The Daily Helmsman pissed me off today.

I can't find the article on their website.

The article is basically fine - trying to start a "safe space" for GLBTQ students on campus.

Apparently, when students "expressed discomfort in class at the discrimination, they were sent to psychological services."

That is a terrible thing - homosexuality was removed from the DSM, remember? It's bad thing because queer kids aren't getting what they need, not because psych services are necessarily bad.

But the following quote was the one above the fold in big bold letters, so that's what I saw when I grabbed the paper.

"Going to the psychology building to say you're gay is like going to say you're crazy."

I'm e-mailing the paper and thinking of looking up the quoted student (a freshman, so she doesn't know any better) but damn, Talk about an insult. (I won't contact her.)

Here's the letter I'm sending:

The article in Friday's paper was hurtful and offensive. It is wrong to send GLBTQ students to psychological services, not because needing psychological services is something to be ashamed of, but because it is outdated thinking on the part of the school, and does not help our GLBTQ students at all.

However, I grabbed the paper today and staring me in the face was the pull quote.

"Going to the psychology building to say you're gay is like going to say you're crazy."

I go the psychology building. I get therapy there. There is nothing wrong with being crazy. The ablist tones in the article were disgusting.

There is no safe space or student group for students who are neuroatypical, who suffer from depression.

I support gay rights in any way I can, but I can't be quiet when I'm insulted. I am crazy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Oh - their website - The Daily Helmsman

ETA - article is finally up - Students seek LGBT safe zone

And I got an e-mail response to my letter. My concerns are "invalid" and they didn't mean to insult people with mental health problems, so it won't be published.

They still do this?

So I'm watching NCIS on our local CBS affiliate when a short blurb comes on for the local news at 10.

They're doing a story on local people rushing to the grocery stores because of the predicted snow.

First of all, people still rush the stores at the hint of snow. Ok, that is news to me.

The local news feels the need to cover it. Also news to me.

So perhaps it is appropriate.

Oh well, it's on at the same time as The Daily Show, so all I have to go on is that damned ad.

I really hate local news.

Also, McGee should so watch Golden Girls with me. It would be so sweet!

ETA: Gus from Psych(Dulé Hill) is in ad for DirecTV right now! He's in a bank that's being robbed, and he doesn't scream his usual scream. In fact, he's almost as collected as Shawn is, without pissing off the robbers. Anyways! Gus! On the TV! On Tuesday! On CBS! (Shilling for a satellite company.)

A brilliant statement from the local news

Okay, today I saw three news vehicles on campus around 1:45 by the Panhellenic Building.

I don't know about anything important going on there today, and when I checked the three channels' websites, there was nothing there.

So after Jeopardy, I decided to keep it on channel 3 (CBS) to see why they're on my campus. (The last time was when Taylor Bradford was shot. So I'm leery. Plus, local news is incredibly stupid.

Watching the last 30 minutes has only increased my disdain.

First, I saw a teaser for high heels for babies. Babies who crawl!

Did you know we have a pumpkin shortage? Apparently, the bees who were supposed to pollinate the pumpkins were scared off by the thunder.

Another pumpkin story followed, about a pumpkin carving contest in Washington. The anchoridiot said this: "It looks like a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only the victims are pumpkins and it's not in Texas."

No.

Really.

And I still don't know why they were on my campus!


ETA: One of the teasers just now said we didn't know how distracting texting and driving was. After the bit about David Blaine, so they segued from his dangerous stunt to the danger of texting and driving. Do they get paid to state the obvious?

Oh. There's a study out about the dangers of texting and driving. Apparently it's a bad idea. Who knew?

Is this why they were on campus? To talk to young drivers? If that's the case, I don't think three would be out here.

Meet my son, Friday.

Here's the story.

An Italian family named their son Friday. The parents registered him as Friday, and he was baptized as Friday. However, a clerk brought the name to the attention of a tribunal. So now the kid's legal name is Gregory, because he was born on that saint's feast day. The officials changed it to protect him from teasing later on and because Friday is a bad luck day in Italy.

I only checked this out because of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

The main character is Thursday.

Her mom is Wednesday.

Thursday's son is Friday and her daughter is Tuesday.

I think those are nice, interesting names.

However, since the family is Italian, you'd think they'd name their kid "Venerdì".

Friday's an English word with Norse roots, I believe.

One more note - I'd love to have a boy dog named Loki and a girl dog named Thursday. Hopefully they won't fight too much.