Free Shit Friday - Raspberry Jam

Friday, September 28, 2012
This week has been a bit strange. I've been singularly uninterested in writing for HCDSM, mostly because I'm sick to death of politics and I've been very busy with the work for which I'm actually paid. (NG911! ICND2! UC! ZOMGWTFBBQ!) Which means I've had basically nothing for you guys.

Plus, I still don't have Megan's jam in the mail from two weeks ago. Not because I suck, but because the Parker Post Office does. When I mail things to Canada I have to stand in line for an actual clerk rather than using the Automated Postal Center, and we all know how that experience goes. Every time I go there to get the package in the mail the line is 10 deep, and let me tell you - the glaciers are receding faster than that line. I'm hoping that eventually I'll catch them in a lull.

But today! TODAY I actually have something for you! I have another pint of homemade raspberry jam for one lucky winner!

So put your name in the hat, and you might get a tasty treat in the mail. Eventually. Some day.

da Rules.

Run, Baby, Run

Monday, September 24, 2012
On Saturday I completed my very first 5K race in support of the Wounded Warrior Project in Colorado Springs. My time was 38:30, and while I realize that's not a fast time for someone my age and gender, it was a personal best for me.

My fundraising efforts resulted in a $300.00 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project, a cause near and dear to my heart. So thank you to everyone who donated to this important project, and a special thank you to the Smart Man, his Dad and Stepmother, who came out to cheer me across the finish line and act as my official photographers.

I'm pretty proud of myself. Before I started running around Memorial Day, it never, ever occurred to me that I might run in a 5K race. It never occurred to me that I would do so without stopping, and enjoy the experience. So go, me.

I'm already signed up for my next 5K - the Denver Veterans Day 5K on November 10th on the Auraria Campus downtown. Next summer, I hope to run in at least two 10K races.

Run, Janiece, run.

Boogie Blogging Friday - Chicken Legs Edition

Friday, September 21, 2012
Why are you making fun of my legs? I'm a good boy.
As much as it hurts me to admit it, Boogie the Giant Schnauzer is approaching the end of his life. He'll be eleven in November, which is quite old for a 100lb dog, and every month his mobility and strength fades a little more, and it becomes harder for him to manage his daily activities.

One of those activities is his monthly grooming appointment. He just can't stand long enough for Jaye (his fabulously patient groomer) to cut his hair the way she used to, even when I give him painkillers. So she recommended something called a "retirement cut," where they basically let him lay down and then he gets shaved the same length all over. He doesn't have to get his leg hair brushed out, he doesn't have to stand except at the very end, and Jaye said he did much better.

But we're so used to seeing him with his fuzzy legs that he looks strange to my eye, with his chicken legs and velocirapter claws.

Next week he'll be going to see his Vet to see if we can find a daily arthritis medication that will make him more comfortable. We've hesitated to do this up until now because his kidney function is less than optimal, but we think the time has come to balance that with his daily comfort and quality of life. Because taking daily walkies is still the highlight of his day.

He Ain't Heavy...He's my Brother

Thursday, September 20, 2012
When I was in the service, I was never called upon to participate in combat duty, and so never incurred a physical or psychological injury. I realize how very lucky I am in this regard, and it makes me respect my wounded brothers and sisters in arms all the more.

Which is why I'm very, very proud to be participating in my first 5K race this Saturday to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Their vision is "To foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history." A worthy goal at any time.

If you're able and inclined, please consider making a donation to this program at my fundraising page. Non sibi sed patriae.

The 47%

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I'm a member of the 47% of voters who will never, ever vote for Mitt Romney, but not for the reason he thinks.

