Mixed Bag

What's the Bright Thing to Do?

2011-07-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

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Figuring out how to stand out in a tough market.

Am I crazy to even try to guess if a brick and mortar arts degree from 2+ more years of riding desks at University of Maine could in any way compare to a shoddy online degree in Transportation mgmt?

Well. I don't think I am. Well, I am totally crazy, but not for this.

Here's my thoughts: cost to finish school in maine- $24K, meanwhile I'm busting ass to get by- the result- an arts degree. In writing. wooh!!!!! Now I need a day job to pay off muh bills until writing something publishable. Oh, and at this stage i'd now be about 30-35 k in the hole.

Cost to finish with APUS: $15K, meanwhile, I'm on the road again, building my experience as a bus driver. In addition, the related degree wouldn't hurt on the way to becoming a transit manager or supervisor. I think they'd understand, only in this industry, what I did and why I did it. The downsides here are that this job is not all it's cracked up to be, has bothered me before, and doesn't allow for much variation in work.

If I did go this route, Then, further in my career, if I don't have something published, I'll just keep working on finishing it ;). Not starting I'm sure.

Either way it'd be started prior to graduation, and, ideally, published by that time.

I may feel like kind of a dunce being the bloke with the hat again; as shown; as a bus driver or supervisor of bus drivers, but the money's good, and it's nice to have a day job to keep you comfortable and give you fodder for art. After all, art imitates life. How can you generate any if you don't live? In the real world? Of course, figuring out how to pay for school is the real world, too....

At this stage of my life, it'd be tough to leave the college path, or to go back to life in classrooms. So, if I can have the best of both worlds, why not?

BTW, the major or school do not have to be at all having to do with transportation. That's not really what I want to study, and there are many state universities that would give me a degree in the arts or humanities, and not tell anyone I....went ahead and took all of the courses on the internet.... So that's a consideration too.

It's not what I set out to do, but when presented with a huge bill that I'm not sure whether or not will be magically taken care of by the Tao, I decided I'd have to look for options.

There's a nearby bus company that pays very well, and would be putting me back on the road with more enjoyable circumstances- I hope. That'd be okay with me to be a road scholar. Guess I've lowered my standards.

I've never liked traditional education or the thought of being another brick in the wall.
That's why I like the un-college movement: uncollege.org. Or just plain old fashioned entrepreneurism. Or, just following your heart, doing what you love.

Likely my path has nothing to do with "finishing my education" (you never really finish)
or any normal job, regular stuff.

I'm on this planet to have fun, but we all have a few expected responsibilities. I'm going to find out what they are and complete 'em. Otherwise, you're just going through the motions.

It's hard to tell.

On one hand, what you think are your goals, seem very close and very simple so why go through a bunch of distractions to arrive back where you are later? On the other hand, what seems like the windier path may be the shorter one. It's a matter of perspective and of personal goals, and what your spirit is trying to tell you, and will do with you. And if you watch the patterns in your life, you'll learn what that is.

In any case, all roads lead to Rome, as they say. One way or another, it'll turn out solid.
I've been proved that plenty of times in life, over and over again. I'm optimistic of that for all of us, actually. It can't get much worse. Only up from here.

All this stuff could apply to you to. Stay tuned to find out what the final verdict is, if that helps you at all to do your own planning / preparation, though I wouldn't use me as an example for advice.

Alternate Reality

2011-07-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

It's simply amazing about the vivid "films" we receive when we sleep and dream. Our own personal movies, of which we are the stars, and can do anything. Defy gravity, go to other worlds, and all. Stuff so profound, no studio in the world could touch it.

To me this serves as evidence that we are all one, because I cannot imagine being able to create all those crazy, realistic movies myself, in my own mind. That's a lot of data. And if it is possible that our minds can do that, than our minds are really amazing, a lot more than we give them credit for.

Just zonk out, and tune in! Mind-o-vision: It's on.

Another thing dreams prove is that we all have vivid imaginations, and ARE able to visualize things, believe it or not. And you should. Because you can. You can visualize just as vividly in waking life.

Get tuned in to your subconscious (aka higher self!)

In It to Win It

2011-07-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

So here, like an immigrant, and in fact an immigrant of some type, moving within one's own country, to a new location with unknown opportunities, I've landed here in the middle edge of Maine, to further my education. I've turned up the heat. It's on now. Get it done, and move forward. No more procrastinating the inevitable. I've let go of the fact that college is a required process for the recognition of employers. For a job that pays a good salary, and starts at 30K without working up the ladder. Don't laugh. I know that's not a lot of money, but the most I ever made in a year, and this is adjusted gross income, folks, has been around 25k. My choice and all that, I get it. But I've chosen to go the distance. Not for those employers. I hope never to need their job but to be successful on my own, and in the arts, and be able to tell all HR people to shove it. There certainly won't be an of those in my organization. Hiring will be done by myself or managers directly. Sorry, job dolers, I don't have a position for you at this time. Muhaha! Seriously. If you managed in human-resources or personnel, or anything of the like, do not seek employment with any future Kevin Soini ventures. There will not be any opportunities for you.

Ranting aside, I'm doing this for me. I want to be the best [I can be] at what I do. And what I do, as I've learned from interfacing with my higher self, is write, act, sometimes create visual art, speak, inspire, maybe teach at times as dreadful as it sounds at the moment; but not in an organized institution- and conceive job-building, totally green enterprises, projects and non-profit endeavors that will benefit their perspective communities. These are most of my responsibilities here on Earth, that I know so far. I'm sure there are many that I've not explored, and know nothing about yet. These are the voyages of Starship Enterprise....well I'm not sure why I brought that up. But you get the point.
Expansion. Change. Good karma. Leave this earth better than you found it. Just a common courtesy, you know? Camp-ship Earth. Take nothing, leave nothing.

