I've got what I need

Right in my purse

In a little pocket

Tucked away, secretly



Should I use it?

Will it get me high this time?



All it takes is a few taps

And I'm floating

In the melody

Wave goodbye to earth

And hello to the receiving sky

Ready with cloud seat

And sunny eye



What need have i

Of the world below

Of the strife and bitter rain

Of cold hearts and winter snow

Alone, in the gusts



When here, in lofty seat

I feed on sun rays

And birdsong

Every situation looks different from afar....

i used to blame my hometown, i used to say that CT was this big black hole, sucking all light, matter, and energy into it. i used to say that this place forced me back into bad habits, back into a kind of juvenile state. (yes, i know that new england is quite different from most places in the US -- being chock-full of rich people..and the people who envy the rich.)

i used to say that i was a better person in milwaukee -- i had great habits: no car (riding the bus was great, especially in the morning -- i didn't have to deal with traffic! I just sat back and read my book, enjoyed some juice, listened to music), rode my bike to most places (except to work on the really nasty, hot days -- i worked in customer service, and couldn't very well sell a $1400 glass piece with sweaty pits), was making more music/writing more, was cooking and eating better (mmmmm indian food).

i used to think that CT had no arts and music scene to speak of (compared to milwaukee, or other big cities). true, CT is inundated with landscape painters, country craft makers, and folk musicians. like anything else, though, you have to dig to find anything good....the definition of underground.

funny thing is -- i can do all those things here, in CT, as well....i can do those anywhere. people are always ready to say that their homestate is the worst, and they have the long list of faults ready. Talk to people of other states/regions, and they too will have their list. Live somewhere long enough, the rose-colored glasses fall off your face, and you really see the town/city/state for what it is, good AND bad.

this is not to say that i believe CT is the best place on earth -- there is no way i would agree with that.

what this translates into is WORK ON YOURSELF (if you feel unsatisfied), before you go running off to another place, attempting to start anew. the problems will follow. the only thing you will find in this new place is a whole new set of things to distract you...the whole set looking much more attractive than the old set you used, back home.

blow cold air on an already frigid night

blow.

reveal.



the sun does not enjoy the competition

of firey lies;

the moon is not moved or shaken

by cold silence.

Neither is effected by the lack of upturned eyes;

both are oblivious to the land they illuminate.

They exist like no other, orbiting a this bit of rock,

offering no excuses in their absence.



So, open up and blow.

Reveal.

Live life with clear head.

Karla ********
Marketing: W 7-10p

Analyze: liqueur: how influenced in micro- and macroenvironments; where is it heading?

Liquor is not a new product, nor is it a fading trend. Almost every culture is represented, in one way or another, in the world of alcoholic drinks:

Italy: Frangelico, Anisette, or Sambuca in coffee (espresso)
Spain: Triple Sec (or homemade simple syrup) in Sangria (includes wine)
Mexico: Margarita: Triple Sec (or homemade simple syrup) with lime juice and tequila
Japan: Sake
Britain: Mead

Liqueurs, or cordials, are a stable part of the industry of alcohol, partly because of their being engrained (pun intended) in a culture, but also because trends (in fashion, music, literature, et al.) can boost their popularity. In the macro environment, for example: around the western world, the martini (which originated in the US) is a symbol of sophistication (as opposed to drinking, let’s say, a Bud Light), it says you’re up to date [and, hopefully, can handle your liquor]. You can drink a martini straight (gin or vodka, with vermouth) or flavored (with Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Pucker, etc); How you take your martini can, to some people, indicate who you are. A high-maintenance woman might drink a Cosmopolitan (it’s pink, vodka flavored with Cointreau, cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lemon/lime). A manly-man might drink an extra-dirty martini (it’s cloudy, vodka or gin flavored with extra dry vermouth, lots of olive juice, and a few olives). The “I stick to traditions, none of this stylish crap for me” type might drink it with no additives or flavoring (straight gin or vodka with vermouth). It’s up to the liqueur manufacturers, such a specific sector of the liquor industry, to stay on top of these trends, and market the products accordingly.

