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    Monday, July 7th, 2008
    prezzey
         		1:48a
    Drawingz0rzness!
    Head over to [info]emeraldspires to see the title screen in all its finalized glory (unless I change my mind, of course *rolleyes*).
    Sunday, July 6th, 2008
    matrixrefugee
         		5:43p
    Writer's Block: Water Closets Reconsidered

    Post some pictures of outhouses or bathrooms that have given you a lasting impression, and talk about what the restroom means to you.


    View other answers


    No pictures, unfortunately, but two different bathrooms that have impressed me:

    --The bathrooms at the Jordans' Furniture in Natick: the store has a New Orleans theme to it, and the decor extends to the washrooms, with these lovely distressed wood coverings on the walls, doors and the outsides of the stalls, and reproduction antique Mardi Gras posters in antique frames.

    --The bathrooms at the Peabody-Essex Museaum in Salem. I have never seen a more clean bathroom in my life, and at that point, I'd never seen one with museum quality prints on the walls, either.
    conuly
         		3:03p
    I was bopping around online last night, and I came across a post asking
    "How do you define patriotism?"

    Well, that's the title, but the actual question is the more prosaic "How do you teach patriotism?" instead.

    The only answer to that question so far runs like this:

    As for me, I don't teach about patriotism on July 4th...I teach it every day of the year. In my preschool classrooms we say the pledge of allegiance every day, we sing and play patriotic music weekly if not daily, and we talk about this great country and it's leaders (both past and present). Do they get it all? No, but it build a great foundation.

    Which is all well and good, I guess, but my very first, second, and third thoughts after reading this went more along the lines of "I guess every day is indoctrination day over in Poky Oaks Preschool!"

    Not very nice of me, and you'll notice I haven't replied.

    Still, I do feel that. Or, at least, I find her answer of how she defines patriotism (even if she doesn't say so explicitly) to be a little disturbing - it's thinking that this country is great and the leaders (past and present) are great... and that's it.

    She doesn't say she teaches what liberty, equality, and justice are (and though those are big words for small kids, and big concepts, there's definitely no wrong time to start teaching them!); and she doesn't say she teaches them about their most basic rights (the third amendment might go right over their heads, but the first is crucial); and she doesn't say she works to teach them about people who went *against* the status quo to make this country better (except of course for our past leaders, some of whom were stunningly unpatriotic in their *original* country of Britain (England? I'm never very clear on that)!); and while she does probably strive to instill the virtues of good citizenship in them she probably doesn't consider that part of patriotism, or she would've said so.

    And of course there's the forced recitation of a loyalty oath every day, aka the Pledge of Allegiance. A simple enough oath in such language that it's close to impossible for them to understand, and she doesn't indicate that she even teaches what it means.

    (Let me go on record as saying that I am firmly opposed to asking small children to make promises that they don't understand, especially when adults are not required to continually make the same promise. I don't care how benign you think the promise is, it's just not right.)

    Her view of teaching patriotism and mine are so far apart... I don't know. I just don't know. She's not wrong (I do admit that, snide comments aside), I just don't think she's right. By limiting her view on patriotism she's really short-changing herself and her students.

    Current Mood: contemplative
    conuly
         		2:15p
    An article on apartments, and children, and noise.
    Clicky!

    ( Read more... )

    Current Mood: bored
    conuly
         		2:05p
    As I said, my mother came home last night.
    And gave me one last rant on her brother (well, I'm sure there'll be more, but they'll be faded with distance).

    "He goes into the kitchen and moves things around noisily for a few minutes and then complains that he's doing all the cleaning!"

    And I sat there and should be commended for not saying "Oh, wow, that totally doesn't sound familiar to me at all!"

    I love my mother, but cleaning isn't exactly her forte.
    Saturday, July 5th, 2008
    conuly
         		4:34p
    Oh, oh, oh! Edit: Added some lj-cuts, this entry is longer than I thought
    ( In which Sally turns into a horse )

    ~~~~~~~~~


    ( In which I get my speech corrected and a free spelling lesson )

    ~~~~~~~~~


    ( In which Ana Can Totally Read )

    ~~~~~~~~~~


    ( In which Ana says looken )

    Current Mood: cheerful
    wal_lace
         		7:41p
    Doctor Who: Journey's End.
    A mixed episode which, on balance, sucked big sweaty monkey balls.

    ( Spoilers. )

    In conclusion, if they'd trimmed it by about 10 minutes, mostly from the end, I'd probably have liked it despite its flaws. As it is, it was just too much suck.

