Collected Thoughts

 Went to the knitting club tonight and learned how to knit! And then I came home and was trying to practice and the needle slid out of the loops and when I was trying to put it back in I accidentally started to unravel everything.

Sigh. Well I cast on more stitches but I'm having trouble with getting the first row so.... back to crochet. I'll struggle with this for a while longer and then go to the yarn shop for some more help.

Holding two needles does not feel natural and I struggled trying to keep them held properly and the yarn. There's so much stuff to hold! There was another crocheter there (although she was working on a knitting project) and she said crocheting felt more natural to her as well. 

Methos is going to be a doctor. Okay Peter Wingfield is.  He lives in Burlington and he's attending UVM Medical school http://www.7dvt.com/2011peter-wingfield 

I have medication! It was very easy. I was the first person at the urgent care. They were very nice and the doctor did express a tiny bit of concern over the high dose of Seroquel but I told him all my blood work was fine and that I knew it was high and once I got a shrink I was going to talk about reducing it. He started to give me info about counselors and shrinks but I told him I had that covered.

Then I went to the farmer's market and got some great chicken and potatoes and rice and beans. And empanadas. T, who makes this lovely food, also makes a garlicy sauce for the empanadas that is out of this world.  She said if I called her middle of the week and could come by Saturday she'd make me a batch special. I forgot to ask how long it lasts but I could it straight. I'm having a hard time eating because Dean is circling me like shark. Seriously, I'm at the computer eating and he keeps jumping on the computer. I knock him off. He jumps up on the window and tries to casually get in my lap. I know he wants the chicken which will just make him sick. He just wants a crumb.


The farmer's market had winter squash and these adorable pie pumpkins. I need to go get my knives sharpened and find a pumpkiny recipe because I want one of those cute little pumpkins to eat! And little fingerling potatoes and turnips. And apples. I bought a bag of young apples at the grocery not realizing I'd get some at the farmer's market. 

I'm realizing I'm more excited about fall/winter produce than I am about spring stuff. Maybe after a real winter I'll feel different. I love squash and asparagus and next year I'm trying fiddle heads. And all that. But there's something about pumpkins and acorn squash and other winter squashes and dark leafy greens - kale, collards, etc. 

I don't know anyone in Missouri and I'm not sure what anyone who might live there can do -- write letters? Demand resignations? Something.

This story is just so maddening.  A middle school girl (with special needs) was sexually assualted, harassed, and then raped by a classmate in 2008-2009. They didn't believe her and she "recanted". The school officials, without her mother's knowledge, made her write an apology letter. They then expelled her from school and referred her to authorities for making a "false report".

She returned to school in 2009-2010. The same boy continued his harassment and attacks and she didn't say anything. Until she was raped AGAIN. The school officials didn't believe her. Again. Her mother took her to authorities this time, there was an investigation there was DNA evidence that proved she was raped by this boy. The boy was charged and pled guilty.

The girl's mother is suing the school for not protecting her daughter.

The school is fighting back and saying that this lawsuit is frivolous.

AND that "The girl failed and neglected to use reasonable means to protect her self, the response says. Any damages the girl may have sustained, “were as a result of the negligence, carelessness, or conduct of third parties over whom the District Defendants had neither control nor the right to control,” according to the school district response."

So the school is claiming that they had NO CONTROL and NO RIGHT to CONTROL the student who attacked this girl.

They seemed fine with finding a way to control her - forcing her to apologize, putting her in harms way. 

The story is here http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110816/NEWS12/110816008/Lawsuit-filed-against-Republic-School-District-over-rape-claim

The comments are, actually, fairly sane. The last time I looked there was no blame the victim.


That's all from the newspaper article.

If you read the complaint you find out the girl was interrogated without her mother present. That when she returned to school her mother asked for protection and monitoring and was denied. The male student dragged her to the back of a library and raped her there.

The school suspended her after the second attack for "Disrespectful Conduct and Public Display of Affection"

TTwo of the school officials - the principal and the school counselor -- named in the suit are women. I know being a woman doesn't make a person do the right thing when it comes to rape and sexual assault but despite that I hold women to a higher standard.

