Fake Football Widow

Being preoccupied with other things, I was mentally unprepared when Chris woke up giddy at the thought of watching football ALL DAY! For those of you who do not live with a fantasy football addict, Sunday is the biggest day of the week. There are usually three games televised, at around 12, 3, and 6. Commercials are punctuated by frantic dashes upstairs to the computer to check the statistics of Chris's fantasy teams, also known as his fake football teams, a trademark of the Sports Gal.

I will say this: usually, Chris refuses to leave the house on Sundays in the fall. Today, however, he did go to brunch at Mokabe's with me and our friends the Keeter family, walk Asher with me, and he did, at halftime of the Bears/Chargers game, go to the video store with me. This is extremely rare. The trip to the video store was actually an exercise in futility because we cannot possibly WATCH the videos we rented. We must watch football. I cannot watch the videos upstairs without Chris, because he likes to watch videos together.

We cannot pause the football game using handy Tivo, and then watch parts of, say, and episode from the second season of Weeds, and then return to the game. Although this way, you can fast-forward through the commercials, then we are not watching it "as it happens", even though he has no other outside influences (unless he uses the aforementioned computer) to spoil what happened during the four or five minutes he might be behind, it is unacceptable to delay the viewing any longer than the FCC delays it.

During said commercials, which are, for the most part, idiotic, they usually return to the game with an extended close-up of a cheerleader with gigantic cleavage. It's as if the production team just wants to really stick it to the wives and girlfriends of America. "Hey, we know we are monopolizing your Sunday time with your partner, time that could be spent doing something meaningful or productive, but you know what? We're going to put some titties in their face while we're doing it!" Fuck you, Fox Sports. I already hated your News division, now I hate your sports.

Props

My post on Tuesday for Green Options, about easy steps to go green in college, was named by Treehugger as a favorite green blog post of the week. Treehugger is the biggest environmental website out there, so I was extremely surprised and happy, especially considering I had my biggest case of writer's block ever this week. So check it out.

Car-Free and Poetry

Thursday's GreenOptions post is about why I went car-free. If you are interested in my toned-down, less sarcastic writing (why you would be, I'm not sure) check that out.

School is kicking my butt--grad school, not high school. High school has been great. We're still in the honeymoon phase where the kids do pretty much exactly what I say. Today in Creative Writing we watched Def Poetry. It's one of the most inspiring, intelligent shows out there, simply because it celebrates humanity in its multiplicity of forms. That, and it makes me feel intellectual as hell.

I love these three poems: I showed them in class today.






Take ten minutes to watch them and then recognize that they (via me) dropped some knowledge on your ass.

Update

So the cops found Chris's car. There was less damage than last time; they didn't pop the steering column, just mess up the ignition, so we already have it back and fixed, with a brand new Club on the wheel. The whole situation left me bummed, as well as $300 poorer.

Murphy's Law

You know what's awesome? When you finally sell your car after over a year of talking about it and you feel happy that you no longer have a car payment and can pay off your credit card.

And then you wake up the next morning and your husband's car, the only car you have at your house, is gone. Thieved from right in front of your crib. For the second time in a year. And you have Cardinals tickets.

So pissed at the crackheads right now. So pissed.

Dang.

School makes me tired. More when I'm not stressed.

Scary.

I absolutely believe in freedom of religion, and I believe that people have the right to homeschool their kids, but this "course description" of a supplemental homeschooling class is downright scary.

I have no problem with people who want to be as crazy-Christian as they want (although I do feel back for their children who have no exposure to anything different) but, damn, let the rest of us practice our own non-invasive way of life. If you don't want to have abortions, don't have them, but you have no right to legislate others not having them. If you don't want to have gay anal sex, then don't lube up, but it's not your right to prevent others from doing what they want to do. If you don't want stem-cell research to save your life, don't prevent me or my family from getting treatment. Why must the crazies insist on trying to take over the world?

The Real World Thinks It's Green

The next season of the Real World is supposedly going to be green. Read my post at Green Options here.

Well, This Is Disgusting

I can hear the trees crying.

Camilo Meija Speaks At Left Bank

One of my favorite bands, State Radio, has a song called "Camilo" (fan video shown above), which is a tribute to Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, an Iraq War veteran who went AWOL and refused to return to Iraq after a two-week furlough in the US. After being on the run for five months, Mejia turned himself in to military officials, filed for conscientious objector status, which was denied, and was tried and convicted of desertion. He was sentenced to one year in a military prison and discharged for bad conduct. He served his sentence and was released in 2005. Since then, he has spoken out against the war. His argument for his desertion was that the orders he was under in Iraq were in effect, war crimes, including abuse and torture of prisoners, and that made the war illegal, and he could not, in good conscious, continue to participate in an immoral and illegal war. He was the first Iraq War veteran to refuse further service

I have followed Meija's story since I heard the song "Camilo", and tonight I got the opportunity to hear him speak at Left Bank Books here in St. Louis, where he read from and discussed his book, Road From Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Meija. It was an honor and privilege to meet him.

Mejia has been made out in the media to be a coward, someone who only spoke out as a conscientious objector to save his own skin, but just listening him speak would convince those who question Mejia's motives. He talked about what being an occupier in an occupied country was like, and how, when you are literally in constant fear of losing your life in a completely alien culture, the line between "good" and "bad" disappears, and clarity about your own conscience cannot be fully realized within that context. Many criticize him because he had been in the Army National Guard for eight years, yet he only claimed CO status after his tour of Iraq. He says that was because although he knew what was happening in Iraq was wrong, it took his removal from Iraq during his furlough to realize that he could not, in good conscience, continue to serve in Iraq. While he was in prison, Amnesty International, the world's largest human rights organization, declared him a Prisoner of Conscience and campaigned on his behalf.

As I listened to him speak about the atrocities of the War, of the anguish he felt by "deserting" his fellow soldiers, and his process of declaring himself a conscientious objector, I was moved to tears. The courage it must have taken him, to risk his career, to risk the respect of his fellow soldiers, to risk his standing in the US (he was/is a green card holder; his conviction was not grounds for deportation), was both humbling and inspiring. He continues to speak out against the war, and is active in Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against The War, and Amnesty International. Chris and I both got a copy of his book, which I can't wait to read even though I have eight million other things to do right now. He signed my copy, "To Kelli: with thanks for your support and your work as a teacher," and signed Chris's copy (for his classroom) "To Mr. Oliver's classes: wishing you a future dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of life."

We are Partners of Conscience for Amnesty, and plan on becoming active in the local chapter. If you are in St Louis and interested in the local chapter, there is a monthly business/education meeting the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7PM at the Schlafly Branch Library in the CWE, and a monthly action meeting, dedicated to actively working on campaigns, the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7PM at Hartford Coffee Company in Tower Grove South.

Fabulous Fair Part 1

So we spent much of Saturday at the Iowa State Fair. The Fair is the quintessential Iowa event: EVERYONE goes to the Fair. Those in Iowa who are able to and choose to abstain are not real Iowans. Many people go multiple times over the eleven days of the fair. Case in point: although it was almost 100 degrees on Saturday, there were over 100,000 humans at the Fair. That, no joke, is almost half of Des Moines. Apparently, 400 pound people riding Rascals and lugging around oxygen tanks are not deterred by 100 degree weather with 80% humidity. And damn it, don't stop your scooter right in front of me so you can watch some guy shill Magic Bullets, because I'm going to kick your oxygen tank.

Anyway, on to the Fair! Chris was a first-time attendee, and he humored my requests to relive my childhood. Above is a picture of me with all the corn being shown at the Fair. People raise different fruits and veggies and flowers and bring them to the Fair to see whose is the best. I stood by the blue-ribbon one so the East Indian people near me would think it was mine.



This is Chris and an ostrich. Strikingly similar.





This is the biggest bull at the fair. He weighed over 3,000 pounds. This is the sign on his pen. People line up for this shit, I swear.



