I Miss You

I just wanted to get it out there that I miss you, Trevor. It's been a while since you passed away and I still feel like if I hadn't been so afraid to call, something might have ended up different. Maybe it wouldn't have. But either way, I miss you.

Blogging Politics

So, I don't usually blog politics, but this is a bit of a freewrite where I'm going to ramble on about my search for apolitical party, which has proven to be a difficult task. I think I might be a Libertarian. Here's why...

I hugely believe in a libertarian viewpoint of the First Amendment right to free speech. I think that the marketplace of ideas will never balance unless we allow all speech, because every idea has merit - for example, a good idea will never be heard if it is the subject of suppression, and a "bad" or incorrect expression will never be thought bad if we can't use our intelligence to counter it (ex. hate speech - we need to know what it is in order to understand why it's wrong, plus there is a lot to be learned from formulating that argument that counters such speech in the first place).

So, should other types of markets work like that? Well, I am very anti-government. I think there's just too much of it - too many lobbyists, too many people who sit in congress getting paid to do absolutely nothing besides get elected and show it. If you, Average Joe, ever wants anything done, you have to go through so much bureaucracy in order to get to that level. In a sense, nothing can ever be done. And then there are different layers of corruption and mismanagement - the bigger the organization is, the easier it is for those kinds of things to get lost in the scuffle.

So, is a libertarian point of view what will help us? First of all, allowing a libertarian ideal offers more incentives for people to work. But so does capitalism. But if we're able to cut out the government, will people really donate to charity because they have more money to throw around? I suppose it deals more with the nature of human beings, and right now it's hard to say. I do know that rich people feel a lot of social pressure to donate to charity, but a lot of rich people didn't get that way by throwing their money around. So it's hard to say.

So maybe we cut the bureaucracy by taking the power away from the federal government and giving it back to the communities? This seems like a good idea - we can cut out a huge number of federal governmental agencies and put the power back into the hands of the states, which seems to cut out a lot of the middle levels - like why are people in rural Ohio paying the same type of federal taxes as people in NYC, where the truth is that the people in Ohio don't see any effects of the so-called bailout whereas New York sees all of them. If I understand correctly, this seems to be a sort of social anarchist point of view (but obviously not absolutist, since true anarchists believe in NO government).

Anyway, I've been thinking about these things a lot lately. I've always been interested in markets and been well aware that the economy would not be good forever, because markets need to regulate themselves and giving all kinds of loans to people who can't afford them is not the way to do it. But this is an example of how people get greedy, which is the main reason I'm shying away from a Libertarian perspective. Anyway, that's that. Have a good night.

Dating in NYC

So, I broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years. He's a good guy, just not good for me. It still feels weird not to be wearing his ring. But I needed to move on, and there's no time like the present (especially after years of procrastinating).

But this presents a whole new problem for me: dating. I've not had to date since a year before I began dating the ex. I was in a relationship with a guy for a year before, and then I went out with, I don't know, two guys before I met the recent ex, who I was with for four years. Clearly I don't know anything about relationships except that I'm not good at them. But that part of it is ok. What I'm really not good at now is dating.

I don't really understand how it all works. Ray Romano has this funny bit that was on Dr. Katz about not knowing whether he was supposed to hug a chick or kiss her on her cheek - it's kind of like the same thing to me. Like, what does one date mean? What do five dates mean? Is there even a point if neither person is looking for a relationship? Because for all that I can sign up for some casual encounters on Craigslist - and no doubt a lot of people do (especially in NYC).

This post was going to be longer but it's 6 a.m. and I'm still awake but I want to go to bed (which is what I get for sleeping until 2:30 p.m.). But I'm sure there will be more later.

Year of the Boar

So, this Blogger thing tells me that my zodiac year is the Year of the Boar. What an un-hot year.

According to WikiPedia, "In Chinese culture, the boar is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the year of the boar is considered to be very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest." I AM happy and I think I'm pretty honest (but still polite), but still - couldn't I at least have been something cute, like a bunny? Or if not cute, then something that I could get a tattoo of that would still be cool, like a Cobra? Or maybe just a cool inanimate object, like a chandelier.

Also, this thing says "happy and honest," but it doesn't mention anything about the fact that I suffered from depression for like 5 years of my life. Don't take any sympathy on me, because I'm okay now.

Also, Year of the Boar implies that I'm big and fat and smelly, but I'm none of those things. Okay, maybe I'm a bit smelly sometimes, like when I don't take showers or I've been sweating in the sun all day, but I don't even think Martha Stewart still smells nice after that.

