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Below are the 5 most recent journal entries recorded in
Jen's miscellany's InsaneJournal:
| Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 | |
| 4:59 am | Little things...[410] I seem to have hit a run of mild ill luck of late: petty thefts, misfortunately delayed mail, food poisoning yesterday, and today I am pretty sure I am dealing with the onset of being sick. But, given all that, let me share the little things I have been focusing on that make my world better. Today’s joy was watching a Dane-mix, having escaped it’s leash along Lake Merritt, launch itself into the midst of a flock of Canada Geese. The beauty in that instance of grace and chaos as the geese took off and the clear canine-bliss of the running dog had me laughing. I caught up with the owner just as she was reattaching her dog to his lead and thanked her for that moment. “He has been wanting to do that for a while and finally found an opportunity”, she looked rather frazzled. The dog was entirely unrepentant; tail wagging he butted my hands with his huge head demanding attention. Another silliness is the micro-relationships I have with people who are otherwise strangers. For instance, part of my weekend commute ritual is to race the train after I debark in Santa Clara. My goal is to reach the end of the station’s parking lot before it catches up with me. This is not really a competition as my success is determined entirely by how quickly the ushers get the other passengers sorted and what car I boarded rather than my speed. On occasion I look up at the engine as it passes and catch a glimpse of the engineer in the window. A week or so ago, while trying for that last futile burst of speed I glanced at the passing engine and noted the engineer watching me in the iconic pose of insouciance: casually leaning back, elbow on the window ledge, hand holding a cigarette which he idly ‘toasted’ at me. I was thoroughly amused though I figured it was a coincidental moment rather than intended communication. Since then, I look up every time the engine passes and invariably I get a wave or a blast of the horn. Lastly, this week I received confirmation that I am now registered with the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. I originally found out about this through ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} ladylonglocks and later was alerted to the free registration window by shoutingboy. Now it seems that registration is entirely free again (they used to have a fee to cover the lab costs). |
| Sunday, October 11th, 2009 | |
| 11:51 pm | Gender in Movies [315] Chloe and Myles dragged me out last night to see Whip It; while not the best film I have ever seen, it was thoroughly enjoyable and totally worth the price of admission (given many of the movies to come out this year, that is high praise). Whip It even passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, and, as sophiism suggests, that is worth a monetary vote on its own.I find it frustrating that I still live in a world with enough subtle gender pigeonholing in the media that merely having female leads in something other than a romantic comedy is notably refreshing. I have spent most of the afternoon trying to think of movies I have seen where most of the key personalities in the movie are female and the list is depressingly short. Ghost World, The Magdalena Sisters, and Bend it Like Beckham came first to mind. But I'm a Cheerleader, Bound, and Chutney Popcorn have being a lesbian as a key plot point. The Election (which I hated) has a majority of relevant female characters but I can't remember if the women talk to each other about things other than the guys. Same for Monsoon Wedding (which I loved). Rommie and Michelle's Highschool Reunion probably passes the test though I am not sure whether I am more surprised by this or shamed that I am owning up to having seen it. Most of those films were only shown in indie art-house theaters. Even when I include children's movies, My Neighbor Tortoro is the only additional film I can think of. The Harry Potter movies pass the Bechdel test, but aren't close to parity genderwise. Really, how difficult can it be to sell a worthwhile movie with a bunch of female characters? Preferably one without a plot that revolves around their love lives. |
| Monday, October 26th, 2009 | |
| 7:53 pm | Getting rid of more stuff... cyclothemia handed an AeroGarden Classic off to me before heading to London ages ago and I used it once to grow lettuce (which the cat now known as Virtue probably ate more of than me). I ran into her briefly at the Fire Arts Festival she said she was probably heading back to London, couldn't take it, and gave me permission to hand it off. Anyone interested? There is one lettuce pod set included.Also, my large stuffed Animal (as seen here) needs a new home. He has water stains on one foot, but is otherwise intact. |
| Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 | |
| 11:25 pm | And we get more rain this weekend too! Wow, it is actually getting cold enough that I am considering closing my windows. "It was 38 degrees in San Francisco this morning, 4 degrees above the record. Elsewhere, it was ... 34 in downtown Oakland." |
| 4:57 am | Idle thoughts on caretaking... Earlier yesterday I had a conversation about caring for people who are puking. I was boggling that apparently some people appreciate company and having their back rubbed while they are hunched over a toilet in what, for me, is a miserable and humiliating to be witnessed situation. The best care I have had while vomiting was someone setting glass of water and a towel set beside me and leaving. The impetus for the conversation laughed and suggested that could also have been the response of someone who really had no idea what to do and was checking out of the situation. Apropos to nothing more than the conversation with he who had way too much gin: When you are ill, how do you flag what is the appropriate way to be supported (or left alone)? When you are with a dear one who is clearly ill and there is ambiguous messaging as to needs, how do you respond? |