Economy: The Dismal Reality

I applied for a study today that started out with the description: "Are you depressed? Feeling blue or irritable? Low energy? Lost interest or pleasure in things? Appetite change? Negative thoughts? Sleep disturbance?" I applied because being unemployed and without health insurance in a state with the second highest unemployment in the country, it fits me somewhat. Also, I will admit it amused me to apply to it. Getting paid to talk about how depressed I am trying to keep 2 cats fed in this economy? I'm there! But I didn't get a call back. *How depressing.*

Job listings can be interesting though. Like the ad for a Tattoo Artist & Piercer that has in its description "Piercers with 500 piercings under your belt.(not literally)" And, you know, an ad for a baseball umpire? I've never watched a full game of baseball. I went to Wrigley Field once for a rained out game. (Must say the brews in a bar nearby were worth the trip.) But I do sort of feel like applying to it. It sounds so mythical. In fact just thinking about this opens up a whole new realm. Sports announcer for the New England Patriots.... *lol.* What's really funny is I can't even interview Brady or Bellichick in my imagination. In my imagination I faint!

So I'm stuck trying to be a part of a focus group for cable t.v. (though I do not have cable or a t.v.... ) This, though, is way less interesting than some of the jobs I've heard about: scraping insects off of traps in apple trees, receptionist at a golf club (that's oddly odd), Easter Bunny at the mall, a 'pea-tester' with a tender-o-meter, zoo keeper, picking out microscopic little mammal teeth out of dirt, selling tickets at a carnival (me, me, me!), pig farm hand (no, no, no!), and model in a runway show. (This brings up an interesting point. Are all models on drugs? I would have to be. But, so too would the audience.) The jobs I've left off that list were the pelvic exam, uh, model, and an art model. Because both of those jobs are so core, oddness simply cannot apply to them.

For almost 2 months now, the days have been getting longer and the sun brighter. Spring, is good! ;)

Flagrant Tulips, Flash On!

There he is, the yellow fellow in my yard. I think I've disturbed the tulips enough that... their number seems to be diminishing. Whether its my weeding (no weed killer here! Killer *of the environment* being *not* the clue!)... or my lack of fertilizer... whatever they ain't there so much any more. And I kinda like them. Next fall I'm going to randomly plant a bunch of tulips and daffodils. Keeps me on my toes. And prods Spring along.

Spring needing an occasional prod I suppose... Here's a picture of the most recent manifestation of my earthy ineffectual obsession... the digging up of a yew hedge. Jeesh. At first I liked the pink of that rhodendrum... Having bought all my bushes on sale at Fall's edge, I wasn't sure what colors would express themselves this Spring, let alone live. But, ah, whatever.

Another shot of my yard. A Daphne (how sweet is that name?), a Dogwood (earthy and dependable), a rhodendrum (a color like acrylic surviving unfaded), and ferns, cautiously unfolding.

When buying marigolds at "X"... I saw some honey bees on the plants in the industrialized homogenized impersonified space that is the "X" store. And that made me feel good. I buy marigolds the way some people wave flags. I buy marigolds the way I take my place in a grocery store line or sweep my driveway. Its just one of those things... endemic and intrinsic to a sense of self. Along with the marigolds... there were those freakin' bees. How much better can it be? Spring has sprung and I'm there with a shovel.

When planting... I watched a lone honey bee weirdly dig into the ground. The honey bee was obviously diseased, obviously dying.... I couldn't bring myself to kill it. I love those freakin' flyin' sugar packets of spring! I hope that the severe problem our environment faces at this time doesn't lead to just drink, or hyperactive profit management, but to solutions that can bring more... ya know... those colors!