Fake Friends

I loathe people like this.

These are the kind of people who treat you one way when they're alone with you, but treat you differently when other people are around. They make fun of you behind your back, make fun of you when others are present, then act like a very good friend when you're the only one around. If they're in a position superior to you, whether as a family member, boss, landlord, God forbid if you openly disagree with an opinion of theirs, or if you say or do anything to make them believe you are making them look bad!!!

People like that are not trustworthy.

I've known several people like that in my lifetime. I've just realized this weekend that I'm having to deal with yet another one. I'm going to call this person Danielle. What's bad is that I trusted Danielle to be honest with me. I trusted her to be fair, open-minded, and respectful of my feelings and opinions like I have of her opinions and feelings, even if I disagreed with them. You know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Danielle professes to be a Christian -- regularly attending church, paying her tithes, studying the bible -- but is a little too quick to lecture people. I'd like to tell Danielle to shut her mouth until she removes the splinters in her eyes and apologize to those who she has hurt, starting with me. I'm not holding my breath, though. She isn't the kind of person to apologize. I have been loyal to Danielle for years and have not betrayed her. Can she say the same about herself? After her behavior toward me for the last five months, the answer to that question is a blatant "no."

I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt, despite what some other people have told me about her: people that went to school with her, people who have befriended her in the past, people who used to work with her at one time or another. The thing that really gets me is when she thinks no one can give her any attitude, but she's quick to give attitude to anyone else who disturbs her version of right and wrong. I keep asking myself what in the world have I done to end up on her sh!t list.

Despite everything, I need to pray for myself to remain above the pettiness of her behavior. I need to pray for Danielle to see the error of her ways and change them before she angers the wrong person and has to deal with the ugly backlash of retaliation.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping my distance from Danielle.

Poem: Visible Christian

This poem has been moved to http://www.mundlingzone.org/2005/03/visible-christian.html

Hands Off My Lock!

I know this is petty, but I've got to share this.

I go to the YMCA three to four times a week to use the weights and for water aerobics. I put my belongings into a locker and use a combination lock to keep my stuff from getting stolen and/or plundered through.

I set it to a particular number when I leave the locker room. When I come back, it is never, I mean NEVER, where I set it when I get back. It's not just a couple of digits ... I mean it's overtly obvious someone has been messing with it. What is it about the lock that someone just has to play with it or try to figure out the combination? Geez!!

I learn more about human nature every day. :-(

Soup using Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice

I finally got a picture of a bowl of soup using Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice mix.



This is what I do to create the soup that my family thoroughly enjoys:

1 box Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice
1 family-sized can Campbell's Tomato Soup
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups meat of choice*
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp minced onion

Add all ingredients to 3 quart pot. Take empty tomato soup can and add two more cans of water to pot. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Turn burner to medium and allow mixture to bubble, stirring occasionally. Turn burner to low and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 6-8 servings.

*I've used ground beef, ground pork sausage, diced smoked sausage and stew meat. They all have worked well with this recipe.

Killed Another CD Burner

Another CD-RW drive bit the dust. It's only been my third burner since I bought my computer back in November 2001. I didn't like being without my computer, so I was hesitant to take my computer to a shop. I probably could have replaced it myself, but I honestly don't have the time nor the energy to do it right now at this point in my life.

Luckily, many posters of the Green Screen have used the services and knowledge of Eric Roundtree to work on their computers, and they have had nothing but glowing remarks about his work. He offered to help, so I decided to take him up on it. Not only did he do the job in less than two hours, he also increased my computer's memory from 384 MB to 512 MB. The icing on the cake is that he charged less for the burner, memory, and labor than Radio Shack charged to replace the burner on the same computer back in April 2003.

Eric runs Prinux LLC. Anyone who lives in the Waycross area should look him up as he did great work on my computer and charged less than other places I've patronized.

Thank you, Eric.