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Aug. 1st, 2012 04:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* Senate Republicans symbolically tried to prevent women from getting breast cancer screening, breast feeding support, domestic violence screening, etc as part of a cyber security Bill, while House Republicans voted to force rape and incest survivors to carry the rapist's fetuses against their wills. Luckily, there were enough Democrats to stop them. Sigh. Anyway, tomorrow, a whole bunch of protections, preventative benefits, and parity regulation preventing insurance from discriminating against women start kicking in. (It starts at the beginning of your policy year, so from here on out, everyone's insurance coverage gets fairer and better, something republicans are strongly against). I know Republicans believe corporate profits are vastly more important than the lives of the 99%, but I do not understand why so many of the people Republicans want to die for those profits vote for them.
* There was a lot of coverage of the above in various places, but Rachel Maddow did the best job of talking about the latest round in the Republican's deadly anti-woman agenda: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#48431244
* Mitt Romney has told the press they can kiss his ass, and has issued a statement that asking questions about the international incidents he caused while abroad are "distracting" from the point of his trip. Um... wasn't his inability to go abroad for seven days without offending our allies, making racist statements that endanger our foreign policy objectives, and repeatedly embarrassing our country the main point here? I mean, he was out there trying to show how much better he is at diplomacy that President Obama, and succeeded in showing that he's at minimum Bush level incompetent and dangerous if not worse. That is the point. Voters have a choice between President Obama, who is intelligent, subtle, and effective at foreign policy, and Mitt Romney who infuriates allies and makes us less safe by fomenting unrest in the Middle east.
* Here is a mental image I can not get out of my head and wish I could. Whenever I see Mary Matalin and James Carville separately or together, I think of a conversation my Mom and I had at some point in which the solidity of their unlikely looking marriage, during which my Mother was forced to concluded, "The sex must be amazing!" as neither of us could think of any other explanation. Watching their body language when they are joint interviewed as I did today... yeah. I suspect it's the political equivalent of the crazed adrenaline sex one has after a really good martial arts spar with one's lover.
Trust me, I would scrub this idea out if I could. (Eeew, eeew, eew!)
* "Sorry You're A Vanillacentric Privileged Trans Oppressor:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/07/sorry-youre-vanillacentric-privileged.html
* I did manage to do both bits of bureaucracy that needed doing. Thanks to a super big end of summer sale that added a third level of discount to already discounted planters, and my giving in and planting stuff on top of the mostly failed asparagus, I was able to move the bulk of the garden. I left in some barely sprouting bulbs, the bulbs that didn't sprout, some of the phlox seedlings and a lily that was sprouted, but near the outer wall. The Landload thinks they can tarp them, but I'm betting most of them will get trampled. I suspect the transplanting will kill the other half of the phlox, but I'm hedging my bets. The other lilies, gladiolas and one of the tomato plants that wasn't in a planter got transplanted. They were all large and reasonably healthy, so lets hope they make it. I need to keep them inside until the power washing is done and then they can go back out until it's our tun to be painted. I'm hoping nearness to the aqua grow lights will keep them alive. Next week when there is money, I ought to go back to the store and try to score another super cheap planter, as I have purples needing re-potting. If there are enough left, I might try to score some extras for next year in case I get more hyacinths. Squirrel was kind enough to help some with the lifting, as by the time I'd moved the full planters to the patio doors, the spoons were pretty much gone along with the pain resistance. The cats are fascinated by the planters. Outside is inside! Smells! I am worried Mache will decide the planters constitute a litter box, which is why I stopped trying to have plants inside years ago. Let's hope she doesn't do that anymore. It is also now a drama trying to feed fish on the other side of the indoor jungle. I am now officially two days behind on some financial stuff and it will be interesting to see if I have enough money for the trip to Seattle as a result. (By the time I got back and settled stuff it was too late to start process on liquidating more assets. They are usually faster than they say they will be, but I hate betting on that. It is important the funds transfer is dated after the paperwork I turned it, hence me not doing it earlier. Timing matters.) Tomorrow I have yet more errands, but it's also officially designated as financial stuff day. It's also Big Gay Potluck, but I'm suspecting I won't be up to cooking anything and I sure can't buy an emergency pie.
