Jarred's Slice of Heaven

Jarred's Slice of Heaven http://jarredh.multiply.com/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:41:54 -0000 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:31:00 -0000 Jarred's Slice of Heaven http://images.jarredh.multiply.com/logo http://jarredh.multiply.com 100 100 An example of why I like Peterson Toscano <a href="http://www.petersontoscano.com/">Peterson Toscano</a> is one of the founders of <a href="http://www.beyondexgay.com/">Beyond Ex-Gay</a> (bXg), a site set up for those who have tried to change their sexual orientation from gay to straight but are now living as openly gay individuals.  In addition to the site, bXg has organized a couple of conferences and a number of other events to share their past experiences of trying to divest themselves of their romantic and sexual feelings and attractions. In a <a href="http://a_musing.blogspot.com/2008/07/beyond-ex-gay-mail-bag.html">recent blog post</a>, Peterson talks about an excerpt from an email bXg recently received.  He also posted his reply to the email in full, which is well worth the read. Another part of his post jumped out at me as I read it, and it is this other part that I wanted to focus on: Without revealing the person's identity except to say his name is Steve, I shared the e-mail with the high school students in the workshop I co-facilitated (Xtreme Quakerism!) We held meeting for worship with attention to Steve. In the stillness of worship I read the message and w... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/38/An_example_of_why_I_like_Peterson_Toscano Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:31:00 -0000 Back to dance class This week, I went to both of my dance classes.  Tuesday was my first dance class in almost a month.  After a week and a half of being out due to an injured ankle and another two weeks of break between the Spring and Summer sessions, it was nice to get back into the swing of things.  Of course, it was also pure agony. I think the agony was mostly caused by the one exercise we did on Tuesday -- an exercise that got incorporated into our dance phrase at the end of the night.  This exercise involves a move, which I'll try to describe.  You start seated on the ground with your knees bent and your lower legs and feet tucked off to the left of your torso.  You then swing your legs so that they're off to the right of your torso.  Then you swing them back back to the left.  Then you fall to your right and roll onto your back, you're knees bent and over your chest.  You continue the roll back into a sitting position with your legs on your right again.&... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/34/Back_to_dance_class Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:20:00 -0000 I'm walking on air! I sent an email to my dance instructor this morning to tell her I had to work late again tonight. This will be the third class in a row I've had to miss for one reason or another. Sadly, it's also my last class for the term and I won't be taking another class until July. My instructor emailed me back the following: <blockquote>Rats! I miss you in class. You really have improved so much and work so hard. I am glad that you are feeling so much better! We will see you in July. Don't work too hard.</blockquote> I couldn't have asked for a better compliment. And to think, a few months ago, I had a meltdown because I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere in class and was wasting everyone's time. In other news, I wrote something for pride month on my <a href="http://musings.northerngrove.com/archives/000377.html">regular blog</a>. http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/33/Im_walking_on_air Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:48:00 -0000 Fisking Time! My good buddy <a href="http://jeb2003.multiply.com/journal/item/212/Opinions...surprised_">Tina</a> brought this wonderful little gem (published in her local) paper to my attention.  I don't normally fisk, but this opportunity just seemed too good to pass up: Several weeks ago, Athens and some other schools in this area celebrated a DOS day. The correct meaning of this term is "Day of Sodomy."You know, if someone is going to resort to juvenile name calling, I wish for just once they'd come up with something new.  Does this person really think we haven't heard that "Day of Sodomy" slur about a thousand times before? I called the administration to protest before April 25, but they were closed.Really?  The school opened for the very first time ever on April 25?  Or do they mean they tried calling once only to discover they were closed and were too lazy to try again during normal hours? The day was to be a day of silence to support those who practice gross sexual deviance. Actually the Day of Silence is meant to raise awareness of how gay stude... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/31/Fisking_Time Sun, 1 Jun 2008 13:41:00 -0000 Thoughts on atheism I usually try to make concise and well-structured posts in my blog.  This will not be one such post, however.  