Damn Dirty Brits

I had a thought while I was picking strawberries today. Over lunch my host and I were talking about hating the Brits (his family is Scottish) because I haphazardly mentioned that I had Braveheart on DVD. So of course, it led to my enduring incredulity at the ability of tiny island with no significant natural resources of it's own to somehow colonize a vast majority of our planet. So we were talking talking, blah blah, the second conversation I've had with Kiwis that I've been like, whoa, you did not go to the Claremont Colleges. The first Kiwi postulated that Europeans were simply smarter, that's how we colonized the planet. Oy, my host wasn't that bad, but whatever. It got me to thinking about OUR american strategy. As it compares or contrasts to the British strategy. So I'm going to break it down like this...

British Strategy:

Induce a difference in a potential colony's population in order to stir up domestic strife. Play one group off the other so as to minimize British cost for subjugation. Use diplomatic tricks like not holding your part of a treaty, backstabbing, unassailable superiority complex. All of this is known commonly as Western Government. Build Empire, because we all know that an empire is the ultimate goal of a people's existence.

American Strategy:

Use vast cache of domestic resources to overwhelm any potential colony with brute force. Use diplomatic tricks on your OWN people and don't worry about subjugated people, because they are subjugated with overwhelming force.

Ok, so those are the mean rant reasons. But I boiled it down even further. (Everyone likes simplified polarization right?)

British Empire: Use civilization and development as an excuse to subjugate a people and the resources they reside upon.

American Empire: Use dispensation of civil rights and liberties as an economic currency that can then be traded back for trinkets, thus differentiating American people and subjugated people by amount of trinkets).


Haha, whatever. It was just a thought. But it does seem interesting how the American Government has begun to use civil liberties and 'rights' in an economical sense. Trade your privacy for safety from terrorism. Trade your political efficacy for cheap gasoline. etc etc.

Anyway. I'm really tired because I worked a pretty long day today. I helped remove wallpaper from the main bedroom and put up sheet rock (or Gib, gibbing? I don't know if this is something else, or simply a different term for the same thing. It looks like sheet rock) because it was rainy and wet last night/this morning and so, like I've previously mentioned. Strawberries don't like getting picked in the rain. But then it cleared up this afternoon and so we had to go pick the WHOLE field. In case there is any confusion about how strawberry patches work...you don't have acres and acres of strawberries to pick, you pick the same bed every morning. Strawberry plants (and particularly these two varietals) produce berries consistently when in season, so each day the plant has at least a few new ripe berries. Which is just fantastic because it means picking the same patch over and over and over. And let me tell ya, it's really fun. I actually was really relieved to be doing housework today. Although, the outside housework sucks because they have me scraping the loose paint off the outside of the house with this metal scraper thing which basically makes nails on the chalkboard sound, really loudly, each time you use it. Gross.

I am listening to the Counting Crows right now. They are good. I also tried Video Skype yesterday and well it's sweet. I suggest anyone who wishes to interact with me download it ASAP and video chat all day long.

I've been going for bike rides lately, I don't know why. They have a broken down old road bike (have I told you all this before? I honestly can't remember). It only has one gear now (gear shifter is gone) and its a hard gear, plus the brakes don't work. But for some reason I really enjoy riding it (i've never EVER enjoyed riding a bike before) (seriously). So I've been going on hour/hour and half rides out on to the farm highways. It's kinda nice. Perhaps I'm just craving the exercise? That could be it. But it makes my hamstrings tight, which is the last thing I need, since my hamstrings are ALREADY the tightest things in the world, and its NOT cool. Especially because it pulls on my back muscles which get all bent outta shape hunched over picking strawberries for hours each day.

Also, can someone who's in the States and is being bombarded with campaign shit please let me know what happened to campaign reform as an issue? Is it even discussed anymore? I thought that was really important.

We are going to a festival on Saturday. I hope it's nice weather and that we have fun. After the festival I am going up to Christchurch in preparation for my flight home. let's be honest, if the warm weather that has suddenly hit LA abates in any degree I'll be pissed.

I had mock job interviews play in my head while I was picking strawberries today. I think I'm ready. Bring it on. I haven't had meat in over a week and to be honest, I barely even notice. I think most people could do it. Just try not having meat. It's pretty easy. Thinking of vegetarianism, I always think of making sacrifices, but once I remember that vegetarians can have beer, wine, ice cream, ....to be honest I tried to list other essential foods for me that you might think borders vegetarianism, but none are as important as those 3, so, yeah. Those three did it for me. I was like, ok this is easy. Like eggs, they can eat eggs, but I don't really care that much about eggs.

Oh, that's right. I was going to upload some photos. I'll do that in a separate post.
I'm sorry, I really am drawing a blank about shit to say. Maybe photos will help.

Good Luck out there people.