10:56am: New York Times article--awesome.
bold lettering added at my discretion.

Environmental Laws Waived to Press Work on Border Fence


Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, waived several environmental laws yesterday to continue building a border fence through a national conservation area in Arizona, bypassing a federal court ruling that had suspended the fence construction.

Citing “unacceptable risks to our nation’s security” if the fence along the border with Mexico was further delayed, Mr. Chertoff invoked waiver authority granted him under a 2005 bill that mandated construction of the fence.

He ordered work to continue on 6.9 miles of fence along the border through the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona.

In a ruling on Oct. 10, Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the federal court for the District of Columbia held up construction of the fence, finding that the government had failed to carry out the required environmental assessment. The decision came in a suit brought by the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security said it “disagrees with the court’s ruling” (uh...too bad?) and was confident of eventually winning the case. It noted that two federal land management agencies had authorized the department to proceed with the fence.

In addition, department officials said that some 19,000 illegal immigrants were detained passing through the conservation area in the 2007 fiscal year and that the immigrants’ trash, human waste and illegal roads had caused more damage to plant and animal life than the fence would.

Sean Sullivan, a spokesman for the Sierra Club in Arizona, said that “we can secure our borders while we protect our public lands” and that “bulldozing” the conservation area was not necessary to manage the border.

The plaintiffs described the area near the San Pedro River as “one of America’s most unique and biologically diverse areas.”

9:58pm: Graduation Gift


I'm drooling right now. No, really.

12:43am: Cooler than jacksonpollock.org....


http://www.nikal.com/

10:53pm: this is not a test...oh wait

2:48pm: YouTube in all its glory...
My obsession with pugs (and I'm not even that big of a pug fan) Charles and Chester of the Natalie Dee and Drew from toothpastefordinner.com fame has gone back almost two years now. Recently, Drew has started posting videoblogs along with other fun youtube adventures. This is by far, my favorite of his videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lBQWUR3u7U

(although, Suck My Ass (Touch a Damn Dick) is pretty hilarious too).

My ipod is out of commission. Sad, but true. Buy me a new one?

7:52pm: A Sad Day..

Kurt Vonnegut, novelist who caught the imagination of his age, is dead at 84

By Dinitia Smith

Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in
novels like "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Cat's Cradle" and "God Bless You,
Mr. Rosewater" caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a
generation, died last night in New York. He was 84 and had homes in New
York and in Sagaponack on Long Island.

His death was reported by Morgan Entrekin, a longtime family friend,
who said Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several
weeks ago.

Vonnegut wrote plays, essays and short fiction. But it was his
novels that became classics of the American counterculture, making him
a literary idol, particularly to students in the 1960s and '70s.
Dog-eared paperback copies of his books could be found in the back
pockets of blue jeans and in dorm rooms on campuses throughout the
United States.

Like Mark Twain, Vonnegut used humor to tackle the basic questions
of human existence: Why are we in this world? Is there a presiding
figure to make sense of all this, a god who in the end, despite making
people suffer, wishes them well?

He also shared with Twain a profound pessimism. "Mark Twain,"
Vonnegut wrote in his 1991 book, "Fates Worse Than Death: An
Autobiographical Collage," "finally stopped laughing at his own agony
and that of those around him. He denounced life on this planet as a
crock. He died."

Read the Rest of the Article

9:26pm: my house smells like zucchini bread
Following Brianna's advice, I've decided to start uploading my work to Flickr.com. I've had an account forever, but I've rarely upload images out of laziness. I want my own website where I can start promoting myself even in the smallest way: putting all my photographs online and hoping that people run across them one way or another. Sorry livejournal, you just aren't cutting it for me these days. Anywho, my flickr address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/peachykeenphotos/

I'm going to see The Shins in two weeks. Finally. Did you know they got their name from the mayor and his wife in The Music Man? I bet you didn't.

Also--have any of you kids listened to Asian Dub Foundation?? Apparently, a bunch of adolescents started an organization in London to teach music technology to young Asian students and a couple of the teachers plus a 14-yea- old kid ended up forming a band.. You should check 'em out.

Hey guess what? I gradute in about 9 weeks. Fuck yeah.

7:47pm: no kiddin..
Fuck yeah, late-teen Woodlanders...

Cars sprayed with 'ELF'

By MATTHEW HENDERSON/Democrat Staff Writer

Nine vehicles on Casa Linda Drive and Elm Street were hit with black spray paint at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

The Woodland Police Department was called to the area of Bartlett
Avenue and Elm Street by a witness who described two white males and
one white female, all in their late teens, spray painting cars in the
neighborhood with the letters "ELF."