The people watching was great, although we didn't take pictures of the Hoosiers, because, unlike the boar or the bull, they are not in cages and may retaliate by beating someone over the head with a turkey leg. We saw one woman, who was younger than me, with her baby's face tattooed on her upper thigh. Um, judging by this woman, she's either going to blow up from years of corn dogs and tator tots or get really skinny from years of meth use, so either way, that weird Gerberish baby face on your thigh is going to be distorted in no time at all. I also saw an early-20's woman with a cursive "Daddy's Little Girl" tramp stamp. The jorts were errwhere.


Here's what you've been waiting for: the biggest boar's balls. He weighed over 1,000 pounds, all disgusting. Again, people line up for this shit.

More highlights from the Fair to follow after I take a shower. I went with Banter to Atomic Cowboy to watch Devlin's Kids (wearing Imo's T-Shirts, Dos Dedos, and The Disappeared put on a little rock show, which was OUTSIDE, so I personally rocked a sweatstache the entire time. It was laid back, probably because it was Sunday and OUTSIDE, but I got to talk to my friend Eric, the guitarist for Dos Dedos, for a long time, which was awesome since we haven't hung out in a while. Anyway, I got sweaty and that ain't cool right now at 11AM on my last weekday of sleeping in, so I gots to shower.

Friday Fun: Simpsons

Check out this website. You can turn yourself into a Simpsons character.

Here's me and Wolverine.

We're off to the Fair. Woo-hoo!

Globo Warming?

That's what Rush Limbaugh calls global warming because he is an idiot and STILL believes that global warming isn't real.

The latest Newsweek cover story highlights the calculated campaign to "debunk" global warming. A real shock to anyone, the "deniers" are almost entirely orchestrated by lobbying groups representing the petroleum, auto, coal, and other utilities companies. The amount of money changing hands is frightening, and interestingly enough, their rhetorical strategy is the same one that the cigarette industry used for decades. You can read the story here, or my summary of it for Green Options here (though that probably won't be up until Thursday).

On a brighter note, I scored great seats for Ryan Adams at the Pageant in October. Also, picked up the new Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, "This Is Somewhere" and it's awesome. If you don't know her, and you're into bluesy, yet rocking (I saw her at Wakarusa, she does indeed rock), you should. She's like if Norah Jones had some angst and sass, and had a Gibson and a B-3. And she's like 21.

Going to the Iowa State Fair this weekend! Hoo-rah! Cold beer, fried food, the biggest hoosiers you've ever seen in your life, and hogs with balls bigger than your head. I've been mising home.

Back to School...

So two weeks ago I went back to school (college) and two weeks from now I'll go back to school (high school). It's funny that I have such conflicting opinions to two similar things. Actually, going back to grad school made me want to go back to school way less. I'm pretty sure that's because getting my doctorate seems like the first step in a new phase of my life that will eventually take me out of the classroom and into a more critical/activist vocation. That, coupled with the fact that our district tax levy didn't pass today, which pretty much means that my position is going to be cut, means that no matter what, I'll be doing something somewhat different in 08/09, whether that be a different position in my district or somewhere else, or something completely different.

So, cool school. Here's what up on that, because I don't think I explained it very well. The actually doctorate in in Leadership and it is housed in St. Thomas' school of ed. Basically, in the core courses (which I take with my cohort, basically my "class" of 23 others) we examine a critical perspective of leadership and organizational theory. In plain English, that means we look at power structures, and how race, class, gender, culture, etc. have influenced, and continue to influence, leadership and society. Each of us then chooses one or more "collaterals" which are kind of like a major inside the program. My two collaterals, at least at this point, are critical pedagogy and public policy. So basically, I am really interested in social justice, education, and how those structures are created, and I will take about half of my total coursework examining this stuff. What I'm going to do, it's too early to tell. Maybe higher ed, but possibly some type of consulting/teacher development. I do know that the program is exactly what I want to do, and I have no regrets about the relatively drastic steps I'm taking to go through it. The people in my cohort are fucking awesome. They are a diverse group of people who are passionate about changing the world.

I did, actually, finish The Dialectic of Freedom, which is a good thing because we'll be using it in my fall core class. This book is fucking mind blowing. If I could sum it up, it would be this: the idea that we (and by we, I mean the general American public) are really, truly free is false, because what we perceive as freedom is completely dependent on exploiting other people. For example, our consumer culture is dependent on establishing a chain of relationships with people we never meet, and who have shittier lives than us, largely because of us. If I buy a cotton skirt at Old Navy, chances are that the growth of the cotton was destructive to someone's environment and it was probably made in a sweatshop that exploits cheap labor. So I may celebrate my "freedom" to buy a $17 skirt with money I earned myself, but I fucked someone else to do that (even if I never see those people). Continuing, our freedom is also largely false because even though we are "free" in this country, most people feel as though their actions make no difference, therefore they are passive citizens. Unconsciously, we feel as though we have little decision in the actions of our government, or in any other processes capable of making significant social change.

Think about that in terms of the current political climate in the US. Completely and totally outrageous shit is taking place, all orchestrated by the current administration and its cronies who apparently believe that the Constitution means nothing anymore. But is anybody REALLY outraged? People are more outraged at Britney's fall from grace. And even those of us who are outraged (including myself) feel completely helpless to do anything (about the government, you jerks, not Britney). Like, what am I going to do? I can call my congresspeople and express my outrage, but does ANYTHING get done in Washington other than endless playing of the political game? Seriously? I could organize a protest, but that tactic is so played out that it seemed satirical in 1994 when PCU came out. There are efforts at grassroots efforts outside of the political system, but those are limited because (here comes the endless cycle) people feel helpless. Hence, we aren't free, according to Maxine Greene. Most people will dismiss this as theoretical bullshit because damnit, if we ain't free here in America, then what are we? If we really aren't free, then the empty rhetoric that we call patriotism is glaringly empty. But to me, it rings completely true.

The only light at the end of my OTHER school tunnel (that is, me returning to school in a few weeks) is that a group of my StuCo kids became involved in a citizen action project for high school kids over the summer, examining eminent domain, public policy, and local government. They did some awesome stuff and want to plan a whole "Active Citizen" workshop for teenagers across STL, and they did that pretty much all on their own. So that's badass.

A Far Cry From Feathers and Sweat Lodges

For those of you in St Louis, we're having a welcome home party for the lovely Sue Jake, who has been in Alaska for the past six weeks. She's got stories to tell, and since she was on a dry reservation, is desperately in need of drinks. Meet up at our house any time after seven on Saturday. We'll be drinking, playing washers, and there will be a bouncer checking IDs. BYOB. Kegs are a hassle.

Coming Home!

I'm coming home late tonight. I haven't written because I've been so, so, so busy. All can say is that this experience has been transformative, and I'll try to relate it when I have a little time to reflect fully.

Unfortunately, I also picked up, every so slightly, that long "o" sound so prevalent in Minnesota/Wisconsin. I'm not pretentious, I swear.

Anyone up for drinks tomorrow?

This Time, I Ain't Dancing On A Frat House Bar

After spending a phenomenal weekend with Molly and Abby at Molly's parents' still-under-construction lake house (Steve Adams knows how to do retirement, I'll tell you what;this joint is going to be unbelievable when it is done) Chris dropped me off at the dorms for my return to college life. My thoughts on the experience thus far:

* It might sound cliched, but I really feel like a freshman. You'd know I'm not lying if you could have seen me walking my ass to Whole Foods to grab some food, clutching my vinyl ID-card holder/keychain (with one lonely dorm-room key) and a inconspicuously-folded map of the campus, trying to not get lost.

* Despite the fact that it's July, there is still life on the campus, namely 300 or so cheerleaders here for cheer camp, and several incoming freshman here for orientation. I don't know what is more disturbing: the fact that I'm surrounded by kids who could conceivably be my former students, or the fact that they might ask me to buy them beer.

* I was the first of my roommates to arrive (most people aren't coming until tomorrow AM), and damn, dorms have blown up since I was in school. My "room" is a suite. There are four bedrooms, each with a desk, closet, bed, chest of drawers, pretty standard. However, we have two bathrooms (one with a shower-tub and one with a big walk-in shower) a living room, and a full kitchen with fridge, oven, and microwave. And wireless. No posters of Tupac, though.

* Why is my dorm right next to DPS? Does the reputation of my former self precede me?

