Can I find a candle of thought....

Heard this in a bar in Cusco the other afternoon. It was then I realized this is one of my all-time favorite songs. It is a song one might desperately wish could be a track in the soundtrack of one's life...

Point Taken

Groovin' Together

I've been using Grooveshark for awhile now, but I've only recently started to use it to share playlists with friends. It all started with my friend, Lauryn, who I met through my TEFL program. She has great taste in music and I wanted to keep the music dialogue going even after she went back home to Alabama, so we started sharing playlists with each other and it's loads of fun. I'm discovering new music all the time, which is perfect

Sooo, if you're interested, add me! My user name is the same name you see up in the URL, before the blogspot part :)

Here are two songs I'm lovin' at the moment:

"Excuses" by The Morning Benders

"Please" by Ray LaMontagne

I Feel You, Girl.

The other day, while reading about reading, and the authors that make reading possible, I stumbled upon the name Anne Lamott. She's been on my radar for awhile and I've been told on quite a few occasions that I should read her, so when I saw her name and her book on a list of "must reads" for people interested in writing, I decided to read up on Ms. Lamott. Three minutes into reading excerpts from her books, I decided to purchase Bird by Bird. I am impatiently awaiting its arrival.

By the end of my "Lamott excerpt session", I had compiled a long list of quotations by her and emailed them to myself. I also emailed one to my friend, Rachael. It was one I figured she could nod to herself emphatically while reading. (I know I did.)

Rach liked the quote so much that she posted it on Facebook. What followed was an interesting conversation on gender, culminating in 18 comments in a very short time. And rather than fill the Facebook feed with my input, I decided to take to my very own blog.

Here's the quote:

"Part of me loves and respects men so desperately, and part of me thinks they are so embarrassingly incompetent at life and in love. You have to teach them the very basics of emotional literacy. You have to teach them how to be there for you, and part of me feels tender toward them and gentle, and part of me is so afraid of them, afraid of any more violation."

-Anne Lamott

I imagine if you're a [straight] man reading that, the first reaction is one of defensiveness. She's using a word that no person wants to hear- incompetent. Who wants to be described as in incompetent? I don't. But sometimes I am. And sometimes men are. And sometimes men are incompetent in very similar ways to one another.

I agree with this quote. I agree with every part of it. I do love and respect men desperately, yet I do not think there is one topic more turned on its head more frequently in my life more than the "What the hell is WITH men?!" topic. I am 25 years old and I have not lived much, and I certainly have not loved much. I'm not even sure if I have fully. Probably not. But I'm able to read a thought by a fully grown woman and completely relate. I'm trying to figure out if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm having a "THIS is what I have to look forward to?! MORE of this?!" moment right now.

I think that a thought like this, a thought that so many of us women (young, old and in between) can probably relate to, mustn't be discounted. This is a feeling that is true to many women because it has been experienced.

Cave woman probably drew on the walls about this...

-"So, then he grunted and so now I'm like, 'WHAT does that even MEAN!?'"

-"Girrrrl, sure beats the hell out of me."

One of the scariest parts of falling in love IS the fear of violation, of vulnerability and confusion mixed with the desperation, admiration and love. It's terrifying to fall in love with another being who's hormonal and chemical make up is different than yours, who literally sees no problem where you see ten and whose emotional communication is not enough when you feel like yours is at a surplus.

It sucks and it's wonderful. Sometimes simultaneously.

I don't think this quote is a dig at men, but rather an acknowledgement of something that straight women all feel at some point. Is this all men? No. I was raised by an extraordinary man, who happens to be, in my unprofessional opinion, the best dad in the world. (My mom, however, might admit to cracking the whip from time to time, along with his phenomenal mother back in the day.) I've also dated some real winners and maybe one day I'll like one for long enough to say "Hey, you're cool. Let's have a baby!" to him. Maybe.

That being said, I think that there are plenty of commiserations shared amongst men (in brief exchanges, of course) about the complexities of our fair female species. W.C. Fields once said, "All women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." And y'know, I can see why he'd say that. And I could also counter that with the fact that oftentimes men drive us crazy, but then I'd be here for as long as this back and forth has been going on...an eternity.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

So, I saw Eclipse the other night.

