Humorous Tale of a Failed Attempt at Stargazing (Hopefully Humorous, and in this Case Meteor-gazing)

8/13/10 8:22 AM

 I was having lunch at Denny’s today and a friend informed me about the Perseids meteor shower that happened overnight and will be continuing through tomorrow night. After this, it will begin to decline. I did not used to have interest in space outside of occasionally admiring stars. However, an interest in time travel has led me to an interest in the universe and has now expanded to space in general. That really makes me regret retaining next to nothing from the astronomy class I took a few years ago. Anyway, upon hearing about the meteor shower, I decided I needed to see this for myself. I am on a new experiences “kick.”  I found some background information on the Perseids meteor shower on the website http://meteorshowersonline.com/perseids.html.  It...

Compiling History About Topeka State Hospital

7/29/10 11:50 PM

It amazes me how things can happen and before you know it you are started on a path that you never expected. Earlier this week, I was selling a book for some extra cash at Books and Maps on 6th street by the downtown area, and found myself talking to the owner’s sister about the Topeka State Hospital. I was expressing my displeasure at its being torn down and how I felt that it was a shame to lose a piece of history. Note: I have a lot of interest in the history around mental hospitals. The terrible goings on in the early days of asylums, including lobotomies and people essentially living their entire lives within an asylum due to a lack of treatment options, fascinates and horrifies me. I also am interested in destigmatizing mental illness. There are a lot of social repercussions... 2 comments

Punk, Children's Fashion and The Mainstream

7/20/10 10:02 PM

Today I was hanging out at the mall with my friend and her family.  Her daughter is eight and wanted to show me her favorite store at the mall. It’s called Justice and has a lot of different things for preteen girls. A lot of the merchandise has peace signs, and I noticed that some of it even has a punk rock edge to it. Some of those items had glammed up British flag type patterns and other things that are synonymous with the punk scene. This got me to thinking about how the hippies and the punks were both underground countercultures when they started.             I don’t know as much about the history of punk rock or really the hippie history as I’d like to. So let me... 1 comment

Misadventures at Buzz Under the Stars Night 2

7/19/10 8:41 PM

So this is a bit late but I wanted to write about this anyway.  On Saturday July 11, my best guy friend and I went and saw Sublime with Rome, Dirty Heads and Matisyahu in concert for Buzz Under the Stars Night 2. A good friend of mine, and many of my friends, died earlier this summer and I remember she was super excited about the concert.  I wanted to go in her memory since we had planned on it while she was still alive. So at 3 pm that day, my friend and I decided we should go. We made it to City Market in record time. Forty minutes, I believe. Don’t speed Kids. LOL Music definitely soothes the savage beast or at least the beast in me. I have always been particularly partial to alternative music, nineties alternative to be exact.  I first heard Sublime when I was... 2 comments

Personal Changes and Local Business

7/19/10 6:33 PM

Originally written 7-8-2010                So there comes a point or several points in any person’s life where they realize they need a change.  Today I realized that it was time for me to change my appearance to match how I view my personality.  So on a whim, I got a “Monroe” piercing, which is also known as an upper labret piercing.  I then followed up with a haircut. I went to Fine Line Tattoo and Body Piercing to get my piercing.  Fine Line is a local business and has fantastic service.  I was quite nervous about the pain of getting a new piercing.  However, the staff was supportive and it was quick and relatively painless.  The rush was incredible and I left feeling like I had had an awesome...