Memorial Day…a holiday that I have a hard
time understanding and one that has become incredibly corrupt in this country.
It is supposed to be a day that we remember the soldiers who gave up their lives for us. Instead many of us throw a party for the purpose of BBQing and drinking and virtually forgetting to remember. We go shopping to get the best sales deals, which exist for no other reason than perpetuating our corporate greed.
At the grocery store yesterday it felt like a “mini 4th of July” was coming up and it felt awkward to me. I understand that we do not need to be moppy and sullen on this day but what is buying a cake that says “God Bless America” and some red-white-and-blue cupcakes really going to do? Nothing.
It is supposed to be a day that we remember the soldiers who gave up their lives for us. Instead many of us throw a party for the purpose of BBQing and drinking and virtually forgetting to remember. We go shopping to get the best sales deals, which exist for no other reason than perpetuating our corporate greed.
At the grocery store yesterday it felt like a “mini 4th of July” was coming up and it felt awkward to me. I understand that we do not need to be moppy and sullen on this day but what is buying a cake that says “God Bless America” and some red-white-and-blue cupcakes really going to do? Nothing.
I should probably clarify that I am NOT a
soldier hater by any means. I know many people who are either involved with the
military right now (husbands, fathers, sisters, etc) or have been in the past
(veteran, or military family). ALL of those people are great people who have
gained at least something from the military whether it was more respect, honor,
or even compassion. To them and all of the others like them who have passed on,
I say THANK YOU.
But where I am torn is the heroism that is
granted to ALL American soldiers, and the wars that they have fought and died
in. Our government sent them there to die, essentially, and those soldiers did
go willing but did they go with the full knowledge of what they were doing? We
complain here about terrorism and terrorists in other countries…but to some
extent aren’t we the same? Aren’t the soldiers that go in and end up killing
innocent people (women, children and men) terrorists to some extent? At
least in those people’s eyes? And how can we say that that feeling is wrong?
To all of the soldiers out there who are truly trying to liberate the oppressed, and
who died in the process, I am forever grateful. There are a lot of amazing men
out there doing the same still.
I also find it interesting that we always claim that soldiers die for our freedoms. Maybe at one point they did but nowadays I’m not so sure. Ron Paul said in 2011, “We're under great threat, because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world. We're going broke.” I think this is a HUGE point that we Americans need to think about. At what point is our force in other countries too much? Aren’t we affecting those other people’s freedoms? And how does that help keep me more free? I do not think it does. The problems that we are going to face here in our own country, I’d say in the next 5-10 years or so, are going to require many of us to fight for ourselves. Perhaps there will be military on our side but I am not going to count on that…
I also find it interesting that we always claim that soldiers die for our freedoms. Maybe at one point they did but nowadays I’m not so sure. Ron Paul said in 2011, “We're under great threat, because we occupy so many countries. We're in 130 countries. We have 900 bases around the world. We're going broke.” I think this is a HUGE point that we Americans need to think about. At what point is our force in other countries too much? Aren’t we affecting those other people’s freedoms? And how does that help keep me more free? I do not think it does. The problems that we are going to face here in our own country, I’d say in the next 5-10 years or so, are going to require many of us to fight for ourselves. Perhaps there will be military on our side but I am not going to count on that…
I honestly want to say
that every American soldier has died a hero, but I cannot.
I saw this photo on Facebook with the caption, "The boy had, as a matter of routine, lifted up his shirt to reveal that he was not hiding a suicide bomb vest. That was the moment Morlock, according to a pre-arranged plan, threw a grenade at the boy that exploded while other members of the group who called themselves the "kill team" opened fire."
My feeling is that even if the story that it was paired with it is not true, there is NEVER an OK situation for a soldier to take a photo like that...NEVER. Him and his friends are despicable people in my eyes. I also realize that they are likely the minority…but we still grant soldiers a universal respect and I can’t participate in that..
For the rest of today I will try and focus my energy on those particular men and women who did die for just reasons and who died honorably…but I hope that the men and women currently fighting start thinking about why they are.
I know that many of them had no choice…they were down on their luck and the only option left for them was to sign themselves away to our government and that makes me sad…to the men and women in that position who have died, I give them thanks for at least trying.
If I offended anyone with this… I really am sorry. It is just so conflicting for me to support the troops. I cannot in good conscience support ALL of them, or automatically grant someone in uniform a greater respect than I would a good friend of mine…they are not all good people, and do not all die good people…but at the same time, it does take a lot of courage to join, and so I’m left with this dilemma…
For further reading on a different perspective --->
I saw this photo on Facebook with the caption, "The boy had, as a matter of routine, lifted up his shirt to reveal that he was not hiding a suicide bomb vest. That was the moment Morlock, according to a pre-arranged plan, threw a grenade at the boy that exploded while other members of the group who called themselves the "kill team" opened fire."
