tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62065289730410410402024-03-13T14:12:08.581-05:00Coyote TalesThe New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.comBlogger1131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-21913944745701998242017-12-20T10:28:00.006-06:002023-02-22T14:40:17.442-06:00long time no seeIt's been almost 5 years since I posted here<br />
<br />
since I lost my brother I didn't really feel like<br />
blogging anymore<br />
it went out of fashion<br />
all my favorite bloggers stopped blogging<br />
and everyone started vlogging<br />
and being themselves<br />
no more fiction<br />
reality tv work doesn't do much for me<br />
also in that time<br />
I lost the love of my life<div>My husband<br />
Erick Butler died of cancer<br />
December 18, 2015.<div><br /></div><div>Erick Butler loved me</div><div>He told me so.</div><div>Our relationship could best be described</div><div>With the tritest of cliches</div><div>Opposites attract.</div><div>I am an introverted homebody</div><div>Who wants nothing more than to go</div><div>Home at 9 o'clock.</div><div>Of course, that's when Erick was just </div><div>Getting started;</div><div>Youth, impetuousness, and wanderlust </div><div>Conspired to send us our separate ways.</div><div>But I thought of him from time to time;</div><div>And one day Phoebe Snow died.</div><div>I was reminded of a concert of hers</div><div>We went to at the Lyric theatre</div><div>We held hands</div><div>The people around us were scandalized.</div><div>So I looked him up on Facebook and </div><div>We reconnected</div><div>These past few months I knew the time </div><div>Was short</div><div>If I wanted to be with him it was now.</div><div>The evenings we spent</div><div>I didn't want them to end.</div><div>We talked about everything</div><div>And nothing.</div><div>One night as I was helping him</div><div>From his chair</div><div>He took my face in his hands</div><div>I love you Sean</div><div>I always have.</div><div>And I was done for once again</div><div>Erick Butler loved me.</div><div>He told me so.</div><div><br />
I lost 2016 to the grief<br />
and still, he haunts me<br />
he likely always will<br />
but I can't go making videos about that<br />
so no youtube for me<br />
no<br />
true confessions<br />
nope<br />
I just came back to say hi<br />
and hear the echo<br />
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I miss him.<br />
<br />And so it goes</div></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-27263180163514470252012-12-31T18:15:00.000-06:002012-12-31T18:15:06.686-06:00Charles D Hyland was my big brother<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My brother died unexpectedly last Wednesday and this Wednesday is his memorial service. I will be attending and this is what I will say: </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I was putting together the music
for this evening I had that worry we all have about losing files and
so it's saved on my phone my ipod all my computers, it's even in my
email. And to test it when it was done I put the Ipod in the car and
went for a drive. One of the first songs to come up was California
dreamin. I distinctly remember, I was probably about ten when
Chuck had his 1947 Pontiac Silver Streak, and we'd go riding around
listening to albums on his portable record player that he'd perch on
the front seat on a pillow. And one of those days we listened to that
album. I can still see that record player sitting there on that
pillow. There'll be many more moments I remember like that for the
rest of my life I hope, and God knows there are many stories to tell.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As most of you know I am not
biologically a Hyland. I have all the neuroses and tics one gets
from just being in the room with their family no matter the origin
and I added a few of my own just in case.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But whatever the circumstance that
brought me to those people it came with a stroke of great good
fortune. My brother.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As we all have there have times in my
life when I believed in myself not at all. I had no confidence in my
abilities, my talents, my intelligence, my worth in any way. But
there was always one person to whom I could go who just because he
was who he was I could get my self-confidence restored. Cause my big
brother believed in me even when I didn't. Chuck wasn't the most
demonstrative person in the world, but if I listened...I knew.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So y'all can have your biological
Brothers older or younger. But I have a bit of bad news for you.
