Guns, God, and Freedom....'Merica.

I have tried my best to stay out of the gun debate for the most part, being that it angers me greatly to see people defending them with such passion when (I feel) there are far more important things that should be addressed than whether or not I can have an AK-47. Personally, I do not like guns and I will never own one or shoot one, but I don't think they should be taken away. I understand guns used for hunting. However, I will say that the argument that you need a gun for "defense" makes no sense to me. How often, as a regular citizen, have any of these people arguing for guns actually used a gun to defend themselves?

Regardless, I simply think there should be stricter laws on how you purchase guns. There is also no reason anyone needs military style assault weapons. NO REASON. I am not saying this simply because of the recent tragic events, like the Newtown school shooting or the Aurora movie theater shooting, but because as a country we are far too entranced with violence. The fact that there are gun shows proves that we are obsessed with it. Look at the video games and movies that are most popular: shooting, killing, violence, death.

The issue that bothers me most about this gun rights argument is the amount of people standing up and protesting it. Where were you people when LGBTQ rights were being withheld? There are people in our country that are being denied the BASIC RIGHTS that most people get to enjoy, but there is no giant outgoing force trying to stop that. There aren't enough people in an uproar to change things. We let LGBTQ rights drop by the wayside but god forbid anyone try to take my guns!

I think it is a shame that as a country we are more concerned about being armed then about protecting LGBTQ rights. This country is supposed to be about freedom and rights for all, but it seems to me it is only for a few. Support love. Support freedom. Spend your time defending the rights of all.

"When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen, I might not be the same, but that’s not important. No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it."

-Macklemore

Intelligent Hip-Hop Makes a Comeback!

I'm sure you've all heard Thrift Shop on the radio lately, "I'll wear you grandad's clothes. I look incredible," but have you listened to more of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis? I liked Thrift Shop, so I went to YouTube and looked up Macklemore. I found a plethora of beautifully written songs about pressing issues and these two guys' beliefs. I was stunned. There hasn't been hip hop aimed at solving things since the 90s and Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, and Public Enemy in the Golden Age of Hip Hop.

I happily purchased Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' debut CD The Heist yesterday and I have been listening to it ever since. It is wonderful to see someone using their music to stand up for what they believe is right. And besides that, the songs have some pretty good beats to jam to. Give it a listen!

Positively Silver and Beautiful

 "You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."

-Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

I recently read up on the Oscar nominees, expecting to see a long list of movies I have never heard of, let alone seen, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Silver Linings Playbook in so many categories. Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor...etc. Silver Linings Playbook is not your average movie. It highlights the difficulties of living with mental illness and how the people around those with a mental illness deal with something they cannot begin to understand.

Jennifer Lawrence delivers a stunning performance as Tiffany, a slightly neurotic but very wonderful girl who is full of pain, but also full of life. Bradley Cooper is stellar as Pat Solatano, who nearly killed the man he found in the shower with his wife and is afterward on a journey to improve his life and find a silver lining in every situation. These two are amazing onscreen and I seriously doubted the chemistry because of the age difference and my tendency to only see Cooper as the goofy guy from the Hangover. But he surprised me, and Jennifer Lawrence delivers a performance that exceeds her age and experience. She is a naturally talented woman who is not afraid to completely give herself over to a role.

Aside from the acting, the movie itself is beautiful. The message to find that silver lining in every bad situation is present throughout the film, but I was also impressed with the way Tiffany and Pat are portrayed as characters with obvious social problems and anger issues, but it was never depicted as something that made them less than human. Their "illnesses" (I only call it that because I am not sure how else to put it) become normal, especially when they are together because they wholly accept each other in all their faults.

I was stunned and blown away by the film's combination of drama and comedy. I wanted to cry sometimes and at other times I was laughing out loud. This movie is a must-see for everyone (well, not children) and I recommend everyone watch it with an open heart. It teaches us to learn to be accepting and loving and to understand that some people have problems, but that doesn't mean we can't help them feel wanted and accepted for who they are.