For one thing, I pay federal taxes. In fact, the Smart Man and I paid enough in Federal taxes last year to support a family of four above the poverty line, or to kick in one tenth of one percent for a commercial farm subsidy.* So I don't think Mitt meant me when he said spoke of the
...forty-seven percent who are with him [the president], who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it – that that's an entitlement.
No, I'm not a member of the 47% referred to above. I pay my taxes and my bills, I don't feed at the public trough, and I believe that social safety nets are a net good in our community. And yet I still think Romney is an oligarchical tool with enough unearned privilege to choke poor old Seamus while he's strapped to the roof of the family vehicle.

As Doug Mataconis notes over at Outside the Beltway, Romney needs voters just like me, but he proves, every time he opens his mouth, that he holds me and mine in contempt and sees us only as a means to an end. An end he's entitled to, by the way, not one that he's earned, or one that he deserves after a lifetime of service. We should just give it to him because he's such a swell guy and the Republicans have done such a fan-tabulous job of keeping our economy on track in the past. Except for the fact that they, you know, haven't.

I suspect that if Romney is elected, we'll survive, just like we survived Bush the Lesser. But I'm sure not going to be happy about it.


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*How fucked up do farm subsidies have to be when a pinko like me agrees with The Heritage Foundation? Seriously - WTF?

Free Shit Friday Winner

Monday, September 17, 2012
Sorry for the delay, folks - this weekend was chock-full of Death Marches, flavorful fruity martinis, shopping, junk food, real food, lots of cheese, and (most importantly) visiting and laughter with my Sista from Another Mista The Mechanicky Gal.

To THE WINNER.

This week's winner of the Raspberry Jam is MEGAN, with a random number of 7. Megan, let me know if my current address for you is the one you want me to use, and I'll get over to the post office and fill out those BLASTED CUSTOM FORMS. Yes, I'm a little bitter about it.

Enjoy!

Free Shit Friday - Raspberry Jam

Friday, September 14, 2012


That's right - it's the return of Free Shit Friday! I put up a batch of raspberry jam last weekend, and there's a pint here at the Big Yellow House that might have your name on it.

da Rules.

Incoming

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Yaaaay!
Occasional commenter, long-time pal and Sista from Another Mista The Mechanicky Gal is arriving here in Colorado tonight for our Fall visit. I was supposed to go to San Diego, but we thought my new job in the Military Industrial Complex was going to preclude my taking time off, so she decided to come here. As it turns out, I'll be able to take tomorrow off after all, so there will be spa treatments, hilarity and junk food in our future.

I think we're going to try and get to the gym while she's here - you know, to assuage our guilt from eating Oreos, Tostitos and queso. Plus I have the Spartyka Wounded Warrior Project 5K in 10 days, and I'd rather not fall out half-way through because I was being a lazy-butt instead of being industrious. 

YAAAY!

The Battleground

Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The other day I saw a commercial for the Green Party's Presidential ticket, being headed up by Dr. Jill Stein. The money quote: "What we don't need is pandering, irresponsible bullshit that passes as campaigning." This made me suspect Dr. Stein of having a sense of humor. I then subsequently heard her being interviewed by Bill Moyers on Moyers & Company, and liked what she had to say as it relates to our current political situation.

The older I get, the more I despair of our two party system. In my heart, I know it's corrupt and ineffective to the point of being moribund (unless you're a member of the 1%). But I continue to work at being an informed citizen, and exercising my franchise in the most responsible way I can, in spite of my cynicism.

Because it matters, especially here in Colorado, which is considered a battleground state by both parties. The battleground states will (as always) decide this election, and although I always vote in every election no matter what, doing so now, at this time, makes a larger difference than in previous years.

Which is why I find it agonizing that I like Dr. Scott so much. As I've said before, the only way I'd vote for the Republican ticket at this point is if I had a brain tumor - their platform scares the crap out of me. And while I don't think the Dems are all that and a bag of chips, either, at least they have some concern about letting kids go to bed hungry or people dying of treatable disease.

So I can either vote for the Green Party and deprive the Democrats of my vote, which would do nothing but help the Republicans, or I can hold my nose and vote for the Democrats, thus perpetuating the system that I abhor.

