Hey everyone, sorry I have been lax in my posting, but the changing weather has given me a horrible head cold. Colds turn me into a giant baby so I have been loafing on the couch, surrounded by used up tissues and pouting at Geoff to bring me more hot tea. What makes you feel better when you have a cold?
Here are my go-to cold survival tips:
Don't fight it, just carry that roll of toilet paper around with you because you know you are going to need it and the thought of scurrying to the bathroom over and over is not appealing.
Clothing is key. Sweatpants, ratty t-shirt and some sweater that you can pull off and on at a moment's notice. Also giant woolly socks.
Hot Tea. My favorites are Good Earth original and Traditional Medicine's Throat Coat.
The couch - something about being sick means that I need to be in the living room on the sofa wrapped in a quilt or two.
I've been reading a lot of books about feminism lately and doing research into parts of culture that upset me enough to actually take action and/or do more research and make life choices.
I am signed up to volunteer at Planned Parenthood next week. I will be calling local residents and letting them know about the impact of women's issues on the upcoming election. I expect to be hung up on a lot but I also hope to just plant a seed in a few people's minds. I am thrilled to meet the woman I have been emailing with about this and others who are driven to get out of their houses and help out. Planned Parenthood is about so much more than abortions and while I understand people's reservations about the idea of abortion, I cannot understand reservations about choice.
I have also been questioning seriously the meaning behind taking Geoff's last name when we get married. I've been struggling with the pomp and circumstance that seems to be expected of every wedding but frankly what turns me on about the day is not swan ice sculptures and a string quartet, but the fact that I am celebrating the commitment I am making to my best friend. As for the last name thing, the more I think about it the more weirded out I am by the idea that I need to change who I am in some way to be married. And it annoys me that I am expected to make this change and the question is never posed to the guy. Geoff and I have talked it over and he has stated that he doesn't care what I do as long as I am happy and married to him. And so I think I will stay Amy Henderson. I'm not super attached to my name (and still cringe when asked to watch Harry and the Hendersons) but it is mine and it is part of me. So it is sticking around. Plus I really hate filling out paperwork and it seems like a lot of work to change a name.
Things you can do:
Take part in National Love Your Body day. It is coming up, October 19th. Try to ignore the ever present message that your body is not good enough and appreciate it for what it is. Here is a list of suggestions on what to do that day from NOW. This is my personal favorite of theirs. I might have to come up with a few things myself, maybe even do a Love Your Body Week here on the blog.
Sign this petition to get Facebook to remove groups that promote rape such as "It's not rape if you like it" and "Screwing your girlfriend while she's asleep" This sets me into a fit of rage much like the one I had yesterday over Twitters trending hashtag of #reasonstobeatyourgirlfriend.
Check out Planned Parenthood in your area - get any info that you need and if you have a spare 2 hours, volunteer.
Next time you are at your bookstore of choice, pick up an issue of BUST, Ms. or Bitch.
Compliment a lady friend, not on the way she looks (even if she is looking great) but on her character or actions. We could all hear a little more of that.
We still have a long way to go, but we can get there, baby.
I just wanted to post some of the things on the internet that are making me swoon.
1. This beautiful scarf/neckerchief by Olivia Mew. I am in love with Star Wars and adore this droid scarf. I think I might have to pull the trigger and buy this one. What do you think?
2. Going along with my deep love of deep space, I stumbled on this How-To project that is going on my project list. This is from Etsy's How-Tuesday series, this one is called Planetary Plates:
In real life these are the things making me smile today
My brother, Ryan, is moving in today and starts his first day of work tomorrow
Because of that, Geoff and I cleaned the house and it is looking pretty good
We went to Trader Joe's and got the best chocolate bar I have ever tried
I'm going to make an amazing stir fry in a bit
Rachel is coming over to visit soon
We got Lego Star Wars, the Clone Wars video game and it might be my favorite Lego video game yet
I think I need to watch some Game of Thrones tonight
I spent a good chunk of this afternoon with a pile of books, a hot bath, and a cold beer.
What is made you happy this weekend? Ready for August?
Our AC is broken and Geoff, Taft, and I are all suffering. Thankfully we ran out and got a box fan this morning and I can finally think a little bit. I am a major baby when it comes to the heat and I have been pretty much useless for the past few days. I thought I would share my top five heat distractions this week:
1. Playing Final Fantasy VII. This is the best video game ever. No question. The story is lovely and well thought out and the music sets my head bopping. Also you get to ride giant chicken-dudes.
2. Working on my triangle quilt. I'm so close to finishing the top layer and while it is really too hot to think about using quilts, I like having something to do with my hands while I watch silly tv shows.
3.Watching TV shows. I got a chance to check out Sherlock (streaming on Netflix) and love it. Another great British show. And on the American front, we have been watching all of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and I am falling in love with the gang all over again.
4. Planning our trip to Minnesota next month. I am so excited to go back to my adopted home state of MN and see my dear friend get married. The fact that I get to stay with my best girlfriend is also great. And I get to meet her new addition to the family, her cat! I want to do so much in the three days that we are going to be up there. Geoff has never been to the Twin Cities and I want to show him where I lived and worked and hopefully he will love it as much as I do.
5. Worrying abut Taft. Taft is 18 1/2 pounds and has long hair so I have been worried about him in the heat. He has spent most of his time laying on the ceramic floor in the bathroom and licking the condensation off of my soda cans. But now that we have some air flowing he is doing a lot better. I've just been doting on him for the past few days.
I also can't stop singing this song to myself - such a great one!
