boy, do i really want to start blogging again? i’m not sure i’m as opinionated as i was last time around. religion, politics – yes, they still raise some hackles in me at times (though i’m not really sure what hackles are…). perhaps the best reason to get this going again is to pay the small fee and be able to stick songs out here for my adoring public (all one of them … *me*) to enjoy.
so, were i to get this going again, what would i write about re: politics? i dunno – i drank my way through the 2012 election, and was surprised on the backside to see that obama had won. can’t say that my vote helped him, since i didn’t vote – but i did have propaganda clearly displayed at my office; maybe i influenced a vote or two. i have very much enjoyed going to youtube and watching the clips from fox news showing all the absurdity that happened as the verdict was becoming clear – especially around the point where ohio was called in obama’s favor. very funny. and gratifying.
i remain an obama fan. and i remain opposed to the tea party. and most republicans. i still support the health care plan, but let it be remembered here that i thought at the time that it was a bit of an overreach. but i’m cool kicking in a few extra dollars if it means people without insurance get insurance. the fear of the expansion of “big government” is overblown – if you really fear this, start with dismantling the military-industrial complex. don’t want to do that? didn’t think so.
so what about religion? boy, i don’t know. someone gave me a “jesus calling” devotional book which i read every morning, but i fear i read it almost as a horoscope foretelling the events of the day. i still battle my demons – and, to be frank, at times i don’t bother battling them. the family situation is much less than desirable, and it’s clear that i have had a large hand in making it what it is. but we’re here at another crossroads – tentatively starting a new job on the 17th of februrary. always a lot of anticipation with that – and a feeling, a real feeling, that somehow God is orchestrating all this and i am right where i’m supposed to be.
still, there’s some interesting stuff on the religion front. i’ve come across a lot of end-times videos on youtube, and have been listening to people like zen garcia, tom horn, and derek gilbert – plus dr. future, though he’s off the air now – and reading books by peter goodgame. the interesting thread that ties all these folks together is an (over)emphasis on the statement Jesus makes where the last days will be “as it was in the days of Noah.” it’s easy to say, well, there will just be rampant disregard of all things God in the last days, but they go further: they make a reference to the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6, and tie everything back to angels and aliens mating with human women. yep, not kidding. but, i’ll tell you: it’s quite surprising how a lot of the bible makes more sense when you see two distinct bloodlines – one from adam and eve that remained untainted through Jesus, and the second from eve through – get this – Satan – running through scripture. killing “all the men, women and children” makes a bit of sense if this is the progeny of the devil; election, too, comes to mean a bit more, and removes some of the blood from God’s hands. still, it’s all a bit far-fetched, but fun to read. two books to recommend by peter goodgame: “red moon rising” and “the return of the antichrist”. the former is pretty straightforward end-times analysis; the latter seeks to prove that Nimrod will return from the abyss as the antichrist in the last days.
i remember writing here years back that i had gotten to the point where i no longer believed in a second coming. i’m still not convinced there will be one. a cyclical universe that expands and collapses ad infinitum demands its due. don’t know, and don’t care to obsess over it.
now, about work. i have become an agile software development junkie. at cox, i was a stickler for sticking to a waterfall process with appropriate gates and criteria for entry into and exit from phases. now, i’ve gone 180 degrees in the other direction. i’ve gotten my scrum master certification (CSM), will be getting my scrum product owner certification (CSPO) next week, and by the end of March should have my scrum professional certification (CSP). i feel like i’ve gotten a second wind in my career and, in terms of the work itself, actually enjoy what i do. so if anyone reading this needs someone to freelance and help transition a team from waterfall to agile, let me know. in the words of leonard cohen, “i’m your man.”
anyway, i’m back.