Here's to you Mrs. Morrison

A friend directed me to a blog post by Patricia Morrison, who is a sci-fi author, Jim’s witchy widow, and retired rock critic. She offers up an interesting take on the "politics 08":

http://mojohotel.blogspot.com/2008/06/oh-i-run-from-hillabama-with-my-banjo.html

All Hail the Lizard Queen…why not?

The Obama Dilemma: Response to Rachel's Comment

I agree with you, Rachel. I think it's sad to see people who actually believe that Obama's presidency will trigger the demise of the free world. Letting such "paranoias," as you call them, dominate our perspective is a dangerous game. But there's a difference between paranoia and skepticism, and one has to wonder why Obama inspires so much of both.

Each candidate has weak points that are exploited by the media and the opposition. Obama isn't the only one on the rostrum taking heavy flak, but his past and present connections make him (or at least they should) laughably damnable. Yet somehow the mainstream press continue to declare him the conquering hero of America while continually slamming Clinton and McCain for various petty and ignoble reasons. Their supporters never hasten to their defense as fiercely as Obama's disciples. Why is this? Every candidate is deserving of criticism, and each takes responsibility for their own defense. Hillary must stand up against a torrent of misogynistic generalizations and sordid Lewinsky reminiscences, while McCain has to prove he won't just keel over while being sworn in. These are, according to the media, legitimate prejudices. So why draw the line at Obama? Obviously he has his share of explaining to do, just like everyone else. But he has the media on his side, glorifying his candidacy at every turn and occasionally divulging some unseemly details that are just too glaring to ignore.

Let's keep in mind that a skeptical imagination is a good thing; it helps us to look beyond the polished electables behind the podium. And, by and large, the exaggerated characters that arise normally reside on SNL rather than in heartfelt American convictions. So take a breather, sentinels. If Obama's so great, he can stand up for himself, right? Not that he needs any more praise...

On Extremism and Humor

Why is it we can't all have a good laugh at the expense of our so-called pillars of civic rectitude? SNL has been helping us do it for years.

Of course it's unlikely that Obama will dissolve the constitution in viva la revolucion fashion, but it sure would make a good movie. And imagining this isn't such a stretch, is it? We can all easily see (if we relinquish for a moment our staunch Obamic piety) a newly elected Hussein screaming the Guevara mantra into his inaugural microphone, donning a red baret and firing a few rounds into the sky. If this doesn't make you laugh, it should at least make you uncomfortable with the prospect, regardless of how improbable it may be.

I could easily have offered a similarly extreme perspective of Clinton or McCain, and gladly will, if it makes you feel any better about poor Obama and his "somewhat unseemly" past. Of course, if his candidacy requires so much defense, you might wonder why we should spend so much time as his sentinels in the first place.

On a more personal note, I must confess a sense of admiration for the man. It takes someone with real conviction to publicly justify his refusal of the American flag. Is the gesture arguably anti-American? Of course. Does it fit neatly into the hyperbolic profile of Obama as militant terrorist? Surely. But it also reveals him to be a thinking, analytical being with perhaps a greater agenda than making himself politically attractive. Still, it's hard to say he's worth my vote, especially considering the risks...

Obama bin Laden?

Barack Obama has been gliding along the campaign trail with almost fiendish stealth, subtly blotting out (or at least concealing) all traces of anti-Americanism and terrorist affiliations as they are dragged from his closet. The fact that we are still considering him as a serious candidate seems a bit humorous, like an electoral Candid Camera pointed directly at America's p.c. reconciliation after 9/11. Will the people reject him for his eerie resemblance to the U.S. anathema, or will they embrace him in all of his unconventional glory? How much more will they take before his candidacy becomes laughable?

It's just hard to believe that, considering his past, Obama has truly relinquished his long held resentment of America and his militant ties. We have to remember that he's a politician with an agenda, pandering, performing, and painting himself as the electable moderate who can woo anyone with dark charm and a slice of gilded apple pie. After all, the American public would never elect Barack Hussein Obama, the radical anti-capitalist, if he gave his speeches in a bandolier and Black Panther fatigues. He'll save that outfit for the inauguration.

Don't get me wrong. I think he's an affable chap, but the skeletons he's been hiding are ghastly, and certainly more than enough to oust any whitey from the race (no pun intended). I verily believe that we are much more willing to overlook his frightening history because he's a minority, and no one wants to be hatin' on the black guy. But racism doesn't have to come into play to pit all of America against a possible terrorist, or a socialist (Clinton), or a warmonger (McCain). Here's an idea...DON'T VOTE!!!

Is there anyone alive out there?

Fear of Failure

I just want to say we are coming to an end here and I will miss all of you, but some of us are graduating and have fear of what is next. Well, I am reading a book called the Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho and he says, “People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.” (pg. 130)

I just want to say how appropriate this book is for an ending to this semester. This quote signifies what each one of us that are graduating may fear of failure. Here we are moving through life with school and it is coming to an end. What is next? What am I going to do? These were a few thoughts I have now that I am graduating, how about you? I almost feel a sense of insecurity and fear of not becoming successful. School was a cushion for me and now it is gone. I have spoken to others that are graduating and they feel the same way.

It is interesting because I have been sending out resumes to all the top jobs, you know the ones that everyone wants, but I took a step back and realized that no matter what you or I do in life, as long as you are happy, then that is what success is all about. So, I started just applying for jobs that made sense and stopped worrying about when my phone was going to ring. This was the only way I would be content with myself.

I hope that all of you are successful or I should say happy with your lives after graduation. And remember you are the only one who can hold you back from success, so do what makes you happy and don't worry about what others think.

Enjoy Your Summer

In class today after handing Dr. Harrison my manila folder, my heart began to pound and my shoulders seemed lighter. This blogging class was my last class of my undergraduate career. It's sad to think about considering I have many memories here at FGCU. I am also happy because it is time to start a new chapter in my life, a full-time job and graduate school. I am now able to draw a line through #2 on my goal list: Complete my Bachelor's Degree with honors. Now I am on to the next thing, traveling.

It has been a pleasure having a class with all you and I hope whatever you may do, it turns out great. Enjoy your summer.

Pardon My Norman Invasion

The “f” word is a holdover from Old English that became popular after the Norman Invasion. Say the “f” word aloud, if you can. If you’re at work, read this post later. Pay attention to the way the word leaves your mouth and causes air to move quickly as if you were releasing something. If you say the word with enough emphasis you can notice your chest rise and fall. Your head will also move forward slightly as if you were spitting out sour milk. Perhaps the word’s release factor is why it is the first word that comes to mind when you stub your toe. Pain enters your body via toe and exits via mouth; therefore, there is nothing wrong with using the word.
For those of us who do not swear, there are safe alternatives. The –uck ending is what causes the release. The word yuck, for example, offers our bodies the same release without the vulgar annoyance. When you get back your taxes and only make twenty dollars on your return, try repeating this poem, and feel better.
Chickens cluck and corn is shucked,
I once had a duck his name was chuck,
My poker hand’s muck, I’m out of luck
I feel so much better if I said the word…

Realizations

As the days burn by on my journey through life, the fact that my own mortality occurs to me more often is strange. My prolific diet of nicotine, caffeine and alcohol becomes more questionable in this journey with multiple stops but no destination. Goals and achievements become both coveted and tarnished when held up to the prism of my own mortality.

For the first time in my life I find myself wondering if I should eat healthier, perhaps exercise and (God forbid) quit smoking. The notion of leaving this world is not a nightmare-fueled fear, but rather a bittersweet concession to reality. I have no fear of death, but rather a nagging notion that I have more to do before I can embrace the eternal rest of death. I have always accepted my own mortality, even used it to justify my optimism at every day spent on Earth, so self-awareness is not the cause for this sudden preoccupation with my own mortality.

Rather it is the mortality of others that has me contemplating my own mortality. From the unexplainable loss of a newborn to the slow living-death of a parent, my own lack of reverence for my time spent on Earth has me examining my life. Quality has always trumped quantity in my personal evaluation of my own life, I just never had to deconstruct and closely examine my personal definition of quality before.

The pursuit of happiness becomes less clear as my experiences accumulate, forcing me to discard the habitual acceptance of short-term contentment for the more opaque acceptance of implied responsibilities and relationship-based commitments.

