tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67091009775570130962024-02-22T01:21:19.358-06:00Trapdoor Zombie...more deader than you!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-50023910645939962802008-11-06T17:07:00.002-06:002008-11-06T17:09:34.773-06:00While Peeling Carrots"Mommy!"<br /><br />(Looking up from reading Latour's "Reassembling the Social") "Yes?"<br /><br />"When we are finished making dinner, say Thank You, ok?"<br /><br />"Ok. Can I say Thank You now?"<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">No</span>."Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-46253431041962584282008-11-02T10:22:00.001-06:002008-11-02T10:24:21.224-06:00Happy Birthday Mr. PresidentI am an election baby. Every year my birthday is on or near election day.<br /><br />But no cards, gifts, or cake please. JUST VOTE. That would be the best birthday gift ever.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-58426747001871656382008-11-01T13:58:00.001-05:002008-11-01T14:00:32.811-05:00Playing Spore?You know you are. We know you are. Look for us under the handle "DonGusano". If you friend us, our creatures will appear at random to be your mortal enemies, allies, and pets.<br /><br />DG's are the ones with eyes in inappropriate places that he insists are NOT penis creatures. Mine are red and/or have too many legs.<br /><br />Enjoy.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-25353665113189958842008-10-31T10:44:00.003-05:002008-10-31T10:50:23.632-05:00Fudge-based dietsDG, Teh N00b and I all went recently to a wedding in Mackinaw City, Michigan. This small tourist town has an entirely fudge and pastie based economy. (Not pastries, mind you. PASTIES. If you'd been to the UK you know what I am talking about). <br /><br />But seriously, fudge everywhere. Fudge stores line the streets. Even places that don't make fudge, sell it. "Pizza! and fudge." "Fashion accessories! and fudge." "Fudge! and fudge."<br /><br />Amazing. It's been a long time since I've eaten that much sugar. <br /><br />Teh N00b is clearly my kid, because he would suddenly declare, whenever we were outside a fudge shop (amazing how 3-year-olds figure out which ones they are -- must be those marble slabs) that he was hungry. And he would do his little whine, "I want something to <span style="font-style: italic;">eat</span>..."<br /><br />When we got back to Chicago, I thought my attempt to exercise and lose weight would be completely shot. But I got on the scale and... I had lost another 4 pounds.<br /><br />WTF?! I am going on an all fudge diet.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-10611889569452984692008-10-28T16:55:00.004-05:002008-10-31T10:44:18.946-05:00Holier than thouWow. I've just been <a href="http://trapdoorzombie.blogspot.com/2008/05/designated-bicyclist.html">bitched out by some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">greenie</span></a> who thinks my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">urban gardening, vermicomposting</span>, waiting-for-the-bus ways put me in the same category with people who super-commute from the burbs in their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SUVs</span>. Why? Because I dared -- DARED! -- to suggest that bicyclists should ride sober and follow the rules of the road.<br /><br />Wow. And I thought <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>was judgemental!<br /><br />UPDATE: Our greenie from Canada came back, and -- surprise! -- we had more in common than we thought. Welcome, Justin!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-29897810633529249022008-10-16T09:43:00.002-05:002008-10-16T09:45:35.020-05:00Feminist extremismAm I the only person who was bothered by McCain in the debates labeling women's health as an "extremist" position? Regardless of how one feels about abortion (and I think most reasonable people on both sides have mixed feelings), most feel that abortion should be permitted when the mother's health is in danger. For McCain to call this "extremist" is deeply troubling.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-85496282269422624422008-10-10T10:47:00.003-05:002008-10-10T10:51:55.806-05:00Humor me for one second...I just have to say this. To someone. But you know, it's not the kind of thing I'd want to put on MySpace. So friends-o-mine, sorry. <br /><br />I've mentioned before that I've been <a href="http://trapdoorzombie.blogspot.com/2008/08/michel-callon-and-elliptical-machine.html">working out</a>. But seriously, I feel great. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, run for 40 minutes, lift some weights. Nothing very impressive, but... I've lost four pounds and one belt notch! Go me!<br /><br />I'm really not, you know, a crazy weight-obsessed body-image-problem type, but you know, I feel like I'm accomplishing something. The dissertation never gives me that feeling, darn it!<br /><br />OK... back to serious stuff, sorry.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-53280886648938308942008-10-03T10:38:00.006-05:002008-10-03T12:22:33.847-05:00Sarah Palin destroyed my sofa, or, you call THAT empathic?!This morning I woke up to find that Teh N00b had opened three cartons of yogurt, eaten half of each one without mixing them, then dunked two wooden cars into one and run them all over the back of the sofa and the coffee table, leaving yogurt tracks everywhere.