Just life

Friday, November 16, 2007

Not So Newsy News

by Nanette

Just a smattering of things, of (mostly) no particular importance, that have caught my eye. 

The abyss, it appears, will commence gazing back at kos:

New York—Markos Moulitsas, the founder and publisher of dailykos.com, will become a Newsweek contributor for the 2008 presidential campaign, offering occasional opinion pieces to the pages of the magazine and to Newsweek.com.

Yeah, there’s a lot of heads exploding in wingnutlandia today over this bit of news. But Newsweek is “balancing” me out with someone that should make heads on our side explode. Announcement on that name is still a couple of days off.

Karl Rove Hired As Newsweek Contributor To ‘Balance’ Markos

Earlier this week, Newsweek announced that it is hiring DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas as a contributor for the 2008 presidential campaign, offering occasional opinion pieces. Markos said, “Newsweek is ‘balancing’ me out with someone that should make heads on our side explode.”Now we know who. Newsweek has announced it is hiring Karl Rove to become a Newsweek contributor.

And snorts of laughter were heard throughout the land.

Apparently there was yet another Democratic debate last night.

The morning news shows were gushing over Clinton’s “comeback” from her little blip last week. Doesn’t take much to get them excited, eh?

Not that I think any of the crowd of candidates is much good, but it sometimes amazes me how many people who consider themselves “liberal” or leftish, and anti-war, are planning on voting for her. She is by far the most hawkish candidate, practically promising a “new war” and not, that I can tell, promising to end the current occupation.

Not all that surprising, I guess. “The American Public” is not, even with the polls showing disaffection for the Iraq Debacle, opposed to wars, especially ones from which they will reap a benefit. They are opposed to badly run wars and occupations, is all. We like good wars, and we’ve not had one since WWII. And from that point of view, unless you are a defense contractor or a private security firm, or one of the many others that have had billions of dollars tossed at them, the Iraq Occupation has not been a good war.

Plus, some are still mad at the bungling of the good war we could have had in Afghanistan had we not been distracted from bombing Afghan civilians (not that we’ve stopped that, mind you) - turning our attention to killing Iraqis instead.

Whoops! I forgot to talk about the debate. I think Stephen Colbert won.

Mannequins, wetsuits (two!), liver… bicycles?

There’s no accounting for folk.

A man caught trying to have sex with his bicycle has been sentenced to three years on probation.

Robert Stewart, 51, admitted a sexually aggravated breach of the peace by conducting himself in a disorderly manner and simulating sex. [...]Mr Stewart was caught in the act with his bicycle by cleaners in his bedroom at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr.

Gail Davidson, prosecuting, told Ayr Sheriff Court: “They knocked on the door several times and there was no reply.

“They used a master key to unlock the door and they then observed the accused wearing only a white t-shirt, naked from the waist down."The accused was holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex.”

Both cleaners, who were “extremely shocked”, told the hostel manager who called police.

Mind you, if he was in his own bedroom, I am not sure why they have a case in the first place? I doubt the bicycle was hurt.

Wicked cold virus making the rounds.

Wash your hands!

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI)—The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said 10 people have been killed by a potent new form of the common cold virus.The virus, adenovirus serotype 14, has sickened more than 360 people in Texas, Oregon, Washington and New York, including at least 53 who have been hospitalized since May 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.One U.S. soldier was killed by the strain and 106 others infected at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Whatever it is, even strong and healthy adults seem to have no immunity to it. 

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

This and That and The Other Thing

by Nanette

I don’t really have much to say, so I’m going to say it in little bits.

I’m really happy Doc Logan is blogging with me here… not only does he find great stuff to blog about, but if it weren’t for him the blog would have been empty this week! It’s sad, but true… sometimes I go into “silent mode” and have to kickstart myself out of it. Chattering aimlessly often works… so here goes :)

The fires! Oy… Southern California was expected to drop off into the ocean, not burn to a crisp. Thoughts for all those who’ve lost their homes and who had to evacuate. Modem is fine, for all those who know her - the fires are not right where she is.

