Confessions, but not on a dance floor

Editor's Note: this post is about religion. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I've always been very hesitant when telling people that I don't drink alcohol because I'm a Baha'i. I guess that might surprise some people, because I've never really felt pressure to act differently and it doesn't bother me what anyone else - whether they are Baha'i or not - does with regard to the issue (barring situations of substance abuse). Even more important than any Baha'i belief about alcohol or drugs is the bedrock principle that no individual has any right to pass judgment on others. What other people are doing or not doing is totally irrelevant to your own spiritual development so just leave it alone:

"O Son of Being! How couldst thou forget thin own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others?" - Baha'i Writings.

Furthermore, life is all about perspective, and I think it's pretty presumptuous to even look at what someone else is doing as a "fault". The right attitude isn't "Mr.Q is doing X, which is a fault, but I won't worry about it bc it's not my place." Of course, this is very general and is based on my personal interpretation of the Baha'i writings.

Anyway, I've digressed. I'm often hesitant - when meeting someone new - to tell them that I don't drink bc I'm a Baha'i. And the reason is bc, when I do, I can often see the doors being slammed in my face. People have soooo many assumptions about people who don't drink. It's kind of an ironic situation: people assume that non-drinkers are judgmental assholes, so when they hear that I don't drink they pass judgment on me and shut me out. I don't have a problem with someone who disagrees with what I believe or with the way I live my life; I have a problem with people use one little thing as justification for refusing to get to know other people. Again, I'm totally generalizing here.

This has always sort of bothered me, because I hope that I'm not a judgmental asshole and that when a person gets to know me it wouldn't weird them out that I don't drink. A few days ago I was reading the transcript of a talk by a Baha'i scholar and he said something that caught my attention. He said that people who might not otherwise have a problem with the Baha'i Faith get very turned off by some of the Baha'i laws - for example, the not-drinking thing. He said that this was understandable, bc so many people who do follow religious laws act in a certain judgmental way, and when someone who's never met a Baha'i hears that we aren't supposed to drink he or she might think "well, this isn't any different. This religion is just like all the others." The point he made was what caught my eye: that the Baha'i laws are not like "all the others". Most religions have laws based on concepts like original sin, or sinfulness - we don't have this concept in the Baha'i Faith as a basic for our laws. The laws don't stem from some black and white notion of right or wrong, they're a guidebook on the way to live the most spiritually healthy life. Drinking is a good example: the reason we're not supposed to drink isn't because it invites satan into our hearts and is wicked and evil. It's bc we believe that human beings are unique in having higher rational and spiritual faculties, and that it's not healthy to engage in behavior that restricts your ability to utilize those faculties.

I'm very frustrated by people who make assumptions about me. But it's also weird to feel like you are biting your tongue to keep from speaking your truth bc you don't want to be judged. A few months ago I was speaking with a friend and had an interesting experience, which I will edit for clarity and anonymity. My friend, Ninja, said "I can't hang out with them bc they're so religious." I responded that I was religious and that didn't prevent us from being friends, and Ninja said, "Yeah, but they're like judgmental and born-again. Q even believes in praying every single day."

I don't remember what I said but it definitely wasn't "I believe in praying every single day." I felt so torn: I didn't want to make Ninja feel bad and I certainly didn't want Ninja's opinion of the Baha'i Faith to change, but at the same time, I very strongly believe in praying every day. And I think the only reason Ninja said that is bc in Ninja's mind, daily prayer was a proxy for a lot of other - more negative - religious practices.

I guess the test is to strike a balance between being obnoxious ("I'd like a soda because I don't every drink alcohol bc if my religion!!") and between being too hesitant. For me that's definitely a work in progress.

Ok, how about this?

Does this meet everyone's liking? How about the large print? Do we like it?

Stuart, you are right . . .

the pink did suck. I know that's not exactly what you said, but it really did suck. It's too cold outside for a hot pink background. We'll see how this navy works out.

Pink, it's my new obsession

And I mean that purely in a "I like this pink template" sense.

OMG RACCOON, aka "Please excuse me while I use some profanity"

Letter #1, Raychul storms around the house hating the raccoon and has a general bad attitude

Dear Mr. Raccoon-who-feels-compelled-to-dig-a-hole-in-the-wall-and-then-climb-out-into-the-bathroom-cabinet-below-the-sink,

Get the fuck out of my house.

Sincerely,

Rachel


Letter#2, Matt recalls with fondness his many adventures with his newest furry friend

Dear Kindly-raccoon-friend-who-only-created-trouble-out-of-friendliness,

You have indirectly done so much for our family, like when one of the policemen sent by Animal Control to confirm your existence asked how to pronounce the word "Baha'i" and then took a prayer book with him to look at. Thank you for solving the mouse problem by removing the the newspaper used to plug the hole around the sink's plumbing - this finally made it obvious to us that there was a gigantic fucking hole around the plumbing under our sink which was simply stuffed with a newspaper from 1983, and which is now boarded and nailed up. I lament for your ancestors who tried to make their way into our bathroom but were thwarted by the ingenious placement of newspaper, which we all know is so fucking strong and immovable, in the gigantic, cavernous gaping hole.