On the Prowl for a Job

Today I finally made a nice updated resume and discussed and researched job interview techniques with my wonderful sister. Well, I had previously looked up some jobs that I was interested in (two days ago) and when I went back to apply, they were not posted anymore. It was a good lesson. Now I know if I am interested in a job, I need to apply for it as soon as I see it to make sure I get a chance.

I found one job that I applied to tonight and one that I have to apply to in person, so that will probably happen tomorrow. Both are as teachers at childcare centers and to be honest, I am not sure I meet the exact qualifications but I am interested and I know it is something I would enjoy and be good at. I will continue to check for jobs everyday until I get something, but I know it will probably take a while. For now, I must just bide my time and save money as best as I can until I can get into a career that I love.

So for those of you who just graduated, like me, and are looking for a job remember to have a nice, clean, updated, one page resume. Also make sure you have at least three references that are not friends or family. Research the companies you are applying to and be diligent. Keep checking job sites and try to remember that you will find something eventually, but maybe not right away.

NEW Poetry and Automatic Writing

Here's some NEW poetry, just written and a sample of automatic writing that I did for fun. Automatic writing is when you sit down with a pen and let anything and everything that you think of come down on the paper. It's fun and interesting, at the very least, though I don't know if it will make much sense.

Here and Now

I do not fear the infinite beings,
the powers I know not of.
My fear lies in the hearts of men,
in the here and now.
How can I look to the heavens
when the earth is being ravaged?
How can I sing praises
when innocent little lives are taken?
How can I look ahead
when so much can be learned from behind?
It matters not to me what awaits me in the after
but rather what awaits outside my front door.

Nightmare in the Light of Day

nightmare in the light of day
burning down a new frontier
spinning ghosts up in the sun
a danger to us all
blinding flashes of white hot fear
seldom seen by those alive
but felt deeper than a jagged knife
 to the heart
oh nightmare thou art terrible but great
take your terror to the dark of night
 and leave this land to the living

 
Automatic Writing

Blankly I stare at a wall hoping something will leap suddenly out at me, fly smack into my face and ignite a fire within me. Less is more. Write to heal. Kill to feel. Once they told me I was great. Never going to go there. I can tell you many things. Of what time, I cannot say. There is only one. Two can make four and I am nine. So saith the man. Take me to a new place. Paradise is ever closer. I loathe this feeling of hatred. Two fish go south. Evergreen boughs hanging. Towards the light. One second was all it took. Seven minutes. The escape was imminent. There are none left. Cry out and die. Weep for her. Turn to the sun. The road leads out. Corners pierce the sides. Miles out we decided to go. This is wrong. Go no further. Pick up the pieces of a broken wheel. Party pleads with you. Some say it's crazy. I've never heard a whale. Luck will have you. None of this works. But what does that mean? I cannot hear. Feel the way. Keep to the grass. Sound deafens you. Creep silently. The box was open. I didn't do it. Straight face. Stare me down. I feel it there. Once and gone. The purple lass took off. I will say no more. Except time. Wicked creases in the walls. Too bad for you. The block has been moved. Exit now. Veer left. This is the way we bite our tails. Hum, drum the day is done. But what makes man and wife. Super easy love. One in a billion. I never could say. Make one two. A barrel of them. Sometimes I see rain. Tell me more about you. I breathe too much. There are voices. Call me something fierce. Great words roll forth. Stop and tell me more. Serious now we all are. Turbines spinning in the dark. Ugly faces stare at me. The walls close in. Blackness falls. What a night. Uneasy. The long stretch ahead. Looming ever nearer. Tracks on a forest floor. Beaten path of song. A herd of cattle. Brains are beauty. A horse is not a cow. This is nuts. Where am I? Alone and afraid. Time will tell. Now is not the time. Understand me fully. Listen to what I said. Look and be made new. Clear your head.

Youth Does Not Equal Ignorance

I often hear criticism about my political views, especially from those who are staunchly against President Obama. I welcome the criticism because I voted for what I felt was right: love, freedom, choice, and equality. If that invokes the criticism of others, so be it.

