we are but older children, dear

So between rescuing a dog mid-week (yes we found a stray dog on the street and got him a new home in a new record 24-hour period) I've been obsessed with these horrible, unconstitutional, insane new TSA naked scanners and "enhanced" patdowns.

I don't have the energy (it being 3 a.m.) to fully express myself, but here's a starter pack of some of things I've been reading regarding this issue:

http://www.thousandsstandingaround.org/ A small sample of citizen horror stories which have been popping up across the internet. There are some truly heinous stories on here, and for these alone, I'd say abolish the TSA immediately and let the airports go back to handling their own security in a more professional manner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/opinion/26iht-edcohen.html One of the only sane things that's been published in the mainstream media lately

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/27/molecular-biologist.html Documents safety issues with backscatter machines and how the TSA may be using improper science to deem these machines "safe."

http://www.ourlittlechatterboxes.com/ This is the story that first made me feel horrified by these machines/patdowns. Anyone with a modicum of empathy should be able to feel for this woman and revile her experience.


And finally, if your fear of terrorism still trumps your fear of a police state - check this out: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/01/odds_of_dying_in_terrorist_attack_on_airline_1_in_25_million_struck_by_lightning_1_in_500000.php

If after reading these links you're as angry as I am, I implore you to do the following:
1) Write Obama
2) Write other legislators - all of them
3) WRITE THE AIRLINES! They may be our best hope for ending this, as we can tell them we won't fly if these invasive techniques continue. It has, in fact, made the idea of flying home considerably less appealing to me, and I'll probably postpone coming home for a visit as a result, unless, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, America comes to its senses before I get an adequate vacation.
4) Tell your friends. Share links on facebook and LJ, engage in discussion
5) If you're really fired up about the issue, though, protest! There are protests ongoing at airports, with information tables for the more orderly among us and nudity at the security lines for the more daring.

Let's take our country back from those who would harass and humiliate the elderly and traumatize children and sexual assault victims. No one should have to fear their government. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Took a really nice hike today from Dalmaji (a nice, quiet area of Busan) to Songjeong Beach. And just like that Korea and I are on good terms again.

Would write more but I am tired from the hiking and the sweating and the sun. Gonna wash up, chill out, put some clothes away and listen to music.

Korea friends - let me take you on this hike some time. You will like it. In fact, I could easily find 4 days worth of fresh entertainment here in Busan for you, that you probably haven't experienced before.

Put i-tunes on shuffle - the first 10 songs that have any kind of memory feel associated with them, write briefly.

Warning Sign, COLDPLAY - reminds me of about 2003, when I was married to Josiah, just after I decided I was polyamorous but before I'd acted on it. Around the time I visited with the Bucks in Corvallis and really fell hard for Jordan again. This song still fills me with a sort of melancholy. I think at that time I knew that Josiah and I wouldn't work out somewhere deep within in me. And I was mourning our relationship and the exultant feeling I had felt when we first got together and I knew he was my soulmate. The lyrics kind of back up this feeling - "the truth is I miss you so. And I'm tired. I should not have let you go." Sometimes, looking back, I wonder if Josiah and I could have stayed together under different circumstances. I was pretty immature at the time in terms of what I believed about love and life. But in the end, I know that Lee and I and Asha and him are all better off as we are.

Raspberry Swirl TORI AMOS - HUGE memory associations. Shoots me back in time, actually, to a Buck party circa 1997 or so. The hair flying around, the sweat pouring but we don't care, the thrashing gyrating twirling bodies. Some of the best nights I've spent in my life dancing, swimming talking and watching horror movies with the Bucks. And this song was one of our (several) anthems, probably second only to the Rusted Root trilogy of Drum Trip/Ecstasy/Send Me on My Way.

Felix Felicis HARRY AND THE POTTERS - The latter days of Portland - going to Harry and the Potters concerts with my geek friends. Biking around Portland, nannying. Not one strong memory but just a mood of easygoing all the time in the world slackerdom and geekiness in PDX.

Christie Lee BILLY JOEL - Childhood/teenagerdom and my Mom played the Innocent Man album over and over again. This is one of the ones she'd dance to and when my mom danced, she'd GET DOWN in our living room. She also favored this one when she was cooking, so it still kind of reminds me of spaghetti in meat sauce.

Bohemian Ballet DEEP FOREST - Another Buck-dancing related memory, but this one is more specifically me and Jordan. Jordan was really into Deep Forest for a brief period one summer and he'd often dance to this one in his living room. Sometimes I'd watch but mostly I'd join in. This kind of 90s New Age world music sort of screams 90's now when you listen to it. But it's a nice mood, a nice era.

Readymade BECK - 1995, cleaning movie theaters at midnight with Kristin Kronwall, with weird "proton pack" like leaf blower things on our backs. I don't know why but we always ALWAYS cleaned theaters to Odelay. There's a hidden track at the end of the CD that made us jump SEVERELY the first time we encountered it.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Two memories - both involving me and my brother. First - We did this for karaoke at the Wisconsin State Fair - TIP, from me to you - Don't attempt to karaoke anything but country at the Wisconsin State Fair. It won't go over. Second memory - my brother and his girlfriend at the time, Melissa, doing a lip-synch routine to this one at my last lasagna Christmas party. It was quite the show. I think my brother or Melissa even wore a mask that was supposedly in the music video. After that party I think was the first and only time my brother ever got stoned, unless I'm mistaken.

