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1 1 . 3 0 . 0 6 Just short of a week back from the vegas trip and I've already been back in the daily rat race. hit the ground running and am busy studying for round 3 of finals as an evening student. Part of what makes the experience more complicated are the unexpected tasks and deadlines that spring up during your full time, rent/expense-paying job that you absolutely cannot neglect or disregard for the obvious reasons. Things are never as bad as they seem, or course, but its like a jenga tower tipping over, even a little amount of stress and it FEELS like everything is going to tip over, regardless. Vegas was fun fun and more fun. Seeing all of the family all in one place was more than worth losing the extra cash on slot machines spewing song and dances, lobster pots, aztec symbols and darth vader (penny slot themes, don't worry). I even got a chance to see my first Cirque de Soleil performance, the Beatle's LOVE rendition. Growing up I remember listening to so many Beatles songs and watching the cartoons, watching the remixed songs was like a nostalgic trip and a new experience all mashed together. It's amazing how such seemingly simple songs have inspired generations of fans into pondering the meaning and spirit of music. I can't think of any group or musical artist in today's scene that can even come close to what the fab four did in their short time together. A few nights later I ate at the Emeril's Delmonico steakhouse, feasting on a superb ribeye. The service there was so prompt and polite it struck me as kind of strange that I was actually being waited on, even realizing that even the steep bill and generous tip calculation that was due for the meal didn't faze me. I guess its part of growing up and getting a real job, 9-5 more or less. Although old habits and mindsets don't die easily. One thing for sure, Vegas is definitely a destination for living it up, living the fantasy life, even for a fleeting moment. It is however not so much a destination for relaxation however, since I've been back it feels like I've been wide awake for the past week and and am in need of a good, G-rated nights sleep. Meanwhile life in the district goes on, the new party set to take over the leadership of the U.S. congress is excited to move in and take charge. Many of the predictions and arguments I raised during the run up to the Iraq war have come true, although the people I got into animated arguments with on the merits of US neo-conservative foreign policy are long gone. I keep hoping that one day we'll be done with this mess and be focusing our attention on more important and relevant concerns than world domination, oil, and no-bid contracts. Wishful thinking still, I know. Still, I can't help but cling to the hope that things will work out for the better eventually. 1 1 . 2 0 . 0 6 Almost turkey day and I'm more than ready for a break from the day in day out grind. Had a busy and hectic weekend, in more ways than one, I found that spending a quiet sunday at a cafe up in MD was actually a nice change of pace. Meanwhile I'm running into more of the same consumer bug that infects someone after walking around linen n things for too long. you tend to by more crap than necessary to fill your tiny apartment. And then theres the weather of course, it just took a turn for the more normal cold, down in the 40s and in finally feels like fall/winter. I had been getting used to this late summer for a while now, it was kind of novel having to chip ice off of the windshield of a car this morning. I'm also glad that I don't drive to work everyday, when it starts snowing in the district it seems like it freezes the drivers' brains as well. Lots of accidents seem to coincide with cold weather in these parts. Last full week of classes and then its a shortened schedule and then its hit the books for round 3 of this adventure we call night school. 1 1 . 1 6 . 0 6 Mid November already and I've been too busy to post anything for at least a couple of weeks. The district is still abuzz with the midterm election results, it was only about a week ago, but people within the bubble are still talking about it. I'm a little surprised at how quick and how critical the pundits and wonks have gotten of the new leadership-elect, afterall its only been like what, 10 days since the election? So much for the "liberal media" - maybe with the prospect of a new leadership in this country that WON'T label anybody who asks journalist-like questions a terrorist the media finally decide to grow a pair and speak up. What a bunch of pussies. I thought newsies were supposed to be muckracking fiends, looking to push the limits of open and free information, to hold everyone, government, industry, the church, even themselves accountable by investigating and reporting the facts. I haven't been too impressed with any of them for these past 6 years, thats for sure. Lately it seems like its become trendy to argue the point that both dominant political parties are essentially the same, that really there is no point in voting, blah blah. I get the sense from people who like to raise this point that they are copping out of really discussing the issues at hand - more than often I hear this lame excuse lobbed out when the other person has raised a critical flaw in the Republican/Democratic agenda and really use it as a way of looking smarter and smug about the conversation. Although I do see some truth to this statement in general terms, especially being that they have a lot more in common demographically and are both pursued relentlessly by lobbyists, and the fact that both parties are very strong incumbents to challenges, I don't buy this BS attempt at trying to act smug about anything but a landslide defeat for your party. I like to ask them the Republican losers (this time around) if both parties are really were so much the same then why the hell are certain news stations and opinionated partisans so upset by this peaceful transfer of power? In recent years it has become more and more evident that there IS a difference in the parties when it comes to waging war and fear-mongering to the point where we shred up the very civil liberties under the failed promise that they are supposed to define us as a nation and preserve our freedoms. I think back to before 2000 when the economy was booming, there was talk about a federal budget SURPLUS, and people could think about public service through the armed forces without fear of being conscripted to an preemptive, illegal and immoral war being waged by fellow citizens and being profited from by the big corporate interests. I think back to the time following 9-11 when there was a unified international community behind the U.S. and people everywhere were willing to take that substantial step towards making the world a better place. And then I think about where we are as a country today, and how different things are from 5 years ago. I'd like to think that a good section of my fellow citizens finally woke up and saw at least some of this before casting their ballots this year. There is a difference. Maybe its just a subtle one, but still it is a difference and honestly we do need something different at this point in history. even incrementally different is fine. Fine for now. I was up until the early morning hours watching the election coverage and seeing the exit polls being posted on the various news sites along with the blog-coverage. I kind of get a kick of the of populist appeal that the whole blogging zeitgeist has had on the news, I think its fitting that a generation of somewhat tech-savvy kids and kids at heart have found a new, unfiltered medium of expression. It definitely offers alternative points of view, although in varied levels of quality and accuracy. It really is like a quasi-entertainment, fake-news sort of medium. Not to be taken too seriously, but definitely not to be ignored either. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately, inspired for sure and appreciative for what I've been learning of course, but still feeling like I'm on the verge of being overstretched. It dawned on me recently that with school, work, and some special projects, I'm effectively been working three jobs - 1 full time (the one that pays of course, that takes #1 priority), and 2 part-time ones that don't pay in cold hard cash, but pay out in terms of experiences and a very specific skill set. It's been pretty difficult balancing things out and juggling the deadlines and meetings, but every once in a while I get a reminder why I'm doing all this in the first place. It's all worked out very well. I've basically shaved off another hour of sleep per night on average, but somethings gotta give eventually. During my late night study breaks I've continued to dig around on youtube finding some J-reggae, which is really hit or miss. Lately some of the reggae artists have been going back to the source and collaborating with old school dancehall and reggae artists, which with interesting results. works with one singer and how not so much with another one despite both of them having their respective fair share of talent and musical ability. Of course I have yet to hear something out of Japan that comes even close to the more authentic sound. Give it time though, I'm sure it'll come around - they definitely have gotten the general beat sound down pretty well. |