With a baccalaureate education, as much as a pain in the pa-tut as it is to get one, you too can have the upper hand as an insider. And it's really not that hard, people. 120 credit hours for a B.A. You can start at a community college, and knock off half of it at night, after work. And right now, government money is putting people through school. What else is it good for? Gotta invest in your people if you want 'em to vote for you, true?

Now is college the only answer? You bet it's not! There's a whole world out there. And if you got any better idea, go with it! Unless I should make a mint in my own enterprises before I'd otherwise graduate, I, like many people, currently lack the strength, courage, or genius to move forward any other way. But there are ways, and there's a whole un-college movement to push people in that direction.

Me, I'm at the halfway point in this endeavor. I've got 2 more years to go. And it's about time to have that much. But it's 100% possible, (not 100% odds,) that I'll get rich before graduating and say "see ya later" to the halls of academia, as much as they have helped me become a better person and better enjoy life. And it's 100% possible for you, too.

You get out of life what you put into it. Start putting something into life, if you want to see results. It works every time. Guarantee it. As long as you have the attitude and take the initiative, there is no investment more sound than your goals.

Are you ready? Let's make some stuff happen, people of Planet Earth!

Why Being White is Inconvenient

2011-06-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

I don't think being white is necessarily a good thing. The sun isn't very kind to white skin; the whiter you are, the redder you'll be after soaking up some rays.

It also seems like black people, and every other race have sort of an automatic clique. It seems typical for people of any other race to seek each other out in a crowd and be instant buddies, whereas white people are usually not very approachable.

People think it's better being white because we have privilege. Well, I don't want privilege (or the assumption of it,) or anything that makes me stand out or attract attention. Social anxiety makes me very uncomfortable with anyone of observing me. It's true that culturally/ socially, I'm pretty white. I don't really like this aspect of myself. Beyond the nerdy, socially-autistic daily me, there is a me with many cool unique qualities. The real me doesn't mind going to parties. The daily me will avoid parties at all costs. Would this be different if I was a different race? Possibly. Not favorably, according to sociology, but maybe not that much worse. Maybe better. At least I'd have the support of people of the same race.

People seem to assume that all white people are racist. Well, as a product of our school system, we pretty much are. But we are also forced into this box when people make this assumption. It's not necessarily where we want to be. People seem to observe with scrutiny for signs of prejudice. And, in my case, I think this observation effects exactly what they are looking for. I don't like that part of me. My shadow, as Jung would define it. But it's there. And it's part of me. That I have to accept. And move on.

Another thing about my white skin, probably from the Irish genes, is that it can be itchy and dry at times. Icky. But then again, I am aware that a lot of black people have the same problem. It seems; correct me if I'm wrong; that Latin or Asian skin is the most healthy. That would probably be the ideal suit of skin for me to wear, but you've got what you've got, right?

It's not easy being white. Or black. Or green. Or any other color.

Un-Fiction

2011-06-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've decided to blog my days as if I'm a fictional character, and my experiences are imagined by someone. This should help my I-narrator presence in my fiction, I should think. Eventually there will come a time when things will be embellished, perhaps enough to be entirely fictitious, but for now, entirely truthful, just told in an embellished way.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So....

I walked slowly from the park and ride into suburbia. It was an odd contrast, I thought, to be going from my own Semi-Urban apartment, back to this place. The first time I made this commute, the fast traffic of vehicles as far as the eye could see, was a bit nauseating, and a little scary. But I was past the point of judging, and just let people have their big useless trucks and SUV's, content that my own environmental footprint was close to the minimum.
As I turned the corner to the snakey side road, I looked down at the plants where spit-bugs had built their fizzy homes. An apple core discarded, possibly by me, had become the mecca and food source for hundreds of tiny ants.
It had been a day of quiet, everyday victory. With the ten-page paper that had weighed me down for so long turned in, the school-term was beginning to wind down. The physical exam results in my bag, picked up at the drop-in vocational clinic, would help me get my next job. A couple months ago, I really didn't have the essential paper-writing skills of college, but had just BSed my way through like the half-literate majority. Now I was legit. There could be no going back. And my convenient unemployment which allowed me to study unmolested by the frivolities of work in order to do my studies, would be replaced by good, gainful employment, and then university. I thought of the cherub perpetually spitting out water into the fountain in front of the medical office building I'd just passed, where they do liposuction, and decided that, from here, anything was possible.

It's time anew, to consider corn paper!!!

2011-05-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

As documented in a 1928 issue of Time magazine, researchers were considering how to mass produce corn paper and particle board. They had been after the lost revenue of the cornstalks once the cobs were harvested, but the point has a very viable ecological need within it.

We make all this stuff out of corn, it ends up in all this food, and in fuel, but we continue to make paper out of trees! Why?!

If we're going to produce paper, and corn, at such a large scale as we do, we at least need to consider combining the two.

Recycled paper is nice, but still requires wood pulp, and, thanks to conservatism, has never replaced unrecycled paper.

So help me bring about the movement we need in office supplies and publishing!!!!

Eating for Your Cells and Not Your Pallete

2011-05-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

If, from an early age, we grew up on tasteless gruel, like in the Matrix; and didn't know anything about any other food, we would go through life quite content to eat just tasteless gruel.That is, assuming it is nutritional food with amino acids and a few carbs. A little variety every now and than is okay, but we get obsessed in variety.

Similarly, if we are raised on corn derivatives, refined grains and sugars, and sodium compounds, we will learn to live off of the same. This of course, is a good recipe for staying stupid. My advice? Find a way out. Get into organic eating. Just a thought.

