Tuesday, February 26, 2008

stagflation?

I had my first interview today, with AmeriPsych. It's an independent agency that works with CPS. The job sounds good-- intense, but good. We'll see how it goes....

So my hopes that this recession thing is all media hype are starting to fade. What with churches (I know of 3 at the moment) having to move into schools or close, people losing jobs, developers walking out on major developments, and now the state hiring freeze... I don't know, I guess we'll see what happens.

The latest buzz word is stagflation. I must've heard it 20 times today. And apparently we're not getting the $600 min. stimulus that we were promised, which is ok actually since it wouldn't work and the government's finances are obviously unstable, to say the least. NAFTA is a pretty big deal this week as well, on account of Ohio and their primaries. Some say NAFTA has had a very negative effect on their economy. Others say that the negative effect is from bad decision making by corporate companies like GM, Ford, etc.
(side note: Did you know that all these American companies are sending materials made here to other countries like Mexico to be assembled for much less? But we're not the only ones. Foreign cars are now assembled south of the border as well.)
At any rate this is bad news for Hilary since hubby dearest signed the bill in in 1994. She says she's against it. Facts: both she and Obama have voted FOR all of the free trade legislation that's come their way. Ha. Bunch of politicians.

well, on that note, Peace.

Friday, February 22, 2008

take me out to the ballgame...

Today I became a Cubs fan. It all happened so quickly... it seemed like the thing to do at the time. It's all about Ryne "Rhino" Sandberg. Yo. Apparently they haven't won a series game since 1908. Which happens to be 100 years ago. That's quite a while. But they've gotten a few pennants. (Oh yea, I know what that is. What now.) So I guess I might have to watch a few games this year....

I decided to study up on this Obama character a little more today since it appears he's on his way to candidacy, and if he gets that he's got a pretty good shot at the presidency. What I would really like to know, is How the heck is he planning on paying for all the, don't get me wrong, wonderful, things he's "planning" on doing for the country. I don't like his foreign policies or his immigration policy. I like his healthcare plan and education ideas. But, will he be able to work with congress or will he be another Jimmy Carter who ends fighting with congress more than anything else, thus getting nothing done. Will a Congress full of old rich white men listen to Obama? I'd like to know... And he's somewhat vague... not a good characteristic in my 'umble opinion.

Last night I went to hear Byron Hurt speak at NAU. He recently made a documentary called Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rythms about the hip hop culture and the way it affects and reflects gender. The violence, misogyny, and hyper-masculinity in hip hop he traced back to more than one thing. He interviewed an artist, whose name I've forgotten, maybe JadaKiss? I'm sure I'm massacring it. Anyhow, he asks this artist about the blatant violence depicted in the lyrics and the man turns to Byron and asks, "Do you watch movies?" in reference to all of the violence we're constantly seeing in films, going all the way back to John Wayne the picture of ultra-masculinity.

I found it all very interesting, especially as usually the focus of gender will be on feminism, not hyper-masculinity and its negative effects on our culture.

Tomorrow night I'm going to a play written by a friend as his thesis. It's also a study of gender and our paradigms concerning all that. Should be good.

So we may be moving soon. As much as I love living by a park and having massive windows, I hate living in an HOA. This coming from the property management receptionist. But, who would know better? Seriously, and I apologize if you live in an HOA and like it, but I think associations were created to make people pay money to complain. This guy calls in yesterday to complain about the snow plowers. Apparently the guy was shoveling snow ONTO THE SNOW IN HIS YARD. Well, I'm so sorry sir, I'll make sure that next time he uses the magic snow remover that makes snow disappear into thin air.

If the place works out we'll be in an area called Sunnyside, the "ghetto" of town. I'm pretty stoked. It'll be nice to have real neighbors who don't complain about what color the curtains are.

Well, I'm opening in the morning. Peace.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Chekhov and Sigur Ros

I think I may have fallen in love today. With Chekhov. Anton Chekhov, that is. I mean, listen to this,
"My goal in life is to kill two birds with one stone: to paint life in its true aspects, and to show how far this life falls short of the ideal life. I don;t know what this ideal life is, just as it is unknown to all of us. ... The truth is the absolute freedom of man, freedom from oppression, from ignorance, etc."

He is known for his ability to create a wonder and awe for commonplace things in life by making the reader take notice of them. He is also known for asking questions which he never answers. Also, I've found that he commonly creates feelings of deep compassion by being a complete bystander to his own writing. The way he writes about commonplace russian life is beautiful.

