Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Welcome to Good Night Theater

I have a beautiful old crabtree in the yard. Last year I transplanted all my daffodils at the base and they have been in bloom almost two weeks now. Today I noticed that the tree is blooming too and what a beautiful combination they make.

This afternoon it was so warm I wanted to wear my shorts. It's probably a good thing that I went inside to work on some school assignments and article writing instead. I haven't had my legs waxed this year and I wouldn't want to scare the neighbours.

The point of waxed legs brings me face to face with gender stereotypes and the social construction of gender. Wasn't that a tidy tie in I made there, very smooth, if I do say so myself.

I find the concept of gender construction very intriguing. Are the girls acting like girls? Are the boys just being boys? How and when did our focus as a society become so narrow that there are certain socially acceptable behaviours attached solely to the gender of the person?

I like classic TV shows and lately my favourite has been Bewitched. As a kid I loved the magic aspect. As an adult I see the magic of rigid gender roles. Yes, magic. Shows like this helped to conjour the idea of men as breadwinners and women as model wives who greeted their husbands at the door. By far and large I prefer the magic that uses twitching.

Also, on the subject of magic: tonight I grabbed a bag of chips, took my laptop out on the patio, and set up a chair. I watched part of a movie while bundled in my sweater, jacket and a blanket. It was almost cold enough to see my breath. Quite a contrast to this afternoon. When I came back into the house I used the magic of electricity to get warm again.

(OK, my ending is, well, not good. I admit it and I have no excuses, except this, I think some of the funny still needs to warm up). Believe me, if I had a magic wand I would have used it.

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