What makes a Xands?

I was having one of those shower thoughts a while back and reflecting on the pen name I've been going under for a while now--that'd be me, Xands. I've gone under a number of things which is why I'm so elusive on the net, but for some reason any variation of Xands/Xanthe (which is greek for yellow, I just like it, no deep meaning there) seems to stick.

So you probably haven't troubled yourself to read, I believe, my very post on this blog (and I wouldn't) in which I explain my name because I get asked about it a good deal. What, exactly, is a Xands, besides a me?

Well, let me tell you and this will probably make it easier to spot me hatin' on youtube or your blog or something. I realized why this particular name has stuck so well is because every word of it has a real, sort of personal meaning to me.

Get ready, it's going to get dizzying.

TR Xands - the TR is really just to separate me from those other Xandses, I know you've met like 10

T- Tiziano-> Titian, as in the painter whom I've admired-> Titus, a latin praenomen, a title of honor

R- Renatus, meaning rebirth

Xands (it's actually khsands, I know you've been saying it wrong) - Alexandros -> Alexander, defending men

Got all that?

So, what's the significance of any of that? Well, to take it from the top, I really admired Titian's bold, dramatic, colorful works when I was going through my Renaissance Art Is The Shit 4eva phase really badly, so when I started crafting this Latin-ish name for myself, I started with that. Titian isn't Latin, it's the English translation of his real name, Tiziano, which so happens to be the Italian form of Titus. Excellent!

Following the Roman naming convention, I chose a second name. Renatus seemed to work out well, again, Renaissance influence and it's meaning.

Alexandros (I hardly ever go by AlexandER) was a little tricky and I'm not totally sure why I chose it. In this case, "defending men" is just that, but I take it as more "defending MAN" as in mankind. It's a little unfortunate now but it still works.

"Xands, you hate people...?" Well thanks for reminding me spoilsport, but I think, what I want to do most in life, and what I can do, in any way, is to help. I do not necessarily want my name all over the history books but let's say I don't want to die with a bitter cry or a whimper. If I should get hit by a car tomorrow trying to cross the street, as I'm often nearly wont to do, I would like to leave some tiny impact that isn't wholly negative. I want to help other people, maybe indirectly maybe directly, because I feel like it helps me. I want to be that defense.

...I mean, I do want gold and glory and shit, but the above will do okay too, especially considering the whole hit by a car scenario. See, am I the only one that ponders that like regularly?

In any case, there you go, now I've taken away the mystique yet again! I go by Xands or TR, mostly now, because it's usually more gender neutral and it's really short. No shit, for the longest time I went by Renatus Alexandros entirely because it was awesome, but you don't have to worry about that babehs.

More PETA oddness

Well, let's face it, it's probably the LEAST they could do considering racist dog kennels and sea kittens, and I guess it actually kinda worked this time. Maybe PETA does have a plan:


PETA to Pet Shop Boys: Rescue Shelter Boys, perhaps?

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Just because they named their new CD "Yes," does not mean that British electro-pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys, will agree to just about anything.

The band has turned down a request from an animal rights group to rename itself the Rescue Shelter Boys.
The organization, the People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA), sent a letter to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe acknowledging that its request, at first blush, might appear "bizarre."

But, by changing its name, the band could raise awareness at every tour stop of the "cramped, filthy conditions" that breeders keep animals in before selling them to pet stores, PETA said in its letter.

Rrriiight.

Excuse me, was you sayin somethin? Uh-uh, you can't tell PETA nuthin. HAH-HAAAH, you can't tell PETA nuthin.

Oh well, have some hair!

Hm, seems that last post--the one before the poetry--drained my mojo. So...here's my hair! Just random and shit. I want to draw eggs.

It's not really that frizzy. And don't laugh at my growing widow's peak!

Women in Planetary Science, hooray!

So, you may not be able to tell right off but I lurve astronomy. It's one of the few things, scientifically I can get my head around (besides biology and botany...yes botany), which is just weird considering how damned complex it is. I love astronomy, planetary science, cosmology...it's been an affair since I was a child and strayed away from paleontology. I still dream of having my own observatory *sniffle*

Sadly, like so many things I love *side eye* astronomy for all outward appearances is still a boy's club. I think it's great that it's shifting from a white boy's club and I'm willing to be you can name 3 or 4 non-white men in the field. And you could probably name some women too with a little thought BUT I still hold that it's a boy's club. Because women just don't get into science like the menfolk. I GUESS.