The best one is spoken for.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-14877156249141755242012-12-19T17:33:00.000-06:002012-12-19T17:33:12.943-06:00Living up to high praise"I know we've thrown you into the deep end on your first week. But I also know you can swim."<br />
<br />
Nice to hear from your new boss, but living up to it when I'm not feeling ready...yikes.<br />
<br />
My immediate supervisor has departed as of yesterday afternoon for the holidays, meaning she won't be back until the 3rd. I have two more days until I leave for the holidays and I'll be gone until the 3rd as well. After that, I'm in the hot seat.<br />
<br />
I have to learn three new suites of software and develop and prepare training materials for about 155 hard-boiled school librarians who'll be tapping their toes at me come early January. <br />
<br />
oy!<br />
<br />
I can't tell you how much fun I'm havng!<br />
<br />
And so it goes.<br />
<br />
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-18364908527058984682012-12-17T18:46:00.001-06:002012-12-17T18:46:38.439-06:00And to back up my contention here's proof"I am Adam Lanza's mother" is a blog post on a blog titled Blue Review. <br />
<br />
It addresses some of the very real and frightening concerns that a mother of a mentally ill young boy deals with every single day. And without getting him charged with a crime there's no way she can get as much help as she needs. <br />
<br />
How can we think this is right? We have to reverse the absurd policies created by the draconian Reagan administration and return some order to the mental health profession. <br />
<br />
Go read this for yourself:<br />
<br />
http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/<br />
<br />
And so it goes.The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-71444685327986194192012-12-15T10:50:00.003-06:002012-12-15T11:07:33.725-06:00Lay the blame where it belongsAdam Lanza was sick. And someone knew it long before yesterday when we all found out in a horrific manner.
Why didn't they do something? What could they do? How could this have been prevented?<br />
<br />
Well, if we had a time machine and could go back and remove Ronald Reagan as President many of these tragedies could have been prevented.
I've said many times here that he single-handedly murdered America and he's still doing it.
Back in the day we spent the necessary money to provide places to house the mentally ill and they were kept a safe distance away from us. But then Ronald Reagan thought, "That's too much money to spend on crazy people."<br />
<br />
So he just cut the funding sent them out in the streets and created the homeless problem we've been dealing with ever since,increased Emergency room visits for mental health issues, and sadly created the environment in which the Adam Lanza's of this world are allowed to go unchecked and untreated, which killed a lot of kids yesterday.<br />
<br />
Do I think we should go back to the days of Willowbrook? of course not. But there are things we can do.<br />
<br />
Yes, we can have better gun control laws, but it appears that the guns Adam Lanza used weren't illegal. It seems Mommie Dearest bought them legally and Adam simply had access to them cause he lived with her. So though I agree we need to have better gun control laws and more thorough background checks we'll never,in this culture of guns penetrate the veil that exists within our society regarding them. It exists and we'll have it always. Let's learn to control it instead of allowing one group with enormous lobbying power and control to run the country on this issue.<br />
<br />
But back to the matter at hand. Let's also take care of our own. If we accepted the responsibility to provide care for Adam Lanza and his mother, both of whom obviously needed help, we'd be a far more caring and certainly safe society.
Certainly the brother and the father knew something was amiss at that house. It was their responsibility to speak up and see to it that they got help. There are many more victims here than just those poor children who died in such a pointless massacre.<br />
<br />
So let's start accepting the responsibility that Reagan abdicated so glibly. Let's take care of each other, and see to it that we save as many Adam Lanza's as possible so we don't have to protect the children from our own.<br />
<br />
And so it goes.The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-88309224279365800772012-12-06T13:32:00.000-06:002012-12-06T13:33:41.429-06:00You're never too old to learnok, so i'm back...we'll see how long this lasts.
In that whole circle of life thing, I've lost a job, not much of a job, but a job nonetheless. But in the process I've gained another. Or should I say regained.
Way Way Way back in this blog you will find a post, likely several, about me losing a job by way of economic downturn. I got it back.
Like two days after I lost my job I emailed my former boss at the library to network. Long story short, to borrow a phrase, The job she intended for me to have four years ago had finally been created and was available. She urged me to apply and the rest as they say is history. I start in ten days.
Needless to say I've been completely self[involved this last ninety days.
All I've thought about is me, how am I going to make it through til a new job comes along? How am i going to pay the bills? How am I going to eat? Blah Blah Blah.
Of course, the bills got paid, food was on the table, and I'm still here. Such drama.
I have however had occasion to reflect on the nature of friendship. People as we know have an infinite capacity to disappoint. They have not failed me yet again.
A woman whom I went to a great deal of trouble for, i.e. I got her a job at a time when she was not only about to lose her car, but desperate just to eat regularly demonstrated her true character.
After I had gone to this trouble to get her a job and subsequently and unrelatedly lost my own, she went about telling all and sundry gory details about my termination. This was not particularly dismaying, i never counted this woman among my friends, she was an acquaintance and I only got her the job because I felt some compassion for another person in need, who was in a situation she couldn't dcontrol without some help. And no one was helping...now I see why.
