Fully Aware of My Own Shortcomings

Nice to hear a moderate voice like David Brooks say this:

So this is where civility comes from — from a sense of personal modesty and from the ensuing gratitude for the political process. Civility is the natural state for people who know how limited their own individual powers are and know, too, that they need the conversation. They are useless without the conversation.

The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves. The nation’s founders had a modest but realistic opinion of themselves and of the voters. They erected all sorts of institutional and social restraints to protect Americans from themselves. They admired George Washington because of the way he kept himself in check.

But over the past few decades, people have lost a sense of their own sinfulness. Children are raised amid a chorus of applause. Politics has become less about institutional restraint and more about giving voters whatever they want at that second. Joe DiMaggio didn’t ostentatiously admire his own home runs, but now athletes routinely celebrate themselves as part of the self-branding process.

So, of course, you get narcissists who believe they or members of their party possess direct access to the truth. Of course you get people who prefer monologue to dialogue. Of course you get people who detest politics because it frustrates their ability to get 100 percent of what they want. Of course you get people who gravitate toward the like-minded and loathe their political opponents. They feel no need for balance and correction.

Beneath all the other things that have contributed to polarization and the loss of civility, the most important is this: The roots of modesty have been carved away.

In a famous passage, Reinhold Niebuhr put it best: “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope. ... Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore, we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.”

I don't possess the self-promotion gene. I don't need people to acknowledge me, agree with me, or build me up. I recognize the difference (I hope) between being humble and being confident. This is probably why I feel so out of place in the ME ME ME!! generation.

Says the chick with the blog.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Rock & Roll Martian!

Any resolutions out there in Martian-land? Personally, I'm hoping to spend more time this year re-focusing on a few old crafts and starting some new ones. There might could be a new Tumblr site on the horizon as I take my new camera to the streets (thanks, Vee!).

2010 was a bit of a doozy and I'm hoping for a comparatively toned-down 2011. But... I think I say that every year. Here's hoping that all my friends and loved ones have a happy, healthy year and continue to stay in touch! Odds are good I'll be gracing your mailbox at some point. Your ACTUAL mailbox - that thing out in front of your house. You are worth $0.44. Since I didn't see the Year of the Rabbit stamps up yet, this will have to suffice:



Side note: Did you know that from now on, all regular first-class stamps that are issued will be "Forever" stamps?

Side note to USPS.COM: Take that goddamn scary-ass clown off your homepage! JESUS!

Gullibility

Can anyone recommend any books on Gullibility? I am intrigued by this characteristic lately. What makes certain people gullible, while others are almost preternaturally suspicious? Why do some people believe anything they are told - from small little pranks to gigantic lies - while other people search for verification? I think that would be an interesting read.

The Insider

Just the other night, we watched The Insider, the story of Jeffrey Wigand, a former tobacco scientists turned whistleblower. I had seen it years before and it always stuck with me. Since my recent viewing, I have been reading background information on Dr. Wigand and what he endured to share his testimony in court depositions and on 60 Minutes. The movie itself was based on the Vanity Fair article, "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

I lost my grandfather to lung cancer in 1996, so smoking has always been a sore spot with me. According to the American Lung Association, over 392,000 Americans die from tobacco-caused diseases every year. Another 50,000 die from exposure to secondhand smoke. Due to the carcinogenic properties of secondhand smoke, I support smoking bans in public places. Of course, adults are free to inhale toxic chemicals if they so choose, but as a matter of public health they should not be able to exhale them wherever they choose. Again, according to the ALA's data, there are over 600 ingredients in a cigarette. When burned, that cigarette emits 4,000 chemicals.

It's certainly not news that tobacco companies routinely target their products at kids. And why wouldn't they! If they're losing around a quarter of a million customers every year because, you know, their products have been KILLING THEM OFF, they better do some recruiting. After all, tobacco company executives have families to feed, mansions to maintain, and politicians to pay. Corporate influence over our political system disgusts me more than just about anything, but I don't feel like getting into that today. Instead, I just want to read the dictionary.

