Weather

According to the media, the east coast is experience "Snowpocalypse." Again. Some more. I'm not sure how many snowpocalypses an area can have. This is outrageous, and not just because the weather sucks and it's cold, snowy, rainy, icy, slushy, and just generally miserable, all at the same time. Having spent 25+ years in Southern California, I have heard all manners of commentary on the weather. Most of these comments come from people that have not grown up with gorgeous weather, and thus are just not used to it. Comments range from, "There are no seasons" to "It's too hot all the time." Someone once said, "The sky doesn't have enough clouds here." It was September. Many people also comment on how Californians lack drainage or the ability to drive in the rain, and that when it rains they act like the world is coming to an end. At least we don't name our storm systems, though. It's very true that it doesn't rain that much. That's because it's a chaparral, which is the second-driest ecosystem after desert. So rain is rare, and when we do get giant storm systems, things are a little harried. However, this is nothing compared to the hell-hole that is the east coast during stormy weather. Despite New Englanders alleged love of "seasons," winter seems to catch them off guard. I almost didn't get make my flight home because traffic came to a standstill due to a mild dusting of snow. It seemed like everyone was confused by the white stuff falling from the sky. Not that Boston drivers are that great to begin with, but the snow exacerbates their inability to drive. This surprise and despair is continuing well into the winter, with every new storm met with comments about how the east coast is being pounded by winter weather again, and will it ever end? That's the thing about winter. It's cold and snowy, and generally lasts from December to March. If you complain about lack of seasons in one place, you forfeit your right to complain about the presence of seasons in another place. While I understand that this winter is worse than usual, winter itself is not really a surprise. If you want sunshine, move to California.

Name

It really irks me when my close friends spell my name incorrectly, especially when they e-mail me. It's in my freaking e-mail!!! Also, Rachel is the most common spelling. ARG!

If You Didn't Like It Then You Should Have Just Ignored It

To be sung to the tune of Single Ladies

When bloggers and news outlets run stories about people such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc. there will inevitably be letters and comments along the lines of, "Stop running stories about these people! We're sick of reading about them! If you stop writing stories about them, they'll go away!" That last line is the kicker. Yes, they will go away if they no longer get press. However, writing to say that is not actually ignoring them. And I can't comment to say that, because it's just adding to the page views/comment counts. Not that it matters to me, honestly, because I have honed my ignoring skills. You can do the same thing on Facebook, too! Don't like the fact that your friend posts a million status updates on his or her bowels? Ignore! If you don't want to read something, you can just ignore it. You can even block all posts from a certain person. Amazing how that works.

I bring this up because I've noticed a upswing in people commenting on posts saying, "Stop posting this. I don't want to see it." Specifically, I'm referring to Joe's posts on Israel. And honestly, I feel both passive-aggressive and hypocritical writing this, but it is my blog and I needed to get it out. I feel passive-aggressive because I'm not sure if I would willingly tell this to someone's face, and hypocritical for the reasons outlined in the preceding paragraph. Although part of the reason I'm writing this in my personal blog is so that I don't have to jump into arguments I don't really want to get involved in. I also wanted to write something because I ended up feeling hurt by the things people I consider my friends were saying.

Last week the UCI Muslim Student Union had their annual week devoted to "Israel Apartheid." I think that's the official name. Unfortunately, however, it is basically a week where the group has a booth and spews hate against the Jews. Last year when I walked by, their was a group of students standing in front of a bloody and bullet-hole ridden Israeli flag, laughing and taking pictures. I found it repugnant. This year one of the speakers called for a Jihad against all Jewish students on campus. While I am no longer a student at UCI, I do consider myself Jewish. How can I not take this personally? How can I be ok with student fees being used to promote this language? I would also condemn any hate speech that the Jewish student unions were spewing about Muslims, but I haven't really heard any.

I don't know enough about what exactly is going on in the Middle East to make a definitive statement about which side in the Jewish/Palestinian conflict is correct. The truth is, probably neither. [ETA: I also feel like I'm a traitor to my liberal beliefs for not automatically supporting Palestine.] Both sides are behaving poorly, although I tend to feel more connected to Israel, mainly because of my heritage and the fact that throughout history many different groups have called for the extermination of the Jews. I don't feel like the MSU's booth really addresses the complex issues in the Middle East, however. It just seems like UCI-sponsored hate speech, which has the potential to escalate into hate crimes.

I'm also surprised by how vitriolic some of the comments that my friends are leaving get. They've also become personal, rather than just being critical of the argument put forth. Yes, of course Joe's a little biased! He's Jewish! As I mentioned above, comments about how all Jews should die become personal. It's not an abstract concept at that point. It's you and your family. Your friends. And I feel like my friends don't recognize how it hurts me. Arguing about the Middle East conflict and what each side is doing is one thing, but arguing that hate-filled rhetoric should be allowed is another.

