Anomic Entropy

No on 3!

2011-01-31T07:07:00.001-08:00

Pleased

2010-12-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted, today, so I haven't mentally sorted and poked at the events of the past few days of #mooreandme to the point where I can form thoughts into words. Fortunately, some bloggerly sorts do not slack like I do. This post, How #MooreandMe Worked, is a great breakdown of how and why this particular protest worked. It's not a blog I'd read before this, but I'm definitely a fan now. Which

This is How it Works

2010-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

Kate Harding posted this poignant description of What Happens When You Accuse a Famous Man of Rape. What's really depressing is that he doesn't have to be famous. If he has friends and/or family and/or a job and/or any community at all, the accuser can be fairly certain they will all support her rapist by denouncing her. She can also be fairly sure that if the story gets out, many of her own

A Link Worthy...

2010-12-20T10:49:00.001-08:00

... of its own shout out. From smartersex.org, a list of Date Rape Facts and Myths.

#mooreandme

2010-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

So, I had a (very abbreviated) discussion with @WikiLeakTweets on Twitter today. It was rather anticlimactic. One thing that stood out to me though, was WLT stating that zie did not propagate rape culture. Being the optimistic, hopeful sort (which is probably why I get so depressed when faced with the horrors people are capable of), I'm inclined to believe that the person on the other end of my

Oh, hello there!

2010-12-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

I just finished my last final of the semester, so what do I do? Come home sit down, and... Ooh! Look! Internet!!! Oh my old friend, how I've missed you. What haven't I missed? Rape apologia. So. Michael Moore sucks. But there are some great writers taking up the cause of re-educating people stunted by rape culture. Here's one: My Milk Spilt. Meanwhile, those of you who tweet, go make use of

Culmination

2010-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

I just double-checked the CD to make sure everything burned properly. It did. So I put the CD into its jewel case and the case atop the pile that represents a whole lotta pride. Fear of the work it entailed to create this stack of paper almost overcame me. I almost dropped out of the history class because I was so scared of this project. And here it is, now, completed. Ready to submit, tonight,

Just Breathe...

2010-11-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

Almost finals. Almost. Two weeks left of the semester and then finals. Thursday I'm doing an oral history interview for the Clark County archives. Very nervous. Much anxiety. The subject is an amazing woman and deserves to have her story recorded in depth. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the responsibility. Tomorrow will be blasting through research for my group project on ballet, body types,

It's the Little Things

2010-10-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

I spent all day working on school stuff (posting discussion material for History of Women in the American West, writing a paper on the power of words in the sexual marketplace, working on an Oral History subject - oy). Sat the kiddos in front of the TV most of the day. Went to my night class... and the dangling carrot, this whole time, was thinking of coming home, pouring a glass of wine, and

Where I'm From

2010-09-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

I came across this in my old Facebook notes and thought I'd like to go ahead and have it saved here. Where I'm From I am from barn cats and owls, from Stampede Rodeos and staunch independence. I am from the white house hidden in the Ponderosa and Blue Spruce shelterbelt of a young granite desert in the Rocky Mountains. I am from the potatoes, the sugar beets and barley rows still weeded by

History

2010-09-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

So my History of Women in the American West class and my History of Sexualities class are providing a lot of overlap. Both can be a little emotionally overwhelming, and it took me until yesterday to realize part of the reason why that is: the subculture of my upbringing hasn't changed much. To be more accurate, being raised a female Mormon in a tiny town of the Rocky Mountain West bore an uncanny

Academia

2010-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Must-read guest post over at Shakesville: Standing in the Crossroads. I have to try to get in some review before my exam in an hour, so I don't have much time to comment on this now, but her discussion of classism in academia is brilliant.

Fading

2010-09-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Not much to say. Too much homework (and avoidance of homework). But I did get a webcam pic, today, that I'm really liking. So I'll share that. Oh, and I've been trying to be a little braver with fashion/accessorizing so, here's one with my hat. Guess that's all for today.

