Lent

After giving up meat in '07 and leaving behind animal products in '08, the what-am-i-going-to-give-up-this-lent question was a little more difficult. My brother said, only half-jokingly, "You're kind of out of stuff to give up, unless you want to give up food in general," as admirable as giving up food would be, I don't think that would turn out to well after, I don't know, 4 days. 

Medically speaking, my sacrifice could allow me to live up to 3 weeks, but, without offending Gandhi or any other fast-lovers out there, fuck that. 

This lent, I am making it more about self-improvement, which, as you know, I need. Therefore, I decided to give up racist jokes for lent, in hopes of cleaning them out of my vocabulary for good. 

(Note: I am not making the argument that I am not racist, because, well, that's just silly. Everyone is racist in some regard. Some just do a better job of internalizing it than others.) 

So I have given up laughing at Carson's jew fro (or as I call it now, his ethnically hebrew hair-style). No more great asian, black, indian (I'm typing this in Tandor Chicken), or mexican jokes. Although, I am no longer funny without these racially insensitive jokes, I am told I am a better person for it. Despite the fact that being a better person has never been a goal of mine, because let's face it– I am fucking great. 

However, my Lenten promise does not rule out ginger jokes. Sorry Potter (not for the jokes, but for being a ginger.)

Also, and I am stealing this from Vonnegut's aunt or uncle or someone, who once a day would stop and say out loud, "Now isn't this nice?" As a cynic, I hardly appreciate anything and I am really working on trying to enjoy life, because, sorry Gandhi, you only get one shot. 

Now, isn't this nice?