AliThinks

Whatever

I turned 39 today. I'm at the edge of the proverbial abyss, right?

Whatever.

Strangely Enough

I have lots of thoughts, and lots of things I ought to write down. But I don't do that. Last week I was away from home and away from the Internet, and I thought I'd write. I didn't. I read books. I stripped old wallpaper from old plaster. I talked. I drank local beer. But I didn't write.

And right now, I'm thinking about Dr. George Tiller and what his death represents. I'm thinking about the plane that fell out of the sky. I'm thinking about how politics divides people. I'm thinking about my own impatience with people and things.

I'm thinking a lot. I just can't seem to think here.

Comes A Time

Sometimes you have a task. It's not something you have to do for work or school or whatever. It's just something you have to undertake, simply because you must.

Right now I have a task. I don't know how long it will take, nor what the final result will be.

All I know is, I'm 5000 words in.

Twitch, Twitch

Lately my Internet time has been spent on Twitter. In the past couple of weeks, it's mushroomed as a place for local (or hyperlocal, even) happenings, news, and community.

This morning I got locked out of my Twitter account after trying to access it, then changing my password. Twitter wants me to "chillax" (no, really, it's right there on the screen) and I'm trying. I'm really trying. Trouble is, I'm afraid I'll miss something. Ten days ago I missed an amazing community outpouring that occurred during a city council session because I was at work.

*****

Speaking of work, I'm here now. Or there now. Whatever. I'm at my place of unemployment. HA! I'm totally leaving that lapsus, because this really doesn't feel like a JOB. And that? Is awesome. 

In any case, I won't get the Twitter DTs, because my workplace now has an account (which I set up, but it wasn't for my own benefit, honest) and I can get my local fix. And hey, if I remain locked out of Twitter at home, maybe I'll write in this blog more often. Maybe I'll write about how Twitter and Facebook help build communities.

So Much Things To Say

The trouble with getting out of the habit of blogging is that things happen and you don't record them right away. And then three days later, that thing doesn't seem so important, or you feel like it's old news or something.

And then when the weather is fantastic — as it has been for the past four days — you'd rather do anything than sit in front of the computer (sorry, social networking!).

Put the two together and you have me. OH HAI, I was going to become a regular blogger again, wasn't I? I'm not giving up yet. My motor's just kind of like a diesel engine on a cold day. How's THAT for a crappy metaphor?

On Perfectionism

If you looked at my Flickr stream, you'd never guess I've taken over 1000 photos in April alone. I've posted exactly 36 37 to Flickr. This weekend I've taken 350 photos. A lot of them are crap, sure. But that's a lot of photos to look through and decide what's worth processing and posting online. (Fortunately, my new camera takes both hi-res JPEG and RAW photos — the D50 took low-res JPEG + RAW — so sometimes I can use the JPEG straight out of the box.) Still, it can be overwhelming when you've taken hundreds of photos in a short amount of time, and I have two strikes against me to begin with.

First, I have a major inferiority complex about my photography. Sometimes it's hard to be married to the guy who took this photo, or this one. Sometimes we actually take the same photo without even realizing it, and I'm pretty sure his photo is better than mine (whether it is or not). Yeah, I need to get over this. I know.

Second, I'm a perfectionist, and not just in the realm of photography. Perfectionism leads to procrastination which leads to paralysis, at least in my case. If it won't be perfect, there's no point in doing it, whatever "it" is.

This has kept me from a number of creative endeavors; writing and photography come to mind. It is my hope that admitting my fear of not producing something perfect will help me get over it.

So in that spirit, here is a photo I took yesterday, with no post-processing done on it. This is Ben Sollee:

He participated in Record Store Day at our local shop, CD Central, and was just one of several very talented artists there. I will post more of my photos to the Flickr set, but not just now. I need to get ready to go see The (English) Beat at The Dame.

I'm taking my camera.

Night Sounds

I wake in pain, like there's a skewer lodged in my sinus passage. I can't return to sleep. The cats eye me as I settle on the couch, and Jonesy-kitty ventures over to say hello. It's not even four, and the birds are already singing. I know this because the windows are open, and the wan breeze feels good on my bare legs.

There are emails to be answered, but I let them sit some more, because I'd rather just sit. I listen to the birds. The click of Jonesy's claws on the wood floor. The refrigerator noises. The train whistle.

