Monkey around Munday, which means you can play jokes on
co-workers, spouses, loved ones, friends, family, even strangers. It’s
a festive day that should be celebrated.
Besides the immigrants aren’t working today so why should we? Let’s
support them, American style, by not getting any work done today if you
are at the office…or by staying home today.
Ok, it was just a thought…I have too many bills to pay to not work 
It’s the time again…when Spring comes, language is renewed. I would like to post one of my favorites here from the great John Keats.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? what maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal--yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!
Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.
O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty'--that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
Interested in reading more of my favorites…keep your eyes open on my two blogs. Yea, I am a sucker for the classics…perhaps a bit of shakespeare tomorrow…hmmm
I just read an article in the New York Times about digital scrapbooking and was intrigued, yet appalled at the same time. How can people give up their creative efforts and penchant for glue, stickers, and other items in favor of digitized photos, layouts, embellishments, and audio and video files?
Well to prove that I am uninterested in this endeavor, I will show you the latest scrapbook I finished for my cousin Michael and his wife, Annie, for their first wedding anniversary. I hope they like it as much as I have enjoyed making it for them over the past year.
Sorry about the yellowish tint; it was either that or a burst of flash on the pages and you wouldn’t be able to see anything of the photos or the arrangements. This is the front cover; I generally prefer books with a picture window on the front. If you cant see, the photo I choose is whimsical..with frosting on my cousin’s nose.
In this album, like many of my others, I chose black and white and color photos. I like both mediums actually. This album, however, does not contain any digital photos because I did not understand my digital camera at the time of this wedding and all of those photos were promptly deleted because they were too blurry. LOL Now that I am a digital guru of sorts, my scrapbooks are likely to contain digital photos as well.
Also, this is the first scrapbook where i substituted color pages for the white ones that came in the book when I bought it, though generally, I only buy books with black pages because I prefer them. However, black pages may not have been appropriate for this album given the wedding theme. 
This is one of my favorite photo pages in the album because Annie and Mike look like they were photographed in the olden days (little framed photo of them at the doorway of the church). Actually I have to say that Annie is easily photographed. She looks great in anything she wears really.
The key to making a good scrapbook page is to fill it with details and words and photos, but not too fill it up too much or it will look contrived and cluttered. Ugh I am distracted by the ruckus in the office hall given they are constructing or deconstructing whatever the case may be. You get the idea.
This is a nice collage of photos with two color framing one black and white photo of myself and vova (grandmother to you non-portuguese). This is a simple page, but the photos have been cut with those design scissors to make them more than simple photos, but works of art. Ok, maybe I’m biased. LOL
This is the one I am proudest of because I used two elements; first the mirrors and second the buttons inscribed with love, marriage, bride, groom, i do, and other sayings. Placing the buttons on the mirrors allowed the words and the colors of the buttons to stand out against the bland background color. I like the three different poses I chose for the cake scene as well.
This page merely shows you my first attempt at incorporating fabric, in this case ribbon, onto one of my pages. I think it sets the photos apart, which is good because they are really different aspects of the reception. and yet, the ribbon gives them some connection to one another. The jury is still out on this photo…I haven’t decided if I like it or not.
Maybe you are getting sick of these photo pages by now I have no idea, but I only have one more to show you after this one. Again here I incorporated photos, words, and a frame for an extra kick. I’ll let you assess this one on your own.
This is the last page of the book. I really like red paper I think…it shows up quite a bit in this book. Scrapbooking is easy, but back to my original point…would digital versions of a scrapbook be this unique or beautiful? LOL OK I really am biased aren’t I?
Since I wrote such a long entry last time, I thought I would keep this one shorter with just one photo of a beautiful getaway for giraffes at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. If the animals need a drink or just to get away, this is the place to do it. Gee, I wish I had one of these places near my apartment; that would be lovely.
In other news, working hard this week and trying to get several scrapbooking projects off my plate and continue with the freelance work I have started this year. I’ll have to keep you posted on my activities…a lot quicker than a month later huh? Ah San Diego is so much fun to revisit though, and I will have to have some photos of Boulder and Broomfield, CO posted as well.
Meanwhile, I will have to leave you with this oasis, so you can relax at home by your computer or on your couch if you have a laptop…just imagine the nice hot sun beating down upon you and the cool breeze of the Pacific Ocean.
An Ostrich Farm? Well, you have now. Yes this was right up the road in Encondidos from the wonderful Farm Stand, which sold…can you guess? Ostrich Jerky! LOL You heard
it here first folks. Ostrich jerky…and no I did not try any. Sorry, I was being adventurous this trip,
but not that adventurous. 
