Jessica is right. The new Fiona Apple album is amazing.
Does anyone else think of Nina Simone when you're listening to the song where she sings "and all I see is red, red, red, red, red..."? I am really enjoying this album.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
work on the road
Fall is so beautiful! I love the fall in North Carolina. It comes on so slowly, just a nip in the air in the evenings and then suddenly the crisp, clear days come on with gorgeous color, and still it's warm enough to run around in a T-shirt in the afternoons.
On Thursday I took a work trip out to the northeastern corner of the state, a beautiful and somewhat forgotten (by the rest of the state) area full of wetlands, historic homes and old fishing and farming communities. Northeastern NC certainly isn't without its problems (part of why I was going out there), but it sure is purty, 'specially right now. Here's a photo I took at Edenton Bay on Thursday. It was about 70 degrees outside.
It was a fun trip. A colleague and I met with a bunch of community folks, gave a presentation on Thursday night and then spent the night at the home of one of my board members, MJ, who lives in the big 1920's country home she grew up in, with her family and all their hilarious pets. They have a big sweet cuddly boxer and his new best friend, a 6 month-old kitten who turned up in their driveway in the middle of a rainstorm last spring as a teeny baby, and she's now the queen of the estate. She loves to hide behind corners and ambush the dog as he comes around the corner, box his ears a few times and then dash off like a madwoman. The dog hardly seems to notice. There are a mess of cats outside too, and another kitten who just showed up, that they're trying to find a home for. (Free kitten! Cute! Email me!)
I like traveling for work, basically because I like traveling and this way work foots the bill. It's not like I get to go to Hawaii or anything (later this month I get to go to Buffalo - ooh mama!), but it's always a thrill for me to see something new, like Edenton Bay.
One of the things that I like best, though, is working from public libraries. I love to drag my laptop into the public library and plug in and work away quietly all day with no distractions other than what is usually very high-quality people-watching.
So let me put in this plug for the Pasquotank-Camden Library. I really liked the warm, small-town feel of the facility and the very helpful staff, and the fact that they let non-cardholders use the computers (for a whole hour!). I stuck a comment in the suggestion box requesting that they provide wireless internet access, but I'd probably have to join the Friends of the Library to get something like that done. Also, props to Muddy Waters Coffee and the wine shop/deli where I had a lovely vegetarian sandwich for lunch. Mmmwah! Kisses from the middle of the state, Northeastern NC! Now let's see what we can do to stop those landfills...
On Thursday I took a work trip out to the northeastern corner of the state, a beautiful and somewhat forgotten (by the rest of the state) area full of wetlands, historic homes and old fishing and farming communities. Northeastern NC certainly isn't without its problems (part of why I was going out there), but it sure is purty, 'specially right now. Here's a photo I took at Edenton Bay on Thursday. It was about 70 degrees outside.
It was a fun trip. A colleague and I met with a bunch of community folks, gave a presentation on Thursday night and then spent the night at the home of one of my board members, MJ, who lives in the big 1920's country home she grew up in, with her family and all their hilarious pets. They have a big sweet cuddly boxer and his new best friend, a 6 month-old kitten who turned up in their driveway in the middle of a rainstorm last spring as a teeny baby, and she's now the queen of the estate. She loves to hide behind corners and ambush the dog as he comes around the corner, box his ears a few times and then dash off like a madwoman. The dog hardly seems to notice. There are a mess of cats outside too, and another kitten who just showed up, that they're trying to find a home for. (Free kitten! Cute! Email me!)
I like traveling for work, basically because I like traveling and this way work foots the bill. It's not like I get to go to Hawaii or anything (later this month I get to go to Buffalo - ooh mama!), but it's always a thrill for me to see something new, like Edenton Bay.
One of the things that I like best, though, is working from public libraries. I love to drag my laptop into the public library and plug in and work away quietly all day with no distractions other than what is usually very high-quality people-watching.
