Suzanne, my daughter, has completed her Peace Corps Service and is home at last!
I am so thankful!
We fly to Charlottesville, Virginia for Thanksgiving, and on Friday I will give a reading with my childhood friend, Anne Marie Slaughter at the New Dominion Book Shop.
Amazing--now that I think about it, I can still remember where Anne M sat in first grade . . .
How she knew all the answers and always had her hand in the air. There was this girl, Lisa, who sat behind her and who liked to eat paper bags.
Odd the things one remembers years later.
I am really looking forward to our trip. I only wish our son, Jimmy, could join us.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Miami International Book Fair
I had the most amazingly fun time at this book fair. I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go. It's huge, huge, huge! And there are so many stellar readings, one after the other. Unlike the events at AWP, I didn't go to any mediocre readings or panels. Everyone was ON. And I mean really great.
There were so many famous writers there. I shared an elevator with Scott Simon, a bathroom with Dave Barry. It was a UNISEX bathroom, one of the more interesting features of the Writer's Room. ( Barry asked me how many sexes were in the bathroom. I asked which ones was he hoping to find. ) Vernon Jordan was there. Scott McClellan. Salman Rushdie. And the list goes on.
I read with two amazing and beautiful women. Terri Witek, author The Shipwrecked Dress. And Mia Leonin, author of Unraveling the Bed. I am reading and enjoying both of their books now. I love finding new writers to love at these events.
One of the funnier writers I met was David Henry Sterry who wrote A True Story of Sex, Drugs, Roller Skates and Chippendales.
On the downside, if there is one, I would say the book fair is so big, you can get lost in it. Also, it was hard to find the books and then get them signed because the books sales take place in a different hallway from the readings (and the location is announced at the reading). And then the author is placed (after his or her reading) in still another room or hallway. So you have to run around just to find a book and then to get it autographed. With so many great readings to attend, it was easier to avoid the book buying part. I saw a lot of famous writers sitting alone, waiting hopefully for people to come to have their books signed as participants rushed past. And I heard a few complain that they didn't sell any books.
And then there was the table with Andrei Codrescu and Robert Olen Butler--no one was there (it turned out the fair had not ordered their books, though only a few people bothered to look for them) seated across the hall for their signing from Frank McCourt and Dave Barry who had an endless line of fans . . . The famous vs. the very famous . . .
There were so many famous writers there. I shared an elevator with Scott Simon, a bathroom with Dave Barry. It was a UNISEX bathroom, one of the more interesting features of the Writer's Room. ( Barry asked me how many sexes were in the bathroom. I asked which ones was he hoping to find. ) Vernon Jordan was there. Scott McClellan. Salman Rushdie. And the list goes on.
I read with two amazing and beautiful women. Terri Witek, author The Shipwrecked Dress. And Mia Leonin, author of Unraveling the Bed. I am reading and enjoying both of their books now. I love finding new writers to love at these events.
One of the funnier writers I met was David Henry Sterry who wrote A True Story of Sex, Drugs, Roller Skates and Chippendales.
On the downside, if there is one, I would say the book fair is so big, you can get lost in it. Also, it was hard to find the books and then get them signed because the books sales take place in a different hallway from the readings (and the location is announced at the reading). And then the author is placed (after his or her reading) in still another room or hallway. So you have to run around just to find a book and then to get it autographed. With so many great readings to attend, it was easier to avoid the book buying part. I saw a lot of famous writers sitting alone, waiting hopefully for people to come to have their books signed as participants rushed past. And I heard a few complain that they didn't sell any books.
And then there was the table with Andrei Codrescu and Robert Olen Butler--no one was there (it turned out the fair had not ordered their books, though only a few people bothered to look for them) seated across the hall for their signing from Frank McCourt and Dave Barry who had an endless line of fans . . . The famous vs. the very famous . . .
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reading in Florida
Karen Schubert and I are going to the Miami International Book Fair this weekend!
Reading on Sunday at 2:30.
I'm looking forward to some sun and warm air.
(I'm also counting down the days until Suzanne comes home from the Peace Corps!)
Reading on Sunday at 2:30.
I'm looking forward to some sun and warm air.
(I'm also counting down the days until Suzanne comes home from the Peace Corps!)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Cows
Sometimes people ask me what it was like growing up on a farm. I can’t answer that easily, but usually the next question is—what animals did you own. That’s when I talk about cows. Cows and more cows. What did you do with the cows? they ask. And then they often say something about how dumb cows are. It’s true. But there are a few things to say about cows. In fact I just had two essays on cows taken by a literary magazine. Now THAT, I never imagined possible. But about cows—just because people ask . . .
Some days after school I’d lead train calves, leading them a little ways, then wrapping the lead- line around a tree while they bucked and fought, then trying it again. (The calves don't really appreciate being dragged around by their neck at first-for some reason.) After a few days of trying, they’d tire out and walk beside me. It was important to train them before they got too big—Ayreshire cows (the kind we owned) weigh over 1000 pounds, and they’re one of the smaller breeds. By show-time the cows always walked easily around the ring, and they stood nicely as well, stretching their necks just so when I pulled their heads forward, or posing with one back leg forward and the other back slightly to show off their udders for the judge who would come around to each contestant, touching her back to be sure it was straight, examining her tail and withers and etc.. The cow would look pretty hot and bored, and she’d usually start licking my arm or pants with her long sticky tongue or rolling her eyes at me. I’d want to apologize to her, to say, yeah, this is pretty dumb. I admit it, but when it comes to human behavior, this sure isn’t the dumbest thing we do. When it comes to questions of intelligence, I know we always look down on our bovine friends. But at least their behavior usually makes sense.
