Oh, hey, it's March. How'd that happen?

I suck at posting on anything like a reliable schedule.

I think we should all embrace reality and accept this.

By 'we' I mostly mean me since I'm the one with delusions of responsibility.

I am assuming that you all don't want to listen to me talk about the gorgeous cinematography in Hannibal (or my fangirl squeeing about Mads Mikkelson and how I should probably not find a serial killing cannibal so fascinating even if he is a fictional character) or how Non-Stop (the movie I saw today) was basically a locked room murder mystery but how it was nice to see the one Muslim Arab character *not* be the bad guy or in any way connected.

So I'll be back when I have something interesting to say.

Hopefully soon.

Day 17: Bones Squintern Arastoo Vaziri

I just watched last weeks episode and I'm having feelings about this man and so you must all suffer.

Things to get out of the way first:

a) I realize that he is a fictional character. So when I propose that he marry me immediately, this is to be taken as fangirling and not creepy stalking of the actor.

b) That being said, this man needs to marry me. I'm ready.

*cough*

Okay.

Arastoo Vaziri is an intern on the show Bones, where he is played by Pej Vahdat. Bones is one of my favorite crime dramas, winning out easily over CSI which feels more and more repetitive and played out to me. Though admittedly Bones has David Boreanaz and no other show does. So...there's that.

The set up for the interns on Bones is thus: her old intern went kind of nuts and became a serial killers playmate and is currently (as far as I remember) incarcerated for assisting in murders. Sweet kid otherwise. Anyway. She couldn't find a single intern that replaced him, what with him being a genius and all, so she hired all the interns that tried out for the position and rotates them.

Arastoo is one of the rota-terns and clearly one of my favorites. When he came on the show, for the first couple of episodes he was in, he had a heavy Middle Eastern accent. We find out later that the accent was a put on so that people would think he was 'fresh off the boat', his reasoning being that the other scientists would find it odd that he could be both a brilliant scientist and deeply religious. So, at first, he found it easier to let them think that his faith was an unimportant remnant from his upbringing. It only comes out because he slips, when the head of the department is sort of freaking out trying to be politically correct and he's telling her it's okay and she just doesn't believe him...

Cam: sorry! Sorry! Pig bones, God!

Arastoo: (speaking with accent) I’m fine, Dr. Saroyan. Perhaps the killer assumed the victim’s remains would never be noticed amongst the pig bones?

Cam: really Arastoo there’s no reason for you to—

Arastoo: I appreciate your concern but I am fine.

Cam: no! Really, most of us aren’t devout here and I respect your religion.

Arastoo: he hath forbbiden you the flesh of swine, but if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits - then is he guiltless.

Cam: the point is you shouldn’t feel—

Arastoo: — (speaking with no accent) I’m a scientist, okay? Just like the rest of you. I can deal. So just back off and let me do my job like anyone else.

Cam: …wow.

Arastoo: (speaking with accent) eh… I apologise for my outburst…

Cam: oh, you are not even going to try to unring that bell, are you?
— Bones, season 5, episode 4

Apart from being adorable, which he *is*, what I like most about the character is that he's portrayed as a real person. It's far too easy and common for shows to portray religious characters, especially ones who are meant to be Muslim, as caricatures. It would be much easier for the show to leave out all mention of Arastoo's faith, or to make him an atheist or to not have him on the show at all.

Arastoo's issues with being comfortable being open about his faith are dealt with not by the other characters harranguing him about them, though he does get some flack for the fake accent thing, but by sitting down and going through why he feels like he has to hide (in part) this aspect of himself.

“The search for truth is honourable and I honour Allah through the search for truth.”  - Arastoo Vaziri

So, you know, he's always been one of my favorites on a show where I think that they consistently do characters as real people and not as caricatures though by no means do they get it perfectly every time.

Hodgins: This baseball thing…you allowed to play?

Arastoo: No, the Qur'an strictly forbids baseball, lacrosse, of course, and any bored games with hungry hippos.

Hodgins: That’s a yes, with an additional comment on my ignorance.

Arastoo: I was a state all-star in high school, I even got scouted by a couple of farm teams.

Hodgins: No way!

Arastoo: Yeah, I still play on the weekends. My mosque is in a league that plays against churches and synagogues. You should join us sometime! 

Hodgins: Oh, come on now, I can’t be on an all-Muslim team. I’m a lapsed Episcopalian.

Arastoo: You know, every team has a few ringers. The Jews have a Unitarian batting 400.

Hodgins: Really. Huh. Never tried to beat the infidels before.

Arastoo: As long as you can find me something in your washer goop that determines cause of death, you can play short-stop.

Hodgins: You’re on.

Arastoo's a real guy and he probably gets sick to death of peoples' misconceptions about him due to his race, let alone his religion, but he does his best to educate (sometimes with snark, depending on the situation) and to just live his life like anyone else because he *is* like anyone else. The writers have been careful to develop Arastoo as a character without either ignoring his religion or making it the defining characteristic of him.

Favorite. Like I said.

And then this episode happened. It's called 'The Patriot in Purgatory' and it starts with the squinterns being assigned to the cold case room in a kind of competitive moment that Bones is having. The boys (Daisy the female intern is not in the ep) make it even more competitive and having a scoring system, etc. for who figures things out the fastest. However Arastoo's first case is a homeless man found in a parking garage and the wounds don't make sense. In spite of the others encouraging him to just put it aside and move on, he refuses because their job is to give these people back their names, not to score points off of one another. In the end he gets the others to help him in spite of themselves and they figure out that the man was wounded in the attack on the Pentagon on September 11.

It's a very emotional ep, of course, and full of good scenes that I don't want to ruin in case anyone hasn't seen it yet.

But here's the part that made me decide that Arastoo is my future husband:

The squinterns are working on the body and getting nowhere since the wounds don't make a whole lot of sense. One of the other interns questions whether or not Arastoo is thinking clearly:

Finn Abernathy: Is this too difficult for you Arastoo, because I'd be more than happy to do as much as needed to ease your load.

Arastoo Vaziri: Why would it be more difficult for me than anyone else?

Finn Abernathy: Because of... Because you share the share the same religion as those men..

Arastoo Vaziri: Is it too difficult for you to work with Dr. Edison?

Finn Abernathy: Um... Excuse me?

Arastoo Vaziri: You share the same religion with men who cherry picked the Bible to justify slavery.

Finn Abernathy: I'm sorry... I didn't mean nothing..

Arastoo Vaziri: But still your words have meaning, don't they Mr. Abernathy? Those assumptions you made, those quick generalizations, what about the vengeance and the blood shed in the Old Testament?

Clark Edison: Okay, he's just a kid Arastoo.

