Perspective.

Hi all,

I've been meaning to write about some of the SPCA events I've been doing over the past few weeks, but today my ideas got stopped in their tracks.

I went to a funeral today.

I didn't personally know the departed, it was the brother of one of my mom's close friends. His family hasn't disclosed the details surrounding his passing.

When my mom told me a few days ago, I practically threw a fit. I had JUST gotten home, I had things I wanted to get done today, it's Christmas and I didn't want to spend a whole day at a depressing funeral.

But being there today made me feel absolutely ashamed for thinking any of those things, because I was suddenly surrounded by his close friends and family thinking the exact same thing. They don't want to be burying a loved one this Christmas any more than I wanted to attend such a burial.

How must they be feeling, his parents who are saying goodbye to their son only days before Christmas? Or his sisters who looked up to their big brother?

I'm ashamed that I complained about the funeral. Looking a little bit further back, I'm ashamed I complained at all about having to come home for Christmas and not spend it with Dylan's family, about having to deal with my family's signature drama, about being cooped up with my mother for a whole week and a half. There's people right this very moment who don't have a home or a family to come home to this holiday season, or who are missing their loved ones, like the family I saw today, clinging to one another to ease the hurt.

My message today is this: keep things in perspective. Yes, we all have things not go our way sometimes, but there's always someone who has it worse. Always.

WOAH.

So, two days ago my pageviews last week were around 390. A few days later they were around 418. And now THEY'RE AT 509.

I can't believe it! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! It means a lot that so much traffic has come around these parts! And it also makes me feel bad that I haven't been posting!

Finals week was... awful. Just awful. But then, that's to be expected, right? I only JUST emerged today from post-semester hibernation. I'm pretty sure I did well in my classes, but I'll find that out sometime tonight. 

What all has happened since I last posted? For one, despite the animal mishandling controversy surrounding the movie "The Hobbit" I went to see it (I got to see it free, so it's not like they got my money, which is how I  justified it.)

I don't know if any of you heard, but 27 animals died stupidly and avoidably on the set of the Hobbit (Source, Source). Chickens were left unattended and to the mercy of dogs, sheep and pigs broke legs in pens riddled with potholes, horses broke their necks falling off of cliffs. Crew members reported the conditions and deaths to their superiors, and nothing was done. Ridiculous, avoidable, senseless deaths, all for a movie. 

Now, upon first hearing about the incident(s), I got nervous about "PETA freaks" getting angry about nothing and tried really hard to adopt an "accidents happen" mentality. But upon reading more, especially director Peter Jackson's reaction, I began to share in the outrage. Jackson, in a tone that suggested he was offended at being bothered with the question, brushed off the issue by saying that no animals were used in action sequences. Well that's nice I guess. Except, it's not answering the question, and it's doing nothing to try to right the situation. 

No, it's not exclusively Jackson's fault. Actually, it's not his fault at all - as the director he really isn't in charge of animals on set. What is his fault is how he's handling it. No, it isn't fair to bully him for the deeds of others, but he's a known name that's largely involved in the film, so people are inevitably going to turn to him for answers. And that's how he chose to respond. Despicable.

I still ended up seeing the movie, like I said. I justified it for a lot of reasons: a) boycotting is a stupid way to make a point b) we used a gift card, so I didn't ACTUALLY give them my money c) more than just the crew and Jackson are punished by poor box office sales d) I wanted to give Jackson a chance to right the situation by replacing the crew for the next film e) I was morbidly curious about whether there would still be the "no animals were harmed" spiel in the end credits.

It was there. However, instead of the usual "No animals were harmed in the making of this film" that we've all seen before, it was altered to say "No animals were harmed in the filming of this movie." More honest, but still deliberately misleading and attempting to sweep under the rug vile and unacceptable cases of animal mistreatment and cruelty. 

I tried really hard to give the movie the benefit of the doubt. And it is an entertaining film. But I regret giving it my business. The situation itself is awful, but the reaction of those who have the power to right the situation is even worse. You're not a bad person for going to see the movie, but please be aware of the situation to be sure that we can avoid it in the future. You can be sure if action isn't taken to replace the animal handling crew, this blogger will be boycotting, writing letters, and blogging up a storm.

I'm on break, recovering from my finals coma from last week. I'll inevitably post about more happenings in my absence, and chronicle my hectic holiday. Until next time!

<3, Ali

New Year's already?!

Hi all!

