Archive
i only post when i can’t sleep
Another sleepless night. Made me a cup of Organic Nighty Night. Its been a while and if I have to I will call in sick tomorrow. There’s nothing that pressing on my schedule. It was a pretty exciting day on the campaign trail and that has my mind buzzing and sleep elusive. Less then 2 weeks to go to the election, pretty exciting.
Today I did a training for work on integrating primary health care into the substance abuse treatment that we do. I had my “A” game today and actually had some time at work to prepare the training. I gave a little background and context in regards to health care reform and why it makes since that we tackle the issue, as substance abuse counselors we are the motivational enhancement experts and we need to tackle chronic disease management or our clients are going to die. In Missouri if you have a mental illness you die on average 25 years younger then average. That’s why we don’t have many elderly clients, they’re all dead.
I opened with Health Literacy. I wrote a Health Literate handout on the subject after looking exhaustively for a health literate version of a handout for a preventable chronic disease and striking out. Health Literacy is exactly opposite of what it sounds. Its dumbing everything down to a 5th grade level, short words in short sentences in short paragraphs with lots of pictures. If you read this blog you know that is not my style. I am bookish and like to write for others who are the same. But we have to convey information in a way people can understand. I goofed on the topic though and talked about how much it hurt me and encouraged us to work on literacy as well. I said someday it will all be pictograms and health literacy will be talking about the elitism of words.
The biggest correlation to health is literacy level, greater then race or economic status. Knowledge is power.
I then moved into how to make a doctor’s appt. at the local free clinic and wrote down step by step instructions from navigating through their voicemail to what to say and not say. It kills me that I am the only one who knows how to do it when you just have to try it, learn from your mistakes, and make a note of the process. Then I talked about Health Coaching. Which is basically do they have doctors instructions, if not get them, do they know what they are and help them do them. I did it in a little flow chart and kept it light and funny.
I closed with my Dad’s respiratory tech who came out and said she couldn’t ask him to quit smoking because she was a smoker and called that out for the bullshit that it is. It wasn’t about her. He needed to hear that if he didn’t quit smoking he was going to die, not some day but next month, which is what happened. I brought it back to the beginning that we were the experts on motivation and with all her education and training she sucked at it and killed my dad and this is why we need to do this stuff.
I left early from work to have my interview with Hank Waters, he’s the publisher of the Tribune and semi-retired but still writes the editorials. Pretty spry and we had a lively conversation. I feel my chances are strong for an endorsement. He picked up a couple words I used to describe myself and called me a “passionate realist”. I believe that’s pretty apt. I at least got a chance to tell him I love newspapers and the Trib. I forgot to mention the arts section is a little hoity toity.
Then it was on to door knocking. I had missed a day for the Keep Columbia Safe Forum yesterday (went well, in a panned shot on TV as they covered the event but not anything we said except for the incumbent in another ward). Doors went well. Had people who knew who I was. Had my best door ever with a developer and active Chamber of Commerce member who had a sign up for my opponent. He apologized and gave me $100 for the campaign. They’re is some regret in those circles as I am a passionate articulate campaigner and they like that.
Had a driver which helps a lot and Jesse is good, lays out my turf and scouts ahead. Really makes it easy. I also door knocked the street of the current rep which was fun. I said I couldn’t promise they would have the same access as they have now as I wouldn’t be able to buy the house next door but pointed out my phone #. It was fun.
Stopped and saw Jeff and he showed the attack ad by a candidate in another ward. Hateful, fabricated innuendo and lies. Hope I’m never in a campaign like that. We poke each other a bit when we get the chance but in a good spirited way. It is a contest after all and we have to create some discrepancy. Our answers can run pretty similar with these municipal issues. Bill Pauls came out swinging at the last forum. I enjoyed his passion and he layed out a community response to crime that sounded a lot like what I’ve been saying. In fact it was noticed, not just by me, that all the candidates, well not the candy maker dude, were talking my talking points. That’s fine by me, as long as they govern that way.
That was originally what I thought I could get out of this. Shape the debate a bit. I’ve done that, for both wards that are in play and I may just win this thing. After seeing Jeff took Jesse out for some Mexican food and then home. Went to bed early but only slept an hour and have been up. Almost a thousand words and a cup of sleepy tea and I’m still not sleepy.
