I don't believe in karma or fate or scripted reality, but I feel like this move to Seattle has become the impetus in finally changing things about myself that I've been long at work on. I feel like I am being offered the chance at everything I need.
Even though it's a big, foreign place, I feel more secure here than in any place I've ever lived. Something about being here makes me feel correct to envision my successes. I feel inspired to imagine what I want - in full color, rather than tentative shadows - because, here, it all might actually come true.
(July 4th, cityscape behind fireworks over Lake Union.)
“Hey, Internets! I was just calling to.. to tell you my long trip to Seattle has begun. Everything, I packed up everything I own in my tiny little car and my brother is riding with me, and my dad is following, and we are leaving. I'm going to be making a lot of phone posts in an effort to include you in my grand adventure, and not all of them will be work safe, so everyone at work please take note.. and if you don't like my phone posts, then you can suck it. Biatch!”
I had a dream this morning about Hillary Clinton growing angry at a press conference podium, and, in an Incredible-Hulk-inspired fit, turning into ...Bill Clinton. (With spinning and spittle in the vein of the Tasmanian Devil).
I'd been planning to siphon part of my collection into the bank, and now is the perfect time. With my days taken up with music work, I've still taken some time every day to work on my next auction wave. Last night I listed a group of my own G3s, and today I am finishing work on a huge list of resale G1s.
I decided to get rid of most of my duplicate, loose G3s. I should probably get rid of their MIB counterparts in order to save storage space, but I decided I'd rather have the boxed versions. (I'd have to de-box them to auction them anyway, since that cuts down on shipping costs by half, thus increasing sales dramatically). It's telling that 6 have already sold, and I do not feel remorse.
dava, I waffled on Flippity Flop, but she ended up listed anyway. (I pardoned Beebop at the last minute though, since he reminds me of Disney's Hercules movie).
Now, back to work! The sooner I finish and list the G1s, the sooner I finish my music work, the sooner I pack up my apartment, the more time I have to spend back home with family and friends before I leave for Seattle.
FIRST EARTHQUAKE EVAR. I was (and am) in one of the central studio suites, still f'ing reading my Pro Tools manuals, when suddenly there was this quivery, shakiness. I was lying on my stomach so I thought my leg muscles were spasming, and I started cursing biology until I noticed the computer monitor rattling. "Is someone running an industrial vacuum cleaner?" No, it was just the whole ground shaking.
I stepped out into the hallway and heard the card-swipe sound at the security entrance. I quick-like tried to think of something hilarious to say, but then NO ONE WAS THERE.
So then I mused that the earthquake was supernatural. And then I creeped myself out. And then I read more Pro Tools.
THE END.
[edit] Boo, it's all over the News. "Extended coverage.." Don't ruin this for me, News. :P
Tonight I went to see Hillary Clinton speak. She held a rally at Muncie Central High School, which Mapquest said was within 5 miles of me. The rally was to start at 8:30, but the doors opened at 6:30. Muh. I got there at 8:15, since despite living in Muncie for 9 years, I don't know my way around downtown's maze of one-way streets and round-abouts. (I left at 7:45, though, so I wasn't driving around lost for 2 hours. There was too much Top Model on MTV for me to leave any sooner).
The secret service was there, feeling people up!
Other late arrivers and I were told we'd be "overflow" and would only be able to listen to Clinton speak. And so began a cacophony of back-biting and angry, toothless locals waving their arms and swiveling their necks. (I am just stating fact!). A lot of people left at the point, but after finally finding the school, as well as feeling a duty to mammothluv to report back as to what color pants-suit the mother of her future children was wearing, I was steadfast! (Liz, it was yellow).
Steadfast for an hour and a half! Hillary got held up in Fort Wayne. LOLs. Everyone gets held up in Fort Wayne, do not feel bad, Hills. Apparently I looked authoritative, because more than one person asked me what was going on. "We are staring at that black curtain."
