Fear Mongering In America Wears Many Hats

Wow. Where to start. I hadn’t seen this list before so I have began some research of my own. I’ve only just started so I will share with you a little of what I have learned so far. Mr. Arif Alikhan was born in the United States to a Pakistani mother and an Indian father thus making him American first and foremost. He is a former professor of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at NDU, National Defense University in Washington DC. He also served 8 years with the United States Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles . He served as Senior Counsel under president George W. Bush. From the many sites that I have gone to to better understand the man it appears to me that he has done much work on behalf of America to safeguard our country in numerous ways. His name sounds different than ours and he has been described as Muslim born to Pakistani and Indian parents and as having had supported Muslim-American causes. The only thing that I can find so far that might be scary is that people are judging him based on his religion and what some radical members of said religion have done in this world. I find it scary that misinformed people spread so much fear about something and someone that they probably don’t know anything about. I too have had nasty things said to me and rights stripped from me by radical members of a religious group. Many of those people even using the word ‘devout.’ I’ll tell you now that thus far, not a single one of those people spouting hate speech and pushing their views on to me and my life were Muslim. I’ll let you figure that out on your own. Brad Williams there are people already in this country trying to symbolically make me wear a berka and live under their religious laws and view points. I agree with you, many many “Americans are blind.” Hate and Prejudice and Racism wear many different clothes. This picture was shared by someone I went to high school with and I am not trying to start a comment war. I know the feathers it will ruffle and I can even guess which birds will have theirs ruffled the most. As someone with a degree in journalism and as a compassionate human being and fighter for humanity in a day and age where it seems to be slipping from the thread of our existence these kinds of social media sharing are scaring me more and more.

Young, Gifted And Black

This photo has 3 things that I absolutely love in it.

First of all, I love my 7 year young beauty, Athena the cat. She has been amazing to me ever since coming to me from the house of my best friend’s mom. I haven’t always returned the favor. She had to spend some weird times out at my dad’s farm because I wasn’t able to have a cat. From being a farm cat and left alone a lot..to nearly drowning in the flood that took down the house I grew up in, she has seen a bit for such a sweet girl and I love her so.

The second thing that I love are Mulled Cider Candles. Heaven help me I do. I honestly don’t know if my mom burned them when I was younger or if I have created my own sense of ritual about it. I mean, I wait every year for fall to stock up on them and burn them pretty much any time that I’m in the house. It combines the aromas of apple cider with a faint cinnamon or nutmeg smell, and then the smell of roasted fall leaves that are in their peak of changing color. Only those kinds though..no other leaves will do. No joke. I love these candles. Only these candles will allow me to burst through my fear of embarrassment about the fact that they’re bought from Walmart. Yep. Walmart. Gulp. It is the only place that has the kind that smell the way I like. Its awful lol. They smell like Autumnal Heaven and they are so damned affordable. I can literally afford to burn one every second I’m home if I choose to do so. Try doing that with a Yankee candle. You’d be broke half way to Christmas. 😉

The 3rd thing that I love in the picture is vinyl. Really and truly I love music in any format. Whether it be a cd, mp3, 45, or freaking Christmas Carolers at my door. I love soul and I love powerhouse female vocalists. I found this Aretha Franklin album from 1971 today and had to snag it. I absolutely love Rock Steady. She beat Gwen Stefani to that one eh? I don’t have a massive vinyl collection. I only have a few, compared to many collectors. I love the sound of a record but I also enjoy the hunt. Its a nice thing for me to go places and search through stacks of vinyl sifting one by one. I get lost in it. Its the you never know what you’re going to find situation. I also, and I”m only thinking this for the first time now as I say it, forget about other stuff when I’m searching for a good record. I’m too busy looking at titles and artists, and year recorded to be caught up in my own mumbo jumbo bs. Searching for something else takes me away from my self consciousness.

I love those things. I love many things. I really wanted to take that photo and then the writing came out of it. I want to write often and do it next to never. I am grateful for this moment to sit down and to tap my fingers to the keys for the first time in months. I don’t give a if I’m rusty. I don’t give a if I’m rambling. I do give a that I’m actually sitting still long enough to speak something from myself.

Beds Sans Knobs and Pots Sans Sticks

So I really really need want a new bed.  Mostly a new mattress.  I would love to own one of those gazillion dollar tempurpedic cloud beds that softly make out with you while you sleep.  Like 10 thousand angels giving you massages with their wings.  Yeah that kind.  Who knows what kind I’ll actually get or when I’ll get around to getting it.  Have a few other things planned before that queen-sized piece of heaven lands in my bedroom.  However once I start thinking about mattresses it only seems fair to give a new mattress its own new frame.  Right? I mean we have a metal box spring no headboard kind of the most basic bed you can have at the moment.  It works.  I sleep every night.  But since we are on the subject of lavish mattresses why not explore exquisite bed frames as well. (insert a giant smile with a white gleam lighting off of my tooth and a sound that goes DING)  This is the one that I would love to have.  Granted I’ve only spent about 5 minutes an hour looking at beds today and I’m sure I could find something even more out of my price range but what the heck.

aww sookie sookie

Ain’t she a beaut!? haha.  I’m going to search for something similar one day but not as expensive.  This one comes from Beverly Hills.  There lies the problem.

