June 26th, 2015 – A Historical Day to Close Out an Epic Week - Presidents, Podcasts, Progress

(Started writing this on Friday, had to take lots of breaks to finish it to my standards and add hyperlinks/pics, so it's going up on Saturday afternoon, 7-27)

The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of same sex marriage!!!!

What a way to close out an epic week for progress! I learned rather belatedly that the feds cut off funding to the DEA for medical cannabis raids late last year, due to recent back lash from the Justice Department. Come on guys, just let it go already! Stop fucking with sick people and our right to choose our symptom management! You'll come around eventually. 

It was a close decision, 5-4, but history has been made on this day here in this country. My mind is totally blown. I had no idea this was going on, as I don't watch the news, and avoid it online (not on Facebook, my homepage is Google). Especially when the Fibromyalgia is kicking my ass like it has been for the last few weeks (boo).

The decision was based upon the 14^th Amendment, and from what I've read it sets a potential precedent for federal legalization of medical cannabis. Crazy exciting shit. Talk about a badly needed open door that we can now utilize for even further progress! Can't believe I'm seeing all this in my lifetime! If you had told me ten years ago that today we would be questioning the validity of the Drug War, ending cannabis prohibition at the state and federal level, opening up channels for medical applications of MDMA and Psilocybin, and recognize the legal right to same sex marriage at the federal level, I would have asked you what you were on so I could have a hit.

Someone please pinch me, I must be dreaming!

'Merica, fuck yeah!!!

Something else revolutionary that happened this week and has me very excited – President Obama was on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast!!! A president, on a podcast! And not just any podcast, a comedian's podcast. And not a clean comedian, either! Not that there's anything wrong with clean comedy. It just would have been more socially sanctioned for the President to choose to sit down with Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, or Ellen Degeneres.

To say this was a ground breaking decision would be an understatement.

President Barack Obama posing with Marc Maron in his garage:)
For more pics, check out http://marcmeetsobama.com/.

It was a very interesting listen. I wound up connecting with Mr. and Mrs. Obama in ways I hadn't foreseen. Michelle's Dad has MS, and this was back before the ADA act. Mr. Obama told a story or two about her father's struggles with his illness, and the public's perception of disability, which really touched me. I wonder if he uses cannabis for his MS symptoms. I sure hope so. Montel Williams says it's the only thing that really helps him with his. After being prodded (boldly, IMHO) by Marc to describe his eccentricities (“So, how are you crazy? When Michelle says 'Stop doing that!', what is she referring to?”), Mr. Obama talked about his history and childhood. How he moved around a lot, how that makes him kinda loose and restless. How Michelle grew up in a small town with a “Cleaver” kind of family, living in the same house her whole life, and being very grounded. Mr. Obama described how they in turn balance out each other's “crazy” - she helps to ground him out, and he in turns helps to bring her out of her shell. This made me think of my man and I, but reversed roles. I moved more times than I could count growing up, my man grew up in the house we're staying in now. This bedroom used to have pink carpet because it was his sister's when they were growing up. When I first met his family I totally thought of them as “Cleaver-like” compared to my fubared family (love mi familia, but we are all are fucked up, just tellin' it like it is). He totally grounds my crazy wanderlust, and I help him overcome his tendency towards being an extreme introvert.

I came away from the hour or so conversation very pleased. I was a tad disappointed with how one dimensional some of Mr. Obama's answers were - “Gun control must be solved by taking away guns. Other countries don't have shootings like we do, if they don't allow their citizens to have guns.” I'll save my personal thoughts on such a complex situation for another post. But I think he dropped enough hints so that anyone could read between the lines and really hear what he said in that conversation. He acknowledged the limitations he has as President. Marc did great by comparing it to a “middle management” position. And I think that is an excellent metaphor, one I had never thought of before. The President in this country is the ultimate “Mr. Manager”.

In case you haven't noticed, I make old school AD references whenever possible ;)

Think of all the bureaucracies, organizations, special interests, and branches of government that exist, that work together like some insane fucked up machine, and interfacing with all of that madness. No way you can please all those people, no matter what you do. Then you have millions of citizens with all their desires and wants and needs. Fuck, that sounds like too much for one person. I definitely gained more respect for the man. Not that I didn't respect him before. I may not have voted for Barack Obama, and may not agree with everything that has happened under his organization, but I knew before hearing the podcast it was a tough gig. I just never saw it with such clarity before, in ways that I could relate to.

The one burning question I'm left with, that I wish Marc had thought to ask our Commander in Chief, and I'm sure I speak on behalf of all citizens when I say this – I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Obama have seen the bit Chris Rock did about having a black First Lady back when Barack was running for office? If he is a fan of comedy, chances are strong he has seen it. I am so freakin' curious as to if he's seen it, if Mrs. Obama has, and if they thought it was funny. I would like to think they laughed their asses off. I appreciate people who don't take themselves too seriously.

The art of laughing at oneself seems to be a dying skill.

