Making a "big deal" out of sexism and respect: The retweet that sparked a senatorial campaign battle

We've all heard about the controversy between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his opposition in the next election, Alison Lundergan Grimes. NSRC junior staffer retweeted an offense video of Grimes with her face superimposed over that of "Obama Girl" and the shit storm ensued. Jesse Benton, the campaign manager for McConnell said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that the McConnell campaign does not condone the tweet and that it shouldn't have been sent. An NSRC spokeswoman also called the tweet, "extremely offensive" and assured the country that the staffer responsible had been disciplined and that they had taken steps to ensure this sort of thing never happens again. Talk about damage control... kind of. Some Republicans have actually acused Grimes of using the tweet a a red herring in order to avoid talking about the "real issues." Still no word on whether or not they realize that mocking an opponent in such a manner is distracting from the "real issues" that they love so dearly. (Side note, have you ever noticed how the "real issues" is a term people love to use when they want to get back to whatever they want to talk about, a sort of red herring in itself? People often love to throw that around as a less obvious way to redirect conversation away from something uncomfortable). One McConnell supporter really seems to sporting an itch in her asscrack about this alleged distraction: Ellen Williams. The former state Republican Party Chairwoman is legitimately lashing out against Grimes for her offense at "some tweet" and accusing her of making a "big deal" out of it. My response? Yeah, maybe she is making a "big deal" out of it, AS SHE SHOULD!

Hear me out: Women have been fighting for hundreds of years to be respected as individuals and as equals. Not as just someone's daughter, wife, mother, or sexual object. Alison Grimes has just as much right as any man to get out there, kick some ass, and fight the fight she truly believes in. And she should be able to do so without feeling objectified, derided, or essentially negated as a person for her gender. Because that's what has happened here. Someone said, "Sorry Alison, I don't care for your politics, so I feel the need to make a mockery of your entire gender." These are the sort of messages young women everywhere are getting; that if you try to break through and follow your dreams in a largely male dominated field (or any field, even) you will be treated as a joke and subjected to humiliation and ridicule not because of your talent, but because of your chromosomes. It's not just Alison that is owed an apology, (and I mean a genuine apology, none of this "I don't condone blah blah blah" nonsense) it's women everywhere. We matter. Our sexuality is not something that you can make a joke out of and then blame us for "making a big deal" out of. This is a perpetuation of the misogynistic claims of "female hysteria". Yeah, that male driven diagnosis didn't die in the early 20th century and if you think it did you're kidding yourself. I will not be shamed into silence with the looming threat of the "C word" That's right: crazy. Hysterical. Over-reaction. I'm taking a stand. I won't stand idly by while Grimes or any other woman is being bullied and shamed for reacting. It is not crazy to demand respect. It is not crazy to expect equality. It is not crazy to rail against constructs that prevent these basic human rights from being achieved.

It's time for sexism to be ridiculed and derided. It's time for us to say that is enough is enough, and we're ready and willing to stand up for change.

I should work for Buzzfeed: 30 Signs You're a Nursing Student

Hey, what's up? My name is Perpetually Late! Would you like to see a blog post? Yeah?
...
Get it? No? Meh, my sense of humor doesn't always translate well online. The moral of the story is I'm late like always and I'm pretty sure I forgot a post or two somewhere along the way. Are you really late though if you're always late? I mean, eventually your friends and family just learn to always count on you being there 15 minutes after you say you will, so it's pretty much the same as being on time, right?

Anyways it's the most maddening, hectic, exciting, weird time of the year! Back to school. Parents are dancing a jig at 9 AM in their empty houses and kids are still excited about their wicked cool Batman lunchbox. But what about those of us in upper division professional programs? Not psyched and already praying for Christmas Break. I was thinking about this distinction (between Kindergarten through our first couple years of undergrad) and I thought to myself, "Self, why is that?" and then I was like, "Excellent question. Because fuck nursing school, that's why."