BEFORE you judge harshly, consider the following:

1.) I went with my class and it was the only movie in English playing at the theater.

2.) See above.

I haven't seen the other Twilight movies, mostly because I have heard that they totally suck AND because they have yet to be played on a loop on TBS or TNT on a random Sunday afternoon, which is when I usually prefer to watch movies that totally suck. That being said, I didn't go into this expecting much, so I was able to enjoy my time watching the film and giggling at the cheese.

Yeah, it sucked. It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen in my life, but it was pretty awful. I guess I can see why twelve year-olds are taking this stuff to heart, but I'm kind of perplexed about basically anyone over twelve who does. Robert Pattinwhatever has a strange, pale glow for the entire film, making him appear considerably less attractive and Kristen Stewwhocares' character has eerie fake brown eyes. I can't help but think that fake brown eyes make someone look kind of lifeless and empty. Also, why does she have to have them? Is it a MUST? I'm confused.

I did not see any real indication that the main couple had an amazingly romantic and cool relationship. Maybe that's because I missed all the romantic and cool stuff in the first two movies, but something tells me (a.k.a. everyone I know that has seen it) that I didn't miss much. In that same vein, does anyone else notice that this relationship is completely unhealthy, co-dependent and possessive?! This girl needs to get out and FAST. She's dating a guy that can read thoughts and has no soul...RUN!

Okay, but my biggest beef with this story is the fact that this girl is planning on giving up her life, losing her soul, and becoming a blood-sucking monster for this guy, BUT, BUT, BUT! They absolutely must NOT have sex until marriage. This is the part of the story where I remembered the fact that a Mormon house-wife writes this crap. Sure ladies, SELL YOUR SOUL FOR A MAN, BUT DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH HIM UNTIL DOING SO!

I'm actually not enraged about this at all, though the caps lock may indicate otherwise. I just think it's a shame that this is what the little people are all wrapped-up in these days. Today is the 15th anniversary of the release of Clueless and sure, it was about shopping and boys and parties, but it was also sharp, witty and fun. As IF this Twilight crap can even hold a candle to that gem. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

And plus, I'd take Paul Rudd over Robert Pattindork any day.

We. Are. Golden.

I'm pretty sure everyone wishes that they had a soundtrack to their lives. I do. I really, really do. That would be so cool. It would also completely validate the already melodramatic thoughts I have in my brain everyday.

Along that same vein, I've always dreamed of making a hilarious, but heart-felt music video with friends. I mean, who hasn't? Sooo, as my departure approached last spring, I decided that I had to do a music video with my two best guys/gays, Nate and Dustin. What better time than just before I dramatically depart for the wilds of Latin America (or something like that)?

So, we got together on an unseasonably cold (you can't tell from my outfit but I was FREEZING) spring afternoon and made a video to Mika's "Happy Ending". Nate learned how to edit and put it all together in ONE day. He and Dustin Skyped me for the premier two nights ago...I've been gone for almost two months now and I think this is the part where I start feeling a little home-sick from time to time and reflecting on the things and people I miss. I am so happy to be here, but sometimes, when a Friday night (or a Tuesday or a Wednesday...) rolls around, I'd like nothing more than to be giggling between my two favorite boys. Needless to say, this brought tears to my eyes.

The following video was improv'd on the spot, is completely cheesy, over-the-top, and in my opinion, a dorktastic masterpiece. Enjoy! (Oh, and there's 9 minutes of this cheese, so don't stop watching after the first song!)

PS- My friends don't do coke...those double image shots are from a photo project that Nate did.

The 4th

A few (fellow American) people have recently asked me if Costa Rica celebrates July 4th. I understand it could be a simple assumption, considering the United State's empirical pull across the world...but no, as far as I can tell, there were no BBQ's, parades or fireworks in honor of the USA, in this, another country, today. Go figure.

Although, maybe I wouldn't be completely surprised, as I struggle to find an obvious, defined culture here in Costa Rica, between the Hooters, Wendy's, and True Value. Sure, I feel at home, but that wasn't the point, was it? Two of the five classes I'm teaching take place in offices, and my students are employees whose companies have been bought out by American corporations and are now required to learn English. One of these students simply does not want to learn, but will lose his job if he doesn't. Yeah. Not quite as enriching as the other classes I teach in a school with willing learners.

