(no subject)

* Possible Neanderthal cave paintings: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21458-first-neanderthal-cave-paintings-discovered-in-spain.html

* Karam Nachar, a Syrian activist, talks about what's going on there, with an excellent summary of events leading up to this point: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46358899#46358899

* I missed Cadillac Records when it came out. Wow! Just wow! The acting, the attention to detail, the music, the complexity. The filmaker says it was a struggle for her to cut down the number of characters to fit in a film and the stuio wanted them to mostly lose Lil Walter and she had to fight to keep his scenes in the shooting schedule. When I think of the monumental task and all the things they did manage to say in the allotted time... wow.

* Bujold's Cryoburn is turning out to be quite pertinent to this election cycle as well as doing a good job at exploring the political implications in series technology, and give glimpses into how a whole lot of characters stories worked out in the series as a whole.

As deeply fond as I am of Miles as a character and a concept, I have always had a fascination with Aral and Cordelia's dynamic with each other. It's hard to put into words why, exactly. just... they make a sort of bone deep sense to me. After they stop being main characters, the glimpses into their private lives we get are little gems I turn over and over, examining the facets and eventually to be fitted into the mosaic of the whole. Sometimes I wonder how much was structural and how much was retrospect, but then, real lives are like that too.

Whether Arol, Cordelia, Miles, Taura, Mark, Gregor and so many others, it occurs to me the Vorkosagan Saga is underneath about getting caught between cultures and the spaces between identities. No wonder they novels tug at me in all the complex ways that they do.

* Soap thought of the day: watching Benson in scenes with the obnoxious Chester Tate, I keep hearing Dave Chapelle's voice wailing, "This racism is killing me!"

* The thing rm says in the first section about Sebastian? As someone went to a high end prep school, I agree with this. That sort of rapey sadistic sociopathic rich guy happens in prep school. Often. I can give you a list of names, but I won't in print what with lawsuits and all. http://lettersfromtitan.tumblr.com/post/17541879540/sebastian

* Valentine cake: http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2012/2/12/sunday-sweets-be-my-valentine.html

(no subject)

* Possible Neanderthal cave paintings: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21458-first-neanderthal-cave-paintings-discovered-in-spain.html

* Karam Nachar, a Syrian activist, talks about what's going on there, with an excellent summary of events leading up to this point: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46358899#46358899

* I missed Cadillac Records when it came out. Wow! Just wow! The acting, the attention to detail, the music, the complexity. The filmaker says it was a struggle for her to cut down the number of characters to fit in a film and the stuio wanted them to mostly lose Lil Walter and she had to fight to keep his scenes in the shooting schedule. When I think of the monumental task and all the things they did manage to say in the allotted time... wow.

* Bujold's Cryoburn is turning out to be quite pertinent to this election cycle as well as doing a good job at exploring the political implications in series technology, and give glimpses into how a whole lot of characters stories worked out in the series as a whole.

As deeply fond as I am of Miles as a character and a concept, I have always had a fascination with Aral and Cordelia's dynamic with each other. It's hard to put into words why, exactly. just... they make a sort of bone deep sense to me. After they stop being main characters, the glimpses into their private lives we get are little gems I turn over and over, examining the facets and eventually to be fitted into the mosaic of the whole. Sometimes I wonder how much was structural and how much was retrospect, but then, real lives are like that too.

Whether Arol, Cordelia, Miles, Taura, Mark, Gregor and so many others, it occurs to me the Vorkosagan Saga is underneath about getting caught between cultures and the spaces between identities. No wonder they novels tug at me in all the complex ways that they do.

* Soap thought of the day: watching Benson in scenes with the obnoxious Chester Tate, I keep hearing Dave Chapelle's voice wailing, "This racism is killing me!"

* The thing rm says in the first section about Sebastian? As someone went to a high end prep school, I agree with this. That sort of rapey sadistic sociopathic rich guy happens in prep school. Often. I can give you a list of names, but I won't in print what with lawsuits and all. http://lettersfromtitan.tumblr.com/post/17541879540/sebastian

* Valentine cake: http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2012/2/12/sunday-sweets-be-my-valentine.html

Dawn

One of my great disappointments growing up was my first Dawn. After all books and the culture talk up the beauty of the dawn because of the symbolism, but in my experience, they are sickly things. I was always more a sunset and midnight sort of person and to my eyes, the most beautiful part of a dawn is the stretch between false dawn and sunrise, when the sky sings a symphony of blues.

Out here, it is all about salmon belly sunsets over water. Dawn is nothing. It wasn't much better back east. I have always lived with hills and trees that block what little of the sunrise there is. The one place I have seen a dawn that could compete aesthetically with the drama and flash of sunset was along a stretch of Maryland shore.