In the context of family and business obligations, what I once considered self-destructive personal decisions now are seen as irresponsible hedonism. My own health and longevity are no longer the sole ante paid in this game, but it is the responsibilities that I can not fulfill if not alive that are the true cost.

I have successfully avoided both matrimony and procreation in a conscious attempt to limit my own liability and increase my long-term freedom, and still believe that neither equals salvation in any conceivable shape or form. Yet changing family dynamics and the choices of others has placed me in the position where my continued existence now outweighs my contentment with my current life. This realization has been avoided for years, but recent events have made its denial impossible, and as with most things, once it has been learned it can not be unlearned.

The only question that remains is if perspective can be altered in order to extract contentment from the fulfillment of implied responsibilities as easily as excitement was extracted from the avoidance of concrete responsibilities.

Its so hard to say Goodbye...

We've come to the end of the road and I’m actually saddened by the thought. This was a great class with a lot of outstanding writers. I'm grateful to have shared the past 15 weeks with you all. Our fearless leader took most of us from untried blogger neophyte and molded us into lean mean blogging machines. Okay it’s early in the morning, I haven’t brewed my coffee and I’m way over the top. But nevertheless this has been one of the more entertaining and informative of classes I’ve taken. I’m glad I stuck it out to the end. It’s been a pleasure blogging with all of you and I hope many of you continue with your blogs. The blog world will be diminished if you don’t.

Congrats to all the graduates. For the rest of you, enjoy your summer, get your service learning papers in to the office early rather than later and see you around campus.

I’ll leave you with a video that illustrates how I feel at this moment.

(D)Evolution of the Blog

While perusing the musty cases of Echo: Vintage books and Vinyl downtown, I stumbled upon a fantastic first-edition copy of Pundits, Poets, & Wits: An Omnibus of American Newspaper Columns.

The compendium contains some of the best American sarcasm and commentary you will ever read, all written in the first-person pre-bloggerly mode of the columnist. Featured writers include a conspicuously electric Silence Dogood, Frederick Douglas, Walt Whitman, E.B. White, James Reston, and Dave Barry. The selected pieces are essentially paper-bound blog posts - timely, reactive, and socially engaging - without hyperlinks (although I am quite sure Whitman would have used them if he was able).

Each article is incisive and meticulously crafted, recalling a time when megaphones couldn't afford to be braindead (or at least couldn't publish themselves). The columns are representative of "blogging" before blogging, a small subset of great and accredited minds who generated artful commentary in hearty defiance of today's vox nihili.

Check this book out. You'll like it, I swear. Read the whole thing, a single column or just a few lines. This is American wit at its finest.

Mangrove Review

Since we are a class of writers, I thought I'd pass along the fact that Mangrove Review (our campus literary magazine) is having our year-end celebration this Friday. It's at 6 p.m. in the Sugden Welcome Center, there will be free food, and you'll get to hear some fellow students read their work.

Hope to see you there!

It's always the last One

Oy. I'm down to my last portfolio entry and it's driving me nuts. There's three I really like, three I think that would suffice, and therefore three potential candidates. One is witty, and two are serious, but which one is best? I know all the critera for selecting the best one, yet I can't seem to get enough distance from my blog to be objective. Where's my roomate when I need a voice of reason? I think I'm coming to the realization that I really like my blog, and I really don't like picking it apart: declaring some entries crappy and others well-executed. Bleh. Anyone else having this problem?

Tax day got you down?

This really won't help in any constructive way will cheer you up at least... maybe.

Encouraged by Morgan's post about LOLcats, I'm going to share The Cutest Blog Ever. I just found this site last week through The Webby Awards, where you vote for your favorite blogs and other websites.





Cute-overload posted about this kitten, Meme-bon, a few days ago. For a wee animal, she's huge in Japan.

Kenneth Cole Infiltrates Campus

Was anyone else accosted by a pushy fashionista on Tuesday? Twice, as I rounded the corner between Howard and Griffin Hall, I managed to fall victim to a Kenneth Cole representative's desperate promotions and annoyingly scripted hook: "hey guys, I'm from Kenneth Cole and we're putting on an event for you guys!"

The perpetrator, armed to the teeth with long leather boots, those insectoid sunglasses that every female insists upon wearing, and a gaudy display of handbags, occupied a space normally reserved for student organizations and fundraising efforts.

Who let them on campus? Apparently the only university mandate was that they euphemize "shameless unaffiliated advertising" as "event promotion," but the end result was still annoyingly commercial and misaligned with FGCU's modus operandi. I hope this doesn't signal a slow decline of civic and academic integrity here on campus, although I could use some new boots...

I Am Dread and Speechless

This is one of the few times I am speechless. I can only mourn this death. Read this, please. No, don't pay attention to the way the article is written, that is a different issue. Just follow the "plotline", if you can.

Cheesy Yet Satisfying

Some things considered a travesty by today’s standard were oh-so-cool back in the day. Enter Princess Leia’s aluminum foil jewelry. Oddly, it works for her. Or may be it just worked in the 70’s. I really don’t know. But clearly, if someone tried that today, you can be certain the film would be hitting the racks as a B movie. How George Lucas turned it classic instead of tacky I have yet too discover. The ceremony at the end Episode IV remains one of the most poignant in classic sci-fi. Personally, I am willing to credit John Williams 50% of the success due to his awesome music score in that section of the film, but the vision remains George Lucas. All hail George! All hail George! King of Science Fiction!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

The awesome thing about a blogging class (and most creative writing classes, really) is that you get to know this weird little slice of all the people in the class.

I know everyone's name (though it took me a little longer to pair names with faces for the people sitting behind me), and I know everyone's blog. We've all put a little bit of ourselves out there for everyone to read this semester, and it's been a lot of fun. The only other experience I've had like this was when I took a creative non-fiction class last year. When you are constantly writing and reading the writing of your peers, it's kind of a bonding experience, no?

Okay so I’m much of a cat person but this website is hilarious. A friend of mine turned me on to it and i could have spent hours flipping through the pictures.

Disclaimer: spelling is atrocious. It bothered me at first too.

I think we've all been there.

Music Snobbery at its Finest.

If you are anything like me, and find yourself rummaging through the same old cd's and singing to those same songs with a bit less fervor you might want to try Pitchfork. This music website has something for everyone. Click it. You just might like it.

It's a Conspiracy.

Why is it every fashion template for blogger has so much pink? Even the name brand ones like Chanel. It bothers me that pink is the color being associated with style. It places limits. I prefer my life with more colors than just pink and fashion certainly associates with other colors. Some colors are even more popular. There are plenty of people who would rather shades of blue be the theme. It feels like they automatically assume anyone who enjoys fashion must be a consummate girly- girl who adores pink. Personally, I left that particular color with my Barbi corvette, Barbi house,…Barbi. It’s a shame none of the template designers did the same.

Skating Rink: a Nice Feeling

Is there anyone who likes skating. I "discovered" this place in Fort Myers, behind the Chrysler dealer. It was my first time there, and I liked it. I fell twice. Uhmmm, maybe three! Somebody was there to help me! I thought it was amazing they wanted to give a hand. No so many people in the US offered me theirs (hand)! In a way, I thought I was home. It was as if those people could be my friend, as if I knew them already. It was one of the rare times where I didn't feel alone among Americans. It was one of the rare times where I wasn't a ghost, and people didn't tear apart my invisible body.

It was a nice feeling!

Everywhere A Starbucks

Every morning I go to Starbucks and order coffee. Over the years I have been so conditioned to the taste of their "special" brew that I can now chug it down in the morning without snarling. For someone who doesn't particularly love the taste of their coffee, I drink it like a fool. And I do so because it is so damn convenient.

Starbucks are everywhere, and I hate to say it but frequenting them can be quite the experience. You order a drink, it takes too long, and before your blood pressure can even start to rise, someone hands you a cardboard placard for a free drink-which is the equivalent of them saying: "We know you are a big baby, don't cry. Just take this coupon and bring it back here tomorrow morning."

Even the music they sell enrages me because for the most part I cannot find any fault with it. Who can argue with old Stax compilations, Sinatra and Sam Cooke?

I bring all this up because there is a new independently owned cafe in town called Bennett’s Fresh Roast. They roast their beans every morning and hand make their very own doughnuts, special touches that only an independently owned coffee joint can give.

Sigh. But I just don't care anymore. I have seen the future that has tamed the great white whale of commercialism and it is good.