Some days after school I’d lead train calves, leading them a little ways, then wrapping the lead- line around a tree while they bucked and fought, then trying it again. (The calves don't really appreciate being dragged around by their neck at first-for some reason.) After a few days of trying, they’d tire out and walk beside me. It was important to train them before they got too big—Ayreshire cows (the kind we owned) weigh over 1000 pounds, and they’re one of the smaller breeds. By show-time the cows always walked easily around the ring, and they stood nicely as well, stretching their necks just so when I pulled their heads forward, or posing with one back leg forward and the other back slightly to show off their udders for the judge who would come around to each contestant, touching her back to be sure it was straight, examining her tail and withers and etc.. The cow would look pretty hot and bored, and she’d usually start licking my arm or pants with her long sticky tongue or rolling her eyes at me. I’d want to apologize to her, to say, yeah, this is pretty dumb. I admit it, but when it comes to human behavior, this sure isn’t the dumbest thing we do. When it comes to questions of intelligence, I know we always look down on our bovine friends. But at least their behavior usually makes sense.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Bush Library
Jim's department secretary forwarded this along. Pretty funny . . .
Plans for the Bush Library are already in the works. Below are some of
the rooms planned for the library.
1. The Hurricane Katrina Room which is still under construction and pretty much a mess.
2. The Alberto Gonzales Room where you won't be able to remember a thing.
3. The Texas Air National Guard Room where you don't even have to show up.
4. The Walter Reed Hospital Room where they don't let you in.
5. The Guantanamo Bay Room where they don't let you out.
6. The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room which no one has yet been able to find.
7. The National Debt Room which is huge and has no ceiling
8. The Tax Cut Room with entry only to the wealthy.
9. The Economy Room which is in the toilet.
10. The Iraq War Room where after you complete your first tour, they make you go back for a second, third, fourth and sometimes fifth tour.
11. The Dick Cheney Room is the famous undisclosed location complete with shotgun gallery.
12. The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty.
13. The Supreme Court's Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.
14. The Airport's Men's Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.
14. The Decider Room complete with dart board, magic 9-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.
The museum will also have an electron microscope to help you locate the President's accomplishments!
Plans for the Bush Library are already in the works. Below are some of
the rooms planned for the library.
1. The Hurricane Katrina Room which is still under construction and pretty much a mess.
2. The Alberto Gonzales Room where you won't be able to remember a thing.
3. The Texas Air National Guard Room where you don't even have to show up.
4. The Walter Reed Hospital Room where they don't let you in.
5. The Guantanamo Bay Room where they don't let you out.
6. The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room which no one has yet been able to find.
7. The National Debt Room which is huge and has no ceiling
8. The Tax Cut Room with entry only to the wealthy.
9. The Economy Room which is in the toilet.
10. The Iraq War Room where after you complete your first tour, they make you go back for a second, third, fourth and sometimes fifth tour.
11. The Dick Cheney Room is the famous undisclosed location complete with shotgun gallery.
12. The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty.
13. The Supreme Court's Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.
14. The Airport's Men's Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.
14. The Decider Room complete with dart board, magic 9-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.
The museum will also have an electron microscope to help you locate the President's accomplishments!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I read things like this and wonder. As women, as girls, we are so lucky to live in this country.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7711554.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7711554.stm
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Few Thoughts
1. That poor man, Mom said happily when she mentioned Obama's win. Such a terrible time to be president.
2. 71% of Republicans approved of Sarah Palin--said she was a good VP choice.
3. A few years ago Strickland was at our home and said, I will make Ohio a blue state. I didn't believe him.
4. Jennifer Brunner, the Ohio Secretary of State, was sued by the GOP for making it possible for voters to register and vote on the same day. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Brunner.
2. 71% of Republicans approved of Sarah Palin--said she was a good VP choice.
3. A few years ago Strickland was at our home and said, I will make Ohio a blue state. I didn't believe him.
4. Jennifer Brunner, the Ohio Secretary of State, was sued by the GOP for making it possible for voters to register and vote on the same day. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Brunner.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Funny and Not So Funny Moments on the Political Scene
1. A friend attended an Obama meeting in the week following the R convention. Everyone was feeling so blue, she said. So the young organizer had them all close their eyes and do a little meditation in which they relaxed, breathed deeply, and pictured Obama winning. It was a combination of Wayne Dyer and Zen and Obama fever.
2. My 91 year old mother called to tell me her 88 year old friend was knocking on doors for Obama. Wow, I said. I thought she'd identify with McCain. Oh no, Mom said. He's much too old and feeble.
3. Jim suggested I trade the political signs in people's yards on Halloween. I thought about it. But then I thought again--I could only do it in the dark. And there's that guy with a gun collection on the corner . . . I thought he might shoot me if I traded his McCain sign with the Obama across the street.
4. Jim is working as a poll-watcher today. When he arrived at the church in Youngstown where he is to observe, the church representative asked him to leave the premises and called the cops. When the police arrived, they informed this man that he had to allow Jim to enter (duh). He was nice enough after that--though he gave him a little talk on the ten commandments--a least until some of his church members started circling voters and handing out religious materials, complete with advice on how to vote--and then asking them to pray. When Jim called the Obama headquarters, they sent a Board of Elections rep. who came and told the church to curtail their activities.
2. My 91 year old mother called to tell me her 88 year old friend was knocking on doors for Obama. Wow, I said. I thought she'd identify with McCain. Oh no, Mom said. He's much too old and feeble.
