Profound Sarcasm

Dead Air.

2008-09-27T12:17:00.002-04:00

As both of you that read this may have noticed, I haven't really been posting to this blog anymore. I'm kind of too busy to keep up, so don't be surprised if I never come back or just sort of toss something up here sporadically.

If I Didn't Already Despise American Apparel

2008-08-15T11:03:00.005-04:00

I found this gem of an article on the Feministing community about the founder of American Apparel.

Apparently he has multiple sexual harassment lawsuits because he likes to go to meetings in his underwear and take his wang out in the office.

Unfortunately, that article sounds like it's making excuses for him and almost glorifying his actions. I'm not. He's a disgusting human being and if I ever bought their stuff I would stop now.

I mean, I already don't buy their shirts because they run so damn small I can barely cram myself into an XXL (I wear an L or XL in other brands). This just gives me another reason.

But not too long ago I was desperate for a job and a nearby AA store had a hiring sign, so I figured what the hell, it's work, and went in to apply. Instead of an actual application they gave me a slip of paper with an email address and instructions to send in my resume and 3 pictures of myself so they could "see my sense of style." I was tempted to send the exact same resume in twice, once with pictures of the real me and again with a different name and pictures of a very skinny person and see which they called back. But I couldn't figure out the logistics of doing that without someone figuring it out. I thought asking for photos before being hired was illegal. At the very least it's unethical.

Glad To See I'm Not The Only One Who Noticed

2008-08-14T15:44:00.004-04:00

The discrepancies in male vs. female Olympic uniforms.

Someone posted about it here. Their examples are all Australia's athletes, but apparently this is an international problem. Which makes sense because I'd assume the uniforms would be universal.

Also, creepy. The opening ceremony couldn't have just been awesome, we had to ruin it with that? Ugh.

By the by, the Indian women's beach volleyball team has declined to wear bikinis for cultural reasons. I think all the teams should decline to wear them for "I'm not buying into this patriarchal bullshit" reasons.

I do kind of love this line from a French volleyball player:

"Maybe once they see us, they will be inspired in the future to wear bikinis," she added.

They'll be inspired to throw away their thousands-of-years-old culture because they saw you in a two-piece? I don't know who she is, how she plays or what she looks like, but I don't think anyone can be so important/great at volleyball/gorgeous as to "inspire" the Indian team to do something so blatantly against their heritage. Merde.

Seemingly Random Catchall Sports Post

2008-08-12T10:19:00.002-04:00

First off, yeah, bitches.

Second, I've decided that beach volleyball is incredibly sexist. Why exactly do the women have to wear bikinis, considering the men wear loose workout-style shorts and tank tops? Oh right, because women are primarily on this earth for the gratification of those watching them. You can't hand me any crap about the bikinis being more comfortable. If that were the case, men would be playing in banana hammocks. Yet they don't.

Also, the announcers are very focused on the family lives of female athletes. I really don't care that the two volleyball players both got married and may soon start families. It really has no bearing on the game.

Why Do Entertainers Keep Dying?

2008-08-09T18:10:00.003-04:00

Bernie Mac died this morning of pneumonia.

He was only 50.

Is it just me or have a lot of public figures been dying relatively young this year?

I mean, Heath Ledger is a pretty obvious one. Also, Tim Russert was only 58.

I know George Carlin was 74, but I still didn't think of him as old.

I Think They Were Building the Bird's Nest When I Was In China...

2008-08-09T00:07:00.002-04:00

But I don't remember for sure.

Anyhoo, that opening ceremony was pretty much the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.

Two points:

-The little boy that walked out with Yao Ming that had saved some of his classmates during the earthquake was adorable. And his story came very close to making me cry.

-I kept yelling at the TV every time they showed George and Laura. Especially when they showed the two of them applauding the Iraqi athletes. I started yelling "you do NOT get to clap for them!" over and over. I really wanted a collective bird-flipping at them from the Iraqi team. But apparently they have more class and decorum than I do.

One More Reason To Never Join The Military.

2008-07-31T21:25:00.003-04:00

Well, this is just pathetic.

Apparently 40 percent of female soldiers in hospitals report being sexually assaulted. And, of course, a military doctor subpoenaed in the case was ordered not to show up to a hearing. Yet the Army is claiming they take sexual assault claims seriously? Something doesn't add up there.

Summer, Sex and Spirits

2008-07-28T15:13:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow night is Summer, Sex and Spirits a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood of New York City. It's from 7-10 pm at the Museum of Sex on 5th Avenue at 27th Street.

I should be there volunteering. Woo.

A Sense of Community? Or Something.