But what was dismaying was that people who call themselves my friends did listen. They sat mute while these tales were told and didn't challenge this woman. They didn't stop her and tell her that not only was this inappropriate to come to them and tell these tales, but that she was being a complete cunt for doing it after what I had done for her. They did none of this.
They did, however, tell me all about it.
Now, history has borne out the fact that I am a particularly bad judge of character. If you're the type of person who'll stab me in the back in the middle of the town square, I usually take right to you. If you're a mean abusive son of a bitch who appears to be a lamb in public I will embrace you. In other words I am a dummy when it comes to people.
This however, has given me pause to re-evaluate the position that certain people hold in my life, and whether they deserve it.
They decidedly do not. So they'll become history. I'm not having any big scenes, I'm not having any long discussions about who did what and to whom and how it felt. people are who they are and they're not gonna change just because I want them to.
But I do not have to subject myself to them.
All this having been said and done, I have not mentioned that I actually do have good friends. Some are recent developments. Some have been around a while and just proved their mettle, but they're good friends nonetheless.
Two in particular have seen to it that I've had positive support and contact that reaffirmed my worth in their eyes. It's been an invaluable resource.
So thanks to them and fare well to fair weather friends. It's nigh on to time I sent them packing.
new leaves and all that.
And so it goes.
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The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-88110935053716844772012-05-09T15:03:00.002-05:002012-05-09T15:04:24.394-05:00The cynic in me gets yet another boostPresident Barack Obama endorses marriage...do I yawn or say "It's about fucking time?"The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-86716401485685495962012-03-25T19:00:00.002-05:002012-03-25T19:00:24.556-05:00Dick Cheney got a new heart yesterdayInsert joke here.<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-46493650009008138292012-02-27T10:02:00.002-06:002012-02-27T10:02:50.365-06:00And another one bites the dust<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Green, a onetime radio DJ who married pop singer and Miss Oklahoma Anita Bryant, was found dead Jan. 26 at his home in Miami Beach. He was 80. Mr. Green managed his wife’s rise to stardom as an entertainer and Florida citrus spokeswoman, then followed her into anti-gay activism, which ultimately destroyed their careers — and marriage in 1980. For more than 30 years, Mr. Green lived quietly, alone and resentful.</span><br />I wonder if Anita will attend?</span></blockquote>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-28847322742128827292012-02-27T09:58:00.000-06:002012-02-27T09:58:18.338-06:00Homecoming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzq5PMM_DOOpkYKvDIG6UfHjxASTzqE8fF8tDr4-xeCR_v1CPkStiWDtq5IkrBAhU_goBnhgeUB-RnYES9qxVnVhXW91vk9rN1ivpxMsKYYJYNhR2q7ASL6WINPk5AzTqcNkUuclezfQ/s1600/BrandonMorgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzq5PMM_DOOpkYKvDIG6UfHjxASTzqE8fF8tDr4-xeCR_v1CPkStiWDtq5IkrBAhU_goBnhgeUB-RnYES9qxVnVhXW91vk9rN1ivpxMsKYYJYNhR2q7ASL6WINPk5AzTqcNkUuclezfQ/s320/BrandonMorgan.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-67262628499505305362012-02-25T11:01:00.003-06:002012-02-25T11:01:32.366-06:00a pauseon haitus...The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-72661908635727678342012-02-13T13:23:00.001-06:002012-02-13T13:23:11.610-06:00Matt Bomer comes outAnd as with Whitney Houston's death absolutely no one reacts with any degree of surprise at all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzYbz7R-pdMF23zEKg6ERBmqXnc51-BidksFkiOTnoOWuWwin7wCg_oz7-rpJEIwUHTXztvIM1_yU_yIaXv9Y5WreqOicPiMysqKUGni-FPFQlGIRCCIkxkz6oR949lAgBWu77hr0bRM/s1600/MattBomer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzYbz7R-pdMF23zEKg6ERBmqXnc51-BidksFkiOTnoOWuWwin7wCg_oz7-rpJEIwUHTXztvIM1_yU_yIaXv9Y5WreqOicPiMysqKUGni-FPFQlGIRCCIkxkz6oR949lAgBWu77hr0bRM/s400/MattBomer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-45119318922556119272012-02-12T12:53:00.001-06:002012-02-12T12:53:34.527-06:00Whitney Houston has died<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ployskies/4385039270/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4013/4385039270_3d482299db.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ployskies/4385039270/">Whitney Houston Concert 2010</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ployskies/">Ployskies</a>.</span></div><p>About a decade after she killed herself Whitney Houston actually died yesterday.<br /><br />No one has expressed the least bit of surprise.</p>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-90511810817769171462012-02-08T19:30:00.002-06:002012-02-08T19:30:51.857-06:00America the simpleSimple-minded that is.<br />
