During my Catholic Moral Theology class yesterday, our professor spoke about how the majority of human resources managers now believe it is acceptable to Google a job candidate as part of the interview process. He was speaking in the sense of how we should be careful about what we put on our blogs, Facebooks and Twitters as those things stick around, especially if our real names are attached to them in any way. He used the rule of if you wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, don’t put it online. This lead to an even more in depth discussion among me and some friends today and there seem to be three basic opinions: the hard line, the “well it depends” position, and my position.

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Next Tuesday I officially begin my sophomore year as a college student. I am praying that this year goes better than last; or at least the first semester of last year.  Those three and a half months were a complete disaster marked by homesickness, actual sickness and hospitalization, and a constant feeling that I was getting beaten on by my math class. I think that having the same roommate and the same residence hall will help my comfort level immensely this year. I need this continuity, as I don’t know if many of you know that I am very much a creature of habit. Too many changes to my routine too quickly cause me to stop functioning and I turn into a monosyllabic idiot. Oh. OK. No. Yeah. Eeek.

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My grandparents met in their small Pennsylvania town when my grandpa was 17 and my grandma was 16-years-old. By the time he was 18, my grandpa was serving in Europe at the end of World War II. He came back and married the woman he loved, this young man who did not complete 8th grade and this girl who had only finished part of high school. They moved to New York and he went to work for General Motors, while she got a job packing parachutes into their cases. They would move again, to California, and they would raise a family of eight children, 18 grandchildren, and, so far, six great-grandchildren, including my dad and myself.

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http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/726002192/if-this-parachute-malfunctions/

Or so says the guy who runs this site. Insane, conservative, weird evangelical people really like to say that people who don't agree with them are "asleep", by the way. Anyway, this man's opinion is that sending kids to public schools will ultimately lead them to Hell. In addition to Hell, they are more likely to "engage in sex and perversions", "be indoctrinated in Sodomy/homosexuality and encouraged to experience it in Government schools" (really, actually in school, like during class?), and get stds, get pregnant, and whole lot of other things that will presumably happen before Hell.

I went to public school in first grade then to Catholic schools from second grade and on, so I didn't experience any of this sodomy or perversion firsthand. I am not a big believer in public schools, but I don't think I would go quite this far. Do you think private schools are better for kids?

http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/725828328/students-in-public-schools-are-going-to-hell/

A few weeks ago, Revelife asked Christians if they listen to "secular" music. I'm not sure if that means music written by Christopher Hitchens or whetever, but I love "secular" music! But I consider "Christian" music to involve monks and choirs, so what do I know. So my new Tuesday tradition, that may only last one week, is to present some of my favorites. Today is a live video from THE GREATEST BAND IN THE WORLD.

See the video and read more...

http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/725719149/secular-music-tuesday/

With now only three weeks remaining in my freshman year, a cold reality has settled in as I look toward sophomorocity (I just made that up!). Before I start registering for classes in August, I need to decide in what building on our little campus I will be spending most of my time. I need to decide on a major. Our school gives us a relatively well-structured first year, with a curriculum that is designed to allow us to experience a wide variety of classes and not have to worry quite yet about upper-level courses. With a year of PE, Theology, Latin, Math, Physics, Astronomy, Art History and English classes crammed into my head alongside Twilight trivia, the Starbucks menu, and song lyrics, I don't know exactly how much room is left for two to three years of learning about the same topic. There are practical considerations; I don't need to work during the academic year at all while I am an undergraduate, but that is in return for making the commitment to finishing in four years. My little sister Mary has the same deal, but at five months old, I don't think they have told her, yet. Though I seem to remember my dad's first college conversation with me was around kindergarten. That means no choosing majors, keeping one for a year, then having to start anew in another area. By August, I need to have committed to what I want to do for a career. Mostly.

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http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/725533467/major-decision/

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When I was seven-years-old, I swore off green beans for 40 days. At eight, I learned that the true reason that I was supposed to give up something for Lent was to show that I loved Jesus more than what I was giving up. I loved Jesus so much more than doing my chores. My mom didn't agree that chores presented a reasonable Lenten sacrifice, and she had powerful allies. Our Parish Priest and assorted nuns at school confirmed that allowing over six weeks of filth to accumulate in my bedroom was not in keeping with the spirit of Lent. Even today, I would much rather give up homework than chocolate or Xanga but I know better. I know today that Lent is not the opportunity for a New Year's resolution do-over.

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http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/721761493/preparing-for-death-so-we-can-live/

One of today's readings in Mass was from Jeremiah 1, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. It is a passage often used by Christians on the "pro-life" side of the abortion debate. When answering the secular cries of life begins here or life begins there, we need to remember that the Lord knew us even before we were a hope in the eyes of our Earthly fathers and mothers. This passage reminded me again of one of my biggest problems with most Christian beliefs, including some of the practical teachings of the Catholic Church. That is the question of life.

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http://scrambledmegsntoast.xanga.com/721101640/christians-and-the-question-of-life/