opinions (unabridged and uncensored)

here it goes:

three things happened this week that have stuck with me. the university i went to is letting down its students in a time of terrible need. there have been a series of "escalating events" (why the cliche? why not just call them what they are: racially motivated fuck-ups by kids who are so distanced from reality that they don't realize how much pain they can cause.) what can ucsd do to save itself? they've got to stop erasing the rough edges. that can be expected at a school heavy on medicine, engineering and science. you learn about people by experiencing their history and their art. by hearing their languages and tasting their food. there is a dual failure at ucsd- by the administration for not encouraging true cross-cultural exploration, and by the students for not demanding it. as a transfer student, i was amazed at the lack of diversity on campus. city college, nestled on the edge of downtown san diego, was far more diverse than UCSD could every dream of being. i learned far more for $26 a credit than i did for $200. and it was all because of environment full of rough edges. my solution: art. yeah, i know, im a theatre guy. but storytelling is the most effective way to get somebody's attention. and there is no better way to tell a story than with art. music, theatre, painting, dancing, cooking- all of it rolled into one big ball of culture.

a high school girl disappeared from northern san diego earlier this week. i think that everyone feared the worst, and they found her body a few days later. she had gone jogging in a park near her house. i understand that this sort of thing happens all the time. but it still breaks you a little bit, and it makes you mad. it is an example of an event that has absolutely no positive side to it. it reminds us all that the world is dangerous, and that anything can happen at any time. the taking of someone else's life is the closest thing to evil that exists. the closest thing to good? falling in love.

i'm adopting a kitten. his name is albee elizabeth taylor. i can't really put into words how excited i am about this. maybe it's because animals have a way of explaining how the world is still a good place to be.

i'm tired, and i'm going to bed.