|
|
|
November 11th, 2011
11:11 am - Make a Wish
If you hang around me much you'll notice that I compulsively exhort people to make wishes at 11:11. If 11:11 is a good time for wishing, it seems that 11/11/11 11:11 would be even better. So this is up here to remind me to do something - a party, perhaps - to celebrate that day and wish hard.
This was posted on May 30th, 2007. Only 4 years and change to go.
|
April 16th, 2010
10:32 pm - 'Cause I'm thoughtful like that/Yes, of course you can trust me with that information
That screened comments post I mentioned earlier. For all that information you want to give me so you and/or others can come to a rocking party, but don't want to leave lying around on a public post.
Edit: This is starting to really come in handy. Therefore, let it be known throughout teh intarwebs that this post has been promoted to the new and exalted status of The Post of Secrets.
If you have something you need to tell me but don't want anyone else to know, here's the place to put it.
|
December 22nd, 2009
03:26 pm - I believe the phrase is "never drinking again"
Solstice was celebrated, and the new year has brought me my first real hangover. Now I understand why people are cautious about drinking.
Fun times, though! Thanks ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) indecisionrocks and omly.
|
December 21st, 2009
11:41 am - Virtual company
I will be celebrating the solstice with indecisionrocks by staying up all night. Will any of the rest of you be pushing on through this longest night? Shall we be virtual moral support for each other?
|
December 10th, 2009
12:37 am - Gott sei Dank für Deustche Partys!
Some of you know that I volunteer at a Chinese support school. (I'm a sort of ESL teacher, but I also fill in as the go-to teacher for difficult subjects. For instance, the other day a kid came up to me needing help on his geology homework - and I was able to explain the subject to him. Now, it was basic geology, and I did have to think about it for a little bit, but I was still pretty proud of myself.) For the most part, I like it. The kids are generally pretty great, teaching elementary subjects is actually big challenge, and I get to do something that feels really worthwhile. However, the past few days have been really tough, today especially so. The kids were antsy and kept acting up. No one would do their homework and I could barely keep the noise level to a dull roar. The breaking point came with one kid who a)would not do her homework and b)kept distracting everyone else from their homework. I yelled at her. I shouldn't have, but I just needed her to Sit Down. Predictably, the only change that yelling at her effected was that I am now branded the Mean Teacher. At the end of the day I went straight to the bakery at the corner and cried into a sesame ball. (Yeah, I know, comfort eating is not healthy. I didn't care then. It was delicious and very comforting.) I didn't even want to think about teaching or schools ever again.
Later on tonight, though, I went to my neighbor's Glühwein party. It's an annual party and I always look forward to it, but it was especially good this year. I made new friends, spoke German, and best of all ran into a old friend who doesn't live in the States anymore. Suddenly, the day doesn't feel so bad. The sharp edges of it have been dulled by conversation and alcohol, and I'm not dreading tomorrow anymore.
|
September 30th, 2009
02:28 am - Ding dong, the scumbag is caught
Roman Polanski has been arrested. (Again, because he skipped out the last time this happened.) He is currently being held in a jail in Switzerland, and will soon be extradited to the US, where he will stand trial (again) for raping a child. I'm pretty thrilled about this news.
There are some people who are not thrilled that Polanski has been arrested. Many arguments have been made against it. Some are the usual sort - she didn't look thirteen, she wanted to be in the movies, she wasn't a virgin, she should have known his intentions. Some of the arguments are unique to to this case.* Among those arguments are the following: he makes very good movies, he's 76, he's a "nice guy," or, my personal favorite, he's suffered enough. (Just to be clear, the suffering referred to has consisted of 32 years of comfortable living in France, whilst making millions of dollars. Plus, there's his very painful experience of having an extra house in Switzerland. He couldn't pick up his Oscar in person. To boot, he couldn't return to the US or travel everywhere he wanted to, because then he'd be extradited and have to face the music. Even if all of that constituted suffering, he still chose it. He ran out on his sentence. He exiled himself.) Those are supposed to mitigate rape.
To anyone who thinks Polanski should get to walk away from this, I ask that you consider the following facts:
1) He gave a 13 year old champagne and quaaludes. Which is to say, he got her drunk and high.
2) He then performed oral sex on her, followed by vaginal and anal sex. All the while, for each act, she said no and he ignored her.
Those two facts constitute rape. Period. End of story. Polanski raped a child, and there is no getting around that. He deserves the same punishment anyone else would get, no matter his stature.