Gotta jet. Not only do I have to check out whether or not Sodexho is up in this bitch, but I still don't have all my reading finished. You know that think blue book I've been carrying around since May? The Dialectic of Freedom? 135 pages? Yeah, I'm still on page 99. Shit is philosophical.

Some things never change.

On The Road Again

Chris and I are leaving Friday to head up to Minnesota. We're first going to Eastern MN to spend the weekend with Molly and Abby at Molly's parents lake house. Monday morning, Chris is dropping me off in int Twin Cities so I can start my week-long class at the University of St Thomas. It's the first of my core classes that I'll take with my cohort, the group of people that I'll take most of my classes with. I'm excited and nervous, but I know it's going to be transformative. Hopefully, I'll be able to post, but I'll be pretty busy, becoming an intellectual while simultaneously saving the world.

Keep me amused with stories from home. Or Alaska. Or Europe.

Pop Culture Update

Yet another perk of summer vacation is the freedom to read and watch pretty much anything I want. I have really been enjoying my time at home this week, reading, watching various shows/films, listening to NPR and music, and clicking around the net. My recommendations:

Books
I highly recommend one of Jon Krakauer's older books, Into Thin Air. It tells the true story of a young college graduate who abandons his affluent lifestyle to wander the country with little but the clothes on his back. He eventually makes his way to Alaska, where he starves to death in the wilderness (that ain't no spoiler, it's on the front cover of the book). Krakauer juxtaposes this story with stories of others disillusioned by the structure of conventional society seeking refuge in the wilderness and poses the question of were these people mentally disturbed, or just sick of it all? Quick read, too.

I'm current still struggling through The Dialectic of Freedom by Maxine Greene, but that shit is blowing my mind. Here's the central idea: our concept of "freedom" is false; we are only truly free if we acknowledge, then take action to change, that which oppresses us within our community. It is more than political freedom--it's beyond that. In other words, we aren't free if we can't identify the bars on the cages (I think that's how Daniel Quinn put it in Ishmael). We don't care about freedom of speech if we don't really have anything to say. I will get into it more in depth but I'm still trying to wrap my head around it before I go to Minneapolis next week.

Other than that, I also read Ann Patchett's The Patron Saint of Liars, which was great, re-read Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods, and A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki. All worth reading.

Music
We recently bought a few CD's for the trip back from the AT. Of course, Ryan Adams' latest, Easy Tiger was one of the select. I am not ashamed of my love for Adams. His new CD, on first listen, sounds like a hodgepodge of Jacksonville City Nights, 29, and Cold Roses, but it has grown on me (which is what usually happens with his CDs). Also digging the newest Rufus Wainwright
and some Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Screens
Yes, we saw Sicko. Other awesomeness of note , on DVD, includes C.S.A: The Confederate States of America, which is a mockumentary of the history of the "former" U.S. had the Confederacy won the Civil War. We also saw Hannibal Rising , which was okay, and are currently working our way through the third and final season of HBO's Deadwood. If you are looking to find a new DVD addiction, I cannot express how much I loved watching the entire series of Six Feet Under. I've never been so affected by a television show, never grown so attached to a group of characters, and never seen a more satisfying series finale.

Another questions...

How is Elisabeth Hasselbeck still relevant? It's unfortunate that The View, which started out as a platform for smart women to have a voice, now employs someone completely antithetical to feminism and, for that matter, logic and reason.

Also, lay off the self-tanner.

Sorry, I've been watching daytime.

Quick Question

Why do pundits insist on questioning whether or not Barack Obama is "black enough"? As if Obama's "blackness" hasn't impacted him every single day of his life, including having people question his authenticity as a black man because he was "clean and articulate". This is such bullshit on so many levels.

Sicko

Chris and I went and saw Sicko last night. Say what you want about Michael Moore, his style and his politics, but he knows how to bring the drama, and this is a great film. In fact, if you check it out, those who seek to "debunk" Moore's films are having trouble finding real inconsistencies, particularly when looking at the big picture

I think the topic of health care was a brilliant choice for Moore. Health care affects everyone and is something that we all care about, if not for others, at least for ourselves. Even more intelligently, Moore doesn't focus on the millions of Americans who are uninsured, but instead looks at how insurance companies fuck their clients every single day. Fact: HMO's are having record profits, while the #1 cause of bankruptcy in a America is medical bills. Here's a question: why are people making money off of sick people? Is that ethical? Is it ethical that health insurance companies are not interested in helping people when they are sick, but how they can find ways to avoid paying for care? For what most Americans pay for insurance, shouldn't the level of care be exceptional, and, equally important, headache-free?

Moore shows four examples of countries with universal health care: Canada, Cuba, France, and the UK. Granted, citizens of these countries pay more in taxes, but think about not having any health insurance or medical bills. Even our car insurance would be less, too, because you wouldn't have to factor in medical costs in case of an accident. It seems to me that the costs would even out. If we have $2 trillion to spend on the war in Iraq, I can't see why we haven't found the money to take care of our citizens' health.

What was even more interesting to me was the emphasis on preventative care and mental/emotional health care in the countries highlighted. For example, in the UK, women get six months PAID maternity leave. At my job, which one would think would be a family-friendly workplace, you don't get any paid maternity leave, and I think that's pretty standard. In France, the government even pays for mother's helpers to visit homes and do laundry, clean and take care of the children. Doctors still make house calls. Quality child care is free or almost-free.

One major point the film makes is that in these countries, the idea is that the system works for the people. As a nation prospers, that prosperity should bring about improvements to all people's lives. The attitude in the U.S. is that our "freedom" means that we take care of ourselves and our country owes us nothing. God forbid we take care of each other. Because, you know, that would be socialism, or even worse, communism! People have this idea that if we were to have universal health care, it would be abused by all these freeloaders, ruffians, and ne'er-do-wells and all us hardworking, worthy Americans would unfairly bear the burden of these lazy bums. Because hardworking Americans never face health emergencies that they can't afford. Not in the land of milk and honey! I feel as though, in a country of such wealth as ours, if a citizen is sick, they should be able to receive top quality care, no questions asked, and the last thing they should have to think about is can they afford said care. I think it comes down to the fact that people are so self-interested that they can't see past the threat of someone else getting more from a system such as this than themselves. It would be unfair to pay, through taxes, into a system that might give someone else more than they might get. Is it so audacious that a health care system might function solely to take care of people, any people, that might cross its path? Consider this: when I lived in Germany, one of my roommates was an insulin-dependent diabetic. The day a few of us left to go home, she passed out in our apartment and was rushed to a German hospital. She spent several days in the hospital and paid not a penny. If this were to happen in America, many Americans would resent the fact that they paid for a foreigners hospital bill. However, this sentiment, in many countries with universal health care, doesn't exist.

Why is it so hard for Americans to support the idea of universal health care?

I Ain't Dead

To quote Banter (who may very well be dead...he posts even less than me).

WHAT UP? I've been gone. Real gone. Chris and I done had some adventures, including: Wakarusa, Colorado with Chris's fam, then our Appalachian Trail odyssey out east. We got back from the AT at 6AM Wednesday (my 27th birthday) and something was up with Blogger that I didn't get around to fixing until this morning. Now, I've got so much to talk about I'm just going to have to blog up a storm.

Where to even begin? Let's start with this morning. There's something about a Saturday morning, any time of the year, really, but in the summer especially. I got up early for a Saturday and went to the Tower Grove Farmers Market. TG is my favorite market, and what a great time to go; I got some tomatoes, garlic, corn, blueberries, new potatoes, and eggs (plus an iced coffee.) Then I swung over to the fairly-new Local Harvest Grocery to pick up some staples, since we have no food in the house. I came home, ate a bowl of sliced tomatoes with salt, pepper, some fresh purple basil from my backyard, and a bit of grated parm over the top, and it was sublime. Eating local foods is one of the best things your can do to lessen your carbon footprint, and there's no time like the present to get fresh produce. The tomatoes alone, people, seriously. I highly recommend the TG market and the Maplewood market on Wednesday afternoons at Schlafly. I am a big fan of Biver Farms and their organic produce.

