| Random Questions #1 |
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| 08:54am 25/02/2009 |
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Here's the thing. Sometimes, completely random and weird questions pop into my head and nag me unmercifully for a while. Generally I don't ask them to anyone, since they ARE so completely random. But I think I happen to have a very smart friends list, so I'm going to start putting them here when I think of them. Maybe you'll know the answer, maybe you'll have a guess, and if not, at least you might find them interesting to think about. So here goes.
1) When/how did what we recognize as an American accent first start to appear? At the time of the Revolution, would the colonists still be speaking with a British-y accent, would they sound recognizably American, or would it have been some unholy amalgam of the two? In addition, where and from whom did different aspects of what we think of as an American accent/colloquialisms develop?
2) This is a tough one to explain, but I'll try anyway. When you look up in the sky and see an airplane and the contrails they leave behind [the white cloudy line that the jet leaves behind it, and the line is always extremely well defined with a very sharp beginning (where the jet is) and ending (not where the jet is)]... Why is it that the line has such a well defined ending when you first see it, since as you watch, the contrail degrades and fuzzes out into nothing? Since the jet didn't just start creating that line at the moment you started watching, shouldn't there be some degraded fuzz at the end of the line from BEFORE you started watching? |
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| A few hours makes such a difference |
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| 08:16am 25/02/2009 |
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mood:  excited
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You know, it's not often in life that you pick up new statuses in a family. It's pretty rare, in fact. Take me. Up until now, I've had more or less the same ones: daughter, sister (whether or not "in-law" is appended), niece, granddaughter, and so on. All of these have me at the bottom of the age hierarchy, because, well, I've pretty much been the youngest in my family (with, I suppose, the exception of being Spud's "mommy). It's bound to happen.
Last night, though, at about 12:15 EST, I picked up a new status, and it's not only going to stick with me for the rest of my life, it also means that I'm no longer at the bottom of the age hierarchy. In fact, there's now someone who's in a completely new generation of my family. So now that I'm an aunt (!) and can give advice to someone in a younger generation, I'd like to tell my nephew (all of 9 lbs and 9.6 ounces) the following:
A) Welcome to the family, kiddo!
B) We're oversensitive, extremely stubborn, and don't like change, so you'll want to work yourself into a rhythm as quickly as possible. Oh, and we like dogs. You'd better like dogs.
C) Don't give your mom and dad too much of a hard time; they're already pretty tired.
D) I'll be seeing you in Philly next week for your bris -- Don't pee on me. You'll live to regret it.
E) Regarding the bris, I don't have much sound advice to offer. All I can say is to clear your mind, try to be Zen about it (IE, don't worry about it before it gets here, don't regret it once it's past), and I promise not to look when the mohel does his thing. I'd probably pass out anyway.
That said, it's a big, wide world out there that you've got a long time to get to see, and your Auntie Leah will always be there to offer you bad advice -- or good advice that happens to have no relevance to the situation at hand. It's not a bad deal, is it?
And hey, maybe you'll get lucky and the economy will have picked up again by the time you're job hunting! |
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| 11:05pm 15/12/2008 |
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mood:  contemplative
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So, um, I made another video. I know, I know, I'm a total dork. And even though iMovie was not quite up to par with my imagination, I'm still kinda proud of it. In case you're wondering, this one is not about my dog, although the satellite of which he is a namesake does appear briefly...
Slipping the Bonds |
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| Accidental Pun |
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| 10:14pm 07/12/2008 |
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This morning, at Starbucks:
Me: "Dad, what's today's date?"
Dad: "The 7th."
Me: "Oh!"
Dad: "Pearl Harbor Day."
Me: "Wow, yeah. It kinda snuck up on me there..."
Dad: *laughs*
Me: "Oh. I -- Ohhhhhh. Whoops." |
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| 07:11pm 05/12/2008 |
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mood:  chipper
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Paradoxically, life has been both quiet and eventful. As I write this, Spud (whose newest nicknames include Spudley, Spudfer, Spudface, and Spuddles) is sitting next to me, perhaps silently mourning his testicles, which were lost forever a week and a half ago, along with his two baby canines. He's completely recovered, though -- enough to start being able to escape from his playpen, which is is a good bit taller than he is. I haven't actually seen him do it, all I know is that he's waiting for me at the door when I come home. So, instead of having him locked up in his crate all of the sudden, I just shut him in my room. What a spoiled little dog! And his full name is now Sputnik Houdini Hagler. Say it 5 times fast; it's got a certain ring to it.
