Moody Meow

I got hammered-ass smashed on Tuesday night, hence no blogging on Wednesday. I spent most of yesterday day nursing a terrible hangover while trying not to smile. The change has just begun.

Now, let me say this, because I think it’s important. While we have a new president, the change that this country needs is only just beginning. Voting wasn’t enough. You have to keep the motion moving. And if you voted for McCain, you did your part as well. Everyone - stop being bitter, stop being smug and remember that both speeches talked about inclusiveness. There will be time enough to criticize and analyze. If you want to make this country greater, then remember that you still have a responsibility to it - our environment needs help, our financial markets need to be stabilized, and we need to represent something greater than ourselves when working with our overseas partners. There is a lot of work that needs to be started to repair this country and it can’t be done with both sides of the isle pointing fingers and hurling insults. The time is now. The responsibility is still yours. So, let’s get this moving, shall we?

D, because he is the coolest husband ever, bought me three games recently. It’s an amazing game season, so I didn’t cry when he came home with Fable II, Little Big Planet and Fallout 3 (for the PS3). I will go from the bad games to the good.

I am super-duper, wholly and completely pissed at Bethesda and Fallout 3. There is some wonky-ass problem with the camera. It’s supposed to be a FPS, but I am stuck in 3rd person. Now, I’m fine playing in 3rd person if the camera would behave. But I can’t aim for shit, I can’t move the character around without thunking into walls and getting stuck behind things. People, I haven’t gotten to the first little town yet. I am still stuck near the door to the outside world all because the fucking camera won’t cooperate. It’s like a petulant child throwing a tantrum who refuses to exit the store in a civil and non-obnoxious way. D felt bad for buying me a “broken” game, and I will admit to being overly frustrated. It’s not his fault. It’s Bethesda. And I’m not the only one screaming. But for now, the game will sit until a patch is released.

Little Big Planet is so much fucking fun! It’s silly, colorful, and full of whimsical and imaginative imagery. The gameplay is quite intuitive, but there are a few annoying bugs with the physics system that I noticed, and it wasn’t as easy to move forward and back within the depth of a level. But overall, the music, the whimsy, the really cute gameplay brings a smile to my face. And, it works (novel fucking concept). I was surprised at how easy it was to slip from the main game into worlds created by other players. And let me say, the players are damn creative. I played one level that was modeled after PacMan! Brilliant stuff. When I returned back to my little box (the start menu, for all purposes, although you can decorate your little box), someone followed me, and then followed me into another game. I think I will accidentally bump into a lot of people playing this game, and I am totally okay with that. The more the merrier

But right now, the game that has me wrapped around its magical blade is Fable II. The game is magnificent. The magic/fighting systems are a seamless mesh of fucking cool. There are some wasted elements, some spells that are just pedestrian and lacking in any kind of brilliance. I think my favorite spells are the time spells, which can either stop time around the character or be used as a weapon, and pushes you through the enemy dealing damage. The game itself is tons of fun, but I was super excited about the mutliplayer, and unfortunately, that is where it falls short. My sister and I love to play games together, and I was excited when I found out that you could join other Fable players’ games. We were both a little disappointed to find out that you had to regress to some genera-character to enter into a friend’s game. Okay, fine. But each time she tried to select one of the three women offered as a character, she ended up with the same pink-swathed goody two shoes with blond hair. She, of course, made up for it by scaring the shit out of all the villagers in my town by trying to stab me. We are siblings, after all. I would have less of a problem with the limited aspect of a joining character if the camera wasn’t such a lazy bitch. I would be exceedingly happy if it split duty between the two of us, and didn’t get stuck around corners when we are in a tight room battling something with big teeth and a taste for my scarred and tattooed ass (of course my character is tattooed! Who do you think I am?). The co-op system leaves much to be desired, and the sad thing is, I have FUN when she and I are running around killing beetles together. I love the cooperative nature of many current gen video games, and it makes me sad that Fable didn’t live up to expectations.

Then again, they could release a patch and make it all better. Who knows. I still like Fable the best of the three.

And why am I writing about video games on this monumental day? Because I’m nervous, anxious, and liable to puke up my Wheat Thins (lowfat, thankyouverymuch) if I keep thinking about the election, even if it is ALL I obsessed over for the past two years. D and I are planning on going to the Doug Fir to meet some friends for the election party, but part of me wants to stay home with that bottle of David Hill Merlot and stew on the couch.

I just have one more thing to say: GO OBAMA!

