P2P network eDonkey to close - vnunet.com
Dun dun dun.
Another one bites the dust.
2005-09-27
Winning Souls to Christ in The World of Warcraft
Winning Souls to Christ in The World of Warcraft
Wow. I attended a Baptist church for a year and a half. People said they were judgemental, but I never really saw it. This article is... wow. Some excerpts:
So much for WoW applying to the mainstream populace as no game ever has before. So much for giving people a chance to express themselves, not bound by stereotypes. So much for Christians being accepting and loving. Why would I ever think such a bizarre thought?
Good to know that you're winning people over to Jesus by pestering them until they'll do anything to get you to go away. Sounds like you've really won their heart, there.
Because when you pledge your soul, your heart, your unwavering faith based on a duel in WoW, you always keep that pledge.
Yes! Smiting the heathens! Just like the good old days!
I really just can't come up with a smartass respone to this one. It's that bad.
So... your hearthstone is still set to your race's starting area? Good job.
Wow. I attended a Baptist church for a year and a half. People said they were judgemental, but I never really saw it. This article is... wow. Some excerpts:
| ""I think the reason so many people are open to hearing about Jesus in the World of Warcraft is because the majority of people who play the game are lonely kids who don't have any friends. I doubt any of them play sports so you can pretty much guess that there are lots of gay boys and fat little pale-faced Wiccan girls on the servers who hate themselves and escape into virtual characters so they don't have to deal with their pathetic lives. When they hear that someone loves them, even if it is just the Lord Jesus Christ, they always want to hear more!" |
So much for WoW applying to the mainstream populace as no game ever has before. So much for giving people a chance to express themselves, not bound by stereotypes. So much for Christians being accepting and loving. Why would I ever think such a bizarre thought?
| "Most people who are mean, liberal, nasty, lonely, unsaved losers in real life choose to play the Horde (an evil race of characters in the World of Warcraft) and people and guilds who are conservative, Republican and pretty much easier to win to Jesus Christ with are found in the Alliance. That's why the real True Christians™ pick the Horde to play as characters and start their guilds in Horde territory because they like the challenge of sharing Christ's message in a perilous, lava-soaked, environment. Sometimes you have to pester people for weeks before they listen to you. I followed some stupid gnome around for 8-hours until he finally told me that he would accept Jesus as his Personal Savior if I would just promise not to contact him anymore. Now that rocks!" |
Good to know that you're winning people over to Jesus by pestering them until they'll do anything to get you to go away. Sounds like you've really won their heart, there.
| "He has a strict policy against letting unsaved people join our group. I think he's from Alabama in real life. In fact, he won't even party-up with anyone who isn't a Christian. He's a level 60 Priest, and gets a lot of respect. He can climb right up to the top of the dwarf statue by the gates of Stormwind City and start street preaching to the Dark Elves and they will listen to everything he says. He's done conversion duels on multiple servers where he challenges other players to duel with him. If he wins, they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If he loses (which he never has) he will give them 6 pieces of silver." |
Because when you pledge your soul, your heart, your unwavering faith based on a duel in WoW, you always keep that pledge.
| Christian gamers are also excited that they are able to live out their faith in the same way the early True Christians™ did, before their religion was sissified by liberalism, science, and political correctness. "It is such a rush to kill other players who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord," says one gamer. "I feel like I can really practice my faith the way God intended it. It is like I'm fighting alongside Christians of old, instead of the pansies and sissies from my Sunday school class." |
Yes! Smiting the heathens! Just like the good old days!
| I follow them around the game, across snow-capped mountains, and blasted wastelands until they accept Christ or persecute me so much that I have to report them to the server administrators for making fun of my religion. I think I've been responsible for getting over thirty accounts suspended for bigotry directed at me because of my faith." |
I really just can't come up with a smartass respone to this one. It's that bad.
| "I told Pastor Deacon Fred that every single time I find an item that looks like it has something to do with the occult, I hop on a griffin and head straight to Ironforge where I auction it off. Christian gamers shouldn't be carrying that stuff around. We don't enter places that serve alcohol in the game either." |
So... your hearthstone is still set to your race's starting area? Good job.
