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[Mar. 6th, 2005|01:01 am] |
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I have abandoned this journal |
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| ramble |
[Aug. 15th, 2004|02:37 pm] |
+I love my squad +I finished my job +I leave for san fran at 3am on sunday +I am real sick today +I am ready to party at the dominican festival +I hope I don't get burned out at wes +I don't understand how soon college is +I finally got my mass ID +I regret not attending the marley after party +I wish my parents would stop talking about money +I think I'm going to get a piercing in sanfran +I dislike the heat +I miss art +I think it's funny how well people sell themselves on the effing internet +I never ranted about bill cosby
bill cosby: speaks the truth about the problems plauging the black community; however, simplifies the issues to an extreme which is highly dangerous as a public figure (not to mention the spokesperson for all blacks/black men for white people). yes, teenage pregnancy, illteracy, displaced anger, child negligence, infidelity, and drug trafficing are serious problems, but is it reasonable to put the majority of the responsibility of said problems on the shoulders of the black community? obviously personal responsibility plays a major role in the lives of individuals, but let's not forget about the calculated systems of disadvantage inherent in this nations system that leave no options or choice for the average black man to lead a healthy, fulfilling life. where does the gov't put all the liquor stores? where does the gov't dispatch all the police? where does the gov't place all the military recuiters? who does the gov't refuse to give health care, financial aid, or stipends to? and if you think the 'welfare reform' programs in place in this country are at all a good idea, think again. they either make you dependent on the govt's dirty money or they leave you poor and hungry. my concern is that for all of the white people watching tv in their living room who want to believe so much in the inherent laziness of blacks (consciously or subconsciously), it is such a pleasure for them to be fed evidence and support from a highly respected black man. of course, the moral is, educated people tend to view life and it's problems through a lense where easy solutions are abundant and where personal responsibilty is the be all end all cure. I hate to talk about the 'revolution' or the overthrow of capitalism and all that esoteric crap, but hey- you can't just put bandaids on gushing wounds people, I think we've done that enough. we must be accountable for our own actions while fighting the systems that so clearly and incessantly oppress us.
also, as a disclaimer: no, I don't think it's fair that bill cosby is the spokesperson for black people, specifically black men, but as people of color in this country, we don't have the luxury of chosing whether or not we want to represent our entire race. he has every right to speak his mind; but like any celebrity, must be aware of the power/effect his words have on the world around him. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 8th, 2004|03:01 am] |
the revoltuion shall start with a dance party
tonight was a much needed release from a rather stressful status quo, if you will
blaze it up! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 20th, 2004|11:58 pm] |
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.we have lost our collective mind. |
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| crouching tiger hidden..isa? |
[Jul. 9th, 2004|06:30 pm] |
Last night I tapped into my inner wind hopping abilities. I can't disclose too much information because it's one of those 'family' secrets. right. I had a solid night last night that involved the following things: 40s, matthew john wilson, a birthday boy, a roof, aviators, and fog. It was also comforting to know that people are embracing our antifa sponsored 'anti-cancer' bbq. Yes, anti-cancer, because we can all agree that cancer is a horrible, horrible thing even if we don't exactly see eye to eye on issues of zionism or fascism. I know, we're geniuses'
I am so tired from sitting at this reception desk, I can't feel my butt anymore. It reaches a certain point when it's beyond numb or asleep, it just feels invisible. That's what I said people, it 'feels' invisible. And for the love of god, does ANYONE know the joey macntyre song about self esteem?
note to self: in the next entry talk about bill cosby. my reaction to his comments on the black community are quite mixed, but I think i've drawn some fair conclusions on the matter.
isa's moment of zen:
michael jordan, oprah winfrey hit me hit me dr. huxtable, help us build a hospital michael jackon, we need 'bout 50 thousand bob and whitney hit me hit me
(dead prez, of course) |
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| ehhem |
[Jul. 8th, 2004|06:24 pm] |
also real quick, to dispell any rumors:
yesterday uruguay TIED with mexico 2-2
just because mexicans' pride > uruguayans' pride doesn't mean we're losers, alright? |
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| update this |
[Jul. 8th, 2004|04:21 pm] |
my life updated in one word: work
you spend weeks and weeks running around the city applying to any job you can get only to return home and wait for a promised phone call from a potential boss, and it never comes. so now I have a job, one that is enjoyable and pays, so I am thrilled enough about that. of course, with the hours of 11-8 it is difficult to have any other expectations for this summer other than earning/making money. I figure my payback will manifest itself in the fall at wesleyan, but who knows.
it seems to be birthday season, so it has been a time of great celebration. of course, my birthday remains a ways away and I feel younger and younger as each day passes.
I wish I had some hidden talent in writing cohesive entries, but alas, I don't. I have reached the conclusion that english will be a dead language in a few years. well maybe not dead, but in all seriousness I hear spanish far more frequently than I do english. everyone at work speaks spanish, and everyone outside of work does too, especially on the train. I forget that people have a genuine problem with people speaking their respective languages when they aren't english, as if english were the national language. maybe I should send a nation-wide memo that the US doesn't have a national language, because I don't think anyone's grasped that quite yet.
my friend at work has to take a legalization test in the next couple of weeks, here are some of the questions/answers, hopefully you'll get a good laugh:
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America? A: For religious freedom
69. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? A: Freed many slaves
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America? A: The American Indians (Native Americans) ***clear compensation for #55)
79. Which President freed the slaves? A: Abraham Lincoln
hmmm, so that's what a noble (and legal) US citizen knows. I feel smarter and more patriotic already.
you know what they say, 'back to work' |
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| prisoners |
[Jun. 2nd, 2004|03:57 pm] |
Because I don't have the strength to post any of these pictures on my journal, I'll give you the link to witness them for yourselves: http://thememoryhole.org/war/iraqis_tortured/
This country is run by sick bastards; a blind person needs no more proof than this.
