freddie_mac's Journal
Saturday, February 13, 2010
1:14PM - As promised, a novel second post in one day!
PC-related mess:
Two comms that I belonged to (just dropped the second one today) have devolved into bastions of political correctness. Without going into details, I left the comms because I certainly got the vibe that white heterosexuals were not welcome. Of course, this brings me to Lessons That I’ve Learned From Political Correctness:
Lesson 1: Groups that are most vocal about tolerance are the least likely to extend it;
Lesson 2: While the purported aim of Political Correctness is to bring all groups up to the same level, “equality” is only obtained by elevating one group at the expense of another.
However much I might agree with the overall goals of making everyone feel welcome on a comm, I do not believe that “verbal” (typed?) abuse is the appropriate methodology. Nor is it possible to “educate” people by shouting down questions or requests for clarification.
Finally, here’s the link to an article that I read yesterday morning: Exposing the Fallacy of 'Fairness' and Political Correctness It Breeds, by Thomas Sowell (9-Feb-10, Investors Business Daily) <http://www.investors.com/newsandanalysis/article.aspx?id=520668>
Here’s a snippet: “Creating a difference that would not exist otherwise is discrimination, and something can be done about that. But, in recent times, virtually any disparity in outcomes is almost automatically blamed on discrimination, despite the incredible range of other reasons for disparities between individuals and groups.”
1:04PM - Two posts today (do you feel lucky?)
... which probably means that I won’t post for another six months :)
General Post:
Finished Wheel of Time (WOT) about a month ago, and I’m still rather jazzed. This is an epic series in the truest sense of the word, where characters and/or situations introduced early in the series are still relevant in the later books. This is definitely a series that benefits from a cover-to-cover re-read (if you have the time) because so many, many essential details get lost (overlooked) when you’re just reading the books as they’re published. Many comments about how the series appeared to be losing direction and floundering can be traced directly to the lag between books and the complexity of the series. Full book list is below, along with original (or projected) publishing dates – can’t believe that I’d forgotten the prequel in my original list, but my defense is that I’d only read it once.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
7:28PM - Eh, I am alive (really)
Eh, I am alive (really). Things have been *shrug* kinda busy for the past few months.
Was pretty bored with fandom as a whole earlier this year and was ready to just pull the plug on everything when I got hit between the eyes by a newish fandom. Just when that had settled a bit, I got smacked by another one. So its nice to know that fandom will come to my rescue when I’m feeling bored and generally out of sorts with the world.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
7:34PM - An Ode to My Freezer (or, Three Cookbooks and a Recipe)
Last September (right around this time, actually), I bought a chest freezer and its been an invaluable part of my kitchen ever since. I have more “counter” space, which gives me extra places to pile up crap, the cats have a new perch, and (best of all!) I have a place to store the vats and vats of food that I make. It isn’t that I dislike cooking and baking, but I tend to make large batches so I won’t be spending all of my time cooking and baking.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
12:27PM - Hmm, haven’t posted in ages
Life’s been keeping me rather busy.
News: I only read one paper (Wall Street Journal), but tend to spend lots of time on Real Clear Politics (realclearpolitics.com), which aggregates articles/editorials from a large variety of (mostly) US sources. I recently subscribed to a daily newsletter (TIAdaily.com), and a few weeks ago, a commentary titled “Why Women Matter” ended up in my mailbox, and was subsequently reposted to Real Clear Politics (much to the writer’s astonishment). Here’s the link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl
Robert Tracinski makes a number of very important points, which are: (1) Women's rights and the treatment of women are a profound measure of the progress of a civilization; (2) the treatment of women in a society is a revealing measure of that society's attitude toward physical force; (3) why women's rights matter: they help to clarify and reaffirm what is good about our civilization, and to clarify the evil of the enemy ...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
7:39PM - Happy New Year and Merry Christmas, Part 2
In my seasonal idleness I’ve managed to accomplish a few chores (very few). Nope, the cat did not go to the vet: it was ~16 degrees F on the day of his appointment (and the streets were covered in ice), so I’ll have to reschedule. I haven’t finished vacuuming yet (you’d think that tripping over the vacuum would be sufficient motivation), but I DID paint the 70s era dark wood paneling (okay, faux wood) in the upstairs hallway white. First I used the ceiling paint on the walls (even tho the can says “ceiling paint” in large letters, I didn’t see that until I was finished with the first coat), then used the correct paint a few days later. Its much, much brighter up here, and the next task is deciding what color to paint the trim (I’m thinking a nice dark contrasting color), and should I paint the brown doors white or solid colors?