2005-09-22
I am the revolution
(Edit: Those post was originally started Thursday morning. It's now Saturday afternoon, and I'm finishing it. I'll mark where I got to on Thursday, to help with that.)
Interesting thing happened to me today.
I got rear-ended.
I'm glad I'm practicing saying this here, as opposed to at work. If I were to say it first in front of Ray or Thompson, it'd turn into a huge continuation of the "Billy *loves* the cock." running gag that we've got going on. But yeah. I was sitting at the light at Holland and RR12, heading out of town. Fairly long line at the light - it was red - slowly inching forward. I inch forward along with everyone else, then stop. I'm sitting there, jamming out to "Love Will Come" by Jam Jameston, when I feel a slight bump. Or think I do. Wasn't quite sure. I look around, didn't hit anything. I look in my rear-view mirror, notice that the car in front of me is close. *Very* close. Next time I pull up a little more, I look at the car again. Sure enough, there's a big circular dent where my bumper tilts down a little. She didn't look too happy. I pulled into the gas station right there, in case she wanted to talk or something. She just drove on.
I laughed.
So yeah, that was semi-intersting.
Lilie and I talked again last night. (If anyone sighs, I'm going to smack them.) I kind of layed it all out for her. She also read all the venting in my blog.
(Note: This is far as I got on Thursday. I'm now switching over to Saturday afternoon).
So yeah, we talked. Had another soul-searching, close conversation while... I was checking her out. Not in a 'look her up and down' type way, but a 'count her money she just turned in and end her shift as a driver, as far as the computer's concerned' type way. But yeah, we talked. A lot. She cried. That made me cry. Later. Well, that, and a few other things. But anyway... I think we've finally got closure on the whole situation. We're just best friends. Best friends that are *very* close, emotionally and physically, but just best friends. She just *can't* do a committed relationship right now, and she's not sure how she feels. I believe that she want(ed)s to, which explains our brief relapse a while back - the two and a half day fiasco. She knows how I feel, I know how she feels, and she knows that if she ever wants to try again, I'll be here. Or there. Or somewhere.
The ambiguity was really hard for me to deal with, but rejection... that's something I'm used to, familiar with, *that*, I can handle. To be fair, though, it's not rejection in the normal sense. She doesn't not like me, she's not in another relationship... we just didn't fit. At least not now. But we're still really close, and I don't think that will change any time soon. Neither one of us is willing to give that up, and there's no reason to. I love her, she loves me.
Things are good.
I s'pose. Work's been interesting, but more on that later. I'd like to actually publish this post.
Interesting thing happened to me today.
I got rear-ended.
I'm glad I'm practicing saying this here, as opposed to at work. If I were to say it first in front of Ray or Thompson, it'd turn into a huge continuation of the "Billy *loves* the cock." running gag that we've got going on. But yeah. I was sitting at the light at Holland and RR12, heading out of town. Fairly long line at the light - it was red - slowly inching forward. I inch forward along with everyone else, then stop. I'm sitting there, jamming out to "Love Will Come" by Jam Jameston, when I feel a slight bump. Or think I do. Wasn't quite sure. I look around, didn't hit anything. I look in my rear-view mirror, notice that the car in front of me is close. *Very* close. Next time I pull up a little more, I look at the car again. Sure enough, there's a big circular dent where my bumper tilts down a little. She didn't look too happy. I pulled into the gas station right there, in case she wanted to talk or something. She just drove on.
I laughed.
So yeah, that was semi-intersting.
Lilie and I talked again last night. (If anyone sighs, I'm going to smack them.) I kind of layed it all out for her. She also read all the venting in my blog.
(Note: This is far as I got on Thursday. I'm now switching over to Saturday afternoon).
