Sharkbait's local spot

Book Round-up!

2010-01-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to my earlier Movie Round-up, I've decided the books need some public love too. I've read quite a bit lately, and have thus realized, not as much as I'd ultimately like to. I'm going to carve out some more time for that. The internet isn't buying me much, and frankly I'm so unfulfilled by it that I've started to notice its skyrocketing rent in my psyche. The vast nothing spreads.

Inspired by a friend, I've joined LibraryThing. It's a bit clunky, but more great than not. I've imported just about all of the books I can remember ever reading, as well as the ones I'd like to enjoy some day. It's been a really good motivator so far.

I realized that I'm not the well-read person I thought I was. Looking at my books organized through LibraryThing's lists feature has shown me how meager my Classics list is, as well as how hefty my Linguistics and Self-Improvement compendiums have become. I've decided to work on balancing that out a bit, eventually working my way up to the big heavies in the Western canon.

With all that said, and this glorious free time I've been enjoying, I've managed to read an entire book every day since Sunday. (I'm a very fast reader, and I've chosen easy, fun reads for encouragement and motivation.) Here's what I've consumed:

Sunday, January 17th
Civilwarland in Bad Decline, by George Saunders
Saunders' writing is simple and straightforward. But like anybody with a story to tell, there is always a subtext. This is what you get from Civilwarland. Woven in these stories is the social commentary on life as we know it. It supersedes our ability to relate to the specific plights of any of the off-kilter characters, for it is their strangeness itself that we can't ignore seeing in ourselves. That is all I will say about this for now, but know that there is always more.

Monday, January 18th
You are not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier
In the beginning, I was dazzled. I started this book last week, and walked around for days in a curious funk, slowly digesting the tasty bits I'd found. At the same time, discontent, as they confirmed some of the reasons for my current quest to re-define my relationship with the internet and online communities. You are not a Gadget has some important things to say, and I heard them loud and clear. But the lustre has worn, and now I see that the argument is irrevocably flawed. Ultimately, it is a book in need of an editor of logic. And a call to action. I took what I needed, and left the rest.

Tuesday, January 19th
A History of U.S. Feminisms, by Rory Dicker
I've arrived pathetically late to the fight. Now that much of my current study in linguistics involves gender and social variation, I've known that this lacking will not stand. This book has been an excellent primer, getting me up to speed on what I've missed for the last 150+ years around here. I still have a lot to learn, but I am proud to have taken on this bit of self-education. The journey continues on.

Wednesday, January 20th
The Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
This was a wonderful book, written well in a similarly understated style as Saunders. The story shared so much more than its written words. I particularly enjoyed its run-ins with social class, art, health (the Plague!), femininity, religion...I could go on. Point is, the story wasn't restricted to its plot. Chevalier wanted us to think about all the consequences and implications as the characters – and especially the girl – go about their lives, for the most part clumsily. But not Griet. She was acutely aware of every misstep, and her unfortunate footing within it all. And of course, Vermeer...this is a book like the telling of a painting to a blind man who can see what most others don't.

Thursday, January 21st:
I will now go pull something new and unread from the shelf. It has to be short, as I'm running out of day and I've got a lot of things to do before the evening out. I hope I can pull this off today.

"Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it"

2010-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

I've accomplished some great things today, and I should feel good about that. But there's still that kid, sitting there. Bored because of boring. It's a happy sort of screaming going on in my head right now, somewhat analogous to these words, which aren't mine. But they kind of are.

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light
And in the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

Movie Round-up!

