In Stereo

This is by far and a way as laughable as this. more...

Dixieland

I am headed back to Alabama this week. This means that I won't be posting much late next week into the following week. It also means that I should think of some things I want to do while in the heart of Dixie. (In case you wonder, there is a full explanation of which states are considered Dixie states here and why Winn-Dixie is named such.)

I first began my search with a trip to the Tuscaloosa County homepage. This page is the epitome of my impression of Alabama. A mediocre picture of the new stadium at University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and one simple click to probate records. I guess being dead is more important than being alive in a place that I would want to kill myself anyway. I suspect this is what public education and poverty will buy you in Alabama!

Let's begin with the food, shall we?

Bob Sykes is supposed to be one of the best. Just look at those decadent photos and tell me I am wrong. I double dog dare you.

I will not be going back here. My friend's Huntsville born and raised ex-boyfriend told me about this place. The place was a big time meh. Given my disappointment, I wrote him back to share my concerns with his suggestion. He pings me back to say that he was there in December and it's gone downhill. OK, here's a question -- then why did you recommend I go there? Seriously, I have too many drunken fools in my life.


This could be entertaining.

I'd really like to go here and on to Chattanooga for some fun. I have never been to TN and I'd be up for seeing Chattanooga such as Rock City Gardens and Ruby Falls.

If I am a real good girl, I might be able to talk a certain someone into returning here. While I was not bowled over by the red velvet cake, those hush puppies will keep me coming back for years.

Maybe something Jewish. I know that a Purim party is in my future and thankfully, I do not have to dress as Queen Esther.

If I wanted to be self hating, I could take a tour of the Mercedes Benz factory. Where people are forced to work in German sweat camps for the top salaries in the area. I think I will skip Mercauschwitz.

I will be too early for this. Too bad, because I would like a row job t-shirt. La. La. (I have to say, the website is lovely with some beautiful photos. Double La. La.)

I will stand in the schoolhouse door.

I may purchase this book in Alabama, if I can find it, for ACB's Mom. Since she is famous for her sewing and was in the paper and on the news yesterday.

I am very much looking forward to returning to Alabama next week. Despite the lack of things to do for this big city girl, the individual that I am going to see is what makes the trip worth it. more...

Facebook Style

My mother saw the last Yul Brenner production he ever performed in before he passed away. (I had forgotten that until about two seconds ago.)

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T-Mobile is the new Bank of America, aka Bank of Satan. I paid my bill about a week ago. This morning I was informed that my service has been shut-off for non payment. This is the third time in less than a year this has happened. There is no explanation for why some month's online payments are processed correctly and why some have to be found on their end. This time they said it may take up to a week before this is resolved, thereby leaving me without phone service.

Thanks, T-Mobile!

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Last night was an eventful night to say the least. The most noteworthy comment that I remember was made by my friend E.: "Um, every time I come over to talk to you, you're engulfed in a crowd of boys who all want your number and blog address. That might be cool if one of them wasn't my brother!"

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Bobby Jindal may be missing a screw. There is some magical thinking going on there.

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The latest Meme I heart:
AG-olgy

***********FOODOLOGY***************

What is your salad dressing of choice? Parmesan peppercorn or Blue cheese

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Spoletto and French Laundry (OMG!)

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? French fries, cheesburgers, and/or pad Thai.

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Extra cheese

What do you like to put on your toast? I don't eat toast. Largely because I like my bread raw.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla or Strawberry

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

How many televisions are in your house? 3

What color cell phone do you have? Black

Do you have a laptop? More than one
***************BIOLOGY******************

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right but learning to write left.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Wisdom teeth

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Sadly, yes

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Yes

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Hannah Lauren

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Sure

************DUMBOLOGY******************

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Too many to count.

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? I've never had a "run-in" with the pigs.

Last person you talked to on the phone? ALBT

Last person you hugged? Doug

*************FAVORITOLOGY****************

Season? Fall

Holiday? Kol Nidre

Day of the week? Saturday

Month? September

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

Missing someone? Oh my, yes!

Mood? Calm

What are you listening to? White noise

Watching? Not watching.

Worrying about? All is wonderful, so niente.

***************RANDOMOLOGY****************

First place you went this morning? Shi-shi

Do you smile often? No

Sleeping alone tonight? Sadly, yes

Do you always answer your phone? I rarely answer the phone.

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Sonic is too cool for PHL area.

Do you own a digital camera? Yes

Have you ever had a pet fish? I did online for a while. He died. Game over.

Favorite Christmas song? Um, Jewish!

What's on your Birthday Wish List? Bose CD player and sapphires.

Can you do push ups? Sadly, yes

Can you do a chin up? Don't know

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited except for the economy and how this is going to play out.

Do you have any saved texts? Of course

Ever been in a car wreck? No, thankfully

Do you have an accent? Proud perfect English speaking Yank here.

What is the last song to make you cry? I don't cry over songs. Only sour milk.

Plans tonight? Yes

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Only once

Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Nothing

Have you ever been given roses? Um, it's AG!

Current hate right now? T-Mobile

Met someone who changed your life? Most have changed my life in some shape or form.

How did you bring in the New Year? Party and making-out.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Sure. Most of my past adult life was a lot of fun.

Do you have any tattoos/piercings? No and yes. La. La.

Does anyone love you? Let me count daises...

What songs do you sing in the shower? None

Ever had someone sing to you? Of course

Do you like to cuddle? Ask me next week. :)

Have you held hands with anyone today? Not yet...

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Edina and Lauren

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? I plead the fifth.

Do you believe in staying close with your ex's? Only those worthy of my friendship.

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? More new than old, but I heart them equally.

Do you like pulpy orange juice? Gross!

What is something your friends make fun of you for? My high energy and talkative nature.

Have you ever ridden an elephant? Yes

Do you like to play Scrabble? I do and enjoy it over wine and candles the most.

What are you saving your money up for right now? Right now I am paying down debt.

When is the last time you ate peanut butter & jelly? 1980 something. Ewwww.

Ash Wednesday

Tonight, I will be with the Jews. I am feeling oh so Judah Macabee. We'll be hanging ten so we can paint some lamb's blood on our faces and remind ourselves of how we killed Jesus on a Popsicle stick. Oh wait, was I supposed to share that with y'all?

Seriously, I have an elegant Jewish event to attend at a local arts college. (The President is a Jew and a Williams grad. Don't worry, AG was happy to speak with him a few weeks ago and let him know that US News and World Reports got its head out of its tuckus and we are back where we've always been: above Williams!) The venue is expected to be quite lovely as the space is fantastic and will be complete with open bar and hors d'œuvres. Yep, I am planning on needing a ride home.

I will see all my little Jewish friends. I heart those kids and would take a bullet for each and everyone one of them. Don't get me wrong, I heart my non Jewish friends too, but I love going to events like this and being Jewish with my peeps. We do Jewishy things, whatever that means. Such as it will be talk of who got engaged, who got the best discount at Macy's this week, Facebooking discussions, who is graduating medical school and would be perfect for AG, the Oscars, and when we're going to have drinks and L'Chaim each other next. This is not to be confused with Shabbos dinners I get invited to and 20s and 30s mix and mingle events that I rock like its nobody's business.