I wish I could say that my heart-strings feel a tug when I hear the US national anthem. I wish I could say that simply seeing the American flag fills me with a proud warmth...but it doesn't. It would be nice, though, wouldn't it? If all the things that our songs, anthems, banners and signs claim to represent were true? Wouldn't it be great if the United States of America were brave, revolutionary and bold?

I know, how dare I expect more of and question my home country?! Why not just sing the songs and wave the flag and pretend that because my white, upper-middle class existence has been cushy, cozy and all too comfortable, that must mean that America is really not so bad.

I was glad to see I'm not alone in my sentiment (or lack thereof) as I read Howard Zinn's "Put Away the Flags" and Matthew Rothschild's "Why I Don't Celebrate the Fourth" in The Progressive today:

We need to refute the idea that our nation is different from, morally superior to, the other imperial powers of world history.

We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.

- Howard Zinn

American patriotism has also gotten in the way of solving global warming. Many in the United States, which consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources but has just 4 percent of the world’s population, believe we have the God-given right to use up all the resources we can. And there is an all-too-common attitude that we don’t need to listen to any other countries, or the U.N., or obey any international agreements because we’re Americans, and we’re better than everybody else.

We’ve got to get over patriotism, and we’ve got to cure the American superiority complex.

- Matthew Rothschild

Nationalism is the egg that hatches fascism.

And patriotism is but the father of nationalism.

Patriotism is not something to play with. It’s highly toxic. When ingested, it corrodes the rational faculties.

It gulls people into believing their leaders.

It masks those who benefit most from state policy.

- Matthew Rothschild

Home

Greetings from the Jungle! (Specifically Cabuya, outside of Montezuma.) There are monkeys in the trees and creepy crawlers in the grass. I am far from home but I am happy. One my new friends here, Lauryn, has fantastic taste in music and has been our resident DJ on this trip. She shared this song with me this morning and I swear I've heard it before, but can't remember when, where, or who with, but from now on I will associate it with a morning in the jungle abroad, so I suppose that's probably cooler anyway...

Here's "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes:

Michael McIntyre

Hey, it's been awhile. Sorry. I moved to Costa Rica, where I've made some international friends. Costa Ricans, you assume? You assumed wrong; some of the friends I've made are English...actually, one friend I've made is English and she lives with other English people. I spent some time with my English friend and her friends the other evening and they were kind enough to share some English comedy with me, particularly the comedy of Michael McIntyre.

Here are some clips from his show at the Hammersmith London Apollo Theatre:

Just Joshin'

I'm supposed to be packing tonight, but instead I ordered Thai food from Ben's Noodles and Rice (for probably the last time while living here) and have been listening to tunes on Groove Shark. I've heard some Josh Ritter, but I've finally started to delve into his repertoire this evening and...I think I've fallen for him.

Here he is doing "Kathleen" live...

(Really, how could I not choose this song?)

Word.

“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

Kurt Vonnegut

Sassy Gay Friend

Hi I'm Kate Sammon, writer of this blog, and I'm here to share something very funny from the world wide web with you . It's the Second City network's "Sassy Gay Friend" sketches! I have compiled three sketches for your viewing pleasure:

Sassy Gay Friend: Romeo and Juliet

Sassy Gay Friend: Hamlet

Sassy Gay Friend: Othello



'Njooyyyyy :)

Bling of Blings

I recently found myself staring at one of those baby Jesus statues that are frequently displayed in Catholic churches (see above)...

You know when you're looking at something that's commonplace in your life and suddenly you realize what you're actually staring at? If you stare at it long enough you start to see it from a different point of view. It's like when you realize how odd certain words sound when you say them over and over again. Like "shirt". Say "shirt" enough and it'll eventually start to sound weird.

I grew up in the Catholic church, so this little guy was everywhere and he's familiar to me. My first memory of him was in the "crying room" (the room for loud and/or crying children) at the church I went to when I was little. We go way back.