Well maybe a little. Maybe some Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider Man will help. I’m up to 1985 now. They’re better, starting to mature a bit. I’ve enjoyed reading 7 years of it straight and seeing it grow and develop. The early 80s were tough times. Can’t say I miss them much. Its been rainy. Basement flooded. The rain barrels need some adjustment but I’m in dress clothes all the time and its wet out so I haven’t wanted to mess with it. This weekend I have to mow. Front yard on Saturday and back on Sunday. That’s gonna be hard with the push reel and then walking all day. My sketchers make my toes on my right foot hurt. I need insoles for my hand me down from Dave shoes I wore today.
There’s probably more of note I forgot. Every day is an adventure now, which is cool. But I’m going to try and go back to bed. The baptists ring the church bells all night. they’re also two minutes slow.
Fido’s birthday
Good morning faithful reader. Its about 4:30 am and I have been up for an hour or so. Went to sleep pretty early but woke up and really felt there was no going back down so decided to get an early start on the day. I can’t even remember the last time I blogged, aside from my last post on NA step 2, which hardly counts. Life has really become a blur with constant frenetic activity from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. There is only a little more then two weeks before the election though so the end is in sight. And none to soon. I am deep down bone weary tired. I have been campaigning so hard and so long I can no longer remember when I wasn’t and other folks seem like they are moving in slow motion.
Its going well though. Money is coming in, enough to do what we want to do as far as get the word out. Three mailings, two are out, one will go out just prior. The rack cards are looking good. The last one shows some of the problems in the ward, potholes, lack of sidewalks, a police car & the fire station with a picture of Fido and me. I have my glasses off and we are both looking off into the distance like we are pondering how to solve the problems in the Second Ward. Well at least one of us is.
Speaking of Fido I think he very much enjoyed his birthday celebration. He is two now, or fourteen in dog years, a little teenager now. I expect him to start staying out late and smoking cigarettes. Wanting to borrow the car and going on dates. Well perhaps not. He has really enjoyed having Flow here, our new housemate. He wanted to sleep in the hall between our rooms. I started to let him but then he was wanting to get up and growl at the people walking down the street so I made him come and sleep in my room. He gets up and lays outside Flow’s room waiting for her to get up now.
I am going to take him for a walk when it gets a little later. Its probably been 4 days. Just no time. We have this unnaturally warm spell though and have been able to leave the door open so he can go in and out, plus Flow hangs outside with him and took her with him to visit some chihuahuas yesterday. Only Freddy and LuLu came to the party as far as dogs. They all hung out though and enjoyed some dessicated liver while we humans had Chinese and cupcakes Lisa made.
I got him a tiger that roars and some rawhide chews for his chew toy that makes them last. Found it in my bed when I went to lay down. He got a rawhide, and a new neon pink collar (he’s a little girly) but it was to big. I’ll probably have to poison him its been so warm. Maybe after his walk this morning. Its warm enough he may go for a swim, especially if he sees Ru at the park. I was going to invite Ru’s mom to the party but didn’t really do any invites except people I ran across or was talking to anyway. Still had a nice turn out. My embedded reporter and photographer came. That should be pretty much over now and profiles should be out next week, I am excited to see mine. I only gave a slightly expurgated version of my way to interesting for politics life so we’ll see what they do with it. It was fun telling my story.
Also did video interviews for the Missourian website, those should be out soon if you’ve ever wanted to hear me talk you soon can. Later this morning I am shooting a web video for my web add on KOMU website. Got a good deal on it and we have the extra money because fundraising has gone well.
Its the last day of Brain Awareness week at work. Its been fun with dressing the same color and I did a cool education group on Neurogenesis and Neuroplasticity called “This is Your Brain on Recovery”. Also had the most important candidate forum, the League of Women Voters, though it got little coverage, a footnote to the School Board race. I thought I was again the clear winner sounding thoughtful and at times eloquent. Picked up some donations.
