Decisive decision-maker Kim

So as usual, I have a quandry about future plans - this one involves:

A) Moving to Des Moines, to take a job teaching piano and voice

or

B) Staying here, and looking for probably a church music job, while working full-time doing whatever. Actually I just got a decent "whatever" job today, so that will at least get me through the summer.

It's been a nice week of unemployment (we got the temp project done early), and I had a lot of fun: I went shopping with the new roommate, went jogging at 10 at night, and spent a lazy Sunday afternoon listening to an old-time string band on the ped mall drinking a smoothie (my one indulgence from my diet - 4 pounds and counting!), and working on a composition that's been in the works for years. It's a simple, good life out here. Do I want to leave it? I love to work hard as much as I as I love this city, and I hate to be bored.

Today's horoscope:

"You're gifted with strong clarity today. Like never before, you know what to do. Aren't you tired of sitting on some old dreams and saying, 'One day'? That day is today. Make an investment in your talent and you'll see a much bigger payoff than you could have ever dreamed."

Holy crap! Apparently today is really REALLY important in my life! I spent it getting lost in Cedar Rapids and napping. Hmm....

Environmentalism starts away from home

So I'm totally stealing from Carolyn's blog and posting a link to this article from the Onion, which I think is brilliant.

Though it's a tongue and cheek essay, it alludes to a point that I'm always harping on - you can do more good for the environment by spending your time campaigning for environmentally savy candidates than by buying slightly better-for-the-environment items at the store.

I used to room with a really rich hippie, whose parents' state department careers paid for her extravagent environmentalism. Our home was filled with things like $9 bottles of "organic" face wash, organic herbs in cute containers, a fridge full of ridiculously-priced co-op groceries. She spent her time painstakingly preparing homecooked "earthy" meals, mulching, recycling 8 different kinds of materials, volunteering on an all-organic farm, and growing sad little vegetables in the front yard. Needless to say, she did NOT have a full-time job. I mean, I believe in being the change you want to see, but this sort of thing to me doesn't seem like natural living so much as another manefestation of American excess. If you could take all of the time and money she spends on this earth-friendly lifestyle, and somehow funnel it back in time to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, then it might have been useful.

Super Wal-Marts aren't going to start going bankrupt because a few rich environmentalists grow their own veggies. Real change will involve changing public opinion on a larger scale, and most importantly, making it easier for people to follow their green leanings. The arena best suited for this is politics, not your pocketbook.

Middle class Americans are deluded into thinking that their dollar, not their vote, has the most power. They believe that if they consistently buy earth-friendly items, they can influence the market, and companies will produce more of these kinds of items. But what American company does not employ crazy-cheap foreign labor, does not truck and fly your items from ten different places, using massive amounts of fossil fuels, or employ other harmful social and environmental practices? True, there are some, but the prices are so high as to be prohibitive to many Americans. My friends, who make 50-70,000 a year can afford to put SOME of their money where their mouths are. But even these middle class friends don't have the time or money to always buy from their local co-op, always check out the companies they buy from, etc. This kind of diligence is the privelege of the very upper class, a very small percentage of the population at large. The effect of a rich environmentalist on the market is small indeed, and the effect of a middle class environmentalist is even less significant.

However, a large portion of the population, from all walks of life, want better environmental policies. If we vote for candidates who enact policies which enable these people to more freely follow their environmental leanings, real change can start.

THEY'RE GONE!!!

And the townies have our town back!!!! Hurrah!

Self-improvement plans for hippies

I've decided to launch a self-improvement plan, but not in the traditional sense. None of the traditional New Year's resolution crap, like losing weight, becoming more organized, saving money, etc. If you want to do that stuff, you can buy one of those calendars with inspirational words like, "SUCCESS" "DREAMS" or something on them. I hate that crap. Instead, I am launching Kim's Hippie Plan for Self-Improvement.


So how does a hippie go about a self-improvment plan (WWaHD?)? He seeks his true self, then takes steps toward self-actualization.

For example, my first step is:
1) Stop dressing like a Republican.

This is what collegegrads.com says you should wear to a job interview:

Men
Necktie should be silk with a conservative pattern
Dark shoes (black lace-ups are best)
Dark socks (black is best)
Get a haircut; short hair always fares best in interviews
No beards (unless you are interviewing for a job as a lumberjack!)
Mustaches are a possible negative, but if you must, make sure it is neat and trimmed
No rings other than wedding ring or college ring
No earrings (if you normally wear one, take it out)

Women
Always wear a suit with a jacket; no dresses
Shoes with conservative heels
Conservative hosiery at or near skin color (and no runs!)
No purses, small or large; carry a briefcase instead
If you wear nail polish (not required), use clear or a conservative color
Minimal use of makeup (it should not be too noticeable)
No more than one ring on each hand
One set of earrings only

Notice how often the word "conservative" is used. And notice how ugly and boring these outfits sound. Not only are they uninteresting, they're unfashionable. Nude pantyhose? Do people still wear those? And what the hell is wrong with a beard?

Notice that these folks have followed the interview rules:




Seriously! Do you want to project this image? Think about today's offices - people are sitting in their cubicles, listening to Rage Against the Machine on their IPods, yet making sure to dress so that they don't offend the sensibilities of the Christian Collition, should they suddenly take a tour of the building.

Be yourself, people! The only thing that makes these silly rules stick is that everyone still follows them.

It must be finals week

Ok, naked women in hats and cowboy boots are running through the library screaming. That's right folks, it's finals week at the U of I.

You're fired!

That's right, ladies and gents, the proverbial Donald had pointed his proverbial finger at me. Actually it kinda feels good at this moment. Being rejected by people whose values you can't understand could actually be sort of a good thing.

how cute is this blog?

minimumexposure.blogspot.com

something big

Tonight I walked down to my favorite spot by the river, and contemplated its sludgy surface. Something about a river makes me feel deliciously small, at times when my decisions seem disproportionately huge. The tree, next to the river, that stretches up into the stars, it too makes me realize when little importance I have, and all this makes me want to write music, make art all the more. Funny how people think artists are self-indulgent sorts, when really we crave this sense of insignificance, this lack of meaning which is so profound.