Why is tonight different than all other nights, you ask? It has to do with the best part of the evening and that is that someone whose bedroom I've been in, wine I have consumed, Hanukkah gift I have in my wallet, juris degree I have seen, and face I have kissed, will be there. Oh, it's going to be a big night. Do not wait up, if you know what I mean...

And I look hot in my Ralph Lauren and sparkly outfit. It's all about AG tonight. Well AG and a few Baruch Atoi Adonais. more...

Helping Jennifer

Jennifer posted about the Lamblet's crushing on her first love. Poor kid, she probably has no clue what she is about to experience.

It made me think we need to create a Mom's guide on what to tell your teenage daughter about dating. Now, some of this is not for Jen's daughter yet, because well, you know. However, there are some pearls of wisdom for her nonetheless. I have a few, but think y'all will add some more:



1. See video above.
2. If he tells you he loves you, he is probably lying.
3. Most of them cheat. Even the one who thinks AG doesn't know and the friends think he'd never cheat. Yeah right! Oh she knows, Cowgirl! She also knows the name and rejoices in the fact that she is a wearer of cheap clothing. Given such, that Wal-mart induced STD should kick in soon. I love me some hubris in the morning because pay backs are a bitch.
4. Don't take any guff. You are worth more!
5. If he refuses to wear a love glove, it does not matter how handsome he is, cool, or in love your are, --- put on your clothes and run as fast as possible.
6. Respect yourself more than anything. See #5. You are worth more than some Johnny-cum lately!
7. Real men don't cheat, hit, or verbally abuse you.
8. If his family doesn't treat you like your own does, walk out the door. (Something that took AG years to figure out.)
9. Southern men are far hotter than Yankees.
10. If he cannot apologize, move on!
11. If he is not calling you, he's not into you. Move on!
12. Men chase the women they love. (See #11)
13. Give him three years. If he has not proposed, move on!
14. Few straight man are funny. They think they are, but they really aren't. Develop an ability to laugh on the outside, but cry on the inside.
15. Do not bump uglies with him when you are intoxicated. It will only end badly.
16. Being kewl is not about having a high number.
17. Expect both equality and equity.
18. Don't say "yes" to the first one. (Despite Mom's blog title.)
19. Never set a time frame on anything other than proposals. Let the relationship and love unfold when it does.
20. You cannot truly be open to love until you have your heart broken by someone who was sooo not worth it. Do it before you are 30 -- it will make your life a whole lot easier.
21. When a man loves a woman, he'd turn his back on his best friend if he put her down. If he doesn't, move on!
22. If he argues with, has issues with, or is a full-on Momma's boy, it's never going to change. Sadly, within time he'll take it out on you, say things that fall into the verbal abuse category and likely break-up with you because she told him to. Save yourself the pain and aggravation, just dump him tuckus when you find out he's a boy with Mommy issues. (Get advice on how to spot the warning signs. This too took AG a while to learn.)
23. Love is not rational.
24. Be a feminist but allow yourself to be vulnerable and treated like a princess. This is a difficult one, look to your parents for guidance on how this is best achieved.
25. Believe in love because it's the best thing that will ever happen to you. Especially when you've been hurt so much before and you just want to sit the next one out. (This worked for AG!)

Your turn...

Park Place

Dear Pre Flight Parking,

When I give the, what AG suspects are illegals that you hire to take all of my money, for the prices you extort to park at PHL, could you atleast ensure that you teach them how the program works? When I give you my parking card, I expect my account to be credited. This game where I have to save the receipts, wait, then check to see that nothing happened, wait, then fax you the receipts, wait, wait some more, and then see a credit -- it's getting old. It defeats the point of having a card! The overlords at the other over priced lot are looking sweeter by the minute.

Fix your program and hire people that are well trained!

Love,

Adorable H. Girlfriend, M.D., Msc., JD, Esq, PhD to be

Taxes

AG shares because she cares--

AG will likely be getting back 100% of what she paid into taxes this year. That is 20% of her total income. Out of silly debt, AG will be... All that will be left is the medical school debt which has such a low APR it makes no sense to pay that off right now.

AG knows that the government needs her money. However, she said all along that she would not pay for Bush mistakes. To that end, she is not. Sorry.

I guess the bullshit that happened in December was a blessing because it allows me to write-off what someone did to me. If only I could do the same for November. Oh wait, posting social security numbers as the penalty for early withdrawl takes care of that.

La. La.

Elasticity

Now is the time to get AG what she wants.

Prices are dropping 25%! more...

Unbreak The Promise

Of course, much of the recent political blathering has focused on the so-called stimulus bill, also known as 'Porkulus' amongst the dittohead set.

The opposition, including such drains on society as John Boehner and Rush Limbaugh (folks with whom the words 'honest work' have never been juxtaposed) claim that the spending on projects would not result in jobs. RNC chair and gift-to-humor-writers Michael Steele obediently trotted out the meme that 'government never creates REAL jobs', which will of course come as a complete surprise to the nation's police, firefighters, teachers, politicians, and the entire membership of AFSCME. Maybe the jobless losers employed by the government need to eat more meat, like 'real' men. And before AG goes off, I use the word 'men' to refer to the 'real man' trope, not to imply that all these workers are men, far from it.

These Republican politicians, who have never seen a government check they are unwilling to cash and spend on wetsuits and dildos, would faint from pearl clutching if anybody expected them to break a sweat doing any of the work stipulated in the ARRA, let alone if anybody even asked them to put in a full 40 hours in a week.

This was the gist of my thoughts while I was measuring a tenant space this week, getting covered in dirt and earning a dollar or two. I used to joke that I went to college for seven years to get a job coloring (and I didn't even have to stay in the lines); now, I've added a decade or two of experience to that so I could crawl through decrepit buildings with tape measures. I think my career arc looks like a frown.

So it was with a grim sense of amusement that I saw a brand new set of solicitations for services from our State. Many of them were clearly labeled as part of the Federal stimulus package, and noted that they intended to provide them to firms who had not received recent awards. Small and large, they are an illuminating illustration of how the Stimulus bill will actually, you know, provided STIMULUS, you republican obstructionist fucks.

Let me lay it out for the really slow people, like Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker (who recently said he would reject any stimulus money coming to the county, although he doesn't have the authority do that). The stim money is administered by the State (among others, of course.). This is distributed through a bidding process (you know, that thing that Halliburton and Blackwater never had to do). A successful firm provides services and products to the State, for which they receive checks from the Stimulus money. That money goes to pay employees, and vendors; these folks then take that money and use it to pay for food, and rent, and taxes, and other good stuff. Some of them might even make enough to buy a car with it. Radical, huh? And Socialist, let's not forget that. Because in the course of this transaction, the State and it's residents receive VALUE in new products and construction and maybe even a safer, cleaner, more pleasant standard of living. Keep in mind that this is something that all the fancy-pants Credit default swaps never provided, except to swindlers like Madoff and Stanford.

In the farthest reaches of imagination, one might even fantasize that a certain Zombee might successfully negotiate some of these contracts. Keep in mind, you right wing numbskulls, that this Certain Zombee is a private businessman, not beholden to any government. But even ONE of these contracts would allow for private business to continue operating, even in the wildest reaches of imagination to hire other professionals.

i KNOWW!!! It's a crazy scenario, isn't it? It's like Bizarro world! How can Government Spending result in the flourishing of PRIVATE BUSINESS????? IT IS A MYSTERY!

