June 22, 2006

Lately I have been weighing the pros and cons of staying in Austin or moving elsewhere, preferably closer to my aging parents and my best friend and her 6-month old kid. And mountains. And green forests. And 75 degree summers. It is the looming deadline of my graduation that has me up nights staring at the ceiling fan. It's less than a year away, and never mind that half my dissertation isn't written yet (I don't even have results yet), but good grief! What do I do now? Nothing really sounds appealing. Lots of things sound unappealing. Like academic jobs (though I've always known that one), or super-hoity toity research firm jobs where your salary is dependent on going out and finding clients and securing grants. The thing I like best, which is independent consulting, is economically infeasible without a second salary to back me up while building a client base. The biggest joke of all appears to be on me after all this PhD business: I left the best job I'll ever have four years ago, and now I fear I will spend the rest of my life trying to find something as good. Since I am afflicted with the ole "grass is greener" mentality, I can't see how this could have happened any other way though.

More and more, a certain feature of Austin living leads me in the direction of leaving town - the god damn mosquitoes. I swear. It is enough to drive me yelling and swatting right on out of this apparently swampy mosquito hole of central texas. And I refuse to invest hundreds of dollars in dry landscaping and propane-electric CO2 mosquito traps that *might* work. Alaska supposedly is famous for its bad mosquitoes, but at least there you have a fighting chance - they are so huge, you can feel them land on you, so before they start biting you can swish them away. Down here, they're so tiny and fast you have no idea they are even there until it's too late and about twelve of them have already had their way with you. My arms and legs are covered in little scabs because I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to itching. Anyway. I am so indecisive and non-committal that it might take something as inocuous as flying insects to help me make up my mind.

P.S. I am weary of thinking of pithy little titles for my entries, so I am going back to how diary entries always have been. Just the date.

It's the longest day of the year, you say?

Here are the winners of the Real Hot 100 - there are a few Austin ladies in the mix.

Speaking of hot, Happy Summer Solstice! Always a big deal for someone who grew up in Alaska. Though it wasn't hot per se, it was very bright. They have parades, a midnight sun marathon, a midnight softball game (played without the use of lights, of course), and people dress up in crazy costumes.

And finally, a Hot Tip for breakfast sandwich afficionados: P & K Grocery at S. 5th and Mary makes a great one. They use cast-iron pans to create a lovely english muffin-fried egg-cheese-peppered bacon sandwich. My only complaint would be the American Cheese (godawful stuff-why do chefs think this is ok to use?), but there's not enough of it to bother me that much.

Random information I've been storing up

Best new brunch spot: Zax Pints and Plates on the corner of Riverside and Barton Springs.

Best waffles: Progress Coffee on weekends (they're heart-shaped!)

Best dessert: FINO! For M.'s birthday, we tried out this sister restaurant to Asti. My dessert ruled - a Madjool fig beignet with turkish coffee ice cream and coffee syrup.

Weirdest window display that no one ever mentioned: Your Living Room furniture store on the corner of S. Congress and Barton Springs. Male and female mannequins couple sitting in a bed with no clothes on, welcoming a third mannequin (female), who is standing at the foot of the bed (with no clothes on).

Wildlife sighting: We have three sparrow eggs in an unused mailbox by our front door.

Most unexpected outcome of a domestic animal spat: Our Frankie kicked Angus the cat's butt while staying at Angus' house while we were at Schlitterbahn. No one kicks Angus' butt! Until, now, that is! No word yet on whether Frankie is invited back.

Favorite newish album: Band of Horses, Seattle USA (check them out June 25th at the Parish)

Best band news: What Made Milwaukee Famous just signed to Barsuk, which makes them labelmates with Smoosh; Team Dresch may be getting back together; Smoosh released their second album this week; Murder City Devils are headlining the Capitol Hill Block Party for a one-time-only reunion, on July 29 in Seattle - I'll be there!

Best detail in the utopian world of the West Wing: During the series finale, the chief justice of the supreme court (swearing in Jimmy Smits, no less) was a woman. Sigh.

Latest TV series epiphany: The end of season 4 of Angel is a metaphor for the difference between people whose feminist consciousness is raised, and those who remain under the spell of blissful ignorance. It even showed how when the spell is broken, you get depressed. I don't really think the writers meant it this way, it was more of an Are you better off being unhappy with free will vs. happy without free will thing, but it totally works.

Team Dresch lives!

It is true, that every once in a great while something good that has ended can be reborn, just as it was before. In this case, it is Team Dresch, with the original lesbionic rock action lineup! who has risen from the dead. OMG! as the kids say. John is going to see them tonight in Seattle. So far they are just playing the northwest, Brooklyn, and Chicago. OMG! My young rock sensibilities were nurtured on the albums "Personal Best" and "Captain My Captain" - "She's Amazing" is one of the best love songs I've ever heard, I found out who Phranc was by listening to the tribute song, "Uncle Phranc," and my hair was blown back and my eyes opened to the world of political punk rock possibility by "Hate the Christian Right."
OMG!

Good thing #594...ending

Continuing with the rather morbid theme my blog seems to be taking every now and then, I submit the latest thing to bite the dust. Our lovely, quiet, secret cove where we live with a view of downtown.

The demolition crew came and razed the 60+ year old house that used to stand across the yard from us, to make way for two houses that will completely block our view. The new owner/developer "Mike" is hereby designated as public enemy #1 around here. Extra irritating is that he can't be a day over 30. It bothers me when people that young have that much money AND have a corresponding air of entitlement AND decide to build two McMansions in a historic Austin neighborhood.

The chickens of the world need your help!

Listening to KUT on the way to work today, I found out that today is International Respect for Chickens Day. The purpose of Respect for Chickens Day is to "celebrate the dignity, beauty and life of chickens and to protest against the bleakness of their lives in farming operations." Chickens represent something like 90% of the animals killed for meat in this country, and the conditions they live in are comparatively much worse than what cows are subjected to (we're talking relative levels of horror, here, of course). A non-profit called United Poultry Concerns, the impetus behind Respect for Chickens Day, does great policy work on behalf of chickens, like supporting a Delaware bill to give egg-laying hens more space to live in. Their website is full of interesting chicken activist resources, and pictures and stories of nice chickens who have been rescued. Also of note is the section called Think Like a Chicken, with poems and stories written from a chicken's point of view. I am a big fan of chickens, and stopped eating them almost completely a few years ago. Did you know that some types of chickens are endangered, and that they can make nice companions? I really enjoy our neighbor's little flock of chickens (and rooster)...they were peacefully pecking around the grass this morning as I pulled out of our driveway.
So for my chicken-eating buddies out there, maybe just today you can abstain from eating chicken or eggs out of Respect for Chickens Day!

TV, job, vacation - in that order

A lot of stuff is going on right now, and it's all jumbled up in my head so I'm just going to start with whatever I think of first....

First off, I want to say for the record that I would totally watch another season of West Wing with the new, incoming Santos administration. How awesome would it be to watch these characters navigate their first term? Santos (Jimmy Smits), VP Baker (the guy who played Al Bundy on Married w/ Children), Secretary of State Vinnick (Alan Alda), of course Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), an as-yet-unknown position for Donna Moss (Janel Moloney-I'm so glad the writers finally got those two together in the last half of the final season), Mary Louise Parker (my fave!) as chief of legislative affairs, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) as Deputy Chief of Staff, and Lou (Janeanne Garafolo) as Director of Communications. I would TOTALLY watch. But, good thing #593 coming to an end is, alas, The West Wing.

In other television news, I realized the other day while accidentally pausing on The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo that the infamously sexist/50s throwback husband "Slade" went to my high school in Anchorage. He was two years ahead of me, in the class of '87. Gross.

Veronica Mars still kicks ass. As does the character Chloe on "24," who is managing to simultaneously help save the country from domestic terrorists while evading the authorities (who are in league with the terrorists) AND having to periodically taser a dude who is harassing her in a hotel lobby while she hacks into top-secret government computer systems.

I will be changing jobs at the end of the summer - I got a starvation-wage gig at a university-based philanthropy and public policy research center for next school year. I will be a po graduate student again but much happier, I hope. One note of caution is that the dude I will work for is a bit snooty in that Chicago - Harvard school way (he was altogether nonplussed by the string of state universities on my vitae). I'll continue to do consulting for a local non-profit, which is my favoritist job. In the meantime, M. and I are going on vacation! Later this summer we're headed to Seattle for 4 days, and continuing up to Anchorage for 6 days to visit my buddy and her family (especially my new godkid). More on the vacation plans later, but we are taking applications for a dog-sitter for our little angel, Frankie:

Where does "Layabout" fall in this list?