Recently, I was engaged in some political banter with three older middle class men at work, all of whom were complaining about the president and predicting the many ways in which the United States will fall within the next year. One even went on to prophesy a downfall of biblical proportion, saying the recent acceptance of gay marriage, among other things, was a sign of the end of days and the second coming of Christ. As a non-religious person, it is hard for me to fathom how one can so easily intertwine politics and religion. Government should be formed around basic morality and rights, those we all undoubtedly recognize, such as the respect we must show others and the knowledge that we should not kill or harm. I do not need a commandment to tell me it is wrong to kill, steal, or treat others badly. I know it is wrong.

Listening to these men made me realize just how sad of a state this country is in. Instead of embracing each others' differences, teaching respect, kindness, and love, we choose to divide ourselves and strike out against those who do not conform to our way. The U.S. is filled with people who are too selfish and worried about their money to even consider the rights, freedoms, and needs of others around them. I used to say I was a democrat, but the truth is I belong to no political party. I simply vote for love, freedom, and common sense. Most of the time my ideas fall in line with the democratic agenda, but I still disagree with many things they do. Overall, I think America needs to consider the good of the entire country, for all people, and not just some. Whether you are poor, rich, gay, straight, transgender, black, white, smart, hardworking, or whatever, you should have the same unalienable rights as any other person in a "free" country.

One of the things said by those men that bothered me the most was that I had voted for Obama because I was young and my generation did not understand what they were voting for. Youth does not equal ignorance. I am politically informed, and honestly I believe some of my generation understands better than most the need to pull together, reserve judgement, and be accepting of everyone. I have learned about slavery, Jim Crow laws, and Martin Luther King Jr. I have studied the holocaust and heard what it was like to be segregated, separate, and treated as the "other". I have studied and have personally seen the struggles of the LGBTQ community to gain the rights that they deserve and always should have had. I've watched religion tear down countries, start wars, destroy people, and corrupt governments. I say, learn from history, change things, evolve with time, and above all else, remember to love, respect, and help one another. My youth does not hinder my ability to think, to decide, or to feel.

Martin Luther King Jr. put it plainly, "A nation that continues to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." In our plight to defend ourselves and be the number one country in the world, the United States has forgotten that change and innovation must first begin at home. Let's put more money into education and programs that are beneficial rather than focusing so much on guns, violence, Wall Street, and big corporations. Let's stop giving raises to Congress when they do not need it. The U.S. needs to encourage and cultivate it's people by giving them the rights, freedoms, and opportunities that have always been promised in this land.

I am not trying to make a statement against those who are religious or those who lean more toward republican ideals. I am merely saying that we need to work together in order to get things right. That means less fighting, more love. Stop taking so much time and energy to argue over petty things. Make big changes and give those the time and consideration and money that is too often wasted on political campaigns, private jets, expensive food, and new china to eat it off of. America needs to prioritize.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Hidden Gems

Well, I know it has been a really long time since I have posted and for that I apologize. I was simply caught up in the excitement of graduating and actually knowing what it feels like to relax. I have read three books already since graduation. It is lovely to be able to enjoy reading again. I also went through my college notes and found some hidden gems of writing that I would love to share with you all. Enjoy!

Nothing and Everything

It seems unnecessary.
She stops and stares at the drops as they hit the river.
I notice the wet moss beneath me.
She turns and presents a tiny frog. It leaps from her hand and hits the water.
I am listening, not watching, not moving. I am contemplating the idea of self.
Pine trees sway, needles mixed with rain, littering the forest floor.
"Why can't you do this for me?"
I still won't acknowledge the voice, but I hear the pleading.
A bird dances across the rocks, making tiny wet tracks, dark gray upon light.
"I am nothing and everything at once."


Fleeting

And after death?
What happens then?
My "impact" on life
will disappear
as quickly as a schoolgirl crush.
My writing will be trashed,
burned,
scattered,
much like the ashes of
my useless body.
My floating spirit,
attached to nothing,
can claim no longer
these snatches of
words and phrases.