So we found this little ostrich farm on our road trip to the San Diego Zoo’s
Wild Animal Park in Encondidos (forgive my spelling). Ah but before we get into our little visit to the wild animal park, which is relatively inexpensive at $28 per person, let me share with you a wonderful set of breakfast photos…I had Chorizo con huevos this morning while the other two jokers I was with had traditional fare for the most part. LOL But as you can see One is serious, that would not be Cris, and the other is not.
If you know anything about Cris, he is hardly ever serious…even when he needs to be or should be…but what can you do…not much…he is what he is…lol does make for amusing blog photos though doesn’t it?
So back to the trip to the wild animal park. Included with the price of admission was a long train ride around the entire park from which you could take photos of the various animals in their habitats. This was relaxing more than imagined given that there were soo many kids on the little tram. While it was beautiful and I took literally hundreds of photos…my trip through the park on foot was plagued by these creatures…
Bunnies…cute little…run of the mill…bunnies…rather than taking shots of wild african or asian continent animals, I was traipsing through the park taking photos of these scatter-brained little creatures…that would appear and disappear as soon as I approached to get a closer photo. It was quite ridiculous how much time I spent photographing these bunnies that I could have photographed at home. :)) I thought you would all find that amusing at least. Meanwhile, my husband spent a great deal of time trying to photograph a different sort of animal…one that escapes photographers most of the time…
Ah he caught me from a distance…we won’t show you the close-ups he took…lets just say that I’m scowling…nevermind the fat that now resides all over me…LOL I did promise food pictures from the Hash House a Go Go didn’t I? O well, guess you will have to wait until next time for that since I did not remember to post them this time around…hmm Unless I can find the quickly before I have to get back to work. But until then let me upload this photo that my husband took…he’s quite the little artsy photographer these days.
I really liked this photo and though you would enjoy it as well. But I did find the files with the smashing and stuffing food from the Hash House…my god were we stuffed to the brim…ah but you knew that we would be for the entire trip didn’t you…when visiting other places you must sample the cuisine…particularly the landmark cuisine…
Here is the famed place in San Diego and yes if you visit you must have breakfast here at least once…expect a doggie bag…that’s for sure…you’ll see why I recommend it in a moment…
This was Shannon’s plate of food…i mean vat of food or do I mean skillet…well they called it a skillet of food, but I think it was more like a vase or a pot of food..Shannon like my brother can pack away the food, but let me tell you…this was even too much for him to finish in one sitting. I will show you my plate after I ate my fill. LOL you will laugh at this one because the plate doesn’t even look like it has been touched at all. too funny…but the food was excellent.
Now….I hope you enjoyed this little ditty because there is more to come in future days. ta-ta for now…
Here is a view of the city of San Diego from across the bay. My husband was getting all artsy in his photos this trip, not that he isn’t always that way mind you. He also has a tendency to wander off, leaving the rest of us saying, "have you seen Cris?" "No, it was your turn to watch him." LOL
Now this photo, were dubbed the twin towers of San Diego, by our friend Mary’s father. These are the cutest anecdotes when you are site seeing. I recommend having friends or friends of friends in every city. They can give you the low down on everything and they always have interesting stories. The one sad thing about this trip is that I forgot to take photos of the famous in-and-out burger. DARN IT!
Hotel del Coronado: the famous resort of the rich and famous in San Diego. Yes, we went inside, yes it was awkward, but by grace it was beautiful. These are the places you see on television and in movies that make you want to be rich and famous, just to have the lap of luxury at your feet. Note I am posting a picture of the hotel because the day we visited I saw no celebrities. :) The gift shop had oodles of expensive items to purchase, though I chose to spend my money elsewhere. LOL Kid were gaily swimming in the HEATED OUTDOOR POOLS, while their parents sat poolside bundled up in warmer jackets and long pants. Too funny. I was wearing a sweater that day as well as sneakers and socks; hence the disappointment of no photos with me stepping foot into the COLD PACIFIC OCEAN. But I did take this beauty. If you look close enough you can see a figure standing there on the edge of the ocean and you will never guess who that is. Why its Cris.
He has no idea that I took this picture I think…he will eventually when I print all the San Diego photos out, but I love the picture…reminds me of a postcard.
These are just a few tantalizing photos to whet you appetite. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Oops, almost forgot. I took this beauty as well….
Gotta Love the Pacific Ocean crashing on the rocks. Nothing like it, except maybe the Atlantic. 
