04/21/13 09:33 - ID#57559

Deer Lick Nature Preserve

the meetup group took a hike at deer lick

out by gowanda today. (e:Dianne) woke me up at some ridiculous hour to make it on time. we had fun, it was a beautiful day although i was worried that is be too cold. :-) seven women went, which was about five people too many for me. the women who rode with us asked how we had gotten together, Dianne mumbled something about beer club and a friend's Halloween party... i couldn't get socially appropriate words together quick enough, although i did show off a pic of my Halloween costume. one of the women later commented how quiet i am. i chatter all the time with people I'm close with, so it seems weird to hear.

it was the first time Dianne and i have hiked together, and this weekend is the last big piece of time we're going to have together until my birthday at the end of May :-( I'm going to Pa this week, her best friend is visiting this coming weekend, then she's in Jersey for a week, then her mom comes for three weeks, then she's in Jersey again for a week. boo.

I'm grateful for the beautiful day.

From another part of Zoar Valley

Butches skipping rocks

Deer Lick

Permalink: Deer_Lick_Nature_Preserve.html
Words: 237
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/22/13 01:31

Category: holiday

04/19/13 07:27 - ID#57549

Happy Tax Day!

(e:Terry) and I got done with our tax filings earlier than expected Monday night and got to go on an awesome bike ride (see also (e:paul,57534) and (e:xandra,57532)) with (e:Paul), (e:Xandra) & (e:Dianne), first ride of the season! Woo!

On one of our dates back in December, I had taken (e:Dianne) down to canalside to see the view and she loved it. When we started our ride Monday night, the obvious choices were Delaware Park or the harbor... She had no idea where we were until we were right on the water. So cute.

Then we went to the Pan-American Grill at Hotel Lafayette. Food & beer were okay but the space is incredible!

Floor tiling

Marble detail

Marble context

I would have taken a shot of the gorgeous women's room but (e:Dianne) and I got busted making out before I had a chance (and was too embarrassed after).

We went back to the 24, played a game of Dominion, then went back outside for glow-in-the-dark bocce ball! Woo! (The game is also now known as hibachi ball.)

Permalink: Happy_Tax_Day_.html
Words: 198
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/19/13 07:27

Category:

04/18/13 04:11 - ID#57546

New glasses!

woo!

Permalink: New_glasses_.html
Words: 2
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/18/13 04:11

Category: work

04/17/13 08:47 - ID#57542

enjoying

Permalink: enjoying.html
Words: 1
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/17/13 08:47

Category: work

04/17/13 05:00 - ID#57541

clients bearing gifts

we have gotten some lovely tips and gifts this season. when we saw these dogfish head -designed ipa glasses on the news, i asked Terry if we could get them (office supplies? goes with our office slippers?) but he said no. a client brought us some today!! along with a four-pack of ipa. tax love!

Permalink: clients_bearing_gifts.html
Words: 56
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/17/13 05:00

Category: food

04/14/13 01:16 - ID#57518

good morning, cafe taza

love the drawing of brena

Earlier this week I picked up a smokin' joe mocha for (e:Terry)

Permalink: good_morning_cafe_taza.html
Words: 24
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/14/13 01:23

Category: friends

04/14/13 01:11 - ID#57517

for e:paul

Permalink: for_e_paul.html
Words: 2
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/14/13 01:11

Category: ideas

04/11/13 11:59 - ID#57503

Sadistic Monster

Permalink: Sadistic_Monster.html
Words: 8
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/11/13 11:59

Category: ideas

04/06/13 11:49 - ID#57469

Privilege

I'm posting these links as part of an ongoing conversation between me & (e:Terry) but also informed by various conversations with/between (e:bluevelevetjac)k and (e:yesthatcasey).

The classic piece by Peggy McIntosh:

A more modern take using gaming as a metaphor:

I heard an excellent piece on The Best of the Left about white privilege

but couldn't find the actual story... maybe I'll spend some time tomorrow searching more.

Peace & love

YesThatCasey writes at 10:00:09 04/08/13 - Comment #69589: I'm asking these questions for a reason before I chime in.

Robert writes at 08:15:18 04/08/13 - Comment #69588: (e:yesthatcasey) since i've grown out of adolescence i see more and more the priveleges i get, or rather, i see what i am afforded because i see what friends of mine are denied in the exact same situations exhibiting the exact same behaviors as myself, while i am allowed to just glide on through jolly as i please thinking life is just peachy. life IS peachy, but sometimes it's not if you aren't a straight white male (or don't have passing status (you pass as a straight white male although you are not one/some/all of those categories)) and rarely, sometimes it's not if you ARE a (straight) white male. which is something i experienced as a child, but mostly for the white part, which if i'm not mistaken, you may have shared that experience. I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and went to a predominatnly black school, and i was regular other'd by my friends and classmates. think of any racial slurs for whites and i was called any one, or all of them on any given day with creative additions or variations. There's nothing quite like being told "shut the fuck up, you white cracker faggot ass bitch" i was also very feminine looking.

so i definitely understand perhaps where your frustration may stem from... but having been living in equally distributed or predominantly white neighborhood for the majority of my adult life, i see the differences in treatment and attitude toward whites by whites and men by men, and women by men in any combination of those adjectives, and then the subsequent change in treatment towards non-white men or women by white men or women. it's in the details, the tiny things that we have our priveleges, the small things we're afforded or what's overlooked or accepted...

YesThatCasey writes at 07:19:53 04/08/13 - Comment #69587: If this was about the title, “Privilege”, we would be having a much more productive discussion. But it isn’t. This is about white privilege, or white male privilege, or white straight male privilege, or white cisgender male privilege, and so on, which is just one of many indications of the problem that I wanted to address in my original point on the subject (which was inspired by Rita's comment to me).

Some initial questions for you or anyone that cares to join the discussion:

1) In what situations is stereotyping acceptable?
2) Following your groups approach to this systemic problem, how will we identify when (subset) privilege is no longer a problem?
3) Do you agree that there is a vast spectrum of privilege that being in a subset confers, when analyzing the individuals within that subset?
4) How do you measure and compare privilege between subsets?

Robert writes at 02:22:45 04/07/13 - Comment #69579: Rita was also talking with Casey about privilege recently! ha... seems like these topics are in our consciousness lately!

Permalink: Privilege.html
Words: 89
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/06/13 11:49