Justin Yoemans, an Army PFC from my hometown, became the 22nd Alabamian to die in Iraq.

I'm deeply sorry for his death and I hope his family is able to find peace. May it be a comfort to them that he died doing a job he sincerely wanted to do.


Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free."
...........
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
America I've given you all and now I'm nothing.
America two dollars and twentyseven cents January
17, 1956.
I can't stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb.
I don't feel good don't bother me.
I won't write my poem till I'm in my right mind.
America when will you be angelic?
When will you take off your clothes?
When will you look at yourself through the grave?
When will you be worthy of your million Trotskyites?
America why are your libraries full of tears?
America when will you send your eggs to India?
I'm sick of your insane demands.
When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I
need with my good looks?
America after all it is you and I who are perfect not
the next world.
Your machinery is too much for me.
You made me want to be a saint.
There must be some other way to settle this argument.
Burroughs is in Tangiers I don't think he'll come back
it's sinister.
Are you being sinister or is this some form of practical
joke?
I'm trying to come to the point.
I refuse to give up my obsession.
America stop pushing I know what I'm doing.
America the plum blossoms are falling.
I haven't read the newspapers for months, everyday
somebody goes on trial for murder.
America I feel sentimental about the Wobblies.
America I used to be a communist when I was a kid
I'm not sorry.
I smoke marijuana every chance I get.
I sit in my house for days on end and stare at the roses
in the closet.
When I go to Chinatown I get drunk and never get laid.
My mind is made up there's going to be trouble.
You should have seen me reading Marx.
My psychoanalyst thinks I'm perfectly right.
I won't say the Lord's Prayer.
I have mystical visions and cosmic vibrations.
America I still haven't told you what you did to Uncle
Max after he came over from Russia.

I'm addressing you.
Are you going to let your emotional life be run by
Time Magazine?
I'm obsessed by Time Magazine.
I read it every week.
Its cover stares at me every time I slink past the corner
candystore.
I read it in the basement of the Berkeley Public Library.
It's always telling me about responsibility. Business-
men are serious. Movie producers are serious.
Everybody's serious but me.
It occurs to me that I am America.
I am talking to myself again.
Oh, I just watched the most beautiful thing. Seriously, I was in tears, y'all. I am actually already a big fan of visualization so it's nice to see it being put to use.

And every day I pray...Kerry wins.
Rock Geisha has left the building.

P.S.: Expect audio updates!

P.P.S.: And more pictures!
Okay, so I lied. I went to my bedroom, fully intending to go to sleep, but decided instead to finish packing. And now I'm done! All that's left to pack is the stuff I'll need tomorrow (shower stuff, mostly).

Remember when I said that whenever I go on trips, I draw everything I'm packing? Well, here is a little sample of my work.

This is what I really do in class. )

Now I'll go to sleep. Probably.
[livejournal.com profile] princessm516 camped outside my door and shoved a microphone in my face, just to get me to answer these questions.

1. Choose your favorites:
a) Clinique or Estee Lauder? Lancome. Oh, wait. Estee Lauder. Oooh, pretty lucite cubes.
b) 7 Jeans or Earl Jeans? Seven for all mankind! Earl doesn't fit right, at least not on my ass.
c) Cupcakes or Cheesecake? Cupcakes with no icing. I have icing issues.
d) Princess Mallory or Mallory Keaton? Dur. Princess Mallory! Mallory Keaton wears sweater vests and dates hairy behemoths.

2. You're Janet Jackson and you just saw Justin Timberlake give his whiny little "wardrobe malfunction" apology and you're hella pissed, so you call him to regulate. What do you say to him?

*Slaaaaaaaap* Oh, wait--that wasn't verbal. I'm actually not the kind of girl who would call someone to tell them off so I can't think of anything good that's not littered with curse words and doesn't end with "just so you know, it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy and it *is* a big deal!"

3. You can hang out with either Scarlett Johansson or Paris Hilton for a week, but not both. Who would you choose and why?

Scarlett. I couldn't go out every night.

4. Satan decides that he needs some help in torturing people, so he asks for your advice. You have to pick 5 songs to play on endless repeat to drive people out of their minds. Which 5 awful songs would you choose?

a) "All or Nothing," O-Town--Paint-by-numbers song-writing at its worst.
b) "Tom Sawyer," Rush--I don't care how great you think Neil Peart is.
c) the MASH theme song (tv show, not the movie)--I don't know what it is but no one in my family can stand it. I'm getting agitated just thinking about it
d) "On the Wings of Love," Jeffrey Osborne--Sweet Lord. This song comes on the work Muzak like, once a day--about the same time I start feeling homicidal. It never ends!
e) "Holidae Inn," Chingy--Yarrgh.

