Man, its starting to get frustrating that everything awesome going on in Philly is in west philly, not north philly at all. Even the "North Philly" FnB is more like center city. The autonomous zone is in west philly, the bike church (free lessons/repairs/cheap parts for bikes, totally sweet) is in west philly. If I had gone to Drexel, I could be sitting pretty with a bunch of easy-going activists. But maybe that's why I should not live there. Instead, I live 45 min to 1h away from fun/adventure by mass transit. Which means starting my own fun/rukus. Its a shit ton easier starting a rukus with a compadre, though. Not that I really know much about being active in anything. I just want to be.

I helped out at this sweet international fair thing today. I taught kids how to blockprint.

Ok, fuck it. I'm making stencils, right now. Including one for emily.

There is something really nice about drinking homebrew (currently a chocolate vanilla stout). It makes me want to make everything myself, and start an organic farm in my backyard. Actually, the garden could be expanded... and after 5 tommorow, there is no real work I can put into finding an apartment for the next year....

not that anyone in philly reads this, but: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sha/167132583.html

I am planning on doing all my traveling this summer by mass transit and walking (including plane because of budget restraints). I really can't wait to visit emily in a couple weeks. I really should have visited Ed in Des Moines while I was still in the area. Man, I really do suck at staying in touch. On that note, I've been home for 4 days and haven't called anyone from home yet. Someone has got to still be around, and if not, I should visit them in another place.

I miss weird things about school. Mostly the all-nighters. I have had a craving to stay up all night with someone talking about nothing in particular. Not that that is what I ever did during my all-nighters before. I guess driving back with Alex was pretty much staying up all night. Too bad he's about as talkitive as me, meaning that there isn't exactly non-stop banter going on.

I've been watching a lot of movies, all of them have been worth my time, but it's losing its satisfaction for me. I need to do something, but I haven't been living here much at all, and I'm leaving so soon. Sigh. At least one of my brother's friends from church is now an active anarchist. He better be there this sunday... or I'll... not end up hanging out with him.

Well, two posts down are my new year's resolutions, and that means that I don't post much at all.

However, looking at them again I see that I've done at least 3 of those and possibly 2-3 more. The problem is, I'm still acedemically hungover from last semester and really don't want to do much these days. Putting your life in order takes work, and work takes energy, and Grinnell, the place and people, suck my energy and motivation. I can credit Emily with some of the motivation I've had thus far.

I just sent a letter to my congressman. I don't know how I feel about that. I'm probably wasting my time aren't I? Better than just reading random LJs I guess.

I highly recommend carrying a sharpie around everywhere. It had greatly improved my life, being able to respond to inaine bathroom grafitti. I hate taking craps with bullshit in front of me and not being able to call them out on it.

Um. So I got into med school. Temple University in Philly. I should have shit my pants or done a cartwheel or something. I just kind of walked around all smug for a day and then tried to give my good booze to everyone. Its actually really hard. I liked it when I visited/interviewed. It's all tools, but what else would you expect from a med school? It's in a bad section of town, but I'm thinking of living there. If someone wants to mug me, fine. I don't have much they would want. I guess I say that now. I really have no idea what to expect if I would try to live next to the college. But I really want to try that.

I don't really know what I want to do. Well, not in the usual sense. I want to take a year off, but if I do that, I'll spend it learning 3 years of Tibetan, which I would like. If I don't, I spend a summer doing nothing. Not working, just doing whatever I want to. Because I won't be able to do some of that at other times. But where to go? I have a lot of SWEET options. Tacoma, WA. Grenada, Spain. Philly. Chicago. LA. Vancouver. Maine. Athens, Greece. I could spend part or all of my summer at these places. Europe is tight, especcially Grenada, where I would be living for free and working under the table at a coffee shop for food. Tight. I guess I only have the best of problems. All I need now is a rejection letter from Johns Hopkins and I can make some choices.

Need to close these freaking bank accounts. And my school owes me over 1000$. Yeah.

Man, how can I change the world?

I'm not the only person who sees that we're fucking the earth and the current governments of the world and global corporations are becoming less human by the hour. I have no idea what to do anymore. I just want to start my organic farm in vancover with Natty J, Avi, and K-lab and just live sustainably. I wounder how small a footprint we could live off of? Anybody know? But that wouldn't be changing the world, just living how I think everyone should live. And not changing anything.

Things I should do to change the world:

1) Free stuff exchange, beginning of the school year. I should get down to nomad size or at least 2 backpacks worth of things. The most practical thing I can do is give away unneccisary possessions. It costs me nothing and the happiness to consumption ratio is increased.

2) Bob's should only sell free-trade, sustainably grown coffee. I am buying it, a lot of it, and it will not be laced with explotation.

3) I should eat vegan, and things I cook myself as much as possible. Including baking my own bread more often. And buy organic as much as possible. Take as little as possible from the earth, increases happiness to consumption ratio.

4) Use money as little as possible. Also exchange services before goods and goods before money. This makes me work with people more often, and with capitalism less.

5) Protest, with an open heart, everything I can. Especially bullshit at Grinnell College. More words need to be said and to people with power.

6) Take more steps with Walmart boycott. Nothing is more a locust on this earth than this plague

7) Take more steps. Use the car only with necessity. Ship things only with necessity.

8) Practice Parkour/Seidojin everyday. It is pointless to be in this body and not be able to use it with increasingly skillful means.

9) With fewer items of clothing, I will need to wash more by hand, and often. Learn to washing things by hand. Learn to make your own soap (fight club is not quite on about the soap thing...but close)

I didn't start this as a new year's thing. But that's what it is I suppose. Only hopefully it will last longer than a year. I am feeling really peaceful writing this. I hope that I will live this way.

I was at a cabin drinking the past two days. I have had little to no alcohol all year and then I drank a ton this weekend, but never felt out of control or even drunk. At all. I don't know why. It's not a bad thing, I quite liked it, but it's just strange.

So I am going to a wedding in an hour. Yeah, I know, weird. My mom wanted me to wear red and black, but not ironically. Those aren't wedding colors... at least not that I know of. Man, I look awesome right now. Kind of like a college professor, kind of like a 21 year old anarcho-something that can't dress himself.

I think I'm ready to leave for Europe.

Rome
Barcelona
Zurich/Milano/Bern
Hamsterdamn
Berlin
Vienna
Florence

Yeah, if I think I'm poor now... umm... wait until I'm in debt. YEAH! DEBT!

I wish more people were vegans, it would me being vegan easier. Especially in restuarants. Especially when parents never want to eat at home.

Parents leaving the state for new years....yup.

Man, do I miss having the Uberman around...

To do:
-Prep bio presentation
-Compose Harmony final composition
-Philosophy paper
-Study for P-Chem test
-Not be on lj.

SO yeah, Ed, I'm alive, won't be going to the show tommorow. Only 3 more weeks until the end of school. Only 3 weeks to finish this shit... I don't know if I should be excited or terrified.

So my grandma died. Because she wasn't that great of a person makes it a lot harder for me. Smoked for the first time in 3 months, don't plan on keeping it up. Now to try to make a dent in my work.

I can't stop plugging parkour. Its like Ed and capoera.

website:

www.urbanfreeflow.com

sweet video:

http://video.google.com/videopreviewbig?q=belle+parkour&time=0&page=1&docid=8970008800328106389&urlcreated=1126763393&chan=Uploaded&prog=Parkour&date=Wed+Apr+13+2005+at+7%3A20+PM+PDT

(download google video player first)

that is all.