sweet and sour

I am having a hard time grasping the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," which also redefines what rape is. Obviously, it will be rewritten before it ever gets through, which hopefully it won't.

I just don't understand how in 2011 people still can't trust women with their own lives. People in the US like to think of the US as a leader in the world and yet we can't fund the most basic of medical procedures on the grounds that it is "immoral." I'm sorry, but I never thought my tax money was being used "morally" when it was spent on needless wars, on torture, on dictators, on capital punishment, etc etc.  When these kind of bills crop up, which they do anytime conservatives have an ounce of power, I feel like I am being threatened personally.  My thinking goes like this: because I am a woman, I can't make a good decision- if I ever were to need an abortion my health insurance wouldn't cover it simply because the government thinks it's THE WRONG CHOICE.  Well, it's not their choice to make, and forcing insurance companies to play along because of government subsidies will deny women of a right they have.  Thinking about these things makes me feel like my brain is on fire.

I hope this bill doesn't get anywhere, I haven't even gone into how it affects the definition of rape.  It will make you sick.

So to counter all this heavy duty political rage, I am so happy about the new Fleet Foxes album coming out in May.  The title track is out!  They are going on tour!

I'm lonely tonight, but feeling alright

I have neglected this blog.  I have been alternating between being overwhelmingly busy and not having much to do at all.

I've been reading a lot for pleasure again, which always inspires me to write more.  I am tempted by National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo) but am resisting because friend G and I got selected to be in the Sustainable Midlands Holiday Market selling out wares (of which I need to be making instead of a novel).

It has been feeling like my life is something similar to a John Irving novel lately.  I recently got an email from my dad about all of my classmates that have come to him to buy engagement rings (he is a jeweler).  I have always known that he is one of the first people in the town I grew up in to know about people's intentions of marriage [it used to thrill me as a child that my dad held such huge secrets], but now those people are people I grew up with.  [I think this is an amazing basis for a novel].  I mostly have felt a general feeling of nausea when hearing about things like this (engagements, babies, weddings), though lately I have just been feeling giddy and happy for those people.  I think a lot of it is just knowing how happy they are at that moment and for the coming months.  I do get jealous these days, though, of people who seem have their shit together.  I think that is because I get lonely.  I am so much better at it than I was but sometimes the rollercoaster that controls my brain chemistry just dives too fast and misinterprets things in dumb ways.  I like this video a lot:



I went to Moogfest on Friday night, it was basically the most fun thing ever.  I miss dancing and djs and crazy lights and feeling euphoric.  I saw my 7th grade boyfriend and recognized him by his voice.  I'm still reeling a little from that, though I was in a rush and couldn't talk.  I can't believe shit, sometimes.

Gosh, feeling down late at night is lame.  I need to sleep.  I really want to feel certain of some things.  I think people go through life looking for certainty about things and the more they find the happier they are, even if that certainty is that they just don't give a damn.

Anyway, I have been listening to The Secret Sisters non stop for like 4 days and mostly just this song:

I'm getting blown away.

For the past week I have gone from feeling woozy and sick to a full on epic cold.  I've never had a cold in the summer before.  You don't get to curl up under a blanket with hot tea.  Also- there is no long sleeve to wipe your nose on.  I've been lying on top of the bed in my underwear just hoping the snot and coughing and sneezing will stop.  It should also be noted that when you're about to sneeze but can't is comparable to really bad sex.


The city relaxed on the summer heat and it has been glorious.  Today I opened the window and let the cool air in all day.  This evening the neighbor dogs were having fits.  They sound really small, the barks are high pitched and seem to not be aimed at anything in particular.  It is really obnoxious.  In between the dog fits one of the dog owners was playing his guitar and singing.  He played some Led Zeppelin and other classic rock favorites, stopping only to chastise the dogs by saying things like "if you don't stop I'm going to kill you, stop... STOP.... stooooooop!"  The last song he played was "Like a Hurricane."  


I have been spending a lot of money lately.  I've been buying Chinese pastries and a lot of Thai food.  I also bought several mangos and a couple jicamas.  When I bought the jicamas the hispanic guy who weighed them asked me how I eat them.  "I eat them plain, just raw" I said.  He said he likes them with salt and lime juice and chili powder on them.  I think I will try that when I do eat them this time.


I've been eating so many mangos that it makes me have an allergic reaction on my lips.  Did you know Mango sap has urushiol in it, the same chemical that causes such terrible reactions to poison ivy?  I'm usually fine and only have a mild reaction if I don't scrape the peel with my teeth or gnaw on the pit (both things I used to do).


I bought tickets for a great adventure next weekend.  I am so lucky to have the friends that I do.  It's like the bus driver that says "Have a blessed day" - thank you bus driver, I do feel blessed.

riding in a spaceship, 1984

Today I got my taxes done and came home and ate brussel sprouts for lunch.  There is nothing like a wakeup call that you are a grownup like doing taxes and eating brussel sprouts.