5. Choose your ideal Law and Order cast-anyone you want, overlapping of seasons, knock yourself out. Please be advised that the inclusion of Elisabeth Rohm on this list would make me cry, but don't let that sway your final decision.

Elizabeth fucking Rohm? No way. Anyway, my ideal cast has actually already existed.

Police people: Logan, Briscoe, Van Buren
Lawyer types: DA Schiff, Exec. ADA McCoy, ADA Kincaid

I miss you, Claire Kincaid! You too, Schiff!

Oh, and I'd steal B.D. Wong from SVU to be the court psychologist. Skoda's okay but I like Mr. Wong. And Dr. Olivette is just dumb.

Watch Law and Order every time it's on? Yes, please!
Interview from [livejournal.com profile] ladycakes

1. Tell me a super secret that doesn't involve moles.

Hee. I've told so many secrets here that I'm having a hard time thinking of one to share. Or, one that I want to share in a public entry.

2. Where do you get your sunny disposition?

First of all, objects in the mirror aren't as sunny as they appear. I have days where I hate everything. I just don't post on those days. As for the rest of the time, I'm not sure, really. Part of it is probably the way I was raised. The rest of it...I don't know. I spent about two and a half years in a paralyzing depression that made me feel alienated from the rest of the planet. When I clawed out of it, I vowed not to take anything for granted and I don't. Some of that has to do with my renewed religious faith and the rest is just my faith in humanity. I have True Believerism. I honestly believe that how we think affects what happens to us. I expect good things to happen and so far, I've been repaid in spades. It's hard sometimes to maintain this disposition, but I've got some really great friends and they make everything better. I love you, C.

3. Tell me about a time when you were so angry you saw red (if it has ever happened).

Oh, lots of times. Probably the last time I was really angry was the night described here. My friends are extraordinarily important to me and I don't like seeing them mistreated by people, especially users like that. The last time before that was probably when I found out the bartender at work was telling guests personal shit about me. Both those "ladies" are lucky they didn't find out what the five fingers said to the face. I'm Rock Geisha, bitch!

4. What would you name your future children (if you want any) and why.

Alright--I'm going to tell and if anyone steals them, I'll cut ya. If I have a daughter, I'd like to name her August Moon. August because I like the meaning of the word and Moon because it's a family name, my mother's maiden name. For a boy, I fancy Whitman Henry. Whitman, I just like. Henry is my grandfather's middle name.

5. What would you save if your house was on fire?

First, my grandma and Tala. If they were safe, then probably my journals--my regular one and my travel one. My computer is right next to the door to the back porch so I could probably get that out, too.

And now, the rules:

1 - Leave a comment saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

I can't guarantee that my questions will be good. You can ask me more questions if you want.
I gave my sister horns.

LJ Cut for that ass )

Oh! Wisdom from my sister:

K: Yeah, she's in a wheelchair, so they're going to have to like, accessorize her or whatever.
Me: They're going to have to what?
K: Whatever.

This child graduated from high school with honors and a scholarship. Yeah.

I wrote this great (and long) entry about the creepy woman that's stalking me, but some superfan's image-intensive website made my computer have a tantrum and I lost it. Bah. Them.

I'll rewrite it later because she is creeptacular and I think some of y'all could use the laugh. At least whatshisargyle isn't obsessively studying everything our Princess says. Meepsh.
My baby daddy asked me to friends-lock the last entry so that's why it disappeared, non-friendslist people. It wasn't baleeted.

1) I'm going to go dye my hair now. If you were lying awake at night wondering about it, I did end up dying it blonde over the holidays. I couldn't get the color like I wanted it--it didn't really feel like me--and I ended up dying it back the same day. Maybe someday I'll do it again.

2) I have to go to class and I don't wanna.

3) I just totally saw some teenager's asscrack at the gas station just now and I had to wait until I got into my car to erupt in hysterical laughter.

4) If [livejournal.com profile] vestalvixen tells you that I watch things like the Blue Lagoon for fun, it's all crazy talk. Also, if [livejournal.com profile] razzberryberet tells you I read James Patterson books, I don't know what she's talking about.

5) Go tell [livejournal.com profile] danisse she's awesome. Tell [livejournal.com profile] rexmanning the same thing.

6) Tell [livejournal.com profile] gordonzola you miss him.

7) My grandma just called some woman on Dr. Phil a bitch. Bahahaha. Ha.

