WALMART MOVIE

click the graphic above to learn more about this documentary on Walmart, opening in November. the teaser trailers on the site promote the film sarcastically, making jokes out of the evil practices of Walmart, but this set of out-takes from a former Walmart manager are really rather unsettling.

while i must admit to spending late nights at Walmart in hicktown, PA (see picture below) while attending Bucknell University, i've always felt guilty about shopping at walmart, or most major chains for that matter. maybe it's because my family owns a small business. i agree that the prices can't be beat at stores like Walmart, but there is a reason for this. those low prices have to be made up for somewhere, and that fucking smiley face handed out by the disabled old lady at the door is a poor way to cover it all up.

Pennsylvania

this is where i used to go to school. notice my jeep in the background. that's one of two horse 'n' buggies in the parking lot that day, belonging to, i think, some Mennonites (a different breed of Amish). i'll let the irony of this picture speak for itself.

i'm needed.

Auto response from bralfucious: toilet is to person, as reece is to me.

john gillis - studying abroad in Argentina

2:12AM EST: i just came home at 330 am and found my host dad ass naked in the living room watching formula 1 qualifieres... a convo in spanish ensued, where i had to judge when was long enough to prove i wasn't freaked out but short enough to say "hey i'm not lingering here"...awk

help my homeless friend

this is me and my best-friend in the world, might as well be my brother, matt. he's the greatest, so great that he's got this gig lined up in the NYC, and they want him so badly, his boss said he could live with him for a couple weeks before he finds a place of his own. well... i'm throwing this out there into our infinite yet interconnected universe, and asking that if you, or anyone you know needs a roomate, needs to sublet, has an apartment or room or a comfy floor for matthew james braley (aka bralfucious aka mattmatt aka hey stupid), please contact me immediately so we can find this kid a home. bonuses: he's really cute (grandma says so), he has nice eyes, he likes doing dishes, and other chores, and some people even think he's funny... sort of.

"Call out gouranga be happy!!"

can anyone explain anything to me about this email i received a while ago?

>From: Neateye
>To: Me
>Date: Sep 23, 2005 1:57 AM
>Subject: Gouranga

>Call out Gouranga be happy!!!
>Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga ....
>That which brings the highest happiness!!

fiji

this is me in fiji, december 2003, with a bunch of fijians i met in a local village. they gave me a handmade lei and toured me around their place. in the rural parts of fiji, away from the hustlers of the cities, you will find some of the friendliest people on the planet.

Intelligent Design

earlier today, i read an article from sunday's cape cod times about "Intelligent Design." (check this too Intelligent Design). it's a theory that doesn't actual theorize much (original thought anyway), instead it harps on (alleged) holes in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. the idea is that most organisms (read: humans) are way too complex to have evolved from minor genetic mutations over time, so there must have been some... wait, here it comes "intelligent designer" (now, who could they mean? hhmmm...). i was planning on laying into these advocates of intelligent design, and the fact that a startling percentage of adults believe Creationism should be taught in school science classes, and the truth is, i am likely to eventually write on that topic, but right now, i am moved to suggest that sometimes it's hard to deny the instances in life when it seems that a higher power is at work (did i say that?). the chance encounter with a long lost friend in a far off place, the employee who calls in sick and avoids a crash on the way to work, or in my case tonight, the perfect song at the perfect moment.

i admit that i love technology, and an ipod is my latest buy. the technical specs are great, and it serves its purpose perfectly, but there are times when my ipod is on shuffle and it plays the song that is so powerful at that moment, so well-adapted to its environment in terms of evolution, it is shocking. has the technology evolved in such a way that it knows when ben harper will bring tears to my eyes, or thursday will power me through a furious time?

tonight, actually, several times today, i found itunes playing all the right songs, but as i stepped outside tonight, hazy streetlights shining in a mild fog over damp roads, not a soul in sight, and even less to hear, i was so moved by my ipod's selection. the sort of song that you don't want to end, but if it didn't you may never move your place.

it's nine inch nails when everything is wrong; death cab for cutie when you're sure the love is gone; it's kanye west at the start of the party, and "don't stop believing" target="_blank" at the end of a long night; it's tom petty when you're on the road alone heading west.

but end it did, and of course, the next song, even more appropriate than the first, as if i was the subject of a live music video. a chill in the air, slight wind, enough to blow wet leaves and light litter across the parking lot, i had any number of places to go and tasks to complete, but the first order of business was to appreciate those moments when everything is so perfect, be it happy or sad, that it is bittersweet to see it end.

The Politics Test

You are a Social Liberal (71% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (16% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

bartending, credit cards and the people who use them

i've been bartending now for five summers at the same restaurant on cape cod. we host weddings every weekend, all summer long. it's a nice place, but the drinks certainly aren't overpriced or expensive, by some standards, they're downright cheap. however, i am always amazed at the people who come up to the bar, order a drink like a "glass of pinot grigio," (or as they pronounce it, "peen-yo"). Ok. that'll be $4.75 please, and out comes the credit card. do you really mean to tell me that you don't have five bucks on you? if you don't have five bucks on you, then you probably shouldn't be spending your money on alcohol anyway.

you might wonder why i would complain about accepting a credit card as a form of payment; allow me to explain.

at a busy place, where you ring up the drinks, generally expecting the customers to pay in cash, you calculate the price via the computer. when a customer throws you a card, you must then delete that order, start a new tab, ring in the drinks, print the check, run the card, get them to sign it, and then enter the total amount (this includes the huge tip i'm sure to get from this whale of a spender). this process takes at least, a few minutes... not a large amount of time, but in the middle of a wedding when there are 150 other customers all thirsty on a hot summer day, time is money... in this case, money lost. i usually ask if the customer can pay in cash, but judging by their face, this is a ridiculous request. so while i occupy the computer, blocking out my fellow bartender, awkward interactions abound between family and friends while they thirst for alcohol, the only proven social lubricant. the kicker? these are the same people who don't know how to tip. a second kick to the nuts? repeat offenders... just throw the card down when you get there and run a tab!

a final note on the credit card culprits... they're almost always women. i guess maybe they were planning on a guy (or maybe another girl) to buy their drinks, but the plan flopped and they were left without cash. who knows? but from the guy pouring your apple-tini, do everyone a favor and hit an ATM before you come to the bar.