In a bored moment, I edited together a new video of him. It's right here. Maybe it's kind of self-indulgent, but I enjoy it. It reminded me of how much fun editing videos together is, although using iMovie was frustrating, because I just kept thinking of how much easier it would be if I had FinalCut Pro.
In the meantime, I've started taking fiddle lessons; no huge reason in particular. It's just that it's always something I've secretly wanted to do, and this seems to be the time in my life when I have the time and motivation. It's pretty tough. Even "Mary Had a Little Lamb" sounds rough and screechy so far, but I think it'll be worth it, and I'm really going to enjoy being able to create some music. No classical music for me, though. I'm going to play jigs, reels, dirges, and folk music type things. It's just more fun. I'd rather play "Whiskey You're the Devil," than Beethoven's 6th. I'm also still taking Aerial Dance classes. It's fun, though my hands are still constantly covered in blisters. I can really feel myself getting stronger, though -- I can almost do a real push-up for the first time, like, ever.
I'm working on having more of a social life around here, although it's slow going. I'm trying some different things and attempting to take a few more risks with people -- but admittedly, I am also sitting at home and playing video games sometimes. I'm also re-reading the "Anne of Green Gables" series. Because I'm still secretly 11 years old.
Yesterday a coyote ran in front of my car. I didn't hit him, which I was glad about, and I just thought it was cool, because even though I've seen foxes and deer around here, I've never actually seen a coyote. I think they tend to be a bit shyer and hang around in their packs.
Anyhow. Back to puzzling over today's cryptoquip. Because aside from being 11 years old secretly, I'm also a total dork. |
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| 11/04/2008 |
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| 10:55pm 04/11/2008 |
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mood: peaceful
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I haven't yet gone obsessively in search of commentary and analysis, as I have been wont to do over the past, oh, 10 months. I want to set down my own thoughts before I read anyone else's, so that I can look back later on and know that this is what I was thinking, not something I absorbed from someone else.
Originally, I was planning to write a somewhat pompous entry about the huge step forward our country has taken tonight, but it struck me that I really cannot grasp the momentousness of this occasion. It's not that I don't understand what it is, and it's not that I'm not terribly happy, because I am. It's more that I don't have the correct frame of reference.
When our parents were growing up, society was still segregated. A man like Barack Obama would not have been able to attend the same schools, or even to drink from the same water fountains. Racism is still evident in our society today, but most of us take it for granted that we can all go to the same places and do the same things. Intellectually, I've always known that, yeah, Obama is half-African-American, but I've never really thought of him as a racial figure, even when race was injected into the campaign. To me, he's always just been Barack Obama, a brilliant, even-tempered leader with a gorgeous smile (yes, I have a crush). Heck, he's not even the first Barack I've known (though the others have spelled their names differently), so I don't even think of his name as unusual.
Maybe that, in and of itself, is some kind of measure of how far society may have come: that someone can say to me, "We just elected Barack Obama president," and my instinctive response is, "Well, yeah, of course we did. Why wouldn't we?" |
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| Oh the places we'll go |
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| 12:34am 26/10/2008 |
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mood:  accomplished
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It's been a very busy couple of weeks, so indulge me.
For starters, I've been extremely lucky (read: known the right people [AKA my parents]), made some good connections, and gotten two part-time gigs in addition to my museum internship. I won't exactly be rolling in the dough -- as if I ever could be -- but I'll be making some actual money, keeping busy, and, you know, learning new skills.