8) Say a little prayer for [livejournal.com profile] zooby. Just wish good things for her.

9) [livejournal.com profile] easilyirritable, I'm sending you lots of love.

10) I'm sending you all lots of love.
I had a pretty good weekend. I got my plane ticket for Boulder, I bought some new clothes, and I got some sweet Valentine's love. Now, I'm just doing a bit of the ol' online shopping to finish getting everything I need for my trip. I am not going to try to stuff everything in one suitcase like I did for NYC.

And lo, the mission control was furiously relaying messages back and forth and I was screaming the direction to go, but alas--the tour will crashland in Worcester, not Boston. Ah, so close.

I am looking so forward to my trip now. I am trying to pull the tour toward me but I don't know if it's working. C'mon now, boys. They don't love you like I love you.

I love this song that I'm listening to so much. I know that it was supposedly written about Jack White, so I can't help but think about him when I hear it, but it perfectly describes how I feel about a certain bearded friend of mine. Maybe I'll write the story of him and me soon. I try to tell him all the time what he means to me but words fail. I think I've gotten it down to where I can communicate it in a look, though.

Every time I hear it, I want to make out with him, though. Is that wrong? Yeah, like it's keeping me up at night.

[livejournal.com profile] pastahero and I should go on Jeopardy! and kick ass and take names in the TV Teen Dramas category. At least we'll do better than this kid who just answered "Chicago" as where muffalettas and po-boys were born. This other girl wrote a song about Stephen Colbert. Teenagers are weird.

I just know Pasha belongs to Rory's Book Club.

So, who dares me to apply for the mega-wife plan? I already applied using [livejournal.com profile] islandcreature's name (and photoshopped pictures of [livejournal.com profile] sleestak in a dress), so I might as well do one under my name.

I am fascinated by that site. I was talking about it at family dinner yesterday. Send help, please. No, send help to the people bidding on Jenny's phone number. Everyone knows that my number is the one you want to have.

That's right, I am once again in possession of a cellular telephone. I'm going to use this phone until Nokia comes out with the 7200. It makes me all technolusty.

I have made my goals list for my trip, but I'm not saying what they are until I get there. I'm feeling bolder already...oh, did I just give it away?

I think I'm ready now.
Today was just a good day all around. First, I got a letter from my Senator and he was all, "You want insurance to pay for BC pills? Me, too! Golly, Salome--we don't agree on um, any other issue but we are so of one mind on this! Let's paint each other's nails and talk about boys!" Okay, maybe I made that last part up. But it was a really nice letter and I appreciate his responding to the letter that I totally forgot I sent.

Then, I had the Incredibly Long Class That Never Ever Ends. It's four hours of nonstop nonfun. It is the review for our National Certification exam. Every class, we get a giganto packet that we spend the next three hours doing--matching, multiple choice, fill-in-the-damn-blank. It's like really, really hard elementary school. We're convinced we never learned half this stuff. Our teacher encouraged us to work together so we all pile onto one or two tables and do all the work together. It sounds like this: "So, 13 is C? I thought 5 was C." "What's a sarcomere?" "Wait, Golgi tendon organ? What the hell is that?" "2 is C."

Tonight, our teacher sat down at the table with us while we were working. One of my classmates asked her if it was as hard for her to get through this class as it was for us. "Oh, yes." Turns out that her Monday starts at like, 8 so it's a 14-hour day for her. She dreads it as much as we do and told us that she begged them not to make it a one-day class. Four hours is fine for bodywork but regular class? Eegah. So, she let us out early, after we finished our packet. Don't tell anyone! Teacher: Who here is going to tell on us? Classmate: No one--everyone else has gone home.

Then, I came home to an email from someone that I just adore. Gosh, he's just the greatest. Every time I get an email from him, I just want to turn up "Mono" really loud and dance around. Ahaha...did you miss me? Well, you won't have to miss me much longer. Aaaand, a little birdie told me about some not-missing-me you might be doing a little closer to Fort Awesome. If that happens, I will try to make up for not getting to see any lj friends on this trip. Maybe in *whispers* Boston.

You can all go get something to drink while we wait for Pasha to come to.

Anyway, dearest email sender, you don't have to fake any accents. Your real one already makes me lightheaded and dizzy in the best of ways. I mean, come on. You're like, the dream.

So then I checked my bank account and hello, mysterious money! I love when that happens. Add to that the fact that I got my um, allowance today and whee--internet shopping! I constructed about a billion new concert looks including sweetheart of the rodeo drive, a tribute to sable starr, and a bunch of other stuff that I'll remain top-secret about until their debuts. The boys are just shocked, shocked! that I do so much of my own tour "advancing."