We are the people of the defense mechanisms, how much more can we rationalize, how much more can we justify what is irrefutably evil? Is it not sick that our response to these images is an attempt to explain their existence? Repression is not acceptable at this rate. We are in love with comparable suffering, with convincing ourselves of our innocence by pointing fingers at other countries' atrocities. There are a million explanations, a million reaons, a million regrets. It seems that every morning I wake up, this country is becoming a new kind of Holocaust.
We are driven by fear and thanks to the government, we have new reasons to be afraid. Anti-Americanism is at an all time climax, and it has no intention of decreasing.
My resentment towards this country, towards this administration is visceral, instinctual, and raw. The only path to liberation is the path of the self, the path of the people. I do not seek comfort in Kerry or any other politician- politicans, by nature, are almost impossible to trust. My struggle to be a free spirit, just got a little harder.
La lucha SIGUE! |
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| I always loved Vonnegut |
[Jun. 1st, 2004|06:45 pm] |
c'mon guys read it- I know it's long but he knows what he's talking about, and listening to our elders is of utmost importance, even if kids take them for granted every day the passes.
Cold Turkey
by Kurt Vonnegut
May 12, 2004 | In These Times
Many years ago, I was so innocent I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America so many members of my generation used to dream of. We dreamed of such an America during the Great Depression, when there were no jobs. And then we fought and often died for that dream during the Second World War, when there was no peace.
But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.
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When you get to my age, if you get to my age, which is 81, and if you have reproduced, you will find yourself asking your own children, who are themselves middle-aged, what life is all about. I have seven kids, four of them adopted.
Many of you reading this are probably the same age as my grandchildren. They, like you, are being royally shafted and lied to by our Baby Boomer corporations and government.
I put my big question about life to my biological son Mark. Mark is a pediatrician, and author of a memoir, The Eden Express. It is about his crackup, straightjacket and padded cell stuff, from which he recovered sufficiently to graduate from Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Vonnegut said this to his doddering old dad: “Father, we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.” So I pass that on to you. Write it down, and put it in your computer, so you can forget it.
I have to say that’s a pretty good sound bite, almost as good as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” A lot of people think Jesus said that, because it is so much the sort of thing Jesus liked to say. But it was actually said by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, 500 years before there was that greatest and most humane of human beings, named Jesus Christ.
The Chinese also gave us, via Marco Polo, pasta and the formula for gunpowder. The Chinese were so dumb they only used gunpowder for fireworks. And everybody was so dumb back then that nobody in either hemisphere even knew that there was another one.
But back to people, like Confucius and Jesus and my son the doctor, Mark, who’ve said how we could behave more humanely, and maybe make the world a less painful place. One of my favorites is Eugene Debs, from Terre Haute in my native state of Indiana. Get a load of this:
Eugene Debs, who died back in 1926, when I was only 4, ran 5 times as the Socialist Party candidate for president, winning 900,000 votes, 6 percent of the popular vote, in 1912, if you can imagine such a ballot. He had this to say while campaigning:
As long as there is a lower class, I am in it. As long as there is a criminal element, I’m of it. As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.
Doesn’t anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools or health insurance for all?
How about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes?
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. …
And so on.
Not exactly planks in a Republican platform. Not exactly Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney stuff.
For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
“Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
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There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
But, when you stop to think about it, only a nut case would want to be a human being, if he or she had a choice. Such treacherous, untrustworthy, lying and greedy animals we are!
I was born a human being in 1922 A.D. What does “A.D.” signify? That commemorates an inmate of this lunatic asylum we call Earth who was nailed to a wooden cross by a bunch of other inmates. With him still conscious, they hammered spikes through his wrists and insteps, and into the wood. Then they set the cross upright, so he dangled up there where even the shortest person in the crowd could see him writhing this way and that.
Can you imagine people doing such a thing to a person?
No problem. That’s entertainment. Ask the devout Roman Catholic Mel Gibson, who, as an act of piety, has just made a fortune with a movie about how Jesus was tortured. Never mind what Jesus said.
During the reign of King Henry the Eighth, founder of the Church of England, he had a counterfeiter boiled alive in public. Show biz again.
Mel Gibson’s next movie should be The Counterfeiter. Box office records will again be broken.
One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.
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And what did the great British historian Edward Gibbon, 1737-1794 A.D., have to say about the human record so far? He said, “History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.”
The same can be said about this morning’s edition of the New York Times.
The French-Algerian writer Albert Camus, who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, wrote, “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.”
So there’s another barrel of laughs from literature. Camus died in an automobile accident. His dates? 1913-1960 A.D.
Listen. All great literature is about what a bummer it is to be a human being: Moby Dick, Huckleberry Finn, The Red Badge of Courage, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Crime and Punishment, the Bible and The Charge of the Light Brigade.
But I have to say this in defense of humankind: No matter in what era in history, including the Garden of Eden, everybody just got there. And, except for the Garden of Eden, there were already all these crazy games going on, which could make you act crazy, even if you weren’t crazy to begin with. Some of the games that were already going on when you got here were love and hate, liberalism and conservatism, automobiles and credit cards, golf and girls’ basketball.
