sundries

[rm]

We're back from the shore and I'm back at my desk and very, very busy since we leave for Chicago on Wednesday night.

I received a very unclear bill from the hospital re: my kidney stone for about $85. If this is the only bill (still waiting for the ambulance thing to sort out), I will be very grateful, but since there are no details on it, I can't tell what's up.

Prop 8-related matters could wind up in front of the Supreme Court as early as this week. The very idea of equal marriage rights being so alarming as to cause the Prop 8 proponents to seek an emergency stay makes me queasy.

Judith Dunnington Peabody was from a world that, even now, still exists in New York City. She attended Miss Hewitt’s Classes (yes, yes, where I went so much later), the Ethel Walker School, and Bryn Mawr. She was a member of the Junior League (as I have also been, and that's a story for another time because it is unpleasant to tell). And "she 'was introduced to society,' ... at the Piping Rock Club, Locust Valley, N.Y., in 1947."

She was also did what was in 1985, unthinkable, volunteering to be a hands on care-giver to AIDS patients. Please read this Op-Ed, which is about her; her mother-in-law who was a part of the Civil Rights Movement; Prop 8; our confused, screwed up, scared nation; and Tony Kushner's Angels in America.

I've had a lot of cause lately to be all old, and cranky, and people were dying and you weren't here and you don't get it -- well, this might make it make some sense. And if you haven't read or seen Angels in America, you probably should.

Note, this piece does draw parallels between the Civil Rights Movement and issues related to civil rights for LGBT Americans. While these two struggles totally have things to say to each other, there are a lot of fundamental differences involved, and I think it's important to remember that to respect both African-American and LGBT history in the US.

SALGA was allowed into New York's India Day parade over the weekend. In recent years they've been banned and have protested the parade instead.

"Why girly jobs don't pay well" - I dunno? misogyny and "cute" headlines?

I said it on Twitter last night, but I still think it's clever as hell: True Blood is so over the top it's starting to feel like Baz Luhrmann does opera about vampires.

Speaking of Twitter: it's slightly weird when celebrities/creators I follow and had no idea knew each other start tweeting at each other about making social plans with each other. That is all. Actually, there's an extra weird side bonus in one of those recent incidents, but it's a long story that won't quite make sense yet. Twitter, in short, is so weird. But hey, as long as Russell Tovey keeps posting random pics of himself writing notes to Twitter while half naked, am I complaining? No I am not.

Hey, what's with this new Nikita show I keep seeing ads for? Is this another bad made-for-TV adaptation of the completely awesome film La Femme Nikita which is arguably, for what is essentially not a SF/F film at all, one of the most cyberpunk films ever made? Cranky cranky.

Comments

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Are you planning on seeing any Fringe shows this year? Things sound very busy for you!

[marita-c.livejournal.com]

My take on True Blood is more along the lines of bad dark fantasy reality show trash. Almost embarrassed to admit I'm still watching... (but oh, the porn)

The new Nikita is a continuation of the previous TV show. I wouldn't be paying attention, but they've been shooting behind my building and Shane West (new Michael) is kinda cute.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

But hey, as long as Russell Tovey keeps posting random pics of himself writing notes to Twitter while half naked, am I complaining? No I am not.

*snerk* Maybe that's why he's already got 11000+ followers? (Or maybe that @stephenfry was kind enough to signal-boost him.)

Ugh, that was my reaction to the Nikita adverts and I've only ever seen them in print (rather than onna telly). We seem to be in the grip of remakeitis in the TV/movie mainstream at the moment.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Everything old is still old again!

::facepalm::

[ravenskye8.livejournal.com]

Well - there goes that plan... blkstarsapphire and I will be in the City starting tomorrow for the International Gift Fair, and I was going to ask if you and Patty wanted to join us for dinner on Wednesday night - but you're off to Chicago...

Any plans for lunch on Tuesday? :)

[sethg]

From the “girly jobs” article: Many traits that contribute to women’s success in finding a male partner don’t pay off in the labor market – and vice versa.

...because women and men have been brought up to expect that they will be heterosexually married, and that the majority of their household income will come from the husband’s job, right? And prevailing wages in the job market follow that expectation even if some individuals don’t want to.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

the stephen fry-russell tovey-simon pegg interaction is making my head spin!

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

True Blood is so over the top it's starting to feel like Baz Luhrmann does opera about vampires.

This! Yes! I was trying figure out how to describe my reaction to last night's episode, and this is it exactly.