2010-01-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying quite a bit of Netflix these days. This shall soon end, as books and school are soon to take back over their perpetual reign (and a book review to come as well. I've been reading! For fun!) Here's some thoughts on what I've seen lately:

The Great
Adam - tender and charming. Interview with Director Max Mayer on NPR.
Revolutionary Road - "This film is so good it is devastating." - Roger Ebert.
Walk the Line - Damn fine movie-making right here.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - It was so much better than I expected. And the yoga scene is priceless.
Amreeka - More like a showcase than a full plot, but a really touching story nonetheless.
The Big Lebowski - The movie needs no intro, but check out this Shakespeare version: Two Gentlemen of Lebowski

The Good
I Love You, Man - I'm on a Judd Apatow kick, can you tell?
Lars and the Real Girl - Interesting movie, but Ryan Gosling will forever be damned to me. The Notebook was just so, so bad.
Pineapple Express - I laughed way more than I expected to.
The Wrestler - Good, but wouldn't watch it again. Also had a hard time relating to Marissa Tomei as anything less than still totally smokin'.
Rachel Getting Married - Whoa, this is some real heavy heaviness. It's heavy. You've been warned
Primer - Does what it says on the box. And for a $7,000 budget, it's a steal!

The meh
Julie & Julia - I enjoyed the blogging side of this movie. Acting was pretty bad though.
Drag Me To Hell - Horror movies can be somewhat entertaining.
Synecdoche, New York - Really hits you over the head if you truly understand synecdoche. I kept thinking, "YEAH, I GET IT. It's all referential."
Smart People - kind of unremarkable and meandering.
My Fair Lady - Phoneticians, yay. Whining and 1950's sexism, not so much.
Funny People - This one lost its way. In a big way.
Slumdog Millionaire - It was Crash of 2009 for me.
Charlie Wilson's War - Hey, it's the Tom Hanks show!
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - This movie has been done by other movies, and better.

The Unwatchable
Every Which Way But Loose - Ugh. No comment.
Enlighten Up! - Couldn't watch it because the sound mixing was just that bad.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - I threw up in my mouth a little.
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Couldn't even finish it. Life was withering away, painfully.

That's it for now! Book reviews coming soon.

Camden Yards view

2010-01-09T19:43:00.001-08:00

At a hotel party for the LSA, on honor of Sally Thomason. View of
Camden Yards from the balcony. Everyone says it's too cold, but this
feels like Linda Mar in winter with a 4/3. Doable but not entirely
miserable. Plus, the view...

To boldly go...

2010-01-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

For the first time in several days, I've managed to carve out some time for downtime. I know it doesn't seem as such, since I'm on the internet and blogging right now, but I'm actually in my very comfortable bed, at the Baltimore Hilton, enjoying a much needed break. And I also know it doesn't seem as though I've been without internet for several days – despite my Twitter/Facebook birdstrikes and with my utmost apologies for that (this tweet swell is indeed fading) – it is true that I've been relatively disconnected from the web. It's been nice to really focus solely on linguistics, without the usual and usually welcome distractions of MetaFilter, games, and the pursuit of being pursued.

It's been a good personal challenge to leave the things I left behind. Some of these things are goodbye and good riddance (so long, aughts), some are only temporarily on hold (bonding with the housemate, working on the Diary Project, and yikes...working for $$), and yet others are, well, we'll see what happens.

Last year was truly – even up until its final moments – my Year of Disappointment. However, just scant hours later, I saw the realization of my New Year of Boldness^KM. I've pretty much been finding new ways to give this abstract idea some actual, tangible form each and every day since.

Boldness is not always observable, nor is it always quantifiable. It can be a sort of healthy recklessness. That suits me well; in mind and body. And before you start getting ideas of your own, please allow me to explain the tame and G-rated version of this thing of which I was referring to...

In thought (or theory, if you will), I've been working towards inching my way over to that place where analytical brain takes a backseat to imagination, creativity, and spontaneity. In the often cases where this has led me to speak up, act out, or step outside my comfort zone in some interactional way, I've (fairly successfully) censored the voice that evaluates the whatever silly thing I just did. Which frees me up to think about doing a whole bunch of other things. It's a delightfully vicious cycle.

Here at the conference, I've done a lot of things that I didn't think I could or would ever do. I've spoken up at lectures, I've introduced myself to strangers, and I've traveled to strange new places...even if those places are Experimental Phonology seminars or other seemingly odd destinations. This hasn't been without complication and fumble at times, but do I expect to be great at this? No, don't even think about it too much.

