Apis mellifera and Castor canadensis

The last 5 days have been among the most stressful, though ultimately rewarding of my life. Here's a quick run down:

Friday: After calling place for sublets, and finding that I had received no replies to my Craigslist emails, I went to Apartment People at 2. We found a few places that had what I was looking for, meaning a short term (3 month) lease. All were owned by the same company. Needless to say, I was kind of stressed because I was limited in choice to three places owned by one company, and they held all the power over me, because otherwise I had no place to live come Monday. I found a place I liked, only to find out that I have to pay a non-refundable $250 fee for a short-term lease. I had to give apartment people some of my deposit plus money for a credit check. I overdrafted. Anyway, I fretted about having no control, but still, I had to have a new place and this one seemed to fit me. I ended up having to pay first months rent along with $35 for the credit check, and then had to pay the $250 plus my last months rent when I signed my lease. I went down to see Laura at 8 and then we both went to see John's final performance at 10. I t was a good show, and it was really good to see the both of them again. I also gave Laura her present Slapshot and Slapshot 2. When I left John's at around 1:45, there was no sign of the 22, which runs up and down Clark at night, but does so only every half-hour. So I preceded to Lake Shore Drive to pick up the 151. Only it didn't come. For a while I just stood at the bus stop, marveling at the number and the size of the spiders that surrounded me. Then the rain came. At first it was just drizzling, then came down a little harder. I stepped back to find cover under a tree. I t afforded me good protection for a while, and then well, the rain started coming in extremely heavily, including coming in horizontally. The tree was useless. I just kind of stood there for a minute not thinking, in a kind of shock brought on by the amount of rain. After about 3 minutes, which seemed like thirty, of being pounded by rain, I ran across the street under the carport of an apartment building. My phone was in my pocket and got completely soaked. I was able to call John, who thankfully came and got me. We drove, and sometimes waded, through the streets as he got me home. When I got there, my phone was acting kind of funny...

Saturday: This was probably one of the most frustrating days of my life. I found out I had overdrafted in the morning. However, when I tried to call her back my phone said it had no signal strength, despite being at a pretty high level on my screen. I tried again several times, sometimes getting through for a few seconds and sometimes not. I went down to the Sprint Store down my block, and they said they had no technician, so they couldn't test my phone, I had to go to the store on Devon to do so. I paid the remaining part of my deposit and then headed North. Devon is where the 36 ends and where some 151's do to. I figured it was probably close. It wasn't. It took almost an hour and a half to get out there, plus the time I spent in line and waiting for the testing, which too a half-hour, and I didn't know when my parents would be arriving. I ended up having to call my grandmother to tell my parents where I was, and had to do so when I came back as well. When my parents got there about a half-hour after I did, around 3:30 we were all tired. my dad suggested we put my phone number on his phone, which we did. But we ad to go up to the Devon store again, though it took less time because we were in the car, and I didn't have to wait for testing like I had to the first time. We ate, though we had to wait a really long time for our food, and then went back to my apartment. We cleaned up and then went to bed.

Sunday... We got most of the heavy stuff into the van dad had brought from work, that's all my parents took. The rest of the stuff I figured I would move myself. My parents left around 1, and I went back, picked up a bit and then just sort of spent the day hanging out and getting stuff ready to move.

Monday... Woke up at 8:30, thinking I would just go down to my new management company, sign my lease and get to moving in. No, they couldn't have me in until 11. Ok, I started moving stuff into the hallway in the meantime. At around 10:50, I left to sign my lease, and a call came for me. It was Cassie from Chicago Magazine, They offered me the internship, and I most gleefully accepted. It was especially sweet given that I had basically given it up for dead. I told them I would start the 13th, so I could give OCC two weeks notice. I went and signed my lease, everything is cool. I find out my carpet hasn't been cleaned yet, so I have to avoid the carpeted areas. I start stacking the load in my car in the kitchen and bathroom. John came around about 1:30 and we took my mattress over. I then had to get the component parts of the bed in the car, which proved more difficult than I had anticipated. I took that stuff over. Then my battery died. I got the building engineer to jump me, but I had to drive around for a few minutes to charge the battery. I loaded as much of the stuff from the hallway as I could and took it down to the new building (which is only 1 1/2 blocks from my present one, me and John were able to physically take the mattress to it) only to find a truck blocking the door. I took what I could in, but it was almost time for my class, so I parked the car, which still had a bunch of stuff in it, and left for school. Both the car and the belongings were there when I got back, and I went back for the last bit of things in my old room. The table which my uncle gave me proved to be very hard to deal with, I actually had to leave it sitting in the alley as I dropped my other stuff off. I found a parking space a block away from my building and physically carried it there, which was very awkward. Finally, I got in at around 10:30, exhausted, sweating and grateful for the end of the day.