I have a theory about the ground we stand on, CA disasters and Republican governors but I’ll wait till everything is over before putting it forth again.

[added]Oh, and I forgot - watching one of the news shows last night I noticed how much fun they had talking about the Witch fire. Lowered, ominous voice every time he said… “the Witch… fire”. Or, jumping right in to the California habit of instant familiarity, he’d drop the “fire” and just say… “the Witch”. By the end of the segment I was rolling my eyes and hoping someone would put a hex on him.

Of course the comparisons are being made between the treatment evacuees in Qualcomm Stadium and the “refugees” in the Super Dome ...both in fact, with the supplies - massage booths!? - the government response, and how the media reports. I can pretty much guarantee you that almost every Black person who watched how the Katrina folks - grandmas, teachers, babies, moms and dads, business owners, teens, regular screwups and some criminal minded - were immediately turned from victims into savages, thugs, the “underbelly” and all that other garbage, knew how easily it could have been them. No matter how much money they had, or how classy their homes, or what they’d achieved in life - it’s appallingly easy to become a ‘thug’ just by ... existing while Black or Brown.

From time to time I think of things I’d like to write about, so I’ll make notes and save them with a tentative title or something, so that I’ll remember what I wanted to say. I have a bunch of things started, which I may finish. Eventually. Apparently, though, I also sometimes just save just the title, like this one I found this morning:

“Connections; Or, Why You Should Always Rinse Your Beans. Well.”

I wonder what THAT was about? I’m sure I had some sort of really cool connections to make (I really doubt I was going to spend much time talking about actual beans - whatever for?), but I have no idea where I was going with that. Maybe one day I’ll remember.

I am planning to start a revolution. No pitchforks needed! This one will involve fingertips and spoons. And mushy stuff. You are all invited. I hope lots of people join it. More soon.

I’ve been looking into the past, my family’s history and stuff, lately. Maybe it’s cuz I am getting older? It wasn’t something I was much interested in or concerned about before, but I’m glad I’m taking the time now. There are some very fascinating people back there, and it’s kinda like solving a mystery, trying to fit all the bits and pieces together. I have one big question about the first 3 generations (that I know of)… “How did they do that?” With luck, I’ll find the answers. I’m going to start a blog for it, and also post stuff here.

Okay, enough chatter for now. Anyone up to anything interesting, have blog posts (your own or others) we should all know about, plans for this or that?

Posted by Nanette on 10/24 at 09:07 AM
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Cheeks

by Nanette

Impossibly soft, and very fat. 

2 days old. Click for larger version. 

Posted by Nanette on 10/02 at 12:44 PM
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

This and That

by Nanette

Notes, stray thoughts, maybe even a point.

It’s funny, being a procrastinator. Well, sometimes it is, anyway… but today, the first official day of my Red X project, I’ve been passing by the wall calendar I made all day… and noticing the empty space for today where, by all the best laid plans, there should have already been an X, . There will be after, this, of course, because… well, here I am. Writing. So there.

Oh dear, I sense a bit of resentment (already!) against the tyranny of The Red X, and it’s only my first day. This does not bode well.

I have some things in the hopper, though. Something for the front page, the beginning of a series that will work to move things along and give an idea of our progress with the plans for Human Beams, which should come to fruition around the first part of September. I think I will take as a starting off point those 4 pictures along that band on the front page, which seem unrelated to anything at the moment. Each one has a meaning though, even though they too will be replaced soon. I need to also write up things for each individual section, explaining what is going on, why the sections haven’t been updated, and about the editorial boards. A good number of visitors don’t enter from the front page, so they probably think we up and died.

Then, I am just loving my friend Nancy’s new blog, and have something partially written about that. Now she is a writer, for real - a few dozen books and various awards under her belt - and has been going strong, right out of the box, with wonderful, thought provoking topics and posts that are also great fun.