ALSO: Tonguejack my shitbox, you lying Republican obstructionist twerps.

OT, but critically funny, at least to this poor old Zombie. Chuck Schumer becomes a friend to zombies, raising our political profile. Although I gotta say that one might think that these entities would, you know, be more forthcoming to help a brother zombie out. more...

Oh the Wankery

Steve Forbes once and for all proves to the world that he is a self centered cobag with his editorial in the 02 March 2009 edition of Forbes Magazine this week. Inside, Forbes calls upon President Obama to why he has limited future job creation by passing into law Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which eliminates the statue of limitations on discrimination suits. Forbes proclaims that this law has personal injury attorneys chomping rapidly and surmises that frivolous lawsuits will flood the courts over supposed wrongs committed years ago, as memories have gone cold. He takes it a step further by accusing Ledbettter of leaving Goodyear Tire & Rubber in 1998 with a pension and poor job evaluations and then turning around and suing for discrimination in the 1980s.

The first thought that came to my mind while reading this was who raised this callous, arrogant, white boy? It seems to me on broad prima facie this law granted women the opportunity to put some prick’s balls to the wall after a torrid history of discrimination, which is often coupled with sexual harassment in the workplace. (Don’t get me wrong, skirts will screw skirts in the workplace too. However, historically men have held higher positions of power and made it much harder for women to be treated with equity or equality in the workplace. As we have seen with the election of Barak Obama, men of color and to some extent gay men suffer less in the workplace than women, regardless of color, age, or sexual orientation. Women are fourth class citizens with little room for movement.) Forbes plays the usual card – blame the victim vis a vis the peter principle.

I commend Ms. Ledbetter for taking her story inside the courtroom. No small feat there. Her story is hardly original and more universal than most would like to admit but did we not learn from Anita Hill that women do not make up these things and this our not stale memories that have become grandiose with time? The cost of exposure is too high to be worth it to most women who suffer employment discrimination. Women who do come forward, and rightfully so, are heroes and no time limit can or should be placed upon her dignity and courage. Forbes accusations of frivolous claims are both inaccurate and sexist at the very core.

To be frank, I feel for people like Forbes. Such individuals ar people who view discrimination as a means by which to get the job done, a means by which to control those who are not in positions of power, to uphold the patriarchy, and keep the workforce cost of labor down while increasing male bravado. After all, male bravado when coupled with high cost salaries trumps all that is just, fair, and right within society. It is without moral commandment or equality for all. We can all thank these same folks for eight years of the Bush tyranny and for whom we will always vote Democrat because their power has the potential to create mutiny.

One final thought is that I have to wonder what kind of people raised a man like this who is so filled with hate, self righteous right wingnuttery, and ignorance. I guess for me this question is lurking because I had a mother e-mail me earlier this week to ensure that her cowboy was not only a good southern host, but charming, and respectful towards me last week. I guess some Mommas and Papas know what they are doing and the rest are members of the George H.W. and Barbara Bush Finishing School alumni/ae or the 'My child is so wonderful look at him all born Jesus the Jew'. For that, we will all pay the piper. For everything else, we now have Ledbetter to impede their agendas and the big boy club mentality.

Give Me Wine Or Money

The meme, the meme.... I can't resist a fuckin meme.  This one is the Alphabet meme.  Jennifer and Snag, of course, have turned this meme into their bitch with the Awfulbet over at snag's place, even if they are avoiding the obvious Zombie references.

But in any case, upon request, After doing her own letter, Sir Jen tagged me with a letter and it's G.  G, such an unprepossessing letter.  I am supposed to come up with 10 things I love starting with G.  The obvious starting point was the one Blue Girl and I beat to death earlier.  After that, it was Ghouls and ... umm Grass...  Guitars would have worked....

Damn.  This was harder than it sounded.  Snag, of course, made it look easy and funny, with a much harder letter.  Damn.  So in desperation, as it seems I so often do, I was forced to find inspiration and a solution in music.  The following are ten bands starting with G that I love in various ways.  which, of course, fits into the Friday Random Musical Spew.  Enjoy it or don't!

1.  The Geraldine Fibbers, Dragon Lady.  A defunct band, I love this song.  The laconic way she delivers the vocals, the way the guitars kick into the chorus, the 'yeah-yeah' she delivers at the end of the verses, the lyrical content of slackers 'rob a 7-11 and hit the road'.... this is swell in so many ways.  I was disappointed in their second album, and they broke up too soon.  But very much worth it; sometimes one great song is the whole point.

2.  Genesis.  O here we go.  Here's a great little bit from Genesis, of course, that has an astounding guitar solo from a Milwaukee boy, Daryl Stuermer; based on a lick originated by Steve Hackett.  But this one kicks way more than Hackett ever managed.  Zelmo and I debated this recently; he felt that Steve Hackett had more musical connection to the songs, while Stuermer is technically more proficient.  which is as it may be.  But this interpretation of this particular lick just makes my head all wobbly, and I have never seen Hackett deliver it with the same mix of chops and sweat.

Zelmo and I saw the Musical Box a few weeks ago, and the band renewed my faith and love for Genesis; I have been listening quite heavily to the playlists lately.  The cover band brought me back to a place where the music could fill some holes in my psyche, where it could repair damage to  whatever soul I have.  I know that sounds as if it way overstates the role a stupid english art-rock band fronted by a short balding fop can play, but that's the way it is.  I am satisfied that a lousy cover band has restored the feelings I used to have for this band.  Recent days and months have given me plenty of reason and opportunities to turn to this music for solace, and I would be poorer without it.

3.  Green Day.  Here's a great little bit from Green Day with an assist from some old-fogey Micks.  I recently saw a live show from the American Idiot tour, and they still do a pretty good job on the stage.  

4.  See, westerberg does some work as Grandpaboy.  But whether it's Replacements, Placemats, Grandpaboy, or even the old boy Paul W, I love this stuff.  I've seen the Replacements two or three times, including one during the drinking days where Westerberg was too drunk to stand for the encores, so he played a medley of 'Skyway' and 'Fuck School' by himself while sitting on a chair.

A friend of mine once bemoaned the deterioration of Pete Townshend's output after Townshend stopped drinking, saying that he was tempted to send him a bottle of cognac.  I kind of feel the same way about Westerberg, I'll reluctantly admit.  After breaking up his band, his output has been more regular but is missing the ramshackle genius of those early days.  We all move on, I guess and I won't begrudge him his decisions to live rather than follow Stinson into the grave.  But what do you do after making things like "Androgynous" and Tim while in your twenties? Is there a way to age gracefully after being called the saviour of rock n roll while barely out of your teens?  Good luck Paul.

5.  Goo Goo dolls, We are the Normal.  co-written with Westerberg above, and released back before they were huge.  This song, and album, makes me cut them a lot of fuckin slack for everything released since.

