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(LJ-Only Post because DW up and disappeared on me and ate the original version of this as I tried to sneak it in before the deadline for the server upgrade. And anyway, I've decided to include a poll anyway, so nyah!)[Poll #1802781]
Habeas Corpus
Dec. 8th, 2011 04:07 pmIt's a fine tradition -- first written into English Common Law in the Magna Carta, then enshrined into the Constitution of the United States in the Fourth Amendment.
The current Defense Spending Bill (which passed 93-7) has a passage which suspends the right of EVERYONE, citizens of the United States included, regardless of location -- so yes, even in this country -- until the "cessation of hostility." Which in the case of The War On Terror* would be... well, it approaches infinity, so I'll just go with, this is permanent. Two different senators, Sen. Udall (R-CO) and Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) proposed amendments which would remove this passage from the Defense Spending bill. That's right: senators from both parties tried to get rid of this. Sadly, their cohorts didn't feel the same way. Here, from senate.gov, are the roll call sheets from both the Udall and Feinstein Amendments, senators listed by state.
If you live in a state where the senators voted "nay," may I strongly encourage you to contact your senator and tell them to pull their heads out of their asses. While this provision will no doubt eventually be smashed to bits when it reaches the courts (y'know, given that habeas corpus is a constitutional right for all citizens), I'd rather not have my tax dollars be spent on its defense.
ETA: There is petition to the White House encouraging the President to veto the bill (and to do so for more appropriate reasons than previously provided by the press secretary). It requires registration, but if you'd like to sign (I did), you can find the petition here: Veto S. 1867
( Roll calls below the cuts )
Thanks.
The current Defense Spending Bill (which passed 93-7) has a passage which suspends the right of EVERYONE, citizens of the United States included, regardless of location -- so yes, even in this country -- until the "cessation of hostility." Which in the case of The War On Terror* would be... well, it approaches infinity, so I'll just go with, this is permanent. Two different senators, Sen. Udall (R-CO) and Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) proposed amendments which would remove this passage from the Defense Spending bill. That's right: senators from both parties tried to get rid of this. Sadly, their cohorts didn't feel the same way. Here, from senate.gov, are the roll call sheets from both the Udall and Feinstein Amendments, senators listed by state.
If you live in a state where the senators voted "nay," may I strongly encourage you to contact your senator and tell them to pull their heads out of their asses. While this provision will no doubt eventually be smashed to bits when it reaches the courts (y'know, given that habeas corpus is a constitutional right for all citizens), I'd rather not have my tax dollars be spent on its defense.
ETA: There is petition to the White House encouraging the President to veto the bill (and to do so for more appropriate reasons than previously provided by the press secretary). It requires registration, but if you'd like to sign (I did), you can find the petition here: Veto S. 1867
( Roll calls below the cuts )
Thanks.
Brokeback Perry
Dec. 8th, 2011 02:35 pmSometimes the fruit's hanging too low even for me. Picture of Rick Perry taken from this bigoted, false piece of trash (which they forgot to turn off the "like/dislike" option - so feel free to press that thumbs down). Picture of Ennis Del Ray... well, y'know.
If you're making a o_O face, look a little closer at the jackets.
And one of you vidders should really take the time to set this add to "The Wings" from the Brokeback Mountain OST. Maybe something about being able to quit him. Like I said: rarely do they hang the fruit this low.
If you're making a o_O face, look a little closer at the jackets.
And one of you vidders should really take the time to set this add to "The Wings" from the Brokeback Mountain OST. Maybe something about being able to quit him. Like I said: rarely do they hang the fruit this low.
Of Muppets and Men - and a Poll!
Nov. 26th, 2011 09:41 pmJust got back from seeing the new Muppets movie with my nephew. I quite liked it (in particular, Camilla the Chicken's routine alone was worth the price of admission - although I suspect 3/4s of the audience didn't know what the hell was going on - which is a good thing). The songs... well, you can tell that Bret McKenzie wrote them, but that's not a bad thing. My nephew remains adorable and says he liked the movie too. He then promptly passed out in the car, where he was adorable and [Poll #1798429]
Of Muppets and Men - and a Poll!
