Books, continued

I've now purchased most of the rest of the books for Culture at Amazon (some through the marketplace for obscenely low prices, even considering shipping). Some of the new prices there were lower than the used prices at the increasingly obnoxious university bookstore, so I had the additional pleasure of not feeling that I was shopping for books in Abercrombie & Fitch.

Score!

One of the books for Culture this fall is Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street. Not only do I own this book and have a more than passing familarity with it, I didn't pay for it in the first place, as it was a desk copy for one of the five million intro courses I've TAed for.

I'm off to renew my acquaintance with it.

Jesus Tap-dancing Christ!

Dear "left,"

Please stop trying to convince me that John Kerry is Jesus. He is not my fucking savior. He is marginally better than the other major party candidate. Hell, I think, if I met him in person, I'd probably enjoy conversing with him. But I don't feel a big sigh of relief on the horizon, should he win; I'm still not convinced that I should vote for him; and the parts of that speech that I caught last night were HOKEY AS HELL! Reporting for duty my motherfucking ass. And frankly, both sides need to quit claiming to be on God's side before god starts throwing lightning bolts. It doesn't sound any less cultish coming from Dems than it does from the Bush camp.

With repulsion and annoyance,
CJ


At some point I claimed I was on hiatus from politics. I never really promised to stop snarking at politicians, though.

Media Fun

My mom's Whatever is a freelance photographer (amongst other occupations). He's in Boston shooting the DNC presently. We have video evidence of this, as he has charged my mother with recording all the network coverage of the festivities that she can (he collects tapes of significant news events... the definition of significant being distinctly relative). Last night during Nightline, as Ted Koppel was introducing the show, Len was standing behind him. First his side is turned to the camera; then he turns, notices that he's on camera, and shoots a picture of the camera taping him. This action is so damn characteristic it's had me laughing for a good ten minutes. What a character.

The Courts + CJ = Sick Sense of Humor

This show of intential ignorance by the Florida Court (of appeals, I believe; I tossed it as soon as I'd read it) is rather amusing in its asshatery. See, it sets out other states that have ruled that transexuals can't marry those who have the same sexual organs that they were born with. They reiterate all kinds of mind-numbing arguments about procreation being both the purpose of marriage and the ability that defines one as a male or female. They bring up and then dismiss a competing view that this biology based view of gender ignores both social and medical advancement. They pass the buck to legislators, stating that because transexuals are not explicitly addressed in legislation, the court couldn't possibly declare them to be members of the "opposite sex."

So why am I amused? First, as Neil Gaiman pointed out today, this seems to say that women who used to be men are free to marry other women, and vice versa. It could be really fun to watch: courts sweating it out over whether they'd rather watch two people socially considered to be of the same sex exchange vows than two people who are genetically homogeneous in terms of X and Y chromosomes. As usual, I think they should spare themselves the ulcer and let 'em all duke it out in divorce court. (No, I'm not being especially jaded; the case in question have arose from the desire to dissolve a marriage and deprive the other party of their custody of children.) Let everyone have an equal shot at making their partner miserable, I say.

The second amusing possible implication: does this mean that Florida will now start annulling the marriages of sterile people? I mean, if they can't fulfill the "basic function" of marriage, shouldn't their access to it be restricted?

Yeah, I find amusement in the sickest places.

Bite me!

And the Mississippi's Mighty

It's one of those rainy days. The unusual kind, for me. The kind where I feel no desire to dance in the rain and every desire to spend the day in my basement listening to girly music and feeling morose. Hence, the title.

Hey, did ya notice I added titles to this thing?

Ho hum.

News. Let's see. Oh, yeah, I got one of those crazy exercise ball thingys and have been beating the hell out of my abs on it. Best. Crunches. Ever. My goal: by this time next year be on the water during the Rendezvous. That watching business? Not ideal, even if it is fun.

Wrist report: they're feeling pretty good. Still don't like too much typing, but the new keyboard helps, as do the more frequent and extended computer breaks. The bad news: the RSI in my shoulder is coming back. This is the one that the laptop keyboard alleviated. D'oh.

Not too much else to report. I'll be getting back to the Indigo Girls now.

*commences moping*

EDIT: I have no clue how much of this is spelled correctly, as Blogger has apparently "upgraded" their spell check again.

Choo-Choo Bear (from Something Positive) has made a guest appearance in Two Lumps. Choo-Choo rocks my world. As do the Two Lumps (Ebenezer and Snooch). If you're not reading these comics... why?

