Skinner Kicked Pavlov's Dogs

hry2007 @ 2009-09-07T09:19:00

2009-09-07T14:44:24Z

http://www.nyupress.org/books/Out_in_the_Country-products_id-11057.html

About the book:
http://queercountry.fromthesquare.org/

I've just read bits about it online today... I wish I could articulate what bugs me so much about it. On the one hand, I'm sure I'll find many parts I concur with, or at least share a lot of experiences with. But, other parts of what she says are to the effect of, be the perfect homo, make excuses for the people in your area, online gay friends are a substitute for RL queer community, etc. Yawn. I deeply suspect that it's going to be painfully naive and rose-tinted at points, and much too homo uncle tom for my liking. There's probably a better way to put that, but yeah...

This may not be a romantic or idealistic statement, but for the majority of queers, Harvey Milk's advice, move to the nearest city, is sound advice, not only for safety concerns, but because queer or straight, urban areas offer economic and social opportunities that much of rural America cannot. There is not a need anymore for half the population to be family farmers, that's just how it is, and we waste a lot of money on romanticizing an inefficient and isolating way of life, through TV, religion, the notion of "traditional values", and more tangible things like too-small of school districts, local government infrastructures and road systems

TLDR I'm still gonna buy the book and will write about it later, so I guess the author achieved her goal there. Maybe it'll be better than I think.

hry2007 @ 2009-08-15T17:34:00

2009-08-15T22:42:14Z

So we went to pet adoption day at the same Petco and the same humane society we got Mauer from. Long story short, we saw Mauer's foster mom there :) She was showing a few kittens up for adoption that were from the same mama cat as Mauer's mom. We saw a friendly one we really liked, and filled out the paperwork for it! It'll be a few weeks, she still needs to be spayed. Younger than I'd been hoping for, but this cat really reminded us of Mauer. Similar face shape and patterns and all that.

(Mauer's cat mom is also getting fixed. She's a ferel cat and not really adoptable, so they're just going to let her back into her territory, which is probably for the best, since she's a rural cat, I think.)

wedding photos

2009-08-11T15:59:10Z

Rebecca's brother did an awesome job, here are the first few he sent us:

hry2007 @ 2009-06-24T11:19:00

2009-06-24T16:22:04Z

I'm more of a domestic policy buff, but found this column on Iran's "election" to be really eye-opening: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/19-11

hry2007 @ 2009-05-21T11:46:00

2009-05-21T16:50:14Z

The Washington Post has has videos of Sec. of Ag Tom Vilsack (better known as a beloved former Gov. of Iowa), talking about USDA, H1N1, etc, but also speaking well of the Iowa Supreme Court ruling for marriage equality. It's been pleasing to see several prominent Iowa Democrats happy about the decision.

hry2007 @ 2009-04-07T13:49:00

2009-04-07T18:50:33Z

You should be watching Breaking Bad

hry2007 @ 2009-03-12T07:12:00

2009-03-12T12:12:59Z

Way to make a girl fall in love with Broadway all over again...

CAT AND GUITAR PIX

2009-02-04T00:18:17Z

I BOUGHT A GUITAR TODAY

Nothing special, a Yamaha 325, but in decent shape and a learner's guitar.
MOAR MAUER PIX

hry2007 @ 2009-02-02T23:48:00

2009-02-03T05:58:45Z

Why is the British media so damn harsh on their actors that have a bit of success on this side of the pond? Apparently Kate Winslet is over-emotional, drank too much on awards night, and perpetuates stereotypes. Oh, and how dare her look change a bit over the course of a decade.

For the record, I reserve the right to drink, laugh, cry, and otherwise enjoy the high points in my career.

Hate crime <2 miles from where I live DDD:

2009-01-26T22:09:36Z

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=537504&catid=2

Minneapolis police are looking for two men who attacked a gay woman late Thursday night.