I have decided to try and capture the stream of consciousness that has been going through my mind since reading <a href="http://larro.multiply.com/journal/item/199/Whats_wrong_with_secular_humanism_Atheism?replies_read=20">Larro's post on atheism and secular humanism</a> and the brief conversation we had in the comments on that post. As I said, I have no problem with atheism or secular humanism.  It's a point of view, and while I don't subscribe to that point of view myself, I don't see any reason to object to it or the fact that some people do subscribe to it.  To be honest, it's really none of my business anyway. For the longest time, I never really understood atheism.  It simply did not make sense to take a hard-line position that there is no god.  (To some degree, it still doesn't make sense, as a negative is ultimately impossible to prove with absolute certainty.) Then as I began to read some atheist literature, I began to understand that this isn't neces... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/30/Thoughts_on_atheism Fri, 30 May 2008 17:01:00 -0000 Community as Spiritual Discipline My previous post about what Pagan community looks like got me thinking about community and community building in general. To me, community building is in itself a spiritual discipline. The meal after a ritual is as important as the ritual itself. The regular covered dish dinners (one of the things I think the Baptist church I grew up in got right) are as important as the Sunday morning worship service. In fact, the charismatic church I attended my senior year in college understood this so much that they started having covered dish lunches every Sunday afternoon after the service! From a Pagan perspective, each individual contains a spark of the Divine in their being. Perhaps some traditions don't express it in exactly those words, but I think it's universally (or nearly so) expressed in one way or another. For example, the Norse traditions hold to the idea that humans are descended from the gods. (How literally or symbolicly this should be taken may be debated, but it's there.) So th... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/29/Community_as_Spiritual_Discipline Thu, 29 May 2008 14:56:00 -0000 My perspective on Pagan community We sit in a circle in the dimly lit room. Incense smoke wafts gently upward among the flickering candlelight from the small altar. One of the attendees, a woman in her forties, speaks of the spirit who just gave a message. The woman identifies the spirit as a great aunt. She mentions that the woman had been a midwife, explaining the deep understanding of "alternative medicine" the medium had sensed in the spirit. A small, hushed conversation ensues as stories and experiences are traded. A short silence falls, soon ended as another medium shifts slightly, preparing to give the next message. The above paragraph is a factual account of a small portion of the monthly seance I attended a couple weeks ago. I've tried to capture (though not entirely successfully) the somber intimacy of the moment here because I feel that moment was representative of the essence and nature of my own spiritual community. That community is something that <a href="http://www.erinword.com/">Erin</a> recently asked me to write about. Spiritual community... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/28/My_perspective_on_Pagan_community Thu, 29 May 2008 13:13:00 -0000 The problem with referring to GSA's as "sex clubs" To lazy to repost it here.  Instead, I'll just give you a <a href="http://musings.northerngrove.com/archives/000370.html">link</a> http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/27/The_problem_with_referring_to_GSAs_as_sex_clubs Fri, 23 May 2008 16:11:00 -0000 California Supreme Court Ushers in the Doom of Traditional Families Today at 8am PST, the California State Supreme Court announced its 4-3 ruling that legislation defining marriage as being between one man and one woman was unconstitional. This ruling requires that same sex couples be allowed to enter into the same legally binding marriages as heterosexual couples. Mysteriously, 95% of California's married and faithful heterosexuals engaged in extramarital affairs half an hour later. <IMG src="http://img.bloopdiary.com/smileys/wink.gif" align=top border=0> http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/26/California_Supreme_Court_Ushers_in_the_Doom_of_Traditional_Families Thu, 15 May 2008 18:44:00 -0000 Amway without the soap indeed! For the past few years, Fred Clark over at <A href="http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/">Slacktivist</A> has been doing an in-depth <A href="http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/left_behind/index.html">critique</A> of the book Left Behind by LeHay and Jenkins. I began to read through this review about a month ago and have enjoyed Clark's analysis, which has covered literary, theological (Clark himself is an evangelical Christian), and political perspectives alike. Yesterday, I ran across <A href="http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2006/02/lb_hospitality_.html">this installment</A>, where Clark takes a step back from the book's plotlines to discuss one of the concepts touched upon by the book, evangelism, in a broader context. Primarily, he speaks of a shift from evangelism as hospitality to evangelism as a sales pitch, expanding upon a familiar (or at least familiar to anyone who's been involved in the evangelical Christian community) metaphor: <BLOCKQUOTE>...it is not "one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread," but rather one fat man trying to convince another fat man that he's a beggar in order to close the sale on another loaf.