Spirit Day

I am against homophobic bullying.

I am against all bullying.

You are not alone.

If you find us, it will get better.

Please find us.

We're here, and we're looking for you, too.

Why "It Gets Better" is the wrong message to send--and why we should do it anyway

When the "It Gets Better" project began a couple weeks ago, I didn't feel like I had anything actively helpful to contribute. As I said at the time, my not inconsiderable bullying had nothing to do with being queer--except maybe in the older form of the word. But, as we've now reached the "backlash" portion of the news cycle, I do feel as though I have things to say. Things, which I hope are helpful.

We have reached a point where not only has there been backlash over Dan Savage being the head of the movement (nb: that backlash happened immediately, I don't want to make it seem as though I've missed that), but where shitbags are posting things called "It Gets Worse." In these delightful musings, bigoted assholes co-opt the momentum of "It Gets Better" to further bully and hate-vomit on the QUILTBAG community.

But, sadly, that brings me to my next point.

"It Gets Better" is a terrible message, because it doesn't. It changes, sure. But as the blog 49percent asks, what, gets better, exactly? (The link referred to there is also well-worth reading.)

The answer, in short, is that as you get older, you are better able to choose your family and surround yourself with people who love, respect, and support you. So yes, in that sense, it's a wonderful message.

But it does precious little to help now.

"It gets better" is something I told myself for oh, about seventeen years. Or, from the age of five through the age of about 22. I said it to myself for differing reasons, and because of different hardships. I leaned on those words so often that by the time I was 27, and went through the worst fucking year of my life, they had lost all meaning.

They had become so devoid of power, that they became nothing more than pandering to my ears. In my destroyed state of mind, hearing them drove me to nearly ruining two of the closest and most important relationships of my adult life.

So we need to be careful what we're telling these kids. Because if, as an adult, without suicidal tendencies, those words drove me to extremes, I don't want to know how these kids will react.

"It gets better" is a placeholder. What these kids need are the tools and support to make it better now.

One of the other things that I find especially problematic about Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" project, is that The Trevor Project was already here. It was already here, and it was already inclusive to PoC and the whole QUILTBAG. While it's good to have more than one organization for an issue, Dan Savage is such a divisive figure, that it's diluting the message, not strengthening it.

And, The Trevor Project is all about giving kids the tools and support to make it better now.

So while I think it's wonderful and important to see celebrities filming videos telling us that they know where troubled youth have been, how many news cycles until It Gets Better peters out and these kids are left, once again, alone?

Let's make it better now.

GIRLS'S COSTUME WAREHOUSE

Today I'm going to take the piss out of one of our society's oddest ills: "Sexy" Women's Costumes.


Sexy Peter Pan - Yeah, okay, Mary Martin was a bit of a cutie...OH GOD WHAT? This costume both manages to suck AND miss every point ever.


Sexy Willy Costume - Nope, it's not what you think! Or the other thing either! I bet she's pushing Slurm. WHIMMY WHAM WHAM WHOZZLE!


Sexy Phantom - Or, you know, you can be the creepy stalker character!


Sexy Washington - 1776! Performed by strippers!


Petite Glitter Tophat - This is actually pretty cute, and I want it. I just wanted to point out that it's nice to see Sarah Michelle Gellar getting work these days.


Sexy Chinese Takeout - Oh man. I actually think this is cute as hell, and I would totally wear it. Tiny Fortune Cookie Hat! The problem is that as a costume, this becomes mocking. Instead of "I look fierce in my outfit that references a common every day object" it becomes "Hurr! Chinese food!" and then devolves into Rosie O'Donnell Land from there.

ETA: Upon further reading and thought, this dress is entirely awful. I read a blog post that pointed out that the text of the dress--ENJOY over the breasts, and THANK YOU over the crotch--is really disgustingly placed and bad all around. So, apologies to those who read this post in past years and felt I'd missed the point on this one. I get it now.


Coral Clownfish - Hey! I found Nemo! He's at the Velvet Button and he goes on at 12:45!


Gold Digging Girl - Kanye already covered this one.


