I'm a little too obsessed with my cats...

This is the closest that the cats get to each other. Oprah loooooves this blanket for some reason. She's my little puppy: she barks when she yawns, she sleeps in one place all the time, and she'll chase after anything that I throw at her, including my heavy clogs. I like the colors of this one. Nice contrast, and Oprah is actually staying still.

Uma is kind of a camera hog. During my last semester of college as an undergraduate, I had an assignment to take pictures of one subject. I chose Oprah because she's the cute one.

However, Oprah would rather chase after the glare from the camera (or currently, the camera phone), not to mention anything that moves slightly, so she makes an absolutely terrible photo subject.

Poor Uma has had troubles since birth: she marked her territory when she was two months old, she completely regurgitates her food (sometimes with a hairball) once a week, she has cat acne, and she's nervous. She helped me during the worst of the summer of 2005. We're kind of codependent on each other...

And she makes a damn good photo subject.

Where the world's headed, nobody knows

It's ironic that I chose a title of a song that was released over 30 years ago. We aren't any more confident in our current wartime president than we were in 1970.

It's fascinating how different things affect you at certain times and how different movements spring up at opportune times. Maybe you weren't paying attention the first time. Maybe a certain idea must be planted to serve as an impetus for change. I think it's slightly more than coincidental that I'm reading about the hip-hop movement while being interested in civil rights policy and grassroots political organizing.

On the other hand, I have a hard time being convinced that widespread national political movements like ACORN or the state PIRGs are the signal for the next revolution. It's too planned. It lacks the allure and anger of the Black Panther movement, the leadership of the U.F.W., and the immediacy of the Vietnam War.

It's hard to understand what these new nationwide organizations are fighting for. ACORN works for a higher minimum wage, better schools, and housing. I'm definitely for all those things. However, I don't know how well a national organization can work in a state like my home state of New Mexico where politics are deeply rooted in families and old-school politics, or here in Oregon, where employment is high and minimum wage is high as well. I'm still glad other people are willing to fight for a cause.

Learning how to fit in isn't as important as feeling empowered to be yourself. I've heard so many arguments against the Mexican immigrant movement using the Mexican flag and having a Spanish national anthem. Did anyone ever think that two of the border states haven't even been in the union for 100 years? My great grandparents were born in New Mexico when it was still Mexico.

Other nations have something that the U.S. lacks: a pride in history. We are afraid to teach our kids our native languages if they are something other than English. We tear down old buildings to build abominations like Wal-Mart and Starbucks. Those of us who are outraged should take a stand.

My juvenile sense of humor strikes again!
From AP:

Pink Taco Restaurant Name Causes Stir

Mon May 15, 10:46 PM ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The name of a new restaurant in Scottsdale is stirring up some trouble. The Las Vegas-based Pink Taco Mexican Restaurant is scheduled to open its second location in downtown Scottsdale in June.

Nearly half a dozen people in the upscale city recently expressed their objection to the name, claiming it's a derogatory slang term for a portion of the female anatomy.

In late April, the city received four e-mails, three of which bore no names, objecting to the restaurant's name.

One of those e-mails stated: "The City of Scottsdale has a very fine reputation around the world. Let's keep the standards high. Let's let what plays in Vegas stay in Vegas."

Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross has said she is offended by the name and went so far as to ask the owner to change it, although he refused.

Restaurant spokeswoman Lisa Perez said the company's name comes from one of its menu items.

Perez said the company has not received any complaints or objections about its name.

The original Pink Taco is inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to decide Monday whether to recommend the restaurant get a liquor license. If granted, the restaurant's application would then be sent to the state liquor board for review.

I'm walking a line, just barely enough to be living...

The first step in my own personal recovery Bible is admitting that you have a problem. It's in some other recovery manual as well...

This week I made the final step in recovering from the shortest yet most painful breakup of my life. I don't even know if that was the cause of my bitterness, since most of the emotional pain was inflicted not by the ex-boyfriend but by the ex-boyfriend's roommate, a man who I normally would have absolutely nothing to do with and who continued to call me, even though I did not answer my phone or return his calls for over six months.

That is, until this week. I didn't think that this would be one of the benefits of changing my phone number. Had I known, I would have done it a lot earlier.

I admitted that I had a problem. That problem was known as the crazy stalker.

Problem solved.

I've got the desert in my toenail...

I once had a life, or rather
Life had me
I was one among many
Or at least I seemed to be

Sometimes I wish I was born in the 50s so that I could enjoy the Rolling Stones before they became a joke, the Beatles when they were still together, Funkadelic in all their glory before Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell left the band, Michael Jackson before his personality preceded his music, Talking Heads when they were still playing CBGBs or with aforementioned members of Funkadelic...

Then again, if that were the case, I'd have to live through Nixon, the racist, law-breaking, warmonger president. Oh, wait, that's a parallel to the present administration.

At least Nixon did something for the environment by signing NEPA into law. So far, Bush's legacy is being the worst president without receiving any substantial Congressional action toward impeachment. I just hope that calls for impeachment don't start until next year, when the Democrats have control of the House, so that we have some hope of getting a Democrat in office...