6.  Gogol Bordello, Wonderlust King.  The joy of hammering out a song at full volume and full speed.  Ramshackle indeed.

7.  Gang of Four, To Hell With Poverty.  Old school art-punks.  These guys were in school with the original members of the Mekons when the Sex Pistols played, and they all dropped out to start bands.  GoF had much more discipline, learned to play and had some success with these rabble-rousing funk-inflected punk songs, while the Mekons went for conceptual purity and were dropped by label after label for refusing to play by any sort of rules.  30 years later, GoF has been long defunct and is resorting to nostalgia tours, playing old songs for old punks now living their parent's lives.  The mekons are still releasing critically acclaimed new music, to massive criminal neglect.  One or the other of these bands made a wrong turn, but I'm damned if I can figure out which one.

Great song though.

8.  Grinderman.  The first Nick Cave disc I bought was Murder Ballads.  which scared the HELL out of me.  But wow, was it intense.  One reviewer counted 200 some deaths narrated over the course of the record.

This one is  a recent, more raw release, harkening back to his Birthday Party days.

But even though it sounds louder and harder and punkier, you know what?  It's not nearly as intense as those Murder songs.  Not by half.

9. General Public, Never You Done That.  A while back, I wrote a long post about seeing The English Beat in their new incarnation and how much I enjoyed it.  General Public was the band that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger put together after the dissolution of the Beat, and they stopped at Summerfest a few years back.

They were pretty good, of course; and the show was well attended.  Attended by people of our age; so we were tremendously amused by the ring of strollers parked around the stage.... time, marching on.

10.  The Gear Daddies, Time Heals.  A tragically disbanded group from Minneapolis.  Minneapolis by way of Austin.  This song is a favorite of a good friend of mine, who found solace while he was struggling with a drinking problem.  

Happily, I can report that he won that battle, and still loves the song.  Good on you, Ror.

more...

Bristol Palin Lives On...

Read this here, first.

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The first point I wish to make is that she is not pro-choice. She is anti-abortion. Anti-abortion means that you do not believe in abortion. If you think every child is a wanted child without regard to a woman's right and her simply being a means to an end for life; a mere vessel or something, even though a fetus is not a child by the way, then you are anti-abortion based upon your belief that abortion takes wanted and unwanted fetuses. Abortion is a means of birth control. Women are not cargo space for babies. The tone of such is repugnant and all that is wrong with the anti-abortion crowd. Conversely, I am pro-abortion meaning that I believe in the procedure for anyone and everyone who wants it available to them, even if they chose not to obtain the procedure. I am also pro-life because WE ARE ALL for life. It's not about life and it's not about a choice. It's about either saying I believe in abortion or not. Plain and simple. Preaching to the choir, again, I know...

Moving on. I think it is imperative to first begin this discussion over what abortion is and what it is not. Abortion is a medical procedure and it needs to be treated like such. If you disagree than vasectomies, tubal ligations, and everything in between should be offensive too if we go on the terms that it's more than a medical procedure and its the stop of life. The personal is not political and whatever you decide to do is your business. It's your medical decision that occurs between you and your physician. The author would like it to be something more, something moral, something offensive. It is not. It is a medical procedure that some couples and women elect to undergo and some do not.

This kind of journalism is often judgemental without facts. It seeks to pit women against women so as to subvert the patriarchial underpinnings of the issue. For example, the Bristol Palin and Jessica Simpsons of the world who decide to elect to have their children are touted as role models and heroes in the public arena. Heroes for being mothers. Yet there is little discussion that in doing so they are not living up to their potential, become a government statistic, are more likely to live in poverty for their remaining days, etc., etc. There is a general disconnect between facts and reality and the notion that motherhood is far more superior to the social ills that teenage pregnancy carries with it. As such there is no mention of teen mommies being whores and there is infrequently a discussion of the method of contraception that was used, if any at all. Discussions on sexuality before marriage or being too young also do not seem to apply. However, this lot of judgment on women who elect to abort their pregnancies usually applies. You know because only the poor and whores abort fetuses. Thus, motherhood subverts the Mary Magdalene connotations because afterall, a baby Jesus saves!

There is also the notion of being less responsible if you terminate a pregnancy. As Merrill notes above, she already loves her unborn fetus more than anything else. As though those who decide to terminate unwanted pregnancies are incapable of love or that they didn’t love their fetuses enough to keep them because abortion does not equal love. Love has little do with a decision to have an abortion or not. People love their children and have vasectomies. Love is usually not something I discuss with patients when discussing oral surgery. Therefore, where does love fit into the equation of whether you terminate or continue and unwanted pregnancy.

Merrill further claims that she does not lead a dangerous lifestyle and is more than capable of taking care of herself. This would be news to a public health professional like AG, who not only can regale the dangers of unprotected sex, but the risks of teenage pregnancy and birthing both on the mother and unborn fetus. Sociologically, it is much more likely that society will financially care for this baby than she will. Especially since she is now no longer eligible for health insurance coverage via her parents policy and I doubt a part-time job at Barnes and Nobles funds Blue Cross and Blue Shield of PA. So, AG as a tax payer of the state will foot the $20,000 hospital bill.

Furthermore, being able to take care of yourself is having enough education, self esteem, and respect for yourself to require condom use each and every time you have sexual relations. (Now that, is a better definition of love!) It also means you understand that today you need to earn a real living beyond Barnes and Nobles Café at minimum wage. For goodness sake, she left Temple and returned to farm country so she wouldn’t be alone when the child is born. How noble of her to run back to Mommy and Daddy for comfort. Not that there is anything wrong with that per se, but don't act pious when you are crying it out under their free roof. That is maturity, not living with Mommy and Daddy because you couldn't tell some guy who you thought loved you to go fuck himself if he wasn't wrapping it up before moving in the troops.

The world has had enough of the Bristol Palin media queens who know very little about anything, let alone the women's movement and the work that women like our mothers and grandmothers did so these little Dixie Cups can even have a spot in a newspaper, let alone a fucking voice to undo everything that we've achieved thus far. How about we hear from women who made it out of a rough childhood, went on to graduate the Ivy Leagues, graduated Summa Cum Laude, makes more than all of her former boyfriends, owned a home before turning 30, and never has needed a man or seed to feel good about herself? Why not celebrate the women who had abortions (or did not need them) and how they succeeded because they did not take the more rocky path.

Don't get me wrong, being a mother is an honorable and very respectable job and one that I value deeply, but not all of us put fetuses before freedom and success. And you know what, we love ourselves and our putative children to wait and stand tall on abortion as a viable birth control option. If that makes us hate mongers and whores or whatever this little 18-year-old has painted out other women to be, well fuck her and the row boat she tided in on because at least we know how to get on oral birth control and demand a condom before coitus. more...

Kill Me Now

so nice to see the rightwingers supporting the President with class, consistent with their demands over the prior 8 years that we all not criticize a 'President in Time of War"

sheesh.  Baaaaarrrrfff.

Deval is Wrong!

Massachusetts Govenor Deval Patrick's latest plan to handle the undesirables of the state:

Homeless families face strict new rules - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

Let's take a look at homelessness in Boston by numbers:



Number of homeless individuals in the Winter of 2006-2007-

on the Street: 437
in Emergency Shelter: 6761

Possible wage potential for the least educated and poorest in Mass:

As of September 1, 1997, the federally-set minimum wage for covered, nonexempt employees was set at $5.15 per hour. (Those under 20 years of age can be paid $4.25 for the first 90 days.) Massachusetts currently has a $6.75 minimum wage: when a state's rate is higher, it takes precedence over the national rate.