<br />
I suppose it's possible that America has always been filled with stupid people, in fact it's lkely now that I think about it, but I would think we would have progressed to the point that we would acknowledge the need to be able to reason, to look at our problems as a society and see them for what they are, and also to see their origins.<br />
<br />
Yet, here we are in yet another election cycle and Rick Santorum, the heinous, egregious, simple-minded buffoon that he is, is winning primaries. Whoda thunk it?<br />
<br />
Yet again we're being sold a bill of goods and we're buying it as fast as the GOP candidates can dish it out. <br />
<br />
Yes there are likely more Americans than ever before receiving a government check each month, either from Social Security, or welfare, or food stamps or unemployment. But why aren't we asking why? <br />
<br />
Instead of blaming the victims, instead of looking at neighbors as villains, why aren't we looking at true cause and effect?<br />
<br />
The economy ceased to exist in 2007. Whose fault was that? Was it mine in that I held a good job, paid my taxes, and bought a new car when I was supposed to? Was it the previous owner of my new house who had faithfully played by the rules, saved up for a down-payment and sold himself into indentured servitude to a mortgage company for 30 years, and who then, when the fake economy stopped working lost his job and saw his mortgage payments triple in less than 18 months? Was it those who had saved all their working lives to be able to retire in relative comfort and live their golden years in peace? <br />
<br />
No! It was not their fault. It's not the fault of those who tried to hang on either. Those who continued to attempt to keep up with their mortgages, with their lives, with their dreams of a college education for their children, by draining their life savings to honor their commitment to a mortgage, or a credit card or a car loan. Only then to find themselves hopelessly deadlocked in mortal combat with Countrywide, or Bank of America, or Washington Mutual or any of the other companies who exploited them with far too risky bets on THEIR future. <br />
<br />
Yes! Our government failed us. It failed to protect us, it failed to see to it that the American Dream we're all chasing was ours to have and to hold. But it didn't fail us on Barack Obama's watch.<br />
<br />
It failed us long before that. <br />
<br />
The George Bushes of this world would never have been possible if it weren't for the Ronald Reagans of this world. They stole our dreams, all the while selling us theirs. All the while telling us that what they were doing by deregulating the markets and airlines and Oil Companies and everything else they loosed on our checkbooks was to our benefit. Pish! It was for their benefit, theirs and those they served, who took all our money and then told us to go lay down and die because we can't afford to buy medical care that should be ours for the asking.<br />
<br />
This is not the America i grew up in. It's not the country that we were taught as children that we could expect to live our lives in safety and comfort. <br />
<br />
It's the America of 100 years ago, of 150 years ago. Hell, it's the Britain of the middle ages in which serfs bowed to the landed gentry because they could exile you into the countryside to starve to death because they no longer wished to allow you their largess and to have food and shelter. <br />
<br />
This is an America in which we are now forced to fight for our very right to exist. <br />
<br />
If we want something those in power don't want us to have, we're denied. If we love someone they don't think we should according to their "morals," we're denied.<br />
<br />
The pendulum swings to and fro. It's been swinging in the wrong direction for most Americans for almost half a century, and in the last two years it began swinging in the opposite direction. It's still swinging and we can direct its course. <br />
<br />
Tell those who hate, who would have us live in a "free market" society, that we know such things no longer exist. Tell them that YOU exist and that you have the right as a human being on this earth to love the person your heart tells you is right. Tell them that thinking Americans exist, that preying on our fears and religious bigotry will no longer serve the world in which you want to live. Tell them that the American dream still lives in our hearts and minds and that we will fight for our right to have our piece of it.<br />
<br />
Stand up!<br />
<br />
And so it goes.The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-11459940109086763232012-02-07T22:49:00.000-06:002012-02-07T23:00:56.452-06:00prop 8 is unconstitutional!Duh!<br />
<br />
