why cunt you say that?

an interesting emergency at the chicago tribune a few weeks ago:

CHICAGO (AP) - A preprinted section was pulled from Wednesday's Chicago Tribune because it contained an article discussing the use of a vulgar slang term in referring to women, according to the newspaper.
The article, under the headline "You c-nt say that," was on the front page of a weekly section called WomanNews.

(read here for the sun-times' more in-depth story, with a hi-larious account of editors and company employees physically pulling the papers from the presses...)

i first heard about it from one of my bosses, and was shocked -- i thought they'd actually printed the word(cunt is the offensive word, for those daft ones still in the dark :D). but after reading that CUNT was never printed, that the reporter used words that rhymed with CUNT, i thought differently (see, i can print the word! :D).

i think the story idea was a good one; it's a shame that the higher ups believed that the content of the story was "inappropriate" for their readers. the case can be made that midwestern sensibilities are more delicate than those of northeasterners and west coasters(i have a "northeast" mindset as far as this is concerned, even tho i'm a southerner), metropolitan area or not, but i still don't see a problem with the story, as long as the actual word isn't printed. you see references to "the n-word" and other so-called vulgar words referred to in print; if the story was well written, why not print a story on an interesting subject IN THE WOMEN'S PAGES, which is for the group it most directly affects?

of course, the people in trouble, the two main eds for the trib's features section, were black. how come black folks are almost always in the center or somewhere near any kind of newspaper scandal these days? (and they wonder why there's so few people of color in the news industry...)

wake up!!

i'm soooo tired this morning.

i couldn't get to sleep until 2 this morning, and i got up at 7:30 so you could go grocery shopping for dinner thursday before i had to go to work and everyone else got all the good stuff.

i'm very happy i was productive, but alas, i'm soooo sleepy. i used to be able to do jags of 5-hour sleep no problem, but now....

on a happy note, i dragged myself to the gym last night and di 45 minutes of aerobic walking, 15 minutes more than i usually do. after last week's dance-and-sweat fest, i figured i needed to up my other routines so i could keep up with my dance aerobics class. excited about class tonight ... and i pick up my boo early tomorrow morning! woo hoo! :)

i meant to put up a post last night, but i was a lazy ass. so now, i'm going to pile on the gargantuan mass of links and thoughts that i have left over from the weekend:

art adventures: i went to the moma saturday and waited in the rain for about an hour with a whole bunch of other folks just to get in. notwithstanding the fact that it was free (you know that's the only way they got me to stand in line), it was definitely worth it. it was so absolutely cool to be able to see images i had seen in books on the actual campus it was painted on ... from jackson pollock's enormous one (number 31, 1950) to salvador dali's amazing persistence of memory (i didn't know it was so small! to be so small and have such intricate detail is ... amazing!) to gustav klimt's gorgeous hope, i was in awe. after looking at the highlights online, i realize i missed one of frida kahlo's paintings... must track it down when i return saturday with urs.

cholesterol aftermath: i've chilled on the bloodwork freakage. however, now i've been checking the labels on food everywhere, especially in my cupboard. i've bought some no cholesterol spread (i miss real butter already!), and i'm crossing my fingers that it will actually taste good. i'll keep you updated on my healthy eating trials and tribulations.

the return of alias! i got soooo hyped sunday night when i saw a promo for alias...i can't wait until january when alias comes back on, even tho it's going to be airing on wednesday nights now. it's coming on after lost, which i've now come to realize is probably a better slot for it than to take back it's original slot that desperate housewives now holds. i can't wait unrtil january. ::crosses fingers that i get the 1 & 2 season dvds for christmas::

....aannnd..great links! i've been collecting a list of stuff i thought was read worthy, so if you're bored and have nothing to do (or even if you aren't and have stuff to do), take a gander:
-- i must first shout out to my two favorite regular bloggers (yes, that's a hint to you, naeemah!), sid and feministe, sid for eloquently yet passionately waging a war of words with "fucking conservatives" (even tho one of them turned out not to be and actually seemed like a nice guy) and feministe for not taking a blog haitus like she originally said she was. and on....

-- an insightful essay (that i nabbed from feministe's blog) on being raised in the church and gradually becoming disillusioned; a familiar story, with a different take.

-- my girl was in the new york times, talking about being from jamaica and living in new york (ok, she's not my girl, but she's kick ass)

-- a well-written yet sad column about how much poverty that still exists in america (kinda ties in with sid's mini-treatise on the "welfare state")

-- alas a blog raises interesting questions about whether some political cartoons about condoleeza rice are racist

-- and another great blog i just ran into.

alright, that's it... i'm gonna actually go do work now. pieces! :D

freaked

i went and got my physical last wednesday, the first i one i've had for at least 8 years. it went along routine, doc said it was good that i was starting to exercise, given my family's medical history (heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes...anything other than cancer and my family prolly has it), took my blood and an EKG, and i was on my way.

well, i got back the results of my blood test today. nothing like a cholesterol count of 240 to bring a good mood to a screeching halt.

