Origins of Halloween & Religion
October 31, 2005 by Nicki
It never ceases to amaze me. Every year some religious group tries to out somebody or some group for celebrating a “heathenistic pagan” holiday like Halloween.
So listen up you closed-minded nudnicks!
Halloween is an observance usually celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most common in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and sometimes in Australia and New Zealand. Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought older versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.
The term “Halloween” is derived from Hallowe’en, an old contraction, still retained in Ireland, Scotland and some parts of Canada, of “All Hallow’s Eve,” so called as it is the evening (or eve) before the feast of All Saints (an important day in the Christian calendar), which used to be called “All Hallows” derived from All Hallowed Souls. In Ireland, the name was Hallow Eve and this name is still used by some older people. Halloween was formerly also sometimes called All Saints’ Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions, until it was appropriated by Christian missionaries and given a Christian reinterpretation. In Mexico, All Saint’s Day, following Halloween, is the Day of the Dead.
Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.
In Britain and Ireland in particular, the pagan Celts celebrated the Day of the Dead on All Hallows Day (1st November). The spirits supposedly rose from the dead and, in order to attract them, food was left on the doors. To scare off the evil spirits, the Celts wore masks. When the Romans invaded Britain, they embellished the tradition with their own, which is both a celebration of the harvest and of honoring the dead. Very much later, these traditions were transported to the United States and Canada and other places in the New World.
Halloween is sometimes associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the “liminal” times of the year when the spirit world can make contact with the natural world and when magic is most potent (see, for example, Catalan mythology about witches).
Source: Wikipedia
I am a Christian. No, I don’t follow any one particular sect, but I was raised Southern Baptist.
I respect the religions and practices of others, and listen with an open mind when someone speaks to me about his or her beliefs. I have studied up on various religions and find religious history and folklore very fascinating. Wouldn’t this world be grand if others did the same?
Maybe certain Bible-thumpers out there should practice what they preach.
WWJD? Indeed.
Anywho … Happy Halloween Darklings. 
Remind me again … why do I let you live?
October 31, 2005 by Nicki
ARGH! :mad: Our resident problem child here at work was 2 seconds away from being choked earlier today. I even had my hand outstretched in his direction. :evil:
Go ahead, tempt me asshole — I dare you.
He’s undermined his supervisor to the point of her getting pissed and relinquishing all of her responsibilities pertaining to the department. So now it’s been made known that he’s back in charge.
Oh the freakin’ joy …
Needless to say, he’s started back to his old habits of goofing off half the day. He and I have gone round and round several times about work that is having to be re-done two and three times. In fact, he and I argued for 20 minutes about one of the duties that is handed off to my department. The data that he gave me was incomplete, and when I asked him about it he gets all defensive. I’m going to have to re-do his work for him … AGAIN! And it’s really pissing me off.
I’m bringing this up in the next meeting … I don’t care how pissed off he and/or his department gets, I am sick of his half-assing. I have enough work to do, I’m not doing his too!
My supervisor overheard us arguing and asked me about it later. I doubt telling her does any good because her boss told me flat out that they were not planning to get rid of him.
Fine, but it won’t be my ass the next time he screws up.
*sigh* I need a new job.
Optical vs Laser
October 31, 2005 by Nicki
Sitting here at my desk at work … this optical mouse seems sooooooo sloooooooow compared to my new laser one at home. :lol:
Trick or Treat!
October 31, 2005 by Nicki
Happy Halloween, ‘Dawlins!
Someone passed this on to me, and now I’m passing on to you:
Don’t forget to hit ‘STOMP’! 
(Note: those of you viewing this from work may want to turn down the sound)
Geeky me
October 28, 2005 by Nicki
Work’s been really busy all week, so I haven’t had a whole lot of spare time to do much playing … though I did a few hours of Bloodlines in today. 
Oh, and speaking of vampire RPG’s, I wanted to give a quick shout out to my best bud ‘Big Jim’ and congrats for being crowned Prince of Birmingham this weekend. (LARP) I’m gonna try my best to make it out and take some snapshots.
I feel bad because I’ll be missing tomorrow’s Alabama game. I had made plans to go see it at a friend’s but she had something come up and can’t host it. 
*sniff* Roll Tide.
I was supposed to have a doctor’s appointment today, but I canceled it. (I know, I know … don’t start) I’ve been having really horrible side pains, and had a hard time breathing Wednesday at work. The pains have subsided for the most part, but I did wake up for a short bit last night with them. Otherwise I’ve felt a lot better, so I decided to cancel the appointment for now but did tell the dr’s office that I planned on rescheduling regardless … I am probably due for a checkup.