Arastoo Vaziri: If he's not old enough to know, he's certainly old enough to learn. The Crusades, the Inquisition, are these events guided by a religion of peace? No, they were guided by self important men who think that they know more than the god they claim to worship. This was not the work of religion, it was arrogance, it was hypocrisy, it was hate. Those horrible men who hijacked those planes, hijacked my religion that day too. They insulted my God so no, this isn’t too difficult. It's a privilege to be able to serve this victim, to show him the care and love that was so absent that day.

Finn Abernathy: Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry. And thank you for taking the time to set me straight.

Fischer: That was awesome. 

 

 Keep talking forever and marry me.

Things That Should Probably Go Unsaid

That awkward moment where you're talking about a television show with your parents and you realize that the sentence coming out of your mouth is, "And then he got his arm ripped off while his wife was giving him a blow-job."

And you can't stop.

In other news, American Horror Story is back and it is delightfully evil.

One of the best tv shows *ever*

due South.

No, I will hear no arguments about this. This was a fun, fun show. Admittedly, my favorite seasons are season 3 and season 4 because Callum Keith Rennie.

CKR should be in every show.

All of them.

But I digress.

due South - bizarre, fun and with subtext that is beautiful to contemplate.

Their *faces*, people. This is the look of two men who have just boarded a modern pirate ship using an accurate recreation of the HMS Bounty on Lake Michigan.

No, it's not a quarter past one in the morning here and I'm not up writing fic because that would be ridiculous.

Stop looking at me like that.

due South.

*runs off into the morning humming the theme song*

TV: The River

Did anyone else watch The River last night? It's a new horror/suspense/something show on ABC. According to the end of the premier there're only six more episodes of the season, so it's really more of a mini-series than a regular series anyway.

I watched it and I have to say I was neither impressed nor disappointed in it.

The basic idea is that there's a family; Tess (mom), Lincoln (son), and Emmett (father). The father, Emmett Cole, is a famous explorer whose television show followed the family around as they explored the world. Of course there's the requisite falling out between Lincoln and his father and the suspicion/knowledge that Tess cheated on Emmett at some point. But those are all things that are mentioned but not fleshed out in much detail just yet. At the start of the show Emmett has been missing for six months and he and his crew are declared dead. They had gone off on a strange (are you really surprised?), kind of secretive mission to the Amazon and vanished.

Tess convinces Lincoln, who is ready to try and move on, to come with her and some of the television crew to try and find the missing expedition. They tack down Emmett's beacon, which has suddenly and mysteriously turned on after being inactive for half a year, and find it inside a diving cage at the bottom of the river. With no sign of anyone. *makes spooky sounds*

They continue looking, even though everyone is *sure* that the crew is dead, and come across the boat that the missing expedition was using. Also mysteriously abandoned. Blah, blah, spooky shots of the interior, they come to the panic room on the boat (designed in case of pirate attack), which has been welded shut from the outside. There are banging noises coming from within, so the rescue mission believes that some of the crew are alive and trapped inside.

Eventually they restore power and bust the room open to discover...a creepy shrine looking thing, something that looks like a giant seed and no one home. The seed thing turns out to be a native made coffin for an infant which is also alternatively used to capture 'dry ghosts'. Which, shock, is what was in there. According to the recordings that are found on the boat, the producer that Emmett brought with him, Cam, died and for whatever reason came back as one of these dry ghosts. They captured his spirit inside the little coffin and sealed it up in the room after it had killed some other members of the crew.

So the rescue mission, having accidentally set the ghost free, as you do, try to flee. The ghost shreds their little rafts that they need to get back to the boat they were using. They get the Magus (Emmett's ship), going again in 2 hours. Even though it's been sitting in the Amazon for six months with no maintenance, but whatever. The ghost kills one of the camera men and then they manage to trap it back in the little coffin. Not before it tells them that Emmett is still alive somewhere though.

Point of logic: Lincoln decides to dump the ghost-pod into the river. Which seems to me like it would un-seal the pod since there's nothing holding the two halves together. Thus re-freeing the ghost to hunt more people. But whatever. *handwaves the logic*

That's the first hour.

Second hour, they're still on the Magus and there's another point of logic. They have a perfectly good boat without any rust or, you know, giant smears of blood on the walls. Why did they not use the Magus to get back to the non-damaged boat. Then they could still keep looking, but in a perfectly functioning boat. Anyway. Moving On.

Still searching. Through *mumbltyconvenientplotpoint* they pick a direction to look for Emmett which just happens to lead them to an old colonial cemetery. Which happens to be right next to a giant creepy tree with dolls tied to it. Not voodoo dolls or anything, just plain old baby dolls.

Blah, blah, they find Lincoln's childhood bear tied to the tree so they know they're on the right path. He takes the bear from the creepy tree of dolls and you just know that that's never a good idea. Later, there's footage of the dolls moving behind peoples backs and then when they all go to sleep something grabs Lincoln and pulls him out of his tent. The group freak, try to leave, and wind up running in a circle back to the tree. Try to leave again, something grabs Tess and tries to drag her under in this little stream. Back to the tree. Someone suddenly remembers an old story about a girl whose mother had no time for her. The girl fell into the river and drowned, then her spirit, still lonely, started luring people to the river to drown them. The locals, to appease her, started to leave dolls at a tree for her. Thus, creepy doll tree. So they figure Lincoln pissed her off and make him give back his bear.

Ghost girl rejects the bear. She's decided she wants her mommy. She lures Tess off and takes her into the river. In a brilliant move they decide that if they give the little ghost girl her real mother's body that she'll give back Tess. So they go back to the graveyard, find the ghost girl's grave - easily identifiable since the only thing it says on it is her name, 'Rachel' and something about being taken by the river. Then they find the mother's grave. Also easily identifiable because apparently there was only one woman on this expedition and her grave, conveniently, mentions her heartbreak at losing her daughter to the river. Dig, carry somehow fully articulated skeleton to the river and drop it in. Tess pops up in the open grave of Rachel's mom.

And after all that, they're still willing to keep looking for Emmett. The end.

It's like...it's supposed to be a horror show, but there was nothing truly frightening about it. The doll tree was creepy, because really. Dolls. But that was a total rip on a real myth that actually exists in Mexico. See the Destination Truth episode, Island of the Dolls for that one. So far it seems like they're taking things that are supposed to be creepy and throwing them all at us. I'm fairly 'meh' about the show thus far, but I'm all about giving shows the chance to prove themselves so I'll withhold final judgment for a while yet.

There's no way they're not doing it on purpose

Peter: I felt the same way about Mrs. Fitzgerald, my Algebra teacher.

Neal: Thus your life long fascination with numbers.

Peter: And smart, leggy brunettes.

Me: *blinks rapidly**chorfles**nearly spits out milk*

Oh, White Collar. You're in a gay off with Suits, aren't you?

