Thoughts?

I'm toying with the idea of coming out with a bi-monthly, zine-blogish thing that would be sent through the mail to everyone. E has expressed interest in staying connected with everyone, but slighty abhores internet socialization. The ziney thing will likely include:

editorials
updates on personal happenings
pictures
a friend of the every-other-month highlighted (interviewed)
maybe a "message board" of sorts
guest editorials, commentary etc...

Thoughts?
Of course this is all going to happen when I get my grad school application done...so it may be a bit...

Fist Full of Dumb

For whatever reason misfortune is throwing its feces at us. We're saving money for a house, ergo excessively dumb things have to happen which cause us to hemorrhage money. Whether it be our hella crapified health care system. Or last weeks slashing up of my Jeep top...which wouldn't be so bad because I have insurance. Oh wait, because I got a different vehicle the insurance automatically transfers; so now I'm just out $800. Such is life.

Today E and I went for a lovely stroll through a local park. When we returned to her car we saw that someone had smashed out the rear windshield. Just pointless. I'm glad to be at the point where we can just laugh at the absurdity of it. We saw the smashed glass and started laughing; which really is a pretty good coping mechanism.

An open letter to hurricane Felix

Dear Hurricane Felix,



I understand that you are in inanimate natural phenomena. Given that understanding; I would like to ask that you not eat my sister-in-law...or her boyfriend, or anybody that they know (and approve of). If you must partake in the devouring of human souls, I recommend consuming the immortal life of a bandito that shot her friend's dad. Thank you for your time.



Sincerely,



Yoshva

HEY!

Where have you been?! Remember when I started this blog and was all like "it'll be a great way to stay in touch with folk"? In theory, yes. In practice...uh, workin' on it. E and I are busy. Living and working...weighted more towards working unfortunately, but that's ok. We're looking at houses. We're looking at maybe getting a duplex with another efficiency in the basement. If you'd be interested in living in an efficiency and us being your landlords...or as I would insist to be called: landmaster, let me know. We've been working on baby things as there is still a little human growing and tumbling about within my wife. We are well, and tired. I'll try and be better at posting.

What Say You?

Is this where you thought you would be? When you were in 6th grade did you think your life would look like this?

I don't know. I've been thinking about that a lot as of late; is this where I thought I would be in life? In an odd sense, I never really thought I would be anywhere per se. It's not that I lack or have lacked ambition, or a sense of direction; I just don't so much feel there is a destination. I think one of the most startling things that could happen to me is to feel as if "I have arrived" so to say. I'm much more the journeying type. What about you? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about this existence thus far. Feel free to email me too if the comments section is too confining for such inspirational introspection.

Your attention please for the following

As I sat before the newly admitted to the prison discussing the finer points of custodial law and how to continue to be a parent from behind bars the following announcement was made (one that admittedly I've been waiting a long time to hear)

"Your attention please for the following announcement:
Western civilization is cancelled. I repeat; western civilization is cancelled."

Finally.

Breaking News

Who names their kid Chuck Storm ?

De-excursified

We're back from the throes of vacation. Which most of you already know. It was an amazing trip. We moseyed about Las Vegas, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion, Moab.
Many insights were gained, which at some point I'll expound upon. I think the most notable thing is that E is a badass. She was able to trek a dozen miles across the desert canyon floor. Scramble up steep rocks in search of petroglyphs. Tolerate my antics for two weeks straight, pretty impressive.

Excursification

E and I are off to the Grand Canyon. We shall be galavanting about the Canyon area for two weeks. Be well all you friends of Yoshistan.

The Vietnam War Isn't Over

Perhaps the most well respected and known Hmong elder, Vang Pao, has been picked up on conspiracy charges that he was in the midst of attempting to overthrow the Laotian government. Of course this is a continuation of the conflict the U.S. created and funded during the 60's and 70's concurrent with the Vietnam war. We hired these people to fight for us, to attempt to establish "Democracy" in South Asia.

There are glaring parallels between Vietnam and Iraq. The fact that the U.S. moseyed on in, pitted one segment of the population against the other and now is apparently going to be moseying off...again.

I feel fairly conflicted about the U.S. leaving Iraq in its current state. On the one hand, it's jacked that we're there in the first place, on the other; it's jacked what's going to happen when we leave.

Drinking from the Valley

Whilst drinking from the Azrahji river, deep within the valley of Azrah (pictured to the right) I happened across a small caravan. The steep, and rocky slopes proved to treacherous for the camels laden with sweet smelling spices and smoked tea leaves, so they had been traveling through the shallows of the river.The caravan leader's face sunk into darkness when I told him that the river ended in a mighty waterfall not more than four hundred qasab from where we stood. I smiled wide as I told him to have faith in the blessed one as I was more than happy to show him a safe path through the valley. His relief was such that he gifted me a pound of smoked tea. As we spoke of events far to the East, from which he came, I heard of a state of consciousness known as no mind. He had this to say of it:


"When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need."

Takuan Soho

Drink deeply my friends.

