innocent donuts

I Don't Feel Sorry for You, Ms. Spelling

2011-12-18T12:19:00.017-06:00

The other day I made the unfortunate decision to spend almost an hour of my time watching a spectacle of consumer greed and conspicuous consumption on HGTV. This "special" hour-long festival of wealth and ridiculousness was called SELLING SPELLING MANOR . Yes, I admit it, I watched it.

The show is ostensibly about Candy Spelling and her 56,500 square foot home in Beverly Hills, and her struggle to emotionally detach from her ostentatious home. Having sold the "Manor" to some British heiress for 85 million bucks (65 million below her asking price), she has only 30 days to move out! Oh My!

But back to the important facts: yes, you read that right: 56,500 square feet. That's big enough to house 18 of Mitt Romney's 3009 square foot homes. Yes, 18. The average house in the United States, according to the National Association of Home Builders in 2009, is 2700 square feet. In 1970 it was 1700 square feet. My house is 1800 square feet, and often seems way too big for me.

The show is a spectacle of disturbing statistics and imagery. It is fascinating that anyone would ever actually construct such a monstrosity, in my view. Who fucking needs that much space? Who needs a bowling alley? A gift-wrapping room? A climate-controlled doll storage room? Not to mention the 17,000 square storage foot attic. (The attic space is NOT included in the 56,500 square feet of the Manor, by the way.) Anyway, I was just stunned at how much space this monstrosity actually has, and how anyone would ever think it was a good idea to create such a hulking and bourgeois display of wealth. What is the purpose?

Here is HGTV's description of the show:

Candy Spelling had just 30 days to move out after closing the sale on Spelling Manor, the 56,500-square-foot family home where she and television producer, the late Aaron Spelling, entertained presidents, royalty and Hollywood legends. Join us as Candy gives an exclusive tour of the mansion's more than 15 specialty areas, including a bowling alley; a billiard room; an arcade; a collector's gallery with more than 700 dolls; a projection room with a large-scale screen and full surround sound; a china room; a silver room with place settings for more than 50; a gift room with accompanying custom-designed gift-wrapping room; a design studio to capture photos of jewelry and other personal items for online auctions; and a collection fine-art originals, including one of the famous Dogs Playing Poker paintings.

At the end of this show I found out that there will be a second hour of SELLING SPELLING MANOR which will involve the trials and tribulations of Ms. Candy Spelling and the process of downsizing her possessions so that she can comfortably live in her new 16,000 square foot condo on Wilshire Boulevard.

Perhaps I'm being mean. Perhaps I should have sympathy for her struggles. But I don't. I think she is one of the most over-privileged humans I've ever seen, and her "struggles" are laughable in light of real problems suffered by people all over the world. Yes, I'm over-privileged too, in my own way. I'm not starving, nor do I lack for heat or comfort. I suppose we could all see Ms. Spelling's quandary as a lesson in mindless consumption and use it to reflect upon our own privileges. I'm still just disturbed that such domiciles exist. Think about it: her previous home, the 56,500 square foot structure, could easily have housed 25 families or more. What awesomeness would it have been if she had decided to make Spelling Manor a waystation for refugees, or a temporary shelter for victims of domestic violence, or even a place for stray dogs and cats? Why on earth does anyone need all that space to themselves? They don't.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Hysterectomies

2011-12-14T12:05:00.014-06:00

Here's what happened when I decided I was going to have a hysterectomy: everyone, I mean everyone, had something to say about it.

I had been having really disturbingly heavy periods for a while, starting three years ago. Then the clots started coming. Really big, unwieldy, variously shaped blood clots just arrived and literally fell out of my body. (see above).

We discovered that I had a benign fibroid that was likely causing the giant clots and occasionally tremendous severe pain. I had given up on tampons to quell the flow, and now even the biggest most absorbant pads were no match against the giant squid-like formations that my body was excreting. My helpful mother suggested adult diapers. Not funny, Mom. Anyway, after various attempts at hormonally altering this menstrual trajectory, my physician and I decided upon (which really means I gave in to her idea that she had suggested years ago) a hysterectomy.

So, we scheduled it, and I looked forward to a menstrual free, clot free, invading alien fibroid free life. My doctor said we could leave my ovaries in so I wouldn't have so much hormal adjustment to deal with. That was a good thing. Anyway, here's what happened.

Every person I talked to about this procedure had things to say about it way above and beyond what anyone would say if I had told them I was having gall baldder surgery, for example. Here's a list of stuff people said:

Oh--are you sure you're okay with that?
Oh, my mother in law had a hysterectomy and she was never the same afterwards.
Really? I'd be careful if I were you. When I had a hysterectomy they did
something to a nerve in my leg and now I always feel numb.
Why do you want this surgery? You'll never be the same.
I don't think you should do this--those are your organs.
Isn't there anything you can do to save your uterus?
Oh, you must be cursed!

These are a few of the most intriguing examples I can remember. I should also say that I have many supportive feminist friends who said nothing remotely like the above comments and who were all very kind and helpful. It's just intriguing to me that the removal of an organ that is so distinctly affiliated with what it means to be a female (or is it a woman?) prompts these kinds of responses from usually thoughtful humans.

I realize that there is a lot of controversy about hysterectomies in the culture--and that in the past there have been too many performed for probably specious reasons. But can I just say here that I'm glad and grateful that I could end my suffering? I was miserable with blood gushing out of me at random and seemingly for no reason. And the pain was, at times, unbearable.

I'm lucky, in fact, that I have health insurance. I'm lucky the surgery went well, and that my recovery has been relatively not terrible, although I'm still tired. And weirdly enough, I'm still reluctant to tell everyone about this surgery because I don't want to hear any more bullshit about my uterus, and how I might be changed in some way because I no longer have the ability to reproduce.

I am changed, because I will no longer menstruate. Yippee! But I, myself, am not changed in any way that sexist people might think removing a uterus would change a person. I feel fine, I feel liberated, and I feel like me. I have four little scars where the laparoscopic incisions were made, and I have a new appreciation for modern surgical techniques. I am grateful for my doctor and the my caring, thoughtful nurses. But I'm still me. So there.

I survived a "Ladies Tea"

2010-10-09T13:42:00.013-05:00

"cakes baked by men" silent auction at First Assembly in Des Moines

One of the things I've struggled with during my life is saying no. I'm not always very good at it, although I'm getting much better as time goes on. Recently a friendly neighbor of mine invited me to a "Ladies Tea" at her church--where, she explained, she would personalize her table for her guests and "ladies" would enjoy a morning of conversation and tea. I said yes. She frequently invites to me to other church functions, such as bible study, and I've always declined. Anyway, I went. It was two hours long.

One of the things I learned a few days ago was that the church, First Assembly of God in Des Moines, is a fundamental and evangelical Christian church. Both fundamentalism and evangelism are repugnant to me, so I wasn't very happy when I realized what I was stepping into. But on the advice of my dear sociologist friend I decided to approach the event from an ethnographic perspective. So I went and took my place at the table.

One of the first things I noticed upon entering the very large room, which used to be the sanctuary, was the two giant (prominently displayed and lit for the occasion) photos of children on the wall. One was a little Asian girl, the other a black girl. This was a marked contrast to all the white women in the room.

The tea consisted of about 30 tables with eight women at each table and a raised dais with four women seated at a table. We had coffee, fruit cup, and quiche. The quiche had bacon in it (what would Jesus think!) which I managed to mostly pick out. The tea was hosted by the pastor's wife, who never said a word without identifying herself as the "pastor's wife." She introduced herself and a few other contributors to the event and everyone applauded politely. When she asked the cooks to come out of the kitchen, they reluctantly stuck their heads out to rousing and very enthusiastic applause. The cooks were men.

I won't bore you with the laborious details of each speaker, but the highlights should be sufficient to give an accurate picture of the tea. The speakers were all missionaries who talked about their experiences in various places such as Indonesia and South Africa, converting Muslims from the "dark side" (they actually used those words) to the light of life walking with Jesus Christ. The most reprehensible one has lived as a missionary in Indonesia many times, and kept referring to how many Muslims there were in that country, and how there are more Muslims in Indonesia than in all of the Middle East. Of course, she gushed, these lucky heathens (upon finally reading the bible) just had to become Christian because the bible told the truth and the Koran did not. I tried to keep my expression neutral during this talk.

The other thing I kept noticing about these women was how very steeped in paternalism and patriarchy their whole worldview is and how exceedingly oblivious they are to their own lack of agency. I can't even count how many times I heard one of them say "He takes care of me," and "When I didn't know what to do, God told me," and God called me to do this" along with "God told me to . . . "

This turning of self over to some benevolent and paternal God bothers me, of course, since there is literally no room for self or agency or THOUGHT. But what really troubles me about this "God told me to" is that there is no responsibility or community or thinking involved. God tells you to be a missionary, so you do it. God tells you to move to Iowa, you do it. What if God tells you to kill your self? Or your neighbor? I sense the comfort these women get from feeling and believing that their lives are working towards some greater good--I understand that. But their world view is so limited that they believe that Islam, one of the world's great religions, is a product of the devil. That kind of belief system makes me sad and very worried.

I was happy that no one tried to recruit me. But I was also a bit sad that people have such limited perspectives on the world that they truly believe that their way is the only way.

A gender crime is a gender crime.

