2 DAYS TO GO

“80% of male multimillionaires having extramarital affairs plan to cut back on lovers’ gifts, says Prince and Associates”

This was a quote in my January issue of Money magazine. I just cracked up laughing when I read it. It really caused me to wonder who this magazine is truly written for. In all honesty, who is that statistic really going to help? I mean it is great for a laugh but is it real financial advice? Not so much. Is it even a real financial trend? I guess it is if you are an affair having multimillionaire. What’s the point? Maybe the author thought it was as funny as I do.

I am having a really hard time focusing on anything but getting on a plane on Saturday. Not only do I get to go home to Minneapolis for seven days but I get to come back home to Chicago and not have to be back to work for nine more. Oh the joys of working in higher ed.

A IPOD SHUFFLE MEME CAUSE WHY NOT

1.Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! (I skipped any repeat artists in the spirit of variety)
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the game from.

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
I Hear a Symphony- The Supremes
Whenever you’re near/I hear a symphony/A tender melody/Pulling me closer/Closer to your arms.
Apparently I am not only okay with whatever people are asking about, I am ecstatic about it. Maybe people just have really good taste and are only approaching me with awesome things.

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Western Eyes- Portishead
With western eyes and serpents breath/We lay our own conscience to rest/But I'm aching at the view/Yes I'm breaking at the scenes just like you
So I suppose this means that I sometimes do bad things and then I feel really bad about them later. Doesn’t everyone?

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
If you Don’t Get It The First Time Back Up and Try It Again- The JBs
The lyrics are pretty much the title, no need to retype that
Who wouldn’t like a guy who is both resilient and funky?

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
God- Tori Amos
God sometimes you just don’t come through/ Do you need a woman to look after you
Actually, I feel pretty good today. There was no need for this teenage angst to pop up here. Actually, there is pretty much never a need for this particular brand of teenage angst, I just can’t let it go.

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Stop Singing and Start Swinging- Malcolm X
Well this is a speech and, for a time, I was this militant (in theory) However, since we now have a Black president and OBVIOUSLY live in a post-racial America there will be no need for anything like this anymore…right???right??? UH….

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Murder Ink- Dr Dre
Uh, uh, for real/ You’ll fuck around and get killed
Uh, uh, I won’t be killing anything at all. I’m not as hard as I think I am and I certainly don’t think I’m the murdering type

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Small Man, Big Mouth- Minor threat
You laugh at a man when he tries/You're trying to make up for your size/To you life is a rivalry/ Keep a step ahead of me
Apparently my friends think I have a serious Napoleon complex, who knew? Oh, iPod shuffle, you reveal mysterious wonders sometimes

8.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
50ft Queenie- PJ Harvey
Hey I'm king of the world/You oughta hear my song/You come on and measure me/I'm fifty inches long
Well, I too seem to be obsessed with my height. I would have you know that I am no mere fifty inches long. I stand a proud seventy inches so there!

9. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Hunting Bears- Radiohead
This is an instrumental piece. That is what they get for asking such a stupid question


10. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Boll Weevil- Presidents of the United States of America
Boll weevil why don’t you get out of your home/He said I’m comfortable here I don’t wanna move I don’t wanna leave/I said boll weevil get right out of your home
I have a few people that I could consider best friends. Out of all of them I am the one who is most likely to stay inside. I can’t say this one applies too much but it would if my best friend were the person who sent this to me cause she never goes out.

11.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Sunshine Recorder- Boards of Canada
A beautiful place/a beautiful place/an eagle in your mind
I guess I really like him huh?

12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Dueling Banjos- Primus
An easy groove. The notes are happy, even jolly. Then you think about Deliverance and everything is much worse. Much much worse.

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Beef Jerky- Cibo Mato
My weight is 300 pounds/My favorite is beef jerky/I’m a vagabond, I’m a vagabond/My mom says, you are kinky!
Well I most certainly do not want to be a 300lb kinky hobo

14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
All Along the Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix
There must be some kind of way out of here/Said the joker to the thief/There is too much confusion/I can’t get no relief
This is like the exact opposite of what I think. It is an incredibly awesome song though so I’ll just go with that vibe

15. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Bridge over Troubled Water- Simon and Garfunkel
When you’re weary. Feeling Small/ When tears are in your eyes/ I'll dry them all
What can I say? My parents really really love me

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Derilict- Beck
Blow back derelict wind/Lay my soul in the foul of the air
I can find absolutely no way this song works. Lyrics, no. Tune, I would like to see Tony and I try to dance to this with our non-dancing asses

17. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Reeling- PJ Harvey
Wanna bathe in milk/ Eat grapes/ Robert DiNiro sit on my face
Uh, gross and completely inappropriate

18. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Memories of Jacqueline- Olivia Tremor Control
Right now is when we break the static/With our themes of liberation/Conquer all that we can
Yes, my hobby is to conquer all that I set out to conquer. The fact that I don’t try much of anything does somewhat hinder this hobby but I’m sticking to it

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Sir Duke- Stevie Wonder
Music is a world within itself/With a language we all understand/With an equal opportunity/For all to sing, dance and clap their hands
See, I am secretly the most talented musician/singer/songwriter that the world has ever seen but I can’t divulge my talent because the world just can’t handle my glory. Therefore, I fool everyone into thinking I have no instrumental talents and can’t carry a tune to save my life. I do write a pretty awesome song though, get a little whiff of this
Insideoutafied, I said insideoutified---YOU TURN ME
That's what I thought, you can't even handle the awesomeness.

