THE DRAFT?!?!? from an email I got from a librarian (you can always trust librarians with the truth)

The Coming Draft - Skills & CombatAnti-war This is a Special Military Draft Alert.In May, the Seattle Post Intelligencer published an article about a document they received through the Freedom of Information Act. It was revealed that the SSS is currently “designing procedures” for the implementation of a “Skills Draft” and had held a top-level meeting on it with Deputy Undersecretaries at the Defense Department. This draft would change the essential mission of the Selective Service and require “virtually every young American,” male and female ages 18–34, to register for the Skills Draft and list all the occupations they are proficient in to fill labor shortages throughout nearly the entire government. If enacted, the Skills Draft proposed in this FOI- recovered document would change America as we know it.The Pentagon is suffering from immediate labor shortages. Recently, the inactive Ready Reserve had to be called up for the first time since the Gulf War to fill 5,600 job shortages in the Armed Forces. DoD said in the recent IRR callup “20% of the call-ups are truck drivers, 12% are supply specialists who can use a computer to track supplies, 10% are Humvee mechanics, 7% are administrative specialists and 6% are combat engineers” (USA Today, August 8, 2004).Although Congress would have to approve new legislation to create a Skills Draft or reinstate the combat draft, Family Circle reported in its July 13 issue that Karl Rove had polled GOP members of Congress in September 2002 to see if they would support the President if he requests reinstatement. The Republicans said they would vote for the draft. They would likely support the new legislation needed to create the Skills Draft. While Bush and the Republicans are of course keeping the return of the draft and the new skills draft as quiet as possible, many anti-draft organizations have recently begun warning of a “Coming New Draft. ”The Issue Paper document was revealed through the Freedom of Information Act by Seattle Post Intelligencer reporter Eric Rosenberg, who wrote a partial explanation of it that was printed May 1, 2004.Rosenberg’s article was edited, however, and some key points about this document were omitted in the published article. What follows is a full explanation of the document.This document is real, having been acknowledged by the DoD and the SSS when they said no action is being taken on it at the present time. However, given the current manpower shortages for certain skills and nurses, if Bush gets back in, expect all the options outlined in the Issue Paper to be implemented by the end of December of this year, and at the least a non-combat skills and medical draft to start next year, if not the male combat draft, ages 18 –25.Despite Rumsfeld saying the draft is not needed, this is the same neo-con administration that has repeatedly lied to and misled the American people. Draft-age youth and their families are left looking at a “long, hard slog” in Iraq (Rumsfeld secret memo), the neo-con plans to invade still more nations, and then having to take Rumsfeld and Cheney’s word not to worry about the draft, that they “are not considering it at this time.”Although official word is that this secret list of options is not being implemented—the Issue Paper options have NOT been rejected and the 6-page proposal is rather sitting in the Pentagon, waiting. In addition, the SSS itself has said that it is “designing procedures” (Seattle PI, May 1, 2004) to implement the skills draft, meaning designing the compliance cards and the data fields needed to keep track of “virtually every young American” and their skills. Acting Director of the SSS Brodsky has also said the Skills Draft is the “top priority” of the Selective Service for 2004.>From the FOI document, we now know that on February 11, 2003, Charles Abell, the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and William Carr, Deputy Undersecretary for Military Personnel Policy, met with Lewis Brodsky, the Acting Director of the Selective Service and some other officials. This is the highest-level meeting you could have about the Selective Service, outside of Rumsfeld and his inner circle. They were there to discuss the urgent “issue paper” now revealed, which starts: “With known shortages of military personnel with certain critical skills, and with the need for the nation to be capable of responding to domestic emergencies as a part of Homeland Security Planning, changes should be made in the Selective Service System’s registration program and primary mission.”Although it would require changes in current draft law, the far-reaching proposal shows how far the Republicans are going to plan and prepare for a huge expansion of the draft. The Issue Paper options include: Change the very mission of the SSS to become a massive conscription service in the War on Terror for the entire government. Conscript men and women in a critical skills non-combat draft up to age 34 with no deferments of any kind, except “essential community service” (like the Medical Draft). Allow a non-combat draft for shortages in critical skills, without calling a combat draft. Fill labor shortages of all kinds throughout not only DoD but the whole government, especially high-paying professionals like computer networking specialist or linguist. Create a massive database of “virtually every young American” ages 18 to 34. This database would be used to draft in war and to recruit in peacetime. State and even local governments would be given access to the names for recruitment and help in emergencies. Create a single-point, all-inclusive database, in which every young person would be forced to send in a “self-declaration” of all of their critical skills, chosen from a long list of occupations like the Armed Forces Specialty Code. The self-declaration is similar to IRS compliance and the filling out and signing of your tax forms. All young people would be required to keep the government updated if they acquired a new skill. SSS Compliance forms will be available at every Post Office. The usual penalties of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine would apply to all non-registrants. A draft or recruitment could be for any one of the skills you self- declare on the compliance form, not your current or primary skill. This greatly increases your chance of being drafted if you are 18–34. Bring the Medical Draft (HCPDS) up to speed and fully test it through readiness exercises. Reduce induction time from being able to deliver all inductees in 193 days down to just 90 days for skills inductees.This secret paper urges the mission be changed “promptly,” meaning they really need it, it would draft for the Pentagon as well as the enormous Homeland Security branches as well as other government agencies, even state and local!For obvious political reasons, the decision was made by Bush, Cheney and Rove to sit on this 6-page proposal until after the election in November. Yet the SSS was told to go ahead and begin “designing procedures” for the Skills Draft in 2004 and make it their “top priority.” It can be expected that if Bush gets back in, and the DoD and SSS are still asking for the Skills Draft, the “Next Steps” part of the document will be put into action and the most expansive option to change the SSS mission will be rapidly legislated.In the secret planning meeting document, the next steps strongly recommended by SSS Acting Director Brodsky were:1. “Promptly” redefine the SSS Mission to draft men and women up to age 34 for skills, and deliver them within 90 days or sooner to the Department of Defense. Program a massive database to be ready to enter millions of names of those registering their critical skills.2. Expand mission to deliver personnel in skills draft to the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, including FEMA, NSC, Border Patrol, INS, Customs, Corporation for National Service, Public Health Service and other federal, state and local government agencies.3. Form interagency task force to provide Administration with recommendation on this skills draft for the entire DHS and the rest of the government.4. Obtain White House Statement of Administration Policy on the future of the SSS.5. Be prepared to market the skills draft, raising the non-combat age to 34 and the drafting of women to the Armed Services and Appropriations Committee.This proposed expansion of the draft, forcing all people under 35 to register with the SSS, man or woman, is primarily proposed, according to the document, because the cost of providing contract professionals, like computer network specialists, would be “prohibitive.” In this way, the proposed Skills Draft would help preserve Bush’s massive tax cuts for the wealthy by lowering the massive budget deficits.That’s the new Skills Draft and the secret document behind it. But what about the Combat Draft?Selective Service has been registering young men for over twenty years and at any moment the President can go to Congress and ask them to reauthorize conscription for the male combat draft for ages 18–25. It doesn’t take much to imagine a re-elected Bush going to Congress and saying “We cannot cut and run from Iraq or the War on Terror. I need you to reauthorize conscription.”And they would not have to pass a whole new draft law to do it. All that is needed is a “trigger resolution,” which could be passed in the dead of night—and bingo! No debate, no regular bill, just a short resolution passed quickly and the draft for men 18 to 25 is back.That is why the Democratic draft resolution being offered by Rangel and Hollings is totally irrelevant. These are known protest bills and actually propose drafting women for the combat draft, just to make sure they will never see the light of day. Rangel and Hollings offered them to raise the issue and confront Bush. Hollings even said he wouldn’t vote for his own bill!They are not needed—and the press and the Republicans will bring them up as red herrings to distract everyone from what is really going on: the Republicans, and the SSS are quietly, behind the scenes, oiling up the draft machinery—getting ready to reinstate for the Spring of 2005. Taken singly, each of the clues indicating the return and expansion of the draft might seem insignificant but when you add them all up with what the Selective Service is doing to gear up the combat draft, a clear pattern emerges, leading to the inescapable conclusion that a Bush re-election will see not only a Skills Draft, but a return of the Combat Draft as well.What is the proof? The government’s own document, the SSS Performance Plan for Fiscal Year 2004.The Selective Service System, or the SSS, has for decades operated at a low level of readiness. Readiness Exercises are conducted on a multi-year cycle but historically these have been little more than getting draft board volunteers together and going over the procedures of what would happen under reinstatement and training new members every summer. And the draft boards themselves have become 80% vacant over the decades.In the current 5-year cycle of exercises, however, the SSS is clearly ramping up the draft machinery to an unprecedented level.“Strategic Objective 1.2: Ensure a mobilization infrastructure of 56 State Headquarters, 442 Area Offices and 1,980 Local Boards are operational within 75 days of an authorized return to conscription.”Tie that to this objective:An annual report providing the results of the implementation of these performance measures will be submitted by March 31, 2005.75 days from March 31, 2005 is about June 15, 2005. According to the 2004 plan, the draft boards will be “operational” then, meaning that they will be set up in 1,980 local offices around the country. If Bush asks for reinstatement on April 1, Congress could pass it that night and the first batch of more than one million 20 year-olds would face the national lottery as soon as that date, June 15, 2005.Here is how the $28 million is being spent according to the official document. Although the Senate rejected the funding request to bump up the SSS budget to $28 million, the SSS says in one paragraph of the Performance Plan that budgets will be “adjusted” to cover the additional cost for 2004:Strategic Goal 1: Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Manpower Delivery Systems (Projected allocation for FY 2004: $7,942,000)Strategic Goal 2: Improve overall Registration Compliance and Service to the Public (Projected allocation FY 2004: $8,769,000)Strategic Goal 3: Enhance external and internal customer service (Projected allocation for FY 2004: $10 ,624,000)Strategic Goal 4: Enhance the system which guarantees that each conscientious objector is properly classified, placed, and monitored. (Projected allocation for FY 2004: $955,000)In analyzing each of the 2004 goals in detail it is obvious that there are hidden “activation bombshells” in this so-called Performance Plan. Goal number 1 in particular brings the combat induction process up to 95% operational readiness, going so far as to actually hold a mock lottery drawing this year and to issue sample orders to report for the famous medical exam. The document does not reveal the day in 2004 the mock lottery is to be held.In addition, the Medical Draft, or Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS in the document), is for the first time brought up to full readiness by next year. This draft would take men and women up to age 44 if they are doctors, nurses or one of 60-some medical specialties. No medical deferments allowed. Previous readiness exercises merely went over what would happen with HCPDS and updated the guide. The 2004 plan actually develops a readiness exercise for the Medical Draft that would be conducted next year. Plus HCPDS must be ready to conscript by June, being part of the system.Goal number four is particularly ominous:Strategic Objective 4.1: Ensure a mobilization infrastructure of 48 Alternative Service Offices and 48 Civilian Review Boards are operational within 96 days after notification of a return to induction.Strategic Objective 4.2: Develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Alternative Service Employer Network to specifically identify organizations and associations who can, by law, participate in the Alternative Service Program. This network will provide jobs for ASWs at the local level. Prior to activation, SSS will develop a draft MOU for use when obtaining agreements with qualified employers at the local and national level.For 31 years, the Conscientious Objector system, called the Alternative Service, has lain dormant. The 2004 plan also calls for this to be brought up to speed and to be ready to decide cases and place COs in the Alternative Service by July 6, 2005 (96 days after March 31, 2005). The SSS is even going so far as to draw up the SOPs, the Standard Operating Procedures which identify local employers eligible to receive cheap AS workers and to also draw up the actual MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding the employer must sign to get their CO workers and allow their mandatory attendance to be monitored. This is the last obstacle to be hurdled before the draft could actually be ready for quick activation under the law.In sharp contrast to all this preparation for a Spring 2005 draft by Bush, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry has proposed a military plan that rejects any draft, by adding 20,000 active duty combat soldiers and 20,000 active “reconstruction specialists.” At a Wisconsin high school, Kerry pledged in June, 2004, that the draft would be “absolutely unnecessary.” When asked in April by 130 college editors in a conference call as to whether he would support a draft, John Kerry said unequivocally: “No. No draft” and he has criticized the use of the Guard and Reserve and now the Individual Ready Reserve as a “back-door draft.”Kerry plans to spend an additional $7 billion to strengthen the Volunteer Army in what is essentially a “No-Draft Plan,” Moreover, Kerry is strongly opposed to the neo-con plan revealed in Wes Clark’s book, in which Clark was told by a senior Pentagon official that invasions of Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan and Somalia are still to come over the next three years.Source: http://www.blatanttruth.org/alert.htm

