Snuggie Revolution!

Yes folks....the snuggie craze isn't over yet! 
  Click on the post title to learn more interesting ways to enjoy your snuggie! 


Who knew the "Cuddly Puppy" or the "Tablecloth" could ever have duel meanings?

Soul Food

Death Cab for Cutie - "I'll Follow You into the Dark"

Constrained Twitting

When Obama had a question-and-answer at a town hall meeting in Shanghai, the control of the media by the Chinese government was fully demonstrated.  The meeting, unlike when other American presidents visited in the past, was not broadcast.  The children at the meeting who were asking the questions were hand picked by the government and most were Communist Youth.  Seriously, what a contrast from our society where information is free and nearly always accessible.  

It is easy for us to take advantage of our amazing system, a system that strengthens our people and our democracy.

A girl asked if she should be able to twitter freely, and he told the students that a free and unfettered Internet is a source of strength not weakness.

"In the United States, information is free, and I have a lot of critics in the United States who can say all kinds of things about me, I actually think that that makes our democracy stronger and it makes me a better leader because it forces me to hear opinions that I don’t want to hear," Obama said.  
Surprisingly, the government kept the twitter comment on the website for hours after the meeting.

Cold Turkey

Staying up til 5 + wine and rum + alarm at 7am = terrible terrible way to start your day


I decided to quit smoking and drinking today...hold me to it.

Hannity DOOM

The Daily Show covers Hannity's apology for deceiving viewers accompanied by a parody of Fox-generated Armageddon-esk doom!







Hilarious.

Later Lou

Lou Dobbs left CNN! darn. What a loss

After months of advocacy groups breathing down his neck - well more like strangling his neck - Dobbs left, seemingly on his own. His speech is about as dramatic and weighted has his sudden resignation - with words full of hope for a society gone astray. Pledges of true and honest reporting came from the guy who blamed illegal immigrants for a huge rise in leprosy - 7,000 cases in 3 years! Which of course was completely made up. This guy's a piece of work.

His speech seemed like a call to action against partisanship and ideology even though over the last year, Dobbs had consistently been lending credence to the "birthers" movement - the Obama-made-in-Africa crazies - who's debate might have bubbled away under the radar if he had not given them the privilege of mainstream airing on Lou Dobbs Tongiht.

Dobbs is a microcosm for what is wrong with media today. I wouldn't be surprised if Dobbs got a job at Fox next where the lines are blurred between opinion and fact and "fair reporting" goes to whatever story brings in the viewers. Of course, not all shows are like this but viewers should always be wary. Dobbs' "willing" resignation is a example of media watchdogs like Media Matters and other advocacy groups getting things done and making a difference - it is step in the right direction so congrats CNN!

I'm staying in my robe damnit

Okay...crazy freakin month. School is really hard when you try to do what ALL the syllabi say. bastards.

So Fayetteville is at its best in my mind because it is Fall. The past few days, the sun has been bright and the breeze cool and all I can think about is school almost being over. I should be at class right now, but instead I'm revolting against the dreaded "Syllabi" to enjoy an amazing day and get some writing done....and drink as many cups of coffee as my heart desires.

Enjoy the Rain

Life is a constant control of natural urges: stop eating so you don't get fat, don't smoke so you don't get addicted, clean your apartment so you don't get spiders, do your laundry, your homework, your taxes, take a shower, hug your friends, talk to your neighbor. Do any of these actually seem natural? Not to me. Smoke because you want to, don't shower cause you don't. It seems like there is an urge, supposedly innate, in most people to look your best, to do your best, to maintain the status quo.

I would argue that this urge is superficial. Now, perhaps, it is taught 'instinctively' by our parents and our teachers to be kind, courteous, polite, to stay clean and quiet, and always get the A. Its fine to raise children in a structured environment. They of course need stability, but where does it stop? Do this, don't do that - for the rest of our lives?! Even when you are older and understand this, if you choose to break from the 'norm' in any fashion, there will always be judgment passed. Often it even comes from a complete stranger. This is what needs to be taught at a young age: don't judge!

