In Tribute

"Live without fear."

This is the tattoo I got in tribute to my beloved daughter Moe. Our family motto is "Live without fear," and a number of us ladies were planning on getting tattoos with that motto. Prior to her death, she had decided on getting the motto in Circular Gallifreyan, as a fine juxtaposition of both her status as a geek-girl and a member of our family.

After her death, I decided that I wanted to include her design in my own, a stylized Phoenix, and this is the design I selected.

The Circular Gallifreyan was conceptualized by my daughter, the Phoenix was drawn by my Amazing Auntie Kris, the flames were designed by Dree Lovato, and the integrated design received an assist from Paige at New Life Arts. The tattoo artist is Dree Lovato of The Addiction in Aurora, Colorado.

Link Me Up, Scotty

A Mighty Girl collects photographs of Mighty Girls and their kick-ass costumes. My favorites were the glycoaldehyde molecule and the pteranodon.
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This story on the Boston Police Department Bomb Squad during the Boston Marathon bombings redefines having a bad day. I have enormous respect for those men and women who choose to work in EOD. Their jobs are the definition of "workplace tension."
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The WHO has confirmed a polio outbreak in war-torn Syria. Because vaccinations are outdated for these old-fashioned diseases! And they cause autism! And I won't expose my PRECIOUS CHILD to the manipulations of Big Pharma! AMIRITE?
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Video of the Week: Remember that "Where the Hell is Matt" guy? Yeah, he did another video last year, and I totally missed it! His work puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

Miscellaneous Monday - New Beginnings Edition

And So We Begin Again

We're approaching the end of the Worst Year Ever here at Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men, and one of the side effects of the various crises and health issues has been Significant Weight Gain due to emotional eating and a lack of physical activity. So right after Hallowe'en, I shall begin again on an "eat less, move more" program to drop the poundage. I've been cleared to resume running by my doctor, and have begun the process of reconditioning in preparation for this effort. I'm giving myself six months to reach my goal, because in May 2014 the Smart Man, my Hot MIL and her traveling companion will be heading Northwest for an Alaskan Cruise. One of my strategies for managing my grief is to begin structuring my life around attainable goals and desirable milestones, trying to find my "new normal."

Note: I kind of hate my new normal, but it's what I've got, so I'm trying to work with it.

Once More, Into the Breach

The breach of new employment, that is. I've decided to leave my position in the Military Industrial Complex in favor of an opportunity that will allow me to return to work in the Enterprise Contact Center space. While I've enjoyed learning the ins and outs of Next Generation 9-1-1 technologies, I feel my previous role was a better fit for me from both a skills and temperament perspective. I start the new gig on November 18th, and I'm optimistic about the change. I'll miss my colleagues in the Military Industrial Complex, though. They could not have been more supportive during the Worst Year Ever, and I'll always be grateful for that.

The Holidays Approacheth

The holidays are coming, and I have to admit I'm at a loss as to how to manage them. I'm prone to holiday depression in any event, and this year, I suspect my state of mind will be more than a little compromised. I've considered ignoring them entirely in an effort to just get through them, I've considered volunteering, I've considered surrounding myself with family, etc., and none of those options sound bearable. What I really want to do is jump my ass straight to January. But I'm forced to live in the land of reality so I need to come up with an alternative plan. I hear Aruba's nice this time of year.

Link Me Up, Scotty - Feminism and Goats Edition

This geek dad is proud of his geek girls, and hopes for a better reception for them in the fan world. I hope so, too, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Goats on cliffs. Evolution creates some crazy skills, yo.
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Men who insist you change your name make terrible husbands. Indeed. This has long been my thought, although I didn't have the courage to live my opinion until after I'd reluctantly changed my name due to marriage not once, but twice. Yes, I'm a slow learner. No, I'll never change my name again.

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Video of the Week: A spontaneous performance of an Icelandic Hymn in a German train station by the indie-folk group Árstíðir. Bonus: Their albums are pretty fabulous, as well.

Cosplay Conversations

*** Janiece and the Smart Man pull up to the Big Yellow House Friday evening ***

Smart Man: There's a package on the front porch.

Janiece: I"ll get it.

Smart Man: What did you get?

Janiece: A head.

Smart Man: Wait, what?

Janiece: A head.

Smart Man: Hehe. I'm twelve!

Janiece: A HEAD. Kasabian's HEAD.

Smart Man: Hehe. I'm still twelve!

Janiece: Sigh.

The Weekly List - Life Lessons (The Short Version)

1. Never pass up an opportunity to admire a kid wearing his Ironman costume tucked into his cowboy boots.

2. If I take care of my body, it will (probably) take care of me.

3. Be kind to strangers, but more importantly, be kind to those I love and who love me.

4. I can spend my time however I see fit. And that rule applies to everyone else, too.

5. Some things are simply more important than others. Keeping those priorities straight in my mind will prevent my overdeveloped sense of responsibility from leading me into the weeds.

6. It's nice to be valued in my professional life, but it's wise to guard against the misconception that I'm irreplaceable.

