No Justice…But Peace…. For Now

A Tale of Two Protests
Justice denied — that was the verdict on Friday in Queens, NY. All 3 police officers acquited of all charges. 50 shots fired at 3 unarmed, peaceful men — and Sean Bell killed on his wedding day — and not even a reckless endangerment charge for one cop. Although angry, after the ruling was made, Sean Bell’s family, led by Al Sharpton and several others went to the Grave of Sean Bell in Port Washington for a memorial service. Sharpton, Bell’s family and the rest of the crowd left after the services without incident. As the son of a retired police officer, this is a hard blog for me to write. But my Dad was a good cop, he never took advantage of the authority that was given him, and he was decorated by the Village he served with it’s very first Medal of Valor for apprehending four murderers single-handedly, at great risk to his own personal safety. He did not fire a shot. My father personified the time-honored notion of the duty of the police is “to protect and serve.” Unfortunately, it seems that some of those who call themselves police officers these days , they seem to think that time honored tradition of “to protect and serve” only applies to themselves. That the families of the victims and many in the African American community are appalled by this verdict is a given. They should be. It is a travesty of justice. And everyone, of every race should be just as angry and fearful, This verdict, like the Rodney King Verdict, has damaged the public’s trust in the role of police in society as protectors.

Yet unlike the aftermath of the Rodney Kind verdict, where violence erupted in South Central Los Angeles and other cities, nothing even closely resembling that occurred in New York. The protests have been muted. Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict. Reverend Sharpton accused the presidential candidate of trying to “grandstand in front of white people”. So far not a rock has been thrown. There may be verbal anger, but so far not one fire has been set. Calls for a federal investigation into this case have begun and I think they should be.

Another protest, or rally took place in New York City on Sunday, in Bryant Park. This one addressed another situation where there has been no justice, but again, the rally was peaceful. Hundreds of Tibetans and their supporters gathered in New York for the next leg of the Tibetan Independence Torch run. Tibet was an independent country until the Chinese invasion in 1949. Tibet had it’s own currency, postage, laws and treaties made with other nations. This rally was marked not by angry shouts, but by lighting a flame of hope and freedom, and the sacred chants of Tibetian Buddhism. While the Olympic Torch makes it’s way to Beijing, it will work it’s way through Tibet, with China hoping that it will somehow legitimize its claim to Tibet. China’s abysmal human rights record is no secret, and as an American I am not about to wag my finger too much at another nation’s policies these days. But there is one thing I did notice this past weekend. That while there may be no justice in the world, there can be peace. That does not mean people should not be outraged over injustice. There is action to take. Let the federal investigation into the Sean Bell case proceed. Let us demand and expect more from our police. As for the Beijing Olympics, I have no choice but to personally boycott watching NBC’s already lame coverage of the Games when that modern version of Bread and Circuses invades the airwaves. And I will Boycott the sponsors of said Olympics. Join me if you want to. It’s just my opinion. It doesn’t matter much. But it’s just how I feel. Sometimes there is no justice personally either. Sometimes people you count on, or had such high hopes and plans for let you down or lead you on. Life is not fair. But it can still be serene. We may never have a completely just world, but we can have peace. That is a goal that is never too lofty. Let us continue….

Food Supplies to Darfur to Be Cut in Half

Last week, the United Nations World Food Program announced that it will cut half its food supplies to the people of Darfur because of a lack of funds and relentless attacks on its convoys.

Millions of Darfuris depend on this food supply. Without it, they will be pushed even closer to the knife-sharp edge of starvation.

Inaction is not an option when so many lives are at stake.

Congress is preparing to vote on a bill that will significantly increase funding for humanitarian aid and peacekeeping in Darfur. Your representative needs to hear from you NOW because the men, women, and children of Darfur cannot afford any more delays.