Speaking of skills, for the first time in years (quite literally, it's been about 3 years) I've had an idea for something to write. It's not the novel I stalled out upon oh-so-long-ago in Japan, and to be honest I'm not quite sure what it is, but I've written a half-page and planned out quite a bit more in my head. I don't know if it'll go anywhere, and it's entirely possible that it'll wind up on the scrap heap, along with so many of my other half-worked projects over the years (to be fair, though, the penny whistle thing was not my fault; I couldn't find a place to practice that didn't wind up annoying people). Still... it's nice just to have an idea again. It's been a very long time, and I really didn't think I'd ever have much of a new plot in my head again.
I've also been reading a lot more again since I moved back home. To a large extent, reading was something that had somewhat fallen by the wayside since going to college since, after all, I could only travel with a finite number of my favorite books. Now I've got them all to hand and have refreshed my acquaintance with an old childhood habit: lying in bed and reading until way, WAY too late. At least now I'm old enough that I don't have to worry about a parent walking by during the night and telling me sternly that it's time to turn the light off and go to sleep.
Staying up late is a lot harder than it used to be, though. For the first time in my life, I actually feel guilty when I sleep till 11 AM (except for this past week, because I've been sick and have been having trouble sleeping, so excuse ahoy!). I've been feeling tired quite a bit earlier than I used too, also, but because I'm stubborn and stupid, well, I don't go to sleep when I get tired. I go to sleep when I decide that I'm damned well good and ready to do so.
Cryptoquip puzzles are freaking amazing. I probably wouldn't be so hooked if there were more than one daily in the newspaper, but as it is, I practically drool over the things.
Politics? I'd rather wait, oh, 10 days or so, until I'm feeling pretty happy about the situation, and then I'll do a politics post. (No complacency here, I've already voted, and as a Democrat, will never believe that I've won until after we've won the inevitable lawsuit challenging the results of any election, because people in this country are WEIRD.)
Now. As to Sputnik. As a first-time puppy owner, I notice lots of weird things about my puppy and take pictures of him incessantly. Well, I don't care, this is my journal, and if I want to gush about what an adorable little idiot he is, then I will, and so there! This is my current list of things that are weird/interesting about Sputnik (or as I increasingly call him, my little potato dog):
1) He follows me into the bathroom when I go to shower (I know, awkward, right?), and in a very strange Pavlovian response, the second I close the door, he plunks himself down on the floor and starts cleaning himself all over. Well, dachshunds DO hate to be left out of the fun, I suppose. Showers for all!
2) He growls and barks -- at his own reflection. I'm sure this isn't so unusual, but I still find it really funny to hold him up to a mirror and watch as he goes through the cycle of suspicion, anger, surprise, and suspicion again.
3) He drags his bedding out of his crate and strews it all over the floor. Not for any particular purpose, mind you, but for whatever reason, he cannot stand having his bedding where it is supposed to be. No, it needs to be all over the house.
4) He kneads me with his paws, bats at my face, and then tries to climb on, and cling to, my shoulder. He needs to decide whether he's a cat or a parrot. The two are fairly mutually exclusive.
5) He sticks his tongue out before he yawns. Way out. Then his tongue curls up as he yawns.
6) He's recently discovered the joys of unrolling and destroying toilet paper. Doors in this house need to stay closed at all times.
7) He wants to play tug-of-war with my clothes while I'm trying to get dressed. Interestingly, once I've got my pants properly in place, he seems to figure out that he can't chew on them while they're attached to me.
And now, puppy videos!
Spud attempts to make out with Duffy (with hilarious results!):
"I just want you to loooove me!"
Spud is a goofy-looking brat to his poor Uncle Duffy (with hilarious results!):
"Won't love me? Fine, I'll become your most annoying nightmare!" (note Spud's bat ears...)
My sleep deprivation and Sputnik's devotion to his security blankie are responsible for this last one. Maybe it won't seem quite as funny in the morning. Or maybe it still will. I'm betting on the latter.
Tango de la Amore |
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| Truly, TRULY pathetic |
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| 09:41pm 05/10/2008 |
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This is why I got a dog in the first place. For moments like this. It makes the constant cleaning up after him, the constant waking me up at 4 AM, and the desperate attempts to protect my clothes from his sharp puppy teeth, absolutely worth every second.
