I'm all right in bed, but I'm better with a pen/word processor (lol)

dear world,

bring it on.

And the sun's always rising in the sky somewhere

[image via weheartit]

I have never been a morning person, but
lately the mornings are my favorite time of day.
I drive up 101 N and see: bumper-to-bumper traffic;
shiny pre-owned minivans weaving

lane in and lane out; harried parent drivers
reaching back to quiet their quarreling children
as their vehicles drift; a man using his electric shaver
while he drives by Braille along the center

divide.

I have never been a morning person, but
the chilly gray clouds that shadow me down the highway
remind me of the me of four years ago,
whose only summer job

was playing horseback riding camp instructor
to spoiled eight- and nine-year-olds who wanted
to pet the horses more than they wanted to ride them.
They chanted, I don’t want to, I don’t want to, because

they were afraid. And while I drive to work
sometimes I think about the men
who shave while they drive; about the women
who leave their toddlers in locked cars; about the coeds

who brave a flagging job market for tuition money;
and about those frightened children, because
in these moments, more than all other moments,
I would rather not be

me.

And the buffalo roam to a slaughterhouse grave

Okay, I've been hedging around the UC strike issue since I first heard about the walkout at the beginning of September, and now I'm going to come right out and say what I'm thinking. It's an opinion. You can feel free to disagree with any of this.

I'm going to start by saying that don't know who this weaselofjustice person is, but I love everything he/she is saying.

I'm also kind of embarrassed to be a UC student right now, if I'm being completely honest. I'm kind of getting the impression that the rest of the country is currently laughing at all of us for being completely unreasonable and ineffective. I know, it's totally great that the students can strike and protest fee increases and get themselves arrested in the name of the cause, but I think their energy is misguided and that they're focusing on the wrong people. We're the UC closest to the state capitol. The UC regents AREN'T going to repeal the fee increases, and they sure as hell aren't going to agree to the incredibly schizophrenic list of demands being tossed around by student protesters at recent sit-ins and strikes (you can read it here). True, there are grassroots-type organizations already working toward action at the state level, but all of this energy being wasted on Mrak Hall could be put to better use in Sacramento.

I'm not protesting. I'm not GOING to protest. I do wish the regents had thought to come up with a more reasonable way of covering the shortfall, but they didn't. The student protests won't change that. I may be a cynic (along with the rest of our political science department; I find it so hilarious that so few poly sci professors are willing to support the strike), but I like to think of it as knowing when to pick my battles. And this is not my battle.

I just want to graduate and get my degree. The University of California is a good school system, but college hasn't exactly been the "best years of my life." That's not the UC system's fault. However, I do find it very, very difficult to sympathize with student (and faculty) protesters when everything they do is designed to interrupt our education for the sake of making a statement. The quarter system doesn't give a whole lot of makeup time for canceled or postponed classes.

So, no. I don't support the strike. I will write letters to my reps at the state government level and do all I can to make my voice heard, but the fact remains that California is royally fucked. I was working for a union office in summer '08 when the budget crisis was happening, and I saw a lot of the frustration with the state legislature firsthand. The problem is California's financial crisis, and while I agree that the UC regents went too far with the fee increase, I doubt that student protests are actually going to lead to its repeal.

And as my friend SMB just said in a related email: "I don't know if anything will make a difference at this point -- the state has no money and no willingness to raise taxes for any reason. It's been a disaster waiting to happen, and so now it's a disaster in the making. It sucks."

And for the last night, I lie. Could I lie with you?

Today is a day for friends. The quarter is almost over and I'm wearing a dress with thigh highs for the first time in my LIFE, and my roommates + friend + I are going to see Precious tonight in the city. There are a million things I should be doing, but it's nice to take a step back, spend some time with awesome people and live a little. Just a little.

she said: I don't hate you, boy, I just want to save you while there's still something left to save

today is To Write Love on Her Arms Day! write LOVE on your arms and support the cause.

To Write Love On Her Arms Day is a day where anyone can write the word LOVE on their arms to support those who are fighting against depression, self-injury, addiction -- and those who are trying to recover. On this day, just write LOVE on your arms and show it off. When other people ask about it, tell them you are supporting TWLOHA, a non-profit organization that works to stop depression by making LOVE the movement. ♥