Merry Christmas!

Yahoo/Tumblr Censorship. RAGE!!!

I'm so ridiculously upset right now.  Tumblr removed one of my photos for no goddamn discernible reason.  According to le boyfriend, this has been happening to a lot of people recently... so I think it's safe to say that this is all a result of the buyout by Yahoo.

Fuck you.

:(

The offending picture

Excuse me for not knowing that pink fucking hot cocoa was so offensive to your delicate sensibilities.


This may not seem like a big deal to some of you... but getting over 5K notes as a non-tumblr famous person is a big fucking deal.  Even if I post it again, I probably won't get close to that many notes.  Plus, all the blogs that had reblogged this image had the potential to generate traffic for my blog, and now I've lost that.  This hurts my blog a lot more than if they had removed just about any other image. So yeah... fuck them.

Hi

Apparently I am on a date with Megan and didn't know it.  Also, apparently I am a guy?  Idek

Things I wish would disappear from Goth Culture

Why is the whole "corrupt nun" thing so popular?  I'm so sick of seeing it pop up in gothic culture or around Halloween time.  I mean I get it, sort of.  You want to rebel against Christianity.  Profane the Sacred.  Show that what people think is holy is actually infernal.  So cute, so witty, so over it.

Of course it's rarely ever male priests/monks.  It's almost always women.  With big boobs barely covered.  Just another flimsy excuse to objectify women while hiding behind the guise of free-thinking, satirical intellectual. 

Christmas Shopping with Mom

Me: What's your Amazon password?  Is it X?

Mom: What password?  Oh, it's Y.

Me: No it's not.  Is it X?

Mom: No no, it's Y.

Me: Oh look, X worked.  I told you it was X.

Mom: I don't want you knowing my passwords.

Me: Well if I didn't know them, you wouldn't fucking know them.

Mom: Oh... then what's this password for?

Me: Your account

Mom: What account?

Me: Your Amazon account?

Mom: Why do I need an account?

Me: So you can order things

Mom: Oh, so X is my account?

Me: No, X is your password.  For your account.  You type in your email and password to log in.

Mom: Why do I need a password/account?

Me: You don't want just anyone using your credit card on here.

Mom: My credit card's on there?

Me: No it's not saved yet.  I don't have to save it.  But still, you don't want anyone in your account.  I don't want you in mine.

Mom: Well I'd pay you back.

Me: You wouldn't have to if you used your card with my account.  I just don't want you messing up my settings.  I know you would.

Mom: Oh... so now I have an account?  So now I can order things on my own?

Me: Yes, I made it for you months ago!  Don't you remember?

Mom: No.....

Me: WTF?!  It was a very traumatic experience.  How do you not remember??!

Mom: I don't

Me: You specifically asked me to come over.  You said you couldn't make an account because it kept giving you my email address and saying it was taken.  You don't remember any of this?!

Mom: No

Me: (staring in horror as I realize this is my future: fucking dementia)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Wicked Road Trip

My mother did something amazing and wonderful and fantastic for us.  She bought us tickets to Wicked!!!

We went up to Cleveland with her and her bestie.  Now, I've seen my share of Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, but this was Tyler's first big production and it did not disappoint!  We loved every minute of it.  The script, the costumes, the singing - all phenomenal!

Winter is brrr

It's so rare that I'm a passenger

He thought he could escape my camera.  Foolish mortal

Now that I've seen the play, I really want to read the books.  I loved the world they built.  It's actually more interesting to me than the real Wizard of Oz.  Of course, I've also been extra hyped up to see this after reading Namesake, which takes its own twist of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.  I highly recommend it.

OotD: Baby put on heart-shaped sunglasses

1. Sole Plot Short Boot, BKE, Buckle, in Boots
2. Rainbow Feather Top, Forever 21, Forever 21, in Forever 21 Shirts
3. Polka Dot Heart Sunglasses, Rue 21, in Polka Dot Eyewear
4. Purple Feather Earrings, Vanity, in Jewelry

This was part of the crazy night at Megan's apartment.  The shot of the boots came later, once I was home, because I hadn't worn them to the mall that night.