Its been hard to find time to do doors and follow up calls with all the events. We had dinner after the forum so lost an evening there and gave one up for Fido. Tonight I think I am going to cancel my date and try to get doors and calls in. Its weird now that its hot, not quite as fun. Its hard not to make it rote, I’ve done so many now. I really like people though and am genuinely curious and intrigued to figure them out. People pick up on that. Been doing around the house trying to pick up some signs around Parkade school. Got 5 out of the project but it was weird being my third pass at these folks.
People are starting to know who I am. The signs really help. I’m glad to be back on fresh turf tonight. Have drivers for the weekend so I should easily get in 300 + doors. There’s some rain coming but I will push through it. I’m getting tired now, may try to go back to bed rather then have that second cup of coffee. The dog may have to wait.
Step 2 part 1
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/NA/StepTwo.html
Cyber Recovery posts the steps of Narcotics Anonymous electronically. I have been asked by a deaf individual to translate the steps into concrete, simple English with all hearing references removed. I did this orally and it was immensely helpful and personally rewarding for myself to understand the material and to grow in my health literacy skills. Here is the first half of Step 2, I hope to finish by Sunday.
Step 2
Not seeing our life is good is like still doing drugs. We can focus to much on things that are wrong. We can focus to much on a thing that is good. We can look at the good things in our life to much and have an accident. Drug addicts look at the world in three ways. We can think things are to good and not pay attention. We can think the world is sad and unhappy and feel sad and unhappy. We can also look at the world with clear eyes and see thinking like a drug addict makes us unhappy. When we see clearly we can find a balance. We can see good and bad and respond like we should. Seeing things as they are is a gift. We can move forward without being afraid of a disaster. Life is not happy all the time or sad all the time.
Doing the same thing and thinking it will be different is what drug addicts do. We have to think about our old way of doing things to have a different life. If we don’t its still like when drugs controlled our life. If we trust enough to act differently we can see change can happen. We do something different and different things happen. We are moving forward. Knowing what real life is makes us sane.
Being an addict makes us obsess over stuff. “Coming to believe” lets us see what is real. Thinking can only take us part way to God. What we say to ourselves has to match what is real. When they are different we suffer. We have to work on this every day. We believe what we have done.
Faith is trusting without having done it. Belief can be what we have done or faith and what we have done. In the old days people submitted to a king. When we ask “is it okay?” to someone we are submitting to them. We all have people and things we submit to. We submit to things we believe in. In recovery we look at what we believe in.
This choice is very clear in recovery. Early in recovery we can decide not to submit to things that make us feel bad. We learn to decide what it is to be sane. Choosing what to believe takes practice. Some addicts didn’t know they could choose what to submit to. Some addicts never thought to try and resist. Submitting appeared like we had to.
Believing in something is giving up to that idea. Our seeing gets bigger when we look at things like other people do and feel. We talk to others about what we each feel and do. We can talk to others and read books to know how to stay clean. “Coming to believe” means we can stop submitting to bad people and bad things. We can ask ourselves, “Can I do better?” Looking at ourselves every day helps us see reality. We start to forget to worry about tomorrow and yesterday. The parts of yourself you don’t like are often crazy. We would not choose to do those things today. We have a bad life when we are not grateful.
Being sane in recovery must meet our needs each day. It is natural to feel confused as you change. When we are confused or upset it means we are changing. People in meetings and God can help us even if we haven’t worked all the steps or gotten very far in recovery. In recovery people are here for us and we are here for others. This is not true when we act like an addict to control other people. We can’t expect people to treat us better because we stopped doing drugs. We can treat people better who stop doing drugs if we want to. It is important to do it because we want to help or be nice and not because we expect something. What we do willingly is different then what we have to do. Being part of a group means we respect each other.
good morning america
I’ve been spending some mornings with Good Morning America. Plus side I get a little national news, a lot of pop culture nonsense, and some local weather. I have trouble staying up past 10 to catch the evening news and so far haven’t found anything else worth watching on ABC. The digital 2nd version has some classic TV I’ve been watching a little of that when I want some background noise. The Odd Couple is as preposterous as I remember and without the gloss of nostalgia its probably as crappy as anything on now. It drowns out the sound of the woodpecker out front.
