Baseball will save my soul.

Today is the Autumn Equinox. There are equal amounts of sunlight and darkness all around the planet today. That sort of balance encourages me to seek out more beauty, life and love. So...

...I am going to two Twins games this week! It is about time! I have been to 16 games this year but I think these will be the best ones of the season. Like many Americans, I am going to forget all the problems in this world with beer and baseball. I am hoping to avoid the words economy, gas prices, and any mention of the current mortgage "crisis."

Let's go Twinkies...October here we come!!

Fitness begins in the brain - or - Can you believe the jokers at the beach?

Yesterday at the beach this dude was stretching for about 15 minutes before he went into the water to swim. Of course I was checking him out. He looked pretty serious about his craft. He got into the water and started the front crawl--his arms were flailing about and his head was completely out of the water swaying around like a small child lost at a mall. It was ridiculous. And hilarious.

Today two dudes in their underwear ran by us on the beach. One with an orange sweatband on his head, the other with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Both were a bit out of shape. Pretty sure it was done as a dare.

What this really brought to my attention is that many people might look serious at first glance about something (in this case fitness) but after considering them further really they don't have the discipline or love to give it the attention it deserves.

While I enjoy the feeling of getting a lot of things accomplished at once, I think that multitasking might be bad on some levels. Nothing gets the love and attention it deserves--kind of like talking on the phone to someone who is watching TV or surfing the web. I baked bread tonight and gave it all my attention and love. It tastes fantastic. I think more of life would taste wonderful if we exercised discipline and gave it the care it needs.

This blog is brought to you by FCI

Last week I sent a message to my friend on Facebook telling him how I really didn't like the desert because the only experience I had with it was neon lights and soul-sucking gambling. Since then many of the advertisements on my page have had something to do with gambling addiction hotlines.

Last night I was told by a friend that Bert's Bees products are actually owned by Clorox. We then discussed how sooner or later the air we breath in Steven's Square (or Phillips or LynLake) will be brought to us by some corporate sponsor -- most likely Best Buy or 3M.

This morning I read that the new Twins stadium will be called Target Field. (For now I will just ignore the fact that it was mostly funded with public money. That's for another rant.)

You know how people freak out about our children being desensitized to violence at a young age? What about them being desensitized to advertising? I know some people that don't even notice that Volkswagen paid for product placement in the Bourne movies, and the company had corresponding car commercials!

Being a journalism major gives me a small window into the psychology of advertising and it frightens me that some people don't notice the barrage of commercials, billboards, and mind-reading advertising.

(Side note: If you read The DaVinci Code -- one of the most popular books in the past years-- did you notice the product placement in it? IN A BOOK???? Ack!)

I have challenged myself to rethink the attitude I have about wants and needs. I think this is one of the only ways to battle the steep mind control we are up against.

I still consult my ethics textbooks from freshman year

September 13, 2008 - Saturday

I have a new stylist. It was a big deal to find her. I went to three other ones before I stumbled upon her almost literally on my morning walk. It only took a year and a half after my sister moved.

A lot of people spend more time concerning themselves with who does their hair than their doctor. Did you ever stop and think about how weird it would be if you applied the logistics of health insurance to other things in your life?

"I really would like to cut my hair/take a shower/make some dinner but I don't have insurance. I'm not really sure how much it would cost but I know it must be terribly expensive because these people with fancy degrees on the wall keep telling me it is."

Who decided health should be a commodity? People have become so greedy that they are assaulting me on the beach with their guerilla marketing. What makes me so angry is how intimidating the whole "health" world is. I love to bike and really enjoy talking to people about it but there are so many elitists that don't want to share it. The same goes for veggies. Why wouldn't you want to make these things more attractive to everyone? Why are we keeping this such a secret? The most good for the most people, right?
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"1984" scares me, or Nobody said life is fair

September 8, 2008 - Monday

When I was younger I had to earn all of my money to buy a car. My younger sisters both had cars at 16 and no, they didn't buy them. I paid for college myself. I don't want to know how they paid for their educations.

I'm not trying to whine--I'm over all that. I've just been curious as to why exactly it was OK to help them and not me. And this curiosity leads me to look at a bigger picture and ask:

Why is it that much of the conservative party will use big government to bail us out of economic crisis but not environmental or social crisis? What makes one more special than the other? Why is it OK on one hand to help out ailing banks with unethical lending practices and on the other hand watch as food prices and obesity rates soar and fast food prices go down?

Bail out the rich and leave the masses to wallow in their reality TV and Taco Bell. I guess I just have to take comfort in the fact that not everyone thinks like certain Republicans.

My peripheral vision is better than most

September 7, 2008 - Sunday

Sunday mornings:
Coffee steaming out of my chipped cup
Rain dripping off the trees
Flannel sheets
Eggs at 11 am
Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, The Cure
Newspaper--the paper and ink kind
Sweet melancholy like the salty taste of tears

You can still see someone approach when your eyes are closed. It's just their shadow.

I got my Google degree in plastic surgery...

September 4, 2008 - Thursday

Aren't you interested in maybe getting liposuction or a nose job? Perhaps I could offer you a facelift? I mean, I don't have a ton of experience yet, but this is how you learn, right?

I experimented a little on my cat. Unfortunately he died, but it's not like humans and cats are the same! It's probably way easier to work on a more complex and large creature. And besides, I spent a weekend really studying up on everything I could find on the Internet. I have to be a genius by now. At the very least I am a skilled novice. You should let me give it a shot!

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There is not a lot I really like about Sarah Palin. I have to admit I'm not trying very hard, but I don't think I should have to. No one who has such little experience should be in line to be our president! It shouldn't even be an option.

You know those job descriptions we look at but know we aren't qualified for? Those six-figure income occupations we might get when we're ten years older and have another college degree? Or maybe just belonging to a secret society is enough these days.

My neighborhood sold its soul to the devil

September 3, 2008 - Wednesday

Last night I went outside and all I could hear was helicopters and low-flying planes. The sirens kept me up; I had to shut my windows on a lovely summer/fall evening. This morning I had to switch sidewalks three times to avoid road blocks, and I counted 19 cop cars, vans and swat vehicles in a three block radius.

A round of applause for the RNC--they sure know how to turn every place they invade into a war zone in a matter of days, if not hours.