Additional funding for Darfur can bring hope to the thousands who have weathered half a decade of genocide. It can provide peacekeepers with training and equipment to protect Darfuri civilians. It can deliver disaster and famine assistance to families desperately in need. And it can help the people of Sudan move towards democracy and determine their own path to peace.

We must meet our obligation to the people of Darfur. Congress has the purse strings. You have the voice. Make sure your voice – and the collective voice of hundreds of thousands of Darfuris – is heard.

With the United Nations World Food Program cutting its food aid to Darfur, the clock is ticking faster and louder than ever – we must act quickly to try to fill this crucial gap.

http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/fy08_supplemental

Libertad Blog Going Dark for a While

Hi, this blog is going dark for a week or so until some technical improvements can be made. That I am just not finding that many things interesting enough to comment on these days.  But stay tuned.  There will soon be bells and whistles and loads of other things to occupy your time – and mine

See you soon

Ham and Cheese and the Reality of Corporate Layoffs

The price of a ham and cheese sandwich at Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop in New York City is $6.00. Don’t believe me? Check out their menu here http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=4053

 

But this article is not about the cost of the ham and cheese sandwich, nor is about the foodstuffs of ham and cheese.  Ham and cheese are metaphors, or nicknames of certain individuals that certain people reading this blog will immediately recognize, and others will not have a clue.  This article has two purposes. One is general; to examine the reality of corporate downsizing in today’s very scary economy.  The other is to support some friends of mine who recently have been through this experience.

 

Having been laid-off, fired, shit-canned or as the British so politely term it, experienced a redundancy myself, I know these experience can leave one with a bad taste in the mouth, and feelings that range from utter hopelessness and fear to an almost uncontrollable rage, with fantasies going through your head that are probably comparable to the shit that was going on in Ted “The Unabomber” Kaczynski’s mind.  To those who have gone through this recent round of “redundancies” or “Downsizing” I sympathize.  It feels like getting hit in the head by a two by four.

 

My advice. Get up off the ground, grab the two by four, and start building a dream house, that is, write down your dream career move and take the steps to achieve it. No more screwing around with stability, tenure, and hopes that this time it will be different. Take the ball and run with it.  Try this exercise. Write down some goals.  Go ahead, write out what your dream job is and be specific. And imagine yourself doing that dream job, what it would feel like, what you look like doing it, what the perfect environment is, and describe it in perfect detail. Once you are satisfied, stick it in an envelope, address the envelope to yourself, put a stamp and mail it to yourself. That’s right. Taking that action will be the start of making your dream job a reality. When that letter comes back to you, think of it as a confirmation that your goals and dreams are valid, and you can achieve this. Go ahead and do it now! Trust me on this one.

 

Let’s talk more about corporate layoffs.

Career Protection’s Annual 2008 Layoffs Forecast paints an ugly picture of cuts in jobs for this upcoming year. The bottom line is there will be a 37% increase in companies planning layoffs and reductions in workforce this year. The details of this forecast make it quite apparent that severance packages will not be as generous in their severance pay as they have been in the recent past. That being said, do not accept a severance package offer as a take it or leave it proposition, especially if you have been a loyal employee for a significant amount of time. Companies will still require employees to execute a General Release of Legal Claims in exchange for receiving a severance package, so companies will negotiate its terms to obtain one from employee. Layoff fever is currently spreading faster than Paris Hilton’s legs – Bear Stearns, Chrysler, Citigroup, Covidien Healthcare, Ford, GM, Indy Mac and Sprint Nextel have all announced major layoffs.