My feeling is that even if the story that it was paired with it is not true, there is NEVER an OK situation for a soldier to take a photo like that...NEVER. Him and his friends are despicable people in my eyes. I also realize that they are likely the minority…but we still grant soldiers a universal respect and I can’t participate in that..
For the rest of today I will try and focus my energy on those particular men and women who did die for just reasons and who died honorably…but I hope that the men and women currently fighting start thinking about why they are.
I know that many of them had no choice…they were down on their luck and the only option left for them was to sign themselves away to our government and that makes me sad…to the men and women in that position who have died, I give them thanks for at least trying.
If I offended anyone with this… I really am sorry. It is just so conflicting for me to support the troops. I cannot in good conscience support ALL of them, or automatically grant someone in uniform a greater respect than I would a good friend of mine…they are not all good people, and do not all die good people…but at the same time, it does take a lot of courage to join, and so I’m left with this dilemma…
For further reading on a different perspective --->
For those that do not know me I'd like to start off by stating that I do not consider myself to be Liberal or Conservative, or a part of the Left or the Right. I am me. And IF I must put myself in to any category it would be Voluntaryist with maybe a touch of Libertarian left simply because I still have a hard time wrapping my head around some of the Voluntaryist aspects. But that may require a whole nother blog entirely.
In our society when we hear the term "pro-choice" we think of abortion. Someone who is pro-choice believes that women should have the choice to have abortions, and someone who is pro-life doesn't. That's typically how it goes anyway.
I am pro-choice for anything. I believe that I should have the choice to have an abortion, the choice to marry or have a union with whomever I want, the choice to own guns, to do what I want...as long as it doesn't harm anyone.
Now, I realize that this does bring in the issue of whether or not an abortion constitutes as harming someone. But my argument still stands. For the most part the people who are against abortions are looking at it from a religious perspective, whether or not they even realize it. Concern for the soul, spirit, or what have you. But my "religious" beliefs do not lead to me that conclusion. For hundreds of years it was perfectly acceptable to have an abortion, or take herbs to make your body miscarry, as long as it was before Quickening (when you can feel the baby kick). This was the first sign they knew of that there was life. That's usually around 4-5 months and would fall under the 2nd trimester in current times.
Many abortions that take place during the 2nd trimester actually should have taken place during the 1st but because of all the loopholes that have been created it often forces a woman to wait an extra week or two. And 3rd trimester abortions account for only 1/10th of 1% of all that are performed, at least here in America.
You don't have to agree with me on my stance, so feel free to comment your position, but keep it clean and open-minded please. A woman who works at a women's health clinic said to a girl in a class I took, "I am pro-choice because I believe you should have the choice to be pro-life"
I've seen a lot of memes lately on the "hypocrisy of the left" and how they say they're pro-choice but then don't believe in choices on anything else. That is why I've written this up, because I AM pro-choice for everything. I am also working to erase all contradictions in my beliefs which is harder than it sounds. I'm constantly faced with things that make me question where I stand, but at the end of the day I'm at least willing to entertain other ideas. It's frustrating to me when other people can't do the same.
The site voluntarist.com states their purpose as: "Voluntaryists are advocates of non-political, non-violent strategies to achieve a free society. We reject electoral politics, in theory and in practice, as incompatible with libertarian principles. Governments must cloak their actions in an aura of moral legitimacy in order to sustain their power, and political methods invariably strengthen that legitimacy. Voluntaryists seek instead to delegitimize the State through education, and we advocate withdrawal of the cooperation and tacit consent on which State power ultimately depends."
This is what I am working toward. If I want abortion, if a I want a gun, a home, a kid for that matter, I shouldn't have to get the government involved. I should be able to be FREE. Like I said before, I'm still trying to figure out what this looks like exactly. But I felt that the pro-choice contradiction was a good place to start because it's more than just abortion, it's about being able to make our own choices.
In our society when we hear the term "pro-choice" we think of abortion. Someone who is pro-choice believes that women should have the choice to have abortions, and someone who is pro-life doesn't. That's typically how it goes anyway.
I am pro-choice for anything. I believe that I should have the choice to have an abortion, the choice to marry or have a union with whomever I want, the choice to own guns, to do what I want...as long as it doesn't harm anyone.
Now, I realize that this does bring in the issue of whether or not an abortion constitutes as harming someone. But my argument still stands. For the most part the people who are against abortions are looking at it from a religious perspective, whether or not they even realize it. Concern for the soul, spirit, or what have you. But my "religious" beliefs do not lead to me that conclusion. For hundreds of years it was perfectly acceptable to have an abortion, or take herbs to make your body miscarry, as long as it was before Quickening (when you can feel the baby kick). This was the first sign they knew of that there was life. That's usually around 4-5 months and would fall under the 2nd trimester in current times.