Here are things I'm going to blog about in the new few days: our trip to the AT, Sicko, which I saw last night, shit I've been thinking about with my doctoral program starting in a week or so, the POTUS elections, cooking, and current pop culture.

Big ups to my girl Thorper1, who is marrying her Mr. Big today in WashMo. Country Roads, anyone?

2nd Annual Backyard Trivia

Sweet Jesus.

Backyard trivia is fun, but someone needs to cut me off. Otherwise, I end up trying to throw umbrellas over power lines at 4 AM with some dudes and the alcoholic wannabe cougar across the street.

The trivia night itself was pretty fun. Only Paul showed up to defend the original Champagne of Trivia's title. I guess Dan is a pussy.

Congratulations to The Rabbits, also known as Standard Trivia, also known as many incantations of "This Guy is a Fine-Arts Pussy", who took home the title, narrowly defeating Mr. Wright's Nipples. Big ups to the teacher team of Miss Piggy's Taint Blister who arguably could have won, since Chris/Wolverine actually gave away answers as he read questions, and they would have had a real edge in the English teacher category had Chris not leveled the playing field. Sorry, guys, you have to play the lie. Categories included The Office, Inconsequential People, The Environment, Mr. Oliver's 10th Grade English, Finish the movie quote, Schlafly beer tasting, 80's Sitcom Theme Songs, 90's Rap, Nintendo Music, and Stoner Trivia.

Trivia was all fine and good, but we went ahead and got that there second keg, not a great idea, since half of it is still sitting in my backyard. The great part of the night was the fact that all the Epiphany hoosiers in my hood came out for the festivities. And when I say all, I don't mean the fairly normal neighbors on one side, who were hosting a 8th grade pool party but didn't have a problem with me saying "motherfucker" in a microphone approximately 24 times, and not the new neighbors, who, I'm sure, were cowering aghast watching the apocalypse happening in our backyard. No, I'm talking about the drunk lady across the street, who, while we were moving in, embraced us and said, "I'm sure going to miss you." She and her cousin? sister? some other cougar, were at one point engaged in a vehement discussion about how she shouldn't be in trouble if her son doesn't go to school (her son? just got home from juvy a month or so ago) and the cops were coming after her because her son was a delinquent. Well, yeah, keep countin' the days until Dirty Andy's 18th, lady. She then attracted a slew of people, including the guy two doors down who seemed okay, but three other people that I had no idea as to their identities. One got into with the neighbor because he once slashed her tires a while back. The other one, I swear to God, was Tim Blake Nelson's character in O Brother Where Art Thou, and I can't even remember specifics other than he seemed to have teleported here from deep in the Ozarks, maybe even Arkansas. The third, I don't even know. So that was just pure unintentional comedy throughout the night.

At four or so, when the last of the dudes + Stunner left, Chris had to kick the aspiring trashy cougar out even though she really wanted to clean our backyard, and then the guy next door warned Chris over the fence to stay away from her. Woke up the next morning to clean and almost puked. Seriously, I laid on the couch all day and watched Sex and the City reruns like I was back in college. All day. Like a crazy person in the same clothes and shit. At one point I couldn't find my laptop, so I started freaking out, sure that one of the unknown sketchy characters walked off with it. After about a half hour of that, my sister-in-law Beth came over to get her phone. I started to tell her about my computer, and she said, "You idiot. I told you I hid it last night so the hoosiers wouldn't steal it. I gave you a note and everything." I had no note and no recollection. Later, her husband, John, claims that I even read the note out loud and thanked Beth for her candor, but I don't remember and I'm just glad that Beth is sneaky-smart about this type of shit.

I encourage those of you who were there, particularly into the wee hours, to contribute your interpretation of the night's events. I think we all have some gaps in memory that could be filled in.

Just Let Her Cry, Man

Pour one out. Jeff Buckley died ten years ago today. Damn. Seems like only yesterday that "Last Goodbye" was on a commercial for MTV's Buzz Bin and I first fell in love with that song (it was the same Buzz Bin commercial as "Good" by Better Than Ezra). People can fucking say what they want, such as bullshit that Buckley's talent was mediocre at best and only gained prestige posthumously. One fucking listen to Live at Sin-E , where his haunting voice rocks your soul so painfully...just, wow. I can't say enough things.

Which brings me to hollerin at the oft-forgotten 90's alt rock. I know many of my friends were listening to punk and hardcore, but I was awash in whatever was in Sassy or on in the early morning or late at nite on MTV, because MTV played videos still and that was where you learned about music in Des Moines, Iowa, until about 1995, when 107.5 "The Dot" started playing a four-hour loop of alt-rock, no DJs, just to see if us hayseeds would actually listen to that there rock and roll. I remember Weezer's "The Sweater Song" was in heavy rotation, along with "Everything Zen" by Bush and "Lightening Crashes" by Live. This nostalgia makes me want to make a list of songs from the 90's that remind me of late middle school/early high school. It's my blog; I do what I want.

* "Possum Kingdom" The Toadies
* "Plush" STP
* "Hey Jealousy" Gin Blossoms
* "Stay" Shakespeare's Sister
* the totally classic "Stay" by Lisa Loeb and 9 Stories (shout out to Dirty Curty and Burns)
* "Cannonball" The Breeders
* "Tomorrow" Silverchair
* "Cornflake Girl" Tori Amos
* anything Smashing Pumpkins
* "Stand By You" The Pretenders
* "Linger" The Cranberries
* "Creep" Radiohead...fucking Radiohead just came with it in the 90's.
* REM's Monster
* "Under the Bridge" RHCP
* "Blister In The Sun" Violent Femmes (totally popularized by the epic My So-Called Life, along with anything by Buffalo Tom
* My very first concert experience, sans parents, was Toad the Wet Sprocket and Hootie and the Blowfish, spring break my freshman year of high school, and I have no fucking shame at all about it, because Toad rocks and had a little-person drummer at the time and it was the first time I ever smelled weed. And I thought I was a badass because I wore a tye-dyed t-shirt AND a Stussy hat. Because I was totally a skater. Or not.

Don't hate, I had many of these songs/artists on tape singles. Because I might not want the entire Lisa Loeb CD. But I do, pun completely intended for those Lisa Loeb fans out there. I bring all this nonsense up because there was a time, not so long ago, when commercial radio was good and quality and played music you wanted to listen to, that you loved to listen to. And that was 1993-1997.

Greatest Teen Magazine In the World...Tribute.

I was reading Bust when I saw a book review for How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time by Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer. Sassy? I remembered the glossy cover and felt an entirely-unknown emotion: nostalgia for my middle-school years.

Ironically, was first exposed the Sassy at church camp. I was eleven, the year was 1991, and I was in a cabin with a girl named Erin, who really didn't care too much about what Jesus was up to at a camp in rural Iowa. She wore flip-flops and sunglasses and had a tangle of brown hair down her back and two issues of Sassy in the bottom of her Caboodle. I had a blonde afro, glasses, and those Umbros with one teal leg and one purple leg, and I was in awe of her. While other girls read their bibles on the porch of our cabin, she and I pored over those two issues, over and over again, and I was officially in love with a magazine.

If you did not read Sassy, the premise is this: teen magazine for budding feminist, independent, alternative girls. Instead of tips on how to get boys to like you and what makeup to wear, Sassy had exclusive interviews with Kurt and Courtney, real sex advice, political features, and DIY articles. My bedroom walls went from pictures of pop-musicians to pictures of Sonic Youth, Evan Dando, 10,000 Maniacs, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bands that seventh graders from the East Side of Des Moines had never even heard of, let alone listened to. Instead of the Guess jeans and rugby shirts that cool kids wore at my school, it was okay for me to wear Chucks and thrift-store corduroys.

Sassy was too sassy for it's own good, and it's ass-kicking format was dropped in 1994, right when I moved to the suburbs, only to be replaced, briefly, blasphemously, in 1994 by a Teen clone that was eventually put out of its misery, along with the few readers who hung on to the last death-rattle, in 1996. Infamous editor Jane Pratt then founded Jane, hoping to take the cult-following of Sassy into their adult years, but Jane never retained that indie spirit of Sassy, and Jane eventually left Jane, and legions of readers found their way to Bust. But it was Sassy, dear Sassy, that paved the way.

