published in the whitworthian

March 9, 2010 Issue

March 16, 2010 Issue

feminism, spring break, and flobots.

Feminism

Hello.  Once again it’s been a while since my last post.  That’s majorly unfortunate, because I could have been posting about a lot of different things.

Such as about how Core 350 sucked, but has been getting better.  For those of you who don’t attend Whitworth University, Core is a three part, three semester class (150, 250, 350) where you learn about worldviews, religion, philosophy, and politics.  Well, it’s my senior year and I finally got around to taking Core 350.  Pretty much hated it for the first third of the class, but now we have been splitting up into our respective groups and looking at the subjects we are actually interested in.

The group I am in is called “Women in Media” and is led by a male, journalism prof.  I’ve actually enjoyed this part of Core, and I feel as if I’ve already learned SO much.  As a male, it one thing to sympathize with females who have faced discrimination and/or continue to do so, but it’s another thing to really learn the history of women’s rights and get immersed in it.  I mean, I’ve known that men have not always treated women as equals, but I’ve never been taught the history or heard about important females, especially the ones who are not widely familiar.  I had never heard about women’s groups that advocated for women’s rights and their role in history.  I had never heard about Ms. or Bitch, two different feminist magazines that are actually really interesting.  As in, if I had the money, I’d subscribe to them.

One of the questions Jim, our prof, asked us was, “Do you consider yourself a feminist?”  I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t raise my hand.  Well, after hearing a couple responses from other classmates, I realized that I was very much a feminist.  However, that doesn’t mean I have been advocating the rights of women as much as I believe I should, and that’s too bad.  But I WILL be working on that.  Guys can be feminist too, so don’t be scared of the term.

This next paragraph may be offensive to some, so skip over to the next section if you must.  Another thing I learned (through the dean’s dialogue) was about the disparity between one word that describes female genitalia and the word that describes the male sex organ.  The disparity between “cunt” and “dick”.  I have head the word “dick” plenty of times, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard “cunt” used by any of my peers/friends/etc.  Diana, a theater prof here at Whitworth talked about how the word “cunt” is thought of as the worst word out there.  Why is that?  She said one reason that may be is because female sexuality is supposed to be more reserved, and uh nicer?  Those aren’t the exact words, but it went something like that.  Or what about having a big dick?  Nobody talks about having a big vagina.  These sorts of conversations aren’t exactly comfortable for me, but I think (along with many others) that it is important that they are brought up.

Spring break

Yeah spring break!  It’s almost here.  Unfortunately I have some Core homework to do…but it’s a good thing I don’t care too much about the class.  I mean, I want to learn, but I don’t necessarily want to write policy papers.  Also, I had a glimmer of hope that I could find some temporary work over break and I posted a Craigslist ad looking for temporary work, but so far I’ve only received an email about taking part in some shady study.  From a girl named Kim, who said it was nice to meet me.  Yeah, right.

It’ll be great to see my family and friends back home though.  Since I’m planning on staying in Spokane for the next couple years, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to visit the west side…but hopefully fairly frequently.  I want to be able to rest some this break, but I have a feeling that I’ll be keeping busy.

Flobots

Flobot got a new album out!!  I think they may have been the the band that got me into hip-hop, even though they’re not really hip-hop.  They have some great socio-political content in their songs, and just good beats in general.  Check em out at http://www.last.fm/music/Flobots/Survival+Story or http://www.lala.com/#album/432627041169211653/Flobots/Survival_Story%5C.  It’s a little different than their first album, but still really good good stuff.

temporarily, possibly permanently moving to vox.

i’m trying out a new blogging platform called vox, so my new posts will all be over there.  check it out at: http://localmisfit.vox.com

-caleb

EDIT (3/18/10):

I am moving back to WordPress because of one major weakness of Vox, not anyone can leave comments.  You have to register to leave comments, whereas on WordPress, you can just use any old email.  I would rather have the opportunity for anybody to comment on my posts than have people be burdened by the registration process.

