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envisionjustice)
I saw Alanis Morissette tonight at the NAC! I've been a fan of hers since I was 7 and listening to her self-titled album on cassette tape, over and over. Remember this? Too Hot!
Alanis was awesome, energetic, and flailing her signature long hair around everywhere. Yes, she had her super-long hair back! - though I wondered if it was real or not, because my hair doesn't grow that fast. I was thoroughly disappointed when she cut it a few years ago. My only complaint about the show was that it was held at the NAC, which is very much a sitting-down environment. I, and I think probably a lot of other people too, wanted to jump around like Alanis.
Yet another reason why I love Alanis: Reclaiming Cunt
sweetgingertea)lifewithlogan)Happy birthday to Marie, currently known as fuzzyparadox!
New approach to Logan: speak softly (since I don't impress him or anyone else when I try to yell at him) and carry a BIG water-sprayer.
I just found out they're making a movie of "Marley and Me." Too bad I can't take Logan to see it.
Oh, and to paraphrase something a Republican friend said about that other candidate for Vice-President, is it OK if I'm developing a little crush on Joe Biden? :-)
strangelings)
tyciol)
I use it too quick, even when I'm busy. I either gotta pay to upgrade or else stay the heck off. If I had to prioritize whats most useful, like what expands my mind and makes my happy, it's anime... so that should go above chatting. I managed to find Rondo, a different group had partnered with Static. Looking forward to 4 like I am to Higurashi's 3.
I was sitting in a chair one day and had my legs crossed and this lady asked me "does that hurt?" I was pretty confused and thought she meant a spinal imbalance or something. I told her that I crossed the other leg on top about as often to keep the spine neutral, and that in terms of flexibility I was comfortable with external hip rotation.
Then she mentioned 'squishing' and a lightbulb went on. I told her that no, that if that were to happen I would simply adjust until it didn't. Were my pants really tight or something? Like I don't get it, because it's not like it was a thigh-on-thigh cross, it was like, when you put your ankle on top of the thigh, the legs are rather abducted, there really is a lot of room to breath. Indeed, when I adduct them in more and do thigh-on-thigh it does indeed squish. That's not bad if you do it slowly though, in fact I think it increases pliability.
The vigorous moments I spend prone on the floor exercising may have something to do with it. When you do back extensions and stuff it does tend to compress that area more, often with pleasing results.
taniwhanui)
When a mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth.
page 61, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
drben54)
About 15 years ago I was house-sitting for a colleague in Boston. Her 24-year marriage had ended abruptly leaving her alone in a huge house with two dogs. She traveled a lot for her work. One time I house-sat for her, she left an article out for me called “Dinner for one”. This article explained how eating alone after carefully preparing a meal can be a spiritually enriching experience. It went on to say that by preparing the meal entirely by hand and bringing in takeout one could really bond with their surroundings as they were now and come to terms and even to eventually be at peace with their new status as a single person. Place-settings linen and even the wine were discussed. However one was encouraged to purchase a truly nice dessert if not a pastry cook!
At the time I was house-sitting, I had been single about 5 years. A 15-year marriage had ended for me abruptly and a 2-year relationship, where I had largely stayed with my partner and was planning a wedding, had also ended with me back in my little studio apartment off of Harvard Square.
My original response to the article was “This is CRAP!” It was bad enough I was single, now this “shrink” who wrote the article was telling me to eat alone? Hell, there were Irish bars for that! At the Corrib, I got a pot roast dinner and a pint for $6! (of course I also had to suck smoke, put up with blaring ESPN on the TV and drunks sitting next to me, but so what! Sort of good food cheap!)
Returning to cooking came shortly thereafter. A friend was staying with me briefly after she broke up wither her husband. He was moving out and she did not want to be home when it happened. This friend was quite a cook. Looking around she noticed that I had many of the ingredients to have a “working kitchen” in my studio. I had a full set of “Farberware” I had received as a wedding present in 1977, a vegetable steamer, a small Cuisinart from a yard sale and a good gas range. My friend made a short list and we went shopping for a vegetable peeler, potato ricer and a knife sharpener. While I was it I picked up a decent KRUPS coffeemaker and grinder. We also bought a small wok at the Asian grocer in Davis Square. Here we also picked up some sesame oil and some duck sauce.
That night we went to the open air Mediterranean markets up near Harvard and picked up the makings for a wonderful stir fry. Lots of fresh veggies, chicken breasts from the butcher, and most of all, really good abbey ale – a Chimay.
