Saturday, November 27, 2004
Pat: but then things that remind me of you or madeline will pop up and it will give me pause
Bo: i've learned to take those moments in stride
Bo: every once in awhile they hit me a little too much and i've gotta stop and think, or laugh, or usually tell the story
Pat: that's how i've been doing it
Pat: i think for me what's tough is that there's stuff going on back home or in CoMo that I'm not there for
Pat: and i know that i can't always be superhero
Pat: it's just tough when something shitty happens to the people you love most and can't be there to give them a hug, you know?
Bo: yeah
Bo: i have a hard enough time dealing with the people i'm actively connected with
A couple weeks ago, I was thinking about people back home, and it struck me that I’ve lost a lot of the connection I had felt with some of my friends. It’s no shock, as I could only expect a subtle, amicable drift. I’ve gotten further into journalism and my friends have progressed on their paths, and we won’t always be able to start a conversation bitching about Fr. Marco’s class, as it’s been more than five years since we had that class. When the things that brought you together happened more than five years ago, and there hasn’t been much to keep you in common since then, it’s sometimes hard to have stuff to talk about. Couple that with the fact that we’re all worn down from our jobs or classes or whatever, and well, you’ll have a real dull chat.
I mentioned this to my brother, and he said that one thing he always liked about Buddhism was the idea that things can take their course and you don’t have to hold onto the physical nature of things. He said that sometimes you have to know when to let go and let people move on, and let yourself move on, too. Rather than focusing on the fact that you’re not interacting with so on a daily or even monthly basis, or that you don’t have anything in common anymore, be glad for what you had with them. My brother’s advice was to internalize the memories and lessons, cherish them and use them as positive energy. He said that a happy memory is timeless and much more constructive than dwelling on the past and trying to recreate it.
This made me feel better, especially in light of the fact that I wasn't going home for Thanksgiving. I had been bummed that I wouldn't be there for the ceremonial late-night trip to Denny's that we had always done the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but then it occurred to me that some of my friends won't be home, either, and some of the friends that would be home wouldn't come to Denny's anyway. And last year, we didn't even go to Denny's. We went to Friday's, just so that we could get margaritas.
So, I allowed myself to let go of that tradition this year. Instead, I went out on Wednesday with my friend Ivonne. Of course, we ended up at a Denny's, but that was more because she wanted pancakes rather than me wanting to relive my glory days. And hell, if the worst thing I could think of was not being able to split a sampler platter with my friends, then I'm still doing alright for myself. I mean, Jill sent me pictures of her cat, and Doug sent me pictures of himself dressed as Barbie, so I still feel "in the loop," as it were, even if I couldn't be with them, walking around in The Loop.
"Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes made from real potatoes is like a zebra without its stripes!"
-Me, to my mom, after she told me that because Thanksgiving at home would be a smaller affair, they might just use the Stove Top flakes to make the mashed potatoes
My mom had been sad that Brian and I wouldn't be coming home for Thanksgiving, but she was consoled by the fact that we're coming home for Christmas. But she was worried that we wouldn't have a Thanksgiving dinner. Brian and Wendy would have each other to eat with, but what about me?
Oh, never fear, I had two.
I had to work, as did a good number of other people, and so one of the designers had us over before we had to go in to the newsroom. She made the turkey, and the rest of us were to bring something. A potluck, if you will (and we sure did). Scott made a salad and I made apple pies and mashed potatoes. We took the leftovers to work with us, and used them for that potluck, too.
This was my most unconventional Thanksgiving to date, and thus probably my most memorable one. I would have liked having been with my family, but not being with them didn't mean I couldn't be thankful for them. Mom made the point that "we're family no matter where you brush your teeth," and that's stuck with me.
And it goes well with Brian's philosophy of overlooking physical boundaries and holding onto the intangible lessons. So, even if I wasn't in the same room as my family, there were certainly "with" me.
Bo: i've learned to take those moments in stride
Bo: every once in awhile they hit me a little too much and i've gotta stop and think, or laugh, or usually tell the story
Pat: that's how i've been doing it
Pat: i think for me what's tough is that there's stuff going on back home or in CoMo that I'm not there for
Pat: and i know that i can't always be superhero
Pat: it's just tough when something shitty happens to the people you love most and can't be there to give them a hug, you know?
Bo: yeah
Bo: i have a hard enough time dealing with the people i'm actively connected with
A couple weeks ago, I was thinking about people back home, and it struck me that I’ve lost a lot of the connection I had felt with some of my friends. It’s no shock, as I could only expect a subtle, amicable drift. I’ve gotten further into journalism and my friends have progressed on their paths, and we won’t always be able to start a conversation bitching about Fr. Marco’s class, as it’s been more than five years since we had that class. When the things that brought you together happened more than five years ago, and there hasn’t been much to keep you in common since then, it’s sometimes hard to have stuff to talk about. Couple that with the fact that we’re all worn down from our jobs or classes or whatever, and well, you’ll have a real dull chat.
