Well, I no longer blog like I used to, so activities like my Estrogen Month contests of past years will not be repeated in '09, I'm afraid. And the cats still have us too knackered to concentrate properly on our taxes this weekend, although all the paperwork is in place and ready to input. But the errands are done, I'm finally caught up with blogs for the first time since -- wow, since President Obama's inauguration, really! So I have a lot of open virtual windows to close, even as the real-life windows are flung open on this beautiful Daylight Saving day. And I even organized my earrings, thanks to a plastic frame that my supervisor got in a craft store and which she uses for her own jewelry:
The frame's holes don't show up well in this video, but they're ideal for holding up the hooked earrings (which I wear most on weekdays, as they don't hurt my ears when I use the phone), where the Earamid (which now looks fairly bare!) is best at storing the studded ones. Anyway, I'm sure this is all more than you cared to know, but it pleases me at any rate and I guess it's appropriately "girly" today. Let's see what else I've stored up:
• Melissa Silverstein nabbed a nice little blog post by Emma Thompson. Also in keeping with the day, Val puts forth more crazy notions about women and comics and reminds female readers to start voting with their wallets more; comics "herstorian" Trina Robbins weighs in with her views on the current state of women in comics; Colleen Doran brings us a fascinating history of the relationship between comics pioneer Rose O'Neill and movie pioneer Grey Latham; and Lisa Fortuner reminds fanboys that what often brings both genders to superhero comics is a sense of universal themes.
• Part of me still can't quite believe we're past the Bush era, probably because so much of the mess he and his cronies made still remains with us. But I smiled at Cara's fond farewell to the old regime, MadKane's alphabetical political farewell; Teresa Nielsen-Hayden's true history of the Bush years; Bint Alshamsa on the Obama presidency's impact on Black America; Terrance Heath on America's mountaintop moment; and Sara Robinson on the cuultural context of Aretha's hat. Also, David Rees has retired Get Your War On (given the continuing crises in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., I hope he hasn't done so prematurely), but continues to demonstrate that his new fighting technique is unstoppable.
• Of course, just because we're in the Obama era doesn't mean the people who caused our current problems have really gone away. The Rude One brings us the brilliant mashup Cheney in Repose: A Poem; Eric Boehlert notes how coincidentally fascinating it is that suddenly the "liberal" media is putting White House feet to the fire again, now that the Democrats are once again in charge; Michael Bérubé smells something burning; Susie and Sean Quinn hate the Chinese water torture of using "Democrat" instead of "Democratic" as much as I do (and Susie sums up the meanness of the Republican thought process perfectly in this post); lots of folks on how They Are Not Your Friends (including Turkana, Hilzoy and Athenae); Paul Krugman notes that "if we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we’ll guarantee that they will happen again"; and, of course, What Digby Said -- about how many Democrats don't want to fight this abuse of power thing too hard because they're (duh) complicit, and about how the dittoheads are fighting so hard against Obama's plans not because they're afraid he'll fail but because they suspect he'll succeed, and about how Nixon and Reagan and Bush (both 41 and 43) were the current party's standard bearers rather than radical exceptions. Also, What Hilzoy Said, about how Reagan and Thatcher presided over higher taxes than Obama's proposing, and about the "returning to the fight" nonsense.
• Belated congrats all around! To Andante for being cancer-free for one year! To Cara Kulwicki on her magnificent series about Yoko Ono being linked to by the lady herself! (Hey Cara, any time you and your Aussie hubby want to head to the eastern side of the state to visit the Dakota, you're welcome to stay with us, we're binational too!) To Jessica on her engagement! And to Graeme McMillan on his citizenship! (Hey Graeme, could you submit these photos to your Robot 6 colleagues as part of their "Send Us Your Shelf Porn" series?)
• When a topic occupies at least two of my Top Six blogs, I pay attention. Here's Neil Gaiman and particularly Wil Wheaton on the "controversy" over Kindle's audio capabilities. And speaking of ch-ch-changes, you can't get a better source for what's going on in the downward spiral of newspaper cartooning than Tom Tomorrow, who also reminds us that one reason online journalism/opinion is outweighing the print kind is that many professional blogs don't pay their contributors. In terms of getting paid for your political writing and reporting, I suspect HuffPo is a bad business model for everyone but Arianna Huffington.
• Some unpaid-for pieces I've enjoyed on HuffPo lately have included Charles Karel Bouley's review of a Labelle reunion; Rajeev Goyal's special shout-out on Inauguration Day; and Peter Dreier's suggestion of Pete Seeger as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (which I heartily second; I thank Seeger every time I cross the Tappan Zee bridge and gaze out at the Hudson).
• Say, have you played the Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye game at Bully's place yet?
• PZ Myers points to 50 reasons why one shouldn't believe in evolution. I think my favorite excuse is #3, "Because if I can’t immediately understand how something works, then it must be bullshit." I've seen that attitude way too often from way too many lowlifes lately, and it doesn't just apply to scientific theories.
