On Writing Jane, Unlimited: Please Don’t Choose Your Own Adventure

Before I start, a couple of important things: There’s a documentary airing on Monday on PBS called Unrest, about MECFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). I hope you’ll watch it and pass the word on. Official blurb: “Jennifer Brea is working on her PhD at Harvard and about to marry the love of her life when… Read more »

Today’s Election-Free Zone: Paris’s Independent Shopfronts and their Owners

At The Guardian, I love these gorgeous photos of the Parisian owners of indie shops standing in their own doorways. A chocolaterie, a patisserie, a pharmacie that makes me think of the TARDIS (sorry), a shop of homemade marionettes and toys, even a shop for pesticides and rodent traps (Destruction des Animaux Nuisibles). Photos taken… Read more »

Linky Thursday Randutiae with Rage (And Some Sweet Things, Too)

In France, in order to protect women from being oppressed by Muslim men who tell them what to wear, white men with guns force women to take their clothes off. I have so much fury and contempt for this racism, Islamophobia, and misogyny disguised as “liberation” and “secular values” that I don’t even have enough… Read more »

Checking in with the Pictures of the Week

Sorry for my brief disappearance; after returning from East Africa, I got sick, then got better, then had to deal with an unexpected crisis. But all is well now! And as a promise of future posts, here’s a link to today’s Flipboard Pictures of the Week, which struck me as being particularly interesting/ strange/ beautiful/… Read more »

Photography Practice

Kevin has a fancy camera, and he takes lovely pictures. He would say the lovely pictures are because of the fancy camera, but everyone has seen uninspired pictures taken on fancy cameras, so I call bullshit on that. He takes lovely pictures because he’s good at it. Here’s a photo he took of my most… Read more »

Long-Overdue Randutiae (Yes, I’m Still Here!)

Lenny Kravitz’s Dick Fell Out, and Women Everywhere Are Being Terrible about It. So. The gorgeous rocker and everyone’s go-to Arena fashion designer had a wardrobe malfunction at a concert in Stockholm, and social media went wild, in a bad way. I appreciate this response, which is thoughtful about questions of consent, problematic double standards,… Read more »

Lengthy Linky Randutiae. Also, Rainbow Nails

Ready? David Levithan and Billy Merrell are putting together an expanded edition of The Full Spectrum and are looking for essays about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning and other queer identities by writers under 21.  If you have a story you want to tell, go to www.queerthology.com for details on submitting.  Deadline is August… Read more »

Nobody Understands Me

Me at the local yummy vegetarian foodie place (Life Alive. Stupid name, delicious food. Also, no, I am not a vegetarian): I’d like the Romantic Wrap. Please add eggs and greens.The guy: The Romantic Wrap, add eggs and beets?Me: Eggs and greens.The guy: I’m afraid we don’t have any beans.Me: GREENS!  I WANT GREENS! ***My… Read more »