Rock Chalk magic

In a life separated by seasons, basketball season is by far my favorite.

And basketball doesn’t get much better than the game against Kansas and North Carolina on Sunday. It had all the attributes of classic novel or block buster movie. A team during their “rebuilding year” (that would be Kansas for those of you who don’t follow basketball) playing against one of their nemesis for a spot in the Final Four.

I’ve heard some people say the wounds for Roy Williams departure from Kansas to North Carolina in 2003 have healed. But they seemed raw as ever on Sunday. In pre-game interview Williams confessed he still loves Kansas. It’s his second favorite basketball team, he says.

Well, Roy, there’s no love for the Tar Heels in Bill Self’s heart, or anywhere in Jayhawk country for that matter.

The game proved to be a nail biter until the last few minutes, with fans across the country relying on any superstitions they have to give their team a boost.

In our house we cheered loud and on several occasions I literally jumped out of my seat in applause. As strange as it seems, part of me believes that my cheers help will the Jayhawks into victory game after game. Oh sure, Bill Self’s amazing coaching has a huge role in the teams success, along with talented players and their awesome defense.

But I’m not alone in the belief that my enthusiasm as a fan plays a role. It seems silly unless you believe in the magic of basketball, which I do.

I never really bought into the idea Santa Clause as a child, but a mythical bird called the Jayhawk, now that’s something I could believe in.

College basketball has a mystical way of uniting people across political party, religious affiliation, and race. We may have our differences but come game time we are Kansas.

And this Saturday we will be rooting our Jayhawks on with high hopes, loud cheers and cold beverages in hand.

We can never forget. Seriously.

With shows like Doomsday Bunkers and Doomsday Preppers on air, it’s impossible to deny that many people feel the end is near.

For those of you unfamiliar with these shows, they depict families preparing for some sort of national disaster or some end-of-the-world scenario. These people are taking action for one of the millions of conspiracy theories they may have read online.

I must admit I went through a conspiracy theory phase in high school. I mostly learned about these theories through my debate friends. There is the one about the underground military base beneath the Denver International Airport. And everybody knows the theory that we didn’t really land on the moon. I have to admit it is pretty suspicious that we have never went back. Hmm.

While many of these conspiracy theories seem harmless some cross the line. I feel sad for the people who live in such fear that they dedicate their entire lives for preparing for the end. And I feel annoyed by the people who think every president is THE antichrist. I clearly do not think Obama is the antichrist, but equally don’t think George Bush is the antichrist. We can disagree on politics without demonizing one another. I promise, it’s possible.

But the worst conspiracy theory I’ve ever heard is that the holocaust does not exist as we have depicted it in history. These holocaust deniers, or revisionists as they prefer to be called, dispute the use of gas chambers and believe that the number of Jewish people killed in the holocaust was significantly less than the six million figure that historians accept.

I recently had a conversation about this topic. Before I only thought crazies like Mel Gibson bought into this. The idea that someone truly believes the holocaust was fabricated angers me at my core.

I have read recollections of holocaust survivors, I’ve seen the museum in Washington D.C., I have friends who are Jewish, and I even freelance for the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. I’m sure all those facts contribute to my emotions around this topic, but the primary reason I feel so passionately against these crazy holocaust deniers is because we can never forget.

We can never forget the horrific events that happened in the holocaust. We can’t water down the evil or teach others that the attempted genocide didn’t occur. We can never forget.

Because when do, we are less likely to acknowledge the tragedies that occur today. We can never forget. Because when we do, we won’t notice the slippery slope that leads to injustice. We can never forget. Because when we do, we might not notice when politicians or those in power ostracize minority groups.

We can never forget. Because six million million Jewish people died in the holocaust, about two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe. We can never forget because their deaths should not be in vain.

One of my favorite professors in college often said, “Ideas have consequences.”
Indeed they do. Denying the past or focusing on the end-of-the-world future scenarios prohibits us for being present, aware, and affective in the here and now.

Never forget the past, but also don’t be too worried about the future to participate in the beauty of today. It’s balance that I strive to achieve.

Fun just a short car trip away

With weather in the 70s and lower 80s it’s the perfect time of year for a leisurely day trip. Here are a few of my favorite places with two hours of Kansas City.

Parkville, Mo.

I love Parkville. It has the quaint features of a small town just 20 minutes outside the city. Shop in downtown Parkville. Stay the night at bed and breakfast and then hit up the Farmer’s Market in the morning.

Parkville also has a variety of events and festivals throughout the spring and summer. My favorite is the annual microbrew festival, slated for 1 to 5 p.m. April 21 at English Landing.

