Elles

In my eclectic, persistent search to distract myself from things I should be doing, I listened to a podcast called la société après mai 68, which refers to the social upheaval (student and worker riots) in France during the "Days of May" in 1968. The podcast was an interview with Antoinette Fouque, a co-founder of the French feminist Mouvement de la Libération des Femmes (MLF) in the late '60s. The other co-founder was Monique Wittig (1935-2003).

I'm not sure how I first came upon Wittig's writing, but in my early twenties I bought a used copy of her second novel, Les Guérillères, about a group of women waging war on men. I probably was drawn to it because the title was French (my major at UCSB), even though the text was an English translation. 

To get to my point here, years after I read this book, I got to take a class with Monique Wittig at the University of Arizona. We read five of her novels, including Les Guérillères, and a collection of essays. I read them in the original French, and while I didn't entirely understand them (the words or meaning), I was certainly in awe and grateful for the opportunity to be in her presence at a seminar table. My shameless claim to fame is that she and the rest of the class came to my house for coffee and pastries at the end of the semester. (Inasmuch as pastries are pastries if they're not patisseries.) 

I remember that she was greatly displeased about David Le Vay's translation of Les Guérillères because he altered and distorted the entire philosophical construct, which centered on the simple pronoun elles. In French, a group of men is referred to as ils; a group of women is elles. Traditionally speaking, if there is one man among any number of women, the pronoun (as well as relevant adjectives and past participles) is masculine.

To describe the warriors in Les Guérillères, Wittig uses the pronoun elles, and Le Vay shifts between "they" and "the women." For example, the first line: "When it rains the women stay in the summer-house." Why "the women" when Wittig simply wrote "elles"? Her purpose, as I understand it, was to re-appropriate the feminine pronoun as the universal. The English "they" was perfectly acceptable because it is ungendered. Throughout my English translation, I edited "they women" to keep the reference as she preferred.

Louise Turcotte, who wrote the foreword to Wittig's essay collection, The Straight Mind, writes, "In claiming the lesbian point of view as universal, she overturns the concepts to which we are accustomed.... [Her] lesbian thought does not aim to transgress but clearly to do away with the categories of gender and sex on which the very notion of universality rests." In fact, Wittig identified her movement not as feminism but "radical lesbianism" because the feminine is defined in opposition to the masculine, whereas lesbianism is entire unto itself. 

I just saw that today is Heterosexual Pride Day. Apparently it's not going over too well in the twittersphere. We live in interesting times, is all I can say.

http://savoirs.rfi.fr/fr/comprendre-enrichir/histoire/archives-la-societe-apres-mai-68

The popular girls

Elementary school was a long time ago, but I still harbor pleasant memories (or maybe illusions) of being one of the popular girls. I was athletic, so I was a valued member of any team; I was smart (which admittedly has more to do with being popular with teachers), and, if I may say so, cute (although, if I was aware of that, it didn't translate to confidence.) And I was nice to the not-so-popular girls. Then middle school happened. Let us never speak of that again. 

But now, now, I find myself popular again! This time, however, it has little to do with my personality, and everything to do with the fact that I harbor PUPPIES at my house--that is, at least one puppy most of the time, and often two. "Can I come see the puppies?" say my friends. "Are the puppies awake?" asks the ten-year-old neighbor boy. "Oh, puppies!" sighs everyone anywhere ever. (Unless they're cat people, and then there's no hope for them.) On our first visit to the vet, at least five techs materialized in the lobby to see the puppies, one with her phone taking pictures. What strange, exotic creatures! What magnetic, irresistible, unparalleled cuteness! Cute without even trying. Sweet even though they chew whatever objects and textures that they can get their evil--I mean, sharp--teeth on. They may smell trouble before you can even think of it, but that "Who, me?' expression, the goofy gamboling that passes for running, and the fluffy butts and carrot tails are irresistible. You just hope they'll like you enough that you can be their friend.