Many abortions that take place during the 2nd trimester actually should have taken place during the 1st but because of all the loopholes that have been created it often forces a woman to wait an extra week or two. And 3rd trimester abortions account for only 1/10th of 1% of all that are performed, at least here in America.
You don't have to agree with me on my stance, so feel free to comment your position, but keep it clean and open-minded please. A woman who works at a women's health clinic said to a girl in a class I took, "I am pro-choice because I believe you should have the choice to be pro-life"
I've seen a lot of memes lately on the "hypocrisy of the left" and how they say they're pro-choice but then don't believe in choices on anything else. That is why I've written this up, because I AM pro-choice for everything. I am also working to erase all contradictions in my beliefs which is harder than it sounds. I'm constantly faced with things that make me question where I stand, but at the end of the day I'm at least willing to entertain other ideas. It's frustrating to me when other people can't do the same.
The site voluntarist.com states their purpose as: "Voluntaryists are advocates of non-political, non-violent strategies to achieve a free society. We reject electoral politics, in theory and in practice, as incompatible with libertarian principles. Governments must cloak their actions in an aura of moral legitimacy in order to sustain their power, and political methods invariably strengthen that legitimacy. Voluntaryists seek instead to delegitimize the State through education, and we advocate withdrawal of the cooperation and tacit consent on which State power ultimately depends."
This is what I am working toward. If I want abortion, if a I want a gun, a home, a kid for that matter, I shouldn't have to get the government involved. I should be able to be FREE. Like I said before, I'm still trying to figure out what this looks like exactly. But I felt that the pro-choice contradiction was a good place to start because it's more than just abortion, it's about being able to make our own choices.
Today I went to my first "town-hall meeting," "open-discussion," whatever you want to call it. I originally wanted to go talk to "my" house representative, Jonathan Singer, because he was having one this evening. I sent out a message on FB to all the people I knew who live in the same town as me asking that they go. I received a message back from my best friend's dad, Jeff, saying that there was another meeting going on the same night, tonight, but with two Senators who hadn't voted on the bills yet so our energy may be better spent there. One of them, Matt Jones (whose home phone number is 303) 666-7032 if anyone wants it...)) My boyfriend and I decided that made sense, and sent my dad a text to let him know as well, in case he could make it.
The bills are:
Here is what I read from:
"Regarding house bills 1224, 1226, 1228, and 1229. The American people are watching these bills closer than many other bills in the past. There are many reasons for this but most important of these is that, it forcibly shows the American people what their politicians actually believe in. Anytime a politician is faced with legislation designed to limit or reduce and individual rights in any way, it is that their responsibility to make sure that bill does not pass. Otherwise we would be a collectivist country, and we are not. We are a country built for individual freedom, and any time a politician votes to take even a sliver of that from us, it shows they do not believe in our agenda. A BEAUTIFUL agenda of freedom and individual liberty. These bills restrict our inalienable rights to defend ourselves and that in its own is a crime. So to our senators voting on these bills we are watching you, we will know who has betrayed their oath to uphold our constitution. We will know who no longer legitimately represents the people of this country. This will not go unnoticed, nor will we forget who these individual representatives and senators are until we see them lose their positions in OUR government."
I plan to post the video ASAP.
The bills are:
House Bill 1224 – Bans magazines with a capacity greater than 15 rounds. (Passed by a 34-31 vote in the House.)
House Bill 1226 – Repeals current law allowing individuals with a concealed carry permit to carry a firearm for self-defense on a college or university campus. (Passed by a 34-31 vote in the House.)
House Bill 1228 – Imposes a “gun tax” for a background check when purchasing a firearm. (Passed by a 33-32 vote in the House.)
House Bill 1229 – Criminalizes the private transfer of a firearm. (Passed by a 36-29 vote in the House.)
So, my dad let me know that he was going and we met him there. My boyfriend and I got there a little bit late but it didn't matter because the room was full and the senators claimed that the agenda had been changed from, or had never been to, address the gun bills. So about 40 or so of us hung around outside in the hopes that this would change, or to at least be able to ambush them on their way out. At one point some intern, or would-be politician said he'd come out and talk to us about the situation, and he did and my boyfriend pinned the camcorder on him and he immediately cowered away and said, "I-I don't wanna be on camera" pretty sure he even pulled the side of his shirt up to hide his face. I'll have to review the tape on that, ha.
