Where did you go to college? I'm approaching the end of my undergraduate education at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
No traditional grading policy, no traditional classes, no traditional foods, few traditional social practices (aside from attending a college), no football team, a geoduck for a mascot, lots of people in bare feet, so many people eating vegetarian garlic-heavy foods the school implemented a no-odor policy, independent learning contracts (where we study what we want), few class prerequisites and even fewer right-wing conservatives - Evergreen is packed w/ the unique for lack of a better term. Instead - these people are called Greeners.
I wanna find out exactly what that means - although I have a few pretty good ideas on what it is. I guess being a Greener is what you are while you're in the process of learning at The Evergreen State College and/or how you think afterward. I often feel it just means wanting to be different and that you either attend, attended or are perceived that you would fit in here. Rather than discuss the effects of Buddhism on Western psychological therapy and its common practices (which is the subject of this class) we got sidetracked. There's a lot to analyze and discuss about the effects of Buddhist belief and its practice relative to Western psychology.
But somehow we're talking about being a Greener and doing all things greener - protesting, questioning social norms, being what they call liberal or progressive and of course fighting for peace. It's been a great opportunity for me to challenge a large group of Greeners on why they do what it is they do when so much of it, especially diffusing their energy, drives me freakin' nuts. We also ended up discussing ways to make a difference in what we believe in.
That seemed to be the concurrent theme - change. I think for some reason most people here either want to change themselves or the world around them. Well there - I may have just driven the first stake through all Greeners - including me.
We've all heard, and likely experienced, writer's block - but what about when you just can't stand to read? The flame went about 25 years ago for me and books.
I used to love reading at least large portions of novels and various non-fiction books if I didn't read the whole thing. However, by the time I reached high school, I just didn't have the attention span or interest in sitting down to read. I could spend four hours writing, but not four minutes reading anything beyond periodicals and prescribed readings I couldn't skim my way through.
That finally changed when I finished Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins today. My boss recommended it just before I left for Cambodia last month. That should tell you how long I've been reading it. Despite the amount of editing I've done over the past ten years, I'm still not a very fast reader. It's the writing that seems to come fast.
This really is a big deal for me. Unlike the last book I finished nearly two years ago, I'm ready to hit another one. I might even start tonight. For anyone who knows me, that's indeed a pretty big deal.
Yes. Completing this book is a direct result of having the e-reader app on my iPhone and computer. I've had that (e)book everywhere I go and I can pull it out of my pocket w/out having to carry around a paperback. Now, I'll concede there's something very nice about reading things in print (mostly being able to tell how far along I am), but the convenience factor w/ my phone and computer was key.
Thanks Kindle and Amazon. Now I need start e-checking out books from the new Timberland Library. I wonder what Confessions of an Economic Hit Man author John Perkins would think about what Amazon and Apple, two massive international corporations, have done for me?
It's about time I take the whiteness test. The list keeps growing and further identifying a lot of the population most people I know would love to avoid - even though we apparently share a lot of similarities. So here's the list as it stands and my determination of just how white I truly am.
Let's be honest kids. Ed Hardy is about as ridiculous as it gets. The art is isn't cool and neither is paying hundreds for any shirt. Dumb, dumb, dumb... Oh yeah, I've only met one person wearing Ed Hardy who wasn't a douche - and that's because he didn't know what Ed Hardy was. Lucky son of a bitch.
I think this one ought to be taken off the list - it's soo Election 2008. Honestly, yuppie white people actually don't like America. That's why they threaten to move to Canadia. I, on the otherhand, do have a profound appreciation for America.
Yes I do - and in massive quantities. It's like ranch dip that tastes better and doesn't make you quite as fat. Oh yeah, did you know it has GARLIC? Eat enough of the stuff w/out deodorant and you'll smell like one of the kids at Evergreen. Hell yeah!
The Onion is the closest thing to the now web-based only Weekly World News Magazine. I don't think it's even the real staff running the website. But I loved those magazines!! Funniest shit you could read. I even used some of it as dummy text and headline examples in my military editors course a few years ago. I think all the would-be Weekly World News contributors are now working for the Onion - which is now about as good as it gets.
Apparently I am infatuated with these things. I've literally done 1.5 total years of PAID internship - that is of course ME paying to work. It's a great deal because in most cases it's really just a resume bullet so a magazine can get free talent while I pay about $2500/semester to work for them. I actually loathe unpaid internships, but they're a must if you ever want a real job.
Busted. I'm that guy who is riding your ass to read your bumper stickers. I like reading them. I saw one on a Ford Explorer the other day that read, "Thank God Ford doesn't make airplanes." See, you like bumper stickers too.
This is actually my favorite West Coast City. It's a real city with a real identity. I just can't take their sports teams very seriously - there or Oakland. How can they have such a high concentration of sports teams w/ no legit fans? This makes no sense to me.
Even if they're gonna put your recyclables in the dump, it's not really that big of a deal to separate your trash is it? I mean - just in case that whole trashing the earth is a legitimate theory.
I wholeheartedly agree. That body of water must be either the ocean or some inlet from a major body of water from an ocean - preferably not the Gulf of Mexico.
These are are also pretty good ideas. I'm not the biggest fan of co-ops being you have to pay into them and you don't really get things that much cheaper. Whole foods is freakin' awesome, but way overpriced. Why didn't they add Trader Joe's to this list? I'd be a liker of that too.
I come and go on this one. It's still really subjective and mostly comes in waves of really damn good or terrible in an effort to not sound like anything else, including anything good.