I apologize for the short length and shaking camera, but I had one hand clapped over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and I needed to breathe. The extent to which Sputnik longs for Duffy to play with him cannot be overstated -- Nor can the disdain Duffy feels for Spud's earnest attempts.
In other "Leah's life" news...
I have a part-time internship at the Colorado History Museum. I work directly under the registrar and basically do the same kind of work that I did at the Penn Museum. My only complaint is that the room I work in is cold. Really cold. So cold that I'm considering cutting the tips off of a pair of gloves so I can type while wearing them. But hey, it's my foot in the door and a way to keep somewhat busy!
As for the other busy, I'm working on getting a part-time job to supplement my (non-existent) income.
Situationgirl and I had a mini dachshund get-together a week or so ago. Tons of fun was had by all, and I had the pleasure of not only seeing Duffy play with another dog, but also of seeing him protect Sputnik when he thought they were getting too rough. Awww. There will hopefully be another puppy play-date in the near future.
Politics. Don't get me started, except to say that Tina Fey is a dead ringer for Palin on SNL, and I dearly, dearly hope that she'll only have to do it for one more month and then I'll never see it again. |
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| Oh man... |
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| 02:51am 08/09/2008 |
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mood:  sad
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While a thread about McCain and Palin on a website I frequent, I came across an argument regarding Palin's attempts, as mayor of Wasilla, to convince the City Librarian to be willing to ban books, and then trying to have the librarian fired for saying no. One fine specimen of our species wrote this:
"No, but say you don't want people in your community to learn about certain things that might be dangerous to the cohesion of the community, you might want to do everything you can to get people in the community to hold similar beliefs. It's a good thing and removing certain books might be conducive to that outcome. Now, I'm not saying banning books is a good thing for everywhere, what's good for people in Sanctuary City, CA may not be good for people in Wasilla, AK."
I fear for the future of our species, I really do. |
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| 01:48am 08/09/2008 |
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mood: amused
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You know, when it's 1:30 AM and the puppy decides that what he really wants to do is pee, run around the floor like crazy, and chew on the rug, it can be tough to remember why you wanted a puppy in the first place.
Of course, twenty minutes later when he curls up on your shoulder, gets a case of the hiccups, and sneezes in your face, it all starts to come back to you. |
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| 09:58pm 03/09/2008 |
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mood:  exhausted
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I wanted to thank you all for your nice words over the last few days. Part of me feels a little silly for making such a fuss over a dog who, after all, I only had for a day. Most of me, though, knows that I'll always be a little sad about losing my little Loki. He'll always be my first dog and my first time losing a pet to something other than old age since I was eight.
And also, thanks to those of you who were worried about Duffy's safety. Luckily, Duffy is an eight-year old dog who is very healthy and completely up to date on his vaccinations. There was a teeny tiny chance that something could happen, but if Duffy were going to get sick, we would have seen it by now; having seen parvo once, I certainly will not forget the symptoms. In addition, we've gone through and bleached EVERYTHING very thoroughly, as bleach is the only household disinfectant that will completely kill parvovirus.
But I think the best way to honor the memory of one dog is to do one's best to take good care of another dog. With that in mind, I've purchased another dog. He's from a different breeder, is three months old, and has completed all of his vaccinations, as we would not be able to bring another very young puppy into this house for a year. This one, however, is safe -- and regardless, I'm still taking extra precautions not to let him on the carpet in certain places until the full month has passed (one month being the time that it takes for parvovirus to die in an indoors setting).
I don't want anyone to think that I'm just replacing Loki with another dog. Like I said, I'll always be sad over Loki. I really don't see, though, how me sitting around and moping would do poor Loki any good, especially when I could be using that time to provide a good, loving home for another puppy who needs it.
So, I'd like to introduce everyone to ( Sputnik )
Regarding the name, it was a tough choice. I had a few names in mind -- Odin, Saif, Pollux -- each with its own reasoning. None of them seemed right. I spent some time today pouring over websites today, searching for an appropriate name. I checked pantheons, star names, even generic "dog names" sites. Nothing seemed to fit. Finally, a thought occurred: "Hey, aren't you, like, seriously into the history of early space exploration? Maybe you could name him after an astronaut or something." Not taking the thought seriously, I opened up the wikipedia page for space exploration, and of course, Sputnik was one of the first names I happened across. And it fit. Like a glove. But you have to pronounce it properly: it's not "Spu-" as in "Putt-putt golf," it's a cross between that and "spoon." Of course, if you just call him Spud, you can say it however you please.
