4. When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone
Considered a classic in the study of ancient Goddess worship, I thought it was time I gave this a read. It was a bit dry and difficult to concentrate on. It is definitely not something to read when your brain is tired from sorting through research articles. While it does read a bit like your high school history textbook, and it can be difficult to keep straight all the place and group names, I did learn a lot with the help of the various maps and Stone's clear writing.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Let's get it on
My science-geeky friends find the BEST peer-reviewed stuff to read. For instance:
A. Peretti et al. 2007. Copulatory dialogue: female spiders sing during copulation to influence male genitalic movements. Animal Behaviour 72, 413–421.
I am so finding this!
A. Peretti et al. 2007. Copulatory dialogue: female spiders sing during copulation to influence male genitalic movements. Animal Behaviour 72, 413–421.
I am so finding this!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Suckage
I just learned a few moments ago that my grandmother, Betty, is going to have to have heart bypass surgery. She had a heart catheterization done this morning, and the doctors discovered she has 100% blockage on one side of her heart and 97% blockage on the other. The surgery hasn't been scheduled yet, but they said it would be either tomorrow or early next week. She's in her mid-80s, so naturally there are risks.
Gah!
Gah!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Priorities, people
Dear ABC News --
When you are already running a morning news broadcast about world events of great concern (Ghadafi's insanity, the growing radiation worries in Japan) and break in with a "special report", I feel it should be about something a little more worthy than the death of a celebrity. I do not mean to denigrate the loss of Elizabeth Taylor -- who was a fine actress -- but you damned near caused MY heart to fail with your break-in special news bulletin. Her death wasn't even a surprise as she's been sick for years. Please, please don't scare me like that again, OK?
Yours -- D
When you are already running a morning news broadcast about world events of great concern (Ghadafi's insanity, the growing radiation worries in Japan) and break in with a "special report", I feel it should be about something a little more worthy than the death of a celebrity. I do not mean to denigrate the loss of Elizabeth Taylor -- who was a fine actress -- but you damned near caused MY heart to fail with your break-in special news bulletin. Her death wasn't even a surprise as she's been sick for years. Please, please don't scare me like that again, OK?
Yours -- D
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day of awesome
Thunder, rain, hot cocoa, a relatively painless hip, and (so far) totally painless legs. Can the day get much better?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
First lines meme
As seen on a friend's LJ. I'll let her explain:
For those of you new to the meme, the idea is that you post a rundown of the first lines of all your in-progress work. Through a mystical process not unlike that by which the irritation of a grain of sand encourages an oyster to produce nacre, thus creating a pearl, this causes the universe to encourage growth and formation of a completed story.
So, in no particular order:
"Cajun Psycho" -- original fic, not the actual title
He walked along the highway, breathing deeply of the swamp.
"Rhinoceros Buhler" -- original fic, may or may not be the title
My name is Rhinoceros Buhler, and I'm a private detective. No, Rhinoceros isn't the name on my birth certificate, but if you saw the name that was on my birth certificate, you'd understand why I prefer to be called Rhinoceros.
Crusade fan-fic
Captain Matthew Gideon walked briskly to the shuttle bay, fussing with his uniform jacket as he went.
Highlander fan-fic
Morgyn watched as Ted walked out the front door, locking it behind him and leaving her in near darkness.
"Those Who Protect the Protectors" -- The Sentinel fan-fic
"Come on you two! Hurry up!"
No title -- The Sentinel fan-fic
I rushed to the door of the large lecture hall, smiling my thanks to the man who held it open for me.
"Harry Potter and the Leap of Faith" -- AU year 6 HP fan-fic
In Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the girls had had Professor Lockhart, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to make their hearts go pitter-pat. In Harry's sixth year, the boys had Professor McGonagall.
There are a couple of others, but they're currently ugly little closet-babies that continuously morph or don't even have first lines yet because my brain refuses to write anything in order.
For those of you new to the meme, the idea is that you post a rundown of the first lines of all your in-progress work. Through a mystical process not unlike that by which the irritation of a grain of sand encourages an oyster to produce nacre, thus creating a pearl, this causes the universe to encourage growth and formation of a completed story.
So, in no particular order:
"Cajun Psycho" -- original fic, not the actual title
He walked along the highway, breathing deeply of the swamp.
"Rhinoceros Buhler" -- original fic, may or may not be the title
My name is Rhinoceros Buhler, and I'm a private detective. No, Rhinoceros isn't the name on my birth certificate, but if you saw the name that was on my birth certificate, you'd understand why I prefer to be called Rhinoceros.
Crusade fan-fic
Captain Matthew Gideon walked briskly to the shuttle bay, fussing with his uniform jacket as he went.
Highlander fan-fic
Morgyn watched as Ted walked out the front door, locking it behind him and leaving her in near darkness.
"Those Who Protect the Protectors" -- The Sentinel fan-fic
"Come on you two! Hurry up!"
No title -- The Sentinel fan-fic
I rushed to the door of the large lecture hall, smiling my thanks to the man who held it open for me.
