"This week, Patrick Stewart, best known as Captain Picard from 'Star Trek', announced he is separating from his wife. When asked about it, Stewart said, 'I realized that living with a woman has alienated me from my Star Trek fans.'" --Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Conan O'Brien 

Do not covet thy neighbor's goods.  Do not steal.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Most of us know these teachings from scripture.  Even the pagans have:  If it harm none, do what ye will.  So why do people in our society think that it's OK to steal?  I'm bombarded with it day in and day out.  Internet banner ads, junk E-mail, and most people you meet would have you steal music, books, and other copyrighted materials.  Want an .mp3 of your favourite song?  Go get it for free from Napster.  Want the latest gaming book?  Go get it for free from Kazaa.  No one sees how hurtful that is to the writers, artists, publishers, distributers, retailers, et cetera.  The people they see every day.  I grow weary of the constant ridicule I receive for standing up against family and friends. 

So, today I note a gentleman who gets in line behind me at the deli counter.  He reaches into the Brach's bulk candy display and feeds his two children some yougart covered pretzles.  He does not purchase them first, or even pretend to get a bag for later purchase.  I purposefully make eye contact with him so that he knows that I know what he did.  Apparently, that didn't give him enough of a guilty conscience, because he gave another to his daughter.  At that, it was my turn in line and I warned the deli employee of the thefts in progress.  That was when he took his kids and his cart and left in a hurry.  She let it go because he left, but I can't help believing that he'll do it again and again until someone intervenes.

So, I ask that people pray today.  Pray for all of the people who think that theft in its various forms is OK:  Internet piracy, shoplifting, and most importantly the children of those poor role models.  Pray for a conversion in their hearts.  Pray for a conversion of our whole culture. 

"Your heart understands what your head cannot yet conceive; trust your heart."
-- unattributed proverb, GoodQuotes.com

Sleep Boosts Memory in Different Ways - Memories that Weaken by Day, Strengthen by Night

Thursday I was inspired to post here because of the sunrise, yet my the time I finished my post I hadn't even mentioned it.  Ironic, as Alanis would say.  Anyway, Thursday morning's sky was lit up like a photograph development room due to the unusual cloud cover at sunrise.  The wildfires in southern California had sent their particulates here to Arizona to give a beautiful sunrise that morning (and much needed rain this weekend!).  When the sun finally rose above the McDowell Mountains, it was an orange circle surrounded by red clouds.  Of course, within an hour the cloudcover was back to its usual shades of colour, but it was an awesome sight just the same.

Friday was Orpheus again.  Tom had planned to bring a Honey Baked Ham and asked everyone to bring sidedishes.  I ended up being the only one who did.  Because of Halloween traffic, Tom ended up arriving at Honey Baked Ham after it closed, so he bought deli cold cuts, cheeses, and breads.  Plenty of kids (up through college age, suspiciously enough) came and trick-or-treated while we finished up character creation for Tom and everyone else picked their Stains.  Actually, Kitty had already placed one Stain on each of our character sheets, then we each picked on from a list, the sent the list backward through everyone for a second pick.  That way there was less overlap. 

In the actual game we were trained in our different powers before going on an exploritory mission of fact gathering on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe.  While there we notice someone with a PKE meter who scanned us all.  Insert cliffhanger.  Kitty expected us to have three encounters that night, not half of one, so I know that she's out of practice.  A seven player game never goes as fast as planned. 

Saturday was Steve's FR 3.0 campaign.  I don't think I recapped the previous adventure, so I'll catch up on that later.  Today saw me reading E-mail, attending mass, listening to The Fires of Vulcan, and making and receiving various phone calls.  I seem to remember that I had wanted to post some thoughts here earlier, but once again I have forgotten.  By the time I get a chance to actually compose an entry it's been rather late and my mind is tired.  I'll try posting sometime during the day tomorrow between chores.

My life is rated PG.
What is your life rated?