Oh Monday, Monday, Monday. You piece of shit whore you.
Seems more and more all the time like I close my eyes for a brief "only resting my eyes it's not really a nap" nap at work on Friday afternoon, and I wake up and it's Monday morning, and back to the grind. Sigh. So sad, so sad.
Saturday was a whirlwind filled with epic, enchilada and Guiness fueled drunkenness, topped by a vicious hangover on Sunday. Ugh. So sad, so sad.
More about the drunkenness later, but first the enchiladas. Perfectly crispy on the outside, full of cheesy and meaty goodness on the inside, these were primo enchiladas. Nice work Miss Major.
Saturday started off fine, with some coffee and lounging around in the early morning. Mimosas followed, and led gradually into Guiness and Enchiladas. (A combination that should be tried by all.) In the back of my mind I was pacing myself constantly, reminding myself that St. Patrick's Day is a marathon, not a sprint. By the time we left for the bars at around 3ish, I had nursed my way though maybe three beers and a couple of mimosas. So far so good.
Then we get to the bar, where the crowd is raucous with drunkenness and a weird, somewhat angry energy. RiRa's is packed to the rafters with boozers, and it seems like everyone wants a Guiness at once. Being an idiot, I forget my plan to pace myself and decide the only way to deal the lines is to order two beers at once. A great idea in theory, right? Wrong. Lesson number 1: Beer in hand will be drank at the same pace whether or not it's one beer or two.
Fast forward several hours, and I am a slobbery, drunken mess. Fast forward several more hours, and we are home again, scarfing enchiladas and lapsing into food comas that gradually slip into a night's sleep. Lesson number two: After eating enchiladas and drinking beer all night, it is very, very important to brush your teeth.
Woke up with a vague feeling of disorientation, plus a smell coming from my mouth could only be described as rancid. I vaguely suspect that a buzzard has pooped in my mouth. God damn you buzzard! You mouth shitter you!
First things first, I need to move, but can't. Lesson Number three: The heaviest object on an air mattress will actually be sleeping on the floor.
Some time later, I've managed to stand up, and make my way to the first of many trips to the bathroom. I contemplate pulling the trigger, but don't. Largely due to the fact that I'm afraid I will actually puke up my small intestine, and that would be embarrassing.
Fast forward ahead ten hours or so, and my almost wife and I have finally completed the extremely dangerous trek back to the north. Dangerous because of the wind, and dangerous because I was using toothpicks to prop open my eyes. Plus, despite multiple scrubbings of my teeth, the air inside my car was getting a little thick. Let's just say that every time we stopped I kept looking to see if the dogface had shit herself. She hadn't. Goddamn you buzzard.
Goddamn you buzzard.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Clearly UMaine doesn't get it
So much for the faint glimmer of optimism.
Sitting at the sports bar last night, watching the news. Headline story? Not anything about peace marches or Alberto Gonzalez's lying ass. Nope. Headline story for the local news was the fact that UMaine has sold the rights for radio broadcasts of sporting events to Clearchannel. For financial reasons, supposedly. Never mind the fact that the radio station that held the rights for year did a pretty decent job. Never mind the fact that the owner of said radio station is Stephen King, one of the biggest doners to UMaine. Oh, and apparently Mr. King was rightfully bullshit mad. So long big donor to UMaine.
Pay a little attention to the fact that UMaine has once again sold their soul in a short sighted cash grab. Once again, UMaine is ignoring the fact that they should be supporting local industry, not the media conglomorate with no actual interest in anything local.
You would think Clear Channel bid more at least. Nope. There was no real bid. Just the promise of being on in more areas. That's not the point. Nor is it really the point that UMaine should be trying to get along with Stephen King. Although, for all the altruism that King has shown the University, it wouldn't have bothered me if that was at least a factor. Nope. The point is, as it was with the Coke deal ten years ago, once again UMaine has made an assanine, short-sighted deal, for no real reason.
Looks like President Kennedy is no more forward looking than President Hoff.
Sitting at the sports bar last night, watching the news. Headline story? Not anything about peace marches or Alberto Gonzalez's lying ass. Nope. Headline story for the local news was the fact that UMaine has sold the rights for radio broadcasts of sporting events to Clearchannel. For financial reasons, supposedly. Never mind the fact that the radio station that held the rights for year did a pretty decent job. Never mind the fact that the owner of said radio station is Stephen King, one of the biggest doners to UMaine. Oh, and apparently Mr. King was rightfully bullshit mad. So long big donor to UMaine.
