I threw up reading that article. I can't finish it.
That's one of the few (indeed, maybe the only) evils of men I can't bear to read about. My mom was reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel, which is about the author's experiences with and escape from fundamentalist Islam, and so I was skimming it. I came across a passage where she describes her experience as a victim of that particular procedure in the worst tribal manner.
After about a paragraph I felt so dizzy and nauseous I had to put it down. Later (in a passage I did finish), she describes the first visit to the OB-GYN in her adopted home of the Netherlands, wherein the doctor audibly uttered "Holy fuck," and turned away in momentary horror. I don't know how my mom finished that shit.
It's pretty nasty. I dislike hearing about it, but I know I must steel myself and acknowledge its existence in the US so I can fight it. I think cultural relativism is bunk. If something is cruel by your moral code and infringes on a human's life and liberty, you are fully justified in standing against it. The only time it is dumb is when people start enforcing moral judgments that have no bearing outside making the ones in the dominant culture feel more at home with the familiar (such as making the aborigines cover up their bodies with European clothes because NUDITY!!) That is silly crap. Cultural open mindedness is about accepting that people can do things different ways, but those ways can often be equal. Fork vs. Chopsticks is not infringing on human rights nor causing pain, nor is someone's decision to wear a dashiki instead of a suit. Since morals are all relative, what else can you do but judge things by your own moral code and try to encourage people to share that code with you?
My fail: The Bunny Brothers are in a funk at each other and have started squabbling over the new territory following the move. This necessitates bunny brainwashing techniques such as me carrying them around together in my arms for a while (they HATE that), and putting them in the empty bathtub for a half hour while Rym and I stand by with a squirt bottle if either of them starts feeling nippy. Also, RAEP RAEP RAEP is how bunnies determine pecking order, so poor Theo is being humped, much to his chagrin. Trying to determine uke/seme in any bunny relationship is often full of drama. (Look up "bunny bonding")
I can't graduate in December like I'd planned. I can fit the hours into my schedule, but they won't let me take the class that's holding me back as a co-rec. So I need to stay on for an extra semester because of ONE FUCKING ART CLASS.
Regarding cultural relativism, here's a good quote regarding sati, the practice of immolating the widow in the husband's funeral pyre in India.
You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.
I can't graduate in December like I'd planned. I can fit the hours into my schedule, but they won't let me take the class that's holding me back as a co-rec. So I need to stay on for an extra semester because of ONE FUCKING ART CLASS.
The other advisor is being much more accommodating about relaxing the prerequisites for the class I need and is going to talk to the director in the morning! I may graduate on time yet!
Gah I hate shit like that.. I hate how these days everything has to be PC and all cultures are equal. You know what, to me some things that cultures do are just plain wrong. Fuck you, hurting people for no goddamn reason. I'm all for people having different cultures and trying to preserve much of their own cultural identities, but shit like this just has to stop. Fuck them and the horses they rode in on.
Good for you. I keep thinking about that video lecture Andrew posted. If a culture scratches the eyes out of every third child, they're fucked up. It doesn't fucking matter what their justification is. They're just fucking wrong. Why do we have such a problem with that?
I'm putting them off til the weekend. Of course, I only made about $1,000 in 2010, so I'm not going to have to do much.
I wonder how much I contributed towards that. I think I can say about 25%! :P
I am talking about what shows up on my W2s. As far as the yarn stuff goes, my expenses are pretty even with my income. I haven't really been doing hardcore production, and without a wholesale account to get supplies, my profit margin is pretty small. I probably make a few dollars off of every skein you bought.
Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #255: A wife is a luxury ... a smart accountant is a necessity.
On that note, Turbo Tax is fucking magic. It what I thought was going to be a $1000+ tax bill and turned it into $50.
Turbo Tax is pretty good from what I've heard, but my tax situation is complicated enough where I do need to hire a real accountant to handle it. Hence rule #255.
Turbo Tax is pretty good from what I've heard, but my tax situation is complicated enough where I do need to hire a real accountant to handle it. Hence rule #255.
Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #255: A wife is a luxury ... a smart accountant is a necessity.