32-year-old Kristen Boyne said she was walking from her apartment to Rainbow Foods in Uptown when two men called her a derogatory word for lesbian and then began punching her in the face and stomach until she lost consciousness.

"It just seemed really random," Boyne said.

Boyne said she offered her attackers her wallet and cell phone but they didn't want it.

Police say Boyne was treated at HCMC. Police urge anyone with information about this crime to call Sgt. Bruce Kohn at 612-673-2941.

(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

For the non-locals, Uptown is a gay-friendly, hipsterish neighborhood in the west part of Minneapolis. The "gay-friendly" aspect in a way makes this worse, to me, because it's like, where the fuck are we supposed to live?

The article doesn't say her current condition, but someone in the comments mentioned she was messed up but able to attend work the next day, so I guess that's something. There will be a march Thursday night for those in the area that can make it.

MAUER GOT A BATH YESTERDAY

2009-01-06T01:38:25Z

Kitty not a fan of water. But, he didn't freak out too bad:

AGRI-FOOD IS NOT A WORD T-REX

2008-12-16T14:22:07Z

VOTE

2008-11-04T15:34:09Z

If you're American and of age, please go vote today. It is your right, it is your responsibility, and U.S. economic and foreign policies impact the world as a whole. Obama doesn't need to simply win, he needs more votes than McCain can steal, and downticket races are going to determine how and if we get out of the mess we're in.

TIPS:

Go early! Allow at least two-hour buffer between your arrival and the polls closing, because turnout will be high and it will be busiest at night.
Bring your voter registration card. It's not required but it speeds things along. Also, it has your polling place.
Bring lots of IDs with you. Drivers License, Student ID, gym membership card, etc. A cranky poll worker can pretend one ID is not legit but it's hard to fake a wallet full of cards. Make it obvious who you are.
Bring a recent bill or other snail mail with you to prove current address. (I kinda hate this law, because it disenfranchises low-income voters. I don't know if it's true in all states.)
DO NOT WEAR CAMPAIGN ATTIRE! This is illegal, because campaigns are supposed to stay a certain distance from polling places. Wear a coat over that shirt, take off the button, etc.
Bring your phone with you! Maybe a camera or even camcorder, too. If you see something shady going on at the polls, call a local campaign office. I'd also suggest the local election officials, but they're often the problem (in 2006 my absentee ballot was "screwed up" and the Story County (Iowa) auditor office never sent me the postcard they're supposed to in such a situation. I was called an hour before polls closing by my former boss at the Iowa Democratic Party and had to fill out a provisional ballot. Still Bitter.) If voters are being turned away in bunches, the local media might be a good move as well. People behave more when they're held accountable.
If you see a campaign active too close to the polls, inform the poll workers. They should know the exact number of yards the campaigner should be from the place and will deal with the situation. If they don't, and this person is impeding voters in any way, take a picture and call their office.
This isn't law, but in addition to campaign buttons, I'd also advice against wearing LGBT items. In part because our rights are officially on the ballot in some states, but mostly because a lot of poll workers and voters are homophobic. Today is not the day to start shit.
Bring a book, Gameboy, or something to keep you entertained if there's a line.
The default should be to BE NICE! To poll workers, volunteers, etc. Most people mean well and if you reason with them the situation will be resolved. Don't be afraid to go above someone's head, but you probably won't need to.

99% of the time, things go smoothly. Oh, and hang on to your vote stub and sticker, to get a free coffee at Starbucks, ice cream at Ben & Jerry's (5-8pm), or if you're in NY or Seattle, a bullet vibrator at Babeland :D

DON'T KNOW WHERE TO VOTE? GO HERE!

hry2007 @ 2008-10-31T14:28:00

2008-10-31T19:37:33Z

After 20+ years, Agriprocessors is finally being brought to justice. About damn time.

