PickledCherub

I had sort of a breakdown last night after a Disjecta meeting in which Bryan asked me why I did all of the stuff I did. I couldn't really answer. I do all of this different stuff, but why?

So, I'm still on the fence about taking this job. It's a skill set I could very well use in my life, but . . . I'm not thrilled about the way things are going. The meetings take two hours a piece, and then there's all the other work that I'd be doing on the side. Maybe in an hours per week outlook it's not that big of a commitment, but what if I continue to dread going to the meetings? On an individual level, I like everyone who is involved, but as a group . . . not so much.

Tonight Marian and I went to a Speakers' Bureau Initiation seminar for Affordable Housing NOW! Link The seminar focused on not the need for affordable housing (although we did learn a lot of facts: such as there are at least 2500 homeless people living in Portland right now, and that's the most conservative estimate), but on the rhetoric the organization uses to get its point across. Their philosophy is that the Left, the Liberals, need to utilize the same tools and language that the Conservatives, the Right uses. Make appeals based on values, not policies. What's the difference? Instead of saying "Gays and Lesbians are functioning members of society and therefore deserve the right to marry," you should frame your argument like this: "I believe that equality is an essential part of American society." (OK, so that's a different issue, but you get the point, right?) It was a neat seminar. I left thinking, "Wow, I really care a lot about this." I've had that feeling about the Red Cross, too, but never about Disjecta. Oh, it's sad.

OK. I'm going to unpack some more stuff now.