We’re still here, in case you wondered. We’re kind of staying in the middle of no where, but the small town close by just constructed a library this Spring and six computers with internet access sit in the front. I needed to check my school email (and in some way be connected with the rest of the world) so I felt obligated to make a post. Typing that is kind of sad.

We’ve gone to Grand Haven & walked onto the pier by the lighthouse, we went to John Ball Zoo & pet stingrays & tiny goats, we watched a calf be born, rode four-wheelers, and sat around listening to (and telling) funny stories.

Michigan (where we are, in Lakeview) is so… flat. And while most people up here tease me pretty heavily about my accent, they are much more country than even I am. It’s not unusual to see about 50 deer any time you go anywhere up here. Corn fields everywhere. Amish people everywhere. I may be talkin’ the talk, but these people walk the walk.

Wow, I thought that was clever for like .5 seconds & then re-read it and was like, “I’m 80 years old.”

Time to go eat! We’ll be home Saturday!

We are in Michigan visiting B’s family. We are staying at his grandma’s farm so there are lots of cows and bugs. Those two things make a great combination. The farm encourages you to relax and get away from life as you know it. It’s calm.

The best part of this trip so far is swimming with his cousins at the lake and eating watermelon on the back porch.

Should be a great week.

A comment from my post on Perez Hilton really stuck with me:

Celebrities deserve privacy, yes, but they’ve also chosen to live the lives they do and thus open themselves up to public scrutiny. Don’t want to be in the public eye? Don’t choose a public career.

While I halfway agree with it (celebrities are going to get publicity), does it imply that having a “public career” means you can be harassed, humiliated, and dehumanized?

I think sometimes we forget that celebrities have feelings the same way we all do, and their insane (and ridiculous) income does not change the fact that they’re people.

There is no rationalization for treating celebrities like crap (and/or laughing at people who do), and lacking a very basic human emotion of empathy for them.

Their talents happen to lie in fields that are public careers, but does that mean they deserve the scrutiny? Does it mean they deserve to have pictures of them defaced with body parts? Does it mean that they deserve to be examined inch by inch by us, as a cruel society, and be demeaned to the point of having psychotic breaks, even?

What if we just left them alone? What if celebrity gossip wasn’t so interesting, because after all, they’re just people with jobs that are different from our own? What if we stopped idolizing them & then tearing them down for entertainment?

Of course… I am speaking for the real celebrities with real talents. The ones who don’t do things for shock value or publicity. AKA Paris Hilton doesn’t count. Nor do gossip columnists who have no talent of their own so they get rich off other people.

But for the real talents out there.

Why can’t we stop at being fans? Why do we have to support negative publicity and harassment?

What if they were able to enjoy their careers without worrying about a camera being stuck in their child’s face, or some eccentric nobody posting about how the outfit they wore was hideous? Or without us thinking they deserve any type of mistreatment because they were asking for it?

I wonder if our society would be more wholesome. I wonder if we’d be happier people ourselves, not celebrating the failures of others.

RIP, Michael Jackson. I am so sorry that the same thing that made you famous, ultimately made you very sick, anxious, and mentally unstable. You started a genre all on your own, crossed racial barriers in music, and wrote & sang parts of a soundtrack to many people’s lives.

(my midterm test in psychopathology)

Yesterday I found out that I had been chosen at my preferred practicum site for school (a residential facility for pregnant/mothering teens). I was extremely nervous because I was told the position was competitive, and there was only one opening left at the site for Fall. Earlier this month, when she interviewed me, I felt an eerie sense of belonging & knew in my heart I could do good things at this site. But how do you tell someone that?

“Hey. I have this creepy inner aura that is telling me I could be productive at your facility, y’all!”

Anyway.

I cried when I found out the news.

Then, I went to check my school email & saw that I had been accepted to interview for the Scholar’s Program. I had sent in an application, 3 recommendations, an essay, and a writing sample, and patiently waited to hear back. I knew only a handful of students were able to participate, and I hoped that I would stand out… and I guess I did.

I cried. Again.

The only passion I’ve ever had in the academic world has been within the field of psychology, human development, and social services. It’s where my heart is. And (thankfully)… where my talent is as well.

So these two recognitions… these two accomplishments… these two opportunities…

They’re my dreams coming true. Right in front of me.

Validation at last.

Okay. So have any of you seen the guys in your local mall that do massages?

(pic credit)

They pretty much harass you to get you to come over & get a 12 minute massage from them for $12. The guy that did my massage came over to where I was sitting and started squeezing my shoulder. Which was both creepy and alluring.