Let's hope I'm as good a puppy owner as I've always assumed I would be. |
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| 11:24am 01/09/2008 |
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Loki died this morning. |
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| 02:18pm 31/08/2008 |
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To the irresponsible idiot who tracked Canine Parvovirus into the breeder's kennel:
If there is any justice in this world, you'll get yours. And I know that I have no idea who you are and never will, but if my puppy dies from this (and as I understand it, the fatality rate in small puppies is around 50%), there will be a very special level of hell for you.
To everyone else:
Please keep your fingers crossed for little Loki. He needs it. And so do I. |
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| An End, and yet another Beginning |
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| 11:09pm 24/08/2008 |
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mood: exhausted
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Tonight is my last night in Philadelphia. I've packed, cleaned, lifted heavy objects, hit my head on doorknobs, and stressed until my brain hurts, but I think I'm ready to go. I've said goodbye to everyone I need to say goodbye to, and I've prepared myself as best as I can for the hassle of dealing with movers, the trip, and the experience of settling back down with Mom and Dad -- at least for a while. I should hopefully be back in Denver sometime on Wednesday or Thursday, to be shortly followed on Saturday by my puppy.
I'd write more, but I took two tylenol PM about an hour ago so that I could actually sleep tonight, and I do believe they've kicked in. And so I'll be off on another adventure, of sorts: that of discovering the real world outside of academia, and both the pros and cons therein. Here goes nothing, eh? |
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| 11:07pm 11/08/2008 |
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I'm writing this from Estes Park, CO, which has been the location of the Hagler/Schwartz family reunion. It was really interesting. It wasn't just seeing all these people to whom I find myself related (but have never seen before in my life). I also loved seeing all the old family pictures from the late 1800s and all through the 1900s. I've now not only seen my father as a baby (who was adorable and blond -- who knew?), I've seen my grandfather as a little newsie-looking boy and as a 2-month old being held by his grandmother, and this was still back in the days where they put both baby boys and girls in dresses. That picture is NEVER going to stop being amazing to me. And then there are the pictures that are even older, like of one of my great-great-grandfathers, the proprietor of a bar/saloon, as a young man, surrounded by what look to be some of his customers and/or poker buddies. Or of the distant relative in his dapper straw hat tilted at a rakish angle. Or of the great-great aunts whom I'm told I somewhat resemble. Maybe you all think this is lame, I don't know, but looking at really old pictures is fascinating, especially when the pictures are accompanied by information and stories about the people in them.
It's been a very interesting week otherwise, as well. There are a couple of things that have happened that are very exciting, but are not my stories to tell. Otherwise, well, I cut my hair short (exciting for me), had a job interview which (I am informed) went well, and... BOUGHT A PUPPY! Yes! He's not 8 weeks old yet, so he's not quite ready to come home with me, but at the end of the month, he's all mine. His name is (will be) Loki, and he is the cutest thing EVER. He licked my nose and I fell in love, and he has this little tail that wags back and forth at a thousand miles per hour and he gallumphs around the floor, sniffing everyone's shoes with his little sniffy nose and I cannot wait to get to know him better.
Rather than try to describe him, let me just show you.
( PUPPY!!! )
Say it with me now: OH MY GOD HE'S ADORABLE AND PERFECT AND MINE AND -- AND -- EEEEEEE!!!
So now, exhausted. Will write more later. Ta! |
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| *chirping crickets* |
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| 07:12pm 30/07/2008 |
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mood: busy
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So, uh... It's been two months since I've updated this thing. Two whole months. Yikes. I'd say that I won't let that happen again, but... Nah. I don't want to make a liar out of myself and I'm sure none of you would believe me anyway. Here's a quick rundown of my life (the most interesting parts anyway):
- Am moving back to Denver on August 25th, but am out of Philly from August 5th through August 19th, so I've had to get most of my stuff packed up already.
