@alexburrito: Not only do I get the dog/horse name treatment, as well as the names of my aunt and mother, my brother often confuses my name with his girlfriend's, which is just all sorts of awkward.
Sorry, too close to this for my tastes.
Have I been reading too much manga again? Probably.
Have I been reading too much manga again? Probably.
I once sat in the waiting room of an ER for six hours with a ten-year old boy who had put his bottom teeth through the roof of his mouth in a biking accident. His parents had insurance, but they were only authorized to use a hospital in another county. Given the severity of the injury, they had obviously decided to take him to the hospital closest to them (difference of ten minutes and one to two hours, with traffic, between the two).
Hospital staff dithered for SIX HOURS, trying to figure out whether or not they could perform surgery on this child. Six hours! In the meantime they gave him an oral painkiller and had him sit in the lobby with his mother, who had tears pouring down her face from frustration, concern, and empathy.
Meanwhile, the boy should have been nominated for some sort of endurance award. He never once made a sound, just sat quietly by his mother, with blood and tears dripping off his chin.
I have never felt so impotent in my life.
Just another example of how even people with insurance are fucked in this country.
Hospital staff dithered for SIX HOURS, trying to figure out whether or not they could perform surgery on this child. Six hours! In the meantime they gave him an oral painkiller and had him sit in the lobby with his mother, who had tears pouring down her face from frustration, concern, and empathy.
Meanwhile, the boy should have been nominated for some sort of endurance award. He never once made a sound, just sat quietly by his mother, with blood and tears dripping off his chin.
I have never felt so impotent in my life.
Just another example of how even people with insurance are fucked in this country.
@Sarah Dove: I think you hit the nail on the head. I learned classical Latin- an admittedly dead language- to aid me in history research. I learned Spanish because it's useful in everyday situations.
@HerdingCats: Not necessarily. The concern- from what I understand- is that placement might be a little more difficult for non-mothers to handle.
I got an IUD at the age of 22, having never given birth before. Costly up front, but totally worth it. I don't have to worry about taking any pills or keeping track of shots and patches.
I got an IUD at the age of 22, having never given birth before. Costly up front, but totally worth it. I don't have to worry about taking any pills or keeping track of shots and patches.
Kittehs are tough. Our tom got caught in the biggest spin cycle of them all- a tornad0- and lived for another eighteen years after that.
Of course, he did start chatting up appliances after that little incident...
Of course, he did start chatting up appliances after that little incident...
@regazza.di.lupo: Sounds like my brother's late rat Scampers. We caught him (the rat) pulling a Houdini one time when he thought the house was empty. He let himself out of his locked cage, curled up on my brother's pillow, and sat there for about five minutes until he heard the garage door open when my mom got home. Then he got back in his cage, and shut the door- and did the lock!
Forget cockroaches- rats will own the world after it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
Forget cockroaches- rats will own the world after it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
@The HZA.: I think I love you.
Pictures will be forthcoming when you do it, yes?
@gazebo: Hearted for that. That was beautifully put.
@LatoyaPeterson: Please do!
@AfroJezeBella: And Sheldon's laugh.
@tiredfairy: I haven't heard of Zombies Calling, but I'm avid reader of the first three and really enjoy the female characters for that very reason. Mazikeen, Jill Presto, Snow White, and Kinsey make up a large part of the pantheon of Great Female Characters that I cite when people tell me there's no place in comics/manga for women,
Another favorite of mine is the manga Berserk. It's definitely geared more toward men in its marketing (what with the blood, and the gore, and all that), but I'm in love with one of its female heroines, who is not only a kickass woman warrior but a black kickass woman warrior- a rarity in anything but blaxploitation flicks these days.
Another medium we're getting a lot of good female leads these days are the paranormal (romance)/sci fi books being written (surprise!) by women. Writers like Lilith Saintcrow, Kim Harrison, and Tanya Huff dish up a different take on what women can make of themselves without resorting to the Sex and the City Mentality.
The best thing about all of this- the new rise in (printed) media awareness of women as something other than sidekicks, love interests, and character foils- is that it's ushering in a new generation of young women who see nothing wrong with crossing the gender line and doing what feels right to them, not what society tells them is right for them.
Which is all really just a long-winded way of saying that I agree with you and that I love this article as well.
@wicked.nightingale: Rest assured, the rest of us are laughing in commiseration, not derision. I never can keep that one on my shelf either (the movie, too, for that matter). They're always walking out the door with friends or family.
1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World, for sure. I have people frequently tell me that they dislike sci-fi, only to become rabid fans after they've read my copies to shreds. I've also had to invest in several sets of Gaiman's Sandman ( lent out to those that claim that comics are "for children"), and, oddly enough, my Berserk manga ( to people who think manga/anime are all akin to DragonBall Z and Pokemon). American Gods always ends up mysteriously gone missing, as do my Anne McCaffrey's. It's getting bad enough that I've started refusing to lend things out unless it's to someone with a proven track record of returning books, and mostly in the shape in which they're lent in.
@FroderickFronkensteen: And hearted for that!
I must confess, I just spent twenty minutes cut-and-pasting most of these ideas.
I'm usually pestered for a different flavor of cheesecake every year. I found a recipe online for Chai-flavored cheesecake not too long ago however, and that one's been a hit. If anyone is interested, PM me. Or, hell, just look it up on Epicurious. That's where I found it.
@CrapCommentFromADude: I wear MBT shoes, which actually put the idea out before Skechers or Reebok. They're extremely comfortable and they do indeed tone butt, thighs, and calves. They're rather pricey and they're not running shoes, but they do what they say they do.
They're not offensively marketed either, which is a plus.
The female robot shows a very striking resemblance to Paprika, which doesn't surprise me much. It may be a movie for kids, but I'll be eagerly awaiting its release. Satoshi Kon is a genius.
This article makes me want to drive over 1700 miles to my parent's house and dig out our old Lego table and Lego sets. #namesforlegopieces