And so it goes.The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-54104548123226797942012-02-06T10:15:00.002-06:002012-02-06T10:15:55.973-06:00No joy in mudville...Well...I really wanted the Patriots to win yesterday. Alas, it was not to be. <br />
<br />
It seems the universe has determined that Tom Brady can go to the Super Bowl, he just isn't allowed to win the Super Bowl. He's certainly good enough...maybe a different approach is in order. Well thats between him and the universe i guess.<br />
<br />
This weekend i did one thing...i lived in my house. Saturday afternoon i laid on the couch listening to Christopher Parkening and reading the late great Christopher Hitchens. Then...a nap. After that a quiet dinner and not one but two movies.<br />
<br />
Cant ask for a better weekend than that. <br />
and so it goes:<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-50852664182155247842012-02-04T10:43:00.002-06:002012-02-04T10:43:14.002-06:00Ignorance is contagiousFor the second time this week I have seen the word primer misused, mispronounced,or not used when it should have been. <br />
<br />
Radio host; "Give us a primer (prymer)<br />
<br />
Today on CNN: <br />
<h1 class="cnnBlogContentTitle">
<a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/03/nevada-votes-a-caucus-explainer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link:Nevada votes: a caucus explainer">Nevada votes: a caucus explainer</a></h1>
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These are folks who write and voice words that the American Public hears/reads every day. If they can't pronounce them, or probably even know them in the case of "explainer"how can the American Public be expected to hve any interest in finding out?</div>
<div class="cnnBlogContentTitle">
<br /></div>
<div class="cnnBlogContentTitle">
Get a fucking dictionary.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="cnnBlogContentTitle">
Primer-</div>
<ol>
<li>prim·er<span class="sn_pronTxt"> </span><strong>introductory text:</strong> a book that provides an introduction to a topic</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyYW0lgpjT62hohT-2G3SWjBHa2xvNJiw9R7R431qIOhxbOancT1qu2PvSQo_l9R09mhjuDuua5HZUCo51S5I3w59GNTwaotd8R6xOROoBYs6E0mghJ_Rl48HvspGFXwDlUr8jnQDSwA/s1600/beachstretch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyYW0lgpjT62hohT-2G3SWjBHa2xvNJiw9R7R431qIOhxbOancT1qu2PvSQo_l9R09mhjuDuua5HZUCo51S5I3w59GNTwaotd8R6xOROoBYs6E0mghJ_Rl48HvspGFXwDlUr8jnQDSwA/s320/beachstretch.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
and so it goes: <div class="cnnBlogContentTitle">
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<br /></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-5039242483680628802012-02-03T13:20:00.000-06:002012-02-03T13:26:07.666-06:00Overwhelming-nessCommitting is not my strong suit. Yet I want to. Recently I bought this: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSyZbbZjG9zTgo-ZoXzjAPjWqcPl5tqqpvtzTRP9zDJN3P3-iPc4zTiH1GHQ0Asyh5BhcPCcDpyTVsnoMEUocwRl7cCwQ1enh_os0JgERwIGR7qCQ-x8FjgXo0_e9PJ6VfeXqrygH6Hk/s1600/http___media.point2.com_cnw_listing_6ee9_03a1_7961_de33799ff6d7a879244a_w475h356+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSyZbbZjG9zTgo-ZoXzjAPjWqcPl5tqqpvtzTRP9zDJN3P3-iPc4zTiH1GHQ0Asyh5BhcPCcDpyTVsnoMEUocwRl7cCwQ1enh_os0JgERwIGR7qCQ-x8FjgXo0_e9PJ6VfeXqrygH6Hk/s320/http___media.point2.com_cnw_listing_6ee9_03a1_7961_de33799ff6d7a879244a_w475h356+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And immediately I was besieged by byuers remorse. Not because the house is bad it is infact pretty great. I've entertained, I've loved, I've unpacked, I've been a good little homeowner. </div>
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Yet, I slept too. I slept to escape. i slept days away, nights too. I slept chances I'm certain. </div>
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But starting today I intend to take the bull by the horns and wrestle my self-doubt to the ground. I intend to lay bare the intestinal contents of my fears and doubts about my ability to be a fully functioning member of this world.</div>
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So let's look at the Super Bowl, politics, and perhaps not least important men:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO_5qzhFhRxA83msz9xSEj-lUEUOmMLZf7BjRzZeEaM9fqkIIYoGsdGCRli3UATYxjwTOiaOXKvo96doW2HzCsBOOKIJUft6yAw13MPKUrkWx5FtyBudjVaZ5x-ggz23QNucVYv-LIy4/s1600/red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO_5qzhFhRxA83msz9xSEj-lUEUOmMLZf7BjRzZeEaM9fqkIIYoGsdGCRli3UATYxjwTOiaOXKvo96doW2HzCsBOOKIJUft6yAw13MPKUrkWx5FtyBudjVaZ5x-ggz23QNucVYv-LIy4/s320/red.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUb_Ag4aA9hVFCvVGKni2WYd5zESU3hHK8eg6-ryp8Tf8XnRQ9wBiwk-TIGD64AeES7RXl1nAvsmWIPzJdTgc-85onbyjEaRAjhdJH90noPVr5CTkL90RxYfBDyGMiZ9N18vX4mfuLi4/s1600/tom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUb_Ag4aA9hVFCvVGKni2WYd5zESU3hHK8eg6-ryp8Tf8XnRQ9wBiwk-TIGD64AeES7RXl1nAvsmWIPzJdTgc-85onbyjEaRAjhdJH90noPVr5CTkL90RxYfBDyGMiZ9N18vX4mfuLi4/s320/tom.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXOCEgMABzBkzi471c0Yp5wyVTgrppx10z0L2FQ0tceTu41uVOTNY1tBirT2zab2cIzmkDR17SLSB1NXlAv7Esw9GaXR1JiY-J0q-MA4Q3wtc1FXBSKXz9LXCIF4ZLja0ASK4Xtbzmpg/s1600/chase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXOCEgMABzBkzi471c0Yp5wyVTgrppx10z0L2FQ0tceTu41uVOTNY1tBirT2zab2cIzmkDR17SLSB1NXlAv7Esw9GaXR1JiY-J0q-MA4Q3wtc1FXBSKXz9LXCIF4ZLja0ASK4Xtbzmpg/s320/chase.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