How to Surviving Library School

1. Never take it seriously. However, you will still learn a lot.
2. Take off at least one class per semester--drink beer or cook yourself an elaborate meal or take a bath or dance sweaty and naked at a popular club instead. If you go every week, you will drive yourself nuts!
3. Hold your nose and dive into cataloging. Once you understand it, it will be clear. I once spent 12 hours studying cataloging in one day. Ow.
4. Take as many different kinds of classes as possible. I have taken classes in Readers' Advisory, YA Services, Marketing of Libraries, Online Research, Archives & Manuscripts.
5. Before taking classes, ask around. Library students, like librarians, are usually friendly and will offer you advice about classes.
6. Keep up-to-date on what's happening in the library world.
7. Join library associations--most organizations have student rates which are WAY cheaper. ALA is about $25 or $30 (can't remember), and I also belong to SLA, NYLA, and the New York Library Club. Once you graduate, they're a lot more $$$.
8. Learn to love ALA and RLIN and OCLC and MARC and YALSA and etc etc etc. You will soon learn what all of these mean, that is, if you enroll.
9. Get the Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure.
10. Don't worry about shushing--no one does it anymore.
11. If you are white, with glasses, and female, you fit the standard of 99% of librarians. I do not have glasses, but am everything else.
12. If a class is boring, amuse yourself in other ways--write notes, write letters to friends (hi venessa!) in your notebook and mail them, do reading for other classes, day dream, make grocery lists, etc.
13. Librarians are friendly. Ask for help!

i don't know why i thought i could handle two classes plus write my thesis plus stopping dubya from getting selected again. oh yeah, plus get ready for this huge wedding (shoes? updo? an updo in greenpoint? exactly.) oh and i may or may not be going through a breakup of a 5 year relationship (no dates please, i really dont want anyone but the one i have, but if he leaves, we have no future...he may be taking a job in mass-ugh-chew-sits.)

i've been sad lately, and here's how i plan on doing staying strong:
1. spend a lot of time alone. i don't want to be around others when i'm sad.
2. cook. i made lentil soup AND a quiche yesterday (well two actually because something happened when i messed up the recipe.)
3. yoga.
4. run.
5. write.
6. don't talk to other people, or if you do, limit what you need to converse with them about.
7. cry. when it gets really bad, call trish. or melissa or venessa or jessica or my mom, but really, my mom doesn't want to hear it all. she would but then she'll hate trev. my friends get over it quicker.
8. work on thesis.
9. read books in bed. wear long pajamas, hair in a braid. cat is on pillow next to me, just a little lamp on, a cup of tea next to the bed. sleeping cap optional.

how silly this all is. i'm depressed. give me a hug!

oh my god i'm watching movies!

anyone that knows me knows i rarely watch movies. i've been getting into the documentary bandwagon (although i always liked docs, there's really so many terrific ones out lately!) and have watched several movies worth of watching again.

farenheit 9/11
amazing. i hated bush but i didn't realize how hardcore he had betrayed me and other americans. it's insane. sad. angry. wanting to create social change. it's the story of how dubya knew abt 9/11 and his actions. i watched it twice, in the theatres.
twice in the theatres is a world record for me.

the yes men
i cheered for them at the human rights film festival and then watched their film. amazing. it blew me away. i enjoyed it so much i am going to pay to see it this weekend. basically it's the story of these guys who create a wto-look-a-like website www.gatt.org that gets them several invitations to speak as wto reps...and the hilarious results. inspiring for activists.
one at a preview, once (to be) in the theatres.

the corporation
amazing. http://www.filmforum.com here in nyc is showing it. it's amazing and examines the corporation psychologically as if it were a person--and the insane results. very informative and interesting.
once in the theatres

outfoxed
i wanted to see this and finally rented it from photoplay. i got so mad at o'reilly when he's yelling at this guy who is against the war and whose dad died in the wtc--SHUT UP!!! it's insane and you also learn more abt how rBST is so evil. i drink organic milk, you should too!
rented once

the weather underground
in 1969 a group of people broke off fr sds to form the weather men. these people advocated violence to create a revolution. crazy the things they did, but it was really interesting.
rented and watched 1 1/2 times.

any movies to recommend??? let's have a date!

what is an antonym. no, what is a synonym.

how do you do with a breakup or a reunion? how do you deal with a kiss or a fist? what do you do with a cat and a mouse? and how does a thunderstorm with a sunny sky exist? your body when you work in a cold office in the dead humid heat of summertime? what is the purpose of opposites? of dirt roads and a konkrete jungle? of family but a family that lives far? can it all exist, within the same universe?

i'm posting on my blog a lot lately...i don't know, i really like my computer. trev has been away so i'm totally being productive. the house is clean, the laundry hanging, homework being done (some of it), calls returned, cats on diet, bills getting paid..we might break up forever, and then what? i'll be productive but alone..."sad and lonely" as my grandma would say. let's not think about this all, my cat is trying to eat my receipts as my love has not called me back.

a terrific anonymous Salvadoran poem:

I, Like You
Love Life, Life the Sweet Enchantment of
Things, the Celestial Blue Countryside on
January Days.
But My Blood Boils and I Laugh With the
Eyes That Have Known Tears.

What do you do when you really don't like yr job but it's not all that bad but still you've been looking for as long as you work there but everytime you talk about leaving your mom and others say, "But it pays so well! And your boss is so nice, and it's flexible and good to work at during school..." And you just want to scream, "I choose the poverty of a librarian over this crap!"

Welcome to my life.

My friend Kickassica is leaving her corporate job for school. Lucky her. I know that I'm only going to be here till May at most but still I want to escape. I have an interview in a few weeks for a job at a public library--paying less than half of what I make now. (But with benefits, etc.) I don't know what to do.

Why does my job suck?