In response to the title: not exactly. I've just been idly thinking about some things that I'd like to have as New Year's resolutions. After all, we're going to be lucky to be alive after the apocalypse, so why not do it big?! (Kidding.)

Before I do that, clothes and self-obsession:

Please forgive my messy mirror. Any my messy room. And my messy life.
Top: Forever 21
Jeans: American Eagle
Scarf: Plato's Closet
Shoes: vegan TOMS

Because it matched, I borrowed Maurissa's red peacoat to go out in. It's from Target (Merona).
I usually despise the color red, but what works, works.

Closeup of sweatshirt. "Paris is for Lovers!" How cute is that?!
Please don't ask me why I didn't just take off the scarf. Sigh. Hindsight is 20/20.

Anywho, just like with my reading challenges (one of which only half-worked :/ ), I feel like I'll feel more pressure to actually stick to my resolutions if you all know about them! Here are some I've dreamed up:

1) FORGIVE. LET THINGS GO. Probably my biggest personality flaw is that when I feel really, truly wronged, I have a tendency to hold a grudge. These grudges can last years. Don't get me wrong, generally I'm very forgive-and-forget, but sometimes people cross a line and I have a really hard time moving on. I need to learn to stop burdening myself with anger. (I actually have a tattoo plan for this, but I'll save the details for if/when it comes about.)

2) Counseling. I've been thinking about it for a while. It's been almost a year since life imploded on me, but I'm having a really tough time healing. My relationship with several members of my family are injured or outright broken, and it's caused a lot of stress and pain. I think counseling will help me get rid of some of the anger and hurt, at least enough to talk it out with my family. 

3) Read classic novels!

4) Hobbies. Ever since college, I've had a hard time finding and staying committed to things I enjoy. I'm leaning towards yoga and getting back into horseback riding. 

5) Study "A Course in Miracles" (description linked). I've had it sitting on a bookshelf since over summer, so I'd like to finally get into it.

6) Take proper care of myself. This includes yoga, as I mentioned above, starting to exercise (maybe), eating right. Also mentally (see #2) and spiritually; I'd like to actually start meditating or taking some kind of quiet reflection period every day. I'm a really anxious and wound-up person naturally, so I feel like only good things can come from that. (I'm asking for a cute mini Zen garden for Christmas, lol!)

7) Learn time management. My goal spring semester is NO ALL-NIGHTERS.

8)All A's (we'll see). 

Also, though it's too tentative to get a number, I'm thinking about phasing out eggs. Chickens are treated so horribly in factory farms, and they go through hell to produce eggs regardless. I don't eat them very often as it is, so it's not a HUGE issue, just something that's been on my mind.

Have any of you thought about your resolutions? Or do you, like many, find the whole thing to be dumb? :P

<3, Ali

My holiday playlist!

Hi lovelies!

Ugh. Why aren't there 25 hours in a day again? I have an annotated bibliography (done) and a short paper (in progress) due tomorrow, my organic chemistry lab final on Wednesday, offsite event training for SPCA on Thursday, an ochem exam in lecture on Friday, a rough draft for one of my final essays due Friday, Hanukkah with Dylan's family on Saturday, an SPCA adoption event Sunday, a 10-page paper due Monday, and finals all the rest of that week, including ANOTHER paper and all my logs for Religions of the East due. WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!

Anyway, because I'm drowning in stress and desperate for something to be cheery about, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday music! It's by no means a complete list, but it's a good start! They're also in no particular order, just ones that are on my mind currently.

(Yes, some of them are religious. If that offends you, don't listen to those and enjoy the others.)

1) "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" - Bing Crosby

(Seriously, if you don't love this song we aren't friends.)

2) "Believe" - Josh Groban, from The Polar Express soundtrack

4) "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Amy Grant

Infinitely my favorite religious Christmas song

5) "Happy Hanukkah" - Matisyahu

I don't celebrate Hanukkah (though this year I will be with Dylan's family who's Jewish), but this is seriously SO catchy. Honestly, regardless of WHICH holiday it's about, it's impossible not to get pumped for the holidays listening to this song. 

6) "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

I've always wanted to see them live.

7) "Do You Hear What I Hear?" - Carrie Underwood

There are a LOT of great versions of this song, but this one is currently my favorite. I'm not usually a huge fan of hers, but she does really good Christmas music.

8) "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" - Paul McCartney

Duh.

9) "O Holy Night" - Josh Groban

Can't argue with a classic.