Pay a little attention to the fact that UMaine has once again sold their soul in a short sighted cash grab. Once again, UMaine is ignoring the fact that they should be supporting local industry, not the media conglomorate with no actual interest in anything local.
You would think Clear Channel bid more at least. Nope. There was no real bid. Just the promise of being on in more areas. That's not the point. Nor is it really the point that UMaine should be trying to get along with Stephen King. Although, for all the altruism that King has shown the University, it wouldn't have bothered me if that was at least a factor. Nope. The point is, as it was with the Coke deal ten years ago, once again UMaine has made an assanine, short-sighted deal, for no real reason.
Looks like President Kennedy is no more forward looking than President Hoff.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Fighting off generation apathy
A little bit of everything today my people. I got back in from DC yesterday afternoon, bleary eyed as hell after 4 days of arguing, debating, and staying up too late. No, it wasn't a flashback to York Hall. Nope, I was engaging in the political process. Every year, representatives of the programs I work for come from every state, and many islands, to DC. We meet for three days, combing leadership training with political analysis (by actual experts, not me.) On the fourth day, we go to the hill and meet with our legislators, bringing alumni from programs, as well as key issues affecting us. It's an exhausting yet rewarding experience, that in my case gives me some much needed faith in the political process, while still souring me on parts of the process. I talk enough about the politics of things that bother me though, so today is going to be in the vein of John's Notpocalypse.
The visits
In Maine, we are lucky when it comes to the programs that I work for. All of our members of Congress are big supporters of our programs, especially Senator Collins, who has been a big voice in maintaining our status after the budget cuts of the past few years. This year, she is co-sponsoring a letter once again, this time asking for an increase to help make up for the flat funding of the last years. During our visit she was on the floor, defending a bill. Her staff brought us down to the little room adjascent to the Senate Hearing room (this is the room you see in C-Span as you channel surf), and she took the time to come in and talk to us for a bit. Say what you want about any legislator, but it's amazing how fast they have to shift gears. Within 15 minutes, Senator Collins was having detailed conversations about rights for Firefighters, education issues for low-income students, and immigration rights. (Coherently no less.) Needless to say, I can't ever write a three paragraph blog entry coherently.
One other thing that was impressive about the visits was how relatively easy they were to schedule. In Maine anyways. Some other states tell of getting the run around, or having never met with their legislators. For us, it was simply a matter of calling up the office and asking nicely. When they weren't as familiar with us, they asked for more information first. That seems fair. The whole time we were in the offices, there was a constant stream of people. Some were basically lobbyists, like us, but others were families visiting from Maine or aides from other offices. Without fail, everyone was dealt with at the least politely.
The Aides
One of the most impressive things about visiting the offices of any legislator, is the aides. Generally, they range in age from 20 - 25. There are usually an aid or two that are a bit older, like the Chief of Staffs and that sort. Still, the average age has to be under 25. They work crazy hours, and get paid next to nothing. (Especially when you take into account that they live in DC, one of if not the most expensive cities in the US.)
And you know what? They all seem to love their jobs. Sure, it looks good on a law school application to have worked in a Senators office. But that alone couldn't explain it. Most of these people excelled in college, and could most likely get any job or into most schools. Many, I'm sure, are interested in eventually running for an office themselves. In talking to one of the aides, it was very interesting. She was talking about how she liked working on the education issues, because it was exciting. Exciting to work on important issues.
Could it be that it's not our whole generation that's suffering from apathy? Watching the aides in the offices, and the other young people that were out, like myself, lobbying for education issues, while on vacation time, I felt, for just a moment like there might be some hope for our future. Not a ton of hope maybe, but even the slightest glimmer of hope is an improvement for me.
The visits
In Maine, we are lucky when it comes to the programs that I work for. All of our members of Congress are big supporters of our programs, especially Senator Collins, who has been a big voice in maintaining our status after the budget cuts of the past few years. This year, she is co-sponsoring a letter once again, this time asking for an increase to help make up for the flat funding of the last years. During our visit she was on the floor, defending a bill. Her staff brought us down to the little room adjascent to the Senate Hearing room (this is the room you see in C-Span as you channel surf), and she took the time to come in and talk to us for a bit. Say what you want about any legislator, but it's amazing how fast they have to shift gears. Within 15 minutes, Senator Collins was having detailed conversations about rights for Firefighters, education issues for low-income students, and immigration rights. (Coherently no less.) Needless to say, I can't ever write a three paragraph blog entry coherently.