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Mingusings- of Montreal
Sister tells you No, our shit is only gonna get better /I'll let ya know let ya know let ya know /I feel like the last time is gonna be /my final collapse
This obviously means that I have awesome friends and we help each other when the other is down

21. WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Let It Be- The Beatles
When I find myself in times of trouble/ Mother Mary comes to me/ Speaking words of wisdom/ Let it be
I swear I am not skipping any songs (except repeat artists), this is just too perfect. The worst thing that could happen is just something that you deal with. Let it be.

22. HOW WILL YOU DIE?
The Mariner’s Revenge- The Decemberists
We are two mariners/ Our ships sole survivors/ Trapped in the belly of a whale
I am going to be swallowed by a whale while on a mission of revenge. That is freaking badass

23. WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Pattern Against User- At The Drive-in
Circus carny guarding/The gates of heaven/Like stuck in limbo abduction/Wormed our way through/Distant earth
I have absolutely no ideas what this means. I suppose it means I have no regrets?

24. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying- Belle & Sebastian
Oh, get me away from here I’m dying/ Play me a song to set me free/ No one writes them like they used to so it may as well be me
What is funny about this one is that the above lyrics used to always give me a chuckle so I guess that is another right on pick by Natapod

25. WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
My Baby Loves the Secret Agent- The Detroit Cobras
I can’t get the lyrics for this one but I do know that it is about someone’s baby being in love with a secret agent. That would certainly make me cry

26. WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
(You Caught me) Smilin’- Sly and the Family Stone
In my pain/I'll be sane to take your hand
Well the song ends with that, I suppose it means that it would be smart for me to get married

27. DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Black Coffee- Tricky
I feel so lonely, haven’t slept a wink/I walk the floor, and watch the door/And in between I drink black coffee.
I will take this as a resounding NO. Or, maybe I have a coffee drinking stalker, and that is a very scary thought

28. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
What’s Mine is Yours- Sleater-Kinney
Sit down, honey, let's kill some time/Rest you head on this heart of mine/Tell me, honey, cause you look so blue/Just how did they, did they get to you?
I guess I wouldn’t’ change anything, maybe just help the past me through some of the hard times and maybe leave her with a tip or two on how to make them not quite so hard

29. WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Tunneling Through The Guy- Man Man
Girlfriend, I know/I can smell your blood/you're gonna do bad things tonight
Well this sounds like something is really painful, in fact, nothing hurts at all right now except for the fact that my cell phone broke but that will be fixed soon enough

30. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Return to Hot Chicken- Yo La Tengo
Another instrumental one, and that is that

THE MORNING AFTER

Here it is, Wednesday morning, I still don't entirely believe what happened last night but I'm so glad it did.

After work I headed home, tried to eat and completely failed. I then headed over to a friend’s house to watch the returns. By the time she put snacks out things were starting to look fairly secure so I was able to get something to eat. I talked to my cousin who I haven’t spoken to in quite a while. He was pretty amazed that I wasn’t down at Grant Park. I was a little amazed myself but I had plenty of reasons why I wasn’t there.

At my friend's apartment, we sat and talked and watched and before we even knew what was happening the election was called. I knew it I left then I could make it home in time to see the speech with Tony, who was getting off work at 10:30. As I walked got to the bus stop a young brother (probably too young to vote) was standing there holding the front page of the Red Eye paper that said Election Day and grinning as big as he possibly could. He turned to me and asked how my night was going. I replied that it was absolutely amazing and I was in disbelief. He smiled at me with this serene, otherworldly look and said, "It couldn't be more beautiful. What a great night". There was hope in his face and I knew it was no dream. This was our new reality.

Like Obama said, he has a hard road to walk. He is inheriting one of the biggest clusterfucks in recent American history. He pulled no punches. He admitted it was a long and hard road. He wasn’t claiming that he could change the world in the blink of an eye. That would be a lie. He said that the American people can’t let go of the passion that got him elected in the coming years. That we have to stay vigilant and continue to fight for what we believe in. He couldn’t be more right. It’s going to be touch, but we are all in it together.

ELECTION DAY

It's election day. I got up an hour early to vote and beat the crowds. My polling place was so empty I almost thought they moved it and didn't let anyone know. Needless to say I arrived at work an hour early, so I get to go home an hour early. That's nice. I have contemplated going to the big Downtown Chicago secondary rally. Tickets to the main one in Grant Park were gone within 5 minutes and I just missed it. A friend is having a party but I'm not sure I want to be there. I think I either want to be at the huge thing or home mostly or completely alone. I predict many tears and I would rather cry in a huge crowd or at home.

My stomach is in knots and will be for the rest of the day. Luckily I have a relatively busy day at the office so I am hoping that I won't be thinking of the election too much. I am hoping wrong. I know that I should be more confident than I am in the outcome but I'm just not. The first presidential election I voted in was 2000 and I was pretty confident of the outcome then. Look how that one turned out.

Hope everyone is out there voting!

