My roommate got standing room tickets to the Cardinals game last night…which turned out to be the last game ever played at the old Busch stadium

Students and teachers alike should be excited…no school after tom. because it’s Friday!!!

Mugabe has been ranting about how countries like America are the cause of starvation in African countries like Zimbabwe.  I think this man really needs to look in the mirror at the way he’s brutally starving his own people.

more to come…work calls.

 

Topic: good call

signed-up for Netflix…good call

went out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn last Sat…good call

Cardinals amazing comeback on Mon, game 6 tonight…good call

Avidly reading anything that mentions a foreign country, now onto Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat,” along w/ every magazine in B&N with the word travel, adventure, and outdoors in it…good call.

Medeski Martin & Wood, jazz…good call

white water kayaking this Sat. on the LeHigh River…good call

branching out of my bubble of job responsibilities to learn a bit about various visa legal issues…good call

been getting up early to work-out before work, quick aerobic exercise, a round of weights, and created an amazing balancing / kayak training exercise by sitting on one of those giant blue balls and working the hips, followed by a hot sauna and shower…good call

nearly have every reasonably sized country on the world map memorized, and that includes Albania, Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria in SE Europe, as well as Kazakastan, Uzbekastan, and the other “stans” wedged bewteen Russia and China, as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia, wedged to the East of the Black Sea, and West of the Caspian Sea. 

Thierry Henry returned from injury to lead Arsenal to a 2-0 victory of Prague, giving them 9 points in their group, needing 1 point in there next 3 games to assure themselves a spot in the knock-out round of 16.

 

Saddam Hussein trial has begun…good call

 

 

 

 

 

i’ve just created a mosaic of sorts…good call

i think this post should have a new name…good call

well…almost time to go home…good call

hopefully stay up for some tv tonight after the game…good call

i got tix to see the colbert report in a couple of weeks…good call

peace…good call

Topic: fortunate and unfortunate…a maxim for controlling greed and jealousy

I’ve been feeling wise recently.  In that spirit, I’ve come up w/ a maxim of sort for dealing w/ emotions, w/ our psychological states of being.  You know how sometimes you recognize you’re in a mood, but there’s no thoughts behind it, and sometimes specific thoughts lead you to be in a mood.  It depends on how closely you know your moods…but I’ve been paying a lot of attention both my moods and thoughts recently. 

Recently, things have been relatively smooth sailing in my life, after a long stretch of time and a lot of life and personal changes.  And…in this smooth stretch, when things feel good, there’s almost a temptation to want to hear that others are not doing as well, as well as the natural feeling of not wanting to hear about the successes of others.  Those two emotions are greed / and jealousy.  You hate someone who has something you want, and when you have it, you want it all to yourself.

I’ve come up w/ new words to help me frame the internal debate that goes on inside my mind, the debate that ultimately decides my thoughts and moods.  And the new words I wish to use more often are “fortunate” and “unfortunate.”  When things are going well…and I kind of want to feel good about it, I temper my mood by thinking, “Boy…I’m fortunate.  Fortunate to have my health, home, friends, etc.”  When things don’t go well, or when I hear of someone doing well themselves or doing much better than myself, I think, “Boy…that person has been fortunate.” Or…”I wasn’t so fortunate this time.”

By re-shaping the emotions of greed and jealousy into fortunate and unfortunate, you accomplish several things.  First of all, you recognize the volatility of life.  Fortune in its two forms, comes and goes.  Just as material fortunate can vanish in an instant through flood, fire, or earthquake, non-tangible fortune is similarly ephemeral (first time using that word…i feel fortunate to have pulled that off!).  So…when good fortune strikes, that does not mean it’s time to sit back and relax.  Rather, be grateful for that good fortune, because it’s opposite, bad fortune, can sneak up on you at any time.

The second thing that is accomplished by grouping emotions into fortunate and unfortunate, is that it can help control “negative” emotion.  By negative emotion, I mean emotions that are not only undesirable socially, but can be personally frustrating as well. 

Have you ever done better than someone at something, whether it was school, sports, or socially, and feel a sense of pride, only to feel slightly sick that you feel that way, or sick at how your reaction made someone else feel, or simply sick that this person is not feeling as elated as you?  That situation can be improved by feeling fortunate, instead of feeling “wildly successful,” “brilliant,” or any other emotion that boosts the ego. 