On that note, Turbo Tax is fucking magic. It what I thought was going to be a $1000+ tax bill and turned it into $50.
Turbo Tax is pretty good from what I've heard, but my tax situation is complicated enough where I do need to hire a real accountant to handle it. Hence rule #255.
I'm just glad I have an accountant in the family that does mine for free I suck with taxes.
My shoulder problems are coming back. Basically, the muscles that hold my shoulders in their sockets are pretty weak, so my shoulders pop half-way out of their sockets every minute or so. It's not really painful, but it's REALLY uncomfortable and probably permanently damaging if not fixed soon. I'm probably gonna have to start physical therapy again.
I managed to set a date for my thesis advisory committee meeting two weeks ago in a rare occurrence of all five members being free at the same time. I got an email yesterday, from my hardest to schedule committee member, saying that a tentative meeting has been scheduled during my meeting and could I move mine to a different time. Turns out my boss has another meeting during the new time, so no that doesn't work. I offer another time 2 hours after my original start time, only to just get an email from another committee member that *his* graduate student has his meeting scheduled then. I have less than two and a half weeks now to find a time when all of my committee members are free because I need all of them fucking there to get my fucking permission to write.
I don't understand how my fucking confirmed meeting is getting bumped around for something that wasn't on any calendars and AUGH. I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
I have less than two and a half weeks now to find a time when all of my committee members are free because I need all of them fucking there to get my fucking permission to write.
Do they all have to be there in person? No way to teleconference someone in? That is a really dick move, bumping your meeting like that. *hug*
Do they all have to be there in person? No way to teleconference someone in? That is a really dick move, bumping your meeting like that. *hug*
This is the *only* meeting they all have to be at in person (aside from my actual defense in 2 months). I'm just going to try and deal with it tomorrow morning, if it fails horribly then I'll go to the dean of graduate students if I have to.
Or gin.
How do you think I finally managed to get my thesis outline and my first author paper done?
I don't understand how my fucking confirmed meeting is getting bumped around for something that wasn't on any calendars and AUGH. I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
Use Doodle.com! Give a range of meeting times, and ask them to all pick the one that suits them best. It actually kinda works.
In the last two days or so, I've gone from complete elation to wishing for death and am now back to my usual hopeless depressed state. Going to call the doctor at lunch.
Comments
After about a paragraph I felt so dizzy and nauseous I had to put it down. Later (in a passage I did finish), she describes the first visit to the OB-GYN in her adopted home of the Netherlands, wherein the doctor audibly uttered "Holy fuck," and turned away in momentary horror. I don't know how my mom finished that shit.
I think cultural relativism is bunk. If something is cruel by your moral code and infringes on a human's life and liberty, you are fully justified in standing against it. The only time it is dumb is when people start enforcing moral judgments that have no bearing outside making the ones in the dominant culture feel more at home with the familiar (such as making the aborigines cover up their bodies with European clothes because NUDITY!!) That is silly crap. Cultural open mindedness is about accepting that people can do things different ways, but those ways can often be equal. Fork vs. Chopsticks is not infringing on human rights nor causing pain, nor is someone's decision to wear a dashiki instead of a suit. Since morals are all relative, what else can you do but judge things by your own moral code and try to encourage people to share that code with you?
My fail: The Bunny Brothers are in a funk at each other and have started squabbling over the new territory following the move. This necessitates bunny brainwashing techniques such as me carrying them around together in my arms for a while (they HATE that), and putting them in the empty bathtub for a half hour while Rym and I stand by with a squirt bottle if either of them starts feeling nippy. Also, RAEP RAEP RAEP is how bunnies determine pecking order, so poor Theo is being humped, much to his chagrin. Trying to determine uke/seme in any bunny relationship is often full of drama. (Look up "bunny bonding")
Edit:
Also they complained about my accent...I'm from California. -.-
I don't understand how my fucking confirmed meeting is getting bumped around for something that wasn't on any calendars and AUGH. I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
I recommend cutting bitches. Or gin. Or possibly cutting bitches and then pouring gin into the wounds.
Head seems to have stopped hurting though.