You know, private schools aren't the cure all some people think they are. Also (possible The Bluest Eye spoilers) I wonder if Percola's family was named the Breedloves after the incestuous family in Invisible Man?

In other news, some people want you to volunteer to keep the elections fair. I do wish I had a car, so I could do stuff like this.

There are pictures of naked, pregnant women on the internet. Interesting. NSFW.

One of the things that seeing the end of Utena has given me access to is fan essays. This is a much different fan undertaking than say, fan fic, which I really dislike. I mean, most fanfic writers can barely be bothered with correct punctuation, and if there is a good fanfic writer, I start wondering what they are doing writing a fanfic, if they could make up their own characters anyway, why even bother writing someone elses However, fan essays actually give you information, and in more confusing series, like Utena, actually clear up some mysteries. For example, I read one really good long fan essay about Mikage, and it was really interesting to see connections to such things as Manet paintings and T.S. Eliot poems here.

Of course, fan essays could be considered 'fan jerking off' just as fan fics are, but I think the difference is that the essays don't lend themselves to obvious self insertion like fan fics do.Fan fics seem like a big act of ego with someone else's toys. Beautiful, wonderful, etc,etc versions of the authors appear. Characters that had been established as acting a certain way for an entire series suddenly act totally different without explanation. Characters get together not because of logical reasons, but because of BISHIE BISHIE!!! OMG!!! YAOI!!! LOL!!!! However, an essay focuses on the work- what? Did Anthy refer to some weird poison I've never heard of? Let's look it up! OMG! It's a reference to (obscure piece of European History) or why is there a Black Rose arc? Oh, it's foreshadowing for (insert event here!) I'm not saying there aren't bad essays- one I remember was a bunch of made up stuff about what Akio would do in bed, and gave me the bad mental image of Akio in a fur suit, but that was an exception.

Then again, maybe I'm just a weirdo.