sundries

[rm]

- I am wearing my black loafers. I have very mixed feelings about my black loafers. For one, they are black -- I bought them when I was on a quest for non-girly brown shoes and had to have something to wear on my feet and failed so bought these instead even though I will be burning in hell forever for the black shoes with navy blue pants thing, even though I have only ever worn that outfit at night and no one would ever notice but me. But black shoes and navy blue pants are wrong. Incorrect. Blasphemous. Anyway.

There was a cat-related incident involving my Keds this morning, hence wearing these, which are shoes that, until now, I've only worn for cosplay. I always find it really weird when things cross out of that side of my wardrobe into the rest of my wardrobe, even though the line between to the two is indistinct at best anyway. So I still don't know what I think of these shoes, even though it's okay that they're black today because I am not wearing blue. What I do like? They do throw my center of gravity up out of my hips for whatever reason. But that's also a little weird, considering I'm dressed like a girl.

Wow, you all so did not care about ANY of this.

- Speaking of cosplay, today's Wall Street Journal has a piece on young men in Japan who cosplay as the girls from Lucky Star. Watching the WSJ attempt to explain this in a cheerful, culturally neutral sort of way is funny. It's also interesting to me, as the fannish cultures I am involved in here are mostly female and often involve women cosplaying male characters, and no one particularly blinks at that (the fannishness is weird to people, but the rest of it seems to follow on without remark). But a man cosplaying a female character? People's heads would explode. It's an interesting look at a different norm, even if I admit I actually do find it hard to process. Note: I don't even know what the hell Lucky Star is.

- Also in fandom. Half-Blood Prince trailer is out. Baby!Voldie is perfect. But, gee, no HBP in the HBP trailer? Are they going to make the HBP refer to Voldie instead of Snape? I have a bad feeling about this.

- zarq brings us a link to a story about electricity and organic molecules on Titan. The pictures from Titan came back when I was in Australia, and it brought me to tears, standing in the Powerhouse museum as a woman kept coming on the loudspeaker to tell us to file to the auditorium to see the feeds from Titan. It made me think of Gattaca, and Australia was very much not saving anything for the way back for me, and Titan will always move me because of that strange, strange little film.

- Also in the heads up from zarq department: The New York Times continues to offend the crap out of me. Whether it's as a woman, a blogger (am I a blogger?) or just someone who uses the Internet, I'm not really sure: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/fashion/27blogher.html

- Almost done with Border Princes. Pretty good. Worthy of several rants, however. You've been warned, more later.

- Gluten free pizza and pasta discovered near work!

- Horrible celiac illness stuff last night.

- Having finished a piece on adaptive utensils, today I'm writing about the risks of senior drivers.

- Fencing tonight.

- Patty's mom also gets in tonight.

Comments

[fleur.livejournal.com]

Did they confirm that this will be split into 2 movies?

[1-mad-squirrel.livejournal.com]

- Having finished a piece on adaptive utensils, today I'm writing about the risks of senior drivers.

Oh God, I live in Arizona. Need I say more?

[1-mad-squirrel.livejournal.com]

- Also in fandom. Half-Blood Prince trailer is out. Baby!Voldie is perfect. But, gee, no HBP in the HBP trailer? Are they going to make the HBP refer to Voldie instead of Snape? I have a bad feeling about this.

I didn't see the last movie. The level of quality versus the books seems to go down with each movie, IMO.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I loved the design of the most recent movie, as it really spoke to the world Kali and I have been creating for descensus_hp, but the films have lost all the nuance when it comes to gray areas and certain characterizations and it makes me crazy.

[rm.livejournal.com]

The 6th film was never slated to be split into two parts. It's the 7th film for which this has been discussed, and I'm actually not sure where that stands currently.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

When any journalistic piece involving women gets out of the "Fashion/Style" ghetto, I'll start getting happy.

[fleur.livejournal.com]

Aah, okay, I thought they had discussed it for both. They do each get closer and closer to the "i would not let a child see that on a cold day in hell" territory. Which, is fine for me as I'm an adult. :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

Send them a note! They won't publish me for 3 months thanks to my Doctor Who moment.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Good point.