Overall, I think it was fucking brilliant. And refreshing. And brave, on both their parts, and all the other cats involved in making that magic happen. People have been hating on Marc for not being "harder" on the President when touchy issues, like gun control, got brought up. I think you all missed the point of this conversation. First off, remember that Marc Marin is not a journalist. He is a comedian. And he only had an hour. You start going down a rabbit hole like that, and nothing else gets discussed before you're out of time. The point of this conversation was for Mr. Obama to be able to step outside of mainstream politics for a moment, and be seen as a person. Hopefully, by millions of people he doesn't normally reach thru traditional media, because we are disenchanted with it, and no longer utilize it as an information source. People like me.
And in that sense, it worked like a charm.

Besides walking away with a new connection to Mr. Obama, his family, and their story, it was nice to hear the President be real. Or at least as real as one is allowed to be. What I heard him say in so many words was, “The system isn't perfect. I am limited in what I can do. I am not happy with these limitations, but am pleased with the progress we have been able to make within the system as it exists today. I remain optimistic for the future, because I have learned a lot and now I can put that to use in my last year and half as President. I have learned what the game is and how to play it, and I may not like it very much, but I still give a shit, I still remember where I came from, why I got into politics. I still remember the grind and the hustle and the racism and the poverty and the sickness we are experiencing as a society. And I promise to do as much as I can, as fast as I can, in the time that I have left. I'm getting gangsta. I'm keeping it real. I give zero fucks now. I'm gonna do things like go on the WTF Podcast, and be a real human being without having to interact with just another talking head on some agenda driven media outlet.”

I'm curious as to what he's gonna do next. Very intrigued, and excited.

Thank you, Mr. Obama, and those working towards loosening the tight grip of the Judeo-Christian-Puratin-Paternal driven tyranny we have been under for the last few thousand years or so. The same insanity that destroyed my people, scattered them and our history and culture and songs and art and religion to the dust. The same that enslaved Mr. Obama's people, tore them from their homelands and treated them like cattle. If we truly have separation of the state from the church in this fine country of ours, then why is the government involved with affairs concerning love, sex, expression, and ideologies? Why does it care who we choose to marry, what substances we choose to ingest? These are not concerns of practical matters, these are moralistic arguments, and have no place in government. How nice that we seem to be finally coming around as a people and realizing this.

There was more than one "Trail of Tears". Never forget!

Thank you for giving me hope, for renewing my faith and interest in the system, for reminding me it's far easier to create change from within an existing frame work, rather than tearing it all apart and starting from scratch (makes me think of SLC punk). For reminding me I can be jaded and sit here and bitch, or I can get involved and participate and push for the changes I desire, knowing it takes time and patience and cooperation and love and energy.

Like Sasha Shulgin did for “The Tribe” - be an emissary rather than a guerrilla rebel, and you're more likely to get a lot more accomplished in your lifetime. More likely to have a lasting impact on the generations to come. Which is where our perspective needs to be anyway.

Cheers to all the brave emissaries of these movements towards progress, equality, freedom!

And to you, Marc, you did great! I would have fallen apart under all the pressure! I can't imagine how surreal that must have been, and look forward to hearing you talk about the experience on the podcast you put up on Thursday.

<3 Much love from a fan of comedy and democracy <3

P.S. Shame on all you who freaked out about Mr. Obama “dropping the N-word” once during the podcast!

Obviously, you missed the whole fucking point of that eloquent and enlightening conversation, and you made asses out of yourselves acting like infantile ignoramuses flipping out about it. "The Rapper in Chief"...fucking really, Fox??? You all are acting like he rolled up to Marin's with a do-rag on, an L hanging from his lip, ice hanging from his neck, dropping N Bombs like they're going out of style. Fucking pathetic!!!

Also, in case you didn't notice, he's black.

He's allowed to use that word anytime, in any way he wants.

You're probably just butthurt The President is sick of mainstream media's bullshit, and chose to go chill out in Marc Maron's garage, rather than shoot the shit with you on your TV Show.

And that it worked. I bet that annoys you even more.

To quote the great Bill Burr, “Go fuck yah-self.” 

Whoever did this is fucking brilliant!

Should you find any value from this blog, please consider making a donation to the PayPal link at the top right of the site (mobile users, please click on the web version to view). I don't create these posts expecting anything but to help/entertain others, but I am a disabled mechanic/artist who is not currently receiving SSI/SSDI and when I'm flared up it's hard if not impossible for me to get my hustle on. I'm also working on adding Bitcoin here! Thank you so much for reading and supporting my work :) 

Staying Positive While Living With a Chronic Illness - Comedy & Humor

Journal Entry from earlier this morning:

"Rough start so far, but determined to turn things around. Emo and in pain from ovulation. Didn't sleep as long/deeply as needed and am exhausted and ready to go back to bed even though I just got up. Also stiff, sore, nauseous. Woke up sad/angry about my life circumstances - about feeling rejected/misunderstood by both sides of my family, about money, independence, my health and stamina and sun sensitivity, disability. My brain started going down fast. Started crying, feeling overwhelmed, wanted to break down and start destroying furniture and shit. But this energy does nothing positive or constructive for me at all, and I know everything I'm feeling is valid, but I must channel the river of my emotions accordingly so as not to get swept away in a path of irreversible destruction. 

