An update on the traveling journal (and on the irrational grannies in my life)

Journal #2800 is ready.

I will be doing the cover artwork which I am excited and nervous about.

Thanks goes to the lovely Angie at Here and Now for starting this one.

love, jessieh

PS: Imagine what it would be like if we had just as many people out there protecting children as we have people protecting sex offenders. My previous post regarding ABC's 20/20 episode has triggered many anonymous comments from people essentially protecting sex offenders. I've written about a lot of child sexual abuse cases on this blog and things relating to child sexual abuse and never have I had such a lively audience, willing to speak out against child sexual abuse-but as soon as I start speaking out against the protection of sex offenders-comments are plenty. We have grandmothers even venturing out into blog world to let me know that they are protecting their grandchildren by protecting the rights of sex offenders everywhere. Because that makes sense and everything? While I am having a difficult time putting my finger on where the logic of that lies, I'm also packing to head back to school so for now all I can say is: Wow. People never cease to amaze me.

Dance Party with Angela Shelton

love, jessieh

Disney and 20/20 send mixed message regarding protection of children

From a featured article:
"On March 14, 2008, ABC's 20/20, a Disney owned company, aired a show challenging age of consent laws. To the dismay and shock of child advocates and Anti-pedophile bloggers and writers (a term coined for those who expose online sex offenders, predators and pedophiles), it was disproportionately favorable to the plight of sex offenders. The show featured a segment called "Vigilante Justice" in which they interviewed a child advocate who goes by the name "Petra Luna". The child advocate was clearly shown to be the antagonist as opposed to the sex offender(s), who were presented as the protagonists and victims.

Credible child advocates (as opposed to registered sex offenders claiming to be child advocates, whose offenses range from molesting preschoolers to teenagers) are gravely disappointed in the position ABC's 20/20 decided to take. Even more disappointing is the fact that ABC is owned by Disney. Parents might be caught off guard and falsely assume that Disney would take a more child centered position on sexual abuse.

While many reasonable people might support the pretense of 20/20's questioning Romeo and Juliet laws, which are "offenses" that often refer to younger teens "hooking up" with older teens or offenses with minimal age gaps, the show was surprisingly sympathetic to the sex offender, especially in their "Vigilante Justice" segment. Speaking on behalf of many child advocates and parents, we believe 20/20 mislead viewers by portraying the United States National Sex Offender Registry as made up of a significant amount of Romeo and Juliet affairs by conjecture only."

Watch for yourself:



I will post commentary to this segment of the show soon.

love, jessieh

The magical hunk of kitty cat goodness.

IF THIS DOESN'T JUST MAKE YOUR EASTER EVE, NOTHING EVER WILL:

Learn more about the incredibly beautiful owner of this feline named Lloyd and find more of the Magical Hunk at artconstellation.blogspot.com

love, jessieh

1000 Journals

.we are in line for journal #2800.

love, jessieh

The head pounds. One of those not-here posts.

For some reason today I cannot stop thinking about the Humanities Project.

The beautiful Sam and I are partnering up for this as well. The Roe v. Wade Project has been really wonderful working with her and I am so glad she decided to work with me for all of next year as well. I've been doing a lot of thinking about my role as a survivor of sexual violence in the project. The project's focus is sexual violence awareness through the arts. I often wonder how I would fit in the project if it were not a "personal" thing to me. It's personal for Sam too, personal in different ways. I'm sure I would have the same amounts of compassion and I'm sure my drive to see the end of sexual violence would be the same. I'm not making sense. I received a copy of Ellen Bass and Laura Davis' The Courage to Heal Friday in the mail. We are using it as a resource for the project but I've done some personal interest reading as well.

Sam and I have so much work to do this week for the Roe v. Wade Project. While it is incredibly exciting, it also has a certain level of expectation and stress involved.

I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed and am very relieved to know that I do not have school next week. It is going to be nice, to have time to breathe and think and practice and think and write and memorize and read.

The throat hurts, allergies.

Church this morning was beautiful.

Secret # 2, 158, 924:

Whenever I see women outside of abortion clinics with scary pro-life signs, I imagine someone from across the street calling the fire department and I imagine their pro-life signs being sprayed violently. I consider myself a fairly peaceful person and when I see women trying to betray their very right to choose with disturbing anti-choice signs, I want to throw something harmless but irritating at them, give them a pie in the face.

love, jessieh

Fool for Love (Scenes for the Spring)!