Wishing for a World of Typos

A typographical error or typo is a mistake made during, originally, the manual type-setting (typography) of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but excludes errors of ignorance.

Too often, however, ignorance plays a huge part, turning what might have been euphemized as a slip of the finger into a glaring stylistic, orthographical, or grammatical error. We are all guilty of such faux pas (and aren't getting paid enough to take the time to publish our own corrigenda), but at least we can try to cut down on the really obvious flaws that make us look bad. Here are some that really bother me, with the incorrect usage listed first:

"suppose to do something" rather than "supposed to do something"

"heighth and width" rather than "height and width"

"supposably" rather than "supposedly"

"Valentimes Day" rather than...if you don't know this one, you are an idiot.

"alot" rather than "a lot"

"carmel" rather than "caramel"

"irregardless" rather than "regardless"

"flustrated" rather than "frustrated"

Please add more!!!

American Idols

STOP climate change. END human trafficking. ELIMINATE Genocide. STAMP OUT world hunger. With your help, we can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Such commands and do-good drivel are routinely doled out in droves on popular television and college campuses alike, begging for almost godly aid in futile human battles. Can any one person ensure world peace? Any dollar? Any god? Of course not, but such programs as "Idol Gives Back" would have us think otherwise, placing such burdens upon the American demigod who is overjoyed to hear the news: "I can end world hunger!"

The concept of international charity is more selfish than its name implies; it satisfies the imperialist need to feel intransigently powerful. We see the starving black subaltern through American airwaves, and, although we may cry, we extract a strange euphoria from the fact that we can feed him for a week with just 75 cents. This is true power.

But while we sit around munching our KFC chicken wings and feeling good about ourselves, our well-intended pocket change perpetuates the problem. It spawns a society dependent upon parachuting breadbaskets. It makes the impoverished townsfolk more vulnerable to depredations. I can still remember a disillusioned George Clooney describing how charity recipients in Darfur had become new targets of exploitation.

Programs like "Idol Gives Back" don't give the poor a voice, they just give us a louder one - an excuse to party harder and revel in our apotheosis. Ironically, this is why we are "giving back." We rely upon the collective suffering of the subaltern for our own idolic decadence. So thanks a lot, you massive heart of darkness. Here's a few bucks to get you through the month. Your idols will see you again next year.

Idol: a. an image used as an object of worship
b. a false god

Forward-Thinking Americans

The Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote:



"Frankly I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was "well timed," according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never." We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."



In 1963, these words and the accompanying actions by thousands of civil rights pioneers made our nation hopeful in some quarters, uncomfortable in others, and downright scared in others. Everyday folks of all races wondered where these protests would lead.



Today, in a time in which major presidential contenders are representative of different races, genders, and backgrounds, we certainly see progress from the time of Dr. King's letters. Such progress can make us comfortable, and if we aren't careful, that level of comfort with the status quo can hide injustice and unfairness in our midst. It can stifle a sense of urgency on the part of forward-thinking Americans.



I can only hope we avoid a comfort level that makes us forget we are all equal and that our actions can either promote or hinder fairness toward others. When we learn to give, as they have done so generously, I hope it is with an open mind about the experiences and priorities of others, especially those of other races and cultures.



One has to understand history to understand King's sense of urgency in 1963. However, one needs only to open eyes widely in our own community to understand that there is still a need for the justice and action that King called for.

Is Peace Idealistic?

I do believe that peace is an idea at this point in our world. I'm by far a negative person, but I do however undertand the reality of our world. We all have different views, but my view is that pride and greed are the number one cause that peace is inevitable. The only peace that we have is the one that come from within ourselves. I have always wondered, why people do mean and hateful things to each other? And I have came to the realization that people are who they are... human, and with hope we will find our way to be above all this foolish pride and greed. I believe also, that with peace comes acceptance, if we learn to accept one another for who we are, whether it good or bad, we could eventually learn from one another.

We are only human, so is pride, greed, and judgement our natural behavior and will always have an impact on this world? We strive to live and learn from our actions, and will continue to until the day we no longer think as humans and go into a more spiritual realm. This is when the fighting stops and we all become one. There is so much we still need to learn and only few have mastered it. Jesus for example, was one in history that mastered what we call peace. People couldn't understand it and what people don't understand gives them fear, so in essence fear is why they wanted him crucified. I can only hope that one day generation after generation, we will learn from our past and use it to reflect and better our futures.

So close yet so far

If one more graduating senior comes to my office or calls my phone with the words “I didn’t know there was a deadline” for turning in service hours I can’t promise to be responsible for my responses any longer. If I were queen of the world I’d shout out “off with their heads” and go about my merry way.

The deadline for turning in paperwork was March 31st as posted on the FGCU website had students bothered to look. The excuses given have run the gamut of “I forgot to turn in my paperwork” to “I didn’t know we were suppose to turn in forms”. One young man offered me $300 to put his hours in without the accompanying paperwork (turned him down as my 401K is worth considerably more than a measly $300 and possible jail time for falsifying records). One young lady had her mother call me to find out if she should spend the money to come to her daughter’s gradation if her service requirement isn’t met. Geezy Peezy!

If you are graduating in a few weeks and your service hours are in then congratulations and have a good life. If you are graduating and your paperwork for service learning isn’t in by now, let’s just say you’ll be walking in the ceremony but don’t be too surprised when your degree doesn’t get certified for Spring 08. Certifying degrees is handled by the Registrar’s office. Once they start checking graduation requirements, if all of yours aren’t met you will not be a graduate of FGCU. Never fear though, you can always apply for Summer graduation.

Deadly Strain

Prior to becoming an English major, Biology was my forte. Given my extensive research in microbiology, I feel confident in asserting that I have nailed down a virulent strain that has been plaguing college campuses nationwide since the dawn of time. Put on your mask. No, not the little green one with the nifty strings that tie around your ears. I’m talking the level four containment mask.

Procrastitis bacillus is a deadly gram negative rod striking everyone from lowly freshman to on-the-verge-of-graduating seniors. It enters through the mouth, generally accompanying hops or barley over spring break. By the time school has returned to normal it has lodged itself deep in the central nervous system.

Incubation period is approximately 5-10 days. Initially, after returning from break individuals will pursue studies with considerable vigor. During this period P. bacillus is rapidly multiplying, infiltrating the cerebrum, ears, eyes, hands, and feet.

When the viral load has reached approximately one million P. bacillus individuals, symptoms will become manifest:

-First, pupil will find their hands incapable of writing notes or typing papers
-Then, pupil’s brain will no longer be able to process information being taken in through pupil’s viral laden eyes and ears
-Finally, pupil’s feet will refuse to take pupil to class

Penicillin is ineffective.

There is no known cure.

Graduation Is Near

Searching for graduation details on the FGCU website, I came across information about honor cords and how they should be ordered with the cap and gown. I started to freak out because I did not order any cords and I definitely worked hard to get the G.P.A. I have. After a sudden panic, I called the bookstore and asked if I had to purchase my honor cords for graduation with my cap and gown. The lady's reply "No, it is not too late to purchase honor cords. You can purchase them with your cap and gown for $12.00."

I was relieved when I hung up the phone. It finally hit me today that I will be graduating in 16 days. Before today, I told people I was graduating with no enthusiasm because I was not done with classes. Now that classes are coming to an end and I am getting myself ready for the real world, I have become excited to what the future can bring.

So, the next time someone asks me about when I am graduating, I will say in an enthused voice, "It is soon and I will be an educated woman on paper."

Some interesting reading

I recently had to read this article by Herbert Meyer for my Foundations of Civic Engagement class. I enjoyed reading it so much that I felt I would share it with you. 

Spare the Rod...

Have any of you read this story? It's disturbing. Apparently, eight Polk County, FL teens, ages 14 to 18, were arrested for luring a former friend into a house and beating her senseless. Oh yeah, and while they ganged up on her, they videotaped it. They filmed everything but the two guys standing outside playing look-out. The victim, 17 year old Victoria Lindsay, had apparently badmouthed the girls on Myspace. To seek their revenge, the girls lured her into the Mulberry, FL home she was temporarily living in (which is where the story gets even more twisted) and beat her for 30 minutes so that they could post it on Youtube. That'll teach her!