Blue Babe Costume - La la la la la la, why isn't my face blue? Bonus creepy: The dude in the couple's costume.


Anita Sedative - Ahahahah! Because mental illness is SO FUNNY! Also, she seems to be posing with Johnny the Homicidal Maniac in the couple's costume photo.


Spoonful of Sugar - I don't know if I'd trust her with my kids. Practically awful in every way.


Dirty Martini - HA! It's funny because the PIMENTOS look like her NIPPLES!


Sexy Panda - Sexy Panda? More like Sexual Harassment Panda! AMIRITE?


Pippi Longstocking - The real Pippi Longstocking would throw a car at these people.


Spongebabe Squareskirt - There's a terrible joke in here somewhere about how her starfish is named Patricia.

Okay, that's enough of that misery. Here, have a palate cleanser.

See you next Halloween!

All The News That Fits

-Took cat to the vet. He might have hyperthyroidism, but the vet's not sure. So, blood tests. I also picked up more Feliway. It might be snake oil, but at least I feel like I'm doing something. Also, one of the receptionists said she swore by it as a thing that keeps her cat from destroying her furniture. So hey, maybe it's not snake oil. ::shrug:: Either way, Morbo now has a very silly haircut because the vet had to buzz his bib to get at his thyroids.

-Via RM, Eredien points us at a blog produced by Tampax of a boy who wakes up one day and finds he has a vagina. And then gets his period. I don't know about you guys, but I had King Missle's "Detachable Penis" going through my head when I read this post. And the rest of the blog. I'm not sure where they're going with this, but it sure is bizarre.

-Flemco live blogged the Glenn Beck ridiculousness in DC. Good discussion happening in the comments thread.

-More commentary on Antoine Dodson: What's So Funny About Antoine Dodson?

-From Time.com: New Orleans, Five Years Later.

Yay Friday!

-The cat was terribly generous this morning and let Josh sleep until the princely hour of 5am. I am looking into vets and I'm going to see who's open tomorrow. This shit's gotta stop.

-In world news, the Society for Creative Anachronism has seized control of Russia.

-If you're doing Atkins/South Beach/low-carb, I recommend the blog Unbreaded. It's run by a blogger friend and her bff back home, and it's written with a level of respect and consideration you don't usually see in diet blogs. It's neither slavish in its adherence to the diets, nor is it wishy washy or silly. It's a real and honest take on food, dieting, and self-image, with a nice dose of humor and feminism. You guys know I'm not one to push diet ideology, I just like the way this blog is written.

-Chris Sims knows weird. So he brings us ten of the weirdest pieces of erotic superhero fan art.

-Mayor Bloomberg was on The Daily Show last night talking about the Cordoba Center. (Is it Cordoba Center or Cordoba House? I've seen both.)

-Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away! Fun fact: my grandmother's uncle helped found Eastman Kodak. Did she tell me this BEFORE I started going to the University of Rochester? Nope, that would have been too helpful. Apparently said grand-uncle was one of George Eastman's best friends. I never did get around to researching that side of the family when I lived up there. Alas.

-The NYTimes has an interesting article on a hoarder, today.

-An artist in New York needs an oven in which to bake a bread bed.

-OH MY GOD WHAT.

Thursday Roundup

-As I mentioned yesterday, it was my second anniversary with Josh. When he got home from work, there was a card stuck in our front door from our apartment complex...wishing him a happy birthday. (I got one on my birthday, too.) Seeing as his birthday is in April, we're not sure what happened there. My guess is they knew yesterday was somehow significant, and just took a stab in the dark.

-I knew all this obfuscation about what the Cordoba Center actually is would result in anti-Muslim hate crimes. I just didn't think it would happen this fast.

-Meanwhile, good hustle, Russell Simmons.

-Another day, another unnecessary photoshopping of Christina Hendricks.

-As linked around in other places, another high profile Republican has come out of the closet. Okay, look, Republicans. You do realize that we've come to the point where if you are loud and vocal about being anti-Gay, we're going to assume you've got a Platinum account at HotBoysInChaps.com. Because more often than not, we're right. Being gay isn't wrong, sinful, dirty, or a sign that they are immoral or want to corrupt your family. It's a sign that a person wants to have love and sex with other people similarly equipped as they are in the genitals. That's it. Sigh.

