Wednesday, November 29, 2006

My Own Koan Needs An Answer...

Conquer the angry man by love.
Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.
Conquer the miser with generosity.
Conquer the liar with truth.

The Dhammapada



How do you conquer the complacent?

--Virgil


Continuation of the A-Z's of Me:
M - My favorite Sport/s: to watch – Boxing

N - Number of relationships you've had: A lady never reveals, thank you very much!

O - One wish you have: That I'll eventually get to see Italy.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Keep It To Yourself

Or at least to those who'd appreciate it.

When you meet a master swordsman,
show him your sword.

When you meet a man who is not a poet,
do not show him your poem.

(Lin-chi)


I love this. I try to follow this rule. I wish others would try to follow it with me.

I don't bore people to tears with the minutia of my work in any of the areas I happen to work in. I also don't jump into conversations about things as if I were an expert when I'm just a hobbyist. Maybe part of that quote should read "Do not show your poem to other poets if you aren't one yourself!" I don't go on other people's blogs and post long rambling rants of how what they just shared relates to me in this long and windy worded way. I don't call other people just to tell them all about my life while never bothering to ask them how their's is going. Even in my field, I don't babble about what we're doing as a program or in my classroom beyond the occasional "Here's a great idea you might try." I sure as hell don't talk people's ears off about the incredible intricacies of some project or other when I know they neither care nor have the slightest idea what I'm talking about.

Please, please, in the name of the Tao, give me that same consideration.
And please don't ask me if it's "you" I'm talking about. That really bugs me. :D

-- Virgil

J - Junk foods you like: salt & vinegar chips, pretzels

K - Karaoke?? NEVER!!

L - Longest car ride ever: The 2 a.m. drive permanently away from the only abusive boyfriend I ever had. Shame he wasn't caught under the tires in the process.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Home Again, Home Again, Joggity Jog

Back from my Thanksgiving trip. I had a great time, and the weather was wonderful. Spent lots of time playing outside with Dante and as little time as possible with my crazy family. I am so tired of having drama foisted upon me. I have enough of a life going on without having room to cope with silly things. Do you know that my mother actually just now figured out that I'm both taking classes and teaching alongside of my work at the Literacy Center (of which she knows very little--she'd have to care)? There was a time when that would've hurt my feelings. But I've since realized that I could win double Nobel prizes in Peace and Literature and simply because I wasn't a member of her stinking cult, none of it would matter.

Time has taught me to figure out what I think is right, to be my only questioner, and then (the hardest part) become my own cheerleader. I used to think, "She'll be sorry when she's older and our relationship has fallen apart." Now, I just feel sorry for her. Having trouble with a mother cuts deep. It's the wound that's never supposed to happen. But I've learned that such wounds can be healed. It's even possible to blunt the arrows.

My own experiences with my mother have also taught me how to be a better one. I spent some of my "good mother" time this holiday break discussing wrestling, watching wrestling and playing wrestling video games, playing laser tag with Dante and wobbling around on skates at the local rink with him. Holy crap, you just lose some of your flexibility as you start to get older. And I can never remember thinking: "If I fall, I'll probably break a bone." :D Needless to say, I am SO-O sore today from maintaining my balance and running around the laser tag place in boots with heels.

I did score more kills, though.

-- Virgil

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Off To See My Baby...

Headed to Kentucky for a few days. Hopefully I'll get to take some pictures. He's growing so fast.

--Virgil

A-Z's of Me:
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Bears--worms are gross!!

H-- Hugs or Kisses: Hugs that last a lifetime in just a moment

I-- Idealism or Pragmatism: Pragmatism, baby, all the way. I'm the queen of the 5 year plan. :D

Monday, November 20, 2006

On What Is

Observe what is with undivided attention.

(Bruce Lee)


Do not overlook the truth that is right before you.

(Ueshiba)


It is very easy to get to be so busy that I can choose to not grapple with more pressing issues of the mind. I pull this little trick on myself all the time, mainly because it dulls my senses from dealing with the most painful thing I have to think about right now.

But that's neither very brave nor very useful. When that truth, what really is compared to what I would like it to be, is observed, everything else makes sense. A hurtful kind of sense, but it's the only thing that does make sense. All that's left is to muster up the will power to keep staring it in the face and acting accordingly. Just thinking about it makes me so very tired.

