Martin Luther King

I was just thinking about Martin Luther King, and how much I love him. I was also thinking about some of the great and provocative things he wrote and said in his too short lifetime. Here's a couple of MLK quotations for you to ponder on these last few days of the year 2009.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

ha ha ha . . . hilarious PSA

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

All hail the winter solstice!

I'm very excited that tomorrow is the winter solstice for 2009. One brief moment on this day the 21st of December 2009 marks the beginning of longer days and shorter nights.

Above is a beautiful photo I found on flickr of a winter solstice celebration at Stonehenge.

Charles Burns scares me.

Found this very strange video tribute to Charles Burns (Black Hole) on YouTube. I'm getting more and more interested in his art, and this video montage is an intriguing glimpse into some of his work. I think he's amazing.

Also found this incredible Altoids (?!) commercial by Charles Burns, with music by David Lynch. Surreal.

Charles Burns meets David Lynch
by bantampilou

Bad Couches

Oh, how I love to peruse craigslist! It's so much fun to look through the furniture listings, for example, to see if there are any midcentury pieces for sale. I was lucky to find a beautiful 1960s buffet for 100 bucks last summer, and I also bought a fantastic light fixture for 20 bucks just a month ago.

But what I really enjoy the most is laughing at the truly awful couches that people think someone else is actually going to pay money for. Here are a few examples of the bad couches I found just today on the Des Moines, Iowa, furniture listings.

For Sale: $175.00 Really?

For Sale: Couch and Loveseat $1000.00 Are you kidding me?

For Sale: $400.00 Seriously?

very fresh, indeed!

Another of my favorite artists, Erica Gilbert, sells her wonderful work on her web site Kept Fresh. She also has an etsy shop! I truly love her whimsical and haunting images of creatures, people, and objects.

Some of her original paintings are for sale right now at her etsy shop for unbelievably low prices--I think if you like her work you might click on over there and snatch one up! She has prints, too, and at her site offers T-shirts, buttons and art.

p.s. I love the toaster!

This could be why I am fat, part 2

Oh, I love to visit the website This is Why You're Fat to witness all the wonderfully weird, indescribably delicious, and usually mostly incredibly disgusting concoctions us humans have come up with in the name of gustatory pleasure.

I have posted these two pictures because the top creation (cupcake kabobs) actually looks kind of good to me. And, I will admit, I display the picture of the Taco Bell crispy potato soft taco because I have eaten one (more than one) and I truly enjoyed it. The taco is very simple, and simply delicious!

But really now--what were they thinking with this disgusting item (below) called deviled corn dogs? This dish is described as "corndog hot dogs pureed with cheese, mayonnaise and tater tots, then re-baked inside a corndog shell." No, just no.

The slow duster . . .

A wonderful clip from one of my favorite movies; Carnival of Souls directed by Herk Harvey. Forward to 3:30 for the spooky organ playing scene, and just a few seconds later comes my very favorite house cleaner in all of filmdom, the Slow Duster!

If you haven't seen this movie, it is really worth your time for the creepy atmosphere and the overall mood of this 1962 black and white film.

This one is for my friend Ellen--looks like pants!

Just brilliant . . .

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Beck - Not So Mellow Gold
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Jon Stewart and his writers are just brilliant. As usual, Glenn Beck is an asshole, and a hateful fear-mongering piece of barely-human detritus.

and now for something completely different

Since I have been doing a lot of critiquing and complaining lately I thought I'd try to illuminate something beautiful instead of something heinous.

Anna Ruby King is an artist I found on Etsy, and she currently resides in Greece. Her artwork is beautiful and very intriguing to me--she is currently trying to make her business and her artwork carbon neutral. King uses remaindered fabrics in her work, and I am totally in love with her bird images. Both of these pieces are entitled Birds in Lines.

Stop having babies!

I just read that Michelle Duggar of 18 Kids and Counting TV show fame just gave birth to her 19th child. 19th. That's just too many children. Three is too many children, as far as I'm concerned, but really now, 19? What are they thinking?