I have a shitton of writing to do and the deadline is today. I, Erica the MoodyMeow, am the queen of “the absolute last minute.” I think I should get a crown or something. While the dogs finish eating, a few quickies and I will leave you…

• Being a part-time vegetarian? I think being more conscious of your eating habits, and knowing where you get your nutrients from is a good thing. That’s not to say that all vegetarians give a cow’s ass where their cheese came from, or whether or not their lettuce is organic. I do pay attention, close attention these days. I’m an ethical vegetarian. If it had a face, I’m not going to eat it. That’s why eggs (chicken abortions, as the sick joke goes) are okay. I don’t drink milk because it makes me fart. I do eat cheese because it’s tasty (but I try to be a good girl about where it comes from). Now the idea of part-time vegetarianism interested me, but I think slapping a complicated name like Flexitarianism is kind of a bullshit way of saying “I eat less meat and don’t care if there’s anchovy past in the caesar dressing.” Do you really need a unique name for someone who is more conscious of what they put in their bodies? I don’t think you do … personally, I think that should just be human nature. But I also realize that I am at an income bracket where being selective about what I eat is easy. When I was broke (brizzzzzoke), it was harder. But I think all people, even those with less money, should seek out quality ingredients, and bring more green to the table. No everyone has to be a vegetarian, but if you are more conscious of what you eat, I’ll call you anything you want - including a flexitarian (which by the way, sounds like some kind of contortionist from Cirque).
• Bill Mahr vs …well even the View - I’m a big fan of his. I think he’s got some “interesting” things to say, but on the whole, I shout praise at the TV every time I watch him. His opinion on religion is not one that I share, if you were wondering. No, I did not drink the Jesus juice, but I do believe there is something other than us out there, and I’ve never been so egotistical as to assign it a name, but I do believe in an “other” or an “us”… it depends on my mood. Bill Mahr takes issue with the literal translation of the bible. That Jeezycreezy jumped up out of the grave after 3 days is biologically impossible. And if God’s telling you to do something, you may want to see a shrink. I agree with him because I think most of the major worlds religions are twisted into rhetoric instead of healing. Extremist Christians live in this great country, and if you are in the right part of the country (unintended pun there), you couldn’t turn a corner without seeing 13295743 churches on one street. I don’t care that Sherri Shepherd believes in zombie Jesus day. Good for her. But I do care that this country has changed with the upsurge of the Christian right.
• A great interview with the Remember the Milk’s cofounder - I’m really starting to embrace all the little apps that help make my life easier. It’s much easier now that I have an iPhone, but I used RTM with my little Pebbl. It was clunky but efficient. RTM is still one of the best apps out there for task management.
• I offically hate Miley - Sweetheart, when you were still boogying to your daddy’s craptastic music, I was at Disney with the gays. Gay Days is THE BEST day to go to Disney, even if you aren’t “one of the family.” I went with a gaggle of gay boys I knew from my bar, and we rode Space Mountain (you have never heard screaming until you have a train full of gay boys in the dark….and I didn’t mean that as literally as it sounded). We got wet, tired, dirty, sunburned, and I met some of the most amazing people ever. And the party didn’t stop there. That’s a post for another time. But the point is that Gay Days has become an institution. Disney defended it in a kind of roundabout manner some years ago when the Christian Right swore to boycott. And now, it’s just something that happens every year. I think it should have been respected. But, Miley is their bitch, their progeny, their moneymaker - and if Cinderella wants the gays to go, then she gets her wish. —— I hope her party sucks.
• Divorce Cakes - Just one question - why are most of them bloody?
• I love Heroes, and I really, really, really love the music.Good music is iconic. Hum a few bars of the Indiana Jones theme and watch people perk up (and it’s been stuck in my head for months since I’ve been playing the Lego version), or the ominous sounds of Vader’s theme. Music can be forceful, and perk up plots that would otherwise feel shallow. The music in Heroes doesn’t overwhelm, it typifies. It doesn’t prop up plot, rather it adds dimension. I can’t wait to get the score!
• From Since You Asked on Salon - Sarah Palin is Ruining My Life - I won’t go as far as to say she’s ruined my life, but I’ve had to pull away from the election for a bit. It’s been abusive, nasty, and hypocritical. Eternally an idealist, I think the harsh realities of modern politics turns my stomach. I’m too gentle a creature (stop laughing, or I will thwap you) to deal with the madness. Can’t we all just get along? But I’m realizing we can’t. I work with people who think the same way I do. I live and talk with people who echo my feelings. We all really despise the Republican ticket. But there are the others, friends and family, who don’t agree. Is the divisive nature of the modern political world eating them up to? Is there a way around the bullshit name calling and lies?

Beagles are done eating. It’s time for homework.

I just want to say, quickly, that I will comment on both, but later. I have my pages due by Saturday, and unfortunately, that takes precedence right now.

