Personal Blog Site for Rev. Ronnda Zezula
http://www.moralitybandaid.com
Blog Site for Ronnda Zezula, the Freedom to Believe ND Online Ministry & MoralityBandAid.com
Faith & Hope
No one has heard from me in a while, for that I apologize! The market for my husband's line of work crashed for longer than we expected, so I have been back to taking contract work full time in the day and part time at night, with little time for my own family - let alone maintaining this blog site!
The job market here has been just terrible to search in! Contract jobs don't last forever, so I've been sending-out resumes like a fiend and ready to take just about anything I can that will justify daycare expenses and gas. So far, ...<< MORE >>
The job market here has been just terrible to search in! Contract jobs don't last forever, so I've been sending-out resumes like a fiend and ready to take just about anything I can that will justify daycare expenses and gas. So far, ...<< MORE >>
Them that's got shall get, Them that's not shall lose
So TriMet is considering doing-away with fareless square in Portland. For those who don't live here, it's a fairly large area of our downtown where people can ride the bus or Max (our above-ground train) for free from place to place. Fareless square was a great idea for downtown businesses, their employees and customers and also for tourists.
Most people are apparently behind this idea because everyone wants to"cut down on crime" by keeping the criminals, juvenile delinquents and homeless population from riding. One woman was interviewed saying that "everyone should have to pay their own way, it's only fair." Bet she had a home to go to after her two cents were given.
Most of our homeless shelters are in the run-down part of town where no one has to look at them, as I'm sure is true in most cities. Most services for the homeless and poor, however, are across the other side of town from the shelters. Ours is not a town as large as NYC, to be sure. As someone who used to walk from one end to the other for years, though - it's a hike!
I would like to see these 'pay your own way' supporters sleep on a hard cot or under an overpass, after eating very little if anything and get up to walk miles at 6 am the next morning. Imagine doing that every day, 2-4 times a day, with a small child or infant in your arms. Imagine doing that with physical or mental impairments or when you're just plan ill - which happens often within the homeless population.
Cut down on crime? What about the worse problem of panhandling? I give spare change when I have it, but there's only so much "spare" that I have. There have been some pretty freaky characters who weren't very happy about my saying I had none. Do we really believe that charging to ride mass transit in a particular area is going to keep miscreants from riding or from bothering riders? If someone has to be somewhere, they have no money to get there, and they are prone to misbehavior anyway, are they really going to say 'gee, I don't have the money to get where I'm going so I guess I won't go' ???
There will be a huge increase in panhandling, people "skipping" the Max (harder to sneak on a bus without paying) and petty crimes like purse snatching and pick-pocketing. I promise. People will be forced to deal more directly with the homeless and poor who they are trying to avoid.
This screams of ageism as well. Many unusual teenagers hang-out downtown and ride Max from place to place. They annoy some older passengers merely by being present. If they have to pay they probably will stop riding as much, but that also means they'll find another downtown place to hang-out. I hope it's in front of TriMet's building... or maybe that of the interview woman.
One argument is financial, people are simply tired of others getting something for nothing and TriMet says it needs the cash. Our taxes for TriMet are not awful yet, I am personally fine with them being raised by cents to cover those who can't afford it. People bitch about nothing being done for schools and for the homeless, blah-blah, but they won't put their taxes where their mouths are. If it were a question of raising taxes by hundreds of dollars I would understand an up-rising, but people it's cents here and I'd probably find more under your couch cushions.
Mass transit is just that, for the masses. Why are we so intolerant of people who are not like us that we have to find ridiculous excuses to try forcing people to be what we think they should be? Rather than forcing people to change, we strengthen our American ignorance. Shoving the things we aren't comfortable with farther under the surface so we don't have to face them. This makes many feel happy because if they can't see it, it must not exist.
Meanwhile, the actual human beings affected by these decisions (made more to paint a pretty picture than to affect real change) have one more strike against them. Even if they had hoped to get back into society (biting and clawing), this is just one more hurdle to jump, another reason not to succeed and one more piece of evidence that the world is against them and they'll never be able to make it anyway. If you don't even want to pump your own gas (for those out-of-state, voters continue to vote to have gas attendants rather than pump their own), how can you honestly expect someone hungry, tired, ill and possibly with small children to walk miles just to eat?