Also, now that I've read it: the author of that article also co-authored How Sassy Changed My Life, a peon to the former magazine. So she is definitely tapped into the cultural underbelly. But, oh man, just reading all the titles of the women's blogs kills me, no matter how good the actual writing might be.

Maybe I can wrap this topic into my dream workshop on teaching burgeoning artists how to title their art in a non-twee way so that people actually take it seriously.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Just Because You Are A Woman, Doesn't Mean You Have to Be a Girl.

Because seriously? I'm sick of the best marketing ploy for women being pretending to be half our age in tone, style or fact.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Also, I am TOTALLY down with lactation rooms and more women's bathrooms. But regardless of the article's tone I'm frustrated that such amenities are presented as an exotic, temporary land -- a fantasy almost.

The whole NYT angle seems to be that, unless a woman is getting raped, murdered, or stuffed into a refugee camp, she belongs with Fashion/Style. Which isn't helping anyone.

[gement.livejournal.com]

That was my observation. This was a srs bzns meeting, and it's not only in Fashion and Style, but the first paragraph is devoted to bathroom arrangements and women getting body-pampered. Hello?

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

I was very happy when the Union Square one started selling the pizza. My pharmacy is in Chelsea, so I'm over there all of the time, anyway, but I prefer the UQ one in general.

Did you find it somewhere else?

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's a restaurant. PIzza by the slice ($3.95) also pasta and cakes. Mozarellis on 23rd and Madison.

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's awesome.

oh, BlogHer

[4hour-ramona.livejournal.com]

honestly, i'm offended by any entity that is feminized by changing a perfectly adequate er ending into a Her. it's unnecessary, and also quite unsightly.

[shield-toad111.livejournal.com]

What is an adaptive utensil? Because all I can think of right now is a spoon that has a button you press to shoot out tines so it magically becomes a spork.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's for people with disabilities that might make using standard utensils difficult.

[shield-toad111.livejournal.com]

Ah. Ok. I'm slightly saddened that it isn't as exciting as what I had initially envisioned, though in reality my version would probably be rather dangerous.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

The funny thing about that sentence is that after I read the words "adaptive utensils" my mind automatically translated the next topic into "screw drivers" because really, you could argue that a sonic screw driver is an adaptive utensil.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised I haven't argued it already, but I hadn't even thought of it.

[bladderwrack.livejournal.com]

I bought some lovely brown brogues off ebay once. Internet is a boon; it might be marginally easier for you living in a large city, but I find it almost impossible to find men's clothes in my size in person. Not working so well for those very skinny tailored suits as those are fashionable atm and people will insist on bidding on them. *fuu* IIRC I don't feel at all odd about going round in my cosplay gear but I'm kind of a freak so la.

Laughing so hard at the Lucky Star thing. Lucky Star is like, (it's more complicated and reciprocal than this but) an internet meme made flesh. v popular on the chans. XDDD

[marchek.livejournal.com]

Hah.

Are you going to rectify the black loafer situation in time for Terminus?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Gah, you know, I really should. I hadn't thought of it. But I really, really should.

Also, can I just tell you, I now crack up every time I open my closet, since a big chunk of it is now filled with a nice little row of all things grey and blue hung lightest to darkest.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

That's got to be a great way to start the day.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's funny every single morning. Which I suppose should embarrass me. But *shrug*. Fuck it.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

I am constantly making myself laugh at work about various fannish things. When coworkers inquire why my standard reply is "too geeky to explain". They are beginning to think I'm nuts.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I so hear you. I'm flying out to Terminus with redstapler and the temptation to wear something fannishly hilarious, but slightly under the radar is very high. Unfortunately, anything TW will set off the metal detectors like woah. Also, way too much trouble for the horrors of commercial air travel at 6am.

