We are going to BlogHER!
Besides soaking up all of the awesome blogherness, what should we do while we are in San Jose?? If you’ve got recommendations, leave a comment here or on TW’s Blogher Kaboodle page, please.
We’re going to Blogher! We’re going to Blogher! We’re going to Blogher!
Technorati Tags: blogher, blogher2006, sanjose
Daily Dose of Questions – San Jose Read More »
"Drink the Koolaid." Where did that come from?
I know where the phrase "drink the koolaid" comes from. I know all about Jim Jones and his little kool-aid (though it appears that it was Flavor-aid and not Kool-aid) fun. I understand it, please don’t assume I’m just culturally clueless – my children may be, but I am not.
What I’m confused about is why everyone seems to be using the phrase. I went for a good 20 years without ever hearing this said by anyone other than a Girl Scout leader or a kindergarten teacher.
Is it the current political scene causing the mass useage of this phrase or is it the current "scene" in my own little world? Are you folks in the blogosphere hearing "just drink the kool-aid" or "those people are just drinking the kool-aid" as often as I am? Are you, like me, saying it???
I don’t want to drink the kool-aid and I certainly don’t want to hear myself suggesting it to someone else. It makes me a little queasy, and not just because I don’t like kool-aid either.
Buy into the party line, follow the leader business, nasty dirty stuff, isn’t it?
Technorati Tags: drinkthekoolaid, brainwashing, partyline,
Daily Dose of Questions – Koolaid Read More »
Us/Them, Us/Them, Us/Them, it’s everywhere!
Once again, I find myself listening to a bunch of lesbians (and maybe some bisexual women I’m not sure though because the last time this group argued it was about the inclusion of bi women and I just don’t know how that ended up) talk about excluding F2M transgendered folks from their group.
This is happening on a Yahoo Group for lesbians in my area. It’s a pretty boring group, as far as groups go, until someone who doesn’t belong makes her (or his) presence known and then all heck breaks loose.
The group very clearly says it’s is for lesbian women (though I’m sure they use some other spelling womyn or wimmin or something more granola-y old world pc like that) and some just do not like it when those who don’t fit those two categories join in.
It doesn’t matter if they’re great people. It doesn’t matter if they’re active in the GLBT community. It doesn’t matter one little bit. If you aren’t a lesbian and a woman then you don’t apply to join and if you get in somehow, go away quickly or they”ll eat your young!
It’s all so tiring.
I understand women only spaces. I even support them, sort of. I mean if you look at my 101 things to do in 1001 days, you’ll see Go to Michigan on that list. And while some people enjoy visiting Michigan just for no good reason, the reason I want to go is to attend, just once, the Michigan Womyn’s Festival. Those folks have a serious women born women policy. I don’t love it but I understand it and respect the idea behind it. (That’s a post for another day, folks so don’t get me started!)
I also understand the point being made by the most vocal woman on the list – a transgendered F2M considers himself to be a man and she supports that. So much so that she feels he does not belong in this particular Yahoo group because a) he’s a man b) he’s partnered with a woman which makes him heterosexual c) and that makes the "once lesbian" partner heterosexual. Makes sense, really. I understand it and I agree with her. You can’t have it both ways, can you?
I understand the people screaming and yelling about what a nice guy he is and how he grew up as a girl in a patriarchal society. I understand that these folks appreciate his life experience as a serious butch in the lesbian world until finally realizing he wasn’t such a butch, he was a man! I understand why some people want to allow him access to the list, simply because he’s awesome and they can learn from him.
I understand it all and it all makes sense. What I don’t understand, what doesn’t make sense, is why all of the screaming and yelling? I mean really? The list says X so we must follow X or we must change the list so it says XY or maybe XY XX YY or something. Talk it out, make a decision and move on. Please. It’s been a month of this. How long does it take to decide? And what in the world does God have to do with any of it? No wait, forget I asked. I don’t really want to know the answer, it would just mean another month of arguing back and forth.
Us/Them, Us/Them, Us/Them Enough already!
Technorati Tags: glbt, transgendered, lesbian, F2M, usthem
Daily Dose of GLBT – Us/Them Read More »
December 31, 2005 – I was really very pleased with myself. All laundry in the house was clean and for the most part put away. (In this house piled at the foot of whatever bed, in the bedroom it belongs in = put away) This really was quite an accomplishment. I wanted people to share my excitement and my enthusiasm. The pure joy of knowing I was ending the year without any laundry waiting to ruin my shiney New Year, ahhhhh I remember it well.
January 8, 2006 – I realized last night that I had already done 8 loads since the New Year began. 8 in 8 days. And we’ve only had the small children 4 of those days. And that did not include the three loads Michelle and the 1/2 child had done. And that did not include the two additional loads ready and waiting in my overflowing laundry basket.
8 in 8 days plus 3 does that mean I do 365 loads of laundry in a year? And Michelle and the half child do 3 a week? That means in this house we do approximately 521 loads a year?
Please. Say it ain’t so. I don’t think I can face another day with those numbers staring me in the face blog. Please. Help. There must be a solution to this. I need a solution.
Technorati Tags: family, life, laundry, frustration
Daily Dose of Laundry – 8, 11, 13, argh! Read More »
I’ve been saving this What we’re taking list of Lee and Sachi’s for days now. It’s interesting to think about what to pack on a year long trip around the world. And it’s even more interesting to peek at someone else’s list. Go ahead, give it a click. It’s sort of fascinating, isn’t it?