The Woodland Police Department said in a statement it believes the letters ELF possibly stand for the Earth Liberation Front.

The witness told police he was following the suspects down Elm Street, but they had fled in a vehicle near Bartlett Avenue.

Upon investigation police found all of the vandalized vehicles
to be large trucks and SUV's. The vehicles had the letters ELF and C2
as well as various lines spray painted on them.

According to the Web site "Earth Liberation Front press
office," members of the ELF use "economic sabotage and guerrilla
warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the natural
environment."

"Attacks are also growing in frequency and size," said Deputy
Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division in an address
to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 2005.
"Harassing phone calls and vandalism now co-exist with improvised
explosive devices and personal threats to employees. ELF's target list
has expanded to include sports utility vehicle dealerships and new home
developers. We believe these trends will persist, particularly within
the environmental movement, as extremists continue to combat what they
perceive as 'urban sprawl.'"

In 2004, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lewis also
testified that, "In recent years, the Animal Liberation Front and the
Earth Liberation Front have become the most active criminal extremist
elements in the United States."

On January 13, 2006 the FBI's Sacramento field office arrested
three suspected ELF members involved in a plot to blow up cell towers,
power plants and U.S. Forest Service sites in Placer County. All of the
suspects pled guilty and were sentenced for up to six years.

As of Sunday evening most of the vandalized vehicles in the
area of Elm Street and Casa Linda Drive had been cleaned with mineral
spirits and wax, leaving no sign of the black paint.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact them at 661-7800.

I never knew you had it in ya.

4:18pm: plans, plans, plans
Spring Break: Zion National Park

Summer: Drive across the country for three weeks with a one week stop in New Orleans working for Common Ground Collective

Septemberish: Cuba and Jamaica? Thailand, Laos, etc? Bali and Indonesia? Czech Republic, Croatia, etc?

Now all I need is a job.

5:37pm: a reason to post
"Hoaxes are a tremendous burden on local law enforcement and counter-terrorism resources and there's absolutely no place for them in a post-9/11 world."


Fuck you, HSD. Get a real job, why don't ya.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16902707/

10:23am: My fabulous mother sent me a care package this week that included flour tortillas and two cans of refried beans. Having an intense craving for these beans two nights ago but lacking the necessary can opener, I was forced to call upon the imaginative forces that have been growing in my mind for the past two months. Using only a corkscrew and butter knife, I was able to pry open the can and scoop out its magical contents cut-free. Probably the most creative thing I've done since I've been in art school.

Our week long break ends tonight (don't ask me what I did, I'm still bitter). That leaves a little over a month for me to squeeze every drop of artistic insight from Liz so that I can leave here relatively pleased with my portfolio. It's coming along pretty well I suppose, but there's still so much to do.

I sign up for classes on the 13th. I was pretty much promised a spot in Intermediate Photo back in Santa Cruz which leaves me indescribably ecstatic. Other than that, I'm taking Photography and Anthropology and either High Renaissance art history (easy A after Italy, right?) or the 1960s Lit class (highly recommended by J dub). In addition to these 15 units, I'm going to squeeze in a 2 unit course on American Musicals. Tough, eh?

Miss you all.

1:48pm: Yasas!
Alright kids-
So Greece is amazing. Italy was fantastic. and art is wonderful.

I feel like I'm in fake school, but have learned more about art and art history in the past month than any UC kid would learn in three quarters back at home. The other 19 students in my program are incredible. Most of them crazy, all of them beautiful.

Paros feels like home, especially after taking a weekend trip to tourist-ridden Santorini. (Incredibly beautiful, but full of middle-aged, giant cruise boat riding Americans). We rode donkeys, hiked up the volcano, ate wonderful food and watched a world famous sunset. Nevertheless, as the ferry floated past the two giant rocks off the coast of our island known as "the door into Paros," we relaxed and felt relieved to be home again.

I have tons and tons of awesome photos but our internet here at the school is struggling. We hear it should be fixed soon, but in Greece, soon might mean December 13th. You will see them eventually.

Lastly, but certainly the most important message in this post--send me a letter, dammit! I accept short letters, poems, haikus, drawings, random photographs, etc. etc. All of the other kids find beautiful letters waiting for them every morning in the school, except for me! (not including my one box of beautiful anniversary gifts, of course. They were all jealous). In return, leave me your address or send me an email with it and I'll send you one of the many awesome postcards available here on the island.

