I am rather unsure as to the reason why I was just thinking about D.H. Lawrence’s book, The Rainbow. I think I can easily say that it is one of my top ten books. I have not read it in some time but it occurs to me how rare it is to read a book that speaks to the mechanism with which I ideate. Does anyone else have a book(s) that speaks to them in the way that they envisage themselves?

Popularity: 85% [?]

I will be going to Georgia to visit my family in February for about two weeks. I had wanted to go to a basketball game in the hopes of seeing the Hawks play the Lakers, Spurs, Warriors, or the Jazz or some other decent team. Brian said that the Hawks rarely play those teams so it would not be likely that I would get to see any of those three. Well, he was right and wrong. Interestingly enough, the Hawks will be playing all four of those teams during my visit. Unfortunately, none of the games during my entire visit are home games. The last home game is the day before I arrive and the next home game is the day after I leave. I am annoyed.

Popularity: 85% [?]

This list was created by B. Deutsch and is largely based on the work by Wellesley College Professor Peggy McIntosh on how people are taught to view racism, misogyny, etc only by acts of cruelty and meanness rather than viewing invisible systems that give dominance to one group over another.

The Male Privilege Checklist

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.
2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex - even though that might be true.
3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.
4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.
5. The odds of my encountering sexual harassment on the job are so low as to be negligible.
6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.
7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are so low as to be negligible.
8. I am not taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces.
9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.
10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.
11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent.
12. If I have children and pursue a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.
13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.
14. Chances are my elected representatives are mostly people of my own sex. The more prestigious and powerful the elected position, the more likely this is to be true.
15. I can be somewhat sure that if I ask to see “the person in charge,” I will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.
16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than my sisters.
17. As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I never had to look for it; male heroes were the default.
18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often.
19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.
20. I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented, every day, without exception.
21. If I’m careless with my financial affairs it won’t be attributed to my sex.
22. If I’m careless with my driving it won’t be attributed to my sex.
23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.
24. If I have sex with a lot of people, it won’t make me an object of contempt or derision.
25. There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is possible for me to choose clothing that doesn’t send any particular message to the world.
26. My wardrobe and grooming are relatively cheap and consume little time.
27. If I buy a new car, chances are I’ll be offered a better price than a woman buying the same car.
28. If I’m not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.
29. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.
30. I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of violence is called “crime” and is a general social concern. (Violence that happens mostly to women is usually called “domestic violence” or “acquaintance rape,” and is seen as a special interest issue.)
31. I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence will always include my sex. “All men are created equal…,” mailman, chairman, freshman, he.
32. My ability to make important decisions and my capability in general will never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.
33. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned if i don’t change my name.
34. The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about whether or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.
35. Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own sex. Even God, in most major religions, is usually pictured as being male.
36. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient to me.
37. If I have a wife or girlfriend, chances are we’ll divide up household chores so that she does most of the labor, and in particular the most repetitive and unrewarding tasks.
38. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, chances are she’ll do most of the childrearing, and in particular the most dirty, repetitive and unrewarding parts of childrearing.
39. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one of us needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we’ll both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.
40. Magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to appeal to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are much rarer.
41. I am not expected to spend my entire life 20-40 pounds underweight.
42. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover.
43. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Does anyone else not think with words?

Does anyone else not ever see faces in dreams and lack the ability to recall the face of someone you just saw a minute ago?  But, can you recognize them later?

Popularity: 6% [?]

I am not sure why I was just thinking this but I think it is really sort of morbid that they serve seafood at Sea World.  I mean, do they get it out of the tanks?  Brian ate seafood at sea world…

Popularity: 6% [?]

George Bush was quoted as saying, “Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical” (in regards to stem cell research).  I thought this quote was rather humorous because his philosophy towards life is inconsistent.  He has a hand in slaying Americans and Iraqis in the name of freedom yet his own philosophy seemingly advocates non-violence.  Does he not see the irony in the fact that he is doing the very thing he says is unethical?  No, of course he does not see the irony - he is a moron.  Never mind.