Today...
My hands are aching, especially the inside of my hands. I'm sore. But I'm happy, because I'll have an in at the Tribune Company and the print internship I wanted. I still am going to do TKA, which means I'll be pretty busy, but I was busy this summer and thrived. I just want to say thank you to my parents for helping me so much this weekend. Thank you to John for helping me move the Mattress. I don't know what I want to say about my old place, only that I have been both extraordinarily happy there, but I also succumbed to self-pity and depression while there. Still it was a great experience.

Happy Early Birthday to Miss Laura Kraly.

Bitter Pill
I still haven't heard from Chicago Magazine, which means it would seem time to pretty much admit defeat on that one. I am going to call In These Times after work, I have all day free tomorrow, and try to see if they have anything that could be considered an internship. It is going to be a challenge to find the hours I need at TKA, as there are only 11 football Saturdays, though I suppose I could see about working nights when Michigan Basketball or Hockey is going on. I figure 9 to 11 hours a day on Saturdays plus 6-7 on Fridays comes to about 200 hours, meaning I need to come up with another 25 somewhere down the line.

I have a lead on an apartment, however, it is only for one month. I would move in Sunday and then stay til October, though I suppose it might be possible to stay there on a month to month basis. At least I have a good idea where I might live now, rather than having to fret about that and work. This whole week I've felt that, as they say in Rocky Horror: "The Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head." Its the end of my lease, and since I was unable to get an internship in print, which is what I would want to do, I any have to get another internship, post-graduation to improve my job possibilities. Its starting to hit me that in 4 months my education will likely be over, and the real world is beginning. I know my parents are scared, I don't know how I feel.

There isn't a lot else going on, though the NCAA did just announce they were denying Mike Williams' appeal, meaning they have no rejected Williams and Jeremy Bloom's appeals in one week, after saying they were trying to be more "athlete friendly". The NCAA sucks, basically.

I'm looking forward to John's show tomorrow, and the day off. I need a break after this week. I also can't wait to see Laura.

Happy Birthday Mom.

remembrances
I have yet to hear from Chicago Magazine. When they talked to me they said "middle of the week" which I suppose could also mean tomorrow. I emailed just in case and have yet to receive a response, but they may be busy putting out their next issue right now, and thus not to worried about me or the internship question. Hopefully I'll hear something soon. The same goes for a sublet/room. I'm starting to get in the panic stage, as I move out Sunday, and after that, I don't know what I'm going to do Monday-Thursday. I know I'll find something, I just need something now.

I talked yesterday about my reunion, I wanted to mention something that I didn't mention yesterday. A classmate of mine had joined the army and had spent a lot of last year in Iraq. He talked about some of the things he had to do, rough up some kids with AK-47's for example, and just what it was like to be shot at, and to be in country where death could be around the next corner. I asked him some questions about what it was like with the people, specifically, whether he hated the Iraqis and whether the Iraqis hated us. He didn't hate them, though he hated those that shot at him. I guess I was not surprised when he talked about how the place was divided. How some would be happy to see them, and others, well, others would stare you down with Kalashnikov's. It was really interesting.

Do want to know what "shady" really is? Its not taking your flight examination because you might well be to hungover to pass or not want to reveal your drug use. Its going months without attending the drills in the Champagne unit your father got you into. Neil Steinberg, who writes for the Sun-Times said this on Monday :
"How the Republicans could have imagined there would be any upside in questioning John Kerry's Vietnam record is a mystery. Doesn't it all boil down to this: Kerry went to war and President Bush didn't? Frankly, if Kerry had responded to combat by flinging away his gun and hiding in tears under a tarp on his swift boat, it wouldn't erase the overarching fact that he put himself in harm's way for his country, while Bush hid behind the privilege that was to eventually deposit him, blinking and amazed, into the White House."

