October 2011
20 posts
go read it.
is superior to all human beings.
i can’t even
i don’t know how to
i just
oh my god he is actually superior.
So basically he is my math teacher, and he is actually the best human being i will ever know. It’s so impossible to explain… like when i try to, people just think i’m crazy. ill try to compile a random list of reasons for his spectacularity:
- he finished high school at the age of 15
- he has the most epic survival story of this time when he was ice climbing from washington to alaska and slipped down a glacier…
- he’s simply a genius when it comes to math
- but the best part is, when you get to know more about him, there’s so much more than the math
- he invented the mechanism to maximize efficiency in flax seed oil production (…what?? who does that??)
- he opened up a bakery in petaluma or something and then gave it away to some family
- he is single-handedly responsible for amy’s kitchen having all organic products
- he genuinely cares. about everything
- the way he talks to us
i actually don’t feel deserving of the privilege to be in his class everyday, but i can’t imagine not having him as a teacher
lows:
-opened my wallet this morning to discover $30+ missing… someone stole it at the nicaragua service club fundraiser (oh the irony)
-almost got hit by a car on my drive to school, tried to honk my horn but instead hit the ever so useful turn signal
highs:
-someone somewhere is having fun with an extra $30+
-i didnt die in the almost accident
- i got a 100% on my calc test today
-i saw a “vote no on prop 8” bumper sticker today
-my house smells like pumpkins (‘tis the season)
time to whip out harry potter movies 1-3 and study up on that wild voice of seamus finnigan
(i’m pretty positive i got this idea from the god-awful clique series in middle school…)
highs of today:
- physics test is over with
- performed in drama class
- got a doughnut after school
lows of the day:
- saw a “yes on prop 8” bumper sticker
- confirmation that i did indeed score a zero on my last english prompt, which i fully expected and deserved because i did not take the time to try and understand ralph waldo emerson
- the realization that i did not take the time to try and understand ralph waldo emerson…
- i’m turning into a bad student
everyone says that slytherins are the most misunderstood. NOT TRUE. hufflepuff’s are BY FAR the most misunderstood. everyone thinks that wimps/nobodies are placed in hufflepuff, but in all actuality, hufflepuffs are supposed to be the good, kind, generous, dedicated people. not any random person can be thrown into this house, you must show the decency and good-hearted quality of helga hufflepuff.
and thus ends my seemingly pointless, yet strangely aggravating thought of the day.
thank you and goodnight.
You wouldn’t know who Peeves was.
You wouldn’t know how the Weasley Twins made WWW coming from a poor family.
You wouldn’t know about Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
You wouldn’t know much about the Marauders.
You wouldn’t know about Voldemort’s past.
You wouldn’t know the TRUE meaning of “Always.”
You wouldn’t know much about Neville’s past.
You wouldn’t know much about Remus and Nymphadora.
You wouldn’t know about Teddy.
You wouldn’t know or understand the struggle of Draco Malfoy.
You wouldn’t know what really went on at the Quidditch World Cup.
You wouldn’t know much about Snape’s past.
You wouldn’t know or understand the true depth of Harry’s relation with Sirius.
You wouldn’t know about Winky.
You wouldn’t know about Dobby and his sacrifices.
You wouldn’t know much about Horcrux’s.
You wouldn’t know about how the final Horcrux happened and how it was destroyed.
You wouldn’t know anything about Luna’s room.
You wouldn’t know about Dean in Shell Cottage.
You wouldn’t know that Harry repaired his own wand and returned the Elder Wand to its original place.
You wouldn’t know about the true importance of the Deathly Hallows.
You wouldn’t know about S.P.E.W.
You wouldn’t know about Harry, Ron and Hermione’s O.W.L grades.
You wouldn’t know that Dudley said to Harry: “I don’t think you’re a waste of space.”
You wouldn’t know who Snuffles is.
You wouldn’t know that Weasleys came to pick Harry from Dursleys for Quidditch World Cup.
You wouldn’t know how Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody died.
You wouldn’t know that the curse that chopped George’s ear off was actually Snape trying to cut another Death Eater’s wand.
You wouldn’t know the creatures Lupin introduced in third year, like the Grindylow.
You wouldn’t know what happened to Buckbeak.
