Allison gets serious

Ok, so, I don't really have much to say. What happened this morning at Virginia Tech was horrible and unbelievable, and it really makes me wonder about what the hell is going on. Over thirty people are dead and already the finger-pointing begins about guns. I am firmly anti-gun, I hate violent movies (meaning any violence), I can't understand the popularity of horror movies (who likes to watch people in pain?). I can see how all of these cultural factors promoting violence contribute to actual violence in our society. But while what happened today might become some sort of rallying cry or policy statistic, the fact is that whoever did this was mentally ill and did not get the help he needed. (I assume it's a guy.) I hope this finger-pointing turns into reaching out.


On a different, but still what-the-hell note...One of my recent pet peeves in my rounds of watching religious blogs is the focus on modesty. Even the Gazette-Times ran an article the other day about an LDS modest prom. Don't get me wrong, people can do whatever or wear whatever they want, and promote their own rules and regulations about sleeve and skirt length and distances for dancing. What gets stuck in my craw is how often the modesty talk turns into anti-woman talk. Basically, women cause men to sin, so we should carefully monitor everything we do lest we accidentally turn some guy on.

Ugh. I was just going to let you explore this link, but I have to add my editorial comments. So, the gist is this: a religious website surveyed young women for clothing choices or behaviors that the women thought might be immodest. Young men then commented on these different suggestions. Responses were tabulated for each statement, so "a woman wearing any sort of jeans is immodest" is then ranked from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Click on each category to see more.

Here are some comments to get you started, on the statement "It is a stumbling block to see a girl lying down, even if she's just hanging out on the floor or on a couch with her friends."

19	Again a lot depends on what she's wearing, exactly how she's lying, the atmosphere of the situation, and the state of mind of the guy observing her, but there is a very real possibility (perhaps probability) that it could be problematic, especially if the guy is already attracted to the girl.
Age 26	Just be careful what is now showing because of the unnatural position. Tops can be seen down, skirts can be seen up, and even in pants the crotch or bottom can become more visible. The position isn't immodest in itself, but I think can create a lot of other problems. Just be careful.
Age 26	Depends on the context - but in most situations she probably shouldn't be lying down when guys are around.
Age 18	I think there should be a careful evaluation on the part of the girl before lying down around a bunch of guys. However, in terms of the inherent modest/immodesty of the action, I can't say it is a stumbling block by itself. In certain clothes, however, it would be a clear, 100% problem.

I mean, do I even have to say anything?!?! Come on! I am supposed, as a woman, to take this sort of direction from a guy five years younger than me? No lying down in front of a bunch of guys? It gets worse.

I could go on and on about this. It doesn't matter what women wear; in our sexist, misogynistic society women will be demeaned for their bodies. I've been catcalled in my grungiest, most "modest" clothes. I will not change my actions under the specter of "modesty" when it really is control of women. If we were talking real modesty - not bragging, or gossiping, or using our looks to get ahead, or using people, or buying expensive clothing, or big, gas-guzzling cars, or trying to get high-flying corporate jobs, or make the most money, or manipulate people - I could go for it. This sort of modesty applies equally to all genders and is the basis for good human relationships. It's modesty in a true sense - humilty, sense of the common good over self. But this modesty that focuses on women's clothing and behavior - it's really about control over others.

Anyhow, check it out and tell me what you think:

http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/

I ate ice cream for dinner.

Since last time I posted, Aaron went to Virginia and Chicago to visit schools. Then, he came back.

I’ve been spending a lot of time on taxes. For awhile I was going to try to cheat the system, but then I decided not to and ended up owing Oregon $110. Americorps doesn’t do state witholding, so I got screwed. Come on people – I made less than $4,000 in Oregon and I owe $110? Granted, my parents are still taking me as a dependent (last time, wooo!) so I missed some exemptions, but sheesh, sucks to be a poor person here. Too bad I'm paying taxes to a state with the death penalty and underfunded schools. Next year is going to be even worse. I can’t wait to just have one state to deal with. 2008 tax season yeah!

What else…work is dragging lately. I have stuff to do, but it’s hard to just do it. I need to get on it tomorrow and come up with some documents for some meetings coming up. Otherwise, I’m going to get a ton of questions that could have been pre-emptively answered. Wasting time is not what I want to do in these meetings. I want to control the flow.

I also haven’t been feeling all that great. I did something to my back while “getting my fris on” (yay The Office – fris as in frisbee, not like frizz) in preparation for spring league ultimate frisbee that starts next week. We are supposedly signed up but haven’t heard when the games are. Anyhow, I hurt my back (surprise, surprise). But I have gotten a lot better at throwing and catching. My throws are level and accurate if not so fast, and I can do a one handed grab. And I can almost throw forehand! But the main source of my misery is pollen. My allergies are in full force like I haven’t seen since I was eleven. My eyes are dry, itchy, and scratchy. The air smells of pollen. And, it’s especially bad because I’ve never been in Oregon during pollen time and so I haven’t built up thingies to fight off the allergies. That’s the medical process. Thingies fighting. But sleeping on the floor is good for my back, and Benadryl just knocks me out. So, nights are good.

I just reread Pride and Prejudice. Damn, that’s a good book. Next, I’m going to read the Rule of Four, as suggested to me by Gerg. The thinking person’s DaVinci Code. Maybe I wouldn’t be embarrassed to put this on my Facebook profile. (Note: no offense to anyone who has Dan Brown or the DaVinci Code listed as a favorite book, as I enjoyed it very much in the two hours it took me to read it; but if you are trying to sound well read, maybe you should switch to something more impressive like “books? I only read magazines.)

I shouldn’t pretend like I’m a snob. I haven’t read that much. And I only have the gift of reading fast when it’s a novel.

I should go work on my painting. The apples are done, and I must say, they turned out quite well. I won’t be using such harsh light for my second work, though. The shadows make it seem like Death is coming for the apples in the dish. Which it did, because we ate them shortly after the painting was completed. But there’s one apple in my painting that looks totally like an apple. Like, it’s really good. One of the others is more ball looking, and one looks sort of applish. But the left-most apple is stellar, if I do say so myself.

My next project? An umbrella. Working on getting the fabric folds right. Wish me luck.