Desperate
In a college psychology course (twenty years ago), I read about behavioral experiments performed on birds. They were taught that hitting a button would dispense food. Once this behavior was in place and the expectation set, the food was with-held. The initial response...
End of the World
I recently told a co-worker that when you start wishing the place you work would burn down, it's time to find a new job. And then there are those of us who fantasize about the entire human race and/or planet being destroyed. I don't know what productive task we're...
Deliver Us From Right-to-Life Idiots
Okay, I know I need to actually create a legal document that would give details about what I'd want done in various circumstances, but let me at least pound out a draft here (the following written instructions are to be superceded by any instructions, written or...
A Day in Kyrgyzstan
Like everyone on the planet except us Americans, a European friend of mine pays attention to the rest of the world. Tonight he sent me a link to a NY Times article about the Kyrgyzstan government being taken over by the people. The link included his personal message...
Latinos Leave the Catholic Church – por qué no?
The March 21 issue of Newsweek carries the article, “The Battle for Latino Souls”, which describes the current push of Protestant churches to get Hispanics to leave our traditional Catholic faith and join them. I didn’t realize the trend was in that direction, but...
Luck
I'm like a relationship research project that never rests: a part of my brain never stops working the angles, exploring viewpoints, testing hypotheses, dwelling on failures and gathering data (written and fieldwork). Okay, so here's my theory at this point, influenced...
The Day After Valentine’s Day
My worst Valentine’s Day.
Napoleon Dynamite – can’t let go
Okay, tonight I returned the video of Napoleon Dynamite -- but bought the DVD before I left the store. I've found yet another way to be a geek...
Napoleon Dynamite – after 3 viewings
To those of you who have seen this movie:Did you notice there isn't one nighttime shot in the whole movie? Even Napoleon's journey to the school dance - for which he picks up Trisha at 6:00 p.m. - happens in broad daylight. For a little while I wondered if the action...
Napoleon Dynamite
On Wednesday I rented the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite. (I like this website, too.) On Friday I watched it. On Saturday and Sunday I watched it again. I might watch it once more before I return it. I wish I had seen it in the theater because this movie TOTALLY...
It’s the 70’s in My Head
I decided to go further into that nostalgia experience that happens when a song takes me back. Here's the moment I referred to in my last post, “slo-mo”:I’m sitting in a northside café with a man who’s in love with me but with whom I’ve failed to fall in love. I’m...
Normal
Today I heard a song that reminded me of being 12 years old, when I believed my life would be fun and exciting when I got older. I strain to hear such songs, as if remembering and recapturing that 12-year-old sense of anticipation might somehow straighten out the past...