1. For starters I hate the corporate world.
2. It's located in the Financial District.
3. I am a temp and they refuse to hire me as a perm. This means I don't get health benefits, when I do anything my email is US NY Library Assistant.
4. Even though I was hired as an assistant, at some point my boss decided I'd be a junior librarian, and I started doing research. I think she likes to call me her assistant (her=powerful) but I hate it. I absolutely hate it.
5. I hate photocopying.

So what should I do? Should I escape? Should I run away? Should I suck it up and stay?

disgruntled, part 2

everyone seems unhappy here at work. what does this mean? i don't know. i have to carry a heavy backpack (with all my books for my thesis that i'm returning) to a school in another borough...

you don't want to hear me whine though! (and neither does trevor, but poor boy, he does!)

weather.com lied--there wasn't any rain during the day today either! i would've worn flipflops but instead my dirty pink diesel sneakers.

the state of the world is unsettling. i mean, gwb is prezzie! um, i don't think so!

can someone figure out a way for me to maintain my sanity? thanks, i really appreciate that....

until next time, i'm a tomato lover. my dad grows the best tomatoes, the best, i love sliced cold tomatoes with salt on them.

disgruntled and tired

the semester just started and already i'm tired. my thesis is going to be super time-consuming (that's why it's worth three credits, cherie, duh!) and my head feels heavy. i would like a blanket and a pillow, please. sleep at work.

lately work is back and forth. i'm doing "clips"--you gather all the news from the past month or so on a specific topic or company--i've been doing banks--retail and investment. i know, sounds pretty thrilling but i WANT to do research and honestly, i've been bored to tears lately.

i wish my job was in soho. or it was not in the financial district. and i wish i didn't have to deal with the corporate types. this job is good for now--very good financially--but i'm confused abt my future.

queens and i have an interview--the question is: can i settle for that much less $? (yes as long as trevor doesn't leave me.) can i deal with a longer commute? (not really.) can i do public? (yes as long as i'm not working in a horrid hood.) we'll see.

it's crappy weather--rain all week--although tomorrow it's just supposed to be cloudy. i'm not a duck, i hate rain.

pause. sit in your little chair at your computer and pause. read this and then close your eyes. where would you really like to be? now close your eyes.

did you close your eyes? close them! now relax.

me? i'd like to be in a tropical cabin on the beach on my porch or in my porch at my house in greenery--sleeping on a comfy porch futon with my honey and my kitty. then, then i can dream of bigger things. like a good job at an academic library and more $ and getting my novels published and two cats and happily ever after...

so i actually did something today, and it's only 2 pm!!

i got up, swept and mopped the floors, and did all that boring cleaning crap yr lucky if you do once a year. before trev moved in, i'd clean weekly--usually i'd straighten up daily and on sundays or some weekend day, i'd spend a few hours mopping and that sort of thing. so i'm proud i cleaned today. of course, i must admit trev is away.

if he was here, there's no doubt in my mind. we would've slept later, lazed around in bed not doing much of anything, checked my email, etc. so i'm glad i cleaned.

damn, there's all that boring reading i have to do for library school. i'll go over to the greenpoint cafe and drink some blood orange tea and read. how dull.

here's my top ten of things everyone should do in the next month:

1. register to vote.
2. register others to vote. check out the swing states. if you liked farenheit 9/11, visit http://www.michaelmoore.com and read all his stuff, then visit the section on what can i do. there are tons of sites where people are registering people to vote.
3. clean their houses. dust is sucky!
4. make love, not war.
5. get yr pet vaccinated. there's tons of places that provide low or free pet vaccinations. i'm going to the sunday petco extravanganza. poor kitty!
6. follow the news. follow at least one thing in the news so you can talk intelligently about it. hurricane francis? the tradgedy at the russian school? who can't afford the hamptons because they can't even afford to eat? you choose.
7. buy a birthday gift for your friend. now buy yourself a gift because you're so cool!
8. do something totally outrageous. go to the financial district in fishnets with anti-bush pins all over your purse. use food coloring to dye all your food, invite friends over for breakfast, and serve them green oatmeal, purple eggs, red water.
9. do your homework, call your relatives, iron your clothes, and be a good girl.
10. kick out the prezzie bush, and love your fuzzy bush. "my bush is better, it's fuzzy like a sweater! not like that prezzie peter, my bush is simply sweeter!"

that's all folks. have a lovely day! i promise to be updating this blog with increased regularity.

okay i am totally procrastinating at this point. i have to read six chapters plus two articles for class. my stomach hurts. let's see...

wait, i heard a question. what does miss cherie do in a day?

MS. CHERIE!

okay, what does ms. cherie do in a day?

here's what i did today:
630 am: snooze goes off.
730 am: i get out of bad. change into very unsexy running clothes (neon pink spandex shorts and gray sports bra). put on of those "water bottle on a skinny fanny pack type strap" on. put half of a power bar in my pocket.
930 am: no water, no powerbar. i ran all the way to the botanical gardens. eat cantaloupe while standing in front of the fridge. shower.
1030 am: after cereal, go to the bank. there are literally 30 people in front of me. there are two or three tellers. go to the library. b/c of the holiday, it is closed.
1100 am: eat couscous.
1130 am: take the 7 train to 5th ave. go to the verizon store who updates my phone which i doubt will help this problem. (how come my settings have been updated twice already with verizon and never with att or voicestream? what's the deal?) return a pumice stone at the body shop that was defective, and get a new one.
1131 am: the library is closed, the midmanhattan one. curse.
1134 am: get a large smoothie. feel better, but realize i make smoothies better.
12noon: check my email. straighten up the house.
2 pm: decide luna needs some exercise. take the b43 to the park (i'm not walking with that fat thing in a bag on MY shoulder!). some guy tells me all about his dead cat. heshe is freaked out and pees on her leash. good kitty.
230 pm: get peaches. old ladies think luna is so cute. she is clutching onto me like never before. i know she's not being affectionate.
240 pm: luna does not even TRY to go after the pigeons.
3 pm: take the b61 back home. i am filthy because kitty got dirty. take a shower.
320 pm: keep smelling smoke. smoke comes in my winter. i decide the building is on fire. grab my flash drive (my writing!) and am stuffing luna into a bag in the hallway. see my neighbor and tell him i smell smoke. i run outside.
my downstairs neighbor is barbecuing under my window.
330 pm: leave my house for upper west side.
4 pm: see this performance "circus amok." kids like some parts but it's mostly geared towards adults. a lot of antibush jokes! yay! the cheerleaders and i laugh.
6:30 pm: get home. my stomach feels like it's about to explode. try to do work. procrastinate instead.

i'll probably actually do my homework later. my friend was supposed to come over today but i don't think i'm up for anything. brown rice please. and water.

plenty of water!

why i am so mad right now

Police and Protesters Spar a Last Time, Over the Peace

September 4, 2004
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD and MICHAEL WILSON



Police and protesters are engaged in one last dispute - this
time, over why the demonstrations outside the convention
ended up relatively tame.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/04/politics/campaign/04protests.html?ex=1095339312&ei=1&en=ba2af72921cb8ecd


Okay so the above article is such BULLSHIT!!! I can't believe the NY Times totally lied like that. One of my friends (a cheerleader) was arrested and the stories she told...I almost cried. Cops tightening plastic handcuffs after someone complained that they were too tight and the hands turning BLACK. people fainting. medication denied. phone calls, lawyers denied. bathrooms denied. food and water denied. crowded conditions. the people were kept in a former bus garage and there was oil all over the floor and probably asbetos in the air. Sugar cane, who has asthma, had trouble breathing and was denied her inhaler.

For more of the truth, email me cheriecat at aol dot com That is such BS.

a gigantic apology

i know i have totally neglected doing this blog over the past month and a half, but here's a bunch of reasons why. (oh yeah and please note, i feel so ill as i'm writing this and keep having to run away from my computer. i have cramps and a stomach ache and this feeling that won't let me do the BORING reading i have for school!)

1. I am in school. This summer I suffered through a treachorous "Archives & Manuscripts" class which would have been wonderful had the teacher been able to teach. She looked down at us, and talked constantly of Long Island. I grew up there but...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! If you are interested in going to library school, Queens College has a cheap program: http://www.qc.edu
2. MY TRUE LOVE MOVED BACK TO NEW YORK!
3. MY TRUE LOVE GOT A JOB OFFER IN MASSACHUSSETTS! (Hopefully if all works out well with this one job, then he will be here, yay!)
4. I have somewhat but not totally been writing. My writing partner, Venessa sends me edited drafts, which has really helped. Don't worry, my novel (one of them) will be coming out one of these days. In the future, I will be posting more of my writing to http://www.worldofcherie.blogspot.com You should check often.
5. My sister moved to Wisconsin. I drove out there with her. I really hate Pennsylvania, also Ohio and Indiana and Illinois. Driving in a car crammed with stuff where you barely can fit in--not fun.
6. I worked. My job is the same. Bleh. I like some things (like the $) but honestly, I need out. I have an interview for less than half of what I'm making at the end of the month--we'll see.
7. Radical cheerleading! I will post something separate about the RNC protests but for the past three months we have been having practice once a week, cheering at various events, sometimes cheering throughout the streets in our "Happy Hour Cheertime." Very fun. Exhausting, too, though. http://www.nycradicalcheerleaders.org
8. I am in the NYC marathon this year and have not been regularly lately--bad girl. This marathon is gonna kick my ass for real! Today I ran for two hours. I'm tired. If you want to start running check out http://www.runnersworld.com
9. Being part of a rad project called Radical Reference. Librarians offering reference on the street to activists. Check us out on http://www.radicalreference.info

Have a wonderful day and don't get as busy as me. This fall I'll be busy with:

1. Training for the marathon.
2. Taking two classes--Online Retrieval and Young Adult Reader Services, as well as writing my thesis (on the topic of Alternative Libraries) which is worth three credits.
3. Working. Trying to find a better job.
4. Trying to write and work on inputting all the edits Venessa recommended.
5. Going with the cheerleaders to various states to register votes and cheer. We are going to PA next weekend (or VA if that falls through) and possibly some of us (probably not me) to Colorado. WE NEED TO GET DUBYA OUTTA OFFICE!