Lawrence, KS

I know, I know, I live in Lawrence. But most of you readers probably don’t and this town is worth the 40 minute drive west. Lawrence’s downtown might possibly be the happiest place on earth, filled with tons of shops and eateries. Pick up some unique, locally made items at stores like Made on Mass, Doodlebugs and Third Planet. Then enjoy a nice meal and a beer from Freestate Brewery.

If you feel like spending the night the Oread and the Eldridge are a great choice. And this will give you time to check out Lawrence’s live music scene.

Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery

Located at 18807 158th St., Bashor, Kan., Holy-Field gives you the winery experience without the trip to Napa Valley. Tour the vineyard and enjoy one of the many wine selections Holy-Field produces.

In May, Holy-Filed will start it’s Friday night summer music series. The winery also hosts Murder Mystery Dinners. Their next murder mystery dinners will take place at 7 p.m. May 11 and 12.

Ft. Scott, Kan.

Ft. Scott is my hometown, but I never realized what a great day trip it made until I went back with my dad a couple of years ago and played tourist. Ft. Scott is about an hour and half south of Kansas City. Ft. Scott’s downtown has several antique stores. If you like to antique this is the place for you. The prices beat any antique stores in Kansas City, hands down.

After a day of shopping drive about 20 more minutes south on 69 Highway and pick up the best fried chicken you will ever eat at Chicken Annie’s in Pittsburg, Kan.

No laughing matter

Today I want to give a wag of my finger to Mr. Stephen Colbert.

Last week Colbert interviewed Claire Danes about her role in the Showtime television show Homeland. Danes plays a CIA agent who has bipolar disorder.

“You play a character with a a set of particular emotional issues,” Colbert starts the interview.

Is he really going to talk about bipolar disorder and be able to make it funny, I thought as I watched the clip from Homeland.

The clip showed a hospitalized Danes frantically begging a nurse in a psych ward for a green pen. They had given her a blue pen but that wouldn’t work. It had to be the green one. The blue one doesn’t even make sense, Dane’s character says. The character becomes irate. Clearly she’s insane.

Danes pulls off the bipoloar character well and makes me want to actually watch Homeland. Colbert, unfortunately, did not get through the interview without offending almost anyone who is bipolar or has a loved one with the disease.

“What’s wrong with her?” Colbert says with a laugh after the clip ends.

Later in the interview Colbert jokingly asks Danes, “Is there anything bipolar in you?”

“I really, really hope not,” she replies.

I watch the Colbert report almost every night. I’m a fan. I even thought about donating to his Super Pac. But poking fun at people who have a mental illness is just wrong. Period.

Do I have a double standard about poking fun of politicians, celebrities and billionaires? Absolutely. People who go into politics or reality T.V. put themselves in the limelight. People who have a mental illness on the other hand, typically pray that they are able to stay under the radar, at least as far as the mental illness is concerned.

According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, bipolar disorder affects about 5.7 million adults. Most of these people don’t talk about their illness because there is so much stigma and miseducation about the disorder. And interviews like the one on the Colbert Report only drive people who suffer from bipolar disorder even more into isolation.

I know because I have bipolar disorder.

I was diagnosed with this condition at 22 after a six month bout with severe depression followed by a full-blown manic episode. For those of you who don’t know what a manic episode is, imagine smoking crack and tripping acid at the same time. Speeding thoughts, hallucinations, paranoia and endless energy. It seems fun at first until you come down and realize you have lost half your friends, compromised your career and made a fool out of yourself to everyone you know.

Picking up the pieces of my mania felt like starting over. With the help of family, the friends who stuck around, and a very gracious editor, I was able to get back on my feet.

Over the years, I’ve made new sets of friends and continued to pursue my career. And as I’ve done so, I’ve managed to keep my disorder a secret for the most part. With lithium on my side, I’ve avoided any major depression or manic episodes.

The truth is bipolar disorder is extremely treatable. But people often don’t get treatment or don’t stick with treatment because of the stigma. No one wants to be crazy. No one wants to be the girl who needs the green pen.

Well, I am that girl. When I saw that scene from Homeland I saw myself. And it wasn’t something that I wanted to laugh about. Or hear other people laugh about.

Would Colbert laugh about the fact that Laura Linney’s character has cancer on the The Big C? I doubt it. Because we don’t joke about cancer. And we shouldn’t joke about a disorder as serious as bipolar either.

I wrote this blog because I no longer want to stand by when people make uneducated remarks about a condition that has so vastly affected my life. I wrote this blog because I want people to know that it’s okay to have bipolar disorder. I wrote this blog because I want people to realize that yes, we are crazy at times, but we are also treatable, competent, creative, successful, and all around awesome.

P.S. I would also like to give a tip of my hat to all the people who have bipolar disorder and continue to take their meds and hold their heads high.