From sea to shining sea.

Supreme Court 'thunderbolt' clears way for same-sex marriage nationwide

They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

-- Justice Anthony Kennedy, in the majority opinion of the Supreme Court of the United State of America

It takes no compromise to give people their rights…It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.

-- Harvey Milk

The words to this song have always meant a lot to me, but they are so poignant today. My country has been through so much in the last two weeks; a lot of soul-searching. We have so many things we still need to work on, but today I am so proud of what we have achieved.

I generally stay away from the whole "San Francisco has changed, techbros suck (but, c'mon, ugh), the soul of the City is disappearing" whine, even though it's almost impossible to NOT moan about in some way the many aspects of this changing cultural landscape, especially as it morphs from queer refuge to bourgeois fortress.

But today it really really struck me how staid and boring and above all CURATED San Francisco has become.

Of course, I also feel the need to caution myself about the inevitable and natural nostalgia of the more reckless days of my youth, but I can't help but feel like the City was an organism that screamed I AM ALIVE much more convincingly even just 10 years ago, not to mention when I was discovering it 25 years ago as a small-town girl who knew this was a place to which was worth escaping.

Charleston.

How much longer can we live like this?

Much like the travel tours for the stuffed toys of the infirm and elderly, this video is so beautiful and weird and Japanese and heartbreaking to me.

A Robotic Dog's Mortality

And as Trevor gently reminds me when I read these things and feel all out of sorts: "Japanese are not Americans."

Hi y'all! I'm baaaaaaack.

It's been nearly a year since I blogged last. Sorry, different priorities. But I am ready to scream into the void again feel like it's time to start engaging in this platform again with my opinions on this human culture, pop and otherwise.

A couple of things on my mind to catch you up with where I'm at -- some timely, some not so much:

1) If you're not sick of it already, how you doin', Game of Thrones?

Big fan of the books here, even though GRRM's writing evokes a massive clusterfuck; as such, I was really impressed with how the showrunners streamlined it into a lithe and springy animal. And yes, I acknowledge the depiction of unnecessary and added violence (particularly sexual) against women has clearly become lazy knee-jerk writing and a turnoff. That's why Outlander is where I've been getting my epic sword fighting fantasy lately, as well as really digging that a 70-year old white man is outdoing these young bucks in engaging a female audience.

(via Feminist Mad Max)

But, me = digression; back to brass tacks. I have been a bit reluctant to rejoin the world of GRRM because clusterfuck and because even with how overly rapey it is, the show seems to still be making that clusterfuck feel more cohesive. Reading not being a lot of humans to-do list anyway (boo!), I do also think that I'm not alone among people who still do enjoy reading. So, this:

Stop Defending "Game of Thrones": How HBO Gutted the Stories I Love

UGH. This shit is all over the internets. A slow build, from tweets his editor put up and took down, to GRRM's slow boil from happy go lucky collaborator to tsk tsker. Funny how this happens only prior to release of the next book. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I see this phenomenon we are experiencing as an orchestrated way to generate renewed interest in the books. This is a huge franchise with lots of big players and massive money to be made, not a bunch of amateurs squabbling over scraps. If this crap really exists and it's not helpful to the machine, it gets locked down. Bleh.

Speaking of clusterfucks...

2) Rachel Dolezal: Black or White? A Woman's Story Stirs Up a Furor

I have been ignoring this story because it IS complicated, but a friend who is a creative writing professor and someone who has personally struggled with issues within her mixed family posted this bit to the Friendface from her friend, and it spoke to me.

Transracial Lives Matter: Rachel Dolezal and the Privilege of Racial Manipulation

It's a powerful piece of writing with some controversial ideas. To get the negatives out of the way first: I am a bit uncomfortable with the some of the more aggressive attitudes she shares regarding transracial adoption -- that there's somehow always an injustice that was done to the child, or the idea that seems to be put forth here that adoptive parents are complicit in destroying a child's potential identity if they involve them in white culture or should be ridiculed if they try to seek out ways to incorporate their child's racial or ethnic background in their daily lives. Another friend also pointed out that her only problem with this article is that the author says Dolezal adopted her black brother to gain authenticity, and how could this person possibly know why Dolezal did this, why can't it just be out of love? I, like my friend, am more inclined to think love might have had something to do with it. Nothing is perfect, and I always feel like love is completely divorced from a lot of these conversations.