10) "What's This?" - Fall Out Boy

This is FOB's cover of a song from Tim Burton's movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. It's so fun! Shown here re-synced over the scene from the movie.

11) "The First Noel" - Carrie Underwood

Again, one of many great versions. And I want that dress.

12) "Dominick The Italian Christmas Donkey" - Lou Monte

If you don't find this hilarious, you need to reevaluate your life.

13) "Feliz Navidad" - Jose Feliciano

Classic, awesome, any list is incomplete without it.

And, finally, quite possibly my favorite Christmas song everrrrr. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." I've included several versions, including Judy Garland's in "Meet Me In St. Louis," a version by Coldplay, one by Luther Vandross, and one by the one and only Frank Sinatra.

Enjoy them! And happy holidays everyone :)

<3,Ali

Church finally!

Hello all,

I'm sorry for my angry rant of a few days ago. Actually, that's a lie; I'm not sorry for reacting to hate, though I'm not used to speaking while so fired up. I'm actually kind of proud of myself for staying so calm (in writing) with so much psychotic b*tch rage coursing through my veins (forgive the language).

Anywho, today a few other members of FOCUUS and I went to our local UU congregation for Sunday service. It was lovely! Though they do things slightly different then BRUU (which is to be expected), they seem like really great people, and I had an awesome time. I'm excited to go again next week!

Now, after that and meeting up with my boyfriend, Dylan, for lunch before he went off to do marching band stuff all day, I'm in yoga pants writing my million papers due over the next two weeks and watching ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas.

This is the life.

I think I might actually just start saying "I'm a Unitarian Universalist" when asked. It's much simpler than explaining Pantheism.

The A-word.

Hello.

I was having a fine and productive day, enjoying some Earl Grey tea and getting a head start on my weekend homework, when I saw this meme:

I normally hate butthurt rants, but I truly am very offended. I saw this on a Liberal Facebook page that I usually agree wholeheartedly with. Besides the obvious reason that I'm always disappointed when liberals resort to hateful, vitriolic rhetoric when they don't have to (after all, facts are on our side), I'd like to talk about it. 

You all know that I identify as pro-life. I think I've made that clear in several posts. However, when it comes to what I actually believe in the gigantic mess that is the abortion debate, I'm too much of both to truly qualify as either one. Let me explain:

My sincere hope, which I know I share with many, both pro-life and pro-choice, is to make abortion a horror of the past, but I hope to do it by making it unnecessary. I agree with the liberal, largely pro-choice idea that contraception, comprehensive sexual education, social safety nets, and adoption reform will greatly reduce abortion rates, and that until such things exist our country isn't ready to repeal Roe v. Wade and eliminate safe abortions. I would never for a second deny the advancement in women's social status after the legalization of abortion, though I truly think the same can be achieved through less violent and destructive means. The ONLY restriction I currently support is a time limit to ensure that, barring freak circumstances, pain-capable fetuses are protected, making abortion as humane as possible.

You may ask, "Why don't you just call yourself pro-choice?" It's a question I get a lot when this comes up. Really. 

The answer comes down to personal preference. I dislike the general attitude of pro-choice towards the act of abortion and the unborn themselves. Terms like "incubator," "clump of cells," and "rape baby" (the absolute worst one) completely turn me off to their message. I agree with them on their solution to the problem, but not on their attitude about the problem. Yes, I realize that this is a generalization and that there are pro-choice individuals who do not use such terminology. And I appreciate that, but like I said, it's personal preference.

I also, as you can imagine, dislike the contempt that flies at me the moment "pro-life" comes out of my mouth. Immediately I'm Satan, wanting women to die in botched illegal abortions and be slaves to reproduction. I shouldn't have to explain to you after everything I've just said that this isn't the case.  I do think that abortion is the very sad, though sometimes necessary, taking of a life. I've been called an assortment of names for this thought, from naive to dipshit (pardon the language) to sentimental creep. (Yes, I realize that there are pro-life people who truly are monsters, and that not all pro-choice people react that way to a simple disagreement.)

And this ties into the meme I posted. How dare anyone criticize me calling myself a certain thing without knowing anything about what I truly think. I am more than a label. If you [pro-choicers] would be offended by a meme that says "Oh, you're pro-choice? Please tell me how many abortions you've gleefully had!", then you understand why I'm miffed right now. Pro-choice =/= abortion-lover. Pro-life =/= woman-hater.

End of story.