Let me reiterate for the record: I’m very liberal, voting for Obama. I think Bill Richardson would make an excellent VP. I am very anti-war. That doesn’t mean I hate the troops, and if you want to come back at me with that argument, stick it up your ass. Being a military brat, and the SIL to an Airman, I do support them. But there’s a fine line between doing good overseas and making things a bajillion times worse, and that is what our President has done. The real war, the first one, should have been in Afgahnistan. I think the Dem congress has been sitting on their ass, licking their chops, waiting— for something. What that something is, I just don’t know, but it’s disgusting. I hate Fox news (and most national news agencies, but they have a special place in my colon - because they are full of shit), believe in gay rights and don’t understand racism.

Mmmm k. Got all that?

First in the arena - McCain is paying bloggers to post his talking points. This is just shady, kids. I’m a naive idealist, so I will continue to believe that bloggers are mostly outside the corproate/polically run arena. Yeah, USA today has bloggers, and Anderson Cooper blogs, but those connections we know about. Having a candidate >pay< someone to fluff him up and not reveal the nature of the connection is just duplicitous and wrong. And here is where I get all idealist again — I don’t think Obama has to do this. He’s got a grassroots thing going on the net (via Myspace, Friendster, etc) that has payed off in millions of dollars, tons of new democrat voters, and volunteers. He’s got a fire behind his campaign. McCain just looked like the old guard trying to do the new guard tricks. I thought this was supposed to be the respectable campaign. I was wrong.

Now, on to my loathing for Fox news. It has been revealed that they were given “literal talking points to discuss on their prime time news segments.” Does this not smack of propaganda? Granted, this was reported on MSNBC, who has their own bias (I’m naive, not stupid), but I don’t think anyone except Bush and his cronies would ever get this blatant. And I find it reprehensible that a “news” company would take the bait and report the talking points as news. I really do loathe Fox news. My mom told me that to understand an argument, you had to see it from all sides, especially when it came to politics. Fine. I subjected myself to Fox and Friends on several mornings, watched a few snippets with their talking heads in the evenings… but it was so hateful. MSNBC has taken to “reporting” with the same attitude. I don’t want snarky commentors to tell me what to think. Just the facts…. please.

Now this wackjob takes the cake. And he’s from Florida, figures. I am beyond amazed that this kind of racism still exists.

And on a completely non-political note. Go over to Claire’s blog! She’s having a Pay It Forward contest. You should enter!

Oh…and it’s NOT 90 DEGREES TODAY!!! I’M SO HAPPY!!!!

Thwap - that’s what this would sound like. When I was half asleep, trying to wake up and uncurl myself from around a particularly cute pile of beagles, I listened to the morning talking heads chewing on this story with a kind of sick relish.  What do I think about this?

Fucking duh!

But I am now interested in reading the book. Not because it Bush bashes, because Mr. McClellan was on of Bush’s chums. I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of overt criticism of the president But Rice, and Powell, and Rove - those stories still interest me, although I know they will royally piss me off.

I never finished my weekend recap.

Read the rest of this entry »

When we moved into this house, we were excited. The pictures didn’t do the kitchen justice. It’s quite large. The granite counter tops, lovely. But once you live in a space, you find the dangerous bits, the areas where you should tread lightly for fear of rabid opossums or low-hanging ceilings just waiting for a cute, bald head to scrape. Our counter tops extend too far over the cabinets beneath them. The same goes for the dishwasher. They aren’t flush with the edge, or even close to being flush, so all kinds of annoying shit happens. Like I open the top drawer all the way and I can’t get the box of plastic bags out without denting it because it’s partially stuck underneath the overly large counters. But last night was the worst. In my preparations for dinner, I yanked open the dishwasher door. There’s a lip, a nice finger-deep space where my ring finger caught - and

THWACK!

Finger, dishwasher door propelled at 60 mph, and the counter all collided. And it hurt. But not in the “ouch” kind of way. Nope, it throbbed with the promise of more nausea-inducing pain because most of the pain nerves in the tip of my finger were whirling around going “what the fuck? Did we just get hit? React? Oh yeah, we are supposed to react!” And so began the rising tide of agony. For the record, my finger still hurts.

And Puck, ever the scavenger, just stood there - tail wagging, tongue lolling, waiting for me to drop the chunk of parmasean in my other hand. Dogs….. if they weren’t so cute, I’d scream.

I did my civic duty yesterday. I voted in the Democratic Primary, and contributed my voice to the loacl elections. Happlily, everyone I voted for won. Our new mayor, Sam Adams, royally spanked the competition, and I can say I am pleased.  But I do have an inkling of fear. When Glenda (clit) Hood left the Mayoral spot in Orlando, I voted for Buddy Dyer. I should have known, with those cheeks and that laugh, that he was as crooked as she was. But I voted my heart and my heart was wrong. I hope I’m not wrong about Sam Adams. The press here is quite diligent in digging up dirt, so I I think I made an educated decision.