Nov. 26th, 2011 08:54 pmJust got back from seeing the new Muppets movie with my nephew. I quite liked it (in particular, Camilla the Chicken's routine alone was worth the price of admission - although I suspect 3/4s of the audience didn't know what the hell was going on - which is a good thing). The songs... well, you can tell that Bret McKenzie wrote them, but that's not a bad thing. My nephew remains adorable and says he liked the movie too. He then promptly passed out in the car, where he was adorable and quiet.
Meanwhile, my mother linked me to My Daguerrotype Boyfriend and now I'm having cognitive dissonance. I'd never thought that I'd be able to say, "No, I'm not sure JGL is good-looking enough to play this character." But as it turns out, in addition to being an assassination magnet who disavowed his grief-crazed mother and an evil labor oppressor who authorized Pinkerton detectives to fire on striking mine workers, Robert Todd Lincoln was really, really, ridiculously good looking.
I feel torn and therefore, on LJ, this entrywill have has a poll. For real now. Just stare at the handsome men for five minutes while I put that together however long you want and then vote!
Meanwhile, my mother linked me to My Daguerrotype Boyfriend and now I'm having cognitive dissonance. I'd never thought that I'd be able to say, "No, I'm not sure JGL is good-looking enough to play this character." But as it turns out, in addition to being an assassination magnet who disavowed his grief-crazed mother and an evil labor oppressor who authorized Pinkerton detectives to fire on striking mine workers, Robert Todd Lincoln was really, really, ridiculously good looking.
I feel torn and therefore, on LJ, this entry
As I often do when I'm totally unhappy with everything I write (and given that I've written more than forty pages of fic and thesis in that time, that's a whole lot of work to disown), I have turned to Hunter Thompson for inspiration. I should know better than to do this, but he's the writer with whom I most personally identify. The well-worn free-associating paths of his thoughts echo my own, and he too celebrated those moments when writing came as a joy even as he admitted that the motions of writing for pay or on demand often made him feel like an old whore faking ecstatic screams. To the customers it's all the same, and that is both a blessing and a vile miscarriage of justice. I miss Hunter dearly and I think I may have finally forgiven him but he leads me to nihilism and that makes me unproductive. Also, it led me to start reading Mencken and now I feel kind of dirty for it.
But I do have some comfort. He is 6'3" (you know I like 'em tall) and he is a most capable champion as he has overcome not only time and space — but any objections. Sometimes you look into the abyss and a pooka in the form of a giant rabbit looks back at you. This is a good thing, a necessary thing, a beautiful thing. Sometimes we need a reminder that there is more than one way to rid ourselves of the pain of being a man.
I think Hunter would have approved of this coping mechanism. After all, weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final.
But I do have some comfort. He is 6'3" (you know I like 'em tall) and he is a most capable champion as he has overcome not only time and space — but any objections. Sometimes you look into the abyss and a pooka in the form of a giant rabbit looks back at you. This is a good thing, a necessary thing, a beautiful thing. Sometimes we need a reminder that there is more than one way to rid ourselves of the pain of being a man.
I think Hunter would have approved of this coping mechanism. After all, weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final.
I've been in a rather nasty mood all week. Can't exactly say why, there's a number of factors that contributed and frankly, I've already dedicated enough words and thoughts to most of them. So today I decided to take a break. Sit back. Watch a movie.
On a whim, I picked Howl. Possibly because I never mind spending an hour or so staring at James Franco. The film is sort of a biography of the poem and of Ginsberg and of the obscenity trial in 1957 that Ginsburg chose to ignore but won nonetheless. It's all a bit confusing, but that may have been the point: after all, as the trial transcript read, "One cannot translate poetry into prose." I think this may be a poem of a movie and as I often tell JJ, I simply don't understand poetry. I'm prosaic, what can I say.
Ginsberg has long been the main exception, but not the famous ones - not "Howl" or "Kaddish". My favorite poem longer than fourteen lines has always been Ginsberg's "America." I finally found the reading of it that's my favorite - it's an earlier version of the poem and varies in places than the final published text. Ginsberg's recitals of the final poem always sound dry, regretful, and serious. But in this recording Ginsberg sounds drunk and delighted - he's reading it in a club and the audience shouts back and laughs, because what this poem is about is pointing out the absurd for exactly what it is, and to recall that we can't take ourselves too seriously.
