Monday, September 29, 2008

new hobby

so like i mentioned before, i'm housesitting. the fam out of the country for a good little while, so as i get cranky about my lack of job status, i have to look around and remember that things could be worse. anyway, my duties are minimal - mail, feed & care for one crazy lightning fast black cat, and keep any eye on the two bee hives. yeah, bees. so i'm sitting here next to a stack of paper and a book called "first lessons in bee keeping." i'm most excited about the accoutrements required for the care of said bees - it may double as a halloween costume. in fact, i'm fairly sure that it will beeeeeee. oh, i crack myself up. i'll be sure to post pictures.

where god is

(saw this poem up on the wall in the break room @ the place i volunteer)

Jesus doesn’t smell of beeswax,
plaster statues, or polished wood.

In this Franciscan church,
Jesus smells of unlaundered clothes,
of smelly socks, of sun-dried perspiration,
of soiled shoes, of urine and used underwear.

He smells of last night’s dinner, of stale beer,
of cigarette smoke and marijuana.

Here one smells poverty and weariness,
one smells not enough sleep
and lack of privacy,
and one smells the great, humble efforts
of pride and human dignity.

My mouth fills with sweetness
For the smell of God envelopes me.

There is no need for incense
to carry my prayers to Heaven.
God is here.

-Anonymous

Friday, September 26, 2008

same ol' rigamarole

not much to report lately. still looking for a job. trying to keep the spirits up, the ball rolling, and the resume current - full of active verbs and vigor. there are other things i'd rather be doing. such as... traveling to exotic locations like upstate new york, eastern montana, and central missouri besides the places already on my list - vancouver, seattle, san diego, portland. writing the great american novel. collecting more 80s movie dvds.

it is easy without realizing it to slip into hermit habits. being alone with your brain too long is no good. i'm a go with the flow kind of person, but when i am in the unemployed situation that i am in, it's like hitting a patch of slow patch of water in a river. have to manufacture my own current of movement.

try as i might to regain the writing bug, i can't say i have jumped to the task, as you may have noticed. not quite sure where that burning desire in me to play with words and to tell stories went. i still get ideas, experience things that i want to write and share, but it doesn't seem like a priority. it is... important to me, but tends to get pushed back in favor of thinking where my next paycheck is going to come from, am i still covered under health insurance, how do i write a snappy cover letter, and why the hell no one wants to interview me, hell, i'll just get a job at trader joe's.

a few things recently that remind me that there is more:
1. i saw anne lamott speak in berkeley. yes i am stalking her. yes she makes me laugh. and yes, it is good to know there are people out there that are more neurotic than i am and still have an authentic faith. quote of the night: "well you know, i am a reformed christian, that means i can believe that God dislikes her [sarah palin] as much as i do." yes, she still inspires me.

2. started volunteering in the tenderloin neighborhood of san francisco serving lunch (visualize the downtown east side, vancouver friends). i am eager to get to know the people there. i've applied for a few different positions at this organization at different points in time. i figured that it was just time to jump in and get to know the place. the pace of serving is hectic and i feel a bit like a lunch lady (the required hair net doesn't help). but it is good to be there and serve. i usually wander around the city a bit on the way back to BART. i am struck at how this neighborhood is bordered by city hall and federal buildings, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the whole city, and an enormous mall and tourist center. when tourists walk down the wrong street and stick out like sore thumbs, they are gruffly greeted, "welcome to san francisco." i hope to spend more time here.

3.i saw point break live. what's point break live, you ask? only one of the funniest things i've seen on stage in a long time. read the synopsis. sheer genius. i never understood the obsession for rocky horror picture show, but this, this is something i could see multiple times. in the second picture you can see the ponchos they sold the audience so that they would survive the show. i got squirted in the face with a water gun. and one of the ex-presidents sort of spit on my face when he was yelling at me during a bank robbery scene. the ponchos were a necessity. think sea world splash zone. the evening's johnny utah was excellent, sounded just like keanu. the girl holding the cue cards/johnny utah's stunt double was also hilarious.



all in all, good times. when life practicalities are looming and unanswerable (for now) it's good to do things that get you out of your head.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

wtf

It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion dollars to saved 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases.
- Bono, rock star and anti-poverty activist

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

too cool for school

caution: heart may melt.

and if tiny converse hi-tops don't make your heart melt, then you are probably dead on the inside. for real.

this might be the only thing i buy for small children from now onw.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

another day another coffee shop

the routine has developed as such... get up, feed cat, head to library or coffee shop with free wireless, play online scrabble, check facebook, write cover letter, email. it's not a bad gig. it could be worse.

it doesn't give me a whole lot to blog about, beyond the enjoyable episode of seeing an older black woman suddenly spout off a long lecture about men and relationships to this group of jr. highers loitering in the library. "don't go around telling everyone your business!" the looks on their faces were priceless, like they couldn't believe anyone older than them could possibly have a good idea. the woman, on the other hand, seemed to be giving them advice she wishes she had taken... stuff about playing it cool, being friends first, blablabla.