i'm kind of not surprised, but i'm still freaked out. as a whole, i really don't eat that much stuff high in cholesterol. i have been wilding out on the eggs, butter and bacon lately, so i know i'll cut that out, but will that and exercise for 30 minutes every day really lower my cholesterol? i'm also not exactly stoked at the idea of going back to margarine from real butter and actually counting calories and saturated fats and what not ...

but i guess those things are minor compared to not having a heart attack at 30.

top 5 random thoughts (in no particular order)

in typical maryann fashion, i have contsructed a random post for today. enjoy:

1. i detest the "wheeze laugh." it's typically employed by old men, altho middle aged men have been witnessed using it as well. it doesn't sound like a laugh -- it sounds like someone is gasping for their last breath -- and the only way you can tell someone isn't dying is by looking over and seeing the look of joy on their facem instead of panic. and even then, it's still iffy.

2. another annoyance: people playing with outdoor equipment (i.e. basketballs, kickballs, etc.) inside (excluding a gym or other large space), especially at WORK. there's one particular person at my job who LOVES to dribble her ball at work, presumably when she's bored or just wants to annoy the hell out of others. i want to snatch it from her and put her in time out. no recess for her.

3. i ache. i went to the dance aerobics class at my gym last night, and homeboy wore.me.out. tho i missed gilmore girls for this class and am popping tylenol today, it was well worth it. we danced nonstop for 45 minutes, did ab work for 10, and then did a cool down. it was sooooo much fun, and i can't wait to go back on tuesday. gooooo dance aerobics! :)

4. i want gwen stefani's cd. i bought gwen's single off iTunes yesterday (along with the linkin park/jay-z mashup, which is also groovy) after seeing her kick-ass surreal video on MTV hits. i downloaded the video off morpehus, but i figured that corporate types won't hunt me down for a video you can't buy anyway. i had that song on repeat on my ipod last nite as i went to sleep and i've had the line "take a chance you stupid ho" stuck in my head alll day. niiice. :)

5. look at the ku's new outfit. i've been shamelessly plugging my cat's embarassment in every outlet i have, because, well, it's funny. it makes me laugh every time *i* see it. so go. laugh.

::sigh::

good ol' Texas and their fry 'em and ask questions later policy.

so... i'm starting the scarf over.

if you've been paying attention, (or if you scroll back to the last entry), you'll notice that the second block of brown on my scarf was starting to taper. after taking the brown block apart, i was unable to fix my problem, as i realized my stitches were wrong. so, i decided to start over.

so what to do with the quarter of a scarf i already made?

it became a poncho for haiku, my kitty, the ku-ster!

here's a brief photo essay on the ku's adventures with her cat poncho. enjoy:


attempt number 1.


attempt number 2 (aka artsy model shot).


yay! the cat poncho is successfully on!



haiku refuses to be a slave to fashion and tries to take off the poncho.


and the ku strips.


i know i'm probably going to go to hell for taking advantage of my cat like this. but hey, my mom made me wear knee socks when i was little, and i hated knee socks. and corduroy. so the cat poncho will be haiku's knee socks.

fruits of my weekend's efforts

lookee here! 

a little more than a quarter of a way through my first scarf! i just hadto show it off. :)

i'll holla later.

randomness

ranodmness for the last half hour of work:

1. an amazing article about one of the "moral voters" in ohio. very creepy to see into a family that really lives blinded by all things "faithful." the husband has had to take up a second job since bush was in office and still makes at least $15,000 less than he used to, but still believes in bush. they pray over *everything,* including when their toddler bumps his head, and despite a smaller income, they have three children and are thinking about having more. they also don't believe in abortion (obviously) and the wife, amongst homeschooling their five year-old and taking care of a toddler and an infant, makes sure she makes the house presentable for her husband when she comes home. i hate to judge, but their home sounds like bizarro world. and this is indicative of the folks that voted for bush.
2. the article that referred me to the post article; a look into the "moral battle" between the "reds" and the "blues" and how the reds are only truly about the morals until they won. in reality, they're more hypocritical than most.
3. can't wait to get home and knit.
4. i heart feministe. i embarassingly gushed in a comment on her blog today about knitting, but i just loooove her website. a lot of times she echoes what i'm thinking at that moment, but says it more articulately than i feel i ever could. a deliciously refreshing open-minded superwoman (she's in her early 20s, is a single mom, *and* is getting her degree!). put her on your bloglist, now. :)

productivity is me

had a verrry productive day yesterday.
i went to big lots (which is now my favorite store -- big lots is heaven for people like me who were raised in the church of cheap) and went crazy. i bought a handheld chopper and blender, a broom, 5 packages of zatarain's rice and a shredder, all for $25!
high on my bargain spree, i exited big lots and noticed the bright shiny gym next door. on a whim, i went in, toured the place, got prices and left.
five minutes later, i went back in and signed up for a monthly gym membership. i know the guy prolly thought i was schizo or something. :) i'm now soooo excited! i've already put together my schedule of classes for the week ... i'm gonna be a spinning, aerobics-doing, yoga-loving fiend. it's right down the street, and everything there is brand new ... if i hadn't mentioned before, i'm excited.
i then went home, made some bomb-ass black bean soup, cleaned my house, did laundry aaaaaand baked a cake.

