Archive for October, 2008

Godless money

Published on October 30, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Wow. Just when you think they can’t go any lower, here’s the latest fear-mongering from the G.O.P.

Muslims, socialists, gays, and now atheists are trying to take over the country. God help us:

Keep in mind, Kay Hagan, the target of this ad, is a Sunday-school teacher, church elder, and all-around active Christian. Note the woman’s voice at the end yelling, “There is no God!” while a picture of Hagan is on screen—an obvious attempt to confuse idiots into thinking it’s Hagan’s voice. Can you imagine if an actual atheist or agnostic were running for office?

And if there’s such a thing as “Godless money,” does that mean that there’s also “God money” floating around? What’s next, the McCain-Palin “Bank of Christ” plan to fix the economy?

Music Spotlight: Brian Hall – Carnival tricks in the flatland darkness

Published on October 25, 2008 in Musical. 0 Comments

carnivaltricks50kb.jpg

Last month, my good buddy Brian Hall quietly released yet another gem of a record, Carnival tricks in the flatland darkness. We call him a “laser beam of soul,” and if you go to Outside Records and order a copy of the record, you’ll understand why.

Brian creates these wonderful portraits of life in small-town America, and he does it with such a big heart, such authenticity and depth of feeling—it’s just wonderful, soulful music and I’m really grateful Brian continues to share his gift with all of us. Here’s one of my favorite tracks. Enjoy, and then go buy the record!

3:30 Whistle (July 14, 15 and 16, 1999)

Burning out
burning out
burning out
where are they now

Voices inside my head voices on the radio
say the same old things on the same old streets
nowhere to go
got a different car but baby babe we’re in the same old town
it can make you proud when the big parade comes
and buddy it can bring you down

Burning out
burning out
burning out
where are they now

Half awake streets and churches marking every block
get the local news and the high school blues at the Main Street barber shop
they say going twenty five will keep you safe and alive
but all the pretty girls they don’t slow down
so check out those tail lights

Burning out (3:30 whistle blows)
burning out (3:30 cries)
burning out (3:30 whistle knows)
where are they now (baby we’ll be here for life)

Your childhood dreams were getting sold
packed em on a truck and they sent em all

Burning out (3:30 whistle blows)
burning out (3:30 cries)
burning out (3:30 whistle knows)
where are they now (we’ve got a wonderful life)

All songs and photographs Copyright © Brian Hall.

My bad

Published on October 23, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The REAL final debate

Published on October 19, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Seriously, how different is this from what we’ve seen so far?

Via Boing Boing:

Relaxing with our true condition

Published on October 13, 2008 in Personal and Philosophical. 2 Comments

Pema Chodron

Pema Chödrön writes and talks about stuff like Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness. I saw this quote over at Integral Options Café, and it really gets at the core of so many of my issues these days:

The average human being thinks that happiness lies in stability, in tying up all the loose ends and having things under control. But actually, happiness lies in being able to relax with our true condition, which is basically fleeting, dynamic, fluid, not in any way solid, not in any way permanent. It’s transient by nature.

Questions and answers

Published on October 11, 2008 in Personal. 0 Comments

question-mark.jpg

I crapped a question mark today. I’ll give you a second to take that in. What I’m saying here is that I took a dump earlier today, and it came out in the shape of a question mark. Unbelievable, I know—both that it happened and that I’m writing about it publicly. But that’s what this blog is all about. It’s about the shape of my poop.

What else do you want to hear about? The latest Obama-McCain drama? The slumping economy? If Sarah Palin pooped a perfect question mark, it would be big news, but because I’m a nobody it just makes me a freak to write about such things, eh?

I see how it is. Well, just for that, I’m not going to tell you what the answer turned out to be.

Tough times

Published on October 9, 2008 in Personal. 0 Comments

I thought I knew what “being stressed” felt like. I didn’t have a clue. Now I know. I haven’t liked it one bit, but I have more compassion now for other people in the vice-grip. Moving, new job, quitting new job, changing careers, physical injuries, financial problems, relationship problems… “Times are tough” is what I’ve been hearing a lot lately. I hear you, brother.

So, I’m back temping after a brief stint as a mental health case manager. What a nightmare that job was. The company that hired me was in total chaos and put me in ethically compromised positions my first few days on the job. Several people quit or were fired during my first week there. My supervisor told me, “I didn’t get any training and you’re not going to get any either.” No thanks. Besides, I never wanted to be a case manager in the first place. I just felt desperate for work after months of searching. Times are tough. The day I handed in my resignation I was close to a good old-fashioned nervous breakdown. My personal life was in shambles as well, and the whole situation plunked me into a pretty severe depression.

I’ve always considered myself to be a rock-solid paragon of psychological strength and balance. Most people who know me seem to think so too. I suppose I’ve had a pretty easy life, relatively speaking, but I really thought I’d be able to step up if and when the proverbial shit ever hit the proverbial fan. Nope. I fell apart quicker than a house of cards in a hurricane. I’m picking up the pieces now, feeling a little more grounded with each passing day. I still don’t know what I’m doing, where I’m going, or what’s going to happen next. Times are still tough, but that’s okay. I’ve always learned from my failures, benefited from my defeats. These past two months have sucked. Big time. Elephant balls. But if I’m blogging, I’m breathing.

[Deep breath]