Sassy was smart and empowering, and for, me, validated my stand in the struggle that all adolescents experience: that in the quest to figure out who you are, who you really are is completely okay. It was okay to be smart, even if you were ostracized for it. It was okay to crush on the local gayboy. It was okay to listen to weird bands that weren't on the radio, and to be pro-choice, and to have chipped nail-polish, and to not define yourself by what boys at your school thought of you.

People who know my family wonder how I turned out so adamantly liberal, feminist, independent, and political when my family is fairly apolitical (though they love the gays and their guns) and, at times, downright conservative. I, too, wondered where my identity developed--and I think it absolutely comes from Sassy. I learned everything I needed to know to survive middle school from my surrogate big sisters: Jane, Christina, Marjorie, Karen, and the rest of the writers at the greatest teen mag of all time.

Blah

Six days, six days, six days left in the school year. I actually had a sick day yesterday, because I'm sick of bullshit. In the past week, I have been assaulted by a student, suffered through the insanity that is running "Field Day", lost our first district game because my girls played like a bunch of heartless scrubs, prematurely ending our season, among countless other annoyances at work. I've been pretty removed from work while it simultaneously consumes my life, if that makes any sense.

In other news, I got one hell of a sunburn from Team Awesome's third place finish at the Tournament of Champions. Eight hours of kickball and drunk Dudes in some hot weather is enough for this Devastator. I'm glad the season is over.

I've got several things I'm going to be writing about, I just have to get some motivation, so that may not happen until all my school stuff, which I am desperately procrastinating about, gets done.

Also, The Office's finale was awesome! Ryan's going to be Michael's boss? So, so, so great for next year.

Weekend Update

Despite the fact that I spent an entire day on public transportation all over St Louis last week, I managed to have quite an adventure on Saturday. I took the #30 bus to Soulard Market to get some green things and anarchist cookies. For some reason, I was under the impression that the #30 bus just did this little loop through downtown, went back through Soulard, and went back on Arsenal, so I just caught the bus at the same place I got off, thinking it would be cool to see downtown while the Cards fans were all loitering and what not.

An hour later, I'm in Wellston and I realize, um, yeah, maybe I should get off soon. Like the St Charles Rock Road MetroLink station. Where I ran into one of my students, then had to take MetroLink all the way back to Shrewsbury and wait for Chris to come pick me up. Don't ask.

Other than that, it was a chill weekend. Managed to, with the assistance of it being our friend Kim's birthday and she and her husband were in town from San Fran, finagle Chris into taking me to Terrene on Friday, which was delish. Had lunch with Chris's family. Drank some beers on Saturday with Rev Em and Joe and Christine. Finally returned to kickball after, no joke, a one-month hiatus, had to pitch against Tower Pub, and got lit up. I suck. Got a great sunburn on my shoulders and was outside a ton. As of today, there are 18 days left of school, and I get to take one of those off on Friday.

In Pop Culture News:
1) How did word of a new double Elliott Smith CD elude me until I read it in Jane magazine? Huh? One week from today. Obviously, Chris wants to camp out and get it at midnight, although I don't know where.
2) People, seriously, watch The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman before it's too late. Comedy gold.
3) The latest issue of Rolling Stone, which is its 40th (!) anniversary edition has amazing interviews in it: Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan (by Jann Wenner), Michael Moore, Jimmy Carter. Seriously, check them out. It's awesome.

Big Timer.

So my boo's blog has been noticed by a bigger blog, and you can now read one of his posts, probably more, at The Daily Scare, who "exposes media and government propaganda, obfuscation, scare tactics, and fearmongering". Right up his alley! Give him some hits. No, not that kind, you assholes.

Big Sigh

What follows is a much-needed rant. If you have no interest in my selfish emotions, don't keep reading.

I can't be around kids any more.

I spent all day traipsing around the city on a field trip with kids, who were undoubtedly cool kids, but students all the same. I got back, changed into soccer clothes, rode the bus for 45 minutes to Hillsboro while finishing a book I had to read for Green Options, won a game but had to deal with stupid drama of KIDS, rode the bus back, drove home, talked to Chris for a minute, then finished reading the book, wrote a review, and posted it all in time to watch Lost, only to watch that and then collapse in bed. I woke up feeling the shitty coming of a cold, still exhausted, facing a full day including school, soccer pictures, soccer practice, then modeling in a school fashion show. Guess which one I had to gracefully bow out of when I got to school this morning?

I love 90% my students 90% of the time. I really do. But there are those days when I just can't deal with the aftermath of a kid skipping class, or calling another kid "faggot" in the hallway, or punching each other and screaming down the hallway, or flaking out on a commitment that I have to pick up slack for. Kids are kids are kids, and normally I can deal with their lack of frontal-lobe development. That's 95% of the time. Maybe even higher. But once or twice a semester, I just can't deal. I can't deal with the neediness, the drama, the little shit that doesn't matter, the baggage that comes with being a teacher. The ever-growing to-do list. The shit that you have to take home.

I can see how a large percentage of teachers leave within the first three years.

New Blog

Chris and I are starting a new blog devoted solely to hating on Hummers. Send us a picture of you flipping off a Hummer and we will post it.

Well, That's Dibble.

So remember last week when I posted about the BSC blog? Well, I sent the link to my favorite pop culture blogger ever, Whitney Matheson of USA Today's Pop Candy. And I got a fat shout-out when she posted about it today.
Scroll down to "Baby Sitters Forever"

My influence is nationwide.

PS The headline is a BSC reference.

Don't You People Have Any Decency?

Fucking Kirksville. Just when I think I’m grown and my days of having out-of-contol Alumni Weekends, the Ville lures me in with it’s siren song of mediocre amenities, cheap-as-hell beer, and sheer walkability.

It started innocently enough. This year I made the switch to Saturday night only. We were going to get up Saturday, drive straight to the game, have a brief respite at the local Days Inn (incidentally, one of the most unpleasant lodging experiences of my life, fucking cold showers, a smoking room when I asked for non-smoking, and the room not ready at check-in time. And a manager that deflected every single complaint.) and cocktails with friends. Plans got more complicated when I got a Friday-night drunk dial from my boo Redding. Several of the football guys were going to be in town.

“Shit just got meatier,” said Chris, who hasn’t even seen me at even close to my greatest meatiness.

We rolled into town listening to the new Bright Eyes, Cassadega, and I was late to the game, we lost, I’m old, no big. Then, the lovely Molly, Abby, and Darly Jo (three generations of Adams women) took us out for some Mexican food, where we shared good times watching the cutest almost-three-year-old in my life. She knows sign language.

There was more drinking, more old soccer friends, a dude climbing a tree, some PBR, same-old-same-old. Here comes trouble: two hour free beer at the Dukum, courtesy of the Crotches. Tie. One. On.




These were highly intellectual conversations.




This is the story of my friendship with JJ.






This is what Mike and I look like during a happy reunion.






This encompasses the entire night.

Highlights include:
• Walking all over Kirksville. Just getting ready for Earth Day.
• One of our friends (who shall remain nameless) getting arrested by the KPD (complete with requisite porn stache), who decided that it was time for some police brutality at last call. Fucking dicks. Some shit doesn’t change. Hey, don’t worry about the dude that is stone cold dead in the bush right there, you better fucking break some guy’s arm for sitting on top of a car and not kissing your ass.
• Wolverine came! Great. Crotch and Wolverine, walking down the alleys of Kirksville, talking about god knows what, carrying a case of bottles, yelling about how much they hate cops. We are all adults.
• Molly going home at two-ish in a Royal Tenenbaum’s cab while Chris earnestly and unironically waved goodbye. Funniest shit of my life.
• Wolverine, part two: I woke up this morning to go the bathroom and stepped in a huge puddle of urine. Not like a few drops around the toilet bowl. Six ounces, at least, in the middle of the bathroom floor. Awesome. Pee on my foot.
• Got a fat Aloha from the Ell Train, who said, “I miss you guys, and I wish I was there, except I’m on a beach in Hawaii, so not really.” Tru.
• Wolverine, part three: who passes out, fully clothed, with french fries IN THEIR HANDS? My baby-daddy, that’s who! It’s cool, guy, let me get those McNuggets, too. Wouldn’t want you to wake up with a nugget in your crack.
• Big ups to Steph and Matt, who tried to get said friend out of drunk tank, to no avail. Trust me, they were our best hope.
• Wolverine, finale: thirty-two ounces of Gatorade, straight to the groin region, this morning, a brief thirty seconds after he realized that both his wallet and our camera were missing (both recovered, KARMA!).