I really love the watercolor look to the feathers on my shirt.  They remind me of the wallpaper in my childhood bedroom.  It was just random brushstrokes of color that looked like pile of pastel melted ice cream.  There's something oddly soothing about it.

The War on the War on Christmas

This latest addition to the War on Christmas is brought to you by the heathens... literally.

One of my more conservative pagan friends was posting a supposed quote by Ben Stein.  At first, I found myself enjoying the quote, mostly agreeing with it, and finding Ben Stein to have a nice, moderate approach that I would expect from him.  Then things got weird...

I couldn't understand why Ben Stein, an intellectual and a very Jewish man, was going on a Christian Conservative rant.  Yeah, that got my suspicions raised, but luckily this was a lot easier to debunk than the last post.  Snopes popped up almost immediately with this beautiful gem:

Snopes: Confessions for the Holidays

Everyone can now sleep well knowing that Ben Stein hasn't turned into a Christian Conservative politico hellbent on bringing back God to our schools and corporal punishment to our homes.

Also, THERE IS NO WAR ON CHRISTMAS.

war on christmas

 It's that time of year again.  When the conservatives post "War on Christmas" tripe all over your Facebook newsfeed.

This year's article started as a Fox News opinion piece:  http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/12/05/school-bans-christmas-trees-colors-red-green/

Supposedly a school in the Frisco school district was having a holiday party that banned 'Merry Christmas', Christmas trees, and the colors red and green.  It's pretty much the holy grail of "War on Christmas" stories.  Think of the children!

It seemed a little too good to be true, so I tried to find other news sources that were covering the story.  But every single news article I found could trace its source for information back to that very same Fox News article:

http://inagist.com/all/408817627578896384/
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t1009590/
http://conservativehideout.com/2013/12/07/nichols-elementary-school-frisco-texas-bans-christmas-trees-even-colors-red-green/

There was also a suspicious trend with all these news sources that were covering the story... hmm.

So aside from conservative blogs, religious blogs, or racist blogs, there really wasn't any well known, legitimate news source covering the story.

And then, in a funny twist of fate, I stumbled upon a story from 2005 in which Bill O'Reilly falsely reported a similar story.  I was just about to give up my search and write this off as some stupid misunderstanding or hoax, but without proof, when this article single-handedly became my impetus to resume my search.  Surely if I could find this gem, I could dig up more.

And that's when I found the Frisco Independent School District's official response to Fox News' accusations:

http://www.friscoisd.org/news/2013/12/05/holidays-in-schools


Enjoy the read, guys.  And tl;dr?  THERE IS NO WAR ON CHRISTMAS

OotD: We Were Born to Die

This was the summer of Lana Del Rey.

http://lookbook.nu/look/3116001-Forever-21-Black-Ruffle-Collared-Shirt-Vanity

My boyfriend was still living in another state and the weather was cold, but Megan and I were already gearing up for a ridiculous summer.  We had just finished raiding the mall before returning to her apartment in what passes for a big city around here.  Later that year I would be interning as a fashion photographer for my friend's start-up jewelry/accessories company, with the Born to Die album more often than not blasting from my car stereo as I commuted to an actual big city for the photo-shoots.  It was the seminal album of that year.

I'm not sure why I had my camera on me that night.  Had this supposedly impromptu photo-shoot been our plan all along?  Perhaps.  I remember coffee and choco-wine and battling Jason with my sparkly $1 wand from Target.  In between the shenanigans we managed to take some photos for Lookbook.  This was probably one of the more sane coordinates of the night.

Forever 21: black ruffled collar shirt, black sun hat
Vanity: purple feather earrings
Rue 21: polka dot heart shaped sunglasses

OotD: Carry Me, Ohio

Carry Me, Ohio

I think this is a really good outfit to start with since it represents something significant in my life.  This was taken outside of my boyfriend's old apartments, before he moved 6 hours away just to be with me.  I loved going down to visit and exploring the city.  There was also something special about having such limited time together.  It made us have to really focus on each other, even more so than other new couples.  But I wouldn't trade it for where we're at now.  Nothing beats having him here with me every day and being able to share experiences with him rather than just telling him about them over the phone.  To me, this picture represents our journey from two silly kids on the computer to something deeper.  A reminder to cherish the past, but also 'look at how far we've come.'