7. Tip well, even if the service is bad.

8. Drama and crisis are not the same thing. Drama is what you get when you don't have a strategy to handle a crisis. 

9. Change is hard. It's harder when it's forced upon us, rather than a freely taken choice.

10. Suffering is not a contest.

Since I'm still struggling with grief, I'm finding myself trying to redefine who I am (and who I wish to be), and how my choices affect those around me. A work in progress, to be sure.

Link Me Up, Scotty

Good news for patients with prion disease from the University of Leicester, who announced the discovery of the first chemical to prevent the death of brain tissue in a neurodegenerative disease. These diseases (specifically Alzheimer's) scare the crap out of me, and I'm happy to see progress being made in their treatment.
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Robyn Lawley is my new role model. Rowr.
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So there's a new "recreational" drug out there called Krokodil, and this is some nasty shit. Evidently it's made from codeine and hydrocarbons, and is highly addictive. And since it's made from hydrocarbons - you know, gasoline and hydrochloric acid - impure product does horrifying things to the flesh of those who use it. Since quality control isn't really a thing in the illegal drug trade, it happens a lot. What I want to know is, how does someone think to themselves, "I know, I'll mix codeine and gasoline and hydrochloric acid and use it as a recreational drug!" Christ, people are stupid. WARNING: The photos in this link are really, really gross. And sad. Link through at your own peril.

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Video of the Week, featuring the Curiosity being driven by a janitor:

Miscellaneous Monday

Crisis Fatigue

Crap on a cracker I'm sick of politicians and their manufactured crisis du jour. I'm starting to skim over the articles in my RSS feed, because the continued and egregious misbehavior of our politicians is giving me high blood pressure. I don't understand why it's so difficult for these people to do their damn jobs. Well, that's not true. I do understand why, and it makes me apoplectic with rage. The subversion of our Republic for the sake of power and money is one of the great shames of my generation. Where's Tip O'Neill when you need him? Rolling over in his grave, that's where.

For a Friend's Love

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention fundraiser conducted by our dear friends Stacey and J.R., who walked in my beloved daughter's name. "Maureen's Marchers" raised $3,125.00 for the AFSP's programs.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand." - Henri Nouwen

The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

My class this semester is entitled, "Working in Modern Society." We've been studying the sociological aspects of work in the United States and in the global economy, as well as the history of the labor movement. I'm almost done with the course, and I have to say it's really helped me make progress in seeing some of the inequities inherent in our economic system, both here and abroad. I hope that my education in this area will lead me to be more kind in my dealings with marginal workers, not only in my behavior, but also in my thoughts and opinions. I am so, so lucky, and grateful not to be living on the knife's edge of poverty.

Celebrating Bartolomé Day 

Today The Oatmeal points out that celebrating Christopher Columbus is a somewhat morally ambiguous proposition. The dude was a complete cretin, guilty of thievery, mass murder and the pedophile sex trade. So he recommends celebrating Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican Friar and a real stand up guy. Take note, Knights of Columbus, and consider a re-org.
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ETA: Brother Eric makes some excellent counterpoints in the comments section re: Columbus vs de las Casas, with an additional well-timed warning about simplifying history to the point where the narrative loses its complexity, and in doing so, its truth. Mea culpa. Thanks, Eric. 

Free Shit Friday - Raspberry Jalapeño Jam

Today's Free Shit Friday giveaway is a jar of Raspberry Jalapeño jam. I know I just gave some of this away in the middle of the summer, but the cupboard was bare of Raspberry Jalapeño jam here at the Big Yellow House, and let's face it - it's all about me. 

da Rules. 

The winner of the Triple Berry Jam is Kathy, with a random number of 11. Enjoy!

Link Me Up, Scotty

In case you need another anecdote about why the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Exchange is a fine, fine idea. read this horror story by author Kameron Hurley (who also writes decent books). Civilized countries don't treat their citizens this way. My health insurance costs doubled last year as a result of the ACA, and you know what? It's totally worth it to see folks being able to get treatment when they need it. This is what first world counties do, and all things considered, I'd rather pay more and see my fellow humans get care than live in a third world shithole.
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Why are there still so few women in science? An excellent question, and speaking as a 30 year female STEM professional, the answer is both depressing and hopeful.
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You all know how I despise bullies, and standing up to them is always the right thing to do. Which is why I love Caitlin Seida's sensibility and courage so very much.
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Ezra Klein provides a thoughtful look at unintended consequences and systemic failure as it pertains to our government. Thoughtful, and fucking depressing as hell. I love my country, but I'm starting to think our political systems needs a reboot, and not as it pertains to the 2nd Amendment.
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My shippie Jim over at Stonekettle Station gave me some chuckles with his description of his hate mail and the velociraptor associated consequences. Clearly my detractors need to drink a better brand of hateraide for my personal amusement. 
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It's been a good week for music this week, what with me "discovering" Pentatonix and Peter Hollens. But here's my favorite, with a wave of the beard to Laura who pointed it out:

FML

So one of the reasons I took my gig in the Military Industrial Complex was the assurance by the hiring manager that I would not be spending all my time responding to something called "RFPs." "RFP" stands for "Request For Proposal," and it's a legal mechanism  whereby organizations ask vendors to propose solutions for a specific need, and the competitors do so by delivering reams and reams of paper copies of their response.