I'm just posting this link because it's fun to look at lists of occupations. You know, like Parade Magazine's annual "What do People Make" issue? I love that issue. This one is Money Magazine's top 50 best jobs in America - but they have a bigger list of like 150 so you can look yours up and see how you stack up. Don't you just love social comparisons? Oh - and college professor appears to be the second best job in America, FYI.

Anyone know how to fix a Magic Merlin?

As I have been approaching my 35th birthday for the last few years, one internal exercise I force on myself is to try to determine exactly what my reasoning is for choosing not to have children. There are many reasons, which I have known my entire life, but I like to torture myself by reviewing the reasons just to make sure I haven't decided anything rashly or prematurely (like, say, at age 10). One reason I have come to realize is that I absolutely cannot bear childhood disappointment. It's one of those things that tears me up inside, including the reliving of my own. The optimistic innocence and eventual dashing of childhood dreams is excruciating to bear witness to.

Anyhoo, one of the more trivial but nonetheless memorable disappointments of my own childhood involved my dream of owning a Magic Merlin. My parents seemed to have no idea what sorts of things I liked, along with an inability to read my mind and know that all I wanted in the world in 1980 (could have been 1979, not sure) was a Magic Merlin. I remember for Christmas that year there was even a box that looked about the right size for a Merlin, but I opened it and it was something else (probably a doll, and I didn't like dolls).

So fast-forward about 25 years, and for Christmas 2005 my best friend sent me a box with her own Magic Merlin inside (with the original instruction booklet!). Enclosed was the following note:

"Childhood dreams can always come true! I have been meaning to send you this - I didn't make the connection until a year or two ago. I only got a Merlin because of my Uncle, otherwise I do not believe my mom would have thought it the best. I have probably had this for 20+ years. Thought I'd share it with you as I remember playing it tons..."

She knew I had always wanted one and hadn't realized that she had one all this time. It was the best gift ever! Until I put the 6 batteries in it and it wouldn't turn on. Drat! So, does anyone know how to fix one of these? My 9 year old self would love you forever.

Joan Jett is comin' to town!

She's playing at the Republic of Texas Biker Rally (ROT Rally) on June 3rd. I think out at the Expo Center, not sure yet. I had a dream about it last night - I was there with all the bikers. And then there was this pasture with cows in it, and all the cows were sitting upright. It gets a little fuzzy from there.

RD analysis

In my last post I escaped without adding any analysis or point of view of my own, as I am want to do. But I will tag onto Rockabilachica's recent post about the subject, and be more specific about my unpopular view.

In theory, it shouldn't be hard to tell the difference between exploitation and empowerment in the public sphere. Isn't empowerment at the very least the absence of exploitation? But here we get into the age-old debate of whether someone is empowered because they think they are. I'm sure a lot of the girls and women in Girls Gone Wild think they are empowered (or at least they did initially). Who's to say they aren't? Well, I'll go out on a limb and and say that no, they aren't empowered by that. Am i imposing my dogmatic views on them? I guess so. What about the African American student who says that without a doubt, in her mind she has never experienced racism? Can someone be objectively exploited without subjectively experiencing it? I think yes. With roller derby, it is a lot less clear cut than GGW (which is clearly run by men for men), Suicide Girls (recent article here) - run by a man for men with the veneer of individual empowerment for the models, which is basically a marketing ploy to make alt-porn consumers feel better - and even the modern-day resurgence of burlesque.

Part of the problem is this business with "reclaiming." In one of the comments under Twisty's post, a roller derby participant points out that TXRD symbols like the mudflap woman and sexually derogatory team names like the putas del fuego are their symbols, their words. Are they really? I'm not so convinced. Nor am I convinced that we have reclaimed gender epithets like "Bitch" and "Cunt," and I'm not convinced that African Americans have successfully reclaimed racial epithets. Though I have no systematic data to support this, I would venture a guess that the use of these terms outside of individual, intimate communities of women and African Americans is still considered disrespectul and has a violent connotation. Another skater wrote that she couldn't imagine what was sexy about watching women fall down, and thus the appeal had to be about the athleticism. Hello? That's some serious denial. The whole point for some seems to be that when the woman falls down, the butt goes in the air, the skirt flips up.

I have attended many performances of non-mainstream, underground, alternative (whatever you want to call it) art and music that use reclaiming and irony as the key component of the show. I can pretty confidently say that the message is totally lost on the majority of the audience who see a woman on stage and just want to see some skin and come-hither moves, already. This is roller derby's potential problem - the intention may be noble - it IS athletic! it IS about tough, strong women! - but it doesn't quite get translated amid the spanking and pillow-fighting and skirts flipping up to reveal ruffly underwear. Indeed, the bouts are often marketed as "girl-on-girl action." Is that supposed to be feminist? Or athletic? Roller Derby enthusiasts defend these aspects by emphasizing the athleticism of the sport, and explaining that the players choose what to wear. I don't have the time or patience to get into a discussion about the existence of free will or how we choose or come to prefer things, but needless to say all choices are made in particular contexts. Feminism is not simply "women doing what they want." And even if MOST of the women wore regular shorts and tee-shirts, the face of Roller Derby would still be the sexy outfit - because that's what sells. Does it make a difference if there are equal numbers of women and men (of all sexual orientations and identities) in the audience? While it definitely feels good to see lots of other women there, and it does mean something that it's not 90% men, it's important to point out that the male gaze is not limited to men. We've all been conditioned to see women (including ourselves) through the male gaze, and being gay or feminist or any other patriarchally subversive identity does not exempt us from participating in patriarchal rituals from time to time - it's pretty much unavoidable, which is a source of much frustration for me personally.

What i have always had a problem reconciling is the unquestioned, inextricable connection between "Woman" and "Sexuality." Why must so many performances and images by/of women end up being about their sexuality? Why can't it be about showcasing their skill and mastery, period? Why is it so freaking important that women "express their sexuality" in all that they do?? I don't see men running around determined to express their sexuality (well, at least not to the same extent). In my opinion, all this does is add to the already entrenched view that women as individual, thinking persons cannot be separated from their mandated role to be "sexy" or whatever. Maybe we should all, as humans, be seen as complex creatures made up of both our intellectuality (I know that's not a real word, heh heh) AND sexuality, but until we are ALL seen that way, the fact that women are singled out for this puts us at a social disadvantage relative to males. I believe this is because our culture is a product of the centuries-old view of the male/female dichotomy of males as connected to the rational-abstract (i.e. more important things) and females as connected to the body-earthly (i.e. less important things). It pisses me off that no matter how much a woman achieves, in the end she is nothing more than something to look at and/or have sex with. I see this all the fucking time in the music world - especially the more male-dominated subcultures of music.

This is a really complicated issue, and there are at least 15 side-bars that could be written about the different topics it brings up. So my wishy-washy conclusion is that some aspects of Roller Derby are feminist, or potentially feminist, but most of it is not. And that is perfectly ok, it is what it is.

Roller derby blues

I am compelled to repost this little gem, from the I Blame the Patriarchy blog, as it sums up my opinion of Roller Derby pretty well:

"Take, for example, that, despite the Rollergirls’ impressive skaterly talents, the 'sport' is only nominally about skating. You have already guessed what it’s actually about, but I’ll tell you anyway: sex. That’s right, sex, only not real sex, such as the kind we could all be having if Hugh Hefner hadn’t ruined it for everybody, but phony sex as defined by the horndog ideology of the pornocracy. The roller derby is an example of what you might, if you were me, call 'proto-porn'—a non-penetrative, G-rated, but nevertheless two-dimensional, stereotypical, and bogus picture of female sexuality generated from an amorphous plasma of cultural misogyny. It’s kindergarten burlesque."

Even though she's describing the specific activities of Austin's flat track league, I think her basic points apply to the banked track league too. It pisses me off that to be viable, they have to sexualize it and make it pleasing to the stereotypical "man." And in this case, much like the Suicide Girls, it's marketed to the alterno-punk-rocker man, who can feel like he's participating in something subversive when it's just the same old shit in a different wrapper.

At last, my SXSW 2006 report

I am so behind on blogging. First I have to report on SXSW, which was like a month ago and nobody cares at this point, but here goes:

The week was decidedly low-key for me - sans wristband, which I determined last year to be not worth the money, I returned to my day-show/hanger-on moocher role of the past. Lovejoy's was home base of course, so if I was too lazy to seek out shows elsewhere, there was always music at the LJ. Here are the highlights of my week!

