Operation: Find Your Batman - Remembering those of the 7/20 shootings

Sometimes, when the unthinkable happens, we think it to be pure fantasy, a story even. From miles away, we can only imagine the pain, like we do in books or movies. But when it hits close to home it becomes all too real for those around us and affected by tragedy. As a product of social media I think we have a problem separating fact from fiction.

I'm a huge proponent of imagination and mixing our fantasies with real life. Fantasy is a wonderful thing. It allows us to escape, be somewhere else for a while, and I love that. That's why I think films, stories, and comics such as Batman are so important. They twist the audience's perception and put them in a world that may or may not be completely different than their own, and make them believe it for approximately 2.5 hours.

What really gets me about the Batman shooting is that this killer used this knowledge to his advantage. The movie had already let people sink into a whole other world which slowed their reaction time. This guy was not stupid - most super villains aren't.

The irony of this massacre occurring at the premiere of Dark Knight Rises still strikes me in many different ways. It breaks my heart to know that it's not even safe to go to the movies any more. That the magic that movies have on people is now torn away from the victims and survivors of that theater. All my beliefs on gun control aside, we as Americans should have the right to go see a super hero movie, and enjoy those two hours of imagination, without worrying that they or their children are going to be murdered.

I went to the premiere and I realize that this tragedy could have happened in my town, in my theater, just as easily as it occurred in Aurora. There is no special zip code for the criminally insane (unfortunately).

Batman to me however, is and always will be a symbol of hope. This twists the irony back onto the villain himself. If he's going to play the villain, considering he's actually watched a super hero movie all the way through, he may take a disheartening amount of lives, but he should know that in the end, he's not going to win or gain anything. If he really wanted to be the Joker, he got his wish, because he's either going to die, or be put in a padded room for the rest of his life, and nobody will take pity on him.

What I've realized is, super villains can be very real, but so can Batman. Batman to a lot of us, is real. Whether he manifests himself as police enforcement or the justice system, eventually justice should be served. I'm not saying by any means that our justice system is perfect. It's not. There is still a chance that this guy could get away with a lot more than he should, which is completely unfair to those who lost their lives, loved ones, and their sense of security. To stretch the metaphor further though, Batman is not perfect either. I think that's why I like him more than any other super hero. Our hero could easily be a neighbor, a friend, or a lover, but we never know until the time comes where somebody needs to step up.

It's incredibly sad that we need a situation like this to realize we have silent protectors all around us, trying to keep us safe from harm. Whether they be a Guardian Angel, God, or a police officer.

Perhaps super hero movies have more to them than they seem. Perhaps we're not supposed to see our heroes or know them, but are supposed to trust that they are there. Perhaps we are to be somebody else's Batman. The beauty of it is, he's an (albeit very rich) average citizen, protecting the city that he loves, and that's it. Technically, he could be anyone.

So this is my personal prayer to those affected, and my personal thank you to all the Batmans in the world. Normal people who step up in times of tragedy and chaos are what make me believe in humanity again. We can't lose our faith in people, we can't lose our faith in the good, just because evil follows us everywhere. And I think that believing is our biggest accomplishment as a community.

Thoughts and prayers to the victims and survivors of the 7/20 shootings in Aurora, Co. <3

My Abusive Relationship with Exercise

Exercise and I have a love/hate relationship. Perhaps it's this way with other people, even the athletic ones, but I think athletic people have more of an issue with finding the time to indulge in their endorphin addiction. In theory, exercising is a win-win situation. You take care of your body, while the endorphins get you high. You feel good. You look good. Great.

I love the idea of being athletic. Being tan, toned, healthy, able to beat the boys at just about everything. Nothing wrong with that. But alas, athletics are left to the coordinated, of which I am not. Let's take a little trip into Jordan's athletic past shall we?