Dear Maeven,
I said it there, but I'll say it again here: you made my return from Duluth so. Damn. Worth it.
CJ

I'm back from the best weekend yet this summer. I went to Duluth for whitewater festivities (I'm just a spectator this year, alas), where I met up with Forrest. Forrest said "I'm going to go play with my sailboat." I said, "ok, see ya... wait, what sailboat?" Yes, he seems to have acquired a twenty foot sailboat. He also let me sit on it and stay out of the way while he and his brother sailed it.

(A short aside: since I was fourteen I have had a bucket into which I deposit changed. This is earmarked as a "sailboat fund." I am obsessed with all things sailing related, but until this weekend had never been sailing. This event alone made this weekend damn near perfect.)

After sailing (and a little late, as we had an adventure involving a sandbar, which Forrest had to jump in the water and push us off of) I headed up the hill to an appointment for drinks and gab with a former professor. It was wonderful to catch up with her, and to share grad stories with her husband. He went through my department in the early nineties, and it was particularly vindicating to hear him call my most deespised professor "Lurch," and agree that it had probably taken an act of 1) god or 2) mind-blowing oral sex (my phrasing, clearly) for the man to have attained tenure. He also told further creepy stories about my second least favorite prof, which actually surpass Katherine's creepy stories about him. Don't worry, Katherine; he was still impressed with the story of your observation project.

On Sunday, I went to Lakeview Cafe for tea and scones, and made the mistake of grading papers over breakfast. I was in a terribly foul mood when I remembered telling my hosts the night before that the thing I missed most about Duluth was being able to say "fuck it" and drive up the shore if you're sick of school. My mood seemed to fit the bill, so I meandered up Highway 61 to Gooseberry falls.

I had four hours until I had to pick Robert up at Duluth International Airport, it was bright, and I was wearing sunglasses.

I hiked the Fifth Falls loop in about an hour and twenty minutes. Not bad for a fairly rugged hike with a bit of up-and-down action. If you've ever been to gooseberry, you know there are lower, middle, and upper falls right near the visitors' center. These are huge and lovely, it is true, but the much smaller Fifth Falls is less accessible to the road, and thus less populated with wading tourist types. It also boasts a more wild appearance, and the sound of the water doesn't compete with the noise from the highway.

After catching a quick meal, I went to catch a Robert, who immediately said "Lakewalk." I am powerless in the face of the Lakewalk, so back to the Giant Puddle it was. We were both tuckered, though, so it was a short lakewalk for us. We stopped for ice cream and a video on the way home so that we could chill out with classic Scooby Doo episodes. The real ones, with the chase scene music that made no sense to the plot. It was fantastic.

I came home early this morning, as Robert had to work and I had to tap this evening. It's been a letdown. So far, my wrists and shoulder have acted back up, I was too tuckered from tap to go swimming, and I found out that once again, something I started doing years ago is now being appropriated by a local hipster who drives me up a tree. How long until I can go back to Duluth?

This is disgusting. But they did a nice job on the layman's definition of osmosis.

Am in class, where this exchange just took place.

Sadie: The guest speaker's not here, and I don't have a backup plan.

Me: I have tap shoes...

This is the best damn article on patriotism that I've read since this whole mess started. It talks about why Guthrie (Woody variation) wrote "This Land is Your Land," which makes me grin in remembrance of this year's July fourth. My family decided the first of the DIY fireworks displays ought to be greeted with a patriotic song, so I started in on the first verse. If you've ever heard me sing, you've probably joined in... if only to drown me out.

More importantly, the article quotes this Langston Hughes poem, which I had not read before. Langston Hughes is solely responsible for me not hating poetry, and as a result, poetry is often solely responsible for me not hating the world. This is the case today, as I had every intention of posting on feeling all Square-Peg-ish in a Round Holed world, but instead I think I'll save the self-pity and go peruse this timely edition to my rather limited knowledge of Hughes's works.

G'night!

It took three people and a Conehead Collar to shave the cat, but 45 minutes later we now have a naked Tommy Tummy.

Check it out! Jon found out that I don't actually work for a living. Hopefully the assy uncle will never get wind of this. He's love to be proven right.

I'm rather discontent with my blogging lately. I'm not doing much beyond crocheting, grading, and laughing at my drugged-out mother. OK, I'm swimming and tap dancing too. But none of this makes for much to say here.

So. If you're as bored with this blog as I am, drop a question or possible topic in the comments. No, I won't tell you my whole name, address, or social security number. At the very least, that would be just as boring as what I've been writing. And I never thought I'd say it, but can we stay off shore of the land of politics? Jon seems never to tire of blogging political bits and bats, but I'm so overdosed right now that I've considered hiding under my bed until November. It's a lofted bed. I could get pretty comfy.