I want a new handbag. Who makes a cute, functional handbag? I don't think I should buy another wristlet from Coach. I luff them but they're not very practical. So, does anyone have any recommendations?

Thennn, after all that, I was reminded that it's almost time for another presents holiday. Yay. That's why I don't get why people full-on loathe Valentine's Day. Duh, it's another day to get presents. Who cares if you have to buy them for yourself? That's when you get what you really want!

So yeah, my life is aces right now. Books to read, chiffon to inhabit, and beautiful boys all up in my inbox. So good! I make a wish every day that good things happen for all of you. Then, I make the smite-people-I-don't-like wish. And that one always works.
We watched Lost in Translation last night at Fort Awesome and I am still feeling...ways about things. I'm in a relationship now that is similar to Bob and Charlotte's so watching the movie was both sad because I miss him so much and moving because so many scenes were familiar to me.

We met last spring. April, to be exact. I was feeling reckless, drunk on my newfound power and decided to prankcall a friend of mine. He did not answer the phone but someone else did. I didn't know at the time how important the someone else was going to be to me. I was just mad because he foiled my plan.

The night after that, I was late for the party and SE found me. He gave me a pass and I went backstage and it was magical. He made me laugh so much that night. The fact that I was drunk off my ass helped, too. It was the same the next night, except I got to see a side of him that few people get to see. I went home, with his email address tucked into my pocket. Then eleven days later, I joined them again. That night I began my pattern. Instead of walking up to the man guarding the door and announcing "I'm on the list," which terrified me because I'm immensely sensitive, even to low-level wonks on power trips, I began to call him on my cell and cry like a mewling kitten for him to get me. Hey, he did it once and now I'm spoiled.

We saw each other once more after that in Atlanta before a prolonged separation. It wasn't so bad. We talked on the phone or via computer almost every day.

Shortly after that last time in Atlanta, I was with my boyfriend when I answered a call from him. When I got off the phone, I didn't have a boyfriend anymore and that...was okay. I had Someone Else. I had the rest of them. They circled the wagons around me and I became absorbed into the hivemind.

I didn't see him again until the Dead played Atlanta. He had been to Japan the month before and had brought me back a lovely handkerchief with a geisha on it. But the kicker was the bus fridge. I had brought my sister, who doesn't drink beer, and he had stocked the fridge with drinks she does like. I was so touched that he remembered something like that. Then he took her onstage to watch the band. Of course, later in the night he dumped a metric ton of Red Bull on her head accidentally but they were cool before that.

He went to the UK after that. Soon after, a package arrived at my house, packed with wine gums, Wispas, and Scrumdidlyumptious bars. Hey, they can get anything in England. I must take this moment to point out that he did not send me Walkers Crisps. I know, I know--they're common. And the Limey says there are better crisps that I should have asked for. I don't care! I want my Walkers ketchup crisps. Catsup? Ketchup. Is there anything the Heinz-Kerry family can't do?

The next trip, he got to see a part of me that I rarely show--the weak part, the fragile piece, the part that cries. We found out two things: 1) I can tell him anything. 2) Oh, sweet Lord, does he dislike it when I cry. But I got better. You guys posted some really sweet, supportive stuff on here and I was far too degraditated to respond at the time but oh gosh, did I appreciate it. Thank you all. Even if you couldn't think of anything to say, if you thought about me, I appreciate it. In addition, I had my beautiful new friend, Traci, who uttered "Fuck. Him." with such venom that I couldn't help but collapse into a paroxysm of laughter. And he and they were all there saying the same things they always say--"Why do you care? Forget about it." And I did forget about it. They played so well that night. "At a Siding" stopped my heart and I daresay that if the swooping guitar part doesn't tug at something in your heart, you are dead on the inside. Hmmph.

Then, he was my guide to New York City, where our story definitely looked like LiT. It wasn't a different country, true. However, it's a bit unsettling to go from the property here in a town of 3000 people where you can't buy alcohol or Playboy to New York City, where you could buy a kidney if you knew the right people. It made me seasick and lonely. I will admit I spent time staring out the window of my room. However, then I met up with him. He took me out for all-night Polish food and way too much barcrawling. When the night finally ended, I felt dizzy and ecstatic. I didn't want to leave. That was a drawback to taking a flight. My car enables me to leave when I want. But I had to leave when Delta wanted and I tried not to think about what I was missing.

