a hodgepodge collective: spring

wow this spring break has been spectacular. i've done so much but so little. it's nice to not have to rush around making deadlines and whatnot... and i'm obsessed with keds. amy and i started out by going to the art store and picking up supplies, made a bracelet out of black and brown glass beads, did some sewing, watched volver (kind of), started reading a sand county almanac, went to the beach to take photos, spent a day in little italy taking more photos and ate at mama santas, went to a local dive bar with a friend, did some spring shopping and got my hairs cut and eyebrows done (finally, greatly needed). see? so busy but so relaxing at the same time. glorious. so, here are some 35 mm treats for you from my adventuring.

down in little italy.

the lovely amy at lounge leo's.

a really cool painting

in a little italy gallery.

the peter b. lewis building downtown.

my better half :)

back to athens now. this quarter looks promising. i've been thinking a lot about refocusing my field of study within my major. i want to delve into the abyss of foreign aid, but not just any foreign aid, sustainable aid. i though a lot about the kind of aid countries in africa receive, or any third world country, and it's the wrong kind of aid. the people don't know how to provide for themselves, and even if they did they wouldn't know where to begin or be able to acquire the necessary skills or equipment without help. although charity and government funding is a nice gesture, in most cases desperately needed, it would be more beneficial to establish a sustainable aid program through which people are taught a trade or taught ways of helping themselves instead of being taught to expect life necessities or that they don't need to do anything, relying on aid.
a lot of these issues lie in the way third world governments are structured, actually impoverishing their people, basing their operations in corruption and predation as opposed to repatriation of domestic funds, the way it should be. if these people can't fight back, which in most cases they can't, they become dependent on foreign aid instead of their government. so, without causing conflict, the way to cure this curse would be to teach poor, rural populations that they can provide for themselves and live well. this will eventually cost less for those countries providing aid as well as the environment from constant shipping/polluting that is done in the process, stimulate non-existent economies, and reduce static parts of the world that affect the global economy negatively. i'm not saying that every village needs to become a thriving metropolis, but the people need to be empowered, given the chance every human deserves, being enabled to take care of themselves and not relying on others. pretty peace-corps-esque, but it's interesting and it's needed, and there's nothing wrong with a little bit of peace-corps-ness.

      the sun is setting on a particularly productive day here in athens, ohio. i was out and about on a walk, taking pictures with my old roommate, when i noticed how our small town is teeming with life on days like these. hibernation is the trend during winter quarter, a trend i take part in. this town is dead in the winter, it's quiet in the winter, it's cold here in the winter, bitterly cold, even for me. but today is the beginning of spring, i can hear the people living in the apartment below me out on their balcony drunkenly serenading blues traveler, spring has sprung.
     i've seen a lot of cars with a bumper or window sticker that reads, "keep athens funky". as if athens will ever be defunkified. this phrase has been on my mind lately. why would athens be classified as funky? i thought long and hard, but i already knew the answer; the people.
      we all tend to forget what a diverse collection of people this place we call home has. there is little that divides us here. i've made many close friends that are my polar opposite, nothing really separates anyone. you could say that this phenomena is due to the entire student body's undying loyalty and love of beer, but it has to be deeper than that. doesn't alcohol drive people apart? i don't really know, but i know that athens is a town all it's own, it's funky, it's artistic, it's athletic, it's preppy, it's musical. it's a plethora of unique, and it's widely accepted. some could say that establishments like casa (pretentious/hippyish? layed back bar/restaurant) creates the funk, but places like the crystal (over crowded frat bar/ underage drunk magnet) take away from it. but i'm realizing now that therein, this contradictory condition, lies the funk.

    here are some fotos from my walk.