And I have to say that Oregon has the voting system down pat. No polling places, no lines, no bullshit. Register to vote, they send your ballot in the mail. You can do all your research at home, and then mail the fucker back in. D, of course, sent his off early. I waited until the last minute. Why? Cause that’s how I roll….so I dropped my ballot off at the local libarary. With ballot in hand, I walked in, fearful when I saw the line. But everyone else was in line to pay the fines or check out books. The blue box, with like 15 locks, sat there waiting for me. I dropped it off and went on my merry way. That, my friends, is how voting should happen. My Mom told me that Colorado does the same thing. Good good stuff.

While I could have spend my evening watching the talking heads yammer on about how the voting ran, I took 3 Benadryl, had two beers and passed out on the couch. I got NOTHING done last night. But I slept, and sleeping is good.

Today, I’m heading up to the NW side of town for a little coffee talk with C. And then I will head to Moosey with D for our ritual Wednesday night veggie dinner. The rest of my week goes as follows:

• Thursday - Work, Indy, go home, try to sleep
• Friday - Work, have lunch with the bossy and the rest of the group (his wife had her baby on Sunday), go home, clean the casa, head to Mississippi Station for a portabello sandwich that could make your toes curl (and we will bike there, so I can’t drink too much), and then head home. No Battlestar this week….sigh.
• Saturday - Drop puppies off to be cleaned, pack up the doggies and head to Lex’s house. D’s bringing his bike, and mine, so we can get a little ride in for fun, party.
• Sunday - big BBQ with Lex’s neighbors. Party.
• Monday - head home 1st thing in the morning, trying to beat the traffic back to Portland. Upload all the pictures from the little trip. Sleep

And that about does it folks. I should get back to work.

• Slept like shit
• Woke up and used the elliptical
• My girly bits are sore from yesterday’s ride. I decided not to wear bike shorts underneath my spiffy pants.
• Our home improvements from the weekend have made the house look better.
• We still have to put another screen door up on the back door.
• If it looks nice - D wants to replace the front door.
• I never made it to the gardening stage of my weekend.
• We bought, and then returned two air conditioners.
• I love Lowe’s and will never shop at Home Despot again (typo intentional)
• Edwards endorses Obama. Yes, I am part of the Obamanation, and I love it here. It’s a good place to be. Let’s see if the dems solidify behind him now. She’s just too angry for me. I’m a pathetically hopeful liberal.
• I bought GTA4. With the deadline for school and all, I held off. I still have to register for my classes and get my submission in by the 23rd. My goal is to turn it in early (it’s the piece that will be critiqued next month during residency).  But I finally got the game. Now it’s time to go kick around some prostitutes. It’s gonna look sooooooooo freaking good!
• The weekend plans are faring up nicely. think the fam is coming into town.
• I will be working on my garden throughout the week because I know Alexis will poop herself if she sees the yard as bad as it is right now.
• I have to kill a blackberry bush. That doesn’t make me happy.
• I think V8 Fusion - Strawberry/Nanner is the shit.
• I get to make salsa this weekend, and I’m using my nephew as slave labor. I get all the benefits without having to feed him more than once a month.

I’m very cheerful today, and I realize yesterday’s blog post was written like poop. I would go edit it but I was very excited. D and I watched American Gangster last night. Made me sad. I didn’t like it at all. I finished it saying to myself  “What in the hell was the point of that?” Oh well.

D and I are planning on seeing Indy this week. Yeah, cause it’s going to kick mucho asso.

And now, back to chipper mornings and coffee.

I haven’t taken a shower yet. I’m still covered in sweat, but my heart is full of joy. Why? D and I rode down to the waterfront and saw Obama’s speech. Okay, honestly, we heard it. There were an estimated 75k people down there, and I wasn’t about to beat people up for a good seat. We found a perch, in the shade, and listened with about a bajillion other people. He’s an amazing speaker.

D and I got some breakfast, and decided that we had to go down to the rally. I honestly don’t know how many people are going to vote for Obama on Tuesday, but if this gathering was any indication, he’s going to do well. After breakfast, D and I shimmied throughout some of the amazing neighborhoods I love to ogle, and when we got to the bridge, we were stopped by a wall of people. All of the white on the bottom of the bridge - those are all people (and bikes and puppies too) walking to the ralley. D and I had to get off the bikes and walk with the crowd. We honestly could have been total dicks about it, but I’m kind of into being polite since I’m not a fast rider yet. Let’s see how much of an ass I become when I get a little speed going.

