2006-05-03

I do - kind of?

"Is marriage a relic of a patriarchal past that should be retired shamefully to the dresser like a used garter belt? Or is it an open institution that can be played with, screwed around with and reassembled at will?"
I'm sure a number of you are wondering just what happened to that difficult, idealistic grrrl who despised patriarchy in all its forms and wanted nothing to do with the institution of marriage. I assure you, she is not dead! But she loves this guy and shouldn't feel bad about it, damn it!


Still, the stress and excitement and hullabaloo over the wedding definitely grates on me sometimes. Being constantly surrounded by progressive thinkers and completely independent, happy women can cause an occassional freak-out. I will admit, when in the office, I keep those bridal magazines buried at the bottom of my bag. And I never buy one without backing it up with
Harper's or Bust or Off Our Backs. In certain circles, I feel real guilt for having a ring on my finger.

I wanted to share an
essay by Amy Benfer that mildly soothes my feminist fears. It is not an argument for or against feminists tying the knot. It does touch on the internal (and external) struggles facing some womyn who make this decision.

Anyway, this nerd liked it. Give me some feedback, ladies!

FYI: A pretty good site for other sell-outs (kidding!) is Indiebride. The bitching on their bulletin board makes me happy.

2006-05-02

"Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

Missed me? I haven't posted in a while, I know. Things have been a bit crazy. This past Friday was my last day at Democracy Now! after 3 long years. I am free! Great show, but that office is like an abusive boyfriend. It was just time for me to leave. Farewell to my masochistic co-workers!

Now that I have my life back, I am trying desperately to catch up. I JUST watched the Colbert address to the White House Correspondents Dinner. Truly inspirational. If you have not seen it yet, here it is. WATCH IT NOW! This one will go down in the history books. If you can't watch it, read the transcript. He brilliantly slams them all...

George Bush:
"The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will."

the pussies in the press:
"Here's how it works. The President makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction!"
...Fox News, Antonin Scalia, John McCain (that man is a maverick), even Laura Bush...and he never lets up. It was marvelous. Bush, sitting mere steps from the podium, looks like he is going to explode, or is missing the joke entirely. The audience is visibly freaked out. I fear he may have just eclipsed our beloved John Stewart.

I am in love. Sigh.