Yes, it is exciting to be moving into adult life with so much hope and promise, but this last hurdle is a particularly excruciating one. And in the spirit of a Buzzfeed journalist, I'd like to explain why:

1. When you get accepted and you're like, "Shit, I actually have to do this now."



2. When your parents and relatives ask you if you're enjoying nursing school you just pause...



3. You hear this question: "If my (insert body part) is (insert verb or injury) is that bad/fatal/indicative of a serious ailment?" More and more from friends and family as you go through your program, and this is generally your reaction...

4. You make this face when your clinical instructor asks if you heard that irregular heart sound...


5. But when they turn around...



6. Learning to give injections was one of the most exhilarating and terrifying times in your life because you finally felt like you were becoming a real nurse



7. Until you volunteered to help with an immunization clinic, and you started to feel like this when you had to give one...



8. Everyone did this before their first skills check off...



9. But made this face after your first semester when you saw new students doing the same thing



10. You neglected your health while simultaneously learning how to take care of others' health



11. But it's OK because you're totally on top of that shit... as soon as you graduate



12. Finals week saw some potentially dangerous experimentation with caffeine



13. You had at least one person in your cohort who acted like this



And/Or this...



14. And irritated the fuck out of everyone else





15. Getting creepy while practicing assessment on your classmates was often the funniest part of your week...





16. But none of your friends in other majors "get" your funny nursing school stories
'

17. Your friends and significant other also don't "get" how much time nursing school takes up, even when you're not in class


18. Nothing chaps your ass worse than having more confusing tests, and a tougher grading scale

19. How you feel when med students try to act like they're better than you...



20. You forget sometimes that describing disgusting stories over a meal is not entirely appropriate



21. We have to do another care plan?!?!



22. Having to learn specific ways to ask a question so you can get the health information you want from a patient can be fracking frustrating



23. When friends in other majors complain about having two exams in a week...



24. When a friend or acquaintance majoring in Communications starts complaining about how "hard" their course load is...



25. Basically this is one of the most stressful times in your life...



26. But you've developed your own methods of coping...





27. Most of the time you feel like no one has any fucking clue about what's going on in class, especially the professors



28. And you have at least one of these moments... a week


29. This is when you feel like you're gonna graduate...



30. But stay calm my friend because there is a light at the end of the tunnel... I hope





P.S. I didn't own/make/generate/copyright any of these memes or GIFs. I'm not that tech savvy and if you thought I was you're a chump.

25 Before 25

Eek! I've done the unthinkable: lapsed on my promise to myself to keep me weekly blog posts going-TWICE! Unconscionable. But If you will forgive me, I'm currently taking a break on my vacation to the Sunshine State just to update here. I was reading a blog a few days ago about a couple that traveled the world for 6 months as a honeymoon. That accomplishment alone made me want to know more about these crazy adventurers. While browsing their blog (I'll copy and paste the link below so you can too-I highly recommend it!) I found a list the Mrs. of the site had written. It was called a 25 before 25. 25 things she wanted to accomplish before turning 25. As highly ambitious person and an anal list maker, this sounded like pure brilliance to me. So here it is, my own 25 before 25 list:

1. Learn to scuba dive
2. Take an Akashic Records class
3. Visit New Orleans with my mom
4. Visit a voodoo woman in NOLA
5. See the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
6. Swim at the beach in Cinque Terre
7. Graduate from nursing school
8. Pass the NCLEX on my first try
9. Start working in an ICU
10. Move into an apartment with one of my best friends
11. Do a cabin weekend with some friends at Lake Cumberland, Red River Gorge, or Pigeon Forge
12. Buy my first electric guitar (I really, REALLY want a Fender Strat)
13. Lose 60 lbs
14. Get my CCRN
15. Eat as many carbs as humanly possible during next summer's Italy trip
16. Get my Girl In a Coma signed concert poster framed (seriously I can't keep putting that off)
17. See at least 3 bands I've never seen before in concert
18. Go to Forecastle
19. Go to Coachella
20. Get at least one more tattoo
21. Eat Belgian chocolate IN Belgium
22. Visit one of the Bourbon distilleries less than an hour from my house
23. Take an art class
24. Keep up my blog
25. Begin research to possibly become a travel writer

So there you go! My 25 Before 25 list. I can't wait to get started on this list. There are some pretty lofty goals on here, but I'm not one to doubt myself ;) Wish me luck!

