I Love Chuck (Taylor)

Fridays at the office with no boss.

At least I'm comfortable.

Madonna=Rock???

First of all, how awesome is that picture of Madonna? She looks like a rough old grandma in a trucker cap. Scratch that. A really mean, nasty, rough old grandma in a trucker cap. Representin' for Detroit, I guess.

So it was announced today that Madonna is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Does anyone see a problem here? Since when is Madonna Rock & Roll? She's pop, she's dance, but she sure as hell isn't "rock." So I thought maybe they just let everyone in. Nope. The f-ing Beastie Boys were denied and Madonna is being inducted. God, at least the Beasties make MUSIC! What a travesty of justice. Can we appeal?

Links

I have added a "links" section to the right.

I just realized that I left off perezhilton.com. On purpose.

See? I told you it was a guilty pleasure! I'm so ashamed!

Tycho's Got Problems

So, Tycho the dog has developed a fear of the stairs in our home. He'll go up but he won't come back down. Let's delve into his mind:

"I'm bored of sleeping and playing and living my tough life as a dog. Yawn. I think I want to go downstairs and harass my owners. Oh damn, the stairs. These things scare me."

"That's a long ways down! What if I slip? (Whines.) Lemme just try this first step....nope! No no no, not doing it. (Whine.) I wanna go downstairs! How did I get up here in the first place? Oh, that's right. I'm an idiot. (Whine. Bark. Whine.)"

"Hmmm, instead of walking down the stairs like a normal dog, I think I'll make my owner carry my plus-90-pound ass down the stairs. This is a little uncomfortable for both of us. I always seem to forget just how much I hate being picked up when I'm marching my way UP the stairs."

"My owners are Nazis! They blocked me! And what major roadblock would it take to deter a huge Labrador like me from climbing the stairs, you ask? A rolled up yoga mat. I tried to get past it once. (Whine.) No baby gates needed for this badass."

Fash-ON

Immediately upon viewing this picture of designer Zac Posen, I had many questions. And to answer YOUR first question, yes, I said this man is a designer. And to answers your second question, yes, a fashion designer.

At first I couldn't tell where the jacket ended and the background (blurry Christmas tree?) begins. It took me even longer to wrap my head around the idea that he was wearing this festive Southwestern style sport-jacket thingy with an obnoxious colored hoodie underneath. Is that yellow? A light neon green? It's horrendous.

But the most disturbing part of this photo is that I totally thought at first that Zac Posen, maybe because of the holiday atmosphere, was this dude:

He's the head elf from the movie The Santa Clause. One of my Mom's favorite new (post-1960) Christmas movies. (Hi Mom! Yes, I'm looking forward to watching this with you in a few weeks while we cook!) Maybe it's the eyebrows? Truly disturbing.

The Best Music I Discovered This Year

Everywhere this time of year are "best of" lists. I can't tell you what the best new music of 2007 was, I definitely didn't even hear a fraction of it. But I CAN tell you what my best music of 2007 was--which makes my list a little different, as it's the best that I came across this year regardless of when it came out. Here we go:

1. Neon Bible--Arcade Fire

This album is beautiful from end to end. Antichrist Television Blues and Ocean of Noise, two of the best songs on the album, will stay in your head for days. Their music reminds me of Bruce Springsteen for reasons I have not yet identified. And I don't even like Springsteen (or Springballs, as my dad calls him). Go figure.

2. Music From the Big Pink--The Band

Obviously this is a "new to me" 2007 addition on this list. I didn't know much of The Band until I watched "The Last Waltz," Scorsese's documentary of The Band's last concert in San Francisco in 1976.

After watching the movie I bought the album and was blown away. Such simple, rocking songs. Its easy to see why Eric Clapton wanted to join The Band.

3. The Crane Wife--The Decemberists

Saw them at the Hollywood Bowl accompanied by the LA Phil. Even Truman dug it.

4. The Reminder--Feist

Not normally into female singers, but Leslie Feist is an exception.

5. Icky Thump--The White Stripes

Jack White is the ugliest guy I have ever had a crush on. Maybe I can limit the crush to his brain and his hands, purely for the magic of his music-making.

6. The Besnard Lakes are The Dark Horse--The Besnard Lakes

I'm not into super-obscure music, The Besnard Lakes are as close as I can get. They're like a Canadian mix of The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd with a little King Crimson thrown in for good fun. I suggest checking them out.

