Book Binge

In the festive nature of Halloween's month I went on a reading binge of books filled with vampires, faerie, werewolves, witches, skinwalkers, satyrs, sidhe, selkies, kelpies, brownies, gnomes, trolls, and other supernatural beings packaged with murder, mayhem, and in some cases romance.  Oh yeah, and I had to read "How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you" because Oatmeal is awesome.  I recommend his book, the first Jane Yellowrock book, and the first two October Daye books (by Seanan McGuire) for some good fall reads.

Criminal Minds Binder

Of all the photos posted in the "Binder Full of Women" meme my favorite is this:

AJ Cook's facial expression seals the deal. :)

Honey Love

I have a new affinity for Winnie the Pooh - I get it now.  I understand why he loves honey so much.

When I was younger we never really had honey in the house and I didn't get a taste for it.  To me, though I knew it was honey, I associated Pooh's love of honey to my love of cheese (seriously, even though it's in a honey comb, doesn't that look like melted cheddar cheese?).

Today I finally get it. :)  I was at the farmers market and decided it was high time I give honey another try (I try foods that I don't like, but haven't had much exposure to, again to see if I've changed my mind - still don't like eggnog).  There were a handful of vendors selling honey, but I settled on this one:

Marsden's Pure Honey from the Farmers Market.

Marsden's Pure Honey.  There were several different types so I took the safe route with a Clover honey.  I won't be giving this away.  One spoon-tip full and I was hooked.  Next week I'm going back to taste the other varieties so I can load up my pantry to tide me though the coming winter. :)

Sleepy tea in the Tardis mug with a bit of honey heaven.

The Doctor's Wife

I often go on a hunt for Doctor Who inspired art on Etsy and this past week from Gimmeswords I got a treasure:

Inspired by Season 6, Episode 4 called "The Doctor's Wife", this print of an original artwork by Dottie Torres makes me happy and sad all at once.  This scene, with the Doctor and his Tardis face to face for the last few moments, is swirl of emotions - tragically sad because it has to end yet wonderfully happy because it actually happened - and I love how it is captured here.  The Doctor and his box, the one who has seen it all and who is always with him.

 "I'll always be here.  But this is when we talked."

Rep. Todd Akin meet Sherry Matulis.

I'm a little late to the conversation, but I'll add my two cents anyway.

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

~Rep. Todd Akin 

KTVI-TV Interview, August 2012.

Flipping through Women Without Superstition this quote by Sherry Matulis recounting her rape and consequent pregnancy in 1954 caught my eye:

"Contrary to what the purveyors of mystical notions seem to think happens in cases such as this, I discovered that my ovaries hadn't magically shut down; and I had been impregnated by the rape.  The feeling that came over me at that time is one I've never really been able to describe.  It was part fear, panic, revulsion and ,mostly, an overwhelming sense of helplessness --- of not knowing where to turn for help because at that time there wasn't any help."

~Sherry Matulis 

in her speech How I Earned My Feminist Credentials delivered at the fiftieth annual convention of the American Humanist Association in Chicago, May 1991.

Akin has apologized, "I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize."  Then later says in his reasoning for not dropping out of the race, "Is there a matter of some justice here? I misspoke one word in one sentence on one day." (Quotes from here).

The fact that he thinks the only erroneous mistake was the word "legitimate" (which is as bad as "forcible") rape tells me it wasn't a slip up - that what he said to him is truth.  This is why decisions about our bodies shouldn't be made by old men. We've made progress, thanks in no small part to Sherry Matulis and all the women fighting for our reproductive rights - the right to control our own bodies and live healthy and productive lives.  

We've made progress, but more need to join the fight.  Count me in.

My New Hero: Caitlin Moran

I finished Caitlin Moran's book How To Be a Woman and she is officially my new hero. :)

Quote on the back cover, "Caitlin Moran taught me more about being a woman than being a woman did.  I'm pretty sure I had testicles before I read this book." - Jenny Lawson, author of Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

I'd already purchased the book when I saw this, but it made me want to read it even more.

"I am a feminist!"

Of the multitudinous good points made by Caitlin Moran throughout her book I really like her views of feminism.  In addition to the quote in the NPR story where I first heard about this book, the following quote makes me laugh:

"So here is a quick way of working out if you're a feminist.  Put your hand in your underpants.  a) Do you have a vagina? and b) Do you want to be in charge of it?  If you said "yes" to both, then congratulations! You're a feminist."

In a world where reproductive rights are threatened, pay inequality persists, glass ceilings exist, and sexism overtly and covertly pervades the day to day we need more people to stand up and shout, "I AM A FEMINIST!"