[firefly124.livejournal.com]

The very idea of equal marriage rights being so alarming as to cause the Prop 8 proponents to seek an emergency stay makes me queasy.

Me too. The only reason I could stomach for the stay to be continued would be if there's an actual risk of people who marry having their marriages nullified if the SCOTUS were to uphold Prop 8 after all. I've seen arguments that that is a real concern and arguments that it is not. I've no idea which carry more weight. I did see that the NCLR was recommending that if the stay expires, anyone who marries should also register a domestic partnership to cover themselves just in case.

On what appears to be a somewhat brighter note, it seems that anti-equality folks are starting to urge just accepting CA as a loss, lest a SCOTUS verdict render all DOMA-type laws unconstitutional. Found here. It's encouraging to see that they realize this is a possible outcome, that they even think it's probable. It's discouraging that, if true, they could end up preventing that by halting the appeals process. Or that a lack of standing could accomplish the same thing, for all that it seems the most likely outcome just now, or so the pundits seem to think.

I'm honestly not sure what I'm hoping for at this point, other than that by hook or crook the rest of the country drags its collective ass into the 21st century. MA, CT, VT, NH, and IA haven't collapsed due to marriage equality, obviously. The NOM tour has attracted more counter-protest than followers. It's time and past time.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Problem #1 is the phrase "girly jobs." For fuck's sake.

[5251962.livejournal.com]

Exactly this.

And this line made my blood boil:
We need to figure out how to honor girly values while earning manly pay.

I just kept thinking through the whole thing- "Why on earth are they using "girly" and "manly" like this?" All that seems to do in my eyes is continue gender-typing- which leads to this sort of crap in the first place.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

*adds Russell Tovey on twitter*

Hate to tell you this, but they already remade La Femme Nikita on the big screen and on TV. WHY? IDK! (ETA: I see you already know.) :D

Awesome original film from 1990 with Anne Parillaud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_%28film%29

Point of No Return (remake) from 1993 with Bridget Fonda. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_No_Return_%28film%29

Series from 1997 with Peta Wilson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Femme_Nikita_%28TV_series%29

Could someone please write more films/series with badass women shooting shit up so we don't have to keep remaking La Femme Nikita? Thanks.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I know about Point of No Return, which was shit.

And about the 1997 series. I was just groaning that we were gonna have another. I love the 1990 film with all my heart.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, edit in before my reply!

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I'm slow on the uptake, still! Need more coffee down mah gullet! :D

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

I am gearing up to be all manner of cranky at Nikita. The original Besson film is the only one I acknowledge.

Luc Besson may not make films with a great deal of depth, but by ghods does he make 'em purty! Need to find his new steampunk one...

[hippypaul.livejournal.com]

Re: your medical bill - when it all comes it be sure to ask for an itemization of it. They have gotten so insane on accounting for each charge item at some hospitals that they will not let the nursing staff leave the floor if their is an item unaccounted for. This of course leads to a lot of charges going to the wrong patients. So if you were charged with 6 urinals (as a female friend was) you need to protest.

[eandh99.livejournal.com]

How the hell is the new Nikita going to be a continuation of the old Nikita? Are they bringing back Peta Wilson (who ended up running Section in the last episode), Don Franks, Matthew Ferguson(IIRC the only original characters left from that cast by the end)? There were some very good things about that 96 - 2001 series, mostly the Canadians, but I have serious doubts about reviving it.

[byzantienne.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to seeing you tonight!

[azn-jack-fiend.livejournal.com]

I thought the original film was terrible melodrama except for the first five minutes which is one of the most awesome fight scenes ever and has more concentrated kick-ass than all the Die Hard movies rolled together set on fire and thrown out an airplane. MY NAME IS RICO! MY NAME IS RICO! ARRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! BANG BANG BANG!!!! Just thinking about it gets my blood fizzing.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

Wow. That article on women and work was incredibly empty of content. And didn't mention the fact that some studies suggest that when women move into a job type in numbers, the wage starts to drop.

[dr-is-in.livejournal.com]

True Blood is my new crack. I am not ashamed to admit I ship Jessica/Hoyt and may have screamed "YOU BASTARD!" at the screen at one point during last nights ep. LOL

I could really care less about whats happening with Bill/Sookie/Eric....I am more interested in Sam and Tara and Jessica and Hoyt.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Bingo.