I also know the response is in legal jargon and they have to make claims in response to a suit but still.

A female student was raped twice and blamed and punished twice by a school. Everyone named in the suit should be fired. Actually I think they should all admit they were wrong and quit but I know that won't happen.

By the way - the school district that banned Slaughterhouse 5-- this is a school in that district.

The book (along with 2 others) were banned when a man with no children in the school district complained they "contradicted the Bible."

The school district is able to "protect" students from words and ideas from a complaint made by a man with no ties to the school.

And yet they have "no control nor any right to control" a student at one of their schools.

I keep thinking about this.

It really pisses me off the way the whole thing is handled. Not just the policy itself but the deletions and no responses. But especially the attitude that only using your real name is legitimate.

At this point I don't think I want a G+ account even if Google changes their policy. I'm beginning to think I don't want to give Google anymore of my business.


I also keep thinking do these people who think Real Names and Transparency equal honesty and niceness really believe that? Do they really believe that if everyone had to use some kind of Internet Passport and show their real information that suddenly people would be nice?

It doesn't happen with in person interactions. If it did, if seeing someone's face or knowing their name meant everyone was nice and civil and polite we wouldn't have bullying, harassment, stalking, people being rude.

Also in physical interactions and real world situations we don't give up the kind of information that Real Name Only people want us to give up. People don't tell everyone they meet their Real Legal Name, Spouse's Legal Name, children's names, where they live, where they work, where they went to school, etc and so on.

Unless it's a situation where there's a work badge everyday people go to gyms, clubs, bars, restaurants, concerts, movies, classes, workshops, etc and don't show their Real Name.

If it suddenly became a requirement that everyone had to WEAR their names EVERYWHERE I'm pretty sure a bunch of these Real Name Only people would flip out.

How many people interact on a daily basis and don't know each others names?

Some people may say well it's different, Real Life is different. But different how? There's no requirement that anyone tell the truth. Just because you are physically near someone when an interaction takes place doesn't mean it's going to be transparent or civil.

I did not know Sandy. I never met her or emailed her, never communicated with her (as far as I know). But she still touched my life through fic, vidding and her contributions. Some of the websites and projects she maintained or were a part of certainly shaped my fannish activities and tastes.

Everytime I hear Country Song by Seether I think about Supernatural and think it would make a good vid.

It also makes me want to go watch a bunch of Angel/Lindsey vids, so I guess I think it would work for that.


I mean, I only have a vague idea of how I'd make it work, since I'm not a vidder, but the music and the lyrics just put me in that mindset.

Dad is coming to visit on Thursday! He's in Maine right now. I have a lot to do to get things ready and I'm not really motivated with the heat (it's like 85F outside and I have no a/c). I forgot to open the windows last night when it got cool so I wasn't able to trap cool air in the house.

I really need to get things done.

So there's a discussion going on Plus about real names it can be found here https://plus.google.com/106318111152683661692/posts/3UKv9qqT9mh

I can't participate because I don't have an account but it seems that a lot of people are saying real names only and implying or flat out stating that using a psued is bad, means you have something to hide, or are only using it so you can harass people and be uncivil.

I wanted to make sure that people know what's going on.

I saw this article linked http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/7/8/google-starts-account-cull-google/ it's talking about people using their Second Life names for accounts on Google+. The accounts are being cancelled because they violate community standards.

"After reviewing your profile," a message from Google reads, "we determined that the name you provided violates our community standards."

This seems to be the community standard they are referring to "The problem, it appears, can be found buried in Google's Community Standards document which is implicitly agreed to when a Google Account is created. 'Your profile should represent you', the document states. 'We don't allow impersonation of others or other behavior that is misleading or intended to be misleading.

To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles,' the document continues, 'use the name your friends, family, or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of these would be acceptable."

The article only deals with Second Life avatar names but I'm sure that people using fannish psueds would be considered violating the standards as well.

I don't have a Google+ account but I thought everyone should know this.