A kid strikes out in baseball, and the next batter hits the winning home run.  The kid is both happy at the team’s success, while angry that it wasn’t he who won the game.  What to do?  Perhaps tell the kid…”you were unfortunate this time,” recognizing that fortune is exactly that, relative to time.  Likewise, the child might feel better himself by not only avoiding self-hatred, but by being able to openly welcome the success of the other player.

So…to bring this back to my own life, I feel really fortunate right now for many of the things I have, and the life I’ve been living as of late.  At the same time, there are still things I feel unfortunate about.  I feel unfortunate about not having my own apartment, while also feeling fortunate about living rent free, and spending quality time w/ people at home.  That’s another important thing, fortune is relative.  One man’s trash is another man’s treausre…that old saying.  Well…here I’m applying it both to material and mental fortunes. 

My sister went to a book club yesturday, where she was the only teacher amongst a group of businesswomen, several of whom owned their own places in Manhattan.  We’re talking big money-makers, very fortunate people.  Yet…my sister felt fortunate for her lifestyle, fortunate for a job that ended at 3pm, and fortunate for summers off. 

I just finished reading a wonderful book called Franny and Zooey.  The story, which takes place over the course of a day and involes 3 main conversations involving 4 characters, addressed a few of the points I have been writing about.  Franny, the youngest of 7 children, talks about her disdain for academics.  She goes on a College Daze type rant about higher education, that at first left me tingling w/ joy all over.  But as I’ve realized, and as her brother Zooey tells her, the world and people are not absolutes.  The system is not 100% wrong.  Some people do experience fortune, where you may have experienced unfortune.  Some people are fortunate and succeed in the classroom, but we should not be angry at their knowledge, or their experience, and should recognize that those who have succeeded in the academic realm are not guaranteed any other fortune in their lives, nor do we know whether they have also been suffering many unfortunes that we will never see.

I think this idea is a pretty strong one, one that can be applied for the benefit of our lives, and possibly helpful in understanding others.

Topic: religion

The last 2 days I observed the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.  I’ve been a Jewish slacker basically my whole life, and about a week ago I was still in an anti-anything Jewish mood.  But…decided to stop “fighting everything,” and to embrace the little bit of tradition and culture that is expected of me. 

So…I fasted, and I went to temple Wed. evening and from 3-6 on Thur.  Didn’t seem nearly as long and painful as when I went as a kid. 

The rabbi gave a sermon each day, both were very good.  The first one was about change…he started w/ a funny anecdote about a Charlie Brown comic…his baseball team always loses.  In this game, there’s a pop-fly to Lucy in the outfield.  She obvoiusly drops it, and this infuriates Charlie Brown.  Instead of focussing on the ball, she was busy thinking about all the balls she’d dropped in the past, all the times they’ve lost.

“Sorry…the past got in my eyes.”

Deep…right?  From there the rabbi went on to talk about those who managed to move on from their pasts.  From the biblical figures who gave up idols for one god, to the current Pope who gave up anti-semitism.  He went on to talk at length about the relationship between Christianity and Judiasm, especially the often bad relationships between the Pope and the Jews.  He explained how the relationship had begun to change, and that it is within us all to become better people.  Most people just show up to hear the sermon, as the rabbi is speaks quite eloquently, and provides food for thought and some encouraging words of wisdom. 

To end the fast yesturday…traditional bagels and lox.  Oh so good.

Topic: Sports

Cardinals vs Astros is shaping up to be a good series.  Great pitching duel last night, Roy Oswalt vs. Mark Mulder.  With the series split at 1 game a piece, the Cards need to steal at least 1 game in Houston to bring the series back to St. Louis

World Cup qualifiers are nearly complete.  32 teams will be in Germany this summer.  The US has already qualified, and in their region Mexico and Costa Rica are coming along.  In S. America, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay have qualified.  In Africa, 3 teams from the West have qualified, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo, along w/ Tunisia in the North, and Angola in the south.  The Asian conference brings Iran, Saudi Arabia, S. Korea, and Japan, and Europe is loaded, bringing 14 teams w/ Germany automatically qualifying.  

27 of the 32 teams are set…w/ 6 European teams playing-off for 3 spors in Nov. (Spain vs. Slovakia, Turkey vs. Switzerland, and Norway vs. Czech), plus Bahrain playing against Trinidad and Tobago (who finished 4th in CONCACAF which is the USA’s conference), and Australia vs. Uruguay (who finished 5th in S. America).

