Connect
flickr
Tag: religion
#221; a rose by any other name
I few weeks ago, I got a pretty big deal haircut, chopping off nearly all of my shoulder-length blond hair in favor of a darker pixie cut. When I did this, I decided it was a great time to bare a bit of my soul as well and wrote an entry telling the cosmos more about me and my life. I loved writing that entry, even if certain parts were difficult or personal, and so coupled with the inspiration of working on my personal ‘elevator pitch’ (thanks to helping a friend edit their own), I’ve decided to do another round.
When I was born, my father wanted to name me Mercerdes. Despite the awesome power of the name (and the car, naturally), I cannot picture myself being called Mercedes. What would my nickname be? Mere? Desi? I don’t seem like a Desi, I don’t think. Then again, I’ve never seen myself much as a Tina-Marie, either (my mother won the ‘naming the daughter’ debate and I was named for a dear friend of hers, hyphen and all, sans middle name).
I spent 13 years as a student and teacher at a dance academy. I’ve studied so many forms of dance, I’ve probably forgotten a few. My specialty (and what I taught to the little kids’ classes) was tap (Broadway, to be specific). I also studied ballet through advanced (pointe), choreography in ‘hip hop’, jazz, and modern styles, and musical theater. I was also a gymnast and Varsity cheerleader in high school.
I don’t like Shakespeare’s romances. I’m not going to fall for it if you’re quoting Romeo & Juliet, despite the title of this post. Quote Henry V‘s St. Crispen’s Day speech, then maybe we’ll talk.
I’m obsessed with history: American, personal, religious, fictional, it doesn’t matter. I can sit around arguing dates and facts with my father for literally hours. I will never tire of reading my own old diaries and journals and middle school class notes. My life has been one religious contradiction after another and I love studying how all of those forces came to be. And re-imagined history is absolutely one of my favorite genres of literature (Philip Roth’s Plot Against America is my favorite example).
If I could go back and do college again, I’d take a second major and get a second BA in environmental sciences rather than graduate early (possibly having to graduate late!). I’d keep my Poli Sci major and my American Literature minor. I have learned more about myself in the six years since I graduated than I ever knew before or during college. I have seen changes in myself – some for the better, some unfortunately for the worse – but this is one of the greatest. I never imagined life outside of policy and campaigning. Suitcase living, mobile offices, twenty hour car trips – these were what I wanted for my norm. As I’ve grown I’ve found there is more that I want, and a background in sciences, green technology, and immediate global climate issues would have been a great start.
#216; what’s in a [haircut]?
Those of you who have been reading The Luckiest/Atlimbo for a while may remember my rock and roll infatuation with a fauxhawk, pictured above.
Today, I went back to my roots, nearly literally.
I’m inspired to show you this, my favorite of hair cuts, by a meme seemingly making the rounds of person blogs. The meme is something along the lines of “What I Wish You Knew About Me” and I’ve seen examples here, here, and here among others. So, here we go, after the cut: what I wish you knew about me.
#196; this news brings out the strange in us
My absolute favorite from last night’s news is something I saw on twitter, from @Ben_Howe: “You know how big God’s love is? He’s sad today. That’s more than I can say.” It’s difficult to feel bad about bin Laden’s death. It’s hard to think of how many lives he’s ended or ruined – directly and indirectly – over the last few decades and not be moved to the point of joyful tears knowing he will never have that power again. But it’s really good to be reminded, in that moment of self-doubt and confusion over jubliance in the face of violence, that we are only human and that might be ok.
There is so much I could say about the news last night: bin Laden is dead. I’ve read all the statements (still waiting for a transcipt fo Sec. Clinton’s, though), I’ve watched the speechs, have spent the last 12 hours obsessed with the twitter feeds and the live blogging. I’ve read my share of Foursqure jokes and been surprised by the adamant cruelty cominf from some people. But this morning we all had to wake up, and go back to work, and get back to the task of keeping ourselves safe. So I really liked former VP Dick Cheney’s statement the most, not for partisan reasons, but because it remembers the reality of this:
“Al Qaeda remains a dangerous enemy,” Cheney said. “Though bin Laden is dead, the war goes on. We must remain vigilant, especially now, and we must continue to support our men and women in uniform who are fighting on the front lines of this war every day. Today, the message our forces have sent is clear — if you attack the United States, we will find you and bring you to justice.”
I also did really like President Obama’s speech, it was level headed, somber, and to the point, which is appropriate. I always loved Bush’s “rah rah” speechs, but it also feelsm, like I said, a little bit strange to be so celebratory over someone’s death. We can be relieved, surprised, hopeful for a future without his violence… But the rest just feels wonky inside me.