A HISTORIC APOLOGY

My mom sent me an article from CNN that let me know the House of Representatives have passed a resolution that apologizes for slavery and Jim Crow. Although individual states have apologized for slavery in the past, this is the first time any branch of the federal government has done so. I don’t know if anyone has apologized for Jim Crow before this point. I actually think that apology carries much more weight. The article I read had this excerpt from the resolution

"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity,"

I am actually in shock that a branch of the government went so far as to acknowledge this, particularly the part about the long-term loss of income and opportunity. Although I certainly know it to be true, and most people I hang out with know it to be true, many people obviously do not. Many of the comments from the article are a testament to that fact. One of the more common arguments I hear in regard to issues of the overwhelmingly obvious disparity between Black and white America is that it is not a race issue but a class issue. To have the government link the two together is, in my opinion a big deal.

The article also briefly mentioned reparations, as much as I would love to get the current monetary value of 40 acres and a mule, adjusted for inflation of course, I know that is just silly. Come on people, there won’t ever be any reparations. Stop asking for them. Even if there was a legitimate way to decide who would get them our country is broke and couldn’t possibly afford it.

Anyway, I’m happy it was said. Sure it’s symbolic and doesn’t really change anything, but aren’t apologies in general primarily symbolic? I think the acknowledgement of the lingering repercussions is enormous and hope more people take a second to stop and think about what that really means.

ON CHEATING AND CELEBRATION

Happy Juneteenth Folks! If you don’t know what that means look it up, learn a little something. On this glorious day I will be celebrating by playing video games and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure my actions will have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday itself but it sure will feel good doing them.

Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.

The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.

The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.

Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.

1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this

2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run

3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.

4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day

5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.

MUSINGS ABOUT STUFF

I’m sitting here eating this “eating right” bar of the peanut butter crisp variety and I am really wishing that it was a Tiger’s Milk Bar. It almost tastes like one but it isn’t. When I was young, I would go on trips to Sears with Mom and Sisterhead and we would go to this section where there were treats and I would get Tiger’s Milk Bars and this absolutely divine red licorice that I think was slightly raspberry flavored and it had a panda on the box. Sears, like many of my childhood memories, is Sepia toned. The yellowish nature of the memory could also be due to cheap fluorescent lighting. I have no recollection of what was around this section of the store but I do remember shelving and these brightly colored treats staring at me from the dull metal shelving.

I wonder if Mom had other reasons for going to Sears. Was there generally other shopping involved? Did we just go there for Tiger’s Milk Bars and Licorice? Was it even Sears? Were there other treats that I don’t remember as well? Luckily, Mom reads the blog so she can probably answer some of these questions.

The building that was once Sears isn’t anymore. I don’t know if it is anything. I don’t know if it is even standing. I don’t know much about how the old neighborhood looks. Whenever I go home I rarely stop by. There isn’t much there and what is there makes me a little bit sad. I remember driving past the condo where I lived from age 2ish until right before my 10th birthday. I turned into the alley and everything looked so sad. It was dirty, silent, and empty. It wasn’t the way I remembered it at all. I remembered running though the “yard” and down the sidewalk with friends. I remembered hiding throughout the complex and all the friends Sisterhead and I had living nearby. It didn’t look like the place I played.

The house we moved into after leaving the condo is where my parents live today. It’s a happy place. The yard is lush and green, there is a garden. There are trees I used to climb and it looks better now than it ever did before. When we moved there, Sisterhead and I didn’t want to go. We loved our new house but there was something about the old one that was special. Sisterhead was born there. I had my first room that was all my own there. Our friends were there. I never really hung out with the neighborhood kids at the new place. Sisterhead found a few friends there but it wasn’t the same. Then again, I was a teenager and playing tag in the backyard didn’t have the same feel to it. There were different things to do and the world was larger.

Now that I am older the world seems small again. Going home doesn’t seem to take too long and when I get there things are just where I left them, but with some minor changes. My home in Chicago seems closer to my parent’s house than my parent’s house seems to the old neighborhood and Sears. I guess that is just part of life changing.

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free

2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun

4. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes

5. You consider me the young apprentice/ Caught between the scylla and charybidis/ Hypnotized by you if I should linger/ Staring at the ring around your finger. Wrapped Around Your Finger, The Police (well actually it was a Tori Amos cover but have The Police version too and it is by them) identified by Katrina

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING

An old professor of mine sent me an email talking about some legislation that just passed the appropriations committee and is headed to the full House in Arizona called measure SB1108. It would ban public schools from teaching materials that "overtly encourage dissent" in regard to core American values. Another piece would bar teachings, or organizations affiliated with public schools, community colleges, or public universities that are "based in whole or in part on race-based criteria," I find this incredibly terrifying.

From what I have read in the emails that have been going back and forth as well as this article, the target appears to be a La Raza studies program that focuses on cultural history and instilment of pride in that history. Some of the texts used in the program have rubbed people the wrong way.

It is one thing to complain about a text or two used in a program and maybe even talk to the school to get those texts removed or to choose laternate texts. I’m not saying I think this is necessary in this case because I don’t have all the information, I haven’t read the texts, I don’t know about the student organization mentioned, and so I honestly can’t comment on their ethos. However, I certainly can comment on the implications that type of legislation could have statewide.

Imagine a world where the only culture allowed to be taught is the dominant culture. How fundamentally un-American is that? While the article states that teaching about cultures would be acceptable, “race-based” classes would not. I can just see Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Chicano Studies, etc. disappearing from Arizona’s public universities and it makes me want to cry.