And as promised, here's the link to the blog by the globetrotting couple: http://mrmrsglobetrot.blogspot.com/

The Diet Diaries

Let me just preface this post by saying, generally I am opposed to dieting. I think it has a very negative connotation with it that invokes crazy, restrictive measures that are nearly impossible for people to keep up with. I prefer balanced, healthy eating. The 80/20 rule seems very appropriate here. That being said, I am, *gasp*, currently on a diet. College in general and Nursing school specifically has wrought havoc on my health. If you're not in college yet, don't worry. You'll realize what I'm talking about soon enough. I digress. So anyways, if you're not a super clean eater, and your typical Tuesday night consists of Domino's and Blue Moon while pouring over med/surg notes, it's hard to make that switch to a better lifestyle. I have found you make too many excuses for yourself right off the bat, i.e. "It's cool if I pop over to Mickey D's in between classes. I'm gonna eat a salad for dinner tonight." And 8 hours later you're parked in front of your laptop with a bowl of mac n cheese, frantically trying to finish up a clinical worksheet that's due in 6 hours. So I decided the easiest way to ease into a healthier lifestyle is to start with a strict diet, then transition.

Enter: The Diet Diaries. The diet I'm working with is a 3 week metabolism booster. Supposedly it amps up your body's fat-burning ability by throwing it change-ups. You have four different types of days: fast days, shake days, low carb days, and moderate carb days. Then at the end of each week you get a cheat day. The first day of every week is a fast day; yesterday was my fasting day. Let me just say, it fucking blows. I mean it sucks some serious camel dick. It's not as bad as expected it to be but let me just say, it's no fucking picnic. I mean seriously, there's no picnic because you can't eat all goddamn day. At first you're like, "dude, I can totally do this." And then morning slowly progresses into afternoon. Then you're like, "Phew, this isn't that fun, but like, I can make it through the day." And by early evening you're more like, "No, seriously diet. FUCK OFF! I hope you die! I hope you die and go to hell!" Still there are 2 positive things I've found about fast days:

1. You do loose a nice amount of weight for just one day.
2. It makes transitioning into shake days a whole hell of a lot easier. At least until after you chug your first shake and realize protein powder tends to have a not-so-pleasant after taste.

All that being said, I'm on my second week already, and I'm feeling pretty good. As much as fast days suck, the whole regimen isn't too terrible. I definitely feel like I could do this and easily transition into eating so much better. I'm pretty excited about making this change. Now if I could just start making it to the gym...

Racism: Not a thing of the past

Parents should never have to bury a child. It is a heinous tragedy that goes against the laws of nature. It creates people orphaned, not by the people that gave them life, but by the people that gave them purpose. And I mean that in the deepest sense of the word. As a woman who has never had a child, and therefore never lost a child, I can't even imagine the pain Trayvon Martin's parents must be going through. And they've had to share that pain and bear the scrutiny of an entire country from a very public fallout following their son's death.

In case you've been living under a rock for the last year and a half, I'm addressing the case in which a young black male was shot and killed after being pursued through the gated community where he was visiting by a sort of crazed vigilante. Trayvon was unarmed and returning to his future stepmother's home in the community after visiting a local convenience store to buy an evening snack. The man that shot him, George Zimmerman, was studying criminal justice at the time of the shooting and was captain of the Neighborhood Watch program. Residents in the area had noted an atmosphere of concern and even fear about the increase in theft and crime over the past 18 months before the incident. Zimmerman was questioned for 5 hours the night he shot Martin, and then released, with local law enforcement claiming no intention of pressing charges. Pressure from Martin's family and a growing media frenzy claiming injustice because of racial prejudice led to the arrest of Zimmerman, charging him with second degree murder. He was found Not Guilty this past weekend on Saturday, July, 15.