I thought that was it indefinitely but then they looped back to me to culminate the world's longest roadtrip. That was perhaps the best trip yet. We went shopping for things that made us laugh, he mocked me for reading Gossip Girl [Shut up! It was very educational and I pretended that the pretty girl that all the rich bitches were jellus of was [livejournal.com profile] princessm516], and we got to spend a lot of time just hanging out. Then, again it was time to go home.

I wish I could say that he whispered something in my ear, something that made it all better, just like at the end of LiT. But the truth is, he's been doing that almost every day since I met him. Just the act of talking to him itself is enough to shake me from sadness. I'm so thankful to have him. God, even writing this--I started writing this feeling melancholy and in the process of talking about him, I cheered up. The truth is, I feel a lot like Charlotte most of the time. I second guess myself constantly, wondering, Is this what I really want to do with my life? I get so scared sometimes. But he's always there. And oh, my God, am I so glad he's back from Mexico.

Fatkins

Jan. 24th, 2004 11:11 pm
If I unwrap a heart-shaped box of chocolates and it has "Low Carb" imprinted on the front, you are so not my Valentine.
As I endorsed him last February, I am pleased by Mr. Kerry's showing in the caucus tonight.

If he wins, this will be the coolest picture of a President ever.



...but I'm glad he ditched the unibrow.
Happy birthday, MK! I hope you get everything you wish for and more.
Okay, so there's the movie Girl With a Pearl Earring, which is based on one of my favorite books, about one of my favorite artists, and stars my secret girlfriend. No, I could not be more excited. Except I am.

I cannot wait for America's Sweetheart, the new Courtney Love album. They've been playing "Mono" on the radio and I f'n love it. It sounds like Live Through This + Celebrity Skin. I was thinking, wouldn't it be funny if because of the low expectations or in spite of them, she made her best album ever?

Enough about that, I'm bored with that. I started back to class this week. My last quarter ever! Class last night: Fine. Four hours. Cool people. I got giggly realizing that all the girls in the class, myself included, had surreptitiously grown their nails out over break. You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone. Class tonight: Freshmen. I don't know any of them. Unfortunately, this is the only time this class is offered. I'll live.

Actually, I think I'm going to do well this quarter. If I don't get distracted by travel plans, that is. What's Vegas like in February?

I don't know if I'll go to Vegas. I'm not really planning on it but it would be fun. If I do travel before spring, it'll most likely be Seattle and Portland. If Vancouver is solidified, then maybe I'll go there, too.

I've been listening to my soundboards and hello, wanderlust. And um, the other kind of lust. Hee.

Of course, all this traveling is dependent on something rather important that I shall find out later this week. It's a secret right now but I'll (probably) let you all in on it when I find out. If I'm not too freaked. Let's hope I'm not.
And that's life.

I pay attention to the songs I hear on the radio while I'm on trips, particularly if I hear songs repeatedly and they're not the latest radio hits. If I hear a song over and over again and it came out a few years (or a few decades) ago, I tend to think that someone's trying to tell me something. Like, I know I've made a big deal about hearing a certain Bob Dylan cover at shows. What does it mean?! Lately, I've been listening to CDs of shows and it occurred to me that there's another song I hear even more than that one. In fact, I've heard it twice as much. And that song is "Blackbird," the Beatles song. To me, that's pretty significant. If I were an ubergeek (and I am, obviously), I could check my setlist statistics and see that it is the third most-played song at shows I've gone to. Actually, the first two songs are usually played together, one into the other, so "Blackbird" could count as the second most-played. So what does all this mean?

Well, take a look at the lyrics. "Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Three years ago, I pulled myself out of a horrible depression and an even worse relationship. I started telling myself that good things would happen to me, if only I would reach out and get them. And they did. I remind myself every day that I have a choice. I can walk this world or I can learn to fly.

I feel like a dork writing this. I know that some people have said in their journals that they feel bad about writing about "bad" feelings. I feel the opposite. I feel like when people read my journal, they roll their eyes and think, That's easy for her to say. Well, it is and it isn't. I still feel bad sometimes. However, I spent enough time feeling bad. I'm not going to do it again.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't feel bad because you feel bad. But don't sink into it, either. Don't let it become a home. It's easier said than done--I know from experience. But it can be done.

I know that from experience, too. Last year, I had a year of amazing moments. This year, I hope the same happens for all of you.

And if you're still rolling your eyes, well...whatever. I don't really get why you read this, except you know what "they" say. Every cynic's a closet romantic.

Nothing's going to change my world.

Profile

wolfpangs

October 2012

S M T W T F S
  123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Aug. 29th, 2025 02:42 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios