Still lazy but look what I learned how to do...

Too freaking lazy to post

Made it home alive. Barely.

I'm home from FL. The wedding was beautiful but I'm kind of a mess. Too much time away from work. Or not nearly enough. I'll post an actual blog eventually, with photos and all, but had to copy this here. I'm sure my Joss obsession is super boring from the outside but this might help explain why I love him longtime and hope that my kids grow up to be just like him. Except you know, themselves. The post is from Whedonesque.com but is so good I couldn't just link to it, for fear that everyone else is as lazy as me. (Although I know for a fact that the two people who read this blog are not lazy at all.)

May 20 2007
Let's Watch A Girl Get Beaten To Death. This is not my blog, but I don’t have a blog, or a space, and I’d like to be heard for a bit.

Last month seventeen year old Dua Khalil was pulled into a crowd of young men, some of them (the instigators) family, who then kicked and stoned her to death. This is an example of the breath-taking oxymoron “honor killing”, in which a family member (almost always female) is murdered for some religious or ethical transgression. Dua Khalil, who was of the Yazidi faith, had been seen in the company of a Sunni Muslim, and possibly suspected of having married him or converted. That she was torturously murdered for this is not, in fact, a particularly uncommon story.
But now you can watch the action up close on CNN. Because as the girl was on the
ground trying to get up, her face nothing but red, the few in the group of more
than twenty men who were not busy kicking her and hurling stones at her were
filming the event with their camera-phones.

There were security officers standing outside the area doing nothing, but the footage of the murder was taken – by more than one phone – from the front row. Which means whoever shot it did so not to record the horror of the event, but to commemorate it. To share it. Because it was cool.

I could start a rant about the level to which we have become desensitized to violence, about the evils of the voyeuristic digital world in which everything is shown and everything is game, but honestly, it’s been said. And I certainly have no jingoistic cultural agenda. I like to think that in America this would be considered unbearably appalling, that Kitty Genovese is still remembered, that we are more evolved. But coincidentally, right before I stumbled on this vid I watched the trailer for Captivity”.

A few of you may know that I took public exception to the billboard campaign for this film, which showed a concise narrative of the kidnapping, torture and murder of a sexy young woman. I wanted to see if the film was perhaps more substantial (especially given the fact that it was directed by “The Killing Fields” Roland Joffe) than the exploitive ad campaign had painted it. The trailer resembles nothing so much as the CNN story on Dua Khalil. Pretty much all you learn is that Elisha
Cuthbert is beautiful, then kidnapped, inventively, repeatedly and horrifically
tortured, and that the first thing she screams is “I’m sorry”.

“I’m sorry.”

What is wrong with women?I mean wrong. Physically. Spiritually. Something unnatural, something destructive, something that needs to be corrected.How did more than half the people in the world come out incorrectly? I have spent a good part of my life trying to do that math, and I’m no closer to a viable equation. And I
have yet to find a culture that doesn’t buy into it. Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.)

And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least,
expendable.I try to think how we got here. The theory I developed in college (shared by many I’m sure) is one I have yet to beat: Womb Envy. Biology: women are generally smaller and weaker than men. But they’re also much tougher. Put simply, men are strong enough to overpower a woman and propagate. Women are tough enough to have and nurture children, with or without the aid of a man. Oh, and they’ve also got the equipment to do that, to be part of the life cycle, to create and bond in a way no man ever really will. Somewhere a long time ago a bunch of men got together and said, “If all we do is hunt and gather, let’s make hunting and gathering the awesomest achievement, and let’s make childbirth kinda weak and shameful.” It’s a rather silly simplification, but I believe on a mass, unconscious level, it’s entirely true.

How else to explain the fact that cultures who would die to eradicate each other have always agreed on one issue? That every popular religion puts restrictions on women’s behavior that are practically untenable? That the act of being a free, attractive, self-assertive woman is punishable by torture and death? In the case of this upcoming torture-porn, fictional. In the case of Dua Khalil, mundanely, unthinkably real. And both available for your viewing pleasure.

It’s safe to say that I’ve snapped. That something broke, like one of those robots you can conquer with a logical conundrum. All my life I’ve looked at this faulty equation, trying to understand, and I’ve shorted out. I don’t pretend to be a great guy; I know
really really well about objectification, trust me. And I’m not for a second going down the “women are saints” route – that just leads to more stone-throwing (and occasional Joan-burning). I just think there is the staggering imbalance in the world that we all just take for granted. If we were all told the sky was evil, or at best a little embarrassing, and we ought not look at it, wouldn’t that tradition eventually fall apart? (I was going to use ‘trees’ as my example, but at the rate we’re getting rid of them I’m pretty sure we really do think they’re evil. See how all rants become one?)