We've heard all of the accusations coming from supporters and critics of both sides. That Zimmerman was motivated by racial profiling. That Martin was of dubious personal character, having been suspended from high school three separate times. So here's another opinion to add to the mix:

Trayvon did not deserve to die. Simple as that. It doesn't matter what sort of past he had, he had done nothing to deserve such a harsh and final punishment. He wasn't a perfect kid, but that didn't mean that he was a thug, or that his "thug wear" was some sort of justification of him being profiled as a threat to the community. But thanks for the insinuations, Fox "News". If I can speak honestly for a moment, I think Zimmerman was nuts. His criminal justice studies background and the fact that he pursued Martin during his 911 phone call, saying at one point, "These assholes always get away" really doesn't correlate with unprejudiced and concerned citizen his defense painted him as. When I look at everything Zimmerman did that night, I see someone who thought they were some sort of bad-ass vigilante. Instead of calling the police and giving a description of the "suspect" and what in fact made him so suspicious (p.s. nothing really), he was clearly aching to get involved. He created a situation in which a 17 year old boy felt threatened, and though the details of how and what are quite sketchy, a scuffle resulted. Regardless of who caught up with who, if I were Trayvon Martin, I probably would have tried to defend myself against some creep following me as well. And as a young, athletic man, Martin probably did get in a few solid blows. But does that justify being shot in the chest? Hell no. And here's where Florida's Stand Your Ground statute comes in. Because of this statute, Zimmerman was considered justified in this shooting, despite the fact that he did not first try to run or escape. Now I ask you, is it justice for someone to create a situation in which another human being feels threatened and unsafe, then shoot the other person in a tussle that they ultimately caused, without even trying to disengage first? No. It's not. And an innocent kid was murdered because of this ridiculous loophole. Racism in this country is not dead, unfortunately. And laws like this help keep it alive. Not to mention this verdict comes mere weeks after a key part of the Voting Rights Act was struck down, claiming that it, "did not reflect racial progress in this community."

To me, this is a rather dark reflection of us as a country. I think we all need to accept that we're not as accepting and free from prejudice as we like to claim.You can't fix a problem unless you first admit that it exists, and we've got a lot of work to do. The least we can do is be honest with ourselves.

Fuck yeah, we're living in 'Murrica.

I was reading an article today about how different countries measured up according to reported happiness. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by America's ranking: we ranked #6 out 36 countries. Let me explain my surprise; I love my country! I love March Madness (I mean I'm from Kentucky, after all), 4th of July, and living in a country with a cultural make-up as diverse as it's geography. What's not to be happy about? But my surprise comes from the fact that I feel like I'm often reading articles about how far behind other 1st world countries we are in job satisfaction, education, healthcare, etc. And some of it's true, but sometimes I also feel like we're not as grateful as we could be as a country. We have so many freedoms and opportunities that are simply not available to people living in other nations, and while that's wonderful, it's given us a bit of a complex. And by complex, I mean we're SPOILED! So I've compiled a list, based mostly on my own limited travels to Europe and South America, of why we should be a little more grateful for the large and small perks that come with living in this amazing nation.

1. As flawed as our healthcare system is (and don't try to tell me it isn't! I've worked in a hospital), we DO have relatively easy access to healthcare. I went to Peru on a medical mission trip as a freshman in college, and let me tell you: it can get harder. For the first part of our trip, we were stationed in a small, rural village in the Andes. The 1 doctor and 1 nurse that served the large area we visited used an ambulance that looked like it had wheezed right out of the 70s to travel to some of their more remote clientele. They said this while we were visiting a satellite clinic that consisted of a couple of rooms with tables and chairs and a small closet used for housing patient records. That's all. Quite frankly, I wasn't aware that it got more remote than that.

2. Even in some of the most rural parts of America, you're hard pressed to find a population without at least some form of transportation. While visiting the clinic mentioned above, we met a woman who had walked for 3 hours to get to her 7 month prenatal check-up. Yeah, that's roughin' it.