One other thing that was impressive about the visits was how relatively easy they were to schedule. In Maine anyways. Some other states tell of getting the run around, or having never met with their legislators. For us, it was simply a matter of calling up the office and asking nicely. When they weren't as familiar with us, they asked for more information first. That seems fair. The whole time we were in the offices, there was a constant stream of people. Some were basically lobbyists, like us, but others were families visiting from Maine or aides from other offices. Without fail, everyone was dealt with at the least politely.
The Aides
One of the most impressive things about visiting the offices of any legislator, is the aides. Generally, they range in age from 20 - 25. There are usually an aid or two that are a bit older, like the Chief of Staffs and that sort. Still, the average age has to be under 25. They work crazy hours, and get paid next to nothing. (Especially when you take into account that they live in DC, one of if not the most expensive cities in the US.)
And you know what? They all seem to love their jobs. Sure, it looks good on a law school application to have worked in a Senators office. But that alone couldn't explain it. Most of these people excelled in college, and could most likely get any job or into most schools. Many, I'm sure, are interested in eventually running for an office themselves. In talking to one of the aides, it was very interesting. She was talking about how she liked working on the education issues, because it was exciting. Exciting to work on important issues.
Could it be that it's not our whole generation that's suffering from apathy? Watching the aides in the offices, and the other young people that were out, like myself, lobbying for education issues, while on vacation time, I felt, for just a moment like there might be some hope for our future. Not a ton of hope maybe, but even the slightest glimmer of hope is an improvement for me.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Jobs just don't seem to be getting any better
Big plans this afternoon my people. Once again, we are celebrating the end of a job for Jason. Pretty sure we've done this three times this year already, but whatever. If that's what it takes to get us out of the house, that's what it takes.
Some people it appears, have a natural optimism that the next job will be the best one. Me? Not so much. In order, I've been a lawnmower, a babysitter, an umpire, a lifeguard, a librarian, a worker on an assembly line, free lance writer, project manager? (yeah, what was that I did at ASAP again?), and now I suppose I am basically a database and web designer. If I were to rank those jobs in order for enjoyment, I think it would go a little something like this:
A bit depressing really, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of other people aren't currently working a "top three" job. Hell, with Jason, just cracking his five for this year is hard enough.
Some people it appears, have a natural optimism that the next job will be the best one. Me? Not so much. In order, I've been a lawnmower, a babysitter, an umpire, a lifeguard, a librarian, a worker on an assembly line, free lance writer, project manager? (yeah, what was that I did at ASAP again?), and now I suppose I am basically a database and web designer. If I were to rank those jobs in order for enjoyment, I think it would go a little something like this:
- Lifeguard - Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.
- Whatever it was I did at ASAP. Web design, project planning, writing grants, it was probably the perfect job for me at the perfect time. Even if I had to put up with Goody's shit way too often.
- Free lance writer (Started working in their office in Princeton, and then continued on from Orono. Pretty interesting and well paying job, basically I had to do research on foreign countries and write travel reports for businessman and expatriates living on those countries.
- Current job
- Librarian - Not a bad job really, at least I don't think so. Honestly, one of the only things I remember about this job was Luke coming in and harrassing me with his mad up dance - The Library Shuffle.
- Assembly Line worker - A friends father got me a job boxing boxes. The work was completely and utterly mind numbingly boring, plus there was the added bonus that I had to be on the line at 7, and with NJ rush hour traffic it used to take me an hour to get there. The saving grace was that I was the only one on the line with a full grasp of English, and trying to talk to everyone else was just interesting enough to keep me from going fully crazy.
- lawnmower - Boring, boring, boring.
- umpire - Little league parents are just barely human beings.
- baby sitter - Let's just say that shitty diapers make this last by a long shot.
A bit depressing really, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of other people aren't currently working a "top three" job. Hell, with Jason, just cracking his five for this year is hard enough.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Handicapping the candidates..
Has there ever been an election, even at the early state of this election, with so many legitimate candidates that would be precedent setting? Feasibly, in January 2009, we could be introduced to our first woman President, or the first African-American president, or the first Hispanic President. (Hey, we've even got a Mormon running this time! How cute.) This in a country that has only had one president who wasn't a male, white, and Protestant. (That would be JFK, the only Catholic president we've ever had. And it's not as if he was an outsider.) We've had female candidates before, and we've had black candidates before. Hell, we've even had black female candidates before.
So this must be progress, right? Is this another of John's notpocalypse's? I'm just not sure. Race has certainly been an issue for Barack Obama. Oddly, he has been accused of being "too white." It's not a big stretch to see that what he is really being called is an "Uncle Tom." I'd hardly consider that a sign of any sort of progress.
