The Purport of the Pomegranate

Often times I have found myself mulling over pomegranates. This afternoon was one such occasion. Recently, I have been seeing pomegranates everywhere--in refrigerators, on counter tops, and on tables in homes and apartments. However, every time I look, I see the pomegranate is still there after several days. Is the pomegranate something which one buys in order to make one's self look more cultured, but does not eat? Is it even possible to eat a pomegranate? This, I know, to be possible, but would like to put forth that it may be pointless--just as pointless as I find eating sunflower seeds to be, perhaps more.
See, apparently pomegranates are a tasty fruit. I know this because I have had the opportunity to drink pomegranate juice on a few occasions. I know that the pomegranate has been eaten and traded for over 4,000 years in eastern Asia through Northern Africa and even parts of Europe. However, I really think the person who discovered pomegranates and the fact that they are edible was absolutely starving. For this, I have three reasons:
1) Their skin is incredibly thick, difficult to peel off, and not edible.
2) The membranes between the sections of seeds are very thick, bitter, and (again) not edible.
3) The pomegranate seeds are just that... juicy seeds! It isn't a nice piece of fruit that a person gets to bite into once they finally get to the "good stuff", but a myriad of slippery seeds that are difficult to pull from the membrane and have very little sweet juice before the bitter middle...
All that for approximately 70 calories and some vitamin C. So, what is the point of a pomegranate? I propose that, although the juice tastes nice and the colour is beautiful, a pomegranate is nearly pointless as a fruit. I'm positive that is the reason why my mother buys one every fall and lets it wither away!

The Causticity of the Term "Thanksgiving"

Why do we wish one another a "happy Thanksgiving"? What does it mean? Are we not simply saying to each other "have a lovely day sitting back and counting your blessings"? Why must we wish each other a happy Thanksgiving when we should be more than content counting our blessings in the first place and happiness should, therefore, be implied by the word "thanksgiving"? I've thought on this subject over the last couple of days. I am still doing quite a bit of thinking on this matter, but I'm forming the opinion that Americans specifically mean "have a fun day filled with those who matter to you and good food while considering yourselves blessed in general and forgetting the real needs of those less fortunate than you" when we say that frequented holiday phrase of which I write.

Christians are called to give thanks in all circumstances and I pray that one day God will mold me into someone who can do that much more easily than I do now, but regardless of Christianity's specific call, the ability to give thanks, be grateful, and act out of that gratitude are things all Americans (excepting, perhaps, those who are in need of our help (those living on the streets, in shelters, in railroad cars, etc.)) should do for the countless number of blessings we have in this nation of ours. The level of apathy in these United States towards our fellow human beings not only troubles, but sickens me. What sickens me even more is that I find this apathy in myself. I nearly nauseate myself when, say, I'm in my apartment during the middle of a torrential storm and catch myself complaining because there is a slight draft in the room when I haven't even stopped to wonder what the local homeless are doing to try to stay out of the rain. I am just as guilty as anyone.

So what if we don't use the expression "Happy Thanksgiving" next year? What if we say "Give Thanks!" just to change things up and get people thinking? And what if we started acting out our thanks (this we don't have to wait a year for!)? Just think about it.

A Moment of Silence for Art

Dear Friends and Readers,
Just posting a few shots I've been able to take over my Thanksgiving break so far... :)
Let me know what you think! haha... -Dani

O Me Merry Megrim!

This morning I awoke, showered, and dressed to get ready for class only to be met by my arch nemesis often depicted in Imitrex commercials as a small, green villainous monster who enjoys pounding about within peoples' craniums with a large hammer. In other words, I was overcome by a sudden migraine. For those who have never suffered from the aforementioned ailment, consider yourselves enviable.
You'll notice in the title of this post that I used the word "megrim" instead of migraine. I recently found out that medically, they can be used interchangeably in the English language. The funny thing about "megrim", however, is that in a non-medical community the word can refer to a fish, depression, a whim, or a fancy! What a confusing word megrim can be! For that very reason, it may be the perfect word to call a migraine! Depending on the stage of the migraine (or megrim), I may be incredibly depressed or, if I'm on a caffeine high and getting over my migraine, I will become rather whimsical and ridiculous. Therefore, I think the word "megrim" is here to stay!

Intro to Blog and a Replay of the Fall of Man

Giving in to a good friend's suggestion, I've created this blog not because I have so much time on my hands that I don't know what to do with, but because I have realized that time is against me and, therefore, I simply must get all my ridiculous thoughts and musings out somewhere . That is where you all come in--you're my guinea pigs (by choice of course!). I've found over the past few years that all of us (at least those of us who are truthful with ourselves) have a need and desire to experience the ridiculous and absurd from time to time in order to maintain our sanity. This is something I used to ridicule my mother for when I was younger, but have recently learned to enjoy, savor, and partake of as frequently as possible. It is with this intention of expressing my silly thoughts and wonder struck musings that I begin this chronicle.

***Teetotalers and wine really don't have much, if anything to do with my writings at this point. :)


Last Tuesday I found myself eating lunch and studying before class when I had the most exhilarating and odd experience. I was reading and minding my own business when I bit into a Gala apple and suddenly my mouth was full of the most delightful juices! It was one of the best apples I've had in years! I was so excited by the delicious taste that I nearly ran up to the first person I saw and pushed my apple up in their face to tell them to take a bite because it was so wonderful that I simply had to share! At that moment, however, an unfamiliar gentleman walked by and I immediately realized the implications and imagery I would be arousing were I to approach a man with a piece of fruit tempting him to take a bite! Thankfully, I was fully clothed and my name starts with a D and not an E, so I had those two things going for me. Never the less, I had a good laugh to myself over the incident.
-Dani