3. We have powerful toilets. Ok, I know this one sounds stupid, but after my trip to Scotland and England this past May, I gotta tell you:  it's important. Without getting into too much gritty detail, the shitty plumbing (pun intended) made for more than a few awkward mishaps.

4. The food's amazing. I mean seriously, AMAZING! And diverse. Let me tell you, in Europe you'd be hard pressed to find a town where you can get good sushi, Mexican, Ethiopian, or hearty burgers all within 5 minutes of each other, but here? Totally possible.

5. We have space to breathe... And drive. I'm talking about you, Cornwall. Literally, there are places in this gorgeous region of England where people's back doors literally open up onto the streets. Literally, THE FREAKING STREET! Good luck trying to storm out when you're having a fight with your spouse. Better use the front door. Incidentally, this is the same area I scratched the shit out of our rental car by scraping along a scary stone wall for a few feet.

6. Our drivers aren't that bad. My flair for dramatic language can't even express to you how not bad they are. Try getting through Lima in rush hour in a taxi. If my friend from Taiwan is to be believed (And the haunted look in her eyes tells me she's not exaggerating), China is not much better.

7. Customer service. Ever tried eating at a restaurant on the quick in Paris, Barcelona, or Edinburgh? It doesn't happen. And south of the equator they're in even less of a hurry. Just remember that the next time you have to wait a whole half an hour for sirloin.

8. Last for now, but definitely not least, Freedom of Speech! I recently watched a powerful documentary on HBO called Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer. It's about a Russian punk protest collective called, you guessed it, Pussy Riot. These women illegally protest the oppressive government and it's links with the Orthodox Church, calling for improved women's and LGBT rights. Their venues have included subways, tops of buses in crammed traffic, and the one that landed three members in serious trouble: Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. I'll grant the last one was misguided. While I believe them when they say they didn't do it to show hatred toward the church, I am a firm believer in respecting everyone's right to upholding their spiritual, sacred place. But did their crime truly warrant intense trial that ensued, in which the young women were eventually convicted of public hooliganism motivated by religious hatred? I think not. And their sentence of two years of imprisonment was most decidedly not deserved (side note, one of the trio's sentence was later appealed and she was released on bail). Amnesty International has even taken an interest in the case, naming them prisoners of conscience.

My point is, though there are always exceptions to the rule, because no country's perfect, our country is still pretty damn great. I'm hoping we can all be a little more grateful and relish living in such an amazing place.

The moral of this story is that sometimes college blows...

I mean, literally. Just sucks a big, veiny, dick. But I digress. As you can tell from the headline, college life (and work life, but that is a different story) just sort of took my real life and ran with it this past semester. Like they were Olympian runners. You're not Bruce Jenner, College. Quit trying to run away with shit. So I have decided to do two things:

1. I will be holding myself to the standard of blogging once a week. Every Sunday I'll post a new entry. Even if I'm feeling particularly uninspired, I will post a page of pure stream of consciousness thinking, or my grocery list, or a list of all of the shit I'm currently procrastinating doing. Even if that's all I can think of, it'll be up here.

2. I will absolutely not, not EVER, lose myself in school, or work, or any project or person, the way I've kind of lost myself in college in general, but this past year in particular, ever again. Seriously. Just no. Which brings me to the real topic of this entry...


I have always been particularly high-strung. I've also always been very ambitious and very unafraid of admitting what I want out of life and willing to work for those things. This made me convinced that I needed to do certain things to help realize my ambitions that I didn't really want to do, but that's ok because the world is just not a wish granting factory. You can't get what you want all the time but if you just stick it out with the shit you'll get what you want in the end. Um, yeah fuck that. I worked my ass off for 4 years between school and various jobs. And now I'm feeling like that was all sort of wasted time. I was so convinced that I had to get the best grades because nursing school was so competitive (which is sort of true, but the stress I put on myself to get in was of absolutely no help and I really wound up being admitted in spite of all of my self-destructive stressing, not because of it) and so convinced that I had to work constantly (p.s. I really didn't need to) that there were times over the last 4 years when I made myself really, really unhappy. And now I don't feel like suffering through all of that shit has got me to a better place. This is not a bitching blog post. In general, my life is hella-fucking-awesome. I have the most amazing family (so supportive of all my aspirations, even the ones they don't totally agree with), sincere friends, and a comfortable living situation. Already better off than ~60% of the earth's population already. But with the insight I now have, I've decided to give you a list of things I would have done differently if given another crack at college living.

