The first thing that came to mind as I started reading this article was, I wonder how the girls would feel if the boys started wearing t-shirts and buttons that said, "I (heart) My Penis."

Apparently I wasn't the first person to wonder that:

Because of the context of the button, Berg said she believes it is different than if it contained a male sexual organ.

"For young women, it's taking a body part that's socially constructed as nasty, dirty and something we don't talk about, and say, ‘You know, this is a part of me and I love it and I'm not going to let it be portrayed in a negative way' " she said.

Further:

Some students claim the school has focused on the button, while ignoring other controversial attire.

Junior Ian Nicholson said students wore shirts Wednesday that had the numerals 88—representing the H in Hail Hitler— to commemorate Adolf Hitler's birthday, but he didn't know any who were reprimanded.

Other students said their peers often wear shirts that say "Pet my pussy," "I got lucky in Kentucky" or attire bearing Hooters or Playboy bunny logo without consequence.

"They just saw the word vagina and got freaked out," said Nicholson. He plans to wear the male version, "I support your vagina," T-shirt to support Rethlefsen because he believes the issue is one of free speech.

Sorta makes me nostalgic for my own high school days, when I got called into the principal's office for wearing my skirts too short and too-large and distracting earrings. I thought I was such a rebel.

Link via Boing Boing

From wish jar journal: connections:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal (or post it here in the comments) along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

"Finally, this spread can also be read from a more mundane viewpoint by using the meanings 'Initiative,' 'Limitations,' 'Gains,' and so on for each card."

From Understanding the Tarot by Juliet Sharman Burke

I think it's cool to use things like this as a kind of passive divination, a form of bibliomancy, where you open a book (generally, or historically, the Bible) to a random page and read the first phrase on the page or point to a phrase with your eyes closed.

I like the phrase I ended up with. Something to ponder. I'm glad it was a Tarot book and not something on XML or something like that, though.

In honor of National Poetry Month, the last poem I wrote. I think I need to write more. Good month for it.

I would knit you socks

For DK
Inspired by Pablo Neruda's Ode to My Socks

If I knew the pattern, I would knit you socks
with the days of the week knitted in, and your
initials, and clocks with the time of day.

I would knit in poems of love yet to be,
the words of all the songs,
and colored threads that the birds
would steal to make nests.

I would knit the dictionary into your socks,
the lives of the saints, and
the meanings of dreams.

And I would wind them 'round with sunlight and honey,
teas made from rosehips and coriander
and prayers.

They would keep you warm and safe,
buoyed by love and soft wool,
never let anything harm you,
never wear out.

Not knowing how to knit such socks,
I write poetry.
and practice.

--WGC, 11/14/03

30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month. Today (April 15th) they say to take today off from poetry and finish up your taxes. I'd rather take today off from taxes and finish up my poetry . . .

Link from Fatshadow

I could happily play with Google Maps all day. My friend Mike blogged about it yesterday: Smarter Stuff: Keyhole. My friend Dan at work said that the satellite went over recently (I can't remember exactly when) and took updated pictures, so we checked--If you go to Google Maps and search for 511 Delaware, Kansas City, Missouri, then go up to the highest resolution, you can see my car (in the red circle) in the parking lot behind the building where I work.