Five o'Clock Morning

Another one of those damn five o’clock mornings. I slept a little over four hours straight, which is a great thing in itself, but sometimes the cost of that is that I cannot fall back asleep, as my body insists that I am well rested enough. I tell my body that I am going to feel wretchedly tired and ragged at around ten or eleven in the morning, but my body is either unconvinced or simply does not care. I lie in bed trying to force my way, but my body will not let sleep happen.

So, I give up and get out of bed and get a jump on the day. I’m going on a walk this morning, and I break out my “Steppenwolf” early for some more quality-time reading, as well as take care of my morning blogging rounds, so that I won’t be too far behind on my e-life when I return from my walk. And I wait for the sun to lighten the day enough for me to be able to read outside.

Gender and Sex

After being raped by a friend, Sarah Prickett reflects on sexual attitudes, gender differences, and what she calls "dick culture".

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

It took me long enough—from the end of my virginity to my first single summer at twenty-one—to learn the trick of sleeping with someone without waking up obsessed (and even then, it didn’t exactly become my superpower). It was easy to stop believing that “sex is between a husband and wife,” as my parents had taught me; it was less easy to stop believing that “sex is between two people who love each other very much,” as my friends’ parents had taught them. Even the girls I knew who never went to church would sleep with boys they did not like, then feel cheated when the boys did not text back.

-- Sarah Nicole Prickett, "Your Friends and Rapists" at Medium.com

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Race and Class in America

The New York Times has discovered racism. The thesis of one of its opinion pieces runs thus: "The American criminal justice system applies in a racially unbalanced way, threatening the country’s political ideals." I cannot help but find such things hilarious now. If I were in my twenties, I probably would have gotten excited by such a revelation, and although I still would not have done anything myself, I would have been certain that something needs to happen, and happen soon!!! Everybody has to grow up sometime, I guess. If our country's core political ideals have managed to survive up to now somehow with such outrages, I imagine it can go on another couple of hundred years or so. Besides, wealthy and famous colored people also enjoy the liberal use of the 'Get Out of Jail Free' card these days, so that it can be said this is mainly about class politics, and, brother, that is as American as apple pie. True, a much higher percentage of colored people are poor, but such is life. You know life, right? It's that thing that sucks.

{Source: New York Times}

Video Streaming

I’m think I’m going to drop “The Shield” from my Amazon video-streaming. “The Sons of Anarchy” too. Could it be that dramas don’t work for me? The only thing I am streaming that continues to maintain my interest is “Cheers”. Maybe I need something lighthearted, something to counter my low spirits. In the same vein, I wonder if “The Simpsons” might work for me. I have not tried that show since that is not a free one. I’m debating whether to drop twenty dollars for the first season and see how it feels. Right now, I think I am just going to binge on “Cheers”. Maybe I am just in a mood.