triadruid

I'm argumentative today. Okay, strike that; I'm more argumentative than usual today. I'm not sure if this bodes well or ill for my evening and Saturday. On the other hand, this post has been percolating since Tuesday, at least, I just haven't been around to make it...

A couple of things crossed my radar going in opposite directions this last week. The first was Rosie O'Donnell's idiotic comments about "Ching Chong Chinamen" (which I apparently missed back in December), and the video rebuttal from Beau Sia, an Chinese-American slam artist. I really enjoyed his take on the issue, which made my reaction to Exhibit B all the more surprising.

George Takei took issue with retired sports figure Tim Hardaway's homophobic remarks last week, and recorded a "mock PSA" in which he began in an informative and neutral style, then camped it up by commenting on how much he "really liked" Hardaway, running his fingers up the leg of Hardaway's image behind him and making various not-so-thinly-veiled innuendos. See the video clip for yourself. Somehow, this rubbed me the wrong way from the get-go; I don't think it's kosher to "taunt" someone who is uncomfortable with homosexuality any more than it's okay to taunt a gay man by throwing them amidst a pack of horny females, for example. The final line "And one day, when you least expect it, I WILL have sex with you!" was just the capstone of that problem for me - it feeds right into the prejudices that already exist, and doesn't do a damn thing to create a dialogue, as far as I can tell. It's reverse bigotry in my world, but several people I know liked the skit, so maybe I'm out of the 'norm' here. But on the other hand, I'm not sure I agree with the NBA's decision to ban him Hardaway from all future All-Star events.

Two points to this entry: First, and shorter, is that I've swapped my LJ layout and mucked about with it. If you notice anything "weird" or that seems out of place, or course if you have any suggestions for improving it, let me know (one thing I'm not crazy about is the large blank space under an individual entry if it's short/has no comments). I'm digging the "tag cloud" option, though it does mean I have to go back and tag all those old 2003-2004 entries now.

Second part, though, is a meme based on the "Alternate Lives" thought experiment that's been going around. ( Read more... )

So I finally got a chance to really think about niveus_tigris's thought experiment; ( my tray of cups looks a little like this )
An interesting analytical tool, actually.

Listen to me, you have to consider the possibility that the universe does not like you; it never wanted you. In all probability, it hates you. This is not the worst thing that could happen.

Something to keep you busy on a Monday, if you need that sort of thing.

From the site:

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingram in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.

Input your views to my Johari window

Now do the same with the Nohari window, a variant that looks at the antonyms of the mostly-positive traits given in the first.

Should be interesting...by the by, I think I finally answered everyone who posted it last week, at least those I knew well enough to try.

List five things that get you excited/happy/enthusiastic about life, in no particular order. Then tag some folks to do it.

1. Beautiful people. No, not like The Beautiful People, but happy lovely people, comfortable in their own skin. Kinda like the ones in the new Dove ad everyone's talking about, but for both/all genders.
   
2. 74° days off. Our household is plagued with the general phenomenon that only two out of the three of us will like any given thing, but weather comfortable enough to hike/walk briskly in is marvelous.
   
3. Thunderstorms at night. May seem like a paradox of #2, but there's nothing quite like getting all charged up from an electrical storm of Gallic proportions...
   
4. Cheese. I love cheese; sharp cheddar, creamy muenster, playful baby swiss, tangy bleu cheeses... it's all good.
   
5. Driving fast to loud music. Whether it's because I'm happy and want to celebrate it, or because I'm mad and need to blow off steam, I love this... which is a good portion of why I've *never* owned a sports car. I'd be too damn dangerous.

Tagging: docwebster, greektoomey, chronarchy, esotericgirl, and chaosdruid

A lemming stolen from featherynscale's journal, ( wherein we find out that we have dangerous resonances )

We can identify defining characteristics of (romantic) love that distinguish it from other relationships:

• Attraction


• Common Interests


• Trust


• Compatible Dysfunctions (thanks to featherynscale for this term)


• Within a 'Standard Deviation' of each other (thanks go to azanthia for this one)

I should explain the 'Standard Deviation' concept a bit further; essentially, it means someone who is not so far above you, or so far beneath you, that the difference is going to cause a problem. This can be intellectual difference, social class difference, religion, whatever.. opposites may attract, but similarities build resonance.

If you have some subset of these characteristics, you can have a relationship, even a good one, just not the same one. For instance, Common Interests + Trust + Compatible Dysfunctions + Standard Deviation = Best Friend for Life(?). Common Interests + Trust = Favorite Coworker(?).

And so on. Feel free to poke holes, I just found it interesting and didn't want to forget the midnight philosophy.