February 2012
43 posts
“The goal of your practice is to wake your body up so you don’t wake up one day...”
– (90 minutes of pouring sweat in Baptiste hot yoga basics)
France bids 'adieu' to the term 'mademoiselle' →
bonparisien:
French women will no longer have to declare their marital status on official forms after the government demanded the term “mademoiselle” be dropped. Feminist groups have hailed the move as a victory in their battle against a “male-dominated” society.
French language learners might soon have to update their text books after the government signalled the beginning of the end for the...
Detroit marked as one of the up and coming hipster... →
Only a matter of time. I heart Detroit.
(via detroitlives)
Ways Men Can Challenge Sexism
This is a long, but it’s such a practical, concrete list of easy behavior changes.
meeca:
Challenge sexist jokes, such as dumb blonde jokes or jokes about rape.
Avoid using words such as “bitch”, “hoe”, “slut.”
Recognize when you “zone out” when women are speaking, when you value a man’s opinion more than a woman’s, or when you ask a man for information or advice rather than a woman.
...
Kevin is classy in kind of an effortless way. He doesn’t seem to be tempted, at all, to sleep in, eat junk, watch bad movies, anything like that.
So when he’s gone for a night I tend to do things like buy “A Thousand Years” from the Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack and “Say” by John Mayer, microwave some tamales, download Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which...
Love + Expiration Dates
whiteelephantintheroom:
I’m getting married, a girlfriend announces in her sweet-like-syrup drawl.
Congratulations! I gush. When? Who’s the guy?
Wedding is Wednesday, she replies. We only just met…last week.
Whoa.
There’s a good reason why it’s happening so fast, she adds. And why I’m calling you out of the blue.
I expect her to say she’s expecting.
Instead, she exhales a string of...
“If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You...”
– Charles Bukowski (via runlikeella)
Change of Plans
My grandpa’s in the kitchen now too, reading his newspapers.
So we switched from Jack Johnson to Barry Manilow.
He’s the boss.
(My grandpa, not Barry Manilow.)
Also, he’s an excellent whistler.
Mission accomplished.
You all plus a good night’s sleep were just what I needed.
It’s 1 a.m. I’m too wound up to sleep. I’m turning to Tumblr to calm me down. After I post this I’ll spend awhile browsing your stories from this Friday night (Saturday morning), your photos of cute clothes and coffee cups and places that make me want to travel, and your quotes.
I’m only reading easy blogs tonight. Nothing political. Nothing impassioned. My strategy...
My Grandma Now Emails
And it’s the best. I got this one yesterday:
“Hi Brady and Kevin. Happy Valentines Day AND HAPPY EVERY DAY. Love Grandpa and Grandma.”
“I am not arguing that women ought to ‘settle.’ I am arguing that we...”
– Stephanie Coontz in “The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.,” an interesting article in the New York Times that tries to debunk some of our outdated ideas about successful women
“The world needs you. It doesn’t need you at a party having read a book about how...”
– Charlie Kaufman, from his BAFTA-BFI Lecture. (via suburbanilluminati)
I will never not be grateful for the flexibility of my graduate program and my advisor. A small snowstorm is blowing in again today, and it’s the best feeling to know that I can stay in my cozy apartment in my pajamas all day long, if I want.
I’m a little bit afraid it’s going to spoil me for life. How will I ever adjust to a “real job” after five years of this?
Want to help me redesign my bathroom?
I want to paint it and maybe get a new shower curtain. Maybe even do something a bit more labor intensive, like add knobs to the cabinets. But I’m really bad at making these kinds of decisions. Would any of you interior-design minded folks be willing to give me some advice?
This is what it looks like now:
I want to repaint the gold-ish walls, which make up a lot more of the bathroom...
What's your favorite picture/children's book?
I’m shopping for my friend’s daughter’s first birthday and am drawing a blank.
Greener Grass
When you work long hours away from home, a day on your couch sounds amazing.
When you work long hours on your couch, some time at the office is just what you need to feel like a real human being again.
Today was my first full day back on campus. I’m zapped but happy. I haven’t been glad to see my living room in ages.
And now…dinner, Downton Abbey (Season 2, Episode 2), &...
Why do I do this?
Why am I going to a party with people I don’t know to eat food I shouldn’t and watch a game I not only don’t care about but actually, actively dislike?
Hmmm? Can you tell me?
At least there’s Chad Ochocinco.
Is Violence History? →
This is the first thing I’ve read in a long time that makes me feel better about the world.
January/February Resolutions
My January resolution was “work like I know I can work.” It went pretty well. I struggled a bit because I’ve been home, couch-bound, for weeks, and I can really only stare at my computer for so long before I get a headache and stop doing good work. But in general I was more focused than I normally am and found a decent rhythm each day. I also initiated some new projects and was a...
“You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to...”
– Aaron Freeman “You Want A Physicist To Speak at your Funeral”
(source: npr) (via theparticularg)
Last year at this time, a snowstorm was blowing...
I left my office as soon as my last meeting finished up - around 1 or 2 if I remember right. I got home and watched through our windows as it grew darker and then began to snow. Kevin made it to the condo at some point via the CTA. I can’t remember if he had any trouble. Our power stayed on, our apartment was warm, everyone we knew was safe, although we heard terrible stories about what was...
January 2012
49 posts
“I switch perfumes all the time. If I’ve been wearing one perfume for three...”
– Andy Warhol, via Gretchen Rubin
Dreams We Give Up
A good friend and I were emailing about all of the goals you let go as you grow up. This post is dedicated to you, Cassie.
**********
When I was young(er), I wanted to be:
- a marine biologist
(I still think I may spend my retirement years living at the beach and tracking whales or measuring water pollution levels or something.)
- a musical theater star on Broadway
(Turns out, they kind of...
Tonight.
Pizza and the Downton Abbey Season 1 Finale. Oh, buddy.
Notes from the last 50 minutes
I have a big, stupid grin on my face.
I’ve walked approximately 13 unassisted steps, spread out over 3 trips.
After the first 3 steps, I called my mom. (Always.)
I may have spoken too soon about the no weight gain thing. I’m wearing my skinny jeans for the first time in a month and a half. The ankle space is now big enough - the waist is another story. Were these tight before? I...
I walked.
:)