I'll go a little bit further, though I don't feel I should have to. I will adopt children one day. I will be a foster parent one day. I hate to break it to you, but I'm living in a college dorm and still largely financially dependent on my parents. In no way am I fit, nor eligible, to adopt anyone. Does that mean that I'm not allowed to call myself pro-life? No.

And what about those who can't adopt for other reasons? Perhaps a prior conviction, perhaps financial struggles, what have you. How are you being fair to them? Are they unqualified to call themselves pro-life? What if, by the time I'm estimating I'll be adopting, I'm one of them? Will I be unqualified?

No. No, no, no. Because my label means nothing regarding my actions, or even my true beliefs. And no one has the right to tell me what I can and can't call myself. Or to mock my sincerity when they know nothing about me.

Ali

Well then.

Hello folks,

Today it came to my attention that L'Oreal Cosmetics has purchased / is purchasing Urban Decay. That's right folks; an animal cruelty powerhouse has purchased my favorite brand.

That gif pretty accurately describes how I feel about it. I just had to.

Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out. I JUST got my first purchase from them delivered: an eye shadow set, lip gloss, eyeliner, concealer, and a free sample of their eye shadow primer. As I suspected, I fell instantly in love and began saving for my next purchase (because they're pricey). 

And now this. After my initial panic attack, I thought the best thing to do would be to email them directly and ask them how this would impact their stance against animal testing. They have awesome customer service, and got back to me very quickly. Here's the reply I got:

"Hello,

We want to reassure our customers that although our ownership is changing, our principles have not. L'Oreal is the industry leader in finding alternatives to animal testing. We're excited to have a partner who has made and continues to make important changes in our industry.

Sincerely,

Team UD"

Admittedly, I had heard nothing about L'Oreal doing anything to find alternatives, with the exception of their announcement that they're going cruelty-free in 2013. Tragically, it turns out that this is untrue, and therefore can't really justify buying Urban Decay. 

After some research, it turns out that they supposedly invested a lot of money into finding alternatives, and are actually working to phase out animal tests. Hmph. 

After some more careful thought and some mad googling, I came to my senses and realized there's no way that UD would allow themselves to be bought unless there was some kind of a deal allowing them to maintain their cruelty-free ethics. If they're willing to pull out of China to avoid compromising what they believe in, I'm sure they would have been willing to turn L'Oreal down. So, like the Body Shop (also owned by L'Oreal), they'll be a vegan brand owned by a non-vegan company. 

So it all comes down to whether or not you want to have your money go to a company that conducts animal testing. I, for one, maintain the (possibly naive) belief that a parent company that sees their vegan subsidiaries doing well will be more inclined to move in that direction. Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox, and plenty of vegans buy their products because of their uncompromising stance against animal testing. I personally will (probably) continue to buy Urban Decay, and will hope that L'Oreal is sincere in their search for alternatives and one day follows through in phasing out animal tests. 

What do you guys think about it? Feel free to discuss!

Thanks,

<3, Ali

P.S. - My first shift at SPCA was yesterday! I'll try to post about that and finals madness tomorrow sometime.

Relaxation (or, forced hermitship).

Sigh.

Hello lovelies, 

Today is a day of homework, homework, homework. In one of my religions classes we're supposed to do a log for every lecture that talks about what stood out to us and what we found challenging or thought-provoking. I haven't really kept up with them. :/

So, here I am, doing my logs based on my notes. There are even additional ones based on assigned readings from the textbook and the Bhagavad Gita. Ughhhhh.

I guess I shouldn't complain, since it's cold and nasty outside today.

Yesterday, while it was still nice, my mom and I went to our local used bookstore to look around. 

Shirt: Forever 21 website, 2 years ago
Scarf: Forever 21, last year
Skinnies: AE
Shoes: Toms! www.toms.com
Bracelet: Found in my old jewelry box

I was looking for Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, the next Vonnegut I want to read, and Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth, which you guys may remember was supposed to be my second self-assigned reading after Slaughterhouse-Five. I didn't end up finding Dawkins, so I don't know if I'll end up getting to that one. :/ Rest assured I finished Slaughterhouse. 

I did end up finding Breakfast of Champions, though, as well as another of his titles, Slapstick. I'm a little obsessed at the moment, can you tell?