So let me put in this plug for the Pasquotank-Camden Library. I really liked the warm, small-town feel of the facility and the very helpful staff, and the fact that they let non-cardholders use the computers (for a whole hour!). I stuck a comment in the suggestion box requesting that they provide wireless internet access, but I'd probably have to join the Friends of the Library to get something like that done. Also, props to Muddy Waters Coffee and the wine shop/deli where I had a lovely vegetarian sandwich for lunch. Mmmwah! Kisses from the middle of the state, Northeastern NC! Now let's see what we can do to stop those landfills...
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
merino therapy
Okay y'all, I know I was just getting self-righteous about how knitting won't change the world or prevent a right-wing nutball from being sent to the Supreme Court, but it sure does make me feel better in turbulent times. True to my questionable fashion tendencies, I'm knitting some legwarmers (and they are DAMN cute, I must say) from some lovely Debbie Bliss merino aran that I got from Beverly at the craft swap last year.
It is not easy to take a picture of your own leg in a legwarmer, so I'm going to have to get some help with this, but here's a tantalizing preview:
Impress your friends with snazzy horseshoe cables!
These are super-easy and many of you knitting geniuses could surely figure out how to make them just by staring at these poorly-composed pictures for a few minutes, but I think I'll post my pattern for them when I'm done, if there's some interest.
It is not easy to take a picture of your own leg in a legwarmer, so I'm going to have to get some help with this, but here's a tantalizing preview:
Impress your friends with snazzy horseshoe cables!
These are super-easy and many of you knitting geniuses could surely figure out how to make them just by staring at these poorly-composed pictures for a few minutes, but I think I'll post my pattern for them when I'm done, if there's some interest.
Monday, October 31, 2005
a terrifying supreme court nomination
BOO! Bush announced his pick for the Supreme Court today, and my hair is standing on end. Thanks to Lori for sending me a feminist lawyer's summary of where Mr. Alito stands on issues of interest, courtesy of ThinkProgress.org. Scared yet? The fright fest continues...
_ ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980's. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito's view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]
_ ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by "immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer's belief that it had selected the 'best' candidate was the result of conscious racial bias." [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]
_ ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v.Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito's dissent was so restrictive that "few if any...cases would survive summary judgment." [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]
_ ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one. The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000].
_ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito argued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004].
_ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito's disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito's dissent "guts the statutory standard" and "ignores our precedent." In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito's opinion contradicted "well-recognized rules of statutory construction." [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004].
_ ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980's. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito's view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]
_ ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by "immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer's belief that it had selected the 'best' candidate was the result of conscious racial bias." [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]
_ ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v.Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito's dissent was so restrictive that "few if any...cases would survive summary judgment." [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]
_ ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one. The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000].
_ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito argued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004].
_ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito's disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito's dissent "guts the statutory standard" and "ignores our precedent." In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito's opinion contradicted "well-recognized rules of statutory construction." [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004].
Sunday, October 30, 2005
can't knit for justice
Been thinking about getting an abortion, ladies? Emergency contraception? Better cash in on those privacy rights while you still can, because we have a new Supreme Court justice coming our way, and she ain't going to be no Sandra Day O'Connor. Think Scalia, pounding a bible.
With the Harriet Miers nomination, Bush's "just trust me" strategy fell flat with the extreme-right conservatives who take credit for his presidential victories. For them, it's time to pay the piper. While Bush probably believed whole-heartedly that his own attorney would have been an anti-abortion, pro-gun, born-again conservative vote on the Supreme Court, his people clearly missed the memo. Now they are clamoring for a nominee with an iron-clad conservative record, and based on reports about Bush's short list, they are likely to get it.
Add in some cuts in domestic spending: $2.3 billion dollars' worth, announced Friday, intended to free up government dollars to pay for post-hurricane rebuilding and spiraling war costs. What will those cuts look like on the ground? Think Medicaid. Think prescription drugs for seniors. Think child care programs. Think things are going to get much worse for us, women? Well hey, at least the Supreme Court nominee may be a woman. That would be gratifying.
