Caller information withheld. ...

Anyone who is formally acquainted with me knows that I do not answer the phone unless I recognize the number calling. This rule especially applies to calls that read as caller unknown or withheld. Last night I got a call from a withheld party. The loud and nagging voice in my head said: "DON'T ANSWER!!!" The complication of this scenario is that last night I had a dream that my brother was involved in a "knife fight." So the insane voice in my head really believed it could be my mother calling to tell me that my brother was rolling dice in an alley and, after being accused of cheating, it erupted into a full-blown, west side story knife fight. Afterall, my mother does have an unlisted number. I know how ridiculous this all sounds, but in the few seconds that it took for me to answer the call this is the conversation that played in my head. Anyway, the insane voice won this internal argument and I answered the phone.
There was a male on the other line who said "hey sexy." i didn't recognize the voice either, so i got paranoid and immediately asked who it was. In disbelief this person asked if I actually had multiple people that referred to me as "sexy." Naturally my reply was "of course. now tell me who this is." he said it was more fun this way. my response was that it was more fun for me if i know "with whom i am speaking." He then proceeded to say unnecessarily obscene things

Needles to say, I don't participate in such conversations. So, I just hung up.
I don't mean to make myself into a victim without reason. However, it is instances like that, though brief, that are quite violating and have the potential to be disempowering.
Moral is, I will never answer a call again if i don't see a name pop up in my caller ID. So, if I don't answer your call it is because I don't have your number in my phone. so, leave a message and i'll call you back and add your number. This way I will answer your phone calls in the future.
thank you for your co-operation

Who are the 2 most handsome men in Seattle?

These Guys. ...


The boys of Manchester have a show coming up! It's at the Q Cafe on Friday, Jan. 26th @ 8pm.

I pity the fool who doesn't go to this show!
Who wants to be my date?

xo-shanns

locker rooms, sandwiches and recording devices

Though I attempted to procrastinate out of any obligation I had today, I actually made it to the gym. I wish I could figure out a way to lose weight without sacrificing my favorite meals and having to get sweaty. However, that is not really possible so I put my big bottom on a stationary bike and read about the lives of mexicano and mexican american migrant workers. then, i did a light leg workout and faced my least favorite part of the gym experience--the women's locker room.

I know I have ranted about this before, BUT i always have more to say about this especially loathesome place. I will never really understand why exactly that place is so naked, but I'm just a prude. I understand a little when it's hot. Sweaty workout, sweaty locker room--no clothes. but why when it's cold? and women seem to put the bra and top one and do everything else they need to do before they put undies and pants on. i really don't understand that. and if anyone does, please don't explain it to me. i like my ignorance on this one. Then what baffles me to know end is why these panty-less women think it's ok to sit their bare bottoms on the bench?!?! I know these people aren't putting their bare bottoms on toilet seats. so, why are they putting them down next to my water bottle where i am trying to tie my shoes? are they trying to tell me they want my mouth and/or foot on their bottom? cuz, neither my mouth or foot want that. I gritted my teeth and screamed on the inside while I laced and tied quickly and bolted. As I was making my escape, I rounded the corner and saw one of my professors. I thanked my lucky stars that I saw my FULLY CLOTHED professor. I would have totally had to drop the class if I had seen her nipples. I can't focus with that sort of intimate knowledge of a person. I dodged a bullet there.
After that I marched my sweaty tookus to the Ave, got a Vietnamese sandwhich from Thanh Vi mmmm... best sandwich ever. THEN, I got the coolest toy! YES! That's right--a digital voice recorder! super excited to start playing with this, recording random stuff and boring lectures!
YAY! YAY! YAY!

