Saint Clarence

So yeah, I have a new favorite blog (Other than my girlfriend's ZoeSays blog). It's Roger Ebert's. It's fantastic, and the user commentary is stellar. Always entertaining, usually informative, and never stupid, it's become an automatic read. I have very few. Here are some of my automatic checks:

RogerEbert.com - It's got a very active comments section (most posts go over 500 comments), and Ebert is active in responding. He even checks out commenters' blogs. It is moderated, which means there is no concern for trolling, etc.

ZoeSays.com - It's the girlfriend's. Visit. It's funny and interesting, with some unique perspectives.

CNN.com - Always a good idea to keep up on news. Stay away from the entertainment section, and stick to the REAL news that affects everyone, please.

Cracked.com - HILARIOUS. Interesting takes on history and science, so it's funny without just resorting to toilet humor and penis jokes (though there are a few lowbrow moments as well).

Chambana.Craigslist.org - Well, it's Craigslist. Damn you, Craig. You take so much time out of my life looking at random bedroom furniture. And now I'm moving to New York, so I'll have even more posts through which to wade.

Top-Law-Schools.com - Going to law school next fall, so this makes sense. It's got a good forum section, making fun of Cooley Law School and their self-invented ranking of 12th, among other things.

Facebook.com - Yeah, it's pretty equal shades of awesome and annoying. On the bright side, you can look up people you knew way back in the day. On the down side, they can look you up, too. Also, you run the risk of your girlfriend reminding you to update your status multiple times per day.

Twitter.com - I'm on there. Look me up as SaintClarence27. Regardless, it can be fun as long as you download tweetdeck or another reader. You can also follow cnn, nytimes, the newyorker, etc. Or you could follow 70+ different people/companies, as I do.

OkCupid.com - Yeah, it's a dating site. But it's free. It's how I met my girlfriend, so I am forever in their debt. Also, they have good quizzes and a forum section.

In any case, I'm ready to move to New York City!

Here's my congressional representative, Tim Johnson's, response to Obama's health care speech:

From:
http://news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/09/10/response_to_obama_from_us_rep_tim_johnson/

I appreciate the President taking this opportunity to address the
Congress and the people of the United States regarding his vision for
healthcare reform. Unfortunately it is much of the same; lofty words
with few specifics.

The American people have made it clear that they are not comfortable
with the path of this debate, do not support the current proposals in
the House and Senate, and want us to slow down and get this right. The
time for rhetoric has long passed; the time for the President to lead
has arrived. He campaigned on the promise to change the way Washington
works and what better opportunity than this healthcare debate.

This morning Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Reid were
invited down to the White House for a meeting on the healthcare debate.
Where were the Republican leaders? There are many areas in the
healthcare arena that we agree should be addressed. We should allow
small businesses to band together to buy their insurance through
association health plans. When someone loses their job they should not
lose their health insurance. No one should be denied healthcare
coverage because they have pre-existing conditions or become sick. And
citizens should be allowed to shop for insurance across state lines, to
name just a few.

However, the President and Democrats in the House and Senate seem
intent on establishing a government-run health plan that has been shown
in numerous other countries does not contain costs without rationing
care to seniors and other vulnerable people and diminishes the health
outcome of its citizens. And to top it all off they plan to tax small
businesses who can't afford to supply insurance to their employees, tax
individuals who do not obtain insurance, and place caps on the amount
people can donate to organizations whose goal is to help the same people
who do not currently have health insurance."

Mr. President, the American people are hurting. Unemployment is at its
highest rate in decades, the federal deficit is expected to rise $9
trillion dollars over the next decade, the national debt continues to
explode, and the national housing market has collapsed. Now is not the
time to rush through an over $1 trillion piece of legislation that has
been shown will not contain the long term costs of healthcare, will
further expand the ballooning deficit, and will place more control of
healthcare in the hands of government. We all agree we cannot sit idly
by and do nothing, so now is the time for you to follow through on past
promises and sit down with both sides of Congress and craft a bill that
will actually reform healthcare, contain costs, and keep the government
out of our medical decisions.


And here is my response to my congressional representative (also
commented on the page of the original article):

"The American people have made it clear that they are not comfortable
with the path of this debate"

You're right, Rep. Johnson, I'm not. I'm not comfortable with the
hyperbole, obfuscation, and lack of empathy coming from your Republican
colleagues in what should be a real national health care debate. Perhaps
the efforts of Republicans who have resorted to fear-mongering, cheap
political attacks, and the crashing of town hall meetings in an effort to
crush any reasonable debate might hold some of the rationale for the
White House being resistant to inviting Republicans to their strategy
meetings?