The language is so vague. I think if you asked ten people what it means to "overtly encourage dissent" from the values of American democracy and Western civilization you would get ten different answers. Debates could come to a raging halt. Any sentiment of radical change or even not so radical change could be squashed out of the brains of many children and young adults. People could essentially be taught that everything single thing about America is right and good and I am certain that type of thinking will only do our country harm.

Since Mom guessed all the songs yesterday here are five new ones

1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free

2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this

3. Moon Sammy walks/ Across the floor/ Below the floor/ There is a wall. Moon Sammy, Soul Coughing. Identified by Mom.

4. When apple leaves fall/ You may feel something in your mind’s eye/ When the earth drinks in squall/ You may plan to escape on the sly. Apple, Cibo Matto. Identified by Jamie

5. It’s coming on Christmas/ They’re cutting down trees/ They’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. River, Joni Mitchell. Identified by Chatty Knitter.

MEETING DAVID WILSON

So this Friday I watched the documentary Meeting David Wilson on MSNBC. It was about this young Black man, David A. Wilson who was researching his family history and came discover not only his own family history but that of the white Wilson family who once owned his own. Turns out there was a guy still living in the same town where the plantation was who was also named David B. Wilson. David A. calls up David B. and says something along the lines of, “Hi, I think your family used to own my family,” and David B. says, “Well that could be.” They then proceed to have a short conversation about the weather. Eventually they decide to meet.

This was one of those documentaries that tore me apart. I couldn’t turn it off but I couldn’t stop crying. Slavery really messes with my head. I cried because he found this guy. I cried because he wanted to meet him. I cried because he went down to the plantation and found an old shack in the slave quarters and stood inside thinking of the joy and the tragedy that must have happened inside. I cried because the two Davids got along. I cried as they got both Wilson families together for a mini reunion even though DNA showed no relation (that didn’t make me cry though, it made me happy). I cried as David A. went further back in his roots and traveled to Ghana, as he stood inside a slave castle looking at the “Door of No Return” and thinking of how long it took him to go back to his ancestral home. Mostly, I cried because I never could have done it.

As I mentioned, slavery really messes with my head. I get incredibly angry. When I get angry I cry. I could imagine myself having that conversation. It would have been full of cursing, name calling, shouting, and tears. I probably would have been hung up on. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have ever made the call because I already know how the conversation would go. It wouldn’t be healthy for anyone involved. It would bring back the recurring nightmares I had as a child of being chased through dense woods by dogs. Whatever poor white person I called and went crazy on would have nothing positive to think about and would probably look down on Black folks and think we were raving crazies after our interaction.

The Davids touched on a question that I have heard so many times. Although I think that it was worded less offensively than I am doing here in the film, “Do you think you have more opportunities living in an affluent society here in America than if your ancestors had never been brought here as slaves?” David A. gave an awesome answer, “America wouldn’t be the affluent society it is if it hadn’t been for slaves.” That comment was one of the few things in the film that made me smile.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it. The Freaks of the Industry. Digital Underground.

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on. Do Your Thing. Isaac Hayes

3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven lord I saw a mighty sign. One More Saturday Night, Greatful Dead.

4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me. Stockholm Syndrome. Yo La Tengo

MUSINGS ON LEARNING

Today I looked over graduate programs and I have concluded that I am probably going to embark on a journey to get another useless degree. While I firmly assert that I got an excellent education and that my Liberal Arts degree is totally worth something the reality of that statement is up for review. I like to say that I have a degree in everything but I also have a degree in nothing. The programs that sounded remotely interesting to me are as follows:

Curriculum Studies
English
Human Services and Counseling
Interdisciplinary Studies
Media, Culture, and Society
Organizational and Multicultural Communication
General Psychology (which I probably won’t do because I would have to take the GRE and I am lazy and I hate standardized tests and I don't want to get a bad score and worry that I am stupid)
Sociology

Seeing as the guy who meets with undecided students works in my office, I should probably go and have a meeting. Maybe I can get some help. Help just isn’t really like me though, I tend to just make decisions and live to regret them or live to love them. In fact, the only education related regret that I have is taking the MCAT instead of the GRE and not figuring out that I didn’t want to be a Dr. before I took all of those science classes. In the grand scheme of things that isn’t too bad.

SOME THINGS ARE JUST DUMB

Can I just say how upset I am over this whole overpayment of Road Home Grants thing and now thousands of people who lost their homes in Katrina are going to have to pay back tons of money. Between one and five thousand people are going to have to repay money with the largest repayments being 150k and the average being 35k. Assuming everyone paid back the maximum (which they won't) they would repay 750 million in total. The company is being paid 912 million to run the program. Something just doesn’t add up to me.

Time for the reveal.

2. The fat is in the fire/ A fryer made of chicken wire/ Gettin sick and tired of a friggin liar. Crosshairs, Dangerdoom

4. You are a splendid butterfly/ It is your wings that make you beautiful/ And I could make you fly away/ But I could never make you stay. All My Little Words. Magnetic Fields.

A WEEKEND FULL OF STUFF

I had an utterly exhausting weekend full of stuff and things. To most people it would have been a relatively low key weekend. Oh how I love my extreme debilitating INFPness.

