Texas has somewhat of a bad reputation in the rest of the country. For example, I told some of the folks I know that I’d be driving pretty much straight through the state. The responses varied from (effectively), “Probably wise. Be careful!” from several friends — to an emphatic, “Good,” from my mom, who actually…
Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for me, oddly enough. I got my first horse on Friday the 13th, and 13 was my number when I had my biggest win with him while showing. This Friday the 13th was no exception to that rule for me, since that was when I stumbled…
Woohooo! I have not only scored a drop-in campsite at the Grand Canyon, but I have also showered and laundered! No worries, I shall modestly acclaim your gasps of astonishment and awe. Showers and clean clothes are awesome! Truly the kami who watch over Dark Star and I are mighty! :) Also, some culinary firsts!…
Writing this on the night of the 8th, from a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall pizza & brews place called Hot Mama’s! I’m muddy, exhausted, starving, and triumphant — I walked the lava tubes! So cool! So muddy! So in need of a washing machine at my next stop too. The township is called Duck Creek, and…
I’ve been effectively running at a frantic pace for the past three or four months, in order to keep up with all the things happening in my life. Several things went by the wayside as I tried to be sure I completed all the reading, thinking, and writing required for my doctoral program. Keeping up…
“A free race cannot be born of slave mothers.” –Margaret Sanger My thesis was written on the Central Asian nomads of the late Bronze and early Iron Age. Since these were mounted nomadic traders and raiders, the modern assumption has been that they were a strongly patriarchal society. One of the “startling” discoveries which I…
Update: Same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. state of New York on June 24, 2011 by the New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo! The law will take effect on July 24, 2011. Huzzah! I don’t often post on political issues. Today, however, I found New York State Senator Roy McDonald startlingly inspiring….
I was recently asked the following question: “Why is it important for feminists to study and comprehend women-centered cultures?” While I thought it a good question, I also think it can and should be fruitfully expanded, in that I do not think only feminists should study these fascinating matriarchies. Learning is good, and as the…
My school emphasizes various forms of psychology, and this weekend there’s a small conference on transpersonal psychology. Sitting in the student lounge at school, I happen to be listening to two enthusiastic and excited fellow students discussing at what moment in human history “true consciousness” emerged. They were not deeply familiar with human evolution, so…
Source material that is simply bad To be fair to Armstrong, I would assume much of her previously mentioned double standards arose from her source material. I do not know why she chose to lean so heavily on such dated and inaccurate material for a book written in 2006. I do not refer here to…