Anyway, it took us a while to traverse the short distance from where this picture was taken, to the rally itself. Security was tight, and avenues that are usually open to traffic were shut down. I needed to eat. I was hot and sweaty and getting pissed that the normal route to get near Waterfront Park had been shut down. But we progressed.

D and I were going to just park the bikes and get into the line for the main entrance. But after locking the bikes up, and walking a few blocks, we noticed that the line wound all over the place. After a quick discussion of options. one included FINDING the back of the line and just following everyone else in, we decided to use D’s knowledge of the city to our advantage.

We unhooked the bikes, played in a little belligerent traffic, and found a spot on the back end of the park, near some shops. They opened up another enterance to the rally close to where we were sitting, but we decided that sitting in the shade was far more important than actually seeing the tiny spec that would have been Obama on the stage. Besides, the audio traveled perfectly to us. We waited it out, marveled at all the funny shirts, and interesting bike stickers.

The speech gave me chills. He knew his audience, and he spoke to us. Portland is very progressive when it comes to transportation and he held that up as a thing that other cities should strive for. He mentioned how important teachers REALLY are - TWICE. He talked about everything he should have, and more. But he also recognized the sheer size of us - his Portland Obama supporters and thanked us. And I realize that I’m kind of dragging this out a bit, but I have a sunburn. So, my nonsensical rambling will be blamed on heat stroke…or something.

Here are some images from the rally. There are more on my flickr thingy.

I have more to write about, I really do. It was a great weekend, except for the heat. We discovered a new place for food and good conversation, I had too much wine, laughed so hard my face hurt, and discovered new things about who I am and why I do things the way I do. But most of all, I got my fat ass BACK on my bike, and it felt fantastic.

And now I’m going to pass out and sleep for 100 days.

Does coffee give you gas? Or is it just that time when I have to poo in the morning? Who knows. I don’t put milk in my coffee anymore, so I know it’s not the lactose thing. Chill out, there, Sparky. I still like my coffee all creamy, but I use soy creamer now. There’s nothing worse than the stench of rotten milk. Except baby shit…that’s not my favorite smell in the world. Ooohh…and the smell of that hellspawn animal under our house. It may be a possum. Don’t ask me to look though.

I medicated myself to sleep last night. Hard drugs…you know…
*whispering*
Benadryl…. shhh….

Seriously, an hour after I take that stuff I’m sleeeeeeping like a leetle bambino. I’ve needed it. I’m “diamond in the ass” wound up. Meaning? Jam a peice of coal up my colon and … PRESTOCHANGO! Shazzam! Diamond in less than 10 seconds.

Wait. Maybe that’s why I have gas. Diamonds!

I don’t know where I’m going with this.

Obama won NC. Wh00t!

• Fucking, only in Florida. Teacher gets in trouble for wizardry. Jeezus.
• Tooth check. Make ‘em better naturally. I heart black tea.
• Easy targets - fishermen (maybe) shoot sea lions at dam. This is a local issue to Portland, and the upper NW, but I think it resonates. Regardless of your beliefs, killing an animal in a trap is just fucking stupid. Unless you are into that whole “sport” hunting thing like Cheney. I understand that people are frustrated by the lack of salmon, and that these creatures are eating them up, but people dammed up the rivers. Want to blame someone, look in the mirror.
• Lifehacker tips for blogging. I need to use these more often.
• Big booty = less chance of diabetes! W0000 h000! I knew having a fat ass would do some some good someday.
• I’m all giddy for Batman, but Two-face looks fucked up. Hmm.

It’s a touch early, but D and I renewed our lease verbally yesterday with the landlady. She wanted to make sure we wanted to stay in the place. It’s damn hard to find rental properties here in Portland, damn hard. And although the house is far from perfect, it’s still our place, and it can only be as good as we make it. So, the gardening will begin shortly and maybe I’ll even fix the tiles on the porch (the enntire front porch is tiled). I can’t believe I graduated from Rollins almost a year ago, and I’m through my first year as a master’s student. Time sure does fly. There still aren’t any solid plans to return to the flaccid penis state…except maybe in November to surprise his Momma for her birthday. That’s WAY up in the air right now. We’ll see….

I’m off to meetings in Battle Ground. Remind me to tell you about the hawks and the highway.

I’ve started collecting furniture from my friends. That gold chair that everyone loves to hate came from my friend Karen. Then D’s desk is actually one that Julie (the Rev) gave me when she moved from the apartment near Rollins to her place off Ferncreek. Now I have a desk from C. It’s beautiful. She refinished it, and it shines. What makes me happiest is its legs match my other desk, the one D bought for my birthday.  Now I have room for my printer, books, and a place to put my laptop when I’m not working on it. I’ve got both a desktop and a laptop running most of the time. There’s room for everything now.

