La Pura Vida

Tomorrow I head down to Costa Rica for 2 weeks to explore one of the most varied geographical landscapes in the world. I hope to encounter plenty of cloud-covered mountains, fire-belching volcanoes and lush rainforest. I'd like to learn a thing or two about the eco-tourism that they are supporting so strongly now and I also hope to have a few good recipes when i get back.

hasta la vista

Get your own water, you bum!

been researching rain water harvesting... not very complicated stuff. You just let some barrels fill with rain water when it rains and then cover them when it stops so the water stays clean and doesnt attract insects. Use at your discretion. I'm starting to collect some water myself. I use it to water the vegetables I'm growing in my backyard. I also take things outside sometimes to clean them with that water. Ultimately I assume I will use it for bathing purposes. Well, not really, but it would be cool and environmental. Check out this website if you live in NYC. and want to know where to get some good local food. http://www.cenyc.org/greenmarket

If I was a rich man...

I am by no means a supporter of conspicuous consumption - a term coined in the "gilded age" of the 20's when people were spending money like it was going out of style - but it is clearly a large part of our culture. Walking down the street you can spot tons of signs of perceived quality: the fancy European cars, the carefully manicures lawns behind finely pointed edifices, and even the chic clothing people wear when they go out. Even though I don't really like the idea of people wasting money on items that only serve the purpose of proclaiming their status to the world, I have to admit there is a certain draw to having nice things, dropping wads of cash and living the fast life.

Without any money of my own to disseminate on fancy dinners and shiny things I prefer to live the good life vicariously through movies and online espionage. Namely some of the following websites which let me gawk dream and not spend a thing!

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/expensive.html

http://www.hammacher.com/?source=catalogs.com&cm_ven=Catalog&cm_cat=Catalog&cm_pla=Catalogs.com&cm_ite=Catalogs.com

And if you're after a movie that makes you realize just how impoverished (but sustainable) a life you are living then I suggest the two newest bond films: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Bond knows how to treat himself well!

And if there is something out there that you spend a lot of your time on be it music, model airplanes, gardening or cooking then it might just pay to buy the best tools and enjoy them.

A cool game to rot your brain

Playing games online is great because a) it's free b) you don't feel obligated to "beat the game" and c) you feel less guilty procrastinating with your work when you keep your half-written paper in a tab at the bottom of your screen while playing.

Without further ado...

Dogfight 2

Legalized Weed and Animal Feed

FACT: Many people are in favor of the legalization of Marijuana.
OPINION: That makes sense.


Recently at President Obama's "public" Town Hall meeting it was touted by the press that the people could ask any questions they wanted and the most popular ones would be addressed by Obama himself. Now let's assume (and I actually don't) that the people who received all of these questions, "the gatekeepers", actually allowed all of the controversial questions through. One of the most supported questions was on whether the Prez is considering legalizing marijuana.

He laughed it off.

Why would Obama shrug off a question that had so much of the populace behind it? I don't think it's too far from the truth to say that half of American citizens would be in favor of, or at least not opposed to, the legalization of weed. It would make sense to build large amounts of revenue through taxes (the reason cigarettes are supported by the gov't). It would stem the flow of crime in Mexico - a problem that is quickly growing and should be the cause of a lot of concern.

Nope, I guess no administration is ever going to get it. But I know there are some downsides as well.

Sighmething for the twenty-somethings

Employment. Career. Job. Occupation. Profession. Livelihood. Vocation. Calling.

Those are the synonymous words I came up for when thinking about the idea of having steady work. I preceded to arrange them in order from the most chillingly analytic terms to the softest and most inspiring expressions.
Because that's the idea, right?
We're all trying to find our calling; to practice our vocation; to expound on our livelihood; to impress in our profession.

What we aren't looking forward to is being placed in an occupation; or getting up to go to a job; or deciphering the most prudent career path; and certainly not landing gracelessly in an unfortunate position of employment.

They have career services designed just for this purpose. There are career tests. Career psychiatrists that are licensed to give out slips of paper telling us what we are suited for (along with their usual slips of paper to tell us what drugs will make us less likely to complain about these new jobs.)

There seem to be so few interesting job titles out there. I think that's the reason every other person you ask is studying to be a lawyer or a doctor or a business-person. Good luck with that, by the way. But no one ever says they want to be... oh, i don't know, a catcher in the rye!
Now that was a cool job. Hang out on a hill watch some kids playing baseball and occasional intervene to protect them from their own adorable yet untimely demise.

Just the other day I thought to myself how i would like to be a sneaker designer. Now as you all know from previous posts of my artwork I'm not exactly fully qualified to hold a paintbrush in my hand for a 9 to 5 kind of thing. And yet, there is something a lot more realistically exciting about a designer of graphic footwear then a dulcet accountant.

Keeping with the shoe theme: what if it was someone's job to write out tiny scrolls of information about exotic animals and then roll those tiny scrolls up and stick them in the hard tips of shoelaces (also known as Aglets).

I would like to be employed as the guy who brushes the teeth of all four presidents on mount rushmore. It would probably attract enough tourists to get me a salary and it would be a great conversation starter.

I could run an agency that hires the guys who run out onto sports fields naked and tattoo advertising onto their backs. That is an untapped industry.

Maybe President Obama should hire me to create jobs. My official title would be Head Stimulator. Well there you go - I made a funny.

y'know what's the worst?