Anxiety

It begins…

As a low, humming electrical current
Throbbing near the center of my tail bone
Sending pulses to arouse me
And activate my toes
To tap and scrape against the ground

It grows…

Into a constant surge along my spine
Pulling taut the skin around my chest
So tight that I can hardly breathe
My throat closing on the air
Every respiration a shallow gasp

It swells…

And evolves into tingling
Throughout my core
My stomach churns
My hands become cold and numb
My head simultaneously heavy and lightheaded

It erupts…

Pouring out frenzied movement
And feverish talk
And stale metallic tastes
I pace within my cage
Searching for an escape

It speaks…

In a hundred different voices
Whispering incoherently
Stealing my attention
Blurring my thoughts
Until I cannot see

But what if…

I welcome the current
And tell the tightness to wait
Or cherish the tingling
Allowing the frenzy and voices to move without me
It’s all an illusion

Faith in Government

You may be shocked to learn that I am a regular reader of DailyKos. Nowadays I just read the RSS Feed, but every once in a while I drop in to have a look at diaries that didn't make it to the front page. Today I came across this one

A new, and laudable, trend among politicians has been to really understand one of the major challenges in the lives of some of their most vulnerable constituents. Last month, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski started the trend by taking the "food stamp challenge," limiting his food allowance for a week to $21.

More inspirational than the article is the idea that there are lawmakers in our country willing to not only make a statement, but also live the life--however briefly--of people in poverty, just to show us and remind themselves how high the stakes are.

It's people like them that give me a renewed faith in government.

Arming Students Will Not Help

Anyone arguing that allowing students and/or faculty to carry weapons would protect a campus threatened by gun violence needs to read this:

A University of Idaho student grabbed his pistol and ran outside to see if anyone needed help when he heard shooting near his apartment on Saturday, but he ended up getting shot three times himself.

Police in Moscow, Idaho, say that the 20-year-old student, Pete Husmann, was shot in the back, neck, and thigh with a semiautomatic assault rifle, but he is expected to recover. He was among six people shot Saturday by Jason Hamilton, three of whom were killed, according to the Associated Press.

See, there was a student who owned a gun. Used it to defend himself and/or others potentially under attack. AND HE WAS WOUNDED. AND HE DIDN'T STOP THE SHOOTER.

Moron gun advocates.

I Wonder if Larry Gets Overtime Pay?

ISU gets it right!

I saw this guy when he spoke at UNI. A complete buffoon. Kudos to Iowa State University! Hard to believe that a bastion of rational thinking can be only 90 minutes away from here, but it's true

Ben's Top Ten

Lest some of you believe that I harbor greater love for one son over the other, here are the

Top Ten Testaments That Ben Is His Mother’s Son:

10. Weather-resistant eczema.

9. Both of us like to wear nail polish and make-up.

8. We both love Project Runway and think Sweet P got screwed.

7. Ben has an impeccable sense of rhythm and cadence but no sense of style or form; can group fitness instruction be far behind?

6. Unless you want to hear our renditions of the same songs over and over again, radios must remain off in our presence.

5. We both like to wear heels and skirts at least twice a week.

4. The entire neighborhood knows when we are frustrated.

3. Herbivores unite!

2. Choosing between more than two menu options makes us nervous.

And the number one testament that Ben is his mother’s son:

1. Neither one of us will ever win a round of “The Quiet Game.”

My Old Stomping Ground

Check-out the latest and greatest at University of Mary Washington (Mary Washington College when I was faculty there.) Be sure to click on all the links to get the full story.