Well, to answer my own question, we know that they are not thinking at all, but following the principles of the Quiverfull movement that believes women should have as many children as god wants them to--which essentially means that they are breeding machines who produce baby after baby until their bodies wear out. Why do this, you ask? It's because the Bible says happy is the man that "hath his quiver full." So Mr. Duggar who can't stop impregnating his wife is equally if not more at fault for this hyper-breeding because of his sexist, misogynist and frankly fascist religious views.

You might say, well, she's her own person, isn't she? She can say no, can't she? That's another question. She belongs to this movement that reduces her to a walking, talking uterus. I wish I did understand why women participate in such ignorant and woman-hating belief systems, but I still don't get it. I even read the book Quiverfull by Kathryn Joyce, which gave me a lot of insight into the movement and the followers. It still baffles me.

Stanley Fish is a dick . . .

My favorite cartoonist and clip art genius David Rees has a great post up at his blog Get Your War On about Stanley Fish and his amazing, incredible and truly mind-boggling positive review of Sarah Palin's "novel," Going Rogue.

Rarely will I just copy another blogger's work, but David Rees deserves to be quoted, not paraphrased, he is so succinct and sublime in his rant against Fish and Palin. Never though I'd say those two names together, now, didja? I've never really liked Stanley Fish, now I hate him. Ha!

David Rees: I truly don’t understand this guy. I get being counterintuitive and provocative and trying to make people “think again” or whatever, but come on … really?

In the end, perseverance, the ability to absorb defeat without falling into defeatism, is the key to Palin’s character. It’s what makes her run in both senses of the word and it is no accident that the physical act of running is throughout the book the metaphor for joy and real life. Her handlers in the McCain campaign wouldn’t let her run (a mistake, I think, even at the level of photo-op), no doubt because they feared another opportunity to go “off script,” to “go rogue.” (from the Fish review)

David Rees: Dude, she was a governor and she quit her job. I don’t care if jogging is a metaphor for “joy and real life,” or if shooting wolves from a helicopter is a metaphor for despair and repealing the estate tax– this woman is stone-ass-crazy. Talk to her for thirty minutes about ANYTHING OTHER THAN ALASKA and get back to me.

Stanley Fish is nuts. It reminds me of that old saying: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Give a man a Stanley Fish essay, drive him mad for a lifetime.”

Fox News: Is our network learning?

Oh, the irony. This clip brought to you by the non-math challenged and super smart Jon Stewart, who can actually add and subtract, which is more than I can say for the wingnuts at Faux News. Morons.

Rachel Maddow takes on the anti-gay agenda

Rachel Maddow is truly an extraordinary interviewer. In this clip, she very thoughtfully, yet forcefully, interviews Richard Cohen, who is the very strange Stepford-like founder of a group called Change is Possible. He believes that "gayness" can be changed into heterosexuality though "therapy." Apparently his brand of therapy is a bit weird (to say the least) and of course he is unlicensed and has been kicked out of all reputable psychological associations.

Too bad for him that his book was used by the Ugandans who were trying to pass a "kill the gays" bill. Luckily the killing aspect of the bill was trashed yesterday, but it still advocates very harsh penalities for homosexuality in Uganda. Very, very scary.

I know it's a bit long, but this clip is worth watching. My favorite part is when she says "I'm reading from your book, dude." Priceless.

Listen carefully to what he says . . .

If you don't already feel as full of hate towards Dick Cheney as I have for years, please watch this video of him of the Hannity program. He basically argues against our constitution. I'm not sure what to even say, except why don't you go away, Mr. Cheney? Your side lost.

The Promise Keepers scare me

A few months ago I foolishly signed up for email updates from the ultra right wing, profoundly conservative, extremely misogynist men's Christian group The Promise Keepers. I figured it would be a good way to keep an eye on their woman hating anti-feminist activities. Thankfully, they don't send out that many email updates. But today I received one that seemed particularly awful. Here is part of it:

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation's history. It is time to encounter God and to take action . . . the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker.

The crisis in our nation is real. The serpentine stranglehold of abortion continues to squeeze the life out of over 4,000 wombs daily. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, is reaching epic heights of perversity. The number of women and children being trafficked into the dark underbelly of the sex industry in our cities is growing at an alarming rate. Entire school systems are giving way to darkness. The sanctity of marriage is under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation.

