In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Category: Vanity

Reminder: Yes Means Yes Live Chat at Feministing

Just a quick reminder that at 3PM EST today, I’ll be live-chatting with Jessica Valenti, Jaclyn Friedman, Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Miriam Perez about Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape.  All you have to do to participate or read along is head over to Feministing at that time.  I hope that I see some of you there . . . and that I don’t say anything incredibly stupid!

UPDATE: Watch the replay here.

I join the feminist coalition of dog-lovers

Renee, I salute you and I am with you.

Now, it’s true that I do have a cat. And my cat is pretty cute. However, truth be told, I have a cat only because I cannot handle the responsibility of a dog right now — I work too much, I travel too much, I go out too much. I’ve been wanting a dog every since I left my family pup in Seattle, but it’s just not realistic until I’m more of a grown-up. So despite a life-long hatred of cats, I recently adopted a kitten who luckily has the personality of a dog (he waits outside my door for me in the morning, he follows me around the house, he likes to play, etc etc).

But he is not a dog.

I never had cats growing up — Percival is my first. We had dogs, and my best childhood memories always include them. We had the same golden retriever — Goose — for most of my life. He died when I was 16, and you still can’t bring up his name in my house without someone crying. He was the Best Dog Ever. Should I ever not live in a tiny apartment, I will get a big nice dog just like Goose.

About a year after Goose died, we got Ferris, a Westie. He’s the opposite of Goose, and out of his damned mind — wild, stubborn, untrainable, and mischievous. He’s mellowed out a lot in recent years (he’s 7 now) and he’s always been very sweet, but he has made it clear that he’d rather live with the neighbors and their dog than with us. He’s also a beast — huge for his breed, perpetually dirty, and kind of muppet-looking. In case it isn’t astoundingly clear, I adore him.

So this is Ferris, the #1 puppy love of my life:



Ferris, originally uploaded by JillNic83.

Read More…Read More…

Yes Means Yes Live Chat

On Monday February 2, I will be participating in a live-chat on Feministing to discuss Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape.  In addition to myself, you’ll hear from editors Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti, and Feministing bloggers and fellow Yes Means Yes contributors Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Miriam Perez.

The live-chat at Feministing kicks off a 13-blog virtual book tour, which will include interviews, guest posts and live-chats with the book’s contributors.  Feministe will be taking part (we actually get to close out the tour!), and there will be more information on what we’re doing, and who we’re doing it with, when the moment gets closer.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll check me out at Feministing — especially since it may be your only chance to ask questions of these other contributors. 

The live-chat is at 3PM EST on Monday, February 2. Come over and join us — and maybe toss out a question for me to answer, too!

Marc Steiner Show — Listen In

You can play yesterday’s Marc Steiner show, featuring Professor Danielle Citron, Latoya Peterson, yours truly, and a call-in from Renee, here. It’s a great discussion. And yes, I have asked Latoya about where she did her media training and I plan on doing it too, because that woman needs her own radio show. Damn.

Professor Citron’s paper about gender harassment online, and her proposed legal solutions to it, can be downloaded here. It’s a fascinating read, and I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Also, Marc Steiner? Awesome. He is a wonderful and gracious host — not to mention a great progressive and feminist ally. Many many thanks to him and his team for inviting us on, and for covering such an important topic.

I haven’t actually listened to the show re-played because I hate the sound of my own voice (and because I have a vague memory of myself babbling on a few times, and saying something about “our culture” and then referencing only the U.S. and Western Europe, specifically England, which as I was saying it I knew was stupid but couldn’t really backtrack), but you should check it out anyway, if only for Latoya and Danielle. Or for the part where someone calls in and says we feminists aren’t standing up for men quite enough.

Say a little prayer for Leo and Percival



Yawning, originally uploaded by JillNic83.

Because they are getting snip-snipped as we speak.

And say a little prayer for me, because I have a feeling that something of mine is going to get destroyed as soon as they come home.

More pics of the little guys here, if for some reason you’re bored and want to look at cat pictures (this is a feminist blog, so I suppose it’s not outside the realm of possibility).

Tonight and Wednesday: Yes Means Yes in NYC

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape is on tour, and will be in New York tonight and Wednesday. I’ll be at both readings, and would love to see some of you there. The details:

Yes Means Yes reading
TONIGHT, Monday January 12th, 7pm
Bluestockings
172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington
At this event you’ll hear from and get to talk with Yes Means Yes editors Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti, plus contributors Anastasia Higginbotham and Jill Filipovic.

Yes Means Yes Launch Party
Wednesday, January 14th, 7pm
KGB Bar
85 East 4th Street (between 2nd and Bowery)
At this event you’ll hear from and get to talk with Yes Means Yes editors Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti, plus contributors Jill Filipovic, Brad Perry, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Anastasia Higginbotham & Thomas Millar.

Hope you can make it! And if you’re a Feministe fan, please come say hi.

Best Books of 2008

It’s my goal to read the all 10 of the best books of 2008 by the end of March, because I (embarassingly) have not read a single one, and it’s making me feel like I have culturally atrophied since finishing school. I’m currently reading Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World by Edward Said, which a Feministe reader was kind enough to send me, but I’m curious if you all have any other book recommendations.

So what have you read this year? What’s worth a look?

And while I’m asking for your advice, my small digital camera was stolen in Cambodia and I need to buy a new one. I have an SLR, so I just need a small point-and-shoot that I can toss in my bag. I had a Panasonic that I really liked, but of course everyone says that Canons are the best. Suggestions?