That Thing Christians Celebrate?

Christmas this year did a fine job reminding me how awful things can be when you're addicted to consumerism. Among other fine gifts, I received a new Brooks Brothers dress shirt, a pair of noise-canceling headphones, some cologne, some cash money for Ecuador, and a new laptop. A Dell Vostro 1400. Christ, I would have loved a Mac. I suppose this is probably the only time it would be appropriate add His name before stating an unsatisfied desire.
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As mentioned above, I am in fact going to Ecuador from the 26 of December to January 5. Shouldn't be too tourist-y, as I am going with a trip organized by Global Exchange, which is a pretty liberal social/environmental justice nonprofit based out of . Will be studying environmental problems and indigenous relations there. I anticipate writing a great deal about it upon my return.
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The good ole days:

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I'm not really sure who my audience for this blog is, and consequently have kind of kept it on the low-down. I think I'll begin to introduce it to some close friends before branching out, and they can read the previous entries based on their level of interest. Or just admire the picture of a vibrator.

The Latest

Award for most tedious activity: Deleting all 1126 contacts from my father's old BlackBerry phone, which is now mine, one by one

Most challenging way to drive a car in a heavy morning downpour: With the driver's side windshield wiper broken.

Three Cheers for America!

Upon returning home to the oddly endearing rural Central PA, it was consensually agreed upon (actually, it was only Rafik and myself, hardly a fair sample) that Pennsyltucky is an incredibly dismal place. As stated, however, there is some unidentifiable quality that gives theis place a 'home-y' feeling. Perhaps this is derived from the fact that my home can actually be found within proximity of the rumored Wal-Mart parking lots and porno stores. But the biggest kick sits only about 200 yards from my house. So, traditionally, everyone that celebrates Christmas hangs up Christmas lights, no? But my neighbors managed to kill two birds with one stone, projecting to the world their blind patriotism in addition to the traditional celebration of Christ's birth with an obnoxiously bright string of red, white, and blue flashing lights. The successful merger of Christianity (or any universal secular holiday) with America always has potential to be a source of immense entertainment.

And then I found peace, like Malcolm in the East

"If the whites are genuinely interested in the freedom of the black people in this country, you don't need to give us a crutch. The black man has to be shown how to free himself, and the white one who is sincerely interested has to back whatever that black group decides upon to
do . . ."

Malcolm X, "The Harlem 'Hate-Gang' Scare"

Would he remain anti-Affirmative Action?

Alex won't

This blog was established to be productive instead of wasting time on shit like Facebook. It serves no purpose other than to provide insight through the eyes of yours truly, and to share the findings and revelations of my friends. On that note:

*Brian mentioned the other day that a USB-powered vibrator was, in fact, a real product. Among the heated slippers and miniature George Forman grills of the USB world, there can be found pure pleasure in the delivery of an orgasm.


*The other night I completed my first all-nighter with Drew. The time went by quickly enough, but the amount of studying I got done for Macro was insufficient. Our focus was broken approximately every five minutes by the need to query a random Wikipedia article. One particular site Drew showed me posted the words of Henry Miller, whom I am now reading:

"I am living at the Villa Borghese. There is not a crumb of dirt anywhere, nor a chair misplaced. We are all alone here and we are dead.

Last night Boris discovered that he was lousy. I had to shave his armpits and even then the itching did not stop. How can one get lousy in a beautiful place like this? But no matter. We might never have known each other so intimately, Boris and I , had it not been for the lice.

Boris has just given me a summary of his views. He is a weather prophet. The weather will continue bad, he says. There will be more calamities, more death, more despair. Not the slightest indication of a change anywhere. The cancer of time is eating us away. Our heroes have killed themselves, or are killing themselves. The hero, then, is not Time, but Timelessness. We must get in step, a lock step, toward the prison of death. There is no escape. The weather will not change."
(Tropic of Cancer)