The campaign continues to go well. Hitting doors every day, people more tuned into the election as we get closer and the weather gets warmer. Sun staying up later each day so I can get more time in. Got caught up on follow up calls last night. three hour and a half sessions was all it took. Of course meeting tonight and tomorrow so I’ll be behind again. I still felt confident enough to get back into it to try to go out Friday or Saturday night.
Big day today. Housing inspection in 1/2 hour and going to have to jump in the shower momentarily. Last step before refinancing. Probably won’t lower my payment but taking 12 years off the mortgage is huge. Also getting my broken step fixed. They have a big lip so we are going to reinforce the others and make it more sturdy for the long run. Kicking myself now for not getting them all refinished when Jamie offered. To many decisions to make them all right.
The inspector is here now and after I outlined my modest improvements to the home, kitchen tile, 1/2 a kitchen counter, new windows, fence, and though you can’t tell it in February landscaping he is on his own, photographing my messy house for inspector posterity. After work I have the Labor Meet & Greet, knock on doors, and then I am going to a new group CIVIC. They have organized to oppose the blight designation of about half our city as part of this thing called an Enhanced Enterprise Zone to lure manufacturing jobs, which we desperately need, back to the area. I am still studying the issue so have a little trepidation. I have a meeting scheduled with REDI (public/private partnership that is spearheading the EEZ) next week so I feel I am taking a balanced approach to learning more about the issue. It will be my first vote as a council person.
The other controversy raging in the city is our 6th shots fired incident in recent weeks with the last one taking out a window at Chuck E Cheeze’s. That has our sleepy public up in arms. The police made 2 arrests last night which I am thankful for as politicians who pander to people’s worst fears irk me some and move us in a direction that is not helpful. I wish I could tell people we can manage every scary situation they see on the nightly news but we just can’t. Having some police drive by their house ain’t going to necessarily help. My approach to community safety is to increase neighborliness and “eyes on the street” by making our outdoor spaces more user friendly.
Shots fired though that’s different then the property crimes that more people keeping an eye on things can realistically help. That has more to do with the relationship between the police and the communities of people who have the information that allows crimes to be solved. I think our current Police Chief is on the right track with a scientific approach to police work and a policy of Unconditional Respect to generate trust and manage unconscious biases that can creep into even good hearts.
The real reason I am blogging even though the inspector has moved outside and I could go to work and attack a nagging project that came out of nowhere is I had my most interesting door knock ever last night. Ann was driving and I was door knocking in a pretty sketchy trailer park. We passed this bombed out trailer with the yard strewn with debris and a bird flying out of a windowless section. I marked it “abandoned” and we turned around to go to the next and Ann says “Wait a minute, I see a light on, you gotta go in and see what’s up.” “No lets skip it”. “Come on your a social worker for God’s sake he might need some help”. “OK”.
I see him laying in bed and almost just leave a flyer but I knock. An old guy, looks pretty good, comes to the door and starts rattling on that he is moving tomorrow to some senior housing in the country which will allow him to continue his academic studies of Amish life. He runs on a 10 minute stream of consciousness rant on the Amish, the CIA drug smuggling and pediphilia, his struggles with the publishing industry and their CIA connection, the documentary on his life “Conspiracy of Silence” (4 copies at the Columbia Library), and many other topics. Since he’s moving he gave me the flyer back but I give him a card in case he wants to contact me. My life can always get more interesting, but I hope never as interesting as Michael Zielinski.
and then earlier
Was tired last night and went to bed early, 9:00 pm. Probably a mistake because instead of waking at 3 I woke at 2. I forced myself to do some progressive relaxation. Cleared my mind but didn’t help me go back to sleep. I’m done with that stuff. 5 hours is the new normal. On the plus side it’ll add hours to my day but there are down sides. Once things slow at work and that should be Tuesday unless I truly am a workaholic (I think not, I think I just care about people and believe in working hard) will make a doctor’s appointment for that trazodone I’ve been fantasizing about.
I think the real deal is that my brain is in overload with swallowing all the changes in my life, new information pouring in, new challenges, new activities, tons of new people. No time to process it all. I am one to take things a little slower. Takes time to ruminate, look at it from a more relaxed and creative space. That’s why my thoughts seem intrusive at night and sleep is elusive. Maybe blogging will help. At least I am not bogged down with doubt or second guessing. There are a lot of political calculations that go into even a local race and I am able to see some errors but I am doing a lot of things right as well.