Sources: US Department of Labor's webpages on minimum wage: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm and Code of Massachusetts Regulations: http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1111
hrs/wk wks/yr min. wage total income

National rate: $5.15 $ 9,373 for 35 hours or $5.15 $10,712 for 40 hours.

State rate: 35 hours: $6.75 $12,285 or $6.75 $14,040 for 40 hours.

Who are we talking about?

In Massachusetts, children under 19 years of age were numbered at 1,502,000 as the result of a three-year average of 2000, 2001, and 2002 figures. Of that number, 458,000, or 30.5% were considered at or below 200% of poverty. 40,000 were reported as being at that level and without health insurance.

Source: US Bureau of the Census, Low Income Uninsured Children by State: 2000, 2001, and 2002. http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/liuc02.html

The three-year average for 1998, 1999, and 2000 was 1,603,000 total children in Massachusetts under the age of 19. 564,000 of these children lived at or below 200% of poverty, and 68,000 of them without health insurance.

Source: US Bureau of the Census, Low Income Uninsured Children by State: 1998, 1999, and 2000. http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/liuc00.html

So, let me get this straight, residents of the Bay State (let's be honest, this will affect single mothers and their children the most) are expected to save 30% of their incomes, which for many may be a mere $360 but after they buy food, clothes, transportation, etc. just to continue to work at the job they are required to have, in order to be eligible for housing services?

OK. I got it. Instead of offering mental health and social work services to the homeless and working with residents to put their lives on a successful track, we make archaic policies and expectations on their income. In a time where even those of us in the higher income categories cannot save 30% of our income. Anyone want a job at the state house on Beacon Hill because I am thinking even George Bush might make a more reasonable plan than Patricks's. I do use the word might loosely though.

It's That Time of Year Again

AG knows who is getting this in their Chanukah stocking next year.

President' Day

In the legal arena, Abraham Lincoln may be revered and remembered as America's 16th president and perhaps the greatest in America's history. Most importantly because he herded this great nation through the turmoil of the Civil War, delivered the Emancipation Proclamation and establish protocol for presidential eloquence with the Gettysburg Address. Something Bush brought back to cookies and milk in Kindergarten, sadly.

Abe Lincoln was a lawyer before he was a president. From 1836 until he was inaugurated in 1861, practicing law was Lincoln’s chief role. Based in Springfield, Ill., he worked tirelessly both within IL around the country. Historians suggest that Lincoln was beloved most for his direct manner, sense of humor and way with words thru story, but as the bicentennial of his birth is commemorated in 2009, lawyers just cannot get enough of him.

So, why all the fuss about this great man in American history? Perhaps because he may be the case history to which President Obama looks for guidance in these times of struggle. Deja vu rings, as the Illinois lawyer was charged with addressing the nation’s economic crisis during office: real estate transactions, mortgage foreclosures, divorces, debtor-creditor cases and civil trial work. Though times may be different today, the embroiled state of affairs has a pungent smell of yore.

"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except Negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics." When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty - to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume II, "Letter to Joshua F. Speed" (August 24, 1855), p. 323.

Heart-On

I never thought I'd ever get tired of playing games
But I've been holding back for too long
Now the time has come to get it right
Now's the time to show them all that they're wrong

'Cos they said thunder and they said lightning
It would never strike twice
Oh but if that's true, why can't you tell me
How come this feels so nice, Oh it feels alright

Never ever did believe in guiding lights
'Cos what you didn't hold, slipped away
Oh but there's a feeling deep down in my shoe
'Cos things look like they're going my way

'Cos they say thunder and they say lightning
It would never strike twice
Oh but if that's true, why can't you tell me
How come this feels so nice, Oh it feels alright

I never ever did believe in a second chance
You get, just one crack of the whip, that's all
If you played the game, you got treated right
Oh but I'm not playing the game, no more


'Cos they say thunder and they say lightning
It would never strike twice
Oh but if that's true, why can't you tell me
How come this feels so nice, Oh it feels alright


I am off to Alabama shortly. I suspect it will be beyond my wildest imagination and it will push me to a place I have never been before: I will confront all of my fears and hopes and give into the fight. Not wanting to turn this into my diary and respect the privacy of others, I am not sure how much I should or can say here. Nevertheless, I would like to say something about Valentine’s Day and what it means to me this year. Please note that despite what I am sharing and what I am not sharing, I am better and stronger because of everything. I am a survivor and I have been granted a new outlook on life.

2007-2008 was the hardest year of my life. It was also in some ways, the best thing that ever happened to me. I became a steel magnolia in the process and for that I will always think it was worth everything including the pain and angst that I endured. There was not a day when it didn’t feel like the world was pushing me to the brink of self destruction. It was my darkest of all days. And many of you don’t even know the half of it because the most important of it didn’t happen until late summer. By then I was simply too fatigued to talk to anyone. I also never thought it was fair to those who weren’t as lucky as me and who had to endure the full scariness of it. As such, I just kept it to myself.

I don’t think we can ever know why we are tested. Why good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. What we can be certain of is that life is waiting for the moment. There was a moment in October that changed my life forever. I don’t believe for one minute that even the gypsies on the boardwalk with their crystal balls could have known that it would transpire or what would become of it. I certainly was not prepared for it as I desperately tried to hold onto the last shred of my rope that was unraveling into a thin thread of nothingness. Then came October. As I struggled to put the loss of Bubie behind me, I found something that was beyond my own understanding and something that brought more purpose and love than I could have ever asked for.

Who knows why one minute in time can change us forever. How two souls come to dance by the moonlight without any prior contact or interaction? What I do believe we know is that we must be open to it and learn to surrender when the time is right. I was never one to surrender. I didn’t have it in me. I didn’t know how to let go and let life take. I spent a difficult childhood learning to thrash against the walls and hold onto the rope until there was nothing left. Even when nothing was left, I still clung to the last bastion of nothingness. I sought to control everything. Fighting to never fail. Fighting to want more than I deserved or needed. Fighting to fight. It made sense at the time and it probably made it possible for me to be here today. Without that fight, I never would have survived. I am not sure I will ever know if it was just, right, or fair. All I will know is that it was and the proclivity to act upon it in such outlandish ways made sense at the time. I’m still alive – so it couldn’t have been all together wrong.

Something changed everything in November of 2008. I witnessed how vicious life can be. How you can do everything right and still fail. How you have no control even when you have control as the master of your own fate and the captain of your ship. I learned that Bubie was right – she was the only one who could make it easy on me because the rest of the world would not. And said world was not kind to me at all. It took everything I had left. It left me dejected and unable to cope. Unable to believe in anything, including myself. It pinched at the very pit of my stomach and looked me right in the face and puked all over me. For the first time ever, I retreated. I allowed myself to feel pain. To feel anger. It was at that point that it took everything I had in order to just get up every day and breathe in and out. I suspect I did so by finally putting words to these feelings and finding a place and group of loved ones to speak to about all of this. I owe said people my life!

However, I always had October through it all, in some mild shape or form. October will never know what it means to me. How could it? I still wouldn’t surrender to October in 2008. Not even when the bottom totally fell out from under me in December and I had nothing left to believe in. Nothing left to hope for. Nothing. I often wonder if October remembers what it said to me. That moment in the car as I was driving through the Poconos when someone said to me, “That’s so amazing that you wanted to call me when you found out. I am really touched.” I think I knew more than he did at that very moment and I doubt he even remembers that brief moment we shared, that his kindness would change my life forever.