I’m a light packer and I like that they’ve gone pretty light (except for all of the technology and medication – I’d go half on all of that). I keep going back to the underwear (especially since they’ve vowed never to wear dirty underwear for more than 5 days) and the socks. Especially the socks. There is nothing worse than wet socks except of course dirty, wet socks. I think they need to ditch all of that deodorant and each take at least one more pair of socks.
Technorati Tags: worldtravel, aroundtheworld, packing, theworldisnotflat
Daily Dose of Travel – Underwear and Socks Read More »
Here’s a list of books (in case Adrienne needs to help a gay teen again) I’ve either read or had on my list to read, most are lesbian reads but a few are bisexual or gay:
Luna
Keeping You a Secret
Define Normal
Perks of Being a Wall Flower
Annie on My Mind
Empress of the World
Hello, I Lied
Kissing Kate
Oranges Aren’t the Only Fruit (not an easy book for those with a "lower reading level")
Rubyfruit Jungle (though I am NOT NOT NOT a Rita Mae Brown fan, it has to be on the list)
The Order of the Poison Oak
Boy Meets Boy
Technorati Tags: glbtfiction, gayfiction, lesbianfiction, teens, youngadult
GLBT Books for Teens Read More »
I was all set to have a coffee date with two of my favorite coworkers, Snead and Leona when I get an email from Snead saying "sorry, can’t make it – Harry’s doing that vomiting thing again". Darn.
I didn’t know what that vomiting thing was but regardless, it can’t be good. Snead with auto-immune issues doesn’t need a bug in the house and who would want that cute boy to be sick? Talked to Snead a bit later and she started describing what was going on – just out of the blue vomit, feel better thing that happens once every few weeks. Weird. Allergy? But to what? Or maybe, it’s this thing that TW and I are beginning to suspect with Michelle – Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (free registration required).
I make a lot of jokes about my hypochondriac child (she gets that from her father’s side of the family) but maybe this is real? She’s got a lot of the symptoms – happens around the same time every month, out of the blue, she has migraines and she has panic attacks. It happens right before menstruation but we’ve tried hormonal birth control and that doesn’t seem to help. Besides, her doctor says her hormone levels seem pretty ok. Endo? She doesn’t have all of the symptoms of that, but she does have some.
And yet, she’s always been the barf kid. She didn’t tolerate breast milk or regular formula and only barely tolerated soy formula. She gets car sick (and not just when TW drives). She doesn’t handle food smells very well either. She barfs when she’s eating a really well balanced diet. She vomits when she’s eating junk food. She vomits when she’s eating no food. She vomits vegetarian. She vomits high protein. You name it, she barfs.
So maybe it’s CVS? Who knows, but Tuesday I’ll mention it to her doctor and probably get blown off. It’s something to consider as we try and sort through this, isn’t it?
Technorati Tags: cyclicvomitingsyndrome, vomit, CVS,
Daily Dose of Health – Vomit Read More »
It seriously stinks that the majority of books on Out.com’s Best in Books list are GAY and not LESBIAN. What is with that? It’s always been that way but it seems to get worse with each passing year. Queer lit might be here to stay but it’s pissing me off. I mean HOW doggone GAY?! (Not that I want to turn this into an us/them sort of thing, I just want a little equality in the list.)
Another thing that is annoying is my library only has one of these (besides the entirely too mainstream "What do you mean those dudes were gay?" Son of a Witch). And as much as I like a good gay boy book (Have I ever told you about my Robert Rodi fixation???) I don’t like them well enough to BUY them. Toss some lesbian books on the list and I might spring for a few. Ya know?
I’m going to have to do some research and make my own BEST of LESBIAN LIT list! Anyone want to help?
Thanks to Daily Dose of Queer for pointing out the OUT list!
Technorati Tags: gaylit, lesbianlit, glbtlit, booklists, out.com
Poor Sassymonkey has a problem. Some chicken that I, vegetarian that I am, though sounded yummy gave her some tummy troubles. I can relate. When I eat meat, (yea I know, vegetarians aren’t suppose to eat meat – sue me), I have that problem too. It doesn’t usually happen with chicken though.
BK Whoppers, Big Macs, Arby’s Beef n Cheddar – bad for tummy. A bit of roasted chicken, no problem. (Yea, I know. Vegetarians aren’t suppose to eat meat. I’m sorry you’re confused – get over it. It’s my life, my stomach, my stand!)
I wonder why chicken bugs the monkey girl. It’s lean. Relatively easy on every tummy. Hmmm. Maybe God is trying to tell her she needs to find religion and do it through the chicken?
Technorati Tags: tummytroubles, chicken, religion, christianchicken, vegetarian
Daily Dose of Chicken – Religion Read More »
Have you ever had an idea?
Have you ever had a really good idea?
Have you ever spent more than a year researching topics related to your really good idea so you could convince folks that your idea is really good?
If not, can I suggest you keep that really good idea to yourself and not spend a year of your life researching in order to convince others?
The insanity is simply not worth it.
Keep your idea to yourself. Or better yet, research and use your knowledge for yourself and not others. Save your sanity, please. Learn the lesson I’ve finally learned!
Technorati Tags: ideas, lessonslearned, life, work
Daily Dose of Ideas – Insanity Read More »