d-d-dance and go crazy

This Saturday was the most fun I've had in quite awhile.
However, it did not start out so fun. I walked up to the bus stop, not the bar, but the actual bus stop. Which, I might add, is up an atrocious hill that is especially nasty when it is covered in slippery ice. I waited for the bus for what seemed like an eternity. In all honesty, I beleive I waited all of 5 minutes. The snow and ice as of late apparently make 5 minutes seem like an eternity. I was happy that I caught a 44 that becomes a 43. yay me! Unfortunately, I lost a glove on the bus. I feel a little bad since I borrowed the pair of gloves from the Hilltop Yarn lost and found. I don't normally dip into the box, but my hands were derned cold that day!
Anyway, I digress. I got off the bus full of hunger. I marched over to Hot Mama'a Pizza and got the most disgusting slice of pizza I have ever eaten there. Incidentally, it was still pretty decent. Then, I hopped over to the The Bus Stop to meet up with Jeffy Cakes. We had a couple drinks to kill some time and some liver cells. We then proceeded to the LoFi for some good old-fashioned soul dancing.
It was such a blast. I was high intensity booty shaking for about two solid hours. I was like Tina Turner at the climax of Proud Mary for those hours. I danced my ass off! Though, not literally--unfortunately.
The night ended with me and my lover reuniting over nachos and a long anticipated cab ride home. The next day I was sore all over and it was so worth it!

A BIG thank you to Jeffy Cakes for taking me out on the evening that will go down as one of my funnest nights ever! and to anyone who says they don't want to go dance with The Shanny Pants, I say think again, my friend. For a blast and a half is to be had whenever and wherever I step onto the dance floor.
ciao

holy knit!

So, I am normally the lamest knitter on the planet. I blame it on my fear of commitment. It really may lie in my inability to sit for extended periods without falling asleep, selective narcolepsy. This has made a career in office jobs not an option. boo hoo.
anyway, when I woke up sunday morning, this is what my sweater vest looked like. ...

By the time i began my getting ready for bed ritual, this is what it looked like. ...

Go me!
This is the Julia vest from the Nashua Study book. I, however, am using the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran instead of Nashua Julia. It is much softer and I am head over heels over the new colors that came out this fall. I have never worked with the yarn before and i must say it is like butter. My stitches are looking so beautiful and I'm attributing that mostly to the yarn itself than to my claws.
also for the record, my knitting claws are killing me. unfortunately, I may not be able to pick this gem up again until next weekend. sometimes school just ruins my life. At any rate, I'm hoping to have my vest done by the end of next weekend. or at least close enough to being finished that i can round up in my conversations.
xo

knitacular fingerless gloves

az peeps 055
Originally uploaded by shann_garcia.

So I started these shortly after my arrival in AZ. And in two short, non-commital days of knitting these bad boys were done.
This is the fingerless gloves pattern by Blue Sky Alpacas. They were knit in the alpaca royal. They are super soft and uber warm. I am the world's slowest knitter and these went up in a flash. Also, the pattern itself is very forgiving. I made a couple errors. While I know about where they are it even takes me a minute or two to find them when i am trying.
Come into Hilltop Yarn to see them for yourself. I'm sure I'll be wearing them every chance I get since I love them so.
see you soon!!
xxoo

sleepy shanny

this is how i feel. i think i'll take a nap.

my 1st "A" paper

This is one of two paper that I received back on the same day. This one is a persuasive paper about what the legal status of same-sex marriage SHOULD be. The other paper was about shopping malls as gendered spaces of consumption. That one was 10 pages, so I will spare you that. though, i must say it is a good one. Usually I am out the gate with a good stride and lose some momentum by the end. In this paper I really think I finish as well as I start. Anyway: without further ado:





Same-Sex Marriage:
This Generations Miscegenation?