Well it won’t be long now…the Woodmont Corner is coming down quickly. I have chronicled it from the beginning…yes, i have some strange sentimental attachment to it. As the company readies itself to knock down the last wall and start building condos, it signals the end of olsson’s in Bethesda, the end of Plato’s Palate, which had great food and service and was sooo inexpensive, and the end of Flanagan’s which moved and changed its name.
Here is a wide view of the back of the building…Its so sad that such a large space will soon be built up again. A yet another high rise in Bethesda, which some have said prides itself on being a close community, but how does this feel communal with all the concrete and glass on either side of the road, blocking the sun and creating wind tunnels for pedestrians. My friend Anna and I like the idea of transforming the space into a park instead, but I doubt that will happen.
Here is one final look at the remains of the building. I should be able to post some final pictures of the empty space, but that will depend on if they finish today like I think they will. Then again, I will be on vacation soon, like this evening, and I may no longer care about the eyesore they called Woodmont Corner. LOL
I will leave you with a brighter note however.
The clouds are parting and I will be headed to Denver, Colo. on a plane. WOOHOO! To see my bestest friend in the whole world and her new baby. Plan on seeing some of those photos too.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day so go out and celebrate with a pint of Guinness will you!
Posted by ampersand
| September 15th, 2004
No
time for blogging today - gotta draw, gotta go to work, blah blah blah.
So instead, here’s a piece I compiled five or six years ago, originally
as an exercise for a women’s studies class. It’s probably my most
widely-read piece; as well as floating around on the internet, it’s
been used in dozens of high school and college courses.
The Male Privilege Checklist
An Unabashed Imitation of an article by Peggy McIntosh
In 1990, Wellesley College professor Peggy McIntosh wrote an essay called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack".
McIntosh observes that whites in the U.S. are "taught to see racism
only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems
conferring dominance on my group." To illustrate these invisible
systems, McIntosh wrote a list of 26 invisible privileges whites
benefit from.
As McIntosh points out, men also tend to be
unaware of their own privileges as men. In the spirit of McIntosh’s
essay, I thought I’d compile a list similar to McIntosh’s, focusing on
the invisible privileges benefiting men.
Since I first
compiled it, the list has been posted several times on internet
discussion groups. Very helpfully, many people have suggested additions
to the checklist. More commonly, of course, critics (usually, but not
exclusively, male) have pointed out men have disadvantages too - being
drafted into the army, being expected to suppress emotions, and so on.
These are indeed bad things - but I never claimed that life for men is
all ice cream sundaes. Pointing out that men are privileged in no way
denies that sometimes bad things happen to men.
In the end,
however, it is men and not women who make the most money; men and not
women who dominate the government and the corporate boards; men and not
women who dominate virtually all of the most powerful positions of
society. And it is women and not men who suffer the most from intimate
violence and rape; who are the most likely to be poor; who are, on the
whole, given the short end of patriarchy’s stick. As Marilyn Frye has
argued, while men are harmed by patriarchy, women are oppressed by it.
Several
critics have also argued that the list somehow victimizes women. I
disagree; pointing out problems is not the same as perpetuating them.
It is not a "victimizing" position to acknowledge that injustice
exists; on the contrary, without that acknowledgement it isn’t possible
to fight injustice.
An internet acquaintance of mine once
wrote, "The first big privilege which whites, males, people in upper
economic classes, the able bodied, the straight (I think one or two of
those will cover most of us) can work to alleviate is the privilege to
be oblivious to privilege." This checklist is, I hope, a step towards
helping men to give up the "first big privilege."
The Male Privilege Checklist
1.
My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female
applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the
job, the larger the odds are skewed.
2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex - even though that might be true.
3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.
4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.
5. The odds of my encountering sexual harassment on the job are so low as to be negligible.
6.
If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all
subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.
7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are so low as to be negligible.
8. I am not taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces.
9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.
10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.
11.
If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised
for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent.
12. If I have children and pursue a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.
13.
If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I
hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the
press.
14. Chances are my elected representatives are mostly
people of my own sex. The more prestigious and powerful the elected
position, the more likely this is to be true.
15. I can be
somewhat sure that if I ask to see "the person in charge," I will face
a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person
is, the surer I can be.
16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than my sisters.
17.
As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of
children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of
my own sex. I never had to look for it; male heroes were the default.
18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often.
19.
If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative
episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.
20.
I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the
newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented, every day,
without exception.