Library School

My teachers (all white) have been:
a hip (now pregnant) Hungarian special collections guru who was supernice and sometimes wore glasses;
a computer nerd (he agrees) who wore glasses and was nitpicky, to say the least;
a lazy Merchant Marine librarian with a thick Greek accent;
a glasses wearing romance-novel-loving lesbian;
a hip middle-aged woman with a terrific energy and a wonderful passion for libraries and books;
a Jersyite obsessed with Jasis and the intellectual world of library science;
and a 60-something with short blonde hair, small thick glasses, earrings that look clip-on, and sensible shoes.
The last teacher lullabyes me to sleep Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. She has a kind grandmotherly voice, perfectly manicured nails, and rarely moves from her seat during class.

I wonder if an MLS will make me happy. I'm exhausted, wishing I weren't just halfway through library school.

I miss childhood. Or collegehood. Or MFAhood.

here's some of my favourite sites…

www.nycradicalcheerleaders.org
okay I am the webmistress, but it's rad!

http://www.abebooks.com/
a great website for finding hard-to-find books.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/
I use this site at least weekly…has terrific translation advice as well as articles and information about languages that are becoming extinct, etc.

http://www.airamericaradio.com/pub/globalDefault.htm
if you haven't started listening yet, you will. I never thought I'd be into talk radio, but I'm totally addicted now…! yow! "unfiltered" is good, as is everything. I laugh like crazy during the randi rhodes show. you can listen over the internet, thru satellite tv, or over the radio.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/
music of all kinds. right now I'm listening to judge jules. amazing stuff, really. plus those cute british accents. yum!

http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-searchresults.php?submit=ByRelease&limit=100&start=0&sort=collectionid&collection=naropa&PHPSESSID=0993fc1eb82a7a03a09c726e80a7f320
my alma matter…this is the website with readings of waldman, ginsberg, and many of the other postmodern greats and others. terrific stuff. you can dl and then listen…!

some other news sources:
http://www.atrios.blogspot.com
really funny political website, often featuring news fr the extreme left field. right on! I read daily…

www.nytimes.org
I read this paper b/c it's written intelligently, and b/c it's good to know what's happening worldwide.


very funny…and I must break it to you, but although it seems true, it's a satirical paper.

www.alternet.org
another one of my fave sites. a good alternative news source.

www.salon.com
you have to watch a brief ad, but it's worth it.

after running an amazing pr and nearly winning an extremely difficult 10k, my college coach asked me what my secret was. this is also the secret to life:

1. eat candy bars (powerbars are also good but i prefer the real chocolate!)
2. eat half of a entire vegan cake (well, it has honey but we lied and said it was vegan)
3. stay up all night dancing
4. get no sleep
5. cold and pouring rain
6. leave late but speed up to catch up
7. be in a bad mood and say constantly how much you hate everything
8. stretch
9. eat 4 of mrs. schemerhorn’s cookies prior to race
10. go out slow
11. get boxed in at the beginning
12. run hard

i had already been involved with it for a while before i began to think about it. before i began to actually think about what i was doing. it’s like i knew it but i was in denial so that others wouldn’t realize. but then i was in love and it was time to think if this was for me and of course it wasn’t, nothing ever is for anyone unless it’s love.

mermaidia


through territories i navigate my way through the thickness of the air, as if water. pass schools of fish with ties, carrying briefcases, cell phones glued to ears, “yes sir,” corporations, capitalism, american way of life.

manhattan island, surrounded by water. connected by bridges, tunnels, ferries, trains both above and below water.

run along the east river. pass pollution, south street seaport smelling fish, seafood. see old asian men grinning with sunburned skin and fishing poles, squinting at sun. run over brooklyn bridge into magic, over water, what if the bridge collapsed.

or greenpoint, little polish girls staring at me as i show them yes you can show skin/be sexy/do anything as a woman as i run along the “beach” in williamsburg/seaside/what call it.
(where zodiac serial rapist and murderer preyed on his victims, all young women.)
scared, not enough cop cars, run over the williamsburg bridge.
(a woman was attacked on the bridge, raped and they/he pushed her body off the bridge into the water. that was late at night but still, sometimes you don’t see anyone but the occasional j/m/z train which can’t help you.)


we’re in kensington, 10 min train ride to brighton beach or coney island. eat cotton candy and nathan’s and june’s mermaid parade, ride oldest surviving rollercoaster, the cyclone, screaming from the top as you think the rickitiness is going to push you off the edge, a good view of the ocean. dirty.
(hospitals in the eighties were discovered to be dumping medical waste into the ocean. people started getting murdered at coney island. bad. people went to public pools, not risking the dangers of the beach. everyone was afraid of syringes with the aids virus stabbing them mid-swim, or gang members stabbing them as they might be trying to win a stuffed animal for their sweetie.)

here i survive. a mermaid on land. blow dry my legs daily after my bath to ensure that i will not reveal my true self. when the j train goes over water, i am sometimes tempted to stand in between cars and jump off. return.


garbled words, water fills their ears. their mouth can’t hear not sure what to say or do and nothing makes sense. skip shells and rocks along the beaches of far rockaway. nothing in the sky, not starfish or stars or fish, but lights, fake created with no imagination.

revere another way of life. i reject stability on land. i cannot help but feel this way in myself. it is time for a swim away from civilization.

(c) copyright 2002 c. yanek

we're so cool, yeah yeah, yeah we're so coo-cool! (bratmobile...right???)

anyway im totally beat. dyke march was today--awesome and incredible!!!! lesbians dancing topless and wearing outrageous apparel and they LOVED our cheers. had SO much fun. lost my voice.

"you cheer? why?"

"we cheer! we lead! we know there is a need!"

okay b/c it's entertaining, b/c it has a political message, b/c it's fun, b/c it's exercise, b/c i love my squad!

also i saw michael moore's farenheit 9/11. everyone EVERYONE should see it. it links bush with how he pushed us into the iraq war, and his relations with the saudis. crazy.

so you need to check out these two sites:
our radical cheer site

and michael moore's site


i'll write more after i've slept

hugs and kisses!

FICTION:

she arrived late to work that morning, but it didn't matter. on the rare occasion that her boss arrived on time, he was likely to be eating a fried egg and cheese (sometimes with ham, on one of those "un-heart healthy days" as he liked to call them), spilling his latte on his paperwork that he tried to ignore as much as possible, or participating in a loud conversation on his cellphone about matters that could never be mistaken to be work-related.

she took off her coat and put her soup she made and ate the night before in the fridge. she washed her hands to clean them from the subway grime, and turned on her computer. at the tea and coffee station, some overworked/underpaid administrative assistant had brought in a coffeecake, and she steeped a cup of earl grey tea in a styrofoam cup as she sliced herself a piece of the aforementioned cake, placing it on a napkin. after her tea was dark, she threw the tea bag in the garbage, added a packet of sugar (not sweet n low) to her tea, and poured in enough milk to make it "light." she returned to her desk with the tea and cake. she thought about getting a slice for jimmy, her boss, but she worried about him getting too fat. she stole the jetblue crunch airplane guide to yoga from a recent flight and got a book of "stay slim from your seat" exercises, including her personal favorite, squeezing a massive dictionary between one's thighs. she only had a pocket, which did not work as well. with these methods, and irregular attendance at the gym, she managed to avoid the infamous "secretary butt." she could even eat cake with tea, after an earlier bowl of granola with peach yogurt.
she logged into her email, typing in "freedom" as her password. she checked her voicemail, and wrote the detals on a yellow post-it pad. she opened up her personal email account, deleting the porn first, and listened for her boss. she sipped loudly at her tea and felt impatient for five o'clock already. it was 9:34 a.m.

i cleared out one of my closet. i think only drag queens have more clothes than i. for me to clean out my closet, it's a HUGE deal!

it's official: trevor and i are meant for greatness!

so...my life as a "single" will change. i'm kinda nervous. i'm busy, running around, barely seeing my friends, neglecting to call my crazy grandma. my laundry is piling up. i haven't written in weeks. hopefully venessa and i will become famous writers b/c then we can have fifty collected letters books. i write this girl a few times a week.

so what else is going on with me?

things at my job are VERY unstable. my boss is super cool, is going to try to give me a raise to help me pay for my insurance. rah! my job isn't perfect but it's really nice for now...i hate the financial district ugh. basically there are rumours "we" are being "bought" and this is why they don't want to increase their head count. which means if/when "we" are "bought" i may not have a job. so i've been looking....

i got called for an interview for a press liasion/digital archivist. hmmm not sure if i'm going to be okay for it. i hate interviewing. i'll have to lie to leave work early.

i'm going to san francisco this weekend to see mikey. it turns out he has to work for part of my trip (great....) but i'm psyched to go. i really love san francisco.

trevor is convinced there will be a terrorist attack during the RNC. while i'll be in a cheerleading skirt, shouting about social injustic. *sigh* i don't know what to do. weren't we warned/worried thanksgiving/new years/etc/etc..."we think something might happen"...color levels rising...yellow orange red whatever. i just want bush out of office.

thinking abt how all of us use the word "bush" in that sexual way a lot more than ever lately. we're all so funny in the activist world...

i've been cheering A LOT lately. i am the webmistress of our website (totally ghetto, i don't have the time or skills...) so check it out if you want to check us out, let me know.

what else...i'm running a race on my birthday in central park! i'm turning 25 can you believe it? i'll also be having a "girl drink" party, so if yr my friend, you know the deal.

luna just got a new collar. it's purple with "rhinestones." she's not impressed.

