Three Dimensions

If you read this blog you know that I watch the news alot. I mean ALOT. MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, BBC, and all the local news channels. Not to mention I check Reuters and the AP, hourly on the internet. Well the other day I was watching the news and I saw an interesting story that got me thinking. Recently, a porn store in south Jackson was busted for selling sex toys. This isn't the first time this has happened in Jackson or Mississippi. What struck me as being funny is that the lead investigator stated that the investigation had being going on for a while and "local citizens had been complaining about the sex toys." What? Were the vibrators coming un-holstered and attacking random people? Did someone get robbed by a criminal using a large plastic penis? Doubtful. With all the money in salaries, gas, time, surveillance, and over-time, I wonder how much this "raid" cost the taxpayers of Jackson? Lets not forget THERE HASN'T BEEN A SINGLE GODDAMN ARREST FOR THE SALE OF DOPE IN JACKSON IN LIKE 8 MONTHS! Are all the tax dollars for law enforcement in Jackson going to "porn investigations?" Most likely. The cops must be really bored. I think someone needs to sit down with the law enforcement of Jackson and have a serious discussion about whats an important crime and whats a silly crime. Dope? Pretty important. A dildo? Not so important. 12 year old kid getting shot in his house? Pretty important. A clerk selling a lady a vibrator? Not so important. The way I see it, if someone wants to buy a "three dimensional object for sexual gratification", thats their business. If someone wants to sling dope, thats everyone's business. Jackson needs to wake the fuck up and prioritize the crimes. We are on our way to having a record year in crime.

Now, all this talk about sex toys and illegality got me thinking. I do alot of thinking. Anyone ever heard of Passion Parties? Throughout my travels and various places I have lived in this great state, I have known several women who have either 1)hosted Passion Parties or 2)attended Passion Parties. Are they doing something illegal? Yup. According to Mississippi law and thus why not subject them to the same punishment as these people in south Jackson? Why not? Most likely because the cops would have to get probable cause, then a warrant, then raid some house where 6 or 7 giggly women are sitting around talking about vibrators and relationships. LOL. Now that would make the best episode of "COPS," ever. Think about it. The cops approach the house and use one of those battering rams to knock down the door. "Get your fucking hands up!!!! Drop the vibrator!!! Get on the ground!!! Now!!!!!" LOL.

See, Passion Parties, along with the Casinos or as we call them in the Great State, "The Boats," are the big giant pink elephants in the room. Everyone knows about them, but you don't talk about them in polite conversation. Let me see if I can do a run down of all the women I know who have told me they have attended Passion Parties (no I'm not going to name names):

Teachers
Mothers
Wives
Jr. Leaguers
Reporters
Rich
Poor
Middle Class
Upper Class
Nymphos
Super Conservatives

Support Free Music

Saw the Arnold Lindsey Band last night. They are a pretty good blues band. I wished they would have played some more of their own stuff. They had one really great song called "My Name is The Blues." Very good lyrics, well put together. I've become a connoisseur of free music here in Jackson. My venue of choice lately has been Hal and Mals. They haven't had too many decent acts worth paying for, but their free music in the restaurant is plenty for me.

This comes to the point of this post. Regional music. The south has always traditionally had great music, but lately today, with corporate marketing and slick ad campaigns, regional music seems to have returned to its roots. I say this because with youth culture there is a backlash effect. The south, at least Mississippi, generally has stayed pretty removed from mass media and its push for the "it" bands. Because of the lack of large venues, Mississippi doesn't traditionally get big concerts or big names. Albeit, every now and then a big group passes through, but lately the biggest groups have been Jackyl and Motley Crue. Although, maybe Jackyl hasn't played yet. Its not as if I really pay attention. Willie Nelson isn't coming to Jackson, so what the fuck do I care who plays there? I don't. For me, I know with the spread of technology and the rise of popular music over the past so many decades, anyone can see a ton of great bands and great music without having to pay anything. Fenians has plenty of free music and so does Hal and Mals. So I go there and skip out on the 18+ show next door with its 10 dollar cover to hear a pretty weak emo band spit out some meaningless fluff.
Not to say that the only marketed and sold music in Jackson is emo, or goth, or some other garbage I don't care about. The 930 Blues Club price gouges on a daily basis and it is constantly packed. Good blues in Jackson is sold at a very high price, unless you know where to look. Sure, here in Jackson there a good many jukejoint blues clubs. However, I doubt I would head down Farrish Street to check them out. I don't like prostitutes and I don't like dope dealers. Yea, I said it. Farrish Street is packed with whore and crack; ergo, I'm not going to Birdland. A good idea for more blues in Jackson would be to get rid of Fire and Ice and put in a nice, well designed and cheaper blues club. A club to compete head to head with 930. It won't happen though, the 930 is the kingpin of blues here.

Back to my original point. Free music where its at. Vernon Brothers this week at Hal and Mals. Last hurrah before the debauchery that is St. Paddy's Day. Wednesday will be the last calm day at Hal and Mals. Free music will be over for about 5 or 6 days. Dammit.