Our nation has never stood on such a precarious footing as today. The onslaught of spiritual darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power.

Notice the repetitive use of "darkness" as a frightening negative. A little racism, anyone?

The Promise Keepers are a group that claims to be about strengthening families, which really means fighting against female independence and agency. They're a truly horrifying group of ignorant people--this recent missive seems to me to be particularly representative of their ridiculousness.

Wrong on so many levels . . .

What do you think of this fabulous piece of patriarchal memorabilia?

Rape Prevention 101

Stole this from the legendary Twisty Faster of I Blame the Patriarchy. She's a pisser! I love this, since it subverts the usual victim-blaming bullshit that gets bandied about after a rape.

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work

1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks.

2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone.

3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to assault her.

4. If you are in a lift and a woman gets in, don’t assault her. You know what? Don’t even ogle her.

5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not assault her.

6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars.

7. When you lurk in bushes and doorways with criminal intentions, always wear bright clothing, wave a flashlight, or play “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)” by the Raveonettes on a boombox really loud, so women in the vicinity will know where to aim their flamethrowers.

8. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from assaulting women, ask a trusted feminist friend to accompany you when in public.

9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to assault a woman, you can hand the whistle to your buddy, so s/he can blow it to call for help.

10. Give your buddy a revolver, so that when indifferent passers-by ignore the rape whistle, s/he can pistol-whip you.

Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her that you expect to be assaulting her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.

______________________________

Things I like about winter . . .

I decided that since it is going to snow very soon, I might as well embrace winter and enjoy it. So here are a few things I like about winter:

I can go to the grocery store, put stuff in my trunk, and then go to dinner or forget the stuff in my trunk and it will be fine because it is so cold outside.

Falling snow is seemingly very quiet, but it actually makes an eerie kind of sound--kind of whooooosh.

I like complaining with people I don't know about the cold and how much snow fell. Very community building!

I really like the way the trees look after a snowfall.

I like being able to have the fantasy of possibly being snowed in. It's never really happened to me, but you never know.

I enjoy the overly dramatic weather reports on the local news: Winter Storm Watch! Possibly 10-12 inches of snow! Blizzard Watch!

I love my flannel sheets and my flannel comforter cover. Very cozy.

And last, of course, without winter there would be no spring!

Regular people can dance, too!

This is a truly wonderful video of a group of hospital employees doing a group dance in support of breast cancer awareness. I love these people, especially the lone guy in the hall. Apparently he lost his mother to breast cancer.

Thank you, workers at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, in Portland, Oregon.

Condoms and The Endtimes!

Here's an astounding video from some nutjob (who calls himself third eagle of the apocalypse) and argues that using any kind of contraception, including condoms, will prevent you from being raptured. I'm not sure I want to be raptured, but that's another issue. My favorite quote:

God invented the game of sex, therefore, he gets to make the rules . . . please don't be fooled by Satan!

Charming.

you annoy me . . .

Found another wonderful artist today. Her name is Katie Rowley, and she has a web site and an etsy shop. I love the sarcasm of her captions, and the simplicity of her drawings. Something about her work just makes me smile--and it's also beautiful in a strange kind of way.

Here are two of my favorites: You Annoy Me and Surely You Perform Some Function. Awesome!

Yes, Sarah Palin is that dumb.

Holy Hell! Who knew that Canadians were so flippin funny! Thanks to The Daily Beast I have now discovered comedian Mary Walsh from the show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. She is hilarious! Love her!

bad housewife equals hilarity

Timmy knew that if he didn't make eye contact with Adam, The Giant Scary Doll, that Adam would eventually go away!

Found this really great blog this morning called Bad Housewife. She is hilarious and snarky! She also creates wonderful collages using old magazines and images from the past. I love these collages--they're creative, creepy, smart, and funny as hell.

I especially like the subtle subtext of woman as edible object. The collages that depict women and men seem to suggest the longings of men to consume women, and the cultural idea of women altering themselves to be considered desirable. Hmmmmm . . .




From top to bottom: Ice-cream sundae hat, chocolate pudding hat, fruit-cocktail jello hat! Sublime.

are people really this stupid?

