Let’s hear it for the douchebags

So we went to this great gyro place that we go to all the time down in south county on Friday and in front of us was this 15 year old kid.  The back of his shirt read:

Join us now or work for us later.

With a big picture of a real tough-guy elephant.  Can you guess what the front said?  Young Republicans.  Of course.  Well shit.  Sign me up.  Because I love to be belittled AND sort of threatened.  Especially by a bunch of cocky white 16 year olds.  Awesome.

3 comments May 18, 2008

project

I think I am about to embark on a cool new project.  Since moving here, I have noticed the ridiculous number of extremely cool old signs that are in and around St. Louis.  Ideally I want to photograph them and also maybe stop and get a little background information on them, which could be weird and funny.  My main problem, as I see it at the moment, is that I always notice these signs while I’m driving, which could be hazardous unless I leave 10 minutes early every time I leave the house, just in case I see something cool I need to take a picture of.  Suggestions?

Ooh, also, I was running today and saw another jogger casually jogging with a few juggling pins.  Not weird at all.

Add a comment April 6, 2008

my subconscious is trying to tell me something

what, i’m not sure.  all i know is that on thursday night, i had a dream featuring my friend asa, and last night my friend meghan was definitely in my dream.  these two people were on my americorps nccc team like five years ago.  i wonder who will be next?

on a different note, i took the “promotion” to a more management-style position.  i feel kind of weird about it – more on that later.

Add a comment June 2, 2007

fun and sunburn

It has been all kinds of lovely around here lately.  Benj and I had two whole days together (no baseball or working) and we kept ourselves pretty darn busy doing things like:

1. The Blue Owl, in historic Kimmswick.  A deeelicious bakery and restaurant, with the famous levee high apple pie (and a very tasty broccoli and ham quiche as well).

2. The excellent Martin Sexton .  Performed at The Pageant.  He played lots of old stuff, like Candy, the Diner song, Black Sheep, etc. – and some stuff from his new album, which sounded great.  I love these musicians that are just simple folks who have to play – not showy or dramatic, but like somebody you might want to hang with.  Plus, there was a melodica.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like a spectacle too, but comfortable is nice

3. The zoo.   I love it.  My favorite animals to watch are the otters and the giraffes.  Can you guess what Benj’s is?

3 comments April 30, 2007

excuse me?

Hazel and I went for a walk this morning. I often say hello to other morning walkers and runners (not bikers, the ones here do not have good manners and they don’t say “on your left” before they’re right on top of you). This morning, though, something odd happened. There we are walking and a middle-aged gentleman was coming towards us. He seemed friendly (meaning not creepy) so I said hi, to which he replied:

“Hello, I watched the Stooges on television this morning.”

1 comment January 11, 2007

hey, wha’ happened?

Holy crap. Even Missouri is going blue. I don’t know if you’ve seen this, too, but I lurve the Democracy Dashboard feature on MSNBC.

Add a comment November 8, 2006

Principles and Practice

I find myself lately adjusting some views I brought with me from school to the library.  From the theory to the practice.  From the idealized world where everything is equal to the one in which I happen to live and work.

The one I’m knocking around in my head at the moment relates to gaming.  In May I was completely for it, and I currently have a draft of an email in which I pitch the acquisition of DDR and all its accoutrements (written in June) to the head of YS.  Give the people what they want!  Gaming gets people in the library!  You can make connections with the games and your reading materials!  Gamers learn social skills!  Problem-solving skills! 

And this is certainly all true (well, most of it is).

But here’s the thing, and I will try to be as eloquent as possible.  There is not a problem getting teens into my library.  They are there every single day, hassling each other and often printing out scores of celebrity photos.  And because of the sad sad state of the public schools in my area, many are seriously behind in fundamental skills.  So what does gaming in the library do for a group like this?  Does it actually address the basics that these kids need, or does it take them further in a different direction?  Has anybody done this research?  And if we are anywhere on the list of influential places for kids, and I don’t presume that we are for all kids, don’t we have responsibilities that come before games?

And I know I’m going to start sounding like an ol lady (I’m sure I have already, actually), but what’s so wrong with letting a library be a library?  Why is there this trend to make libraries cool and ‘with it’?  I think it’s kind of embarassing that the undergrad has a facebook page, and allowing kids to bring drink cups anywhere near the computers that populate my library seems pretty insane.  I am all for making the library an inviting place for people who wouldn’t necessarily think the library is for them, but I feel like there are more pressing issues that have to be addressed before I can worry about the gamers. 

I don’t want to fall behind the times.  And I don’t want to be a “format snob.”  I love video games (Guitar Hero comes to mind).  However focusing much attention on this theoretical group of gamers that’s in my neighborhood just waiting to be invited into the library seems like I would be, in action if not in words, giving up on these kids that I actually have in there and really NEED stuff.  No matter how resistant they are to us trying to help (read: bugging them).

3 comments September 21, 2006

Bratwurst and 25 Cent Beer

I spent this past lovely Labor Day weekend (It was Labor Day and not Memorial Day, right?) up in the wilds of Wisconsin in a house with: 1-Boyfriend 1-Sister 1-Brother 1-Sister in Law 1-Nephew 2-Nieces 2-Parents 5-Dogs.  Which, if you’re counting, is 15 bodies, including me.  It was great – I don’t get to see people (aside from my bf and dog) very often, so when we all get together it makes it all the more – I don’t know – important or special or something.  And it was those things, and more – I’d forgotten to take into account all the stuffing of my face with brats/cookies/beers. 

We spent most of Saturday out on the boat (and my nose is now peeling because of it) and I finally got to go swimming (It’s been a YEAR, I swear).  Sunday was a lazing around type day – Benj introduced the rest of my family to Trac Ball , which is a very fun and satisfying game.  I read up on my People magazines and if I have to look at more leggings/belted long shirts I WILL BARF.  Why are the 80s back? 

So this is not really a ‘newness’ or revelatory post, but it was a really happy weekend and I thought I’d share.  My family is pretty neat – we are all definitely weird in our own ways, but it was good to just be around them, especially because the boy and I are here in a new city on our own, and can’t really escape it often because of our schedules (and my lack of vacation time).  It’s nice to remember that I have people out there.  And I know all you guys are out there too, but I don’t get to see your faces much either.

Over.  Out.

2 comments September 8, 2006