In other news, Happy Halloween! Hope you all have a great time, I went out with choir buddies for lunch, and will be carving a pumpkin, giving my neighbors candy and going on a hot date tonight :)

lol

2008-09-29T12:42:08Z

so my bank went under this morning...

2008-09-26T15:01:07Z

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080926/ap_on_bi_ge/washington_mutual_future

Luckily I am dirt poor and was planning to transfer to Wells Fargo anyway. Anyone else been affected by the banking epic fail going on right now?

hry2007 @ 2008-06-27T09:52:00

2008-06-27T14:57:02Z

I'm taking a bit of a break from House fandom this summer. If you have fanfic I haven't commented on or miss my meta rants, that's why. I needed some time to reflect on my views of various characters, in particular Wilson. Also, house_wilson 's overall reaction to the finale was pissing me off.

Here's my conclusion on Wilson's action's in the finale:

It's fucking obvious that he put Amber first, and that was the point of that extreme situation, to show us that at that point in time, Wilson loved Amber more than House. (I still think killing Amber was a cop-out but I'll just have to get over that on my own time.)
With that in mind, and looking at Wilson's record (Amber was a plot device to learn more about Wilson and House), I think it's within reason to conclude that Wilson would have/had done a similar thing in the beginning of his past relationships.
Knowing that, we can state that to Wilson, a potential romantic partner outweighs the significance of a current platonic partner. In other words, Wilson is willing to risk House on the possibility that he's found "the one."
Wilson certainly has a right to do that. It's understandable that he wants that life. But, it kind of shows that he doesn't really know his own behavioral patterns. To say that Amber was the exception to the rule is to say that Wilson wasn't as in love with his exes, and we have no reason to believe that.
That said, Wilson's foolhardy romantic tendencies are easier to sympathize with when you keep in mind that the closest person to him is House, a man who has hurt Wilson many times. Unintentionally for the most part, but still, the prospect of watching the love of your life slowly die in front of you is a bitter prospect. Wilson makes foolish interpersonal decisions because he wants to remain hopeful.
House has a right to be hurt by knowing where he ranks in Wilson's life, and if you're a bit cynical as to Wilson's romantic capacity with women, then what Wilson did cheapens there friendship in a lot of ways. I get why Wilson did it, but that's got to hurt.
It hurts me to say this, but I think Wilson is the only character that really regressed this season. Taub and 13 bored me some, but everyone else has grown in some way. IDK. I just... I left season 3 thinking Wilson had done more intrapersonal work than was the case, and I think that's why I didn't really care for s4.

video of the internal clitoris

2008-06-17T14:23:31Z

Drawing from bettysodson.com. Kinda fun to see the internet structures whipped up like a Bob Ross painting :)

ETA: Header fixed! Bonus points if you noticed the typo and lol'd

hry2007 @ 2008-06-11T01:05:00

2008-06-11T06:07:22Z

Pruned the flist some, if you want back on, comments are filtered.

hry2007 @ 2008-06-09T19:26:00

2008-06-10T00:36:37Z

In case you doubted my assertions that the hog industry is fubar...

God, Postville is just... ugh. What pisses me off most is that in the comments, good ole Iowans are tripping over themselves to excuse the rape and abuse of the workers because they're Mexican. No fucking human decency.

THE MOAR YOU KNOW

2008-06-06T18:28:01Z

Suave strawberry shampoo makes a lovely substitute for laundry detergent. My clothes smell yummy and I don't have to buy real stuff until I get paid next week.

hry2007 @ 2008-05-31T22:56:00

2008-06-01T03:59:49Z

Lawrence Kaplow is back for Season Five

1.02 - "Paternity" (2004)
1.11 - "Detox", with Thomas L. Moran (2005)
1.14 - "Control" (2005)
1.19 - "Kids", with Thomas L. Moran (2005)
1.22 - "Honeymoon", with John Mankiewicz (2005)
2.02 - "Autopsy" (2005)
2.12 - "Distractions" (2006)
2.23 -"Who's Your Daddy?", with John Mankiewicz (teleplay) (2006)
2.24 - "No Reason" (story) (2006)
3.01 - "Meaning", (story and teleplay) with David Shore (2006)
3.02 - "Cane and Able" (story) (2006)
3.15 - "Half-Wit" (2007)
3.24 - "Human Error" with Thomas L. Moran (2007)

Some of those are so-so, but about half of my House top ten is also there, and his incite on House himself is uncanny. Thoughts? Yay/Nay? I for one am thrilled.