Carbs fuel the cells and give them resources for repair, but most people eat way too much of them, because that's what their tastebuds and brains are wired to crave.

My suggestion? Stop eating for your own personal amusement/ comfort / and or taste requirement, and start eating as a means of supplying your cells; the building blocks of your existence; with the proper nutrients to keep functioning.

Carbs are necessary. But you can get them in the other natural foods you would consider eating if you were eating for your cells, and not your receptors.

The quantity of food you need varies on your metabolism and level of activity. However, most people do over eat. If you are fat; just to be frank; you are carrying plenty of food for a long time (though you will need to add some proteins; your stored supply is just carbohydrates.)

Only if you are extremely active do you really need a lot of food. We don't like to be too skinny in modern culture, but if you find yourself wasting away, like me, that is a good chance to take control of the situation, and build a little muscle for yourself. Just takes the proper physical disciplines, and right eating.

There's a reason nitrous wastes and other valueless non-foods are pooped out. The body doesn't need them!!! It needs them to be far, far away!

So, if you are taking rather sizeable dumps all the time, you are eating too much, and of the wrong things. Try again. The cells that compose your being; each an organism of its own right, feed on only a few substances.

I think it all comes down to omega 3's, amino acids, and carbs. I may be wrong on this, but it matters little. If you use your feelers to eat the right stuff, you will be fed right.

I like a vegan/ vegetarian diet, because it's right for me, and may be right for you. It doesn't take a lot of energy to produce, nor to digest.

In any case, if you eat for your cells, you need a good supply of complete proteins, to supply the needed amino acids which do so much within your body.

There are all sorts of pure foods these can be found in. Quinoa is a good example. For most of us, this grain doesn't not allow for eating locally, the par for the course.

Quinoa may be one exception to consider. The shipping of it may not be sustainable any more than any other shipping will be, but we might as well use it while we have it.

There are many ways to prepare this staple. Indeed, you could make a sort of Matrix gruel out of it just by cooking it with water and nothing else.

However, if you're not quite a Jedi yet, there are endless recipes only a search click away. I have none. As of this time, I am terrible with preparing the grain according to my learned taste preferences, but I'm trying to shed those in the garbage anyway.

There are a million other healthy sources of cellular nutrients. Fresh, locally grown produce. Mushrooms. Beans. As alluded to earlier, you do not need all of the carbs people are used to stuffing into themselves for reason of comfort.

Food of that kind dampens emotions and keeps us fat, happy, and oblivious. If you want to better yourself, think of the function of what you put into your body and not the taste. Taste matters little, when you have acclimated and awakened yourself, and in the meantime, grin and bear it for good results to come.

I think you could arrive at the same conclusions I thought of in writing this post, by studying macrobiotics, but try to get your truth without a label. A horseradish, by any other name, is still a horseradish, is it not?

Food for thought about sparing thought for food. That's all. Salude!!!

Exanding Data Consumption

2011-05-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

There was a time when a 30 GB external HDD in my laptop satisfied my storage needs.
It didn't last long before I realized I needed 100 gigs of external storage, however.

This lasted for a time, except that the old HDD has a tendency to corrupt my data. By now its survived several moves and probably has many damaged sectors.

Now, I have twice that amount on the disk-mind of my laptop. And that's still hardly enough! Faced with video from my built-in cam; not yet prepared for Youtube, threatening to burst my storage capacity, I find myself needing to purchase a 1TB external storage drive. I just hope there doesn't come a time when 1 TB isn't enough for the majority of us!!!! This is the last upgrade I hope to make in a while.

At least I'll be able to wipe my current external and get rid of it. You know, that drive has been in operation since like Windows 2000, maybe even 98 was installed on my PC. So this new drive will be used only with Windows 7 or better. (Not that I wouldn't plug it into a Mac or Linux system. Always a possibility for a geek like me. Though- I'm not entirely sure it would work with them. Hmmm.)

It's not fun to realize you are old enough to be getting old. I remember all the money I spent at Microcenter and Bestbuy in my teens. I always paid by check and bought such things as an MIDI keyboard with crappy proprietary software, clearance foot pedals and yolk that didn't cooperate with Flight Sim 2000, my original JVC mini-DV Camcorder, connecting junk for the same, Acid Foundry Studio, Magix Movie Maker Pro, The Sims and some expansion packs, the Myst Games, countless ink cartridges, a flat bed scanner, etc...etc... etc.... What a geek I was. (Without being a wise geek who knows enough about computers to make money.) I should've found something better to spend my cash on. Lame.

Well, needless to say, I don't spend much on my technology anymore. I buy the same model of Acer computer with basic level integrated gadgets, and use it until it falls apart. My only regret is that these computers are produced cheaply in China without regard to fair practice toward labor or the environment. This pisses me off greatly, but I don't have $1,000 for a more expensive brand which would be made in similar conditions anyway, and don't see myself down grading to an old tower and CRT, even though it could be the higher road for the environment and humanity. I guess I'm a bit of an asshole consumer like everyone else in America. What can I do. I'm plugged in!

I won't always be.

Another Random Movie Review

2011-05-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

This was case in point of that stuff I talk about all the time, "randomly" being led to a book or movie, or to create a piece of writing. The Force at work.

I rarely ever pay to see a special engagement, and hardly go to the movies at all, but, after what will probably be my last day of work for a little bit, wandered over to Cyber Dogs for a dinner (I had the Ipanema----awesome Brasilian flavour!) and when that was done, found myself absently wandering into the Regal. I asked the girl at the desk what kind of Cerebral movies like "Inception" (last movie I saw in a theater, and it was that theater,) were playing, and she said "Limitless." So, without concern about the ticket price, usually a factor, I decided to check it out.