Also, I have a story of something that happened a couple of years ago that was very simple but left a huge impression on me. This one I’ve been working on, off and on, for a little while. I keep deleting everything and starting over. It seems very important to capture just the right tone and to set the scene properly for this story and it’s proving remarkably difficult for me to do, even though it was a real event and I can see everything right there, in my mind… it just won’t go properly onto the page! Oh well, I’ll get it eventually. Thru the tyranny of the X, , no doubt.

I’m also, as part of hb media/design, working on a couple of web design projects, and another community building type project, as well as working with arin to plan out the media/design site itself. Which reminds me, if you have any sort of credit issues that you want to learn how to take of , or want to build up your credit, or anything to do with that, arin has written and compiled a large amount of information on just how to do that - in an easy to understand way, with which steps to take when, all at Free Credit Fixes.com. An amazing resource.

I don’t write much on the issues of the day, for some reason… even the ones I really want to, like the Jena Six or various other human rights matters that need our attention.  Am not sure why, but I think I will change that, to some extent.

I have been in an interesting, respectful conversation at litterolmermaid’s about women born women only places which exclude transwomen and stuff I consider transphobia and about radical feminists and so on. In fact, I have to answer a couple of comments sometime this evening. I am thinking of writing up a post about why I would reject being part of any place with that policy of exclusion and how I came to my conclusions. Maybe.

Posted by Nanette on 07/25 at 06:24 PM
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Red X Project Chart

by Nanette

I decided that it would be even better if I put a copy of the calendar thingy online, so that I… and anyone, sigh, could follow the progress of my X’s. (details here)

basic idea - get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall ... put a red X over each day I do my task of writing (and whatever else I set for myself, for the day). Soon one will have an unbroken chain of red X's (ideally!).

This is a replica of the hand drawn calendar thing hanging on my wall. Neither one is pretty, but at least this one's lines are straighter.

July X	X	X	X	X	.	.	Aug .	.
.	.	.	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31	Sept 1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	Oct 1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Nov 1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Posted by Nanette on 07/25 at 05:31 PM
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Earning My Red X

by Nanette

One more step on the road to being organized, productive and on top of everything. Only 825,000 steps to go!

I was reading Lifehacker this morning and came across this post from someone who had received productivity advice from Jerry Seinfeld. Now, I’ve never been much into Seinfeld (comic or TV show) but the advice thing… this just might work!

He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. But his advice was better than that. He had a gem of a leverage technique he used on himself and you can use it to motivate yourself - even when you don’t feel like it.

He then revealed a unique calendar system he was using pressure himself to write.

He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.

He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. “After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain.”

(read the rest - more there, including how it’s worked out for the author of the piece)

Once the chain gets going, the focus becomes on not breaking the chain - this works because even many professional writers say to just write every day, even if you don’t want to, and even if you think what you just wrote is junk, just keep doing it. And, eventually, it does become a habit, something that you just do every day, as necessary as having that morning cup of coffee. Or tea. Or whatever you personally need in the morning.

So, that’s what I’m going to do. I took a half poster board and drew a grid on it, making sure every square has a date in it - no empties for weekends or anything. I was able to get about 3 and a half months on one board, which means that I will have a pretty big chain once it is complete. It’s not just for writing, of course, because I am not primarily a writer, but also for design, for editing and other things… A plan for each day (which includes writing, no matter what) that I email to a friend so that someone else knows about it besides me, and earning my red X only once that plan has been executed for the day.

Sounds good to me!

Mind you… true to my procrastinator nature and without even thinking about it, the first date I put on my calendar is tomorrow’s. Heh. 

Posted by Nanette on 07/24 at 12:18 PM
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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Stray Thoughts and Confessions

by Nanette

Notes on life. Stray thoughts will be added as they occur. Just assume.

I have lived all my life in the US and have never owned an American flag. Or any other country’s, for that matter.

Although they sometimes may come in handy.