I mentioned this to my brother, and he said that one thing he always liked about Buddhism was the idea that things can take their course and you don’t have to hold onto the physical nature of things. He said that sometimes you have to know when to let go and let people move on, and let yourself move on, too. Rather than focusing on the fact that you’re not interacting with so on a daily or even monthly basis, or that you don’t have anything in common anymore, be glad for what you had with them. My brother’s advice was to internalize the memories and lessons, cherish them and use them as positive energy. He said that a happy memory is timeless and much more constructive than dwelling on the past and trying to recreate it.
This made me feel better, especially in light of the fact that I wasn't going home for Thanksgiving. I had been bummed that I wouldn't be there for the ceremonial late-night trip to Denny's that we had always done the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but then it occurred to me that some of my friends won't be home, either, and some of the friends that would be home wouldn't come to Denny's anyway. And last year, we didn't even go to Denny's. We went to Friday's, just so that we could get margaritas.
So, I allowed myself to let go of that tradition this year. Instead, I went out on Wednesday with my friend Ivonne. Of course, we ended up at a Denny's, but that was more because she wanted pancakes rather than me wanting to relive my glory days. And hell, if the worst thing I could think of was not being able to split a sampler platter with my friends, then I'm still doing alright for myself. I mean, Jill sent me pictures of her cat, and Doug sent me pictures of himself dressed as Barbie, so I still feel "in the loop," as it were, even if I couldn't be with them, walking around in The Loop.
-Me, to my mom, after she told me that because Thanksgiving at home would be a smaller affair, they might just use the Stove Top flakes to make the mashed potatoes
My mom had been sad that Brian and I wouldn't be coming home for Thanksgiving, but she was consoled by the fact that we're coming home for Christmas. But she was worried that we wouldn't have a Thanksgiving dinner. Brian and Wendy would have each other to eat with, but what about me?
Oh, never fear, I had two.
I had to work, as did a good number of other people, and so one of the designers had us over before we had to go in to the newsroom. She made the turkey, and the rest of us were to bring something. A potluck, if you will (and we sure did). Scott made a salad and I made apple pies and mashed potatoes. We took the leftovers to work with us, and used them for that potluck, too.
This was my most unconventional Thanksgiving to date, and thus probably my most memorable one. I would have liked having been with my family, but not being with them didn't mean I couldn't be thankful for them. Mom made the point that "we're family no matter where you brush your teeth," and that's stuck with me.
And it goes well with Brian's philosophy of overlooking physical boundaries and holding onto the intangible lessons. So, even if I wasn't in the same room as my family, there were certainly "with" me.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
So, again, in lieu of a "real" post, I have more blog candy for you. I know, I'm a dealer, and I've gotten you hook, line and sinker.
A friend of mine has recently had an experience that I normally wouldn't share with you, but as she put it on her blog, I'll put it on mine. I'll point out, though, that I was cool enough to learn of said experience before it ended up on her blog.
She was on a swim team this summer and one of the guys on the team took an interest in her. He even e-mailed her and call her at work, as she had declined to give him her home info.
Well, he found her weakness (Indian food) and had a dinner party where his Indian friend was cooking. My friend went there, thinking it would be harmless, but no, he had to get drunk and within a few hours of her leaving the party, he sent the following e-mail:
it was great having you. sorry about the feline thing. hope you still got in some quality communion.
selfishly, i wish i'd had the opportunity to talk with you. i thoroughly enjoy hearing your perspectives and seeing your eyes and your dimples when you make your points. there were other people i invited who i thought would love meeting you, but they couldn't make it.
you look lighter. have you lost some weight?
i hope at some point you'll understand i've given up on the idea of "dating" you and would just like to have lunch and talk because you are intelligent and interesting to talk to. (i know i ended the fucking sentence with a prepostion, but sometimes people do that shit. sometimes they end a sentence with an expletive, too.)
p.s. my gal pal sal was actually jealous enough of you over the summer that she tore into your little blog article about swimming on the team. i guess i spoke too highly of you.
Yes, ladies, this guy is single. Any takers? Mee-yow. Literally. He has cats.
A friend of mine has recently had an experience that I normally wouldn't share with you, but as she put it on her blog, I'll put it on mine. I'll point out, though, that I was cool enough to learn of said experience before it ended up on her blog.
She was on a swim team this summer and one of the guys on the team took an interest in her. He even e-mailed her and call her at work, as she had declined to give him her home info.
Well, he found her weakness (Indian food) and had a dinner party where his Indian friend was cooking. My friend went there, thinking it would be harmless, but no, he had to get drunk and within a few hours of her leaving the party, he sent the following e-mail:
it was great having you. sorry about the feline thing. hope you still got in some quality communion.
selfishly, i wish i'd had the opportunity to talk with you. i thoroughly enjoy hearing your perspectives and seeing your eyes and your dimples when you make your points. there were other people i invited who i thought would love meeting you, but they couldn't make it.
you look lighter. have you lost some weight?
i hope at some point you'll understand i've given up on the idea of "dating" you and would just like to have lunch and talk because you are intelligent and interesting to talk to. (i know i ended the fucking sentence with a prepostion, but sometimes people do that shit. sometimes they end a sentence with an expletive, too.)
p.s. my gal pal sal was actually jealous enough of you over the summer that she tore into your little blog article about swimming on the team. i guess i spoke too highly of you.
