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"The sea broke in a long line in the rain"
24 December 2009 @ 04:18 pm
Here's me, wishing you joy, peace, and love.
Oh.
And this, too, because it's so very cheerfully obnoxious it sort of makes me wrinkle my brow in horrified bemusement, and laugh, all at once:
Oh.
And this, too, because it's so very cheerfully obnoxious it sort of makes me wrinkle my brow in horrified bemusement, and laugh, all at once:
Location: Home by the tree
Mood: Cheerful and grateful
25 November 2009 @ 12:40 pm
Happy birthday, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
ellen_fremedon - may the year be filled with joy, friendship, fanfic, curling, and light.
ellen_fremedon - may the year be filled with joy, friendship, fanfic, curling, and light.28 October 2009 @ 12:04 pm
XKCD
One of the things I like about XKCD is the ironic meta-commentary that happens on multiple levels.
However, I don't actually know any women who wish the complete stranger but-cute boy on the train would talk to them. Women are trapped on trains and buses, until the vehicle stops. A woman is typically a lot more aware of whether the creepy guy from the bus is following her to work, than whether or not the "cute boy" -- who is nonetheless a complete stranger -- will ever work up the nerve to talk to her. So the XKCD strip? It isn't a scenario I can even imagine a woman writing.
I happened across this particular strip from a comments thread link, following this post:
Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced
Although the writer makes a number of assumptions with which I'm not in complete agreement, she also makes a some points that bear discussion and reflection, and sharing with your friends and acquaintances. And in the comments thread, before things go all to hell, woman after woman makes the point that she tries very hard to pointedly read her book or look out the window -- and inevitably, when some guy tries to make conversation, she's braced for him to escalate things to "Jeez, I'm being nice, bitch - what's your problem?"
From the post linked above:
Now, you want to become acquainted with a woman you see in public. The first thing you need to understand is that women are dealing with a set of challenges and concerns that are strange to you, a man. To begin with, we would rather not be killed or otherwise violently assaulted.
“But wait! I don’t want that, either!”
Well, no. But do you think about it all the time? Is preventing violent assault or murder part of your daily routine, rather than merely something you do when you venture into war zones? Because, for women, it is. When I go on a date, I always leave the man’s full name and contact information written next to my computer monitor. This is so the cops can find my body if I go missing. My best friend will call or e-mail me the next morning, and I must answer that call or e-mail before noon-ish, or she begins to worry. If she doesn’t hear from me by three or so, she’ll call the police.
It brings to mind a number of thoughtful posts I've seen from men, the last few years, as well.Well, no. But do you think about it all the time? Is preventing violent assault or murder part of your daily routine, rather than merely something you do when you venture into war zones? Because, for women, it is. When I go on a date, I always leave the man’s full name and contact information written next to my computer monitor. This is so the cops can find my body if I go missing. My best friend will call or e-mail me the next morning, and I must answer that call or e-mail before noon-ish, or she begins to worry. If she doesn’t hear from me by three or so, she’ll call the police.
Joss Whedon on "What's wrong with women?" wrote:
I have yet to find a culture that doesn’t buy into it. Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable.
Jim Hines wrote:How pathetic is it that, in our culture, the only thing you have to do to be a good guy is say, "Hey, one of these days I'll write something about rape." Even that sort of vague, empty comment about rape is enough to make you stand out. Because that's already more than most guys seem willing to say or do.