My husband's sisters are right in line with this. They are college graduates and were steered into traditional "female" occupations such as nursing or teaching because it was expected that they would marry well and would not have to work after having children. And that's what exactly happened.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

The very idea of equal marriage rights being so alarming as to cause the Prop 8 proponents to seek an emergency stay makes me queasy.

Well said indeed. I really hope that the proponents lack legal standing for the Supreme Court to intervene - I'd love to see them denied a chance to spew their hate again.

Hey, what's with this new Nikita show I keep seeing ads for? Is this another bad made-for-TV adaptation of the completely awesome film La Femme Nikita

From what I've read it looks interesting, but I also doubt it will be better than (to me) absolutely excellent late 90s series (the last two seasons were dreadful, but the first three were excellent).

[yarram.livejournal.com]

Re: the India Day parade -- If I read the article correctly, the group name is SALGA. (They get the first reference wrong, the second one right, wtf copyeditors? It's right there in the damn pic next to the article.)

Ah, yes... Google found me this: http://www.salganyc.org

[rm.livejournal.com]

I had it that way first, saw their typo, assumed The Advocate had a clue, changed it, and yeah. That's better. Thanks!

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

I think Rich has been off his stride lately, but he was back with a vengeance with that column yesterday. I'm saving it, because it neatly counters every single argument I've ever heard against equal marriage rights for all. Well, except the religious ones that my relatives drag out - but the less said to folks like that, the better.

[rm.livejournal.com]

The piece is also like a how-to in braiding disparate strands into a single, historically-informed, argument. Aside from being stirring, it's technically masterful.

[sanginmychains.livejournal.com]

Well now me, I thought the tv show Nikita was pretty good...but then, I was 20ish, and can hopefully be forgiven for my taste. I'm actually rewatching the show for the first time just now, and um, okay, I can see some flaws in the writing that I didn't see at the time. I still think it was pretty enjoyable, and the pure crack potential is excellent. Plus, very attractive, well-dressed people with accents blowing stuff up and running. (I think I'm seeing a fandom pattern here. Moving on...) I still have the leather pants and skirt that represent my first ever foray into cosplay, although I didn't know there was a word for it at the time. My days were better when I was dressed up as Nikita.

The show is being remade. I haven't heard much directly, as the simple news that there was a remake sent me into my cave of Do Not Want, but I have heard that it's a remake that takes much more after the Bridget Fonda film (egad) than the original Luc Besson film (one of the first DVDs I ever bought, and a movie I still rewatch).

There's room in my cave for two. I'll even turn off the subtitles on the film, if you like. *pats cushion, smiles*

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

Nikita is another series shot in Toronto based on the movie. I really loved the last (Peta Wilson) series, so see no point in it. Though I did walk through a shoot for it the other day.

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

OMG, TRUE BLOOD, I LOVED LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE SO MUCH.

THE CRACK IS BEAUTIFUL.

[adelheid-p.livejournal.com]

My personal experience is an exception. I wouldn't have my husband had I not been the one to initiate conversation and decide to take the relationship further. He's a smart guy but geeky and oblivious in someways which makes him even more endearing to me. Anyway I have also done better than he has career wise. I think he's happy where he is, though. He values me and my decisions and has been supportive of me in my career. He is so different from his parents and siblings that, if he didn't have similar genetic traits, I'd say he was an alien child. LOL! Both of his sisters went into medical/caretaker type positions. His brother is an architect on Long Island in NY.
I have an adult daughter and for the early part of her life we cared for her great-grandfather so I didn't actually start working in the field until almost ten years after I graduated from college. Working in IT isn't easy for a woman. It's very much a man's world and I have learned to be tough and challenge things I know are wrong. Even so, I've chosen to work in academia and currently work for a woman centered university.
Still, I agree that the work the women choose to do is frequently undervalued.

[idunn.livejournal.com]

Good morning! Just read this: Germany's highest court has ruled a law which makes homosexuals living in civil partnerships pay higher inheritance tax is unconstitutional. (http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/08/17/test/life-us-germany-tax-homosexuals.html?hp)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Judith Peabody rocks! I clicked through to this piece and liked the last part: "Mr. Peabody said that he met his wife at a dinner party when she was just 20 years old and that they were engaged a week later. She was working at a youth center for delinquents at the time, he said, and for one of their first dates he picked her up there. “She said, ‘Please don’t tell my mother,’” Mr. Peabody recalled. “ ‘She thinks I’m having French lessons.’ ” I hadn't heard of Angels in America before. I'll have to look for that. Thanks!