I looked up the definition of "Terrorism" on Dictionary.com. Here's what it says:

1. The use of violence and threats to intimidate and coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2. The systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve some goal.
3. The unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion.
4. Violent and intimidating gang activity.
5. A terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

We are all free to draw our own conclusions about who fits that description, but I'm just going to say that I don't think it applies solely to radical Islamic fundamentalists.

Long story short, you should totally check out The Insider if you've never seen it before. I think it is a tense, well-paced, and compelling story.

Soul On Fire

A tidbit of one of my favorite Danzig/Janzig songs. We'll be playing again on December 3rd at the Berkeley in Raleigh! Be there!

More Lips Of Faith!

For all you Kriek lovers (and, boy, am I one!):

Lips of Faith
Transatlantique Kriek

Seriously delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey reader!
Hope all is well wherever you are. Been busy here in Rock & Roll Martian land. Knitting up a storm (pics coming soon) and hiding from work-related and extra curricular-related stresses. We shall be taking it easy this Thanksgiving; I see a feast for two, a movie marathon, and NO TRAVELING in our near future. Any movie recommendations to go along with the obligatory viewing of Planes, Trains & Automobiles?

Behold!
A Del Griffith Tattoo!

They're Coming

I am VERY fired up about Distracted Driving this week. In fact, I stared a Facebook group called "If You Can Read This, You Aren't Texting," AND I am going to get bumper stickers printed with the same message.

I will give these bumper stickers away FOR FREE to anyone who wants one. This is important! We need to change attitudes about cell phone use in cars. Each of us has a part to play!

IT CAN WAIT

U.S. Secretary of Transportation (and my personal hero) Ray LaHood was on Talk of the Nation yesterday urging people to put their goddamn phones away while they are driving. In his words:

Last year 5,500 people were killed as a result of distracted driving and half a million were injured. A lot of lives and a lot of injuries can be saved if people take personal responsibility... and put their cell phone or Blackberry in the glove compartment.

Honestly friends, this is a topic about which I cannot soapbox enough. IT CAN WAIT. No text message is worth someone's life. Put your phone OUT OF REACH when you are driving. Driving is an inherently dangerous activity, and fiddling with gadgets only decreases your reaction time and increases (exponentially) your chances of getting seriously injured or injuring someone else.

To the caller yesterday who seemed to think that people who are "feeding French fries to their kid in the back seat" are more dangerous than people on cell phones, all I ask is this: How many times do we see people feeding French fries to their kids while driving? Probably almost never. How many times do you see someone either talking or texting on a cell phone while driving? LITERALLY EVERY DAY.

We need to break bad habits and put our phones away. We need to speak up when we're in a car and the driver is texting/talking. Take responsibility for yourself and help instill good habits in your friends/loved ones. Do not talk to them when they are "driving and bored." Would you get in a car with a drunk? HELL NO. Studies have shown that texting/talking while driving impairs you MORE than being drunk! It is NOT OK!

Yes, I am preachy but this is important. I love my friends and want them to be alive. BE SAFE and encourage others to do likewise.

Fun with Subtitles

When I'm ellipticizing at the gym (and watching Ellen), I often catch some hilariously botched closed captioning. A recent favorite was "Mary-Kate and Arby Olson," but that can't hold a candle to yesterday's jaw-droppingness.

Ellen usually has horrible musical guests and yesterday was no exception: a Justin-Beiber-in-training singing about happiness, finding the good in life, and following your dreams to the end of the... wait for it... RAPE BOW.

Meet me at the end of the Rape Bow. Honestly.

Putting the "X" Back in Xmas

Guess who has really kick-ass seats to see "A John Waters Christmas?" Damn right! ME! In their infinite wisdom, the Carolina Theatre sent me a postcard announcing the show with a password for the ticket pre-sale. Vee and I will be just a few rows away from the stage for his sure-to-be-tasteless, sure-to-be-amazing one-man show.

In preparation for the event, I will be rewatching some of my favorite John Waters movies and reading his recent memoir Role Models. I just picked it up from the library yesterday! He has such a lovely and familiar writing style. I want to give him a big hug on behalf of weirdos everywhere! See you in December, John!!

The Hunger Games

Based on the recommendation from my favorite Nine-Toed Woman, I read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy.


You haven't read it? WHAT? Stop reading this ridiculous blog and get on it! I bought the first book as a birthday gift for a friend on the condition that I got to read it when she was done. She did me one better and promptly bought the other two books and loaned them all to me. Now, I have passed along the first book to my (super-rad) boyfriend and then to a co-worker, who burned through it over the weekend and is clamoring for Book #2 (Vee, get readin'!).

While the trilogy is technically Young Adult fiction, the story is about as far removed from a passing-notes-in-the-hall teen soap as you can get. Without giving too much away, the trilogy is a literal and figurative metaphor for war and the effects of war on people. It challenges your perceptions of right vs. wrong, justifiable vs. unjustifiable action, and perception vs. truth. Collins' writing is superbly balanced between light and dark, hope and despair. It's truly a compelling story and TRUST ME - you won't regret reading it.

Thanks for the tip, Alysha!!

My Next Endeavor

Last weekend, a musician friend of mine told me about RTOOT. Little does RTOOT know, it has a date with destiny in the form of ME.

RTOOT stands for the "Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle." Let's say, hypothetically, that once upon a time you totally kicked ass at the French Horn. You played for years and loved it but certainly never harbored any illusions of a symphonic career (and needless to say never harbored any illusions that the French Horn was cool). You didn't think about the French Horn for years because you were busy playing in rock bands... until the day you saw a dented-up POS horn on Craigslist for $50. You bought it, and you know what? You could still play a scale. Then you put it BACK in the attic for a few more years until you heard about RTOOT.

Seriously, RTOOT, buckle up. I am going to rock your terrible world!!

Autumn Updates

Well... that whole Twins-dominating-the-playoffs thing didn't really turn out the way I hoped. Seriously, fuck the Yankees. At least they didn't make it to the World Series. Go Rangers, I guess?

The fall has been rolling right along. Been busy knitting (but haven't taken any pictures... d'oh!), crafting (i.e. Janzig stage props), music-ing, and Girls Rock-ing. Admittedly, I'm a bit over-scheduled but most everything I'm working on is super-fun.

I just spent an incredible weekend helping to facilitate the Women's Rock Retreat at the Celebrity Inn Bed & Breakfast in Siler City, NC. Along with a few other GRNC cohorts, we formed bands with 8 ladies who had virtually no musical experience. Over the course of the weekend, each band wrote two (TWO!) songs and performed at The Cave. I can't tell you how inspiring it was (is) to see women work together, have fun, and rock out!! Lucky lady that I am, my band wrote a spooky Halloween song which we dedicated to Vincent Price. A-MAZING.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

It is my tremendous pleasure to congratulate

YOUR 2010 A.L. CENTRAL CHAMPION
MINNESOTA TWINS!!!!!!!!

Don't stop now, guys! HOME FIELD! HOME FIELD!!!

Who Loves the Number 8?

ME.

Not only was that Gary Gaetti's number, but that is also the number of games the Twins are currently ahead in the AL Central. ChiSox? More like ChokeSox, amiright??!


Just one game separates the 87-58 Twins from the 88-57 Rays & Yankees (bleccch) for the best record in all of Major League Baseball. I would *really* love to have home field advantage through the playoffs. Just sayin'.

XOXOXOX

With each passing day, JANZIG becomes more and more prepared to rock your evil world. We solidified our set list last night and it will rip your face off! Hope to see your lovely devilocks this Halloween!