At any rate, let the quizzing commence. Please. Before I die of boredom.

1. My mother is still quite drugged. She spent five minutes today telling me about the dream she keeps having, "with the strange pictures... keep changing... and I'm not aslees... they're states... I dream America." I can't wait to ask her about that one once she's no longer sailing the Vicodan Sea.

2. I have finally gotten the ergo keyboard that I've been promising myself for awhile now. The wrists love it, but the shoulder is starting to complain again. Possibly I should quit this sociology stuff and go to work somewhere that doesn't require computer use. I'm sure this possibility will become a true threat to my schooling, right after I fgure out what that job could possibly be.

3. ESTHER IS COMING HOME!!!!!!!!! This is the reason my day today truly rules. she will be back, and she will even be back before school starts, which means that I will actually get to see her before disappearing into the vortex of stress at about mid-term. I forsee good times.

A meme, thiefed from frogblog:

7 Deadly Sins
ANGER

Who did you last get angry with? a couple of students

What is your weapon of choice? words, usually

Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? ideally, no, but that's not to say I never have

How about of the same sex? see above

Who was the last person who got really angry at you? don't know, don't really care

What is your pet peeve? plagiarism

Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily? hold them, rather disturbingly

SLOTH

What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a while? cook

What is the latest you've ever woken up? hmmm... as I frequently keep strange hours, I'll just report that the longest I've ever sleps was probably 16 hours

Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't: my host sister from Russia... for about seven years. I'm awful at keeping in touch with people.

What is the last lame excuse you made? I don't have the time

Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through (one of the long ones...)? yup

When was the last time you got a good workout in? wednesday

How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today? about six

GLUTTONY

What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? water. lots of it. from one of five Nalgene bottles. if someone were playing me on stage, it'd be a necessary piece of business.

Meat eaters: white meat or dark meat? soy

What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event? at least seven pints of cider (real pints, not the glasses that American bars call pints in order to sound British) in Bude (Cornwall). It was pissing down rain; what else were we supposed to do?

Have you ever used a professional diet company? no

Do you have an issue with your weight? no, not objectively

Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods? spicy

LUST

Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation? nope

What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice? eyes and smile -- the combination

Have you ever had sex with more than one person during a day? no

Ever have a one night stand? yes

Do you remember everyone's name that you've had sex with? yes

Ever had a threesome, foursome, or more? no

GREED

How many credit cards do you own? one

What's your guilty pleasure store? Midwest Mountaineering

If you had 1 million dollars, what would you do with it? pay off student loans, buy my folks the houses they want, wander around the world learning about places that aren't here, and invest for when I decide to adopt.

Would you rather be rich, or famous? rich

Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks? no

Have you ever stolen anything? no

PRIDE

What's one thing would you like to accomplish in your life? get the fucking Ph.D.

Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? sometimes, depends on the goal

Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors? no

Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score? no

ENVY

What item of your friend's would you most want to have for your own? can't think of an item, but I would like to have Kelly's calm demeanor

Who are you most envious of? abstractly, people who know what they're doing with their lives

If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be? a more focused me

Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? yes

What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? savoir faire

Do you wish you'd come up with this survey? no

Finally, what is your favorite deadly sin? lust

When my mother takes vicodan, she turns into me.

The mom had surgery today, which meant that I dropped her off in St. Paul, then doodled around Minneapolis for awhile until it was time to pick her up. I spent most of that time in a Dinkytown coffeeshop, reading Love in the Time of Cholera. I can't decide if I like the book or not, but I know two things for sure: 1) it's compelling enough that I HAVE to keep reading it once I start, and 2) it's FICTION, which I almost never have time to read anymore.

There has been much grading to do, much reading to do, and much crochet to do, so there has been very little blogging done for the past couple of days. I'm still alive, though. Just so you know.

Take the quiz: "What Is Your Kink?"

Domination
You are most comfortable when in control. Having someone at your beck and call makes you hot. You can be very demanding, and expect perfection! In the bedroom, you take charge. Your motto is It's My way or the highway!

I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of these findings... largely because sex is a strictly academic subject for me these days.

EDIT: There was a giant table here of movies I've seen/not seen/seen part of/hated. It showed that 1) I see a lot of partial movies and 2) I'm not willing to have half of my front page taken up by a poorly designed table of movie titles.

W00T!

Marriage amendment expected to die in Senate

Take that, you legislative fuckers!

Dear CJ,

You're a freak. You have a number of good reasons for being a freak, but that doesn't make it any easier to put up with. The fucking internet is not laughing at you, so stop acting like you're still the kid everyone picks on. No one cares what you're reading this time, or what kind of music you listen to, or how you spend your spare time. Get a fucking grip, and surf on.

