The Starfish Revolution

On the iPod

In no particular order...

Good - Better Than Ezra
I Wish You Well - Kay Hanley
#1 Camera - Nina Gordon
Coral Bracelet - April March
Supernova - Liz Phair
Not a Virgin - Poe (seriously. This is the best song EVER.)
Shakin' - The Dandy Warhols
Know Your Chicken - Cibo Matto
Stoneface (the live version) - Veruca Salt
Low- Cracker
Time of the Season- Big Blue Missile ft. Scott Weiland
Sunflowers - Everclear

Yecch.

So, you know what they say about the week before Spring Break?

It sucks.

I have a soc paper to write, a basketball player to help write the same paper, a thesis chapter to completely re-write, and a new thesis chapter to turn in. I'm also supposed to be keeping a body journal for one of my sociology classes (what crazy fun that will prove to be), so I need to get caught up on that.

So, I probably won't be writing a whole lot this week. I'm shooting for one decent entry a day, but don't expect a whole lot by way of current events commentary because I barely have time to read the student paper, much less anything else.

Pizza: Why I'll never be vegan.

I love pizza. Last night, my pizza consisted of:

Roasted Garlic
Broccoli
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Mushrooms

Which was tasty and the addition of broccoli and garlic ensured that nobody else would eat it. It's not my ideal pizza, though, because it had regular sauce on it, which I don't particularly care for (despite my passionate love of tomatoes). My ideal pizza:

Thin crust
Either olive oil or pesto for sauce
Lots of funky white cheeses instead of just mozzarella
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Mushrooms
[Roasted Garlic
Spinach if olive oil is used]

Back when I still ate meat, I'd add chicken to either of the above. I think removing it made the pizza as a whole taste better, but then, I never much cared for the way chicken (doesn't) taste.

I have also determined that broccoli and red-sauce pizzas don't mix well.

Commenting Policy

Last night, I got my first troll. I used to think getting trolled was a blogger's rite of passage- until I had a horde of vicious anti-choicers gang up on me on my LiveJournal, an attack that was replete with all manner of verbal abuse and, of course, porn spam. I've since changed my tune. I don't tolerate trolling, ever.

My definition of trolling, by the way:

Trolling is the act of deliberately antagonizing other people on the internet. It is not meant to elicit thoughtful responses, rather, it provokes people into unproductive arguments and flamewars.

I don't tolerate it. If someone wants to disagree with my opinions respectfully, that's fine. Deliberately inciting riots in my comments page, however, is unacceptable.

My definitions of respectful behavior:

People who are respectful:

1. Are interested in actually listening to what the other side has to say.
2. Are aware of their own biases and privileges, try to overcome them, and are open to constructive criticism about the same. This means avoiding -isms, essentially: sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, etc.
3. Do not deliberately marginalize or belittle people with different opinions from theirs.
4. Do not resort to abusive language or behavior to "win" arguments (in other words, harass the person they're fighting with into silence).

So, my commenting rules are:

1. Be respectful.
2. Don't troll.
3. Don't get on my nerves.

Failing to follow these rules will result in me banning your I.P. address (which TypePad conveniently logs) and possibly reporting your behavior to your I.S.P. So, before you decide to be a jerk here, ask yourself: do I really want to explain to my employer, educational institution, or family that I got my internet suspended for harassing a college student on her blog?

Adventures in Online Dating

About a year ago, my mother decided that I should try internet dating. It made sense: I'm an introverted nerd, the internet is full of introverted nerds, and maybe an e-romance website would help me find an introverted nerd of my very own. She also informed me that "The internet is full of liberal, atheist freaks like you" (because I am so opposed to dating "god-fearing Republicans"). I took it, found a site (which will remain nameless), and opened up a profile. Hilarity ensued, and this is fast becoming the most important entry in my running list of advice my mother gave me that I never should have taken, because damn, people are seriously crazy.

You see, I'm not just introverted and nerdy. I'm also fairly attractive. This is a problem, because other introverted nerds see the conjunction of relative nerdiness, intelligence, and hotness and start acting creepy, which freaks my introverted self the ever-loving fuck out (in addition to making my inner radical feminist throw temper tantrums). You would not believe some of the insane things people have actually said to me:

1. "Have my children." Not only has this actually happened, it's happened multiple times. Ew. Gross. While you can argue that dating is ultimately a quest to find a suitable person to combine DNA with (unless you're childfree, I guess), it's definitely not one of those things you mention on the first date, much less on an internet dating site. Seriously. What on earth would possess me to mix my awesometastic DNA with that of a freaky pervert who happens to be older than both of my parents (42 and 45)?

