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I feel politically defeated. I'm on the left end of the Democratic party, more of a social democrat type. My adult life began just as we started to lose ground, and my country has gone inexorably to the right since.

When I was younger, I voted and volunteered and protested, and wrote. Now that I am older and more established, I vote and volunteer and protest and write, and contribute. It doesn't seem like enough.

At this point I consider my country's government illegitimate and lawless. The opposition, my party my whole life, is both weak and collaborating. There are very few individual legislators who represent anything like my point of view. I wonder what cause my contributions to the party will support, other than the personal careers of some prominent traitors.

Worst of all, the actual opposition seems totally fragmented. There are various small organizations who all want money and support from me and appear to have my values, but they're tiny and ignored. The radical left has been navel-gazing since 1969 and the more moderate types I resonate with have no voice.

My question for the group mind is: What can I as an individual do that makes the most impact on this situation? I'm horrible at politics and I do so poorly in political organizations that the whole prospect of getting more involved is both frightening and depressing. It's like church; as soon as you think you agree with your compatriots someone will bring up a divisive issue and the whole thing falls apart.

Is there a single-issue or focused group that deserves my entire financial and personal support, that's making a big difference? A candidate or politician perhaps not in my locale who deserves that kind of focus? A cause where I can work without being disillusioned in 30 seconds? I invite suggestion and comment.

I am tired of feeling defeated and marginalized. I'd like to take some ground.

Editorial Note: flamewars in the comments will be deleted. so don't even.

I seem to be sliding back into my childhood again.

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!

One of my favorite states of being is the sweaty, slightly congested, and fully satisfied glow after eating a good curry. That's the state I inhabit now after making a pot of chicken curry and eating a couple of servings of it over basmati rice. The rice cooker makes perfect basmati if I press the "quick cooking" button.

Today I was driving through the Edge of Civilization portion of South County (Foothill Ranch, Portola) which is a set of brand new shiny suburbs and malls. At one point I looked at the car next to me at a stoplight. It was a brand new Mercedes sedan, with one male occupant in his forties. He had perfect hair. He was smoking a cigar, which being a nerd I recognized as a Hoyo de Monterrey Prensado Oscuro. And his car stereo was blaring... ...an evangelical sermon. Acres of Diamonds, people, Acres of Diamonds.

I saw a blue Mustang with the plate: MEMERY too.

Current list of things broken in my house:

• Water pipe inside slab (repaired)
  
• Drywall and paint damaged by flood (repaired)
  
• Vanity in bathroom destroyed
  
• Carpet in hallway, living room, one bedroom destroyed
  
• Thermostat for heater working only intermittently status post handyman "looking at it". (new one just installed)
  
• Forced-air natural gas heater dead even when started manually; fan motor broken; entire heater needs replacement. (Heater may be as much as 40 years old.) (installed as of this moment)
  
• Front door deadbolt won't close status post handyman "fixing" doorknob/lock issues.
  
• Toilet flush mechanism does not stop unless you "do it right".
  
• Cover on fluorescent light over kitchen counter falls off periodically with a loud bang.
  
• Slab under house is "efflorescing", which will inevitably require slab replacement at some future date.

This one is flying around myspace, etc. You put in your name in a quoted string followed by "looks like" and see what Google says. My first result:

"On the surface, Conrad looks like a cute kid — like Opie from Mayberry."

Even better, it's from this news story: ( I assaulted someone with a knife )

I'm a fanboy for a record store! I just realized this. That hasn't been true for me since Rhino Records Westwood in about 1986, so this is new and fun. I've been shopping at Aquarius online and in person for years now. Yes, I ordered a Jack Palance record, a pipe organ record, and tibetan monks. Also a re-release of a 1981 compilation of crazy-ass artpunk music, which makes more sense for me.

You ordered:
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1 cd V/A Keats Rides A Harley
1 cd MONTALBA, GEORGES Pipe Organ Favorites / Fantasy In Pipe Organ And Percussion
1 cd PALANCE, JACK s/t
1 2cd V/A Tibetan Buddhist Rites From The Monasteries Of Bhutan Vol. 1

comments: Hey! If you by any chance have the new Jello/Melvins record "Sieg Howdy", could you add it to this order and let me know? http://www.alternativetentacles.com/product.php?product=1164 if you haven't seen it yet. If not, I'll either get it from A.T. or wait until you get it.

Also, you guys are so amazing that I want to move to San Francisco. Actually, I want to move to San Francisco and live right near your store and then just go there and hang around all the time. You better hope I don't win the lottery because that's what I'll do. That, and two chicks at once.