Some Things Just Don’t Translate

I think I’ve been a touch too serious lately. At any rate, I needed to lighten up, and maybe my blog does, too. I nearly pulled a belly muscle browsing the “adult” section of Engrish.com. It’s all in pretty terrible taste. That’s the point.
Anyway, here’s a little sample. This one might make a splash in [...]

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The Thing with Feathers

I know that we’re all still supposed to be jubilant over the election. This is supposedly our honeymoon, these days between Obama’s victory and his inauguration, before he’s had a chance to start disappointing us in earnest. But elation hasn’t been my mood; not at all. Maybe I’m just too tired from the endless campaign, [...]

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Six Random Things about Me(me)

A little while back, Henry of Henry’s Travels tagged me (or was that just a whisker rub?) for a “six random things about me” meme. I don’t know if I can match the feline brain for sheer randomness, but here goes anyway:
1. I once played organ for a Christian Science congregation, though I’m neither an [...]

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Staying Abreast of Men’s Fashions

Y’all know that I teach women’s and gender studies. You know I’d take to the streets for the right of all human beings to express themselves in whatever genderqueer manner they like – and to be safe and respected while doing so. That’s a basic principle for me.
And yet … the allure of some things [...]

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Giving Thanks for Obama’s Appointments?

Heck no! I’m not the least thankful for the first batch of appointments to the Obama administration. Honestly, they strike me as a bunch of turkeys so far.

Photo by Flickr user Hey Paul, used under a Creative Commons license.
Hillary Clinton for secretary of state? Umm … I’m all for mending fences, but the only area [...]

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One of My Many Blessings: Maple Pecan Pie

I’ve been sluggish about posting the past few days; apologies to anyone who was kind enough to drop by anyway. I’ve been under the weather, and pies needed to be baked – both pumpkin and pecan – along with all the other trappings of Thanksgiving dinner.
When I lived in Germany, I came up with my [...]

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Pussy Politics and the Media

From I Can Has Cheezburger? captioned by me, Sungold.
The November 19 issue of Time magazine has an article on “Plastic Surgery below the Belt.” If you’re thinking it’s not a man’s belt, you would be correct. The article is on cosmetic surgery for your girl parts.
It goes without saying that we here at Kittywampus are [...]

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Garden Timing: Snow Easy Feat

I love my garden. I love digging in the dirt. And yet I’m a terrible gardener when it comes to timing. I can never get it right.
So this afternoon found me digging through snow in front of the house, frantically trying to plant a slew of tulip and daffodil bulbs before the ground freezes solid.
Sure, [...]

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End-of-Term Caturday

I just finished grading 400 pages of final exams. Classes don’t resume until January. My kids are in school until December 19.
I’m feeling being rich in time and tickled pink about it. Time to prepare for two new classes in winter quarter, write a few less-superficial blog posts, and maybe even strip the wallpaper in [...]

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South Dakota’s Less-Famous Loony Abortion Law

Bad abortion laws in South Dakota are a lot like a game of Whac-a-mole. You knock one down and another one instantly pops up.
You probably heard about the latest attempt to ban abortion via referendum in South Dakota, which went down to defeat on November 4. I’m willing to bet you’re less familiar with another [...]

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What Cats Say When We’re Not Listening

Just because it’s finals week and I’m coming down with a lousy cold that has sucked all the intelligence out of my head and replaced it with marshmallows (to be mildly euphemistic) … it’s time to up the Kittywampus cat content quotient. The curmudgeonly one on the left captures my mood. Enjoy. (Meow.)
[...]

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Bloggers: The Adjunct Professors of the Media?

The founder of Shakesville, Melissa McEwan, reappeared earlier this week after contemplating an end to her blogging career. I can’t say I blame her. She does a daunting amount of work for no pay whatsoever. Melissa’s long post explaining her absence and return is touching and illuminating. It sounds like she’s experiencing the post-election fatigue [...]

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My Modest Bike Brag

I don’t often brag about my athleticism. Frankly, there’s not much to brag about. Oh, I look athletic enough – especially with clothes on. But functionally? I’m a klutz and a sloth. At best, I’m good for an occasional short burst of activity, much like your average feline but completely minus the grace and power.
So [...]

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Free Vi*agra and the Pursuit of Happiness

Happy LOLcat from I Can Has Cheezburger?
Never mind the Vi*agra spam in your junkmail box. Mexico City is about to make that obsolete, at least if you’re an elderly man. Starting on December 1, the city will dispense free ED drugs to men over 70.
With this program, Mexico is putting its rich neighbor to [...]

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It’s a Jungle in Here

Even though the Bear’s birthday was a whole week ago, his “kid party” was today. I’m so glad we waited. He wanted a rainforest theme, and if we’d done his party last week, we would’ve had banana chips and animal crackers and that would have been the end of it.
Instead, now that I’ve finished grading [...]

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Boob Radar

Photo by Flickr user Dave Pearson, used under a Creative Commons license.
One reason I’ve been quiet the past couple of days is that I’ve been squandering loads time on the phone arguing about a rejected medical claim. As I mentioned briefly last summer, I had a mysterious little blob turn up on a mammogram in [...]

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Coming in for a Chaotic Landing

I’ve got a heap of essays to grade before my last classes of the quarter meet tomorrow. In the midst of my work chaos, here’s the state of my living room floor:
It’s covered with helipads, in case that wasn’t abundantly clear. The Bear got a little remote controlled helicopter for his birthday. He created one [...]

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A Palin-God Ticket in ‘12?

Just a few days ago I was savoring Katha Pollitt’s valedictory address to Sarah Palin, “Sayonara, Sarah.” Go read it if you haven’t already. Bask in it for a moment. And then come back for today’s dose of harsh reality.
Scroll down past the anti-Cathar LOLcat, cutely yet heavyhandedly representing a medieval correlate of spiritual warfare, [...]

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Not a Frigid Wench after All

Photo by Flickr user elisfanclub, used under a Creative Commons license.
When I read Madame Bovary for a college seminar on history as viewed through the nineteenth-century European novel, my professor – a witty, slightly arch gay man – waggled his eyebrows and asked us what we thought Flaubert meant when he said that Emma Bovary’s [...]

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A Bearish Birthday, and Nine Years of Parenthood

The Bear turned nine today. We celebrated by going to a concert where his choir performed. (Audio is here for anyone who’s curious; if you’re plugged into a real speaker you can actually hear some decent music behind the audience’s rustling and coughing.)
Afterward, we got together with some dear friends and ate this cake:
Apart from [...]

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