Oh say, can you see…

My friend Geoff thinks we should all have national flowers, instead. “Rally ‘round the bouquet, boys!” doesn’t have quite the same militaristic ring to it…

I read too much and write too little.

I do not much like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, but if either is the nominee for the US presidency, I will probably vote for them. For both, but definitely for Obama, I would also drag along my family, especially bringing the small persons in to watch.

And, if the nominee wins, spend the rest of my life explaining to the small people that even though I voted for the first Black man or White woman because it was an historic election, I would have to live with my complicity in whatever godawful thing they decided to do as president.

I lack the patience of my younger years, when I would spend hours facilitating discussion between various people and helping to explain diverse people to one another.

Now I just want to smack everyone involved.

Non-violently, of course

It infuriates me when people try to blame the ills of society on black babies. Or brown ones or yellow or red or white ones, for that matter.

The babies aren’t the problem.

Posted by Nanette on 07/04 at 03:00 PM
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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

I Just Saw the Oddest Thing on PBS…

by Nanette

A Black person! Who wasn’t singing, dancing, cooking or Martin Luther King. OR Gwen Ifill.

Two, actually. It didn’t hit me at first, how odd it was. I passed by the living room where my mom was watching the show, glanced at the TV and was well on my way to the kitchen before I stopped and said “Whoa, wait - what was that?” and had to come back and look again.

A science show. With a Black host. On PBS! Will wonders never cease. I remember seeing Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson as an explainer before - I believe he’s an astrophysicist - I can’t remember who he was associated with (no doubt his bio says) but now he is the actual host of NOVA - Science Now, on PBS. This is a good thing. He’s a good talker and makes science seem fun and interesting… which it is, of course, or at least can be.

It’s good to see him (or someone like him) there. I know (and know of) sooooo many Black techies or geeks… online and offline, including in my own family… I didn’t inherit this particular gene, but my father (in Nigeria) is a microbiologist, one brother has a doctorate in engineering, another is a scientist - and that’s just on that side of the family - but it’s a rarity you see that sort of thing reflected in the media. Big surprise, I know.

And there is another show on called History Detectives, with Tukufu Zuberi as one of the researchers. I really like this show, the few times I’ve seen it - possibly because I do love both researching the past and unraveling mysteries.

So, two whole Black folk in non-stereotypical roles on PBS. It’s a start.

Mind you, I live in a red state area of California so in other areas there may already have been loads of people on PBS of various ethnicities hosting various non-stereotypical shows and they’ve just not aired here, but still. Good news.

Posted by Nanette on 07/03 at 08:06 PM
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Friday, June 15, 2007

TFTD - A Different Order of Reality

by Nanette

It’s really too hot here to do much of anything, but in accordance with my “write something every day” thingy, here is today’s Thought for the Day. 

“Art is man’s constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.” Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe, considered by some to be the father of African literature (that is written in English) won the prestigious Man Booker award this year, in honor of his literary career. I’ve not actually read any of his work (except for small excerpts here and there), but someday I’d like to. His “Things Fall Apart”, written in 1958 - I think this was his first published book - analyzes the effects of colonialization on Igbo society in Nigeria, and has been translated into over 50 languages. Hmmm. That was the year I was born. I definitely need to get that then, if only to see how things have changed - or not - since he wrote it.

Posted by Nanette on 06/15 at 05:59 PM
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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

A Promise of Better Blather

by Nanette

It’s a rare challenge, teaching 7th graders, and if one leaves them with even a small bit of uncommon knowledge that can be considered a victory. 

There was one rule in Mr. Gross’ 7th grade class. Well, two, if you counted quickly getting over the giggles that erupted every time we said his name at the beginning of the year. But even that took a backseat to the main rule of the class - if you didn’t follow this rule, no matter what else you did, you could kiss getting an A goodbye. If you followed the rule you were almost guaranteed that A.

The rule? Writing down the Thought for the Day in our notebooks.