There is a reason for my seeing that film. Guarantee it. This is how the force works.

Overall, it was way cool. What I didn't like, was that there was no deviation from the typical Hollywood misogyny, in this case, that the main man killed a girl during a night he completely forgot, using his miracle drug. This prompted him to reconsider the drugs miraculous properties, but it still doesn't excuse him getting away with murder through a famous, high-powered lawyer. Furthermore, because he is so dynamic after using this drug, everybody seems to support him for the senate. But is that kind of behavior befitting a senator? Ted Kennedy got away with it, but that was after he was voted in. Just a little gross to consider.

Other than that, I really do enjoy when human beings get out of impossible challenges, awaken, etc...., and this fits into the respected genre of psychiatric comedy/ cerebral texture films nicely. Although, as a side note, I believe one could get the same effect as using all of one's brain capacity, simply by disengaging from the brain. "Thinking is not required," as my teacher says. You would be 100% plugged into the Tao/ The Force at that point, which is why my method of finding the film was coincidence.

It was thought provoking, and the message was that personal achievement is awaiting us all. Further, upon getting out of that theater, having seen any film, but most of all a cerebral one, I find myself being present. A state which is otherwise uncommon for me. It is automatically invoked by the place, and the rains which are inevitably falling when I'm downtown. The movie is not the only component of this; one could acheive the same feeling walking through downtown Seattle, looking up at the buildings, taking it all in, particularly during rain. However, the movie helps blend fiction (i.e the unlikely, the future, the unknown,) with reality. (ie the now.)

The next day I would experience Salvia, so it was exciting to look forward to this magickal herb in the context of the movie.

So, awakening folk, I suggest you run, don't walk, to see this movie, and do so in a similar setting if you can. We may not be able to respect everything the protagonist does, but we can certainly learn from it. "Men Who Stare at Goats," is another realistic example of what the mind is capable of.

If you'll pardon me, I have to develop my Jedi mind, and use it to accomplish something great.

Bad Brain! Shut Up!!!

2011-05-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

When we get ideas in our heads that our evil, they are usually not from us, but from outside forces that like to fuck with humans. I am trying to explore ways of stopping this stuff, whether induced by the brain itself, or not.

You surely know what I'm talking about, but one example is the one I'm experiencing right now. Pan frying my big gold fish!!! Yagggghh!! And I'm a vegan!!! Very disturbing. I love all my fish as beings, and don't want to see them fried or served on a plate. Be gone!!!!

That...kind of worked. Those influences are shy so if you bring them to light, they might go away. Conclusion one. Try blogging yourself to see.

Yogurtland? Thanks but no thanks.

2011-04-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

A new chain has opened a location in Seattle, across from school. Yogurtland.
I went in there today, to determine if any soygurts were available. Negative. Thanks anyway.

After further eSearch, an article written today by an MD, turned up, saying that radioactive milk has been found in Washington state.

It's good to be vegan.

My tendency to make dietary (dairitary...) exceptions has ended.

Tried to Lose my Mind- but Done Gained it Back!

2011-04-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

From previous entries, it is clear that I keep repeating the same patterns, constantly chasing the same things. Things that are never to be found;

first because want affirms lack; and second because just when I'm about to advance, I seem to regress. Fortunately, this current position shows promise for actual acceleration from the starting point, in the direction of motion for the race. Now this is a time-trial. No one else is in the track, and it's all good. But we have a better chance of beating our last time, if we drive the course in the proper direction for scoring, yeah? It also helps if we release the clutch this time! And maybe, if we do it right, we'll find the exit from the closed course, and get to the freeway this time.

So the goal here, is literally, to go out of mind. Mind will only cloud our ambitions and keep us in the constant noise of a bad TV show, in which we are eternally starring. I want to think less, do more. Or less. Depending. Mostly less. "Chop wood, carry wood." It's all smooth from here. No longer a hope. No longer a wish. Just a truism. I've already started my inertia in the desired direction of motion, and it won't be long now before it's perpetual, in accord with Newton's first law of thermodynamics. And in this case, there won't be an outside force to counteract the motion. Not even dearth.

Just shut up and do your #@#$ job

2011-04-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

From my observations, most business people and other passengers, particularly when in the presence of other riders of the same distinction, will only exchange a maximum of about 5 lines with the driver, before the us/them mentality kicks in, and they decide it's unwholesome to talk to the driver, [ie "help,] who they now wish just to be a cabby, sometimes a little sorry that they started interacting with them.

I'm not saying I'm like this guy, in the Spinal Tap move. Far from it, being anti-social and all. And I'm certainly not saying I'm hurt by it. I'm just observing. And, on the flip side of the equation, I have been, as a customer of a bartender, for example, or other service pro; similarly awkward. I know it's not the image I wish to convey, as I enjoy hearing from these people, but perhaps, always fear I am keeping them from their work or something. And this is often true. But how is this phenomena explained? Is it because the us/them mentality is universal? Or is it because of social awkwardness on either part? Why does social awkwardness exist to begin with? Is it a product of the industrial age, like so many other symptoms and diseases? As an armchair sociologist, I'm interested in the answers to these and many other questions, and would be glad if you added your feedback to this, below. That is, if you dare dirty your hands by commenting on the page of a paltry shuttle driving pissant!

I've rarely ever been the have of the haves/ have nots equation, but it has happened to me, especially in a foreign country. And I'll tell you: If I have to choose between the two, I'd definitely rather be one of the have-nots. That is, to say, from a socio-political, as well as racial standpoint, because I'd rather have the feeling of inadequacy than the guilt. However, if I ruled the world; you would too; because we'd all be equals.

