so i've been musing...

sometimes it's hard to write. it's hard to focus when there are a million and one issues about which i could be ranting. it's especially hard when i read all of these amazing posts everyday from other bloggers.

they all just seem so PERTINENT, with mine weak and irrelevant in comparison.

i'm the type of person that reads something, has a visceral, gut reaction, and have to put my thoughts down NOW NOW NOW or i lose them. i'm a totally 80s ADD child.

not to mention the fact that i'm at work, where i should be concentrating on cleaning up album information or fixing some bad hyperlinks on our database. (i'm a tech editor, for those of you who don't know)

and to top it all off, it's friday, and i just got back from a five day mini-vacation to chicago. in short, my brain is roughly the consistency of a sopping wet bowl of grits.

this doesn't stop me from feeling guilty.

if others can manage to balance all of these things plus manage to consistently post amazingly thoughtful blog entries, well, dammit, i'm sure gonna try.

but apparently not now, 'cause a coworker wants me to accompany him to borders.

it's friday... guess it's time to rate my blog!

Mingle² - Online Dating

i find it interesting that 'lesbian' was tagged as one the reasons for my blog rating, while 'queer' was not. guess i have to keep working for those nc-17 tags.

so i accidentally hit the 'next blog' link...

i was all ready to enter a blog about accountability and abuse. after accidentally hitting the 'next blog' button as my phone rang (lol), i was totally accosted with this

bring on the pride! (chicago deep dish style)

so i'm in chicago for pride and to check out neighborhoods and such... seriously considering moving here at the end of my horrid lease in michigan. any chi-town ladies know of some rad places to kick up my heels? or if you're local, wanna possibly meet up for a drink or personal tour? *grin*


anyway, here til monday morning ~ maybe some pics to come? who knows what the weekend may bring... rock on!

maybe i should lighten up, but...

i'm sorry, but i really don't find this funny. i just don't.

thanks for the warning, CWA...

this will probably pass in AL. thank goodness they want it an elective. but why does it need to be placed as some sort of state-certified course in public schooling? i just don't understand how people seem not to get the basic premise of SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

thomas jefferson is credited with being the first person to coin the phrase. and, interestingly enough, the concerned women for america (don't you LOVE how these conservative groups seem to imbue their activist groups with such desperately self-important sounding titles?) drop jefferson as one of their solid reasons for approval of teaching the bible in the public education system. how odd...

if you want your children to be taught your religion, keep it in the church, the home, take your children to a private school or teach them at home. don't force your beliefs onto others, please.

reminds me of that old bumper sticker that still makes me smile: lord, save me from your followers.

i hope someone catches these motorbike assholes

my condolences to the families, friends, lovers, affected by this tragedy.

i am constantly humbled by the idea that i've had the benefit of an education. and my family had hardly to worry that walking out the door to go to school (school? i mean, i have a vagina, how DARE i?!?) was an invite to terrorist threats and murder. and although americans live in the wake of the columbine and vtech shootings, we're still a world (quite literally, in this case) away from being warned by terrorist organizations to not leave our homes to learn.

i wish i could get the bad taste from my mouth.

chick publications... who knew?

hey everyone! did you know that if you tell your kids about the tooth fairy, they'll end up being serial killers and put to death in prison?!? um, right.



that's what chick publications has to say in their completely unbiased, unoffensive latest comic strip! this is so many shades of wrong that i don't know where to begin...



i'll let you all read for yourselves... and then, chick gives you links and helpful tips on ways to witness to all of us poor bastards unenlightened by its extremely intelligent and well-informed staff. i mean, there's a drop down menu at the side of the page that promises to tell you how to meet jesus or "how to witness" on holidays (they tell you just how not to miss the great opportunity that halloween provides), on vacation (for a thrill!), or even while shopping.

**note the lovely pictures that accompany each "witnessing opportunity" ~ classic.

damn, i'd love to have some wide-eyed crazy try to come up and 'witness' to me, lol...



thanks megan, for sending me the link to chick and making my eyes bug out of my head so much i had to post twice today. (and leave it to some uber-right christians to have a website named chick.)

what in hell is wrong with ann althouse?

reading this from feministe before i even had my coffee today has made my skin crawl. there's so much i could say about it, but jill put it so well. i hope those idiots get what's coming to them. and with any luck, aa will learn a lesson in humility. good luck, jill.

isn't prom night date rape HILARIOUS?!?

okay, so i realize that EVERYONE else in the free world has probably already seen this ad, but i just couldn't let it go.

O.

M.

G.

what in the hell does having your virginity stolen by some kid rock-looking trashball rapist have to do with selling ugly purses? and what genius asshole decided that this ad is actually okay?


nice job, timbuk2. i will officially NEVER buy your products, which have an amazing cult following, due to the QUALITY of their bags. the company began designing for bike messengers, and they're known for being long-lasting and durable. also, originating from bike messengers has given the company a general hipster street cred, as much as um, i don't know, PBR or chuck taylors. if they spent half as much time as they do designing their aesthetically challenged (to my taste, anyway) bags and put it toward assembling their marketing teams, maybe they wouldn't be pushing out heinous criminal offenses as viable advertising schemes.

or maybe the douchebags all raped their prom dates and somehow think it's okay, funny even. please.


***no offense meant to either the blue ribbon of beers or converse. i happen to enjoy both immensely *8~D

blogebrity & christenings of several types ~ welcome!

inspiration

so a big fattie thanks are in order to mrb for getting me prepped to stop basking in my 'i'm such a loser and not doing anything viable for the world at large' whining and actually start taking action. the other night we discussed various feminist issues and websites to which he frequents, as well as his new blog. it's going great, sir! i adore the fact that the biggest feminist i know is a tall, heterosexual, middle class, white male (in no particular order.) *grin* i need an outlet as well. and while i don't really care either way whether or not people read this, i do need to get it all out. maybe for self-justification, maybe to stroke my ego, but definitely to keep me (perhaps?!) a little more sane.



and so, this morning, at work, instead of actually getting shit done (as i should also be doing now, lol,) i went to feministing to check out what the blogebrity (my newly created word of the day!) jessica valenti had to report. and is there a hot plate today! the article in question , is one that i had no idea people felt so strongly about. silly me!



i was truly unaware that women are being required to jump through so many hoops about taking or not taking a surname. i really don't believe that my name should be in legal question, decided by the courts. if one partner wants to take the other's name, or combine them somehow, or keep their birth names, who cares?!? names are a very personal thing, and individuals have every right, just as they have the right to choose first names, to keep or discard them at will. signing paperwork and making things official should not be more or less depending on your gender.



the idea here is to GIVE PEOPLE THEIR OWN RIGHT TO CHOOSE. the commentary on valenti's relatively short post astounded me. i was amazed at the amount of people getting so touchy about being expected to side permanently either way. (ie to change or not to change)



here's how i see it:

if you tell women they should change their names out of respect to their spouse, that's not right. similarly, if you tell women they should keep their names out of respect to themselves, that's not right either. decisions are personal. and although they affect us all, they must be made. it's your RIGHT to choose whatever name you would like. and you shouldn't be made to go through extra bullshit or criticized, whichever way you lean, to make that decision, as long as it's not expressly hurting yourself or anyone else.



(how's that for the definition of liberal , lol.)

and just because i REALLY need to get back to work, i won't even start on the fact that as a queer woman, i don't even quite factor into this debate, as i don't even receive the right (thanks, dear government) to marry and worry about taking (or not taking/adjusting) my surname.