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andyleggett
29 April 2008 @ 07:35 pm
430: So, You Know the Lead Singer from Keane?  
Yeah, he's hawt, and me and [info]ellizenare pretty sure, judged on the fit of his jeans, that he has a big...

Why hello there! Well, I figured I'd make another update, seeing as once daily updates can't seem to cover the constant flux of college life! Okay, not really, I'm just awful excited by some news I got in between posts...

*Finally* had another meeting for the Gender Club today, by virtue of the fact that another girl (Allison) was able to sit in. Finally found a time that not only works for everyone, but both Branden and Celina will be able to show up next week! (They've both been interested, but couldn't work it in--Branden is my lesbian lover and Celina and I are class chums. Yes, they're both wildly attractive, what of it? ;P)

And I also went to talk to Prof. Furman-Adams, who I'm taking English 220 with next year, and who I've wanted to take a class with for a while now. Apparently she's not the facilitator or whatever of the Gender and Women's Studies department anymore, Switzer is, which works out wonderfully for me, as I'm taking Ethics with her now and Feminist Philosophy in the fall.

Actually, she was still able to give me *lots* of useful and very exciting information. Apparently, they have funds for events they don't end up using, seeing as the Feminist Club was defunct this year. And she talked about them having had the very events before that I was planning in my head. Apparently it just takes someone who's willing to push through a program and they get really excited about putting something on.

And for the sake of posterity, I wanted to just list some of the ideas I had, which are all highly likely to occur, if I want them to:
--getting Johnston (the advisor of the club) and Switzer together for some kind of panel of differing feminist viewpoints of pornography. Furman-Adams says they've had panels like this at the Faculty Master Houses, which is easy to facilitate, and this is something that could be really interesting. Other topics I might think of depends on which professors I want to approach, but at the very least I can get to know the ones all involved in the department. That would be helpful if we want the club to act as some kind of connection between the department and interested students.
--working with Video Production Club on a satiric video about stereotypical perceptions of feminists. Throw out your razors and burn your bras, bitches, because we're marching on the Masonic Lodge! (An actual place a few blocks from here, actually...)
--Furman-Adams also mentioned the possibility of getting a speaker; some feminist or activist I would assume. Not sure who we could get, prolly no one HUGE, but definitely someone interesting. Suggestions?
--There's also still the Gender Circus to plan! This wouldn't be until the Spring, probably, but in the meanwhile, see if we can come up with ideas for attractions! Again, y'all got any suggestions? The more ridiculous the better! ^_^
--And then finally, of course, we should have a table at the Activities Fair in the fall, to attract those impressionable freshmen...*cackles ominously*

Is that entirely too ambitious? And yes, I'll be doing this while working on the QC; while I'm in charge of the BBC (new student magazine); I'll prolly still have "The Mann Show" (though that only takes an hour out of my week); oh, and those things I do called classes? XP

But I'm actually feeling positive about it; I think I can do it. And I'm really excited for next semester. How 'bout you, mm? ;P

P.S. If anyone would like to volunteer to make me a feminism or gender icon, I wouldna say no... *hintnudge*

 
 
 
Moodswing flavor: excited
 
 
andyleggett
31 March 2008 @ 02:11 pm
407: Ghetto and the Pantheon  
Okay, so maybe it's not an insane asylum, but that just sounds cool, and I keep on getting a definite "Girl, Interrupted" vibe from this place (Wanberg); for one thing, the place is made of brick, and some of the white paint is peeling, so you can see the ugly orange underneath. And you feel a little trapped with the dead-endedness of the place: it's one straight hall, and only one pair of stairwells in the middle, so especially on the second and third floors, you feel a lack of escape... (Though, I do wanna get up on one of those fire-escapes...)

Anywho, Wanberg is just ghetto. Some parts of it are nice to alright, and others... erm. The lounges are comfy enough, but the rooms themselves are kinda creepy (they actually have BRICK in there, too; though it's a little out-weighed by the plaster-sides, it still gives the feel of a prison); the stairwells are pretty ghetto.

But where I'm at now, in the basement, with Laura the Lesbian Queen (newest addition to the Pantheon), it's kinda a mix. There's a ton of beds down there, the room's pretty big; the only real ghetto part about it is a few questionable mattresses and a small room on the other side with lots of wires.

Actually, I'm having a lot of fun. There are boring bits here and there, but Laura makes it funner. ^_~ (More on that in my next post, swearsit!)