 

So what does this have to do with Ham and Cheese?  Well this is where I get a little personal in my bog and speak in code to a certain audience, but there are general lessons and ideas to be learned from the world at large.  I know of one Ham and Cheese sandwich purchased by a certain organization involved in communicating information that has a price tag close to $800,000. That’s not counting bonuses and interior decorating.  This Ham and Cheese sandwich was given Carte Blanche so to speak, and re-organized, re-vamped, and re-tarded an organization that was already working to the best of its ability. Holding companies being what they are, they don’t look at numbers like hour spent in devotion to ones work, years of loyalty to an organization, and the priceless commodity of real talent and verve. They look at numbers like revenue, profit and loss, liabilities and assets. That’s the law of the jungle.  Holding companies are very similar to the Mafia in that the companies beneath them better pay their tribute, or some people get whacked.  The ramifications for bad decisions by holding companies, like buying this particular Ham and Cheese sandwich for nearly a million dollars, do not fall on those who actually decided to make the decision to hire them.  They fall on those underneath them.  But as a student of Buddhism and karma, I do believe that what comes around goes around. Payback is a bitch. This Ham and Cheese sandwich will fester and rot into a pile of putrescent ooze. Those who became redundant and now find themselves jobless – well, they will move on to the next best thing.  I know because I know these people. They were some of the best I have ever worked with. I feel their pain and frustration. I hope this coded message will at least provoke a slight belly laugh in the midst of their tragic situations.

 

 

Hillary Clinton Wins Pennsylvania Democratic Primary

Senator Hillary Clinton took the crucial Pennsylvania Primary tonight, keeping the wheels on her campaign buss rolling towards the next round of primaries in May.  Not all the results are in, but the question is – did she beat the spread?  A win is a win, but she needs to start raking in some serious campaign funds. And we all know that there are calls going out to the superdelegates tonight. Now she needs to get Bill back to work, but not the angry-red-faced teeth-clenthced Bill we’ve been seeing lately. She needs the nice Bill, the Bill that hugs you and feels your pain. He may even have to cry and beg the superdelegates to vote for his wife. Obama has been Rain Man the last few weeks -he needs to snap out of it and open up a can of whip-ass.  Can he run the table in the May primaries? He’s got the cash, does he have the cajones.  Can he stay positive and on message.  Why can’t either one of these candidates close the deal? I fully expect a split decision with Hillary taking Indiana and Barack Obama taking North Carolina. But that doesn’t close the deal. Could it be that people are really yearning for another candidate, one who they can really feel attracted to and support in a congruent and powerful way. One that can add that spoonful of sugar to  make alot the nasty medicine we are all going to be taking go down alot smoother.  I have my thoughts on this. That’s right. Jessica Alba.

Need I say more.  Good night folks. Tomorrow’s topic. Who the hell knows  I am pretty bored with the primaries again and Jessica is not returning my phone calls.  But I will give you a hint – it may involve HAM AND CHEESE

Pennsylvania Primary Today – Some Poll Numbers

Today, residents of the great state of Pennsylvania vote in their respective primaries.  In what is being termed as a “make or break” primary for Senator Clinton, here are the latest tracking poll numbers from various polls, courtesy of politics1.com

PENNSYLVANIA (Newsmax/Zogby): Clinton – 48%, Obama – 42%.
PENNSYLVANIA (Rasmussen): Clinton – 49%, Obama – 44%.
PENNSYLVANIA (Public Policy Polling): Obama – 49%, Clinton – 46%.
PENNSYLVANIA (Insider Advantage): Clinton – 49%, Obama – 39%.
PENNSYLVANIA (Quinnipiac University): Clinton – 51%, Obama – 44%.
PENNSYLVANIA (Suffolk University): Clinton – 52%, Obama – 42%.
In related news, the AP reports Obama started April with $42 million cash-on-hand — while Clinton’s campaign is essentially broke. Clinton reported $9.3 million cash-on-hand, but owed $10.3 million in unpaid debts to her pollster, phone bank firm, and advertising agency. Jim Carville confirmed this last night at the Radio CIity Hall Lecture Series that I attended, and added that any Clinton win over Obama could help restore some of her fundraising, noting that right now “her keg is tapped”. Clinton needs significant blowout numbers in the remaining primaries to overtake Obama’s current lead in both delegate count and popular vote totals. A popular-vote victory is vital to Clinton’s chances because she is likely to end the primaries still trailing Obama in the race for delegates to the Democratic National Convention.  A key factor that I can’t see reflected in the recent political chitter-chatter, is undecided voters.  Let’s remember the lesson New Hampshire taught us – the undecideds were a key factor, and they broke at the last moment for Hillary Clinton.  It seems that in Pennsylvania, the number of undecided voters is small, so this time around, they may not be a key factor at this stage. Let’s take a look at the tracking poll from ARG