Wednesday, March 15: First off, and a pleasant surprise, was Secret Weapons, a local garagey band with a killer lady on lead guitar and vocals. And they have a song about the HEB on Oltorf & S. Congress. I recommend seeing them around town if you can. Here is a murky picture of them:



Next that day, still at Lovejoy's, was Militant Babies, led by LJ bartender Davis on drums (ex-Fivehead). They were ok; it got a little guitar-wankery for me at times, but the songs Davis sang on were great:



Thursday, March 16: One of the best things that happened to me that week was biking from S. Congress to Ms. Bea's on E. 6th street ostensibly to see Von Iva play in the afternoon, but instead finding Erase Errata setting up on The Rambler stage:



I fell in love with The Rambler, a mobile stage. Here's the lineup written on the side of the truck:



Later that night, I returned to Ms. Bea's to see Von Iva, at last. Ever the shameless groupie when it comes to anything 7 Year Bitch, I couldn't wait to see Liz Davis after 10 years of a 7 Year Bitch-less life. Of course being the shy girl, I admire from afar.... Von Iva, from San Francisco, was pretty damn good in their own right. Sort of punky with a blues feel on the vocals (think Mia Zapata), and a very fun live show. Unfortunately I had to endure some horrible bands that went on right before them (everyone on the patio actually left in droves when one "noise" band started playing.). I took a walk down E. Sixth to get away.

I swear she's not holding her boob - just gesturing:


Here's Liz (she plays with her eyes closed a lot). I remember all the women in 7 Year Bitch had the arm band tattoo you see here, and I was so entranced by that at the time (1994):




Also on Thursday (I was biking all over the joint that day!) was the Schuba's party at Yard Dog, a short bike ride from home. I had skipped this particular party in years past, thinking it would be too crowded, but it was pretty fabulous. All the Miller Lite you could drink (woo), and bands like KEXP darlings Tapes 'n Tapes from Minneapolis, and steady Chicago favorites the Ponys. I also found out that apparently Neil Young was at this party, too. Maybe even at the same time I was! The only celebrity sighting I have to report is the guy from the Outback Steakhouse commercials, who apparently is some wildly popular satirical folk singer from New Zealand.

Ponys! I was so close I was able to find out that the singer/head Pony has really, really, bad teeth.


Other half of the Ponys!


Finally, on Thursday night I witnessed one of those weird SXSW things that instantly become legend. A group of us was hanging around outside of the entrance to Lovejoy's watching the freak show, and all of a sudden there is this dude in the alley climbing into a bunch of plastic wrap and a motorized pump is filling it with air. It takes shape into a giant clear plastic bubble, with the dude inside. Some other dudes in blow-up creature suits are around him, and they all take off in a little march down sixth street, the dude walking in his bubble like a hamster. I admit, at first I was jaded and assumed the whole thing was a corporate publicity stunt a la Red Bull or Gibson Guitars, and scoffed at everyone who glommed around the guy snapping pictures like lemmings. But then, word spreads quickly that it's actually the lead singer of the Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, who was about to play a "secret" show that night at Eternal, around the corner from Lovejoy's. Ever the lemming, I managed to snap this picture as they trotted off into the night:

If you look really closely, you can see Coyne in the bubble.


Friday, March 17th: This day I took it super easy, sipping AJ Porter at LJ while some mediocre bands played. The earplugs helped. I had two things planned - catch The Divorce at some random magazine/label party down the street at The Drink (eww), and then run over to the Lucky Lounge to see Visqueen who were playing an unofficial party for a label called Justice Records. I got upstairs at The Drink with plenty of time to see The Divorce, from Seattle. This was the definite highlight so far -- and found myself a tad obsessed with the lead singer (really, did I need to take THAT many pictures of them??). Check out The Divorce's music at www.myspace.com/thedivorce. I luv these boys.

(check out the icky stripper poles on the stage - what the hell goes on at this bar?)






Exhilarated, I sprinted over to the Lucky Lounge and saw Visqueen on stage. I zoomed up to the front of the crowed, started rocking out, only to hear the last few bars of their last song. Thank you, good night! Rachel was in town to sing backing vocals for all of Neko Case's performances, and this was Visqueen's only show, alas.

Saturday, March 18th: This day was spent with M., as he was finally done toiling at Lovejoy's for the week. We biked over to Jovita's for the series of bands sponsored by Twangfest, a St. Louis festival. First up was Two Car Garage, from Columbus, Ohio. They play that hard rock twang that reminded me a lot of Radio Nationals, a Seattle band I used to like. They were really loud but in a good, stand up and take notice kind of way. We had this little rickety table right by the side of the stage where we ate migas and a taco salad and drank coffee. Yay for Jovita's.

Two Car Garage:


The main reason for going to Jovita's that day was so I could see The Long Winters, another great Seattle band. I hadn't seen them since the Capitol Hill Block Party in 2001 or 2002, and I admire John Roderick's songwriting a lot. They have various incarnations, but today it was just two of them, guitar and bass with vocal harmonies. Nice! I feel a sort of kindred relationship to Roderick, as he also grew up in Anchorage. He managed to become cool, though, unlike most of us. At one point in his life he walked from Amsterdam to Istanbul.

This day Roderick looked a bit like he was in the witness protection program:


Saturday night, thanks to one of M.'s friends who works at Stubb's, we were let in to the all-star show of the week: What Made Milwaukee Famous, Rhett Miller, Roseanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, and The Pretenders. I was so thrilled for WMMF - up on the big stage at Stubb's, bathed in lights...sigh. They sounded great, and will someone please sign them already? I heard rumors of Barsuk, but no news yet.



Rhett Miller, cute as a button as always:


Roseanne Cash (She sang a duet with Lovett while I was in the bathroom):


A grainy Mr. Lovett, who was the highlight of the whole evening, aside from the drunken assholes standing by us during his set. I love how all the band members wear suits:


Chrissy Hynde & The Pretenders!

Ms. Hynde, an animal rights activist, asked if anyone had ever actually seen a slaughter house (appropo as we were all standing behind a barbeque restaurant), and commented that it looked a lot like "this" - meaning all of us standing there crammed in to a fenced-in space. I have to say it wasn't quite that bad, as us humans could roam around quite freely and it was relatively clean that night - but I enjoyed her point. It was truly awesome to see her but I was pretty beat by then, so we left before her encore (I later heard there were two).

And that concludes my SXSW odyssey. I'm pooped just writing about it! It was all free, all fun, and I can't wait for next year.

Smoosh Signs to Barsuk Records

And a new album due June 20th! www.barsuk.com/bands/smoosh

Montana's Attorney General says health insurance plans that do not cover contraceptives for women are discriminatory

McGrath says insurance companies must cover contraceptives

By MATT GOURAS
Associated Press
HELENA -- Health insurance companies must include coverage for prescription contraceptives such as birth control pills in prescription drug plans, and failing to do so constitutes sex discrimination, Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath said Tuesday.

Yay Montana!!

Our South Park Characters

Once I saw Coffee In My Veins' South Park likeness experiment, I had to give it a whirl. M. and I spent pretty much all evening creating who we would be on South Park. You know, I actually have a tee shirt that says "Kiss My Ass" on it (in cursive rhinestones).

Plan B and the FDA - it's not over!

I wrote in an earlier post about Dr. Susan Wood's efforts to publicize what really happened at the FDA when emergency contraception came up for review for over the counter status. It looks as though Henry Waxman is investigating (finally! somebody!) what was obviously the political hijacking of clear scientific evidence.

In other news, Tennessee is going down the abortion-ban trail. It's all the rage! (Who knew there were two s's in Tennessee? I've never typed that word before, and apparently for good reason).

Men lobby for more rights

For those of you who haven't been following the latest efforts of the "men's rights movement" to co-opt Roe v. Wade, I have two links for you. The first is a lively discussion on Twisty Faster's blog:

Roe-v-Wade for men my ass

After you have digested the absurdity of it all, you can open this cartoon from women's e-news.

It would be more funny if it wasn't so threatening. This is exactly the kind of thing that with enough P.R. exposure can change the terms of the argument, diluting and minimizing the gravity of reproductive rights for women.

Spring Break in Austin means...