I also picked up a book by Carl Sagan, a brilliant deceased scientist that I've heard a ton about but never really looked into, and his third and last wife (an accomplished author in her own right) Ann Druyan called Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: The Search for Who We Are. It is an exploration of the evolution of and origins of modern mankind; how we came to be where we are, where we are likely to go from here. It came out in 1993 (the year I was born!), so I'm expecting it to be a little dated, but his ideas have always struck me as having a certain timelessness that comes with having respect for the forces of nature and the cosmos. 

I'll likely put off Shadows until Christmas break,when I'll truly have time to sit down and study it. For now I have two new Vonnegut novels to keep me busy. :)

I'll review Slaughterhouse-Five probably in my next post, along with anything else I end up dabbling in until then. 

'Til then, indeed!

<3, Ali

P.S. - I fell in love with Blue October several years ago when I first heard their song "Hate Me," but last night I missed them and went digging on YouTube. The result is a song I'm currently obsessed with:

The song is "The Worry List" from their 2011 album Any Man in America. Though it's rather specifically about the scars left on a parent after being separated from his child during a custody battle, I think anyone who has suffered from a fractured family can relate. Also, I have a phobia of masks, so I find the video a little hard to watch, but where it isn't scary it's artistic and lovely. Enjoy!

A wonderful holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today was busy, but blissfully so! My mom and I went to my cousin Jessi and her husband Dave's house. Jessi's parents, my Aunt Bea and Uncle Jimmy, came all the way out from Nebraska to be here. Jessi's brothers, Jay and Nathan, also came and brought their girlfriends. It was fabulous!

Before I talk more, some self-obsession:

I kept my makeup natural, using autumn-friendly earth tones.
(Image from instagram, sorry about the quality!)

Here's what I wore.
Leggings, top, boots: Seen in this post.
Necklace: Charlotte Russe
Brooch: Belonged to my grandmother.
I also brought a black cardigan to throw on in case I got cold.

Anyway, as I said in my last post, last year's holiday season left much to be desired. I was going to elaborate more in this post, since I promised myself I'd hide as little as possible from you guys, but I ended up deciding against it. A lot happened that's just too painful to talk about. Maybe one day. For now, I'd like to focus on the happy stuff. :)

A lot of us hadn't seen each other for a really long time, so catching up felt great. We talked and laughed, my cousins got me to watch football with them (I come from a family of die-hard Redskin fans), and I helped out making and preparing the meal.

Coloring Christmas pictures with my littlest little cousin, Karis (Jessi's baby girl).
Isn't she precious?! She turned 2 in October.

Hanging out with Max, Jessi and Dave's Boston terrier, who happens to look huge in this picture.
Again, forgive the quality.

Though I didn't end up remembering to take pictures of the spread, it was beautiful. There was turkey, ham, and tofurkey for yours truly (which, for the record, I ended up quite enjoying). For sides there were mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, vegetarian stuffing, a million different types of gravy (I don't like gravy, but I heard it was good), corn, deviled eggs, warm rolls with butter and, most importantly, cranberry sauce (oh yum). Some warm pie and ice cream made dessert. Truly a feast!

After dinner and watching the Redskins win, we decided to play telenary. For those who don't know, telenary is a cross between the games Telephone and Pictionary. To play, each person needs as many pieces of paper as there are people playing the game. A topic is selected, for example a movie title. Everyone writes down the name of their movie and passes their stack of paper to the left. Everyone looks at what the previous person wrote, puts that slip of paper at the back of the pile, and attempts to draw that movie title. Then the stacks are again passed to the left, and the next person has to look at the picture and try to write down what they see. The cycle keeps going: draw, write, draw, write, until everyone receives their own pile back. At this point, everyone gets to see how hilariously lost in translation their movie title got. It's SUPER fun! We played for seriously four hours, until our bellies hurt from laughing. 

I feel the need to reiterate what a blessing it was for my family to be together and laughing until we cried like we were. Part of the reason that this past year has been hard was that there's been a lot of division in our family, so feeling like a whole again was an awesome feeling. 

I'm so thankful for the fun we had today. I'm thankful for everyone in my family. I'm thankful that this year has been far kinder than 2011 was. I'm thankful for my current boyfriend, and his parents, for being such a good support system when I needed one the most. I'm thankful for old friends who never left my side when my life was falling apart, and I'm thankful for the many new friends I've made since starting at CNU. I'm thankful for CNU itself, for being such a wonderful place, and for being the place where I truly became my own person.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Yes, I know, it's a bible verse. Sue me. It felt appropriate, :)

Also, I'm thankful that I can finally listen to Christmas music unabashedly (not that I haven't been since Halloween). I have absurdly high levels of holiday spirit this year, so I'm definitely in the mood for baking, decorating, and shopping for friends. :) I'm listening to Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as I type. 

