Okay society you win- Diary of a fat boy

[Snatiramas]

So many questions answered in such a short space of time.  I thank you sir.    

Husband is Catholic and technically so am I, but I've never followed things the way I 'should'.  I'm afraid I'd be too open to properly follow any religion wholesale, but I do enjoy seeing all sides of it and for that I thank you.  xx   

My sister married a catholic and it caused much friction in the family at the time. I just know he is a good man. That's good enough for me.

[AndrewT]

The problem with religion from my own perspective is that it tends to get hijacked by lunatics. They take words and philosophies twist them to suit their own needs and try to impose them upon normal rational human beings. These people are the same as football hooligans as they are in the absolute minority. Nobody’s religion is right and nobody's is wrong, they become wrong when trying to impose their thinking on other people.

My sister married a catholic and it caused much friction in the family at the time. I just know he is a good man. That's good enough for me.

Stuff like this is one of the things that annoys me about religion. Differences between people cause enough problems as it is - introducing arbitrary ones to further differentiate us and then using that to look down upon people not in your group doesn't really help to create a harmonious world to live in. Glad to hear you're above such pettiness Snatty.

Now at the end of last week’s episode I promised the reasons I believe in God. Well actually it is one reason. It suits me to do so. Whilst I fully understand there is no evidence of a supreme being, in those times when I have found life tough or in those glorious moments such as the birth of your children or the winning of a Blond bash it is has been a source of comfort to believe that there is something more than logic and science.

What I think you're actually feeling is the sense that you're part of something bigger. A sense of shared experiences and culture passed down the generations - you belong to something which is far bigger than just you. This is obviously very strong with Jews as because of the diaspora and lack of a country, without this being actively passed down it would have died out and Jews would have become totally assimilated into the various cultures around the world. Hence Shabbat being such a big deal - it's a reminder that Jews throughout the world will be doing the same thing at the same time - a common shared experience when the members of the group have been dispersed throughout the globe.

Obviously, God doesn't have to be the reason for this bond - it could be anything. God is just a handy shibboleth for a group of people to use to mark themselves as different from those outside the group.

[Snatiramas]

The problem with religion from my own perspective is that it tends to get hijacked by lunatics. They take words and philosophies twist them to suit their own needs and try to impose them upon normal rational human beings. These people are the same as football hooligans as they are in the absolute minority. Nobody’s religion is right and nobody's is wrong, they become wrong when trying to impose their thinking on other people.

My sister married a catholic and it caused much friction in the family at the time. I just know he is a good man. That's good enough for me.

Stuff like this is one of the things that annoys me about religion. Differences between people cause enough problems as it is - introducing arbitrary ones to further differentiate us and then using that to look down upon people not in your group doesn't really help to create a harmonious world to live in. Glad to hear you're above such pettiness Snatty.

Now at the end of last week’s episode I promised the reasons I believe in God. Well actually it is one reason. It suits me to do so. Whilst I fully understand there is no evidence of a supreme being, in those times when I have found life tough or in those glorious moments such as the birth of your children or the winning of a Blond bash it is has been a source of comfort to believe that there is something more than logic and science.

What I think you're actually feeling is the sense that you're part of something bigger. A sense of shared experiences and culture passed down the generations - you belong to something which is far bigger than just you. This is obviously very strong with Jews as because of the diaspora and lack of a country, without this being actively passed down it would have died out and Jews would have become totally assimilated into the various cultures around the world. Hence Shabbat being such a big deal - it's a reminder that Jews throughout the world will be doing the same thing at the same time - a common shared experience when the members of the group have been dispersed throughout the globe.

Obviously, God doesn't have to be the reason for this bond - it could be anything. God is just a handy shibboleth for a group of people to use to mark themselves as different from those outside the group.

Interesting opinion. I for many years have wondered whether it is the religion that creates my belief in a supreme being or some other reason. I am pretty sure that it is not the religion. If it were the religion then I would follow all the laws not just the few that I actually do. I would believe that the only way to contact God would be by following the rules of the religion and that is not the case. I do as an individual believe that God exists. My choice. For me being Jewish was more of a cultural thing. It had a lot to do with family, chopped liver and chicken soup. I blame society's total lack of tolerance for anything different (and as I have pointed out Jews are no different in that respect) for the lack of harmony that exists. Religion is just one of the hijacked tools used by the lunatics regardless of the title religion.

Religion of course does bring up differences. Religion can also be a tool of great learning and understanding. The thing is do we celebrate our differences or point them out like some sort of disease. I believe that I have the Jewish festivals, Christians have Christian festivals, Muslims have Muslim festivals. It's cool. Most friction between religions is caused by ignorance. The more open the discussion the better. So I decided to post on here some of my experiences. For my children........... I have every intention of teaching them the beauty of the Jewish religion, the richness of Jewish culture, and how to be totally accepting of other people regardless of creed or colour. After that it is up to them.