So dang cute

There is cuteness fever at our house. I know, it sounds awful, like a cloying perfume or too-sweet dessert that hurts your teeth just to look at it. But there's no avoiding it. Neighbors have eagerly asked to visit, like the ten-year-old boy who comes by randomly every couple days for an infusion of--puppies.

Juno is a fluff ball and a little clumsy; her sister Lucy is lean and adventurous. They weight about 14 pounds, still light enough to pick up, still small enough to occupy a kitchen and allow room for a human. The fluff ball sits at your feet and gazes up companionably. Even though she may not like being held, I love to put my face in her fur. The adventurer claims each new object as a chew-toy; she will run just for the hell of it. The two of them wrestle fearlessly, biting on ears and cheeks, knocking each other down at full speed.

Sweetest of all is the way C gets all gooey around them: sitting on the ground, gathering one or both onto his lap, cooing and laughing at their silliness. Ordinarily, it's hard to know what brings him joy. Many situations cause anxiety; internet exchanges invite insightful teenage disdain or fervent agreement. But cute puppies can only evoke love: for their soft fur, their bumbling gait, and their wonder at this world where everything is new and ripe for play.

Get the hell out of my way

Who hasn't wanted to say that at some point in their life? Maybe a shopper has lodged his cart in the aisle exactly in front of the Paul Newman pasta sauce and is contemplating the relative merits of marinara or basil with garlic, and all you want is to grab some sauce so you can go home and have a late dinner and you're already cranky because you're so very hungry. Maybe a grandma is driving especially slow in front of you because her arthritis is acting up, and if you somehow divined the reason you might be more sympathetic, but as it is you're already late and she's made you miss two lights. Or maybe you're a woman who has worked long hours for a company in the hope that you might get that coveted promotion, only to be passed over again and again by a suit who's younger and less experienced than you.

Or maybe you're Hillary Clinton, and you've worked your whole damn adult life to make real, positive change in the lives of poor families, overworked mothers, undocumented workers, and abused children. You've been skewered for putting career before the gentler arts of baking cookies and supporting your husband, the Governor, the President. You've been excoriated for staying with him even when the scandal of his infidelities must have made you both furious and mortified. You've been called a feminazi; you've been told you're not a good feminist.

So you, Dear Reader, are not Hillary, obviously, but Hillary is Hillary, and after all the shit she's gone through, she's still in the game. She knows international diplomacy, health care, and the law inside out. She knows how to deal with haters. She may not be charismatic, but she listens to people and apparently she's got a good sense of humor, and she's got an actionable five-part solution to every problem, whether it's to organize the White House egg hunt or crush ISIS.

So, look. Bernie Sanders is terrific. He's galvanized young people, brought awareness to the democratic socialist platform. You know that, the Berners know that, Bernie knows that. But, Bernie, you lost. The New York Times reports that you lost by any measure--popular vote, caucuses, people-who-might-have-voted-but-couldn't-get-to-the-caucus. You lost. Please do not try to ride that dead horse to Washington. The system may not always be fair, but can you verify categorically that it is rigged enough to compensate for the millions, millions of votes that she got and you didn't? With all due respect, you've had your moment. Now get the hell out of her way. In fact, do more than that. Support her. Implore your followers to support her. Shout out the good things she has done and will do. You have the charisma; she has the chops. Figure it out before it's too late.

P.S. New York magazine has a really interesting profile of her; I recommend it.

Pee

Forgive me if my subject is the puppy again. She takes up a lot of my time because 1) she's so adorable to watch and play with, and 2) the world is a big chew toy for her. This morning at five a.m. she was raring to play or, if not to play, then to chew. On a coffee-table book about the Musée d'Orsay or, when I took that away, on the coffee table. Her teeth are tiny white baby teeth, not strong enough yet to cause irreparable damage to the furniture, at least. But I can tell by the way she savors the plant table (one piece of furniture I spent real money on) that she is developing her palate. Testing....

