Respect

Sometimes I feel bad about being as judgemental as I tend to be but I have this deeply ingrained notion that the actions of the people I choose to associate myself with do in fact reflect upon me. Thus when my friends act inappropriately it places me in a position of association with that behavior. I suppose it's not my place to tell people what they should and shouldn't do if it doesn't directly affect me, however it pains me to see people that I have respect for act as if they have no respect for themselves. It's very difficult to maintain a positive outlook and focus on the reasons why I choose to maintain frienships with people when I would be appalled with myself if I acted in a manner similiar to they.

I want to have friends that I respect. And in the end how can I respect a person if when placed in their shoes I wouldn't respect myself?

- adam

Glory Days

I just got back from a screening of "Nosferatu" with a live musical score by the "Silent Orchestra" which was absolutely spectacular. I never would have expected a two-man accompanyment to be so entrancing in that the patterns formed by the instrumentation sounded so contemporary yet so fitting to the cinematic material.

I just had to pull out a stitch from my upper-right wisdom tooth extraction spot b/c the doctor apparently forgot to remove that one. And thus, the gauze goes back into my mouth (just when i thought I was done with this shit!).

Thus, I'm sitting in my mother's house watching college football and I just came to the odd realization that these athletes I''m watching on ESPN2 are my age or younger. I've always had the conception of "growing up" to be a star athlete (not in the sense of myself becoming a start athlete, but in the sense of the sports stars I see on TV being way older than me). Now I feel somewhat like I'm watching a Pop-Warner football game.

Heading back to Oberlin tomorrow b/c I start work at the bookstore Monday @ 9AM. Fuck yeah! Having a job is totally rad, as it means I can actually pay my rent. Though i do wish I was able to stick around for Sunday (DC United playoff game) and Monday (partying with Stefan). Such is life though, and when it comes down to it I'll take this job over either of thus (hell, if I leave early enough I can watch the game on TV).

I've been tossing around the idea of using IFS monies to fund an Oberlin College Student Film Festival at the end of the year. It would definitely be a lot of work, but it would be really interesting to pull off and it's totally where I want to see the focus of IFS head in the future.

- adam

Maverick N.Va. Judge Tosses Out DWI Cases That Presume Guilt

"A Fairfax County judge who believes Virginia's drunken driving laws are unconstitutional has begun dismissing cases, including five DWI cases in a week, and has threatened to throw a veteran prosecutor in jail for arguing with him."

"Judge Ian M. O'Flaherty made it known in July that he felt Virginia's DWI law unfairly deprived defendants of the presumption of innocence if breath tests showed that they had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, levels at which people are presumed to be intoxicated."

"As it does in all states and the District, Virginia's drunken driving law states that, for anyone with a .08 or higher reading on a breath test, 'it shall be presumed that the accused was under the influence of alcohol intoxicants at the time of the alleged offense.'"

I would definitely say that I agree with Judge O'Flaherty, there is a persumption of guilt inherently held when it comes to suspected incidents of DWI. In addition the notion of forced breath tests or immediate persumption of guilt is absurd.

- adam

Strange Geometry

If you haven't already, you need to find yourself a copy of The Clientele's lastest album "Strange Geometry." A keyed down contemporary version of '60s British pop. The quintessential Brit vocal style has been perfected (less reverb on this effort) and matched with compelling musicianship.

In other news, the family cat is back in good health after apparently eating a rat that had itself just eaten rat posion. She was lethargically sick for a few days but a few trips to the vet and $1,000 + later she's back to her usual self (banging on my door until i let her into my room and then out onto my balcony). Judging by the cost of all this I'm going to go ahead and say I would of solved this problem with a car ride to the woods, but my dear mother is quite the cat lady.

About 9 hours until wisdom teeth surgery. I'm hoping the nitrous, anethesia, and pain pills will make the swelling, soreness, and possible blood spitting up worth it.

- adam

I fought the law and kinda won

So I had court earlier today and it was definitely the most amusing time I've ever heard in a court building. Of particular note:

* My lawyer was basically blind, cane and everything (which isn't particularly funny, but he kept handing me forms that I'm totally sure he couldn't have read)

* The prosecutor asked if my lawayer "wanted a piece of him" and my lawayer said "I don't want a piece, I want the whole thing."

