An entry that isn't very focused, but I saw a worm today that had tied itself in a knot, and I'M NOT MAKING THAT UP. I untied it, because I think it wouldn't have been able to itself.
Tuesday, Jun. 08, 2004 - 17:56

Today this guy, the father of one of my best friends from junior high and high school, asked me who I'm going to vote for for president. He's a staunch conservative, his new wife told me ('staunch' is such a gross word, isn't it?) after she stopped being a bitch to me, which came after she found out that I know his daughter, even though I'm just the hired yard help. Yeah I know his daughter, and yeah I'm working in the dirt now, snob. He'd asked me where I went to school, so I told him where I went for college and graduate school (yeah I'm educatued, and yeah I'm working in the dirt now), and he said they were both pretty liberal schools. Then came her remark about his staunchness.

So when he asked who I'm voting for, and I said "not George Bush" and he asked why, I should have said something about how I couldn't vote for him considering where I went to school, and then I should have laughed and left it at that.

Instead, he asked why and I said I don't like his foreign or domestic or environmental policies, and he challenged me on that, and I didn't have anything intelligent at all to say.

Did I tell you about that dream I had a few months ago? About debating with my dad about the war? When I made articulate intelligent points and then started imitating George W and it was dead on and it was really funny and smart? That's the closest I've ever come to engaging in an intelligent oral debate about politics. In a dream.

So today I was all, "Uh, I don't agree with the war in Iraq." And he said, "So you think Saddam Hussein should still be in charge?" And I was all, "No, he's a bad guy, but I don't think the U.S. should be doing this on its own, and I think he misled the U.S. and the world about his reasons for going in there." And he said something about how there were 52 countries involved in Iraq, and the U.N. had the same intelligence about weapons of mass destruction that the U.S. had and they just passed a resolution today supporting the U.S. or something, and are you saying the U.N. is wrong? and who cares about France because they haven't made a good decision since the 1700s, and Europe can't win wars so we have to do it.

And I should have said, yes, but I don't think war is something to be entered into lightly or deceitfully, and I don't think this war has much to do with weapons of mass destruction or terrorism or liberty for the Iraqi people, although that's what it's been propagandized as.

Have you ever been in a war? I haven't, but I've had dreams about it, and those dreams were so stressful and frightening that I'd never ever want to be in a real one, and I'd never ever wish a real one, or even a dream one, on anyone else. The U.S. bombed Baghdad, a city, a city where people live. Someone somewhere pushed a button, and then a few minutes later a bomb dropped on a building in Baghdad. Or on a street, or in a park, or on a car, or on a tree, killing birds, or cats or dogs, or people. Killing a lot of things. Destroying a lot of things. Making lots of noise.

When people defend the war it seems like they're just talking about abstract things: freedom, patriotism, support the troops, defend ourselves. But war is about as concrete as you can get: bombs, bullets, blood.

I cut my gums flossing last night and it got my teeth all bloody, surprisingly bloody. That was just a piece of string, just a tiny bit of the blood that is contained in my body.

I don't think the United States should be policing the rest of the world. Yeah Saddam Hussein is a bad guy, but there are plenty of other bad guys in the world.

And Saddam Hussein didn't orchestrate the September 11 attacks. Remember Osama bin Laden? Hey, whatever happened to that guy? Oops, we forgot about him.

This guy today, my old friend's dad, told me that the economy's better than it has been in 20 years, that inflation is non-existent and that interest rates are so low it's crazy. But, and granted I don't know anything, and he is a retired banker so he knows more than me, but I sort of thought that they lowered interest rates in order to stimulate the economy, and that by keeping them low that sort of means that the economy needs a little help, i.e. isn't that good. And also, I thought the U.S. government has a huge deficit, like 3 gillion dollars or something, and how can that be good?

And then, about his environmental policies, I said that I thought George W seemed more concerned with money making than environmental responsibility, and my friend's dad said, "Oh yeah? You know, the wildfires in California are because of the liberals, because of the way they've managed the forests the last 20 years."

And I should have said, so what, I'm not talking about the liberals. I'm not trying to promote liberalism. I don't know anything about it. I don't know anything about anything. All I know is that I'm not going to vote for George W. Bush.

Nine years ago my friend's mom died. It was a car wreck. My friend and her dad were in the car behind her and saw it happen. It was during a big storm, and, for some reason, my friend's mom's car went off the highway and hit the only tree around. It devastated the family, fucked up my friend and one of her sisters. But I guess, today, nine years later, they're good. My friend has two kids now, divorced, but hopefully happy and off drugs. And now her dad lives in a huge new house on the lake with a new wife (who's not very friendly to the hired yard people).

Also, meanwhile, Mike's dad died on Sunday morning from some rare cancer that he got from a blood transfusion. Mike and his mom have been taking care of him. Mike would come to work sometimes after having been awake all night long, would work 10 hours, and then would go home to his two daughters and his ex-wife, who are now living with him. Mike hasn't taken a day off since I started working there, hasn't even this week.

Also, meanwhile, Adam is going back to prison. He's 27, was in there for six or seven years (why? I don't know), and just got out. Just got out, worked a month or so, and then violated his parole. I'm bummed about it. I liked Adam. He's a nice nice guy. Damn.

Also, meanwhile, my boss might be firing Tim soon, and if he does, I think I might quit. I like Mike a lot, but with Adam gone, and now maybe Tim gone too, it just wouldn't be much fun. Especially if I have to work with the boss much. He's an ass and is constantly saying shit to me.

Think globally, act locally. And we're all just trying to live our lives, aren't we?