I was reading this Time article on Michael Moore and how he is now mainstream.  It is odd, really, because Brian and I watched Fahrenheit 911 just this year and did not see anything outlandish or crazy about it.  Years ago, that film was hotly contested and people thought it was a bunch of lies.  Now, the truth has come out and people actually think of that movie as being completely mainstream.  He does not even really seem like a controversial person to me.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Popularity: 6% [?]

I am obviously bored due to being up at this late hour.  Has anyone taken the enneagram test based on Gurdjeiff’s work?  I am a hybrid 1 & 5 and Brian is a 5.  What about the MBTI/Kiersey?  I am INTJ and Brian is INTP…  I will stop rambling for now…

Popularity: 6% [?]

My bread machine has decided it is time to kick the bucket.  It is currently cooking some kind of hard lump.  It no longer posesses the power to mix the dough and an odd burning smell is let out any time that the machine is trying to mix the dough.  Locating a bread machine on the Big Island might not be so easy - but we shall see…

Popularity: 9% [?]

While I was making myself some hote tea this morning the door bell rang. I was not expecting anyone but saw that two women were standing at our front door and were staring at me. I answered the door and they opened the screen door (big no-no in my book) and proceeded to tell me how many people have unanswered questions about why bad things happen in this world and then wanted to know my answer for why bad things happen. Had they been offering a cash prize or some kind of free vacation then I would have gladly answered. However, they were offering me the Jehovah’s Witness variety of salvation - you know, the kind that only works for 100,000 people. The Jehovah’s Witnesses must be the most idiotic of all Christian sects - they are basically saying that almost everyone will not get into heaven but you should try anyway. I think they need a new marketing strategy because telling people that they are going to work hard to fail is not a way to win believers. Of course, with me they would have even more problems than just that… At any rate, I asked them if they were Jehovah’s Witnesses and they said yes and I said no thank you and have a nice day.

This incident made me ponder why some of our neighbors have large fences and gates around their properties. I think I know the answer now… We have a Jehovah’s Witness *group* that meets in the village above our house and they don’t want them bringing by literature or dropping by for a faux philosophical discussion about why bad things happen in the world. THIS is one of the reasons I left the South - I can’t stand the people who knock on your door to sell you salvation.

Popularity: 15% [?]

I am mentally and physically exhausted.  I just got back less than two hours ago from the mainland.  The flight over was sheer luck and enjoyment.  I never had to wait at all from Hilo to Atlanta and all my flights were early and I even managed to get an earlier flight into Atlanta saving me over 6 hours and I had a whole row to myself on the plane and the plane got in 30 minutes early.  It was absolutely perfectly timed…

My visit with my parents was really good and I got along with my father.  He and I had dinner together and talked and enjoyed the company of the other.  My Mom and I had a lot of fun - we mostly shopped and went to different places around Atlanta.  I got along well with my Grandmother until the very last day.  She said some really horrible things to me when she was in her right mind and my parents and I were astonished at the terrible things she was saying to me.  I told her I did not have to sit there and listen to that sort of thing and we all got up and left.  I hate it that she and I did not part on good terms but I’m hoping to settle this matter with her within the week.

My trip back to Hawaii was awful.  The flight to LAX was completely full - they overbooked the plane.  I had this really she-man sitting next to me who got really ticked off when I had to get up ONCE for ten seconds on a six hour flight - I had the window seat.  Get a grip. I got in early but then had to wait forever for luggage and then the hotel shuttle took at least 20 minutes to get there.

I checked into the LAX Radisson which seemed nice but they put me in a non-smoking room where someone had clearly smoked.  The hotel was okay but I cannot believe these people charge $200 a night - it’s worth about $50.  The room service was awful - it was cold.  They never gave me my wake up call at 5:30 AM.  To top it off, I forgot my toothbrush at my parents house and the concierge was of no help in obtaining a toothbrush.  I ended up having to use a washcloth and toothpaste.  Nasty.  To make matters even worse, one of my earrings is lost at the Raddison (3 ct diamond stud) - so I’m not very happy.  By this time, I had not slept very much and my throat was already hurting.  They overloaded a 16 person shuttle with 30+ people.  I was the first person to get off the hotel shuttle and I was sitting in the back of it.  Almost everyone had to get off just so I could get off the shuttle with my luggage - it was THAT tightly packed.  The shuttle was even scraping the road the whole way to the airport.  Morons.