Topic: Work and int’l stuff

Well…it’s taken over 3 months, but I finally figured out what exactly my org. does.  I’ve been so focussed on just learning the basic office tasks that I do, and also worrying about my social life, my financial life, my future, that I haven’t really had time to get it all together.  Basically…my company does 2 things…we help US citizens get matched w/ companies abroad for 2-18mo. “traineeships,” and we also help US companies bring non-US citizens to come work for their companies.

My office is more focussed w/ bringing trainees in.  I work closest w/ 2 visa officers, who in turn work w/ immigration lawyers to ensure that their clients have their paperwork together to enter the US w/ a valid J-1 visa. 

This is becoming mildly interesting to me.  Firstly…I went out a few nights ago w/ a college friend who spent about 9 months in New Zealand, so he gave me the rundown on the visa situation there.  Apparently, you can go to a wide-range of farms on a work permis, and make almost $200NZ a day!!!  My friend was able to buy a used car ($300) and pay for a week of rent ($25) after just two days of work.  Also…the best time to go he said is just after their winter, which would be next Sept. which I think is a fine time for me to go explore the land below the land down under.

It will be mine…oh yes, it will be mine.  The Wavesport EZ river-running play boat.  Took it for a test paddle this weekend, baby rides like a Cadillac, super smooth.

All the rain meant good news for lots of boaters.  It turned out to almost be too much rain, making some usual spots unrunnable because the current was too fast, and the added risk of fallen debris making things a bit dodgy.  Still…I speant all day Sat. paddling in the rain, adding a new roll called a back-deck roll to my repetoire.  Also bought a discounted dry-top, so I should be able to paddle till almost Thanksgiving!!!  Oh what fun!!!

Topic: neighbors

There’s a world map right next to my desk, and I spend a good part of the day staring at it.  I’m hoping fairly soon to know where every single country is, so if you gave me a blank map, I could fill in every single country, and all the major seas, mountains, rivers, etc.  So if the tv show Carmen Sandiego were to come back on the air, and I made it to the final round where you have to place the red lights on a blank map, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

The BBC had a report on the growing problems arising between Northern Morocco and Southern Spain.  Many Africans have been travelling from as far south as Ghana, up hundreds of miles through difficult desert terrain, with the hopes of making it to Europe.  The reporter pointed out how many of these Africans only had a vague sense to “head north” to reach a land where they might have some opportunity to make money.  Like Cubans washing up in Miami, Southern Italy is seeing boats of Africans arriving at its shores as well. 

As our Preisdent, George W. Bush would say, “We need to fight the problem there so we don’t have to fight it here.”

Many of these Africans have no intention of leaving Africa forever.  There aim is to go to where they can get an education and make money, so they can help family, friends, and their community back at home.  I had a friend I waited tables w/ in Baltimore who was from Nigeria, who was also studying nursing.  His goal was to return home and live an African life once he had completed his degree here.

The book I’m reading is about refugees from Southern Sudan.  It’s funny reading about some of the issues facing the non-profits and volunteers who support these refugees.  From helping them get apartments, to teaching them how to use can openers, to how to properly shake hands at the end of a job interview, there has to be someone there to guide them along the way.  Kind of inspired me to look into “adopting” a refugee myself, and give some basic assistance in exchange for the experience and something to do after work.

New Zealand I believe still lies in my future, but is it my distant, or not-so-distant future, I can’t yet say.  I began reading an article in Men’s Journal about Phil Jackson, who came out of coaching retirement after a motorcycle ride around the Kiwi Islands…”Motorcycle and the Art of Zen Maintenance,” the article was called, a play on Robert Pirsig’s book.

I want to kayak every weekend for the rest of my life…that much I know for sure.  And if I’m not…I want it to be because I’m cycling, hiking, or doing something else outdoor adventurey.  For now…I’m in a pretty good situation for getting the experience I need.  It’s still difficult since I have no car or gear yet, (and once I get my boat…how the hell am I gonna get it on a train or what else will I do w/ it?) but…as my finances grow over the year, options will begin to open.

I had a brief conversation w/ my sister about my “vagabonding plans.”  We’re at least getting to the point where we can agree to disagree about lifestyles, but I think I’m slowly starting to present clearly what I believe in.  I recognize people’s rights to live in anyway they please, but for me, I’ll often sacrafice comfort for cash, stability for adventure, and common sense for individualism. 

