Conscious Zombie

laconsigliera — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:59:16 +0000

Ping.fm / Integration http://ping.fm/integration/

Update

laconsigliera — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:32:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I want to update anyone who is interested in my current situation. Since the end of October, I’ve been staying with my parents near Champaign-Urbana, IL, about 120 miles south of Chicago. The town is actually called Gifford (and no, Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford are not from here), and this town makes Mayberry look like the size of Hong Kong . But fortunately, I’m close to Champaign-Urbana, which is a decent-sized college town and home of the University of Illinois Illini, the obsession with which seems to be somewhat of a religion around here.

It’s got its share of Walmarts, Barnes & Nobles, Chili’s and Walgreen’s to pass for any midwestern town. But there is a dearth of known grocery stores- the two main ones seem to be a “Schnuck’s” and a “Meijer’s”- there’s not a Jewel, Dominick’s, or Cub Foods to be found. Oh, but there IS an Aldi’s. Thanks heavens. (yes, that’s sarcasm )

Also, I’m within a few miles of a train station that goes to and from Chicago’s Union Station twice a day, for fairly cheap, which is a very good thing. I’m also like only half an hour from Indiana- where I’ve never been- but I do know that come July 4th we’ll be able to get legal fireworks there!

Anyway, I’ve had some difficult health problems that have lingered long enough to require this living situation for the time being. It is my intention though to eventually get back to Minneapolis and live full-time there again, although I do not know when that will be.

Until then, it is good to be with family and back near my old stomping grounds of rural IL…although I’ve never lived this far south in my life, and it almost seems like I’m in the south, with the subtle accents around here that bear absolutely no resemblance to the Chicago accent.

But at least I’m not too far from the political action – since there’s been a Univ Illinois scandal involving (what else) pay-for-play, or should I say cash-for-classes- involving the former governor Rod and others. It’s nice to know that IL politics does not discriminate against those of us living in the boonies- there is plenty of opportunity to participate in all the dishonest graft and patronage- more than I could ever want.

So, those of you who want my current address and phone numbers, please let me know. I have the same email addresses as I’ve had for years.

There’s an open invitation to visit, if anyone wants to “get away from it all” and experience nature. That is, if your idea of nature involves a town with more pickup trucks without mufflers than people. Perhaps not Walden Pond, but seriously we have a big house and it’s peaceful and a good place to get away, and only 2 hrs from Chicago.

Also, those of my family and friends who live in Chicago or the Chicagoland area, I would love to get together soon- we should set something up! Please feel free to contact me anytime!

Happy New Year and I hope you’ve had a great Christmas and/or Hanukkah holiday!

-Gina

“WAR ON TERROR” – what are we doing in Afghanistan?

laconsigliera — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:14:13 +0000

I’m going to post my thoughts on this issue tomorrow. I was going to do it today, but didn’t have the chance to get it all presentable. Funny how you can spend all day on the computer and not get anything done. What with ebay, Facebook, trying to fix computer settings, and what-not, how can I be expected to?

My book review: “The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell”

laconsigliera — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:33:45 +0000

This is news?

This book was a disappointment. It basically stated the obvious, that certain factors “tip” people one way or another- context, persuasion, genetics, etc., and produce trends as well as personal preferences. There wasn’t anything in here that was not common sense.

For example, the chapter on why teenagers still start smoking even after decades of health warnings, etc., provided no new insight. Basically, the reason provided was that kids don’t start smoking because the action of smoking is cool; they start smoking because the SMOKERS are cool. In other words, cool people smoke, just like they do other things. So to be cool, you’ll emulate the cool people. And smoking is one thing you can do to be like them.

Also, the author states that genetics is the reason why certain smokers become addicted (every-day smoking of several cigarettes per day, with great difficulty in quitting including withdrawal symptoms) and why other people can smoke very few cigarettes in a week, every week, for example, and easily stop doing that with no problem. Since the concept of “social smokers” is quite well known now, I don’t think this was any revelation. Just like not every social drinker becomes an alcoholic, not every social smoker becomes a hard-core nicotine fiend. And doesn’t genetics cause pretty much everything? I’ve heard a figure of 80% of our behavior, traits, intelligence, etc. is genetic. This may or may not be true, but the proposition that nature, rather than nurture, is controlling us is not a new idea either. The “masses” won’t be impressed with his ideas on genes.

This book was also very short. I would have appreciated much more substance, and just more MATERIAL in general. Thankfully I got this from the library so I didn’t waste my money on a short, dissatisfying book that states the obvious and expects the public to be wowed by the “insight.”

The author seems to have rattled off this book in one sitting, perhaps as an afterthought, for what reason, I don’t know. I also sensed a patronizing tone throughout. I get the impression by reading it that he wrote this first as an outline for some high school sociology class, and then tried to expand it to something that the great “unwashed masses” would take as a serious, scholarly work. Well, I’m sure that even the “masses” aren’t that easily impressed.

So I do not recommend wasting your time on this one!

Well here’s my avatar- joining the bandwagon. If I do say so myself, I think it’s hot :).

laconsigliera — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:26:26 +0000

Two Articles by George Will on Afghanistan

laconsigliera — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:57:43 +0000

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR2009083102912.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110302925.html

I really could not agree more. What are we doing over there? why? What national interest is being served?

When will we see that we can’t cure the world’s ills, and that sometimes to quit while we can is the way to go instead of squandering more of our military, lives, and money on a thankless, practically impossible task…

OK, new blog

laconsigliera — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:44:07 +0000

I have switched my blog to WordPress- and will start posting some stuff ASAP. Feel free to post or comment or whatever- please!

Doing Something Different

laconsigliera — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:08:00 +0000

I’m going to start (hopefully tomorrow) doing reviews for awhile- of books, articles, columns, etc. There’s so much I want to write- but never seem to get around to it! Well, here’s to trying again!

What have I become??

laconsigliera — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:57:00 +0000

Well, I haven’t written forever! I have not been feeling very creative lately. But I HAVE been following current events, etc., and now have joined the ranks of those addicted to social networking sites….in fact, for awhile, I was so addicted to Mafia Wars on Facebook that it was all I was doing for 16 hours a day (no, not really, but you get the idea….).

Then I just got really sick of Facebook and didn’t go on it for months. During that time, the longer I stayed away, the more phobic I got about trying to get back on it again. I figured it would be overwhelming. Well, this past month I did get on it again, and it IS overwhelming, and they of course have changed things….but, I am going to use it in moderation.

Twitter is another story. I am on that as an inside joke, mostly with myself . I find it absolutely useless and silly. And God help us if that’s a news source for people! But, anyway, I’m on that occasionally, writing some twaddle for some reason or another.

But it’s crazy. Social networking is totally out of control. People are forming backlash groups. What would happen if we just picked up this new invention called the TELEPHONE???? And actually talked to real friends?

Calling to talk to someone is 9 times out 10 faster, more direct, and to the point, than texting, Facebooking, Twittering, emailing, etc.

But then it’s not really cool, is it?

However, when your 90 year old grandma is on Facebook, and you are getting friend requests from friends’ parents, the thing is not cool anymore anyway. I thought that when my generation (GenX) started joining Facebook in droves that we were all too old for that. Little did I know. But I do know that once Facebook becomes as non-controversial as Elvis did years after his debut, and that once your parents start loving using it just like how their parents started to love Elvis, well, it’s just not cutting edge or cool or rebellious or any of those things anymore….maybe going back to a pen and paper, or a telephone, or, if we still can, having a real conversation in person, will become the “New trendy way to socially network…” I think that would be a good idea!

laconsigliera — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Test