LOVE TO MY FANS!

how to avoid looking like a sweaty pig in the midst of summertime heatwaves

yes you look like a pig, sweating and wiping your brow with the bottom of your shirt. interested in looking a little less gross? well summertime means sweat but here's a few ways to look a little nicer.

1. deodorant plus antiperspirant. i have a little debate within myself because i am scared of aluminum (breast cancer and alzheimers may be somewhat caused by this) which is in most antiperspirants. trevor uses arm & hammer's manly man deodorant which is okay but i smell like him all day. by the end of the day i smell gross, so i won't be lifting up my arms. i also have the kiss my face deodorants which are okay...but again, towards the end of the day you won't be lifting your arms. use aluminum and get cancer or alzheimer's possibly (most people's choice) and not sweat or use something else and be stank. if you choose the latter option, be sure to carry around the deodorant and reapply in the midst of the day. now hug!

2. keep it all trim. a while ago, i decided i didn't need to shave my armpits. no i didnt but i soon discovered that the sweat hung around longer because it got caught in the hairs and i smelled more. yuck yuck! keeping body hair (including the hair on yr head for that matter, though who am i to talk) neat and trim will make you sweat less.

3. fans, and air conditioners.

4. sandals, open-toed shoes of all kinds, and light fabrics. i was running in shorts and a sports bra this morning and saw some dopey hipster with a knit cap and jeans on. it was only what 80, with 90% humidity? no wonder he's sweating...and probably smelling!

5. determine where it is you sweat. the small of your back? your forehead? behind your knees? i sweat within where my cleavage would be were my breasts big enough. i used to tuck a paper towel in between my breasts walking to work or the train. this way, the paper towel, not my shirt would absorb it. this may not work for all areas.

6. drink a lot! NO NOT ALCOHOL! i'm talking water, cold juice, icy smoothies. caffeine (what's in most sodas, coffee, and teas) actually dehydrates you! if you're going to drink caffeine, be sure to drink a lot of water too. gatorade is great.
ed tells me, "for every alcoholic drink you have, drink two glasses of water." if you are planning on getting hammered, when you come home, don't pass out into bed. get a LARGE bottle of water at a deli by the bar, and drink it on your way home. drink as much water as possible before going to bed, and leave a big glass or bottle of water next to your bed. tylenol is good to prevent hangovers.

7. furry friends, your fur on me makes me feel gross. luna, sorry. MEOW!

8. don't go running at high noon. tanning at the hottest part of the day may get you a terrific tan but will dehydrate you. please drink lots of water. you will sweat.

9. hey remember, sweating is your body's air conditioning! right on!

10. "air conditioned" clothes are acceptable provided your air conditioning is not in certain...er, locations.

HAPPY SWEATING!

a few types and people in my library school
sad but true

1. middle aged moms. usually nice, sometimes annoying. the worst thing they ever do is talk about their children too much.

2. twentysomethings. that's me. we're either hip (me) or dorks. the middle aged moms look down on you, "oh you don't understand/know that. you're too young." whatever. it's their revenge for getting old. or something. now i hate proving myself that i'm smart even at 24 (25 next june 5!) but whatever, i'll be like, i miss those days, when i'm old.

3. middle aged men. they drive me crazy. they think they know it all and never shut up. they are SO annoying. like the jerk who harassed me after my presentation on censorship and wouldn't shut up b/c he's a boy scout leader and thinks we shouldn't have books on sex b/c he thinks his son should find out abt sex from him. yeah, if i was his son, i'm sure i'd prefer a book than him. but honey, it's not just you using the library: what about the people's whose parents won't tell them? freedom of information and access to information: the two fundamental beliefs that libraries are founded upon.

4. the paper eater.

5. the fussy nitpicky wannabe libraries who demand everything is JUST SO. AUGH!!!!

ME? i'm twentysomething but i'm a chatoic librarian. i support cats in all libraries!

so i need to figure out my life

god, will this girl stop whining? yr probably wondering. nope. my mother raised me to whine. it's a yanek trait. just kidding. but seriously, i can't go on like this anymore.

my job:
it's OKAY but JUST okay. the pay is fairly good, most of my coworkers are very cool, and i really like my boss. im not too fond of the financial services industry, and i hate the financial district. not to mention im not getting BENEFITS YET! i am trying very hard to find a new job but no luck so far. why wont they just give me benefits???

how does anyone else get along in life?
for example, i set my alarm for 510am, i wake up at 610 or 620 (the former being if my mother calls me, the latter if i get up myself), scoop the litter box, change into running clothes. i wish i could run for 60 minutes but i usually only have 30-40, and that's pushing it. then i go to work (sometimes late which doesn't really matter), imitate "office space" for a few hours, email jessica and venessa. lunch i go to the library or wander around battery park or try to write. then i get out at 5pm (5:01 i'm already on the street, don't try to stop me), if i have class i have to walk to the e at wtc, which means i go to class and don't get home till 10pm, but if not, i go home. laundry, feed cat, clean house, make dinner, do homework, talk on the phone with trevor/family, it all seems pointless. i don't have time/energy to write: AND THAT'S THE ONE THING I LIVE FOR. of course i live for luna and trevor and all that other good stuff but writing, that's what keeps me going. and i'm barely going.

i'm already late for work so i'll end this now but any advice would be appreciated...

i decided it's best for all of us to abstain from carbs.

wait, i didnt mean bread. i love bread. and cookies and pretzels and fruit and bagels.

i mean, carbs, and rice.

C Cheney
A Ashcroft
R Rumsfield
B Bush

No Carbs!
No Rice, No Condoleeza Rice!


influenced by a stranger in tompkins square park

HOW TO SURVIVE A DULL CLASS



*yawn*



ever had a boring class? of course. a boring day at work with nothing to do but you need to look like you are doing something? a telephone conversation with a friend that sucks? a wedding that bores you?



here are some useful tips to liven up any boring moment. remember: be subtle and quiet, and every so often, lift your hand up to your face, gently touch your lips, nodding your head, “of course,” and repeat words that may be important.



1. discreetly create your grocery and to-do lists. while it may be difficult to recreate the missing items in your refrigerator, a quick call on your mobile phone to others in your house will surely help. just keep your voice down so you don’t draw any attention to yourself.

2. on the same paper as your notebook paper, write letters to friends, relatives, and politicians. consult with a pocket dictionary only when your teacher says a big word.

3. stay in shape. all these classes are going to give you “student stomach” and “secretary butt.” flex and stretch your legs, squeeze in and hold your stomach, and do butt clenching exercises. yeah! now you don’t need to go to the gym.
4. if you must drink alcoholic beverages during class, please keep the alcohol in a sealed thermos. straight up vodka is okay in a water bottle. be careful—if you spill it, others will smell it, and want some too.

5. doodle. draw pictures, write words, including any anger you may feel towards boring and annoying classmates performing their latest monologue.
6. put an e book on your pocket pc or tablet pc and pretend to take notes. you will be reading a wonderful book instead. try to pay attention every so often.

7. to ensure your professors will leave you alone, before or after class approach them, and say, “I’m going through some very hard times lately. I apologize if I’m not performing my fullest.” they will be sympathetic and look at you less.
skip it altogether.

8. if possible, give yourself an extensive manicure and pedicure.

so you want to go to a rally.
here's some surefire preparation tips. remember: the less you have on you, the better, because if you're going to be screaming, kicking, jumping, marching, dancing, flyering, whatever, you want to have as little weight on your shoulders as possible (unless you have someone who wants to hold yr stuff, then bring the world!).

SUNBLOCK
this is impt even if it doesn't appear to be sunny. get a small size to keep in your bag with you just in case you need more.

THROAT DROPS
these are essential if you're going to be doing any amount of screaming, and prevent voice loss to some degree.

TISSUES
portapotties rarely have tissues.

WHISTLES
for when you lost your voice and want to cheer.

WATER & FOOD
need i say more? luna bars are great to bring.

CLOTHES
you will be marching, with lots of people, and if yr a cheerleader, jumping around. dress appropriately. don't dress too warmly or in too many layers. you'll be carrying any layers you shed.

