Meandering Starre

After being a fan for more than a year, I’ve now read a story for Escape Pod. well, not a whole story, just part of one. I’m the interviewer in “How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s Justice.” Stephen, of Escape Pod, was the dog. My throat hurt for him while we were reading it. While I’ve not listened to it yet, the story is a good one, so I recommend going right to the site and giving it a listen (and then subscribing to Escape Pod if you have not already).

We had quite the interesting morning. Luckily it was not as interesting as some in our neighborhood. We had “wrath of god” level of storm role through our neighborhood before 6:30 this morning. I woke up just as it was starting. We had huge gusts of wind that were almost frightening in their power. The wind gusted so baldy I could barley see trees outside. The one I could see was swaying ominously. We got little rain, but what we did sounded like grit hitting the house or thick mud with peddles and sand. Our house is now covered with dirt and torn pieces of vegetation—I actually think small piece of bark and twigs that came with the rain and the gusts. It was ferocious.

We lost power, and when I left around 11:30 we still didn’t have it. But power was a little problem compared to what some in out neighborhood suffered. Around 7:30 I went out to explore the neighbored with Bill, who had already explored. We could not get out of the neighborhood in a car. The nearest exist was closed because the road it attaches to had power lines and a few tress down on the road. It was closed for about a quarter of a mile. The other exit was inaccessible because a large tree was down blocking the road to get to the exit. We actually saw pieces of the street lights all over the road too from the downed poles on the main street. More seriously right across this street we saw a house with three (yes THREE) trees that had fallen on it and destroyed the roof in various places. Apparently a few more houses right near it were also similarly damaged and you could see furniture through the new holes. Damage in our actual neighborhood was not as bad. The house right next store lost four or so Bartlett Pear trees, one causing (comparatively minor) roof and gutter damage, and the rest just handed in a big pile (on their mailbox). A few other houses suffered roof damage. Apparently the people in one of the houses were in bed when a branch came through their bedroom ceiling and landed inches from them! Scary! The top of one tree I walked by was laying 30 feet away pointing in another direction. Several tress, and I mean substantial tress—not little weak tress—were ripped in half. We had really serious winds. Bill estimated between 80-100 mph winds.

Walking around the neighborhood this morning really felt like those people in all the post storm videos surveying damage. The neighborhood was so trashed and destroyed that it felt surreal. And yet, the damage still doesn’t compare to what may have gotten with hurricanes or tornadoes. I felt very thankful that our house was so lucky and that things were not nearly as bad as they could have been.

I did miss my lunch date today, but made it in to teach, due in part to Bill, who used his chainsaw to help move big tree across the road to the second development exit.

Bill took some pictures and I will link to them here too. I was quite happy my little spring flowers all survived. Shocked, but happy! I’ll post pictures of these too.

Do you think a woman can be as effective a President as a man?

I will not respond as I could to this lovely question asked by ABC New on their facebook account. Duh! I will not list all the women leaders and rulers that have been as, or more, successful than men. I will not go off on how one of England’s greatest ruler—who ruled during their golden age—was a woman. But it is tempting. I really could rant about this. But I need to sleep.

It is so sad this is even a question. This may be the home of the free and the land of the brave, but the need to ask this also sounds like we are the place of the sexists.

Since becoming a triathlete my husband has begun watching the televised Ironmans. I’ve watched one previously with him and today watched a bit of the Ironman Hawaii with him. For those who don’t know, the Ironman Hawaii is THE Ironman. People must qualify for it and it is the world championship

About 5 minute into my watching I made this comment “they really need a commentator who has actually done a triathlon.” I don’t even require a commentator that has done an Ironman, but any old triathlon, even a sprint. Or maybe a marathon, or some endurance event in at least one of the three areas. Something! He was clueless. He even made some rather insulting comments at few points. He does not understand why it means to be an endurance athlete and many of his comments made this clear. I got the most pissed off at this one: “sunset at the Ironman makes you ask yourself questions about why people would want to punish themselves and for so long.” Yes, the Ironman is just an exercise in masochism. Pretty soon they will come out with a line of leather Ironman gear, complete with self-flogging devices. Come on! I don’t know any endurance athlete who does it for the punishment. The reason a person does an Ironman has nothing to do with pain or punishment. It may have to do with accomplishment, meeting a goal, the endorphins, a desire to push one’s self, and much more. But not punishment. I’ve never heard anyone say “I’ve been such a bad girl/boy today so I’m going to do an Ironman. I need the punishment.”

Obviously, he has no idea of what he is talking about. Can’t NBC do better? Get one of those retired professional Ironman athletes or even your average triathlete to be the commenter. Goodness, my husband and I would be better than this commentator. Now that would be a cool job. NBC, give us a call. We’d be happy to do the commentary for the Hawaii Ironman. We may need a few weeks on location before it…

Commentary aside, it is always cool to watch these. As something of an endurance athlete and a triathlete, I can feel their pain and accomplishment and understand, to some degree, what is gong on. Plus, just watching people accomplish such a difficult race is inspiring. Chrissie Wellington, the first place woman, had never competed in an Ironman before. She won, and it was her first! This is amazing. People work for years to qualify and more years to do well. She also won her first marathon. I wish I had her genes.

