Margaret Atwood is one of those names you hear a lot in feminist circles, but until a few months ago I'd never read anything by her. I finally got my hands on a copy of The Handmaid's Tale during one of my trips, and I found it both absorbing and disturbing, as she doubtless intended. I've since heard of other books by her, though I've not yet read them. But I have discovered that she also writes poetry. Thus far, this is my favorite.
Siren Song
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
Margaret Atwood
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A bookstore is a fabulous, dangerous place
I have been bookstore-ing.
The practice of bookstore-ing has many important health benefits. It also has detrimental effects on the wallet.
Over the past week or so, I've been hanging out at home, sitting in front of my computer, attempting to be a freelance writer and translator. I've been marginally successful; I've had a response to an article query, and I've gotten one translation job, which I've completed, submitted, and need to invoice. The downside of all this freelance work is that staying at home all day has made me pretty raving insane. I thought that in order to be a "serious" writer I needed to pretty much chain myself to a desk. I somehow forgot that I have never been inspired to write anything in this manner. All of my great ideas come when I'm either a) exploring or b)so busy that my mind is constantly engaged.
So. Yesterday I went to the Smithsonian, and discovered that several of their buildings have free wireless. Good to know. I took pictures of the snow and ice outside, and wandered through the galleries of Asian art. That helped somewhat. I finished an article when I got home, made dinner, and went to bed.
Today...I went to Borders. And I found books. Lots and lots of books and magazines. Lots and lots of print. I'd initially gone in to buy a few copies of various magazines that I'm interested in writing for. I ended up in the bibliophilic equivalent of a diabetic coma, after poring over every square inch of the store. Have I mentioned that I love books? Have I mentioned how book deprived I've been in Morocco? And being in this atmosphere of so many books, so many words, words like the ones I want to write...I feel more inspired after one single bookstore visit than I've felt for an entire week.
Note to self: go bookstore-ing more often.
The practice of bookstore-ing has many important health benefits. It also has detrimental effects on the wallet.
Over the past week or so, I've been hanging out at home, sitting in front of my computer, attempting to be a freelance writer and translator. I've been marginally successful; I've had a response to an article query, and I've gotten one translation job, which I've completed, submitted, and need to invoice. The downside of all this freelance work is that staying at home all day has made me pretty raving insane. I thought that in order to be a "serious" writer I needed to pretty much chain myself to a desk. I somehow forgot that I have never been inspired to write anything in this manner. All of my great ideas come when I'm either a) exploring or b)so busy that my mind is constantly engaged.
So. Yesterday I went to the Smithsonian, and discovered that several of their buildings have free wireless. Good to know. I took pictures of the snow and ice outside, and wandered through the galleries of Asian art. That helped somewhat. I finished an article when I got home, made dinner, and went to bed.
Today...I went to Borders. And I found books. Lots and lots of books and magazines. Lots and lots of print. I'd initially gone in to buy a few copies of various magazines that I'm interested in writing for. I ended up in the bibliophilic equivalent of a diabetic coma, after poring over every square inch of the store. Have I mentioned that I love books? Have I mentioned how book deprived I've been in Morocco? And being in this atmosphere of so many books, so many words, words like the ones I want to write...I feel more inspired after one single bookstore visit than I've felt for an entire week.
Note to self: go bookstore-ing more often.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Condi!?
So...I recently read in "Curve" magazine that Condoleeza Rice might be Family. To quote, she has a "girl friend" (the significance of that space!) "with whom Rice shares home ownership and a bank account."
Interesting.
I'm not going to jump to conclusions here, but it makes me wonder. "Curve" magazine speculates that Palin was chosen over Condi as the Republican VP candidate because of these lesbian rumors floating around. So...apparently it's better to be an idiot bigot who has never left the country and has minimal government experience than to be a potentially closeted lesbian with plenty of political experience who happens to be the former Secretary of State. Right.
Interesting.
I'm not going to jump to conclusions here, but it makes me wonder. "Curve" magazine speculates that Palin was chosen over Condi as the Republican VP candidate because of these lesbian rumors floating around. So...apparently it's better to be an idiot bigot who has never left the country and has minimal government experience than to be a potentially closeted lesbian with plenty of political experience who happens to be the former Secretary of State. Right.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Brand New Bright Obama Day
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new president. Hamdulilah/Halelujah/Praise Be.
He's an inspiring speaker. He's young enough not to have been completely corrupted by the political system. And as the first black/biracial president, he represents such a departure from the last eight years that everyone who's been unhappy is looking at him with hope. He has a lot to live up to. I hope he handles it well.
In Morocco, when Barak was first elected, random people in the street would congratulate me. Taxi drivers cheered when I entered their cabs. It was incredible to feel such support, to know that the world was happy in this, to for once have elected a president who might play well with others and be popular at school. I don't know how long the worldwide euphoria will last. But I hope he can ride it for as long as possible. His work will go more smoothly as long as it lasts.
Closer to home, we have promises of change.
Obama specifically includes rights for GLBT people in his civil rights agenda, including civil unions, workplace antidiscrimination, and hate crimes protection. Even if he only accomplishes a few of the thins he's listed, it constitutes a big step forward to see this agenda listed, not at an activist website, but at whitehouse.gov.