7. Highway Companion--Tom Petty

Can't go wrong with Tom Petty. This is a "solo" album, but it basically sound just like when the Heartbreakers are with him. "Square One" is the best song.

8. The Best of Warren Zevon--Warren Zevon

I resisted the Warren Zevon for a long long time. Then, the day I was sworn in as an attorney my old boss (the best thing about him was his love for music) played "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." I didn't come across WZ again until I went home last Christmas and my dad gave me his CD.

Zevon is like a much better version of Joe Walsh. The lyrics are amusing (a little cheesy) but poignant. One of the best songs on the album is "The Envoy," which is a political song about Reagan's foreign policy. Another is "Mohammed Radio," where he duets with Linda Ronstadt. A surprising addition to this list.

Honorable Mentions:

These are albums that I enjoyed, but they didn't blow me away.

Ga ga ga ga ga--Spoon

The critics seem to love these guys, but they're just a basic rock band to me. Not bad at all, but nothing exceptional.

Wincing the Night Away--The Shins

Ditto.

Thanksgiving Goodness

Who's the master baker? Huh, punk? Who?

Actually you're right, its my mama, but I'm trying my best to follow in her footsteps.

I'm perpetually in charge of the desserts when it comes to the Lu Family, as (no offense Asian people) generally Asians are not so good with the desserts. Their idea of "sweet" leaves much to be desired. I'm happy I didn't grow up with the demented idea that red bean is a freaking dessert. dCommies.

I made a chocolate cranberry tart and the classic pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving dinner. The tart recipe came from a fancy cooking magazine and taxed my skills, but in the end I prevailed. Truman's uncle Peter, the snobbiest person I know, told me I could go into business selling the tarts. That's a huge compliment coming from him.

Pumpkin pie is pumpkin pie. I follow the directions on the pumpkin label like anyone else. I did make my own crust, though. Some day I will learn to make the edges pretty.


I also tried a new twist on stuffing. I made traditional Leslie Kromke recipe bread stuffing, but put it into (well-greased) cupcake tins to bake. They didn't hold together in the muffin shape as much as I would have liked. I'll work on it for next time.

Guilty Pleasures

These are true guilty pleasures. I'm frankly embarrassed that I feel joyous and happy in the presence of any of these things. But I do. In fact, I'm hoping to go home, crank up "Muscle of Love," watch Ben Stiller with blackface in a coal mine, and eat some deep fried tacos.


I love me some 70s rock. I'm sure its because I grew up listening to it in my Dad's garage, but whatever.

Alice Cooper is the epitome of 70s rock, and his Greatest Hits album has been playing in my car for the good part of a month. So much teenage angst and good ol' fashion rocking.

And of course, when I was little and I listened to the song "No More Mr. Nice Guy," featuring the line "I went to church incognito," I totally thought "Cognito" was a place where he went to church. True story.




Zoolander is possibly the best of the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson collaborations. But the winner of best character in Zoolander goes to Will Ferrell.



Ferrell kills it as Mugatu, a combination of Karl Lagerfeld, Roberto Cavalli, and any other flamboyant designer you can imagine. In one pivotal scene, Mugatu's assistant brings him a latte with too much foam. In a fit of rage, he spits up/spills the latte on his assistant screaming "Are you not aware I get farty and bloated from a foamy latte???"

It's magical.




Growing up in the east, the only thing I knew about Jack in the Box was a nefarious connection with e-coli poisoning when I was a kid.


Wow I'm sure glad I got to know more about Jack in the Crack.


The 99 cent monster tacos are the best thing ever. See, they're even in the main advertising attraction on JITC's signage.

Highly recommended.









Perhaps the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures is gossip blogs.

The worst of those blogs is that of Perez Hilton aka Mario Lavanderia.

He's disgusting. He's disturbing. He drags people out of the closet kicking and screaming and dyes his hair blue. He's hilarious and almost always gets the first scoop.

It's the first website I check in the morning at work. Such a welcome, and frequent, relief from work.


Guilty Pleasure Honorable Mentions:

Hall & Oates

Spaceballs

Elizabeth Peters mysteries

Even worse fake tacos: Taco Bell

Comments Please?

I re-started this blog awhile ago, and some of you have texted me or called me to say that you've checked it out, but NO ONE POSTS COMMENTS!