For those who don't know, both Peter's wife El and Neal are smart, leggy brunettes. *waggles eyebrows suggestively*

AHS - All the love

You can have some coherence tomorrow. For now:

1) Tate. Tate. JFC. There is nothing that you can do that will make me not like you. Trying to 'make' Violet a boyfriend? I am aware of how messed up that is, and yet still find it adorable and want to cuddle you for the thought. Don't worry, she'll forgive you eventually.

2) The family ganging up to run off/save the new family.

3) Vivien and her baby.

4) Constance, whose name is never Candace. She's the real monster of the show, I don't care what anyone has said.

5) MICHAEL. I was half thinking that the 'devil' baby was not going to live up to the hype. That he'd be a normal kid. Happily, it appears that I was wrong.

All-American Muslim - Ep. 6 - A Chance at Redemption

*snort* So from the description this is going to be all about football. We'll see. *cares nothing about football*

Oh! Before we get started, I had an idea earlier. There's this whole expectation for converts to behave perfectly, to take up all of Islam in one go. But when Islam was being revealed, it was a gradual process. Like with alcohol being forbidden (yes, I had this thought while drinking a Tequila Sunrise). It was revealed in stages. So even though the people who followed Mohammed believed in his revelation they didn't have to to everything at once. I know that's because it wasn't all revealed yet, but my point is: why can't converts take things in stages? It only makes sense.

Yes, the whole revelation is out there, but the covert is like the people who originally converted to Islam. They have lives that they're changing for this religion. It makes sense to me that they take things in steps. Like when I was reading about a woman who is converting to Orthodox Judaism and she said that you take on the practices as you feel called and able to. Same thing. You know what you need to do and you intend to do them, but doing them whole hog cold turkey is too much of a culture shock.

Baby steps people. Baby steps.

Though I absolutely get the convert desire to just *do* and be the 'perfect' member of that religion. And there's pressure from born members and other converts too, because they see you as a representative of the faith and there's likely some questioning in their minds about the sincerity of every conversion.

Right then.

Okay. The Convert who will not be named and His Terrible Wife. I...care little for your 'pain'. Let's move on.

How old are kids when they're expected to be able to do the whole fast? Or is there not a set age and it's just that they do it when they feel able to?

Oh, look, it's Nina's husband. Who we nearly never see. Maybe he's camera shy?

'gasoline distributor' - so many options. Does that mean he works at a gas station? Runs the tankers that move gas around? Owns a bunch of gas stations?

I do like that he's willing to support her in her desire to have a club. Good for him.

*laughs* Dear Nader: *men* need 'like 20 minutes!' at the gym. Women need a whole lot more work. And it's hard to find the time to go to the gym when you've got an infant. Or so I assume.

Football...blah...blah...

Them...blah...blah...

She Who Will Not Be Named's Mom is an awesome person on this subject.

'Hey, your husband has made a lot of changes in his life. Maybe you should back the fuck up and be a human being.'

*bitch-slaps She Who Will Not Be Named* Maybe you should have had those thoughts *before* you forced He Who Will Not Be Named to give up Wrigley.

'I would consider myself a control freak in some scenarios...'

O.O Really? I am shocked. Shocked. Nawal, I love you and I'm glad you're feeling better. But calling yourself a control freak in 'some scenarios' is understating the case.

The handshake thing. I'm with Nina: 'If you're going to shake someone's hand and get sexy thoughts, then you have a hand fetish.' And...it's not a universally accepted rule anyway.

I agree though that I prefer having a female trainer to. There are some things you do when you're weight lifting especially that can get very awkward.

If Nader freaks out about her shaking that man's hand I'm going to be at a loss. He doesn't seem like that kind of a guy. And I find the fact that she feels the need to 'confess' it very strange.

'literally felt like electricity went through my body or something' Really? That's weird.

Seriously. Nina is the most sensible person in the room on the handshake issue.

Football...blah...blah...

Commercial and then...more football. I will make a *terrible* football widow because I can't even pretend to care. Blah...blah...

He Who Will Not Be Named is on the tv...blargh. I know what's coming, and it's not helping you. So you went back and got her. Good for you. I don't forgive you for breaking her heart! Oh, but hey, fucking *compromise*, which should have been done in the first place.

And She Who Will Not Be Named - stop talking about the 'religious situation' because that wasn't your problem, you just used it as an excuse.

Moving on to More Important Things:

Ooof. That's cold. Three times in the back and once in the head when he's already on the ground? Over what? What in the hell were they fighting about and how do you feel that's the right response?

'We can't specify that murder only happens in a certain culture, or religion. It happens everywhere.'

Yeah. Just like every other kind of human evil.

I get what Suehaila is saying about wanting to be there to witness the killer being arraigned because the family can't be there.

*is all choked up*

All-American Muslim Ep. 5 - Muslims Moving On

Ah, I'll have you know that I'm interrupting my reading of The Iron Hand of Mars to do this. I hope you appreciate my sacrifice! :)

Flashbacks to the last ep: I just want to hug Suehaila all over again! They aren't man enough for you!

Doggie!

Yeah, having a pet with severe allergies is hard. My sister is actually allergic to our cats so we have to keep them out of her room. Compromises can be worked out.

Naseem! *makes cooing noises* I spent most of the day with Eve, my friend who is 6 months pregnant with, of course, Evesdottir. So I'm feeling the whole baby thing right now.

Nawal: 'It's very rude!' for babies to cry in public. Ah...they can't help it. They're babies.

Nawal is very cranky. Is that like post-partum or is it just adjusting to new sleep patterns and everything else that's changed?

Meh, even Nina's sister is against her having a club. *side-eyes them all* I do get the issue with the reputation, but it's really unfortunate that this is a concern for them all. Also, I'm fairly certain they already talk about Nina.

The name of the shop is 'Hija Bee'. *dead from cute*

*glares at Shadia* It's Jeff's dog. Rather than trying to get rid of Wrigley you need to think of another way to deal with it. He's had her for 10 years. Okay, I'll be honest. I would never marry someone who didn't understand that I was going to have my pets. I'm torn, really. I know that she has allergies but she's being a bitch about this. Throwing in that it's 'forbidden' by Islam. It's *not*!

Right. Officially, Shadia is at the bottom of my list. And Jeff for giving in to her. You're going to give up a 15 year old dog? If she goes to a shelter she'll be put down. People don't adopt older dogs! Very unhappy.

The first morning of school scene in the Jaafar household is made of cute.

Nawal is not amused by the discussion of having four or five kids. You should take that hint and stop talking, Nader.

To be fair, I think all families give unwanted advice.

I have to say I do find it funny that Fouad is all...we're very against boys and girls mixing, dancing, he'd have a problem if his daughters decided not to wear hijab, but he's so very, very foul mouthed on the field.

