29 July, 2008
18 July, 2008
Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!!!
"Nelson Mandela, the man credited with ending apartheid in South Africa, has marked his 90th birthday by calling for the rich to do more for the poor." (bbc.co.uk)
14 July, 2008
not only on the moon!
penelope beatrice walked her way across the filthy kitchen floor this evening! seven steps in all, for a lifetime achievement award well awaited! it's true, my kid is a rockstar!
12 July, 2008
nothing was broken
i went out last night with some of my bike team mates, and had the most ridiculously good time! we drank until we could no longer hold a drink well enough to continue, and ended it all at my house where we sat in a circle and shared some odd malt beverage as others might share a pipe. in the morning, three of us woke up at my place and sauntered out into the daylight for breakfast at hungry tiger too. it has made for one amazing weekend! oh, and we each smoked a cigarette which was a hilarious sight because none of us have smoked in years and we were coughing like mad.
i have recently been reminded that when i work forty plus hours a week, the quality of time off is far more important than it would otherwise be. i have to wait five days to have this much time again, and i want it to be as well spent as possible.
there is no real point to this blog, i just wanted to remember that i am thankful for good friends and a good time spent in the limited space i have. oh, and work is for suckers!
i have recently been reminded that when i work forty plus hours a week, the quality of time off is far more important than it would otherwise be. i have to wait five days to have this much time again, and i want it to be as well spent as possible.
there is no real point to this blog, i just wanted to remember that i am thankful for good friends and a good time spent in the limited space i have. oh, and work is for suckers!
06 July, 2008
omaha, nebraska
maria taylor's show at the doug fir last night was nothing short of incredible. maria played drums in the second opening act, and followed with a long eloquent set riddled with her intelligent banter and wit. i believe maria taylor to have the most amazing voice in music today, and anyone who has not had a chance to check out her new ep should do so. her songs have grown more eclectic, as has the lineup of her band.
thanks omaha!
thanks omaha!
04 July, 2008
28 June, 2008
it's about time (take II)
so, i procured a job. i now work at Yakima Products, which is the company that makes those racks people put on their automobiles to carry bikes, skis, kayaks, canoes, and what ever other activity gear they may have. essentially, i answer phones and take dealer orders from folks on the east coast of the u.s.. i also give consumers technical information, issue warranty stuff, and sell replacement parts. the computer system we use is in unix (sp?), and looks like what an auto parts person uses to look the availability of your headlight bulb fluid. it's fairly rad. i have never used such a non user friendly software before. makes it a bit more fun. i may be able to move soon with this new gig.
so stuff is sort of looking up, up here where i am.
still not sure about grad school. i nearly doubled my gre score, but have not yet heard if it was high enough, o if the position is still open in the program. waiting.
so stuff is sort of looking up, up here where i am.
still not sure about grad school. i nearly doubled my gre score, but have not yet heard if it was high enough, o if the position is still open in the program. waiting.
it's about time
congratulations california for finally legalizing and recognizing gay marriage!
how is it that such a fucked up state can be one of the first to make such a progressive move for civil liberties. interesting.
i'm not a huge fan of marriage, as it is traditionally and historically a misogynistic religious institution, still i am far less a fan of unequal rights and opportunities.
i hope, as a latent function of all of this, it will now be a bit easier for folks to gain citizenship through marriage. newly immigrated people will have more partners to choose from if they arrive in the usa via california.
in the end, california's decision to legalize and recognize gay marriages could be a positive note for everyone.
it may even give our two presidential candidates something to debate, as they currently have ridiculously similar platforms existing in what the media calls the "center" of what should be called the far right (if we are to use their inaccurate spectrum model).
on a separate note, what the hell is with the district of columbia legalizing 'in home' hand gun ownership for citizens. did they forget that more hand guns equal more violent crime? ah the supreme court system. one step forward, and then back again. it's like a children's game.
how is it that such a fucked up state can be one of the first to make such a progressive move for civil liberties. interesting.
i'm not a huge fan of marriage, as it is traditionally and historically a misogynistic religious institution, still i am far less a fan of unequal rights and opportunities.
i hope, as a latent function of all of this, it will now be a bit easier for folks to gain citizenship through marriage. newly immigrated people will have more partners to choose from if they arrive in the usa via california.
in the end, california's decision to legalize and recognize gay marriages could be a positive note for everyone.
it may even give our two presidential candidates something to debate, as they currently have ridiculously similar platforms existing in what the media calls the "center" of what should be called the far right (if we are to use their inaccurate spectrum model).
on a separate note, what the hell is with the district of columbia legalizing 'in home' hand gun ownership for citizens. did they forget that more hand guns equal more violent crime? ah the supreme court system. one step forward, and then back again. it's like a children's game.
