I keep referencing this list, but hadn't posted it anywhere, though I have posted pieces of it as I add them. Because of abenn's encouragement, I am posting it now and will keep it at the top of my LJ for future reference.

Suggestions always welcome, by the way.

( Life To Do ListCollapse )

As I do each year, I am going to try to send holiday cards. (Last year was one of the most successful since before law school, when I got through more than half of my names.) I am particularly ambitious this year, because with this card making kick I've been on, I want to try to make my holiday cards. (No promises, though.) I've been planning out card designs with a friend, trying to figure out something simple but fun. I like sparkly, shiny cards, so you can expect that, whether I make them or buy them.

So if you'd like a card, please leave a (screened) comment with your address, or, if you're not comfortable with that, you can send me an email at carlamlee at gmail dot com. (Private messaging via LJ or DW is probably not the best way to reach me, though.) I love sending cards, so please do let me know if you'd like to receive one.

(My roommate once told me I single-handedly kept the post office open during the holidays. Considering I didn't make it through my entire list, I laughed.)

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is holding a book drive to help a Compton school build a library of young adult or middle grade books.

From her post:

Books with Latino/Latina or African-American protagonists would probably be especially appreciated, as that describes most of the students. The students also love manga and other comics, and were hugely excited when I donated some. Many students can read Spanish, and some primarily read Spanish. Other than that, send anything - fiction or nonfiction.

Lifeline Education Charter School is in a low income area, and textbooks are so expensive that they can't afford to buy other books. Mr. Obed Nartey, with whom I had a lovely talk at the school the other day, is creating a new library/computer lab for the students. He is also starting a book club.

Students are already excited about this... but they need something to read. Please help them out, if you can. I will put up some photos of the library which you helped create, when it launches.

Please send books here. Media mail is the cheapest way to mail books.

Attn: Mr. Obed Nartey
Lifeline Education Charter School
225 South Santa Fe
Compton, CA 90221

If you send stuff, please comment at her post so she can let Mr. Nartey know.

I'm actually pulling books to get rid of anyway right now, but I don't know that I'll have many young adult books go out (those are the ones I tend to love and keep). However, I'm hitting up the bookstore to grab some books for them. Books are wonderful, and amazing, and I wish my high school library had been better stocked with a wide variety of fiction.

I love putting together book packages. I love it. This is one of the things I miss most about working at the bookstore.

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The world makes me mad a lot of the time. And the final link below discusses some shitty statements made by a potential Missouri senator about rape, so you know.

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Pe' Sla: Help Save Lakota Sioux Sacred Land! Help Lakota people buy back part of their sacred lands before it is auctioned off and opened up for development.

Link to and blurb from the fundraising site. Plus here are a couple articles about it that at least briefly address the problematic nature of having to buy back the land in the first place:

"Sioux Tribes Upset Over Sale of Sacred Site in SD": Raising money to buy the land is a monumental and controversial undertaking for the Sioux tribes. An 1868 treaty set aside the Black Hills and other land for the Sioux, but Congress passed a law in 1877 seizing the land following the discovery of gold in western South Dakota. A 1980 U.S. Supreme Court ruling awarded more than $100 million to the Sioux tribes for the Black Hills, but the tribes have refused to accept the money, saying the land has never been for sale. There are Sioux tribes in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska and Canada.

"There are a lot of our people that absolutely 100 percent do not agree with paying any money for land that we consider still ours, but the reality is we sometimes are forced to fight with the rules of the United States," Iron Eyes said.

"Sioux tribes seek to buy sacred land in S.D.": To people such as Charmaine White Face, coordinator of the Rapid City-based environmental group called Defenders of the Black Hills, it seems ludicrous that tribal people should have to pay at all for something that was illegally taken from them in the 1800s.

"It's always been difficult for us to accept this concept of buying back your own land, you know what I mean?" White Face said. "The question I have is, if according to the 1980 Supreme Court decision, the Black Hills was an illegal taking, then how does anyone have legal title to the land?"

That said, she like others within the Great Sioux Nation are hoping for the best in the next week. Iron Eyes said one of the tracts is considered most important, and the tribes would at least like to buy that one. But in reality, they would like them all.

"We keep praying for a miracle," White Face said. "If some very wealthy person would buy it and donate the land back to us, that would be a miracle. That would be an excellent miracle."

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Republican Senate Nominee: Victims Of ‘Legitimate Rape’ Don’t Get Pregnant: Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri who is running against Sen. Claire McCaskill, justified his opposition to abortion rights even in case of rape with a claim that victims of “legitimate rape” have unnamed biological defenses that prevent pregnancy.

