Dear City of Tucson

I hate you so much right now.  Let me count the ways:

1.  Robot police officers.

The red light cameras you have posted at various intersections throughout our fair city to thwart the worst of our criminals could possibly be the lamest thing you have ever done since getting rid of the Toros.  Please don't insult our intelligence by saying that it is for our safety because not only have studies from numerous cities shown that these cameras increase the amount of accidents at their respective intersections; most of us living near one have almost rear-ended someone or have nearly been rear-ended due to the paralyzing fear and nervousness that these robocops create.

The speed cameras you have discreetly put up everywhere are no better.  The places at which they are posted may have a high frequency of speeders but don't try to tell me they have a high frequency of accidents due to speeding.  Tell me, how fast will these cameras pay for themselves.  Quick, is my guess.

2.  Construction

If you've posted these cyborgs throughout the city to pay for this construction, I damn thee.  You have literally blocked me in to my house.  I can walk to the Safeway at Grant and Craycroft faster than I can drive.  I wouldn't recommend it, though, because the sidewalks running a quarter-mile in every direction from this intersection have been torn out.  this makes it really easy on pedestrians trying to reach Tucson Medical Center.  But we don't really care about citizens who don't own cars, do we, Tucson (ie. public transportation)?  Don't get me started on that interstate.

3. Rio Nuevo

most would say that you had one good thing going for you; a cute little downtown and art district in the Congress and Fourth Ave. areas.  But you couldn't let it be.  You had to bring in the Rio nupoop-o project and Starbucksify the last of the cool we had left in Tucson.  You tore down the 4th Ave. bridge and you're probably going to replace it with some pink and tan toned monstrosity covered in oxidized copper sculptures of Gila monsters.  It will look just like the Phoenix freeway system.  

I gotta say, Tucson, you are making it really ahrd to be proud of you these days.

Wake up

I have never been able to figure out if I do the things that I do out of selfishness or not.  I suppose it is because I am just extremely proficient at lying to myself.  I wish humility could be a total, absolute, encompassing trait within me, ridding me of all doubt.  The doubt, though, is healthy (human), i think.  I think doubt is the key ingredient in self-progress.  So, I say to you, my brethren, doubt away.  Even though we will likely never find the answers to our questions, at the very least, we will grow.

the Man around my Neck

I have been wearing a medal of St. Jude Thaddeus of James around my neck for a while now.  Honestly, I think it is because, deep down, I wish I could be Catholic.  I love the sense of tradition.  It's much more comforting to be a part of a religious organization that would rather stay the same for eternity than try to appease youngsters by putting a coffee shop in their youth room and playing terrible Christian pop-punk through their speakers.  Seriously, Catholicism, if it weren't for all your pedo-priests and deification of really old men.....

I am in to the story of St. Jude because people kind of hate him, I guess.  Mostly because he is confused with Judas Iscariot.  As you can see, the art work involved in this iconography is beautiful and I especially like that of Thaddeus.  He usually has an axe in his hand because that is how he died and his head is usually portrayed with fire on it because he was present at Pentecost.  He is called the patron saint of impossible situations due to the content of his New Testament letter, which you should check out; it's really short.  The necklace serves as a good reminder of the principles found in his letter and makes for something productive to think about when the necklace reminds me.

"St, Jude, hope of the hopeless, pray for me" - Catholic prayer

 

Something I like

The Doughnut Peddler is an Arizona-based company that serves up its tasty creations by way of circle K throughout southern Arizona. After losing much of its business to large and, apparently, overly ambitious competitor, Krispy Kreme, it hung on for a few years, waiting for the failure of the Goliath. The waiting has paid off. Welcome back, king of gas station donuts. Keep up the good work. I especially enjoy the buttermilk.

screw Guy Atchley

Don't go to Fuddrucker's.  I waited for 40 minutes for burgers for my wife and I.  But guess who came in twenty minutes after us but was happily munching on burger well before we got ours?  Local news anchor/celebrity/silver fox Guy Atchley.  What's better than that?  He was actually wearing one of those vests that people wear when they dress up as journalists.  You know, like the one Don Johnson wore in the "searching for a heartbeat" video.

I'm not good with quotes, just paraphrases

Mother Teresa said that it isn't about doing something big, but about doing the small things with diligence...or something.  I'm in to that.  Maybe it was, "we aren't called to success, but to faithfulness."   I want to stop trying to start a revolution and just love my family, love my friends; and treat strangers like they aren't strangers at all.