3. Jim suggested I trade the political signs in people's yards on Halloween. I thought about it. But then I thought again--I could only do it in the dark. And there's that guy with a gun collection on the corner . . . I thought he might shoot me if I traded his McCain sign with the Obama across the street.
4. Jim is working as a poll-watcher today. When he arrived at the church in Youngstown where he is to observe, the church representative asked him to leave the premises and called the cops. When the police arrived, they informed this man that he had to allow Jim to enter (duh). He was nice enough after that--though he gave him a little talk on the ten commandments--a least until some of his church members started circling voters and handing out religious materials, complete with advice on how to vote--and then asking them to pray. When Jim called the Obama headquarters, they sent a Board of Elections rep. who came and told the church to curtail their activities.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Another Interview
I love this site. I am so thankful that Robert Brewer sought me out!
http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/Interview+With+Poet+Nin+Andrews.aspx
http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/Interview+With+Poet+Nin+Andrews.aspx
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Election Blues
I can't wait until the election is over, and all these calls stop . . . And no one knocks on my door. And the signs are taken out of everyone's yards. And I can walk into a coffee shop and not hear people making stupid political comments, and I don't have to walk out, biting my tongue . . .
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Don't Look at the Blondes
Years ago I read an article in the New Yorker that said your peers influence how smart you become. I don't remember anything else about it. But I thought it was interesting. The idea that intelligence is contagious.
Evidently, the reverse is also true. One who looks at blondes, for example, becomes instantly dumber. Yep, it's happens. To men and women alike. Looking at a blonde is like having a nice drink. It relaxes the mind. Which reminds me of my college friend who used to say intelligence is vastly over-rated.
thesituationist.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/the-situation-of-hair-color
Evidently, the reverse is also true. One who looks at blondes, for example, becomes instantly dumber. Yep, it's happens. To men and women alike. Looking at a blonde is like having a nice drink. It relaxes the mind. Which reminds me of my college friend who used to say intelligence is vastly over-rated.
thesituationist.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/the-situation-of-hair-color
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Zito the Magician
To amuse His Royal Majesty he will change water into wine.
Frogs into footman. Beetles into bailiffs. And make a Minister
out of a rat. He bows, and daisies grow out of his finger-tips.
And a talking bird sits on his shoulder.
There.
Think up something else, demands His Royal Majesty.
Think up a black star. So he thinks up a black star.
Think up dry water. So he thinks up dry water.
Think up a river bound with straw-bands. So he does.
There.
Then along comes a student and asks: Think up sine alpha
greater than one.
And Zito grows pale and sad: Terribly sorry. Sine is
between plus one and minus one. Nothing you can do about that.
And he leaves the great royal empire, quietly weaves his way
through the throng of courtiers, to his home
in a nutshell.
by Miroslav Holub, trans. by George Theiner
To amuse His Royal Majesty he will change water into wine.
Frogs into footman. Beetles into bailiffs. And make a Minister
out of a rat. He bows, and daisies grow out of his finger-tips.
And a talking bird sits on his shoulder.
There.
Think up something else, demands His Royal Majesty.
Think up a black star. So he thinks up a black star.
Think up dry water. So he thinks up dry water.
Think up a river bound with straw-bands. So he does.
There.
Then along comes a student and asks: Think up sine alpha
greater than one.
And Zito grows pale and sad: Terribly sorry. Sine is
between plus one and minus one. Nothing you can do about that.
And he leaves the great royal empire, quietly weaves his way
through the throng of courtiers, to his home
in a nutshell.
by Miroslav Holub, trans. by George Theiner
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Reading with Peter Johnson
I'm off to Minneapolis to teach and read at the U of M with one of my favorite poets, Peter Johnson.
We'll be at the Weisman Art Museum, U of Minnesota, 333 East River Road at 7:30 on Tuesday night. We'll be speed-reading to get back in time for the debates. Literally, they say 30 minutes total for both of us, so if you're in the area, you can zip in and out, no problem.
We'll be at the Weisman Art Museum, U of Minnesota, 333 East River Road at 7:30 on Tuesday night. We'll be speed-reading to get back in time for the debates. Literally, they say 30 minutes total for both of us, so if you're in the area, you can zip in and out, no problem.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
from Grist
Grist had an interesting article about the global warming crisis--why people don't get it. The problem with scientists--they are just too logical. Here's just a short quote from it . . .
Maybe we need some creative writers and thinkers to help us out with the rhetoric.
"Anyone who wants to understand -- and change -- the politics of global warming, must understand why the deniers, delayers, and inactivists are so persuasive in the public debate and why scientists and scientific-minded people are not. A key part of the answer, I believe, is that while science and logic are powerful systematic tools for understanding the world, they are no match in the public realm for the 25-century-old art of verbal persuasion: rhetoric.
Logic might be described as the art of influencing minds with the facts, whereas rhetoric is the art of influencing both the hearts and minds of listeners with the figures of speech. The figures are the catalog of the different, effective ways that we talk -- they include alliteration and other forms of repetition, metaphor, irony, and the like. The goal is to sound believable. As Aristotle wrote in Rhetoric, "aptness of language is one thing that makes people believe in the truth of your story."
Maybe we need some creative writers and thinkers to help us out with the rhetoric.
"Anyone who wants to understand -- and change -- the politics of global warming, must understand why the deniers, delayers, and inactivists are so persuasive in the public debate and why scientists and scientific-minded people are not. A key part of the answer, I believe, is that while science and logic are powerful systematic tools for understanding the world, they are no match in the public realm for the 25-century-old art of verbal persuasion: rhetoric.
