Category: Blogroll

because azahar kicks ass

A couple of weeks ago, WrekeHavoc (who herself kicks ass) bestowed upon me this lovely award:

Kick Ass Blogger Award

I’m usually pretty lame about passing on such awards, for my own various reasons, though I am flattered when people think of me for them. However, I feel compelled to pass this one along.

So, I hereby proclaim that azahar, of casa az, is a kick-ass blogger.

She finds and posts quirky tidbits she finds about the web, as well as writing a bit about herself and her life. She also writes and posts appetizing photos about her epicurean adventures as she explores the restaurants of Sevilla. (She even has a whole blog dedicated to tapas in Sevilla.) You can be pretty much assured of finding some sort of treat every time you visit her.

What I find most endearing about az is that she makes it easy for me to forget that I haven’t met her in “real life.” She has created a very warm and friendly atmosphere at her blog, inviting commenters to come in and stay for a chat. It’s no surprise that you’ll always find a few friendly folks (or interesting characters) stopping in. (Mind the cat hair, though. I’m pretty sure her kitties are always lurking nearby.)

Now azahar is going through some major life trials. A few months ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. She has been sharing her experiences and thoughts, writing with both humor and sincerity, as she navigates the perilous seas of cancer treatment.¹ Right now, she’s in the hospital recovering from what hopefully was a very successful operation to remove cancer from her liver.

Anyhow, if you have a chance, stop by and say “hi” to her. She’s got internet access there at the hospital, and I know she’d love to have more visitors. No need to check in at the front desk; go right on up.² I’m sure she can use the distraction from hospital food, which probably doesn’t hold a candle to the offerings of Sevilla’s finest tapas bars.

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¹ Arrr! Me metaphors are still colored by Friday’s Talk Like a Pirate business!
² See my semi-colon?

heroine addicts

It’s been my goal for quite a few years to put together a website featuring information about and ratings for movies and other media featuring women who kick ass. One of my goals in starting this blog was to work towards that end, and I made some progress with various posts that have been part of my kick-ass women project.

In the course of my “work” on this project, I’ve come across a few other sites and resources on this topic. One great such website is Heroine Content, described on their about page as follows:

Heroine Content is a feminist and anti-racist blog about women kicking ass. More specifically, we write about women kicking ass in action films, with a side order of television and video game commentary as things catch our eye.

Just last week, Skye and Grace (the authors) celebrated 2 years of Heroine Content. In their celebratory post, they mention that they have reviews almost 100 movies, and even give a nice, handy list of those reviews.

If you haven’t visited over there before, and if you have an interest in seeing women kick some ass in the movies, definitely drop by. They have reviews handily organized along the following rating scheme:

my 100 movies: the first 50

A few weeks back, I saw a post by YTSL of Webs of Significance listing 100 movies “which have particularly impacted and/or impressed [her] over the years.” Not too surprisingly, this list inspired me to think about listing my own personal favorite movies. (YTSL had, in turn, been inspired by a list of movies at Falling Stones are Not Heavy of that author’s own 100 movies to which he felt a particularly strong connection.)

Seeing as it’s late at night, I will start by posting only 50 movies. This first half of my 100 movies includes my all-time favorite movies, though I have not ranked them here. I have instead followed YTSL’s lead and simply listed them alphabetically.

These movies are not necessarily all good movies (though many are great ones) but I have connected with them in some way. It amuses me to see the recurring themes in the movies I list: dark humor and paranoia, time distortion and surrealism, silliness and whimsy, as well as women kicking some ass. My weaknesses for costume dramas and musically-oriented movies are also revealed. Anyone notice any other trends?

