Freedom and the Best American Movie EVER

In the words of Bart Simpson, "Hey, America, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, America." Now as most of you may or may not know I'm usually an extremely a pretty contentious person. I spend a lot more time complaining about the ole U.S. of A. than I do singing her praises so I've decided to throw my hat into this week's discussion and take up the challenge of naming a few things I love about my country (patriotic music swells up here).

First and foremost (and I'm amazed Glenn didn't talk about this), I'd like to give a shout out to the Bill of Rights. That whole free speech thing--fucking brilliant. Considering how frequently it's attacked these days, particularly by morons who mysteriously think the ACLU is bad, I sometimes forget that we came up the whole idea of guaranteeing by law that people be allowed to voice their opinions, no matter how unpopular.

For example, when I googled "why America is great," I turned up this website. I disagree with at least half the items this schmoe's list (Wal-Mart? college football? Monopoly? I think not.), but I'm still all for his right to appreciate things that suck. And THAT's what's really great.

Changing direction a bit, let's acknowledge that it was Americans who invented the internets, allowing us to all be here today having this virtual discussion about why we're so damn great. I know that for many of us it's an addiction, but still, hats off to the internet.

Now, I don't want to name too many things here since there are a hell of a lot of people who will be posting after me, but I'd like to quickly celebrate one last thing, a person actually, or rather persons. That's right, I'm talking about the Coen Brothers. Honestly, I don't think I could survive without a minimum bi-monthly viewing of The Big Lebowski, and I think it's fair to say The Big L is a celebration of America in its own hilarious way. And because it makes me smile, I'll leave you with a clip from the movie. I chose this one because I saw John Tuturro in Union Square last week and that was awesome. He's MUCH taller than he looks in the movies.



PS - Sorry for going totally link crazy. I have way too much time on my hands.

back to addictions for a minute

Disclaimer - i think stephanie's post posted while i was typing, so i'll do a separate post for this week later.

hi all.
i missed my day - at least i think i did. i finally got jane's email about posting order a few minutes ago. not that i don't have internet, but my dialup at home has been downloading some accounting software for two days and then some personal training software for some more days... i had about a billion spam emails to delete. it was great.
i guess that proves that the internet is not an addiction for me- i didn't cry, and i didn't go to the neighbor's house and ask to use theirs (our neighbor is actually pretty cool and probably would have let me, but i didn't NEED to).
i think i'm addicted to chai lattes with soy milk. i give them up every so often, but then i just gotta have one and whoops, they're a daily thing again. i got into them because i was trying to get off the white mocha (which i'd used to get me off caramel frappuccinos). i think i see a vicious cycle. it's weird how the addiction transferrs though - i've tried decaf, and they satisfy the craving, so it's not that. i'm sure the beverages serve as some kind of comfort food (okay, drink). i just feel better when i'm sipping one. mmmmmmm. good.
i'm also seriously addicted to sleep. i was insomniac for YEARS!! and then normal for a while, then i got insomniac again, and this time i over-recovered and need about 10 hours a night. if i don't get that much sleep, i'll fall asleep anywhere, any time until i fill the quota. shoot, i fell asleep at the beach yesterday - people who know me will know that i just don't do that. the beach usually gets me all hyper and i play in the water... and then one day at lunch i crawled under my desk so nobody would see me snoozing. i woke up snuggled to the computer connector thingy because it was warm. so yeah, addiction if not disorder. again, i think it's a comfort thing.
so now that i've gone off on tangents about my two biggest addictions, i get to go off about addictions in general, right? different people get involved with different things: by choice, or chance, or whatever. my husband is addicted to running. he got teased into training for a marathon, and now he can't stop even if he wanted to. he gets all jittery and grumpy (ish) until he goes out and runs about a billion miles.
i can't imagine wanting to do that. then again, i can't imagine wanting to snort weird stuff that would most likely eventually kill me, but some people do that too...
i think our brains respond to what we usually do by deciding that's the way things ought to be. i slept too little for a while, so my body decides that's enough. then i sleep a lot, and my brain changes its mind.
some people have a special blanky, some shop all the time, and some have annoying habits like sticking their hands in their armpits and then smelling them. the point is that if you do a certain thing enough times, you're addicted. if your brain decides it's the "right" thing. i also think that different people have either learned or genetic tendencies to easily addict themselves to certain things (i know that's been pretty much proven with alcoholism...). my husband's family have cigarette and alcohol tendencies. one of either and they're hooked. numerous times one brother or the other has tried to quit something, but it just ain't happening. i, on the other hand, did the cigarettes until i noticed that soccer wasn't as easy, and stopped immediately. since that day i've taken one puff -just for shock value (i somehow always get this goody-two-shoes reputation, so i had to refute it). similarly, i've tried multiple kinds of booze, but i hate them all. i can't imagine wanting to drink it enough to become comfortable with the situation.
i think it would be cool if scientists figured out a way to trigger the addiction centers in our brains so we could addict or un-addict ourselves at will. it would probably be good for me if i were addicted to some form of exercise for a while, or maybe i'd want to cancel my sleep addiction so i could be more productive. i wonder if anyone is studying that.
so that's my fifty-two cents. i didn't quote anyone cuz i'm too lazy to look stuff up, but hey, now you'll get my own thoughts, and not what i read that someone else thinks. yay.
i'll try to post in the right order next time.