Goodness me, has anyone taken a look at the sxsw day shows this week? It seems every year there are more than the year before. I am thinking of just walking out of my front door and see what I bump into - I wouldn't have to walk very far! I am going to take a super laid back approach this year, but there are a few things I have on my free show list and if it happens, it happens:

Militant Babies at Lovejoy's Wednesday
The Ponys at Yard Dog Thursday
Charlie's Holy Happy Hour at Lovejoy's Friday (because he can make me smile and cry in the same set)
Bloodshot Records Party at Yard Dog Friday
Von Iva (Liz Davis, of 7 Year Bitch, is their bassist!) at The Peacock Friday
Rogers Sisters at Ruta Maya Friday
Visqueen at Lucky Lounge Friday
2 Cow Garage at Jovita's Saturday
The Long Winters at Jovita's Saturday
Rogue Wave at Homeslice Pizza (yes!) Saturday
Sonic Boom Records Party at the Longbranch Saturday

It seems the Charles Attal party is going to be down the street from my house at the old hire.com building on Academy...though I'm not on the invite list this year. I've only heard Secret Machines are playing, who I saw a couple years back when Joan Jett played. And did you see that Sleater-Kinney is playing a snooty-patooty invite-only show at the Guerrero Warehouse on E. 6th Tuesday night? It's the film festival closing party. Hmph!

Where are you going to be?

A blog devoted to cupcakes

For my cupcake-lovin' friends (sbkt and silver zephyr, hello!), here is a cupcake blog I tumbled into today. It has lovely photos of cupcakes and the occasional link to a recipe. Speaking of cupcakes, has anyone seen the "designer" cupcakes at disneyland - oops I mean whole foods on 6th & Lamar? They look cool but they're gigantic, which detracts from the cute factor.

Confusion at the voting booth

Defamer found the best explanation yet for the inexplicable results of the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Bane of My Existence

So after eyeing it for years as something my cats would surely love, seeing as how they spend a lot of time drinking out of the bathroom sink faucet, with my new salary increase in hand I spent the $50 on this drinking fountain for my cats, and they hate it.

They won't have anything to do with it. It's the sound it makes, apparently. And possibly the taste. There's a little motor inside that pumps the water, and they just don't trust it. They can deal with a vacuum cleaner, but not the water pump. I even took all other water sources away to make them drink out of it, but then I felt bad because they so clearly loathed it. Okazaki Fragment took to drinking scuzzy water sitting in bowls in the kitchen sink, rather than use the fancy water fountain (did I mention it is filtered water, too?). I spent lots of time repositioning it, cleaning it, everything short of drinking out of it myself, to get them to use it.

The fountain has now been discarded into the closet with all of our other clutter, and now we're back to wasting water by letting it drip out of the sink off and on. (I've tried putting it in glasses for them a la Malcolm and Angus, but that's not good either). That's $50 I can't get back.

The apocalypse is nigh in South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D., Feb. 22 — Setting up to become the first state in 14 years to start a direct legal attack on Roe v. Wade, lawmakers voted on Wednesday to outlaw nearly all abortions.

This is just the first of several cases currently in the legal pipeline specifically designed to challenge Roe at the Supreme Court level.

What in the hell are we supposed to do about this?

2006: Women allowed to wear pants

What is this you say? Somewhere, the powers that be (PTB) of some totalitarian government have decreed that after centuries of oppression, girls and women can wear pants now? Or did we get the date wrong and this is actually a flashback to the days of Amelia Bloomer?

Actually, it's the PTB of the figure skating world. One of the more interesting changes of this Olympics is that some women figure skaters are wearing cool-ass pants when they compete. Irina Slutskaya looked awesome and powerful in her pantsuit Tuesday night. And when the pair skaters are both wearing pants, it sort of turns the visual gender dichotomy on its head just a tad. Me likey.

Irritating words

You know what word I can't stand? "Bump." As in "Baby Bump." For some reason the entertainment news channels have adopted this as the universal term for being visibly pregnant. I'm not sure why it bugs me. It strikes me as a little crass, somehow.

Take that, you capitalist godbags!

The state of Massachusetts is making Poop-Mart carry emergency contraception!!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy on Tuesday ruled in favor of three women who filed complaints claiming that the stores refused to fill their prescriptions.

Buzzed skiing is drunk skiing

What the heck is the big whoop-dee-doo that Bode Miller has skiied drunk? EVERYONE skis drunk at some point or another (well ok not everyone, but if you haven't you are missing out)! What do you think we do in the lodge during breaks? I want to know who these people are that are so scandalized by this.

Confessional

I haven't touched my dissertation since November 29, 2005.

I have, however, ordered various books related to the dissertation in a vain attempt to find the confidence required to proceed with the creation of valid and reliable scales and data analysis, including trying to figure out how confirmatory factor analysis works. I have not seriously read these books yet.

Same-o same-o

After a pretty uneventful weekend, this morning started off on a fresh, hopeful note. Something about Monday mornings; they're optimistic somehow. I changed my routine and stopped at Enoteca Vespaio for a strong double americano and a currant semolina scone (their scones are totally good, not like those inedible crumbly things that turn to raw dough in your mouth that various coffee shops call 'scones'). The drive to San Marcos was actually enjoyable, aside from Air America radio constantly cutting out.

At work, I have been charged with the task of getting a federal grant proposal out the door by or before February 24th. At first I thought I would be sort of shepherding it through as various other people would write sections of it and i would pull it all together along with the bazillion federal forms that are required. But, it became clear last week that no, I would be writing the bulk of the 30 page narrative including the literature review. I'm not exactly complaining, because preparing this grant is a lot more interesting than my actual work. The grant is to evaluate the effectiveness of violence prevention programs - which is totally my thing, though I've never done a truly rigorous evaluation with randomly assigned experimental and control groups, which is what the feds want. So it's a little intimidating. What's really got me anxious though is that the people who are on the grant with me (the various PhDs from the university) are not exactly inspiring confidence. None of them has explicit experience with evaluation research, and none with youth violence prevention. I'm realizing that I don't have anyone to cling to - which I suppose is good for me. I'm supposed to have my PhD in about a year, and there won't be much difference in what I know right now and what I will know then - in other words, I need to start stepping up with the confidence that will be expected of me once I have the credentials after my name.

So anyway, I tried to work on it over the weekend but just felt overwhelmed and paralyzed. Which by now I recognize as my process (I fritter away all of the time allotted to a task feeling nervous and frantically reading things, and then in the last three or four days finally pound it out). Friday night we did do something constructive though; we went to the Elysium for the Handsome Joel Foundation benefit. Charlie opened up the show with his timeless acoustic tunes, and played "You make me feel retarded" just for M. and I. A few games of pinball, some free shots from Frap (apparently, being friends with one of the Breshears clan equals lots of shots of Jaeger), and we headed home.

Saturday night we saw Capote, and Sunday I was avoiding work so much that I actually watched some of the superbowl, which I usually girlcott as a matter of principle (working a few years in the sexual assault/domestic violence field will do that to ya).

And finally, I want to officially welcome Kenton Elias Le into the world, born January 1st to my best friend and her husband up in AK. I'm heading back to my hometown to meet him this summer with a stopover in Seattle (yay!).

Thank you, Betty Friedan

How has Betty Friedan and feminism changed your life? Post your comments at the Ms. Magazine blog.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Betty Friedan, whose manifesto "The Feminine Mystique" became a best seller in the 1960s and laid the groundwork for the modern feminist movement, died Saturday, her birthday. She was 85.

Friedan died at her home of congestive heart failure, according to a cousin, Emily Bazelon.

Friedan's assertion in her 1963 best seller that having a husband and babies was not everything and that women should aspire to separate identities as individuals, was highly unusual, if not revolutionary, just after the baby and suburban booms of the Eisenhower era.

The feminine mystique, she said, was a phony bill of goods society sold to women that left them unfulfilled, suffering from "the problem that has no name" and seeking a solution in tranquilizers and psychoanalysis.

"A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, `Who am I, and what do I want out of life?' She mustn't feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of husband and children," Friedan said.

In the racial, political and sexual conflicts of the 1960s and '70s, Friedan's was one of the most commanding voices and recognizable presences in the women's movement.

Betty Friedan, philosopher of modern-day feminism, dies

Woody's South

Checked out Woody's South last night (Woody opened Room 710 and ran it up until a few months ago), the first of the Red River scene to venture out of downtown and try more hospitable climes. It's on the south side of Ben White between S. 1st and S. Congress, in what used to be a mexican restaurant. He has a full menu and bands playing until midnight (last night was Blood Burning and Dum Dum and the Smarties), with plenty of tables and lots of parking. Interestingly, Jimmy Bradshaw was bartending. We ended up staying for over two hours - I think it's going to work.

We used to be friends...a long time ago...

I have been quietly raving about the show Veronica Mars for over a year now, and am often met with blank stares and the question, what is that show about? I try to explain: well, it's teen noir and class warfare. That seems to go over like the proverbial lead balloon. A couple of weekends ago, it was Veronica Mars weekend in Austin. The Alamo had a marathon /sneak peek/panel discussion featuring three leading actors from the show, which sold out in 7 minutes. Stubb's had an "As Heard on Veronica Mars" night with bands whose songs have been used on the show (the show's creator used to live and teach high school in Austin). The show is definitely striking a chord with a distinct subset of folks, who probably prefer to keep this little gem hidden away on the UPN network all to themselves.