That summer I stayed behnd in Annapolis with a friend who would be an enemy before the next winter was out. Annapolis was like that for me just generally. Anyway, we explored the nooks and crannies of Annapolis by day and night, wandering far from campus by foot and by car to places Johnnies generally never went. Out where the houses of the rich abutted private docks and thin stretches of shore, there was a tiny overlook where one could pull over and stare at waters that Lovecraft might have imagined, though he was so much further North. We watched inky wavelets and imagined tentacles and horrors in the deep. If we waited long enough, we could watch long legged water birds close as a natural history exhibit fish in the shallows while this luminous pastel light of a Chesapeake dawn bathed everything. It was a strange and delicate beauty to find in a town like a bubo in the armpit of the east coast.

Dawn

One of my great disappointments growing up was my first Dawn. After all books and the culture talk up the beauty of the dawn because of the symbolism, but in my experience, they are sickly things. I was always more a sunset and midnight sort of person and to my eyes, the most beautiful part of a dawn is the stretch between false dawn and sunrise, when the sky sings a symphony of blues.

Out here, it is all about salmon belly sunsets over water. Dawn is nothing. It wasn't much better back east. I have always lived with hills and trees that block what little of the sunrise there is. The one place I have seen a dawn that could compete aesthetically with the drama and flash of sunset was along a stretch of Maryland shore.

That summer I stayed behnd in Annapolis with a friend who would be an enemy before the next winter was out. Annapolis was like that for me just generally. Anyway, we explored the nooks and crannies of Annapolis by day and night, wandering far from campus by foot and by car to places Johnnies generally never went. Out where the houses of the rich abutted private docks and thin stretches of shore, there was a tiny overlook where one could pull over and stare at waters that Lovecraft might have imagined, though he was so much further North. We watched inky wavelets and imagined tentacles and horrors in the deep. If we waited long enough, we could watch long legged water birds close as a natural history exhibit fish in the shallows while this luminous pastel light of a Chesapeake dawn bathed everything. It was a strange and delicate beauty to find in a town like a bubo in the armpit of the east coast.

(no subject)

* They are rioting in Greece. The government is ignoring them, and slashing the minimum wage and laying off government workers anyway, as these are the terms the international community are imposing a the price of bailing them out. I am not convinced that laying people off when there is already 21% unemployment is a good idea, as it can only worsen the economy. Rioters set fire to buildings.

* "Fox Pundit Says Women In The Military Should ‘Expect’ To Be Raped." I am a loss for words as to how vile this is. Rape prevention and prosecutions cost money so it is FOX's opinion we shouldn't make any attempt to do something about it. She's in their railing against the feminists as if the rapists are the real victims here. I call bullshit with and extra dose of what the hell is wrong with Trotta that she thinks this is okay? http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/02/13/424239/fox-women-miliary-expect-raped/?mobile=nc

* Santorum is more popular than Mitt Romney in his home state of Michigan. O.o

* New Jersey Legislature voted in marriage equality, but that asshole Chris christie is going to veto it. Of course. Why be on the right side of history when you can parade your bigotry.

* Male Republican law makers are now demanding that all employers be allowed to deny female employees access to birth control, not just the employees of of catholic Universities and hospitals. 55% of all voters, 56% of all Catholic voters, and 66% of women voters think all insurance plans should cover birth control. This doesn't matter to republicans, alas.

* Ben Gazzara, a respected character actor is dead at 81. Long time readers know my deep and abiding apreciation for character actors, who work hard, and seldom get the glory. Mr. Gazzara was the orignal Brick in cat on a hot Tin Roof, and has been in too many movies and plays for me to list.

* They money is in transit to my credit card. Payments to actual humans should come later in the week. Today I bought the beasties flea meds, medicated treats, and catnip spray. Having their toys smelling like cat nip all of a sudden went a long way towards consoling them for the flea meds. I also got myself falafel and some baba ghanoush from the Greek place that is now only a block away in celebration. They hand make the baba ghanoush fresh every day, and it is the bet I have ever tasted. I haven't had money to buy any since we moved, and every time I pass the shop, my mouth waters. Omnomnom. Rose flavored nougat and halvah for dessert.

