Occupy Hartford

Oh man. As Bob Dylan once said, "The times, they are a-changin'"--and oh glory was he correct (or at least I hope so!). This past Friday night (did "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry just come into your head? Because it just popped into mine which annoys me because that song is NOT at all related to what I did with my Friday evening) I went to downtown Hartford to stand in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street Protesters. If you don't know about Occupy Wall Street, basically it is all of these protesters that are taking a stand to protest the class divide between the rich and the poor. The divide has grown wider and wider in the past few years, and people are finally saying ENOUGH. And here's the thing; I'm not protesting the fact that people have worked hard and have a lot of money. I'm not disputing that at all. But what I am disputing is that we somehow equate a person making $8 an hour at Target with not working as hard as Lady Gaga who made an estimated 90 million dollars last year (for an interesting article click here). We somehow believe that certain people deserve certain things, and others do not. But what we ALL deserve as human beings is equal access to resources (healthcare anyone?!). I'm not saying that I have any solutions right now, but it seems to me that in a country as rich as ours, the haves should be taking care of the have nots a whole lot more than we are. Basically, the top 10 percent have more wealth than the bottom 90 COMBINED. Like seriously--WHO NEEDS THAT MUCH MONEY?! *NEED being the operative words, not "want"--but we live in the country of excess, so...yeah. My brother told me that if Steve Jobs (R.I.P.) took just ONE of his ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS, he could give each of his Apple employees TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH. I keep praying he left money to his employees, because seriously, how tremendous would that be? It would be too beautiful, because you think of just how hard they work to scrape by (and let me tell you, I have received WONDERFUL service at Apple--they have helped contribute to those billions of dollars!). OK end rant. Anyways, the point is that the top 1 percent control most of the $$$ in this country. The divide is just too big, and it's not because people are lazy or don't work hard enough or all the excuses that the elite try to get the "have nots" to believe about themselves as if they earned their societal position (bull $h!@). There are bigger forces at work here, and it's so much more complicated that personality traits--the way the current system is set up will leave the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer--it's how capitalism is set up to work. Marx predicted it 100 years ago, it's true--in fact he wrote a book about it. Creepy, but true. He actually predicted this very revolution (*surprise!).

But what I love is that people are getting angry about this. Like, pissed. And they are doing something about it. Social movements are the best!!! This isn't about people agreeing or disagreeing with my political view, this is about the fact that a collective group of people is standing together to voice their dissatisfaction with something--we're doing something. What has killed me these past few years since my eyes have been opened (thank you Sociology!), is the amount of apathy present in this country--and this is the country where we should be voicing our opinions of all places!

As I walked around downtown Hartford chanting "WE. ARE. THE 99 PERCENT! YOU. ARE. THE 99 PERCENT!" and "WHAT DOES DEMOCRACY LOOK LIKE? THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!" and feeling particularly hippie-ish, I couldn't help but hope that I'm not being overly optimistic in believing that change is coming, that things are going to be rectified, that things WILL get better. That our government will get itself together and stop representing the people instead of themselves. But it is my faith that propels me to keep on using my voice. Christians pray the Lord's prayer all the time to bring heaven to earth, and to help the poor, and all of that--so, let's get moving!

Oh, by the way, you should sign this petition. Why? Because basically the government thought it would be a GREAT idea to bailout banks, but not the people--so this representative is submitting a bill for all student loan debt to be forgiven. Why will this help our economy? Well, think about it. I have $400 each month in student loans--what am I IMMEDIATELY going to do when I have an extra $400 a month? Probably pay off my car. Probably go travel, probably start saving for a down payment on a house. So the idea is to put money back in the hands of the people, and not bailout corporations that may not effect the greater majority. I LOVE THIS IDEA. And you could get your loans forgiven...win-win!!! Check out my facebook page for some more articles about Occupy Wall Street!

My SJC Blog

Guess what! I'm like, totally "official" now! I've started blogging for the college I work at...so you can catch more snippets of my life here. I have a fancy schmancy (airbrushed?) photo too. Coolio!

Listening: Really junky E television "news"

Eating: Nada

Drinking: Apple cider--totally into it--IT'S FALL!!!

Wearing: PJ's! And a goofy headband with my hair all rolled up so it's curly in the morning--I get my picture taken for my SJC blog tomorrow (which means I need to head to bed soon to get my beauty rest!

Feeling: Fairly content

Weather: Perfect. I love the evenings.

Wanting: An adventure. Preferably involving a famous person (Let me follow up with this post by stating where this comes from. Today at lunch my coworker was telling us all the cool stories that he had had involving famous people. I would like something of this nature to happen to me)

Needing: TO GO TO BED!