Rififi Rest in Peace

I'm so sad to have to say goodbye to Rififi, the best comedy club in the city (which is only a block a away from my apartment). I might have to move now. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend you're never going to see again. It's tragic, actally. I'm just really glad I got to perform on the stage there before it shut down (if only for an open mike that didn't go so well). So, it's a real bummer.

Byebye Rififi - I'll miss you!

I hate it when

I really hate it when I'm trying to find a video on YouTube, and I can't find it because the only keywords I know I can search for it by are vaguaries like "Terrorist" and "T-Shirt". So I end up with videos of Kill Bin Laden T-Shirts that are couched in notfunny puns. So if you can find that Jon Benjamin/ Todd Barry video about a terrorist T-shirt, let me know.

I'm shaking because I've had so much fucking coffee today.

Random Train of Thought Post

Union Hall is the shit! I guess it’s true that if you want to be a comedian, you have to lead a funny life, and Eugene Mirman is great at that. I mean, who the fuck could possibly make such a hilarious video just by mumbling “John McCain” over and over again? That’s the kind of comic I aspire to be – of course, not everything in life can always be that funny. But there are some things I’m trying to work out.

I love how comedy is just glorified ranting about the irritations that make up our everday lives – if it’s not that, then what is it? Maybe it’s not always irritations, because it includes observations as well, but when I think of my favorite comics who are always trying to “solve the puzzle,” they’re really just finding a way to complain about what they think it weird or wrong about something. That’s why satire always works. We can call religion is weird or absurd or just note how it doesn’t make any sense that people who believe that there was a man who could walk on water could also not believe that other people have a right to believe in whatever they want, like that aliens invaded the earth and left us pods in the ground that humanity will return to someday (I think that’s what Scientology is all about – I don’t know for sure, but please don’t stalk me and try to kill me if I’m wrong, Mr. Tom Cruise).

So there are margaritas in the Diesel store in Union Square tonight – I guess because only drunk people are the ones stupid enough to spend $300 on a pair of jeans that make them look like Eurotrash? But I guess maybe there’s a cost-benefit analysis to be done here, because since the margaritas are free, I just need to drink enough to make up for the $300 I DIDN’T spend paying for margaritas. Since margaritas are usually about $10 (including tax and tip), I’d have to drink like 30 of them to make that purchase worth it.

Also, I’ll add that this economy is really pissing me off. Why am I spending $10 on a salad? It’s, like, lettuce and dressing! Thank you Mr. President.

God's Pottery

I love these guys.

Inexpicable Stomach Thing

My boyfriend and I have been suffering from an inexplicable summer thing.

Warning: This Post is about Tampons (Not People who are from Tampa)

People who don't think that people who move to this country from other countries need to learn to speak the language have obviously never needed help finding tampons in an Indian deli.

"Where are the, uh, (whispers) tampons?"

(Speaking with a thick Indian accent) "What? The bacon?"

"No. (A little louder) The tampons.

"The condoms?"

"No! The TAMPONS!" (Guy in line behind you looks disgusted)

(Looking like you just tried to order a cheeseburger from the Dalai Lama) "Over there."

"Thanks." (Buy the tampons, leave the store)

(No longer speaking in an Indian accent) "Actually, I speak perfect English. I just wanted to mess with her."

Bed Stuy

So, it seems like with the economy and all, friends of mine are moving out to one of the "worst neighborhoods in Brooklyn," Bed Stuy. There are two parts of Bed Stuy, the nice part and the not nice part. People who live in the nice part are generally safe, while people in the not nice part hear gunshots at night. But, all of this got me to thinking about some things.

1. My friend who lives in Bed Stuy is "token white guy" in an all black neighborhood. He's like what Lisa Turtle was on Saved by the Bell, except instead of being a black chick, he's a white male, and instead of Saved by the Bell, it's more like Boys in the Hood.

2. If you have a black friend who lives in a neighborhood where his neighbor is a token white guy, you can bet that your black friend is about six months away from being the token black guy in an all white neighborhood.

Things I'm Thinking About Doing

I'm thinking about writing:
1. Redrafting my sketch show 8 Bits (a show about video games).
2. A sci-fi comedy musical, complete with theremon, synthesizers and everything - maybe it will feature music by the Juan McClean.
3. A screenplay, or at least an outline for one, about something less comedy and more forlorn love. I think forlorn is the right word.
4. Redrafting the notes to that fashion law chapter.
5. Rewriting my student note (selected for publication in the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution - that's a big deal, if you didn't know).
6. 3 papers, 2 about cyberlaw and its connection to the First Amendment and 1 about implied contracts.

I'm thinking about doing:
1. Studying (law school finals).
2. Playing Mario Kart for Wii.
3. Finishing (this beer).

Not funny

I didn't used to believe in the death penalty. Then, a rapist murdered my cousin's little sister. Now I don't know what to think.