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la_belle_laideI'll start, I guess, with the politics, although I don't think this goes under "politics" as much as "human rights" or something more along those lines.
I see a lot of people criticizing Obama for not taking a stronger stance on the situation in Iran. (And that whole thing has still been on my mind all day, as I go about my priviledged life with a president that I helped choose.) In a way, I agree and part of me would love to see him stand up and say how wrong this all is, you know, power to the people, really take a stand!
But on the other hand, part of me appreciates the fact that he's not pulling the usual, chest-beating, self-aggrandizing "The USA must take this country in hand and school it on how to do things like the way WE do" nonsense that always annoyed me. I'm really torn on this. What's going on is so wrong, it would be awesome of him to acknowledge it in some really strong words. But on the other hand, what can he do? Or what can any of us do aside from watch?
I dunno.
So that's my mana'o on that. Now back to my priviledged life, where my vote counts and no one shoots me in the chest for standing there.
Kung Fu tonight was great, with Gold Dragon leading the first class in a pad-drill with one of those knock-out ending strikes designed to take the other guys' face off. I'm all bruised and my arms are shaky. I got paired with Otaku-chan, a young 16, and everyone knows that if you're going to get accidentally hurt, it's going to be by someone young, or someone new. But, he did a good job. He's come a long way. In blackbelt, we did a drill that had everyone withering by the end of the class. It was a great drill, led by the Empress. Also, it was about 85 degrees in the kwon, and wet. It's cool outside (hi, summer? Anytime, please!) but hot as hell in there. By the end of the class, Mellow Homeboy (he used to live here, but moved away to FL and comes up for a few weeks every spring,) grabbed the front of his shirt, twisted it, and wrung more sweat out of it than you'd've thought likely.
So as we are leaving tonight, it's me and Empress in my car leaving first, and Gold Dragon and Mellow Homeboy in Gold Dragon's car right behind us. I'm getting ready to pull out of the parking lot and I see Otaku-chan sitting on one of these posts by the highway (where the nearby Chinese restaurant has these big lion statues out there.) And crossing the street in front of me, and going over to where Otaku-chan is sitting (waiting for his Mom to pick up up,) there's this homeless man with a shopping cart. Old guy, stooped over, with an unlit cigarette in his hand. Epmress and I look at each other with similar looks of "I feel sympathy but what are we gonna do, jump out of the car and offer him money?" What if he wasn't really homeless, or he would have been offended or something?
Anyway, the guy goes directly up to Otaku-chan and I say to the Empress, "Okay, this is getting weird; I'm going to stick the car in park, roll down the window and keep an eye out. Of Gold Dragon wants to go around me or leave by the other exit, he can." And I see Gold Dragon back up his car and pull away like he's going to use the other exit. Meanwhile I'm watching Otaku-chan talk to this guy, who shook his hand, and Otaku-chan looked a little bit out of his element.
Then Gold Dragon yells, "Otaku-chan!" (Only he uses his real name.) "Come over here and get in the car." Which he does.
The old guy turns around and finally sees me and I beckon him over. He comes over and I ask him, "What's up, what did you want with that kid?"
He goes, "Can you spare a dollar or two?"
So I tell him, "Yeah, sure," and I give him two bucks from my change purse, figuring, well, okay so that was harmless. (A lot of people say you shouldn't give money to homeless people, because they might spend it on an addiction [which assumes that all or most homeless people are addicts--not true,] but instead you should give them food or drink. Well, A) I don't happen to have that stuff on me, and B) gosh, what if he wants to pick out his own food? What if it was me, walking around with a shopping cart feeling hungry, and all I wanted was a 99 cent burger and a soda or something?)
Then he leans around me and looks at the Empress and goes, "And what about you?"
OMG, the kid doesn't even carry a purse. I'm like, "She doesn't have anything; I'm just driving her home."
And the guy goes. "Well... Okay. But do you two want to come and drink with me? Or maybe smoke with me?"
Umm, yeah, lemme just park my car, and then take the sixteen year old kid with me to a bar somewhere with a stranger so that we can drink and smoke together. WTH? Obviously I told him, "No thanks," and I really begin to think that I want the kids to wait for their parents indoors with the other people, (there's a class after ours,) like they used to in the winter time. Which is kind of a shame, because they do like to sit outside by the lion statues and act all cool in their black Kung Fu clothes. And I don't blame them either. ^_^
Oh, just as I was typing this, my good friend in Seattle called up to ask some questions about an injured baby crow. We got to talking, and evidentally she is coming back to the east coast! WOW! She said, "You know, I've been here for nine years...." and I spent about five minutes gibbering about, "No, stop lying, it is NOT nine years; I remember the day you moved, seriously that was only about five years ago, shut up, there's no way it was nine years..."
IN A BLINK.
To quote Beavis: "Time sucks."
Anyway I have to get up at ass o'clock tomorrow for A&P2 (the douchepocalypse,) and then the eastern nutrition midterm tomorrow afternoon. Laki maika'i!