09 June, 2008
peanuts on parade
penelope beatrice celebrated her first year of life this saturday! she did not smear the cupcakes and brownies I made her all over her face, and in fact hardly ate them. she was much more into vegetables and what not. both sets of grand parents attended, which made for an interesting debacle once all the older kids started soaking up their tequila. bunz spent the majority of the day playing in the grass and on the living room floor with random people who came over to wish her a happy birthday.
somehow we missed neglected to celebrate emily's (penelope's mother) experience, now one year past. we didn't talk much about that after penelope was off to bed the rest of us continued to celebrate her birth with booze and bonn-fire. one element i think it is important to address is the celebration of emily's (penelope'semily did one year ago on that day, but it was one of the most incredible actions i have ever seen another person experience. no doubt, it was further enhanced by the fact that i could never experience such a thing. i understand the cultural importance of the new child, but is it not equally important and courteous to acknowledge the work of the child's mother. emily's body changed more than it ever has, or likely will, in such a short expanse of time. her emotions shifted, reversed, and became new. everything in her life changed for the better, and for the worse. her life is so different now that our amazing, everlasting relationship is in a state of severe ill-repair. condemned, were it a building, hazardous to swimmers, were it a stream. such a grandiose affect on the life of one person deserves a high level of appreciation and reflection. so thanks emily! thanks for going through everything that went during that whole process. you are one tough lady!
somehow we missed neglected to celebrate emily's (penelope's mother) experience, now one year past. we didn't talk much about that after penelope was off to bed the rest of us continued to celebrate her birth with booze and bonn-fire. one element i think it is important to address is the celebration of emily's (penelope'semily did one year ago on that day, but it was one of the most incredible actions i have ever seen another person experience. no doubt, it was further enhanced by the fact that i could never experience such a thing. i understand the cultural importance of the new child, but is it not equally important and courteous to acknowledge the work of the child's mother. emily's body changed more than it ever has, or likely will, in such a short expanse of time. her emotions shifted, reversed, and became new. everything in her life changed for the better, and for the worse. her life is so different now that our amazing, everlasting relationship is in a state of severe ill-repair. condemned, were it a building, hazardous to swimmers, were it a stream. such a grandiose affect on the life of one person deserves a high level of appreciation and reflection. so thanks emily! thanks for going through everything that went during that whole process. you are one tough lady!
02 June, 2008
walking is still...
feeling this way, sometimes, is all-right.
this way, feeling, sometimes is all-right.
all-right, sometimes, is feeling this way.
feeling sometimes, this way, is all-right.
sometimes feeling this way , is all-right.
all-right, is feeling this way, sometimes.
feeling all-right, this way, is sometimes.
this way, feeling, sometimes is all-right.
all-right, sometimes, is feeling this way.
feeling sometimes, this way, is all-right.
sometimes feeling this way , is all-right.
all-right, is feeling this way, sometimes.
feeling all-right, this way, is sometimes.
second row, fourth from the rear
so you go to college, with the intention of excommunicating yourself from food service employment. possibly with the intention that after all of this intensive inundation of knowledge you might have the option of choosing an occupation, rather than settling for shit.
no dice friend. a bachelor's degree will do nothing for you today. least of all a degree in the social sciences.
back to the addiction codling food service industry it is.
you have heard the story you now recite, and still it is news to you. should you have listened more closely? is it acceptable that you sought a college degree based on your romantic ideals, and not on any pragmatic reasoning of the future? must be so, since you are signed up for a second tour of duty.
now to convince myself that minimum wage, plus tips, is exciting and new. could be. but will it pay rent, childcare and bills? we shall see.
not much of a fun blog. stuff is not all that fun right now. try back later.
