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April 15th, 2012
 | 04:28 pm - Stop the Arizona birth control bill
Before you roll your eyes, this bill would give companies the right to fire women if they discovered that she was using a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy.
See the ALCU entry here
HOW THE HELL IS MY REPRODUCTION THEIR BUSINESS??
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Originally posted by ![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) cyan_blue at Stop the Arizona birth control bill
Current Mood:  furious
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January 19th, 2012
| 05:49 am - The last thing I remember before waking up....
Everyone I know has at least one stressful relationship, but I think I've found a way to get around that sort of unending gnaw of unhappiness!
The last thing I remember before waking up this morning was telling the person I was talking to in my dream: If you don't stop arguing with me, I'm just gonna wake up and leave you here alone to debate with yourself. Then I was awake.
Wow, that was a really effective** strategy.
**I have a small suspicion that, while this strategy might not work as effectively in the waking world, it might be sufficient to get someone's attention long enough to get the point across that they are being really obnoxious and should try something else.
Also? All this philosophy homework is apparently now leaking into my subconscious.
Does anyone have any saranwrap?
Current Mood:  bemused
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January 12th, 2012
| 08:35 am - CONTEST! Time is running out!!
Student Writing Contest
FOGcon values new writers and seeks to encourage their growth. The FOGcon writing contest aims to encourage student writers to engage with the Bay Area speculative fiction community and to explore the featured theme of this year’s FOGcon convention in their work.
The contest is open to students currently enrolled at a two-year or four-year college or university in the San Francisco Bay Area. Entrants are invited to submit a short story of no more than 3,000 words that addresses the FOGcon 2012 theme, The Body.
The winning writer will receive a membership to FOGcon 2012 (to be held March 30-April 1, 2012 at the Walnut Creek Marriott), an opportunity to publicly read their story as part of the convention programming, and a chance to discuss their work with Nebula Award-winning writer, Rachel Swirsky. (Winners will be responsible for their own transportation and accommodation, if needed.)
How to Enter
Submit a previously unpublished story of 3,000 words or less that addresses the FOGcon 2012 theme, The Body. One entry per person, please. Entries may be in any genre – from fantasy to hard science fiction to horror – that falls within the broad boundaries of speculative fiction.
Send entries in either Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (*.rtf) as an attachment to contest@fogcon.org. Use standard manuscript format. Include the following information on the first page of your story:
Your name
Mailing address, phone number, and email address
The college or university at which you are currently enrolled
The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2012.
Winners will be announced March 1, 2012.
Depending on the quality and quantity of submissions, the FOGcon convention committee reserves the right to choose an additional winner, or to declare no winner.
Please send any questions about the writing contest to contest@fogcon.org.
Current Mood:  excited
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January 4th, 2012
| 11:56 am - An unusual recipe for the New Year!
This recipe was just so unexpected that I had to post it.
It is courtesy of worldspice.com - who says:
So this may look like a weird combination, but it's really good. This recipe makes a dense, rich brownie. And to make sure that there is enough chocolate in the brownie, we used both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. The key is to make sure that you have crisp bacon. (And using some bacon fat doesn't hurt either.) Definitely not a low-calorie treat...
Bacon Whiskey Brownies
1/2 lb thick-sliced bacon
10 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9 Tbl unsalted butter (1 stick + 1 Tbl)
4 Tbl bacon fat
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (preferably dark)
3 Tbl whiskey (bourbon would be good, too)
4 large eggs
1 tsp Alderwood Smoked Salt (can use non-smoked salt, too)
1/4 cup Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (pecans or hazelnuts would be good, too)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an extra 2 inches hanging over on each side. (Doing this makes it easier to remove from the pan.) Spray the inside of the pan with pan spray. Set aside.
Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 4 Tbl of the bacon fat for the batter. Chop bacon into small pieces.
Fill a small saucepan halfway with water. Place a heat-proof bowl on top of the saucepan. Put the butter, reserved bacon fat and chopped chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted. When melted, scrape into a large bowl and mix in both sugars. Add the whiskey, eggs and salt and mix until smooth. Finally, add the cocoa powder and flour and mix well. Fold in the chopped bacon and nuts.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely. When cool, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the brownies out of the pan.
Current Mood:  amused
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November 27th, 2011
| 11:09 am - Old cartoons, live on the net!
There's a few commercials, but whee! Cartoons I remember from kidhood... (of course, this means they are probably not PC to today's standards - after all, forewarned is forearmed... No detonating allowed!)
http://72.13.93.186/frog (this has the kind that were shown during Bullwinkle, the old b&w Petticoat Junctions, like that)
http://72.13.93.186/funnytoons (this is the sort that are Little Lulu-y, Felix the Cat, like that)
or visit tubtub.com for many more channels
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November 23rd, 2011
| 10:32 am - I dunno anything about physics, but I like reading about it
Excerpt below is from an article posted on ars technica.