Alright, so I'm staring at this little guy and suddenly I realize that this baby in ornate clothing looks kind of ridiculous (a toddler in a heavy crown, cape, and jewels, holding a septre??) and THEN it occurs to me that the real Jesus would probably be all, "WTF?!" if he saw this. I mean, the man grew up to allegedly say, "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21) AND "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." (Luke 12:33)

I don't think he meant "And when I'm gone, please adorn child statues of me with unnecessary symbols of material wealth, mmkay?"

I think there are a good many Christians that would readily admit that this representation of Christ misses the mark and is admittedly kind of silly. It's accepted as a remaining relic from the old days. The issue is that even with this acceptance, it remains and becomes commonplace, so common in fact that even critical li'l me is just now taking note of it.

At what point does "tradition" act as a hindrance? It seems to me that it's too often right from the start. This is a clear example of how human perception can effect the greater belief, in any religion, culture or political arena. If a man who's greatest emphasis was on feeding the poor and living a humble life is honored through the generations in a way that completely negates his point, then that most certainly gives cause to question organized religion.

I think this speaks to the abundance of other issues and perceptions that are, in my opinion, stagnating real progress. I think we all need to call into question what we're absorbing- the ultimate truth, or someone else's perception of the truth, even if that perception is tradition. So much of what we think to be true, fail to question and blindly accept, are the exact kinds of things that beg our minds to open and question.

Tuesday Throwback

This song (along with Patrick Simmon's mullet) makes me want to head down south, set up camp, sip on some moonshine and sing around the campfire.

Movin' Out (Of the Country)

Although there have been many issues and happenings going on the the world that have my noggin all a flutter, I have been a bit too busy to blog these days. My apologies.

I have decided to move to Costa Rica to teach English as a foreign language. I actually decided this a few months back, but it's only recently that I've got the ball rolling. I am leaving my job (!!!) at the end of April and leaving for Latin America in Mid-May.

I have twenty-eight work days left. I decided today that I'd start a countdown to my last day. I'm not sure if that'll make the last month here more or less bearable, but I can't tell you how glorious it is to have an end in site. It's even more glorious/exciting to have a new beginning on the horizon. (Did I really just say "new beginning on the horizon"? Yeah. I'm just that excited.)

This big move has yet to really sink in, so right now I'm focusing on the present reality- tying up loose ends and spending as much quality time with all the people I'm lucky enough to love in the Chicago area.

More posts to follow...like about HEALTHCARE! Y'all know I have somethin' to say about that!

Priceless

Check this out, courtesy of The Seminal...

The MasterCard Commercial

I'd Like to See

Amount spent each year in Europe and the United States on pet food: $17 billion

Cost per year to achieve basic health and nutrition for the entire world: $13 billion

Amount spent on perfumes each year: $12 billion

Clean water for all the world: $9 billion

Amount spent on cosmetics in the US: $8 billion

Basic education for the world’s children: $6 billion

Total amount the US spends on Christmas each year: $450 billion (or 16 years worth of food, water, and education for the world)

Initial cost of the US Government bailout of failing financial institutions: $700 billion (or 25 years worth of food, water, and education for the world)

Coming to grips with the alarming disconnects of our consumerist society: Priceless

FRIDAY THE 12TH!

Aww, shucks! No killin' today...

My friend Wayne posted this on Facebook today. Thanks, Wayne!

Happy Friday the 12th, y'all!

(AND happy birthday to my cousin Courtney!)

Verse to the Wise

Courtesy of Wisdom Bits.

Are you READY?!

Every time I see ads for "ready.gov", I feel weird; not in that "Government, stop! You're EMBARRASSING me!" kind of way, but in the "I think this is an example of fear mongering" kind of way.

I'm glad someone has decided to make fun of it...

Check out Homeland.gov.safenow.org, an amusing commentary on some of the "WARNING" notices on ready.gov.

War Made Easy

Hi, it's me again. I'm just here to tell you that I just watched the documentary,

War Made Easy:

How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning us to Death.

I liked it and think that you should watch it too!

(It's only 72 minutes!)

A snippet from its website synopsis:

"War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq."

