Category Archives: Blab

because I’m sitting here and thinking

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2 posts in a day…what the hell!?
So today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v Wade. I have a request for those who support the Roe v Wade decision and the right to choose. Can we please stop using the ‘victim of rape or incest’ argument? I know, it’s hot button and all that, but really, it detracts from the real issue. The real issue, the real argument, is that decisions regarding the health and well being of my body, decisions regarding how my body will exist should remain between me and my doctor. There is not a single other person out there that has the right to interfere with those decisions. If a woman is pregnant it does not matter how or why she is pregnant. She has the right to make a decision regarding that pregnancy and she will make it with her doctor and that decision will be based on sound medical advice that comes from scientific fact, not emotional arguments.
A woman needs to make sound, reasoned choices when it comes to her body. The choice to have a baby is a serious and life changing decision. Having a baby is something that should happen when you are ready, not because of dogma and threats.
The ‘victim of incest or rape’ is a false argument that could backfire. What happens if it’s agreed that they should be available for the poor victims…but for no one else? We have to defend the premise where it stands and not where the other side might agree.
And could I love Barack Obama any more than I do?
His statement released today:

On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.

Speaking of loving him and false arguments…
His Executive Order to close Guantanamo. Awesome! yes? YES! I know he promised it, but I’d assumed long political fuckery before it happened and yet, there it is.
The false argument we need to stop using regarding torture, waterboarding, illegal imprisonment is “it’s not even effective”. What if it was an effective way of gathering useful intelligence, would you still support it? Would you? I wouldn’t.
* Eighth Amendment – Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
We. Do. Not. Torture. We do not do this. This is something we do not do. It does not matter how effective it might be, it does not matter how SURE we are that someone knows something, we do not torture. It is more important that we lose a battle than lose that thing which makes us truly free, truly American.

Random thoughts about this week

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it’s been a while, I’ve been busy and distracted and whatever. Here are my random thoughts in no particular order.

  • I watched the inauguration at my dad’s place since he has a tv and all that.
  • Could Aretha Franklin’s hat been any more awesome? Seriously! From the moment she stepped out there I fell in love all over again. I want that hat. I love that hat. That hat was amazing.
  • It is a SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS when a leader has to promise to bring science back. I almost wept when I heard that. Bringing science back. How crazy is that? This THIS THIS is what brings me hope. I find hope in knowing that leadership and decisions and education will once again be based on fact and study, based on the empirical rather than ‘faith’
  • While we’re at it, can we have a one hour tv special explaining to the general population the difference between a theory and a hypothesis? These terms are NOT interchangeable and they do not convey the same idea.
  • When he mentioned Khe Sahn I really wanted to believe he did because he loves The Big Lebowski. I want to believe my president is that awesome.
  • “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals” This is how I learned it in elementary school, in junior high, in high school. I learned that it is precisely our ideals that keep us safest. I learned that you may lose sometimes because the constitution does not allow you to go as far as you like in prosecuting or interrogating or spying but precisely because of that we will win in the end. A criminal might go free because he was not read his miranda rights, on the other hand the rule is in place so that every person who is arrested knows and understands their rights. A prosecuter may ‘know‘ that a person committed a crime, but they cannot just jail that person indefinitely while they try to find evidence. That keeps all of us safe. No one will be jailed indefinitely until ‘evidence’ is found. No one will be tortured, no one will be treated as less than a human. This is what I learned, this is what has always made me a committed advocate of the constitution. It is a document that says that it is willing to err on the side of the individual in order to maintain the safetly of the masses.
  • I thought the ‘non-believer’ thing was a bit of an obvious play, but still I appreciated it. It would be nice to know that laws and rights can be crafted to encompass everyone, not just the people who believe certain things. That a bible says that I can only marry a man means about as much to me as the pink unicorn in my garage telling you that you can only eat beef on sunny days. Your book is not the boss of me and my unicorn is not the boss of you and the law should reflect that.
  • I am sad that Ted Kennedy is dying. He is one of the last truly great liberal orators. Obama is getting close, but I fear the office will take a toll on him. I listened to a retrospective of TKs speeches and I was riveted. Is television killing our ability to write and speak truly great things?
  • What does it say about my faith in humanity that I was terrified every time the Obamas got out of their limo during the parade?
  • This is really one of the most touching photos of the evening

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  • on the crafty front, I’ve been making headbands for sale on etsy except people buy them before i have a chance to list them!

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    gband3.jpg

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  • I have a cold and I am tired a lot, but you know! eat lots of fruit or something.
  • Just a reminder: 15% of all January sales at Bubbo Designs will be donated to Darfur Stoves. I wish I had a way to truly express how important this is to me. A woman should not have to risk rape, torture or death every time she tries to care for her family. If you don’t want or need yarn or felted accessories, please consider a direct donation.
  • If there is any justice in this world this Nurse Practitioner will be charged with assault and battery. Provider Conscious rules cannot apply here as they can only exempt a professional from shirking their sworn duties in the dispensing of devices and medications that go against their ‘beliefs’. PC rules don’t cover the blatant attack and theft of these things. This is why I want science back in the forefront. I don’t give a good goddamn what your skyman tells you about my uterus! If you cannot uphold the professional obligations you have to my health and welfare then find another job. At the very least, Don’t lie and trick and assault your patients. Also, a nurse practitioner that DOES NOT UNDERSTAND how an IUD works needs to get her hands out of the vaginas and get her ass back to school. An IUD is NOT an abortifactant. Sloppy psuedoscience does not change this. Your magic skyman does not change this. My pink unicorn does not change this.