April 22, 2008 – Pennsylvania Democratic Primary Preference

Pennsylvania
Democrats	Mar 7-8	Mar 26-27	Apr 5-6	Apr 11-13	Apr 17-19	Apr 20-21
Clinton	52%	51%	45%	57%	54%	56%
Obama	41%	39%	45%	37%	41%	40%
Someone else	1%	2%	4%	2%	1%	1%
Undecided	6%	8%	6%	4%	4%	3%

 This poll has Clinton’s lead over Obama substantial, 16 points, so that 3% does not help Obama at all.

The Quinnipiac Poll breaks down like this:

LIKELY DEM PRIMARY VOTERS…………………………
                                                                            Reagan  Union
                  Tot       Men       Wom     Wht     Blk     Dems    HsHolds
Clinton         51%     42%       57%       57%   10%     49%     57%
Obama        44         53         38           38      84         44      36
DK/NA          4           4           5             4       6            5       6

 

Again the undecideds are small and if they all swing to Obama, which is unlikely,  Clinton still wint this thing by 3% according to this poll. I think these 51-44 numbers will hold, and what does that mean – it means Hillary gets a boost and perhaps can restore her sluggish fundraising. Obama will still get a nice chunk of delegates due to the proprotional allocation od delegates in the Democratic Primary system.  Hillary will spin that she can win the big states and has the numbers behind her to beat McCain in the fall. Obama will have to fine tune his message and convince voters he’s tough enough to handle the job, and still has the lead in delegates and the momentum. Unless there is a huge landslide upset by Obama tonight, this campaign continues.  The wheels will not come off the campaign bus of either campaign.  They will move on to the next phase, including May 6 with the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, May 13th West Virginia Primary, and the May 20 primaries in Kentucky and Oregon.  May 6 will be interesting to watch in terms of North Carolina.  Does John Edwards make an endorsement, or will he stay above the fray and position himself as broker at the August convention? And if one candidate wins Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky and Oregon, does the other start thinking about withdrawring from the race. I highly doubt it.  This one is going up to June 3, the dates of the last primaries to be held in Montana and South Dakota. It may not even be decided then. We may have my friends a brokered convention.  And that will be the political equivalent of “Let’s Make a Deal” , complete with funny hats and noisemakers. Not to mention Tim Russert dusting off his little marker board keeping score as the proceedings continue, all the while display that shit-eating grin of his. So the bottom line is this : Hillary needs to start cleaning Obama’s clock in the remaining primaries to start claiming a mandate and revamp her fundraising, and Obama needs to get some sleep and start ramping up his performance in debates, if there are any remaining ones scheduled. He also needs to add Confidence and Ability to Lead to his powerful message of hope and change.  People see him as inspirational.  They need to also see someone who can make the tough decisions and be a strong leader, a commander in chief. Everyone knows Hillary Clinton is tough and can handle the slings and arrows of both the media, and the Republican smear machine. Voters need to feel Obama can do the same thing. That’s his prescription for victory.  But the Democrats can still blow this in November and lose to McCain if they do not unite behind whoever gets the nomination.  Somebody is going to win the nomination in Denver, and someone is going to lose.  The winner and loser will both have to be humble, conciliatory and appreciative of the other if the Democrats hope to capture the White House in November.  Which means they can start that process now by knocking it off with the negative ads, and going back to re-defining their vision for America versus more of the same with McCain. They could also join forces as a ticket, which many political experts see as unlikely, but I see it making perfect sense. Of course, as I have previously written, we could go the alternate route and elect Jessica Alba as our next commander in chief. I keep putting this bait out there, and no one is biting. Well she should at least be considered on the short-list for VP. Who’s with me on this?

