"There's this weird idea that whoever is calmest in an argument is clearly correct. As though no one has ever angrily screamed a fact, or calmly lied." -- Mishell Baker

On Wednesday, some pretty egregious news cropped up on my social media feeds. Everything from a Supreme Court Justice retiring (thus allowing for the least qualified man who has ever acted as president to select a second judge for the most powerful court in the US.)[1] to reports of what's really going on in those immigration 'detention centers' aka prison camps. We also understand that the most unqualified, corrupt president the US has ever had is being given the opportunity to choose another supreme court judge. It's been a tough week to be an American. The United States is in a precarious position. 

But hey, her fucking emails.[2]

Yes. I'm angry. So is just about everyone with any common decency.

Anyway...on Wednesday night my husband reminded me that I can be angry one moment and then (once things are resolved) suddenly I'm just not anymore. He says it gives him (and others) whiplash sometimes. I've been thinking about this because most of the men I know are slow to anger and slow to recover from it. It occurred to me this morning that switching off my anger is not something that is natural to me. It isn't "just how I am." It's what I've been trained to be. I used to never get visibly angry. I internalized everything. Five years of therapy gave me permission to have my anger. However, it's only given me the right to have it the length of time it is useful. The instant this is no longer the case, I shut it off and process the rest internally.[3] The men I know don't do this. They stay visibly angry until they've processed. There's a reason for this. They are allowed anger and have been their whole lives.

Here's the deal y'all: marginalized groups are not allowed anger. Anger is power. Anger is almost impossible to ignore. Anger is a catalyst for change. Therefore, only those in power are allowed outrage. There are two typical responses to a member of a marginalized group's rage: 1) mockery (awww. snowflake's feelings are hurt.) and 2) the overwhelming reaction to a dangerous threat that must be policed at all costs. There is no in between. This is why the call for civility is problematic. If those in power are not also called to be civil--if they are not including themselves in this behavior requirement, then the mandate is not about "going high". It's fucking silencing. Courtesy and respect is not a one way street. If you expect respect, you give respect. Americans are supposedly all about equality--at least they were the last time I checked the constitution.

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[1] And if you don't understand why that's a problem let me direct you to the fact that not only is the Voting Rights Act in dire straits, but so are LGBT+ Rights as well as Roe v Wade. 
[2] I'm pissed off with every white (mainly male) person who told me there was nothing to worry about in 2016, but not as angry as I am with those who couldn't be bothered to vote and/or voted third party.
​[3] I generally do the remainder of the work at home and/or with my husband. He described my process as an earthquake. "The first blast is all over with, but you know there are going to be aftershocks." He knows me really well. The best part? He then asked me if I felt this process was helpful for me. And I feel it is. The deal is, anger can hurt just as much as it can create change, and I'm not interested in hurting other people. Get the thing that is wrong fixed? Oh, hells yes. Create more problems? No.

Good morning, y'all. I hope you had a restful weekend. I know I did. Shall we get started? All right, then. First, the videos. 

People are arguing that these are just kids who don't really understand what's going on and that somehow their liberal parents are coercing their children to be transgender. That's complete transphobic bullshit.

Okay. So, the video names and shames quite a few movies I actually like. The fact that I like them doesn't change the fact that they're extremely problematic. (Although, in Knight and Day, the roles are, at the mid-point, reversed, and Red is obviously styling itself after a trashy spy Romance...but yeah. [sigh])

​And now, those links.

The other day Dane and I went to see Solo, and one of the trailers they played before the movie started was this one:

I'll be the first to admit, I like action movies. I'm picky about them, however. I feel the less enlightened ones tend to glorify toxic masculinity. This film is no different. What is different is that this one triggered my "Why do white dudes think they're the exception to everything including gravity? Because the entire system tells them they are." thought bubble. I mean, in the first thirty seconds of that trailer Cruise's motorcycle is hit full speed by a car twice. He rolls down the pavement without a helmet.[1] Miraculously, he doesn't hit his head--not even once. Thank gods for computer animation, right? Is he even dizzy after rolling fifty feet? Bruised? Scratched? Nope. Reality--even physics--has zero effect. That was when I got to thinking about the real cost of these kinds of stunts--the stunts that require greater and greater risk in order to give a bigger and bigger thrill. Where does that illusion lead? What does it say to the audience? What does it mean when we can't even name the people who make this illusion possible?

