The full title is Surface Tension: Love, Sex, and Politics Between Lesbians and Straight Women, edited by Meg Daly. I picked it up a couple of months ago at the library book sale, and, like all the books I get there, I didn't actually read it until much later (though this is still better than the dozens of books I've bought there and never read at all).

( My review )

P.S. When I started this entry, it was beginning to get dark outside of my window, and I wondered, "Is it almost time for dinner?" But no, it was only 3:30 p.m. D:

I stayed up until 1:00 last night finishing the book, and then discussing it with kyonkun. *iz ded*

( Spoilers under cut and probably in comments as well )

Hello again, f-list. *starts catching up*

This weekend I got to hang out with kyonkun, which was nice because our schedules have clashed and we haven't really hung out much since I got back from London. ( Harry Potter and shopping )

And now for some game blather. XD ( Hunter and Warmakers )

Today I finished Jose Saramago's Blindness, a book that lilisin sent to me months ago for my birthday. ( Book review )

Oh, and tonight I might actually get started on that London recap I keep promising. :P

One of my Christmas gifts from ratzeo was Body Outlaws, published by the woman-friendly Seal Press. It's a collection of essays by women attempting to rewrite body image outside of conventional beauty standards - and not just white, middle-class, straight women, but women who experience all forms of oppression, including racism.

The first essay is "My Brown Face," by Mira Jacob, an Indian-American woman who constantly finds herself fetishized by white men. Most women of color are familiar with this experience - the 'positive' counterpart of racist degradation - when men tell you how 'beautiful' and 'exotic' you are. This can be accomplished either through ebullient and chivalrous praise, or through crude and fetishistic verbal harassment; Jacob describes instances of both. These anecdotes are presented as contained sections of the essay, without direct commentary - and yet her indignation and disgust towards her 'suitors' is palpable.

I love this essay for the clarity and energy of the writing, the juxtaposition of caustic anger and humor, but also for the personal nuances that Jacobs provides, which are so gratifying to read because they echo my own experience. Very few voices from women of color are heard in the mainstream conversation on body image - one of the reasons I asked ratzeo for this book, in fact - and it was comforting to read things that were familiar to me, but so often overlooked by standard (white) analyses.

( more )

x-posted on Shrub.com

I made it safely home to my parents'. The train ride was uneventful, as usual, and during the trip kyonkun lent me her DS and let me start Phoenix Wright. Since then (Thursday), I've been playing pretty non-stop and have gotten through half of the fourth case. It's so much fun. XD And so slashy. XD;;

Time not spent either with Phoenix (my new favorite dweeb :D) or my family has been spent reading -- for fun. How joyous! At the moment I am just over a third of the way through Anything We Love Can Be Saved, a collection of essays by Alice Walker. ( more on that ... )

In other reading news, I've finished the first six collections of Runaways, which is now my favorite work by Brian K. Vaughan. As part-superhero saga, part-teen adventure, it appeals to my love of both traditional Western comics and shounen manga. As the least overtly political of his titles, it does the best job of conveying his political beliefs without beating us over the head with them. As ratzeo (whom I borrowed the books from) and I've discussed, this makes his beliefs more convincing, in a show-rather-than-tell kind of way.

I'm also 22 now. Thanks to everyone who gave me birthday wishes, birthday gifts, and/or attended my birthday dinner. ^_^

And alas, I'm on a dial-up connection here (14.4kps, WOEZ), so this may be the last you hear from me until I get back to Seattle on the 30th. I'm trying to keep up with email and LJ, but it'll be a test of my patience. I may just give up on the Internet and go back to Phoenix Wright. XD;;

Stolen from Ragnell:

( Book meme! )

Some highlights from what I've been reading this week:

-From Shrub.com, a post on Octavia Butler, notable primarily because it provides links to some of her stories and other writing. One of the links is to "Amnesty," a story I read last quarter for my sci-fi class - great stuff.

-Biting Beaver clarifies the statement that rape is about power, not sex. At the same time, she illuminates the connections that exist between sex and rape, while explaining why it would be hard to explain the concept to the population at large.