    Also, how much makeup was that Chinese UNIT soldier wearing?

    Current Mood: calm
    wal_lace
         		2:34p
    Silly dog is silly.
    So I'm at my parents' house because I have a dental appointment on Monday (those of you who live in Britain will appreciate why I'm prepared to go half-way across the country for an NHS dentist). My mother is mowing the lawn (I offered, but she wanted to play with her new mower) and, in defiance of all canine tradition, Nellie the Labrador is also in the garden. Or she was, five minutes ago.

    She found a ball, and invited me to play with her. This is increasingly rare since A) all her boys moved out and B) her age hit double figures (she's now well past 11, and slightly lame), so naturally I jumped at the chance (literally. I get quite undignified about that dog).

    And she, having got the ball off me, ran round me, went straight inside, sat down and stared at me.

    She has the ball. I do not. Stupid human.

    This pointless anecdote brought to you courtesy of a lazy sunny afternoon.
    Friday, July 4th, 2008
    matrixrefugee
         		11:51p
    Happy 4th!
    For the first time in years, the mosquitoes actually allowed us to have a cook out *outside*: most years, they chase us back into the house and the most we can accomplish is that my dad manages to roast our turkey dogs over his cleverly devised fire pit, made from scrap metal he got at a friend's scrapyard.

    And, unfortunately for us, the rumors that our town had decided not to have any fireworks this year have proven true. Ah well. At least we had the fireworks in Boston on television, but that's sure not the same as seeing them live.

    In other news: I've started to keep a kind of journal of book, movie and CD reviews by way of Amazon.com's user reviews. I've added a link to my Amazon user page to the links on the main page of this LJ
    conuly
         		6:12p
    I've been reading the TVTropes site a lot this week.
    Intentionally, I might add, though I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.

    All this reading brings me to one crucial question. Is there anything new any of us can do when it comes to telling a story? Because damn if that site isn't insanely comprehensive!
    mumbly_joe
         		5:39p
    My first Independance Day
    So, It's done. For those of you who haven't been following my life obsessively, I've moved into Manhattan, and am rooming with [info]crystalpyramid. I'm enjoying my second full day in the city, and trying to do some vague unpacking. At some point this weekend, I'll have to find my my schedule and work clothes and figure out where to put them, but for now, I'm reveling in the sights and sounds (and humidity) of the area. I spent the afternoon walking down the east side of Central Park to 68th street; a vaguely familiar walk for me, one I've done before, but somehow it felt different. I wasn't wandering around as a stranger, a tourist, a visitor this time. It was... nice. As I passed the museum, and the buildings of the Upper East Side became visible over the trees, NYC -from the Annie soundtrack- came blaring through my headphones. My Ipod, Vajra, has a good sense of timing like that.

    So now, dinner and some more unpacking. If it clears up at all tonight, I might head up to the roof to have a beer and catch some of the fireworks. Tomorrow... I dunno. There's a whole city down here, and I hear it's pretty big. We'll see how it all goes.


    Oh, and just for lulz, this quote from John Adams, in appreciation for the holiday:

    ( Read more... )

    ...whoops
    wal_lace
         		6:17a
    Just to be absolutely clear.
    We didn't want your stupid country anyway.
    Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
    conuly
         		11:53p
    The NYTimes has a fascination with kids who love the trains
    They're constantly running articles on the subject. Well, frequently anyway.

    This one is very cute, and really, being in picture format, defies being copypasted. You have to click to read.

    Current Mood: cheerful
    matrixrefugee
         		11:48p
    Fireworks galore!
    A rain/wind/thunderstorm rattled through the area earlier tonight; we'd planned to go see the fireworks in Wilmington, but it looked like God and the gods' fireworks were going to steal the show. But nope! The pyrotechnics went off without a hitch.

    Not sure if our town is having any Fourth of July festivities, due to some cutbacks in funding. I've heard a different rumor from just about everyone who mentioned it at work. If all else, there's always the Boston Pops concert on TV.
    conuly
         		10:12p
    In other news, the CSA was today.
    In addition to our egg share (dozen eggs) and our fruit share (quart of cherries, 12 oz of apple juice) we got the following:

    Two lg lettuces
    10 small onions with greens
    22 oz. chard (I only took a pound - how much chard can a girl eat? The leftover is all donated to a food bank)
    10 squash
    10 cucumbers
    10 oz baby greens
    2 napa cabbages

    Holy crap that's a lot of greenery. I do believe the phrase "om nom nom" is appropriate now?

