My body, their problem

On my way to school—after I ran over a runner’s foot, seriously!—I rode past posters of the Virgin Mary and anti-abortion protesters. These champions of life were staked out across for the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England because Tuesday is not only my least favorite day; it is the day surgical abortions are performed at PPNNE. I should have run over their feet.
First, the Virgin Mary: one of the reasons that women are damned is that the cornerstone of our Christian society is based on the “fact” that one of us gave birth to the Lamb of God without having sex. Ladies, you are responsible for holding up the morality of this great world, so keep your legs together.
Some of us will have little brats, but not Jesus No. 2. Still, there are many who believe procreating is all we should do. Some British twat argues that Bridget Jones has ruined British families. Essentially, Bridge has inspired a generation of women—chain-smoking women with bottoms the size of Brazil, presumably—to be independent. And surely, there is nothing more frightening that a woman who knows how to put one foot in front of another—without the aid of a man.
Whether you believe conception begins at life or it’s just a bunch of cells, abortion, after all, is about independence. To have the control over our reproductive rights is the independence every woman deserves.

Ha! Sigh.

To understand the financial crisis, Emle Che. She's almost as sexy as Anderson Cooper.

I Really Don't Like Sarah Palin

When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the small town began billing sexual-assault victims for the cost of rape kits and forensic exams.

Also:

Sarah Palin Is Not A Feminist

‘There is no postfeminism—that’s like saying post-democracy.’
—Gloria Steinem

read more:
In Conversation: Gloria Steinem and Suheir Hammad

All Tomorrow's Parties

"Let's have a sexy party"-Stewart Gilligan Griffin

From Gawker:
Did the parties used to be better?

Autumn

I went to the park on a bright fall day to collect crunchy red leaves with children.

R.I.P. TRL

For those old enough to remember a pleasantly plump Carson Daly and videos played in their entirety probably won't be sad to know that Total Request Live is going off the air. It's the end of an era, really: George Bush was just a goofy governor from Texas; Iraq was a country, not a war; investment bankers could still afford $15 cocktails and $300 hookers; and your sister, in her Catholic school uniform, threw her digital watch at the television when the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" debuted at a measly no. 8.

So goodbye screaming teens and crush-worthy Carson. You made my 3:00-4:00 pm special.

Post-Rock Thursday

During their loud and raucous release of kinetic energy, with bloody fingers, sweaty shirts and a dismembered drum set, I couldn't help but wonder if boys really do get to be more alive.

Lipstick

I honestly think that we select politicians based on whether or not they could, in some way, be impersonated by a cast member of SNL.
And we've totally lucked out.

Another Brick in the Wall

In other depressing news

Vampire Weekend and Wolf Parade better up their indie ante.

One of the Sweetest (Legal) Jobs Ever

So it's 8:12 pm on a Sunday night, and I'm camped out on Google Reader listening to Animal Collective, eating a delicious savory tart and GETTING PAID FOR IT. Just how can you get twelve tax free dollars an hour plus free internet and dinner?
Babysitting.
I've got two toddlers feet away from me-- that have been sleeping since I walked in the door! Their adorable parents, who own the greatest literature and record collection I've ever seen, are so happy to get out of the house for some adult conversation and a chance to get drunk on nine dollar cocktails that they're all too happy to throw some crisp twenties at me for spending four hours with my laptop and a copy of The Believer.
What better way to spend one's post-college existence than reading about the collapsing economy in peace while realizing once and for all that I don't want kids?
But in the meantime I think I'll troll craig's list for dudes with great record collections who might one day make hot dads.

7 yrs later

"Bush's post-attack strategy to transform the world has squandered our resources, buried us in debt and poses a greater strategic threat than bin Laden ever did."
- The Nation

20th century feminism

‘A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after.' Gloria Steinem

This quote is decades old but still relevant.

Self/World

"Buddhists have this concept of non-self that I find useful. If you watch yourself you realize the self is a process of sensations and thoughts and identifications which change from moment to moment.

"...And now religion is an important factor in the problem of how humans can live more sustainably with each other on the planet. I’m interested in the ways religions are trying to address that issue.

"...I’m interested in re-enchantment both as a scholar and as a human. We’re missing something by not having some sense of enchantment and meaningful connection in our lives, in our relationships to places and to other non-human beings. If you want to call that paganism, feel free to.

"Or call it animism. I like the term animism because it focuses on the animate, on our animality — which is what humans are: animals among other animals. We are social beings living in an extended society of beings who don’t all speak the same languages.

"We enchant the world already — we give power to certain ways of thinking and being, investing it in cars and consumer products and brand names and armies. We give them all a tremendous amount of emotional and psychic power, what Freud would call libidinal investments that end up controlling our lives. All those things that are consuming the world to death are doing it because we enchant them with our fears and our desires. If we learned to give some of that power and meaning to the other critters we share the planet with, and to the lakes and mountains and rock formations and forests around us, things might change for the better."