* Gender moment: I was presenting fairly ambiguously today. How can I tell? The following incident is a pretty big clue. I was standing at the copy machine, working my way through my stack of document. I had coopted the chair directly behind me for collating as there was nowhere else handy. The waiting room was empty at the time, with the receptionist doing things at her desk. A man with two young boys emerged from the office, the man going to talk to the receptionist, as is common in this office. One of the boys came over to get the magazine that was on the chair I was using. I lifted the stack of paperwork it was under for him. He grumpily pointed out, "I was going to sit there." I understand getting attached to a seat in a waiting room and being bummed out that it was taken when one gets back to it, so I explained that I needed that particular chair as it was close to where I was working. He nodded, as this was logical. His dad told him to "leave that lady alone." The little boy pointed out, "That's a man." Normally, I let strangers gender me however in public, as it's a long complicated hassle explaining non-binary genders to people in the middle of commercial transactions. Indeed, I like it when I get outside confirmation I'm bowling down the middle on presentation. At the same time, the little guy was already borderline in trouble and it looked like there was going to be an argument, so I piped up, "Well spotted," to the little guy. His dad said, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I said "It's all right." Still, I chuffed I was hitting the line so well today while gimping about.
* I may consider the cupcakes substandard, but Hector stole four and nibbled them all over the kitchen. Also, The Junior Beasties and Hector took turns howling inconsolably in the common areas while I was trying to sleep, doing and excellent job of adding yet more disruption to my sleep schedule. Sigh. (Mache was sensibly trying to sleep in her favorite spot next to my head at the time and in any case is not a talker.)
* BPAL dropped a bunch of LE stuff, including two Comic con scents. My local BPAL budy who stood me up last week (for good reason), called me up and by way of apology offered to add some stuff for me to her order. I will have to pay her back, but it means I can get some stuff I otherwise would have missed or likely missed, plus, I don't have to pay postage. Yay! I'm getting Butter scotch balls and Black beetles! I'm going to get to try the Mouse Circus! (To be clear, Greenwick did not stand me up. It's my other BPAL buddy. The one who's been working and going to school since Christmas so hasn't been able to visit).
*Men's gymnastics: To be clear, I was rooting for the Japanese, but I still feel like the Ukrainians were robbed and the UK totally deserved the silver. That didn't look like a handstand to me.
* Re: Chinese swimmer controversy: Absent evidence, I think people need to stop bullying her. I get that folks are still upset about the Chinese cheating last time in women's gymnastics, but it's not okay to harass a teenaged girl in absence of actual evidence against her.
* "How Geek Gatekeeping Is Bad For Business:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1082508.html
* "White Guys The ONLY Superhero:" http://big-wired.livejournal.com/295814.html
No Marvel, Africa isn't another planet invented from scratch. You can go there on an airplane right now.
* An inspirational speech by Neil Gaiman: http://surreality.livejournal.com/526546.html?mode=reply&style=mine
* There was a lot of coverage of the above in various places, but Rachel Maddow did the best job of talking about the latest round in the Republican's deadly anti-woman agenda: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#48431244
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* Mitt Romney has told the press they can kiss his ass, and has issued a statement that asking questions about the international incidents he caused while abroad are "distracting" from the point of his trip. Um... wasn't his inability to go abroad for seven days without offending our allies, making racist statements that endanger our foreign policy objectives, and repeatedly embarrassing our country the main point here? I mean, he was out there trying to show how much better he is at diplomacy that President Obama, and succeeded in showing that he's at minimum Bush level incompetent and dangerous if not worse. That is the point. Voters have a choice between President Obama, who is intelligent, subtle, and effective at foreign policy, and Mitt Romney who infuriates allies and makes us less safe by fomenting unrest in the Middle east.
* Here is a mental image I can not get out of my head and wish I could. Whenever I see Mary Matalin and James Carville separately or together, I think of a conversation my Mom and I had at some point in which the solidity of their unlikely looking marriage, during which my Mother was forced to concluded, "The sex must be amazing!" as neither of us could think of any other explanation. Watching their body language when they are joint interviewed as I did today... yeah. I suspect it's the political equivalent of the crazed adrenaline sex one has after a really good martial arts spar with one's lover.
Trust me, I would scrub this idea out if I could. (Eeew, eeew, eew!)