'People seem to confuse culture with religion.' - True. But to be fair people within religion also confuse their culture with their religion.

And your kids are terrified of everything because they've never been around them. I guarantee that.

If your problem isn't that it's a religious issue, which it *isn't*, then why do you keep bringing it up? You're not religious but you're more than willing to use religion as an excuse for things that you want to happen. I don't respect Shadia and I don't like her. I'm just going to repeat that, in case you missed it before.

I know, I know. Judgy Amber is judgy. Hush.

Dear Nina: Re: previous conversation wherein you claimed that all the Qur'an asks is that you be modest. I'd agree. And I'd just like to point out that, even judging by modern American cultural standards, you aren't dressing modestly. I'd you'd had a tramp stamp I could have seen it, what with your pants and your shirt being about an inch apart.

Honest to god, I have no idea why Jeff married Shadia. 'It'll be good for Wrigley.' Bullshit. You're breaking that dogs heart. She's not going to understand why the man who loved her and took care of her for ten years is suddenly gone.

Right, back to Suehaila. It'd be great if this conference opened up a chance for her to move out of Dearborn and live the life she thinks she should be living.

Blah....football...I don't care.

And crap. I just realized I was supposed to remind my sister to take her antibiotics at 11. Well, her lights are out and her tv's off now. Hopefully she remembered on her own. Ooops.

You know, why are we focussing so much on Wrigley? Oh, I know, because it's a weird Muslim thing and so un-American that they can't have dogs. But you know what it tells me? Poor storyline choice since we could be focussing more on Suehaila and her conference or Nawal and the new baby. It also has made me loathe Shadia. I mean I'm happy that this dog sanctuary called but I still think it's a shitty thing for her to decide that 'compromise' means 'force Jeff to give up his dog'. Argh. Must remember that we don't see everything!

Ah...see...I think it would have been much better to focus more on Nawal, Nader and Naseem. Seeing a new family and how they adjust would be much better. And I'd be less pissed off.

I seriously don't see Shadia and Jeff's marriage lasting, which is a terrible thing to say and I think that he's going to really regret giving Wrigley up for her.

Once Upon a Time & American Horror Story

I know, I know, late to the party. I was bad this week about watching things on time.

Anyway.

I started watching OUaT for the cute factor and the fact that Prince 'Charming' is played by the same actor who played Fandral in Thor. Only without the facial hair which makes him look like a completely different, and much more handsome, person.

However. I'm really loving this show. It's got a little of the cutesy factor going on, yes. But it's not the entirety of the show. It's all about the truth behind the fairy tales which is a thing that I really, really love.

And the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin...

I can't wait to find out what it is that Snow White did to her to ruin her life. What the love was that Snow White took away. I mean I know the Disney version and I know the fairy tale version but I'm interested in what the OUaT version is going to be.

I think it's fairly obvious that *everyone* got played by Rumplestiltskin. Yes? Watching the threads of his manipulation unfold is one of the highlights of the show for me. I think it's also clear that it's not only the Queen who remembers about their previous lives but Mr. Gold does as well. After all, how are you going to enjoy the fruits of all your efforts if you don't remember all the effort you put into getting what you want?

American Horror Story - I have no words. None. Sanil posted something about the theory that Violet was dead, and once I thought about it that made sense. So I suspected, going in that Violet was dead. But actually seeing it was incredible.

I still remember being unsure about this show when it first came on, wondering if it was going to be any good or worth my time. It is. It so, so is.

I love Tate, which I know I really shouldn't because he's clearly a *bad* person. But I don't care. I love him anyway and I can't think of anything he could do that I wouldn't forgive him for.

And creepy as it may be, I'm glad that he and Violet get to be together forever now!

All-American Muslim Ep 4. - Friday Night Bites

It's a bit late, sorry. I was doing other things!

Baby! Whee! His name is Naseem. :)

Seriously, babies are gross looking when they come out. All covered in blood and that white gunky stuff. What is that?

The part with Nader just talking to him is so sweet.

*sniffles* Nader whispering the call to prayer to Naseem is so *touching*.

So I read somewhere that the show got started because one of the people on it got the idea and shopped it out to TLC. I will lay even money that that person was Suehaila. (Whose name I always have to double check the spelling on.) Hey, so she's a judicial executive/court clerk! I work with people who have that job.

It's not really only in their community that females who are unmarried are expected to live at home. It's that way around here. It's probably more acceptable around here but it's not the norm.

I have to admit to being surprised that Nina and Suehaila are friends.

It's not just that you don't wear hijab Nina, you dress like a club girl. All the time. I expect to see mob guys surrounding you at all times.

And at least half the women at that table are drinking. I assume that they're all Muslim, given the show. Yes, it bothers me. Shut up. I know I'm being judgy.

Nawal cackles because she doesn't have to fast...:)

For the record, every second of this show with Naseem in it I just go coooooooooo....

blahblah...Nina...yadda...mosque...where's the baby again?

Seriously. Can't stand Nina.

Nina - your wardrobe *is* over the top and it is sexy.

'I don't know what those things are called'...it's an abaya sweetie.

I actually think Nina just has an eye-twitch. She just has this weird look.

Oh, hey, Nina's flirting with the cops. *Married* Nina is flirting with the cops. Judgy Amber is judging...

So, what? The 'Night of Power'? If you pray on this night it makes up all the prayers you've ever missed? Is that true?

Return of Naseem! Cute sleeping baby!

Oh, okay. So they were having night practices while school was out. Now that it's back in they've had to switch back to day practices and still fast. Rough.

Why do guys hang out at high school football practices? Or, no, I think this is just for the show. A set up thing because there's no one else there.

I do feel bad that Nina maybe won't be able to open her club because of family and community reputation and pressure. It's not right that men can own the same sort of business and not get a bad reputation but a woman wants to do it and it's oh, no! Not appropriate! *raspberry* And that's what I think about that.

What's more important? The tenets of your religion or football?

Right. For the record, Mike has lost points with me for putting football before the faith of the players. I'm fairly certain God doesn't give a rats behind about football. But if he commanded a fast then I think he cares about that. Or are there football exemptions in the Qur'an that I missed?

That being said, this game has been kind of a slaughter which is too bad. I wanted Fordson to win.

I want to hug Suehaila right now.

More baby!

Nawal is very controlling, I think I've said that before? And I can see it giving her trouble with Naseem now. A lot of figuring out what's what and not being able to do everything herself.

I also want to hug Samira.

The guys hanging out and exchanging baby stories is nice.

I really do feel for Suehaila.

