kellyoxford:

Me: I got a new video for us.
Beatrix: What is it?
Me: It teaches you how to speak Chinese.
Beatrix: I HATE Chinese.
Me: You told me you wanted to learn Chinese.
Beatrix: I DON’T WANT TO BE CHINESE!!!
Me: No, you can still speak English, you won’t turn Chinese.

I turn on the video. Bea is…

A little Valentine’s appreciation: pink roses, pink bubbly Moscato and (not pictured) my favorite pizza from Valentino’s (word play that did not dawn on me till later).

Also not pictured are the box of chocolates I’ve been living off of and lava cake.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day :)

If I controlled fashion, these would be as much of a staple as the LBD. This is probably why I don’t control fashion.

Wanna look powerful for an interview? Spike-toed shoes! Want more personal space? Spike-toed shoes! Tired of your date stepping on your feet when you dance? Spike-toed shoes! Want to discreetly get people out of your way when maneuvering through a crowd? Spike-toed shoes! Need to walk through a bad part of town at night by yourself? Spike-toed shoes!

I just can’t find an occasion in which these aren’t the answer.

I didn’t think a statement like that could still be shocking in 2012, but, judging by Google’s auto-complete search, it looks like it still is.

Today, I saw a BuzzFeed article with this slightly altered image:

The joke’s (most likely) referring to the delightfully entertaining Feminist Ryan Gosling Tumblr, which was created by a grad student and teacher in the gender studies program at the University of Wisconsin. She originally created it to catalog fun, ironic feminist flashcards for herself and her classmates to study, and then the blog caught on fire because, hey girl, it’s Ryan Gosling.

What put me off, though, about the BuzzFeed article was the fact that the first auto-complete search term says, “Why do feminists hate men?”

And then I double-checked to see if that’s really what pops up, and sure enough, it does:

The only altered element of that photo is that I cropped it so that it wouldn’t be a shot of the entire screen. This is really what pops up.

The other stereotypes that pop up aren’t great news either, but I’m most unnerved by the fact that, apparently, enough people think I hate men to make it the number one search term that pops up. Hate is a terrible thing, and it’s pretty much the opposite of what the feminist movement is trying to accomplish. Also, I don’t hate men. I feel like I just found out about a rumor about me or something; it’s like high school all over again!

So, although articles of this sort have been written over and over again, it looks like we might all could use a refresher on the literal definition of feminism, taken from Merriam-Webster itself:

1. The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. 2. organized activity on the behalf of women’s rights and interests.

Note the first definition. We don’t hate men. We want equality for the sexes. Yes, the word can be a bit misleading with its emphasis on “fem,” but that’s because it wasn’t all that long ago that we women couldn’t vote or work or be legally treated equally. And, in many countries, that’s still not the case. Hence the second definition.

But being a feminist does not mean we hate men. We don’t think women are better than men as a rule. We just want equal treatment for both sexes.

Which brings me to another point. Nothing breaks my heart more today than when I hear a woman say nervously, “I mean, I’m not like a feminist or anything…”

It shouldn’t be shameful or extremist to say you’re a feminist. When you say you’re not a feminist you’re basically saying you’re not for equal rights for the sexes. In no way should it be taboo to say you want equal rights for your own gender.

It’s 2012. Feminism has been around for more than a century. Can we please all start understanding it, now?

kellyoxford:

Kristen Bell and I have the same excited/sad crying scale.
Holy shit, I love you Kristen.

We’re not even two weeks into 2012, so now’s the time to get on top of your resolutions! I just started working as an Active Nutrition coach, so let me help you.

If you’re looking to get into better shape this year, contact me for a free wellness evaluation, and we can get started today. The above photo shows real results of a friend of mine on the program. Erik doesn’t have photos yet, but he’s also lost 7 pounds.

Bonus: if you’re guilty of eating out a lot, this program could save you money, too!

Don’t waste time and get started today :)

Ever since Erik and I move out here nearly five months ago now (crazy how time flies!), we’ve been meaning to go to San Diego. Today we finally bought a LivingSocial Escape to the Balboa Park Inn in San Diego. Obviously it’s located in the beautiful Balboa Park, home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. According to Google, it’s just a bus ride from the Gaslamp Quarter, too! The rooms look adorable, and each one comes with complimentary breakfast delivered to your room, free coffee and a free bottle of wine. Two nights in this bed & breakfast normally cost $374, but the deal right now is just $199! If you’re planning on going to San Diego soon, check this out. It’s a great deal and right in the location you would want to visit! You can get the deal here!

Best part about this joke is later Rick Perry later released a statement talking about “Kim Jong the Second’s” death.

castadrift:

After the sun set over the giant rock playgrounds, we headed west for the last time towards LA! We were fortunate to have one of Abbie’s best friends from high school, Maggie, to stay with. Shout out to her for taking us to the Griffith Observatory (on accident! Hurray for GPS!) so we could see basically all of LA from above and catch a glimpse of the Hollywood sign.