be afraid...be very afraid

Every so often, I run across things that scare me. This week has three of them.

• Thursday, when I went into the kitchen to make myself lunch, I saw a half loaf of bread that I didn't remember buying. I checked out the bread itself, but it looked fine--still soft, still moist, no mold--so I figured the spousal unit must've bought it this week. Then I looked at the package, and it had "Best if used by 29 May." Yes, May. The load of chemicals, preservatives, and gold kryptonite the manufacturers crammed into a loaf of bread had kept it relatively fresh for a month after its expiration date. I gotta wonder what this does to actual people...it cannot be good.
  
• While browsing my blog subscriptions yesterday, I ran across an AP story that said Texas's High Court has ruled exorcism to be constitutionally protected. Yes, exorcism. Apparently, if you live in TX, you can abuse someone under the guise of exorcism and are immune to litigation. This made me run to check my calendar, and indeed it is still 2008.
  
• We got a free local paper today for some reason, and I headed straight for the Parade section...on the philosophy that one should always keep an eye on what their enemy is thinking. They had an article on home schooling. There was a poll attached, where 95% of Parade readers believe you should not have to get teaching credentials if you want to home school your kid because "a degree is no guarantee of teaching ability." Really. I suppose this is true in the sense that having a fire fighter's certificate does not technically guarantee you can put out all fires. If my place is burning, however, I would still prefer someone who's trained. But that's just me.