I just received my very first comment yesterday. I was ecstatic, even though it was from a totally random person (thanks Robage!).

Honestly, this is very disappointing. I'm fragile. I need lots of affirmation.

So, I figure if ANYTHING will provoke you people to comment, its the gay Klingon with a purse and stuffed animal picture that I've posted to the right.

Please?

Jury Duty

I have to admit, it really wasn't bad. It wasn't even really boring. I'm sure it was a fate worse than death to many of the other jurors, but it really gave me a good opportunity to understand what you have to do as an attorney to convince the jury of your position.

The most important thing I learned, and the most disheartening thing as an attorney, is that the jurors don't give a flying crap about the law. Overall, the consensus amongst the other jurors was to do what was "right," which in this case was to return possession of an apartment to a landlord who hadn't been paid in two years. No matter how much I argued that the landlord did not do what it had to under the law, it fell upon deaf ears. In the end I was the sole dissenting juror.

On the bright side, defense counsel can hopefully get the verdict overturned post-trial precisely because jurors did not follow the law. Thank god for that rule. But in the future, I will remember that more than proving your case, all you really have to do is give the jury one good reason to vote for you.

Sorry for the little legal digression, this has been killing me since I finished jury duty last week. Definitely a memorable experience.

Jury, Jury

When it rains it pours.

I just finished my first jury trial (not as exciting as you think, I was "second chair," which means I organized alot of documents and did alot of box moving), and now I'm on my first jury.

The trial I acted as an attorney on was, in reality, more awesome than I made it sound above. I didn't do all of the arguing and questioning (although I did question one witness), but I did get to see how it was done with a great example as trial counsel.

While it's alot less work, it's much more boring to be a juror. So I'm planning on using my time to just learn more about the whole process, since I'm not so involved in this trial that I can't watch and learn.

The downside is that with all of these trials I'm learning what it's really like to be an attorney, and it sucks. :)

Top Ten Current Favorite Bands

I say "current" as in it will change by tomorrow.

And in no particular order they are:

Beatles

Arcade Fire

Weezer

Bob Dylan

The Mars Volta

The White Stripes

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

CCR

The Band

The Beastie Boys

Sue Worthy?

Well, there it is. No, not just my beautiful thigh, but the bite.

To be honest, the bruising has blossomed to become quite spectacular, it didn't look quite this badass at the time of creation.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

So yesterday turned out pretty much how I expected it to. Apparently my neighbor's dog reads my blog, and she was interested in helping me . You know, helping me DIE.


Okay, that's a little dramatic, but honestly my neighbor's dog bit the HELL out of my thigh yesterday when I went home at lunch to take the fabulous Boo Boo Bear out. Boo's okay. I'm not.


I'll post pictures of the carnage when I get home tonight. Lemme put it this way, I'm sitting on the left side of my ass.


And yes, I'm a sucker for using song names for post names.

Re-thunk it

What was I thinking? What I meant to say is: Today is a good day to die.

Attitude

Today seems like a good day to curl up and die, don't you think?

Soul Sucking Metropolis

First of all, I have had Beck's "Soul Sucking Jerk" stuck in my head for about a week.
At least now I have a way to use that phrase constructively.

Look at that city. Sprawling, messy, busy, congested, and polluted to hell. The fact that we are in "extreme non-compliance" with EPA air standards is not lost on me.

But there are better, more important reasons to get out of here: namely that Southern California is slowing whittling away at my soul. Oh, and I guess that whole lawyer thing is chipping away a few layers too, but that's neither here nor there.

I have lost my connection with nature to some extent. It's not clean to walk outside in bare feet here. I have lost my connection with my community. Neighbors, by and large, are not friendly. If a hand is being waived at you by another driver, it's likely not to say "howdy." And I find myself falling into their trap and acting the way that busted-ass city people act. I don't like it. I don't like the anonymity of the city. Even worse is that such anonymity and selfishness is crammed into tight spaces with too many people and not enough parking.

LA is great in many ways. There is more diversity and culture and possibilities that I could have ever hoped for as a child. I have tried food from all over the world and fallen in love with it all (except cilantro). Bands of all kinds come to LA to play and I've had the opportunity to see more live acts than ever before. But all of this does not make a place livable, and that's what I need. I give it five years, max, before I go crazy here.

Yummy!