That's all. Hope everybody's real school is going well. I miss you all!

Lydia Rhyne
Aegean Center for the Fine Arts
Paros 84400, Kyklades, Greece

1:04am: You see folks, President Bush is like a one of those Black and Decker, hand-held vacuum cleaners..
...if you don't plug him in once in awhile to recharge his batteries, he can't suck."-Stephen Colbert.

"Pancakes Don't Last. Pancakes will front like "I love you long time" but it is all a pack of lies. Pancake falsehood!"

I couldn't agree more, mimismartypants.

Hanging out with Owen tonight was awesome. The boy hasn't changed since 7th grade and it's wonderful. While speaking of the past can be frustrating, I find it therapeutic as well.

Four more days! Humboldt tomorrow! Huzzah!

Oh and p.s., if you want to leave me a voicemail message while I am away, here is the number to call:

1-888-579-0208
Press 2
Enter my account number: 2008673193

Leave me a message!

Send me a letter!:
Lydia Rhyne
Aegean Center for the Fine Arts
Paros 84400, Kyklades, Greece


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. --Mark Twain

Buon Viaggio!

9:08pm: some weird survey. why did I do this again? oh yeah..JENNY.
(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

✓ I miss somebody right now.  (duh.)	✓ I don't watch much TV these days.  (not unless I am making a little man in green run around the screen.)	✓ I own lots of books.
✓ I wear glasses or contact lenses.  (on occasion.)	✓ I love to play video games.  (especially old school stuff.)	✓ I've tried marijuana.  (only once.)
✓ I've watched porn movies.	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy.  (you know, most of the time.)
✓ I curse sometimes.	✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

( it goes on... )

3:11pm: Ok all of you bored, Mozilla users out there. Have I got the Add-on for you!

Stumble!

I have often complained of not utilizing the internet to the best of its abilities--but this add-on does it all for you! Choose your topics, click the Stumble button, and they bring results to you! So cool. That's all.

My most recent stumbles:
http://www.actofme.co.uk/bush_speech/bushspeechwriter.html
http://www.jacksonpollock.org/
http://www.tinyvices.com/storms.html

1:58pm: I just want to sleep for the next month and a half pull the blankets over my head and close my eyes to escape the constant stream of nervousness that passes through my head. Nervous about staying and leaving and what will be found in so many different places. Nausea is a familiar feeling but now it makes my head swim with discomfort and loneliness. Is it comfortable noise that I long for? or truthful feelings that I worry may linger? It's like last year times three. three times the length, three times the emotions, the love and the fear. It's not merely attachment like so many worry about, it's devotion and passion, love and fear. And it's only been a day.

12:20pm: Excerpts
For each session we receive many more applications than we can accommodate given our specialized program. It is always extremely difficult selecting the 24 students who will be accepted into each session as there are so many very fine and deserving applicants.

We are very pleased with your application and I am delighted to inform you that you have indeed been accepted into the 2006 Italy/Greece Session at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts . After carefully reviewing your application, especially your personal statement and subsequential correspondence, it is
evident you are the very sort of student we would most like to share our program and time with.

Nineteen days room and board (breakfast and dinners--breakfast only in Venice, Rome and Athens), double occupancy, at the villa Rospigliosi , Pistoia. * Bus pass for Pistoia.
* Rail and bus travel for group travel to Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Prato, Siena, Venice and Rome.
* Three nights in Venice, room only.
Three nights in Athens, room only.
* Entry fees for all planned visits to museums, monuments and sites.
* Boat travel - Athens to Paros.
* Ten weeks, room only, single occupancy efficiency apartment, Paros.
* Instruction, studio
space and all lab fees--including printmaking, silver darkroom and digital lab.
* Computers and Internet access while at the Center on Paros.

We have a very busy schedule in Italy that, at times, leaves us breathless. But the experience is rich, and full, and delightful.

Remember that you'll be one of 18 to 24 students with five instructors and a visiting artist. I don't dare go into detail here about the wonderful food that our three cooks at the villa provide, sufficing to say it's real Italian and delicious. After dinners at the villa we'll be reviewing our busy day, discussing the next day's events and study sessions, reading a Dante and having a special seminar on Italian Renaissance music.

I expect to hear from you soon, Lydia, and we all look forward to being with you in Italy and Greece in 2005.

Congratulations and welcome.

