So I am writing... someone will be there....it's only dots... don't get discouraged.. life will be. If only I knew... what you... said...I said..this is lovely.

One would want to be a Gnostic

A friday evening, what else to do but go to Shortys for five dollar pitchers with a friend. Nick was the friend and Blue Moon was in the pitcher. So as I am sitting at the bar I ask the fine gentleman next to me for the ash tray next to him, he turns to me with an electric smile and claims that this one is his and that I should ask the bartender for one. Alright, I am alittle pissed, but hey its a local and you don't come between them and their bar rituals. So as the man gets up to take a piss he slides me the ash tray. Ohh well I guess he feels bad, I don't blame him. He comes back and sits down on the bar stool and proceeds to ask me if I am a student of the University up there. I claim my rightous duty and we start talking.

With a full beard, dirty blonde hair stuff under a Cubs cap, Tom, starts off the conversation with a usual "Do you know what time the game is on?" I, of course, do not know what "game" he is refering to and say that I have stopped watching baseball after the Phils lost. So he further prods and asks if I am from around the Philadelphia area and it just so happens that his son lives around there and he is very familiar with it. I am intrigued as he asks me what I want to do with my life and what I am studying so we both try to keep the conversation going as he doesn't have anyone else to talk to. It just so happens that Tom is a professor of literature at Alvernia college and comes to Shortys on various occasions, he says he is known as a prophet as I later would find out. So as we talked about college life, feminism, the Bush (as I am reluctant to capitalize that last name, I see no need for the praise) administration, literature and life in general I come to realize that this long haired traveler and I had more than one thing in common. He brings out a piece of paper with some figures scribbled on it and says he had his buddy find out how much the earth weighed. Pretty interesting stuff, I think there were about eighteen or so zeros in the number of tons and most of it is due to gravity. Another interesting turning point of the conversation was the fact that he taught about the Gnostic gospels in one of his classes. These Gnostics, known as "the knowers" came post crucifiction and drew from the gospels that actually comprise The Bible. I found it very interesting that one follower, Thomas, claimed Jesus does not want you to do anything that you hate, or don't want to do... in so many words. I think that this quote will stay with me for the rest of my life.

One more topic of noteriety was money. Tom hates money. He has a twenty set on the bar but that is only for the bartender to break up when Tom needs a new drink so there does not have to be too much human interaction between Tom getting his drink and Tom adding to his buzz. Tom pulls out four single dollar bills that are defaced with elaborate patterns and colors. He then points out that it is a federal offense to deface a federal reserve note because in essence we do not own our money, the government does. So Tom tells me a story about when his child was a mere two years old. Tom is divorced so when he sees his child, Ethan, he usually takes him on road trips to relatives houses. One time when Ethan was at that ripe old age of two, Tom asked him what he thought that money was. Tom gave Ethan his wallet and Ethan procceded to take out a dollar bill and hand it to his father. Tom then started to crumble up the dollar, roll down the window and tossed it out. Ethan erupted in laughter, by Tom's account. Two years later, Ethan in the child seat in the back at the age of four, Tom asks him again what Ethan thought that money was. He handed him his wallet and Ethan, with an air of reluctance, handed Tom a single dollar bill. As Tom started crumbling up the dollar Ethan started to cry and in his distress pleaded with his father not to throw the dollar bill out the window but instead give it to him. This is an example of how much capitalism is instilled in us, claims Tom. I really have to agree with him. Ethan had no schooling or education on the value of money but through the television and events happening around him he some how knew the power of money. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

All in all I say it was a pretty good happy hour. After I conversed with Tom, the prophet, I played a little pool with my good friend Nick and then we went to Mamas. In closing I would like to congratulate Al Gore on winning the Nobel Peace Prize... Gore '08?.. I'm voting.

Kontroversytown University, Kutztown, PA

I don't even know where to start... I gather I will proceed with the latter events and work my way forward. Last week there was a "Town Gown" meeting hosted by the lovely Lutheran Church across from Mr. Food. Every prominent official was there from Senator O'Pake to the Kutztown Mayor to the President of KU and his cronies. The forum was set up to have an outlet for community residents to express concerns they have about safety in the borough, as it was aptly title a "safety forum". We were all given a rules sheet on how to go about effectivly conducting ourselves when expressing our views and making suggestions. You can all imagine how fast they were thrown out the window as borough residents one by one came to the microphone and blasted KU students for their rash behavior while around town and the fact that none of them have respect for the beautiful borough. I emphasize none because the residents did not distinguish the good students from the bad, as there are only a few bad seeds, and by few I mean a little less than a hundred compared to the almost 12,000 that go here. I felt attacked, but surely not intimidated because I am not one of the minority the mass was reffering to. One lady claimed that a KU student "made it" with one of her sheep one night. So as you can see there was little talk of safety and more of student bashing. I would say that about 3 of the 25 or so speakers had something good to say about the KU student body. Another community member, a KU alum, suggested that teachers give tests on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, I love how this is a safety concern of his, it is obviously a statement aimed at students who go out during the weeks, but still an ineffective solution to either problem. Another statement hinted that the Kutztown Fire Company wanted more compensation for its services and did not want to service the University anymore. That comment from an ignorant towns person stuck until the Kutztown Fire Chief spoke and said that they love coming to the University and without it they would have little to do, and they think the University gives them ample restitution for their services. Well I know that there are angels out there now, God bless her soul, Mrs. Quinn was at the meeting. She was so concerned about Dennis's safety as well as all of the other KU students that she came all the way up to KU from Warminster for the meeting. The only things she had to comment on was the way in which the meeting turned into a bitchfest and that she would not want any mother to go through what she went through and that Dennis was probably the bravest person she knew for walking past the site where his brother was murdered everyday. So in a town that seems to be falling apart at the seems with people claiming that they want to move more and more everyday out of the borough because of the students I just have to say one thing, thank goodness I am out in seven and a half months.

In other KU news related there is going to be a town watch set up including members of the community as well as students to be extra eyes and ears for police. This is a very organized program and should be up and running by the end of the month. Of course I volunteered because I think it is a good idea and I want to help out the borough, of which I live in, but it also might keep me away from the bars on the nights I am on watch ( haha I kid, may be not). Anyway, it was brought to the board at the SGB meeting today and it didn't suprise me that my constiuients were worried about being "snitches". I was glad that Bob Watrous, our advisor, brought up the fact that if you think rowdy behavior, pissing in people's lawn and broken glass by the students is acceptable behaviour then so be it, but if you don't here is a great oppurtunity to make a difference. I can certainly think of some ignorant kids that would label you as a snitch and try to do something about it but I think they need to grow up. If you want to commit a crime or rough up some kids take it back to where you came from, this is a haven for young adults to expand their mind and there is no reason for that kind of behaviour around here. If you are still "from the streets" get the fuck out of Kutztown.

There is more to come, I just need to study. sorry about the spelling errors.

First time

As the title implies... So I have to thank Miles Link, a great friend and hopefully a lifelong one, for the inspiration to create a blog. I have always admired his mind and outlook and was glad to see in his blog that he had a good time, that it was the best therapy he knew, to come back over to the States and hang out with the crew again. I know that I can not write as well as him and hope I am not stepping on his toes in light of my creation of a blog but I just want to put that out there. So as I procrastinate about writing a paper on "Did the IMF react wisely to the Asian Financial Crisis", I leave you with this poem.

I want to survive in this life, I don't want to fly
I can only reach my dreams if I reach for the sky
so here's to life and the one I lead
I am going to be like Kanye, and graduate indeed




http://borndeadlucky.blogspot.com/ <----- mile's blog.