The beating took place in the home of Mercedes Nichols, one of the attackers. Lindsay had been staying with Nichols for about a week because Lindsay had been having problems with her parents. Nichols' mom, Christina Garcia, has done several interviews since the attack, and claims that her daughter tried to warn Lindsay, and that an adult neighbor heard the warning. But during the 30 minute beating, neither Nichols nor the unidentified adult witness called the police.

This crime is disturbing. It hits close to home for me, because I live in Polk County. My siblings grew up in Mulberry. Oh, and one of the little twits is my cousin's ex-girlfriend (I tried to tell him she was trouble).

All eight were arrested and will be tried as adults. After the girls were arrested, they were LAUGHING ABOUT IT, and joking that they wouldn't be going to the beach for spring break after all. Twisted, very twisted.

I just watched an interview with Lindsay's parents. Lindsay is not in critical condition, but she definitely suffered major damages. She is recovering from a concussion, and has yet to regain hearing or vision on her left side. She also suffered several cuts and bruises. Meanwhile, her parents are blaming the Internet.

"For whatever reason, this Myspace, Youtube... It's gone too far. And what it's doing to our kid's... It's too much," said Talisa Lindsay.

"These websites that are creating a space for violent activity... As far as I am concerned, MySpace is the anti-Christ for children," claimed Patrick Lindsay.

The situation is awful. But is the Internet to blame? Is Myspace the anti-Christ? If so, does that mean I am satanic for having a Myspace account?

I would really like to see someone step up and tell parents everywhere to wake up and smell the freakin' coffee. Do you want to know why your kids are beating the crap out of each other? Because that's how they see you solve problems. Do you want to know why your kids are getting into trouble? Maybe it is because you don't keep decent tabs on them to know what they're doing. Where did these eight sets of parents think their kids were when this happened?

I'm not a parent yet, so it may be unfair for me to toss around these kinds of accusations. But I do know that when I have children, I will know where they are and who they are with, for the most part. And no, I will not spare the rod...

Coming to a Close...

The semester is almost over. We will no longer be blogging for a grade. I've really enjoyed the class and reading everyone's blogs. Just posing the question here for informational purposes- Who will be keeping up with their blog after the class has ended?

I for one plan to keep Upon A Living Canvas up and running. Anyone else?

technology and me are not bff's.

Today's post is coming from my new HP laptop. While I am pretty excited to have a new computer, the circumstances are quite troubling.

Last night, around eleven at night, I was sitting on my bed watching TV. My laptop was sitting on my desk. All of a sudden, I hear the most odd clicking sound. I started looking around trying to figure out the source of the noise. Low and behold, my laptop is making terrible noises at me. The screen turned black, and hitting any key resulted in me being reprimanded with a loud beep.

I frantically tried restarting the computer, but when it came back on there was no hope for me. Nothing was happening. My trip to Best Buy this morning gave me horrible news. That clicking sound was my hard drive dying. Not only did my it crash, but none of the data is retrievable. And of course, the last time I backed up my photos on my external hard drive was a month ago. Goodbye to my photos, schoolwork, and music.

So, lesson of this story? You can't back up your irreplaceable documents too much. Looks like I am spending part of my night redoing my workshop of Heather's blog.

Workshops...

Being in workshop today really made me realize the job I did on Todd's blog was rather dispirited. My mindset was simply there isn't a whole lot left to say. Second workshop same as the first. But I was wrong. Every presenter today was oozing zeal.
Good job guys.

Hating Topics

Remember when Professor Harrison warned us to choose our topics carefully? Well, I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t think I was quite careful enough. I so dreadfully sick of my topic already. I realize that the information hasn’t been depleted, but everything that spills onto the page feels like worthless drivel. The more in-depth we get about constructing good sentences the les able I feel to do so. That compounds the problem, because now , not only do not like what I am writing about, I feel woefully inadequate to write anything. Am I the only one feeling overwhelmed? Is any one less regretting their topic choices? If so, how are you coping?

"I can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible…"

As of late it seems that the class blog has been getting more personal with the odd story being shared here and there. Here's one of mine.

I don't live in the best neighborhood. I live downtown, which is bittersweet at best.
My house is cavernous and terribly cheap to rent. When I first met my land lord he laughed when he first saw me and said "White boy huh?" I nodded my head confirming that yes indeed I was white and then signed the lease. Before my land lord left he said "Good luck white boy." and then began laughing as he drove off.
I didn't find the comments offensive. I just remember thinking that as far as ghettos went this one wasn't all that bad. And it's true. The area I live in now is fairly safe. It has its share of drug dealers and half way houses. But for the most part things are relatively quiet around here. And to be honest, I'm really glad to live here.

I say all this because, before Florida, my friend Shane and I unknowingly moved into one of the worst ghetto's Chicago had to offer. Within the first month our apartment had been broken into. All this did was enforce a new rule of whoever was going to the bathroom past 10:00 p.m. had to knock on the others door four times; which really is as maddening and useless as it sounds.

Shortly after the break in Shane and I were told in class by an astonished classmate that the movie Judgment Night was filmed where we lived. Judgment Night indeed… That very night as we walked back home Chris pointed to some bridge and said " Yep. Look, that's the scene where the bus breaks down..." And that was also the scene where a group of men came out of the inky blackness and beat Chris and me before taking our money.

A lot more happened while we lived there, but all in all it was a good experience. My grades had never been better because in a needless way, my surroundings were teaching me not to waste my time or my potential; which is part of the reason I still cling to the outskirts of such places now. All of this is not normal I know, but the rent is terribly cheap.

Technical Difficulties

I just spent an hour working on a blog. I edited twice. It was one that I felt really good about, too. The information was good and it was divided into paragraphs. Alas, it was not meant to be read because just as I hit post- my cat happened. (I named him Rascal for a reason.)

One time I read an article about how red is the only color cats can see. I believe it, because my little darling becomes inordinately fascinated with my lips whenever I wear red lipstick. He jumps on my lap and bats at my face with his paws. I’ve never taken the time to test anything else, but I now feel I have irrefutable proof the article was telling the truth.

My cat is lazy. In fact, I am quite sure if you looked it up in the dictionary there would be his picture next to it. Nothing will entice him to play. Or at least nothing did until today. This evening I made the mistake of moving from my desk onto the sofa in the other room and I connected to the internet with a red cord. Apparently, he succumbed to color curiosity and pounced on the cord ripping it from the back of my computer just as I hit post. Since I had used the cut and paste method, there was no draft saved anywhere. I have so learned my lesson. From now on, I will sit tucked neatly behind my desk with my cat shut in the other room and I will back up my post after every sentence. Overkill? I think not. My lazy louse has turned into an attack mouser and I caught him red- uh, pawed.

God and the Toilet Bowl

A recent conversation with a friend of mine turned to religion. He posited that all religions are exactly the same; they provide humans with the same necessities and myths, whether the messenger wears an episcopal miter or Buddhist robes. He reasoned that every religion involves a transfer of value from the self to the divine path, the cause, or the ideal. Indeed, logia and precepts universally urge us to follow a code that, if upheld, will lead to a graceful life and a privileged afterlife. But I argued that these foci are ubiquitous to a fault. Surely the relationship between people and religion is similar (if not exactly the same) all across the board, but the relationship between people and their surroundings varies widely, and much of this discrepancy is attributable to religion. Different religions espouse different maxims and advocate different mindsets. They implant different beliefs and foster different relations between man and nature, nature and the cosmos. They urge different lifestyles, subordination and sovereignty. They are different, says I.

This is where the conversation shifted to my critique of over-generalization. The similarities my friend highlighted are so broad they can be applied to everything; philosophy, art, education, vocation, etc. all involve devotion to a higher order, a better life, an understanding that may never come. The aspect of worship is always there. Each field has its idols, and each disciple strives for some sense of piety and nirvana. We all have a purpose. Every action, down to the most trivial of motor functions, involves a cause and requires subservience to its method. So while my friend may have oversimplified religion, he revealed man's entire earthly existence to be an unwitting pilgrimage. Even shitting has its heaven: "ahh...sweet relief!"

Ghosting through Life

My uncle has cancer. We have watched him drop pounds and his skin become papery and opaque. There have been times when I thought he would simply become transparent and then fade into the air as I watched. He fights to live for us, but what he has achieved is mere existence. He is alive but he doesn't really get to live. Watching him makes me appreciate small things about my life every day. I can walk. I can drive. I can even stay up for longer than thirty minutes at a stretch. When I think of all the personal freedom he no longer has, I realize there are worse things than death. Like the half life he clings to so tenaciously. I am under no illusions that he does so for himself. He hangs on for us; waiting for my family to realize what I have. I can't speak for them, but the smile Uncle Bob gives me as I smuggle in food unsanctioned by his doctor tells me he is aware I now understand what he has been trying to tell me. Death is not to be feared, getting so busy one forgets to live life should be . From now on, I am going to live. If for no other reason than to guarantee that my uncle didn't hang around in vain.