The flight was again overbooked and I sat next to this woman who kept talking to me.  I wanted to buy some of the Hawaiian Airlines Trail Mix for $5 (which is the best trail mix in the world, really) but they ran out.  I wanted to use one of the DigEpods but they ran out.  I wanted the vegetarian meal but they ran out.  I wanted hot tea but they ran out of tea bags.  I wanted Sprite Zero but they ran out.  I wanted Apple Juice but they ran out.  They started the movie almost four hours into the flight (The Last Kiss - terrible) and the sound and video hung up during the middle of the flight and when it finally came back on the sound was twice as loud.  Ouch.  Then, to top it off, they passed out the Agriculture forms and I told the flight attendant I did not have a pen (I’m the customer - they should provide me with one) and she said she couldn’t give me one (she was wearing three on her shirt).  I never filled out the form so when she came to collect it she noticed that I had not filled it out.  I told her she never gave me a pen so it would be impossible for me to fill out the form.  Moron.  These people SUCK.

I arrived at HNL and rode the Wiki Wiki Shuttle to the inter-island terminal where my first mission was to get an upgrade to First Class.  I was told all flights today were sold out and that First Class was not available (they only have 8 First Class seats to begin with).  The clerk also said I could not stand by for First Class (What?).  I sit around HNL for 2.5 hours waiting to board my plane.  I board among the last people only to see that First Class had ONE open seat.  I was fuming mad.  I wanted to throw money at a flight attendant and tell them I was sitting there like it or not.  Instead, I sat in my seat where this woman who breathed all over me sat next to me.  She also snored.  Ugh.  We arrived in Hilo and my baggage took forever to come out and then when my plastic container came out it was falling apart (thank you ATL, LAX, HNL and ITO).  Fortunately, my new piece of luggage from Saks was fine.  Nothing inside was damaged so that is what really counts.  I also had three boxes shipped from GA via USPS - we shall see if they arrive in one piece.

I still feel like I am moving in a plane.

Joy.

Popularity: 6% [?]

“A 2004 Harvard University study found that the number of college-educated women who kept their surnames upon marriage rose from about 3 percent in 1975 to nearly 20 percent in 2001.”

Quote from this article: What’s in a name?

This article and the study done by Harvard only serves to make people around here look more backward.  Sometimes, I really think it is 1950 around here…  It is not even unusual that I chose to keep my name but people around here usually ask at least three times if Brian and I are married simply because we have different last names - even after we say we are married.  That’s incredibly redundant and stupid, I think.

Popularity: 8% [?]

I think it is incredibly sad that we pay $13.10 for local phone service and somehow pay an additional $14.75 in taxes & services fees.  How can you pay more than the cost of the service in fees and taxes?  That’s just insane…

Popularity: 6% [?]

With Brian going out of town next week I am sufficiently motivated to get the sound working on my Linux machine.  I did buy a new Sound Blaster card for my machine but YaST is rather broken in SuSe 10.1 and I’ve been having problems with it anyway - mostly because I haven’t had time to play with it.  At any rate, I did get my DVD player up and working with Ogle - and I like it.  Dan mentioned I should try Mplayer - I think I will take a look at that too.  So far, I pretty much like SuSe but I think I will try some other distros on my other servers.  It could be a lot of fun, I think.

Apparently, lack of sound is pretty common with SuSe 10.1 but so far I have not found the fix I need.

Popularity: 6% [?]

I just installed a new plugin for Firefox - it is a stock ticker in the browser and I love it. It lets me watch my stocks and how much they are up/down and how much money they are currently worth to me based on my number of shares. This plugin is great! Brian keeps telling me not to be a day trader (and I’m not) but I like to follow our stocks because I think it is fun and interesting and one SHOULD follow their investments and not ignore them.

Check out the Firefox plugin here: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/183/

Popularity: 6% [?]