So we waited around, making half-jokes about the system, and then at about 7:15 we were told that the Senator (turned out to be Matt Jones) had agreed to extend the session to talk about the bills. We all filed in at 7:30 once the education people left (which was only about 12 people) and filled in the room. Matt Jones and Representative Mike Foote were there. Foote is one of the sponsors of the 4 bills and complete pond scum.
So people asked him what his stance was and Jones refused to answer saying this was about hearing us out. Of course. Jeff tried to get him to admit that guns are for us citizens to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government and it was just not happening. Great for camera though.
A 40 year old woman stood up and talked about how she's a student at CU and how she had to go to night classes and sometimes her exams do not get out until 11:30 and how she is scared to walk that dark campus at night, and so she has her CCW. 1226 directly affects her and she is not ok with that.
Finally, after some encouragement from Jeff, and a complete stranger, I had the balls to just stand up and start reading the speech my boyfriend had written up before hand.
Finally, after some encouragement from Jeff, and a complete stranger, I had the balls to just stand up and start reading the speech my boyfriend had written up before hand.
This has to be one of the most intense things I have done in my life so far. I am so proud of myself right now, and I honestly don't want to come across as patting my ego, but it's true. I am shy, I am reserved, I rarely take initiative and am happy to be back-up support. But actually taking life by the balls is an entirely new thing for me. And I love it! So one person finished talking and I just stood up and started talking, loudly. Jones had seen me stand and still tried to point to someone else, but I prevailed.
Here is what I read from:
"Regarding house bills 1224, 1226, 1228, and 1229. The American people are watching these bills closer than many other bills in the past. There are many reasons for this but most important of these is that, it forcibly shows the American people what their politicians actually believe in. Anytime a politician is faced with legislation designed to limit or reduce and individual rights in any way, it is that their responsibility to make sure that bill does not pass. Otherwise we would be a collectivist country, and we are not. We are a country built for individual freedom, and any time a politician votes to take even a sliver of that from us, it shows they do not believe in our agenda. A BEAUTIFUL agenda of freedom and individual liberty. These bills restrict our inalienable rights to defend ourselves and that in its own is a crime. So to our senators voting on these bills we are watching you, we will know who has betrayed their oath to uphold our constitution. We will know who no longer legitimately represents the people of this country. This will not go unnoticed, nor will we forget who these individual representatives and senators are until we see them lose their positions in OUR government."
I was shaking...bad. I could feel myself choking up but I pushed through it and I looked them right in the eyes as much as I could to let them know that I meant them. I could literally feel the warmth and support from the rest of the people in the room. I sat down and there was so much clapping. The man in front of me turned around and shook my hand. So did Jeff, and the other man who encouraged me to stand. And a woman from the back row tapped me on the shoulder and shook my hand thanking me. I'm surprised I didn't cry! The woman who was sitting next to me is going to the Capitol on Monday because the Senate votes on these that day and she mentioned that that speech would be perfect to read there, and so I gave it to her since we had a copy on a computer. She was so thankful and shocked. I'm so glad I could help her too.
Folks, anyone reading this, I felt so much care, concern, so much family while I was there. That is why I'm so glad I went. It was horrible to witness our supposed "representatives" act the way they did but I know in my heart that everything I'm fighting for IS worth fighting for. I wish I could somehow make more people go to a meeting like this. What an experience....
We ended at 8:30 which was 30 minutes past the Library's hours and when we were leaving a few more people came up to me and said thank you. I tried to squeeze in that my boyfriend wrote most of it, but I couldn't with everyone. He didn't care. He was just so glad I was able to read it at all, especially since the camcorder died right after, ha. We agreed that it would have more of an impact if I did since I'm a petite 21 year old female. Not many females my age are speaking out, but our voice does need to be heard, and I'm thankful I was able to make that happen. I'm also so glad that a gentleman was there who was at Columbine and saw his friends shot. I'm not glad he had to deal with that but that his voice was heard too...It was so heart wrenching. He was in the front row and looked Jones right in the eyes and told his story...how the bills being passed would not have stopped both of those boys.
I know in my gut that what I was apart of today will not change Jones' mind, or even Foote's. I have a horrid feeling that on Monday the bills will pass the Senate. We will see....
We ended at 8:30 which was 30 minutes past the Library's hours and when we were leaving a few more people came up to me and said thank you. I tried to squeeze in that my boyfriend wrote most of it, but I couldn't with everyone. He didn't care. He was just so glad I was able to read it at all, especially since the camcorder died right after, ha. We agreed that it would have more of an impact if I did since I'm a petite 21 year old female. Not many females my age are speaking out, but our voice does need to be heard, and I'm thankful I was able to make that happen. I'm also so glad that a gentleman was there who was at Columbine and saw his friends shot. I'm not glad he had to deal with that but that his voice was heard too...It was so heart wrenching. He was in the front row and looked Jones right in the eyes and told his story...how the bills being passed would not have stopped both of those boys.