Logic might be described as the art of influencing minds with the facts, whereas rhetoric is the art of influencing both the hearts and minds of listeners with the figures of speech. The figures are the catalog of the different, effective ways that we talk -- they include alliteration and other forms of repetition, metaphor, irony, and the like. The goal is to sound believable. As Aristotle wrote in Rhetoric, "aptness of language is one thing that makes people believe in the truth of your story."
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
VOTE TODAY
You can vote today! And if you haven't registered, you can register and vote and be done with it. The Obama campaign says vote early if you can . . .
Also, watch out for the issue on those PAYDAY loans--the quick cash businesses that are everywhere now. If you vote YES, you are voting against them. If you vote NO, you are voting for them. Be sure to read the language carefully.
Also, watch out for the issue on those PAYDAY loans--the quick cash businesses that are everywhere now. If you vote YES, you are voting against them. If you vote NO, you are voting for them. Be sure to read the language carefully.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Polls
A spokesman for Mattel announced today that media references to McCain's wife as Barbie have caused sales of the popular doll to fall by 23%. The addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket has increased sales of brown haired Barbies by 33%.
Polls
97% of the 350 businessmen who own tanning parlors say they were thrilled by the addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket. 92% of these men already knew that Sarah Palin has her own personal tanning bed in the governor's mansion in Alaska. 62% of the men who believe in a tanner American say John McCain's melanoma could hurt their business by as much as 25%, but that the tanning Sarah could improve business by up to 50%.
Polls
36% of the 700 women polled who are between the ages of 42 and 65 define themselves as "sensitive souls." 50% of these sensitive souls are unable to watch John McCain for more than 6 minutes without breaking into hives. Procter and Gamble has recently released a new product which has been tested extensively on 1000 bald mice and is said, when applied to the skin, to cleanse 97% of all bad vibes. The toxic removal cloths, available in handy wipe containers, are said to protect 79% of all sensitive souls.
Polls
65% of 570 women polled who were under the age of 29 believe that the country is ready for a women president. 33% of 623 women over the age of 48 agreed. 47% of the women in the latter group believed that the future woman president must dress in navy, tan, or black. She should never wear purple, yellow or turquoise outfits like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Polls
55% of all freckled white men under 5'3" and over 50 years old say they are voting for McCain. 33% of these freckled little men say they are undecided. 42% of these men have a college degree and will vote for Obama. They will also get checked for skin cancer once a year and wear sunscreen and hats when they go to the beach.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Emergency Telegram from John McCain
This was in my mail today. I keep getting these requests for money. I don't understand. I thought John McCain wasn't allowed to take private gifts, now that he's accepting public funding. Does anyone know if this is really legit?????
Dear Friend,
I have never been one to mince words, so I'll get right to the point. If you are at all concerned about the prospect of Democrats taking control of the federal government, I need your help and I need it right now.
With the election less than six weeks away, we must reach a critical funding goal in the next 15 days to keep our campaigns on track and get our message to the voters--or we risk losing ground to the massive fundraising of the Democrats.
To stay competitive and ultimately to win this election we must raise $21.5 million in the next 5 days . . .
That is why I am reaching out to you today and asking you to support our campaign by rushing an Emergency Contribution of $5,000, 2500 . . .
Make your check out to McCain Palin Victory 2008
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26799209/
Dear Friend,
I have never been one to mince words, so I'll get right to the point. If you are at all concerned about the prospect of Democrats taking control of the federal government, I need your help and I need it right now.
With the election less than six weeks away, we must reach a critical funding goal in the next 15 days to keep our campaigns on track and get our message to the voters--or we risk losing ground to the massive fundraising of the Democrats.
To stay competitive and ultimately to win this election we must raise $21.5 million in the next 5 days . . .
That is why I am reaching out to you today and asking you to support our campaign by rushing an Emergency Contribution of $5,000, 2500 . . .
Make your check out to McCain Palin Victory 2008
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26799209/
Friday, September 26, 2008
Congratulations Jimmy!
Congratulations to Jimmy for passing his CS prelim at Berkeley. Hurray!!!! Jimmy has poems forthcoming in Gargoyle, too.
Sarah explains the bailout
"That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in . . ." Palin began, before meandering off in fruitless pursuit of coherence.
But I'll let the governor speak for herself:
" . . . where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh -- it's got to be all about job creation too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, um, scary thing, but 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade sector today. We've got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that."
But I'll let the governor speak for herself:
" . . . where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh -- it's got to be all about job creation too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, um, scary thing, but 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade sector today. We've got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that."
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Just a Community Organizer
Yes. That's a pretty good description of what a Peace Corps worker is. And I know it's just politics, but I am still so offended by Palin's and Giuliani's sarcastic comments . . .
Monday, September 22, 2008
Help!
How can I ask this question? How can I explain to you what happened?
1. I need help. I borrowed 700 billion bucks of your money. I lost it all in Vegas. Would you give me some more, please? No?
Let me try again.
2. Dear, dear Friends. I know you will understand. I know you trusted me. But I have to say something . . . About that loan you gave me of 700 billion bucks . . . I lost it all. In Vegas. Don't worry. If you give me 700 billion more, you can get it back again.
(Okay, I admit. I have to be honest now. It wasn't ALL spent at the craps tables. I spent $100 billion on room service.)
3. Does anyone want to shoot me?
4. Don't you love the parable of the prodigal son?
(And oh yeah. I still need some help with that fun we are having over in Iraq. How much was that per day? I like to forget.)
1. I need help. I borrowed 700 billion bucks of your money. I lost it all in Vegas. Would you give me some more, please? No?
Let me try again.