Well here goes,

I came home, again, Friday afternoon. I picked up Meghan, who I went to High School with and works downtown, and we were off to Ann Arbor. We talked for a while, and it was pretty pleasant. We weren't especially close so it wasn't like talking to your best friend or anything, but it was generally pleasant. We avoided traffic around Ann Arbor by getting off 94 early, and I dropped her off around 5:30. I got home to get ready. I had a bit of an argument, such as they are, with my parents because at the time, I didn't know if I 'd have an internship and where, I'd be living. Its all really confusing. After cooling off, I went to the reunion. Now the flyer I got in the mail said it started at 7. I got there around 7:30, wanting to be fashionably late only to find that I was actually the second person to arrive. most everyone else was waiting until 8 for the Open Bar to start. I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a really long time. Some I was glad to see. I saw a lot of growth out of a lot of people. (Interesting fact by the way, 14 of my classmates are either married or engaged, including to each other. This comes to a rate of 21%. In five years, my guess says its above 50%) Some, of course, and for me a distressingly large number, hadn't shown much growth at all. While I appreciate the need to sow your wild oats at this age, there has to be more to life than going out and getting blitzed every night, which was the same thing you did in High School, and perhaps the same as you did in College. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit frustrated at this point. Many people, after the open bar closed at Midnight, decided to head down to another bar, which I went to, just to see if anyone needed a ride home. No one did, though I don't know if that was a rejection of the ride or a rejection of me. I sensed a lot of hostility from the "cooler" people at the reunion directed at me, why I don't know, but it certainly seemed to be there. Of course I have spent a long time passing judgment on these people, but I don't think I've gone out of my way to hurt anyone.

I stopped in Albion Saturday and had dinner at Lone Star with Mike Bohne, Kopec and Huff, as well as Denise Robinson and Jeannie. Chelsea Sadler was our waitress. It was god to see those people again, though I wish I had more time to search out everyone else I wanted to see.

I got a call from TKA on Monday. They want me for Fridays and Saturdays during the fall. Obviously this is very good news, as I now have an internship in the bag. Is it absolutely that I want to do? No, but it does allow me to finish here, plus potentially make some good contacts down the line at either radio stations or newspapers.

Still looking for a place. I'm putting in a call on a place I saw for subletting on Craigslist, which is in Wicker Park. It would be short term, which is what I need. Plus it would actually be cheaper than my current apartment, as this one runs about 550 a month plus 100 in utilities compared to the 675 I pay now, which includes electricity and gas.

God, I can't wait for this to settle down. Cross your fingers that Chicago Magazine gives me the ok tomorrow or Thursday. I'll need all the help I can get.

Quick Post, I'll blog more about this tomorrow.

Reunion: Kind of disappointing, that will be the main focus of my post tomorrow.

TKA- Looks good to go, now, I just need to see when, and how much, they want me.

Place to live- It looks like I'll be staying in Chicago for the semester, unfortunately, this means I need to find a place ASAP, so I can move in relatively soon.

I will let all of you know how Chicago Magazine turns out.

Goings On

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty crazy. On Tuesday I went for my interview at Chicago Magazine. I felt it went well, I answered all the questions they had, and I think, came off as enthusiastic about potentially working there. That's what I need. I was very excited afterwards, and suddenly not so sure what I wanted to do come September, because, truth be told, print is more of what I want to do. After my interview I went down to my counseling session, and then home. And, by home, I mean Ann Arbor. Rain was pouring down in Indiana, and basically stayed with me all the way home, which sort of dampened the drive a bit, but I still had fun, because commercial-free Radio is so great.