I wonder if sleep will come.

I Generally Keep My Promises

Last Friday, I blogged about the renaissance of AliThinks. I said the post was a placemarker, and that I hadn't drunk any coffee and didn't have time to expound. I also said I'd explain later.

It's later, and I intend to explain.

We were on our way to Pittsburgh for Easter, and that's why I didn't have time to write a proper entry. A few things happened over the weekend: Allan and I stumbled upon a Tea Party by accident. (We'd planned to go to the Strip District, but a last-minute comment from a college classmate on my Facebook status had me thinking we might be able to lunch with him on the North Side/Shore.)

We went to The Warhol with my BF from HS, Denise, and her husband David. Then the four of us went for food and drink at Fatheads on the South Side (say it with me: Sahside) of Pittsburgh.

Afterwards, D&D took their leave and A&A went to the early show at Club Cafe, which featured Brent Malin and Almost Astronauts. We'd planned to go to Club Cafe no matter what, because we love that place, and funnily enough, there was a familiar name on the program. I met Brent Malin at my alma mater in 2003. He'd been teaching in the Communication Arts department there, but was leaving to take a job in California. And I remembered him well, because I was a Com Arts major, and thought it was a shame that he was leaving. He seemed like a cool guy at the time, and that was confirmed when we spoke to him before and after his show.

Almost Astronauts put on a great show too.

We were back in our hotel room before 10 pm. Woo-hoo! The next afternoon, we went to my dad and stepmother's house for a family gathering. And that was good. I have potentially incriminating video of my nieces and nephews.

The day was overshadowed by something I'd read after we got to the hotel on Saturday night, however. Shana's plea weighed on me, and I found out late Sunday night via her blog comments and Twitter that her son Thalon had passed. The news was all the heavier because my mother died on April 12 as well. In 1993, it wasn't Easter Sunday (but Easter Monday is close enough). This agnostic lass sometimes finds the Easter symbolism too much to bear. But now I'm bringing my own stuff into it, and that was not my intention.

So while I have photos to show and more things to tell, I'm going to refrain right now. Shana posted a link to her son's obituary on her blog today. She wrote it, and it's both beautiful and heartbreaking. Tomorrow Thalon will be laid to rest. I'll be thinking of Shana and her family, and Thalon some more.

On Tea Parties

I'd heard about the Tea Party thing, because there was one in Lexington a couple of weeks ago, and the Tea Partiers were upset that our local paper didn't cover their event. I thought that the Herald-Leader probably didn't have enough reporters, seeing as how they'd just laid off a bunch of staff.

This past Saturday, Allan and I were walking around Pittsburgh's North Side Shore Side Shore, when we happened upon a Tea Party. Alan Keyes was the keynote speaker, and while we didn't stick around to hear his speech, we did get to see him dump tea (or some facsimile thereof) into the Allegheny River.

I took a few photos, which you can see here. We did hear some words from the man who organized this particular Tea Party. I didn't catch his name, but he did say that Congress passed the stimulus bill without even reading it. The crowd cheered, and I said "What about the PATRIOT Act?" No one heard me except Allan and maybe the woman with the Sarah Palin button on her hat; we were on the Roberto Clemente bridge, and the speakers were on Allegheny Landing.

And then the man said, "There are laws, laws we have to obey. Can you imagine that I had to get a permit to exercise my First Amendment rights?" The crowd cheered, and I said "Maybe because it's a question of public safety, and no one is infringing on your First Amendment rights?" He went on to say that the government was above the law. I'd say it is, because no one challenged George W. Bush's decimation of our Constitution.

I can't say I didn't understand some of the sentiments I witnessed on Saturday. I did. But most of the signs the folks were holding had me saying "Really?" à la Kyle (or Stan — I can't remember which one said it, in which episode, but it was a high-pitched, head-tilted question) from South Park.

I also can't say I'm happy about the whole stimulus thing, but I'd like to know what the opposition has in mind, and I want them to spell out how it will be better than what the Obama administration has done so far.

Sadness and Joy

There's a lot of blogging to be done; I have lots to say, but first I must take a moment to mention my blog friend Shana, who lost her baby boy over the weekend. This news came to me last night just after I found out my friend Saundrah had (finally!) had her baby girl way over in Denmark.

In my joy, there is sadness.