I thought about Jackie Chan, who, at the age of 57 said that he was retiring from the more dangerous stunts because he wasn't fast enough anymore. Speaking of Jackie Chan, here's a list of injuries he's accrued over time. (And that one is an old list. There are more.) That's a lot of damage for a human being to take. Long term, it can result in arthritis, cartilage loss, restricted movement, and pain. Of course, that's assuming one survives.[2] He has hearing loss too. And here's the deal: he's Jackie Chan. He was compensated well for that. Stunt people don't necessarily  get paid all that well. If you’re newer to the industry, you may only make $5,000 per year. Of course, most people will quote the high end when talking about industry jobs. However, on average a stuntman gets about $70,000 a year. And that's a stuntman. Stuntwomen make half that, remember.

Imagine the insurance premiums. Assuming they can get health insurance these days. They are independent contractors.

Good morning, y'all. I hope your weekend was a good one. Mine was. :) I got to write at a coffee shop, do some vintage shopping (and found some good things), and I saw Solo with Dane. I enjoyed it quite a lot.[1] There were multiple women characters with agency--and even though two of them were romantic prizes as it were, one of them wasn't at all. In fact, she was a black woman who then starts the Rebellion. I loved that. I really liked Chewy and Han's meet cute too. Overall, well done. It may even be one of my favorite StarWars films. IT WASN'T ABOUT THE DAMNED DEATHSTAR! W00t! Okay. In other news...today's videos...

The weekend is here, and that means it's time to relax a bit. I'm feeling extra stressed due to another round of "Clinton was robbed." stories because, yes, every liberal woman on the planet knew this and was fucking told to shut up about it. Gaslighting and silencing. Isn't it fun? No. No, it fucking isn't. Anyway...I'm trying to focus on other things because I need my energy to finish another short story. Mind you, I've finished two and sold one of them so far this year. That's more short stories finished in a year than...well...ever. And yes, that's sad for a professional writer. Anyway, I'm making progress.

I'm excited about seeing Han Solo this weekend. I hear it's a heist movie, and I particularly love heist stories--particularly when paired with car chases. (Starship chases count. ;)) My porch garden is filling out nicely. One of the blooming plants isn't blooming right now--and I'm not sure it's because it's slowing dying on me or it's just done blooming. Hard to tell with me. Texas summer makes it very difficult to establish any plants. Seriously, growing things in Texas is not easy. I haven't decided whether I'm going to WorldCon (in San Diego, CA) or World Fantasy Con (in Baltimore, MD). I've been to San Diego. I haven't been to Baltimore or Maryland. I was sexually assaulted (a man grabbed my breast) at the last big SF convention I attended in San Diego. (Yeah. I was part of that mess.) My agent and my editor will be at WFC. I'm not so sure about WorldCon. So...I'm inclined to attend WFC, but I don't know. I sure looks like most of my friends (the ones I only see at cons) will be in San Diego. Hmmm. All in all, I'm happy to have the opportunity to do either.

Oh! At the end of the month (June 29th) I'll be at the Writer's League of Texas' Agents and Editors Conference. I'll be talking about writing historical fiction. (Both of my Fantasy series count as historical when you think about it.) I'm definitely looking forward to that one.

​And well, that's it for now. I hope your weekend is wonderful.

Hello. Sorry about Friday. I got so caught up in my current writing projects that I forgot what day it was. This is a very good thing, actually. I'm producing more stories! Soon, I may even have more than one novel going at once. [gasp] You know, like I used to before I actually got published. Heh. Anyway, my weekend was pretty good. (Outside of the arthritis flare up.) I hope yours was too. So, let's get on with it. Have a video about what's going on in Texas.

And now, those links...

Good morning, y'all. Ready to get that blood coursing through your system with some righteous anger? I thought so. :) Let's get started, shall we? First, today's video:

So, yesterday a string of stupid little things happened. Everyone has their bad days. Yesterday was just one of mine. Here's hoping my iPhone isn't DOA. [crosses fingers]

Like the graphic says, I've zero plans other than working. I've edits on a short story to wrap up (the haunted punk bar story), and another story (the Waterborne/follow up to Blackthorne story) to finish. And I've my editor to nag. (done.)  I had a new idea pop into my brain yesterday. (In spite of the chaos and anxiety.) None of that is unusual. Dane and I rarely make plans. It's an effect from a solid decade of being too broke to do anything at all. Plus, Dane is an introvert. I'm complicated in that I can swing either way--only I spend so much time alone now I'm usually ready for company. Although, I'm thinking of heading out to the Blanton sometime this weekend. The new exhibit sounds like fun, and it's been far too long since I wandered around an art museum. Well... almost a whole month. ;) I've also a ton of creative club email to catch up on. (not its real name.) I joined back in January, flaked a bit on the first project because I was afraid of not doing a good enough job at it, and then promptly became too busy with travel and work to bother. Now, I've something like seventy-five emails re: various things to do and essays on how to encourage creativity. Yikes. I've only myself to blame. LOL. 

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.