burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

This is why we are bffs.  DTR followed by research into perpetual virginity of Mary Mother of Jesus, leading to assorted AUs, also involving Thomas the Twin (largely thanks to Prof. Koester's class last night).  "Kate.  Short for Bob."

References from the evening:
* Oh Ephraem of Syria No
* "creative nonfiction"
* "sex on the Sabbath is a double mitzvah" (see also, Kita)
* dragon IN LUV

Edit: Bracketing my evening:

Before phonecall, Melissa said, "You'll appreciate that Echo Bazaar just had the phrase 'All shall be well; all manner of things shall be well' -- though I'm not sure how all will be well, since I just killed seven people."
me: "God's grace is sufficient?"

After phonecall, I got called in as resident Biblical scholar to settle a pomegranate vs. fig forbidden fruit question (I said I had primarily heard pomegranate -- Wikipedia indicates there is no consensus and many other options besides).  Melissa informed me that Jewish tradition says pomegranates have 613 seeds.  [613 always makes me think of this blogpost.]

Jesus as a student at Hogwarts

prompted by Ari's, "I bet Jesus could Apparate in Hogwarts" (in discussing Borg and Crossan's Holy Saturday chapter)

I skipped strawberry festival and Sue's women's potluck for gay baby animals (to use Amy's phrase).

I woke up on my own after only about seven hours of sleep, showered, got dressed, had breakfast, bought groceries, and headed out.

I stopped at South Station to buy a 12-ride.  (I have two round trips left, but I like restocking before I run out.)  I hadn't realized that with the Charlie switchover the commuter rail 12-rides would also be printed on shiny CharlieTickets (since as far as I know, the commuter rail hasn't yet implemented equipment to read the electronic cards -- hence why you still have to buy monthly rail passes rather than recharging a CharlieCard like you can do for Subway/Bus).  Do they still punch these?  Do they have handheld scanning devices?  The only information I can find from MBTA.com is "CharlieCards for commuter rail, commuter boats and inner harbor ferries are planned for 2007. In the meantime, continue to use single and multi-ride tickets or a CharlieTicket T-Pass or cash."

Oh, and as opposed to the old method of stamping the expiration date (six months from the date of purchase) on the back which no one ever checked, this one has it clearly printed right below the 1-12 boxes.  I expect what with Singspirations and holidays I'll have it nearly used up by then anyway, but this still bothers me.

Sidenote: When did Charlie on the MBTA become "This blog is open to invited readers only"?

***

Yesterday I was talking to Eric, and neither of us had ever been to Franklin Park, which is in Dorchester.
He said, "Those poor animals."  [Here I thought he was gonna go into an anti-zoo spiel, so I was prepared to just nod.]  "All those drive-by shootings."  So wrong, and yet so funny.

I took the 45 from Ruggles and watched out the window, as I've never been in Roxbury/Dorchester before.
* There is a bus stop: "Malcolm X Blvd. at King St."  Hee.
* Madison Park High School is huge and looks so institutional -- like Cutter-Ziskind, but with smaller windows (and possibly there are two or three schools all next to each other?).
* I saw a sign for "Law Offices of Mark E. Salamone"!  Oh, nostalgia.  (Those commercials were on all the time when I was younger.)
* I saw so many churches (Baptist, Catholic, mission, etc.), which wasn't surprising when I thought about it, though it then got me thinking about parsing the appeal of organized religion to disadvantaged populations and then (since it's a recent pet issue of mine) the issue of reconciling experience of suffering with belief in a loving God.
* I was struck by how much Spanish language signage there was, as I think of the area as predominantly African-American, which population I think of as English-speaking.
* There was condo development.  I boggled.
* There's a shopping plaza labeled "Grove Hill's mecca" which is, y'know, an interesting name choice, especially since I saw a "Muhammad's Mosque of Islam" sign v. nearby.

Looking at GoogleMaps, I'm amused that Milton -- which I think of as v. wealthy -- abuts Dorchester.  I'm also just generally amused by the proximity of (West) Roxbury and Dorchester to the quiet white-bread suburb I grew up in, where I grew up feeling like that was this distant "inner-city" Boston thing.

Kind of annoying that http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cispdf/ma_city_town.pdf just gives me BOSTON, flanked by [counterclockwise] Somerville, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Milton, and Quincy.  So it's no help in ascertaining where Allston-Brighton, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, etc. are -- ooh, Wikipedia for the win.

I don't drive, but I've really gotta get a better grasp on the geography of Greater Boston and environs.

***


I arrived at the zoo before Amy&co. and while I hadn't actually expected the zoo to only allow in folks with a gay discount pass (nor would I in fact want them to do so) I was thrown by the number of male-female couples I saw with children.