Ice cubes are underrated. They're free, readily available, and puppies can either chase them like a hockey puck or chaw on them like a jawbreaker. The dollar store has a variety of dog toys for--oh!--one dollar each. A cardboard box from the recycling is distracting. All of these are prime chewable objects, but the trouble is that each one only lasts about 15 seconds. That's pretty steep entertainment value even for the dollar store.

One inimitable, priceless chewable object is Juno's sister, Lucy. By the same token, Juno is Lucy's chewable object. One or both of them is going to have a pierced ear. I think a pirate ring might be appropriate.

I take Juno outside about every three minutes. I praise her when she pees as though she's discovered unobtainium. But still, there are puddles ink the house. On the door mat. In the hall. At a random spot on the wood floor. Hey! I just watched you pee outside! I praised you like you discovered a new freaking planet! You woke me up at five o'clock and made me play with you, and you owe me!

Ah, you clever thing. Your cuteness. It's your only and unassailable defense. Why don't you gambol and make my heart feel light. Run to me and let me put my face in your furry fluffiness. We'll try again tomorrow, but right now I need to go to bed.

Dogs

...is there anything they can't do?

They can't stop being cute! I got a new puppy today--more on that later--and she has distracted me so that I didn't write today's post. Here she is, Juno: so adorable that you're glad for the substitution.

six words

Hate to cook; eat chocolate instead.

In recent years, I've started off my freshman comp classes with this mini-assignment: Write your story in six words. The "memoir" can reflect your personality, the present moment, or what's been on your mind lately. Funny, soulful, weird, whatever. The exercise is meant to break the ice and make writing immediate, accessible, and potentially even evocative. 

(This is by no means my invention. According to their website, SMITH Magazine first started the six-word memoir project in November 2006. You can read about it here: http://sixwordmemoirs.com/.) 

So my contribution, the memoir I share with students, is this: Hate to cook; eat chocolate instead. 

The beauty of the genre is that it says so much more than it says. These six words reveal not only that I'm lazy about cooking, I'm so lazy I can't be bothered to write more than six words about my laziness. So lazy I don't even use the pronoun "I." 

I wish I did like to cook. I envy people who get excited by Korean barbecue, designer cocktails, or grilled pizza. I'd like to benefit from the nutritional explosion that is kale or mustard greens. I'd like to find bliss at the farmer's market and fulfillment in that first taste of whatever's on the stove. But even though I wander the grocery store aisles hungry and willing to respond to whatever calls to me, I leave with a single sweet potato and strawberries. Maybe a frozen meal of curried peas and dal, if I'm feeling adventurous and/or desperate. And I remind myself that just about anything goes well with red wine. 

It's On

This is the story I tell about Kim. 

When I got pregnant for the first time, at 36, I called my friend Kim, whom I've known since 8th (?) grade. 

Me: Well, I called to tell you I'm pregnant!

Kim: That's funny!

Me: thinking, That is an odd thing to say. 

Kim: ... Me, too!

Our sons were born within 18 days of each other. When the boys were four months, we met up in LA, where she lives. I believe her reaction was, "Oh, my God!" It's true, Cosmo was a chunky baby, a "Christmas ham," as one of our neighbors said. "Magnificent," said my mother-in-law. I developed some impressive biceps carrying that boy around. 

Her boy was regular-sized. 

(The story is in the coincidence, not the comparison. I've just added details for interest.) 

Now those sons are 18 and heading to college in the fall. The mothers will keenly feel their absence. All of our lives will change. Kim already has a dog, and I'm getting a puppy, god help me.  

A talented painter and fiber artist, she'll now have more time to devote her art. In fact, she has set herself the challenge of doing a painting a day--evidence of which she's posting in her fabulous blog. She's already done five paintings since, yes, June 1. 

Check it out here: http://kimzimart.blogspot.com/ 

So she has also challenged me to meet her blog-a-day. It's not about competition (anyway, I'm not a competitive person, despite my seeming baby-comparing), more about solidarity and encouragement. When a friend gives a shout-out in the name of art and the creativite process, one must answer the call.

Cheers.