Yes, ladies, this guy is single. Any takers? Mee-yow. Literally. He has cats.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
The White Boy Blog Party has gotten a mini-makeover of sorts. All, please let me know what you think, whether you're a visual person or not.
By stripping all the links and what-have-you on the right, I feel as if I can have many more links, whereas under the old layout, more links meant you'd have to scroll more to get to the actual post. We'll see how it works out.
Speaking of the stripped links, I've (finally) added some links to my photo albums on Ofoto. Ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out.
It occurred to me that I hadn't done too drastic a makeover on the WBBP since its inception in December 2002.
If saying December 2002 doesn't make it seem long ago, maybe this will...
When I first made this blog:
*Wilson had just graduated
*Courtney, Erin, Claire, Jackie and Fiscus still had a semester to go
*Courtney and Derek hadn't even celebrated their one-year (it's almost three now)
*I hadn't met Hilary, David, Kare-bear, Miget, Becca L.
*I hadn't studied abroad yet, and neither had Erica or Protz
*Graffix was still spelled "graphics"
*O-Town was only a shitty boy band, and that's it
And speaking of O-town...
-Hilary, on Jack
Congratulations to Jack, my former roommie, for being hired in Mississippi, where his girlfriend is a copy editor.
I'm really really happy for him, because I know she's the one for him. You can tell just by the way he talks to her, and how he talks about her. To be able to be working the same hours as your girlfriend, at the same paper as your girlfriend, at a 100,000+ circ. paper, no less, that's really cool. This has been something he's been working toward, and it's worked out nicely.
I must say, though, that an O-Town without Jack is like a zebra without stripes. That paper is really gonna miss him. I wish I could go up there for his going away party, but alas, that won't be able to happen. It's just sorta funny that nothing is permanent, and that things move on in the way they do.
I wish I could work with him again. This time, instead of copy editing his stuff, I'd want to make graphics for his stuff. He always had great ideas for graphics and we would have done them, had we the time and the computer programs.
Now he can drive his mighty blue Saab all over without worrying about those damn deer.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
I think I know why we lost those 11 states. It's the term itself: "gay marriage." Copy editors and others who pay close attention to linguistics will note that "gay marriage" might not be the best way to describe the marriage of Bob and Frank. What if Bob were bi and not gay? Or what if they were straight and just married for the hell of it?
Or, say Bob IS gay, and he's married to a lesbian named Sally. They're both gay; is THAT a gay marriage?
The preferred terminology, then, is "same-sex marriage." But there's something then I have to bring up, if that's what we're going to call this fictitious union of Bob and Frank. ("Fictitious" is the key word here).
See, when two guys have sex, I've always heard it referred to as "gay sex." Even if the two guys are bisexual, it's still referred to as "good old-fashioned gay sex." Not "same-sex sex."
Granted, I have heard "man-on-man" action. Perhaps that might be the best way to describe Frank and Bob. As in, "we need more man-on-man matrimony." If the ballots had said, "man-on-man marriage," no one would have balked. Steve Kmetko would become the next Liz Taylor. Meow. Thanks a lot, amendment writers. Had you just used more tongue-in-cheek lingo, we could be, oh, you know, a progressive country.
Friday, November 12, 2004
So it's a post such as this that might explain why my mild-mannered friends (all two of them) don't want to have any evidence that they know me, but we must give the public what they want, so, in lieu of a "real" post, we have...
More funnier sentences in my inbox
1) Do other people at the M0ian sleep together? weird. Well, it's back to my cross cultural journalism paper and studying for political science--don't be jealous.
2) I have no real stories to tell, two weeks ago I got drunk and sang "like a virgin" at karaoke with a couple of friends. That was fun.
3) How devious of you to play electronic slap and tickle like that and then run. You e-mail me just to force me to reply. How passive aggressive. How guilt-ridden. How Catholic.
4) She saw this as a prime opportunity to prove to me just how liberal and open-minded she was by coming around inside my cubicle (uninvited might I add) and literally reaching out to me and telling me that she's cool with gay people. Now that all well and good but I'm past the point where I give to shits if you're cool with gay people. If you're cool with the concept of me getting fucked in the ass, then bravo, good for you. I'm not going to give you a cookie. I'm not going to hand you a Coke. I don't look down upon you and your disgusting heterosexual kinkfests. I accept that that is what some people are into and that's that. I don't need your praise because I'm sure as hell not giving any to you. Now, on the other hand, if someone is not cool with boofing, then they deserve a good boof.
5) He's CUTE! He even got the Gay Joe stamp of approval. I know this kid is gay, but I'll be keeping close to you in the future if that's what you can come up with.
6) It was amazing seeing him so delicately and carefully inserting the frosted baked goods into his mouth.
7) ummm.... you are leaving out a lot of details. what did your initial message say? I need to know more before I decide if you are a prick-teasing slut
8) Dude. I'm not a fag-hag.
