A note about femininity

I am a feminist. I also love high heels. I like getting all glammed up and hitting the town. I don't shun make up...or fashion...or shaving. Yet, I am still uncomfortable with the feminization or sexualization of EVERYTHING. Not that this is anything new....it's just on my mind. This morning the Today show talked about the spa trend among young girls. (7 year olds getting facials. WHAT?!) And last night, tennis player Maria Sharapova sported her "little black dress"...while she was playing. Tennis. On the court. With a barrette in her hair. A barette the shape of a bow. A BOW. I don't get it. You are a strong woman. Strong women can be feminine. You are a pretty woman. Pretty women can be feminists. But do you have to wear bows? While you play? Isn't it enough to be strong and capable? *le sigh*

Kid Stuff

When they first arrived, I almost sent them back. Overwhelmed by the rubbery smell. Blinded by the bright color. I could hear my sister laughing....but I put them on and flopped around the house. IN. LOVE. They were just what I was looking for. Fun and weirdly sexy. Practical for the North Carolina rain but strangely stylish. They came in handy on a first (un)date I went on a few weeks later. I told the cute boy that I was going to move to Costa Rica, mingle amongst the locals and paint while wearing my bright boots. I thought they had character. He thought I had character and said (later) he knew right then that we would marry.

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I smiled at the little boy running by my building. He was much ahead of his mom and looking back laughing. I told him "I have yellow boots, too." He looked skeptically at my pencil skirt and heels and began to turn his head. "But I have to be a grown up today." He nodded and flopped off. . . .

Signs of the Apocalypse v. 2

Remember how much I hate the Red and Black? Remember?

I checked my mail today and the campus paper had been delivered. . . to my mailbox. . . at my house.

There are other signs.

Culinary artist

The first meal I ever made was tacos. And, really, all I did was brown the meat. And, um, I screwed it up. (I also had this weird vision that the meat was still "alive" but that is a totally different post.) The second meal was a heart shaped pizza for my 8th grade boyfriend. I burned it black. I realized in that moment (after two failures) that I was not...good?...in the kitchen. I could just tell that cooking wasn't my thing, persay. Then I went to college and learned about feminism. It was GREAT. I could just not cook and play it off as some feminist thing. *chant* HELL NO, I WILL NOT BE CONSTRAINED TO THE KITCHEN. I AM LIBERATED. *bra burning*

And then....dum, dum, dum....I got married. To another non-cooker. We realized early on that it was sink or swim. Do or die. Cook or starve. We chose cook. *sigh*

I've really been improving. I even follow recipes. This weekend we had a party and I followed THREE recipes. THREE. DIFFERENT. RECIPES. ONTHESAMEDAY!

But first....the junior high Kristen surfaced.....

I had put a brown bag full of peaches in our oven to ripen. (Yeah, I don't get it either but my grandma does it and it really works. REALLY). Step one of my spinach dip was to "preheat oven." Okay. Got it. Preheat oven.

Step one should have been "remove brown bag with peaches from oven."

But, it wasn't. There was smoke. And fire. And burnt peaches.

And then there was laughing....and a good party despite the stinky beginning.

Book Meme

Thanks to QD for giving me another opportunity to talk about BOOKS!

1: One book that changed your life: Holy cow, I cannot pick just one. See this post that listed a few

2: One book you have read more than once: Pride and Prejudice. But normally I don't like to read books more than once. Not sure why...I also don't watch most movies more than once.

3: One book you would want on a desert island: well...something I haven't read! Ha. Actually....probably The Encyclopedia of Rhetoric (it is a LARGE book and would keep me reading until someone came and rescued me). . . might as well learn some theory while I'm stranded.

4: One book that made you laugh: Running with Scissors made me laugh so hard on a plane that the woman next to me promised me she was going to buy it. I also think that Al Franken is really funny. I once woke my roommate up to read a passage from Lying Liars. Oh and David Sedaris is hysterical. Sorry...I can't name just one.

5: One book you wish you had written: Any of the books listed in number 4. Well...just any book, really....tenure will require it someday.

6: One book you wish had never had been written: Would it be cliche to say Mein Kampf? Yes? Ok then....anything by Anne Coulter. It makes me sad that there is an audience for her crappy books.

7: One book that made you cry: I cry at books A LOT. But the first book to do it was Charlotte's Web.

8: One book you are currently reading: Bait and Switch

9: One book you have been meaning to read: There are a lot...but the next one on the list is Dharma Bums (I know, I know...everyone has read that book)

10. (QD's addition) One book you wish everyone would read, and why: The Rich Get Richer and the Poor get Prison. Eye opening.

Now tag five people.

I tag YOU.....everyone should do this

But:
Peter
Kourt
Bethany
You folks read a lot. GO.*

*You can do it in the comment section if you prefer!

More Al Gore Props

Bill is giving Al some lovinnn. This article suggests that Clinton is kinda sorta stumping for a Gore 08 run. We'll see!

A few of my favorite things v. 2

I like weird things...I like weird things A LOT. Remember?

Foaming soap
Exfoliating
Using these plastic ice cubes that are shaped like footballs (we bought them for football season but I've just started using them year round...I pretty much refuse to use regular ice cubes)
Little notebooks
Dusting and doing laundry
Freshly washed rugs and all the little rug things are standing up properly
Buying school supplies
Sharpies

Kristen for President

This may suprise you, but when I was in high school I was very involved in student government. Very. My interest in local, local, local politics has waned quite a bit, hence, I have yet to plan my five year high school reunion (a requirement of being senior class president) even though our ten year reunion is quickly approaching. However, I would be willing to go back to high school if I could be on THIS show.

A Mary Matalin/James Carville reality show?! Oh. My. God.

Sure, sure...this is really going to f*ck up whatever high school allows the show but WOW HOW FUN.

You can't teach an old dog...

new tricks. But lucky for us the dogs keep TALKING and TALKING and TALKING and giving us more and more reason to get out and vote in the mid-term elections.

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) said that if he remains in power after the November elections, there will be no action on global warming for the entire 110th Congress.

Sanctity of Marriage

So, I have this friend* and he has a co-worker who has this stupid bumper sticker. He refers to the car as the Honda of Hate. Well, yesterday a work place party revealed that the driver of the car has been married FOUR times. Yes. FOUR.

I just can't stop laughing....

*all identities and car models have been changed