Even crazier than golf, though, is modern American politics, where, thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.
Actually, this same sort of thing happened to the people of England generations ago, and Sir William Gilbert, of the radical team of Gilbert and Sullivan, wrote these words for a song about it back then:
I often think it’s comical How nature always does contrive
That every boy and every gal That’s born into the world alive Is either a little Liberal Or else a little Conservative.
Which one are you in this country? It’s practically a law of life that you have to be one or the other? If you aren’t one or the other, you might as well be a doughnut.
If some of you still haven’t decided, I’ll make it easy for you.
If you want to take my guns away from me, and you’re all for murdering fetuses, and love it when homosexuals marry each other, and want to give them kitchen appliances at their showers, and you’re for the poor, you’re a liberal.
If you are against those perversions and for the rich, you’re a conservative.
What could be simpler?
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My government’s got a war on drugs. But get this: The two most widely abused and addictive and destructive of all substances are both perfectly legal.
One, of course, is ethyl alcohol. And President George W. Bush, no less, and by his own admission, was smashed or tiddley-poo or four sheets to the wind a good deal of the time from when he was 16 until he was 41. When he was 41, he says, Jesus appeared to him and made him knock off the sauce, stop gargling nose paint.
Other drunks have seen pink elephants.
And do you know why I think he is so pissed off at Arabs? They invented algebra. Arabs also invented the numbers we use, including a symbol for nothing, which nobody else had ever had before. You think Arabs are dumb? Try doing long division with Roman numerals.
We’re spreading democracy, are we? Same way European explorers brought Christianity to the Indians, what we now call “Native Americans.”
How ungrateful they were! How ungrateful are the people of Baghdad today.
So let’s give another big tax cut to the super-rich. That’ll teach bin Laden a lesson he won’t soon forget. Hail to the Chief.
That chief and his cohorts have as little to do with Democracy as the Europeans had to do with Christianity. We the people have absolutely no say in whatever they choose to do next. In case you haven’t noticed, they’ve already cleaned out the treasury, passing it out to pals in the war and national security rackets, leaving your generation and the next one with a perfectly enormous debt that you’ll be asked to repay.
Nobody let out a peep when they did that to you, because they have disconnected every burglar alarm in the Constitution: The House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the FBI, the free press (which, having been embedded, has forsaken the First Amendment) and We the People.
About my own history of foreign substance abuse. I’ve been a coward about heroin and cocaine and LSD and so on, afraid they might put me over the edge. I did smoke a joint of marijuana one time with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, just to be sociable. It didn’t seem to do anything to me, one way or the other, so I never did it again. And by the grace of God, or whatever, I am not an alcoholic, largely a matter of genes. I take a couple of drinks now and then, and will do it again tonight. But two is my limit. No problem.
I am of course notoriously hooked on cigarettes. I keep hoping the things will kill me. A fire at one end and a fool at the other.
But I’ll tell you one thing: I once had a high that not even crack cocaine could match. That was when I got my first driver’s license! Look out, world, here comes Kurt Vonnegut.
And my car back then, a Studebaker, as I recall, was powered, as are almost all means of transportation and other machinery today, and electric power plants and furnaces, by the most abused and addictive and destructive drugs of all: fossil fuels.
When you got here, even when I got here, the industrialized world was already hopelessly hooked on fossil fuels, and very soon now there won’t be any more of those. Cold turkey.
Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t like TV news, is it?
Here’s what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey.
And like so many addicts about to face cold turkey, our leaders are now committing violent crimes to get what little is left of what we’re hooked on.
© 2004 In These Times |
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| elitism wins once again |
[May. 30th, 2004|03:52 pm] |
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Today, the revolution was born. It didn't come in the form of an armed revolt or in a guerilla street combat style battle, no- it came in the form of dodgeball, the most powerful weapon of the guards. It was time for Humanities to show up AP Psychology on the field like the souljahs they are. Humanities represented the guards, also known as the middle class in Howard Zinn's well known book The People's History of the United States. Zinn predicted a revolt of the guards - no longer shall the guards stand idly by, blindly accepting the monotony of everyday life and the explotation of their very being. And so, the Humanities team dressed themselves in the color red, for red is the color of Psychology students' blood running through the streets of Wellesley. It is the color of anarchy, of revolution, of the autonomy and liberation. Their home-made uniforms read "the guards- the power of the middle class" with painted tattoos on their forearms that read: class war, which are now sunburned into their skin, only proving/reinforcing their dedication to the uprisal. The sun was fierce, beating on the backs of the guards' neck, but no interference no matter how great could stop this domination, this movement. Humanities members were met with double the amount of Psych students, all athletes - disorganized and aloof. It was time to prove the athletic capabilities of all art students around the world. The power of the paint brush. Intimidation tactics started early as the guards began with laps around the field, organized stretching, and a circle formation with a break on the word: "revolution!". The Psychology students, being inferior chose the chant "level one". Ironically, their status as AP students did not display any level of higher intelligence as they simply could not pick up on any references to important books by Zinn, Shlessinger, and McIntosh. On the other hand, Humanities students were well versed in Psych terminology. The guards were equipped with not only the power of the middle class, but also the power of psychology or psychops. The game itself was broken down into three parts. Part one consisted of the Psych students also referred to as the bourgeois or the establishment, hogging balls- exploiting team mates and leaving fallen comrades imprisoned with no attempts made to free them. It appeared as though the Psych students were accurately reflecting their position in society, as greedy corporate bastards. Interestingly enough, the men dominated the game on the team Psych, while the women stepped up in Humanities, proving the fierce intimidation of women dodgeball athletes. Let it be known, there is nothing cute about revolutionary dodgeball women. Part Two was pure Humanities domination. With half as many players, Humanities managed to take out all put two Psych students, it was truly a sight to behold. Comrades in jail took it upon themselves to throw as many balls to hard working guards as possible. There were some beautiful catches, but above all touching team work. Jail solidarity was also impressive. Comrades recited the five pillars of Islam, the paradox on immigration, the theory of the guards, the ten points of the black panther party, and other educational information to distract the ignorant artistocrats. Their cerebrel cortex's were not functioning and their myelin sheaths we're having difficulty speeding up transmission. Part Three the Bourgeois tried their best to dominate, but no guard so much as thought of surrendering. It was a fight to the finish. The guards were not defeated (as if that were somehow possible). Simply put, the guards owned the establishment - the way it was written in Zinn's closing chapter. As proven by the self fullfilling prophecy, the guards were confident from start to finish that the revolution would end with the power in the hands of the people. Emotions were running high as the reality that post-revolution has arrived and liberation and reform has officially begun. Break the chains of oppression through dodgeball. Each one teach one. Don't be a snitch and remember to always throw a fallen comrade a ball when in the end zone, also known as the prison industrial complex.
