Questionable

Lazy Linking

Just the other day, I was just thinking about the pink and white frosted animal cookies I used to love. Then, today, this horrid news:

Mother's Cookies, an Oakland institution for 92 years, has been shuttered, its owner seeking bankruptcy protection for the company.

Have you seen The Speech Accent Archive? I could spend hours weeding through the voice samples listening to the variety of English accents.

The speech accent archive uniformly presents a large set of speech samples from a variety of language backgrounds. Native and non-native speakers of English read the same paragraph and are carefully transcribed. The archive is used by people who wish to compare and analyze the accents of different English speakers.

Sexist? Hilarious? Sad? Welcome? Popular Mechanics has published a list of 100 skills every man should know. Is it okay if I know how to do some of these things? What if J doesn't? I was going to prattle on about how stupid some of them are ("Make a drum-tight bed" and "Drop and give the perfect push up" are two that come to mind), but why? I'm too tired to care.

I've decided. It's Obama.

A couple of days ago, I commented at Snarky Squab that I had made up my mind, I was voting for Obama. I didn't like making this decision. I would like to vote for Hillary, but I don't think she can beat McCain. Then, today, I've read a few more things that have cemented my decision.

Over on MinnPost, both Becky Lourey, who I love, and  Lynnell Mickelsen, who I don't know, have both expressed they are voting for Obama. 

On Adam Platt's MplsStPaul mag blog, he also says he is voting for Obama, using the same reasoning as me. I don't always love Platt's centrist view of things, but in this case I think he is making a wise choice.

Super Tuesday is upon us, and those of us who are eager to see a real change in how our country is governed face a difficult conundrum. Hillary Clinton has paid her dues, knows her stuff, and is eminently qualified to be President. I would vote for her in a minute. But she can’t win.

The math is simple. John McCain is the presumptive GOP candidate. He is the one Republican who polls well with independents, key to creating an Electoral College majority. Ralph Nader is making noises about running again as an Independent. The two of them will steal votes at Clinton’s margins. McCain gets the Independents and Nader the anti-war types who can’t abide Hillary’s “yes” vote on Iraq.

-snip-

That’s why I’m going to be casting a preference vote for Barack Obama Tuesday night. Not because I think he would make a better President than Clinton, not because I even like his platform any better than hers. But because he is the one in the race who has the potential to break the cycle of polarization that has split American government.

 

Monthly niece update

I spent the last few days with the kids. It was a wonderful visit. I can't believe how much the kids change from visit to visit. I know there are lots of parent blogs out there that detail kid development, but I don't read them. So, for me, visiting the kids in their own environment, never gets old. Where temper tantrums drive parents nuts, they are just another thing for me to observe and think about. How can this be stopped? Does ignoring really work? What about time outs? Hmmm. Bribery? Silliness?

 

All three kids love to play outside. Fortunately, my brother lives next to some very nice people who gave them their swing set/slide thing. The two older ones can stay outside for hours swinging and sliding. The younger one plays on a small Little Tykes thing I bought last year at a garage sale. She climbs up the slide, turns around and sits, claps for herself, and then slides down. She repeats this process over and over. If no one is paying enough attention to clap for her, she'll just do it herself. On Wednesday night, she crawled all the way across the back yard, a fairly large distance, and did this trick over and over while I lazily sat on the opposite side of the yard talking to the twins in the sandbox. She also goes in the baby swing and will insistently demand on higher and higher pushes. And, she does not like having to come indoors.

 

The baby isn't walking yet, but has started to stand and is just beginning to shuffle around things. She likes to walk while you hold her hands but doesn't have the balance down yet. But, even though she can't walk, she can climb. A few days before I arrived, she pushed the older kids' step stool across the kitchen and up to a kitchen chair. She crawled up on the stool, onto the chair, and up to the table top before she was rescued.

 

The older two are starting to play with her more and more. Oatmeal has never really paid her any attention. But, yesterday morning as Oatmeal setup a pretend picnic in the living room and the baby crawled over and began to participate, Oatmeal didn't complain and actually started to interact with her. It was a nice change. Oatmeal tends to freak whenever the baby tries to touch her stuff.

 

Potty training is sort of moving along. Oatmeal is essentially daytime, at home, potty trained. But, ReeRee is having more trouble. She doesn't like to go poop on the potty and she has trouble knowing when it is time to pee. The underwear method hasn't seemed to make a difference so it is back to putting her on the toilet every 15 minutes until she really gets the feel for it. Oatmeal already got her Build-a-Bear monkey, but this hasn't seemed to influence ReeRee. They also want to go camping with my parents but can't until they are potty trained.