Now those of you who frequent this site are, in my wildly biased opinion, fairly evolved. You may hear nothing new here. You may be way ahead of me. But I can’t contain my despair, for Dua Khalil, for humanity, for the world we’re shaping. Those of you who have followed the link I set up know that it doesn’t bring you to a video of a murder. It brings you to a place of sanity, of people who have never stopped asking the question of what is wrong with this world and have set about trying to change the answer. Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

All I ask is this: Do something. Try something. Speaking out, showing up, writing a letter, a check, a strongly worded e-mail. Pick a cause – there are few unworthy ones. And nudge yourself past the brink of tacit support to action. Once a month, once a year, or just once. If you can’t think of what to do, there is this handy link. Even just learning enough about a subject so you can speak against an opponent eloquently makes you an unusual personage. Start with that. Any one of you would have cried out, would have intervened, had you been in that crowd in Bashiqa. Well thanks to digital technology, you’re all in it now.

I have never had any faith in humanity. But I will give us props on this: if we can evolve, invent and theorize our way into the technologically magical, culturally diverse and artistically magnificent race we are and still get people to buy the idiotic idea that half of us are inferior, we’re pretty amazing. Let our next sleight of hand be to make that myth disappear.

The sky isn’t evil. Try looking up.
joss General 05:35 CET 387
comments total tags: joss post

I need a second job

Like, for real. I'm leaving for Florida next week. Possibly taking a long weekend trip to Chicago in July. Going on this cruise in December, cause I'm such a huge geek. Less likely, but still possibly going to Scotland in September with my oldest friend Tea. And now this.

My two geekdoms are colliding. Ewan and Chiwetel (who played the big bad in Serenity and is an amazing actor) together. In a small theater. And one of my favorite Shakespeare plays no less. Uggh. I really, really want to go. I mean really.

So, now I seriously need to a) win the lottery b) hook up with a rich boy who wants me to take lots of vacations or c) get a second job. Guess its the want ads for me.

Any suggestions? I'm kind of thinking I should get a job with one of the airlines or a travel company. Do they still offer deals on travel? Other than booking about two trips a year for the past ten years myself I don't really have any experience. And other than typing and using a telephone, my current job has zero transferable skills. Poo.

I set up a holiday account to pay for the cruise. Direct deposit is the only way I can save money. Wondering if I should bump it up just in case I can squeak out another trip. Good Lord, can I really try to squeak out another trip?

Maybe I should just look into getting some meds. Ewan and Joss related OCD sucks. But in a good way.

Never enough Nathan

So I totally forgot to blog about seeing Waitress with Shayne last week. I absolutely LOVED it. Nathan's character is such an awkward, goofy, uncomfortable, gorgeous doctor. So unlike Nate, 'cept for the hotness factor. I don't think any amount of CGI effects could make that boy unpretty.

The movie is super cute and sweet. I loved it so much that I'm making Jboy bring me for Mother's Day...and not just because they're giving away free gift bags either!

And this proves that I'm not the only one Feeling the Fillion. (Oh, I should trademark that.)

Congratulations to WAITRESS on winning two awards at the Newport Beach Film
Festival! It won the Audience Award for Best Feature.
Nathan Fillion won in the Best Acting category as the awkward but lovable Dr. Pomatter.

And, bonus Nathan! He'll be on The Late Late Show tonight. Scottish accents and Nathan all at once? My ovaries may implode.

THIRTY-SIX QUESTIONS THAT I’D REALLY LOVE TO HEAR THE ANSWERS TO!

Not sure how I ended up here but I found this list and couldn't resist. Too funny.


