Fire the gal because she's at fault, never the guy

Now, I don't really like Kristen Stewart. I don't find her to be all that talented of an actress, and I can't deny that her starring in Twilight also colors my opinion of her (though I haven't liked her in anything else she's been in either; it's always the same flat portrayal, as if she's bored of being there.). That said, she was cast as the lead in Snow White and the Huntsman. Should a sequel be made, however, she won't be returning.

Why not, you might ask? I assume you might ask because about half the readers of this blog follow pop culture/celeb stalking even less than I do. Well, if you didn't hear, the 22 year old Kristen Stewart had an affair with the married (he's also a father) 40 something director of the film. I'm definitely not cool with this; they both were in relationships with others (Robert Pattinson has since dumped Kristen Stewart according to the gossip mill), and it takes two to tango, so to speak.

My problem is simple. She's facing this shitstorm more or less alone. She got dropped from any potential sequels, while the equally cheating bastard director is still slated to direct them. Quoi?

Yes she cheated. No, it's not cool. Yes, she knew he was married. But yes, he cheated, no, it still wasn't cool, and yes, he knew he was married and she was in a relationship. She's young and stupid--as we generally are at the age of 22--and he's old enough to know better (but apparently is still stupid). But so far as anyone can tell, he gets to keep his job because he's male. She, quite possibly, has shot her career in the foot because she's young and fucked up. Fans are irate, largely because many of them don't seem to grasp that she's a real person, not Bella "I'm a whiny loser who has no self-esteem and is completely wrapped up in a creepy guy" Swan, and are incensed that she treated Edward Robert Pattinson this way.

I'm incensed that the director (don't remember his name, don't care) doesn't seem to be sporting any visible bruises from his wife. I don't advocate automatically ending a relationship after an affair. There are so many factors to consider, and I think that determination depends on each couple and individual involved, and those of us not involved should shut up. That said, I think it's absolute bullshit that one of these two got fired for having an affair, but not the other. Both are at fault, but instead of treating them both as such, or better still, not getting involved at all (and if one or the other or both or neither wish to work together again, leave that decision up to them and those close to them), the decision was made to blame the woman. Again.

Because it's always our fault.

Here to stay

Finally. After years of struggling to make our relationship work and months of nervousness that I wouldn't have my documents back in time to travel, not to mention the obscene amount of money thrown at the Tories (assholes), they can't deny it anymore: I'm here to stay. I don't want to be, but that's a different issue.

Yesterday I found a missed package delivery slip. There was absolutely nothing on it besides a tracking number, but when I went to the website to schedule redelivery they mentioned--many times--passports, so I assumed that all my crap (about a kilo's worth of paperwork and our passports) was being returned.

It wasn't. When I signed for it today it was just a tiny envelope, which meant it was my biometric residence card permit thingy (Indefinite Leave to Remain, or ILR), which they're no longer sticking in passports but printing out on plastic. Basically it's a driver's license type thing with a chip in it (because those chips are *soooo* secure). It's horribly ugly, but since it allows me to do nearly everything over here (except vote and drive, and I can drive on my US license for a year if I were crazy, which I'm not), I don't really care. I have to travel with it, which should be interesting; even though they've had these doohickeys for a while, I'm sure someone in Border Control will fuck it up and stamp me in wrong.* That'll be a fun fight to have...

Happily, a couple of hours after receiving my ILR card, there was another pounding on the door (delivery people in this country believe in making a LOT of noise). This time it was a mail carrier who wanted my signature (for Weldman, because he couldn't get it through his head that the "i" wasn't an "l") for a very large packet that appeared to have about a kilo's worth of paperwork in it. It did. They seem to have sent back everything of importance (and at least some of not), and in particular, our passports. So happy days, I'm free to leave the country again. And just in time, too, since I have to leave the country in just over a month for a friend's wedding.

So though I don't always want to be here, I say to everyone who has been a douche to me because I sound different

Suck it. Suck it long, and suck it hard.

I know the residence permit isn't very clear. I prefer it that way for a variety of reasons.

But it's there, and it's mine.

*This happened with my student visa when I first entered on it in 2005. I presented my passport, opened to my visa page, which she ignored and flipped to my ID page, then flipped back to my visa page. She examined it, then proceeded to turn the page and stamp me in as a tourist. I found out when I came back after the holidays in January that effectively I'd been attending classes illegally. Fun times.