-The 1996 Doctor Who TV movie featuring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor is now available on DVD in the US. Uh...brb.

-Tron-a-Sutra.

Mundries

-Weekend was lovely. Josh and I went to archery practice yesterday. My friend Katrina brought me a 20lb recurve that she doesn't use anymore to try out. OMG I LOVE THIS BOW. It's technically a kids' bow, and somehow even only at 20lb, has a hell of a punch behind it. A++, would shoot again! I also managed to forget to not hyperextend my elbow on my first shot, so now I have an awesome bruise on the inside of my elbow.

-Antoine Dodson will be on NPR this evening.

-For the three of you who hadn't heard, John Barrowman held a garage sale in Wales recently. was there.

-“Look, I’m sorry for blowing up earlier. It’s just…I can feel tequila…in my face.” Hungover Owls. Easily the best thing I've seen in days, sent to me by the awesome .

-There's a new Ask Morbo!

-ICYMI, I design nerded yesterday.

-I want these boots. And maybe also these.

-Remember that NYTimes article last week once again bemoaning the extended adulthood of "kids today"? Apparently someone on Salon opened their yap and were even more tin-eared about the differences in how far a dollar goes today, as well as the skyrocketed cost of living. Pandagon has an excellent rejoinder.

-There was a pro- and anti-Cordoba Center rally in New York yesterday.

-NYers be aware: There will be F-16 Flyovers today.

-Fast Food False Advertising, via Yagathai

Good Graphic Design

You know what I love? Good graphic design.

Today I saw an incredible example of good design in such a common, everyday place, it made me grin like an idiot.

Here is what I saw:


So here we have a star, to denote Texas. The star is then broken into two pieces: A compass point, and a strip of road.

This image was set into the highway ramp walls as bas reliefs at standard intervals.

Some googling tells me this is the logo for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and that it was designed by Door Number 3 Austin design house.

Well done, guys. I was literally distracted from the road by the elegance of such a simple, every day thing. (I mean that in a good way!)

Saturdries

-Josh is at the office for some OT. I'm going to tidy, pick up my license plates, and hit a yoga class. GOSH WE'RE EXCITING.

-"We have collectively taken a pratfall on a moral whoopee cushion." -Dick Cavett on the furore over Cordoba Center

-Tom and Lorenzo at Project Runway always crack my shit up. Their takes on the Miss Universe 2010 National Costumes (part one and part two) are no exception.

-Remember all that stuff about cigarettes sold on Reservations and how they don't have to pay NY State taxes for it? Bloomberg opened his yap and said something profoundly stupid. The Seneca Nation has called him on it, but Bloomberg hasn't apologized. Now, the Oneida Nation has called him a Nazi (::facepalm and fail::), but are also calling for a rally against him. This one will probably only get uglier.

-I can't decide if these amuse or horrify me. I *will* be getting the Lando fragrance for my brother for Christmas. (I like to get him a silly "me" gift, as well as something a little more serious.) I'm curious about how they smell.

-More pinup RDJ.

All I really have to say about the "Ground Zero Mosque" debacle

...can be said in my friend Daryl's photo essay.

Also, it's not a Mosque, it's a community center, and the outrage is over something equivalent to putting a YMCA near the Murrah building in Oklahoma City.

End of story.

A Love Letter to Someone Else

Spoilers for Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Tonight I saw Scott Pilgrim for a second time.

When I came out of it on Saturday, I was filled with OMG THAT WAS AWESOME. Tonight? Not so much.

Tonight I realized that regardless of all the references I caught, squees over the perfect casting, covetousness over various costume pieces and accessories...this movie wasn't written for me.

In fact, I am merely a coathanger to the plot of that love letter. I'm not an active participant--and neither was Ramona Flowers.

This movie (and the comic) was, quite literally, a story about how a woman's past just about killed the guy interested in her.

Josh, very astutely, compared this story to High Fidelity, noting that they were similar tales of different stages in "mens' lives."