If I thought the Green Party had any hope of defeating the Republicans, I'd vote for them in a second. But they don't. They just don't. So my primary motivation for voting the way I will in November has to do with keeping the Republicans out rather than keeping the Democrats in. Is it any wonder I'm a cynic?

Misogyny and Activism

Tuesday, September 11, 2012
I consider myself a feminist. I've worked in a male dominated field my entire adult life, and have tried to "fight the good fight" in terms of trying to be a good role model for other women who want to serve in the military or work in engineering. I've not always been successful but I try, and if I get tired sometimes, I can fall back, regroup and live to fight another day.

Which is why I find the current trend of violent threats towards feminist women in Atheism really, really disturbing. The behavior is so egregious, so beyond the pale, that women are choosing not to regroup and live to fight another day.

Over the last year, feminist women who are active in the Atheist/Skeptical movement have attempted to speak out about a couple of things that concern them - primarily the inclusion of more women in the movement, and a drive to change the culture of Atheist/Skeptical get-togethers so that sexual harassment isn't tolerated. These sound like reasonable things to be concerned about, if you're a woman who cares about Atheism and/or Skepticism, and I applaud them for attempting to make a positive change in their community.

But I have been appalled by the backlash. And I mean truly appalled, not appalled in a hyperbolic sense like when someone wears a baseball hat to a live theater event.

Women who have chosen to speak up, who have asked that Atheist and Skeptical men treat them with respect and dignity, who have asked Conferences to put harassment policies in place for everyone's protection, have been repeatedly, unmercifully harassed with threats of rape, violent retaliation, and death.

No, I'm not making that up.

I'm not particularly active in the feminist/Atheist blogosphere. Because I consider religious belief (or a lack thereof) to be a private matter, I'm not inclined to be an activist of any kind as it relates to Atheism. I don't particularly care for "Atheist Assholes," (*cough*Richard Dawkins*cough*) and I don't want to be one or hang out with them. So I avoid Atheism as a movement, because movements don't really get to pick and choose who comes along for the ride.

But at this point, I bet they wish they could.

There are plenty of Atheist and Skeptical men out there who find this behavior abhorrent. SkepChick ran a whole series of guest posts entitled "Speaking Out Against Hate Directed at Women," and the men who wrote them appear to be decent men and strong allies of women. But those who feel that it's okay to talk about raping women in order to silence their activism? Wow.

Even in my years of military service where sexual harassment and other forms of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) were the norm rather than the exception, I never had a male shipmate explicitly threaten me with rape, torture or death because I insisted on being treated with dignity and respect. It's true that oftentimes they would fail to change their behavior, but no one ever went this far in my personal experience.

So congratulations, male online Atheist community - your culture is now officially more misogynist than the U.S. Navy's in the pre-tailhook era. Awesome. Your mom must be so proud.
___________

ETA: This is an excellent article by io9 on sexism in in Geekdom where the Skeptics/Atheists come out looking pretty crappy compared to other communities. The money quote: "One of the main differences between the Readercon and TAM communities is the public positions their most famous members have taken. In the science fiction community, prominent authors have spoken out against sexism and harassment. In the atheism community, prominent thinkers like Dawkins have effectively spoken out in favor of belittling people who believe there is sexism among skeptics." Just so. As my buddy Rachael notes, WorldCon holds far more interest for me now than TAM ever will.

The Credible Complaining of Hypocrites

Monday, September 10, 2012
We're all hypocrites. No, no, let's be honest, here. Everyone has something they're hypocritical about. Some people don't care, some people are embarrassed by it and try to do better, and some people try and guard against it proactively. But I think it's safe to say that it's true of everyone occasionally.

