here you have it

halloween 2004

ah. halloween on state street. there's really nothing like it. but after the mini riot that occurred 2 years ago, the media and the police department have been hyper wound up and ready to make a huge deal out of ANYthing. the cap times gives a crappy and utterly non informational article about how the crowd was broken up last night. seriously, the crowd was HUGE when i left at around 1, but from what i hear, people were leaving willingly between 2 and 3. did the police really have to use pepper spray? i wonder. part of me thinks that they use the past "riot" as an excuse for excessive forcre. but that's just me.

speaking of questionable authority, rumor has it that the FBI is investigating the personal livejournals and blogs of people who post anit-bush administration comments. thank you, patriot act. when he signed it, bush said "this law will give intelligence and law enforcement officials important new tools to fight a present danger." congratulations, the FBI now has permission and funding to investigate computer geeks and college students exercising their FIRST AMENDMEND RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. because paying attention to what's happening in the world makes me a terrorist.

speaking of paying attention, this election on tuesday is going to be a MESS. i strongly advise people to vote EARLY and to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. voting rights vary per state, but already i've read more articles about plots to keep people from voting than i can even begin to post here. if you're interested, you can google search for voting fraud and get 770,000 or so hits. florida has already "lost" 58,000 absentee ballots, south carolina's minorities have recieved fraudulent letters claiming to be from the NAACP telling them that they can't vote for various fraudulent reasons, ohio has been having issues for months now, and there are rumors of widespread ballot shortages and voter hassles on election day, thus preventing potentially hundreds of thousands of citizens from voting. we sent our military across the world to topple a govermnent and to create a democracy in iraq, when we can't even appreciate our own. if someone keeps you from voting, they are a terrorist. if you don't vote, you clearly don't love democracy. why do you hate america?

please visit moveon.org for election day tips and information about what you should do if you get hassled at the polls.

please please PLEASE visit ourvote.com to find out your state specific voting rights.

IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS PARTICIPATING IN DEMOCRACY ON NOV. 2, PLEASE CALL THE ELECTION PROTECTION LINE AT 1-866-OURVOTE. election protection is a *nonpartisan* coalition of civil rights and civic organizations committed to protecting your right to cast your ballot.

clearly, paying too much attention to the state of the world is not healthy for the state of my brain. i think should go pay attention to the state of the dishes in my sink...

good point

i don't know why parts of the background of this picture are blurred out. someone was having too much fun with photoshop, i guess. anyway, it's had me thinking and giggling all day. as in, fucking for peace. teheehehehe. *there's* a protest that's bound to have good turnout :)

... no... more... sugar...

uh. there were a bunch of things that i was going to write about. i forgot them. i think i'm high from eating too much sugar. my body doesn't know whether it wants to bounce off the walls and get a week's worth of household tasks done in two hours, or crash and sleep for the next three days.

i've just emerged from the time warp that super mario all-stars has made of my living room. why do i eat so much sugar when i'm playing video games? and why do i play them until my eyes and back muscles are strained and sore, only to realize that i've lost 2 hours and the sun? i was being so productive and now, look at me, i'm talking to myself...

in short, things week have been fantastic:

*i was accepted by ACT wisconsin to drive people to and from the polls in a big giant van on election day! i've been wanting to do this for *so* long. it makes me feel good inside. that, and that a lady i work with told me that her mother told her that kerry is going to win. her mother is *always* right. here's hoping....

*lesbian poker night was a huuuge success. i can hardly wait to do it again!

*i passed my motorcycle class, and now have the little paper that i take to the dmv. i hand them paper, they hand me license. lifetime goal achieved.

*i am so in love with my girlfriend, i can hardly stand it. today i considered using the word "partner" instead of "girlfriend." hmmmmm....

*my halloween costume is coming along nicely. if only my downstairs neighbor would get her stuff out of the washer, things would be going even better.

*i got two new pairs of pants. two! new ones! in one day! see mom, i do buy new stuff sometimes :)

*i was witness to people finishing the beer out of two 5 liter beer stiens, and several more 2 liter glass boots.

*i got some pumpkins to carve. although one of them seems to have since been assaulted by a small animal with claws. creepy. but i guess that's what halloween is all about, right?

here's what on the to-do-before-halloween list (incase you care):

*carve pumpkins and roast seeds (yum!).

*dye pants for costume(s).

*decorate hallway and put together goodie bags for the kids downstairs.