Mid-term elections are coming up quickly, and this could be an opportune moment for progressives to swing into action and grab a significant number of seats in Congress while the administration is at its weakest point ever, with an abysmal approval rating of around 35% and the whiff of scandal hanging around it. What are you going to do about it, ladies? Well, okay, first stock up on emergency contraception. But after that?
It's not time for another Knit for the Cure, my friends. If you're not engaged in the feminist movement somehow, this is a great time to change that.
With the Harriet Miers nomination, Bush's "just trust me" strategy fell flat with the extreme-right conservatives who take credit for his presidential victories. For them, it's time to pay the piper. While Bush probably believed whole-heartedly that his own attorney would have been an anti-abortion, pro-gun, born-again conservative vote on the Supreme Court, his people clearly missed the memo. Now they are clamoring for a nominee with an iron-clad conservative record, and based on reports about Bush's short list, they are likely to get it.
Add in some cuts in domestic spending: $2.3 billion dollars' worth, announced Friday, intended to free up government dollars to pay for post-hurricane rebuilding and spiraling war costs. What will those cuts look like on the ground? Think Medicaid. Think prescription drugs for seniors. Think child care programs. Think things are going to get much worse for us, women? Well hey, at least the Supreme Court nominee may be a woman. That would be gratifying.
Mid-term elections are coming up quickly, and this could be an opportune moment for progressives to swing into action and grab a significant number of seats in Congress while the administration is at its weakest point ever, with an abysmal approval rating of around 35% and the whiff of scandal hanging around it. What are you going to do about it, ladies? Well, okay, first stock up on emergency contraception. But after that?
It's not time for another Knit for the Cure, my friends. If you're not engaged in the feminist movement somehow, this is a great time to change that.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
shrinkey-dink
felting is amazing.
it always blows my mind how a trip through the washing machine on high agitation can change a ginormous shapeless thing into a tough little shaped item. fer instance: start with giant floppy sack. toss in washer. two times. pull out ball of fuzz. pound into shape. voila! stylish purse! i know there is physics in there somewhere, but the science (as usual) eludes me.
now designing, whoa, that is something else. the very idea of designing something felted is so overwhelming. so, i just made the aforementioned stylish purse. i wanted to design it myself, i really REALLY wanted to. but the maths and the felting of gauge swatches and the tremendous amount of planning and forethought involved were just exhausting, and no quanitity of chocolate croissants seemed to buoy me to the task, so once again i used some cute free pattern off the web and threw in a tassle. why yes, i designed it myself! am i not amazing???
before felting: giant sack.
after felting: petite yet functional (yet blurry. sorry).
okay, really i'm still not sure how i feel about the tassle. would a big funky button be better? i just wanted to work in that chocoloate brown moda dea flip yarn because according to the newspaper lifestyle section (where the in-the-know get their fashion news), brown and green are THE COLORS TO HAVE this fall. and so i am hip. worship me and my felting prowess! but just maybe not my big 70's tassle.
it always blows my mind how a trip through the washing machine on high agitation can change a ginormous shapeless thing into a tough little shaped item. fer instance: start with giant floppy sack. toss in washer. two times. pull out ball of fuzz. pound into shape. voila! stylish purse! i know there is physics in there somewhere, but the science (as usual) eludes me.
now designing, whoa, that is something else. the very idea of designing something felted is so overwhelming. so, i just made the aforementioned stylish purse. i wanted to design it myself, i really REALLY wanted to. but the maths and the felting of gauge swatches and the tremendous amount of planning and forethought involved were just exhausting, and no quanitity of chocolate croissants seemed to buoy me to the task, so once again i used some cute free pattern off the web and threw in a tassle. why yes, i designed it myself! am i not amazing???
before felting: giant sack.
after felting: petite yet functional (yet blurry. sorry).
okay, really i'm still not sure how i feel about the tassle. would a big funky button be better? i just wanted to work in that chocoloate brown moda dea flip yarn because according to the newspaper lifestyle section (where the in-the-know get their fashion news), brown and green are THE COLORS TO HAVE this fall. and so i am hip. worship me and my felting prowess! but just maybe not my big 70's tassle.
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