When I was young, we still used corded telephones...

First day of practical Palio training. It was hectic and my feet hurt, but I think I'll be able to handle it. I'm looking forward to getting out on my own and not having to shadow someone (and get tips!). I had something brilliant to say, but I plumb forgot. Now I'm cooling my heels and warming my belly with some Chivas Regal--an excellent drink.

Edited: Ah ha! I remembered:
Sauntering into the doors, decked out in my spiffy new all-black outfit (with a three-colored tie), I looked for the manager who'd introduce me to my trainer.
"Oh, you're working outside with David."
"Better get a polo for him," he added as an afterthought. The outside sections aren't air-conditioned.
I donned the polo, realizing at the same time that my tattoo was now visible, and I hadn't put on a watch. I was in violation of the no-tattoos-visible policy. Goddamnit, I thought, seeking a wrist band or BandAid. We found tape. Now, taped up, I looked like an athete. In my eyes, anyway. Badass. Yes.
However, I now find myself in flagrant violation of my primary principles, which include, ironically, never holding a job that disallows bearing a tattoo on my left wrist--commemorated, until recently, by getting a tattoo on my left wrist. And now I have to hide it. Ah, me.
Anyway, once I start making money and rolling in dough--by the way, Palio serves Zingermann's bread--I'll be happy. It seems as though the people working there are pretty cool too, which is good. I guess people are pretty cool wherever you are. As I strode (and sometimes scurried) hither and thither, I recognized the odd and wonderful sensation of being in a completely separate world from the majority. Not a patron is privy, not a guest can guess the esoteric and exclusive existence chillin' in parallel to their own. The staff is completely separated, cordoned off as it were, from the guests--never customers: guests. I can't wait to be a connected member.

Republicans are brilliant. Evilly brilliant. McCain's choice of a woman as his running mate is a huge blow to democrats and anyone who's intelligent enough to understand that republicans do not have the best interests of the people in mind and they're just trying to steal votes.
All those women and feminist supporters who were planning on voting for McCain out of some stupid spite because Obama ousted their choice are poised on a knife edge of change. Hillary grabbed them and swayed them with her speech. But I fear McCain grabbed them all back by picking a woman--regardless of the fact that she's younger than Obama and inexperienced (a friggin MAYOR mostly) when McCain railed against that with his entire force.
I think we're screwed. The only bright side is, win or lose, we're getting a minority in office for the first time since Catholic Kennedy.

I've been watching the Democratic National Convention off and on. Usually more off than on, but the speeches I've seen have been wildly inspiring. Maybe not quite enough to get me out in the trenches, but certainly enough to get my election juices flowing.
Finally, finally, finally, the democrats have fronted a candidate with some chutzpah, some verve. No more limp biscuit, lame duck, tired old has-beens. This guy is an up-and-comer. I'm really excited. But also really worried and nervous: the republicans are up to their usual evil tricks, and I fear that too many people are too stupid and sheepish to ignore the lies and irrelevant dirt dug up by people with nothing better to do than , and realize that anyone who votes republican and earns less than a quarter-million dollars is being duped.

I'm watching it right now and wishing I'd been watching and blogging throughout like all those people paid to post on the internet

sign: 911 was an inside job
msnbc as liberated
this could be a turning point--excitement builds; my heart starts thumping.
how can one BE a republican?
how can they sell out humanity like that?

Well, I've re-initiated the blog, and I'm hoping for some feedback. Much more to come.

In this day and age, psychology and psychiatry are in the stage of development equivalent to when surgeries were performed by barbers. Very scary stuff.
Of course, that doesn't at all mean I don't advocate the field. On the contrary, the only way for mind studies to advance to the point of being very helpful is the trial and error method. Psychiatrists and psychologists struggle in a field misunderstood by nearly everyone. Their craft is not supported by those profit-mongering axes of corporate evil, insurance companies. By far some of the least ethical groups of people ever to sanctimoniously step up and "grudgingly" accept our monthly deposits into the corporate coffers.
If you know someone who is considering becoming a psychologist or psychiatrist, offer a crumb of encouragement and steer them away from talking to anyone who might reveal to them the difficulty of in a field disrespected, misunderstood, and feared by most everybody.
I almost wish I had a reason to sit and talk to a psychology person.