Another Job Post, Last One For A While

If anyone reads this blog, one of the continuous topics I talk about is the topic of jobs. I have been in school, for literally, my entire life. I've worked all kinds of jobs, for companies, private contractors, professionals, janitorial, and on and on. I've been everything from the guy who sweeps the floors to the guy who serves someone subpoenas. I've never had a real job though. I'm now soon to be done with this hell pit of academia. I'm ready to work. I know many people out there would say, "you don't know what your asking." Yes I do. Academics is the world of uncertainty, and at least with a profession and a job, you have a certain direction. I do understand the other side, though. One of my best friends finished grad school last year and has since been working a pretty terrible job. My friend and I grew up with the illusion that getting a higher education immediately opens the door to advancement and better jobs. Well, we know it doesn't. The only function of higher education is to give you an equal opportunity to push for gainful employment. My old friend sits in the position that I hope I am not in next year. I don't want to trade this shit hole of academics for a shit hole of a job.
The good thing about having a great friend that sits in this position, is the advice he can give me and the hope we share for a better future. We are both confident that good jobs do exist, perhaps it just takes a little time and networking. I knew there must be a reason I was up at Hal and Mals a bit. My friend is married, though. So his timetable on getting a better job is a bit more rushed than me. When it comes to me, I'll stumble onto something and make it work, all the while keeping my eyes peeled for something bigger and better. My friend, however, should be in something better right now. I am pretty aware of my flaws, but I've been trying to discover what my friend's flaws are when it comes to this job hunt thing. I think I've found it and although I know I'll get an earful of this later, I might as well say it; my best friend won't take a chance. Now, this is not to say he has never taken chances, or he is weak, but with his situation in life and his position, he stays back and doesn't play the game. Now, in many respects this makes him one of the most admirable people I know, in that he refuses to let himself get suckered into a losers game, but if you don't play sometimes, you can't win sometimes. I know he can do great things and I know I can too. Also, he is a perfectionist and a germ-a-phobe and it drives me and his wife crazy.

Self Hate, Ranting, and Pecan Pie

I never realized how many self hating Mississippians there are in Mississippi until I moved to Jackson. These are the people who go around decrying everything and every decision that is made in Mississippi. These are the people who feel that they have to shout as loud as they can about the most controversial issue they can get their hands on and then denigrate whatever they can find about Mississippi. There are alot of fucking problems here, everyone knows that. You know what? There are alot of fucking problems every where you go. We're the fattest state, highest infant mortality, lowest cigarette tax, the flag issue, meth and the list goes on. Sure, I'm not a dumbass. I recognize these problems, but I know that these problems exist in other places in one form or another. I want to hear the goddamn balance, though. We are the most giving state per capita, we are the most hospitable, Mississippi produces great athletes, great scholars and writers and we have better weather than most of this fucking country. Ok, that one is an incident of God, but I'm taking credit anyway. Back to my point. There are these people, who grew up here and dreamed soooooo hard of leaving, so they left and got their degrees and made their money and decided that they didn't want to be a little fish in a big pond, so they tucked their tails between their legs and scurried back to their safe, warm state. Once they got back, they found whatever soapbox they could, and shouted until their throats were sore, but not about anything good. And if it was about something good, it was because THEY did it. Well, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of people here just dogging this state, at the very worst, from within. This state has come a long way from being a completely rural and extremely poor place. Sure, alot of us are still poor here, but progress is happening. And one last thing, MY FUCKING NEIGHBORS NEED TO SHUT THE FUCK UP, I CAN'T THINK!!!! LOL. Ok, this was a pretty bad rant, but I'm just been hearing alot of people in this state about how bad shit is here, and how backwards we are, and how stupid we are, and I'm getting fed up. And now, for my finale, to all the people who are self hating Mississippians: "The greatest thing about Mississippi is that the roads are all open 24 hours a day and they all lead out."

In Between Commercials, Next to Hugh Grant, and Down the Street at the Theater

Reader! I want you to think about something right now! Exactly how many movies that are out in theaters right now, do you really want to go see? In between "Girls Gone Wild" commercials and after the Super Bowl tonight, I saw a preview for that new movie with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant, and it looks like grade A shit. I started thinking about the rest of the world class crap that is floating around in theaters today, and I realized that for the last so many years, there is rarely a time when 2 or 3 movies are in the theaters at one time that are worth my fucking time. On top of this pure rage about crappy movies, I have decided that I am tired of that horse's ass who does the voice overs for endearing, heartfelt movies. You know the guy I'm talking about. During the previews to any movie that has to do with couples falling in love in the most dumbshit ways, this one guy's voice is always there, narrating the preview and basically setting up the entire movie for droves of women to drag masses of unhappy men to a local theater. God I am angry tonight. I think its the fact that I have an early class, I didn't go outside at all today and despite a decent game, the Super Bowl just wasn't that interesting this year.