Thursday, January 29, 2004
create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide
So I stole this link from Guy's Blog.
Most of the states I have covered have been driving trips. In Summer 2001 I drove from California to Washington with a lot of the feedback poets and Jeannie. I took a trip around the southwest with Jeannie in 2002 where we went to Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada, then last August the Louder arts support group drove from NY to Chicago stopping much too often along the way.
The reason I have visited most of the south in red is that when I was thirteen we, my family and I,drove to mexico. That's right to Mexico from New York. It took us six days. We stopped in every state along the way, eating in greasy diners and taking pictures of local stuff. It was a fairly comfortable trip in the 1977 Powder Blue Cadillac Seville with a white vinyl top and white leather interior. The only problem with that car is that we slid along the back seat every time my Dad made a turn. We went sloshing from side to side hitting whichever door was closest to the turn. It doesn't sound so horrible but it really added to car sickness. Everyone in the back was always throwing up the baloney and cheese sandwiches that my Mom would make for us at the gas station convenience stores. We stopped in Texas for a few days to visit with my cousin at one of the Air Force bases. We visited the Alamo and crap like that. I liked Mexico much better. We drove all the way down to Acapulco and over to the Yucatan to see the pyramids. I remember running up and down the steps to the pyramid of the sun. I remember it gave off a sense of sadness, and loneliness even though it was crawling with tourists.
Posted by Edward @ 12:12 PM EST [Link] [No Comments]
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
So I spent all of that time fretting over, the work that was due today. I went to sleep, without having finished it, and what happens... The weather Gods reward me with enough snow to close the office today. Yaaay. I get to finish it today, as well as do a bunch of other stuff I have been putting off.
Posted by Edward @ 01:30 PM EST [Link] [No Comments]
I have never been one to shirk responsibility. Ok maybe sometimes in the past, but that was the past. I always get done what I need to. I just need to think about how I am going to do it for a long time. I have a budget, a schedule, a work plan and a memo due tomorrow. I only found out I had to do it today. I have been trying to tackle it all night but it has eluded me. there are too many uncertain variables that I have to account for. I am getting frustrated so I am writing about it here. I'm sorry this blog is sooo boring. its putting me to sleep. Maybe I should sleep on it. Maybe I already did my work, then went to sleep and am dreaming about blogging right now. Oh how peaceful this blog suddenly becomes. Ahhh asleep in my bed, done with my work. Don't I wish that were true.
Posted by Edward @ 12:54 AM EST [Link] [No Comments]
Friday, January 23, 2004
My mom calls me today to tell me that she just got back from El Salvador. She took my grandmother to get an operation on her knees.
El Salvador is definitely considered the third world. It is a developing nation that has struggled to climb out of the corruption and poverty following years of US backed civil war. In the midst of all of this my grandmother goes to El Salvador frequently to see doctors. The doctors in the US are always prescribing her medications that make her ill or give rise to other health problems. She goes to El Salvador to here an unbiased, unpurchased opinion. The doctors in the here are always trying to peddle some medicine or another. They get kickbacks from drug companies and payments from insurers based on what they do, not on the health of the patient. Prescribing something during a check up means more money for them. No prescription or intrusive test means no money.
My grandmother just got knee surgery in El Salvador. Laser knee surgery. They made two small incisions on the sides of her knee, burned away the cartilage that had been eroded by arthritis and replaced it with injections of new cartilage to act as a cushion. Those injections of chicken cartilage were manufactured in nearby New Jersey. The doctor even showed my grandmother the box and the price on the side. After the surgery the doctor pulls out a cd from his laptop and hands it to my mother. He says here is the operation on DVD. All of this sounds expensive doesn't it. An operation like that here would cost tens of thousands of dollars. Why the shots from jersey alone would probably cost a grand each, if not more. Yet my grandmother only paid two thousand dollars for the entire operation, the injections ended up being $160 dollars a piece and the DVD was thrown in for free. Where are you gonna get that done in the first world. How are you gonna pay for your knees without giving up an arm or a leg? Wouldn't it be nice if every old lady that hobbled on the cold New York sidewalks could get their lives of mobility and freedom back for so little a cost. Aren't we the greatest nation on earth.