Mostly, I've been really inspired and motivated by others here. I can't wait to return home and make sense of all the things on my sticky ball of stuck projects. Like revising and submitting my IRB Protocol for my sociophonetic squib. Jumping back into Spanish for upcoming field research in Oaxaca. And submitting my dogwhistle paper to a journal.

And of course, all the other stuff, waiting for me back home. Not to mention the things I will be bringing with me (a small library of new books), or not bringing back with me (goodbye new hat...I hope you're keeping somebody's head warm, even though I wish it were mine)!
–
Additionally and in the spirit of collaboration or corroboration, if you have any ideas for cultivating boldness, please find some within yourself enough to share it with me and/or the world. Thanks and happy going!

Silicates are rad.

2010-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Curtain Waterfall

2010-01-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

Transported.

Cakes!

2010-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Having a modern art orgasm at the Smithsonian. All my favorite stuff
is here!

Diary entry, June 16th, 1989, Kim, age 11

2010-01-02T13:49:00.001-08:00

This is the first scan from my Diary Project, written about previously. Click on the picture below to see the full entry, text and notes (via Flickr).

Originally uploaded by thegirlinthecurl

It all: age 6 to 23.

2010-01-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

For the last month or so, I've been going through things, paring down, and getting ready for my new housemate to move in. Tonight my NYE plans fell through, which was a blessing in disguise.

25 years I've been saving diaries, newpaper articles, poems, letters and cards in a bunch of boxes and canisters, which, for the last five years or so have been stored in an ottoman storage bench. I have been carelessly writing and tossing things into this bin, and reorganizing it when necessary. I've moved at least 5 times with this unwieldy beast, blindly kicking the cans down the road.

Tonight, brought to you by Hendrick's Gin, I actually opened the treasure chest. I had no idea what I've (literally) been sitting on for so long. I had documented everything from the Challenger explosion to Loma Prieta to 9/11 to my first kiss to my period to my time before these giant breasts and beyond. I've got diary entries at 7 years old talking about how I think my mom might have a mental disorder. I've explicitly written out the dialogue of fights between friends. I saved every love note from boyfriends, gay boyfriends, girl friends, and gay girlfriends, and even some ambiguous things between. There's so much laughter and sadness and naiveté...

Of all the things I've purged over the years, somehow I've known to hold onto this. If anybody is interested, I have kept whatever you've given me. It's brought back a lot of memories, good and bad. I can't wait to continue the memory trip. Some of it is so sad - I was a lonely child with a very dysfunctional home life, which I've written about extensively. I think it's a testament to where I've landed that I can look at this stuff and smile. And I know that even now, as I write this, an even older version of myself will someday look down upon it with compassion and humor.

I think it's time to bring some of this stuff into the 21st century. I've got some scanning to do. If anybody is interested in seeing what I've found, I'd be happy to share it with you. Otherwise, I'm not about to go kicking up sandpiles, so no worries there. Only the stuff involving my own personal struggles will be shared publicly. But there is a lot of content, spanning the funny to the tender, and often both. I think you will enjoy this. A new art project unfolds. It just might take me the whole decade. And then some...

Happily folding in on oneself, then re-turning outward.

2009-12-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

The week between Christmas and New Year's is often a reflective time for me. People are gone, assignments are done, cards sent, all things are in waiting. Year after year. I've found that it is the gift I grant myself. To inwardly explore, to catch a breath and fully breathe it. I cherish this time.

After a catastrophic year, which would have probably found me sinking under its weight were I not in the good place I have carved out here, I can let much go. Having a productive and rewarding outlet for letting my mind work out its busy energy has left my alone moments peaceful. Living through rejections, academic and otherwise, has freed me from dwelling, and led me to other things I might have previously overlooked. It is a blessing to not be a slave to seeking answers. And in that vein, asking for what I want, and laying out expectations, gently forces hands that might self-servingly laze idle. And mine return in kind.