It took me a long time, but we finally saw the last Harry Potter film.  I think I’ve talked about McMenamins Kennedy School before. It’s walking distance from our house, and when I want a good veggie burger with tater tots covered in crack, I go there. The building also houses a movie theatre. It’s late runs. 310 to Yuma and Harry Potter are playing right now. I was very impressed with the price - 3 bucks per person.  Then we found out that the entire restaurant menu was available for theatre goers. Fantastico! Finally, when we got into the theatre itself, we saw the amazing seating. All of the seats were couches or chairs, spaced nicely, with cute end-tables dotted here and there for good measure. I found a seat with an unobstructed view, and D and I snuggled down for the show. Oh, they also don’t allow anyone under 21 in the movie after 6 (insert happy dance here) and you can buy booze. I’m going to make myself a regular. It’s good good stuff.

Today is miserable. The winds are ripping the last of the fall colors off the trees, brutally, I might add. The wind is steady around 2o mph, with gusts up to 40. Chilling rain thwapped me in the face when I ran outside to rescue my plants. I think winter arrived this morning.

I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I keep getting distracted by Puzzle Quest and Heroes. I’m such a dork.

and now, for some linkage:

Am I the only person who doesn’t think that this season’s Heroes has been a problem? Sheesh.

20 films that changed CGI history — I heart Tron!

Liberal is a bad word in politics. And it seems another person’s morals are being questioned because she’s doing what she thinks is right. (or left, in the mind of her detractors) Why is that so fucking wrong?

I really can’t stand Anne Coulter. She’s a hateful skeeze, and the only reason she gets play on television is because she pisses everyone off. That’s entertainment! Why do people buy her books? Why would someone support a woman so full of hatred and disdain (in full disclosure - I haven’t read any of her books, and don’t plan to)?  She is beloved by the right. She really is. She makes a living with her name calling and rude assumptions. And now, I am writing about her, because she pisses me off. And people listen to her. By the way, she doesn’t think a woman’s right to vote is a good thing.

this is poorly written, but then again, what would you expect from a Liberal?

Wandering the web, and look what I found.

I lost my son to a war I oppose. We were both doing our duty. The idea that saying anything against the war is a crime against the troops, well that’s just a tactic our government uses to get us to shut the fuck up. This is a beautifully written piece. And it’s illuminating.

And I won’t shut up anymore.

Speaking of war.. I found this via Digg. I am amazed by the moronic comments made by the talking heads we call newscasters. She needs to go back to that morning show she had and let the real newsmen and newswomen take the news back from ignorance and entertainment. Gah!

Another Digg find. …but I am embarrassed to say that I know a lot less than I should. And I’m headed to grad school! For shame!

Are you aggressive? Yes? then you shall get laid!

What happened on the day you were born?

D linked me to this article (or blog postish type thingy) by Joss Wheadon - of Firefly fame (yes, I know he did Buffy and that other thing, but I loved Firefly…and it’s my blog — so nah!). Read the whole thing. I don’t know why I am endlessly surprised by men who really respect women, who try to understand where the toughness and tenderness and coexist. I’ve never been of the mind that women are better than men, that we are superior, but there’s something to our ability to create life that no man can take away.

This may be hypocritical of me to say. I’m well aware that I don’t want children (thank you — did my spawning at 16 — the genes have been spread) but I can still create life if I chose. My womb is a cyclic dance, endlessly moving and changing. That will never end. And it seems, neither will the violence against women. Why are we so frightening? Why is it okay to subjugate women to a male ego.

Please understand that I am not saying this as an abused or even irritated woman. I’m married to the kindest man in the universe, and my brother is similarly reverent of women. There are many people in my life who have never hit a woman or talked down to them or demeaned them. But theres always someone out there who thinks it is okay to denigrate their wife or emotionally abuse their mother. Or… that it’s okay to hit.

I realize this is kind of unfocused rambling, but this issue rings in a place I thought long healed. It’s tickling at memories I would like to forget. If you love a woman, any woman, remember that we deserve respect and kindness and an equal footing in society, otherwise, we are just perpetuating stereotypes over and over again.

For the record — I’ve been many things a woman’s not supposed to be: blunt, uncompromising, sexually adventurous, fierce, and thoughtful. That will never change. You can call me a bitch, a slut, crazy and emotional — it’s all about the adjectives, I guess. But you can’t take away the fact that I’m a strong woman.

We have worked extensively on the reproductive organs of the flower. Every time we talk about ovaries and stamens and pistels, I think of Reproduction from Grease 2.

Reproduction, reproduction!
Put your pollen tube to work.
Reproduction, reproduction!
Make my stamen go berserk.
Reproduction!
I don’t think they even know what a pistil is!
I got your pistil right here…
Where does the pollen go?

