Main Span
22 hours ago
Friday, March 14, 2008
This just disturbs me
Not the Gothic Lolita fashionistas, they amaze me with their dedication to their subculture. They put standard American goth wannabes to shame. But there's one picture from this magazine I find especially disturbing. It's about 5 or 6 pics down. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Online Travels
Here are the articles, blogs, and etc. that have been catching my eye lately:
Politics (yea, though I am tired of the stress and just wish it were over already, a part of me still follows public opinion:
Daily Kos' 25 Reasons
There is no question Obama is an icon of hope. And despite ridicule to the contrary, hope does matter. When people join movements to realize raised hopes, our nation has a chance of changing for the better.
The Race Factor (from Angry Black Woman)
There’s this underlying idea that gender and race can be separated and that when people speak of women that umbrella means that all women (regardless of ethnicity) have the same concerns and so in this election getting to see a woman in power is far more important than any other consideration.
Dear Geraldine (from Angry Black Bitch)
Let’s get real, Geraldine. You don’t give a flying shit whether you offend the hell out of some people as long as your message gets through to the right people. The kind of people who hear a quote like that and are thankful that someone said it…fucking cheer when they hear it then eagerly e-mail it to five friends…and can’t believe you’re catching hell for it.
The Pain of Others (from Adbusters)
Considering the degradation with which homeless people are treated, it’s no surprise that these ideas have begun to weave their way into pop culture as well. 'Bum Fights' is a series of amateur style DVDs that are available for sale online and at one time were available for sale at corporate chains such as Borders and Best Buy. Various titles in the Bum Fights series include Bum Hunter and Bag Lady Beatings. In these DVDs, homeless people are coerced with drugs, alcohol and food into performing dangerous stunts or degrading acts.
Books and Pop Culture:
I was Beth Ellen (from Jezebel)
The Long Secret, the sequel to Harriet the Spy, understands having a BFF is extremely complicated even when no one is blowing the UPS man. (Don't get me wrong. I love SATC and its ilk in a greasy, 1:00 am, fried-chicken-in-a-bag way. I've just never understood how anyone could be friends with Carrie without therapeutic intervention.)
Haikuvies
(The Princess Bride)
Iocane powder
brings end to battle of wits
ha ha ha ha... flop
Inside Tommy Westphall's Mind
If St Elsewhere exists only within Tommy Westphall's mind, then so does every other series set within the same fictional sphere.
Freakangels (from the mind of Warren Ellis)
23 years ago, Twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next.
Fugtify My Love (from Go Fug Yourself)
IGGY: I wonder what it'd taste like if I used Madonna's fearsome guns to tear off that kid's young flesh and eat it.
Sacrilegious Comic Book Porn from Neil Gaiman (NSFW)
Okay, there is no quote for this, it's about the pictures, folks.
Fancast.com is pretty fucking awesome
There you have it. A slight peek inside what's eating my brain these days...
Politics (yea, though I am tired of the stress and just wish it were over already, a part of me still follows public opinion:
Daily Kos' 25 Reasons
There is no question Obama is an icon of hope. And despite ridicule to the contrary, hope does matter. When people join movements to realize raised hopes, our nation has a chance of changing for the better.
The Race Factor (from Angry Black Woman)
There’s this underlying idea that gender and race can be separated and that when people speak of women that umbrella means that all women (regardless of ethnicity) have the same concerns and so in this election getting to see a woman in power is far more important than any other consideration.
Dear Geraldine (from Angry Black Bitch)
Let’s get real, Geraldine. You don’t give a flying shit whether you offend the hell out of some people as long as your message gets through to the right people. The kind of people who hear a quote like that and are thankful that someone said it…fucking cheer when they hear it then eagerly e-mail it to five friends…and can’t believe you’re catching hell for it.
The Pain of Others (from Adbusters)
Considering the degradation with which homeless people are treated, it’s no surprise that these ideas have begun to weave their way into pop culture as well. 'Bum Fights' is a series of amateur style DVDs that are available for sale online and at one time were available for sale at corporate chains such as Borders and Best Buy. Various titles in the Bum Fights series include Bum Hunter and Bag Lady Beatings. In these DVDs, homeless people are coerced with drugs, alcohol and food into performing dangerous stunts or degrading acts.
Books and Pop Culture:
I was Beth Ellen (from Jezebel)
The Long Secret, the sequel to Harriet the Spy, understands having a BFF is extremely complicated even when no one is blowing the UPS man. (Don't get me wrong. I love SATC and its ilk in a greasy, 1:00 am, fried-chicken-in-a-bag way. I've just never understood how anyone could be friends with Carrie without therapeutic intervention.)
Haikuvies
(The Princess Bride)
Iocane powder
brings end to battle of wits
ha ha ha ha... flop
Inside Tommy Westphall's Mind
If St Elsewhere exists only within Tommy Westphall's mind, then so does every other series set within the same fictional sphere.