This sciencey stuff is odd, Maynard.
The insanely weird quantum wave function might be "real" after all
by Chris Lee
There's a long, long history of puzzled physicists showing that the wave function must be a bizarre object. [...] According to the rules of quantum mechanics, if I measure the spin of one of a pair of entangled particles, then that measurement automatically and instantaneously sets the spin of the other... even if it's on the opposite side of the Universe.
Such findings were only theoretical in nature until the 1980s. Since then, we have confirmed that entanglement is possible and have attempted to measure the speed with which the wave function collapse travels between entangled particles. The answer is: it's fast. Much faster than the speed of light (or neutrinos). The conclusion seems to be that the bizarre consequences of the wave function are real.
Current Mood:  interested
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November 21st, 2011
October 30th, 2011
 | 04:12 pm - NASA is so cool
Views from the ISS
Stream videos at Ustream
Notes:
Live video streamed from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During "loss of signal" periods, viewers may see a test pattern or a graphical world map that depicts the station’s location in orbit above the Earth. Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.
Current Mood:  interested
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October 6th, 2011
| 08:39 pm - Oddity of the day
I was sitting on the front porch watching the rain today. I saw something fall from the palm tree and heard it thunk on the soggy grass. I went to investigate, hoping it was not a baby bird. It wasn't. It was a walnut. I was so confused.
Current Mood:  it shoulda been a palm nut
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July 4th, 2011
 | 10:45 am - On account of I didn't get a birthday yet this year
I had the evil flu on my birthday this year. And then my kitty died.
If anyone wants to get me a present for the non-birthday, I am still looking for a cool DSLR.
I would be equally happy with a pointer to a good model and a sale :)
By the way, have you seen this camera???
I LOVE the concept, but shudder at the Big Brother implications.
Current Mood:  doing stuff
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February 22nd, 2011
| 08:06 pm - Repost, but still TOTALLY appriopiate (4yr redux)
...there was this bit of imagery that totally captured my imagination and illustrated my mental processes (so, like, maybe other people could see the machinery clattering about in my head!)
It said (italics mine):
A good programmer working intensively on his own code can hold it in his mind the way a mathematician holds a problem he's working on. Mathematicians don't answer questions by working them out on paper the way schoolchildren are taught to. They do more in their heads: they try to understand a problem space well enough that they can walk around it the way you can walk around the memory of the house you grew up in.
Current Mood:  interested
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February 6th, 2011
| 03:32 pm - Max cat
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RelaxaMax
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KittehsOrganize!
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oooo...tehbelleh!
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Current Mood:  sad
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| 03:20 pm - The teh suck is getting really old.
Stupid flu.
Stupid birthday.
Stupid death.
Can I have not suck now?
Current Mood:  drained
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January 11th, 2011
| 07:47 pm - Dear darn wannabe jumper on the Dumbarton today,
You have single-handedly rekindled and fanned the desire for flying cars (or even a hovercraft) into flame.
Also? 30 miles home, I left at 4pm. I got home at 7:30pm. While I do recognize it's very likely that you are having a much worse day than I am, I am not especially thrilled with your gift.
Not much love, really,
-housepet
Current Mood:  traffic-fussy
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December 29th, 2010
| 10:57 am - 2010 - recap
All I have to say about 2010 is:
Where did the year go?
I meant to do something with it, but it somehow eluded me!
*pockets a leash and puts on sticky gloves to catch 2011 early*
Current Mood:  restless
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| 10:55 am - Things I miss [greed]
I really miss having a camera.
Yeah, I know it's greedy - there's people without shelter and food.
But still, I miss my camera.
Current Mood:  melancholy
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October 3rd, 2010
| 11:17 am - Just how I feel
I often wake up with a song in my mind. I often wonder if the song I wake up with in my mind is my subconscious being expressive. If it is, I guess there's many worse ways for it to express.
Today I have Howard Jones "No one is to blame" in my head.
( Lyrics included for your reference )
Current Mood:  tired
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September 25th, 2010
| 01:05 pm - I wanna know!
Describe your favorite t-shirt for me??
My favorite t-shirt is a short-sleeved grey oversized Duke university t-shirt. "Duke" is in capital steel grey-blue letters in a slight arch mid-chest.
What makes it my favorite? It's just the right length, it's fall weight (a mid-weight t-shirt, not summer light, not winter canvassy), and is softsoftsoft.
Tell me about your favorite t-shirt?
Current Mood:  curious
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September 6th, 2010
| 12:28 pm - Pakistan violence this week
If I could could put language to the horror above, I would.
Current Mood:  scared
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July 18th, 2010
| 02:59 pm - Dreams is the oddest things.
Ever since that really terrible car crash in 2004, I've heard music. I mean, I hear music that no one else on this plane can hear. I mean, not just when I am flying, but when I am sitting in the room with you. I hear music. Invisible music.
