sarcasm to follow…

That will likely come as a shocker to some…

I haven’t posted here in a bit and for no good reason. I’ve got plenty of time to post, a claim that I will expound on a bit here. There are 168 hours in a week, by my math, and I only work 30 of them, which gives me a good 138 to dick around with. Factor in 6-7 hours of sleep a day, that drops me down to around 90. Go ahead and throw in travel time and miscellaneous adventures (like going to the post office and public library) and you’re down to 80. Divide that by seven and we’re looking at a good eleven or so hours a day that I have to fill.

Free time? Yeah I’ve got that. So I thought I would be ambitious this month and try to read a book a week. I started off great and read two books in the first three days of the month. I got about halfway through two more before I lost my ambition. Nothing like starting an endurance race in a sprint eh?

The 30 hours I am at work on a given week have been good. I started shift manager training this week. Moving up the corporate ladder, you could say. Putting that English degree to good use. I like the job, still, and I’m looking forward to the promotion, responsibility, pay raise, etc. There is a nice bit of privilege as a Starbucks employee; people either love you or hate you.

Free time? Yeah I’ve got that. The only thing more depressing than my social life is my love life. Definitely have the four walls of my room memorized. The highlight of my day today? Paying the electric bill. Last week I went to the barber shop.

Been doing lots of writing, so that is good, a few short stories here and there.

Only three more months of winter if we are lucky.

I don’t like football. I think I hate it more than ever living in Steeler country. I tried to care but couldn’t.

Summer 2008 So far

The summer is just about half over (June, July, August) and it is high time to analyze it.

Places I’ve been:

• Philadelphia, PA
• Aliquippa, PA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Cato, NY

Things I’ve Read:

• Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury
• The Maytrees, Annie Dillard
• Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala
• Being White, Garrus & Shraup
• A Bunch of grad books

Things I’ve done:

• Started fishing (I’m horrible)
• Hooked my first worm
• Lost a lot of lures (five I think)
• Still no fish
• Fished illegally
• Visited home in NY

Jumped off a pier into Lake Ontario

Watched fireflies

Caught fireflies

Looked at lot of stars (millions)

Saw shooting stars (five)

Spun around under the stars until I fell over

Learned to juggle with apples

Played lawn games (ladder golf, bocce, frisbee, whiffle ball)

• Visited a Byzantine Catholic mass

smelled of incense all day

• Road my bicycle
• Started work at starbucks

brewed lots of coffee

drank lots of espresso

• Fell in love with frozen yogurt
• The same with Deanna
• The same with Ethan
• The same with summer
• Discovered Craig’s list (thanks Erika)
• Held my niece Shannon and laughed at her a lot
• Remembered I hate large crowds of people
• Bought a miter saw !!!

Music of Summer 2008:

• Fleet Foxes
• Luxary
• Low
• Wilco
• Radiohead

A Politic of Hope

So every once in a while I read an article that gets me going about politics. I’ve become disillusioned with national politics a bit in recent years, especially because of our nation’s insistence on solving international conflicts with bombs and military spending, which is short-sighted and symptomatic at best, tragic in reality, and inhumane at worst. I’m tempted by skepticism and cynicism with national politicians, especially the host of characters who’ve been running for office, and to a certain degree I think many of our politicians have earned this attitude. Anyway, regardless of a politician’s affiliations and views, something that is extremely important, in this guy’s opinion, is a realistic form of optimism. Call it a politic of hope.  I’m not talking about inactive, nonsensical, naive, ignorant optimism, I am talking about a politic of proactive optimism. A politician has no business being in office if he does not think he can change the system for the better, or contribute to positive social change.

A previous Baltimore Sun article about the increase of drug trafficking in Aliquippa after the close of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company mentioned the current mayor of Aliquippa in this way:

Mayor Anthony Battalini said he does not believe the town will ever fully recover “unless some miracle thing happened here.”

To a certain degree, I think the mayor is correct. It will take a miracle to change Aliquippa, but the mayor seems to disbelieve in the real possibility of change for Aliquippa. His regime has been tarnished by allegations of corruption, a lack of compassion, and and apparent attitude of hopelessness toward this city. Aliquippa does need a miracle, but it also needs leadership that believes in the daily possibility of the miraculous. It needs leadership that empowers its people to change their city for the better instead of scoffing at them in public meetings (something I have personally witnessed certain community leaders do). It needs leadership that is on the streets working for change. It needs leadership above corruption, leadership that is a role model to its people. It needs leadership that is an accurate representation of the population, that cares about Aliquippa’s children instead of maintaining power. Aliquippa needs leadership that recognizes some of the grassroots movements taking place in Aliquippa and encourages the growth of these movements.

Good things are happening in Aliquippa and they are being done by people who do not believe in hopeless people, hopeless communities, or hopeless situations. John Stanley and Uncommon Grounds, R.O.O.T.S. Incorporated, Aliquippa Impact, the A.A.U.D., and many others are working hard to bring positive change to Aliquippa. Leadership should learn from community development organizers like the ones I have mentioned (and I am sure I have not mentioned every positive work going on in Aliquippa). Change can happen, Aliquippa may need a miracle, but it is far from hopeless.