Comments on: More Writing About Why I’m Not Writing

By: OlderThanDirt

OlderThanDirt — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:01:28 +0000

A Sarah–I actually considered posting a warning about the potential time sink qualities. And as someone who hates to shop and actually wants very little, I was amazed at how much I wanted to buy! Did you see the Roz Chast cartoon of Bad Moms Trading Cards?

By: A Sarah

A Sarah — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:59:49 +0000

OlderThanDirt, OMG, that New Yorker cartoon site is so much fun! Ironically it will probably cause me to procrastinate so much that I never make it to my own defense. :) Thanks!

By: killedbyllamas

killedbyllamas — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:21:27 +0000

They definitely go watch their friends’ defenses, and I think they might bring signs. Dan made a plasma-cut metal D and a fence for his friend Beth’s defense.

Omg, FJ, I’m having a spectacularly shitty day, but this just made me giggle out loud at my desk. Active defense spectating ftw.

By: fillyjonk

fillyjonk — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:14:56 +0000

shinobi, I was wondering how in the world a defense could sound fun, and I suddenly had this image of fencing (which i’ve never done, or even seen in real life) with a whole crowd of people yelling out DE-FENSE DE-FENSE like at a football game.

Actually, I think physicists (or at least those in my boyfriend’s department) might do this. Not the fencing but the cheering. They definitely go watch their friends’ defenses, and I think they might bring signs. Dan made a plasma-cut metal D and a fence for his friend Beth’s defense.

Fencers mostly yell “HIT HER HIT HER HIT HER” in my experience.

By: OlderThanDirt

OlderThanDirt — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:08:18 +0000

Go to http://www.cartoonbank.com and search “excellent defense”. The cartoon and assorted products show up. Enjoy!

By: A Sarah

A Sarah — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:11:40 +0000

Miss Conduct: “There’s a New Yorker cartoon I’ve loved since way before grad school, of a bunch of men sitting around a table, and a woman in a suit standing up with her fist raised, and she’s just knocked one of the men down. One of the sitting men turns to the rest and says, “Excellent defense! Let’s give her the doctorate!””

Oh, please, PLEASE, where can I find this??

By: A Sarah

A Sarah — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:32:11 +0000

As long as this is partly an open thread/testimonial conversation… Did anyone else not really know what they looked like before finding Shapely Prose/the fatosphere? I remember Susan Bordo putting it nicely in Unbearable Weight, and I won’t do her phrasing justice, but it was something to the effect that we are from birth bombarded with images of altered bodies masquerading as real bodies, and it’s in light of those that we learn to interpret our own (real) bodies, and how screwed-up that is. And indeed it wasn’t until recently that I could even see my own body as anything other than a disjointed collection of problem areas — ranging from the truly godawful to the not-entirely-godawful to the would-be-okay-if-it-weren’t-surrounded-by-godawful — without having any integrity or cohesion. So just the fact that I actually know what I look like now – not even to mention that I more or less think I look just fine – is really life-changing. I mean, really, it has to do with knowing and accepting oneself on a very basic level indeed. But I never had that before.

By: kateharding

kateharding — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:32:23 +0000

Don’t worry, just leave us a few open threads and we’ll take care of ourselves. :)

Heh, I was kind of counting on that.

By: Carleigh

Carleigh — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:59:52 +0000

Ah! I finally realized how addicted to this blog I am by my obsessive checking for updates this weekend. I was getting wiggly Homer Simpson fingers by last night!

So, I am finally posting. Hi. You’ve changed my way of thinking. Love.

By: Miss Conduct

Miss Conduct — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:59:04 +0000

There’s a New Yorker cartoon I’ve loved since way before grad school, of a bunch of men sitting around a table, and a woman in a suit standing up with her fist raised, and she’s just knocked one of the men down. One of the sitting men turns to the rest and says, “Excellent defense! Let’s give her the doctorate!”

Kristin, I just started getting Fage full-fat yogurt. Ooooooh boy is it good. The really scary thing about fat-free yogurt is that after a while, it starts tasting NORMAL.