May 2009 Archives

While I was Stumbling along the internet today, I came across a little blurb that I used to have on a postcard when I was in college. I was going to just link to the image, but I thought I'd repost the text here.

Because woman's work is never done
and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or
repetitious and we're the first to get fired
and what we look like is more important
than what we do and if we get raped it's
our fault and if we get beaten we must have
provoked it and if we raise our voices we're
nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're
nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if
we love women it's because we can't get a
"real" man and if we ask our doctor too many
questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and
if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we
stand up for our rights we're aggressive and
"unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical
weak females and if we want to get married
we're out to trap a map and if we don't we're
unnatural and because we still can't get an
adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk
on the moon and if we can't cope or don't
want a pregnancy we're made to feel
guilty about abortion and... for lots and lots
of other reasons we are part of the
women's liberation movement.

This has always made me smile. At one time I could recite it from memory. From the NOW site.

2008.11.12 - The letter

It really depends upon what it is I am writing. I am certainly faster typing than writing longhand. And my thoughts start flowing so quickly that it's easier to keep up on a keyboard. I also love the feel of the keys under my fingertips and the clickclick noise the keys make.

But there is also something magical about a really good pen and fine quality paper. My handwriting has gotten more sloppy over the years, as I type more. But there are moments when it brings me great happiness to see the words and letters forming perfectly on the page.

One of my favorite bloggers, Berlin's Whismy, has a touching, beautiful post to her mom for Mother's Day.

She ends her post with a quote from Anita Diamant's novel, The Red Tent (which is an awesome read, if you get a chance).

If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully... The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life---without flinching or whining---the stronger the daughter.

I must be made of titanium.

Like most mornings, I was listening to my iPod as I got on the Muni bus to head into the office this morning. But I heard a noise as I made my way onto the bus.

There were three members of Bay City Luv on the bus this morning, and they were singing. I turned off my iPod and just listened to their beautiful harmony and rhythm. They sang "Down by the Riverside" and another one about Jesus being on the phone to ready to give you what you ask for.

It was very interesting to watch the faces of the other folks on the bus. An elderly gentleman across the aisle from me was tapping his fingers to the beat. A young guy with a huge boombox (people still carry those around with them?) was very agitated and kept making faces at them, hoping they would stop. But the group just kept on singing and smiling. Clapping, and keeping time with their feet.

A quick Google search brought up a page of a documentary movie that was made of the group a number of years ago. I wish now that I had dropped a dollar into their upturned hat. I hope my path crosses with them again.