2010-07-13T20:37:00.007-05:00

Lately, and forever, I've noticed that when a man shoots up a workplace or shoots members of his family or by whatever method murders his wife/girlfriend/partner the MSM never ever calls it a crime against women. They just call it a "workplace shooting" or a homicide. Okay, so it might also be a workplace shooting and a homicide. But, it is also a very common crime against women. In fact I would say it is a very frequent crime that men perpetrate against women that doesn't get identified as a gender crime.

What I would most like is for this to stop, but since it won't what I would appreciate seeing is this: a headline that tells the truth and reads Yet another guy kills his wife.

You can bet your booty that when a woman kills her husband, a much less frequent occurence, it is identified as a wife killing her husband. But every fucking article I've read about this asshole in New Mexico keeps calling it a "workplace shooting." So he shot her and himself at her place of work. That doesn't make it a workplace shooting. I'm just tired of the patriarchy not seeing itself as a patriarchy. I guess hoping it will change is ridiculous.

Here's a few examples:

Fox News: 3 dead, 4 wounded in New Mexico Office Shooting

Yahoo News: 3 dead in workplace shooting

USA Today: Shooter kills two, then self at New Mexico Plant

Pontypool Changes Everything . . .

2010-07-11T10:05:00.006-05:00

Last night I watched a truly interesting movie called Pontypool. My brother first brought this film to my attention months ago and it's been on my radar ever since. I finally bought a copy since it refused to appear on Netflix. Whatever. Netflix can be stubborn. Anyway, it was billed as one of the ten best zombie movies ever. Sure.

But really, people, I love this movie. It is one of the smartest and scariest movies I've seen in awhile, and that's saying something, for me. I couldn't stop watching it, stayed up late, and was truly creeped out enough to check behind the shower curtain before heading off to bed.

The plot is simple: DJ Mazzy Starr begins his early morning shift at a small radio station in Ontario when he and his staff begin to get reports of violence and strangeness in their small town. Havoc ensues, almost entirely off-screen. There is a virus that is infecting people and causing them to try to eat each other. That's all I can say. You must watch this movie, I tell you. It's amazing.

Just to get you excited, here's a little quote from the film:

Mrs. French's cat is missing. The signs are posted all over town. "Have you seen Honey?" We've all seen the posters, but nobody has seen Honey the cat. Nobody. Until last Thursday morning, when Miss Colette Piscine swerved her car to miss Honey the cat as she drove across a bridge. Well this bridge, now slightly damaged, is a bit of a local treasure and even has its own fancy name; Pont de Flaque. Now Collette, that sounds like Culotte. That's Panty in French. And Piscine means Pool. Panty pool. Flaque also means pool in French, so Colete Piscine, in French Panty Pool, drives over the Pont de Flaque, the Pont de Pool if you will, to avoid hitting Mrs. French's cat that has been missing in Pontypool. Pontypool. Pontypool. Panty pool. Pont de Flaque. What does it mean? Well, Norman Mailer, he had an interesting theory that he used to explain the strange coincidences in the aftermath of the JFK assasination. In the wake of huge events, after them and before them, physical details they spasm for a moment; they sort of unlock and when they come back into focus they suddenly coincide in a weird way. Street names and birthdates and middle names, all kind of superfluous things appear related to eachother. It's a ripple effect. So, what does it mean? Well... it means something's going to happen. Something big. But then, something's always about to happen.

I miss Cagney and Lacey

2010-07-07T09:45:00.013-05:00

Lately I've been seeing these commercials for some new TNT show called Rizzoli and Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as two cops of some kind. What has really pissed me off about this new show is the way they have constructed these two women. In every advertisement I've seen both women are very sharply dressed, and both are wearing totally ridiculous high heels. They're both standing around looking fabulous, which I suppose is their only option since they couldn't possibly run or even walk wearing the shoes that they are wearing.

I don't plan to watch this show, nor do I really care what they wear, but truly what has happened to strong, powerful, non-glamorous women on television? These ads made me remember the old Cagney and Lacey show from the 1980s--now this show had its flaws, but still, it was refreshing to see two actors who were not supermodel types and who wore sensible shoes while they did their jobs. Why do we have to have models playing cops? Why do they have to have long flowing hair? Why do they have to wear snazzy clothes and full-on makeup? Why do they have to embody the current standard of beauty so perfectly?

Much of what was watchable about Cagney and Lacey were the stars: Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. (I love Tyne Daly.) But they were so much more regular to me than Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. I'm not saying women have to look a certain way to be acceptable--far from it. I appreciate women of all shapes and sizes. I just wish we weren't so obsessed with ultra-skinny women who look like models and who wear crippling shoes to work at jobs where any person with half a brain would wear something more practical. Just saying.

Mansplaining . . . explained.

2010-07-01T08:20:00.010-05:00

I have to thank my friend Miranda for bringing this term and idea to my attention. Of course I knew about the action that this terminology refers to, but holy shit is it nice to have a word for it!

The activity is called "mansplaining," and here is an excellent paragraph from Rebecca Solnit's opinion piece from the Los Angeles Times that perhaps began the coalescence or convergence of feminist brilliance that came up with the term:

Men explain things to me, and to other women, whether or not they know what they're talking about. Some men. Every woman knows what I mean. It's the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men's unsupported overconfidence.

What Miranda sent me was a wonderful blog post from Science Blogs that also grapples with the mansplaining syndrome. It's worth a read. Science Blogs also refers to another blog post, by Karen Healey, about the same topic. Quoth Healey:

Mansplaining isn't just the act of explaining while male, of course; many men manage to explain things every day without in the least insulting their listeners. Mansplaining is when a dude tells you, a woman, how to do something you already know how to do, or how you are wrong about something you are actually right about, or miscellaneous and inaccurate "facts" about something you know a hell of a lot more about than he does.

Bonus points if he is explaining how you are wrong about something being sexist!

Think about the men you know. Do any of them display that delightful mixture of privilege and ignorance that leads to condescending, inaccurate explanations, delivered with the rock-solid conviction of rightness and that slimy certainty that of course he is right, because he is the man in this conversation?

That dude is a mansplainer.

It's a beautiful thing when smart feminist women gather their thoughts and work together to create greater understanding of living in patriarchy.

Review: It's Alive (1974)

2010-06-28T15:55:00.018-05:00

The fabulous horror blog Final Girl issues a film club review challenge every once in a while, and I finally got my shit together so I could review this classic from 1974.

This 1974 gem is written and directed by Larry Cohen, and seems to deal with the birth of a mutant baby to two unfortunate parents. We begin the action during the last days of the pregnancy, when we also learn (during some late night pillow talk) that the father is perhaps not the most enthusiastic parent. Their other offspring is now 11 years old, so we kind of get the idea that this baby was, shall we say, unplanned. Anyway, Mom realizes during the birthing process, which is also a very male-dominated and not-very-woman centered parturition, that something is "different" about this birth. I'll say.

Once the baby is born, it kills every person in the delivery room, and makes a bloody mess of the hospital. It proceeds to escape (through a skylight) and then kill a bunch of hapless humans, while also seemingly seeking out its parents and the occasional bottle (or ten) of milk, which in 1974 is still charmingly delivered in glass bottles to the upscale homes in the demon parents' neighborhood. After the spawn dispatches a milkman, it makes its way to a school, and Dad somehow decides he must be the one to kill it.

A bunch of other crap happens, wherein the audience realizes that Mom is slightly nuts (understandably) and Dad has turned into an asshole. At the close of the film Dad has tried to save the child, we know Mom wants to save it, but Dad ends up flinging his mutant spawn at a cop (yes) while they are all standing around the Los Angeles River. Of course, mutant baby kills the cop. Someone covers them up with a blanket, and we learn that another mutant has been born in Seattle. Fade out . . .

What I realized as the narrative was unfolding was that this film is so blatantly about male anxiety and masculinity that it's not even remotely arguable that it's about women or childbirth or mutant babies. Think about it: it's 1974, the year after Roe v. Wade and women all of a sudden have the right to choose abortion. Interestingly, we learn in the movie that the hapless mutant baby parents considered abortion (for convenience) but then decided not to terminate the pregnancy. Aha!

This movie is a cautionary tale warning women against even thinking of having an abortion. If you even consider it, you might have a mutant baby. But back to the male anxiety aspect--I really think that this film focuses very clearly on the father and his anxiety, whereas the mother is barely significant except to act nutty and whiny, thus stereotypically feminine. The father paces around, smokes incessantly, disavows paternity, vows to kill the baby, and overall makes a big old showy display of his manliness. There is so much anxiety for MEN about pregnancy and mutant babies, this movie argues, that we must allow them to decide to terminate the pregnancy, even after its born--you see? This movie is about allowing abortion rights to men. Who cares about women--they just take drugs and mope around. The real problem here is how pregnancy and childbirth effect men.

But seriously, It's Alive is a wonderful movie that clearly grapples with women's (then) newly constitutionally recognized right to privacy, and how these rights make men very, very nervous. So nervous, in fact, that they have to band together with lots of guns and other men to alleviate their pent-up feelings of helplessness and anxiety about not having uteruses.

Besides all the groovy social commentary and gender anxiety in this movie, It's Alive has truly great effects, wonderful 1970s clothing and cars, and totally awesome music by the famous Bernard Herrmann. It's worth a look.

New Morning After Pill

2010-06-20T10:28:00.006-05:00

Just read a story this morning about this "new" morning after pill which is effective for up to five days instead of the 72 hours of Plan B. The FDA's advisory group is recommending that the FDA give approval, but we know how that works. I don't trust them when it comes to ethical or woman-focused decisions. This new version of the morning after pill has already been available in Europe since 2009--as usual Europe is way ahead of the good old USA.