2. "Be my sub [or insert any other variety of recipient of non-mainstream sexual preference]." Thanks to the internet, I have reaffirmed the fact that I am a freak magnet. I'm really not sure how or why that's happened, but I really wish it would stop. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but seriously, folks, discussions of possibly deviant sex practices shouldn't happen until at least the fifth or sixth date (or whenever you determine that there is a realistic possibility that sex will actually occur). Hardcore BDSM is not an appropriate springboard for a conversation unless you are on a special forum for that kind of thing. Asking random strangers on the internet to dress in head-to-toe latex so your fiberglass ropes won't chafe them is not cool, daring, edgy, or sexually arousing, even to people who are into that kind of thing. It's creepy.

3. "Have a three-way/poly fling with me and my girlfriend/wife." This really bothers me for a couple of reasons. I think a lot of this is the direct result of me making the grievous error of honestly stating my sexual orientation (which is really unfortunate when you think about it). Once again, unsolicited sexual propositions (outside of appropriate forums) are sketchy. That said, people really need to get it through their thick heads that being queer is NOT the same thing as being polyamorous or into three-ways or other forms of group sex. To assume something like that is really obnoxious.

4. "Hi, I'm (at least) fifteen years older than you, think your profile is 'deep,' and want to date you!" I can't think of any not-sketchy motivation that someone that much older than me would have to want to date me. I'm fairly mature for my age, but I'm still twenty-two, not finished with undergrad, and think I know everything. I'm pretty sure I'd drive anyone from that age group up a tree, and yet they still insist on hitting on me. Ick. Bonus creep-out points when they're older than my parents.

5. "Hi, I am a hard-core Christian Republican who hates everything you stand for. Will you have sex with me?" I really love it when people with blatantly misogynist opinions hit on me. Really really. It's like, "Oh, you hate my ideology but you'll grace me with your sex because I'm hot enough to meet your dubious standards-- but only until you find a Nice Christian Woman to take home to your parents and eventually marry?" And they always seem to think that I'll be more than happy to hop in the sack with them and get completely offended when I inform them that I don't have relationships of any kind with sexist cretins who don't respect me. I've kicked guys out of my room for being anti-choice before, and I'll do it again. It's not negotiable. The entitled attitude that they have makes me ill.

6. "I just got in from Iraq and I'm a WAR HERO. It's your patriotic duty to nail me!" See above. Once again, I'm not sure what would possess a DECORATED WAR HERO to hit on me, an ultra-liberal pacifist who has opposed the war in Iraq since well before it even started-- except for the prospect of hot sex with an easy liberal chick. Sorry, Bubba, it doesn't work that way. I hear they sell confederate flag bikinis down near the Country Music Hall of Fame. You can find you a nice woman there.

This is just the short version.

I'm still keeping my account. The LOLZ it's provided me with have been invaluable in times of stress, and I've made several really cool friends from it as well. I'm not really interested in romance at this stage, anyway. And when I get interested again, I'll hit the bars, because they're way less weird than the internet- and when someone's a sexist jerk to me, I can slap them or throw a drink in their faces, which, sadly, you can't do on the internet (yet).

I can be happy about this for a while.

New, toned-down version of South Dakota abortion ban dies in committee.

I really can't say I'm surprised.

I do wish that anti-choicers would do something constructive to end abortion (like providing services to poor mothers and their children) instead of wasting all their money lobbying state legislatures and clogging the court system with inane reiterations of the same challenges to Roe that have already been overturned half a dozen or more times. For that matter, our money would be better spent enhancing reproductive choice than dicking around with these cretins year after year.

Ew, Mississippi.

Mississippi moves to ban most abortions. Here are the provisions:

-In the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will become completely illegal excepting cases of rape or if the mother's life is at risk.
-Starting July 1st, doctors would be required to offer women sonograms and the chance to hear fetal heartbeat. A (new? I believe Mississippi already had one) parental consent law will also take effect.

As if there only being one clinic to service the entire state isn't enough.

I'd like to point out that a similar law died in committee in my state two years ago, and it's looking like the death certificates policy I mentioned yesterday won't pass the House (and if it does, out moderately pro-choice, Democratic governor will veto it). Thanks heavens. This state is broke enough without having to add yet another ridiculously expensive abortion-legislation-related lawsuit to the budget (I'm referring to the extended fracas over "Choose Life" license plates that lasted for close to three years).

I need blog friends.

Hey, everyone who's visiting!