Friday after work I headed over to Monica’s office to meet her for dinner and Be Kind Rewind. We had a lovely meal at a Mexican joint called Su Casa that we never go to because it is right next to Grand Lux and we felt it would be overpriced. It was pretty standard dining out Mexican food priced. We even ordered marguerites, which is unusual because usually we are all about being hella cheap. It was nice to eat like regular adults. While we were there we discussed how I only have three friends I see on a regular basis and one of them is Tony. This leaves me with Monica and Dave. It isn’t that I don’t like my other friends; I like them quite a bit. However, seeing Dave once a week and Monica about once every other week give or take, and Tony all the time more than satisfies my need for human interaction. This, coupled with my laziness, means that I love seeing my other friends but it doesn’t happen all that often. She then wondered why it was that she has like 20 friends who she sees semi-regularly and still feels like she doesn’t’ have enough friends. I had no answer, the thought of the stress of seeing so many people just made me want to curl up on my couch and I had a movie to see. The movie was plenty entertaining, the end was a little on the cheesy overdone side but it was still fine.

Saturday was a day that most people would say was full of absolutely nothing. Tony slept late so I watched some TV and messed around with the computer. Then we went out to Diner to eat food, then we went to the grocery store, then we cleaned the fish tank (those poor little guys needed it so bad) and installed a new heater, then we watched Torchwood (which is totally awesome) and had some dinner. I think we might have read some as well. It was, as you can see, incredibly busy.

Sunday was even busier! We got up and made some breakfast and then decided that since we had a nice clean fish tank that we possibly needed more fish to go in it. We headed to the fish store up the street only to find that it was closed and they are also having a going out of business sale. We saw a bus coming and decided to hop on it to go to a fish store up in Evanston that we visited the last time my parents were in town. They didn’t have any fish we particularly wanted, which was a bummer because we really wanted some fish. They did have a Sugar Glider and I immediately wanted to take it home forever but it was like $285 and that wasn’t happening. After the fish store we decided to go for a walk and ended up walking back to Chicago. It was only about two miles but it was also 34 degrees and Tony had no hat. We passed a cemetery and I really wanted to go inside and walk around but it wasn’t the right time. Instead we just looked through the gate and commented on how certain mausoleums looked more like they housed vampires than others. We also noted how long ago everyone was born. Where do they bury new dead people? We decided that we would need to have a visit cemetery day when the weather gets nicer. They are pretty cool. After making it back to Chicago we hopped on the bus and headed home. Later that night I made a lasagna! Talk about doin stuff.

So my point is that if I do ANYTHING it seems like a whole lot of action. I’m totally exhausted today but we’ll say it is because of the daylights savings thing because if that lame nothing weekend made me this tired there is no hope for me at all.

Time for the reveal of last weeks songs.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now. Sometimes, My Bloody Valentine

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog. Master and Dog, Quasi

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town. Country Mile, Camera Obscura

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd. I Want You Back, Jackson 5

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that. Sixteen, Le Tigre

I SHOULDN'T HAVE HIT PUBLISH

One thing I have learned from my last post is that unfounded theories that are known to be based on vast generalizations will inevitably cause more legitimate realizations to surface. I find this to be fascinating. Recently I was reading an article about poop. Why was I doing this? Because Tony and I thought it would be funny to google poop and see what came up. Yes, I realize this makes us seven.

One of the sites full of fun facts about poop tackled the question of wiping. Apparently, most people wipe sitting down and a much smaller number of people prefer to stand and wipe. There seems to be no difference in gender. It just struck me as strange that people do this very common thing in such different ways. Why is this? I guess people learn from their parents and that the percentage of standers and sitters would remain relatively constant throughout generations. I didn’t research this it is just an idea.

I don’t know much about wiping habits of others and I don’t particularly wish to discuss my wiping habits. I don’t want to read comments about peoples wiping habits. I assume most people feel the same way. I guess the question then becomes why did I post about it? That would be a valid question. The answer is simply that it was on my mind and I didn’t know what else to write about. Plus, it’s yet another thing that I believe is learned at home and that impacts the life of a person. And maybe, just maybe, someone will know actual real facts about the subject.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about thaT

GENERATION SKIPPED

Writing about my mix and seeing people’s responses made me think about the kind of music I like and why I like it (other than the fact that it is awesome). I learned a lot about music from my parents. This has led me to assume that many people are influenced greatly by their parent’s musical tastes which are, in turn, influenced by their parent’s musical taste and so on and so forth in perpetuity. Therefore, I wonder, does music skip a generation?

I also assume (erroneously but not entirely so) that musical taste solidifies between the formative years that I will label as being between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Granted, there will be much loved bands that come into ones life after that age but I postulate that the new bands will not greatly contradict the sensibilities of the aforementioned formative bands.

Now, I don’t know exactly how old my parents are. I am ashamed to admit this because they both read this blog and I have seriously condemned myself. You would think I could just figure it out based on the years they were born but as I do not know those either I am screwed. I do know, however, what their birthdays are and approximately when their anniversary is and that I love them very much so they’ll have to just accept that. I’ll just say they are in their early to mid 50s and were, therefore, born in the mid to late 50s meaning their formative musical years were in the late 60s and early 70s, which was arguably one of the greatest times for music ever.