Anyway, I wasn't adopted, but I was just talking to my husband about this within the context of my experience growing up as a biracial girl in a very small town, all-white environment. My parents both prepared and tried to heal me the best they could for how I was treated, and I identify with a lot of what she is saying. It is very hard for anyone who has an outside that looks like the dominant culture to understand what that privilege is truly like, and I say this as someone who has had the ability in the past to "pass" -- and let me tell you, I did it when I could because it DOES grant you privilege.

I get really tired though, and sometimes feel like the best way is what a white male friend from my hometown commented:

I'm so salty toward people's judgments at all anymore. I'm like an old man that's done caring about stuff like "opinions" grumble grumble life is too valuable. Let's get it over with and just say, "does it increase diversity or not?" If not, then let's not do that thing.

If only life was so simple. Can it be? Not until we all stop caring about judgments, which is a defining aspect of being human.

Hey guys, I just got back from Japan!

I saw my family and friends, and met a bunch of new ones along the way (including my newlywed cousin's husband).

Sorry, no pics to share here of those things, yo.

But, it was beautiful, as per usual.

Also, SURPRISE! I ate and drank many delicious things.

It was a fun time, and a time to reflect.

Until next year, Nihon.

Matmos, San Francisco Art Institute, 6.28.2014

My hands clasped tightly, they did not disappoint. Difficult, orchestral, exhausting, inspiring.

Watch a bit here.

Hmmmmmmm...

America's Cult of Ignorance is No Match for Asia's Cult of Intelligence

I have a bit of a problem with John Traphagan's assessment here, or maybe his definition of intelligence, particularly around Japan (I can't really speak to other Asian countries with authority, only anecdotally).

As one who has traveled to Japan frequently over the last 20 years, has Japanese and expatriate family and friends from all walks of life, and is well-versed in Japan's education system from primary school through college, as well as one who has mentored and tutored young Asian female college exchange students, I find the regurgitation model of education -- a decidedly UNintelligent model -- is standard, and should not necessarily be used as a yardstick for intelligence.

Critical thinking and thinking outside the box is extremely undervalued in Japan, and unquestioning adherence to hierarchy and "authorities" -- teachers (who are often using textbooks that skew history and promote institutionalized racism), favored students (often class-based), and that old familiar specter, the guvmint -- is par for the course. I have found unequivocally that students I mentored from Japan and other Asian countries found it extremely difficult to both form their own opinions and demonstrate deeper understanding about politics or literature, even from a place of safety, namely one-on-one. I have met teachers in Japan who taught English language and could not understand nor communicate with me, because they were taught only sentence structure -- what you need to pass a written test -- not vocabulary or conversation. I have a family member who has an MA in Japanese Literature from a Princeton-level college in Japan, but who doesn't know much about authors outside of the established canon, even those authors who were extremely influential internationally but possibly seen as "deviant" by the government, such as Inagaki Taruho.

This is not to say that Japanese are unquestioning robots, or lack intellectualism; on the contrary, I find that many Japanese I encounter have a curiosity about the world, will engage with you about current events, have opinions that are diverse and informed, etc. But this is not a culture that encourages free thought and conversation, and often finds it at best vulgar (which amuses me to no end) and at worst an indication one is a radical danger to society. This is also apparent in my friends' lamentations regarding lack of freedom and fulfillment. A lifetime spent under this yoke when there are bills to pay and obligations to uphold and so. much. pressure. to conform does no one any favors when it comes to cultivating any true "Cult of Intelligence."