<br /><br />It was like the Palin-Biden debates.<br /><br />She avoided any substance by leaving it untouched at the bottom of the yogurt carton, then smeared sweet goop everywhere, making a mess.<br /><br />I don't understand anyone who thinks that Palin is <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-debate_frioct03,0,1543215.story">charismatic</a>, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081002.WBwbStumped082120081002205608/WBStory/WBwbStumped0821">charming</a>, <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/10012008/news/politics/palin_wins_hearts_while_biden_wins_minds_131510.htm">or likeable</a>. Because at the moment that Biden was recalling what must have been one of the most painful moments of his life -- the death of his first wife and young daughter in a car accident -- she failed to respond. At all. A simple, "I imagine that must have been a difficult time for you" --<span style="font-style: italic;"> anything</span> -- would have done. But she just launched into blathering about McCain. (See the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsuVZ30SoI">video </a>here, it happens at 2:45).<br /><br />Was she not listening? Did she not know how to respond to another's suffering? Does she not care?<br /><br />DG thinks that this was a planned slip on Biden's part, an attempt to show his human side. Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't matter. Biden's suffering was and is real, even if it happened a long time ago. If Palin can't respond to the suffering of someone standing in front of her, then how the hell can she empathize with the American public?!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-55439264486513247752008-09-29T08:45:00.003-05:002008-09-29T08:54:03.090-05:00Literalist BabyI have to share a couple of comments from Teh N00b (Mom, Dad, Brother -- this means "Squeakers" -- since you probably are wondering why the heck I sent you this link. ) <br /><br />The Literal Baby Phase is pretty funny.<br /><br />A week ago we went to a party at a house with small kids. Teh N00b brought the indoor toys outside -- specifically, a toy bulldozer. He wanted to take it in the sandbox. I thought maybe the parents of the house wouldn't want their indoor toys full of sand (turns out, they didn't seem to mind). So I told him he couldn't play with it in the sand.<br /><br />He turned to me, very serious, and said "<span style="font-style: italic;">But!</span> It <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> to scoop <span style="font-style: italic;">something!</span>"<br /><br />Then yesterday we were in a restaurant. A waiter invited him and His Best Friend In the Whole World to ice cream. He brought out the ice cream and Teh N00b (with a little prompting) thanked him. Later, a different waiter came by to ask the boys if they liked their desserts. "Tell the waiter it's good," I prompted him.<br /><br />"But <span style="font-style: italic;">he</span> didn't bring it!" Teh N00b responded.<br /><br />I have to hand it to him, Teh N00b has great comedic timing. I don't think I've ever seen a waiter laugh so hard! <br /><br />Now we just need to get him over his stage fright. At his "Noah's Ark" puppet play, he just stood and stared at me the whole time the other kids were singing and jumping, like, "What the heck are you and all these other people doing here, anyway?"Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-21359478872880987582008-09-04T16:28:00.004-05:002008-09-04T16:39:10.635-05:00A Loving Mother? Take TwoWell, turns out Marion might be right (see the comments) -- Trig is probably Palin's kid. Even Daily Kos has taken down the article, and shame on them if they published photos with incorrect dates.<br /><br />But it's too bad, because I really liked that story about Palin far better than the one she is actually telling.<br /><br />If the rumors had been true that Trig was her grandchild, I would have had far more respect for Palin. It's true she would have used her influence to cover up the truth, which shows questionable judgment. But it would have shown someone who was willing to take a fall for the love of her child. That as a mother, Palin was willing to sacrifice for her daughter's mistake.<br /><br />Instead, we have Palin using her daughter -- and her daughter's shotgun fiance -- as a political pawn. She wants her daughter to make the sacrifice -- both a too-soon baby and a too-early marriage -- for her mother's political career. Palin knows that a divorce would come after the election, so what does she care if it doesn't work out?<br /><br />In my book, that's selfish. So you have a pregnant daughter, ok. But parading her around as evidence for your conservative viewpoint? Dragging the 17-year-old boyfriend to MN so he can prove to conservatives that he'll do the "right thing"? What do <span style="font-style: italic;">his </span>parents think?<br /><br />They are both just kids and Palin should keep them out of the spotlight.