The most disconcerting thing about the older two, in particular Oatmeal, is their new love of princesses, which was started by my mom showing them Cinderella and is being stoked by their father. He knows I don't like it, but what can I do? They are his kids. And, I stay out of their child rearing strategies as much as possible. Not my business. Oatmeal got her hands on a flier from the inside of a video case that advertises princess crap. She points to the things she is going to ask Santa for. I scream internally. I try to divert the conversation. She's picked out Cinderella's castle as a toy she would like. I told her that Cinderella moved out and is now living in a tent and that she should ask Santa for Cinderella's tent. She didn't believe me. She also points out a "magic" vanity. I ask her why she wants it. She says because it has stuff on it that will make her beautiful. I scream louder inside. I tell her that she is beautiful already and won't need that stuff. She doesn't understand. She just knows it is sparkly and neat looking and believes what her daddy tells her about it.

 

I know I shouldn't worry about the princess stuff. Their lives could be so much worse. But, I do. I worry. I worry because as good as women have it now, it needs to get better. Almost every day I read another article on the Internet where the anonymous commenters slam women or the female author. I don't have notions about what my nieces should grow up to be or who they should become. But, I want them to be strong. I want them to resist the stereotypical gender roles. And, I want them to be able to stand up to sexist bullies. I'm not sure that telling them about princesses now helps them move in that direction.

 

Some more very cute pictures are up in the photo album to the left.

New shoes

Yesterday I went to Schuler Shoes to find a black pair of Dansko sandals for this summer. They entire Schuler chain had already sold out of the style I wanted to try on*. So, I browsed their back room for deals. Of course I found something 50% off that I couldn't resist. Even if they are more of a winter shoe and they don't have the backs (which I would prefer), I couldn't resist them.

*Can you believe they've sold out of an entire line of sandals, in every size and color, by April? Even Zappos is already sold out of most of their allotment.

My Giant Story Book

Because of some miscommunication, my sis-in-law didn't bring any of the nieces favorite books with them. So, we had to improvise. I hauled out some books I've had since my childhood. One, My Giant Story Book, was surprising to me. It is a large book of 25-30 shortish fairy tales. Some are traditional like Little Red Riding Hood, while others are very unusual like The Steadfast Tin Soldier or Toads and Diamonds. As a kid, I read this book over and over and over and over. If I ran out of other things to read, I just re-read my favorite stories.

I had a very difficult time finding something to read to the twins. First, I had to eliminate the longer stories because they would lose focus. So, I tried to read a few of the shorter stories. Let's just say I improvised greatly. I am really trying heard not to push the princess thing with them. I am also trying to avoid reading stories that focus on beauty and finding the most handsome husband. What did that leave me with? The Donkey's Skin Dress (this version is slightly different than the one in the book). What's that? In print, it is a story about a princess who left home because she didn't want to marry a man selected by her father. She ends up living with some nice people and works hard to earn her keep. In the end, she marries a handsome prince. In my version of the story, she left home and worked hard to gain her independence.

Am I nuts? Should I just throw in the towel? I know they are going to be introduced to all the princess crap, but when they are with me, I am really going to try to downplay the "needing a man" thing.

Technical clothes for plus-size women

I've alluded to the fact that we are taking a big trip in the next few weeks. We are off to Patagonia, for 2.5 weeks, to both hike and tour different mountainous areas. I've turned in my dissertation proposal and my committee won't be getting back to me with comments until January, so the timing is perfect. In preparation for the trip, I've been gathering clothes and other travel items. We pack lightly, a small rolly and a backpack each, so we can go carry-on. Thus, creative packing and quick-drying clothes are a necessity.

I have some pants that I love for this sort of adventure. They don't wrinkle, they wick, and I can wear them for hiking or for a restaurant dinner. However, while I used to have three pair, only one now survives and they are quite worn. So, I began looking for new pants. The place I bought them no longer carries them. What a challenge! While some companies (Danskin, Target, and others) are doing a nice job of selling cheap, plus-sized, exercise-wear, almost no companies are selling wicking clothes for hiking. Junonia has some decent styles, but their bottoms rarely fit me (they are too long-wasted).

I scoured the Internet looking for replacement pants. I found a number of products that contained cotton. But, I didn't want cotton or a cotton blend. After a very long search, with money spent on returning pants via the mail, I found some pants by Columbia that are not carried at any retailers (Internet or otherwise) that I like. I had to special order them from their retail store in Oregon. I also found some Columbia pants that are carried at Gander Mountain (which doesn't have an Internet presence), so I had to drive to Forest Lake to buy them. I don't understand why other retailers don't carry these pants. I also don't understand why more manufacturers are not in the business of large-sized technical clothes. 50% of American women are size 12 or above. REI, a huge seller of Columbia clothes, has decided that larger women's and men's clothes are not a necessary product line.

In my preparation for this trip, I also realized I needed rain pants (for over regular clothes). I have a breathable, waterproof jacket. Jackets are fairly easy to find and I've had one for many years. However, none of the retailers that carry the coats also carry the pants. Are they trying to say that fat women's legs miraculously don't get wet? Lots of women hike, bike, walk and do other exercises and could benefit from rain gear. I eventually bought men's pants from Cabelas.

