Sunday, June 10, 2001

Some people are real idiots. Pardon me if I vent for a moment.

I’m subscribed to an anime music video mailing list. Someone posted a long complaint about the fact that a lot of the videos available are posted incorrectly, or marked incorrectly. The problem with this post wasn’t the facts — they were accurate — it was the attitude of the poster. Like he deserved to get angry because people aren’t making it easy for him to use this free service.

Someone replied, calling that original poster onto the carpet for his behavior, spelling out exactly what I wrote above. The replier was firm but not insulting.

A visitor to the bushes bordering our front walkway.

The first reply to his message?

BURN IN HELL. ur an idiot…

:sigh: I replied to that final message, because as much as I dislike involving myself in these sorts of arguments, I decided that I wasn’t going to let him get away with that. I’ll probably get flamed, which I’m certainly used to by now. Should be interesting.

I also note that the original poster, as well as Mr. “BURN IN HELL”, post from aol.com. And that the original replier uses his real name, while the others hide behind their e-mail addresses.

Anyvay. My family actually went to church this morning (gasp!), which was terrific. The special music consisted of a jazz version of “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” with a clarinet and hand bells, which got a burst of applause from the congregation (rare at The Falls Church). The sermon was on Matthew 7:1–5, the “Judge not, lest you be judged” section of the Sermon on the Mount, perhaps the single most misunderstood and mis-applied chunk of Scripture.

‘Cause Christ’s not telling us to stop making judgments about people; he tells us to test people for false leadership later in the very same chapter. Jesus is warning us to avoid hypocritical or prideful judging, as is obvious from the context.

Anyvay. We had a good time at church — Grandmother came along with us — and, after a quick stop for some Chinese food on the way home, we got working on some household chores. Dad and I took the cover off the pool, which now had the lovely shade of corrugated cardboard, and started vacuuming the accumulated leaves and silt off the bottom. The new pump we installed last year is so strong, though, that we ran out of water before cleaning a quarter of it. Dad decided to concentrate on balancing the chemicals, and he’ll vacuum in short spurts over the coming week. It’s a good thing he’s taking this week off.

I then proceeded to take out our somewhat aging green gas-powered lawnmower and mowed our lawns. This is no small chore; it normally takes me about an hour and a half, as I have four separate lawns to mow on our property.

Saalon and I had a long chat in the evening, about myself and writing and Wine. But I think I’ll describe that conversation tomorrow, when I’ll have fewer things in my life to report.