I walked around a bit (including the butterfly tent) and then got in line for some food.  I got $6 quesadilla and $2 fries and $4 frozen lemonade.  I was actually kind of impressed with their restraint in price gouging.
My "Cheese Quesadilla" was a problem, however.  The menu said, "Made with three kinds of cheese, mild salsa, sour cream, and fajita seasoning."  So I at first thought the white chunks in it were a kind of cheese but grew increasingly certain.  Sigh.

By the time Amy and pirateygoodness arrived, there were more folks with HRC stickers, so as we wandered the zoo we were also keeping an eye out for somewhere to obtain "gay street cred" (Amy's phrase).
We got to the other end of the park and saw a big set of tables with banners.  There was an actual schedule of events -- who knew?  Okay, people who read the link perhaps -- "Activities will include face painting, scavenger hunt, zookeeper encounters and sidewalk chalk drawing."  Shut up.  It was by this time 2:30, so we'd missed most everything, which was fine.  We realized some time later that there was in fact an entrance to the zoo there and perhaps it was in fact the main entrance.  (Looking back at the discount ticket I got -- "Join us for a memorable day dedicated to the LGBT community -- our families, friends, and allies." -- it does in fact say "Giraffe Entrance.")
(Oh, and I was wearing my flamey shirt.)

The entrance to the snake area actually said "SlitherInn."  No lie.  There is photographic evidence.

Highlights of the zoo (as far as I'm concerned) included: peacocks, black swans, and a white tiger.  Yeah, I clearly go for the glammy over the fuzzy.  We also saw lemurs, a tamarind of some sort (not golden lion, sadly), a pygmy falcon (me: "It's like Amy -- cute and tiny and could take your eyes out."), a gorilla and two young'uns, red kangaroos, a lion, tapir (reminiscent of a hippo), capybara (someone said it resembled a chipmunk :) ), sheep, camels, etc.  Jane's usually useless superpower is apparently being able to spot a zoo animal in its exhibit almost immediately.

We also watched the zebras a lot.  There was one pair that we weren't sure if they were fighting or prelude to mating (or, y'know, picking off fleas or something -- "There's a lot of biting.").  I joked that if any of us were in SGA fandom we could claim we were doing research.
    There was also conversation about what zoo fic in the Firefly-verse would look like.
    There was assorted other fannish talk as well as discussion of cultural touchstones from our childhood (Amy, I was right that it was "[something] Acres" and you were right that it was "Orson's Farm" -- "Regular segments featured both Garfield and U.S. Acres, a lesser-known comic strip created by Davis. The latter was retitled Orson's Farm for foreign syndication.").

Apparently Dippin' Dots are a zoo tradition.  I had barely even heard of them.  We all ended up ordering some (I got Banana Split) and they're not bad, though it's still such a weird concept.

***

Riding the Red Line home, reading my book, I noticed my dogtag had flipped over, as it is wont to do, so I flipped it back (so the text was facing out), and this older guy across from me said he had been wondering what my dogtag said, so thank you for turning it around.  He said he had thought of a lot of possibilities, but none of them were that.  I was tempted to ask what he had thought it might say, but just said it was from Boston Pride this year.  He said that regardless of where one stands on the issue, something that's "that clever, that in your face [...] it's very clever," and he said it was "very elegant."  I thanked him and said I quite liked it, too.  In retrospect I should have engaged him about the issue, but I was tired and wasn't used to being engaged about the dogtag in quite that way (though it still made me happy).

***

At one point at the zoo, in conversation about the steep prices, I mentioned Pride, and Amy suggested we bring a picnic lunch to Pride next time.

So because I actually enjoy Planning Ahead, here's the running list of things to remember for Boston Pride next year:

* better advance planning regarding meeting up (both for parade watching and for post-parade meeting up at Festival -- most likely possibilities are HRC booth since it had a banner, or BayWindows blimp; though I'm inclined to just say Govt. Ctr. T entrance as that's a constant ... assuming it ends at City Hall again, of course)
* picnic lunch
* signs, possibly referencing LJ in some way

Also: I need to figure out when I'm having my birthday party here.  I've asked about this before, but poll:

[Poll #1008955]

Discussion on lunabee34's LJ recently has included (but not been limited to) realism of sex activities in fanfic (esp. threesomes), gender-neutral pronouns and trans identity more generally, and lesbian erotica.

And eard_stapa has been posting (flocked) about misperceptions surrounding bisexuals, with emphasis on online dating sites. [Edit: It occurs to me that I can post links to the stuff she was reacting to, so for interested parties: this lj thread and this article.]

Oh, and thistlerose has been talking about Jem fic, which of course leads to thoughts of other childhood girllove (in this case, BSC, though there are plenty of tv options if one were so inclined). [Amusingly, the post above that on my flist was a flocked post mentioning a BSC Little Sister f/f plotbunny.]