These guys usually aren’t licensed, but get away with it by calling it energy work. Having a friend that is a licensed massage therapist, I have to tell you she would completely FREAK if she knew what these guys are doing.

1) They use their elbows to wildly stab you.
2) They try to get you to upgrade to the 22 minute massage the whole time. AKA: Not relaxing.
3) I am sore. Literally the sorest I’ve been in years.
4) Mine told me to stop being “nervous” and relax.
5) I was nervous because he was stabbing me with his elbow.
6) They talk to other customers while you’re getting massaged. “You next? You next? You?”
7) He used his FINGERNAILS on my scalp. Yes. IT REALLY HAPPENED.

Fingernails.

Honestly. I almost cried during parts of it, but for some reason I was scared (what the? me? scared?) to tell the guy to stop. Maybe I was afraid he would use his tiny, nimble elbow to poke my aorta, ultimately resulting in my death?

It is entirely inappropriate for Perez Hilton to be a nominee for the Teen Choice Awards because his website is completely not appropriate for teens. At the moment, his “lead” story includes graphic, uncensored gay pornographic shots posted for access by anyone, regardless of age. This is not content I want my teens directed to. Please help by asking the Teen Choice Awards to remove Perez Hilton as a nominee and by boycotting sponsorship corporations Neutrogena and Dr. Pepper until removed.

I know some of you probably read Perez (I’m not linking his website, it’s disgusting) and think he’s funny. And that’s great (if you’re 9). But he’s making big bucks by crudely making fun of people on a regular basis, causing drama, delving into people’s personal lives, and being a disgusting ass. So instead of giving money to him and supporting him & obsessing over celebrities, volunteer your time doing something productive – like having a picnic in the park, volunteering at an after school program, or watching comedians that actually have talent. And style. And a little more tact.

*gets off soap box*

New theme! Finally one I created myself. I’m also working on another new project that I’m really excited about. But I better be shhhh for now. I’m still editing around here, I’ll post an edited message when I’m finished.

When we were little, Dad used to take my sister & I to an ice cream place called the Moo Moo Hut. Before going, he’d sing this song

Kin-Kin & I would sing along happily. We’d arrive and get our ice cream cones. I usually got chocolate or cherry flavor dipped, and Kin-Kin got extra sprinkles.

You try and tell people about your dad. How he picked you up & pretended his arms were a mechanical “chair” and would let you steer him with his thumbs. How he was the favorite uncle at Nanny’s pool. How after punishing us for doing something bad, he would come in our room 15 minutes later and apologize, and then take us to Stuckey’s to pick out a troll doll.

But I have trouble conveying the strength behind my words.

My dad & I struggled slightly through my teenage years to keep our bond, sometimes going a week or so without talking, and finding ourselves grasping for things to talk about when we finally did get in touch. But something happened, within the last year or so, where my childhood bond with Dad started rebuilding itself, and finally I didn’t have to search for words to say any more, and neither did he.

We were back together again.

I hope that my babies will get to witness the chair, his random outbursts of song “Oh nowwww I knowww how Jimmy Buffet feels…”, visit Myrtle Beach & look for shark teeth with him, feel the excitement and nervousness as his hand sways back and forth above their belly, inches from tickling them (that one is called The Tree).

I can’t wait.

Apparently, I’m an Orthodox Quaker….? Huh?

According to SelectSmart.com’s Spiritual Belief Systems quiz, my #1 belief match is ORTHODOX QUAKER. What do you believe? Visit SelectSmart.com/RELIGION

I’ve never even heard of it, yet the beliefs it describes are actually really close to mine.

Salvation:
Some Friends churches include rites of baptism and communion, but sacraments to God are most often considered to arise from inward experiences, a personal encounter with God, rather than church ritual. Salvation is found internally through union with Christ, the divine Light within all. Many Quaker churches, e.g. Evangelical, believe similarly to Conservative Protestant, that salvation is a free gift from God, with faith, independent of good works. Yet, moral behavior and good works are viewed as essential to showing faith and obedience to God. Good works, such as humanitarian service, social justice, and peace efforts are an expression of Christian love. Simplicity and humility are viewed as essential to living a Christian life.

Undeserved Suffering:
The most orthodox Quakers maintain that Satan causes suffering. Suffering is allowed by God as part of His divine will and plan. Quakers focus on reducing human suffering, especially that caused by social injustice or violence.

Take the quiz here & tell me what you get!

New friends are worth mentioning. These two are collectively called Briffany & I penetrated their circle of trust and now reside within it… a proud moment which deserves announcement.

And perhaps a certificate & bouquet of roses.