LIP BALM

MONEY
to buy buttons, tshirts, food when you get sick of luna bars

FLYERS
to hand out for yr cause, and a pen to write any extra info on them

SUNGLASSES

COMFY SNEAKS
on yr feet

What if there were no more offices? What if there were no more office jobs ever, no more offices ever again? What would you do???

Yesterday, it was beautiful. 65. and there i was, typing things into an excel spreadsheet, emailing obsessively, editing venessa's brilliant story. (okay so i'm often left with not much to do at work.) sitting at my little desk, looking out the window next to me...god it was beautiful! were people walking around in bikinis? okay maybe not that but it was gorgeous.

i get off work. i have a headache, bleary-eyed from staring at a computer for eight hours. it's wonderful. hot. f*ck my winter coat. it's beautiful.

i run in my house, nudge luna away from me as she meows for food. (this cat can stand some exercise, too!) "later, wait a bit sweetie," i tell her, slipping into a tank top/sports bra and the appropriate spandex short shorts. sunglasses. sweatband. and i'm gone.

i run up franklin, to oak, over to berry, down and make a left on metropolitan, run down roebling, where i pass a fellow runner, "hello." run fast, hit mccarren park and feel good. lie down on the side of the track and begin stretching.

the runner comes next to me. we begin chatting. awkwardly.

"oh it's so good to be outside. after being at work all day. the office."

"definitely...so hard to be in work when it's like this."

we get chatting, she works for a publishing co. we talk abt how our jobs rob us of our time. "i was thinking," i tell her, "that it's crazy how we go to work and don't have enough time to do what we want to do, and i think there is absolutely no way i can live the rest of my life like this."

we begin running. she asks me, "what would you do if there were no offices? no office jobs?"

"no offices?"

"yes. no office jobs. no such thing as offices. you could do anything else. be a nurse, a gardener, a janitor, a bartender. what would you do?"

"work in an academic library...that's what i want to do."

"no. no libraries."

i think. "i want to write...but that isn't paying the bills yet. umm...ummm....i'd be a track coach."

"so be a track coach."

"i can't with my job now. and more school it probably requires."

she says she would work with children and paint.

i realize how trapped i have been feeling lately. like i'm going nowhere. eventually, after i get my MLS i can become a REAL LIBRARIAN. but lately, with not having benefits or anything ("we're not real people," liz always says to me, another "temp" librarian who has yet to be hired. my boss says, "i don't get this. they can hire 1600 consultants but I have to jump thru flaming hoops to get a part-time librarian (liz) and a junior librarian (me) hired.") i think the white paper corporate bullshit is really turning me off from wanting to stay there.

i'm sending out resumes. i'm hoping someone buys my book. i just want to write all day, is that too much to ask.

it'd be awesome if trev did get a job in another country that paid well and i wouldn't be able to work--i could write all day. but honestly, the city inspires me and i want to stay here for a while.

my ideal day would be:
wake up leisurely (no alarms!)
go running for an hour or so
indulge in stretching while drinking gatorade
yoga
shower and eat
write for a few hours
meet a friend at a cafe; discuss books and our writing
write more
go to my writer's group and critique each other's work
go home and meet my lovey for dinner, maybe wash some dishes or something domestic like that (okay that's a bit of realism eh?)
and read before bed. (i know other people watch tv, yuck, i read yay!)

so how can i accomplish this?

i don't want to dream anymore. i'll take something else; i just don't want to be trapped.

i wish there were no more offices.

some things that drive me crazy:

yeah i love new york city, but there are some things that really make me wanna pack up and move to a small island hut where i can write and read and run all day....but wait, what do i do on the weekends? where's the library? where's the museums? where's the bars, the clubs, the readings, the neighbors, the friends?
okay i'm staying, but here's some things that drive me nuts abt my beloved home.


10. ambulances/fire engines with sirens blaring. the sound is annoying, but that's not what i'm talking about. i'm talking about those people who keep on driving b/c wherever they have to go is more important than someone dying or a house on fire. one day it will be their loved one who has died or or their house that has burned down and their karma will come back to them. theoretically.

9. cell phones. yup i have one and i use it often. but there's a lovely thing called "etiquette," maybe we should call it "celliquette." i can't stand when people talk loud on their phones or drive with their phones. it seems whenever i see a car almost/do something stupid, it's b/c the person is not following the hands-free rules.

8. tourists. they like to take pictures, often my pictures, and take up the sidewalk. ugh go away.

7. subways. yup i love the fact that we are one of the only cities (the only???) with 24 hour reliable service--but i hate when the G train takes FOREVER to come, or the E train has yet another problem.

6. too many hungry people. too many overfed people. (yeah the rich get richer and the poor go broke.)

5. not enough clean air, not enough parks to go running in. and loud noises like buses drive me nuts! well at least it means we're close to airports and other rad things.

4.
okay i admit it: I LOVE NEW YORK. i am willing to put up with this--screaming ambulances who are there within seconds, crazy subways, etc. why? BECAUSE I LOVE THIS CITY, IT'S THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD. (oh yes us new yorkers are mighty "new yorkcentric.") and don't you know what century 21 says, (something like) zagat's rated us the #1 discount store in new york city--AND THAT'S THE WORLD!

<em>WHAT I DID TODAY:
Or, How Being a Radical Cheerleading is EXHAUSTING!

Today I went to the NYC protest against US occupation and the war in Iraq. It was pretty intense. I was performing and marching with the NYC Radical Cheerleaders. We met up with a small Brooklyn squad from Pratt, and also the wonderful Syracuse System Shakers. It was so amazing!

With cheers with titles such as "Cheney is an Oil Whore," "Capitalism Does Not Work," and "Cheerleaders of the Revolution" we entertained fellow protestors and okay, showed our skirts and butts to many people. Yeah the NYC cops sure had a good time whenever we approached. We got hassled a few times by them b/c everyone was gathered around us to watch us and they wanted us to keep it moving.

But this was the best protest/march/rally I've ever been to. I felt like it was a huge party or a rave in the streets--everyone was dancing. There were Native American tribes dancing and banging away on drums with smoke, and these awesome drum squads and bands of all kinds of all people, it was amazing. We were dancing like crazy. My legs hurt and my throat is so sore right now.

Anyway, what are you doing there sitting on your computer reading this? Get up--get out! Start a revolution! Whether it be stop hating your body or dancing in the streets or saying, "CHENEY IS AN OIL WHORE," you will make a difference.

For pictures of today's protest, check out:

CONFESSION:
I read Nora Roberts...and I liked it!!!

For my RA class, we devote each week to a different genre. We have a class devoted to Mystery, to Horror, to Westerns, to Multicultural, to Bestsellers, etc. Of all the weeks, I was truly dreading the week dedicated to Romance/Romantic Suspense.

The first week of class I told my classmates, "In my MFA program, genre was a dirty word." I was serious.

I went to my Grandma Ann's and she hooked me up with a large bagfull of books. As Nora Roberts is the benchmark of the Romance genre, I had to read one of her books. My grandma had one book with two separate novels in it. I figured I'd read the first one, "Reflections." The second novel in the same volume is the continuation of the same characters.

"Reflections" is the story of a dancer and her devastating romance to the world-traveled and wealthy (of course) Seth. Of course they have fierce tempers and of course they get together in the end.

And yes, there was sex. It wasn't "erotica" but there was sex.

So I was surprised: it captivated me. It was a fast-paced read, and I read almost all of it on the train ride to school (300 pages the novel was). I couldn't put it down. This morning, I began on "Dreams" and barely noticed my commute. Oh, I'm here already? Damn!

So I like Nora Roberts. I couldn't believe it. I have to read another romance, and if I saw an interesting-looking Nora paperback, I think I'll pick it up.

When I worked at the Boulder Public Library, a coworker, Tara read Janet Evanovich and Nora Roberts. I always thought her book taste was gross. Yes the writing is pretty cheesy and terrible at times, but I laughed at the stupidity of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and was swept away in the romance of Nora Roberts.

Dear Alex Jai Ash, we were wrong! We love you!

I think I'll still stick with my usual literary fiction, but I am honestly enjoying this class. Once I read in a non-romance books, "Romances are for people who lack romance in their lives." My boyfriend lives in Fl and a cellular phone contains little romance. Therefore, until he moves back (well maybe not that long but maybe I'll read another book or two), Nora will hold me!

*Sigh*

fake fridays
thursdays are fake fridays. mondays and tuesdays I have class, and wednesdays I run around like a lunatic, doing my laundry and going to the market and picking up dry cleaning and handwashing and going to the library and brushing luna. thursdays I can smell friday. you’re coming, I can feel you…

at my job, everyone says, “happy friday.” apparently someone my boss and everyone else worked with for three months said it every friday and it stuck, I’ve been here since October and I find myself saying it too.

so thursdays. I hate fake fridays, I want friday. do any other cultures have four day workweeks? I’m moving there. then you can have a whole day to write…or paint or rollerblade or take your kitty-cat on walks… can someone please do something about fake fridays?



In Memoriam
Zowie
While you might think the above bunny-rabbit name rhymes with “wowie,” it is actually pronounced as you would the girl’s name, “Zoe.” A black rabbit with a few tufts of white, this soft thumper (yup, she thumped) was beautiful. Zowie Yanek was eight years old, and probably died from old age. She lived in a designer hutch in the backyard of 750 Horatio Avenue, where her hutch featured an screened in porch, a warm bedroom, filled with comfortable and tasty hay, and a bathroom.