9) So I was talking to my mom, and she said that she figured there must be photo jobs open somewhere, since there were TV openings at smaller stations because people were moving up to bigger ones. I told her she was dead wrong, because when Hays, Kansas, get 150 portfolios, it's bleak.
10) There's a guy who always, like, touches me. Not on the butt or anything, but just nudges here and there, and he doesn't need to be. Neither does Creepy Red-Faced Guy in advertising. Don't ever touch me again, pals.
11) I can't type much because I'm at work. But I almost had a coronary when I read that Cher and the Village People are going to be christening as it were the new arena at MU. After passing the amendment to ban same-sex marriage, this whole thing seems pretty ludicrous. It's kind of like killing someone's dog but making a really
tasty stew out of it. Delicious but sad.
12) She wants me to live with one of her sisters, but as she said "Not the bitch one." Ha.
13) Then this guy (a drug dealer) shows up outside the bar and asks me to loan him a couple of bucks! Oh, yeah, Mr. Drug Dealer, I'm just going to hand YOU money in front of the cameras on Water Street.
14) I'm tackling the subject of how being gay, for many, isn't always so black and white. True, there are those homo-humans who seemed to disco dance out of the birth canal, whose first word was cock, and who had their first boy crush before they even tried the soft drink Crush.
15) It's well known for shirtless muscleheads wondering around flashing their pecks like some kind of animated Apollo sculpture. I really don't care too much about these chiseled knuckleheads. I'm not trying to hit on them. All i'm trying to do is grope them and maybe rub my crotch up against their 6-pack.
16) I'm a project assistant, which entails getting along with little old legal secretaries and doing their bidding. This works well with my personality seeing as Freud would say I have unhealthy attachments to maternal figures due to my love of sodomy.
NOTE TO JANELLE'S MOM: I will have you know, Mrs. G., that none of these sentences come from Janelle or Scott. They are sweethearts, with pure words. Er, well, at least Scott is.
1) Do other people at the M0ian sleep together? weird. Well, it's back to my cross cultural journalism paper and studying for political science--don't be jealous.
2) I have no real stories to tell, two weeks ago I got drunk and sang "like a virgin" at karaoke with a couple of friends. That was fun.
3) How devious of you to play electronic slap and tickle like that and then run. You e-mail me just to force me to reply. How passive aggressive. How guilt-ridden. How Catholic.
4) She saw this as a prime opportunity to prove to me just how liberal and open-minded she was by coming around inside my cubicle (uninvited might I add) and literally reaching out to me and telling me that she's cool with gay people. Now that all well and good but I'm past the point where I give to shits if you're cool with gay people. If you're cool with the concept of me getting fucked in the ass, then bravo, good for you. I'm not going to give you a cookie. I'm not going to hand you a Coke. I don't look down upon you and your disgusting heterosexual kinkfests. I accept that that is what some people are into and that's that. I don't need your praise because I'm sure as hell not giving any to you. Now, on the other hand, if someone is not cool with boofing, then they deserve a good boof.
5) He's CUTE! He even got the Gay Joe stamp of approval. I know this kid is gay, but I'll be keeping close to you in the future if that's what you can come up with.
6) It was amazing seeing him so delicately and carefully inserting the frosted baked goods into his mouth.
7) ummm.... you are leaving out a lot of details. what did your initial message say? I need to know more before I decide if you are a prick-teasing slut
8) Dude. I'm not a fag-hag.
9) So I was talking to my mom, and she said that she figured there must be photo jobs open somewhere, since there were TV openings at smaller stations because people were moving up to bigger ones. I told her she was dead wrong, because when Hays, Kansas, get 150 portfolios, it's bleak.
10) There's a guy who always, like, touches me. Not on the butt or anything, but just nudges here and there, and he doesn't need to be. Neither does Creepy Red-Faced Guy in advertising. Don't ever touch me again, pals.
11) I can't type much because I'm at work. But I almost had a coronary when I read that Cher and the Village People are going to be christening as it were the new arena at MU. After passing the amendment to ban same-sex marriage, this whole thing seems pretty ludicrous. It's kind of like killing someone's dog but making a really
tasty stew out of it. Delicious but sad.
12) She wants me to live with one of her sisters, but as she said "Not the bitch one." Ha.
13) Then this guy (a drug dealer) shows up outside the bar and asks me to loan him a couple of bucks! Oh, yeah, Mr. Drug Dealer, I'm just going to hand YOU money in front of the cameras on Water Street.
14) I'm tackling the subject of how being gay, for many, isn't always so black and white. True, there are those homo-humans who seemed to disco dance out of the birth canal, whose first word was cock, and who had their first boy crush before they even tried the soft drink Crush.
15) It's well known for shirtless muscleheads wondering around flashing their pecks like some kind of animated Apollo sculpture. I really don't care too much about these chiseled knuckleheads. I'm not trying to hit on them. All i'm trying to do is grope them and maybe rub my crotch up against their 6-pack.
16) I'm a project assistant, which entails getting along with little old legal secretaries and doing their bidding. This works well with my personality seeing as Freud would say I have unhealthy attachments to maternal figures due to my love of sodomy.