Today, I was walking to class, and it was pouring. I wore jeans and converse because it was a light drizzle when I got dressed. By the time I parked on the usual completely-across-campus street, it was a monsoon! You couldn't see your hand in front of your face! Luckily, I had brought my cheap-as-shit umbrella that I had randomly acquired. About halfway through the 20 minute walk, class had already started and I was drenched to my knees with the umbrella leaking from the middle. As I walked down the brick path in front of Old Main, I got this urge to say "Fuck it!" and stand there without the umbrella's "protection" over my head and look straight at the sky. The sound and the smell of the rain was incredible, and to stand there uninhibited would have been so glorifying.
I didn't do it though. I might have muttered a curse word or two, but I kept that stupid umbrella over my head and marched on. Why, do you ask? Because I knew if I let down the umbrella, I would have been soaked to the bone. This sounded great given the desire present, but it was that moment in front of the class, all eyes on me, that replayed in my head. I would walk in, dripping wet with an umbrella in my hand, and everyone would think "What an idiot." That embarrassment alone kept me from carrying out what would have been a fun and liberating experience. I sat there the entire class time looking out the window, hoping it would be raining as hard as before when class got out. It wasn't at all.

The point is: we are so concerned with looking perfect and being perfect all the time, we miss out on the fun, messy, risky things in life. Living 'by the book' sounds so incredibly boring to me and if I had a second chance, I would drop the umbrella and enjoy the rain.

Fayetteville: its not over yet

One more year.

One more year.

I have come to terms with the fact that I am staying in ARKANSAS for ONE MORE YEAR. Like music to my ears.


I have recently accomplished, what in the past fours years has been semi-torturous, a perfect school schedule. That's right. I have a completely enrolled-in schedule, and it's not even close to the first week of classes! Not only am I fully enrolled, but they are only class that I need (also a first). The best part of all this, in fact the reason this happened at all, is I will graduate in May! For sure, 100%. I had been "planning" on it for some time now, but when asked "So, Kyle, you graduatin' soon?" I would say, "Yeah! Next May actually" with a slight ring of horror in my voice because, until now, I have had some serious doubts whether this was even possible.

Until now, its been like running the 800-meter. You start off fast and excited, ready to take on anything. College is a new adventure that will be fun and liberating. You meet all these new friends. Go to all these cool new places. Its great!
When you finish your first lap, you see the consequences of spending more time having fun than studying, pigeon-holed into a couple of decimals: 0.79

This race suddenly got a lot fucking longer.

After a while, you settle into a good pace and your body goes numb. You go through the motions, putting one foot in front of the other: science credit here, avoid literature class there. Until, it is finally almost over. Yeah...you might not be in the front of the pack, but you're still in the race, damn it. And although your legs are on fire and about to fall off, you can see the finish line. This is what I feel like now. The finish line is so close, but goddamn I'm tired of running around this stupid track!!

Instead of focusing on how long a year is in Arkansas. I have been wondering what it can offer me and what it has been for me.
To me, Fayetteville is rolling hills with Old Main at the top, bicyclists, and potheads. Its the Farmer's Market and Wilson Park, cheap college apartments and Mt. Sequoyah mansions. Its down-home-hick mixed with hippy intellectual. "They'll take our guns!" meets "Peace and love." Its Stir vs. Buster Belly's, fraternity vs. fucking independents. Down here, we go have fun at Devil's Den and venture the Pig Trail. We yell Pig-sooie! and wear red.
And now, after I have watched Fayetteville pick herself up after the ice storm, I know this town means a lot to me. Although I will always be FROM Missouri and don't necessarily plan to live here again, I will look back with a smile at the FIVE YEARS it took me to graduate and the time I've spent in Fayetteville.

This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.


-By Philip Larkin

Time is on my side, yes it is

Lately, I have noticed time as something that has passed instead of something endless. When you are younger, you can't relate to time because you haven't really experienced its consequences yet. You see what it can do. You know its the reason you house needs painted every few years or your grass needs mowed. You know its the reason your hair grows or your wrinkles deepen. You know its helped you gain friends and lose them.

You don't see any of these things as they are happening. You only notice once they have finished. This is the paradox. You understand time is changing things but you can never see exactly how.

When you are young, time is on your side and has yet to turn against you. It makes you think it will last forever, and you will always be young. Youth, as many will argue, is a state-of-mind. I think I disagree. Your youth disappears, usually when you are not looking. Someday you might wake up and wonder where it went and how long it has been gone. Or maybe you never have that moment of longing. Instead, you fabricate a version of youth in your head using left over pieces and stitch them together with callowness and self-delusion.

Of course, you can stay young by acting young, but you should never forget, it is just that, acting.