Here are some brief interviews with American "citizens" at a Sarah Palin book signing in Columbus, Ohio. This one is from New Left Media by way of Gin and Tacos.

Yikes.

another reason to love Tim Gunn

This morning the L.A. Times has an interview with Tim Gunn, who is by far the most interesting aspect of Project Runway. Below is a small part of the interview where he talks about wearing fur.

Thank you, Tim Gunn!

I would say if you're going to use fur, you have a responsibility to know its origins . . . there's no reason to kill animals for fur. Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, ''I'm in favor of inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.'' Unspeakable torture is inflicted on dogs, cats, bunnies, raccoons, foxes, minks and myriad trapped, helpless creatures in the name of fashion -- yes, dogs and cats.

banned by NBC!

I have my issues with PETA: although I am totally behind their message, sometimes their tactics are sexist. But this commercial is the best. Come on, NBC, show some guts. Nothing like letting people live in denial of the horrors of factory farming. I think everyone should know the origins and truth about their unnecessary carnivosity.

anti-choicers make a movie about themselves!

Here's the trailer for a new movie about the anti-choice/pro-life (or pro-birth, as I like to call them) movement. This movie is a documentary about the history of this anti-woman frenzy and its "progress" in the 1980s and 1990s. The film is populated by the likes of certified psychotic Randall Terry (Operation Rescue) and Reverend Rob Schenk. I really despise these people.

What I noticed while watching this pitiful trailer is that every single one of the people in it is a white guy. All you see are men--no women at all, no people of color. Hmmm.

Assholes.

little white creatures and zombies!

My lovely sister tells me I am obsessed with vulnerable little white creatures--so I am. Well, today while browsing Etsy I came across this amazing piece of artwork from badbird: zombie rabbits!

I love this as it combines two of my favorites things in the universe--Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This one's for you, Seth, and you, Gini! Love you both!

To give credit where it is due, this is a card from the wonderful site some e-cards. They have lots and lots of funny, mean, and snarky cards for every occasion, and they're free!

Here's another one I particularly like right now.

new tattoo

I know this is a bit crazy, but I'm obsessed with this image of Eliza from Black Hole and I've decided to get her as my new tattoo. My only question is this: where do I put the tattoo? I've been thinking of my upper arm, but also considering my lower back. Or maybe the inside of my wrist.

What do you think?

anti-evolution assholes

For some unknown reason, former teen actor Kirk Cameron is now an evangelical zealot, and is spending his time trying to argue against evolution while making Christianity look really bad.

Way to spend your time, Kirk!

Never "more than my own life . . ."

No, I have to say, just no. I understand devotion to literature, and I understand the love of tattoos, and I understand (I guess) combining the two. But please, people, Twilight Tattoos? The Daily Beast has a photo essay of some Twilight inspired tattoos. Of course people are entitled to get whatever fucking tattoos they wish--but couldn't they be devoted to The Catcher in the Rye or As I Lay Dying or Cruddy or Beloved or anything but Twilight?

I have to say I really like this one tattoo of a big 'ole paragraph from Twilight, even though I don't like the sentiment or ideology that's in the paragraph. It gets me kind of crazy to think of this kind of writing inscribed all over women's (and men's) bodies. Haven't you read the books, people? Why oh why would you re-inscribe these misogynist norms onto your bodies? Why do you want to be Bella? Why would you ever put your fucking boyfriend's life before yours?

I'm sorry, but wake the fuck up. Twilight, New Moon, and whatever the other two are called just make me scream. As much as I enjoyed reading the first three, (still working on number four) despite the truly crappy writing--these novels basically revive the idea that "true love" and "romance" are the reason for living, especially for women.

No! Just no.

Orphan sucks

It's not often that I say this, since I can usually find something to like in any horror film, but I really disliked Orphan. In fact, I kind of hated it. I kept wanting it to be over, and kept fast forwarding through the stupid talky parts where the annoying parental units were arguing. But then I would feel guilty, thinking perhaps I was missing some dialogue that might redeem this stupid film, and go back and watch whatever I had zipped through. Of course nothing ever redeemed this not at all scary movie--except perhaps the house, which was a beauty of modern design with the most beautiful wood floors I've seen in awhile.