From an essay on http://meloukhia.net, called Feminism and Joss Whedon: Men, Women, and Dollhouse:
We are taught, as a collective society, that women’s bodies are public property, and that they are always available for sex [Emphasis added]. The female body is an object of collective social consumption, not something which is private. While people may argue that rape is viewed as socially unacceptable, our entire society is structured around the idea of female availability, which is one of the reasons why many women and feminists have reacted so strongly to the troubling themes of personhood, body, and agency in Dollhouse. Even the perception of rape in the real world is complicated, which makes a reading of the events on Dollhouse far from simple. For women and feminists, the show is skirting dangerously close to a reality which already exists, a world in which women’s bodies are assumed to come with consent attached and in which grey areas are automatically not rape. In perhaps the most classic example of how this plays out in the real world, it is assumed that rape cannot take place in a relationship, because consent is built into the structure of the relationship, which means that the body is always available for sex, even when the body’s owner “isn’t there” in the sense that she is drugged, or drunk, or asleep. Even when she explicitly denies consent, it is not rape, because, in the eyes of society, how could you revoke consent once you’re in a relationship?
I'm thinking a lot about women, women's bodies, and sexual politics in SF, partly because I'm reading Bear's Carnival, and thinking about how to go about writing a long essay about the book as a sort of ironic meta-commentary/response to the 20th century feminist utopian novel tradition.26 October 2009 @ 11:30 am
There's a new article about the mounting evidence that she died a castaway on an island in the Pacific:
"For years, Richard Gillespie, TIGHAR's executive director and author of the book "Finding Amelia," and his crew have been searching the Nikumaroro island for evidence of Earhart. A tiny coral atoll, Nikumaroro was some 300 miles southeast of Earhart's target destination, Howland Island."
The story of her life and her disappearance has fascinated me since I was a child, and first read about her.
25 October 2009 @ 12:17 pm
It's right around 40 degrees, this morning; chilly, damp, and gray.
Had a lovely walk, and got to pet other people's dogs. Sunday morning seems to be the "take my new pup out for socializing and trail-manners work" day.
And! Pictures of the bay!
Had a lovely walk, and got to pet other people's dogs. Sunday morning seems to be the "take my new pup out for socializing and trail-manners work" day.
And! Pictures of the bay!
Location: home again
What I'm listening to:: not since MSWord borked the wireless connection to the stereo
20 October 2009 @ 07:04 pm
I'm 4474th against discrimination by health insurers. Women deserve equal coverage for equal premiums. http://seiu.org/ticket
17 October 2009 @ 08:20 am
What you'll need (flexible sort of a list):
A bag of mixed dried lentils/beans
A couple of onions
A bunch of garlic, according to taste
olive oil or butter (depending on audience)
Some variety of winter squash
veggie stock/broth
curry paste
coconut milk (at VP I use the "lite" variety)
mixed greens: kale, collards, chard, spinach, etc
Rinse then soak your mixed beans and lentils overnight, drain, cover in veggie stock and pop into slow cooker or kettle on lowish heat. Cook for a long time. At some convenient point, clean and peel the squash, cube it up, and toss into pot with beans. This should be a fairly thick mixture, after cooking down. Toss in a pinch of cayenne. Or two.
Slice your onion and garlic into desired sizes and shapes. Saute in butter (or olive oil, if you're worried about that sort of thing) until transparent. At some point, when you happen to think of it, put a big old glop or three of curry paste into the onions while they cook. Keep the heat low enough you don't burn your spices. I usually go hunting for cinnamon sticks to throw into the cooking onions and garlic, too -- and when I can't find them, I resort to a pinch or two of the powdered cinnamon that seems to live in every American kitchen, regardless of region. You can also omit the coconut milk, and instead crunch up a couple of spoonfuls of coriander with a mortar and pestle (I eschew food-processing. Mostly because I just think it sounds nasty) to add to your spice mix, cooked with the onion and garlic.
When onions are transparent and fragrant with spices, add into your bubbling lentils/squash mix. Core and quarter those sorry-looking tomatoes in the veggie crisper, and toss them into the pot, as well. Taste. Add more curry paste, if need be. And cayenne. Add in coconut milk, according to your personal level of fondness for coconut milk.
Wash and coarsely chop your mixed greens, and add to the pot about five minutes before you're ready to serve. (Over way more cooked rice than you anticipated needing.)
Full disclaimer: This will never happen the same way twice.