Thinking: I wish I didn't need to sleep

Enjoying: Life and the anticipation of new things on the horizon

Thankful: for my amazing co-worker Tai! She is just too good to me! She continually teaches me new things, inspires me, and I hope I am as good to her as she is to me.

Currently...

So I came across this little gem on pinterest.com, the little devil that I have fallen in love with and takes up all of my spare time (that and "Words With Friends"--totally worth buying the ipad to play it). Anyways, I came across this as a form of "quick journaling." I kind of like it--it's a little snap shot of the day, is easy to do, so I might do it every once in awhile for funnsies. So here:

Currently:

Listening: "Friends" on Nick at Nite." It makes me nervous that this show is now old enough to be considered a "classic"

Eating: Nothing. But earlier today I ate the most delicious apple I have ever had IN MY LIFE that I picked from the orchard yesterday. If this apple was anything like the one Snow White ate, I can see why she bit it.

Drinking: Tea.

Wearing: Jammies

Feeling: T-i-r-e-d but content. Grateful for a wonderful day at the outlets with my friend Beth, and a wonderful RA staff

Weather: Humid--blargh

Wanting: It to be fall.

Needing: to not procrastinate

Thinking: "Oh well"--in relation to the procrastination

Enjoying: "Friends" (see above)

Some various pictures from my summer I haven't had time to post!

SEATTLE!

First stop: Macrina as always!

B and I at Greenlake!

Picnic dinner in the park! (yes, that is beer in that mug)

There's really just nothing like it

Nope, never gets old!

RA's 11-12!!!

Fire Safety Training!!!

Chappy Takes Cleveland!

Our RA staff is one big happy family. And that big happy family has a pet camel named Chappy. Every week during our staff meeting, we pass around Chappy the Camel and you share your happiest and crappiest moment with the group (get how Chappy got his name?Crappy...Happy...now put them together...). The person with the happiest (or crappiest) moment of the week gets to take Chappy home for the week, where he spreads joy and cheer to all whom he encounters. Chappy is also a world-wide (well, intercontinental United States) traveler. He has seen the space needle in Seattle, he has been to the glorious city of Chicago, the wilds of New Hampshire, and during Labor Day weekend he got to visit Cleveland (because it rocks!) when I went to celebrate with my family for my brother Matt's graduation (woo!) and my grandpa's 80th birthday (get it Grandpa!). Below are some of Chappy's adventures:

Chappy lounges at the lake house on Johnson Island

Chappy drinks a delicious cup of joe

Chappy meets Brutus the dog. Friend or Foe? You decide. But mostly likely foe.

Chappy congratulates Matt on his degree, officially being an "educated man" and on paying off his loans for the next ten years. Yeah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

OHMYGOSHIAMTWENTYSIXYEARSOLD. HOWDIDTHIS HAPPEN?? My friend Brittany says that everyone has their "freakout age." And I know if you are older than me, you may be scoffing (26 is so young! you say), but I am still entitled to feel old(er)! This is my blog and I'll do what I want (do 26-year-olds still get to say things like that?!)! Anyways, I'm not really "freaking out," but I will say I have certainly been more reflective about this birthday, as far as what my general life direction is. Perhaps this is because people have been posting on facebook that my 10 year high school reunion is in 3 years. Perhaps it is because when you turn twenty-five, you have exciting things to look forward to, like immediately becoming a better driver and receiving reduced auto insurance rates (thanks for that extra $3 a month Geico!), being able to rent a car (DID IT! WHAT A RUSH!), or perhaps being able to finally drive a fifteen passenger van (skill might be utilized for a youth group trip or perhaps a fun or terrifying family reunion, depending on your family's level of crazy). DOWNSIDE: I was once told that the age of 25 is when your body starts to deteriorate, and I'm praying that's not the reason my knees hurt a little extra this year. I'm going to believe it's because I became more of a "hardcore" runner. Being 26, however, the only future perks I now have to look forward to are my ability to become president of the United States at 35, and my senior citizen discount at 55. My first order as Madame President will be Margarita Mondays and free puppies (or a tax cut if you don't want the puppy) for all!