• Speaking of stupidity: Michael Ruhlman bemoans our over-paranoid culture when it comes to bacteria (get it? culture? bacteria? I got a million of 'em); maybe this explains why he's firmly ensconced in the Cult of the Undercooked? I can agree with the notion of Americans being way too ridiculously germaphobic in general, but denying that our digestive systems haven't evolved to the point where they can processed meat that isn't cooked (give or take the odd carpaccio or kobe beef) is pretty much the other side of the spectrum, isn't it? And talk about wingy,-- some idjit decided the "kosher" in kosher salt should be read not as an implied verb (as in "to kosher; the kind of salt used, among other places, in the koshering process") but as an ethnic modifier (i.e., "Jew salt!"), and has decided to come out with his own brand of "Christian-ized" salt, bagels, rye bread, pickles and anything else his warped brain conceives as "evil Jew food." No, nothing anti-Jewish about any of that! Oy. (And yes, I know I'm about to see another Purim with no Megillat Vashti; so it goes.)
• When Mark Morford isn't on his fat-hating kick he can actually write a good column, like this one about anonymous drive-by commenting. And Colleen Doran passes along a cautionary tale about a devious fangirl.
• I was really moved by Tatiana's tale of gratitude for the simple gift of sight, and by Doc's memories of his grandmother's attitude towards thrift. And I loved Portly's car-buying story.
• When it comes to all things Groucho, Gary Sassaman is an expert, so I'd take his word for it that an evening with Frank Ferrante is one extremely well spent.
• Avedon and Anne are right, Brad Hicks' praise of the WPA (as opposed to the PWA) is a must-read.
• R.J. Eskow finds a revenant John Lennon disturbing. I'm more disturbed, like Pam, by how many people no longer get Beatles references at all.
• Terry Jones considers a new career (via Mark Evanier).
• David Sirota puts to words what I've been thinking for awhile: if a company is "too big to fail," it's too big to be in private hands.
• Michael Bérubé doesn't think much of the Radio City Music Hall debate series. I don't either, but then I remember the days of the G. Gordon Liddy/Timothy Leary debates...
• Over at Pandagon, Amanda points out that if you actually examine what's in the budget as opposed to making a twittering ass of yourself, you'll see there's some very needed funds there for some very sensible projects. She also thinks Ugg boots are Uggly, but I disagree; I've seen tons of them in Manhattan lately, and I believe they look practical and must feel very warm. Unfortunately, they don't come in wide widths. On the other hand, I can get behind mocking "mantyhose." Meanwhile, Jesse hilariously explodes the myth of Jesus money
• Lastly, Melissa McEwen provides some food for thought on being thought of as an immigrant versus an ex-pat. Way I look at it, my maternal grandparents were immigrants, my dad was an immigrant, and my husband is an immigrant but, since all the folks in my family were white and Robin's Western European as opposed to those "swarthy" Eastern European types, maybe other people don't see it the same.
And now to tackle my bills and other financial matters! Anything to avoid ironing, the bit of "woman's work" that never seems to be done in this house...
The frame's holes don't show up well in this video, but they're ideal for holding up the hooked earrings (which I wear most on weekdays, as they don't hurt my ears when I use the phone), where the Earamid (which now looks fairly bare!) is best at storing the studded ones. Anyway, I'm sure this is all more than you cared to know, but it pleases me at any rate and I guess it's appropriately "girly" today. Let's see what else I've stored up:
• Melissa Silverstein nabbed a nice little blog post by Emma Thompson. Also in keeping with the day, Val puts forth more crazy notions about women and comics and reminds female readers to start voting with their wallets more; comics "herstorian" Trina Robbins weighs in with her views on the current state of women in comics; Colleen Doran brings us a fascinating history of the relationship between comics pioneer Rose O'Neill and movie pioneer Grey Latham; and Lisa Fortuner reminds fanboys that what often brings both genders to superhero comics is a sense of universal themes.
• Part of me still can't quite believe we're past the Bush era, probably because so much of the mess he and his cronies made still remains with us. But I smiled at Cara's fond farewell to the old regime, MadKane's alphabetical political farewell; Teresa Nielsen-Hayden's true history of the Bush years; Bint Alshamsa on the Obama presidency's impact on Black America; Terrance Heath on America's mountaintop moment; and Sara Robinson on the cuultural context of Aretha's hat. Also, David Rees has retired Get Your War On (given the continuing crises in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., I hope he hasn't done so prematurely), but continues to demonstrate that his new fighting technique is unstoppable.
• Of course, just because we're in the Obama era doesn't mean the people who caused our current problems have really gone away. The Rude One brings us the brilliant mashup Cheney in Repose: A Poem; Eric Boehlert notes how coincidentally fascinating it is that suddenly the "liberal" media is putting White House feet to the fire again, now that the Democrats are once again in charge; Michael Bérubé smells something burning; Susie and Sean Quinn hate the Chinese water torture of using "Democrat" instead of "Democratic" as much as I do (and Susie sums up the meanness of the Republican thought process perfectly in this post); lots of folks on how They Are Not Your Friends (including Turkana, Hilzoy and Athenae); Paul Krugman notes that "if we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we’ll guarantee that they will happen again"; and, of course, What Digby Said -- about how many Democrats don't want to fight this abuse of power thing too hard because they're (duh) complicit, and about how the dittoheads are fighting so hard against Obama's plans not because they're afraid he'll fail but because they suspect he'll succeed, and about how Nixon and Reagan and Bush (both 41 and 43) were the current party's standard bearers rather than radical exceptions. Also, What Hilzoy Said, about how Reagan and Thatcher presided over higher taxes than Obama's proposing, and about the "returning to the fight" nonsense.