1. Asked myself what would have made ME happiest to get out of college life, then picked a school based on that. Instead I saw and heard a lot about what college was supposed to be like: parties, sex, last minute cramming, and lots and lots of ramen. I took all of that and without much introspection or insight thought, "Yeah, that sounds good! Let's pick a college based on that!" I think I would have been a lot happier if I'd taken a moment to ask myself if that was really what I wanted. I also would not have gone to a state school where the majority of the undergrad population belongs to some greek organization or is involved in a hard core Christian/Baptist student organization. I would also not have chosen a place where all of the girls wear the same.fucking.thing.all.the.fucking.time. I don't care how much you love Vera Bradley and Northface, or how comfy Uggs supposedly are (by the way, they're ugly as fuck in case you were wondering). Most of you are wearing this crap because it's trendy. Stop lying to yourself.

2. Picked a cause and an organization to get involved in. You have to get involved to make friends in college. It really doesn't just magically happen. Plus, I'm so passionate about so many things I regret not taking that passion and using it to advance something worthwhile.

3. WORKED LESS!!! There is such a thing as balance. I'm apparently not very good at it... yet
4. Exercised regularly. It's not just about keeping weight off. We are one lazy-ass nation. When I would go through a phase of religiously exercising every day I felt AMAZING! I focused better, I had more energy, and I just felt less stressed and more confident in general.

5. Walked outside occasionally. Even though the college I went to for my first two years (when I realized I hated it I transferred back home so I could commute and save money) was not for me, it had a gorgeous campus. I might have done a lot of walking in between classroom buildings, but I wish I had just taken some time to just be outside and enjoy it.

6. Made a habit of studying right after class to help retain more information and make all-nighters a little less necessary. So I still don't know if I would or could do it, but cramming sucks serious balls. I mean I really hate it. I can just be so lazy sometimes.

7. Blown off my friends for work a lot less. Seriously, the fact that I still have any is more a testament to their awesomeness than mine.

8. Been honest about how hard it was. Every time I got on facebook I felt like everyone was posting pictures from some amazing party they went to with their new friends and it just made me feel like there was something wrong with me. Honesty is not usually something I struggle with, but I was pretty unwilling to admit, even to myself sometimes, that the social side of college was a struggle for me. It just felt like failure, especially since I was so outgoing and had tons of friends back home. Chances are though, if you find your cozy niche in a small, private, all-girls high school in a pack of stone-cold wierdos, you won't necessarily not find a similar or even improved niche in college (because college does give you a glorious and somewhat unique option of reinventing yourself), but it will probably be a lot harder. That goes back to #1, do your research and know thyself.

9. Traveled. I have traveled some, but I really wish I had taken one of those amazing positions at a hostel or on an organic farm abroad so I could immerse myself in a foreign culture and revel in the beauty of lostness. I'm actually a pretty adventurous person, despite my Type A personality, and I know that sort of thing would have been an amazing opportunity. Those things get harder to do when you graduate and have to get a big girl job.

10. Gotten an impractical hair style. Seriously, just so I could look at pictures of myself from the glory days with a BAMF hair style and show them to my grandchildren. "Guess what kids? Granny's always been a bad ass."