So that’s what’s up. As Chris said as we rolled out of town, “It couldn’t have been better unless Curtis was there.” Truer words were never spoken. Don’t worry, Dirty, you were there in spirit, mostly in the alley on the way home.

On Gun Violence

I suppose I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the VT shootings. I have two major thoughts. The first is obviously intense sympathy and sadness. I was reading articles about it today, particularly one about the Holocaust survivor who died saving his students, and I was very sad. I'm also sad because in a tragedy such as this, it seems as though there were clear warning signs, and many people at VT (including poet Nikki Giovanni) tried to take steps to help this clearly troubled young man, but it was not enough. I cannot imagine what drives someone to commit such atrocities. Also, 178 people were killed in Baghdad today, 178 people who were husbands, wives, children, sisters, brothers, friends, mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles. There will probably be no convocations or candlelight vigils in their honor.

The second thought was about the nature of gun rights in America today. The NRA was just in town this past weekend, so I was already thinking about it. I am ambiguous in my thoughts on gun control. I come from a hunting family. We have crazy dead animals in our house (although Kim, after years of struggle, has removed them from any common area where the general public might be exposed to them). I grew up around guns. I even took a class in high school (forensic pathology) where we got to shoot handguns at the shooting range. I am aware that people have reason such as hunting to own guns, and most of those people do so responsible. My brothers (Andrew is still an avid hunter, Jake, not so much) learned gun safety at an early age, and my dad's guns were always locked up in an insanely huge gun safe.

That being said, I do not understand people who passionately defend the 2nd Amendment. The purpose of guns is to wound or kill living creatures. If you are not a hunter, I do not understand having firearms in your house. If it is properly stored, what are the chances that if someone breaks into your house, you will be able to unlock your gun, load it, and fire it before the burglar rapes and kills you? If it is not properly stored, well, have you ever seen motherfucking 90210? Kids will find that shit and shoot each other accidentally, probably after smoking weed. Just kidding, but for real, accidental shootings happen.

Some may make the argument that guns don't kill people, people kill people. That's true, but it is a whole lot easier if said people have guns. You don't see some socially-tortured trench-coat-mafia kid committing mass murder with a garotte. It's just not happening. Another argument against gun control is that criminals will continue to get guns, so laws restricting their criminal use are futile. If this reasoning is correct, then why do we have laws restricting anything? For example, drugs. Anyone can get drugs. My kids say it's easier to get weed than alcohol if you are in high school. But we do have drug laws, some more pervasive than many would like. As it stands, anyone can just walk into a gun store and, provided they pass a less-than-rigorous background check and wait a prescribed period of time, buy a device whose sole purpose is to severely wound and or kill a living being with minimal effort. It seems to me that if it was more difficult for the average citizen to get a gun, that would make it more difficult for the average criminal to get a gun because there would be less guns out there. I'm not talking about Tony Soprano here. But for random aspiring petty criminal, it would be more difficult. Is that not a good thing?

Would a thirty-day waiting period have prevented the VT tragedy?

Morning Cheer

This week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us. Censorship is alive and well.

I hope you don't have anything to do

Because this? Is going to prevent me from grading tomorrow while I'm giving the MAP test. And I'll be all stressed out.

Hurdy Gurdys, Porkpie Hats, and Assholes

Briefly--

*Saw a really amazing Decemberists show last night at the Pageant, with our friends the Dandos (check out Mike's most excellent music blog for pics) and Emily and Meghan. This will prompt a future blog entry on proper concert manners.

I'm currently enjoying the following--
* The new Bright Eyes CD
* Small pieces of asiago cheese from Viviano's
* The green issue of Outside Magazine
* Skype
* The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman. Yes, it is as shitty and cheesy as the title leads you to believe it is. Sports Gal is recapping.

By the way...

If you aren't reading Chris's blog, you should be.

Weekend Activism

Stumble It!

Nationwide climate change rallies are taking place on Saturday. Check it out at Step It Up's website. I'll be at the one at Wash U at 12; Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, who is my editor at Green Options, will be speaking.

I'll follow that up with a little Decemberists action at the Pageant. I'm stoked for what will be an usual show, to say the least.

Sunday, Team Awesome takes on Tower Pub in a highly-anticipated SKA league match.

And finally, congratulations to our friends Michelle and Josh, who finally popped out their first shorty, Ansley Corliss, on Wednesday. Baby mama and baby are doing awesome.

Take the Crazy Elsewhere, We're All Stocked Up Here...

Stumble It!

Big ups to the ouster of Veronica O'Brien as SLPS School Board President. Although she remains on the board, she will no longer be the de facto spokesperson for them, and it wouldn't surprise me if she doesn't do shit for the rest of her tenure on the board. Not that the damage hasn't already been done, but with a new 5-2 majority, it seems as though this board will proceed cohesively toward making real progress in the district, even if the takeover proceeds. For a poignant video retrospective of O'Brien's reign as resident insane public official, check out Pub Def's collection here.

Saving the World

Stumble It!

One of the benefits of not having cable is that when you are flipping channels aimlessly, the chances of you ending up on PBS and watching something quality are exponentially increased. This happened last night. Actually, I wasn't flipping, I was looking for this documentary about coffee, but I guess I missed it or saw the wrong time and ended up watching Frontline. The first segment was about Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, which was interesting. The second segment was totally amazing: it featured a San Francisco-based non-profit called Kiva, which focuses on microfinance in developing countries. What's microfinance? In a nutshell, small loans (as small as $50) given to potential entrepreneurers in developing countries. These small loans enable people, who would normally have problems getting loans from traditional sources, to start businesses to create steady income to support themselves and their families (see more extensive info here). Kiva is an online network that allows random dude at your computer wherever to, using Pay Pal's simple transaction system, finance microloans to people whose business plans have been preapproved by Kiva's field partners, people who work with those who use the loans. On Kiva's website, you can see what people are seeking loans for and choose who you loan money to (amounts as little as $25), and you can read updates about how people's business plans are working out. So far, Kiva has had a 100% repayment rate for loans.

The idea of this is so empowering to me. If I just have $50 laying around that I could put into savings or spend on something stupid (or donate to a non-profit), I can instead loan it to someone, hopefully make a significant impact on someone's life, with no real loss to me. I get my money back. Check out their website if you are looking to do some good with a little extra cash.

Food....Mmmm food.

Stumble It!

Today's Green Options post gives tips for beginners to shopping at Farmers' Markets. The markets are starting to open, and I love, love, love Saturday mornings at the Tower Grove Market, among others. Like I said in the article, your food choices impact the environment as much as your driving habits, and there's no more pleasurable way to "save the earth" than eating amazing local produce.

For those of you in Des Moines, I can't say enough good things about the Downtown Farmers Markets. My parents and I used to go, buy food, and then have bloody marys at the Royal Mile. That's a fine Saturday morning.

For those in St Louis, I personally really love the Tower Grove Market. It is supposedly bigger this year when it opens on May 12th. Hartford is there making smoothies and brewing coffee, there's always yoga classes, you can get bread, eggs, meat, and amazing produce. It's a great community event to support on Saturday mornings.

I also frequent the Schlafly market on Wednesdays, since it's right on my way home from work. It's smaller, but less crowded.

Soulard is a low-cost option, but if you're going for local, most of their vendors aren't, but I still like to go there to get Black Bear Bakery stuff, maybe some fresh pasta, and other things I might not be able to find at the other markets. It's a great atmosphere, but just not completely local.

There's also the Clayton market, the Kirkwood market, which I've been to a few times and would go more often if it were closer, one in Ferg-Flor, and the Green Market in the CWE.