[tikay]

My life has been blessed in many ways but none more so than the relationship that I had as a child with my Grandparents. It is only as I move through life and see a similar relationship between my kids my parents and my outlaws that I realise how good it was. On this fathers day I am going to focus on grandfathers as a special bonus post thanks to Tikay asking so nicely. Now as you all know I grew up in a nice Jewish home. We were kosher at home, Michael Sophocles of the apprentice please note but we didn’t follow all the rules.

Oh and one last thing on Mr. Sophocles and yes I am narked that he is like me a red sea pedestrian, an eminent Rabbi who I heard addressing a bar mitzvah (the service when a boy of thirteen takes responsibility for his own actions) turned to the boy who he obviously felt he was in danger of never seeing again and came out with the following line “It is easier to leave the religion than a book club because you have to write to the book club but you can just walk away from the religion.” For me it is a great shame that Mr. Sophocles has given away his birthright when obviously he thinks it could be an advantage to him.

Anyway on Shabbat (the Sabbath) we drove, we used lights, yes we went to shul (pronounced shool and the cool way to talk about synagogue if you should happen to have any Jewish mates) but in the afternoon we went and watched the Leicester Tigers or when I played rugby at school  it was shul in the morning and rugby somewhere in the midlands in the afternoon. None of the afternoon activities are allowed. Friday night was sacrosanct and we always had a family meal with eight plus of us sitting round the table. No going out on a Friday night even as a teenager, who needs parents. Now at this point I could give you my version of Ferris Buellers’ day off as I once went against my parents’ rules but I am going to save the naughty boy stories for another time.

Now the first blessing was that I got to meet and know all of my grandparents. All unbelievable characters and my Grandfathers were always in shul. There was though a problem. My Mum’s dad, known as Zeida First (Zeida is a traditional name for a grandfather, First was his surname, changed from Firestein) sat on one side of the shul, Grandpa Cooklin sat the other. Now it was very important to the politics of the family that I spent time on both sides. There was also an added factor that all my mates sat on grandpa Cooklins side of the shul. So one side was full of chat and laughter and on the other I had to follow the service be quiet and actually pray. At the time the side with my mates and Grandpa Cooklin was where I wanted to be but as I grew up I realised I owed a huge debt to Zeida First.

So with the scene set a couple stories of both men. Every Friday night after the dishes were washed by me and dried by my three sisters (my sisters wouldn’t let me dry as if I didn’t think they had washed it properly I made them do it again) I would get to sit down with Zeida First and play chess. Zeida First I later found out played for Leicestershire and we would always play two games. He would always win the first. And he would let me lose the second as well just for good measure. When I came home from school aged about  11 I used to get 10 out 10 for maths a lot (I later found out when being tested for a job that my maths ability is really quite high). I used to show Zeida and go “look Zeida I got 10 out of 10 for maths”, he would always say “why didn’t you get 11?” but I knew he was proud. So you knew with Zeida if you won at chess you earned it and it would never be given. Also he had a tell. If he started humming I would be about to lose normally in three moves but sometimes two. Either way he knew he had me. We played hundreds and hundreds of games through the years. I won three times but let me tell you they were the three sweetest victories I ever had at any competitive pastime, including cricket in the back garden against the old man which was ferocious.

Now for Zeida Cooklin. I could tell you the story about him being on a bus and telling a friend of mine from school who he met quite at random that I was an idle wanker, or I could tell you how he used to say in a voice just loud enough for everybody in shul to hear “here comes little short arse” every time the president of the shul walked in but I am going to tell you the story of Yom Kippur aka. The Day of Atonement.

Now Yom Kippur is the most important day in the Jewish calendar. You are expected to fast for twenty five hours. No food. No water. The only thing that is supposed to pass your lips is prayer. The day is based on repentance, prayer and charity. It is really the most awe inspiring feeling when you stand there at the start of the service knowing what is ahead. Okay enough religious education. I am now thirteen. I am fasting for the first time and I am desperately struggling to get through it but all I can see is toast and butter and a nice cup of tea. We have just started the story of Jonah and the big fish which could have been a whale but there is no evidence for this other than an over imaginative PR executive trying to give the story more zip. This story is an example of faith and prayer that gets wheeled out in the afternoon every Yom Kippur. Now there used to be two services in Leicester during Yom Kippur due to a sudden rise in numbers, nothing like eternal damnation to bring them into the service, and I used to spend time in the overflow service because that was where my mates were but it was expected of me to visit my family in the main shul in the afternoon as mysteriously people disappeared.

So in I walk hungry as hell. Knowing I am going to have to sit quietly for a bit. I feel a bit faint. Grandpa Cooklin can see I am struggling and comes to the rescue. He unscrews the cap on a small brown bottle and says “Phil take a big sniff of this it will help”. I took a huge sniff. Instant eye streaming hell ensued. I had never ever been introduced to smelling salts before and to this day I have never used them again!

