my hero for the day is my friend lisa, of just lisa. why? because she's gotten into the middle of the politcal frey - she's found a candidate she believes in and she's doing everything in her power to get him elected. now, lisa isn't just any ol person, and she's not living in a political place. lisa is in rural iowa taking a stand for barack obama. she's been talking about him for awhile now, and while i haven't gotten on the obama bandwagon fully - her post today is the kind of thing i needed to read to convince myself to get on obama-wagon. i'm still not fully convinced - kucinich is really my guy, but he's certainly not electable - but her passionate description is enough to get most people convinced.
yeah! lisa for doing the hard work - the work that people don't thank you for doing. yeah lisa for getting in the trenches and facing all the stuff that people throw at you down in those political trenches. it's hard work, it's never ending, its work that sometimes tears your heart out - but in the end it is worth it. and me personally - well - i'm currently standing on the sidelines watching it all happen - wondering if i'm going to jump in or not - but i'm grateful lisa is there. if no one else thanks you lisa - i'll do it. thanks lisa for doing the work, i appreciate you being a part of the political process - and frankly - it's never too late.
...
So I need to remember my GOOD list is long
Despite the intolerance, greed and exclusion,
Sweet blessings abound in abundant profusion.
I've plenty to eat and clean water to drink
And an outlet to write and to say what I think.
I'm more or less free to speak out with impunity
Thanks to my friends and supportive community.
Tune in and refocus, I tell myself now,
And watch what goes on without having a cow.
Try to stay open, serene and aware,
Change what you can; for the rest, say a prayer.
So even though much is oppressive and hateful,
I still have a lot for which I can be grateful.
i went away to baltimore and how lucky did i get? uncle chas is there, along with his brother. my ma is there too. now, it was nice to see my ma, but it was my uncle chas and his brother that gave me that sense that i get to get whenever i leave this place: i am not the only person who exists who questions the status quo. i am not the only one standing up and demanding that things get better when others are sitting back, benefiting from the risks we take and taking distance when the risks we take don't pay off. for 2 days i didn't feel like my skin was rubbing against me, i felt comfortable in my skin.
about
i'm brooke, born in '73. i am currently a phd student in instructional technology. this is the blog where i capture all the neurotic, and the few non-neurotic, moments that seem to come with being a phd student (if you want to read less neuroses and more professionalism go to: oer's, dl's, reuse and culture: it's about a phd student researching digital resources in a multicultural world). i have been from eugene, oregon for a long time.. 8 years specifically (its my home now, but i grew up in southwestern virginia), but now i'm here in logan, utah at utah state university. after finding my roots in eugene i never could have expected that i would leave that liberal oasis and head to utah. but i did and there are days when its a blessing and days when i'm tempted to go back to oregon and beg the folks at lost valley educational center to let me move in. but i won't leave because there are days when this process is better than any kind of high i could ever imagine. what else? i collect things, i have 2 cats, 2 kayaks, 2 laptops (i'm a geek - one mac, one pc). i can be emailed at brookesblog@rivervision.com.