Anyway, Orphan's dumb premise is about a couple whose third child is stillborn, and because they have so much love they just must share it with someone, so they adopt this weird little girl from an orphanage. Esther wears odd little dresses, and also sports ribbons on her neck and her wrists. Of course she immediately starts acting weird and fucking with the other two kids (one who is deaf and adorable, and one who is a stereotypical pre-teen boy).

Here be spoilers if you give a shit! What turns out to be the problem is so dumb and annoying I was almost rooting for Esther to kill all of them. But first, she has to try to get the parents really fighting each other, and the dad thinking the mom is relapsing (alcohol) and stuff like that. First she has to kill a lovely nun, and smash a pigeon to death, and push a snotty little bitch-kid off a playground slide. She deserved it, sort of. But what really gets me is that the dad gets killed near the end, and really, he deserved it too, since he never believed his very intuitive wife. That's what you get, hubby, for doubting her! Also, there is a crappy therapist who doesn't believe wifey either--she should have gotten knifed, too. I was pretty much hoping everyone would be dead by the end.

The truth comes out when it is revealed that Esther is not a nine-year-old little orphan but a 30-something crazy woman from Romania or somewhere who has killed nine people. She has a mysterious metabolic disorder that makes her seem as if she is a little girl, which of course allows her to ingratiate herself into the hearts and lives of hapless baby-hungry parents.

I was so tired of all of this that I was relieved when it was finally over. Esther, you suck.

fashion, or modern footbinding?

This morning the Los Angeles Times has a story on women and shoes. News? Perhaps not. But it got my attention with these photos!

These shoes are disturbing. I know they're supposed to be extreme for the runway, but really, what on earth are they supposed to be about if not hobbling women? The pair with the sparkles are Alexander McQueen, and I truly hate those. I'm full of hate.

The pair with the heel as fertility symbol (Dior) just say so much to me! Now there's a powerful metaphor for women! What keeps you viable in our culture? Your uterus! What is your true reason for existence? Your ability to reproduce. That is why these shoes say so much--prop yourself up with a symbol that will help you conceive, as well as a pair of shoes so tenuous that you could never run away from anyone trying to tie you to your stove/bassinet/washing machine.

bad descriptions (very bad)

In almost every novel on the copyright page there lies a brief "summary" of the narrative. Recently I've begun to read these so-called summaries to see what they say. I think it's reasonable to assume that these writings will be a good description of at least a semblance of the contents of the book. Not so, I tell you!

Here are a few novels and the fucked up, lame-o, reductive and/or just plain wrong descriptions contained within. These happen to be from my class on adolescent literature.

Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson--summary: A sixteen-year-old Portland, Oregon skateboarder whose parents are going through a difficult divorce, is engulfed by guilt and confusion when he accidentally kills a security guard at a train yard.

Where do I start with this one? No, he is not engulfed by guilt and confusion WHEN he accidentally kills a guard, but AFTER he does so. Stupid.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden--summary: Liza puts aside her feelings for Annie after the disaster at school, but eventually she allows love to triumph over the ignorance of people.

This one is the weirdest--what does it mean to say she "puts aside her feelings" ?? I don't think she does, and after the "disaster at school" can only be referring to the ear-piercing incident which is in no way a disaster. This summary makes very little sense and is just plain stupid.

Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You by Peter Cameron--summary: Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.

This one is also weird and mostly startlingly reductive.That's all you could come up with for James Sveck, that he is struggling to "find a direction" ?? That makes him sound like a moron. Stupid, and criminal, really, when you consider how lovely and nuanced the character is in this luminous novel.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson--summary: A Traumatic event near the end of summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year of high school.

Okay, well, I can understand the need for obfuscation on this one so as not to reveal what the trauma is until the reader needs to know, but really, saying this trauma has a "devastating effect" on her freshman year in high school makes it sound like she didn't get to go to prom or something. How about the effect it has on her psyche or her soul or her sense of self? Fuck the freshman year of high school.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch--summary: High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

I'll say they go "terribly wrong" beginning with this summary! Gigi is not Keir's "friend" but the object of his lust/love/obsession, and her date does not "leave her stranded." It can also be argued that Keir does not attempt "to comfort" Gigi but rather himself, which is a nice way of saying he rapes her.