Beyond Passivity

2010-08-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is the difficult part. Well, difficult is relative. But, this, this sitting in my chair, on my computer, morning sun shining in the windows threatening a hot, lazy day... This is where I struggle. I love sitting in class, passively absorbing. Now it's time to do the work. That mountain of homework smelling up my peace of mind from within my 52 pound backpack jammed full of books and

For Today and Many Days to Come

2010-08-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Down in the basement of the Multi Media classroom building of WSU Vancouver, the air conditioning is roaring. One would never know that it's bright and sunny outside. The fluorescent lights are flicker dancing on the shiny white tile floor. Twenty minutes to go before my last class of the day. I had time to drive in to Salmon Creek and stop by Peet's Coffee. It was hot, so I thought something

The Power of Dissent

2010-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today I posted a link to a Bitch Magazine article on my Facebook page. It's about the history of Feminism and the uglier underbelly of some of our feminist heroes. I loved it. Some didn't. In answer to the criticism, " I find it misinformative and not grounded in actual fact. She has taken small bits of info about the trailblazing women she's listed and twisted that info to suit her agenda." I

This About Sums it Up

2010-08-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've been having a glitch-in-the-matrix sort of day. Going through the motions of life and detachedly observing the quirks and surreality of... well... reality. And I had the great good fortune to happen along a beautiful post over at Shakespeare's Sister. As someone who has been told I expect too much from people or have too much faith in humanity (yeah, these are accusations that tend to be

The Down Side of Up

2010-08-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling much better today. Better enough that I have energy to complain about how crappy the past few days have been. The story goes like this: hijinks, hijinks, antibiotics, strange bad feelings, freaky almost passing out with nausea and wonky fatigue, urgent care. Super high blood pressure. Talk of kidney scans and adrenal tumors and kidney failure. Visit to regular doctor. Listen to old

Deep Thoughts, Except Not

2010-08-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've started at least three different polemics chock full of links and stuff, only to find myself getting annoyed with my own bullshittery halfway through and shelving the whole thing. Maybe I'll finish them off when I'm in a better head space. Maybe not. I'm kinda busy with navel-gazing about why I'm blogging about this stuff and what I think it might accomplish. Having a rather short attention

Grades, Approval and Blogging

2010-08-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

Grades are in for Summer semester. 4.0. I'm so happy. I was terrified of the final papers and sure that I was incompetent in academic writing. So much for that. Maybe I can do this, after all. I'm having a bit of a struggle with what to do with the blog, right now. My life has changed so much and most of the writing I do centers around feminism and skepticism. The subjects I take on for both

Guess what I'm buying today?

2010-07-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Does God Hate Women? Looks fascinating. And, yes, I'm still around. Haven't technically given up blogging. Just still absorbing/decompressing from that last crazy semester. Final grades haven't been posted yet, but it's time to buy my books for Fall semester. It's going to be crazy busy. 2 Anthro classes, 2 Women's Studies classes and Abnormal Psych. Let the wild rumpus start.

Another Friday Night

2010-05-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling the Friday festive spirit. Traditionally, Friday is our Family Pizza Movie Night. Original, no? After a day of dragging kids all over Vancouver (my own kids... just to be clear... not out dragging around random children), I'm just kinda phoning in the Fun Mommy thing. I'm not feeling fun. Mostly just tired and impatient. My solution? Costco pizza and another viewing of The

The I'm Awesome thought of the night

2010-05-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

My classes start on Monday. I'm going to finally finish my degree. I am so ecstatic about this.

Unnatural Causes and Nice White People

2010-05-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last night a friend and I went to the first of a series of lectures/community meetings at the library. The series orbits around the documentary, Unnatural Causes... is inequality making us sick? The documentary portion was really quite good, creating the space for many good questions and not (as of the first portion) offering any tidy answers. One thing I found exciting was that the meeting

Walking the Walk?