08 May, 2008
two cans and one piece of string
the leaves are back. it's a sound only they can create, & a sensation in my esophagus only they can create. so thankful am i that the trees have bloomed again. if only it would become warm in this rainy state, i would too.
having a drink at a local hole named "the red flag" this evening, and i thinking back on the day/month/decade, as if there were time for all of that, about some things that were said between friends that did not (could not?) come true. not mere lip-service, rather words spoken through tears on hugged shoulders. most of them for that matter. not that long term planning and expectations of things in life is a plausible or worthwhile endeavor, still, I meant those hugs & tears.
telephones work both ways, locomotives travel in both directions, email & text are virtually free, and transitory seasons make me nostalgic. these things can be said for certain.
these hugs and tears were shared with folks i still consider my lifelong cohort, and on occasion it saddens me that i have grown to think of them nearly as seldom as they do me. as we grow older there is such an ever burgeoning in-box that i can't see over often enough to the folks i would otherwise miss. it is as if caring becomes an obligation i have placed aside for a day with deeper motivation. those days rarely come. for example, i am referencing them in seasons rather then days/weeks/or months. it's not as if the friends i am referring to have been replaced by new friends. rather, the convenience of our relationships is fleeting, and being replaced with new obligations.
and this is springtime.
having a drink at a local hole named "the red flag" this evening, and i thinking back on the day/month/decade, as if there were time for all of that, about some things that were said between friends that did not (could not?) come true. not mere lip-service, rather words spoken through tears on hugged shoulders. most of them for that matter. not that long term planning and expectations of things in life is a plausible or worthwhile endeavor, still, I meant those hugs & tears.
telephones work both ways, locomotives travel in both directions, email & text are virtually free, and transitory seasons make me nostalgic. these things can be said for certain.
these hugs and tears were shared with folks i still consider my lifelong cohort, and on occasion it saddens me that i have grown to think of them nearly as seldom as they do me. as we grow older there is such an ever burgeoning in-box that i can't see over often enough to the folks i would otherwise miss. it is as if caring becomes an obligation i have placed aside for a day with deeper motivation. those days rarely come. for example, i am referencing them in seasons rather then days/weeks/or months. it's not as if the friends i am referring to have been replaced by new friends. rather, the convenience of our relationships is fleeting, and being replaced with new obligations.
and this is springtime.
30 April, 2008
kind of a big day
Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) died today, aged 102 years.
not the best hallucinogenic substance, nor the most reliable, but were it not for this invention world of pop culture and a bevy of other phenomenon would be far different from what they are today. i would be a touch different from who i am today. not saying i would ever touch the juice of Satan's loin, but let's fuckin' face it, i was sixteen once just like the rest of you (& to top it off, i was living in a small town with not much else to do)! it's no assuage for your post work week blues, but i hear it can open you up to some new possibilities. no. really. i hear it!
not one to gloat or find glee for the dead i never met. rather, this day should be remembered merely for the good things he brought to one and all. for it is unto us, that he gave his only begotten visions...
not the best hallucinogenic substance, nor the most reliable, but were it not for this invention world of pop culture and a bevy of other phenomenon would be far different from what they are today. i would be a touch different from who i am today. not saying i would ever touch the juice of Satan's loin, but let's fuckin' face it, i was sixteen once just like the rest of you (& to top it off, i was living in a small town with not much else to do)! it's no assuage for your post work week blues, but i hear it can open you up to some new possibilities. no. really. i hear it!
not one to gloat or find glee for the dead i never met. rather, this day should be remembered merely for the good things he brought to one and all. for it is unto us, that he gave his only begotten visions...
17 April, 2008
i am a grad student!
i received an email today telling me that i have been accepted to the master's program in the sociology department at PSU. yes i cried. this clears up a load of issues which would have otherwise created some huge problems for me. it is also incredibly exciting because I have a ridiculous amount of research ideas waiting to be explored/funded. i am far too excited to type any further, so this will have to do. YEAH!!!!!!!!!
14 April, 2008
i am not a doormat. i'm a door prize!
well folks, it look as if this kid may some day find employment after all. after nearly four weeks of solid job searching and resume re-working, i received two interview offers today. the first is with a non-profit called Stand for Children. stand is a grass roots advocacy organization that helps school raise public funding and change funding policy concerning children's activities. this would be a great opportunity to work for something more than a paycheck, and would also be a good thing to put on my applications for grad school. the second is a desk position at a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation center called DePaul Treatment Centers. honestly i would prefer this job over the former, primarily because it i closer to the populations of folks i would like to research in the future. i will take either position, and it is really nice to have two openings at once. this way i don't have to go in to the interview all nervous and seem needy. i can enter the situation with the confidence that i can get either job, and will take the one which seems the most interesting. i didn't think anyone was ever going to contact me. the non-profit industry in portland is ridiculously competitive, and flooded with people in my same position. now if i could just hear something from grad school i could start to have some idea of what life will look like for the next year. i'm truly fortunate that these are the things i have to worry about, rather than where my next meal is coming from or if i will be raped while walking to church at night. i'm a fucking lucky person!