7:36PM - Happy New Year and Merry Christmas, Part 1
I’ve been spending the past two weeks in blissful idleness (aside from a few chores). For the past several years I’ve taken the last two weeks of December off, and have found this to be a wonderful way to recharge for the madness of January and beyond. The past few months have been full of lots of little things, and it isn’t until I sit down and look at what I’ve been doing that I realize how busy I’ve been.
Monday, November 3, 2008
9:51PM - PSA: Election Day in the US
Note: I am not a party member (always makes me think of communism), and am not using this post to endorse any candidate in any race; this is simply a PSA. Yes, this is mostly the same as last year's!
Tuesday, November 4 is Election Day in the US. If you are (1) a US citizen, (2) registered to vote, and (3) eligible to vote, then please go to your local polling place tomorrow and make your voice heard.
If you're unsure of your eligibility or polling place, then contact the state or local Board of Elections. If you haven't registered, then most likely you're out of luck for 2008 (check with your local Board, some states do allow same-day registration), but you can register for the 2009 election.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
9:11PM - Program Note: Verboten Topics, Minus One
In my first post, I mentioned that I would not be posting on politics or religion. Well, the beauty of making rules is that I can change them. Over the past few months I've been deepening and exploring my faith, so I may be making periodic posts about my discoveries, journey, etc. I can guarantee that there won’t be any prostelytizing, but there might be comments about my learning the rosary, attempting daily prayer, etc. Anyone who is uncomfortable with Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism specifically (*points*), the exit’s over there.
8:59PM - Literature Project: Utopian/Dystopian Reading List
1516 Utopia Thomas More
1534 “Abbey of Thelene” Francois Rabelais
?? “Of the Cannibals” Michel De Montaigne [1533-1592]
1623? Gonzalo’s Speech (The Tempest) William Shakespeare
1623 City of the Sun Tommaso Campanella
1624 New Atlantis Francis Bacon
1888 Looking Backwards Edward Bellamy
1897 Equality Edward Bellamy
1907 Iron Heel Jack London
1924 We Yevgeny Zamyatin
1934 Brave New World Aldolus Huxley
1948 1984 George Orwell
1949 Animal Farm George Orwell
1953 Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
1958 Brave New World Revisited Aldolus Huxley
1988 Cyteen CJ Cherryh
8:53PM - Hardy, Thomas --- Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891)
Hardy, Thomas
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891)
I found this novel difficult to read, and am having even more difficulty attempting to review it! After agonizing for more than an hour, I’m simply posting the following:
Monday, October 6, 2008
7:52PM - Machiavelli, Niccolo: The Prince (1514?)
Machiavelli, Niccolo
The Prince (1514?)
A rather small book (~110 pages of text) with an outsized reputation, The Prince is perhaps the most famous western treatise on statecraft. While I found a number of interesting political nuggets buried in the text, I often felt that reading involved a great deal of excavation.
Submitted to Lorenzo de’Medici as “some token of my devotion to you”, Machiavelli hoped to pass along the wisdom that he had acquired over the years to a man whom he thought was not only great (in the truest sense of the word), but who would also put this knowledge into practice. In a sense, this background information helps to explain the rambling and sometime worshipful tone that The Prince takes on a regular basis.
7:44PM - Literature Project -- Updated Booklist
Updated booklist is below; I'll be reading these before I make any more purchases.
Austen, Jane Mansfield Park; Price and Prejudice
Bellamy, Edward Looking Backward
Bronte, Anne Agnes Grey; Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Bronte, Charlotte Villette
Bronte, Emily Wuthering Heights
Defoe, Daniel Moll Flanders
Eliot, George Middlemarch
Hardy, Thomas Tess of the D’Ubervilles
Homer The Illiad; The Odyssey
London, Jack The Iron Heel
Machiavelli, Niccolo The Prince
Shelley, Mary Frankenstein
Stevenson, Robert Louis Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Kidnapped
Stoker, Bram Dracula
Sun, Tzu The Art of War
Twain, Mark The Prince and the Pauper
Zamyatin, Yevgeny We
In terms of my cut-off date, I'm taking out The Iron Heel (1907), We (1920-21), and Looking Backwards (1888), as all of them are utopian/dystopian books, which I intend to re-read as a group at a later date. The Art of War has been added so that Homer isn't lonely. From this point forward (crosses fingers) I hope to read/review one book off my list each month.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
3:49PM - Life, the Universe, and (almost) Everything
Things have been rather odd/baffling/slightly crazed over the past several weeks. Mom and her hub (Frank) came to visit in mid August. We had a really good time (probably ‘cause I didn’t have chores for everyone) just kinda lazing around. Rented a car and make a few necessary trips: Home Depot for bark and other yard-related items, and Whole Foods, just because. Whole Foods was not what I expected: they had wheat bran in bulk for 79c/lb and barley flour, but other than that? Eh, not much that interested me – we agreed that Eden Gourmet over by me is much more exciting (Frank really liked the *samples* at Eden).
