Goodbye, Baldur

Baldur was one of our elderly cats, and it'd really been showing recently. Wednesday around 3am we found him back behind a desk in really bad shape. We got him doing a bit better at home, and then took him into our vet that morning as soon as they opened, and they confirmed my fears. Thankfully, since we'd contacted zeldajean first thing, she was already on her way in from PA, and was able to be there and say goodbye to him before we put him to sleep. I'll miss the little snot-rocket; despite his mucus issues he was a wonderfully sweet-tempered and affectionate boy. I'm not feeling much like talking about it right now, but I wanted to at least say something.

Lost my phone address book

So I tried running an update on my Blackberry and it had a mem error part-way through and dumped my address book and my links. Blah. So, if you think I have your contact info, you're probably wrong. Anyone who wants to provide phone numbers, address, email, etc -- please send me an email or private message (email is sarah.whitman.young at gmail). I'll also set comments to screened on the LJ side so you can leave a comment on the original LJ post if you prefer.

In other general life news...

I'm flaring pretty badly at the moment; I was already a mess by Tuesday night, and really struggled to make it through my shift, and then I had a "weekend" of lost sleep and stress. Not a good combo for the body, so I'm not a lot of good to anyone at the moment. Probably going right back to being unavailable on IM and pretty withdrawn for a bit while I pull it all together physically and emotionally. I haven't decided how much I'm going to try to catch up on the Linkety-linketies I have, but probably at least a bit. Then it may be Farscape time for me.

Also, I'd like to thank the magic backpack, which has produced $11 I didn't know I had, $9 of it in quarters. Hoorah for getting dinner when I didn't think I'd be able to! Chinese food or Mr Hero's?

Linkety-Linkety (and why I love Pippi)

Pippi Longstocking — Swedish rebel and feminist role model

Pippi Longstocking is a girl rebel, and since 1945 she has helped liberate children all over the globe. In her storybook world, she has saved them from adult laws and from the dreaded “pluttification” tables at school. She has also provided them with unlimited amounts of fizzy drink and stood up for the weak and oppressed. So it is not strange that the anti-authoritarian Pippi is censored in dictatorships and conservative states, and that she has aroused the fury of many adults.
...
Pippi is fun because she breaks with conventional ideas about how girls should behave — and also, perhaps, makes fun of adults’ gender roles in the process.
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There is a sign in a shop window in the small town where she lives that reads, “DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES?” Pippi doesn’t. She is not interested in the anti-freckle cream on offer but nevertheless goes into the shop to make her position clear.

“No, I don’t suffer from freckles,” she declares. “But my dear child,” says the startled assistant, “your whole face is covered in them.” “I know,” says Pippi, “but I don’t suffer from them. I like them. Good morning!”

As a very freckled kid, this is one of my clearest memories from early readings of Pippi Longstocking. And this article really encapsulates why she's still one of my major fictional heroes (along with Maude of Harold and Maude, and Aughra of the Dark Crystal).

( the rest of the linketies -- got long )

More Linkety-Linkety catch-up

Must Read: "You Are Not a Rape Victim Unless Police Say So."
Amanda Hess has an amazing investigative piece up at the Sexist that gives a tell all account of a young Howard student's awful experience with trying to obtain a rape kit. The story is scary, honest and truly infuriating. -- This is a horrifying and likely very triggering story.

A five-year-old reviews Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” video -- this is marvelous!


AUSTIN (KXAN) - Pro-life pregnancy centers will have to display signs on their front doors in Austin telling women they do not offer abortions, birth control services or referrals for either option.
Baltimore is the only city in the nation currently with a similar ordinance, but Austin became number two Thursday after the City Council passed the ordinance by a vote of 7-0.

Sexual assault survivors and women whose lives are at risk unable to access abortion funding
An article in the upcoming June issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health confirms what reproductive health care providers have known anecdotally for a long time: even Medicaid funds for abortion allowed under exceptions in the Hyde Amendment are overwhelmingly difficult to access.
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They found that of the 245 reported abortions that should have qualified for Medicaid reimbursement in the year prior to their interview, only 102--less than half--were actually covered--and 97% of those were in one state.

( and more back here )

Yet more linkety-linkety (especially heavy on the science geek side of things)

Inkjet-like device 'prints' cells right over burns

An archaeological mystery in a half-ton lead coffin

Totally excellent new pain scale -- Funny as hell!

Moral judgments can be altered by disrupting specific brain region

( more back here )