So I was incredibly happy (I think I squee'd) when, due to the magic of Twitter, I found out about Women in Planetary Science. Oot-oot! Women in science AND it's something near and dear to my heart.

Planetary science, if you're wondering, is...pretty much just that. Studying moons, PLANETS, asteroids, comets...meteors...cosmic dust...if it's not a star and it's not the earth (that'd be *drum roll* geology :D) and it's not trying to attack us with lasers a planetary scientist is probably on it.

_{and cosmology is the study of the make up of our universe, so there}

Wheee! Go women!

Washing machines, they liberate the modern woman

You know what I say about the Vatican...can't stop won't stop! Y'all can hate them now!

Vatican says washing machine brought rights to women

The washing machine has had a greater liberating role for women than the pill, the official Vatican daily said in an International Women's Day commentary.

"The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax," said the headline on the article in Osservatore Romano.

"In the 20th cenutry, what contributed most to the emancipation of western women?" questioned the article.

"The debate is still open. Some say it was the pill, others the liberalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. Others go even further: the washing machine," it added.

The long eulogy to the washing machine - for which the first rudimentary models appeared in the 18th century - highlighted "the sublime mystique to being able to 'change the sheets on the beds twice a week instead of once'," quoting the words of late American feminist Betty Friedan.

While the machines were at first unreliable, technology has developed so quickly that now there is "the image of the super woman, smiling, made up and radiant among the appliances of her house", wrote Osservatore.

...Riiiight. Here I was thinking it was the microwavable TV dinner :/ Come on, who wants to back me on that one?

I dunno, I just feel that after basically backing a 9 year old's rape, the church should go sit in a corner and think long and hard about what they've done. Don't worry, an apology will be coming in about 10 decades at least.

Some miscellany shoutouts

First off, everyone look over to my sidebar and scroll down. Now stare. I've got two new followers! Keep staring at them...put the pressure on. You know how I feel about folks not saying hi to me. I yell at them and cry.

Actually, I've been thinking about doing a de-lurker post. I don't think I have that many lurkerlings...I figure I post so frequently on so much that eventually you'll stumble on something that makes you mad or glad enough to comment. And if not...well...I don't hate you. I don't know why you hate me though *choked sob* WHAT DID I DO?!

Uh, anyway, if you get bored enough and scroll all the way to the bottom you might notice a few new buttons popping up now and then. No they weren't there before. I'm trying to do some half-assed blog advertising. You can still tell your friends & the hood but I figure we need some, uh, respectability up in this piece. Yeah I'm petty for having my marriage equality button all the way at the bottom of my page. I'm fixing it~

Lastly...you know what? I haven't gotten any hatemail in forever. Stop laughing, I'm so serious. I've gotten a couple of odd comments (Gethimamask doesn't count, I know he's joking) but not so much as a "omg ur sooooo ignorent" in months! I'm...kind of...jealous? Hurt? Am I desperately losing my touch? If you, you know, want to give me something for Valentine's Day, there's an idea for you. I even mentioned it to my mother. She gave me a card :D ...it wasn't a hateful card though.

And that's it. You may say, "Xands, if you have nothing to talk about, why blog?" And the answer is...I just...like to *blink*

Wars and little girls

So, finals are coming up this week, ergo Xands is obviously going to need something to do so she doesn't have to study and pass her classes.

Uhh.

Anyway, I was quite inspired by a lecture my history Prof R gave today (which I seriously have to talk about in another post) to write what would almost be considered fanfiction. Long story that one.

So I decided to delve into something called moe anthropomorphism or basically giving life & characteristics to a non-living object or concept. Countries, weaponry, operating systems. Anything can be cute by throwing on a dress & big eyes! Like everything from Japan right? Except so less creepy.

So we're talking about the Cold War and for some reason Prof R mentions the sexual tensions between the USSR and America. I, still taking notes, go *blink blink* and this idea forms in my head.