***

So, for those of you paying attention, the Pantheon stands thusly:
1. The Virgin Mary--the Holy Mother
2. Aimee Mann--my Mann
3. Roxanna Summers--the Surrogate Mother
4. Eve Imagine--the Punk Goddess
5. Laura--the Lesbian Queen
6. Sarah Durkee--Old Friends Die Hard
7. Caterina--the Gothic Princess
8. Kash--the Ghetto Princess

And guest inductee [info]jeremytblack. Not a girl, but love ya enough to let you at least penetrate the inner sanctum. ;P
 
 
Lair location: Wardman Library
Moodswing flavor: funner
Listening to: Yo Mama
 
 
andyleggett
23 March 2008 @ 03:12 pm
398: Nothing At All...  
Friday I fell sick again, this time with much hacking--and, sorrow or ironies, that was the night we had Karoke in the lounge. I had been so excited, and now my throat was shot to hell. I still championed through, with slightly less than disastrous consequences--but my throat hurt like hell on Saturday, though I'm somewhat better now...

Among other things I managed to get done, I finished Dust--I'm not yet cogent enough to write the review yet; let my emotions settle--and wrote. A lot.

Among the current slew of rewrites, and one big chunk I'm very excited about for the book (I'm saving it for post 400); I actually wrote a bit of fiction. Now, for those of you who have been paying attention, over the past year I've been doing this a bit more, starting things, getting ten, five pages out. At least something, as opposed to my previous nothing.

But last night I came out with a little 200 (okay, more like 208) word piece, and I think it's interesting, at least for the sort of themes that seem to be arising between this one and Serenade. I would proceed to analyze my own work, but that's a bit too postmodern, even for me. Instead, without further ado, I present it to you here:

*
*
*

Niente Nulla

Empty, she sits at the writing-desk, staring at its surface, cluttered with papers. She can't seem to read the words, and, blinking, looks down at the long, long rope in her hands. His letter never came.

As in a trance, she delicately ties the end around itself, thinking of the man who first took happiness from her, and then the one who refused her even hope. She did what was right, always
—whatever men said—emptied herself of all longing, but she was still a whore. How they dismissed her, like a woman; great men who had no time for hysterics.

Contemplating the beam above her, she lacks even anger. There is one thing, she knows, that they cannot deny her. The one thing over which she alone has control, whatever their delusions. And placing the noose around her neck, rises.

All thoughts of men are driven from her as she throws the rope over, and grasping the end
—wood on flesh—begins to drag herself up.

For the first time in years, she feels joy, filling her void, sweetly, like oxygen. Closing her eyes to savor it, she reaches over the edge and, twisting, tumbles into darkness, full of grace.

And finally finds her peace.

***
 
 
andyleggett
14 March 2008 @ 01:02 pm
389: Excited...  

Got sal johnston to sign up as advisor for Gender Club! ^_^

So now just need to figure out our officers, and I can send this mo'fo' off to Office of Student Activities so we can get approved at the next InterClub Council meeting...*collapses in relief*

Meanwhile, I saw The Crucible on Thursday, The Other Boleyn Girl last night (went with Psych Club), and first part of Manon des Sources in French today. Still haven't seen Juno....!

I want to go see movies more. When I have money. Studen discounts!

And if this is totally incoherent, hey, it's Friday! Vendredi! Venerdi!

Oh, went over all my Italian notes for the first time in two years (finally); I want to get my hands on an Italian textbook so I can keep up on it while I'm doing French, at least before this summer. Good to review if I'm taking it again somewhere (I have to if I wanna go to Italy either the summer after that or somethin'...!). So many forms are the same, and I keep on wanting to speak in Italian instead of French...XP

Okay, I'm totally messed-up in the head my squeefulness today. But as to the movies, I've been thinking about feminist readings of them, so maybe y'all will see something about that...?

Okay, off to Philosophy in a bit! Meanwhile, I'm watching Emilie Simon on YouTube...

 
 
Moodswing flavor: squeeful
 
 
andyleggett
27 February 2008 @ 08:12 pm
374: Okay, le Deuxieme...  
You know how I come from Sacramento, where there is a long traditonal of whining and bitching about everything? Yeah, my busy-ness isn't really as bad as I made out...XP (I mean, next year? Yeah, *then* it'll be crazy, fur sure. Again, XP.)