In this picture I'm wearing a cowl neck sweater from Forever 21 with ripped leggings and a fake leather jacket (also Forever 21) to give it an edge and make it more "me."  The grey boots are from JCPenney's and are probably my most complimented footwear next to my spikey boots.  Sadly, wearing them to work is really taking a toll on them.  I'm not sure how much longer they'll last.  The earrings, though a bit hard to see, are little clear hearts with strips of colorful foil paper inside.  They make me think of art class.

Frustrated and word-less

I keep logging on here and staring at the blank page of a potential new blog.  I work on blogs in my head while I'm at work or on the road, but by the time I get to a computer screen I have completely lost the thought... or the nuances of the thought.  It's becoming increasingly frustrating.

And it's not like these thoughts are gone forever.  Putting myself back in the setting I was in when I had that thought can often revive it.  But there doesn't seem to be a way of hanging onto them.  If only I could blog at work... or have someone take notes for me while I'm driving/in the shower/etc.

Semi-related to this, I've been thinking a lot lately about doing an Outfit-of-the-Day kind of thing.  Except not quit literally because there would be repeats, boring work clothes, and pajama days.  But I'd at least like to have this blog synced up with my lookbook.  I feel like there's often a lot of good shots I can include or stories I want to tell about certain outfits or pieces.  Does anyone else do OotD posts that could share some ideas on formatting and execution?

In other news, I posted an article about transgender celebrities speaking out about transgender representation in media... and now "hotamateurshemales" is following my tumblr.  Thanks, internet.  Way to miss the point there.

eyes

Phosphenes and Hypnagogic Imagery

I found this article really interesting since I always wondered what the heck to call this stuff.  Most of the time when I close my eyes, I just get a pretty basic dark swirl with speckles of light (depending on the actual light sources in the room)... but sometimes I actually get some pretty intricate patterns.  It's fascinating what your brain does.

Reading about this made me wondering if there's a name for another eye phenomenon I experience.  Sometimes when I'm sitting down and staring at, for example, a blemish on my leg or something else tiny, I'll be so focused on it that I won't even notice how clear and large it is.  My vision is completely filled up by this formerly small expanse, as if my nose is almost touching it.  Then I'll look away for some reason and when I look back at the spot, it's back to being tiny and far away, with a much broader area in my peripheral.  So what's it called when your eyes perform this telescopic feat?  I've always been curious (and would certainly like to know if there's a way to control it).

October in pictures

Halloween this year was both super fun and kind of disappointing.  I feel like we just didn't get to do as much as last year... and the boyfriend's new work schedule made it impossible to take him to any Saturday night events, which left me pretty bummed.  Oh, and did I mention getting sick just in time for the holiday?  Yeah, there was that too.

birthday girl

What little we did do was really fun though.  And I think my last minute costume turned out pretty spectacular (thanks to the super awesome birthday present from le boyfriend).

http://lookbook.nu/ritualcoffee

Neovictorian Vampire Hunter and King Mob

kill all the vampires!

We also attended the wedding of one of my best friends from high school.  It's about damn time!  (I'm really happy for her! :3)

le boyfriend and I

3V forever. (that's the bride in the middle)

Probably one of my favorite events of the month was our trip to Conneaut's Ghost Lake, which is a series of haunted houses set up in the old theme park.  Last year had been really disappointing because the hotel (supposedly legit haunted) and the lake shore were all blocked off.  I think there had been a fire or something.  This year everything was back up and running (aside from one attraction) so it was once again spectacular.  I'm pretty sure our group was more obnoxious fun than any of the plethora of teenagers huddled in line with us.  And that was even before we stopped at the hotel bar halfway through.  Look, it was frickin' cold out!  And the bar was very warm...

It was seriously cold though.  Probably the coldest night so far this autumn.  I kept molesting le boyfriend for warmth.  Dave ended up buying a $5 women's winter set for himself and we kept trying to stick the hat on things because it was so ridiculous looking.  Jason had specifically worn one of his devilish Black Craft Cult shirts and insisted on exposing it whenever there was black light... while simultaneously dancing.  And then we saw the most epic collection of posters at the dart game in the midway.  It is best described by this song:

The guy at the booth was really cool though.  I took home the wolf poster.

