Meanderings

I woke in the middle of the night which wasn’t at all surprising. I spent most of yesterday in bed, laying atop a lovely heating pad. Warum? Killer lower back pain. Every time I get a back ache I worry – of course I do. This time around though, the culprit was my weightlifting. *phew* Last time at the gym, I upped my weights (slightly !!!) and, apparently, my back felt it needed to file a formal complaint. Fucker.

So then, I was up at 1AM and it was clear that rack time was a distant dream – a fairy tale chimera. Luckily, I had thrill-ride, escapist fluff to dive into – books one and two of Kate Locke’s Immortal Empire Series.

The Victorian Era never ended. It’s 2012 and her Ensanguined Majesty is still on the throne, the vampire ruler of the British Empire. There are werewolves too. And Goblins. All brought about by mutations caused by the plague.

A LOT of fun, thought provoking too AND the hero's a chick. YEA! Needing more, I did what any self-respecting book addict would do at 2AM – went online and ordered the third installment from Powell’s.

Before signing off from Book World, I checked John Scalzi’s site to see if he had any new author/book recommendations (yes, but none are in paperback yet). While at his blog, always an absorbing read, I came across his post My Personal Feminism, 2017 It’s well worth a full read. Though he is most def a feminist, he says that he’s deeply uncomfortable with feminism being part of his “brand.” He goes on to list and explain his reasons, the first being that he’s aware of his “failings and imperfections.”

Sorry you can't sleep but turn out the damn light, woman!

Frankly, I think he’s too hard on himself.

Scalzi’s fresh thinking on feminism was prompted by Joss Whedon’s ex-wife’s tell-all where she claims he’s not really a feminist because he had affairs. ????? I realize she’s horribly hurt BUT believing that women fully deserve the same opportunities, rights and pay as white, het men and then working and voting toward that goal is not proof against wicks being dipped in a bit of strange. Shit happens in every relationship, even ones where the Don Juan/Doña Juanita isn’t a talented, famous screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, composer AND feminist. It is entirely possible to be both a righteous dude/dudette and a bit of an ass AT THE SAME TIME. Rilly!

Just because the guy/gal hurt you does not mean he/she is now just another Gingrich/Trump/ /Livingston. Life’s not that cleanly, dichotomously simple. Sorry Kai. History is chockfull of people who’ve done great things in the public sphere but, in private, have been less than fab.

So then, I've now been up most of the night and it's officially morning, dammit. My back's still a bit achey so I'll be smart and won't court reinjury by hitting the gym today. *sigh* Maybe a long walk would be gentle enough to afford sleep tonight without fucking my back up again. Hope!