Elementary School:

There was the time we were playing basketball in gym class, I'm about to make a shot, when suddenly, life decided I was being too athletically gifted and forced my knees to give out. As I fell into a lump on the floor, the ball scattered, inevitably to the other team. I lay there. Humiliated. While my teacher asked me if I always said a prayer before making a shot. Yes. Yes I do. I was praying you hadn't noticed. It didn't work. Now the angels are laughing at me.

I also broke my best friend's arm in the 5th grade playing dodgeball. There isn't really much more I can say about that except that our friendship didn't make it much past elementary school...

Middle School:

I'm pretty certain Middle School physical education class is just an entire conspiracy to make adolescents feel even worse about themselves. The locker rooms in and of itself is a giant vortex of self hatred, bath 'n' body works perfume, and insecurity. But then you actually get out there and have to show of your physical prowess. If you're good at things like running, and catching balls, and push ups, it's no problem. But when your head is a ball magnet like mine, you leave exhausted, sweaty, and with a headache. (I've been hit in the head with a 9 lb medicine ball before... didn't feel good). Although I don't have very many specific stories about middle school gym class (pretty sure I suppressed it all), I know it was an awful point in my life, and the first time I ever got a C in a class. My OCD was a little nuts that year...

High School:

Thankfully, in high school we were only required to take one full credit of P.E. and half of that credit could be health class, so I only had to take one semester of actual gym class. My summary of that semester? Always being picked last for teams, passing out during volley ball, getting hit in the eye with a dodgeball, and my gym teacher telling me to take art instead, and getting an A out of pity.

Now in college, things are different. You suddenly realize that you don't care what people think about you as much and you can essentially become a whole new version of yourself because you haven't grown up with these people and they don't know about your 3rd grade prayer sessions. So, I decided, I was going to be athletic. I got the cute outfits, recently got new running shoes, and have been trying to get out and do more active things this summer.

However, it always turns out the same way. Here is another magnificent crayon depiction of how it usually goes.

I start out in my fancy work-out appropriate duds. Looking quite athletic if I do say so myself. 

Then the actual exercising begins, and I feel like nothing can stop me. I'm on top of the world. TAKE THAT HATERS!

Approximately 2-5 minutes later...

Soon, however, something else kicks in. I'm hot. I'm sweaty. But I can't give in...I can't... I must go... on...

Another few minutes later...

I give in. -dies-

And that's pretty much it. My short-lived attempts at creating a better/healthier life for myself have failed yet again. But the way I see it, at least I'm trying. And it's the thought that counts. Right?

Life Update

So as my life has slowed WAY down (a little too much if you ask me), I've decided to update you all on some happenings in my life recently. It's been a little obvious for anyone who follows me on twitter/tumblr/facebook or any other social networking site that I've been craving some change. Change for the better obviously. I want to meet new people, and do new things, but I don't entirely know what. (And admittedly I'm a little chicken to do much of it) So here's a few things I've been pondering for a while.

#1: Volunteer for something I'm passionate about. The problem is, passion has been hard to find lately. I think the one thing that I've heard of that I really want to do is work on an elephant reservation in Thailand. http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/index.htm  Unfortunately I'm no where near Thailand. And needy elephants don't particularly reside in Colorado. Maybe I'll start on a smaller scale and volunteer for a humane society. Dogs are much more plentiful than elephants. But seriously. How can you say no to this face? Maybe one day I'll get myself to Thailand.

 #2: In light of helping others, I've been seriously considering signing up for the bone marrow donor registry at http://marrow.org/Home.aspx . Although my life has not been personally touched by somebody with Leukemia, I know that I am one of the lucky ones. If I were able to save somebody's life today, I would do it without a second thought. Life is beautiful and if I'm able to help somebody live one more day in it, I would not hesitate to do what I can. I'm going to encourage others to do what they can as well.

#3: Get a tattoo. My sister and I have been talking about getting matching tattoos for months, though we have to wait until she's 18 in a year to actually go through with it. That's probably a good thing considering it will probably take that long for both of us to agree on something wholeheartedly. However, I've always liked the idea of tattoos, but I am also extremely (and sometimes regrettably) rational and logical, making a permanent decision like that very difficult. I've narrowed it down to either birds or a lion, with some sort of quotes, but I am looking at elephants now, and those are adorable. I guess when it comes to tattoos, I will just have to keep you posted.