Freakangels (from the mind of Warren Ellis)
23 years ago, Twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next.
Fugtify My Love (from Go Fug Yourself)
IGGY: I wonder what it'd taste like if I used Madonna's fearsome guns to tear off that kid's young flesh and eat it.
Sacrilegious Comic Book Porn from Neil Gaiman (NSFW)
Okay, there is no quote for this, it's about the pictures, folks.
Fancast.com is pretty fucking awesome
There you have it. A slight peek inside what's eating my brain these days...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Okay, so the guy in the office next to mine is watching Dr. Phil
I guess I'm not the only one doing something personal on the company dime.
Recently finished reading:
Can there be a true meshing of tragic American history and magical realism? Yes, it's called The Monsters of Templeton.
The first two of the ever-growing (and addictive) Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear.
The latest in a series of hardboiled vampire noire: Already Dead, by Charlie Huston.
Comic book genius Warren Ellis' fiction debut, Crooked Little Vein.
And I caught up on all my Buffy Season Eight (yes, including that issue).
It occurs to me I have very diverse reading tastes. I like it that way.
Listening to:
My iPod! I lurv lurv lurv my iPod! It's like having your favorite radio station on all the time with no commercials. The only problem is, I'm obsessed with my shuffle. I have 854 songs on the thing and I'm only at song 476. Do I have the fortitude necessary to keep going until I hear every song in the tiny thing? My favorite aspect of it: the Dada-esque quality of song choice. For example: I had My Bloody Valentine's Loveless in there. And it seemed the Pod was determined to give me every song off the album at inopportune times, such as when I want to hear Rob Zombie, for example. No one wants to hear "Soon" when they're in the mood for "Living Dead Girl" people. So I would fast-forward only to have...yet another song from Loveless come up not two songs later. As if the Pod were telling me, "You will hear something dreamy right now because it's what I've determined is good for you and I'm the mighty Pod. Do not question me!"
Yes, master. Shall I eat some bugs next?
Recently finished reading:
Can there be a true meshing of tragic American history and magical realism? Yes, it's called The Monsters of Templeton.
The first two of the ever-growing (and addictive) Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear.
The latest in a series of hardboiled vampire noire: Already Dead, by Charlie Huston.
Comic book genius Warren Ellis' fiction debut, Crooked Little Vein.
And I caught up on all my Buffy Season Eight (yes, including that issue).
It occurs to me I have very diverse reading tastes. I like it that way.
Listening to:
My iPod! I lurv lurv lurv my iPod! It's like having your favorite radio station on all the time with no commercials. The only problem is, I'm obsessed with my shuffle. I have 854 songs on the thing and I'm only at song 476. Do I have the fortitude necessary to keep going until I hear every song in the tiny thing? My favorite aspect of it: the Dada-esque quality of song choice. For example: I had My Bloody Valentine's Loveless in there. And it seemed the Pod was determined to give me every song off the album at inopportune times, such as when I want to hear Rob Zombie, for example. No one wants to hear "Soon" when they're in the mood for "Living Dead Girl" people. So I would fast-forward only to have...yet another song from Loveless come up not two songs later. As if the Pod were telling me, "You will hear something dreamy right now because it's what I've determined is good for you and I'm the mighty Pod. Do not question me!"
Yes, master. Shall I eat some bugs next?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Colleen Mondor Says exactly What the Goddessdster is Thinking
I am so glad I don't have to put the energy into writing this, as she did it for me.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Just a little thing...
As an opening caveat I feel I should say I subscribe to Horn Book; I frequently read YA literature and fantasy, consider myself an adult (but not a grownup - I don't feel I will ever fully reach some pinnacle wherein I will then stop growing as a person), and have considered (and am still considering) studying children's lit, possibly for an MLS.
Read Roger is the Horn Book blog. It frequently annoys me, as in the example of this post.
Now there are many many things I could say in response to this, but I believe this commenter put it the best:
Well put, Deborah. Whoever you are. You are my heroine of the day.
Edited to add: Deborah is a librarian and reviewer for Horn Book and posted her response to her own words on her lj here.
Read Roger is the Horn Book blog. It frequently annoys me, as in the example of this post.
Now there are many many things I could say in response to this, but I believe this commenter put it the best:
Well put, Deborah. Whoever you are. You are my heroine of the day.
Edited to add: Deborah is a librarian and reviewer for Horn Book and posted her response to her own words on her lj here.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Oh, and one more thing...
I miss TV.
I miss my (imaginary) friends...
So here are some pictures to keep us all going.
Oh, the pressure!
I recently deleted my MySpace page. I had grown to hate MySpace and resent its intrusive presence in my life. I hated the targeted ads I was seeing every time I logged in. I hated that my so-called friends had gotten in the habit of only giving out any information about their lives through their blogs and considered that communicating with others. I especially despised the hollow empty feeling I would get whenever I tried to convince myself this was a true means of staying in touch with others.