Both sources are excellent, innovative, and honestly new takes on a yawn-inducingly tired story. One that, again, has nothing to do with me.

While she had a bit more "there" there in the comic, Ramona Flowers is nothing more than a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. No amount of hair color shifts, pithy one-liners, or awesome fight skills make up a character. Shit, even Knives had more character development than she did. (I'm referring solely to the movie, here. The Knives plot was resolved far sooner in the comic.)

I guess, in the end, I feel very hurt that a movie I was told was for me, wasn't for me at all. And in fact, doesn't regard me at all.

I'm not saying the movie was bad. My qualms aside, it truly was a hat tip to almost every subculture to which I hold a membership. Edgar Wright once again proved his brilliance.

I just wish...the love had been more inclusive.

Back to the Sundries

-Josh and I leave for Pennsic tonight. His friend Mike is flying in from Seattle to make the trip with us. I told you we were nuts.

-Emma Watson got a haircut. I think it's freaking adorable, and definitely a smart move to distance herself from a character known for long, wild hair. Bart Calendar has a savvy theory, however.

-Elizabeth Bear has made an ass of herself again. But that's not the important part. The important part is that Ephemere has written an excellent piece about the Bataan Death March, and why the term "death march" is uncool to use casually. She also learned me something about Imelda Marcos. Jokes about how I share a birthday with her and its correlation to my shoe collection are suddenly a lot less funny.

-The National Unemployment rate remains at 9.5%. That means almost ONE OUT OF EVERY TEN PEOPLE are out of work. That's not terrifying or anything. OH WAIT. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

-Bitsyrant wrote this excellent piece on Seth McFarlane's transphobia. I really want to like you, Seth McFarlane. Why you gotta make it so hard?

-The Amityville Horror house has been sold.

-9GAG.com is my new timesuck. Heads' up: If you think you don't want to read the comments on any given item, go with that instinct. Also, usual internet trigger warning for occasional bigotry, NSFW content, etc. But generally, there's LULZ.

Wednesdries

-I did the gym again this morning, to slightly better results. Yay. My endurance is still worse than it's been in years. :-/ Upside? I made myself a breakfast taco! Mmm....

-My friend Dan is participating in the Echelon Gran Fondo Portland, a cycling event starting in Hood River, Oregon, supporting the LIVESTRONG Foundation and the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, and is asking for donations.

-There was a post on Feministe yesterday about child-rearing, that, as these posts always do, ended up as a 300-comment behemoth about children screaming in restaurants. Karnythia wrote a fantastic response. (The essay is the same at both places, but naturally, the comments will be different.)

-This is fake, but fantastic and silly.

-Yo dawg...oh.

-Feeling down? Today's Picture Post Wednesday at SF_Drama is "Show us your pets!" themed. Yes, Morbo makes an appearance.

-When I was a kid, I watched the Flinstones, and I smoked Winston cigarettes. (via Liz Baillie)

Whoa!

I hadn't heard of Cowboys and Aliens until just now, but oh my god, this image is amazing:

Tuesdries

-Morbo seemed a little calmer last night. We got a diffuser with a calming agent that contains Feliway. (Also, hoshit, the stuff cost almost $50! Yikes!) We're still trying to figure out what's his damage. Josh thinks it may be because I'm leaving every day again, which he hasn't experienced in almost a year. You know, on top of all the other upheaval he's gone through since April.

-I got back on the workout wagon today. Let's not discuss how it went. That said, Populace in the Park (the weekly SCA gathering) is tonight, so I'll be doing fencing drills in the evening heat anyway. Whoo.

-Superstimuli and the Collapse of Western Civilization. An interesting read, for sure. I feel like the phrase "Western Civilization" is really ethnocentric and narrow-minded, especially since the issues discussed affect first-world countries, not just those in the West. (via )

- has an excellent essay on feminism and trusting women, and the ugly situations in which women aren't treated as full humans.

-Your Underdog Lovelorn Romantic May Be My Rapist, by Melissa McEwan over at Shakesville. Brutal and insidious, but definitely worth the read. (Major trigger warnings all over the post and the comments, btw.)