The other thing that I have officially decided today is that we need new cookware.  For people who cook a lot I can only imagine how quickly you find this out.  I have made lentils, rice pilaf, veggies, soups…so many things in a certain one of our pans that is the perfect size for a million different things and they continue to stick like stink on …I mean like white on… you know what I mean.  It is just extremely frustrating to follow measurements and temperatures to the T and then have your food burn and the pot take forever to soak, scrub and clean.  Thats my boo hoo for the day. So Boo. Hoo. I just want to invest in decent cookware that will last for a long time and not make me crazy.

Tis all for now.  I am currently playing the I’m On Call Waiting Game with work. (cue ridicuIous game show theme music) Its like any other game show except there are numerous hosts, dimmer lights, not so awesome prizes and if you Press Your Luck  you won’t get tipped.  Wait that’s not like a game show at all is it?  So in 12 minutes I find out if I have a night at home with my baby, chilled out with a book,  kitties running around,  the smell of nag champa lingering in the air.  OR a night with a few grown ups that act like babies, people trying everything in the book to get stuff for free, servers franticly running around and the smell of hickory smoke permeating the air.  (I enjoy my job I do..that was just fun to say)

T-Minus 9 minutes. Peace and Love

WampwampwampwampwampwamP

If you like awesome DJs, great visual concepts, dubstep, righteous children…etc…Check this video out! This is Skrillex’s new video for his single “First Of The Year.”

Medi(ocre)care Deserves A Hand

This is such a great thing and a giant positive step in the right direction.  Medicare is finally going to begin stronger enforcement of rules in regards to domestic partner visitation and representation rights for same-sex partners in hospitals.

As announced today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidance to support enforcement of rules that protect hospital patients’ right to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including a visitor who is a same-sex domestic partner. These rules, finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November, apply to all hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.  The guidance also supports enforcement of the right of patients to designate the person of their choice, including a same-sex partner, to make medical decisions on their behalf should they become incapacitated.

The rules updated the Conditions of Participation (CoPs), which are the health and safety standards all Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospitals and critical access hospitals must meet, and apply to all patients of those hospitals even if they are not on Medicare or Medicaid.  Among other things, the CoPs require hospitals to explain to all patients their right to choose who may visit them during their inpatient stay, regardless of whether the visitor is a family member, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), or another type of visitor, as well as their right to withdraw such consent to visitation at any time.

Existing CoPs also protect the rights of hospital patients to have representatives who can act on their behalf.  HHS has updated the guidance for these rules to emphasize that hospitals should give deference to patients’ wishes concerning their representatives, whether expressed in writing, orally, or through other evidence, unless prohibited by state law.  The guidance issued today is intended to make it easier for family members, including a same-sex domestic partner, to make informed care decisions for loved ones who have become incapacitated.

Kathleen Sebelius, the HHS Secretary, said this: “Couples take a vow to be with each other in sickness and in health and it is unacceptable that, in the past, some same-sex partners were denied the right to visit their loved ones in times of need.  We are releasing guidance for enforcing new rules that give all patients, including those with same-sex partners, the right to choose who can visit them in the hospital as well as enhancing existing guidance regarding the right to choose who will help make medical decisions on their behalf.”

Finally finally finally.  One battle in the war for equality.  This makes me very happy.  Noone should lay sick or dying in a hospital and not be able to spend extremely important and precious time with their significant other.  Taking that right away is inhumane.

this little light of mine

Laying on the couch with a kitty under my left arm and the blinds open. The dim sunlight is coming in as I sip on a cup of instant espresso with my right hand. The kitty reaches up with both front paws out stretched and touches them to my chin.  I look down and smile.

I can’t figure out how to let my brain relax today.  It is churning and twisting and analyzing and I don’t like it.  Five words that someone said to me and later apologized for snuck back into my head laced with doubt and irritation. I feel good about myself and the direction I am trying to turn towards.  This persons opinion on anything at all should really have no merit in my own thoughts.  I have the power to choose how I feel and I know that this is something that I will continue to let go of.  More often than not whenever I have periods of gaining my power back in my life and feeling more self controlled there are mini challenges that appear.  Tests.  I will pass this one as well.  I won’t let the negative seed of an insecure and ill willed being plant itself within me.  I will continue to shine.

I am so far from perfect.  I am a blip in the grand scheme of things.  A speck in it all.  However, I am a force of energy and I am polishing it up at the moment.  I am cultivating positive charges and building up a peaceful and loving and ambitious blast.  I am reclaiming my spot in my own place and things are going to change. I can feel it and it excites me.

In the words of Brittney Lee Shanlever

“I love myself. I trust myself.  I believe in myself. “

um yeeah

after a saturday night at work in the “courtyard” this definitely got me going at 3 am.  this kid is the jam.  check ch check ch check it oooooooooooout.

