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Have a quality day.

The 80's were such a great time for music, mainly due to Rick James. Please enjoy the following video.

This is a post from October 2004. It was so good, and timely, I decided to repost it. Enjoy.

Q. How many men does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. One - he just holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve around him.

Let's just get it out in the open: I hate men. I really do. I'm not speaking in some broad all-encompassing gender study kind of way. I'm talking about individually. As a daughter, wife and romantic partner, completely self-centered men have surrounded me. All of these men have expected me to fill some kind of role in their lives - never once considering that maybe I won't neatly fit into a preconceived category just because I have ovaries. They all claim that they support all things feminist, but let me tell you, the misogyny is there bubbling under the surface. When I'm assertive, I'm bitchy (and probably suffering from pre-menstrual syndrome). When I wanted a divorce, I was selfish. When I decided marriage wasn't for me, I was immature and immoral. When I got fed up with financially supporting another man for a ridiculous amount of time while sacrificing my education and career goals, I was accused of not honoring commitment ("...that's what commitment is about..."). When I acknowledge that I'm a sexual being, I'm a slut. When I demand a satisfying relationship, I'm unrealistic. When I express the desire to have a child, it's thought that I'm trying to unfairly "trick" a man into some 1950's notion of responsibility. When I express any intellectual thoughts or theories, I'm patronized, because after all, I'm just a woman. What it all comes down to is that if I'm not living my life without prioritizing the impact it will have on these men first, I'm leading my life the wrong way. The idea that men are so concerned with the image reflected on them by the actions of the women in their life is quite frankly insulting.

Song of the day: "Land of Canaan" - Indigo Girls

My dear sister Merideth is having spring break in Las Vegas this weekend.

Good luck, Vegas.

Java Gaia was a coffee house I used to hang out in during high school. It was Downtown, so my click thought it was waaay hip. Unfortunately, in the flood of '93, it was washed away. But I have many a good memory of respectable, clean fun back in the day. For those of my loyal readers who shared Vishnu's and earl grey tea with me while we all still had braces, enjoy!

"The FBI has released the last 10 documents from its secret files on slain Beatle John Lennon that had been withheld for 25 years on the ground they could prompt "military retaliation" against the United States, campaigners for their release said on Wednesday."

"Despite being 27 years old, its bitter, pre-manufactured coldness has yet to be equalled in modern popular music. Whereas every other '70s novelty song has been put to rest, it marches onwards, impervious to criticism, unstoppable as the Nazi Blitzkrieg."

Here is the new Silversun Pickups video for "Lazy Eye". There are a few things that are misrepresented by this video. I saw them live and none of the following occurred:

#1 - The sound is never that good in a club, and they sure as hell weren't lip syncing.

#2 - It wasn't midmorning, or whenever this video is supposed to occur. Who goes to a show in the daylight?

#3 - There was no tense love scene with a Haley Mills look-a-like not wearing pants. Who has time for that when you're rocking?

#4 - The band looks way too clean. At the show I wanted to bust out some Pantene and hand sanitizer for safeties sake.

#5 - That kid doesn't look old enough to have a driver's license, let alone a motorcycle.

I suppose I'm just nitpicking. But seriously, that video is way too target audience-ish.

I'm going through an interesting phase right now. I'm starting an educational path in midwifery, but it's slow going. I've totally burned out on the career I've had for the last ten years - social service work with the developmentally disabled. The current position I hold (Independent Living Program Director) is great professionally, but I'm so done, I'm hardly giving a care regarding my performance. Transitions are hell. This one is especially difficult. Admitting I don't care enough to do a superior job is hard for me. But there's no use in even attempting to dazzle my boss - in the field the end result is the same no matter how hard you do or don't work.

It's only taken ten years to figure this out. Some people never do, I guess.

Even though my future looks bright, it's hard to see when you're being pulled under by the remnants of a stagnant career.

Happy holidays everyone!

My friend from college, Mac Tonnies, has been YouTubed!

Ah, celebrity.

How much do you love David Cross? How much do you love Spoon? And ASL?

Well, I guess yesterday and today have been good days for democracy. I'm marginally excited - let's hope all this truly has a trickle down effect.

Songs I'm actually very excited about at the moment:

"When The War Came" - The Decemberists

"Been Here Before" - Jeremy Enigk

"Lazy Eye" - Silversun Pickups

"Friendly Fire" - Sean Lennon

"Way Out" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Song of the Day: "Young Men Dead" - Black Angels

I bring you, officially, the worst music video ever.

Reasons To Be Happy
(besides that you're no longer employed at a job you despise)

#1 - Fred Durst seems, at least for the time being, to have disappeared.

This is quite possibly the gayest video of all time. Seriously. Morrissey trying to drive a tractor! I rest my case.

You know, it occurred to me today that I never posted the pictures from our last holiday up to Portland. This is just as good.

Ok. I am not kidding here. I've become seriously addicted to SSPU.

"that's when it turned on me/
a motorcade of 'meant to be's/
parades of beauty queens/
where soft entwines make kindling/
these many detailed things/
like broken nails and plastic rings/
will win by keeping me/
from speaking to my new darling/
and there's no way to know/
our future foe scenarios/
that's when it turned on me/
where bobby pins hold angel wings"

I haven't heard poetry like that since Jeremy Enigk. Who, incidently, also has a new album out that's quite good. But that's not the point of this story. The point of this story is that SSPU is currently on tour. I saw the opening night at the Rickshaw and was floored. YOU MUST GO SEE THIS BAND ON THEIR CURRENT TOUR NOW, BEFORE THEY START DOING iPOD COMMERCIALS AND START TO STINK OF COMPROMISE. My legion of loyal readers in the KC/Lawrence area should be aware that SSPU will be play at the Jackpot (across from the Replay) tomorrow night. Skip the opening - Viva Voce - it's another Quasi/White Stripes thing. Consider yourself tipped off, kids.

I quit my job today. For the second time in three days. Here's a letter of resignation I wanted to turn in to a job three years ago. Except for a few minor changes, I feel exactly the same way all over again. Oh, the beauty of working for non-profits!

Well goddamnit if I can't get through some kind of celebration without pissing the entire party off. It happened again tonight, at my future in-laws house. For some unknown reason, although it's Jason's damn party, someone had to bring up how scrumdiddleyuptious Larry the Cable Guy is (I'll be goddamned if I'm going to link his name). As per usual in this kind of situation, I held my tongue. It's impossible to ever bring that kind of debate to an intelligent level. Everyone is laughing, recounting high lights of his television routine, and in general, letting their "true colors" fly. The kind of "true colors" you only fly when you're sure you're with like-minded company.

Finally, I was asked if I thought he was funny. I'm sure as hell not going to lie to curry favor, so I said no, that I found his work to be insulting.

There was a loooooong silence. And I could see everyone's inner monologue. To put it nicely, it said "uppity bitch".

Thank God for David Cross in these times of trial:

"It's a lot of anti-gay, racist humor which people like in America all couched in 'I'm telling it like it is.' He's in the right place at the right time for that gee-shucks, proud-to-be-a-redneck, I'm-just-a-straight-shooter-multimillionaire-in-cutoff-flannel-selling-ring-
tones act. That's where we are as a nation now. We're in a state of vague American values and anti-intellectual pride."

Yup. And I seem to end up getting into confrontations with every Wal-Mart shopping, Dodge truck buying, evangelical bigot this side of the Rockies. Did I point out I live in northern California, for God's sake? These people have infiltrated everything!