There is a local guy who aggregates local news and writes some columns. He declared me the winner in my race, “thoughtful and eloquent”. I had a narrow lead on the online poll in spite of not voting for myself or gaming the system. I’m not above pointing out a poll to some friends, created some votes for Confederacy of Dunces in the library One Read program. (Next year I will create more. They don’t respect the intellectual capacity of the common person and that will not stand.) But you have to be an online subscriber and I am a read an actual piece of paper kind of guy. I tried to buy the online subscription but couldn’t figure out how to add it on to my subscription. I will have to call their subscription desk I guess. I have an outlet that stopped working too. I checked the fuses and they were cool, the outside light on the same switch works so it can’t be that. Its hard to be poor and helpless. My broken step needs attention, scares the house guests. Think I’ll pop over to gmail and start dealing with that one right now. Done.
Let out a big yawn, maybe getting up in the middle of the night and blogging was not a bad idea. I might have zoned out in front of the TV but only one channel comes in and it was an infomercial. I also drank some ice tea that has some of that Organic Nighty Night, powerful stuff.
Hit a lot of doors, did a lot of walking. Walked Fido early and no one was at the park so we took a lap around a pond and then a woman with her standard poodle came and they played a bit and I chatted her up and gave her a card. Sarah came over and laid out my turf and we finished my first precinct. She drove, kept me organized and walked with me. It made it fun on a cold and drizzly, to outright rain that could have been miserable. We had Korean for lunch (they stopped doing the Be Bim Bop in a stone bowl, won’t be eating there again any time soon).
I went out again and got more doors. Doing my own precinct now. Did my street and found less support then I’d hoped. It would be nice to generate more signs. Missed a couple of houses including one I’d hoped to hit up for some money. Don’t have very many friends, or neighbors for that matter, with dollars. But I had forgotten the West was off their address so they were in a different place. Had to change my patter being I had hit most of them up for signatures to get on the ballot and after a long day in the rain I wasn’t as shiny as I would have liked. Got back on my rhythm (big word for no vowels) but by then to late for my street.
Called a couple of sitting councilpersons. Had long talks so didn’t have to arrange meetings. Both very supportive and encouraging with some good tidbits. Mostly keep doing what you’re doing, talking to voters, steering clear of trouble. Finished my follow up calls and ready to go to bed early and sleep the sleep of the just. Feel ready to give it another try now. thanks for reading faithful reader, looking forward to bringing the blog back public soon and mixing it up. Using it more for therapy these days. Let these rampant thoughts out, decompress. sleep.
rocked on through the weekend
Its Sunday night at 9:22. I’m pretty tired but mind is spinning a bit. I made a jar of sun tea and put in one pack of the Organic Nighty Night tea that was snowing me. I also put in a ginger and a couple of chai. Thought it might be good at night. Thinking about a doctor’s appt. on the insomnia. There is a sleeping pill called Trazodone, a tricyclic anti-depressant they mostly use as a sleeper these days. It builds up a level in your system so it doesn’t have the problem of tolerance and dependence that goes along with all the other sleepers and why I even use the tea sparingly.
I’m tired though and expect to sleep well. Got a load of laundry done and another on the line and pretty much caught up on that front. I don’t have a large array of dress clothes. This week the big night will be Thursday with the Chamber candidate forum and a Legislator forum where I will have to try to meet people at the Library. It will also allow me to see what to expect when I do mine with the League of Women Voters.
I knocked on about fifty doors today. It was sunny and in the 50s I think. I was in a jacket some, in a sweater some, and put both on for the final push. Didn’t win a lot of commitments but had lots of positive interactions and only one “We’re not interested” before I got half way up the driveway. I think they thought I was a Jehovah’s Witness or something.
I’m a little congested and feel like I fought off a cold or the flue. Tomorrow I have a site visit at work with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health so I need to go in a little early and pull some charts and do a quick walk through. It’ll at least be a day off the grind. Monday night is big night, doors if I can swing it, phone calls to local power brokers, follow up calls to the weekend doors, and need to write my intro and closing.