    Current Mood: cheerful
    conuly
         		10:06p
    Ugh. Went to the zoo today, met with the dregs of humanity.
    1. To the woman with the stroller - don't project your unhappiness over taking so long to get up the stairs on *me*. My standing there is not the same as "having a problem" with you. If you've got a chip on your shoulder about that, I suggest you keep it to yourself. I don't really have the patience for overgrown children.

    2. To the huge swarm of tourists going westward when I was trying to go northward - look, I appreciate that "everybody is trying to walk", even if "walking" means, apparently, "proceeding at the pace of molasses". Fine. But meanwhile, *I* am trying to cross the street before I lose the light! The phrase "excuse me" is perfectly acceptable in this situation, and does not make me a "bitch". Fucking tourist.

    3. To the man in the train station - there's always another train. Especially at rush hour. Yes. Yes, really. There's absolutely no need to run down the stairs... and if you *insist* on running, you need to be more careful, sir. There is definitely no need to bump into others. On the stairs. Nearly knocked me down.

    Ugh. Not the sort of thing I want to deal with all in one day :(

    Current Mood: irked
    wal_lace
         		9:04p
    Heroes: Powerless.
    Good boy, Mohinder. The moment you learn Sylar doesn't have powers, straight with the knife. Too bad Syler is quicker. Still, intelligence is good.

    Ooh, Hiro is fighting smart. Peter is being dumb. Adam remembers his old buddy.

    Claire's mum has been better this season. This is good.

    I like Elle. She's awesomely ineffectual, and desperate for her daddy's approval. And despite being cheerfully sociopathic, completely outmatched by Mr Bennet. Who, locked in a cell with no chance of escape, still owns everybody in the Company.

    ... Okay, Peter and Adam make one badass team. I like this. Also, since Adam has a functioning brain he finds Peter quite easy to manipulate.

    Sylar had better not kill Elle. I'm just sayin', is all.

    "We don't talk about that ever again." Oh, Matt riding Nathan is made of win and fun.

    West, you egocentric little dickweed. I want to beat you with a crowbar. Does that make me a bad person? Ooh, how about you let Claire take you for a drive?

    Ah, Moppet Cerebro is using her powers for good. Isn't that sweet? And by good, I mean causing misery to Sylar's girlfriend and getting her killed. I really don't have a problem with that. Well, except for the part where Molly gets to see Syler kill people again.

    Dude, the comic that just got set on fire? The silhouetted hero is holding a knife that looks just like the one in the vault. Coincidence? I think not.

    Hey, the Blonde can do violence even without superhuman strength. That's nice. Plus, the old exploding building ending. What a cliche.

    Heroic Hiro is a cold-blooded badass. That is all.

    Oh, wait. Typhoid Whiny is alive again. On more positive news, Elle is happy to have saved people. I guess she's going to start feeling like doing good feels good, and move towards heroism in the (evitable?) Season Three.

    And the world is saved by the power of Brotherly Love.

    ... Oh my gods, they shot Nathan! Bastards! Still, now Mama Petrelli is going to get her badass on and probably use her own Earth-shattering powers for good. Or at least to do violence towards the bad guys.

    Can Sylar just die already, please?
    Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
    matrixrefugee
         		10:57p
    Still coming out of the darkness and into the sun...
    Funny how canned music can fit your mood at times... R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" has done that uncannily the past few days, now Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" jumped out at me when I was at work. Perfect song for turning over a new leaf in the chronicle of your life... Also, I popped the radio on a moment ago, and "Witchy Woman" was on. Okay, yeah, has utterly nothing to do with actual witchcraft, but it made me smile.

    I'm still very depressed, even a bit shaky with something like... not anxiety, but just vague, amorphous pain. I'm over-sensitive about everything, irritable, not weepy but the tears have leaked out of the corners of my eyes without warning, fortunately when no one can see it happen. I'm about to harness this sorrow to write a sad part in my werewolf romance story, so I have a feeling that scene will be a good tearjerker when I'm done.

    Current Music: "Breakaway" -- Kelly Clarkson
    conuly
         		8:59p
    Dinner was a great success.
    Ana loved the watermelon with feta and mint. I liked it too. Evangeline, alas, didn't get to have any because she barely touched her dinner. (In fairness, I would've put less tabouleh on her plate until she asked for it, and instead put a little of the baba ganoush and the hummus instead, thus giving her more choices. But the time to bring that up was not after she'd already decided she didn't want any of it.)

