Definitions+Vocabulary

jullandershere @ 9:18am: Still here.
( Stuff )

colorwhirl @ 3:24pm: Abbreviated because there are people here!
After the angst and wangst of boots in Europe, I am proud to say I found boots in the US. Real, ass-kicking, fantastic, sexy boots.

At J. Crew, even. Best part? The $200 boots I fell in love with were really $130 marked down to $103. I win at boots. Oh, ja.

ankh_f_n_khonsu @ 10:16am: Crowleymass -
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jullandershere @ 4:48pm: Still here.
Maybe I should go home, go to a hospital, withdraw from human life, start taking lithium. I don't think I belong in the great outdoors or whatever. I'd be better off locked up? God, this sucks. I must admit that part of considering the... alternative, is, well, that the above is the other alternative. And it sounds horrible.

Goal: I will not do anything until November. Then I'll reconsider my options. I'm not entirely sure I can achieve this goal. But it is a goal, and must be regarded as such.

I have lessons to plan. Lessons and lessons and lessons.

I just bit my fingernail so low it's bleeding.

I'm having a hard time concentrating. But you knew that already.

aciel @ 9:54pm: Sir, ma'am, it's kind of good that you can't reproduce.
Using Biology, Not Religion, to Argue Against Same-Sex Marriage [NYT]

Let's analyze.

This couple argues that the tradition of marriage is rooted in sexual reproduction. Yet they acknowledge that they themselves married too late to have children:

“The fact that we as a couple married later in life and tried to have children of our own, but were unable, we probably value children more than most people who didn’t have to spend as much time thinking about it,” said Mr. Galloway...

By their logic, that should be grounds for the state to annul their marriage automatically. Additionally, they seem to think that gay couples don't value children as much.

The reporter also writes, "In such a construct, in their view, the population is replenished, and children are raised responsibly and are less likely to be a social and financial burden on the state."

So, we need replenishing now? Last I checked, the U.S. population is still growing. In fact, the world population is growing--the only exceptions being places (a) without large gaps between rich and poor and (b) with high literacy rates (both are necessary, in most cases).

I'm not sure why they think the kids of gay couples are more likely to be a social or financial burden on the state. I'm working on my Ph.D., personally. Am I a social or financial burden? Apparently it's more likely!

But, hey, wait! I know where we can find a lot of people who are a burden! They're homeless, mostly because the government has decided brain-damaged Vietnam veterans doesn't deserve care from the state any longer. Maybe if these people worked to help them (among others) instead of convincing themselves that biology says they're right, the nation would be a lot less burdened.

Oh, also, I study biology. You may not have heard, but I'm working on a Ph.D. in it. As it turns out, homosexuality is quite normal among animals. It varies from species to species. We even know a couple of genes that cause homosexuality in fruit flies (one used to be called fruity, but out of PC concerns, it was changed to fruitless). The only thing that seems to go wrong for them is that they don't reproduce.

--which a lot of Americans choose not to do anyway.

And even if they were right about the biology, it'd still be a logical fallacy.

But hands down, my favorite line is this:

Her husband added, “How can you be a bigot when you’re looking out for society as a whole?”

You know, I could be wrong, but I think that is exactly what some bigots said in defense of segregation.

For the record, I understand the religious argument against gay marriage--and it's why I think marriage should be entirely the responsibility of religion: government should issue only civil unions, without regard for the gender of the people involved. But this secular argument this couple uses--it's absurd.

fieryjane @ 10:08pm: wedding weekend photos
At long last, I have been able to post photos of Phil and Jeff's wedding reception.( Photos under here... )

gregstevenstx @ 7:57pm: workout progress

synchrony @ 7:40pm: "Guys, I can explain! I was lying to you!"


It's no big surprise to anyone who knows me that, contrary to common perception, I'm not a Democrat. I believe in a strong national defense, that free markets lead to free people, and that the government that governs best governs least. I strongly oppose universal healthcare, support deficit reduction, and it's my honest belief that this country (and certainly its government) would be better run if it were run like a business. There was a time when I can say that I was strongly leaning towards voting for McCain in this year's election, and that his selection of Governor Palin reinforced the belief that this was a candidate who could take on the culture of corruption within his own party and really change things in Washington.

That being said, I'm very disappointed that the campaign clearly feels they can't tackle Obama on the issues and has thus resorted to smear attacks. Why else would they stop short of calling him a "terrorist" due to his association with Ayers? Really? It was 40 years ago, Obama was 8, turn the page. And now his "radical" and "liberal" agenda is out to kill all unborn babies on the planet, not to mention the allegations that Obama is a secret Muslim have propped up again. Clearly, this is heading into an ugly direction and I can't think of any reason why these attacks are propping up now other than the McCain camp is really and truly out of ideas and can't fight back on a single issue and make it stick.

How disappointing. I expected better.

colorwhirl @ 5:13pm: National Coming Out Day?
Recap: I am a gay homosexual.