Benefits for Bureaucracy

I have been overly concerned lately about what I am going to do when I graduate. I guess it stems from the accumulated anxiety from my class scheduling nightmare. Regardless, I have been considering the Peace Corps and even started an application. I have since come down from my over-zealous high, and am thinking of other options. A close competitor being TEFL certified. This way, I could work and MAKE MONEY where ever I wanted. After some savings, I could travel for awhile and hook up with an NGO. This second option is very appealing because of its bohemian nature as opposed to the box and, sometimes chains, that comes along with the Peace Corps. The PC offers loan deferment, grad school assistance, and a stipend (when referring to material gains only). But they own you for 2 years. There is no freedom, there is barely vacation. Getting stuck in a small village hours from anywhere, alone as the only PCV is a definite possibility. I understand it is about the cause and the help you offer, but it seems like I could still give aid outside of the PC and have more freedom to do so.

All really fun to think about, then you realize "I haven't even started my senior year yet...fuck."

Blogging on my blog

Due to terrible internet connect (not sure if this will even go through), laziness, and business, I have been a poor excuse for a "blogger". I finally got a couple of people tuned in then left them hanging! Sorry you two. I promise not to let this happen again.

Thinking back...

I got kinda homesick today. I starting thinking about my old apartment I had back in college. Things were definitely simpler then. I remember one of the biggest selling points for me was the brick wall in the bedroom....haha. Even though it was set up like a hotel with the sink in the bedroom, it didn't take me long to get used to it. I loved that apartment. It was right next to campus, a bank, the grocery store, and this 24 hour dinner that had good burgers.

I remember I liked to keep the place clean just in case someone wanted to stop by randomly, and I enjoyed people going through the cabinets and finding a satisfying snack....I felt good when the place was stocked with food. I used to have dinner parties and would invite a few friends over for a collaborative meal and, depending on our wallets sizes, good or cheap drinks. Usually cheap with the occasional good bottle of wine. We definitely knew how to let loose! We would go to Dickson Street all night without a care in the world.

That was the first time I had lived alone, and it was easy for me. Understandable now, I guess. I remember when my older sister had moved out for the first time. She had just graduated, and I was a sophomore in high school. She rented out this cute little house. I thought it was so cool. She fixed it up real nice too and painted every room a different color. We had tons of fun in that house! But despite her ambition to be on her own, she was still scared. After that, I thought "That's how it works." You move out of the parents house, and its scary. Not for me though. I mean...I lived with roommates for awhile so I had more years behind me than when my sister ventured out on her own. The point is I was never scared to brave the world by myself. I wanted too for sure. This all seems ironic now, but back then, I was doing only what felt like the best for me.

I really thought I had a grasp on my future, but I guess it was impossible to see exactly where my decisions could take me. All I knew is that I was ready for something big and unexpected....something that would test me. Possibilities - endless.

Just another po'boy

I have recently discovered a new found appreciation for the conservative life. Really of life without money. Its been a bit difficult but enlightening the past few months.


I've always related to the life of the artist....the starving kind. Desperate only to work on your art. Eating and making money come last. Things that inspire and aid to the creative process are of course welcome: cigarettes, lazy walks and moments to ponder, whiskey. So here I am, penniless. My fridge is home to a few beers, a couple eggs, and random condiments. Although I'm quite far from starving, or finishing one hopeless piece of art. The lack of food and money has definitely opened my eyes to how terribly wasteful I can become. My horoscope tells me "when you stop caring so much about how much money you have among other physical concerns, you are starting to discover an inner harmony that is trying to replace the physical with the spiritual. You must let this grow without killing the part of you that provides sustenance." I like this idea and will definitely try to avoid killing a part of myself.

As most know, there is little we need in life. Food, water, shelter, and social interactions to keep us sane. I am very far from being that starving artist but sometimes dream about what it could be like, maybe even what it will be like. I image living in some ramshackle apartment, a weathered light brown tone throughout the room. Wallpaper falling of the wall. An old iron bed and small dresser as furniture. A view of the the city beyond and the slums below. But overall happy and malnourished.

To bad it'll never be that rough. I live way too privileged a life to end up in that desperate, wonderful scenario. I can still aim for the closest thing. Maybe staying in a crowded, immensely cheap hostel in some far away country and maybe eventually even a small, crappy apartment. These things could be possible still. I could be hard on cash, but I will have a laptop (not the old typewriter I imaged). Someday this all could be true...sooner than you think even. After school, I might just drop everything to lead this dream-driven, humble life, traveling the globe for new adventures. What I really hate is that this whole idea is nearly a mold now, fashioned from of decades of hipsters bragging about themselves. Whatever...it might be an easy mold to fit into, but its one that takes a lot of guts nonetheless.

Enough unedited, ranting for one day. I haven't had much to do lately.