WE WILL ALL MISS ZOWIE.
10 March 2004

RECOMMENDATION…

Did I tell you to all go out and purchase immediately KRS-One’s Ruminations? Well, if you haven’t time to go to the store to pick up this phenomenal book, go to and purchase it from there. You won’t be sorry. This hiphop legend has written a book dealing with philosophy, spiritualism, and what it means to be a human. Also included is a CD with some amazing talks. Wonderful!

RECOMMENDATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erika Lopez. She is crazy, she is cool, she will confuse the hell outta you--but you'll love her. Mom, this author is probably not for her. She is, however, for little girls running amok in pink clothing through the hills of Sweeden, wondering where their motorcycle maniac boyfriends are. She is a writer of many things, and hilarious. Check her out at and if you want laughter in your in-box, sign up for her email list. MUAH!

Updated to Blog:

Okay I’ll be honest. The reason I was always so PROMPT and updating my blog twice a week was because it was for a class (extra-credit). Yay! Well, I got my A and forgot abt my blog. But I learned that you all (my fans!) were asking for the address, and asking why hadn’t I updated it? I’m a busy, busy woman! But, to appease my audiences, I’ll try to update my blog every so often!

What’s been going on in recent times:

Work: it’s the same except the radio station my boss listen to tends to play billy joel songs every day. I try to hold my bladder until then, so I have a good excuse to leave the library.

School: okay I’ll stop saying I HATE LIBRARY SCHOOL. but I won’t start loving it. My Readers’ Advisory class means we read genre fiction and talk about how to recommend fiction to others. I just read a Louis L’Amour. Yuck. My other class, Fundamentals of Library & Information Science is as exciting as it sounds. I try to stay awake during class.

Parenthood: Trevor, the absent father, insists that I am NOT a single mother. Luna is not your typical cat or dog. She is somewhere between cat and dog and person. She (unlike certain obese shitzus that we know) does not eat table scraps and is long with a small head. She’s been depressed lately due to me working. I wish I could quit my job to spend more time with my kitty but as we all know, vet bills are expensive. Plus Luna likes to ignore me when I’m home sometimes, that or harass me with meows and rubs when I’m extremely busy. Still, I love my baby.

Family: my mother is still crazy and my father is still crazy and my sister is still crazy and my grandma ann is still crazy. my grandma betty and papa are bizarre, but not as crazy as everyone else. the ferrets are as dopey as usual (you know, my siblings, my crazy mother thinks). my daughter, luna, is doing fantastic. she really loves the cat dancer!

Activism: yup, I’m cheerleading again. I love wearing little short skirts and kicking my legs up high. hahah. for real, I am a radical cheerleading and have lots of fabulous tunes. interested in joining? even if you live elsewhere? google “radical cheerleaders” and see what comes up.

Writing: Did I mention I have no time??? I do it sometimes and am sending out “the real new york city” to agents. No bite so far. We’ll see…

Etc.:
*Trevor and I haven’t killed each other yet and we’re still claiming romance to be our middle name.
*I’ve been running and I’m really looking forward to a hot summer!
*Jessica and I are going to Miami for the Ultra music festival the first weekend in March—hope to see you there!
*Why is President Bush still in office? Has anyone figured this out? Let’s all hope he doesn’t stay long and that he doesn’t cause more damage…
*I haven’t had a lot of time lately and haven’t even had a chance to respond to any of the messages on my answering machine lately…I’m learning to function on minimum hours of sleep. I’m writing this at work. My cat doubles as a broom. Yup, I’m busy. Therefore, understand that I don’t have time that I’d like right now. August I’m all free and am hoping to travel (is that possible? I’ll probably end up hanging out on the fire escape with Luna…or on a terrace if I move someplace with a terrace).

Okay that’s all for now. Keep in touch friends, and I can always email you during lunch breaks or moments of procrastination. Know that I love you!

i am a runner.
five a.m. foggy. freezing: hat, mittens, scarf. still cold.ten p.m. rain mixed with hail. visibility difficult. 30s.
two p.m. sunny. humid. thirsty. 104°

whatever it’s like outside, i’m still gonna do my thing. i once heard this woman saying, “of course i didn’t run today. it’s raining!” as if she’s going to melt?! please! get to it! be strong. i’ve been strong for eleven years, and it’s tough. you go out there and do it to make yourself proud. me, i have role models. including my friends, and others: my li’l sister Melissa Louisa (national qualifier, race walk), pre, joan samuelson, and every single other person who runs is an inspiration to me! so what if i’ve been through six coaches in four years? i don’t need them! i just need me! i run—you don’t understand why i do unless you do. when you’re running 15 miles and feel like dying and someone yells, “yay, keep going! you’re awesome!” you feel great. or when you see a deer in the woods. or when you just get that feeling—that high—runner’s high, and you feel yrself going fast, faster, fastest, and you feel like you are flying, as if it’s effortless, and you feel like you are flying, as if it is effortless, and you never ever want to stop. the endorphins! the energy! i’ll feel sick, or lethargic, and after a run, i feel completely re-energized. people always ask, “you run? why? how many miles? you’re crazy!” if only they knew my goals…adventure racing, and definitely, ultra-marathons! i want to travel to race—alaska, africa, sweden, california, everywhere. see beautiful places in tough cross-country races.

mark belger said, “you know who i look up to? i look up to the five-minute milers. because they don’t get any of the good things i get. they’re out there running just as hard. they’re the guys with guts, the guys with a lot of inner determination.”
(five-minute milers are slower; decent milers are sub-4 minutes)
yeah, i’ll probably never be in the marathon or a world-class runner like those muscle-masses, but i’m gonna try, keep running, working my hardest, for me.
i love to feel excellent.
running is my excellence.
i am a runner. any questions?

hypocrisy:
saw a female teenager
wearing many animal
rights and vegan buttons
on her black leather jacket.

REVIEW:
HOLIDAY SHOPPING:
How to deal with it

Okay, so you have all these stupid people to shop for. Oh, I'm sorry, you love those people. Like your boyfriend who loves bizarre electronics and your dad who collects windchimes. Well, here's how to deal with the holidays.

Via internet:
It's almost too late to do that now--unless of course, you do the express shipping. (Like Trevor prefers.) However, internet is a great way to avoid the long lines! Highly recommended. It's also easy to comparison shop via the web--just click and minimize! Go internet shopping!

Via Macy's:
Okay if you are insane enough to go to say, Macy's, go at 6am. That's what we did this morning, and it was smooth sailing. Of course one normally might think it was eleven in the morning at Macy's instead of 6:30. But still, it's a good time.

Via various stores:
Go, go, going, gone! You are going to hurt someone. Please don't bring a granny cart on the subway and run all over the city to 8,000 different stores on the same day and still have shopping. Instead, teach people the words "gift certificate" and "check."

Via gift certificates:
A great idea. Checks are also a great idea. Gift certificates show that you actually put some time into going to the store that they would like (or you could always get one of those American Express gift certificates) and a nice thing to do is buy something small, say a Godiva chocolate bar, or a pair of socks, or some deep conditioning treatment. They'll love the little present, and the ability to pick out something for themselves.

Via you, i.e., crafts:
I'm going this route. I won't say what because some people will lose their surprise! Sorry! But here's a few ideas that I'm not necessarily doing that may give you hope if you're crafty:
* knit something.
* sew something. an apron, perhaps.
* bake some time-consuming yet delicious treats.
* make candles.
* make ornaments.
* paint watercolors.
* write poems.

via nothing:
A nice idea except you will hurt people's gifts, maybe get into fights, and receive no gifts for the rest of your life.

via tell me:
Easy. But of course like a librarian knows, sometimes these things don't exist, and you will spend more time looking for that specific item than you would finding something they would like.

On that note:
Happy Shopping, and
Happy Holidays!

Merry Winter Solstice!

prose:
coney island

it is coney island. the boardwalk. a little kitten on a pink leash and a girl smoking cigarettes, following the orange tabby. the girl is wearing too much lipstick and speaking on her cell phone, obviously an important conversation. she is crying and her makeup is smeared.


“but you can’t, you just can’t.” the caller says something and the girl crouches, presses her hands to her face, nearly dropping her phone. the cat leash is wrapped around her wrist twice. “i can’t take this, i need it to just work.”


two men were following the girl. they said nothing, except once, the guy with the red hat said, “cute cat.”


she hung up the phone. “oh marbles,” she said, grabbing the squirming cat to her chest. she suffocated her sobs into the cat’s fur. they were on the sand now. she let the cat free of her tight clasp and watched it scratch the sand, go to the bathroom, and bury it. they walked on.

An Addendum:
Legwarmers

I love my legwarmers. Last week, it was too warm to wear them in the morning, but the forecast warned of cold. I had them tucked in my large pocket, and thought of how nice these huge pockets of my coat were. Then...the G train came. I ran to catch it. People were around me. I got on, sat down, and realized...my beautiful sparkly lavender legwarmers were gone! Gone! I got off at the next stop, ran around to the other side, took the G back to Greenpoint, and ran to the other side of the track where I originally was. Unfortunately, some other legwarmer-lover snagged my beautiful legwarmers! Sob! I was quite depressed, and now, my life is just a bit empty where those beautiful, stretchy yet strong, stylish yet long, legwarmers remained.

