Music Notes {TWO GALLANTS: the bloom and the blight}

So much love for the new Two Gallants album! It delivers on the guts and honest depths of sound that I've always enjoyed from them...give it a listen.

photo notes {family photos}

{Jan. 1963: mom, jeff & alvin}

Aisling Photography {Alissa: maternity session}

A few favorites of mine from a very gypsy-ish maternity session, with one gorgeous mama! 

Thanks, Alissa!

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photo notes {family photos}

{my grandma f. 1930's}

Aisling Photography {Hunting Island Portrait Session}

 Got to photograph the Patrick family at Hunting Island. What an awesome place to hang out with such a sweet family :)

Straight into the water!

PIRATES!!!

...off to search for treasure...

...oh, there was treasure...

{COOKIES!!!}

...lots more swimming...

...and a really tuckered out babe...

{look!}

{little one loves the birds!}

{and big ones love digging holes!}

{he he he...I love the look on his face!}

{yep, I think he's stuck!}

 Thanks, guys! I had a great time with you all, and exploring the island more after our session. I'll post some personal images from that soon :)

photo notes {family photos}

{chicken, 1953}

{from Grandma F}

life notes {being.eating.doing.hoping.}

"I am hopeful. But hope rests on doing something. If you're not doing anything to change things, you have no right to be hopeful." -Howard Zinn

Without getting too much into it, I've been having a rough time participating in this system lately. I think its because I don't feel like I've been able to do much to change it... Thankfully, I had some good conversations with my mom & brother this week...It felt nice to have them both recognize me, like the real me who strives for all the goodness. My mom laughed because apparently she had a very similar conversation with my sister this week, like verbatim, about how "none of this matters!!!" I think we all agree on that, in a good way...and talking to my brother is always great, somehow, after all his nonsense and we talk about the world, I always end up with more hope than I had. My family (and now I'm choking up as I write this realization) gives me hope and strength and a sense of purpose when I lose it a little. I always look back on my conversations with my brother about decisions I'm making...I always recall him laughing after I've pro'd and con'd every last thing, because, well, none of it matters! :P   My brother and I talked about the things that we know DO matter, and how lucky we are to recognize it, to have grown up knowing and understanding the depth of compassion and care that we're capable of holding. We are lucky to have seen and known how people can support each other, and to know the good fight.
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I have high expectations for people. I feel like I can see what people are capable of, in their highest form. I want to support that. sometimes, its really difficult, because they don't want to wake up, they don't want to recognize it, they're fighting it with all that they've got. I grew up in a family that valued thinking, encouraged questioning, and seeking knowledge, as well as community & humanity. Talk about blessed...

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I am glad when we can question things and discuss them. I believe knowledge is the beginning to the answer to all of our problems. So, I have a friend, who likes knowledge as well, who posted this video, and asked for thoughts regarding what it presented. I got into answering it, and figured it was WAY too long for a comment, it kind of needed its own post ;) so here goes, my comments broken down in correspondence with the video:

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is all the profanity necessary? i'm sure we've got more intellectual language to discuss this with, is this one of those "man shows" that prides itself on crudeness?

"brings us closer to nature" - we are nature, we should be living in tune with it.

clearly this couple is committed to a sustainable lifestyle...making fun of their teepee, is that necessary? its a legit form of sustainable living that's more in tune with nature.

ryan zinn - works for non-profit group organized for the benefit of all people

alex & dennis (alex's father) work at Hudson Institute, who have involvement with ExxonMobil, and act as a corporate think tank. This is their statement about their values "We demonstrate commitment to free markets and individual responsibility, confidence in the power of technology to assist progress, respect for the importance of culture and religion in human affairs, and determination to preserve America's national security."

Allan tessler (hudson chair) is also involved in financial institutions and data corporations.

If you look at the above, and do some research about the companies they are tied to, what they  support, and how they support it, its clear who has the interests of the people, and who has the interests of corporations at heart. Capitalism is a dirty game, we're aware its not working.

The fact that Ryan Bailey didn't find organic food to be more nutritious than "regular" foods doesn't surprise me, since he is a critic of environmentalists & a libertarian.

...everyone's got an agenda... is that agenda good for the whole?

The puberty thing and hormones... yes, we're all fatter, it has a LOT to do with food, and a LOT to do with media, and a LOT to do with the general state that we live in... does that make hormone disruptors present in pesticides okay? not so much.

{{Here's a fun fact (not anything about the name of a hair cut that I get) when i eat organic strawberries, my cats don't care.  When I eat strawberries with pesticides, my cats will BITE me. I mean, come over, and bite my hand, bite the fingers I've touched those strawberries with. I'm sorry, but if my cat doesn't bite me normally, I don't need to eat food that makes it do so.}}

MILK. we're not supposed to drink it. our culture is so weird that we think cow milk with hormones are perfectly fine, but don't give our babies breast milk because its too difficult or because we feel our breasts aren't for that purpose...but that's a WHOLE other discussion...

pesticides... "petrochemicals" see above ties to exxonmobil...
          ... American Cancer Society ...honestly, if you read over their material and studies, they come off as indifferent about organic food. The ACS is the WEALTHIEST non-profit in existence, spending only about a quarter of its wealth on research. They are not interested in prevention. Their board serves their own interests, with ties to the pharmaceutical, investment, banking, and media industries. Let's face it, we're not going to "cure" cancer with a drug, but a lot of people are going to get rich "trying".