The world says, 'get a job.' Meanwhile I know PhDs and MBAs who haven't found work in years. Get a job, but you'll have to find the money to get to it and then get home. Get a job, without being able to make it to a place to eat from the place you slept in time to make it to work, because you have miles to walk each way. Get a job, though you can't possibly get your kids to the available care center and make it to your interview in time. Kids walk so darn slow and why don't they quit whining that their feet hurt in those shoes that are too small because there were none at the shelter in their size? Everyone should have to pay their own way...please, pay yours lady. Your soul's payment to the other human beings on this planet is obviously long over due.
Most people are apparently behind this idea because everyone wants to"cut down on crime" by keeping the criminals, juvenile delinquents and homeless population from riding. One woman was interviewed saying that "everyone should have to pay their own way, it's only fair." Bet she had a home to go to after her two cents were given.
Most of our homeless shelters are in the run-down part of town where no one has to look at them, as I'm sure is true in most cities. Most services for the homeless and poor, however, are across the other side of town from the shelters. Ours is not a town as large as NYC, to be sure. As someone who used to walk from one end to the other for years, though - it's a hike!
I would like to see these 'pay your own way' supporters sleep on a hard cot or under an overpass, after eating very little if anything and get up to walk miles at 6 am the next morning. Imagine doing that every day, 2-4 times a day, with a small child or infant in your arms. Imagine doing that with physical or mental impairments or when you're just plan ill - which happens often within the homeless population.
Cut down on crime? What about the worse problem of panhandling? I give spare change when I have it, but there's only so much "spare" that I have. There have been some pretty freaky characters who weren't very happy about my saying I had none. Do we really believe that charging to ride mass transit in a particular area is going to keep miscreants from riding or from bothering riders? If someone has to be somewhere, they have no money to get there, and they are prone to misbehavior anyway, are they really going to say 'gee, I don't have the money to get where I'm going so I guess I won't go' ???
There will be a huge increase in panhandling, people "skipping" the Max (harder to sneak on a bus without paying) and petty crimes like purse snatching and pick-pocketing. I promise. People will be forced to deal more directly with the homeless and poor who they are trying to avoid.
This screams of ageism as well. Many unusual teenagers hang-out downtown and ride Max from place to place. They annoy some older passengers merely by being present. If they have to pay they probably will stop riding as much, but that also means they'll find another downtown place to hang-out. I hope it's in front of TriMet's building... or maybe that of the interview woman.
One argument is financial, people are simply tired of others getting something for nothing and TriMet says it needs the cash. Our taxes for TriMet are not awful yet, I am personally fine with them being raised by cents to cover those who can't afford it. People bitch about nothing being done for schools and for the homeless, blah-blah, but they won't put their taxes where their mouths are. If it were a question of raising taxes by hundreds of dollars I would understand an up-rising, but people it's cents here and I'd probably find more under your couch cushions.
Mass transit is just that, for the masses. Why are we so intolerant of people who are not like us that we have to find ridiculous excuses to try forcing people to be what we think they should be? Rather than forcing people to change, we strengthen our American ignorance. Shoving the things we aren't comfortable with farther under the surface so we don't have to face them. This makes many feel happy because if they can't see it, it must not exist.
Meanwhile, the actual human beings affected by these decisions (made more to paint a pretty picture than to affect real change) have one more strike against them. Even if they had hoped to get back into society (biting and clawing), this is just one more hurdle to jump, another reason not to succeed and one more piece of evidence that the world is against them and they'll never be able to make it anyway. If you don't even want to pump your own gas (for those out-of-state, voters continue to vote to have gas attendants rather than pump their own), how can you honestly expect someone hungry, tired, ill and possibly with small children to walk miles just to eat?