2010-04-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished a long and serious talk with my daughter; one I hadn't really thought I would be having with an almost-ten-year-old. That is: It's not just your body that's your own. Your time, your energy, your feelings - all your own. No one has the right to demand access to you. Being a girl sometimes means that you will be called mean for being assertive. Many people are threatened or even

Feminism 101

2010-04-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Melissa McEwan, over at Shakesville, did a great entry about Feminism 101, a while back. I highly recommend reading it, even if you already have a pretty decent grasp of feminism. It's a link to keep in to toolbox for dealing with much of the crap that comes up, day to day.

Results of Lift-Off

2010-04-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

A while back, just before I shut down my blog for a while, I posted about being hypomanic and then, shockingly, never followed up. So now that I'm not in that state anymore, I thought I'd go ahead and let y'all know that that part of my life is OK. Yes, I had a hypo jag. During this hypo jag I painted, downloaded deeply inspiring music, committed to eight billion activities for the kids, got

Interesting Development

2010-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

I spent another day with the dentist. Same ol same ol by now, right? Not so much (which you probably surmised). The dentist was doing the crown prep for that root canal tooth when she saw on the tooth next to it a ridge that seemed a little dark. This is a tooth that was fine on X-ray, not slated for anything on the treatment plan. The dentist thought she'd polish the ridge off, though, just so

Size-Friendly Trainers

2010-04-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

After my morning musings, I spent some time on Teh Google and found a few size-friendly trainers. One was a woman of size, herself. So that's pretty cool. It still doesn't seem to be very common, but I'm going to keep looking and learning.

On Personal Training and Health At Every Size

2010-04-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I was going to be a Personal Trainer. I was going to pay my dues at a big box gym until I had the experience and clients to go off on my own and do what I wanted to do: Specialize in working with pregnant and post-partum women. I thought this was something that people really needed. See, most easy-to-find personal trainers have never given birth to a child. If you walk into a gym in search for a

Damnit Jillian, I'm a Mama not a Personal Trainer

2010-04-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

OK. Here's the deelio and stuff: Jillian Michaels was "quoted" as saying she didn't want to get pregnant because she didn't want to ruin her body. According to her Facebook posts, that is not what she said. There's some other stuff, about adoption, that's a little off, but that's not my issue. My issue is that people - smart people I greatly admire - are pissed and bloggin' up a storm. And these

Grounding and Centering

2010-04-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday with the two-year-old in the ER. She has had some sort of crazy little virus for the past few weeks and had gotten very dehydrated. It was miserable, but by 10 PM she was doing well enough that they let us go home instead of admitting her. Now I'm wiped out. I want to write. I want to try to stay more engaged with blogging... but this is going to have to be it for today. Or at

News

2010-04-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am a student of Anthropology and Women's Studies. Classes begin in May. I am ecstatic. Just thought you should know. Oh. And I got a frakken awesome new(ish) minivan. Yeah. And my hair is SUPER purple. I feel like I need some sort of Rocky-esque anthem to convey the awesomeness.

Moving on... Moving On... Nothing to see here.

2010-04-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

I love the sense of control I get when a day starts well. Laundry going, kitchen usable, toys out for playing, but haven't taken over the house... it's good. Bayba has been doing crafts all morning. Mugga has a cold, but is doing much better than yesterday. Right now she's chilling on the sofa watching Dora. I recently started a new med: Clonidine. It's technically for blood pressure, but

Simple Pleasures

2010-04-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm so very happy. When the endodontist finished the root canal, he purposely filed the remainder of the tooth down so it couldn't be used as a chewing surface before I have the crown put on... which would probably be no big deal, except that it leaves me with no chewing surfaces. I can bite the heck out of food, but can't chew. So that's left me with a very limited diet. I can see where people

Of Reasons and Dog Poo

2010-04-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

OK. Getting a little silly with the title... but I can only take myself so seriously for so long. Still, this is a continuation of the last two posts. We All Have Our Reasons My Reason Part of the shame and humiliation of 12-year-old memories is the way they force my to view myself and the way my identity is constructed. I felt weak and powerless and ugly and worthless. And telling the story

My Reason

2010-04-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

This post is a continuation of We All Have Our Reasons. Have I mentioned my reason for all the dental stuff? I feel like I probably have. I feel like I get stuck in these loops where I say too much about it and make people uncomfortable and they wonder why I don't just shut up and get over it... why I let an event that lasted something like 2 or 3 hours (if you don't count the years leading up

We All Have Our Reasons

2010-04-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

I spent a good portion of my day at the endodontist. The first hour or so was awful. I was so nervous that I forgot to bring the X-rays and referral information from my regular dentist. They were very kind and assured me it was fine. I was trying not to act nervous, mind you. But I was shaky. Distracted. I hate anything dentistry related. And no, it's not because I'm just a big hysterical wimp.

