|
SteveSanders
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Steve
Birthday: 3/15/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: theatre, journalism, science, reading, student government, politics
Expertise: Political science, business, science fiction
Occupation: Student
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
AIM:  NadoSteve
Member Since:
12/7/2003
|
|
| I had a sort of surreal experience today on my way back from San Francisco on the BART (bay area subway). I ran into the Happy Happy Happy man, J.J. Chin. If you don't go to Berkeley...I should explain who exactly he is. Happy Happy Happy as he is affectionately known by Cal Students is an elderly Chinese man who stands on top of a bucket at the entry to campus waving around large cardboard signs that say things like "Bush = 666" or "America = terrorist nation"...stuff like that while repeatedly saying his mantra "Happy, happy, happy" and smiling at everyone who walks past.
I talked to him once before Election 2004 just to briefly confirm that he was a Kerry supporter and to learn his real name. Anyway, I was on the BART with him today and he seemed upset. So I went up and talked to him. He explained to me that one of his signs had been stolen and that God would be very angry with whoever did it. He told me that he receives God's messages but today God wasn't clear on whether he should go to the San Francisco Chinatown or the Oakland Chinatown and he had decided to go to San Francisco and someone stole his sign. He was a pretty friendly guy, though he made a few vaguely anti-Semitic remarks which were a little disconcerting.
So the conversation ended and I got off the BART in Berkeley and there in the corner was one of J.J.'s signs...the class "Bush + Blair = Terrorists (of the worst kind)" sign. I was unsure what I should do with it. Obviously someone stole it from him and then just left it in the BART station. But since I sort of know him...I felt like I had an obligation to take the sign and try to return it to him the next time he is "preaching" on campus. But should I walk down the street with this ridiculous sign covered in Armageddon writing about how evil Bush is? What would people think? Then I remembered that this was Berkeley and no one would care. So I took the sign and carried it home. It is now in my apartment. I attempted to find this guy's phone number or email address...to no avail. I guess the next time I see him on campus I'll tell him that I found his sign.
| | |
| Well...I was right on 24 out of my 30 Election 2006 predictions. Not bad...but unfortunately the election last night was bloodier than I expected. I'll talk more about it later. Its not what I want to talk about tonight.
Last night I was accepted into the Teach for America program. I will be teaching elementary school in New York City next year and moving to New York City in June. Because of this monumentous change in my life...I am starting up a new blog entirely devoted to my Teach for America experience.
Here it is:
http://newacademicvision.blogspot.com
Check it out!
My Xanga will, however, continue and will continue to be devoted to politics, emo, and nerdiness.
| | |
| Alright...its the morning of...here are my predictions of what will go down today:
National politics:
Top Senate Races:
Bob Casey, Jr. (D) wins Pennsylvania
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) wins Rhode Island
Jon Tester (D) wins Montana
Sherod Brown (D) wins Ohio
Robert Menendez (D) wins New Jersey
Ben Cardin (D) wins Maryland
Joe Lieberman (I) wins Connecticut
Jon Tester (R) wins Missouri
Bob Corker (R) wins Tennessee
George Allen (R) wins Virginia
If things go down that way...Republicans keep the Senate.
The GOP is, however, going to lose the House...there's no question about that...just by how much. I'm going with a 23 seat swing.
CA Politics:
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for Governor
John Garamendi (D) for Lt. Governor
Bruce McPherson (R) for Secretary of State
John Chiang (D) for Controller
Bill Lockyer (D) for Treasurer
Jerry Brown (D) for Attorney General
Steve Poizner (R) for Insurance Commissioner
Propositions 1A - 1E (Arnold's rebuilding CA bonds) all pass
Prop 83 (Sex offender restrictions) - passes
Prop 84 (Wetlands and water supply preservation) - fails
Prop 85 (Waiting period for abortions for minors) - passes
Prop 86 (Tax on cigarettes) - fails
Prop 87 (Gas tax for renewable energy research) - fails
Prop 88 (Parcel tax for eduction) - fails
Prop 89 (Corporate tax for public campaign financing) - fails
Prop 90 (Emminent domain/property value compensation) - fails
I'm pretty confident on each of those except 85...a month ago I would have said that 85 will fail...but GOP turnout looks good in CA this year and it is up right now...so I'm going to go against my gut and predict it will pass.
Anyway...I'll post tomorrow and see how much of this I was right about.
Prop 1A-1E all pass
| | |
| Well...not really soft-core porn...but it got you to read this. Basically, the play that I wrote for Barestage (a romantic comedy about facebook) begins with the main characters frat boy friend coming over to find and delete some photos that were taken the night before documenting two drunken girls giving him a buzz cut in the shower. He has to get rid of these before his girlfriend finds them...thus giving him a reason to come over to the dorm in the first scene of the play and such. In the process all of these photos flash across the screen in rapid succession. So, we had to take those pictures tonight...
The guy playing the frat boy, Trent, is awesome and said we could actually buzz his hair in the scene. One of the girls lives in a dorm with really clean and nice bathrooms...Stern Hall...but its also an incredibly conservative all girls dorm. She said it would be ok though....so we did the photo shoot.
It essentially involved two girls buzzing Trent's head while all three of them are tossing back Corona's. Probably one of the most hilarious theater experiences that I've ever been a part of...and since I'm the director...I got to stage the entire thing. Unfortunately, as we're wrapping...two RAs and one other girl bust in and ask us what's going on. Fortunatly...the girls were now fully dressed...but there was hair everywhere and I was holding four empty Coronas. My feeble attempt at explaining that it was all for student theater didn't seem to work...and our names all got written down. I'm over 21 and don't live in the dorms...so I'm probably in the clear...not sure what will happen for some of the other people involved.
Anyway, the scene will be absolutely hilarious...everyone should come to see the Barestage Show Me.com on November 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18 and 19 for that scene and lots more hilarity...
| | |
| Apparently my phone interview for Teach for America went well...even though my phone died twice. So, I have advanced on to the final interview phase. I need to figure out something that I can teach in five minutes at the mock lesson. I also selected the regions and subjects that I want to teach...top choice New York City...but I decided that my second choice would be to stay here in the East Bay. I've really come to enjoy this area and have too many friends that I'm going to miss...so New York City is really the only place that I would rather go than stay here.
Then I had to select which subjects and what grade level I would be willing to teach. I put down high school as my top choice since I really like to make a difference in the lives of students at that age right when they're beginning to look seriously at their futures.
What subjects I'm willing to teach is a bit more tricky. The most obvious choice, and the one that I'm most interested in teaching is history, but I also put down English, Spanish as a Second Language, English and Second Language, and French as other subjects that I think I'm qualified to teach. I'd need a bit of a brush up in order to teach French, but I think I could get it in shape before the summer.
Anyway, this is all very exciting!
| | |
|
