Mim

I listen to a ton of audiobook/podcasts while doing labwork, and much of the free scifi stuff is 70s classics. But Larry Niven's "Ringworld" (was a free download from Audible.com) might be the last straw. Re-listening to Asimov's "Nightfall" was bad enough. I don't care how much those authors know about real science & physics, I seriously cannot take the incredibly sexist claptrap anymore. (Spoilers for "Ringworld" ahead.)

1) The Kzin have no sentient females? There's plenty of real species with non sentient males but none with non sentient females. That just doesn't work biologically unless the male Kzin carry the babies like seahorses. But while this isn't dealt with in the book, I bet you a whole bunch of seahorses that the fearsome male Kzin don't get pregnant. I think Niven just can't imagine an aggressive feline warrior species as non-sexy females or childbearing males.

2) Of the two female characters, one is an incompetent with no curiosity, skills, personality, or intelligence. She is brought on the mission because she is BRED FOR LUCK. At first, she is in love/sexing up our hero, and we suffer through a prolonged waterfall-side lovemaking scene. She is later willingly sold into slavery (in this world, only the women are slaves) without any sign that this might be, you know, bad. Or demeaning. Nobody else bothers to point out the downsides of being chattel. Or maybe it's ok if you're bred for luck and owned by the warrior dude of your dreams. 

2) The second female character is a space-prostitute. Our hero discerns this by simply asking about the gender ratio of the ship. CLEARLY if there are only three women aboard a crew of 30, they must be prostitutes. AND THEY ARE. As a ship-going person, I HATE YOU NIVEN.  Later, our hero is shocked to learn that the space-prostitutes are more like Companions in Firefly - OMG even hookers can learn musical instruments and basic engineering!!! Also, the line about how all women can control men with sex if they just bother to learn how to be sexy enough makes me want to stuff my ipod down Niven's throat.

HAAAATE. HAAAATE.

Thanks for all your good wishes. After getting rapidly worse, my mom hit another plateau. She is now sleeping all but 5 minutes a day and not eating or drinking much. She is very comfortable, though, and seems to be peaceful and in no pain. She no longer responds to our presence.

The nurse on Monday thought she had about a week in this condition. I am back in San Diego for a few days then I go back to NH again.

As for me, I got really sick in NH with a chest cold which immediately went away upon my return to San Diego last night. Don't let me tell you that mental state doesn't influence physical state. I did more actual schoolwork today than I have in a week. (and of course, I continue to indirectly vent my anger and frustrations on the Oyster's Garter. So go ahead and enable me over there if you are so inclined.)

I want a vagina dentata intellectualis! With pointy vampire teeth!

Also, writing a boring book with delusions of salaciousness does not automatically give one a hip-ironic-literate voice, especially if you think feminism consists of cheesy Sex in the City-style man-mocking.

Katha Pollitt deserves better.

Underwater photos I took over the past couple days in the Point Loma kelp forest. It's pretty down there. Don't miss my mighty battle with the sea star!

I have found the best book of all time - bought it for $1 at a library sale.

VAMPIRATES: Demons of the Ocean!

Oh, yes, they're pirates...AND vampires! Here's the back cover blurbs: "Twins Connor and Grace never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to sword fight, but for Grace, on board a mysterious ship of vampires, the danger is great. The twins want to find each other more than anything, but time is running out and the ocean is fierce."

And best of all, selections from the Vampirate shanty:

The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,
That flap like wings in flight.
They say that the captain, he wears a veil
So as to curtail your fright
At his death-pale skin
And his lifeless eyes
And his teeth as sharp as night.
Oh, they say the Captain he wears a veil
And his eyes never see the light.

Well, if pirates are bad,
And vampires are worse,
Then I pray that as long as I be
That though I sing of Vampirates
I never one shall see.
Yea, if pirates are danger
And vampires are death,
I'll extend my prayer for thee-
That thine eyes never see a Vampirates...
...and they never lay a hand on thee.

Probably not coincidentally, the author started in marketing - I can see the pitch meeting. "You see, kids will love it, because they're vampires...AND pirates!" Perhaps the sequel will be Vampninjas? Or Pirzombies?

From Carl Zimmer at The Loom:

Science tattoos! My favorite is the urchin development.

I think marine ecologists have better tattoos, though. I saw some excellent ones at WSN a couple years ago. Maybe I should finally implement my "Marine Ecologist Tattoos" calendar this year.

And I'm so getting a commemorative tattoo in the misty future when I graduate.

Reasons that I am in grad school:

1) Four seasonal/crappy jobs in three years made me realize that a bachelor's in my field leads nowhere.

2) I HEART marine invertebrates.

3) I like to be outside. Grad school means that I do fun things like spend last week on a cruise in the Channel Islands.

4) While on said cruise to Channel Islands, I got to dive in gorgeous kelp forests. I like gorgeous kelp forests, especially when there are a lot of my favorite nudibranch, Flabellina iondinea. Plus, the Fish and Game people thought I was extra-hardcore for diving in a wetsuit. (Of course, I AM hardcore, but also poor and cold.)

5) I want to have a job that lets me play outside with marine invertebrates.


But oh, the research angst! I haven't seen my advisor since May and I have no idea what I'm doing and I have horrible time management problems and I don't really know what I WANT to do (pollution is interesting! I know a lot about it and I think really gross places are cool! but i like also diving in pretty places with nudibranchs!)

I'm sure this will pass but I feel crappy, have felt crappy all summer, and will probably feel crappy until I get a handle on a research program.

http://myelvesaredifferent.blogspot.com/2007/05/blog-like-its-end-of-world-bliteotw.html

Somehow, I don't think I'll be taking my departmentals on Friday.

I always had a feeling that something bad would happen while I was stuck here in San Diego - I mean, what kind of a major metropolis pipes in its water from thousands of miles away? And here I am, stuck on the end of the Scripps pier, with zombies tearing at the locked gates. Fortunately E followed our zombie plan and made it to the pier in time.

The zombies have already walked into the ocean, but thank Poseidon it's high tide and the water is 10 meters deep by the end of the pier. We're just about ready to launch one of the whalers - hopefully we can make it to the marina with the large research vessels before the zombies do. If we can get the Revelle, maybe we can find someplace surrounding by water and high cliffs to make a stand.

Farallon Islands, anyone?

things are looking up for now - mom is puttering, i am yelling at her to use her walker (her balance took a big hit), and we are planning passover with the whole family. no more chemo (ever), so she's feeling good. it's really nice.

i'm here until april 8th, then i'm going back to school to try to finish the year.

mom is coming home tomorrow. we have arranged 24/7 in-house care for her - hopefully we'll be able to cut down but that is how the doctors want us to start. tonight is the last night that a "Comfort Keeper" will not be in our house.

she is much better - mentally, pretty much herself except for some random and odd memory problems. her very-short-term memory (10-minute scale) is not good - she doesn't remember taking her medication or talking to someone on the phone. but she'll later remember what the person said. physically, she is not so good - very tired and weak, with balance and mobility trouble. she has to walk with a walker.

knitting is the best possible thing to do when sitting by a hospital bedside. i need to learn more than 1 stitch.

i'm very, very glad and thankful that she is coming home and is still herself. i hope that she will be able to enjoy her life to some degree.

also: thank you for your emails and calls. i am sorry for being non-responsive - i have no energy to talk anymore about this (i already field 5-10 calls a day from relatives and mom's friends). but it has made me feel loved and comforted to read/hear all your messages. and clearly your good thoughts have had a beneficial effect. thank you.