Due to the recent move of the fall time change back, I have been given a special gift by the time change powers that be. The “fall back” time change occurs on my birthday, which means November 4th is 25 hours long! One extra birthday hour! What better gift for someone who doesn’t have enough time as it is? Since I plan on spending my birthday relaxing and spending time with myself, loved ones, and friends, I won’t use this time to get any “work” done, but it does mean I get extra time to not work, which is truly a wonderful gift.

Yes, Dumbledore was gay, according to JK Rowling, who was speaking at Carnegie Hall (from a boingboing post). I am sure this will give the book burning, school library banning, anti-Harry Potter zealots new fuel for their fires (literally and figuratively). But, it is nice to see more gay characters in fiction, especially “children’s” fiction (fantasy). It is too bad that this acknowledgment came after the last book and that Rowling did not make Dumbledore clearly gay and out in the series. Perhaps Rowling is suggesting that Harry lives in a world where things like race (various characters) and homosexuality are such a part of the society that they do not need to be “noted,” but somehow I doubt this.

Now I need to reread the series to get the hints (Grindelwald, for instance, is apparently one of Dumbledore’s loves, which explains a ton). I already wanted to reread it based on the Snape explanations in the last books (vague to not give any spoilers). Now, I just have more to read for.

Now that I am not running off to lunch, I want to provide a few comments on the post I made yesterday on the Portland Maine middle school providing birth control (including pills) to students. Now I am a firm supporter of good sex ed programs in schools. I had a good sex ed program in my Maine schools (female/male basics in 5th grade and a health class in HS, I think that is it). At the time I was not impressed, but since then I have realized this is much more than many received. I do not see how teaching sex ed and making birth control available forces, or even encourages, people to have sex. People (kids, teens, adults) will have sex anyway. We have proof enough of that. And abstinence only does not work. Lubbock, Texas, with its abstinence only program, had higher teen pregnancy rates and STD rates than where I grew up. I could discuss this issue forever, but as I am trying towards brevity on this blog, I won’t.

Instead I’ll go back to reacting to the article. As the article shows, these kids are having sex and getting pregnant—17 pregnancies in the area middle schools over the past 4 years. These numbers are scary. While I do feel middle school is too young for sex, it is far too young (especially in this day and age) to be pregnant. And it is far too young to decide to not be pregnant. These are issue our middle school students should not have to worry about. If the birth control methods make any difference, even in one middle schooler’s life, then it is worth it. One less middle school pregnancy, one less abortion, one less kid making adult decisions.

I also think we need to go deeper to the root of this issue. Why are these kids having sex? Is our culture somehow encouraging it? Do they understand really what they are doing? Have they had the education to know what sex can lead to? To know it is okay to say “no”? This is another area I could talk more on.

But, to one last point–I love the fact they are doing more than condoms. Providing pills and patches puts the power of birth control firmly into the hands of the females, who will be the most impacted by a pregnancy. These do not, of course, protect against STDs, and I do not see the article discussing STDs. But they do give control to the female and this is a good thing.

I don’t have time to wax poetic, or even really offer much opinion on this right now (off to a lunch date), but I had to post this news item. According to CNN, a middle school in Portland Maine is providing a full range of birth control (including pills!) to middle school students! This is due to an “outbreak” of pregnancies among middle school girls. The students need parental permission to go to the health center, but once there their ”treatment” is fully confidential.

I have a professional blog, Screen Space, and I just moved it over to its new domain. So please check it out at www.screenspace.org. It died this spring and summer, but I am revitalizing it with the move and will be posting more regally and frequently and…

Sound of drums….

I will even be starting a Screen Space podcast! I am making my students do it, so I figured is should too. And I will in the next few weeks.

And as for this poor blog, my apologies faithful readers. I’ve been sick and incredibly busy. At least the later is the same old. But the sick was not fun. I have been nauseous for three week and exhausted (as a side effect of the nausea issue and the overwork). But I am feeling better and, honestly, start being a regular blogger here again. I have a Dragon*con post, a medical flyer post, and a triathlon post all sitting in my head waiting to be written.

When I got in my car today after swimming, I saw this on my dashboard:

Yes, that says 118 (degrees Fahrenheit)! Now it was not “really” that hot out. My car had been in a hot parking lot for about an hour and in such cases tends to read a bit warm. After driving it registered a more accurate 102. Now do remember, this is in Georgia with 1000000% humidity, so it feels more like… well that 118 degrees my car thought! Okay, well maybe 112 or something.

After my swim today I used the hot tub, but didn’t stay long as the 102 degree water just wasn’t as relaxing, especially when I knew it was ‘bout that outside (and only slightly less humid).

This is all Bill’s fault (okay and mine too) because he/we kept saying it really had not gotten that hot yet. Then we have several days over 100 degrees. Fun. We actually spent part of last week in Orlando, and surprisingly it was cooler (about 6 degrees, mid 90’s instead of +100). BTW Disney is not as fun in August when it is 96. Just so you know.