I think the depiction of James Sveck with his face in his hands on the cover of Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You says it all.

His name was Jason . . .

Today is Friday the 13th, so how can we let the day go by without a little tribute to one of the original low-budget scary movies that actually worked without being stupidly gory like newbie torture porn movies Saw and Hostel?

Here's the original trailer for Friday the 13th. Enjoy.

I've been sucked into a Black Hole . . .

I've just finished reading what may be the most deeply disturbing and yet truly beautiful graphic novel ever. It is Black Hole by Charles Burns, and this semester it's traumatizing my first year students in our course Gender and Graphic Narrative. We've also read Fun Home by Alison Bechdel as well as Ghost World and Shortcomings, but nothing has gotten quite the reaction that Black Hole has.

I have to say Black Hole is incredible--beautifully drawn, narratively non-linear and provocatively visceral. It tells the story of teenagers growing up in suburban Seattle in the 1970s; and Burns has created a version of the 1970s that includes a "bug" which is transmitted by sexual contact and manifests itself by creating different mutations on each infected person. My class decided that each mutation has significance directly related to that person's adolescent angst. One of my favorites is Eliza, whose mutation is a lovely little tail growing out of her backside. It's quite something.

Karen Cooper, my hero!

Of course, one of my favorite movies of all time is Night of The Living Dead. Perhaps it is my very favorite, and truly it is undeniable that NOTLD is one of the most important films of the twentieth century. It is profoundly significant in so many ways--it set the tone and standard for American zombie movies, it made George Romero famous (eventually), it was a deeply political document and an instrument of social critique. Besides, it's just a fucking awesome movie!

I have always loved Kyra Schon, the young woman who played Karen Cooper in the film. Her dad in life and the movie was Karl Hardman who played Harry Cooper, one of the most hated characters in zombie filmdom. His role was a large part of what makes the movie so memorable. I have a wonderful poster on my office door at school with a very disturbing image of zombified Karen Cooper looking at the camera. It sometimes scares my students!

Today I found her web site. Schon sells some awesome stuff, such as an image trowel (those of you who know the movie know why a trowel is important) and dog tags. She also has an etsy shop! I'm excited that I found her web presence, and I salute her role in zombie and film history. You go, Kyra!

Atomic Light fixture!

I look at the furniture section on Craigslist every single day. I became addicted to it when I realized how much I love mid-century modern decor. It seems to me that the very quick and savvy shopper can find amazing shit on Craigslist.

But today when I logged on to the site I came across this posting for am "Atomic light fixture" for the amazingly low price of 20 bucks! So of course I drove out to the bland and terrifying suburbs to get it during my break between classes, barely leaving enough time to feed and walk Marcy and get back for my office hours. But here it is! Isn't it fabulous? I love it so much, even though when I first saw it in person it seemed so much bigger than I had imagined. Once I get it installed I will post another picture! Yippee!

kleenex makes a very good hat

One of my favorite books of all time is Eloise. I love Eloise, and her nutty life at the Plaza Hotel with her turtle Skipperdee and her little dog Weenie. She gets in all kinds of trouble and makes adults very nervous and has a blast all the time. I loved that she was able to get away with so much stuff. I also love her little belly and how her clothes were always in disarray. She is awesomely disheveled.

Kay Thompson wrote these wonderful books and they were illustrated by the incredibly talented Hilary Knight. Knight is fucking artistic genius, and was honored this week at the New York Public Library.

I wish I could have been there.

make it stop!!!!!

One of my favorite movies of all time is Halloween III. It has absolutely nothing to do with Michael Myers or the original Halloween except that some of the actors from Halloween are in it and Tommy Wallace (the editor of the original) wrote and directed Halloween III.

Halloween III has the distinction of being my favorite Tom Atkins movie. If you haven't seen it, safe to say it has one of the best plots ever. It involves getting kids to wear certain masks on Halloween which then will the kill them by turning their innocent little noggins into a writhing mass of disgusting insects as they watch the Magic Pumpkin!

Beware--and Happy Halloween!

