Bathingsuit Season...Really?

Okay, here comes one of my feminist rants. Hold on.

At what point did we decide that every commercial for the summer needed to revolve around women losing weight to fit into that bikini? Really, Michael Vick? Really? And we wonder why we have so many issues in this country? I am all for healthy decisions. Eat right, be active, live well. (Yes, I need to practice more of what I preach on that, but still.) Good lord!

If you want to wear a bikini, fucking go for it. Being comfortable in your own body should not be overshadowed by some outlandish perception. Most of the commercials do not even show women who are close to looking overweight in the first place. Yet we are supposed to think that diet pills, branded diets, meal plans, detoxes, blah, blah, blah, are the only way we can look good on the beach?

Now some people may think I should enter the obligatory, "Where are the commercials about men losing weight to look good in those swim trunks?" But I do not want to go there either. No one should be made to feel like shit about themselves. Especially not by a commercial for Wal-Mart! (That could be a whole other rant for another day.) Get your diet needs cheaper...really?

We complain that Americans are too fat. We have so many eating disorders from anorexia to obesity in this country. How do these ridiculous messages on television help any of that? More than likely, they just push the disorders further, one way or the other. Did we not learn anything from Jean Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly? Oh wait, I suppose that was one of the privileges of attending an all women's college.

Get over it people! Get off your asses and be healthy, but for the love of yourselves, be comfortable with who you are. Is it really a good idea to listen to the media that also plays commercials like the crap from Geico? I do not think so.

Owning It

The other night, I am hanging out with friends when I get a call from one of my best friends from home. I have known him since 9th grade, and honestly he is one of two people from my hometown that know more about me than anyone should. The funny part about when he calls, he tends to draw out the more southern side of my accent. (It also does not help that I had finished a couple of beers. Alcohol can also be an instant accent intensifier.) We talked for some time, during which my friends were playing Wii Tennis. So I was thinking they were not really paying attention to my conversation. But they were, and in two minutes flat my instant accent becomes the center of attention. I cannot deny that I grew up in South Carolina, and sometimes, it surfaces in my words. Oh well.

The fun part is to embrace it. I never go out of my way to sound like a southern belle (or redneck...ha), but sometimes, it is going to happen. Of course, y'all is a major part of my vocabulary, and I certainly say momma and daddy, especially when I am talking to them. Certain words will even just catch me off guard (Wheeler: "China Bistro!"). Nonetheless, I just have to accept it all as part of who I am. Make fun of what you will, we all have those little quirks that make us unique...or at least entertain others.

Sidenote: it is spelled y'all, not ya'll. Yes, this is a pet peeve. I do not care if it is a slang word in the first place, and I know the South is not known for its grammar. But really people, spell it right.

Ignoring the Mishaps

This morning I realized how attached to routine I really am. Usually, everything I need to grab on my way out the door is in one place beside my sofa: work bag, keys, phone, coffee cup, etc. However, this morning something was misplaced. Background: I had some friends over last night to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (see previous post). We celebrated in a classic way: Mexican beer (which included Dos XX, Negro Modelo, and Orange Blossom Pilsner), watching "Family Guy," playing Scene It, playing Wii Tennis, and rocking some Guitar Hero World Tour. Classic, right? Point being, we were using the bottle opener on my keys, and so my keys ended up on my kitchen counter. Being as people did not leave until relatively late, I forgot to move my keys back to their normal spot. Another factor of the evening is that I had turned off my cell phone in the middle of the night (which I NEVER do).

These led to this morning's mishap: locking myself out of my apartment. Because my phone was off, I realized while grabbing my things to leave. So I turned it on and realized I had some messages. Preoccupied with that, I grabbed everything else (because they were in their proper spots), and walked out the door. Habitually, I locked the door knob from the inside on my way out. Door closes, and immediately the realization hits that my keys are on the counter. Thank god Regina has a spare key to my place and was delayed in her morning adventure because the line at McDonald's was too long for her liking. She was able to come save the day. As I grabbed my keys and restarted my venture to leave the apartment, I commented, "Well this is clearly going to be a good day if this is how it started."

Since saying that, I have thought about how I should not have. Now here is an opportunity to use the cliche "Don't sweat the small stuff." Boo, I refuse. However, it has made me think about how we often allow the little mishaps to pile up and ruin a day/event/week/whatever. Granted, sometimes it is just easier to use the mishaps to place blame for a bad time because maybe you do not want to think about the real reasons for a bad time, but really, why worry about it? Laugh! It makes for a good story, right? This morning I was able to laugh with Regina about how she knows how I feel after her own recent key mishap (although hers was much more permanent ^_^). It can be so easy to get frustrated, but laughing about it is so much better. So big deal, I lost 5 minutes of the morning. That is 5 minutes I was not in the office, 5 minutes I could just be with my own thoughts, 5 minutes enjoying Florida weather, 5 minutes that gave me a story to tell and a lesson to learn.

The other thing I could learn from this is how much habits affect our lives, but maybe that is another post for another day.

Holidays that Maybe Shouldn't Be

While I respect that Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican culture, it certainly falls into the category of holidays that maybe shouldn't be. Yes, May 5th, 1862, the Mexican army was the underdog and beat the French forces in Puebla. Yay! But they eventually fell to the French and we occupied for awhile. I in no way mean to belittle this accomplishment, but you know that Mexico's actual Independence Day (and real national holiday) is actually September 16. Right.

Now I have to clarify that while I put Cinco de Mayo in my category of "Holidays that Maybe Shouldn't Be," it of course is much better than Valentine's Day. If you know me well enough, you already know my thoughts on that. If you don't, maybe that is another story for another day. Other holidays that I would put here: most of them. I know this makes me sound kind of cynical, but I can think of reasons for most holidays and why they should not be celebrated, at least not how they currently are done. Just like most things, people turn them into bastard versions of what they were meant to be.

But don't get me wrong, I will enjoy my cervezas mexicanas with some friends this evening. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. ¿Verdad?

Sidenote: Happy Birthday Steve!!

NOLA Pictures

Here is an attempt to put up a number of pictures in a slide show. They take a second to not be as pixelated as you watch, but hopefully it is good enough to get across the point! (If nothing else, I of course have them posted on Facebook as well.)



I think I am finally done blogging about this trip. ^_^ But it really was a great time with some pretty awesome people.

Random sidenote for the evening: Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you!