 

 

Review – Radio City Music Hall Carville, Tucker Carlson, Huffington and Anderson Cooper

I attended the first installment of the Radio City Music Hall Lecture Series; The Minds that Move the World Tonight’s lecture featured  Jim Carville, Arianna Huffington and Tucker Carlson at Radio City Music Hall. Androidson Cooper moderated  If these are the minds that move the world, the gene pool has become just a little more shallow. They are pundits, not physicists for Christ’s sakes. If these are the minds that rule the rule, then I am Erasmus of Rotterdam. If you don’t know who that is, google it, this is not the my space blog. All three pundits seem to feel the Democrats are going to lose this election this year because of the infighting.  It was great sitting up so close to them and watching Carville and Huffington interact was a hoot. Carville can’t sit still in one position for too long, but thank God they never put him on Ritalin or we would not have had one of the world’s greatest political strategists to ever walk this planet. I admire the guy. I wish I could be like him. He just does not give a shit what he says.  He gave America Bill Clinton. Arianna impresses me more and more these days. I used to think of her as the Zsa Zsa Gabor of the political set, or maybe Ivanna Trump with a brain. But she has some real valid points about the media coverage of this election. Carville spelled it out though – The Winner and the Loser have to make nice at the Democratic Convention in Denver, or John McCain will be President. Carville likened the remaining Democratic race for delegates to a game of blackjack and the whole thing meant sense to me.  I don’t know if the audience got it, but it had me spellbound. If Obama is holding a 20 and Hillary is holding a 15, she has to hit on 15. Some asshole kept jumping up and yelling “Bullshit” every time Tucker Carlson spoke.  The poor fool probably did not realize that this was not being televised, so he was not going to get his obligatory 15 seconds of fame.  Sorry, lardass, you are not going to the be known as “The Bullshit Guy” from the Radio City Music Hall Lecture Series. Even if they do put it out on DVD, they will edit you out.  The panel had it’s moments, but alas I was bored – Androidson Cooper can only hold my attention for so long – and after an hour I slipped out, partially because I was tired, and partially because the guy next to me had Erbs Palsy or Petit Mal Seizures, or maybe he was just from Appalachia, and his twitching was annoying the shit out of me. I was one of the suckers who bought the package deal of all four lectures.  The heavy hitters are next – Al Gore, Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards, and the man himself Bill Clinton.  There was a lot of talk about him tonight. Some of it good, some of it critical.  Personally I am looking forward to seeing Al Gore. And of course Bill Clinton. I think that little weasel Tim Russert is moderating one of these things.  And I wonder if Bill Clinton finally loses it and beats the crap out of Little Russ for knocking his wife so hard in the debates. I wonder if the “Bullshit” guy will show up again at the next lecture. Or the twitching fool sitting next to me.  Let’s hope not. All in all it was basically like watching Crossfire, except it was in Radio City Music Hall, which makes everything look good. Carville by far was the star. The man is completely out of his mind and is unedited. I like that. He is the E.F. Hutton of U.S. Politics – when he talks, everyone listens.  This guy knows how to win elections. Hillary and Obama better start holding their fire and listen to the Ragin Cajun. No one on the panel was impressed by Obama’s debate performance the other night, and I fully expect Hillary will clean his clock in Pennsylvania tomorrow night. Huffington had a keen observation on the polls, saying that they were utterly useless and unpredictable. Wow, this is just dawning on her now?  Well, I guess I have to cut the woman some slack,  what the hell, she claims she didn’t know her ex-husband was gay when everyone else seemed to. It’s funny watching a bunch of media pundits on stage complaining about how the media covers the candidates.  Isn’t that biting the hand that feeds them. Call me crazy, but the curtain on this weird act called Election 2008 has yet to go up. This was just the sideshow. Some crazy shit is going to go down this year in the good old US of A. The airwaves are going to be filled with so much venom that  you won’t be able to tell the difference between the shitty American Idol auditions and the political commercials. And we’ll just sit back and watch the show, or won’t pay attention. We’re totally fucked my friends. McCain sold his soul to Karl Rove, Hillary doesn’t know her ass from her elbow, and Obama can’t tell if he’s shell shocked, steamrolled, gun-shy or powder burned.  I say fuck it. Let’s elect Jessica Alba president. I tried to get her elected pope but nobody took the bait. Maybe the country will follow my lead this time – if we can’t have an effective government, at least we can have a hot president.  The economy’s going to shit – don’t worry, Jessica Alba’s hot, she’ll handle it.  School system in the toilet – don’t worry, she’ll sunbathe in a bikini on the East Lawn of the White House while sweaty overweight photographers clamor for the money shot. Universal Healthcare – no problem. Rumor has it that putting a photo of Jessica Alba by a sick and dying person has healing properties.  What, you don’t believe me? Try it.  You’ve tried everything else. Well I am going to go to bed and dream of a world that does not closely resemble hell. And maybe, just maybe I will wake up and I will pick up the newspaper and it will say “Alba Elected President”.