catchup. tid-bitz and etcetera. penelope is crawling, talking a bit, and is the only baby alive in the world. emily is rocking a huge term with like 89 credits or something ludicrous like that, and is a bit overwhelmed. she is handling it well though, with booze and friends to cope. we have two roommates right now. jared smith, who i have lived with before, is in the basement on banjo and harp. emily's friend cheryl is upstairs on the shoe percussion backup performance. so thanks to that situation we are saving a truckload of money right now. i graduated from psu a few weeks ago. no big party yet, but that will definitely come if i get into grad school.
enough for now. gerow is signing off for the evening. sweet dreams.
catchup. tid-bitz and etcetera. penelope is crawling, talking a bit, and is the only baby alive in the world. emily is rocking a huge term with like 89 credits or something ludicrous like that, and is a bit overwhelmed. she is handling it well though, with booze and friends to cope. we have two roommates right now. jared smith, who i have lived with before, is in the basement on banjo and harp. emily's friend cheryl is upstairs on the shoe percussion backup performance. so thanks to that situation we are saving a truckload of money right now. i graduated from psu a few weeks ago. no big party yet, but that will definitely come if i get into grad school.
enough for now. gerow is signing off for the evening. sweet dreams.
19 March, 2008
i am rupert murdoch's private mistress.
i do not have a myspace, facebook, or any other sort of social networking account. word on the street is that one or more of my friends may have created a page for me on one of these sites. these are pages created by my fans who love me dearly, and wish to have their names dropped in my blog. not going to happen. this kid has no web dedications aside from this ever famous publication.
i don't want to support rupert murdoch in any way (aside from his occasional tryst), have no desire to waste more time on my computer, already communicate with friends on the level i can handle, am a closet neo-luddite, and find a delicious self-righteous gratification in excluding myself from activities everyone else i know does. oh yeah, being a self-righteous asshole is still rad!
furthermore, i don't have any "friends back home" who need to find me in the either.
i realize it is libelous to admit my affairs with my pet rupert, but it's only because he will never admit it.
i don't want to support rupert murdoch in any way (aside from his occasional tryst), have no desire to waste more time on my computer, already communicate with friends on the level i can handle, am a closet neo-luddite, and find a delicious self-righteous gratification in excluding myself from activities everyone else i know does. oh yeah, being a self-righteous asshole is still rad!
furthermore, i don't have any "friends back home" who need to find me in the either.
i realize it is libelous to admit my affairs with my pet rupert, but it's only because he will never admit it.
14 March, 2008
so, am i a sociologist yet?
i don't actually care to answer that question. as many of my faithful readers know, i find these lines we draw between sciences and disciplines to be quite problematic.
i completed my final two courses to earn a "bachelor of arts in sociology with a minor in black studies" degree this afternoon. i guess i am officially graduated, although i am not attending a ceremony and my diploma will not be mailed to me until a few months from now.
supposedly i am excited. this is what everyone tells me anyhow. the truth of the matter is that i can not tear my mind away from getting into graduate school long enough to enjoy this moment. between finding a descent occupation to bide my time and waiting for the disappointing letter carrier's delivery every day i can not force myself to get excited about graduating. and it's not only that. the extreme devaluation of the bachelor's degree in our post-modern society is really getting me down. it doesn't have much of an affect on my getting a job. it is essentially portrayed as the new high-school diploma for people in my demographic, and we all know what those are worth these days. i'm so focused on the carrot at the end of the stick that i am missing sight of the process of reaching it. we call this progress, but it feels more like numbness.
then i hear how pessimistic and defeatist this all reads, and begin to realize that i don't need to let anxiety get the best of me. i'm going to enjoy this if it kills me! i worked my ass off for the past four years, and should be proud i found the top of this hill. four years ago i went to college because i wacked off my index finger and did not have any desire to work any longer. it was college or houselessness for this cat. no way did i believe it would last. i have the faith in phenomenon i would imagine an earwig to hold (not ten times their weight). i am more intelligent for it, more understanding, articulate, ready, and willing to chew through buildings. this blog will hopefully not be as celebratory as this thing gets (my countless readers know how i feel about internet activism and celebration). there should be a gathering and incinerating of various articles of furniture and clothing in the near future. this will likely be followed by some "i love you" and the reciprocal "i love you too" statements. or so i would only expect. for now this business should come to a close. i have big things to get in my mix of! that is not code for "diapers to change". although, that is also true. L'Chaim!