The revolution came, where were you when shit went down?
The scoreboard
radical elitism (the guards): 1
oppressive bourgeois/artistocrats (the establishment): 0
(Conclusion: Isa rocked the house at dodgeball/spirit for her team. I came up with a motivating, elitist title "the guards" that proved to be the write formula for victory. My sunburn reads class war on my forearms, and that's just about as hardcore as it comes. Art students/activists play hard - don't be decieved by our politics. BEOTCH!) |
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| may day celebration |
[May. 29th, 2004|11:19 am] |
I couldn't have envisioned a better may day! I am only saddened by the fact that it was only until this year that I learned about the wake up the earth festival- had I known previous years, I would've gone. It started around 1:15ish when Andrew came to pick me up at my house, and after I ran around like a crazy person trying to finish this letter I'm working on for a fellow wes prefrosh, and find my camera and shit. So, we parked at the train, but couldn't pay for parking because the lady in the booth was going through her usual prayer rituals, and we thought it would be rude to interrupt, but it was already a fairly awkward situation. The train ride there was partly surreal because everyone was having so much difficulty with train fares and figuring out what stop to get off of, which doesn't normally generate that much confusion...We then met matthew john wilson at the jackson square stop and walked to stoneybrook, where we were welcomed with such goodies as music, capoeira, spoken word performers, street artists/vendors, the aroma of cuban/thai food, lots of sunshine and old friends, anarchist booths (dunk your landlord/find the WMDs) and lots of happy little children. It was a warm vibe and a strong sense of community, which wellesley never had and never will have for me. Hearing dominican music the entire day also reminded me of my other home. Matt Andrew and I just walked around all the booths, admiring people's work- we met matt's new roomates who are all incredibly talented artists. We met up with old friends like michelle and heather from hingham, who I love dearly. we discovered funny connections like how michelle/matt are new neighbors. We met more of matts friends from school and talked about survival programs and how we should prepare for the revolution/ post revolution through wilderness training camps, where we can become comfortable with cannibalism and sacrificial ceremonies haha. We crudely joked about eating the sparticists, since they model themselves after the bolshevik/russian revolution which killed hundreds of dissenters, anarchists in particular. We decided that they probably wouldn't taste that good. Also, in ancient tribes they would eat their opponents hearts as a sign of respect to gain the courage of their enemy. In other words, we would never eat bush/cheney/colin/condy or any of the current administration, it would simply be too respectful. anyway- then we chilled on the grass and listened to the foundation, whos talent continues to increase everytime I see them. They played with a band this time, and had a wonderful stage presence. Then, Rachel and her two friends from LYB joined us at the end of the foundations set. We all chatted and discovered more uncanny connections between us. Then we walked to matt's house with the plan of buying food and cooking it at his place, that was until we passed oriental de cuba, and agreed that we would buy this delicious cuban food and eat it on his deck- which is exactly what we did. It was perfect. Ropa vieja de pollo, un batido de mango, platanos dulces, arroz amarillo, the works. We sat outside on the deck eating cuban food, watching fireworks on a beautiful spring night, and for a second we forgot about school and responsibility- so of course it was incredible. After passing many hours on the deck, we went outside and ate cake with heather and michelle on their stoop and talked about how cool we looked on the stoop haha, so we took funny pictures. Then we returned to the apt. to watch rudolf the red nose reindeer with matts roomate charlie haha, because we wanted to get in the x-mas spirit..I fell asleep, and so it was our time to leave. So we trained it to alewife, and then drove home to wellesley. why must it end in wellesley..
Now I must shower, finish my letter, go to the antifa meeting, come home, do my psych proverb assignment, study for my AP spanish exam, and sleep.