The world says, 'get a job.' Meanwhile I know PhDs and MBAs who haven't found work in years. Get a job, but you'll have to find the money to get to it and then get home. Get a job, without being able to make it to a place to eat from the place you slept in time to make it to work, because you have miles to walk each way. Get a job, though you can't possibly get your kids to the available care center and make it to your interview in time. Kids walk so darn slow and why don't they quit whining that their feet hurt in those shoes that are too small because there were none at the shelter in their size? Everyone should have to pay their own way...please, pay yours lady. Your soul's payment to the other human beings on this planet is obviously long over due.
All I Want for Christmas
Morgan Spurlock has made a movie about how commercial Christmas has become. Good for him! I can't wait to see it. I agree, though I admit at the same time that I get caught-up in the spirit of giving too much as well.
I "get" the true meaning of the holiday, but somehow what I get is forgotten when I'm in the stores and I see all of these things that I know my loved ones would adore. My husband and I traditionally do not give each other anything but a card, mainly because I resent being forced to prove my love for him only on certain days of the year and I prefer that he prove his in little ways every day (which he does). But here's the funny part about human nature.
The secondary reason for our not spending money on each other is so we will have more to spend on the kids and close family. We acknowledge we do not need to prove our love to each other financially, yet we make sure we have enough money to prove it to everyone else. Funny. I would love to find a way to give more personally to family, but honestly my suggestions always sound to my own ears as though we just want to avoid spending money. That isn't true, of course, but I haven't found a way to make the holidays meaningful for others without coming off sounding just plain frugal.
In holidays past we have asked for gifts only for the kids, please keep them under $20. We have asked our families to do many alternative things for adults, such as: compiling letters to each adult on our thoughts and feelings about them; donating to charities in each other's names; giving homemade items; etc. These have had mixed results. This season I have been trying to figure-out an exciting new angle for the adults (limit the kid gifts to under $15, please, and try to get gift cards for book/music stores) but have come-up short.
This morning, I got an idea. I am returning to the work force, since my businesses have sold, and have been asking former employers and friends for letters of reference. I got one this morning from a former employer and really enjoyed reading it. These things do make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they are written nicely. It occurred to me that people should have such letters to read whenever they are sad, feel incapable or just need a smile. Why wait until you are looking for a job?
I say, ask for "reference" letters from Santa! From your spouse, your parents, your kids, anyone you want to read good things from any time you need to. Put them in a notebook and keep them where you can grab them at will. You will be amazed at how powerful and grateful they can make you feel. That is the true Spirit of Christmas, helping other people to feel that love, happiness, gratitude and power within themselves. Happy Holidays!
I "get" the true meaning of the holiday, but somehow what I get is forgotten when I'm in the stores and I see all of these things that I know my loved ones would adore. My husband and I traditionally do not give each other anything but a card, mainly because I resent being forced to prove my love for him only on certain days of the year and I prefer that he prove his in little ways every day (which he does). But here's the funny part about human nature.
The secondary reason for our not spending money on each other is so we will have more to spend on the kids and close family. We acknowledge we do not need to prove our love to each other financially, yet we make sure we have enough money to prove it to everyone else. Funny. I would love to find a way to give more personally to family, but honestly my suggestions always sound to my own ears as though we just want to avoid spending money. That isn't true, of course, but I haven't found a way to make the holidays meaningful for others without coming off sounding just plain frugal.
In holidays past we have asked for gifts only for the kids, please keep them under $20. We have asked our families to do many alternative things for adults, such as: compiling letters to each adult on our thoughts and feelings about them; donating to charities in each other's names; giving homemade items; etc. These have had mixed results. This season I have been trying to figure-out an exciting new angle for the adults (limit the kid gifts to under $15, please, and try to get gift cards for book/music stores) but have come-up short.
This morning, I got an idea. I am returning to the work force, since my businesses have sold, and have been asking former employers and friends for letters of reference. I got one this morning from a former employer and really enjoyed reading it. These things do make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they are written nicely. It occurred to me that people should have such letters to read whenever they are sad, feel incapable or just need a smile. Why wait until you are looking for a job?
