Friday, December 21, 2007

I'm So Sick of Numbers!!!!

Okay, so this is going to be a rant that I was not planning on blogging out, but I just can't keep it in. Recently I had several discussions with a good friend who happens to be a Libertarian.  Every single discussion came to a stalemate because 1) we're both smart enough to actually have reasons for what we believe and aren't easily dissuaded and 2) we're speaking COMPLETELY different languages.  Take our discussion about gentrification... Said friend wanted me to explain my complaint about the loss of diversity in my neighborhood in terms of market, in capitol.  I kept saying, "Yes, I get that landlords have the right to raise rent.  Yes, I get that things shouldn't just be an automatic privilege... but you're talking money and I'm talking about community and access and people."  There's more to someone's contribution to a neighborhood than just their rent and if someone has libertarian leanings, I don't know if I will ever be able to articulate in their language what that is 'cause what they believe often precludes counting those things in the equation.  There are so many other arguments against libertarianism (like, for example, how can you pull up your bootstraps, if you don't have any boots in the first place?) but this is neither here nor there.  In the end, I love and respect my friends.  Our political differences just means we sometimes see different problems in the world around us and don't use the same ways to solve them.  In the end, we both hate the religious right and really, what more in common do you need?

On the other hand, Pat Robertson and I will NEVER have anything in common.  This 700 Club news segment on the introduction of LGBT acceptance/understanding curriculum into West Coast schools really got my goat, for more than the obvious reasons of homophobia, blind trust in a book, lack of understanding of different people, fear of change, general ignorance, and hatred.  No, Robertson upset me because he, like my friend, buttressed his argument by valuing numbers over people.  Pat Robertson argues that the LGBT community has an unreasonable amount of cultural influence in comparison to its very small amount of the population.  Robertson states that LGBTs are only 2-3% of the US population, but clearly are unduly affecting mainstream American culture.  Legislation that asks schools to teach 5-year-olds to respect and understand their peers (regardless of if they have 2 mommies or 2 daddies or a daddy that used to be a mommy) obviously proves how entrenched this unreasonable influence is.

Okay, whatever, 2-3%* doesn't seem like much when you look at it statistically.  But when you do the math and look at the amount of people, Robertson begins to look like more of a jerk than normal, if that's even possible.

So, here go my 6th grade math skills... If the population of the United States is around 312, 000, 000 let's times that by .03.  What do you get? 

9,360,000



9,360,000 people is hell of a lot of people, regardless of race, orientation, or gender...  Hell, I personally believe we should be teaching our children respect and understanding (not toleration--I hate that condescending term) for any person that's different, even if there aren't 9, 359, 999 others.  But I guess that's cause I'm a crazy believer in social justice.  Silly me, living in a world of capital and statistics!

PS  Hey, all you right-wing nutters out there!  Why don't you stick to spouting Bible verses and leave the numbers and science to us that actually know how to use it!!!


*
which is actually a really low estimate--most sources put it at around at least 10%.... but I'm using his stats for the sake of argument.

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Merry Christmas, Thomas Jefferson

So, not to ride on the coattails of someone else's well written disgust of the current local disgusting carol, but seriously, these are the WORST LYRICS EVER!

It's snowing tonight in the Blue Ridge
There's a hush on the Chesapeake Bay
The chimneys are smoking in Georgetown,
And tomorrow is Christmas Day.

The Tidal Basin lies quiet
The tourists have found their way home
Mr. Jefferson's standing the mid-watch
And there's a star on the Capitol Dome.

It's Christmas Eve in Washington,
America's hometown
It's here that freedom lives,
And peace can stand her ground


While "googling" the song, though, I came up with one I say we vote to replace it... It's a protest song on a 1997 Steve Earle album called Christmas in Washington. Give a listen and you'll find that though it doesn't have the pretty vibrato of the current radio repeat, it's REAL MUSIC!


Christmas In Washington
(Steve Earle)
It's Christmastime in Washington
The Democrats rehearsed
Gettin' into gear for four more years
Things not gettin' worse
The Republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, 'He cannot seek another term
They'll be no more FDRs'

I sat home in Tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I'm wonderin' what it means

Chorus:
So come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us now

I followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin' days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I'm stumblin' through the haze
But there's killers on the highway now
And a man can't get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I'm stuck here in this town

Chorus

There's foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners torn
To listen to the radio
You'd think that all was well
But you and me and Cisco know
It's going straight to hell

So come back, Emma Goldman
Rise up, old Joe Hill
The barricades are goin' up
They cannot break our will
Come back to us, Malcolm X
And Martin Luther King
We're marching into Selma
As the bells of freedom ring

Chorus


Now that's the Washington that gives me buzzies in my stomach....

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Ah, To Be Young...

I came across this great feature on Jezebel.com today and it made me very happy.  It's a review (apparently a regular feature) of beloved young adult and children's literature.  I'm excited because I hope it will bring up books I've forgotten about as I continue my recent (non-blogged about) obsession with the very same thing!  Since the summer of 2006, I've been trying to read more Newbury Award Winners or children's classics to break up the "high end literature" and academic crap.  So far, I've made it through The Giver, Witch of Blackbird Pond, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Numbers the Stars, His Dark Materials, Chronicles of Narnia (yes, even the Last Battle), Wrinkle in Time, Swiftly Tilting Planet, Anne of Green Gables, Jacob Have I Love (I totally identified with Louise, being a brunette and socially awkward fraternal twin myself) and The Last Unicorn.  It's not a super huge list yet, but I'm hoping to expand it.  Perhaps I can finally start another book club and we can focus on non-threatening and time consuming books like these...