I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I did, and I hope to write again soon. :) Now I'm off to bed!

Goodnight and happy holidays,

<3, Ali

P.S. - follow me on Instagram! AlexndraRae is my username. :)

T-shirts galore, thankfulness, and the 2013 March for Life?

Hello peeps!

This week was mercifully easy - after my terrifying organic chemistry test, that is. Monday night at fellowship we talked about things that we're thankful for this Thanksgiving, and I have to admit I got super emotional when it was my turn. For me and my family, last holiday season and the beginning of the year 2012 were really hard, but everything on the home front started to settle down over summer and is continuing to normalize. That was what I was most thankful for - the return of normalcy and the continuing cohesion of my family unit (which admittedly is mainly just my mom, because I was raised by a single mother). I also mentioned my boyfriend's parents, who opened up their home to me when mine was a miserable war zone, and CNU itself for bringing about major changes in my life (all for the best). 

I'll probably post more about all that over Thanksgiving break, closer to the actual holiday. I'm getting emotional even thinking about all of that. Moving on to happy things!

Well, one not-so-happy thing: did anyone watch American Horror Story this week?! Oh. My. God. In order to avoid spoilers, I'll leave it at this: it was seriously the scariest episode so far this season!

Last night was volunteer orientation at our local SPCA, so I'm one step closer to starting. I'm so excited! as you know, I want to work as a veterinarian in an SPCA/Humane Society environment, so I'm looking forward to getting as much experience as possible. I also got my "uniform," which is really just a t-shirt:

The top picture is in little font on the front left chest. The bottom picture is in large font across the shoulders. Cute, right?

They recently lowered the required age to join the "Dog Squad," the group responsible for the direct care of the dogs, from 20 to 18, so I can proudly say that my first animal handling class is tomorrow at 1pm. :) Otherwise I would have had to be a greeter and do other non-liability jobs that, frankly, I wasn't super interested in. As grateful as I am for this opportunity, I'm much more keen on getting my hands dirty, as the saying goes.

Also, Be The Match! tie-dyed shirts this week. We finally got to see them at tonight's meeting. Mine didn't turn out as vibrant as I'd like, but I still think it turned out okay:

I don't know why it's sideways. I keep trying to fix it. Oh welllllll.

Also, and this was surprising, I found out this morning that I might be able to attend the 2013 March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 25th, 2013. Though I've secretly wanted to attend for a while, I've always felt excluded from the traditional pro-life movement because I don't want to repeal Roe v. Wade right away, and I extend my concern beyond the unborn to people on death row, prisoners of war, etc. (Also, I'm a little terrified that I'll incur the hatred of my pro-choice friends.) Then, this morning, I came across this post on a Secular Pro-Life Facebook page I'm a part of:

"The March for Life is often portrayed and publicized as an event to protest against the (legal) killing of the preborn human among us. But what if it meant something more? What if the rallying cry in our ranks was one that stood for peace and all life? What if we stood not only for the preborn, but for the criminal, the prisoners of war, innocent civilans everywhere, the aged and the disabled, the depressed and the bullied, people of every race, gender, faith, sexuality, size, level of dependency, location,

 nationality?

If you are a supporter of the Consistent Ethic of Life, or just want to see our world engaged in a conversation that does not exclude any human life from consideration, please join us for a meetup and march with us at the March for Life. We represent the fullness of the pro-life mission!

The plan is merely to have a space and a time to share in the community of our little movement that encompasses the anti-abortion cause, but to be strengthened in the knowledge that we are not alone. Network with others in the CL cause, learn about opportunities available, and help to spread the message for peace and all life!"

Admittedly, I'd never heard of the Consistent Ethic of Life, or the Consistent Life Ethic, but after some googling I discovered that I do largely support it (despite being pro-euthanasia in extreme circumstances). I'm really excited that there will be other people there willing to defy the typical pro-life stereotype and stand up for what it TRULY means to be pro-life. I'd love to meet up with them, and I hope it works out.

Tonight, I have some online chemistry homework due at midnight, and I'm attending a packing party for Operation Christmas Child. Our Christian campus ministry, Elevation, is running it this year, and my best friend who's a part of it has been going crazy trying to organize it for months. The idea is that people make little shoe boxes for children in need. Mine are going to include a puzzle, a coloring book, crayons, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, a stuffed animal, and winter gloves. I got enough to do one for a little boy and one for a little girl. I even wrote little notes to the kids who receive them, to make it more personal.

I'll more than likely end up using this blog to document my experiences with SPCA and how it shapes my goals and ideas about my future. Because I overthink everything, and I assume that all of you care. :)

<3, Ali

I want more comments!

Or, rather, comments at all.

Forreal. When I share things with you guys, it's MEANT to provoke discussion. I like feedback, because I enjoy listening to other perspectives. It gives me an opportunity to subject my viewpoint to criticism and perhaps improve upon it. I intend the same to happen for others. Even if you don't agree with me, I'd still LOVE to hear what you have to say. If it provokes a (civil, respectful) debate, all the better!

I have almost 300 pageviews, and ONE COMMENT. Seriously. If you read a post and don't comment, I'm officially mad at you. Let this be a warning.

I'm up cramming for an organic chemistry exam (kill me now), so this post was mainly a distraction. But, still. TALK MORE. I FEEL LIKE I'M TALKING TO MYSELF.

Zach Wahls and marriage equality.

Hello lovelies,

This. Week. Was. Awful. Seriously, I went from 8am to 3am every day. I was practically a zombie, zooming around on autopilot just trying to get everything done. Be prepared for this post - it's a gay rights rant.

Anyway, as I told you, Zach Wahls, author, entrepreneur and advocate for gay rights, came to speak at CNU. Here's a picture I took with him afterwards!

From left: My friend Jenn, Zach, and myself. (He's freakishly tall - like 6'5!)

His speech wasn't much different that his famous one in the video I linked in this post from Election Day. He framed it around different questions and reactions he frequently got when telling people for the first time that he has two moms. Questions like "Who taught you to be a man?" or "Why is the word marriage so important?"

His answer to "Why is marriage so important?" is what stood out the most. Just like in his speech before the Iowa legislature, he talks about one of his mom's battle with multiple sclerosis. One night, her pain was so intense that she had to be taken to the hospital. Though his other mom knew exactly what she needed, and though the couple were officially "partners," and though she had power of attorney, the doctors on staff wouldn't listen, and even made her wait outside. They poked and prodded for hours, doing nothing to help the poor woman's pain. (I wish I had a recording, it's so overwhelming to hear him tell it himself.)

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the word marriage is so important. That is why FULL equality is so important. I can't imagine a loved one, especially my fiance/husband, being so critically ill, and having no right to visit in the hospital, having no right to make decisions or ask questions and receive answers. It just boggles my mind that a doctor, someone who is charged with helping people with a sense of respect and compassion, could ignore the obvious relationship these women had and treat it like it's nothing.

Despite growing up in a scarily religious family, I've been pro-gay rights as long as I can remember. It's just never made sense to me to deny some people the same beautiful and public expression of love as other people are allowed to enjoy. The "sanctity" argument especially irks me; any marriage - be it heterosexual, homosexual, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, interfaith, secular, what have you - only has as much "sanctity" as is in the hearts of the couple engaged in the relationship. Why not attack divorce as a threat to marriage, instead of homosexuals wanting to publicly (and legally) declare their love for one another?

There truly is no excuse to deny any consenting adult the right to marry whomever they choose. To say that someone else's love isn't as "good" as yours, or as "real" as yours, just because they love someone of the same gender is truly pathetic. As long as no one's being hurt, just be happy and let others be happy. Have whatever beliefs you want to have, but don't use them as a weapon to hurt others. Otherwise you end up making yourself and others like you look like a complete jackwagon. Why is this such a hard concept again?

<3. Ali

Why yesterday matters.

Hello all,

As you know, last night Barack Obama was reelected as the President of the United States. The race was close for a long time, but Obama finished with 303 electoral votes and Romney finished with 206 (270 needed to win).

I've included his victory speech. I encourage you to listen; you'll get goosebumps. I'll give it to Romney, his concession speech was gracious, and he seemed to accept defeat with dignity.

Not only am I thrilled that Obama won, I'm also really proud of this country for several other reasons. Three states, Maryland, Washington, and Maine, passed full marriage equality by popular vote. That's a big deal because usually the state legislature has to initiate it and battle for it. This time, the people themselves spoke up for love, equality, and respect. That makes me so happy, and so proud, I truly can't express it in words.

