TomKat and Religious Rights

Apart from bringing back the old Hollywood practice of star matchmaking to hide a matineé idol’s otherwise obvious homosexuality, the unholy union of TomKat has started a whirlwind of public dialogue around the Church of Scientology. Since I love a good trend, I am taking this opportunity to weigh in my opinion on the matter. (Not on TomKat, but Scientology)

As I watched Tom Cruise slip into the dreaded “fundamentalist gaze” with Matt Lauer, I pretty much knew what was coming—fundamentalist meltdown or “fundy melt” for short. What made his fundy melt strange to me was that he was ranting about Scientology, a religion I know very little about. Here is what I know about Scientology:

• It’s based on a really poorly-written book by L. Ron Hubbard
• Lots of celebrities who were big in the late 1980s are into it
• Is associated with aliens who are in our bodies
• Uses terms like “thetan” and “engrams”
• Is “organized” in a mafioso or cult-like manner
  

Being that I knew very little about the subject, I’ve been reading as much as I can find on it. Most of my information has come from xenu.net, specifically a really good Time magazine article. I’ve also been reading this series on Scientology on Salon.com. Although I don’t consider myself a scholar on the matter, I do feel like I’ve got an opinion.

Like most religions, Scientology certainly appeals to those of us who are looking for some answers to life’s great questions and to some extent, a source of order within chaos. At some point or another we have all been lost and have needed something to help us along. For some of us it’s booze and for others it’s religion. (I personally use 1 part gin, 1 part religion, shaken not stirred.)

Nevertheless Scientology is some crazy ass shit. Here are just some reasons why I think it’s crazy:

• L. Ron Hubbard says that an “evil demigurge” named Xenu blew up 178 billion souls with hydrogen bombs hidden in volcanoes and now these souls or “thetans” are embedded in us all
• Charges its followers up to half a million dollars for courses that will help them become a “Clear” or “optimum individual”
• According to Tom Cruise, Scientologists believe that there is no such thing as chemical imbalances (is this motherfucker for real???)
• Resorts to using drug and alcohol centres to do some recruiting (this is how Kirstie Alley was snared)
  

And the list goes on and on. At the risk of sounding like a member of the Roman Empire looking to persecute some Christians, I have to say that I think Scientology is a load of horseshit (or malarkey for more delicate sensibilities) and you would have to be out of your mind to call it “spiritual.” Even so, people still have every right to practice it as a religion.

Just stay the hell away from me.

I'm Back!

So it’s been a while…

Basically, I have been on a mad hunt to find a place to live. My lovely roommate of the past four years is finally getting married to one of my old high school buddies. This of course is a fantastic and joyous occasion!

Nevertheless, finding a place to live has been ROUGH. I am a complete disaster when it comes to finding myself a place to live and have not always made the best decisions.

The first place I lived when I got to Toronto looked like a youth hostel and my superintendent kept offering me hot oil massages. My current place has been a success mainly because I had nothing to do with finding it.

Originally I was slated to move out in July. My new roommate and I found a wonderful place to live, only to discover that our potential new landlady was a tad on the crazy neurotic side. She called me five times to ask questions that ranged from how often my boyfriend would be over to whether or not I smoked pot. (3-4 times a week and on occasion)

After looking at a plethora of dumps, I had a mini-breakdown and we decided to hold off on the moving for another month. At this point, we started getting our shit together in a big way.

Did you know that you could use a realtor when you’re looking to rent? My friend hooked me up with a fantastic realtor (Danielle Thompson if you’re curious) and she basically found us the perfect spot. She also did pretty much everything for us, including negotiate the price of our rent. To make things better, we didn’t have to pay a cent!

So to make a long short, I finally have a place to live!

Here is the front:



Here is the fireplace:



Here is the kitchen:



Now I can get back to my life.

Carry on.