Edwin's City of Lakes Blog

A little post-birthday letdown today...Last night we went to the Chinese buffet at Cho-Sun (the buffet is free pm your birthday), then later went out to karaoke night at Americanaand stayed out way too late.

I went to DIAKONOS tonight for the first time in awhile. The spiritual battle that I am having is so complicated. Why do I love the church? Do I really love it or seek it as an escape from "reality"? I am having such a hard time discerning vocation and the loud voices of my mother and others urging me away from the church really make things much harder.

Well it's George's and my birthday today. The first president of the United States turns 274 and I turn 23. Well that kind of puts it into perspective, doesn't it? For those of you who weren't aware, I will confess that I was born in...gulp... South Dakota. Yes it's true--the most loyal and proud Minneapolitan and Minnesota was actually born in Flatlands. In my own defense, there was another proud Minnesotan born in the crazy land to the southwest: Hubert H. Humphrey, and no one questions his authenticity as a son of the North Star State.

I stupidly stayed up way to late last night and now feel hung over but without the having a good time the night before that might it worth it. Micah is insisting that I download the new Dick Wolf series for NBC that is supposedly a mixture of Law & Order and Melrose Place. Because I love Dick Wolf, I probably will but it requires iTunes which I hate. I know that is heresy to the college-set but I dislike Apple products immensely and I really hate using the Macintosh OS. It is too "fussy" and affected and trendy and I hate it. My other great heresy is that I loathe The Family Guy. Yes that's right--I don't think Stewie is cute or funny, or that Peter is entertaining. It is homophobic and crude. OK, you're thinking " But wait Edwin, you like The Simpsons, and Sarah Silverman and even South Park so how can you hate Family Guy?" Those shows sometimes use off-humor to make pointed social commentary and satire, but Family Guy makes cheap shots without the commentary made by Sarah Silverman or Stone and Parker. I am not the only person who thinks so: Kevin Smith (yes the Smith of "Clerks" fame) also dislikes Family Guy for some of the reasons I do, and Stone and Parker hate being compared to MacFarlene.

I have to sing the praises of thefacebook (I insist on using the article "the" even though they dropped it from their promotions). I have reconnected with a few people from DeLaSalle and that has been very interesting to see what people are up to. Especially Nora McInerny. She was in my "Honors English" class in the 9th grade with Mr Courtney, and I always admired her razor sharp wit, smarts (she had a column in the Southwest Journal in the 9th grade) , and confidence. Anyway she writes the most entertaining blog--now one of my favorites.

I need to go to the Hallmark Gold Crown store this week to get some cards before my gift certificate expires...Oh the exciting life I am leading in Iowa. School, occasional drinking, Hallmark-shopping,"Smallville" episodes, no sex...I am the envy of the whole Midwest!


Speaking of all exciting things northeast Iowa--Decorah and Winneshiek are in this month's Travel + Leisure. Why? Find out yourself.

In a matter of 4 days, I will be 23 years old. Wow. Sometimes I feel like life has passed me by. But at least now I am back on track and in school.

The media is reporting that the DFL is filing a complaint against WCCO for providing illegal in-kind contributions to the campaign of Gov Pawlenty. It's true in my opinion that Pawlenty should be kicked from the airways unless he doesn't seek reelection. I like the idea that the FCC is so toothless that Pawlenty can keep in broadcasting until July without triggering equal time. Once again, Republicans breaking the rules and stretching ethics to win at all costs. Remember Sue Ek and "Ox" from St Cloud?

In a related story, I played a taped program from Tom Latham's office office today on KWLC called "Congressional Report." Usually it's just information that might be helpful for people, like explaining Congress' stupid Medicare-D program, but today's edition was about taxes. It essentially became a Latham ad at the end. The Iowa Dems should complain.

I haven't posted in some time. The things is, once you get out of the habit of regular posting, it becomes harder and harder to catch up and seems like too much to get back on track. Anyway.

I have never felt such hatred in my heart for anyone like I do for George Bush. It is a toxic hatred and I need to try to separate the man from his policies but it is soo damn frustrating. I have never felt so hopeless in my short life as I do now when I think about my country.

Spying, torture, indefinate detentions, poisoning our environment, lies. Aren't there any Americans with power left who care about these gross abuses of our laws and way of life? Isn't pathetic that the HOUSE OF LORDS in the UK is more concerned about civil rights and legal process then our own House of REPRESENTATIVES? The unelected Lords are fighting Blair's excesses and have even written briefs to the US Supreme Court urging the court to check the executive's power and our own "house of the people" rolls over again and again and again and again and again.

I am sick of being cynical about politics. I want to believe again. My end of January visit DC to see Micah has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about government. I look to the church to provide guidance and I don't see it--our civil and religious authorities are abdicating their responsibilities. I am in a class studying Bonhoeffer and I wish that I could find someone like him right now, someone to provide the prophetic voice in the church to say enough to the regime to call us back to Christ, love, the Divine, whatever you want to call it.

Maybe I shouldn't listen to so much melancholy music. I don't know.