Chase Whiteside is here not because i am particualrly enamored of youngsters, but because he's not only got a good mind, but he seems particularly determined in his endeavors. A trait i always admire. Thanks for your contributions Chase.<br />
<br />
And so it goes.<br />
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<br /></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-81545927819303756822011-12-26T10:33:00.000-06:002011-12-26T10:43:57.012-06:00In the thick of thingsI keep thinking I should take some of these gift cards I got for Christmas and go shopping for things for the house...and yet...There are people out there, lots of them.
So it appears I'll be staying in for the day enjoying my new house and working on small projects. Like correcting the huge mistake I made Saturday when I discovered that the caulk gun I bought last week doesn't fit the tubes of caulk I bought at the same time.
I used expand-o-foam instead.
Now where's that exacto knife.
It worked quite well, but what a hellish mess it made. I will say it made the blind stay in place in that window though. Permanently.
First project when I get to the home improvement store...my bathroom. All the faucets are dripping, and I desperately need a light over the vanity. Not to mention the bright yellow paint needs to go. That along with the adipose colored bedroom need my attention. Waking to that particular color makes me queasy.
And my favorite (and only) staff member "needs" to take up my carpet and refinish the floors. He's twitching he wants it so bad. And I agree, it does need to be done.
But to illustrate the progress made in the past three weeks here are a few pics:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo0LRWyW7iqWFcENarPO16O4cqrK3RNfFoChSfZwLdtNF4HrK9tjxIyuJ4OpTtkik_rWsXw8ITLVp-p5pIwHW3BGWeXUcimQZe2YoH-x6kJtYovW6lzBC5FfpW2ChJ0_X-ckQMRq4_3c/s1600/http___media.point2.com_cnw_listing_6ee9_03a1_7961_de33799ff6d7a879244a_w475h356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo0LRWyW7iqWFcENarPO16O4cqrK3RNfFoChSfZwLdtNF4HrK9tjxIyuJ4OpTtkik_rWsXw8ITLVp-p5pIwHW3BGWeXUcimQZe2YoH-x6kJtYovW6lzBC5FfpW2ChJ0_X-ckQMRq4_3c/s320/http___media.point2.com_cnw_listing_6ee9_03a1_7961_de33799ff6d7a879244a_w475h356.jpg" /></a></div>
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And in true wiley kyote tradition:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qW_k0y1PcV4/Tvihm_R3LaI/AAAAAAAAD6k/7bXHBT6qkQo/s1600/1226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qW_k0y1PcV4/Tvihm_R3LaI/AAAAAAAAD6k/7bXHBT6qkQo/s400/1226.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
And so it goes.The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-67099480405686472032011-12-25T10:45:00.001-06:002011-12-25T10:47:49.226-06:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-43466408393244862472011-12-21T10:38:00.001-06:002011-12-21T10:40:49.129-06:00Ignorance is not blissIn yet another example of the rampant and destructive stupidity of Americans the Great Expressions Dental Center has harassed and terminated an employee who was diagnosed with HIV.<br />
<br />
It would seem unconscionable in this day and age that someone, anyone, could be treated with such callous disregard except America is yet again celebrating their ignorance and hatred of everything they refuse to understand. Not to mention the egregious disregard for the law.<br />
<br />
<br />
This simply cannot stand. Too many people have been discriminated against, too many have been harassed, too many have died alone and rejected to allow this to continue. The brainwashing that we endured for the past decade that living in fear and ignorance is good will take a very long time to reverse, if it ever can be. But we need to educate and that won't be easy given the state of education today. It's not only our learning institutions that have failed, but out grassroots methods have failed as well. We have to redesign and retool our educational methods in order to reach our new audience. Being a member of academia I well understand how difficult, yet how important this will be to the future of our nation.<br />
<br />
Tyrannical despots wielding too much power, grasping at straws to keep what they've got, and using their power to eliminate anyone who dares to stand up to them is the state of the current system, and it must be changed. If tenure must be eliminated because of the many many abuses it has caused then so be it. <br />
<br />
