Bruno and Ich

Does anyone else see the resemblance?

A few weeks ago I went to see Bruno with Casey and my friend whom I'll refer to as T. We had all been looking forward to the film since we'd heard about it. The previews made the film look hilarious. And it was. But a lot of the time I felt extremely uncomfortable... even though I was with two other close gay males.

That could have been because despite our small island of queer in the theatre, we were surrounded by a sea of breeders who seemed to be laughing at, instead of with, Bruno. The things we laughed at were different. I laughed at the miming of the blow job out of familiarity, they laughed at what Bruno was wearing. Granted, some of those outfits were outrageous, but many of the pieces were designer pieces, as indicated by Casey. I feel like the audience would have laughed at my image on screen just easily-- not that I wear designer, like Casey, but that I have a flamboyant air about me.

But Bruno breaks so many taboos and makes fun of so many different groups, the public's reaction to the film has been more nuanced than the gay/straight divide. For instance, one prominent gay activist called on Sacha Baron Cohen to explicitly state his support for gay rights. One San Fransisco Chronicle film critic found the comedy in the film tantamount to "gay blackface." Casey, T, and I disagreed.

I've heard some straight people feel confused by the film. A coworker of mine said she would have reacted as did the TV talk show audience to the apparent child abuse of baby OJ, whom Bruno adopted and dressed in a GAYBY t-shirt. I think she missed the idea that Bruno was embodying the sick consumer/celebrity culture of the US.

I've read and heard some intellectual film critics bash the film for using cheap methods, especially shock value, to draw crowds. Certainly the shock factor does do the foot work for getting people into the theatre, but I think there is something more profound in Bruno. It is derived from Cohen's sense of humor that uses outlandish characters to poke fun at bigotry. But in Bruno, he was able to call out the insanity of American celebrity culture, homophobia, machismo and religious zealotry all at once. As someone who is completely disgusted with all of the above, I say bravo.

Columbus Jazz and Ribs 2009

Casey and I made it to the Jazz and Ribs festival this weekend. You might ask yourself, why would two gay white vegetarians choose to go to a Jazz and Ribs festival. The answer lies in the jazz more than the ribs. Casey is a jazz enthusiast, and we even found a band playing more complex stuff than the regular jam band that is the Columbus norm. The ribs part of the festival only reinforced my vegetarianism. The belches of smoke billowing from the pork covered grills made me ill, but I must admit, I probably would have bought a barbecue covered tofu steak :)

The cool thing for me at the jazz fest was seeing the diverse groups intermingle in leisure. There were many working class people (from places like my home town) mixing with inner city professionals and poor people. Every minority group was found there too. It wouldn't have been Columbus if someone hadn't yelled "fags!" at us, but other than that there seemed to be harmony. Of course, few people were actually intermingling with people different themselves, but at least they were enjoying music together in the same space.

The space itself was interesting. I had only been to the westernmost part of the Arena district once for Red, White, and Boom. It's sort of a liminal space that is flanked by undeveloped land and downtown. It is aesthetically pleasing, but as a new development, it feels fabricated and mall-like. Perhaps in ten years it will feel more authentic, but as a business improvement district, it will likely remain sterile.

The Triumvirate of Doom: Cars, Healthcare, and Food

So, contrary to the note of my previous post, here is another rant. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Case and I were enjoying dinner together at Easton this evening. I opted for Chipotle because I'll eat it any chance I get. Casey needed something coffee-esque, so he got Potbelly, where he got a mocha shake. We sat at a picnic table outside, each consuming our respective fast food.

The picnic table was situated next to a parking lot, where cars would screech by at top speed, upsetting the pleasantness of the moment. Sitting there, with these noisy cars for whom this place, Easton, was made, stuffing our faces with cheap food lacking nutritional value and loaded with calories and chemicals, our asses getting fatter by the second and likely forming the free radicals in our organs that will later become cancer, it dawned on me. All of these unhealthy and destructive systems, our car nation and suburbanization, the food-like substances system, and the miserly health care (or should I say sick care) industry are weaved together into a quilt of doom. This quilt is not one that you would receive from your bored grandmother, or one that Vera Bradley would shred to create an ugly purse. This quilt is used to strangle you and carry your remains.

