at times i might be accused of being painfully nostalgic but as of late im looking forward to the future though ive never been much of a planner throwing caution into the fan catch as catch as those catchers can and so all of you observers in your scrutiny dont count my scars like the tree rings
posted by neil garvin at 10:44 PM

I hate pizza.
posted by neil garvin at 10:39 PM

Al Gore should have picked Born in the USA (the ALBUM) as his official campaign soundtrack after his uber-populism at the convention. Everyone loves Bruce (except unregenerate snobbos as I myself once was; these are the fools who mistake Bruce's acerbic irony in "Born in the USA" for apple-pie patriotism), and the use of good tunes (instead of the forgettable and boring--so boring and forgettable that I've forgotten!--dross that he chose) could have possibly swayed the votes of the few uncommitted souls. How many people bought copies of "Born in the USA" with full knowledge of the title song's significance? I'm sure more than enough in Florida alone to have catapulted our guy to the presidency.

While I'm discussing politics, I might say that the plane crashing in China is possibly the most badly-executed military gaffe of the last decade. (thank god it's been ten years and two months since Desert Storm, or my hyperbole would be just that) The Chinese are the most liable enemies in any possible global conflict, and their unstable, authoritarian government is not the best resting place for our pricey military secrets. Although I'm against enabling the military's further physical expansion, a reasonable maintenance of our expensive secrets is, I think, not too much to ask.
posted by neil garvin at 3:16 PM

Any American politician who claims that Most Favored Nation status with China is a good idea should inquire into the status of Falun Gong and the status of the nation of Tibet, and make a sober judgement: do these blatant violations of internationally-sanctioned human rights align with American ideals? It's horrific that we can award trade favors to that pseudo-Communist monster while we allow less-useful pseudo-Communist monsters to languish underneath unnecessary sanctions which only harm the poor and which allow the ruling class to control the underclass through the means of anti-American propaganda campaigns. Why should we indirectly support the connivings of totalitarian regimes? By continuing our hypocritical foreign policy toward China, Cuba, and other Communist and totalitarian nations (ahem IRAQ) we lose on all fronts: the Chinese are using us for our money, and the others are using us to galvanize their public against a foreign enemy instead of the more devilish enemy at home.

I am usually loath to refer to any policy or belief as distinctly "American," but freedom of religion and freedom of expression should be shared American ideals (of course, there are crazies who would take exception to that, and not only on the far Right). We must stand united against such gross violations of human rights, and we should not tolerate any friendly relations with China--and especially not special treatment! It is especially disappointing that the Clinton White House (of which I'm usually proudly enamored) pursued these policies which strike to the very heart of the liberal revolution. The PRC is not an acceptable nation; their actions against their own citizens have been deplorable; America has already subsidized anti-Communist violence in Chile, Grenada, and Vietnam. We should at least remain consistent and not subsidize the violence of (pseudo-)Communist China against its citizens yearning for freedom of expression and religion.

Time for the People's Court!
posted by neil garvin at 12:51 AM

On Monday I wished it was Tuesday night
So I could wish for the weekend to come
On Tuesday I wished that the night would pass
So I could call you on the phone
Now a man can spend a lot of time
Wondering what was on Jack Ruby's mind
And time is all I have without you here...

Wishing the days away.
posted by neil garvin at 12:06 AM

Friday: Border's, Huddle House, bed.

Saturday: TNBC, sleep, Springsteen, shower, Springsteen, Al Green, TJ's, claymation, harrowing drive, Huddle House, bed.

Sunday: church, Houston's, Best Buy, sleep, Emory, Oscars, R. Thomas Grill, Al Green.

sigh.
posted by neil garvin at 9:13 PM

so did you like my poems?
posted by neil garvin at 12:32 AM

Although I can't put forth detailed commentary on David Horowitz's claims contra reparations to black American citizens, I feel a burden to offer some thoughts which, I'm afraid, run counter to my leftist roots. Governmental reparations (funded with the money of taxpayers) are stupid, discriminatory, and impossible. Although I advocate reparations (and apologies) for such governmental intrusions as the Indian relocations, the internment of Japanese-Americans, the victims of the Tuskeegee syphilis studies, and even those G.I.s suffering from combat-related illnesses (including post-Viet Nam syndrome--how could the government abandon them to homelessness? That's despicable), I find it ludicrous that the government should pay blacks for a phenomenon which was not sponsored by the government. It's like forcing the government to pay money to cigarette smokers for keeping tobacco legal, etc. True, slavery was a horrible blot on the our history (not the history of white America, but history in general), but the government is not the culprit. Furthermore, the tangle that would result from a truly fair reparations scheme would be too byzantine even for our massive bureaucracy; Horowitz goes into this in detail. For a copy of the advertisement, search at www.salon.com.

Horowitz has been attacked for racism, but there is no racism inherent in the ad. Horowitz is, of course, obsessed with race issues, and he is certainly self-promoting, but he is not a racist. The braying, honking response from hair-trigger leftists is a play right into Mr. Horowitz's fame-greedy hands.