I know in my gut that what I was apart of today will not change Jones' mind, or even Foote's. I have a horrid feeling that on Monday the bills will pass the Senate. We will see....
At least I can say I tried. I have fought with tears, and thankfully no blood, yet. I've told all of these awful people that regardless of the law I refuse to be a victim. I do not care if it is illegal for me to concealed carry on a college campus. I will anyway. Why? Because it is my god given right to. I will not pull it out unless I absolutely need to use it, and even then pulling the trigger is not my immediate goal. I know that often the presence of a gun is enough to completely end the confrontation. I will not allow my self, body and soul to be legislated out of defending it. No way. I will not let myself be raped and know that if I had had a gun on me I could have stopped it, or stopped any future rape. Because god help any man who tries it. If I am taken completely off guard he's not getting away without some hole in HIS body, fatal or otherwise. I am still a law-abiding citizen. I follow natural law.
I plan to post the video ASAP.
Today is the last day of the first weekend in January of 2013 and I have not written a blog in incredibly too long.
The biggest news, fortunately, in my life right now is that all of my music was deleted off of my iPod and I have been, for the last couple of days, trying to recover as much as I can through CDs and purchases on iTunes. I am treating it like a much needed "music cleanse." There was a lot of music on there that I really did not need either because it bore me or brought back unpleasant or unnecessary memories or feelings. Way to start the new year off right, right?!
I have many resolutions like I have in the past...I never really follow through and it leaves me feeling guilty or like I somehow messed up or missed out... So, this year I decided that I would focus on one main goal.., and that is to fight an Info war. I am taking inspiration from Alex Jones (http://www.infowars.com/ if you are interested in checking him out) because he is a hardcore fighter. I love his energy, most of the time, and it has inspired me to be sterner and stand up for what I believe in, no matter what it is.
I have realized that most of the people I know who are willing to fight this "war" are male and so I have made it apart of my goal to recruit or at least reach out to more females. I feel that any sort of war or movement needs a balance of female and male power in order to be the most effective.
So far I am working on creating a FB page where I can repost, or post things that I find and I may have a connection that can help me go "viral" I really don't even care about how viral I go but I want to make a difference in the world even if that means I reach a few people and make them think a little more critically than they are used to.
It's been very frustrating though, but not disheartening at least, when I encounter people who say "I just can't believe..." or "I don't feel it's appropriate to discuss this...." or simply insinuate that I'm wrong because of my resources? If I don't believe in main stream media then my sources are just as legitimate...
I don't know...perhaps I am crazy and losing my mind, but "conspiracy theorists" are a-plenty out there if I am fast becoming one of them then so be it. Like I've said before, "I'd rather be a little paranoid than a lot naive" And believe that a lot of people I know are quite naive...
Another one of my goals in the new year is to try and be as honest as I can be, while at the same time try and meet people and make new connections. It's seriously easier said than done. I do not like meeting new people, I do not like going outside of my comfort zone...but I'm going to be trying uber hard.
I realize that this started out as a sort of "book blog" and I may continue that. I've recently read a great book called We by Yevgeny Zamyatin which inspired 1984 and Brave New World which I am now reading and rereading. I'll be sure to put a comparative blog once I've read all 3.
Other than all this 2013 will certainly be an interesting year to play out, I honestly think it will be more adventurous than 2012 was...
The biggest news, fortunately, in my life right now is that all of my music was deleted off of my iPod and I have been, for the last couple of days, trying to recover as much as I can through CDs and purchases on iTunes. I am treating it like a much needed "music cleanse." There was a lot of music on there that I really did not need either because it bore me or brought back unpleasant or unnecessary memories or feelings. Way to start the new year off right, right?!
I have many resolutions like I have in the past...I never really follow through and it leaves me feeling guilty or like I somehow messed up or missed out... So, this year I decided that I would focus on one main goal.., and that is to fight an Info war. I am taking inspiration from Alex Jones (http://www.infowars.com/ if you are interested in checking him out) because he is a hardcore fighter. I love his energy, most of the time, and it has inspired me to be sterner and stand up for what I believe in, no matter what it is.
I have realized that most of the people I know who are willing to fight this "war" are male and so I have made it apart of my goal to recruit or at least reach out to more females. I feel that any sort of war or movement needs a balance of female and male power in order to be the most effective.
So far I am working on creating a FB page where I can repost, or post things that I find and I may have a connection that can help me go "viral" I really don't even care about how viral I go but I want to make a difference in the world even if that means I reach a few people and make them think a little more critically than they are used to.