Can blogging kill you?

Maybe, maybe not (so far we seem not to have lost anyone), but (via Sullivan) a NY Times article this weekend takes a look at the possibility. Money quote:

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

I'll Never Give up

It is roundup time. Many of us are tired, but there’s no need to panic. I believe this is a stage every student goes though during the spring semester. I don’t know how and why, but the spring term seems longer and harder than the fall is. Sometimes, I feel lazy too and I take a five-minutes brake. Yes only five, I am not allowed more than that. I roll all day; I just switch from a task to another until I go to sleep. If it can help, think of me when you feel indolent…

Now about our workshops. I agree with Todd, but the groups who workshop that day should foment the discussion. Last Thursday, both groups seemed to like each other blogs. I agree with almost everything they said. Both groups performed well, but I felt terribly bad for the second group because Todd, left alone, was also the only one to lead the conversation. It wasn’t fair, but HE DID GREAT!

What do we do now? Gather our energy and break through the end of the semester as if we were winning athletes!

Listen to this by Brian Mcknight

Lay Off the Sloth

Everyone has taken their turn as "end-of-the-semester" pathologist; we now have an impressive catalog of symptoms affixed to the scholastic home stretch, from laziness and truancy to writer's block. If it's a seasonal influx of Caribbean bradypus variegatus dander that hexes us in the later days of March and November, I must admit I am not immune. But a newly noted symptom known as "unenthused-ness" has caught my attention, and thanks to Rachel's recent findings in the lab, it may confound our understanding of end-of-the-semesteritus.

Unenthused-ness is marked by apparent deficiencies of the following: excitement, constructive feedback generation, and opinionated criticism. It manifests itself as the sort of general malaise you'd expect from college students itching for summer. Although perfectly congruous to previous symptomatology, unenthused-ness may have ambiguous origins. It may point to another cause.

In a class that has progressed from explaining "what a blog is" to creating, troubleshooting, improving, and maintaining one, a drastic change is to be expected between first and second-round workshops. Six weeks ago, most of us were still fumbling with the Blogger interface. Six weeks ago, we were typing without checks or feedback (aside from the occasional and magnanimous comment thread). Needless to say, there was plenty to criticize.

First-round workshops hit some people in the face like a brick. For others, they helped with the gestation process. What we have seen already, and can expect to see in upcoming workshops, are the results of our advice and criticism. At this point in the semester, there should be less to say. I don't mean our workshops should be without fervor, but I expect to see more well-established blogs that defy criticism.

Unenthused-ness is a symptom of bloggerly improvement. So let's just wait a minute before we blame less-than-scathing workshops on old Three-toes as well. He has enough problems as it is.

is the american dream a reality?

I am looking at one more year of college. One more year before I have to become a real adult. As the prices of daily expenses rise, I wonder if I will be able to attain the so-called American dream. Am I going to be able to attain a life style I expect with today's economy? Two car garage, white picket fence, stable job market. These are all thoughts that have been swimming around my head lately, and during a trip around Estero I took a photo that really made me think. It was a white picket fence that guarded a rusted barn and run down house.

Is the American dream one that has long since been abandoned?

A passerby informed me that the woman who owned the property kept it in amazing condition before she died two years ago. It was a quaint little place that she kept spruced up with gorgeous landscaping. Since she passed away, the city has paid off her son for the land so that they can flatten it and build a shopping plaza.

Maybe this is the new version of the dream.

Remembering MLK

At this moment, I sit at my computer desk crying. Crying because I am thinking about what today, April 4th represents to many. If you don't know, it represents the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.

Before I started writing this post, I took a look back into MLK's life and what he wanted Americans to embrace. It is hard to believe that 40 years ago a man fought for change and most of what he dreamt about came true. Americans are beginning to treat each other equally and embrace change and some Americans are still living in the past.

Below is the last speech he gave before being assassinated

Again I start to cry because MLK is part of the reason I am able to sit in a cultural classroom with fear for my life, I am able to have multicultural sister, and I have the freedom to be viewed as equal among my fellow peers.

After viewing other videos, I wondered if change would have come if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not fight for equality. I also wonder what would have happened if he was able to live his full life. Would things still have panned out the way they did? I can only wonder because I believe nobody will ever know. One thing I know for sure is that MLK will live on and he will always be a part of me. If you don't know much about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or you would like to reeducate yourself, please visit the 40th anniversary page presented by Yahoo!.

I'm getting Sleepy

I don’t know if it’s just that time of the semester or what, but I couldn’t help noticing the extremely unenthused presentations yesterday. This statement isn’t me bashing the presenters; it’s simply an observation of the class as a whole. No one seems as enthusiastic about their blogs, others’ blogs, or just talking about blogging in general. During the first round of presentations everyone seemed excited to discuss one another’s blogs, pointing out what we liked, and stomping on the things we didn’t. Why are we all so subdued? Has blogging become a chore, like so much of our other homework? Are we no longer invested in giving constructive feedback because we see the end is near? Maybe yes. Maybe no. Maybe we’re all just worn out from the demands of cranking out English papers and reading 300 pages a week, while still trying to have a social life.

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know this: presentations are way more enjoyable when everyone has an opinion, not just a person or two. I even remember there being a lively debate over Barbra’s blog last time, and I’d like to see it happen again—controversy keeps things interesting. Hopefully, we’ll see some sparks fly on Tuesday; because honestly, I don’t want to fall asleep—somehow I don’t think Dr. Harrison would approve.

Speaking American

Every semester my dad asks me what I've learned in hopes that his money spent on tuition will finally yield positive results. Since I've been in college, the results have been less than positive and almost always end in me shrugging and not really knowing what to say. Today my dad popped the question. After several minutes of thinking about what I was going to say I finally decided I had a great answer. Though the answer nearly cost me my next semester's tuition, after hearing me out I think he liked what I had come up with.

I told my father that I didn't speak English.

To his surprise, I was right.

See, I told him that I spoke American. This is when I almost lost the paycheck for the tuition. As he rolled his eyes he encouraged me to continue.

I told him that English is the base of my language, but that American is what I speak. The concept was similar to Spanish and Mexican. I was losing him, I could tell, so I had to get to the point quickly. I went on to explain that I merge the words 'whats' and 'up' to create “sup.” I great people with “yo” instead of “hello.” I explained to him that when I say I want to hang out or chill I don't literally want to dangle from a rope or sit in a freezer, but that I want to enjoy time with others doing exciting or relaxing things. Finally! He was getting it! What shocked my dad the most was when I told him I discovered this during my blogging class.

True story, blogging made me realize that I write similar to the way I speak, and what I speak strays far from the typical English language. I may or may not know if I nominalize, and I probably don't have perfect sentence structures, but I think thats what makes my writing more “Americanish” instead of “English.” The conversational hey-girl-whats-up style that I strive for only shows how relaxed both my personality and writing styles are, or at least I hope so anyway.

Runaways

When you have one of those days where you have dragged yourself out of your bed and think what a terrible, no-good very bad day it is already, don't climb back in the covers. Remember that New Year's Resolution you made to get in shape? Today is a good day to take step two. Start your day with a morning run.

I'll be honest. I used to be one of those people who hated exercise. And while I still don't enjoy it very much, I love the benefits. It always puts me in a better mood during the day for two reasons. Exercise boosts your immune system and releases a torrent of endorphins. Those endorphins make you happier and the energy boost from the adrenaline helps you keep going .

Of course those are just some external benefits. There are also some lifestyle changes I like. The first and most fun is the fact that I can pretty much eat whatever I want. Fattier foods just mean a couple extra miles. If you actually want to lose weight instead of just tone up you do actually have to eat healthy, unfortunately.

Perhaps my favorite benefit of exercise is the psychological one. Nothing beats the rush there is from doing something instead of just griping about the extra five pounds or cellulite. That means I do more than just survive the day. I will actually enjoy it! All that for getting up a mere hour earlier. It is so totally worth it. Give it a try. you just might be pleasantly surprised.