Little enough, but we moaned and groaned and argued, as if we’d been asked to write daily five page essays instead of just copy what was usually one or two sentences scrawled on the board. We found it So Odd that we should be asked to do this thing, and that it should have a bearing on our grade. It would be different if it was an English class, but it wasn’t (I can’t remember just what the class was, though… may have been math. I still blank out when confronted with numbers).

Why did he do that, I wonder? Possibly he felt that, come what may, he was going to stuff some cultural knowledge, some drops of wisdom into our little heathen heads and that was the best way he could think of doing so. Unfortunately, if any of the sayings stuck anywhere besides in my notebook, they are so deeply buried in my subconscious that it will take memory recovery hypnotherapy to get them out.

Still, who knows. This was Hollywood in the 70’s and, most likely, the sayings were related to peace and justice, kindness and care for your fellow human and that sort of thing. And considering that some of us indeed grew up believing in all those things and even working to make the world a better place, it’s entirely possible that Mr. Gross’ Thought for the Day had a hand in shaping our views and our futures.

In any case, all this is just to say that it’s not such a bad idea, and I, in yet another effort to write something - anything - daily, plan to post a thought for each day, my own or other’s. Either letting it speak for itself, or maybe expounding a bit on what it means to me. We’ll see. No need for you to write it down, though, and I promise that it won’t affect your grade.

Here’s to you, Mr. Gross.

Posted by Nanette on 06/13 at 06:22 PM
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Thursday, February 08, 2007

It Seems a Shame to Separate Them Now

by Nanette

Did they somehow know they were dying, of whatever cause, and decide to lie down, wrap their arms and legs around each other and die while looking into each other’s eyes? 

AP Photo

These skeletons, recently discovered in Italy - a couple not only hugging but what appears to be completely intertwined - are thought to be 5,000 to 6,000 years old.

According to the BBC, -- "The pair from the Neolithic period were discovered outside Mantua, about 40km (25 miles) south of Verona. The pair, almost certainly a man and a woman, are thought to have died young as their teeth were mostly intact, said chief archaeologist Elena Menotti.

"It's an extraordinary case," said Ms Menotti. "There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging - and they really are hugging," she told Reuters news agency. --

Arrowheads and a knife were found beside the couple, along with other tools, but there will have to be more study by scientists and archeologists to determine how and when they died and, hopefully, how and when they lived, although that will be a bit more difficult, no doubt.

While it will be science that determines what actually happened, it's hard not to let ones imagination supply the details.

Did they somehow know they were dying, of whatever cause, and decide to lie down, wrap their arms and legs around each other and die while looking into each other's eyes? Or maybe they were just peacefully sleeping, snuggled closely for warmth, and death came so suddenly that they didn't even have a chance to move. It's possible that they were positioned in this manner after death, by some ancient group of mortuary attendants with a romantic bent, but that seems the least likely to me. Not that I know much about ancient burial practices but even Ms. Menotti, who does, says "I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites, but I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."

Maybe we'll never know... and maybe that's okay.

Posted by Nanette on 02/08 at 08:10 AM
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

And I Bet You Thought Finding a Fly in Your Soup Was Bad…

by Nanette

Little did you know! 

Young Harp Seal Found Shot In Sandwich

Posted by Nanette on 01/31 at 08:45 PM
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Friday, October 13, 2006

This and That

by Nanette

Copying, in a way, Nezua�s idea though, I am going to start making note posts, sort of like index cards some writers use to gather bits and pieces of stories and thoughts. I�ll call them that too � who knows maybe, if I actually do it, some of the stuff will get others thought processes churning on those or other topics and can help kickstart someone else�s creativity. That would be neat. 

The closer it gets to the mid-term elections in the US, the less interest I have in them, or in politics in general. Most likely because I doubt things will change much� it�s been a long time since I�ve looked to Democrats for actual change in this country. Mostly, I agree with others when they say we have two corporate parties, one far right and the other just center right. No left at all.