More to Smile About

9) The "Freddie For A Day" benefit is coming up, with several local friends/musicians all taking a stab at various Queen songs. Yours truly will be doing "Killer Queen," which is a bit of beast. I spent some good time with it over the weekend and feel much more confident. Freddie rocks and their songs rock! Can't wait to see the costumes and mustaches. Guaranteed to blow your mind!

10) The Twins are 5 - count 'em, 5! - games ahead in the AL Central!! Keep on truckin', boys!!

11) Janzig practiced yesterday, yet again confirming it's just about the most funnest band in history. Top contenders for our Misfits covers are Attitude, Some Kinda Love, Hybrid Moments and Bullet. BULLET! Psyched about that!!

12) OMG - I got the shooting star on Katamari "Make a Star 10!" A STUNNING FEAT!!!!

More Happiness

6) My dear friend Matt has come to visit! I haven't seen ol' "Marmot" in about 2 years. Seeing friends makes me happy! We've been having a great time. In fact...

7) We went to see "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and it was really great! Both of us were prepared to hate everything about it as it hits us directly in the Nerd muscle (comic books, video games, AND music). Thanks to Edgar Wright's capable hands, though, we had nothing to fear. Definitely recommend! Fun movies make me happy, especially when you are pleasantly surprised by them.

8) We're getting together with other friend(s) tonight and making pizza. Making pizza = happy. It's all preparation for the day we finally open Pizza Terrace, our much-dreamed-about pizza place. Pizza Terrace will have only pizza-related songs on the juke. Accepting recommendations! Never fear, Abber, "Pizza Rocket" is *definitely* going to be on there.

#5

The Twins have a 3 game lead in the AL Central. THAT MAKES ME HAPPY!

Good Things

Even though the blog is the place for venting, thinking too much about those subjects really drags me down. This week, I'm going to try to talk only about positive news and things that make me happy.

1) I have a jade plant in my office and it is growing like crazy. I look at it every day when I get to work. My jade plant totally makes me happy.

2) I love earning trophies on PS3 games. We have over 80% of the trophies for Katamari Forever. Vee and I almost always play that game together and it has given us many moments of shared amusement and a sense of accomplishment. That makes me happy.

3) The flowers in my garden make me happy. We did a lot of work to the backyard last weekend and it looks so nice.

4) I'm reading Love in the Time of Cholera, which is really beautiful. Reading makes me happy.

More to come!

Where the Hell Am I Supposed to Shop??

Because I'm crazy like that, I try not to put money in the hands of corporations whose owners fund right-wing causes. I don't work out at Curves, I don't succumb to the allure of waffle fries at Chick-Fil-A, and I don't get pizza from Dominos. But that's mostly because their pizza absolutely sucks ass.

In the interest of full-disclosure I must point out that while I don't shop at Wal-Mart, but I DO have a Sam's Club membership, which a friend (who is also a member) memorably equated to "buying from the Hitler-Chinese." So, already my whole philosophy is doomed. The impetus for this post, however, comes from the recent discovery that Target funded an right-wing, anti-gay Minnesota politician to the tune of $150,000.

TARGET. A company from my home state. A company that bought the naming rights to the stadium of my favorite sports team. A company that at least markets itself a being hip and diverse. I never felt bad about giving my money to Target, even though they are a big-box store. Now what? Does it even matter? Are all my dollars ultimately doomed? Where else do I spend my money?

Harris Teeter: Local NC supermarket chain. The president of Harris Teeter, Fred Morganthall II, donated to the campaign of Richard Burr, one of the most right-wing Senators in the nation (and friend of the blog! see below...). He has also contributed money to Republican members of the state legislature as well as the "Food Marketing Institute" PAC (which, admittedly, on its face at least appears to be bi-partisan).

Whole Foods: CEO John Mackey is an anti-union, anti-health care reform Libertarian. The health care plan at Whole Foods has extremely high deductibles and does not cover any form of medication or treatment for mental illness. In a New York Times op-ed, Mackey defended his position on health care reform by stating that, at least in his view of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, an "intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter has never existed in America."

Any Time I Buy Gasoline Ever, No Matter Where: 'nuff said.