-- Virgil

Continuation of the A-Z's of Me:
D - Drink or smoke: When I get the chance, and No

E - Easiest person/s to talk to: Navy buddy

F - Favorite song/s at the moment: Don't have one right now. I haven't had the time to properly sit down and listen to music. Sigh.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Fortunate Son

I was strolling around blogs and the news, and I discovered these pictures taken on Friday, of Bush's recent trip to Vietnam:


Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


How ironic is it that the man who flew planes over oil rigs in Texas to protect us, presumably, from Charlie at home, that is, when he could be assed to show up for duty in the first place, has to sit under the very statue of the man that people like him sent other people's sons to die fighting? Coward. Both my father and my uncle served in the Vietnam war, both drafted, neither of them with the opportunity to pick their assignment. They were both in the National Guard, and I'm lucky both of them didn't get sent to Vietnam right away, as this was the period of heavy casualities and the buildup to the Tet Offensive--they were both drafted right around that time.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

My Zen Thought on Competition

She alone does not compete,
And so the world can never overcome her.

Lao Tzu

The sagely person is like water.
Water benefits all things and does not compete with them.

Lao Tzu

I really like these quotes. Too much in life is based around competition. My students don't come into my classroom to learn to be better writers; they come to compete for grades and then for jobs and then for promotions. But for what purpose? They'll pay lip service to the fact that money isn't everything, or even most things. But they're victims of competition nonetheless. It doesn't stop at the level of graduate student or professor, either. If anything, it gets worse. We compete to get into PhD programs so we can then compete for publication and to be the "named chair" of some university that's in competition with every other university. But for what? Mainly for numbers. The quality of education isn't what's considered. If it was, methodologies would certainly change. It's all about the statistics. Nonprofits compete with each other over funding and donations and grant money and media attention and attracting volunteers. Did we forget that our main goal was to solve a problem and not to create other problems in the process?

I have found that I have never lost anything by not competing. That's practically a zen koan, but it's true. I've never lost anything by sharing information with someone who needed it, by passing on a tip to someone when I was interested in it too, or even by offering up my creative work as a way of sharing my thoughts with others.

On the other hand, every time I've competed for something, I've lost. Even when I won the trophy or the ribbon or the scholarship, I lost something: peace of mind, security in myself, something that I gave away. Even at the graduate teaching level, I'm surprised at how often teachers will hold their cards to their chest, like their lesson plan is just too important and must be kept a secret. We wouldn't want to actually share anything that worked and helped students learn. That's not really what we're after, it seems.

--Virgil


Found a neat little activity on Kari's blog. I think I'm going to break mine into chunks, though. Oh, and Kari--you're missing H, I, and K! :D
The A - Z's of Me
A - Age: 29

B - Bands you're listening to right now: Rob Zombie, John Lee Hooker

C - Career: I'm a graduate student in English Literature, I help run a nonprofit that fights illiteracy, and I teach two sections of freshman composition. In short, I'm busy doing too many things at once.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Go Read the Damn Book, Idiots!

My stats are spiking again. Normally that means a certain little message board has gotten its panties in a twist, and its members are popping over here hoping I have something to say about it, even though I haven't posted there in a LONG time. Not this time. This time there's only two things that people are googling for and hitting me:

Dante & Virgil

Read the damn book, people. And then, as a further precaution, THINK about it. As a teacher of freshman composition & rhetoric, I can tell you that google is not your friend when it comes to writing a research paper. Stop googling your essay questions, and then stop checking my blog for the answers. If you can't tell that this blog has nothing to do with your term paper, you deserve the "F" you're probably going to get. Here are some search parameters that've popped up so far; some of the implied questions I actually found interesting:

Virgil is an appropriate guide for Dante
Virgil Dante father son relationship
Dante Vergil 21 years old
a true crime today and where dante would put him in hell


Read the book. We know when you've plagiarized a paper. You want to know how? It doesn't read like any of the crap you've been turning in all semester. So, the first thing we do is type a bit of it into google, and it usually pops right up. Idiots.

Oh, and as to the second thing: West Fuckin' Virginia t shirts

You buy them in the Pit before a game. Bring cash. Don't wander in if you're not a Mountaineer Maniac.

--Virgil

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Girls Aren't Thirsty

Apparently that's what lightweight servers must think when we belly up to the bar with the guys. Or maybe I was just in a bad mood, but the chick who waited on us really set me off.

It was our usual Monday night post graduate class beer session. We've been in this place before, three fellas and me. The special is $1.50 drafts and $.35 wings. Good enough for me. Most places in this town stop serving food after 10 p.m.

Anyhoo, she comes to help us and she looks at me and says,What would you like? Some tea? A soft drink?
You don't have any specials on draft?
Oh yes, we do, do you want a lite?
No. No, I want Bud.

She offered the guys beer.

I don't like Bud, but the special was Bud & Bud lite. I just wanted to make a point about lite beer and women. What the hell? I may be smaller, but that doesn't mean I want a fucking glass of tea. Second problem comes when the beer runs out of the first glass. There's 2 glasses half full, and my glass is empty and so is my buddy's. She comes to the table.