To go to class or not to go to class

I always find myself in these little predicaments and no matter which I choose I always feel guilty. If I miss class today I will be telling myself all day I should have gone. If I go to class and miss my furniture being delivered then I’ll have to wait another week to sleep on a bed. Decisions, decisions.

I don’t think I’m going to come to class; after all I’ve only missed once before. But I know I’ll be telling myself all day that I should have gone to class.

It’s like a never ending battle. I think I’ll finally feel better at 1:45 when I know that I can no longer get in my car and go to class because it’s over.

Yeah, beds are more comfortable than class. (no offense, Dr. Harrison)

Braindead Megaphone on Wheels

Taking advantage of today’s class cancellation, I decided to run some errands and ended up at the bank around 1:30. Pulling in to the bank in front of me was a nice white pick up truck, with the following political “advertisement” scrawled across the back windshield in bright red lettering:

Obama “Racist” Hussein. Wake Up America! Anti-God, Anti-America, Lying Muslim. God Bless America.

Holy shit. Pardon my French, but that’s the last thing I expected to see today. It made me think of this class. Say what you will about people who choose to create blogs and spew ad hominem, fear mongering crap like that online, but at least there’s a chance for readers to express their disgust. I was trapped in my own car, with no recourse but to hope the driver caught my evil eye staring back at him from the rearview mirror.

There will always be millions of people out there who take up the megaphone and say the things that distract from what’s really at stake. At least if the guy’s window had read, “Obama wants to cut-and-run, vote McCain,” I could have felt slightly less cynical about American democracy on the drive home.

The whole thing makes me especially glad that on our individual blogs we all set the bar far above this kindergarten-insult level of “discourse.”

Balancing Work & Family Life

I am reading a book called, “In Praise of Slowness,” by Carl Honore. This book is about balancing work into your everyday life. The balancing of work and life is all in personal preference. Everyone is different so it is tough to have a theory for every individual. The only thing that I can say is that the more money you make the more money you spend, so if you are a family person like me then working 80 hours a week isn’t in your vocabulary. Now when you take a look at most of our society as Honore explains it is very common that we work our assets off and it is unnecessary. Our Society has become a place that frowns on coffee breaks and restroom time. It is also interesting that when you are out sick it’s frowned on, but then if you come into work sick people end up hating you. I believe it to be inevitable, that no matter what you do unless you never get sick or go to the bathroom, you’re going to have moments that are frowned upon. This really shouldn’t be our way of life. What happened to the understanding if your child is sick and you need to leave? Now in interviews, it’s do you have any kids?

There are not a whole lot of jobs out there that have the compassion for our family lives, so when you are committing to a job, you may be starting a whole new family. I believe that it is important to do whatever it takes to make you and your family happy, so going part-time or cutting your work hours isn’t going to break the bank as long as you set yourself up for it. Honroe said, “People who cut their work hours often take a smaller hit financially than they expect.”(pg. 201) If we spend less money on gas, eating out, childcare, retail therapy, and etc… Then your pocket book will still have money in it. After all, isn’t happiness what we are all seeking in the end, so why not support it?

A blog, Shakespeare and me

I sent my boss the link to what I thought was a relevant blog as it connects to our job of Civic Engagement. She was very intrigued and interested in the potential benefits of blogging. Of course this led to a discussion of the Styles and Ways class and the blogging that we are learning to do. She now wants to investigate the possibility of "us" doing a blog for service-learning. I have no doubt that she'd be willing to write posts on occasion, but I'd be the editor, handling the nuts and bolts of the thing. She thinks getting students to guest author posts where they can talk about their experiences performing service-learning and the ways it's changed them is worth looking into. I can't help but wonder if I know enough to begin something this ambitious and if I want to. But to be a team player means saying things like “let’s give it a shot” even when you aren’t sure about the idea. Her only questions were how would people find the blog and would they read it. She hit the big questions early on. Gotta love it when the lines between school and work get all blurry. Any suggestions from the S&W gallery about this entire issue?

So to blog for work or not to blog for work, that is the question, whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of incipient lunacy, or to take arms against an I before E but not after C, and by opposing them rewrite, revise no more, and by deleting to say yes lets end the heart-ache.

May the good bard forgive my un-poetic license.

Hitting the wall.

The semester is slowly dwindling down, along with my creativity.
As the semester comes to a close I find myself hitting a wall in terms of what to post on my blog.

One of the problems is that I want each post to be astounding but usually it comes out the same hackneyed way as the one before it...and that is my cue to reach for some inspirational writing book with advice such as: "Let the whole thing flower: the story and the person writing the story. And let us always be kind in this world."

And then I laugh at the fact that I own so many of these cheesy books.

And then I write my post.

In the groove

Recently I have added the bravenet hit counter onto my blog site. And I have noticed a trend with my visitors. Since I have been posting Mon-Thurs most of my visitors come to my pages on those days. I have absoultely little to no activity going on throughout the weekend. People are finally starting to get my schedule down. They know I don't post Fri-Sun so they know not to check my page on those days.

The unfortunate thing is that on Thursday I didn't bother to post because, I'll admit it, I didn't feel like it. It's unfortunate because that's when I had the most visits to my page. Ah! I'm an idiot for not posting. I hope they will return to my page today and see my new post on an eco-friendly baseball stadium!

Finally FREE!

For many years I forgot how to ride a bike was. Yesterday, I was ready to buy a brand new Mustang. I don't know why my husband was obsessed with the fact that he wanted to buy that car for me. Of course I liked the car, but I didn't need it! Here was my "epiphany" and I understood what I needed: a bicycle or a pair of roller skates... to fly like a bird. So I decided to spend only a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousans dollar, and IT WORKED! I rode my new bike for a couple hours today and I loved it! Only one problem... my bottom now hurts so bad!!!!

A Day Off From Paradise

A day off from class is a day off from paradise, but definitely needed. Although I enjoy this class, it is so nice that we have April 1st off. We are getting nearer to the end and I have about a million and one things to do. Thank you so much for this one little day, it will allow me to catch up on some last minute work that will soon be due in some of my other classes…and not to mention all the work that is going to be due in this class as well. I think that this semester has zoomed right by and I’m not so sure where the time went? I know that a lot of us have not had time for anything, but in three more weeks we will have nothing but time. So, this one day we have off to do as we please, is a day that I will utilize to its fullest and try to get some work done.

Stop Yelling at Me

I volunteer at a park in order to get community service hours. Today, an irate lady came in demanding that we halt the construction of our rock wall. The rock wall is being put up in an effort to thwart people from coming into our park from areas other than the entrance. The current problem is that people are walking there dogs on the park grounds. Now this would be fine if they would clean up the dog poop and we were a park that allowed dogs. However, the grounds are poo laden and no, dogs are not permitted.

The lady said that as a tax-payer she should have direct access to the park, and should not have to use the entrance. After the park manager explained that he was also a taxpayer, and also had to use the entrance, the lady changed her argument. She said that in Central Park, property bordering the park has direct access to the park’s grounds. Now, I am no expert on the districts surrounding New York’s famous park, but I am aware that quite a few muggings take place in central park.

If said lady is drawing a comparison between central park and our park, wouldn’t it then be fair to presume she would also welcome muggers?

This reason was many of the faulted arguments the lady presented in an overtly crass manner.

What strikes me most about this lady is the rude manner she addressed those who were trying to hear her concerns (even threatening lawsuits at one point). Yes, I understand she is frustrated but really, why do people like this lady think that being ignorant and demeaning will further their cause(s)?

Reminder: When ranting, use courtesy, and caution of analogy.

Poetry and Blogging

Better Than The Rest

They are heading into the gyms

dressed in expensive designer clothing that assures them

this workout will be better than the last.

Somewhere a hand is cutting-parsnips-broccoli and carrots.

A soft rock song plays in the distance.

It is a good day to be the co-owner of both a gym and a juice bar.


The above was nonsense I wrote from our exercise flashblog. It came out like that, and at the time I had no idea why, but now I realize that I wrote it that way to get a different angle or way of thinking about the the topic.

I'm not posting because I think the above "poem" is good. It's not. It's completely ridiculous. But if you are like me and find yourself approaching every flashblog the same way you might want to try something like this.

