“I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” -JD Salinger

AHHHHHH

I am so bad at blogging! Haha I think my final publication should be something related to that. I feel so behind on these posts that I'm not really sure what the point is, but oh well.....I'm going to talk about SPRING BREAK

Soooooo WAISTED...just kidding. I went to St. Louis, with this organization called "City Lights." It's senior year and my last spring break and I went to help poor people. I really didn't want to go. Not that I had any other great plans, but I'm so burnt out and I wanted to go home and chill with my family, but my friend convinced me to go to St. Louis and I'm actually glad I did.

We ended up staying in the inner-city near Etzel in this old school. The schedule kind of sucked but I got to work with a new organization that aids refugees in the transition to the States. I didn't realize how difficult the government makes it for them. They are placed in a specific area and then they have to in a pretty short amount of time pay back their plain ticket, get their paper work in order, take ESL classes, and get a job. 3 months I think it is? They are usually given a stipend for an apartment...again for 3 months, but no furniture or resources. The place I worked with is kind of like a free goodwill. People donate clothes and furniture etc. and refugees can come to the center and pick up a few things they need while getting help filling out job applications and have a place for community. We picked up one woman from Liberia that I got to know a little bit. There were 8 people living in the house we went to, none of which were employed and as we stood on the porch to pick her up to go to the center, the electrician came to turn off their electricity. It's just a different life.

I know things like that go on, but being there when it happens and knowing someone more than just having read about them in a magazine is different. I forget what I have and how privileged I am. Anyway I won't go on, but it was a good experience.

As messed-up a city as St Louis is, they have a really cool international community going for them. Great restaurants, and little shops, lots of different languages being spoken etc. I lived in Shanghai, China for a while when i was younger and it sort of reminded me of some of the markets and store fronts there. WE had a lot of different food, including Ethiopian. I'm on an "I want to travel and see the world while simultaneously solving problems and helping people" kick. Don't worry, it won't last long. My ambition is fading fast as school/life swallows me up into an "it's all about me and my life" black hole. =)

i am a horrible blogger! I am going to have to play major catch up in order to complete my required amount of posts! Let's face it...that may not happen but i will try. It's not that I'm brain-dead or don't ever have anything to say. i think I get on blogger and freeze as various memories of botched and embarassing diary entries come back to haunt me from middle school.

man on the moon

This entry has no real point. I'm still getting used to the whole "blogging" thing.

According to Harpers, NASA plans to have established a permanent moon colony by the year 2024. I find this somewhat amusing and not completely believable, but fascinating all the same. I have no doubt that one of these days we're going to try and conquer space in some way. There was not any information regarding the nature of this "moon colony" i.e.: whether it would support human life, plants, animals, or strictly research technology. Though it is amazing, it angers me that our country is spending time developing a moon colony, when there are countless issues to be addressed on earth. I assume this colony is either for research, or in preparation of future population/environment issues, but many aspects of those concerns could be greatly reduced if confronted right now. Gee, good thing they are developing a moon colony while people on earth are starving, and fighting, and polluting here on earth!

I find science fascinating. Sometimes I pick up "Popular Science" magazine and read about all the crazy things really smart people are up to these days. In the last issue, there was an entire article on a doctor who had discovered how to grow bladders out of a dish that were successfully implanted into humans in need. The bladder is a simple organ, but I still find this information incredible.

Limbo 5

This is a photograph by german photographer, Bianca Brunner. It's called "Limbo 5, 2004"

I have not been very faithful in my posting habbits, but i came across a reproduction of this photograph in Harpers and it really spoke to me. This particular series of photographs deals with memory. The series shows people in moments of stillness. The artist talks about memory not only being in our mind, but in our body. I'm not sure i completely agree with this as memory of any kind is stimulated in the brain. But i do understand certain movements and situations can trigger these memories. Anyway, I find the photograph terrifying and peaceful at the same time. I think this condtradiction comes from the scene of uncertantly coupled with stillness.

My house is FREEZING

This is my first blog posting EVER and will not be very interesting, or clever, or original. BUT perhaps one day during the next few weeks, something of use will appear. I intend for this blog to be a culmination of mostly things that have inspired me during that day, week, life etc. They can be as important or as insignificant as anything, but I hope to write/draw/cut-out/re-print them in this space. Hopefully by the end, I will be able to use these things in some sort of publication....which is pretty cheesy. But we'll see. Maybe it will develop into something.