  1. 12 Monkeys (1995)
  2. Amadeus (1984)
  3. Beetle Juice (1988)
  4. Best in Show (2000)
  5. The Big Lebowski (1998)
  6. Bob Roberts (1992)
  7. Brazil (1985)
  8. The Cable Guy (1996)
  9. Chasing Amy (1997)
  10. Clueless (1995)
  11. Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
  12. The Commitments (1991)
  13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
  14. Dead Again (1991)
  15. Fargo (1996)
  16. The Fugitive (1993)
  17. The Full Monty (1997)
  18. Gosford Park (2001)
  19. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
  20. Groundhog Day (1993)
  21. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
  22. Lone Star (1996)
  23. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
  24. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
  25. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
  26. Mystery Men (1999)
  27. Office Space (1999)
  28. The Princess Bride (1987)
  29. The Professional/Léon (1994)
  30. The Remains of the Day (1993)
  31. Run, Lola, Run (1998)
  32. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
  33. Serenity (2005)
  34. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
  35. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
  36. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
  37. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
  38. The Sound of Music (1965)
  39. Supercop (Police Story 3: Supercop) (1992)
  40. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
  41. Tremors (1990)
  42. Truly Madly Deeply (1990)
  43. The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996)
  44. Unbreakable (2000)
  45. West Side Story (1961)
  46. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
  47. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
  48. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  49. Wolf (1994)
  50. Zero Effect (1998)

holes in the bucket

I posted a list of bucket things earlier today, and I somewhat intentionally left this item off. A hole in my bucket list, as it were. Anyhow, I came across this video on YouTube while looking for a version of the classic “hole in the bucket” folksong. It turns out, I can barely tolerate the versions of the traditional song. (I found them corny and grating.)

But I found the song “Hole in the Bucket” by Spearhead, which makes reference to the folksong in title and lyrics. And I found it more compelling, too. It’s about a man’s reflections on an encounter with a panhandler. The video tells more of the story, too.

It reminded me of a post jen of one plus two wrote a while back about why she shares money with those who ask for it on the street: brother can you spare a dime? If you haven’t read it, have a look. Jen, who works daily with the homeless, knows a thing or two about poverty and compassion.

And it seems a good time to mention that the Just Posts are up again. Jen, Mad and Su, are hosting this monthly roundtable of posts about issues of social justice and activism in all sizes.

I’ve nominated a few posts for the latest roundtable. Go see if you can guess which ones! Well, at least go have a look. Just click on the button with the birdy:

What’s more, Jen will be speaking at BlogHer (in San Francisco next weekend) about community-building in blogging, and the Just Posts in particular. If you are attending BlogHer, make sure you go see Jen speak. And then tell me about it afterwards, because I’ll be sorry to miss it.

in real life

As I was saying, we just got home from a grand trip out to California to visit my sister and mother. I hope to share a bit more about the trip soon, but as Jen went and wrote some lovely things on her blog, I wanted to share a bit about our Monday-night visit, too.

Because, you see, I got to meet Jen (of one plus two), someone who I have long admired (or perhaps hero-worshipped) from afar. Since I won’t be able to go to BlogHer, where Jen and other fine bloggy folks will be gathering next month, and since Jen will be moving to Belize in a few short months, I felt compelled to make the effort to stalk Jen in person while I had the chance. Happily, she was open to being stalked, and even invited us over for dinner.

Jen is just as warm and beautiful and down-to-earth and magnificent as you might gather from reading her blog. And M and J were equally wonderful and charming. But I got to learn more than that. Jen is also a damn fine cook, and served up some tasty gnocchi with home-made pesto, some fantabulously delicious oven-roasted vegetables, and garlic bread made from bread that she baked herself. The littler diners were served a classic grilled cheese dinner (crust removed upon request) and a big bowl of strawberries. (Phoebe may have eaten more than a few strawberries.)


Phoebe and M, frightfully cute together.

Ten o’clock rolled around before we noticed, with our little ones romping and cavorting around us, up well past their bed-times. We stayed later than we’d planned, caught up in comfortable conversations, sitting on the living room floor. We talked about life and work: kids and travel and family, friends and blogging and bloggy friends, non-profits and language and disaster recovery. And a dozen other topics that I can’t even recall.

This was the first time I have met someone in person who I’d previously only known online. It wasn’t at all awkward, though. Instead, it felt like we were old friends, just picking up the conversation where we’d left off last. Even though, before this meeting, I could have passed Jen on the street without ever recognizing her.