Marriage has been litigated in the courts as long as America has been independently ruled. Through the tides of legal action the idea of marriage has evolved, leaving behind the notions of its inception to become what it is known to be today. Prior to 1967, it was considered against God’s law for “white” persons to commingle with people of other racial identities. By means of time and litigation this sentiment has changed. At present there is a new union under attack—-same-sex marriage. The current arguments coming out in opposition to gay marriage are quite similar to the past outcry against miscegenation. However, there are some differences cropping up in the courts interpretation. Thus far it is these nuanced differences that are leading to entirely different legal outcomes.
Up until 1967 Virginia, as well as other states, had on the books anti-miscegenation laws that regulated who could marry whom. The central focus of this variety of law was to completely ban the union of a “white person” with a “non-white” person. It is important to note here that the other races were not prohibited from marrying each other, but rather as “non-whites” they were forbidden from commingling with “whites.” It was the opinion of Judge Leon Bazile that such mixings directly contradicted God’s intent. If the races were meant to cohabitate, they would not have been relegated to separate places on the globe. The fact that people have moved about the continents in no way supposes that God intended the races to amalgamate [Loving v Virginia 388 U.S. 1 (1967)].
As illustrated by Virginia interracial marriage had been historically disallowed. However, in 1948, the court system witnessed a slight shift in opinion. The case of Perez v. Sharp 32 Cal. 2d 711 (1948) was decided on the state level. In its ruling, marriage was termed as the “fundamental right of free men.” Ultimately, this case had no bearing on the legal proceedings of the nation. However, this case made California the first state to recognize anti-miscegenation as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This established precedence and was not too far ahead of the ground breaking decision in the case Loving v Virginia 388 U.S. 1 (1967). The ruling of this case reiterated that marriage is a fundamental right. It also, asserted that even though Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws treated “whites” and “non-whites” equally, the action was still classified as race-based discrimination. This classification elevated the status of anti-miscegenation laws to strict scrutiny by the Supreme Court. This shifted the burden to the state of Virginia to prove that it had a compelling purpose for its anti-miscegenation laws and that the means were narrowly tailored to achieve said purpose. The state was unable to prove so under the strict scrutiny test of the court. The decision of the court could have theoretically been in favor of miscegenation if not for the recognition of race-based discrimination, an entirely technical matter.
Currently, proponents of same-sex marriage are trying to parallel the arguments made in Loving v Virginia. Their argument is that regardless of the fact that both sexes are equally burdened, the prohibition of same-sex marriage is sex-based discrimination. The successful execution of this argument would immensely help the gay and lesbian cause. This particular accomplishment would elevate its status of same-sex legislation, such as Washington State’s DOMA, to a semi-suspect classification. In this event, the burden would fall upon the state to show an important state purpose in prohibiting gay marriage and that the stated prohibition is closely related to achieving this important state purpose. In the event that that happened, it can be assumed that proponents of same-sex marriage would be more effective in achieving their goal of having their long-term bonds and commitments legally recognized.
However, the courts have been able to glean a differentiation between the arguments of Loving and those of same-sex marriage. The difference lies in the age-old “accident of birth” argument. In Andersen v. King County it was held that discrimination was not based on sex since it applied equally to both sexes. This is in opposition to the decision in Loving that, regardless of whether “whites” and “non-whites” are treated the same, anti-miscegenation laws are based on race. Though reversed by the Ninth Circuit court of appeals, the state used the decision of High Tech Gays v. Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office 909 F. 2d 375 (1990) to substantiate that homosexuality is behavioral and therefore not an immutable trait. Therefore, the Loving rationale did not apply. As well, homosexuals were not considered powerless under the law, which is a required title to be a member of the semi-suspect classification. Additionally, the court in this case held that same-sex marriage is not a fundamental right included in the right to marry of all free men. The combination of these elements excluded gays and lesbians as part of a semi-suspect class deserving heightened scrutiny. Consequently, rational basis review was applied. Under this classification Washington State only needed to show a legitimate purpose with the means being rationally related to the stated purpose. The application of rational basis review made it easy for the state to restrict same-sex marriage since empirical evidence was not required to sustain rationality. In Andersen v. King County Justice Madsen stated:

"State Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was rationally related to state's interests in procreation and children's well-being, and thus DOMA's prohibition against same-sex marriage did not violate state constitution's privileges and immunities clause; procreation was legitimate government interest justifying limitation of marriage to opposite sex couples, as was encouragement of childrearing in traditional nuclear families where children tended to thrive… even if animus in part motivates legislative decisionmaking, unconstitutionality does not follow if the law is otherwise rationally related to legitimate state interests.”