2008-07-28T11:38:00.002-04:00

You should go read my post to the Feministing community blog.

It rocks, if you ignore the fact that I wrote it at 1 AM and there are a few errors that are completely glaring to me.

I misspelled "condescension." That's what I get for writing it in notepad first. No spell-check.

Asking and Telling

2008-07-23T17:06:00.002-04:00

A House committee is looking to review and repeal don't ask don't tell. So gay people can actually be gay in service.

My concern though, would an overturn include protection against harassment from peers and higher-ups?

Where I Am

2008-07-23T14:16:00.002-04:00

I'm not actually anywhere special.

But I haven't been updating this very often. I know both people reading this must be heartbroken.

I've been somewhat busy. Internship, part-time job, plus I've taken up knitting and trying to actually finish all the books I've bought and never read.

I'll be back sporadically.

Get Your Own Mariah Carey Bobblehead

2008-07-21T13:00:00.004-04:00

Who was in charge of re-attaching her head? And why is she trying to remove it in the first place?

Seriously, my senile 16-year-old Bichon Frise with cataracts could do better Photoshop than this.

On Giant Cans

2008-07-20T09:10:00.004-04:00

Having huge boobs can be hard enough. Bra-wise, I mean.

Having huge boobs and a small back makes it practically impossible. Seriously, a year ago when I was a lot heavier I didn't have that hard a time. But my back has shrunk to "normal" and my boobs are still big (TMI? too bad) and that means I have to find something either ill-fitting or ridiculously expensive.

My mom just set me this link addressing exactly that. Well, not to much the expensive part as the actually finding something part (and the person who wrote this is worse off than I am - I'm still on the larger end of "normal" and find something occasionally).

And the evil clerks at Victoria's Secret laughed in her face. If I didn't already hate that store I would now.

Creepy = Emmy

2008-07-18T14:01:00.002-04:00

If Michael Emerson doesn't win the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, I'm going to stage a Lost-style revolt, complete with torches, stolen guns, polar bears and smoke monsters.

Why am I posting about TV again?

Yeah That's The End.

2008-07-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

Rumor has it William Peterson is going to leave CSI.

So basically, the show will be ending soon.

Cliques and Body Image

2008-07-07T10:54:00.004-04:00

I saw this over at Big Fat Blog and then again at The F-Word. This study just came out saying that the "label" that a girl identifies with as a teenager is related to her body image.

"More specifically, girls identifying with athletic peers ('Jocks') were less concerned about their own weight and seemed less likely to be trying to control their weight. Girls identifying with non-conformist peers ('Alternatives') were more concerned about their weight and appearance and more likely to be actively trying to lose weight. The girls who identified with those who skip school and often get into trouble ('Burnouts') believed their peers valued thinness and dieting. Finally, girls who did not belong to any particular peer group were the most likely to use slimming strategies."

I'm not completely sure what I was. Probably a giant nerd, but that isn't mentioned. Out of those 3 options I guess I'll take the non-conformists. I don't remember many of my friends being that obsessed with dieting, honestly. If they were, they didn't talk to me about it. I was, but I dare you to show me a 16-year-old shopping in Lane Bryant who wasn't.

Time Makes Me Want To Throw Things

2008-07-01T12:13:00.002-04:00

They published an article about young women making "pregnancy pacts." Then they followed it up with another that ends with a veritable love letter to crisis pregnancy centers.

Click the expandy-thing to read my letter to the editor.

Nancy Gibbs did a disservice to women everywhere with her article "Give the Girls a Break." At the end, she credited so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" (CPCs) with "talk[ing] women out of having abortions and offer[ing] whatever support they can." While they do, in fact, aim to talk women out of abortions, what they offer is far from support.

These centers use scare tactics, pressure, and flat-out lies to keep women from making their own reproductive choices. Many CPCs deliberately position themselves very close to legitimate women's health clinics to cause confusion. They do whatever they can to trick women into entering their "clinic" instead of the real one, then once she is inside they try and scare and brainwash her so she can't make an informed choice. On the phone, they won't give out any information and will insist you visit the clinic.

Frequently CPCs won't even tell a woman whether or not she is pregnant, especially if she says she wants an abortion. They will instead sit her down and tell her all the "evils" of abortion, many of which are completely untrue. Their lobbies and waiting areas are full of religious and anti-choice propaganda, most of which is based on intimidation and blatantly false information. Women who have accidentally entered these places report harassment, as well as being forced to pray with center employees and even being followed home or later hassled by phone or mail. To any woman out there: if you find yourself in one of these centers get out immediately. Don't stop to tell anyone, don't wait for your test results; get out, find a legitimate clinic, and make your own informed decision.

