Wednesday, June 28, 2006, 12:58 PM - Politics
I was having another one of those conversations with a conservative (this time it was with Claudia's friend Skittles - how can a conservative go by the name of candy, anyway?) where they're just falling all over themselves about how RATIONAL I am and how I'm so adept at real dialogue. Usually I take this to mean that they just want to get my pants off (Sean, Ken) but I don't think that was Skittles' goal. (It also makes me realize how much my intellectual proclivities were shaped by scrappy debate of the CC core.) Are there truly no other fearless liberal chicks out there to drink Sancerre and fight with? Is our side really that incapable of articulating our positions or allowing that there are plenty of well-reasoned conservative arguements? Perhaps I’m just not afraid to admit when I agree with them, which I’m sure is refreshing. I usually end up respecting the logic behind most fiscal/ libertarian conservatives’ positions, while finding their baseline assumptions to be fundamentally flawed (e.g. the core lack of altruism/responsibility for the community that percolates through what would otherwise be fairly appealing libertarianism).
Our chat last night reminded me of the last serious middle east discussion I was part of (more accurately as a 3rd wheel in a slugfest between Nick and Adam)- I wish I had time to think more coherently about middle east foreign policy/ long term implications, and I wish I understood the Saudi and Egyptian internal dynamics better. I won’t concede the pure ‘I will save the world with democracy’ motivations that were put forward last night – everything there is too mixed up with oil – but I can’t totally discount the impact of the ascendency of idealistic interventionist neocons. I’m fascinated with the Iranian trajectory (which our Iraq quagmire is influencing in unexpected ways)– did you hear they just appointed a new foreign policy committee? Makes me think they’re less likely to become North Korea, more hopeful that the moderating influence of gradually increasing economic interaction with Europe and their profoundly young population can move them towards a less repressive, more democratic incarnation of the revolution. (Is Ahmadinejad a trend or an anomaly?) I don’t have a lot of hope that Iraq will become a shining advertisement for the benefits of democracy any time soon…and for all its flaws, Iran (as Pez pointed out) does have a complex and multi-layered civil society, and (in addition) a strong history of education and women's political participation. Where’s Mana Kia when I need her?
Wednesday, June 28, 2006, 12:04 PM - Politics
;)
You should be going to your local Rally for an Oil-Free Congress
Here's the summary from the MoveOn site:
Gas prices are off the charts, the situation in the Middle East is unstable, scientists are warning that global warming is at a tipping point, and last month, MoveOn members decided that "clean, sustainable energy" should be one of our key goals. That's why it's time for an "Oil-Free Congress."
On Wednesday, June 28th — right before the 4th of July when gas prices will be front and center as folks plan for the long weekend — we're going to be holding gas station rallies across the country. We'll tell Congress it's time to say no to Big Oil's money and become Oil Free.
I'll be at the Shell Station at the corner of Fair Oaks and Walnut in Pasadena at 5:30. What does one wear to a gas station?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006, 05:05 PM - Friends
doesn't feel like California outside. The air is wetter and more present than usual and full of vaguely unsettling potential. I am far too sensitive to barometric uncertainty, and I feel like a dreamy addict when I'm in it. Two small raindrops on the way back from lunch (with 'Peaches', for those of you who know your Lusty Lady history) and a series of NYC references are making me homesick for summer drenching thunderstorms and a time when we couldn't all keep tabs on each other electronically.Tuesday, June 27, 2006, 03:13 PM - Technology
Amendment up for a vote in the Senate Commerce Committee today...
did you make your phone calls?
Make some phone calls!
Friday, June 23, 2006, 02:06 AM - Books
And at that point I might actually have time to read it...
I am astonishingly excited about the idea.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006, 06:31 PM - Sex
I seriously considered starting a melee at my dear friend Jennette's karaoke birthday party last weekend... I am slightly wistful that I didn't take advantage of the low lighting, orange walls, sake bottles that could have gone flying, microphone cords that were just begging to be wrapped around someone's neck, and utter ridiculousness of the situation. You'll be relieved to know that one well-placed dirty look did the trick, but I was secretly disappointed. It's been ages since I've been in the middle of a good scene. NEXT time I get invited to a private karaoke studio I will have been practicing a couple of pointed 'keep your hands off my man*' songs. It could be a flawed plan, since much as I'd like to pretend that my life is Bollywood-esque, I'd probably lose any objectively-judged idol-style competition.
* do let me know if you can think of songs that might be particularly appropriate in a 'keep your hands off my man, who's actually married to someone else, so obviously not exactly mine' sort of context. (did I mention the ridiculousness of the situation??) At least life is interesting.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006, 06:09 PM - Travels, Sex, Friends, Art
I talked with my former colleague Sybil yesterday - she runs the New Orleans sister site of the HIV prevention project I used to manage in SF (community-level HIV prevention for high-risk adolescents). They've been doing street intercept interviews with teenagers at nightclubs in Central City (where those 5 kids were killed over the weekend) - Sybil's had to suspend her project (again) until everything calms down. She told me that while some things haven't changed (there are still a lot of 15 year old girls in the supposedly 21-and-over clubs), most of the 'neighborhood' adolescents are driving in from Houston for the weekend to party. As far as I can tell, this implies that New Orleans is becoming a city of richer, whiter residents, and is now a short-hop tourist destination for its former underclass...which is a truly freaky demographic shift. Perhaps the national guard will start stopping carloads of black kids at the city limits?
And for something almost completely unrelated, my old friend Justin is very talented, if you didn't know. Check out Greetings From New Orleans - pre-Katrina, even more important now that found objects from New Orleans are likely mostly lost.
Thursday, June 15, 2006, 07:10 PM - Dancing
Last night was wonderful - it's easy to forget that a playful, connected fast-ish dance to live music is the purest joy I know (except maybe for 3 feet of fresh powder...).
;)
Thursday, June 15, 2006, 05:40 PM
;)
Got back in town in time to see Grendel - I was a little disappointed in the production. As you can see, it was visually pretty striking (although the problem child set wasn't as exciting as I expected). The piece was textually amazing (especially second half of first set), and a great performance by Grendel (Eric Owens).
;)
But it was a really self-indulgent and scattered production, with uninspiring
music, and crap choreography. There was beautiful costumery and too many puppets (yeah yeah, what else would I expect). It made me realize that I can still sing sections from St. Francis years later, and that Dr. Atomic last year was a treasure that I'm so glad I experienced.
Thursday, June 15, 2006, 05:12 PM - Sex
Yesterday, at the Santa Monica farmer's market (where I stopped on the way home from the airport).
"Hey. Nice braces."
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