For the next two hours we sliced and diced broiled, browned stir-fried and reduced sauces, among other things. I had done a good deal of cooking in my past life and it came back – kind of like riding a bike. But this cooking was different. My first wife seemed to me to think food was nourishment and should be ingested as soon as possible to get on with the “real” work of life. (She also told me I shouldn’t have dreams of the future but that’s for another day).
I had a pretty good set of dishes and a four pint beer glasses sent to me by my brother Andy for Christmas that year. We set a nice table for two at my grandmother’s small mahogany dropleaf table, (which I stil have) lit the candles and turned off the lights. Just two friends sharing a table, we talked for hours in a way I had not enjoyed for many years. (There was no romantic ending to this lovely evening, we were just two friends enjoying each other’s company. We remained platonic friends until I moved to California and we sadly lost touch).
Digging through the papers on my desk a few days later, I found the article Leslie had left for me a few months ago. Now it meant something to me. I tried to make a point of cooking at least once a week. I found favorite recipes from my old married life and even form a Good Housekeeping cookbook belonging to my Grandmother. And I bought a series of cookbooks written by the (later ill-fated) “Budget Gourmet” on public TV and started cooking other cultures, especially Italian. That Christmas, my brother Andy and sister-in-law Robin, noting the paucity of matching kitchen utensils in my small kitchen sent me a wonderful selection of new functional and matching utensil, many of which I still have a decade and a half later.
It’s been an “interesting 9 years on the West Coast. Three years ago, I became single again and began cooking. My former apartment in a University town was within walking distance of a “Food Coop” and a farmer’s market where I could get really fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as prime cuts of meat and fish.
For the last year and some, I’ve lived at “the Rectory” sharing a large kitchen with my neighbors and often eating together. The last few days, my neighbor has been away at her place up north and I’ve been busy being out every night until 11. Today, I spent much of the day napping but then woke up. The phone was quiet, and it was only me and the cats.
A high school friend, blogging as “Akatsukami”, regularly writes about his cooking each weekend. (He just posted a yummy looking recipe for Swiss Steak) He goes many steps beyond what I do as he conceives of the recipes himself and then publishes them if they turned out well. He lives alone for now but the cooking gives him great pleasure and provides him with food during the coming week. He also gives us equally good pleasure by sharing his recipes, all of which I’ve saved for trying later. He’s also renewed my fondness for specialty beers and abbey ales.
Tonight as I woke up from a long nap, I decided to cook again. I had made a stew base the other night from fresh beef, provided my neighbor’s friend from his ranch up north. It was really good stew base but was unfinished. To this I added fresh celery and carrots from the Sacramento Food Coop more garlic and simmered the stew another hour after adding water. While it was cooking I cleaned, peeled and cooked some fresh farmer’s market potatoes, and prepared a small pot of home made mashed potatoes creamed with mild and a little butter. When it all came together, I slowly enjoyed a steaming bowl of – heaven!
In a little while a pint of Boddington’s pub ale will finish off the evening.
Not quite up to Akatsukami’s standards, nor with the candles and wine of that dinner in my Harvard Square studio many years ago, still it made sense. As I type this and the cats lie nearby, I feel like I’m home. And that makes all the difference.
envisionjustice)
Over on Feministing, my favourite place to spend time online, one of its authors, Jessica Valenti, has a new book coming out in 5 months called "The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women." The book hasn't even come out yet, but conservative bloggers are already freaking out and making up shit about it, just from seeing the title on its cover online. They've even misquoted the title, omitting the "America's Obsession with" part, to further emphasise their erroneous points. Dudes, before you slam the book for all the false assumptions it apparently makes, you should maybe read it, because right now, you all look like fools. At least once the book is published, you can pretend to have read it, and then when you make your wild erroneous claims, you'll only look like an idiot for how wrong you are.
Now, I don't claim to have read the book myself, because, afterall, it isn't published yet, so my comments are just from a feminist perspective that happens to find these accusations absurd. Jessica Valenti is the only person who can tell you what her arguments are, because she's the author and none of us have read her book, and she does speak for herself here. However, since all we're arguing about here is the title, because that's all that any of us have read, and because like all the others, I too have read the title, I feel qualified to make the ( following points: )
lifewithlogan)
Logan has discovered that the "PetSafe indoor bark control" device is the "enemy" that makes that nasty noise that only he and Maddie can hear when he barks. His solution to the problem? Confront the device head-on and bark at it.
He's my dog, all right - "UR DOIN IT WRONG."
cakefarts)
This is the most amusing, embarrassing, and horrifying election and campaign trail I have ever had the privilege to witness and vote in.
niseema)
richips)http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/deadlin
Courtesy of Reidan.
Boo-yah!
Today needed some good news.