NOTE TO JANELLE'S MOM: I will have you know, Mrs. G., that none of these sentences come from Janelle or Scott. They are sweethearts, with pure words. Er, well, at least Scott is.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
From: My friend
To: Me
I don't know who will win, but I do know these things:
1) No matter what happens, I will wholeheartedly congratulate the
democratic process
2) I trust that the vast majority of American people are thinkers who
have become informed by listening to both sides
3) I will get behind the president and encourage him to be the best he
can be, and respect the high office of president
4) I will cease to engage in debate with those who have refused to
listen to - and believe there are no good ideas - in the opposite camp
Tally ho, democracy!
Words of wisdom from one of my favorite people.
"it's done."
The election, yes, is over, so now we react. We deal, we cope, we celebrate the victories, mourn the defeats, feel fortunate to get to choose, feel upset with some of our fellow voters' choices.
There are a lot of outcomes from this election that suck, and I probably won't have to tell you which outcomes those are. Besides, you're probably depressed by them, which is why you have me here to cheer you up.
Mini THIS, South Carolina!
There was at least ONE good outcome on Tuesday! An amendment to the state constitution was passed, allowing bars to be able to determine the size of the containers in which they served alchohol. It's been since Prohibition that South Carolina has had a law on the books saying that any and all liquors served in bars, restaurants, etc., have to come in minibottles. This is more expensive than the free-pour bottles in other states, and contributes to people getting drunker, and doesn't help us in curbing the number of drunken driving incidents.
Way to go, Palmetto State. Welcome to Progress. It only took you 70 years to get here, but hey, you're at least here. We can now blame Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia again, as we all drink liquor from the same sized bottles now.
Not the Oscars, but not the Razzies, either
So, in this tense campaign, there were a few (of my friends') blogs (and livejournals) that caught my eye(s) more than other blogs (or livejournals). Certain blogs had tones to them that were suited for certain moods. It's time to recognize those right now.
First, we have the award for the best "I don't have to be a J-major to care" blog: Schwarzie. Runner-up: Nichols, who would have won this had he updated post-September. He links to more articles than Fiscus. In fact, that's all he does.
Next, we have the "what the fuck are Americans thinking" livejournal: David.
In the category of "most honest, empassioned and from the heart": Erica.
For the best "fly-on-the-wall" site: Protz.
We have a tie for "best critique of the media" site: Protz and Fiscus.
Last, but not least, is a blog that helped me realize that in the end, things will be OK.
In this time of introspection, in the days after the election, I say a good blog to start with is Schwarzie. She's got an informal survey of sorts, using her friends' away messages to guage the reactions to the elections. A must-read for boys who kiss other boys. An entertaining but somber read for all, whether you kiss boys or girls or no one at all.
But enough o' this jibber-jabber, I have to go to bed eventually, and wake up, so that I can go through another day and sleep, and so forth. I can keep on keepin' on, no matter what. And that's how we persevere.
To: Me
I don't know who will win, but I do know these things:
1) No matter what happens, I will wholeheartedly congratulate the
democratic process
2) I trust that the vast majority of American people are thinkers who
have become informed by listening to both sides
3) I will get behind the president and encourage him to be the best he
can be, and respect the high office of president
4) I will cease to engage in debate with those who have refused to
listen to - and believe there are no good ideas - in the opposite camp
Tally ho, democracy!
Words of wisdom from one of my favorite people.
The election, yes, is over, so now we react. We deal, we cope, we celebrate the victories, mourn the defeats, feel fortunate to get to choose, feel upset with some of our fellow voters' choices.
There are a lot of outcomes from this election that suck, and I probably won't have to tell you which outcomes those are. Besides, you're probably depressed by them, which is why you have me here to cheer you up.
There was at least ONE good outcome on Tuesday! An amendment to the state constitution was passed, allowing bars to be able to determine the size of the containers in which they served alchohol. It's been since Prohibition that South Carolina has had a law on the books saying that any and all liquors served in bars, restaurants, etc., have to come in minibottles. This is more expensive than the free-pour bottles in other states, and contributes to people getting drunker, and doesn't help us in curbing the number of drunken driving incidents.
Way to go, Palmetto State. Welcome to Progress. It only took you 70 years to get here, but hey, you're at least here. We can now blame Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia again, as we all drink liquor from the same sized bottles now.
So, in this tense campaign, there were a few (of my friends') blogs (and livejournals) that caught my eye(s) more than other blogs (or livejournals). Certain blogs had tones to them that were suited for certain moods. It's time to recognize those right now.
First, we have the award for the best "I don't have to be a J-major to care" blog: Schwarzie. Runner-up: Nichols, who would have won this had he updated post-September. He links to more articles than Fiscus. In fact, that's all he does.
Next, we have the "what the fuck are Americans thinking" livejournal: David.
In the category of "most honest, empassioned and from the heart": Erica.
For the best "fly-on-the-wall" site: Protz.
We have a tie for "best critique of the media" site: Protz and Fiscus.
Last, but not least, is a blog that helped me realize that in the end, things will be OK.
