KBlog » North Dakota

Home, home on the Web

Kimberly — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:24:28 +0000

So, I’ve redesigned my site. The old design was up for over a year, and I got many interesting comments about its “pinkness” — funny, because to me it was mostly black text on a white background (with various hues of magenta for accent) — but that’s how people saw it. I guess it did serve to communicate that I have no problem with being seen as “girly” in the world of tech, but I didn’t set out to make any particular statement by it. (My apologies to anyone who’s disappointed by that statement, but I’ve got to be honest.)

This new design — or the color scheme, I should clarify — is very close to my heart. It’s the same set of colors I used to paint my house in North Dakota, and since that house is being put up for sale, I wanted some way of remembering it. Plus, I knew I wanted swirly things in a new design. It didn’t all come out exactly as I had imagined, but with tweaking over time it just might get there. The code certainly could use some work — I made a number of design changes in the process of putting things together and the code reflects that bit of schizophrenia.

Despite all of that, I’m happy to see something new. The start of a new year, after all, is all about getting a fresh start, right? Comments on the design are welcome.

Blog for Choice

Kimberly — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 17:38:35 +0000

I wish that I had the time to more eloquently and more thoroughly explain myself on this topic, but I’m short on time today. What follows will have to suffice.

Before I start on why I’m pro-choice, I’d like to point out that today in Bismarck, North Dakota, the ND legislature is voting on three new bills to ban abortion and restrict birth control options:

HB 1466: Is a South Dakota style abortion ban. This bill would make abortion illegal in North Dakota if Roe v Wade is overturned; even in cases where the woman is the victim of rape or incest.
HB 1489: Bans the most common forms of birth control, depriving women of their full family planning options.
HB 1464: Scripts what doctors must tell their pregnant patients and prevents doctors from sharing their best medical judgment.

It’s enough to make me scream, as well as weep, for the women of North Dakota. I wish that I could be in Bismarck in person today, but I’m there in spirit. Please take action and send your pro-choice message to the ND legislature.

Why I’m Pro-Choice

I’m pro-choice because I believe women are more than baby-makers.
I’m pro-choice because I don’t believe sex is a sin or “dirty”, and I don’t believe its only purpose is procreation.
I’m pro-choice because my high school “sex ed” classes didn’t teach me a damn thing about contraception. Nor did anyone in my family.
I’m pro-choice because no contraceptive method is 100% effective and, even when used correctly, accidents happen.
I’m pro-choice because I’ve yet to find a doctor (OB/GYN or other) who can thoroughly explain how The Pill works and how I can be sure it’s effective.
I’m pro-choice because I know the panic a woman can suffer when she thinks she’s pregnant.
I’m pro-choice because I’ve seen how unplanned pregnancy can seriously interrupt or ruin a person’s life (and I speak of both the woman/mother and man/father, here).
I’m pro-choice because I don’t believe the “life” of an unborn fetus, which could not survive outside the womb, should be valued over that of a living, breathing woman.
I’m pro-choice because of the threat of sexual predators who may rape and impregnate a woman against her will.
I’m pro-choice because there are already too many unwanted and uncared-for children in this world, and I believe to bring another unwanted one in is cruel to that child.
I’m pro-choice because the “pro-life” community is devious, and blatantly misstates facts and spreads misinformation.
I’m pro-choice because I respect other people’s beliefs. I don’t necessarily agree with or understand them, so don’t impose them on me. My belief doesn’t impose on you, after all.
I’m pro-choice because I believe that people have the right to make choices about their bodies and lives, all by themselves, without the interference of the government or church. And to that end…
I’m pro-choice because I don’t want or need anyone making decisions for me. I’m a well-educated, mentally-competent human being. I don’t appreciate the government or anyone else thinking otherwise.

See other posts tagged as Blog for Choice.

Held Hostage By Allergies

Kimberly — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:43:59 +0000

Now that the Labor Day Weekend is coming to a close, I look back over the past three days and see that I accomplished… nearly nothing. It’s been a record year for pollen counts in North Dakota, and this weekend has been especially bad for me. Because I’ve been trying to cut my sugar and caffeine intake, I didn’t resort to any of my home remedies (like large quantities of Smarties and Coke, which, yes, actually works for me). However, this meant that, on what looked like a very nice weekend, I locked myself inside the house, with the air conditioner blasting, alternately ingesting antihistimines and decongestants and sleeping. Ugh.

Assuming pollen levels are lower at home, I can’t wait to get back to Philly this week for the launch of the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center. Assuming my friends in Computing Services will give me wifi access for those two days, I’ll blog what I can from the panel sessions.

I did (almost) finish one thing this weekend… I finally got WordPress up and running on Meridian Afterburn. So future car-related posts will appear there instead of here.