-- Adrian Ivakhiv

scrapbooking, hunting, down syndrome, etc.

PalinDrome

18th Century Perverts

(Edvard Koinberg, Herbarium Amoris)

Flowers are nothing other than the breeding organs of plants, yet with that difference from those of animals, which we regard as so foul that witnessing them awakens shame, so that, in animals, nature has in most cases found a way to cover them up.

On the other hand, in the plant kingdom these parts are not hidden but instead firmly exhibited for all to see, Oh, yes! These are, above all the other parts of plants, those which are most delectable and most delightful, warmly attracting our desires, appreciation and viewing. 

Just as the sexual organs of animals smell and are odorous during lust, so do the breeding organs of plant also give off a vapour, which in each and every sort is different but which is so delightful, and for some so refreshing that they feel they are drinking the sweetest nectar through their nose. 

-Carl Linnaeus

from Jezebel.com

"...for a certain kind of feminist, Palin is a symbol for everything we hoped was not true in the world anymore. We hoped that we didn't have to hide our ambition or pretend that our goals were effortlessly achieved ("I never really set out to be in public affairs, much less to run for this office," the Governor has said.) We hoped that we could be mothers without having our motherhood be our defining characteristic, as it seems to be for Palin. We hoped that we did not have to be perfect beauty queens to get to where we wanted to be in life, that our looks, good or bad, wouldn't matter. Whether or not you think it's appropriate to comment on Palin's appearance, the fact of her attractiveness exists, and is being used to her advantage by Republican sloganeers ("the hottest Governor in the coldest state," et. al)."

Yay UVM!!

UVM is green!
And they thought all we had to offer was a major in jambandery with a minor in cannabis production and distribution.

(I'd like to think that now maybe I can get a job.)

ILL tattz

"The best tattoo I've ever seen in my life was a shark sitting on a La-Z-Boy, smoking a bong, with a tribal tattoo on its fin. Every element of that is retarded—and thus, it's timeless."

The Republican Party is Eric Cartman.

Not a pregnant teenager or even an American; but a ginger.

The following is a comment about a New York Times article regarding Sarah Palin's 17-year old pregs daughter:

"The Republican Party is Eric Cartman. Specifically the episode where Cartman rips on “ginger kids” and then wakes up to find he has become one (as part of a prank to get him to learn his lesson). Instead of learning his lesson, he goes on a “Red Power” rampage and threatens to kill all non-Gingers…until he finds out he isn’t one, and then just says “hey, let’s all just get along.” It is THAT level of hypocrisy, and the fact that the Republicans have been gleefully getting away with it for so long now, that has many of us outraged by their actions and their spin."

Sort of a crush, really.
More to follow on the hypocrisy of the Republican party and gingers, too.

A little dessert, just for you

love, me

me: i think we should troll for dudes on craigs list

more or less awkward than real lifee?

bellatierra: less

me: hmmm

bellatierra: my ad: i want to fuck you, you want to fuck me, i don't have a house, you don't want to use a condom

let's find a middle ground people!!!

me: if they're that great, why are they on craigslist> what if we're the only non-mouthbreathers on it?

bellatierra: and by middle ground i mean the park!!!

me: WHAT IF WE ARE MOUTHBREATHERS?>

bellatierra: preferably close to my damn crazy relative's house so i don't have to waste gas cuz it's all like eXpEnSiVe!!!!11

me: LOL!!!11 yeah condoms R 4 LOOZERZ

across the street

bellatierra: hahahaha

me: nice delias type

bellatierra: LOOOZERZ

me: i am disgusted by this

bellatierra: i like how i just typed hahaha

and how you ref'd delias

me: and am going to start a blog right now and post this shit

bellatierra: i always felt too fat to even receive that catalog in the mail

me: DISGUSTING

BRILLIANT

bellatierra: delia*s

me: haha I KNOW-- NERUOSES!@@@

bellatierra: OMG

me: I didn't feel fat, but i thought I should SO I DID@@@@@@@!!!!!!!!JKFRJNRGJMF

bellatierra: CAN'T SHIT THE GENIUS OUT FAST ENOUGH GAAAHHHH@##@%#@%@#%@#

me: apparently google chat is like a damn laxative

now we'll see ads for laxatives and gary

bellatierra: i'm going to try to embarrass google with my dirty emails

maybe if i talk about anal fucking they'll direct me to some cool sites

ps i feel like i can't say any of this outloud

what does that make me?

MONSTERRRRRR

Sent at 10:56 PM on Sunday

me: no, just a prisoner of the god and the world bank.

i am TOTALLY STARTING a blog for this shit

i don't want to pollute your song with this holocaust

bellatierra: THANK YOU

Sent at 10:58 PM on Sunday