Anti-Tsunami

The world seems pretty crazy right now. Being in D.C. has made me much more aware of the things going on.

Watching the Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad combo form is eerily reminiscent of the days before World War II. I understand why they would want to band in defense against US imperialism and hypocrisy. It’s just very sad that a crazy man who doesn’t believe the Holocaust happened looks somewhat reasonable, because he uses logic in his speechmaking — as opposed to Bush. I can’t believe that 40% of Americans approve of him. The scary thing is that our "democratic" theocracy/fascism justifies other nations making decisions that are dangerous to western civilization, in the name of parity.

I want to make clear that I appreciate certain aspects of western civilization. I enjoy diversity/multiculturalism/pluralism, free speech and press (though perhaps they are so dominated by special interest groups that they are not "free" - also LET GO OF THE SPINACH…it’s NOT THAT IMPORTANT), civil rights protections (despite the movement to halt monogamous relationships between gay people, and of course the Patriot Act).

I hate feeling afraid for my personal safety and well-being because of terrible and oppressive decisions that my "elected" government has made. I read a radical Canadian newspaper article that urged Muslim New Yorkers and Washingtonians to leave their cities http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/paul-williams091606.htm. It corroborates with media I’ve read in Utne about the mentality that we’ve bred.

I swear I am my own case study; the world’s biggest hypocrite. I watch Al Gore’s movie, but have produced more waste since it than before it. I use disposable everything and pump air conditioning into my life. I talk about complacency in our generation, but don’t do anything about it. I feel stretched for time, but it’s all "me" time, rather than "us" (community) time. Where has activism gone? Has it evaporated into the blogosphere?  Are we just ranting to each other aimlessly, reconfirming our beliefs? Have you seen this Matt Lauer clip: http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/09/youtube_of_the__8.html ? I applaud him for approaching Bush head-on. In today’s world, that’s bigger than the whole bra burning movement.

I feel like liberal activism has gone by the wayside, and evangelicals are the true activists, shifting the paradigm righter than been in a long time. Next Friday, I am going check Jesus Camp, the movie, http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/ about a new movement to inculcate American youth with charasmatic Christian values that cause them seizures, and other such physical expressions.

I think the new AIDS policy (mandating regular testing) is good, albeit intrusive. Though it may dilute stigmas (which the marketing overstates), it promotes the greater good (better care and more avoidance). I believe Americans, like myself with regard to recycling, especially in our hyper-consumerist, low attention span, state, need rewards and ramifications to actually take action. Otherwise, we’ll be too distracted by this fantasy otherworld that we have created.

What else? I am totally consumed by Washington, D.C. work culture. I’ve been working late hours every day. Sometimes I feel more like am in law than in higher education. (emphasis on the "sometimes") In D.C., there is no work-life balance; everything is work, work, work. I see people doing the work "walk of shame" at all hours - 9, 10, etc. Many people go in on Sundays. I don’t go to NY or get out of the city as much as I like or anticipated. Also, I’ve been recruited a bunch of times for other jobs. I have no intention to leave, but it is flattering, and good to feel marketable.

I’ve also been shaving every day. My face is not reacting well to this. Do any guys have suggestions for what to do to get a clean shave sans razor burn?

I am so happy Sarah Scopel is here. Sarah is one of my favorite people in the world, and someone who I never know I would share a city with again. The way I describe the feeling of a friendship like that is that it feels like someone else is present; like Andrea and others, she makes me feel so full of company. I am so excited to do "nothing" with Sarah; to watch TV shows, walk aimlessly, cook dinners, and just BS. Those are the best friendships.

I recently had the realization that I like cool, misty weather; it puts me in my element. The sun sucks away my energy - it makes me feel like i need to do something active. I don’t like heavy rain, just a tad of gloom, with a swift wind. It inspires me to read, get coffee, watch a movie, contemplate life. Maybe Portland is my calling?

Speaking of which, I now am like every other dummy in that I have an excellent gym membership that I do not use. Chastise me. Please!

