From my mother’s local “Town News” dated August 1, 2007:
Robotic gynecologic surgery discussed.
Tell the truth, your legs just squeezed shut, didn’t they?
Archive for August 10, 2007
Some headlines speak for themselves
Stripey pajamas
I don’t know why buying sleepwear gives me such inordinate pleasure. Nothing makes me happier than buying sleepwear. New clothes doesn’t do as much for me, and of course, new clothes are harder to pick out. Not as relaxing.
At one time I was very serious about my sexy lingerie, but it feels very pointless when you’re not in a relationship. Besides, I never really slept in the stuff. For actual sleeping you need a soft cotton or jersey or flannel. My lifelong habit has been to sleep in a nightgown, and only wear pajamas when I’m really sick.
Until about a year or two ago, when I had a long, difficult bout of strep. Days and days of being unable to swallow, chills and fever, and pretty much living in my jammies. At the end of which, I had developed an actual affection for pajamas.
Which affection I naturally express by spending money.
May I say that I kind of hate the trend of selling “sleep separates”? First of all, you can’t hardly find a pair of old-fashioned pajamas. Second of all, they’re cleverly getting you to spend twice as much. But it is nice to mix and match.
You know where this is going: Yesterday I bought new jammies. Yay. I had a $10 off on anything at Kohl’s. I tried on lots and lots of pajamas. It made me feel good. Even when it didn’t fit and I didn’t like it, I felt good. Which even I don’t understand.
I got these except in these colors. It was all very complicated because at first I couldn’t find the plain blue top, and I loved the stripes, but a striped top with a striped bottom made me look like a very cute prisoner, whereas the blue bottom…just not as insanely cute. The only blue top in the whole store was on the wrong rack, with other pajamas (and those others didn’t come in my size so I wasn’t looking).
So this is me. I run home and change into my new jammies. And insist on telling Arthur how cute I am. Which gets me that teenage “Yes. Mom. You’re. Cute.” thing. And then he goes upstairs and I call him down for dinner later and I say “By the way, have you noticed my pajamas?” Like that. Like a crazy lady except without the meds or the shopping cart. But with the pajamas.
Santeria! The Horror! The Horror!
A New York City school principal is under investigation for having a Santeria ritual performed in the school.
Education officials are pushing to fire [Principal Martiza] Tamayo, a 17-year veteran of city schools who earned $133,998 last year.
There are complications and some accusations of other inappropriate behavior. It’s important to note, though, that there are always other accusations. School boards are generally too savvy too just come out and say “We don’t like your religion so go away.” It’s like union-busting; they do it by writing you up for other offenses—offenses that would make no difference to your employment if you weren’t union.
Newsday reports Tamayo will be fired.
The New York Daily News, which doesn’t give a shit about appearing unbiased, refers to “bizarre Santeria ceremonies,” “peculiar events,” and “creepy warnings.” The article admits that no students were in the building during the ceremony, which was intended to “calm students down.”
Though there were no children in the building and no witnesses to the ritual itself, staff members told investigators the fourth floor smelled of incense and was “really smoky.” School sources said chicken blood had to be cleaned off the floors.
Later that week, [Assistant Principal Melody] Crooks-Simpson agreed to participate in one of the rituals and heeded Tamayo’s creepy warning: “Wear white. If there’s anything evil, it won’t get on you.”
Crooks-Simpson sat in a conference room as Fonte “took two puffs from a brown cigar,” spoke in another language and read tarot cards, according to yesterday’s report.
Another language! Horrors!
Now watch the tip-toeing:
The problem wasn’t that Tamayo was performing bizarre religious rituals but that she was coercing her staff to participate, [special commissioner of investigation for city schools Richard] Condon said.
“Had she hired a priest to sprinkle holy water on the building, and she coerced the assistant principal into paying for it and attending it, I would have a problem with it,” Condon said.
Of course he would! But Newsday wouldn’t call it “bizarre,” would they?
It is, of course, possible that there is misconduct here. There are allegations of coercion, of misuse of funds, of transporting students without parental permission. But would these allegations come out if it wasn’t in conjuction with gawking at the creepy religion practiced by the creepy brown people? I think not. It’s all very well for an investigator to say he’d have a problem with an equivalent Catholic ceremony: Would such a ceremony be reported to him? Would teachers be horrified and frightened?
Santeria is the go-to religion if you want to prove how nasty Pagans are. Chicken blood! My stars and garters! (And seriously, he who is without dead chicken may cast the first tofu burger.) Tarot cards! Foreign language! Headdresses! (Don’t Catholics use those?)
Christians who have been fighting for the right to pray in school need to understand that other people have that right as well. Because, y’know, America, First Amendment, like that.
Which Serenity Character Are You?
Your results:
You are Derrial Book (Shepherd)
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Even though you are holy you have a mysterious past.  |
Actor Trivia Solutions
All solved! And here I thought it was tough.
