I´m alive

in case you were worrying. :)

I arrived in Guatemala city this afternoon, after almost missing my connection in Miami (but making it!). I am staying with a v. nice family with two girls living here (and a son living elsewhere). I have my own room, and, most importantly, the house comes equipped with a very small white fluffy dog that likes to have its stomach rubbed and 3 (three!) beautiful guitars in the corner of the living room. I have met my soulmate, Guatemalan-houses-wise. Since I am lucky enough to have internet in this house, I really have no excuses for not updating this regularly. So...feel free to harass me for a post if I seem to be slacking. :)

I just...love this picture

I love how Republicans are talking about how they're going to be a "change" in Washington. Give me a break. I guess they think voters are actually dumb enough to forget that they have been the ones tanking this country for the last eight years. Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. It beautifully and clearly displays how the current Republican candidate feels about W and his s*****y policies.

Thank god, only 115 days left

(or, however many...see widget below) (I tried to find one that fit in a more streamlined way into the layout of this blog, but I couldn't. So...it's big and bulky but it's ok, it does its job.)

So I was having dinner with an old friend the other night, who's very level-headed (well, like most of my friends...but her in particular) (Caroline I'm talking to you), and we were discussing the inane stupidity of the current administration. And how mad they make us. Thinking about George Bush is actually one of the only things on earth that makes me mad. Like, heart-rate-up mad. So rather than sit here with steam coming out of my ears, I'm gonna channel the anger into enjoying some lovely music, courtesy of everyone's favorite folk singer, Antje Duvekot. It's a new song called Christian Boys. And it's the new Song of the Week! (See the little mp3 player to the right.) Lyrics below:
How does a poor man on a bench become a criminal
While the rich man on the hill hails to the thieves?
How does revenge equate to pride until the flag becomes a gun
How will the sun go down after the war is won?
How come the wise man is so quiet
While the killer speaks so loud?
He is hollering from out of my TV
And he is claiming that he knows me
He is taking little bows
But he is drinking from the silver palms of greed

And Mama, aren't you proud
Oh, he plays with such big toys
And he thinks it's all a game
Your little virtuous Christian boys

So you're playing by the rules
But every time it is your turn
He moves the net a little higher up
And you think it must be fair
'Cause that is what you've learned
But he scores every time
And you score none

And Mama, aren't you proud
Oh, he plays with such big toys
And he thinks it's all a game
Your little virtuous Christian boys

Oh but this is an impressionist painting
And we are standing way too close
We are sitting in the circus tent
Just waiting for the show
While the cannibal elite
Eats from their sacrificial plate
And they are lying through their teeth
Making a mockery of faith
And your dollar lets you buy
Yet another empty cup
And that is how they fund their lies
And they hope we don't wake up
And they are feeding us this fear
They are feeding us the news
And they know we're biting off
Less than we could chew

And Mama, aren't you proud
Oh, he plays with such big toys
And he thinks it's all a game
Your little virtuous Christian boys

It's here! It's finally here!

What we've all been waiting for for the past 364 days...International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Before you think I'm totally crazy, this day is bona fide: it was in the New York Times crossword puzzle today (8 down: "Well I'll be" as might be said on Sept 19. Answer: Shiver me timbers). And no holiday can be solely in the counterculture if it makes it into the crossword puzzle. So why have TLAP day? Why not! According to the website, the whole point of TLAP day is that there is no point. So have a great day! And remember, today's the one day of the year you can't make too many harrrrrible pirate jokes. :)

p.s. whoops, somehow I neglected to actually post this one. okay, it's now a week after TLAP day. well...close enough. :)

New feature! New feature! Read all about it!

I decided to embed an mp3 player into this site, at the advice of a friend. It's taken me several attempts, and several hours at each attempt, sadly, to figure out, but it's finally up and working. I think I'm going to change the song every week or so (or maybe longer, if I forget about it). So the inaugural song is Beethoven's Heilige Dankgesang. At times other than 2am I could extoll its virtues and tell you why I love it so much. But not now. I'm too tired. Sorry it's so long, but have a listen, it's really nice. If you're interested, you can read a bit about the piece here (it's a little verbose though).

Some pictures from last weekend

View from the 38th floor of East 42nd Street.

Sunflowers on the farm, Tarrytown, NY

Brooklyn Bridge, the waterfall, Manhattan Bridge

Lerner Hall, Columbia University

Sheep's Meadow, Central Park

Waiting for the train at Bleecker Street

Freakin' social conservatives

What is wrong with you people?? Sorry to have a random post about politics and bat-shit-insane Republicans, but I need to get this out of my system. How is it possible that gay couples, some of whom have been partners for 40 years, are ruining the "sanctity of marriage" by getting married, and yet when 17-year-olds get pregnant, the right moral thing to do is to get married? How are shotgun weddings preserving the institution of marriage, yet marriages of long-term couples eroding it?? Argh! Crazy Evangelicals and their moral high ground. Thanks for letting me vent, I feel a little better.
p.s. Dear Conservative America,
Please teach your children about birth control. When they decide abstinence-only isn't cool anymore, they will need it. Thank you.
Fondly,
Liz