Thursday, June 29, 2006

Changing the World

Where do you begin when you want to change the world? The catch-22 is that you need to change a system, but systems are created from multiple individual pieces—most of the time, people. The next catch, what system do you need to change? What really makes things the way they are? Is it natural? Is it genetic? Is it a specific construct—culture, politics, work, education?

How do we know that we’re doing the right thing in the first place? Here we are at status quo, let’s say we believe that everything would be better if everyone was genetically green in the color of their skin. We begin a campaign and lo and behold, eventually everyone is physically green. Everything is better, we have succeeded! But, unfortunately, this new pigmentation does not allow us to process sunlight in the same way as it did before increasing the detrimental effects of photo radiation and its new permeability with the environment makes us more susceptible to hitherto benign chemical toxins. This is an example of unforeseen effects to our changes. Back to the original question in this case, why is being green right (unless you’re Kermit the Frog)? Maybe we were multiple colors for a reason—we all started off dark, but some of us split off and lost our pigmentation, it was a natural course of events that was the result of and supports the infinite inter-relationships that create our universe. If you believe in multiverses or that anything is infinite, then what about all of the infinite possibilities of humankind—should they all be green too?

Now, I am not proposing that we throw up our hands and succumb to the seeming futility of our quixotic idealism. If you have the right mindset and drive, then you have no choice, you need to make a difference. The scope is up to you. How you rationalize it is up to you too. For me, I’d like to take it one person at a time. And don’t forget, start with yourself… ;)

--green brio

Comments Galore

Thank you for high volume of recent commentary. I love it!

One note: you'll notice I don't use real names in the posts-- it protects everyone's privacy. Please adhere to this policy [it's hard for me to get out of the work mindset. :O ] with comments.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

through the eyes of a 4 year old

From my neighbor, sb:

Zelda says to PrimaDonna, "Do you know what !0 -5 is?"

"No, I am four years old, but I do know that I want to smack you everytime I look at you and you should remember that you learned from Mama. She taught you everything she knows and she'll teach me too, then I'll take over the world and put you in jail."

PrimaDonna-four years old.

--brio

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

ick

not feeling so well today. lymph nodes are swollen, feeling a little beat up. perhaps beansprout has already struck me down with her child contagion. further proof that labs dedicated to biological warfare are no match for the prowess of preschool incubation.

--brio cough, cough

Monday, June 26, 2006

Closed Eyes of the Beholder



I see her beauty best
when my eyes are closed
and I cling to her breast
Knowing two souls transposed.
The rhythms of two into one-
Two moons become
A sun.

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sick in the desert

Rocky vulture desert
Surrounded.
As I crawled and
Floundered,
Under a laughing
sky of tawdry burlesque,
to one lone well
and drank the grotesque.
Inevitably fate lost
like the reaper's crow
to slake a lamprey's bite
And limped away slow-
yearning to embrace grave night.

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Comments!

Comments! Comments! I got comments! I am not alone in cyber world! Only in the real world! ;) i love you, anonymous poster. :D may the gods of the internet smile favorably upon you for your good deed.

Speaking of the real world... beansprout is sick-- she has a viral respiratory infection and will be contagious for awhile which means... i will be working from home this week to take care of her. this persistent annoying cough that i have had for the past few weeks? happy days! it might be the whooping cough. ??? i thought that disappeared in the 50's or something. anyway, i need to go to a doctor and get my blood tested to see if i have this strange malady.

wow, there's an entire web page on it. i love the internet-- no matter how rare, odd, or perverse the topic, there is somebody out there who has devoted their life to it. according to the site, you're stuck with it, and there's nothing you can do. it lasts an average of 7 weeks. sigh, that means i have around 4 more to go. apparently it's not that contagious since most people have built up immunity to the damn thing and the bacteria actually are killed off pretty quickly. in china, it's called the 100 day cough. fascinating.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Cupid

Cupid-- quick, naked,
and winged,
Seeking thrones
where nought have kinged.
His arrow pulled from a
shivering quiver,
his aim on the mark
for a quivering shiver.

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Saturday, June 24, 2006

it's the stupid little things in life

i'm sitting here on an incredibly looooooong layover in detroit on my way back to tpa where i overheard this middle-aged man (with an apparent napolean complex) bitching about the airlines. something about not getting upgraded and i believe he also mentioned that he's not a silver ff either. not sure what he was expecting. anyway, in his righteous indignant fury, he exclaimed, "They suck! I'm going to write them a letter. I'm going to write them an email. Just two words. 'You really suck!'" Umm... 1, 2, 3.

"I'm sorry, sir, we can't upgrade you. You're too stupid."

i know, i know, i'm being mean. i've got another 5 hours to kill and i'm in an odd mood.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

sweet lollipop

I lust for lollipop days
long gone
a lingering sweetness
on this tongue
that loving laziness
of lilting song
when all the right
melted all the wrong.


i don't know about this one, can't make up my mind if it's too dorky. it certainly doesn't take itself seriously. i'd say tell me what you think, but don't receive very many comments anymore.

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Friday, June 16, 2006

Done and NYC!

Final grades are all in. A in writing; B+ in econ; B in accounting. not bad, but i should be doing a little better, we'll pick it up some this semester. i'm predicting 3 A's across the board this term.

meanwhile... i'm up in nyc in the most asian part of queens for my old roommate's wedding. first time back at west point in 5 years. should be really cool. needless to say, i am very excited. a little mix-up with the airports with llama who has been bumped to a later flight-- one of us into jfk, the other in la guardia. won't say whose fault that was... mine. this just gives me time to blog and find some flowers around here. see, silver lining!

--brio

Thursday, June 15, 2006

So far, so good!

One final grade back: A in writing. I got 198/200 on the final submission.

1 down, 2 to go.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

ethereal

You left your touch in my mind

And your scent for me to find

I roll my tongue and it's your taste

It's the sense of you I can face

I close my eyes to feel your shape

Your whispered breath kissing nape

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the day after the storm


fight, fight, fight.
don't succumb to fatal night,
but stand with raised fist
until the morning's sun is kissed
by your calm in this raw storm.
you define your living norm.

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damnit

exams and a happy bday!

exams. done. well done. maybe even a little charred? accounting was easy; econ was incredibly comprehensive and fairly difficult. at least a B in both which is all that matters. i caught a lot of flak from the class because i always finish quickly. i know what i know, i write it down, if i don't know, i don't bother sitting there staring at a sheet of paper. 80/20 baby.

happy birthday rising son! (new nickname j-man, it seems appropriate on many levels. kinda sucks out loud though) i hope that you have a great birthday and whatever they do in Japan is appropriately festive and inebriating.

--brio

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Exams

It's that time of the year... exams! Accounting and Economics today. 6 credits of grad school studying crammed into the last week. Acid-Test Ratio, Bond Discount Amortization, Price Differentiation, Satisficing, Supply and Demand, Isoquants,... It's all in there ready for regurgitation. And it all begins in an hour. 6 hours of exams today. 8 hours of class tomorrow. Bring it on!

--brio

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

entropic murphy

i can laugh now. well, i'm trying to laugh now. [sense of humor, sense of humor, spoken under the breath to self] 3 days til finals. new apartment. beansprout waters school laptop with a samuel adams black lager. sigh. went to work and picked up that laptop and am now loading my lectures on it. contacted a fellow teammate to provide a copy of notes to study. this too shall pass, it has just been one straw after another. need some time here to get everything in order plus copious amounts of alcohol to provide a suitable anaesthetic through it all (j/k, obc was my 12-step program).

--brio