Myth.
Life is based on myths.
Myths that I create and recreate,
produce and re-produce.
My myths involve white picket fences and dogs.
Myths are powerfully powerless.
Unless, of course, they’re sold under a different label,
then they are powerlessly powerful.
Myths are exciting, intoxicating weaves of content
and mojo.
Spells cast. Spells received.
The breath of life to carry on.
Or to destroy.

Part II: The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a conservative Christian organization that is opposed to homosexuality, equal marriage rights, abortion, and assisted suicide. By putting your change in those little red kettles, you’re also supporting political and social biases.

While they have the right to believe whatever they want, we also have the right not to support their ideals with our loose change. Ideals that so many people are suffering under and fighting against.

While I’m certainly not trying to undermine the good that the Salvation Army does in terms of needy families, there are so many other ways we, as fortunate charitable citizens, can support others without supporting bigoted ideologies. Please choose to give your money direcly to programs like Coats for Kids, foodbanks, and various Festivals of Light, which all help needy families but do not support a political agenda that includes homophobic beliefs or invasive/controlling health care practices.

More information on the views of the Salvation Army can be found at:

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/B6F3F4DF3150F5B585257434004C177D?Opendocument

Here’s what I’ll be putting in those little red kettles this year, a note that says: “I’m choosing to no longer to give my charitable donations via the Salvation Army because I am opposed to the bigoted and personally invasive ideologies that the Salvation Army supports. Do unto others as you would have done unto you – support equal rights and everyone’s right to choose what’s best for themselves.”

Part I: The Twilight Movie and I

As many of you are probably aware of and eagerly anticipating. Stephanie Meyer’s new Twilight movie comes out tomorrow. I will not be going to see it, nor have I read the books, though I’ve heard they’re amazing. If you choose to buy the Twilight books new and watch the Twilight movies in the theater, let me give you a little run down on where your money will be going and to what purposes it will be used.

As is common knowledge, the author of the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer, is a tithe paying member of the LDS church. For those of you uninitiated in the inner workings of the Mormons, tithing is a requirement of the LDS church and it usually is about 10% of one’s earnings.

According to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), between when the first Twilight movie opened on November 21st and the time the page was updated on December 3rd, it was estimated that the movie brought in about 120 million dollars U.S. Using that figure alone (to say nothing of her book sales or money earned from subsequent movies), that would mean that Stephanie Meyer tithed approximately 12 million dollars to the LDS church.

This money is payed to the church to help pay for administrative costs, maintenance, AND church politics, such as financing Proposition 8 in California – a law that denies same-sex couples the right to marry – and other homophobic legislation. While the LDS church itself only contributed $4943.18 to the Proposition 8 campaign, LDS identified individuals paid $15,305,050.17 (http://mormonsfor8.com/?p=242) a monetary figure that does not represent all of the volunteer and manpower hours that was donated.

The bottom line is this: if you are financially contributing to Twilight you are contributing to MY oppression by supporting homophobic legislation.

And, finally, to steal some words from Kristina: I know that what I’ve posted is controversial. There are straight people who believe gay marriage is a sin. There are gay people who think there are other much more important issues to be working on. I hope the straight folks who oppose this come to see the this is a civil rights issue. I hope the gay ones who oppose this understand that I’m not saying this is the most important civil rights issue in front of us. It’s one of many, and mentioning it now is timely in light of the Twilight movie opening this weekend, given that so much of the proceeds of that movie will help to fund anti-gay legislation. Much love to everyone, no matter which side of the fence you’re on.

I took the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) on Saturday, September 26th. It was intense. Of course, you start studying for it (hopefully) months in advance, which I mostly did. We’re never very good judges of our own performances on these sorts of things, so while I feel like I did a lot of guessing and didn’t do well, I probably did fine. I should know my score in a few weeks (aroundabout the 19th of October). I’m applying to five schools: University of Washington (my top choice), Seattle University, Willamette University, Lewis & Clark, and SUNY at Buffalo.

I/we finished the two books I had previously listed so I’ve added the newest one I just started today. The pickin’s are gettin’ slim as we’ve packed up all but about 20 or so books. We’ve been relying quite heavily on the Seattle Public Library.

Also, I put a new page on my recipe blog about Marinades that I’ve been using often. Yum! I’ve actually got some steaks chillin’ in the fridge right now that I think I’ll grill for dinner this evening.

Other than that, it’s studying for the LSAT and packing up the basement tonight! Possibly watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which neither K nor I have seen yet but that we have from Netflix currently.

I’m averaging about a post a year. Not so good. But I’ll try to be better about it now that I’ve got relatively consistent web access.

Things continue to go well. I’ve put in just over a year with the Refugee Resettlement Office as their ESL Testing & Volunteer Coordinator. My position is essentially funding the ESL program and recruiting/maintaining volunteers to help out our teachers. I like the people I work with and the schedule is flexible enough that I can continue attending school.

Speaking of school, I’m in between quarters right now. At the end of August I finished a month-long intensive course on Christianity in Africa which was essentially the study of Chinua Achebe’s novel Arrow of God and the application of three different philosophical texts to it. It was the hardest class I’ve ever taken, not only because it was a month intensive but also because it required a lot of thinking and brain work. I loved it! I’ve taken my final paper from that course and submitted it to the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review. I should be hearing back from them in the next month or so. Keep your fingers crossed!

I only have three more quarters of school and then I’ll have my Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences from the University of Washington: Bothell. It’s so strange to have been going to school on and off for nine years and now be this close to done!

Well, not totally done, hopefully! I’m applying to law school this October. I’ll be taking the LSAT on September 26th. Wish me luck! I’m applying to the University of Washington School of Law, Seattle University, and the University of Buffalo in NY. It’s exciting and frightening at the same time! To that end, I’ve been volunteering with a local lawyer, Helene Ellenbogen who specializes in child custody dissolution cases. It’s fantastic to get my feet wet and I’m hoping that it may turn into something I can do throughout law school.

The other big news is that K and I are moving out of the house we’ve been in for the past two years. It’s a four-bedroom and lovely but we can’t afford it on our own, so we’re moving to a two bedroom apartment. It’s a really good move and we’re terribly excited about it. We’ll be able to live by ourselves and we’ll be saving about $600 a month from what we’re currently spending on rent and utilities. We can’t wait!

I think that’s all of the updates for now. I’ve updated the “Book(s) I’m Reading” link and I’ll make sure all of the other links are working in short order.

~ FR

Wow! I can’t believe it has been a whole year since I’ve written on here! Life is going well. I’m now living in a house in north Seattle with my girlfriend and our zoo along with my cousin. I just resigned my position as Manager of All The Best Pet Care in Lake City. Though a great learning experience and mostly wonderful people, that is not where my future lies. As of last week I have taken a job with the Refugee Resettlement Office (RRO) as their ESL Testing Coordinator. It has been a great first week and I imagine it will only get better.

Relaxing at home
I smile at you and I feel
the world beneath my feet