The Feminine Form in Video Games

Over on Slashdot, I just read an interesting article about the portrayal of the feminine form in video games. Frankly, I find most of this stuff a little ridiculous, and I think some of the commenters pointed out most of my issues, but this is the Rants, so I thought I’d mention it. Basically, video game developers (and purchasers) are villainized for the games having only female character with exaggerated (big breasts/eyes, tiny waist) physical characteristics.

Okay. My response? “So what?” The men are idealized, too- tall, dark, successful, powerful, muscular, no receeding hairlines, no bear bellies. Moreover, it’s not just men who like seeing attractive female figures. Pick up a women’s magazine at the checkstand of your local supermarket- there are big-breasted women on every other page. It’s not about what sex you are– Humans are programmed to like looking at attractive people. Thanks, I had to get that out of my system.

Cancer

Whitney in my lab just found out that a cousin of hers, around age 30, has been diagnosed with Bladder cancer (which has something like a 1% survival rate)… So she’s understandably upset. Cancer is a topic that’s always been near and dear to me, since my Mother had breast cancer, and I had to seriously contemplate losing her. Hell, watching her suffer through chemotherapy was enough to break my heart. It was almost unreal how terrified my family was. I’m thankful every day that she pulled through, and I love her very much.

The strange thing is, even with all that, cancer is… fascinating. It’s one of the strangest chemical and biological processes cells can go through, and it’s amazing reading about efforts to understand and treat it. One thing I wonder about a lot (and occasionally debate with Teisha) is whether the rate of cancer has really risen in modern times, or if it’s a by-product of living longer, or a little from Column A, a little from Column B. What do you think?

Pets

I’m such a bad parent! There, I admitted it. I keep my pets (lizards and rats) fed and watered, but I don’t devote nearly enough time and attention to them– letting them out to play, buying them stimulating toys, getting them treats. If I were one of my pets, I’d be bored stiff. Which makes me terrified of ever getting a Doggie, at least where I am in life right now. They need attention, and life gets awfully busy awfully quickly. How do other pet owners deal with this?

Teaching

I just finished being a Teaching Assistant for Microbiology Lab, and wanted to quickly ruminate on the course. I really, really enjoy teaching. I like seeing my words and actions invoke that look of dawning comprehension on a student’s face, I like leading people, and I like having a platform to show my viewpoint and way of looking at science (I bet those poor biology students got more chemistry then they were expecting!).

That all said, it was one of my first times teaching, and there’s a LOT I can do to improve. First off, I didn’t devote nearly enough time to preparing before lectures. I didn’t give them enough lectures, and I didn’t prepare enough materials before-hand, laving me to give them additional info during the class on a one-on-one basis, which often let people slip through the cracks without learning some things. Also– being fair about grading is very difficult– both in writing quizzes and in grading everything.

All that said, I can’t wait to teach again. Especially when bolstered by student’s comments such as “you’re the best TA I’ve ever had” or “The best way to improve the course would be to have Andrew TA all the sections”.

Anyway, here are the pigs: We’re trying to find good homes for two half sisters/distant cousins, Trinity and Jewel, and their father, Mr. Darcy (the father hopefully separately!). The sisters are almost two years old, and Mr. Darcy is about two and a half. All three are very long-coated tri-colors. They’re all very sweet, especially Mr. Darcy. And the long hair is nice if you want something to brush and take care of . We can include a cage(s) if necessary. Email me (or comment) if interested! Here are their picts:
Jewel

Trinity

Jewel and Trinity

Mr. Darcy

Mr. Darcy from an aerial view.

And some other cute (or “tortured,” depending on your outlook) doggies: A striped/dyed standard poodle with matching owner, a group of Great Pyreenes, and the secluded (and seemingly exhausted) greyhound corner. Enjoy the picts

Anyway, I’m bored of talking about my job. What I really want to do is show you all my pictures of my kitties.
So here:

This is the kitty we saved from the cold mountain woods when she was starving and freezing to death. Now she’s at home with my inlaws.

This is Aretha. She’s adorable.

Not just occassionally. She is ALWAYS adorable.

This is James. He’s handsome.

Though not always dignified.

This is me. They don’t actually do this willingly.

And this is my woman. She’s purdy.

On the subject of my toe, just because I don’t think I’ve complained enough about it here: Last September I had my ingrown toenails executed. Three out of four did just fine, but one of the surgery spots (the outside edge of my right big toe) formed a nasty infected callus. I had it removed in November. It came back. I had it removed again yesterday, with a bit more prejudice, by a podiatrist. She wrapped it up with a lot of gauze and a smiley face bandage. When I removed the bandage this morning, it turned out I’d lost about a pint of blood in to that gauze. Ewwwwwwww. Anyway, all of this swollen-ness and infection and surgery-ing makes the eight hours a day on my feet really, really enjoyable. But like I say, the steel toed workboots keep a lot of the pressure of my toe.