I think I balanced it out tonight, though, by eating Thai food (after I swore off spending any more money for the next 3 months), going out to a new bar, and then wandering into a punk show downtown....

also, to further prove my childishness here is what I can't stop watching / listening to:

On the day that I turned 23

This song has made me fall in love pretty badly. I like listening to it without the video- though the video is ok. More updates about falling love with other things later.

lyrics I can relate to

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.

Forget about our mothers and our friends
We're fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend

I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms
I'll miss the comfort of my mother and the weight of the world
I'll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
Yeah, I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone.

There's really nothing, nothing we can do
Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew.
The models will have children, we'll get a divorce
We'll find some more models, everything must run it's course.

-MGMT

Exotic Travels

I went to New York City and had fun times with two of my best girls. I love my work schedule when I get my 3 day weekend! It makes my life come back to me. Like this:


I went to Atlanta for my cousin's wedding. I saw a lot of my crazy family. The wedding was fun and I tried a Long Island Iced Tea for the first time. Let it be known: it is not tea. This was a very classy Jewish wedding- like... something you'd see on a wedding show type classy. It made me think a lot about how I want my wedding to be. It won't really be classy at all I think, some parts will be classy, but mostly I think it will be a ho-down. I love classy, don't get me wrong, I just don't think I want to drop the kind of money that classy costs. I'd rather have a bluegrass band and like 5 kegs and a barn and some mountains and maybe a potluck. Yeaaaaah. But this wedding was really fun, everyone was very happy!


I went to the new Georgia Aquarium while I was there. It was great! They have 3 Beluga Whales and 4 Whale Sharks. They have river otters AND sea otters. There were about 8000 little kids but I managed to see what I wanted to see (the whale sharks). They are kind of hard to miss.




(There is not a whale shark in either of these pictures. You have to find out for yourself what they look like! I'm not spoiling it!!!!)

So I've been listening to some new (to me) stuff that makes for a great early-spring playlist.

M. Ward - Jailbird
M. Ward - Hi Fi
M. Ward - Never had Nobody Like You
M. Ward - Chinese Translation
Brigitte Bardot - Moi Je Joui
Animal Collective - Lion in a Coma
Fiction Family - When She's Near
The Shins - Sleeping Lessons
Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix)

I know I'm behind the times- when I get sad I quit listening to music, too. I'm back.

visitors, thanksgiving, ringtones

I've finally really started to calm down after the move, the new job, etc. I know this because I've started making themed playlists again. In college I made playlists of songs about mountains, songs with clapping in them, stuff like that. Now I'm working on a playlist related to public transportation (or travel in general) and a playlist with songs that include something about Washington in them. When they fill themselves out I'll be sure to report my findings.

So since my last post I've had several visitors. I hope that my life in Washington always has this many visitors, every weekend someone new comes up for one reason or another! RW came up a while ago for a little and we combed Georgetown for things that were remotely affordable (ha!)

My boyfriend was up to visit for the past week- I had to work for a lot of it though which was disappointing and also disturbing. I've never had to ditch someone for entire days like that. I've always been able to move my schedule around. It was nice anyway, we ate lots of good food and explored some great stuff. Unbeknownst to us, there was a Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that we happened to stumble upon. That worked out really nicely since my boyfriend is a big fan of Ansel Adams (consequently I am becoming more appreciative, too). There is also a nice folk art section in the American Art Museum, I'm just waiting for the day when our beloved South Carolina Chicken Man (Ernest Lee) gets some of his chickens in there. When I bought a couple chickens from him in October he (Ernest) talked to me for a long time about when he lived in DC and how bad the crime is. Apparently he used to work not far from my apartment!

I was introduced to Tryst (near Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan) by some college friends and I am a fan. Although the place was PACKED when we went, once you do find a seat you understand why no one wants to leave. It's a coffee shop / bar that is super mellow with cozy couches and free internet.

I also decided that I officially have a new favorite food. Panang Curry. You can get it in most Thai restaurants. It is AWESOME if you like the sweet/hot combination, kind of nutty, creamy, mmm so good.

So I flew home for Thanksgiving and I've been hanging out with my mom. It's nice spending time with her. Sometimes when I come home though, I get really really stressed out about nothing at all. Stress just pulses through me and I don't want to hang out with anyone and I don't want to listen to my mom talk and I am mean. It feels like I just need to get out or I want to get out of Columbia, even though I don't because I just got here. I have problems. A lot of my Thanksgiving felt like that. Some breaks aren't like that at all.

So I've been busy making my own ringtones- I usually just sample songs (usually the beginning of songs) on Wavepad and then transfer them to the phone. so far the best songs for ringtones are:

Crayons - Caribou (this has been G's ringtone for a long time, it is seriously the best)
Cemetery - Architecture in Helsinki
Spring 2008 - Architecture in Helsinki
Ready to Die - Andrew WK (only the very beginning of this one)

If you have any ideas for a good ringtone please comment!!!!!