What else? I think I have a terrible allergy to berries! Very sad I know. I had a terrible sore throat and inflamed tongue before I left for San Francisco. To try to address it, I would drink smoothies everyday, and it didn’t go away. I travelled to SF and it miraculously disappeard (in a new no-smoothie world). Finally, I ate a fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, and rasberries and Whomp — there it was. Also, I like acai a lot. Great antioxidant.

So I went to SF. I had a blast, but it was not as sad being there as I expected. It made me realize that I have a lot of good going on here. I like my life, my friends, my job, and the city, more than enough. The food isn’t as good (though last weekend I had excellent Korean, and dim sum — yay for turnip cake - YAY), and the weather isn’t as gloomy, but there are some good people here. It’s very transient. Last weekend, I lost 4 friends — Megan and Matt (to Portland), Alpa (to Bay Area), and Ji Sun (to Italy/New Zealand). I love Macalester people. I had an interesting discussion about the Mac culture. My friend Danai was talking about it in reference to her play. Her co-star is from Howard and they were having a Howard night. In the debriefing, her co-star said HU and people started hooting and hollering. Tonight is Mac’s night and she doesn’t what to say (MAC ATTACK?) or what the reaction will be. Whenever I reconnect with a Macite, even if we didn’t know each other before, we have the most interesting conversations. I saw a fellow Macite at one of the going away parties and she put it best, at Mac it was cool to be the post-awkward, hipster, aloof person, who didn’t care about Mac. But, when you leave you realize that those were the wrong people to act that way to, and you really want to know each other.

Brianne had a lovely engagement party and it was great to see her and her fiance’s families finally meet, and embrace, after 4 years of dating.

One of my friends Mike (a professional water polo player for the Washington Wetskins - a sport that I am now an aspiring spectator of) is the brains and brawn behind this contest, which is getting international attention… http://www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol

It’s funny how people here are OBSESSED with Trader Joes.

I am still paying off credit card debt. 3 more months and I should be FREE! I just reshuffled my balances, increased my credit limits (b/c it’s good for your credit), and requested lower rates. I can now charge a scary amount on my card. It’s good security. And, I feel good above having built my credit without using my parents’ credit.

My dad turned 79 last week. I was off by a year, so I thought he was 80. Thinking this was the big bday, I bought him a $90 box of Chicago’s best foods, i.e. pizza, cheesecake, etc. He’s been losing lots of weight and eating at home, so I think/hope it was good. Poor guy — two of my siblings (who he raised) never even bothered to call him. I know he has some bad karma, but nobody deserves that.

I am missing Glide. I think I’m going to check out All Souls unitarian church.

I am going to host a big Thanksgiving party at my place for all of us unaccounted for folks. Thorben is coming down. I haven’t been to FL in over 1.5 years! I am going for work in November (I am going to attend the University of Miami reunion as an observer).

I randomly google people (including you). I found an old friend from high school: www.raquelmarmor.com. WOW is all I have to say. Would’ve never predicted that.

I am excited to be in DC for the Presidential election. I am looking at Mark Warner, Russ Feingold, and BIll Richardson as my candidates of choice. It could change. On the R side, the one thing I love about McCain is high focus on campaign finance reform. I know the candidates will find loopholes, but I feel that it will still ultimately reduce the disgusting amount of money that is wasted on mudslinging and special interests rather than roads and clean water.

I am a control freak when it comes to my friends making decisions that I think are bad. I need to let go where it’s not useful or appreciated! I want one friend to eat more fruits and vegetables, my roommate’s brother to apply to the right schools, and my other friend to get his act together, drop the laziness and victimization, and get a job. I love controlling choice systems. Like last night, we went out for tapas and I said, "OK, this is what we’ll do - let’s each choose 3 things…"

The other day we were talking about our first signs of aging. For me it was:
(1) I need to wear comfortable shoes
(2) I need to sleep on a high quality mattress
(3) I pee a lot more; I need to get up in the middle of the night to do so.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 22nd, 2006 at 5:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.