President of the Trier Drinking Society

I was looking through one of my old journals, where I make lists, muse, and write down ideas and thoughts to look up. I followed up on one thought this morning. I must have been driving home from work when I heard a segment on NPR's "The Writer's Almanac" where Garrison Keillor talks about Karl Marx writing to his wife. Here is part of the segment, which aired May 5, 2008:

It's the birthday of Karl Marx, born in Trier, Germany (1818), the son of a lawyer. Marx went to university to study law but was not a very dedicated student and became president of the Trier Tavern Drinking Society. When he transferred to a school in another city, he became a more serious student. He married Jenny von Westphalen, his childhood sweetheart and the daughter of a Prussian Baron, in 1843. They would have seven children together, only three of whom would survive to become adults. Nonetheless they had a tender and generally happy marriage, and Marx once wrote to his wife, "There are actually many females in the world, and some among them are beautiful. But where could I find again a face whose every feature, even every wrinkle, is a reminder of the greatest and sweetest memories of my life?"

Someone once told me that I seem like I am equal parts romantic/idealistic and practical. My fondness for what Marx wrote to his wife captures that. He is at once being idealistic and romantic, telling his wife that she is the only one he'd rather be with. But the mention of the reasons why make it all the more real: There are beautiful people in the world, but I'm not interested in them--you are my life. You can also feel the gratitude and appreciation in the tone.

Just when you think you understand a philosopher/political theorist/social scientist, you learn something about him that surprises/delights you.

Workout playlist makeover

I was running today and got bored with the music that was on my Workout playlist. The list is about 2 years old and needs some editing. Any suggestions? I'm X'ing the ones I'm planning to remove from the list because I always skip them.

X Don't Stop - ATB
Commonwealth (Cheap Chicks) - Bahamadia
Wouldn't it be Nice - Beach Boys
Don't Worry Baby - Beach Boys
X Still Dirty - Christina Aguilera
Fighter - Christina Aguilera
X Sci-Fi Wasabi - Cibo Matto
Over and Over again (Lost and Found)
The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Is this Love? - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Go! - Common
Here it Goes Again - Ok Go
Friday I'm in Love- The Cure
X Why Can't I Be You - THe Cure
Harder Better Stronger Faster (Neptunes Remix) - Daft Punk
One More Time - Daft Punk
Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
Your Heart is an Empty Room - Death Cab for Cutie
X Jumpin, Jumpin - Destiny's Child
Where Did Our Love go? - Diana Ross
Come See About Me - Diana Ross
Baby Love - Diana Ross
X Someday We'll be together - Diana Ross
Hate it or love it - The Game
Maneater - Hall and Oates
X Sexy Back - Justin TImberlake
Stronger - Kanye West
X Gold Digger f/Jamie Foxx
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Nanny Nanny Boo Boo - Le Tigre
X After Dark - Le Tigre
X Don't Drink Poison - Le Tigre
Loungin (Who Do you Love ) - LL Cool J
X Fire Fire - MIA
Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects
Last Resort - Papa Roach
Work it - Missy Elliot
X Get Ur Freak On f/ Nelly Furtado - Missy Elliot
Float On - Modest Mouse
X Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse
X Shake Ya Ass - Mystical
Maneater - Nelly Furtado
Promiscuous f/ TImbaland - Nelly Furtado
X Say It right - Nelly Furtado
Do It - Nelly Furtado
X Bizzare Love Triangle - New Order
Hella Good - No Doubt
Just a Girl - No Doubt
B.O.B. (Remix) - Outkast
Ditty - Paperboy
X Tombstone, Baby - Peaches
I love your smile - Shanice
Kissing the Lipless - THe Shins
X '93 Til Infinity - Souls of Mischief
What About your Friends - TLC
Ain't Too Proud to Beg - TLC
X Blue Monday - New Order
Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes
X Luv 2 Luv U (remix) - Timbaland
X Clock Strikes (remix) - Timbaland
Kick Push - Lupe Fiasco
X Never Lies - Lupe Fiasco
Don't Phunk With My Heart - Black Eyed Peas
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
X My Style f/ Justin Timberlake - Black Eyed Peas
The Way You Move - Big Boi f/ Sleepy Brown
X Superstar f/ Matthew Santos - Lupe Fiasco
When You Were Young - The Killers
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers
Get Up (Main) - Ciara f/ Chamillionaire
Hey Ya - Andre 3000
Glamorous f/ Ludacris - Fergie
Pogo - Digitalism
X Kids - MGMT
Oh Mandy - The Spinto Band
Obstacle 1 - Interpol
X Yeah! - Usher
Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire
12 O'Clock Girl - James Maker