Also heavy in the world of politics today: McCain-Feingold-Cochran is finally on the Senate floor! It's heartening to see my boy John finally get his comeuppance, and the debate is vigorous and intelligent (at least usually). I was happy to see Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) acting as president pro tempore--her bright eyes and sharp features are visually perfect for the role. However, the highlight of the day was Robert Byrd's poetic riff on the advent of spring. Byrd, dressed in a suit with a yellow vest and orange tie, spoke for more than fifteen minutes on the coming season, the transience of life, and Romantic poetry, quoting not only Wordsworth, but Robert Burns, Robert Browning, and Percy Shelley. This speech provided much entertainment to me and my roommate; although initially greeting his earnestness with laughter, we were eventually cowed into reverence by his calm speaking style, earnest intelligence, and quiet venerability. Plus he had the best outfit of the day! Byrd's performance on the floor makes up for his unfortunate (though, in my eyes, not worthy of the mdeia blitz on Fox News. Chris Rock I'm sure would agree) remarks a couple weeks ago about white n******.

Also: I did horribly on a test in Drama, and slept through a Kristen Hersh concert! Hopefully I'll remember the Dropkick Murphys tomorrow.
posted by neil garvin at 10:08 PM

So we went to Canada, staying for twleve hours in the Great Frozen North, just long enough to buy a Serge Gainsbourg compilation, a jug of Volvic (uh) water and a 12-pack of badly mixed mountain dew. Then through the bored US border guards who searched our truck and made much hay concerning our short stay in Canada--did we go to take advantage of the drinking age (18)? I wouldn't have minded a stop for some red wine but there was no carousing going on up in the CAN. Fools! Bored, lifeless nincompoops! We hurried home, 54 hours or so on the road without a hotel stay, to see survivor tonight. Of course, as I am afraid will be the case for the enxt 4 episodes or so, the tribal vote was fait accompli: Ogakor is going to hunt down Kucha person by person until the Colby-Keith-Tina majority gets to the final four, and then Keith (hopefully) or Colby (less hopefully) will most likely win. And it's a good strategy but once again the team with heart is going down! I suppose I can pine and whine in my dorm room all I want, but barring an act of Mark Burnett nothing can be made to change the inevitable.

I also talked to Laurie last night. Not extensively by any means (O those tearful days of yesteryear, when the IM bar would blink so often and so sweetly) but it was nice catching up; our recent conversations have devolved into monosyllabic exchanges much too quickly of late. Also I called TJ, who unfortunately (for me!) had a history paper to write on Hamas; this cut our conversation quite short, though she held out a shining bough of happiness when she informed me of the possibilities of fun times sometime soon.

What else? I suppose nothing. I have a wretched test in Drama for which I must study (although I enjoy learning finally what is meant by "Brechtian," the meat of theory is too rich for my emaciated cerebrum) and perhaps some street fighter to play. Adieu young friends!
posted by neil garvin at 7:27 AM

Listening to Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, their VH1 Storytellers session. Cash's voice is wavery but strong and willies is timeless as his old, beaten acoustic he wears at farm aid and the crazy sessions and everywhere else. What a man, what a journey he has had! From clean-cut Nashville machine music man to Austin outsider to outlaw innovator to IRS fugitive to reclaimed hipster status for the WRAS crowd...I'm most proud and happy for him, and happy that my father introduced me to him at a young age, and told such classic jokes as "What has thirty-two teeth and smells like Gasoline?" "The front row at a willie nelson concert!" How his fortunes have changed even from my extreme youth.

But enough about pothead podunk performers, a weblog is meant for personal revelation and the evisceration of the mental processes! But I really don't have too many of those? So onto a discussion of my day. Italian class; I was tired and barely able to focus at all on my paper. Then lunch with Genny at the infamously disgusting Depot, eating two vegetarian egg rolls and a bottle of Nantucket Nectars lemonade (sweet! sour! oh....) while this girl chatted me about poems and poets and a certain professor of Asian Religions that we have in common. Talking with this girl is like watching a television show with horrible acting, directing, production etc for the plot; its too long, but when you think fondly back you can string all the juicy bits together like a particularly well-remembered bowl of ice-cream. ("?huh?"--editor)

Still listening to the samething. Last night I talked with TJ on la telefona for a while, an hour maybe, probably an hour and a half total (it's so taxing; I'm certainly not used to holding up conversation for an hour and a half! but we've resolved the blandness in a way that is pleasing to us both?) after my two sunday night episodes of X-Files (the first episode was taken over by the lone gunmen spinoff, which wasn't terrible at all, and the eleven o'clock rerun was exhilarating, sustaining its clever conceit of hallucinogenic mushroom spores for a good 30 minutes before I caught onto it.). I haven't shaved in days (weeks), alas! No other friends; Andrew is fine, almost an extension of myself (but more industrious as always) Jon is here. Chris and I bought records today (I got Teeny Shiny on vinyl and a Neko Case cd, and an Edie Brickell 7 inch, and he got a load of stuff including elvis' moody blue and a shellac lp. Then we ate at el torero!
posted by neil garvin at 11:04 PM