Posted by Edward @ 02:03 AM EST [Link] [1 Comment]
Sunday, January 18, 2004
I played some DND yesterday. For anyone that may not know what that is or may be in disbelief, it stands for Dungeons and Dragons. I had a lot of fun playing yesterday. A group of grown men many of them fathers to boot, discussing the height capabilities of dwarves and laughing at many of the games mishaps, including the wood chest that wouldn't break, what not to do when in an archers line of sight (don't bend down to pick stuff up), and that sticks arent good at breaking barrels. We we're all trying not to die in the game, but dying of laughter in real life.
It was really different to play as an adult. I haven't played two games in succession in more than thirteen years. It seems crazy to even think of it being that long ago. I remember that when I was fifteen we were much looser with regulations; all we really wanted to do is fight and get stuff. We rarely payed attention to how many arrows you had used up,or whether you need a chair to reach the torch on the wall. It was like an old western where you never have to reload your gun and you can tell who's a bad guy by the music playing in the background. Now we have hour long arguments as to whether a dwarf on one knee can really take cover behind a giant rat (true story), or whether a barbarian should be taught to read(also true). We seem much more occupied with creating an accurate and cohesive world where we can immerse ourselves with out inconsistencies to remind us it is only a game. It's all a little surreal , but so much of a good time. I wonder if I stopped playing now would I pick it up again at 41.
Posted by Edward @ 06:05 PM EST [Link] [No Comments]
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
I was told that Andy Serkis, the actor that plays Gollum in the Lord Of the Rings trilogy, was signing books at a Barnes and Noble. He has a new book that tells the story behind the creation and production of Smeagol/Gollum. He's actually the only actor who has written a book about his experience on the set, and perhaps rightfully so. He was totally robbed of the best supporting actor oscar for Fellowship. Maybe they will rectify the situation this time around. I think they are afraid of what it will mean for actors if they give it to him. They will proably give it to some jerk from MASTER AND COMMANDER OR THE LAST SAMURAI, stupid pieces of shit. Full of imperialist empire garbage. stereotypical hollywood crap, pretentious, misguided, racist hollow horribly written trash. I hate them. I hate them. I hate all of them and their families and their neighbors, their neighbor's families, Their mailcarriers, their mailcarrier's families and everyone they ever had spoke withand also ...Umm where am I?
So I waited on line with 500 other people in order to get my book signed( only 300 were in front of me). It was cool, he was really engaging to everyone and he was really nice, maybe because he will never write another book, but still, it was nice. I was happy to wait, those movies were the best things to happen to entertainment in the last thirty years. And now they are over, leaves me a little sad. Peter Jackson please do the "scimarillion".
Posted by Edward @ 01:34 AM EST [Link] [2 comments]
Friday, January 9, 2004
So there are vampires all over New York. No kidding, I've run into vampires on four seperate occasions recently. The First one is the funniest so I will leave it for last. The second time was at my office's christmas party. The tutors for one of the other programs were all sitting at the party. Nothing unusual about the group. Mostly young latin tutors. There was one however that was a little out of the ordinary.. He looked like an extra that stole from the set of "battlefield Earth" and then "blade" before coming to the soire. He was a heavy set bearded latino male, six feet tall wearing a long, very festive black leather coat. His half blond dreads went down to his waist and he was pierced in at least three places that I could see. Now this is nothing unusual, not even for a high school tutor. What made him stick out in my mind was the conversation he was having with one of my coworkers as I was on my way to the bathroom. He was telling him about the vampire society he was a part of and how great it was. Now because anyone could be mistaken in what they hear and because I had six or seven cups of coke by that time, I didn't stop and stare. But I did when I got back from bathroom and thats when I noticed he had fangs. Not the plastic kind, or the wax lip kind but the expensive bonded to your teeth kind. The kind that cost a few thousand bucks. The kind you can't just take off before a job interview or an office christmas party. I didn't say anything to him. I just thought what an odd coincidence it was that just the day before I had had such a similar experience, but I'll get to that later.