Know any good workout/running songs?

Dreams

There has been a strange new phenomenon in my life. I have woken up remembering my dreams. For as long as I can remember I haven't been able to remember anything i dreamed about the night before. I was concerned about it enough to ask about my dreamless sleep during an anatomy lecture on brain memory and reorganization (a la the hippocampus). My professor says you're not supposed to remember them unless you woke up in the middle of or right after REM. That brought relief.

But now I'm remembering them! Does this mean my nights are more fitful and restless? Most likely. It's been difficult to be in a long distance relationship, have a milestone birthday, work 2 jobs and not really have time to unwind. There was one dream in particular I had at the beginning of the month that was amazingly vivid. It felt as though I were watching a fairy tale and I had to write it down.

Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen of the forest who ruled over the land with the power of their love. All in the kingdom were humbled by it and loved to be subjects in such a positive and peaceful land. Daily citizens had conversations about the king and queen's true love for each other, and how much it inspired them. They needed no police, no taxes-- love brought peace and comfort to the hearts of all. The kingdom itself was beautiful. The colors shone brightly, the sun was warm but not too hot, the breeze was cool and balmy, and the world seemed to sing. I think this dream was in technicolor.

Around the castle, a loving couple would communicate in short glances, an affectionate hand on the other's shoulder, just staring into each other's eyes. The king would leave notes where his queen could find them to remind her of how special, beautiful and loved she was. They had a special language which only the two of them understood that looked like single-line drawings on EKG strips.

One day, to the dismay of all who knew her, the queen mysteriously disappeared. In my dream she had either fallen ill, died, or disappeared. The king was heartbroken. Part of him believed that his queen would one day return. That she was still alive and would come back to him. But in the meantime he could not rule without her. He gave up his crown to live in the forest and took one of his advisers with him. They were shape-shifters so he and his adviser decided to turn into large trees, kind of like the tall Ents in Lord of the Rings, so that they could retreat but still be able to listen and watch for any sign of the queen.

Months/years... [time] passes.

Suddenly the king began to hear rumors of a woman or being that fit the queen's description: her good nature, her beauty, her grace. He started finding new secret love notes like the ones they used to write to each other. Though skeptical, they king began to move out of the depths of the forest and closer to the kingdom. The king then announced that on a certain day, for an entire day, he would display the queen's ring for her to come forward and reclaim by trying it on. (very Cinderella-esque)

That particukar day came quickly and the king sent his adviser to the town square. He placed a pillow out--on it sparkled the queen's ring. The whole kingdom gathered with wide-eyed anticipation of their queen's return and with hopes that their kingdom would be restored to the happy place it had been. They wanted desperately to believe in true love again.

The day stretched long. No sign. The sun began to set but the ring sparkled on.
The collective heart of the land was once again broken.
She never came.

And then I woke up.

Some of the details are still missing and I hope to fill them in with "awake" fiction because I think it's a lovely (though tragic) story. If you ask whether I'm supposed to be the queen in this story, I'll tell you no.
My thoughts and feelings throughout the entire dream were from the perspective of the king.

Rawr!

Another shirt.

Sticky note

Songs about LA

Songs about CA

I [heart] poems

Haiku shirt 1

Haiku shirt 2
an oldie but goodie

Sticky note

Mayor's Midnight Marathon - Anchorage, AK