The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

That said, I have no beef with the author's assessment of the US and our own dearth of critical thinking, but I do value our culture's encouragement of questioning what we're being fed. Obviously, math and some aspects of science may not apply here, but this is where I go back to the Traphagan's definition of intelligence. One cannot claim a "Cult of Intelligence" -- especially as juxtaposed with the US and our supposed "Cult of Ignorance" -- without vast demonstration, encouragement, and celebration of critical thinking.

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.

Oregon. Pennsylvania.

We are a better people than what [anti-gay marriage] laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history.

~ The Honorable John E. Jones, on his ruling to overturn Pennsyvlania's ban on gay marriage

"When did this all become obvious? When, one might ask instead, did it stop being impossibly hard?"

Getting to Fifty on Marriage Equality

Is Gay Marriage Unstoppable?

Yeah Arkansas!

Arkansas issues same-sex marriage licenses

Also, I went to Northern Ireland in April.

And I fell madly, hopelessly, forever in love.

Trust.

The best thing on the internets.

(Okay, this is pretty good too.)

Old and new in beautiful Downtown Oakland.

 

 

Rainy day treat at Ramen Shop.

Corsair Triple Smoked Malt Whiskey

This whiskey out of Kentucky had all the peaty goodness of a good Islay Scotch but a clean finish that paired well with Japanese flavors. I could drink this all the time. Nice pick by my wonderful and incredibly talented illustrator/bar manager friend extraordinaire, Chris Lane.

tsukemono and pork/squid fried rice

Best fried rice in the East Bay. And OMG, the tsukemono -- Ramen Shop has someone who only does pickles, and it shows. The black radish -- the small slices vegetal, the large ones spicy, taking advantage of natural radish variation -- was to die for. 

sesame-miso ramen w/ ground pork belly

Broth so rich and thick, noodles with a firm chew, ground browned pork belly nuggets like little treasures to be dredged up from the bottom: a perfect bowl.

Go get some!



THIS.

Japanese Man Uses Sweater to Turn Himself Into a Turkey

Just go there.

(images from the Vintage Valentine Museum -- yes, that's a thing!)

I really do pine for those handwritten, pre-phone/Facebook/texting days when something like this was a real treat to give to, and receive from, someone special.

(what I'm also saying is that I could definitely be wooed by a gentleman bearing one of these 19th century calling cards *swoon*)

So, accordingly, I've spent the last hour or so online, trying to track down this vintage 1926 German mechanical valentine that my sweetie was only able to give to me electronically, in the hopes of purchasing it to be my forever precious, but it's been all for naught.

So, irony intact, I will be parking this here, on my blog. Maybe I'll even get it tattooed on my person someday.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ya Beauty!

Scotland Legalizes Gay Marriage

Trevor is at a conference in the Polar Vortex. My beloved California is gorgeous -- it was a comfortable 70 degrees today in the Town -- but suffering from a drought.

Yet, Mother Nature still wants us to know we live in a magical world.

YES.

Kit Kat Specialty Store Opening in Tokyo

All y'all know I'm not a big sweet eater, but I make room in my Japan bag every year for amazing Japanese Kit Kats.

I've only had green tea, sakura, hojicha, strawberry, blueberry cheesecake, and soy sauce flavors, so you can bet your sweet ass I'm making it over to Ikebukuro (also home to Namja Town and its Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City and lovely microbrews, oh yes) every time I visit Tokyo.

This is a big deal, people.

I was clearly born to host a dinner party in the wrong era.

Liver Sausage Pineapple

21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

WUT.

So deliciously 1970s, and a perfect intersection of my love of the innocent American glory days, 70s trash, and fashion. WANT. This may even usurp my other dream cars (seen here and here).

Base price for this sweet baby was $2500, not including "luxury trim package." Also:

The 1972 Hornet was promoted by AMC as "a Tough Little Car." American Motors promised to repair anything wrong with the car (except for the tires), owners were provided with a toll-free telephone number to the company and a free loaner car if a warranty repair took overnight.