So yeah, we talked. Had another soul-searching, close conversation while... I was checking her out. Not in a 'look her up and down' type way, but a 'count her money she just turned in and end her shift as a driver, as far as the computer's concerned' type way. But yeah, we talked. A lot. She cried. That made me cry. Later. Well, that, and a few other things. But anyway... I think we've finally got closure on the whole situation. We're just best friends. Best friends that are *very* close, emotionally and physically, but just best friends. She just *can't* do a committed relationship right now, and she's not sure how she feels. I believe that she want(ed)s to, which explains our brief relapse a while back - the two and a half day fiasco. She knows how I feel, I know how she feels, and she knows that if she ever wants to try again, I'll be here. Or there. Or somewhere.
The ambiguity was really hard for me to deal with, but rejection... that's something I'm used to, familiar with, *that*, I can handle. To be fair, though, it's not rejection in the normal sense. She doesn't not like me, she's not in another relationship... we just didn't fit. At least not now. But we're still really close, and I don't think that will change any time soon. Neither one of us is willing to give that up, and there's no reason to. I love her, she loves me.
Things are good.
I s'pose. Work's been interesting, but more on that later. I'd like to actually publish this post.
2005-09-17
Addendum
It should be noted that "The other day" does not refer to a few days ago when Lilie came over and typed up her paper. It's a reference to well over a week ago - I've been writing this one, in bits and pieces, for a week or so.
2005-09-15
If you want me to stay, I'll never leave
People have asked me before, "What are you looking for in a girl?" I've never really had a good answer to that question. I mean, I could usually come up with an answer - it'd vary. Something flippant, perhaps - "Well, female, preferably; physically and mentally capable and competent would be nice"; on other occasions, something incredible general - "Well, someone nice, sweet, and intelligent." While both of those are true answers, they are far from complete. I'd venture to say most people would describe their ideal mate in such a fashion - certainly not in *that* fashion, but that those would either (a) be assumed, or (b) present in one form or another.
That all changed a few days ago.
Well, to be fair, that's a little melodramatic. There wasn't some cataclysmic event that occurred which caused some drastic change in myself, my outlook on life, or anything of that nature. The same can be said of my mood that day. But that's beside the point, other than that they share a common cause.
This isn't about anything physical. Granted, there are certain attributes and combinations that I tend to favor. Green eyes/red hair/freckles is one that I didn't really notice until about two years ago, but it is currently my favorite. Blonde hair/blue eyes is always a classic; I also like long, dark curly hair coupled with dark eyes. Really dark eyes. The kind where you're not sure where the colored part ends and the central black part (I can't remember the technical terms for them; biology was never a favorite subject of mine; perhaps it's the cornea and the iris? Not sure.) begins. Tall and short have never really been an issue - Zara was tiny, Suzanne is almost as tall as I; I wouldn't mind dating someone taller. Some time in the last couple of years, I've become something of a 'breast guy', in that that's the main secondary sexual attribute I notice - as opposed to an 'ass guy' or a 'leg guy'. There are others, but those are the main three. But again, that's not really something I assign a great deal of priority to - while it something I do notice and definitely enjoy, simply compare Suzie and Lilie to Mindy and Zara. In short, a comparison of girls who've caught my eye (I love hyphenated statements, to the point of overuse. Deal with it.) - Lilie, Melissa, Mindy, Samantha, Leslie, Taylor Stevens, Chelsea, Zara, Suzanne; they definitely run the gamut. The whole point I'm trying to make with this is that I've been attracted to girls all over the physical spectrum.
Oh, and I'd really like to have a girlfriend that has wings. Huge feathery wings that she can conceal at will, just so I can be there for the moments when they pop out. And I think it'd be really cool to be embraced by them, especially in bed. Yeah, that's be cool. Unless she started tickling me with them, 'cause I'm really ticklish. But even that would be cool.
However, I digress.
The original point of this post is that I've finally discovered a necessary trait for me, when discussing possible mates. Significant others. Girlfriends. Whatever you may wish to call them.