Aw, sweetie, if the guys are intimidated by you, they aren't man enough. You'll find someone! *throws self at her through the tv to hug her*

Um. This 'virgin stories' thing that comes on afterward. Uh. She's never seen a penis? That's crazy. Pick up a medical book or a porno. They're not that scary. Actually, they're pretty ugly. Going on looks of the genitalia alone, I would never bother with guys. And that's your 'it's way too late for me to be up' piece of information for the day.

You're welcome.

We're not talking about Supernatural.

At all, because I'm pissed.

The worst part about it is that I can't help but feel that the writers were like...'we're losing them. There're only so many world ending things that we can throw out there and the audience is getting inured to all this. So let's smash all the things.'

SMASH

I mean, let's look at it.

Cas - dead? I hold out hope that he's not really dead but he might be. And if so, I have issues with the manner of his death. Namely that it was lame. However, no body so I cling to my hope.

Impala - gone. They're driving around in the Un-pala.

Bobby's house, the only real home they ever had. Gone.

Bobby. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT!

Now let me be clear. I thought the episode was well done. I've got no argument with the acting or the writing of the episode. I have an issue with the idea that they're taking 'shake up and keep the show interesting' as 'KILL ALL THE THINGS'.

*eyes them*

All-American Muslim S1 Ep3 - A Muslim Goes to Washington

You know, so they're showing what happened last week and I can't get over how dismissive and unhelpful Shadia is of Jeff having trouble with his first Ramadan. I know that we don't get to see everything that happens, but her *hand wave* dismissal of him when he's trying not to be a jerk so he gets up from the dinner table is so rude...

Here's my impression of Shadia - she doesn't take her religion seriously so she doesn't expect anyone else to. However, because she also grew up doing certain things, like fasting during Ramadan, she doesn't have any thought to the difficulty of it for people who aren't used to it. She just strikes me as very thoughtless. I hope that's just the impression that the editing has given us and that she's really not that way.

Football...blah...blah...don't care...

I do like them having the flipped schedule, I think it's great that they thought enough about it to do that - I can imagine that they'd have kids collapsing if they had to do all their practicing without food or water.

Another thought: I don't know how many people have considered that the women are having to wear their hijab when they wouldn't normally have to. As in, in their homes. When their home, when no one but their family is there then they can (and I think usually do) take them off. So there's that added annoyance to the filming.

Nawal and Nader! I enjoyed seeing parts of the birthing class. Nader's face when the teacher says 'orgasmic birth' is priceless!

White House vs. training. I don't know enough about football but can't assistant coaches handle the training for one night?

Have we noticed that the show isn't focusing just on the women? Unlike some people who decided to judge the show after the first episode had commented? Yeah. *I've* noticed.

Okay, now they're talking about Nina's club: dancing and alcohol. Nina very clearly feels like an outside. She has this little squinty look she gets and I think she gets it when she thinks the others are judging her. I don't know that they're judging her. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions again.

Oh god, her skirt is so short....too short! Yes, you're pretty and you've got great legs. But your skirt ends about an inch below your butt. This is not necessary. *is horrified by her Jersey Shore vibes*

Right. If I was going to be forced to say of any person on the show, 'I don't like x' it would be Nina. It has *nothing* to do with her being Muslim - I don't like the impression that she gives off and I don't think I'd want to spend time with her.

Really? Did Sahida really just ask if Obama was a Muslim? Please tell me she was being funny...Cripes. Bilal. 'Barak. Husein. Obama. I'm saying yes.' Everyone: 'It's just a name!' *eye twitch*

I have to say, I do appreciate Fouad's dedication to his job. How many people would really hesitate to accept an invitation to the White House because of practice? That being said, I think he should go. Sort of a once in a lifetime thing, you know?

Oh...and the preview makes it look like we get to see the Amen family being all judgy of convert Jeff. Let's wait and see...seriously Bilal, you're not that far behind Nina in my 'I don't like you' poll.

More discussion about converting, how you can't *ask* someone to convert it has to be something they want to do and the discussion about how Islam is Islam and you can't change it to fit your life. Which is, as we've said, both true and not true. There's also the discussion about God's Mercy and messing up. How you can't take advantage of the mercy by intentionally doing something wrong while thinking, oh, well, God'll forgive me so it doesn't matter. People in Christianity (and probably all religions) think that way too. It doesn't work that way!

For Bilal, scarf = more respect. Not so!

Ack! Crap. Shadia, you moron! Look, just saying that 'he converted to marry me' or 'he wasn't raised around it' is not going to endear him to your family and make them forget that he's not fasting. Look, I agree that Bilal can be a tool. BUT. I agree with him and with Suehaila. If Jeff converted just to marry you it wasn't for the right reasons.

That being said, I'm still lobbying for my idea to treat converts as children! Let them ease into things like the Ramadan fast. That doesn't mean them ignoring it but, with the right intentions, working their way up to the full fast. It is hard! They need to stretch and train up for it.

Of course Fouad is going to D.C. Good for him! Awww...the kids are so sweet...

Back to Samira and her hijab quest...I do hope that Samira eventually manages to get pregnant because she wants to so badly and I kind of think she'd be an awesome mom but I don't think it will be because she put on the hijab.

Oh, hell. The brother-in-law talk about religion...

I do see Bilal's point of how now Jeff is a part of the Muslim tradition and how his actions reflect on other Muslims and vice versa. It's not fair that a convert's actions are more deeply scrutinised than a 'born' Muslim but that's not unique to Islam.

*ponders* I still have my doubts about Jeff's conversion. Not that he's not sincere because I have no way of judging that, but his readiness for it. I think he rushed because he wanted to marry Shadia. Whom I'm liking less and less.

So the 'dislike' column goes thusly: Nina, Bilal, Shadia.

Heh. Nader has no idea what to do with babies...

'Uhhh...your baby's crying...' Run Away!

I have to say the tradition of saying the adhan to the baby when they're born is very nice. Can we institute that for Christianity? What would we use?

*laughs at Fouad* Yes, there are Muslims outside of Dearborn.

Baby? Who do they have in the house doing the 'home video' filming?

God, they're so sweet! For the record, and no one take this wrong, but I would marry Nader. Or someone like Nader. He seems so wonderful. She's maybe in labor, in pain and he doesn't know what to do, they're waiting for her to decide whether or not to go to the hospital and he's praying on/at her belly/for the baby! *hugs them*

Nawal really doesn't want to go to the hospital on a 'false alarm'. I get that but wow, how scary must that be? Pregnant, not knowing if the baby is coming or what's going on...

I'm currently happy not to have this problem...

She called her mom! Who told her to go to the hospital. Good call! Go Nawal's mom!

Nader looks so scared...they won't let him into the room with Nawal.

Finally, she wants the camera off! I wouldn't want my labor being filmed either!