Yesterday, I had my tryout/interview at WTKA. I got there around 2 and talked with the host of the afternoon drive time show, Dennis. He had me fill out a questionnaire, including making up my own questions, and then took me in to the producer's area. I helped write copy for the updates. During the show, which started at 4, I answered phone calls, and put up the information of the screen for Dennis to read in the studio. Everything went pretty well, I screwed up a couple of times, including accidentally hanging up on regular caller High Octane Mike. The phone lines really lit up once, while we were discussing Michigan football, which was to be expected. On the whole it was a really fun time, and I think I did well, hopefully I'll be getting a phone call soon. Chicago Magazine said they would call next week.

Thank you so much. You Know Who You Are. Thank you so very, very much.

Constitutions

I saw John's show again, and again I enjoyed it tremendously. It was good also, despite some initial apprehension on my part, to see Jean and Rhea. They were welcoming and it was much appreciated, given how I had initially feared it may go. Thank you to you both.

I saw an interview with Alan Keyes last Friday, where he talked about repealing (presumably) two amendments to the Constitution. One was to be expected, and he didn't outright call for it's repeal, but he wants to get rid on the Income Tax, in favor of a national sales tax, which would essentially repeal the 16th Amendment. The ironic twist is that he also called for the repeal of the 17th. Its ironic because he did so while running for Senate. The 17th Amendment calls for the direct election of United States Senators, as opposed to their selection by their states legislature. His point was that the Framer's intended it to be that way. Unfortunately, Keyes fails to understand that when the Amendment was passed they believed they were acting in the spirit of the Framers. And the Framers were not gods, they were fallible, after all that's why we have amendments, to correct their mistakes and update the Constitution for the changing landscape.

The Men's team that lost to Peurto Rico is a deeply flawed team. The problem is, the NBA league office was instrumental in finding the players on this team. They were looking to sell Jerseys and product, not win. There is no reason LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade should all be on the team. There is no way on God's earth that Stephon Marbury should have been allowed to be considered. The people who selected this team are not guilty of panic so much as they are supreme arrogance. They thought we could send out anyone who was succesful in the NBA and assume they would have success in International Basketball, which is more different than International and NHL Hockey are from each other. We currently have three, 3! post players, and only one seeing significant time. The other players are either slashers or athletic wing players who can't shoot. Post play and slashing are limited in the FIBA style of play because the zone is used so often and so well. The US Team has no one who cou8ld be considered a great shooter, we aren't producing a lot of them any more, and those we do (Michael Redd, Brent Barry, Reggie Miller, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen) are sitting at home. Now, truth be told, Allen was originally on the team, and Rip turned them down after being invited at the 11th hour, but still, the makeup of the team is compromised. What follows is my group of 12, one I think would be much better suited to the International game:

C- Tim Duncan- He's played well, and because he's so unselfish and passes well, he fits perfectly the style that is needed in the Olympics. Ben Wallace would be there too, for a banger off the bench for just rebounds and defends and doesn't demand the ball all game.

PF- Rasheed Wallace- At least one big man needs to be able to step out in International basketball. Rasheed has the perfect game for this level, he's unselfish, a tenacious help defender, and rebounds on both ends. Plus he shoots well from outside.

SF- Lamar Odom- Again versatility is key, and Odom can handle the ball, and rebound. He's not a great shooter but that's why we have...

SG- Michael Redd- The best American born shooter currently in the NBA, he would be an absolutely perfect zone-buster, because his greatest offensive weakness, his inability to create his own shot, doesn't matter in a Zone dominated game. Rip Hamilton would also be quite good in this role.

PG- Chauncey Billups- He can shoot, especially spotting up. He creates for his teammates and he would be a beast for International point guards to play because of his strength. Brent Barry could come off the bench to shoot and to create.

Of the bench, in addition to the guys I've already said would be:

Iverson- He's not a good shooter and demands the ball too much, but no one on earth is better for scoring in bunches.

Tayshaun Prince- The perfect international wing defender- incredibly long and is able to shoot well enough, but he's here for defense.

Shane Battier- See above.

Brian Cardinal- Because no one will out work him, he'll shoot, and he will bang with anyone.