This might be the best misprint ever. Gotta love the Chinese proofreading.













And don't forget, Golden River is a restaurant AND a florist. I wonder if the shit bouquet is on sale too.

EARTHQUAKE!

We just had an earthquake here at about 9:25 a.m. How exciting! It was only a 2.7, but man, when those things are right underneath you, you can feel it no matter what. Apparently the quake's epicenter was only 1 mile south southeast of Santa Monica, putting it pretty much where my office is located. We just felt a very short jolt, but still very cool.

Indonesia is quaking like a Mormon possessed by the Spirit, so I expect we'll get some more here in the near future. Just as long as it's not THE BIG ONE, and we don't break off into the ocean or have our house washed away by a tsunami, I'm all for it.

Two Patriotic Americans Lost

I posted a few weeks back an op-ed by seven U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq entitled "The War As We Saw It." While they were writing the article and before it was published, one died in Iraq from a gunshot wound.

Yancy T. Gray and Omar Mora, two of the soldiers that lived to see their opinions published in the New York Times, were killed on Monday, September 10th, when their cargo truck overturned in Baghdad.

They were performing their duties even though they continued to morally and ethically disagreed with the government. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families. They should be remembered by all Americans for being the most patriotic Americans. They not only served their country by going to fight for us, they served their country by speaking up sharing the truth with those of us here at home.

May they rest in peace.

I Miss Ortiz

This picture is from a state park in Texas, where several different types of spiders have worked together to create this amazing web.


Apparently it has been destroyed by the elements twice now, only to be rebuilt in the same place, the same way.


Check out the following link to learn more about it.


http://texasento.net/Social_Spider.htm


If only humans could work this well together.

Little Boo Boo Bear

Behold, the cutest thing in the world:























Can I please have my dinner now? Please?





















Are you guys going to get this thing off me? You know I don't have the dexterity to do it myself. Damn, people!

Okay, I just realized I posted twice today (a feat in itself) about pets. One about a cute, furry, big lovable dog, and the other about communities of spiders with an allusion to my old pet and good friend, Ortiz. Let's give a little Ortiz love here:




















Well, at least he's furry.

American Gladiators is BACK

I'm really torn here. NBC has just announced that American Gladiators (or "AG" as we call it around my house) is coming back. As you hopefully already know, AG was syndicated and has been playing on ESPN Classic, to my great delight.



The NBC exec said they "are going to make it better, faster, and stronger." He also said that shows like Fear Factor have "raised the bar." Eating maggots with Joe Rogan, the perpetual yeller, is a raised bar? Wow.



The question, obviously, is whether they are going to bring it back in all of its spandex glory or whether it'll suck, like most things on network TV. They better keep Assault and The Wall. And Nitro, for that matter. You think he's still available?



Honestly, I don't even recognize "Malibu" in the photo here, but his unitard (complete with cutouts), his permed, wavy, dirty blonde hair, massive pecs and smouldering pout are mind-melting. You can joust me anytime, Malibu!

The War Is Over! (If you want it.)

This past Sunday seven soldiers returning from Iraq published an op-ed piece in the New York Times. The eighth soldier was shot in the head during the drafting of the piece and is expected to survive.

I've copied the text of the article here:

VIEWED from Iraq at the tail end of a 15-month deployment, the political debate in Washington is indeed surreal. Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counterinsurgents for the control and support of a population. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)


The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. Yes, we are militarily superior, but our successes are offset by failures elsewhere. What soldiers call the “battle space” remains the same, with changes only at the margins. It is crowded with actors who do not fit neatly into boxes: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. This situation is made more complex by the questionable loyalties and Janus-faced role of the Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, which have been trained and armed at United States taxpayers’ expense.


A few nights ago, for example, we witnessed the death of one American soldier and the critical wounding of two others when a lethal armor-piercing explosive was detonated between an Iraqi Army checkpoint and a police one. Local Iraqis readily testified to American investigators that Iraqi police and Army officers escorted the triggermen and helped plant the bomb. These civilians highlighted their own predicament: had they informed the Americans of the bomb before the incident, the Iraqi Army, the police or the local Shiite militia would have killed their families.


As many grunts will tell you, this is a near-routine event. Reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric. The truth is that battalion commanders, even if well meaning, have little to no influence over the thousands of obstinate men under them, in an incoherent chain of command, who are really loyal only to their militias.

