This morning Travalon and I took a walk in our neighborhood, since he is trying to walk vigorously for thirty minutes every day, and we saw the two baby cranes with their parents, Bob and Hitachi.
On social media I see one of my far-right leaning acquaintances is talking up a priest who argues that women can't be priests because we aren't straightforward and don't say what we really mean. I think there are legitimate arguments for keeping an all-male priesthood, but this one is a total Catch-22. As a woman who is naturally on the more straightforward side, I have been told time and time again that I have to modulate my responses, because I'm too blunt, which makes me "mean" and "nasty." Now there are times I can actually be mean and nasty, but not in a work environment. What I'm referring to are emails where I ask someone to do something and don't couch it in a bunch of florid language about how wonderful they are first. So over time I have gotten less direct and more roundabout in my approach, especially with male colleagues, since they seem to be the ones who complain more... and then I'm told my gender is terrible because we aren't straightforward after being told for years that someone of my gender shouldn't be straightforward because that's terrible. You can't win for losing when you're a woman. And I'll bet no man who was deep in thought was ever told to "Smile!" or told he has a face referred to with a sexist slur. (That's right, there's no male equivalent of "Resting B-tch Face" because a man who is deep in thought is allowed to look pensive.) I can't speak from personal experience, but I wouldn't be surprised if nonwhite people also have this problem - you can't be direct when speaking to a white male, because they're considered above you in rank for some reason, and then you're told that your kind is always so obfuscating and never say exactly what you mean. How about everyone is just allowed to say what they mean without a bunch of preamble? Or if you are going to request this preamble, men, then don't throw it back in our faces. Really, you're like some fifth-grade bully who pushes a smaller kid into the mud and then mocks them for being covered with mud. Grow the F up.
Famous Hat
I didn't go to the Killer Building today. My boss had made it sound like she wanted me to go every week, but then she didn't bring it up again this week, and I wasn't about to. They have removed the deadly falling concrete slabs from the third and fourth floors, but not from the nineteenth floor. As my coworker said, "Now we don't have to worry about them falling from twenty feet above, just from one hundred feet above." We can't figure out why those slabs aren't considered a problem...
The only thing about not going onto campus was that I had to drive to band practice instead of walking there, which was a lot less relaxing. The main drag I have to use to get there is under construction and down to one lane, and now there is a lot more traffic. It's practically back to regular rush hour. Last week the signs said the right lane was closed ahead, but in fact it was the left lane. At least they had the signage correct today... But once I'm at band practice, it's so wonderful to be outside, except when Hardingfele is telling me in the middle of a song that there's a bee on me. (Fortunately it just flew away without stinging me.) I had agitated last week for adding a cumbia called "Elizabeta" and some klezmer songs back into our set list, since the audience likes them. I think that, because I have the most unusual instrument (and maybe the friendliest demeanor...?), people come talk to me after gigs, and so I hear which songs they like. We do one klezmer song called "Shah, der Rebbe Tanz," or something close to that, which I understand is Yiddish for "Shut up, the rabbi's dancing," and it starts slowly and gets faster and faster. People LOVE that one! Okay, so I'll admit that the cumbia and the klezmer pieces are minor key so I prefer them. It's a weird thing I've noticed that the minor-key songs seem to creep out of our set lists until I say something, and then they get put back in for a while, until they disappear again. Am I the only one in the band who likes minor-key music?? But the audience must too, because when people say which songs they like, it's the minor-key Irish jigs, and the klezmer, and the Finnish waltz "Metsakukkia." It's never the relentlessly major-key Norwegian waltzes. And they REALLY like "Ashoken Farewell," which is modal. I like modal music too. I'll just have to keep fighting for those songs to stay in our set lists.
By the way, our band is playing for Make Music Madison on June 21st, which is a Monday. I think it's at some awkward time like 5:00, before people are home from work, and we're just playing in the driveway of my bandmate's house, where we always practice, but if anyone is interested, I can get you more details like the exact time and the address.
Famous Hat
Today there is exciting news! We saw two baby cranes! I think you can only see one in the photo.
Sorry for the long silence. I forgot to mention that the neighbor I always walk with and I went out on our dock for Thirsty Thursday; nobody else joined us, but we had a fine time by ourselves. Friday Richard Bonomo and I worked out together for the first time in eons, and he was merciful because it had been so long for me. Then I talked to Tiffy.
Yesterday morning I took a walk with my neighbor, but we didn't go very fast because we kept running into other neighbors and talking. She took this really cute photo of me.
Then Travalon and I drove to Milwaukee, since it was going to be a very hot day but in Milwaukee they always have lake breezes. We parked on one end of Brady Street and then walked down to the lakeshore. Here are some photos.
More random than a rabbit on a B-17!