“dealtree-techstore” EBAY review

So, for Christmas I bought myself a used Nokia N85 from Ebay.  Specifically, I bought it from a seller called “dealtree-techstore”.  Here is the description they had on the auction page:

Nokia N85 Smartphone Unlocked GSM Cell Phone – Black

Overall Condition: Tested Working
Cosmetic Condition: Some scratches and/or signs of use
Testing Notes: This item is working. This item is in the original box.
This item has been tested and appears to be in good working order.

Items Included:
nokia n85 cell phone
battery
battery cover
usb cable
headset
sd micro memory card
manual
software
original box

Items NOT Included:
ac adapter
dc adapter
av cable

Well, let’s just say that they got the “items not included” correct, but they messed up on a couple of other things.  The shipping time was decent.

However, they clearly stated that the phone was “black”, but in fact it was the copper model.  This is not just a stylistic difference, as the actual black model was supposed to have a better built body since it was a updated version of the N85.  Strike 1.

Second, they did not include a memory card.  None.  Strike 2.

Lastly, they did mention that there were “scratches and/or signs of use”, but it would have been nice to know that there was a significantly sized scratch on the screen.  I don’t mind the scratches on the back, but that’s a little more annoying.  Putting a screen protector on it helped alleviate that scratch…at least a little.

CONCLUSION:

Unfortunately, “dealtree-techstore” is not the most honest seller out there.  Maybe some details slipped through the cracks, but you’d think that they would at least get the color of the phone right.  I have a feeling that they do not elaborate on details (such as the crack) because it would result in a lower sell price.  Unfortunately for them, I asked for $50 off what I paid because of the errors on their part.  They ended up agreeing with a $30 refund, which is fine, because I wasn’t really expecting them to give me $50 back.  They do have a return policy, but I needed to have a phone so that’s why I kept it.

Buyers, beware of dealtree-techstore.

p.s. Please let me know if this blog helped you or if you have any questions.

a day in the life of nikki sixx.

intro / side note:

I haven’t written a blog in exactly 47 days…it’s been too long.  I’ve had many ideas for blogs, but I just didn’t get around to it.  I’m hoping that this is the start of getting back into it.

the heroin diaries

The reason that this blog is titled “a day in the life of nikki sixx” is because I read most of the book, “The Heroin Diaries”, today.  For my Psychology of Resilience class, I was supposed to read the biography of someone who embodied resilience.  I had no clue whose biography I wanted to read, I just knew that I wanted it to be someone interesting.  And let me tell you, Nikki Sixx is one interesting person.  Fortunately Bobby, my housemate, had a copy of the book and had just introduced me to it a week before.  I did a Google search looking for interesting biographies, and I just happened to run across The Heroin Diaries again.  So, I decided that it was what I wanted to read.  At first the book was a little daunting because it’s just over 400 pages, but it’s a book that is addicting and hard to put down [pun intended].

In the interest of me getting my essay on this book done by tomorrow, I’ll keep these thoughts to a minimum.  Nikki Sixx is the bassist and song writer for the metal rock band Mötley Crüe.  For more info, click on the photo of the book cover (it’ll take you to Wikipedia).  During the year of 1987, Nikki went through the worst part of his addiction to heroin.  The book is literally made up of the diaries he kept that year.

The book definitely isn’t for the faint of heart.  Proof: “The language was so horrible I had my husband burn the book. I wish I had never purchased it. -”  What the hell do you expect when you buy a book about the heroin addiction of a rock and roll star???  Oh man.  Anyways, the book would probably offend many people, but it was the reality for Nikki.  This reality was filled with alcohol, sex, coke, pain killers, loneliness, hallucinations, music, passion, money, anger, many other things, and of course, heroin.

It was a dark book but that it’s inevitable when you’re talking about a once dark life.  The thing is that Nikki survived all of the crazy shit that he went through, and that is amazing in and of itself.  And, he was able to get sober without killing himself (that could be disputed of course).  Although he may look like a whining freak of a person who brought all of the craziness upon himself, I see him as an amazingly resilient person, who although has many faults, turned his life around in spite of just about everything being against him.

