"concentrated stupidity"

this is just fantastic. a perfect example of why this whole "movement" is full of people who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. what kills me is the "we love glenn beck" parts. if only people knew how well he knew what he was doing, fear-mongering, jingoism, and xenophobia and all. what a sad state of misinformation and fear our nation is in.

listening skills

there's something nice about the city bus. maybe i'm too young and naive to understand how annoying it is, yet, but on a rainy day in New York like this one, i enjoy taking the M21. people-watching being one of my favorite hobbies, i like how people are forced to interact on the bus. i'm always friendly to the bus driver and whoever wants to strike up a conversation. the isolating nature of the city, ipod headphones in ears, determined fast-paced walking... it's nice to see people take off their attitudes once in a while.

i was sitting at a bus stop on Houston and 6th Ave in May and decided to just start talking to the older woman sitting next to me. she had a "happy mother's day!" gift bag resting next to her so I asked if it was for her mother or from one of her kids. this woman must have been over 60, so maybe I was just flattering her, but i truly enjoy talking to older people. she reminded me a lot of Lottie, my 70 year old nanny. i find most people my age take seniors for granted, consider them senile, or just don't care to listen for too long. i never really understood what the hurry was. seniors are like little vaults of history and storytelling. i can't think of something much better than that to listen to.

the same is true of people who aren't from this country. i locked myself out of my bedroom, stupidly, last night and ended up having to call a locksmith. the guy wasn't much older than i am but he was Israeli, a people i rarely get a chance to talk to. we had a fantastic conversation about education, history, and travel as he drilled my door open and replaced the knob. it made me less stressed about the eventual bill and my own embarassment.

i've always enjoyed talking about myself but more and more all i really want to do is listen to people. perhaps in a past life i was a WPA interviewer.

the season for action

"the time for bickering is over. the time for games is done. now is the season for action."


"at stake are not just the details of policy, but the fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."


"I'm not the first president to take up this cause but I'm determined to be the last."



yes he did.

i am absolutely in love with the president's speech tonight. so impassioned. so forceful. so right. and absolutely frank. it's definitely the big push we needed. i cannot understand those who would deny the necessary reform.

i especially liked the sentimental section about the late lion Teddy Kennedy and the call to battle on moral grounds. both are strong arguments that resonate with the American public.

it's also good to see that the speech was well-received overall. that republican response was seriously lacking. time to move forward.

birdology

free bird. song bird. nesting bird.

I find myself somewhat akin to birds. either that or envious of them.

constant travel. ease of motion. ease of exit. able to make a home most anywhere, from anything, with whomever has the prettiest song or best dance. observant. people watchers. early risers.

that's a life i could lead.

i've always thought of different aspects of my personality as different kinds of birds. or how people characterize them. the know-it-all, bespeckled, cartoon owl. the singing meadowlark. the flashy, yellow goldfinch. the "type A" woodpecker. the migratory patterns of the cardinal.

and apparently lofty speech.

so i sit in my little bird's nest in manhattan, people-watching from my perch, nesting, and waiting for someone colorful to walk by and do a new dance.