I don't think enough people celebrate may day or take it seriously- that upsets me. please celebrate next year if you didn't this year, it's much more important than any of those hallmark holidays. |
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| because I never did... |
[May. 28th, 2004|08:20 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | anxious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | notorious big - juicy | ] |
here is a more in-depth but still general description of my "spring break"
first stop: Middletown, CT (friday am)
reason: Wesfest
highlights: Drive with peter, listening to good music in the car, the ridiculously perfect weather, meeting new/exciting people, feeling like I made the right decision, learning that Wesleyan is indeed a very ecclectic place, meeting professors that have affairs with the German language, wandering/exploring the campus, casual and frequent nudity, the lesbian-esque cabaret haha, the bbq but mainly mamoun's falafel and the ice cream we ate afterwards, chillaxin on foss hill, the improv troupe gag reflex, the mathematicians (!!!), the fact there is an "ecclectic" house, the fashion show, the hip-hop being played at 200 church st., lounge sleep over party, chalking.
negative aspects: Waking up at 7 while everyone else slept the following saturday morning, leaving, not meeting some people I anticipated meeting, not meeting as many students of color as I thought
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second stop: Hyde park Chicago, IL (saturday pm- saturday am)
reason: Visting Niki and Julia at their respective institutions of higher learning, namely u chicago and art institute
highlights: Eating delicious mexican food in pilsen and feeling like I was in mexico, getting to know niki's suitemates, drinking "virgin" pina coladas, going to the "beach", reuniting with mike from elementary school, being exfoliated by the sand and the wind, laughing at the latino cultural show, meeting niki's amazingly hot capoeria instructor Joshua, going to roda's a lot, relaxing, reading more of my vaneigem book, having a sleep over party- actually two sleep over parties, with julia in her apt., meeting her friends, drinking tea at local tea lounges, wandering the city with adam aka going to borders and listening to william hung's atrocious cd, reading articles on how usher once smoked pot (devious!!), spending $20 on vegan cheesecake at the chicago diner, going to the south side for a kweli show, late night fruit stolen from the study break parties, grocery shopping at whole foods with julia, drinking vanilla chai lattes, cooking annie chung's pasta, discovering the emcee "immortal technique", alphabetizing the hip hop section at borders without realizing it, being introduced to a new city.
negative aspects: putting my cta card in the dollar bill slot instead of the cta slot, filling out a cta complaint form, going to merchandise mart to talk about getting a refund, talking on the phone with the public transportation people who are apparently experts in the area of incompetence, the opening acts at the kweli show, being home at 11:45 from a hip hop show, the ocassional down time where I wandered around, the wind, the tight security at both schools, leaving.
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third stop: Washington, DC (saturday pm - monday am)
reason: March for women's lives
highlights: well first off, we went through mass. ct. new york. new jersey. delewae. maryland. AND dc. because we road tripped it anyway back to the highlights, being with rachel/adam/isaac for 10 hours in a car, listening to quality cds on rotation, rockin out to andrew wk and learning all the lyrics within seconds, being deathly tired/drifting btw various planes of conscienceness, stopping at truck stops, playing games like truth or...truth, sleeping, eating bagels, discovering the beauty of sun dried tomato cream cheese, sleeping over in baltimore, getting a discount at kinkos, using the thunder sticks in suggestive ways, riding the metro, hearing adams comments on christians, seeing the immense support for women's rights, the generational range in the rally's demographics, meeting antifa people, marching itself, feeling successful at handing out flyers, feeling re-energized, the food not bombs fruit and pancakes, dancing, running into carinne from mobe at a rest stop, ordering a s'barro pizza with tons of vegetables.
negative aspects: being in various forms of transportation for 24+ hours, feeling and looking like death, the weird weather, the disorganization at times, the masses inability to direct themselves in a way that makes logical sense, some of the radical cheerleaders' cheers, the lack of energy from myself, the tight time schedule, the traffic coming home, the rain towards the end, walking 100 miles or what felt like it, seeing little girls dressed in black veils receiting catholic prayers while rubbing rosaries, getting lectured by preachers, undercover cops, the cops mufflers, being pulled over on the highway, waking up at 6:30 to drive and take the metro, having to pee, the dc's stupid no trashcan policy, leaving and coming home.
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Alas, now I am back in school- and I wish more than anything to be on the road traveling, especially to Latin America. In my ideal world I would in the Dominican Republic at a discotecca or hanging out under a tree eating a mango and listening to bachata while playing a game of dominos with julio and tercita. I have two AP's coming up and my self-paper, this is not cool. I also have to find a job and a prom dress this weekend. On a positive note, I have 16 days left of high school. ha!
If you have some extra cash lying around and you feel like giving it away, feel free to support the isa-needs-to-visit-her-host-family-in-the-dr-this-summer fund. It's a good cause, you won't regret it.
And if you feel like it go to printroom.com and look under the album user: isagurl to see some pictures of DC, unfortunatley I didn't take any in CT or IL. |
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| selective |
[May. 27th, 2004|10:58 pm] |
I am drowning in liberalism.
what does it mean to be "liberal"? to have "liberal/progressive" politics? what does it mean to rely on john kerry, on a single person to turn this country around? why is it that north americans believe in people and heroes? people are not sustainable, once they die, once leadership is lost- there is nothing left, nothing to keep the people mobilized and motivated. this country has serious problems with sustainability. i keep hearing the term liberal used loosely. everyone wants to be liberal, everyone claims to be liberal. i hate the word, i hate being described as it. i am not a moderate, i do not believe john kerry is the answer, i do not simply have principles. and what I am most certainly not is a democrat. my politics do not begin or end with michael moore or al franken. i appreciate their humor and wit, but i refuse to idolize or adore them. i do not watch bowling for columbine a hundred times to satisy an inner american guilt of mine. liberalism, at its core, has too many ties to the existing government, to capitalism. liberalism itself is an invention dependent on capitalism, it is a predetermined "ism", one that is not free standing. we must move beyond liberalism, or we will continue to play it safe.