2. Dear, dear Friends. I know you will understand. I know you trusted me. But I have to say something . . . About that loan you gave me of 700 billion bucks . . . I lost it all. In Vegas. Don't worry. If you give me 700 billion more, you can get it back again.
(Okay, I admit. I have to be honest now. It wasn't ALL spent at the craps tables. I spent $100 billion on room service.)
3. Does anyone want to shoot me?
4. Don't you love the parable of the prodigal son?
(And oh yeah. I still need some help with that fun we are having over in Iraq. How much was that per day? I like to forget.)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Why study philosophy, religion, poetry, art, dance, music?
When I went to college, I didn’t know anyone who majored in business. None of my friends asked, why are you studying that? Meaning, how will you ever get a job if you major in music or art of English or . . . Now so many of my friends' kids study business. They're all about the job after. And when they ask the question--what were you thinking? I have no answer. But I do know I am really happy I didn't worry about it. And I don’t know when it all came down to a question of dollars and cents. Maybe we were still in the hippy era, still believing in peace and love and happy evers and ... All of us worrying about silly questions like the meaning of life. Jeepers. Were we nuts?
Whatever it was, I loved all the impractical subjects, esp. philo and religion. I know it’s not going to ever "pay off." But it was just so much fun. Like having a tea party in the mind. I miss it . . .
Just thinking for the sake of thinking. I still love to think about Descartes saying, je pense, donc je suis. (I think therefore I am. Cogito ergo sum.) Which has become transformed in so many New Age best sellers: how I think, wish, or pray determines who, how, what I am (and sometimes you, too, oddly enough) or become.
It’s fun to play with, to say-- I don’t think like a blonde, even if I am one. But then again, can one see one’s own mind? (Or can you really say, it’s not me. It’s just my thoughts that are the problem? Is there a divide?)
Which reminds me of the French philosopher Michaux Henri ( not to be mistaken for the poet Henri Michaux), who wrote about thinking about thinking about thinking. After a while, you can lose track of where the thinker is—it’s as if the I becomes lost in the center of a Russian doll. According to Keirkegaard, there is no greater loss than the loss of the self. No one will notice when it happens. Or care, as Camus suggests, which is really creepy- his ability to make a reader feel as if life is an absurdity, and you have no meaning at all. But I think it was Hegel who suggested there is no I anyhow, really. Rather, all that actually exists is thought which moves through time in a dialectical manner. Theses, antithesis, syntheses. I don’t recall if God was in the theses or the antitheses, but I am pretty certain God was just another thought.
But Kant suggested one might act as if there is a God (though he preferred to talk about reason, pure reason, which made no sense to me at all. He was a really odd duck, and so was Aristotle—all I really remember about him is that he preferred shellfish to women.), which reminds me of Pascal. I never cared for the Pascalian wager, myself, but I love, LOVE the story of Blaise Pascal’s vision, which so changed his life, he felt a deep despair when it ended. If only it could have gone on forever, he thought. He tried his best to keep it in his mind and even sewed a note in the lining of his coat with the single word, fire, to remind of the time he spent in heaven. Like St. Teresa, he longed for the other world, the one that is so much brighter than this one-- which is like some dim shadow in comparison, which brings me back to Plato. (As the feminist theologians say, everything moves in a circle. And the Buddhists say so, too.) The Buddhists teacher, Kornfield writes, it is impossible to hold onto moments of vision and bliss, no matter how intense they are. It is a little like trying to write in water. Whatever the I is, it changes so slowly we hardly notice (unless one is like Keats and feels his life slipping away even as he composes his famous lines and letters), and so quickly we will think we have barely been here when it’s all over. Of course, death is key to every religion. As Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, the strangest thing about man is that he can see death happening all around him, and still think it will never happen to him.
Whatever it was, I loved all the impractical subjects, esp. philo and religion. I know it’s not going to ever "pay off." But it was just so much fun. Like having a tea party in the mind. I miss it . . .
Just thinking for the sake of thinking. I still love to think about Descartes saying, je pense, donc je suis. (I think therefore I am. Cogito ergo sum.) Which has become transformed in so many New Age best sellers: how I think, wish, or pray determines who, how, what I am (and sometimes you, too, oddly enough) or become.
It’s fun to play with, to say-- I don’t think like a blonde, even if I am one. But then again, can one see one’s own mind? (Or can you really say, it’s not me. It’s just my thoughts that are the problem? Is there a divide?)
Which reminds me of the French philosopher Michaux Henri ( not to be mistaken for the poet Henri Michaux), who wrote about thinking about thinking about thinking. After a while, you can lose track of where the thinker is—it’s as if the I becomes lost in the center of a Russian doll. According to Keirkegaard, there is no greater loss than the loss of the self. No one will notice when it happens. Or care, as Camus suggests, which is really creepy- his ability to make a reader feel as if life is an absurdity, and you have no meaning at all. But I think it was Hegel who suggested there is no I anyhow, really. Rather, all that actually exists is thought which moves through time in a dialectical manner. Theses, antithesis, syntheses. I don’t recall if God was in the theses or the antitheses, but I am pretty certain God was just another thought.