Last year, I was a gay homosexual.
Next year, I will still be a gay homosexual.
Just so we see the trend.

synchrony @ 3:07pm: Posted using TxtLJ
For having such rave reviews, Catch-22 is not an "easy read".

ankh_f_n_khonsu @ 9:25pm: "Jewish Scholar - 'Jewish People' Were Invented"
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colorwhirl @ 9:59pm: A WHOO HOO!
One of the best things about being in Philadelphia?

I can see all of my beloved Phils gear all over this fucking city when we win!

synchrony @ 8:27pm: Posted using TxtLJ
Sheesh, why do I bother buying fabric softener? I can't say my life is better for it.

ankh_f_n_khonsu @ 10:07am: Transphenomenal Networking -
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naomifullbloom @ 10:52am: My first big college paper is in Philosophy, thank god.

Your paper should be approximately 3 pages long, double-spaced, 11 or 12 point.
It is due in class on October 21, 2008.
You MUST turn in a hard copy and MUST submit an electronic copy through SafeAssign. If either one is missing, you will receive a zero as a grade for the paper. (Yipes!)

1. What is Marquis’s contractualist argument for the immorality of adultery. Explain how his argument depends upon his contractualist account of the nature of marriage. Evaluate his argument for soundness.


Steps toward writing a good paper:
1. Introductory paragraph articulating what you will do in the essay, and what you will conclude. (Do this last.)
2. Articulate the argument.
3. Spell out key notions used in the argument.
4. Isolate the most interesting or most controversial premise to consider for critical evaluation.
5. Spell out a way, or ways, or attacking it – even if you think it is right. (Also, perhaps the author has a subsidiary argument for that premise. If so, articulate it and evaluate it.)
6. Offer a reply to this criticism on behalf of the author – even if you think that the criticism is right.
7. Offer a response to the author’s reply.
8. Carry on this dialectic further, if you can.
9. Sum up what you’ve done.

jullandershere @ 7:58pm: Lower and lower.
I just wish everyone would forget me. Then I'd be free. To. You know. It'd be so much easier. With a guarantee.

Forget me. For the love of god. Forget me.

colorwhirl @ 9:06pm: It's like Santorium twice over.

kaccii @ 9:11pm: Damn, that opening to CSI was gut-wrenching.

ilanajacqueline @ 8:58pm: THE OFFFIICCEEE IS ONNNNN
In response to me dancing around the living room singing "The office is onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

Mom: Loni, you're embarrising me in front of the dog.

colorwhirl @ 4:50pm: Almost done, almost done
After a really lovely day, I feel strangely deflated.

While I know why, it still never fails to amaze me that I let little things like this flatten me.

Now, chin up, hands busy, work work work. Ja.

synchrony @ 10:12am: "Breaking into a vault is like making love to a woman... so, we should pound on it for 2 minutes."
When I hear people say that "the right person will come to you when you're ready and/or the time is right," it occurs to me that this is another one of those things that we just say to ourselves as comfort against the reality that many of us will end up alone.

I liken it to the difference between people who make their beds and/or keep their living spaces tidy vs. those who don't. Your apartment, office, whatever is the one place and the one thing you can control. Keeping it in order is a way of keeping perspective in a world that, ultimately, is luck of the draw. So much of what happens to us just... happens.

So "having faith" that things will work out is really just a convenient way of absolving responsibility to actually do anything about... well, anything. It's a tacit denial of the roles we play; a cop-out from taking steps to make things happen, instead of waiting for things to happen to us.

colorwhirl @ 10:01am: ::giggles::
When my body starts veering a little way this way or that, I usually grab a piece of fruit from the dining hall to eat as my evening snack to try and fix things. (Usually once or twice a week; my fruit is mostly consumed in the dining hall rather than outside it.)

Too many bruises and general malaise? Oranges.
Cramps in my legs? Bananas.
Upset stomach? Apples.
General craving for sweets? Kiwis.

Thing is, I usually manage to mis-read myself and get the wrong fruit at least once a week. Those days, I just sort of chuckle.

Like last night. Last night, I thought it was a banana night, but I should have taken an apple. Oh, the horror!

jullandershere @ 5:02pm: I made it to and from Moscow alive! And without getting lost! I'm extraordinarily proud of myself.

Okay, okay, I kind of got lost. I got on the right metro going the wrong direction. But I rectified the situation in record time!

I bought myself a spectacularly ghetto new wallet. Actually it's pretty nifty, considering it cost less than $20. Lots of pockets, but still compact.

And now, to teach. We're playing a game today. Which is good because I won't have to do anything for like 20 minutes or whatever.

gregstevenstx @ 10:48pm: /G/ wiz

The Romans and the French didn't particularly like Germanic words starting with /W/. No special reason, they just didn't care for them. So, they changed many of them to start with /GU/ instead.

So English, which borrows from both German and French, now has some wonderful "twins" in its lexicon.

gaurdian and warden? Same word.

guarantee and warranty? Same word.

guile and wile? Yup.

Another tid-bit: The English -wise in words such as likewise and otherwise means "manner" or "style". Originally they followed a preposition: "in like wise," i.e. in like manner. In this context, this is the same word as guise: as in phrases like, "He was in the guise [style] of a soldier".

ankh_f_n_khonsu @ 7:22pm: UBC WP -
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