Another great thing about farmers' markets is that the offerings change from week to week depending on the harvest, so each week is different. I urge you to check some of these community resources out.

It's Dr, Not Mrs, Bitches

Hooray! I found out last night that I got into the doctoral program I applied for. The deets: it's at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, and the doctorate in in Leadership, which sounds pretty vague. I initially applied for a program in critical pedagogy, which is social justice and education, basically, but UST has combined the two programs. I'll initally be studying leadership in the contexts of history, society, the economy, and politics, and then eventually, what leadership and education has to do with social justice. I want to research urban public education and/or race and teaching. So, for the next three years, I'll be flying to Minneapolis once a month and spending time there every summer attending classes. I will be poorer. I will be cutting back on my extra stuff at school. And, like certain other people who shall remain nameless (mostly Susan Jacobsmeyer and Alice Colletti) I will have to bitch out every now and again because I have to write a paper.

So yeah, I'm excited, and it's going to be a pretty big committment, but I figured if Susan is going to be Dr. Jacobsmeyer, then I had better do something before she gets all uppity.

That's the good word. I'm sure cocktails will be in order tonight.

So what's the other 50%?

Stumble It!

Actual sentence from a student paper I read today:

"There is about a fifty percent chance that you could or could not get pregnant."

Musings on our Earth

Stumble It!

So what had happened was Chris and I drove to Minneapolis for an interview I had with a doctoral program. No, I'm not moving to Minneapolis. I don't know if I'll get in. I don't find out until next week. Signs that look good: if you are applying to a program in critical pedagogy, it's probably a good idea to know how to pronounce the word pedagogy. I knew this. Many did not. Nor did another woman know how to pronounce the word "wholly", choosing instead to say it as "wally". Ma'am, the "w" is silent. If you want to add "Dr" to the front of your name, basic reading skills are a prerequisite. I find out next Thursday.

Since we spent a substantial amount of time in the car, we also got to listen to a lot of the radio. Things I learned: Rush Limbaugh apparently believes that if the government forces you to use compact florescent light bulbs (which, why would you want to use a CFL, since they end up saving you three times the cost of the bulb? Why would you want to use something that saves money and produces less fossil fuel emissions? God, I HAVE MY RIGHTS, AND THAT INCLUDES DESPERATELY CLINGING ONTO OUTDATED, INEFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY. And owning semi-automatic rifles) then they will ultimately make you give up your air conditioners, and CFLs won't really help save the environment, because you only use them at night. Huh? What? Also, installing CFLs will probably bankrupt senior citizens and the impoverished, two groups that Limbaugh is ALWAYS looking out for. God, thanks, Rush. It seems like my whole life has been a lie... No really, this is really what he said.

Also, in related awesome ignorance, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas, of course) the leading Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an interview that global warming will actually help people in Russia (his example, not mine) and cold climates because they'll have a longer growing season. Uh, yeah, the densely-populated Arctic regions (who, by the way, have built their entire way of subsistence on the fact that it is COLD where they live) will benefit, so we should probably let the few people who live in coastal areas just...drift away? Is he for real? After hearing this, I realized that there are several elected officials at the national level who are just "that dude". Just like K-Fed was just "some dude" before he married Britney, these guys are no more intelligent, no more logical, no more informed, and certainly no more ethical than someone like Chris, or anyone I teach with, or pretty much any normal person I know, for that matter. One thing is for certain, there are a number of people who are blatantly trying to pull an Orwellian fast one on the American public. Don't get me started on Bush...

(And yes, I offset my ridiculous amount of driving. I'll be planting some trees, too, on Earth Day, so don't try to play the hypocrite card on me)

One bright spot: we seem to be hitting a tipping point as far as legislative action towards climate change: this is a major victory for the planet.

Also, poison ivy is a bitch. For real. I look like a fucking leper.

Heckuva Job, Sully

Stumble It!

Education is a hot topic in St Louis right now. If case you live in a cave, here's the recap: the St Louis Public School District was stripped of accreditation, the current board has basically been stripped of any power, and Gov. Blunt appointed a new CEO of the district. That CEO, the person who will supposedly lead the district out of its mire, is McBride Homes exec Rick Sullivan, whose prior educational leadership experience includes the boards at Lindenwood University and Villa Duchesne and "sitting in on some classes" at the SLPS.

I am not the only person who finds this completely appalling? It is audacious to suggest that a person appointed to lead a deeply-troubled school district have an extensive educational background? I'm not saying it should be a teacher--in fact, it probably shouldn't be, but it should be someone who has experience with educational leadership and administration. I don't think serving on a university board qualifies in this case--it's a very, very different experience to completely turnaround an urban district . Sullivan isn't even a St Louis resident: he lives in Frontenac. Proponents claim Sullivan is a tough businessman who will run the district like a company.

I'm reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed right now, so that's influencing my reflections, but this is classic oppressing behavior on the part of Blunt: his appointment of a marginally-qualified candidate who is not a member of the community he is seeking to change demonstrates that doesn't believe that a member of the community has the ability to lead the revolution. You're telling me that there's no highly-qualified candidate to lead the district that 1) lives in the district 2) is black, like over 80% of the students in the district? I find that highly, highly, highly hard to believe. Put it this way: Blunt's choice makes it look like the only person who can "save" the poor black kids is the rich white man. That's bullshit.

Look, Sullivan might be a well-intentioned guy. He's probably smart and well-intentioned. But this kind of cronyism will probably lead to disaster. Remember Brownie, who "did a heckuva job down there" during Katrina?

If you are a city-dweller who lives in the 4th District, I urge you to e-mail Jeff Smith and let him know that Sullivan sucks as the choice to lead the district. His e-mail is jeff.smith@senate.mo.gov. If you are not in the 4th District, you can check out the Senate website to find your senator to e-mail her/him and urge her/him to block Blunt's appointment of Sullivan.

Websites! Galore!

The writers at GreenOptions are all spending some (paid!) time this week checking out StumbleUpon. Basically, you install StumbleUpon, which is just an add-on to your web browser. It creates a browser toolbar which you can personalize. You register (it's all free) and go through several categories of interests, checking areas that you like, such as different genres of music, hobbies, politics, etc. Then, on your new toolbar, there is a button labeled Stumble! You click this button and a random website that should correlate to your interests appears. You then rate the website with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, which allows StumbleUpon to more finely tune what websites it generates for you. I know this sounds nerdy, but it is amazing how many awesome websites I have found today using StumbleUpon, from the quirky-whimsical-random (this, this) to the absolutely practical (this, this, this) to the I-can't-believe-something-like-this-is-FREE (see below). If you are an internet junkie, I would HIGHLY recommend you register for StumbleUpon. If you are a friend of mine, you probably won't see me soon; I'm hooked on this shit. Don't send me to Promises!

I realize the preceding paragraph sounds like I'm being paid to plug this site: I'm not, I promise. I'm getting paid to surf it to generate hits for our site. But it's an awesome site, for realsies. You will hate me for getting you hooked on it.

My most favorite site found today would have to be FineTune. It's basically Pandora but with more things you can do, including make playlists that you can add to your MySpace or blog. Very cool for music junkies who are into finding new music based on your current tastes.

Also, Chris and I went and saw Pan's Labyrinth. Really, one of the most amazing films I've ever seen. That's really all I can say about it. Also, I did get the Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream, thanks to a tip from Meghan that it was at the Target on Hampton. It is fucking awesome. Every single bite has crunchy goodness of almost-burned sugar getting stuck in your teeth.