21. If I’m careless with my financial affairs it won’t be attributed to my sex.
22. If I’m careless with my driving it won’t be attributed to my sex.
23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.
24. If I have sex with a lot of people, it won’t make me an object of contempt or derision.
25.
There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is
possible for me to choose clothing that doesn’t send any particular
message to the world.
26. My wardrobe and grooming are relatively cheap and consume little time.
27. If I buy a new car, chances are I’ll be offered a better price than a woman buying the same car.
28. If I’m not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.
29. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.
30.
I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men
without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of
violence is called "crime" and is a general social concern. (Violence
that happens mostly to women is usually called "domestic violence" or
"acquaintance rape," and is seen as a special interest issue.)
31.
I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence
will always include my sex. "All men are created equal," mailman,
chairman, freshman, he.
32. My ability to make important
decisions and my capability in general will never be questioned
depending on what time of the month it is.
33. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned if I don’t change my name.
34.
The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about
whether or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.
35.
Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own
sex. Even God, in most major religions, is usually pictured as being
male.
36. Most major religions argue that I should be the
head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient
to me.
37. If I have a wife or live-in girlfriend, chances
are we’ll divide up household chores so that she does most of the
labor, and in particular the most repetitive and unrewarding tasks.
38.
If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, chances are she’ll do
most of the childrearing, and in particular the most dirty, repetitive
and unrewarding parts of childrearing.
39. If I have
children with a wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one of us
needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we’ll
both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.
40.
Magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually
all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to
appeal to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are much rarer.
41. I am not expected to spend my entire life 20-40 pounds underweight.
42. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover.
43. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to "smile."
44. On average, I am not interrupted by women as often as women are interrupted by men.
45. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.
(Compiled
by Barry Deutsch, aka "Ampersand." Permission is granted to reproduce
this list in any way, for any purpose, so long as the acknowledgment of
Peggy McIntosh’s work is not removed. If possible, however, I’d
appreciate it if folks who use it could tell me about how they used it;
my email is barry-at-amptoons-dot-com.)
(Updated since the original posting to add some new items to the list.)
This entry was posted
by ampersand and is filed under Feminism, sexism, etc.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
You are a PHOENIX in your soul and your wings make a
statement. Huge and born of flame, they burn with light and power and
rebirth. Ashes fall from your wingtips. You are an amazingly strong
person. You survive, even flourish in adversity and hardship. A firm
believer in the phrase, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you
stronger,’ you rarely fear failure. You know that any mistake you make
will teach you more about yourself and allow you to ‘rise from the
ashes’ as a still greater being. Because of this, you rarely make the
same mistake twice, and are not among the most forgiving people. You’re
extremely powerful and wise, and are capable of fierce pride, passion,
and anger. Perhaps you’re this way because you were forced to survive a
rough childhood. Or maybe you just have a strong grasp on reality and
know that life is tough and the world is cruel, and it takes strength
and independence to survive it. And independence is your strongest
point - you may care for others, and even depend on them…but when it
comes right down to it, the only one you need is yourself. Thus you
trust your own intuition, and rely on a mind almost as brilliant as the
fire of your wings to guide you.You are eternal and because you have a
strong sense of who and what you are, no one can control your heart or
mind, or even really influence your thinking. A symbol of rebirth and
renewal, you tend to be a very spiritual person with a serious mind -
never acting immature and harboring a superior disgust of those who do.
Likewise, humanity’s stupidity and tendency to want others to solve
their problems for them frustrates you endlessly. Though you can be
stubborn, outspoken, and haughty, I admire you greatly.
Image Source: stp.ling.uu.se/ ~klasp/Boris.html
Via quizilla…
There is no more Outback steakhouse in bethesda, and there will soon be no more Woodmont corner. The shop I used to work at there is going to be history as they build yet another set of condos in the wonderful city. LOL I’m not sure that building $1 million condos in the city is helpful though, since I don’t know anyone that can afford them. It’s a bit ridiculous that housing costs are so out of control. I am waiting for the boom to slow and home values to depreciate, so maybe then I can afford some kind of shack.
Thought everyone would like to see the destruction. They have actually gotten more done in recent weeks…i was surprised. perhaps I will have time to take more photos today or tomorrow.
We’ll see about that though.
Nothing else going on here really, just working and procrastinating. I’m hoping to stay motivated long enough to get to my gym in the complex and workout, maybe get some of this fat off. LOL hibernation time is over darn it. and i need to work out the wrist to regain some flexibility and strength. wish me luck.
