VOTE!!!

If you haven't taken advantage of early voting opportunities, MAKE SURE to vote tomorrow. No excuses, or no whining later. I'd much prefer all of you vote for Obama, as I've had enough Republican trickle-down economics and warmongering and lies for a lifetime. It's time for the pendulum to swing the other way for a while, or we'll be living in a country with the economic structure and social freedoms of a third-world country. If you thought Obama's lead was solid, check out the new CNN map for a heart-stopping image ( www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/polling/ ). Leads in Virginia and Florida have narrowed considerably. If you haven't campaigned yet, today would be the day to do it. VOTE!!! And nag your friends and family to do the same!

The ABC's of me

Adventurous
Bouncy
Creative
Ditzy
Ecologist
Foodie
Good
Hard-headed
Intelligent
Joyful
Knowledgeable
Loving
Menagerie Manager
Natural
Open
Polyamorous
Quirky
Randy
Submissive
Thinker
Unedited
Violinist
Wanton
Xenophyte
Yeller
Zip-challenged

This is more difficult than you'd think...

Could you be a Queen?

Are you an attention whore, but concerned about having enough onlookers? Are you looking for a way to contribute to the community at Apogaea, but think that those three days are going to be spent in a state incompatible with goal completion? Well, especially for you, the THIRD ANNUAL Miss Apogaea pageant offers a single night to show off how cool you really are.

First up, strut your stuff, flaunt your fashion sense, your runway savy, your fabulous self in the PLAYAWEAR CONTEST. Then, show us how talented you are in the ALMOST ANYTHING GOES TALENT EXHIBITION FOR EXHIBITIONISTS--no firespinning allowed 'cause you can do that anytime--past exhibitionists have shown off their skills via dance, skits, singing, blood-letting, and flaming genitalia. Just do it, we say, and ye shall be judged. Next, just like in any other pageant, the judges of Miss Apogaea will ask you a question specifically designed to determine your dubious character in the INTERVIEW segment. Let us all know what a shining example of depraved humanity you are. Finally, we have a secret contest for those of you who are still standing at the end... shhhhhhhhhh. it's very super secret.

Not only will you get the chance to exhibit your character, skills, style and sixth sense, but you will be in the running for the Miss Apogaea QUEENSHIP. The Queen (who can, of course, be male),will receive a BIG CHECK (DID I SAY ****BIG****???) for a small amount, a sash, a cape by the stylin' Mercedes made possible by friends who've donated their fur, a blinkie crown, and a lifetime's worth of bragging rights (by far the best prize). Runners up and all participants will know that they've entertained the rest of us immensely, and will be the subjects of our fond memories. For those of us who can remember, anyway.

Here are some links to entice you all and get you thinking:

groups.yahoo.com/group/MissApo
www.apogaea.com/
www.youtube.com/watch
For details, contact the Reverend Tommy Tommy Tommy: erosphil AT yahoo DOT com

Motivate, baby

I sit in stagnant doldrums
of cognitive disrepair
entertained by mental masturbation and
other peoples' thoughts.

There sits a baroque thesis.
It reeks of processed snores.
It rolls its i's in boredom,
and fills with hazy daydreams of a more inspired birth.

And I think,"eh, why not add lousy poetry to the day's list of not-working-products?"

Finding

In a field of white clover, there are always a few leaves that don't develop properly. Instead of three palmate leaflets, these mutant leaves have four. They are rare, but not scarce--every field of white clover, every patch, has a few extra lobes. Some children, when told of the malformed leaves, search for them, pouring over each square foot of every patch they see. Days pass. One appears and the kid is wonderfully excited. Nearby, another, and another, and another!! Their newfound success in four-leaf clover hunting has nothing to do with an increase in the number of mutant leaves, but with the formation of a search image in the kid's head--that snap-to-it-gestalt thing the brain can do when an image or feeling or skill is hardwired in. After a few successes, finding them isn't so exciting. Slowly, other skills cover up the search image, remembering car keys and meetings becomes more important, and four-leaf clovers are almost forgotten. Then, if they're lucky, the forgetful one may look down years later and see a four-leaf clover. And another. And another. And another.

To me, finding love is like finding four-leaf clovers. Like finding infrequent but ever-present mutants, it takes a while to develop a search image. If you stop valuing it, you can forget how, and be startled but comforted when it happens again. Ooooh. yeah. I remember what that looks like...

Oh, please

Won't someone, anyone, move into my cool new house with me? Please? Must rewrite ad to attract all sorts. Oh well. Bring on the Baptists. I can take 'em.

no. Bryans.... they're called "Bryans"

And this one is "Amanda"

She set the table, dropping flatware onto plates, and put a roll of paper towels on. The hallway filled with footsteps and fighting. Back from school, her siblings sneered at Kraft dinner and hotdogs. She helped the shortest to his plate and thought of the white carpet she’d have when their last supper was done.

bruceling (is that what these are called?)

A friend of mine had these on their blog, and I remember really liking them as a teenager. The short short.


A girl and a codger seeking common ground lept through time and landed in a crater in the middle of Nevada. Foreign sand rose orange in the world’s protective wind. Grit blew soft against their flesh then through it, common ground abraded both, and the crater ingested wet pink matter for a timely timeless snack.