Bullies

2010-01-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

This morning, a friend on Facebook linked to this story: Man slaps child in Walmart: Mom blogger can identify, sort of. You can read the comments for yourself, but I don't recommend it. Reading the comment section of any news story can quickly cause depression and misanthropy. Sadly, the first comments on my friend's link were "funny" recommendations for assaulting the mother. Hilarious

Characters: Nikki

2009-09-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Dark hair. Pretty. We got to know each other while swinging on the wood playground structure at Sunset Elementary School. It was first grade. We were six. I felt so foreign, socially. Everyone else had met each other in Kindergarten the year before. I had stayed home - and I would have been educated at home for the rest of my life, if I'd been given the choice. But I wasn't given the choice, so

What am I?

2009-08-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

Appropriate answer: I don't care. If you do, I don't have time for the fallout.There are many labels that would accurately describe aspects of who I am. There was a time I clung to them. They gave me a sold-feeling sense of being Someone. I was Mormon. I was strange. I was a wife. A mother. I was bipolar. An attachment parent. A student. A writer. A...Naming things can help a person make sense of

We Have Lift-Off

2009-08-28T08:23:00.001-07:00

This morning I almost posted this as my status update: should probably post disclaimers now. But on FB this would probably sound like an attempt at manufactured mystery. It is not. So I took my FB update to its proper place (if, indeed, there is such a place). I meant this blog to orbit around bipolar disorder, and it has probably seemed to do anything but. So, for me, it has actually done a

Why I Haven'tBeen Blogging

2009-08-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a long day. Racing around, 3 kids into carseats, out of carseats, errand, back into carseats, out at the next stop... four hours of repetitious stopping, starting and buckling. Finally at home in the afternoon, we made flubber. The baby (now almost 18 months old) would only sleep on me, so I sat rocking her while G-Rex and the Baybster played with their green glittered goo.And then it

:::Crickets Chirping:::

2009-08-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, but silence can be golden.So, since I deleted a large chunk of this blog, I've been busy with my little life. Working on a novel, preparing for ACE's Personal Trainer certification... thinking... adjusting to new neighbors.In my last entry, it seemed the neighborhood was emptying. It is no longer empty... but that's not necessarily a good thing. The empty properties have been auctioned - at

2009-03-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after dinner, my husband and I made an unusual decision. When a neighbor girl knocked on our door, right in the middle of dinner as the sun was going down and darkness descending, asking if G-Rex could come out to play, we reversed our usual, "No, we're eating dinner," and allowed G-Rex to go out. (How's that for a looooooooong sentence?) Why? Because the neighbor girl explained that

Someone Willing to Call it Like it Is

2009-03-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

My older brother sent me the link to a blog entry by Jim Kunstler, entitled, Clusterfuck Nation: Forget About Recovery.While I've been increasingly concerned that full-scale proletariat revolution is coming, he's actually outlined what could be done to prevent it. Too bad it'll never happen, what with the depth of corruption and all.

Must Read

2009-03-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Baseline Scenario, 2/9/09

Pound of Flesh

2009-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

The credit industry is evil in its governance of the world and should be overthrown.Yes, I truly believe this.As I watch the news... watching the Wall Street reporters blame The People for the financial crisis while the banks and manufacturers and giants of industry line up for handouts of the money taken from The People, I get ever closer in spirit to the disenfranchised fomenters of rebellion.

They Say Misery Loves Company...