These centers do not, in fact, help women of any age "take responsibility" for having sex. The best way to take responsibility for your sexual activity is to protect yourself with contraceptives, get regular health screenings and keep yourself informed of your reproductive choices, including both carrying to term and deciding to abort. Any choice a woman makes about her pregnancy is taking responsibility, and no woman should ever feel pressured or be lied to in order to sway her decision.

I Hate Judgmental Video Games

2008-06-30T12:06:00.003-04:00

Here's a good editorial about Wii Fit.

It uses BMI (crap) to determine your goals and will give you weight-loss tips even if you enter "no change" in your weight loss preferences. Plus, once it measures your BMI (again, crap) it will change your Mii's body accordingly. And again, no matter what your enter as your goal, it will select a BMI (do I have to say it again? crap) goal for you. Apparently 22 is some sort of universal ~~crap~~ BMI magic number or something.

I wonder if it would give mine giant knockers. I mean, if it's trying to make your Mii's body more like yours...

It Does Happen In Threes.

2008-06-28T22:50:00.014-04:00

First, Tim Russert dies.

Then we lose George Carlin, one of the greatest comedians ever.

And now, we've lost the world's best and most adorable college mascot, Uga VI at age 9.

Rest in peace, badass puppy.

(I'll refrain from using terms like "the air-conditioned doghouse with a big bag of ice to lay on in the sky")

He was Georgia's "winningest" mascot.

My Dog Is Cuter Than All Others.

2008-06-27T16:57:00.002-04:00

Don't question the cuteness.

She likes to help me clean.

And Barney's all, "wtf, mate?"

Express Yourself By Rendering Yourself Unable To Make Facial Expressions

2008-06-27T15:09:00.004-04:00

Alex Trebek Is STILL A D-Bag

2008-06-25T19:21:00.007-04:00

So tonight the final category is the Heisman Trophy.

As soon as Alex revealed it, he said "and the ladies just went 'augggh!'" To which my insides went "augggh!"

Because women NEVER pay attention to sports.

Douche.

*EDIT* All three contestants got it right, including the two women (one of whom won). It was easy, name one of the two winners who share their last name with a U.S. President? Duh, all three of them said Reggie Bush. As did I. God, standing around making small talk at the end, I'd be like "So, you didn't think the girls would know sports, eh, ~~douchebag~~ Alex? Well, suck it."

R.I.P. George Carlin 1937-2008

2008-06-25T11:53:00.003-04:00

George Carlin was one of my favorite comedians. He was incredibly offensive in a good way. He took topics that on the surface seem horrifying (see "Rape Can Be Funny") and talked about them in a way that was actually very insightful (in the rape one he actually takes on victim blaming for how stupid it is).

He talked about really important things, and took obvious pleasure in getting a rise out of people. But he was also hilarious. It's not easy to make people think and piss them off while at the same time making them laugh their asses off.

After the jump I've put up some clips of his routines, including his "Seven Words" bit.

I Need To Do Some Shopping.

2008-06-25T10:59:00.005-04:00

First off, I am going to pay tribute to George Carlin soon. But I want to actually take some time to write something about him, because he deserves more than a quick mention.

Anyhoo, via an ad on Feministing, I have discovered Dogs 4 Democrats. I now feel I need to buy things for Zelda. Like an Obama collar (maybe after the convention)? Or how about some poop bags with Bush and Cheney's faces one them? They say "Mission Accomplished," which is as full of crap as the bags will be. Probably more so if you have a small dog with small poop.

And for cat people, there is "DemoCats" merchandise as well.

I guess I need money.

Alex Trebek Is A D-Bag

2008-06-23T19:19:00.009-04:00

I'm a big geek and I pretty much watch Jeopardy! every day that I can be in front of my TV at 7 PM.

My least favorite part is where the contestants introduce themselves (I don't CARE what you do for a living - I just want the geeky trivia!). Today though, one of the contestants, a man named Sven, said that when he got married both he and his wife changed their last names.

Alex Trebek couldn't seem to wrap his head around that. He asked, "so Sven ---- [I didn't catch the last name] isn't your real name?" To which he was like, "It's my real name, just not my birth name."

(women change their names all the time when they get married, but never have to have that conversation. it's expected of us.)

I didn't catch if he said why he and his wife chose to do this, I was too busy thinking that he was a badass and that Trebek's reaction was incredibly stupid. Plus I was making dinner.

If I find a video of it later, I'll post it. But the episode just ended. He won, by the way.

*Edit*: Thanks to Google, it appears his "fake" last name is Sinclair.