So we're learning dates and times in Swahili right now and I've realized that what I'm learning in class isn't going to help me much as far as actually having a real conversation since the language has changed so much from the time our textbook was written.
I'm taking a class on Ethiopia next semester since what I know of the history is totally interesting and because I love being somewhere where I can satisfy my curiosity and stay a lifelong student without having lifelong student loans. Unlike many of my fellow Kent State cohorts, I graduated in three years, so I'm taking classes now that I didn't have time for then, with my 18 credit hour semesters spent in the English department with occasional forays into art and political science.
After that, I'm hoping to try Arabic this fall, because a lot of people on my side of town speak it and I'd like to at least be semi-literate and know words other than those related to Islam or food.
And I'm looking forward to this weekend, with birthday celebrations and hanging out with the extended family.
I feel good with where I'm at in life, I really do. I've made a life for myself in a city where that can be difficult to do. I have a job that I honestly enjoy that hasn't involved me selling my soul to mindless consumerism and dullness and has enabled me to do things I always wanted to do and never thought that would happen.
I've got some seriously awesome family, the best roommate one could ask for and some really incredible friends. Things have stayed interesting and mercifully free of much of the drama that encompassed high school and college. I found
I am so thankful and feeling so blessed because I never thought it could ever be this good.
oh yeah, and I share a birthday with these guys
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
so many things used to mean so much to me...
So me and the roommate took a mini road trip down to Columbus this weekend and had a great time. I used to think that Columbus was more or less a series of giant malls and suburbs and a really big school but now that I'm doing the driving, I'm glad I've learned this isn't true, even if the 45 mile an hour speed limits through the suburb still spook me.
Perfect weather for walking around and exploring and brought home a carload of stuff: African fabric, Madlib albums, Turkish jewelry for Christmas gifts, injera from an Ethiopian bakery by request, thrift store finds, and new music. Also had amazing Ethiopian food at the Blue Nile (waaay cheaper than Empress Taytu) and got to hang out with the awesome extended family.
Spent Saturday night in zealous apartment cleaning mode, something that probably should happen more, and Sunday with various combinations of family. The last two months of the year are always crazy because everyone's birthdays including mine fall at the same time and there's the holidays as well.
Also considering taking my music to the next level and learning how to play upright bass. I love the sound and would love to learn the technique, and since my student loans are pretty much paid off, I could actually afford to do this. Would love to delve into jazz and maybe classical, even though I get the feeling that the instrument may not fit in the back seat of my car...
Perfect weather for walking around and exploring and brought home a carload of stuff: African fabric, Madlib albums, Turkish jewelry for Christmas gifts, injera from an Ethiopian bakery by request, thrift store finds, and new music. Also had amazing Ethiopian food at the Blue Nile (waaay cheaper than Empress Taytu) and got to hang out with the awesome extended family.
Spent Saturday night in zealous apartment cleaning mode, something that probably should happen more, and Sunday with various combinations of family. The last two months of the year are always crazy because everyone's birthdays including mine fall at the same time and there's the holidays as well.
Also considering taking my music to the next level and learning how to play upright bass. I love the sound and would love to learn the technique, and since my student loans are pretty much paid off, I could actually afford to do this. Would love to delve into jazz and maybe classical, even though I get the feeling that the instrument may not fit in the back seat of my car...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
best of the blotter 9: those darn kids again
GENERAL COMPLAINT, SHOPPING PLAZA: Police checked the status of a handicapped placard after a Nov. 8 complaint that “they didn’t believe someone handicapped would be driving a sports car.“ The sticker “checked out,“ police said.
SHOPLIFTING, AURORA ROAD: A 38-year-old Toledo woman was charged with theft Nov. 13 after police were called to the Paper Palace on Aurora Road, where two women and two children had come in and purchased a small amount of merchandise. When employees noticed them giving stickers out to the children in the parking lot — stickers that had not been purchased — police found $229 worth of stolen merchandise on the suspect, including seven cutting tools used in scrapbooking.
CAMOUFLAGE, MIDDLE SCHOOL: Police responded to A.I. Root Middle School around 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 13 on report that an SUV carrying young teens dressed in camouflage, was parked at the corner of W. Sturbridge Dr. and Lawrence St. The caller said the teens were not doing anything unlawful, but the caller was concerned because of their attire. The vehicle was gone when officers arrived.
JUVENILE COMPLAINTS, LAKE OF THE FALLS: A group of juveniles who were “up to no good” caused a resident to call police Nov. 2. The resident said the kids were hanging around on benches and were not from the area. Officers could not locate the group.
JUVENILE COMPLAINTS, DRIFTWOOD DRIVE: Three teenagers knocking on doors and claiming to be German disturbed some residents Friday. The boys asked each resident where Fernwood was. Officers later located the teens as they were stealing a speed limit sign.