 

Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff

Okay, so tonight’s blog is not going to be as whimsical as it usually is.  I warned you folks I might get heavy sometimes here.  I gave you Pope on a rope  and how to make your own pope hat out of a newspaper the other day. Tonight I need to vent a little, or at least unleash my restraint of pen and tongue.  Sorting the wheat from the chaff basically is sorting through the grain that is of use and the grain that has no usefulness. So what am I talking about. Well if could be I am talking about separating the lambs from the wolves in my life, or an even better analogy, wolves in sheep’s clothing. While I do get personal here on my end, no names or locations will be mentioned of other parties  to avoid libel and slander. So what am I talking about. I am talking about the crazymakers. From our earliest days we are told we must be loyal to friends, family, and those who are in authority.We are convinced that it is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, what we are sometimes not taught is that holding on to some relationships is toxic. There is a differene between being loyal and stupid, open and weak. We need not be loyal to those who are not loyal to who WE (meaning I) choose to be. There are many kinds of toxic people, I know it’s important for me to recognize them and pluck them off like fleas. Oh yes, there will be anger and hurt feelings, and the obligatory ominous warnings of impending disaster. But removing poisonous people from your life is ultimately less painful than allowing them to continue to convince you that your happiness, your life choices, your dreams, your personal level of success and health, is an illusion. Toxic friends, well-meaning guides and self appointed judge-and-juries come in a variety of flavors and costumes. There are those who hate to see anyone lift themselves up, to move forward and take positve steps towards growth. They may have been there for you when you were struggling, but can’t seem to be happy for you when you have decided to move forward. There are those that are the buzz kills, the Debby Downers, the Mr. Ominous Warning Man types, no matter what you are happy about (new job, new career direction, new love), they are just so WORRIED about you. They are there for one reason: to kill your hope. After all why should I be happy? They are not and they need to put their shit on you.  Can you really trust a person like this? The most dangerous type of all is the Big Brother/Big Sister father figure type. At some point, they were genuine and were there for you. But you grew up and they didn’t notice.  They are particularly dangerous because they are friendly fire. They are mad because you’ve decided to take some control over your own life and make some decisions without consulting them.  This is all about control people. Your inabilities (my inabilities)  have become part of their self-esteem. If I don’t need Big Brother-type to help me with a decision, what is he supposed to do all that great advice? Here’s a piece of advice for these types: Use it to fix your own (likely) screwed up lives. I guess what I am saying is that God, Higher Power, the Universe, gave us the ability to grow and change. Trust him or her or it. It’s all you need. And find friends who cheer you when you do well, who support your dreams, and hang on to you when you screw up. Letting go of a significant but toxic relationship is difficult. But dragging around the baggage of doubt is a lot harder. If you can’t think of a good reason a crazymaker is in your life, a reason that’s good for you,  then cut them loose. God, the universe,  will bring you more.  Far be it from me to suggest that friends or guides are disposable. But neither are your dreams. I treat my dreams like they are my best friend, and defend them from the toxins of the world. In other words, you can fuck with my head, you can insult my intelligience, you can laugh at my haircut, or criticize my choice in shoes, but you cross the line when you fuck with my dreams and goals. Doing that breaks a trust, and that can never be regained. 

