A Ressurection

Here the blog comes again to life.  There will of course be new posts, but also additions and revisions to old posts.  This blog becomes what it was always meant to.  Riskier, unbound by my fears.  Every post I have written in my head for the past month is a reflection of exactly what I meant to combat by keeping this web log.  I am tired of holding back in my own life-- for no reason.  And this post is no model post, but at least if I start writing something again, I've jumped back in.  I want to expand the mission of the blog as a way of healing myself and becoming the person my blog thinks I am.  I would never admit it, but I stopped this because I gave up.  Today is a day to confront denials and a day to get in the face of strangers that are doing the same thing.   

Only A Real Elf

The light of day gives people more security, it makes them more accepting of strange happenings; everything takes on a more sinister meaning when the sun sets. Walking down the street a night, most people become jumpy and hypersensitive to their surroundings-- the shadow in the alleyway might be something dangerous: a person ready to steal your money or an animal ready to attack.

Especially in Albany, the student population is frightened inside or relegated to a few select nightspots. If you are out and about under the stars, you are expected to have some target destination and traveling companions. Albany is not a wanderer’s city, or so we are cautioned.

On the whole, wholesome Albany goes to sleep by dusk.

Autumn’s been peeling away the precious daylight hours, and with it my chance at doing my mundane mischief. My confidence in completing the project diminishes, because the night brings out my own brand of fears. I may have some bold ideas, but I am afraid of frightening people. I am afraid of getting the cops called on me, because I approached a fearful person. Just once in my life, did a stranger threaten to call the police on me. I actually felt the adrenalin surge out into my bloodstream. I wondered if I’d really done anything wrong, but I wasn’t going to stick around and find out. I’ve known too many people who were arrested because the police just found them to be suspicious. They were later released, but I’d still like to avoid that.

Describe This In Ten Words Or Less

I have been realizing that although I have a few ideas of my own (see picture), it would be extremely helpful to have more tasks available to choose from in the day. If you can read my frenzied handwriting, you’ll see that most of the ideas listed take place outside. This is a problem because I can feel the Albany winter fast approaching, and even if I do brave the elements, the other people who bundle up too may not be as interested in stopping to participate or observe.

I’ve been thinking of designing a business card—similar to the types that The Rent Project uses. They would explain my mission briefly and ask for ideas. The problem is that The Rent Project offered people payback—their 20 minutes of labor (help us to help you), whereas my project would only bring one the satisfaction of having participated…. I’m so pessimistic, but…

Anyway, even if I did make such cards up, what the heck would they say? I certainly can’t print up my entire mission statement—that’s a lot of ink. “Help me come up with small good deeds and random acts to liven up the neighborhood…” Hmm, maybe. “See www.mundanemischief.blogspot.com for more details.” I would have to make the language more colorful, to get people interested enough to even turn on the computer. How do I describe in on a business card, something that's taking me an entire blog to understand?

UPDATE: I've been thinking about this business card idea some more, and I definitely want to do it.  It would be great to hand them out to people who witness the tasks as an explanation and an opportunity for them to further their involvement.

Postless Blogs And The Jargon Of Political Avoidance

I've been wondering how much of myself I must reveal in order for this blog project to work out.  I've worried so much about it that I haven't blogged, much to the chagrin of my professor. Even with my "What Is Mundane Mischief?" entry, he told me to speak at least a little about the person I am. I thought making the blog said enough about the type of person I am, so avoided changing it.  Then I started reading Heather and Brenda's blogs; they are so intensely open it put me in awe of their bravery and made me a little ashamed.  Heck, even Frank the can man has an introspective post.  So far, I have been trying to avoid being so open, but now I feel that that goes against the meaning of the whole blog, and that it falls short of the standards my peers have met.

Why am I hiding?  I guess that I am intimidated.  I fear that not only will the project be a complete flop, but that everyone in my class will know all about me and the reasons why I failed.  I have to get over it though-- my grade depends on it.

Further, considering how much of myself to reveal goes beyond simply identifying myself or making incriminating remarks, and into the very nature of the tasks I choose to do. I have been trying to get some ideas together to kick-start the blog action, so I met with a close friend and brainstormed some potential ideas, many of which have a political bent. I consider myself an activist on many fronts and I try to stay informed on current issues. Like anyone, my politics are part of what make me unique; still, that may be the very reason I must avoid politicizing this work. If I perform too many tasks that emphasize one political viewpoint, I risk alienating people with differing opinions. It just seems too easy to push people away in the name of taking a stand. After all, aren’t I supposed to be reaching out to unexpected people?

The other side of my brain is saying that every act is political. Even something as simple as picking up a piece of trash, while it may not blurt out who I voted for, is certainly a blatant political action. It doesn’t seem genuine to stick only to tasks which can be generally accepted. After all, aren’t I supposed to be shaking things up?

Really, I am having two content debates: how much of me should go into these acts and these blog entries, and how should politics (my own or otherwise) factor in.

So, here’s my decision. As a part of this blog’s journey, I must to reveal a bit more of myself in both my tasks and my reporting of them, and I have to pick a mix of tasks (some more political than others), keeping in mind my goal of disturbing the hustle- bustle and bringing strangers together.

Well, I guess the first step is to write a real About Me page.