I say, ask for "reference" letters from Santa! From your spouse, your parents, your kids, anyone you want to read good things from any time you need to. Put them in a notebook and keep them where you can grab them at will. You will be amazed at how powerful and grateful they can make you feel. That is the true Spirit of Christmas, helping other people to feel that love, happiness, gratitude and power within themselves. Happy Holidays!
Spending $269.25 to buy time with my kids and their friends...Pricey
There are so many awful problems in the world today that we can do nothing about. Poverty, starvation, war. Horrors happening to people all over the world.
In that light, why complain about paying for poor service? What does not kill us, right? I question acceptance of poor treatment just because things could
be worse.
Consumer complacency is enabling companies to be as bad as they want to be and still take our money. Why stop if everyone accepts it as just the way things are?
Dealing with the problem of bad service would cost companies money and take time to ...
Long time...
Honestly I'm just entering something to enter something. There is so much going on in our lives right now, so much going through my head 24/7, that it's impossible to regurgitate it
here. Suffice it to say life is hectic and stressful right now, but it will be better.
As soon as I can collect my thoughts and write coherently, give me a few more days, I'll be back (you poor reader)! Until then, take care, Ronnda
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As soon as I can collect my thoughts and write coherently, give me a few more days, I'll be back (you poor reader)! Until then, take care, Ronnda
Vive la Unsung Film Fest!
First, it has to be "born." I'll explain. I have been dying to see an independent film written, produced, directed and acted by someone known to us from our youth. Though I
only had a few classes with the guy and knew him through friends, my husband was more acquainted with him and we both think very highly of him as a comic genius and all-around good guy.
Anyway, I have seen his other work (on the web) and remember enough about him to know his new film has got to be amazing. Since it's release at LAFF, I have been ...
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God Bless Pastor Gene Wolfenbarger!
Sir, if I were in your neck of the woods - I'd come shake your hand. It's about time that people be told it's okay to freely make love to their spouse! I am so sorry that some folks
can't shake their puritanism and loosen-up a little in the context of marriage and a monogamous relationship. If the words 'red hot sex' were that offensive, we'd never stand in the grocery
store checkout aisle with our kids! 'Get a sitter, we're going to the store. That word is printed on magazines all over those depraved cashiers' aisles, the kids have to ...
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Tanks of Death
We have two reef aquariums in our house, one 96 gallon and a tiny tank we call "jail tank," in which we were keeping two fish that were eating the other fish and corals in the larger tank.
This tank thing is newish to us and quite a lot of work. I am having trouble adjusting to the tank death. Underwater creatures die so easily, and have such short life spans! Not
only do I have this irrational fear of dead, wet, things - I personify all of the inhabitants and am ridiculously sad when they are eaten or die ...
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Grant me the Serenity
After laying awake most of the night, worrying about my daughter's friend and her family, I have come to the conclusion that I really need to let them go. This has gone beyond the
ridiculous. Not that I intend to ignore them or refuse reasonable help, mind you.
I just have to stop allowing their situation to drive me crazy. My daughter and I spent most of yesterday looking for manufactured homes we could buy to rent back to them, none of the park managers would approve us renting it out if we did. We can't afford to buy a condo, ...
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I just have to stop allowing their situation to drive me crazy. My daughter and I spent most of yesterday looking for manufactured homes we could buy to rent back to them, none of the park managers would approve us renting it out if we did. We can't afford to buy a condo, ...
Feeling older than my years
I'm not sure if I've mentioned that the baby has recently weaned herself. I saw it coming because she was tapering-off, first only when she wanted to sleep - then only when she was sick -
now not at all.
It's great she's done it herself, and it's wonderful we got to have that time together. Makes me feel much older now, though. She was my last, now she seems so much older too. They have to grow-up someday.
For over 14 years I have identified myself as Mommy and have not spent much time without little ones underfoot. I like (no, LOVE) having little ...
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It's great she's done it herself, and it's wonderful we got to have that time together. Makes me feel much older now, though. She was my last, now she seems so much older too. They have to grow-up someday.
For over 14 years I have identified myself as Mommy and have not spent much time without little ones underfoot. I like (no, LOVE) having little ...