But all that steadfastiness paid off, because someone came and escorted us all into the basketball court anyway. In fact, they put us right behind the VIPs seated in front of Hillary, and in front of the bleachers full of complete suckers who'd been waiting since 6:30. The Democratic party is charitable like that. I was less than 50 feet from Clinton, and could see her from head to toe with no obstruction. I felt like I was on stage myself, since no one was standing between me and the hundreds of people in the bleachers. It was kind of creepy.
Lots of Ball State students were there. When she addressed the students specifically (initially, and then addressing the significant percent of us who are elementary education majors, and after that concerning student loans), the cheers were hella loud.
I'm glad I went, although she didn't sway my opinion. She has great ideas, and I wouldn't mind at all if she was President. She did give me points of research, because I'd like to compare the things I liked with Obama's policies, to be sure. (Still leaning Obama).
Clinton: "Muncie, Muncie, Muncie, Muncie!" Me: -10 points! Clinton: "Ball State, Ball State, Ball State, Ball State!" Me: +10 points Clinton: ::does not refer negatively to Obama once:: Me: +10 points. Clinton: "$50 billion in tax subsidies for oil companies will instead go to creating an industry of Green solutions." Me: +20 points, and an extra 5 for such sweet irony. Clinton: "Health Care reform starts with prevention." Me: +50 points. Clinton: ::talks about the war:: Me: ::spaces out:: Clinton: "Some other stuff!" Me: "I am tired of standing."
Total: 80 points!
I hope Obama and McCain come. Ball State invited all three candidates, so perhaps.
I was impressed that she did not stumble or stutter once. I realize that she's likely given the same speech hundreds of times, but a basic level of competence was pleasant.
1. I always feel like I've made progress in the studio when, after packing up to leave at 7-or-so AM, my stomach starts screaming for food and my bladder starts screaming for relief. I lose all track of bodily needs in the studio! It's nice of my faculties to delay their messages until after I've finished working. Very courteous of them, I'd say.
Ah, the urgent need to pee. That's the feel of accomplishment.
2. I took a large number of packages to the Post Office, and although a new employee was helping me, I still had cross-window conversations with Postal Jill. I pointed out how she only has a month until her retirement. And she, in turn, described the double knee surgery she will then undergo.
And the elusive Postal Marcie smiled and greeted me for the first time ever. I have now won them all over. Gotta catch'em all.
3. featherypony, I got your Happy Songs CD! My only working CD player is in my car, so I've only listened to 3 tracks, but that was enough to make the Good Day list. Poe's "Haunted" is really nice; I was a fool to pass it up in the past.
4. History Channel's The Universe, this week about Saturn. You do your thang, Saturn. You go.
5. Peanut butter. (That is not a cop out! I ate a lot of it today).
1. Gabe Dixon spoke to my Music Business class, between performing songs on the piano. He is an incredibly talented piano player, although I probably wouldn't have given his songs a second listen previously. He's toured and recorded with Paul McCartney (which means more to you than it does to me), and had songs placed in several TV show promos that I remember. I left the lecture feeling motivated.
Nearly every account that I have heard, concerning working for a major label VS. a small label, or a major publishing company VS. a small publishing company, or a major toolbag VS. a small toolbag, has said that small companies are more fulfilling. It doesn't matter if you are an executive, a producer, or an artist. You get, and can give, more directed, effective attention to your projects or ventures at as small label. So say my first-hand sources, at least. What Gabe Dixon said was no different.
This is encouraging, since I can't afford to intern at Big Ass Records, and I have always doubted that I wanted to work for/with it anyway.
2. On the drive home, I was stopped directly under a traffic light. The "no left turn" sign had come loose at the bottom, so it was flapping in the wind, flickering light onto the dashboard. It was the quality of light you'd see refracted at the bottom of an aquarium. Something about that made me happy (and reminded me of my high school library).