Don't have this battle w/ me. You can bring up the iPhone 4, but I don't own one and I'd be sure to have one of the functioning ones if I did. Every time I open up my MacBook Pro, it works. I don't get spyware or adware. I don't get viruses. Did I mention all my Apple products work?
Even Lindsay's iBook G3 circa 2001 is still plugging away for one of our good friends. Macs are essentially the Hondas of computers. And just like Honda, they look cool now too. And just like Honda, they had a couple shitty models. But I wouldn't expect Apple to leave things that way for long. They like their profits too much.
Always better than cable - no advertisements. I love the idea of people paying for cable to watch advertisements, bad shows and movies you could have Netflixed w/out having it hacked and sanitized to fit between a two-hour commercial slot. Not to mention, how else would Hannah know to make her daddy act as The French Chef Julia Child if her parents hadn't had Netflix and ordered every single episode of the show?
"HAY! What if the moon were made of barbecue spare ribs, would you eat it then?"
Anytime anyone mentions Wrigley Field I think about WGN-9, Harry Caray and the Cubs. I don't actually remember routing for either the Cubs or the Braves, but teams were always on. And all that ivy on the outfield wall - who doesn't like that? Yankee Stadium is gone, Fenway's on the chopping block and then it's Wrigley. Wrigley is a huge part of baseball w/ a tremendous amount of history.
Sans Brooklyn. I don't wanna live in Brooklyn. Why would you wanna live there? Manhattan has always been cool - only now it's just that much whiter. All of NYC was less white in the 80s. I can seriously remember my mom not letting us sit down on the subways because of the wet spray paint. Don't get me wrong, I loved it then too. Isn't it better now that a lot of white people like it though? Thanks Rudy, Hannah got to ride all the way to the Bronx at 9 p.m. this past February on the nice subways. And get this - our family was the only white people on that nice subway. The Bronx are next on this list and we'll be able to claim FIRST!
Yep. The beer in Asia just didn't cut it. It's like all the domestics in this country. It tastes the same - bad. Although, Angkor Brewery in Cambodia has a killer Stout. Does that count as a microbrewery?
The only reason us white folks like to travel so much is because we're rich and full of opportunity. Plus, there's nothing like experiencing the ineptitude of other lesser people.
Not to be confused w/ flea markets - which are still kinda cool in their own right. I like farmer's markets that have shit I want, not soap that doesn't work, candles I can make at home or beef jerkey that tastes just like beef jerkey and homemade salsa that tastes just like salsa only cost more.
Aftermath is a term generally used to describe the events following one exceptionally bad event - like a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
Basically aftermath really means something happened that was prolific enough to change day-to-day life - and the time period shortly after that event. This is where people deal struggle to adapt to the new lifestyle. It probably means they lost someone they love or their home. It's always overcoming something bad.
What would you call the aftermath of something so great in your life you experience that same shock? Is that an aftermath? It certainly feel like it.
There's obviously an adjustment aspect to the change, but what about the adaptation? In this case you have to adapt to the opportunity or it will go away. Then you can deal w/ the aftermath of having blown it.
What's more intimidating - knowing the worst is over or not knowing how to be the best? I suppose it's the latter, but it's stressful nonetheless. It's the the same pressure of that surprise call up to the majors - right in the middle of the World Series. Sure this is a lifetime goal and achievement all wrapped in one. Now what if you don't finish the job?
If nothing else, it's exciting. That's the only guarantee.
I left the US on July 4th last year and didn’t even bat an eyelash about missing the fireworks, barbecues, or cold beers that make every annual Independence Day another great all-American holiday. Actually, I was pretty excited to leave this "wash-rinse-repeat" society for something richer like Thailand.
I found more than I was looking for. There’s something ancient and beautiful about a lot of Thai culture – something I felt lacked here at home. The music, dance, lifestyle, religion, art and food are far from anything you'll find today's American pop culture.
In fact, I came to love Thailand by having both visited it right after high school and studying more about it here in the States. Just before leaving for Bangkok last year, I hit up a couple stores in Seattle that specialize in SE Asian art. The shopkeeper told me about more than just Bangkok and Thailand, but the wonders of Cambodia, Indonesia and other fascinating countries around the region. Then he showed me around the different artifacts he had in the store - educating me about the culture before I even got there.
Now let's reverse the roles. Let's say I'm a young Cambodian man like Makara, my Cambodian translator buddy. Imagine he wants to come to the US and learn more about our culture (which is a dream for him)- what then?
Well Mak couldn't join their Navy and travel the world because their Navy can hardly secure his own country, let alone travel to others. And I wouldn't count on finding many US shopkeepers in Phnom Penh or any of the rural Cambodian cities either. Looking to the east and west of Cambodia in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam - you won't find even a remotely accurate depiction of American life and culture. Lastly, if you're from any of those nations, you can pretty much count on never having the opportunity to travel to the US, let alone out of country should you be educated enough to know they even exist.
And that's truly what makes our American culture the greatest on the Earth. As Americans, we have so much more access and opportunity to do whatever we feel like as individual human beings, much less a part of a greater species of people. In other words, we abuse the rights and opportunities we have. But it's our right to abuse them until we find appreciation for them and appreciation for the entire human race.
Today, when I think about my forefathers who fought to free themselves from what they felt was unfair rule, I think about what they showed the entire human race - that we can free ourselves. In honor of their sacrifices, I think it's time to build upon their achievements and show the human species once again how great we can be.
As an exercise in this idea, remove all the country lines of the world and see which cultures are the most unique. I think you'd find a lot of countries are like a lot of other ones - till you came across the Atlantic. You'd see a large group of people doing something VERY different, and now for 234 years.
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