It makes me giggle. Yes, I like musicals. Bite me!

I found the commencement info for graduation in May. I am so excited, and still, so sad. Many wheels turn simultaneously. Moving, quitting my job, graduation, beginning grad school, finding a new house in Portland, finding a job. It feels overwhelming. But sustainable, with careful balancing and calm focus. But, this is me - Erica - queen of “I’ve got stuff to do” - the one who gets very stressed about being stressed and as such, gets nothing done except stressing. Ahh…the Catch 22 of my life. I’m trying to get better - lists… lists are my friend.

Speaking of graduation and whatnot. I plan on having some people to the casa the night of the 12th. I don’t know what time and I really don’t have solid plans, but if you are out there and you have the time, you are more than welcome. This is the last gathering for us. We won’t have time for another, as far as I can tell. Before I head to Seton Hill, I have to write something (I’m still trying to find out exactly “what” but …..well…. maybe they will actually send me the information), so there is my time in June. Then I head up there for almost a week. Then we move. Shit. That’s a lot to do

I think I bombed the lab practical last night. Sometimes, I just hate Botany.

In other news, I know you’ve heard about that looney that shot up the campus in Virginia. Everyone knows that the country mourns for those kids and the professors, and I do as well. What I find a touch disturbing is how the media ran away with it, to such a degree, that it eclipsed all the other news in the country. I don’t argue the gravity of that story, but there are other things going on in the world that warrant that same kind of attention (and even more so in many cases). The media frenzies, the sharks in bloody water, freaks me out. I watch the news constantly. I switch channels. I get frustrated. I want to throw the remote, because there are things going on in this country that need to be talked about. Two things come to mind: the Alberto Gonzales testimony on capital hill and the ruling on partial birth abortions.

FYI kiddies - I’m a very strong believer in the right to choose. In 1999 I had a late term abortion (2nd trimester). Why? For a lot of reasons, most especially because of my drug use and inability to bring a child into the world for a second time. Yes, kiddies, I had this done after I gave birth to my birthdaughter. Everyone thinks that my choice to give my birthdaughter up for adoption was noble and “right.” At sixteen, I didn’t know noble from the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s something I did, like moving with the current of a river. It didn’t feel wrong to carry her to term, to relinquish my rights, to give her the family she really deserved. That process devastated me. When I got pregnant the 2nd time, I couldn’t do it. The father left me to deal with the situation on my own. And I did. Alone. My friends helped as much as they could, but I didn’t tell a lot of people about it. I’d retreated into a group of amazing women who supported me and kept me sane. And the day after the abortion, I went to the birthday party of a girl I was interested in, and fell asleep in a good friend’s arms. It’s a shame she and I never dated, but that’s another story. All these years later, and I believe that I made the right choice — and I had that choice. It’s a slippery slope, this ruling. I ask you - would a child, subjected to hard drugs, smoking and alcohol in the womb have been a viable child? You could argue that my poor life choices were to blame for what ever issues the child may have had if I had carried it to term. I can’t take care of myself sometimes, even today. I know I’d never have been able to take care of a drug-addled child. So I aborted it - and I never looked back. I’m not governeed by Christian religious convictions. I don’t think that god will send me to hell for what I’ve done. So, that arguement is lost on me. Without religous morality, what arguement is there? Isn’t this whole issue perverted by religion? The whole thing makes my head spin.

Sorry… I didn’t mean to go off on a rant there. I’m just tired of the “right to life” movement. What about my right to life? Oh… fuck it.

In other news - I am wearing my favorite shirt (picture to follow) and I am drinking coffee. And my couch is the happiest place on earth.

And on a lighter note — my gift to you — pictures!

Voodoo takes a bad picture. He always moves… but he’s cute.

I found this linked to a Salon page I read regularly. I don’t really care to argue politics, because we all know that I am very liberal. But this makes me happy. At least Kucinich has some balls. Now let’s see if the rest of the party can pull their collective heads out of their presidential-hopeful asses and do something productive in the next two years….

of the “post 9-11″ hysteria. Sick of it.

It’s absolute bullshit. Keep listening to a government that controls you with fear. Truly, you are making our would so damn safe with your quivering knees and weak spine.
People died in the bombings.

That sucks.
People died in Katrina, but you don’t see anyone working on strenghtening the levies or our government working on a global warming initiative. That was a tragedy, in its truest sense.
But I digress. Why is a publicity stunt suddenly illegal?

“It’s clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location,” Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at their arraignment

Oh, yeah. A Lite-Brite is now a weapon. Watch out for Nerf Guns and Super Soakers. The Super Soakers could have liquid explosives….jesushfuckingchrist!

