I'm polishing up my personal essay for Gender class and this A Softer World isn't exactly what I'm saying, but it comes pretty close. Heh.

I might have shamed a girl into leaving my Gender Studies class today. Might! Husband seems to think so, but I'll let you be the judge.

This girl, whom I privately refer to as Little Hot Mess, is, well, a hot mess. Most of us get to class early and sit around chatting before the class starts at noon. Every time she walks in and sort of addresses the room, talking about some random problem in her life to no one in particular and expecting a response. Even if other discussions are going on, she strides in and starts trying to command the attention of the room to talk about her tummy ache or her mom's van. I'm not even joking. And she's 21, but acts like she's 16, or even younger. So, anyway, she came in today and there were about a dozen people in the room and more filtering in when this dialogue happened:


Little Hot Mess: (addressing no one in particular) "Do you think the teacher will mind that my rough draft is on my laptop?"

Other Girls: *grumble*

Me: (not looking up from book) "Well, we're passing them around for peer review, so she probably wants a hard copy."

LHM: "But...can't I just hand my laptop to the person?"

Me: (still not looking) "She told us to do hard copies, so you should probably just go downstairs and print it."

LHM: "But...but...it's already 11:53!"

Other Girl: "It's just downstairs, you'll be fine."

Other Other Girl: "Yeah, we'll tell the teacher that's where you are."

LHM: "But we're not allowed to be late!"

Other Girl: "You have time to print it. It'll be ok."

LHM: "But she said if we're even a minute late..."

Me: (STILL not looking) "I think she'd prefer if you were able to participate in class and be a few minutes late, than to sit here and not be able to do anything." 

LHM: "But...but..."   *flails*

Other Girl: "Just GO."

LHM: "I dunno...what should I do?!"   *flails more*

Me: (sets book down; sets vocal tone to "Sahara")   "Look. You're an adult. You have free agency. Why don't you just do whatever you think is best?"  


She left the class, ostensibly to go print the damn thing. But she never came back. Apparently she told the teacher something about suddenly having to go "pick up the baby." But she doesn't have any kids. I just assumed that maybe she got a call on her cell to help out with some family situation, but Husband thinks I scared her away.

I'm about 50% appalled and 50% proud if I did. 

 Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer are engaged and it makes me smile. They are like an alliance of all things good and creative and awesome, and from their blogs and tweets and pictures, you can just see the immense love and respect they have for each other. I'm happy for this news, like I know them, or something.

I guess I'm just a big sucker for love. Shhh! Don't tell anyone.

 First of all, a big hello to the new folks here courtesy of the Sherlock Friending Meme! *waves*

Yesterday in Ethics class, we discussed our viewing of A Man For All Seasons, based on the story of Thomas More. Basically, in the wake of the creation of the Anglican Church and Henry IIX's divorce/re-marriage, More was torn between his loyalty to the Catholic Church and his loyalty to the King. In the film, More remains silent on the issue and does not say one way or another what he thinks is correct, but by refusing to publicly side with the King, More was executed and his family lost everything. They didn't even have fuel to warm themselves or candles to light the house, and they eventually had to flee the country. 

So there was a discussion question that asked if More was a "victim," a "saint," or a "fool" for acting as he did. Whatever you answered, the professor would zing back at you with questions, drawing more information out and pointing out your inconsistencies of logic. A lot of people said he was a saint, because "he stood up for what he believed." *** This, naturally, triggered Godwin's Law. Some people said he was a victim of some sort of religious brain-washing. (!!!)This led to a brief clarification of what it means to be a victim (to have literally no power to get yourself out of the situation) and a reminder that if More was some sort of brainwashed puppet of the Church, he was never free enough to be a moral agent in the first place. If that was so, then his actions weren't a question of ethics; it's not an ethical decision if you don't have the freedom to say yes or no.

Even though I had a migraine, and feel terribly slow trying to argue ethics, I gave it a go:


Me: Well, I think he was a fool.

Professor: OK, why's that?

Me: Because, it seems to me, that More regarded both the King and the Church as being Truth. He saw the King as infallible and the Church as infallible. I don't want to get into whether or not there can be contradictory Truths, because I don't know enough to argue for or against that. But assuming both were Truth, he still had to choose one. Ethically, he should choose the one that will do the least harm. By going against the King, he hurt people. By going against the Church, he hurt ideas.

Professor: Whoa! Do you know what you just said?

Me: Uh, no?

Professor: You just said that all religion is fantasy.