It goes like this. I combine the events of the Bay of Pigs Invasion & the Cuban Missile Crisis and put them on the playground (aka the World). Then I took the major players (and Winston Churchill) and made them adorable little girls. The Cold War will be Kinder-ized.

The way I'm handling it, it's more of a humorous concept but I've seen similar ideas handled in a semi-serious manner. It's an interesting concept to play with, reducing world powers to children...suddenly everything makes sense no?

I'm actually nearly done writing it since it's a little one off, I'll try to post excerpts from it without freaking out you gentle readers out there sense there are some situations in it that have me counting up my Bail Reserve money. But now, a little character list.

Good Guys:

Joanna Kennedy: Representing John F Kennedy/USA
Joanna's a happy go lucky little girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders--literally. Beneath her happy facade she hides a more insecure, indecisive side of herself. Between trying to decide whether to invade Fidelita's side of the playground and what to do about Nika, Joanna is a very stressed little girl that relies on the advice of her little sister Roberta, Wisteria, and Lindy Johnson. She also consults with Izzy Eisenhower but the two of them are pretty estranged.

Roberta Kennedy: Representing Robert Kennedy/USA
Roberta is about 3 years old but very wise. She presides over her sister's relations with Fidelita to free up her sister's hands to deal with Nika. Unfortunately, because she's not quite up to making full sentences yet, her words are sometimes misinterpreted...

Lindy Johnson: Representing Lyndon B Johnson
Lindy also advises Joanna but in contrast to the subtle Wisteria Lindy is loud, opinionated and sometimes forceful. She deeply resents Fidelita and wants Joanna to steer way clear of her.

Wisteria Churchill: Representing Great Britain/Winston Churchill
Wisteria is a somber, wise cracking little girl full of sage advice. She tries to advise Joanna more subtly and encourages her to make the right decisions. She's way more leery about Nika than she'll ever be about Fidelita and frankly doesn't see her as much of a threat.

Izzy Eisenhower: Representing Dwight Eisenhower
Izzy's no longer controller of the Western portion of the playground and she's fine with that--she just wishes Joanna would run things her way. She doesn't converse much with her successor except on the issue of Fidelita; Izzy has mixed feeling about trying to over throw Fidelita. She also doesn't like Wisteria at all.

Bad Guys:

Nika Khrushchev: Representing Nikita Khrushchev/USSR

Queen of the Biggest Monkey Bars on the playground and ever expanding, if everyone doesn't outright fear Nika they are at least wary of her. Nika has a plan for the whole playground if everyone would just play along, especially the Western half. Nika frequently tries to compromise with her nemesis Fidelita but the two just can't seem to see eye to eye on anything. Most of all, Nika wants Fidelita's portion of the playground to build more of her giant monkey bars. But what exactly are they for?

Fidela "Fidelita" Castro: Representing Fidel Castro/Cuba
Fidelita is a head strong little girl and probably the most vicious on the playground. She doesn't tolerate traitors and prefers fight to diplomacy most of the time. She knows what Nika is up to but Fidelita has plans of her own and isn't about to let Nika mess them up.

Ernesta Guevara & Josefa Fernandez: Fidelita's crew, her diplomatic end and her force end respectively. Fidelita trusts these girls with her life--although lately she's been trusting Ernesta less and less. Ernesta seems more interested in being peaceful with Nika but Fidelita would rather not.

Black success: do you fear it?

Hey, I'm like 13 posts away from having 200 posts! ...is that to be celebrated or pitied? I can't decide...

Anyway, due to extenuating circumstances I've realized that my approach to race debate lately has been usually passive aggressive with some sarcasm thrown in to display how little I care these days. Not how little I care for racial debate, but just debating it with certain people *shrug* I get tired. I'm one of those people who hates being told something more than two or three times--I'll either snap on you or just let you have your way and move on. I can't really be bothered with people who won't listen, I really do have other things in the day.

Usually, internally though I'm all "OJWEIRI#(!)#IO1RNJF GODDAMN YOU PEOPLE KILL ME"

People really do kill me btw, it's great. Me and my friend Daniel last night were discussing a racist incident with his room mate. His room mate, basically, is a punk bitch in every sense of the word from having a failed "open relationship" with his girlfriend to having a tiny fan in the bathroom. And now apparently he's racist to boot, good job.