2009-03-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

but this is ridiculous:BusinessWeek ranks Portland at top of "unhappiest cities" listby The OregonianMonday March 02, 2009, 6:19 AM

My People

2009-01-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

From the Billings Gazette (newspaper of the "big city" nearest my homeland): Citation alleges public intoxication by Cody man on a white horse.

Painfully Funny

2009-01-18T12:40:00.001-08:00

Unseen

2009-01-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

"And sometimes I come downstairs and sit all by myself on the sofa and just hope that someone will see me." -- G-RexI'm feeling like a pretty crappy mom, right about now.

Tuesday's Playlist

2009-01-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

So, after way too much analysis, this is the playlist for tomorrow:1. Don't Cha Pussycat Dolls2. Fighter Christina Aguilera3. Barroom Hero Dropkick Murphys4. Mamma Mia ABBA5. Mr. Brightside The Killers6. Walk Away Dropkick Murphys7. Wannabe Spice Girls8. It's My Life Jon Bon Jovi8. Dirrty Christina Aguilera9. Short Skirt/Long Jacket Cake10. My Humps Black Eyed PeasAbout 45 minutes.Yeah. 5 minute

Off the Blwagon

2009-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

I've had so many things to blog about, but never the time (or attention span) to sit and do so. So, for all my loyal fans and readers (ha!), I have added Twitter to my sidebar. No, I don't imagine my life is all that exciting to anyone else, but I'm a total tech junkie. Especially if it's free. So there ya go.Meanwhile, I'm working on assembling the perfect playlists for my various gym adventures

A Call To Action

2008-12-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

On the Connor and Tavi front, the brief respite that gave us all a little hope is fading back to confusion and fear. No one seems to have answers when it comes to motive or reason. This is the email I received today, on behalf of Steph:From: Organic Internet Subject: A Call To Action - and a thank you for all of the supportDate: Friday, December 19, 2008, 10:22 AMThis is a Call To Action.Many

Revolution

2008-12-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

The trailer is worthwhile just for the Nina Simone.But I'm also captivated by the potential of the story. It could be a very worthwhile movie. I know I'll be seeing it as soon as I can (not sure if it will open in The Homeland... and I won't be back in the great PNW until January).

Connor and Tavvi Update

2008-12-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Tavvi and Connor are still at home - for today.I was unable to be there (between sick baby, icy roads, and our own schools' late start, I couldn't make it in time). But apparently Steph held her ground with well-spoken grace and confidence and the VA social worker left without the kids and without involving police. What now? I don't know.M Lewis at the Shame on Virginia blog seems to be keeping a

Education Bubble

2008-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

"[...] the people that need help now are not leaches. They are not, as a group, stupid or even any greedier than any other consumer in this culture. They are not shiftless or lazy or in any other manner inferior."So what are they/we? Suckers for the "American Dream" BS? For all the reasons you mention, I think higher education will be the next bubble to pop.--Anonymous CommentWhat are they/we?

Tavvi and Connor

2008-12-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

There's a family, here in the greater PDX area, that I've known for a while now. It's a pretty crazy story with way more drama than anyone should ever have to deal with. The short version is that there's a young mother with a preschooler of her own, who jumped through every hoop necessary to become a foster parent for her three younger siblings. These foster kids have been through worse abuse

Reality Bites

2008-12-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I think of strength, or of motherhood, or of desperation, or of the future, this is the image I can't get out of my mind. Dorothea Lange captured so much in this portrait; far beyond any other description.This recession, this financial nosedive the talking heads like to cluck about on the news... This is what they're talking about.A while back, I was watching Anderson Cooper on CNN, "

Some Jobs Just Aren't Worth It

2008-12-12T11:05:00.001-08:00

My wonderful husband sent me the link to this:(Warning: Does contain some profanity.)

Up for Air

2008-12-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

I'm doing better. Cautiously optimistic.It's gray out, sunless and cold, the air dripping splats of freezing rain. My window reveals a blurry view of brittle variations of green, from diseased blackberries to skeletal trees bristling with moss. Winter is here.I don't have to be anywhere. I'd have already made my legendary pumpkin bread, but I'm out of eggs. Ah me, from all that I have seen and

Rapid Cycling?