* Someone told me As Meat Loves Salt was a positive gay love story. I must ask: Wtf?!? There was no warning about how rapey it was going to be. I'm not finishing it; I'm sending it back. Yes it's well written, but warn a person, for fuck's sake. ( cut for specifics: )

* Someone is massively downsizing their BPAL collection including lots of rares: http://www.ebay.com/sch/aliciastardust/m.html?item=140701913636&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&_trksid=p4340.l2562

* My fruity partials, 4 days, two bids: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300661523834

* The Clutch:

* Because it's stuck in my head and it's glorious, Howling Wolf sings Smokestack Lightening: http://youtu.be/A1FK620bS7A


( Embed: )

* And a bonus dose of Little Walter while I'm at it: http://youtu.be/duRp_avXtMM

( Embed: )

* While I was looking for the Odetta version of this (which I couldn't find), I stumbled on the version I grew up with. Picture child me and my little sister singing along with this and "Cocaine" on long car trips. Seriously, that image of the dangling toes of the corpse, moved me even when my age was in single digits.: http://youtu.be/ncJf9uzwhSg

( Embed: )

* Oh hell, I'll throw in "Cocaine" too, which I found weirdly comforting even though I got how sad it was when I was little: http://youtu.be/3qzPjztRAoY

( Embed: )

* Yes, I was a weird little kid, why do you ask?

* Anyway, I could find the Odetta clip I was looking for, but I can give you "Jim Crow Blues:" http://youtu.be/pejC6hFJcVM

( Embed: )

(no subject)

* They are rioting in Greece. The government is ignoring them, and slashing the minimum wage and laying off government workers anyway, as these are the terms the international community are imposing a the price of bailing them out. I am not convinced that laying people off when there is already 21% unemployment is a good idea, as it can only worsen the economy. Rioters set fire to buildings.

* "Fox Pundit Says Women In The Military Should ‘Expect’ To Be Raped." I am a loss for words as to how vile this is. Rape prevention and prosecutions cost money so it is FOX's opinion we shouldn't make any attempt to do something about it. She's in their railing against the feminists as if the rapists are the real victims here. I call bullshit with and extra dose of what the hell is wrong with Trotta that she thinks this is okay? http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/02/13/424239/fox-women-miliary-expect-raped/?mobile=nc

* Santorum is more popular than Mitt Romney in his home state of Michigan. O.o

* New Jersey Legislature voted in marriage equality, but that asshole Chris christie is going to veto it. Of course. Why be on the right side of history when you can parade your bigotry.

* Male Republican law makers are now demanding that all employers be allowed to deny female employees access to birth control, not just the employees of of catholic Universities and hospitals. 55% of all voters, 56% of all Catholic voters, and 66% of women voters think all insurance plans should cover birth control. This doesn't matter to republicans, alas.

* Ben Gazzara, a respected character actor is dead at 81. Long time readers know my deep and abiding apreciation for character actors, who work hard, and seldom get the glory. Mr. Gazzara was the orignal Brick in cat on a hot Tin Roof, and has been in too many movies and plays for me to list.

* They money is in transit to my credit card. Payments to actual humans should come later in the week. Today I bought the beasties flea meds, medicated treats, and catnip spray. Having their toys smelling like cat nip all of a sudden went a long way towards consoling them for the flea meds. I also got myself falafel and some baba ghanoush from the Greek place that is now only a block away in celebration. They hand make the baba ghanoush fresh every day, and it is the bet I have ever tasted. I haven't had money to buy any since we moved, and every time I pass the shop, my mouth waters. Omnomnom. Rose flavored nougat and halvah for dessert.

* Someone told me As Meat Loves Salt was a positive gay love story. I must ask: Wtf?!? There was no warning about how rapey it was going to be. I'm not finishing it; I'm sending it back. Yes it's well written, but warn a person, for fuck's sake. ( cut for specifics: )

* Someone is massively downsizing their BPAL collection including lots of rares: http://www.ebay.com/sch/aliciastardust/m.html?item=140701913636&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&_trksid=p4340.l2562

* My fruity partials, 4 days, two bids: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300661523834

* The Clutch:

* Because it's stuck in my head and it's glorious, Howling Wolf sings Smokestack Lightening: http://youtu.be/A1FK620bS7A


( Embed: )

* And a bonus dose of Little Walter while I'm at it: http://youtu.be/duRp_avXtMM

( Embed: )

* While I was looking for the Odetta version of this (which I couldn't find), I stumbled on the version I grew up with. Picture child me and my little sister singing along with this and "Cocaine" on long car trips. Seriously, that image of the dangling toes of the corpse, moved me even when my age was in single digits.: http://youtu.be/ncJf9uzwhSg

( Embed: )

* Oh hell, I'll throw in "Cocaine" too, which I found weirdly comforting even though I got how sad it was when I was little: http://youtu.be/3qzPjztRAoY

( Embed: )

* Yes, I was a weird little kid, why do you ask?

* Anyway, I could find the Odetta clip I was looking for, but I can give you "Jim Crow Blues:" http://youtu.be/pejC6hFJcVM

( Embed: )