The article on CNN.com was intriguing--especially because they rely upon rabidly misogynistic group Concerned Women for America for the counter argument. I have to say I really, truly despise this group. They function in the guise of being pro-woman, but their ideology is pure hate and pure bullshit. Check out their web site if you have a strong stomach.

A few years ago they mounted a really funny campaign against The Vagina Monologues, where their tag line was something about how the Monologues "objectify" women. It makes you wonder if they even have any idea what the play is about. Morons.

Growing some english peas . . .

2010-06-06T12:50:00.008-05:00

When I was a small dependent child, my lovely mother used to make my lunch almost every day. Often there were wonderful treats in my lunches, including such delights as fresh english peas. We used to eat peas fresh from the pod--delicious! Eating these juicy green peas is one of my favorite childhood sense memories.

But alas, these are rarely to be found in the supermarket--where one can only find sugar snap peas and crap like that. Once a year I can get them at local farmer's markets, which I always do, and I usually eat most of them on the way home.

Well, this year I bought some seeds from Seed Savers and planted those little suckers in my yard, built myself a lame-o trellis, and voila! I am proud and happy to introduce you to my english peas . . . I ate my first ones the other day, and they were delicious! So sweet, right off the vine, amazing.

and sometimes chihuahuas . . .

2010-05-25T21:43:00.003-05:00

I know this is not political, nor is it about feminism, but when I saw this image I couldn't believe how stunningly beautiful this little chihuahua is, wrapped in a lovely scarf, impersonating Kim Novak. The image is available from Etsy seller Lucy Snow.

you just have to be scared . . .

2010-05-17T13:11:00.003-05:00

Pretty hilarious critique of those osteoporosis drug advertisements. I actually never thought about them as being gendered in a sexist way, but they sure are. Just goes to show what a good parody can do for critical thinking!

p.s. Feministing mentions that Sarah Haskins is no longer doing her lady advertising spoofs--oh no! What will we do without her?

stuff christian people like . . .

2010-05-08T13:27:00.004-05:00

I found this really great, snarky blog called Stuff Christian Culture Likes. It's pretty funny and actually enlightening. Most of the posts are kind of silly, but I actually learned a few things about contemporary christianity that I didn't know. Check it out--it's interesting! Being a semi-fan of 24, I really like this Jack Bauer post. Hilarious!

Lemon-Blueberry Coffee Cake semi-disaster

2010-05-02T20:41:00.004-05:00

This morning I made a delicious coffee cake that I've made before. It's a lemon-blueberry coffee cake, made with bisquick, lemon, sugar, eggs, milk, and fresh blueberries. I mixed it up, baked it, then took it out of the oven. Then, like a doorknob, I didn't test it for "doneness."

So of course when I tried to flip it out of the pan, it kind of fell out in a saggy heap. So sad! So I put it on a pizza pan and baked it for another 15 minutes. It looked ridiculous, but tasted very good.

I learned my lesson: always measure the bluberries, and always always test for doneness. Duh.

Jaan Pehechaan Ho!

2010-05-01T18:12:00.005-05:00

I love the novel Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. In the movie version there is this incredibly groovy song, and my very stylish and cool friend Nikki posted this video of the very cool song on FaceBook. I decided it was so awesome I wanted it on my blog.

Enjoy!

Oklahoma not okay!

2010-04-27T22:07:00.005-05:00

From The Daily Beast:

The Oklahoma Legislature has voted to override two vetoes to pass two strict measures restricting abortion. One requires a doctor to set up an ultrasound in the woman’s room, show her the fetus, and describe its organs and limbs (there is no exemption for rape or incest). The other says doctors are not liable for malpractice if they elect to not tell a pregnant woman that the fetus she’s carrying has birth defects—the intent is to prevent parents from suing a doctor who hid the information to prevent an abortion. Democratic Gov. Brad Henry vetoed both measures, calling the second “unconscionable” in allowing a physician to mislead a patient. Another measure in the legislature requires a woman to fill out a questionnaire about why she’s seeking the procedure; the statistics based on answers would be posted online.

You can read more about this idiocy at the New York Times.

bitch, complain, appreciate . . .

2010-04-27T20:16:00.007-05:00

I've been wanting to complain lately. Not for any particular reason, just because I'm getting irritated at certain things in life that continue to plague me when perhaps I should just let them go . . .

So I thought I'd first appreciate a few things.

1. I love this piece of art by Jennifer Davis. Sublime.
2. I love the spring in Des Moines. Nothing better.
3. I really truly love my family and friends.
4. I like it when strangers wave at me.
5. My sister can make me laugh harder than anyone else. (sorry, Bob.)
6. The semester is almost over! Summer awaits!
7. I love the new word for redheads: Gingers!

Now here are my complaints:

1. It really bugs me when people call California "Cali."
2. I'm sick of people texting and talking on their cell phones ALL THE TIME.
3. I'm really, truly tired of anti-feminist bullshit and unexamined male privilege.
4. If those Tea-partiers don't go away soon I might scream.

So, now that this is all out of my system, I can go on about my life and perhaps finish all the work I should have been doing as I wrote this diatribe.

Too Fat for Television?

2010-04-23T11:31:00.007-05:00

Here we go again. Apparently, ABC did not want to show this advertisement for Lane Bryant lingerie because there was "too much cleavage" showing. The ad was supposed to air during some show called Dancing With the Stars or something like that.

I'm not a big fan of lingerie ads, especially the Victoria's Secret commercials, since they perpetuate the objectification of women's bodies, and they uphold a ridiculous standard of beauty.

The Victoria's Secret images, in particular, reinscribe the idea that women need to have big boobs and be ridiculously skinny in order to be beautiful. That said, I like this Lane Bryant ad simply because the model is NOT stick-thin and has curves. But really, ABC, are you objecting to cleavage or to the fact that the model is more than a size 2?

Come clean, you scumbags.

UPDATE: Of course, Sociological images has a truly excellent and much more nuanced analysis. Check it out here.

You should call it black-span???

2010-03-29T18:31:00.001-05:00

Unbelievable. Really, truly, what a fucking jerk. The host was way too nice to him--should have called him out.

Vintage Franciscan china is sublime . . .

2010-03-27T10:46:00.008-05:00

and I'm weirdly obsessed with these beautiful Franciscan china patterns. I don't know why I've got this jones for these particular patterns, but for the last few years I've been slowly collecting various pieces (only when they're reasonably priced) on Etsy and Ebay.

Also, I thought I'd take a needed break from ranting and raving about politics and add a little homage to design.

These patterns are, from top to bottom, Fern Dell, Sycamore, and Moondance. Love these vintage patterns.

Stupid People Scare Me!

2010-03-26T09:04:00.002-05:00

Another astounding video from the smart and sassy folks at New Left Media. If you can bear it, this video is truly worth watching.

Women Deserve Better Than Feminists For Life

2010-03-23T10:53:00.008-05:00

Last night I attended a talk given by Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life. This talk was sponsored by the pro-life student group at Drake. I decided to attend because I was very curious how such a group would present their ideas and ideology. To me, feminist and pro-life don't really go together. I do accept that many feminists disagree about many things, but I also feel very strongly that feminism must accept female autonomy in terms of reproductive rights. That said, I was very disturbed by the group's message last night.

Serrin Foster is a dynamic speaker and very personable. She is also smart, knowledgeable, and seems to care about women. But, and this but is a big one, despite all of the rhetoric of her organization, I have to argue that they don't care about women. They care about birth. And what I mean by that is that they don't really care about preventing unwanted pregnancy, or unplanned pregnancy, or helping women avoid pregnancy--they care about the woman once she is pregnant. Or really, they care about the pregnancy itself.

This organization actually does some really positive things for women. They try to make it possible for women who become pregnant while still in college or grad school to stay in school and complete their educations. They help with housing, childcare, breastfeeding issues, and healthcare. But they also only help a woman who wants to keep or adopt her baby. They are profoundly against abortion--no matter what. So in other words, they care about helping women give birth, and uniquely, they actually give a shit about her life once she gives birth. My objection to all of this is that there is no room in their ideology for anything but reproduction--no abortion, no birth control, no family planning.

When I asked Ms. Foster about if her group helps young women prevent pregnancy by providing sex education and access to contraception, she told me that they only really get involved once the woman is pregnant, partially becasue there is "so much controversy" about the various methods of birth control. This stance tells me that they really don't care about women--they care about the pregnancy. Pro-life? No. Pro-birth is more like it.

I could go on and on about the problems and inconsistencies of this group and their twisted ideology, but I've got real work to do. Some of my work involves helping actual women with all kinds of issues. But I have to mention one thing in particular--I liked Serrin Foster. She was smart and seemed kind. She actually spoke the truth about many things, although she did make a few important factual errors--like saying that any woman can get an abortion any time during a pregnancy, even during the ninth month. This is patently wrong--abortion is illegal in the third trimester. Anyway, when one particularly smug woman in the audience asked a question about women who have abortions cavalierly, Foster backed me up when I argued that this woman was dead wrong.

