Quotations Weblog

Before South Park came out on DVD, we were unable to watch it. Whatever channel it’s on was always unavailable to us. Plus, I don’t have much time to watch television on their schedule instead of my own. Once the series became available on DVD, I was able to see what everyone else was so excited about.

For years, all I heard about the series was how vulgar it was. The kind of people who talked to me about South Park this way refused to allow their children to watch it. While the rest of the kids had those strange little Kenny dolls, their kids were excluded. By the time I actually saw the series, I realized that all of those parents were letting the fart jokes get in the way of the true morals of the stories.

Here are some of the best quotes I’ve gathered from the series:

I love South Park. Every time I watch an episode, I sit nearby with a pen and paper so I can get the tidbits of wisdom that are taught with humor and vulgarity. So what if they have a talking piece of poo. Even Shakespeare had his Sir Toby Belch.

• See all the South Park Quotations here.

I just finished a book called Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It’s a young adult science fiction book and I found it entirely enjoyable. The book is based on hard sci-fi, but the concepts are explained well enough that it easy to understand.

The heroine, Tally, is about to turn sixteen. When she does, she will undergo a series of surgeries to make her “pretty” because right now, she’s “ugly” just like every other child under sixteen. Everyone gets to turn pretty at their sixteenth birthday. Peris, her friend, already turned pretty a month ago and she is dying to join him on the other side of the river…

Here are the quotes that I was able to glean from this book:

For a full review of this book, see my book review:

• Pick Me! – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – Book Review

Today the US celebrates the end of the Labor Day weekend. I’d like to pretend that I have something wise and insightful to say about the state of labor in today’s world, both as a political movement and as an essential and timeless part of the human condition, but I’m actually rather looking forward to a day off, so I’m going to post a few quotations with the word “labor” in them instead.

Have a good holiday, and don’t forget to do what you can for those affected by last week’s hurricane.

After the devastation of Hurricane Katarina, I have heard a lot of talk about what to do to help the victims. President Bush is promising that “a lot of help is coming.” A lot of help is really nice, but I feel overwhelmed by trying to think of all that needs to be done to help the victims down there.

One small difference after another is something that I can tackle.

• American Red Cross – Donate to the Disaster Relief Fund

It doesn’t take a lot of money from you to help these people. It takes a little bit of money from a lot of people. Be one of those people right now. Even one dollar is plenty if enough of us give.

Other ways to help during this crisis:

• If you live near Houston, Texas, the animal shelters there are housing the few animals that the shelter in New Orleans was able to save. Please adopt one of these animals.

• If you were planning on a long drive over the Labor Day weekend, reconsider staying at home. Many of the oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were damaged. Conservation begins with us.

What other things can we do to help the victims of Hurrican Katarina? Post them here on the comments. It’s up to you to make that one small difference today.

Getting the butterflies to fly in formation. How do I do that? Fear and anticipation are such motivators for me because I’ve always thought of them as pent up energy. For me, being scared and being excited feel exactly the same.

When I’m scared, I feel like I can’t sit still. I want to move. I want to act. The great thing about fear is that it tells me exactly what I need to do. There is direction. I need to get rid of whatever is scaring me.

Next time you’re afraid and you feel that anxious feeling in your stomach, remember the butterflies. Remember that they are pent up energy just waiting there for you to use. Use it to deliver that speech. Use it to win over the new people you have to meet. Use it to start that neighborhood watch program. Whatever it is that is making you feel fearful is no match to the reserve of energy that you have within you.