And tomorrow is National Coming Out Day!
taniwhanui)
Just been getting on with things, really. Working. Mornings. Four hours at a time. Twelve hours last week, twenty this week. Due to hassles, I haven't been paid yet. Boss wants to transfer me from a permanent part-time contract to a casual on-call one, which I've been advised against doing because I would be forfeiting several rights, really - plus I don't want to do on-call work, particularly, or work irregular hours. Some pressure to sign paperwork on the spot, which I haven't done - apparently I'm covered by the Service & Food Workers Union now. Won't go down well with new boss. Not at all pleased by the fact that she claims I can't be paid until I sign the casual on-call contract due to some paperwork slash company policy which requires it in order to put my wages through.
She claims I failed an Otago University security check, which means I can't work there, obviously - yet Aquinas College is a University owned property. She claims that the Otago University staff won't tell her the reason I failed the check due to the Privacy Act, but other sources indicate that this information may be incorrect. Billy thinks she made it up after hearing something about the Subway incident from someone. Trying to get to the bottom of it all.
I don't know. I just want a simple, peaceful life and a part-time job so that I can pay my bills a bit more easily, buy a few luxury items and create some savings. I can't imagine why on earth something as simple as getting a part-time cleaning job could turn into a fiasco like this!
Anyway ... apart from that, life has just been cruising along. Been hanging out with mates, reading lots, dancing round the living room a bit, going for walks, playing with Sky, putting in a herb garden - have had a lot of compliments on my progress so far, plus several donations from friends and neighbours, plants mostly, very kind - listening to music, going on the odd drive with Phil, trying to eat more healthily and keep the house tidy, Spring Cleaning a bit, watching tv, going to various community group meetings, etc. Been steady, pleasant for the most part.
My Grandad's health continues to decline, due to a stroke he had about four to six weeks ago. He is also undergoing radiotherapy for malignant melanoma. He's very unwell. Depressed. Is light sensitive after cataract surgery achieved only temporary success. Can't eat solids. Isn't talking as much or showing as much interest in visitors. Appears to be staring into space at times. Has partial paralysis on one side. Is very pale, with dry, sensitive, peeling skin. Is becoming frail. The melanomas are on the sides of his face, by his ears, around the temple area. They look like moles gone wrong. Mutant, diseased ones.
I feel for him. Sitting in a darkened room all day with nothing much to do, can't watch tv, can't move without assistance, a bit deaf, feeling ill, thinking about God knows what. There's nothing much I can do except visit and try to provide a bit of news and a hug.
Mum's visiting Megan and the girls in Adelaide. Hope she's having a great time.
S'all for now. Take care everyone. Feel free to let me know how you're doing in a comment here. (:
mystic_tera)
Wow, it seems like I've missed quite a bit. I'm trying to catch up, but I just can't seem to read fast enough. If I don't comment it means I probably missed your entry, just leave me a comment here, and I'll go to your journal, kk? ^_^
strangelings)
I'm just putting this here to remind us- don't neccesarily expect we can get them this stuff, but...
(aside from laptop/internet access- that's a constant. i didn't realize it affected *them* that much too, though)
Decorate for Halloween Fun Kit (particularly for the poster!)
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486
Halloween Stained Glass Coloring Book
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486
Halloween Fun
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486
Webkinz bat
probably add more later
envisionjustice)So, this is a little overdue - a week, to be precise.
Last Thursday, I went out to watch the English leader's debate on Elgin St., first with the NDP-ers, who were a tad rowdy and loud, thus preventing anyone from actually hearing any of the debate, and then with the Green's, who were significantly more attentive.
( Anyways: )
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Here's a quote from a conservative writer that perfectly illustrates the main problem that I have with most conservatives these days:
"What sets conservatives, and by extension the GOP, apart is that we have always encouraged vigorous debate and the civil discourse necessary for the continuation of this American experiment. It is the foundation of our republic and the catalyst to our best ideas. But we succeed in our intellectual pursuits only because they stand firmly on the solid rock of our morality, our spirituality and our admission of and submission to the God that grants our souls the right to breathe. The sinking sand of liberal dogma will never be a suitable substitute." Doug Patton (source here)
In other words, the freedom of debate and discourse which is the foundation of the "American experiment" can exist only if it is grounded in faith in "God as conservatives understand Him"; there can be no such freedom to question those basic premises.
After twenty years or so of being enrolled in the Republican party (after I left what was then called the "Free Libertarian Party" in New York State, now called just the Libertarian Party), I have finally come home to the Democratic Party of my youth, and while I still don't agree with all the policies of ANY party, I think I'm probably here to stay.