Dreams: Rabbit-man VII (In the bear-trap of its tender warm embrace)

Dreams: Rabbit-man VI (The lunchtime crowd, they won't even blink...)

But what words rhyme with buried alive?

Dreams: Rabbit-man V (Little skinny chicken... big skinny skinhead...)

Had a dream... Magic Johnson was there...

sleepy, grumpy or dopey

so, i was trying to be good. i didn't watch TV. i studied some GRE. i hid from people. i was going to go to bed at a decent hour. i accidently fell asleep on my floor for about a half an hour. i woke up at 11:00. i got ready for bed. i wasn't as tired any more. i read some more. i got in bed again before 1:00 and sat there for a half hour.

nothing.

i was up until 3:30, at least. finally i could fall asleep again. then to continue the downward spiral, my alarm went off for 2 hours without any snooze breaks because i can't reach my clock from my bed. finally i turned it off, and slept for two hours after that.

yeah, i probably won't be in bed on time tonight either.

Dreams: Rabbit-man IV (Whatever you do, take care of your shoes)

Your time is near, the mission's clear
It's later than we think

Dreams: Rabbit-man III

In the sun...

Dreams: Rabbit-man II

Dreams: Rabbit-man I

more funny, please!

when i thought about starting a blog, my intentions were to spread a little humour. then i started off with my first post being so serious. ¿what's up with that?

well, let's get on with funnier stuff. ¿okay?

yes, this is ANOTHER post-election day disappointment

yes, i know i live in utah and i know that utah is conservative, but that doesn't mean that i can't hope for the nation as a whole. since i live in utah, i guess i'm a liberal. outside of utah, i'm sure everyone would say i'm conservative and that's okay too. either way i couldn't adopt one political party and assume that it was going to take me where i wanted to go anyway. that said, i do know one thing: i'm not a republican.

a friend asked me what i thought the way utahns voted on initiative one, an initiative sponsored by the Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth group. this initiative was to protect rivers, streams, lakes, watersheds and even giving money to recreation. utah voted no, even though the estimated cost would have been $14 per year to a family of four and could only extend up to 13 years. ¿what's wrong with protecting our land, air and water?http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=4330&State=45&res=1024

so, in response to that failed initiative, here's what i wrote:

i was really saddened by how much Initiative 1 lost, but we(utah) also elected 'money first' for a governor. i'm sorry, but i just have a hard time believing that this new majority of republicans in office (i.e., the federal legislature) is going to be good for us.

the U.S. has this sense of morality that i find a little disturbing. there is an imperturbability of the nation at the news of continued deaths in Iraq and an absence of accounting for the lives of Iraqis fighting with us. news about shady deals with Halliburton, war under questionable circumstances (the absence of WMDs), the unwillingness to admit mistakes by the president or vice president and plenty of bad news in the week before an election didn't combine to dissuade the general public from this "moral" stance. death to foreigners and big business gets the rubber stamp of approval. 'me first' wins again, followed closely by 'right now' in second. middle america is comfortably unconcerned about questioning whether or not their government's actions are just. tuesday's election results are clear about that.

it's hard to find someone who says, "we've been giving money enough room lately," in order to focus on the quality of living. there is always going to be somebody, whether it's the government or private parties, who is ready to advance the cause of consumerism. quality of living is where champions are lacking.

sure, we've got national security issues, but 'me first' makes that a mess too. "either you're with us or against us" doesn't leave much room for effective partnerships, but that's okay. the US doesn't need anybody. we'll fight everybody. europe is continuing with the creation of new partnerships, a new peace and a new super power with the progress of the EU, and the U.S. is insulating it's ignorance from anything that isn't "american" with no peace or partnerships in mind. maybe things have to get really bad before the U.S. population changes it's attitude and then they'll ask their government to change it's approach. unfortunately we're going to have to live through four more years of spending, fighting and environmental degradation.

the only consolation to the election results is that George is going to have to deal with his own mess. 18 months from now when iraq is still messy and U.S. troops are still fighting a war instead of maintaining a supporting role to a functioning iraqi government, when the economy is still poor to mediocre, and presidential approval has continued in it's decline, George won't be able to blame anyone else for the state of the nation. it will be his mess, under his leadership.

well, ¿have i ranted enough?

Gulf War Song - Moxy Fruvous (1993)

We got a call to write a song about the war in the Gulf
But we shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings
So we tried, then gave up, 'cause there was no such song
But the trying was very revealing
What makes a person so poisonous righteous
That they'd think less of anyone who just disagreed?
She's just a pacifist, he's just a patriot
If I said you were crazy, would you have to fight me?

