vegan superhero. (original) (raw)
I'm back. .because this is important.
> Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer,
> feminist and activist best known for "The Vagina Monologues", wrote the
> following about Sarah Palin:
>
>
> Drill, Drill, Drill
>
>
> I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt
> last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles
> and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their
> necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy
> whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or
> that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the
> fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the
> polar bears.
>
>
> I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist
> and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and
> stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This
> is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical.
> The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of
> Feminists.
>
>
> But everything Sarah Palin believes in and
> practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story
> -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women,
> giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and
> ending violence and war.
>
>
> I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of
> the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose
> those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast
> in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally
> disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world.
> Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the
> clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with
> regularity.
>
>
> Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I
> take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists
> nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in
> global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are
> destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part
> of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the
> endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken
> and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and
> plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be
> taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a
> task from God."
>
>
> Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She
> does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open
> against their will should have a right to determine whether they have
> their rapist's baby or not.
>
>
> She obviously does not believe in sex education
> or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and
> we know how many babies that makes.
>
>
> Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking.
> From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the li brary, has a
> tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot
> tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who
> could and might very well be the next president of the United States.
> She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
>
>
> Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom
> Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip.
> She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
>
>
> Sarah believes in God. That is of course her
> right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the
> public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of
> women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church
> and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
>
>
> I write to my sisters. I write because I believe
> we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will
> determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will
> determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it
> forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move
> towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate
> violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine
> whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in
> alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will
> determine if money gets spent on education and healt hcare or whether we
> build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether
> America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear,
> fundamentalism and aggression.
>
>
> If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do
> everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant
> that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill."
> I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of
> destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that
> force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt,
> ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
>
>
> Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in
> the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the
> trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this
> precious thing we call life?
>
>
> Eve Ensler
> September 5, 2008
April 12th, 2008
So, I don't think I want to teach dance after this year.
Why? I don't know. I don't have the time to practice.. my skills aren't as sharp.. and I'm just not feeling so good about it right now.
March 31st, 2008
so, i'm pretty gawd-awful at updating this thing. but, i have some time on my hands. .boredeom, as well. hence, this. hi. there's a lot going on in my little, developing life. first and foremost..i'm getting married. on my birthday, no less. initially, we planned on throwing a wedding. [moreso to please others and conform to expectations] however, the reality of the situation entailed it being financed by us almost entirely. things relative to this vision of a wedding became increasingly stressful, overwhelming, constraining, tiresome. so, we arrived at a more reasonable conclusion. it makes more sense to spend loads of money on creating our home together, and taking a desperately needed [collectively] vacation.
on the home front, i was approved and given a mortgage commitment for a 2br condo. that whole deal has been stressful, as well. peaks and valleys and cautious optimism and feelings of desperation and frustration followed by coping and composure. whatever happens, happens. i'm currently fulfilling these post-mortgage conditions that they need me to meet. the first? a letter of explanation declaring that inquiries into my credit aren't indicative of additional debt. did that this morning. the next condition was delivered earlier this morning. more recent asset information. sent that off a few minutes ago. how else are you going to try to deny me this loan? keep it coming, people. really. i'm going through all of this to not pay my mortgage.
work's chill. 10-11 hour days..but, chill.
i haven't been out dancing since new year's and that's depressing. orlene says it's me growing up. i don't care to look at it that way. it's a blend of fatigue and a lack of worthwhile spots within the local area. things tend to pick up when the weather's more conducive to going out feeling good..so, i'm hoping i'll be able to get back out there.
god, i'm hungry.
i won't have much of a break between transporting my current student [i'm in a library and he's on a computer a few paces away--worry not, i don't alienate.] back to his group home and getting to hartford to work with another. eff it. i have to eat. i'm thinking tangier's. amazing and across the street from work. oh, and portable. portability is key.
alright. i'll be writing again in 3-4 months.
Peace.
February 3rd, 2008
I've been a Giants fan since I was a little kid. The days of Phil Simms, Dave Meggett, Mark Bavaro, Leonard Marshall, Rodney Hampton, LT, etc. It's the only NY team I like. I usually cheer for the underdog..and this upset is incredible.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had it been any other team from the NFC, I'd be behind the Patriots. But, I'm loving this.
Congrats on a great reg. season, though, Pats.
February 3rd, 2008
First thing.. Go Giants.
Second thing.. hi.
It's been a long time.
So..what's going on?
I'm getting married June 15th. It's exciting, but a little stressful. I need to get myself in gear and just contribute more time and effort to everything. I've just been pulled in different directions..
I was promoted at work. So, now I'm working a ton. But, it's all fulfilling work--and I'm beginning to grow accustomed to the load. [50-55 hours/week] I still teach breakin to kids. I also tutor after-school. The promotion is basically an advocacy role. If fellow paraprofessionals have concerns or suggestions or anything of the like, I'm the point person, and I go to administration.
I'm also working on [well, I need to get moving on this] organizing a staff Fun Friday. We work with special needs students, it can be especially challenging, and we need a morale boost. I think I want it to be monthly. Bowling seems to be something people would like to do, so I need to look into a group rate. .I also need to have a memo sent out. I should get on that. Like, today.