Once again... Fuck you, DC

 In case you've been living under a rock, DC comics is refusing to let Batwoman marry her longtime girlfriend, citing flimsy, bullshit excuses.  Story here.  Well, I have some words to say about this.

Read the entire thread here: http://the-funeral-party.tumblr.com/post/60572325584/discowing-elfgrove-gabzilla-z

"Heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests.”
“That’s very important and something we reinforced,” he continued. … It’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside. That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand.”—-Dan Didio, Baltimore Comic Con in response the anti-marriage edict at DC Comics

If that’s truly their position, I want to know how they can justify their characters having ANY sort of personal relationships (because they all have some sort of personal relationships despite what Didio’s response might imply)?  Why does it only become a problem when the word “marriage” is involved?  Either DC is full of short-sighted hypocrites or a bunch of people who have no idea how relationships actually work.  Their response devalues the relationships that all their characters have established, essentially relegating these personal relationships to meaningless cannon fodder as long as the “M” word isn’t involved.  Because apparently, according to DC, these relationships don’t count and don’t interfere with the hero until they become marriages (which is like super serious for grown-ups only stuff).

Furthermore, as my boyfriend pointed out, heroes get married all the time only to have their relationship end in divorce, death, or simply a villain interrupting the wedding.  So even if DC is committed to keeping their heroes unhappy, they can still have a wedding and let tragedy strike later.  DC, you have no leg to stand on here.

To sacrifice all personal relationships for the goal of being a hero is not noble; it’s narcissistic.

*It's kinda sad how much I and other people use the tag "fuck you dc". 

The VMAs: A Short Review

http://kdrauhlgomez.tumblr.com/post/59356071330

http://kdrauhlgomez.tumblr.com/post/59356071330

 

 

My Current Loves

I want to take a moment to share with you some things I love and the endeavors of my lovely friends.

My dear, dear friend Megan over at Star Above Muted Worlds is now selling Kitsy Lane jewelry.  Ask her nicely and she might have some spare coupons left over.  You should go check out her website now while she has some sweet flash sales going on: https://anadelis.kitsylane.com/

Another friend of mine, David K., is having a sale on his Pop Art style paintings over on his Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/davidkdecadentdesign

Use this code for 50% off: FACEBOOKAUGUST

And, of course, there is my own venture into direct sales.  I've recently become an independent consultant for Scentsy!

Creepy Crawly: the BEST warmer ever!

For those of you who've never heard of it, Scentsy is a system of scented wax and wax warmers, in addition to bath and body products, home goods, and plushies.  Actually, it's a lot more awesome and expansive than I can describe it, so just go take a look at my website and browse the catalog: click here 

August is sale month so in addition to this being your last chance to buy summer items, products are 10% off.  But the super awesome Creepy Crawly warmer, and the rest of the Fall/Winter collection, won't be available until September 1st.



Aaaaand one last love because holy crap am I obsessed!  Welcome to Night Vale.

If you aren't listening to this yet, I'm just going to assume you've been living under a rock.  Welcome to Night Vale is the most popular podcast in the U.S.  It's a Lovecraftian tale created and produced by Commonplace Books.  It revolves around the affable radio show host Cecil, his crush (the ever perfect and beautiful scientist Carlos), and the often horrifying goings on in the dystopian desert town of Night Vale.


11 Reasons You Should be Listening to Welcome to Night Vale

America's Most Popular Podcast: What the internet did to "Welcome to Night Vale"

 I agree with the last article's astute observation that tumblr helped Welcome to Night Vale catch it's big break... but I have to disagree with the fandom.  While Hannibal is a popular fandom, it's popularity and obsessive tendencies pale in comparison to the Homestuck fandom.  Judging by my own dashboard, I'd say it was the Homestuck people that catapulted it to fame.  :P

Black and Teal

Behold!  Our new coffee pot!