Je Ne Sais Quoi

Sitting on the couch with a glass of tomato, red pepper, carrot, cucumber, beet, lemon, ginger, and garlic juice.  I have been juicing for almost a month now and I can seriously feel the difference.  I’ve been incorporating better (more) sleep and more water with an almost vegetarian diet (for the last 2 weeks) and minimal drinking with no energy drinks.  I’m actually trying to get back to my pescatarian diet.  I’ll tell you what.  I feel really great on a pretty regular basis.  My energy levels are good, my head is clearer, my body just feels more in tune all the way around.  With the weather starting to get closer to fall I am really looking forward to getting back into a running program of sorts.  I can definitely tell that I need to add some exercise to the regime.  Besides just walking around at work and running my mouth 😉 It is awesome to get from the point where you know you’re feeling better and can feel it inside to the point where other people around you can look at you and tell that something is different.  Andrew told me that I was glowing yesterday and I had 2 different people tell me that my skin looks great.  That makes me feel good because it proves that the dedication to being healthier is paying off in many different ways. Inside and out.  I really think that since I’ve quit smoking that if I can get back into running and yoga and keep up a healthy diet and sleeping habits I can get myself into peak shape for 31. It will be fun to try and to keep tabs on it.  I’ll have to update you all from time to time.  I don’t really know why I’m telling you all about this other than that I’m excited and that I feel great! If you can take anything from that…take what you will.  Its nice to have Andrew along side me eating healthier and juicing…it makes it easier and its really fun to watch him feel better and better by the day.

Dragon Con is in town and my work has a deal for people that are dressed up.  If they come in they get 10$ off their bill.  I hope that they take advantage of it because it will be super fun to see a ton of crazies tonight.

In other news the whole country seems to be wigging out about football.  So to all of you football fanatics out there.  Enjoy your games and your cold beers and be super safe.  Lots of drunk drivers and madness on these holiday weekends.  Not  to mention that a lot of people are out of practice since last season.  Much love!

Peace and Light

Happy Walls

 

Well hello there! Can you believe that yesterday was September first? It is about to happen…the slipping in of Fall that leads to halloweenthanksgivingchristmasnewyears all in the blink of an eye.  You’re left standing there going, ‘did that just happen?’ Yesterday being the first was my 8 month anniversary of non smoking! Heck yeah! This is officially the longest I’ve ever gone.  And there have been no cheats and I honestly have no desire to smoke.  It feels great and I am super proud of myself.  There..horn tooting complete. 

I woke up Monday morning and told myself…self…I know your landlord said not to paint the walls….but you’ve lived here for a year…and they will only look better…and if he for some insane reason thinks they will make the next tennants eyeballs bleed, I can re-paint them the super plain boringdom white that they are.  So I went for it.  I picked a color that matched my favorite coffee cup.  Its called quaking green.  Not sure what that means..but it definitely had me laughing because I thought at first that it said quacking green.  dorkola.  So I went to Lowe’s to get supplies and paint and went to town.  Ps. I turned down the Lowes brand paint…Valspar…for the cheaper brand Olympic.  That did hurt my feelings a little bc Valspar just happens to be one of my most favorite names ever.  It sounds like if Falkor the luck dragon had had a twin brother.  Valspar. Love it.  So here are a couple of before and afters.  And then there are a couple after afters…because when I came home from work last night Andrew had rearranged the room.  Ps.  I love it!  I also snagged a couple pics of 3 yardsale finds from this past weekend.  A hand made and tagged by the quilter, Quilt.  An Indian Jhadpur (sp?) Table and 6 badass blue tiles  all for 8 bucks.  Not too shabby.

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Alright what do you think? Honestly.

It feels more like a real living room now.  Calm, inviting, not so blah.  Now that this room is done we both realize how much we want to get going with the rest of the house.  There is a painting extravaganza in the upcoming plans.  We just have to pick out the colors 🙂 

I have one more picture to show you.  This one is just because I can’t help myself.  The cutest lil dude has been laying in the window all day long.  Napping in the sun shine.  He is so precious. 

Sleeping Buddha

 Okay…so I know that the buddha pictures are in the slide show…and then again at the end where I meant to put it.  I am trying new stuff on here and learning as I go.  I had a thumbnail gallery at first and then tried to make a separate slide show with different images.  It kept throwing them all together so I started over after about 30 minutes…and then had it figured out. When I just added the last image of Buddha it did it again.  Lol I surrender. I’m not going to go back and start over.  Not that I don’t care about quality..its just I need to do some dishes and other stuff before getting ready for work. You know how that goes.  It is Friday in this world and I hope that you all have great days and have even better weekends.  My weekend is full of hanging with my baby by day and working at night.  So loving and cash.  It’ll do 😉 Peace and Love to you and yours.

 

Ain’t Nothin’ But A Groove Thang Baby

Every now and again a little gem appears on the interwebs. .  This looks like what I feel like I need to do from time to time.  Props to to the dancers, Nathan and Jenny and to Madeon the 17 year old producer/dj from France who put the mix together. This is exactly what I needed after lunch to get me going again.  Check it.