But I think we can all agree that some instances of hypocrisy are more egregious than others. And when a particularly horrifying example occurs, it makes me that much more unlikely to listen to the hypocrite's complaints, whether they have a valid point or not. For example:

  1. If you're a farmer that accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars in subsidies, I'm not at all interested in your opinion of "big government," "excessive spending," or "the welfare state." I myself believe that subsidizing U.S. farms may have some value in terms of our national security, but you have no credibility when you bitch about "Welfare Queens" out of one side of your mouth while feeding at the public trough out of the other. Actually, this applies equally to anyone who feeds at the public trough, not just farmers. You're not special, honeybunch - if you deserve a little help from the government, you shouldn't be acting all judgey about others who need it, too.
  2. If you're a senior citizen who makes their way in part with Medicare, I don't want to hear about "socialism," especially as it relates to medical care. Because really, how come it's okay for you to receive care at taxpayer expense, but it's not okay for some poor dude to ensure his kid gets treatment for her leukemia from the same pool of money?
  3. If you complain about your antagonists' manners, accusing them of lying, playing dirty, or attacking "off-limits" targets, you best look to your own house for similar behavior before you open your mouth.
I'm seriously considering taking out my eye with a spork as an avoidance strategy at this point. Because really - the bad behavior never ends, and is completely non-partisan. LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

2012 Flower Pr0n - Wildflower Editions

Sunday, September 9, 2012


Chicon 7 - NonCon Activities

Saturday, September 8, 2012
We did do a few other things while we were in Chicago beside Con activities. Chicago is a pretty amazing city, after all.


Thursday night was Wendy's Wake at WorldCon, which was held at Ron of Japan's. Nine UCFers and assorted partners, spouses and friends gathered to remember our friend, and drink a toast in her honor. We miss you, Wendy.


The Smart Man and I also found time to visit the Museum of Science and Industry, where they had a captured U-Boat on display. Aside from the military significance of this feat, I found the logistical challenge of moving this boat from the Gulf to Chicago to be simply astounding.


Most of the rest of our non-Con activities revolved around food (of course). We found time for some Chicago style pizza, the Smart Man escorted me and my three Sister Wives to the Sweetwater Grille one night for dinner, and we celebrated the Amazing Jeri's birthday with brunch.

But our friend Sarah scored the biggest coup during Chicon 7 - she had a birthday party on Friday in her room, and Elizabeth Moon dropped in for a visit when she heard us discussing her Military in SF panel. Awesome.

Breaking Up via Text

Friday, September 7, 2012


Usually I'm not a Steve Harvey fan, as I find his relationship advice to be somewhat manipulative. But one thing he nails is that people deserve a minimum amount of respect, and I simply love how he schools this dude who wants to indulge in cowardly behavior to the contrary.

Chicon 7 - The Panels

We attended a number of interesting sounding panels while we were in Chicago, so I'm only going to talk about my favorites. Otherwise we'll be here all day, and I have other fish to fry this week.


One of my favorites was a "Military in SF" panel which was held in conjunction with a DragonCon panel via video. It was facilitated on our end by my favorite moderator of all time, Elizabeth Moon. The discussion included commentary about how authors should pay respectful attention to things like Murphy's Law, logistics, and the utter and soul-crushing boredom that comprises much of military life. Other revelations for aspiring military SF writers: Jargon matters to those with background, so make sure you get it right. Also: Marines have a tendency to shoot back.



This was taken during George R.R. Martin's reading. He's a funny guy, and he also has the patience of a saint. When some idjit in the audience asked him if a certain character was going to die (the Imp, for those that read TSI&F), he responded courteously as opposed to otherwise, which is probably what I would have done. We also attended Patrick Rothfuss' reading, who is a gracious and kind man, and also much funnier than his books would imply.



This is Sy Liebergot, a retired NASA Flight Director from the Apollo era. I attended a number of his talks, including the one on ethics in engineering,* the analysis of the Apollo 13 failure, and problem solving and teamwork. It was fascinating to listen to his memories of the events of that crisis, and how the culture of the Apollo era NASA was dedicated to problem solving and working with integrity.