Friends of mine overseas are sometimes astounded at what we, in the US, call the �left�.  In some of the countries, the US left would be the center right, or even the right wing. Me, I�m more to the left than a number of people, but even so there are things that never even occur to me that are standard fare in other countries.

Will get into that at some point, hopefully. I plan to actually start writing on this blog and in other places, again. Just to write, and get into the habit of it, and not at all to worry about perfect grammar - or, more likely, an excess of commas, since I love them so much. �This looks like a good place for a comma!� I say, and there it goes. Anyway, probably mostly stream of consciousness stuff.

Also, Nezua at the Unapologetic Mexican came up with an idea of doing little diary type posts� notes to himself, as he put it. Like jottings from a notebook or something� I think that is a great idea, and I am planning on doing something similar. Sometimes I comment in other people�s posts, especially when they�ve written something that�s gotten me thinking about this or that, and I even plan to (one day) get my thoughts together and make a real article or blog post out of what came to mind. But, I forget where I�ve commented or about what, so that gets lost sometimes�

Copying, in a way, Nezua�s idea though, I am going to start making note posts, sort of like index cards some writers use to gather bits and pieces of stories and thoughts. I�ll call them that too � who knows maybe, if I actually do it, some of the stuff will get others thought processes churning on those or other topics and can help kickstart someone else�s creativity. That would be neat.

Well, I�ve successfully written my first real post in months � will probably just use the blog for bloggy, chatty stuff and if and when I do full articles just put those in the sections.

Maybe.

Posted by Nanette on 10/13 at 08:21 PM
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Saturday, May 20, 2006

An Elephant Pause

by Nanette

The bones have been there for a long time, likely 2 years or more, cleansed now in the contributive way nature does these things. Bleached by the sun, they lay harmless and mute, meriting no more than a glance - if that - from the creatures she once shared this space with, as they pass by intent on the living and having no more use for this carcass of the dead. Or so it seems.

They are still a ways distant, moving slowly and ponderously due to their weight, and the lack of anywhere else to be at this time except where they are. The old bones could be quite easily avoided, by choosing a route less than a hundred yards to the right or the left - not much, in a migration that has already covered hundreds or thousands of miles - except it seems for this stately procession the bones are not a detour, but a destination.

The matriarchs arrive first, their enormous feet stepping gently as they arrange themselves around the bones, maneuvering their mammoth forms in a way that should be clumsy, but is not.  The head matriarch makes the first move - the tip of her trunk gracefully moving back and forth before settling in to softly caress the shape of the head, follow the line of a tusk, pat a ribcage. The others perform their own rituals of touching, scenting, before one by one they move aside, their places taken by the aunts, uncles, pushing forward the little ones who were born following the past closing of the circle and so are meeting whoever inhabited the old bones, for the first time.

Finally, the last ones finish their touching and then turn away, moving into the end of the already moving line of forms. They will again range hundreds, maybe thousands of miles, seeking food and sustenance - and perhaps again pausing from time to time to… what? Mourn for those who were unable to make it? Seeking strength or wisdom from an ancestor? Remember times past? Or maybe just to smell old bones. I don’t know.

I’ve been fascinated by the idea of the elephant pause since I first heard of it. I have no idea what they are doing, or why, so until they can tell me, I put my own interpretation on it, and, while I love the story, for me it’s never just about elephants. It’s about pausing, in whatever way suits one best, perhaps to consider where one has been, and what lies ahead (although that can’t be known). Sometimes it’s about thoughts that bring joy, little incidents that produce an involuntary smile at the memory of them.

Maybe it’s about who walks with you, or who you instead walk with. Destinations, detours, circles - what is worth meeting in the middle and who gets to decide what you do there? Is the destination the same, or is what should be the main pathway just someone’s detour?

Or maybe it’s just about old bones. 

Posted by Nanette on 05/20 at 01:48 PM
General • Just Life •
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