The Mann Show went really well, and so did the meeting. Read this essay by Wendy McElroy, a sex-positive defense of pornography, which is what we talked about. Martina also suggested, once we're an official club, she can get Sal Johnston and Michelle Switzer to get together with us for an event in which they both talk about their differing opinions on this matter.

Also, as towards writing the constitution, something Martina said clarified it for me: "there's no denying this is your brain-child" as towards the club. So I'll be writing it this weekend, and we'll discuss it. So, on March 11th we're off to ICC! Like, OMG, BITCH! I know, LOL! XD

(Sorry, me and Rosealee are getting our little jokes only...;P 
 
 
Moodswing flavor: content
 
 
andyleggett
26 February 2008 @ 08:01 pm
372: Mindfuck.  

 
 
andyleggett
21 February 2008 @ 07:03 pm
368: The Last Twenty-Four Hours...  

1. Saw "Gangs of New York" for AICH2, and discussed it this morning. Very good movie, actually; you were right, Dorothy. Not about Leo, of course, because I do not find him attractive. Titanic was me and my sister's movie, so she got Leo and I got my persisting crush on Winslet, which wasn't abated by "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Not that I want to be Carey (Heavens, no!), though he was actually really good in that film, surprisingly... Wait, what was my point? Oh, right. That I think Kate Winslet is hawt? Yeah, I have strange taste...

2. The Mann Show started airing again tonight. Sorry, guys! Scheduling conflicts got it moved, just for this week though. The usual awesomeness, got to play a bunch of new music I brought. And they have all of Kate Havnevik's "Melankton" at the station! I need to burn that shit, somehow...

3. Second meeting of the Gender Club. Was down to two attendees, old Rosealee and relatively new Rita. It was a good meeting though, excellent discussion, and passed the petition to Rosealee. Formalized group mission, set meeting time for Thursdays at 6, and did I mention the actual discussion?

Neither of these girls are actually feminists, though to hear them talk they definitely are on the same page with me in that "extremism is bad; some feminists rub us the wrong way; but we also don't like the image of man-hating." Oh, and Rosealee will bring her book on sexual vs. gender identities. Should be fun.

***

Meanwhile, I'm still obssessed with "Closer". Well, that movie was good, but I'm talking about teh pretty Travis song, actually. ;P

P.S. Oh! I forgot! And I spent most of the afternoon reading *all* of the reading of Mill's "The Subjection of Women". So proud of myself! (It's an excerpt, but still a lot. I'm sure I'm the only one who managed to both read it and understand it. So double yay for me!)

 
 
Moodswing flavor: productive
Listening to: Closer, Travis (repeat)
 
 
andyleggett
20 February 2008 @ 10:09 pm
364: The Pourquoi and Perche of the Gender Club  

To answer your question

[info]jeremytblack, The Gender Club is a club I'm trying to start at my college that essentially amalgamates the now-defunct Feminist and GLBT clubs. Of course, they were called different things back then, but it's all the same to us freshmen who have been going without any sort of community in that sense.

In fact--now that they've been dispersed to the wind, their visibility on campus has gone away, even if the presence is not. And that's really dire on a sports-obssessed campus such as ours. There's no blatant oppression or hate or anything--this is still California after all, and more than that, still the *coast*. (Now, if this were certain parts of the Central Valley, it'd be different...:P).

But I also didn't want to scare away the multitude of people who have bad impressions of feminism, and I wanted to extend it beyond that to issues of gender in general. *Try* and be more inclusive, y'know?

So, second meeting of that is tomorrow, and it looks like some more people'll show up. The process to becoming a club is quite complex, because not only do we need fifty signatures and a constitution, but also a "positive recommendation" from the InterClub Council, the president of whom is the mysterious Brian who I can no longer look in the eye. I doubt he would hold a grudge against my club 'cause of me, but then, I'm a paranoid coward. :P

 

THEN we'll see if we get approved by the Office of Student Activities and L'Institution en general. That *should* happen though, and there's definitely a wide audience for this, as a lot of people I'm talked to are interested. It's just a matter of calibrating people's crazy schedules... in other words, them remembering when the meeting is! XP

***

All that said, all y'all that have followed me since 2005 (and there's a few of you left, *eyes 

[info]copperwise in particular*)--did you think then I'd end up here? As some would-be leader in aiming to bring together feminists and gays and transexuals and whoever else is hiding up in the hills on campus?