Swiffer Stalker Syndrome!

I admit I'm a big fan of the swiffer. I really like swiffering my hardwood floors, and I can't get over how great the swiffer dust mop is. I'm even going to buy a washable pad for my swiffer (Etsy!) so I don't have to rely upon the wasteful disposable dusters. That said, I don't own a swiffer wet mop, but I have thought about it. I have, however, been disturbed by the ridiculous swiffer commercials that depict mops and brooms pining after women who have abandoned them for the swiffer. And of course these commercials, as all cleaning product narratives do, only ever depict women cleaning; usually after men and children who make a huge mess.

But it was not not until this morning, when I read this post on Feministing Community by a nine year old young woman, did I really think about how these narratives romanticize and trivialize stalking. You go, smart girl!

namesake

Here's an amazing photograph of my great grandmother (Annie Elizabeth Keeton) and her daughter Annie Mae Keeton Etter (my grandmother). My mother's mother Annie Mae is very cute, and I just love the look on her face. But what I really love is the look of calm determination on my great grandmother's very beautiful face. She helped raise my mom, and although she died very soon after I was born, I feel her presence in my life in a very powerful way. Here's to strong and powerful women!

sweet kitty picture of the day

Jacks has seemed to make himself at home now that we have officially adopted him. Marcy still chases him relentlessly, and gets really bent out of shape when I pet him or even speak to him, but nonetheless Jacks finds ways of relaxing on a daily basis.

Marcy must have been sleeping at the time.

Michael, Leatherface, and Rosemary

I love horror movies--really love them. I teach a class on women in horror film and it is in many ways my favorite class to teach. What could be better? We watch horror films, read critical essays and a few novels, and take seriously a genre that deserves to be taken seriously.

Last night I saw Paranormal Activity and I really liked it. It wasn't the scariest movie I've ever seen--but it was very creepy and wildly entertaining. I think the creepiest aspect of the movie was how my own anxiety about where I was supposed to be looking made me jumpy. What was going to happen next? I kept wondering where the next fright would come from--I was trying to pay attention to the ways the camera angle was directing my gaze--it was all very exhausting and disturbing. Lots of fun!

Once I got home I found that the ending that was created for theatrical release was not the original ending of the movie--another interesting twist. I thought I'd provide the "original" ending in case anyone wants to watch it. Be forewarned, it really helps to have seen the entire movie--context is key for this one.

10/29/2009 Update: Paramount keeps blocking anyone from showing the original ending of this movie--I've literally posted and re-posted this clip about a dozen times. I give up! You can probably get it on you tube yourself, as people seem to be keeping one step ahead of Paramount there.

(pregnant) women and children first

I'm not really afraid of getting the H1N1 flu virus. I may get it, but I figure I'll survive even though it would surely wreak havoc with my semester. I am only really concerned because I have asthma, and that make me a bit more vulnerable to the flu and to more serious complications from the flu. Of course I get my regular flu vaccine every year without fail. Here's my gripe: I'm really pissed that I am not on the list right now of groups that are prioritized for the H1N1 vaccine.

Who is on the list? Health care workers, of course, children (I suppose) and pregnant women. The pregnant women group is that group that I take issue with. Here's my twisted and, according to my Mom, self-absorbed/narcississtic logic. Pregnant women, by and large, choose to be pregnant. They certainly don't have to get pregnant. In fact, I might argue that pregnancy is a darn poor choice in this economy and in this messed up environment. But really, please, I have asthma. I didn't choose to have asthma--it is an inherited condition that makes my lungs less able to process air out and in. Asthma also weakens one's immune system. So, therefore, those silly, selfish, breeders need to move over and let me in the line.

Step aside, bitches!
(Photo above is of the flu epidemic in 1976.)

Meet Judy the talking embryo!

Okay, apparently there is another group out there (with the catchy name Choice Kills) that has gone and done lost their teeny tiny minds. They actually have a tiny talking embryo with a teeny tiny little girly voice saying "All I want is to get out of here alive!" Aside from the fact that a fetus cannot talk, what would she really say? Perhaps she might protest this group using her image without permission.

And what's with that logo? A fetus being speared by a machete? Now that's just going too far.