Category: miscellaneous

There’s been a lot going on lately, so my mind was already in a bit of a weird place. Then, when we learned of the passing of my uncle, it got even stranger.

Strange really isn’t the right word. I think it’s only natural upon learning of the death of a loved one or friend to start thinking about things. Not just life in general, but all sorts of things.

I’m not a religious person. I’ve said that before. I don’t really believe in Heaven. But I do know that if there is a Heaven, I probably won’t end up there. Not that I’m a bad person. But since I’m not a church-goer, I don’t do the sort of stuff that Christian people do to secure their spot in Heaven.

Today being Easter and all, I couldn’t help but ponder all of this a bit.

I had lots of extra time to think, too. Since we don’t celebrate Easter now that the kids are grown, I spent most of yesterday and today hanging slate wall tile. (I know this all sounds a bit disjointed, but it is going somewhere. Promise.)

Not that I spent two days agonizing over the religion thing. It’s just important for you to know where my mind was to understand why a certain event that happened today freaked me right the Hell out.

I don’t really buy into the God as one supreme being thing, but I do believe in ghosts and demons. (Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, I know. If there are ghosts and demons, couldn’t there also be a God and angels?) I’m a big fan of horror movies and novels. I love a good ghost story. And stories about stuff like vampires.

I’ll never forget that scene in the movie from Salem’s Lot when the kid materialized from the fog outside another kids window. His eyes were glowing. And he was scratching on the window (cue the fingernails on a chalkboard sound). Cause everyone knows vampires can’t get in unless you invite them.

Another movie scene that always spooks me a bit is when words spontaneously appear on mirrors. Especially when they just gradually materialize.

But I digress. Sort of.

Because this afternoon, as I sat admiring the slate tiles I’d spent so much time installing, I saw something that really startled me. Weirded me out completely is more like it.

I mean, think about it. You’re sitting there in a sort-of-dark room, looking closely at one tile and then another, admiring the different color variations, patterns, textures, etc., when you see this.

Different colors, patterns, etc. are one thing. But that slate tile very clearly says “sin”.

Really, look again at this shot, which I darkened for sake of clarity.

Holy crap! My heart actually skipped a beat when I saw that. It was VERY freaky.

“Sin”? What sort of crazy omen is that!?!

I was seriously freaked out for several agonizing seconds.

That’s when I leaned to the left a bit and looked closer at my mysterious message. Clearly, I’ve been thinking way too hard about stuff lately. Because here’s what I saw upon closer inspection.

That was no paranormal message I saw. It was a stupid shadow! It didn’t say “sin” either. It said “Singer” as in old sewing machine.

Crazy, eh?

Would you have been similarly weirded-out if you saw what appeared to be a message from the great beyond? Especially a message like mine, albeit short, with religious overtones. On Easter?

I stumbled across a rather interesting blog the other day.

My first thought at seeing this image was, “Oh, jeez. Another ‘look how rednecks do things’ story. It wasn’t. In fact, it wasn’t a story at all, just a series of images that speak for themselves.

Do yourself a favor and have a peek at this bee-filled BBQ.

Yesterday was one of those work days where I had zero appointments scheduled and about three specific things that had to be done. I also planned to go to the grocery store at lunchtime. I even showered and got dressed first thing in the morning in anticipation of actually leaving the house.

I don’t talk about my job much. It’s not super-exciting, but it pays the bills. I get to work from home, which isn’t always a good thing, but it’s still better than going to an office most days. One would think working from home that my time would be my own. It isn’t. The job is deadline-driven and can be very demanding.

I write proposals. As my friend Carol has said, “Ew, it’s like you have to sit and write a book report every single day.” The proposals are accompanied by complex Excel spreadsheets, too. Not government grant proposals (thank GOD), but proposals describing services being requested of my employer, a clinical research organization (CRO). Also known as a contract research organization, a CRO isn’t a pharmaceutical company, it’s a company that provides a very wide range of specialty services required by pharmaceutical companies to facilitate the whole drug and medical device development process.

I have to do other stuff, too. All related to the proposal process and all subject to often unreasonable deadlines. My days are very unpredictable. Often I’ll have days like yesterday when I have an empty calendar and plan to get A, B, and C done, but then D, E, F, and G pop up, all demanding urgent attention.

It can get a bit hectic. Often, like yesterday, I’ll barely be able to step away from my desk. It’s especially frustrating when I plan to go someplace at lunchtime, like the grocery store, but am just not able to leave. And I really NEEDED to go get something to fix for dinner.

Once I finally did get out of here, I was already a bit irritated. It had been a hectic, stressful day.

So, imagine me in my already-irritated state getting caught by a long-ass traffic light within sight of the supermarket. The store I frequent is near Arundel Mills Mall, a mega-mall that is always a busy place. On the corner opposite where I sat, was a group of about eight youngish men in business attire. One was waving a large, red flag. Three held up a banner that said some crap like “God’s marriage is man + woman.” One held a sign that read something to the effect of “honk if you agree.” He was flanked by two others who were waving their arms to get people’s attention.

Just seeing those guys there upset me. But what shocked and irritated me more was the number of people honking. There were more drivers not honking than there were honking drivers. But still. It pissed me off.

I will not go on and on about why I support same-sex unions. I just do. Period. And I am vehemently opposed to folks who play the God-card to protest gay marriage.

I am not a religious person. I do not think religion should play a role in politics. I truly believe two people, whether they are of the same sex or not, should be free to marry or otherwise commit themselves to one another.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to sit there stewing for long. When the light finally changed—I was the first car in line, by the way—the small group with the “honk” sign started waving their arms at me.

I very purposefully pulled off slowly, flipping them each the bird as I went. I made sure each of them saw me, too.

I didn’t get much of a reaction, but nevertheless it felt REALLY good.

Assholes.

It didn’t dawn on me until much later why those guys were there. There’s same-sex marriage legislation in the works here in Maryland that just might make same-sex unions legal in Maryland. The Senate has already approved the bill, but it still has a long way to go.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’ll be sure to uncross them and wave if I see those young men again.