Me: Oh! (laughs) Yes. Yes I did.

Professor: And we can argue that! That's the main point that changes the answer: is there a God or isn't there? If there's a God, then More was a saint. If there's not a God, then he was a fool. That's a big part of the question of whether or not he was ethical: the question of 'is God real?'

Me: (quietly) Yes, but we know the people are real.


That statement earned me a 10 second pause for thought, and the sound of people sitting back in their chairs. It was awkwardly put, and not as in-depth as I would have liked to go, but I felt I'd been able to make my general point.



*** As an aside, there was also a moment in the discussion when someone said that "siding with God," couldn't be "evil," because: "God never told anyone to kill anyone." I LOL'd. Sadly, I was one of only about five people who did.

Dear LJ,

I've been neglecting you as of late as I have very little to say. I've been "filling the well," by reading, listening to music, watching movies, and getting back into the swing of classes. This quarter I'm taking Beginning Algebra II, though since Algebra II was as far into math as I accomplished in high school, that's not too hard on my ego. (Also, the last time I was in a math class was exactly ten years ago, so I'm cutting myself some slack.) I'm also taking Introduction to Ethics, which has thus far been fascinating and the class I most look forward to, and also Images of Men and Women which is an English course. So far we've gone over that gender is -- gasp! -- a social construction and the teacher has shown how cool she is by using the word groovy fairly often and shouting the word "vagina." *eye roll* I guess the 18 year olds were impressed. Yes, I am a judgmental bitch. I'm hoping my feelings about the class improve as we get through some of the basics and also start moving into some of the meatier readings. 

My first experiences with driving in snow and ice have been reasonably eventful; I haven't done a full fishtail yet, but have slid into the curb a few times. I also had to drive on a donut, in the snow, for two days which was an extra-special white-knuckle adventure. I got the tire replaced, and a laundry list of other necessary repairs, and sat in the mechanic's shop for five hours. During that time I watched the same three infomercials about 2.5 times. Toward the end, the man at the counter got me the remote and literally begged me to choose something else. Since I don't watch TV anymore, everything on there just strikes me as an advertisement. So it really makes no difference if I watch five hours of infomercials or five hours of "entertainment news," or five hours of MSM news, or five hours of low-budget scripted programs: they all feel the same to me. I obliged him by switching to Access Hollywood, and I admit that I do sometimes find those celebrity magazines interesting simply because I have utterly NO IDEA who any of the people are that they are talking about and it's kind of funny to see the insane devotion that so many people are willing to give to strangers. I'm not even sure what the majority of those people DO. I've also seen a total of one episode of American Idol (first season) just so you can understand what a true Luddite I am. Heh. Living in media blackout -- which is too harsh: I experience plenty of media, but I seek all of it out; it isn't thrust upon me -- does sometimes make me feel like an alien. I never know what people are talking about. And you never realize how much people talk about the TV they watch -- and that this is ALL they talk about -- until you don't watch it and realize you have absolutely nothing to talk about with them.

And now I have to finish up my homework, and possibly run out to Target as my Husband has lost his gloves. Poor thing.

Also, over on the Sherlock Holmes kinkmeme, someone has posted a request for Sherlock Holmes/His Dark Materials crossover fic, and even though it's been *cough!cough!eleven!* years since I've written fanfic, this one is sticking in my brain. Hopefully someone else will write a brilliant piece so that the bunny will hop away....but seriously, wouldn't Holmes' daemon be a cat? Personally fastidious, lean, sees in the dark, a hunter, independent, agile, keeps all sorts of strange hours, curious, a good fighter but one that tends to avoid fights if possible, can travel undetected, etc.

I'm gonna write this damn prompt, aren't I? 

All my love,

AKC

 It's all over the Holmesian LJ groups, but here you go:

The executors of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary estate have threatened to withdraw Guy Ritchie's rights to the Sherlock Holmes story if the director hints at a homosexual relationship between the lead characters in his sequel.

Robert Downey, Jr., who plays the supersleuth in Ritchie's new movie adaption, recently appeared on David Letterman's U.S. talk show and hinted at a homoerotic subtext in the relationship between his character and Jude Law's Dr. Watson.

During the interview the actor also asked the audience to decide whether Holmes is "a very butch homosexual."

But Downey, Jr.'s comments have infuriated Andrea Plunket, who controls the remaining U.S. copyrightsto the Holmes story, and she's threatened to withdraw permission for a follow-up if Ritchie suggests the detective is more than just friends with his sidekick.