Similarly, Sunnis, who have been underrepresented in the new Iraqi armed forces, now find themselves forming militias, sometimes with our tacit support. Sunnis recognize that the best guarantee they may have against Shiite militias and the Shiite-dominated government is to form their own armed bands. We arm them to aid in our fight against Al Qaeda.


However, while creating proxies is essential in winning a counterinsurgency, it requires that the proxies are loyal to the center that we claim to support. Armed Sunni tribes have indeed become effective surrogates, but the enduring question is where their loyalties would lie in our absence. The Iraqi government finds itself working at cross purposes with us on this issue because it is justifiably fearful that Sunni militias will turn on it should the Americans leave.

In short, we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear. (In the course of writing this article, this fact became all too clear: one of us, Staff Sergeant Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head during a “time-sensitive target acquisition mission” on Aug. 12; he is expected to survive and is being flown to a military hospital in the United States.) While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse — namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force.


Given the situation, it is important not to assess security from an American-centered perspective. The ability of, say, American observers to safely walk down the streets of formerly violent towns is not a resounding indicator of security. What matters is the experience of the local citizenry and the future of our counterinsurgency. When we take this view, we see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring side.


Coupling our military strategy to an insistence that the Iraqis meet political benchmarks for reconciliation is also unhelpful. The morass in the government has fueled impatience and confusion while providing no semblance of security to average Iraqis. Leaders are far from arriving at a lasting political settlement. This should not be surprising, since a lasting political solution will not be possible while the military situation remains in constant flux.

The Iraqi government is run by the main coalition partners of the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, with Kurds as minority members. The Shiite clerical establishment formed the alliance to make sure its people did not succumb to the same mistake as in 1920: rebelling against the occupying Western force (then the British) and losing what they believed was their inherent right to rule Iraq as the majority. The qualified and reluctant welcome we received from the Shiites since the invasion has to be seen in that historical context. They saw in us something useful for the moment.


Now that moment is passing, as the Shiites have achieved what they believe is rightfully theirs. Their next task is to figure out how best to consolidate the gains, because reconciliation without consolidation risks losing it all. Washington’s insistence that the Iraqis correct the three gravest mistakes we made — de-Baathification, the dismantling of the Iraqi Army and the creation of a loose federalist system of government — places us at cross purposes with the government we have committed to support.

Political reconciliation in Iraq will occur, but not at our insistence or in ways that meet our benchmarks. It will happen on Iraqi terms when the reality on the battlefield is congruent with that in the political sphere. There will be no magnanimous solutions that please every party the way we expect, and there will be winners and losers. The choice we have left is to decide which side we will take. Trying to please every party in the conflict — as we do now — will only ensure we are hated by all in the long run.


At the same time, the most important front in the counterinsurgency, improving basic social and economic conditions, is the one on which we have failed most miserably. Two million Iraqis are in refugee camps in bordering countries. Close to two million more are internally displaced and now fill many urban slums. Cities lack regular electricity, telephone services and sanitation. “Lucky” Iraqis live in gated communities barricaded with concrete blast walls that provide them with a sense of communal claustrophobia rather than any sense of security we would consider normal.


In a lawless environment where men with guns rule the streets, engaging in the banalities of life has become a death-defying act. Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of Islamist, militia and criminal violence. When the primary preoccupation of average Iraqis is when and how they are likely to be killed, we can hardly feel smug as we hand out care packages. As an Iraqi man told us a few days ago with deep resignation, “We need security, not free food.”

In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.


Until that happens, it would be prudent for us to increasingly let Iraqis take center stage in all matters, to come up with a nuanced policy in which we assist them from the margins but let them resolve their differences as they see fit. This suggestion is not meant to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the incongruities.

We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.


Buddhika Jayamaha is an Army specialist. Wesley D. Smith is a sergeant. Jeremy Roebuck is a sergeant. Omar Mora is a sergeant. Edward Sandmeier is a sergeant. Yance T. Gray is a staff sergeant. Jeremy A. Murphy is a staff sergeant.

Will we ever learn from history? We don't even have a "domino theory" kind of reason to back up this madness. We had no reason to go into Iraq, and we have every reason to leave.

