(no subject)

I have just a few laptops to haul down to Chicago and give to Freegeek Chicago.





I had to clean out a box to ship those boots in. (They just sold via buy-it-now for $130. They may turn into some nice, warm lobster gloves for winter bicycling!)

I just talked to my grandmother on the phone for a little while. I got a birthday card from her yesterday that said she wasn't going to be sending birthday cards anymore because she can't read them in the store. That made me sad; she and my grandfather have sent birthday cards to my brothers and I for as long as I can remember. On the phone, though, she said that instead she's going to send blank cards and write notes in them rather than try to pick out birthday-specific ones. I'm glad.

I talked to her for a little while about my upcoming conference, how much I'm using Grandpa's camera, and about coming to visit for a day on Thanksgiving weekend. It'll be so nice to spend some time with her. I think I'm going to bring a voice recorder and ask her about her visits to my great-grandparents when they were living in Guadalajara. I don't know much about those times, and my (hopefully) upcoming trip to Chiapas is making me think about them. But really, I'm just looking forward to talking to Grandma for a while. I love her and miss her.

(no subject)

An article called "Chivalry Punk’d" discussing objections to the way feminism has "killed chivalry." The author briefly discusses zir problems with that conception. http://www.hawksmoorsbazaar.net/?p=808

My commentary:

I'm really put off by a lot of the discussion of 'modern chivalry'. Parts of it have an appeal, but it's way too gendered and is badly in need of queering. I like being a princess sometimes, and neither of my partners would appreciate implications that they are unable to open their own damned doors. grins

I'm even fine with people who want to hold on to the 'traditional' views, as long as it's making them and their partners happy and as long as they don't talk about it as the way everyone else needs to behave. I've seen a profile where someone implied that he knows how to treat a 'real' lady (whatever that means), and people who object to chivalry are somehow 'doing it wrong'. No.

(no subject)

I'm working up to hauling a big load of stuff to the thrift store in the near future. Does anyone want any of the following before I do?

( -=+=- Long List Ahead! -=+=- )

I just caught up on my bank account. Damn, I spent a lot of money on my car this month.

(no subject)

I just saw this linked on an LJ community. I'm not going to read through it or listen to any of the interviews right now because just scrolling through the front page with the quotes and pictures makes me cry. It's an exhibition about homeless people's relationships with their dogs.

MY DOG IS MY HOME: The Experience of Human-Animal Homelessness

(no subject)

I had a piece of art commissioned of my ex and I, quite a few years ago. It was an anniversary present, and it's one of only two images of the canid version of myself that I've ever had made. I still love the piece very much, even though I have no real idea what to do with it. It's a wonderful piece of art in many ways.

I happened to think of it as I was going through old stuff so I looked the artist up to see whether she's still creating. As it turns out, she's only gotten better and better. Her newest stuff is fantastic, and I want to share a link to it here.

http://alectorfencer.deviantart.com/