Hodgepodge

[browngirl]

So, this is a collection of small entries, wrapped into a big one.


One of our seniors (my goodness, that's right. He was an eighth grader when I started working here. *is old*) has a family winery and a father generous enough to give me and Tigerlily bottles of wine from said winery. Last Friday, we drank one, and yesterday I told the student how much we'd enjoyed it, and that was nearly as much fun as drinking it.

Also, remember the girl who gave me flowers from her garden? Her father *likes* fruitcake.

I love this sort of thing, when people are creative and share that creativity. I love participating in it; I feel it makes the world richer.

WD kind of disapproves, though. I think he thinks it makes me look bribeable.

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So it finally snowed enough to stick, on the twenty-second of January. Weird. Last night, I turned off the lights on my way to bed, and the city lights reflecting off the snow lit up the room with that coral-colored glow that means "winter's night" to my city-raised brain.

I love cities, I do. Winter at boarding school was clean and blue, but I love that pinkly dark city winter sky.

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How else might I discover La Diosa Rubia? (Aka Conchita Cintron, whose last name takes an accent on the o, and who was a celebrated torera.)

The story of her "last" bullfight (not actually her last, but symbolically so) is just so cool I found myself cheering at my computer. Condescending tripe from admirers about how she "kept her femininity" while excelling as a bullfighter aside (though not before I ask, why is that always such a worry, that a woman will "lose her femininity" doing whatever? Sheesh) even the brief dry Wikipedia article conveys her defiant flamboyant bravado and skill, her duende. I am thrilled to know of her.

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With all the good movies out, why do I want to see these?

The Hitcher -- when I saw ads for this, I thought "the bad guy's handsome in a rugged Sean Beanish way, I wonder who he is?" Lo and behold, he's Sean Bean! Did he already drink up all the money he made from his wonderful turn as Boromir? And you know, now I want to see it, because he's in it?

The 300 -- Frank Miller's Manliest of Men concepts as depicted in his retelling of the Spartans at Thermopylae. Completely over the top, anachronistic and likely to be terrible. Classics scholars must be lying twitching all over the place. And I hate Frank Miller. And yet I desperately want to see it, I watched the trailer twice, hooting and shrieking the whole time. Tigerlily was very amused.

Smokin' Aces -- This is likely so topheavy with effortful 'style' and 'cool' it'll collapse under its own weight, and yet, it looks like it has the potential to be snappy, sleek, violent and fun. Do I want to gamble the cash and the time?

Blood and Chocolate -- Blood, chocolate, werewolves, vampires, sex and death. Oh, even if it's bad, and it'll probably be *bad*, it looks delicious.
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Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision, and a day to Blog For Choice. Being perennially behind the curve, I'll say something today.

When I was a kid I was told, among many other ideas, that pro-choice people didn't love babies and didn't take the idea of pregnancy seriously. One of the many things that watching several of my friends be pregnant, most closely and recently Tigerlily and nrivkis, impressed upon me was how big of a project pregnancy is, how awesome an undertaking --- and therefore how important it is that that undertaking be a chosen one, a willingly borne one. I found myself horrified all over again at the idea of forcing pregnancy on someone, because it's such an important thing, not despite its importance.

Also: I live in a place and time where I can freely contemplate this issue, where I can write the above words without fear of reprisal. I really appreciate that, and the reminder to keep working to safeguard and expand that freedom.

Comments

[aprilkat.livejournal.com]

I love reading your musings! *hugs*

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

If you want to watch The Hitcher, watch the 1986 original with Rutger Hauer.

[jenny_evergreen]

I really liked reading this post. Don't have anything to say, really, but wanted to say that. :)

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

I didn't get a chance to do it because I was exhausted and stressed during the right times, but I *so* wanted to do clinic defense or escort work while I was visibly pregnant with JJ. I just wanted everybody to see a woman with a wedding ring on her hand and a baby in her belly, who was happy with both but didn't want to force other women to do either.

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Is it bad that I want to see The Hitcher because of Sean Bean, too? Cause you know, I saw the original ages ago, but this has Sean Bean in it! ♥ Sean Bean.

I just, you know, love reading your posts. *hugs*

[thespian.livejournal.com]

I will note Blood and Chocolate is actually based on a YA novel that I ADORED when I was maybe 20. It's been reprinted repeatedly since then, so I can't find the original pub date. The movie seems to have almost nothing to do with the book, but I still have a secret urge to go see it, anyways.

If you go, you should hunt me down for it. Between your lovely skin and my hair, we can give the title a run for its money.

[flabosib.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten the anniversary of Roe v Wade (I've been sick with a cold and went home sick from work and was asleep by 1pm without even reading yesterday's paper).

I remember being in(a Catholic)high school at the time and the nuns were railing at how evil these people were to even consider an abortion.

But I also remember wondering how different my life might have been if my parents hadn't ended up with seven children because they were taught that birth control in any form was a mortal (deadly) sin which would put them in hell for all eternity.

Personally, I'd hope I'd never have to make the very difficult choice to end a pregnancy. But at long as it is legal for women to do so, I'll defend the choice with all I have in me.

[acrobatty.livejournal.com]

I think the intelligentsia, if not yet the general public, are at last starting to grasp that (a) Roe v. Wade is really truly on the chopping block, and (b) the same fundamentalist yahoos who are trying to ban abortion want to ban birth control too. Hopefully, this will turn into backlash before, not after, they succeed.

[cellio]

If kids have been giving you gifts for several years and you haven't treated them impartially yet, I'd say your reputation is safe. Enjoy the random acts of kindness. :-)

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Well said! (I meant the last part, but you can take it as you like.) :-)

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

You muse wonderfully. :)