Cold Hearts

2011-04-19T19:05:00.001-07:00

In all my time here, I have been unable to understand what the deal is with the women of Seattle and Western Washington. I've heard many a tale, and have had nothing bad bad experiences myself. They all seem to play the part of the coldest, hardest bitches I know. I am sorry to put it like that, but can't think of a better way to quantify their mentality. Maybe they do not like men from outside. My first thought was that a cloud from the era of prostitution still hangs darkly over this old port town built on debauchery. Whatever it is, I do not wish to know, and resolve not to bother with any of the native women here, during the rest of my stay, or internment, in this weathered port. Of course, a lot of it has to do with online dating, which explores the most mentally unstable portion of any population. It's difficult to discern wherein the problem lies. For some time, I have thought it rests with me, but am no longer gullible or naive enough to believe that one. Something is going on here. A vast shift of the universe. But it does not feel kosher. It is merely hate being replaced with hate. Misandry replacing misogyny. Two wrongs make not a right, and you reap what you sew. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to the next phase of my life. I have never felt welcomed anywhere, but am beginning to be able to welcome myself, and be comfortable with myself. I am repairing the mind and spirit wherever possible, but it may be much easier to apply the final sutures out of this environment, where my very presence, as a male, is treated with malice.

Doh!

2011-04-13T21:50:00.001-07:00

The bad news is I discovered first hand, that bridge the Journey Lines bus got crushed under in the Arboretrum. The good news is, that I discovered this bridge in a shuttle bus that is probably about 8' 11 & 3/4" high at its tallest part.

I made the stupid turn, a left, instead of the right I came from, came up to the sign that said nine foot clearance, stopped the bus, put it in park and put on the hazards. I got out and took a look. Would I make it? Looked like it. Just barely. The people behind me were honking me to go because they could see I'd clear it. I didn't take their word for it, but made a quick estimated measurement, and crept through slowly.

People on board (including the driver)? One.
Witnesses? However many drivers and people were waiting behind me, & en pasant.
Damage? None. Maybe a slightly bruised ego.

I am not proud of this occurence, but have realized two important, already-known bits of info anew:

1) There is no way a person like me should have a CDL.
2) If a person like me does have a CDL and use it, they must always be extraordinarily cautious, and not try anything new!
3) I actually have extremely good luck. It's good I found this out in this coachette and not a full sized coach. It's a good thing I had something like this happen before something bad, like above happens.

I've long been trying to change my career, but here is one more kick in the pants to do so, that I did not necessarily need.

However, all's well that ends well. This is actually a positive learning experience. Lesson learned! (And this time I have the luxury of learning much of it from somebody else.)

Neato Burrito

2011-04-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've gotten very into burritos lately. This is probably from eating at a local bar / taqueria called Bimbo's Cantina. (Don't make fun.)

I like their burritos, but don't like spending $7 for each one. So, I make them myself for next to nothing, and bring them to school as my lunch; they fit perfectly into my small, flat plastic container.

I always make super-size burritos, because this is my protein, and small burritos....just seem...kind of pointless to someone with such a healthy, young man's appetite.

As always, the more pure the beans, the better, and dry beans (maybe sprouted,) are better than from a can, but that's usually not an option for busy people like myself.

Also, I don't like the way the cheap, traditional tortillas are made (the ingredients,) and will probably go to somewhere like whole foods and pay a little more next time. The cost per burrito is still quite low. In comparison to what you would pay to nurture a burrito habit at the taqueria? Yes. Pennies.

You can put whatever you want on a burrito, but, lacking the creativity to put anything than the usually expected stuff for now, I make them with soy-based sour cream, avacado, tomato, lettuce, again- standard brown rice, and of course, pinto beans. Although I remember once mastering the art of the sandwich for a very short time, and knowing that great sandwiches and wraps are easy, burro's currently trump any sandwich I could make, in tastiness, presentation, and satiation.

Something in the Flour

2011-04-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've discovered, that in this country, flours must be enriched with thiamine, a B Vitamin, (B1) usually as thiamine mono-nitrate. It is purported that this nutrient is necessary for health in humans and all animals, and that its lack is cause of Beriberi. Well, this nutrient is naturally occurring in most modern diets. Even without enriching flours, modern people do not get diseases like Beriberi, which was largely exhibited in people like sailors who did not eat a proper diet.

Do you know what B vitamins do to me? They make me nervous, and amp me up. Get me wired like caffeine. This is not true for everyone, but it is true for X percent of us. It just makes me wonder. Further, and you could call me on this one of I'm wrong, since I just had high school level bio and chem classes but; nitrogen is a waste product in the human body. Its presence is immediately rejected, and it is expelled as feces or urine. The human body does not require it. However, the source of thiamine of choice, is a nitrate. Part of it will be expelled as a free radical whose presence has no place in our system. Why do humans need this? Is it just, perhaps, that it is cheaper to add that extra molecule, nitrate, in order to get the thiamine?

Look at the food pyramid- and you will see how essential grains and carbs are made to be in our diet. So let's think of this for a moment- you can't get anything with flour without thiamine here, and you are advised to eat a lot of stuff with flour. Not only that, but it's among the cheapest of foods, and very hard to imagine living without for most people. From the morning doughnut to the midnight cookie. We already know there's something in the water. Don't say there isn't. It wouldn't surprise me in the least, if there was also something in the dough!! whether or not the intent is to make us all nervous all the time, so that we obey, and don't think for ourselves, is not for me to conclude. I don't know why things are the way that they are. But I do know, there's more than meets the eye. The practices used in our food production, not to mention medicine and the rest of our social structures, remain mysterious. Never trust them!