It's been very frustrating though, but not disheartening at least, when I encounter people who say "I just can't believe..." or "I don't feel it's appropriate to discuss this...." or simply insinuate that I'm wrong because of my resources? If I don't believe in main stream media then my sources are just as legitimate...
I don't know...perhaps I am crazy and losing my mind, but "conspiracy theorists" are a-plenty out there if I am fast becoming one of them then so be it. Like I've said before, "I'd rather be a little paranoid than a lot naive" And believe that a lot of people I know are quite naive...
Another one of my goals in the new year is to try and be as honest as I can be, while at the same time try and meet people and make new connections. It's seriously easier said than done. I do not like meeting new people, I do not like going outside of my comfort zone...but I'm going to be trying uber hard.
I realize that this started out as a sort of "book blog" and I may continue that. I've recently read a great book called We by Yevgeny Zamyatin which inspired 1984 and Brave New World which I am now reading and rereading. I'll be sure to put a comparative blog once I've read all 3.
Other than all this 2013 will certainly be an interesting year to play out, I honestly think it will be more adventurous than 2012 was...
I've been meaning to write this for about a month now. Woops. I've let time escape me and laziness overcome, but not anymore!
This first book is The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. I really enjoyed this book because it kept me busy for a good while. It is 894 pages but don't let that discourage you. It is not hard to read at all. It takes place in the 19th century, my favorite as we now know, and unlike The Meaning of Night it does not read like a novel that was written in that era. So although it is long, I think if anyone is interested in getting a feel for that time period then this is a good book to read. The back of the book does not do it justice. It is about a lot of people, not just one 19 year old prostitute named Sugar as the back seems to imply. There is, I will warn future readers, quite a bit of sex. But it was done very maturely I felt, as in not like a Romance novel. Not that they don't have "mature" sex in those sorts of books, it's just different. Faber's writing is beautiful and this is apparent even in the dirtiest circumstances of the book [prostitutes, beggars, etc.]
The beginning of the book is one of the uniquest I have yet to encounter. "Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them. This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, and you have not been here before. You may imagine, from other stories you've read, that you know it well, but those stories flattered you, welcoming you as a friend, treating you as if you belonged. The truth is that you are an alien from another time and place altogether." And it goes from there. It is like the book is constantly talking to you, the reader, and literally bringing you into the story. I loved it. I loved the details about how the prostitutes would clean themselves after each customer, and I loved how complicated Sugar's relationship with a perfume maker was.
I also found a lot of allusions and references to other pieces of literature and history. William Rackham is the perfumer; Bodley and Ashwell are his two friends who are mentally stuck at University. William's wife has a brain tumor, that only we the reader know about, and it makes her seem quite insane. Ashwell says in conversation, "Seriously, Bill, you mustn't let this problem with Agnes turn into a family curse. You know, like in those frightful old-fashioned novels, with the distracted female leaping out of cupboards (p.66)." If you have not read Wuthering Heights then you need to in order to understand and appreciate this allusion. Haha.
One of my favorite characters is Mrs. Emmeline Fox. She is a widow and William's older brother Henry is smitten with her. Mrs. Fox works for an organization that tries to get prostitutes off the streets and her opinions on Christianity are anything but orthodox. She and Henry are discussing children and she feels that she is blessed to never have had children. "(Henry) 'But what of the Lord's commandment, '"Be fruitful and multiply"?' She smiles and looks out of the window, her eyes narrowed against the flickering afternoon light...'I think there's been quite enough multiplication don't you?' Mrs. Fox sighs, 'We have filled the world up awfully well, haven't we, with frightened and hungry humans. The challenge now is what to do with them all...'
I would love to quote Emmeline more but alas this is growing longer than I meant it to be. I definitely recommend this book.
These next two books actually go together. They are Eat This, Not That and Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide. Both are by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. I LOVE THESE. The idea is that we don't necessarily need to diet if we want to lose 10, 20, or even 30+ pounds. Of course exercise is always a good thing to do, but if we simply changed the way we eat we could slim down. Getting onion rings at BK instead of fries, or getting a Big Mac instead of a Whopper with cheese could save you a lot of calories, fat, and sodium. So the first book goes through this sort of thing, what not to eat at certain fast food places and restaurants. There are sooooooooooo many helpful hints through out that I don't know why anyone would NOT want to buy at least one of these. Even the first book, which focuses on eating out has a supermarket section. It also goes through holidays, and occasions and what foods to avoid. Like getting light meat instead of dark meat at Thanksgiving, or eating coleslaw instead of potato salad on the 4th of July. The photographs are also FABULOUS.