It really started with the cars, didn't it? Well the marriage of the car and the suburb. All of those war vets coming home for WWII needed a place to live, the old government story goes. So the Fed began insuring loans for people to buy houses. But they only guaranteed them for white people... and instead of doing something logical, like encouraging homeownership or renters to dwell in the inner city, where they had traditionally, the government only insured home loans in the suburbs. The result was a nation of cookie cutter houses spread so far apart that the car industry made a windfall providing every single last homeowner with a car or two. To get all of these people into the city with their cars in an efficient way, we had to bulldoze vibrant urban neighborhoods, most of them belonging to African Americans, to make way for highways. And to feed all of these people quickly, we had to create the fast food industry, which was the catalyst for the disgusting food system we are stricken with today. (Note that most everything you buy at the supermarket is produced a la fast food, even the vegetable produce, which means that your spinach might be contaminated with e. coli... so eat organic!!)

Now, no one is walking to work anymore because there is nowhere to walk, and it's too far away. We are slaves to the vehicles. And because the quality of our food is sacrificed to speed and quantity, we are getting sick on a massive scale. (Go see Food, Inc... I won't even visit how angry I was after watching that film, except to say that if any corporation can be called nefarious, it's Monsanto.) So we are getting fatter and we are getting sick because of this lifestyle.

Enter the HMO to make another windfall on our fat asses. Most civilized countries realized a long time ago that a single payer system is the only way to provide health care to everyone in an efficient and humane way. And health care is a right!!! It is also a responsibility, but it is a fundamental right.

But in the US, where profits are always put before people, the government left the responsibility of our health as a nation in the hands of these HMOs. Like any for profit company, the goal is to cut costs. That means, denying you coverage and benefits that you paid for; that is, if you can afford the outrageous costs in the first place.

It is absolutely no wonder that we are fat, sick and broke. The system on a macro level seems almost designed to keep us that way. Very few people have the means to escape the slavery that is the automobile and fast food. And no one goes unaffected by our pitiful health care system. Fortunately, Obama has begun to address health care... let's hope he succeeds. In the mean time, eat smart, ditch the car, and move into the city, where you are often forced to walk. It's a happier place :)

My blog posts are nothing but a bunch of bitching

As many of posts begin, so does this one. It has been a long time since I've written. I've been super busy so far this summer with two jobs, so that is my excuse.

A dear friend of mine, SW, pointed out to me the last time I saw her that my blogging amounts to ranting. And she's right. The main things that inspire me to write/blog are things that piss me off. And living in conservative Ohio gives me plenty of inspiration. For me, this blog serves as a healthy outlet for me to express deep seated rage and emotion that I feel toward the system in which we live.

But I am trying to imagine what my audience (whoever and however few people that may encompass) must think. Perhaps it's not that interesting or maybe depressing to read someone bitch and complain constantly. Perhaps I should broaden my style to include topics that can be profound but not so anger-ridden.

Conclusion: I'll work on it.

The Chagrin of a Fallen Billionaire

The Feds caught billionaire fraudster Allen Stanford in VA Thursday night. His wealth is reported to be the creation of an international Ponzi scheme, taking new investors money to pay the profits of existing clients. CNN has the story here.

The poor sap complained a couple a months ago that he had to fly commercial airlines after the federal government confiscated his six private jets.

"They make you take your shoes off and everything," he said. "It's terrible."

Wow what a poor soul. Having to take your shoes off at security. That's definitely the worse part of being poor.

I wouldn't mind a view of the East River :)

Would the UN building in Manhattan be better used as housing?

David Rothkopf thinks so. He thinks the member states would get more out of the funds raised by the condo project than any of the results we've seen with the UN's "negotiations" with N. Korea.

"Seriously, I can hardly understand how in a city in which every cab driver is prepared to get all up in your grille about the most casual comment, these UN folks can manage to negotiate the basics of daily life. It takes more gumption than they have ever displayed to get a waiter to bring you a menu at most Manhattan coffee shops."

Kidney Stones, you are the bane of my life!

I have not been writing very much lately. I realize many of posts start off with a phrase like the previous sentence. But this time I have an excuse. Aside from a somewhat intense week of final exams, which I thankfully passed with A's, I have been suffering from kidney stones for a little less than a week. And holy fuck do they hurt.

