This week I did something I haven’t done since 1987. I attended classes in college.

There’s a long, relatively ugly story about why it took so long for me to go back, stemming from experiences with failure to meet expectations, ill-defined goals, and misunderstanding bureaucracy that might see the light of day here someday, but not now.

Trying to tie up loose ends so that I could be sure to have enough brain-space to focus on the two classes, I’ve devoted a bunch of time to filing (or round filing) an enormous amount of clutter around the house. There’s other clutter in my head that will take more than just opening a box, sifting its contents and pitching out the stuff I don’t need. Too much, really, to sum up here, and mostly trivial at that.

The highlights taking up brain space now include:

1. The ongoing gun ownership/regulation/insurance debate.

2. My petition to the White House: Repeal the USA Patriot Act in its entirety, which garnered enough signatures to go public but is now languishing in sophomore territory as the days tick down. 25,000 signatures before Feb. 7 seems unobtainable at this point. [The petition’s gone now; so sorry.]

3.  A long-term video sharing project; and,

4. Class reading – Western Civilization to Modern Times and 2-D Basic Design (Art 101).

That, plus my 20-hour job and the day-to-day chores (cooking, laundry, bill-paying and sleep, in pretty much that order), make up the majority of this week’s activities.

Obviously, something had to give, and this blog was something. I intend to keep at it, though, because the things I post are important to me, and ought to be important to you, whether or not you like what I have to say about them. I don’t plan to abandon this ongoing project now that I’ve started it.

Taking Western Civ this semester seems counterproductive if my goal for school is to formalize my web design and multimedia experience, so I can make a full-time job materialize. You’d be right, except that I am finding out all sorts of things I missed when I took history classes in the past. I’m seeking connections and reflecting on them here. What better way to understand those connections than to study them, especially as they relate to 1 and 2 above.

The reading is dense, to be sure. It’s giving me the opportunity to exercise my brain, which I think needs to happen. And I’m getting out of the house and out of the office. Change should, in theory, be good for me. Going to school means I can also get sharp about negotiating for my benefits.

So if you miss me, let me know.

And now a couple of words about 1., because I can’t resist the opportunity. Going to be brief, because I need to get ready for class, but also needs to be said.

WTF, NRA?

• Licensed to Teach
• School Shooting Drill: Chicago School Officials to fire Blanks in Hallway
• 10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down: Fact-checking some of the gun lobby’s favorite arguments shows they’re full of holes.
• and finally: Straight Shot: Guns in America [Rebroadcast]

Seriously?!?

We all need to get a grip, and not on objects in our holsters. The Wild West was mostly myth, and a brief one at that. We don’t live in Tombstone, AZ, and even if we did, it’s mostly a tourist trap today. The sooner we stop romanticizing war, spies, gunslingers and violence in general, the better we will be at seeing people at either end of the gun.

The NRA represents the economic interests of gun manufacturers. They don’t give a flying you-know-what about you, your home or your family. They just want you to keep their clients in business and they will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens. Corporate Greed, meet the 98%.

Just say NO!