Fast forward to 12 February, it’s all coming true. I will be landing in Birmingham tomorrow afternoon. There he will be standing waiting for me. Watching me take everything I have just to put one foot in front of the other as I make my way through the arrivals gates. He will be there waiting for me. Waiting to pull me into him and tell me that it’s going to be alright.

For the first time in my life, I trust someone without reservations. I will surrender to all of this. I will give into the fight and let go. I am not going to hold onto the wall anymore. He will never know that he saved me from the dark side of me. He will never know that I was at the point of considering taking my life and walking away from everything. Those few calls he made in the late evenings saved me from what could have been the not so perfect ending to the bad day. How could he? None of you knew, let alone those who saw me every day or whenever I could get together with them for a meal or conversation. I wasn’t even aware of it until I found myself doing something I wasn’t supposed to and it scared me more than anything ever has in my life.

Nobody knows for certain where my life will find me next week or next year, or tomorrow for that matter. What I do know is that, I will always be grateful for him and what he did for me without ever knowing it. Come what may, I will be thankful for the blip in time we’ve shared. The world is blessed today because of him and I have to wonder if he really knows that because I will always be grateful to two people who made him possible. For today, my cup truly has runneth over…

So, Happy Valentine’s Day! Go out and believe in love. Not because you need to. Not because you have to. Go out and believe in love because you are open to the warmth of it and the power it has to change your life forever. To keep us safe from ourselves when we have reached the end of our rope and we look up and we realize that all it takes is one sentence, one look, and one belief to draw us back in. To save us from our destructive selves.

I love each and everyone one of you. Thank you for being you and never giving up or giving into the darkness. Thunder and lightning has stuck twice!

Bubie, your dream has been accomplished.

Getting Down to the Heart of the Matter

Some of you may remember some brief prior rants against Megan's Law in the past. For those not familiar, Megan's Law was named for New Jersey resident Megan Kanka. She was 7 years old when a twice-convicted sex offender who lived near her home raped and killed her in 1994. One of the greatest accomplishments of this bill was to require that convicted sex offenders in America must register their home location with local municipalites. This allows for their home addresses to be posted publically for the community to know. New Jersey was among the first states to enact laws requiring community notification and sex offender registration.

My chief complaint with this bill has always been that it restricts privacy rights and has no regard for my profession which suggests that some sex offenders can rehabilitate. It also does not allow for the possibility that there was a breach of consent and now someone is on the hook for life. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying sex crimes are benign acts of evil. They certainly are not. However, there are other issues at play that may assist me with looking for a better way to address the issue of sexual abuse and mental illness in the communtiy. The most recent insult to injury is a recent report is that states are not following the expectations of Megan's Law.

More specifically, a study conducted at the University of New Jersey (WTF, Rutgers?!) examining sex offenses in the state where Megan's Law was created says it hasn't deterred repeat offenses. The report released last week cites evidence that registering sex offenders in New Jersey does make it easier to find offenders once they are accused of a sex crime. However, by comparing arrest rates before and after the sex offender registration law was passed, the study found no significant difference between statistics before and after Megan's Law was passed.

The study also compared sex offenders rates with violent crimes and drug offense rates in comparable time periods, and did not find any discrepency with sex offense rates post-Megan's law.

"Because sex offense rates began to decline well before the passage of Megan’s Law, the legislation itself cannot be the cause of the drop in general," said the report, "Megan’s Law: Assessing the Practical and Monetary Efficacy," prepared for the Department of Corrections' Research and Evaluation Unit. "It may, in fact, be the case that continuing reductions in sex offending in New Jersey, as well as across the nation, are a reflection of greater societal changes."

According to the authors, measures of recidivism rates, community tenure (the amount of time before a re-arrest), and harm reduction (decreased sexual offending), revealed no significant differences between cohorts.

"Despite wide community support for these laws, there is little evidence to date, including this study, to support a claim that Megan’s Law is effective in reducing either new first-time sex offenses or sexual re-offenses," the report states.

The report also said that, because it saw no discernible difference made by implementing Megan's Law, the cost of administrating the law (approximately $3.9 million in 2007) should be reexamined. "Given the lack of demonstrated effect of Megan’s Law, the researchers are hard-pressed to determine that the escalating costs are justifiable," they wrote.

Given the price tag, my bet is AG wins this one and we stop invading people's privacy because one neurotic helicopter Momma thinks it keeps her kid safe when in fact there is no proof of that. Remember, girls and women are least safest in their own homes! more...

This Nation's Saving Grace

Well, political bloggin is annoying me right now, I can't find a good way to talk about the mix of dismay and satisfaction I feel about certain things... plus the whole 'cutting up a guy's balls is a State Sekrit" thing makes me want to eat a bullet, so on to better stuff...

eMusic is refreshing to me, because not only are they an affordable source of digital music, the people running it are quite obviously music lovers. I have long been accustomed to being able to read a review and get a pretty good feel for whether i would like it or not, and have few reservations about spending money on music based on words I trust. I met the Mekons that way, among others. The new World, where you can actually hear snippets of these songs before buying and downloading is just that much better.

3Bulls, for all their weirdness and strange ways, have sent me on several such excursions. They are, FWIW, more reliable than Pitchfork.

As are the reviewers at emusic. I got an email recently, talking about best new releases so I checked a few out.

And this one knocked me on my undead ass.



It sounds like Yo La Tengo jamming with the Hold Steady. After stealing Eleventh Dream Day's guitars. This song hits a VU groove from the first bars, and just builds off of that.

It's low-fi, but there are some fine subtle touches like the near-steel guitar underlying counterpoint. The vox are the kind of thing I just love, probably because it sounds like the kind of thing I could sing. I am all about the DIY. OK, maybe I couldn't do the higher range vocals, but I could strangulate them.

I haven't had too much of a chance to check out the rest of this album yet, because this song makes me feel sad and lonely and strong and stubborn and ready to beat my head against the wall until the wall falls down and if I listened to it first thing in the morning every day I would be a better more realized person.

If I could write songs, I think this is what they would sound like.

Recommended. Go get it.

Not Helping

AG loves her some Internet and is obsessed with her trip later this week to the 'deep South' (Hold me, Chuckles). The latest finds on people who can type comments on the tubes about Alabama or from it:

Move to a mostly black area of Birmingham (there are plenty). Then you won't have to worry about mean old, white rednecks. Good grief.

If you want less rednecks, move out of the South. I've been to neighborhoods with nice large homes and vehicles and "yahoo, go confederates!" types on 4 wheelers going through the streets. That is Alabama, though. It is not a bad place, but if you want to avoid people who say things like "Clinton ruined this country" and who support gay marriage, this isn't the place to find them. The South, overall, lacks the progressive thinking of the north. For some that is a good thing, for others it is not.

Southerners simply MUST attack pink lettering, democrats and homosexuality? Blaming the victim is weak.