In this time of introspection, in the days after the election, I say a good blog to start with is Schwarzie. She's got an informal survey of sorts, using her friends' away messages to guage the reactions to the elections. A must-read for boys who kiss other boys. An entertaining but somber read for all, whether you kiss boys or girls or no one at all.
But enough o' this jibber-jabber, I have to go to bed eventually, and wake up, so that I can go through another day and sleep, and so forth. I can keep on keepin' on, no matter what. And that's how we persevere.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Toolbox for Tuesday:
*Caffeine
*Cell phone on silent
*A latte more caffeine
*Pizza
*A paper bag
*Mocha more caffeine
Isn't this going to be fun? I have polled two of my other friends in the biz (Fiscus and Protz), and the general consensus (among the three of us) is that we can't wait for the election and we can't wait for it to be over. For me, I can say it might be one of the more stressful but exciting nights I've experienced as a journalist, right up there with the Columbia shuttle, war breaking out, "hardest hit ever" and the night the kid shot his grandpa. Right up there with all of those.
Por favor?
This goes out to all my friends, whether you're in newspapers, theatre, stay-at-home mommy-ing or insurance swindling: Can you all hold on to copies of your papers from this week? If you could hold onto issues that already ran (like on Sunday, even), that would be fab.
I've got my mom handling STL, but if any of you in, oh, I don't know, Chicago, Columbia, Dallas, Evanston, Evansville, Fort Worth, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, etc. could also do it, let me know.
I'm looking not only for graphics, but of course that's a main interest of mine. I'm also looking for photo choice, story ideas and of course, design.
Yes, DESIGN.
Shoplifters of the World Unite
Yes, designers, let's unite. I don't hate you. At all. You are my friends. Not only at work, but at the bar, too. If you have something cool to show me, show me. Goes for photogs, as well. And copy editors.
No one's accused me of being segmented or thinking people hate my position. Nay, I've been told they appreciate that I step out of the bubble. I just want to encourage people to step out of the bubble, too.
Have you hugged your graphic artist today? I think you should. He/she would love it. LOVE IT.
The truth behind "the Catholic church's condemnation of Kerry voters"
As a Catholic and a journalist, I want to address the recent controversies caused by Archbishops Burke and Chaput. I think my profession and my faith should dictate an undying passion toward accuracy, and thus I beg people to try to understand my arguments here, however anal-retentive these arguments might be
Archbishops Burke and Chaput have ticked off a lot of people by saying that Catholics should not vote for candidates who don't value the sanctity of human life. These two Archbishops have said abortion is legalized murder, and that any candidate who disagrees (i.e. John Kerry) should not be getting the Catholic vote.
Others have been quick to point out that a disapproval of John Kerry might as well be taken as support for George Bush, the only other "real" candidate in the presidential race. Sure, he might be anti-abortion, folks will say, but he doesn't have a record that indicates he is "pro-life." The war in Iraq has harmed his reputation more than being pro-choice could harm Kerry's reputation. Kerry can say those fetuses weren't alive, but Bush can't say that the 1,000-plus soldiers and Iraqis weren't alive before the war.
Bush and Kerry aren't the only two people running for president, of course, but I won't kid myself or anyone else that anyone but either of them will win. The two men are almost polar opposites, and yet invoking one invokes the other. Which is why so many people incensed by the Archbishops' comments will cry outrage and say that they shouldn't meddle in politics, and they certainly shouldn't endorse a candidate such as Bush.
First off, citing a reason why Kerry shouldn't be president is not automatically equatable with saying Bush should be president, and vice versa. A good candidate should stand on his or her own merit, not on whether they are "the lesser of two evils."
The Catholic Church isn't "punting" on any issues, because, well, the Catholic church hasn't said anything. Period. The Catholic church has been quiet during this campaign season. Granted, middle-ranking officials in the church have made comments that have spurned other officials to support them, but even Burke has backed off. But even then, Burke and Chaput saying something is not the same as "the Catholic church." The Catholic church hasn't acted as a unit on any decision since Vatican II. And for "the Catholic church" to "say" something, it has be a prepared statement by the Vatican, rather than just off-the-cuff comments from a pope. If John Paul II were to say something, it still wouldn't be "the Catholic church" saying anything. Thus, people referring to this as "the Catholic church's condemnation of Kerry voters" are misidentifying who's who in all this debate. The Catholic church has only released an official opinion of "the Catholic Church" a few times in history, and John Kerry's track record hasn't been one of those times.
Interestingly enough, the pope hasn't said anything specifically about the candidates. John Paul II has not said anything about this political race, though I'm sure he'd say what he always says, and that's that the world is suffocating in a "culture of death." He's said that about abortion, war, capital punishment, poverty, hunger and violence, and so forth. He has even said that about the war in Iraq.
He's been consistent, and even though he's frustrating, it's because his logic doesn't always mesh with ours. But he's no waffler. He's just silent, but maybe now is not the best time for him to be silent. In fact, it isn't the best time for him to be silent. At all. But he hasn't been surprising. Not to me, at least.