The rest of these links may make you want to kill things. They did for me. (Thanks to ratzeo for putting temporary moratorium on my angry ranting so my blood pressure didn't hit the roof.)

-In case anyone's forgotten that homophobia kills, Pandagon gives us a news story that refreshes our memories. The state of our country's law enforcement, people.

-We treat rape victims with the respect they deserve, right? Especially in court. Women only have to watch the video recording of the rape or risk jail time. The judge has since backed down - more likely from outside pressure than the realization that he's a fuckwit - but what does it say about us that this issue was even raised? (From Feministe.)

-Clearly inspired by the moral righteousness of the South Dakota abortion ban, Utah wants to enforce parental notification even in cases of incest. Because a father deserves to know if his daughter is having an abortion - even if he's also the father of the baby. "Abortion isn't about women's rights," says Republican Senator Chris Buttars. There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. (Another one from Pandagon.)

-In light of the disgusting anti-abortion legislation that seems to be popping up everywhere, the information for women in South Dakota from Molly Saves the Day ought to be shared again. It's frightening and horrifying - but no more frightening or horrifying than what's going on in South Dakota, Utah, Mississippi, and god only knows where else.

*sigh* As ginmar put it so aptly: I swear, some days I feel like a proctologist with an overbooked schedule. Too many fucking assholes and not enough suppositories.

Last night kyonkun and I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha. I was pretty hesitant about this movie for a couple of reasons -- first, it's an adaptation of a book, a book that I really liked. Then there's the mishmash of ethnicities -- the three main female characters are played by Chinese women, and the director, producer, screenwriter, and even composer are all non-Japanese (and white, as far as I know). Overall, though, it was pretty good.

( There's always a 'but' ... )

I just finished reading Kushiel's Avatar, the final book in Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy trilogy, and damn. Damn, damn, damn. I want to write like that -- to have plots of tremendous scope and sensuously evocative imagery and, most of all, to write characters that complex and affecting and memorable. And the romance -- my goodness, a romance that includes actual and believable obstacles, overcome in an actual and believable way? Bestill my heart!

If you haven't read it, do. I own the trilogy, and am happy to lend it out. I don't think there's anyone I know who wouldn't like it -- primarily because the type of fantasy it is (destined/religious quest with a liberal helping of court intrigue) is normally not one I enjoy. It won me over anyway. The basis of the story is a reworked history of Europe (and eventually some of Asia and Africa), such that each nation in Carey's world bears a name, culture, and politics based on actual history. It could've been kitschy, but instead it works well, and I think the European history buffs among my friends would have a good time with it. The main character herself, Phedre, is an adept (prostitute -- think Firefly's Companions) with the divinely granted ability to take pleasure in pain. (At least, that's what the book says -- it also encompasses domination and cruelty. She's really more of a masochist/submissive combination.) This aspect, too, could have been done really poorly, but it isn't. It's not raunchy, not demeaning, not even extraneous to the plot. (A rarity if ever there was one.)

Now I have to recover before I can start a new book. :P But I can rest easy in the knowledge that there's a follow-up book, centering on a secondary character (saying who it is would be a spoiler), coming out in June. Squee. XD

Also, merry early Christmas to everyone who celebrates!

Also, GIP.

Also, I'm legal now. :D When people are back in Seattle, perhaps once the quarter has started, I'd like to do (another) group dinner, this time somewhere I can make use of my twenty-one-ness and legally buy a drink. XD

HALFWAY THROUGH FRIDAY HALFWAY THROUGH FRIDAY WHEE WHEE WHEE

See, it's things like this that will make my co-workers think I'm happy to leave here. And I'm not, really -- everyone's friendly here, and it's a nice job, and the only thing I don't like is the customers. (But who doesn't hate customers, hey? XD;;;) But I'm not sure how to convey "yes, I'm happy, but not about leaving, it's just that I'm looking forward to Tuesday, so coincidental timing, you see, though actually I'm glad that I won't be working that day and so yes, I'm glad to leave, but ..." in a clear and concise fashion. For the moment, I'm just saying goodbye to people and trying to keep my mad grin to myself.