Sensitivity- Bain of Royalty

The complete non-issue that is John Kerry calling for a more "sensitive" war on terror, and the 'wingers trying to make Kerry out to be a kind of pantywaist who will try to lure Osama Bin Laden out of hiding, is just ridiculous. What Kerry meant, what anyone with half a brain knew he meant, was that he would try to get more of our allies involved, especially in the Arab world, so that we can start reducing our own troop levels. The Repub's (Cheney, Newt, Hannity) were making it out like he said that we need to be weak to fight the war on terror. No. We just need to have some semblance of an idea of how to approach the Arab world, not as Rush said a couple of days ago "make a parking lot out of Najaf", one of the sacred sites of Shiite Islam. That's being really brilliant Rush. By the way, if you'd like to sign a petition to get Rush off of Armed Forces Radio, or just get someone from the other side to counterbalance him, here you go. Its from Media Matters, which I now have a link to over with the rest of my links. Go, its very educational and has a lot of good information on the half-truths and b.s. of the right.

A lot has been going on as far as the internship front goes. I have an interview Tuesday with Chicago Magazine, which would be nice to work at, but would keep me here. I have a sort of tryout/interview at WTKA on Wednesday. I will be going back home Tuesday night, going in at 2:00, doing some guest booking and some operating the board during the afternoon show. This is great, but I may need to get back here to work on Thursday, and then go back home Friday for my 5th class reunion. Phew. We, my family and I , are currently trying to figure out a way for me to do that, whether it involves driving twice or taking the train or whatever.

If anyone saw Hardball last night, you heard Chris Matthews nail John O'Neill in a lie about not being employed by the Nixon White House to go and discredit Kerry. A lot of what is in "Unfit for Command" has been debunked, it was when it came out in 1996, when Kerry ran against Bill Weld, and hopefully it will now as well.

New Jersey- Wow

It takes courage to do what James McGreevey did about an hour ago. Not only did he admit an extramarital affair and resign as governor, but he came out to the world.

"Were there realities from which I was running?" he asked. "I do not believe that God tortures any person simply for its own sake.... In this, in the 47th year of my life, it is arguably to late to have this discussion. But it is here and it is now.... And so my truth is that I am a gay American. And I am blessed to live in the greatest nation... with the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world."
"Yet because of the pain and suffering and anguish I have caused to my beloved family.... This is an intensely personal decision and not one typically for the public domain and yet it cannot and should not pass... I am also here today because shamefully I engaged in a consensual affair with another man that violated my bonds of matrimony. It is wrong... It is inexcusable...."
Amazing!
"I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality," he says, telling the press that if his sexual life had remained secret the state would have had problems.
"Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its impact on my family and my ability ... as governor, I have decided to resign." - Taken from Jeff Jarvis

That's an amazing speech, and an incredibly courageous stand to take. From the reports I'm reading today, this has been building for some time, and McGreevey hasn't been a great governor anyway. But still, it took courage to do what he just did. I don't know what impact this will have nationally, probably very little. The media will hit this hard in the next couple of days, but it will probably evaporate soon. The e conservative media will try to paint this as evidence of the moral decadence of the Democrats, but McGreevey did the right thing as far as that was concerned, he took the hit, resigned, said what the reason was, and took personal responsibility for hurting his family. Wow. That took guts and a whole lot of it.

Please support, if you can or want to, the PAC my professor from Washington Semester is a part of. It raises money for, and supports the efforts of women candidates who are under 40. This is the "pipeline" theory. I'll explain later. But its a worthy, and bipartisan, cause.

Hey! I'm still here
Hello again everyone, its been a rather stressful week for me, so I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked to, but I am here now, so I'll just mention a few things.

Congratulations to John on a fine show last week, I enjoyed it, and I'm sure, if the crowd and the response from your castmates was any indication, this won't be the last time you'll be performing like this at Second City.

I saw Collateral on Saturday. I really enjoyed both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx's performances, and I love Michael Mann as a director., so I did really enjoy the movie.

Work's been hectic this week, and so I haven't been able to blog there, plus I'm working on my website project for class, which takes some time as well. My internship status is still up in the air, irons currently in the fire have not been struck the way I might have liked.