This post comes to you courtesy of Red Dog who having asked people to look at things more closely has made me look at those things at the core of me being who and what I am. Thanks Red it is a most interesting view.

Today, reading this, I learned more about Jewish society than I have in a lifetime, & I've been entertained whilst doing so. You, along with Red, have that marvellous skill of taking 'photos in your mind & somehow transferring them to paper such that we can all see them. Thank you - I so hope this Diary runs & runs.

I must tell you that several people mentioned this Diary Entry to me last night whilst I was in Luton, everyone's talking about it.

As to the Diet, does doing the Diary help, hinder, or have no effect?

[Snatiramas]

As to the Diet, does doing the Diary help, hinder, or have no effect?

The diary has certainly helped a huge amount. The diet can only work long term if you study why you have behaved in the way you have to the extent of being irrational. So unfortunately to try and find some answers to questions I have been going through the picture books of the mind. The diary has helped letting me share some of the more interesting ones. To know that this waffle is being read by people is unbelievably supportive. That some comment on it even more so.

Also if I have a particularly bad craving session I switch the pc on and make a few notes on any subject. Funny how we forget distraction tactics on ourselves when we use them on our children all the time.

I enjoy all the diaries on here.......the amount you manage to put into the week, Red dogs view of the world (let alone his style which is brilliant). The Luton boys (including Edna) in Vegas. It only confirms what I know........this forum is the best and not just for poker.

[Snatiramas]

So here we are again on Thursday morning looking forward to Fat Night Weigh In and I have 20 mins so I have decided to do a new playlist for the old i pod. Playlists on the ipod have to follow these rules. 15 tracks. One genre. One per band.
Due to all the inner reflection I have been doing my playlist is as follows

Genre - Punk
Requiem by Killing Joke
In a Rut - The Ruts
A Forest - The Cure
Holiday in Cambodia - The Dead Kennedys
Warhead - UK Subs
Suspect Device - Stiff Little Fingers
Emergency - 999
Identity - X Ray Spex
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
London Calling - The Clash
Anarchy in the UK - The Sex Pistols
Down in the sewer - The Stranglers
Love in a void - Siouxsie and the banshees
Smash it up - The Damned
Ever fallen in love - The Buzzcocks


Now please feel free to put in your own genres and playlists cos I really need to broaden my catalogue and let go of the 70's and all that anger or something.

[Rod Paradise]

These days I'm mainly listening to "sweet mother-f*cking acid house country music" (to quote the band).

Alabama3

[kinboshi]

So here we are again on Thursday morning looking forward to Fat Night Weigh In and I have 20 mins so I have decided to do a new playlist for the old i pod. Playlists on the ipod have to follow these rules. 15 tracks. One genre. One per band.
Due to all the inner reflection I have been doing my playlist is as follows

Genre - Punk
Requiem by Killing Joke
In a Rut - The Ruts
A Forest - The Cure
Holiday in Cambodia - The Dead Kennedys
Warhead - UK Subs
Suspect Device - Stiff Little Fingers
Emergency - 999
Identity - X Ray Spex
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
London Calling - The Clash
Anarchy in the UK - The Sex Pistols
Down in the sewer - The Stranglers
Love in a void - Siouxsie and the banshees
Smash it up - The Damned
Ever fallen in love - The Buzzcocks


Now please feel free to put in your own genres and playlists cos I really need to broaden my catalogue and let go of the 70's and all that anger or something.

Love that play-list.

[Snatiramas]

Okay so i am playing a WSOP step 3 on Stars

one Rock
two sharks both immeadiately to my left
two bombs and three reds

WTF....level3....where is the value in this......oh yes it must be me

[Snatiramas]

Okay so i am playing a WSOP step 3 on Stars

one Rock
two sharks both immeadiately to my left
two bombs and three reds

WTF....level3....where is the value in this......oh yes it must be me

Oooh one of the sharks has just eaten himself...you don't ee that on Attenborough

[Tonji]

Your stuck in 1978 Snatty (aint no bad thing though).

Get some sweet soul music as an alternative.  

[Snatiramas]

Your stuck in 1978 Snatty (aint no bad thing though).

Get some sweet soul music as an alternative.  

Name names

[Tonji]

Heres a few (of 100s), all old school, 60's & 70's: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Edwin Starr, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations, The Meters.

[boldie]

Heres a few (of 100s), all old school, 60's & 70's: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Edwin Starr, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations, The Meters.

You didn't mention Otis...unacceptable to leave him out...just wrong.

Otis; Dock of the Bay
Otis; My Girl
Otis; Georgia.

end of.

[Laxie]

Heres a few (of 100s), all old school, 60's & 70's: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Edwin Starr, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations, The Meters.

You didn't mention Otis...unacceptable to leave him out...just wrong.

Otis; Dock of the Bay
Otis; My Girl
Otis; Georgia.

end of.

The German dwarf speaks sense for a change...go figure.