Glory LIZ PHAIR - This (and any) Liz Phair generally reminds me of the time in my life when I discovered Liz Phair - junior and senior years of high school. Hence, it reminds me of being a smart, horny teenager who longed for a better, bigger life. I miss my room when I listen to Liz and particularly the view of the street as the evening turned into night in Lake Geneva. If I'm ever truly rich I'd consider buying my house back from my Dad and let him and Renee move into a much nicer, bigger house while I appreciate the joys of ramshackle nostalgia and the ghosts of my past.

The Winner Takes it All ABBA - This is probably cheating, but it mainly reminds me of waking up this morning, having dreamt about singing this song (maybe in karaoke, maybe just a capella). I remember being upset that no one was listening to me in my dream. I also remember singing this one in karaoke (accidentally, I swear) when I went to karaoke with Tim and Sarah when they were together and Tim and I were not.

All is Full of Love BJORK - Unfortunately, this song reminds me of when Lee broke up with me in 2004, after we'd been dating for 3 months. Because he gave me this CD the same day (I always thought of it as the "consolation prize" CD) which had the Death Cab cover of the song on it. And then I sought out the Bjork version. Anyway, I remember trying to be comforted by the message of this song and failing. I wanted love from Lee, dammit. I didn't want to "twist my head around." But I still try to heed the message of the song, anyway.

I just went to a German beer pub with a Bulgarian cover band who sang English, Korean and Russian songs in Korea.

I watched a Korean man rub dinner plates suggestively against his chest and butt and a middle-aged couple in couple shirts blatantly make out in front of a crowd of 200 people.

Then at midnight about 14 of us retired to a noraebang.

Yes, right now you wish you were me! Or if you don't, you should!

(I'm slightly tipsy still.)

p.s. Tim and Cliff - you know we're taking you to this place whenever you visit Busan.

http://koreabridge.net/videos/midsummer-nights-dream-busan

I think you can see me in the stills for the scenes I'm in. But really, I directed it, so it's all precious to me. The only scene with serious problems is 1a, where one of my actors who couldn't seem to keep lines in his head appears.

Anyway... my directorial debut and my Shakespearian debut all in one.

Yay!

you're having sex with your husband and all of a sudden you blurt out: "I love thee!"

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

- Shakespeare plays dipped into today - 5: "Midsummer's", "Lear", "As You Like It", "The Merchant of Venice" and "Romeo and Juliet"

- Shakespeare plays read in their entirety today - 1: "As You Like It."

- New Shakespearean roles I'm dying to play - 1: Rosalind

Theater snafu resolved. Now just have to get the lighting, sets, costumes, blocking fully ironed out in 2 weeks.

Yeah. Only that. :(

Oh well - we've come this far. And I know ALL MY LINES! :)

So it turns out that putting on a play is a hell of a lot of work. But it's also really really fun. I think I would be having 4 times more fun, however, if I had been trained in directing, set design, lighting, etc. I'm seriously considering saving up to go to the Portland Actors Conservatory or some other drama program when I finish up here. Of course, I'm also seriously considering several other options including Hawaii still and even somewhere in the back of my mind, reconsidering meditation training. Just cause my brother is so damn happy. And I'd like to be like that.

But yeah, the actors conservatory has people working on all aspects of the theater and participating in various productions. It's quite near to PSU and I saw a really great production of "The Blue Room" there last year. It's definitely on my list of places I'd like to go to learn things. Who says I can't start an acting career at 33? Well, common sense might. But screw common sense. When has common sense ever given me anything I really cared about? Pretty much never, that's when.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their lives.

I'll check back in again soon, but "soon" is very flexible and may not be til after the play.

Love,
Jen

So if you don't hear from me anytime soon, it's because the play ate my life.

Yes, I am directing a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I have no prior directing experience and have only ever acted in 3 plays before, 2 of which were "The Vagina Monologues" which require minimal costuming, set design, blocking, etc.

So I'm in WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY over my head, and thank god for the few theater majors in the cast who are helping out more and more as they realize that I really don't mind. I never wanted to be a director - I just wanted to put on a damn show and no one else was doing it, so I stood up and did it.

It's freaky. I've never made something this big happen before. One day I had the idea - oh, it'd be fun to put on "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Then, all of a sudden we had a stage and 2 performance dates and a cast of like 18 people. How'd that happen again?

I'm scared out of my mind and most days I wake up with anxiety symptoms and I have to meditate quite a bit just to feel normal and sleep well at night. But I do think this will be a good experience overall for me. And I do believe that we can put on a decent show - maybe not great - but watchable and fun. It's hard to fuck up this play completely, although I've watched some pretty funny Youtube videos of people who seemed to try really hard. :)

Gotta go now. Shower calls and getting ready for work. Might not be here much for a while. But know that I love you and miss you, my friends, and dearly wish that we could visit.

Love,
Jennifer