• Belated congrats all around! To Andante for being cancer-free for one year! To Cara Kulwicki on her magnificent series about Yoko Ono being linked to by the lady herself! (Hey Cara, any time you and your Aussie hubby want to head to the eastern side of the state to visit the Dakota, you're welcome to stay with us, we're binational too!) To Jessica on her engagement! And to Graeme McMillan on his citizenship! (Hey Graeme, could you submit these photos to your Robot 6 colleagues as part of their "Send Us Your Shelf Porn" series?)
• When a topic occupies at least two of my Top Six blogs, I pay attention. Here's Neil Gaiman and particularly Wil Wheaton on the "controversy" over Kindle's audio capabilities. And speaking of ch-ch-changes, you can't get a better source for what's going on in the downward spiral of newspaper cartooning than Tom Tomorrow, who also reminds us that one reason online journalism/opinion is outweighing the print kind is that many professional blogs don't pay their contributors. In terms of getting paid for your political writing and reporting, I suspect HuffPo is a bad business model for everyone but Arianna Huffington.
• Some unpaid-for pieces I've enjoyed on HuffPo lately have included Charles Karel Bouley's review of a Labelle reunion; Rajeev Goyal's special shout-out on Inauguration Day; and Peter Dreier's suggestion of Pete Seeger as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (which I heartily second; I thank Seeger every time I cross the Tappan Zee bridge and gaze out at the Hudson).
• Say, have you played the Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye game at Bully's place yet?
• PZ Myers points to 50 reasons why one shouldn't believe in evolution. I think my favorite excuse is #3, "Because if I can’t immediately understand how something works, then it must be bullshit." I've seen that attitude way too often from way too many lowlifes lately, and it doesn't just apply to scientific theories.
• Speaking of stupidity: Michael Ruhlman bemoans our over-paranoid culture when it comes to bacteria (get it? culture? bacteria? I got a million of 'em); maybe this explains why he's firmly ensconced in the Cult of the Undercooked? I can agree with the notion of Americans being way too ridiculously germaphobic in general, but denying that our digestive systems haven't evolved to the point where they can processed meat that isn't cooked (give or take the odd carpaccio or kobe beef) is pretty much the other side of the spectrum, isn't it? And talk about wingy,-- some idjit decided the "kosher" in kosher salt should be read not as an implied verb (as in "to kosher; the kind of salt used, among other places, in the koshering process") but as an ethnic modifier (i.e., "Jew salt!"), and has decided to come out with his own brand of "Christian-ized" salt, bagels, rye bread, pickles and anything else his warped brain conceives as "evil Jew food." No, nothing anti-Jewish about any of that! Oy. (And yes, I know I'm about to see another Purim with no Megillat Vashti; so it goes.)
• When Mark Morford isn't on his fat-hating kick he can actually write a good column, like this one about anonymous drive-by commenting. And Colleen Doran passes along a cautionary tale about a devious fangirl.
• I was really moved by Tatiana's tale of gratitude for the simple gift of sight, and by Doc's memories of his grandmother's attitude towards thrift. And I loved Portly's car-buying story.
• When it comes to all things Groucho, Gary Sassaman is an expert, so I'd take his word for it that an evening with Frank Ferrante is one extremely well spent.
• Avedon and Anne are right, Brad Hicks' praise of the WPA (as opposed to the PWA) is a must-read.
• R.J. Eskow finds a revenant John Lennon disturbing. I'm more disturbed, like Pam, by how many people no longer get Beatles references at all.
• Terry Jones considers a new career (via Mark Evanier).
• David Sirota puts to words what I've been thinking for awhile: if a company is "too big to fail," it's too big to be in private hands.
• Michael Bérubé doesn't think much of the Radio City Music Hall debate series. I don't either, but then I remember the days of the G. Gordon Liddy/Timothy Leary debates...
• Over at Pandagon, Amanda points out that if you actually examine what's in the budget as opposed to making a twittering ass of yourself, you'll see there's some very needed funds there for some very sensible projects. She also thinks Ugg boots are Uggly, but I disagree; I've seen tons of them in Manhattan lately, and I believe they look practical and must feel very warm. Unfortunately, they don't come in wide widths. On the other hand, I can get behind mocking "mantyhose." Meanwhile, Jesse hilariously explodes the myth of Jesus money
• Lastly, Melissa McEwen provides some food for thought on being thought of as an immigrant versus an ex-pat. Way I look at it, my maternal grandparents were immigrants, my dad was an immigrant, and my husband is an immigrant but, since all the folks in my family were white and Robin's Western European as opposed to those "swarthy" Eastern European types, maybe other people don't see it the same.
And now to tackle my bills and other financial matters! Anything to avoid ironing, the bit of "woman's work" that never seems to be done in this house...
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