I see a lot of people criticizing Obama for not taking a stronger stance on the situation in Iran. (And that whole thing has still been on my mind all day, as I go about my priviledged life with a president that I helped choose.) In a way, I agree and part of me would love to see him stand up and say how wrong this all is, you know, power to the people, really take a stand!
But on the other hand, part of me appreciates the fact that he's not pulling the usual, chest-beating, self-aggrandizing "The USA must take this country in hand and school it on how to do things like the way WE do" nonsense that always annoyed me. I'm really torn on this. What's going on is so wrong, it would be awesome of him to acknowledge it in some really strong words. But on the other hand, what can he do? Or what can any of us do aside from watch?
I dunno.
So that's my mana'o on that. Now back to my priviledged life, where my vote counts and no one shoots me in the chest for standing there.
Kung Fu tonight was great, with Gold Dragon leading the first class in a pad-drill with one of those knock-out ending strikes designed to take the other guys' face off. I'm all bruised and my arms are shaky. I got paired with Otaku-chan, a young 16, and everyone knows that if you're going to get accidentally hurt, it's going to be by someone young, or someone new. But, he did a good job. He's come a long way. In blackbelt, we did a drill that had everyone withering by the end of the class. It was a great drill, led by the Empress. Also, it was about 85 degrees in the kwon, and wet. It's cool outside (hi, summer? Anytime, please!) but hot as hell in there. By the end of the class, Mellow Homeboy (he used to live here, but moved away to FL and comes up for a few weeks every spring,) grabbed the front of his shirt, twisted it, and wrung more sweat out of it than you'd've thought likely.
So as we are leaving tonight, it's me and Empress in my car leaving first, and Gold Dragon and Mellow Homeboy in Gold Dragon's car right behind us. I'm getting ready to pull out of the parking lot and I see Otaku-chan sitting on one of these posts by the highway (where the nearby Chinese restaurant has these big lion statues out there.) And crossing the street in front of me, and going over to where Otaku-chan is sitting (waiting for his Mom to pick up up,) there's this homeless man with a shopping cart. Old guy, stooped over, with an unlit cigarette in his hand. Epmress and I look at each other with similar looks of "I feel sympathy but what are we gonna do, jump out of the car and offer him money?" What if he wasn't really homeless, or he would have been offended or something?
Anyway, the guy goes directly up to Otaku-chan and I say to the Empress, "Okay, this is getting weird; I'm going to stick the car in park, roll down the window and keep an eye out. Of Gold Dragon wants to go around me or leave by the other exit, he can." And I see Gold Dragon back up his car and pull away like he's going to use the other exit. Meanwhile I'm watching Otaku-chan talk to this guy, who shook his hand, and Otaku-chan looked a little bit out of his element.
Then Gold Dragon yells, "Otaku-chan!" (Only he uses his real name.) "Come over here and get in the car." Which he does.
The old guy turns around and finally sees me and I beckon him over. He comes over and I ask him, "What's up, what did you want with that kid?"
He goes, "Can you spare a dollar or two?"
So I tell him, "Yeah, sure," and I give him two bucks from my change purse, figuring, well, okay so that was harmless. (A lot of people say you shouldn't give money to homeless people, because they might spend it on an addiction [which assumes that all or most homeless people are addicts--not true,] but instead you should give them food or drink. Well, A) I don't happen to have that stuff on me, and B) gosh, what if he wants to pick out his own food? What if it was me, walking around with a shopping cart feeling hungry, and all I wanted was a 99 cent burger and a soda or something?)
Then he leans around me and looks at the Empress and goes, "And what about you?"
OMG, the kid doesn't even carry a purse. I'm like, "She doesn't have anything; I'm just driving her home."
And the guy goes. "Well... Okay. But do you two want to come and drink with me? Or maybe smoke with me?"
Umm, yeah, lemme just park my car, and then take the sixteen year old kid with me to a bar somewhere with a stranger so that we can drink and smoke together. WTH? Obviously I told him, "No thanks," and I really begin to think that I want the kids to wait for their parents indoors with the other people, (there's a class after ours,) like they used to in the winter time. Which is kind of a shame, because they do like to sit outside by the lion statues and act all cool in their black Kung Fu clothes. And I don't blame them either. ^_^
Oh, just as I was typing this, my good friend in Seattle called up to ask some questions about an injured baby crow. We got to talking, and evidentally she is coming back to the east coast! WOW! She said, "You know, I've been here for nine years...." and I spent about five minutes gibbering about, "No, stop lying, it is NOT nine years; I remember the day you moved, seriously that was only about five years ago, shut up, there's no way it was nine years..."
IN A BLINK.
To quote Beavis: "Time sucks."
Anyway I have to get up at ass o'clock tomorrow for A&P2 (the douchepocalypse,) and then the eastern nutrition midterm tomorrow afternoon. Laki maika'i!