2008-12-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

For the past few days the mood swings have been absolute hell. I go from OK to well above baseline to so ghastly depressed that I seriously start fantasizing about "falling" off bridges. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.This is scarily similar to what was going on in Hawaii the last year or so I was there. It hurts like that and I don't know why.Yesterday afternoon I sat on my couch, wishing I could wish

Protest Much?

2008-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Wow. That title is about as far away from Shakespeare's line as one might get while still using any of the words. Oh well.So there's been a kerfuffle of protest at the Capitol. More signs. Moving the atheist sign to a less obvious place. Rabid "Christians" protesting. Signs.As for the signs and protests - hey, more power to 'em. They're wrong. But they can say whatever they want, no matter how

Heritage

2008-12-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've mentioned, in my bloggy ramblings, how much I love the teacher G-Rex has, this year. Mr. G and I agree that we now have to live in this town until all our kids are at least done with middle school because the magnet program for the "gifted" kids is so freaking awesome. When G-Rex was offered this opportunity, we had no idea how huge it was going to be. Gifted programs have come

The Little Life

2008-12-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Still rantless. Don't worry, though... one is aways churning under the surface.Today I took G-Rex out on a date. She chose to go to the mall. Hmm. Malls at Xmas. Lots of hipsters/emo kids. That's fun to watch. I thought they were too cool for such suburban destinations. heh Apparently they think they are too... which is why they slouch and scowl while waiting in line at Sabarro. And I'm loving

Goddesses and Wiggles

2008-12-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

First, just too cute not to share with everyone... This afternoon I played Memory with Bayba the Dynamatrix. I went a little easy on her (yeah I'm a sucker for that whole "kid" thing when it comes to competition). She was ecstatic. Literally. Jumping, giggling, wiggling, VIBRATING with joy. I need to spend more time focused on her. She so RAWKS.And the whole "goddess" bit of the title: No, I

Bah Humbug

2008-12-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Missing atheist sign found in Washington state (CNN)I would like to point out that, "An atheist sign criticizing Christianity that was erected alongside a Nativity scene was taken from the Legislative Building in Olympia, Washington, on Friday and later found in a ditch." is not correct. The sign did not criticize Christianity. It criticized religion. But I can see how monotheists might assume

If You've Run Out of Rant and You Know It...

2008-12-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Pass a meme! lolI'll get back on my atheism rant wagon in the next day or two, now that I've shrugged off a couple of days of pretty dark depression (a whole other rant: "break-through" depression... and people and doctors that think the "right" pill will prevent it altogether), but for the moment I'll take a mental break and pass along Possum Momma's meme. Which is to say I'm shamelessly

One of the Few Things...

2008-12-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

...that could worm it's way through the depression muck I'm stuck in:Proposition 8: The MusicalSee more Jack Black videos at Funny or DieNice.

If Someone Were to Make a Movie of My Life....

2008-12-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

;o)

Candlelight Blues

2008-12-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

This is the first birthday in recent memory that leaves me feeling... meh...

Memories...

2008-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Facebook. It's pretty wild.Today I became friends with a girl I wasn't particularly nice to, growing up. She was one of my cousin's best friends, but I kind of had a chip on my shoulder about her and wasn't as friendly (back then) as I should have been. Want to know why? Of course you do.Because, in first grade, she was one of the few girls who would play Army with me, but we always fought over

Sentimentalist

2008-11-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

OK, I was just perusing The Digital Cuttlefish and came across this gem:Wow. That's the first Christmas song in a while to actually bring a tear to my eye. Very nice. Had to share.