Le boyfriend and I were out shopping the other day because we had a coupon.  And it's a peccad* to let it go to waste so we totally needed to spend it on something.  After he failed to find a new shirt, and then the shoes he liked weren't in his size, I was about ready to give up.  Then he saw the coffeemakers across the aisle.

We've been talking on and off about getting a full sized one because our little 6 cup machine just isn't cutting it when we have friends over.  I keep putting it off because all the machines these days are crazy complicated compared to the $10 one I had in college and I keep forgetting to research Amazon reviews.  But when I saw that they had a coffeemaker in the exact shade of teal that I'm using as an accent color in the kitchen, I was pretty much sold.  Even more so when I saw between the coupon and the sale that we'd be getting it for half off.  So even without a single review for this model, we went ahead and purchased it.

For the most part, it was an excellent purchase.  It's not as complicated as I feared, it's frikkin adorable, and it makes a good cup of coffee.  However, there is one glaring negative.  OK, so you know how a lot of coffeemakers lose a bit of water to evaporation or whatnot so you always have to go a little above the fill line in order to get the full 12 cups?  Well this one is no different except... it has the fucking vent holes in the back of the water reservoir just above the 12 cup mark.  So you can't overfill it!!!  It's super damned annoying.  And I totally ended up with water pouring off my kitchen counter... which is how I discovered this in the first place.  *sigh*  Oh well, at least it looks cute.

* Phonetically spelling Italian dialects is ridiculously tough.  FYI, the proper Italian is "peccato".

I've finally reached the breaking point.

"How to Internet" by My Mom

So my mother decides she wants to order a replacement light for her makeup mirror.  It's a special size and shape so she has no choice but to use the internet to find one.  That was her first mistake...

My mom finds one on Amazon, but she doesn't want to use my account (finally!) so she has to make her own account.  I guess, according to her, I was supposed to show her how, but she never remembers when I'm over to visit. 

Anyway, she brings the computer into the kitchen while I'm finishing dinner and tells me how it won't let her make a new account.  I find this hard to believe, but I ask her to explain.  She claims that every time she tries to make a new account, it gives her my account and all these messages that her email is already tied to an account.  Well, that gets me wondering if her email was somehow tied to my account from back when I was under 18. 

I ask her to click the "create account" link.  She clicks it and everything works fine.  She's able to create her new account.  "But it didn't do that when you weren't here!" she cries.  It took me a minute but I realized what had been happening earlier is that the browser was auto-filling in my email address when she was undoubtedly clicking the "log in" button instead.

OK, so now she has an account.  She's all set, right?  Ha.  Ha ha.  HAHAHAHAHA.

The light is already saved in her cart so she proceeds to checkout.  She's laboring painfully on the payment page.  I start to pace and peek over her shoulder, to ensure she doesn't do something stupid like send a million dollars to a Nigerian scam artist.

"I'm not stupid."   Oh?  "The reason I go so slow is not because I don't know what I'm doing but because I can't see."  She's totally wearing her glasses FYI.  "When you get old you just can't see these little things."  Uh huh...

I squint a little at the computer screen.  "Mom, your name isn't 'Vias'." 

Seriously... "The 'name on card' isn't Visa either.  It's YOUR name.  You type your name there."  So much for not being able to see.

We finally get through the payment and she gets to the receipt screen.  She proceeds to bookmark it.  "Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm bookmarking this page in case I don't get the email."

"Mom, those expire after a while.  Why don't you just print the page?"

"No, it's never expired for me before.  I don't want to print it."

"Fine......................  Well, why don't you just open a new tab and see if you've gotten the email yet?"

"Huh?"

"Click the plus sign!  It opens a new tab in your browser.  You can check your email WHILE keeping this receipt page up!"  I'm close to hyperventilating at this point... trust me, reading a typed out version does not do justice to the actual experience of dealing with my mother.

"I didn't know you could do that."  Of course not.

So we go into her email and she starts bitching about all the spam emails she gets from various online shopping sites.  I can sympathize.  I've had to unsubscribe from a lot of companies I really like because I just can't keep up with the volume of useless emails they send me.  So I suggest that she lets me help her unsubscribe from their email lists.

"No.  I want to order from them someday."

"Mom... you don't need to be on their mailing list to order from their website.  Just let me unsubscribe you!"

