Poem: Everything On Red

Everything on Red

By Meghan D. Coates

I’m not a gambling man--

I’ve hedged my bets since I was small,

I don’t take risks or put things on the line that I don’t want to lose,

But you make me want to gamble.

You make me want to drink

And go for twelve AM walks through the city,

Make me want to throw caution to the wind

(and hearts, too)--

I’ve never asked someone for their number

But I’m asking for yours.

There’s a lot I could lose--

I’m not a gambling man,

And it scares me, giving this power over,

To you,

To fate,

To God--

But we all have to learn to lose control sometime.

I’d rather choose when

Than gamble on fate picking the right time,

Place,

Man--

So I’ll gamble on you,

Here,

Now.

Dear Dealer;

Everything on Red.

--Published in 2016 by Eber & Wein Publishing

Maggie Responds: An Argument For Marijuana Legalization

     So a while back, I pop onto Facebook, whoop-die-doodly-doo, and I spot this little gem from my cousin:

     Of course, being who I am, I spent an hour concocting a response, and being as proud of it as I am, I decided to post it here for y'all to peruse and enjoy:

     If an adult with full cognition chooses with an informed mind to engage in a self-destructive behavior, I don't think it's the government's place to tell them they can't, the same way it isn't the government's place to ration our meals to prevent obesity, or pick a career for us to prevent us from falling flat on our faces when we pick something too lofty. We have a right to the dignity of risk. And fewer people start smoking every year; anti-drug propaganda has already been extremely effective, though I think the most effective methods of deterring use of harmful substances is 1) Honest, straight-forward education and information (lies, propaganda, and disinformation just sows the seeds of discontent and rebellion among the young), and 2) Dismantling the taboo. As [REDACTED] mentioned above, prohibition of a substance just encourages black market dealing, and it creates an instant market among rebels without a cause; it becomes "cool," because it's anti-establishment to partake. But when you legalize something like marijuana, it's no longer "cool," it's just a normal thing that happens. 

     In the first year of marijuana legalization in Colorado, teen use dropped .8%, and has since dropped another ~2.5% (depending on what study you draw from). 
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/colorado-s-teen-marijuana-usage-dips-after-legalization/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/21/one-of-the-greatest-fears-about-legalizing-marijuana-has-so-far-failed-to-happen/?utm_term=.a76d27a614bc
https://www.thecannabist.co/2017/12/11/teen-marijuana-use-colorado-decline/94306/

     And now that everyone can get marijuana from legalized, regulated sources, Colorado and Washington no longer have need of shady dealers, which can get rid of so much related activity (debt-related shootings, for instance), and because the FDA sets standards for the quality of weed sold, you don't have the chance to get poisoned by poorly grown or stored batches, or having it laced with something you didn't order. Also, the guy at your local dispensary is much less likely to follow you home and try to steal your stuff than that dealer you met on the dark web.

     People trying to stay on the good side of the law also don't have to go to synthetic marijuana to get a buzz, either, which has a huge reputation for poisoning people, or eliciting bad reactions even when not tainted. 
(https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/K2-Mass-Overdoses-Brooklyn-Bedford-Stuyvesant-NYC-386499841.html
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Reported-Brawl-in-Gaslamp-District-Leaves-Two-Unconscious-352960091.html
http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-terrifying-reasons-you-shouldnt-smoke-synthetic-weed/) 

     Basically, legalization reduces general (or at least, underage) consumption, and makes it a whole hell of a lot safer for the people who do continue usage, and I think that's the best defense for legalization of things like marijuana, or even tobacco or alcohol; people will find a way to get it whether you legalize it or not, so we should try to make it as safe as possible for the people who are willing to jump through whatever hoops the government sets up for them to get to it.