3. I said "screw it all" and went to bed at 10:30. I unplugged all of the lights and alarms and clocks and phones, and blocked off every cranny of light from my bedroom window, and slept in absolute darkness for 8 hours.
4. ..but not before listing G1s on eBay. So I guess I didn't effectively screw it all, which afforded me a peaceful sleep.
"[With all of the talk concerning race demographics in the Presidential election], it's white men that may decide the Democratic nominee. What can the candidates do to secure their vote?" -CNN's So-and-So
Money. And sports cars. And rent, paid in full. Gimmie.
(But WTF, when are white men NOT the deciding factor in elections? Am I supposed to wave a "white men" pennant?)
--
So, Obama's speech? People are all "ooo, risky," or "now he is the candidate of RACE!" (Granted, that latter quote is from Rush Hypocrisy Limbaugh).
OMGS! RACE! DRUGS! SEX! But, RAAAACE!!
Risky, perhaps. Brilliant, I think so. I'm firmly in his camp now, after weeks of waffling between Clinton and Obama's minor differences. He spoke to the country like we were his peers; he didn't talk down to anyone, like we are used to. He swiftly confronted a growing problem, but didn't throw his pastor under the bus.
And he also acknowledged there is legitimate tension for whites regarding race, too, which I have never heard acknowledged before by any public figure. It wasn't just "we need to come together." It was "there are issues, and here they are."
The whole speech showed a maturity and insight that I am very impressed with. Very, very impressed.
I spent all night in the music studios. Professors' offices are along various hallways below and next to my portion of the building. This was pinned to the message board of one of the opera profs.
I have been laughing at this for more than a day now. I stumbled on a link to a satire comic, of sorts. The site Garfield Minus Garfield takes the daily Garfield comic strip, and by removing Garfield and his thought bubbles, creates a sad but hilarious recharacterization of Jon.
Quote:
Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.
Every time John McCain addresses a crowd with "My friends.." I want to yell: "HE DOESN'T HAVE THE TICKETS!" And then chase him and his counterfeit cracker-tickets around the inside of a football stadium.
In the Art & Journalism building, the administration allows works with nudity to be displayed in the hallway display cases. It goes without saying that the art students are liberally abusing this fact.
Now I know what the vagina looks like from every possible angle.
Today is my journal's sixth journaversary. If it were a child, it would be a kindergarden student, and prone to histrionic fits. But it already does the latter.
I agree with Huckabee on one thing, despise him as I do: prevention is the key, whether we keep our same system or move to a universal one. America is ignorant and unhealthy. I've long been angry that we are not taught true nutrition and health when we are young. We have a throw-away health class in middle school, and that's it. We get 12 years of math, but 3 months of health. People, MOST people, go their entire lives without an understanding of how their own bodies work. It is a shame, and in my opinion, one of our biggest problems in any arena.
So whatever the policy for health care, I want to see real effort given to educate americans about their bodies and their food. We could vastly alleviate the burdon on health care if we took *care* of ourselves first. Fact.
But the system.. I don't know. I truly don't know what the best solution is. I worry that a universal system will bankrupt the country. Conversely, I worry that simply making health care more affordable will not eradicate its current problems. To use a medical analogy, it's like either solution is only medicating symptoms and not treating the disease.
Theoretically, there is no reason we could not have a universal system, like Canada, France, and Germany before us. Except that we are fucking broke.
However, it's my opinion that the best way to spend money, if the country is going to spend money at all, is in both education (overall, not just health) and health care. That's where the money needs to go. (In tandem with an investment in changing jobs over/creating new jobs for enviromental clean-up, but I see this as a lateral move that could potentially save money rather than spend it).
But if we are going to afford a universal system, is it even the right thing to do? What are doctors saying about this? What is their consensus? I'd like to hear from them. Does a universal system deflate the competitive aspect of medicine that delivers us top-notch medical care and facilities? What about the long waits for care in countries with universal care? Does any of that even matter if many people here can't receive care at all? I do not know; your insight is welcome!
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