My wife says I am a redneck, I am a full time bass fishing guide so I guess so, I might be a redneck because I am very conservative but I am not a racist. We are going to alabama because I feel more comfortable around the laid back people up there. There are hardly no good old rednecks like my self here anymore so this might be your kind of place because you have a lot of different kinds of people around here.

lol... i feel like such an e-hick now!

I would never vote for a black man", "Obama seems smart, but I dont want a black man to be President." I was pretty shocked, but at the same time; I knew it was coming because these guys had that whole Carhart thing going on if you know anything about clothes.

My next stop, Walmart!; boy that Walmart almost has Waffle House beat I tell ya...

Seriously y'all, if AG is not back by Wednesday of next week -- send large search forces.

Saturday Night! Saturday Night.

That's right our beloved readers of EoTS, it's that time of year again. That time of year where y'all want AG to shut it hard: it's Valentine's Day week!

A few gift ideas for Fish this year:

Anything silve and with a heart from here.


More specifically, this is what Fish needs to buy for the AG. (Flip it to have the blue on both sides and eyes on the middle 2.5 carat prize.)

Flowers will also do.

Chocolate

Lingerie

Somewhere to wear thos knickers, huh? How about the Bridge Suite here. (AG's not only been inside of this hotel and taught someone how to gamble in it, she more recently went and stayed there.)

Dinner at Aragawa. AG's having the steak. Though, AG is willing to go here again for sushi, albeit is more in the price range, but much better than this craphole.

A college degree for our putative love child. (AG has a degree from #1, is working towards one at #11 and there is another on there that she did classwork at. BTW, AG's valetine has a shared degree from one of them and as far as she knows, the parents (or full ride based upon his confirmed genius status) paid for said degree. La. La.)

For all others, how about we get AG what she really wants:

Even though she doesn't like chocolate, the burnt maple butter is to die for.

A trip here

and a baby daughter! (That will have to wait. For now, this is stealing AG's heart away.)

I'm Done with Sergio

Last night started out in the usual kind of way that AG weekend nights go. However, it ended starkly different than any other night. In fact, this night was vastly different than all other nights. It began around 9:45 when I got a call on my way towards the door from a male friend. He was complaining that he had nothing to do and wanted to know what my plans were before me. After a crazy Friday night, I was eager to go into Philadelphia and be with my girls. I had a plethora of catching up to do and frankly, I wanted to get my drinkie girl flirt on. Thus, I did not want to offer up something to a XY chromosome. Clearly if he crashed, it would ruin my chances for making out with random Dixie Cups and playing Mardi Gras peek-a-boo sports in Olde City.

But he persisted and it was getting late as I was already on the Main Line and within picking up distance. We started out in Museum District, much to my begging and pleading against this idea. The girls shortly thereafter poured into the joint upon our arrival. The good news was two fold: I can purchase Stag's Leap in the district upscale places (and get it paid for by others) and since we had my male Jewish Sugar Daddy company, if things went where I was a bit concerned they would, I had a boy of tribe to hold me back when I took swings. After all, my girls would all want swings themselves and nobody was holding anyone back if we were flying solo.

I was already a good glass and a half into the Cabernet when I knew I wasn't driving home anytime soon. (I had gone running yesterday and never bothered to eat anything.) As the fog and mist began to settle upon me, we packed it in and moved shop to Olde City. We grab a taxi and made our way across town. Not the best of ideas, in hindsight. As we stood shoulder to shoulder in the bar, I began to look around for little Cracker Jack prizes to play with AG. I mean, it's Saturday night, I did my hair, I had on black, and I wanted attention. As my eyes made cascades across the room, I noted a group of what appeared to be Drexel, possibly Villanova kiddies, and teetered off to left of center.

I was working my boys, who by the way are loving the AG and have already purchased two more glasses of wine for her, when Jew Boy (JB) shows up about 15 minutes into it. He gets up in their grills about showing me some respect and some other verbal garbage I don't remember and/or couldn't hear. With that I grabbed the back of JB's belt and pulled him on the sidewalk. Glitter and sparkles flew through the air as AG made a bit of scene.

I demanded within seconds of pushing him up against the brick mortar to know why the hell he thought he was my overlord. He started sputtering something about being tired of the AG routine. (Apparently, he's been reading over here and thinks this is all sooo wrong.) He proceeded to tell me I have no self respect, I am a whore, and if I were raped last night -- I would have deserved it and he would have watched.

Fade to black. Shine the light on the fourth wall.

I let into JB like I had no right. I did not hold back. Cowboy got torched in half as I let him know what I thought about his little attitude and misogynistic statements. After I ate him up and spit him out because he was too bitter, he had the chutzpah to say to me that I always do this when I drink which only proves his point more about the fact that I deserve what I get. "Really?" I said. I have gone drinking with JB twice before and I never got loud, out of control, or flirty on those occasions. Thus, I was unclear of the court records he has in archives. Seems to me that cowboy has himself quite an imagination.

I stood frozen for a few seconds on the sidewalk. Do I throw punches? Did I walk away? Did I stand there and exchange more verbal assaults? Within seconds, I whirled back into the bar, grabbed my coat, and headed for my cousin's house. A concern for how JB was getting home was no longer a concern at all for me. I also had no concern for us being friends again. Ever. There is a line that you do not cross with AG. That line is when you say you're friends and then chase that with "You deserve some man throwing you down on the bar and fucking you in front of everyone to make the point. Maybe then you'll knock this shit off." The line is a dot to him now. As is AG.

Are we really still talking like this in 2009? I am just sick and speechless.

Bad Times Are Comin' Round Again

OK, a little music to set the mood. Enjoy, and fix yourself a big fuckin drink while you do:



Couldn't find the Post Title on UTube, so this is the Wacos doing a fine cover of an old Neil Young tune. Appropriate, I think...

Now let's look at this (courtesy Sadly, No!):



Sweet living fuck.

My business and industry has been slowly petering out for two years now. I think I started writing about a worsening economy in summer of 2007? The construction industry actually is a pretty good canary in the coal mine of our economy, and architects are at the front end of the process. Construction feeds a lot of STIMULUS into the economy in the form of orders for materials, equipment, and relatively well paying jobs. When it starts to slow down, I have seen that the rest of the economy follows.

I wouldn't claim it is causal, but the two are related to the same underlying structure, and construction serves as a much better indicator than the stock market...

But look at that. the dropoff is terrifying. It's not gonna turn around, it's not. I start to see why nothing is happening.

I think even Krugman is trying to soften the blow when he talks, because if the reality was apparent... well, the alcohol, drugs, and firearms industries would effin skyrocket. Not to mention the suicide rate.

Count yourself lucky if you're drawing a paycheck. Hunker down, friends and enemies, because it looks like the Republicans are going to prevent our government from helping out as much as they can.

If you're not a fuckin millionaire or a banker, you're on your fuckin own. Help your neighbors out if you can.

[EDIT] The next right winger, conservative, or just plain dumbass who stands in front of me and tells me that the economy is not that bad, that spending provides no stimulus and more tax cuts is what's needed gets kicked in the throat.

[EDIT EDIT] Yes I'm pissed. I had to lay people off, good people who I liked. If you never had to do that, shut the fuck up. It sucks. And I'm scrambling to find work. My brother is laid off. My other brother is working less. Fuck the Bankers. Fuck the Republicans. Fuck Congress.