PERTINENT TO MY INTERESTS

2008-05-29T04:35:42Z

Does Breaking Bad have a fandom? Because damn, I wanna squee about it. Or, yanno, considering the subject matter, meta like a mad thing. I just marathon'd the first season.

Things I love about it:

to break bad: to challenge conventions, to defy authority and to skirt the edges of the law. The protagonist, Walter White, is a middle-aged high school chemistry teacher that starts cooking meth to provide for his family because he just got diagnosed with lung cancer. A very straight-laced, unassuming, somewhat passive man.
The wife, Skylar. She's such a strong character, has a great presence to her. This show is mostly dudes, but the women it has are well-written, including and especially the sketchy ones.
Walt's business partner is a former student o_O This is a really fascinating dynamic, because Walt falls into a dominant, mentoring role yet Jesse actually has years of experience, it's just that Walt's a better cook and desperate for the money. In this of all fields, Walt still wants his student to try harder, strive more. (Those of you of the slash persuasion would have a field day, esp doctor/master types)

To name but a few :)

In other news, I think I'm gonna use this slower version of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley for an audition piece:

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Japhy Grants sounds off on Marriage Equality in CA

2008-05-25T05:56:42Z

This is all love, but the thing I like most? It describes the American Spirit, which is something that appeals deeply to me. We're something true and fiery as a people, and for everything that's wrong with us, we have an indominable spirit.

(3/5ths, not 2/3rds)

Unrelated, but I got my own cheese! It was delicious.

more house finale spoilers

2008-05-20T17:11:47Z

OKAY WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH PPL SAYING WILL WILSON BE ABLE TO FORGIVE HOUSE

HOUSE DID NOT DRIVE A FUCKING DUMPTRUCK INTO AMBERS KIDNEYS

I'D THINK THAT GUY MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY MOAR TO BLAME

HOW DARE HOUSE CALL HIS BEST FRIEND WHILE DRUNK AND DEPRESSED, LOOKING FOR A RIDE HOME

HE SHOULD HAVE PUNCHED THE BARTENDER IN THE FACE, STOLEN HIS KEYS BACK, AND WRAPPED HIS BIKE AROUND A TREE. WILSON AND AMBER COULD THEN ENJOY THE RUSH OF NEW LOVE FOR ABOUT THREE MORE MONTHS UNTIL WILSON FINDS A NEW FLAVOR OF THE MONTH THAT DOESN'T REMIND HIM OF HIS BFF

IF WILSON THINKS HE HAS ANYTHING TO FORGIVE HOUSE FOR, THEN HE IS A FUCKING DOUCHE AND DESERVES EVERY OUNCE OF LONELINESS HE GETS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE

SHIT HAPPENS, PEOPLE DIE. VERY SORRY THAT IT HAPPENED TO AMBER, BUT YEAH.

HOUSE IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE FORGIVING WILSON

THOUGH I GOTTA SAY, I'D HAVE A TOUGH TIME IN HIS SHOES, SEEING AS HOW WILSON WAS WILLING TO SACRIFICE HOUSE'S LIFE, A TWENTY YEAR FRIENDSHIP, AND ALL OF HOUSE'S FUTURE PATIENTS, TO PRESERVE HIS MOST RECENT HETERO SOURCE OF ATTENTION

PPL ARE BLAMING HOUSE?

SRSLY?

SRSLY?
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