The Last Dispatch

Warning: Passionate, Sappy Post Follows

If you read this blog, you know about my undying devotion to the band State Radio. Chad Urmston, the lead singer, was in Dispatch, arguably the most successful indie bands in music history. However, my experience with Dispatch is limited: a few downloaded songs during college and some car rides with my brother Jake. That didn't stop me from adding filmmaker Helmut Schleppi's documentary Last Dispatch to my Netflix queue. Last Dispatch covers the days leading up to Dispatch's last concert in 2004. After playing together for years, just when they were really making it big (due mostly to fiercely loyal fans, Napster, and hard work) the band broke up in 2002, despite the fact they were on the verge of commercial stardom, and walked away. Basically, they saw themselves become the cliche of ruined bands, and obviously didn't want to become a Behind the Music, so they stopped before it got to that point. They wanted to end on a high note, so they decided to play one last show, outdoors and free to all their fans. They expected between 10-30,000 people; they got 110,000.
I love documentaries, and the vast majority of them leave me in tears because they depress the hell out of me. Last Dispatch still left me in tears, but for good reasons. In this world of selling your soul for money and fame, it was so refreshing, so satisfying to see a group of musicians stay true to themselves and their music and not become pawns of some corporation, refusing to compromise themselves to sell more music, more merch, and more high-priced tickets. When the band finishes their set, thanks the endless sea of fans, and take their final bow, you could see how genuinely thankful and humbled they are by the devotion of their listeners and the fortune of their own situation. Even if you aren't into Dispatch's music, any music lover will enjoy this documentary.

One More Day

Here's a bit of awesomeness: getting sick on the last school day before spring break. My head is all congested, I'm starting to get a lump in my throat, and I still have soccer practice and a presentation at the board of education meeting tonight. Blah.

Real news on three fronts. Starting tomorrow, the writers at Green Options are in competition for bonuses (i.e. mo' money) for which posts can get the most unique hits. Each blog post is eligible for bonuses every pay period. Green Options is a really awesome website that's just getting started in terms of features readers can use to green their lives. We have content for super eco-freaks and for those just getting started. My column is every Tuesday and Thursday, with a few other in between sometimes. This coming week, I'm also doing a DIY on Wednesday on building raised garden boxes out of salvaged doors. So, if you haven't already started reading my green-living blog, please start now, from every computer you come in contact with. I would be so grateful. I would be even more grateful, so much so that I could be persuaded to throw another trivia night, if you would pass this info along to your friends/fam/MySpace/Facebook/blog readers.

Secondly, Earth Day is coming up (April 22nd). Those who live in the Lou should undoubtedly check out the Forest Park celebration that will take place on Sunday. Before that, however, is April 14th. What's that? That's Step It Up 2007. This dude, Bill McKibben, started a grassroots movement to have nationwide actions to raise awareness of global warming. To date, the largest global warming protest only drew 1,000 activists. Already McKibben has planned activities in every state, planned and organized at the local level by people using Step It Up's website. The NY Times had a huge article about McKibben today that you can read online. To find a protest in your area, check out Step It Up online and then get out on April 14th. In St Louis, there's one at Wash U, one on Delmar, and one at the County Courthouse in Clayton. Chris and I will be out there--I encourage those of you who feel strongly about fighting global warming to join us.

Finally, there's a sit-in happening at Slay's office by SLPS students who object to the state takeover, and apparently, the city used protest-busting tactics like turning off the air conditioning on children. Stay classy, Slay. PubDef is updating constantly.

The revolution will be televised...

1) Ben and Jerry's has an assload of new flavors, and I've had my eye on Cinnamon Buns for a long time, and they had it at my local Watson/Southwest 7-11. The diggability of B&J's makes it worth the extra $$--they do not fuck around with the additional features of the ice cream. In Cinnamon Buns, the extras are a gooey cinnamon swirl and chunks of cinnamon bun dough (in a caramel ice cream). That shit is delectable. Up next: Creme Brulee. Tell me if you see it at your local grocery store.

2) Did one of my most favorite things tonight for the first time this year: sat on our front porch and chilled. Chris played guitar and we talked about the weather. Four days until spring break, where I will do this constantly if the weather allows. That, and ride bikes.

3) You've got to read about Josh Wolf, a video blogger and freelance journalist who has served more prison time for refusing a court order than any journalist in American history. In 2005, Josh filmed a G8 anarchist protest in San Francisco and aired clips from his footage on a local activist news website. The clips made the rounds on local news. Because Josh knew many of the protesters, Josh was targed by the FBI, who subpoenaed the videos after Josh refused to hand them over. Josh argues that were he to have to give up the tapes that he made in the name of journalism, this will force journalists to cease filming events such as these because they will be afraid that their work will be used to implicate criminals, this will cause distrust between journalist and subject, and that will have a chilling effect on journalists and the freedom of the press. The state contends that Josh is not a journalist so his work is not subject to the same laws as other journalistic works, despite the fact that Josh won the 2006 Journalist of the Year award from the Society of Professional Journalists. (This is bullshit, because if this holds up, it basically says that unless you are a student or working for the man, you are not entitled to freedom of the press, which is bullshit. In the age of legitimate bloggers (myself excluded), bloggers are absolutely journalists, and recording events is what journalists are supposed to do. What happened to reporting what happened?) Josh has been in jail for over six months (he served one month, was released, and then returned to jail when he again refused to hand over the tapes). Read his website/wiki/or blog to learn more about this wrongfully incarcerated man and learn more about how you can help by sending books or letters to Josh, or contributing to his legal defense fund.

Unrelated: awesome t-shirt/sticker/etc site.

Shows #3 & 4

I've been busy this week. Soccer started and my writing sample for the doctoral program I'm applying to was due, plus Green Options stuff, so I haven't had a change to talk about the badass concerts I went to last week.
Thursday, Chris and I, along with our friend Josh, had a few drinks at the Fox and the Hound, and then went to the Creepy Crawl to see the New Amsterdams and State Radio. The Fox and the Hound and the Creepy are basically polar opposites other than they both sell beer, but it's a good place to have a pint and sit on comfortable couches and talk about how Josh once wrote Bill O'Reilly a hate mail letter and O'Reilly read it on the air. The show was bizarre. During the New Amsterdam's some hippie-ass dude yelled out a request to the lead singer, who then replied, "That's not our song" or something like that. Then the hippie guy wigs out and starts yelling at the guy, "Naw, bro, that's not cool. You just disrespected me. Fuck you." The crowd goes silent and the lead singer, a fairly affable dude, is totally blindside by this guy's rude behavior. They go back and forth, with the singer apologizing, although he doesn't really know what he's apologizing for, and finally buys the hippie dude and his (oddly) Jersey-mall chick girlfriend a beer, which the bartender slammed on the bar and said something to the effect of, "You're an asshole" to the hippie guy. Five minutes later, the hippie guy leans over to me and says, "You have beautiful hair." Five minutes after that, Jersey-mall chick drops her State Radio merch on the ground, and Chris picks it up and hands it back to her. Then Hippie-Dude says, "Thanks, bro, that's so awesome. Let me buy you a beer." Um, like the one you just snaked off the band? Thanks, Bra!

State Radio, however, was unbelievable and wonderful and it was such a dance-worthy, fro-shaking good time. Hippie-Dude even tried to crowd surf. Is this 1996 Lollapalooza? My bad, I didn't get the memo. Anyway, the show was so powerful. I love a band with a progressive message. Lead singer/guitarist Chad Urmston (from Dispatch) is my long-lost hair twin, and he was nice neough to a picture with me.

The next night, we went to Guster at the Pageant. We had great balcony seats, but I kinda wish I had the energy to be on the floor, because the energy at Guster shows is awesome, as is Guster themselves. They have crazy-devoted fans, many armed with ping-pong balls. The bullshit of the Guster show was that a guy I work with invited Chris and I to a fish fry before the show. I said yes, but then Chris didn't want to go and I took a nap and we ate burritos instead. The guy I work with, I should probably mention, is brother-in-law to the drummer of Guster. Who ended up being at the fish fry. That we didn't go to. BUNK CITY! The drummer from Guster, Brian Rosenworcel, is totally awesome. He drums WITH HIS HANDS. Cymbals and all. It's one of the coolest musical things I've experienced at a show.

More this weekend--We have Babel and Jesus Camp from Netflix, which I'm excited about.

Mr. Smith makes it to PBS

Many of you know I worked for the Jeff Smith campaign last summer, and I plugged the documentary about his 2004 run for the Dick Gephardt's congressional seat, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? Well, that film will be showing on PBS in St Louis tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30 PM. Tivo Idol, people, or Tivo this film, because it is amazing. Check your own local listings to see if it's playing outside of St Louis.