che, zinn, chomsky, vaneigem, mumia, malcolm x, etc all believe that what will elevate us is revolution.
liberals are too spineless for revolution. there is too much risk involved, too many questions without answers, too many hypotheticals and potential setbacks. revolution never claimed to be for the weak. and so let it be known, I strongly dislike this term and concept, and continue to develop my feelings more concretely that explain my discomfort with it.
liberals are too drunk off of ideology |
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| keep on trekin' |
[May. 23rd, 2004|03:22 am] |
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| | kings of convenience - failure | ] | it is late and I should be sound asleep by now, but alas I am wide awake and I blame the caffeinated jasmine tea that I decided to drink tonight. I am in chi-town at the moment, sitting in one of julia's beds looking out the window and admiring a well lit parking lot directly across the street while listening to the always enjoyable kings of convenience. I'm only in chicago for one more night and then it's back to boston. I think it comes down to me being ready to get out of high school and wellesley in particular. I enjoy being away from home, away from my normal routine. Wesfest was refreshing because it was a taste of what's ahead, and it reminded me that there are new people to meet and new experiences to be had, just when I thought I was rather "stuck". Speaking of being stuck...everyone right now seems to be in some sort of creative rut, and it is quite upsetting. I opened up my Vaneigiem book today and read a chapter on work and the defintion of "happiness" in the united states, and it perfectly captured the lack of creativity in the average americans life due to monotonous routines and tiresome work schedules. it was depressing but wonderful at the same time because vaneigem has consistently been able to articulate the philosophical ideas that run through my head daily that I'm not always able to accurately portay. I decided to look up more of his books online, and I'm excitied to read those...on another note, my scheduled trip to dc for the pro choice march fell through due to the lack of a car, pretty bummed about that. also, the azua project for amigos was canceled because there continues to be a significant amount of political/economic instablitiy in the dr/haiti. this upsets me greatly, and im concerned for my host family. i want to visit them and witness first hand the coniditions in dr, but i don't have the funds at the moment. i need a job, badly. someone, give me a job. i hope my summer doesn't suck...haha, an entire summer in wellesley sounds really unappealing, i need ideas on how to make it fun. on that note, I should try getting some sleep. tomorrow is talib kweli and jean grey, i'm excited. oh and, julia and I discovered a new fierce political emcee named immortal technique today, look him up. his beats aren't as catchy as dead prez or jedi mind tricks' but hes still pretty incredible.
ah yes, being away from it all is a good feeling... |
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| lenin and more |
[May. 10th, 2004|02:08 am] |
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I just came back from seeing this movie, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie made me reflect on the role of a nation in one's life. I feel like nationalism is something I have no connection to. In fact, nationalism is a concept I've always opposed in my politics, so it was strange to see a movie and feel that communism or the idea of it served a central purpose in the mother's life. Except it wasn't actually communism it was more the mother's utopia which she convinced coincided with communist Germany. I feel like it's easy to super impose/ project your hopes for people or government. We all want to believe in something. I haven't seen a quality movie at the theater's in forever so I almost didn't know how to react to enjoying a movie...plus the previews for movies looked really interesting. There were two movies in portuguese about Brasil and one about Haiti, so obviously I am psyched for those to come out. Also- the re-release of the monty python classic "the life of brian" is a perfect response to the hysteria over the passion of the christ. I'm secretly loving the timing...Anyway- as we came out of the movie, Andrews friends bumrushed him and took him away from us and made some nonesense up about the fall of the Cuban gov't (get the parallel- the fall of the berlin wall/the fall of Cuba?) I suppose they could get some points for wittiness, but it was also straight up confusing/whack as I like to say. And now for some random thoughts...
