Weekend wrap-up. Wine. Skylanders. And Scientology???

So for the past week or so I've been a bit AWOL from blogging due to trying to shake off this unshakeable flu bug which still is somewhat plaguing me. Persistent little bugger. Who knew a human being could possibly generate so much phlegm? By the way, doesn't even the way phlegm sounds and is spelt just sound disgusting?

I was boring the hell out of myself so decided to NOT pay it forward.

Yes, I'm all about giving. Well actually...NOT giving in this instance but you know what I mean.

This weekend I've also just gotten E home after a week at his grandparents so yesterday was spent enjoying having him back home and having some lunch with my stepsister and my sweetheart niece and nephew.

After I'd finally finished hugging and kissing him (took awhile), E was very excited to have 'earned' his salary and of course was keen to let the cash run through his hot little hands as quickly as possible, so it was off to satisfy his latest 'crush' - Skylanders. I haven't quite figured out what this is all about yet but anything that takes him away from Ninjago, even temporarily, cannot be a bad thing. So his hard-earned salary quickly went to the Wii Skylanders game which he has been glued to for most of today.

We've also been amusing ourselves wandering around singing our new favourite version of 'Call Me Maybe' based on something I saw on Pinterest. It's very catchy and I've forgotten what the proper words are now...maybe not the best example of parenthood to be encouraging my son to be singing out about filling his wineglass.

But you get that.

And also meanwhile I have spent a large portion of the weekend engrossed and becoming completely immersed in anything I can read relating to Scientology.

What?

To give you a bit of background: I tend to go off on these bizarre tangents every now and again and get completely fascinated by a subject which results in me having to devour every book, article and blog post I can get my grubby mitts on until I finally feel satisfied that I know EVERYTHING. I've explored Hitler and Nazi Germany, the overthrow of the last Russian monarchy, Charles Manson (who I have been sadly known to quote on occasion...oh dear)...and the list goes on. I seem to have a penchant for the weird/crazy/macabre which probably says a lot about me that you probably didn't want to know.

Obsessed much? Wonder where E gets it from????

So it was probably inevitable that I would eventually stumble onto Scientology and you've got TomKat to thank for that. It started with reading a gossip website on how Katie Holmes was terrified that Suri would be told to 'disconnect' from her and that she'd be labelled an SP (suppressive person) and led from there to watching Youtube videos on the leader's niece who escaped and labels it a cult, through to a fascination with L Ron Hubbard's original teachings and the sad, twisted parody that they've now become under the current leadership. Watching the leaked 40 minute video featuring Tom Cruise espousing Scientology truly made me feel sick to my stomach.

This of course led to the leader (or 'COB' as they call him, as in Chairman of the Board) former # 2's dramatic 'escape' and his bid now to help others leave and live as 'Independent Scientologists' as opposed to what he terms as 'Corporate Scientologists'.

Meanwhile it made me remember sometime back in the 80s I was brainwashed persuaded by the television ad for Dianetics that if I bought this book it would help me be healthy and have great focus and success in my life. I spent about 30 bucks on this thing, only to accidentally leave it behind in the food court of the shopping centre and of course not realise until I got home. Before I'd even read the first page! I remember telling my sister about it and she said 'oh that's the Scientology book' - which I'd been totally clueless about!

After reading everything I've read over the past two days I am happy I never got to read the book. I was a little lost soul when I bought it and was incredibly vulnerable to suggestion so it does make me wonder where I'd be now if I hadn't lost it.

Anyhoo, this is not a grandstand on religion, as I've already done that! In fact once you get past the bizarro Xenu genesis there are some reasonably sound principles for living that make a lot of sense in any society. But as per my previous religious rant, once again organised religion has reared it's ugly head and I think even the founder would be rolling over in his grave for what it's become.

And as an aside, sorry Tom Cruise fans, he's a total nutter.

So tomorrow is back to work and back to school for E, I guess it's business as usual again in this household. Or it will be once I can finally wake up and be lurgie-free which I pray will be any day now. I've been ingesting so many vitamins, veges and supplements as well as probably more than my fair share of garlic so I bet my cubicle-mate is praying for the same thing right about now.

Hope your weekend has been just as illuminating although not quite as obsessive as mine!

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xx