<br /><br />Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-CVN-Palin-Education.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">curiouser and curiouser</a> about Palin's own youth. Five colleges in six years?! That's just weird.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-18536935054684833302008-09-01T10:44:00.003-05:002008-09-01T10:57:58.517-05:00A Loving Mother?<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/30/121350/137/486/580223">Hmmmm</a>.<br /><br />Rumors are circulating that VP nominee Palin's last child is biologically her grandchild. The evidence, if true and undoctored, raises the question -- but in the photoshop era, can photos be believed? <br /><br />Far be it for me to criticize someone "not looking pregnant," since some guy tried to pick me up for a date when I was at seven months. Sitting with legs crossed, it's amazing how many people won't notice that belly. (I was so swollen at that point I had to stop wearing my wedding ring, so you can't fault him on that point.)<br /><br />I'm pro-choice, and I wouldn't vote for McCain/Palin in a million years on that and many other reasons. But I <span style="font-style: italic;">will </span>give her credit -- assuming any of this is true -- for not being a hypocrite. If one is pro-life, then that means one should support women having children under difficult situations. In this case (if true) she took the burden (emotional and financial) off her daughter so that the latter can continue with her education and life.<br /><br />Of course, it would be better for all of us to avoid these cases altogether. That means supporting BIRTH CONTROL -- in high schools, for starters. Sex ed in junior high schools. Condoms everywhere, free and accessible so that my local drug store doesn't have to keep them under lock and key to stop kids for stealing them.<br /><br />But even then, there will be some teenage pregnancies. They happen. Should Palin be lying about it? Should her daughter? No. But lots of other parents -- pro-life parents -- would have turned a blind eye to an abortion. Or forced an adoption, a marriage, or thrown the daughter out of the house.<br /><br />Palin may have done the old-fashioned thing of taking on her grandchild as her own. Maybe that proves she is the kind of mother she claims to be.<br /><br />(That still isn't enough to make her VP, in my book, but hey, credit where credit is due.)Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-61058203224302975332008-08-26T18:04:00.004-05:002008-08-26T18:12:22.151-05:00People's Gas, Eco-hypocritesNo offense, but <a href="http://www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/news/environment.aspx">this </a>is bullshit.<br /><br />People's Gas has had ads all over the CTA claiming they want YOU to reduce energy use. They claim on their website that they take an "aggressive stance regarding the use of energy and its impact on the environment."<br /><br />So how come People's Gas vans are parked and idling their engines everywhere I go? As I write, there is one outside my house that has had its energy running, windows open (so it's not even for the A.C.) for 45 minutes. This is typical.<br /><br />If you want to reduce energy use, People's Gas, start at home. Get your drivers to turn off their engines while parked. It's really simple. <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2192187/">After 10 seconds, you are wasting more gas idling than turning off the engine</a> (unless your car is hella old). <br /><br />Frankly, Americans complaining about high gas prices doesn't ring true to me. If gas prices were sooooo high I wouldn't see people idling while they eat lunch, snack, or make phone calls. Heck, in other places of the world I saw drivers turn off their engines to <span style="font-style: italic;">coast downhill</span>. <br /><br />Now <span style="font-style: italic;">that's</span> taking conservation seriously.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-5735041039436926522008-08-12T18:24:00.005-05:002008-08-12T18:37:14.806-05:00Praying for Democratic Representation among the Heavenly HostI hate to break it to<a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/praying_for_rain#comments"> this guy</a>, but it doesn't matter how many people you can convince to pray for rain during Obama's acceptance Democratic nominee speech. God is going to do whatever It wants with the weather regardless.<br /><br />And conservative Christians ought to be really, really glad that God's will is <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>by majority vote. Because if it is? Then we should convert to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church">Roman Catholicism</a>. They are in the majority, after all.<br /><br />Seriously, though.<br /><br />I don't think any one religion has a monopoly on truth. Nor is any religion devoid of truth. But personally, I don't believe in intercessional prayer (i.e., asking God to do things for you) because I think if you believe in an Almighty Being, then you certainly don't need to tell it what to do; it already knows and has decided one way or the other. <br /><br />But this isn't about this man's relationship to God; it's about his relationship to other Christians. The act of convincing people to pray for something mildly irritating to happen to Obama is a political act, an act of solidarity. So why not just tell them to <span style="font-style: italic;">vote</span>?!