And I felt better for hearing that poem and drunken riotous laughter once more. So, to come to peace with Supernatural and fandom and that which shook me and put the fear into me but which should never control me, I'm posting something I wrote long ago (on October 12, 2010, as it says) but never took credit for. I thought of it and looked it over and yeah, I think it still works (or works as well as it ever did). My apologies to Allen Ginsberg once again, but his queer shoulder has been and remains one I can lay my head upon and find great comfort.
( Anon Meme (With all apologies to Allen Ginsberg) )
On a whim, I picked Howl. Possibly because I never mind spending an hour or so staring at James Franco. The film is sort of a biography of the poem and of Ginsberg and of the obscenity trial in 1957 that Ginsburg chose to ignore but won nonetheless. It's all a bit confusing, but that may have been the point: after all, as the trial transcript read, "One cannot translate poetry into prose." I think this may be a poem of a movie and as I often tell JJ, I simply don't understand poetry. I'm prosaic, what can I say.
Ginsberg has long been the main exception, but not the famous ones - not "Howl" or "Kaddish". My favorite poem longer than fourteen lines has always been Ginsberg's "America." I finally found the reading of it that's my favorite - it's an earlier version of the poem and varies in places than the final published text. Ginsberg's recitals of the final poem always sound dry, regretful, and serious. But in this recording Ginsberg sounds drunk and delighted - he's reading it in a club and the audience shouts back and laughs, because what this poem is about is pointing out the absurd for exactly what it is, and to recall that we can't take ourselves too seriously.
And I felt better for hearing that poem and drunken riotous laughter once more. So, to come to peace with Supernatural and fandom and that which shook me and put the fear into me but which should never control me, I'm posting something I wrote long ago (on October 12, 2010, as it says) but never took credit for. I thought of it and looked it over and yeah, I think it still works (or works as well as it ever did). My apologies to Allen Ginsberg once again, but his queer shoulder has been and remains one I can lay my head upon and find great comfort.
( Anon Meme (With all apologies to Allen Ginsberg) )
In Defense of Geeks
Nov. 12th, 2011 10:58 pmBecause there's something else that brassed me off about last night's Supernatural episode.
Inspired by Kalliel's post about writing posts emphasizing all the awesome things that Supernatural fans do that aren't related to fandom. I'm gonna take a slightly different tack. I defend my fan-girl status. Because being a fan-girl (or fan-boy)? Does not automatically turn you into a horrible person. We come from lots of different backgrounds. Not all fan girls and fan-boys were picked on in high school. Some of us have engaging social lives and/or successful careers and/or sex with attractive people without resorting to black magic. Sometimes we even have interests outside of the things we're fans of. And watch out: we have a habit of taking over the asylum eventually. So here's a few examples of awesome people whom we can count among our own ranks.
( You can tell that it's more fun to be a fan, because all the cool kids are doing it )
Contains spoilers for tonight's episode - but if you haven't watched it, I don't encourage you to do so. Also contains references to triggery material. I should know. The episode triggered me.
ETA: I don't think I'm leaving the fandom. I still do love this show. But I still feel... really, really hurt. I may not be as squee happy about it for awhile. And I'm really disappointed in the entire production crew for not thinking about any of these issues before they brought the episode to air.
ETA2: It's been brought to my attention that there was an outright statement that the relationship was never consummated during the episode - however, this occurred during the scene that hit my single trigger -- involuntary chemical-induced memory loss -- and so I missed the line while I was retrieving my anti-anxiety meds. Nonetheless, my overall feelings about the episode and the writers' complete incomprehension of the horror that they wrought still stands. Intercourse or no, the emotional and mental manipulation remains reprehensible and unfunny.
( Read more... )
ETA: I don't think I'm leaving the fandom. I still do love this show. But I still feel... really, really hurt. I may not be as squee happy about it for awhile. And I'm really disappointed in the entire production crew for not thinking about any of these issues before they brought the episode to air.
ETA2: It's been brought to my attention that there was an outright statement that the relationship was never consummated during the episode - however, this occurred during the scene that hit my single trigger -- involuntary chemical-induced memory loss -- and so I missed the line while I was retrieving my anti-anxiety meds. Nonetheless, my overall feelings about the episode and the writers' complete incomprehension of the horror that they wrought still stands. Intercourse or no, the emotional and mental manipulation remains reprehensible and unfunny.
