Lack of Creative Energy

I haven't had much in my blog lately. Everything I have posted seems to be from a link that I saw somewhere else. I'm at a complete creative lull, and I'm not quite sure why.

I suppose the obvious thing for me to do would to talk about my new job; but I'm not sure I really want to go there. People at work know that I blog and I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with anyone there. It was so much easier to blog when I was substitute teaching because I felt very anonymous within the system. My lack of anonymity with the new job makes me feel paranoid.

I'm sick bitching about politics and Republicans.....yes it needs to be done, but it has worn me down. I feel powerless that my silly little posts won't change anything. Oh well.

Further Proof That Corporate America Sucks!

How do we change the way that our Government always looks out for corporations instead of actual people? Are we really as powerless as I feel?

Guide to Springfield USA

A Simpson's fan with way too much time on their hands provided me with 15 minutes of entertainment tonight. Enjoy!

Bill Maher: Kids Say the Darndest, Most Stalinist Things

Great commentary by Bill Maher about the recent survey showing high schoolers complete lack of understanding about the importance of freedom of speech and the press.

Scrabble Obsession

I just watched a fantastic web film about one woman's obsession with Scrabble. As I watched it I started to think about the fact that this fantastic film would never be seen in a movie theatre or on television. Hard to believe but sometimes the web is the perfect tool to show one's creativity. I know completely dorky of me to praise the web, but it was what I was thinking.

Tips For A Happy President's Day

Thanks to Otis, there is no need to ever have a boring President's Day again. Just make sure you have that Gettysburg Address memorized!

Republican Family Values....What a Joke!

So when did disowning your children become a Republican value?

Happy Valentine's Day

More evidence that Valentine's Day sucks....maybe that explains why my wife and I have been fighting like cats and dogs this weekend.

Republicans Against Freedom..........Again

Remember when the Republicans were in favor of small government? Staying out of people's lives? Those days are clearly over. If Republicans are so concerned about what is being taught in our nation's colleges why don't some of them spend 4-10 years in graduate school (being paid close to nothing) and then accept a low paying college position. But like usual the Republicans would rather just bitch about liberal professors and liberal media. Aaaargh!

Happy Your Dad's In Jail Day

I didn't know it but today is Your Dad's In Jail Day. So go out and raise some money to get your Dad out of jail. The fine folks at Girls Are Pretty have given each day a special designation, usually quite humorous and even more bitter (always a great combination).

One Car or Two Cars?

My wife and I have been having this semi-major discussion off and on for the last couple of weeks about whether or not to purchase a second car.

When we lived in Washington, DC we didn't own a car for our last couple of years there. It just wasn't needed. Public transportation was readily available (and frequently less of a hassle). Well when we moved to Columbus we quickly realized that we couldn't survive on just public transportation, so we purchased the little black beast (a 1994 Nissan Altima). We were now a one car family, which was fine because Margaret worked close enough that she could ride her bike or take the bus; and I was only working part-time so I could drop her off at work or skip having the car for the day.

Well now I've got a full-time job (that occasionally requires a car), and Margaret is getting the short end of a stick. The short end of the stick being waiting for a bus when it is 15 degrees out, walking in the dark, and being stuck at work during her lunch break.

So of course she wants us to get a second car. I'm saddened that we could go from being a no car to a two car family in the space of less than two years. I'm pissed that public transportation sucks in Columbus (and America in general). Would I be begging for a second car if I was the one on the short end of the stick? I hope I wouldn't but I probably would. I know this is all very hypocritical of me.

Will resolve this dilemma anytime soon? Doubtful, I just hope spring comes early and she will get excited about riding her bike to work again.

Riding the Bus

Today was my day off from work. After spending many extra hours sleeping, I took the bus downtown to buy some CD's (BoDeans, Joan Armatrading, Modest Mouse, and The Soundtrack of Our Lives for those keeping score at home).

Riding the bus is such a great place for thinking about humanity. I get on the bus in a very residential area, it passes through a small commercial area filled with fast food and bars, through student housing area, and through the OSU campus. Each stop has its own group of characters.

I waited for the bus with a borderline schizophrenic. He was listening to a radio and having a very animated conversation with himself. He wasn't talking loud enough for me to get a good idea about what he was arguing with himself about, but his hands were moving wildly.

Next we picked up three girls from a tanning salon. They proceeded to talk loudly about their tans and their skin. They were sitting in the front seat, and I was sitting close to the back, and yet I could hear their words perfectly. Why do people who talk about the least interesting things always talk about them the loudest?