It's been billed as the heir apparent of Buffy, and is seems to have gotten the blessing of Joss Whedon in that the man himself made a rare cameo appearance on the show (as a rental car sales clerk!), and Allyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter have both made recurring guest appearances. In this recent Alternet article, a jonesing Buffy fan compares the two shows.

If a Blog Falls in the Internet...

with nobody around to read it, does it make a sound?

...or something like that

Happy 33rd, Roe!

Last night, on the anniversary of Sarah Weddington's 1973 triumph, M. and I went to Monkeywrench to see The Abortion Diaries (Penny Lane) and Teen Mami (Laura Donnelly). I'm so glad I went to that instead of going to Dart Bowl, which was also on the table for about 5 seconds. It was especially cool to see the Teen Mami documentary, as it was a submission to Ladyfest Texas in 2004, but didn't get accepted due to the tyrannical reign of the film committee chair at the time.

Good job organizing, Horrendous Cacophony!

The Lilith Fund was there to talk about their program. They get 15-20 calls every day on their hotline. And they have so few funds to give out they can only give like $50 to each who needs it. They actually had to shut down recently due to the influx of Hurricane survivors who needed abortions - they ran out of money - but they're up and running again.

And on ABC news tonight, a story about how the pro-lifers are energized about the shift on the supreme court, and there are currently 5 states passing anti-abortion laws to purposely force the issue to go before the supreme court.

Plan B and the FDA

I attended a talk on Thursday at UT by Dr. Susan Wood, former director of the office of women's health at the FDA who resigned last August to protest the unprecedented delays in approving Plan B for over the counter sale.

Here are the highlights:

+ The FDA does not have the power to regulate practice of medicine or practice of pharmacy
+ Plan B was approved by the FDA in 1999 as a prescription drug. It passed all safety tests with flying colors.
+ Plan B is not a "new" product or "new" method of birth control, it's just the first time it's been packaged for this specific purpose. In the past, women just had to know exactly how many birth control pills to take and by when to approximate the same effect.
+Plan B works the same way as the IUD, birth control pill, and breastfeeding, which are not controversial (at least not as birth control).
+ The FDA commissioner, after dragging his feet for months though all his director-type people and their scientific advisory panel were for its approval, finally decided to issue Plan B "two-tiered status," meaning over the counter status for 17-year-old women and over, and prescription status for 16 and under (hello regulation of female sexuality). This seemed better than nothing though, so they waited for the approval. Months passed, but nothing happened. Senators Clinton and Murray (Washington state) pressured the FDA to reach a decision by Sept. 1 2005. The usual decision-makers at the FDA were not involved in the discussions, which apparently were taking place at much higher levels in the government (Dr. Wood stopped short of naming the Bush Administration directly). This had never happened before with any other drug. Normally, if all the FDA people are in agreement it doesn't even go to the commissioner's level.
+ The decision came, and it was pretty fucking sneaky: they wanted to open it for public comment and rulemaking because this dual status thing was going to be difficult to implement/too complex to enforce. So new federal regulations are ostensibly needed, which conveniently takes YEARS. Never mind that the nicotine patch has similar dual status and that was implemented just fine - the prescribers and pharmacists figured it out.
+ Take home message: the FDA was hijacked by political interests and can no longer call itself a science-based, independent organization.

+ Also of interest: these same hijackers are also opposed to a vaccine for cervical cancer - for HPV - because it goes against the abstinence message. Because of course, routinely vaccinating 12 year old girls for the human papilloma virus means that said girls will naturally increase their risky sexual behavior. Dr. Wood raised a scary point: what happens when we get an HIV vaccine? Will the same logic apply?

+ Oh - and there is a petition circulating right now to take RU-486 off the market (even though it is already very tightly restricted in the U.S.)

Dr. Wood is a kickass scientist who is now touring the country trying to tell as many people as possible what really happened, so that we may be as outraged as she is and...well, what to do about it? She didn't have a lot of suggestions, except to get the word out. So I did.

Here's some ideas on how to take action:
backupyourbirthcontrol.org

Commander in Chief not disappointing yet; Rollergirls kinda sucky

In entertainment news, the Austin Chronicle's TV critic has a column this week on the A&E reality show "Rollergirls." I have to say, I pretty much agree with her assessment. Particularly her take on the "regurgitation of tired male fantasies" and:

"The 'we can be tough and sexy' mantra is about as tired as a pair of fishnets after Mardi Gras. I was going to say that you would think in this day and age that a woman wouldn't have to care how sexy she is, but that's not true. Ask former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. I don't remember anyone lobbing salvos at former FEMA Director Michael Brown's dowdiness when it was revealed how freakishly underqualified he was for his job."

Also this week, the episode of Commander in Chief ended with the president (Geena Davis) confiding to her mother that she got a huge rush off the fact that she was the most powerful person in the world (this was after narrowly averting a war with North Korea while rescuing stranded sailors in a submarine). I appreciated that the writers of the show portrayed a woman unapologetically appreciating the rush of presidential power rather than being all demure and "relational" about it. On this show, sometimes she doesn't see her kids for two days even though they're in the same house, and yeah she feels bad but no worse than a dude president would. So far the writers are showing her being a president, not a "woman president." Let's hope it stays that way. Apparently the ratings are falling, so who knows - she may soon be seen in the white house kitchen baking cookies.

Report from the streets

Bumpersticker seen on a car in San Marcos today:

"Fueled By Iraqi Blood"

(complete with "blood" font)

What does that even mean?

But I Don't Feel Socially Conditioned!

Here's an interesting look at the smooth-talking flawed logic of an anti-feminist pundit having a lunch interview with a Salon.com writer. My fave quote:

Interviewer: Isn't that [that more women stay home with kids than men is due to our biological preference for it] social conditioning?

Anti-feminist Pundit: I did it, and I don't feel socially conditioned.

And even more progress...

Africa's first elected female head of state takes office

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is now the president of Liberia.

Together with the rise of civil rights legislation around the globe (Britain, Canada, South Africa, etc.) allowing anyone to marry anyone they want, I continue to cling to the hope that the U.S. will emerge from the neo-Dark Ages in my lifetime.

Chile elects first woman president

The New York Times writes:

"Michelle Bachelet, a Socialist, a doctor and a former political prisoner and exile, on Sunday became the first woman to be elected president of Chile, decisively defeating Sebastián Piñera, a conservative billionaire businessman."

The Times also points out that this is the first time a woman has been elected without some sort of connection to a politician husband who helped get her there:

"Ms. Bachelet, a single mother who has juggled her career and the demands of raising three children ever since she entered government service little more than a decade ago, is the first woman in the region to win an election without an assist from the coattails of a more famous spouse.

Though doubts had been expressed about whether Chilean men would be willing to vote for a woman, Ms. Bachelet's margin of victory exceeded that of her predecessor and mentor, Ricardo Lagos, six years ago. He won narrowly, with 51.2 percent of the vote, and by an overall difference much smaller than the half million votes that separated Ms. Bachelet and Mr. Piñera."

Interestingly, it appears that the wealthier the population, the more likely the men were to vote for the dude candidate...and among the less wealthy, the more likely men were to vote for Bachelet.

A public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood sociologist

A little counter-evidence to the oft-cited romantic ideal of child-rearing:

Bundles Of . . . Misery
Parenting Got You Down? You're Not Alone, Says Study

By Elizabeth Agnvall
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Published last month in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, the study of 13,000 U.S. adults found that parents, from those with young children to empty nesters, reported being more miserable than non-parents. The researchers analyzed data from a national survey of families and households that asked respondents how many times in the past week, for example, they felt sad, distracted or depressed.

So: After all the sleepless nights and drowsy mornings, the cycles of feeding and throwing up, the American Girl doll accessories bought on credit, the toothpick models of the solar system and the algebra tutors . . . we would have been happier without it all?

In a word, says study author Robin Simon, an associate professor of sociology at Florida State University, yes.

Full article (link should be good for 60 days)

Chickens!

These are our neighbor's chickens, who occasionally scratch and peck their way over to our yard. I find their clucking and cooing rather comforting, and I also enjoy the rooster gently crowing at daybreak. I like having a little dose of the bucolic life inserted into my city existence.

Modern anxiety

Those five seconds after you or the clerk has swiped your debit card and you're waiting for the transaction approval. Every time, I anxiously wonder if I've been victimized by an idenitity thief who's emptied out my bank account.

