FAUX REAL THO

Horror Movies for Feminists: Carrie (1976)

Fear of the teenage girl is expressed over and over again in horror movies, fear of their unruly bodies, their explosive anger, insatiable appetites for consumption, resistance (or adherence) to control, and their perceived power over parents and strangers.

Jerry Media, Organizational Ethics, and Public Relations Best Practices in Emerging Medias

The creation story of Jerry Media represents the dreams of so many other online marketing firms that it has wide implications for the future of the growing international business of social media and influencer marketing – and its potential pitfalls.

Seeking Sheet Music: Jane Wyman, “Takin’ a Slow Burn” (1953)

This is a post to let the world know I want to buy the sheet music for the song “Takin’ a Slow Burn” from the popular 1953 Columbia Pictures movie “Let’s Do It Again.” This was a lightweight, slinky, sexy jazz musical featuring Jane Wyman, post-divorce from Ronald Reagan, about the delicious misfortune of falling for…

How to Identify Sterling Silver Jewelry

Sterling silver is a common metal for jewelry because it ages well, is easy to manipulate, and is more affordable than gold or platinum. By definition, sterling silver is silver that is 925/1000 parts silver, or 92.5% silver. Pure silver (99% +) is too soft for jewelry-making so the highest silver content in jewelry is usually…

What is Siam Sterling?

Siam Sterling jewelry was manufactured from the 1930s through the 1980s, and was a very popular motif in the 1950-60s. Although Siam officially changed its name to Thailand in the 1940s, the “Siam” nickname for this style of jewelry stuck. Siam silver is officially called “Nielloware.” Niello is a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead, used as an inlay on engraved…

The Chickens at Point of Lay

Our chickens started laying a couple of weeks ago. In the video below, the ladies are pictured right before “point of lay,” and are darting around their run after we gave them kitchen scraps and chicken scratch. There is a loaf of old french bread hanging in the coop for some chicken enrichment activity (I don’t know, what…

The Chickening

I wish I had before and after pictures of my yard. I moved into this house about eleven years ago, and at the time, most of the yard was dedicated to a massive garden. It was too big for me, so we eventually sodded it over and put in grass. There was a pond at…

Biking With Google Maps

A couple of summers ago, my beau and I biked through Chicago from Logan Square to the Chicago Botanical Garden and back. It was a magical day: perfect weather, great company, and a lot of adventure. We didn’t have any maps to guide us other than Google Maps and a vague idea of where the bike…

Purple Hat in Blackberry Stitch, In the Round

I saw this hat on Pinterest (shown on the right) and decided to try to figure out how to make it without a pattern. I cast on 92 stitches in worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles, knit a 1×1 rib for about six inches, then knit blackberry stitch for about seven inches, then decreased…

Blackberry Stitch, aka Trinity Stitch, in the Round

I couldn’t find a straightforward explanation for knitting blackberry stitch — also known as the trinity stitch — in the round, so here goes: Knit in multiples of four rows until your desired length is reached. Row 1: Purl all stitches. Row 2: *k3tog, (p1, k1, p1) into the next stitch; rep from * to…

Biking and Feminism: “I belong on the road.”

I’ve been very fortunate that I haven’t had some of the aggressive interactions with drivers and pedestrians that others have had — mine have been limited to cat calling and the traffic incident that inspired my petulant “red dress” campaign. A guy I know wears an American flag jersey on his distance rides, and has…

Girls to the Front

NPR is asked, “Are Tall People Obligated To Stand In The Back At Concerts?” They mostly get it right: The only obligation tall people have in concerts is the same one the rest of us have, to do everything you can to be “good and courteous neighbors.” Frequently, though, that’s not what happens. In the early…