This Room Mate is talking to his girlfriend about a black student in the Honors courses of Florida State University. He and his girlfriend decide that from what they can gather of black culture, because this man is in advanced courses he cannot be fully black.

This is wholly unsurprising for me as I'm often accused of "acting white" as it's called. Whites and blacks alike usually brand me as "acting white" because I speak proper English, get good grades, and I'm just generally considered an intelligent person I guess. I could go on for years about this whole acting white thing but let me address something else.

Black Success. Frankly I think people fear black success. That negro's doing better in his life than you are, how does that happen? That's not possible, we're all subhuman and can't think past bitches and hos. How does a darkie get in an Honors college?

It's amazing. As much as I'd like to delude myself sometimes that racism is slowly fading, I'll be damned if it's hardly ebbing at all--or it feels like that sometimes. Why are there still people afraid of someone "lesser" than them succeeding? That's actually a pretty easy question to answer and I bet we'll all answer it the same way but I still pose it and wonder why these cowards can't understand why Jose, Jaekwon or...okay I can't think of a stereotypical Asian name right now. But I think you get me point maybe...?

Well, there's a reason I can't think of a stereotypical Asian name right now...there are races that are just expected to perform better, like Asians *shrug* and by that I mean Chinese, Japanese and Indians probably exclusively. Anyone outside of those circles and it's a surprise. Blacks and whoever else aren't expected to succeed and when they do it's a miracle. Sigh. It makes me sad...and that much more determined to do something with my life.

...Speaking of which, I'm supposed to be writing a draft of my proposal. Um, damn, I just killed an hour in this library doing not that.

Sailor Radicaaaalllss...?

Bahahaha. I've been wondering for a couple of days if I should elaborate here on a joke a friend and I made like a few weeks ago. Wondering because it was a joke (and a long running one at that) but at the same time it was kind of an interesting idea. Or...well, at least a joke I took too seriously while still remaining in good humor. So I think I'll explain and we can all laugh.

So...did anyone else rock the show Sailor Moon way back when? I took it one step further and immersed myself in the manga because the drawing was so much more beautiful, I didn't have to hear the annoying dub voices and some of the stories actually made more sense.

Sailor Moon has just become this...cultural thing. A good role model for girls (well, not really the anime) that you too can wear a skirt and heels, and pop open a can of whoop ass. Onto the joke me and a friend made, I...don't really know why or where, probably in my sleep deprivation, I some how came up with the idea of a Sailor Black Radical Feminist *blink* And he threw in Virulence Boy for the sake of doing it. We snickered and giggled then the next day I decided...why don't I DRAW this?!

You may not remember but I used to draw a bit :P and I've really been out of practice so I figure a few quick sketches would be fun. And it was. Then I did...more. Then...more. Then I started thinking up a back story. Weapons, all the shit that goes along with being a pretty soldier. Fast forward to a week later I'm thinking about adding to the army. Why not? Progress Soliders (not scouts damnit) eh? Eh? I randomly added Sailor Liberal Ally and that's when I started thinking about adding more. Creating is fun :D

So, if you're not comatose, I really did go through the "basic" form, then Super then Eternal (if you watched the show/read the manga you can groan now). And now for why I think myself so profound:

Sailor Black Radical Feminist, in her basic form, was a normal girl named Letitia. Letitia, like myself, was usually happy to vanish into the crowd and just be in her own little world, not thinking much of what others said or thought of her. Intelligent girl. Then one day through random Deus Ex Machina powers, she awakes to her femininity and inner strength; outraged by injustices against women & blacks world wide she becomes...Sailor Black Feminist! She's dressed a bit like a punk, with fingerless gloves & moccasins, some "stereotypical" black items like the door knocker earrings & the pick and a black pride fist on her outfit with a couple of gender-symbols. Her main weapon is the pick (nyah) and her main attack is Channel Two News...in which she beats your ass so badly you wind up on Channel 2 News.

Later, through more self-awakenings & education, Sailor BRF ponders a change and morphs into Sailor Black Feminist. No longer the punky Chan 2 News radical she's a bit more mature, her costume is rid of some of the gender symbols & black power paraphernalia for a more unified look even though she's still got the fingerless gloves and has traded her moccasins for flip-flops (my friend Daniel asked me why and I said "Why not?"). Unfortunately she's a bit more cocky but easily influenced by various ideals. Her pick has grown into a full-sized weapon & her new attack is "Native Hum" which paralyzes her enemies.