The influences of a macro environment are typically out of the hands of the business owners -- a prominent figure, say, may be seen in a movie or in a music video [or even a character in a book], drinking a fancy beverage, flavored with liqueur. The fans very well may go and seek out this drink for themselves. This translates directly to the micro environment:
 The business who manufactures the liqueur: oh boy, are they ecstatic, because suddenly, solicited or not, they have a spokesperson, and a role model for the masses to follow.
 For the bars who decide to serve and market their offering of this drink: people will think that this establishment is quite up-to-date, and that there must fashionable people hanging out there as well

Where do the liqueur-producing companies go from here? Certainly, the liqueur sector has not changed much, and is upheld by its trusty old favorites. Yes, there has been a spattering of new flavors – but the key is in the new and improved APPLICATIONS of these flavors that keeps the companies rolling forward.

i made my choice

don't want to recant

so why am i hurt by this?

maybe i should have....

obviously there's something hidden...

why would you?

how could you?

i should just let it go...

my mouth gets me in trouble

it's connected to my brain

and that's not much better

logic restrains me, releasing

it's grip long enough

to dip me into soft

emotions

only to pull me back out

prematurely

and fool me

into thinking cold is the way

what's with this generation? a bunch of brats who run around saying "i'm very open. i speak my mind. i'm honest. i'm opinionated" ......but when it comes to dealing with real sitautions, the adjectives above are just pretty on paper, not very convienient for everyday use.

you would figure, as well, that if you face these people, and table the issue, that there would be a sigh of relief, a welcome invitation to "air the laundry". Instead, they choose to skirt the issue, or change the subject outright.

the people of our generation are too good for the elaboration that real "honesty" or "opinion" requires, it seems -- as though they don't really need to be honest unless it's something important to THEM, unless it affects THEM, or to further THEIR agenda. they can't be bothered with it. why am i surprised to hear that my peers want it NOW, "my way"? waaaaaahhhhh. technology, being mollycoddled by the gov't, fattened, spending -- who would really want to step out of the sand box?

this [self-projected] image of "baller" (ego and wallet) way of life may seem simpler but it creates an army of insatiable monsters within ourselves.

Simplicity is actually found in the unmasked life -- where lies don't have to be remembered/upheld/continued. instead, stick to your beliefs and have an open mind -- and the end all, be all cliche:

be

yourself


original post date: 9/8/06, 9:26A

amendment#1: 9/12/06 11:42pm

i am a product of this generation (though i may be a mutated form of it).

i want to learn, to evolve.

Wipe out hazy summer nights
And there you’ll find, with
Fall winds
The clearest sky

Gaze upon the twinkle, or
The beam, like the light from
Planets

Before it reaches our eyes
In a spectrum we can understand
Thank (god) for the awareness
The balls
To look up
And understand

the impression has already been made
you've made a seat for yourself here, dug out a spot in the sand
to watch the tide creep in
and out
watch passively as the boats dock
and head back out into the abyss
all the while sitting
never buying their wares, enticing them to stay
never chasing them back out to the waters, no clicking your tongue at their sailor's mouths
just watching
curious
i'm sure
watching for thick clouds
or rays of sun
watching for a change
or some inspiration to move out to the sea yourself
sans sails, as seems to be your way
frantically paddling, struggling to get away from the shores
waves lap at you
and push you back to your sandy seat

Chris is my jazz hookup -- he's all about experimental, from Monk and the guys to John Zorn to Mike Patton. He was telling me tonight that back when Monk, Byrd, Miles, Coltrane, and Dizzy were playing back in the 60's, their shows would sell out (luckily they were legends in their own time [and forever])-- to almost all white audiences. I would almost think ,"well, maybe the experimental music was so radical that people shunned it" (not to say that all the above mentioned musicians performed solely experimental music). Did the music "speak to the white people of the time", or was it because they had the money?--- i would love input on this...but that brings me to bridge in my mind that brought me to the next thought:

Lauren and Shawn went to a 50 cent show that was not sold out-- sure, his cd sells millions, but try to put a show on in CT, and you're left holding tickets to at least half the venue at showtime. Where are all the white fans at shows like these [the same ones who bought the cd]? Too scared? Don't want to dish out the money? Are the reports of his cd sales exaggerated in this area?

started class this morning at 8am --- principles of managerial accounting. I know, i know --- you're so excited, you almost pissed your pants with joy. Believe me, I don't want to be a CPA, sitting at a desk all day, tweeking numbers in the favor of blood thirsty corps. You could say I'm taking these courses in preparation for the day when i own my own business.....you could also say that learning the loopholes in accounting that allows the rich to get richer gives me all the more reason to speak out against them. You wouldn't believe how the wording or filing of one item would save those fuckers money...I shouldn't say "save", I should say "raking it into their own pockets".