A bag of mixed dried lentils/beans
A couple of onions
A bunch of garlic, according to taste
olive oil or butter (depending on audience)
Some variety of winter squash
veggie stock/broth
curry paste
coconut milk (at VP I use the "lite" variety)
mixed greens: kale, collards, chard, spinach, etc
Rinse then soak your mixed beans and lentils overnight, drain, cover in veggie stock and pop into slow cooker or kettle on lowish heat. Cook for a long time. At some convenient point, clean and peel the squash, cube it up, and toss into pot with beans. This should be a fairly thick mixture, after cooking down. Toss in a pinch of cayenne. Or two.
Slice your onion and garlic into desired sizes and shapes. Saute in butter (or olive oil, if you're worried about that sort of thing) until transparent. At some point, when you happen to think of it, put a big old glop or three of curry paste into the onions while they cook. Keep the heat low enough you don't burn your spices. I usually go hunting for cinnamon sticks to throw into the cooking onions and garlic, too -- and when I can't find them, I resort to a pinch or two of the powdered cinnamon that seems to live in every American kitchen, regardless of region. You can also omit the coconut milk, and instead crunch up a couple of spoonfuls of coriander with a mortar and pestle (I eschew food-processing. Mostly because I just think it sounds nasty) to add to your spice mix, cooked with the onion and garlic.
When onions are transparent and fragrant with spices, add into your bubbling lentils/squash mix. Core and quarter those sorry-looking tomatoes in the veggie crisper, and toss them into the pot, as well. Taste. Add more curry paste, if need be. And cayenne. Add in coconut milk, according to your personal level of fondness for coconut milk.
Wash and coarsely chop your mixed greens, and add to the pot about five minutes before you're ready to serve. (Over way more cooked rice than you anticipated needing.)
Full disclaimer: This will never happen the same way twice.
Location: in the window, watching the rain
What I'm listening to:: Nanci Griffith
14 October 2009 @ 03:15 pm
14 October 2009 @ 09:28 am
Unpacking is odious. Much more odious than packing. However it's really lovely to be home, and my cat isn't even punishing me, she's so happy.
Meanwhile, my avoidance activity list includes catching up on my friends list, and taking internet quizzes I usually avoid. Viagryphynshadow:
Meanwhile, my avoidance activity list includes catching up on my friends list, and taking internet quizzes I usually avoid. Via
gryphynshadow:
You are The Wheel of Fortune
Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success
The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
29 September 2009 @ 09:05 am
Laundry first, actually, then packing.
And I must make a decision regarding the guitar, because I fly out for VP in the morning.
And I must make a decision regarding the guitar, because I fly out for VP in the morning.
20 September 2009 @ 12:21 pm
This? This is very, very cool. Extremely fun to watch. Now I must go out and buy a case of Rust-Oleum paint.
And maybe a panel van, to go with the case of paint...
And maybe a panel van, to go with the case of paint...
Mood: curious
16 September 2009 @ 09:44 pm
Mary Travers has died.
My mom had all their records, stuck in the very back of the big console record player, with her previous name written with indelible marker, using careful and pretty cursive, on the album covers.
I asked about those albums, once. The resulting conversation was one of those odd and slightly disconcerting experiences that result when children discover that a parent was complete human being, with stories of her own, before having children.
My mom had all their records, stuck in the very back of the big console record player, with her previous name written with indelible marker, using careful and pretty cursive, on the album covers.
I asked about those albums, once. The resulting conversation was one of those odd and slightly disconcerting experiences that result when children discover that a parent was complete human being, with stories of her own, before having children.
Mood: wistful
11 September 2009 @ 09:45 pm
Questions from Jay Lake.
A brief health care survey from jlake.com behind the cut for my non-political friends who can't stand the idea of talking about this any more.( But if you're interested in talking about it... )
A brief health care survey from jlake.com behind the cut for my non-political friends who can't stand the idea of talking about this any more.( But if you're interested in talking about it... )
07 September 2009 @ 11:16 pm
I just realized I leave for VP in less than a month. Mostly because Kate Salter pointed it out to me... *g*
Good lord.