( Read more... )
Crazy, Decadent, Beautiful
Nov. 11th, 2011 01:27 pmIf you have forty minutes to spare today, run over to Seb Montaz's webpage and check out his forty minute film I Believe I Can Fly (flight of the frenchies). I'd never heard of slack lining before, possibly because the people who do it are so clearly insane. It's up in hi definition for free today only, and it contains some of the most gorgeous and striking visuals ever captured.
Hi! This post is not about Penn State, but a complaint that stems from surfing google news and following various "suggested" links on the news articles as we've been trying to keep up with the cult of apologists and the latest worst thing yet all day. (Discussion, linkshare, and rending of hair continues in the comments - Switch's idea of donating to RAINN made me feel clean again.)
But anyway: TheStir. I hadn't noticed you existed until a couple of days ago. Today you are the source of more than a dozen of the spotlighted links on my Google News page and you are the top "suggested" link at the end of nearly every article from a major news source that I've read today.
Have I mentioned that I've been reading about pedophiles and the evil fuckwads who enable them and apologize for them all day?
( But for some reason you're convinced what I really want to read about are dieting tips, the Kardashians, and top-ten-lists-rejected-by-Cosmo-as- )
But anyway: TheStir. I hadn't noticed you existed until a couple of days ago. Today you are the source of more than a dozen of the spotlighted links on my Google News page and you are the top "suggested" link at the end of nearly every article from a major news source that I've read today.
Have I mentioned that I've been reading about pedophiles and the evil fuckwads who enable them and apologize for them all day?
( But for some reason you're convinced what I really want to read about are dieting tips, the Kardashians, and top-ten-lists-rejected-by-Cosmo-as- )
Last night, the Penn State Board of Trustees met and fired University President Spanier and Coach Joe Paterno. effective immediately. Paterno had announced his intention to retire at the end of this season earlier in the day following the indictment of his long-time assistant coach and one-time heir apparent, Jerry Sandusky, on forty felony charges associated with molestation of at least 8 children since 1996. Sandusky's known victims, many of whom were sexually molested and assaulted for years, ranged in age from seven to fifteen during the abuse and were all participants in The Second Mile, a charity that Sandusky founded to assist at-risk youths. Said Paterno on Sunday: "...the nature and amount of charges made are very shocking to me." CBS News reported last night that, "The legendary football coach was said to be stunned by his firing. Said the source, "You give your life to this place, and that's how you're treated."
Yes, Paterno, you miserable piece of slime, that's how you're treated. No, you don't get to leave on your own terms. No, I don't give a shit that you won 409 football games or that you're a "legendary coach". No, I couldn't give two shits about how disappointed your seniors are going to be at the Nebraska game this weekend. You may shut up and go enjoy the remaining time you have left before the Federal government indicts you.
( And the worst part is that you're pretending not to understand why. That's what makes you slime. )
Yes, Paterno, you miserable piece of slime, that's how you're treated. No, you don't get to leave on your own terms. No, I don't give a shit that you won 409 football games or that you're a "legendary coach". No, I couldn't give two shits about how disappointed your seniors are going to be at the Nebraska game this weekend. You may shut up and go enjoy the remaining time you have left before the Federal government indicts you.
( And the worst part is that you're pretending not to understand why. That's what makes you slime. )
What He Said
Nov. 9th, 2011 06:12 pmI don't normally look to sportswriters for particularly insightful social commentary (with the notable exceptions of the late Hunter S. Thompson and the late Ralph Wiley). I particularly don't usually look for it at CBS Sports—home of Jimmy 'the Greek' Snyder, whose coworkers maintain to this day that they didn't think he was particularly racist). But this Dan Bernstein article on the child-molestation scandal and (repeated!) cover ups at Penn State is... well, I'll let it speak for itself:
( But you have to do it. You have to read every word, every sickening description and every name involved in the institutionalized evil at Penn State. Your opinion about anything going on is invalid if you have not yet done so... )
Read Bernstein's whole article here. Then steel your stomach and read the grand jury report. And when some idiot friend/co-worker/relative tries to play apologist for Joe Paterno over the next couple of weeks or at Thanksgiving, cry 'havoc' and let slip the dogs of war.