If you don't buy the conspiracy theory, there are still other problems with our food system. Did you know the corn growers and dairy farmers, etc... bond together to force their wares upon the nation? For example, the dairy farmers have a government marketing organization which has given Domino's pizza cash incentives for producing (hideously unhealthy,) pizza's that contain lots of cheese; and their website tries to produce a guilt trip for those- like me- who would order pizza without cheese, by offering a message like “We just wanted to keep the dairy farmers happy but...” I'm not kidding! This is real. And the corn farmers band together to insure that high fructose corn syrup- a very unhealthy carb which is a leading cause of obesity- is in virtually everything! Look this stuff up. This is the kind of shenanigan your government is involved with!!

For careful eaters like me, being vegan, this stuff is a moot point, since we are not swindled by this BS, but for others, if this sounds like it affects your diet, it probably does. All I'm encouraging you to do is evaluate your moods after eating certain foods, and the physical sensations you have after that. I know that if I just subsist on junk foods for a day, I'm definitely going to be sick later. Without fail.

You are what you eat. That's all I'm saying. And America is eating very specific things as a general group. Consider deviating from that group, if you can.

Making good sushi with NONE of the right materials

2011-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Thinking outside the box in sushi-making, you can actually fix yourself a tasty meal or snack. I don't have a rolling mat, I don't have a rice cooker, or the little wooden bowl required to "properly" fix the rice. I don't even have the correct rice or vinegar! I am using apple-cider vinegar, and regular California brown rice. I let the rice dry a little bit on a cookie sheet, put some sesame seeds and a small amount of the vinegar on it, and took a sheet of nori, (ripped, but I cut it in the direction of the tear, making it just a scoring line,) and proceeded to wrap the rolls very easily. And there it is! It it tastes fine! The only reason it would not taste fine, is if you compare it to impression in your mind, of what sushi "should" taste like.

By no means am I bastardizing the artistic profession of the sushi chef, but I just want you readers to realize that doesn't have to be as far away as you think, and you don't really need any special materials. Sometimes all that's to it is to do it.

Vegan "Fettuccine" Simple

2011-03-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

This is more of a shopping and serving suggestion, than a recipe.

I bought a carton of Wu Mu Wide Noodles, 4 lbs. for six bucks, and gluten rolls- product of California, frozen- from an Asian market, and a can of tomato sauce, (no-added sugar,) from a conventional store.

Boiled the noodles- it only takes 3 minutes according to their recommendations, and added the reheated gluten bits, sauce, a dash of pepper, garlic, and nutritional yeast to taste.

Granted, it is troubling for food purists to agree to the concept of eating food shipped from across the world, in this case, Taiwan. I would agree that eating locally is much more satisfying, but don't believe choosing occasional imports like this is such a terrible sin to your body or the planet, that it should not be done by vegans and health-conscious people. Actually, to be honest, I had forgotten to read the labeling, and had thought this had been made locally. Somehow I thought noodles were like tofu in that regard- made in your area. As I think they were last time I purchased such a product, in Boston. But, we all have to live with our choices, don't we? Use it up, wear it out....! You know the rest: do it!

Also the ideal method is to make your own sauce, or use something simple like soy sauce. But I am not there yet. Sometimes you have to take baby steps. And, as a n ewbie vegan, who was been lazily vegetarian, and grew up eating a semi-typical American diet (No we didn't frequent fast food joints, but we didn't always eat fresh organic stuff at home,) I'm okay with opening a can of tomato sauce and pouring the contents directly on my pasta. But not forever. Next time actually, fresh homemade vegan pesto or stewed farmer's market tomatoes would be awesome! I'll make a note of it.

Only 3 ingredients are listed on the noodles: wheat flour, water, and salt. Very vegan. (Well okay, maybe not from a civil rights or eco perspective. I've nothing to say to that. Certainly a topic for further contemplation.) As well as being a versatile Asian noodle, it is also fettuccine by a different name, at half the price of Italian stuff. And most of the time, the Italians put eggs in their pasta.

If you're concerned about radiation from Japan being in future Asian foods- I don't blame you. But foods with dairy are more likely to be irradiated than anything else. The chances that these noodles come off the boat from Taiwan with significant amounts of radiation is very slim. Look at it with a Geiger counter if you have to. Anyway, we're no where near as at risk as people in Japan! And we're all in the world together. It's a shame- IMO- that we have nuclear power at all, but the world is a closed-system, so if something goes wrong, we all share in the effects, and responsibilities of attending to ourselves and protecting ourselves.

All I know is, that it is very cheap to shop in China town, or equivalent. Maybe just avoid Japanese rice crackers at this time. If they make it here, since the Japanese very much need their food right now. Although the seaweed does fend off radioactive particles...

Local is good, but the earth is our home. As long as we can trade with our long distance neighbors (not forever, oil is running out,) a little exchange can a good thing. Loving irony, and self-contradiction*, I'll probably make the case for the opposite next. Stay tuned!

*Call me wishy-washy if you want, but life is full of contradictions!I'm just going to keep on flowin' - that's how I roll. Every day is a new day, with new horizons and new revelations.

Earth Hour

2011-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm going to shut down this computer now, and all other lights and devices in my apartment by 8:30 local, except for maybe, the clock on my stove, and the filters in the fish tank....that wouldn't be too great for my little friends.

Why?

Maybe you've heard of Earth hour. Not a bad idea. I like it.

But we should think of the earth everyday. All the time. In all of our activities. Not just one hour a day, or one day a year.

Thanks. Time to power down.