Tuesday Trivia: Actor Trivia
Although I specialize in vignettes and quotes, this week we’re doing real trivia. Because real trivia is harder to assemble and harder (I think) to solve, you’re only getting five questions.
1. In this courtroom drama, the two leads had each played the same role in two different film versions of the same story, ten years apart.
Solved by Evn (comment #11).
2. The star of this movie is the son of an Oscar-winning actor and a famous singer. His even-more-famous first cousin appears in the credits as “Lip Syncing Transvestite.” (You can’t make this shit up.)
Solved by Evn (comment #5).
3. This all-star, testosterone-laden extravaganza features a James Bond, two Bond villains, a famous “thief,” a Rat Packer, two famous singers, and two actors arguably more famous for their marriages than their work.
Solved by George (comment #8).
4. The two leads of this Western buddy pic were originally cast in each other’s roles. Two minor roles are played by Mel Brooks stock players.
Solved by Ken (comment #3).
5. In this adaptation of a novel, involving (in part) a love triangle, the star had worked with the director twice before, once in an Oscar-nominated ensemble piece. The “other woman” in this movie’s triangle was married, at the time of filming this movie, to a co-star of that ensemble piece. The wife in this movie’s triangle has played a novelist, a killer, a femme fatale, and an animated sexpot.
Solved (unseen) by Roberta (comment #1).
Starwood Diaries
So Sunday, July 22, was a shit-ass suckful day.
The original plan was for Craig to get here at 8 a.m. Then he realized he could borrow his father’s roof topper but that he couldn’t fit it in his Corolla. So then I was to meet him at 8 at his place. But Saturday night he still hadn’t packed so we made it 9 and when I got there he wasn’t ready and then it turned out to be a big fat hairy deal to get the roof topper atop the roof and then nothing fit and we had to repack and repack and so we weren’t on the road until noon.
At about Binghamton (which is sort of the halfway point) there was a cave-in. All the chairs that were in the back fell on Arthur. When I told this story later, I laughed, and Arthur said “It’s not funny!” And I sympathized, and he said “It was like the trash compactor scene in Star Wars” and I have to say, that didn’t help me with the not laughing.
Anyway, we pulled over and saved him with bungee cords. Which is to say, we bungeed the beejeezus outa those chairs and BY THE GODS did they stay put.
When we arrived at camp it was just about twilight, but we were descended upon by people happy to see us and determined to have us unpacked and set up before dark. It was like some kind of happy Pagan ant march. So thanks to Charlie, Barbara, Sylvia, Jim, CJ, and Karen. You all rock.
Sunday night we spent time with Eddie & Theresa, Jason & Ari, and the whole Lansing crowd. Not a late night, given the exhaustion and all.
Monday, ah Monday. I arose knowing I was in Pagan paradise, and I had nothing to do. How cool is that? No official Starwood events until Tuesday night, the campground half-empty and with plenty of running water for showers. There was a lot of hanging out, a lot of changing into a different outfit as the weather changed yet again, and Charlie made filet mignon for dinner. Which is just crazy, but that’s how we eat.
Tuesday was another quiet day. I wandered around camp finding where my various friends were and collecting hugs. I found Orien and Orien Rose, hung out with Cate and Frank Dalton, wandered some more, got chilly, took a quick dip in the hot tub to cure my chill, and wandered some more. Craig & Arthur went into town to get haircuts and came back buzzed. Tuesday night was my turn to cook dinner, and I made one of my specialties; rice & beans curry style. It’s black beans, red beans, white beans, a Vidalia onion, apples, raisins, sweet curry sauce and canned whole tomatoes over rice, with a garnish of sour cream and a side of raw baby carrots. This was very popular last year and is so easy to make at camp. It does make you fart, though.
Tuesday night I could have gone to opening circle or one of the concerts, but I hung around at camp and enjoyed my own personal relaxathon.
(To be continued)
Monday Movie Review: The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) 8/10
Amnesiac superspy Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is on a quest to uncover the CIA secrets that will help him understand who he is. Meanwhile CIA agents including Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), Pam Landy (Joan Allen) and Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) are trying to find him.
The Bourne Ultimatum is a satisfying and thrilling action movie experience. It plays to most of Bourne’s familiar strengths: Grittiness, intelligence, and a smart anticipation of the enemy’s next move. Bourne is a behaviorally-modified agent, and so any skill he needs, he has, whether speaking Russian or Spanish, or knowing how to create diversions, or performing insanely good high-speed stunt driving. The film is weak in character development; at the breakneck pace it maintains from beginning to end, there is barely time for exposition, let alone exploration of individuals. The strong cast compensates a lot for that weakness; looking at Strathairn, I could tell that he’d done a lot of character work on Noah Vosen. Although the guy is just there to read the right lines, somehow he was fully embodied, and I was sure that Strathairn knew what Vosen had for breakfast, how he treated his wife, and what his dog’s name was.