I'm going to lose everyone now as I always do when I go off on political/philosophical rants. I am reading The Revolution of Everyday Life again by Raoul Vanegiem and it is making me think crazy thoughts. I have never been able to articulate what I feel the role of violence is or should be in revolution or just radical politics/activism and this book just poses even more questions about it. While I Vaneigem doesn't overtly support violent tactics, he certainly suggests that adopting them to fight a violent force is necesarry and that liberal tactics are ineffective and counter productive, which I generally agree with. Although- the fact that most philosophers/politicans are male and men tend to relate to aggression more than the intuitive woman also must be taken into consideration. Violence has always seemed very foreign/abstract to me because I simply do not comprehend it's overall benefits. However, when someone like Vaneigem defends its use in terms of a successful revolution I am briefly convinced of it's power. Also- when examining the history of the Zapatistas, it is clear that arming oneself is a necesity when the only way to have a voice is when you are armed. Although that does reinforce the idea that it is in a way more honorable to be non violent in the face of oppressive forces..Moving on. This book also perfectly summarizes what I hate about the term "liberal" and just "liberalism" in general. People always feel the need to flaunt how liberal and progressive their politics are around me because of my reputation or whatever but it ends up being rather counter productive. I equate liberalism with a level of inefficency and a general emptiness. It is too vague, too lose of a term to be anything important or meaningful to me. Furthermore- the best part about the book is that he parallels everyday life to large scale revolution. What revolutionaries (or wanna be revoltionaries) over look is that all the hostilies and dynamics of people can be seen in simple glances or interactions in train/bus stations. What is truly subversive is slight changes in everyday actions. Except how horrible is this idea, that in this present day system genuine love (familial, romantic, platonic etc..) is not attainable. However, he kind of contradicts himself because he then talks about love as the only tool that is truly subversive, so it must exist in some form. Here are my two favorite quotes from the book about love:
"People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constaints - such people have a corpse in their mouth"
"Some of us have fallen in love with the pleasure of loving without reserve - passionatley enough to offer our love the magnificent bed of a revolution"
I think I'll end this Vaneigem rant here, but I know I'll have more to say later because this book is that THOUGHT PROVOKING! yes that phrase was invented for books like this one. Speaking of books, Mumia's new book We Want Freedom comes out tomorrow and I am excited I read some reviews and it looks like a good read. (this is also tied to my dislike for people who announce/quantify their "liberalism" because they always have to mention how much they love mumia except when I talk about him it's always these cliche ideas and blaaah- but that's ok I guess- as long as he's being supported. Rachel said it best when she said Mumia represents much more than an inidivudals political struggle- he represents all people in that situation, he is symbolic of a situation, a problem in our society. This is such a rant, but I'm just releasing some ideas that I've been retaining for awhile now)
The end. Seriously. |
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| walk like a warrior |
[Apr. 31st, 2004|10:17 pm] |
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So, other than my Dad being painfully annoying as of late and me wanting nothing more but to get out of my house...the new Dead Prez album was not as good as I had anticipated- but I'm still excited about it. They finally made an inset thats not just one page thick. In fact, there's a neat poster inside that outlines the RBG code which they recite in the beginning of every show- so I already put that up on my walls. On another note, I had wanted to broadcast my love for Chad from the Neptunes before, but I never got around to it. Chad, is under appreciated and likely the genius/powerhouse behind N.E.R.D and the Neptunes, so WATCH OUT. Here's Chad in all his brilliance:

It was actually difficult to find a picture of him the first place, which is telling, don't you think? Anyway, I have the worst case possible of senioritis. WHS is like a disease or growth that won't die. I keep getting assigned more and more work just when I thought I had reached the end. Sometimes I forget that I got into college. Which is always great. People hear about colleges within the next 2 days, and I'm getting nervous for my friends..is that just me...haha. Oh right and a highlight of today was getting a boy scouts of america neckerchief from the Kempinator. After seein Jon Stewart and having him talk about neckerchiefs I realized just how funny they were, and ever since then I've been laughing non stop about their very existence, so Andrew had the brilliant idea of giving me one as a gift. It's bright red and actually says BSA on the back, I wore all day in school and told Mr. Cluff it was a political statement on gender roles- and being the wonderful Cluff that he is, he laughed and was amused. Ally and I are going to his eagle scout ceremony where they are apparently introducing us as special guests. It's going to be really hard to not laugh hysterically. In fact, it will be impossible not to laugh - so that's what I'm expecting. Anyway, thats my update for now. More will be coming soon... |
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| rbg |
[Apr. 29th, 2004|09:52 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | the coup - get up | ] |




If you know anything about Isa, you know she has a deep love for Dead Prez.
Revolutionary But Gangsta Drops March 30th (Tomorrow)
Which means you all better cop it- or at least have me burn it for you...
Do you like my color scheme? Cause I think it's pretty clever
My new screen name is : xhalfandhalf - In other news, school continues to consume my life and I can't wait until 2/3 weeks when I have vacation. Finally, senior games begin this thursday with hat day - I'm gonna go out and try and buy a crazy hat with babs, Friday is porn day, so that'll probably be out of control...I don't think I'll be particpating in that, but you know I'll go all out with the hat business. I have to get through the next couple of weeks and then maybe I will begin to enjoy my senior year. Sunshine, please come my way- you make me forget about the work piling up in my room...How is everyone? I hope you're all doing well. I really do.
Another quick note on Dead Prez: I just checked out their new website (deadprez.com) and the photo section shows photos of them with all these women and credit cards...which makes me quite nervous, admittedly. I think DP might be pushing the gangster envelope and forgetting the revolutionary component. I still have faith in my boys, but I wish they would stop working with people like Luda who sucks my non existent cock. I don't think any of you care when I talk about hip hop, but WHATEVAH SUCKAHS! Those are my 2 cents on DP's transition. |
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| the dali lama |
[Apr. 25th, 2004|01:32 am] |
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Today was CRAZY! Packing for NYC was way more stressful than I had anticipated it to be. I don't think I actually packed much at all either. I think the whole dancing and fluttering around the house with Niki was what made the whole process seem never ending. That and the nail painting, the numerous trials...and going to bookstores with people named andrew and drinking mocha freezes when it is absolutely beautiful out. Yeah, we picked up crime and punishment in SPANISH, and the cover made it look like a collection of x-mas carols because it was neon green and red, a strange choice of colors for such a profound book..not to mention there were hilarious illustrations on the inside of the cover. What was the most intriguing was that it only cost 11 dollars and it was hard cover, which makes me think I should get all my books in spanish if they are going to be so much cheaper. I just got off the phone with John "the catch" Connors, and it is always wonderful talkin to him, I feel like he's apart of the family at this point. The highlight was having him read some budget dali lama quotes from his calender that were clearly taken way out of context. One was something to the extent of: guns are weapons used for killing, they have no other purpose- they are not musical instrument. I laughed until my stomach hurt because it just seemed so...."wise"..and by "wise" I mean not at all, ok? did you get that subtlty? I also shared with John the Nakazawa world domination plan. See, the three Nakazawa sisters are gonna rule the world someday, I guess you could call it ambitious. You may be asking yourself, "but Isa, don't you believe in an anarchist way of life- no leaders, no hierarchy? How you can you rule the world if you don't even believe in the very principle of world domination?" A good, perceptive question, I must admit. Here's my answer, see- there won't be a hierarchy, there will just be an unspoken understanding that everyone does what we say- get it? It's pretty basic once you open yourself up to it. John completely understood, probably because I told him we'd hire him. Ginger just might have to be the official, unofficial ruler of the world. Who wouldn't want a fat orange cat to be their leader? I don't know many objectors. This entry probably reaffirms for many a people that I am completely out of my mind. Congratafreakinglations for figuring that out. I'm happy for you, I really am.