Right now, I cannot contain my excitement. My dear friend Ms.Hepburn and I are rejoicing. We both were assigned incredible scenes that will be so much fun to work on for the Spring. Our focus is transformation and getting out of our comfort zone. Ms.Hepburn was assigned a scene from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley, the character Roberta and I was assigned a scene from Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, the character May. My scene partner is, ironically enough, Ms.Hepburn's boyfriend, and my good friend, Jason (the character Eddie). The enthusiasm I feel is slightly overwhelming so for now I am just going to leave the last bit of stage directions and the last line from the scene-

---

From Fool for Love by Sam Shepard-

(He closes door. They stand there facing each other for a while. She crosses slowly to him. She stops. He takes a few steps toward her. Stops. They both move closer. Stop. Pause as they look at each other. They embrace. Long, tender kiss. They are very soft with each other. She pulls away from him slightly. Smiles. She looks him straight in the eyes, then suddenly knees him in the groin with tremendous force. Eddie doubles over and drops like a rock. She stands over him. Pause.)

MAY: You can take it, right. You're a stunt man.

---

love, jessieh

Politics again (and other things): The real McCain

It is my sincere hope that the readers of this blog feel welcomed and

I am going to try to be just as personal as I have been political recently.

It's really one of the few things I am able to quickly write about because it usually is text copied from another source. I have been extremely busy. We get assigned Spring Scenes on Friday. I had therapy today. It was most certainly unpleasant. I don't feel good. My head hurts.

Three good things about today:

1.) It's Justina's birthday. She is a my Studio-mate.

2.) I finished reading At the Colored Museum

3.) My dear friend Artconstellation has drawn a beautiful picture of her magical hunk of kitty cat goodness.

---

From NARAL pro-choice America:

The REAL John McCain is not the "moderate maverick" the pundits like to swoon over. The REAL McCain has spent the last 25 years doing everything in his power to roll back the reproductive rights we've fought so hard to protect.

If elected president, he has pledged to be the anti-choice movement's most faithful ally, carrying their water and enacting their dangerous agenda: "If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement." [Statement by Sen. McCain read by Sen. Sam Brownback at the March for Life in Washington, DC, January 22, 2008.]

NONE OF THE ABOVE BOTHERED ME AS MUCH AS THIS DID:

"John McCain: I do not support Roe v. Wade. I think it should be overturned." [N.Y. Times, February 24, 2007.]

-We cannot go back to the days before Roe v. Wade. -

www.hillaryclinton.com

or

www.barackobama.com

love, jessieh

Tiptoe

"Tiptoeing through the used condoms strewn on the piers off the west side highway

sunset behind the skyline of jersey

walking towards the water

with a fetus holding court in my gut

my body highjacked

my tits swollen

I'm sore

the river has more colors at sunset than my sock drawer ever dreamed of

I could wake up screaming sometimes

but I don't

I could step off the end of this pier

but I've got stuff* to do

and I've an appointment on tuesday

to shed uninvited blood and tissue

I'll miss you I say to the river

to the waterto the son or

daughter I thought better of

I could fall in love with jersey at sunset

but I leave

the view to the rats

and tiptoe back"

-

"I build each one of my songs out of glass so you can see me inside of them I suppose or you could just leave the image of me in the backround, I guess and watch your own reflection super imposed"

-Ani DiFranco

Abortion Project, Dance Performance, and Family Time

We finished the rough draft of the Roe v. Wade project, meaning we finished our One Act Play on the History of Abortion in the United States. I am very very excited. It is finished. I have two Shakespeare pieces to memorize by Tuesday. I'm nervous about this. I spent the weekend with Mere and my twins which was really really exciting. I feel like it has been forever since our last time together.

love, jessieh

PS: We went to the Winter Dance Performance on Thursday night. It was incredibly impressive. The pictures in this post is a result from that. They were taken by Photographer Emery Watch.

Nice morning headlines to wake up to.

-HILLARY CLINTON WINS RHODE ISLAND, OHIO, AND TEXAS!

and

-14 Americans were arrested in child porn sting. Twenty children rescued.

love, jessieh

The most wonderful news right now.

HUCKABEE IS NO MORE.

I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THIS.

HILLARY WINS OHIO.

SHE WINS RHODE ISLAND.

OBAMA WINS VERMONT.

NOW WE WAIT FOR TEXAS.

RIGHT THIS MOMENT (11:39 PM est)IT IS:

HILLARY: 50%

OBAMA:48%

TOO CLOSE TO CALL.

I AM SO EXCITED.

love, jessieh