Simply put, well, crap. There's no real 'simple' way to put it, so I'll just use my normal method of vague, half-coherent rambling, and hope that I've put across enough of the core subject that someone, somewhere, understands it.
I want someone that will tell me the truth. Someone that won't play little mind games, that respects me enough to think that I DESERVE to know what's really going on. I'm tired of mind games, of "I didn't want to hurt you", of people refusing to take responsibility for their own actions. After that introduction, I'd like to add in some qualification. I understand that at times, lying is necessary. However, it's been my experience that people (girls) don't understand when it is. Throwing a surprise party for your beau, and need them out of the house for a while, then back at a specific time? Yes, lie your head off. I guess you could throw in jokes, gags, that kind of thing as well.
Now, breaking up with someone is a time when it's NOT okay. "But I don't want to hurt their feelings". Bullshit. That line - and yes, it is most definitely nothing but a line - means one of a few things. First and foremost, we need to better define the situation under examination. If the breakup is mutual, it probably doesn't matter why you tell each other you're breaking up (though under one case, it does. We'll get to that later.) If he's done something atrocious - hit you, cheated on you, lied about something equally important, then yeah, it doesn't really matter what you tell him on the way out (if that even happens). If one of you has just completely stopped caring about the other - I don't mean affectionately and romantically, I mean *at all*, wherein if you found out the next day they'd been hit by a bus, your only response would be "Heh. Guess I'm not getting my five bucks back", then yeah, it probably doesn't matter. I'm only going through these exceptions because I just read A Guide to Fallacy Free Arguments and am currently working my way through Plato's Republic.
So now, we've established that we're limiting our field of discourse to breakups where it's still somewhat amicable and there are no extenuating circumstances. So, what do people (girls) *really* mean when they say "I didn't want to hurt you?" Well, it usually means one of a couple things. A lot of times, they're only superficially considering the situation. Granted, you may spare some pain by giving your (now) ex-significant other a kindler, gentler reason for the split. However, the pain you've saved them will be revisited upon them tenfold when they discover that (a) you were lying to them and (b) the real reason for the breakup. You're also saying that you don't respect them enough as a human being to feel that they deserve to know the truth. That, or they're not emotionally mature enough to handle it. Either way, you're certainly not doing them a favor. Another common response is "Well, it's none of their business." Yes, it is. You made it their business when you started dating them. And, worst case in that scenario, telling that you don't want to tell them why is still better than a false reason.
I think that's one of the reasons I look back on my time with Mindy so fondly, despite it sounding horrific when I reminisce. Sure, she had a tendency to dump me for another guy - well, it only happened two or three times. Two that I can remember. But I never had to worry about happening and her not telling me. I could sleep soundly confident that I knew where I stood with her. That might sound a little odd, but remember, she was kind of weird. Granted, so was I. The whole thing was pretty gosh-darn weird. I think most of my relationships are. The more successful, the weird they are. But that's a digression from the main point. The resaon I look back on my time with Mindy, despite its outward oddity, is how open we were with each other.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm saying that both people should immediately lay themselves out bare, share every secret, their entire life story, etc. Nor am I saying that there shouldn't be any mystery, any mystique. I'll be the first to admit it's a fine line to walk, and one that's easy to go back and forth on. I'm just outlining a quality I've finally realized I desire in a potential... well, girlfriend. I guess. I think that, more than anything else, would earn my affection.
Though giant feathery wings wouldn't hurt.
That all changed a few days ago.
Well, to be fair, that's a little melodramatic. There wasn't some cataclysmic event that occurred which caused some drastic change in myself, my outlook on life, or anything of that nature. The same can be said of my mood that day. But that's beside the point, other than that they share a common cause.