Fighters for liberty, fighters for power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don't tell me I can't fight, 'cause I'll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me

So we read and we watched all the specially selected news
And we learned so much more 'bout the good guys
Won't you stand by the flag? Was the question unasked
Won't you join in and fight with the allies?
What could we say...we're only 25 years old?
With 25 sweet summers, and hot fires in the cold
This kind of life makes that violence unthinkable
We'd like to play hockey, have kids and grow old

Fighters for Texaco, fighters for power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don't tell me I can't fight 'cause I'll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for we

He's just a peacenik and she's just a warhawk
That's where the beach was, that's where the sea
What could we say...we're only 25 years old?
And history seems to agree
Tthat I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for we

Is that how it always will be?

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore - John Prine (1971)

While digesting Reader's Digest
In the back of a dirty book store,
A plastic flag, with gum on the back,
Fell out on the floor.
Well, I picked it up and I ran outside
Slapped it on my window shield,
And if I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel.

Chorus:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.

Well, I went to the bank this morning
And the cashier he said to me,
"If you join the Christmas club
We'll give you ten of them flags for free."
Well, I didn't mess around a bit
I took him up on what he said.
And I stuck them stickers all over my car
And one on my wife's forehead.

But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.

Well, I got my window shield so filled
With flags I couldn't see.
So, I ran the car upside a curb
And right into a tree.
By the time they got a doctor down
I was already dead.
And I'll never understand why the man
Standing in the Pearly Gates said...

"But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more."

All Songs Considered wins again

there was this guy and his name was Ray. some people were a little confused and thought it was Ray Charles, but unfortunately that Ray's dead. the Ray i'm referring to is Ray Lamontagne. he was the 2nd opening act for Badly Drawn Boy and you can hear one of the songs he played at the show at All Songs Considered website. in addition, you get a tune from John Lennon, one from Cake and some other folks too.

NPR's All Songs Considered - Episode 72
(if this link doesn't work, search NPR's music website for Ray Lamontagne in their "Discover Songs" section.)

oh, and if you haven't heard the other band that opened for BDB you
can go to http://www.bluemerle.com/ and hear 3 tracks from them. "Burning in the Sun" is my favorite.



i paid to go see Badly Drawn Boy, but the show was three performances for the price of one. to top it off, it was at a small venue. sometimes i wonder why i even try to go see the shows at the larger venues any more.

National Peanut Day & NEWS FROM MAMA DEB'S HOUSE OF PANCAKES AND INTERNATIONAL RELIEF

yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year; national peanut day is upon us again. i hope you are as excited as i am. i know this announcement is a little tardy, but there are still a few hours in which to celebrate all things peanut.

¿a PB&J for lunch?
¿a can of nuts for snacking?
¿spring rolls with peanut sauce?
¿cookies?
¿door to door peanut distribution?
¿a mr. peanut costume contest?

yes, the possibilities are astounding. good luck with your peanut day festivities. let me know if anything exciting is going on.

and in case you're not quite sure what i'm talking about, here's the newsletter from March 2003. (questions about NPD can be directed to me. questions about peanuts can be directed to debgreen20@yahoo.com.)

---

Subject: peanuts in the news
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 16:35:04 -0700

NEWS FROM MAMA DEB'S HOUSE OF PANCAKES AND INTERNATIONAL RELIEF

Due to the recent confusion, a few things about peanuts need to be cleared up.

Although this month (March) is National Peanut Month, National Peanut Day is not celebrated until the 13th of September. We here at Mama Deb's House of Pancakes and International Relief do consider ourselves fortunate that peanut appreciation is spread out so equidistantly throughout the year. Even with our enthusiasm for the peanut, we do recognize that there can be some confusion by having National Peanut Day and National Peanut Month separated from each other. The confusion is only compounded with other recognized dates. National Peanut Butter Day is January 24th, while National Peanut Butter Lover's Month is November and National Peanut Butter Lover's Day is March 1st. Add to this, National Peanut Brittle Day on January 26th, Peanut Butter and Jelly Day on April 2nd and National Nut day on October 22nd and the peanut confusion is nearly perfected.

We, the members of Mama Deb's House of Pancakes and International Relief, have been trying to find ways to clear up this confusion without diminishing the celebration of the peanut. Unfortunately our efforts have been in vain.

We have looked for historical events in the life of the peanut but so many of those are only tied to dates in the most ambiguous of ways. For instance, the birth date of George Washington Carver is unclear even as to the year, and the listings for the top 40 weren't so fastidiously calculated during the Civil War so there is no real way to know when "Goober Peas" first reached the top 10 on the pop charts. when we do have a definitive date, such as the establishment of the George Washington Carver National Monument on July 14, 1943 (located in Diamond, MO), the date does little to help us catalogue any of the recognized peanut days.

Our only hope in keeping these holidays straight is to send out this periodic newsletter, and our only consolation is that those who are in charge of determining these national dates of celebration are not exactly on top of things in the first place. For instance, both Do Something Nice Day (the 5th) and Evaluate Your Life Day (the 19th) have both been placed in October, the month that has been dedicated as National Sarcastic Month.