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-14629096781995054922008-08-12T12:16:00.003-05:002008-08-12T12:22:56.794-05:00Full time workA college is experimenting with <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/08/12/shorter.workweek/index.html">no classes on Fridays</a>. I'm all in favor, but let's be clear -- this isn't really a four-day work week, as the title implies. It just means that faculty and students work from home on Fridays (and, in the case of the former, probably weekends as well), saving on commuting costs, while the college saves on energy costs.<br /><br />I'm in favor of less commuting and saving energy, and I think this is win-win situation. But I object to this being portrayed by the media as "less work" for college teachers. Even when I only teach two days a week, I work full time. Most of the work teachers do is not in the classroom. <br /><br />This kind of coverage just adds to the idea that it's ok to pay teachers less, because they don't <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> work "full time."Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-24760357929098755462008-08-10T21:12:00.003-05:002008-08-10T21:23:55.652-05:00Security BooksTeh N00b has never been into "lovies," stuffed animals, or other soft, cuddly things that are supposed to give infants comfort as they go to sleep. He has, for years (he's now a ripe old three years, after all) slept with books. Even before he could memorize and recite them (the stage he's at now), he would demand they stay in bed after we read them to him.. If we forgot, he would get out of bed to retrieve them. We always find him asleep, a book under his head, or on top of his head, or tucked under his arm, or under his body.<br /><br />Geez, it's like <span style="font-style: italic;">he's</span> the one writing the d*** dissertation.<br /><br />Tonight I put him to bed, and it got quiet, so after reading 30 pages on neoliberalism I went up to recover the books and slip them back under his bed, like I do every night. I tip-toe in. It's dark, he's still -- "Tough Trucks" between his head and the pillow, "Dazzling Diggers" under his arm.<br /><br />As I approach, I hear a little voice, quiet but insistent: "<span style="font-style: italic;">My</span> books."<br /><br />Ooops. Too soon.<br /><br />So I sneak out with a chuckle. An hour later I go back. He's rolled over, face up with the book open to truck drivers beneath him. As lift his head to move the book, he startles and whines, "<span style="font-style: italic;">My </span>books!" then immediately goes back to sleep when I put the book beside him.<br /><br />I wonder when I'll have to break it to him that eventually you have to stop reading and start writing. I guess I'll wait until he's four.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-52844563719792628112008-08-05T20:52:00.002-05:002008-08-05T20:55:29.766-05:00Home-less - but happy! - dog owner<a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO23702.htm">Huh</a>?<br /><br />Ok, I can understand loving your pet. Maybe even enough to clone it. But selling your <span style="font-style: italic;">house</span> to clone your pet who's been dead for <span style="font-style: italic;">two years</span>?Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-77532562780890698332008-08-02T15:12:00.000-05:002008-08-02T15:12:00.831-05:00Michel Callon and the Elliptical MachineI've been reading Michel Callon recently -- he's a science studies guy, interested in exploring the systems created by both human and non-human actors. "Non-human actors" include things like machines, technology, and... elliptical machines?!<br /><br />I mentioned before that I am becoming a <a href="http://trapdoorzombie.blogspot.com/2008/07/gym-rat-in-training.html">proto-gym-rat</a>. On my second day at the gym, I mistakenly pushed the "cardio" button. It was ok for a while. Me and the machine, human and non-human actors, me running, it pumping, lights flashing.<br /><br />And then the resistance goes way up. I'm pushing down with all my feeble might, flabby leg muscles straining.<br /><br />RESUME WORKOUT<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />RESUME PEDALING<br /><br />Dammit, I <span style="font-style: italic;">AM</span> pedaling!<br /><br />NO, SERIOUSLY, FEEL FREE TO START EXERCISING ANYTIME.<br /><br />This is where I decided to exert my humanness and lower the resistance on the machine with the little electronic button, so that I could, in fact, bend to its dominating will. And after that the pedaling went very well, thank you.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-16391824970904863002008-07-31T15:28:00.003-05:002008-07-31T15:40:12.059-05:00Scientologist Pharmacists, Unite!Bush and Friends (TM) is once again <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25940818/">trying to make it acceptable for pharmacists to "object" (read: not do their jobs) to dispensing birth control and emergency contraception to women</a>.