*There is one semi-valid reason to not arrest him. The victim of the rape has publicly said that she does not want him charged. She is tired of the media spotlight which, due to Polanski's fame, has dogged her every since she was raped. I sympathize with her request. It must be extremely difficult to deal with that publicity. However, the justice system has a duty to actually promote justice. That means punishing those who commit crimes and maintaining the standards that allow people to report crimes safely and to get redress of the violations that a person suffers. Much as the victim wants to drop this whole thing, that it is direct conflict with justice. We cannot set a precedent of dropping charges simply upon request - especially when the person charged has confessed. That can only increase intimidation of victims. Worse, it sends the message that rape can be dismissed.
Current Music: the world's tiniest violin
|
September 16th, 2009
11:18 pm - Fiery Depths of the T
I went on a 2.5 hour adventure today. Unfortunately, it did not involve dice.
Many of you have heard by now that there was a fire on the red line. I was there when it started. I was waiting in South Station when a small burst of lightening* erupted in the tunnel. Panic ensued, which I thought was a reasonable response, and my fellow commuters practically flew up the stairs. One woman was so anxious to get out of there that she left her shoes behind. (They were slowing her down, you see. Because they were clogs.) Before anyone had gotten up the second flight of stairs, the loud sparking that the lightening was making subsided. A few people nervously looked back at the platform, where everything seemed fine. There was no more lightening, and besides, the T officials were unconcerned, so we all marched back.
It was then that the smoke started pouring out of the tunnel, and I do mean pouring. It was thick and masked everything behind it, a veritable curtain of smoke. I couldn't see the tunnel outline through it - I couldn't even see the last bench on the platform. To boot, the smoke didn't smell like smoke. It smelled of like Catholic incense. (For those who don't know, Catholic incense smells foul. It's like sanctifying something with burning rubber. Relatedly, the rubber in the tunnel was burning.) Still, T officials continued to be unconcerned, and then I heard an announcement that the train which would take me home was approaching. Given those, I stuck around. I wanted to go home.
My train didn't come. After ~20 minutes of standing around in smoke, we were pulled off the platform and directed outside to buses. Now, I have been down the "diverted service" road before, so I knew that I was in for quite a long wait. Unfortunately, I couldn't go grab dinner or take a taxi home, so I joined the other two hundred or so stranded commuters and just waited. And waited. And waited. When the first bus finally arrived, I didn't make it on. I didn't make it onto the second one, either. I got onto the third without walking, though. I was in the midst of some people who really, really wanted on that bus and was literally swept off the ground by the crowd. It's amazing what a tension hold can support.
Anyway, I got back a few hours ago. I'm fine, though I could have done without the cold. (I was wearing shortsleeves.) I don't think anyone was hurt at all, luckily. At least, not by the fire. Someone may have been trampled.
*I say lightening, but really it was just very large sparks. However, sparks that are large enough to take this commuter aback are pretty damn large. Therefore, I'm going use a small bit of poetic license and call them "lightening."
|
September 1st, 2009
09:45 am - Tuesday is off to a lovely start
Last night, I obtained a foster Rock Band set - londo has very kindly lent me his set during his interim month. (He's very good to it - he doesn't want it to get lonely.) Picking it up required a car, of course, and even if I had one, I don't drive. Lucky for me, chaiya and hakamadare were willing to drive me to pick it up, and then drive me home. At least, that was the plan. We did pick it up yesterday, but instead of going to my house we also kidnapped londo and went back to chaiya and hakamadare's house for some cake and maple whiskey and most importantly, awesome society.
I was still supposed to go home last night, but then the prospect of Rock Band withvolantwish and D presented itself, and that's way better than home. So I crashed in chaiya and hakamadare's hammock. Now I'm sitting at their table, wrapped in a blanket and drinking tea while listening to Girlyman. It's a pretty wonderful morning.
|
July 9th, 2009
03:50 pm - Step One
Yesterday was my last ASL III class. I'm pretty certain I rocked the final. In fact, I may have rocked its socks off. (I'll have to wait for the grades to find out about the socks, though.) I'm also pretty certain my final papers will be well-received, which is quite the relief given the stress* I spent on them.
Most importantly, I'm proud of myself for my performance in this class. Aside from one month last year, I haven't taken any ASL in ten years. When I started this class I wasn't certain I'd be able to handle it. I only took it because ASL II, which seemed more my speed, starts next session, and I didn't have room for it then. However, I not only completed level III well, but I was one of the best students in the class. That's a pretty great feeling.
Now, I'm off to find cheap(er) versions of my textbooks for next session's class.
*I like learning. I hate school, for a number of reasons. One of them is that the stress of papers (I'm not much of a writer) drives me into comfort eating, because it's one of the few ways I can simultaneously de-stress and write. These papers took me 9 cans of ginger ale, 5 fluffernutters, and 3 brownies. This is not counting the benefits from the chocolate fountain, since I wasn't actively writing while I indulged in that, or regular meals. In the end I was left with good papers, but also feeling ill and fat. Unfortunately, I have a lot to do today and thus don't have time for the gym.
|
June 18th, 2009
05:23 am - The sun also rises
I was up all night finishing my ASL midterm. The story I picked was one of my Switzerland stories, this one about the time an English-speaking toddler was found and was immediately assumed to be mine. Hilarity ensued, especially when, in the middle of my protests ("No, really, I've never seen this child before") the toddler hugged me and said "Mama!" That was hard to explain.
Being up all night isn't great for me, of course, at least in epilepsy terms. As for as the rest of the me, this is awesome! I feel so energetic, and I love hearing the birds chirping in the morning. Even better, I am looking at the sunrise over the water right now. Color is rising from the horizon, like a celestial high tide. Outside the window, there's a pine tree as tall as my house, which stands in relief to the brightest pink and purple sky I've ever seen. The best part, though, is that it's actually not the brightest I've ever seen. It's as bright this morning as it is every morning. Every single day, one of the most beautiful sights I could hope to see passes right by my window. I am lucky. Bedazzled and trite, but also very lucky.
|
June 16th, 2009
03:16 pm - Midterm in the middle of more important things
I feel frivolous posting the following request, because it is trivial compared to the events in Iran.
That being said, I have a midterm in my ASL class. I need to sign a story. I considered signing a story about Iran, but I don't know nearly enough vocabulary to be to talk about the violence and suppression going on there. To be honest, even the grammar for that would be difficult for me, because ASL grammar can be somewhat situation-dependent.
Which brings me to the request: do any of you recall a story that I've told which was interesting or memorable to you? I'm having trouble choosing from the ones I remember, and even more trouble distinguishing between the good ones and the bad ones.
|
June 10th, 2009
01:11 pm - Diversion or catalyst, however you choose to see it
The 15 books meme sounds appealing, but I don't want to read anyone else's lists until I've written my own. Hence, I am writing my own.
Directions: "List 15 books you've read that will always stick with you: Don't take too long to think about it."
I took too long to think about it. Luckily, I have an excuse. The brain damage/memory loss/language problems still haven't totally resolved themselves. Thankfully, they're mostly gone, but memory remains the biggest problem of them.* I'm hoping it gets back to normal, and soon.
Of course, I actually don't think anyone needs an excuse.
1. The Green Book, Jill Paton Walsh
2. The Summer Tree, Guy Gavriel Kay
3. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts
4. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood.
5. A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby
6. A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Julian Barnes
7. Time Enough for Love, Robert Heinlein
8. Nine Parts of Desire, Geraldine Brooks
9. Republican Party Reptile, P.J. O'Rourke
10. The Last Days of Summer, Steve Kluger
11. The Translator, John Crowley
12. The Evolution Explosion, Stephen R. Palumbi
13. Which Brings Me to You, Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott
14. The Noonday Demon, Andrew Solomon
15. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, Nick Flynn
...and I'm going to need to cheat
16. Talking it Over, Julian Barnes
17. The Giver, Lois Lowry
*Those of you who know me well probably realize what a blow that is. I was always very proud of my memory. It made me happy.
|
May 14th, 2009
06:22 pm - Double Trouble
I don't remember much of this week. In fact, if I made plans with you recently, please remind me of them. Memories keep slipping in and out of my consciousness, but I can't hold on to any of them, nor can I search any of them out.( If you're curious, here's why )
That's the story. I remember snatches of recent days, but nothing really helpful. Yesterday especially is a blank. Words are very difficult for me to handle. Moreover, I'm much more easily confused now, and there's sometimes a delay between when I see something and when I recognize it. I'm pretty scared by all of that, but hopefully those effects will fade soon.
|
April 30th, 2009
11:11 pm - I'll see it again.
Wow, it's been a long time since I typed in this little box. I don't have much to say at the moment, either.