9:14pm: A Love/Hate Relationship.
It was only about an hour ago that I was pathetically whining about my stomach hurting for all of the crap I had eaten today--which consisted mainly of melted cheese and chocolate. Nevertheless, my first reaction when I glanced towards the floor to see my bag of gummy bears lying there was to exclaim "Oh yeah!" then proceed by eating an entire handful. There's no hope for me. No hope at all.

10:08pm: Nothing's gonna change my world.
Despite the fact that Zissou has been locked in his cage all day, he is so horny for his fuzzy green house that he refuses to come sit on my shoulder. I guess everybody needs a bit of lovin' once in awhile. Although, he has been pretty fascinating lately. Everytime somebody babysits him for a bit, he makes these huge leaps towards friendliness. He will actually sit on your finger now! And you can pet him! Pretty awesome.


( Some visual entertainment )

I will be home this weekend for Brandon Birdsall's memorial service. I'm sure it's going to be somewhat of an early high school reunion, but what horrible circumstances. Sara was right when she said life is too short to lose touch with old friends. I just hope Bird is happier wherever he ended up. I'm sure he is.

10:18pm: Later, Rain Dude. I'm gettin the FUCK outta here!
On Wednesday Sam and I leave for La Paz, Mexico.

See us there? That's me with brown hair and Sam with no dreadlocks.


Beautiful.

...Now just have to finish this seven page paper and take a test on Wednesday...

My new camera and I will have plenty of pictures upon our return.

Later bitches!

1:16am: The cat in my lap must be jealous...
When will I be able to have a puppy? Never? Sure feels like it. Everday, I see so many puppies at work and I have to acknowledge EVERY single one of them with a "Hey puppy! Aww..You're a cutie!" Even if I'm across the restaurant doing something completely unrelated. I must acknowledge the dog that just jogged by. We have a big jar full of dog bones on the front counter that we give to regular passerbys. There are a couple of dogs that will sit by the front door and wait until somebody (read: me) comes and gives them a cookie. My co-workers alert me whenever one of these dogs comes by so that I can feed them. They all know how much joy I get in making a dog happy. We had this crazy snow day here in Santa Cruz today. Down to about 500 feet! Crazyness. (How about you Humboldt kids? Snow for you too?) It actually hailed on campus--crazy thunder and lightning included. But this morning, we took a trip up Empire Grade to play in all the snow.
( Look who I met! )

10:14pm: who knows
While I am a firm believer in the Internet being an amazing achievement of humankind, I found myself disappointed with the laziness that it produces from my experiences this past weekend. I am fully conscious of the rampant myspace addiction that plagues most of us--I know it can be difficult tearing oneself away from its deadly grasp. Nevertheless, I had hope that many of my friends would be able to get themselves off of the damn website for two minutes to give a certain girl a short phone call to wish her a happy birthday. Isn't one's birthday a time to stop and congratulate them for making it through the past 21 years? I think so too. I found it nice for distant friends/acquaintances to drop me a line/comment to wish me a happy birthday. But my good friends? We leave meaningless comments on our pages constantly, why can't we pick up the phone ONCE to make a special occasion a little more personal? I feel the same way with text messaging and the like. Don't get me wrong friends, I love all of you and thank you for remembering my birthday. I'm sure I'm just as guilty. This is really just a specific example of my bewilderment with our refusal to acknowledge the internet's inability to portray emotion along with the absence of our willingness to go out of our way to do something about it. Just a thought.

12:27am: My heart aches for you.
Zissou and Baby are having a staring contest but Zissou is definitely winning--he can do it standing on one foot.

An uneventful Friday evening, but I did get to watch the season finale of Arrested Development. Definitely a plus.

My car is officially dead. Sad, but true. A new one is on its way thanks to an early graduation present from my wonderful parents.

La Paz, Mexico seems to be on the horizon for spring break. It is currently 69 degrees in La Paz, with a high of 81. Fanfreakintastic.

7:11pm: How Politics Majors Have A Good Time
With trigger words such as:
-Terror (any variation)
-Freedom
-Insurgent
-Tax-cuts
-Iraqi Security Forces
-Iran
-WMD
---> "Nuculear"
-Value(s)
-Sept. 11th

Showing these people:
-Alito
-Laura Bush
-Kerry
-Kennedy

and
Every 4th Standing Ovation


.....we were drunk by the end of the speech.

6:40pm: Cheesy Vegetable Dip

Zissou's first bath! Too funny. He has gotten extra friendly, but extra annoying at the same time. He likes to climb onto my chest and try to bite my lip/chin/whatever else he can reach. He's gotten to be quite the nibbler.

( Pictures, pikatures, pikachu )