That's the thing that I think is surprising me most, and that's that people are surprised that Catholic conservatives have the political opinions they do. People have also mentioned the separation of church and state, which prohibits the state from interacting with the church, but it doesn't prevent the church from being able to influence opinions about the state. Heck, the church was around for several centuries when the "separation of church and state" was enacted.
And even then, the church itself has almost always been a political body. It has made some progressive stances and also made some horribly evil stances. An organization claiming to be descendant of Jesus Christ can't just ignore politics, especially when it was born of politics in the first place. The parable of the coins in the fish's mouth was, in my opinion, meant to show that religious bodies and political bodies can exist side by side and not have to ignore each other.
I don't think that preachers not having political opinions is possible, nor do I think it's possible. A Christian might preach against war; does that mean he opposes Bush? Is his comment that war is bad a "political comment"? Should he be barred from making "political comments", and thus be barred from saying "war is bad"?
Preachers preach. It's what they do. They feel a calling that they are God's messengers, in tune with what He wants, meant to communicate that message. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a preacher, and he didn't sidestep politics. He was a member of the church, trying to use influence on "the state." Was that bad?
Preachers of all creeds have been talking politics and will continue to talk politics. That's fine, good, and healthy. That's what they are supposed to do. The real thing Burke and Chaput did that was a no-no was to abandon the subtlety. Other (more effective) priests have simply said, "God would want you to vote for the candidates who most closely match His will for the Kingdom" or whatever it is that priests say eloquently. They're the polished speakers, not me. The pastors who have said, "God would not approve of war, death, etc." have planted the notions in their congregant's minds but have not told them who does or doesn't deserve their votes.
Burke's Archdiocese is MY Archdiocese, the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Watching him embarrass the Archdiocese has been painful. This Archdiocese suffered enough because of the sex abuse cases. We have been tested by poor leader after poor leader, and many good Catholics have felt forced out of the Church, as they have not felt as though they've had good leadership. Watching it all unravel is like watching a marriage that was once good dissipate, and to boot, a lot of eyes are on us, waiting for us to muck it up ever more.
I'm ashamed to have Burke as my spiritual leader, and I'm not too pleased to be connected with Chaput, either. But, as they have titles and authority, they are the ones who will speak, and they are the ones who will set the tone for how Catholics will be perceived. I'll bet that few people remember when Betty Rataj was quoted in TIME saying that the Pope should get out of her bedroom on birth control issues, but everyone will remember the bishops' comments on Kerry and gay marriage. These bishops may set the tone on how we are perceived, but thankfully, they don't set the tone on what we believe.
And though the pope might have been silent this election, there have been high-ranking officials who have spoken on these very issues. Back in 1984, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin addressed the concept of "single issue voting." While the church does aim to protect the unborn, he said, the unborn aren't the only ones needing protecting. The poor, homeless and disenfranchised also need protecting, and they should factor into our political backings as much as the unborn. Well put, I think. Much better than the words of Archbishop Burke.
*Caffeine
*Cell phone on silent
*A latte more caffeine
*Pizza
*A paper bag
*Mocha more caffeine
Isn't this going to be fun? I have polled two of my other friends in the biz (Fiscus and Protz), and the general consensus (among the three of us) is that we can't wait for the election and we can't wait for it to be over. For me, I can say it might be one of the more stressful but exciting nights I've experienced as a journalist, right up there with the Columbia shuttle, war breaking out, "hardest hit ever" and the night the kid shot his grandpa. Right up there with all of those.
This goes out to all my friends, whether you're in newspapers, theatre, stay-at-home mommy-ing or insurance swindling: Can you all hold on to copies of your papers from this week? If you could hold onto issues that already ran (like on Sunday, even), that would be fab.
I've got my mom handling STL, but if any of you in, oh, I don't know, Chicago, Columbia, Dallas, Evanston, Evansville, Fort Worth, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, etc. could also do it, let me know.
I'm looking not only for graphics, but of course that's a main interest of mine. I'm also looking for photo choice, story ideas and of course, design.
Yes, DESIGN.
Yes, designers, let's unite. I don't hate you. At all. You are my friends. Not only at work, but at the bar, too. If you have something cool to show me, show me. Goes for photogs, as well. And copy editors.
No one's accused me of being segmented or thinking people hate my position. Nay, I've been told they appreciate that I step out of the bubble. I just want to encourage people to step out of the bubble, too.
Have you hugged your graphic artist today? I think you should. He/she would love it. LOVE IT.
As a Catholic and a journalist, I want to address the recent controversies caused by Archbishops Burke and Chaput. I think my profession and my faith should dictate an undying passion toward accuracy, and thus I beg people to try to understand my arguments here, however anal-retentive these arguments might be
Archbishops Burke and Chaput have ticked off a lot of people by saying that Catholics should not vote for candidates who don't value the sanctity of human life. These two Archbishops have said abortion is legalized murder, and that any candidate who disagrees (i.e. John Kerry) should not be getting the Catholic vote.
Others have been quick to point out that a disapproval of John Kerry might as well be taken as support for George Bush, the only other "real" candidate in the presidential race. Sure, he might be anti-abortion, folks will say, but he doesn't have a record that indicates he is "pro-life." The war in Iraq has harmed his reputation more than being pro-choice could harm Kerry's reputation. Kerry can say those fetuses weren't alive, but Bush can't say that the 1,000-plus soldiers and Iraqis weren't alive before the war.