Those few remaining war supporters that I know (generally located in the South, go figure) seem to be the ones that STILL believe that Iraq was somehow connected to 9-11. They either think that Iraq aided Al-Qaeda, or, they just want to kill all of the "towel head" Muslims that were responsible for the 9-11 attacks. People, Iraq had nothing to do with it. The majority of bombers were Saudi Arabian. You know, our allies? There is, was, and will be no connection to Iraq. Invasion of Afghanistan? At least there were actually terrorist training camps there and a government that actually DID support and harbor Al-Qaeda.

There is absolutely NO valid, responsible, informed, and intelligent reason why both Americans and Iraqis are dying on a daily basis for a pointless war.

It is so disheartening to see the leaders of our country go down the exact same path of their predecessors, from the Gulf of Tonkin to training the South Vietnamese to take over for our soldiers. We just traded the jungle for the desert.

Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats we JUST elected to power in November have already wimped out on us. To quote John Lennon again, Revolution, anyone??

The Feminist Question, Part I

"Feminism" is a dangerous and dirty word. My boss last week told me that his 12-year-old son asked what a feminist was. Part of his explanation was that "a feminist won't let a man hold the door open for her." Whaaa?????



I have to deal with alot of men. Both in my job and at home. Most of the men that I consider (or considered) to be superiors, or role models, or just people whose opinion I trusted, have at some point said something to me that let me know they did NOT consider men and women equal.



Women don't make good managers. Women are too emotional. A woman could never be President. It's always qualified: "not YOU, but other women." My point, conversely, is, that's what all the other men are saying to all of the other women. And frankly my dear, if women ran the world things would not be the cluster*uck they are now. You think egos and hot heads are a recipe for peace?




When I first became an attorney, my boss sat me down and told me that I should not spend my career "trying to act like a man." To illustrate his point, he used a female attorney that I had been dealing with as an example. She was aggressive and antagonistic, a real bona fide bitch. I don't think anyone, man or woman, should act the way this woman did. But his only point was that she was trying to play the man's game like a man. Be sweet and nice and don't ruffle any feathers and you'll be better off. I was very disheartened and disappointed. I came to the sad realization that a lot of people including liberals (how are you liberal if you can't embrace change??) and, the worst, other women, are anti-woman.



I consider myself a feminist. On a basic level, it means that women are equal and should be treated as such. Fairly simple concept, at least to me. On a personal level, what it means to me is that I can do anything you can do, Fred. I can fight in a war, if I so choose. I can be a construction worker. I can be a mechanic. I can be the President. I can be anything. That is the beginning and the end of what feminism means to me. It doesn't mean that I'm offended when a man opens the door for me or that I am a combat-boot wearing militant. It means is that I, and every other woman out there, is just as intelligent and capable as any man. Moreso, it means that I should not be denied opportunities simply because I am female.



But society does not agree. I suppose its natural, women haven't even had the right to vote for a whole 100 years yet. Women were considered property longer than slaves. Only twenty five years ago a judge I know was one of only three women in her law school class, and was harassed on daily basis for her entire term there. Our society seems to take hundreds of years to evolve past prejudices, racial and gender-based alike. Women are not even a true "minority" as we're half of the population, but we're still more underrepresented than any other group.




Feminism IS a dirty word. People don't like to hear it and look at you differently if you've branded yourself with that term. My question is, why? Is it simply that we've all grown up in a society that has very different gender roles for men and women, and people are uncomfortable when you question those roles? Can one be a woman and intelligent and strong at the same time? Does agressive=manly and submissive=feminine? I know what I mean when I say I'm a feminist, but others do not. That is what scares me.

Fresh Start

I was pretty unhappy with my old blog at this address, the fact that I failed to maintain and update it on a regular basis, and the fact that it sucked. Plus, there were some fairly unflattering pictures of me posing next to my new car, Rita the Red Rabbit, a year ago.

So here were go again. The game's the same, but the name has changed.

I like this forum (blogging) for several reasons. It seems somewhat less narcissistic than myspace or facebook (I'm talking out my ass here, I only have a vague idea of what facebook even is) in that it's hopefully a bit more anonymous and less about collecting "friends" and posting ridiculous pictures. The best part about blogging is that in order for you to read it, you have to come to me, which makes it less intrusive and less "in your face" than emailing or traditional communications.

So come on down, all are welcome, to glimpse into the depths of my distorted, hazy, sometimes completely irrational mind. Enjoy the show. And the Kandinsky.