<br /><br />Let's not mince words: this is stupid and immoral. The vast majority of American women want (and exercise) the right to birth control, and pharmacists do not (IMHO) have the right to interfere in <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> decisions between doctors and patients of either gender. It is their job to dispense medications correctly, not make judgments or diagnoses. If they can't do that, they should find another job.<br /><br />But if this passes, it raises a serious question. Can a Scientologist pharmacist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology#Scientology_and_psychiatry">who does not believe in chemical treatments for depression and other mental illnesses</a> refuse to dispense Prozac?<br /><br />Unfortunately, conservative Christian backers of these kinds of things often don't think through these kinds of legal consequences. Laws, after all, apply to everyone, not just (one definition of) the Chosen Few.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-28208084563089372852008-07-29T16:38:00.003-05:002008-07-29T16:45:10.358-05:00Gym-Rat-in-trainingI always hated gyms, so I never went. But a couple days ago I hit a low point with the dissertation. Really low. And I thought, screw this. I'm not happy with things the way they are, so something has to change -- and I don't mean the font on this d*** thing. I need my life to recenter itself.<br /><br />So, DG dragged me to a gym.<br /><br />And I got on the elliptical machine.<br /><br />And I <span style="font-style: italic;">liked </span>it.<br /><br />Flashback to college -- my roommate (hi there!) would go to gyms and talk about her amazing feats of stairmaster-ly endurance. Of course, she looked (and looks -- nothing has changed) a lot better than me because of that.<br /><br />Now, I'm not competing with her -- we're talking 20 minutes at a time; it's hardly military-training type stuff I'm doing here. And I don't really care about changing my appearance -- although that would be ok. But seriously, I felt better <span style="font-style: italic;">all day</span>. I even wrote more. It was amazing.<br /><br />So, maybe I'll become a gym rat after all.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-1329943814834980092008-07-28T10:00:00.000-05:002008-07-28T10:06:13.678-05:00Punk by ProxyI was invited to a clothing swap several months ago, where people who have more fashion in their little toe share their cast-offs with the clothing clueless such as myself. I took a bag of clothes to give away, but no one wanted any of them. One was a professional outfit I bought in the early 1990s, probably designed in the late 1980s, complete with shoulder pads. Someone modeled it (I no longer can fit into it) but no one took it home. In the words of another participant: "Yeah, I think we all had that substitute teacher."<br /><br />There were bags and bags of leftover clothes. Some were saved for next year, in the hopes that someone will then both fit into and wear with pride items like the red leather pants with a dragon blazoned across the butt. Practical things were sent to The Spouse's hospital workplace to be given away. The rest? Donated.<br /><br />Of course, I went home with <span style="font-style: italic;">two </span>bags of clothes, and hopefully enough courage to wear them. I'm a conservative dresser, but truth is I wish I were a punk. I dyed part of my hair purple a few months ago but... no one noticed. Disappointing, to say the least.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-13397538899014125912008-07-22T09:40:00.006-05:002008-07-22T09:55:45.036-05:00Dr. Horrible and the sex lives of love interests (spoiler alert!)<a href="http://www.drhorrible.com/"><img src="http://www.drhorrible.com/images/banners/big_square.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, I'll lose my cred if I don't say something about the sexy, sexy Dr. Horrible. Who already HAS his Ph.D., thank you very much.<br /><br />I loved it. The characters are quirky and loveable, the music is infectious (I can't get "All the birds are singing THAT YOU'RE GONNA DIE" out of my head). I loved, loved, loved the groupies (which is why I picked the only banner where they appear). I'll admit I was skeptical for the first 60 seconds, but in the end I watched it twice.<br /><br />If you haven't seen it, do. But stop reading now.<br /><br />Ok, now the feminist meta commentary. And spoilers. You are warned!<br /><br />There is something about the (always female) love interests of superheroes and supervillians. They can date the wrong people. They can get engaged to the wrong people. They can even get to the alter in a white dress before realizing this is the wrong person. But they MAY NOT HAVE SEX with the wrong person.<br /><br />I never thought about this until it became clear that Penny had slept with Captain Hammer. And then my gut said, "She and Dr. Horrible will never be an item now. I wonder how they are going to resolve that." I actually thought that perhaps she would wind up rejecting them both and walking away from the whole superhero/supervillian scene. But it was clear to me that Dr. Horrible's crush would be forever unrequited. (The actual resolution was very interesting and well done; my point is only that there are certain unspoken rules for the genre as a whole.)