This negation of the importance of animus is interesting especially when compared to the case of Romer v Evans No. 94-1039 (1996). In the case of Romer, Colorado was unable to prove that there was any rational correlation to a legitimate state purpose when it passed an amendment that restricted homosexuals’ access to legal protection. Therefore, animus alone was not substantial enough ground to single out an entire group of people. In Andersen, the state had a legitimate purpose. Subsequently, animus alone was not substantial enough ground to prevent exclusion of certain group members from a revered state institution. In both cases, animus is used to restrict the rights of gays and lesbians. On one hand it is used as a deciding factor, on the other it is merely incidental.
While marriage has evolved and has a new face in comparison to its historical appearance, there are still ideals that are tightly held by society and endorsed by the courts. 1967 brought anti-miscegenation under the strict scrutiny of the court and definitively resolved that marriage is a fundamental right of all. Gay marriage, the new union under attack, has struggled to secure the heightened scrutiny necessary to reap the benefits of this fundamental right. The current arguments are strikingly similar to the past uproar against mixed-race marriage. However, it is the difference of applied scrutiny by the courts that has kept advancement in the area of same-sex marriage at bay.

The Evolution of my ID photos

..
I've been thinking about the quality of my ID photos, especially since I had to spend a good hour of my day at the DMV. I will blame this for an error I made in my clapotis.
At 16 I had a great photo. I was courtney love'd out and full of life. I had a big smile, because it was my big day. a right of passage.
At 21, I replaced my ID. I was no longer a blonde and I figured if the AZ facist doormen were going to let me imbibe, I should resemble my ID. Also, my face had began to rub off--a notorious problem for AZ IDs of the time. At this time I was the epitome of VGI, librarian chic. I still had a big smile, because I had reached yet another milestone. However, the AZ DMV are big ass faces. they made me look purple. It looked as though I had been holding my breath all day. They ruined what was otherwise a good picture.
I move to Seattle in 2002 and need to establish residency, so I needed a state ID STAT! I was still librarian chic and cute as the dickens. However there was an unexplainable shadow in the picture and it looks like I have a mustache. I was glad to get rid of that one.
2004 I got a car and needed an actual operator's license. I did not realize that the stone-aged DOL facilities did not take plastic. I had to run to the ATM across the street more times than I care to think about. In my photo I looked sweaty and windblown. not to mention the cyborg-esque reflection off my glasses. needless to say, I was happy when i lost this ID.
the new license I got was fine, except that i was dressed inappropriately. I was clad in a boat-neck shirt. So yah. in the ID photo i look naked.
The other night, while attempting to fill my wine addiction, I realized that the naked ID was not in my wallet. I came home and looked through purses, pants and jackets. I could not find it. The next day I went to the DOL. In the new photo I resemble a q-tip with crooked glasses. ANNOYING!!
anyway, long story short, guess what I found today? NAKED ID!!! in my head, i screamed every explicative in every language i have ever learned.
stupid driver license.

Breast cancer benefit

..
This is a show to help support a local woman recovering from breast cancer. She works for Fare Start and gives to the community everyday. This is a night when the community has the opportunity to give back to her.
Performers include Herman Jolly of Sunset Valley and the boys we all know and lust Royvelt and Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. I guarantee a good time. Hope to see you all there. For more information go to www.lorettafundraiser.com

yay! voting

in the last 24 hours we have seen democracy in action.
the moral party has fallen on bad graces. it's funny i thought it was the democrats that were scandalous heathens. hmmm... apparently both parties fall victim to the scandals inherent to politics. who knew?
triumphs include:
control of the house
at least a 50/50 split of senate
ding dong the wicked rumsfeld is dead, well his career anyway.
and our nations 1st female house speaker--EVER!!! (incidentally this makes Pelosi 3rd in line to the presidency. all we need to do is impeach bush for taking us to war under false pretense, let Harry Whittington have a vengence round to the face of cheney, and ta da--1st female president to US!!)
now do we see why voting is so important?
for more information go to http://www.thegreenpapers.com/
xo-
your crazy latina correspondent

Vote or Die!!