My new career goal is to work for and sell adventure travel / eco-tourism packages. 
Along w/ this…my new life goal is to experience as many personal adventure travels as possible. 

Rolf Potts writes in “Vagabonding,” that work is part of the gestation period for long-term world travel.  It’s a time to save and build a budget, to tie up loose ends, to make plans.  I now forsee a possible departure around Sept. of ’06, seemingly a long time away, but a great amount of time for these travels to gesticulate.  All this time to build momentum and anticipation.

I have gotten myself into a few routines that have been good.  A reading routine combining two books, one fiction, and one non-fiction.  A morning work-out that gets me to work energized, and should have me in respectable shape come spring and summer.  A daily routine of reading the world news, and trying to keep up w/ sport.  A new writing therapy I’ve designed for myself, in lieu of mediation or any other kind of spiritual practice.  Hopefully begin volunteering 1-2 days after work, outdoors on the weekends. 

What I’m missing now in terms of experiencing the “typical” 20-something life, my own apartment, weekends chasing tail, will slowly begin to pay dividends in achieving the life I want to live.

Topic: Embracing it all

I’m embracing this book, The Lost Boys of Sudan, which follows the lives of 4 refugees from Sudan who end up in Atlanta, trying to re-start their lives.  The book is written by a journalist and is giving me a great background in the history of Sudan and helping me to understand not just the present day situation there, but other politics regarding refugees and int’l relief.

For example, it’s interesting to note that until the mid ’90′s, only about 1% of the refugees accepted by the United States were from Africa.  Black political pressure and Clinton began to change those figures.  But…why were so few refugees coming from a part of the world where there was one of the greatest needs for refugee relief?  Of course, it’s because humanitarian aid is generally a country’s #2 priority, behind political and economic motivations.

In Central America during the 1980′s, Nicaragua, Guatamala, and El Salvadore all had people suffering from human rights violations.  Yet America only accepted refugees from Nicaragua.  Why?  Nicaragua was being run by Marxists, and the US gov’t wanted to highlight the abuses of that gov’t, while Nicaragua and Guatamala were run by right-wing politicians.  All 3 governements were awful, but we wanted to highlight the one w/ the economic positioning we opposed, so we took in Nicaraguan refugees to highlight their gov’t.  Same reason we took in refugees from Castro’s Cuba, but not Haiti.

There are many factors involved in the Sudan refugee crisis.  The largest is religion.  The north is largely Arab and Muslim, the South is African and Christian.  As we’re seeing around the world today, the Muslims in power want Muslim law to be supreme in their land, and aren’t just looking to knock on doors to convert, they’re looking to knock on heads.  So they have been for nearly 50years, on-and-off, been raising hell for the Africans in the South.

The varrying African tribes have been forced to trek into neighboring countries Ethiopia and Kenya, to find refuge there.  The long treks have divided families, and have resulted in many deaths from starvation, dangerous river crossings, and from Arab militia.  The North and South have only just recently agreed to peace, although the western region of Darfur is still facing problems, not to mention recovering from the effects of all the violence and relocations.

In other news…

I cleaned my room like a mad-man last night, throwing out old trinkets and papers, and dressed up my room a bit so it has a coffee-shop feel, and organized my books neat so it looks more like a Barnes & Nobles.

Had a wonderful conversation w/ my dad’s best friend Steve, who came over for dinner the other night.  He poked me a bit to think about my life, although he is very similar to me in terms of living life a bit differently than the rules say you should.  His big question for me:

“What problem do you want to solve?  That’s the key.  Don’t worry about what job you want to do, or you’ll just end up bouncing from prefession to profession, but what problem do you want to solve?”

I thought about it for a while.  I’ve clearly been pretty focussed on solving problems, but have obviously taken on problems that were too big, focussing on helping too many people in too many ways.  Steve gave me another bit of advice:

“First focus on helping one person.  That’s what I do as a teacher.  Then go for 2, then 3, and as you can, keep growing from there.  Figure out how to help a small number of people well.”

What proble do I want to solve?  I’ve realized I’m not going to solve any monumental societal problems, even minor ones.  But…I started thinking about the question another way, and thought, “The problem I’d like to solve is how to help a small number of “young adults” 1) experience life abroad 2) experience an adventure.”