     Plus, the tax revenue contributes to schools and libraries and roads and other necessary infrastructure, and legalization of recreational weed in Colorado and Washington has allowed us to do SO MUCH VITAL RESEARCH on marijuana, both to determine how much it really affects the mind (because it's not been legal, we still have so many questions we haven't really been able to answer, like what exactly the link to cognitive functioning is long term, etc), and ESPECIALLY on how it can help medically--they've been able to do amazing things with medical marijuana, mitigating the effects of epilepsy, movement disorders, chronic pain, etc., and we'd never be able to do that kind of wide-spread experimentation, particularly with subjects as young as some of them have been, without the elimination of the roadblocks associated with testing illegal substances on human beings.

     There are lots of reasons not to smoke marijuana--studies have linked it to Alzheimer's, it can trigger mental health issues in people whose genetic code is so afflicted, it impacts immediate perspicacity--but people have a right to their dignity of risk, and if they're going to use, they're going to use. We might as well allow society as a whole to benefit from it, even if you think the people who use it are stupid for doing so.

Knitting

     I needed to clear out some space on my Toshiba's harddrive so I have room to continue making things, so I figured I would clear some of that space by dumping some photos on the blog.  That way I can always find them if I need them, but I can get those huge files off my computer.

(Also, I'm proud of my knitting and want to share it with the public)

I really love this purse, I'm super proud of it.

Backside of the above!

This purse was really fun to make.

Reverse side.  I'd like to get some more macrame yarn and maybe start selling purses.  It would be fun.

I made the little pocket so I could carry my MP3 in it if I was wearing a dress.

The shoulder cord is pretty long.

I don't remember what I did with this blanket.  Gave it to the dog maybe?

I made this little pillow out of really soft yarn for my nephew.

This was going to be part of a quilt, but I stuffed it too full.  Now it's a tiny pillow. 

That was supposed to be a fire opal in the middle, but I didn't do a great job with it.

I made a really long scarf a couple years ago.

It's two stories tall.

It's an elf hat!

A sweater I made. I think I stored it in the attic.

Close-up!

Dave Strider Knitstuck costume.

Also Dave Strider Knitstuck costume.

Closeup.  The hat doesn't have a top, it's like a half-hat.  Very ironic.

Knitstuck Rose Lalonde.

Closeup on skirt.

Closeup on shirt

Closeup on shirt sans scarf

Closeup on beanie and scarf!  I didn't make the scarf, that was a gift from my grandma and it happened to be perfect for my purposes.

Another angle

I don't remember why I thought it was necessary to take pictures from so many angles.

It's me!  In the elf hat!  I look so silly.

"I Could Care Less" and Other Pet Peeves

     I've talked about pet peeves of mine before, little grammar flubs and spelling flaws that send my inner editor into convulsive fits.  Well here are five more, comin' atchya hot, and I'll get those engines revving by starting with the most powerful and descending in random order therefrom!


1.  So didn't/So Can't I

     This first started bothering me in the fifth grade.  And when I say bothering, I mean annoying the piss out of me holy shit.  When the students did it, it was one thing; we were nine, ten, eleven at most.  Mistakes are to be expected from children.

     But the teacher.  Oh, woe be unto her, though blessed she be, because good lord when I heard the phrase "So didn't she" come out of her mouth during a lesson on Native American life, I wan.ted. to. puke.  And when I say puke, I mean projectile vomit on the entire class.

     This peeve is not my pet, it is the bane of my existence, it is the skunk living under my porch that eats all my cats' food and every once in a while decides to spritz down my dogs, and I hate it.

     If the phrase were used in proper context, it wouldn't be so bad.  If someone said, for instance, "I didn't like the movie," and someone agreed with, "So didn't I," that would be fine.  A creative, realistic piece of dialogue.

     But the way people use it is always as a form of capable agreement.  "I can paint a picture," "So can't I!"  "I went to the Hawaii over the summer" "So didn't I!"  "I'll go to the store tomorrow," "So won't I."

     iT MAKES NO SENSE!  It's ridiculous, it's preposterous, I expect grammar fuckups from students, but something this severe from my teachers, my god--and on multiple occasions, not just a one-time thing, and never a correction, never once a student saying something, as if everyone else was blind to the blatant abuse of the English language occurring before our very ears!

    Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not use the phrase "So don't" to mean "So do."  They are antonyms.  ANTONYMS!


2.  I Could Care Less

    Okay, now that we've got some of my crazy out of the way; I could care less.  A phrase meant to convey how little one cares about the given situation.

     But it makes no goddamn sense.

     Because the actual phrase is "I couldn't care less."  It's meant to indicate that no fucks are left to be given.  You wouldn't say, "I could give a fuck," you say, "I couldn't give a fuck."  Saying you could care less indicates that you do care, because there's still less care in the world for you to feel, some cares left to give away.

     Unless that's what you mean, when you say "I could care less," you're fucking up, plain and simple.  If your character doesn't care at all, or wants to seem like they don't care at all, they want to say there are no fucks left in the bank.


3.   Affect/Effect

     So I had trouble with these for a very long time myself.  It's a difficult balance between the two, and grammatic education is going down the tubes, so a lot of people are in the same boat as me.

     The way I finally figured out how to differentiate between the two was essentially this;  Affect is a Verb, and Effect is a Noun.  See below:

     "The effects of the storm were horrible."

     "We were horribly affected by the storm."

     Next time you need to use one of these bad boys, take a second to ask yourself if the word you need is a verb or a noun--are you being Affected by it, or are you observing the Effects?


4.  Whining/Whinging

     So this one is included as a fuck you to yours truly, because for a long time I thought "whinging" was just people misspelling "whining" and it really pissed me off.  But it turns out "whinging" is a real word, meaning "To complain in an annoying way."  So it's basically the same thing as whining.

     It's very British (so British that my current spellcheck reads it as a misspelling of whining), which is why I never realized it was a real word.  I should make my peace with it.  It's a real word.  It's a valid word.

     But God do I hate it. 

(you don't have to tho)

5.  Peek vs. Peak

     Okay, just one more, not a pet peeve so much as just a word of warning.  A peak is the top of a mountain; a peek is something you do in people's windows.

     So it's pretty much like the affect/effect thing; if you want a verb, it's peek, and if you want the noun, it's peak.


     Happy writing all!

Homestuck Art

So I needed to clear out some space on my Toshiba's harddrive so I have room to continue making things, so I figured I would clear some of that space by dumping some photos on the blog.  That way I can always find them if I need them, but I can get those huge files off my computer.

So here's some Homestuck art!

This is a piece my friend Heavyn drew for my birthday.  She's a super talented artist, and if she ever makes an art site or a facebook page for her art, I will absolutely link it here and you should then definitely take a peek at her work.  

(From here on out, all the work is mine)

It's hard to see, but this is Vriska protecting Tavros.

John holding hands with Karkat.

Tavros, John, and Rufioh dying.

And the piece de resistance, Horuss holding a reluctant Rufioh.

I started a sketch of me and the Homestuck characters and never managed to finish it. Drawing is hard.

John sketches.

A wild Jade appears!!

Cuties kissing <3 #JohnKat5ever

An early design from a series of paintings I planned out.  I don't remember if this is John or Karkat.  I think Karkat??

Sollux with wings.

Holy shit I forgot about these ones.  I was working on a Tourette'sstuck series for a while. Karkat has a lot of self-injurious tics.

Poor Karkles does not treat himself well.

John has a lot of breathy tics.  Dave is given to copropraxia.

Jade makes dog noises, and Rose has a lot of laughing and facial tics.  Also tends to scratch at her throat.

Roxy gave Rose the laughing tics and Dave his copropraxia.

Rose, Grimdark and Pre-Grimdark.

Sketch for a lyricstuck I wanted to make.

The Signless, The Sufferer, Troll Jesus...  Also some guy?? Idk who that was supposed to be.

Sketchy

Hear his sermon!  Also maybe that was a sketch of a character from an original story I was working on.

John and Vriska holding hands.

John embracing Karkat.

I think this one is John.

Dirk?

Definitely John.

Karkat.

Okay, I'm really proud of how my winged Jade turned out.

Dave with wings. Put him in the green suit to make it pop.