If saner minds must take control of grassroots teachings then so be it. <br />
<br />
Because THIS must never be allowed to stand:<br />
<h3>
<a class="redhed" href="http://www.towleroad.com/2011/12/detroit-dental-worker-pursued-with-lysol-banned-from-touching-doorknobs-fired-from-job-after-hiv-dia.html">Detroit Dental Worker Pursued with Lysol, Banned from Touching Doorknobs, Fired from Job After HIV Diagnosis</a></h3>
A Change.org petition calling for the resignation of the regional
director of Great Expressions Dental in Detroit for discriminatory
tactics and hindrance of employment equal opportunity <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/great-expressions-dental-centers-must-apologize-for-harassing-and-firing-hiv-employee" target="_self">has been signed by more than 35,000 people</a> following reports of the treatment of a former employee of the company after he was diagnosed with HIV:<br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">
<a href="http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c730253ef01675f183335970b-pi" style="float: right;"><img alt="Greatexpressions" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341c730253ef01675f183335970b" src="http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c730253ef01675f183335970b-800wi" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px;" title="Greatexpressions" /></a>After
being diagnosed with HIV, James White was banned from touching
doorknobs, was followed around by coworkers with bottles of Lysol, and
subjected to sudden and abrupt schedule changes. After complying with
the schedule changes, he was written up for "unexcused absences."<br />
<br />
After
seven months of enduring this vitriolic, unjustified discrimination,
White fell ill and was hospitalized for a week. Great Expressions Dental
called to terminate his employment the day before he was scheduled to
return back to work.<br />
<br />
White's lawyer, Nicole Thompson, has
received the "right to sue" letter from the EEOC and is currently in the
process of filing a lawsuit demanding compensatory and punitive damages
of $140,000 and $45,000, respectively, and requiring the company to
post notice of the agreement as well as providing training on HIV/AIDS
and the Americans with Disabilities Act.<br />
<br />
This extreme case of HIV
discrimination and gross violation of the Americans with Disabilities
Act is absolutely unacceptable. Every reputable medical establishment in
the U.S., including the United States Centers for Disease Control,
agrees that HIV/AIDS is not transmitted by casual contact.</div>
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Read more: <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1hBd66wqc" style="color: #003399;">http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1hBd66wqc</a></div>
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<br /></div>The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-59946710702722201902011-12-13T10:06:00.002-06:002011-12-13T10:06:45.681-06:00It's over..all over!The semester from hell has finally mercifully ended. Likely taking with it my teaching job. About which I have mixed feelings. <br />
<br />
I love teaching, it's that job I'd do for free, and nearly did for four years, the pay being what it is. So, financial issues aside it seems I'll be looking for a new one. It's possible that my remaining class could make without anyone's assistance and that would be fine, but I say the tyrant I've worked for this past few years will see to it that it doesn't. C'est la vie. I won't miss the constant concern that he'll go indiscriminately crazy on me over nothing. Which in itself will be a relief.<br />
<br />
It's time to turn my attention to the things that mean the most to me. My new house, my personal life, and finding new opportunities with my pottery. All of which bring me great joy. So such things as defining myself by what I do become less and less important.<br />
<br />
The Presidential election is coming sooner than we think, the OWS folks are starting to really make noise, which is good and necessary, and the battle for civil rights for all people seems never to end. So my talents and abilities can still be put to good use.<br />
<br />
Today the concerns are small, to make the kitchen sink finally work in the house. I've been remiss in getting to it and things are getting dependent on it so I'll be doing that in a few minutes. Then it's getting things unpacked and pictures hung and readying the house for my annual holiday dinner this Saturday. <br />
<br />
Thanks go to my students who, though mostly unprepared for last nights final, i.e. very few of them had their lines memorized, were game and used their nerves to make their work in class the best they could do. The goal of the class is to give them a taste of what it's like for us as actors and directors to make an audition piece and a production come together, and I think they not only came to an understanding of that process but enjoyed the class as well. <br />