"I don't want men to go away.  I don't want men to stop what they're doing.  What I want, instead, are some radical market forces.  I want CHOICE. I want VARIETY. I want MORE. I want WOMEN.  I want women to have more of the world, not just because it would be fairer, but because it would be better.  More exciting.  Reordered.  Reinvented.  We should have the lady-balls to say, "Yeah -- I like the look of this world.  And I've been here for a good while, watching.  Now -- here's how I'd tweak it. Because we're all in this together.  We're all just, you know.  The Guys.""

I've been a feminist for awhile, but a quiet almost embarrassed type of feminist, because who talks about feminism these days.  Her book was exactly what I needed: loud, brash, humorous, and honest.  I will forever appreciate her personal account of her abortion and her views on the subject.

So, to anyone reading, "I AM A FEMINIST". :)

Zucchini Adventures

Before this month the only time I'd eaten zucchini was when it was buried in cupcakes.  Several of my coworkers have gardens and leave extra produce in the kitchen for us to take.

I went to the farmers market to get more fresh veggies and I made this:


Tomato-Zucchini Bake

The corn was cut fresh off the cob and I had two different types of zucchini.  It was so easy - I even changed the recipe a bit.  I didn't have the Japanese bread crumbs so I used regular bread seasoned with Italian seasonings.

I hope to make much more with the fresh produce I get from the market this wednesday. :)

Book Dam

I seem to be inundated with partially read books and books on my 'to-read' list (well past 100).

Over half-way through 'IT', but only a few chapters into the rest.

In addition to these I'm reading electronic copies of:

I have more time lately, but finishing books before starting a new one doesn't seem to happen all that often - except, of course, for 'Let's Pretend This Never Happened' by Jenny Lawson.  That book I inhaled. :-D

Bloggess Book + Coffee = Scrat

Awesome Book.

+

Copious amounts of coffee.

=

Scrat-esque, over caffeinated, twitchy demeanor. 

For my birthday I bought Jenny Lawson's "Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)" and it came in the mail yesterday.  I started reading it and found it hilarious... so hilarious that I didn't want to stop reading about her crazy life.  Needless to say I stayed up way to late and got way too much coffee the next day.  By end of the work day I felt like I was having an anxiety attack - all I wanted to do was get back to my apartment where there were no other people, squirrel-up in bed and finish her book. 

And I did finish it: 5/5 stars from me!  I laughed so hard I cried in some parts - the craziness never stops: flying bobcats, exploding blue gel in diapers, squirrel puppets, snakes, taxidermy animals, awkward social situations.  Thanks Jenny for sharing so much of your life with us - it reassures me that being me is okay and that I'm not alone in my weirdness. :)

Adipose

If the Adiposian first family asked, I'm pretty sure I'd help them make a few kids so long as they agreed not to kill me. :-D

Birthday present from my sister.

Seriously, how cute!

BSG Bug

I've been a geek for as long as I can remember.  My parents tell me that when I was 5 I stayed up watching Doctor Who on channel 2 well past my bed time.  Despite this extreme nerdiness I put off watching shows like Battlestar Galactica.  With the advent of Netflix I have so many geeky shows at my fingertips and I've fallen victim to the Battlestar Galactica bug.

I'm trying to pace myself.  All four seasons are available to me and I've plowed my way through two of them already.  So say we all.

Independence

With the approach of July 4th I've been thinking of my own independence and those people and institutions that have given me the chance to become who I am.

I've been told by several people that I am unable to make decisions for myself - in essence they told me that my views, my way of thinking, and even sexual identity are based on someone else's - that I'd never have become like I am on my own.

At first I was very pissed.  Then after digesting it I realized the were right, partially.  We are all bombarded with external stimuli and it's how we decided to deal with it that defines us.  The places and people that have helped make me who I am are precious to me because they gave me the space and freedom I needed to explore the world.

"It's all that University's fault."

I am moderately liberal (compared to my hometown I'm LIBERAL) and my conservative family and friends have attributed my shift in perspective to the small liberal arts University that I attended.  I accept this claim in so far as my University gave me the opportunity to explore new ideas.  The political spectrum within my group of friends at the end of those four years ranged from highly conservative to highly liberal so really it was how we decided to process the input we received that determined our views.

The opportunities offered enriched my life:

And a handful of people will always be dear to me for helping me find my way including my biology professors, fencing instructor, Matt, Bruce, and especially Warren.

This won't make sense to anyone but Warren. :)

"It's just his influence; you're not really bi."

I lived with Matt for a year after college and because he was open and accepting I was able to puzzle my way through my own sexuality.  When I told Cleo that I was bi that was her response above.  There was real anger and some animosity to her response.  It took some time to let it go, to realize she was projecting her own fears.  Freshman year she, her roommate, and Elanore expresses their terror of being roomed with lesbians.  Cleo and I had been very close during college and I think she was worried about what me being bi was going to do to our relationship.

Actually I'm more of a 2 on the Kinsey scale:

But unless the person you're talking to knows about the Kinsey scale it's just easier to say bi.

And of course I'm grateful for our independence as a country and aware of the costs for my freedom to be who I am.

France, summer 2002.

Have a Happy Independence Day everyone!

Superman

My dad is my version of Superman.

Among all the things he's done, he has kept this car running for over 6 years -

There have been moments when I thought the fix was too big,

But he made it work again.

My dad works (sometimes too) hard, he loves me, spoils me rotten, and a girl can't ask for more.

Happy Father's Day!

First BLT

One of the many things I love about this town is the farmers' markets.  Every Wednesday, whether I need something or not, I wander through the stands of flowers, vegetables, baked goods, and cheese curds.  Today I decided to go all out.  I've never had a BLT that I can recall, needless to say I've never made one.  I thought it was high time I do it - and I had left over bacon from another recipe waiting to be used up.

So I bought the L (whole bunch for $1) and the T (more expensive, but sooo delicious).

I'm pretty proud of my haul - as evidenced by the picture itself. :)

I also got some fresh sweet peas (my coworkers and I were munching them while wandering through the market), some cheese curds (squeaky fresh!), and a cookie (I hadn't had any sugar today, so sue me).

You can see where I'm going with this, right?

My first BLT.

Since I've never had one nor made one I think I did well... it tasted good and I assume that's the golden standard, taste.  The bread was toasted potato bread (because potato is one of the best kinds - eat some and I'm sure you'll agree).  I can see why people like BLTs... probably didn't hurt that I used 3 slices of bacon and that the L&T were fresh.  I ate the rest of that tomato straight - so good.  The sweet peas served as good snack in the belt line traffic jam and the cheese curds served as a good snack during supper prep.

All in all I think I had a good food day. :-D

In the Moment

In my search for meaning I keep coming around to the idea of living in the moment.

There are handy quotes:

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." Buddha

"Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today." Dale Carnegie 

But how does one truly face the present knowing that one day you won't be here.  All my thoughts, my hopes, my being, will be gone.  My atoms will move on, become part of some other organism, or perhaps part of the earth.

I carry a rock from the shore of Lake Superior with me, to and from work, waking and sleeping I have it within reach.  There really isn't anything special about it - most would never look at it twice.  It sat on a shelf for years, but the other week I was drawn to pick it up and hold it.  It fits in the palm of my hand and is made of several types of rock, what I believe was initially sedimentary rock that long ago underwent heat and pressure, receiving intrusions of quartz.  Intrusions speak to me of time.  In an introductory geology class the professor was fond of field trips - we wandered around the county looking at different outcrops, caves, and limestone quarries full of fossils.  Quartz intrusions always drew my eye, "There," my brain would say, "that rock is younger than the other".  My eye would rove outcrops looking for signs of age or indicators of million year old shifts in the Earth.

I thought once that I'd come to terms with death - I later realized it was a view through depression - that death did not scare me because it represented peace.  The reality of life and death snuck up on me the day I picked up that rock and held it.  I was distracted by tv, curled up with a pillow, blanket, and my laptop.  When the tv show ended in the wee hours of the morning, in the dark and the silence with the weight of the stone warmed by body heat resting in my palm, it all came crashing down.  The brevity of life, the seeming lack of meaning.  It was paralyzing.

That rock I carry has and will exist as a whole so much longer than I will.  It has and will interact with so many different beings and elements - in its timescale I am but a blink of an eye.  How then does my life matter?  It is so short and there are so many of us.  Does it truly matter what I do?

I come around to the idea of living in the moment.

The idea of taking advantage of every moment because later they will be gone.  It is difficult for me to do.  It feels like such a weight of responsibility - what if I don't take these moments seriously enough?  What if I waste my moments?

I don't have the answers to life's big questions and I don't know if it matters what I do.  I'm trying to live in the moment - to do the things that make me happy and harm as few people as possible in the process.  I'm not very good at it yet, but maybe with time, and reminders of time, I can get better.

Allison Janney

(I'm ignoring the political situation in my state and looking at something happier).

One of my favorite actresses is Allison Janney.  I first took notice of her work when she was playing C.J. Cregg in The West Wing:

She was a very strong character in the White House, a good role model.






She also takes quirky roles in other movies and I just love her for it.


 Like highly religious Prudy Pingleton in Hairspray:

And the student counselor/pornographic romance novel writer in 10 Things I Hate About You:

Juno's step mom:

The starfish Peach in Finding Nemo:

Not all are goofy, like her role as Charlotte Phelan in The Help:

Any role I've seen her in I love her. :)