( But you have to do it. You have to read every word, every sickening description and every name involved in the institutionalized evil at Penn State. Your opinion about anything going on is invalid if you have not yet done so... )
Read Bernstein's whole article here. Then steel your stomach and read the grand jury report. And when some idiot friend/co-worker/relative tries to play apologist for Joe Paterno over the next couple of weeks or at Thanksgiving, cry 'havoc' and let slip the dogs of war.
This meme swiped from ![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=3)
chn_breathmint
If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach. —Alfred Hitchcock
When I write a story, what do readers immediately look for? What am I associated with? I'm curious to find out what people expect when my name's on the story.
chn_breathmintIf I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach. —Alfred Hitchcock
When I write a story, what do readers immediately look for? What am I associated with? I'm curious to find out what people expect when my name's on the story.
It's not a Jubilee year, but publicizing this existing program (key - it already exists, so Our Dysfunctional Congress can't mess this up) and also lowering the qualifying requirements, the size of the payments, and reducing the length of time until debt forgiveness is a damn good start. I'm gonna start looking into the paperwork tomorrow and start my clock - the idea that in twenty years I won't be dogged by my debt is actually a bright spot of hope on my horizon. That's how out of control the loans for a graduate education have gotten. I'm going to be able to accept employment without having to ask "Is this salary/wage high enough that I can cover even the interest on my loans?"
Or better yet, maybe I won't be turned down from a job because of a bad credit score. FedLoan Servicing (yes, I'm naming names - SAS has been a much more responsible steward of my debt) cannot seem to process my paperwork even when I send it certified mail. They're threatening to throw the two loans that they acquired AFTER I obtained my deferment (and ten months after I received my last financial aid check, so they're selling debt again - did these guys learn nothing from the whole Credit Default Swap/AIG meltdown?) into collections. Seriously: if you have it on record that my existing five loans are in deferment due to disability, why are you sending me late payment notice on two more loans that I won't be able to pay due to that same disability? And no matter how many customer reps I talk to who assure me that the loans are now all bundled and deferred together, I'm still getting threatening letters every week. As I snarled at the last bloodhound they sent after me: "No, I'm not satisfied with the quality of your customer service, and once I find a bank that will buy loans already in deferment, I am pulling ALL of my loans out of your bank as fast as I can."
At least I won't be harboring secret dreams of a Weimar Republic-style case of hyperinflation that would allow me to pay off my loans for the equivalent price of a loaf of bread. (Yeah, I feel guilty about that one. But I have a LOT of debt and for some reason, teaching isn't a recession-proof job.) Who knows how the evil credit score people are going to value it in, but I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that, one day, even though the breakdown in my mid-twenties derailed my life plans entirely, my student loans will one day disappear. Sure, I'll be forty-eight, but isn't fifty the new thirty or something?
Or better yet, maybe I won't be turned down from a job because of a bad credit score. FedLoan Servicing (yes, I'm naming names - SAS has been a much more responsible steward of my debt) cannot seem to process my paperwork even when I send it certified mail. They're threatening to throw the two loans that they acquired AFTER I obtained my deferment (and ten months after I received my last financial aid check, so they're selling debt again - did these guys learn nothing from the whole Credit Default Swap/AIG meltdown?) into collections. Seriously: if you have it on record that my existing five loans are in deferment due to disability, why are you sending me late payment notice on two more loans that I won't be able to pay due to that same disability? And no matter how many customer reps I talk to who assure me that the loans are now all bundled and deferred together, I'm still getting threatening letters every week. As I snarled at the last bloodhound they sent after me: "No, I'm not satisfied with the quality of your customer service, and once I find a bank that will buy loans already in deferment, I am pulling ALL of my loans out of your bank as fast as I can."
At least I won't be harboring secret dreams of a Weimar Republic-style case of hyperinflation that would allow me to pay off my loans for the equivalent price of a loaf of bread. (Yeah, I feel guilty about that one. But I have a LOT of debt and for some reason, teaching isn't a recession-proof job.) Who knows how the evil credit score people are going to value it in, but I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that, one day, even though the breakdown in my mid-twenties derailed my life plans entirely, my student loans will one day disappear. Sure, I'll be forty-eight, but isn't fifty the new thirty or something?
