And, the whole "Women's gymnastics is horrible! They're just little girls!" thing has started again: [link]

Sure, there are abuses in gymnastics. But just looking at pictures of gymnasts from the past few years and gymnasts from the eighties and early nineties, I'd bet anything that the rates of anorexia have gone way down. The description in that article of gymnasts looking like prepubescent boys from the neck down is just weird -- most gymnasts tend to be compact and muscular.

And he cites palm rips as an "injury"? Seriously? That's about the same level of injury as a skinned knee. You stick some tape on it and keep going. (He also says palm rips from the rings, which is a men's event, leading me to believe that he doesn't really know much about gymnastics.) Also, up until the quote at the end from Dominique Moceanu, every single incident he talks about is one mentioned in "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes," which was published around 1996. Some actual news in a newspaper, please?

WTF?

*************

(08-09) 07:03 PDT Beijing -- An American relative of a U.S. Olympic volleyball coach was stabbed to death Saturday and his two companions were wounded before their Chinese assailant leapt to his own death off the 13th-century Drum Tower just north of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The apparently random attack occurred at 12:20 p.m. on the first full day of competition at the 29th Olympic Games in the ancient capital, the day after the spectacular Opening Ceremonies welcoming the world into China.

The assailant reportedly sprung at two relatives of a coach on the men's indoor team and their Chinese tour guide on the second floor of the tower. The man, identified by the official Xinhua News Agency as Tang Yongming, 47, of the eastern city of Hangzhou, stabbed the three and then jumped about 130 feet to the ground as tourists watched.

Yeah, that's weird. I heard this morning that attacks on foreigners in China are very rare.

Stephanie! Matilda is rummaging through the latest box of clothes picking out an ensemble for games at megan's house.

I just posted in Bitches about that exact subject. I hope she has fun. It turns out that I had been given lots of cool weather clothes in those sizes that Ellie never wore more than once or twice, if at all, so there should be a lot of options in there.

I hope she has fun.

Fun was definitely had. She dressed herself by putting a t-shirt on as a pair of shorts and strutting about proudly.

She dressed herself by putting a t-shirt on as a pair of shorts and strutting about proudly.

A very flexible and open-minded thinker. I approve.

Annabel, after grumbling when I told her we were going to watch the Olympics instead of her TV, is now engrossed by women's volleyball.

It's a long, long story. Let me copy and paste from my LJ:

Weird.

So, you know how I sent out that APB for some art so I could attach it to the manuscript for Sam?

Today my co-author and I were sifting through artwork of all kinds: Mexican folk art, Corpse Bridey stuff, pixary things, and of course, Batman.

I came home today to find an email from....DAVE DORMAN'S WIFE. She said she dug my book, has a marcomm agency for scifi projects and thought maybe we could help each other in some way because of the fandomy thing.

Dude. I was looking for art. I just looked at Dave Dorman's Batman art this morning. And then his wife emailed me. I have NO CONNECTION there.

I mean, seriously, I can't afford to commission a sketch from him, but the weird serendipity of the moment freaked me out. I've gone fangirl bananas. I of course emailed back and blabbered on like a lunatic, told Warren Ellis (who thinks I'm an idiot, now) emailed Plei, and...yes. I am a lunatic.

Dude. Dave Dorman's wife emailed me. Today. I'm writing a book about a bat. I hope he at least gets a chuckle out of it and doesn't think I'm a complete jackass. I feel like I need to apologize for the fangirl blitz.

This morning he said he'd do it. I just have to run around plugging a fundraising project for a scholarship for military brats to go to art school:

[link]

Dude. Batman is sketching my bat. Someone to please peel me off the ceiling?

[link]

Someone to please peel me off the ceiling?

No. Because it's TOO FUCKING COOL!