-Jailbroken phones now allowed. I'll still stick with my Droid, thanks.

- saw Joshua Jackson escorted out of SDCC for not having a badge. I admire Jackson's gumption, because undeterred, he hosted PaceyCon 2010! Dude, I totally would have attended.

Saturdries

-Today has been rad.

-Make a meal plan based on what's on sale in your area!

-NYC has a Johnny AppleWEED

-The storm in NYC last night! I recommend watching the video. It's fantastic.

-BP uses inmate labor for oil cleanup. What's sad is that I'd be more okay with this if it was above-the-board.

-Are cats and dogs ruining us?

TGI Sundries

-I have gone from dressing super girly to...jeans and a Shaun of the Dead t-shirt. My co-workers are going to be so confused. (There was a mid-point yesterday of jeans and a nice, plain black t-shirt with a v-neck. One of my co-workers actually didn't recognize me in the lobby.)

-Well done, nerds.

-This is my new favorite website.

-Of lovers and potato mashers.

-Darth Vader has hit some hard times.

-Charles Ragnel charged with ethics violations. Gosh, what a surprise!

-Dear Alan Moore: Shine on, you crazy diamond.

-A run-down of Thursday at SDCC.

-Dammit, Helen Mirren, I can only love you so much before it becomes creepy and weird.

-Women featured at SDCC

-SDCC is now Klingon-compliant

Lunch'n Sundries

-Day 2 at my new job!

-There's going to be a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. No, no, the show. Here's an interview with the shows' creators. Best quote? "We just don’t subscribe to the conventional wisdom that you can’t have an action series led by a female character. It’s kinda nonsense to us."

-Two more accusers of Al Gore step forward. The meta around this situation continues to spiral out of control. I still remain neutral.

-lolsob

-The Ten People You'll Meet at SDCC

-11 Awesome Celebrity Nerds

YES. THIS.

From today's Fandom Secrets:



I'm not going to SDCC this year, but please, someone, ANYONE make this happen!!!!

Kitty Krazy Sundries

-Morbo has the kitty krazies this morning.

-Oil Spill: Gulf Water Sample Explodes When Chemist Tests For Toxicity

-'Almost All of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Workers are Dead'

-Forever 21 is now selling maternity clothes. Aside from the fact that's a store that tends to market to teenagers (and owl-obsessed women in their late 20s), it's testing out its new line of maternity clothes in states that have high teen pregnancy rates. h/t Bart Calendar, who also has good commentary here.

-A lesson re-learned on gender and space. Nothing new to many of us, but a concept always worth a read.

-The Doctor Ditches the TARDIS to Work the Pole. It's a burlesque routine featuring a woman in 10 cosplay, and she knows her way around a stripper pole.

-The Goon! The animation looks gorgeous.

-Time Out New York has an article on bespoke suits and the 50 best cufflinks and tie clips. Yeah, all right.

Monday Sundries

-Those of you who follow me on Twitter and FB saw this the other day: 2+ weeks of bad sleep, continual heat exhaustion, and high stress have taken the inevitable toll: I have a cold. Ugh.

I spent all of yesterday on the couch playing Mass Effect 2, and I got a decent night's sleep last night. I actually feel better today than I've been feeling. My mom always said the cure to a summer cold was sunshine and salt water. I'll have to make due with sunshine and a poolside. Either way, the vitamin D can only help.

-Josh and I watched Black Dynamite last night. It's both very silly and very smart. It's also got some amazing one-liners, amazing costumes, and lots of pretty.

-Trans Job Discrimination in New York: Now with numbers!

-How the Media Should Treat the Sexual Assault Allegations Against Al Gore

-The photos in this post show great and rarely seen angles of the area around where I grew up.

-RM beat me to it, but it's too awesome to deny:
In a contest between Ben Franklin and Captain Jack Harkness, for shagging, charming, and being an all around bon vivant, who would win?

-There's an interview with John Barrowman at After Elton.

-Adam P. Knave gives us a delightful New York Tourists' Guide. DON'T BE A JERK AND YOU WON'T GET SENT TO QUEENS! (There's nothing wrong with Queens, but unless they're looking for the biergarten or the airports, tourists tend to not want to go there.)