The Supermarket Survival Guide is also even more awesome. I have taken it shopping with me multiple times already. And it's not just about what ketchup to buy instead, or what bacon is best. It informs you on some secrets that Keebler, Quaker, other food companies, and the grocery store(s) all don't want you to know. It even has recipes, and a list of Food Additives so you can know what exactly those scientific words mean and what IS good for you and what isn't.
Some things I'd love to share from both are as follows:
- Applebee's, Olive Garden, Outback and Red Lobster all don't want us to know that they don't provide nutritional information for their products. CalorieKing.com is a great site to found out what these restaurants, and others, are hiding.
- Chick-Fil-A doesn't have a single sandwich that goes over 500-calories. AWESOME :]
- You can save about 55 grams of carbs if you have a burger [like at Carl's Jr.] wrapped in lettuce leaves (if they're romaine)
- A chicken burrito at Chipotle has 1,092 calories, 44g of fat and 2,323mg of sodium. EW. Get it in a bowl instead please.
- Instead of getting mayo or sour cream (like on a sandwich, or in a burrito) sub those with Avocado, or Guac. The fat is heart-healthy instead of heart-bad!
- At Panda Express, the only item that contains Trans Fat (which is bad bad bad) is the Orange Chicken. Damn.
- If you have never tried or heard of Quinoa you are SO missing out. It is a great substitution for rice or cous-cous (though a seed technically, not a grain) and is loaded with fiber and healthy fats. It is also a complete protein. Yay! GO TRY IT NOW.
- Don't do turkey bacon instead of regular. It might say it's healthier, and seem healthier but there is waaaaaaaaay more sodium in the turkey variety.
EVERYONE needs at least one of these books. There is just so much information and the books are a very managable size so there is no excuse!
This last book I just finished yesterday. It is called Little Bee and is by Chris Cleave. I recently joined the book club at FRCC (first meeting is Sept. 7th) and this is the book. I did like it. It was a very touching book and a very quick read, at least for me. Ha. But I don't understand what all the frickin' hype is about! The back reads as such, "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again -- the story starts there... Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds." First of all one of the "women" is 16 years old, hardly a woman. Second of all I'm not going to tell what happens, promise. One review says, "One of the most vividly memorable and provocative characters in recent contemporary fiction." I just can't agree. I like Little Bee, I like Sarah. But neither of them are vividly memorable nor provocative. But then, maybe, they just haven't read as many books as I have and met as many characters as I have. I guess that's what you get when you're addicted to books. It takes a lot to impress. Oh well. I did fall in love with Charlie, aka Batman, though. He is Sarah's four year old son and he refuses to get out of character as Batman. Everyone is either a goody, or a baddy in his world. He is so precious. I found myself not caring so much what happened to the adults but what happened to him!
I think if you need a good book that will touch you and make you think about some real world stuff then this is a good book for you. But grab a few tissues for the end.
And that is that! Hopefully I can get the next 3 or 4 books read soon. With schools tarting this could be unlikely...but I will try. Not that anyone is commenting, but I am enjoying writing these at least.
This first book is The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. I really enjoyed this book because it kept me busy for a good while. It is 894 pages but don't let that discourage you. It is not hard to read at all. It takes place in the 19th century, my favorite as we now know, and unlike The Meaning of Night it does not read like a novel that was written in that era. So although it is long, I think if anyone is interested in getting a feel for that time period then this is a good book to read. The back of the book does not do it justice. It is about a lot of people, not just one 19 year old prostitute named Sugar as the back seems to imply. There is, I will warn future readers, quite a bit of sex. But it was done very maturely I felt, as in not like a Romance novel. Not that they don't have "mature" sex in those sorts of books, it's just different. Faber's writing is beautiful and this is apparent even in the dirtiest circumstances of the book [prostitutes, beggars, etc.]
The beginning of the book is one of the uniquest I have yet to encounter. "Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them. This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, and you have not been here before. You may imagine, from other stories you've read, that you know it well, but those stories flattered you, welcoming you as a friend, treating you as if you belonged. The truth is that you are an alien from another time and place altogether." And it goes from there. It is like the book is constantly talking to you, the reader, and literally bringing you into the story. I loved it. I loved the details about how the prostitutes would clean themselves after each customer, and I loved how complicated Sugar's relationship with a perfume maker was.
I also found a lot of allusions and references to other pieces of literature and history. William Rackham is the perfumer; Bodley and Ashwell are his two friends who are mentally stuck at University. William's wife has a brain tumor, that only we the reader know about, and it makes her seem quite insane. Ashwell says in conversation, "Seriously, Bill, you mustn't let this problem with Agnes turn into a family curse. You know, like in those frightful old-fashioned novels, with the distracted female leaping out of cupboards (p.66)." If you have not read Wuthering Heights then you need to in order to understand and appreciate this allusion. Haha.
