Ramblings of an EdMan

Good fun. Good acting. Some dealing with the stigma of being in sex work. 

Sex work is real work and shouldn’t be stigmatized like it is. It makes it more dangerous for everyone. And there really is nothing wrong about being a stripper to help pay for life. 

A wonderful short documentary on Netflix about Carmen Herrera whose art was discovered five decades after it should have when she was around 90.

Sexism makes me very, very sad. That a major contemporary gallery of the 1960s wouldn’t show her work because she was a woman is terrible. It shouldn’t have taken until the 2000s. 

We are getting there. But, we still have a long way to go. 

Sitting on a stone bench waiting for Pokestops to be ready again. 

Walking on a cool night. Fall is in the air.

Jazz is in my ears. 

Almost done with John Green’s “Paper Towns”, I wish I didn’t see his TED talk before reading it. Still a fun read.

Tonight reading some of and laughing really, really hard. Tales from the short bus and the bed pan can be absolutely hilarious. 

Reading the first two X-Men comics in a first ten compendium someone was throwing away. Hard for me to throw books out, even hard to just donate to the library. Although, I think that’s where “Paper Towns” is going. The X-Men book is going to the neighbor’s 13 year old autistic son. 

I like these random posts. Oddly flowing together better with music. Maybe I should try to freelance write. I could use help getting better at rejection. 

The sun has left time to swipe the four local Pokestops, pray by the two Buddhas outside in front of the Vietnamese Buddhist temple. 

And enjoy a couple days off, I could use some time in the woods. 

I do enjoy it. I didn’t expect four extra playoff holes on the PGA Championship today. 

But, I was only kinda watching it. I was actually enjoying some of the old Simpsons Halloween special more. And watched a bit of football. 

But, I feel like I missed out with not going outside and reading or Pokewalking after work. Sunsets are so early now. 

And I haven’t actually played a round since I moved to Connecticut two years ago. My clubs are buried in the closet. 

It’s nice to watch sportsball, but it is critically important to enjoy the outdoors too.

So it goes…

I’m watching a Highwayman concert from 1990 on PBS. Willie Nelson is now 89 and still making music with everyone. Waylon Jennings passed away recently with his last album with Willie Nelson. Kris Kristofferson had memory loss which may be getting better after Lyme disease treatment.http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/kris-kristofferson-an-outlaw-at-80-20160606

And of course Johnny Cash went with Rick Rubin into a studio and pared down his sound with the six amazing American Recording albums and a unplugged duet with Willie Nelson that made him my favorite musician of all time. With this Highwaymen show it’s greatest hits. With the American Recordings albums it’s far, far deeper. Not just songs he had played for decades and memorized but songs he could really feel. The pauses and the honesty really matter from “Hurt”, to “The First Time Ever I Saw Her Face” to “Personal Jesus”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Satisfied Mind.” 

May we all try to live more of our personal genius. 

I just read Andrew Sullivan’s excellent New York magazine piece about needing to disengage from the internet. 

He spent ten days in silent mediation, it sounds like at the Vipsanna meditation centers I have been considering for years 

I really think these strange things called smartphones talk to you and want to be used. And you see people with them on all over the place. I seem to use them the most going outside to walk and play Pokemon Go. Although, strangely since my walk goes by a Vietnamese Buddhist temple and I’m waiting for the buzz of a Pokemon, I find that it’s usually very meditative. As I walk with my pajamas on. 

It is incredibly easy to get lost on the Internet and Facebook and much less so Twitter for me of late. And these are awfully expensive things. 

I am really looking forward to being offline completely and doing some spiritual work at Twilight Convening in two weeks. And with being sick the last few days I have been dreaming a lot more. 

And I have been reading a lot more since getting some reading glasses and that has been wonderful too. Especially dreaming outside. 

Do remember there is an airplane mode and even an off button on your phone. Sometimes they really are best as bricks. And to just enjoy the outdoors or your inner spaces. 

Glad to get a lot of sleep though. 

Had odd dreams of my suburban/exurban hometown of Montgomery being a lot more like Brooklyn. 

And it’s really nice we have a great armchair and glad I found some NyQuil. 

Felt totally awful today but was wonderful to nap between the kitties. 

Lenny by my leg right of me. Squiggy on my left near my butt. 

I often wish I loved myself as much as the kitties love me.

I hope I feel better soon. 

Rest is good. 

Total crash day today. 

I did watch the last 4 episodes on “Last Chance U” on Netflix which was very good. 

Was thinking of writing a blogpost about how much sports are subsidized at all levels early this morning but that smacks of effort. 

Planning to leave the house tomorrow. 

Wooo! 

It’s hard to not give spoilers. 

I probably shouldn’t fear them so much. 

But, this is an incredible show. Fascinating acting, great writing and a sense you don’t totally know everything. 

Eliot is one of the more interesting characters that I can think of. 

I haven’t caught up to season 2 yet, but there is something wonderful about its world. 

And of how we all have many parts of our personality. 

Great to see Christian Slater again too in a part that at least for me makes me think of “Pump Up the Volume” in a way. 

The first season of Mr. Robot is on Amazon Prime along with one of my other favorite shows of the summer “BrainDead.” The other show which has totally blown me away is “Stranger Things” on Netflix. Television can allow for richer stories than movies. 

And I totally want a Mr. Robot flannel.