do I really have to study now?
Feb. 26th, 2006 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katekatI survived! 5 tests last week, and my brain is still intact. It is, however, more interested in playing than in working, and I've got homework for this next week to do. Sigh.
It's been a lovely totally lazy weekend. We went grocery shopping and stocked up for the winter, bascially, then took ourselves out for dinner because we didn't want to cook anything we'd bought on Friday! Sadly, there are only 5 restaurants that are open past 9 pm in this town. It's frustrating moving from someplace that had anything open any time of the day to a place that basically rolls up shop when the sun goes down. I'm sure there are little hole in the wall places open closer to the university, but that's just a pain of a commute when we just want to pop out for dinner. Luckily the place we chose was quite scrumptious and totally hit the spot. They did, however, have this weird policy of not seating people at perfectly open tables (when they had a line out the door and a waiting list) that left us bemused at their tactics. It's not as if people were leaving though, so maybe it's their strategy to keep it looking busy?
Ooo! We had a terrorist scare here! I know, I shouldn't be using exclaimation points, but I am because I'm finding the whole thing a little bizzare. Apparantly a young woman on campus found a weird substance in a roll of quarters when she was doing her laundry and, along with washing her hands, she called the police to come see what kind of white substance it was. Initally they found ricin (apparantly a biological weapon like anthrax ... the symptoms do not sound fun), but this morning they're saying that initial test was wrong, and it was nothing at all. Yay for the toxin-free campus! Check out more here if you're truly interested.
I was WAY more pissed off about South Dakota, though. I've had my head stuck in the sand for a while on the news end, and didn't realize that THEIR CONGRESS PASSED A LAW TO OUTLAW ABORTION!! Dammit. This kind of thing drives me absolutely fucking nuts. Not only because they're doing it so they can force the issue up to the Supreme court now that Alito's there and they think they're sure of the results, but because they outlawed ALL instances of abortion, even those for rape victims and incest survivors. What the hell are they thinking?? Ok, actually, I know what they're thinking and I abhor the reasoning behind it. For me it's all about CHOICE and they want to take that away. And these are the people who are also for capital punishment - if you're so goddamned fired up about the sacredness of all life, why not be consistent?? Anyway, supposedly it's not going to make it up to a higher court, and if it does they'll shoot it back down again, because that's what the courts have traditionally done, but it's still something to be conscious of. Check out the LA times article if you want to know the full details.
Besides getting riled about what's happening out in the world, I made an absolute butt-load of graphics this weekend, and had a bunch of fun doing 'em. Since they're for specific stories and not sharable, I'm debating if I should post them here or not, but probably will eventually just to have 'em all in one place.
Today, though, today is about rewriting my Sakubun (japanese composition), and reading the Religion and Ritual book. And I'm like a five year old who's told they have to take a bath: I don't wanna!
It's been a lovely totally lazy weekend. We went grocery shopping and stocked up for the winter, bascially, then took ourselves out for dinner because we didn't want to cook anything we'd bought on Friday! Sadly, there are only 5 restaurants that are open past 9 pm in this town. It's frustrating moving from someplace that had anything open any time of the day to a place that basically rolls up shop when the sun goes down. I'm sure there are little hole in the wall places open closer to the university, but that's just a pain of a commute when we just want to pop out for dinner. Luckily the place we chose was quite scrumptious and totally hit the spot. They did, however, have this weird policy of not seating people at perfectly open tables (when they had a line out the door and a waiting list) that left us bemused at their tactics. It's not as if people were leaving though, so maybe it's their strategy to keep it looking busy?
Ooo! We had a terrorist scare here! I know, I shouldn't be using exclaimation points, but I am because I'm finding the whole thing a little bizzare. Apparantly a young woman on campus found a weird substance in a roll of quarters when she was doing her laundry and, along with washing her hands, she called the police to come see what kind of white substance it was. Initally they found ricin (apparantly a biological weapon like anthrax ... the symptoms do not sound fun), but this morning they're saying that initial test was wrong, and it was nothing at all. Yay for the toxin-free campus! Check out more here if you're truly interested.
I was WAY more pissed off about South Dakota, though. I've had my head stuck in the sand for a while on the news end, and didn't realize that THEIR CONGRESS PASSED A LAW TO OUTLAW ABORTION!! Dammit. This kind of thing drives me absolutely fucking nuts. Not only because they're doing it so they can force the issue up to the Supreme court now that Alito's there and they think they're sure of the results, but because they outlawed ALL instances of abortion, even those for rape victims and incest survivors. What the hell are they thinking?? Ok, actually, I know what they're thinking and I abhor the reasoning behind it. For me it's all about CHOICE and they want to take that away. And these are the people who are also for capital punishment - if you're so goddamned fired up about the sacredness of all life, why not be consistent?? Anyway, supposedly it's not going to make it up to a higher court, and if it does they'll shoot it back down again, because that's what the courts have traditionally done, but it's still something to be conscious of. Check out the LA times article if you want to know the full details.
Besides getting riled about what's happening out in the world, I made an absolute butt-load of graphics this weekend, and had a bunch of fun doing 'em. Since they're for specific stories and not sharable, I'm debating if I should post them here or not, but probably will eventually just to have 'em all in one place.