I guess all in all, I want to be a part of something bigger. Part of a group that is doing something to better themselves or better others. I've spent way too much time crying at tv shows where people are part of a collective whole. I feel like I've lost a sense of that since I started classes and work. I miss the days when I had things like theatre or student council to make me feel like I was a part of something which, if not particularly important, at least gave me a sense of purpose. I need to make more time for stuff like that in the future.

That's about it on the "Jordan" front. What have you guys been up to? Also feel free to follow me for random happenings of my every day life, because for some reason I'm under the 21st century disillusion that random people care about my life:

Twitter @jordankdavis
Tumblr: http://jordankdavis.tumblr.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jordankdavis/

Stalkers have at it. Prepare to be bored to death.

XOXO

Mid-College Crisis

It's been quite a long time since my last blog post, mainly because this semester was absolutely crazy and I can't really think of anything to talk about. Honestly it's been really hard to put my thoughts into words lately - a problem I can't say I'm too familiar with. Finishing up my second year of college really got me thinking. College isn't exactly what I thought it would be. Partially that's a good thing. I've done a fairly decent job at avoiding anything that's going to get me into trouble. Actually, I don't think I could find trouble if I tried. This is precisely the problem.

I've gone 2 years through college and I don't really have much to say for it. Sure. I get good grades. I love what I'm studying. I have a decent paying student job. And my roommates and I get along way better than any 4 girls living in one house ever should. But do you ever get the feeling that maybe some things come too easy? That maybe, I'm way too comfortable with being an academic home body. I feel like my social life has stagnated, and the social butterfly in me is suffocating. For instance, today, I'm sitting at home, in my gym clothes, writing a blog that's doing nothing but complain. What worries me is that I don't really want to do anything other than this.

Perhaps this is coming from the fact that everyone is moving on around me. My best friend just moved to Wyoming permanently. Another best friend is now a father. And here I am, contemplating what it means to be a "grown up". Because what's supposed to look like this:

Actually looks like this:

And I suppose my new goal is to find something in between those. Wish me luck.

XOXO

ATTN: Doctors Don't Actually Do Anything

Many people have asked me, "Jordan, why do you hate doctors so much?" And I look at them with an incredulous stare because in my mind, how can you not hate doctors? It's not so much as I hate them as a person. That, of course, is dependent upon the individual. What I hate is the incessant need to make my life Hell, and then not give me any answers. I've had many interesting experiences at doctor's offices, and therefore I've decided to share with the world why doctors actually are the most frightening people in the world.

Most people see doctors as this -

The guy on the left looks like he's up to something shady.

Or this...

If you aren't terrified of him, you obviously don't watch enough television. But at least he gets the job done.

And sometimes people see doctors like this...

If my doctors looked even romotely like this, I'd go in for physicals more often... but if they look like this they are not to be trusted as they probably moonlighted as a male escort to put themselves through med-school.

This however, is how I see doctors.

"I know you just came in for a common cold, but it's necessary that I cut you open, you know, just to make sure."

That's the thing. They make you suffer even more than you already are. First you wait in the waiting room with a kid who has snot running down his face, and an old man with some kinda pulsating bump on his neck. Sure they try to be nice as they take your temperature and weight, and tell you that you're underweight - again - like it's a bad thing. Sorry I don't eat enough pizza, bro. I'll get right on that.

Truthfully, I get extremely anxious and nervous every time I go into a doctor's office. The minute I walk in I feel my entire body tense up. It's an involuntary reaction that I think stems from when I was little and they always had to have 3 nurses hold me down and shove sticks down my throat while I cried to them for mercy. Mercy was never given, and it made my throat feel worse. This anxiety makes me very sarcastic and jittery. Sudden movements are not a good idea, and they always think I have some sort of heart issue because when they put the cold stethoscope on my chest my heart is suffering from rapid spasms of terror. It is at this moment that I think they can see right through me. They know that they can scare me even more with their threats of needles and rubber gloves. The cotton balls don't fool me either - they are probably used to muffle the sounds of screaming victims.