How to Make Your Own Pope Hat

Pope Benedict has arrived in New York and is currently speaking to the UN.  I am surprised at the lack of tacky Papal souvenirs for sale on the streets of New York. Past Papal Visits Have produced such wonders as this Pope Soap on  Rope:

So in the spirit of his arrival, I offer you simple instructions on how to make your very own Pope Hat Any newspaper  will do, but I prefer to use the New York Post. There’s a link at the top of my blog page that will take you to a pdf version of this. Print it out and freak your friends out at the office, on the street, on the subway. Just a little fun arts and crafts for those with slightly twisted minds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Greatest Hits Collection from the My Space Blog

Well I like blogging, problem is I was blogging on myspace. Don’t get me wrong, myspace is a great site, but I just don’t think my blog subject matter is quite on par with the Socratic musings I find on the blogs of myspace. How could my rants about the Pope’s visit compare with Leave Britney Alone, I just bought a new pair of shoes, or who should have gotten kicked off of American Idol last night.  The fact is, I want to have a big boy’s blog. It’s practice.  You see, I am a writer, and writers like to write.  Singers like to sing. Actors like to act, thieves like to steal and apparently politicians like really expensive hookers.  This is also just practice for a much larger website which will be launching soon – The Prospero Manifesto.  More about that later.  But before I bid adieu to my space blogging forever, I want to review some of my better moments there

Sunday, February 24, 2008

When Life Hits You On the Head with a 2 by 4.. Current mood: excited Category: Life When life hits you on the head with a 2 by 4, don’t just stand there, pick the damn thing up and start building a house.  I have no idea where that phrase came from it just seems the appropriate one for me today. You may notice on my page that there are alot of artists and musicians in my friends group.  Check them out and support them.  It’s all well and good to groove on the stuff on the radio, but there are alot of unknown gems out there just waiting to be discovered. Me, I have not blogged in a while. Don’t know why.  Well actually I do but I am not telling. But I am back, just in case all six of you were wondering where I was. So life has hit me with a 2 by 4, so now I am building a house. No, not a real house, the metaphorical house, the house that is my life. I am, so to speak, cleaning up my act and making some very positive changes. Stick in inertia in the doldrums of a soul-sucking job and an equally soul-sucking life, the universe decided to do for me what I could not do for myself. I was fired from said soul-sucking job (THANK YOU!!! THERE IS A GOD) and am currently working on the foundation of the “new house”  It’s a happy time, it’s a scary time. It’s a trip. Winter still hangs on here in New York but today spring is showing a little leg, so it’s a nice day to walk about. Just thought I should blog a little first.  I am a writer, and lately the writer’s portion of my brain has resembled something akin to the “The Munsters” house, or maybe the Addams Family, or maybe even better the inside of a freezer that has not been defrosted for a while.  So I am “defrosting”. There it is. Well time to go out into the world again and soak up the sun, take some pictures of the melting snow, and just breath in the air.  Have a peaceful day

Hmmm what could I have been talking about here.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Birthday Blues Current mood: depressed Category: Life Well here it is, May 16, my damn birthday, and I am stuck at work dealing with the usual moronic bullshit. Should have taken the day off, called in sick or something. But nooooo, I have to be responsible and show up for work and all that good stuff. Just got a timeline of what work is going to be like for the next six months, and it looks like I will have precious little time for a vacation. Needless to say I am pissed off to no end. Life’s a bitch and then you marry one I guess

Boy was I a miserable little bastard or what. Two days earlier was no better.