I love music from that era. The kids I grew up with loved music from that era. My current friends love music from that era. Naturally, I assumed that everyone loved music from that era. However, while having a conversation with one of my student workers I found out that I was mistaken. My student did not love music from that era. What was even more shocking to me was that the student knew next to nothing about music from that era. I mentioned a bunch of big name groups to get some kind of reaction; The Beatles, Hendrix, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin (who i never heard in my house but many of my peers heard in theirs), various Motown groups…you know the stuff. The thing is that this student didn’t. All he could say was “I’ve heard of some of them but I don’t really know any of their music”.

I love my student workers, every last one of them, but I didn’t know what to say. I felt like there was a huge chasm that had suddenly formed between us. How can you not know what Hendrix played? What do you mean you have never heard The White Album? You can imagine how I kept trying to find things they knew and continued to fail. It made me wonder if I was a total freak. I decided that was not the case and there had to be another reason.

I know people have children at all different ages. According to the most recent data I could find in one quick Google search 25 is the average age for a first time parent (2004) and that was a high. Since I’m talking about people who are currently 18-22 and were born in the late 80s (gosh that makes me feel old) I’m guessing the average age of their parent was about 23, just cause. That means they were born between 63 and 67 making their musical formative years fall in the early to mid 80s and they are now in their early to mid forties. Therefore these kids grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and the like. My students knew who all those people were. They also didn’t know jack about early 90s music. They were too young to really care and it either didn’t jive with the formative sensibilities of their 80s entrenched parents. Thus, i have proved that music skips a generation.

I realize that this proof is full of assumptions and holes but what do you expect from a blog post? I’m not saying my students can’t appreciate the music my folks taught me to love. They just haven’t had the chance to be exposed to it. Now that they know me (and I have music in my office all the time) they have a better chance of expanding their musical knowledge and I am doing my best to make sure that it happens.

1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd

5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that

THE IMPOSSIBLE MIX TAPE

I am listening to a playlist for a CD that I made for Lakeiya when she left for law school and I am realizing that I have really good taste in music. I am sure there are some people out there who will disagree with me but this list is kind of universally good.

Ain’t No Sunshine- Bill Withers

High and Dry- Radiohead

Oslo in the Summertime- Of Montreal

For Your Love- The Yardbirds

Cool It Down- Velvet Underground

Golden Slumbers- The Beatles

Morning, Morning- Richie Havens

2HB- The Venus in Furs

Flying Away- Smoke City

Sexy Boy- Air

Dry The Rain- The Beta Band

I’ll Be There- The Jackson 5

Long Hot Summer Night- Jimi Hendrix

Get Ready- The Temptations

She’s Not There- The Zombies

Fuel- Ani DiFranco

Tender- Blur

In My Life- The Beatles

The Circle Game- Joni Mitchell

Street Spirit (Fade Out)- Radiohead

Sure there are some repeats as far as artists go but it’s ok. The songs may not seem to flow together to the naked eye but the final notes of a song always lead nicely into the first notes of the next song. It’s just a really good grouping of songs.

I have always been a mix tape maker. I think I have made some kind of mix for every close friend in my life with the exception of Monica and Tony. Brooke, Jenna, Roxanne, and Shoshana got the majority of them. Monica simply knows far more about music than I do and I wouldn’t presume to do a compilation for her. Then again, I did make an Ani compilation for her that wasn’t half bad. I guess Tony is the only one left out.

I have thought about making one for him. I have even started to create a playlist only to give up. The reason is simply that his musical taste changes far too often for me to even attempt to make something he would enjoy for more than a week or two. He has this thing about music he likes but never wants to hear again. He is the type to burn himself out on particular artists. I can listen to things I like over and over forever. He has actually been swearing off music a lot lately. At one point he lived and breathed music but apparently he is burnt out on the whole genre. Interesting. Maybe someday I can crack the code.

1. I’m coming up man-sized/ Skinned alive/ I want to fit/ I’ve got to get/ Man-sized. Man Sized, PJ Harvey. Identified by Brooke.

2. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now

3. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog

4. Virtue/ Is relative at best/ There's nothing worse/ Than a sunset when you're driving/ Due west. Virtue, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke.

5. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town

SHE THINKS I'M COOL...OR NICE

So, apparently a person who I spend quite a bit of time with (proportionately to other people at least) thinks that I am a nice person. It’s good to know. For most of my life people who I spent a lot of time with thought I was more of a raging asshole mean bitch than a nice person. Don’t get me wrong, they liked me just fine. We were friends and in many cases still are. They just wouldn’t have used the words nice to describe me. Maybe I have grown up or maybe it is just because some people wouldn’t necessarily recognize her as nice either (even though she is) so she understands what I go through.

So, thanks, Friend. For knowing that deep down under all the snarky comments and hating on all that is generally lame that I am a nice person. It is refreshing. As far as passing this along goes my lunch is about over and I must get back to work. I figure everyone that reads this blog is probably pretty nice so I pass it to all of you nice folk out there.

1. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine

2. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain

3. I’m a poor boy born in a rut/ Some say my manners aren’t the best/ Some of my friends have been in a whole lot of trouble/ Some say I’m no better than the rest

4. They say some days you're gonna win/ They say some days you're gonna lose/ I tell you I got news for you/ Your losin' all the time you never win

5. A wannabe gangsta/ Thinking he’s a wise guy/ Rob another bank/ He’s a sock em in the eye guy

TOMORROW I'L BE SINGING

Tomorrow is the night. Monica, Tony, and I will be heading downtown to experience the wonder that is Jesus Christ Superstar. We are going on opening night. I always wonder about attending the opening of a show. Part of me feels that they are going to go out there and give it their all but another side wonders if they may not yet feel quite at home and, therefore, suck a little. No matter, even if the show were to suck it couldn’t help but be awesome. It will be hard to contain myself and not belt out songs. I think it might be a little inappropriate in a theater. This isn't movies in the park.

Let me tell you a little about why I love this show.

1. The music

Tony once told me that while in Texas he asked his friend Matt what Jesus Christ Superstar was. Mat replied, “it’s Jesus but funky.” He couldn’t be more right. This music is FUNKY. You just want to get up and dance and I am so curious to see the dancing that is going to happen tomorrow night.

2. The history

When I was young I didn’t go to church, synagogue, temple, ashram, or any other edifice of religiosity. I was somewhat curious about religion because I was a curious child and a while lot of people seemed to put a lot of stock in it. All the questions I had were answered by my parents to the best of their ability and I considered myself rather well informed.

One day, while looking through my parent’s records I came upon a double album containing the London cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. I figured the title was pretty interesting so I put it on. Need I remind you that it was FUNKY? I think not. So I sat there and listened to the music with the liner notes in hand reading along and learning the story. I think that experience was my first real exposure to the story of the final days of Jesus. Because of this musical being my teacher I was very confused when I heard that Judas was considered to be the worst of all worst people. His character in the play is very sympathetic and he totally has the best songs. Jesus is a little whiny. These facts may be why the musical was controversial.

Later in life I read the Bible and was pleasantly surprised to find bits and pieces of the words from JC Superstar dispersed throughout. I felt pretty good about the fact that the play was nice and true to the text…ish

3. The clothes

Now, since my only seeing of this show has been through the 1973 Norman Jewison film that is my only concept of the clothes. However, anytime Roman guards look like village people, King Herod appears to be a coked out movie producer, and Jesus and pals are total hippies I can’t help but love it.

4. The music

Yeah I know I covered this already but really, this stuff is FUNKY

I can’t wait.

1. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine

2. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain

3. Cato play with my head/ I won’t know the difference/ if we’re living in the novelist/ or statistician/ Oh oh oh. Cato As A Pun, of Montreal. Identified by Monica

4. See the storm set in your eyes/ See the torn twist in your side/ I wait for you. With or Without You, U2. Identified by, Danielle

5. I’m a poor boy born in a rut/ Some say my manners aren’t the best/ Some of my friends have been in a whole lot of trouble/ Some say I’m no better than the rest

I'VE BEEN THINKING

Today I had my first meeting for the campus book club. It isn’t a club that meets particularly regularly because we all have our own busy schedules, but rather is scheduled for two meetings and a screening of the movie based on our book. As I am playing with the idea of going back to school, I figured participating in this would be a good way to get my mind thinking critically again. While I believe I always read with a critical eye it is different when you know you have to discuss the work in question. Plus the book that was chosen was Native Son, by Richard Wright and I have read it many times before so it wouldn’t be too hard.

I am not a fan of Richard Wright. I find his work to be wordy, unsophisticated, underdeveloped, and full of self-loathing. However, I am always curious to see how other people feel about him because he is considered to be one of “the greats” and Native Son is seen as a masterpiece. It’s not a bad book. I find it to be rather preachy and altogether too obvious but I can see why it could be seen as relevant. It is certainly a somewhat entertaining read what with the violence and political intrigue although the lack of chapters is incredibly annoying. Either way, I figured it would make for a good discussion.

I wasn’t disappointed. Our group facilitator did a great job of asking pertinent questions, allowing everyone to express their opinion and keeping the discussion moving. He also did a good job of keeping his personal opinions out of things. I feel that I did a good job of that as well, which is not easy for me. Our next meeting is on the third of next month and he posed some challenging questions to us.

1. Do we know a Bigger Thomas?
2. Do we know anyone who resembles the other characters in the book?
3. How have race relations in Chicago changed from the 1930s until now?
4. Do we still allow the stereotypes that pervaded the community into our minds today?

The first two questions made me chuckle. If you haven’t read the book, Bigger Thomas is about the most stereotypical “poor uneducated young Black man who is stuck on a path leading to destruction” that you could ever come across, and the white characters are also stereotypical “well meaning rich liberals who think they are helping”. All I had to do was think back to my last job and realize that I knew plenty of people who fit both these categories and some of the latter weren’t white folks. I guess that is how race relations in Chicago have changed. Now it isn’t just rich white people giving ping-pong tables to the poor Black children but Black people as well. Maybe the fact that it took me .2 seconds to reach that conclusion signifies that these stereotypes are around today. However, there is a grain of truth in every stereotype so….

I look forward to our next discussion. It’s a good and diverse group of people and I enjoy people coming together and discussing things that interest me. You all know I love some good talk of race and racism.