Oh, regarding the title of this post (I am so easily side-tracked, LOL) … anyways, Jim and I stopped by CompUseless on the way home. He needed a new keyboard and I decided to stroll through the mice. I’ve used the old optical Intellimouse since it came out and haven’t found another that I’ve liked. I didn’t see much of anything I liked, and was on my way up to the front to join Jim at the registers when I saw this: Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000. It’s basically a modernized version of my old beloved mouse. In fact, it has the front/back buttons on both sides — just the way I like them! (As opposed to both buttons being on the left, which I absolutely abhor.)
I brought that puppy home and plugged it up immediately. It’s a LOT smoother than my old optical and doesn’t blind me when I pick it up to look at the bottom. LOL The only thing that I can find that bothers me (however minute) is that the button on the left is too high for my thumb to reach. I have short fingers, so I’m having to either use my index finger to reach it, or slide my hand up — which is no biggie, but hey, you know me.
Anyways, I’m finishing up dinner now and think I might curl up with a movie. I’m exhausted, and will need to be up early tomorrow.
Oh, and before I forget … I found the last piece of my Halloween costume today. We stopped by Wal-mart for something and they had a bunch of Star Wars stuff out, and one of the toys was a blaster that spews silly string!!! I looked at it, grinned at Jim, and said “That is SO ME!”
hehehehe … oh yeah, Halloween is gonna be fun. :twisted:
Welcome home, Prothro!
October 27, 2005 by Nicki
Received my daily Tide News and saw the following courtesy of TuscaloosaNews.com:
Prothro leaves hospital, visits team
Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro smiles as he
leaves DCH Regional Medical Center on Wednesday.TUSCALOOSA — For the first time in 25 days, the entire University of Alabama football team was on the practice field Wednesday afternoon.
That’s because Tyrone Prothro was able to make a brief appearance.
Prothro, the Crimson Tide’s star wide receiver, was discharged from DCH Regional Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon. He had been hospitalized since Oct. 1, when he suffered a compound fracture of the left tibia and fibula in the fourth quarter of the Crimson Tide’s 31-3 victory over Florida.
After leaving the hospital at 4:42 p.m., Prothro, who was in a wheelchair, was taken to the Crimson Tide practice field.
“He was out here for a little while,” Tide head coach Mike Shula said after UA completed its practice. “The guys kind of migrated over to talk to him when they could, just in between periods. The receivers were the first ones to see him and they all went over to talk to him.”
Prothro was accompanied by UA athletic trainer Rodney Brown and several family members, including his mother, Vivian Prothro.
Shula said that Prothro is still currently enrolled in classes at UA and would be staying in the Tuscaloosa area as he moves into the next phase of rehabilitation from his injury.
“He’ll be able to stay here,” Shula said. “He’s still enrolled right now. The academic plan for him is a good plan. He’ll be fine for next semester.”
Although Shula and the Tide players were excited to see Prothro, Shula said the rehabilitation process would be “a long haul for sure.”
“We’re just going to take it one day at a time,” Shula said. “Hopefully, he will get better and eventually see progress and he will be able to get back out here and play.
“Right now, I’m sure he’s just glad to be out of the hospital. He was excited to be here. He actually tried on a helmet for a minute.”
Prior to his injury, Prothro had 17 catches for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He led Alabama with 138.2 all-purpose yards per game.
His teammates said Prothro was animated during the brief time they got to visit.
“He was in good spirits,” said cornerback Anthony Madison. “To se him back out there after such a horrific injury, it was a blessing.”
“I was pumped,” said Tide wide receiver DJ Hall. “It was a good feeling just to have him back on the field with us.”
SHULA SAID Alabama had “a good practice” on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against Utah State.
“We worked hard, but there were a few dropped balls today,” Shula said. “Any time the ball is on the ground, (practice) never feels as sharp as it should. We worked hard in the running game. We’ve done that for the past two days, and we’ll continue to work on it.”
Defensive tackle Dominic Lee, who sprained an ankle in last Saturday’s win over Tennessee, was able to practice and is expected to see action against Utah State, Shula said.
UTAH STATE has a new head coach, Brent Guy, and Shula said on Wednesday that the Aggies will present different challenges than the USU team that Alabama defeated 48-17 in the 2004 season opener.