He's an inspiring speaker. He's young enough not to have been completely corrupted by the political system. And as the first black/biracial president, he represents such a departure from the last eight years that everyone who's been unhappy is looking at him with hope. He has a lot to live up to. I hope he handles it well.
In Morocco, when Barak was first elected, random people in the street would congratulate me. Taxi drivers cheered when I entered their cabs. It was incredible to feel such support, to know that the world was happy in this, to for once have elected a president who might play well with others and be popular at school. I don't know how long the worldwide euphoria will last. But I hope he can ride it for as long as possible. His work will go more smoothly as long as it lasts.
Closer to home, we have promises of change.
Obama specifically includes rights for GLBT people in his civil rights agenda, including civil unions, workplace antidiscrimination, and hate crimes protection. Even if he only accomplishes a few of the thins he's listed, it constitutes a big step forward to see this agenda listed, not at an activist website, but at whitehouse.gov.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Straight Privilege
My girlfriend and I are about to embark on a road trip up to Massachusetts this weekend. The last time we embarked on such an event, she was a new Teach for America recruit, and we passed the time driving by reading aloud all the required materials. A lot of the TFA materials talked about "unpacking privilege," generally with regards to race and class. Things like racial privilege being able to see movies featuring stars of your own race and find barbie dolls of your ethnic background and other things like that.
Someone then created a list of things that constituted "straight privilege," which was largely identical, only with a few words changed. The ability to see gay movie stars, etc. We thought that their straight privilege list was incomplete and rather silly, so we filled it in with a few instances from our own experience.
Straight privilege is being able to hold hands and otherwise show affection in public without worrying about what other people think.
Straight privilege is being able to kiss your partner at home in front of the windows without first pulling closed the blinds.
It is being able to kiss goodbye at the airport when you know you won't see each other for months.
It is going to a hotel and not having to clarify that you want a double bed.
It is having no question whatsoever about your rights to marry, adopt, or share benefits.
And here I was intending this to be a lighthearted entry...
...because at the time we were creating this list we were actually laughing about it all. Because there's something slightly ridiculous about "unpacking your straight privilege" when driving with your girlfriend from Northampton to Provincetown, the two gayest cities in the US. The two places where, for once, the privilege actually turns the other way.
Someone then created a list of things that constituted "straight privilege," which was largely identical, only with a few words changed. The ability to see gay movie stars, etc. We thought that their straight privilege list was incomplete and rather silly, so we filled it in with a few instances from our own experience.
Straight privilege is being able to hold hands and otherwise show affection in public without worrying about what other people think.
Straight privilege is being able to kiss your partner at home in front of the windows without first pulling closed the blinds.
It is being able to kiss goodbye at the airport when you know you won't see each other for months.
It is going to a hotel and not having to clarify that you want a double bed.
It is having no question whatsoever about your rights to marry, adopt, or share benefits.
And here I was intending this to be a lighthearted entry...
...because at the time we were creating this list we were actually laughing about it all. Because there's something slightly ridiculous about "unpacking your straight privilege" when driving with your girlfriend from Northampton to Provincetown, the two gayest cities in the US. The two places where, for once, the privilege actually turns the other way.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Place Like Home, and a New View of Abroad
I'm back in the glorious US of A, sharing a two-bedroom sublet with my girlfriend for two months. It's lovely and domestic, and I'm enjoying the luxury of staying in one place for a little while. I'm cooking good food, taking yoga classes, and trying to find people to pay me to freelance for them. It's a good life.
My new expanses of free time have launched new discoveries, as I attempt to figure out what sort of niche I want to make for myself in the developing world. I found this article very interesting.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/22-care-rejects-us-food-aid/
Basically, a major international aid organization rejected US aid this year. Why? Turns out that US aid in its current form is actually counterproductive. Instead of providing food based on the needs of people who are starving, it's providing food based on its own agricultural surpluses. A lot of the money that the US is theoretically "giving" in aid goes right back into its own pockets in the form of farm subsidies and internal transport costs. This self-interest in itself wouldn't be so bad if it were still providing good services to those in need. But the presence of foreign food being sold at low rates undermines local farmers in developing countries, which makes the countries less able to support themselves overall and makes them even more dependent on foreign "assistance."
Vicious cycle, yes?
I wonder what other charming pieces of news I'll learn while I'm here.
My new expanses of free time have launched new discoveries, as I attempt to figure out what sort of niche I want to make for myself in the developing world. I found this article very interesting.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/22-care-rejects-us-food-aid/
Basically, a major international aid organization rejected US aid this year. Why? Turns out that US aid in its current form is actually counterproductive. Instead of providing food based on the needs of people who are starving, it's providing food based on its own agricultural surpluses. A lot of the money that the US is theoretically "giving" in aid goes right back into its own pockets in the form of farm subsidies and internal transport costs. This self-interest in itself wouldn't be so bad if it were still providing good services to those in need. But the presence of foreign food being sold at low rates undermines local farmers in developing countries, which makes the countries less able to support themselves overall and makes them even more dependent on foreign "assistance."
Vicious cycle, yes?
I wonder what other charming pieces of news I'll learn while I'm here.
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