Letterman shuts down O'Reilly

Did anyone see David Letterman give Bill O'Reilly a complete dressing down last night? In a rare departure from late-night schlock-talk, Dave went hardball on Bill, calling bullshit on his ravings. Among my favorite lines:

[Arguing about Cindy Sheehan, O'Reilly saying various sensationalistic things about her, like that she called Iraqi insurgents "freedom fighters" and Letterman trying to defend her. Letterman wraps up the segment thusly:]

Letterman: "I'm not smart enough to debate you point by point, but I have a feeling that 60 percent of what you say is crap."

Paul Shaffer: "60 percent?"

It was brilliant!

Click here for a link to the interview clip.

2005 check up

Here's what I wrote on Dec. 31st 2004, outlining my goals for 2005. Let's see how I did:

In 2005 I will:
-Pass my comps [check]
-Defend my dissertation proposal [check]
-Learn to write a decent record review [uhhh, sort of]
-Learn three chords on the guitar [nope]
-Get a facial [check]
-Go to the Capitol Hill Block Party (Sea.) [nope]
-Help Marshall around the house more [uhhh, sort of]
-Make home-made gifts even if they're crappy [check. decoupage coasters for anna 'n dave, embroidered apron for marshall]
-Go hiking/camping in Texas [nope]
-Appreciate my new bed every day [does staying in bed til 11am count?]
-Make labels for all my burned CDs [nope]
-Drink more water [nope]
-Call my mom more [check]

I think I get about a C+ unless I give more weight to the first two.

Good thing #594 coming to an end

The G/M Steakhouse on Lamar. A nifty greasy spoon where you could get a full breakfast for like $2.50. Went under after 25 years due to Sixth and Lamar becoming swank-central and leaving no room for this little gem.

Good thing #593 coming to an end

Here's an 8-minute interview with Carla de Santis, founder of ROCKRGRL magazine, on how and why she started it and why she's ending it.

It's really good (includes shots of a Visqueen performance!)

http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4010524

a solstice feast

We welcomed the winter solstice and the changing of the seasons with the following menus:

menu #1
smoked trout on endive leaves with dill cream cheese
prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks
endive salad with apple, gruyere, avocado and dried cranberries
oyster stew

menu #2
mini quiches
butter lettuce salad with orange, avocado, walnuts and gorgonzola
herbed new potatoes
roast pork loin with fig and port sauce
cheese plate with pears, apples, maple-glazed almonds, figs and honey

now starts the six month march toward the longest day of the year...

The Real Hot 100 List

To counter the repulsive magazine "Maxim" and their annual "hot 100 women" list, this group is collecting nominations for the real hot 100 -- young women who are smart, savvy, and trying to make the world a better place.

From their website:

"This project will not only combat the popular notion that all young women have to offer is their ability to appeal to men, but it will also highlight the important -- but often overlooked -- work young women are doing.

The REAL hot 100 will compile a list of young women who are REALLY hot, and publish it, in magazine format, timed to coincide with Maxim’s release next year. Anyone can nominate a young woman who is REALLY hot, and The REAL hot 100 selection committee will choose 100 women that best represent the intelligence, drive and diversity of young women in the U.S."

Dirty rock 'n roll, done dirt cheap

Last weekend we found ourselves among the last four people let inside Stubb's to see Hell's Belles and Honky. It wasn't even 10:00 and the line was down the block. We were hoping that Silver Zephyr (whose cats are named Malcolm and Angus, respectively) would be joning us, but alas, Silver Zephyr Jr. was not feeling well that night.

Thanks to RJ Reynolds, the show was free (and thanks to the cancer lobby and the city of austin, it was also smoke free for the most part). The place was comfortably full with a diverse and amicable crowd - die-hard fifty-something AC/DC fans, ladies who love ladies, and a smattering of short-haired white boys wearing ball caps (who, unfortunately, feature prominently in the photos due to their convergence at the front of the stage).

Honky opened with their infectious yet predictable ZZ-top style tunes, the lyrical content usually involving some form of praise for and appreciation of women, though not exactly the brainy part if you know what I mean. Lest you simply cast off Honky (ex-Godzilla Motor Company, ex-Butthole Surfers)as more of your typical sexist Texas redneck rock, picture this: a go-go dancer comes on stage about every other song clad in cowboy hat, barely-there denim shorts, white thigh-high fishnets, half of what looks like a peasant top, and lots of tattoos. You immediately groan. Until you look more closely and realize that it's none other than Hawk, better known for her role as a cute boy in Kings 'n Things. Ha! Hawk used to be my neighbor when I first moved to Austin. She loves drag, that one, and tonight she was in girl drag. I imagine there was a handful of us who knew this, and I had a laugh watching the guys look at her in that way - you know that way. That entitled way of 'ooo i get a little t & a with my rock 'n roll cuz i'm a dude.' Ha! again.

The gender-bending continued with Hell's Belles. What I like about their show is they don't trade on their sexuality. They just play the songs, and play them really well - they're not a joke band, they're a tribute band with great musicians who really appreciate AC/DC.



They played a lot of lesser-known Bon Scott-era stuff, pre 1980. And for "You Shook Me All Night Long" they made all the tall boys up front go to the back so the shorter girls could come up and rock out.



There's something sort of wonderful about five kickass women rockin' out in front of adoring fans and singing "We've got the biggest balls of them all!" Below is Adrian Conner, Austin's most under-appreciated guitar player, in school-boy garb a la Angus.

B*st B*y takes a page out of the W*l-M*rt handbook

Feminist Daily News Wire reports:

Best Buy Charged with Race and Sex Discrimination

On Thursday, six current and former employees of electronics retailer Best Buy filed a complaint alleging that the chain discriminated against women and minorities in hiring, pay, and promotions in violation of state and federal laws. The suit, Holloway et. Al. v. Best Buy Co, Inc., was filed in the US District Court in San Francisco and seeks an injunction against the discriminatory practices, the institution of company programs to ensure equal opportunities, and back pay for all plaintiffs.

The Associated Press reports that the complaint claims that managers ignored applications from those "who do not conform to the (company's) young, white, male culture." Nationwide, over 80 percent of store managers are white men, with women making up less than 10 percent and minorities making up less than 10 percent. Plaintiff Cheryl Chappel alleges that gender stereotypes and discrimination kept her from being promoted, as managers told her the position of operations supervisor was "a man thing," and that "girls can't sell," according to the plaintiffs’ press release. Furthermore, of the four customer types Best Buy has identified for its sales force to target, all are white, and only one is a woman: "Barry," is a man with a high income who purchases what he wants regardless of cost; "Ray," a man who likes electronic gadgets; "Buzz," is a young man who likes gaming; and “Jill” is identified as “Barry’s” wife and a homemaker.

"Best Buy is touting its modern, high-tech products for customers this holiday season. The company's views of women and minority employees, however, remain outdated and obsolete," said Bill Lann Lee, former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, and attorney for the plaintiffs. An age discrimination suit filed against Best Buy last year is still pending.

Good thing #592 coming to an end

My general sense of anomia and nihilism was fueled even more yesterday when I found out that Austin's beloved Young Heart Attack is no longer together. Their last show was Nov. 19. There are rumors that some of the members will be forming a new band, which is fine and all, but I will surely miss YHA.

For those in need of an AC/DC fix upon hearing this sad news, Helle's Belles are in town this Saturday at Stubbs! I saw them a few times when I lived in Seattle (their home base), and it's definitely somthing you should experience at least once. Featuring Seattle-to-Austin transplant and guitar goddess Adrian Conner (as "Angus") on guitar.

And it's FREE and ALL AGES - kickass.

ABracaDabra

I turned a corner yesterday - defended my dissertation proposal. Now I can call myself a doctoral candidate or "ABD." It wasn't so bad - kind of like going to the doctor. I'll probably back-burner my research for a few weeks and pick it up again in January. Right now I'm just sort of bored with everything in my life. I don't even post much here anymore because as soon as I think of something I follow it up with a 'who cares' and then let it go. I feel like everything is so obvious.

Mmmmm....Butterbeer

I went to the new Harry Potter movie last Sunday at the Alamo, and it was the most fun I've had at a movie in a long time. Since it was opening weekend, they had gussied up the joint by creating a "Platform 9 3/4" entryway into the theatre (you walked through curtains that had a brick pattern on them). Waiting in line was like being on the train to Hogwarts as a be-robed Alamo employee hawked chocolate frogs and bertie bott's every flavor beans up and down the line. Once in our seats, we immediately ordered up some Butterbeer. I have been wondering for five years what butterbeer would taste like. It was hard cider, butterscotch, spices, with whipped cream served warm in fancy glasses. I had two! Then we ordered the Beaubaxton's Bouillabaise and Dobby's Steak and Potato Pie. The movie itself was decent - a nice supplement to the book. It focuses exclusively on the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The few scenes in the beginning of the World Quidditch Cup were pretty spectacular, I wished they had shown more of that. I'm not sure what's up with everyone's hair though - all shaggy and stuff.