“Offensively, it all revolves around their quarterback (Leon Jackson),” Shula said. “They will run the quarterback draw, or the quarterback power. They’ll use him on the option. He will throw deep a lot. He makes quick decisions and good decisions. They have put up some points this season.
“They have a really good receiver (Tony Pennyman) who is also the No. 3 kick returner in the country.
“On defense, they are different than they were last year. They are a three-man front this year, instead of a 4-3. And they have some talent on defense.”
Get well, Prothro!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!
More Quizzies …
October 26, 2005 by Nicki
I snaked this one from DocJeff’s LJ: (and received the same results, lol)
PALADIN
You are the Paladin, the ultimate warrior for God. The Paladin represents all that is good in the world. Paladins fight evil at all costs. They do not care for material pleasures of this world. They have sworn their lives away to protecting the innocent, avenging the victims of cruel murders, and chasing after those who deserve their punishments. The Paladin will do anything to fulfill their duties. They will even sacrifice themselves to save another.
Color: White
Animal: Dove
Gem: Diamond
Symbol: Sword
Image:
http://www.deviantart.com/view/14400235/
Who would you be if you were a character in an epic fantasy? (beautiful pictures)
brought to you by Quizilla
I got this one from mikozuna
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You scored as Romantic Goth. You are a Romantic Goth. Congrats! you are probably a little shy, and listen to bands like Siouxsie & the Banshees. you probably have high standards, too
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The True Goth Quiz
created with QuizFarm.com
In my previous life: Roarin’ 20s
October 26, 2005 by Nicki
| Your 1920’s Name is: |
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Friday please hurry!
October 26, 2005 by Nicki
I checked my calendar again this morning … damn, it still says it’s not Friday yet.
It’s a conspiracy I tell you!
‘Bama’s homecoming game against Utah State is this weekend, but it’s PPV only. :cry:
So if anyone is paying to see the game and would like company, please gimme a holler! (Or, if you know of a place who’ll be hosting the game … i.e. decent sports bar?)
In the spirit of playful workplace banter, I’ve changed my work machine’s desktop to use this image I got from TideSports.com (with a slight modification from yours truly no doubt ). This is Kenneth Darby’s interception against UT last week:
What else can I say but … Roll Tide!
Is it Friday yet?
October 25, 2005 by Nicki
I keep checking the calendar, hoping that maybe it lied to me this morning … damn, it’s still Tuesday. 
Oh well, I can hope can’t I? :cool:
Jim’s been sick the last two days, so he’s stayed home. So guess what that means … yep, I handle his calls and mine. Of course, sometimes this is a fun thing because many of the licensees try to be slick and ask me to pull off work that they know they can’t have. One had the gumption to ask for a whole site re-design and wondered if I could have it done “before Jim got back” (all 46 pages)! :shock:
It was all I could do not to laugh at him on the phone. :lol: They remind me of me and my brother when we were little … go stay somewhere away from Mom and Dad and do whatever we want, until they either come get us or got back from wherever they were. hehehe … difference is, I grew up. LOL
Speaking of kids, Jessie *finally* picked a costume for Halloween. She’s going to be a ninja. ::: queue dramatic shocking sounds ::: LOL She and I went to Wally World Sunday evening — I had to get out of the house, and I think she was driving Jim crazy, lol.
I had been trying to get her to pick one out for over a month, but she would never say one way or another what she wanted, and kept asking me what I liked. I don’t know if she thought some were too expensive or what? I think she gets that from her mother … she actually picked something after I told her not to worry about the cost and find something that *she* liked, not what I liked.
A whole 10 seconds later she blurted out, “I wanna be a NINJA!”
That’s my girl. :mrgreen:
And lucky me, the company that supplies Wal-mart with the kids costumes actually had a red and black ninja made specifically for girls.
YAY!
It’s really adorable. (Wanna see?) I also picked up a plastic katana and throwing stars to go with her outfit, so now she’s all set.
She’s been so cute, telling everyone who’ll listen to her what she’s doing for Halloween. I’m hoping that we get off work early Halloween night in order to take her trick-or-treating before dark.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: I got a call from a local hospital today about a job app I had sent in.
*inner teenager jumping up and down excitedly*
It’s just a phone call, not even an interview yet, but I’m excited all the same. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this place; and from what I understand, the benefits are excellent.
*crosses fingers* Wish me luck!
It’s only 8 o’clock here so I think I’m going to get a coupla hours of Bloodlines in before bed. Jim’s been whiny due to being sick (men are such babies 
), and I cleaned and cooked dinner right when I got in … so now I got time to play.
Ta-ta!
:cool:
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