Well, I like him. I have to admit, I did not like the style in which Dostoevsky wrote the Idiot. It gave the feel more of a play than anything (in my humble opinion; but who am I to critique the masterful author?) And all his women were silly and emotional and wishy washy. In my opinion.

Anyhow. I'm listening to Sigur Ros right now. They're Icelandic. They made a movie called Heima that consists of several concerts they had in Iceland in little towns in the country: outdoors and indoors and in all the beautiful places you can imagine. It's amazing. Definately recommend it. It's a work of art, really.

It snowed more today. Tomorrow the high is 51. That, is Flagstaff for you.

Well, I'm going to get better acquainted with Chekhov. Peace.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

dinner...

Well, I made it. I actually skipped my lunch break so I could leave an hour early and then they ended up closing the office an hour early cause of the snow so I got off 2 hours early and had plenty of time to clean (yay clean house!!!). The curry came out wonderfully and it was a lot cheaper than I'd thought it would be. I just made rice with it. I had gotten asparagus to make as well and then forgot about it til the curry was about done. But that's my life.

So singles' valentines dinner was a hit. All were happy and well fed. And the guys did the dishes :). Nice guys. I can go to bed without dirty dishes on my conscience.

Someone broke into the coffee shop again. Someone, from the way it went down, who knows the place a little bit. So that sucks. Like a stab in the gut. Well, what can we do but love people?

So my friend just showed me this radio site called Pandora, and it's amazing. I love it. You input an artist or song and the site generates a personalized station based on the sounds of that genre or song. And, it's free.

I read the Bell Jar today. Books like that, being in the mind of an unstable person, make me feel crazy. She was a sad person. It was interesting though.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

getting things done.

Well, I got my taxes done (woohoo!). And, I got in touch with someone about a job opportunity working with CPS transporting families. And, they offer tuition reimbursement to Social Work majors. That would be AMAZING.

I'm so ready to be in a different job or doing something different.

I am having my single friends (the number of which has drastically decreased the last couple of weeks. It's wierd how many people just started dating. Something's in the water...) over for dinner tomorrow night, I'm going to make a curry dish. My house is a mess, I have to go grocery shopping, and make the food and I have to work all day tomorrow so I think there's a good chance something's going to go wrong but hey, I have a new philosophy. If it's not going to matter in 10 years, don worry about it.

So, what goes good with curry?

Monday, February 11, 2008

Arizona

Just spent a long weekend in phoenix and I feel I am sufficiently sunburned :). Arizona is really a nice place to live. So diverse. For instance, I can drive 15 minutes and be surrounded by red rocks and creeks and a 10ish degree temp difference. I could drive 1 1/2 hours and be in a desert of cacti and millions of people and a 20+ temp difference, enjoy the warmth and pretend it's summer. Then I can come back home to mountains and pines and snow. Or an hour drive will bring me to a little artist commune built on the side of a hill with live music in the streets and abandoned mines around the corner.

From hippi to western to granola to business within 2 hours of one another. I like it.

So I got my sunshine fix for the next few weeks or so. And went to a pirate party. And remembered why I chose not to become a younglife leader. lol....

So I'm back in the cold.. although it's really not that bad honestly. Well... bed time for me. I'm going to try to start going to the early yoga class, but we'll see how I decide when my alarm goes off.... peace

Sunday, February 03, 2008

scatterbrain

I think this is the first year I haven't watched the Superbowl. I think I'm ok with that.

I did laundry instead. I figured it'd probably be pretty quiet around there. It was. I read East of Eden, or, more of it.

It's been snowing all day, and we're "supposed" to get 2 feet. Anyone in Flagstaff knows you can never trust weather forecasts. I hope they're wrong this time.

I've been reading Walden at work... I need to touch up on transcendentalism, I don't remember much about it. Oh Thoreau...

How am I doing on those scatterbrain points?

Am in the process of looking for another job... and by that I mean that I check the daily online for job postings. I'd like to work at a senior living place or a social work-y type of place, however, I'm finding that those jobs usually require experience and a degree. But, I'd like to know, how do you get experience if all the jobs require that you already have it? And, they don't pay well. That would be fine with me however I need to pay for school and rent. I found out that full time Social workers with a Masters can make up to 30,000 a year.... hmm.... was it George Muller who ran an orphanage and had no source of income? Totally do-able...

So I think if the freaking media would quit scaring everybody half to death about this recession deal, we wouldn't have half as much of a problem. Obviously something is going on, but the media, I think, is making it much much worse than it would've been. Thank you NPR (and I like NPR).

Got to go, stir fry is calling my name :).... blessings.