It's been a horribly wrought year. Nearing its end. Which I can barely acknowledge, eclipsed by the possibilities of what lay immediately to its right. Next to, and so dear to, better times ahead. I'm indebted to all that's beautiful and good. Goodbye and good riddance to the rest.

Quiksilver surf contest, in memory of Eddie Aikau: It's ON!

2009-12-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've given up on productivity for the day. Some links to check out:

Live cam, from Quiksilver.com
Massive Monday covered over at Surfline
#eddieaikau on Twitter
Fun thread about the Eddie on MetaFilter

Enjoy!

Mindful Blogging

2009-12-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Bear with me while I figure out the balance between how much to put out there and where I should be reigning in. These last few weeks have been...interesting. Trying to play nice and be a good little human in the world, bouncing around with the other humans in the big pool of humanity. And then somebody goes and pees in it, and we all must figure out how to slink into our safe little corners until they move along. Such is life.

Just to be clear, I'm not referring to any of my old friends, past lovers, or regular blog readers, but rather the credit card frauders, pragmatically-defective creeps, and other weirdos I've had to deal with lately. It's given me a lot to think about. Specifically, what's the point of public broadcast? What's *my* point in this form of social participation? Am I getting what I need out of it? Is it helping me be who I want to be? Are there other forms of expression that can foster creativity and attract the type of attention I want? I think there are.

There's a lot of good in the world. And I've been feeling the love from near and far. Especially during this tough time. It takes a lot to stop me from paddling around without this stupid, wonderous grin on my face. And I am grateful to all of my friends, friend-strangers, and everybody in between who have kept me afloat during what's turned out to be a rather cold winter. I thank you sincerely.

Anyways, if you want to stay connected during all of the changes (I may restrict this blog or eventually shut it down for good), I welcome you to follow my Twitter feed. Smaller bites, but more flavor. :)

Phonetic Swagger

2009-11-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a bit about the perception of gender in voices. I've learned that even though there are some general physiological differences in the speech anatomy of males and females (vocal tract length, lung size, etc.) that lead to acoustic differences (fundamental frequency, creaky vs. breathy voice, and very arguably, pitch range...to name a few), there is also a whole slew of sociophonetic factors. Basically, to a large extent, we 'perform' gender with our voices, down to the most basic, almost imperceptible level. It's part nature, it's part nurture. Meaning that, we take what we got and we work it.

But it's not all about production. What we perceive, and what we perceive that we like, is subject to this nature/nurture thing too. Our desires are part biological, part socially constructed. See male gaze for one example of how this works. It's inescapable, and you might as well embrace the parts that lead you to happiness. And since we can't chase our big desires all the time (we have places to go, kitty litter to buy at the store, and term papers to write), I've found that I'm unwittingly participating in the reinforcement of my fantasies in really small, almost unnoticeable ways, every single day, all the time. In musical pleasure.

I was thinking about this when I was listening to the dangerously catchy Making Me Nervous by Brad Sucks. Over and over. I just couldn't get over the way he sings the word 'heart'. I had to hear it again. He puts such a swagger in that one little word.

Which made me realize that almost all the songs I love are packing the sexy phonemes. It's why I love them. The way Iggy Pop says 'ripped' in the middle of The Passenger. Mike Ness saying, well, anything. Franz Ferdinand, Tod Ashley of Firewater, they both have it too.

It's not just men either. 4 non blondes frontwoman Linda Perry is dishing out the good sounds right and left in Superfly. I'd link, but the YouTube video has a really annoying commercial in the beginning. PJ Harvey does it for me too. And there are many others, but I'll save them for myself, for later.

I guess I just never realized what it is about certain lines of music that I like so much, aside from the semantics. I could easily write a post about the lyrics I love and why (it usually has to do with crossed metaphors, such as "You saw a light, I saw a freight train comin'/I tried to tell you he was no damn good/You heard bells, I heard the hammer fallin'/He ran you down like I said he would/Baby, pin a rose on me") But I guess it wasn't until recently I noticed this other layer of meaning and it just slays me. There's something that got programmed in my brain at some point of my development that says, "That sound, that little sound right there, ooooh, you're gonna liiiike it." And I do. Again and again.

