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diary of a usps groupie
February 2005
 
 
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2005 05:08 pm
lookee!

skate tough you little girls / issue 1 / $2.00 (paypal to perezeeb at yahoo dot com) or email me for my mailing address if you'd rather send well-concealed cash.



ah, twenty-four pages of skateboarding and the ladies! contents include: interviews with barbara odanaka who founded the international society for skateboarding moms, beck hickey who makes amazing bags and accessories from skateboard decks, and anita sanford, one of the few girls featured in the 80s powell-peralta videos; an essay about "sassy" magazine, vision street wear ads, and girls as betties; a lovely comic on "not skating"; my obsession with skating; and skate related reviews.

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Friday, January 28th, 2005 11:22 am
we're weeding our print periodicals and i just snagged a bunch of issues of "multicultural review," "dissent," "the progressive," "mother jones," "gourmet," "the new yorker," "smithsonian," "science news," "national geographic," and of course, the one issue of "people" where johnny depp was named sexiest man ALIVE! of course, it will be ages before i actually look at any of these. maybe i'll try to take one home each day. yes, that is the plan of attack! also, i got a call yesterday that my hold is available--it's "the unthinkable thoughts of jacob green by joshua braff (aka zack braff's brother). rereading the "publishers weekly" review on amazon it sounds a little bit like bee season only the protagonist is a boy. hmmm. anyone read this yet? thoughts?

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Thursday, January 27th, 2005 11:34 am
i think from now on entries will fall into one of four categories: books / reading; links; memes; announcements and questions. that way you won't feel especially guilty browsing over my entries because there probably won't be anything of major importance here anyway.

i started reading nick hornby's the polysyllabic spree this week. apparently he writes a column about books and reading for "the believer" and this is a collection of the columns from 2003 and 2004. i thought about doing what he does with my reading journal this year--that is, list those books purchased and, in my case, checked out from the library, in addition to the books read. but that might end up being too depressing at the end of the year when i look back and realize how much money i've spent on books and how many books i checked out and never read (but probably ended up paying overdue fees on).

i finished locas by jaime hernandez last night. it is a HUGE 700 page book subtitled "the collected maggie and hopey stories" that begin in 1981 and end in 1996. woah, i can't believe it was ten years ago that i interviewed jaime hernandez for my sad little zine. i still have that tape somewhere. it'd be funny to listen to. i also finished john steinbeck's cannery row, and i must say that i heart steinbeck. at least the books i've read, as i know very little about his life. note to self--read a steinbeck bio?

i've been doing the train book / home book thing for the last few books read, but i don't know if i want to keep that up. i feel like it takes something away from savoring just one story or one group of characters at a time. so after wrapping those two up, i've been focusing on sherman alexie's collection of short stories the toughest indian in the world. this is the fourth alexie book i've read in like two months. after this i may take an alexie break and find his other books at another point.

borrowing privileges at work allow me one more book. though really i could check out as many books as i want, but i'm sticking to the five book limit everyone has. i just went to the public library on tuesday and checked out six books, so really, i don't need any more. but since i have one more book allowed, i may find something today because i just can't help it.

in other news, my new zine will be finished probably this weekend or early next week. hurrah!

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Monday, January 24th, 2005 09:48 am
LAST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL

What year was it?
1989-1990

What were your three favorite bands?
u2, rem, lots of hair metal bands.

What was your favorite outfit?
see first year of high school minus the bubblegum pants.

What was up with your hair?
long again, stringy bangs, style-less. what a square.

Who was/were your best friend(s)?
olga, jackie, wendy

What did you do after school?
club stuff and homework.

Where did you work?
no, i never worked during high school.

Did you take the bus?
see first year of high school.

Who did you have a crush on?
i seriously can't remember. some metal head / skater probably.

Did you fight with your parents?
no

Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on?
johnny depp. i still use the "21 jumpstreet" bookmark i had in high school.

Did you smoke cigarettes?
no

Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day because you were too nervous to find your locker?
i became even more of a nerd by senior year of high school, but i don't remember lugging all my books around all day.

Did you have a 'clique'?
yes, the senior class nerds who were pretty much all girls except for one guy.

Did you have a "Max" like Zach Kelly and Slater?
no

Admit it, were you popular?
no. i don't think our high school really worked that way. i mean, i can't remember there being a "popular" clique. i think everyone thought their own little clique was popular. the funny thing is that at our ten year reunion all the nerd girls were taking group photos and this girl who wasn't part of our group was getting in our pictures and eventually we had to tell her to step aside. she made some comment like, oh yeah, you guys were the nerds and i wasn't a part of your group. she knew she wanted to be though! :)

Who did you want to be just like?
jane pratt. christina kelly.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
writer

Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?
somewhere that wasn't florida

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Monday, January 24th, 2005 09:39 am
MY FIRST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL

What year was it?
1986-1987

What were your three favorite bands?
probably prince, debarge, and something else cheesy

What was your favorite outfit?
can't remember. i didn't have any memorable outfits, but i wore a lot of those stretch pants (aka bubblegum pants). ha!