- Basked on a beach in Delaware for a week and didn't burn too horribly.
- Road trip to Vermont and New Hampshire. Gorgeous countryside, especially when one is used to Philadelphia. Ate the greatest pancakes in the world at Polly's Pancake Parlor.
- Turned 25. Much the same as 24, except can rent a car without awful insurance rates. Not that there has ever been a need to rent a car anyway.
- Have started applying for jobs and internships in Denver. Hopefully can get something, and it would be nice to be paid and be useful and productive...
- Had my last day of work at the museum today. Exhausted. Yet fulfilled.
- 95% sure am getting a puppy back in Denver. And he's a cutie. Meeting him next week. CAN'T WAIT.
- Chopping off most of my hair next week. CAN'T WAIT.
- Family reunion next weekend. Am looking forward to hanging out with family, and hopefully will not be forced to participate in any embarrassing activities like three-legged races or the such. Doesn't seem like the Hagler family style anyway, so am probably safe.
- Right now? Cross-stitching, watching Gargoyles, and am about to enjoy some Ben & Jerry's. Ciao! |
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| We're gonna need a bigger boat... |
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| 09:09pm 01/06/2008 |
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mood: tired
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...or in other words, there's been a change of plans. A big change.
After talking a lot of things through with the parental units, I've decided to move back to Denver. Like all big decisions, it seemed to happen in a split second, but even upon reflection over the last several days, it's still the best choice.
It's a given that, with the exception of my volunteer work at the museum, I'm not getting any closer to my goals here in Philadelphia, and I continue to hemorrhage money for rent, food, gasoline, etc., with no income whatsoever to replace any of it. Vermont is still an option, certainly, but I don't really want to uproot my entire life to move up there, take a couple of classes, and still quite possibly not be accepted into the program.
So here's how it's going to work.
At the end of August, I'm headed back to Colorado -- back to Mom and Dad's house, more precisely, but I'm not terribly ashamed of that. They'll let me live rent-free while I attempt to get on my feet job or internship-wise, and having had their adult children come home before, they know how to not revert to treating us like actual children.
Dad has even agreed to let me get a puppy! ...Which, honestly, is a huge surprise. I know that Dad loves Duffy, but I really didn't think he'd agree to having another animal in the house. He has his reservations, definitely, largely concerning how the responsibility and commitment of having a dog is going to affect my life, but I'm pretty determined on this score. I'm enough of a grown-up that I don't expect Mommy and Daddy to clean up after my doggy for me, and it's still possible to have a social life with a dog in tow.
...But that's off-topic. I'll find internships, jobs, whatever, which should hopefully get my feet in the career door, and if Vermont is still something I want to do, I'll apply in the fall like a normal person, knowing that whatever I do during this next year will only add to my resume.
As you can imagine, I've got a ton of stuff to deal with, so of course, I'm sitting here and knitting a sweater. |
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| 12:40am 22/05/2008 |
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mood:  irritated
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Good lord. Geraldine Ferraro and her ilk are making me seriously ashamed to self-identify as a feminist.
Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of everything that the women in her generation did for the women's lib movement, and I completely understand the desire to see a female president. However, they have gone completely off the rails these last few months.
I am the first to say that, yes, sexism does still exist. I certainly don't seek it out, but it exists inasmuch as no type of prejudice ever completely dies or stops affecting our lives (at least, not that I've seen). To set some vague notion of sexism up as a straw man, though, and claim that Hillary Clinton is losing the nomination only because of sexism and that everyone except her campaign -- Obama, his campaign, the media -- are sexist, well, that's just disturbing to me.
I started being creeped out by it after Teddy Kennedy's endorsement of Obama, when the New York chapter of NOW published a scathing editorial, describing him as a traitor and betrayer of all women for not endorsing the female candidate. Since then, it's just gone downhill. Ferraro, who was, as all BK alumni should know, the first female candidate for vice president (on Mondale's ticket), claimed that Obama had only made it as far as he had because he was black, and when that statement (rightly) drew fire, called the media sexist and said that she was being attacked for being white. She proceeded to resign from Clinton's campaign, with a resignation letter that should be used as a definition for "passive-aggressive": "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen."
