Instant news May 26, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Media, New Media, Reading, Superfluous musings.add a comment
Both in high school and college I had teachers and professors (one at each level of education) who were obsessed with current events. We had to follow the news and take pop quizzes every class period on what’s in the news at that time. It was great. I actually acquired my news skimming, CNN watching, NYTimes reading, Economist subscribing and NPR listening habits just from exercises like that. And somewhat from my journalism professors whose habits rubbed off on me (the NPR bit from a prof who listened to it in her car on our way to an FCC hearing as extra credit; The Economist from actually some Political Science junkies at the international studies program office in Germany where I was studying abroad and taking POLS classes).
It’s funny because now I actually listen to NPR’s “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” show during my workouts and laugh at all the gags on the week’s news they come up with. It’s especially entertaining because there’s rarely a newsworthy nugget that I’ve missed and learn from the show itself. I love it! I’m really glad that these habits were instilled in me and I must say I am a tad surprised at how familiar I am with the news when I really do wish I read more of The Economist, and read more news in general, diversifying my sources. Must be doing a-OK. Although, I also feel like a lot of people, especially young people, get so much more news (and different stuff, not just what’s in the mainstream (even if they’re the good ones, my sources are still “mainstream”) and different interpretations of it from the Internet that I inevitably feel left out, breathing in the dust as everyone else speeds off on RSS feeds, news forums, blogs (aka the new-age pundits galore), podcasts (OK, I do listen to a couple – literally – of these), video logs, You Tube commentary, specialized news aggregation web sites, e-ncyclopedias, etc. etc. etc.
Inspiration, frustration, and yummy food May 20, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Elections 2008, Food, Superfluous musings.1 comment so far
Barack Obama was at the Portland waterfront this weekend and we weren’t able to see him because we had a class at that time. He won Oregon tonight and gave a very inspirational speech. It was not only well written and delivered, but it was full of so much positive energy, I couldn’t help but picking up some of his excitement and smiles.
I can’t pretend to go into some in-depth, pundit-worthy analysis, but I am frustrated that Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been so negative and the candidate herself continues to bring up some outlandish claims about how if you add these and such states and you subtract those other ones, she’s really in the lead! Ha! Seriously! There are democratic party rules in place that she agreed to. Everyone just play by the rules, please!!! What is this spin and cherry-picking when one finds oneself cornered? It’s really not flattering to her and it certainly helps to exacerbate the negative tension between Obama and Clinton supporters.
We went to a concert last night, mostly teens and twenty-somethings. When it finished at 11 p.m. on a Monday night, there were young Obama supporters handing out buttons, selling T-shirts and waving banners right at the club’s exit. That’s how you do 11th hour campaigning! That and with a 75,000-strong laudatory throng, the biggest rally of the election season thus far, in an outdoor venue on a sunny Sunday.
Not to say Hillary supporters are stying out of the limelight in Portland – there are the diligent ones on the bridges waving huge signs every morning, there were the last minute small-scale rallies and this morning an older gentleman on the bus with a home-made, laminated poster (which is good, protected it from the drizzling rain) of Hillary on the backdrop of some newspaper cutout and a watch/clock graphic on the other side. Didn’t look at it too closely, but I was glad to see that Hillary supporters were still taking the race seriously last minute. I also, with some sadness, noticed how most people on the bus looked at his poster but remained completely unperturbed. I wondered if it was because they were Obama supporters smirking at his fruitless effort in an Obama stronghold area, or if they were just apathetic. Either way it was a bit disappointing to observe.
I find this idea, engendered by a pundit on CNN today, rather intriguing – that Obama should ask Chelsea Clinton to head his outreach to young voters. That would help bridge the gap that her mom’s been digging between Obama supporters and Clinton ones.
But enough politics. I thrive on it every evening and morning with CNN, the NYTimes, NPR, and The Economist coverage. It’s hard for me to spew back my opinion in just a single blog entry.
Wanted to plug this great web site ranking the Portland street food carts: http://foodcartsportland.com/ – yummo!
Musings May 1, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Reminiscing, Superfluous musings.add a comment
I guess I am very prolific on evenings when I am in a beautiful city, in a lovely room, but all by myself. I did my GRE vocabulary homework for the evening and I kept htinkging – all this construction activity that I’m noticing in Seattle because I haven’t been here in a long while (meaning I haven’t really been in the city, I do come up to the greater Puget Sound area frequently)… all this mushroom-springing like condo-boom in not just Seattle but Portland as well and really in every major city… all hte improvements in all these other places (my alma mater, for instance)… who’s buying the new luxury homes? Who’s living in the overpriced apartments that are twice and three times as much as what we pay now only because they are in the city itself and brand new?