_____________
* In a nutshell: 1. Tell the truth, no matter what. 2. Document the truth as you see it, no matter what. 3. If you know the truth, refuse to sit down and shut up, even when told to do so.

Summer Reading Program Winners

Thursday, September 6, 2012
The 2nd Annual Hot Chicks and Smart Men Dig Reading Summer Reading Program in Honor of Debbie Faught is over! Due to your diligent efforts, I've been forced to donate $226.00 to my awesome local library!


I'm sure they appreciate your efforts as much as I do, and this year I donated $6.00 more than last year. So, yay, us!

And now the WINNERS, determined by a Random Number Generator. I think the winners reflect the diversity of both my readers and their reading material.

Vince, who read The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Beachy Fran, who read Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts.
TallrthanU, who read Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.
Winners, please contact me at (hotchicksdigsmartmen at comcast dot net) with the e:mail address where you'd like your Amazon Gift Card sent.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and we'll see you next year!

Chicon 7 - The Costuming

Once we realized that a significant number of the UCF would be in attendance at Chicon 7, one of the things we wanted to do was to have some fun with our clothes. It's not often that we get a chance to dress in nerd-appropriate attire in an atmosphere where the people in attendance actually understand what we're going for, so we totally wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Day 1 - Declaring Our Affiliation


These T-shirts were made for us by UCFer NeuronDoc, who wanted us to declare our affiliation early in the Con. For those who need glasses (or are old), the caption reads "Trollopalooza 2012 at Chicon 7" with the UCF Logo below. NeuronDoc's kind of the bomb.

Day 2 - A Corsetry of Trollops


The archaeologist, the Dirigible Driver, The Socialite, the Suffragette, and the Maverick. How predictable that I should be the Maverick. Or oxymoronic. One of the two.

Day 3 -  Firefly




Inara, Zoë and Saffron. This was my favorite costume of mine, as Zoë suits me both professionally and personally.

Day 4 - Bits and Pieces




This costume was basically just an excuse to wear this awesome blouse (which I've been informed is called a "corset blouse"). I didn't get a photo with my fellow trollops because my ankles were starting to hurt by the third day of wearing my awesome Fluevog Hudsons all day, so I wimped out and changed early. 

Tomorrow: Panels!

Words for Wednesday

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Chicon 7

So we're back from the 2012 WorldCon, and everything went swimmingly. I intend to do some more detailed posts, but for right now - awesome company, awesome convention, awesome city. Also: I'm Zoë! Go, me!

Back to the Grind, in More Ways than One

I'm back to work today, and in my first conversation with my colleague this morning, he said, "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're back." It's the curse and the blessing of working in a small team, I expect, but it did give me pause.

I'm also back to the gym this morning, as I've gained a little weight in the last several months, and it's time to get rid of that and a few more besides. With my current travel schedule and the gym closing during my week at home, I've been a bit lackadaisical as it relates to my strength training. That won't do, so it's time to get back to it. Once the Fannie May candy's gone, I mean.

The End of Summer

I'm closing the comments today for the Hot Chicks and Smart Men Dig Reading Summer Reading Program in Honor of Debbie Faught. I'll be announcing the winners and such shortly. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Speaking of Travel

I'll be in Oregon at the beginning of next week, but I'll be home in time for The Mechanicky Gal to come to town for our regularly scheduled semi-annual drunkenness, debauchery and shopping. Applications are now being taken for Minions.

In Memoriam

Monday, September 3, 2012
A Wee Grave

I've been noticing this wee grave in the open space near my house where Boogie goes on walks for the last several weeks. The flowers are in a glass vase buried in the ground and supported by the landscaping stones.

The flowers are real, and always reasonably fresh. I can't decide if this obvious devotion to a family pet makes me happy or sad.

2012 Flower Pron - Wildflower Edition

Sunday, September 2, 2012