Get a grip.
CJ

I did not die from postmodernism today, Katherine. Thought you'd like to know.

I signed this petition. I doubt it will change the vote one way or another, but the upshot is for once some government peon gets to read my blather about the Fucking Marriage Act instead of you all. So yeah. Click if you're still an optimist.

EDIT: OK, this is hilarious. Norm Coleman's switchboard is unable to handle call volume right now. I got through to Dayton's, though.

RETURN OF EDIT: Well, I got voice mail anyway. I hate voice mail. I hate phones, come to that. Always sound completely stupid on them, and freeze up and end up saying something like "OMG NO H8 IN THE CONSTITUSHUN, PLZ!!!1!" Seriously. This is why I [heart] email and blogging.

These doctors should fucking know better. Frankly, any doctor who tells me that s/h/it won't prescribe the Pill because it's an abortificant is getting reported to the board for gross lack of basic medical knowledge. The Pill will not terminate a pregnancy. It prevents conception.

What are they going to do next, start trying to arrest menopausal women for murder? "OMG UR HORMONES ARE KILLING TEH BABIEZ!!!1!" Remedial med school for these wankers, I say.

OK. This is the point at which I share Jon's fears.

Best care label ever. I once foune a "US traveller apology" shirt that said much the same thing.

Jon is brilliant. Go read his blog, too.

Dear Body,

If you're going to feel like crap every time I eat something even remotely yummy, you could at least lose some friggin' weight while you're at it.

Unimpressed,
CJ

I have not watched Jeopardy! for about two weekes now. Last time I watched, there was a three-week champion who was setting records left and right. I tuned in to day to find that HE'S STILL PLAYING!

Additionally, there's an idiot woman who can't remember how to play. She keeps answering without ringing in. I have a feeling no streaks will be ended today.

Have been told by one student (via mid term eval) that my forced enthusiasm is unappreciated. Sadly, enthusiasm is not forced, which I think makes me old and dweeby. Sob! I'm doing a job I want to be doing! Someone rush me to retail, before they mistake me for an adult!

It is not the White Man's Burden to civilize a lesser breed of man. This imperialist argument is as racist and repugnant now as it was when Kipling penned the filthy thing.

Saying "none of those incompetent Arabs and Iraqis objected to Saddam, so it was our sacred duty to get rid of him and take over" is really quite same-shit-different-day of us. Also, it's inaccurate.

Jon! Look! I found an entire journal devoted to Kerry/Edwards slash. I THINK IT BROKE MY BRAIN!!!

Dear stupid Hollywood reporter,

Identical twins do not run in anyone's family, not even Kenny Rogers's. His wife is 37 years old. Women 30 years or older have a greater chance of giving birth to twins. Fraternal twinning is genetic, and skips a generation. (I had a 5% increased chance of being a fraternal twin, because my grandma has a fraternal twin sister.) So. Kenny's kids are not identical, or the twinning is not due to genetics. DO five minutes of research on your story next time, would you?

CJ

As I'm sure you've noticed, blogger is busy sucking right now. This has conveniently coincided with a weekend spent mostly offline, so I'm not as irritated as I could be.

I have now set up my photobucket account. This means that you get kitty pictures. *insert evil laugh here*


Kitty on the day I got him.


Slightly bigger, and very sleepy.


Filling the crook of my arm much better now, in March.


"Mom, it's time to stop computing and pet the cat."


"I've grown up so big!"

Darren:

Back when the cat fell in the tub, you asked that I keep folks posted regarding further antics. I am happy to report that the cat joined me in the shower this morning. He climbed up on the end of the tub that doesn't get very wet, stuck his head around the curtain, and nearly climed in -- until I aimed the shower spray at him. Then he bolted faster than a very fast thing.

Also, I now have a movie clip of him "helping" my mom brush her hair. Cat = endless entertainment around here.

Hope you're having a good summer,
CJ

Dear blogger/blog*spot,

Please stop sucking. Half of the blogs I read are on your system, and it really sucks to have to refresh ten times before I can get them to load.

In consternation,
CJ

It is ten thirty on a Friday night and I am sitting in my basement doing a massive lit search. That's right. I'm not even faffing off online. I am being productive. This is sickening.

Fox Porn News.

Unlike Janet's boob, this one makes me want to file a complaint with the FCC. Mostly to see if Fox News can do anything wrong in the eyes of this government. I'm bitchy like that. And I like my porn less... grainy and covered with words.

The only possible word for this is "ouch!"