She says, "I hope this is just an example of Mr Downey's black sense of humour. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books."

LINK.


The fan community is calling this out for what it is: batshit crazy business. Plunket is trying to disguise her homophobia by wrapping herself in the subjective phrase "spirit of the books," which is doubly ridiculous when you look at how Irene Adler was written for the film. Where's a strongly-worded warning to Mr. Ritchie with regards to the portrayal of (the apparently former) Mrs. Norton? But, no, she doesn't care about that, or any other of the legitimate quibbles and canon-departures; Plunket just doesn't want gay cooties on Sherlock Holmes.

Lady...have you read the books? OK, I know that male-male friendships were different in Victorian England, but modern audiences can and are reading into it from another angle. I'm not saying that Holmes and Watson being lovers is canon - I think there's a strong argument to be made that canon Holmes is asexual and possibly celibate, and Watson gets married at least once - but when you have two characters who live together for something like 20 years, who work and fight by each other's side, and who regularly go out to nice restaurants, the opera, and the Turkish bath together...well...I'd advise getting over it if you have a problem with some folks reading a romance into that, for your own sanity's sake.

Though I would worship him unto the ends of the ages if he did so, I seriously doubt that Ritchie would have a Holmes/Watson make-out scene in the films. So Plunket is basically having a homophobic apoplexy over subtext; subtext which is present in the canon material when read by modern audiences. *eye roll*

But, hey, more publicity and buzz for the franchise, huh?

I barely know about the Tiger Woods scandal, and I have no clue who Brit Hume is, but this is probably the funniest clip I've seen from Fox News in awhile.

The quote, ladies and gentlemen:




I'm still reeling not only from a "Religion is not a Cosmic Bandaid or a Get Out of Jail Free Card," aspect but also from the echoes of imperialistic Christian missions determined to make sure all those non-white followers of "Eastern" religions get signed up for the "one true way" or whatever. Too sensitive, y/n?

Also, who is this guy to presume to give any sort of advice to a man he's never met?

See, this is why I haven't watched TV in four years.

 I want a pet octopus SO BAD. I would pet him and love him and name him George Cthulhu.

Well, I've already done my retrospective on the past year, and all its ups and downs. So many people are wishing 2009 a swift and total departure and though I had some very happy moments over the last 12 months, I can't say I'll be sad to see the thing go.

The next year sees me working steadily on school work, mainly the general education requirements and a good deal of pre-requisites. This is what will take up the majority of my time, and I'm looking forward to it. There will be a lot of math and a lot of chemistry. I am remaining calm in the face of taking on my old nemesis - math - and am looking forward to a return to chemistry, since my biology teacher gave me a good appreciation for it. My old high school chemistry teacher did little but gape up girl's skirts, so I never really gravitated toward the subject in the past. 

I'm also getting to an organized point in my writing, where I have several ideas "in the bank" and am now working on fleshing them out into drafts. My recent illness has de-railed that somewhat, so I am using the New Year as a fixed point for a motivational "re-boot." I might even post a few drabbles here, though I'm not sure yet. The gears are turning, and the words follow.

Health-wise I'm doing better. I haven't been exercising very much, but I do sporadically and I think I'd really need to find some sort of activity or sport in order for me to get regular about exercising. Still, I weigh less than I did in high school; I've dropped 30+ pounds since 2007, the last 15 or so just in the last year, so there's that. I'm smaller than I've ever been post-puberty. Now, I just want to develop some muscle tone and feel stronger. I've played with the idea of taking up a martial art again, but I'm not sure how expensive it would be, or where, or what schedule would work. Or even what discipline to take up. I did a few years of Tae Kwon Do in my youth, but I'm not sure if I'd want to go back to that or try something different. (Ideas?)

I'm arranging for Husband and I to take in more cultural events in the next year, as much as our studies will allow. I'm already planning at least one opera outing, as we've both wanted to learn more about opera for a long time and have just never had an opportunity for an introduction. So we'll be seeing Romeo and Juliet in February; it's a story we're very familiar with and it's in French, a language with which we both have some understanding. The opera is nice enough to have student tickets for $15, too.

I'm also planning on eating lots of sushi, reading lots of books, hopefully traveling, and generally putting my nose to the grindstone. I'm looking forward to it.

Cheers to you, kittens!