*balance checkbook (since it hasn't been done since september).

hmm, well that's not too bad of a to-do list, now that i can see it all written up like that. i guess things aren't so stressful after all. anyone wanna come over and carve pumpkins and decorate the stairs?

so, what happened?

the michael moore thing didn't quite work out as planned. not only was the temperature (with windchill off the lake) pretty close to absolute zero, but i've been sick, and he showed up about a half an hour late. also, due to an apparent death threat, nobody was allowed to sit in the reserved seating section. it was crappy because we had a hell of a time seeing him while he was speaking, but good because i could huddle with abby to keep warm :) she's already posted about the whole thing, but that's not going to stop me from making my own rant.

mike, you lost some of my respect the other night.
1. do not EVER use the word "pussy" to insult someone. my genitalia are NOT an insult. pussies are very beautiful and delicate creatures. they are to be worshiped as the precious gifts they are.
2. gender does not mean the same thing as sex. i know you're a smart man, you should know the very very crucial difference between sex and gender.
3. i've read the bumpersticker slogans. i've heard the rhetoric. tell me something i don't know. so far, your documentaries have opened the eyes of thousands of people. when i braved the cold lake wind to hear you speak, i guess i was expecting you to tell me something inspirational, not regurgitated slogans and underhanded sexist comebacks.
4. do not EVER tell lgbt people that they should take the back seat and wait for their chance to be liberated by the constitution. i understand the complexities of such politics, but as long as it is illegal for a woman to legally marry the woman she loves, they will both be second class citizens. they will simply not have the same rights or opportunities as straight people. special laws for specific groups of people encourage social divisions, discrimination, and stigmas. no straight white man will tell me to stand back. and no, i will not let this issue take the back seat. i will fight. until i win. do not ask me to do otherwise.

maybe i am being too harsh. moore did read some letters he has recieved from military personnel who are stationed over seas. it renewed my hope for them, that they are free thinkers and human beings, and they need all of our support to help bring them home. also, he gave us some insight to his work in progress. a documentary about hmos and pharmacuetical companies. apparently, someone from phizer sent moore a company memo telling employees that they should avoid a man fitting moore's description who is with cameras and asking questions. it gave a phone number that employees should call if they encounter such a situation. he gave the number to the very ready and willing crowd, urging us all to give it a call, pretending we're under michael moore attack. so, if anyone out there wants to prank phizer, the number to the emergency moore hotline is 212-573-1226. no, i haven't tried it yet (i am at work during business hours), but i wouldn't be suprised if phizer has already changed it's number.

in other news:
everyone should welcome my amigo, mike to the blog scene. good luck, my friend!

!

ohmigawd. thanks to abby (the most awesome girlfriend in the history of the universe), she and i have reserved seat tickets at a standing room only, first come first serve speech by michael moore at the union terrace this saturday. if you go to abby's site, you'll also find out that we are also going to get to meet him. holy shit, we are going to meet michael moore. what am i going to wear? what am i going to *say*?!? aaaaaahhh!!!

if you had one chance in your life to meet michael moore, what would you say to him? all i've thought of so far is "thank you." would it be cheesy to ask him to autograph a copy of farenheit 9/11 or bowling for columbine?

wow. this is going to be *awesome*.

who *are* these people?

i don't know why i find these things so amusing. this is the cover of a pamphlet that was given to abby while she was doing her regular saturday morning action wisconsin gig at the farmers' market.

hmm... well... when you put it that way...

this is so cheesy, i almost expected to see one of those "as seen on tv" logos on the back. disappointingly enough, the information had nothing to do with why lesbians are tools of the devil. damn. but, thanks to the internet, i did find this. at first, i thought it would be funny, but then i read it and now i'm pissed off. every single "fact" on the entire page is wrong. for example, it claims that homosexuals account for "the bulk of all bowel disease in america." pardon the pun, but what a load of shit. that's just plain wrong, and one of the most uneducated, and homophobic things i have ever read. i actually feel sorry for the people who believe this garbage. all i can cling to is the hope that someday they will be enlightened by whatever god they believe in. wow. how can people be this wrong? how? it reminds me of the way campaign ads and the entire bush administration tend to make big public lies up front so that people will just get confused in the big media mess that takes place when the truth finally does get told. and the administration gets away with it. and people still believe the lies. it's hard for me to deal with sometimes.

anyway...

a google search for a url for wisconsin christians united, the group responsible for bringing to my attention the heaven or hell decision, turned up a non existant site (maybe it's already been judged?). but in searching for ralph ovedal, the leader of the pack, i found a strangely interesting site with an article about how even the appallingly out of touch crazy extreme activist christians can share in my distrust of republicans. hmm. maybe we do have something in common, after all. thanks, covenantnews.com.