As for your assertion that "a government-run health plan that has been
shown in numerous other countries does not contain costs without
rationing care to seniors and other vulnerable people and diminishes the
health outcome of its citizens," well, that's mistaken at best and
nefarious at worst. As an elected representative, Rep. Johnson, you
should know better. As for the containment of costs, could you explain
how the United States ranks FIRST on health care expenditure per capita?
One would think that with all of the socialist health care systems that
can't contain costs, we would be far behind. Perhaps you are suggesting
that all of these countries ration care? If so, I suggest you research
the health care systems in Canada, Sweden, France, and many others before
you make such a statement. Could you give a real example of denial of
services that is even CLOSE to as endemic of the American system where 47
million people lack health care coverage? As for diminishing health, are
you suggesting that those countries with government run health care who
rank ABOVE US in life expectancy (there are 35 of them, many of them with
government run health care that's been demonized by conservative groups)
would be even better if they moved to a private system?

Perhaps you should recognize that the GOP has only served to try and
impede any real reform of health care to the detriment of the millions of
Americans who go without. Take, for instance, this nugget from Rep.
Blount, who was tapped to head up a GOP health care task force in February:

Our bill is never going to get to the floor, so why confuse the focus?

We clearly have principles; we could have language, but why start

diverting attention from this really bad piece of work [the Democrats have]

got to whatever we’re offering right now?

Perhaps, Rep. Johnson, you should try to better represent your constituents
rather than your republican colleagues and business interests. Until that
point, you will never receive my vote.

Wow, so it's been a long time since I posted here. I'm a big fan of posting in list format, so here goes:

1) I broke my foot. That was hilarious! Only I could break my foot walking around my apartment with my foot asleep. It's all healed now, actually.

2) I really messed up my left (nonwriting) hand. I fell on a wheelchair lift in the rain, and ran a piece of metal in between my thumb and forefinger. It severed one of the two nerve bundles in my thumb, so now I have no movement. Really, about the only thing I've found that I can no longer do is play guitar. Everything else can be adapted. Well, and I haven't been able to play golf for a few weeks because of the pain, but I'll strap my hand to a club if I have to. Seven stitches - and I recorded it all on my cell phone's video camera, too!

3) Did I mention that I'm a bit of a klutz?

4) Work is going well - much less drama. We fired someone that needed to be fired, let's just leave it at that. A lot of the staff were concerned that she had manipulated me with some problems she was having, but I don't feel the need to change. If someone needs help, I'm going to help them. In any case, it didn't screw me too much - I still have a job, and she doesn't.

5) I've been working a TON. We've had 6 client hospitalizations now, so that just adds to it. It seems to be easing off a bit, so I'll be looking to take time off pretty soon.

6) I think I'm ready to look for a non-drama relationship now. Well, that's what I SAY, anyway. Generally, I'm like, "Ooh, drama! Where? That's hot!"

7) Since I can no longer play guitar (and might give away my guitars), I'm heartened by the fact that I can play guitar hero, which is awesome, by the way. My best friend got a Wii.

8) Oh yeah, he's getting hitched in a couple of weeks. I'm the best man. Any speech ideas? I think I'm going to try to make it as funny as possible.

9) I've really gotten into cooking. It's fun.

10) I've lost a LOT of weight, but I have no idea why. People ask what I'm doing to lose weight, and I generally tell them something tremendously inappropriate - "Must be the crystal meth! Wow, I was going to quit, but now..."

11) I got an iPod. I can't believe that I've lasted this long without one.

12) I got two tattoos! I can't believe that I've lasted this long without one. More of them to come, I'm sure.

So, that's all for now. I hope to update a little more frequently in the future.

So...I was given a few questions to answer. Here you go:


1. What is the most important quality you look for in a girlfriend?

Laugh, definitely. I have to have someone that has a good laugh.

2. If you had unlimited resources, where would you live?

Champaign. In a nice house. There's this one on the corner of Church and Prospect...


3. If you could trade places with anyone in any era would you? Who would it be?

I'd trade places with myself about 7 years ago.


4. What are two things you like to do in your spare time?

Golf and play guitar. Really, at this point it's like golf and more golf.


5. Are you voting in the primaries next month?

Um, YES! For Obama, of course!

I am crappy & uncreative when thinking of questions to ask...but if you want, just comment that you'd like some questions and I'll hook you up. ;)

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

You can go to Will Barratt's web site to find the original and others.

Bold the items that were true for you


1) Your father went to college before you started

2) Your father finished college before you started

3) Your mother went to college before you started

4) Your mother finished college before you started

5) You have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.