-How to make a BLT.

Home Sweet Sundries

-I am as bothered as most of my friends by the meme of "women who accuse men of sexual assault are liars," but the information emerging in the Al Gore case seems increasingly thin. If this turns out to be false, I'll be very angry.

-Goldman Sachs is to pay the $550 Million to Settle SEC Charges Related to Subprime Mortgage CDO Oh that's good. How many trillions have we lost since 2008?

-The exceptionally awesome comic book store, Rocketship, closed its doors. And that's terrible.

-The trailer for Social Network is far more interesting than I ever thought it could be. Bonus: Choral version of Radiohead's "Creep."

-Oh hey. BP was involved in the release of the Libyan terrorist involved in PanAm Flight 103. BRB, vomiting forever.

-Twattoos This is "new and noteworthy"? I've seen them before. Yes, in person. And not at all recently.

-The cap on the leak seems to be holding. I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU, LEAK CAP.

-An essay on the sweat shop labor involved in "Fast Fashion," and ensuing comments. Wow, that escalated quickly. I killed a guy! (comments closed, but still worth a peek.)

-So far, I've watched the new episodes of Leverage, White Collar, and Covert Affairs. All are good. RM said Covert Affairs was "exhausting for its relentless heteronormativity." I watched the first episode with that in mind, and my god, she's right. It seemed like every single motivation was inspired by heterosexual love or lust. I'll watch more--it has Christopher Gorham!--but if everything is so one-note as it is now? I'll stop. That said, I like Annie Walker's dialogue. She's got snark to her, not dissimilar to Buffy Summers or Veronica Mars.

Sundries-a-go-go

-Morbo (my kitty) and I are settling into our new home. If his incessant purring is any indication, he'll be happy here.

-Can this be real? I want it to be real.

-In yesterday's Fandom Secrets post, there was this secret. It was merely text which reads, "I might not be an expert on this type of thing, but not telling me you were a guy until after we met at the con was a BAD MOVE."

In the comments, many people defend the friend for protecting his gender identity, but the OP comes in and clarifies that no, he was a straight cis-male who'd passed himself off as female. Even after the OP clarifies, there's a goodly number of comments still suggesting the friend was trans. It's an interesting read. (Note: I have no idea what the truth is, I just think it's a fascinating intersection of gender identity online vs. the real world, as well as the risks we take when we meet friends from the internet.)

-The Old Spice ad campaign has blown straight past "advertising" and into art. They are now responding to Tweets in Youtube videos. If we're supposed to let our money talk, then I will never buy any other brand of soap ever again.

-Improv everywhere does it again.

-This is going to get worse before it gets better. If it gets better.

-If this is true, I may vomit.

Sundries 2: Electric Boogaloo

-AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHH.

-More coherently, my plan for the day is this: Continue boxing and packing things, shower, take the boxes to FedEx (hooray granny cart!), hit Walgreen's for wee wee pads, and then CLEAN ALL THE THINGS.

Gee, when I put it like that, it seems almost doable. @_@

-A car full of people dressed as zombies crashed on Interstate 84 near downtown Portland on Friday, causing initial confusion by people who witnessed the crash (h/t Bart_Calendar)

-Being queer is not new. These pictures are amaaaazing. (h/t Supergee)

-There's a youtube vid in this link that I love. That is how you do a sexual violence prevention PSA.

-This essay, entitled "You people and your quaint little categories: Torchwood, Castle, Psych and modern male sexuality" is made of win, cheez-its, glitter, and awesome.

-I'd only seen the first image, but here are several photos of Lady Gaga in man drag. My love for her continues.

-Also, here is a
great essay about why she's great.

-Live near York, PA and in the market for a dog? I have it on good authority that she's a winner. OMG LOOKIT THAT FACE. She also has her Canine Good Citizen certification, so you know she'll be a good dog.

Sundries

-My boyfriend just informed me of this. OH MY GOD AWESOME. I recommend the videos of some of the recording sessions.

-No seriously. When I get a car, I'm totally getting a TomTom GPS.