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7:13PM - Brontë, Anne: Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)
Brontë, Anne
Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)
Summary: The mysterious Mrs. Graham, along with her young son and maid, move into Wildfell Hall, exciting speculation among the neighbors. Her reticence and the slight resemblance between her son and landlord give rise to speculation that, instead of being an honorable widow, she may in fact be the squire’s mistress. Upon being confronted about these rumors by Mr. Markham, a possible suitor, Mrs. Graham lends her journal to him so that he might understand the events that led to her arrival at Wildfell Hall.
Review: Marry in haste, repent at leisure (William Congreve, The Old Batchelour, 1693) is a pithy synopsis for this book, which is a cautionary tale that still holds true today. Young Helen, at 18, meets the dashing and charming Arthur Huntingdon during her first season in London, is engaged in October, and married by Christmas. Despite her aunt’s reservations about Arthur’s character, Helen blithely assures her that her own good qualities would surely outweigh Arthur’s defects, and given how much attention he gives her words now, of course she would be able to steer him to better habits once they are married. All together now: men are not science projects!
Friday, July 4, 2008
12:05PM - Literature Project
Thaks to everyone who's been posting about the Big Read. I don't like the list, and it took me a while to realize that the list is composed of 100 popular books, not 100 classic books (huge difference there). What had me confused was the presence of the Bible and numerous classics, along with JKR's Harry Potter series and other books that I just *knew* were so new that they're still shiny.
So, not to be outdone (and because the list awakened a semi-forgotten goal), I've compiled my own list. Kinda. Well, I've got a list of 105 (more or less) classic authors, mostly from 17th-19th century British and American literature, with a smattering of French, Scottish, Irish, Italian, and Russian authors, as well as a few from the early 20th century. This list is also a bit less restrictive in that I'm not limiting myself to specific titles so much as giving myself a general goal of 1-2 books per author.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
2:03PM - Life, the Universe, and Everything
The past few months have been . . . eeh. Finished the mandatory HR training sessions (i.e., being locked in a conference room for 8hrs), and I don't feel that much wiser. Lots of the things they covered with so much gravitas are common sense. Main thing I took away from the sessions was to ask questions when I'm not sure.
Three of the four global directors came to visit our office a few weeks back, and we had the lovely all-day seminar with the directors, the senior managers, and my group (associate managers), along with some visitors from other offices (domestic, Germany, Australia). I was rather amused at all of these people descending upon us to give us . . . yet more common sense. The best part was happy hour the night before, where my boss and I were crying/complaining into our beer about a new project.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
6:17PM - Obscure Poetry and Other Things
(edit: figured out how to make a cut in IJ!)
I’ve been feeling rather frazzled and worn lately, but I can’t really pinpoint a reason why. There haven’t been any major calamities in my life (home or work), but it seems that the little things are multiplying faster than I can keep up with them.
Had my first (of three) mandatory management training sessions last week, and it was rather dense. I’m glad they shoved everything into a single day instead of spreading it across two, but that meant being introduced to so much information so fast that we barely had time to absorb it.
And now for something completely different. I believe that I’d threatened at one point to post poetry, so here’s my favorite poem by Sidney Godolphin. I discovered him in a book called “Ben Johnson and the Cavalier Poets” (selected and edited by Hugh MacLean, WW Norton 1974). Godolphin died in 1643 at the age of 33 in a skirmish with Parliamentary forces in Devonshire.
Monday, December 31, 2007
4:22PM - 2007 Retrospective
Well, 2007 wasn't horrible --- much better than 2006.
In mid-March of 2006, I was diagnosed with an intestinal immune problem (one day, my body decided to attack the intestines), so 2006 was spent on the medical go-round: lotsa doctor visits, lotsa doctors, lotsa lab work, and lotsa drugs. So really, spending 2007 recuperating from 2006 wasn't as horrible as 2006 (tho, I did get a promotion/raise and another cat in 2006, so there were bright spots).
Towards the end of 2007, I got another promotion (actually, they converted my 2006 promotion to something else) which came with another raise, but otherwise it was a nice and rather boring year: no major achievements or disasters, which is a relief. Didn't make any resolutions in 2007 -- for 2006 I'd resolved to lose weight, and fulfilled that by getting sick (horrible way to lose weight).
Sunday, December 2, 2007
3:12PM - ‘Tis the season . . .
for free-standing cat toys.
Since we are now *officially* in December, I’ve put up my Christmas decorations. There are now lights on the front porch, a wreath on the front door, some bric-a-brac in the living room, and the tree (the afore-mentioned cat toy) has been decorated.
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