I knew about the general idea behind the film beforehand, but it's compiled in such a way that it helps to bring it all together. By "it" I mean the United States' LTR with war. If the USA were on Facebook, its relationship status would probably say "In a relationship with War". As Americans, we're supposed to accept this relationship as a MUST. They must NEVER break up because if they do, no one will do what America tells them to anymore. Of course, the main-stream media is along for the ride on the big ole war bandwagon. When the US and War host keggers, the press supply the red cups.

You get the point.

The film consistently references Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s fervent opposition to militarism and it closes with an audio excerpt from his 1967 speech, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, so I decided to read it myself. It is (not surprisingly) stirring and eloquent.

Here's an excerpt:

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

It seems as though our nation has continued down this destructive path that he so purposefully warned us against. What would Dr. King make of all this now?

Sick Day

I am currently enduring a pesky case of the common cold. I think I'll live, but considering that my head feels like it may implode at any moment, I'm a bit lethargic today.

Anyway, here are some fascinating finds from my stuffy-headed time on the world wide web today:

** This reminds me of something I would have thought was the most wonderful thing in the entire world when I was six years old- Falling Down the Guggenheim Museum Wall.

** Not surprised by the list, but I like the captions- The 11 Most Ironically Banned Books of All Time.

** Hey, want to waste time making noise/music on the internet?- inudge.net

** The Super Bowl is kinda gross- Half-naked Hot Chicks and Beer: The Sexist Guyland of the Super Bowl Beer Commercial.

** Anyone think that's kind of odd?- More Blackwater Contractors Than Cops in Pakistan's Capitol.

Happy (almost) Friday!

Here's some Friday feel-good for y'all...

This just makes me smile.

Putting the "Disaster" In Disaster Capitalism

Yesterday, as I looked over articles on the aid efforts in Haiti, I wondered why it was so necessary for US Troops to be fully equipped with semiautomatics. This is a relief effort, not a war, right? I mean, it's no secret that I think our current system errs on the side of "shady", so of course I'm going to question the real motives in this situation. I'm coming to find that what's worse than the questioning is the disappointment in knowing that the questioning is merited.

Today, I came across "Profiting from Haiti’s Crisis: Disaster Capitalism in Washington’s Backyard" by Benjamin Dangl on Commondreams.org. If you're interested in this situation in Haiti and our part in it, I STRONGLY recommend reading this article. The first line (as many first lines so often do) paints a pretty clear picture...

US corporations, private mercenaries, Washington and the International Monetary Fund are using the crisis in Haiti to make a profit, promote unpopular neoliberal policies, and extend military and economic control over the Haitian people.

Oh, Uncle "Money Bags" Sam, you never miss an opportunity, do you?

What we also have to keep in mind is that Haiti was in a dire state BEFORE this happened and when you do the math, it's pretty clear who held the cards in all that. The article continues...

Brian Concannon, the director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti told Hallward of the root causes for the overpopulation of neighborhoods in the city of Port-au-Prince that were hit so hard by the earthquake. "Those people got there because they or their parents were intentionally pushed out of the countryside by aid and trade policies specifically designed to create a large captive and therefore exploitable labor force in the cities; by definition they are people who would not be able to afford to build earthquake resistant houses." Unnatural crises such as this made the earthquake much more devastating.

Dangl quotes the author Naomi Kline:

...throughout history, "while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times." This push to apply unpopular neoliberal policies began almost immediately after the earthquake in Haiti.

Get THIS! Check out what Kline recently pointed out on Democracy Now! about the Heritage Foundation:

Following the disaster in Haiti, Klein pointed out that the Heritage Foundation, "one of the leading advocates of exploiting disasters to push through their unpopular pro-corporate policies," issued a statement on its website after the earthquake hit: "In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti's long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region."

They eventually took that statement down, but it was there, as clear as day (as were their motives).

One of Dangl's final points hits the nail on the head:

While international leaders and institutions are speaking about how many soldiers and dollars they are committing to Haiti, it is important to note that what Haiti needs is doctors not soldiers, grants not loans, a stronger public sector rather than a wholesale privatization, and critical solidarity with grassroots organizations and people to support the self-determination of the country.

That doesn't sound outrageous does it? Sounds like a completely logical statement, right? Wouldn't it be nice if that was the approach that won in the end? I'm afraid it looks as though Uncle Money Bags is setting up camp and drawing up his own rules, yet again...