the marx of a loon

i read the communist manifesto yesterday, as well as the 1883 preface in which friedrich engels gives karl marx all the credit for the 'thought' (er, blames?) behind the pamphlet. (and yeah, i'm an exciting gal, spending my extra day off catching up on last summer's reading list (thank you, akb, for pointing out one of my many failures ;)).

the bottom line here is that karl marx was a loon*.

the end.

~k

*reasons in the comments

guess who

"a prince who is not wise himself cannot be wisely counseled... an unwise prince, having to consider the advice of several counselors, would never receive concordant opinions, and he would not be able to reconcile them on his own. his counselors would pursue their own interests and he would know neither how to rule them nor how to understand them."

does this remind you of anyone? comments are encouraged.

~k

holding

i have so much in my head, i don't know where to start. so maybe i won't. well, almost.

michael jackson is dead. it was cardiac arrest this afternoon. no matter what, it'll always be true that either legally or illegally, he touched us all.

~k

my list

a coupla years ago, i made a list of 20 things i really wanted to do in this life. some of the things on the list are pretty random (e.g. (#18) sit on the inside of an igloo and (#16) hold a really cute monkey). some things are probably on other peoples' lists (e.g. (#19) climb the inca trail and (#14) sail the indian ocean). and some things are uniquely me (e.g. (#5) spend a year with no address and (#4) make love in the rain).

but number 11 is the one that matters most to me. 'make a difference in someone's life'. since making the list (i have one copy on my fridge and another on the bulletin board in my kbd office), i have been told by more than one person that i can scratch number 11 off the list. but when i put number 11 on paper, i meant more than _just_ making a difference. like, it's not enough that a great friendship, an intense series of conversations about life, love, politics and bullshit, or helping someone get a job or a lover, makes a difference in their life. i'm talking about having a major impact in the way someone chooses to live their life.

tomorrow that opportunity arrives. by design. my 16-year old niece is coming to spend the rest of the summer with me. she's having a tough time in her life, is not making productive choices, and needs an intervention of sorts. i'm it.

when i signed up to take her on, my nearest and dearest (all of whom have since signed up to partake in teen-friendly summer activities with my summer kid and myself) touted me a saint for sacrificing my lively single-girl summer plans to play mentor and hostess to a troubled teen. but i'm no saint.

i'm motivated by self-interest as much as anything else. i may be dedicating the next eight weeks to helping my summer kid recognize how wonderful life can be by making the right choices and believing in herself. i want to empower her to be the best she can be, while showing her that she must forgive herself when she makes her many mistakes. but i'm doing this as much for me as i am her. because if i can accomplish my goal, i can scratch number 11 from my list, satisfied that i achieved the best possible number 11 outcome.

see, i'm no saint. i am a selfish asshole like everyone else. there's just a slightly different method to my madness.

~k

fml

if you haven't been to this site, http://www.fmylife.com/, you really should visit.

mine today.

my brain thinks i'm on the east coast, so it woke me up at 6am. my body went to bed four hours earlier (it took me a while to wind down after a fantabulous two-week tour de america). all i wanted to jump start my first day back at the fun factory was a grande iced coffee in a venti cup. and the coffee machine at starbucks was broken.

fml.

~k

back on those stairs

there is nothing in the world like getting off a plane and walking out of the los angeles international airport. the air here is so crisp to touch and carries such a nice salty scent in its frequent gusts of a breeze. in spite of her many flaws, it simply feels good to be in the city of angels.

and then getting back to silver lake to find an open spot at the top of the music box steps (even though 'twas 11:11 pm when i pulled in), opened my door, and fell into the awesomeness that is my apartment.

it's damn good to be home.

and moving will be oh so bittersweet :(

~k