One of my favorite characters is Mrs. Emmeline Fox. She is a widow and William's older brother Henry is smitten with her. Mrs. Fox works for an organization that tries to get prostitutes off the streets and her opinions on Christianity are anything but orthodox. She and Henry are discussing children and she feels that she is blessed to never have had children. "(Henry) 'But what of the Lord's commandment, '"Be fruitful and multiply"?' She smiles and looks out of the window, her eyes narrowed against the flickering afternoon light...'I think there's been quite enough multiplication don't you?' Mrs. Fox sighs, 'We have filled the world up awfully well, haven't we, with frightened and hungry humans. The challenge now is what to do with them all...'
I would love to quote Emmeline more but alas this is growing longer than I meant it to be. I definitely recommend this book.
These next two books actually go together. They are Eat This, Not That and Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide. Both are by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. I LOVE THESE. The idea is that we don't necessarily need to diet if we want to lose 10, 20, or even 30+ pounds. Of course exercise is always a good thing to do, but if we simply changed the way we eat we could slim down. Getting onion rings at BK instead of fries, or getting a Big Mac instead of a Whopper with cheese could save you a lot of calories, fat, and sodium. So the first book goes through this sort of thing, what not to eat at certain fast food places and restaurants. There are sooooooooooo many helpful hints through out that I don't know why anyone would NOT want to buy at least one of these. Even the first book, which focuses on eating out has a supermarket section. It also goes through holidays, and occasions and what foods to avoid. Like getting light meat instead of dark meat at Thanksgiving, or eating coleslaw instead of potato salad on the 4th of July. The photographs are also FABULOUS.
The Supermarket Survival Guide is also even more awesome. I have taken it shopping with me multiple times already. And it's not just about what ketchup to buy instead, or what bacon is best. It informs you on some secrets that Keebler, Quaker, other food companies, and the grocery store(s) all don't want you to know. It even has recipes, and a list of Food Additives so you can know what exactly those scientific words mean and what IS good for you and what isn't.
Some things I'd love to share from both are as follows:
- Applebee's, Olive Garden, Outback and Red Lobster all don't want us to know that they don't provide nutritional information for their products. CalorieKing.com is a great site to found out what these restaurants, and others, are hiding.
- Chick-Fil-A doesn't have a single sandwich that goes over 500-calories. AWESOME :]
- You can save about 55 grams of carbs if you have a burger [like at Carl's Jr.] wrapped in lettuce leaves (if they're romaine)
- A chicken burrito at Chipotle has 1,092 calories, 44g of fat and 2,323mg of sodium. EW. Get it in a bowl instead please.
- Instead of getting mayo or sour cream (like on a sandwich, or in a burrito) sub those with Avocado, or Guac. The fat is heart-healthy instead of heart-bad!
- At Panda Express, the only item that contains Trans Fat (which is bad bad bad) is the Orange Chicken. Damn.
- If you have never tried or heard of Quinoa you are SO missing out. It is a great substitution for rice or cous-cous (though a seed technically, not a grain) and is loaded with fiber and healthy fats. It is also a complete protein. Yay! GO TRY IT NOW.
- Don't do turkey bacon instead of regular. It might say it's healthier, and seem healthier but there is waaaaaaaaay more sodium in the turkey variety.
EVERYONE needs at least one of these books. There is just so much information and the books are a very managable size so there is no excuse!
This last book I just finished yesterday. It is called Little Bee and is by Chris Cleave. I recently joined the book club at FRCC (first meeting is Sept. 7th) and this is the book. I did like it. It was a very touching book and a very quick read, at least for me. Ha. But I don't understand what all the frickin' hype is about! The back reads as such, "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again -- the story starts there... Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds." First of all one of the "women" is 16 years old, hardly a woman. Second of all I'm not going to tell what happens, promise. One review says, "One of the most vividly memorable and provocative characters in recent contemporary fiction." I just can't agree. I like Little Bee, I like Sarah. But neither of them are vividly memorable nor provocative. But then, maybe, they just haven't read as many books as I have and met as many characters as I have. I guess that's what you get when you're addicted to books. It takes a lot to impress. Oh well. I did fall in love with Charlie, aka Batman, though. He is Sarah's four year old son and he refuses to get out of character as Batman. Everyone is either a goody, or a baddy in his world. He is so precious. I found myself not caring so much what happened to the adults but what happened to him!
I think if you need a good book that will touch you and make you think about some real world stuff then this is a good book for you. But grab a few tissues for the end.
And that is that! Hopefully I can get the next 3 or 4 books read soon. With schools tarting this could be unlikely...but I will try. Not that anyone is commenting, but I am enjoying writing these at least.