Just random thoughts this Saturday morning after work.

• Trey Givens has a few perspectives on Batman versus Superman. Of their respective home cities he says: I like Superman better than Batman because Gotham is a bad place where good people happen, while Metropolis is a good place where bad people happen.

  Call me a cynic but I tend to take his view too, of the world. The world—the universe—is a dark, dangerous place filled with points of light. It is in those points that we take comfort. To believe that the universe is basically good and that bad things happen to it fills one with little hope and a pressing desire—at least with someone as anal-retentive as myself—to make things right.

  I would rather take comfort in the points of light than having to desperately fight the little clouds that tarnish and otherwise perfect sky. There is little solace in taking the latter perspective.

• Eric the Red has some thoughts on gay marriage from an equality perspective. If we believe that rights are afforded not by men nor governments but as incidents of our humanity, then it is important to realize that the families formed by gays and lesbians are no different in standing nor validity as those of traditional families. They need the same protections these families have. Even if for their children.

  That said, equality by decree tends to take away a society’s opportunity for grace. Rather, choices are made for them, either by their elected representatives or wise men and women in black robes. This of course can stir resentment, no doubt, but how long should an entire group wait, and for what?

  Considering that tolerance demands even greater grace than acceptance, perhaps the last step for willful integration from the side of heterosexuals is for them to tolerate the marriages and families that homosexuals form.

• I’ve dealt with people who are so grossly self-absorbed that I speaking with them is totally draining. A while back I knew someone who got seriously hurt. When our conversation was winding down, I wished him well and a great recovery. His response? Go on, act like you care.

  I was taken aback by his reply, given that it was he who opened up about the details of his recent past, that, rather than countering his gracelessness with my own, I did so with some malice: I take it back. I hope you contract sepsis and die. Have a good life.

  I really don’t know what became of him later on; since I was, in his mind, pretending to care, I might as well make his self-centered fanatsy come true.

• Ever greet someone a Happy Thanksgiving and get the utterly classless reply that they don’t celebrate the holiday?

  Being gracious never really precluded honesty, but just how hard is it to simply say “thanks” and not be a self-centered nitwit?

The circumventing circumlocutory talk edition.

• My sister left a comment in Filipino in the previous post asking me to explain to ETR my desires for such violent vengeance to be met upon those who stole my sister’s van. Well, in not so many words, either. I was going to start a long reflective rant on how theft of a car is an egregious affront to one’s livelihood, and material worth. Instead, two bits. First, the opening to the would-be rant:

  One day a young boy, in Anytown, USA, lost his tooth in the playground. Crying in pain he took it to his mother. She consoled him and told him that the tooth fairy would come and give him money for it if he left it under his pillow. He did so, and when he woke up the next day he found a dollar under his pillow. Being the enterprising American boy that he was, he went to school that same morning with a big smile on his face and his dad’s pliers in his bag.

  I can be one sick bastard, ya? Second, I remember my friend John (now in NY) would say that one should never get between a man and his car; it is his wife until he finds a human one. I would say that one should never get between a mom and her minivan.

• It’s orange for breakfast, apple for lunch. In this week’s Boston Legal we saw some Schmidt in a flaming brown paper bag. Crisp and hot outside, and soft inside. I found this past episode to be quite potent, and I’ve always indulged David E. Kelley’s shows because they’ve always appealed to that Pollyanna-ish liberal portion of me. This one is far from political though.
• This whole “Open Sores Media” thing is way over my head. I do know this. If part of being part of them is having control over the way my site’s content is syndicated, I’m out. (I discussed this long before.) Professor Ann has some sauce; Doc Joyner has the meat. And since I’m nearly carb-free but not Atkins, I’m bringing the creamed spinach.
• Dunno if Meryl‘s plugged me for my work on her site, but I want to plug her this weekend.
• Lastly, I’m buying a Treo 650 from a trusted online buddy. So in legal terms, “right of first refusal” is almost like having dibs, yes? I learn something new everyday. I SMS like crazy and my A650 is going to be my mom’s now. Hey does the Treo 650 actually vibrate? I sound so naive! Just a warning: I don’t have a data plan with Verizon and I won’t be checking my email on it either. It’s more of an SMS and planner thing for me. OFJ email isn’t going to chase me all over the place.