I'm in need of blogs to read/link to, so if you have any recommendations (or would like for me to link to your site in my sidebar, provided I'm okay with your content), leave me a comment here or e-mail me.

Have a good night!

Give me a freaking break.

And people wonder why I hate living in this state.

Once again, I'm really not sure what gets into people and makes them think that pulling stunts like this is a great idea. I mean, come on. What good could death certificates for aborted fetuses possibly serve if you don't consider terrorizing women who have abortions to be a good thing? Clinics are already required to report numbers to the Office of Vital Statistics; the only thing that using death certificates would do is provide identifying information about the women having abortions, thereby opening up multiple avenues for harassing them.

It's not going to pass (and if it does, the courts will strike it down) since it obviously violates HIPAA and other medical privacy laws, but still, it's the principle of the matter- once again, god forbid that women start making their own medical decisions without the input and oversight of sanctimoniously paternalistic politicians. Once again, the anti-choicers show that they're really not interested in protecting fetal life, just harassing and demonizing women who have abortions.

Merck Takes a Step Back. I Get Upset.

People are always surprised to hear that I support initiatives to make Gardasil, the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, mandatory. For me, it's a healthcare access issue; making Gardasil mandatory will enable more women to get it. Currently, the entire series runs about $400, and since it is so new, most health insurance companies won't cover it. Many women (myself included) cannot afford to pay $400 out-of-pocket for it, even though it's a necessary medical expense. If Gardasil were made mandatory, it would become more readily available because most states require that insurance companies (including the state-run programs for low-income families) provide coverage for mandatory vaccines. Generally, I don't support Big Pharmacy, but I honestly see this as a good situation: more women are able to get the vaccine, and Merck makes boatloads of money. Everyone wins.

Unfortunately, though, nothing is ever that simple, and it's looking like Merck is going to stop lobbying state and federal legislators to make the vaccine mandatory (NYTimes). They're drawing fire from groups that are complaining that they're hurting "parental choice" (even though virtually every state has an opt-out clause for ALL vaccines, even the "mandatory" ones). I maintain that people who oppose the vaccine for evil reasons are deliberately disinforming the general population about this because it serves their agenda. What are evil reasons? This, which never fails to make my blood boil:

[O]thers contend that protection from a sexually transmitted virus would encourage promiscuity.

As flatly ridiculous as this assertion is (I don't think anyone's going to say, "Hey, I don't have to worry about HPV anymore; I'm going to run out and have lots of casual, unprotected sex!" There are still tons of other STDs to worry about), it still never fails to irritate me. Not only because people are actually stupid enough to buy into the logic that people will become promiscuous overnight as a result of getting a vaccine to prevent cancer, but that they are vicious enough to think that the threat of STDs should be used as a deterrent for sexual activity. That is evil (so much for us liberals being moral relativists).

I'd really, really like to know why some individuals seem to think that fatal forms of cancer are an appropriate punishment for promiscuity. Seriously, folks, who actually thinks, "Oh, we shouldn't have that HPV vaccine because cervical cancer is god's just punishment for women who have pre/extra-marital sex"? Isn't dying an extraordinarily long, painful death a wee bit excessive as far as divine retribution for sex goes? Granted, these are the same people who advised Reagan to ignore the AIDS epidemic because those abominable homosexuals were getting their Biblical desserts, but I still can't wrap my head around such blatantly mean-spirited sanctimony.

I guess, in the end, this is something Merck needs to do in order to ensure that the backlash doesn't worsen. Sometimes this kind of damage control is necessary. I still think it's unfortunate. God forbid parents not have autocratic control over their daughters' sex lives, even if it means putting them at risk for cervical cancer. Heaven help us all if they receive honest, medically accurate information on how their bodies work and how to ensure that nothing bad happens to them, that they are able to make reasonable, informed decisions about their own bodies and lives. Who can look at this situation, see parents who honestly think that they should be able to deprive their daughters of a vaccine that could prevent them from dying of cancer on the grounds that the vaccine might make them become sexually active, and say that we're living in a post-sexist, post-feminist era? Ugh. I feel completely sick about this, and I hope I'm not the only one.

Or maybe I'm unreasonable. Maybe I believe too strongly that children have a right to self-determination, a right to know about their bodies and make healthy decisions about them that supersedes their parents' right to dictate educational and medical decisions that are ultimately detrimental to their health. Or maybe I grew up in the Bible Belt and saw the real results of sexual ignorance abstinence-only "education"- sky-high rates of teen pregnancy and STDs and would rather not see them inflicted on yet another generation of Americans.

I guess we'll see.