I got up early today and made bean soup. Its vegetarian and a little bland. It seemed better at lunch. Jeff brought homemade bread that was just incredible, better then Uprise, and Vicki made an apple pie from scratch. Trevor and Lisa made a nice salad so it was the deluxe spread. Long meeting afterward. Think I used up all my focus up.
wow, what a day
I didn’t post yesterday. I hit a wall, stymied by trying to complete a campaign ethics report online and then navigating through establishing online banking for the campaign account. Ate up my day light and I didn’t get to talk to any voters. It was a stressful day at work, with a tight frenetic pace and no longer have the option to just work a little longer to wrap it all up. But if going the extra mile were easy it wouldn’t be a commandment and everyone would do it.
Today was a good day. I went to bed early last night not even finishing my absinthe, served classically. Thanks John for the absinthe spoon, a rarely used but much appreciated kitchen gadget. If you don’t know you serve absinthe by pouring the shot over a sugar cube which rests on a slotted spoon that has a little bump to go over the edge of the glass. It clouds the water in a particular way and hard on the liver I hear so I drink sparingly. Last night I had the barest sip before deciding to hit the hay and let the glass sit on the counter. Left the house smelling like licorice and I finished it tonight after canvassing.
Woke at 4:00 and felt pretty good but lay in bed and pretended to sleep until 6:30. I got dressed, business casual, that’s probably reason enough for my work to be proud I’m running, finally dressing like your supposed to. Creates a hurdle to engage with folks who are more ghetto for lack of a better word. Poor people make assumptions about people in ties, usually correct ones. Now people are surprised when I talk about my sister who is addicted to crack (3 years clean though, so no shame there, nothing wrong with being an addict just doing drugs. some of the best people I know are addicts.) They used to take it as a given, I was more like them.
April 4th I go back to being me.
Today I put on slacks (long johns underneath for canvassing), dress shoes, dress shirt and cardigan. Debated the tie and realized it was Saturday. I made the call as all the city staffers and managers were dressed in their business casual/fancy casual except the deputy manager of a department who was filling in for his boss. He had a suit cuz he didn’t know. The Ward 6 candidate was in a tie, he didn’t know either. I sat next to him and we related as candidates.
His opposition is closer to me politically. It was nice meeting her and getting her perspective. I also introduced myself to the conservative council person who came even though he’s not up for re-election this year. He told a funny story about goofy constituent calls where someone complained about the parking enforcement double parking while they wrote him a parking ticket. The councilman brought up the beer trucks that block the street willy nilly servicing the bars downtown. “Well I like beer trucks”.
I heard presentations on city government by the city manager, and all the department heads and the municipal court judge. It was really informative and I am largely impressed with how the city is run. Columbia is the best governed place I’ve ever lived (with apologies to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place Monroe, Michigan; Berkeley, California, and Toledo, Ohio. Honorable mention to Rossford, Ohio because I didn’t know enough to follow local politics in my 19-20 years).
I learned that at our current funding for street repair we will repave the streets every 57 years. Streets last 30 years. We also have big pension underfunding issues, a storm water situation that is not getting the resources it needs and revenue is flat to down. We’re going to have to be really smart with what we do with our little dollars.
I was most impressed with the city manager who is personable, smart and a good leader. Seems like he is taking the city in a good direction. I am also impressed that we have maintained good reserves which has cushioned us through the tough times except for transit which is going to need some additional revenue or major cuts to services.
Neither of my opponents showed up. In a way it was cool, allowed me to relax and be treated as the heir apparent. I also learned one of my opponents had voted against GetAboutColumbia a $4.3 million (this year) Federal grant for non-motorized transportation as a Parks and Rec Commission guy because some people don’t like it. Its controversial, blow back by motorists who feels bicyclists are getting uppity or something but damn, that’s got to be a majority issue, even if you hate trails that’s a lot of jobs to be against.