Also, I need a haircut. Again. The stuff grows like crazy, and I'm noticing distinct shocks of gray. Close-cropped should be kind of salt-n-pepper awesome, until it sun-bleaches out into hairs-of-indeterminate-color again. :D
And there are red pears, which are yummy, because it is Autumn.
Good lord.
Also, I need a haircut. Again. The stuff grows like crazy, and I'm noticing distinct shocks of gray. Close-cropped should be kind of salt-n-pepper awesome, until it sun-bleaches out into hairs-of-indeterminate-color again. :D
And there are red pears, which are yummy, because it is Autumn.
06 September 2009 @ 03:28 pm
There are times that it would be perhaps nice to be a wee bit more linear than I am.
For example, when driving somewhere new, or even newish? Sometimes it gets boring, so I depart from the approved route. Which, y'know, people have been known to find alarming, irritating, or even just . . . odd. And sometimes I end up somewhere completely else from where I intended to go.
This isn't usually too much of an issue, if I'm driving by myself, except it often means a later-than-planned arrival. Or if I'm driving with someone else who is also a bit non-linear. Which is how Cory Doctorow and I missed the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. And then how come Cory got left on foot in Wood's Hole, when I took the NEXT ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Because, well, he got out of the car and wandered off to look for coffee. (It all turned out fine! See? It works. You just can't get all tense about that kind of stuff.)
But when doing stuff like server and software upgrades? Turns out following the map is a REALLY good idea. It's not that this stuff is a completely unintuitive process, of course, but it's more like a Choose Your Own Adventure than it might ideally be. Thank god for people who know a lot more than I do.
Heh.
For example, when driving somewhere new, or even newish? Sometimes it gets boring, so I depart from the approved route. Which, y'know, people have been known to find alarming, irritating, or even just . . . odd. And sometimes I end up somewhere completely else from where I intended to go.
This isn't usually too much of an issue, if I'm driving by myself, except it often means a later-than-planned arrival. Or if I'm driving with someone else who is also a bit non-linear. Which is how Cory Doctorow and I missed the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. And then how come Cory got left on foot in Wood's Hole, when I took the NEXT ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Because, well, he got out of the car and wandered off to look for coffee. (It all turned out fine! See? It works. You just can't get all tense about that kind of stuff.)
But when doing stuff like server and software upgrades? Turns out following the map is a REALLY good idea. It's not that this stuff is a completely unintuitive process, of course, but it's more like a Choose Your Own Adventure than it might ideally be. Thank god for people who know a lot more than I do.
Heh.
27 August 2009 @ 03:10 pm
I've found the most amazing blog. I was watching YouTube footage of Idi Amin Dada, and running down other online sources, as well, and found UgandanInsomniac.
There's also the Ugandan Insomniac Africa Reading Challenge list, with some amazing links, as well.
There's also the Ugandan Insomniac Africa Reading Challenge list, with some amazing links, as well.
14 August 2009 @ 07:04 pm
Just, you know, for your general edification--I thought I'd spread the joy.
The whole thing about the recent SyFy/Stargate lesbian-who-gets has-to-fuck-a-man-because-a-straight-chi
Behold, an actual PETA press-release from a few months ago, with emphasis added for the eye-rolling amusement factor. Editorial comments in red, just for my own amusement:
___________________________________
Vegetarians Make Better Lovers, Say Lingerie-Clad Ladies
So...let me just parse this...you're going to put two scantily-clad "PETA beauties" on a bed, on a public street, to make out with each other because........because it's got something to do with animal welfare? Then, in the press release, you're going to coyly call these two women "Ladies."