i completed my final two courses to earn a "bachelor of arts in sociology with a minor in black studies" degree this afternoon. i guess i am officially graduated, although i am not attending a ceremony and my diploma will not be mailed to me until a few months from now.
supposedly i am excited. this is what everyone tells me anyhow. the truth of the matter is that i can not tear my mind away from getting into graduate school long enough to enjoy this moment. between finding a descent occupation to bide my time and waiting for the disappointing letter carrier's delivery every day i can not force myself to get excited about graduating. and it's not only that. the extreme devaluation of the bachelor's degree in our post-modern society is really getting me down. it doesn't have much of an affect on my getting a job. it is essentially portrayed as the new high-school diploma for people in my demographic, and we all know what those are worth these days. i'm so focused on the carrot at the end of the stick that i am missing sight of the process of reaching it. we call this progress, but it feels more like numbness.
then i hear how pessimistic and defeatist this all reads, and begin to realize that i don't need to let anxiety get the best of me. i'm going to enjoy this if it kills me! i worked my ass off for the past four years, and should be proud i found the top of this hill. four years ago i went to college because i wacked off my index finger and did not have any desire to work any longer. it was college or houselessness for this cat. no way did i believe it would last. i have the faith in phenomenon i would imagine an earwig to hold (not ten times their weight). i am more intelligent for it, more understanding, articulate, ready, and willing to chew through buildings. this blog will hopefully not be as celebratory as this thing gets (my countless readers know how i feel about internet activism and celebration). there should be a gathering and incinerating of various articles of furniture and clothing in the near future. this will likely be followed by some "i love you" and the reciprocal "i love you too" statements. or so i would only expect. for now this business should come to a close. i have big things to get in my mix of! that is not code for "diapers to change". although, that is also true. L'Chaim!
12 March, 2008
stop!
it will come and go, and i will miss it-
miss it because i am looking for something else-
or have no notion of what to be looking for-
likely because i give it a specific name before it exists-
i paint it before it is able to be conceptualized-
i listened to the cues of what i "should" be feeling-
and for the remainder of time in this life i will think it is in the future-
never wondering if it went by unnoticed-
it will-
the best day of my life will likely not be acknowledged-
miss it because i am looking for something else-
or have no notion of what to be looking for-
likely because i give it a specific name before it exists-
i paint it before it is able to be conceptualized-
i listened to the cues of what i "should" be feeling-
and for the remainder of time in this life i will think it is in the future-
never wondering if it went by unnoticed-
it will-
the best day of my life will likely not be acknowledged-
11 March, 2008
(*&^%
as they said it would be, she traded her notebooks for foreign film collection and the newest of coats-
painted old walls to rename spaces and when dry applied a second and forth-
seeing old statues with pock marks galore, mold growing places we’d never explore-
she had a want to keep a fist in the air-
overlooked by the comfort of waiting room’s conditioned air-
painted old walls to rename spaces and when dry applied a second and forth-
seeing old statues with pock marks galore, mold growing places we’d never explore-
she had a want to keep a fist in the air-
overlooked by the comfort of waiting room’s conditioned air-
06 March, 2008
Regarding: "Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center" by bell hooks
in her chapter on revolutionary parenting, bell hooks wrote about public ideals toward motherhood and love. she addressed the societal belief that every woman is expected to have a natural love for and connection with children. on the contrary, some mothers do not love their children, some fathers love their children more than mothers, some children do not love their parents, some people have no desire to relate to children in any way. hooks was writing about the sociology of love and emotions in this section, and made a clear point that gendered assumptions regarding children and love are often bias and false. the fact that you are related to someone does not enact love, nor does being a parent or child. some people feel love through the obligatory connection of blood relationships, some need time and experience to feel love for another person, and still others have their own personal parameters which create what they consider a loving relationship. as it is a bonding agent of some of the most intimate forms of social integration, i appreciate it when theorists address ideas of love in society.
i honestly enjoyed this book, and have recommended it to several friends. It does not hold a definite answer to the centuries old issues of sexist oppression, however, bell hooks, in her genius way, writes a foundation to build further theory and active participatory movements on.
i honestly enjoyed this book, and have recommended it to several friends. It does not hold a definite answer to the centuries old issues of sexist oppression, however, bell hooks, in her genius way, writes a foundation to build further theory and active participatory movements on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
