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| Tragedy and Minnesota Nice |
| 03.25.05 (7:05 am) [edit] |
The news from Monday of this week of a high schooler who shot up a school in Red Lake, Minnesota brought "home" rushing back for me in a hugely emotional manner.
The Red Lake nation of Chippewa (Or Ojibwe in their native language) are a proud people with a number of obstacles. Unemployment on the reservation (one of only two in the US wholly owned by the nation) hovers around 40%. There are problems with alcoholism and domestic violence. But in a place so remote, and with such huge obstacles, this might tend to be misleading.
While the Red Lake nation operates 3 casinos, they're not close enough to the Twin Cities (they're all closer to Canada) to be the monster revenue generators that some other tribes enjoy.
The Red Lake nation is also a close knit community. If you travel through, you actually get the sense that you're in a sovereign nation. At least for as long as it takes you to travel through. The closeness of the community and their spirituality are going to be of supreme importance for all in the next coming weeks, months, and years. The spirituality can be far-reaching; a Catholic church is in harmony with native symbols and sensibilities. And this is as it should be.
Finding solace after to senseless murders of so many young people will be challenging.
Finding solace wherever it appears should be immediately embraced.
To the people of the Red Lake Nation: Take solace from a former neighbor who now lives in Los Angeles. Prayers can reach past vast expanses.
And mine are with you.
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| Visiting and Returning |
| 08.16.04 (9:32 am) [edit] |
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The annual family summer vacation has come and gone. It's cool to spend some time at "the lake" back in Minnesota. And it was great to see family and friends again. Still, I did learn that I really like living alone. Sure, it has downsides, like occasional bouts of loneliness. But it's good to be able to do what I want when I want. Of course, sharing a cabin with 8 other people might just have heightened the realization.
The first thing I noticed when I got back to the Twin Cities was how hot and humid it was! When I got off the plane, it was 93 degrees, and humid as all get out. You know for years, I'd heard people say "but it's a dry heat." Believe it or not, there is a difference! It was also a good thing to experience a thunderstorm again. Not many of those here in L.A.
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| A New Historical Landmark |
| 06.18.04 (12:37 pm) [edit] |
Sometimes my job is pretty darn cool. Like today. Here's the scoop:
I work for a news and information radio station in Los Angeles. This weekend marks the first performances at the newly refurbished Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl is a pretty cool amphiteater, with audience seating constructed right into a hill. It's surprisingly large--It can accomodate 18, 000 people. At any rate, the stage area has been completely redesigned and rebuilt. So, one of our programs broadcast live from the plaza right outside the actualy amphitheater. This is pretty cool because you get to see people who actually listen to the radio. And, since I'm in charge of making remote broadcasts happen, it's always a feeling of accomplishment when they're successful, and this one was.
So while the broadcast was successful, the only down side is that when I alter my sleep pattern, even by a half hour, then expend a bunch of nervous energy on the broadcast, I feel really really tired. As I do now. A nap attack is in order, but I have 90 minutes of 'face time' left at the office.
Have a great weekend!
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| Whose dream is it? |
| 06.15.04 (7:08 am) [edit] |
You know, I consider myself pretty lucky to be working in my chosen industry, in the nation's second largest market. The weather is a lot better, the cultural events and nightlife are better. And people are just more ... open, it seems to me. With one exception that I've noticed. It was brought to my mind again this morning on my drive into work.
Apparently I'm not the only one who appreciates the climate of Southern California. As I was driving past Central Park in Pasadena, I noticed quite a number of people sleeping in the park. One guy was having a chat with a couple of police officers. I'm not sure he really wanted to.
I was struck by this scene for some reason. So I actually looked around the park. I would guess there were around 20 people sleeping in various spots. Some resting near the grocery carts. And all their worldly goods...
Am I the only one who drives by and almost conciously chooses to ignore the homeless? Am I the only one to occasionally glance at them and think "there, but for the grace of God (and the regular paycheck) go I"?
At least the parks are nice.
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| Rampant Capitalism |
| 06.14.04 (6:38 am) [edit] |
What an odd day Saturday turned out to be. I ventured out with Brendan to some swap meet in Orange County. I ended up spending a small fortune on clothes and a DVD burner which took my computer out of commission for a bit. I needed to reinstall Windoze, and that's when something like 80 Gigabytes worth of stuff disappeared.
Swap meets are quite interesting places. People who pull into a common area and sell things. Anything at all from toothpaste to a complete dining set to fresh fruits and vegetables. Some bargains to be had, without a doubt, though! And, if you're of a mind, you can try to bargain down with the seller. Being of midwestern stock, I would never...
After the swap meet, it was off to the quintessential Southern California shopping experience--The Mall! It's such a way of life out here, that valet parking is available.
We shopped around a bit, and I picked up some shirts from Macy's and some other high-end department store. What nobody needs to know is that I picked over the clearance racks.
We then headed over to Marshall's, and I picked up some more shirts. For like a third of retail. Am I frugal, cheap or a smart shopper?!
Next we went down to Long Beach for a few beers. A nice town, Long Beach. Kind of like an antidote for L.A. Laid back, friendly, and, as Brendan likes to say, "quirky." It's all that. :wink:
It was good to get out and do stuff over the weekend. Although I need to remember that I need to use sunscreen. My poor forehead burns so easily...Mother Nature truly is cruel!
A bit of good news--Gas prices look to be dropping a bit. Friday gas at the Unocal by my place was $2.39 a gallon. Down to $2.34 this morning. It's a start, I suppose. :wink:
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| I've been bitten by the blog bug |
| 06.10.04 (9:46 am) [edit] |
Well, after reading a friend's blog, I kind of got bitten by the bug. I really have no idea what this thing is going to end up looking like, but what the heck?
I should have started this before I moved. It'd be interesting to look back on that whole experience.
But, I'm here in California now. I love it here. Winter is so much easier to take than it was in Minneapolis. And you really gotta love In N Out burgers. :wink:
One of my pastimes of late has been checking out new beaches. I went to Huntington Beach the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. What was I thinking? About a zillion people, and parking was $12. The beach is really cool, though. In spite of the oil rigs that look like they're just within swimming distance. At least there were no news stories about discarded body parts at this beach.
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