Maybe a little extreme, but it is time once again to exercise one of our most important civil duties--to come together as an electorate and vote. Please notice I did not say this was a right or a privilege. Yes, I indeed meant duty. If every person that could vote actually did, we would have a very different looking nation.
For those of you who say: "why vote? It makes no difference?" That is because most of the other people who do not vote share your political views. During the 2004 election, it was projected that 50% of all eligible voters were registered to do so. Of that 50% registered, only about 50% of those folks voted (information I obtained through Washington Citizen's Action). So, tell me why again voting results are so skewed?
Get out and do your job as a citizen. If you don't like your options--write in a candidate. VOTE FOR ME!! Don't just sit around with your hand(s) down your pants! TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE DECISION MAKING IN YOUR COUNTRY!! Until you do, we can look forward to many more undesirables running the crucial interactions of our daily lives.
I don't think you want that, do you?

midterm midtacular

today was my last midterm. it was for women200 intro to women's studies. I must admit that I did not study a lick for it, save flipping through my reader to make sure the names would register with the articles come test time. And to that, i devoted all but five minutes of my time, while walking in the rain to class.
test is over and it was a cinch. i do not think i have ever taken an easier test. Nice thing about that is I know that what I am doing in this class is sufficient.
My last midterm, women310 women and law, i studied very hard. however, it was revealed that i need to pay closer attention to certain facts pertaining to cases. but no amount of extra studying would account for this since I would have repeatedly neglected to go over the occupations of the litigating women we discussed.
anyway, that's that for now. The only thing I have to worry about are 3 research papers with piggy backing due dates.
and the yikes begin all over again!

did gloria steinem lie?

blinded me with science grew a pair and officially broke up with me on friday.
i am not terribly broken up about it. ultimately, it wasn't going to work out. i am a feminist and he is intimidated by a strong woman.
i think i knew better than to mix with someone younger than me.
i also think i have too much faith in people. i digress.
friday night i drank my weight in free booze. working the merch table at a packed show apparently has it's perks. crazy people infiltrated our sensitive, sweater vest fest and made musicians with valuable hands get violent. the booze made me think that i was physically capable of contributing to a fight situation. i learned the error of my ways and ran inside and hid.
that night i stayed up drinking until 6am and stayed at el casa de el jeffe.
Saturday night after knitting, i went to the bus stop and drank more and stayed at el casa de el jeffe.
this afternoon, i raced home, quickly changed, and raced downtown to see Borat with el jeffe and dj gay ipod.
i didn't really want to come home. but i did and ended up sleeping the day away.
i try not to be too telling usually, but sunday is the day that i look forward to staying at home, seeing no one, and being super productive. it is not my day to avoid being at home, do absolutely nothing and wish that the phone would ring for god's sake!
so, while i am not upset about not being with blinded me with science, i am apparently upset about the situation.
..
this has been my stand since the cursed movie garden state came out--natalie portman's character doesn't get the zack braff character. she scares the hell out of him. she sends him shreiking to therapy and away from commitment. she alienates those around her and invites personal criticism by those she most admires. she does not fit with the cool crowd and she freaks out the sensitives.
she drinks too much, lies, and experiences frequent emotional collapse. she is not charming, pined after, or anyone's muse.
i wonder if the feminists told her about this when they sold her the package.

my brother the idiot!

so my brother is a big, stupid fuck up!
a few months ago he got busted doing a beer run. who the fuck does beer runs?!?! i pulled my brother aside and said the cool kids do not do beer runs. the cool kids get the uncool kids to do that for them. duh. good thing he has a positive role model like me, right?
or so i thought.
a month after that, he wrecked my dad's truck. this truck used to be my grandfather's and before that is was my great grandfather's. this beautiful, old truck has been in the family forever and my spoiled little shit of a brother decided it was a good idea to get drunk and wrap it around a light pole. stupid idiot.
and yet, the tale continues. when my dad told him he had to start going to school and actually start doing his work or get out of the house. my empty-headed brother broke my dad's guitar and left. good greif, right?
well, it got better tonight. my brother, while drunk yelled at a police officer and resisted arrest. i at least waited until i turned 21 to do dumb things like harrassing men in uniform.
this will be his 3rd appearance in front of a judge for the same thing--booze. last time he had to spend 5 days in juvenille detention. i can't even imagine what is in store for him this time.
people who pray, do that for him. people who think good thoughts, lay them on him. people who take lives in exchange for money, if you have a lay away plan i may be interested.