My other favorite moment was when another woman in the audience made a comment about how birth control messes up a woman's body by subverting a system that is meant for reproduction. Aha! I asked her if she realized that what she was saying was that women should only have heterosexual intercourse in order to reproduce. A bunch of people in the audience spoke up, challenging my interpretation of what the woman meant. So I asked her, are women allowed to have sex for pleasure? She said yes, in marriage. So then I asked, so not outside of marriage? She said, no--that's what the Lord wants.

Once that came out, to me, the real purpose of Feminists For Life and their vision for women was crystal clear. Their mission is an end-run around reproductive rights. Their goal, although not explicitly stated as such, is to convince women that it is not feminist to have an abortion, and that their true purpose on earth is to give birth. In other words, their slogan "women deserve better than abortion" means nothing more than abortion is wrong and women who have an abortion are also wrong. Birth control is wrong. Family planning is wrong.

I wish I had the time to more thoroughly analyze the talk and this group. If you're interested, you can visit their website and read for yourself how they have appropriated the language of feminism to further their decidedly anti-feminist goal of controlling women's bodies.

Why are we afraid of the word vagina?

2010-03-17T13:45:00.003-05:00

Here's a funny advertisement for a new line of period control products. Er, rather, tampons and pads!

Although I like the humor of this ad that really makes fun of our cultural cover-up of bloody menstruation, I wonder why we still can't say vagina on television?

Headline I'd LOVE to See . . .

2010-03-14T12:15:00.010-05:00

I just read a headline about the most recent teacher student sex scandal to hit the news. This incident was especially upsetting because it took place between a teacher and a student at my former middle school (which was called junior high back then) David Starr Jordan Middle School, in Burbank, California. Very sad.

I appreciate very much the headline which reads: Teacher-Student Sex 'Never the Kid's Fault.' Of course that is a laudable and excellent ideology to assert in cases like this. I agree. But what is bugging me is how I have never, ever, read a headline about rape where anyone states a similar sentiment.

I would love to see a headline that read: Rape is Never the Woman's Fault. Or, Rape is Never the Survivor's Fault. Let's work on that, shall we?

We need to work very hard to destroy this hideous rape culture that we tolerate and participate in each and every day.

Ignorance is not bliss . . .

2010-03-13T19:28:00.008-06:00

Well, the State Board of Education in Texas has gone and done something really stupid and willfully wrongheaded. They have decided to revise their curriculum in social studies to more purposefully reflect the conservative, reactionary, and just plain incorrect views of certain members of the Board.

Here are a few of the highlights:

•Religious conservatives on the board killed a proposed standard that would have required high school government students to “examine the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion over all others.” That means the board rejected teaching students about the most fundamental constitutional protection for religious freedom in America. (3/11/10)

•Religious conservatives stripped from the high school sociology course a standard having students “differentiate between sex and gender as social constructs and determine how gender and socialization interact.” Board member Barbara Cargill argued that the standard would lead students to learn about “transexuals, transvestites and who knows what else.” She told board members she had conducted a “Google search” to support her argument. Board member Ken Mercer complained that the amendment was about “sex.” The board consulted no sociologists during the debate. (3/11/10)

•Board conservatives succeeded in censoring the word “capitalism” in the standards, requiring that the term for that economic system be called “free enterprise” throughout all social studies courses. Board members such as Terri Leo and Ken Mercer charged that “capitalism” is a negative term used by “liberal professors in academia.” (3/11/10)

•The board removed the concepts of “justice” and “responsibility for the common good” from a list of characteristics of good citizenship for Grades 1-3. (The proposal to remove “equality” failed.) (1/14/10)

I've always tried not to marginalize Texas because both of my parents were born there--but this is not a good sign. If you want to read more about it, there is a good article about this fiasco at the New York Times.

Husbands and Husbands

2010-03-11T07:38:00.001-06:00

Came across this video on FacePage this morning. I have to say it is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. Perhaps there is hope for the world!

Looks Like Pants!

2010-03-05T08:07:00.011-06:00

This cover article in Life & Style magazine deserves some kind of award for ridiculousness and sheer stupidity. Apparently, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt (daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) recently got a short haircut and frequently wears pants.

Holy Shit! A little girl is wearing pants! What does it mean?

Well, apparently, to the critical-thinking challenged folks over at Life & Style, this wardrobe and hairstyle choice may be dangerous to little Shiloh. Because, you know, she is wearing pants.

I have some news for you idiots at Life and Style: women have been wearing pants for many years. We also frequently get short haircuts. This is not 1940. Wake up, ya morons! Clothing choices are irrelevant . Haircuts are NOT that important. Gender identity is fluid! Females can wear whatever we want, and cut our hair, and even change our names. The world will not end. We are not "damaged" by this gender liminality.

Trololololo

2010-03-04T11:53:00.003-06:00

I'm not even sure what this is, what it means, what it's from, when it's from, or why I like it. But here it is: your few minutes of joy and silliness.

I'm betting on number 9.

2010-02-23T19:42:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I know this is mean-spirited and cruel and all of that, but I can't help myself. Dick Cheney has had yet ANOTHER heart attack this week. That makes five. How many fucking heart attacks can a person have before he dies? Especially when said person doesn't even really have a heart, since he is pure evil. Just saying.

So which one is going to kill him? Let's start a pool.

Double Plus Ungood

2010-02-20T09:00:00.006-06:00

Well, this is not a good sign. The Justice Department, after years of wrangling, has cleared John Yoo and Jay Bybee (Bush Administration lawyers) of misconduct in the "torture memos" scandal. In other words, the two lawyers who crafted the memos that gave the Bushies permission to use waterboarding and other methods of "enhanced interrogation" are not going to be prosecuted. They did show "poor judgment" but will not be sanctioned or tried.

This is not only sad, but dangerous and misguided. We need to prosecute the people who were and are responsible for denigrating the constitution and the people of the United States.

Yes, it does exist.

2010-02-16T14:33:00.003-06:00

A few months ago I had a post on "teenage spinach." Some of you did not believe that such a thing existed.

Well, I finally have photographic evidence. It's actually not a bag of the adolescent leafy green, but rather a sign that says there is the stuff. Here it is!

Damn, I forgot to remain pure!

2010-02-13T17:50:00.008-06:00

Apparently tomorrow, Valentine's day, is being called the Day of Purity by the Liberty Counsel. Wow--what a great idea to have this day on Valentine's Day, so that everyone can stop and think a minute or so about how to remain "sexually pure in mind and action." What a wonderful way to show how much you love someone!

Although I think Valentine's day is a crock, I certainly think people should celebrate or not in any way they choose. I always send my Mom a valentine, because I love her so much! But really, a day of purity? They're just begging for me to make fun of them. Check out their lovely web site --you can buy a shirt! You can print out, sign, and carry around your own personal purity pledge card!

Dodge: you suck!

2010-02-12T14:36:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I was very glad to see that the Focus on the Family Ad during the Superbowl was a big old waste of money for them. Ha.

But what I was not pleased with was this really stupid and offensive Dodge advertisement that essentially blames women for "making" men be decent humans. Assholes! Anyway, here's the stupid Dodge ad, plus a beautiful response from the folks at Washington City Paper. The response ad was created by Mackenzie Fegan and Paul Yee.

I trust women . . .

2010-02-04T22:43:00.001-06:00

. . . to take care of themselves. That's part of the message this wonderful video Planned Parenthood has produced in response to the Focus on the Family anti-choice ad that will air on CBS during the Superbowl.

Congratulations, Kathryn Bigelow!

2010-02-02T10:54:00.010-06:00

I'm very excited that Kathryn Bigelow has won the Director's Guild of America award for best director. She also directed one of the best vampire movies ever, Near Dark. She kicks ass as a director, and I love that she is the first female to ever win this award. I know, awards are stupid, but finally a female has won. This is important, especially since so many articles insist upon referring to her as James Cameron's ex-wife.

Yes, she is is ex-wife. Who cares? How is this relevant? Maybe they see it is significant because she is competing against him for the best directing Oscar, but I think the way their former relationship is characterized is interesting. Or stupid. Why not refer to him as her ex-husband? That is equally accurate. I think the reason they keep calling Bigelow his ex-wife is that they are unconsciously reminding women that our true value in life is to whom we are married (or owned by).

Here's a few examples: admittedly not all use this formulation!

Village Voice: James Cameron's biggest mission these days should be to beat his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, for a slew of awards!

Publicola: Bigelow is competing in Best Director and Best Film categories with her ex-husband, James Cameron, in a cinematic David-and-Goliath story with a gendered twist.

Daily Mail: James Cameron may be among the favourites for Oscar glory, but he has some tough competition from none other than his ex-wife.

The Times Online: And now only one thing stands between James Cameron and his chance to win the Oscar for Best Director at this year’s Academy Awards: his former wife.

Serving tray, or menstrual device?

2010-01-30T08:51:00.002-06:00

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

So much happened this week . . .

2010-01-29T20:54:00.006-06:00

Well, this week we lost two great old white guys. Both were authors, both also very important to American culture, each in his own way. Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, died, leaving a big old gap in the rabble-rouser section. Who will fill his able and subversive shoes?

Then, J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey, died at 91. Salinger's death was a bit of a shock to me, somehow despite his advanced age, because for most of my life he was just always there, in the background, being solitary. I think many of us who loved his work were always waiting for him in one way or another, for something, anything to happen. Well, I guess it finally did.