The reason that was important to me is that I hate RFPs. I hate them with the heat of a thousand burning suns. I want the entire concept to die in a fire, and take the knob who thought of it with them. They're wasteful, bureaucratic, inefficient, result in substandard designs and fail to serve their designed purpose.

However, due to a variety of reasons that are not open for public discussion*, a significant portion of my professional hours are now dedicated to RFP response. KMN.

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*I don't blame my hiring manager or my colleagues for this turn of events - it is what it is, and things change. But that doesn't change that "what it is," is sucky. And boring. That, too.

Setting Priorities

Yesterday, two things happened.

The first thing was that I got sucked into an exchange on Facebook related to the government shutdown with someone whom I assume is a conservative. It happened on someone else's wall, and I realized fairly quickly that I'd been hooked, apologized to the person on who's wall it happened, and switched to pictures of puppies. I can only take so many logical fallacies before breakfast, and this guy had trotted out three in as many posts. Seriously, Janiece. Do. Not. Engage. You know better.

The second thing that happened is that I got spanked by The Bloggess. She wrote a piece called We are the Government, and in it she pointed out that we, as average Joes and Janes, really have no control in this moment as to how our representatives will respond to their self-imposed crisis. So instead of bitching about it, instead of getting into fruitless arguments on the Internet where no one changes their mind and everyone goes home mad, how about we try to help each other, since the government really isn't interested in doing so?

I have been railing against the Republicans, pointing out their intransigence, corruption, and lack of honor, but I haven't done anything to actually help the folks who are negatively impacted by the shutdown. 

Shame on me. 

So tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping at one of our local stores with a shopping list provided by the Parker Task Force for Human Services. I'm going to buy some groceries, and take them over to the Food Bank.

Priorities. Thanks, Bloggess, for reminding me to get some.

Free Shit Friday - Triple Berry Jam

This week's Free Shit Friday offering is a jar of Triple Berry Jam. I made it because I had the ingredients on hand, and I was too lazy to go to the grocery store.

da Rules.

The winner of last week's Awesome Apple Butter of Awesome is Shawn, with a random number of 18. I'll try and send it to the right address this time, since the gift I sent to his daughter went astray and I had to pay shipping twice in order to ensure its arrival at the right house. Because I'm efficient that way.

Link Me Up, Scotty - Pertussis, Pasta, Penises and Flags Edition

Sometimes the ongoing trend of "not being afraid to make a scene" makes my teeth hurt. But sometimes, oftentimes, it makes my heart sing. Case in point: Neo-Nazi and professional douchecanoe Craig Cobb has been trying to "take over" Leigh, ND as a stronghold for his ridiculous worldview. But the local residents are not particularly impressed. In fact, a group of Lakota Grandmothers managed to capture the Nazi flag during a protest of Cobb's craptacular plan. Well done, ladies. Well done, indeed.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer goes after Pertussis. This is why Sarah Michelle Gellar is the Bomb, yo.
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In case you live under a rock, the good folks over at Barilla have decided that being homophobic jerkwads is TOTALLY THE RIGHT BUSINESS STRATEGY, and have invited the LGBT community to eat another brand of pasta. Nice job, Barilla. Achievement unlocked: Boycott.
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Brother Eric over at Standing on the Shoulders of Giant Midgets points out that the current GOP fiasco isn't the result of childishness, petulance, or anything else, but is a cold, calculated strategy, designed to bolster their agenda with minimal risk to the Republican representatives in the House. I think he's depressingly, horrifyingly accurate, to the GOP's shame.
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Isis the Scientist on the perils of raising children up from barbarism, while trying not to devolve yourself. The money quote: “Don’t you tell me I don’t know what a penis looks like. Your mommy has seen a lot of penises and she can recognize a penis. Even a misshapen one.”

An Open Letter to Congress

Who do you think you are?

No, really - who? Do you think your positions of power are guaranteed, given to you by an accident of birth, with no expectation of performance or accountability? Do you think that you are exempt from actually executing on the tasks that were hired to do?

Clearly that is what you think, as demonstrated by your complete inability to accomplish the tasks you were hired to do.

It must be nice, to have a well-paying, professional job where you can spend all your time pursuing your own agenda with no thought to the mission of the organization. If I had that kind of gig, I could spend every working hour reading, knitting, exercising, doing homework and otherwise fucking off. Doing those things would certainly move my own personal agenda forward, and based on your stellar example, it must be okay, right?

Unfortunately, the military industrial complex doesn't agree with your assessment of an appropriate work ethic. If I was to spend my time in the same way you do, I can assure you that I'd be out on my ass, and right fucking now.

You're able to get away with such shenanigans because you assume that people will forget what petulant children you are come election time. And unfortunately, history implies that you're correct in that assumption. But I can assure you that I won't forget. When November 2014 rolls around, I will remember how very unprofessional you were, how you chose to put your ideological goals ahead of the good of the country, how kowtowing to the strident minority was more important than serving your constituencies. Yes, I'll remember, and you can rest assured that I'll be reminding everyone I know, and everyone I don't know.

It's the least I can do, after everything you've done for me.