So is it progress in gender relations that Hillary Clinton is a viable candidate for President? Possibly. There have been powerful woman politicians for some time. (For example, Margaret Chase Smith, whose portraits are all over the Senate House, and, by the way, who was also a candidate for President at one point.) I think in evaluating Hillary Clinton's candidacy as progress, you need to look, at least in part, at the way she is covered in the press. In my mind, Hillary gets a tough go of it in the press, especially in regards to her personality. Hillary is often referred to as cold, or vicious; i.e. bitchy. Male candidates with relatively similar personality issues (driven, stubborn, bad temper) include, well, most of the candidates for president. Still, Clinton has managed to at least somewhat be seen on her own as a political figure. No small achievement considering the size of the shadow cast by her husband. This alone should probably be considered some progress.
So does the makeup of the candidates serve as a sign of progress in this country? Maybe. Real progress will be seen when it's not newsworthy that we have minority candidates or female candidates. Color me as one person who will still be shocked if we end up in 2009 with anyone who doesn't fit the standard of straight, married, upperclass protestant male.
So this must be progress, right? Is this another of John's notpocalypse's? I'm just not sure. Race has certainly been an issue for Barack Obama. Oddly, he has been accused of being "too white." It's not a big stretch to see that what he is really being called is an "Uncle Tom." I'd hardly consider that a sign of any sort of progress.
So is it progress in gender relations that Hillary Clinton is a viable candidate for President? Possibly. There have been powerful woman politicians for some time. (For example, Margaret Chase Smith, whose portraits are all over the Senate House, and, by the way, who was also a candidate for President at one point.) I think in evaluating Hillary Clinton's candidacy as progress, you need to look, at least in part, at the way she is covered in the press. In my mind, Hillary gets a tough go of it in the press, especially in regards to her personality. Hillary is often referred to as cold, or vicious; i.e. bitchy. Male candidates with relatively similar personality issues (driven, stubborn, bad temper) include, well, most of the candidates for president. Still, Clinton has managed to at least somewhat be seen on her own as a political figure. No small achievement considering the size of the shadow cast by her husband. This alone should probably be considered some progress.
So does the makeup of the candidates serve as a sign of progress in this country? Maybe. Real progress will be seen when it's not newsworthy that we have minority candidates or female candidates. Color me as one person who will still be shocked if we end up in 2009 with anyone who doesn't fit the standard of straight, married, upperclass protestant male.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Feeling a little crazy here
Someday I'm going to write about the good things about my job. There are a few good things mixed in with all day to day shit that drives me crazy. Someday I'll complile a list and write about them. Someday.
One of the weirder things about working where I work is most noticeable this time of year. In most offices around the US, I imagine people are starting to get excited about basketball. You know, March Madness? The small little college basketball tournament which just so happens to be the biggest gambling event of every year?
I would imagine soon there will be office pools being passed around, daily commiserating at the water cooler about Cincinatti's (or know K-State's) surprising early round loss, and shared excitement about this year's George Mason. Not so much in my office. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person in my office that has even heard of Kevin Durant, Joachim Noah, or Greg Oden. (In a related story, I am also the only Celtics fan in the office.)
Nope. No sports in this office. If you want to hold a conversation with people in this office, it better be about babies, politics, or the rising price of gas. (Of course, everyone checks in daily on the status of the wedding planning. This, they understand.) Needless to say, talking about fantasy sports is a no go.
As I haven't been fired or quit my job yet, looks like I should be prepared for another March Madness of cheering alone in my office, sadly watching scores scroll by on the ESPN score updater thingy, letting out barely audible wahoos whenever there's an upset. Sweetness.
One of the weirder things about working where I work is most noticeable this time of year. In most offices around the US, I imagine people are starting to get excited about basketball. You know, March Madness? The small little college basketball tournament which just so happens to be the biggest gambling event of every year?
I would imagine soon there will be office pools being passed around, daily commiserating at the water cooler about Cincinatti's (or know K-State's) surprising early round loss, and shared excitement about this year's George Mason. Not so much in my office. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person in my office that has even heard of Kevin Durant, Joachim Noah, or Greg Oden. (In a related story, I am also the only Celtics fan in the office.)
Nope. No sports in this office. If you want to hold a conversation with people in this office, it better be about babies, politics, or the rising price of gas. (Of course, everyone checks in daily on the status of the wedding planning. This, they understand.) Needless to say, talking about fantasy sports is a no go.
