8.23.2011

Remember when I used to blog?

Yeah, me too. Barely. Life has been interesting lately. Lots of downs, but the ups are much more abundant. And more important.
I finally got out to Austin to visit my sister. It was a short trip, but one of the funnest I have had! Drunken bar games, secret beaches and generally causing mayhem. I love her and I miss her everyday. But I am still incredibly proud of her for living her dream.
Life in the SLC has been a whirlwind. I spend a lot of time with Stef and Traci which is so good for me. Dunno where I would be without those two. Found a best friend in the least likely of places, in Brenda. She's been a huge strength for me and its nice to have someone who thinks on my level.. Example in this conversation: "Ky, we have not gone to a drive in or bowling once this summer." "By that I hope you mean drunken bowling.." "Is there any other kind?" Haha. I also bought a bike. She's a beauty. I named her Naya. She and I tear up the town! Reconnected with the exex girlfriend as well. I can honestly say I didn't ever see that happening. Now that it has, I can't imagine it not. We've both grown a lot. Its nice that we can be friends without our past being much of an issue. I like her friends a lot. I like her confidence even more. I am glad we can be grown ups. She gets me, and its nice to have that.
I like the people I surround myself with. Feeling like they actually want ME around is refreshing.
I have seen some amazing concerts in the last six months. Arcade Fire & Local Natives, Deftones again (such an amazing show), Coheed and Cambria again (that show came right when I needed it), Explosions in the Sky, the Decemberists, Edward Sharpe, and this past Sunday was Adele. Real talk, that shit was like a religious experience. And Wilson Philips on Sept 9th! Hold on for one more day!!
I am headed to Austin in September for Austin City Limits. I have never been to a big music festival like that before, so I am stoked!
I suppose that is all for now...until next time (most likely 6 months from now)...

3.21.2011

Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.

Oh hey, internet. Long time, eh? Well I think I will more than make up for it with this post. Sometimes I forget how much I like Broken Social Scene. Silly thing to say but its true. Well yesterday thanks to a ridiculous cough I can't seem to shake, I spent most of the day in bed. I was looking on demand for a movie to watch but in the background I heard Broken Social Scene. They were advertising a movie called "This Movie Is Broken". One of the best movies I've seen in a while! I'm not going to review it here or anything. It just got me reflecting on the last few years of my life, and back listening to an amazing band. My life feels a little up in the air right now, but I've got good people around me and I'm thankful for that. I'm doing my best to see the silver lining here, if you will, and I'm feeling optimistic.


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1.14.2011

So I'm a little late...

I’ve been writing this blog for a few days now partly because I’ve been super swamped with work, gym, and just life in general. Also partly because it’s taken me a while to work through my feelings and emotions, internet blogs, news stories, interviews, and everything else relating to this topic.



I work for Comcast dispatch and deal with our technicians in Utah and we also handle our techs in Tucson, AZ. On January 8th around 11 o’clock, we had a few tech supervisors call and advise us that they were dealing with a shooting, so it would affect the tech routes. I had no idea what had really happened and watched in horror with our dispatch department as more and more information was released. I’m sure that most of you are aware of what happened, if not all of you, so just a quick overview:

U.S Rep from Arizona Gabrielle Giffords was holding a constituent meeting at a Safeway in Tucson when 22 year old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire shortly after 10 AM. 19 people in total were shot, 6 of them fatally wounded. Included in the victims was Rep. Giffords (shot in the head, underwent surgery, and according to doctors is on her way to a miracle recovery), Chief Judge John Roll (deceased), and Christina-Taylor Green (deceased) a 9 year old little girl who was born on September 11th 2001. Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this blog, I would just like to say that I am so sorry to the victims and their families in this tragedy. And I think it’s important that we remember that the family of the shooter are also victims, as they have lost a member of their family as well. Because of his selfish, senseless actions, families have been ripped apart and these people’s lives will never be the same.



A few hours after the shooting, the internet was abuzz with a picture that had been posted on Sarah Palin’s facebook page in November. The picture, posted here, is pretty self explanatory.



Yes, those are graphics of a target, as you would see through a scope on a gun. And yes, that is a target over the state of Arizona, aimed towards Rep. Giffords. And if that message wasn’t clear enough, that is her name 4 lines down. The first thing about this picture I heard was “blame Sarah Palin! It’s all her fault.” If you know me, or have been reading this blog since the first post, you will know that I am an Obama supporter. I am a registered democrat, living in Salt Lake City which makes me close to a liberal around these parts. I am a bisexual mixed race woman and in order to be true to myself, could never be a supporter of what Sarah Palin stands for. I believe in stronger gun control, I believe in a woman’s right to choose, and I believe that love is love and whatever goes on between 2 CONSENTING ADULTS is none of my business. But, against all that, I tried my hardest not to blame Sarah Palin for this. I don’t want to be a democrat that just goes against the republicans for the sake of the argument. So I’ve put a lot of thought into this and here is my conclusion, for those of you who care. (Hi Heather!)



What responsibility does Sarah Palin hold in this tragedy? She didn’t pull the trigger. That is what we first need to remember. She does not hold full responsibility. The shooter is responsible for his actions. But what role does she play in this? For as long as I can remember, rappers, actors, directors, video game developers, and Hollywood as a whole has been blamed for countless situations just like this one. A few years ago, a boy killed his little brother and when asked why said that he wanted to be like Dexter, a fictional character on the Showtime series of the same name. I remember that during the Columbine shooting, parents, teachers, and the media were blaming the music of Marilyn Manson. But I’ve always been a firm believer that video games, music, TV, and movies should not be blamed for violence. Those things are here for our ENTERTAINMENT. It is not real. And if someone does not understand the difference between real life and entertainment, there is something wrong with them. It is not fair to blame the entertainers. So shouldn’t the same hold with Sarah Palin and this disgusting picture posted on her website? So I sat with that for a bit. But my answer is no. She is absolutely responsible. Besides the fact that she obviously feels guilty because within hours the image was removed. Sarah Palin is a real life person pushing a real life agenda. She is in the public eye because she wants people to see things from her view point. She wants people to support her political stance. She, as with every other politician, is trying to make the American people see things her way, because she believes she can better our nation. And I am not here to bash that. Politics always has been and always will be about different viewpoints and opinions and everyone is free to have their own. But she is real. Slim Shady is not a real person. It is Eminem’s alter ego, who is actually another alter ego of the real person Marshall Mathers. So when Marshall raps as Slim Shady or even Eminem about hitting women, killing his wife, or shooting Dr. Dre, that is fiction. When Sarah Palin creates and posts this image on the internet with the caption “Don’t retreat, reload!”, that is real life. Now while I get that she wasn’t literally saying “Let’s go shoot these bitches because they voted for ‘Obamacare’” posting that photo was irresponsible.



Again, I am not saying that this shooting was all Sarah Palin’s fault. What I am saying is that someone who is aiming for a chance to run this country should really think about the message they are sending. You never know who is listening.