And finally, Sailor BF goes through a period of meditation and finally comes to a deep understanding about herself and the people around her; this is how she morphs into her final (good lord) form, Sailor Womanist :D most of her sailor trappings gone she wears a crown of pearls & wears a flowing dress, no shoes, and has a female-gender symbol shaped wand. And... a cape. Her main attack is "Peaceable Understanding".

I haven't quite figured out Virulence Boy and how he's going to evolve. Sailor Liberal Ally I think is kind of funny. Trina is blond, overly-eager and overly-anxious to "support the cause" but she usually falls short of totally understanding, although she is a pretty intelligent woman. She just can't see through her own privilege & race. She transforms into Sailor Liberal Ally to banish injustice where she "perceives" it. She looks very different from Sailor BRF, wearing a short tube top with her collar attached, a skirt and round rings on her ankles, wrists & neck. Her main attacks involve a small set of scrolls with the word "EXCUSE" written on them to make her enemies see the error of their ways.

Later, Sailor Lib Ally undergoes a drastic change in which she becomes Sailor Radical Mystique & her costume looks more like Sailor BRF's. After that she undergoes another transition but I'm still pondering...

Sigh. I've had so many slightly depressive entries I figure we all needed some cheer :P how the hell do I ever get anything done in the day anyhow? *daydream daydream*

Different as a Yellow Carrot

I was looking through the numerous text messages on my phone and found something funny that I'd said (but I'm always funny while texting...no really). It was then I decided that I'm naming my 12th autobiography Different As A Yellow Carrot.

Why a yellow carrot? I think of it like this.

Carrots we see are usually orange or red-orange. In truth, there are many different kinds of carrots, some purple some white some red some yellow. To me, a yellow carrot represents something that is subtly different--as opposed to weird or just flat out strange like a purple carrot would be. I mean, would you even eat a purple carrot? I bet you wouldn't. I bet you'd Hail Mary and throw holy water at it. But a yellow carrot? Eh, not so much. You might mistake it for unripened and put it on your window sill and wait for it to turn orange--which won't happen because yellow carrots are just...yellow like that. You might even mistake it for a banana only to wonder why the fuck it tastes like a carrot and why it won't peel. You might do the same more or less to a red carrot, but red carrots look pretty much like...orange ones so that's why it's "yellow carrot" and not "red carrot".

I'm downloading a movie called the Intruder, another pre-Trek (well, pre-anything really) Shatner flick that I was thinking of buying, only to realize this shit is public domain. Yes! Screen caps maybe? I really am curing my Star Trek addiction. I'm pretty sure I talked about this before in my Incubus review, somewhere. It's a Corman movie about racial integration in a small, Southern town so you know this doesn't bode well. If you're actually curious it's here on the Internet Archive or if you don't feel like fucking around with Quicktime you can Youtube-search it.

Good stuff...Shatner is killin' deez non-acting hos wif his notorious pussy-get skills and pretty decent acting *rolls eyes* You better act, bitch! I love watching the dubious pre- and post-Trek decisions made by the Enterprise crew, it's funny as HELL.

I'm also working on a research paper that right now is focusing on religion's role in medicinal practices--something to that effect. I'm gathering sources right now, I need 15 by Wednesday. Leave it to me to pick the most abstract paper ever to even begin with. How the hell do I narrow this down? I also kinda resent the fact that so far most of my sources seem to focus on Christianity--I don't resent the Christianity part, I just wish I could broaden it more. I've tried, actually, and its only been working within the past hour but I've found some interesting stuff. I also want more than a strictly Western US WASP (yeah I said it) perspective on religion and its impact on medicine--can you believe I've only gotten like...3 decent articles on Judaism & Islam? Come oooon. Work for me, Google, since I probably won't make it to the city library in time. Do it!

*pulls on curls* Booo. This so-called Fall Break went by way too fast--in fact, technically it's over for me even though it doesn't end until Tuesday. Why is it over for me? I didn't have classes on Tuesday in the first place ~_~