How are we in an economic downturn (all this bickering about the “r” word!) and yet have so much sprucing up of the cities… even Bremerton has been livening up of late – “new” corridor of tress at the entry to the city by the shipyard, the old unsightly houses torn down, greenery everywhere; a new convention center, hotel, bank building, spiffied up downtown and new ferry dock; parks everywhere and even new condos by the ferry… granted the condos were up for grabs at an online auction starting at around (or less than) $100K… but still… so much activity. It gives me a sense of hope that not everything is going downhill and not everything is getting dragged to the economic negative… I know the world is growing, Asia and really everywhere else (the EU, etc.) are growing and putting more demand on the economy, but also contributing more… and I know that some say the lifestyles here and in the “developing world” will have to equalize gradually (meaning we’ll never go back to the comfort, safe, naturally isolationist haven)… but it still may be that we retain our quality of life. Or perhaps I am blinded by aspirations and perhaps the condo boom and outdoor shopping centers (vs. malls) are just the mild symptoms of a growing class gap. I love learning more about this sort of stuff, but I’ll admit I don’t pretend to understand even a grain of it all! 
So, take all this philosophizing as just mundane musings, I suppose.
Copying the small stuff May 1, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Energy efficiency, Life, Reminiscing, Superfluous musings.add a comment
Seattle is copying Portland! The one thing I know Portland has going for it is an incredible mass transit system. And now, apparently, after all the craziness surrounding the monorail fiasco and the back-and-forth “dialogue” about demolishing it or building out further into the city, Seattle has somehow – overnight, almost – arrived at a much more logical solution. It copied an already proven system from its neighbor down the coast – Portland. Voila: the Seattle Streetcar (not kidding – check out the Portland Streetcar – that’s right, they even copied the name! Shameless).
I don’t know if it’s the invigorating charm of Seattle or the coffee I had with dinner but I am not at all sleepy. Just a bit tired.
So, goodnight once more.
Loving Seattle May 1, 2008
Posted by midnightzimadreams in Energy efficiency, Life, Psyche, Reminiscing, Superfluous musings.add a comment
I am really enjoying a pseudo business trip to Seattle. It’s strange, it’s almost as though I haven’t been to the city in a year… and actually it has been that long and longer. I live in Portland! Such an odd concept, still getting used to it and definitely yearning for Seattle.
There are so many new buildings – condos, apartments, hotels – in the Denny area! It’s incredible. I’m thoroughly enjoying typing from the comfortable… hmmm… not sure what this particular piece of furniture is called, but is a couch-type with a back on it’s narrow side a longish, half-way down the length, side-rest. It’s intended for reading, I know that much. It’s right by the huge window and I’m looking out on Lake Union, bar a few not-too-ugly factory-style buildings converted to modern office spaces/loft-like and hip.
The bathroom has a bathtub and separate shower, all-Plexiglas cube. To enhance the see-through openness of the place, there are sliding doors on two sides – one’s the door, the other is a window-like area along the bathtub that opens into the main room, and across the bed you actually gaze out the window. I might try sitting there a little later in the bathtub, watching the city lights, or the news on TV, and the only thing that would have been event nicer is a glass of wine. I could go down to the Whole Foods and grab a bottle, I suppose, or some tea… and I might actually do that last thing, because my room has only coffee in it and I’d like to relax.
I feel calm. I’m still a bit stressed for tomorrow, the all-agency meeting, the drive back in the humongous Suburban, but that’s come when it comes. For now I am enjoying being back in the city I am so drawn to. I still feel a sense of nostalgia but it’s sweeter up here. I miss the friends that used to live in the city itself – they are all scattered now in the suburbs, engaged, and/or married with children. How did we all grow up so fast?
I’m still not sure if I will be satisfied and happy living back in Seattle, but I really do love the feeling the city gives me this evening. It’s vibrant, it’s lively, it’s alive.
I miss my love. I also miss my friends stronger when I’m here than when I’m in Seattle. Strange as it is… I guess the proximity feeds the earning.
I enjoyed the cooking school experience as well. Fun, low key, yet feeling like we accomplished something. (under the experienced eyes of two chefs, of course) Eating by the waterfront is always a pleasure as well – and Lake Union is probably one of the nicest backdrops in Seattle.
Feeling way too lovely tonight. I will do my best to enjoy it while it is untarnished.
Goodnight.