* "Sorry You're A Vanillacentric Privileged Trans Oppressor:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/07/sorry-youre-vanillacentric-privileged.html
* I did manage to do both bits of bureaucracy that needed doing. Thanks to a super big end of summer sale that added a third level of discount to already discounted planters, and my giving in and planting stuff on top of the mostly failed asparagus, I was able to move the bulk of the garden. I left in some barely sprouting bulbs, the bulbs that didn't sprout, some of the phlox seedlings and a lily that was sprouted, but near the outer wall. The Landload thinks they can tarp them, but I'm betting most of them will get trampled. I suspect the transplanting will kill the other half of the phlox, but I'm hedging my bets. The other lilies, gladiolas and one of the tomato plants that wasn't in a planter got transplanted. They were all large and reasonably healthy, so lets hope they make it. I need to keep them inside until the power washing is done and then they can go back out until it's our tun to be painted. I'm hoping nearness to the aqua grow lights will keep them alive. Next week when there is money, I ought to go back to the store and try to score another super cheap planter, as I have purples needing re-potting. If there are enough left, I might try to score some extras for next year in case I get more hyacinths. Squirrel was kind enough to help some with the lifting, as by the time I'd moved the full planters to the patio doors, the spoons were pretty much gone along with the pain resistance. The cats are fascinated by the planters. Outside is inside! Smells! I am worried Mache will decide the planters constitute a litter box, which is why I stopped trying to have plants inside years ago. Let's hope she doesn't do that anymore. It is also now a drama trying to feed fish on the other side of the indoor jungle. I am now officially two days behind on some financial stuff and it will be interesting to see if I have enough money for the trip to Seattle as a result. (By the time I got back and settled stuff it was too late to start process on liquidating more assets. They are usually faster than they say they will be, but I hate betting on that. It is important the funds transfer is dated after the paperwork I turned it, hence me not doing it earlier. Timing matters.) Tomorrow I have yet more errands, but it's also officially designated as financial stuff day. It's also Big Gay Potluck, but I'm suspecting I won't be up to cooking anything and I sure can't buy an emergency pie.
* Gender moment: I was presenting fairly ambiguously today. How can I tell? The following incident is a pretty big clue. I was standing at the copy machine, working my way through my stack of document. I had coopted the chair directly behind me for collating as there was nowhere else handy. The waiting room was empty at the time, with the receptionist doing things at her desk. A man with two young boys emerged from the office, the man going to talk to the receptionist, as is common in this office. One of the boys came over to get the magazine that was on the chair I was using. I lifted the stack of paperwork it was under for him. He grumpily pointed out, "I was going to sit there." I understand getting attached to a seat in a waiting room and being bummed out that it was taken when one gets back to it, so I explained that I needed that particular chair as it was close to where I was working. He nodded, as this was logical. His dad told him to "leave that lady alone." The little boy pointed out, "That's a man." Normally, I let strangers gender me however in public, as it's a long complicated hassle explaining non-binary genders to people in the middle of commercial transactions. Indeed, I like it when I get outside confirmation I'm bowling down the middle on presentation. At the same time, the little guy was already borderline in trouble and it looked like there was going to be an argument, so I piped up, "Well spotted," to the little guy. His dad said, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I said "It's all right." Still, I chuffed I was hitting the line so well today while gimping about.
* I may consider the cupcakes substandard, but Hector stole four and nibbled them all over the kitchen. Also, The Junior Beasties and Hector took turns howling inconsolably in the common areas while I was trying to sleep, doing and excellent job of adding yet more disruption to my sleep schedule. Sigh. (Mache was sensibly trying to sleep in her favorite spot next to my head at the time and in any case is not a talker.)
* BPAL dropped a bunch of LE stuff, including two Comic con scents. My local BPAL budy who stood me up last week (for good reason), called me up and by way of apology offered to add some stuff for me to her order. I will have to pay her back, but it means I can get some stuff I otherwise would have missed or likely missed, plus, I don't have to pay postage. Yay! I'm getting Butter scotch balls and Black beetles! I'm going to get to try the Mouse Circus! (To be clear, Greenwick did not stand me up. It's my other BPAL buddy. The one who's been working and going to school since Christmas so hasn't been able to visit).
*Men's gymnastics: To be clear, I was rooting for the Japanese, but I still feel like the Ukrainians were robbed and the UK totally deserved the silver. That didn't look like a handstand to me.
* Re: Chinese swimmer controversy: Absent evidence, I think people need to stop bullying her. I get that folks are still upset about the Chinese cheating last time in women's gymnastics, but it's not okay to harass a teenaged girl in absence of actual evidence against her.
* "How Geek Gatekeeping Is Bad For Business:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1082508.html
* "White Guys The ONLY Superhero:" http://big-wired.livejournal.com/295814.html
No Marvel, Africa isn't another planet invented from scratch. You can go there on an airplane right now.
* An inspirational speech by Neil Gaiman: http://surreality.livejournal.com/526546.html?mode=reply&style=mine