Goodbye, Blogger!

I'm moving my blog to Wordpress because the technology is much more advanced. See ya later, Blogspot!

http://thefeministwriter.wordpress.com

Oh, the Joys of...Tempeh?

This afternoon when I took my usual writing break, I stopped by the local co-op for lunch. I ordered the Rockin' Reuben, which consists of a reuben made with tempeh rather than corned beef or whatever the hell that pink stuff is. I thought that I had eaten tempeh, but apparently I was wrong, as I was surprised when I actually got my sandwich.

According to Wikipedia, tempeh is "made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form." On my sandwich, the tempeh was baked and marinated. It looks like this before it's cooked:




Biting into cooked tempeh is only slightly softer than biting into a rice cake. Anywho, there's no real point to this post, with the exception of informing my readers about this food. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but if it's this or corned beef, I'll take the tempeh.

The Debate

By now, I'm sure that most of you have heard about my home state's unanimous decision that a ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. On the day in question, shouts of joy were heard from all across the internet universe, made visible through Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. But lo...what is that shadowy figure in the distance? Could it be? It is! A full-blown debate! According to USA Today,

Religious voices reaction: Outrage or joy on Iowa gay marriage ruling

April 3, 2009

The Iowa Supreme Court decision today that legalized same-sex marriage prompted swift reaction -- outrage and joy with no stops in between -- from voices of faith.

Iowa's four Roman Catholic bishops released a joint statement of strong disagreement, saying the ruling "rejects the wisdom of thousands of years of human history. It implements a novel understanding of marriage, which will grievously harm families and children."

And so on, as you can imagine. I find it interesting that newspapers choose to focus on the "debate" surrounding this issue, due to the fact that almost every moral principle is hinged on the assumption that there will be two points of view. Morality not only invites debates, it needs them. We discuss an issue because we rely on that gray area to comprehend the full scope of its meaning. Laws will go one way, and then another. What is right today will be wrong tomorrow. Or, in the words of the exceedingly accessible Bob Dylan,

"The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'."

No side can ever truly win, because even a short victory will be compensated for in other ways. Of course I'm happy that we've won the battle this time, but I know that a change of heart by the American public is quietly waiting in the wings. And I am shocked by the redundancy of articles centered around the religious right's response to the ruling - these articles are not bad, but they're just reporting on the natural state of things, and acting as if they are contentious. The idea of debate should never be a negative one - it is always positive, and should be reported as such.

Compassion?

Is there such a thing as "the curse of compassion?" According to Milan Kundera in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, compassion is a disease that overtakes the spirit, leading people to do things they don't want to do. I've never been a particularly emotional person; I feel things, but I also hate things. Lately, I've been finding that the "hate" part arises within my body less and less.

I seem to cry a lot lately, but not because of anything in my own life. My grandmother told me some stories about the Great Depression earlier today on the phone, and I cried. I listened to the song "The Walk," which is about international dissonance, and I became somber. I watched the movie The Elephant Man, and I silently wept through most of it.

At the same time, I'm very happy about many things as well. I smile whenever a child hugs me, and I laugh when my dog gets excited about a rubber ball. I feel like my excess of emotion has to do with some sort of transition I'm going through, from girl to woman, or whatever they call people with vaginas these days. The world is incredibly delightful and depressing all at the same time, and I suddenly understand that both are always present at every moment, and they are both worthy of my tears.

Yay!

'Sex and The City: 2' Confirmed

According to the LA Times,

"The word from Marc Malkin at Eonline is that the new movie will be more fun and less pining for Mr. Big. Thank heavens."

The United States of Slavery

Today I was researching Iowa employment laws for hourly employees. You see, I was lucky enough to find a job with benefits about a week ago. I work at a child care center in Cedar Rapids and feel like I really belong there, but alas, the only positions open right now are hourly entry-level jobs. I'm actually taking a step down from the job that I had in college, but I figure if I stick it out long enough then it has the potential to be a good career.

Since this is the first time I've actually been employed full-time (because of my freelancing career), I'm not really acquainted with employee rights. So I went to the Iowa Workforce Development website to do some reading. Want to know some of the interesting things that I learned?

1) Iowa has no laws mandating breaks for adults. An employer does not have to pay you for a break during which you are completely relieved of your job duties. Your employer can require you to stay on the business premises during your break.

2) An employer is allowed to require you to work 24 hours in one day.

3) Iowa employers are not required to give employees pay raises.

4) If you are an “employee at will,” an employer may change your days and hours of work whenever they want. They may also change your place of work or job description. No advance notice is required.

5) Iowa wage law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act do not require that an employer pay hourly non-exempt employees for jury service.

Wow. I'm assuming this is why we have unions, that shit is harsh.

So Anyways

So I haven't written in a while. I say this as if I actually have a regular audience, or a die-hard following that waits patiently each day for my posts to materialize. I guess I don't really mean that declaration as an apology to "my readers," just an update on my life. I haven't posted in a while, this is true.

I guess I've been going through a huge transition period. I put my freelance writing career on hold to pursue my passion for working with children. I just got tired of all the shit - working until 4:00 AM, fighting tooth and nail just to get paid for my work, and trying to discuss project requirements with utterly incompetent clients. I was beaten down, and needed to return to the world of order, where even though you get paid like 50 cents an hour, DAMMIT you get paid at the end of the week!

I enjoyed a brief stint as a full-time nanny, which exploded when I dared to request a living wage. Now I'm unemployed again, or should I say, self-employed. I'm still working, but not just for one employer, and not at just one job. I take care of an infant for 15 hours every other week, and I babysit as needed for families around the area. I also still work on one enjoyable writing job that has proved drama-free for the past few months. I spend the rest of my time cuddling with my dog, watching porn (NOT while cuddling with my dog), and running some much-needed errands (bank, pharmacy, haircut place). It's a good life, but it still leaves me with a lot of extra time during the day.

I'm applying for a number of different positions, but it appears that a woman with a Bachelor's degree is only qualified to be either a stripper or a secretary. Seriously people, no one is hiring right now, and of course I'm at a disadvantage because I only have part-time working experience. It's really depressing, and I wish I could just go on with my shopping/babysitting lifestyle. But alas, there is a $20,000 wedding to pay for in a mere 5 months, so The Feminist Writer definitely can't drop the ball on this one.

I'm still reading blogs and message boards, and participating in a vegetarian, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. I'm still around, I'm still here. I'm just not talking as much for the moment.