So there's this thing in New York City called "forget you." Evrybody's got a little of it, most people have a greater amount than other people around the world, but some people have a whole lot of it. The Transit Workers' Union walking out on the MTA was a supreme case of two sides who had been "forget you"ing each other a lot. Unfortunately, it resulted in an even larger "forget you" to everyone in the city and every business in the city. There were no winners in this except for taxi drivers. It is no coincidence that the abbreviation of "forget you" is "F U". Don't do that to people. It just isn't nice. I went into the city on one of the days. I was scared for emergency vehicles and possible malicious agents. Thank goodness it's over. My theory is that they all went bowling together and Toussaint who had a plan to funnel the money in the TWU Treasury to the Antilles ran into the problem that he was relying on the A train to get him to JFK, so he had to go bowling too. Everything made sense after bowling, and the two sides will continue bowling every Sunday night from now on to prevent future strikes. Also, Toussaint will become head of the Ballpersons' Union and shut down the US Open for 3 days until we get Artic Blast Gatorade and more lunch money. There will be 12-year-old scabs who will faint because of over-exertion. A Brooklyn judge will realize there are no laws against ballpeople striking. It will be on the front page of the New York Post. Page Six will say something like: "Andy Roddick seen picking up his own tennis balls in Arthur Ashe stadium, mumbling some choice words to himself."
Last weekend I had the pleasure of welcoming back a friend who had been gone for some time--a year and change. By gone, I mean, out of the country, out of the anglophone world, and down two worlds on the ladder to the third-world. We're talking Peace Corps. And the amazing thing was, that it was like we all were still in school. It was disconcerting how easy it was to take it in stride, not to miss a beat, and to be a total cliché. Lots of drinking, horse-play, acting like idiots, overall fun times. But when the year-and-a-half of real world time we'd all spent reared its head, we were all taken aback. It didn't change how we related to one another except that it made us realize how important our friendship is--how important it is to have people who can understand or try to understand or at least care, the same way that you do. Life goes by pretty quickly. And it's even quicker if you don't pay attention. I try to pay attention and I try to care. Sometimes it's tough when the subjects of your attention and care are upsetting. Sometimes it would seem easier to let it go, walk on the other side of the street and whistle while averting your gaze. Better to be the Good Samaritan. Or the Steve Quinlan. Big ups, buddy, big ups.
Christmas is coming. It's nice. It's happy. So this year, there was a big push for more secularized terms--Holiday Trees and the like. I did not hear anything about a Holiday Candelabra with regards to Hannukah or Kwanzaa, though--maybe next year. With all this secularization, what are we accomplishing anyway? It seems like there are only a few inherently good holidays left, why make them generic? Will they reach more people? I'm doubtful of that...and they certainly won't have the same impact on those they do reach. It's a little sad. Secularization doesn't treat all people the same, it treats the secular people best and . Hence the backlash in response. Merry Christmas. God bless you all. If you don't want a Merry Christmas or a blessing from the Divine, you can leave them--but don't tell me I can't say them. They're meant as good things, not to hurt or harm or diminish the importance of anyone else. Blame that on over-commercialization of the holidays. Hallmark says, "You're Welcome."
These past couple of weeks I got to feel again what it's like to feel so sad you can't even cry. It was beyond that. To feel so disappointed, so bothered, so betrayed that you're beyond crying. It's like someone just took an eraser to part of your life--why? Because they could. Bill Clinton logic for you. You gave someone the benefit of the doubt for so long and you were wrong. You were just plain wrong. So let it bleed. Let the black humours out. The last thing you need to do is bandage it up with the venom inside. It's just sad.
On the flip side though, I got to feel again what it's like to feel so happy you can't even smile. It was more than that. To well up inside with an awakening, with a surprise that you're actually alive, that every day brings fresh air and joy. It's like someone opened a door and you looked out of it and found yourself in a magical new land, strangely familiar and immediately welcoming--why? Again, because they could. You're filled with doubt and fears. But you could be totally wrong. So let it flow. Open up a little. The last thing you need to do is close yourself down. That would just be sad.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of welcoming back a friend who had been gone for some time--a year and change. By gone, I mean, out of the country, out of the anglophone world, and down two worlds on the ladder to the third-world. We're talking Peace Corps. And the amazing thing was, that it was like we all were still in school. It was disconcerting how easy it was to take it in stride, not to miss a beat, and to be a total cliché. Lots of drinking, horse-play, acting like idiots, overall fun times. But when the year-and-a-half of real world time we'd all spent reared its head, we were all taken aback. It didn't change how we related to one another except that it made us realize how important our friendship is--how important it is to have people who can understand or try to understand or at least care, the same way that you do. Life goes by pretty quickly. And it's even quicker if you don't pay attention. I try to pay attention and I try to care. Sometimes it's tough when the subjects of your attention and care are upsetting. Sometimes it would seem easier to let it go, walk on the other side of the street and whistle while averting your gaze. Better to be the Good Samaritan. Or the Steve Quinlan. Big ups, buddy, big ups.
Christmas is coming. It's nice. It's happy. So this year, there was a big push for more secularized terms--Holiday Trees and the like. I did not hear anything about a Holiday Candelabra with regards to Hannukah or Kwanzaa, though--maybe next year. With all this secularization, what are we accomplishing anyway? It seems like there are only a few inherently good holidays left, why make them generic? Will they reach more people? I'm doubtful of that...and they certainly won't have the same impact on those they do reach. It's a little sad. Secularization doesn't treat all people the same, it treats the secular people best and . Hence the backlash in response. Merry Christmas. God bless you all. If you don't want a Merry Christmas or a blessing from the Divine, you can leave them--but don't tell me I can't say them. They're meant as good things, not to hurt or harm or diminish the importance of anyone else. Blame that on over-commercialization of the holidays. Hallmark says, "You're Welcome."
These past couple of weeks I got to feel again what it's like to feel so sad you can't even cry. It was beyond that. To feel so disappointed, so bothered, so betrayed that you're beyond crying. It's like someone just took an eraser to part of your life--why? Because they could. Bill Clinton logic for you. You gave someone the benefit of the doubt for so long and you were wrong. You were just plain wrong. So let it bleed. Let the black humours out. The last thing you need to do is bandage it up with the venom inside. It's just sad.
On the flip side though, I got to feel again what it's like to feel so happy you can't even smile. It was more than that. To well up inside with an awakening, with a surprise that you're actually alive, that every day brings fresh air and joy. It's like someone opened a door and you looked out of it and found yourself in a magical new land, strangely familiar and immediately welcoming--why? Again, because they could. You're filled with doubt and fears. But you could be totally wrong. So let it flow. Open up a little. The last thing you need to do is close yourself down. That would just be sad.
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