From The Big Apple To Cherry City

When I flew into PDX to stay I knew that some changes were coming into my life. I was ready for them. At least that's what I thought. I am a native New Yorker and spent 27 years in and out of Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island. I could handle anything...couldn't I?? I had a feeling of suddenly being that little painted metal man who moves up the cliff in the TV game show "The Price is Right" 's famous challenge called "Cliffhanger."  I just needed some serious boots.  Flying in I began to see the terrain and then Mount Hood.  I seriously started to cry.  I wish I was lying because I like to think of myself as one of those cool alternative chicks like the one on the cover of "Salem Monthly" this month.  I was crying because this was the most beautiful vision I ever layed my city girl eyes on. It has been love ever since.

  Sometimes though, in my limited brick and mortar mind, I have trouble understanding the ways of Oregon and my hometown of Salem.  I feel so left out that I don't know who the Oregon Ducks are.  Even my daughter has a sweatshirt by now and I am still clueless! I just don't like sports.  I know-I said it, and I feel I should have some guilt.  I think I was made defective. I am not into fishing either. To make things worse, I am an animal welfare activist and a vegan.  It seems everyone is eating whole cows-not just pieces.  Just a big hunk of dead cow on a plate. And then there is me with my lettuce. There is also this pronunciation thing too like Aloha.  It is not like the Hawaiian "Aloha." It is "a LOH a." I also thought naturally that Portland's "Couch Street" is pronounced like the thing you sit on to watch TV.  I was told this was not so and was reprimanded. It was explained to me that the pronunciation of things was taken very seriously. I once again had guilt. I say this all out of love because I consider this to be my hometown now, and there are many many great things here. What I find to be really cool is that Salem has put in seperate little street signs with so-and-so church down this road or this and that community center down this way.  The wooden signs come with the pointed arrow and everything!  I thought they were only on TV in movies.  They are real!  I love them! I should tell you that many people say "Don't you miss New York?" or "You are crazy for leaving there and moving here!" I tell them that they can have it and they're crazy!

   There is so many nutty things I think or write about in regards to the differences from Manhattan to Salem, but the bottom line is I love it here. All week long I wished I had a good camera so I could take pictures. In case the native Salemites have forgot, this place is like a living, moving, growing, wind-in-your-hair, extrodinary picture. I am so glad I get to live here.I hope I get to write more weird stuff because I love to laugh. I think it makes us all forget for awhile.Mercy Jean

LOL-Now I know Why!

Your result for The Why Do People Hate You? Test...

The perfect human.

13 Cruelty, 42 Anal, 19 Pushover

Congratulations.  You're easy-going, friendly and know when to stand up for yourself.  You're perfect.

Follow Up To The "Peta Hater People"

No Need to type anything real long here or make any points.  Here is the point!

http://www.peta.org/about/victories.asp

Did we lose our humanity while technology crept in?

I was driving my car the other afternoon in my new hometown of Salem, Oregon. It was a pleasant sunny day and to sprinkle some more cheer I was with my daughter. It was wonderful. A sunny day and my favorite person, I couldn't ask for anything more! The next thing I know not one but two police cars went racing by...the traffic slowed to a halt...I felt sick. I knew something was wrong deep inside but I was unsure of what. Then I found out. There was a man who had been hit by a car and he had gone through the windshield. He was in serious shape. I tried, after the traffic picked up, to drive by as quick as I could so my daughter didn't have to witness the broken pieces of flesh and the unconscious man just laying in the middle of the street. She did. So did I. Something didn't seem right. Then it hit me. Everyone, including me, were just driving right by. It seemed really fucked up. This guy is laying there possibly dying and we are all too fucking busy to stop??? What the fuck is that? I remember when I was little. If there was an accident, people would be gatherered left and right. You had a hard time getting a view of the accident due to the sea of bodies that constituted the concerned audience. Now it seems 2 or 3 people might look on for a few moments before departing. It just felt and seemed wrong. The kind of wrong that made me feel like I needed to vomit. I wish we weren't all so fucking busy and thirsty and in need of e-mails and exercise so we can stop.....AND CARE! And if you can't care then maybe you can just stop for the sake of letting the paramedics work for the money he gets paid. Now there is an American fucking principle.

PETA HATERS???????

Okay...so what is with these fucking people who want to write against PETA and the work that they do? Here is the thing, are the people who are writing these shitty things about PETA doing anything to help animals?? I don't think most any of them are. It is so funny how people want to sit on the sidelines and criticize the peole who are actually doing the fucking work!!!!!!!! Why don't they get off their ass and go in the trenches and go help monkeys with no eyes and elephants who have been beaten for 20 years? How about the dogs and cats right in your neighbors houses who are mis-treated?? Pretty weird how they will sit around and talk shit BUT DO NOTHING! I don't care if you eat meat or not. You must have a kitty or a cute little puppy dog at home. Don't you care about him or her? Then why can't we care about other animals or does it selfishly just have to be our pet? If anyone can do this work better or do it at ALL then maybe you can go write about them. I respect a group who will help all suffering animals and love them enough to put the ones who can't be helped down. There is a true love and caring there folks. Here is the other thing, they really don't care what you have to say. They are going to continue to do what they do no matter what. It's me who finds you repulsive!

Why Do I Scream?

Why do I feel as though I have to do drastic things to get even a few people's attention? I have tried calm. I have tried loving. I have tried peaceful, tolerant, patient and all the rest of the happy horseshit that goes along with pacifism. I scream because I have noticed from when I was a very little girl that most people in this country seem to be asleep. For the silly people-not REALLY sleeping but asleep mentally as if lulled into a permanent dream-state. It frightens me! I mean fuck! Half the population has the same routine-get up to an alarm after hitting snooze 3-4 times, pour a cup of coffee, get dressed and do 9-5, come home, eat, watch the news till bed-y-bye and then do it again. I have noticed screaming in the real or proverbial sense wakes up the walking dead. The people who have been so mesmerized by late night TV that they don't know anything anymore.
People. I am screaming because I love you. Wake up. Don't fade away until you rot in a box. Stand for something. Make your life great. Connect with others, try to change something for the better, help somebody, fall in love ( even if it might hurt), breathe in the fucking air because it will all pass you by. Are you so asleep that you will retaliate agaist this as well just to go sit in front of the TV???