As I haven't been fired or quit my job yet, looks like I should be prepared for another March Madness of cheering alone in my office, sadly watching scores scroll by on the ESPN score updater thingy, letting out barely audible wahoos whenever there's an upset. Sweetness.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Don't look know...
No grab bag on Friday, I was too busy not working and nursing a small to medium sized hangover to do write anything. Remember hearing rumors about UMaine not cancelling classes? Falsehoods. Might have been try when everyone who went to school there lived there, but nowadays UMaine cancels classes like a high school. So, as of 3 o'clock on Thursday I knew I wouldn't have to work on Friday. Also, there is a new sports bar in town. Add those two things together and smush them around a bit, and you can figure out what my Thursday night was like.
The rest of my enforced long weekend was good, but not as eventful. See, we're old. Going out two times in a weekend isn't really recommended anymore. Might cause intestinal problems, not to mention irrecoverable hangovers.
---
Don't look now, but the Celts can't lose. Way to play your way out of last place! I get shit for it, but I still have optimism for this team. Add one more star, and this is a team that compete in the East. Shut up Jason, I can hear you snickering from here.
---
Went up to camp on Sunday. We're getting a fair amount of work done, so it was time to check it out. Check out the pics below.
The rest of my enforced long weekend was good, but not as eventful. See, we're old. Going out two times in a weekend isn't really recommended anymore. Might cause intestinal problems, not to mention irrecoverable hangovers.
---
Don't look now, but the Celts can't lose. Way to play your way out of last place! I get shit for it, but I still have optimism for this team. Add one more star, and this is a team that compete in the East. Shut up Jason, I can hear you snickering from here.
---
Went up to camp on Sunday. We're getting a fair amount of work done, so it was time to check it out. Check out the pics below.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
A new arrival
Well now.
The campaign is off to a slightly rocky start, thanks to Joe noticing I'm not old enough, John noticing that I'm too Italian, and the almost wife not allowing me to screw any interns. My brother on the other hand, is definitely going to be my press secretary.
If these are the only things holding me back, I think my campaign can surmount them. Even if the almost wife isn't going to allow me to sleep my way to the top.
---
Woke up today feeling ok. Sounds small, but generally I wake up and I'm either a) cranky as shit because I haven't slept all night, or b) cranky as shit because my back hurts.
Don't get me wrong, I still wouldn't say I slept well, but I did at least sleep last night, and I can actually sit up straight today without my back screaming at me. Which is nice. Remember the days when we could play basketball all day, drink all night, sleep through class the next morning, and repeat? And there would be no repercussions? (Other than accidentally infuriating some pretentious poser in the English department, who was most likely going to try to make me explain how the theme of some book was a pre-cursor to the post-modernist feminist movement. Somehow, I don't think I was missing much be skipping class to either sleep or play basketball. Both my body and my mind are still thankful.)
---
One last thing for today, I heard through the grapevine last night that there might be a new Goodwin in the world. Miss Molly Goodwin, welcome to the world, and good luck dealing with your father. You're going to need it. You're mom on the other hand? She's a saint. (Proof for this is the fact that she always picked up your father from our parties after we accidentally got him completely and utterly intoxicated.)
The campaign is off to a slightly rocky start, thanks to Joe noticing I'm not old enough, John noticing that I'm too Italian, and the almost wife not allowing me to screw any interns. My brother on the other hand, is definitely going to be my press secretary.
If these are the only things holding me back, I think my campaign can surmount them. Even if the almost wife isn't going to allow me to sleep my way to the top.
---
Woke up today feeling ok. Sounds small, but generally I wake up and I'm either a) cranky as shit because I haven't slept all night, or b) cranky as shit because my back hurts.
Don't get me wrong, I still wouldn't say I slept well, but I did at least sleep last night, and I can actually sit up straight today without my back screaming at me. Which is nice. Remember the days when we could play basketball all day, drink all night, sleep through class the next morning, and repeat? And there would be no repercussions? (Other than accidentally infuriating some pretentious poser in the English department, who was most likely going to try to make me explain how the theme of some book was a pre-cursor to the post-modernist feminist movement. Somehow, I don't think I was missing much be skipping class to either sleep or play basketball. Both my body and my mind are still thankful.)
---
One last thing for today, I heard through the grapevine last night that there might be a new Goodwin in the world. Miss Molly Goodwin, welcome to the world, and good luck dealing with your father. You're going to need it. You're mom on the other hand? She's a saint. (Proof for this is the fact that she always picked up your father from our parties after we accidentally got him completely and utterly intoxicated.)
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