Uhhhh...

Sorry to anyone currently reading. I know there's been a definite lack of updates. There's been a lot of stuff going on, much newness-that-needs-to-be-adjusted-to, and also sickness-that-I-need-to-get-over.
So, because of that, and because I haven't been on my game lately, blogwise, I'm taking a short hiatus. Probably just for a couple weeks. I started this blog, and I love doing it, but all of a sudden I'm putting this pressure on myself to be a successful blogger, and write posts that people want to read, instead of just stuff I want to write. And that kinda freaked me out too, the pressure. Even self-pressure. Yeah, I'm kinda dumb sometimes. Life is this series of mini-freak-outs, and then constantly getting myself back together.

I'll be back.

Dear Hollywood

...Can we, pretty please, just once, have a movie where an unexpectedly pregnant woman actually gets an abortion? 

I know it's too much trouble to ask that she not be horribly scarred for life by it. 

But seriously, mainstream movie guys... could you ignore the "choice" part of pro-choice a little more? I can't hear you out there in delusion-land. Everything in the movies can be resolved happily in under two hours. 

In real life, though, there's usually no deus ex machina to save the day for a woman with very few resources and not enough options. 

Could we maybe have some art actually imitating life, please? I know realism is too much to ask from you, Hollywood, but it'd be great if you could manage to let go of the fantasy and take one step closer to showing the world how it really is.

Both Woo and Hoo!

Conneticut has legalized same-sex marriage!

Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making that state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.

The divided court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution, and Connecticut’s civil unions law does not provide those couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples.

This rocks my queer socks! Hooray for love, equality, and Connecticut gay folks! Yay for CT Supreme Court! Social Justice-flavored ice cream for everyone!

...Read about it here, here, and here. Oh, and here's an actual article.
h/t Cara

Green Skin Optional

As I was saying, I hate the reducing of an important part of history and culture to an opportunity for yet more cheap commercialism. I fucking hate it with a fiery passion, and with this holiday it's personal.

Witches are a big part of the imagery of Halloween; hell, lots of girls dress up as a witch at some point. But honestly? I find it to be as stereotypical and lazy as putting on some buckskin and a feather headband and calling yourself an "Indian" for Halloween. It's othering, it's tired, and frankly it annoys me. Am I being "too PC"? Am I spoiling your Halloween fun? Yeah, I don't care. The next stupid 'witch' image I see is gonna send me running for the hills; I just can't get away from them. Toss-up whether it'll be of a "sexy witch" in a black minidress or a "spooky witch" with green skin and warts.

I'm a witch. I'm a Wiccan. They're not the same, just so you know.
And would you believe it? I don't ride a broomstick. I don't own a cauldron, or turn people into frogs (although that might be kinda cool), or have green skin (who the hell has green skin, anyway?), or wear a pointy hat. I have a cat, but she's not black.

I have no problem with "mainstream Halloween". Holidays are important for a reason. They're part of the culture that shapes us, and that's a big deal. Also, who doesn't love an excuse to party? It's fun, and maybe someone occasionally thinks about the 'why' behind the costumes and candy- anything that sparks intellectual curiosity can't be too bad. The problem I have is with throwing on a tired stereotype because it's easy or because it came with a short skirt. There are so many things to be, can we please just kind of retire this one thing? I promise the mummies won't revolt, nor will Frankenstein's monster, nor the Wolfman, if scary's what you're after. Vampires are still up for grabs, even.

Seriously, before you go out dressed as a witch for Halloween this year, totin' your broom and wearing your pointy hat, think about it. Think about how offensive you'd say it was to do this to say, Asians, or POCs- yeah, some idiots still think "blackface" is funny. It's maybe not quite as asshole-tastic, but it's a matter of degree, in my opinion. You aren't a witch, a Spanish senorita, or a Japanese geisha (unless you actually are), so why appropriate these images for this one day, instead of doing something creative? Hell, you could be the sexiest mustard bottle ever.

Think about it. And think about the very angry lecture I will give you, should I happen to see you dressed as a witch.

Chocolate and Dead People

We take a break from our regularly scheduled feminist snark to bring you: Wicca snark!
The lovely SublimeFemme was asking about my Halloween plans and while they do include pumpkin carving and trick or treating with my little sibs-in-law (henceforth known as Thing Red and Thing Dino), they also include my Samhain-night ritual.

For those who're pagan-challenged, Samhain (usually pronounced SOW-in or SAH-vin, but please, not Sam-hayne) means "end of summer", and is the end of the pagan year. It's also known as All Hallow's Eve. It occurs on either October 31st or November 1st. It's a night for celebrating the final harvest, acknowledging the dark half of the year, and if communicating with spirits is your thing, it's a night for that too. It can be rowdy as hell or a solemn ritual, or both.
I don't know if you know this, but a lot of Halloween traditions come from this festival. It was a night for frightening away evil spirits with faces carved into turnips, for lighting bonfires to warm the dead or scare them away, for slaughtering the last of the livestock for winter storage and gathering the last crops (any left after this day were considered the property of the dead, and left in the fields).

Why am I explaining all this? Because it struck me that they don't teach the history of Halloween in most schools, and most people get their information from candy companies and scary movies. Oh, and Disney. And I hate the reducing of an important part of history and culture to an opportunity for yet more cheap commercialism. This is also something very personal and important to me, and it's my blog, dammit.

So now you know. We have treats, jack-lanterns, costumes, bonfires, and tricks because some dead Celtic guys didn't want to deal with a bunch of pissed off ghosts on this one night of the year. Well, sort of.
More on Wicca, Halloween, and stuff later, here at "things that piss me off dot com"!

My Un-Professional Take on Last Night's Debate

I couldn't watch too much of last night's debate- my almost-dad-in-law was watching too. Since we're on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I think it would've disturbed him to hear me yelling "IT'S 'NU-CLEE-AR'! SAY IT RIGHT! LEARN TO TALK, YOU FREAKIN' HICK MORON!", along with the other choice things I might've said that aren't appropriate...at the top of one's lungs... in a house where children reside... and were at that point sleeping. 

If you want an actual (and funny) opinion on the debate, I recommend Melissa from Shakesville's article in the Guardian.

All I have for you is this nifty flow chart I yoinked off the internet from addenak.com., after I cleaned tea off the keyboard (what? It's funny!).

One other thing: Biden did say he and Obama would support same-sex couples having all the same Constitutional rights and benefits as hetero couples. Finally. So, I'm cautiously optimistic about that. At least he gave a straightforward answer, and Palin... well, watch and cringe. Queers United has a post up about it with a video showing both Biden and Palin's reply to that question.

Sarah Anti-Sexism PSA: We don't have to make fun of her looks, her family, or anything having to do with the fact that she's female. The amount of fail she brought to the debate was pretty much enough. So please remember, when you crack on Palin, do it for the right reasons. 

Sorry kids, that's all for today. 

h/t Shakesville for the flowchart and Melissa's article.