I apologize that you were frightened away by my wife, since you were obviously just trying to make first contact and only had good intentions. I wish I had been there when you pushed open the cabinet door with your cute little nose and stuck your head into the bathroom, thereby confirming that you were, indeed, sitting under our sink. Maybe you were just looking for some tylenol, unlike that junkie the mouse, who preferred chewing holes in bottles of Afrin and then ingesting it. Anyway, if I had been there instead of my wife, I would certainly not have slammed the bathroom door and run screaming away. I would have greeted your curious face with kindness, and said, "Oh, helloooo little friend! Won't you stay in our bathroom? Perhaps you'd like something to eat? We have a bunch of old garbage which I'm sure is quite delicious."

Anyway, please forgive my wife. She doesn't realize that this wouldn't have been near as entertaining a night without you.

In friendship,

Matt

Things that are awesome

Awesome: running downstairs so that you can rush off to your first exam, and realizing as you put your things in the car that your left hand is NOT holding your Environmental Law textbook, but instead is holding your copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Awesomer: noticing this before you leave the house so that you can run back upstairs and grab the correct book.

But this would have been the Awesomest: NOT realizing your mistake until you'd arrived at school and sat down to take your exam. Using your mistake to shake the confidence of your fellow testtakers by finishing early and then making it very obvious that you're just reading Harry Potter.

All studying and no Dr. Pepper make Raychul something something . . .

One of my hobbies is reading things on Craigslist. This is because Craigslist - like life - is full of crazies. I took a break from studying to peruse the "Pets" section of Austin Craiglist, because, you know, puppies and kittens are cute, and when I read the following I actually laughed out loud:

"Llamas for Adoption - 14 llamas, males $200 adoption fee,females $350 adoption fee. All sizes available"

Wow! Who wouldn't want to adopt a pet llama! Or two! Or fourteen!! And look - ALL SIZES! Silly me, I thought llamas just came in llama-sized, I didn't realize that I could order a giant sloth sized llama! Where do I sign up?? I would love to blow a couple thousand dollars on some llamas - I could keep them on my balcony, and my apartment complex would leave passive-aggressive warning notes on my door like they always do, only these would say something like:

"Dear Resident,

Please note that you are in violation of your lease. Section 2.0042 states that the balcony and breezeway areas must be kep clear of 'furniture, trash receptacles, and random farm animals'. Failure to remedy this violation within 24 hours will result in penalties under Section 2.0043.

Sincerely,

the Management"

Oh, and did I mention that I Love Alpacas?

Harry Potter casting

So far the casting for the Harry Potter movies has been okay, but there are a few choices that I have to take issue with. First, replacement Dumbledore is terrible. Second, I think Alan Rickman makes Snape a little too funny, which isn't consistent with the books and might make it hard to transition into the events of Book 6. So I've been thinking about who might work for some characters that we haven't met in the movies, and I thought I might share.

First, I think Helena Bonham Carter would be fantastic as Bellatrix. She has those fantastic "heavily-lidded" eyes, and she's really good at playing characters that are slightly unhinged.

To stick with that family, I think Sienna Guillory would work well as Narcissa. It might be a more obscure choice, but I've seen her in a couple things as kind of a side character and she always kept my attention, and she has kind of a snobby quality that I like for this part.

Next, I think someone need to call Jeremy Irons right now and get him to play Rufus Scrimgeur (did I spell that right?) I may be biased since Jeremy Irons played Scar in the Lion King and Rufus is so often described as loking like a lion.

Last, I think Bill Nighy would be great as Mundungus. Bill Nighy played the guy who helped build planets in Hitchiker's Guide, if anyone call recall that part of the movie. He also played the aging rock star in Love Actually.

So, how does everyone feel about these picks?

Another post that references Jessica & Nick

I am the worst blogger ever . . . but it isn't my fault! I swear! The blame for my negligence rests solely with UT Law and their insistence on making the poor law students take massive finals that turn your brain into mush. Actually, it only turns half your brain into mush, the part involving normal human contact. It turns the other half into well-oiled machinery of legal facts, so that you end up saying things in everyday conversation like "let's look at this from the perspective of institutional settlement" and "California is a community property state, so you know Nick's going to try and take half of Jessica's money."

I also feel like after awhile I won't be able to respond to people with anything but what I'm studying, so that soon Matt and I will sound like this:

M: Do you think we need to go to the grocery store?
R: For estate tax purposes, never let someone die with a remainder interest.
M: Umm . . . okay. Good to know. What about the grocery store?
R: Erie stands for the basic idea that federal courts have to apply state law to state issues!!
M: That's nice, dear.
R: Yes! Isn't it?
M: Maybe I should go to the grocery store and you can stay here and study.
R: Animals get designated as endangered through the listing process! The LISTING PROCESS!!
M: *Sigh* It's going to be a long month, isnt it?

And I know this has been said a million times this week, but OH MY GOODNESS WHY WAS IT SO COLD.