<br />
Blogging has been and will continue to be spotty until things settle down after the holidays but I'll try my best to keep up. <br />
<br />
And so it goes.<br />
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-49895790482952590212011-12-09T10:27:00.001-06:002011-12-09T10:28:23.845-06:00hgf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-47050287762510084692011-12-06T12:35:00.001-06:002011-12-06T12:58:41.870-06:00sensationalismWe've bought the notion that if it's unusual or something we don't understand it's bad.<br />
<br />
<br />
We've been conditioned by years of insisting that those that tell us of our existence and how it should be will tell us in terms that we easily understand, and always assuredly do it by comforting us, telling us that the way things are is the way they should be.<br />
<br />
That's not necessarily so. But we also play into that silly notion too. Apparently someone in Leesburg, VA (go figure) put up a skeleton Santa on the lawn of the Loudon county couruthouse and got the reaction I'm sure they were after.<br />
<br /> <br />
But the real problem is that athiests are almost always portrayed in our media as raving nutbags who want to nail skeleton santa's to a cross and put them on the courthouse lawn. <br />
<br /> <br />
I'm an athiest, and i have no such wish. I'm an athiest and I want to be able to believe what I believe without anyone tellin me I'm wrong or crazy or invalid. But I intend to give them the same accomodation, not such outrageousness as this:<br />
<br />
<div class="byline">
By msnbc.com and NBCWashington.com</div>
The
skeleton in a Santa suit didn't survive for long outside the Loudoun
County courthouse lawn, but it generated plenty of controversy in
Leesburg, Va.<br />
The skeleton was nailed to a cross on Monday by a
mother and son associated with an atheist group, one of the nine
approved displays for the Christmas season. But the macabre Kris
Kringle was not standing for long. Someone tore the skeleton down,
sparking a debate about free speech.<br />
It's not a new argument. In
2009, Christmas displays on the courthouse lawn were banned after the
constitutionality of a Nativity scene was questioned. Last year that
decision was overturned, and 10 displays were allowed on the lawn based
on a first-come, first-served basis.<br />
Leesburg council member Ken
Reid spoke out strongly against the skeletal Christmas display. "I think
that it's just extremely, extremely sad," he said, "that somebody in
this county who would try to basically debase Christmas like this. This
really crossed the line."<br />
After laying face down in the grass for several hours, the Santa-suited skull and bones was taken away on Monday night.<br />
"The
message to me at least," said Jonathan Weintraub, of the group NOVA
Atheists, "is that the meaning of Christmas, which is about faith and
family, is dead and has been replaced by commercialism."<br />
<br />
According Julie Withrow, a Loudoun County administrator, the display belonged to Middleburg resident, Jeff Heflin Jr.<br />
She told the Loudon Times
that Heflin described the display in his application as an “art work of
Santa on a cross to depict society’s materialistic obsessions and
addictions and how it is killing the peace, love, joy and kindness that
is supposed to be prevalent during the holiday season.” Heflin was not
part of any organization and sponsored the display himself, the
newspaper reported.<br />
The display was discussed Monday night at a
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting, where it was labeled
"provocative" and "obscene." In the meeting, some suggested a complete
ban of public displays in front of the courthouse.<br />
County officials are still meeting to decide on what to do with the displays.<br />
<br />
When we can recognize that ideas other than what we have chosen to accept are valid and not always held by raving lunatics then, and only then will there be peace on earth...good luck with that.<br />
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And so it goes.<br />
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206528973041041040.post-13801924677792074302011-12-02T16:37:00.001-06:002011-12-02T16:44:20.083-06:00Inspiration comes in surprising forms sometimes...and hgfThis is a long post, but it's totally worth your time. It's so gratifying to see that the efforts of many many decades are showing young gay men and women the life we should have always had available to us. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://matthewphelps.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/on-marines-equality-and-my-date-to-the-marine-corps-birthday-ball-part-1/" target="_blank">Marine takes his bf to the Ball</a><br />
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<br />The New Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14768512026191766061noreply@blogger.com0