1. I love you/ Completely/ Please I don't want you to go/ Though you are not content here with me and you feel you must go. You Feel You Must Go, Don’t Go!, Of Montreal

2 You've got a bad reputation/ That's the word out on the town/ It gives a certain fascination/ But it can only bring you down. Bad Reputation, Thin Lizzy

3. They got a committee to get me off the block. Cause I say my rhymes loud and I say them non stop. Slow Ride, Beastie Boys

4. On the corner/ We talk away/ Everybody’s older these days. Glass Conversation, The Ponies

YOU WANTED AN ESSAY, I'LL GIVE YOU AN ESSAY

Although I have been subtly plugging Huey Lewis here and there for some time on this blog I have been hesitant to pull out all the stops and explain fully why Huey is so important. Until now there has only been a facebook page but I don’t spend enough time there to truly attempt to fuel the fire from that site. No, this blog is where much of my online efforts go. The website existed before but consisted of nothing more than a picture, although a good picture it was. Sure, the site isn’t brimming with information yet. I don’t even see a post about the essay contest…maybe it’s over. Needless to say, Lewisnews08 is now a reality. You can all be a part of the movement.

Why Huey? Why not. Do I like Huey? Not particularly. Do I know any Huey songs? Only from my in-depth knowledge of the mind of Patrick Bateman (wasn’t American Psycho great?). So why do I care? Why is it that every time I pick up my cell phone I feel a sticker, smile, and think of Huey? It’s because this may be my chance to make a difference to the world. This movement, the bringing back of Huey Lewis and the News for 2008, is a chance for us all to unite and see if mere word of mouth and suggestion can change the course of musical history.

You might say that there is a much more important movement afoot in 2008 what with the elections and all. You would be right. However, the country will never unite behind one candidate. There are too many differences for that. At the same time, it is possible for everyone in the country to get behind Huey. They don’t have to like his music, they don’t have to know any of his songs, they only have to believe in the dream. Join us. You know you want to.

How do you join? It’s easy. Just let Huey into your life. Bring him up to people in passing. It doesn’t take much. Simply ask them if they know that 2008 is the year for the resurgence of Huey Lewis and the News. They will probably say they didn’t. So tell them that it is. That there is an underground movement set on this happening and all they have to do to help is tell a friend. We get enough people doing this and soon when you randomly ask someone if they know that 2008 is the year of the Huey that random person will say, “Yes, I did”. We will have achieved greatness.

Take the first step, join the movement. Get on facebook and check out the Huey Lewis is a Golden God group. You can request marketing materials; we’ll get them to you. People see enough stickers that they don’t understand with a website listed they’ll check it out. Think about it, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all working together to bring about change. This could be the thing that brings understanding across this great nation of ours. If you’re in a Super Tuesday state don’t forget to vote today but, while you’re at it, don’t forget to mention Huey. We can do it.

Yes, We Can.

1. I love you/ Completely/ Please I don't want you to go/ Though you are not content here with me and you feel you must go

2. Coming out the slums/ It's the hoodlums/ I'm pulling my gat out on all you bums. We Ain't Goin Out Like That, Cypress Hill. Identified by Ern

3. You've got a bad reputation/ That's the word out on the town/ It gives a certain fascination/ But it can only bring you down

4. They got a committee to get me off the block. Cause I say my rhymes loud and I say them non stop

5. On the corner/ We talk away/ Everybody’s older these days

EXPECTATIONS

Is a really good song. Oh man, Monica, I need those Belle and Sebastian CDs so much.

Urban Chick passed on a meme that asked only one question, what do you expect from your blog?

I thought it was a rather easy question to answer. I expect absolutely nothing from it save that it entertains me. If other people are entertained as well that is simply a bonus. I like cataloging all the random thoughts, happenings, and mindless drivels that I encounter on a daily basis. It is something to do and it makes me smile. Plus, I like to talk about blogging and blogs with people who also blog and like to talk about blogging and blogs. It is yet another piece of things to discuss and for someone who is socially awkward an increase in potential topics is always a good thing.

There are some people who expect a lot from their blogs. They expect that they will get a book deal or a huge readership or quoted in some random media thing. If those things happen for those people it will not only be despite huge odds against it but it will cause more people who want to blog for reasons other than self-gratification to belly up to the keys and churn out tons of mediocre attempts at being deep. I’m sure someone will read their stuff though and stroke their ego and maybe one of them will make something out of their blog. If so I think that is great for them.

I like having readers, it makes responding to comments a much more enjoyable experience than if no one stopped by. That being said, would I blog if no one commented? Probably, I mean how many posts did I do about Figure skating before someone other than my mom really seemed to care? I still enjoyed writing them.

I’m not going to tag people, tagging is totally 2007. I’m just going to say it’s an interesting question to ask yourself and if you want to answer it feel free.

Monica, answer all five of these songs right now.

1. It’s over/ You don’t need to tell me/ I hope you’re with someone who makes you feel safe in your sleep. No Distance Left To Run, Blur. Identified by Jason.

2. Laid back in an old saloon with a peso in my hand/ Watching flies and children on the street. Mexicali Blues, The Grateful Dead. Identified by Monica

3. I/ Was gazing in your eyes/ Seeing butterflies/ Melting on the wall/ Strangest thing I saw . Will You Come and Fetch Me, of Montreal. Identified by Moncia

4. Streets like a jungle/ So call the police/ Following the herd/ Down to Greece. Boys and Girls, Blur. Identified by Monica

5. Your butt is mine/Gonna take you right/ Just show your face/ In broad daylight. Bad, Michael Jackson. Identified by Jenn