October 30, 2008 at 12:20 am
· Filed under Daily, tidbit
I was thinking yesterday that it is unseasonably warm here in Cowtown, CA. Halloween is upon us, and yet the air is warm, almost feverish.
I haven’t been able to wear my boots yet.
I wanted to cool down, to be fall. I love the fall. Crisp air, scarves, socks, and hot tea on a blustery day. However, earlier tonight I was out in the cold night air for an hour or so, just standing around and I forgot why I like fall so much.
Fall can kiss my ass. Scarves be damned. I’ll stick with feverish, as long as my toes start to thaw.
This should be no shock to most. I am a college student, working towards a degree in Women’s Studies. Any undergraduate program in the liberal arts is basically a degree in I Read A Lot Of Dumb Shit.
As a Women’s Studies major, I assume I have to read less dumb shit than others. For example, TBRE reads nothing but long-winded pompous Dumb Shit. She’s a psych major. At least the dumb shit I read is about things like eating disorders and gender oppression. I don’t know how she gets into Memory Theory by Dr. Ithinkiknowmorethanyou.
However, I do not simply take issue with the amount or content of what I read. My problem is in the fact that long, pompous articles dwarf what you think you personally can and should believe in. There is this awe and wonder around writing academically that leads people to believe that they can’t do it. They revere what is being said and feel that there is no fault in it. While I respect the amount of time, reading, and work that is put into Dr. Ithinkiknowmorethanyou’s articles, that does not mean that I don’t have access to the same body of knowledge. I am allowed to form my own opinions, theories, and thoughts on a subject. I can write my own paper and understand the same concepts and argue my own points. So many people put religious reverence in what they read in their “scholarly” sources that they forget that they are allowed to take issue with it. Don’t think that Bernasi’s deconstructive theory on sex holds weight? Good. Tell me about it. Write an essay about it. Think Hesse-Biber is full of shit? Tell me why you think feminist science is a crock. Hate the way birth control and reproductive politics are being handled by our government? Write a dissertation. Get it published. Make a damn point.
My problem with academic writing is the fact that it wants people to believe that some opinions matter more than others. Yes, some have more knowledge. But you can still disagree. You don’t have to worship the page you are reading. You can still write a counter-essay. You can even swear. Sometimes. If you swear, you should probably start with a blog. Or aim for Journal of International Women’s Studies. They’re into experimental writing. It’s why I love Women’s Studies. Because every voice is give at least a piece of the microphone. Because they put stock in your opinion of Bernasi’s deconstructive theory. Because they want you to disagree.
Because just because you’re not Dr. Ithinkiknowmorethanyou, doesn’t mean you don’t have a voice that is worth listening to. That’s what college is for. To find that voice, use it, and read a lot of Dumb Shit That You Disagree With. At least you’re reading. At least you’re thinking. That’s what college is for.
I have a weird obsession with sparkling water. Not the cheap stuff, but the real stuff. Perrier, San Pellegrino, the strange Dutch Voss crap that I order at the expensive restaurants I go to with my parents. I go through it like it’s, well, water.
There was a sale at the supermarket today. 4 bottles for $4. One little dollar for a liter of the Good Life. I bought 10. I’m sure I looked like the crazy person who buys water for the end of the world. I would have judged me.
Before I throw out the bottles -I mean recycle the bottles- I take off all of the paper labels. If the bottle is a little wet, the labels will peel off smoothly, and leaves minimal residue from the adhesive. Those are the successes. They can be more gratifying than finishing a paper, getting an A on a test or cooking a meal that doesn’t suck. And it happens way more often.
If the bottle is dry and I start to remove the label, I have to rip from both sides. Sometimes it will come off in one piece, and sometimes I have to remove the offending label in sections. Sometimes a small piece won’t come off at all. If that is case, I have to get rid of the bottle before I throw it out the window.
Once the labels are removed, I fold them symmetrically. Sometimes in half, sometimes in quarters, but always neatly. After that, I shove them down the neck, and into the empty bottle. It is then that my drinking experience ends. Not when I finish the water, but when I finish the ritual.
October 22, 2008 at 11:25 pm
· Filed under Daily, Issues
Unfortunately, I know a few people who are voting yes on Prop 8. For those of you out of state, Prop 8 will ban gay marriage.
The people I know cite religious reasons, which is interesting because they come from a religion that is often excluded, discriminated against, and generally told to piss off. They are oft marginalized by dominant society, and feel the need to pass their heartache onto others. I believe my roommate the Psych major would have something Freudian to say about that.
I say the separation of church and state trumps your religion, regardless of its status in mainstream culture.
And while there is a division within the gay right movement as to the positives of integration into the marriage institution, I believe that equality for all is a really excellent first step to change. No, it’s not revolutionary, yes it still privileges certain types of relationships, families, races, and the capitalist system in which we live. However, I will take this win. I will take legal gay marriage as an indicator of the character of Californians. Is it perfect? No. Is it a start? Yes.