This post is from the JMBzine Blog Vault, which means it is a very old blog post that I wrote at a very different time of my life. My views on religion, politics, and many other subjects have drastically changed over the years, so please bear this in mind when reading this post.
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
9:29 pm
http://www.wx.com/link/
2022: broken links
8:45 pm
From Newsweek: Voices of Dissent Amid Calls for War
It is true that many pacifist activists have been lying low, but that time should be past. It’s now time that we speak out for peace and speak out to save the country that we love from another Vietnam.
2022: broken links
8:43 pm
From MSNBC: “I AM RETURNING as a player to the game I love,” said Jordan, 38 and more than three years removed from what seemed to be a storybook ending to his career. Jordan will donate his entire salary for the upcoming season to relief agencies working with the victims of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York, said Estee Portnoy, a spokeswoman for SFX, Jordan’s management agency. [Read more]
2022: broken links
8:14 pm
Over the last couple months I’ve been dabbling with watercolor painting. (Thanks to the encouragement of my friend Tim Burger.) So, I thought I would share a few of my recent paintings. I know that I am very much a beginner, but you got to start somewhere…
Summer Day in Central Park in NYC
Hope (excerpt)
Scene from the Ozarks of my memory
tree painted in my interpretation of a Japanese style
Abstract experiment with watercolor
2022: I’m still doing watercolors, but these days I tend to work more with watercolor pencils (using a wet brush to blend colors and make them more vibrant). My old watercolor painting teacher, Tim Burger, ended up becoming a tattoo artist and I’m proud to say that I got two of my tattoos from him.
I did use bigger versions of these paintings than I originally used on the blog back in 2001. Screen sizes are much bigger today and 100px wide graphics are just too small.
7:37 pm
I am not Catholic, but I love The Pope. He has shown more courage and statesmanship than any political leader in the last decade.
2022: Broken link. Also my opinion of Pope John Paul II has soured over the years. Despite some good statements about peace at this moment in time, he was largely a defender of an oppressive status quo in the Catholic church.
7:12 pm
I found another very blog by an Austinite, Patchworkgirl.
(2022): This was such a magical time in the world of blogging, when just finding someone who was blogging in the same city was a big deal!
5:54 am
According to MSNBC the “U.S. Air Force has frozen nearly all discharges and retirements for at least the next 30 days . . . The move came as the Pentagon proceeded with its biggest mobilization since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, with bombers, fighter jets and support aircraft in the forefront.”
If you’re thinking of joining the service, think twice. This last news item is proof that recruiters lie to meet their quotas! Think you’re only enlisting for four years? Think again. That’s four years of active duty, but if you read the fine print they have your butt for four more years in the reserves, which means they might decide to “delay your discharge” if there is a war going on. Suddenly the four years turns into eight and you don’t have any say about it. (If you find yourself in this situation, talk to the folks at The Center for Conscience and War as they have trained counselors who may be able to advice you on getting out of your military hitch by going through the proper channels.)
5:41 am
I saw Pedro the Lion tonight at Emo’s in Austin. Excellent performance but too short. (I was spoiled by last year’s two-hour+ show.)
(2022): I did record some songs at Emo’s in Austin of Pedro the Lion (I still have the recording saved — unfortunately not the whole show). I’m not 100% certain, but I think it was this show, as I remember that I used a hidden minidisc recorder to do the recording, and I’m pretty sure I bought that from one of my fellow pedicab drivers in 2001.