I've also been working on securing a home for us. We did some searching and found a town house that we really like. Prior to this, I got pre-approved for a FHA loan, which helped the process substantially. I offered a little under the listing price, their agent basically responded to that with "We have two other offers on the table and we're taking the highest/best." Honestly, I think it was strategy. I offered my best..which they fortunately accepted. :) I'm far more excited than my tone would suggest. The closing would be in mid-March and the first mortgage payment would be mid-May. So, that'd give us sufficient time to get ourselves [and four cats..she has three, I have one] moved in. It would have been ideal for us to go in together on the loan, but she needs some time to get to that point. I'm still in shock that I've been able to get this on my own income, credit score, etc. I do well, but I long envisioned that one would have to make much more than I do to get financed. I have to make an appt. to sign the docs with the mortgage broker..and it should be straight from there on.
It's a lot quieter than Hartford. .and I think we can both look forward to a nice drop in car insurance and taxes.
So, anyway. Go Giants.
I hope everyone is doing well.
December 24th, 2007
I'm pretty pleased with myself.
I got up [on a day off, mind you] at 7:30, left the apartment for 8:15, and was able to finish Xmas shopping at around 10a. .before the crowds could assemble and attack my patience and sanity.
Next year, I'll, perhaps, be able to start shopping before December 23rd.
Now, I must attempt to wrap these presents.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Holidaze.
[I also hope someone is reading this.]
July 25th, 2007
To those who are mortified by the acts of animal cruelty we hear of through the Michael Vick case..
What are you having for dinner tonight?
I'm just sayin.
Are we selective with regards to who we feel for..and whose suffering we deem less horrific?
Yes, we are.
I think it should be agreed that suffering is suffering.
June 5th, 2007
So, nearly one week after turning 27 [oh, the horror] things are off to a pretty shitastic start.
Great.
I..love technology. .always and forever..
April 5th, 2007
I'm at work with a considerable amount of downtime on my hands, so I'm updating. It's been a fairly decent week. The after-school program I work in has the week off, so my work days have been shorter. It's a welcomed change. Less money, but more time to engage myself in some other things. [like sitting at my computer or breaking my woeful streak of absence at the gym] I've done a lot of sitting on my ass [I'll explain exactly why it's been so enjoyable shortly], and a decent amount of gyming [I went Monday and yesterday. I'd like to return today, as well. If not today, definitely tomorrow with school being closed]
Before I further babble, I haven't really talked about exactly what it is I do. I'm up to a few things. I work for a private special education school where I'm a paraprofessional and tutor. Within the school I work within two main areas. The first one is.. paraprofessional work, one on one, with a special needs student. [mental retardation, autism, behavioral/emotional, etc.] That involves providing academic support as well as community integration. [it could involve taking a student the the mall, or the Y to get some exercise, taking the student to work where I have to job coach] The other area is a program that aims to transition students from the juvenile justice system into Hartford Public High Schools. So, they receive academic support from staff for a period of time [at one of two sites we utilize for study], we diagnose their needs, work on strengthening them, and when they seem ready to transition into high school. .we get their schedule, locker, student ID, etc. set up for them, and provide support at the school. So, when I'm sent to a high school, I basically talk with the student's teachers about his performance, attendance, etc. I also check on the student himself.. which is basically me hanging out outside the classroom to make sure he is there, talking with him as he leaves one class for another. My role is to basically let him know that I'm there if he needs anything, um. .and to make sure he's not effing around. I'm also available to the student if he should need to get homework help, or utilize a safe space before going to class, or whatever. Depending on the student, my day can be hectic.. or really boring. Today is kind of in the middle.
However, I'm getting by because I have access to my Sirius subscription via the Internets as well as the best site ever.. Pandora.com. Pandora is why I have been sitting on my vegan ass after work all week. Orlene turned me on to it. .and now I won't stop talking about the multitude of amazing artists I'm finding. Basically [and I'm sure a lot of people know about it, but if anyone doesn't..then, this babble is worthwhile], you type in an artist you like. From there, it generates a custom radio station for you. .based on the stylings of that original artist. So, let's say you like Mos Def. You should. You type in Mos Def. .and the station will play a little Mos Def, but it will also play stuff like J-Live, The Procussions, Rakim, and a ton of people who were previously unknown to me. I've made maybe 8 stations so far.
Si Se.
Mos Def.
Thievery Corporation.
The Procussions [who I discovered from the Mos station].
Esthero.
Scott Wozniak.
Mark Farina.
Dubtribe Sound System.
..and I'm seriously just getting started. But, it's crazy yo. I've been parked in front of my computer, wide-eyed, and astounded at how much music I'm getting exposed to.
Oh, and if you don't mind occasional ads that you'll barely notice because you're so into the beats, this ish is free, yo.
Free is good.
So, yeah. Between working, (but not as much) sitting on my ass getting exposed to incredible music, downloading disgusting amounts of mp3s onto my external [OHH! and I bought a lil' system for my computer. 5 speakers and a sub, so everything is sounding LOVELY), and getting back into lifting weights in the hopes of getting sexy, this has been a pretty good week.
Good weeks are rare for me.
They're not typically bad, per se.
Usually 'okay' with bright spots in the form of O.