Just a Little Somethin'

I LOVE This American Life! I know I say it every time, but... I just can't emphasize it enough. I was studying for my health care sociology test and at 3am I took a break. Apparently delirious from caffeine, I EMAILED my health care professor a lengthy email about why she should listen to This American Life!! I can't even BELIEVE I did that. I checked my email the next morning, to which she quite rightly replied with:

Thanks, that sounds interesting.

AG

Which I have interpreted as "Ooook... thanks..."

Anyway, in the This American Life that I listened to yesterday, there was a segment on someone who came from Amish country and did his Rumspringa (when they get to go into the outside world at 16) and decided not to return to the Amish... although about 90% of people do. I've known about this for... a while but I always used to think that it seemed ridiculous to ever return after you've left that society. Now, I don't even know exactly why I thought that. I don't know why you would trade a safe place where you do a normal amount of work (good for your body) that is guaranteed, and you're safe and connected to your family and community. You eat home grown food, make your own clothes, live sustainably and don't really have to worry as much about the economy and cutting down and feeling guilty. All of that traded away for what? Greed and solitude and cell phones and overworking (whilst often underproducing) and aforementioned guilt.

I know this doesn't SEEM related, but I hate sleep (greatly dislike). I mean... I love it, obviously. But I'm pretty sure that a lot of people would agree that it's a villain in their lives. It's unpredictable. It completely controls me. I try to suppress it with caffeine but it ALWAYS wins. And when it does, I completely embrace it. When I can't sleep for a night, it ruins EVERYTHING for a while-- I'm cranky and everything is colored in a different, negative, frustrated light. Sometimes I'm so tired that sleep becomes my ONLY goal, like yesterday when I napped for 7 hours (yes, SEVEN). It makes me not do things that would be really fun, like hang out with my friends. It's a ticking bomb when assignments are due.

The reason this relates to the Amish is because I bet they don't have this problem. If you were a farmer (not that they all are, but still), you can have your alone time all day, being physical. When you come in, you spend the rest of the evening with your family. At sun down, nothing else to do, so you sleep. But we are seduced by bajillions of fun things, which I know is my fault and that I need to resist. But we also have tons of work during the day, and tons of extra work at night. And we don't even deal with family. I could be over simplifying this, or idealizing the Amish... but it seems like a more relaxed and safe way to live and that's what I desire.

In other news, Amanda told me that on Law and Order they talked about this drug that would stop entirely people's addiction to coke and/or heroin in like 24 or 48 hours, thereby saving people from the fatality of withdrawal. However it's illegal in America because drug companies won't fund it for being tested by the FDA because it wouldn't make them money both because they couldn't patent it and because there is more money to be made on longer treatments. The drug is real and it's called Ibogaine.

In much happier news, I bought a hat from a guy on the street. It's GREEAT! Also, Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight, Chords charity concert tomorrow, and then Donkey Show on Saturday.