Does any part of that last arraingement seem wrong to any of you? Even National Peanut Month has been burdened with its share of oddities: If Pets Had Thumbs Day (the 3rd) and Something on a Stick Day (the 28th).

In spite of all this unrest, Mama Deb's House of Pancakes and International Relief hopes that you will find time to celebrate National Peanut Month and we are looking forward to celebrating National Peanut Day with you in September.

with warmest regards, Fish Boy Historian for the M.D.H.O.P.A.I.R.

p.s. -- Due to accusations of copy right infringement, Mama Deb's House of Pancakes and International Relief (a non-profit organization)may face the daunting task of selecting a new corporate name. Current suggestions for the replacement of the words "House of Pancakes" include: Waffle Barn, Flap-jack Shack, and Dry Toast Carport. Your opinion and suggestions are welcome.

Timing

last night i was talking with a friend about about timing and it reminded me of something.

i have a friend who has an extreme fear of sharks, even though she grew up in Idaho and hasn't seen much of the ocean. she's only stepped a into the surf a little ways and that was more than she wanted.

so there i was. i have a pile of cartoons about sharks and stuff. ¿why wouldn't i have a pile of cartoons about sharks? i picked out one that i thought needed to give to my friend. then i forgot to take the cartoon. so, i set out the little piece of paper where i'd see it so i'd remember in the morning and i forgot again. i probably forgot at least one more time after that. finally one night, i remembered that i had the cartoon and walked over to my friend's apartment and taped my selection to her door.

¿what's this i hear? ¿it was her birthday? i had no idea. and here i thought i was dropping things off on a random day. mmmmmm... timing.

(all together now: fists in the air...)

Strings and things

so, i was home for Christmas one year, and decided to go with my friend roger to his singles ward rather than go to my parents' ward for church. i was hoping to expand my social circle. unfortunately roger is a social retard. (sorry, roger. you have to admit that we make a horrible tag-team when it comes to fraternizing with the opposite sex.)

roger and i did talk to a girl who used to live across the street from me. i asked her out once, but that's as far as that went. we talked to her because i had to tell her that her cousin worked in my office, and roger kind of knew her because his roommate was her home teacher.

on our way through the building to where roger went to sign up for tithing settlement we ran into a guy from my freshman ward. i'm sure the conversation seemed a little awkward because the whole time i was trying to remember if this freshman ward acquaintance was married before he left UT to go to TX for grad school, or if he was only engaged. either way, he was back in a singles ward.

then i looked into a room off of that hallway and there was one of my old roommates. Chris and i were roommates for 3 years and even did a road trip to CA together.

while roger and i were talking to Chris, along came another girl who also used to live across the street. this girl liked a roommate of mine for a short while. meeting her was also awkward because she left our singles ward because she got married. well, maybe it wasn't awkward for Chris because he just started asking about the divorce, followed by "weren't you engaged to someone else before you got married?" i felt so bad for this former neighbor and for my roommate. Chris did ask for her fone number and ended up going on a date with her. go figure.

the end result: i went to someone else's ward trying to meet new people and all we did was talk to people i know. thanks a lot roger.

we did end up going to ward prayer at the Chris's new house. then we met some new people, including some folks who play guitar and such. there were a couple of girls who host a guitar night at their place. roger and i went to that a couple of times, but then i started working long days and the late night trips back from SLC just weren't working out with my mornings. but still i must say that guitars do open up a certain social scene.

i've made a few more friends along the way and these types of stories seem to continue. last night i was with someone i met this last year. Marissa had said that her roommate plays guitar, and so i was curious to see if it was anyone i've met or heard before and curious enough to go to a movie last night and back to Marissa's place afterwards. of course my curiosity was at least somewhat rewarded by the fact that Marissa also brought a friend along to the movie who just happens to be a girl who spent 6 months in Taiwan with my brother Matt and his wife. i can't be too surprised that Katie and Marissa are good friends. Marissa is even the TA for a class that Katie is teaching at BYU. i met Katie when i went to dinner with Matt and Greta and their Taiwan friends.

(as a side note i was also pleased that i'm not the only one these strange meetings happen to, because Marissa's friend also knew the sibling of some of the other folks who ended up at Marissa's. to further extend this side note, one of the guys in Taiwan at the same time with Katie and my brother and his wife was a roommate of the guy that was now divorced from that girl who i talked to at church over Christmas break.)

back to the story... a guitar finally came out at Marissa's and i played a couple songs because they asked nicely. then Marissa's roommate played song or two. then Marissa says, "and one of the cool things about when davebetts used to visit was the fact that he would ride over on his long board." Marissa's roommate responds with, "you should meet my friend Loralee. she plays guitar and longboards too." then i ask, "¿Loralee Jesson?"

Marissa's roommate is friends with the girl who hosts guitar nights in SLC. yep, that same girl who i met at my roommate's ward prayer during Christmas break. my curiosity was satisfied.

i'm sleepy, good night.