Scandinavean Balls of Steal!

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So that eternal cold chill that’s gripping the north something something? Yeah it’s here too. Every once in a while I am compelled to add another item to the list of “things that are kinda cool about not working (except I can’t celebrate because not working is shame!)”
This morning I added “not having to leave the house when it is -21 degrees”! Even the dogs hated it. Poor Chester had to keep lifting his feet off the snow while pooping. This caused him to scoot around. Oh early morning cold weather hilarity!
Later in the day I had to run to the post office to mail some packages. I feared the cold! I feared it even more when I realized that my coat and moon boots were in the trunk of my car. How was I supposed to survive!? I left wearing my sneaker shoes and a fleece pullover (and hat and fingerless gloves and cowl) convinced I was going to freeze to death.
I didn’t. In fact I was hot as hell. The thing with my meds is that they make me hot all the goddammed time. Any walking, or movement or whatever and I’m super hot! Even the act of turning over and grabbing the blanket to cover me can make me too hot for the blanket! It’s messed up. I just didn’t thing my internal Vesuvius would be able to overcome the ice age going on outside. HA! The weather is my Pompeii and I turn her into my bitch!
It’s been a weird 10 days or so. I’ve done a lot of noodling about in my head. I have for once decided to trust myself. At the heart of the situation I had to actually believe that I am not a poor communicator and that I can explain things really well. If after 6 months someone does not understand what I am saying maybe they aren’t the most qualified to listen. That was an exceptionally hard thing to accept. I’m the first to accept blame when things get messed up and I’m the first to assume something is my fault.
So yeah, tough week. If you’ve tried to call me, sorry, the phone is off.
On the other hand I taught myself another crafty skill. That was pretty cool! Go buy something!

Ways in which I am a doofus pt 341,887,990

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I live in the city and when I drive i mostly do city driving. In observing my city driving habits I’ve come to the conclusion that I am going to be one of those pain in the ass old ladies that’s always hitting the brakes and freaking and making her passengers very nervous in the city (sort of like now, but I will smell like lilacs and pee when I am old).
The thing is, I have shitty-to-no depth perception and that makes driving a fascinating exercise for all involved. Mostly, it’s not the moving that’s an issue, but the parking. I hate any sort of parallel parking, I also hate trying to find a damned parking spot on a city street because you have to go slow enough to look for the spot and be able to stop for it but you can’t go so slow that you mess with traffic! It can be panic inducing!
Plus you have to deal with one-ways and weird street configurations and blah blah blah.
So! Being the doofus that I am I’ve taken to hitting Google maps before I leave and scoping out the entire area on street view before I go! This way I can see all the cross streets, figure out the one-ways, find nearby parking lots and basically preplan the minutia of the trip.
In less than an hour I am meeting a friend for coffee. The intersection she gave me is a pretty busy part of town! I could not picture the coffee shop in my head so I went to look and LO!!! the angels sang on me! There it was! With a large, accommodating parking lot no less! Easy! Total doofus, no panic! I love Google street view!
In other news…
Will be in Chicago for the weekend with Lisa and John and the kids. We’ll be making Christmas cookies! I’ve never made Christmas cookies with kids before, I’m very much looking forward to this (and the mess!).
Have 7 skeins of yarn to post and sell (4 pangolins, 3 hippomoons). Just need to take photos. Almost done with my first batch of I’m Your Moon, the Pluto/Charon yarn named after the JoCo song. And I realized that I need to make an official Auntie BubboPants colorway. If you don’t know Auntie BubboPants, don’t worry, I’m trying to figure out the best way to share her with you and that should be ready soon!
Okay. Stop. Shower time!

LOOK!

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Dear people who know me and also the people who sort of know of me but maybe aren’t on a first name basis with me,
The Ravelry Mini-Mart has been made accessible to those of you who do not have Ravelry accounts. This is important because otherwise you would not be able to order Ravelry hoodies or Disagree(1) t-shirts…for me…because you want me to look my Ravelbest!
also…
For those of you following the awesome yarn sales over at my etsy shop…
1. Got a batch of HippoMoon roving ready to draft and spin. Give me a few days and I will have some more HippoMoon in stock
2. DJ Stegosaurawk is in the hizzouse and he wants to rock you!
3. The Emperor’s Aurora is gone again. This one is really time intensive, I can spend an entire day drafting together one skein. It will probably be a while before I get some more.
4. In news of awesomeness, I got permission from Jonathan Coulton‘s assistant, Scarface, to name my Pluto/Charon yarn after his song, ‘I’m Your Moon‘. It was not my intention originally to relate the yarn to the song, but every time I worked on the yarn I got the song stuck in my head and whenever I described the story for the yarn people would say, “oh! like that Jonathan Coulton song”. The roving is up and drying for that.
That’s all my foamy peeps. Have an awesome Thursday!