</BLOCKQUOTE> The rest of of the post goes on to talk about how t... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/25/Amway_without_the_soap_indeed Thu, 8 May 2008 17:24:00 -0000 A Multi-Faith National Day of Prayer? Today, the following email was forwarded to me: <BLOCKQUOTE>Merry Meet, The National Day of Prayer is this Thursday May 1st. Our Coven has been watching and listening to the media on this and we decided to organize a group prayer meet to create positive change in our country though our Pagan perspective. This is also to enhance the day of prayer as Pagans and to show our faith and religious morals since many right wing groups want to make this a Christian day of prayer only. If anyone would like to join us our group and others from our area will be at the Ontario County Court House, (27 North Main Street, Canandaigua, New York 14424) May 1st, ironically Beltane, at 7PM. Please bring a friend and a self contained candle to light as we silently pray for our country and for positive change. Signs are welcome so long as they are relevant to the topics of the day and are not vulgar or inflammatory to other religious groups. Parking in the back of the court house is free and plentiful. We look forward to c... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/24/A_Multi-Faith_National_Day_of_Prayer Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:03:00 -0000 My walking circuit just got bigger Today, I ran to Dick's to buy a new pair of walking shoes. Now that the weather seems to be generally warm, I've decided it's time to start taking my monthly seven mile walk along the canal again. As I started wearing my "dedicated walking shoes" from last summer all the time during the winter, I figured I best get a new pair. Once I had my new shoes in hand, I immediately put them on and decided to take the first step in breaking them in. So I drove downtown (well, a bit east of downtown, really), parked my car outside of <a href="http://psychicsthyme.com/">Psychic's Thyme</a>, and set out for my first real walk of the year. I decided that being a new year, it was time to increase my "short" walk. So rather than walking the circuit of Park Avenue, Alexander Street, East Avenue, and Culver Road, I decided to walk the circuit formed by Monroe Avenue, Union Street, East Avenue, and Culver Road. Estimating my brief bathroom break and tea purchase at five minutes, I would say that my walking time was an hour and fifteen minu... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/23/My_walking_circuit_just_got_bigger Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:45:00 -0000 Johnny Depp fans might want to skip this one. Tonight, I decided to finally watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/">Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</a>. To be frank, people who are raving over this movie either have never seen the original musical (especially <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084747/">the 1982 version starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett</a>) or did not truly appreciate it. I watched the Tim Burton movie tonight and, while I can certainly appreciate that everyone in it were great actors and the movie had some compelling parts, I can say that it came nowhere near to the musical which inspired me when I watched it live at Mansfield University (no, that production did not star Angela Lansbury, sadly) or the 1982 stage performance on DVD since. I think that the least offensive change I noted was Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Mrs. Lovett . Carter transformed the familiar senile character with no sense of right or wrong to a more aware and somewhat dark cynic of a woman. This made the character more aware of what was going around, forcing who to react to it on some more seriou... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/22/Johnny_Depp_fans_might_want_to_skip_this_one. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:18:00 -0000 Let's hear it for retail therapy! Earlier this week, I tried on a pair of my old shorts from last summer. Trying on shorts with a 46 waist does not work out well when you dropped down to a 42 waist (more or less) over the past nine months. I looked at how the waistband bunched up around my belt and decided it was time to go shopping for the beginnings of a new summer wardrobe. I found a nice pair of khaki shorts from Harbor Bay and ordered a black denim pair from the same company, as they didn't have the black denim in a 42 waist. I also found a nice pair of dark blue denim shorts that I purchased. (I got those in a 44 waist, as something about that brand caused them to feel pinched at the waist.) I also commented to the girl that I drop much more weight (and I plan to), I'll have to stop shopping at the big and tall store. She laughed and agreed, saying that I'm actually wearing the smallest size they sell. I told her I was glad to be shrinking, but would miss the quality of service they offer at the store. I mean, ... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Lets_hear_it_for_retail_therapy Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:39:00 -0000 Leave it to me... Tonight, I went to Red Lobster with Michele, Belinda, Amy, and Michele's younger daughter, Claire. We were served by a young man named Josiah. Towards the end of our meal, one of the hostesses approached our table with a survey. She handed it to me and explained that it was regards to the meal I ordered, which is one of their new menu items. Someone (it might've been Michele) asked her if they had a comment card we could fill out in regards to Josiah. The young lady indicated that she didn't, but asked us if we were happy with him. As I was feeling quite good and a little adventurous, I decided to have a bit of fun with my reply. I smiled and said, "I'd say he's a perfect ten. And he's done his job pretty well, too." The hostess laughed for a second and then replied, "The irony is, he's actually my boyfriend." We all laughed, and Michele commented on both Josiah's and the hostess's good taste. Personally, I was inclined to admire the young lady's ability to take the whole situatio... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/20/Leave_it_to_me... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:59:00 -0000 Weekend and news Let me start off this post by announcing the very good news.  As of yesterday, I've found it necessary to tighten my belt by another notch.  As I was walking through the office in the morning, I felt my jeans start to do the "let's wiggle down the hips" dance.  This rather excited me. Granted, I'm mystified by this discovery, as the scales at the mall announced two weeks ago that I haven't lost much if any weight.  It says I'm still at 277 pounds.  (Which might be down by five to eight pounds, but that's it.)  And yet, I'm tightening my belt.  And this is after going from a 44 waist to a 42 waist.  And to be honest, I don't care what the scales say, as long as I continue to inch towards the physical dimensions I had back in high school. This past weekend, I had a pleasant time at my parents' house.  I left work a couple hours early so that I could pack and give Precious time to settle before I put her in her kennel for the two hour drive.&nb... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/19/Weekend_and_news Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:22:00 -0000 Did I choose to be gay? I originally posted the following answer on another site back in April 2004.  The question was asked by a friend of mine.  I thought some people might be interested as my answer briefly touches on my opinions regarding the whole "nature vs. nurture" argument. Was being gay a choice you made, or were you born knowing that you were? If it was a choice, why did you make it? This is a very question, and deserves a great answer. But the problem is, it's not going to be quite as simple as everyone's probably expecting. Because personally, I think that the whole issue of sexual orientation is more complicated than a black and white question of biology or choice. You see, it's very common these days to hear gay people say that they knew they were "different" since some early age (five seems to be a common number, if my memory is accurate). I honestly can't say that. And to be honest, I'm personally of the opinion that a lot of people who do say that might be speaking primarily from h... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/17/Did_I_choose_to_be_gay Wed, 5 Mar 2008 16:08:00 -0000 Ex-gays and the "threat" they pose Jonathan Rowe, one of the contributors to <A href="http://www.positiveliberty.com/index.php">Positive Liberty</A>, pointed his readers to a great <A href="http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino/corvino.htm">opinion piece</A> by John Corvino in regards to ex-gays. It's well worth the read and I highly recommend it. Corvino offers an excellent and respectful criticism of the ex-gay movement, as well as those individuals and organizations that comprise it, while affirming the rights of ex-gay individuals to follow their journey towards heterosexuality. (I will note, however, that Mr. Corvino seems unaware that some ex-gay individuals are now accepting life-long celibacy as a valid alternative.) What I find more interesting about Mr. Corvino's article, however, is when he touches upon the question of whether he feels threatened by ex-gays and their testimonies: <BLOCKQUOTE>I am not at all threatened by the notion that some people can change their sexual orientation, if indeed they can. In reality, it seems that at best only a small number can do so, and only with tremendous effort. But if they can, and that makes them ... http://jarredh.multiply.com/journal/item/16/Ex-gays_and_the_threat_they_pose Tue, 4 Mar 2008 15:44:00 -0000 Park Avenue Dance Company This is the place where I'm taking dance http://jarredh.multiply.com/links/item/2/Park_Avenue_Dance_Company Tue, 5 Feb 2008 05:01:13 -0000 Northern Grove My personal http://jarredh.multiply.com/links/item/1/Northern_Grove Tue, 5 Feb 2008 05:00:34 -0000