All-American Muslim S1 Ep 2 - The Fast and the Furious

Because *everyone* has to have an episode titled after those movies if they can. It's actually a law. I swear. Don't believe me? Well, okay. Maybe not so much as law as a suggestion... :)

According to the summary this is supposed to be focussed on Fouad and the football team. How they have to adjust the schedule to deal with Ramadan.

Jeff's shahada...I actually made a note to come back to this after the show was over. So. The shahada is basically a profession of faith. It's not like a magic phrase where you say it and *zap* Muslim. It's something that, to my mind, you say when you've already become a Muslim in your heart. They mentioned on the last show that you could say it to yourself, but I was always under the impression that there needed to be Muslim witnesses.

Anyway. The shahada is really simple:

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

lā ʾilāha ʾillallāh, Muḥammad rasūlu-llāh

There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Monotheists have no problem with the first half, it's the second one that causes the issues.

The Shi'a shahada is a little different, I believe. They have an additional phrase referencing Ali, naming him the friend of God, or the successor of Mohammed as it were. 


Wee! Okay, I know nothing about football, but watching the boys skirmish is entertaining. That one kid who caught the ball ran really fast, I think. Very impressive.

So in order to deal with Ramadan they've changed the practice schedule to be at night. They'll be practising from 10 pm until 5 am. which seems like a really good idea. I think we all know, but just in case: for Ramadan Muslims are asked (with exceptions for health, etc.) to fast from sunrise to sunset. No food or water at all which is more severe than the fast that anyone else I'm aware of keeps. Apart from some monks, religious. Theirs could be more intense, I'm not sure.

Okay, so Nawal is a respiratory therapist. Good to know.

Is that hostess really ignoring them or is it just the line? I'm rewatching to pay more attention to the people in front of them. The two women were there first and the one man...he's still there in front of them in line...

Ugh. I can't tell. The hostess tossing the menus on the table and then walking away was really incredibly rude, no doubt. They definitely don't do that in the restaurants around here. It's improper behaviour.

ETA: I had another thought about the hostess being rude at the table: maybe she didn't like being on camera?

Ah! So Nader is a federal agent. I like finding out what they do! Don't ask me why.

I have heard/noticed that pregnancy changes people. All those hormones, you know.

Samira (medical receptionist) Fawaz is Sahida's sister. Oh, that's got to hurt, I think. She works in an ObGyn office and she's having trouble getting pregnant.

I thought the issue with adoption was that they (in Mohammed's time) didn't want the children to lose their family connections, name, etc. Not that it was difficult for the child to be...I think the word the used was hallala (halal?) or 'permitted'. I've never heard that used in that way before. 'Halal' has always been, in my limited experience, just the way to describe what is allowed and what is not. So...like drinking ice tea = halal. Drinking a Long Island Ice Tea = haram. Because of the alcohol. I thought that the only issue with people was whether or not they were mahram. So I guess I could see a kind of issue there, but really are there that many men out there who are wanting to marry little girls that they've raised as their own daughters? I think not.

And apart from that, if you've taken the child as your own family and are standing as 'blood' then why can't it be taken as being mahram. When I was considering converting to Islam I asked whether or not my step-father would be mahram (basically concerned with whether or not I'd have to wear hijab essentially 24/7 since we live in the same house) and I was told that they'd consider him mahram since he's married to my mother. No, wait, I think I answered my own question. There's a prohibition against marrying the daughter or a woman you're married to, isn't there? I think there is but I'm too lazy to look it up. Anyway. I find their choice of word strange, whether or not adoption is allowed. Maybe they were just simplifying the wordage for tv?

Oh god, Sahida is such a redneck.

'a big part of it is your belief and your relationship with God' - True. But if you're not following basic rules, is there the possibility that there is a lack of belief? I'm not thinking of their hijab, but alcohol. They were specifically talking about drinking or being in places where alcohol is served. I don't know that Nina drinks (I'm sure that Nawal doesn't) so I'm not saying that. Just wondering.

Okay, so on to Samira's visit with the sheikhs about the infertility issue.

I have to say I really enjoy listening to the Arabic. Don't understand a word, but it's pretty. Like French. Not that they sound alike, but they both strike me as very 'flowing'.

Moving on...

So Samira asks if it would be okay to get invitro using another man's sperm. The sheikh  says it wouldn't be a problem if they used her husband's sperm but that it's prohibited for it to be another man's sperm. Which I get, not that it makes it any easier on the people having the trouble.

Now, Samira asks if her wearing hijab would be of any help in them trying to get pregnant. I like that the sheikh points out that there's no connection between getting pregnant and wearing hijab. He does lay out that wearing hijab brings more blessings into your life, 'God will cooperate more with you, you will have more good things in your life'. Which I don't like so much.

If you have the right faith and are keeping the core of Islam, which I see as faith in God, prayers and charity then what difference does the cloth make?

They already have a grandchild! Adam! Sahida's son. Hello!

'I think women are greater than men.'

'Islamically, they are.'

Really? How so? I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't get that. I thought the key was equality. That men and women were equal, yet different.

Blah, blah, Sahida and the country fest...

Football!

I'd be concerned about the night practices too. When's the kid supposed to sleep? And the parents have to get up and drive him there, etc...

'Is that because of their religious beliefs?' - Yeah. Duh.

Nawal always looks so nice...

Her mom wants her to come live with her after she has the baby? No...bad idea. Bad. So the mothers used to stay in bed for 40 days after giving birth, not leaving the house? No. I'd go nuts.

Jeff's first Ramadan? I have to admit that I'm getting more and more the impression that Jeff didn't really...test drive the religion first. Which makes me unhappy. I think it's important to know what you're getting into. And I'm not sure Jeff did.

Okay, I have serious scarf envy right now. I *know* that this is a very important personal choice for Samira and I hope that it brings her something she needs whether or not they succeed it getting pregnant. But seriously. I would move to Dearborn for the scarves. Okay? I have hijab envy and I won't lie.

I like Nawal more and more. I think I jumped to conclusions about her before, calling her judgy. In one of the couch sessions they're talking about the hijab and Nawal says that basically, who is she to go to Angela or Nina and tell them they're not being good Muslims because they're not wearing the hijab. She may *think* that they should be hijabi, but I do like that she has the sense that it's not her job to police their religion.

Bilal doesn't seem to have that sense. Nader is so cute!

Seriously, why do these crazy people think they're doing anything good by going and harassing Muslims? Or anyone really, but since this is a show about Muslims. 'Mohammed is a pedophile!' Really? You think that's going to bring people about to your point of view? No. Not even accurate in the first place and extremely insulting. Unhelpful.

Huh. I never thought about crowd control for taraweh. Pretty mosque...

Okay, not to be insulting (which is what you say before you say something insulting...), but Bilal, honey, you could fast for a while and live off of stored food. And I say that as a person who is unnecessarily heavy (new code for fat!). So I think it's a bit different for Jeff who is about as big around as a stick.