Five Years

Here's the thing: I started this blog five years ago today, at a time when my life was completely different, and I thought I was heading in a specific direction.

Well. Things change, things fall apart. And things get rebuilt.

On this blogiversary, then, I've decided that I'm going to rebuild AliThinks. It's either that or shut it down, and I don't want to do that.

This post is just a little place- and time marker. I'm largely uncaffeinated, but I have to bust this out now for reasons I'll explain later.

Happy weekend. And Happy Easter. Or Pesach.

A Slight Departure From The New Norm

Longtime readers know that this blog ain't what it used to be. I don't write much about what I'm feeling or what I'm doing. And yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to remedy that. In a couple of days, I will have been blogging for five years. That's almost ancient in blog years.

There's a reason I no longer blog without abandon. And I really don't want to say what that reason is. To get all meta on you, the reason I no longer blog the way I used to is the reason I can't tell you the reason I no longer blog the way I used to.

Is your head spinning yet?

I miss blogging. I want to write about Facebook. I want to write about Twitter. (Although, both things have contributed to my lack of content here.) I want to write about our friend Katie's amazing novel (it's destined to be Great American Literature, people). And I want to write about the meal I just ate, and the party I attended, and that thing I saw, and that other thing. Oh, and that thing, too.

So I'm left wondering how to reclaim my blog. I miss AliThinks.

Excellent

Thanks to all who commented on my previous post. The feedback was great, and I think it's important to note that buried power lines do not mean you're safe from outages.

Granted, I'm taking your comments at face value and have done zero research myself. Heh. 

In a departure from the norm, I'm also not responding personally to each comment to the last post. My apologies, but I don't feel like eighteen (okay, seven) different conversations on the same subject is helpful. I do thank you for taking the time to comment, and I appreciate your points of view.

Next post will be a little more lighthearted, promise.

It Snowed Again

All day. All the day long it snowed, and I watched as the local schools had an early dismissal as the snow piled up. School was canceled all last week, and it's canceled tomorrow.

An hour ago I looked out on the patio. Our table out there has about three inches of accumulated snow on it. For me? That's nothing. That's barely good enough for sledding.

But for once I don't wish to make light of this situation. Last week's ice storm proved me wrong, and I understood how very lucky we were to have electricity and heat. I know the schools are just playing it safe. The country roads outside Lexington are hazardous in snow. School buses + country roads + snow = super liability. But this blog entry is not about the school closings or the bus routes or the sad reality that we live in a litigious society.

Something has to give. I fail to see why the state of Kentucky should be in crisis mode every five or six years. How much did this latest storm cost in terms of manpower and cleanup? And how much would it cost to bury the power lines?

What's that old saying? Oh yeah, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. See also: a stitch in time saves nine.

So I Went Shopping

Yesterday I went to the Proletariat Kroger, figuring it couldn't hurt. I'm glad I did. You see, Sunday we got a little snow. School was canceled yesterday, because the school districts err waaaay on the side of caution here, due to the curvy country roads outside of town.

Last night we got some more precipitation. There's a layer of ice on the wires outside, school is canceled again, some towns in Kentucky have lost power, and the local Twitterverse is joking about having a big slumber party chez whoever keeps electricity.

So. Um. Yeah. What I said the other day? Forget I said it. Because snow + freezing rain = something I don't want to venture out in.

Too bad, too. Alejandro Escovedo is (supposed to be) playing at The Dame tonight, and we planned to go. Guess we'll play it by ear.

Forecast: Snow

Allan said to me earlier "We'll have to make a grocery list tomorrow and go shopping, just in case we get all the snow they're predicting."

I might have rolled my eyes.

We live within a 10-minute amble of two grocery stores (the Proletariat Kroger and the Rich People's Kroger, for those of you keeping track at home). I doubt that we'll be unable to reach either store if we do get the 12 inches some are forecasting.

Having grown up in western Pennsylvania before the era of "climate change" (acid rain was our bogeyman), and having attended college in a place that got a shitload of lake effect snow (Woo! Lake Erie!), I'm kind of amused by the semi-panic of Lexingtonians at the first sign of snow. That doesn't mean I'll get behind the wheel of a car, though. I don't like to drive in snow, especially in a city where people run red lights with élan and drive ten miles an hour when it rains.

If we get a foot of snow, we'll be okay. I'll tromp through it to get milk and bread. Anyway, we still have some frozen hens from our CSA share, and the cupboards are not bare. And the liquor store is a mere three blocks away.

