I've always had a passionate hate/love relationship with Ayn Rand. I trudged through her Atlas Shrugged, despite throwing my copy of it across the room (several times). This blog entry from Utne, quoting Mother Jones's article "And the Rand Played On", explains part of why I loathed the book so much:
Rand’s particular genius has always been her ability to turn upside-down traditional hierarchies and recast the wealthy, the talented and the powerful as the oppressed. … In this world, it is not possible to admit that the rich and the Republicans may have been undone by their own greed and cluelessness. Instead, the Galters have rewritten the story of how we got here with a dash of idealistic fantasy and a side of empty rebellion.
That said, I can't walk through Grand Central Station without thinking of Dagny.
World, meet MY NEW CAR -- a 2005 Toyota Matrix XR (with barely 50000km on it).
To back the story up a sec: Wednesday afternoon, my mechanics (who I truly love dearly, but see a little too often) finally rang the death knell for my beloved '95 Chevy Beretta. The $1500-2000 tab on getting it repaired was just TOO much, despite my affections for it and long-running memories with it. The Beretta was my first car, and it's been with me from Georgia days onward to Saskatchewan.
So, once finding out how much my car was going to cost to repair, combined with the scary concept of adding new car payments/debt to our already beleaguered budget, I was a bit of a mess yesterday in dealing with this unexpected grown-up "news."
My worries needn't had been. On the recommendation of one of Jerry's brothers, we checked out a local dealer, Joe 90's. From 8th Street, I could see that they had the exact Matrix I've always loved from afar and we thought we check it out (at least to price compare). Stu, the owner, met us in the parking lot after getting in from a ride on his Harley. What a great guy!
So, long story short (and believe me, it's a long but fun story), we're now the owner of a car I've always wanted -- even in the exact color I've wanted! Even better, the car payment we're facing isn't going to force us to eat KD or PB&Js for the next 5 years. Oh, but even better than that, I've now got a car that won't leak fluids and one that I don't have to worry if it'll start or not.
Today at 1pm, at the JS Wood library on Lansdowne Ave. I'll be on the discussion panel after the movie, discussing evangelical culture in the States and asking the question, is religious indoctrination child abuse?
I'm down to the last few days of our US trip. We're back in NY, hanging with the sis and bro-in-law. We're catching a horrific red-eye out of Newark on Wednesday, but will be back in the Great White North by mid-afternoon.
These last few days I'll try to get my fill of family time, though it's never enough to sustain the amount of time I'm apart from them all. There's more to be said here, but I'll wait until later.
Anyway, the main reason for this post is to put up this remake of Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart that my brother-in-law pulled up for me last night. I laughed so hard my ribs hurt the next day. Enjoy.
"There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason, especially if she enters into spiritual matters which concern the soul and God. For it is more possible to teach an ass to read than to blind such a reason and lead it right; for reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed."
Nothing like a 70's slasher flick, fundamentalist-style, to get the sheep into the fold. If you're looking to be saved from something, avoid any theology that uses such negative reinforcement techniques, will ya?