She proceeds to delete the email and gets all flustered.  "No no.  I don't want you to touch anything.  I have my reasons."  Which I'm pretty sure is code for 'I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.'

Once again I have lost the battle of the internet to mom.

boredom

So I'm all like "Yeah!  I need to follow all my friends on Pinterest!"

*looks at friends' Pinterest boards*

"Nope.  I'm good."

I'm a girl and I will pwn your ass

Between the Trayvon Martin case's verdict, Cory Monteith's death, and Kyle Massey's cancer scare (don't worry, it turns out it's not true!), last night and this morning have been hell on my emotions.  So given that I'm already on high alert, I've been very hard not to get aggressive in online debates.

But it's sooooooo tempting!

Normally I don't leave comments on public groups.  It's a policy that's served me well.  Why do I occasionally decide to break that policy?  Why?  (But to be honest, the conversations with my friends right now are certainly more taxing.)  And of course it's regarding a charged topic for me (even if it's not charged for other people).  Everyone's being really nice and polite so i feel like an uncouth bitch for feeling so aggressive internally... but my emotions aren't completely without reason either.

It's a feminist topic in a female-specific space, but men are still allowed to post there, provided that they follow the rules.  I had just seen one of the men make a sexualized comment on a woman's avatar earlier today which really irked me.  She laughed it off and seemed not to mind the attention, which is her prerogative, but there are more appropriate places for that interaction.  I thought this was a safe space, and that interaction made me feel like it's not.  Yes, this is slightly off-topic, but I bring it up to further illustrate my frame of mind.

So we get onto a topic of female representation in the gaming community and it's really interesting.  There's a lot of statistics flying around fast and loose.  I bring forth some actual statistics from official sources and link them like a good little academic.  One of the other women posits a hypothesis based on the statistics that people have presented, but then one of the men responds that he thinks she's being overly optimistic.  The basis for his inference rests on a statistic regarding social gaming.  Without having any links for reference, I strongly disagreed with what I interpreted to be his definition of social gaming: ie, games on social networking sites and smartphones.  From what I've read, social gaming refers to games that have a social aspect.  So while it does include Farmville and other cooperative games on social networking sites, it also includes MMORPGS and shooters that allow you to cooperate or compete with people around the world.  It really doesn't matter how any of us personally feels that social gaming should be defined in this situation.  The only thing that matters is what was meant by the statistics being used to justify further conclusions.  There was also nothing in the statistics I presented that indicated someone who plays a social networking game wouldn't also play on another gaming platform (have I played Facebook games while waiting for the boat or a long-ass flight path?  You better believe I'm guilty).  So while I still feel a little unsure of what exactly he believes without quizzing him, I felt he was implying that the majority of female gamers were just Candy Crush Saga players skewing the statistics.

The overall point that 30 year old women were a larger demographic than teenage boys currently (from the ESA stats I posted) and thus it would be advisable for the gaming industry to pay attention to their wants as they had more income at their disposal was fine.  I just don't care for the idea that the majority want Farmville 3.  Honestly, writing this blog has calmed me down quite a bit.  But there's still this lingering feeling that the responses had a tone of "mansplaining" to them, which it what initially got under my skin... and it was only furthered by other people derailing the conversation before I could get this guy to clarify his position and cite his sources.  So yeah, calmer now but still frustrated.

The other thing that seriously frustrated me today is the amount of women who will chime in and say they have never been harassed while playing video games (without further commentary in support of those who have been harassed).  Good for you.  You've probably never been raped either that but doesn't mean it's not still a real problem.  That doesn't mean that it's appropriate for you to chime in with "I've never been raped" whenever a discussion on the topic occurs.  You're derailing a serious issue and undermining efforts to bring it to the forefront of the public's attention.  Are you looking for brownie points from someone?  Because you're not getting them from me.