Ok, time to go pump out 5 pages in 4 hours.  No problem right?

rant: macs are for rich people.

way to start with a general statement, yes?  well, in my opinion, it’s not that off.

there was a “mac vs. pc” article in the whitworthian for this week, discussing mac and pc use in the student population.  mac and pc ownership was found to be almost equal on campus (through a campus wide survey of approximately 173 people).

well hey, i go to a rich school with a lot of upper-middle class students, so it makes sense.  but that’s not the only thing i’m basing my logic on.  most of the mac owners i personally know, come from a richer family than mine (i consider my family lower-middle class).

hell, if my parents had the money to buy me a mac, then i wouldn’t be ranting.  but then, i wouldn’t have come to the realization that i am coming to now.  the laptop i bought at the beginning of this school year cost me about $600.  for you techies, it came with a 2.1 Ghz processor, 4 GB of ram, a 320 GB hard drive, a webcam, an HDMI port, 3 USB ports, a DVD burner, and around 7 hours of battery life.  give or take a couple features, an equivalent macbook would cost about $1084.  that’s almost $500 more than my laptop.  if apple had grants for people who couldn’t afford their premium prices, then i’d oblige them.  but unfortunately, that’s not the case.

ok, so there are other ways that people get macs, other than having their rich parents buy them one.  there are people who save up money to buy a mac with their hard earned cash.  there are artists who believe mac is the better choice for their trade.  there are not so rich parents who save up their money to buy a mac for their kid.

and then, there are those who buy macs because they are a status symbol.  they look cool.  and i agree, they do look cool.  but not cool enough for the price.

i like how gizmodo sums it up: “So while Apple’s marketshare has gone up quite a bit in the last few years, analysts don’t think they’ll be able to keep up the growth with prices so much higher than their PC counterparts.  There are only so many video editors, bloggers and rich fanboys in the world, after all.  Sooner or later, they’ll need to appeal to those cheap idiots as well.” link here

another very interesting article that looks at the differences between people who own macs and pcs here.

you know, maybe my rant isn’t as much about apple as it is about social classes.  but i really shouldn’t be complaining.  i have a laptop that i like, and that’s what matters.  a lot of peeps don’t even own a laptop.  they probably look at me the way i look at [some] mac owners.

p.s.  i also have a similar view on ipods.  but those are less of a deal, because their price range is a little more affordable.

p.p.s. comment on this if you have thoughts on the issue.

materialism. loneliness sucks.

materialism:

man, it’s depressing learning about how materialism controls us.  money controls us.  and it doesn’t even have to be physical money, it can be the thought of money.  we – especially us rich-ass americans – need to help change this.

loneliness:

loneliness sucks,  as i’m sure most of you know.  we do a lot to keep ourselves from the impression that we’re not alone, and this can be through just about any method.  whether that method includes people or not, that is a personal preference.  some people hang out with other people to feel less lonely, and some people feel lonely and don’t do a lot to fix it.  some people communicate solely online.  i’m a mix of the second and third kind.  i feel like facebook is both a blessing and a curse.  it allows me to easily stay in contact with people i might not otherwise stay in contact with, albeit on a irregular and random basis.  however, what if i didn’t have facebook?  would i be forced to have more face to face contact, or would i just push myself further into loneliness?  good question.

is anyone truly not lonely?  if someone is not, please let me know, i’d like to hear about what that’s like.  since i’ve been living off campus, i feel like i’ve been pushing myself into loneliness, whether unconsciously or not.  eating helps sometimes, as does mindlessly surfing the web.  photography is my passion, but it’s hard to be passionate when there are not other people who actively share your life.

what a sad way to live.

gauging – be careful

if you are gauging, or are thinking about gauging your ears, first read this article: a guide to stretching.  i disregarded multiple sites that explicitly said to go slow, and stop if there is major pain/bleeding…so i may have messed up my right hole a little.  i dunno, it was bleeding a lot and i may end up with some blow out.

