Tuesday 13 January 2015

All Quiet on the Western Front

OK, I guess the title is wrong, because it really is quiet at the moment!

Sort of.

I am back in the swing of work, but contemplating taking part in a local tournament of X-Wing, the Star Wars game that I play.  I will probably be up against hard core players less than half my age and will probably be roadkill, but hey it should be fun.

I have added more to my zombie book - worrying how the Ebola situation is providing inspiration...

There has been a bit of a mix up with my daughter starting her new job, but hopefully she will be able to start soon.  Fingers crossed...

Our younger son, who I will now start to call Arnie on this blog, is entering his first power lifting contest next month.  Really proud of this kid, he has changed himself from a shy chubby kid into a young man who can lift silly amounts.  Yes, he is being sensible, training properly and using the right techniques.  No he is not taking steroids.  Can't wait to see him do his stuff.


OK, going to take a serious tangent here.  Things have not been quiet in France, where there have been some terrible things done in the name of religion, followed by massive parades showing solidarity with the dead, and in favour of free speech (even though some of the political leaders who turned up to take part do not allow such free speech in their own countries).  But this has all felt a bit wrong to me.  OK, the dead people should not be dead, but do we really have the unrestricted right to insult others and their beliefs?  Can someone walk into a bar, hurling insults and not expect a punch on the nose?  Surely, if we are responsible enough to have truly free speech, we should be sensible enough to know when to respect others.


OK, enough of that!  Hope you are having a great week!

7 comments:

terri said...

It must be hard going back to work that first week after such a nice long break! Hope all has been relatively uneventful.

Sorry to hear about the mix-up with your daughter's job and I hope that's all squared away as soon as possible.

And good for Arnie! I have a coworker/friend whose son did much the same thing and the transformation is pretty cool. You can just see the newfound confidence in his smile.

As for France, I don't even know what to say about the whole thing.... just ... ugh. This world sometimes ...

ShadowRun300 said...

The local X-Wing tournament sounds like fun! And I seriously doubt you'll be road kill.
Sorry to hear about your daughter's job mix-up. Hopefully things will work out ok for her. As for Arnie (very fitting name...) how cool is that?! I'm betting you and Mrs. RC are quite proud!
And I agree, free speech doesn't mean it's okay to insult others.

Abby said...

I have a feeling that your daughter will be happily joining the rat race very soon. And powerlifting Arnie! Good for him! You'll have to throw your weight around at the x-wing tournament to appropriately represent the family.
I've said it many times before (although probably not here), and I'll say it again. Free speech doesn't mean free from consequences.

Rock Chef said...

Terri - Yes, it is a mess and somehow I don't think the general reaction will help...

ShadowRun300 - We are VERY proud of Arnie, as we are of all of our kids.

Abby - That is an excellent phrase - I hope you don't mind me borrowing it at some point!

agg79 said...

I'd enjoy the quiet while it lasts. Sounds like the x-wing tournament is just what you need to break up the quiet. Try not to beat up on the young players too badly. I hope your daughter's job is sorted out and she starts soon.

I'm like you on the French situation. Extremely tragic but it does show that some words do come with consequences. I think that Abby's spin on the whole deal is spot on.

Shammickite said...

What can I say about the tragic situation in France? I agree that journalists should be able to write (or draw) whatever they think conveys the news accurately, but I feel that the CH magazine have been going too far, as if they were tempting an attack. And all in the name of religion.
Good luck to your daughter with the job. And to Arnie with lifting the weights. Tell him not to drop one on his toe.

Riot Kitty said...

Good for your son!

I'm old fashioned I guess - I think free speech should be allowed, and right now, in France, it isn't.

Anyone who goes on a mass-murdering spree because their religion has been insulted needs to rethink their religion.