6) Your family was the same or higher class than your high school teachers

7) You had a computer at home when you were growing up

8) You had your own computer at home when you were growing up

9) You had more than 50 books at home when you were growing up

10) You had more than 500 books at home when you were growing up

11) You were read children's books by a parent when you were growing up

12) You ever had lessons of any kind as a child or a teen

13) You had more than two kinds of lessons as a child or a teen

14) The people in the media who dressed and talked like you were portrayed positively

15) You had a credit card with your name on it before college

16) You had or will have less than $5000 in student loans when you graduate

17) You had or will have no student loans when you graduate

18) You went to a private high school

19) You went to summer camp

20) You had a private tutor

21a) (US students only) You have been to Europe more than once as a child or teen

21b) (International question) You have been to the US more than once as a child or teen

22) Your family vacations involved staying at hotels rather than KOA or at relatives homes

23) All of your clothing has been new

24) Your parents gave you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them

25) There was original art in your house as a child or teen

26) You had a phone in your room

27) Your parent owned their own house or apartment when you were a child or teen

28) You had your own room as a child or teen

29) You participated in an SAT/ACT prep course

30) You had your own cell phone in High School

31) You had your own TV as a child or teen

32) You opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College

33) You have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline

34) You ever went on a cruise with your family

35) Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as a child or teen

36) You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

That's 33% folks!

Some of you might know what I do for a living, and some may not. In any case, I run two group homes for developmentally disabled adults. They're just like regular houses, in regular neighborhoods - that's really the point. Have them understand the community, have the community understand that they're really not different.

So we have some problems with neighbors - on in particular - at one of my houses. He's a bigot, hates our clients, etc. It's an ongoing thing. Last winter, when my car got stuck in a snowdrift in the road in front of our house, he took pictures of my car and called the police to complain. He has called the police when people park on the street in front of his house (it's totally legal) - residential area, parking allowed!

At one point, he told me that our clients shouldn't be there because he didn't like 'mongoloids' like them. I told him "Well, I don't like bigots, but you're still here, aren't you?"

So I told staff not to worry and go ahead and park in front of his yard if they wanted, and they have been, because they're awesome like that. Anyway, he gets this little tiny road cone, like a construction cone (you have to remember that the cone is tiny - it's like 6 inches tall), and starts putting it in the road in front of his house. Our staff just ignore it and either run it over or park there anyway. And I guess one of the staff put it on his mailbox.

So today, he puts it ON a staff member's car. I was going to talk to him, but my boss told me not to do it without a witness. She's probably right, so I just set the cone on his doorstep and hope he trips over it.

And then I get a better idea.

I told the staff that if he puts it back, I had a "Note" they should attach to the cone and put it on his doorstep again.

For your enjoyment, here's the note, word for word:

Dear Sir,

I think this is yours. If you want, I can bring a bigger cone in for you to use. We will still ignore it, but it might be more satisfying to you personally. Thanks!

Sincerely, the Hillside CILA staff

P.S. Let us know about the big cone! (and I drew a smiley face on it)

I hope he's really angry, the bigot. He hasn't put the cone back, so we haven't yet got the chance to use the note, but I'm hoping we will - and I'll be sure to update you on the situation!

So here's how boring my life is:

I just spent 20 minutes friending every last one of the 'Kevin Schneider's on facebook. I just thought it would be funny to have 70 friends with the same name as me.

Lame-o.

I realize that I haven't posted in quite a while, so here are the goings-on.

1) Haven't been sleeping well. Nightmares every night (including a weird one involving immortal butterflies that has now given me a new crazy phobia).

2) Went to Chi-town for the fantasy draft. Yes, I am a nerd. Apparently the people I went to college with are now RICH. Holy crap. People were asking about contributing to the pizza fund, while the homeowner was telling us not to worry about it. I immediately chimed in with "I've seen your house. I'm NOT going to worry about it!"

3) I don't think I'm going to hold...to our bet, because that would just be mean. I haven't ruled it out, though...

4) Vacation is EXPENSIVE.

5) I think I should be the subject of Vh1's new reality series, "Kevin is 28 and Single." I'll be 28 tomorrow. They could examine all of my weird neuroses, including this recent butterfly phenomenon.

6) Alton Brown is my favorite. Feasting on Asphalt is my favorite series.

7) My new car has her first dent. I feel bad about it!

8) I need more golf. I wish I were rich.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/video/backcountry_summer_med.mov

Backwoods camping next fall. Ben and Abby are much to weak to do it.