Street Assault

2011-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

The concept of Dialogue Direct, and other similar canvassing organizations, as well as those organizations that canvass for themselves, is an effective way to raise money by guilting people to give. It really does create huge donations for the non-profits invovled, but I think privitization and out sourcing of this task, is based solely on greed, and nets these groups, a lot of money in fees. Money that could be better spent if the organizations did their own fundraising. In any case, the canvassars themselves have a cash incentive to keep getting pledges, or primarily, recurring donations, as well as needing to reach certain quotas in order to keep their jobs. So, of course they are fiercly on the hunt for people. Like vultures. That is how the model is based.

However, I for one, will not agree to carry the burden of the world on my shoulders, by being guilted into giving money. I will only give money; to anyone, which includes homeless people and others who ask me, or better yet- those who don't but need; when I feel generous, which means I have to feel wealthy, not poor and chipped away at by the nickel and diming that is going on in my life right now. I did not cause the meltdown of the nuclear power plant in Japan, it is not my fault that the children of Darfur are suffering, or etc... I'm not saying we don't all carry some responsibility to help our fellow humanity- I think that we do, at different levels. And I'm not saying the working poor, like myself, should be exempt from giving, so long as we give from our hearts when we are ready. But I do believe the model of putting commoners on the spot for immediate charity, is a means of taking the onus from those politicians and business people who are responsible for the inequality of the world, and giving it back to the general population, who are suffering their own problems.

So, sorry canvassars, if I just walk on by. It's nothing personal, just business. Just like that fat check you manage to jive your way into every pay period. I defend my right to be an asshole, and help others in my own way- which, I believe- is by doing one's individual and particular work within the creative realm, or whatever your gift is to society. Being true to that. If you paint murals for peace, for example, with troubled teens, and get them invovled, you are doing your part and don't need to give financially. The people who need to give financially are those who are completely useless otherwise. I don't think Donald Trump will be planting trees any time soon, unless his PR crew says he needs to do his good turn for the decade.

Next time you're walking along, and are asked to solve the problems of the world, maybe just keep on walking. Save yourself the intense emotion of pursuuing a fool's errand.

Today's Quick Stirfry Idea

2011-03-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

As a vegan learning to eat better, I'm finding stirfry becoming a staple food in my diet.

I don't have a wok. Just a standard, non-stick frying pan that came with my set of cookware. I don't usually like following a specific recipe, nor do I intend to pass one onto you today. Instead, I provide you with a possibility to consider.

This particular meal consists of mung bean sprouts, cabbage, kidney beans, broccolli, shitake mushrooms and hot-sauce seasoned tempeh, cooked with olive oil, sesame seeds, cashews, ginger, roasted garlic, and soy sauce. Served over brown rice. I often find it better to put the mix over the rice instead of including it in the pan, particularly due to potential overflow in the small skillet.

It's cooked just enough to be tender, but not to where all the life and nutrients have been cooked out. Pretty good!!!

This just in...

2011-03-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how world events affect email servers? Particularly Yahoo, but I'm sure all free webmail. People in Japan are probably communicating non stop with eachother and other's around the world. Perhaps the rest of us, instead of being selfish and angry, should back off, take a day away from email, and let these people exchange their frantic messages of great importance!!

You may say "NIMBY!" But you can't hide from life forever. Eventually life will reach the United States, and all of the other countries with the illusion of safety, as the veil under which we all live. Consider doing as I suggested if you are having problems with your email, and go and read a book!!!

The Modern Bible of Jesus Christ

2011-03-20T01:53:00.000-07:00

**Stream of consciousness Artwork only. I am agnostic. Please do not ask me questions about religion!!*** (I know less about anything at all, than you do. Thanks.) During the writing of this, I was directed on I Corinthians, 3:18, and it seems appropriate here!!! But I was also directed to verse 3:16, and that makes sense to me to, in relation to this.

===
The Modern Bible of Jesus Christ

And so the lord spoke out to us and said "this is the Word, your God. And I command you to rest in peace and freedom, until your legs no longer hurt, and you are no longer tired, from traipsing around the planet, instead enjoying the place you have been given, this lifetime.

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,
Dedicated to the lord, my dad, an' muh mum, da howely spear-it. Ya ready? Here goes da book of God, Volume II- and of course, me mum writes the final book of the trinity trilogy. Makes sense, right? The Book of Mary.

And there was morning, and there was evening, and we slept and ate, and drank good wine, which is aready the blood filling my veins. for Jesus is permanently inebriated. The mind of Grapes and vine. The holiest of fruits, and earthly manifestation of your lord and savior, Jesus.

THE BOOK OF VERBS

Chapter 1:

1. And Jesus spake unto the people of Jerusalem, and said- "Let him who is guided to the arms of mine father, surely be respected, and cherished. 2. In another language, we are Lakshmi, Vishnu, and Rama as Trinity. And, in the Arab religion, we are phrophet Mohammed and holy parents, strangely lumped into one: Allah. As with the Jews- Abraham and God, then known as Yeweh- Jah! to the Rastas in the house! 3. And I, the Christ child, or whatever you want to call meh, emerged from muh mum, or whatever you wand to believe, until the rest of ye fuck it up again, and we start anew, like with the book of Mormon. 4. Which brings us to the story of Lucifer's Rebellion. 5. Lucifer, formerly known as Luke the Baptist, one of my compatriots, trusted colleagues, and hearty desciples, had some issues with some of my thoughts, and nailed me to the cross, hoping I would 'return anew, more enlightened still. And so, I came back as Muhammed, Martin-Luther, Ram Dass, etc... to try and change the earth back to mightyness. 6. And this all began when Lucifer and his team rebelled against me, the Jewish King, and told me only David was king, and how dare I! "The Messiah, my ass!" said the Rabbi. "He wouldn't be a human Jew. Especially a heathen carpenter. 7. And, with that, my buddy, student, and friend, misjudged for his work, which was only as ordered, sent me back into the heavens to return as Lao Tze, and Confucious. 8. And on the sixth day, we had the sacriments, and worshiped our lord and creator in our natural nude states.

