In other news, I'm starting to work with some new people (new to me) because of my colleague leaving, and I just sent them an email I was a little worried about, and the guy who I'm pretty sure is my new favorite person responded in EXACTLY the way I wanted him to! Phew.

Jesse, that's good.

A cover letter should be no more than a page, right? Related note, anyone available to beta a cover letter for me, just make sure I don't sound like an ass or have egregious misspellings?

Artwork for ita: [link]

Definitely no more than a page, smonster. I could read it if you want. (Edit: In the next 15 minutes or so, or later tonight....)

I bought my brother's wedding gift. My new SIL has redecorated the house in Pottery Barn-style items, so I hope this is suitable. I know that I really liked it, at least!!

That's lovely, Kathy.

Kathy, that's handsome. And distinctive.

It's a bit smaller than I was hoping for (only 7"x3"), but it's just so cool-looking! It'll be a really pretty piece for a coffee table or even on a shelf.

Neither my mom nor my sister had heard of Etsy before I linked them to a few wood bowls I was looking at earlier this week. I think my mom is going to curse my name for introducing her to that site--she and I both loved going to the South Carolina Artisans Center, which is basically a brick-and-mortar Etsy store.

I don't object to a movie having only male characters per se if there's a reason for it, e.g., a movie about cowboys out on the range in the Old West. I wouldn't object to a movie with only women in it, either. (Talking about main characters. Background characters, I don't expect to have much personality or dimension, no matter which sex they are.) I object much more to one-dimensional/disposable/replaceable female main characters than I do to a movie without any female characters. I object to movies with mostly male main characters that throw in a woman just to provide a sexual reward for the man to win. If the writers can't write a good solid female character, let them not write one at all.

For example, The Losers. I can't believe I watched that whole movie. It was pretty bad, but the worst part was the woman. She was there solely to give the male main character someone to fight/fuck with and win in the end. Everything about her was ridiculous, either overdone or simply unbelievable. Her part could have been written as a man. There still could have been a fight in a hotel, though the subsequent fire would have had less potent symbolism. (eyeroll) If she had been a he, the movie would have been all men, all the characters would have had to have been written slightly differently, and the movie would, IMHO, have been better. Oh, one of them would probably have had sex with a random pickup, but whatever. That's not unrealistic.

I'm longing for the day when one of the male main characters has a throwaway sex scene with a random pickup who turns out to be a guy, and no one mentions it.

I've avoided Etsy ... and it probably gives you even more pretty things to spend money on, since they don't have to travel someplace to sell you stuff.