from 4/17/2007

Well, Alison Bechdel's lecture got canceled last night because her flight was delayed due to weather, so she couldn't make her connection here. But, they're rescheduling soon. You can check here for updates: www.activitiesboard.org

Bummer! But, I had overplanned my week anyhow, so a free night sounds pretty good. Ellen and I went to see the film Our Daily Bread last night (instead of tonight), so I have tonight to get stuff done around the house, do a little cooking, a little laundry, and hopefully it won't be raining so I can take my new bike out for a spin around the 'hood.

So, about this film. You should see it. Everyone who participates in the industrial food chain (which is all of us, to one extent or another) should see it.

It's German, and has no narration, no spin--the images are all of pieces of the industrial food chain, and the sounds are all the actual sounds of the work taking place. I was struck by a few things--one, by how completely disconnected we are (as a society) from our food sources. Because, even though I consider myself to be fairly well-informed about this stuff, I was shocked by some of the images--the mechanization of it, mostly. Two, that this film could never have been made in the US since those companies here don't grant any access so that we could actually see what goes on. Three, it was very striking that most of the workers on the farms/greenhouses/processing plants were white--if the film had been made here, we'd certainly have seen the race/class differences highlighted. Four, what are the lives of the people who work at some of these jobs like? I recently was reading something and they referenced a study about how slaughterhouse workers often become sadistic over time. What must happen in the mind to allow you to be so desensitized to what you're doing, and then to take it further into purposeful cruelty?

I left the theatre feeling pretty hopeless at how completely bizarre and effed up our society is. Despite that, you should see it. It's important, and it's only playing through Thursday. Here's a link to the filmmakers site: http://pghfilmmakers.org/exhibition/upcoming.html#dailybread

So, yeah.

Apart from that, things are going well. I'm on Day 5 of being a non-smoker. It's still hard, but each day it's a tiny bit easier. I can't wait until I don't think about reaching for a cigarette all day.

And, I got three ridiculously cute t-shirts in the mail yesterday. Natalie Dee shirts. Jess got me hooked on her, and I cannot get enough. http://www.nataliedee.com/
And, I was able to order size L in the ladies tees! I was afraid they wouldn't fit, but I tried them on, and they're snug, but they fit--and look pretty cute! If you've never had the experience of not being able to wear the stuff you want to wear because they just don't make it in your size, or having to buy men's stuff that just doesn't fit you well, then you'll understand my joy. I can't wait until I can just pick stuff up off the rack and find a size that fits me anywhere. That will feel great. 'Cause it's really annoying (and embarassing) when I go shopping with friends, and they're all able to find stuff, but the only thing that's available to me is socks and hair clips. You know?

Okay, that's it for now.