But Kant suggested one might act as if there is a God (though he preferred to talk about reason, pure reason, which made no sense to me at all. He was a really odd duck, and so was Aristotle—all I really remember about him is that he preferred shellfish to women.), which reminds me of Pascal. I never cared for the Pascalian wager, myself, but I love, LOVE the story of Blaise Pascal’s vision, which so changed his life, he felt a deep despair when it ended. If only it could have gone on forever, he thought. He tried his best to keep it in his mind and even sewed a note in the lining of his coat with the single word, fire, to remind of the time he spent in heaven. Like St. Teresa, he longed for the other world, the one that is so much brighter than this one-- which is like some dim shadow in comparison, which brings me back to Plato. (As the feminist theologians say, everything moves in a circle. And the Buddhists say so, too.) The Buddhists teacher, Kornfield writes, it is impossible to hold onto moments of vision and bliss, no matter how intense they are. It is a little like trying to write in water. Whatever the I is, it changes so slowly we hardly notice (unless one is like Keats and feels his life slipping away even as he composes his famous lines and letters), and so quickly we will think we have barely been here when it’s all over. Of course, death is key to every religion. As Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, the strangest thing about man is that he can see death happening all around him, and still think it will never happen to him.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Not Just the Bush Doctrine
I can not believe that anyone can argue about whether or not Sarah Palin should know what the Bush doctrine is. Not only should she know the Bush Doctrine, she should also know the the Clinton Doctrine (used in support of our intervening in Bosnia), the Kirkpatrick Doctrine (the doctrine of the U.S. ambassador, Jeane Kirkpatrick --in the 1980s --which justified the support of creepy anti-communist dictatorships during the Cold War), the Reagan Doctrine (which justified support of the mujaheddin in Afghanistan, the Contras in Nicaragua), the Carter Doctrine (aimed at keeping the Soviets out of the Persian Gulf, at justifying our presence in the Persian Gulf ) . . . all the way back to the Monroe Doctrine. It is, after all, relevant to the job. We need a candidate who understands what we are doing, what we have done in the past, why and when and how, not one who believes we are in Iraq because God put us there. (That's not a God I'd want to believe in.)
And besides, it's fascinating stuff to read about. I get all of my facts mixed up, all my dates and deals. My black Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays. But then, I'm not running for office. (Why is it that so many people want a candidate who is as uninformed and uneducated as we are? Why are we afraid of those who actually have some expertise? ) The one candidate who knows all his facts I am sure, though, is the one who is a professor of constitutional law. No doubt about that.
And besides, it's fascinating stuff to read about. I get all of my facts mixed up, all my dates and deals. My black Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays. But then, I'm not running for office. (Why is it that so many people want a candidate who is as uninformed and uneducated as we are? Why are we afraid of those who actually have some expertise? ) The one candidate who knows all his facts I am sure, though, is the one who is a professor of constitutional law. No doubt about that.
McCain, the Problem
This video will make you want to pray.
What I do not understand is--why is this not the central issue of this election? Whether one is Christian, Buddhist, atheist, humanist, pro-life, pro-choice, pro-polar bear, anti-polar bear, red state, blue state, green state, pink state, rich, poor, old, young . . .
www.youtube.com/v/PdJUCU1UH2w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&co
What I do not understand is--why is this not the central issue of this election? Whether one is Christian, Buddhist, atheist, humanist, pro-life, pro-choice, pro-polar bear, anti-polar bear, red state, blue state, green state, pink state, rich, poor, old, young . . .
www.youtube.com/v/PdJUCU1UH2w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&co
God, the Problem
Friends often ask -- how can anyone be Christian? They are usually referring to the Bush-Christians. I find it hard to believe, too. How can anyone be a Bush-Christian? A Palin Christian? But I like to think about things, whether I agree with them or not.
As a former student of religion and philosophy, I still look up some of the great theologians of our time. I want to see what they have or had to say. One such man is Gordon Kaufman who gave a talk on his book, God, the Problem, at my college when I was 20. He talked then of how religions can become truly inhumane --the more fundamentalist usually = the less humanitarian. Below is an excerpt of him writing about the environment.
"So it is not really evident that God (as Christians have traditionally understood God) provides a solution to what is a major problem for men and women today: the ecological crisis.
This is a different kind of issue than Christians (or any other humans) have ever faced; and continuing to worship and serve this traditionally conceived God may even get in the way of our seeing clearly the depths and importance of this crisis. For now it is not a matter of finding a way to live with or overcome despair or meaninglessness or guilt or sinfulness, or other human suffering -- those profound problems of human subjectivity. It is a matter of the objective conditions that make life possible: we are destroying them, and it is we who must find a way to set them right.
This is not, of course, a specifically Christian or theistic problem: it is a problem in which all humans are implicated, and we are all called to do our part in its solution. So the central religious issue today confronting humankind is of a different order than ever before. And we may no longer claim that Christians have a corner on the solution to it; nor do Buddhists, or Jews, or the adherents of any other religion. What is now required is a reordering of the whole of human life around the globe in an ecologically responsible manner -- something heretofore never contemplated by any of our great religious traditions. All of humankind must learn to work together on this issue, or it will simply not be taken care of. We may not, of course, be able to solve this problem at all; we may already be past the point of no return."
www.crosscurrents.org/kaufman.htm
As a former student of religion and philosophy, I still look up some of the great theologians of our time. I want to see what they have or had to say. One such man is Gordon Kaufman who gave a talk on his book, God, the Problem, at my college when I was 20. He talked then of how religions can become truly inhumane --the more fundamentalist usually = the less humanitarian. Below is an excerpt of him writing about the environment.
"So it is not really evident that God (as Christians have traditionally understood God) provides a solution to what is a major problem for men and women today: the ecological crisis.
This is a different kind of issue than Christians (or any other humans) have ever faced; and continuing to worship and serve this traditionally conceived God may even get in the way of our seeing clearly the depths and importance of this crisis. For now it is not a matter of finding a way to live with or overcome despair or meaninglessness or guilt or sinfulness, or other human suffering -- those profound problems of human subjectivity. It is a matter of the objective conditions that make life possible: we are destroying them, and it is we who must find a way to set them right.