But I digress. Because I suppose what really is at the heart of all of this is why 26 has become my "freak out year" (Okay, perhaps I'm being a little dramatic). I anticipate that a large part of this was because (I don't know about you) that there are various cultural expectations of where one will be in their life at certain ages. You know: sweet 16: first kiss (didn't happen until age 21.75), age 18: win lottery (still waiting on this one), age 22: graduate from college (I took my time getting through college, so actual time of departure was 23), age 25: see above, age range 22-30ish get married, perhaps insert child onto Earth (not commenting here), age 30: be depressed about being 30, age 40 own house (yes, this is how long it is going to take me to buy a house given the new percentage for a down payment is TWENTY PERCENT)--you get it. Wow, in looking back, apparently I take my own sweet time doing things. But do you really want to know the truth? I imagine, if you went back to 16-year-old Jess and asked her where she would be in ten years, she would have said the following, "Hmmm. School teacher (history). Married. Kid (?). House. Really awesome." 26 was this sort of abstract, unattainable ENTITY, sort of vague, but sort of clear-ish. And then I went to college and learned about LIFE. REAL LIFE AND HOW THE MAN GETS YOU DOWN. Just kidding (sort of :).

No but seriously. Perhaps the pressure of getting older is seeing where others in life are around you, and this really helps no one. This person started their own business. This person owns a house or got the job you always wanted or is attending the program you wanted to. This person gets to be the back up dancer for Bon Jovi, even though Bon Jovi doesn't even HAVE back up dancers, but that person was THAT good. This person is pro-creating (and you can too!--eek!). So-and-so went around the globe and cured world hunger from their ipad (OK, definitely would NOT complain about this one-cure! cure! cure!). But you get the point. Perhaps with things such as facebook, my generation is in constant comparison with where everyone else is in their life. And this can be a very dangerous road to walk down, because in fact, God does not work this way, and takes her own sweet time gettin' you to where you need to be (and if you are like me, you HATE hearing this phrase. Like, totally, seriously HATE it. Because it's true, and there's sometimes nothing more irritating than hearing something you don't want to hear but need to hear).

Because what I realize now is that, at 26, while I am certainly not in the place I would have anticipated, and having none of the above things that I think many of us consider "life markers," I have gotten so much more richness and depth and become a woman far different than I could have imagined I would be (for better or for worse). It seems the things that many of us want in life, you know, that make you a "real adult," can be empty if not filled with the trials and tribulations you had to go through to earn them. And life is so far outside the very short sighted walls of our concept of life markers anyways (and this is of course not to say that those that have attained these markers are wrong by any means--not what I'm saying at all!!! I'm saying we're simply all at different places than maybe we would have believed, and need to experience things at different times). 16-year-old Jess (16YOJ for short) had a very short-sighted perception of herself at 26. While it has been a very challenging past two years since I moved to Connecticut (16YOJ would have never imagined that the 26YOJ would be across the country...no farther east than Pocatello), I've learned lessons I didn't even know I needed to learn, and met incredible people who have shared in teaching me those lessons (and not just in Connecticut). I earned a degree that shook up my faith, and completely (and yes, I do mean COMPLETELY) changed my view of the world. I DRINK COFFEE NOW. I speak less, or try to (yes, this may be hard to believe. Sometimes I marvel at the fact that I still have friends--I can be very verbose/moderately obstinate). In many ways, I am a shell of the person I once was, and yet still very much the same (READ: incessantly lose things, such as when I absentmindedly left my glasses at Brittany's house in Seattle last week. I am writing this blog blindly. No, seriously, I'm blind, and if I think I made a typo I have to get my face about 0.5 inches away from the screen to see if my assumption was correct). I also still have a sweet tooth to be rivaled, and I still consistently say stupid things. I do not know the difference between than and then. But as my neighbor told me the other day, "You can only be Jess."

Well, world, here I am, loud and proud. President 9 years from today.

Oh, finally, per tradition, my 26-year-bucket list!!! (can you say something's a tradition if you've only done it once prior? I say yes.)

1. See "Wicked" (happening September 11!)

2. Italy (happening in March!)

3. Try to write an article and get something published (I got told the other day I should try free-lance writing. What do you think?)

4. Start graduate school (hopefully happening in the fall!)

5. More volunteering

6. See Darren Criss on Broadway, hopefully "woo" him with my big baby blues and sparkling personality (this is non-essential to my contentment, but highly preferable)

7. Create a budget and actually stick to it--find more ways to be thrifty with what I have instead of buying more (I was moderately successful with my no clothes buying stint last year!)

8. Continue to get involved in the community, and try new things through various community organizations

9. Though very ambiguous and perhaps a little abstract, I want to continue working on supporting and helping others, and thinking less about myself (surprisingly difficult)

10. That's all I can think of for now, but I feel like "9" is an incomplete list. Perhaps this is sort of my OCD coming out. Maybe #10 should be "Be less OCD."

Hello 26th year! Come forth boldly and beautifully!