Life Uncommon

2008-11-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving.Want a potentially trite sounding gratitude list? I knew you did. On Thanksgiving we all get to rough draft our eventual Oscar acceptance speeches.I'd like to thank my parents for giving me life. Thank you, Mom, for teaching me about education and dedication and for raising me to appreciate fine details and accuracy. Thank you for dragging me, kicking and screaming, through

Grace Under Pressure

2008-11-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

If my blog were a Monty Python movie, this would be the part where it arbitrarily cuts from the actual story to some sort of wierd incongruent intermission...So The Plan was to do the whole Thanksgiving brouhaha at the Urban Princess' house. I was in charge of dessert (of course... heh *preen* ), so my only grocery efforts had been to procure ingredients for a pumpkin pie/pumpkin cheesecake

Beyond the Rant

2008-11-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a lovely day. First, I surprised G-Rex at her classroom with pumpkin muffins for her class (a collaboration with her teacher... a GOOD surprise, not an obnoxious one, I hope... it wasn't my idea!). Then I spent a day getting knocked out of my isolated ranting place.So at the moment I'm feeling a little humbled. A little less know-it-all. Temporarily free of my inferiority/superiority

Meaningful

2008-11-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading some comments on Possum Mama's blog. One (Renee's) that was both annoying (because of its off-base assumption) and important (because those same assumptions are SO outrageously prevalent amongst Believers) asked about traditions and cultural/moral memes atheists pass down to their children.The assumptions always seem to orbit around the notion that atheists have neither

Boundaries

2008-11-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

If you choose to send me email in reference to my blog (especially if it's rude, grumpy email), I will feel free to post it and reply via the blog. And no, I will not go out of my way to remove headers or other identifying data from the emails. I'm putting myself out here on the public stage, as it were, and this is the vehicle which I will use for political or religious discussions with people I

Seething

2008-11-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

From The New York Times: Protests Over a Rule to Protect Health ProvidersWhat disgusts me most is knowing that this is being pandered as something good and protective for the persecuted Christian majority. *sigh*Well, it's not. It doesn't "protect" anyone or anything. It ridicules the laws against religious discrimination already in place and opens the door to further restriction and

Getting A Grip

2008-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

It seems I'm especially susceptible to doom and gloom thinking whilst sick. Today I'm finally starting to feel a bit better, mentally and physically.Realistically, I'm in pretty good shape. I'm healthy (other than the occassional rhinovirus). I'm pretty tough (if I do say so myself). I have a great husband who has a good job. It looks like we will be able to re-fi into a better mortgage with a

Gah

2008-11-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Let me say it again.Gah!Grumpy sick kids. Grumpy sick mama.Working on a re-fi for the house. Trying to figure out how, exactly, I'm going to make some kind of Christmas.It feels like we're all - the whole country - under water. Running out of air while the wealthy <1% hem and haw from their yachts and lecture the hoi polloi about how we are to blame for this mess... while the Auto CEOs take plush

Filler

2008-11-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

PanaceaKidssnifflelick snot from upper lipswith pink darting tonguesshiny eyesdolefulbeseeching comfortblonde headsradiating too much heatas their tiny hands clingto my milk vomit moist shirtImentally inertoffer inapt comfortkissescool cheek pressed against hothands freckled with mis-washed doughstroke backs arched and rigiduntil little bodies relaxeyelids flutter and closeThen sneak away to my

Icing on the Cake

2008-11-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

I forgot to get the infant carseat base out of Mr. McG's car before he went to work. The seatbelts on my ol' tin can minivan won't lock to hold the seat in without the base. I have about 20 minutes to figure out what I'm going to do and get down to the Dr.'s office.What next?

#!@)(%*_)($!!!!

2008-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

I swear if I see one more stupid Acai berry weightloss ad I am going to lose my mind. I can NOT BELIEVE people are still getting duped by weightloss quick-fixes. Aaaaaargh!

How Did I Get Here?

2008-11-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is the kind of day that makes me want to either run FAR FAR AWAY, or just get back into bed and sleep. Either would be acceptable... too bad neither is gonna happen.My alarm went off at 4:50... which should have been perfect because last night I set out my gym clothes and had everything ready to go. All I needed to do was stumble into them and jet down to the gym. However... I wasn't able to

Warrior Princess

2008-11-15T23:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night G-Rex came downstairs kind of freaked out. There was a bump on her second toe. Before checking it out, I figured it must be a wart or something and she was overreacting. No. It was weird and bony.Wednesday morning I took her to the clinic where they x-rayed her little foot (all the while G-Rex chattering about the various bones in the body and how she's studying anatomy in school).