-We've all seen this, yes? Okay, good.

-The UK Supreme Court has determined that gay, lesbian and bisexual asylum-seekers cannot be returned to countries where they would face persecution, today.

-I need to think about this. I agree with her complaint, and with the ruling. Hmm.

-PUT THE GD PHONE DOWN WHEN YOU DRIVE, PEOPLE.

-We've also all seen this, right?

-It looks like X-Men First Class will be rated W. For "What is this, I don't even?"

Jamie Oliver: Champion of the People or Fatphobic Mansplainer?

I confess, I haven't seen an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

I've heard two very contradictory opinions from sources I trust.

One point of view says that he's addressing a very real problem about the quality of food in schools, the growing dependence on pre-made meals, and worse, the growing ignorance of basic cooking skills.

The other point of view says that he's a privileged wankadoodle who thinks money and time grow on trees, and what is it any of his business what people eat or weigh?

Not having seen the show, but having opinions about this sort of topic, I imagine the truth is somewhere in the middle.

On his website, there is now a petition.

In one box, it has this message from Jamie: "If you care about the health of your children and the food they eat please sign this petition now."

In a box next to it is has this message "from you" for the petition: "Sign Jamie's petition to save cooking skills and improve school food.

I support the Food Revolution. America's kids need better food at school and better health prospects. We need to keep cooking skills alive."

I feel like those messages are contradictory.

Jamie's message conflates weight and health, which is a HUGE issue.

"Our" message demands better and more healthy food at schools, and to improve education on how to cook. That's kind of important.

Not to quote a truly bizarre source, but uh...did any of you ever see the movie Heavyweights?

It's about a kid who goes to a fat camp that got sold to a fitness madman (played hilariously by Ben Stiller in an obvious precursor to his role in Dodgeball), the kids stage a coup, and run the camp their way.

In their renewed vision of the camp, they have a fucking blast being kids in a warm, positive environment, and one of the clips in the montage includes a cooking class. Not a "how to cook low fat meals" class, but an honest to goodness class on how to cook food that tastes good.

I've seen with my own eyes people eat more healthfully once they start to learn to cook because they're caring about the quality of the components they're using, not which frozen meal is on special that week.

I realize this veers back into the "money and time don't grow on trees" category. However, I get the sense that part of "The Food Revolution" is a movement to bring better food options to underserved neighborhoods.

Anyway, I hope that the good intentions of this show and movement aren't paving a certain road. I hope that there's an understanding that weight and health aren't one and the same. I hope that there's an understanding that sometimes living off of canned and frozen items is all a person can do.

But I really hope that this show isn't all the bad that I've heard, and none of the good.

D'awww!

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 4x16 OF UGLY BETTY

On this week's episode, Justin had his first kiss. It was in a scene, but it was with a girl he liked, whose name is Lily.

Not long after, Justin has his second kiss. With his other friend from acting class, a boy named Austin.

I'll let the scene speak for itself.



It made me squee and it warmed my heart, and all I could think was OMG THEY'RE SHOWING A TEENAGE BOY HAVING HIS FIRST GAY KISS ON NETWORK TELEVISION. YAY!!!

I love that the writers "went there" with Justin. They've never pulled any punches with his character, and they've always written him to be a smart, kind, savvy kid, who's loved by his family no matter what.

It all makes me so happy!

Pups!

My roommate Erin, our friend Eileen, and I went to walk doggies in the park today.

I got this love muffin:


His name is Versace, and he's up for adoption at Sean Casey Animal Rescue.

This buddy is mellow as anything, an absolute love, and strong enough to make it through a 90+ minute walk through Prospect Park.

Whoever adopts him is a lucky, lucky person.

It's in the bag!

::facepalm::

A while back, I noticed that Forever 21 was suddenly ALL OWLS, ALL THE TIME. This was awesome.

I went to their website and searched "owl," and came up with dozens of lovely items. Mostly jewelry and the occasional printed tee, but then I found this:


Being in need of a nice, mid-size bag, I was ecstatic. Also, I've long coveted the Brooklyn Industries H-Bags, and not only was this an inexpensive knockoff, it was an inexpensive knockoff with owls.