[Edit cubed] I hope that was enough effin effin for effin AG. If not, I can eff a bit more. Eff it all anyway. I need to make another effin drink. more...

I'm Gonna DJ...

Friday Musical One for Brando:


more...

All Apologies

... to Pastor Niemoller:

First they rose out of the graves
And I did not scream out because it was not my grave.



Then they ate the branes of the stockbrokers
and I did not scream out because I am not a stockbroker.



Then they devoured the flesh of the soccer moms
And I did not scream out because I am not a soccer mom



Finally they came for my branes
and I could not scream out,



BECAUSE A FACKIN ZOMBEE DOG RIPPED MY THROAT OUT!!!

zombees courtesy of saying yes. Thanks Sir Jennifer!! I welcome my glow-in-the-dark Brethren, not to mention the classic mall-dwellers!!

Learning Lessons

I was forced to face two things about myself yesterday, and they were not easy lessons:

1. I am spoiled
2. I am irrationally afraid of the southern United States

#1

I was born an only daughter, oldest granddaughter on one side and youngest on the other to a JAP first born. I came of age in a political family where Ethan Allen was on the speed dial, prep schools were paid for in cash, and parents did not discuss money because it was dispensed like droplets of water on cold dewy April mornings. I never really realized how spoiled I was until I did something awful to someone yesterday. When it became apparent to me that I had hurt someone that I care a great deal for, I felt almost no remorse at first. In my mind, I was just doing what I always do – getting my way. So, what was the problem?

I have frequently had things handed to me. When you grow up in the shadows of twin siblings as a non twin, the world is a bizarre complex organism that makes very little sense. On one hand, you are the outsider always looking into the miraculous world that twins are granted because they shared a womb. Yet, the world looks to you with excited eyes too, because you walk and talk alone. You have no replica. As a child growing up in this environment, I discovered how to work it to my advantage. Having two incredibly brilliant brothers, we did not fight like normal siblings. There was no pushing their sister down and stealing her baby dolls. Instead it was measuring your sister and then placing things just high enough that she could not rest her fingers on them. It was about bragging about SATs scores that your sister would have to wait four years before she could de-throne you. It was also about your little sister taking the one thing you hated most; having a shadow and making grist at the mill out of it. Said sister would announce every 11th of September just how wonderful it was to have a party of her very own. Bubie and Zaidie were coming to see her. Not anybody else. They were coming solely for her. Not for duo, oh noes. Not for niente. For uno! Burn, bitches.

When they went off to boarding school and then college, AG stayed behind and took over the yard. From about age 14 onwards, AG became an only child. The parents may not have noticed this much but the cleaning and maid staff noticed pretty quickly who was to be catered to and who was now calling the shots.

What I learned from this disgraceful experience is that the world will give you whatever you want in these circumstances. You never have to want for anything. And that is a cushy little place upon which to rest your bones. However, you learn greed and disrespect for others. You learn to game the system and how to control the stakes. The end result is bad behaviors that hurt others in the process.

#2
I am petrified of the American south. I have explored most of the US with the exception of most of the southern states (TN, LA, MS). Therefore, I am putting this out there with full disclosure: I am afraid of what I do not know. Growing up in the Northeast, the south was often portrayed as poor, dirty, and undereducated. Thus there is absolutely no reason for me to say this other than out of fear and stereotypes that were taught to me by others and self perpetuated. To some extent, they were not incorrect and MS frightens me as it is the poorest state in the nation.

I am pledging to come to terms with both of these issues this year. I have been challenged by the merits of having the influence of someone who has finally encouraged me to learn guilt and have some self respect. I did someone dirty recently and in doing so, hurt said person deeply. After I was made aware of my actions, I realized that while I am spoiled, I have the ability to control that and no longer be a victim to it. To apologize and improve myself and in doing so love someone more than I love myself. A lesson I should have learned like most around the age of seven. Sadly, not all of us grow at the same pace...

As I come to terms with my lack of self awareness, I am going to be exposed to the "deep south". I am being granted the opportunity to visit the south over the next few months and walk hand and hand with someone who will hold my hand a little longer and stronger when I show signs of fear. When I breathe a little harder and cry a little longer. He will care for me as I overcome my fears and see abject poverty up close and personal. His family will afford me solace in a world of greed and hunger. They will be there to explain to me anything I wonder and wipe my tears as I come to accept the world is not filled with all things perfect, easy, or elegant. (Yes, I weep whenever I see the true side of America that I did not come of age in. The last time I did this was in poor Northeast Philadelphia) Given such, I am taking back something I uttered last night.

I no longer want my old life back. I am learning to embrace my new life and the people who are in it. I am no longer afraid. I am running, not strolling, to what feels good and comfortable. I will no longer try to question or fight it. Rather I will accept and love everything about my life. Fear or no fear, spoiled or not spoiled, I am more fortunate today than I have ever been in my life. For that, I thank everyone who has made my new life this orgasmic. I could not have reached the summit without you! more...

Facebook Will Destroy You and Steal Your Wife

Facebook is one of those things that us kewl kids got in on the beta site (That's right, bitches) and never bothered to use for like four years. Then we got into, then we got out of it, then we got into and now we're looking to get out again. It's like Wii and Guitar Hero, the 90210 crowd are the tipping pointers, not the hanger oners. It's time to go Speed, go!

Then there are the kids that think Facebook validates them. Seriously, if you need FB to validate who you are, how you feel about yourself, your aspirations to be high school prom queen (La. La. is all AG is saying) you are in real trouble. Do not pass go, Do not collect $200. Run to your local batshit crazy shrink's office and get yourself into some sort of dysfunctional three times a week relationship and make sure s/he writes a good dose of Lorazapam and IV Zyprexa for watching Martha Stewart in the mornings.

Everyone knows that beyond your relationship status who gives a fuck about Facebook? And the only reason relationship status even matters is so that AG doesn't hit on your hot Jewish tuckus that is MARRIED. (Except Fishstick. AG will always want a turn of his knob. Married, not married, or into Tibetan transsexual porn, whatevs.) Remember, hot is the imperative in that statement.

If you did not peak in high school and found yourself outside of the Molly Ringwald or Emilio Estevez role, let the dream die. That is pretty much as good as it gets. You've got no prayer. Let the dream die. Put on some Morrissey and let it all hang out. Facecrack is not going to save you. Being popular is over-rated any way. It cuts into your social life, you spend half your days having to hide your GPA from the C average crowd, you spend a ton of time at the mall, and talking about insipid shit that one day you will resent. The good news is though, one day you'll have a four carat ring to show-off if you come from that crowd. (You don't want a four carat ring anyway because think of the insurance policy you have to carry just to wear that thing to a Junior League Martinis and Miseltoe event.)

OT, but related, AG knows Rich Zeoli. He's a GOP cobag just like his uncle and cousin. Goddamn Sussex County, New Jersey is as frustrating as Sussex County, Delaware.

Mornings Need to be Moved to the Afternoons

Not the way to start off your day:

1. Staying up nearly all night.
2. Having to deal with frozen car doors
3. Being late
4. Getting your pant legs wet
5. Getting cut off by idiots from New Jersey
6. Not getting to the table quick enough to grab the last of the free bagels
7. Having to go to Detroit in this weather

Seriously. This is not what AG signed up for. more...