If I could thank Mr. Salinger, I would tell him that reading The Catcher in the Rye changed my life. My father bought me the novel when I was 12 or 13, I think. I had never before read a book whose protagonist was so angst ridden, so much the way I thought I was at the time. Holden seemed to me to be so deeply sad and yet somehow such a keen observer of adult life and phoniness and society that I was bowled over by him. In my mind, Holden was a real person. I still have much of the language of that book in my brain. I still say things like "Sleep tight, ya morons!" to myself when I'm in the right mood. Anyway, I love you, Holden Caulfield, and Phoebe Weatherfield Caulfield. I hope this means that J.D. will finally get to find out where the ducks in Central Park go when the lake is frozen.

Crisis? What Crisis?

2010-01-25T19:44:00.007-06:00

I know I've seen many of these so-called "crisis" pregnancy centers in the various cities in which I have lived. In Baton Rouge they had another name, something like "Pregnancy Help" Center, or something equally innocuous and misleading. But what these centers really do is nothing less than lie to and manipulate young women who may be having difficulty with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.

Truly, these "centers" are nothing but anti-choice, anti-woman, anti-freedom centers. I have always suspected that they use outright bullshit to scare women--and Feministing has put up a video that reveals some of their methods.

Brought to you by the fine folks at NARAL Virginia .

Bristol, Sarah, and Oprah talk sex!

2010-01-23T06:53:00.003-06:00

I still don't get why Bristol Palin even tries to promote abstinence, except that she is perhaps as clueless and as useless as her mother. In this video Oprah skewers (sort of, not enough) the young woman's position on abstinence. I would have been a bit more forceful, but you know. I'm no Oprah. Enjoy!

"I feel very plastic . . . "

2010-01-20T17:04:00.002-06:00

I'm not going to make fun of this woman, because she is so sad and pathetic at this point. Let this be a lesson to us: the pressures to conform to some unbelievable standard of physical perfection lead to this. She actually says "I feel very plastic." Amen.

James Dobson wears a sweater

2010-01-20T16:26:00.010-06:00

Well, if they didn't already create enough misery in the world, James Dobson and the merry band of nutjobs at Focus on the Family are trying to spread their lovely message of hate and misogyny by purchasing time to air an anti-choice commercial during the superbowl.

I don't watch the superbowl, or any football festivities, but I know tons of people do watch and LOTS of attention gets paid to the ads. Of course there is freedom of speech and they should be able to buy ad space to promote their fucked up ideology; but I can still hate their guts.

Wintry beauty . . .

2010-01-19T08:30:00.006-06:00

I know I'm mostly new to winter and it's permutations, but still, I have never seen anything like these crystalline formations that are everywhere this morning. So beautiful!

Charming pro-birth magazine cover!

2010-01-14T18:15:00.007-06:00

Have I ever in my life read InTouch Weekly? No, I don't think so. Do I give a flying fuck what they publish? Yes, when the blatantly anti-choice cover features celebrity-faux-politician Sarah Palin and her fecund offspring Bristol.

Considering the omnipresent and annoying obsession with all things celebrity, with women's bodies, and especially with celebrities who manage to reproduce, these magazines are completely valueless. It is no small feat to piss me off and valorize reproduction at the same time. Jeez--get over it! Sarah Palin is slightly more intelligent than a doorknob, and her daughter Bristol is a hypocritical spokesperson for abstinence only education. How'd that work for you, Bristol?

There is a good article at Salon on this very cover. Check it out.

War Criminals on TV!

2010-01-13T09:03:00.003-06:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Daily Show: Exclusive - John Yoo Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Fascinating interview by the ever amazing Jon Stewart. He takes on John Yoo, he of the torture memo fame, with wit, grace and insight. John Yoo is a very slippery interviewee. As far as I'm concerned, he and Dick Cheney (along with George W. Bush) should be prosecuted as war criminals.

Is it April Fool's Day by any chance?

2010-01-11T16:39:00.005-06:00

Sarah Palin is joining Fox News. Really.

The Los Angeles Times has a brief article on this development in the entertainment section!

David Rees has a few pithy remarks on the subject.

My favorite is: What did the ghost of William F. Buckley, Jr. say when he saw Sarah Palin on Fox News? I wish I was still alive, so I could call a press conference and blow my head off.

6.5 earthquake in Eureka, California

2010-01-10T10:23:00.010-06:00

There was a big old earthquake in Eureka yesterday afternoon. Here's a picture from the Los Angeles Times showing some of the damage--this is Eureka Natural Foods.

My sister lives in beautiful Eureka with her four cats and her husband. They're okay, but boy, what a scary thing to experience. According to Berkeley seismologist Richard Allen, this quake occurred on the Mendocino triple junction, which is a meeting of three tectonic plates: North American, Pacific, and Juan de Fuca.

You can also read about the quake at the local paper, my former employer, The Times-Standard.

Best Daily Show clip EVER

2010-01-09T12:41:00.002-06:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Even Better Than the Real Thing

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Gumby creator Art Clokey dies:

2010-01-09T08:21:00.007-06:00

Gotta love Gumby. I was sad to learn this morning that Gumby's creator, Art Clokey, died in his sleep yesterday. He was 88. Art Clokey also created the very often satirized Christian show Davey and Goliath. I used to watch Davey and Goliath--I loved Goliath!

But truly, Art Clokey, thank you for Gumby and Pokey.

p.s. we should all be lucky enough to die in our sleep.

Fabulous Lady Gaga medley

2010-01-08T10:27:00.006-06:00

I'm not really a fan of Lady Gaga (although I do love her big nose) but here is an amazing medley sung by Yale student Sam Tsui accompanied by his pal KurtHugo Schneider.

Charming and wonderful!

Marcy Keeton Younger enjoys her vacation.

2010-01-07T14:27:00.010-06:00

Marcy and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Southern California. I think Marcy especially enjoyed trying on this lovely winter santa coat!

Marcy always makes the most of every situation--she is truly a comfort seeking creature, and I do my best to make it so!

Marcy likes to occupy the laps of people she wants to possess: to wit, Marcy in Seth's lap!

fuck you, japanese whaling ships!

2010-01-06T13:16:00.005-06:00

I'm furious with the ongoing bullshit that is the presence of Japanese whaling ships. They are challenged each year by the brave and amazing folks of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who try to disrupt the inhumane and totally needless hunting of whales each year by the Japanese.

Well, now they've gone too fucking far. Japanese vessel Shonan Maru 2 rammed the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil in an unprovoked attack. You can read about this at the L. A. Times.

Fuck you and your heinous whaling bullshit. Just stop it.

Martin Luther King

2009-12-29T17:32:00.003-06:00

I was just thinking about Martin Luther King, and how much I love him. I was also thinking about some of the great and provocative things he wrote and said in his too short lifetime. Here's a couple of MLK quotations for you to ponder on these last few days of the year 2009.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

ha ha ha . . . hilarious PSA

2009-12-23T18:45:00.000-06:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

All hail the winter solstice!

2009-12-20T19:06:00.006-06:00

I'm very excited that tomorrow is the winter solstice for 2009. One brief moment on this day the 21st of December 2009 marks the beginning of longer days and shorter nights.

Above is a beautiful photo I found on flickr of a winter solstice celebration at Stonehenge.

Charles Burns scares me.

2009-12-19T19:32:00.008-06:00

Found this very strange video tribute to Charles Burns (Black Hole) on YouTube. I'm getting more and more interested in his art, and this video montage is an intriguing glimpse into some of his work. I think he's amazing.

Also found this incredible Altoids (?!) commercial by Charles Burns, with music by David Lynch. Surreal.

Charles Burns meets David Lynch
by bantampilou

Bad Couches

2009-12-19T09:59:00.017-06:00

Oh, how I love to peruse craigslist! It's so much fun to look through the furniture listings, for example, to see if there are any midcentury pieces for sale. I was lucky to find a beautiful 1960s buffet for 100 bucks last summer, and I also bought a fantastic light fixture for 20 bucks just a month ago.

But what I really enjoy the most is laughing at the truly awful couches that people think someone else is actually going to pay money for. Here are a few examples of the bad couches I found just today on the Des Moines, Iowa, furniture listings.

For Sale: $175.00 Really?

For Sale: Couch and Loveseat $1000.00 Are you kidding me?

For Sale: $400.00 Seriously?

very fresh, indeed!

2009-12-17T19:47:00.014-06:00

Another of my favorite artists, Erica Gilbert, sells her wonderful work on her web site Kept Fresh. She also has an etsy shop! I truly love her whimsical and haunting images of creatures, people, and objects.

Some of her original paintings are for sale right now at her etsy shop for unbelievably low prices--I think if you like her work you might click on over there and snatch one up! She has prints, too, and at her site offers T-shirts, buttons and art.

p.s. I love the toaster!

This could be why I am fat, part 2

2009-12-15T19:46:00.010-06:00

Oh, I love to visit the website This is Why You're Fat to witness all the wonderfully weird, indescribably delicious, and usually mostly incredibly disgusting concoctions us humans have come up with in the name of gustatory pleasure.

I have posted these two pictures because the top creation (cupcake kabobs) actually looks kind of good to me. And, I will admit, I display the picture of the Taco Bell crispy potato soft taco because I have eaten one (more than one) and I truly enjoyed it. The taco is very simple, and simply delicious!

But really now--what were they thinking with this disgusting item (below) called deviled corn dogs? This dish is described as "corndog hot dogs pureed with cheese, mayonnaise and tater tots, then re-baked inside a corndog shell." No, just no.

The slow duster . . .