Bush and Kerry aren't the only two people running for president, of course, but I won't kid myself or anyone else that anyone but either of them will win. The two men are almost polar opposites, and yet invoking one invokes the other. Which is why so many people incensed by the Archbishops' comments will cry outrage and say that they shouldn't meddle in politics, and they certainly shouldn't endorse a candidate such as Bush.
First off, citing a reason why Kerry shouldn't be president is not automatically equatable with saying Bush should be president, and vice versa. A good candidate should stand on his or her own merit, not on whether they are "the lesser of two evils."
The Catholic Church isn't "punting" on any issues, because, well, the Catholic church hasn't said anything. Period. The Catholic church has been quiet during this campaign season. Granted, middle-ranking officials in the church have made comments that have spurned other officials to support them, but even Burke has backed off. But even then, Burke and Chaput saying something is not the same as "the Catholic church." The Catholic church hasn't acted as a unit on any decision since Vatican II. And for "the Catholic church" to "say" something, it has be a prepared statement by the Vatican, rather than just off-the-cuff comments from a pope. If John Paul II were to say something, it still wouldn't be "the Catholic church" saying anything. Thus, people referring to this as "the Catholic church's condemnation of Kerry voters" are misidentifying who's who in all this debate. The Catholic church has only released an official opinion of "the Catholic Church" a few times in history, and John Kerry's track record hasn't been one of those times.
Interestingly enough, the pope hasn't said anything specifically about the candidates. John Paul II has not said anything about this political race, though I'm sure he'd say what he always says, and that's that the world is suffocating in a "culture of death." He's said that about abortion, war, capital punishment, poverty, hunger and violence, and so forth. He has even said that about the war in Iraq.
He's been consistent, and even though he's frustrating, it's because his logic doesn't always mesh with ours. But he's no waffler. He's just silent, but maybe now is not the best time for him to be silent. In fact, it isn't the best time for him to be silent. At all. But he hasn't been surprising. Not to me, at least.
That's the thing that I think is surprising me most, and that's that people are surprised that Catholic conservatives have the political opinions they do. People have also mentioned the separation of church and state, which prohibits the state from interacting with the church, but it doesn't prevent the church from being able to influence opinions about the state. Heck, the church was around for several centuries when the "separation of church and state" was enacted.
And even then, the church itself has almost always been a political body. It has made some progressive stances and also made some horribly evil stances. An organization claiming to be descendant of Jesus Christ can't just ignore politics, especially when it was born of politics in the first place. The parable of the coins in the fish's mouth was, in my opinion, meant to show that religious bodies and political bodies can exist side by side and not have to ignore each other.
I don't think that preachers not having political opinions is possible, nor do I think it's possible. A Christian might preach against war; does that mean he opposes Bush? Is his comment that war is bad a "political comment"? Should he be barred from making "political comments", and thus be barred from saying "war is bad"?
Preachers preach. It's what they do. They feel a calling that they are God's messengers, in tune with what He wants, meant to communicate that message. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a preacher, and he didn't sidestep politics. He was a member of the church, trying to use influence on "the state." Was that bad?
Preachers of all creeds have been talking politics and will continue to talk politics. That's fine, good, and healthy. That's what they are supposed to do. The real thing Burke and Chaput did that was a no-no was to abandon the subtlety. Other (more effective) priests have simply said, "God would want you to vote for the candidates who most closely match His will for the Kingdom" or whatever it is that priests say eloquently. They're the polished speakers, not me. The pastors who have said, "God would not approve of war, death, etc." have planted the notions in their congregant's minds but have not told them who does or doesn't deserve their votes.
Burke's Archdiocese is MY Archdiocese, the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Watching him embarrass the Archdiocese has been painful. This Archdiocese suffered enough because of the sex abuse cases. We have been tested by poor leader after poor leader, and many good Catholics have felt forced out of the Church, as they have not felt as though they've had good leadership. Watching it all unravel is like watching a marriage that was once good dissipate, and to boot, a lot of eyes are on us, waiting for us to muck it up ever more.
I'm ashamed to have Burke as my spiritual leader, and I'm not too pleased to be connected with Chaput, either. But, as they have titles and authority, they are the ones who will speak, and they are the ones who will set the tone for how Catholics will be perceived. I'll bet that few people remember when Betty Rataj was quoted in TIME saying that the Pope should get out of her bedroom on birth control issues, but everyone will remember the bishops' comments on Kerry and gay marriage. These bishops may set the tone on how we are perceived, but thankfully, they don't set the tone on what we believe.
And though the pope might have been silent this election, there have been high-ranking officials who have spoken on these very issues. Back in 1984, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin addressed the concept of "single issue voting." While the church does aim to protect the unborn, he said, the unborn aren't the only ones needing protecting. The poor, homeless and disenfranchised also need protecting, and they should factor into our political backings as much as the unborn. Well put, I think. Much better than the words of Archbishop Burke.
