Starr Turner

May 2010

References:
The Global Warming Survival Handbook by David De Rothschild
The Hippie Handbook by Chelsea Cain
Hippie Dictionary by John Bassett McCleary
http://www.clatskanie.com/

My name is Starr Turner. I was born to parents Sky and Sunshine Turner in the town of Clatskanie, Oregon.

I chose my own name when I was five years old. My parents always encouraged my sisters and me to explore and express ourselves without feeling confined by the labels imposed on us by the societal war machine . And that started at home - with choosing our own names. When I was twelve, I added the second "r" to my name to give myself more of an air of sophistication.

My sisters and I all chose to attend the Montessori school in Astoria. We were provided the unique opportunity to take classes like: The Art of Communicating through Interpretative Dance, Forensic Scatology, Astrological Compatibility in Love and Sex, the Impact of Astronomic Motion on the Human Brain’s Lunar Rhythm and Home Economics for Vegans.

At the age of 16 I was accepted to UC Berkley where I earned my Masters Degree in Ethical Agricultural Practices. Currently I manage several farms in Northern California that provide fair wages and benefits to their workers and only raise free-range vegetarian fed livestock. I also spend several months every year traveling around the world to assist non-profit organizations in bringing ethical farming practices to under-developed countries.

Recently, I thought about joining the Peace Corps, but when I realized that the Corps is a stringent organization that doesn’t provide unlimited outlets for the freedom of expression, I decided to just go help people by myself.

My first trip was to Tijuana, Mexico. I packed a duffle bag and jumped on a bus for the boarder. After crossing into Mexico, I wandered around until I found two little girls selling gum on the side of the road, one had a large bruise on her collarbone which caught my attention. I asked them where their home was, and since they did not have a home (or parents), I decided the three of us should find a safe house. We stumbled upon Casa Hogar de los Ninos where I stayed for a year living and working with Tanya and Mago. Before living in Mexico, I had never cut my hair. But both Tanya and Mago had lice that quickly spread to me, so I shaved my head (even though there was shampoo that would have killed the lice) because that is what the little girls had to do and I wanted to feel solidarity with them. I do hope my life journey brings me back to Mexico, I miss the smell of chile and asada in the air.

I begin every day with sun salutations - one for every hour of sunlight I will be enjoying that day. And I end every day in one hour of meditation. Sometimes, I find myself so overcome with gratitude for my life on this planet that I have to stop and meditate on the spot – just to fully embrace my feeling so that I can radiate the positive energy in me and push it into the world.

I believe in peace as a tangible thing – it is something visible in some people and sorely missing from others – something you can share with those around you, if they are open and accepting.

I feel. I feel very deeply and was raised to always accept and express my feelings fully. Sometimes this is through painting or running or sitting at the bottom of a lake to see how long I can hold my breath. As a Leo, I don’t feel at home under the water like my Pisces sister, but I find when I am feeling like I could just dissolve into the particles of my being and expand beyond the reaches of the universe, that feeling of tight confinement I get from being under the water balances me back out.

I’m in New Haven with my old college roommate, Annie. She was having some doubts about her current career path and boyfriend, so I came out to give her a palm reading and some insight into her future.

Nice Shoes....

When it comes to pick up lines, I prefer the classics. Any type of physical flattery works because, let's face it, when two people lock eyes across a smokey bar, a winning personality, easy-going sense of humor or kind and gentle soul aren't among the first traits that stick out. That's why I dig the compliments on my dress, eyes, smile, legs, and shoes - they are straight-forward and easy to work with. Plus, it keeps me in check with realizing that, to a stranger, I am nothing more than a sum of the pieces I chose to express myself - which, when you think about it, is much more profound than you may realize.

I like to tell people things that are not true. But I wouldn't consider myself a liar, because really, my lies are just ways of making things more interesting. I feel that with the right story, clothes and attitude, I can be anyone I want to be - at least for a night. Really, I'm one of the most open and honest people you could imagine, I just have an over-active imagination and a knack for story-telling.

In the past, I've gone out, met people and lied about who I was, what I did and other such factors we use to orient ourselves to the world around us- sometimes to score a free drink, sometimes just to see what I can get away with.

I've been a traveling poet.
a flight attendant.
a Neuropsychologist.
a palm reader.
Homeless.
Foreign.
a composer for pet food jingles.
a cobbler.
a ranch hand.
an award-winning chef.
and once, a snake charmer.

I've always had an interesting experience when playing one of my roles - like explaining how I could be a bar-hopping Morman or what it was like to grow up Amish.

Then, one day, I decided to put my talents to work on a little sociological experiment. I'm calling it "Who do you Love" (pretty much because "Boys lie and so do I" sounded a little too man-hater for my intended audiance). But here's my plan:

Every month I develop a character.

Week one: I publish her story - to really get into character, I'll need to know everything from her past failures to future dreams, I'll make up and then master her present quirks and habits. I'll name her and probably give her a theme song.

Week two: I publish her wardrobe - since that's how everyone will be seeing her.

Week three: I take her out on the town and see how the world responds to her. I'll publish where she went, what she drank, who approached her and how, what peaked their interest, and how they reacted to her personality.

After one year, I will have been 12 different women.

I will have spent 12 months looking for "love" in all the "wrong" places.

I'll spend these next 12 months reinventing myself, lying about my life- trying on different experiences, learning from someone elses' past and dreaming of their future.

And after 12 months, I'll be able to draw some conclusions - Who did "they" love?

Was it who I expected?