What it's like to be a woman

"It's not my job to make you a better man, and I don’t give a shit if I've made you a better man. It's not a fucking woman's job to be consumed and invaded and spat out so that some fucking man can evolve.

What I want is for you to write fuck me on your chest. Write it. Do it. And then I want you to walk out that door and walk down the street. And anybody that wants to fuck you say sure, sure no problem, and when they do you have to say thank you very, very much and make sure that you have a smile on your face and then you stupid fucking coward you're going to know what it feels like to be a woman."

-Jenny, The L Word

The Petrojvic Blasting Co.

Caught these guys on the promenade last Friday. They are fantastic live.

I can see Russia from my house

*note to self, buy this copy of the New Yorker



There are a couple reasons why I decided to post this New Yorker cover. Can you guess them?

Political cartoons are fun for everyone

Thank you Andrew Sullivan.

Yes!!!

LOVE IT!

We Will Become Silhouettes

Krisserin spent the day head down admiring her shoes. She admired the snake skin texture, it was the small distinction she was looking for when she was shopping for her new black flats. She admired them while she walked out to take a smoke break. Sitting down on the concrete planter she peered down at them and lit her cigarette. It was the last one she was going to smoke. She hoped she enjoyed it.

It was one of those Fridays that never seemed to end. Sure she had work to do, but she didn't want to do it. She was distracted. Tired maybe. Ready to start the weekend and curl up on the corner of the couch she favored when reading a new book. She imagined tucking her toes between the cushions trying to keep them warm.

Would she be interrupted? Would she have to mindfully put her book on her lap and look up at her husband, try to follow his excited mumblings about physics, math and the incompetence of his classmates? Would she have to try hard not to seem like she wanted to find a hasty retreat back into her book? Would she have to pretend that she wouldn't rather escape into story land?

When she escaped into a book the story formed a veil over her. Time and place disappeared when she read the story. She could paint a vivid picture of the landscape of her book. Could feel the pine needles crack under the feet of her heroine. Could imagine using her own inexperienced hands to pull back the wires of the bow. Focus on her target, shoot and kill even though she'd never held a bow and arrow in her life.

She preferred living in story land--couldn't really conceive of living without it. It was her saving grace. She wanted to be Katniss, that bold hero who could face any challenge. She figured if it were her, she could fare the same. She liked to imagine it that way.

Could she write something as compelling and perfectly crafted? Why couldn't people get as excited about these stories as she did? Would they get excited when they read her stories? When would the seed of inspiration be implanted in her own mind to blossom into a story like The Hunger Games? When would she compose her own opus? Or would she always be on the sidelines, watching as others won the race? Would she be old and withered? Too weathered to appreciate her success? Or could she accomplish what she wanted—to be a published and successful by 30?

A Must Read: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I finished the second book in Stephen King's dark tower and needed to take a break from the series for a bit. The books are incredible, but they are a daunting read.

So I picked up The Host by Stephenie Meyer, which was pretty good. Definitely had some things in it that reminded me of Twilight, but I'll let that slide. Overall it was an enjoyable book.

I wasn't quite reading to start the third book in the Dark Tower series after reading The Host, so on recommendation from Stephenie Meyer I went out and bought "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

I read it in five hours--could not put it down. It was pretty apparent as the book drew to a close that there would have to be a second book and I couldn't be more thrilled. The only sad thing is that this book just came out on September 14th--so it seems I'm going to be waiting a while.



The story is set in America sometime in the future after the collapse and rebuilding of society. Twelve districts make up the country of Parem--each district contributing to the success of the country as a whole. Several years back, a thirteenth district had lead an uprising against the capital and lost. Every year since then, the capital has hosted The Hunger Games to remind the citizens of Parem that of the Capitals power over it's people.

The people of Parem are mostly poor--except for those few districts that contribute to the wealth of the capital. The main character, Katniss is a sixteen-year-old girl comes from the poorest of all Districts--the coal mining district 12. Since the death of her father at 14, Katniss has learned to support her family by hunting and gathering. She's an expert with a bow and arrow, she's also very strong and very well versed in the fauna of the forrest.

When the day of the Reaping draws near it's evident that the Hunger Games are an ominous event. Two children age 12-18 (one boy, one girl) are chosen to represent their district in the Hunger Games, which is basically a survival game to the death. The last one still standing wins.

Every child has their name entered into the drawing for the Hunger Games once they turn twelve. A child can also put their name into the drawing more than once and receive food and resources for their family for the rest of the year. Although Katniss is only sixteen, she has her named entered into the drawing a whopping 24 times. Her chances of getting chosen are higher than most--so when her little 12-year-old sister's name is chosen, Katniss volunteers to take her place.

The Hunger Games are more than just a fight for survival--it's a way for the capital to show control over the rest of Parem. The "gamemakers" or the people from the capital in charge of the game can change the stakes anytime they want, give advantages to anyone they want, or kill a tribute (those children chosen to compete) if they feel so inclined. It's a lethal game with unfair advantages, and there are no happy endings.

Go and buy The Hunger Games. Read it immediately. You can thank me later.