I don’t want to re-create the wheel.  I don’t want to push for all people to do things a certain way.  I simply want to be a part of a program, that takes high schoolers, or those tired of college, and have them do something abroad. 

Which is basically what my current company does and I feel like an idiot for not doing more w/ it.  But they’re mostly helping individuals find jobs abroad.  I’m more interested in travel abroad, and / or doing grassroots work abroad.

and i’m spent…

Topic: bullets

-stomach bug early Sat. morning…was sick every hour, on the hour, from 2am, till 2pm on Sat….obviously sucked, plus missed my weekend on the water

-recovered on Sun.  enjoyed some football, enjoyed conversation at my friend GB’s, about various things.  He just got back from Thailand, described it as one of the most peaceful places he’s ever been, most likely from the Budhist influence on people there.  Talked about health care, decided that I should research if I could get free health care from a universal health care providing country by becoming a resident or citizen.  That way…next time I get a stomach bug, I won’t fear going to the doctor because of the bill.  And just as important, won’t let the fear of getting sick force me away from work I’d like to do…or the option to not work for a while.

-Tues. and Wed. off for Jewish New Year…finally, there is some good in religion!

-playoff baseball starts tom.  GO CARDS!!!

 

Topic: Beuller “YOU’RE NOT DYING…YOU JUST CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING GOOD TO DO!!!”

Going to see a showing of Ferris Beuller’s day off tonight…quite possibly my favorite movie of all time. 

Donig my first slalom kayaking race this weekend, should be interesting.

Starting to plan a late Oct. – early Nov. vacation.  Thinking about hiking Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the NE, which isn’t that high, only 6,000+, but should be an interesting experience.  Just need to figure out some logistics, and how to make a good healthy week out of it. 

I’m thinking more about travelling again…in between serious plans and just buying a ticket and winging it.  There’s much anxiety behind this trip…since I have no life direction really career wise and this is surely just putting that off, but…I believe travelling will open things up for me again.  It’s such a difficult thing to do…not like going to Chicago for a weekend, it’s a full commitment, an uprooting of sorts.

But…time is sort of running out for me.  I travelled at 22 straight out of college, that felt ok, not I’m looking to go at 24 1/2, my 3rd year out of college.  For me it feels like, “hey…what are you doing kid?” but…at the same time, there’s never a bad time to travel.  And…it’s my passion.  I get to go kayaking every weekend, but that’s fairly convenient now.  Going to New Zealand, now that’s going to take work. 

Motion creates emotion…I read that once.  I feel bad that by coming home I’ve allowed myself and others to grow comfortable w/ the idea of me settling here.  But…I want to wake up and everyday think, “I’m in a new world…everything is new and exciting.”

I want to look forward to food shopping because all the brands are new.
I want to look forward to watching soccer and rugby again.
I want to look forward to new accents, words, foods, and phrases.
I want my “min-world” that’s bombarded w/ US news, to be bombarded w/ news about SE Asia, or Africa, or the Pacific Isles.
I want to look forward to being the foreigner, a long way from home.
I want to look forward to being in a position to follow my bliss, whether it’s taking a job in a hostel, picking fruit, being an outdoor guide, teaching English…
I want to look forward to meeting people who look forward to the same thing as I do, the types of people you only find by doing those things which you look forward to.
I want to look forward to days that are so full from walking and site-seeing, that I fall soundly asleep and wake up refreshed and excited for the next day.
I want to look forward to being 100% self-reliant.
I want to wake up and say, “holy fuck…I”m in [blank]“

So…the cycle continues, work, save, kayak, work, save, kayak…

Topic: Geography

So…w/ a million different crisis to follow in this world, I finally got around to reading a bit about “that thing” in the Sudan.  For all of those keeping score, “Darfur” is the name for the western region of the Sudan (is it Sudan, or The Sudan?), which means “land of fur.”  Bordering the Sudan to the South is Uganda, which like the Sudan, is having its own problem containing a group of violent rebels. 

But…as my experience in S. Africa revealed, there is much more to a country than its politics.  So…I followed some links to Ugandan news, and wouldn’t you be shocked, it looks just like any other American website.  People write and sound just like us!  How shocking.  And in their opinion section, an article about “The Need for Innovative Education Reform in Uganda’s Colleges and Universities.”  Basically transplanting everything I wrote in my book, and saying the same thing about Uganda.  Schools there are just as irrelevant for success in work and life.  That always makes me feel better.