Anyway, I am probably already in NYC by the time anyone's reading this. I'll be there until Saturday. We have lots of plans- including goin to the nuyorican for some poetry slam. Its going to be off the hook, and you should all be there with me. Ok- I'm getting up in 5 hours, and I need my sleep. Have fun in school, suckahs. |
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| party mussic |
[Apr. 23rd, 2004|06:48 pm] |
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My life has been thrown into chaos! The Amigos revolving door has finally subsided, but not after 3 of them stopped by Boston (I acknowledge how lucky that is) and got to experience the Isa outside of Domincan Republic. Lizzy, Julia, and Shawn all brought a piece of summer here to Boston, and I love them for it. I took them out to the city a lot, it involved lots of ice skating, salsa dancing in my basement, reminiscing about the good times, and speaking spanish. Yesterday I was able to eat up at a Cuban restaurant in JP which was wonderful- we all ordered in spanish and ate tostones and yuca, which I hate but fried is incredible, and batidos which were the best part of the meal I must say.
In more news- I got over the major assignments of senior year other than APs and the self paper. I expended too much energy on the pulp fiction paper so my heart of darkness one suffered, but at this point I am learning not to care. Lizzy said that I wear hypothetical glasses because I am that much of an academic nerd. Isn't that sweet. I am nearing the end of Reefer Madness, and as Fast Food Nation did, I no longer want to eat or support the strawberry business, nor do I want to eat any McDonalds or Burger King. Thank you mister schlosser for keeping me healthy as usual.
Jon Stewart was on Saturday and it was the highlight of my life so far. I went with the three boys which was fun, regardless of the worlds most uncomfortable balcony seats. I never noticed how poor the painting job is in the Orpheum, I think I should request my painting services. Another highlight was seeing Jesse Ventura speak at seminar day. Having assumed that he was an idiot before hearing him speak, I was quite impressed with his WWF inspired speech. Especially his sound bite on gay marriage "love trascends government" which clearly is something not many people understand. Speaking of gay marriage...the playboy article of 50 cent is quite humorous, you should check it out. After discussing his views on gays in African American I think I've exhausted the topic of whether or not mainstream artists are socially responsible for their influence on the public, but it is an interesting one. 50 may have nice arms, but he sure does like to exploit his gun shot wounds. Apparently, once you shoot more people it get's easier- thanks 50, I had no idea.
I shall conclude this entry with a reminder that Dead Prez's new album Revolutionary But Gangsta hits stores March 30th, and you should all get it. Ok? |
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| Cuba |
[Apr. 15th, 2004|12:51 am] |
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Hearing stories is always a strange experience. You try hard to visualize the stories themselves but no amount of effort is enough to make them come alive. Everytime one of us comes home from a trip, usually to a country in Latin America, we sit around the kitchen table for hours sharing stories and experiences and those who weren't lucky enough to go sit, listen, and dream they had gone or will go in the future. Today I listened to my mom talk about Cuba for a couple of hours and I wished more than anything that I had gone too. Cuba seems in many ways it's own utopian society, while that is in fact the reality is a different story. I have read so much about Cuba, about it's leaders, about the people and the music, and I have yet to go. Yes, Fidel is not perfect- he is far from that, but he has had a vision from the beginning, a vision that our country has never had. There is universal healthcare and education up to the university level. There are no advertisements invading public space. TV is used as an educational tool where classes and courses are aired to supplement children's education. Every classroom has a computer, a tv, and a teacher. There are no more than 20 students allowed per classroom. I have a difficult time visualizing what kind of society this is, since my life is the exact opposite. Kids go to school from 7:30 to 4:30 and then have dance lessons and sports practices and music lessons, they are cultured and educated. There is no dead time. Sometimes I feel like my life is 90 percent dead time and 10 percent production, especially lately. Cuba has Che as their leader, their God...the US has George Washington. Fidel said first save the culture, then eat the food. George Bush said don't misunderestimate me. It's not about idealizing Cuban culture or identity, it's about realizing that there is no national American identity. We have no identity as a people. Our leaders fabricate enemies to unite us, faceless enemies. We define ourselves by what we hate. We hate foreigners, we hate immigrants, we hate Arabs, Jews and gays, we hate the french, we hate europe, we hate everyone. We define ourselves by our material goods. What is American culture? Yes, there is variety, but there is variety in other places. Fidel and Cuba have culture to save and to preserve. I wonder what soldiers are dying to preserve. I understand why it is so easy to feel useless in this country. Our pride is so superficial our patriotism dissolves in water. We need an identity. The United States is in a permanent state of identity crisis. What will it take to progress? |
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