I've never dated a musician, but I'm starting to understand some of the perks. I don't know why this idea/fantasy has never even occurred to me before now. Maybe I've just held them up as these mythical, unattainable sexy beasts that I would be unwise to trifle with. Or would I?

Something pretty in the swamp

2009-11-23T23:08:00.000-08:00

of sickness. Lotus flowers emerge from filthy, putrid waters. I feel as though I can relate, as I have been swimming through snot and hacking my way through this miserable cold for almost a week. But I think I may just pop out on the other side of this all sunny and cheerful, once I get my energy back. Still, I've managed to keep doing at-home workouts, taking walks, and stretching.

I'm inspired by two things: 1) the positive progress I've seen since I've changed my diet, as evidenced by my blemish free skin and the number on the scale (a number I haven't seen in a decade), and 2) Netflix streaming wirelessly over Xbox Live. Seriously, that's where it's at.

After years of what should be illegal manipulation and pillage by Comcast, I dropped their overpriced triplepay 'deal'. I had to return the equipment myself, which would be fine IF THEY LISTED THEIR LOCATIONS ON THEIR WEBSITE. So I used Google maps, where the first two locations didn't exist. After 2 towns and a trip back to the town I live in, I was able to unburden myself of their overpriced 'goods'. I also talked to several people there and on the phone about the location woes. They were just as over it as I was, except more so, since apparently they hear this complaint EVERY SINGLE DAY. Where exactly did my monthly $160 go?

For two weeks I did without TV, where I regrettably missed Top Chef and the Mad Men season finale. Rats. But after checking my options with Hulu, Netflix, AT&T, and Xbox, I settled on the following: $40/mo. internet and phone through AT&T, $12/mo. Netflix, and $3/mo. Xbox Live ($60/year). For a total of $55 a month, I get all of my shows + workout videos and movies downloaded to my TV. I just realized that I think I wrote about this in a previous post. Whoops. What can I say, I'm really f*cking inspired!

Aside from all that, I've channeled my breakup angst and sadness into my renewed love of cooking. I hardly cooked ever when I was with Mark. I can't complain about that (justifiably, he might), I ate very well during that time, and I cherish all the wonderful meals we enjoyed together. But I forgot about the creativity involved in cooking, and I realize I missed having that outlet. I've also been fortunate to have learned a LOT from Mark, and now approach the kitchen with a full repertoire of skills and no hesitation about the world's strange fruits and vegetables. So, with sharpened knives, I've been making soups, stuffing mushrooms, roasting eggplants and garlic and squashes, concocting dressings and sauces, and tinkering with spices and seasonings, among other things. The only missing ingredient has been meat, but I haven't really been missing it too much. Plus, I've been playing around with tofu and soydogs and all that other stuff in the vegan health food section. I've learned that the fake cheese gives me gas, and isn't worth it. Sprouts however, are delicious. I've also discovered things like 'wheat germ', which is ridiculously healthy, and has a strange savory-like nutty flavor. It tempers my morning yogurt, granola and honey mix, since I'm truly not a fan of sweet things in the morning. So that's the food front. I also find it's really satisfying to pig out all day on healthy things, knowing that the caloric intake is well-justified by nutritional content and my activity load. Besides, pickles and pepperocinis are delish. I do foresee a sodium problem in my future, however.

Anyways, another positive thing about my environment is my new pledge to keep the house CLEAN. I've been pretty successful with that, and it's helped me adjust to the idea of paring down and being more minimalist. Especially since I've got an empty room sitting here taunting me, and the notion of roommate seeking soon on the horizon.

