joe sak, misc.

On playing dress-up.

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:20:34 -0600

Dear Coquette,

I’m interested in so many fields. From bartending to chemical engineering and journalism and law. I get that no one cares about your degree, but since these areas do all kind of require some kind of credentials, how should I prepare for them?

Sincerely,

An Enthusiastic High School Junior

You don’t want to be a bartender. You want to be a hipster mixologist rocking out signature martinis for a bunch of starry-eyed hotties at the coolest bar you’ve never been to.

You don’t want to be a chemical engineer. You’re a fan of “Breaking Bad,” and you want to be a modern-day wizard who secretly has the knowledge to whip up a fresh batch of blue crystals.

You don’t want to be a journalist. You want to be a truth-chasing, gut-following investigative reporter with a reputation for integrity and a show on one of the cable news channels.

You don’t want to be a lawyer. You don’t even know what it means to be a lawyer. You just like the idea that if you stay in school long enough, one day you’ll be able to wear a suit and tell people that you’re a lawyer.

See what I’m getting at here? You’re not really interested in those fields. You’re interested in those identities. You’re fantasizing. You’re playing dress-up and make-believe with your future self. That’s fine. You’re a teenager. It’s what you’re supposed to be doing.

The problem is, there are a lot of twenty-somethings out there with dust gathering on their liberal arts degrees, still doing the exact same thing that you’re doing at sixteen.

I’ll give to them the exact same advice I’ll give to you: Don’t create an identity for yourself that isn’t rooted in the real world. You can bartend for a few years while putting yourself through engineering school, but whatever you end up doing, recognize that it’s gonna be a grind.

It doesn’t matter what kind of credentials you earn or what field you eventually choose. You’re guaranteed to spend at least a half-decade paying dues at the entry level. You’ll work longer hours, doing harder work than your bosses for significantly less pay. Nothing will be handed to you, and in all likelihood, the experience will be degrading and a little bit soul-crushing.

If you want to prepare for a career, then don’t pick your field based on the fantasy. Make an honest assessment of your talents, and pick your field based on the reality.

Current Beliefs in Virginia:

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:55:45 -0600

Don’t allow abortions for women who have been raped.

Rape women who want abortions.

Photo

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:55:19 -0600

Video

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:06 -0600

Photo

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:39:34 -0600

"Find full reward of doing right in right! Let right deeds be thy motive, not the fruit which comes..."

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:00:05 -0600

“Find full reward of doing right in right! Let right deeds be thy motive, not the fruit which comes from them. And live in action! Labour! Make thine acts thy piety, casting all self aside. Contemning gain and merit; equable.”

- Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Doctrines

Blessed are those

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:52:09 -0600

Who never find out about the musical genre “Patriotic Rock” and its poster child, Madison Rising

Powers of 10

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:05 -0600

Powers of 10:

My buddy Kevin Liuzzo posted this link on his twitter today. I think it’s pretty cool. It shows what we can see in powers of ten, from tiny atoms to grand scale Universe concepts.

At two points toward either end of the spectrum, they look exactly the same to me. I think that’s a vastly important idea to understand.

o-snap: Revolution Brewing, Chicago | 2012

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:10:21 -0600

o-snap:

Revolution Brewing, Chicago | 2012

Photo

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:25:03 -0600

Dear Coke Talk: On struggling with mortality.

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:08:41 -0600

Dear Coke Talk: On struggling with mortality.:

dearcoketalk:

Dear Coquette,

I struggle to accept my own morality and have become obsessed with the work of Aubrey de Grey. I am even counting on his research succeeding within my lifetime, and I think this expectation is unhealthy. I know you just recently covered mortality, and while I’m not having…

"Male privilege has been with us for — how long? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand?..."

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:47:15 -0600

“Male privilege has been with us for — how long? Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand? Contraception, in the mere blink of an eye in historical terms, toppled the core rationale that justified that entire system. And now, every aspect of human society is frantically racing to catch up with that stunning fact. Everything will have to change in response to this — families, business, religion, politics, economics…everything.”

- Sara Robinson, on “Why Patriarchal Men Are Utterly Petrified of Birth Control — And Why We’ll Still Be Fighting About it 100 Years From Now”

Everyone should read this article.
(via coketalk)

If your religion doesn't believe in using medicine(they exist), should the government force you to provide coverage for your employees?? Q.E.D., Birth(control)ers

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:22:18 -0600

I don't get what the big deal is about women being barred from testifying about the birth control mandate

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:52:10 -0600

Since it’s obviously a “religious liberty” issue, then one should follow the laws of scripture:

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

1 Timothy 2:11-12
New International Version (NIV)

o-snap: Joe & Monica | 2012

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:14:04 -0600

o-snap:

Joe & Monica | 2012

rosalarian: agent-pluto: I love this man <3

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:35:15 -0600

rosalarian:

agent-pluto:

I love this man

<3

Us? White Russians and The Big Lebowski

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:07:18 -0600

How do you plan to spend your Valentine’s Day?

semiphore: Best Dad Award

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:19:58 -0600

semiphore:

Best Dad Award

You know who does like Planned Parenthood? Young women who can't afford health screening, checkups, birth control, or don't have any source of medical information about their bodies because they live in a parochial wasteland that teaches insane bullshit like abstinence sex education to pregnant teenagers. Let me know when Baptists are teaching breast self-exams.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:03:00 -0600

You know who does like Planned Parenthood? Young women who can't afford health screening, checkups, birth control, or don't have any source of medical information about their bodies because they live in a parochial wasteland that teaches insane bullshit like abstinence sex education to pregnant teenagers. Let me know when Baptists are teaching breast self-exams.:

Since Komen is cutting ties to any organization “currently under a local, state or federal formal investigation for financial or administrative impropriety or fraud” they might want to have a look at Bank of America, which has contributed millions of dollars to Komen in exchange for letting them stick their pink ribbon bullshit on credit cards. Bank of America is currently under investigation in New York, Arizona, California and Nevada for foreclosure and mortgage fraud.

On coming off as racist.

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:13:32 -0600

dearcoketalk:

You can really come off as racist sometimes, a culture racist.

 A culture racist? Ugh. Your skin is thinner than your vocabulary.

The word you’re looking for is ethnocentrist, and if you had the slightest clue, you’d realize that I’m actually more of a cultural relativist.

I’m also an asshole, but since it’s easier for you to get offended than it is to get educated, you can’t tell the difference.