When nothing makes sense

Sometimes things stop making sense.

• When people call you names because you are not laying down like a doormat for them
• When men slit a woman open from her vagina to her throat as a tool of war
• When a biological family member becomes a sworn enemy out of the blue
• When children are raped for the privilege of food and money
• When anyone feels entitled to touch or comment on a body when they weren't given permission.
• When I can't get drugs for our patients on a compassionate use basis because of red tape.

It makes no sense to me. But I have to have a way of dealing with these things on a daily basis, because I do deal with them on a nearly daily basis. I desperately try to remember that these people are human.

• That the man who drove by me, flipped me off and yelled something from his window may be having the worst day of his life.
• That the person who called me a fat bitch for taking a parking space has such incredible loathing for their own body that they are terrified of being anything like me
• That the Hutu men who cut off and handed a Tutsi woman her own breast in front of her mother and father were, in many cases, children when they were taken to fight other people's battles in the DNC and have not only been desensitized to this behavior but have grown up with it all around them.

I don't understand, I don't accept, I don't forgive, but I do remind myself that these are human beings.

And I never want to become so desensitized, so hateful that I become like them.

Summer of Change

On a day to day basis, I have quite a lot going on.

I work and commute.
I write a blog (not as often as I'd like)
I keep up with friends (poorly)
I write (less than I would like)
I have 3 meals ( most days)
I work on craft projects (whenever I get around to it)
I spend time with my husband (again, less than I'd like)

So, in other words, on a Likert scale I'm slightly dissatisfied with everything I'm up to right now. Which means, something needs to change.

In addition to the inspired moratorium on buying non-essentials (exempted: closet system for craft room, birthday gifts and tattoo work), I need to figure out some better time management skills.

I could use some help on this one. I'm taking a writing class this summer at UCLA and I've joined an online writing group which will start on June 1st. These should help out with the writing on a regular basis. I would like to negotiate a telecommute once or twice a week which could help a bit.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, comments, I'd love to hear them. I'm open to helpiness right now. Thanks!

Agenda for 5/27/2008

Old business:

• same sex marriage has become legal in my state!
• we landed on Mars (!)
• about 500 deaths occurred due to our occupation of Iraq (including about 20 US military)
• Aftershocks of the fault rupture in China has tumbled about 420,000 more houses
• It was reported that UN aid workers were raping children

Personal Business:

• I cut all my hair off
• I hosted a yard sale at my house and learned, once again that the masses are idiots, not to mention obnoxious and self-centered and prone to fits of irrationality but spending a day with my friends totally and completely negates the effects of the masses.
• I had the weirdest job interview EVER. I thought maybe there was a hidden camera but there wasn't
• I needed to get this all out so I can start posting again because it seemed like I hadn't posted about the most important stuff and so I couldn't post about anything else (even though that's slightly irrational...)

New business
You might have noticed (or not) a donation button on my side bar. This is not for me. It comes from the great deal of respect that I have for one Melissa McEwan, founder and leader of Shakesville. Easily the best feminist, hardcore thinking blog ever.

In honor of Shakesville, Melissa and all of the writers therein, I have created teaspoon jewelry, earrings and necklaces (I haven't figured out how to do pins yet...sorry) in her honor where 100% of the proceeds will go to CARE.

I am a big fan of simple jewelry. I have one plain silver band on my left hand and the simple diamond earrings that my darling husband bought me on our 5th anniversary. I'm from a family with hardcore jewelry issues. I might share that story sometime soon. Anyway, the point was, these are very simple pieces.

So what's with the teaspoon?

Liss, as she is known to readers, writes:

The teaspoon reference started with my post on International Human Rights Day, when I said: "Today is the final day of the 16 Days of Action Against Gender Violence, during which I suppose I have blogged exactly as often as always about violence against women, in America and abroad. Sometimes it feels like it's all I ever write about; sometimes it feels like I can't possibly write about it enough to do the issue justice; often, those feelings exist within me simultaneously. All I ever do is try to empty the sea with this teaspoon; all I can do is keep trying to empty the sea with this teaspoon." From that came the Shakesville Silver Teaspoon for Random Acts of Feminism, and a whole lot of subsequent references to teaspoons in these pages, when we are feeling crushed by the vastness of the work to be done.

If you are interested in teaspoon jewelry, each piece is a $21 donation. And go read Shakesville if you haven't already.


Meeting adjourned

Public Health Notice of the Day

Despite public health authorities trying to get the word out, they have somehow failed miserably.

MYTH: Dead bodies cause disease.

FACT: Diseases die along with dead bodies and are overgrown quite quickly with microorganisms that are responsible for decomposition. These microorganisms are not capable of causing disease in humans!

The major health epidemic that occurs after a natural disaster, such as the ones in Myanmar and China, are as a result of contaminated water, food, famine and especially poor sanitation. Drinking water that has been contaminated with feces being the primary issue.

When people start getting diarrheal disease due to drinking contaminated water, the whole thing becomes more and more cyclical.

Unfortunately, the misperception that bodies need to be buried quickly or cremated or covered in disinfectant causes unnecessary waste of time and money while clean water would be a better use of precious resources.

That is your public health notice of the day.