God bless 'Murica.

from "Farmers Wary of GMO Crops," The Zimbabwean

I continue to be wary of the long-term health effects of some GMO crops, and the use of the poor, uneducated, and/or malnourished as guinea pigs plus the predatory practices of big BioAg doesn't put me any closer to being on the thumbs-up path; however, in the interest of education, this was a good read.

A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops

Of course, I am looking for answers myself, and thus really try to check my skepticism, but this did stand out to me:

...the risk of [GMO crops] could be reliably tested, and had so far proved safe. "With scientists, we never say anything is 100 percent certain one way or another," Dr. Suzuki said. "We weigh conclusions on accumulated knowledge or evidence..." 

Yes, absolutely. But, the big BUT:  Like organic and conventional dairy and vegetables being deemed equal in nutritional profiles just a few years ago, or the scientific claim that thalidomide wouldn't cross the placental barrier, accumulated scientific knowledge sometimes goes horribly wrong. GMO crops should not be rushed to market or be allowed to propagate and be sold while in litigation, and should also be subject to litigation should there be health problems clearly associated with them; they should also submit to continual testing and monitoring once they are in the market (for now), and the patent holders/users be okay with informing the public with labeling so people have a choice.

I'm not one for a nanny state, but this should be the standard when we screw with the basic building blocks of life, especially ones that have the potential to have profound effects on the population.

There are so many promising things in GMOs, so I really hope I'm wrong, but we have to slow. down.

Happy New Year! All the best to you and yours in 2014.

This is pretty dang wonderful.

Holy everything that is holy.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Producing 'The Sandman,' May Star and Direct

OMG.

I can totally get behind JGL starring, though both Trevor and I think my boyfriend would make an even more excellent Dream.

Now, how do we cast the rest of The Endless?

Tilda Swinton as Desire. TRUST.
Bearded Eric Northman as Destruction?
Carey Mulligan as Delirium?

??????????????

This is a VERY good, in-depth read:

Steve McQueen on 12 Years a Slave

I love Steve McQueen, and having seen all three of his major films, I think he is a gifted director. While IMO each of his films suffer from the exact same flaw -- always with the scene that hits you over the head with such force that you are pulled out of the film momentarily -- taken as a whole they are consistently crazy well-done.

[frequent McQueen collaborator Michael] Fassbender told me that McQueen “loves human beings,” even terrible ones. “The great thing about Steve, in terms of looking at characters and telling stories, is that he doesn’t judge any of it. It all is what it is. Through observation you try to gain some kind of understanding, as opposed to judgment.” He calls McQueen’s approach “almost journalistic.”

Fassbender famously portrayed Bobby Sands in McQueen's first major film, Hunger. I was talking with a couple of friends the other night about this film, and they were a bit condemning of it as a sympathetic portrayal of Sands, leading one toward a sympathetic portrayal of the IRA. What I tried to convey in that conversation Fassbender says so well. The aim of McQueen's depiction of not only Sands, but both Fassbender's tragic character in Shame and his monstrous Edwin Epps in 12 Years..., is observation -- terrible, magnified observation -- that we can hope leads to some kind of self-reflection about what lurks inside us, our multifaceted humanity.

I die.



Fan-made and fantastic.

2:40 to around the three minute mark, I had goosebumps THE WHOLE TIME, and I don't even like Matt Smith's Doctor.

Moffat, make it so!

1964 Jaguar E-Type Roadster

This is a great little story, and reminded me of my dad's stories of picking up a Mercedes wagon off the assembly line in Stuttgart in the early 60s, and one of the very first (bright red!) Toyota Sprinters off the assembly line in Japan in 1968.

While I appreciate this gorgeous Roadster, the Jaguar E-Type Coupe from the 60s is my personal dream car, ever since I saw one on the freeway in Oakland a couple of years ago. Oy vey, thems were the days for automobiles...

Americans! Hope your long Thanksgiving weekend was awesome. Mine was filled with this.