courtesy of pastor ovedal, as you leave this post today, ask yourself one thing:

edit:
oooh, i just realized that i made a huge blog foul by posting rants about politics *and* religion in one day. sorry folks, i'll try to spread it out next time. my bad.

speak easy

to all of us who are paying any attention at all to this election's presidential debates, it is clear that president bush is just plain inept when it comes to debate, conversation, and even just speaking out loud. he sure could use all the help he could get. hmm, what could possibly help him out... hmm... flashcards? meditation? actual knowledge of the issues? noooo... hmmm... how 'bout a tiny little transmitter?

i've never denied being called a conspiracy theorist.

in other news: i finally got my permit, enrolled in a class, and got to drive a motorcycle! woo! too bad it's october and i live in wisconsin. the amazing abby and i are inventing a plot to own one of these magnificent machines.

it seemed like there was more i was going to write about, but my mind is in about a thousand places at the moment. i think motorcycles make me high...

want something to do?

tunes wafting through the house: whatever molly has on in the other room. it sounds happy.

ps
happy happy happy wedding anniversary wishes to my parents, still the only people i know who use wrestling moves as terms of endearment.

for simmi

the earth is trying to tell us something. maybe this time we should pay attention. the earth is crying, people, and i think it's about ready to kick america in the ass. our wasteful and consumeristic society has gone on too long.

a volcano will erupt. wouldn't it be kindof creepy if it sits and stews until it finds out who "wins" the presidential election?

california got hit with a pretty descent earthquake. didn't california's last big big earthquake happen when bush sr was in office?

florida is getting it's ass pummelled by hurricane after hurricane... we all know how florida screwed the last election.

at work, i've been trying hard to get people to recycle. just to recycle! to me, it's the most simple thing to do to show that you care at least a little teeny tiny bit about what the environmental state of our world will be in when our children are our age. if you can't recycle your vending machine plastic water bottles and newspapers at work, it troubles me to think that you don't do it at home. it also troubles me that so many people don't know how or what to recycle! sigh.

but there is hope. last night was pretty crappy, a sort of crappy grand finale to a crappy week. cold. alone. sad. when i finally dragged myself out of bed this morning, i found a note on the coffee table from molly inviting me to dinner. i'm feeling a little better about myself already. so i bundled myself up (i had forgotten how much i LOVE layering) and went down the block to the cat store to get little some goodies. the sun warmed my back while the chill nipped at my ears. it's autumn again, time to decide how the winter will be. will i hibernate within my house and myself? or will i let the playfulness of snow take me like it did when i was a child? people on the street smiled at me as i walked by. i think things are going to be ok.

more hope: i was visited today by a person going door to door getting people registered to vote. like i haven't had a thousand of those already, right? but this one was different. she was a middle aged lady, who spoke softly, like she *wasn't* trying to sell me something. she took one look at the "fix the judicial system" patch on my pants and said "you probably understand the issues," and opened things up for my questions. i had one: what are you doing, other than bothering people at their homes to get people to vote? she told me, and i volunteered. when i told her that i wanted to help drive people to the polls, here face lit up and she dug a card out of her bag, i filled it out, and that was that. i feel so good, i could almost cry. i am going to help get people who otherwise couldn't do it themselves, to the polls to vote. i am going to make a difference.

if you want to help, the group is America Coming Together (ACT).
madison office: 608-250-5923
wisconsin url: http://wisconsin.actforvictory.org

i am starting to feel a little better about the state of this election. i am starting to feel better about my role in defeating the evil administration and policies bush has created.

mom, i heard you're still voting for bush. WHY?

when i got back upstairs from talking to the ACT lady, there was a message from simmi on my answering machine. i miss you, sim, it was so good to hear your voice. i can't wait to see you and mike and *finally* go skydiving! you know, i actually had a dream last night that i went down there to jump. they offered to let me tandom for free, and even though i really wanted to statc, i went anyway. i was getting all harnessed in when i woke up.

i'm feeling more normal now than i have in weeks. maybe it was the 12 hours of sleep, maybe it was that i *finally* got myself volunteered to do something useful, maybe it's the way my closest friends give me a little nudge just when i need it the most, maybe it's that i have healed.

i think i'm ready to be loved again.

edited to add:
california *just* got hit by 2 more earthquakes.

tuned in:
american idiot by green day