    I need to find the bowl covers, they seem to have gone AWOL. Had to run out and buy saran wrap instead. I hate saran wrap, especially when it refuses to saran properly and instead just sits there or sticks to itself and my hands.

    Made the tabouleh with the last of the purslane (that thing I couldn't identify last week). Not sure if that's traditional, but I'm sure the spirit of "using up the last of a food rather than wasting it" is very traditional.

    Current Mood: cheerful
    burgandysky
         		4:36p
    holy crap I almost died!
    but, THANKFULLY we have internet again!!

    woot!!!!
    crisper
         		3:21p
    Topical: Benefits of Disillusionment
    Senator Obama's recent spate of disappointing actions, ever since the nomination was in the bag, do not actually bother me that much. I find, instead, that they make me feel a little less like I'm pinning my political hopes on a ridiculous fairy tale.

    ------
    For consideration: Change is good, but did you people really want someone who had *no* idea how to grind sausage in charge of the Factory?
    crisper
         		2:10p
    Dream: The Office
    I dreamt an entire, all-new episode of The Office (US).

    The A-story was that Michael had somehow got it into his head that Dunder-Mifflin needed to get into the privatized space race, to compete with Virgin and all that, and so they were all going to spend a day engaging in model rocketry out in some huge cow pasture. Michael apparently did not understand, or was unwilling to accept, that you cannot put a model rocket into space simply by cramming more rocket motors onto it. The final monstrosity that they launched was eight feet tall, several feet wide, and came apart in a glorious pinwheel at an altitude of about two hundred feet. I don't remember quite how Michael turned this into a triumph in the end, but he did, in his usual fashion.

    There was a B-story involving some creepy Dwight thing that, at the time, I thought was the better part of the "episode", but it evaporated almost immediately upon waking.

    ------
    For consideration: "But what is... space... really? I like to think that it's something we have here. Right in here. Inside our heads. Space... is my own mind."
    wal_lace
         		7:13p
    Geek movies.
    The trailer for Punisher: War Zone looks kind of lame. However, the poster makes Titus Pullo look totally badass.

    ... Okay, making Ray Stevenson look badass is not exactly difficult. But still.
    redlami
         		11:14a
    I'm ba-ack
    I was out of town for a while, attending the UU General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by 3000 people who shared so many of my values... anti-racism, anti-oppression, pro-ecology, pro-diversity, social and economic justice, anti-war... etc.

    But if were to tell people about one single thing from that conference, it would have to be the lecture given by Van Jones on Saturday night. I'm not very emotional but I was in tears and very choked up when I wasn't laughing or thinking. I could say a lot more about his vision for a Green New Deal, but you should just watch it for yourself (Windows Media Video):

    Van Jones' Ware Lecture at UU General Assembly 2008

    You'll want to fast-forward to about the 18:40 mark to where Van actually starts; the first 14 minutes are a slide show of people who have given this lecture in the past. The list is pretty impressive, including as it does Martin Luther King Jr., Kurt Vonnegut, Mary Oliver, Holly Near... here's the full list.
    Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
    matrixrefugee
         		6:27p
    Losing my Religion...
    Which seems to be my theme song right now, though the phrase is a Southern term meaning you lost your temper/got really mad. In my case, it's an outrageous pun, so no one tell me God and/or the gods don't have crazy ideas of humor.

    Gotten past the rage from yesterday, and I seem to have drifted into a formless, vaguely depressed feeling. I'm still able to pray, at least, but I find myself going into selective mutism mode on the last third of the Apostles' Creed when I'm saying the rosary, or specifically the line about believing in the Catholic Church.

    I'm minded of something that WGAnubis, my MxO mentor and good friend, once said when I had a similar (though less devastating) crisis of faith last year. He terms his beliefs as "non-denominational, non-organizational Christian", and his thought is that Christianity works better as a philosophy than as a dogmatic set-up. I can't help agreeing with him, considering how the Catholic Church has sadly devolved from a vibrant faith community to a spiritually anal-retentive bureaucracy. I mean, isn't that what Christ came down here to accomplish, in part? A quiet revolt against the nit-picky bureaucracy that pre-Christian Judaeism had become? I mean, He's got a whole rant against the Pharisees and their rules-lawyering, recorded in St. John's Gospel (that and St. Luke are my personal favorites).

    My faith in God hasn't been shaken, but my faith in the Church is on its last legs, and it's going to take nothing short of a miracle to save it. What's the line: "My problem isn't with God, my problem is with His fanclub", which about sums up my situation....
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