What was up with your hair?
long, until my mom convinced me to get it cut and, well, b knows the results of that!

Who were your best friends?
garla. yes, her name really was garla.

What did you do after school?
homework, hang out with garla, stalk boys. okay, only the first two are true.

Where did you work?
no job during high school

Did you take the bus?
no. we lived a few minutes from the high school.

Who did you have a crush on?
this guy named moises who worked at a nearby supermarket. he went to another school. he was a cuban boy with a mullet and a big gold chain. hee.

Did you fight with your parents?
never

Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on?
i was waaaay into professional wrestling so i have to fess up and admit that it was kevin von erich. and if you know who kevin von erich is you will have impressed me to the nth degree.

Did you smoke cigarettes?
no

Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day because you were too nervous to find your locker?
locker time was socializing time.

Did you have a 'clique'?
no

Did you have a "Max" like Zach Kelly and Slater?
no

Admit it, were you popular?
never, ever

Who did you want to be just like?
in reality, my older sister who got all the guys. in my imagination, a greaser from an s.e. hinton novel.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
a writer or a professional wrestler. just kidding. maybe.

Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?
i never thought about it. really.

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Thursday, January 13th, 2005 10:25 am
for all the fans of caffeine: the cover story in the current issue of national geographic is "why we love caffeine." on their website there's a series of photographs and narration by bob sacha, the man who photographed the story. mmmmm. http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0501/sights_n_sounds/media2.html

according to the national postal museum website (http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/), this week is "universal letter writing week." you know what you have to do now.

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Thursday, January 6th, 2005 07:07 pm
yowza! we got some serious snow last night. i was hoping for my first snow day ever, but when they say chicago is the city that works, they mean it!

a few nights ago i stepped on my glasses cause one side to pop open and the lense to fall out, plus the arm or leg or whatever that dealy is called was bent. this is the second time i do this in a month. these are the same glasses that b sat on last christmas too. they just have bad luck. so today after work i got off the train four stops before mine to swing by my eye doctor's office so someone could try to salvage them as i am not eligible for new glasses through my insurance until march. fortunately, not only did the lady who helped me work wonders but she gave them back to me squeaky clean.

i walked home, which is a nice little walk, and it seemed like ever few blocks i would pass some weirdo who felt inclined to say something to me. one guy passed me awfully close (keep in mind we're competing for the little sidewalk space that someone has been kind enough to shovel) and said "smile beautiful!" then a few blocks later i was standing at a corner waiting for the light to change so i could cross the street and this guy passed me and instead of saying excuse me as he squeezed past to get to starbucks, i do believe he said, "bite me." woah. fortunately i was feeling good 'cause my glasses were fixed and i was on my way to see if the grind had any chocolate chip cookies, so being told to bite someone didn't faze me in the least bit.

in other news, i got your mix today cheryl! can't wait to listen to it. :)

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Wednesday, January 5th, 2005 12:28 pm
i have to confess that i do not like snow. when we first moved to chicago i remember looking closely at snowflakes falling on my black coat and being amazed that these tiny specks did actually look like the snowflakes you see in drawings. they were beautiful. this always still amazes me, but in general, snow sucks. it's not fun or especially pretty in large amounts. especially days laters when it's black or, god forbid, yellow or brown, and disgusting and turns to ice that threatens to take you down for the count. i think i even prefer rain over snow. at least that shit hits the ground and, for the most part, is out of your way. if i can't get a snow day out of this mess it's of no use to me.

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Tuesday, January 4th, 2005 11:07 am
*work: post-strike the semester is all out of whack. instead of returning to the start of the spring semester we came back to the last three weeks of the fall. the board of trustees meets on thursday and will decide who is given tenure. i'm one of three people at my college up for tenure and no tenure means no job come next fall. i'm trying not to think about it, and for once feel somewhat confident, but who ever knows, right?