“It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,” Mayor Thomas Menino said Wednesday. “I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents.”

Okay…first off buddy… Please get the fear mongering penis out of your ass. Second, quit thinking our society is filled with a bunch of cattle that can’t think for themselves. Other cities had the same devices, and no one freaked out.

The best thing for people to do is to regain their sense of humor and stop being so damn scared. No one has to bomb us again - the job is done. We are weaker as a nation for the fear we carry.

Me? I thought they were funny, and I am sure I would think it was a joke if I saw one - rather than think some terrorist with a sense of humor was out to blow me up.

/end rant

As I stated before, this is the second coming of this entry. Perhaps the inadvertent deletion benefits me. This new blog post is making me rethink the negativity of my prior post. The weekend didn’t go as planned. I bailed on the Sunday study session with Dr. Laws. The study groups throughout the weekend disintegrated into social engagements. The fault was partially mine. I am going to spend today working on my flash cards and re-examining the study of generative rhetoric. I am responsible for my own studying – no one else. So, it’s not fair to dispense the blame for my confusion. I almost thought about not taking the test, of taking the C. But I need to prove to myself that I can do this. I don’t expect perfection, just improvement.

David and I are going to see the shuttle launch on Thursday. I have my last final, and when I finish (I usually take tests quickly) I am going to run home, grab the man and the dogs, and head to the cape. It’s scheduled to lift off @ 9:35 – and if you add travel time, I am going to get home way past my bedtime, but I think it will be worth it. NASA’s last night launch was four years ago. I’ve never seen one up close. We aren’t going to be on the cape itself, but close by. D knows where we are going. I’m just along for the ride. If all goes as planned, I am going to take my camera. It’s not powerful enough to get up close, but hopefully I can get something.

On Saturday, Vanya came by for a couple drinks. I will be glad when school is over so I can have those kinds of nights without the cloud of homework and studying hanging over my head. I can’t wait.

I didn’t realize how many leaves that my sycamore has. I helped D bag them last night. Our overlords would shit themselves if we left all of those beautiful leaves on the ground. It feels like fall in our yard, and we had to make it look like a weird Florida winter again. Give me leaves, or give me death. Or cake. Hee hee.

I made salsa this weekend. After a terrible experience at Baja Burrito Kitchen (for some reason, they can’t get our quesadilla right), I decided that I needed to make my own salsa. That’s really the only reason I go out for Mexican. The canned/jarred stuff doesn’t satisfy. My initial experiment into the salsa world worked, well, it was okay. I hold out hope for the next batch. And I have a food processor. Yes, I am now a danger to myself in the kitchen. Go me!

Onto bigger and more important things. I’m not sorry to see Bolton go from the UN. I don’t think it was a brilliant idea to put such an imperialistic ass in a place where the world can watch him muck up our already tarnished reputation.  Bush’s political degradation makes me happy. Admittedly, his cabinet and chiefs guided him into terrible decisions, but watching his obstinacy with Iraq, and his lambasting Congress for blocking the Bolton’s appointment, well I don’t feel sorry for him at all. This country has suffered at the hands of his clumsy, selfish rule. I’m glad the Dems took congress, although I don’t have much faith in them either. It’s all about the 2008 elections, not about fixing the fuck-ups from Bush. We need a new system of government, I think. If those in power are meant to represent the citizens of this country, then I think we failed in voting the right people in. Who knew there were so many rich people in this country? (note sarcasm). Fix the environment, help the poor, do some good for this country - That’s a government’s job.

On a lighter note, I hate my job. But I don’t think that’s news. And I shall not be chatting or conversing from now on. They seem to be tracking things, and according to this new law, they have to keep all of the crap we say. Joy.

Oh, and I don’t have cancer on my back. What I do have are impacted stitches. They are not going to be fun to pull out. I wonder if they will numb me. I think that’s too much to hope for.

Here are a few things that caught my eye.

Rummy last love letter, and other national stories. I’ve always liked Slate.com.

Holy shit! This guy is funny. Wrong, but damn funny.

Tracts of the Rainforest get protection. I am very happy. One day I will visit, but first, I have to get over my fear of bugs. And I hear they have big bugs. Like the size of your face bugs. Maybe I’ll just stay in Florida and admire it from afar.

As winter(ish) comes upon us I grow bitter again about my fireplace. But, this is for those of you who have one. At least you can light them up safely.

I am still waiting for this program to update (which is why I am killing time on my site), but it’s still running. I think I will grab an apple or something. I need to get out of this chair.

Let the Central Florida Circus begin.

Why doesn’t this surprise me?

You can change things and it’s your responsibility to vote.

Polling places in Central Florida