Monday, May 14, 2007

This society has been reduced to a bunch of overgrown quasi-adult infantalized morons. I am in a Monday mood, but shit, global warming or nuclear holocaust cannot happen fast enough.  The human race no longer deserves to inhabit such an awesome planet! Okay, I’ll chill now, when I get home

But I did have some moments of sheer mirth and merriment

How to Maintain A Healthy Level of Sanity At Work Current mood: contemplative 1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom At Work. Don’t Disguise Your Voice. 3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that. 4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It “In.” 5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once everyone has gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. 6. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write “For Smuggling Diamonds” 7. Finish All Your sentences with “In Accordance With the Prophecy.” 8. Don t use any punctuation 9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk. 10. Order Diet Water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face. 11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is “To Go.” 12. Sing Along At the Opera 13. Go to a Poetry Recital and Ask Why the Poems Don’t Rhyme 14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play Tropical Sounds All Day. 15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can’t Attend Their Party because You’re Not In the Mood. 16. Have Your Co-workers Address You by Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom. 17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream “I Won! I Won!” 18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, yelling “Run For Your Lives! They’re Loose!!” 19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. “Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You go

Of course, when I was not being caustic and venomous, or going for the laugh I did at moments express my true feelings of anger, depression and sheer terror. This is what I posted the day I found out my late therapist was going to die of leukemia

 

Cancer Sucks the Big One Friday, December 01, 2006
Current mood: angry
Category: Life

 

Well, just found out my good friend who has been struggling with Leukemia for the last year has been given the bad news– the chemo has not worked, so go home to die, you have four months tops. Well, ain’t that special.  You know peeps, if I were President, I would announce a major intiative, a Manhattan Project for Cancer so to speak. In much the same way President Kennedy challenged our nation in 1961 – before the decade is out, we will send  a man to the moon and return him safely to earth – I believe if we could set a national, no, an international goal to eradicate and cure Cancer by the year 2017. We have the resources, if they could be channeled appropriately. Problem is, President Dumbass is still in office and he could give two shits about that.  So, if anybody reads this thing, do what you can to set this goal in motion, write your Congressional Representatives and demand some action on this front.  If we can dream it, we can do it.

More on that subject here, my very first blog entry on my space

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

First Blog Entry Current mood: blank   Well here I am, in NYC, freezing my cajones off already in the middle of October.  Trying to think of something interesting to write, which shouldn’t be that difficult considering I write for a living.  But the fact of the matter is, things are not that interesting these days.  Yeah, I have a good job, and good friends, but the fact of the matter is, they are spread out all over the globe or at least the country and I do not get to see them that much.  I am hankering for an adventure.  I mean some people on myspace have these real elaborate pages with lots of bells and whistles and me… well, there’s that picture of me stoned on the beach (God I hope Dad does not read this) I have met some interesting folks here and after I read of some of there struggles, I feel blessed. This world really can kick you in the balls sometimes.  I am about to go visit my friend who has leukemia.  Everyday seems to bring more bad news. I don’t know what to say, so I just sit there and nod my head and hang out with him and try to pretend everything is normal, which it is not. Of course, in my rare moments when I can muster some modicum of emotion, I do tell him I am nervous and I feel bad for him, and I want him to get better.  I am not a complete emotional eunuch, although sometimes I feel that way. It’s fall.  I always get morose around this time of year

And when his death did finally come:

Time
Current mood: anxious
Category: Writing and Poetry

Time is too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is eternity

So that sums up some of my better or worse moments on my space. It’s a new grown up blog. Stories, real stories. Maybe some with happy endings. Do check out my links to some charities and musicians I support.If you have any favorites or want me to pimp your blog or website, leave me a comment and I will. I promise. Now I have to get back to work.