Also, the football players? Are crazy. I mean that's dedication. Football in the middle of the night, after fasting all day, low on sleep. It's got to be hard.

I wonder if, for your first Ramadan you could ease into it. Don't children do that? When they decide that they want to do what Mommy and Daddy do and fast, they fast until they decide not to any more? Eventually they hit adulthood and start to fast all through Ramadan? Can't we treat converts like kids for a while?

I do like the attitude that they shouldn't care whether or not others are fasting. It's a personal thing, right?

Samira's putting on the hijab and taking down all the photos of her without hijab. Which does make a certain amount of sense. I'm not sure about her focus on thinking that putting on the hijab will somehow convince God that he should give her a child. I think if she still doesn't get pregnant that it's going to be a big problem for her.

See, I still love Mohsen.

All-American Muslim - Ep 1

So the plan is to do a sort of running commentary on this show as it airs. This first post is a bit late since I didn't decide to do this until Monday morning.

First things first: this is a show on TLC following five Muslim families living in Dearborn, MI. I didn't realize it on my first watching but all of the families featured are Shi'a which is not the 'most common' branch of Islam. When people think of Islam, if they're aware that there are sects within it at all they think of Sunni.

it starts with some of the people sitting talking on couches. They're arguing about whether or not a Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman. The two men say that they can but one of the women, who is the judgy one, says that 'for the actual ritual of marriage both parties have to be Muslim'.

I like Shadia (Amen). She's very much herself, if that makes any sense. She's engaged to an Irish Catholic man (Jeff) who converts to Islam during this show. And she has a 10 year old son from her previous marriage.

Her parents were less than thrilled with her dating since that's typically frowned on in Islam.

The thing I like about Shadia and Jeff is that they seem to be willing to do whatever to be together. It's not about Catholic or Muslim but being with one another.

Okay. Then we get Nader & Nawal Aoude. They've been married for 10 months and she's getting ready to have their first child. And his sense of humor is adorable, I think. Like in the first meeting she says that she wants to have the baby at 38 weeks and he's laughing, asking if she's going to be sending the baby an email to tell it it's time.

Shadia has one brother and two sisters, none of whom appear to be married. I read a review that said that Shadia's father came off as a hidebound old Muslim who couldn't bend from the need to see his daughter only marrying a Muslim. I can see it, but I don't think he came off as crazy harsh. Shadia herself said that she wanted to only marry a Muslim. So it's not just something coming from her father.

It is important to him, but it's not unreasonable. If you're truly dedicated to your religion and it says that it is only proper to marry another member of that religion then it wouldn't sit easily if one of your children married out of the faith. It's no different from Catholics only marrying Catholics, etc. Christianity has (for the most part) drifted from that hard line but it's still there, trust me. I had that mentality myself, back in the day.

'There's been death and wars. People kill because of women.'

'No- Not- It wasn't because of the woman, it was because of the moron who started the war, which was a guy.'

Right, Nina Bazzy. I kind of like her personality, but I have to be honest that I can't stand the way she dresses. It reminds me of the kids on Jersey Shore. But that's a personal issue that doesn't really reflect on her personality, religion, etc. I just don't like her clothes! She's married and has a young son who is adorable! She works as a party planner and wants to open up a club. Her business partner doesn't think it's a good idea because she's a woman and clubs and women (running them) don't go together.

He keeps mentioning that 'you're a girl' and that she has other responsibilities. Like her family. *rolls eyes* But I do like Nina - because she keeps being told that she shouldn't do something it makes her want to do it more.

Another couch session: they're talking about converting to Islam. Now, all of the people on this show with the exception of Jeff are born Muslims. There's a whole thing about converting and people not understanding that Islam is a religion and that you have to follow it and not 'adapt it to fit your life' which I think is bull. Yes, you have to adapt to the religion, but if Islam isn't adaptable to modern life then it's sort of pointless, isn't it? There's a middle ground somewhere in there.

Anyway. Nina makes this comment about how if you're going to convert then 'you have to do it right' and Judgy Woman (who is one of Shadia's sisters, actually) says, 'How do you expect people to convert and expect them, because they're converts to be perfect, to try and be perfect-'

And then Nina interjects and says there's no such thing and one of the other women says they should at least know what they're getting into.

Then Judgy Woman says: 'Like Nina just said, if you're going to convert, you have to do it right, but what about the people who were born into it, they don't have to do it right?'

And I actually get her point, maybe. Nina is not a 'proper' Muslimah, is such a thing exists. She doesn't wear hijab, she works with men, she wants to run a club, etc. Things that, from the looks that were passed around in that couch session were indicative of her not living the kind of Islamic life that she would expect from a convert.

Then there's a little scene with Jeff and Shadia's father (Mohsen) about whether or not Jeff's really thought about what he's doing, converting to Islam. And that Mohsen doesn't want Jeff to feel pressured to have to convert. 'You do it from yourself'. See, that's part of why I can't see what that article was talking about. He seems like such a sweet guy! He even practiced the shahada with Jeff to help him get the pronunciation right!

Fouad and Zaynab Zaban have been married for 12 years. See, when I first watched this I somehow got the impression that the parents required their daughters to start wearing hijab at 9, which I had a problem with. On the second watching Fouad is just saying that they started wearing it around 9 which leaves it more open to it being the daughters' desire. You could argue that the daughters were influenced, but what children aren't influenced by their parents and their peers?

Fouad is the high school football coach and he has the mouth of a sailor on the field, fyi. It's interesting to hear him having to work out the problem of how to train and play football during Ramadan since all the players will be fasting.

Jeff's family - his mother has a problem with him converting to Islam. Not enough to not attend the wedding or anything, but you can see that it hurts her. She starts out trying to play it off as it being okay, but she breaks down and cries about it later on and winds up not attending the conversion.

Angela and Mike Jaafar may be my favorite couple. They were high school sweethearts who've been married for 11 years. They have four kids, 2 girls and 2 boys. Mike is a Deputy Chief for the sheriff department. And their kids are so cute it hurts! Angela also works as a liaison for an auto manufacturer.

I don't like how TLC cuts their teasers before the commercial break. For instance, they make it look like Jeff has cold feet right at the moment of saying his shahada. However, having seen the show I know that that's not what happens at all. Very misleading.

Shadia's brother: 'I've got an announcement to make. Me and Jeff were outside talking. Jeff's decided that we're converting to Judaism. But I brought him back to Buddhism and then we worked on Islam. I had to pay him a couple hundred, so he's going to covert.' *lol*

One thing Shadia says is that you can convert by saying the shahada by yourself. I was always under the impression that you needed Muslim witnesses to make it 'official'.