You wouldn’t know that Draco and Tonks are cousins.
You wouldn’t know how to get to the kitchen.
You wouldn’t know that Stan Shumpike became a Death Eater.
You wouldn’t know about Sirius’ mum’s portrait.
You wouldn’t know how Remus became a werewolf.
You wouldn’t know about Victorie & Teddy.
You wouldn’t know Tonks’ parents.
You wouldn’t know Fred’s complete death.
You wouldn’t know Neville’s parents at St. Mungo’s.
You wouldn’t know about the apparating sessions.
You wouldn’t know how Firenze took place of Divination teacher for a while.
You wouldn’t know much about anything.^THIS.
it makes me so happy that i do know!
I’m So Sad I Could Eat a Horse: A Foodie’s Guide to Eating Your Emotions.
Why is the mug of tap water so on point, and so real?
… and that was one of the worst attempts at a pun i’ve ever seen. it’s so horrid you’ll just have to bare (bear?) with me. the aim was to combine PB & J with generosity…
anyway here’s where i’m going with this: one day this summer whilst in yellowstone, my family and i were enjoying a picnic lunch of pb&j sandwiches, when an old couple walked by. the man said to me and my cousin something along the lines of, “is that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? oh my, wow, you guys got it right! that’s all i need to get through the day! a pb&j, and i’m good to go!” and he was really adorable and friendly so my cousin and i whipped up a sandwich for him, because it seemed like the right thing to do. and when we presented him with the seemingly insignificant sandwich, his face lit up to the nth degree and he was so grateful that that was one of the highlights of my trip. oh, and his wife was so pleased with our simple gesture that she hugged each of us about four times.
i could have not made him that PB&J. and we would have had one more sandwich’s worth of bread leftover and some extra dollops of peanut butter and jelly. and his day would have been perfectly fine. but i did make it for him, and i’m so glad i did, because in doing so, maybe i’m instilling some truth in the notion that there are still people out there willing to help and be kind to one another.
food for thought.
for some reason this concept, while utterly fascinating, scares me. to be able to control your dreams? you could fly, dance, hold your breath forever, heck, you could shoot spaghetti out of your fingertips if you wanted! and for some reason this makes me feel uneasy because i know i wouldn’t want to wake up… being king of your own world, master over the laws of society and physics, well, the power would be addicting, and it would make your “real” life seem insignificant.
it actually eerily reminds me of the mirror of erised. which, once you get over the devil’s snare and the forbidden forrest, is one of the scariest things in The Philosopher’s Stone. think about it, what did dumbledore say? something about bright men wasting away because they couldn’t part with the almost tangible image of their greatest desire. same goes for lucid dreaming: i would be drawn in by the opportunity to choose what goes on and easily shape my surroundings, rather than having to live through what i wish i could opt out of.
We Can’t Be Equal While:
- Men are the default and women are the Other (and therefore lesser).
- Being called “girly” or a “sissy” or “pussy” are some of the worst insults you can give a man.
- When a woman shows confidence in herself, she is said to “have balls”, or conversely she is a “man-eater”, “ball-buster”, or a “bitch” because she was “too” assertive.
- Men are beat up, ridiculed, or made fun of for being “effeminate” and women are beat up, ridiculed, or made fun of for being “masculine”.
- Many people get angry when a woman questions the intentions behind a “chivalrous” act from a man.
- There are men who refuse “chivalrous” acts from a woman, such as refusing to walk through a door that a woman holds open for them, while believing that it is rude for a woman to exercise the same right to refuse.
- Women can’t express anger without the very real fear of being accused of “hysterics” or being “shrill”.
- Women get scolded for “un-ladylike” behaviour: using coarse language, talking frankly about sex or other “impolite” topics, confidently voicing one’s dissenting opinion, etc.
- People continue to believe and perpetuate gender essentialism based on bad science or using actual studies to “prove” the innateness of gender roles when the study itself supports no such thing.
- For different-sex couples, women are expected to take their husband’s name, or at the very least hyphenate, but many men still balk at the idea of even considering adopting their wife’s name. If a woman decides to keep her name, both partners are interrogated and shamed by friends and family.
- For same-sex couples, people think it is okay to ask “who’s the woman/man of the couple?”
- Women are seen as the “gatekeepers” to morality/sexuality, charged with the duty of fending off the advances of men. If they fail then they were “asking for” it and/or are “damaged goods”. Their clothing/actions will always be questioned to see if they were “leading on” the man at all.
- Men are seen as “beasts” who are unable to control their “raging hormones” – which absolves them of guilt for “improper” sex (anything from date rape to sex outside of marriage) but also paints them as uncivilized brutes.
- Women are “sluts”, men are “players”.
- Women’s worth goes down according to how many sexual partners people think she has had.
- Men’s worth goes up according to how many sexual partners people think he has had.
- We live in a rape culture where many people continue to blame the victims of rape and domestic violence.
- We buy into the myth that all men (even minors) are, at all times, willing to fuck a “gorgeous” woman and any man who would pass up sex with a remotely attractive woman is deserving of ridicule.
- Wives/mothers are still expected to do most of the home/childcare, even if they have a job outside the home.
- Fathers/husbands are seen as bumbling dolts who are mentally incapable of cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, or any other traditionally feminine task.
- There are significantly more stay-at-home moms than there are dads.
- Men are expected to pay on a date, and some men expect women to put out for this “service”.
- Men continue to be a clear majority in the government, prominent positions in businesses, and other public places of power.
- There have been so few female leaders in most countries. For instance, in the Group of Eight:
- America has never had a female president.
- Canada’s first, and only, female prime minister was Kim Campell [1993].
- Britain’s first, and only, female prime minister was Margaret Thatcher [1979-1990].
- France’s first, and only, female prime minister was Edith Cresson [1991-1992].
- Italy has never had a female prime minister.
- Japan has never had a female prime minister.
- Russia has never had a female president.
- Germany’s first, and only, female Chancellor is Angela Merkel [2005].
- Pakistan, which is held up by many Americans as a “backward” country regarding women’s rights, elected a female prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, twice while Americans were still debating whether or not America was “ready” for a female president (here are some other female leaders who have been elected while America has been dragging its feet).
- There are still areas in our so-called “equal” societies where sex discrimination, sexual harassment and the glass ceiling are alive and kicking.
- It’s considered “big news” when articles tell mothers who work outside the home that they “can’t have it all”, but not so much when articles call for work reforms and male responsibility.
- Women in the sex trade, even those who have chosen the life, are treated as sub-human on a regular basis.
- It is not seen as sex discrimination to include harmful (and expensive!) items such as makeup and high heels in the requirements for a woman’s dress code while having no such constraints on the men’s dress code.
- Women are still discouraged from entering the sciences by social stereotypes, lack of job availability, and the continuing belief that women just aren’t smart enough.
- It is considered appropriate to attack a female public figure because of her appearance and fashion sense.
- One of the first ways to discredit women who speak up in public forums is to threaten sexual violence.
- Women are disproportionately affected by fat discrimination in the workforce and other places.
- Men’s bodies belong to no one but themselves; women’s uteri are seen as the property of men, the government, and even strangers.
- Women’s place as full-fledged legal and social adults is not assured.
- Women are seen first and foremost by their physical attributes and secondly by their relevant qualities.
- The double-standard of beauty is camouflaged under myths of empowerment and liberation.
- Women feel the need to undergo a potentially dangerous operation on their healthy vaginas in order to please their husbands/boyfriends by striving towards an unrealistic beauty standard set by mainstream porn.
- It is seen as appropriate for stranger and friend alike to give unsolicited comments on a woman’s appearance: her weight, fashion, leg/armpit hair, etc.
- Eating disorders, caused primarily by our society’s unhealthy obsession with fat, are still rampant among women (significantly more than among men).
- There are contests like “Pimp My Ride”.
For anyone looking for a simple Feminism 101 primer for people.
well isn’t this logic just supremely flawed. as always.
there is a hierarchy to the news cycle and the information presented by the media each day, and a hierarchy to life and that which our society assigns priority to, news stories included. to pretend otherwise betrays the sort of pseudo-intellect that has spread like some sort of infectious disease among my peers.
(been reading way too much david mamet, obviously)
me gusta.
but actually. it’s so nice to talk to people. like the intelligent human beings we are capable of being. i often claim to hate people, but the funny things is: there are some people i am rather fond of.