The third and fourth we're in the same day in the east village. Not that unusual but the one guy was pushing a baby carriage and talking to his friend when I saw the fangs. The same expensive kind. Then, not two minutes later. There was a group of punky Goth kids in front of the McDonalds by St. Marks. You know the ones. There was one who was the spitting image of the evolved cat from red dwarf. He was laughing with his head tilted back all evil mastermind like. Pearly whites canines sticking down like a half inch more than normal. I pointed it out to Jeannie who I had already told about both of the other runins. She saw the fangs and thought how odd it was that she had never noticed how many vampires were running around NYC. The best time and the funniest was the one that happened four of five days prior. I was on a crowded rush hour 5 train going home from work. The doors open up and two mean looking guys with long black hair, visible tatoos and lots of manmade entryies into their skin, walk on to the train. I was standing next to them so I could see all of the detail in the chain mail shirt one guy was wearing. No joking, chainmail. They were both decked out in long black trenches and around their necks were metal chains holding big triangular pendants that had barbs clawing the chests of these two. Maybe they were the markers for the society they were members of, maybe they just wanted to look cool. Their fangs were very noticable even though they had them placed on different teeth. You could see that people were a little afraid of them as they had a space buffer around them. Kind of like the ones that homeless people get regardless of how crowded the train is. Fangs menacing those around them with every word. The thing was that since I was right next to them I could hear every word they said. This is how their conversation went. Scary vampire #1: "So you know tomorrow is the day the new Yugioh cards come out." Scary Vamp 2: "yeah I can't wait." This was followed by more specific talk about Yugioh cards. I couldn't pay attention at this point because I was trying so very hard not to laugh out loud at how foolish appearances really are, also so I wouldn't be eaten.
Posted by Edward @ 10:27 PM EST [Link] [No Comments]
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
On Sunday I went to the Pedro Pietri benefit. I got there late but I was glad to get there in time to give some bucks for a good cause. Big congrats to Fish for pulling that event together. I hope Pietri gets all of the money he needs to get better, and I hope that he gets better with or without cash.
Why the hell don't we have national medical coverage? Getting sick in this country is a financial death sentence. I hope Dean or Kucinich win and push a nationalized healthcare plan through. I can't wait to get Bush out of office. I don't remember ever feeling so strongly about Presidential politics. I used to think all presidents were pretty much the same and really just pushing the same issues through to maintain the status quo. I don't believe that anymore. I'm gonna go door to door if need be to get rid of that bastard. He can't get a second term he just can't. I would seroiusly look at living abroad if he gets re-elected.
Posted by Edward @ 08:08 PM EST [Link] [2 comments]
Saturday, January 3, 2004
Ok so I am already lapsed three days on my New Year's resolution to blog more in the new year. I think part of my hesitation in blogging every day has been there has not been that much poetry stuff going on in my life lately, but as Omar has told me I always have stuff to write about and most of it is pretty funny. So this year you might hear about my real life brushings with vampires, the students I work with selling empty chocolate wrappers on the train and the one ear to rule them all.
But right now let me tell you about my New Year. I didn't want to leave my house. A trend for 2003. I was watching Tv's most outrageous live moments, which was hilarious. This one older white woman was asked in a live news interview, If the hat she was wearing was her secret to keeping warm? She responded in a very matter of fact way, all in one breath, "I have no secrets. I am angry. I had to work today. Have to make a living. I would rather have a private income and get laid; well and often." Then walked away. I laughed for ten minutes. I debated not going anywhere and just spending the night at home with Jeannie, but obligations and the fear of regret got me off the couch and into the unseasonably warm night.
Jeannie and I then went to forbidden city on the east side to spend the new year with some friends. It was a good drunken time. I spent the New Year with friends I had never spent a new year's with. I had numerous glasses of champagne, midori sours and kahlua & milks. It was pretty packed. There was no cover. A lot of people thought they were dancing. At about 2:30 Jeannie came down with a migraine, so we went home where she spent a long time throwing up. I was still drunk the next afternoon when I woke up. Happy New Year 2004!!!
Posted by Edward @ 03:34 PM EST [Link]