And not about sex [or is it?]: Ari, antheia's getting rid of some LMA and LMM books. Thought you might be interested.

scrollgirl insisted I do this meme.

Make a list of all the characters in your icons. (Although you may have more than one icon of a single character, they only go on the list once.) Alphabetize it. Take the first two people on the list; that's your first pairing. Second two people; second pairing. Etc.

Okay, leaving out the anime and the Futurama robot and all animals save Stitch (‘cause alien!=animal), and calling all photoshoots by primary character name, and just using Meg from the Wrinkle in Time icon, I get:

Without real people: ( Read more... )


With real people: ( Read more... )

---

---

Meme started by mctabby:

The Rules
First, write down the names of 12 characters. Then read and answer the questions.
You can't look at the questions (or click on the cut) until you write down the 12 characters you're going to use.

One:
Two:
Three:
Four:
Five:
Six:
Seven:
Eight:
Nine:
Ten:
Eleven:
Twelve:


Whedonverse (excluding Firefly) ( Read more... )


Multifandom ( Read more... )

This morning:

Body: Yay! 8 hours of sleep.
Brain: Stupid bint.  We have a class to go to, you know.
Body: Hey, you're the one who turned off the alarm.  We all know how well the "I'll get up in just a few more minutes" thing works out.
Brain: Shuddup. And what's up with this runny nose thing?  I don't remember approving that.
Body: ...

Not as amusing as Sharon, i'm sure, but so it goes.  (We all have our gifts.)

Zia plans to become my favorite stalker.

Emma was disappointed at my lack of consistency -- i was willing to go to Elektra to see the Serenity trailer but am now avoiding it.  Really it was my willingness to see the trailer at first that was inconsistent since i'm such a non-spoiler girl.  I hear the Boston Commons showing sold out in 10 minutes.

I went to work and Stacey already had my nametag in her hand by the time i got to the desk.
Me: You're so efficient.
Stacey: I learned it from you.
[She's forever making cracks about how efficiently i work, usually with comments about how it just means i get assigned more work to do.]

Ann: "Stacey, can I have...?"
Stacey: "Only if I can borrow Elizabeth to do this." (to me) "How does that make you feel?"
Me: "Kind of used, actually, like a bargaining chip."
Stacey: "Yes!  That's the word I was looking for.  I just couldn't think of it."
Me: "That's why i'm the English major."

I got my first graduation gift today.  (Well, if we don't count my parents giving me BtVS-on-DVD early.)  AJ called me amazing, among other things.  And when i left at the end of my shift (the last time i'll be working there, save one day when i'm working because she won't be in that day) she said it was so weird that i won't be coming back, and so she just wasn't gonna talk about it.

The card read:

What will I do!
and Stacey do...?
Thank you so very
much: loyal, true,
reliable and never
at a loss.
...and coincidentally
Congratulations!
Fondly,
Ann

And i got a lovely bracelet--which i can't manage to fasten myself.

Why are we having alcoholic gelato again?  No sign, but there was an empty brandy bottle and an empty liqueur bottle next to the bowl. I felt for Emma.  There was also an overabundance of raisins in the gelato.  (*looks at menu*  rum raisin ice cream.  ah, that explains things some.)

Went to RCFOS Senior Banquet.  Had cheap wine (the brown labels on the bottles said so) and got a flower.  I feel like such an interloper in that group.

I reiterate that it will be interesting to see with whom i stay in touch (nevermind what kinds of new friends i make).

---

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson is getting press everywhere from Mother Jones to NYTimes.

freethegayboys wants "a long and detailed account of why you are part of a fandom, any fandom"

A critic who attributed all of Hamlet's hesitations to the idea that the prince was actually a lesbian masquerading as a male would be "in contact with the tecxt," because the focus of the discussion, after all, would still be Shakespeare's play and not the Manhattan telephone directory or the odes of Pindar; but one might question whether such contact would be of much use to other readers
-from "Multiple Readings and the Bog of Indeterminacy," Chapter 7 of The Pleasures of Reading: in an ideological age by Robert Alter [page 223]

Someone needs to write that retelling of Hamlet.  (And no it will not be me.  I just don't like the play that much.  Though i so need to rewrite As You Like It with all the gay character motivation.)

Yay for homework breaks to watch Blackadder. We watched the second half of season 2. I got the King Lear reference in "Money" :) During "Beer," Emma pointed out that it seems like Percy lives with Edmund; they were having breakfast, and i thought of ladyvivien and yeah. (I now feel like i need to insert breakfast scenes into everything i ever write as subtextual shout-outs. Or to use words like these in fanfic.)

I learned from Kate (and the Internet) that Cool Money (also known as The Pierre Heist) with James Marsters will be shown on Saturday March 19 on the USA network from 9-11pm.
For Smithies, that's the Saturday of the end of Spring Break (so i'll be home where i don't have cable).