"Harry Potter and the Leap of Faith" -- AU year 6 HP fan-fic
In Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the girls had had Professor Lockhart, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to make their hearts go pitter-pat. In Harry's sixth year, the boys had Professor McGonagall.
There are a couple of others, but they're currently ugly little closet-babies that continuously morph or don't even have first lines yet because my brain refuses to write anything in order.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Oh, the horror!
There are three dead dogs and one dead cat scattered about the living room floor. Only Reba seems immune to whatever diabolical force has exacted this horror.
Coal at least had a long, full life -- but the puppies and the cat, all less than a year old, had only just begun their journey. *theatrical wailing*
Whoops. Looks like Spanky was revived by the need to guard Dad while he's in the shower.
Coal at least had a long, full life -- but the puppies and the cat, all less than a year old, had only just begun their journey. *theatrical wailing*
Whoops. Looks like Spanky was revived by the need to guard Dad while he's in the shower.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Suckage
I may have a fracture at the very very top of my left femur which may be the cause of all this relentless pain I've had for about two weeks. Have to go get a CT to check, because the x-ray wasn't very clear.
Suckage scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst -- about a 13. Damn, damn, damn!
Whether there's a fracture or not, it hurts like hell and no one knows quite what to do about it. I seriously don't know how my brother dealt with nerve pain for 10+ years. I'm such a baby that I just spent ten minutes crying, but I think most of it is frustration. If it's not fractured, I'm going to have to figure out how I can function with the pain without totally doping myself up (though right now, I wouldn't mind a shot of Demerol and 12 hours of sleep). I have things to do. The German prof is counting on me to get his book proofread for English grammar by April (I currently have chapters 4 and 5 out of 12 or 13). I am counting on me to get some stuff done on the dissertation. I don't have any kind of over-the-bed tablr in order to work in bed.
Gah!
Suckage scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst -- about a 13. Damn, damn, damn!
Whether there's a fracture or not, it hurts like hell and no one knows quite what to do about it. I seriously don't know how my brother dealt with nerve pain for 10+ years. I'm such a baby that I just spent ten minutes crying, but I think most of it is frustration. If it's not fractured, I'm going to have to figure out how I can function with the pain without totally doping myself up (though right now, I wouldn't mind a shot of Demerol and 12 hours of sleep). I have things to do. The German prof is counting on me to get his book proofread for English grammar by April (I currently have chapters 4 and 5 out of 12 or 13). I am counting on me to get some stuff done on the dissertation. I don't have any kind of over-the-bed tablr in order to work in bed.
Gah!
Monday, March 07, 2011
Mermaid or whale?
Swiped from a friend, who got it from her friend
Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"
A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.
To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia , the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.
Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human?
They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT?
Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?
The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.
P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨
Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"
A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.
To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia , the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.
Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human?
They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT?
Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?
The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.
P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!
Forty years ago today, they said they would -- and they still do. I love you!
Friday, March 04, 2011
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Stop! Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.
As I sit here listening to the "60's Revolution" music station on my folks' DirecTV, I'm struck by how so many of the songs are relevant to what's occurring today. Like with the song whose lyrics are the title for this post, one line about people carrying signs. Signs to protest Wisconsin's governor. Signs to support union members. Signs demanding freedom and the overthrow of oppressive regimes.
Oh, how the wheel turns.
Oh, how the wheel turns.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Science nerd
Nice quick trip to the library today. I got When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone, The Double Helix by James D. Watson, and Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox.
Seems strange that I am a biologist and have never read The Double Helix. I know, I should probably be brought up on charges. I was glad to discover, though, that the library also carried a book about Rosalind Franklin whose work was used but not credited by Watson and Crick.
When I finally graduate and start teaching, I think I'd like to develop a course on the history of science. Today's courses focus on the new and groundbreaking, but I feel like very few students know/comprehend that the science of today stands on the shoulders of hundreds, even thousands, of years of discovery. Some of the greatest breakthroughs have come from simple yet elegant experiments -- e.g., my hero Gregor Mendel's peas.
Plans. I haz them.
Seems strange that I am a biologist and have never read The Double Helix. I know, I should probably be brought up on charges. I was glad to discover, though, that the library also carried a book about Rosalind Franklin whose work was used but not credited by Watson and Crick.
When I finally graduate and start teaching, I think I'd like to develop a course on the history of science. Today's courses focus on the new and groundbreaking, but I feel like very few students know/comprehend that the science of today stands on the shoulders of hundreds, even thousands, of years of discovery. Some of the greatest breakthroughs have come from simple yet elegant experiments -- e.g., my hero Gregor Mendel's peas.
Plans. I haz them.
Sleep is elusive
I was awakened this morning by numerous puppy kisses -- first by Spanky (the four-month-old cocker spaniel who loves to roll around on my head), then by Mairead (the eight-week-old snuggle-icious rottweiler). Not a bad way to start the day, but I'm still so sleepy. I don't even have the energy to be annoyed that said puppies are currently shredding a Ding Dong wrapper that the Spankster got out of the small trashcan next to Dad's recliner.