a dictation

Sooo... I'm pretty sure its my turn to type again on this old merry go round of fun (I like filled with FUN, thats what I love~ thank you Tribe). And the thing I've noticed in my thinking about this addiction stuff is that there was a time some 70 thousand years ago or so when addiction wasn't really such a big issue as it is today. At that point, diction was far more "in vogue". I mean, back then most of the guys were hanging out by their caves waiting for some animal dumber than they were so they could club it to death, and they were a bit too busy trying to mouth words around those fumbling jaws they had to really be worried about how much wormwood they were chewing and how often.

And hey, there's a theory that language was born of hallucinogens. Seriously though. What is the monolith if not a trip? A gateway into a perception greater than oneself, an existence beyond what one ever dreamed of, an experience that is immediately both intangible and yet incredibly real, real enough that the first thing you want to do is describe it to everyone around you. "Look at what the WORLD is doing! Caves don't just DO that! It's like, everything I ever knew was just proven false in ten minutes. Physics, man, physics. Particles, the relative softness and hardness of objects, and its RIGHT you know, about energy. It can't be destroyed, only transferred. And did you see what the trees just said? Its like they were turning into themselves, but like the ideal representation of what trees ARE man, and thats ok, you know... thats... ok." Of course at the time of the inception of language, it probably sounded a bit more like "AAAARRRHGHGHGH! AKAKLALLLLLLLLL! AAAASHIIIIIIIII! RRREEREREREEEEEEEECKKKGHGH! FLLLULULUUULUUUBHGHHGHG!"

So now we've got some crazy ass Homo Floresiensis running around camp trying to figure out what to do with his tongue in order to explain this recent experience to his buddies who are all in various stages of clubbing women over the head to take them back to thier caves or killing, eating, or skinning something dead, and then a good seventy thousand years later, WE'RE all worried and arguing about why we should eliminate from society that which was gracious enough to bring us language in the first place. Where's the love there people? I mean here we are using what came second to describe what came first through machines that we ourselves have invented which have so simplified OUR language that it can all be broken down to a sequence of ones and zeros (which is actually kind of the way our brains work anyway... either the synapse fires, or it doesn't.) And all this thanks to drugs. Thats right, drugs. Thus, from diction to addiction and back again is quite a long path my friends, quite the perverbial RIDE.

But now that we've gone and done it, now that we've opened that can of worms, lets step inside and explore a bit, shall we? Addiction... hmmmmm.... addiction, addiction, addiction.... nope, can't say I've met the gal.

But if I had, she'd probably be attractive at first, you know, the kind of woman who shows up at a party and she's got a bit of a strange vibe around her, but she talks a lot and a good number of the people there end up feeling prety easy around her... she's handing out cigs and talking about other things, things she's done that no one else has, talks about them like she's some kind of 21st century goddess of experience. But thats all gradual man, gradual, you know, because first its all like, "hey I'm havin a few people up at the house this weekend and you're welcome to come along" and you can't really make up your mind whether or not to go, but as long as your friends are going, it can't be that bad.

So you go to this chicks party and at first you're not sure you like her so much. Yeah, she's pretty hot, but kind of rubs you wrongly, abrasive, just not in any tangible way. You know, cornering you in conversation, generally controlling the topic. And you can't make up your mind how much you really like this girl, but it seems like everyone else is having a good time, your friends who have known her longer want to stay at the party even when you're ready to go, but this chick, this whole hardcore act, is kind of growing on you. And before long you're over there every weekend, hanging out, just can't seem to get enough of her. And then you're in her room and there are hands everywhere and the whole thing is heavy and wet, hot like whats left of the rainforest, fast like motorcycles, slow like the slippage of time. And you stay there in her room for days, months, maybe even a year or two. And its not even that you laugh at her jokes anymore. Its not even that you really enjoy being around her at all after a while, but she's there, and you've gotten used to her, you know, she's what you know. And you like the sex. At least you used to like it. A Lot. Now you're just kind of living in the memory of what it was.

And then out of no where she kills your grandmother.

Needless to say you're pretty pissed. You stop calling her. And you stop going to her house. You stop talking to her, erase her pictures from your hard drive, try to make friends who are into surfing or climbing mountains. Try to meet nice girls. But one day you're feeling down about something and you remember how she used to talk to you and make you feel better, so you go to her house just once, just for old times sake. And after that its over. You can't stay away. When you're not over there, she's at yours. And next thing you know you're married to the woman who killed your grandmother. And you're next. And you know this, but you don't care. She's your wife, and you're willing to look past the little things.

Yeah, that's about what I think addiction would be like. She's dangerous, but only because she doesn't really seem like it.

The truth is, I've probably had my share of addictions, the worst of which has been cigarettes, and perhaps in college when I was into the Marlboro Green. That was a tough one to quit. But I did. And now I like to drink. But I wouldn't say that I'm addicted to it. Its not like I NEED that drink or anything. There's a fine like sometimes between exploration and addiction, and as far as I'm concerned anything can grab you by the balls and not let go, and that's when you've got a choice to make. You can either cut off the fingers and hope the hand doesn't grow back, cut off your balls and change your life completely, or learn to live with a monster on your balls. (substitute balls for boobs if you're a woman).

This is an impression of me on coffee

Coffee. Caffeine, but specifically coffee. That's my addiction of choice. Put me in a dark room with no communication or entertainment, but slip me a single mocha with whip once or twice a day and we'll get along just fine.

Compared to many people, I don't drink too much coffee everyday, but it's still enough to give me a headache on the weekends if I don't have it. This may be a psychological reaction, although it's certainly one I'd like to stop because I seriously don't enjoy it. Some of my friends say all addictions are just psychological reactions, and maybe there's some truth to that. I don't know. But I do know that a soda does not have enough caffeine to keep the headaches away and that, as far as coffee goes, Dunkin Donuts has very little caffeine whereas Starbucks has too much. Yep, addiction is what keeps you coming back. But Starbucks coffee tastes like dirt, so I go most often to a local DC place called ME Swings right near the White House. It's probably the consistently best coffee I've ever had, and it has the friendliest baristas. If you're ever visiting DC, this place is worth the extra stop.

Also, caffeinated soap exists!

I consider books a compulsion, not an addiction. I enter a book store and feel almost obligated to find something I could take home, which isn’t really hard. It’s sort of like sending an 11-year-old girl into a pet store and telling her to leave with at least one cute, furry thing. My book shelves are full, and I’ve begun stacks on top of my speakers, on my headboard, and on the floor. And I freaking love it. Even if I can’t read all these books, I lovelovelove to surround myself with them. I’m Scrooge McDuck in the Money Bin; I just like to wallow.

this is your brain on drugs...

Hi everyone, new guest blogger Laurie here. I don't think anyone has introduced me yet (where's the love, people?), but I thought I'd intro myself so I could weigh in on this topic. Obligatory blurb about me: Like many of the kiddos here on BSG, I grew up in L.C. Florida, but left after high school for college, subsequently earning a BA in English Lit and a BFA in Studio Art from Florida State University. I relocated to Brooklyn two years ago, and have loved every second of it. I currently work in business development at a mid-sized tv network that I promise you've never heard of, but I'll be starting as a student at Brooklyn Law School in the fall. You can check out my personal blog, Sleeping in Brooklyn, here. So on to the topic at hand!

