Rachel S. Heslin

My response to Prop 8

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sun, 12 Oct 08 10:37:00 UT

In addition to donating some money to Equality California (note: you do not need to live in California to donate), I've created my own yard sign.

See, for all that things like "equal rights versus legalized discrimination" are very valid, they're awfully cerebral when discussing what is, for many people, an incredibly emotional issue.

Therefore, I've printed up my own sign, which is a direct response to the "Protect Marriage" people:

NO ON 8
Protect Love

Wardrobe = bikini + parka

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sat, 11 Oct 08 10:09:00 UT

Last Monday, down the hill, it was 103'. Since it was dry, I actually rather enjoyed it.

This morning, up the hill, we awoke to snow on the ground.

*shakes head*

Societal transitions

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Fri, 10 Oct 08 10:47:00 UT

Stock markets crashing on a global level.

Scooter sales rose 66% in the first half of the year, while miles driven in cars and trucks declined significantly.

China put a man out in space, and independent entrepreneurs are working on developing commercial spaceflight.

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are now collectively receiving more internet traffic than is pornography.

Studies show that young people growing up today are developing neurons in ways that are hardwired to multi-task.

Due to rising housing costs and the dismal economy, the number of adult relatives who have moved into family members' homes grew 42% from 2000 to 2007.

I can look up just about any type of information I want to find out from my cellphone.

Polar ice melt is logarithmic in nature, in that the more glaciers that melt and are no longer available to cool the planet, the faster the remaining glaciers will melt.

Major grocery stores have their own generic lines of organic food, and "green" is now a major selling point.

Obama is polling ahead in increasing numbers.

Connecticut just threw out their ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional. (For those following CA politics, I have to admit that even though it would be a pain if Prop 8 passes, denying the right of same sex partners to marry, I have every confidence that it will be eventually thrown out as unconstitutional as well.)

Some pretty major changes going on. Aside from battening down the hatches, I admit that I am fascinated by all of this. Twenty, ten, maybe even five years from now, we will be living in a completely different world, and I, for one, am optimistic that it will be a really cool place.

As long as we make it there....

The First Turkey

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sat, 4 Oct 08 19:41:00 UT

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, this is what you're missing:

First Announcement:
Attempting to cook my first turkey. Pray for me.

Update 1:
Correction: apparently I am *smoking* a turkey. :P

Update 2:
It's dead, Jim.

Update 3:
So that's where the giblets were. Oops.

Update 4:
Actually, it's not too bad, if you like your turkey to taste like smoke. Me, not so much. :P

Update 5:
Hunter thinks it looks like a dragon.

Update 6:
Made the mistake of looking at the inside of my oven. Wow. I am SO grateful it's self-cleaning.

Update 7:
The recipe says to use the pan drippings for gravy. Since they look like they may be hiding mastodon bones, I'm thinking maybe not.

Summary: not as bad as it could have been, but I'm going to use a different recipe next time.

Knight Rider GPS

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sat, 4 Oct 08 10:44:00 UT

http://www.knightridergps.com

Yes, William Daniels narrates the directions.

New American Currency

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sun, 28 Sep 08 15:18:00 UT

(via Jason Lundberg)

Movie for gaming geeks

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sat, 27 Sep 08 11:10:00 UT

If you have ever rolled a D20 for a tabletop RPG, you have got to track down a copy of "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising". Seriously. Go find it.

I have to admit that, for the first 5-10 minutes, I wasn't sure I'd like it simply because one of the characters was just a rules-lawyer jerk. After that, however, I giggled myself senseless for the remainder of the movie to the extent that Shawn and I had to pause it several times in order to recover before continuing. Wonderful stuff.

The Forbidden Kingdom

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Fri, 19 Sep 08 10:27:00 UT

Shawn and I rented "The Forbidden Kingdom" last night. A brief, spoiler-free review:

Plot: Standard.

Character Development: Sufficient.

Choreography: Pretty good. I'm not a big fan of wirework, but I found most of the fight scenes interesting and fun to watch.

Ending: Predictable but emotionally satisfying.

Cinematography: Oh. My. God. I think this may be the single most gorgeous film I have ever seen. There were so many absolutely breathtaking shots -- colors, layers, textures, shadows, depth, movement -- that if I'd seen it on the big screen, I think my head would have exploded.

Wow. Just... wow.

