Saturday, October 24, 2015

9 Tater Tots

So the other day, Celina and I are eating tater tots and watching America's Funniest Home Videos like the true patriots that we are. We both put some tots on our plates. I left some on the baking sheet for later. About 5 minutes later, I overhear a clip from the show of a dog spitting out 9 tater tots. This prompts me to look at the baking sheet again. There were exactly 9 tater tots left over.


Extra tidbit:
Ore-Ida created tater tots. They also sell this product. Don't food products usually come in even numbers?



-Dom

Sunday, July 19, 2015

My Catholic Epiphanic Vision Quest in Copperopolis

First off, I'm not sure if it took place in Copperopolis, CA but I'm pretty sure it was in that region. 


When I was 14 years old, my Mother was persistent as ever to get me to become more involved in our parish. St. Anthony's to be exact. She somehow convinced me to go on a teen retreat into the mountains in order to solidify my mushy, unreliable faith. Normally I'd flat out refuse and lock myself in a closet and swallow the key, but since my cousin of the same age was going, I thought, "Fine. Let's get it over with." 


On a Friday morning in the summer (I think), the kids signed up for the teen retreat gather with their families in the parking lot of the church. Our bags are packed and we're ready to roll. I remember participating in a group prayer before we hit the road. 

Once we get to the campground, my memories get hazy. I remember sleeping on the top bunk, eating eggs for Saturday morning's breakfast, and being discouraged when the girl I decided was the prettiest and most attainable decided to cling to the handsome, athletic Hispanic guy with the infatuation with FUBU and golf visors. 


One night at the retreat, we were brought into a dimly lit room where noise was permitted. One by one, we participated in a mass hypnotism of some sort. i remember it being my turn and being surrounded by three women. One behind me, one in front and one on the side. The lady in front recited a prayer (chant) while the palm of her hand pressed against my forehead. Eventually, she would gently press my head back and the two other women would safely guide me to the ground. Now normally when this kind of thing happens, the victims involved are so overwhelmed with emotion and God knows what else, that they really do pass out for a few seconds. I, however did not pass out and decided to act like I did (years later I did the same exact thing when participating in a hypnotism show at the County Fair). 


The next day at camp we were split into groups of 5 or 6 and had a conversation with one of the counselors. One of the objectives was to get every teen to admit something they feel bad about at the moment. It was basically a communal confession. When it got to me, I reached for something bad. Honestly, I wasn't that bad of a kid at the time. I didn't do anything too crazy. I mean, I had tried pot and alcohol but that was something I wasn't willing to share with a bunch of goody goodies. I ended up discussing a girl named Missy I briefly dated for three days but ended up deciding to just be friends with. I felt bad about the way I treated her and the situation but chalked it up to, "This is what a high school relationship is." 

Fast forward to Sunday when we returned to St. Anthony's, just in time for evening mass. It's a bit embarrassing to admit but I was "awakened". Whatever it was that those spellcasters did to me, it worked (albeit briefly). I embraced my Mother and cried into her shoulder. I had seen the light. Finally, my Mother got the good ol' religious boy she always dreamed of.


After church, my Mother and I, along with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins went out to eat at Foster Freeze (A restaurant we never go to). Sure enough, who do I see at the joint? Missy. I remember being very disoriented when this happened. How could it be possible that the one person I mention on a religious retreat is now standing in front of me. Also, making it more than a coincidence was the fact that she and I both lived in the town over from where we were eating. I took this as a definitive sign from God that not only was he real, he was watching over me. I took this unprecedented moment as an opportunity to apologize to Missy for being such a bonehead. My conscious was clear and I felt lighter than I ever had before.


How amazing, right? I naively mistook synchronicity for God. But maybe there's more of a connection between the two than previously thought. Synchronicity is a reminder from the ethereal realm that there is something at work that is greater than you, I, and everyone else combined. It was truly a momentous occasion.

Anyways, Catholicism did not stick and I eventually went back to my normal ways of thinking. I have my older brothers to thank for that. They wasted no time in explaining to me logically how the religion doesn't quite work for certain minds.

Either way, what a gas!

-Dom

Saturday, June 27, 2015

This Week in the Weird World of Sync...

This past week will go down in the annals of time as a huge milestone in modern society. On June 26, 2015, same-sex-marriage was legalized in every single state in America. This fight for basic human equality has been raging for years now. It's only been a day since the decision and it already feels strange to look back and wonder why this was ever a debate in the first place. In my mind there is no legitimate, logical reason to be against gay marriage. When you oppose the rights of others to marry, you oppose human rights in general. Who the hell is anyone to say that someone of a specific sect should not be allowed to do something that you ARE allowed to do. It is by far one of the most evil, arrogant ways to look at someone who is "unlike" you. It's even more perplexing that people are against something that literally has no effect on you.



So on to the first sync I experienced this week. It started with an observation that is only relevant to myself and the people in my Anthropology course. I find it very fitting that the week I'm studying 'Marriage Customs' is the same week that gay marriage is legalized.


Last week, another shooting occurred in the U.S. Just when you think they are a thing of the past, Dylann Roof shatters your expectations. Roof open fires on a predominantly black church in South Carolina. When Roof's pictures on the internet come to light, it is revealed that he has a deep affinity for the confederate flag (no shock there). 

So now there is a focus on this flag that is known for being synonymous with hate. Rational minds want the flag taken down, while bigots and homophobes defend its historical significance. 


Within the time span of just a few days, our attention is pulled from one end of the spectrum to the other. The flag of hate is symbolically "taken down" and replaced with the rainbow flag, which is obviously synonymous with love. When same sex marriage is legalized, your internet feed is instantly changed. Instead of the confederate flag plastering your point of view, it is arguably, systematically replaced by the rainbow flag. Positive replaces the negative swiftly.


Besides the flag of love waving high and proud, a hashtag floods the internet. #LoveWins. Almost a direct message saying: 'We Fought Hate and Won!" It reminds me of the Martin Luther King quote, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."



Now, it is no coincidence to me that on the same day same sex marriage is legalized, celebrity, Courtney Love tweets about being stuck in the middle of the Paris Uber Strike.


This entire sequence of events reminded me that synchronicity never takes a day off. One last thing I want to mention is some choice words I chose to use throughout this post. Words such as synchronicity (duh), synonymous, symbolically, systematically


We are witnessing firsthand, unity. It is a slow and uphill battle but you can't deny that we as a people are evolving a little more every single day. It's always a great thing to wake up to great news and it feels like it never seems to happen anymore. We can only hope that this is a sign of great things to come. 

Onward & Upward!

-Dom