Link to article:
http://www.monitor.co.ug/oped/oped09264.php

PADDLING UPDATE:

The Lackawaxen River is a tributary that leads into the Delaware River.  It flows from NE Pennsylvania into the river which marks the border of Pa. and NY.  It was a pretty slow and mostly boring paddle, although always fun people to be around.

Sun. I went up w/ a friend to paddle the Mongaup wave, which is lower on the Delaware.  We stayed at this one standing wave from 11am, till 5pm, probably surfing the wave 60 times.  You face your boat upstream, paddle from a calm eddie up towards the lip of the wave, face your boat at 2 o’clock, and slide on in. 

The effect is pretty thrilling.  My first attempts I didn’t last in the wave 5sec., my 2nd attempt I flipped, couldn’t roll, and ended up swimming.  Getting back upstream was quite a bitch, and provided one heck of a work-out most of the day.

I was pretty psyched out for a while, afraid of the wave, especially the deafening roar that you only hear once you’re inside of it.  But…I gradually learned how to edge the boat, and got to the point where I could stay in basically until I lost my focus, usually going 30-60sec., carving back and forth.  It quickly grew addictive, and I definately got lots of practice and confidence from the weekend.

that’s it…

 

 

Topic: Boy…it’s getting dark early…yes, there is still a streak of sorts going on

So…it’s nearly another weekend.  I’m heading up to my sis’ for dinner, crashing there, then heading out to Jersey tom. morning to meet a friend for some paddling.  This weekend we’re doing the Lackawaxen River, which is located in Wayne County, Pa (home of my precious summer camp!!!), although not really near the camp.  It’s basically in NE Pa., just outside of Jersey.  I’m getting the geography class of a lifetime from all these trips.  On Sun. we’ll be paddling what’s called the Mongap Wave, which apparently is just a standing wave in a river where people practice surfing and other tricks w/ their boats.

My blog is becoming a bit less purposeful…i’m not ranting anymore, not trying to get a message out or promote anything, not really writing too much that’s comment worthy these days.  I guess I’m growing comfortable w/ the status quo…and right now, that’s fine by me.  I make my contribution to the world by making sure my company mail gets delivered on time (I actually received a compliment in my office for being on top of things here…not sure if people here still think i’m actually just 17 and never been to college doing the work i’m doing, but, a compliment is a compliment…and, the other day we had a meeting about giving me more responsibility, which game down to me depositing checks at the bank, woo-hoo, laughable stuff, but all part of my extended time of wandering around the city for a bit).  I guess I’m still somewhat documenting things for the couple of people who care to follow what i’m up to, and there’s always the potential for a comment or another person’s post to open my eyes to a new idea, book, movie, anything, so I guess i’ll just keep on writing like 100′s of thousands of other bloggers.

I was listening to U2 War on the train coming to work.  I rarely pay attention to words in songs, which is why I’m not a big music following sort of guy, or a music snob in anyway.  I just know what sounds good to me and what doesn’t.  Usually, what sounds good to me is soothing (Phish or Allman Bros.), or epic (Stairway to Heaven), or something that’s just different and funky that I’ve never heard before (Elliot Smith).  This CD I can just listen to forever, I sort of disappear into the music.  It’s great.  My CD collection is sort of scattered, I never took very good care of them.  I don’t have an i-pod or a lap-top right now to download, so i’m contemplating buying cd’s which i haven’t done since i bought 10 cd’s for 1 penny w/ BMG back in high school.  Maybe I should start doing that again, unless someone knows another way to buy cd’s on the cheap.  My friend Doug is a music nut, and while he has an i-Pod, he still buys cd’s “because i like the art.”  I think that’s a good reason, probably the same reason I buy books when I can always just go to the library.  Seing that I don’t spend money on virtually anything else, I can justify that.

For soccer fans…I’m getting a bit nervous about Arsenal.  Not having the hottest season, and now there’s talk of losing our star striker Thierry Henry at the end of the season (he’s out now w/ an injury), mostly as a result of our team not really being a threat anymore in England or in Europe, and Barcelona constantly knocking on the door.  We’re on the road against West Hampton on Sat., then play Ajax this week in the Champions League, where Dennis Bergamp, one of our other strikers who is afraid of flying, is apparently going to make his way down to his native Holland for the match, but he won’t be flying.  We really need to win both of these games.

Alright all…enjoy your weekends.