This is not, of course, a specifically Christian or theistic problem: it is a problem in which all humans are implicated, and we are all called to do our part in its solution. So the central religious issue today confronting humankind is of a different order than ever before. And we may no longer claim that Christians have a corner on the solution to it; nor do Buddhists, or Jews, or the adherents of any other religion. What is now required is a reordering of the whole of human life around the globe in an ecologically responsible manner -- something heretofore never contemplated by any of our great religious traditions. All of humankind must learn to work together on this issue, or it will simply not be taken care of. We may not, of course, be able to solve this problem at all; we may already be past the point of no return."
www.crosscurrents.org/kaufman.htm
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Remembering Black Tuesday . . .
I wonder how our candidates will best frame our economic woes.
I keep thinking about how, after Black Tuesday and all, Herbert Hoover promised that prosperity is just around the corner. But it was Roosevelt who first made good use of the radio, that amazing, new technical accomplishment . . .
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
(I always get black Monday and black Tuesday mixed up. Argh.)
I keep thinking about how, after Black Tuesday and all, Herbert Hoover promised that prosperity is just around the corner. But it was Roosevelt who first made good use of the radio, that amazing, new technical accomplishment . . .
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
(I always get black Monday and black Tuesday mixed up. Argh.)
Preachers and Politicians
When I was in college, I studied a lot or religion and philosophy. I will never forget the day -in my senior year--when one of the students stood up and started talking on and on. (I think we were discussing William James at the time.) The professor asked him to take his seat, and the student refused. I know God, he said. You have to listen to me. God is telling me what to say-do-think . . .
The professor put his arm around him and led him out the room. The student, I later learned, had to spend some time in a mental institution. I asked about this event later, and the professor laughed. He said it's not an uncommon event to have someone become deluded in this way. To think that God is telling him what to do or say. That he knows what God wants and means, that you don't. It happens to preachers and politicians, too. To those who want the microphone most.
The professor put his arm around him and led him out the room. The student, I later learned, had to spend some time in a mental institution. I asked about this event later, and the professor laughed. He said it's not an uncommon event to have someone become deluded in this way. To think that God is telling him what to do or say. That he knows what God wants and means, that you don't. It happens to preachers and politicians, too. To those who want the microphone most.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A line from the Koran and from Li-Young Lee
In times like these, religion is so closely linked to politics. The Muslim religion seems particularly scary.
In college, when I studied religion, I remember thinking that the Muslim religion was beautiful. At least what little I learned of it. But now, years later, I recall only one line from the Koran, which I scribbled in my notes. I love this line:
"Because you are within his workings, God is closer to you than the vein in your neck."
Which reminds me of a line from a Li-Young Lee love poem:
"My tongue remembers your wounded flavor.
The vein in my neck
adores you."
In college, when I studied religion, I remember thinking that the Muslim religion was beautiful. At least what little I learned of it. But now, years later, I recall only one line from the Koran, which I scribbled in my notes. I love this line:
"Because you are within his workings, God is closer to you than the vein in your neck."
Which reminds me of a line from a Li-Young Lee love poem:
"My tongue remembers your wounded flavor.
The vein in my neck
adores you."
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
from Conversations at the Beauty Parlor
I don't know what you're talking about with corporations. Like they have rights? I don't know. I am not up on this shit.
But I do know one thing, Honey. As a black woman? I don't have the same rights or, like, opportunities. People don't get it. They think I'm just playing the race card.
But take Sarah Palin. If that lady were me. If she were a black woman from Nowhere, Ohio instead of No Place, Alaska . . . And If she had a pregnant daughter at 17? And five little kids of her own? Shit.
They'd say she was ghetto trash. Nobody would give her a chance.
But I do know one thing, Honey. As a black woman? I don't have the same rights or, like, opportunities. People don't get it. They think I'm just playing the race card.
But take Sarah Palin. If that lady were me. If she were a black woman from Nowhere, Ohio instead of No Place, Alaska . . . And If she had a pregnant daughter at 17? And five little kids of her own? Shit.
They'd say she was ghetto trash. Nobody would give her a chance.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
But She Lies,
a friend tells me after listening to Sarah Palin say again that she didn't support the Bridge to Nowhere . . .
She lies and lies! How do politicians get away with it?
The politician knows he or she must be whatever we want him/her to be. He or she must give speeches then that are not really speeches, but only the idea of speeches. They have no content, but they have the idea of content. An ideal speech is based not on words but on a study of how the words are felt (not heard). And gestures. Yes, it is as much an unspoken language, a manner of speaking, suggesting, meaning to mean . . . . Sometimes one will raise his or her hand or voice to distract the eye. A woman might touch her blouse her skirt or look down, just so. Other times she might laugh for a moment, and shift her glance to the side to deflect from the lie she knows she is saying, but it's no problem. Because she knows they are touched by her almost words. And what the politician likes most is to touch a devotee, a follower. To touch with their almost-words, their hands, their very being . . . Then a kind of power is sucked into their skins, into the very fibers of their beings. It is a feeling they can never have enough of. It overtakes them, forever and always. In this way they can keep talking and talking, and yes, lying.
She lies and lies! How do politicians get away with it?