Organic Farming...yep, takes more land to produce food, when you're rotating crops as you should be. Oh, and if you go by the bible, I'm sure there's something in there about that one. Also, I'm going to add that if we're worried about land use & detriment, we should all be vegan. Raising animals for food is terrible for the environment.

"2billion people would starve to death" with conversion to organic farming? we could end world hunger if we supported a sustainable lifestyle including a vegan diet.

"which 3 billion people do you think should starve to death?"
-i don't know, lets not make them. lets feed everyone? do i really have a say in this? i'm not a multi-million dollar corporation or politician being funded by said corporation... victory gardens people, victory gardens...

I read about small organic farms being shut down for trying to have farm table dinners with their friends, about bills to make gardening illegal without permit and regulation , and I wonder, who really wants small government? who really wants control? who is beyond the law, and why? The supporters of this control say it is to benefit us, but it actually is written to support and allow more pesticides, and control organic food, and would make it entirely legal to uproot your backyard garden. They'll say this is not the intent, but if it was the intent, would they say it? Would the politicians admit to being controlled by corporations who fund them? Probably not. They're puppets and most people live in a land of make believe...

"small producers"
- yep, small, local producers are always better! yes! the food has more nutrients the sooner you get it to your table. Also, its better for the environment not to truck the stuff all over the world first. Why get tomatoes from CA if you can get them from your neighbor? they'll taste better too!

"we don't have anything against giant corporations getting into organics"
-of course not, you're libertarian.

<---not deluded. co-op. local. farmstand. farmer's market. organic. my favorite organic farmer hums loudly and has a smile on his face! this can happen all over. DO IT.

if we're getting organic food from china, lets change that. would i trust that? NO.  ... i'm sure it has a lot to do with the figures in charge of this capitalist regime. its not a good reason to be against organic food, however. its an excuse to invest our time and $, to get you on board with our "safe" petrochemicals that have no proof of causing damage to you! (except that we regulate them and allow only certain amounts...do you know how much melamine is allowed in a gallon of milk for it to be legal? better question! why the HELL should there be melamine in milk?! <---makes you want to drink that even less, no?  and we have a regulatory amount for that HERE, in the U.S. not just in CHINA, so our practices may not be a whole lot better)


--I love how this video picked this spacey hippie couple to exemplify "the organicsons" You know, people often dismiss my ideas because they've projected that hippie label onto me. It's easier than actually listening and participating in a discussion. I wish people would be willing to THINK. I wish people weren't AFRAID to THINK.

{I am starting to think my response has a playlist. ((insert Rage Against the Machine quote "fear is your only god"...))}

"I am purer than thou" - political, yes, spiritual, possibly, aware of knowledge, possibly, and yes, i'm sure there are people who are always oneupsmen. most people aren't. and there are a lot of people who just get excited when they've learned something good and want to share it. ...the prius jab is great, lets face it, most americans who need cars to get around can't afford a prius. biking isn't compatable with a lot of people's lifestyles, and most of us live too far away from where we work to walk. our country isn't up to par with bus or rail systems either, but mostly its because we invest in corporations with ties to the likes of exxonmobil?

"lining somebody's pockets" yes. that's the way the system is set up. I'd like to change that, but for some reason its hard to convince people that capitali$m i$n't working. could be the propaganda?

you're essentially voting with your dollars. I would rather pay 20 to 30 percent more to make sure my food  and clothing and products are organic, fair trade, and support a sustainable lifestyle. Honestly, I'm all for a new form of government that's run by the people, not $, and supports us all evenly. Communal, social, humanitarian, with no corporate or religious agendas... "you're getting promises, and a lot of times you're getting lies" Well, that would be the state of things, wouldn't it? But I don't think that's particular to this scenario, moreover, its the general consensus set up by the media at large, and those funding it.

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In general...

I've not yet met a libertarian who makes sense to me.

It seems like they're just republicans who don't hide behind religion. Meaning, they're both pro-corporation, though neither of them will say it. Republicans seem to adhere to the religious conservative, and use that as their platform, where libertarians just what? i don't know, want small government? this is why most people don't understand what they're adhering to as libertarian enough to explain it to me? 

Maybe republicans want freedom from government, and libertarians want freedom from government and religion, and democrats are just everyone else?  

When we learn to think for ourselves, we learn how to interpret all the shades of gray that exist. The world is not black and white, and you can't have two platforms arguing two answers to solve a problem, when neither is any longer a valid option.

I try to increase our sustainability, and when I buy things, I strive to buy organic and local, preferrably items, if made, are handmade, and I like to purchase things from people who support goodness. Trading is good. giving is awesome. I believe in treating others with kindness and compassion regardless of how they look or how much money they have. I think we're not liberal enough. We need a better system, and that we have lots of brilliant and talented people in this country to contribute their ideas and energy to make it happen, if those "big wigs" can get their giant freaking hair out of our way. 

We are nature. We seek connection to it, and every step we take away from that just hurts us. Regardless of whether or not global warming is "real", or if organic food isn't perfect, or we can't agree on  a law about abortion. These are all just aspects of the whole. The steps we take against the earth do hurt us. You can add to the fragmentation or the connection of your energy from the rest, and the only way we can resonate is together.

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