 I have some sort of proto-illness developing in my throat. I think I kicked its ass last night, but I'm taking it easy today so as to make a full recovery. Winter Quarter starts in less than a week, and I'd like to be well when I start classes again. As such, I've been drinking a lot of tea, and reading; I broke down, tired of waiting for a copy to be returned to the library and bought The Quiet War by Paul McAuley. B&N was also having one of their "buy two classics, get a third free" sales, so I corrected a sad vacancy in my current library and bought The Complete Sherlock Holmes volumes I and II and for my free book, chose Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It's surprising that between Husband and myself, we didn't already have a copy, but there you are. I was also getting tired of reading Holmes stories on the computer screen; I'll pay for the paper versions I can take into the bath, or curl up with comfortably on the couch.

Because of the upsurge of interest in the Holmesian universe, and my continual hunger for new music, I'm very interested in finding some Victorian-era and Victorian-inspired music right now. I'm downloading some Emilie Autumn because it's egregious that I have none of her songs in my iTunes, but I'm open to suggestions. I already have Rasputina, some Dresden Dolls, Jill Tracy, and now some Emilie Autumn. I tend to dislike the "steampunk" music that crosses my personal taste threshold for loud!punk!guitar! and/or has lyrics about robot armies and everything being made of copper and - saints preserve us - airships. So, yeah, no Abney Park for me, though I know many people like them. I listened to the preview of their cover of "I Am Stretched At Your Grave" and went running back to Dead Can Dance.

But, really, any suggestions anyone has for new music are welcome. Non-neo-Victorian music that I like includes Bat for Lashes, Amy Winehouse, Amanda Palmer, The Decemberists, Neko Case, Leonard Cohen, Natalie Merchant, Garbage, The Kills, and pre-Beekeeper Tori Amos. I have a soft spot for Beyonce and Ludacris. I am not opposed to music in foreign tongues and have at least one "J-pop" album in my collection. Besides Victoriana, I like 50's era music and covers. I have a small collection of electronica and a loving nostalgia for the 90's in which I grew up. So, seriously, I'm pretty open to ANYTHING.

So who are you listening to right now? What songs were on your 2009 life soundtrack? What albums are you looking forward to in 2010? 

We finally have some snow here in Columbus. It has snowed before this winter, once or twice, but it barely stuck and hardly counted. Yesterday morning, we heard happy children playing out in the drifts in the common yard, which made me smile.

Right, back to tea.

If nothing else, I will love RDJ, Law, and Ritchie forever for breathing new life and stirring new interest in one of my first fandoms. I learned yesterday, as I babbled excitedly upon leaving the theatre, that Husband had never read any of the Holmes stories; he was just aware of the basic relationships and tropes associated with the franchise. I started reading him A Study in Scarlet last night, and I'd honestly forgotten how funny Holmes and Watson are with each other, right from the start.

I'd heard about the massive love that exists between Law and RDJ, but had avoided reading anything about the film to avoid spoilers. Now, though, I'm catching up on the backlog. I also just learned that Ritchie refers to them as "Rudy" and "Judy." *tee-hee!*

FIRST of all, here's a screencap of the infamous black jacket of my dreams, though it's a shot from the trailer which hardly does it justice.




( Click here to watch videos in which RDJ refers to Law as "Judesie" and there are cuddles. )

 Husband and I did Dorkmas today: we slept in, went to see Sherlock Holmes, had sushi at a nearby Japanese steakhouse, then went back to the theatre for Avatar.

I was quietly hopeful about Sherlock Holmes. I'm not sure if any of you know, but it was one of my first fandoms, though one that I simply lurked in, I never wrote or anything. I love the stories, I love the characters, I love the Holmes and Watson repartee. So when it was first announced that RDJ would play Holmes, there was an outcry: wrong body type, etc. but I was still hopeful because I really like RDJ. Then I was hearing things about Holmes having "ninja skillz," and I worried a bit.

Worry not friends, SHERLOCK HOLMES IS AWESOME! 

( Cut for possible (very minor) spoilers. )

 HUSBAND COMES HOME TODAY!!! I work from 1-5 at the store, and then drive out to the airport to pick him up. I'm so excited! Husband and I are having Dorkmas tomorrow. We are either going to...

A.) Stay in bed all day and watch all three (extended) Lord of the Rings movies

OR

B.) Go to the theatre for a double-feature Avatar and Sherlock Holmes viewing, with probable lunch break.

Sushi will hopefully be involved, but I'm also thinking that in the evening it might be nice to have some butterbeer and lembas bread. 

Time for one of those Year In Review posts, huh? 