I awoke Thursday night after several glasses of wine to a massive pain in my lower right back side. I was howling for a long time (Casey thought I was either having an orgasm or a baby) before I started crying. Then the vomit came. The pain was so intense that I spent a great deal of the night in front of the toilet. I wondered if I had alcohol poisoning for a while, but I hadn't drunk that much.

After a 5th puke session, my pain subsided enough for me to fall asleep. The next morning, I still felt some aftershock pain in my back, but it was a fraction of what I had experienced the night before. This was good, because I had to go into WOSU for training on new protocol that had been adopted since I left in December.

On my way home, I called my mom to tell her about this bizarrely intense pain. Right away, she said "You have a kidney stone." She had had one herself a couple years ago, and funnily enough, she said that it was the closest thing to a labor pain she had suffered through outside of labor. I no longer felt like a big wussy for crying and writhing around in pain.

Casey and I went out for dinner that night, and I was still quite tender. To his chagrin, I refused to stop at Bodega on the way home for a beer... I just needed to lie down for a while. A sharp pain returned, but it was momentary and I was able to fall asleep. The next day, I felt completely fine. Story over... or so I thought.

But then, Monday morning, I awoke to the most tortuous of pains. I realized that I could not go through this process again. I woke Casey up and told him I needed to go to the hospital. When we finally got to a hospital that was open, (we made a detour to an urgent care that was near to us that refused to let me in because they did not open until 9am) I ran in. The pain slowly increased in intensity, to the point that I was bawling and yelling for pain meds by the time they were trying to get my medical info. It was like the labor scene in Nine Months, except not nearly as cute or endearing.

They finally gave me some really amazing pain meds that made me feel happy. I was able to relax and watch CNN with Casey for a bit. They conducted a CT scan which confirmed I had a stone that is small enough to pass. The doc prescribed me some pain meds (he almost gave me a prescription for Flomax, that medecine that helps old men who can't pee because of prostate enlargement, further contributing to my comlex that I am an old man...)

They finally released me around 1, and I just yesterday got over the pain. I am not sure if I have passed it, or if it is just in a position where it does not hurt. But I can't even describe how much of a hell this has been. After being home for a couple of hours, it became difficult to keep any food or liquids down, which meant that I couldn't keep pain meds down, which meant I was still experiencing a great deal of pain. With the aid of soda crackers and 7up, I was finally able to keep food, liquid (ungodly amounts of water) and meds down.

I wish I could feel relief at this point. I do in that I have no pain right now, and this is without the aid of pain meds (none since 4:30 am.) However, I felt this way a week ago when I originally thought I had passed the stone. And then Monday happened. I fear having to go through this again.

If the fear of having to relive this were not bad enough, I don't even want to think about the hospital bill we will be getting. My mom has insurance, but she doubts they will cover anything. I have written before about how shitty GM insurance has become. I have been trying to figure out an estimate for the bill, with a CT scan, an IV, those shots of that happy drug, the blood test, and the urine test, etc., and I hope that it is less than $3000. My family has promised to pay for it (thank god, I had to miss this whole week of work), but we are all struggling right now. It just doesn't seem fair that the insurance should be able to get away with not paying... they have the means. I will let you know when I get the bill the final total.

If we had a single payer system like in Europe or Canada, all of us could live with a peace of mind that no matter our income, we will always have the right to healthcare.

A Valentine Wish for (gay) Love and Financial Equality

I have no analysis for you, but this is just fabulous, albeit late (Suze's Valentine's Day wish.)



I keep waiting for her to say: "What is going on my little honies?" or "As much as this pains me, I have to deny all straight people the right to marriage, you simply cannot afford it and don't deserve it."

Just another facet of the logical argument for gay marriage. NPR featured a story on the gay tax, making a similar argument. Gays are paying taxes, but are being cheated of the financial rewards of marriage straight people enjoy.

GM Bankruptcy... thank god Mama T's plant isn't closing

Great relief today after the announcement of the list of closing plants that accompanies GM's bankruptcy. Mama T's plant is not one of them!! Sorry for those who lost out on this one.

