I Wish They'd "Take It All Off" the Internet

I found this gem whilst randomly site-surfing the other day. The composition was just too perfect; I had to take a screen-shot. I like to call it: "The Left is What I Saw, The Right is What I Thought." I'm just so tired of exploitative internet ads. It doesn't matter if you're doing research for a paper or looking up lyrics to a Wiggles song — you can't escape the misogyny!

When You're About To Say Something Stupid . . .

Pug Shots #2: Meet Penni the Pug!

You may have already heard me talk about Po, our 7-month-old pug (as seen in the first picture below). Well, meet the newest addition to our family, Penni (a.k.a. "Panini" and "Li'l P")! She's 7 weeks old absolutely adorable. She's a lot smaller than Po was when we first got him, but she's also very 

spunky when she wants to be. 

(Bias? Or scientific fact?)

    

    

    

From the Curious Depths of My Backpack #3

If you haven't been following this post series, this is where I pull random crap from my backpack and post it (yay)! I wrote this particular piece for my AP Language and Composition class. We were given a list of "wacky laws" and told to write a fictional story about one of them. I chose a law that says women in Corvallis, Oregon can't drink coffee after 6pm. (I apologize, there's one typo near the end.)

Written February 8th, 2011

Other posts in this series:

• From the Curious Depths of My Backpack #1: Where I'm From
• From the Curious Depths of My Backpack #2: My Life in Six Words

I've gone to the "Dark Side"

Wow, it feels like it's been forever since my last post! If anybody's been wondering where I've been (anybody?), I can sum it up in one word: school.

I've been extremely - no, that's not dramatic enough - death-defyingly busy for the past few weeks. I've been putting in between 8 and 11 hours at school everyday to accommodate clubs and study sessions, I've got AP exams coming up in less time than my brain wants to admit, and I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pull things together for a charity event my school is hosting on May 27th. Can't you just hear the sad violins in the background? I don't want to be a downer, but . . .

BEING A TEENAGER IS HARD!

We're constantly moving in a million directions, we never get any sleep, we're exhausted and stressed out all the time, and on top of all that we have to deal with stupid acne and urges to beat the crap out of anybody who looks at us funny (you know, because we're so tired). Is it just me, or should kids get some type of compensation for having it so rough? A paid-by-the-hour type of thing would be nice, but heck, I'd settle for a simple bowling trophy. (If any congressmen or women happen to be reading this, take that into consideration.)

Anyway, you're probably wondering what this "Dark Side" business is all about - and if you weren't, you are now!

Well, friends, I have indeed gone to the Dark Side . . . of the hair dye aisle!

That's right, I'm no longer a blonde, but a brunette. After a tragic accident last Thursday, I had no choice but to go darker for the first time in my entire life. Long story short? I tried dyeing my bleached-blonde hair another light color, but it turned gray with red roots! And if that wasn't bad enough, I had to speak at an assembly the next day; I would've had to get up in front of almost a thousand kids looking as if I'd aged forty years overnight (a tad over-dramatic, but you get my point)! 

Luckily my mom has dyed her hair too many times to count, so she knew exactly what she was doing when she made a late-night trip to Walgreens and picked up a darker dye. Thus disaster (in a petty scope) was averted.

Now if I've any ability to read minds whatsoever, you're probably thinking "Why is she talking about this? Dyeing hair ain't no biggie." But in my monotonous, homework-filled life, you better believe this is big news (sad, ain't it?). The fact is, I've had blonde hair ever since I made my grand entrance into this world over seventeen years ago. I've always been The Blonde Girl in class, and I've always had a hidden sense of satisfaction over busting negative "dumb blonde" stereotypes. In a way, I feel like blonde hair was, and maybe still is, a part of who I am.

See? I've been a cool blonde chick since Day 1 *laughs*

But even though this transformation is strange, I think it'll be good for me. I'll take it as a new adventure, a new beginning . . . And that is the last time you'll hear about my hair until I dye it some other color and go on another nostalgic rampage!



I guess I just wanted to check in, prove that I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth, and let everybody know that even though I've been really busy, I've still got some good posts planned for the future! Check 'em out!

What to Look Forward To (Upcoming Posts):

1. A spotlight on a unique band called Girls in Trouble in which "Brooklyn poet and multi-instrumentalist Alicia Jo Rabins mines dark stories of Biblical women, exploring the hidden places where their complicated lives overlap with her own." (I also hope to get an interview with Alicia!)
2. A closer look at a decision that might put female Air Force pilots at risk.
3. An interview with Alexa (author of Blossoming Badass), a teen who's new to the feminist blogosphere!