2009-12-15T15:09:00.006-06:00

A wonderful clip from one of my favorite movies; Carnival of Souls directed by Herk Harvey. Forward to 3:30 for the spooky organ playing scene, and just a few seconds later comes my very favorite house cleaner in all of filmdom, the Slow Duster!

If you haven't seen this movie, it is really worth your time for the creepy atmosphere and the overall mood of this 1962 black and white film.

This one is for my friend Ellen--looks like pants!

Just brilliant . . .

2009-12-14T10:01:00.004-06:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Beck - Not So Mellow Gold

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

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Jon Stewart and his writers are just brilliant. As usual, Glenn Beck is an asshole, and a hateful fear-mongering piece of barely-human detritus.

and now for something completely different

2009-12-12T16:56:00.010-06:00

Since I have been doing a lot of critiquing and complaining lately I thought I'd try to illuminate something beautiful instead of something heinous.

Anna Ruby King is an artist I found on Etsy, and she currently resides in Greece. Her artwork is beautiful and very intriguing to me--she is currently trying to make her business and her artwork carbon neutral. King uses remaindered fabrics in her work, and I am totally in love with her bird images. Both of these pieces are entitled Birds in Lines.

Stop having babies!

2009-12-12T12:23:00.011-06:00

I just read that Michelle Duggar of 18 Kids and Counting TV show fame just gave birth to her 19th child. 19th. That's just too many children. Three is too many children, as far as I'm concerned, but really now, 19? What are they thinking?

Well, to answer my own question, we know that they are not thinking at all, but following the principles of the Quiverfull movement that believes women should have as many children as god wants them to--which essentially means that they are breeding machines who produce baby after baby until their bodies wear out. Why do this, you ask? It's because the Bible says happy is the man that "hath his quiver full." So Mr. Duggar who can't stop impregnating his wife is equally if not more at fault for this hyper-breeding because of his sexist, misogynist and frankly fascist religious views.

You might say, well, she's her own person, isn't she? She can say no, can't she? That's another question. She belongs to this movement that reduces her to a walking, talking uterus. I wish I did understand why women participate in such ignorant and woman-hating belief systems, but I still don't get it. I even read the book Quiverfull by Kathryn Joyce, which gave me a lot of insight into the movement and the followers. It still baffles me.

Stanley Fish is a dick . . .

2009-12-11T17:21:00.009-06:00

My favorite cartoonist and clip art genius David Rees has a great post up at his blog Get Your War On about Stanley Fish and his amazing, incredible and truly mind-boggling positive review of Sarah Palin's "novel," Going Rogue.

Rarely will I just copy another blogger's work, but David Rees deserves to be quoted, not paraphrased, he is so succinct and sublime in his rant against Fish and Palin. Never though I'd say those two names together, now, didja? I've never really liked Stanley Fish, now I hate him. Ha!

David Rees: I truly don’t understand this guy. I get being counterintuitive and provocative and trying to make people “think again” or whatever, but come on … really?

In the end, perseverance, the ability to absorb defeat without falling into defeatism, is the key to Palin’s character. It’s what makes her run in both senses of the word and it is no accident that the physical act of running is throughout the book the metaphor for joy and real life. Her handlers in the McCain campaign wouldn’t let her run (a mistake, I think, even at the level of photo-op), no doubt because they feared another opportunity to go “off script,” to “go rogue.” (from the Fish review)

David Rees: Dude, she was a governor and she quit her job. I don’t care if jogging is a metaphor for “joy and real life,” or if shooting wolves from a helicopter is a metaphor for despair and repealing the estate tax– this woman is stone-ass-crazy. Talk to her for thirty minutes about ANYTHING OTHER THAN ALASKA and get back to me.

Stanley Fish is nuts. It reminds me of that old saying: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Give a man a Stanley Fish essay, drive him mad for a lifetime.”

Fox News: Is our network learning?

2009-12-10T13:57:00.006-06:00

Oh, the irony. This clip brought to you by the non-math challenged and super smart Jon Stewart, who can actually add and subtract, which is more than I can say for the wingnuts at Faux News. Morons.

Rachel Maddow takes on the anti-gay agenda

2009-12-10T08:47:00.006-06:00

Rachel Maddow is truly an extraordinary interviewer. In this clip, she very thoughtfully, yet forcefully, interviews Richard Cohen, who is the very strange Stepford-like founder of a group called Change is Possible. He believes that "gayness" can be changed into heterosexuality though "therapy." Apparently his brand of therapy is a bit weird (to say the least) and of course he is unlicensed and has been kicked out of all reputable psychological associations.

Too bad for him that his book was used by the Ugandans who were trying to pass a "kill the gays" bill. Luckily the killing aspect of the bill was trashed yesterday, but it still advocates very harsh penalities for homosexuality in Uganda. Very, very scary.

I know it's a bit long, but this clip is worth watching. My favorite part is when she says "I'm reading from your book, dude." Priceless.

Listen carefully to what he says . . .

2009-12-09T08:28:00.006-06:00

If you don't already feel as full of hate towards Dick Cheney as I have for years, please watch this video of him of the Hannity program. He basically argues against our constitution. I'm not sure what to even say, except why don't you go away, Mr. Cheney? Your side lost.

The Promise Keepers scare me

2009-12-08T15:49:00.007-06:00

A few months ago I foolishly signed up for email updates from the ultra right wing, profoundly conservative, extremely misogynist men's Christian group The Promise Keepers. I figured it would be a good way to keep an eye on their woman hating anti-feminist activities. Thankfully, they don't send out that many email updates. But today I received one that seemed particularly awful. Here is part of it:

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation's history. It is time to encounter God and to take action . . . the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker.

The crisis in our nation is real. The serpentine stranglehold of abortion continues to squeeze the life out of over 4,000 wombs daily. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, is reaching epic heights of perversity. The number of women and children being trafficked into the dark underbelly of the sex industry in our cities is growing at an alarming rate. Entire school systems are giving way to darkness. The sanctity of marriage is under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation.

Our nation has never stood on such a precarious footing as today. The onslaught of spiritual darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power.

Notice the repetitive use of "darkness" as a frightening negative. A little racism, anyone?

The Promise Keepers are a group that claims to be about strengthening families, which really means fighting against female independence and agency. They're a truly horrifying group of ignorant people--this recent missive seems to me to be particularly representative of their ridiculousness.

Wrong on so many levels . . .

2009-12-06T21:46:00.002-06:00

What do you think of this fabulous piece of patriarchal memorabilia?

Rape Prevention 101

2009-12-06T17:13:00.005-06:00

Stole this from the legendary Twisty Faster of I Blame the Patriarchy. She's a pisser! I love this, since it subverts the usual victim-blaming bullshit that gets bandied about after a rape.

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work

1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks.

2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone.

3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to assault her.

4. If you are in a lift and a woman gets in, don’t assault her. You know what? Don’t even ogle her.

5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not assault her.

6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars.

7. When you lurk in bushes and doorways with criminal intentions, always wear bright clothing, wave a flashlight, or play “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)” by the Raveonettes on a boombox really loud, so women in the vicinity will know where to aim their flamethrowers.

8. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from assaulting women, ask a trusted feminist friend to accompany you when in public.

9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to assault a woman, you can hand the whistle to your buddy, so s/he can blow it to call for help.

10. Give your buddy a revolver, so that when indifferent passers-by ignore the rape whistle, s/he can pistol-whip you.

Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her that you expect to be assaulting her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.

______________________________

Things I like about winter . . .

2009-12-06T10:43:00.010-06:00

I decided that since it is going to snow very soon, I might as well embrace winter and enjoy it. So here are a few things I like about winter:

I can go to the grocery store, put stuff in my trunk, and then go to dinner or forget the stuff in my trunk and it will be fine because it is so cold outside.

Falling snow is seemingly very quiet, but it actually makes an eerie kind of sound--kind of whooooosh.

I like complaining with people I don't know about the cold and how much snow fell. Very community building!

I really like the way the trees look after a snowfall.

I like being able to have the fantasy of possibly being snowed in. It's never really happened to me, but you never know.

I enjoy the overly dramatic weather reports on the local news: Winter Storm Watch! Possibly 10-12 inches of snow! Blizzard Watch!

I love my flannel sheets and my flannel comforter cover. Very cozy.

And last, of course, without winter there would be no spring!

Regular people can dance, too!

2009-12-06T07:53:00.007-06:00

This is a truly wonderful video of a group of hospital employees doing a group dance in support of breast cancer awareness. I love these people, especially the lone guy in the hall. Apparently he lost his mother to breast cancer.

Thank you, workers at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, in Portland, Oregon.

Condoms and The Endtimes!

2009-12-03T12:32:00.008-06:00

Here's an astounding video from some nutjob (who calls himself third eagle of the apocalypse) and argues that using any kind of contraception, including condoms, will prevent you from being raptured. I'm not sure I want to be raptured, but that's another issue. My favorite quote:

God invented the game of sex, therefore, he gets to make the rules . . . please don't be fooled by Satan!

Charming.

you annoy me . . .

2009-11-28T10:37:00.006-06:00

Found another wonderful artist today. Her name is Katie Rowley, and she has a web site and an etsy shop. I love the sarcasm of her captions, and the simplicity of her drawings. Something about her work just makes me smile--and it's also beautiful in a strange kind of way.

Here are two of my favorites: You Annoy Me and Surely You Perform Some Function. Awesome!

Yes, Sarah Palin is that dumb.

