say enlightenment, its not the trippy abstract eastern thing that so many people want to imagine. Let's be more basic than that, let's not think of it as the "final step" of anything. Let's not say that this "salvation" is the crossing over into the "realm of goodness". Let's not even WORRY about where we look to discern good in this dialog.
In fact, I guess I could just as easily make use of Nietzsche's "overman" in my conversations. The overman has been described as a man who could embrace "eternal recurrence" (reliving his existence over and over and over again) without remorse or self-deception. My ranting on religious practice is supposed to advocate awareness of one's being. Awareness of what one is really choosing, and more importantly, why one chooses it. I can't say that striving for self awareness necessarily creates an overman, but I'm sure that it is in the direction of that end. Of course I over-simplify Nietzsche here, and take him a little out of context. But that's because he works beyond good and evil, where I feel like maybe I'm thinking below it.

Phew. Anyway.

I'm so depressed because I found out the closed the best ride in Disney World five years ago and I never knew about it. Epcot's Horizons was the one I looked forward to most as a kid. The trips were so rare, and I haven't been back in 7 years. I always held on to the hope that someday, sometime, I would be able to go back to Disney World and relive that particular childhood memory. But no, the ride was closed in 1999. Gutted. It slipped away forever without event. I would have taken part in some kind of protest or restoration campaign. But I didn't know. Darn it.

Another thing to be grouchy about: I just got my brakes fixed. I have the sneaking suspicion that everything related to the acquisition and maintenance of cars is shady. I know these guys are required by law to tell me that everything is wrong with my car, but seriously, why do they have to SUCK the money out of people's bank accounts? I think I am going to make an effort to learn more about cars so I can change my own stupid brake pads in the future. Rotate my own freaking tires. I'll be able to lift them by then because my arms will get all beefy from hauling fat patients around at the hospital.
The Matthews were very very helpful to me. They gave me a lift back from the brake place and Jeff's dad talked the price down for me a little. I have been spending every weekend there since Jeff got this summer internship (and he comes home every weekend). I am so lucky that his family is so kind. Its a great bonus to having a great guy like Jeff.

Final note: Jeff's internship is organizing a painting business. If anyone in the Houston area needs their house painted this summer, contact me and I'll refer you. Collegeworks painting has the price and it has the quality, plus you'll be supporting Jeff's business (rather than some kind of shady, money-sucking establishment).  ¶ 22:49