All We Are Saying...is How Psychic Were We In '03?
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: mumblemumblefuckbush...hmm? no i didn't say anything :)
If my archaeology presentation hadn't been pushed to Monday, I might have gone to this march, which was advertized at my church.

This is why.

"The blast capped four exceedingly violent days in which at least 116 people, including 11 Americans, were killed in a storm of bombings and ambushes blamed on Iraqi insurgents, believed largely populated by members of the disaffected Sunni Arab minority...The skyrocketing violence since then is viewed by some as a response to political developments that the United States and the Shiite-dominated power structure had hoped would tamp down the bloodshed."

Isn't it frightening when everything you said would happen back when war was being "deliberated" actually happens? I am so sickeningly unsurprised by anything that's happen in Iraq since the beginning of the war. Two years ago I sat in English class, certain that if we attacked Iraq we'd never get out, and we'd cause more damage than the amount needed to topple Saddam. Back then most people thought I was exaggerating. How could she know what's going to happen? Couldn't it just as easily have gone the other way? But it didn't, and that's what matters.

We started this on the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. However early on it was debunked, that seed of fear was planted without which the war never would have gone over with the public. But, accoridng to AP, "the Bush administration has also signalled it has no intention of joining the comprehensive test ban treaty, or signing a verifiable accord ending the production of new fissile material intended for nuclear weapons. Both were pledges it made in 2000."

If nuclear weapons are dangerous enough that we bomb a country that might be thinking about making them, the U.S. should take a look in the mirror and change its attitude about its own WMDs.

Another True Story Too Weird to Make Up
Mood:  happy


Yes, it is what it looks like. In Pikesville, MD, nine bison escaped from a park and had to be herded into a tennis court by police officers.

Anyone who doesn't find this hilarious has no sense of humor.

April showers
doo doo doo...what to say? finals etc. good green grass and pink flowers. blue drop rain. berkeley sandwiches: prociutto, ricotta, arugula and honey.

...things are going to be just fine
it's quite a nice world sometimes
rain rain rain then sun sun shine
tiny little skyborn rhymes...

May is coming in four minutes.
The cruelest month has passed.
Three minutes now...better post!

Because it's Friday night...
Click

Checks and Balances
Do I even need to talk about a story called "Bush Cites Plan That Would Cut Social Security?" Clearly I do not. Especially when the number two item on his agenda is energy. Pfffttt.

I will talk about this quotation though. "We're asking people to do things that haven't been done for 20 years. We haven't addressed the Social Security problem since 1983. We haven't had an energy strategy in our country for decades. And so I'm not surprised that some are balking at doing hard work."

Did anyone see the Saturday Night Live parody of the Bush/Kerry debates? I think their mockup Bush said "hard work" about 25 times. Apparently W didn't watch that episode though or he might have realized how stupid he sounded. Then again he might not have. He might have said, "What a good idea! 'Hard work'! I'll have to talk more about that."

And then there's our lovely Congress, adding Medicaid and the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to the list of soon-to-be casualties.

::sigh::

Come on, guys. I mean really. If you can't give peace a chance, how bout old people? And poor people? And caribou? Come on, caribou are so cute.

Ok, now I've got it. What about old, poor caribou? Even Dick I-Have-Oil-In-My-Veins-Not-Blood Cheney can't say no to that.

In dog years, 2008 is only 6 months away. I wonder how long that is in caribou years.

no me likey.

Spriggin Fliggin
Wow. Spring Fling was even more fun than I remember it. Possibly that's because I don't remember it from last year, but...ah well. It was good. The music was perfect. By the time O.A.R. took the stage, it was dark and everyone was super into it. There was endless crowd surfing. Pretty much everyone got stepped on at some point. But the music just washed over us like honey, warmed by the huddling of the masses. Nothing, nothing on earth can capture that lifted reborn feeling like a saxophone and a guitar making love in the open air. It was amazingly free.

But the best thing about it was the Handsome Dan Mascot Competition earlier in the afternoon. As sorry as we all were to see the late Dan XV (ex-vee) leave for greener pastures, this was a terrific idea for a Flingthing. I didn't get to see who won, but it didn't matter. There were dogs all over Old Campus! One woman tried to get her dog into the contest but it was too late to enter. She made a bit of a scene. Then there was the "Protest Candidate," a black poodlesque creature. It was all-around ridiculous cuteness.

A good day of good play. And now to write away the night.

Finally I Am Productive!
Woot woot! Just finished my English paper...after having seven pages written I still had to spend two entire (and I do mean entire) days on it getting everything to make goddamn sense! I guess that's what I deserve for writing on Waiting For Godot. I mean, my entire arguement is that you can't legitimately interpret Waiting For Godot. That should be the end of the paper right there. Alas, I'm not quite that bold.

Hmm hmm hmm...doctor tomorrow (ha! this morning)...then meeting to talk about energy policy...then lab lab lab...then a sober version of Spring Fling -- the Shins and OAR are coming! And also this beatboxer from the Roots, but I don't care as much about him...then while everyone's passed out I'll write another paper because tomorrow's schedule is even crazier than today's. But funner: FOOT Equipment Day and TUIBsongs and ArchaeoClub feast. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!eeeeeeDietsnapplegonetomyhead....

coherency be damned! I finished a paper so screw you grammar you bitch!

Good moods come from good workouts. Quote from Steve Ilg: "SWEAT=BEADS OF TRANSFORMATION."

love love love it.

Reading Week!
The countdown begins:

Days until all my classwork is over: 15
Number of papers to complete in that time: 2.5
Number of exams to take: 1
Number of Power Point presentations: 1

Days until Spring Fling: 2
Number of inebriating beverages the average Yalie will consume on Spring Fling: 5
Number of hours of lab time my group has scheduled on Spring Fling: 7

Days until I fly home: 24
"Hours" between leaving Yale and actually getting home: 6
Actual hours between leaving Yale and actually getting home: 9
Hours of music on my iPod: 216

:D

Case In Point
From the Associated Press:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi insurgents struck across the country with bomb attacks on Saturday, killing at least 16 people, including an American soldier.

Note to GESO: That American soldier? He was also getting a free education.

So I'm a Flip-Flopper...

Yeah, so about that GESO thing...

I know I seemed pretty up on the Graduate Employees and Students Organization a week ot so ago. Well, now I'm not so convinced any more. I think the problems they're addressing are real and Yale would do well to improve them, but honestly, there are so many more important issues we need to rally support for right now. This really hit home to me when Jesse Jackson came to speak on Thursday. I would think Jesse Jackson would have more important issues to focus on right now than Grad Student rights. If someone went into a 40-year coma during the 1960s and came back to Yale today, they would think "Oh wow! The world's sure gotten better! There must not be any wars or denials of civil rights or global warming or general badness! The only thing we can complain about is that grad students don't have enough money!" I only wish this were the case. Why can't we get this many people up in arms over gay rights? or Yale's energy policy? or involvement in Iraq? The fact that these "activists" can only muster this kind of social movement when it involves their own livelihoods is a little disturbing. And unlike the dining hall workers' strike last year, the GESO strike can't have the power to inspire and keep alive the real labor movement. Their influence is limited to the insulated world af academia. Most people in the labor force cannot relate to spending 4-10 years at Yale for free. I think it's time GESO took some time to think about the larger issues they could be pouring all this energy into, and ask themselves wher e their true priorities lie.

On the other hand, this opinion piece expressed quite well the merits behind GESO's motives. And there is merit. The question is, is it worth the fuss when hundreds of other issues go by unprotested? I just don't know.