I was frightened over the weekend when I heard that there would be plant closings, and that dental insurance was being cut. Fortunately, neither affect our family. The UAW conceded dental insurance for retirees only. But according to Mama T, it is only a matter of time before her dental insurance will be cut. We already have a shitty deal for health insurance -- our family is afforded only 3 doctor visits a year, which is wholly inadequate for a family of two kids, a mom, and a 20 something.

NPR details the loss here

Un-broke: You don't know how to manage your money, so rich people are going to tell you how.

Un-Broke: The Seth Green Cribs Edition

Friday night, I had just finished eating leftover stirfry and was looking forward to watching Super Nanny before going out for drinks. But Jo was nowhere to be found. Instead, like a public service announcement, Un-Broke interrupted regular Friday night broadcasting (and all of the pleasure I derive from seeing Jo's healthy discipline technique) to tell me that I need to be frugal.

The show is right. Americans have been dwelling in an increasingly borrowed reality that we do not own. We have way too many credit cards, debt up the ass, and all we have to show for it are heaping piles of junk we don't need. It's toxic on every level, from the damage to our psyches, to our growing fat asses.

Seth Green's Cribs parody (above) was perhaps the gem of the show. As a common man, he gives us a tour of his extremely modest dwelling (a 1 bedroom ranch style) while still employing the rich gangster vernacular. Case in point: " Keep yer spending tight, and your money on your mind." We are shown a "state-of-the-art play station", which amounts to a pile of a boardgames; "bubbly," or bubble bath soap that he uses to clean his feet, and a luxurious plastic kiddy pool that is filled with "hose"... you get the picture.


This is what we should all be doing... living within our means. And that's great. This is what Americans need to hear. Too often, like the Cribs show Green was parodying, we are given rich celebrities to emulate, glamorizing consumerism and luxury. Green says:

"We're in a culture that emphasizes a lot of importance on financial wealth... so I'm concerned for all of America's youth who grew up watching [MTV's] My Super Sweet 16 and Cribs. They have such different goals and aspirations. You can't fault kids for their influences. Kids only learn what you tell them."

My only caveat is I sensed an underlying tongue-in-cheekness not just toward the Cribs show, but to the commonman austerity the clip was ostensibly idolizing. While it was extremely amusing to see juxtaposed a hood language of the rapping rich with modest living arrangements, it perhaps overemphasized the gap between the two. That is to say, seeing a kiddy pool might not make us think of poverty straightaway, but when you say "Staying cool by the pool" which elicits images of relaxing near a fancy pool, but then shoot to the kiddy pool, disappointing our expections, it simply exacerbates the jealousy we feel toward the wealthy.

It certainly does not help that during the course of the show, it is the super wealthy that are telling us how to manage our money, Green included. It is quite patronizing. Green, Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, the Jonas Brothers (perhaps most insulting of all), none of them have to deal with the realities of money management or austerity. They can continue to enjoy all of the luxury they desire, including multimillion dollar mansions. But it is they who are telling us to behave with our money, to only buy a shitty 1-bedroom ranch style home so as to keep housing costs at less than 1/3 of our total income. Easy for them to say.

In sum, the show was good. It attempted to inculcate values that have long since vanished from the US, first and foremost frugality and austerity. But the message might have resonated a little better with lesser known actors (whom we don't recognize for their lavish spending.) Although, I suppose then there might be less incentive to watch. You just can't win :)

Work it girl! Or Lady Gaga's recipe for success

She's all the rage. I have heard Poker Face, but don't hear anything particularly unique. For all the hype, Lady Gaga sounds like generic dance pop.

But to see Gaga is anything but generic. While critics say she's simply stealing David Bowie's style, she is a unique sight to behold. And I have to admit that I am jealous of the no pants thing... in my dreams, I am a pop star who rocks leotards and freak'em dresses as a quotidian. It is refreshing to see a female artist subverting traditional images of feminine sexiness. (Although I would be interested to read a feminist take on her... it could be argued she is simply playing into those images.)

In the new RS, she says

"I operate from a place of delusion... I used to walk down the street like a fucking star... I want ppl to walk around delusional about how great they can be - and then to fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth."

On one level, it's super exciting to subscribe to this - to strut around the streets like you own them (I confess :) and perhaps play into the illusion of one day becoming rich and famous. But this idea is uniquely American, isn't it? To believe that the key to success is placed soley on the shoulders of the individual, that by working or fighting hard enough, wealth and fame will come.