[laufeyette.livejournal.com]

Ah, Border Princes. *brain esplodey*

The Serial G. How I wish they could afford to bring a concept that awesome and scary to the screen. I am dying to write a fic about those things but, shit, where to begin...

[nobodyreally.livejournal.com]

I find BlogHer interesting, yet somewhat conflicted at times. And I say that as someone who cashes checks from their ad network every month. :-)

The thing that's truly odd about the NYT piece is that they selectively linked blogs. Dooce (retch) got a link but half a dozen others did not. WTF was up in the meeting where they decided that made sense? That's the least blog-aware move of the entire piece!

oh, yes, rm, you're a blogger. but in that spartacus sort of way where we are all bloggers...

I am in many ways a

[haya.livejournal.com]

non-fashionable person, in part because so many current fashions don't favor my hourglass shape, and because I really do think that 6 pairs of shoes are more than enough no matter what fashion rules you care to attend to.
I have a few I don't wear though because they need fixing.

I've always had trouble with the idea that I must wear makeup, or dress a certain way or wear so much jewelry in order to be considered feminine by others. I feel that I am naturally so and that is all there is to it.

Now where is my center of gravity supposed to be?

not a faux pas

[valancy17.livejournal.com]

Black with navy blue is no longer a sin worthy of a lifetime in Purgatory. Some even consider it downright fashionable. I usually consider it a mistake while dressing when I do it, but hey. Thought you might like to know. :)

Re: not a faux pas

[rm.livejournal.com]

I still think it's hideous. I've seen the color combo work in dresses and things like that -- but slacks/shoes -- no no no no no.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

Slightly OT: The other night we went to Legal Seafood for the first time and years, and I was delighted to see that they had a separate celiac-friendly menu available if requested. Not sure if it's the case with all Legal Seafoods, but something to check out?

Even more OT: Boing Boing validated your taste this morning by linking to that excellent steampunk pink you got from etsy. (Here.)

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hahahah. I need to get a cute little cap to put that pin on, which is increasingly I think what's going to work for it.

Knew about Legal Seafoods, we just don't have that chain here, sadly. (I hate how celiac makes me love chain restaurants, but so many of them are good with GF menus, that I've had to).

Re: I am in many ways a

[rm.livejournal.com]

A woman's center of gravity should be at her mid- to high-hip. A man's center of gravity is much, much higher (certainly above where a woman's natural waist is). I had this drilled into me in Australia (where-in we both had to do both the Lady and Macbeth in scenes before it was cast), and I can say, now that I've figured out how to make that switch organic through posture, I totally, totally get it.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

Boo about the lack of Legal Seafood. I remember seeing that they had NY locations, but I didn't think to check if there were any in the actual city. (It seemed like such a no-brainer, but I guess not.)

I hear you about the chain restaurant thing -- I have IBS, so when I'm traveling out and about it's really important that I know what foods do and don't have a lot of milk fat/grease/other triggery things. And it's social awkwardness from hell when I get invited out to some tiny independent restaurant, and I just know that my options are 1) eat the oyster crackers and nothing else, or 2) give in to the fact that the rest of my day? Totally shot.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, as a New Yorker I am trained to abhor chain restaurants, but they make my life much easier these days. Also, I am so psyched about Chicago next week, because they have PF Chengs (NYC doesn't) and it's the only Chinese food I can eat.

Re: not a faux pas

[marcmagus]

Black shoes with a navy suit are appropriate in conservative men's fashion, and always have been. Which still doesn't mean you like the color combination, of course. (I don't speak to women's fashion at all, though.)

[marchek.livejournal.com]

I have to say I'm going be very much not under the radar. My five travel buddies and I are flying in our school uniforms. Not subtle I know, but it cuts down on all the crap we need to shove in our suitcases. Wands however are being packed in checked luggage because god forbid the TSA decide that wooden dowels and paint are can be considered a weapon of mass destruction.

Side note, I saw brown loafers at Payless as I was quickly walking by one today. I couldn't say if there were girly or not since I wasn't paying close attention but they might be a cheap quick fix for the black loafer issue.