Moving my Stuff

So, took most of my stuff to the condo today in three car loads. The first was my friend Jon from my program. The second was Ben, who I know from Willamette. The third was Katie. Katie and I spent some time unpacking stuff and putting it away. Even though it's much smaller than the apartment I'm leaving (tonight is my last night) it's much more space efficient, so more things have places where they should go (walk-in closet, coat closet, linens closet). I'll take more pictures next week so you can see my progress. Time to grade pop quizzes.

Russell joins the propertied class...

We closed with the lawyer at 11 AM today. My dad had to call to tell them he's still alive (since he's co-signing). I have to be out by 4 p.m. on Sunday. Friends will be helping me move (that'd be a lot of trips on my bike, even with the saddle bags).

Here are some pictures I took today:

[NOTE 1/21/08 lost pictures when I switched host]
Living room. I think the flash didn't go off--the picture was dark and I did a quick and dirty job of making it lighter in iPhoto.

Eating area.

Isn't the sink pretty?


That's (the reflection of) my friend Ben (WU '01) who was checking the place out. The built in desk is cool, I think.

Kitchen. They still need to install the range--he bought the wrong power cord. So I took it at a werid angle to try to cut it out and make things look better.

I'll have more photos after I move in and decorate.

I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President

Amen. Molly Ivins rocks. By the way, when my post titles are blueish that means they're links, redish not links. Got that?

What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do 'whatever it takes' to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF

Witch Hunt at UCLA

Good piece on the subject.

so this is what I have to look forward to...

UCLA Profs.com - Exposing UCLA's Radical Professors (A project of the Bruin Alumni Association)

They've been in the news for their offer to pay students to record the lectures of radical profs at UCLA. They rate the radical profs on a scale of five fists. The three from Poli Sci only got three fists where two profs from Anthro and several from History got five...

keith_lee: Poverty, Race & The War: MLK Then & Now

My friend Keith, who I met waiting in line for basketball tickets, wrote this excellent post on MLK. Check it out.

Neorealism

Reading the collection Neoliberalism and its Critics for class tomorrow. About 215 down 135 to go... Anyhow, for a taste of the stuff my life is currently made of, check out the Wikipedia entry for Neorealism

happy MLK day

I'm going to post an MLK quotation every year on MLK day. Last year I just posted some pictures and linked to two good pieces. This year's quotation mentions Latin America, so I stuck it in a Rulablog post.

Also check out this piece about how we need to remember all the other people who were part of the movement, too, many of whom gave so much:

Beyond 'I Have a Dream': Remembering Dr. King

the isolation of solitary living

Wow. It's 7:15 and I just realized the only person I've talked to all day is the woman who rang up my stuff at the drug store... Weird how that can happen, but it's also nice to take some time apart from people. Anyhow, going to call my mom and sister so the not-talking-to-people should end soon.

Oh, and I'm the worst grad student ever. Making myself read is hard, but I slowly get better at it.

Sparks Fly Over Flyover at MLK March

Wow.

The Rev. Herman Price, chairman of the city's MLK Commission, said the flyover was meant to honor King, and he is dismayed by the divisiveness it has caused.

"It all depends on how you look at it," Price said Thursday. "They say the planes represent war and bombs and death, but at the same time those planes can also represent our freedom and peace."

But City Councilwoman Patti Radle, who objected to the flyover in a letter to the editor in Wednesday's Express-News, doesn't see it that way.

"War is a different system working for peace. Martin Luther King was not part of that system," she said.

City Councilwoman Sheila McNeil, whose district includes the march route, contented the flyover is exactly what King would have wanted.

"I think that the military plays too significant of a role in our community for us to ignore them and not include them in this march," she said. "They are the reason why we have peace, and this is MLK's peace march."

[...]

Tommy Calvert Jr., an East Side activist, said when he tried to rescind the flyover decision at an MLK commission meeting Monday, Price would not allow it.

"I think I'm going to wear a gag bandana in my mouth since I was not allowed to call a vote on the floor in solidarity with the dozens of people who were there to overturn the vote," Calvert said. "If you're going to honor Dr. King, you have to honor the nonviolent point. It's fundamental."

This Modern World

I love this comic. I have to buy books online for one of my classes. I went with Amazon because it was cheaper. I'd found the books and was about to check out and then remembered that if I click through a link on this site he gets a small kickback. So I left and went to Amazon via the site. The point is if you're going to buy books online (and I try to go with local bookstores as much as I can), it's good to go through a site that'll get someone a kickback, either this one or a different one. Also, check out the comic if you've never read it. It's funny political commentary.

back in NC

So, Ben and Sarah were nice enough to get me at the airport, now I'm home safe and about to eat pizza rolls I put in my toaster oven.

short update

Feeling a little bit better. Today I went to the mall with my mom to get shoes and other stuff. We watched a bunch of Scrubs, both season 2 on DVD and two new episodes that aired tonight. Annie and mom both thought the older ones are better. They're probably right. Started reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for the second time. If I continue to be better I'll try to go to San Jose on Thursday.

Happy New Year

I try to post to Russell's Ramblings at least once a week, so I'm a few days past due... Not much going on with me. I'm still at my mom's. My sister and I are both sick and waiting to get better before we can visit relatives in Sacramento and San Jose. So just taking it easy. Nice to not be alone, though. I return to NC next Saturday. I've been watching Scrubs on DVD and reading (just finished the Star Wars novel Labyrinth of Evil, which was okay, but not as good as Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, which I finished on the flight here. Also reading Globalization and Its Discontents.

Thought I'd adopt a new template for the new year. It's called "Tic-Tac Blue."

Now that the semester is over I've been posting a fair amount to Rulablog if you're interested in Latin America stuff.