Church of Misery and Saviours at Thee Parkside and Oakland Metro

16 states!

Illinois Signs Gay Marriage Into Law

Hat tip to fenchurch for this, the truly Life-Changing Loaf of Bread:

Please note: while I am an enthusiastic cook, I (thoroughly and unequivocally) DESPISE baking for its precision. I (tend to, valiantly and sadly) AVOID modern wheat-based bread for its eczema blues. I was almost ready to chuck my toaster oven for lack of use.

But now, now -- I can't stop making this easy-peasy, delicious bread.

PS: I use flax meal to make it more bread-like and mix and bake in a pyrex loaf pan; as such, rather than unmolding halfway through I let it bake the whole while (about 40-45 minutes) and cool in-pan, and it's totally fine. Just be sure to let it sit for at least 4 hours before baking.

BREAD!

I am truly fascinated by slash and shippers, but also how media with this kind of fan base (Supernatural and the Twilight franchise come immediately to mind) capitalize on this phenomenon, and the resulting weirdo impact on the real lives of people who play these characters.

So, yeah...

Why is the Chinese Internet Obsessed With Writing Gay Sherlock Fanfiction?

I know there is some hardcore, super cray going on out there as far as Sherlock slash shippers are concerned, but after reading this PG take, a better question is: what makes Asia, and Asian languages, so conducive to teh adorables?

The 37-year-old [Benedict] Cumberbatch, whom the Chinese call Curly Fu, "is the reason a new wave of Chinese viewers have turned to British television." (‘Curly' describes the star's hairstyle, while 'Fu' is a shortened Chinese transliteration of 'Holmes.')

CURLY. FU.

Also: no worries about the impending Chinese takeover of the United States; we will simply harness the power of gaijin catmen.

One journalist with the Beijing-based newspaper Jinghua Times surveying viewers of the 2013 blockbuster sci-fi movie Star Trek Into Darkness found that most had gone to see Curly Fu, a villain they declared "impossible to hate" because they had "never seen a bad guy so handsome before."

As not only a fan of the Batch but a lifelong Star Trek and Khan fan, this line of reasoning is really hard to disagree with. Oh handsome brutality!

Anyway *fans self* what was I saying? Oh yeah, full circle...

Some fans cataloguing [Cumberbatch's] good traits also listed his "cute wife" Watson, whom they call ‘Peanut,' because the Chinese phoneticization of Watson, huasheng, is a homonym for the legume.

Speechless.

promotional photo from the third series of Sherlock

Oh Curly Fu and Peanut, I wish you good luck.

(original article from Foreign Policy, here.)

James Turrell: A Retrospective at the LACMA this last weekend was simply magnificent.

Afrum (White), 1966

Turrell's ganzfelds

At times both meditative and mind-blowing, this was well worth the $25 total cost of admission, museum admission included.

And what a museum it was! I never knew the LACMA had such a fantastic collection. I was shocked to see one of my favorite paintings, as well as so so much of my other preciouses: Bauhausian, abstract expressionism, and pop art.

I mean, I looked at this Paul Klee!

The Fruit, 1932

And this fantastic Christo!

Portrait of Ray, 1969

Also of note: I'm not a fan of Picasso, but while they had many of his works sprinkled about the galleries, they also had a Picasso room.

Everything was so well-curated and flowed so well, and the vibe was super chill and encouraging of exploration. Love my deYoung, but damn, they certainly could learn a lot from the LACMA about how to make a museum more viewer-friendly all-around.

James Turrell: A Retrospective runs through April 6, 2014. Advance tickets are strongly recommended.

Not a fan of the mannequin, but this '90s Gaultier and pearl and gold choker from Chanel's summer 2014 collection: dang!

I really do love everything about the BBC's Sherlock -- even its implausible British fight sequences -- but there is one itty bitty thing about it that helps it along a bit more than others.

*swoon*

(can't help it, I'm a red-blooded straight woman. sorry lads.)

(photo by Ian Derry for Entertainment Weekly)