i didn’t have anything as bad as this with the smaller sizes, so maybe it’s something you have to be more careful with as you go past O.  which makes sense…

what i learned from sleeping on the streets.

yesterday evening i headed downtown to spend some time with a homeless couple that i, and the rest of my psychology of poverty class, had met several weeks before.  more details on how we met them here and here.  i wasn’t planning on just hanging out with them –  my goal was to sleep on the streets with them in order to see a little more of the life they lived.  i wasn’t sure what to expect; at all.

the main reason i decided to even think about spending the night with them, was in order to get more photographs for a multimedia piece tim assad and i are working on for the class.  but, it was much more than that.  by now, you’re probably wondering what i learned, so i’ll move on to that.

1. sleeping on the streets sucks.  and it’s not even winter yet.  that may seem like the most obvious thing ever, but having experienced it, even just once, helps me to understand the reality of it.  the worst part was the wind.  i had the sleeping bag almost completely covering my body, but none of my body could be exposed – otherwise i just couldn’t sleep because of the cold.  apparently, yesterday the temp went down to 30 degrees.  that’s not that cold, but it is when you’re sleeping outside.  i might have slept about half the time i was laying down (around 10 hours) but i kept waking up every 2 hours or so…hoping that it was 7am.

actually, that’s the only thing i learned last night.  about how much it sucks.  it’s hard to believe that i was there last night, and now i’m in my room – comfortably warm.  dotty and ronny (the couple) are out there right now, and it’s currently 36 degrees.  it’s supposed to rain and possibly snow tonight.  i don’t know if i would have gotten any sleep if it had rained last night.  i am in my room right now, on my computer, eating m&ms, and blogging.  i can turn the heater on if i wanted to, they can’t.  i can use the bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face; they can’t.  i can go make myself a midnight meal, they can’t.  i can do so many thing that they couldn’t right now, it’s not anywhere near funny.  or maybe it’s hilariously depressing, i don’t know.

the absolute funny thing is this – i don’t really know what to do.  other than share a little bit of what i learned.  there is sort of another side to this.  although there aren’t very many shelters for couples, it’s possible that dotty and ronny could find a place to stay – slightly, close to impossible type of possible.  they are trying to focus on getting a van right now, so they at least can get out of the elements and keep their stuff in a reasonably safe place.  they want to get an apartment after that, but apparently it’s hard after you get evicted once.  there are lot of factors working against them right now.

shit, and i thought that i could get depressed in my situation.  well yeah, you can get depressed in any situation, but how does one survive in the midst of such a situation…….the cold, hard, unforgiving streets.

[a photo i took of dotty and ronny]

recent news (personal and not)

intramural soccer:
we won two games in a row!! not bad for a team that lost most of its beginning games.  one more projected win for tomorrow.

korea:
a korean protester tries to welcome obama with an anti-war poster.  however, he is apprehended and photographed from the outside.

[click on photo for brief  explanation]

technology:
By showing its first glimpses of technology in Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft also is showing it’s serious about building a competitive browser. – CNET
uh, about time?  and that sentence is funny….

Make a detachable fish eye lens adapter BY YOURSELF
i might try this..

wordpress malfunctions in chrome.   sometimes, the “save draft”, “preview”, and “publish” buttons stop working for some damn reason. and it’s annoying.  anybody know why?

Judge Tells AT&T to Stop Whining as the Verizon Ads Will Stay
i agree. how about AT&T just makes some of its own smart ads, eh?

Walmart Black Friday Ad Leaks With $78 Blu-ray Player
i would have no use for it (other than re-selling it on ebay), but i’m pretty sure that’s a good deal.

movies:
ok, this isn’t news at all, but you should watch “born into brothels” if you get the chance.  not by yourself, because it’s on the depressing side.  but it’s about a woman who gets to know prostitutes in red light districts of india, and in the process gets to know their kids.  the story is about her giving cameras to the children to capture life around them.  well, it’s more than that, but you’ll have to see it for yourself.  it’s powerful.  this is life.  life sucks for some people a lot more than for most of the people in america.

i like this format of blogging…maybe i’ll try to keep it up.