For Immediate Release:
February 10, 2009
Contact:
Ashley Byrne 757-622-7382
Amarillo, Texas -- In a public display of passion that's bound to raise a few eyebrows and turn lots of heads, two PETA beauties--decked out in sexy lingerie--will kiss and pose provocatively on a bed set up on the sidewalk at a busy Amarillo intersection on Monday in order to make the point that vegetarians are better lovers. While the steamy sirens are "getting it on," activists holding a banner reading, "Vegetarians Make Better Lovers," will pass out free copies of PETA's "Vegetarian Starter Kit" to let gaping onlookers know how they can spice up their own sex lives. It's all part of PETA's "Live Make-Out Tour" during the week leading up to Valentine's Day. And what they don't say, but becomes clear in the linked video? They'll let the macho fellows who want to have their picture taken with these two "PETA beauties" just hop right down there to pose for a piece of the action.
When: Tuesday, February 10, 12 noon
Where: Corner of S.W. Sixth Avenue and S. Tyler Street, Amarillo
Why do vegetarians have it all over meat-eaters in the bedroom? For one thing, vegetarians are, on average, more fit and trim and have more energy and stamina than people who stuff themselves with fat-laden meat, dairy products, and eggs. And then there's a possibility of impotence: The cholesterol in meat and other animal products slows the flow of blood to all the body's vital organs, not just to the heart. And speaking of heart, there's nothing sexy about someone who turns a blind eye to the daily suffering of the billions of animals who are raised and killed for food each year.
"What could be more of a turn-on than snuggling up to someone who's both passionate and compassionate?" asks PETA veggie vixen Nadia Elmuanier.
For more information, please visit PETA.org
_____________________________________
Misogyny. It's everywhere, right, left, and center. Someone remind me why on earth anyone still takes these repulsive idiots seriously?
The whole thing about the recent SyFy/Stargate lesbian-who-
Behold, an actual PETA press-release from a few months ago, with emphasis added for the eye-rolling amusement factor. Editorial comments in red, just for my own amusement:
___________________________________
Vegetarians Make Better Lovers, Say Lingerie-Clad Ladies
So...let me just parse this...you're going to put two scantily-clad "PETA beauties" on a bed, on a public street, to make out with each other because........because it's got something to do with animal welfare? Then, in the press release, you're going to coyly call these two women "Ladies."
For Immediate Release:
February 10, 2009
Contact:
Ashley Byrne 757-622-7382
Amarillo, Texas -- In a public display of passion that's bound to raise a few eyebrows and turn lots of heads, two PETA beauties--decked out in sexy lingerie--will kiss and pose provocatively on a bed set up on the sidewalk at a busy Amarillo intersection on Monday in order to make the point that vegetarians are better lovers. While the steamy sirens are "getting it on," activists holding a banner reading, "Vegetarians Make Better Lovers," will pass out free copies of PETA's "Vegetarian Starter Kit" to let gaping onlookers know how they can spice up their own sex lives. It's all part of PETA's "Live Make-Out Tour" during the week leading up to Valentine's Day. And what they don't say, but becomes clear in the linked video? They'll let the macho fellows who want to have their picture taken with these two "PETA beauties" just hop right down there to pose for a piece of the action.
When: Tuesday, February 10, 12 noon
Where: Corner of S.W. Sixth Avenue and S. Tyler Street, Amarillo
Why do vegetarians have it all over meat-eaters in the bedroom? For one thing, vegetarians are, on average, more fit and trim and have more energy and stamina than people who stuff themselves with fat-laden meat, dairy products, and eggs. And then there's a possibility of impotence: The cholesterol in meat and other animal products slows the flow of blood to all the body's vital organs, not just to the heart. And speaking of heart, there's nothing sexy about someone who turns a blind eye to the daily suffering of the billions of animals who are raised and killed for food each year.
"What could be more of a turn-on than snuggling up to someone who's both passionate and compassionate?" asks PETA veggie vixen Nadia Elmuanier.
For more information, please visit PETA.org
_____________________________________
Misogyny. It's everywhere, right, left, and center. Someone remind me why on earth anyone still takes these repulsive idiots seriously?
Mood: Tired