***

"Baruch atove hayem, mahalka, val rashem, Tode ave amein! Baruch atoi adonoi, ha malechenu sholatoem. Ha malechenu erov shatoem. Malech ahoi toda, melachanu kivets aloem!

{sung by cantor, becoming Klezemer}} Baruch atoem malchenu, kadhazja veck avo, melech rach lla homen, kadesha kuda loe! Melachi chi kadesha, ka kadesh heinu chie! Ha tzu kadech la hohem, ma lla kainue sie!

Duh da da da DA DA! Dada duh duh dah da dah!

Chachacha chenu, mahelecha sho atove, ma halo ha cana cain, mahalech hateom cha! Shi shi shi! Mahelech atoi ato. Shi shi shi! Shu shu shu! ma hatove hatove hata che vue. Ki ki kenu malech atoi chatome, kanyu lana lana shome! Kiki ki mahalech va shove atome!

A Requested Dream Appears

2011-03-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

Last Night I called upon the Mighty Ones and my higher self to provide an insightful dream about by work situation, and received this one in response. It is unfortunate that we are required to deal with the trivial matters and affairs of man, which prevent us from working on our own projects and interests. However, it is possible to leave the confines of the system. The only way that I know to do so, is to establish a grub stake from a year or two of working a well-paying job. Certainly not like my present one; and then to purchase your own land, build a home, and produce your own energy and food. At that point, or earlier, you can become a sovereign, and not have to pay property taxes as long as you live. More about that later. Onto the best impression of the rich language of dreams I can provide within the confines of language and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This dream was an alternate reality.

Instead of waking up to do the job I am about to do, I set out intending to do the same thing, but took the wrong bus. Which grew out to be a large limo/ shuttle bus, about 30-35 feet long, black. And inside containing pretty much a large airline cabin. A full group of passengers, people tussed up in business suits, appeared from nowhere, maybe even the yard where I picked up the bus.

So, I soon realized that I had selected the wrong bus, and now had someone else's bus, with other orders to go somewhere else.

Because I couldn't disturb my many high profile clients, I drove around for a while, and got lost in icy, snowy roads that were in semi-rural residential areas.

I ended up at a small location of Eclipse Aviation, (perhaps using Enron Symbol,) and went in there to look for directions. Didn't find anyone. Eventually, a crew of thugs that worked in there came out and got on the bus. They told me I had a dent on the left wheel. I didn't care but they said “just come out and look,” at which point the crew inside began collecting wallets from the passengers. Well, when I came back aboard and realized this, I became the hero, got the big black guy in front of me, the biggest, loudest one, in a choke hold, and threw him around with ease. He turned out to be a mental case, so I worked on diffusing him, got rid of all the aggressors, and parked the bus somewhere else in the parking lot. This is when the bus grew into this super coach like a plane.

And I went back there, and there was this business guy in back with grey hair that said something to me in a way I didn't like and I said “Excuse me? That sounded a little rude.” At which point he spilled his plastic cup of water on me “just to be perfectly clear.”

Everyone had been jarred and freaked out, and had gotten into all of the wine and made a huge mess of everything back there. So I went upfront, and I now had this huge cockpit with a computer, and some regular multi-line desk phones on the wall, and I sat there for several minutes not knowing what to do. Eventually I called [The Boss] on my cell phone, and we established that I took the wrong bus, and he started texting me information, and presumably emailing it, but I never got it, and I had problems accessing my email on the computer, and people started flooding off the bus, and I found the mic and said “This coach will still be leaving if you wish to stay on.” But they kept flooding out, and even started driving luxury cars down the front ramp which became big enough. Some stayed.

More than embarrassed, I wanted to die. I was sorry I had a CDL and had gotten into this. And for my existence.

[The boss] called and said I made him look like a fool and I agreed and said he should comp the people on this and that might even get some regular customers. He basically hung up. I didn't have any more information to go on. No one would tell me anything.

So I kept wandering around, hoping somehow the information about my itinerary would arrive, but it never did. I went to the baseball stadium “where the Dodgers play....” [?] Redsox too were quartered there. And I went farther north to a small town, by way of looking for a place to park beyond the stadium- not sure why I didn't just stay there. There was maybe one traffic circle which was more like an island, planted like they are on small residential streets, here, and some buses around there, so I could've circled around a time or two, and parked, but my pride got the best of me, and I kept going. Eventually I parked illegally, half in the road way, outside a small fast food place. After a while, a redneck came out and knocked on the window, and told me I couldn't stay parked there. I asked him where we were, obviously in Washington and he joked “Arizona—this time of day.” I asked where I could park for a little bit (while waiting for that ever-elusive information,) and he guided me up windy roads and through a tunnel to the back of some houses. We had taken most people back, but left some of them standing out there at the restaurant. So I asked how i'd get back down there, and he said he was on “Bliss-ed way or street,” etc... and the restaurant was called “Blissing hut*,” though it was closed he emphasized, as he was security and I shouldn't be there......pretty soon, I woke up.

*I sometimes go to a restaurant called "Loving Hut," without commitment to their funky cultish beliefs. They have good food. It would taste better, perhaps, if they weren't running Propaganda Vision on the TV constantly, but I'm beyond brainwashing.