Today, though, today is about rewriting my Sakubun (japanese composition), and reading the Religion and Ritual book. And I'm like a five year old who's told they have to take a bath: I don't wanna!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 09:22 pm (UTC)To be fair, most people on both sides of the issue aren't consistent in their beliefs. How many people do you know that're pro-choice and pro-death, for instance? I personally don't know any.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 09:32 pm (UTC)You would think the most august court in the nation would at least be somewhat progressive by its very nature (as it was when it ruled on Roe v Wade) so I have some tiny hope that Alito isn't the reactionary tool of Bush and the fucking neocons that everyone is fearing.
Being apolitical for the most part, I have no idea how likely that dream is, though.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 09:43 pm (UTC)The abortion debate is a pretty sticky one anyway, because fewer and fewer doctors are specializing in it any way, because of the political/social climate. South Dakota only has two places in the entire state that you can get an an abortion, which speaks to me about how scary living in South Dakota would be.
I just hope this is all tempest in a teacup and that it won't get bigger, you know?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 09:43 pm (UTC)In block print:
My husband is in jail for assault.
He said if I ever got pregnant he'd kill me.
I chose life. I chose mine.
I also find it significant that most of the pro-life organizations are mum on the subject of adoption reform.
-BJ
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 10:59 pm (UTC)And yeah, well, once they're born, it's not like they need to be taken care of or anything, right?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 12:32 am (UTC)George Carlin said it best, "Pro-life conservatives are all about the unborn. They're completely obsessed with the unborn, but once you're born, you're on your own . . . If you're pre-born, you're fine; if you're preschool, you're fucked."
It's an arguement, the fundamental questions are not answerable and are not what the debate is about anyway. My body, my destiny, my decision. Period.
-BJ
no subject
Date: 2006-03-01 04:50 am (UTC)WORD.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 10:41 pm (UTC)re: terrorist scare. Ooooh, ricin. That got a lot of news coverage a few years back, I think, here in the UK. Apparently terrorists were sending it in letters and stuff (like, seriously, I think not... especially not with the Royal Mail being as shit as it is in actually delivering letters...!) But still. That is exciting. And perilous? But exciting...
re: abortion. I think this is ludicrous. And may others have said so on Anti's LJ (http://antigone-ks.livejournal.com/574462.htmlnc=39) (I dunno if it's flistlocked...) but basically that, yeah, banning abortion for everything? is dumb. There are ALWAYS going to be extenuating circumstances, I don't care how pro-life people are. Also also, banning abortion will not stop it from taking place, it will just drive it underground and less sanitary. People, as well as the 'children' (if you can call a foetus that, right...) will die. Women and girls will die. I predict it, for that is what used to happen in The Bad Old Days. Which, apparently, that US state wants to bring back. Fuckin' lunatics. [Also, interestingly, I just read the article and "except for those in which the procedure is deemed necessary to save a woman's life. " is surely a slippery statement? For having a child who is unwanted? Is surely life-changing, in a bad way? The life she (and the child would have) wanted, is now dead. So. Yeah...stupiditas.]
no subject
Date: 2006-02-26 11:14 pm (UTC)re: tests. I probably should have stressed more than I did (there was a decent amount of foofing around involved last week that was bad! bad! but hopefully it won't be reflected in the scores)
re: terrorist scare. It was very weird. And my friend's mom, who is totally paranoid, called him to tell him to call me and make sure I didn't buy any rolls of quarters. My only reaction? Was to roll my eyes a bit and remember that, even at the height of my laundry-cleaning days, I never bought rolls of quarters. *grin*
re: abortion. you bring up perfect arguments - and honestly, at this point rationality has left the building with me and in it's place is a slow burn of anger. I just get so tired of having to make this debate, you know? Because, really, if we're all about freedom and choice in the economic and political realms (and social, if you count that we don't have arranged marriages and things like that) and yet we can't make decisions about this? GRRRRR. and ARRRRG. I just hope to god the governor does NOT approve. Although, you know the other thing that scares the beegesus out of me? The fact that the national anti-abortion (pro-choice) ppl says it's not time yet because they're still working on eroding roe v. wade before they take it away completely. *shudder* Anti's suggestion that we should flee the country sounds DAMN good to me.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 03:20 am (UTC)And re: South Dakota, the entire situation sickens me. Abortion was around long before it was legal to get one, and making it illegal again will not make it magically disappear. It will just bring back the days of women getting them in dirty rooms with dirty knives, and even then, they'll still go because they feel they have no other choice. *sigh* I fear though, that South Dakota is just the beginning. It'll happen other places now that it's happened there.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-01 04:53 am (UTC)having 5 ... would have sent me over the edge.
Yeah, I thought I really wasn't going to make it. And I'm not sure exactly how I did on them *angsts about doing badly* I'll find out soonish though, so at least I'll be out of my misery for another month.
re: south dakota. EXACTLY. On all points. I'm just ... I don't want to not talk about it, you know? because if we dont' talk about it, even if it drives us all up the wall, then ... even more dreaful things happen. I just hope the supreme court does what it's done in the past and not hear the case because they've already set precident with roe v. wade. *fingers crossed*
no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 08:48 am (UTC)I, too, am really surprised and disheartened to hear about the change of law in Sth Dakota. I believe in choice too, for myself and for others, and I would absolutely hate to have that taken away from me.
I made an absolute butt-load of graphics this weekend, and had a bunch of fun doing 'em.
You did. And they were gorgeous :)
no subject
Date: 2006-03-01 04:58 am (UTC)That's it exactly! I just hope that the supreme court chooses not to hear it (which they've apparantly done before, which helped roe v. wade stand up)
And thank you! hee. Now I've just got to compile all the various links together into one post here... or do some more to put up for ppl. I can't resist them!