after the productivity of yesterday, i'm gonna rest on my freakin laurels today. i maayy go to the grocery store and get a steak to grill for dinner (by the way, if you haven't noticed by the obvious display of spendage, i've sooooo fallen off the frugal horse), but other than cooking today, i'm not doing a damn thing today. :)

...and i'm still not going to think about the idiot. i'm just gonna live in ignorance for now. my poor heart can't take much more than that right now.

change of address

i'm seriously thinking about moving to london. they may not know what it is to put ice in your drinks, but they tell it like it is:
read this.

and a sobering image from feministe.

get it girl!

and siddity puts in her two cents. yay for the bush idiots firing squad.

sound advice

and alas saves the day. read today's entry. i raised my spirits a little. the main argument alas, a blog wages is that while this bush thing sucks and is probably due to suck some more in the future, we need to stop thinking that favorable elections will spark change and realize that change will spark favorable elections. we need to focus on creating "left" versions of "right" institutions like fox news and heritage foundation that push our ideals and make them platable to the "average american" (aka those of the south and the midwest).

and as i type this, i realize that this speaks directly to what my mom was talking about this morning; that we have to get out and help others understand what we believe in their terms.

perhaps i'll elaborate more later. i'm still at work (shh!).

more stuff

i originally told myself that i was going on a news blackout until all this election stuff died down -- i just can't take our political reality right now -- but after realizing that working at a newspaper makes that kind of hard, i've rescinded that orignal idea.

in that vein, an article from feministe's blog. it's from the bbc about who voted and why. it's interesting and scary and yet not completely depressing. this year we had the highest turnout in 30 years; yet 2/3 of the country remain polarized against each other. i know i'm one of them.

i say it's time for revolution.

rant on the day after

the next four years are gonna suck ... bush is gonna put his minions in the supreme court, women's reproductive rights are gonna be repealed, christianity is gonna become the state religion, we are going to go around and fuel the muslim extremists as we play imperialist to the world, gays and lesbians are gonna become (or remain, rather) secondary citizens and our country is gonna go down the toilet.
i have no words this morning ... i actually cried this morning, the future looks so bleak. i just don't understand what else we could have done to get that man out of office... i have such anger towards those narrow minded idiots in the midwest and the south; like chuck palahniuk writes in "fight club," i want to destroy something beautiful, i'm so angry. it wasn't a failure to vote, it was just that the we are in the minority.
it's going to be so hard for us in the next few years.
mom says that it is going to be hard, but we have to fight. i hope i can channel this anger to do that.

celibacy day

if you don't know, read this and this and read this:

if you haven't already gone or sent out your absentee ballot, go out and vote today.

it's sooo serious. i'm not gonna bite off sid and do any subliminal messages (altho that's a fine idea). i have the feeling that of the people that read this blog, i'm preaching to the choir. nonetheless, if any "undecidededs" do happen upon my little side of the universe, lemme make the choice easy for you:
go ahead and pull that lever/punch that chad/touch that screen for kerry. *especially* if you're a woman. *especially* if you're a minority. *especially if you're gay. *especially* if you're anything other than the top 10 percent of income.

it's serious guys.

dude, i was talking to my mom this morning and she said that never in her life did she think she'd go to the polls one day and have police patrolling the polls. it's sooo serious. do you see where we are? we have denegrated to the point that we have to have people patrol the polls to make sure that our democratic process goes through?
it immediately made me think of a lyric/line in the ani difranco song/poem, "self evident":
cuz take away our playstations
and we are a third world nation
under the thumb of some blue blood royal son
who stole the oval office and that phony election
i mean
it don't take a weatherman
to look around and see the weather
jeb said he'd deliver florida, folks
and boy did he ever

and we hold these truths to be self evident:
#1 george w. bush is not president
#2 america is not a true democracy
#3 the media is not fooling me

the fact that we have so many issues with registration and voter disenfranchisement (sp? is that a real word) just makes me think that our country is acountry of contradictions; we are supposedly the richest country in the world, but we still have people struggling to have healthcare, food on the table and we can't even get through an election these days without trouble.

the whole song is the shit. in tribute to election day i may post an mp3 later, if i figure out how to do that.

i just hope that after today, the whole thing is over.

beyond election mess,
i went and saw i heart huckabees last night. very very cool movie. an actual comedy on existentialism! the image of caterine vauban following the existential detectives following albert markovski was soooo funny.
i felt smart watching that movie, as they were weaving all these concepts about existentialism into this madcap funny movie ... add that to the fact that these two women sitting in front of me walked out halfway through.
::dons snobby intellectual cap::
i guess it was too deep for them.
::takes off snobby cap::
heee. at any rate, it makes me want to read up on these concepts, but i have a feeling i'd zone out after an hour. i'll just wait till this movie comes out on dvd.

in the same sort of off-beat/indy movie vein, another wes anderson movie is coming out in december! and it has lots of the same folks from the royal tennenbaums -- bill murray, anjelica houston, the crooked-nosed brother of owen wilson -- i'm excited. :)