Another J

Thanks to Patrick for his recent post "Probably, this is stupid." Its J-words, "jugulating" and "jejune" are now firmy situated in my vocab. As I read the post, I couldn't help but notice how neatly similar they were - both esoteric, both adjectives, both J-words. They seemed like perfect thesaurus words, "jejune" subsituting for "boring" and "jugulating" indicating a few minutes spent browsing the other J's. Thanks for the words...

potatoes and flash blogging.

My flash blogs always get me on random tangents. This time, the topic of "exercise" lead to potatoes.

My father is a personal trainer. We have a gym in my house. You can find him there at least twice a day, every day, unless he is sick.

My father, mother, and I used to sit down to dinner every night when I still lived at home.

Dinner is served. Cue Dad’s rant. “Protein first, ladies, protein first. Don’t get full on carbohydrates. Don’t drink your soda too fast and get full on liquids. Protein first.”

So I would have to eat the meat before the potatoes. Or whatever it was that night.
When he decided to throw in his two cents about the order I should eat my food, all it would do was start an argument.

I love you Dad, but I will eat the potatoes first if I want to eat the potatoes first.

The Experience of Live Blogging

Personally, I didn't like live blogging. I felt like I was an elf attempting to build toys, but in this case I was building a post. The steps to building my post consist of:

1. Finding one plus two and three events just in case.
2. Calling to make sure there will be wireless.
3. Not being familiar with the place, spend time getting directions and finding the room.
4. Once inside, make sure there is a power outlet.
5. Start typing, but keep up with what the person is saying.
6. Continue typing then post.
7. And etc. until I complete the post.

For my live blog post, I went to a workshop pertaining to the Holocaust. I didn't expect it to be exciting or anything, just informational. By the end of the workshop, I felt like I really did not learn anything considering I was typing away and attempting to listen to the next thing she was saying. It also didn't help that she was rushing through the presentation.

I can't say I learned anything more about my topic because I am the Dabbling Native and I basically can talk about anything Florida. I did learn that live blogging is not for me because it does not allow me time to think about my readers and what they might like to read.

Overall, live blogging was an experience. If I do continue with my blog, I can bet I will rarely live blog unless it is needed to better engage my readers.

...and still if Live Blog

I sympathize with everyone about the problems and issues of Live Blogging. Certainly was not what I thought it would be and it was no easy task to accomplish. You pick a place to live blog, you find out if the place is wired for internet access, free or otherwise, you then drag laptop with you to the appointed time and place, where you basically play voyeur or clandestine eavesdropper to your neighbors.

Not being a person that gets out much during the semester, finding a comfortable and fun place to live blog was top on my list. I tried two separate restaurants. Have you noticed how small tables are these days? Or maybe it’s the amount of stuff that's placed on the table before a patron even sits down; assorted condiments, drink menus, candles, paper-towel dispensers. It’s difficult to fit a laptop, a beer, a glass of water and an order of hot garlic wings on an already crowded table.

How lucky was I to get the two chattiest waiters in the world at those restaurants. After an exhaustive explanation at the first establishment I kept my explanation monosyllabic at the next one.

You would think after all my efforts something good would have happened for me to really talk about in my live blog. No fights between wait-staff. No dropped dinner orders. Not one obnoxious and screaming kid in either place. I could have stayed home and had salad.

My live blog finally came out of an unlikely chore. I had to take my dog to the groomer. I called for an appointment and just out of habit brought my laptop and notebook with me.

The Impossibility of Live Blogging

When I first decided to live blog a show I thought it would be easy. I thought I had a leg up on everyone else in the class. I was wrong.

When I arrived at the show I somehow thought I wouldn't be bothered by people. I pictured sitting in a well preserved spot in icy solitude scribbling away laughing at my insightful observations.

What actually happened was everyone kept talking to me and vice versa. Then in the club I couldn't see a thing much less find a place to write calmly without getting bumped into.

Another problem I ran into is describing the sound of the band playing or trying to make what is happening interesting without sounding like a sports caster:
The band is taking the stage, and wouldn't you know it they have stringed instruments! A woman is lifting what appears to be a silver trumpet into the air, blowing into it, and...yes..definitely, a sound is coming from it! Not the normal trumpet sound of a foxhunt, but something else. Something new and distinctly American.

Everyone knows what an instrument sounds like. Everyone knows what a crowd looks like and what crowds do at concerts. I even scanned the crowd hoping for someone doing a particularly stupid dance that I could make fun of or write about, but nothing.

The lesson I learned is I should have Live Blogged something else.

Probably, this is stupid.

I was talking with some friends the other day about blogs and the words "Fear Blog" came up. Then my friends and I began discussing what would actually go into this blog of fear.

Would it be someone collecting random posts of people's fears?
Or would it be someone logging in randomly posting their own personal fears?
It could go one of two ways really...

The absolutely horrified:

12:45 am: Oh endless jugulating doom!

Or any fear at all ranging from the jejune to insane:

1:35 pm: Today I woke up in fear again. I rose, showered, and ate toast but still, he evades me. God, where are you?

I wonder if the internet has such a thing as a fear blog that has some type of moderator where random people post their fears. Could make for interesting reading.

Better late then never

I know that we're all supposed to be completed or close to completed with our live blog, but for those that haven't yet finished, here is a nifty tool.

http://www.coveritlive.com/

If you go there and sign up, it allows you to do use a program created for live-blogging. You can update in real-time while also receiving comments from whoever is watching. Ten times easier than re-editing the same post over and over again.

The fact that it can be done in real-time is a very useful tool. Enjoy.

Live Blogging

This was not as easy as I thought it would be. First of all, blogging at a restaurant is weird. Second, it is tough to eat… blog, listen… blog, talk to the server… blog, and etc… I think that the live blogging thing isn’t so much for me, but it was a new venture that I will never for get. I was very nervous I wouldn’t have anything to live blog about, especially since the place was rained out. I just went ahead and kept with it and a story soon unraveled. I found that I was typing and didn’t have anytime to really talk to my husband or server and I had to hurry up and eat because I didn’t want to miss a thing. I sort of felt like a reporter on duty, so I had to be aware of my surroundings and concentrate on that big story. It wasn’t as an enjoyable evening as I thought it would be because I was working. However, after I was done I felt as though I had accomplished something and I did, but I looked like a big dork typing away in the middle of a restaurant.
Oh well...

Holiday Laziness

For some reason, one week before and one week after any holiday I feel lazy. It seems as if everything around me is telling me to do nothing. Everything includes the family visiting, the food and many businesses being closed.

Therefore, throughout my years of college I have came up with steps to help me make it through the three weeks of holiday laziness. One step includes doing some homework ahead of time. For example, for blogging class, I did a couple of posts because I know once the week begins I will be lazy from Easter Sunday. Another step includes waking up early the day before a holiday and spending a few hours just doing homework and not allowing anything to stop me from completing my work. One last step is making a To Do list. With a list I know what I have to accomplish and once I finish the list, I feel accomplished.

I don’t think I will ever get over holiday laziness. All I can do are things I know that will allow me to not be lazy when I need to be working. If any of you feel holiday laziness, how do you get over it?

live blogging, family edition.

I have a huge Italian family. No family function would be complete without my fifteen cousins crazy antics or my uncle's boisterous commentary on absolutely anything. Someone almost always gets mad or starts crying. There is always too much food. So while I spent time trying to decide what event I could live blog, I got a call from my mom telling me the plans for Easter Sunday's family events. This year, two of my sorority sisters are coming along. This got me thinking about how ridiculous a family function would seem from the outside looking in.

When I hung up with my mom, I looked at the list I had conjured up of ideas for my live blog post. Nothing seemed as interesting as my family function. So there you have it. I will be live blogging Easter 2008.

Maybe I Need the Word Limit

Since the lifting of the word limit I have felt way less stressed about blogging. Prior to the removal, I dreaded posting. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I had too much to say. Well, at least, that’s what I thought. I’ve come to realize that when I write 400 words, that approximately 120 of them are basically pointless. They’re simply superfluous little tidbits that make my writing sound better, or more intelligent (please, let me be in denial). It is increasingly hard for me to go through my work and chop out adverbs that make my words flow like poetry. I’m unsure about the rest of the class, but striking through eloquent bits of prose pains me and I don’t want to do it! Isn’t there some sort of happy medium, some sort of balance in which I can exist between wordiness and brevity? I know concision doesn’t necessarily mean short…but ugh…I feel plagued.