"You're So Judgmental!"

Growing up often on the outer edges of social groups observing how people dealt with each other (sometimes with the rather misguided hope that I might be able to decipher the right social codes that people use so that I could one day be on the inside of one of these groups), one lesson became clear very quickly: One must not, or give the appearance that one might, "judge" other people. What does this mean, exactly? It seems to mean "live and let live," or "to each her/his own," and any number of similar individualist/liberal-type adages.

There is such a strong taboo (or at least a more, for the sociologists/anthropologists out there) against forming judgments of others that people go around actively holding back their opinions, or maybe not forming opinions at all about what goes on around them. It is always good to check your judgements for unfair/indefensible prejudice (e.g. basing them on some weirdo moral/religious grounds favored by the KKK) before blurting them out, but I think this obsession with not judging people gets carried too far and can be downright harmful. Like when people see sexual harassment going on and don't intervene because "who are they to judge." Sometimes I'm around people who make me afraid to say anything for fear of being labeled with the dreaded "you're so judgmental!" Damn right I'm judgmental. That's how we communicate and learn, by making judgments about things. That doesn't mean I think I'm right - big difference.

From the mission statement of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin:

"The mission of the College of Liberal Arts is to make a free people wise, by educating its students in the ways of freedom, and by providing a model for education at other universities. The heart of a democracy is that the people must judge. Through education in the humanities and social sciences, the College of Liberal Arts will give its students the power and confidence to judge well."

There it is. I just need that confidence part.

Coolest thing about Toronto

I was back in Toronto last week, and when I boarded the airport express shuttle bus to downtown, Arcade Fire was playing over the bus speakers. I love Canada!

Can't imagine Austin without it

Now that it's public knowledge, I'm here to confirm that Lovejoy's in Austin is closing. The first bar I went to in Austin, before I had even moved here, when I didn't know a soul and I felt instantly comfortable. It's the place I met my 'main man' of three years. Said 'main man' works there currently, and I think he's in denial - he and many others who have been there for 12 years (either as customers or employees or both) will be essentially losing their family gathering place, a space whose DIY communal spirit is like no other.

It was going to close at the end of the year when the lease is up, but M. suggested that they ask the landlord to extend their lease until March, so they could have another SXSW, and they said yes.

Anyone have $100,000 to keep it open?

Parsing the anti-feminist "arguments"

Today I came across this post from Mind The Gap on how to respond to arguments from anti-feminists. It's one of the best, most well-thought-out pieces I've read on the subject. If you've ever been confronted with the "Feminists are all angry" and "Feminists are all lesbians" and "Feminists hate men" attempts at shutting you down, this is for you!

So what?

I finished my dissertation proposal! Yowza! I ran around town last night trying to find a copy place that was a) open and b) had an operable comb binding machine. I had to opt for the icky tape binding but it's better than a binder clip or a huge staple. This morning I distributed it to my five committee members, who (whom?) I am sure will read it the night before the defense. You'd like to think that after all that work people would give it the proper time it is due, but that is one of the many myths of graduate school. So now I wait until the 29th, at 9am, at which time I go before the tribunal, otherwise known as the proposal defense. In the meantime I will be preparing stock answers to such universal questions as "why are you doing this?" and "so what?"

Where the caribou roam

A bit of good news today:

GOP Leaders Yank ANWR Drilling Plan

But really, what is a "man" and a "woman"?

I hope all the homophobes in Texas (and there are a lot of 'em, hoo-boy) are breathing a huge sigh of relief today that they successfully thwarted a hostile takeover of their state by raving "homosexuals" hell-bent on getting married and....what?

I wonder how "opposite" these opposite sex marriages have to be to be legitimated under the constitution? When pressed, how would they define what a "man" and a "woman" is? As we all know, gender and sexuality are on fluid continuums, and to a large extent so is biological sex. There is a lot of ambiguity lurking underneath this idea of distinct biological sexes. What we need is someone with ambigous genitalia to sue the state of Texas (or any one of the other 19-odd states that have this in their constitutions now) for denying her/him the right to marry. Heh heh. I can already see the blank confused looks on the faces of legislators.

No School on Nov. 2 across the U.S.

World Can't Wait campaign -- Walk out of your school or job on Nov. 2!!

Home front

I'm back home and back to my senses now. Just about the first thing I did was go to brunch at Enoteca and all was put right. But look out, in two weeks I'm headed back to Toronto, this time with G$, and with any luck there will be some (mis)adventures to impart. Hopefully none involving anyone mistaking me for a toilet in their sleep. Seriously, that happened the last time I went to this particular wild and crazy conference, though I escaped the incident before anything (too) gross happened.

In other news, my best friend of over twenty years is pregnant, and she asked me to be a godparent!! I'm pretty psyched. Probably as close as I'll come to being an aunt. The kid is due in January, and the sex is going to be a surprise. She lives in Alaska, so it won't be as easy to visit as it was when I was in Seattle. But I'm honored and flattered and looking forward to being a part of her or his life. I hope the kid likes me!

...Inquiring minds want to know: Will I get my dissertation proposal done on time? Rough draft due in 24 hours. Methods section needs major work. Spent the evening watching West Wing and talking on the phone. Will I ever change??

Seriously thinking...

of defecting.

Texas was a novelty for the first three years, having never lived in the south before. Now, it's wearing a bit thin. Even in Austin, which isn't as progressive as it thinks it is. The heat, the political ick, the fatty food, the patriarchal status quo even in "progressive" circles, the rampant use of styrofoam...

Probably won't be able to find a job in Canada, but I can dream.

Preliminary observation

Downtown Toronto: The men here are extremely stylish, well-groomed, and fit. Not a pleated pant to be seen, and lots of snappy eye glasses and good shoes. And a fair number of them have French accents to boot.
I definitely need to get out of Texas more often to remind myself that there are plenty of alternatives to the schlubby/ bbq-eating/ machismo-full-of-themselves/football -obssessed dudes out there.

Jet-setting

Goodbye Waco, Hello Toronto.

I love northern cities, and I really like Canada.
Maybe I'll defect?

I've officially broken out the wool slippers for the season. Slippers rule. I guess I'm just a northern girl at heart - I love turtlenecks, fuzzy sweaters, snow, and fleece gloves. Not to mention hot toddies, hot buttered rums, hot chocolate, mulled cider and wine, and winter soups, and playing cribbage in front of a fireplace.

I'm feeling wistful this evening.

Venturing to less friendly climes

I'm off to lovely Waco tomorrow.
G$ is scared of Waco. I will protect her.
I say bring it on. I'm feeling feisty.

Mmmmmm...

The brunch menu at Enoteca Vespaio is a beautiful thing.

Sorry Ma'am, Your Reproduction is Unauthorized

I heard about this proposed Indiana legislation on Air America the other day, at which point my psychological defense mechanisms kicked in and I refused to process the information. Today I found out that indeed it was real, but the state senator who authored it, Patricia Miller, decided to drop it last week after being inundated with phone calls and opposition from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. Hooray!

The actual draft legislation remains as proof of the incessant attempts of conservative wackos to impose government regulation on our private lives.

Here's the gist of what the bill proposed:

+ Unmarried people may not participate in assisted reproduction (assisted reproduction is a broad term for things like in-vitro fertilization, sperm and egg donation, etc.) So a single woman who does not wish to marry commits a class B misdemeanor if she is impregnated by any artificial means, and any physician who facilitates the procedure gets a class B misdemeanor too.

+ Any married woman who wants to use assisted reproduction must file a "petition for parentage" much like potential adoptive parents do, and provide information like a description of their "values" and their "hobbies and talents." Other info required in the petition by a married couple includes conflict resolution style, the history of their relationship, a description of their lifestyle including "faith-based or church related" activities, a statement of their "assets, liabilities and investments", and a letter of reference from a friend or family member.

www.arielgore.com

Painting project post-mortem

Mint or Seafoam? You decide.





I can't stop looking at this red wall.



M. models his kick-ass holiday stocking handmade by G$

Alexander Hamilton on Harriet Miers

From Federalist No. 76:

"To what purpose then require the co-operation of the Senate? I answer, that the necessity of their concurrence would have a powerful, though, in general, a silent operation. It would be an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President, and would tend greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters from State prejudice, from family connection, from personal attachment, or from a view to popularity. . . . [The President] would be both ashamed and afraid to bring forward, for the most distinguished or lucrative stations, candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure."