The politician knows he or she must be whatever we want him/her to be. He or she must give speeches then that are not really speeches, but only the idea of speeches. They have no content, but they have the idea of content. An ideal speech is based not on words but on a study of how the words are felt (not heard). And gestures. Yes, it is as much an unspoken language, a manner of speaking, suggesting, meaning to mean . . . . Sometimes one will raise his or her hand or voice to distract the eye. A woman might touch her blouse her skirt or look down, just so. Other times she might laugh for a moment, and shift her glance to the side to deflect from the lie she knows she is saying, but it's no problem. Because she knows they are touched by her almost words. And what the politician likes most is to touch a devotee, a follower. To touch with their almost-words, their hands, their very being . . . Then a kind of power is sucked into their skins, into the very fibers of their beings. It is a feeling they can never have enough of. It overtakes them, forever and always. In this way they can keep talking and talking, and yes, lying.
Let's Just Be Rhinoceri
What is with all this anti-intellectual sentiment lately? Honestly, do we prefer to be led by idiots?
I hear it all the time. Even my daughter, attending closing ceremonies in the Peace Corps was told it's best not to get a PhD. Esp. not to go to a university like Harvard. Or Yale. Oh, God forbid if you go to the best universities in this country.
(I am not saying that simply attending these universities is enough . . . After all, there are a few legacies . . . )
But people do seem to ask -- why seek out the best education? ( Why bother to rise to the top of your law school class? Esp. if you want to lead this country? ) I mean, honestly, why challenge yourself to be a real thinker? Better to be one of "the people."
Better to be like the rhinos in Ionesco's play Rhinoceros - a play about the birth of Nazi-ism, fascism, nationalism . . . in which everyone is taken over by the urge to become a rhino . . . It's an amazing play and film-- and unforgettable.
Oh, let's just be rhinoceri . . .
I hear it all the time. Even my daughter, attending closing ceremonies in the Peace Corps was told it's best not to get a PhD. Esp. not to go to a university like Harvard. Or Yale. Oh, God forbid if you go to the best universities in this country.
(I am not saying that simply attending these universities is enough . . . After all, there are a few legacies . . . )
But people do seem to ask -- why seek out the best education? ( Why bother to rise to the top of your law school class? Esp. if you want to lead this country? ) I mean, honestly, why challenge yourself to be a real thinker? Better to be one of "the people."
Better to be like the rhinos in Ionesco's play Rhinoceros - a play about the birth of Nazi-ism, fascism, nationalism . . . in which everyone is taken over by the urge to become a rhino . . . It's an amazing play and film-- and unforgettable.
Oh, let's just be rhinoceri . . .
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Politician Is a Human? (Or does he have Alzheimer's?)
No, the politician is not a human. The politician knows the people don't want him (or her) to be a human either. Then they might think about human things.
They might wonder or worry. How tired he (or she) looks!
How old!
How pale.
Maybe he is low on B vitamins.
Maybe has has low blood pressure.
Maybe he just needs a drink. An Advil.
A blood test.
A colonoscopy.
A prostate exam. Or a pelvic.
A test for Alzheimer's . . .
(The people think, couldn't they at least check for the Alzheimer's gene?
But then they remember Reagan. That most popular of all presidents.
Esp. years later . . .
Who remembers the Iran-Contra affair, the mining of the Nicaraguan harbor,
the invasion of Grenada . . .
Who needs memory? )
They might wonder or worry. How tired he (or she) looks!
How old!
How pale.
Maybe he is low on B vitamins.
Maybe has has low blood pressure.
Maybe he just needs a drink. An Advil.
A blood test.
A colonoscopy.
A prostate exam. Or a pelvic.
A test for Alzheimer's . . .
(The people think, couldn't they at least check for the Alzheimer's gene?
But then they remember Reagan. That most popular of all presidents.
Esp. years later . . .
Who remembers the Iran-Contra affair, the mining of the Nicaraguan harbor,
the invasion of Grenada . . .
Who needs memory? )
Hurray for the Pumpkin Pie
Politicians are another race, another breed. They aren't even human really. It's true. Scientists are studying them, and the evidence is in.
For one, it can be demonstrated in the way they talk. They talk and talk. They talk constantly, but they never talk as everyday humans do. They only pretend to. This is their secret. This is their game. To master a way of speaking that is familiar, that reminds people of themselves—of their small lives, complete with barbecues and hockey games and laughter and sweet little puppies and kittens and babies. Lots of babies. Yes, to remind them of their lives in their safe little Norman Rockwell towns in their tidy little Norman Rockwell homes with their smiling Norman Rockwell children. The lives they never had but imagined they did. Along with the pumpkin pie and ice cream. Who can best promise the life they never lived? And promise it will stay that way. That no one will take their babies away. Or their pumpkin pies.
Change? No, the politicians know that deep down the people don't want change. They just want more pies.
Some even want to go back to the good old days, to the ideals and the moral fortitude of those founding fathers, way back when, once upon a time. Founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson. And his slave mistress, Sally.
And yes, she kept the baby.
For one, it can be demonstrated in the way they talk. They talk and talk. They talk constantly, but they never talk as everyday humans do. They only pretend to. This is their secret. This is their game. To master a way of speaking that is familiar, that reminds people of themselves—of their small lives, complete with barbecues and hockey games and laughter and sweet little puppies and kittens and babies. Lots of babies. Yes, to remind them of their lives in their safe little Norman Rockwell towns in their tidy little Norman Rockwell homes with their smiling Norman Rockwell children. The lives they never had but imagined they did. Along with the pumpkin pie and ice cream. Who can best promise the life they never lived? And promise it will stay that way. That no one will take their babies away. Or their pumpkin pies.
Change? No, the politicians know that deep down the people don't want change. They just want more pies.
Some even want to go back to the good old days, to the ideals and the moral fortitude of those founding fathers, way back when, once upon a time. Founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson. And his slave mistress, Sally.
And yes, she kept the baby.
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