I Say a Little Prayer for You

Just to prove that this blog isn't full of sarcasm and bile, here's a more positive post. A friend of mine sent me this bumper pic not long ago.

I love the message that it's sending. No matter how you pray, there's plenty of room for as much prayer as we can get in this crazy world. Whether you meditate, chant, pray the rosary or send up thoughts to God, I think prayer is a way of sending energy out into the world for positive change. And as Ghandi said, "be the change that you want to see in the world." Prayer is certainly a good way to be that change. Sometimes the circumstances in life don't call for us to respond with immediate action, or for us to spout back with the first thing that comes through our minds. Maybe if we spent a little more time meditating and thinking about things before we act, the world would be a little more peaceful place.
One of my favorite prayers that I always find comforting is the Prayer of St. Francis. I find if I just meditate on what this prayer is really saying, I come to a place of peace within myself. I'm posting the prayer below, for what it's worth.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen and Amen.

O-Branded!

Since the election year is upon us, no better time than the present to post a few of my favorite political bumper stickers. The pics that I have here are pretty old though. After the 2008 election, the anti-Obama stickers showed up all over the South. The thing I find most curious about these is that they use Obama's name and logo to make an anti-statement. I just don't get this. You never use the branding of the other team, even if it is negative. Kind of like the sports fans who have the little kid peeing on their most hated rival's logo. Why would you put your most hated rival's logo on your vehicle? Just crazy.

Here's a fine example.... from a distance, it almost looks pro-Obama until you can get close enough to read the "fine print".  And was the McCain-Palin sticker added as an afterthought? Did he step back to admire its hugeness and realize that he had over-committed on the Obama name? I also appreciate his modesty in using the word A**. Gotta love his committment to the message.

Here's an example of someone using the Obama's campaign logo. This pic wins a spot on the blog because of the use of the Obama brand in the most vulgar way possible.

My closing pic is another one of my all time favorites. This one makes me laugh every time I see it. I just love the old hammer and sickle!! Reminds me of high school and all the Cold War fear tactics.

I haven't seen too many new anti-Obama stickers lateley, but I'm sure they'll start showing up as we get closer to November. Probably means that we'll have a second blog dedicated to political stickers. Can't wait!

Acknowledgements: Thanks to my good friend B.A. who helped me with the name of the blog. Love ya!

Oil Spill Backlash

The Deepwater Horizon spill in April of 2010 was the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. We watched in horror as the well bled into our beloved Gulf of Mexico for three months until it was "capped". As someone who grew up on the Gulf Coast, it hit me particularly hard to think the beautiful beaches I loved may be forever damaged. I always thought they were the most beautiful beaches in the United States, but as I have had the opportunity to travel to many fabulous places, I'm quite positive they are number one on the mainland.
We had travel plans that same summer to visit the inaugural Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores in May. When the spill occurred, we didn't cancel our plans. We knew we still had to go. Would this be the last time we would enjoy these beautiful beaches or could they be saved? The response from the locals and those who loved these shores was immediate. I really loved this graffiti art that appeared at the festival while we were there. It showed the anger, the outrage, the scale of the unforgivable act of polluting OUR beaches.

It wasn't long before the bumper stickers started showing up - even around Birmingham. This was definitely an issue where everyone shared the same opinion... BP screwed up - big time!

Fostering United Beach Protection... uh yeah, that's what FUBP stands for...

We're still not sure what the long term effects of the spill will be. I'm pretty sure the impact won't be minimal. 

Team Pride

Probably the most common form of auto attitude is the expression of team pride. It's not uncommon to find multiple cars on the road showing support of high school, colleges, NFL, NBA, MLB. Around here in middle Alabama, the Tide Pride comes on strong in ways I never imagined possible. This pic is of one of my absolute favorites I have ever seen - for any type of auto expression. From the custom air brush design to the truck nuts, gotta love every bit of it!

Here's another favorite of mine. A little outside of the box from the old bumper sticker. Here we get the illusion that the driver is carrying a football in for the score. Roll Damn Tide.

Getting Started

I've been a long time admirer of the snippets of opinions that people choose to put on their cars. Sometimes it says a lot about a person - like "let's hurry up and pass this nut case... I'm not sure he's stable." Or maybe it's just an issue that they felt strongly at one point and time. But once you put that sticker on... well... you're kind of stuck with it. It's not as permanent as a tattoo, but pretty close! I started taking pictures of them - never really with a fully developed plan of what I may do with the pictures. Well, here's a first attempt of cataloguing my finds.
And in the name of full disclosure - I am the owner of a hippie stickered, plastered up '99 Toyota Tacoma. Picture coming soon.