Paper writing has been moving along. I'm 3/4 of the way through the first of 4 papers due after the break. Two of them will be sort of cake, the fourth will be a whopper. I hope to finish the first tomorrow. A literature review of Exemplar Models. At first I was intrigued. Now I'm outright bored to tears. I've set myself goals and rewards to get through this. Pages have been written inbetween the following movies: Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (not as good as I wanted it to be), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (much funnier and apt than I had expected), Smart People (slow, simple, pretty good, solid 3 stars out of 4), and Pineapple Express (hi-larious). I also tried to watch Being There (couldn't be there, too boring), and Enlighten Up! (the sound quality was so bad that I was keeping my neighbors up trying to hear the dialogue above the screaming background music and sound effects). The irony here is that Enlighten Up! is a documentary about yoga.

Oh, and I made a scarf.

Sea change

2009-11-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm at the beginning of a complete life overhaul. Many things have already set the course, some are in progress, and yet still others are yet to come. In about eight months I will likely not be living in the sunny state of California, or even in the good ole US of A. The constants right now are pet ownership and my love of cheese. I can't even count on my health at the moment, as it seems I've very recently succumbed to this pesky cold that's going around.

In my 20+ years as a student, this has easily been the most challenging semester of my life. I'm in my last year of coursework for my Masters degree in linguistics. Multiple sources have colluded together in this 6-month span, for the sole purpose of testing my passion for this gig. In preparation to finish next semester, I had to prepare write-ups for 3 original mini-theses (aka, squibs), get them approved, and submit an IRB protocol for one of them. That part is perpetually ongoing. Additionally, the budget cuts have made it difficult to find the necessary classes (not to mention paying for them), so I took advantage of SF State's cross-enrollment agreement with UC Berkeley, and have been taking an unbelievably challenging graduate seminar over there. Did I mention that I live in Pacifica? Anyways, then there was the GRE – a complete racket AND blow to my confidence in test-taking. In 2 of the 3 required sections I scored below the 45th percentile. I was ready to retake the test, but then my boyfriend and I, of two years, broke up that week. Suddenly the world took on a whole new seriousness that couldn't be ignored. Everything else would wait. While I'm still working that experience out, it's safe to say that it no longer cripples my very being.

One thing that got me through that initial two weeks was the need to research and prepare for five PhD applications, mostly due by December. I was able to finally put three of them in the mail last week. It was quite an accomplishment and I feel the lightness of being, as in being free of Statement of Purpose writing. Now I can actually focus on coursework. Did I mention that yet? Yes, I am taking three classes. These are the final requirements...and the stragglers that I have put off for three semesters thus far. I find myself now needing to crank out 4 papers over the next 2 weeks, and very little motivation to do so. Can you blame me?

So that's about it. Well, except for the part where I'm also working. And looking for a roommate. Change, change, change, all around me.

I'm looking forward to next semester, where things will free up significantly. In prep for this, I've already started playing the part. I decided that things like 'reading for fun' would actually be doubly beneficial to my mental state, regardless of how much academic responsibles there are (they will always be there, waiting for me anyways). I miss the idea of reading + imagination co-occurring. What was that like? I want to know again.

I've also gotten more involved with yoga, surfing, and exercising in general. The yoga is particularly challenging. It's this whole 'nother planet, inhabited by weird cats who speak a funny little language. There's not much in the world that makes me feel like a bumbling giantess, but stumbling through poses and 'trying to quiet the mind' has that effect on me. But I'm determined to WIN, WIN, CONQUER! Maybe my approach is off. My approach is off, right? No worries, I get it. But that yoga scene in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' had me in stitches. Too, too funny and on the spot.

Not sure what this blog has become, and where I'll be going with it. I'm glad I'm putting this up there though; I was getting tired of the random pic uploads, and I've been itching to write something utterly meaningless and somewhat self-indulgent. So there you go. Now I'm off to healthy breakfast, and maybe a workout video before I put my sick butt back in bed.

(I've been eating super healthy for the last several weeks. And I've given up chocolate and refined sugar. The difference has been AMAZING and completely worth it. Do recommend! Also, while I'm recommending...AT&T cheap internet + Xbox Live + Netflix is a must-have life hack. For $55/month total, this little trio allows me to stream just about anything to my TV, to listen to anything at all – Lastfm.com – through my speaker system, and to play interactive video games until my fingers cramp. Comcast can suck it.)