More interpretations

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sun, 14 Sep 08 17:27:00 UT

As I've mentioned before, I've been trying to be careful to explain meanings and morals behind the movies Hunter watches to coincide with the worldview we're trying to instill in him (be nice to people, everyone is a human being, be creative, do your best and keep trying to do better, etc.)

Even though he's young, I've also been trying to mitigate the typical Disney take on romantic relationships. At least he's not a girl, so I'm not as worried about him waiting for someone to come rescue him. However, I have been pointing out things like the reason Prince Eric loves Ariel in The Little Mermaid is not because she's pretty, but because of her enthusiasm and delight in everything she sees. I also make occasional comments about needing to get to know a person before you fall in love, rather than the whole "love at first sight" thing.

But.
*looks a bit sheepish*

See, when I met Shawn for the very first time, something clicked. There was a sense of recognition, a feeling of, "Oh, I see -- this is what I've been looking for." Yes, we talked a lot that first week -- cumulative hours at parties, on the phone, our first date -- but I still thought that, in one week, there was no way that I could be in love with someone that fast. A week and a half after we first set eyes on one another, Shawn badgered me into admitting that yes, all logic aside, I was. Over thirteen years later, he's still right about it.

Anyway, I'm finding that my abjurations against love at first sight are a bit half-hearted, so to speak.

Meanwhile, after trying to explain the various complicated plot points and the reasons behind Ursula's schemings, what is Hunter's take on The Little Mermaid?

"Why is Sebastian singing a song? He's a crab! Crab's aren't supposed to sing!"

*shakes head in amusement at the sudden, uncharacteristic demand for linear, concrete realism*

Politics and society

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Sun, 7 Sep 08 13:10:00 UT

I was going to post this big entry about The Evils of "Everybody Knows" and how the dehumanization of the Other that shows up in ethnic jokes and political speeches lessens the humanity of us all and stuff like that but I simply don't have the energy to do it justice, so I'm just going to say this:

I really wish that more people -- especially those running for office -- would see political candidates as opponents, not enemies. I liked that Joe Biden could talk about being friends with John McCain, then talk about how McCain's policies would not be good for the country. I want more actual respect, not plastic My Esteemed Colleague crap, respect that allows for the possibility of widening one's perspective, maybe even evolving one's policies and strategies to incorporate The Other Side's Policies when they actually have valid points.

I'm too fuzzy-headed (no longer feverish, but still sick) to continue coherently, although there's more I'd like to say. Maybe later; maybe not.

On a practical note, I ordered a 25-pack of Obama bumper stickers last week (cheaper in bulk, considering postage and the ones for friends up here.) It'll probably take another week or two for them to get here; if anyone would like me to send some to them, let me know.

Telescopic time

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Fri, 5 Sep 08 16:19:00 UT

Ten years ago,
Shawn and I went to Laughlin with my parents.
The two of us were snuggling in an elevator when an older couple came in, and the white-haired gentleman shook his head in mock disgust at us and said, "Newlyweds," which we were.
I responded with some sort of playful encouragement which made his wife smile up at him, but what I was thinking was, "I can't wait until we're accused of being newlyweds after we've been married ten years."

"Ten years?"
Shawn asked, in a hotel room in Laughlin last Sunday.
"It seems like the blink of an eye."
And, in a way, it does.

I remember the first time I ever saw him, wondering who that guy with the fuzzy head was, standing by David and Suzi at Ian's Kindred game.

I remember meeting him in the RAND parking lot, then having the Santa Monica pier melt away into music and someone making obnoxious kissy noises at us.

I remember him bringing white roses and purple statis and balloons to my work for my birthday.

"Why don't you smile more?" he'd asked.
"Oh, I really don't smile that much," I'd responded, "I'm usually pleasant and friendly, but I don't really smile broadly."
Over the past third of my life, since we've met, he's made that statement a lie over and over again, making me smile so much that sometimes my cheeks hurt.

I remember camping in Zion, reaching out to him in the Narrows. I remember the Universal parking lot. I remember looking in his eyes as we swore to share each others' lives. I remember moving into our house, and That Terrible Day When Everything Went Wrong (wrong freeway, took out the sideview mirror of the rental truck, driving home down Canoga with the Club stuck on the steering wheel of my car to get a call from Shawn to say he'd sliced open his thumb AND slipped on the ice when trying to get to the ER....) I remember watching the moon together, and reveling in thunderstorms. I remember how gentle he was with Hunter that first week when I was in the hospital, and how the two of them so thrive in each others' company. I remember making new memories this past week. So many memories, crowded, jostling, overlapping, too many to ever write down.

