WeatherGirl's Station

Iron Man 2

WeatherGirl — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:24:20 +0000

Dull. Yeah, so this was a huge disappointment and didn’t pass the WeatherGrrrl sleep test. Luckily I don’t live in the real world where ticket prices are obscene so my little nap didn’t cost the earth. Popcorn and soda were tasty though. You could definitely see the budget up there on the big screen, shame they didn’t save anything for the script. I have a brain. It needs to be engaged. This failed completely. I’d also love to see some female characters who have, um, a character, and aren’t just part of the scenery for the adolescent-boy part of the audience.

Current temperature: here 63F/17C, there 17C/63F

I Sold My Soul on ebay

WeatherGirl — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:12:56 +0000

Viewing faith through an atheist’s eyes by Hemant Mehta.

This is a very odd little book. A sort of guide to improving the church going experience from an atheist point of view. Huh? I understand that being a member of a community that shares a set of values/beliefs can be an important part in constructing a happy decent life. But if those social groups are based on a religious perspective shouldn’t a set of shared beliefs about the world be what binds you together not the experience in the pew? Shouldn’t you be examining what you believe, how it lines up with reality and whether or not it leads you to a happy decent life? At the end of the day I don’t think this book helps with that at all.

Current temperature: here 61F/16C, there 17C/63F

The Hurt Locker

WeatherGirl — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:48:03 +0000

Tense. So these kind of movies always make me incredibly tense and this one is no different. As the movie unfolded the question that came to mind was, ‘wtf is the west doing in Iraq?’ The entire situation makes no sense and the insanity of being there is clearly played out in this movie. Definitely a must see but in no way could it be described as enjoyable. As an examination of male addiction to war it is quite exemplary.

Current temperature: here 77F/25C, there 9C/48F

Student Art Show Entries

WeatherGirl — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:36:25 +0000

This year I submitted two sculptures to the juried student art show and both of them were accepted.

The first piece is called, Entangled, and was made as part of the Fabric as Form class. We were each given 2.25 yards of muslin and asked to create a piece of art based on an object from nature using all the fabric in the piece.

Some what obliquely I began with the idea of a vagina and how society talks about this piece of female anatomy as if it’s a constantly present space waiting to be occupied by a man’s penis. In fact, it is much more reasonable to think of it as a glove, or sheath, that space is only created when an object is either pushed inside or enveloped. With this as my starting point I went on to create the piece below.

Below is my second piece called, Torso. This was one of the first pieces I made as part of an aluminium pour in the introductory sculpture class. The original form was carved out of Styrofoam/polystyrene. (Styrofoam is a brand of polystyrene.) In approaching working with polystyrene I found that the nature of the material led me to carve organic forms that could rest comfortably in the palm of my hand. (The wood base is walnut.)

Current temperature: here 77F/25C, there 9C/48F

Favourite Advert of the Moment

WeatherGirl — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:52:40 +0000

So this first aired during the 2010 Super Bowl and has fast become my favourite ad. Mostly they’ve aired shortened versions of the original but every time it comes on I actually watch this ad rather than fast forward over it and chair dance my way through it.

Favourite bits: bowling, the “Right Stuff” entry into the casino, the stitched tattoo and the snow angels.

I could have done without the “hot babes” as I don’t think they do anything but add a scurvy frisson. This ad uses toys as characters and I found the hot tub scene, especially, inappropriate. Once again ad makers appear unable to resist including a shout out to straight adolescent males even for a product that is clearly aimed at suburban mum types. Fortunately the shortened versions of the ad I’ve seen haven’t included the “hot babes”.

By the way, the album is brilliant. (The Heavy, The House That Dirt Built.) We play tracks from it all the time on our KUMM radio show and they haven’t disappointed. And they are British. Who knew!!!!!!

Current temperature: here 37F/3C, there 10C/50F

A Single Man (includes slight spoiler)

WeatherGirl — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:22:57 +0000

Brilliant. This has to be one of the most gorgeous movies of all time. The images are stunning and beautifully represent the emotional journey of the main character over a single day. Colin Firth is amazing and fully deserves his Oscar nomination. I was a little nervous about where they were headed with one of the relationships (professor/student) but it did not resolve inappropriately so that was a relief. Definitely a must see.

Current temperature: here 37F/3C, there 10C/50F

Avatar

WeatherGirl — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:16:57 +0000

Overrated. All the money is clearly on the screen, shame they didn’t spend any on the script. I so wanted this to be good and kept hoping to be drawn in and absorbed by the story but you really do need more that kick arse special effects to engage the entire human brain. There were a lot of tired old tropes present in this retelling of Pocahontas. You’d think by now, with the revolution of thought that has happened in the last one hundred years, the lone white guy wouldn’t get to save the day by out nativing the natives for the umpteenth time. Really?

Current temperature: here 9F/-13C, there 3C/37F

Legion

WeatherGirl — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:51:35 +0000

Erratic. Well, this movie sure is all over the shop, from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. It doesn’t seem able to make its mind up what on earth it is. Paul Bettany has never been better lit and has my full attention every moment he’s on screen. *ahem* Ocassionally there are subtle interesting images and a real sense of the oppression and desolation of the desert. Mostly though the trite music queues tell us exactly what every one is thinking and feeling and Dennis Quaid gives one of the worst acting performances ever. Ever! At least Charles S. Dutton looks like he’s having an absolute blast, which is the only way to deal with a mess of a project like this.

Current temperature: here 7F/-14C, there 4C/39F

The Roman Polanski Non-sense

WeatherGirl — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:51:09 +0000

I haven’t blogged on these events till now because it seemed to me that so many had lost their heads for some unaccountable reason that they were bound to come to and renounce their support for Roman Polanski. Looks like that was wishful thinking. *sheesh* Every time I hear of a new celeb/actor/who-ever signing up with the Polanski Pity Party I have a serious WTF moment and try and think of reasons why. I have a list, which I won’t be including here because,

WTF!!!!!!!!!!

why does, ‘admitting to raping a thirteen year old girl when you were a middle-aged man and fleeing sentencing thirty odd years ago’ result in you being the victim and in need of support and assistance?

Here are a few links to commentary with which I agree and is waaaaaay more articulate than I.

Jay Smooth sums it all up nicely.

Kathe Pollitt’s article in The Nation: Roman Polanski Has a Lot of Friends

A post linking to Kate Harding’s posts on the issue.

Jill Psmith, the blogger formerly known as Twisty Faster, has her finger on the pulse: Yet another reason celebrities should be spurned by polite society until they can learn to stop doing stupid shit.

Hell, even a guy like John Naughton gets it.

Current temperature: here 36F/2C, there 12C/54F

On rape culture

WeatherGirl — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:08 +0000

At Shapely Prose there is an article, Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced, written by guest blogger Starling, that has much that is right on the money and should be read far and wide. The sentences that particularly pinged for me are:

Because a man who ignores a woman’s NO in a non-sexual setting is more likely to ignore NO in a sexual setting, as well.

So if you speak to a woman who is otherwise occupied, you’re sending a subtle message. It is that your desire to interact trumps her right to be left alone. If you pursue a conversation when she’s tried to cut it off, you send a message. It is that your desire to speak trumps her right to be left alone. And each of those messages indicates that you believe your desires are a legitimate reason to override her rights.

This may seem such a small thing but it is the crux of so much, granting as much respect for others as one holds for oneself is essential if one wants to be a decent human being. Unfortunately so many still seem to find it necessary to divide the world into “us” and “them” in order to define their own worth.

In the comment thread on this Shapely Prose post I also learnt of UMASS Boston professor, David Lisak, who has done research on the “undetected rapist.” This rape fact sheet he has put together is quite illuminating and well worth reading. Some of the facts may surprise you.

For a detailed description of rape culture check out Rape Culture 101 at Shakesville. Seeing the litany of elements that are rape culture linked together in one post just blows my mind.

Current temperature: here 37F/3C, there 12C/54F