Arthur. Lovely, honorable name of ambiguous ethnic and etymological origins, although it does seem to muck about with bears an awful lot. There are worse ways to be named for a bear. "Ursula" for one has always reminded me of the sound I make when I vomit for a particularly long period. And "Beowulf" is fine but it makes people think that any moment you're going to start quaffing all over the upholstery (that's not another vomit joke, don't give me that look). No, "Arthur" captures the whole 'bear' bit while being vaguely medieval but still a bit modern and maybe a little posh with only a little bit of scruffy growling Anglo/Celtic violence poking out at the ends. It rather suits you. That's not my problem.
The problem, my love - my muse, my great internal critic - is that your name contains half the bloody vowel sounds a mammalian throat is capable of producing if you pronounce them long and languid to be savored properly (the way I hear it in my head), and picks up half of the remainder if you pronounce it terse and broken like most Americans do instead. I shan't bring up the issue of rhotic versus rolling "r"s lest we wind up fighting about them until next Sunday and they only complicate the next bit, which I'm getting to.
This wouldn't be an issue if you'd simply tell me your real last name.
But you're a stubborn bastard and so I've been forced to make one up for you. (I know I'm neither the first nor the last to do so and no: I don't care; and yes: I am indeed a very special fucking snowflake, thank you for mentioning it, you sarcastic prick) And I keep finding wonderful, meaningful names to match you with: all of which have at least one internal rhyme and and worse, both internal and external rhymes, and therefore sound about as natural and unforced as a Marvel villain's when attached to Arthur.
I know this is illogical: that Arthur Miller was indeed a real live human who wrote some good plays and some bad plays, but published all of them under a given name with two internal rhymes and never thought about it twice. But it's giving me fits, driving me to distraction when I've things I'd much rather be doing to you and so I really must insist: tell me your name. I promise I won't share it. I won't even rhyme mine to the real one. All I'm asking for is the ghost of a clue.
_______
*Conveniently phrased in Eames' voice that you might actually rise to the taunt
The problem, my love - my muse, my great internal critic - is that your name contains half the bloody vowel sounds a mammalian throat is capable of producing if you pronounce them long and languid to be savored properly (the way I hear it in my head), and picks up half of the remainder if you pronounce it terse and broken like most Americans do instead. I shan't bring up the issue of rhotic versus rolling "r"s lest we wind up fighting about them until next Sunday and they only complicate the next bit, which I'm getting to.
This wouldn't be an issue if you'd simply tell me your real last name.
But you're a stubborn bastard and so I've been forced to make one up for you. (I know I'm neither the first nor the last to do so and no: I don't care; and yes: I am indeed a very special fucking snowflake, thank you for mentioning it, you sarcastic prick) And I keep finding wonderful, meaningful names to match you with: all of which have at least one internal rhyme and and worse, both internal and external rhymes, and therefore sound about as natural and unforced as a Marvel villain's when attached to Arthur.
I know this is illogical: that Arthur Miller was indeed a real live human who wrote some good plays and some bad plays, but published all of them under a given name with two internal rhymes and never thought about it twice. But it's giving me fits, driving me to distraction when I've things I'd much rather be doing to you and so I really must insist: tell me your name. I promise I won't share it. I won't even rhyme mine to the real one. All I'm asking for is the ghost of a clue.
_______
*Conveniently phrased in Eames' voice that you might actually rise to the taunt
My family and I were supposed to go out to dinner last night. Around 4pm my Dad disappeared into the basement - we figured to get some nicer clothes on. Finally, as 6pm came and went, my mother and I now feeling more than a little hungry, I went downstairs to check on the old man. "You ready to go?" I asked.
"Dan Wheldon died in a crash at the Indy race today," my Dad said. He kept folding laundry and cleaning off his tool bench while he watched the after reports on television - replays of flaming wreckage flying through the air, conciliatory words, the usual cliches of grief and pre-emptive speculations into cause. I walked upstairs in my little black dress and told Mom that I'd go get some take out instead. When she asked why, all I could do was shrug and say, "Racing death." She made that hideous sigh of complete sorrow and incomprehension that she usually only makes when GOP candidates allege that homosexuals are responsible for the downfall of the American economy, set down her purse, and went downstairs to try to comfort Dad. The lady behind the register at the Chinese place asked if I was okay. "Just fine, thank you." I added a dollar to her tip. But I wasn't fine, my Dad's still a little shaken today; it's never fine, and somehow, it keeps happening.