This isn't about anything physical. Granted, there are certain attributes and combinations that I tend to favor. Green eyes/red hair/freckles is one that I didn't really notice until about two years ago, but it is currently my favorite. Blonde hair/blue eyes is always a classic; I also like long, dark curly hair coupled with dark eyes. Really dark eyes. The kind where you're not sure where the colored part ends and the central black part (I can't remember the technical terms for them; biology was never a favorite subject of mine; perhaps it's the cornea and the iris? Not sure.) begins. Tall and short have never really been an issue - Zara was tiny, Suzanne is almost as tall as I; I wouldn't mind dating someone taller. Some time in the last couple of years, I've become something of a 'breast guy', in that that's the main secondary sexual attribute I notice - as opposed to an 'ass guy' or a 'leg guy'. There are others, but those are the main three. But again, that's not really something I assign a great deal of priority to - while it something I do notice and definitely enjoy, simply compare Suzie and Lilie to Mindy and Zara. In short, a comparison of girls who've caught my eye (I love hyphenated statements, to the point of overuse. Deal with it.) - Lilie, Melissa, Mindy, Samantha, Leslie, Taylor Stevens, Chelsea, Zara, Suzanne; they definitely run the gamut. The whole point I'm trying to make with this is that I've been attracted to girls all over the physical spectrum.
Oh, and I'd really like to have a girlfriend that has wings. Huge feathery wings that she can conceal at will, just so I can be there for the moments when they pop out. And I think it'd be really cool to be embraced by them, especially in bed. Yeah, that's be cool. Unless she started tickling me with them, 'cause I'm really ticklish. But even that would be cool.
However, I digress.
The original point of this post is that I've finally discovered a necessary trait for me, when discussing possible mates. Significant others. Girlfriends. Whatever you may wish to call them.
Simply put, well, crap. There's no real 'simple' way to put it, so I'll just use my normal method of vague, half-coherent rambling, and hope that I've put across enough of the core subject that someone, somewhere, understands it.
I want someone that will tell me the truth. Someone that won't play little mind games, that respects me enough to think that I DESERVE to know what's really going on. I'm tired of mind games, of "I didn't want to hurt you", of people refusing to take responsibility for their own actions. After that introduction, I'd like to add in some qualification. I understand that at times, lying is necessary. However, it's been my experience that people (girls) don't understand when it is. Throwing a surprise party for your beau, and need them out of the house for a while, then back at a specific time? Yes, lie your head off. I guess you could throw in jokes, gags, that kind of thing as well.
Now, breaking up with someone is a time when it's NOT okay. "But I don't want to hurt their feelings". Bullshit. That line - and yes, it is most definitely nothing but a line - means one of a few things. First and foremost, we need to better define the situation under examination. If the breakup is mutual, it probably doesn't matter why you tell each other you're breaking up (though under one case, it does. We'll get to that later.) If he's done something atrocious - hit you, cheated on you, lied about something equally important, then yeah, it doesn't really matter what you tell him on the way out (if that even happens). If one of you has just completely stopped caring about the other - I don't mean affectionately and romantically, I mean *at all*, wherein if you found out the next day they'd been hit by a bus, your only response would be "Heh. Guess I'm not getting my five bucks back", then yeah, it probably doesn't matter. I'm only going through these exceptions because I just read A Guide to Fallacy Free Arguments and am currently working my way through Plato's Republic.
So now, we've established that we're limiting our field of discourse to breakups where it's still somewhat amicable and there are no extenuating circumstances. So, what do people (girls) *really* mean when they say "I didn't want to hurt you?" Well, it usually means one of a couple things. A lot of times, they're only superficially considering the situation. Granted, you may spare some pain by giving your (now) ex-significant other a kindler, gentler reason for the split. However, the pain you've saved them will be revisited upon them tenfold when they discover that (a) you were lying to them and (b) the real reason for the breakup. You're also saying that you don't respect them enough as a human being to feel that they deserve to know the truth. That, or they're not emotionally mature enough to handle it. Either way, you're certainly not doing them a favor. Another common response is "Well, it's none of their business." Yes, it is. You made it their business when you started dating them. And, worst case in that scenario, telling that you don't want to tell them why is still better than a false reason.