I went to Las Vegas to see an old friend get married this week.  The ceremony took place in the top of the stratosphere which is, if you don't know, a 1,000 foot tower with amusement park rides on top of it, a beautiful view, and the ability to instill a urinate-in-your-pants sense of fear.  Here are a few pictures from the top, plus one of me with a guy who plays a mean saxophone on Fremont st.

one more thing

You know who is better than Coldplay?  Natalie Merchant, that's who.

Coldplay

I don't think their is anyone in the world I want to cage match with more than this dude.  I watched the Grammy's the other night and steamed while this toolbag took home a bunch of awards for songs he didn't write while wearing costumes previously worn by musicians who actually deserve recognition.  He writes shallow, meaningless, boring trash that is probably only good enough for those emotional scenes in Grey's Anatomy or E.R.  He looks like a malnourished horse, he named his daughter Apple and he has the audacity to apologize to Paul McCartney for biting the Sgt. Pepper's outfits during an acceptance speech.  oh, and find someone better to steal songs from than Joe Satriani.

Good Friends are Hard to Find

His name is Brutus.  He will rule your face.  I love him more than I love myself, which is alot.  If you knock on my door, he'll bark at you.  Like, freaking loud.  If you leave old trash out, while your not looking, he'll eat it.  If you have a 10 month old baby in the house sleeping, Brutus doesn't care, he will wake that kid up for no good reason.  He drinks water until he pukes.  You know why?  Because he doesn't even care about your carpet.  That is why I love him. 

Honestly, here is the story.  A couple of years ago, Alanna's sister called and asked if we wanted a dog.  She had gotten him from an abused dog shelter but could not keep him because the dog wouldn't warm up to her boyfriend.  We decided to give it a try.  He hated all dudes for a while.  It took me a long month to get him to come close to me.  You wouldn't know that if you met him now, though.  He is currently a bad-ass.  He would make for a good anti-hero in a Scorcese movie or something.  He is quiet and kind of shy, but don't set him off because he will eat you.  He has a mysterious, seedy past with face scars to prove it, but no one knows quite where he came from or how he got the way he is, kind of like Wolverine.

Seriously, if you come around these parts, you better check the 'tude at the door. Or Brutus will eat it.

First and Foremost

so I decided to start a real blog, not one just to uncover the deceit of roadside attractions (www.thethingsucks.blogspot.com).  I wanted to start with something that has been at the forefront of my thoughts for the past few months.

If you don't know about me or what I have been doing for the past three years, I am currently the executive director of an all-ages concert venue/art gallery in Tucson, AZ called The Living Room.  This is a volunteer position; all the money we make goes to paying bills and general upkeep for the building and equipment.  We generally host 2-4 shows a week mostly comprised of music of the youth culture (lots of punk rock, metal, harccore, etc.) because that is the music I understand.  We try to have a positive impact on the community of Tucson by providing people with a safe, drug/alcohol/violence-free place to spend there time.  The idea of community is what we focus on most.  We want to be able to look each other in the eye, be able to offer help to each other, without the fear of judgment or exclusion.  Personally, I do this because I whole-heartedly believe that a small group of people who want to change a society can easily turn into a big group of people who want to change a society with a few key ingredients; love, respect, self-love, and self-respect.

That being said, I am also a Christian.  the thing I have been wrestling with is whether I should run the Living Room as an expressly Christian organization or not.  I have been leaning towards "no".  I have often been asked by other Christians why I don't host evangelical events or "revivals" at the Living Room.  I can think of a few reasons.  

First, I don't think those things are the best way to preach the name of Christ to another person anymore, if they ever were.  When I spend time at the Living Room, people there know who I am and what it is that I believe and the majority do not hold the same beliefs.  But we are still able to show love and respect for each other because both parties have put effort in to fostering a friendship.  Through that, people are able to see and comfortably ask about what it is that I believe.

Second, I think contemporary Christianity has diluted the followers of Christ with a misinterpretation of the idea of spiritual gifts.  Those who have spent time in the modern church have been fed the idea that some people are meant for preaching, others are meant for overseas missions work, others are meant for being the church secretary, etc.  I honestly hate this idea.  I do not want the purpose of the Living Room to be "evangelical" because I don't want someone cleaning the toilets, mopping the floors, or washing windows and calling it evangelism.  When i am at the Living Room, or anywhere else for that matter, the responsibility to further the kingdom of God falls on me, as a follower of Christ.  I do not want to try to dodge this responsibility by getting involved in a church or organization that I believe is doing this for me.  

I want people to be in Heaven because I love them and, for me, it is difficult to love someone if I don't really know who they are.