* Apparently I had "pissed off" (I never actually met him, but I guess prosecutors get angry when you yell at cops) the prosecutor (also a professor at Oberlin) to such an extent that he threatened to schedule my trial in between Christmas and New Years.

* The two court officers had a half-hour conversation in which they talked about babies, thanksgiving, and guns. Note, these weren't seperate conversations, in one fell swoop they talked about eating thanksgiving dinner with sleeping babies in one arm and then going to the gun range.

Anyway, the important part is $250 fine and no record suckas! Which of course means, fundraising party is in the works!

- adam

Twee As Fuck

Finally something worthwhile in the Pitchwork weekly article section.

"As of the mid-1990s, there were a hell of a lot of kids like this in America: Happy pop geeks in love with all things pretty, listening to seven-inch singles released on tiny labels, writing songs about crushes, and taking a good deal of pride in the fact that everyone else found their music disgustingly cute and amateurish and girly. This is the story of how they got there-- a partial history of the indie pop project, and a beginner's guide to what it meant."

- adam

My house is alternatively too warm or too cold depending upon what room you're in.

Like everyone, I always want that which I cannot have.

I've still yet to figure out what it is I want to do in the upcoming months. As I was watching movies in my house earlier tonight I realized that leaving Oberlin would perhaps be a greater amount of work than it would really be worth. I'm already established here, and in actuality when it comes to academic issues, Oberlin (though obviously imprefect) has enough resources to keep me satisfied. And when it comes down to it, whatever I decide, academics should be the primary focus as they simply haven't been on my radar often in the past few years (the obvious cause of a lot of my issues).

On the other hand, when it comes to social aspects, it really is impossible to predict whether or not I'll be satisfied if I stay in this environment.

As I was outside on my porch I came to the realization that I enjoy interacting with individual people outside of a college environment. When school is in session there are too many people around vying for the focus of myself and others. Personally I like to give and have the attention of the people I'm with for more than a few minutes at a time. All of this makes me long for a situation in which I don't see everyone I know (which in such a small place is everyone) everday. I like having to make plans to hang out with people and actually focusing on relating to them when I do get to see them. It just feels more sincere that way.

- adam

Beyond Human

"Many of the fans milling into this year's postseason baseball games have been wearing authentic major league uniforms, with GUERRERO, say, or OSWALT, stitched on the back. True, society has traditionally encouraged kids to fantasize about what they'll be as adults. But most of the people I've seen in $200 regulation shirts are adults. What they're fantasizing about is an alternative adult identity for themselves.

Why do they do this? The message in their clothing is aimed not at others but at themselves. It is a do-it-yourself virtual reality."

On another note, I'm still broke, so maybe I'll join the Army since they apparently like to give away money. I mean, hell I want to spend some time as a foreign correspondent anyway so I might as well get a free gym membership out of the deal.

- adam

Clean living under difficult circumstances

I slept 14 hours the other day for absolutely no good reason. And I just realized I'm out of meds, though I suppose it doesn't matter since they're obviously not working particularly well anyway. The day or 2 of mind-numbing sickness, however, isn't going to be particularly fun.

When Sasha grows a beard, he turns into his evil twin.

Court on Tuesday. Driving home on Tuesday. 6 hours alone in a car. Awesome.
Everyone has mid-terms except for me. Obviously. Bored.

I still need a job. And to figure out where I want to be past December. Friends and money, can never seem to have both.

- adam

Old Glory

For when the metal ones decide to come for you. And they will.

- adam

Top 10 Quotes From This Weekend

"Hey! Fuck You!" - Willie

"Go back to the diaper factory! Baby!" - Erica

Girl: It's just like being hit really hard with a pillow.
Jason: Yeah, with a stake attached to it.

Gus: Do you want to take a second run? (In reference to gnarly crash during skid competion)
Cate: Fuck No!

"Team Sweat! Fuck Shit Up!" - Team Sweat

Drew's sister: We're not related by blood.
Drew: Uh . . . yeah you are.

Jason: Punch her in the face!
Adam: Crowd wants Dragon Kick!