Oh, random LJ friendings and unfriendings. And making my circle of people even more incestuous. And keeping up on people's lives solely through facebook. And being friended by the randomest people on facebook.

Apparently some time after Break i have to get drunk with assorted Lamonsters to prove that i am not in fact an entertaining drunk ;)

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a concrete elephant! First I'm going to have a little drinky, and then I'm going to execute the whole bally lot of you."

People say 'never live with your friends'. This is not necessarily good advice. For someone as lazy as me, living with your friends is a remarkably pleasant way of socialising without any effort or, necessarily, wearing pants.
-diamonde (via metaquotes)

Note to self: color_theory and zen_photo (Thanks, paper_crystals.)

Done:
returned books and vacuumed room
Telling and Retelling readings
readings for Wednesday's Inklings presentations
revisions to seminar paper
ficathon fic (only one-ish day late)

Still to do:
outlining Wednesday's presentation
more seminar paper revisions (due in class Thursday)
seminar readings for Thursday
MAT essays for Friday
Inklings paper for Friday

( gratuitous internetage )

Meg and i missed each other on Thursday, and Moriah had to cancel on me for Friday. Life is pain, as Meg said. Only, not really. My life is not Tess of the d’Urbervilles (which is nigh on 400 pages and which i didn’t start in earnest until Friday, because i suck). P.S. Oh, memories.

Friday was positively balmy. Predictions of snow, what? Crazies. I slept in, had a leisurely lunch, did assorted errands including laundry and finally putting a picture of myself up on facebook. Thursday night i finally posted to slashthekey and futureverse.

And yeah, there endeth-ed the productivity. On Friday i hung out with people -- or at least Emma -- from tea (4pm) until nearly 10pm. Though i did do lots of Tess reading afterward. And finished it on Saturday. (Oh, textual entrances into slash, how i love thee.) Now i just have to read Death of a Salesman and do my reader response journal for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (and reread and take notes on the end of Surprised by Joy). That’s for tomorrow. For now, fanfic to quell the Hit With Big Sticks feeling that carried me through most of the novel.

ZOE: You sanguine about the kinda reception we're apt to receive on an Alliance ship, Captain?
MAL: Absolutely. (then) What's sanguine?
ZOE: Hopeful. Plus, item of interest, it also means bloody.
MAL: Well, that pretty much covers the options, don't it?
-Firefly, “Safe”

Every time i read the name Angel Clare i kept thinking of Angel Juan. Oh, things i don’t have the time to reread.

209 rearranged their room, so i swapped my bookcase for a 4-shelved one. The shelves aren’t as deep as my old one, but that’s almost a non-issue; and there are 4 shelves instead of 3, which is the important part. And the dark wood is yummy.

Friday, Felicia called me and Emma (and Cat?) repressed. Somehow not the word that usually comes to mind. And it’s possible i’ll never be able to look at pineapples with a straight face again, at least around certain people.

Emma, on Time Bandits: “I still haven’t decided how I feel about the ending. I need to write that fanfic.”
Me: “I’m already writing that fanfic.”
Emma: “Why haven’t you finished yet?”

I’m thinking SuperBowl is prime time to work on fic ‘cause i clearly can’t do homework during it.

"Sometime before 6:30, the game will start. Remember the game, between the Patriots, who could win their third Super Bowl in four years, and the Eagles, who last played (and lost) in the Super Bowl 24 years ago?"
-Richard Sandomir, on the excess of pre-game programming

Oh, look, young Ian McKellan and Judi Dench from my MAT class copy of Macbeth.

David Lenson, my UMass Comp-Lit Brave New Worlds prof, mentioned during the Maria Tatar radio interview that one of his students wanted to do a senior honors thesis on fanfiction, and from his tone it sounded like he denied said student. I e-mailed him and mentioned Susan Cocalis, my UMass Grimms to Disney prof, in my e-mail. This is the response i got:

I'd never deny a student the opportunity to do new research! C'mon! I think the project may be a bit bogged down at the moment, but her name is [name removed] and she's in my current class. I'll see if it's ok with her to give out her email address.

I invited Susan Cocalis to join us on the show, but she had a prior commitment. Tatar, Cocalis and I are old pals from graduate school.

::loves::

"Your recs page is my new crack."
-wisdomeagle

And wisdomeagle wrote me fic for buffyverse1000! I have love.

I caved and signed up for the Ethan Rayne ficathon.

I am not, however, doing the Multifandom One Ring Fic Challenge, obviously.

I’m excited about my femslash05 assignment.

Emma, i thought of you.

I have the “Normal Again” outtake [JM/NB kiss] vid clip again! ::loves mpoetess::

There is an Angelus prayer. Yeah, it’s named for the Latin beginning, but still; being in fandom makes one’s brain extra-confused. (Hat-tip, maechi.)

BlogThings says i’m 30 :)