Just last week I read a story in Elle (yeah, I know sorry but that's where I read it) that basically argued that most people who try or even regularly use narcotics and/or other drugs won't become addicts.* This of course, flies in the face of decades of "Just Say No Dare Common Sense" public education, but it's also much closer to the truth of drug and alcohol use than any of the terror filled edicts we're normally bombarded with by various drug "authorities." Having been around the block with a pretty wide range of drugs from alcohol to opiates I can attest than no, the average person won't become a raving drug fiend the moment they take a bump of blow at a party.

Traffic offers a great example. The pretty upper middle class WASP girl chases the dragon once and is whoring herself to her big black (so much to say about the race depictions here, but that's a topic for another day) dangerous drug dealer in the ghetto 45 mins later. I'd have to argue that this is an extremely unrealistic picture of addiction. I'd also have to argue that there is an inherent danger in miseducating the public with regard to addiction.**

The real trouble with drugs is when the tiny percentage of people who have "addictive personalities" get their hands on them. The New York Times had an interesting article recently about what personality traits are commonly found in addicts and it's worth checking out before they make it TimesSelect. One thing that I find strange is how difficult it is to find statistical evidence on the internet that indicates what percentage of the American population is actually addicted to drugs. An extensive internet search this morning turned up all kinds of "drug abuse up X%" kinds of things, but they always fail to establish what the benchmark was before the rise. If heroin abuse is up 50% but it still represents only .67% of the population then that's worth noting. The aforementioned Times article simply says "many millions." I can't remember where I saw it, but somewhere I came across a figure that stated that 20 million people in the U.S. Even if the number was actually 20 mil then that's only 6% of the population. However, I have the impression from other websites that even this is a gross exaggeration (that number probably includes cigs and alcohol, too). I found an interesting little blurb about this here where the author states that "obviously, the government can't say how many genuine addicts there are, and the 3.6 million number seems like a tremendous overestimate based on counting anything approaching regular use of heroin, crack, cocaine and other drugs, both actually measured and estimated."

So what's my big point, right? Well, my point is that we need honest facts about addiction in order to have an honest public debate about it's dangers. Slate has several articles about this topic that are worth a read, especially this one about "the best anti-pot ad ever." Do a keyword search for "drugs" to turn up more like these.

A couple of concerns here that I won't get entirely into (this is a blog after all and I've already written WAY too much here), but that I'd like to throw out there to get you thinking a bit:

- "Dangerous" things entice people, especially teens, and when you convince people drugs are super dangerous it only entices them more.
- People who choose to use drugs cannot protect themselves if they don't understand what the actual dangers of using those drugs are. This is related to...
- When people know you are lying to them about some things, they will assume you are lying to them about everything else. With drugs, this could lead some people to assume all the bad things they hear about drugs are false or exaggerated.

*They cited studies and I would throw in quotes here were it not for the fact that I left my copy of the magazine at a friend's place and he's in California all week and there doesn't seem to be a copy of the article anywhere online. Sorry but that's life.

**Actually I'm of the opinion that there's an inherent danger in miseducating the public on any topic. Educate your citizens well, give them the facts, and let them make their own decisions, I say. Don't get me wrong, I haven't become a Libertarian. I firm in the belief that the people should be governed, but I also think that the people should decide how they are governed, not the elite ruling class (hello almost exclusively rich, white, male Congress).

I Can't Get No...Satisfaction

Well this topic is perfect for me, as anyone who knows me knows that I've been addicted to heroin and sex since the age of 5. Just kidding - well about the heroin at least. I can't actually say that I'm addicted to drugs (never really taken any), or alcohol (ok - I've had my share of drunk nights, but I rarely get drunk anymore), or anything else - except food, shopping, and a captive audience (with or without the duct tape and gag).

But seriously, real addictions for me? Actually probably pretty close to Jane's. I'm addicted to the internet, though it hasn't been able to be quite as severe in the past 6 month because I've had dialup at home. But no longer! My sister saw a sign saying that we could finally get DSL out in the sticks, and she told me when I got home last night that my mother had already called and we're getting the hook-up Thurs! I can finally post the pics I have on my camera! Ooh! AND with DSL we can set up a wireless network, and we can set up the other computer! So while I don't generally check my email before I pee in the morning (as it would take far too long, and I'd probably have an accident before then), that may soon change.

Also TV is a big one. I generally don't have the time to just sit and watch, but I do record my favorite shows. I love Sex and the City, Dexter, Weeds, Big Love (all the really good shows on the movie channels you have to pay for - well not Sex and the City), but I do have an embarassing love for some reality tv. The worst, I'll admit, is American Idol. I suppose I can truly say it's an addiction, because even though I'm completely embarassed and ashamed to admit I watch it, I do it anyway. The others are the competition shows on Bravo. It all started with Project Runway, then moved onto Top Design, and finally Shear Genius. I just love all the creativity, and competition, and bitchiness - and I would LOVE to be on one of those shows, but I don't have the right experience or degree.

Travel is probably my other addiction. Living in Lake City, I mean, who could blame me for wanting to get out and visit some cool places any chance I get? Oh - that reminds me - my grandmother has a timeshare in Sedona that we could trade for a week in London - anyone up for a trip? However it is a bit of an expensive addiction, and often I end up using the money I should be paying off medical bills with to go on these trips. However, I use the excuse that it has made me a more worldly and well-rounded person, so it's totally worth it.

In the interest of keeping this a relatively short post, I suppose I should end it there. I could ramble on about my love for Neil Gaiman, Jack White, shoes, and other things, but I'm sure I'll cover those at some other time on this blog.

A day late and a dollar short...

Whoops! Apparently I was supposed to start off this week's discussion. I realized this last night and opted for bed instead of wracking my brain for something intelligent and witty to stick here. However, after having slept on it, I do actually have a topic for all of you readers and co-bloggers to muse on: addictions.

In general, I do not think that I have an addictive personality. I smoked cigarettes regularly for several years because I enjoyed blowing smoke out of my mouth. In 2000 I came back to the US after having spent seven months in Russia - land of super cheap smokes - to Tennessee, which had just instituted a new cigarette tax. I decided that I was simply too poor to continue that habit, so I stopped. No patches, no Nicorette gum, and (aside from occasionally when drinking) no cravings. I've smoked pot a handful of times, although I never really saw what the big deal was. I always thought I'd rather be drinking booze. And speaking of booze, I certainly drank a lot during my college years (I went to Sewanee after all!), but I can pretty much count on one hand the number of times I've been drunk in the past year. Okay, maybe two hands, but you get the point. I simply can't imagine desperately craving smokes (legal or otherwise) or booze, although obviously there are many people in this world who do.

But just because nicotine, THC and alcohol aren't the driving forces in my life, that doesn't mean that I don't have addictions. My most obvious addiction is to the Internet. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is turn on the computer. Seriously, I turn it on before stumbling into the bathroom to pee. I check my email, MySpace, and my blog trackers several times a day while at work. The first thing I do when I get home is turn on the computer, and the last thing I do before I go to bed is turn it off. Unless of course I'm downloading something large while I sleep. I'm currently planning a roughly three-week long trip to Russia when my time in Korea is finished. Because I'll be in some rather remote places in Siberia, I'm assuming that Internet access for those three weeks will be nil. And Oh. My. God. Three weeks with no Internet? Not sure I can make it!

Then there's Jack White. I am thoroughly addicted to that man and everything he touches. I know Laurie will back me up when I say that the latest album from the White Stripes, Icky Thump, is the most addictive thing since crack. I simply cannot stop listening to it... nor do I want to. It might actually be *better* than Get Behind Me Satan - and I didn't think such a thing was possible. Also, I would totally bear Jack White's children, starting right now, without a second thought.

My most recent TV addiction is Battlestar Galactica (frequently abbreviated as BSG, kinda like BlogSuperGroup, so it has to be awesome, right?). Anyhow, too many people whose opinions I trust told me that I absolutely *must* watch Battlestar Galactica, so I finally gave in and started watching (on the Internet - surprise! - from the beginning). I'm currently almost finished with Season Two. (Don't any of you dare tell me what's coming - I want it to be a surprise!) In fact, I think I have to stop typing so I can watch some more BSG right frackin' now.