But, yes, in a decade of marriage (and thirteen years of Life), not all the memories bring warmth. Sorrows shared, pain inflicted -- all become part of our tapestry, a journey of growth and experience that has so much more meaning because we are going through it together.

And yet, for all that the vibrancy of these memories and emotions does make it all seem as though it has been "the blink of an eye," it has also been forever. It feels so right that Shawn is part of my life that my very being rebels against the thought that I even had a life before I met him. I'll talk about a movie we saw, long ago, only to be reminded that I'd seen it before we'd ever met, and that just seems weird and, well, wrong.

Today, yesterday, forever past and future -- it all seems so arbitrary and irrelevant. Still, on this, the tenth anniversary of our official pledge to be partners in Life, I'd like to take a moment to again publicly declare my love for my husband.

Shawn, I adore you beyond Life itself. You make me laugh and fill my heart, making me radiant with love. With you, no obstacle is insurmountable, no sorrow unbearable. Together, we entwine to create a nurturing shelter and haven for ourselves and our family, and I love you forever.

The moment I heard my first love story
I began searching for you,
not knowing how foolish that was.
True lovers don't meet somewhere out there,
but are in each other all along.
-- Rumi, used as the cover of our wedding invitations

Even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with you, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
In the morning, when I rise
Bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be all right.
"Danny's Song" -- Loggins & Messina

Your fire consumes me
Leaves me breathless but strong
I feel like I never know me
'Til I tasted your song
And your song will always beat
Through my veins with a heat
That scorches my chains
And leaves me
Free....
"A Song for Shawn" -- written by me as a birthday present for him many years ago

Sick humor

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Thu, 4 Sep 08 10:29:00 UT

I may have posted this before, but I fully intend to blame my current illness and therefore absolve myself of any responsibility for the content of this entry.

Y'know how, when you've got a cold, you sometimes get a large pile of used tissues on your bedside stand, and, after a while, some of the tissues get pushed off by the others onto the floor. Do you know what those falling tissues are called?

Phlegmings.

*ducks*

Concession

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Wed, 3 Sep 08 16:43:00 UT

For some people, it's Christmas.

For me, it's Back To School sales.

However, having recently taken inventory of our current supplies, I must regretfully concede that, since we already have 22 blank single-subject spiral-bound notebooks, it is probably not necessary to purchase more -- even if they are on sale 5/$1.

*sigh*

Hunter's take on school pictures

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Fri, 22 Aug 08 21:52:00 UT

"I tlied to make a silly face, but I accidentally smiled."

(He's been working really, really hard to make proper "L" sounds, and his Rs currently sound like Ls.)

Surreal Botany review

RSHeslin AT gmail DOT com — Fri, 15 Aug 08 10:18:00 UT

(This is a review of the Two Cranes Press chapbook, A Field Guide to Surreal Botany.)

My first impression of Surreal Botany is that it is gorgeous -- amazingly sumptuous, with beautifully nuanced textures and an authentic, "vintage guide to oddities" feel to it. Awesome font choice, among other things.

As for the contents, it really can be summed up by the statement in the introduction: "This book may be read by gardening enthusiasts, paranormal investigators, and conspiracy theorists alike."

It is a fascinating, varied collection showcasing a wide variety of bizarre flora, from adorable (Kitty Willow) to trippy (Time Cactus, Waterbaby Cress) to pedantic (Wild Homilywort) to intellectually intricate (Schattenbaum, Twilight Luon-Sibir) to laugh-out-loud funny (Kvetching Aspen, Big Yellow Flower of Unnecessarily Obvious Information) to -- oh, heck, I want to just list each of the entries, and that's too unwieldy. Some of the entries didn't do much for me, personally, but there were so many entries that were beyond wonderful that those that didn't grab me didn't detract from the overall enjoyment. In addition, each is illustrated by beautiful watercolors that deserved to be framed in their own right.

And, for the sheer quirkiness factor, I'm going to be filing this not with my fiction, but right between Sunset's Western Garden Book and Wildflowers of the San Bernardino Mountains (for the same reason that my dad, a clinical psychologist, stores the copy of The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases that I gave him next to his DSM IV -- how could you resist?)