"I got lanced . . . in the throat!" - Willie

Jason: Willie's gonna fuck his shit up.
Freddie: 1 point for Jason.

Drew: Nobody ever invites me to anything!
Adam: Uh, that's because you'd just pass out.

- adam

I'm Mean Because You're Boring

The social scene at this place has been boing the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong, my friends are rad as fuck and the Bike Olympics yesterday was spectacular (Team Sweat, Fuck Shit Up!) but I haven't met a new person I'm interested in talking to in weeks. Oberlin has been such a dead scene for me and I really need to work on finding something better to do than watching the same people get drunk and act like 15-year olds at every party. Drinking, while making people more sociable, makes people less intelligent and unfortunately when the weekend comes that's all anyone on this campus (myself included) wants to do.

AC made an interesting point yesterday about the party scene around here: "No one you ever want to talk to is at the party." I think I'm starting to agree.

- adam

Sleep Is The Cousin Of Death

Bleh. These changes in weather from warm to cold have caused me to suffer from an head cold. I pretty much feel fine (aside from a slight headache), but by nose is either stuffed up or runny. This all-in-all I find to be far more annoying than actually being sick, as it's like I'm waiting for the sickness to come so I can get it over with, but instead I'm perpetually semi-sick.

The first screening for IFS is on Thursday, and I'm fairly hyped about that. A few people have expressed a strong desire to see the film which is always good. Though I am fairly uncertain as to what the crowd will be like considering all the events going on this week. Also, I feel split between my desire to bring films that I'm interested in as opposed to the usual leftist based viewpoints that IFS screened films have held in the past. Further, I'm constantly wondering whether or not screening films is the best use for our budget as screening rights tend to amount to hundreds of dollars per film. I want to focus more on the next semester and actually setting up film-making workshops and talks by directors. However, it's difficult to know where to start with making the right contacts for this.

I still feel like I'm wasting to many hours in the day. Yet whenever I'm in those actual hours I rarely want to do anything else than sit and have idle conversations with people. Lack of motivation is a persistent issue especially since I often feel that the things I think I should be motivated towards doing turn out to be things I don't actually like doing.

- adam

Rainy Friday

It's funny how from one day to the next everything seems to be gelling so perfectly and then all of the sudden a bunch of things fall apart at once. Mainly, I'm uncertain as to whether or not this little project of living in Oberlin without taking classes is going to work out as apparently the people who make my pay check have figured out that I'm not currently enrolled and have thus notified my employers. One of my jobs has already e-mailed me saying that I can't work my assigned shifts since I'm not an enrolled student. Thus 1 job down, 2 more to go.

I'm really uncertain as to what I'm going to be able to do once I lose the other two jobs as expected. And thus I'm scrambling to find new jobs in order to pay my rent (which I've already signed a 10 month contract on) and buy food. If worse comes to worse, I'll have to move back home, and maybe even get sued by my landlord. Maybe though since the next part of rent is due till December he'll let me of the hook.

And to top it all off it's back to the friend zone, a brotha can't get no love.

- Adam

Ball State Media Study

"The average American spends more time using media devices —television, radio, iPods and cell phones — than any other activity while awake, says a new study from Ball State University. The Middletown Media Studies 2 (MMS2), the most comprehensive observational media use study ever undertaken, also found participants are adept at managing their use of two or more types of media at the same time."


"'As a society, we are consumers of media,' Papper said. 'The average person spends about nine hours a day using some type of media, which is arguably in excess of anything we would have envisioned 10 years ago.'"

Workin' For The Weekend

I think I'm starting to get that anxious feeling I've always gotten when I fall into any routine. Even if the I don't mind the work I'm doing, I've never been able to get over the fact that I have to do it on some sort of schedule: "Monday = do this, Tuesday = do that, ad infitinty."

Some kid at my dishwashing job yesterday asked me what my "stance on economics was?" This was an awkward question, as we had spoken only briefly before that, but I managed to answer "I love free markets." And that was the end of the conversation.

Yesteday a woman tried to hand me information about setting up some sort of active resistance to get George Bush out of office. I told her, "I'm a Bush supporter. I'm a libertarian." She looked dejected, and I smiled a little bit on the inside.

- adam

A Winner Is Me

A winner is me.

- Adam