The Imam's little flub using the wrong sisters name is funny. Suehaila is, I think, older than Shadia and there's apparently a running thing about trying to find her a husband.

I did find it interesting that, from what part of the ceremony they showed the same questions are asked of both the female and the male.

I'm liking more and more the tradition of the woman keeping her name when she marries, fyi. I know that most of the couples on this show have the same last name, but that's just an aside. Of course I'd still take my husband's name because I hate my own - it's the name of my asshat adoptive father. And I'm not going back to my bio dad's name because he was also an asshat. Men. *sigh*

I love the hijabs on this show. How come the hijab never looked as lovely on me when I wore it?

Oh! Oh, crap. I just realized that Judgy Woman is Nawal. Crap. I think it's because she's pregnant during the show but not pregnant in the couch sessions. So they must have been filmed later. I *thought* Nawal and Judgy Woman looked a lot alike! Ooops!

The reception for Jeff and Shadia is very pretty and it's an interesting mix of Jeff's Catholic family and the Lebanese Muslim family of Shadia. Jeff's cousin does a traditional Irish dance which is always neat to watch and then Shadia's family hired a belly dancer.

Judgy-Nawal likens belly dancers to strippers, which I think is rude and excessive. And not at all accurate. The dancer they had wasn't wearing the traditional 'harem girl' kind of outfit, but something loose and flowing. Also, some of the Muslim side of the wedding were making fun of Jeff's male family members for getting too into the belly dancer routine. I didn't see the leering that they saw, but we only get bits and pieces, so maybe it happened off camera for us.

American Horror Story

Things:

1) I enjoy this show more with each episode.

2) They pronounced Samhain correctly! All the love for that.

3) The music they keep playing when the original owner, the Doctor, is doing nasty things in his basement is from the soundtrack to Bram Stoker's Dracula. You know, the one with Gary Oldman. *shudder* You have Gary Oldman and that's what you do with him? Shame on you Coppola. Moving on...

4) Zachary Quinto! I <3 you. For the record. Even when you're creepy and dead and murderous.

5) I really wish Quinto's hubby on the show had given McDermott a blowjob. I...would pay money for that. No lie.

6) The guy playing the Doctor was in Rose Red. He played the annoying post-cognitive psychic who lost fingers. Can't remember the characters name and I never knew the actors name.

7) Mutant baby? Y/Y?

8) I really want to know where Violet's boyfriend came from. I mean, clearly, he's one of the ghosts in the house but when did he get killed? I want that story.

9) I fear that they're going to kill the dog next week. There was a shot in the preview of the microwave with something red splattered on the inside and that's an urban legend, you know? The dog in the microwave? While this will make me cringe badly...I'll keep watching the show.

10) Abby! That surprised me so, so badly. I really like her and, you know, yes, she's going to be coming back as a ghost (most likely), I'm still going to miss her because the ghosts aren't the same as the people they used to be.

Oh! And at some point I shall talk about Paranormal Activity. All three movies. Maybe tonight when I can add visual aides....

Boss

I am still convinced that the character Tom Kane is analogous to John Marcone. If Marcone became mayor of Chicago and then got a progressive, degenerative illness. I don't picture Kelsey Grammer *as* Marcone, physically. For that, see Gabriel Macht.

Go google him. I'll wait. Oh, no, I won't. Here:

You're welcome.

I think it's all the attitude. Here:

"If in the course of doing what I feel is best for this city there is collateral damage...So be it."

You tell me who said that. John Marcone or Tom Kane.

Both of them certainly could have and that's the awesome part.

And then there's the part where, having been handed a pair of severed ears in a really nice box by the guy whose ears they are he waits until he gets home to open it. Sees that it's the ears, goes 'eh' and puts them down the garbage disposal. Then tries to have an emotional moment with his wife.

His balls clank when he walks.

In other news, I clearly have a thing for the anti-hero type. Thankfully that's just my taste in fictional men!

PanAm

Colette made me cry.

Why's it always got to be the pets?

I was watching the premier of American Horror Story last night and the wife has a little dog. And I watched the entire episode waiting for that dog to get killed and knowing that, frankly, the story so far is not good enough for me to keep watching the show after they kill that dog.
People have different squicks, different things that just kill a story for them. Animal death is mine. I have to be very invested in a story to keep going after that.

I know that they're going to kill this dog because that's what happens whenever there's a pet in a story like this.

Supernatural killed a dog a couple seasons back and if it had been any other show? I probably would have stopped watching for a while if not all together. Puppy...

I Am Legend? The dog dies. I hate that movie for that reason alone.

I'll never see Marley & Me (or read the book). Where the Red Fern Grows? Forget it. Old Yeller. The movie coming out in December called War Horse? I'm pretty sure that horse dies. I won't see the movie until I know for sure otherwise. There was an article a long time ago about a Richard Gere movie and it was all about him and this dog. I got the impression from the article that the dog dies and I have wiped all knowledge of that movie from my mind. Paranormal Activity 2 escapes this just because the dog lives.

You can do pretty much anything you want to the humans in the story and I'll be okay. But throw in a pet that gets hurt or killed and I'm gone...

*pouts* begin wank/

The Playboy Club was cancelled.

Okay, this happens. TV shows don't do well and they get canned. I get that. But what I don't understand is the shit fit that people were/are having about it being degrading and sexist. I mean, I guess intellectually I get it. I see their angle I just don't agree with it.

*Can* it be degrading to show women wearing skimpy clothes and being hit on by men?

Sure. Not arguing that. But I think the difference is in the attitude of the women and the portrayal (since this is fiction) of the reasons for them being there. Is it falling into the cliche of women who are only escorts/porn stars/exotic dancers/Bunnies/whatever because they have low self esteem and they need men to lust after them and take care of them to have value in their own or any other persons eyes?

Then it's degrading.

Is it degrading to show women who are doing their jobs because they like them? If the jobs just happen to have less clothing involved? I don't think so. One of the Bunnies was working there to pay for her medical degree because her father told her that 'women don't do that' and refused to help her like he would have a son. One of them was saving the money to buy land so she could have something that was hers. And there were other stories that we didn't get to see yet with depth to them.

Why is their method of earning money less valid than a woman who works waitressing? Or secretarial work or any other kind of job that a woman does? I don't think it is.

On the flip side, they're running a show where the woman is a hard boiled detective type in the place of The Playboy Club until the other replacement show is ready.

I want to know why it's not sexist and degrading to portray a woman who has to act and dress in a stereotypical 'male' fashion in order to get respect but it's degrading to portray women who are proud of their gender and their sexuality? They don't want to be men and they don't want to be kept pets. They just want to be given the same respect and opportunity as a man would be, no matter what the job that they choose is.

Why is it fair game to make women feel like they have to have a metaphorical penis before they can be equal?

/end wank