You want another one? She points at him. He says yes. She gets ready to walk off.
Hey! I want one, too. And she has to ask me again if I'm sure that's what I want. YES. I even finished mine before he did. Get over it. At least give me the option to tell you, no thanks, I'm fine.

Apparently, girls don't look as thirsty as guys do.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Well, What Would You Do With A Drunken Sailor?

Navy buddy is back in town, showing the locals how sailors have a good time. At least nothing was broken.

What shall we do with a drunken sailor
What shall we do with a drunken sailor
What shall we do with a drunken sailor
Ear-ly in the morning

Way, hey, up she rises
Way, hey, up she rises
Way, hey, up she rises
Ear-ly in the morning

Put him in the long boat til he's sober
Put him in the long boat til he's sober
Put him in the long boat til he's sober
Ear-ly in the morning

Put him in the cabin with the captain's daughter
Put him in the cabin with the captain's daughter
Put him in the cabin with the captain's daughter
Ear-ly in the morning

Or, you could
Try to set him up with the cute bartender
Try to set him up with the cute bartender
Try to set him up with the cute bartender
Ear-ly in the morning


Or, you could have him
Make sure that he keeps that old man off of me
Make sure that he keeps that old man off of me
Make sure that he keeps that old man off of me
Ear-ly in the morning

And, he could
Guard the bathroom while I'm in it
Guard the bathroom while I'm in it
Guard the bathroom while I'm in it
Ear-ly in the morning


But mostly you'll end up

Arguing about whether she likes him
Arguing about whether she likes him
Arguing about whether she likes him
Ear-ly in the morning


And then probably
Calm him down when he gets pissy
Calm him down when he gets pissy
Calm him down when he gets pissy
Ear-ly in the morning


Finally,
Tuck him in when he passes out
Tuck him in when he passes out
Tuck him in when he passes out
Ear-ly in the morning!


Thanks, man! I had more fun out then than I have in a long time.

Well, what would you do with a drunken sailor?

--Virgil

Thursday, November 09, 2006

They Don't Own The Land

Oh really?

I just got a copy of the contract for the gas rights that Mom insists I sign. After I glanced over it, I asked her if she'd even read it. No, apparently the woman "explained it" to her. Here's just a few tidbits.

We would grant, demise (gotta love THAT word), lease and let exclusively to this gas company, its successors and assigns...the exclusive right for the purpose of mining and exploring for...gas (of all kinds)...and the exclusive right of injecting water, brine and other fluids into subsurface strata, with the rights of way and permanent easements for laying pipe lines which shall be perpetual when laid, and for telephone, telegraph and electrical lines, tanks, power houses, stations, gasoline plants, gas treatment plants, ponds and roadways and fixtures for producing treating and caring for such products any and all other rights and privileges necessary, incident to, OR CONVENIENT FOR the economical operation...for the production of (the gas).

Emphasis clearly mine. They can do whatever the hell they want with the land, as long as it's "convenient" and has something to do with the gas.

The gas company also has the right to store gas and recover same in any stratum underlying the premises. For which they will pay my mother exactly One Hundred dollars ($100.00) per well per year.

Additionally, we, our heirs, successors and assigns would surrender and release all rights of dower and homestead in the premises herein described insofar as said right of dower and homestead may in any way affect the purpose for which this lease is made. That's the land and house, my dear Mother. So I was right. We can't do anything with our land that would affect the use of/extraction of that gas.

Oh, and if the gas ever runs out, and they decide that they don't want to use the land anymore, then the payments specified in this lease shall be proportionately reduced on an acreage basis BUT the gas company shall maintain the rights to the surrendered portion as may be appropriate to its enjoyment of the portion not surrendered.

God Hell. And all this would've been signed away and done for had not my grandmother both A) come from a family that just loves to file legal paperwork and B) not had some foresight to try and protect other heirs from the actions of one.

I'm so angry right now that I could just...well, I don't know what. But I am SO pissed off. Mainly because I'm thinking about "what if" that second deed didn't exist. I'm not feeling very "zen" right now. Not very zen at all.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Why I Vote Independent (my political rant)

I've been a registered Independent voter since I was able to register. When I was young, it was because it was a rebellious position to take. And because it seemed like an honest thing for me to do. There are things about being an Independent that really irk me. I can't vote in most primaries. I don't have many options when it comes to Independent candidates. I sure as hell wouldn't vote for Pat Buchanan! I don't like either the Republicans or the Democrats. Neither of them really do anything to truly help the people. Both parties seem short on grey cells.

Where are the pragmatic candidates??