I’ve thought quite a bit recently about the distinction people sometimes make between online friends and real-life friends. I’ve realized that the distinction is remarkably fuzzy, because the people behind the blogs I read are unquestionably real people. The joys and pains and tidbits they live and share are real, and they affect me in real ways. Through our conversations, the friendships become real.

Of course, it’s hard to beat the pleasure of getting together with friends in person. Especially when there is real food involved. (So I hope to meet more of you out there, too. I might even cook.)

Dude, where’s my chocolate?

Okay, okay. I’m terribly slow to get around to things. Last week I put up a post wherein I announced that I would randomly select a commenter to receive a box of Brazilian chocolate in the mail. The deadline to enter this drawing was almost a freakin’ week ago, and I still haven’t announced a winner. But here’s the problem: once I announce the winner, I’ll feel compelled to act upon that announcement, and get my lazy ass over to the post office.

So here goes. We have a winner! (Ding ding ding!)

Madame Meow of
A Daily Dose of Zen Sarcasm

…is not the winner!

 
Oh, no, wait. She is the winner. (Ding ding ding!)

And as soon I get her snail mail address, you can bet that I’ll be heading right over the post office. Within the fortnight. (I also have a return gift for the lovely Dragonfly, who got the chocolate ball rolling.)

As a consolation prize for those of you not soon to receive chocolate in the mail, I offer you this scene, in honor of the meow-ness of the winner’s name. Meow! (It’s from the movie Super Troopers.)

Update:
Because Flutter asked about it (“um where is the chocolate?”), I will share some more details on the chocolate in question. It is currently on my kitchen counter, all boxed up and addressed and everything. It almost made it to the post office, but I ran out of time. I managed to get a couple of photos before I closed up the boxes.

Mme. Meow gets this batch: a box of various Garoto brand filled chocolates, a couple of small candy bars, and a whopping big bar of Lacta’s Diamante Negro (“black diamond”), which is milk chocolate with some sort of crunchy cashew bits.

Dragonfly, who has expressed a desire to visit South America, gets the slightly more tropical Garoto mix, which includes some banana and coconut chocolates, as well as two candy bars and a roll of guava cookies (which are not chocolate, but looked good).

Can we, or can’t we?

It’s been a great relief to me that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination has finally ended. I am thrilled that Barack Obama will be the Democratic candidate. (At the same time feel some pangs of sadness of what could have been. I still like Hillary Clinton, overall, frustrated as I was with her campaign and some of her positions.¹)

I am both excited and optimistic about the idea that Obama can be the next US President.

I am also, at least equally, frightened and a bit nauseated by the possibility that he will not be.

I know many of you have seen these videos. They came out in February. But it’s come to my attention recently that some of my friends have not yet. This seems as good a time as any to share them myself.

First, the “Yes we can” video by Will.i.am and others, which was distributed in February or so. It takes parts of Obama’s speech, and integrates them into a powerful song:

Next, the response videos, which came out only days after the Obama “Yes We Can” video. (If you haven’t seen the above video, or haven’t seen it in a while, you should at least watch a bit of it before seeing the responses.)

Here is john.he.is:

In looking up john.he.is, I also came across this other video that came out right around the last one, but which I hadn’t seen: “No, you can’t.”

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In somewhat related news, you have probaby realized that I’m a self-proclaimed bleeding-heart liberal. Magpie has put together a badge which she has encouraged others to steal and share. I thought I’d oblige:

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¹ I was going to put this bit as a footnote, rather than a parenthetical. But a friend has suggested that I am “headed down the wrong path” with all my recent footnotes. I don’t know what she means. I can stop any time I want.²

² Really, I can.

chocolate: it’s what’s for breakfast

Tomorrow I will eat a chocolate bar for breakfast.

It’s the day I’m going to get to have my glucose test at the doctor’s office. This is the test to screen for gestational diabetes. Usually, one is made to drink a seriously syrupy “drink” that is reminiscent of soda syrup without the addition of carbonated water. Then an hour later, they draw some blood to check blood sugar levels.¹ I was quite pleased to learn that, at this medical group, I can opt to eat a Hershey’s bar instead of drinking the nasty syrup. So around 9:00 tomorrow morning, I’ll break my fast with chocolate. Sweet. (I must bring my own chocolate, though.)