SHOPLIFTING, AURORA ROAD: A 38-year-old Toledo woman was charged with theft Nov. 13 after police were called to the Paper Palace on Aurora Road, where two women and two children had come in and purchased a small amount of merchandise. When employees noticed them giving stickers out to the children in the parking lot — stickers that had not been purchased — police found $229 worth of stolen merchandise on the suspect, including seven cutting tools used in scrapbooking.
CAMOUFLAGE, MIDDLE SCHOOL: Police responded to A.I. Root Middle School around 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 13 on report that an SUV carrying young teens dressed in camouflage, was parked at the corner of W. Sturbridge Dr. and Lawrence St. The caller said the teens were not doing anything unlawful, but the caller was concerned because of their attire. The vehicle was gone when officers arrived.
JUVENILE COMPLAINTS, LAKE OF THE FALLS: A group of juveniles who were “up to no good” caused a resident to call police Nov. 2. The resident said the kids were hanging around on benches and were not from the area. Officers could not locate the group.
JUVENILE COMPLAINTS, DRIFTWOOD DRIVE: Three teenagers knocking on doors and claiming to be German disturbed some residents Friday. The boys asked each resident where Fernwood was. Officers later located the teens as they were stealing a speed limit sign.
piecing it together.
I wasn't expecting so many cars when I got down to Ohio City for the memorial service last night. I was expecting the news crews circling like vultures when they smell death.
I could see the windows lit up at St. Patrick's and I got inside just before the service started, trying to pray and contemplate and collect my thoughts which is sometimes so hard to do when everyone around you is devastated. Besides Jody & Ernie, I really didn't know anyone else there, recognized some people from the drop-in center and the Catholic Worker house, wandering souls that I've seen walking down Lorain Avenue.
Seeing Ray's picture by the prayer cards make me choke up and I wonder what he would have thought of the first minister there invoking a "holy one called by many names yet nameless" when he most definitely was whispering "Emmanuel" as he died after helping the others escape.
There was a lot of talk about coming together as a community and being united and getting in touch with our "better selves," but the longer I exist on this earth, I am less and less convinced that it is true. Not that we don't do what we can, but honestly the only real change I see is what God does in us and how that affects the way in which we live and view others.
Sure, you can move back into the neighborhood and fix up an old house and bring up the property values and keep your money in the city by going out to the theater and the nice restaurants, but do you care about your neighbor? Do you think about the struggles that you see around you? Do you consider them a nuisance that you hope goes away when more people like you move in? Or do you get involved and engaged? Your idea of a quality of life is not the same as another's.
Loving this city is not just about the cultural amenities, the sports teams, the funky neighborhoods, and the happening arts scene. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is cool and I enjoy it too. Still, you can find that kind of thing almost anywhere. I could have moved somewhere else and found more lucrative employment, but I stayed here because of the people.
I love this city because even though it's profoundly corrupt and falling apart, the people here are amazing. If you don't care about your neighbors and look out for them, it doesn't matter how you live or what you do on the weekends, you don't care about your city.
I could see the windows lit up at St. Patrick's and I got inside just before the service started, trying to pray and contemplate and collect my thoughts which is sometimes so hard to do when everyone around you is devastated. Besides Jody & Ernie, I really didn't know anyone else there, recognized some people from the drop-in center and the Catholic Worker house, wandering souls that I've seen walking down Lorain Avenue.
Seeing Ray's picture by the prayer cards make me choke up and I wonder what he would have thought of the first minister there invoking a "holy one called by many names yet nameless" when he most definitely was whispering "Emmanuel" as he died after helping the others escape.
There was a lot of talk about coming together as a community and being united and getting in touch with our "better selves," but the longer I exist on this earth, I am less and less convinced that it is true. Not that we don't do what we can, but honestly the only real change I see is what God does in us and how that affects the way in which we live and view others.
Sure, you can move back into the neighborhood and fix up an old house and bring up the property values and keep your money in the city by going out to the theater and the nice restaurants, but do you care about your neighbor? Do you think about the struggles that you see around you? Do you consider them a nuisance that you hope goes away when more people like you move in? Or do you get involved and engaged? Your idea of a quality of life is not the same as another's.
Loving this city is not just about the cultural amenities, the sports teams, the funky neighborhoods, and the happening arts scene. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is cool and I enjoy it too. Still, you can find that kind of thing almost anywhere. I could have moved somewhere else and found more lucrative employment, but I stayed here because of the people.
I love this city because even though it's profoundly corrupt and falling apart, the people here are amazing. If you don't care about your neighbors and look out for them, it doesn't matter how you live or what you do on the weekends, you don't care about your city.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
they remained, others fled
This is the inscription on the Carter family tombstone, a family with 9 kids who stayed when the plague hit and everyone else left town. I wonder if this will be my epitaph someday too.
On Tuesdays, since I have my car, me and Lindsay have been taking mini Cleveland adventures on common hour/lunch break. Today's involved fresh-baked naan bread from Aladdin's bakery and then hanging out at the Erie Street Cemetery.