And now she and other middle-aged female Clinton campaign surrogates have been making the media rounds, again claiming that Hillary is the victim of nothing but good, old-fashioned sexism. I'm sure that sexism has played a part, just as racism has. However, isn't it possible that Hillary is also losing because of her transparent disingenuousness? Her failure to keep in check (if not subtly promote) her campaign's race-baiting? Her spouting of bald-faced lies -- and then more lies when she's caught in the act? Her quasi-schizophrenic changes of campaign strategy from week to week? Her bad management of her campaign, which, at current count, is $21 million dollars in debt? Why, no, surely; it's got to be just because she's a woman! And accusing Obama of sexism? Good god, the man has practically been a paragon of class during this entire process. He's had a couple of slip-ups, yeah, but nothing that I would even consider as being close to being sexist.
Give me a break.
This is my fervent request to those uber-old school feminist Clinton campaign surrogates (none of whom read this thing, I'm sure, but whatever): Please, just stop. You are making yourselves look embittered and more than a little insane. Stop screaming "SEXISM!" at every shadow and let a new, less militant generation of feminists take over for you. Things have changed since the '50s and even the '70s, but you seem to be stuck in the exact same old paradigm. Please, stop now before I lose every last shred of respect I had for you. And don't say "it'll never happen," because Bill Clinton has done a perfectly smashing job of making me hate him during these past five months, and you could be next.
But, it's entirely possible that, just like Hillary herself, you don't give a damn about the damage you're causing. So all I'll say is this: if there isn't another viable female candidate for president for a long, long time, it won't be because of sexism. It'll be because of you. Sleep tight, ladies. |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| Hmmm |
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| 01:03am 12/05/2008 |
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Things are changing, folks. I may be leaving Philly sooner rather than later (by which I mean in a matter of months, rather than a couple of years). I'll explain when I know more. No point getting all worked up if it doesn't happen, right? |
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| 12:10am 28/04/2008 |
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I keep meaning to update this thing, since the last time I posted was before my defense, but I've been so busy/allergic to this entire city/braindead (sometimes all at once) that I haven't gotten around to it. Quick points before I crash for the night:
1) Passed the defense. Most of it was me arguing with the more difficult of the two professors present, while the other, my advisor, sat mostly quietly and looked somewhat put upon. Anyway, I got through it. I did the final revisions, got all the paperwork done, and turned my monstrosity of a thesis in last Wednesday afternoon. So, hip hip hurrah, I survived getting a Masters thesis. This is part of the reason that I've been braindead. The last week has largely been spent sprawled in my reclining chair and playing Dark Cloud 2 while a movie plays on my laptop until my eyes start to glaze over (the fact that the allergens were extremely high last week also contributed to my not going out much).
2) Attempting to get started on the next phase of my life. Bits of it are proving quite difficult. Updates as events allow.
3) After the defense, the boyfriend came to visit and we had a great time. He's hopefully coming back for a slightly longer visit next month before he prances off to basic training and I don't get to see him for god knows how long (don't even ask...).
4) Am trying to cook more. I make a mean banana bread. The key is sour cream. Seriously.
5) I've started doing logic puzzles again. They're so addictive, and it's nice for me to see how much better I do at them (braindead moments aside) than I did when I used to buy the puzzle magazines as a teenager: I'm more patient and better at figuring the logic itself. As a 16 year old, if I found myself at the end of the hints and couldn't see the next step, I just got frustrated, left the puzzle half-done, and moved on to another one. Now I work with it until I've beaten it. Sometimes I make a mistake somewhere, erase, and start the puzzle again later. I suppose that, for me, it's just a somewhat tangible way of seeing how I've grown up.
Anyway, I've been awake for 18 hours now, goodness knows why, so I'm going to wrap this up and call it a night.
(PS - Now that I've got a Masters [though graduation -- which I will not be attending -- is next month], you may all have to start calling me Master Leah. Just a thought.) |
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baelarion's journal