I got interviewed so imagine I’ll be in the paper. Hope my professional head shot got in to the paper in time, although I like the unflattering float trip pic. they pulled off Facebook for the first story. Keeps me humble being a homely mug with a giant melon. Canvassing and staying on my dog walking schedule is going to have me looking good by April. I’ll have to come up with a scheme to keep it up.
After the interview I grabbed some Indian food, delicious downtown and hit the streets to canvass. The new flyer is out and looks a lot better with the new photo. Tomorrow I need to schedule another photo shoot, get the dog in the picture. I let him out and then canvassed until dark. I had a brief hiatus to wait for flyers but some down time was appreciated.
Had some good houses today. Met an anti-obesity community organizer and talked quite a bit. I went to one house and no one came to the door even though only the storm door was closed. A kid came up with a scooter and I gave her a flyer and asked her to give it to her parents. She said, “I don’t have parents, just a mom. I had two moms but one moved out.” I was thinking I was sorry I missed her as with a story like that it has to be someone I know and sure enough I heard Mike, Mike shouted down the block and got caught up with an old friend.
I’ve hit 126 doors. Not to shabby though I am off pace. It may not be realistic. I am going to try to recruit a driver to speed the process. I made my follow up calls. I talked at length with an older couple about the state of the neighborhood and they are going to talk to some neighbors and may gather a group to meet me. They live in the same block as the sweet old lady I talked to at length about not knowing her neighbors when she didn’t come to the door. When I left a message for one she had specifically mentioned she did not know I mentioned the possibility of a meeting.
I have this dream where the older folks meet the newer folks and everyone feels a little safer and a little more neighborly. To rekindle our cross-generational interactions. It might start on Garden Drive. I’ve been praying for that little old lady. After that did some business and looking to wind down and get some shut eye. Tomorrow morning is my own, you can’t canvass before noon on Sunday as you are supposed to be in church. If its at all nice I will walk Fido to the dog park and try to chat up some dog people. Fido has been getting his walks but its been after dark and he needs to see more dogs to have as much life satisfaction as i would like him to have. John was sweet enough to remind me that even with being busy Fido has a better life then most.
I know that. I got no room for guilt. I’ve been working hard all day, every day and get to sleep the sleep of the just. Its a good thing to work hard and try to help. There’s a lot of mess out there but there’s a lot of room for growth if you’ve got a little hustle and a lot of compassion.
an experiment in selective visibility
Hello friends, I am assuming the only immediate readers of this blog will be my subscribers as I have made the blog private for a few months. So for now, thank you for reading. I am honored that someone would take the time to subscribe or find what I have to say interesting enough to read regularly. Or at least appear in a folder to be considered reading. I’m assuming this will still go out in notifications. If you would like to be added as a user so you can use links or look at old stuff send me an email or make a comment and I will add you.
If you haven’t heard I am running for city council in my town and I don’t want to make my worthy opponents’ opposition research to easy. Of all the things I have done for the campaign thus far including devoting all my waking hours, giving less attention to my dog, asking strangers for money, asking my friends for money, getting a haircut, giving up tennis shoes and t-shirts, showering and dressing up every day, shutting down my Facebook account, neglecting my yard, cutting back on cooking, eating more fast food, driving more, and the stress and troubled sleep, giving up my blog is the hardest thing I’ve had to do.
This seems like a nice compromise. I can still pour out my experiences and some day they will go back out to the wild world. I’m just hoping to lay low for a while and not get tarred for having had an interesting life and daring to share my adventures with the wide world. If it all comes out it won’t be terrible. I would defend any thing on here but we are trying to shape a campaign message around majority issues to shape a consensus to improve our neighborhoods.
I feel I owe it to the folks helping me to not take prudent steps to reduce the chance of causing unnecessary distractions from the issues that will help us win and make the city a better place. And I got a cell phone. Shewww, I must love Columbia. I’ve been cell phone free for 3 years and I like it. Occasionally inconvenient but mostly I don’t want to talk on the phone when I’m not home or at work. Plus beaming EMF radiation through your ear whole is a dubious past time when no one really knows the long term effects of that behavior.