Bridge Construction, Phase Ii

2009-10-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Bridge Construction, Phase I

2009-10-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Healy Hall at entrance to Georgetown

2009-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Favorite pic of the year thus far

2009-10-07T17:34:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by thegirlinthecurl

It's the beginning of the end...

2009-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by Starbucks.

What does it mean?!?!

2009-09-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

This cracker looks scarily like my cat's head:

Free market America, with strings firmly attached

2009-08-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Mark and I have really been looking forward to seeing Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. However, we haven't really had the time or money to go see a 2.5+ hour film in San Francisco. The availability of this one has been quite difficult to work around as well. We finally settled on date night, this Sunday evening. We justified the higher price of the IMAX 3D experience by deciding to forgo any alcohol purchases for a week. A good deal all around.

The fridge is almost empty, so we left a little early to grab some light fare at the Metreon. We drove there, being that a BART ride was going to be $6 per person, and take forever since it's Sunday. We parked at the 5th and Mission garage, place with a sordid past for me. Fool me twice...

We bought our tickets first, at $17 apiece. The cashier happily and wordlessly took our money, giving no allusion to the shortchanging we were in for. Wish an hour and a half to spare, we then wandered around the Metreon, looking for best food options.

There was a 'farmer's market' going on. I use quotes because I really, really doubt that any of those people were actual farmers, but rather middle-man vendors with overpriced goodies and faux-homemade packaging. They were all also repeatedly engaging us with hard-sell tactics, which is closer to timeshare than cropshare.

I passed on the $6 for a 12oz. cup of orange juices and the pita plus hummus for a Hamilton. Instead, we wandered through what was left of the expensive fast-food options. Only a few remain standing since the recession. We settled on Firewood, because they were advertising 3 Korean BBQ tacos for $7. Or so we thought.

Turns out that if you actually want some meat in those tacos, its gonna cost you a bit more. And if you want some chips and salsa with that, be prepared to pay (too much) for it. With our cups of free water, our total was $14.

It also turned out that there was nothing Korean or BBQ about our tacos. This is my surprised face.

Wandered some more, and couldn't resist the candy machine spewing runts. Except that is not accurate at all. For 50¢, you get approximately TEN pieces of candy. This on a machine that advertised "BIGGER PORTIONS!" Whatever. I should have bought a gumball, FOR A DOLLAR.

Next we took our supremely awesome 3D glasses and waited for the film to start. A voice came over the theater speakers and mumbled something about when to take our glasses on and off, and then ended it with an ominous caveat of "If you want a refund for this movie, you must do so now." Huh?

But, 12 minutes into the film, it became apparent why this warning was given. Turns out that, unbeknown to us, the film is only 3D for the initial opening scenes. If you don't know this (because you weren't told by anyone at any point along your journey) it becomes an abrupt awakening, akin to "HEEEEEEY, I just got screwed!" coupled with a feeling of being torn between enjoying a movie you've just committed to, and being stuck holding a bag 'o bitter.

I tried to forget that all of this just happened and lose myself in the film. This was hard since I had no place to put my ridiculously oversized glasses. Also, the sound was deafeningly loud. Why? No seriously, WHY ARE MOVIE THEATERS SO GODDAMN LOUD?!

Nonetheless, I mostly enjoyed the film. I forgot about the ending, which was another bummer however. Harry Potter himself was less of an insufferable asshole as he was previously, which was nice. Hermione got ridiculously hot, and seeing the director's attempts at playing this down while keeping her current and relevant was pretty amusing. She's got a great body and great clothes and there's just no way for her to wear them without it being somewhat sexualized. It made some of the male character's lack of interest in her seem farcical. Especially paired with her woe-is-me narrative of rejection. She just isn't a forlorn nerdy undesirable anymore. I think they were just downright forced to drop the precocious, know-it-all schtick she had going on – nobody was going to buy it. It was over even before the 3D was.

