The Look

You’ve got the look

You’ve got the hook

U sho-nuf do be cookin’

In my book

~~ “U Got The Look” by Prince

Looks pretty goddamn presidential to me

An alternate title and song for this entry would be “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown.

::sigh::

Earlier this week, the Yam said in an interview that Hillary Clinton doesn’t “look presidential.” I have to wonder how he would define “looking presidential.” I know my own personal definition would preclude being orange, but that’s just me.

This isn’t even subtle sexism. This is in your face sexism. He doesn’t think she looks presidential because she’s a woman. You all know that, right?

To cap it all off, after the NBC forum on Wednesday night, RNC chair Reince Priebus (AKA the Obvious Anagram per Charlie Pierce) tweeted that Clinton looked angry and defensive and that she sported “no smile.” Seriously?

This double standard for female politicians—and to be honest, pretty much every woman who deals in any way with anyone anywhere—is absurd. If a woman takes things seriously, she is told to lighten up and be more approachable. If she is forceful in her words, opinions, and delivery, she is told that she is being too strident or shrill, or that she is shouting. Women are criticized for their hairstyle, their makeup, their attire, their demeanor, their body. If she is subjected to harassment in the workplace, some suggest that her best option is to find another job. If she is raped, there are those who blame her for dressing the wrong way, acting the wrong way, drinking too much, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe they shouldn’t be in the same workplace because I guess some men just can’t control themselves if they are in close proximity to a woman as they work alongside her.

At the forum mentioned above, Matt Lauer frequently interrupted Hillary and after spending about a third of her time asking her email questions (let it go, Matt, let it go), told her to be brief when talking about her plan to deal with ISIL. When the Yam blatantly lied about being against the Iraq war from the beginning, Lauer just...let it go. (Wrong thing to let go, Matt!) Poor Lauer. I think his ass is still smarting from the spanking he got from pretty much everyone over how he handled that forum.

::heavy sigh::

Well, if anything good can come from that clusterfuck of a forum, it will be that the moderators of the upcoming debates will have paid attention and realize that they need to get their acts together and do some damn moderatin’.

If the election of our first female President will help even a little bit with the casual sexism that millions of women are subjected to every day, then I’m with her! I think U got the look, Hillary!

Return of the Nutwoodians

We are back!

I will have more to write about our adventures, especially our super cool Big Zombie Tour (3!), but I am very happy to be home. No matter where we roam, there is no place like right here. I could even make a rhyme and say “there is no place like home,” but I think that’s been done before.

I love exploring and visiting other places, but I really do love our place. It has been my sanctuary for almost 15 years and it is still my favorite place to be.

But there are times when it is a bit of a struggle and this is one of those times. Right before we left for Florida, we started seeing a major increase in the mosquito population here due to our massive rain and extensive flooding in the area. They began to swarm and Shane and Matt (who so kindly took care of Mr. Sheeba while we were gone!) said that it was almost a plague. It is still absolutely insane and they swarm around the car and around anyone who dares to venture out!

I didn’t get one single mosquito bite in Florida, but I got one within five minutes of being in the house!

The Zika virus hasn’t been found this far north so far, but we do have shitty things like West Nile virus. I’m reasonably certain that I will die of some sort of mosquito-borne illness. Malaria or Yellow Fever or something like that.

It infuriates me that Congress is so derelict in their duties that they refuse to fund Zika virus research. Glad you got to take your summer break, Congress. Sure hope none of your family members got bitten by mosquitoes—especially if those family members happen to be pregnant. In the meantime, while you were vacationing, there are over 200 pregnant women in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with Zika. I cannot imagine how scared those women are.

What really infuriates me is that there was a bill to fund emergency Zika research and immediate action, but the Republicans added a provision to defund Planned Parenthood, and of course, the Democrats refused to be extorted. (I support their refusal to fund that bill.)

Really? You are going to attach your partisan politics to a bill that will help PREGNANT WOMEN who might contract a virus that damages fetuses? Do you even understand what you are doing? Do you even care about these women and the children they will bear who might be severely deformed and will cost millions of dollars to support?

UGH. Get your shit together and start addressing public health, whether it’s Zika virus or antibiotic resistance or gun violence! It is all a matter of public health!

Even when you go on vacation, the real world intrudes, doesn’t it?