A lot of the news lately has been looking at the Swift Boat Veteran for Truth ad that is airing in some of the swing states. I don't think the media is doing enough right now, to expose the people behind this. I saw Nightline last night did mention the fact that none of the men who appear in the ad actually served on John Kerry's swiftboat, but served with him the same way Colin Powell and John McCain did, they were in the same war at the same time. There's dirty money behind this. Much of the same money that was behind smearing John McCain n South Carolina in 2000. I know that McCain and Bush campaigned together this week, but you have to know that McCain sees him as a slimeball.

Fun Stuff to think about here, got to love those Vogue Girls

Alan Keyes- The Black Kermit

If anyone remembers SNL's sketches about the 2000 Republican Primary, you might remember Tim Meadows portrayal of the right wing talk show host/ Muppet. When I saw earlier this week that the Illinois GOP was strongly considering Keyes, and now that they have offered him the position, I was flabbergasted. He has no ties to the state of Illinois, none. And this is a person who ripped Hillary Clinton for "carpet-bagging" in 2000, and no he's doing the same. Look, I know that no one who went after the position here, meaning those who lost in the primary was particularly attractive, as they all lost very badly, and no one in the GOP establishment wants to run out and get crushed by Obama. I would have thought about nominating Chirinjeev Kathuria, who finished last in the primary, but would give the Illinois GOP good press for being the first party to nominate a Sikh for higher office. Plus it makes the party more outwardly "inclusive". Anyway, Keyes is so far out to the right he's falling off, and his natural constituency, African American Fundamentalist Catholics, is not particularly large. He is a very eloquent man, plus he was the only candidate to say yes to debating at Albion when we were trying to get a Republican debate in 2000, so I don't hate him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lost by 25 or more points in November.

By the way, PTM should get on the phone with Butch Hollowell as soon as possible if Kerry loses the election. Hollowell is the head of the Michigan Democratic Party and an Albion grad. If we could get Albion arranged as a debate site, and put it on in say, early January, the Cable Networks would cover it, the way they do other debates around the country, giving Albion a lot more exposure.

They should do the same thing if the Lions ever decide to train somewhere other than Allen Park.

I've liked the way people have covered the Bears camp in the Chicago area so far. Obviously, there have been two main storylines, Lovie Smith coming in with a new, tougher training regimen, and the injuries, particularly to Hamstrings that it may have caused. Urlacher will likely be out for preseason. This bodes well for the Lions, especially when you consider that a lot of the Bears players who were told to lose weight will not have adjusted to their new bodies by the time they play Detroit in week one. On the plus side for the Bears, David Terrell has been lighting it up so far, which is good. He went to a fine institution.

Kris Benson is a lucky man. He pitches for the Mets now, which is good for Anna, New York needs this sort of thing.

Repeating the Part Where I Said All About the Things

I enjoyed the performance of Les Miserables that my old high school did. It was a combination of current and alumni students in it, and so I was able to see a few people I hadn't seen in a while, plus Robert was in it and did a good job.

I thought my interview went well last week, I should be hearing something soon, if I don't, its time to panic, because I've already told my leasing agency that I'm not renewing my lease, so I may have to start looking for sublets for three months.

By the way, Sandy Berger has been declared innocent of wrongdoing, nice to see it so highly publicized in the media.

I thought the Dodgers really made a lot of moves they didn't need to make last week. The one question I have more than anything is: Why would you consent to add Paul Lo Duca to a trade without knowing for sure Charles Johnson was coming? Now, you go from having an All-Star caliber catcher to Brent Mayne who has always been (Expect for the Triple Play 99 team run by yours truly, where he hit .325 with 52 HR's) a backup or platoon catcher. Even if they've improved their starting pitching with penny, aren't you costing yourself runs by this move? I don't get it.

The USA Basketball team just lost to Italy by 17 points. I'm not shocked by this, considering that Italy made 15 three-point shots as well as the fact that the US team is extremely young. I still think they will win in Athens, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lost one game in pool play. The one game that scares me, if they get to the medal round, is China, because there is no one on the US team that will be able to guard Yao. By the way, the team plays Germany next, I'm putting the over/under for points from Dirk Nowitzki at 41.