ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Monthly Archive: December 2015

Thursday

31

December 2015

0

COMMENTS

Happy New Year!

Written by , Posted in Adventures

I could post a wrap up of all that was good and bad in the world this year, but there are writers who have done a far better job at that than I could at this moment. I could post about everything that happened personally, and what I’m hoping for in 2016, but Austin is cooking and we have friends coming over in a bit, so I’ll save that for my birthday post. For now, I will say that 2015 was challenging in ways I didn’t expect, and I have high hopes for a great 2016.

Most important, however, is the fact that today is our four-year anniversary of being caregivers to Jameson and Tigger, the two best orange tabbies a gal could dream of. They have their own personalities and they can be little assholes at times, but at the end of the day, when Jameson snuggles up next to me and Tigger either plops into his little bed or flops onto Austin’s feet, I’m extremely happy that we brought them home four years ago today.

12 31 Leaving Animal Rescue

20130302_130935

20140117_135627

Sunday

13

December 2015

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading – December 13, 2015

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Fat Bigotry

– “I just wanted to let you know that I don’t have any respect for you as a teacher, not a professor, I refuse to call you that. And the reason I don’t have any respect for you is because you obviously have no self-respect at all. How am I supposed to respect you if you can’t respect yourself at all. And you know what really kills me about it is that you don’t feel bad about how you look or how you .. put yourself out there. You don’t look good. You need to take better care of yourself.” I Was Trolled and Fat-Shamed by One of My Male College Students (h/t @KateHarding)

Gun Violence

– “To find in that wording an individual right to possess a firearm untethered to any militia purpose, the majority performed an epic feat of jurisprudential magic: It made the pesky initial clause about the necessity of a “well regulated Militia” disappear. Poof! Gone. Scalia treated the clause as merely “prefatory” and having no real operative effect—a view at odds with history, the fundamental rules of constitutional interpretation, and the settled legal consensus for many decades.” The Second Amendment Was Never Meant to Protect an Individual’s Right to a Gun (h/t @mskatemurphy)

– “You earn the right to own and drive a vehicle; earn the right to own and use a gun. Quibble with me over semantics if you want to; what is a “right” vs. what is a “privilege.” I’ll be busy with my friends and colleagues trying to prevent more unnecessary deaths.” Dear America: Here’s Your Gun Solution (via @SaraJBenincasa)

Racism

– “Indeed, one of the most fascinating aspects of sports is how simple games reflect the values and ideals of the society they inhabit. Kelce, who is white, danced and no one batted an eye. Newton, who is black, danced and it caused a mild bout of mass hysteria.” ESPN’s Robert Flores: NFL star’s TD dance accepted ‘because he’s not black’

Sexism in Sport

– “e’ve been fighting this battle for quite some time. Soccer, to be honest, is not meant to be played on turf. The ball rolls differently. There are dead spots on every turf field that you play on. It’s a lot harder on the joints, on the body, on the shoulders, on the knees. It’s a just a different playing game. With that said, you don’t see the men ever playing on turf. You don’t see any World Cups being played on turf—even when the major club teams come to America to play on a turf stadium, they lay sod.” We Talked to Hope Solo About Why the US Women’s Soccer Team Skipped a Game in Protest (via @MotherJones)

Sexual Assault

– “I imagine there will be some who will say, “But what about James Deen’s side to this story? What about evidence?” As is the case with the vast majority of rape accusations, especially between intimate partners, Stoya’s story of being raped by James Deen is very likely the only “evidence.” He is certainly within his rights to deny it, though it’s worth noting that he and his representatives have remained mute on the matter, and James has not responded to the text message I sent him yesterday. Like so many rape cases, this will very likely be a “he said/she said” situation. And as I tweeted last night, today and every day, I BELIEVE WOMEN.” Why The Frisky Will No Longer Be Publishing James Deen’s Sex Advice Column (h/t @IjeomaOluo)

Underrepresented Voices

– “In early 2015, Upworthy writer Parker Molloy tweeted a picture of a Kat Von D lipstick color called “Underage Red,” with, again, a tone of mild bemusement. In short order, however, Forbes and Business Insider decided Molloy was “outraged” and “disgusted”—and was also apparently multiple people. Before long, Kat Von D issued a statement refusing to yield to imaginary calls for her to pull the color from shelves, while also insinuating that only a pedophile would find the color name offensive. Way to strike a blow against hysteria and outrage there, Kat.” Rise of the Overreactionaries: Outrage Over Outrage as a Silencing Tactic (via @ZachBudryk)

Latest Feminist Frequency Video: 5 Ways Men Can Help Fight Sexism

Friday

4

December 2015

0

COMMENTS

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Four Stars.

I bought this book at noon today, and finished it tonight at 7PM. Admittedly, I bought it at the airport as I was FOUR HOURS early for my flight and really looking for something that might be a quick and compelling read. Woo, did I choose wisely.

The book is told in alternating chapters from the perspective (in the third person) of Kate, a single mother to 15-year-old Amelia, and in the first person from the perspective of Amelia herself. The Kate chapters start with Amelia’s death (ostensibly by suicide); Amelia’s chapters cover her life starting two months earlier, at the beginning of her sophomore year.

The main question we’re trying to figure out is whether Amelia has actually killed herself, or if someone else may have helped her off the roof of her school. There are multiple mysteries within this book – who really is Amelia’s father? Who is Ben? Why the fuck does Zadie hate her so much?

It’s possible I had a little more love for this book because it is set in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn, and the author (who lives there) calls out actual shops and restaurants that I used to visit. I could very vividly picture the scenes in the book because I’d actually been to those places. But mostly I think I enjoyed it because it was a well-told story. It was interesting, it wasn’t totally predictable (at least not to me), and the high-school students weren’t all silly or making utterly inexplicable decisions.

I think it’s worth a read. If you’re travelling over the holidays and find yourself looking for a book that will make the wait and the flight go by, this is a good choice.

Thursday

3

December 2015

0

COMMENTS

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

Written by , Posted in Reviews

This was on the recommended shelf at my favorite local bookstore, and it was a nice read. Probably more of a library read than one that I recommend buying, but definitely worth reading.

We start out at Grace’s trial. We don’t know exactly what she is on trial for, but this tells us that she has clearly survived being on the titular lifeboat. We immediately jump back to when she and 39 others from the Empress Queen ship find themselves in a lifeboat just over a year after the Titanic sinks. Mostly women, but a few men and one child, this group is stuck together until that rescue ship comes along.

It’s coming, right?

Right?

The book is interesting because it tells the story from a narrator who can’t possibly know everything, and it touches on very interesting philosophical questions. Basically, it’s like one big thought experiment. There is a lot going on for a bunch of people stuck on a small lifeboat, but at the same time we don’t get resolution to everything. I can’t figure out if this is brilliant storytelling (because do we every really know the full truth?) or lazy storytelling (because the author created this world, she can tell us the full truth if she wants). I devoured the first half, then somehow was distracted, but finished in on a flight maybe two weeks later. I think it’s worth a read if you come across it, but it isn’t a must read.