They then ask a series of repetitive questions, like they didn't believe me the first time when I described my symptoms. Nope, I lied about my sore throat and stomach ache earlier just for kicks and giggles, wasting your and my time. It's not even that they ask questions over and over again, but the way in which they ask them.

Example questions and my remarks:

"I'm going to need you to give us a urine sample. Could you please pee in this cup?"  - No. I can't. Without prior warning for this visit, I peed before I came in and now I have to sit in the bathroom with the faucet running for 20 minutes while I try to pee in a cup with no aim talent. It's a mess in your bathroom now, but that's not my problem anymore.

"I'm going to need you to take off your shirt so I can do a breast exam." -But you haven't even taken me out to dinner yet. This is all going so fast. I'm not that kind of girl.

"I'm going to take a look at your privates now. It's okay. I'm a doctor." - That's precisely why it's NOT okay. I did not come here to get molested, but you're going to do it anyway. Yup. You just went there. 

"You haven't gotten your HPV shot yet? You should really do that. I would have done it if it were around when I was younger. It's important for when your husband cheats on you, you don't get cervical cancer." - Um did you just say "when"? Not "if". "When". Sorry your husband cheated on you honey, don't bring your problems to work. That's unprofessional.

"There's really nothing we can do about it, just go home and sit it out until you feel better. Get lots of sleep." - Ok... I just sat in this room for over an hour on a Saturday getting my throat raped and my finger stabbed like it was in a gang war and that's really all you can tell me... you don't know what's wrong with me? So glad I came in to see you. This has been a productive use of both my time and health.

"You're NOT sexually active?! -skeptical glance-" - I know I'm hot. Doesn't mean I'm getting any. Boys run away from me screaming, and as much as you have tried to convince me for the past 6 years that that is going to change, as far as I can tell I repel every man I touch so... riddle me that doc.

The list could go on and on. I guess the main point is that I'm extremely dissatisfied with my doctors. They don't help anything. Ever. And I'm still feeling crappy after a week of visiting the doctor twice and talking on the phone with them extensively once. FIX ME.

Le End Rant.

Why I get Irritated with the World

So, I'm about to open up a can of worms here, I know it. However, something has been bothering me all day and I need to write about it and organize my thoughts, because life is extremely confusing. I may offend some people, because they don't believe the same things I believe, which is fine. That's the beauty of America, we're allowed to believe what we want to believe, and nobody can say anything about it. But they can certainly try.

Today I experienced kind of a social experiment. Evangelist Christians are fairly common on our campus, although I don't really know why, they're kind of preaching to the choir to that particular audience to be honest. They stand there with their big signs, and sometimes megaphones screaming about their beliefs at the casual passerby or the people who have the time to stop and listen. Today I was a person who stopped and listened.

The things he was saying completely baffled me, and I fully admit I didn't agree with anything he said. Everything he said sounded really judgmental and condescending. Declaring that ALL college students are promiscuous, and ALL college students smoke weed, and ALL college students are drunken sinners. It irritated me that he would just assume that about everybody there, even though he didn't know any of them at all. I was willing to listen to him, keeping in mind that he has a religion, past experiences, and a passion for what he does, but what does he know about me or my personal life? Absolutely nothing. He stood there declaring that all humans are sinners and we need to stop right now, but he is human too so what things on his list of sins has he done? What makes him think God has forgiven him but not us? Is it because he's standing there declaring his opinion to the world? Is that what it takes to be forgiven? If that's the case, here's me declaring my opinion, just in case I need forgiving.