I must confess that chocolate in the morning is not an entirely novel experience for me. You see, if there is chocolate in the house, I will be nibbling at it no matter what time of day or night. And recently there has been quite a lot of chocolate in the house.

About a month and a half ago, Dragonfly (who is living in Germany) offered to send a bundle of German chocolate to a randomly selected commenter on her 100th post. And I was that lucky commenter. Here is some of the bounty I received a couple weeks later:


This is the photo that she posted on her blog. There was actually quite a bit more, too. I meant to take a picture of it, but mysteriously most of it…um…disappeared. (Did I mention that it was weeks ago?) And it was some pretty wonderful chocolatey goodness.

I have to say, getting a package of chocolate in the mail is a real treat. And I would like to pass along the experience. I mentioned that I managed to stop by a grocery store to load up on chocolate during the last few hours of my Brazil trip. And you, yes you, could get some of this bounty. I plan on selecting a random commenter to be the recipient of a stash of assorted Brazilian chocolates. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by midnight on Thursday, June 5th, and I will enter you in the drawing. To make things a bit more interesting, leave the name of a chocolate bar (or other chocolate treat) in your comment.

Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of chocolate and comments. My chocolate-themed list has been getting some attention from a horde of bored 12-year-olds (judging from the content of the comments). Or perhaps mostly from the same 12-year-old, judging from the IP addresses. What did I do to deserve such attentions?

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¹ I actually failed my first glucose test when I was pregnant with Phoebe. It was very annoying. I have a rant about it that I buried away when I realized that the footnote was getting as long as the rest of the post. But a quick word of advice or anyone faced with an upcoming glucose test: don’t load up on carbohydrates right before the appointment.

NYC goddam

The news came out yesterday that the officers charged in the shooting death of Sean Bell have been acquitted. Sean Bell, a 23-year-old black man, was unarmed when he was killed by plain-clothed police officers who fired an unconscionable 50 shots into the car with Bell and his two friends, also unarmed.

The incident and the trial, complicated as they were, have highlighted that we as a society have long way to go yet in the fight against racism, and the fight for social justice.

Many have expressed outrage and sorrow at the news of the acquittal. Stacie/girlgriot of If you want kin, you must plant kin… has posted some moving words about her own responses to the news, including a poem by Langston Hughes.

In reading those words, I have been reminded of the song “Mississippi Goddam,” written by Nina Simone in 1964. It’s a powerful protest song. I’m sure that Nina would agree that progress in social justice is still “too slow.”


(This YouTube version is different than the recordings I know, but Nina’s voice is still powerful and moving.)

Here are the lyrics:

The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam
And I mean every word of it

Alabama’s got me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Alabama’s got me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Can’t you see it, can’t you feel it
It’s all in the air
I can’t stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer

Alabama’s got me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

This is a show tune
But the show hasn’t been written for it yet

Hound dogs on my trail
Schoolchildren sitting in jail
Black cat crossed my path
I think every day’s gonna be my last
Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We’re all gonna get it in due time

I don’t belong here, I don’t belong there
I’ve even stopped believing in prayer
Don’t tell me I tell you
Me and my people just about do
I’ve been there so I know
Keep on saying go slow

But that’s just the trouble – too slow
Washing the windows – too slow
Picking the cotton – too slow
You’re just plain rotten – too slow
Too damn lazy – too slow
Thinking’s crazy – too slow

Where am I going
What am I doing
I don’t know I don’t know
Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
‘Cause everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

I bet you thought
I was kidding didn’t you

Picket lines school boycotts
They try to say it’s a communist plot
All I want is equality
For my sister my brother my people and me

Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you’d stop calling me Sister Sadie

Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You’re all gonna die and die like flies
I don’t trust you anymore
You keep on saying go slow go slow

But that’s just the trouble – too slow
Desegregation – too slow
Mass participation – too slow
Unification – too slow
Do things gradually – too slow
Will bring more tragedy – too slow

Why don’t you see it why don’t you feel it
I don’t know I don’t know
You don’t have to live next to me
Just give me my equality

And everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam
That’s it