At the risk of being laughed off the planet by my Navy and former-Ayn-Rand-fan buddy, I think I'm actually going Green. Here are the principles the Green Party says it stands for.

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being gets a say in how their lives will be affected by government, and the Greens say they will work to increase public participation at every level. I'm for that. 25% of the voter population are my students' age. They don't understand why it's so important to vote, and the issues aren't pitched at them anyway.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
One of our favorite visiting professor jokes to pull was to ask the question "What is Social Justice anyway?" Most people can't answer very succinctly. And most people don't take into account how those answers can be pulled off. I realize now, that's not quite the point. The point is, as the Green party puts it, "All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law." It's up to intelligent debate to figure out some of the greyer areas of something like "benefitting equally from resources afforded us by society & the environment." But until we realize and find it unacceptable that only a few benefit at all, we will continue to have many social problems.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM Being responsible renters of the planet is something that we're going to have to face sooner or later. The Greens are obviously all about that. Hopefully, people will start listening to their ideas.

4. NON-VIOLENCE I like this one best, because it shows that the Greens realize that you have to be pragmatic about relations with other countries while still working toward a reasonable disarmament. "We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace." Why can't the Dems come out and say that? Who in the hell could argue with something like that? (Besides, of course, fundamentalists.)

5. DECENTRALIZATION Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens. I agree with the concept of what centralization does, but this was the grey area that Navy buddy and I loved to probe. Sounds good, I guess, but how are you going to pull that off? How exactly would that work? Most of the time, the representatives of the Greens who were debating the idea couldn't make the idea of decentralization and nonviolence coexist. And frankly, I don't think too many of their representatives knew that much about economics, or they probably would've suggested alternatives. But those were heady student days...

6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE The "living wage" goes here. We hotly debated this one. Mostly because we thought it would be exploited quickly. Who or what committee gets to decide what a living wage is, and how is that enforced? How do you set the value on something like quality child care? Or quality of life? It isn't going to be the same for everyone. One thing's for sure. Most people can't live off of what they make now.

I think that if we focused on one piece of the problem, for instance, lobbying for universal healthcare for pregnant mothers and newborns along with vaccinations, that would be cracking the door to other things. It's difficult for politicians to argue against the health of newborn babies and pregnant moms, although I'm quite sure many of them would give it a go. I think something like that would be socially acceptable in today's voting climate. And it goes a long way toward opening people's minds toward universal healthcare. Change rarely happens all at once.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY All for it. I especially like these two lines. "Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want."

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
"We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines." Agreed! They also want diversity in decision making bodies. They also include respect for biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY "We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet." That means realizing where your products come from. Realizing that we see things from a privileged First World perspective. Not comfortable things to think about, to be sure. But to close our eyes to the suffering of others, especially when some of our practices directly contribute to that suffering is indefensible.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
"Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions." I like this because too often I think politicians get into office and only think about sustaining their paycheck for the next 2-4 years. Or paying back their buddies who got them there.

I like that the Green's goals are laid out so succinctly. Because I bought a John Kerry t-shirt once, the Dems used to call me from a telemarketing station constantly, trying to get me to donate. Once, I asked the girl on the line, "You know, there doesn't seem to really be much of a platform or agreement between the Dems. What are their core values?" You know what she said?

"Wait a minute, let me turn to that page."

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Don Blankenship, Butt Out!!

I hate it when special lobbying groups go to work. But it's even more dispicable when you have your own personal Karl Rove trying to manipulate elections so he'll make more money. Don Blankenship is West Virginia's biggest coal baron. And he's decided that in order to protect his right to strip the land of resources and to keep putting miners in certain death situations, it's important that he contribute to the right group. To the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign money. Blankenship is the CEO of Massey Energy, and he's, I think, the 4th largest coal producer in the nation. He claims he's just doing it for change, but his lobbying efforts against the state's plans to protect pensions and his interest in lowering mining environmental and saftey regulations suggest otherwise. How can he seriously assert that he's not in it for the business end of things?

Story about Blankenship

A very biased site full of Blankenship quotes and community ties. Doesn't mean it isn't true.

Butt out with your money, Blankenship! Write letters and vote like the rest of us! This is what screws democracy over.

Oh, Hell, Why Not?


Here's Dante & Virgil, together on this blog for the first time. Because of being tracked around wherever I move, I'm always a bit hesitant to release any personal information on my blog. But I think I'm at the point in my life now where I guess I'd have to care. :)

The expression on Dante's face is pretty much the expression he always makes around me.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Festivus Maximus!

After having initially lost my Daniel Boone Festival pics, I finally got them and the CD back. Here's Dante having a good time on the merry-go-round and with his Aunt Jenny. All the rest of the photos have Mom in the picture. ;)




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