And I still love racing.
( Even if I sometimes wonder why... )
"Dan Wheldon died in a crash at the Indy race today," my Dad said. He kept folding laundry and cleaning off his tool bench while he watched the after reports on television - replays of flaming wreckage flying through the air, conciliatory words, the usual cliches of grief and pre-emptive speculations into cause. I walked upstairs in my little black dress and told Mom that I'd go get some take out instead. When she asked why, all I could do was shrug and say, "Racing death." She made that hideous sigh of complete sorrow and incomprehension that she usually only makes when GOP candidates allege that homosexuals are responsible for the downfall of the American economy, set down her purse, and went downstairs to try to comfort Dad. The lady behind the register at the Chinese place asked if I was okay. "Just fine, thank you." I added a dollar to her tip. But I wasn't fine, my Dad's still a little shaken today; it's never fine, and somehow, it keeps happening.
And I still love racing.
( Even if I sometimes wonder why... )
Aches and irritations
Oct. 15th, 2011 08:50 pmSo, my adventures in NYC/Washington with the Over-packed Bag of Doom™ may have had unforeseen and misery-inducing consequences. My poor, abused upper back and shoulder muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments -- already facing the constant oppression of lugging around my bodacious ta-tas and my habit slumping of a keyboard and typing 4-5 hours a day -- have declared war. My left scapula kicked things off two days ago with the traditional "taking my rhomboid muscle hostage and threatening to cut it off with my rib cage". It does this every once in awhile and I hate it, but it's at least something I'm used to. But today my trapezius, deltoid, triceps brachii and I think the entire teres muscle group (shoulders are so wonderfully complicated) have all banded together and declared strike. Seriously - when the most comfortable resting position for your arms is to keep your elbows pointed out and level with your shoulders, something has gone horribly wrong. Anyway, the bad news of this is - typing? Makes it worse - unless of course I'm lying on my belly to do it (like I am right now) -- but my neck muscles are warning me that keeping my face up at this angle is not an acceptable long-term solution. The real killer, however, is that holding up books hurts as well, so I can't even lie in the bath and read until the pain goes away.
tl;dr - I hate my body and it hates me right back. Consequently, there might not be much of me about for a day or two while I wait for my muscles (and tendons and ligaments) to forgive me for all of my sins. If it's not better by Monday, to the masseuse I shall go.
( But one other thing, if you can help... )
tl;dr - I hate my body and it hates me right back. Consequently, there might not be much of me about for a day or two while I wait for my muscles (and tendons and ligaments) to forgive me for all of my sins. If it's not better by Monday, to the masseuse I shall go.
( But one other thing, if you can help... )
Inappropriate reactions
Oct. 14th, 2011 05:15 pmDear self:
After finally managing to watch the Vietnam portion (rather than just the Paris Island scenes) of Full Metal Jacket, your main urge after watching it should not be to write John Winchester/Animal Mother slash, no matter how good looking Adam Baldwin was when he was that young.
It's a movie about the horrors of war and didn't we learn our lesson about mixing war and lust with Generation Kill? So please stop. Remember, the only thing that Animal Mother would let his balls get blown off for isn't freedom, it's poon-tang.
Sincerely,
What Little Conscience I Have Left
After finally managing to watch the Vietnam portion (rather than just the Paris Island scenes) of Full Metal Jacket, your main urge after watching it should not be to write John Winchester/Animal Mother slash, no matter how good looking Adam Baldwin was when he was that young.
It's a movie about the horrors of war and didn't we learn our lesson about mixing war and lust with Generation Kill? So please stop. Remember, the only thing that Animal Mother would let his balls get blown off for isn't freedom, it's poon-tang.
Sincerely,
What Little Conscience I Have Left
Texts From S
Oct. 13th, 2011 08:03 pmS is my cousin. He's also one of my best friends. S lives in Chicago these days but thanks to modern communications technology, he never feels very far away. At least once a week, he will randomly text message me something, generally absurd, sometimes a quote, often while drunk, but always something that makes me smile. It's gotten to the point where my text inbox is so full of my favorite saved messages from S that I have no choice but to delete some of them, which makes me sad. So I've decided to preserve them here, because the internet is forever and after the last few posts I've made, something happy that isn't actually fiction will make a nice change.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