So, I ended up buying three pair of hiking pants from two different retailers and one pair of rain pants, in a man's size, from a third. What a pain in the ass.

One could say that I should lose weight and my problem would go away. I guess that's true. But it seems to me that a bigger issue is that retailers and manufacturers don't realize that large women exercise and enjoy the outdoors the same way that thin women do. Shit, I climb 47 stories twice a week in addition to my regular exercise routine. Lots of thin women couldn't do this. Sigh.

And don't get me started on underwear availability.

Political cartoon redux

I know this cartoon isn't new, but it bares repeating. (Original link)

Apparently chicks only understand pictures

From the Pioneer Press:

There's a new shopping magazine on newsstands this month, and it looks familiar: The cover features a model, a preposterously neat closet and the re-quisite number story ("152 top buys"). Inside, pages are heavy on products, light on text. But there's one fundamental difference between this magazine and its competitors: It's a lot lighter.

ShopSmart does not accept ads. It is produced by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. Despite the fact that Consumer Reports is all about shopping, which women enjoy more than men, 60 percent of its readers are male, and so is its approach — heavy on numbers and research. "Women don't have time for that," says ShopSmart Editor in Chief Lisa Lee Freeman. "So, we wanted to find a way to bring our information to them."

Rather than charts with a jumble of black and red circles and half-moons, ShopSmart boils down a mind-numbing Consumer Reports car study into a paragraph on one "cute, gas-friendly SUV." (It's the Toyota RAV4. You just saved another minute.) Consumer Reports recently ran a detailed article on outlet malls; the ShopSmart version centers on a visual comparison of two nearly identical outfits — one from regular stores, the other from outlets. It's a lot like the "Luxe or Less" feature in Shop Etc. magazine.

I don't have time for numbers and research? Wha...??? J and I were considering buying a different car recently. What do you think we read? Of course. Consumer Reports. If I'm looking for a new or used car, "cute, gas-friendly SUV" is not going to be sufficient for me to buy the thing. What about repair costs? Apparently, "cute" is more important to me than ownership costs. I'm not sure if I'm offended or just further beaten down.

Marriage and babies

The twins turned two on Friday and today J and I have been married seven years. For me, marriage is an interesting thing. For many years, I didn’t think I’d ever marry. First, because I didn’t meet anyone that I’d want to marry. Second, because I really didn’t buy into the concept. I still don’t completely buy into the concept, and it drives me nuts that gays and lesbians don’t have the same rights, but after I met J I wanted to marry him. There was something about the symbolism that was important to me. (Well, that, and the health insurance.) But, I also completely appreciate why couples (who can) don’t get married.

Earlier this summer we attended the wedding of J’s uncle. He is in his early 60’s and married a woman in her late 50’s. It was the first wedding for both. They have been together about 10 years, living together the last three or four. The wedding was conducted Quaker-style with members of the audience getting chances to speak. Many people stood up and read poetry, letters, or gave lovely anecdotes about the couple. But, without fail, almost every person who spoke also mentioned that it was “about time” they got married. As lovely as this wedding was, this consistent comment began to irk me. Why is it “about time”? This was a group of 60’s hippies wearing tie-died dresses and/or Birkenstocks praising the institution of marriage. I don’t understand the complete cultural brain-washing about the necessity of marriage. If uncle and aunt want to marry, good for them, but, as happy as I am for them, it sure ain’t my fucking business.

This weekend I read a short piece about women who choose not to have (or adopt, I suppose) children. Similar to couples who choose not to wed, childfree women get a lot of crap from society about this. I am someone who chooses not to have children. I admit, I have moments where I would like one little rugrat running around. And, I also have other moments where I feel I have a moral obligation to adopt an unwanted child. But, in the end, I know that a child isn’t a good idea for J and I right now, and probably forever. We both prefer travel, meals out, and other selfish pursuits to raising a kid. This isn’t new for me, growing up I never wanted my own kids. But, I couldn’t love my nieces any more if they were my own. I miss them tremendously and I anxiously wait for daily updates about their well-being. (Today, T is putting more words together into sentences, A can say bicycle and motorcycle, and Z is eating cereal with fruit or sweet potatoes. They twins also both just learned to say peanut and seagull). Being an aunt is one of my life’s greatest pleasures. But, society, get off my ass. I’m not having kids. It is my decision. You don’t get a vote.

That dirty, shameful breast

Are you kidding me????

One mother who didn't like the cover explains she was concerned about her 13-year-old son seeing it.

"I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast — it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."

Snip

"Men are very visual," says Wheatley, 40, of Amarillo, Texas. "When they see a woman's breast, they see a breast — regardless of what it's being used for."

The puritans strike again.

Thanks to Gifted for the link.