I believe one is justified investing something of his self-identity in the nomenclature by which others refer to him. To that end, there is some sense of subtraction in identity and thus, self, when one's name is suddenly, and without consultation, altered. This element of reduction instills greater woe and disillusion when its antecedent is based on others' need for expediency. To be sure, it may be quicker to leave off the "A," and JimA's prolific nature may posit that the "A" will be typed more than the proposed "R." However, I assert that we are traversing a slippery slope if a mere keystroke is far too much effort to exert in order to maintain appelations as they have thus far been established. I believe we as a culture tend to truncate our language too much anyway. Now that my own name is threatened with truncation, I see that my concerns are quite valid and real.

At the risk of stirrin' up a fight: I think I didn't like Gladiator because it sucked.

And Dave, I will give you my EXceptance Speech, in which I take exception to the name change. Shari is taking a well-deserved break from blogging, in part because she just doesn't feel she has anything erudite on which to post. Does that mean she is less a blogger? Less a person? It seems that, every 5-6 weeks, someone is trashing someone else coz they haven't blogged in whatever time frame is "appropriate." I think that is a bunch of horsefeathers. You heard me. Horsefeathers.

Yours respectfully,

Jim

Talk about: Pop Music.
Walk about: Pop music.
Pop singer,
Pop weasel, Popcorn
Poppin' Fresh dough
boy I want to pop you in my hot mouth.
If you don't put yer hands
In the air
You'll hear the popping in
Your ears
When the pop
From my popgun
Pops a soda can
Hole
In your head.
Ask your poppa.
He knows all about it.

So this is the Week of Resistance in Bloomington. I can say (with shame) that I have done little to participate myself, other than some interesting discussions with kids, but here is why this sleepy little burg is still a groovy hotbed…

The WoR (my acronym) was designed to coincide with the (now-delayed) opening of legal procedures against Frank Ambrose, a local activist who has been charged with tree spiking in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest north of here. He is also alleged to have ties with Earth Liberation Front, the environmental group connected with some major property destruction actions in the past year or so. At any rate, Secret Sailor, a relatively new anarchist bookstore/action nexus helped put together a series of direct actions and workshops. But wait! A week before this can even get started, a woman named Tracy "Dolphin" McNeely decides to start a tree-sitting protest ala Julia "Butterfly" Hill (of northern CA fame) here along IN 37. Seems a long-standing forest along the highway is destined to become "affordable housing" in June. Not long after, another woman sets up shop in a tree in Yellowwood State Forest to speak out against the sale of trees to private timber interests. They are both still up there.

Now, one might think that would be enough to shake things down here. Oh no. There is more fun. On Friday, the Week of Resistance helped organize a critical mass (not "kritikal mess") bike ride through downtown B-town. Well, it got ugly, and a bunch of folks were taken in by Bloomington's finest, including one of the special ed. para-educators who works with Jennifer and me (and who is apparently friends with Carrie's husband John!). Then, on Sunday, two people shackled themselves to slogan-ridden Chevy Blazer they had parked in front of the new Old Navy on the west side ("westSiiiiiide") of town. They were cut loose by the po-po after 4 hours and set free.

School is getting a little hot about things, as well. Our arrestee did not take kindly to a few of our less enlightened teachers joking with students about how they would have gotten sledgehammers from Lowe's and started busting things up on the Old Navy protesters. He entered the conversation and now it looks like there will be some peer mediation between faculty members. Whoa.

In less exciting, but still marvelous news: Grace is walking now. The first of our seed starts, broccoli, popped right up after 40 hours in the peat pot. My woman continues to rock my world in a most righteous way. Thumbs up to "Crouching Tiger," and I gotta weigh in on the anti-"Gladiator" front. Icky. Jennifer and her friend saw a Muscovy out east of town on Monday. Birders, go look it up. Go figure. I am envious.

Life is grand. (and I say this at the risk of falling from favor)
[from another great POP band.]