Anybody have any "must read" suggestions from their childhood for me?

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Pull That Thermometer Out, Pa, That Turkey's Done!

I finished my Christmas shopping!!!!!!!!  And I bought almost all of it from locally owned DC stores, so extra high five to me! 

I can't post all of what I got here cause, well, the five people who read this blog are the people I got presents for, but I can't resist showing you what I got the boy for his stocking stuff.  Don't worry, he can't read anyhow so he won't know!



It's a MOUSE CHEESE GRATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love animals of all kinds, commodified, functionalized, anthropomorphized, I don't care!  Monkeys, kittens, fishies, hippoty-hops, puppies, mouses are guarenteed to make me smile.

And help me grate cheese :)

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Things I Love About the Green Line

  1. Getting all of my XMAS shopping done in one night and at all locally owned stores
  2. Feeding my tired self chicken roti and chala at the Islander
  3. Observing the regulars at Wednesday Karaoke at the Islander
  4. Really super excited passerby clapping and smiling and giggling with adoration for singer from OUTSIDE the restaurant
  5. Running into a friend that I don't see often in Metro station
  6. Being guilted into getting a drink at the Wonderland with said (drunk) friend even though I should be sleeping/wrapping presents
  7. Running into some other friends at bar, drinking a lovely beer, making some new friends and still getting to bed by 11:00pm because I live two blocks away!

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Well, my coworkers and I decided to go to lunch today and as we were driving back, we were not 100 feet from the opening of the work gates when a police car jumps in front of us and proceeds to stop all traffic...foot included.  Apparently something was going on at the government hospital across from us that involved the Big Cheese or the Man Behind the Big Cheese because 3 government helicopters fly over, men with guns stand guard, and traffic is stopped.  I had had three diet cokes and that was seriously not cool.  This is one of those pretentious Washington D.C. things that really irks me.

Boo. 

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Seriously, Have We Time Traveled?

Are we back in the 1950s or something where a smart, successful young woman dreams only of getting knocked up?  Seriously, Jessica Alba, Britney Spears, and now, Lily Allen?  I am honestly in shock at trend for young baby-makin'!  As a feminist, I totally believe it's everyone's personal choice... and these woman certainly have the financial and professional ability to have babies at 22 years old, versus most of us. 

But I do have to admit, I'm a bit confused.  I might even admit that I'm a little judgemental, even if my politics don't want me to be.

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Zoey 101 + 1

It is sad that when I heard that Jamie Lynn Spears was pregnant, I giggled?  I mean, who didn't see this coming?  Apparently Jamie Lynn herself, who said "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected."  What?!  "Oh, so I decided to have sex (which I've been told by both my fancy private tutors and my church is how we reproduce in our species) and you know what, I couldn't even believe it, but out of NOWHERE, for some insane unrelated reason, I got pregnant!" 

Unexpected is not the correct word, Ms. Spears.  I think the "un" word you mean is "unplanned."

Seriously, didn't anyone in the Spears brood learn about condom use!?!

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Like It's a Surprise?!!

So the New York Times had a recent article about how the rich are getting richer faster than ever before.  More disturbingly, it says that increase in incomes alone for the wealthiest people is greater than the poorest 20% annual income. I mean, maybe I'm not good at math or something, but it certainly doesn't seem like "trickle down" is working.  More like, "holding everything I can get in a bucket instead of sharing," if you ask me.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

XMAS funk

So, I normally am brimming at the top with XMAS ideas for the fam. I really get along with my peeps, so I usually can find them fun things that they really appreciate. This year, NOTHING. I have some ideas, but haven't had the time to get to follow through. Seriously, I am not stressed at work and pressed for time everywhere else. I have friends in town practically every weekend (not complaining, but it does mean commitment) and I've been cooking dinner and working out more. And trying to get more sleep. Know what that means? About -1.5 hours free time every night. I don't understand how people do it. Must be cocaine cause my " diet coke" ain't cuttin' it....

Bitch bitch moan moan complain....

Merry Christmukkwanzayulesolstice!!!

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There's nothing like...

... getting a new Mac! I'm writing this on our new iMac. Sure it took some arm wrestling, but I got the boy the next best thing to a G5 tower. Course maybe if the G5 towers didn't have wonky DVD slots and insane jet-loud fans, they'd be worth the extra $1500. Seriously, Apple, get a move on already!

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

Old School Sesame Street

So, with the new (and mildly pornographic) Tickle Me Elmo commercials, I've been thinking about how glad I was pre-fuzzy red & cute generation. I mean, check the commercial out--what is he doing behind those blurry cubes?




To cleanse our pallet here's some Old School Street celebrating (in the words of a recent NY Times review) a place where "the masonry on the dingy brownstone at 123 Sesame Street, where the closeted Ernie and Bert shared a dismal basement apartment, was deteriorating. Cookie Monster was on a fast track to diabetes. Oscar’s depression was untreated. Prozacky Elmo didn’t exist."

Here's Grampa Manslaughter's fave



And my fave



So, here's to pre-helicopter parents and dingy brownstones and a world without perpetually happy Elmo! Without Oscar the Grouch, my anxiety and depression would never had been normalized and thank god for that.

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I'm an idiot...

Because I took so much time off to visit my now-deceased grandfather, I have to work about an extra 24 hours to take off the full week of Christmas. So, I get up early on Saturday, trek 45 minutes up to work, ready to put in a full day before settling down to drink some beer and head out for a party... and I don't have my keys to my office. I'm an idiot.

So what did I do next? I trekked back home, got in my pajamas, opened some beer and felt sorry for myself. That's right, beer solves everything.

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