"Killer Shrew, Killer Shrew!"

"K-I-Double-L-E-R Shrew!"

1) That's for you, Will.

2) Thanks for your comments on the gas post. Like I said, it's a complicated issue. My main point was that the average joe/jane on the street isn't thinking about environmental impact in anything but the most simplistic of terms. Most people are more interested in lower gas prices, and it was that kind of short-sighted reaction to the profit news that invoked my ire. Though I do maintain that my Chick-Fil-A analogy is more correct. Switching from oil to wind power isn't a simple upgrade for a company, as improving the quality of cooking oil would be. Such a change would cause a massive overhaul in infrastructure and process, and billions of dollars of equipment would be eventually made obsolete and have to be replaced. Hence the chicken-to-burgers idea. It's that radical of a change. (Incidentally, Trav, I look forward to one day hearing that you are involved in the creation of a new gyrowhatsywhosit.)

This is not to say that ExxonMobil couldn't or shouldn't rise to the forefront of alternative energy technology. A forward-thinking entrepreneur would grab on to that. But to be surprised or disappointed that they do not is, well, silly.

A final word: I find it troubling that quite a few of the more vocal proponents of global warming are now saying that anyone who disagrees should be silenced in the public square, that they shouldn't be allowed to present dissenting arguments. Now, I'm not going to argue for or against the idea of global warming, because frankly, I don't know enough about it to have a solid opinion one way or the other. But I DO know a little more about stifling dissent, and I disagree with the attitude that anyone who disagrees with the "scientific community" should be shouted-down, silenced, and stifled. That kind of thinking would have kept Galileo and Columbus on the fringes. For a group of people so vocal about knowledge and discovery, that attitude seems downright medieval. C'mon people--remember, INclusion!

3) The big game. Meh. I was somewhat cheering for the Bears, due to Chicago loyalty (pitchers and catchers report in 10 days!) and the fact that I'm sick of the over-exposed Manning. But I am happy that Tony Dungy won. So there's that.

Despite the fact that it was (ugh) Prince, the half-time show was entertaining. A good production. One of the interesting consequences of the Janet Jackson event was that the halftime shows have gotten a little bit classier, which is a welcome change. That fateful year, I was a little more offended/irritated by the "Hot in Herrre" dancers and the massive amount of booty grinding (Google-term, Ding!) that was pervasive in the show. At least for the past few years, there hasn't been a lot of that.

But the commercials. I felt totally cheated this year. I had already seen what seems like half of them, on TV or at the movies. And the new ones, by and large, were forgettable and stupid. My favorite is still the Coke "video game" spot, which I'd seen a few times at the local cineplex.

4) Speaking of "big game," I was going to do a satirical post entitled "The Big Game" that would apply many of the current political opinions about the Iraq War to the context of the Super Bowl ("I cheer for the players, but I wish they didn't have to hit each other," "the whole sham is put on by the Coach and his Big Beer cronies" and so forth). But really, I'm just not feeling it. Plus, as clever as I think myself, I would only be adding fuel to the ire. And I'm trying to go "lower ire" in 2007. At least for a little while.

So you're spared my half-hearted attempts at Swiftian prose. Maybe I'll do it next year, around this time. Hopefully circumstances will have changed enough that I won't have to. But then again, this is politics, and nothing changes but ball possession. (And you can take that to mean whatever you wish, but I was going for a sports metaphor rather than some sort of Freudian chauvenist slight. FYI.)

5) On tap this week... In real life, I have a meeting with the Singles minister at church and the lady he's brought in to be my class coordinator. It will be a transition, having to delegate things now. Also, I have to write a character reference letter for a friend's immigration hearing tonight, on the off-chance I'm unable to be there in person. I'm trying not to think too much about the possible outcomes of the hearing, if I can help it. The fact that I have a hand in trying to keep someone from being deported is starting to weigh a bit heavily on me...

In blog life, I'd like to start writing a little higher quality material (the desire of all half-hearted slacking bloggers). And I may start throwing in a short piece now and again in a new humorous series of posts. Plus, I'm going to pick up the Sermon on the Mount Series that I started two years ago and stopped after the second post. I start teaching on Matthew 5 this Sunday, so that's where a lot of my thoughts and reading will be over the next month or so.

6) Speaking of reading, I'm almost done with "Never Let Me Go," which is pretty good. I'll be going off-shelf for a little while to (re)read and hopefully this time finish "The Cost of Discipleship" by Bonhoeffer, and read a book on Matthew 5 called "Beatitude." Hopefully, in addition to these, I'll be able to start the next book on the "to-be-read" shelf. 2007 has gotten off to a slow start, reading-wise, and I'm a little concerned that I won't get through this year's list now. Especially being so front-loaded with heavy reading.

7) Minor realization this weekend: When you realize you're starting to fall for someone, but would only pursue a relationship with them if their circumstances were different, or if you could change how they think and feel about certain things, then you're not really falling for that person, just what you can make of them. And that's not love of any sort.

Plus, if they are already in a relationship, you shouldn't be wasting your time even thinking such thoughts. *Smack*

8) I need to get out more.

9) Nine days until VD (Valentine's Day). Got any plans with a special someone? Want any?

10) I just wanted to have a "10" on here, but I don't have anything else to say. Thank you goodnight.