Even if the company doesn't support right-wing causes, I can't help but feel like a jerk whenever I buy clothing or shoes. All those items are made overseas probably by a person who makes a LOT less money than they should. And, precisely for that reason, only on the rarest occasions do I buy any clothes or shoes. Any tips on where to find good 'merican made stuff?

WAIT - Some good news!!
Total Wine & More: Founder David Trone gave money to the campaigns of Paul Wellstone and Max Cleland. A toast to Total Wine! You can continue to count on my patronage! [Vee, I know you are breathing a giant sigh of relief right now. :) ]

Dead Heat

The Twins are White Sox are tied for the lead in the AL Central going into tonight's match-up at Comerica. A 3-game stand in the Windy City and then back to the Cities next week for another 3-game series. Let's go Twinkies!!

If Hindsight is 20/20...

...what is Foresight? Over and over and over and OVER again I am perplexed by the extreme short-sightedness of our citizenry - and our "leaders." In order to gain some short-term popularity or cause a stir or further one's own opinion (facts are irrelevant, or course), there seems to be no limit to what people will do. Who cares about anybody else? I DO WHAT I WANT! We are a fucking nation of Eric Cartmans. Prove me wrong - I IMPLORE YOU.

What an absolute breath of fresh air to hear Ted Koppel on Talk of the Nation yesterday. In January, he spoke eloquently about the need to help Haiti in the aftermath of their devastating earthquake. This time, he spoke about our war "efforts," or, more precisely, our lack thereof: how the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is not shared by all Americans, and that the average American (read: non-military) has not sacrificed anything during the last 9 years of war.

Seemingly common-sense legislative checks and balances such as, I don't know, (a) actually making a Declaration of War like we SHOULD do when we invade a country; (b) raising taxes to fund war efforts; (c) creating a sense of shared sacrifice [rationing, the draft] so that all of the citizenry shoulder the burden in some way - all these ideas are absolute political suicide. If our fucking politicians do not have the wherewithal to engage their constituents in something as serious as WAR, then THEY SHOULD NOT WAGE WAR. As Ted said,

We haven't sacrificed. I haven't sacrificed any blood. I haven't sacrificed any treasure. My taxes are the same now as they were before the war began. My taxes have not increased. None of us is paying more in taxes today for a specific war tax than we were paying before. And when he says we are sacrificing blood, that's precisely my point -we aren't. The young men and women who are over there are, and by extension their families are. The rest of us are sacrificing nothing.

It is an awful lot of easier to borrow the money from the Chinese and defer the payment than it is, you know, I mean, imagine here we are coming into the political season again. We have elections coming up. How many congressmen out there do you think are going to come out and say, yeah, I was listening to Ted on NPR the other day. I think he has a terrific idea. I'm going to propose raising taxes so that we can underwrite the cost of these wars.

Almost by definition, that man or woman would be elected out of office. It is politically so unpopular to suggest any additional taxes. But that is a state of mind. And that's really, Tony, what I'm arguing right now, that the American state of mind these days is so self-indulgent, is so self-oriented, is so concerned about doing, you know, I'm all right, Jack, as the British used to say. Everything is okay with me. I'm not going to worry about what's happening to those kids over there. I'm not going to worry about where the money is coming from. Maybe my grandkids will pay for it. You know, where will I be by then?

I mean, think of a single sacrifice that we, as citizens, who do not have children or relatives in Iraq and Afghanistan, what sacrifice are we making? My argument is: none. And it has to be something.

Putting aside the argument of whether the draft is right or wrong, at least it spreads out the burden of fighting our wars. And when "normal" people are called to serve their country, it might make us think twice about putting their lives in jeopardy, hence the massive protests during Vietnam. The motivations for waging war need to be scrutinized to the utmost degree, by our politicians and by the public. Lots of luck with that pipe dream. We're all too goddamn busy watching Jersey Shore to give a fuck about anything real.

T-Minus 4 Days!!

Need I say more??