OT: The Eco-Grump Returns

Disclaimer: This post contains inconvenient truths that may trouble those who consider themselves "green freaks," "greenies," part of the "green regime," or those in the process of "going green." Read at your own risk.

I apologize if you all think the old Eco-Grump is beating a dead horse, but Mr. Ed is looking livelier by the minute. The green movement continues to make a mockery of itself, as more and more studies are released that reveal eco-friendly practices to be more costly, detrimental, and downright unsustainable than their obsolescent and widely-shunned predecessors. First we learned that biofuel harvesting releases more carbon than traditional fossil fuel combustion. Then we saw an aquatic ecosystem decimated by a biodiesel processing plant.

An NBC story aired tonight that revealed compact fluorescent light bulbs (those curly ones) contain small amounts of mercury and, if broken, can require a $2,000 toxic waste removal procedure in order to purify the area. The bulb manufacturers, who capitalized on the burgeoning "green" market after Gore's documentary skyrocketed, stand by the bulbs' eco-amity. They also recommend you follow an 11-step toxic waste disposal plan so as not to destroy the earth with massive mercury deposits after they burn out.

It's important to remember that the available eco-friendly products, although catering to a more liberal consumer, are the products of capitalism. The companies we venerate for supporting the movement are merely profiteers, and we are helping to make them rich while they do more harm than good. A green label with a cute picture of a smiling Earth doesn't say anything but "buy me!" Think twice before you give in, and for God's sake, don't drop that light bulb!

Better to Doublethink Late than Never

I was shocked to learn that Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm aren't ubiquitous staples for the high school English curriculum. I read both of them twice throughout my K-12 career, and was enthralled by the dystopian genre. Of course, the futile exploits of a doomed subversive can get a bit tiresome, particularly the second time around. Nevertheless, 1984 is one of my all-time favorites, and Meagan touches on (in my opinion) one of its more interesting lessons.

The Party represses authentic thought but does so with subtle, machinating intent so as not to be discovered. It's not so much a salient delusion of the masses as a more sophisticated way of teaching the masses how to delude themselves. This tactic engenders ignorance, the degradation of language (Newspeak), the evanescence of memory (doublethink), and the consequential adherence to the present as dictated by Big Brother.

The American BB has learned from past sedition. Gone are the days when a government imposes unfair legislation and waits for its constituency to respond. Such a response is snuffed before it can begin; it falls victim to propaganda and subliminal dictation as leaders gussy up the yoke with words like "security" and "patriotism." We see bumper stickers that say "freedom isn't free." If this isn't doublethink, I don't know what is.

If anyone hasn't read 1984, you must check it out. If the genre strikes your fancy (and it just might, considering our post-9/11 age), you may also want to look into Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, "Harrison Bergeron," and When the Sleeper Wakes.

1984

I recently began reading 1984 by George Orwell and while I’m not very far into the book I already feel completely deprived that I did not get to read this in high school. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against The Great Gatsby or The Red Badge of Courage but the ideas in this novel are just wonderful. “Doublethink;” the concept makes my brain smile when I read it (from the novel):

“The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them . . . . To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.”

I could have blown my high school teachers out of the water with an essay on Doublethink, I’m sure of it.

The “slogan” of the Party in the novel is:

“Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”

That statement couldn’t be truer! It’s known (or speculated if that’s better for you) that those that win write history. I’m sure if we could get information from both sides, things would be very different, but in the novel there is no past. The people don’t have memories. I can’t imagine not remembering things from my past, or having my books and newspapers altered so no trace of history is found.

I’m only on page 43, but I know I’m really going to enjoy this book.

home stretch.

Well, class, we are coming to our home stretch. I can see summer, but I can't get a hold of it just yet. When I originally signed up for my group's presentation, I thought, "Wow, that's not until the end of the year." Me and Patrick present tomorrow.

This is the first summer I am actually apprehensive about. I just planned out my schedule for my senior year, and I realized that this is my last summer. The last summer of my "college years" at least. I mean, the summer after I graduate isn't really going to be summer vacation. It will be more like summer-get-your-act-together.

So what am I going to do with this last three and a half month long vacation? Possibly go home to New York, of course spend time with the fam. But what about something I won't ever forget? Out of the ordinary? Something I never thought I would do?

Bungee jumping. Sky diving. I hear the adrenaline rush is pretty spectacular. I know a kid who is on his 200-something jump. No, I didn't accidentally add two zeros to that number.

How about live blogging someone sky diving? I'm pretty sure that's the closest I will get. Even though I don't think I can get wireless in the airplane.

Stopping the Clock

Yesterday’s juicy flash blog topic combined with two earlier posts made to the class blog (kudos to Subversive-Lisa and TNLogan) really got me thinking about the precious, elusive element of time.

I’m one of those people who has too much on their plate. You know, that sicko who likes to be busy. The one who likes to fall in bed utterly exhausted at night because they’ve been running around like headless-poultry-on-speed for the majority of the day.

“You don’t get out enough,” one of my friends told me the other day.

I laughed in his face. Silly boy. Like I actually have time to get out and do things.

“You’re missing the world,” he said, "Stay and talk."

The mounds of homework on the top of my desk at home were screaming for attention. There were at least 6 emails that needed to be written, lines that needed to be memorized for the play, people I needed to call back.

But I stayed.

For the first time in a long while I ignored the things that were calling my name and demanding my attention and focused on something that was important in a different way, and, in a sense, maybe even more important. I stayed and had a wonderful conversation with a friend. And you know what? I still managed to finish all of that other pressing business.

At the risk of sounding Aesopian, the moral here, I guess, is that you can make time to do what you need to do.

Sometimes the most important things aren’t inside a textbook, or written in your planner, they’re the things that happen spontaneously, they’re friends and family, or a moments worth of introspection. They’re not the things that you have to do, they’re the things you take time to do.

They are the world.

A New Punct In Town

Earlier today I was writing a professor to thank him for assisting me on a project. As I was writing, I came across a dilemma. Should I end the sentence with a period or an exclamation? If I said “Thanks.” it might sound as if I didn't really care, and if I wrote “Thanks!” it might sound as if I was a bit too excited for the tiny favor. This is not the first time I've had this problem, and I've decided to finally do something about it!

I've created the periation. Thats right, the periation. We've got the liger, we've got the grappel , and now, the periation! The periation will be a cross between a period and an exclamation point. It will be a dot, like a period, but raised halfway to encompass the exclamation's expression.

I believe that the invention of the periation will be a great breakthrough for everyone. No longer will you have to sound overzealous when writing your boss to thank him for the new cubicle, and no longer will you have to sound apathetic when writing your mother-in-law to thank her for the sweater she bought you for Christmas (because clearly here, you wouldn't be able to use the exclamation.) The periation truly is revolutionary.

Now, all thats left is to contact the computer companies and request that they add this sweet little dot to keyboards across America.

Live Event in Cape Coral

I just knew about this event. Check it out! It could be a good subject for live blogging. It is a "sounds and jazz festival" in Cape coral (March 29). If someone of you wants to go, I'll go with you.

Live Blogging

I just finished my live-blog. It was definitely tougher than I expected.

I did tonight's American Idol episode. It was fun to watch with an eye toward my blog. Unfortunately, under the pressure of posting frequently (which included my best friend texting me when it had been too long between posts), I feel I had far less interesting things to say. Coming up with a comment and going back to revise and figure out what's really interesting is much easier when you have all the time you decide to take.

My post may not have had enough unique insight as I would have liked, but it was enlightening.

Especially enlightening when my computer would decide to freeze up (which happend four or five times during a two hour telecast) for a few minutes. Thankfully, these feezes mostly happened during a commercial break or during enough of a lull that I could still get commentary up pretty quickly after it was fixed.

Good luck to all of you as you live-blog!

Hire me!

I’m not sure how many of you are graduating after this semester or not. Some of you might be going to grad school and some might go out into the real world and try to find a job. The last one is me. I’m on the hunt for a job that has benefits and pays me enough so I can pay my own rent and support my shopping addiction.

After looking for anything and everything to do with editing, writing, and printing I came across absolutely nothing in this area. What I did come across was a lot of opportunities to blog for a living. Can you believe it? You should.

Some have a lot of restrictions and most don’t offer benefits but it’s just so surprising to me that this could be my full-time job. Most want a sample of your work, which I’m sure no one in this class will have a problem supplying.

Just something to think about if you’re looking for a job soon!