what's new?

today is the 1st day of november. and out with the old and in with the new is what i say.
so, what's new with me?
well, to start, mr. "blinded me with science" and i are on break for an unspecified duration. so i'm single, but not really. i don't really know what that means. i suppose i'm likely to find out here at some point. i think it means we broke up but neither of us has the balls to say it.
also, i declared my major. i am officially a women studies major. the nicest thing about this major, that i found out yeserday, is that i am not required to do a senior thesis. hip hip hooray! I just have to take a class in the spring in which i put together my academic vitae (is that the right spelling?) So, not only do I not have to write a big stinky research paper, but I am required to take a fluffy class that helps me put together an academic resume. could it be any better? not bloody likely!
what else is new? my brother is a juvenille delinquent. i have a brain tumor, or at least I think i do, because i have had a headache for the last 2 months. i'm thinking about where to move at the end of school and now the stress of GREs seems all to close.
anyway, other than that nothing else.
cheers!
p.s. go to the sunset 11/3 @ 9pm to see superband rosyvelt and wish jeffey cakes a happy birthday!!!

Project Runway: Operation Hilltop Yarn

Project Hilltop Runway



..



Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 pm

will be our annual Hilltop fashion show, this year's theme:

Vests, V-necks, and Vino

Please do join us, it really is Seattle's knitting event of the year (if we do say so ourselves!)

why aren't my cats an adequate source of happiness?

It's funny how in one sentence relative worlds can change. Stifling really.
A string of words can bring strangers together as new best friends. It can make you realize that you can only look forward to uncomfortable conversations with someone. It can also hit you in the face and make you question the legitimacy of a relationship.
This is the reason I, at one time, wanted to be a linguist. Words have profound power.
It is with words that we express love, joy, approval, dismay, disgust, and contempt. It is with words that we build up and tear down the people closest to us. It is with words that one would express that something wrong with another makes him/her feel something other than good about themselves.
Words are a sword our psyche is a shield. Sometimes we view it the other way around. Sometimes we have so internalized how we perceive attacks upon our well being that we don't even consider how our words can pierce the one on the receiving end. We see ourselves as victims and don't realize we victimize in return. We rarely consider how hurtful what we say can be when we feel hurt ourselves.
My cats have no words. They love me. They do not harbor feelings of resentment for me simply being me. They don't try to change me. I am quite sure the thought never crosses their mind.
Yet it is the animosity of the world where I find meaning and fulfillment. Curse me and my faulty logic.

knitting fever

since i haven't been feeling well i've been knitting up a storm! in the last few days, i've made 2 dish cloths, a scarf, one of two baby booties, and started a pot holder. here's a picture of the 1st of 2 baby booties. my friends just found out they were pregnant. i am very excited for them and am excited to finally have a baby to knit for. yay!!!







if you want to see more of my knits go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shannarama/sets/72157594291162401/

statement of vindication

allow me to saddle up on my high horse. ok here i go:
being feminine does not make me weak.
being strong does not make me masculine.
i can open my own jars, doors, and skulls when necessary.
I find baby talk degrating. I only use it when speaking to my cats, because I know they won't baby talk back to me. If they did I would have to get rid of them.
i HATE long goodbyes--when the conversation is over JUST SAY GOODBYE! why the need to recap the whole conversation? I was there. I know what we discussed.
don't assume because i am a feminist that i am angry, man-hating, or a lesbian.
i am fair complexioned, but don't think for a minute I won't make heads roll if a racist joke is ever made in my pressence.
I am polite, don't get it confused with demure.
I will never take a name that is different from the one that is already mine.
I will never comingle my finances with another.
I don't like to share.
I will be hard pressed to let a person that comes from my body take a surname other than my own.
Above all else, I am myself 100% of the time.
I love people and am loveable, sociable, caring and considerate.
It's only when you try to change me or refuse to understand where I am coming from that the hell bitch comes out.
xo, kiss kiss, and what have you