sundries

help_haiti is a fandom auction to raise money for Haiti.

jonquil takes apart David Brooks's version of "blame the victim" re: Haiti.

hakaber reminds us that we don't know what they mean, but there are currently a number of somewhat worrying earthquake swarms happening and not all of them can be strictly classified as aftershocks of the Haiti earthquake.

Meanwhile, rufus alerts us to a seminar for female lawyers from male lawyers on how they can be better! Check it out and be furious.

Six minutes til midnight: the Doomsday Clock has been moved back one minute

Does anyone have any advice about the needy neurotic cat? Patty was away, then Little died, then Patty and I were on vacation and now the cat's agitated and worried all the time. We don't let her in the bedroom, but she's still screaming by the door and scratching it at night. How do we reassure the cat and get a good night's sleep?

My tuxedo is here. I'm at the office, eying the box suspiciously, periodically. It's been a strange adventure, and I've not even seen the thing yet.

A note under our door from the building receiver says we're finally getting an intercom system in a few weeks. Sweet!

Tonight involves unpacking, cleaning, organizing, maybe even laundry. Probably cleaning out the refrigerator too. I really hate coming home from vacation.

I've got the camera cord in my pocket, so hopefully Patty and/or I will start uploading some pictures tonight.

Senate to hold hearings on DADT. Be prepared to find that unpleasant. ETA: as the NYTimes notes there is discussion of allowing queer soldiers into only some sorts of units as well as discussion of whether there needs to be changes to designs of barracks and bathrooms due to privacy concerns (because, apparently, we still believe that us gays will fuck anything we see). It's not a pleasant read.

Newsweek's cover this week is the Conservative Case for Gay Marriage. It's an important article, not just because of the minds it might sway (critical if we want queer families to be treated with compassion, especially regarding end of life issues), but because it offers a lot of assertions about marriage as the one true way that just aren't true (i.e., you can care about you community without doing the marriage thing, thanks), and really speak to (if only through the implication of counter argument) the impact the marriage debate is having on gay culture (it is, in my opinion, the second half of the narrative of required normalization that began with the AIDS crisis).

Newsweek also brings us a story about male-on-male sexual harassment. This isn't about gay men in the workplace, but it sure is about homophobia at its core: it's about presumably straight men using sexuality to humiliate each other.

Notre Dame school paper prints cartoon advocating gay-bashing. It notes that "the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable is with a baseball bat." via gwailowrite.

So now there's a rumor going around that some of the yet-to-be-confirmed Torchwood S4 will be filmed in Washington DC. Please no. ( Read more... )

First there was Torchwood Babies... now there's Torchwood Heroes.

Guess who got a banquet ticket for Gally? Sweet.

Just ordered the Kign's crown buttons to replace those on the coat (again, ugh) in time for the con.

Yorkville. Most of the stuff I remember from my childhood is gone, including both the original Elk Candy Company and its later reinvention (the store is now Internet-only), as well as an Austrian restaurant I used to go to with my parents that had a weird little train set in the window that went up fake little mountains year round.

Clingwrap. Cats. Win.

help_haiti auction

I've added a fanfic item in the help_haiti auction, if you're interested:

http://community.livejournal.com/help_haiti/3155.html?thread=2487635#t2487635

ETA: And a co-written item from Kali and I:

http://community.livejournal.com/help_haiti/3155.html?thread=2549587#t2549587

cruise: full day 1 - Half Moon Cay

On Jan 5, our first stop was Half Moon Cay, which is a private island in the Bahamas (homosexuality is still illegal in the Bahamas and the private island is as much as I want to be in that country until that changes). It was pretty cold there thanks to the freeze everywhere -- I doubt the temperature ever got above 75 and it sure felt below 70 by the time we left. It was a shame, as the beach was one of the most beautiful we were at, and it was one of our few days with truly blue skies. But we were freezing!

( click for photos - stingrays and torchwood within! )

the mean kitty song

You all have probably seen this already, but crap, everything on the Internet really is cats. If this song is stuck in my head tomorrow, I'm blaming Patty. OMG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo