it’s back, and i am loving it. saw the second episode tonight, and it’s just as great as always. baltar is especially good in this scene i think, as he prays for the sick boy, and offers his own life in his place:

please god, i’m not asking you this one last time,
but, don’t let this child die.
has he sinned against you?
i have sinned against you.
he’s not even had a life yet.
how can you take him and let me live?
after all i’ve done…
really, if you want someone to suffer,
take me.
we both know i deserve it.
i am selfish, and weak, i have failed so many people, and i have killed.
i’m not asking for your forgiveness.
i’m just asking that you spare the life of this innocent child.
don’t take him.
take me, take me, take me please.

ok, so i’m a sucker for self sacrifice, what can i say.
and then, there’s always helo.

hot!

in recognition of brownfemipower, who has inspired countless women, and has spoken out when many could not.

in an effort to minimize the recoil on my smith and wesson 637 .38 revolver, a friend suggested i try wad cutter ammo. so i picked up a couple of boxes last weekend from cabelas and stopped off at shooter’s world to give them a try. as you can see, they’re a bit shorter than the standard .38 SPL, with a flat top.

i’ll add that the lead bullet (even compared to the round lead bullet in the magtech round shown) made for a pretty dirty pistol after only 50 rounds. they do make very pretty holes in the target though, especially compared to the .22LR holes in the same.

yeah, i know, i still need a bit more practice with the revolver, and unfortunately, the wad cutters didn’t really have much less of a recoil than the standard .38 ammo. but then again, i was able to shoot a 50 round box with minimal discomfort. perhaps a better fitting set of grips might help.

i was all set to blast this recap episode as totally unnecessary and a waste of money. i was totally wrong. in addition to providing a nice recap of the best moments of each episodes, the recap offered more in depth interviews with the remaining three contestants, saucy sore losers, and additional insight into calpernia’s difficult position in choosing who will win. if you haven’t been keeping up with the series, this episode provides a quick overview of what has transpired so far.

i’ll admit, that mikey is looking better, and i’m beginning to see what calpernia sees in him. i mean, just look at this!

he’s also really confidant, and that’s definitely a turn on. even our host seemed to be falling for him.

i like jim, and he’s really romantic and very sweet. and in a different world, i might just fall for him. but i have to say, not in the same world as shawn.

even calpernia lights up when she talks about him.

and as far as i’m concerned, any man who is comfortable enough with himself and his masculinity to cry on national television, is king in my book.

so my original predictions still stand. jim, then mike will go, with shawn winning the competition.

ironman

05.02.08

according to news 5 cbs, a house resolution to ask arizona voters to amend the arizona constitution to effectively ban same-sex marriage has been declared dead.

the district court for the southern district of texas:

This court followed the lead of other courts by ruling that transgender employees may advance sex-stereotyping claims. The court agreed that Izza never misrepresented herself in any sense, and rejected River Oaks’ claim that transgender people have a duty to disclose their biological sex to employers.”

let me repeat that for emphasis. The court…rejected River Oaks’ claim that transgender people have a duty to disclose their biological sex to employers.

this story was featured on feministe as the “craziest sex scandal yet”. as a jew and a trans woman, i know a little about power dynamics, what it feels like to be seen as a monster, and what it feels like to be told about monstrous people, in excruciating detail. and i’ve encountered a few monsters myself.

frankly, i’m not impressed.

what people do in their bedrooms is their own business, and i’m not in the habit of judging others. on the other hand, i’m also not in the habit of video taping my own bedroom antics, and allowing that to be posted on the internet. as far as i’m concerned, this man is an idiot. not for what he does, but for broadcasting what he does to the world. for what he does, he might just be an anti-semite and a sexist pig. which, by itself, should be enough to get him fired. except in this crazy world of ours. that just might get him promoted.

the boston globe does a q&a with dr. norman spack, a pediatric endocrinologist at children’s hospital boston. i particularly found this passage encouraging:

IDEAS: You’re involved with a number of Jewish philanthropic groups. How does your faith inform your work with gender-variant children?

SPACK: My own rabbi said it best: The transgendered are also created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God.