misc

so. i'm sitting here listening to sufjan steven's cd Illinois for what might be the 400th time. i haven't blogged in a while and thought now a better time than ever. if you visited my blog for a brief moment in time earlier this evening you might have found an entry i deemed a little too personal (and poorly written) for this blog. so instead i'll tell you a bit about the things of i've been thinking about.

like most, my mind has turned towards new orleans and the tragedy there, as well as everywhere else on the gulf coast. i don't have anything of merit to say, no news to tell. i only ask that if you have the means that you donate money to a relief effort of some kind to help the victims of this disaster. here's a link to many relief funds and how you can contribute: Hurricane Katrina Relief

i also haven't been paying enough attention to the recent news to really comment on the two open seats on the Supreme Court, other than the fact that Pat Robertson had his prayer answered. in a rather morbid, possibly (and hopefully) unrelated way.


i've been reading a book called Reefer Madness, by Eric Schlosser, who also wrote Fast Food Nation, a book about some political/legal/cultural not-so-hot points which should probably be hotter. as a whole, the book investigates the underground (black) market and how the underground affects the legitimate market, and vice versa. the three major sections of the book deal w/ marijuana laws (and if you thought nothing ever happened indiana, think again), the use of illegal immigrants as a workforce on farms (specifically southern california), and the porn industry. i've about finished the second section and it has proven a compelling read. it's a book that opens your eyes to things you weren't even aware were happening.

i've also been reading Ovid's Metamorphoses on my lunch breaks at work. sometimes at home too. there's nothing quite as relaxing as reading about the rage of Athena against Arachne for being a flawless artist at the loom. the translation is by Rolfe Humphries at Indiana University, and very good.

i also further cemented my obsession with Neil Gaiman by going out and buying the Mirrormask illustrated script. like everything i read by Gaiman, i tore through it quickly and will likely re-read it time and again. it's beyond me that this film, though i've only seen the previews, was made for only four million dollars. the quality of it is ridiculous. i only wish the movie was opening a little closer than a few states away from me.

that's all for now. if anyone has any tips on how to make images not look so terrible on my blog, that'd be great.