But we know that fame and wealth are matters of chance, of being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people. There are also powerful social forces, especially poverty, in play that would prevent the majority of would be divas from stardom. (Yes, believe it or not, America, there are social classes in the United States.) Simply believing you'll be wealthy (delusion) will not make you wealthy, no matter how many times Oprah or Lady Gaga tells you otherwise. I can keep strutting my little ass around the streets of Columbus, but I am not gonna be picked up by a modeling agency and catapulted into success, now am I?

Any thoughts, my precious (few) readers?

Regarding my decision to go to graduate school at OSU as opposed to Columbia

It has been a long long time since I last blogged. I was distracted by another blog (sorry for this infidelity, my dear Painting) and an issue of grave importance. All of my work at applying to graduate school culminated in my being accepted to Columbia's MA program in Sociology. A dream come true no? Casey and I had been struggling with the idea of staying in Columbus for two more years, and we both wanted to move to NYC.

Well no actually. Below is the email I received from Columbia in regards to admittance. Note that I only received this email of admittance after having emailed the school in the middle of April to get the status of my application. In other words, they had simply forgotten to notify me.

Dear Mr. Adams,

I am sorry that you have not received notification of your admission status... The faculty admissions committee in Sociology, unfortunately, was unable to offer you admission to the PhD program. However, you and a select few other applicants were offered admission to the Master of Arts degree program. The department could enroll only 7 new PhD students this year and thus many fine applicants could not be offered admission to the PhD. And this year, because of the financial situation, we has to cut back the number of offers of admission. But since your application showed promise, the faculty offered admission to the MA program.

Great, I thought! I cannot tell you the sheer joy I experienced upon receiving this email. This was it. It was perfect. I was going to Columbia, an Ivy League school. No one could refuse me admittance into a PhD program with the brandname of Columbia on my CV. And Casey and I would move and all would be glorious.

Then, reality sunk in. First, the program I was admitted to was the free standing masters program, and it was designed for business people (gag) and public policy makers. Why was I admitted to this program in the first place? I have absolutely no experience whatsoever in anything practical or applied. I only know theory.

Further, the program was unfunded. The tuition for the one year was lower than expected... only $17K, which I feel is a manageable and even reasonable amount of debt for a masters degree. However, combined with the exorbitant cost of living in NYC and the fact that I later discovered that my bf would not be able to move with me right away, so I would have to find roommates or pay for a closet on my own, makes this choice less glamorous. In fact, I might be committing financial suicide by going there.

The job situation is tenuous enough right now. To move to NY without any prospect for a job is frankly foolish for me. And even if I were to get a job or two, (which I would have to do!!) most of my time then would be spent on making money to keep afloat in the city, not on graduate work, which should be my number 1 focus right now. All of these difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that the Columbia program is one year... simply not enough time to produce a glorious, publishable thesis that could guarantee admittance into a FUNDED PhD program.

Then there is good old OSU. I received their admittance letter the day I returned from Africa. OSU is relatively cheap, Columbus is so so so cheap, and the geography program here is top 5 in the nation. Also, the MA here is research and theory oriented, so I don't have to worry about all that practical applicaiton bs. I'll have two comfortable years in which I can apply to PhD programs and produce a kick ass thesis. Also, I was recently rehired by WOSU to answer phones and do research for Open Line. This is such a great job!! :) I get paid next to nothing, but it is 20 hours a week, M-F (so weekends off.. yay to cheap beer at Bodega happy hour) and I love it. What more can you ask for honey?? (As my gma would say.)

I still get sick to my stomach when I think about throwing away the opportunity at Columbia. Was this my chance to make the transition to New York and get my foot in the door of a top ranked school/program? Maybe. Am I throwing it away? I look at it as putting into a treasure chest and locking it up for a couple of years, and then getting it out and seizing the opportunity when I have funding and can actually afford NYC (and by afford, I still mean struggle to survive on a stipend of 23k when at least half of it will go to rent.)

And I am in such a zen place right now. I am happy here in Columbus. I have a lovely apartment, I can comfotably afford to splurge every now and then. And I have my bf as a partner crime. I think this is a much more conducive environment to academic/intellectual stimulation than waiting tables 12 hours a day to just make rent.

So there's my explanation and justification for not accepting Columbia's offer. You may call me a fool. Maybe even complacent (please don't call me that, it's my biggest fear in the world.) But in the end, Columbus and OSU just feel right right now.

"When you get the blanket thing, you can relax, because everything you could ever want or be, you already have and are." - Bernard Jaffe, I Heart Huckabees

Happy Earth Day... brought to you by Wal Mart!!

I was enjoying a lovely pb&j for breakfast and watching Daytime Columbus when an "environmentalist" came on to tell me about ways I can make a difference without causing any inconvenience for myself. His prescription: buy buy buy!! You can buy these awesome organic t-shirts... after you wear them, you'll need to wash them, so buy Tide's new cold water detergent so you don't waste energy using warm water. And to hang them up, buy these recycled hangers...

It's great that he is encouraging everyone to use cold water, but why should we buy a specific brand of detergent? You can just as well wash your clothes in cold water with any detergent that you can buy anywhere. But can you get the items he is advertising just anywhere? Nope.

Where is all this great stuff available? Wal Mart!! Where else? The fact that an environmentalist is encouraging me to buy stuff in order to save the environment is dubious because as we all know, buying means that we waste tons of energy. But the fact that this guy is touting Wal Mart as an environmentally friendly company is outrageous.

So I researched this "environmentalist" named Bob Lilienfeld only to find that he is as much an environmentalist as George Bush was an honest man. Robert M. Lilienfeld is President of The Cygnus Group, where he " has 30 years of marketing, strategic planning, public relations and advertising experience in both the consumer and business-to-business fields." This is completely fucked up.

That he is duping everyone into spending their way out of global warming makes sense knowing that he is a business man, not a genuine environmentalist. It also shows that corporate America will stop at nothing to keep consumers spending, no matter how dire the economic or environmental situation becomes. How irresponsible of all the news channel to affirm this man's lies... but I guess everything is just goddamn peachy so long as you shop at Wal Mart.

On Making Over the Blog: From Notebook to City Painting

It was time. The blog had been bland and theme-less for long enough... I mean, TYLER'S NOTEBOOK??? Come on! It was time to make the blog fabulous - give it some color and some direction!

And so here it is. Painting the City Red. The title captures my primary interests in a neat old-fashioned expression. Significance? First of all, every queer dreams of himself as a star. When I go out, the city turns red. Beyond that superficiality, I often write about cities and my prerogative is one of progressive/socialist (communist=red) politics... what better way to combine the two? That it also touches on OSU colors is not intentional, and frankly if there were a way to associate cities and socialism in such a catchy phrase without invoking that color, believe me I would. Alas, there isn't. Consider it a tribute to the city of Columbus (but not its famed sports team.)

A Floridian Vacation

Casey and I returned from a lovely trip to Florida to visit his parents. Going to Florida is always pleasant, but it often leaves a bitter taste behind. I've figured out why that is. I have identified the three features that contribute to the quintessential Floridian vacation.

1.) The first is the pleasant weather - plenty of sun, warm temperatures, and beaches!! The climate and geography of Florida makes us all want to be nude, or close to it. What else would possess or excuse a 70 year old man in a speedo to frolic on the beach with his granddaughter?

It is sexy to be on the beach bathing in sunlight and the waves of the ocean, being immersed in nature, and feeling largely unrestrained except for a thin layer of bathing suit that separates your most prized body parts from the outside world.

The climate makes us happy and allows us to overlook the two other not-so-peachy features of the quintessential Floridian vacation....

2.) The first bitterness we overlook until after we leave is the indigenous people of Florida. That is, all of the rednecks and white trash that inhabit that peninsular paradise. Yes, Florida is the haven of the wife beater wearing, Key Stone Light drinking, ignorant gay bashing redneck.

Last year when we were visiting, I was rocking my favorite bathing suit, a khaki green boy short. Case and I were walking toward the beach when a mother, who was accompanying her two young daughters mind you, yelled "FAGS!" at Casey and I!!! As if she were not a bad enough example for her daughters, she had a Marborlo sticking out of her mouth, and her skin was the color of an orange that I had consumed earlier that day. EW!

It's a problem especially for gay people because I don't feel safe going out unless it is a gay club or I am in a big city like Miami. It's hard to feel comfortable in my own skin there, and there is little worse than that feeling.

If that demographic didn't make me worry for the welfare of the State of Florida, the vast numbers of old crusty retirees that flock there to live permanently or for the Winter are largely tasteless and spend their money on all the most gaudy gold jewelry (men and women alike). Further, Mom jeans are simply unacceptable, yet even the wealthier residents of Florida have somehow managed to get their hands on them. UNACCEPTABLE!! If you have the money, you had better be stylish... it's insulting and offensive otherwise. Insulting because I have very little money and I manage to make myself fabulous; offensive because it is painful for the eyes.

Another example of this tastelessness is the Floridian concept of dressing up. To dress up, wear khaki fabric in some form and a polo... it's as simple as that! The khaki can be shorts, trousers, or skirt (as long as it is covers the ankles.) Your shoes cannot be anything other than flip flops or sandals, although bare feet seem to be appropriate for any social situation as well. Can any culture that lends itself to such trash get any worse? Yes it can...

3.) Perhaps the worst feature of the Floridian vacation and the Floridian lifestyle in general is its lack of environmental concern. Living or visiting Florida is unsustainable... there is sprawl up the ass, people water their lawns and fill their swimming pools (and even the poorest redneck owns a pool in Florida) despite a fresh water supply shortage, and how does one survive the hot Floridian sun? AIR CONDITIONING. All of this leads to a barren cultural wasteland that is consuming resources that it simply doesn't have. So with all of the money that tourism and old people bring with them, the State imports water and all of the other resources of which it can't produce enough. And the cycle of degradation continues.

Wow. I just bitched a great deal about a place where I always have a great time. Casey's parents show us a great time, and they are wonderful people. But Florida does have some serious issues it should address to become an ecofriendly place. And it already has a headstart with its lovely climate :)

Stuff I looked at/ate today

Read:
An Anthropological History of Drums in the Americas
A Natural History of Latin
Nietzsche in 90 minutes
Deer Hunting with Jesus

Ate:
oatmeal with blueberries, agave-maple syrup blend
glass of milk (WHOLE, not skim)
chocolate filled milanos
cream cheese covered whole wheat bagel
spinach salad w/ cranberries, goat cheese, and vinaigrette
more milanos
two slices of bread w/ butter
starbucks tall coffee (thanks daddy!)
and on my way to eat a chipotle veggie burrito!

**DISCLAIMER**
I am extremely bored, which is why I am telling you everything I put in my mouth and head today.

I also browsed an ungodly number of websites, including the table of condiments periodically expire. I contemplated many different haircuts that might look good on me, as well. Yes a productive day it has indeed been! And I can't forget the hours of NPR I listened to...

Gray Skies

I am feeling very blah today.

Blah indeed.

I have no job. I have gotten the first in what is likely to be a chain of rejection letters from grad schools. Proof that a ticket into elite financial security is not as easy as spending countless hours and $100 each on grad school applications.

To boot, I cannot find a professor who is willing to take on my research project that would be my senior thesis. Namely, I want to study gay space in the context of Kampala, Uganda. But the most explicative response I got was that such a project requires a strong background in sexuality studies, which I don't have. So there is not enough time to do justice to such a project apparently. Oh well... perhaps a project for graduate school...

The icing on the cake is finding casey's and my bike in the basement commons of my apartment building with the lock forcibly removed by pliers... Maintenance was painting and the bikes were in at the end of the hallway. Instead of sending an email to us to remove the bikes, they just cut the locks off. That's $40 down the drain. Thanks David Day.

I am not too entirely downtrodden. I did get into OSU's geography program. I don't know what kind of stipend I'll be getting, if any at all, but at least there is some peace of mind in that knowledge. Also, not working is kind of nice. I like waking up and not having anything to do but surf the internet ceaselessly.

Unfortunately, I can't afford to not have a job. Not that job searching would be fruitful in anyway given the increasingly piss poor shape of the economy. Oh well, I am going to Florida next week to bask in the sun on a lovely beach far away from the cold. I can at least be thankful that I will have spent 7 of the 12 coldest Ohio weeks in the warmth of equatorial Africa/Florida. On that note, I am off to pack my sunscreen and towel. Yes you have permission to hate me.