I saw Damon on The Daily Show saying that the only bad review he saw was one that said “Someone should give Paul Greengrass a steadi-cam.” I have to say I agree. I love the veracity of the quick-moving camera, and certainly in a film that has spies spying on spies it makes sense for the camera itself to give the impression of spying. But so much of the movement was dizzying and hard to follow, that I felt a few conventional shots would have been welcome. One fight scene in particular was a blur; and clearly, it was a blur on purpose, as a directorial decision. Nonetheless, I kind of had to squint to watch it.
Bourne vs. Bond is practically a national pastime lately, but I have to say, I don’t see it. At least, I don’t see the part where people are saying that Bond “has to compete” with Bourne, or that Casino Royale “imitates” Bourne. Puh-leeze. Bourne wouldn’t exist without Bond, and Bond’s grittiness comes straight from Fleming‘s pen. I think it’s true that both Bourne and Daniel Craig‘s grittier Bond are a product of our times; movie audiences respond more to darker, edgier heroes. Craig’s Bond is similar to Timothy Dalton‘s, but the 1980s audience wasn’t as responsive (and would not have embraced Bourne either, I think).
I also don’t think Bourne is more realistic; gritty is not the same as true-to-life. A brainwashed superspy is, indeed, science fiction, and the stunts that Bourne performs are as outrageous as parachuting off a cliff while on skis. There are distinct character differences, of course; Bond’s on the inside, and has the support of his government, which includes gadgetry and the ability to move in fancier circles. As a thinker, Bourne is a chess player, anticipating move after move after move, while Bond is a poker player, getting into his enemy’s head while he bluffs and challenges.
The Bourne Ultimatum is a good movie but not an amazing one. It’s a roller-coaster ride that is, to me, less satisfying than its predecessors, which did so well at including people in the equation.
Sunday Meditation: John Barleycorn
On Lughnasadh (Lammas) we celebrate the first harvest and the sacrifice of John Barleycorn, spirit of the grain. The grain is cut down and dies that we may live. In His death is His own resurrection, not through mysticism, but through nature. In dying as grain, He becomes bread, in dying as bread, He becomes nourishment. He lives in all of us as we are fed by His sacrifice.
Imagine yourself in a field of wheat. The grain ripples in the breeze, like a golden sea of gentle waves. The movement of the golden waves is hypnotic, flowing in and out, in and out, as it catches the sun and sparkles in the light.
As the waves move in and out, back and forth, a shape emerges from them.
Now you see that the shape is a man. A golden man, wheat-colored and shining. He walks towards you. As you watch, he comes closer until he is facing you, only a few paces away.
Does he have something to say to you? Listen for a while. Spend as much time as you like with the golden man.
As you finish your time together, you notice that the light has changed. It is twilight, the sky is a sensual, deepening blue and the air is cooling. As you notice the twilight, you see a flash of light before you, like a gleam on metal, and John Barleycorn falls to the ground.
Step forward to where he has fallen. There is something there, where John Barleycorn fell. His body has disappeared, but something is in its place. Pick it up and hold it. It is the gift he left for you. What is it?
Bring this gift home with you to meditate on, and when you’re ready, open your eyes.
All the love I need
I’m in the process of writing up some Starwood diary stuff, because I know you’re all dying for my event report.
But Starwood isn’t just an event, it’s a magical space. As such, it can have…themes. Meaning in your life. And this year, the meaning for me was about communication. This year, it seemed I was continually in a position where I was standing between two people conveying communication back and forth, often with failure. So-and-so is pissed at whosy-who, and I’m in between. Rest assured, Starwood is a magical place, and all of these communications worked out for the best, and all is well. But I got to be with me as an agent of that communication.
I found myself saying “My worst fear is that the people I love will all hate each other.” I didn’t know I had that fear, but it came from a pretty deep place as I said it. A week later, I suddenly realize that this fear is my childhood entirely.
The message, to a child, of an acrimonious divorce is, “You can’t have all the love you need.” Period. You can have Mommy or Daddy, but not both, and not together, and neither will ever be comfortable with the fact that you love the other. Not, I suppose, inevitable in all divorce, and I believe Isaac and I have made sure it never happened in our divorce, but certainly it is the story of my first divorce, the one I lived with as a child.
I have said twelve thousand times that when we work to create Pagan family and Pagan community, we replicate our families of origin. When we have some experience with therapy, we can create family more consciously and in a way that is healing instead of knee-jerk.
I found, this week, that I have created a family big enough, diverse enough, and loving enough that I can never have all the love taken from me, that I can never end up alone with everyone hating each other. Things are good now, and things can always be less good. Acrimony can happen. Total population of the people I am in comfortable, loving relationships with can be reduced. But I see that in building the Clan, we have given ourselves a gift that cannot be broken. Splintered, okay, if necessary. But not broken. And that is a great comfort.
I will still have my fears. I will always, I think, be a person who can be in a warm and caring crowd and still be afraid I am alone. But I can also shake off that fear, and take in the love.