I finally got around to ordering it, and it arrived today.

Imagine my surprise when I took it out of the packaging to realize it's huge.

In fact, it's of a size with the larger-than-necessary bags I was hoping it would replace.

Sigh.

Of course, I'm also a dumbass who didn't read the dimensions of the bag, clearly stated on the website.

Whatever, I have a cute owl bag. :-p

Misdirected Advertising -or- The Man I Could Smell Like

Hello from Gallifrey One!

It's a touch early for a con report, so instead, I have this tale to share...

So on Friday morning, we took our Bataan Death March out to the Ralph's for provisions.

While at Ralph's, I picked up a bottle of Old Spice body wash just to be able to rejoin the group, hold it up and start quoting the commercial.

And then I opened it and smelled and realized, Damn! That smells awesome! I want to smell like that!

So now I, a woman, have purchased the soap that smells like "the man my man could smell like."

I mean, I suppose Josh could use this and smell awesome, but he smells awesome naturally, so it's not something that's really a priority.

But I like to smell awesome, and I prefer musky scents, and hey, yeah, all right.

So now I've made a purchase, pretty directly influenced by a commercial, but as a woman, I've done exactly the opposite of the intent of said commercial.

And you know what? I'm sure I can't be the only one.

Awwww!

Kevin Smith talks to Natalie, the woman who got fat-shamed on his second flight. Smodcast here.

It's so cute. I want them to be bffs.

FLY, FATASS, FLY!!

While waiting for my connecting flight out of Atlanta last Tuesday (a rant of its own), I briefly spoke to a lovely young woman as we all tried to scout out the ever-elusive working outlet for our phones, laptops, etc. I say lovely because I thought she was pretty, and I really liked the shade of green she was wearing. Anyway, that's not important. What's important is she was heavy set. Once we boarded the plane I witnessed the following exchange:

Douchehat: Excuse me, flight attendant?

Flight Attendant: Yes?

Douchehat: Can I switch seats? The girl next to me is big. Really big.

Flight Attendant: Sorry, sir, you'll have to wait until the flight has boarded completely, and then you can switch seats if there is one available.

I must also note the flight attendant said this with her voice dripping with irritation. She sounded just as shocked and offended and I probably looked. Oh, and he was referring to that same woman I'd spoken to at the gate. Also, he said all of this loud enough that the back half of the plane heard him.

Nice, Douchehat.

The flight boarded, and there were a lot of empty seats (it was a late flight), and he ended up having the entire row right behind me to himself.

I almost wish I'd farted in his face.

So by now, you've probably all heard about Kevin Smith getting thrown off a Southwest Air flight on Saturday. (Link goes to the round up and discussion on Shapely Prose.)



I managed to catch the beginnings of this in almost-real time that night, thanks to Twitter. I was absolutely AGOG at what was happening. It was kind of a thing of beauty.

Here's a few other links you may want to check out, if you're interested in the unfolding of this beautiful PR nightmare:

• The Smodcast, in which Kevin Smith tells his tale. Warning: It's an hour and a half long. Worth it, though.


• Southwest's really awful and douchetastically titled "apology" post. Seriously, they TITLED it "Not So Silent Bob." IN AN APOLOGY POST. What?


• More bloggery by Kevin Smith himself.


• Linda, a Southwest Airlines rep wrote another apology blog post. It's better, but still not 100%.


• Even more bloggery from Kevin Smith

So yeah.

There's a lot of discussion to be had over a lot of the stuff being said by both parties. Kevin Smith doesn't apologize for being fat, but he'll often use misogynist or fat-shaming language in his ranting. But then he'll also go on to tell the story of the heavy woman on the flight he was allowed to stay on, who was sitting in his row. The flight attendant came by and tried to take the woman off the flight. Hearing Kevin Smith's ire over that situation was amazing. He also acknowledged his privilege as a man, and a rich one at that. He acknowledged that the average fat woman experiences harassment and discrimination that a fat man never would.

I can't wait to see how Southwest weathers this. It sounds like a LOT of people are taking their business elsewhere.