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare,” Akin told KTVI-TV in an interview posted Sunday. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Akin said that even in the worst-case scenario — when the supposed natural protections against unwanted pregnancy fail — abortion should still not be a legal option for the rape victim.

Not only am I fucking infuriated over this (not to mention his history of horrible statements and actions when it comes to rape and abortion bills), but the ableist language being used by people speaking out against him is pissing me right the hell off. Fucking hell, people, because just because he believes and says these horrible things does not mean he is crazy, and your horrible use of ableist language is really undercutting your statement.

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It's been awhile, and I should be asleep (but as usual, medicine induced insomnia + my natural sleep cycle means I'm awake; this whole insomnia + exhaustion as side effects of the same medicine thing sucks), but one of my goals is to get back to the things I love that make me me. And one of those things is blogging here.

I think I've forgotten how to keep this blog, though, so I'm taking prompts, questions, suggestions for topics, whatever. Ask away. I will respond.

(Still haven't forgotten about the 100 Things Blogging Challenge, but I'm waiting on some things from other people for the first post I wanted to do. I think I need to just post them out of order instead.)

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So my younger sister and her husband had their social wedding last weekend (they actually got legally married last summer), and I will talk about this more later, when I have pictures, but it's been awhile since I posted (anything at all, dude) something hilarious(1) | heartbreakingly sweet(2) | adorable(3) | full of the need for adventure(4) about my parents, so I thought I would do so quickly.

In case you don't know, my mom is very sick, and has been since the early 2000s (well, her symptoms really started manifesting then). When she first started seeing a doctor, they gave her basically no time at all, and yet she's still here. It's been this horrible roller coaster combination of will she live/will she die and slowly watching her die and her wanting to die and her not wanting to die and her being hospitalized and watching her broken body and her going into the hospital right before graduation and right before the bar exam and my siblings and me breaking down at different times and making plans for after her death for over a decade now, and it is hard.

Back in 2005, Mom and Dad had their 50th wedding anniversary, and my siblings and I gave them a second wedding, because they really didn't have one when they actually got married. Mom was strong enough then to walk down the aisle and dance a little, but not a lot. She's gone very far downhill since, and when she leaves the house, has to go in a wheelchair. (She doesn't walk much around the house, either.)

That may be the last time I've seen them dance; they used to dance a lot. They were good. They used to dance around the kitchen together, and put on music and dance in the living room, and Dad used to play the guitar and sing to her, to us all. (He's lost the dexterity and feeling in his fingers to do that now. Mom has, too; she used to play bass, and was learning violin. No more, though.)

I didn't cry during the ceremony, but I got a little bright eyed during the first dance, because you guys, my brother in law just makes her so happy, and she's my beloved baby sister, the Sam to my Dean, and it took us so long to be friends, and I just want such wonderful things for her. So a little bright eyed, but no actual tears, and I'm beaming at them while they dance, even though I normally find the first dance incredibly boring.

Then they invite everyone to join them. My dad starts to push Mom's wheelchair onto the dance floor, and okay, it's getting a little hard to see now, something's in my eye, maybe I should own waterproof mascara after all (but I never need it). Then Mom stops him, and slowly, so achingly slowly, stands up, holding his hands once she gets herself upright, and they walk out onto the dance floor together, and I am done. I started crying so hard I was pretty sure I was going to lose a contact, even though I couldn't stop grinning too. And they didn't dance they way they used to, all slick fun dance steps, but they held each other and they turned, and I was crying even when I got asked to dance (Me: Make-up? Jake: Little smeared. Me: Oh god, and it took forever).

My parents got up and danced together at my sister's wedding, nearly fifty-seven years after they got married, and I got to see it.



(1) See, also, this conversation:

Dad: You should write a story about warewolfes (which is basically how he pronounces it) bears. Bears like warewolfes. And moose! Vampire moose.
Jake: Vampire moose? Do they gore you instead of bite you and then lick the blood from the wounds?
Dad: Yes. Write this story for kids. A bedtime story.
Jake: That kid will never sleep again.
Carla: And mom wonders why I love horror.

(2) See, also, excerpts from things Mom and Dad wrote about me for law school graduation:

Mom and Dad put together one of those family ads for graduates. I thought I'd share the pictures with you guys. And an excerpt from their blurbs.

Dad: Carla is constantly seeking. Even as a 2 year old it was always “Tell me more, Daddy, tell me more.” . . . She has made any dreams I might have had come true. I didn’t get much formal education. But Carla has done it for me. She is my adventure child.

