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fishpatrolSo I totally wasted time today by bumming around in my office (I was going to do my article readings, I swear!) and taking advantage of the Wi-fi by downloading useless iPod apps. \o/ What are your favourite (useless or otherwise) apps?
Speaking of electronic toys, I ordered a Kindle the other day, and bweee, I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hurrah for wasting my scholarship on time-wasting toys~ \o/
On a completely different note, I was reading this article on why women give up their last names when entering a marriage. I've always found that practise a bit peculiar. I can understand why children acquire their father's last name (paternity confidence, as the article mentions), but what reason do women have to change their name, especially in modern society? If it's merely an issue of convenience for both partners to have the same last name or a symbolic gesture to say, "Hey, we're part of the same family", then we should also see the occurrence of some men giving up their last names (which is pretty darn rare). I'm not judging women who do change their last names (because, hey, long-standing tradition entangled with societal norms -- who am I to challenge that, yeah?), but some of the comments to the article irked me. Each individual has her own reason to change or retain her last name (following tradition, switching out her difficult-to-pronounce maiden name for something better sounding...whatever); the problem is the underlying societal expectation that if anyone's going to be giving up a part of their identity (as teeny and inconsequential as it may be) it will always be the woman because she's the one leaving her family to join her partner's. In cultures that don't have this last-name-changing practise -- China, for example -- other practises with the same underlying message exist. I'm by no means saying that women who take on their husband's last name are obstructing the progression towards gender equality or anything remotely as radical as that, but I do wonder what the prevailing reason is for continuing this practise, if it's simply people continuing a long-standing tradition where women expect to give up their last names upon entering a marriage and men expect their wives to take their last name without questioning the rationale behind this practise.
In other news, Kurt Fuller guest starred on last week's Psych and Glee and I was all, "Omg, Zachariah is invading my shows! \o\" Speaking of teevee, so how awesome was last night's episode of SPN? :>:>:>
Speaking of electronic toys, I ordered a Kindle the other day, and bweee, I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hurrah for wasting my scholarship on time-wasting toys~ \o/
On a completely different note, I was reading this article on why women give up their last names when entering a marriage. I've always found that practise a bit peculiar. I can understand why children acquire their father's last name (paternity confidence, as the article mentions), but what reason do women have to change their name, especially in modern society? If it's merely an issue of convenience for both partners to have the same last name or a symbolic gesture to say, "Hey, we're part of the same family", then we should also see the occurrence of some men giving up their last names (which is pretty darn rare). I'm not judging women who do change their last names (because, hey, long-standing tradition entangled with societal norms -- who am I to challenge that, yeah?), but some of the comments to the article irked me. Each individual has her own reason to change or retain her last name (following tradition, switching out her difficult-to-pronounce maiden name for something better sounding...whatever); the problem is the underlying societal expectation that if anyone's going to be giving up a part of their identity (as teeny and inconsequential as it may be) it will always be the woman because she's the one leaving her family to join her partner's. In cultures that don't have this last-name-changing practise -- China, for example -- other practises with the same underlying message exist. I'm by no means saying that women who take on their husband's last name are obstructing the progression towards gender equality or anything remotely as radical as that, but I do wonder what the prevailing reason is for continuing this practise, if it's simply people continuing a long-standing tradition where women expect to give up their last names upon entering a marriage and men expect their wives to take their last name without questioning the rationale behind this practise.
In other news, Kurt Fuller guest starred on last week's Psych and Glee and I was all, "Omg, Zachariah is invading my shows! \o\" Speaking of teevee, so how awesome was last night's episode of SPN? :>:>:>
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Date: 2009-10-03 09:30 am (UTC)I was proofing some pages for work yesterday, and I ran across the name Michael Dean. I couldn't stop giggling. ^_^
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Date: 2009-10-03 03:31 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you're enjoying SPN so far! \o/
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Date: 2009-10-03 10:24 am (UTC)UUUUM. Farm Frenzy - ridiculous amounts of fun. Pocket God - so very very entertaining. Stick Wars - XDDDD. There was a Magic8Ball app that I seem to have lost, but I made a stupidly large number of decisions using that. /o\
Then I have things like Last.fm, Dictionary, Livejournal and Facebook, and other games that I never play. ♥
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Date: 2009-10-03 03:34 pm (UTC)There was a Magic8Ball app that I seem to have lost, but I made a stupidly large number of decisions using that. /o\
LOL. I am totally downloading that app..!
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Date: 2009-10-03 02:40 pm (UTC)On a \o/ note, SPN was indeed ossum. Dean and pink panties! Castiel as a pill popping hippie! The writers = covert fanfic authors. I just hope Sam and Dean STAY together this time because uh, the Apocalypse? Slightly more urgent than intersibling strife.
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Date: 2009-10-03 03:48 pm (UTC)*tosses a Dean-in-pink-panties your way for comfort*
Haha, I feel Misha was totally channeling himself into hippy!Castiel (and he reverted to his own voice a few times, hee).
The writers = covert fanfic authors
YES, THIS. This whole season seems a bit familiar, somehow... ;) The whole 2014!apocalypse and Lucifer!Sam thing, I'm sure I've read in at least five separate fics. Not that I'm complaining! Because, hey, two Deans! Possessed!Sam looking hawt in white!
It does seem like they're heading towards reconciling Sam and Dean given the ending of this episode. But I must admit that I would like to see a bit of Michael!Dean/Lucifer!Sam duking it out (or making out. whichever. I ain't picky).
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Date: 2009-10-03 04:29 pm (UTC)Was he the douchenozzle who was like "men have to sacrifice their freedom more than women"? (lol I don't think I can stomach another look-see) If so, UGH I WILL ASSIST YOUR NECK-PUNCHING HIM.
But I must admit that I would like to see a bit of Michael!Dean/Lucifer!Sam duking it out
WORD! I'm all for *that* kind of showdown. \o/ Just...no moar break-up/reunion trope, plz.
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Date: 2009-10-03 03:56 pm (UTC)and about that marriage thing:
My mom gave up her last, but 20 years ago it really was expected.
Today I wouldn't give up my last name.
I don't see why I have to. I don't think this is a tradition I want to follow. Even though it's a tradition 'nomal' in society. And it's kinda like expected that women give up their last name, 'cause it's kinda like they give all their rights to the husband with giving up the name.
In Cuba (where my dad's from) the tradition is that the child gets the first last name of the mother and of the father. There they all have two last names. That's a tradition that makes more sense to me.
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Date: 2009-10-03 04:21 pm (UTC)This is the way I interpret it as well, though I'm sure many (if not most) people don't feel that this is the case. Personally, I'm with you: I wouldn't give up my last name either.
In Cuba (where my dad's from) the tradition is that the child gets the first last name of the mother and of the father. There they all have two last names.
That's really interesting. It seems several European countries have that tradition as well. So, if the mother's last name is Aa-Bb and the father's last name is Cc-Dd, then the child's last name would be Aa-Cc, right? Or does the order matter (i.e. Cc-Aa)?
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Date: 2009-10-04 12:28 am (UTC)As for China...that's a fairly new practice ushered in by communism. :P Which is why in places like Hong Kong one sees women with names like husband's surname + their surname + their given name. In imperial China, meanwhile, women usually took on their husband's surnames as well, but they also lost their given names, so their names officially were something like husband's surname + their surname + a character meaning "lineage" or something of that sort.