I need it for fundraising calls. People want to reach me too. I guess I can deal for a few months but then its back. I don’t feel like cell phone people are ever totally with you. I notice this in session. They all have to look and see who it is. I always say “go ahead and take it, its alright”. People are quick. Most cell phone calls are “where you at?” “I am here?” Like a dog barking “I exist, I exist!” If you don’t tell people to take calls then the person calls back in 8 seconds. And then again.
Everyone who drives by me at a high rate of speed inches from my shoulder when I am walking is talking on a cell phone. Well that’s not true, some of them are texting. My throat is scratchy. I am trying to ward of sickness through positive thought and drinking fluids. Maybe I’ll take Nyquil tonight. Two bad nights sleep in a row. Got some hard sleep late but was still tired. Not much at all the night before.
Will try to wind down a little earlier tonight. Calling in sick and laying around all day wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I am committed to doing some campaign banking and canvassing unless I am sorely laid low.
Been thinking about my mom. Jane who did the photo shoot, thanks Jane said my mom must be proud. I bet she is. I was talking to John tonight about that and if she were alive she would like the haircut and dressing up and being in the paper but until I was on TV looking competent she would be wondering if it was all a fool’s errand.
I met someone like that, nothing like my mom this guy was a dismissive jerk but the same kind of respect for the tube. “Ah I’m not into that” after I give my opening spiel. I offer a flyer not entirely sure what he means by “that” since I know he is an April voter, a political elite in modern America. He says “I don’t want that. Why aren’t you on TV?” I started to argue, I was nonplussed by this arrogant passivity. I felt like I was defending Democracy. “That takes a lot of money, I don’t have that.” “You could go to Council Meetings”.
True dat. Next one I will.
Gepetto, I want to be a real boy
Good morning faithful reader. Here in Missouri we had a beautiful weekend of weather and I unexpectedly had a little time on my hands. Yesterday I got some serious time in the garden and completed the cold frame. It was sunny in the 60s and it was too windy to finish raking the backyard. I also futzed around with the big compost bin and remembered to leave it open before the big rain last night. I finished shoveling the cold frame bed and pulled out the grass clumps because the biggest chunk of it was yard prior to the Fall.
I planted lettuce and leaf lettuce. I was out of seed, the seed catalog sitting on my counter unread, so I added some broccoli, cabbage, and peas figuring I would eat the little plantlings in salads. I didn’t have much luck with keeping the deer out of them to growing to adulthood. That sort of thing is supposed to be really nutritious and I would like to eat more salads.
Its been strange living by myself. Its hard to cook for one. I’ve been making a big meal and then eating it for days until it is gone. I made this bowl of dressing that has been two meals thus far with many to come. It was really quite delicious. I took my stale bread crusts, mostly whole wheat store bread, some whole grain white, some wheat/rye made slow to stretch the yeast (14 lbs of flour with the yeast pack) made in a clay oven in the woods in a 19th century camp out by my friend Jeff, and some holiday bread from my sister Betty that got stale on me.
I had sliced and all that dry, I keep a dish of it going through the winter and make dressing when I get a bowl full. I had frozen some Thanksgiving turkey and the drippings and I added that. I also added a bunch of celery, 1/2 red onion, yellow onion, 6 cloves garlic, maybe a tsp of thyme, 1/4 tsp mace, and the rest of my dried white sage from the garden I had dried last year (maybe 2 tbsp).
I baked it in my biggest glass mixing bowl with foil for an hour and without file for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees. Let it cool and yum. The mace really sets it off. Its a powerful spice. I added lots of fresh ground pepper as I didn’t put any in to cook. For left overs I sliced out a piece and baked it in the toaster oven with some smoked gouda and served it with a couple of farm eggs over easy. Will likely do the same for lunch. Better think about dinner, maybe salmon patties and a salad.
Saturday I took Fido for a hike. We were at the dog park but it was such a nice day everyone was there and there were to many big dogs for Fido to relax and run. So we walked down to the trails by Cosmo. Actually that was Sunday, yesterday felt like Sunday but it was Monday being MLK day yesterday. Saturday I did campaign stuff all day. I have two plans to go forward with and am awaiting someone else’s decision which created this space. I also closed down my Facebook account. Hadn’t realized how much I relied on it for pseudosocialization. Maybe I will go out and be a real person instead.
Multiconstruct 
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