From Nickistan

Awesome news clip

Ta-Ta-Ta-Today Junior

From the Hooskow

I am very proud of being a social worker...until I run into weak as hell social workers. These WAHSW's have no idea the damage they do to peoples lives. There has been one WAHSW that I've been working with lately, she's supposed to be in charge of making sure one of my clients daughters is being taken care of properly. She is totally disconnected. I knew that her daughter was relapsing, cutting, running away before the WAHSW did. Why? Because I answer the phone. Because I have developed a report with the treatment center the daughter is at. Her treatment councilor now informs me of everything and doesn't even bother communicating with the WAHSW. All this is leading up to the confrontation I had with the WAHSW. Yesterday I finally got a hold of her and very professionally put her in her place. I wasn't inappropriate, just straight forward, really; I'm kind of doing her job for her and that ain't right. So here's why I even bothered getting into all of this: she has a rather significant speech impediment that apparently surfaces when she's nervous. "I'm so sowwy, pwease tew hew how sowwy I am". It's moments like that when I know I have done my job. Hopefuwy she'll straighten hew business out so she doesn't get fiwed.

Life

Things have been going pretty well. E is all kinds of sick. She has a really nasty case of somethin'. Her throat is all jacked up, she's achy, she has really bad headaches. She hasn't gone to work this week yet; which is good. In many ways it's totally unfair that she has to be sick from pregnancy AND regular sick at the same time...and I just got done enjoying a bowl of cereal...see, not fair.

Long story short

The Clink
I think my boss best summed up the events during the morning meeting after the attack:

"Long story short, we've got problems"

Yup. At the core of all of these problems is community, not unlike the problems that our society faces. I've decided the best way to combat these events is to motivate the general population to do something in order to preserve facility safety and programs.

Up North
This weekend we went to my father-in-laws cabin. It's pretty amazing, not overly so in outward appearance, but in the fact that he's making it himself. He cleared the land, made the foundation, put up the walls, roof, did the electrical etc... It's really pretty incredible. The cabin borders one of the clearest lakes I've ever seen. Being urban in origins, seeing clear lake water is absolutely astounding to me.
We were kept company by E's younger brother and two of his 14 year old friends. It was fun to be around that mentality, to remember what it was like to be that age. Before school and debt, failing and succeeding. Just running around with zits laughing at things that nobody else seems to think is funny. Actually, come to think of it, I still get zits and there have been numerous times I have found myself the only one laughing whilst everyone else looks at me askew. I really just wanted to use the word askew; one should not eschew askew...it's time for bed.

It is isn't it?

Coming into work this morning I made eye contact with one of the women in the parenting library off of my office. She scrunched her face up in a scowl, "I don't like the weather today". I nodded; "today is going to be a weird day". She dipped her head in agreement, "it is isn't it?"



Later on one of the mothers that I've been working with for some time was brutally attacked. She was stabbed repeatedly in the face and neck. It was the worst attack at our facility to date. I want to articulate all of this in some moving and poetic way, but it just sucks ass. The morning meeting tomorrow will be heated; there will be all kinds of talk about security, safety, what do we do, etc... At some point someone will realize that we have children that come here. They will turn to ask me "is it safe for them to be here". The reality that muscles its way to the front of my mind is "is it safe for them anywhere?". It's not what they want to hear, but it's the truth. This existence, in general isn't really all that "safe". Kids get shot, smashed against walls, shaken to death, beat against radiators, strangled...it's a part of this life. In this case it's a simple matter of keeping kids away from general population; which is what we already do. There will be huge repercussions because of this incident, we'll just have to see what happens. I feel tired on many levels.

Hmmm

"The discovery that sharks can reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis now changes this paradigm, leaving mammals as the only major vertebrate group where this form of reproduction has not been seen."

full story

Strange, you would think that throughout all of recorded human history there would have been some woman somewhere that would have had a virgin birth by now. I would imagine if something like that did happen, it would likely be noted...somehow...oh well...

Quote of the Day

"I got my leg shot off at Nicolett and Franklin"

Note to everyone: Mind your shady business well, lest this happen to you.

Work-Life

One of the biggest struggles I've had as of late is how to balance living and working. Work is good, however it can be overwhelming at times. I routinely work an extra hour hear and extra hour there, add that to the two hour commute (round trip) and I'm gone for a disgusting part of the day. I feel my work to be important and fulfilling...but miss the aspects of my life that make me who I am and who I will be.
I need to be with friends more. I need to be in the woods more, in the rivers more, hanging from bluffs and cliffs more. I absolutely need to manage my time differently when our child comes into this world. I look forward to introducing a little one to the world, and those I've surrounded myself with as a welcome committee.

a new sun rising

There is too much that happens that I wish to share with those close to me that I don't. There are many reasons why, though I'm not overly happy with any of them and have begun to wonder if they aren't so much reasons as excuses.
That being said; I have decided to begin yet another blogtastic venture. I will write about happenings and insights, ramblings and musings.
Of course the biggest thing that has happened to me is that fact that E is pregnant. Some time in November I will become a father. This to me is beyond profound. It's a perplexing combination of daunting and exhilarating. I have taken to journaling my thoughts about what I want to tell my child about this world. As a way to christen the sylabic land of Yoshistan I'll copy an entry from the journal:

As I write this to you there is a woman being attacked outside my office door. In the time it took me to write the previous sentence security staff has flooded the area. Commands to separate are bellowed and followed.
The woman lays in the fetal position, the blood of her ancestors sprayed across the floor. I know this woman. I have held her children. I was present when rivers of sorrow flowed down her stoic face as her child screamed upon her lap for a mother that wasn't her.
I was not present years ago when she chose to stab two sisters repeatedly before she got into her car and ran them over. One was killed, the other permanently wounded.
The woman that attacked her is the niece of the woman she murdered, daughter of the woman crippled for life.
This is vengeance my little one. Without vengeance we would have no mercy.

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