I believe that a relationship with your God, or whatever you choose to believe in, is a personal relationship, and you shouldn't shove it down people's throats because it's just going to irritate them. You shouldn't assume anything about people until you know them. You shouldn't tell people they're going to Hell for loving somebody who is different from who you love, smoking a cigarette, or getting drunk at a frat party. And you definitely shouldn't make claims such as (and I quote) "Most of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting went to Hellfire." You don't know that at all, and those victims lost their lives in a tragic event that should not be criticized. I suppose he's going to blame God for those unfair deaths too.

Honestly, I don't want to believe in his God. If his God is going to tell me that people with different ideas, opinions, sexualities, vices, and weaknesses are going to Hell, then I don't want any part of it. My imagined God is a caring and kind friend who isn't going to judge me based on the human mistakes I have made, and will make throughout my life. He isn't going to shun my friends who are gay because they happen to like members of the same sex. He isn't going to reject my friends who go to parties and happen to partake in drugs or alcohol. He isn't going to send to eternal hellfire my friends who have sex before they are married. Instead, being all powerful, he will see the kind of person they are as I see them. And if they have done their best to be a good person, then that will be enough to get them into an afterlife if there is one.

I don't want to only criticize the evangelist, who was really, in retrospect, just talking about what he believes, but the people watching were getting angry and shouting things as well. And I'll admit, I wanted to yell something too, and I even laughed at a few of the come backs. These people are also entitled an opinion, but again, it's all in how you present something and some of these people were plain rude.

One honorable guy came over with a sign, he taped it to the fence behind the evangelist, and it said "I disagree with everything this man says, but I will defend to the death his right to say it." I wanted to give this guy a hug. We can be angry at the things people say, but we have to take a step back and realize that even if they may be closed minded, they have every right to say what they are saying, and if you just get angry and rude, you're being just as close minded - fighting fire with fire. 

So, all that being said, I guess I'll end with my own opinions and beliefs. A quote that best describes my religious ideals is this: “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”- Marcus Aurelius

He has a marble statue of himself and wears a toga, so... he obviously knows what he's talking about.

I, like Mr. Aurelius, feel like the most important things in life are to love and accept one another. If we only get one life and no afterlife, what kind of impact do you want to make? Personally, I don't want that impact to be me screaming at people, trying to force them to believe what I believe. You only make enemies that way, and I'd rather leave this world knowing I left a memorable and good impact on my friends and family.

10 Years Later

There isn't much I remember about the fourth grade. I was nine years old. My teacher was Mrs. McFadden. My best friend was Kari Fetrow. But besides the basics, the only two events I vividly remember was where I was on September 11th, 2001, and the untimely death of my grandmother. Why is it that we can so vividly recall pain, but not joy? I can't think of a single moment from the fourth grade where I was really happy, even though I'm sure I had my moments. Those things don't seem to stick with us as well.

Ten years is a long time to remember back, and it's interesting to see how much the world has changed (how much I have changed) and yet still some things seem to remain the same. As I sit here in my apartment at college, worried about my exams next week and my job interview tomorrow, I realize that I am really worrying about my future, and ten years ago I was probably doing the same thing. It makes me think of those involved in the twin towers. All of those people were worrying about the future just like I was/am. Worrying about their families, their car payments, what they're having for dinner that night, some of them got up in the morning with a specific goal that they never got to reach, and promises they never got to keep. Each of them had hopes, and dreams, and plans.

It's an incredibly sad thought, that these people promised their kids they'd be there to pick them up after school just like any other day, and then were forced to break that promise. But as America moves on, we move on for these people. We are still able to fight for them, for their promises, for their dreams. And it gives me strength to just move on for them, even though I didn't know anybody who was a victim personally. I feel like I know them, just by the criteria that we are all human, and we all should have the right to live, not in fear, but in hope for the future.

We need to thank our troops, regardless of your stance on the war, whom risk their lives every day to make sure we can fulfill our goals and promises. We need to thank the policemen and firemen who risked their lives that day, knowing that they may not make it. We need to thank the people who took the 911 calls, and consoled people in their last moments. And we need to thank ourselves, for being strong enough to move on, but not forget where we were that day, and what it means to be an American.