...except that I saw the pre-screening of Star Trek! It was as much fun as I hoped it would be. I bounced the whole way through the movie - except for the parts where I cried. (For those of you who might not have guessed, I'm a bit of a sap.) The best part of the whole evening though, was that the company was even better than the movie. I was lucky enough to see it with chaiya, Chiquita, omly, crazybone, salvbard, L, noeltheone, and B.
Thank you so much for bring me along, chaiya. You're the best.
|
March 14th, 2009
02:09 pm - Ha!
Andrea said I could post as her.
So I am!
I do not think she thought I would.
Anyone taking bets on how long it takes her to notice? I bet she has comments emailed or something, though. :P
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) amused
|
January 29th, 2009
03:07 pm - Good Timing
I stumbled across the following poem this morning:
Covering Two Years
This nothingness that feeds upon itself:
Pencils that turn to water in the hand,
Parts of a sentence, hanging in the air,
Thoughts breaking in the mind like glass,
Blank sheets of paper that reflect the world
Whitened the world that I was silenced by.
There were two years of that. Slowly,
Whatever splits, dissevers, cuts, cracks, ravels, or divides
To bring me to that diet of corrossion, burned
And flickered to its terminal. - Now in an older hand
I write my name. Now with a voice grown unfamiliar,
I speak to silences of altered rooms,
Shaken by knowledge of recurrence and return.
-- Weldon Kees
I am going back to school. As ever, more later.
|
December 10th, 2008
10:10 am - 526,320 minutes
Dear Paul,
A year ago we postulated that there are lightsabers in heaven. If there are, I know you've found them (and are probably wreaking havoc with them), so how's about giving those of us in the land of the living a sign, okay? C'mon, you know you want to tell us all about your exploits.
I miss you. We all miss you, Liz most of all.
-Your geekiest niece
P.S. Save me a purple lightsaber and a spot in the fencing league which I know you've formed.
|
December 1st, 2008
11:29 am - AIDS day
When I was fifteen years old I caught the movie Longtime Companion on TV. It was one of the first movies that involved AIDS (in fact, I'm pretty certain that it was the second, preceded by An Early Frost, which was heavily censored) and, while slow at times, is really well done, especially for its time. This dialogue from the end scene stuck with me, and I think the point Willy makes is really important.
Willy: Seems inconceivable, doesn't it? That there was ever a time before all this? When you didn't wake up every day wondering, "Who's sick now?" "Who else is gone?"
Fuzzy: You ever wonder if they ever do find a cure people will go back to, you know, sleeping around?
Willy: Oh, who cares.
Fuzzy: Just a question.
Willy: I know. I know, but... I'm sorry, I just think that whether people do or don't sleep around, or what they do, it's just not the point. I'm sick of hearing people pontificate about it.
Lisa: Except us.
Willy: Except us, exactly.
I just want to be there, if they ever do find a cure. I just want to be there.
Of course, AIDS as an issue has changed now. In first world countries it's more of a chronic disease than a death sentence. In third world countries there's all the stigma that existed when AIDS was first discovered here, and plenty more on top of that. Plus, of course, there's the lack of health care and the constant need to battle pharmaceutical companies to get drugs to the people who need them. Then there's the orphaned generation, the children of AIDS victimes in Africa, who have no one to take them in, because there are already so many other orphans. There's so much that still needs to be done, and that can't be forgotten or diminished.
Despite changing dynamics and new discoveries, though, Willy's point remains. It doesn't matter how people become infected with HIV. Whether it was the baths, blood transfusions, a cheating spouse, a broken condom, a stupid one night stand, because your mother had it while she carried you; hell, it doesn't matter if it was a monkey-hunting accident. Everyone deserves care and treatment, and no one deserves to be abandoned. I think that of the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, that perspective is among the most important.
Current Music: Zane Campbell - Post-Mortem Bar
|
October 28th, 2008
01:16 am - Dear Universe,
Nicely played. I highly appreciate your efforts.
-me
Current Music: The Wallflowers - One Headlight
|
July 6th, 2008
12:10 pm - Back *and* alive. Bonus!
I'm back, I'm tired, and I had a wonderful time. I have lots of writing to do (emails, posts, comments) which I was about to start when I got an email containing the following:
"Party today at noon!"
Delicious food which I do not have to make, plus interesting conversation and an excuse to be alert? Yes, that sounds like the best way to relax right now.
More to follow later, but just so's you know - I'm okay.
|
|
|