An Addendum:Houseguests

I realize that you may read that email and decide never to be friends with me! NO! That is not it! You may visit me but I'm just saying that some people don't know how to respect a host/houseguest situation. Be polite, and I will spoil you as you spoil me. Otherwise, we will end up hating each other.

And you don't need to buy wine when you visit because I don't like it unless there is fruit floating in it...I LOVE SANGRIA!

REVIEW:
HOUSEGUESTS

This is not meant to intimidate you. This is just meant to encourage you to look into the idea of a hotel.

Hi, you want to be my visitor. I know I have a cute little Greenpoint apt with colored walls and an adorable kitten. I do have food in my refrigerator, but I stock up because I shop infrequently (I don't have time). I have a comfy futon and supposedly decent water pressure. However, if you'd like to stay, here's some rules on how to be a good houseguest. (I'm learning from the bad ones!)

1. Thank them. Often. Repay your gratitude by doing housework, taking them out for dinner, buying them a little present for their house. I've been in this situation before, and I've bought groceries, house knick-knacks.

2. Don't eat their food. Even if they say it's okay. (Which sometimes they don't!) Buy food. Honey, this is Brooklyn. There's a pizzeria on every corner.

3. If you are starving and need to eat, there are rules:
never start anything
and
never finish anything.
I thought this rule was pretty much unspoken but I guess I have to remind some people. If there is a little bit, they may want that last bite or bit, and if there is an unopened whatever, they may be saving it for something.

4. If you eat their food and ask they may say yes because they are not comfortable saying no. Also, if you are eating their raviollis with catsup, do them the favor and eat it decently; sauce. (Remember her, Trev?)

5. No sex in their house. Unless you are their goodest bestest friend they may not like this.

6. Do not messy their house. This is not cool.

7. Don't go through their stuff, or borrow their clothes or whatever you think it's okay to borrow. It may not be.

8. Offer to do your host favors, such as fetching dry cleaning or preparing dinner. They'll thank you.

9. Ask your host places to see in the neighborhood, and allow them to take you on a tour.

I don't mean this to be disparaging, that I don't want houseguests. I like houseguests, but I just don't want a roommate. Especially in my one-bedroom apartment. (Trevor, you're clear; you're my boyfriend.) (Marie you can stay over still, this isn't you!) So respect your houseguest. I try to start off on the right foot--a bottle of wine if you are going to be impeding their lifestyle, maybe some pastries (yum!) or just some love. But please, don't take things for granted. DON'T!

PROSE

The voice:
it’s like when you’re in an airplane. it starts, the engine warming up when the flight attendants are showing you how to buckle a seatbelt, in case you didn’t know by now, hearing the low rumble of the engine. when it starts, it’s like you start off the runway, and when she really starts, you’ve lifted off the runway, your plane tilted upwards, you forced back into your chair, your head pulled back, the rushing of unreality around you.

you are glad you wore a seatbelt.

REVIEW:
WEATHER

Maybe you don't live in NY. But honey, it's snowing! Blizzarding, although Dustin my Ohio-born-and-bred friend, says this is nothing. This is chaos!

Why do I hate snow? I don't. I think it's beautiful and fun. The energy is great. Everyone is running around my neighborhood, shrieking and drinking hot cocoa and "oh, do we have any more marshmallows at home" kind of day. It's the perfect day to spend curled up with a nice book. Well, my cataloging book doesn't seem so terrible. (I love it but I'd rather be outside right now.)

Here's a few reasons why I do not like winter: (Sorry Trevor)

1. Cold.
2. You are in SO many layers--ridiculous. You always have to lug around a coat and scarf and mittens and hat and you are hot inside and cold outside. It doesn't make sense. No one looks cute in winter-time.
3. Snow may be fun, but if you are a runner, it brings unfavorable consequences alongside, including:
a. Hard to run in the snow if it's deep.
b. Your feet get cold and wet.
c. After the snow melts, you have slush and ice. Slush is yucky but manageable; ice is not. Stay inside and get fat.
4. You can't take your cats on walks because she refuses to wear a hotpink sweater in the winter cold. She'd rather be naked, but she's cold.
5. Seasonal Affective Syndrome--I've got it and most people probably do. I deal by lighting lots of candles, keeping tons of lights around me.

What to do:
Check out and enter various locations until you find one that is warm enough.
Then go to and look for plane tickets and hotel reservations.
Then look sad to the love of your life (whether it be your husband, girlfriend, best friend, mother, or wealthy schnauzzer) and convince them you need to leave. Wear sunscreen (especially if you are calling out "sick" from work because they may have trouble understanding why the Bahamas are a cure for your illness and depression, which it is!) and build sandcastles. Send postcards to everyone, hahahah. Don't worry, they'll send you some several weeks later when they're in Bermuda.

BOULDER: An observation from this summer. Can we say, history? Ah well, those were the easy days, and it'd be nice to spend all day writing......

flip-flop

it seems as if every other person in boulder wears flip-flops; the other fifty percent wear either sneakers or sandals. i haven’t seen a pair of dress shoes, god forbid high heels, since my last time at DIA, and those people are all going or coming someplace, not from or to boulder, that’s for sure.
a large woman in a blue flowered muumuu wearing fluorescent orange flip-flops flip flops her way to the circulation desk. she has a volunteer pin bearing her name, “DONNA,” and hanging from a heavily tarnished chain, a silver sun medallion. she slams four books-on-tapes on the desk, and speaks before she can be spoken to. “ignore how many talking books i have checked out. it’s one of my perks, after being a volunteer for ten years.”
across from the circulation desks, a man in a gatorade t-shirt hides his computer screen to others. he laughs too loudly for being in a library, and blushes. he types furiously. he is wearing worn brown sandals, the type you buy at target or k-mart for $9.99.
behind him, pacing, loud flip-flops smacking as he paces back and forth, back and forth. a man with a long face and his hands awkwardly supporting his back, waits for a computer, sighing, checking his watch, sighing. his sneakers are tattered brown hiking sneakers, and there is a hole by the big toe, and his white socks are visible.
with stomach that looks like the owner’s “boulder road running club long-time member” t-shirt is lying, a man insists the library should purchase every neil young cd. “i drive my record shop crazy. and you don’t have this new neil young book. “a place to go?” “a journey to go?” i think it’s called one of those. you can look it up. look it up. i drive my record shop crazy. i love neil young. he’s a god. to those who realize it. really. don’t you realize it?”
behind him, a petite girl with blonde curly hair, red flip-flops, short shorts and a black bebe shirt smiles nervously. her larger boyfriend looms over her, grinning his white teeth. he is one of the few black people in boulder. she giggles as she applies for a library card. “oh really? online renewals? that’s just great.” she checks out men are from mars, women are from venus, recommended by her ex-boyfriend she tells me. her boyfriend doesn’t seem to notice the look in her eyes, that sparkle, when she mentions her ex. the woman behind her, wearing a tacky knee-length black skirt covered with sea anemones and brightly colored fish, smiles and agrees, “men seriously are from mars…maybe even another solar system.” when told about her overdue fines, from four weeks earlier, she writes out a check for one dollar on a charlie brown check, and smiles absently. “that fine was from so long ago.”
another person wearing their bike helmet indoors shakes her head, showing off her jingling turquoise earrings that match her turquoise corduroy shirt and her turquoise flip-flops. she drops several books on the table. tony hillerman. faye kellerman. jonathan kellerman. what do these people write about anyway? they’re awfully popular. the mystery fan’s husband comes up behind her, grabbing her tightly. his face is completely covered with hair, gray moustache and beard and sideburns. you can’t even see his lips. he says something and only hair moves.
a hippie girl with long blonde hair and flowered flip-flops holds on to her boyfriend’s arm. she comments on every book he checks out. he is quiet. she can’t stop laughing. “the elevator, that elevator,” she whispers loudly in his ear, laughing. her cheeks are red, her eyes sparkling. he lets her carry most of the books and walks quickly ahead of her. “wait,” she calls. he is oblivious.
a woman with cellulite on her calves and a black and white print skirt laughs aloud, talking on her cellular phone. she does not notice her husband, who wears black dress pants with matching jacket and black and green tevas, flirting and smiling at the librarians and circulation clerks. handing over his books and his card, “you look so beautiful, so pretty. you must have a boyfriend, many boyfriends.” his wife, oblivious, smiles into the phone, “make sure you take care of that, really now. i have to take care of the michelan accounts, so you can handle that one.” the man places his hand over the small one belonging to the clerk at the desk, grinning. “truly beautiful,” he continues. he can hear his wife saying goodbye, and he collects his books.
“thank you. goodnight.”

Welcome to the World of Cherie! This is my blog, and here I will share stories, rants, reviews, and praise about my cat. (heehee)

Today I'll spare you from my writing at the start, but instead will talk about the weather. Gorgeous. You'd think it'd be fall, but I'm so glad it's not. Everyone is in denial. During my evening run, I could feel the crunching of leaves under my feet but the people around me denied that: people were drinking on the sidewalk on lawn chairs, wearing halter tops and long skirts. I really hate winter, cold, although hot tea and warm cocoa is great for it. But in the summer...everything is alive, flowers, trees, animals. I am not looking forward to hibernating!

HAPPY FALL!