I'm so sick of all the partisan politics, though. I haven't changed my voter registration from Independent to Democrat for two reasons. Reason one: It took me six months to receive my initial registration card; I can only imagine how long it would take to get a second one. Reason two: although I still believe in the tenets of the Democratic Party, I think the leadership is too busy pandering to the marginal constituents that they haven't set an adequate platform.

The activists of the 1960s and 1970s hated both Nixon and Johnson equally. It almost seems that Johnson wasn't recognized for pushing the civil rights legislation (and it's debatable as to whether segregation would have ended under any other president) until recently. Of course, he had the Vietnam quagmire to answer for...

Why aren't we, the fine citizens of the 21st century, holding our politicians accountable for our situations in Iraq? The 2006 Democratic nominee was a guy who voted for the war. If I wasn't such a Constitutionalist (one who loves the Constitution, not the Constitution Party), I would have given up on politics.

It could all be so simple...

Politics As Unusual

I hate being pigeonholed as "just a girl" or as a typical female when I talk about my obsession with makeup and interest in George Clooney; or as an anomaly when I say that I want to make my own money and my own career before I get married. I get disgusted with pro-life men or women who try to tell me that controlling my internal organs and bodily reactions violate the laws of a religion I don't even believe in or follow. I get depressed just thinking of the war in Iraq: how many Iraqi civilians and American soldiers are dying, how many soldiers come back to a country that doesn't provide veteran's benefits, how the president misled the public and has failed to provide an adequate reason for the invasion, and how our constitutional rights are suppressed in the name of "freedom."

However, I hate people who argue that voting isn't worth it and take a fatalist view toward activism. President Bush's approval rating has reached an ultimate low, but there are still a ton of people who aren't taking any action against him. These are people who apparently are blissfully ignorant or intellectually lazy. It's easier to blame the leaders than to take action. It's also easier to throw up your hands in defeat than to look for alternatives.

Of course, activists aren't average people. A lot of people look at me with confused expressions when I tell them that I believe in total drug decriminalization and abortion without restrictions. It gets worse when I emit that I voluntarily give up my Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to give out clean hypodermic needles to drug addicts, and that I belong to a Planned Parenthood group that voluntarily canvasses or calls pro-choice supporters at least five times a month.

Complacency and laziness never solved anything. Staging a revolution requires the existence of revolutionaries who are willing to work without a paycheck for a common cause. The students at UC Berkeley weren't paid for their protests during the Vietnam War. Cesar Chavez didn't assist in the formation of the UFW because he was paid for it. True activists see that something was wrong with the system, and they work to change it. I hope to be one someday. More importantly, I hope my fellow citizens do too.

Don't worry about the present day...

How to Do A Lot and Not Get Paid For It: Prolific Unemployment

If all goes accordingly, I will graduate in three academic terms. This means I have less than a year left. Saying that I'm worried or stressed is putting it mildly. I need to start studying for the LSAT soon, thinking of where to apply, and figuring out how to pay for all of this. Staying in Portland isn't really an option.

My initial complaint of Portland was that it was hard to get a job. My entire summer of 2005 was spent looking for jobs while my layabout significant other did the same. Our nights were spent drinking or watching banal television shows like INXS: Rock Star. The initial relationship was built on great conversations on politics and music since I was a graduate student in public administration with an interest in public policy and he was somewhat of a career activist.

Unfortunately, unemployment changed all that. My only solace at the time was my five-hour shift at the syringe exchange where I felt that I was actually doing something worthwhile, but I did it without a paycheck. I realized that I didn't want to do any sort of retail work anymore, so I started filling out volunteer applications everywhere I could think of to prepare for my future job options.

It is now May, fourteen months after I started the program. I have learned a lot in the past year, on a personal, professional and academic level. I know that I want to work with marginalized and minority populations to protect their civil and legal rights, especially those with drug citations or issues.

In October, I went to hear Sarah Vowell (author, NPR commentator on This American Life, the voice of Violet in The Incredibles, and one of my personal heroes) speak at a benefit for Write Around Portland, a non-profit that holds writing workshops for marginalized populations. I filled out an application last year, but since the trainings for facilitating the workshops was full, I asked them to hold onto my application until the summer. I hadn't heard anything from them, but I knew that the deadline for new applications was soon. I just figured it was a sign, since I have so much else (that I don't get paid for) on my plate.

Today, I received an email from them asking to set up an interview time. It doesn't necessarily mean that I've been selected. However, I haven't decided what to do yet. I always go into these things thinking "when will I be able to do this again"? Unfortunately, when I have too many obligations, I end up reneging on some of them. I function a lot better when I'm busy. This is an option to work with writers without previous writing opportunities.

I just don't know if it's worth my sanity. It's not worth it to the participants, either. But when can I do this again?

The LSAT is another huge stress for me. I took it the first time in February 2005, right before i moved out here. I didn't do as badly as I should have, considering that I didn't study or devote time to it. My score is lower than necessary to get into any of the schools I want to (including UNM). I knew that I'd have to take it again before applying, even though they still report the first score and average the two scores in the application. A week ago, I got friendly advice from a friendly lawyer: Don't retake the LSAT. If I do worse the second time, I'm not going to have the excuse of not studying. However, if I do better, I'll be able to get into the schools I want.

These volunteer opportunities also give me a more positive outlook on life. I may regret my frugal lifestyle and student loans that support me, but it's really cool to sign up for interesting programs.