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Hannan, Coffee, and the New Yorker

I am not hugely familiar with british politics, but watching Daniel Hannan tear the Prime Minister a new one was rather entertaining. He's got a degree in modern history (isn't that an oxymoron?).

I am boycotting Moby's, a local Christian coffeeshop. Why, you ask? They refuse to serve Pepsi products on the grounds that Pepsi openly supports gay rights. Certainly that is their prerogative... Just like it's my prerogative to drive an extra ten minutes to Starbucks. Their coffee tastes better anyway.

I subscribe to the New Yorker, because it is an intellegently written, interesting magazine. However, I rarely have time to read it. If you stacked up the issues of the magazine that I've actually read something out of next to the ones that I have neglected, the neglected pile would be significantly taller.
This makes me feel kind of like a phony. Oh well... I like it when I have the chance to read it.

P.S. I have the info on the Moby's thing from a friend of mine who works there.

The Hour of Man

"Suppose that we all considered ourselves members of, not an organization, but an ancient, durable order, the only one that we can truly give allegiance to - humanity. Supposing that, instead of blame and censure, or judgement and punishment, we met deviations and aberrations of the norm with sympathy and understanding, with a desire to aid rather than a desire to protect ourselves. Supposing we based our security solely upon the certitude of mutual aid. Supposing we scrapped the web of complicated laws in which we are now hopelessly enmeshed and substituted the unwritten law that no cry of distress, no appeal for help, should go unnoticed. Is not the instinct to aid one another just as strong, stronger indeed than the impulse to condemn? Do we not suffer from the disuse of this instinct, from it's usurpation by the state and charitable organizations of every kind? If we knew, in brief, that whatever our plight, whatever the cause of it, we had to but announce it and we would be succored, would not most of the ills which now plague us fall away by themselves? Are we not all victims of fear and anxiety precisely because we lack faith in one another? And more so because we lack the intelligence to recognize a power and wisdom greater than our own?"

Henry Miller

I stole this from my friend B, who posted it in a note on facebook.

Soup

Please forgive the instant message format, but I didn't feel like fixing it.

There was this book I read once, called "Adverbs." It's by David Handler. It's sort of a collection of short stories that may or may not be related, depending on how you look at it.
There was this one part where some characters were sitting in a diner, and I don't remember anything else except that the author made an association between not communicating what you feel to someone you're trying to talk to and not putting up a sign that you're selling the homemade vegetable soup that you stayed up late making.
I felt so bad for the imaginary, nameless character who no doubt had his or her feelings hurt that nobody wanted their soup, when reallby nobody knew about it at all. All that pain could have been averted with a little handwritten sign. But then what if nobody wanted the soup even with the sign, then they would feel even worse about themselves.
what then?

I think about things way too much. Really, the entire moment lasted about two lines, and I read it like three years ago. And yet, that's the part of the story I remember most vividly.

Why is that?

Wordle

My friend J showed me this, and I thought it was really cool. It's a word cloud of the words on my blog.
How awesome is that?

Oh, and one more thing

Texting, while a very convenient form of communication in some circumstances (i.e. church, school, awards ceremonies, other circumstances where you need to talk to someone but can't whip out your phone to do so because it is socially uncouth, or times when what you need to say doesn't merit an entire conversation with pleasantries, like "hey, what time is the meeting tonight?" or "where's my [fill in the blank]" or other brief enquiries), generally, I don't want to have a conversation by typing on a phone pad. Small talk via text? not so much.

Assorted thoughts

• Don't look in the trashcan in bathrooms that do not belong to you, no matter how curious what that cardboard box used to contain.
• You know those gigantic hershey's kisses? They're a bad idea. I mean, they taste good, don't get me wrong, but their shape is not conducive to biting off a piece and eating it.
• Scrubs is amazing. Has anybody else noticed the Freud-lookalike character wandering around the hospital at times, though? I keep looking for significance to the timing of his characters appearances (stupid Honors Psychology...) and I'm not doing to great. I really think there might be something to it in that episode in Season 1 where Eliott meets the really hot patient and they finally start going out, and at SOME point in that episode she's talking to Carla (I think) and she stands up and walks away in a hurry and runs into the guy. I don't remember what was said leading up to this, but there has to be something there!
• I competed in my first ever piano competition today, and I came in second place out of four. The girl who won played Chopin's polonaise in C# minor, and it was absolutely beautiful. Her musical control was astounding, and she CLEARLY won. I kind of wish I knew her better, because I want to develop a relationship with her where we become friendly rivals, pushing each other to new heights... I talked to the girl for a total of five minutes and I'm probably never going to see her agian. But dammit I want that kind of relationship with somebody!
  
• I'm building my future repertoire list. I think it should be longer than it is. If you have suggestions, let me know.
  
• It is very difficult to watch someone you care for make what you feel is a wrong decision, especially of a romantic nature. Even more so if you are trying to come to terms with the fact that you and he will probably never happen.
• There's something inherently narcissistic abot keeping a blog. I mean, the entire thing functions on the principle that someone out there actually cares about your unsolicited opinion on a subject that they may or may not want to know about. One could make the argument that it serves as a journal of sorts, and one keeps it for posterity's sake, but that would be a load of bull, because you can keep an actual journal if you wanted to do that. Regardless, I'm glad that you, who are currently reading this, actually care what I have to say. For that, I thank you.
• The word "narcissism" and it's various forms are awkward to say and write. The repeated "s" makes you stop and think, hmm. Have I said enough "s"es? And then when you haven't, or if you've said too much, you feel stupid.
• My online english "class" from last semester, which was a source of much annoyance in my life, has left an impression on me. The only think I learned in the entire thing came from the writing assignments we were given... "Remember, when you make mistakes in grammar and spelling, you mock your own convictions."
• I want to write my own music, but I'm terrified that I will suck at it. Also, I'm impatient, and don't want to take the time to actually notate whatever it is I write.
• One of the things I will miss most about home when I go to Indiana is the cooking. E has spoiled us. Those mashed potatoes last night were outstanding... I'm just glad I'll be home for my birthday (most likely) so I can get homemade carrot cake for that.