Anyway, this is getting kind of rambling, and I don't feel like I'm getting my point across very well. I would ask, though, that if you're tired of reading stuff on Facebook, just ignore it. If you feel you absolutely must comment, please be respectful. And if you've never been discriminated against or harassed or had the extermination of your culture called for because of something you can't change, please remember how privileged you are.

Health Care

I think I would rather have no health care bill pass than have the one that is currently out pass. The Stupak-Pitt amendment is ridiculous, and the argument that people who don't support abortion shouldn't have their tax dollars pay for it is specious. There are many things I don't support, such as the dual wars this country is involved in. I still pay taxes, however. If you don't want an abortion, don't get one. It's as simple as that. Additionally, the bill doesn't require insurers to provide birth control. The best way to reduce and prevent abortions, however, is to support the use of birth control. Lastly, and not related to women's health at all, is the requirement that chain restaurants post the calorie count for their food items. This is just too much. If the government wants to reduce obesity in this country, it needs to stop subsidizing corn, which gets turned into high fructose corn syrup and is then put in almost every box of junk food, and start making healthy food more affordable. It's difficult to eat properly when you can't afford fruits and vegetables, but you can buy a hamburger for $0.99. This bill is ridiculous.

Code

One of the big problems in physics is that we all code. That's not really the problem. The problem is that we all use different languages, and we don't anticipate anyone ever looking at what we write. Because of this, when it turns out someone has to actually use your code, they're screwed. We don't comment, and we give variables names like "x" instead of something more descriptive. It leads to a lot of pain and suffering among graduate students. I can't say that I don't do this either, but I like to think that my minimally descriptive comments are better than most people's nonexistent comments. When I took CS at Pomona, they would grade us on our comments, so it became ingrained. When I stopped having to do so, I stopped doing it at much, but I think I still comment way more than anyone I know.

I'm reading Dear Prudence, which is kind of an awesome advice column on Slate. One of the letters this week is from a woman who is getting married, and is allergic to chocolate, so will be having a white cake for her wedding. Her future-MIL and SILs are throwing a hissy, because they want chocolate. They have even threatened to boycott the wedding if the cake is not chocolate. They are obviously fucktards, but that is not the point of the post. In reading the comments, some people are like "Who was a chocolate cake at a wedding?" What's wrong with these people? Are they that married to tradition? Chocolate is far superior, and barring any incidents like an allergic fiance, I will be having chocolate at my wedding. If my guests have a problem with it, they can suck it.

Politics as Usual

Ah, Barack Obama, bringer of change. Except not so much. And I am not surprised, as it has been clear from the start that he is no different from any other politician. Today he has decided to pander to the right on gay marriage by supporting the Defense of Marriage Act (Article Here). This shouldn't come as a surprise, though, since it's not like he supports gay marriage. Which he has publicly stated. Because he is Christian. Did you know he's Christian? Not Muslim, Christian. Which shouldn't matter, but apparently separation of Church and State is no longer applicable. If you're not a Christian, you don't matter in this country. Everything that politicians do is to keep Christians happy. Guess what. Not everyone is Christian. Also, going back to marriage for a second, apparently there are quite a few people who think that the point of marriage is procreation. Newsflash--women can get pregnant without being married. There is no magical force that keeps you from getting pregnant before that ring is on your finger. Also, what about couples that can't have or don't want kids? That union is still a marriage. I'm not sure how people can logically argue that one, but I also don't think they get asked about it all that much. There are also those that think homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. Yes, I'm sure people like to choose lifestyles that provokes such intense hatred. I know I love it when people spew vitriol at me and discriminate against me. Who wouldn't choose such a lifestyle? For more on Obama's exploits, see Bill Maher's rant.

Also, it really bothers me that Obama took a private jet (and maybe 3, I'm not sure on that) for his "date night" in New York. Aren't we supposed to be saving the environment? And he went to the Blue Hill Restaurant, which prides itself on local, sustainable food. They have their own farm. Don't tell me that you support cutting back on emissions and then take a private jet. Washington DC is an amazing place. It is my second favorite American city, after Los Angeles. There is so much to do there. Stay there for your date! Next time I go out with Carl, I'm going to document every second and put it up everywhere on the internet. Do you care? No. So why would I care about what Obama does on his dates. I don't. Fix the country. Then have a nice date.

Oh, and PS. Gun control is kind of important. Stop pandering and do something about it. Guns do kill people.