Soldering Iron of Justice

2008-11-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

“If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I’d carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like ‘Hey, look. He’s carrying a soldering iron!’ and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, ‘That’s right, it’s a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice.’ Then everybody would get real quiet

Thoughts on Crying Babies

2008-11-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Although I have learned much from Attachment Parenting methodologies and other Gentle Parenting and Non-Violent Communications techniques, I have to admit that I have met very few people who utilize some of the helpful information without becoming dogmatic. In that way, they are no better than those who who follow any other philosophy 100%. I'm talking about Ezzo Acolytes, Staunch Ferberizers,

Cool Resource

2008-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was done. After hours of cuddling and nursing and attempting to soothe a fussy 8-month-old, I found myself placing her gently in her crib, telling her I loved her, and leaving the room. She fussed. Then cried. Then wailed. I felt horrible. But nothing I had tried had made her feel any better. More than anything she needed to sleep. More than anything, I needed a few minutes to breathe

Who Do I Think I Am Anyway?

2008-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, I bore even myself with my didactic polemics. Always railing against something, blah blah blah... Meh. No one has to read what I write. ;o)So I joined Facebook not long ago and have re-established conversations and relationships with people from my past. That is a bizarre trip in self-exploration, let me tell ya! It amazes me how much power some memories still have... and how just seeing a

Alternative Views and Cultural Relativism

2008-11-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

Just for the record - any comments to me blog that are not spam or spewing hateful ignorance are welcome. Views different than mine, especially when well-written and thoughtful, are enjoyed and very much appreciated.So a few thoughts on the Somalia rape victim story - The reason stories like that reflect our need to vigilantly separate the muddling of church and state is that such barbarism seems

Religious Law

2008-11-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

Those of you who wish your children to pray in schools, to continue to recite oaths to God and country, to keep your religion forming the backbone of secular law... please consider how governments rule when they have the freedom from accountability allowed by religious governance.It seems so safe and normal when it's *your* particular flavor of religion, but as you contemplate the horrors granted

Thanksgiving

2008-11-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

This morning my inbox held a right-leaning email admonishing the spoiled brats who are unsatisfied with this country as-is to quit complaining and be thankful for how good we have it. This seems to be a standard nugget of conservatism, and I thought I'd post my response to that email as today's blog...I think it's interesting to consider whether people who are dissatisfied are really "spoiled

The End of an Internal Argument

2008-10-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Being prone to romanticizing the inherent (supposed) wisdom in the innocence of children, I often waffle on the notion of children being capable of self-regulation. Mostly, out here in the uber-liberal Pacific Northwest, I sit feeling a little uncomfortable - feeling like a control freak - while parents who seem to know more than I do tell me about how children should be able to use their innate

It's Alive

2008-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight I painted. Not walls. Nothing that will make my home pretty. I dug through the closet in the spare room and found my old case of oil paints. Mineral spirits and an old canvas that have been in the garage forever were dusted off and I took over the dining area of my kitchen. Tonight Kali crept from my canvas. It was easy. The build-up of the background is done. Kali is fleshed out,

Money-Saving Tip

2008-10-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

If you buy fancypants Fleur de Sel salt from Whole Foods at $19.99/lb...Don't get flustered by crying kids, etc., and dump the whole container on the floor.

:o) I <3 xkcd.com

2008-10-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/90s_flowchart.png

Men do Sports, Women ... ?

2008-09-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Do me a favor:Next time you visit your favorite bookstore, do a recon mission on the magazine organization and report back to me.Yesterday, at Barnes & Noble in the Vancouver Plaza, I hunted through the Sports section of the periodicals for fitness magazines. They had all the sports genre mags. And Fitness magazines for men. I know there are fitness magazines aimed at women. And that most of them