You Need To Read This

Being pushy on the internet is not usually a good thing. The internet is an angry angry place where people attack each other and prejudiced can be masked by usernames like sexii_angel_baby92. But I think it's time that my (some say pushy I say determined) personality shines through a little more. So if you only read one post on my blog read this one.

This is Nikki Mawanda, 27, who was born female but lives as a “trans-man” and his life is at risk.

There is something terrible going on in Uganda. See there's a law which originally would of allowed a gay genocide and now will probably be life imprisonment. Life in prison means hundreds of beatings and rape in a so called attempt to "cure" homosexuals.

See I know that marriage equality is important and I will of course be watching the prop 8 trials this week. But I can't really get into the whole marriage equality thing as much as I wish I could when something like this is going on. Because marriage equality cannot be the number one issue for the gay community if people are still being killed for who they love. So what can I do? What can you do?

1.Write. Write letters to the UN to your government representatives. Tell them that you care about this and that you want them to do something too. Write on your Facebook, Twitter your school newspaper and your blog.

2.Talk tell you friends. Make people so angry at you due to the fact that they won't shut up that they do something.

3. Protest. This ties into writing and talking but get together and join or create a demonstration.

4.Wear. Make a t shirt a tote bag a button that sparks conversation so you can work in number two if you are shy (like I am sometimes) and can't bring it up. If clothes are a way to show the world who you are then show the world that you want to stop this.

5.Donate. Places like the Astraea Lesbian Foundation are getting money to the precious few gay rights activists out there.

6.Read/Watch. Read the New York Times watch the Rachel Maddow show. The more informed you are the better you can talk and write and of course make cool liberal references "So I was watching the Rachel Maddow show..."

7. Reclassify While you are reading writing wearing talking donating and watching remind the world that these are not gay rights these are human rights. We need to reclassify and rehumanize these sort of things and remind people that every fight for rights of a human being affects them.

8.Finally though it sounds sappy. Pray or send out good vibes or just think of these people before you go to bed. There are so many people who use religion as a way to justify this kind of thing. Don't believe the crap God (or whatever you believe in) loves everybody end of story.

It's the second decade of the 21st century this kind of stuff should not be going on. It will not go on. Not if I have any say in it.

memories like mohair sweaters stressed and pilled with distressed letters

Welcome to my school. Check out that amazing polyvore-ish display of uniformed perfection.Actually I don't mind my uniform I get to wear a skirt (an unflattering polyester one but beggars can't be choosers right?)

I am a catholic school girl and a choir girl and a band geek and..... Well a bit of an outsider in terms of representing my school's values at times.

I have a lot of issues with my church the whole anti gay,abortion and really in terms of roman catholic ideals women. Right now I'm kind of lacking religion. But I'm not lacking belief.

If I could pick one thing that I think defines humans from everything else it would be belief.

Because whether you are religious or agnostic or an atheist you believe in something even if that something is a belief in nothing.

Life is nothing without passion right?

Our beliefs create passion. Last year after Obama was elected there was a huge debate in my school with our official pro life club "Silent No More" who wore black tshirts and handed out red strings in mourning for the thousands of murdered unborn babies.

I handed out special pro choice strings and debated in the hallways.

It was a pretty big deal.

It's strange going to mass and singing about God when I have such an issue with the catholic church. But I love singing the Pergolisi Suite every Good Friday and this amazing feeling that absolutely consumes my soul when i sing or listen to people who are better than me. So I take a more secular approach to my enjoyment of the pieces. (By the way Pergolisi lived a pretty crazy cool life check him out)

I know a lot of people my age who are getting into Buddhism and that's cool. I like the idea of figuring out how you fit in the universe and how you have to do that by realizing how tiny yet important we all are. I'm also a fan of their lack of a GOD WHO WILL SAVE ALL YOU TERRIBLE PEOPLE!

But in the end belief is belief and it gives us something to hold onto a reassurance of something constant.

So what do I believe in? I believe that all humankind is strong and resourceful and beautiful and good. That in the end everything will be okay as long as we take hold of that goodness and put it to work.

Summer is ending I go back on the eighth and if anything I want to bottle up how I feel right now and be able to call upon it .

Also if you can't tell from my title I'm on an Andrew Bird kick.

Ever seen a baby robin be born? Put that on your to do list.

Today I learned about preperation.

With exams looming and culminatings on top of us it's easy to think of preperation in the simple reading your notes kind of way. But today I saw a baby bird being born,right i front of my eyes I saw something that looked like a rock become something alive! This little robin has been preparing for this moment it's entire life. This is the hardest thing it has ever done. It has no plan,no idea on what will happen next but it puts in more effort than ever.

So what does that say about us.

about chances and possibility and being brave?

I think about preperation and maybe that's just as important as the end result. That it's this weird mix of being ready and facing the unknown. That tiny robin has no idea what the big wide world will bring and yet this is the big event. After the shell there's no real plan but that does'nt matter.

I want to be that robin because all the preperation in the world only sets us up for a single event after that we'll play it by ear and we'll see the world for the first time. Maybe we'll start defenseless but from that comes a beautiful song.

cheese fest but I'm feeling reflective