 

Though I must admit, it was exciting to get to bring up the phrase "feminism is the radical notion that women are people" in conversation with real-life people. Not that I don't love you guys, but I wanna see what RL feminism is like, at least as it exists here. That's why I was so disappointed when I came here in September and I couldn't find them! That's why I'm starting the club.

That, and my floormates are scared of me apparently. *I'm* the resident gay, as it were. Fact is, I'm not even sure I'm gay, and *they're* the ones playing Shower Inspector and drawing huge, veiny masterpieces over everything. :P

The testosterone! I'm drowing in it! Oh noes! *waves arms dramatically*

 
 
Moodswing flavor: determined
 
 
andyleggett
19 February 2008 @ 06:36 pm
363: I Bet You'd...  
Like to know how far I am in the books, or how I'm doing with Dust.

I bet you'd like to know what the Gender Club is.

I bet you'd like to know why I can't look Brian in the eye anymore.

And why soon I'll not only have to do that, but actually defend something to him which hinges on why I shamed myself in the first place.

These are all connected in my mind, so be smart and figure it out. My life seems suddenly full of activities lately, so I'm too drained to be of much substance lately. Which prolly makes it easier, in one sense. 
 
 
Moodswing flavor: exhausted
 
 
andyleggett
18 February 2008 @ 07:23 pm
360: The Gender Club (le partie premiere)...  

*reveals sekrit project*

Okay, hopefully not *that* "sekrit".

I am trying to start a club obviously.

And we just had our first meeting.

From this point, it's all very boring technical stuff which I don't feel like talking about right now, but just know that there's a reason it's called "The Gender Club" and not "The Feminist Club". I'd say debate that among yourselves, but most people don't comment on my posts anyway, so...*shrug*

(Damn! I need a feminist icon! Virgin Mary always does well, but a feminist icon would be awful cool, wouldn ya say? ;P)

 
 
Moodswing flavor: productive
Listening to: Don't Dream It's Over, Sixpence None the Richer
 
 
andyleggett
17 February 2008 @ 09:21 pm
359: Wow!  
Thanks [info]jeremytblackfor showing me that I had LJ e-mail! XD I seriously did not know this before--everyone, message me quick! XP

(Oh, and he's also awesome, just so yanno...;P)

 Meanwhile, apparently I have to read Mill's "The Subjection of Women" for tomorrow. This should tie in nicely into my Special Project for tomorrow. (Hey, if [info]copperwisecan have sekrit projectz, so can I! :P)

Damn! Lots of reading to do tonight! Should get off the intrawebs! XP
 
 
Moodswing flavor: intellectual
 
 
andyleggett
02 December 2007 @ 06:05 pm
275: Flannery and Stefani...and Mulkey, too! ^_^  
I may be falling in love with Flannery O'Connor. We'll have to see where I am once I've gotten through more of her stuff...

Last night I read "A Late Encounter with the Enemy". I think I was in a unique position to both enjoy and appreciate this story. Reading her letters, it appears that very few of her contemporaries 'got' her work. I wonder if this is a sign of her not being able to convey her themes successfully, or--as she would put it--their inability to perceive 'grace'. I've read her essays, and quite enjoyed them.

I think I'd like to read Faulkner too; I'd like to become an aficionado of Southern literature.

***

"Blossoms" finally got to KPoet, so I want to do a review of that. I'm also aiming to use a few songs from it as source material for my final essay for "Contemporary Women Writers". Despite titling our seminar after the song, Rehn has yet to even mention "Just a Girl" or Gwen Stefani. Thus, I will open my essay with a discussion of the music video for that. Yes, I'm titling my essay: "Just a Girl (in the World)", to be cheeky, that's why. 
 
 
Lair location: language lab
Moodswing flavor: cold
 
 
andyleggett
28 November 2007 @ 01:06 pm
271: And Finally...  
Branden's piece on feminism from the QC: you'll have to piece the scans together, but I think it's worth it. ^_~  
 
 
Lair location: language lab
Moodswing flavor: relieved
Listening to: Alway's Worth It, Sarah Blasko
 
 
andyleggett
20 November 2007 @ 03:51 pm
261: Day of Remembrance  
This isn't  a pretty comic, but it's a powerful comic. As someone who has at least a passing interest in transgender issues, I think more people should read this.
 
 
andyleggett
19 November 2007 @ 06:37 pm
256: Minor Chord Update  
Just a minor update:

I'm thinking of aiming towards getting this thing started by JanTerm. People are really burned out lately (myself included) and JanTerm would be a better time to do it, I think, just because it's a more intense time, academically, and the spread-out nature of the semester has slowed me down already.