Well, I was listening to this song today on housepet invisible internal radio. It tasted very 90s, sort of an indie college song - upbeat, fast pace, unusual lyrics, three piece band. The singer was talking about the girlfriend he had. A piece of lyric struck me:
"she said she'd give me the sun and moon if I gave her mars"
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March 25th, 2010
| 05:24 am - Where'd that come from?
I took Marsh Road home yesterday, just cuz I was tired of the evilness of the 880/237. It's a gorgeous ride along Marsh across the bottom end of the bay, and there's trees and grass, and yes, bits of water -- in contrast to the concrete scenery you get in a commute through other places in the bay area.
I rode along at a steady 40 miles an hour. When I had almost reached the dreaded 880, traffic slowed. I noticed a scent coming through the open window. I sniffed. Then I sniffed again.
It smelled like watermelon on the breeze.
My mind said, "Watermelon? Really? On the highway?"
My nose said, "Yep! And not the fakey, chemically scent of watermelon, either. This is the scent of watermelon you get on a warm day when you cut through the rind of a the season first fully ripe melon."
I sniffed.
I sniffed again.
I smiled.
Current Mood:  pleased
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March 14th, 2010
| 05:07 am - baseline expectations, often higher than I think
They've been letting me listen to freespeech radio lately. I should moderate my dosage of varied viewpoints and insights into non-mainstream history -- I get all incensed about injustices and politics... then I get all altruistic about stuff and wanna change the world. Changing the world is HARD work.
One thing I am really upset about lately is the story they've reported on for the past several weeks in relation to the Hispanic community and the Census. The story goes that illegal immigrants in the southland are afraid to fill out the census form because they believe Homeland Security will pull the data from the Census, give it to Immigration, and that ICE will come pick them up and send them back home.
Usually on the heels of that story, they relate another item that indicates certain Latino leaders are advocating a boycott of the Census. "Don't fill out the forms!" the news story relates these leader are urging their community, "You are under represented and should not give them the information they are looking for until you are more fairly treated!"
Um?
I am not a political whiz, but I do understand they use the Census to allocate social programs, congressional representation, and many other government managed services and infrastructure support allocations. I cannot understand why anyone would believe that not filling the Census form is doing anything but hurting themselves and their community. There are certain things you do want your government to know you are present in an area for and are expecting -- things like having representative allocated to your community, getting federal assistance to keep your roads and bridges in working order, or having dollars allocated for your county for the many social services so many of us have needed in the recent recession.
For the Latino community, if any of their credible leaders are really saying that they should boycott the Census until the community is more fairly heard... well that's like saying, I am not going to use a cell phone until I can get 4 bars everywhere. What's the incentive to upgrade (much less *maintain*) the infrastructure if it appears that no one is using it? I think, for the Latino community, not filling out the Census forms will ensure their community remains in murky visibility.
Then again, I have to stop and remind myself that I am a privileged white girl that (even tho I feel like I do) does not really know what it means to be a fringe member of society. Sure, there were challenges with the patriarchy when I grew up and tried to make a living in the world, and the corporate man held women down) I remind myself that whatever troubles I've encountered in my life, I don't understand what it means to be disenfranchised. Not really. Nor can I honestly imagine it. The indignation and anger I feel when I think I've been treated less than equitably (read: treated with anything less than the respect that should have been afforded to a 1960's middle-class member) is sometimes shocking. The disdain and invisibility that comes with disenfranchisement would probably kill me. I am ashamed when I examine my base entitlement expectations. But I don't know how to make my expectations a common baseline for a broader segment of the population. I frequently think about this problem, wondering what I can do to make life a little more fair where I live.
Yeah, they should not let me listen to free speech radio.
Current Mood:  contemplative
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March 6th, 2010
| 11:47 am - WHY is it *my* turn to be responsible again?
My horoscope for today:
On this day you will turn your attention to your duties and responsibilities, to those tasks that you may not want to do but feel that you must in order to fulfill your obligations to others.
Current Mood:  annoyed
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January 24th, 2010
| 09:22 am - History, courtesy of State government
According to the Oregon State Archive website, identifying folks for the census in the 1800's was tricky. They say: The first use of the term “Indian” doesn’t appear until the 1870 census when it became a choice in the column heading for “color.” Neither the 1850 or 1860 census for Oregon included significant numbers of Native Americans. In compiling profiles for this project, staff encountered many mixed race individuals identified as “mulatto.” In most instances these designations were changed to “Indian” unless evidence clearly indicates the individual was of mixed African American descent. Another designation that appears with some frequency is “HB” apparently indicating “half-breed.” There are many inconsistencies in the censuses over time for individuals of mixed Native American descent. Staff relied on the preponderance of evidence to determine race in these cases. Oh, the things you learn doing Sunday morning surfing.
Current Mood: boggled
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housepet's journal
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