Harassment in online gaming is a serious issue.  The details may change from year to year, but it hasn't been wiped out.  You may never personally experience it, but there are those who have, who've had their gaming experience ruined, and even been made to feel unsafe in some cases.  Honestly, there's a lot less "OMG You're a girl!" bullshit these days than back during vanilla WoW, but stereotypes about healers vs tanks, noobs, and general sexual harassment still persist.  I play video games to relax and have fun.  I don't want to feel stressed out and on guard like I would at some shady dudebro bar (which you'd have to drag me to kicking and screaming).  I purposely avoid places that cater to those kind of guys, which is easy since those activities don't interest me.  But gaming is in my goddamn blood.  I won't relinquish my game worlds to a bunch of overgrown manchild fedoras.  This is my space too, and I won't give it up without a fight.

Done.

George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty In Shooting Death of Trayvon Martin

I'm so upset right now.  How in the fuck did the jury come to that conclusion?

I ask that partially in all seriousness because I am by no means an expert on Florida law, but also as a rhetorical because I seriously cannot conceive how George Zimmerman did not get charged with manslaughter.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperfect_self-defense

http://www.naacp.org/page/s/doj-civil-rights-petition?utm_medium=email&utm_source=NAACP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin

http://www.amsterdamnews.com/news/national/fight-continues-for-retrial-for-florida-s-marissa-alexander-in/article_f843ae58-d436-11e2-a5a8-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/14/1223449/-Armchair-Quarterbacking-the-Zimmerman-Trial-Where-did-the-Prosecution-Go-Wrong#
[update - 7/14/13]

The State of Something

I believe that the church made suicide a sin because if they hadn't then what would stop people from taking a shortcut to a happier (after)life.  As Thomas Hobbes put it, life in the state of nature is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."  But it's really not any better under the social contract either, at least for most of us.





I'm an atheist.

Freedom and Equality, Fuck Yeah!

I can't think of a more utterly appropriate song for right now than The Distillers' "Seneca Falls."

While you're out there celebrating the birth of this nation (if you're American), I hope you take a moment in the midst of your drunken patriotism to remember that the fight for freedom and equality is not yet over.

For more delicious history, head on over to Meg's blog and get yourself educated with today's delightful entry:

Feminism, Equal Rights, and insulting the past when you say you’re not one: A Historical Perspective

Epic Win

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/texas-abortion-bill_n_3501005.html

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76456518/

Gregor Samsa

[on the topic of bugs in the apartment]

Le boyfriend: You're going to wake up tomorrow morning...

Me: No.  Stop it!  I have nightmares about this kind of shit.

Le boyfriend: ... and you're going to wake up next to a giant bug.

Me: Kafka, you are not.

Le boyfriend: What?

Me: Kafka?  The Metamorphosis?

Le boyfriend: Never heard of it.

Me: Did your school teach you nothing?!

Le boyfriend: No!  We've gone over this.  My school taught me nothing.

Le boyfriend: It was just a place to babysit your kids while the parents did drugs.

Wendy Davis

I just want you all to know that history is happening right now.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57590966/texas-senator-wendy-davis-filibusters-against-abortion-bill/

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/06/wendy-davis-begins-filibuster-to-stop-omnibus-abortion-bill.html/

http://albinwonderland.tumblr.com/post/53891512410/thegaminething-wendy-davis-has-been-called

How can you help?

Share your story: https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/petition.aspx?X=mfnxb8Ng0l8=

Send your support: https://twitter.com/WendyDavisTexas

Fangtastic

One of my friends invited us over her house to watch the True Blood season premiere and eat some delicious noms.  JD made this wonderful pasta primavera and sangria.

JD's "Fangtasia" sign

JD's caramel chocolate cupcake graves

close enough

Dairy Queen ice cream cake.... mmmm

bite me, Jason

We ended up watching Rock of Ages after the we finished True Blood.  Jason hated it.  So much in fact that he drove to my apartment and put that sticky note on my back door.  I guess it wasn't punk rock enough for him.  Sorry, dude, the rest of us loved it.  You just don't get the genre.  :P

Zack & Kirsten's Wedding

One of my best friends got married this weekend to the most wonderful girl.  I can't imagine a more perfect couple (which is usually not something I say despite it being a popular rote response for others).  I'm really glad they found each other.

Cake... om nom nom

making it all official and shit

the crew

Indian food... best idea EVER

le boyfriend

chilling by the river

shenanigans in the photo booth