I petted a kitty this morning. :D A little black fellow, tiny but with a big fluffy tail, was crouching next to the sidewalk as I made my way to the bus stop. I called him over, and he came at me with that "running self-petting" motion cats seem to like (run by and rub side of head against human hand). I could only stay for a minute because I was running late (as per usual), but he was sweet.

( Cut for book talk )

Okay, so the essay on chivalry in Finding Serenity? Did anyone else find that to be an overblown piece of reactionary tripe? I mean, honestly, I couldn't find much in the way of a point, and what I *did* find consisted of, "Men who aren't classically chivalrous are unmanly," and "Giving respect to whores is funny." There was also the "Wah, poor Christianity," as well as the implication that Buffy and Angel were nice pats on the head to the silly little people who don't like sexism or racism, but admittedly those were minor points.

I was particularly impressed by the so-called description of the plot of "War Stories." Wash, just to be clear, was not heroically inserting himself into Zoe's role to save her from danger. Mal only let him tag along because this particular drop-off was a "milk run." Also, though he is certainly concerned with Zoe's safety, Wash's motivations in this particular instance were not courageous, but jealous and petty. (Which is not to say I don't find them believable and sympathetic!) He did yell at Mal for (potentially) putting his wife into such a dangerous situation, but it was an issue of "How dare you risk this person whom I love" rather than "How dare you risk a woman, you unchivalrous person you."

And yes, the episode was indeed constructed to show that there was "something wrong with a husband trying to safeguard his own wife" -- or rather, with *this* husband wanting to protect *this* wife in *this* way. Wash's move was *stupid.* Zoe is the soldier; she is the one who should go along with the captain. Wash is the pilot; he is the one who should stay on the ship, and be ready to fly them out of there. It's not a husband/wife thing, or a man/woman thing. Were this situation about, say, Mal and Inara, it would make perfect sense for Mal to take the physical risk. It's all about whose strengths are where.

On the whole, though, I'm loving the book so far. "Firefly vs. The Tick" in particular had much funny, and I loved the examination of Wash and Zoe's marriage. I also appreciated the sex therapist's look at the historical tradition behind Companions -- I've actually read a similar history about the "holy whore" in Whores and Other Feminists. (Is it just me, or am I attracting material on sex work? Granted, I sought out the books on sex worker feminisms, but then there was Firefly. And last week I started reading Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart, wherein the heroine is pretty much a professional sub. Hm.)

I decided this weekend on a new tactic for combating my inability to get any writing done -- namely, setting aside a half hour, roughly 8:00 to 8:30, to work on my revisions. It's worked so far -- admittedly, I've only been doing it for three days, but hey, it's all about setting a routine to follow. :P The technique thwarts my usual laziness, because I can't put off my writing until "later." It accounts for my perfectionism, because I don't have to make the story perfect (a prospect which will render me instantly paralyzed with lack of self-confidence); I just have to work, for half an hour, on improving it bit by bit. Thus far, I have finished the revision of the story I submitted to the girls a couple of weeks ago (or, at least, have messed with it to the point where I can't mess with it anymore). Tonight I started on my last story, from May, and I've done some set-up to include more detailed/unique fantasy elements, which I developed a little in my set of drabbles.

Good stuff. And now I want to babble about the books I've been reading since my last post.

( Interactive clicky list brought to you by Amazon.com )

Finished the book today.

( Scattered thoughts and spoilerific opinions )

My Fourth of July weekend was lovely. Went home with kyonkun and Michio, spent time with the parents (making up for the fact that last time I saw them, I was half-delirious with The Sickness and provided little in the way of engaging conversation). As is tradition when we go home, my mom took us shopping for clothes. >_> (I will not complain, though, because my mother has an uncanny ability to find exactly what I want. Because apparently, as I am approaching 21 years of age, I still cannot dress myself.)

Sunday night, we celebrated the birth of our country by blowing up a small part of it. (Points if you get the Simpsons reference. :D) Doing the whole fireworks thing one day early was actually good, as we didn't have to compete for sky space with the rest of the neighborhood.

I thought I'd give some mini-reviews of the books I've read so far this summer, since I've gone through some pretty good stuff. And also, that's about all I've done that's of any interest. XD

( Books! )

Any of these books are, of course, available for borrowing by whoever is interested!