In addition, this means I can get the interest going over the next less-than-a-month, and figure out what date/time will work with everyone's schedules. Rest assured! Your quotes will get out there to them soon... just not as soon as I expected.

***

You may find this an interesting tidbit about Whittier, as far as demographics go:

My LLC (that is, my Writing Seminar group) consists of 7 girls and 5 guys--myself included. This is generally reflective of the proportion fo sexes in this school. In addition, both our Peer Mentor and Peer Tutor are female. (Not so much a coincidence, considering the theme *is* Contemporary Women Writers).
 
 
andyleggett
19 November 2007 @ 02:35 pm
255: Thanks a Bunches! ^_^  

Thank you all so much to everyone who replied to my previous post--you all had some really interesting and quotable stuff to say I can bring to the table (whenever we get it together--I need to settle on a time that works into everyone's schedules). And of course, thanks to 

[info]copperwise for directing so many people my way! You already know how much I love you! ^_~

 

 
 
Moodswing flavor: excited
 
 
andyleggett
17 November 2007 @ 03:32 pm
254: Why I'm a Feminist  
In my continuing, epic struggle to re-start the Feminist Club here on the Whittier College campus, I beseech ye, LJers, for aid!

Backstory: last year's President and Vice-President of the Feminist Club are studying abroad this semester, and they let the club's status lapse, so I've been trying to put it back together. I've finally got some cool flyers out (featuring some lovely Pre-Raphaelite paintings) and gotten some people interested.

Feminists also have a really bad rep on campus, so my approach here is really to try and attract the non-feminist crowd. In other words, those many people who don't consider themselves feminist, but think very intelligently about gender issues.

My plan is to get as many people together as I can for a discussion group before we get a faculty advisor and become an official club again. But I know from personal experience that discussions about feminism tend to be heated and people can get a little *too* argumentative and drown each other out. So in order to restrain the discussion, I wanted to prepare a relavant topic.

This is where you guys come in: I'm looking for quotes from people who identify as feminist and those who *don't* identify as feminist, for whatever reasons. What I would *love* from you guys is just a brief explanation of why you're a feminist or why you're not. Any illumination you can cast on perceptions of feminism, how you background (socio-economic, political, religious, psychological, personal) has affected your stance, and why you think that's important. I would appreciate if I could get more than an LJ tag to identify you, so for anonymity's sake you can use either a first name or a funny alias, if you so choose. 

All comments are also screened for privacy's sake, as well. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies; you help if *extremely* appreciated!
 
 
andyleggett
07 November 2007 @ 10:18 pm
240: WTF is Up with Feminism Anyway? :P  
Well, after dinner, me, Branden, Dorothy, and Matt had an hour-and-a-half-long conversation outside the back-steps of Wardman about feminism: Dorothy and Matt representing the opposition, essentially, with me and Branden representing pro-feminism, I suppose. Though, of course, the conversation covered (on all sides) what is wrong and exclusive about feminism, and the faultiness of labels. It was fascinating, and very civil, I thought.

In particular, the question of how far we, as a society, have come in the last hundred years, and whether complete equality is even possible, and how long it would take to get there. Also, about the fragmentation of feminism and the negative mythology tied into the majority's consciousness (feminazis, oh noes!). I think Matt (and Dorothy, especially) are good examples of people who essentially agree with the good, valid aims of feminism, but are jaded by the squabbling and exclusivism and just general rabid psychos that unfortunately pervade a sadly corrupted ideology.

Though, Dorothy claims it's more like 90, I think it's 50/50 between the psychotic and sane feminists. There is just so much in-fighting, it seems; radicalism, liberalism, conservatism, misandry, blah and blah. It's all very complicated, and oh-so fascinating. (Of course, I'm still pondering on it, and haven't explicated everything we discussed, but feminists LJers, feel free to chime in! ^_^)

***

Of course, despite (or perhaps because) of all this, I am still trying to re-form that Feminist Club on campus. I finally got a good flyer together. 

EDIT: Picture quality is bad--'ll have to take a picture of the actual flyers...eventually, y'know! ^_^
 
 
Lair location: GTE lab
Moodswing flavor: reflective
Listening to: Hyperballad, Bjork
 
 
 
 

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