Who's a Pretty Pretty Princess?

Frankie!

What our girls are up against

I just saw this story on the local news tonight: In Florida, four middle school boys sexually assaulted two girls while riding on a school bus. It seems that first they asked the girls to show them their breasts, and upon the girls' refusal the boys proceeded to hold the girls down, lift up their shirts, and fondle them. So nice of them to ask first, wasn't it? I mean, if the girls had just agreed to it in the first place, we could have avoided all this trouble with the law and stuff. Apparently these boys, ages 14 - 16 (and what the hell is a 16 year old doing in middle school??), have already been indoctrinated into the unspoken understanding that girls should always agree to sexual requests, and if they don't, they're stuck up bitches and should be taught a lesson. I mean, aren't girls supposed to be sexually available at all times? That's how they are in hip hop and porn, after all. And let's not forget the girls gone wild DVD library of patriarchal wet dreams. This particular artifact of our culture has normalized the expectation of girls/women to show their breasts to any joe-shmoe who happens to ask. Like these guys now think they have the rightto demand this.

And almost as disturbing as the Florida incident itself was the reaction of parents captured by the news media. Most said they wouldn't let their kid ride the bus anymore, and another said the bus driver should be held accountable. WTF? The only person (interviewed on TV) who mentioned that the boys should go to jail was another male student. That, at least, is cause for hope.

UPDATE: Thanks to hot tipper Scott, who alerted me to the fact that the boys are ages 12 - 14, not 14 - 16. I also forgot to mention that the boys took cell phone pictures of the girls after forcibly removing their clothes. the smoking gun article

I thought dog days of summer were in august

Geez, where have I been lately. I haven't felt like doing much lately, a paralysis spurred by the fact that I have committed myself to a proposal defense date (Nov. 28 or 29) and alerted my committee members to that fact. I decided that creating external expectations is the only way I am going to reach this next milestone. Now that I have set up this structure I am entering the phase of anxiously studying my calendar but being too afraid to start getting the proposal ready. I'm afraid that I will sit down to figure out the details of the research design and will realize that I have no idea how to decide what to do. Two waves of data or one? One age cohort or three? Do I need to use special software to account for complex sampling? So the days ramble on, staying up late watching the DVD commentary on "Freaks and Geeks" and finishing up Barack Obama's autobiography that I started last December.

We did some painting last weekend. I found out that there is an elusive line between a pleasing mint green and seafoam green. I'm worried that the bathroom turned out looking like a bad bridesmaid's dress color. On the other hand, the red wall in the dining room/kitchen is going to be badass. So far it just has two coats of tinted primer on it, but it already looks super cool.

Meanwhile I have two more weeks til I start my new job. The position is grant-funded, and there was a delay in getting the money released to Texas State - but I am starting on Oct. 10. Adds to the pressure to make progress on my proposal before then. Also meanwhile, I have high hopes for the premiere of the new ABC show Commander in Chief on Tuesday. I think it will help condition the masses to accept the notion of a female president.

So Simple, So True

My camera is on the fritz while I await the arrival of my new memory card reader...but in the meantime my brother, a resident of Miami, FL sent me this picture he took the other day on a street in Hialeah (part of Miami).

Asthmatic kitty

So my right-hand-man, Okazaki Fragment, has asthma. He has had a cough for three months that we couldn't figure out (cuz all his other signs were normal), and an x-ray confirmed that he has a mild to moderate condition. He's on oral steroids right now, which don't seem to be affecting anything, so we'll see. He may have to use a kitty inhaler, which has better results and fewer long-term side effects, but is pretty expensive. Long-term use of oral steroids in cats can cause diabetes, didja know?

For a brief overview of feline asthma and a great picture of the "AeroKat" inhaler in action, go here.

Foster Homes for Displaced Pets Will Be Needed

Please support the Humane Society of the United State's Disaster Animal Response Team if you are able to.

From Lucky Mutts in Austin:

What's Going On:

The Waco Humane Society is staged to receive animals from evacuees staying in the area. They currently are not in need of anything.
HOW WE ARE HELPING: We are on the list to provide foster homes once more animals need them.

The Toney Berger Center is a “pet friendly” shelter – pets can stay outside in crates. They have more than enough food and supplies right now. They currently do not have any pets, but they are expecting 400 more refugees.
HOW WE ARE HELPING: They have no more storage space for pet food and supplies. We are taking donations and storing them until their current supply is down. We are also signing up fosters and volunteers to help with the animals once they arrive.

The Humane Society of the United States evacuated 300 animals. ALL of these animals have already found places to stay. There are other efforts in Gonzales, LA and more animals are likely to come.
HOW WE ARE HELPING: We are on the list to provide foster homes once more animals need them.

The Houston SPCA is sheltering pets for people is area shelters. They currently DO NOT need foster homes or more food donations.
HOW WE ARE HELPING: We are on the list to provide foster homes if needed and we are collecting items as listed on their website to deliver next week (http://www.spcahouston.org)

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Let us know if you can provide a temporary or permanent foster home for animals. Please include any restrictions that might apply.

Donate pet food to one of our locations. We currently have drop offs in Lakeway, Westlake and East Austin. Let us know where you would like to go.

Be put on the list of volunteers who can help pets and their people --> katrina@luckymutts.com.

You can also donate to the Humane Society of the United States (the agency coordinating the evacuation efforts).

REMEMBER:

Lucky Mutts is dedicated to a SUSTAINED effort. Volunteers are being turned away from places like the Berger center because there are so many people that want to help right now. We are committed to making a difference even after the media hype dies down. People and their pets will need help for weeks to come. We understand the incredible urge to “go” and help. But remember: do not add to the chaos – help reduce it! Join a group and wait to be told how to help!

Animal Disaster Response Teams

The Humane Society of the United State's Disaster Animal Response Team is heading to the Gulf Coast region to begin rescuing animals. If you have the means, consider donating to their effort.

Also, close to home, various animal groups around town are getting pet supply donations together and setting up a shelter for animals in Austin -- basically what happens is that people who managed to escape with their pets and get to a Red Cross shelter are not allowed to bring in the pets. Most if not all shelters do not allow pets. So help is needed to take care of these furry little babies until their human companions can get settled. I am trying to find contact information on how to help...I know Animal Trustees of Austin is involved, as is the Greyhound Rescue group.

Check Austin Humane Society to start.

Fire the FEMA director

This hack who has no disaster experience actually is publicly saying that the people left behind in New Orleans should bare some responsibility for their situation because they "chose" not to evacuate. He's talking about the very old, the very poor, and the very ill. He's talking about families with young children and no car or money. Someone better call for this idiot's resignation.

Chronology of a catastrophy

From Kevin Drum at washingtonmonthly.com:

Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration. Read it and weep:

January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.

April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."

2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."

December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience in disaster management.

March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.

2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.

Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."

June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."

June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.

August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.

So: A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.

Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.
—Kevin Drum

natural disasters and violence

I haven't accomplished much in the last few days. Been glued to the 24-hr news channels watching the horror unfold in New Orleans and Mississippi. The first day I watched a stranded seal who had been thrown by the storm into a parking lot from a nearby aquarium. Later they had to shoot the seal in the head because they didn't have a way to save him. It's of course just gotten worse from there. All the frail elderly people slowly dying, waiting for water and food and medicine. And no one is talking about the race and class issues here. FINALLY there was a commentator on CNN today who talked about how no one is talking about it, like the big pink elephant in the living room.

And WTF is going on with the roving bands of rapists in the streets??? Unfuckingbelievable. I understand the theory behind rape in wartime, but rape in a natural disaster? Someone please explain this to me sociologically. There are parallels of trauma and crisis and survival between war and a natural disaster...but what is the motivation for rape? What kind of dominance are they striving for that would cause them to turn on their own neighbors?

Here is a World Health Organization brief on violence and disasters.

parting thoughts

My last day at the "Coww" Foundation was yesterday...I'm not 100% sure where I'm headed next, but it feels nice to walk away. I felt sad as I was cleaning out my office, but mostly because of the unmet and wasted opportunities. The re-organization of the foundation meant that the fellowship program was disorganized and not thought-out. It is very unfortunate, but I really think it is due to the type of people they have brought in to lead the foundation in the last year and a half. I made several efforts to make things happen there, but it went nowhere. Ah well.

At first I was led to believe that my leaving would be "controversial" and "people" would gossip and think ill of me. But once I told people other than my supervisor, I was met with nothing but warm wishes and I daresay jealousy for getting out. I think a lot of them stayed on during the recent changes because they were too close to retirement.