(Dude, could my user name be any more appropriate? My heart just grew ten sizes today.)

Mom: I taught her that books were adventurous and fun even before she could walk (as soon as she could pull them off the shelf.) I read to her every night even after she could read them herself. Being able to read is the foundation for all other learning.

(3) See, also, this picture of my dad in a St. Pat's parade: Link to a picture where my dad has the best grin.

(4) See, also, that time Dad made me want to clutch my laptop to my chest, I needed to hear what he had to say so badly: "[W]e will take off in some direction and ride til sundown . . . just a ride with nowhere in particular in mind as a destination. Just a ride to burn up gas, see things and accomplish nothing but have fun."

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Saw a link to this posted by bewize and was really intrigued. Now I'm looking for theme suggestions to post about (examples from that site: 100 Recipes I've Never Tried Before & Other Kitchen Disasters; 100 Cult TV Things; 100 Books I Have Loved). I'm thinking maybe 100 (Attempts at) Adventures, but definitely let me know if you have suggestions.

(Edited to Add: Excellent post with suggestions.)

Also, I hope some of you consider doing it. I think it will be fun, no matter how many posts actually get written.




{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

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You guys, I think all those hours I spent looking at dresses for the two weddings coming up (impatienke is having her social wedding, and I'm a bridesmaid, and then her best friend is also getting married, and I'm a guest) have finally devoured my brain, because I went looking for one dress and ended up finding -- well, I will provide you with a list.

Keep in mind, I don't wear dresses generally (though I do have a cotton wrap dress that I wear as a coverup when going to the pool and I live in a couple jean skirts on the weekends when the weather is nice), and I can't wear them to work without wearing heavy, heavy tights, which I don't own. (Tattoo on my calf.)

But oh, god, I want to wear these dresses to work.

Crimson frill trim poplin
Rosette trim dress (in blue, black, and green, I like all three)
tabbed surplice neckline crepe dress
Be a sweetheart (in both the green and the blue)
Ruffle front surplice (What even is surplice?)
Bow tied neck cotton poplin
Pleat waist chambray dress
Mural blooms dress (the dress I was actually looking for -- you can see how long it took me to find it)
Wildflowers in bloom
Embellished florals surplice

What even is this? WHAT EVEN IS SURPLICE? (Wikipedia would have me know it is the liturgical vestment of the Western Christian Church. o.O That is not what I expected.)

Later I will tell you about the musical wanderings of my mind tonight, but right now I must go decide if I should buy dresses.

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Sunday Sporadic: A collection of links from the tabs I've opened over the last week. (Inspired by Karen Healey who sometimes does link collections on the weekends.)

Rose Lemberg: Feminist SF/F: On Feminist Characters

Excerpt: The way to get there, I think, is through multiple, intersectional, and diverse (yet not stereotyped or cartoonish) portrayals of women. I want women to be able to be Neurotic Geniuses. I want the Amazing Inventor with bad hair and mismatched socks who yells sometimes and makes her friends upset, and sometimes forgets to eat, and sometimes forgets to do laundry. I want to read about the Magician who forgets to check her email and gets embroiled in a political struggle at her University, which she loses ungraciously. I want to read about Neurotic Creative Professionals – architects, writers, film directors, music composers – who, in throws of creativity, can be quite upsetting to be around. I want to read about a brilliant woman scientist who is also a miserable drunk. I want to read about the person in a wheelchair who loves her work, but who takes her disability really hard. I want to read about women who are child-free by choice, and women who are mothers. I want to read about mothers who decided to stay at home, and mothers who work. I want to read about women who are fat and not, women who struggle with weight and women who do not. I want to read about asexual women, bisexual women, I want to read about people who are genderqueer and trans* and questioning. I want to read about menopausal women. I want to read about a heroine who is eighty two. I want to read about women who are mentally ill. I want to read a book with a feminist anti-hero. I want to read about kinky women, I want to read about dominant women and submissive women. And note, I haven’t even touched upon the questions of racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity!

Alex Dally Macfarlane: Feminist SFF: Female Friendships

Excerpt: I want, so much, to see more SFF where the friendships between women are given as much time and attention as any other relationship. It does happen, but it’s still far too rare. I want women forging alliances. I want women as enemies, too. I want women grappling to understand each other across privilege and cultural gulfs. I want women having lots of friendships with other women. I want lonely women who long for friendships with other women. I want women with vastly different interests finding common touch-points. I want women bonding over fibre crafts and sport and science and children and war and travel and stand-up comedy and books and internet memes and everything else that women bond over in real life. I want women helping each other to survive in the direst of situations. I want women saving one another. I want women being horrible to each other – because of course women are also horrible to each other in real life, but it’s not some kind of special female superpower. I firmly believe that the only reason it becomes gendered is societal. SFF gives us the opportunity to go beyond that! SFF also gives us the opportunity to examine that in careful, nuanced detail. What I don’t want is women being horrible to each other because that’s “our nature”.