*books: i'm juggling two books--the home book (read in the evenings), fire on the prairie--chicago's harold washington and the politics of race by gary rivlin, and the train book--reservation blues by sherman alexie. i've tried this two book approach before and it's never worked, but so far so good. i'm hoping to finish one of the books by the end of the week. surprisingly, i only got one book for christmas this year (the fourth harry potter). sadly, this was because i couldn't even think of books to put on my christmas list. anything i want to read at the moment i either already have or don't really want to buy or have someone else buy. i did, however, break down yesterday and bought nick hornby's new book, the polysyllabic spree a collection of essays about what he's been reading that were originally published in "the believer" magazine, which i can never bring myself to purchase a copy of. i just finished writing my reading log for 2004 for the new zine and am on a reading log reading kick, so add this to the top (bottom) of the reading pile. speaking of "the believer" they have the full text of an article about morrissey on their website. check it out: http://www.believermag.com/exclusive/morrissey/

zine: speaking of zine, it is coming along. i'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the month, but you know the kind of trash talker i am.

to look forward to in 2005: from the powell skateboards website (http://powellclassic.com/index.html)
Steve Caballero joined former Bones Brigade members, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, Tommy Guerrero and Stacy Peralta in Los Angeles to work on the bonus extras for the Search for Animal Chin DVD release in early Spring 2005.

Current Music: depeche mode: "dreaming of me"

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Thursday, December 30th, 2004 01:36 pm
winter break

chicago (christmas part I):
*opening gifts before leaving for florida
*barn owl finger puppet!

*the complete first season of "21 jump street" (which you are welcome to come over and watch), cure and celia cruz cds, cute handmade accessories from the depart-ment
*breakfast at the sweet maple cafe on the coldest morning i have yet to experience in chicago

miami (christmas part II):
*family drama avoidance
*sleeping somewhere new
*seven-year-olds who can't keep a pinky promise
*pasteles de guayaba from the riviera bakery
*cuban pizza from rey's

*ocean's 12
*looking through old photo albums and sneaking away the only photo of my mom laughing with gusto, mouth open--something i can't remember seeing in too long.
*the shit hits the fan

tarpon springs (christmas part III):
*putting a smile on so as to avoid upsetting anyone
*feeling guilty for enjoying myself when my mom isn't well
*more gifts (including "oye esteban"--the morrissey video collection)
*a long engagement: crappy title, beautiful movie
*playing pool and poker
*reading though the hilarious america textbook by jon stewart
*visiting old friends and wishing they lived closer
*bowling

*riding bikes
*enjoying sunshine and warmth before flying back to three to five more months of winter

the flight home: brats and rude parents, sherman alexie's reservation blues, dreaming of my own bed, more episodes of "21 jump street," projects, a new year, home.

Current Music: the cure

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Thursday, December 30th, 2004 01:33 pm
returned from florida yesterday and read this for the first time since leaving. i'm sorry to read about all that's happening with some of you. i feel shallow for not commenting personally, but know that my thoughts are with you and i hope things get better soon. xo

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Tuesday, December 21st, 2004 03:04 pm
just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays. off to florida for a week tomorrow. nothing especially exciting happening on this end other than a bout with food poisoning. later skaters!

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Friday, November 12th, 2004 12:27 pm
snagged this from cheryljill:

"This is the problem with LJ, we all think we are so close, and we know nothing about each other. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me, something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Ask away."

Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you.

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Thursday, November 11th, 2004 09:32 am
howdy all! i'm back to work and lovin' it! well, at least it's better than walking in circles. quick question: do any of currently (or in the past) use publishing software for your zine? if so, what do you / have you used and what do you think of that particular product?

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Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004 10:43 am
yesterday we entered week three of our strike. i feel completely ill right now between the strike and this fucked election. there's a part of me that wants to shrivel up into a ball and just cry and then, of course, leave the country. after these past three weeks i feel that like any inkling of trust or faith that i may have had in the media, in our so-called democracy, in the ability of anyone in a position of power to do something good and right, it's all completely gone. but oddly, there's also this sudden burst of inspiration fueled by anger and despair. i hope everyone else out there who is disappointed in the results of this so-called election feels similarly. we can't fall apart and crawl into a corner and disappear. this means too much. today it feels like nothing matters and everything matters at the same time, if that makes any sense. i feel this urge from deep within to change my life, to fight, to not be quiet anymore.

Current Music: depeche mode

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Saturday, October 23rd, 2004 03:04 pm
so we've been on strike since tuesday. i've walked on the picket line almost seven hours straight on tuesday, another seven on wednesday, three on thursday, and three on friday. let me tell you, i'd much rather be in the library than walking the picket line. wednesday and thursday morning i could barely get out of bed i was so tired. my body seems to be adjusting to the long periods of walking because i'm not very sore or stiff anymore. we may have to do this for at least another three days as the union and the board may not meet with a mediator again until wednesday. as expected, there's a lot of trash talking and biased media coverage and mixed messages, etc. which makes the whole situation even worse. so basically i haven't done shit all week. i wake up tired, go picket, get home tired, eat dinner, watch t.v., and go to bed.

besides picketing, other exciting stuff this week included:
* seeing juana molina at the hothouse--an excellent show
* a belated birthday dinner with b at charlie trotter's--woah!
* the new elliott smith album--currently listening to for the first time