Luckily though, I'm not dead yet. And I intended to introduce as many of these corrections into my life as I can in my next and last year of college. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on my progress :)

Owning Feminism

I've been a stout feminist since I could spell the word. I grew up with parents that taught me to always value myself and defend what I believed in. My mother introduced me to spirituality and ritual that honors and reveres divine feminine energy. Clearly, the road to owning my feminism wasn't destined to be hard. And over the past year or two I've really started exploring exactly what it means to me to be a feminist. I mean, people have treated that word with pride, fear, disdain, reverence-I've seen it all. But do those people, even those who view feminism kindly, participate in much introspection about what the concept means to them? So many people treat it like some outdated, stodgy subject of academia, not like the living, breathing drive that it is. In my search for what other people tell us feminism means, I've developed a firmer grasp on what it is to me, and what I hope it can be for future generations of women.

Firstly, let me explain that my infatuation with feminism blossomed into love when I saw the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" with Hillary Swank. If you haven't seen it, you need to. Seriously, Hillary is a fucking rock star as my idol, Alice Paul, and I dare you to not feel moved during the scenes of the protests in front of the White House. Powerful stuff. But I digress. The movie chronicles the struggles Alice Paul and co. endured trying to push women's suffrage as an amendment to the constitution at the beginning of the 20th century. Seeing the trials those women endured in their tireless struggle for ALL women, not just themselves, brought to life on screen reminded of a Greek proverb I'm rather fond of: Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. When you realize the sacrifices someone who didn't know you made for your sake, it's not possible to feel anything except immense, inexpressible gratitude. And a sense that you owe them something; you owe it to them to take advantage of every opportunity they helped give you and every opportunity they didn't have available to them.

So fast-forward 100 years later and where are we? Scrapping and clawing tooth and nail (and in some cases-not) to hold onto rights that have been affirmed in our country 30-40 years plus. Listening to Rush Limbaugh call Sandra Fluke a slut for demanding accessible reproductive health care for women (though I do have a theory that he is an undercover liberal. I mean all the publicity Fluke got because of that statement? We owe him such a muffin basket. Thanks Rush!). Don't even get me started on being subjected to vaginal ultrasounds in order to receive an abortion. And with what I DO choose to label as a War on Women still raging on, I see far too many women, too many willing and potential feminists, bitching and bickering among themselves about the right way to promote our cause. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! There is no perfect method for anything in our imperfect world! Why can't we come together, disagree perhaps, but support each other regardless because if we can't even support each other, how can we expect others to support us in promoting the rights of women? In the spirit of the always controversial Caitlin Moran, I'm going to say this: this world needs plurality! We can't going around always wondering, "Is everyone included? Is everyone happy? Is everything perfect?" That's statistically impossible. Still I don't believe there is any such thing as "special interests." In a world of interdependence, special interests are pure fallacy. If we want to succeed, we need to make sure others do as well. And because I truly believe in the power women can wield, especially when cooperating as a collective, I propose the following:  Women everywhere need to forge ahead the best way they know how, and when other women notice a hole in their work, or a group not noticed, then they need to grab that as their opportunity to make change, instead of expecting others too and complaining when they don't. Stop being afraid of stepping on toes and get down, dirty, and abrasive. It's a great catalyst for change. 

Which brings me to my final point. To me, feminism is about the love I have for myself and for other women. It's about celebrating and supporting one another's differences, while realizing and reveling in our similarities and the things that reaffirm our mutual work for equality. It helps me to realize my own dreams, and to remind me that no hurdle is too big. It's given me a deep appreciation for being a woman and all the good and bad things that coincide with such a privilege. It has opened my eyes to the power we hold as a collective and that we are not, as so many people have suggested over the years, a weaker or inferior sex. It gives me appreciation for all of the accomplishments of the women who have gone before us, and the determination needed for bettering this world for our daughters (and sons). Feminism, my friends, means everything.

Now these women knew the value of a little controversy:

These are a few of my favorite things, OR: My life explained by social media...

I do aim for this to be primarily a politically focused blog, but sometimes, it's healthy just to laugh and appreciate that you are not alone. Besides, I know I am not the only party guilty of using the phrase, "Oh my god, last night I saw this thing on Pinterest/Twitter/Facebook..." So here's a snapshot of my life online:

And of course, the one that rings the most true: