No back up from me lady.

Monday was just one of those days. Woke up at 10 o' something or other to walk my pup, who by the grace of God is starting to learn to "hold it" until he gets outside. I check my messages and find one from my dad basically telling me to go "back to school" and drop caryann's soccer bag off at the office because she forgot it. That's only something I'm willing to do on my own terms right there. I really didn't want to show up at school and get interrogated by the faculty and have them ask me fifty questions. Lord knows I didn't want to run into Mr. Rinks. That would be one chance encounter ending with him getting a tracheotomy with a caprisun straw or something of that nature.

I head over to valley anyway because there was no way I could get out of it. So I get there and realize all of my jokes of Valley becoming a maximum security prison complete with sniper tower have become a reality. The parking lot happens to be gated off as well as the whole campus itself, from what I could see. So I went ahead and did a reverse prison break and pulled into the teacher's parking lot, where I had to give my first name to a nice security lady who then relayed my info to all of the other security guards on campus. I park, bust through the gates and head down Hall A, narrowly escaping a chance encounter with teachers. (I made it before lunch, hooray) I walk up to the office front door just as Mr. Wunderly is pushing a dolly right through. I don't think he recognized me because he didn't stop to talk. No need to pull out my .357 and put down a rogue walrus that day. I take the bag to the office, drop it off, and high tail it out of there as fast as possible.

Since I was basically in Bellflower I thought I'd stop by my cousin's bike shop which was not even 2 minutes away. I drive down over there and see a big detour sign set up because they are working on the road or something and decide to turn off into the little residential area by the elementary school. Low and behold I see the little Christian book store I had noticed but failed to visit the last time I had stopped by my cousin's shop. What the heck, let's spend a crap load of money on some stuff at a christian book store. I walk in and it doesn't look all too impressive. It's kind of a small little thing, but the lady was nice, so I stayed to look around. Good thing too. That little store had some good stuff! I found a book by Ted Dekker that was non-fiction. I didn't know he didn't just write Non-fiction! I browsed their music and found a music CD that I couldn't find anywhere else. Sweet. I found a replacement bracelet and some stickers for the back of my car. On top of all of that, prices cheaper than the Calvary chapel book store in Downey! I got to talking with the store owner and she told me how her daughter felt she was being called to open a christian book store and such and how they wanted to sell all of the good stuff that the kids love for cheaper than the usual prices they go for, which I don't have to tell you is pretty expensive. I picked up a little bracelet for my sister too since it is her b-day the next day (today) I figure it would be a random act of kindness since I don't really get anything for caryann. What the heck.

So I drive over to my cousin's shop and we hang out for awhile. He takes care of some bike jumping customers who should have been in school. We hit Sizzler right after for the salad bar which was awesome. We walk back to his shop and get to talking about things and he starts talking about some of his ideas and beliefs. He is Catholic and a little superstitious, so he tells me how he forgot to go buy some Saint Jude candles to light in his shop. He figured that was why he didn't really have any real customers that day. We talk about it a little more and we discuss the whole candle thing and stuff and he asks me what I think about it since I am a christian and why christians don't pray to saints. I told him that basically we feel like we can talk straight to God and that we feel our relationships is a lot more personal. I don't see anything wrong with praying to saints though. I know where he is coming from since I am a lot more into the italian side of my family, which is catholic. Our discussion stops there. One of the kids that comes in to help my cousin for school comes in and my cousin sends him out to go buy some candles from the little corner store. He goes, and a customer walks in. Some lady who bought a bike for her daughter comes in because my cousin forgot to give her a water bottle for the bike. She seems nice and polite, and my cousins was more than happy to give her one. They talk about the holiday and how it went. My cousin and I are behind the counter. I'm sitting down directly to his left like a foot away and the lady is on the other side of the counter in front of him. She asks him about business, and he tells her he has had no luck and how he sent a kid to go get those candles. kind of like a little joke that was true as well. She tells him she doesn't understand it because she is a christian. My cousin pulls me into the conversation and tells her I am one as well. Then the lady tells him "oh, well you know the bible says you shouldn't pray and worship statues" Kind of joking, but not. She stares at me in the face for some kind of back up. No dice lady. I gave the lady the biggest look of disappointment I could muster, stared right back at her and shook my head in disapproval. I excused myself right after.

I know it's a mistake people make often. I've heard people say, "well I don't agree with catholics because they focus more on saints than on Jesus" And although it is a some what logical conclusion, it is not true. I'm pretty well acquainted with the workings of Catholicism because half of my family are practicing catholics. I've had to endure mass on a couple occasions, my cousin's baptism, my other cousin's catechism and some other ceremonies I don't really recall. People pray to saints mostly for strength or guidance with certain things. They by no means worship them. I think I need to explain a little bit about the catholic definition of a saint. In order for someone to be canonized and recognized as a saint, that person must have witnessed a miracle, performed a miracle, or basically did great things in their life. For example, Mother Theresa is currently being brought up to be canonized, as well as the former Pope, John Paul II. I think they should get it. If you research them, you'll find they have both done some amazing things in their lives. From what I understand, catholics light their candles and say their prayers in recognition of those acts and in further recognition of God's great power that made those things a reality. Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, they use him as an example of God being there for those who seem to be in situations that have no good resolution or that seem hopeless. They don't worship the person, they worship the God who made the saints who they are.

While I'm on my catholic-basher rant, I'd thought I'd pull out something that's been tacked to my chest for awhile. A while back, when Pope John Paul II was sick and dying, I heard a lot of people basically disrespecting the guy without remorse. Christian people even. Making fun of the Pope while he was on his death bed even. Give the Pope some freakin' respect for pity's sake! He was a greater man then you all will ever be you douche bags. If you only understood some of the things that he did then I'm positive that you'd have some sort of respect for the man. He didn't get to become the pope by sitting on his hands you know. World leaders come to the pope for advice, the least you can do is show him and his position some respect.

Thank you for enduring yet another one of my rants. Goodnight.