<br /><br />Of course, this is a trope in comic books but not in real life, where people (male and female) sleep with the wrong people all the time, and those who really love them often forgive them for it. But there is something about the women of super-guys that invokes the mores of a patriarchy. Their sexuality is restricted; pre-martial sex can only lead to marriage... or death.<br /><br />Discuss.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-69473590107456788022008-07-18T11:25:00.002-05:002008-07-18T11:27:36.558-05:00Zen ParentingIf Teh N00b weren't so darn big, he would <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqCu8DLXmCY">totally do this</a>. I've got to hand it to that mom, she's got the Zen thing down. No sense of panic from her, just "Oh yeah, she does this sometimes." It's something to aspire to.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-79109444982286838812008-07-14T22:05:00.000-05:002008-07-14T22:05:01.081-05:00Little Shop of Horrors, on my roofDG came home from our recent trip a little sooner than I did. One of those nights we spoke on the phone, and I asked him if he had checked our vegetables, which grow in a large box on the roof. <br /><br />There was a long pause, and I knew immediately that he hadn't. "I probably should do that," he said, quickly adding that it had rained quite a bit the week we were gone.<br /><br />"Be careful. It might have turned into a Little Shop of Horrors up there," I warned him.<br /><br />Truer words were never spoken. Since we compost, seeds wind up in the fertilizer and sometimes grow. Usually we pull them out, but when I saw a couple of squash-like plants, I figured I'd leave them and see what they turned out to be.<br /><br />In two weeks these plants grew from cute little things with a couple of leaves, into a monstrous patch, four feet high and wide, shading everything else in the planter with leaves the size of two hands together atop stalks covered in small spines. While unpleasantly prickly, they do have lots and lots of flowers, and what looks like it might be the beginning of some sort of squash-like fruit.<br /><br />So, I dutifully cut back the leaves and left the flowers and fruits. Because if anything is going to give Teh N00b superpowers, this will definitely be it. I'll leave it to greater minds (you know who you are) to decide what kind of costumed crime-fighting can come out of this.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-38276325860668662602008-07-13T19:41:00.000-05:002008-07-13T19:41:00.403-05:00Oh, Mr. Savage will know they are Christians.......by the fact that they entice teenagers to pray with the chance to win a semiautomatic assault rifle.<br /><br />Just because the Bible says you can't (shouldn't?) murder anyone DOESN'T mean <a href="http://www.koco.com/news/16860079/detail.html">you shouldn't be prepared</a>. Amen.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709100977557013096.post-18163841583758331442008-07-11T21:42:00.005-05:002008-07-11T22:04:21.284-05:00Fox guarding the chicken coup: "helping" gambling addictsUnfortunately, my camera broke during a recent trip. Nothing happened to it; it just gave up the ghost after six years. Can't blame it. It survived two years in high, dry, dusty mountain environs on pure adrenaline born of thrilling ethnographic photography. Then had to come home and take endless boring snapshots of yet another baby doing normal baby s**t. I think I'd give up too, if I were a camera.<br /><br />Anyway, it's too bad, because I saw the weirdest thing today. It was an ad on a bus for a casino within driving distance of Chicago -- very flashy, with attractive people surrounded by coins and tickets and other symbols of winning it big. On the bottom, in small print, was written, "Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-9WITHIT."<br /><br />Now, plugging this number into a search engine, this phone number comes up in the same context associated with a number of casinos and other gambling venues. So at first I thought that maybe it was a legal requirement to include it, just like we "need" to remind smokers that smoking is bad for them. This surely was a national help hotline. Or some other organization dedicated to helping addict gamblers.<br /><br />But no. This number actually listed as an alternative number FOR A CASINO. The <a href="http://www.yellowpages.com/phone/1-800-9WITHIT">Horseshoe Casino in Hammond</a> (Indiana), to be specific. Because they (and Harrah's, their owner) care about "<a href="http://www.harrahs.com/harrahs-corporate/about-us-responsible-gaming.html">responsible gaming</a>."<br /><br />Now, isn't this asking the fox to watch the chicken coup? Should we really trust casinos to "help" people stop gambling, seeing how, you know, that's <span style="font-style: italic;">how they make their money</span>?Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416374554924898356noreply@blogger.com0