1. What is the last lie you told? This morning I told Jboy he'd have to pay for his Advanced Placement exams himself, since he didn't find out who I was supposed to make a check out to. I have every intention of paying him back, but he doesn't need to know that. Yet.
2. To your parents? I lie to my mom all the time about how much money I spend. Cause I'm nice like that. Why worry her?
3. To your partner? I don't think lies count after this long.
4. To your boss? Actually I don't think I've ever lied to this boss.
5. If you could have sex with ONE famous person who would it be? Ewan McGregor. In Scotland. On his motorcycle. In the rain. The day his divorce is finalized, of course. Sheesh, makes me sound like I've put a lot of thought into it, huh?
6. What disgusting thing do you do in private? I pick Macaroni's nose all the time.
7. What song do you dance around like a maniac to when no one is looking? Blister in the Sun and Kiss Off and Add It Up. And just about anything by the Dandy Warhols.
8. Have you ever stolen anything? Yes.
9. Have you ever faked an orgasm? Yes. I think I might have won a trophy in this category back in high school.
10. Recently? No.
11. Porn: high class and artsy or real and sweaty? Do they really make high class porn?
12. If you could kill one person and get away with it, who would you ice? Oooh, nice try. Think I'll take the fifth. Just in case.
13. How? Hitman. While I'm out of the country or on live TV. Definitely.
14. Have you ever cheated on your partner? No. Depending on the definitions of cheated and partner. But no.
15. Have you ever really REALLY wanted to? Hell yes.
16. Who with? Well there's Ewan and that really dumb boy from high school, but those are so obviously. There's the Ohio Boys™ (but just the cute one), Troy SomethingorOther. Oh yeah, the Norwegians with the airplane. And pretty much anyone with a pulse for a while there.
17. What really cheesy TV show or movie do you secretly love? I don't secretly love either of them but I can occasionally get sucked in by ANTM and DOND. So cheesey I can't bring myself to spell them!
18. No really, You ate an entire Box/Carton/Bag of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________ all by yourself in one sitting! Lately? Jumbo boxes of Hot Tamales. They're like crack.
19. If you woke up in the body of the opposite sex for one day what would you do? Hire someone to remodel my house so I don't get screwed again.
20. If you woke up with the opposite sexual preference for the day WHO would you do? *deleted smartass answer about Ewan's wife and a three way, since that's so not the question* I'll have to think about this one...I think chicks are generally hotter than guys but I don't really want to have sex with any of them. Ooh I know, Willow and Tara. Not the actresses who played them, the characters.
21. NAKED you think you are HOT/NOT? Is there a word stronger than not?
22. Thong underwear – great way to avoid panty lines or instrument of torture designed by Satan himself? Both.
23. If you could totally change your name (first and last) what would you change it to? Mrs. Sunshine McGregor-Whedon. (and we'd live in Utah)
24. Do you pop your partner’s zits/blackheads? Now I remember why I don't have a boyfriend!
25. If you all of the sudden woke up a famous singer what song from your youth that you LOVE would you record and release a cover version of? Well Borderline would make the most sense, but probably something by Motley Crue or the Violent Femmes.
26. If you could change one feature with plastic surgery what would it be? Are hairy pits a feature? I would so get them lasered. Maybe fix my dog scar, but only if it was free & painless. Actually, I might not even do it then.
27. If all drugs were suddenly legal and affordable which ones would you take? Add SAFE and NOT ADDICTIVE to the list and I'd already have tracks on my arms. I think I was a heroin junkie in a previous life.
28. If you could name your son and daughter anything you wanted what would you call them? Well I did name them what I wanted (bonus of being a single mom) but if by anything you mean crazy/weird, Jboy would be DILLWEED! (exclamation point and all) and Macaroni would probably be Little Man. Since that's what I call them most of the time.
29. What was your last nightmare about? Icky, icky grossness that no one wants to hear about. And I'm sure I'll be seeing it again tonight.
30. What one thing from your past would you undo (or erase from everyone’s memory including yours to avoid that whole changing fate thing) if you could? Nothing, I'm good. (back to say that I would have given a toast at Shayne's wedding. I'm sure it would have sucked cause I don't do the public speaking, but I wish I'd said something. Except what her brother said.)
31. What really bad habit have you given up trying to give up? Eating whatever I want, whenever I want it. I'm still trying to give up eating whatever is in front of me though, cause most of the time I really don't want it.
32. Do you understand why Paris Hilton is so fricken famous? No, but I don't understand a lot of things. Like Pi.
33. If you DO can you please explain it to ME?
34. If you could wake up tomorrow with one talent or skill what would it be? To make money by exhaling and/or blinking.
35. What is your biggest/most irrational fear or phobia? All of my fears and phobias are totally rational. Totally.
36. How much would I have to pay you to fill this out HONESTLY? Apparently nothing. Damn.

Weekend was bliss...

...despite the allergies and power outage.

All kinds of baby goodness. KK and Shayne were in town so I got to spend lots of time gushing all over Baby K. Who is totally Big Girl K now, so sad to see them go.

Tried to post a video of her playing peekaboo at lunch. Will need to get someone who knows what the hell they're doing to help me. It's super cute.

Also got to take a nap with Rubylicious yesterday. Well, she napped and I watched Mi*mi Ink. Babies and tattoos...no better way to spend a weekend. More photos to follow, gotta get back to work now.

I must have ten or fifteen photos of her in this same position. Sleeping babies = Heaven

Doesn't taste too good

At the grocery store where her mama and I used to go when we'd skip school.

The best reason to be the photographer?

No embarrassing photos of me bowling! PCR took a team photo of us but it's not up on their site yet. Hopefully it turned out okay. Anyway, here's a few shots from the bowlarama.

Daddy always keeps score. And he always wins. Coinkydink?
(His button says "IM4CHOICE!")

The Master at Play

I don't know which is funnier, mom's awesome style

or the woman in the background.

Macaroni aka Not Only Gutterballs


So enthused

That's more like it.

Pre-injury


After dropping the ball on his foot. Terribly funny,

once I knew he didn't break any bones.