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Sunday, October 17th, 2004 02:07 pm
a b c, easy as 1 2 3

a) today is one of those days when i feel like i can't count on anyone for anything. i don't know why i feel this way. well, maybe i do, but it's too petty to even mention. i just feel let down. fuck everyone.

b) there is a lot of sassy magazines on ebay that sold for at least $150. are people insane?

c) the morrissey show on friday night was awesome. even better than when i saw him a few months ago because he sang "big mouth strikes again" and "everday is like sunday" and ended with "there is a light that never goes out." sigh.

d) i'm still accepting submissions to my zine (tentatively titled "corazon"). i know, don't all pounce at once. people keep asking for a theme. well, there is no them. basically, i'm wanting to move away for a while from doing a personal zine but not stop doing zines altogther and i really want to start collaborating with other people more. thus, this project which i hope will be on-going. there is no recurring theme other than writings be about what interests you. i don't know, is that too vague for people? opinions? if you have any pieces you've written but can't commit yourself to putting together an entire zine, here's a great opportunity to get them printed anyway! if you're interested in submitting something, email me (perezeeb at yahoo dot com) for more info. i can let you know what i've already got if that will help get you going.

e) my therapy sessions on the other hand, do have a recurring theme. family. it's weird. i didn't realize i had so many issues with my family.

f) oh yeah, we may still be going on strike on tuesday. which would be nice as long as it doesn't last more than a few days. it would give me a chance to crank out my tenure paper and work on the zine when i'm not putting in my two hour shift on the picket line.

g) lately i've been listening to cassettes and i can never tell when the squealing is coming from the cassette (which would be a bad thing) or from the heater.

h) yes, heater. it's cold in chicago.

i) i'm currently reading an american verdict by michael arlen (about the case against the state attorney of illinois and the chicago police department after the raid on fred hampton's apartment in 1969), a book about owls (current obsession), and the very boring the dive from clausen's pier. how is that book so popular? i also read a chapter from the price of dissent on the murder of fred hampton, something i am currently obsessed with. the same day i checked that book out i also checked out a biography of howard zinn. here's hoping the f.b.i. aren't hitting up the cpl for patron records.

j) last night we went to a party and i met someone who knew tommy guerrero (see icon) back in sf. i felt like a total groupie. which i am.

k) i've run out of steam. the list will be done in installments.

Current Music: fifteen - 'petroleum distillation'

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Friday, October 15th, 2004 09:56 am
+ i'm going to see morrissey again tonight! the thought of standing for several hours, sometimes on tip toes and craning my neck to see, doesn't sound appealing. but for morrissey, anything.

+ goddamn! i found a book in my library about the hearing that took place after the chicago police raided the apartment of fred hampton, murdering him and another black panther. hi, catalogers, adding chicago or hampton, fred to the subject headings in the catalog record would be really good!

+ it's a dreary, rainy, cold chicago day--i'd say this weather blows but i'd be lying to you. yay, dreary!

+ and another yay for receiving a package of cds thanks to ms. tapper! i'd planned to bring them to work today and forgot them. :(

- if only i didn't have to work tomorrow.

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Thursday, October 14th, 2004 11:13 am
i like john kerry--there, i've said it. maybe in part it's because he looks just like my brother in law only thirty years older. i think he's intelligent and though maybe not as liberal as bush want to paint him to be, he's definitely leans that way on a lot of issues. i know people keep saying this election is all about just keeping bush out and the lesser of two evils, blah, blah, blah, but i want to believe that kerry is going to step up and deliver. maybe i'm just trying to delude myself. after watching bush in those debates and then hearing the analysts and anchors talk about how neither one especially stood out as if the things they both said were on the same level, just the fact that they even compare kerry and bush is fucking frightening. it's scary that kerry is criticized for not having more "personality" (unlike bush--apparently personality means acting like a dumb fuck) and for being to "cerebral." this country is in way worse shape that i originally thought.

okay, i gotta get back to work now.

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Friday, October 8th, 2004 12:54 pm
day in the life of a fool

+ comp day--yeah!

- it's raining today--one of those steady annoying drizzles. my hair has, accordingly, turned into frizz central.

+ getting up early and having breakfast with my dear sweet husband.

- injections--subcutaneous or not.

+ pumpkin muffins are back! wooh! last week i couldn't find any friggin' cans of pumpkin to make those chocolate pumpkin swirl brownies. i love pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins and pumpkins are, by far, the number one gourd.

- stinky feet. and the husband isn't home so i have no one else to blame.

+ currently reading veronica chambers' when did you stop loving me--hate the title, love the book. and ann packer's the dive from clausen's pier for my online readers advisory class. snore.

- lame updates.

Current Music: b's birthday mix (now, public enemy)

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