James Tiptree Jr. Award Winner, Short List, and Long List Announcedheart</em>.

Down the Rabbit Hole: YA Cliches You Love

Excerpt: I read a lot of posts that talk about bad cliches in YA and why we don't like them. I always find these posts enlightening and absolutely love mining their info for my own work. What am I guilty of? And what sort of things do I dislike? But I always see a little note at the end stating that if those things are done well enough, the person doesn't usually mind them. So what I want to talk about today is which cliches I like in YA fiction.

Jezebel: Missouri Stupidly Decides to Create Rush Limbaugh Shrine in the State Capitol

What the actual fucking fuck Missouri? You're making me question again why I came back. (Answer: Family and a job I love.)

Palate cleanser time.

Boomtron: Vin Diesel in RIDDICK 3 Action

Riddick 3 is filming. I'm giddy! Riddick 3, Fast and the Furious 6, the joy that was Fast 5 -- it is a good time to be a Vin Diesel fan.

Bloody-Disgusting.com: Check Out 'Riddick' and His Bone Gun

Another link with the same pictures but slightly different information. Also, I wouldn't call that a bone gun so much as likely a bone sword (or a really long bone shiv), but we will see.

Techdirt: How the Runaway Success of a Tiny $25 Computer Could Become a Big Problem for Oppressive Regimes

Excerpt: An interesting consequence of Moore's Law and the ready availability of free software is that powerful computers can now be produced for just tens of dollars, and in an extremely small package. The low cost means that organizations supporting activists can send in many such systems to countries with human rights problems, and replace them if they are discovered and confiscated or destroyed. The size makes it much easier to import them discreetly, as well as to conceal them in countries that try to keep computing under tight control.

I've been hearing about Raspberry Pi for awhile now from the tech geeks in my family (so that'd be all of them, really), and I'm intrigued by it and by the potential uses of it.

Fangoria review The Cabin in the Woods (mostly without spoilers)

Excerpt: Like SCREAM, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is going to be mistaken by some people for a spoof of the genre. It’s not; like the Wes Craven film, it’s a straightforward horror feature that happens to have a good, satirical sense of humor about itself. This one goes beyond honoring just one subspecies of fright to become a wildly entertaining catch-all homage to the cinema of fear as a whole—it’s like all your favorite horror movies wrapped up in one.

I am super leery about The Cabin in the Woods. On the one hand, this is exactly what I love, horror stories about terrified teens surrounded by trees. On the other hand, despite how much I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer (fifteen years ago yesterday the pilot of the tv series premiered, but I also love the ridiculously cheesy movie), I do not trust Joss Whedon's work lately (at least ever since Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, and certainly with Dollhouse). However, I really want to give The Cabin in the Woods a chance, and so I will, and if it goes badly, I will then vent a lot.

(Also, how in the world does Christ Hemsworth change sizes so much? Good grief, man, tiny GIANT tiny GIANT. I know, I know, filmed at different times and in different orders, but it is sort of jarring. And also, sort of awesome.)

(Speaking of GIANT and watching Joss Whedon projects despite my side-eyeing him, is it May yet? No? How about now? WHY ISN'T IT TIME FOR THE TONY STARK SNARK EXTRAVAGANZA?)

Finally, this is the first I'm hearing of Likeme Lighthouse, a new lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community center here in Kansas City, but I am intrigued. Also, they're having a NOH8 photo shoot tomorrow, for you locals who are interested.

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(LJ Only: Icon is so appropriate. I should upload more icons to dreamwidth.)

Who's in?

Check out this line-up: Black Oxygen, Adelita's Way (!!!), New Medicine, Rev Theory (!), Art of Dying, Theory of a Deadman (!), Cavo, Chevelle, Trivium (!), SLASH GODDAMN SLASH OKAY (!!!!!!!), Black Stone Cherry (!), Five Finger Death Punch (!), Volbeat, Hell Yeah, Shinedown (!), and a fireworks show to end it all. I will need so much alcohol to deal with the crowds, but damn, how much do I not want to miss the 20th anniversary.

$35 for 15 bands and 12 hours of music (or $25 for presale if you're a registered rockaholic with 98.9 The Rock) is an amazing deal. Who wants to come visit me and rock out?



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