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| One more game baby!!!
To all the bball analysts who kept saying UCLA would lose...from Gonzaga to Memphis, I say this...
Who's playing Monday night?
That's right...the Bruins baby...and they're winning too...
Peace all! | | |
| Tonight I stepped into a time warp, to a time not so far past, but far removed from where I am now. And it was great...
8 former students of mine and one chaperone were in the LA area for the yearly sister city exchange program between Nakagawa and San Marcos. I hung out with them while they ate dinner, mainly talking in my beyond choppy Japanese to the chaperone. While I didn't remember names, except for one student, there was a familiarity there that was comforting. After dinner we walked around the hotel area (in Little Tokyo) and bought all of them ice cream. We just hung out, they chatted a bit, and I asked about their two weeks in America. So shy, yet so full of life and excitement these kids were. Anyways, one of the kids, the only one whose name I knew, said that she wanted to go to university and study English. Now, I taught at a commercial high school, which means that most kids don't think about college, and immediately enter the working world upon graduation. To have those lofty goals, and to know that I might have had a small hand in her decision, makes me feel wonderful. This is definitely the best I have felt on a weekday since starting my life in the private sector.
If you are reading this blog, you no doubt read some entries while I was in Japan, hearing me rant about how shitty work was, and how annoying the students and co-workers can be. While all of that was true, I can't help but remember the good times I had with the kids, and how rewarding it can sometimes be. Every so often, something came along that just touched my heart, and it made me see that what I was doing went beyond teaching shitty English lessons. It was about making an impact on others, and believing that as insignificant as I felt my job was, it somehow played a role in shaping somebody else for the better. I miss that...
Sure, sometimes I get free beer and food at work. There is a basketball court inside the office. Eye candy a plenty. But I don't think there will ever be a time when I say, "Hey, remember that time I got the billing in right as the FedEx truck pulled away? That was mad sweet." Nor can I imagine the words "Damn, clearing those invoices was fucking tight" coming out of my mouth. What am I at Chiat/Day? I am a tiny cog in a mammoth advertising machine. If I bust my ass at work, what are my rewards? A bit of overtime pay and a rare "good job Aaron." Let's say I do a good job at work. It makes the company look good. You know who gets recognition? The face of the clock, not the spring in the back the keeps it wound up. More importantly, I don't feel like I'm doing anything to help anybody else. Maybe the Presidents and the Directors get richer. That's not rewarding. I don't see any returns on a personal level, and that is why after 5 weeks on the job, I hate it already.
But then reality rears it's ugly head in my direction, and I have no choice but to look it straight in the eye, acknowledge it's power over me, and start clearing those P.O.'s...
Life's a bitch, then you become one to the world...
Mark my words, I won't succumb. Tonight gave me hope...:)
Peace all...
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| clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.......
U...(clap clap clap)
C...(clap clap clap)
L...(clap clap clap)
A...(clap clap clap)
U...C...L...A... FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!
That had to have been, one of the greatest ncaa tourney games....EVER!! freakin a...so good...
GO BRUINS!!!
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| Work is tiring...
But before I head off to dreamland, I just had to get something off my chest. Hopefully it won't take too long.
Brace yourselves, this will be a doosy...
I agree with President Bush on something.
That's right, after 5 years of constant wonderment of how this maniac's crazy policies ever get passed, I think he finally got something right. I think we should have allowed DP World control over the agreed upon ports in America. At a time when anti-American sentiment in Arab countries is at an all high, we should grasp at any opportunity there is for us to regain some kind of good will from others, especially the Islamic community. Allowing the ports to be run by a company owned by our ally, the UAE, would certainly show the faith that is needed in mending the rift between Western (moreso American) and Arab ties. It is one small step in showing the world that the so-called "War on Terror" is not a "War on Islam."
One statement that was really troubling was from Rep. Jerry Lewis, from California, who said that we ought to "keep American ports in American hands." While that is all well and good, as a member of our Congress he should realize that the current leases are actually held by P&O, a British firm that was bought out by the Dubai-owned DP World. In essense, if he knew that fact, Lewis' statement is tantamount to borderline - no, strike that - overt racism. How is it that a British company has "American hands?" Maybe he is referring to America's roots as a former British colony. No, I just think he's racist. And well, if he wasn't aware of it, somebody should find him a better congressional aide. I know a good one called Wikipedia.
I'm not saying we should hand over control to any company the President deems worthy. Not at all. But a candidate making a bid to take over the ports should be subjected to stringent security measures and told what the rules were if they did intend to take over the ports. This should be based on the ability to provide adequate security and allow for transparency if and when investigations may be called upon. All these guidelines would be the same for all countries, not easier or harder for certain countries.
And let's get this thing straight. Security of the ports would still lie with the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and U.S. customs. DP World's primary role would be to simply oversee the operations and ensure that cargo is effectively and efficiently loaded and unloaded. That is all.
So for all the Republicans who are going against Bush, you are just fanning the fire of anti-Islamic tensions. And to the spineless Democrats, your desire to deride Bush as being soft on terror because of this matter goes against what I believe in as a fellow Democrat. You should not only be supporting the president, but leading the debate as to why it is necessary to do so. It is instances like this that truly make me want to change my voter registration to Independent.
And there's my 2¢
Peace all...
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