This day is mine, I claim it, to do with it as I please. I will focus on my blessings, all that I do have, and I will work my ass off to the best of my ability to get as much done as I can, and whatever my best is today, that's okay. It's okay to feel what I feel. It's not okay to wallow, to waste this precious gift of a day by crying and feeling sorry for myself, by focusing on what I lack. This days is mine, I claim and own it, here and now. I can make it into whatever I want it to be, whatever I choose to focus on. 

And I choose love and light and magick and art and creativity and laughter and adventure and service. 

This I choose. And so it shall be. 

Praise Jah!"

Living with Fibromyalgia means that I wake up pretty much every day already struggling before I even get out of bed. With either physical pain and other symptoms like nausea, vertigo, and arthritis, or mental/emotional pain due to chronic illness and disability, like anxiety and depression. Waking up feeling awful makes not only turning your day (and anyone's who happens to wake up next to you) around incredibly difficult, being overwhelmed by emotion can sap one of energy and deplete your immune system, which is already quite taxed for us "spoonies" of the world.

So, how do I turn shitty mornings, or anytime of day, around into something positive and productive, despite the fact that I live with a debilitating, life altering and life long illness?
In my previous post in this series, I discussed the benefits I receive from daily studies of psychology and philosophy. Today I'll be discussing the next cornerstones in my drug-free symptom management tool kit - Comedy and Humor. As I was writing the previously quoted journal entry earlier today, I put my favorite comedy bits on and you can see how it helped turn my mood from dark, stormy, destruction into one of determination and positive focus.

Simply Google "the benefits of laughter" and countless medical resources come up with articles detailing how laughter, like creativity, aids blood pressure and vascular flow, reduces stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, helps the pituitary gland produce endogenous opiates thus naturally reducing pain, increase memory and learning, bond partners/groups and the two halves of the brain, and workout the diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, leg, and back muscles. Working out while laughing? What a fun extra side effect! I'll take all the extra exercise I can, since my stamina is still pretty low and I'm not able to be as active as I'd like. And as for the strengthening bonds thing, I can tell you firsthand that humor is one of the biggest saviors of my long-term relationship, which started shortly before the onset of my illness and has seen some serious tests over the 4 plus years we've been together now.

Check out this quote from Dr. William Fry of Stanford University on http://www.care2.com:

"Humor and creativity work in similar ways – by creating relationships between two disconnected items, you engage the whole brain. Humor works quickly. Less than a half-second after exposure to something funny, and electrical wave moves through the higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex. The left hemisphere analyzes the words and structures of the joke; the right hemisphere “gets” the joke; the visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates images; the limbic (emotional) system makes you happier; and the motor sections make you smile or laugh.

So let’s laugh."

Word, homie! Let's laugh indeed, even in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances. 
One of my favorite ways to get my daily dose of comedy is through podcasts. Podcasts have become one of my favorite media sources because they are usually free, instantly accessible, and have very little advertising - which not only means less commercials to skip through, but more freedom to the podcasters to express themselves without censoring their beliefs or language.

Some of my favorite podcasts for comedy are: The Joe Rogan Experience (he also has very interesting guests on there, so you learn while you laugh), Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast, and The Duncan Trussell Family Hour (he also has interesting guests in addition to being very funny, and a few years ago overcame cancer in one of his balls and the loss of his mother - whom he had on as a guest not longer before she passed and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever witnessed).

Here's some of my favorite comedy bits (all of which I've watched this morning). 
Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 

I love this bit and have watched it probably dozens of times. This is my go-to when I feel especially down and have no interest in anything goofy or silly. But it perks me up everytime! 


The Stages of Grief by Robot Chicken. I find it to be a perfect metaphor for chronic illness/disability especially. Fucking hilarious!


Maybe you have to be sorta fucked up or have crazy family to truly appreciate "Billiam", but I love this man. He is probably one of my favorite comedians. 


Haha yes, at 30 years old, this is my life right now!


Fucked up thoughts, we all have 'em. Bill's just happens to be really funny. Maybe partly why I love this man so much is he makes me feel sane ;) 


One last Bill Burr bit. For recovering Christians like myself. I laughed so hard the first time I saw this one I teared up :)

More Robot Chicken, some of their Star Wars Parodies (some of my faves, go Seth Green!)

I could list dozens more of my favorite comedy bits, but I think I've given you enough to mull over here for now. 

What are some of your favorite ways to laugh, or do you have any favorite comedians or podcasts?

Thanks for reading!
*Love & Light*
Renata Carmen

Please, if you find any value from this blog, please consider making a donation to the PayPal link at the top right of the page. I don't create these posts expecting anything but to help/entertain others, but I am a disabled mechanic/artist who is not currently receiving SSI/SSDI and when I'm flared up it's hard if not impossible for me to get my hustle on. I'm also working on adding Bitcoin here! :)