2009-11-27T08:26:00.004-06:00

Holy Hell! Who knew that Canadians were so flippin funny! Thanks to The Daily Beast I have now discovered comedian Mary Walsh from the show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. She is hilarious! Love her!

bad housewife equals hilarity

2009-11-26T11:50:00.013-06:00

Timmy knew that if he didn't make eye contact with Adam, The Giant Scary Doll, that Adam would eventually go away!

Found this really great blog this morning called Bad Housewife. She is hilarious and snarky! She also creates wonderful collages using old magazines and images from the past. I love these collages--they're creative, creepy, smart, and funny as hell.

I especially like the subtle subtext of woman as edible object. The collages that depict women and men seem to suggest the longings of men to consume women, and the cultural idea of women altering themselves to be considered desirable. Hmmmmm . . .

From top to bottom: Ice-cream sundae hat, chocolate pudding hat, fruit-cocktail jello hat! Sublime.

are people really this stupid?

2009-11-25T09:22:00.007-06:00

Here are some brief interviews with American "citizens" at a Sarah Palin book signing in Columbus, Ohio. This one is from New Left Media by way of Gin and Tacos.

Yikes.

another reason to love Tim Gunn

2009-11-25T07:36:00.012-06:00

This morning the L.A. Times has an interview with Tim Gunn, who is by far the most interesting aspect of Project Runway. Below is a small part of the interview where he talks about wearing fur.

Thank you, Tim Gunn!

I would say if you're going to use fur, you have a responsibility to know its origins . . . there's no reason to kill animals for fur. Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, ''I'm in favor of inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.'' Unspeakable torture is inflicted on dogs, cats, bunnies, raccoons, foxes, minks and myriad trapped, helpless creatures in the name of fashion -- yes, dogs and cats.

banned by NBC!

2009-11-24T12:24:00.005-06:00

I have my issues with PETA: although I am totally behind their message, sometimes their tactics are sexist. But this commercial is the best. Come on, NBC, show some guts. Nothing like letting people live in denial of the horrors of factory farming. I think everyone should know the origins and truth about their unnecessary carnivosity.

anti-choicers make a movie about themselves!

2009-11-23T17:31:00.011-06:00

Here's the trailer for a new movie about the anti-choice/pro-life (or pro-birth, as I like to call them) movement. This movie is a documentary about the history of this anti-woman frenzy and its "progress" in the 1980s and 1990s. The film is populated by the likes of certified psychotic Randall Terry (Operation Rescue) and Reverend Rob Schenk. I really despise these people.

What I noticed while watching this pitiful trailer is that every single one of the people in it is a white guy. All you see are men--no women at all, no people of color. Hmmm.

Assholes.

little white creatures and zombies!

2009-11-23T09:05:00.006-06:00

My lovely sister tells me I am obsessed with vulnerable little white creatures--so I am. Well, today while browsing Etsy I came across this amazing piece of artwork from badbird: zombie rabbits!

I love this as it combines two of my favorites things in the universe--Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T08:49:00.008-06:00

This one's for you, Seth, and you, Gini! Love you both!

To give credit where it is due, this is a card from the wonderful site some e-cards. They have lots and lots of funny, mean, and snarky cards for every occasion, and they're free!

Here's another one I particularly like right now.

new tattoo

2009-11-22T12:53:00.003-06:00

I know this is a bit crazy, but I'm obsessed with this image of Eliza from Black Hole and I've decided to get her as my new tattoo. My only question is this: where do I put the tattoo? I've been thinking of my upper arm, but also considering my lower back. Or maybe the inside of my wrist.

What do you think?

anti-evolution assholes

2009-11-20T12:09:00.005-06:00

For some unknown reason, former teen actor Kirk Cameron is now an evangelical zealot, and is spending his time trying to argue against evolution while making Christianity look really bad.

Way to spend your time, Kirk!

Never "more than my own life . . ."

2009-11-17T16:14:00.012-06:00

No, I have to say, just no. I understand devotion to literature, and I understand the love of tattoos, and I understand (I guess) combining the two. But please, people, Twilight Tattoos? The Daily Beast has a photo essay of some Twilight inspired tattoos. Of course people are entitled to get whatever fucking tattoos they wish--but couldn't they be devoted to The Catcher in the Rye or As I Lay Dying or Cruddy or Beloved or anything but Twilight?

I have to say I really like this one tattoo of a big 'ole paragraph from Twilight, even though I don't like the sentiment or ideology that's in the paragraph. It gets me kind of crazy to think of this kind of writing inscribed all over women's (and men's) bodies. Haven't you read the books, people? Why oh why would you re-inscribe these misogynist norms onto your bodies? Why do you want to be Bella? Why would you ever put your fucking boyfriend's life before yours?

I'm sorry, but wake the fuck up. Twilight, New Moon, and whatever the other two are called just make me scream. As much as I enjoyed reading the first three, (still working on number four) despite the truly crappy writing--these novels basically revive the idea that "true love" and "romance" are the reason for living, especially for women.

No! Just no.

Orphan sucks

2009-11-15T18:31:00.008-06:00

It's not often that I say this, since I can usually find something to like in any horror film, but I really disliked Orphan. In fact, I kind of hated it. I kept wanting it to be over, and kept fast forwarding through the stupid talky parts where the annoying parental units were arguing. But then I would feel guilty, thinking perhaps I was missing some dialogue that might redeem this stupid film, and go back and watch whatever I had zipped through. Of course nothing ever redeemed this not at all scary movie--except perhaps the house, which was a beauty of modern design with the most beautiful wood floors I've seen in awhile.

Anyway, Orphan's dumb premise is about a couple whose third child is stillborn, and because they have so much love they just must share it with someone, so they adopt this weird little girl from an orphanage. Esther wears odd little dresses, and also sports ribbons on her neck and her wrists. Of course she immediately starts acting weird and fucking with the other two kids (one who is deaf and adorable, and one who is a stereotypical pre-teen boy).

Here be spoilers if you give a shit! What turns out to be the problem is so dumb and annoying I was almost rooting for Esther to kill all of them. But first, she has to try to get the parents really fighting each other, and the dad thinking the mom is relapsing (alcohol) and stuff like that. First she has to kill a lovely nun, and smash a pigeon to death, and push a snotty little bitch-kid off a playground slide. She deserved it, sort of. But what really gets me is that the dad gets killed near the end, and really, he deserved it too, since he never believed his very intuitive wife. That's what you get, hubby, for doubting her! Also, there is a crappy therapist who doesn't believe wifey either--she should have gotten knifed, too. I was pretty much hoping everyone would be dead by the end.

The truth comes out when it is revealed that Esther is not a nine-year-old little orphan but a 30-something crazy woman from Romania or somewhere who has killed nine people. She has a mysterious metabolic disorder that makes her seem as if she is a little girl, which of course allows her to ingratiate herself into the hearts and lives of hapless baby-hungry parents.

I was so tired of all of this that I was relieved when it was finally over. Esther, you suck.

fashion, or modern footbinding?

2009-11-14T14:39:00.008-06:00

This morning the Los Angeles Times has a story on women and shoes. News? Perhaps not. But it got my attention with these photos!

These shoes are disturbing. I know they're supposed to be extreme for the runway, but really, what on earth are they supposed to be about if not hobbling women? The pair with the sparkles are Alexander McQueen, and I truly hate those. I'm full of hate.

The pair with the heel as fertility symbol (Dior) just say so much to me! Now there's a powerful metaphor for women! What keeps you viable in our culture? Your uterus! What is your true reason for existence? Your ability to reproduce. That is why these shoes say so much--prop yourself up with a symbol that will help you conceive, as well as a pair of shoes so tenuous that you could never run away from anyone trying to tie you to your stove/bassinet/washing machine.

bad descriptions (very bad)

2009-11-14T10:10:00.010-06:00

In almost every novel on the copyright page there lies a brief "summary" of the narrative. Recently I've begun to read these so-called summaries to see what they say. I think it's reasonable to assume that these writings will be a good description of at least a semblance of the contents of the book. Not so, I tell you!

Here are a few novels and the fucked up, lame-o, reductive and/or just plain wrong descriptions contained within. These happen to be from my class on adolescent literature.

Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson--summary: A sixteen-year-old Portland, Oregon skateboarder whose parents are going through a difficult divorce, is engulfed by guilt and confusion when he accidentally kills a security guard at a train yard.
Where do I start with this one? No, he is not engulfed by guilt and confusion WHEN he accidentally kills a guard, but AFTER he does so. Stupid.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden--summary: Liza puts aside her feelings for Annie after the disaster at school, but eventually she allows love to triumph over the ignorance of people.
This one is the weirdest--what does it mean to say she "puts aside her feelings" ?? I don't think she does, and after the "disaster at school" can only be referring to the ear-piercing incident which is in no way a disaster. This summary makes very little sense and is just plain stupid.

Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You by Peter Cameron--summary: Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.
This one is also weird and mostly startlingly reductive.That's all you could come up with for James Sveck, that he is struggling to "find a direction" ?? That makes him sound like a moron. Stupid, and criminal, really, when you consider how lovely and nuanced the character is in this luminous novel.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson--summary: A Traumatic event near the end of summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year of high school.
Okay, well, I can understand the need for obfuscation on this one so as not to reveal what the trauma is until the reader needs to know, but really, saying this trauma has a "devastating effect" on her freshman year in high school makes it sound like she didn't get to go to prom or something. How about the effect it has on her psyche or her soul or her sense of self? Fuck the freshman year of high school.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch--summary: High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.
I'll say they go "terribly wrong" beginning with this summary! Gigi is not Keir's "friend" but the object of his lust/love/obsession, and her date does not "leave her stranded." It can also be argued that Keir does not attempt "to comfort" Gigi but rather himself, which is a nice way of saying he rapes her.