That wasn't all though. The night topped off with a $17.50 parking tab. We reluctantly paid it and cursed ourselves all the way home.

In spite of all this, Mark and I had a great time. We seem to weather these things really well together, especially when situations get pear shaped for whatever reason. It sucks, but we don't get bent. We laugh. What else is there, really?

But next week we are avoiding people, franchises and anything requiring sticking bills, coins or cards into stupid little machines. A walk in the woods will do us good.

My response to John Mackey

2009-08-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

georg_cantor from Metafilter made a great front page post about the WSJ Op-Ed piece by John Mackey the other day. The discussion on this topic has been quite lively on the Whole Foods Forums, MeFi, Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere. I have been voicing my opinion on this when and where I can, because I think its the most important issue there is right now, and I fear for the health and safety of all Americans if this good-will plan gets sabotaged by greedy corporate mobs.

Here is my comment from the Metafilter thread, re-posted here. It pretty much sums up my stance. Feel free to comment, copy, and repurpose as you see fit.

Mackey: "Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals."

Why don't I have a right to health care? Just what would I have to do to earn the right to basic care from another human being? What do I have to prove, to be worthy of equal treatment? Or even access to equal treatment?

Put another way, if my house is on fire, the Fire Dept. comes and puts it out. If I'm being robbed, raped, harassed, or otherwise harmed, the police come and help. They don't stop and ask me if I'm covered for these things. They don't half-assed put the fire out or refuse treatment based on some third-party contract I've signed. They just fucking do it, because their job is to ensure personal safety and well-being of the citizens of this country. Why the hell does my physical and mental health not fall into this category? Why is access to all direct pathways to my well-being intercepted by a profit driven industry? How can I expect that my health will be their number one priority? And I don't understand why anti-health-reformers care soooo much about the possibility that this will bankrupt the country. It's as if they're more concerned about the economic health of this country than the actual health of its citizens. As if that idea was the most noble expression of their patriotism and capitalist altruism, all bundled up in this strong symbol of freedom called America. Don't they realize that America is made of people?

Also, I'm really sick and tired of 'government' being a dirty fucking word.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:31 PM on August 12

Night life

2009-08-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Mark and I met some friends at Cal Academy of Science's Nightlife event earlier this evening. It was a great way to unwind and celebrate the end of the LSA. Also, Nightlife is a friggin' DEAL. $10 for museum access, plus some of the best animal watching you can get. The Academy makes a killing on overpriced drinks, and everybody is happy.

They had the viewing room bustling, with three labcoat workers fervently dissecting various birds and placing them on display tables. There were several magenta-necked birds, full of pins, like some sort of voodoo revenge. Then the bigger ones were displayed in a manner that Mark appropriated as 'birds on sticks'. It was a strange sight. There's also something weird about a bunch of dolled up humans, with drinks in hand, laughing and gawking at the animals on the other side of the glass. And since the birds were all dead, the specimens on display display had to be the human ones. Or maybe it was truly us.

We then got in line for the rainforest exhibit. We spend some time staring at a particular glass cube, waiting for the surprise of 'oh there it is!' or 'wow, a walking stick!' or 'I thought that was a rock, but its a giant toad!' That's just how shit goes down at the museum. But yet again, it was our own behavior that proved most fascinating. For all our searching, we didn't see the big orange sign on the glass that read "This exhibit is currently being updated."

The orb spider / little orange frog exhibit was very cool. I tend to like spiders the bigger they are. And they provoke reactions in others that are all too entertaining. I could have watched that for hours. At least until one of the spiders ate one of the frogs. Then its time to move on.

I got to visit the penguins again, as well as the albino croc (gator?) on the rock. The lemur booth reminds me of brain. The pendulum time thingy is hypnotic. Fish are pretty.

I do think there's something fundamentally wrong with the idea of having live cephalopods downstairs, and then serving their breaded brethren upstairs. I ordered french fries instead. And that concludes my night at the museum!