Formerly Known As fibrogirl's Open Salon Blog

Livin' the life I was supposed to be

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:08:23 -0400

I meant to come back. I really did.

I liked OS and still read it avidly.

I am too freaking busy being a healthy non fibromyalgia having person to make any posts. The posts I should be making are conversations I have face to face during my forays about in the real world.

Love and kisses, my OS friends. This blog has jumped the shark.

Bisous,

FkaF

Michigan, it's time to get your freak on

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:07:15 -0400

Things are bad here in Michigan, you've all heard the stories.

Unemployment is now at 15.4% (reported in June). Cannot seem to fine any report on the "negative population growth" but that might be because the person who was doing the counting has left as well. There are for sale signs everwhere, many of my friends house have been on the market for years, and the layoffs are still happening.

Hell, even my doctor is leaving, going to Tennesee because somehow the economy is better there. Which caused me to ponder....what could Michigan possibly do to get back on track?

I got to thinking about the recent passing of the medicinal marijuana laws. You can smoke the heady nugs here, if you have a legit ailment certified by a sympathtic M.D. You also can grow, and therefore profit from the mary jane if you have enough sick friends.

Wait.....Michigan has a lot of sick friends. The rest of the country is also struggling with how to help their residents with health care. I know marijuana doesn't cure everything...but....

Why couldn't we become the "compassion club" for the rest of the United States? A little Great Lakes bud could do this country (and our residents pocketbooks) some good. Growing pot in Michigan as a taxable comodity. It could be a whole new industry created to replace the void left by the auto companies. And it would give all those unemployed auto execs something to do.

Another good thing about living here is that there is a lot beautiful land in which to roam. I just spent the last weekend on one of our many rivers, kayaking and camping. Talking with the campground owner, she lamented to me that business was obviously down and she wasn't sure what her family was going to do.

I thought offering the space to "alternative" markets might be a solution. It's out in the middle of nowhere, off the beaten track. There are no schools or towns nearby and you have to take a dirt road 1 mile into the woods to get to this particular space.

I'm thinking nudists, swingers, Plushies, Trekkies - whatever. Give these people a place to play where they won't be harrassed - I'm positive they will pay for the privlidge. Have a sex workers convention - anything. Run some EL wire in the trees, pipe in some decent dance music and you have yourself a party under the stars as you see fit in whatever way you want to live - and in the middle of one of the most economically depressed areas of Michigan.

Some other great things are the music festivals. A larger one decided to start up here last year, Rothbury. Put on by AEG, it brought 14 million dollars into the area that hosted it last year. This year, the reports are a little lighter but still - it's wonderful to see so many people make the trek to our humble state for the awesome music scene.

A few more of these festivals would be grand. Our own version of Burning Man would be even better. Hell, it's cooler here and much easier to get water than out in the desert.

Send us your artists, your bud tenders, your tired of hiding in conventional life residents for a visit....Michigan will be better for it.

Miss You Pops

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:06:25 -0400

Pops,

You'd be happy to know I don't celebrate Father's Day anymore. I know that it's was one of the most important days for you and now I cannot bring myself to consider taking that time to honor anyone else.

I moved again. I know, I should settle down but I am truly your child. I eschew marriage, committed relationships, career moves that last longer than three years, and most conventional thoughts on such subjects. Packing was difficult, as I run across mementos of you stashed around the house. All the fake ID's, winner's circle photos, trucker hats, and scraps of paper with lists of numbers and names. Someday I'll follow up on those. I'm pretty sure a few of them have gotten out of the big house by now. They are old now too, I'm sure I can take them. I wished you could have gotten past that I was a girl and brought me a little further along in the family business, but I suppose it was for the best.

I'm getting better at addressing questions about you. Expecting a few "What'd you do for Father's Day?"'s on Monday at the office. I'm sure the answer of "slamming a few Stoli's, smoked a Cohiba in honor of, and squeezed off a few rounds at the gun range" probably won't go over so well in my new pretty, conservative, white bread enviornment but I get a sick satisfaction out of shocking people sometimes.

Yes, I get that from you too. Maybe I'll just say that you've passed. That's always a good one to, I get the head cocked "I'm sorry" from most people. I never understood why people ask so many personal questions on these types of remembrance holidays. What does one say to inquiring minds when Pops was murdered and Mommy is a nutter that you don't speak to?

I miss you every day. There isn't a time I don't think about you. I have issues with comparing everyone to you in some way or another - but when it comes down to it, I don't care that your way of thinking and living isn't going to be repeated in any normal human being. You were right, we are different and I don't need to compromise my seemingly bent point of view to fit in. You told me it would be difficult and wished I would follow a different path, but you know what - I like what I became. I owe my propensity for forethought, aggressive action, exacting expectations, and the ability to see into the dark and not be frightened to you.

Happy Father's Day Pops. You did good, even if it didn't seem like it at the time.

Love,

Ride of Silence '09

Thu, 21 May 2009 23:05:05 -0400

Thankfully, Eric Anam has reported on this event in a beautiful and thoughtful post. I had to miss it last minute due to the disorganization of my life. It was a decision I was torn up about - especially when I watched the local news that evening.

Reported by WOODTV 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -

The truck pulled out of a private drive at the same time the bicyclist pulled out of a drive across the street, police said.

The dump truck driver told police he heard a noise, then turned around and saw the bicyclist lying in the roadway.

Workers at the Flamingo Lounge heard about the incident from the man who delivers alcohol to the venue.

"(He) came in with his dolly and all of a sudden, he turns around and there's people, and he's like, 'someone just got ran over by the city truck,' so I ran outside and looked and (the victim) was on the ground out there," said Mitchell Smigiel of the Flamingo Lounge.

No one witnessed the accident.

Also reported by WOODTV 8-

This year's Ride of Silence, dedicated to the Grand Rapids man, began at Riverside Park on Monroe Avenue. Helmets were mandatory and lights recommended.

"Sadly, it helps to raise awareness that motorists and cyclists have to share the road together to avoid situations like this," said Mark Hagar, organizer of the 2009 Ride of Silence.

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell was in attendance.

"(It's about) sharing the road," he said. "Honoring each other's rights to be there is driven home in an awful and sad way."

I can't even begin to comment on the idiocy that ensued in the comments section of that post - basically it has me frighted to ride with all the confusion on laws, rights, and road rage of individuals.

If you are a cyclist, please respect the laws of the road. Give us a good name and reputation- it goes a long way when we are trying to stay alive.

If you are driving, please do the same thing.

Stupidé

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:05:27 -0400

I hate McDonalds new marketing campaign. In addition to serving overly sweetened dreck disguised as coffee, they are driving me nutty with the insistance of putting an accute accented "e" on words.

It's almost as bad as the freaking 5 dollar foot long torture of Subway - I swear it makes me feel like becoming violent:

Must.

Run.

Away.

From.

This.

Culture.