I think the depiction of James Sveck with his face in his hands on the cover of Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You says it all.

His name was Jason . . .

2009-11-13T19:18:00.009-06:00

Today is Friday the 13th, so how can we let the day go by without a little tribute to one of the original low-budget scary movies that actually worked without being stupidly gory like newbie torture porn movies Saw and Hostel?

Here's the original trailer for Friday the 13th. Enjoy.

I've been sucked into a Black Hole . . .

2009-11-10T17:04:00.007-06:00

I've just finished reading what may be the most deeply disturbing and yet truly beautiful graphic novel ever. It is Black Hole by Charles Burns, and this semester it's traumatizing my first year students in our course Gender and Graphic Narrative. We've also read Fun Home by Alison Bechdel as well as Ghost World and Shortcomings, but nothing has gotten quite the reaction that Black Hole has.

I have to say Black Hole is incredible--beautifully drawn, narratively non-linear and provocatively visceral. It tells the story of teenagers growing up in suburban Seattle in the 1970s; and Burns has created a version of the 1970s that includes a "bug" which is transmitted by sexual contact and manifests itself by creating different mutations on each infected person. My class decided that each mutation has significance directly related to that person's adolescent angst. One of my favorites is Eliza, whose mutation is a lovely little tail growing out of her backside. It's quite something.

Karen Cooper, my hero!

2009-11-10T11:40:00.012-06:00

Of course, one of my favorite movies of all time is Night of The Living Dead. Perhaps it is my very favorite, and truly it is undeniable that NOTLD is one of the most important films of the twentieth century. It is profoundly significant in so many ways--it set the tone and standard for American zombie movies, it made George Romero famous (eventually), it was a deeply political document and an instrument of social critique. Besides, it's just a fucking awesome movie!

I have always loved Kyra Schon, the young woman who played Karen Cooper in the film. Her dad in life and the movie was Karl Hardman who played Harry Cooper, one of the most hated characters in zombie filmdom. His role was a large part of what makes the movie so memorable. I have a wonderful poster on my office door at school with a very disturbing image of zombified Karen Cooper looking at the camera. It sometimes scares my students!

Today I found her web site. Schon sells some awesome stuff, such as an image trowel (those of you who know the movie know why a trowel is important) and dog tags. She also has an etsy shop! I'm excited that I found her web presence, and I salute her role in zombie and film history. You go, Kyra!

Atomic Light fixture!

2009-11-04T21:48:00.009-06:00

I look at the furniture section on Craigslist every single day. I became addicted to it when I realized how much I love mid-century modern decor. It seems to me that the very quick and savvy shopper can find amazing shit on Craigslist.

But today when I logged on to the site I came across this posting for am "Atomic light fixture" for the amazingly low price of 20 bucks! So of course I drove out to the bland and terrifying suburbs to get it during my break between classes, barely leaving enough time to feed and walk Marcy and get back for my office hours. But here it is! Isn't it fabulous? I love it so much, even though when I first saw it in person it seemed so much bigger than I had imagined. Once I get it installed I will post another picture! Yippee!

kleenex makes a very good hat

2009-11-03T12:53:00.011-06:00

One of my favorite books of all time is Eloise. I love Eloise, and her nutty life at the Plaza Hotel with her turtle Skipperdee and her little dog Weenie. She gets in all kinds of trouble and makes adults very nervous and has a blast all the time. I loved that she was able to get away with so much stuff. I also love her little belly and how her clothes were always in disarray. She is awesomely disheveled.

Kay Thompson wrote these wonderful books and they were illustrated by the incredibly talented Hilary Knight. Knight is fucking artistic genius, and was honored this week at the New York Public Library.

I wish I could have been there.

make it stop!!!!!

2009-10-31T14:22:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is Halloween III. It has absolutely nothing to do with Michael Myers or the original Halloween except that some of the actors from Halloween are in it and Tommy Wallace (the editor of the original) wrote and directed Halloween III.

Halloween III has the distinction of being my favorite Tom Atkins movie. If you haven't seen it, safe to say it has one of the best plots ever. It involves getting kids to wear certain masks on Halloween which then will the kill them by turning their innocent little noggins into a writhing mass of disgusting insects as they watch the Magic Pumpkin!

Beware--and Happy Halloween!

Swiffer Stalker Syndrome!

2009-10-30T08:40:00.009-05:00

I admit I'm a big fan of the swiffer. I really like swiffering my hardwood floors, and I can't get over how great the swiffer dust mop is. I'm even going to buy a washable pad for my swiffer (Etsy!) so I don't have to rely upon the wasteful disposable dusters. That said, I don't own a swiffer wet mop, but I have thought about it. I have, however, been disturbed by the ridiculous swiffer commercials that depict mops and brooms pining after women who have abandoned them for the swiffer. And of course these commercials, as all cleaning product narratives do, only ever depict women cleaning; usually after men and children who make a huge mess.

But it was not not until this morning, when I read this post on Feministing Community by a nine year old young woman, did I really think about how these narratives romanticize and trivialize stalking. You go, smart girl!

namesake

2009-10-29T11:36:00.003-05:00

Here's an amazing photograph of my great grandmother (Annie Elizabeth Keeton) and her daughter Annie Mae Keeton Etter (my grandmother). My mother's mother Annie Mae is very cute, and I just love the look on her face. But what I really love is the look of calm determination on my great grandmother's very beautiful face. She helped raise my mom, and although she died very soon after I was born, I feel her presence in my life in a very powerful way. Here's to strong and powerful women!

sweet kitty picture of the day

2009-10-29T10:48:00.005-05:00

Jacks has seemed to make himself at home now that we have officially adopted him. Marcy still chases him relentlessly, and gets really bent out of shape when I pet him or even speak to him, but nonetheless Jacks finds ways of relaxing on a daily basis.

Marcy must have been sleeping at the time.

Michael, Leatherface, and Rosemary

2009-10-25T11:30:00.017-05:00

I love horror movies--really love them. I teach a class on women in horror film and it is in many ways my favorite class to teach. What could be better? We watch horror films, read critical essays and a few novels, and take seriously a genre that deserves to be taken seriously.

Last night I saw Paranormal Activity and I really liked it. It wasn't the scariest movie I've ever seen--but it was very creepy and wildly entertaining. I think the creepiest aspect of the movie was how my own anxiety about where I was supposed to be looking made me jumpy. What was going to happen next? I kept wondering where the next fright would come from--I was trying to pay attention to the ways the camera angle was directing my gaze--it was all very exhausting and disturbing. Lots of fun!

Once I got home I found that the ending that was created for theatrical release was not the original ending of the movie--another interesting twist. I thought I'd provide the "original" ending in case anyone wants to watch it. Be forewarned, it really helps to have seen the entire movie--context is key for this one.

10/29/2009 Update: Paramount keeps blocking anyone from showing the original ending of this movie--I've literally posted and re-posted this clip about a dozen times. I give up! You can probably get it on you tube yourself, as people seem to be keeping one step ahead of Paramount there.

(pregnant) women and children first

2009-10-24T09:00:00.012-05:00

I'm not really afraid of getting the H1N1 flu virus. I may get it, but I figure I'll survive even though it would surely wreak havoc with my semester. I am only really concerned because I have asthma, and that make me a bit more vulnerable to the flu and to more serious complications from the flu. Of course I get my regular flu vaccine every year without fail. Here's my gripe: I'm really pissed that I am not on the list right now of groups that are prioritized for the H1N1 vaccine.

Who is on the list? Health care workers, of course, children (I suppose) and pregnant women. The pregnant women group is that group that I take issue with. Here's my twisted and, according to my Mom, self-absorbed/narcississtic logic. Pregnant women, by and large, choose to be pregnant. They certainly don't have to get pregnant. In fact, I might argue that pregnancy is a darn poor choice in this economy and in this messed up environment. But really, please, I have asthma. I didn't choose to have asthma--it is an inherited condition that makes my lungs less able to process air out and in. Asthma also weakens one's immune system. So, therefore, those silly, selfish, breeders need to move over and let me in the line.

Step aside, bitches!
(Photo above is of the flu epidemic in 1976.)

Meet Judy the talking embryo!

2009-10-21T15:46:00.008-05:00

Okay, apparently there is another group out there (with the catchy name Choice Kills) that has gone and done lost their teeny tiny minds. They actually have a tiny talking embryo with a teeny tiny little girly voice saying "All I want is to get out of here alive!" Aside from the fact that a fetus cannot talk, what would she really say? Perhaps she might protest this group using her image without permission.

And what's with that logo? A fetus being speared by a machete? Now that's just going too far.

fall color from hell

2009-10-21T13:46:00.006-05:00

Everyone around here (the midwest) loves fall. Really loves it! I think it's okay, but in some respects I dislike it because it is a reminder of the winter to come. Yes, the colors are beautiful. It's sort of nice to wear scarves and boots and feel cozy. But really, now, I like summer so much better! Hot sun, humidity, ice-cream. Anyway, here's a couple of pictures of the stunning fall color around my domain.