Secret (not): I am an introvert. I love people. I can socialize beautifully for about two hours tops until I feel like my brain is imploding. This happens even at family gatherings. My soul is literally sucked out of my body anytime I attempt to make what is termed small talk. I require time and space to myself to feel fully human and be ready to face whatever life throws at me. But I am not a loner. I get lonely. I tend to isolate myself too much, sometimes not out of necessity, and feel as if my emotional walls are closing in around me. That point when I believe it's totally okay to be alone all the time? That is the point at which I should start worrying. That is the point where I've given up.
But freaking MySpace tortured me with its seemingly perfect opportunity to keep in touch with multiple people at once. Instead I felt I was taking part in some shallow vapid game of ironic oneupmanship and continuously emptying my heart to people who couldn't be bothered to share with me personally the news of their lives. Then the guilt would set in if I didn't keep up with every little bulletin, every blog, every change to their page, their pictures. And I couldn't just see it, no. I had to comment on all of it.
Small talk in the virtual world. That sound you hear is the whooshing my spirit makes as it slowly dies.
I hung in there. For months. Because (are you ready for this?) I was afraid everyone would forget about me. Yes, I am that pathetic. Recent events, though, convinced me that the relationship is officially dead. I got into my third argument with the same friend over a miscommunication through MySpace messaging. And insert the ARRRRRGH!!! here, please. After I got over being angry, and then got over feeling like a moron (because this never would have happened if we had been talking face-to-face), I deleted my page. I thought I would regret it. I thought I would miss checking in on all the minutiae of my friends'/acquaintances' lives. I honestly thought I would feel like the kid not invited to the party but who gets the joy of hearing everyone talk about it later.
What I actually feel is...free.
Secret (not): I am an introvert. I love people. I can socialize beautifully for about two hours tops until I feel like my brain is imploding. This happens even at family gatherings. My soul is literally sucked out of my body anytime I attempt to make what is termed small talk. I require time and space to myself to feel fully human and be ready to face whatever life throws at me. But I am not a loner. I get lonely. I tend to isolate myself too much, sometimes not out of necessity, and feel as if my emotional walls are closing in around me. That point when I believe it's totally okay to be alone all the time? That is the point at which I should start worrying. That is the point where I've given up.
But freaking MySpace tortured me with its seemingly perfect opportunity to keep in touch with multiple people at once. Instead I felt I was taking part in some shallow vapid game of ironic oneupmanship and continuously emptying my heart to people who couldn't be bothered to share with me personally the news of their lives. Then the guilt would set in if I didn't keep up with every little bulletin, every blog, every change to their page, their pictures. And I couldn't just see it, no. I had to comment on all of it.
Small talk in the virtual world. That sound you hear is the whooshing my spirit makes as it slowly dies.
I hung in there. For months. Because (are you ready for this?) I was afraid everyone would forget about me. Yes, I am that pathetic. Recent events, though, convinced me that the relationship is officially dead. I got into my third argument with the same friend over a miscommunication through MySpace messaging. And insert the ARRRRRGH!!! here, please. After I got over being angry, and then got over feeling like a moron (because this never would have happened if we had been talking face-to-face), I deleted my page. I thought I would regret it. I thought I would miss checking in on all the minutiae of my friends'/acquaintances' lives. I honestly thought I would feel like the kid not invited to the party but who gets the joy of hearing everyone talk about it later.
What I actually feel is...free.
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Roger, there is a big difference between taking issue with children's literature advocates who claim that children's or young adult novels are the sublime epitome of all that is good in prose, and saying "adults whose taste in recreational reading ends with the YA novel need to grow up". You say that those of us whose recreational reading needs are met in the main by children's or young adult books are "missing a lot". Well, sure. Everyone who makes a choice is missing a lot. Those who fulfill their recreational reading needs with Barbara Kingsolver might be missing out on what John McPhee can give them. Those who will gobble up restoration comedies might be missing out on the thrill of a high-quality mystery. People who only have time to watch Grey's Anatomy miss out on Scrubs. The world is full of great ways to spend our recreational time, some marketed towards children and others marketed towards adults, some well-crafted and some less so.
You say "to say that children's literature will give a grownup all he or she needs from books suggests there is no reason to grow up in the first place". Really? My pleasures of growing up have included owning my own home, of eating Cadbury's Chocolate Spread the spoon without anybody yelling at me, having a profession and an avocation, volunteering, choosing friends, having sex, growing my own garden, making pie, and yes, reading Flora Segunda instead of cleaning my room. Was my reason for growing up really so that I would learn to appreciate Stephen R. Donaldson over Diana Wynne Jones, Jane Austen over Margaret Mahy? Because personally, I'll take having the right to vote and the intellectual capacity to vote wisely over some kind of moral requirement that my recreational reading come from books marketed towards adults.