Space Not For Rent

I've been silent, but in my real life I've been busy it's none of your business. And now my kids are here, so that means much less time on the computer.

The past week or two I've gotten a lot of requests to post about this or that on my blog. Sometimes it's a charity, sometimes not. And I generally ignore these requests, especially if they talk about my influence (read: as a high-traffic blogger). Because they can't see my stats, but I can. And I assure you, this is not a high-traffic blog. (She had potential, but... -ed.)

Also, I still have my Ad-Free Blog icon over there in the sidebar. So, you know.

"But wait, Alison!"  I can hear you exclaiming it already. "What about the Baconnaise?!"

What about it? I was offered a product to review, and I did so. (SHIT, that reminds me, I still need to post my review of Petite Anglaise's book. Ah well, six months late is better than never.)

So why would I write about a product rather than a worthy charity? After getting some feedback from a friend on Twitter, I realized that charity is a personal thing. I won't ask you to support anything that I don't personally support. And I don't really want to talk about it, because it's *gasp* personal.

I also won't post about a random charity that I've never heard of. Sorry.

But hey, I'll try something out and tell you what I think of it. I'll probably never be able to give away a Wii, but at least I can make semi-amusing (to me, anyway) video blogs about random products. Or not.

"But isn't that advertising?" Not really. I reserve the right to give a negative review to any product I'm asked to try. And to date, I've received two products to review (and one of these was the results of a Google search for "I love mayonnaise," so, um, yeah).

Here's a recommendation for ya: Go watch Grosse Pointe Blank. (This is one of those cinematic gems I missed out on while I lived in France.)

Also? Happy Holidays!

What Are We Doing In This Handbasket And Where Is It Going?

On Thanksgiving morning we were watching the Macy's Parade, because my cousin was a handler for the Dora The Explorer Balloon. It was the first time I'd seen the parade since I was a kid, and the first time the TV had been on in the morning in ages.

This commercial came on, and my head almost exploded:

If you don't have 53 seconds to spare, or are afraid your head might 'splode too, let me sum up: It's a child's stationary bike, attached to a video game. Granted, it's an educational game, but people, this is so many kinds of wrong.

Sure, at least it makes your kid MOVE while playing the game. (Wii, anyone?) But whatever happened to GOING OUTSIDE?

Letting your child (yes, even a four- or five-year-old) ride her bike in the driveway or *gasp* the street gives you, the parent, a chance to teach your child about bike safety, traffic, and other such important things.

And not to knock video games, because I do realize they can give children some skills, but how about singing to your child, or saying rhymes so that he can learn his letters, numbers, and colors?

I'm sure there are some arguments for this type of product. It just seems to symbolize so many things that are wrong with parenting today. And believe me, I'm not a perfect parent and I don't pretend to be one.

If you'd like to read more about where I am coming from, check out this blog called Free Range Kids. It's about letting our kids grow up the way we did, without constant supervision (all the while using safety items such as helmets). And then there's this book I know of, Last Child In The Woods, but which I haven't read yet. (Note to self: read that book.) It deals with something called nature-deficit disorder, which might sound hokey, but which is actually A Serious Thing.

And if any of you who happen to be reading this own a Smart Cycle, please leave a comment telling me why you like it (or don't like it).

Taking A Poll

A Salute

I've been silent because my laptop couldn't connect to the wifi where we were staying. No matter, I was in France to be with my kids, not be on the internet.

So we did it. I cried when I turned on Sky News early Wednesday morning; they were tears of joy and pride and my kids didn't quite understand my reaction.

We did it. Yes, we did.

But despite our historic choice of president, despite overcoming deep-seated prejudice to elect an African-American man to the highest office, we still have a long way to go in the quest of equality for all.

Unless you've been under a rock the past couple of days, you'll know that Prop 8, which bans gay marriage in California, has passed. The margin was slim, 52 to 48%, I believe. Similar bans were passed in Florida and Arizona.

But those of us who believe that marriage = love, that sexual orientation doesn't and shouldn't matter, are saying "enough." I got the idea for this from AndreAnna, who got it from Swistle, who got it from Allen.

So here's what this newly-married heterosexual mother thinks about Prop 8:

Update: Catheroo has a better explanation and a better photo than I do!