The beginning of the year saw me, my then-fiance/now-husband John, and our friends Mark and Cassandra set out from St. Augustine, Florida and drive up to Washington D.C. to meet our friends Tina and Aaron, and to attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. It was epic. I wrote about it for LJ Idol. We froze our asses off; I can only explain my grin by saying this was approaching hour 36 with no sleep and hour 24 with no food and I was clearly delusional.




In March, Tina and Aaron got married in Florida. John officiated, and it was awesome. Love those kids! Afterward, I noticed that one of the tissue paper decorations matched my dress, and turned it into a hat. 




In April, John graduated with his Bachelor's in Physics. This is me, him, and his mom, who is totally fierce and fabulous. We look so Floridian in our sunglasses.




In May, after the requisite months of insane planning, John and I got married. It was mega-awesome. I had a Star Trek communicator (my father's) pinned to my bouquet and everything.


After that, we left for our honeymoon in New Orleans and ate ourselves silly and had a really good time listening to jazz, going on a walking tour, and visiting the aquarium. Unfortunately, John's father went into the hospital with a heart attack a few days after we left, and with the help of some amazing friends, we were able to get a flight home early to be with him. The month that followed is far too exhausting to recap, but I wrote about it here. On June 17th, he passed away. This is a picture of him and John from our wedding.

- New laser gun icon. Pew! Pew!

- Husband left Wednesday for a sojourn to Florida. He returns Christmas Eve. I miss him.

- It has snowed a bit. The world outside my kitchen door is sugar-frosted.

- The ongoing probate clusterfuck may be resolving itself soon, which would be amazing since it will only have taken 6-7 months of unspeakable bureaucracy.

- Why I need to check NASA's website more often: Amelia Earhart's watch will accompany astronaut and pilot Shannon Walker into space next year. "Recognizing the significance of Earhart’s watch going into space with her, Walker says she is “very excited and honored to fly the watch” and hopes “that by flying the watch people will become interested in the continuing story of women in aviation, and perhaps draw some new pilots to the field.” Badass!

- It is tiresome to have to repeatedly point out that Baby Jesus is supposed to be an all-powerful sky-God and as such, I'm sure he does not need the most powerful people in the most powerful country on this planet raising a butthurt stink over whether or not people wish each other a happy 2,009th birthday on his behalf. *sigh* For serious, humanity, grow the fuck up. I long for the day when the most pressing "concern" in this world is how the 78 year old Walmart greeter acknowledges you as you scurry in to buy tampons and a flatscreen, but that day is not today. 

- On a related note: an Asheville, North Carolina city councilman may face a lawsuit because he is an atheist. "When Bothwell was sworn into office on Monday, he used an alternative oath that doesn't require officials to swear on a Bible or reference "Almighty God."That has riled conservative activists, who cite a little-noticed quirk in North Carolina's Constitution that disqualifies officeholders "who shall deny the being of Almighty God."  *face fucking palm* 

- Amanda Palmer posted an awesome vlog of a song she wrote about her thoughts on pop music, Lady Gaga, and art. It's totally brilliant, on-point, and I love this dame. 

OK, so the bio blogs are all blowing up with this this morning.

Off the coast of Indonesia, the veined octopus is picking up coconut shells that have washed down to the ocean, and making little fortressess out of them and using them as armor. It's cool all on its own, but when you factor in that this is the first reported instance of tool-use among invertebrates...it's pretty damn AWESOME!

This link from Ed Yong's blog clarifies:

The trio (Julian Finn, Tom Tregenza and Mark Norman) suggest that the octopus uses coconut shells as bona fide tools. Many invertebrates, such as hermit crabs, shelter in shells but they do so permanently. The octopus, however, gains no protection from its shells whatsoever when it carries them around in the stilt-walking fashion. The shells' benefits lie in the fact that they can be quickly deployed as a makeshift fortress. The fact that the octopus picks up the coconuts for later use suggests a more complicated intellect at work.

LJ user rep kylecassidy reports on his blog re: the LJ user profile gender issue:

1) There are NO plans to make users specify gender in their profiles. The current options are "male/female/unspecified," this will remain.

2) The rumor started because on the current LJ BETA version (being tested now by some users) a programming error made the field mandatory, the same programming also broke profile editing. Users reported the bug to LJ and they are fixing the code along with other bugs people are discovering.

So, this is good news.

In other news, I've just gotten up because I am officially on a lazy-ass vacation schedule. Will have to do something about that tomorrow, though, as I work much better in the mornings...