I'm Glad It's Your Birthday

Today is the 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Therefore, here's a few things on the world wide web that have been written by extremely eloquent, interesting people about why that's a good thing, and what's at stake if the anti-choicers get their way.

• Jill at Feministe's ten ways to support reproductive justice.
• Jessica at Feministing on why she votes pro-choice (and from last year, why she trusts women).
  
• Bean at L, G & M on voting for reproductive justice.
• RH Reality Check has great comprehensive coverage.
• The National Partnership for Women & Families sums up some of the editorials printed today (including anti-choice stuff, such as the "moral deficit" caused by abortion access... arseholes).
  

NARAL asks you to blog for choice if you are pro-choice. As I am, here's why I'm pro-choice:

Women cannot be equal unless they have control over their fertility and the ability to deal with when whatever precautions they do (or don't take) go wrong. Economic development is key to greater autonomy and power and, hopefully, equality, and you can't be economically developed if you are having children with no choice over the number or timing of your children.

But, even more so, you have no right to force me to carry or not a child; it's my body, my integrity, and my choice. Yet choice is such a luxury for most people, let alone women alone, in the world; so many women have so little power over the course of their own lives that they do not have a number of options from which to make a choice. Hence abortion is not a luxury, and not something we take lightly, but something that is essential to our lives, but we need more: better contraception, better insurance, better healthcare, better education. Better everything.

Overturning Roe v. Wade won't do anything but put women's health in danger, bring more unwanted children into the world for poor women who can't afford the transport to and care in states where abortion is available.

But even if there were no divide between rich & poor, the privileged and the not so, it would still be my decision and my choice. No one has the right to make it for me; I don't force it upon you, so how dare you, Huckabee et al., force it on me? And that's my moral stance: religious men and women do not have the monopoly on morality; my morals dictate that I don't force people to do with their bodies what they do not wish. Abortion is just one part of it - but an essential one for bodily integrity; and, with it, soulful integrity and dictating the course of your life.

I wish I could vote in this election.

Easy Peasy

I am nothing if not a simple soul. You have no idea what pleasure it gave me to bring my mac to work today and actually use that, rather than the PCs here. Sorry, windows folks - and goodness knows Mr. Gates, your work on AIDS is incredibly generous and important - but it's the shizzle. Sorry for using that word, too. I'm so white.

I also caved to pressure from Lolamonster and got myself Adium and lordy be, it has changed my ENTIRE chatting experience. Googletalk, AIM, MSN - all in one little programme. But the best, best best thing about it - every time I get a message, Hobbs dances. That's right my friend, Hobbs. And if I appear to be lazing around and not online, he starts snarling and roaring towards me. My goodness I am in LOVE with this thing.

Just to let you know, this photo is where I spent my birthday.

Huzzah.

Now if I can stop my friends deserting me in droves for other law schools I will be the happiest bunny around. Particularly as I am incredibly proud of myself for having produced twelve - yes, twelve - written pages of Spanish documentation for my project. Written originally in Spanish, not English. It may well be horrible Spanish, but it's done. Now that I am dreaming in Spanish, I feel like things are coming together, things are so much more instinctive now. It's an amazing feeling. It also explains some of the horrible English on the page - see previous entry and "I had reason", which is a direct English translation of the phrase meaning "I was right". Oops.

Soundtracks and Serendipity

My 21st birthday was rather infamous for its drunkenness, length of hangover (forty eight full hours - a record for me), and surprising levels of ebullience and enthusiasm over Dutch techno. However, what I will remember is that, after the diving and enormous chocolate cake and banner and streamers that my wonderful friends had prepared for me, we got back and, somewhat fortuitously, they were showing Cocktail on Brazilian tv. AWESOME. Dubbed, rather than subtitled, but still - a joy.

Hence maybe you can understand the elation I felt on arriving back in San José yesterday to find Teen Wolf on tv. I understood most of it, and it was just... so nostalgic. Particularly apt as I've just seen the episodes of Scrubs where MJ guest stars. He is just a complete hero, and if he's willing to share the fact that his children call him "Shaky Daddy", then he's even more amazing. Even better, looking for actors making their starts, saw Lynnette's irritating husband from Desperate Housewives in it as a fellow basketball player put out at the Wolf's success and showboating on the court. That's serendipity.

So was, of course, feeling depressed that my usual internet joint was out of action, only to walk into a cheaper (and, admittedly, crapper) one where The Girl Is Mine was playing. You can't buy fortune like that - it's destiny, my friends.

I like life. The only thing I wish is that I could have a soundtrack. The ipod does help, but of course that gets in the way of actual conversations. Right now everything would be something by Sting because my legs are revoltingly covered in insect bites. And, of course, anything mixed by the Scratch Perverts.