I've always wanted to check it out but usually remembered this whenever I was at an Indians game and it was already dark. I've been a geek for old cemeteries since I was 9 or something and this one was old and I finally got to see the grave of Joc-o-sot, vaudeville performer, sports team haunter, and chief who got stuck dying in Cleveland instead of his native Wisconsin.
Evidently, some of these bodies were "reburied" here in 1939 which is kind of creepy. Maybe that's what early settler associations did back then.
Is it indicative of living in a dying city when your favorite destinations are forgotten streets, abandoned buildings, and graveyards? Does it just cement the fact that I'm still alive and enjoying it so much?
Also, today is Jeff Buckley's birthday. I played a half hour worth of him on the show today, but didn't feel like playing "Hallelujah" because everyone does.
On Tuesdays, since I have my car, me and Lindsay have been taking mini Cleveland adventures on common hour/lunch break. Today's involved fresh-baked naan bread from Aladdin's bakery and then hanging out at the Erie Street Cemetery.
I've always wanted to check it out but usually remembered this whenever I was at an Indians game and it was already dark. I've been a geek for old cemeteries since I was 9 or something and this one was old and I finally got to see the grave of Joc-o-sot, vaudeville performer, sports team haunter, and chief who got stuck dying in Cleveland instead of his native Wisconsin.
Evidently, some of these bodies were "reburied" here in 1939 which is kind of creepy. Maybe that's what early settler associations did back then.
Is it indicative of living in a dying city when your favorite destinations are forgotten streets, abandoned buildings, and graveyards? Does it just cement the fact that I'm still alive and enjoying it so much?
Also, today is Jeff Buckley's birthday. I played a half hour worth of him on the show today, but didn't feel like playing "Hallelujah" because everyone does.
Friday, November 13, 2009
best of the blotter 8
ROBBERY, MEADOWBROOK BOULEVARD: Two men with a gun reportedly robbed another man of a wallet, with $90 cash, and a bag of raisins Nov. 3.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, ASHWOOD ROAD: Someone drew a heart and put shoeprints in fresh concrete Friday.
ANIMAL COMPLAINT, RIDGEBURY BOULEVARD: At 8 a.m. Saturday, a man phoned police to say a squirrel blew the transformer in his back yard. Police got a similar call of the same happening that morning on Barkston Drive. CEI was advised in both cases.
INTOXICATED PERSON, PEARL ROAD: A man, who was staying at King’s Inn, was advised last Thursday for being drunk and disorderly. The man was allegedly wandering up and down Pearl Road screaming at passing motorists and yelling at mailboxes.
PRAYING, TIMBER TRAIL: Police located a suspicious vehicle parked on Timber Trail around 9 a.m. on Nov. 3. Officers found two men in a blue van. The men, who were German, informed police that they had been praying at the location. Officers told them to find another spot.
DREAM? A Bradway St. resident called police reporting suspicious happenings around the house at about 4 a.m. Nov. 7. Officers walked around the home and determined that everything was fine. The man who reported the incident said that he may have been dreaming.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, ASHWOOD ROAD: Someone drew a heart and put shoeprints in fresh concrete Friday.
ANIMAL COMPLAINT, RIDGEBURY BOULEVARD: At 8 a.m. Saturday, a man phoned police to say a squirrel blew the transformer in his back yard. Police got a similar call of the same happening that morning on Barkston Drive. CEI was advised in both cases.
INTOXICATED PERSON, PEARL ROAD: A man, who was staying at King’s Inn, was advised last Thursday for being drunk and disorderly. The man was allegedly wandering up and down Pearl Road screaming at passing motorists and yelling at mailboxes.
PRAYING, TIMBER TRAIL: Police located a suspicious vehicle parked on Timber Trail around 9 a.m. on Nov. 3. Officers found two men in a blue van. The men, who were German, informed police that they had been praying at the location. Officers told them to find another spot.
DREAM? A Bradway St. resident called police reporting suspicious happenings around the house at about 4 a.m. Nov. 7. Officers walked around the home and determined that everything was fine. The man who reported the incident said that he may have been dreaming.
raindrops and sunshowers
Things are still crazy in this city, but this week, my soul has been restored.
Between playing music and sharing meals with good people, taking a night off to paint and collage, actually seeing the sun for a week straight, processing through the grief and realizing that there is still hope.
And I'm super excited about going to DC next weekend for pre-Thanksgiving feasting and revelry with some of the only people that are still worth hanging out with post-college.
Also, this is beautiful. I've been listening to it all week.
Between playing music and sharing meals with good people, taking a night off to paint and collage, actually seeing the sun for a week straight, processing through the grief and realizing that there is still hope.
And I'm super excited about going to DC next weekend for pre-Thanksgiving feasting and revelry with some of the only people that are still worth hanging out with post-college.
Also, this is beautiful. I've been listening to it all week.
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