I think that's one of the reasons I look back on my time with Mindy so fondly, despite it sounding horrific when I reminisce. Sure, she had a tendency to dump me for another guy - well, it only happened two or three times. Two that I can remember. But I never had to worry about happening and her not telling me. I could sleep soundly confident that I knew where I stood with her. That might sound a little odd, but remember, she was kind of weird. Granted, so was I. The whole thing was pretty gosh-darn weird. I think most of my relationships are. The more successful, the weird they are. But that's a digression from the main point. The resaon I look back on my time with Mindy, despite its outward oddity, is how open we were with each other.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm saying that both people should immediately lay themselves out bare, share every secret, their entire life story, etc. Nor am I saying that there shouldn't be any mystery, any mystique. I'll be the first to admit it's a fine line to walk, and one that's easy to go back and forth on. I'm just outlining a quality I've finally realized I desire in a potential... well, girlfriend. I guess. I think that, more than anything else, would earn my affection.
Though giant feathery wings wouldn't hurt.
2005-09-14
Now the shit has hit the fan
Had a fun day. Gina sent us - Theresa, Shelly and I - to some class in San Antonio. "Handle the Rush", which is humorous, since we're the 2nd busiest store in the company, and close on the heels of the leader. The class was completely, utterly worthless. We discussed things like "How to Prep for the Rush", in which we gleaned such tidbits as "Make sure you're fully stocked" and "Ensure you have sufficient people". We then talked about how to handle the rush. Then, how to deal with the aftermath.
As can be expected, the San Marcos crew made sure everyone knew how we were (well, except Theresa) within the first half hour, and made a great deal of vocal contributions. In other words, Shelly would NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP. I wanted to throw something at her. Repeatedly. My reactions to her NOT SHUTTING THE FUCK UP became so visible that the girl next to me commented on it - "Hey, it's okay, we all have those people."
Did I mention the girl next to me was really cute? Her name's Samantha. Green eyes, blonde hair, button nose, kinda short. Very cute. We talked a little throughout the meeting. We were also rubbing legs a lot, though that was most likely due to the close physical proximity everyone was forced into, due to there being like 30 people at this little class thing. But then again, we had plenty of space on our side of the room. Not something I'm going to analyze. I'm just going to leave it at, it made the class much more enjoyable to be sitting next to her. We talked a lot. We had a connection. She lives in San Antonio, so I'll probably never see her again, unless we happen to attend one of these classes together again. And I wonder if Shelly noticed anything - for whatever reason, she has a tendency to notice whenever I'm actually talking to a girl and comment on it.
Not anything to get excited about, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
As can be expected, the San Marcos crew made sure everyone knew how we were (well, except Theresa) within the first half hour, and made a great deal of vocal contributions. In other words, Shelly would NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP. I wanted to throw something at her. Repeatedly. My reactions to her NOT SHUTTING THE FUCK UP became so visible that the girl next to me commented on it - "Hey, it's okay, we all have those people."
Did I mention the girl next to me was really cute? Her name's Samantha. Green eyes, blonde hair, button nose, kinda short. Very cute. We talked a little throughout the meeting. We were also rubbing legs a lot, though that was most likely due to the close physical proximity everyone was forced into, due to there being like 30 people at this little class thing. But then again, we had plenty of space on our side of the room. Not something I'm going to analyze. I'm just going to leave it at, it made the class much more enjoyable to be sitting next to her. We talked a lot. We had a connection. She lives in San Antonio, so I'll probably never see her again, unless we happen to attend one of these classes together again. And I wonder if Shelly noticed anything - for whatever reason, she has a tendency to notice whenever I'm actually talking to a girl and comment on it.
Not anything to get excited about, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
2005-09-13
I still remember the way that you touched me, too
She "has a boyfriend", and he's "very protective."
More to come.
More to come.