Well that was just a little tiny bit of my bus ride today......

And We Wonder Why the Rest Of The World Hates The United States?

CNN.com - Marine general:�It's 'fun to shoot people' - Feb 3, 2005: "'Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot,'"

President Bush Shouldn't Be Trusted With Social Security

After the incompetence Bush and his administration have shown with this economy (including the out of control spending on Iraq), why would we ever think of trusting him with Social Security.

Debt for EveryoneI love the way Robert Reich thinks. It will never happen in a million years but I wish the Democratic Party would nominate Reich to be its next presidential candidate. But then again I'm one of those whacked out liberals.

Libraries, Individualism, and America

Yes, I think libraries should be fully funded. Partially because their funding keeps me employed, but more because I think the library is one of our greatest American institutions. People always talk about that one of the things that make Americans different is because we have such a strong streak of individualism. Libraries nurture that individualism. You can walk into a library and look for anything, and probably find something about that topic. In the past few days these are just a few of the topics about which I've helped people find information:
1. Aircraft Frequencies (aircraft radios were interfering with his television)
2. A summary of Huckleberry Finn (a student waited until the very last minute to complete a report on the book which she never read)
3. The Underground Radio
4. The Water Cycle
5. Prayer
6. The Maltese Falcon
7. The TV show, 24
8. Upholstery Techniques for Wingback Chairs
9. Repair Manual for 1991 Town & Country Van
10. How to Start a Cleaning Business

Talk about individualism. Everybody wants something different and that is great. Libraries will give you service that you will never get at a bookstore (sorry all you booksellers out there, but you know its true). And don't say well just use the Internet, because there are still too many people in our country without the connections or the equipment necessary.

We discussed literacy at our staff meeting today. I heard this statistic that just floored me. California and Indiana are able to accurately predict future prison needs based on reading scores of 3rd graders. Instead of using those that knowledge and money to fund even more prisons why are we not increasing funding for schools and libraries?

I will try to find a link to the California and Indiana research, but at this point it is late and I am sleepy. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Request for Advice

I've notice that I am being overwhelmed with news, information, and entertainment these days. I can't get through everything and still take care of my real responsibilities in life. I currently use Bloglines to get through my RSS feeds, and I am subscribed to over 130 different feeds. It is too much! So this is my question----what do you think is essential online reading each and every day?

This is what I would like-
1. The best news feed (overall)
2. The best national (U.S.) news feed
3. The best international news feed
4. Liberal news and political commentary
5. Conservative news and political commentary (I want to stay balanced, or at least know what they are thinking)
6. Internet and technology news and commentary
7. A decent MP3 blog (for a 36 year old male who wishes he was still 23 and not a total dweeb)
8. And a mix of other interesting and funny blogs covering travel, books, food, writing, and life

Are you serious?

Sometimes I feel like I should just bury my head in the sand so I don't have to know more about my fellow Americans.

1. About 50% of U.S. High School students think that the government should regulate what newspapers print. I keep trying to think why anyone would think that would be a good idea, but I can't come up with a single possibility.

2. I keep reading about these right wing Republican Christians who think that the end of the world is quickly approaching. They don't care about the environment; they don't care about war; they don't care about the future; they just want the world to end. How can there be reasonable political debate when we are all living in such different realities (or unrealities for that point)?

Why do I get this feeling that Jenna Bush is dumb as a brick?

Jenna Bush has been unable to get work as a teacher in Washington, DC (a city with very lax standards and always a shortage of teachers). I worked as a teacher in the DC area a few years ago (Post No Child Left Behind), I was able to get a full time teaching job without an education degree because they were so desperate. As long as you had a somewhat decent GPA (I think the requirement was a 2.75 or 3.0) and could pass the PRAXIS, a standardized test on reading, writing, and math skills you could get a provisional teaching license. So what qualification has Jenna not met? The PRAXIS is not a complicated test.....a reasonably intelligent high school freshman should be able to pass the test. Hmmmmmmm, what's going on Jenna?

Why don't we send Armstrong Williams to Iraq?

Since the Army has to make sure our soldiers say the "right" things, and the White House likes to pay right-wing columnists, such as Armstron Williams, to say the "right" things, why don't we just consolidate and send all the right wing columnists on the take to Iraq to fight and provide U.S. propaganda? Just an idea.

Media Training Now Required for Iraq-Bound Soldiers