But that's not all. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin is the first openly-gay candidate to win a senate seat. This flies in the face of the homophobic traditions that we've been stuck in, and gives me hope that people will one day look past the object of one's affection and look instead at the direction of their leadership.

Also, quite interestingly, Puerto Rico voted largely in favor of moving towards statehood. While it's nowhere near definite as it has to be approved by Congress, we may very well have 51 states soon. How cool is all this?!

Gay rights being recognized. Healthcare reform underway, safe from obstruction. Equal pay for equal work. Hope to heal our planet. That's what yesterday means, why yesterday matters. And why the next four years will matter for future generations.

I'll probably post later about Zach Wahls' speech, I wanted this post to focus on the magnitude of the good that yesterday's election has done for this country. Regardless of how you voted, thank you for participating and fulfilling your responsibility to your nation, and I hope we can spend the next four years building a wonderful America.

Ali

ELECTION DAY.

Hello lovelies!

It's. Finally. Here. It's election day! The hateful ads on T.V. and on the internet can cease! The uncertainty is almost over!

My first "I Voted!" sticker! I stuck in on my planner, so I can have it to gaze upon for the rest of the semester :P

Because I'm a worrier, I'm of course a nervous wreck, and I will be until the president is chosen. But the nerves are also partly from excitement, since this is my first time voting. I feel awesome, and really excited.

I tend to shy away from being too loud and proud about politics, but since it's the big day I'll indulge a little. :)

As you know, I voted for Barack Obama. He cares that I can continue to pay for college, that I don't have to pay more than a man for health insurance, that I can GET health insurance to begin with, he supports the civil rights of the LGBT community, and he ended the war in Iraq. Not to mention, he ordered the operation that resulted in Osama bin Laden's death (personally, I think he should have been tried as a war criminal rather than simply killed).  That doesn't sound like a failure to me. I look forward to an America where he (or any other president) doesn't have to deal with a legislative body that is hellbent on obstructionism for selfish purposes.

So, that's all the ranting I'll do for this election. :P

Pat yourselves on the back for voting. Or for just surviving this election year!

Last night's FOCUUS (UU campus ministry) discussion group was FABULOUS. I really enjoyed meeting everyone, and felt right at home jumping into the conversation (which is abnormal for me, since I'm usually such a wallflower). I definitely look forward to next week, and might even join them for Sunday services at the local congregation. I've been avoiding it since I didn't know anyone who went, so I'm pretty stoked.

In bio lab this morning we had to do dissections. We had to dissect a clam, a squid, a perch, a frog, and a sheep's heart to observe the differences in the circulatory systems. Honestly, I was more bothered than I thought I'd be by it all. It just seems like such a waste of lives, just so they can be cut open posthumously, looked at, poked at, and thrown away. It's causing a bit of a spiritual crisis, and I'm going to have to reflect and see if I'm going down an appropriate path. If I truly can't justify even this to myself, do I really belong in my major/field? More to come.

The rest of today will be pretty routine, I have two more classes and then a presentation. But, and this is awesome, Zach Wahls is coming tonight! He's the author of My Two Moms, a book about growing up as the son of lesbian mothers, and how his childhood was just as full of love and nurturing as a child raised by heterosexual parents. He also talks about the struggles his family encountered in society, and how the lack of respect that some people have for their relationship has been an obstacle. I meant to read it over summer, but alas I worked too much to really commit to a book (besides Wheel of Time). 

You might also know him from his speech before the Iowa House of Representatives, where he argues for marriage equality:

He's truly inspiring to me, and I look forward to seeing him tonight! Another great speaker at CNU!

That'll be it for today, folks. Like I said in my last post, regardless of HOW you vote, it's IMPERATIVE that you go out and do so. Be thankful that you have the right, and fulfill your responsibility!

Busy day!

Hello lovelies,

It's the first Monday in a while, so it's pretty rough. :P It's also MISERABLY cold outside, despite being pretty and sunny. That's my least favorite combination - I even like warm and cloudy more than sunny and freezing.

But, anyway, it's a hair-up-no-makeup day, so all I did this morning was put on some moisturizer with SPF and brush my teeth. I threw on a pink CNU sweatshirt with a scarf and some faux Toms, and I was out the door.

After my classes this morning, I had to help out at a Be The Match bake sale in the student union. I made sugar cookies! We ended up making a pretty good dent too. :)

Now, I have about an hour and a half to work on a paper due later this week and perfect a presentation for tomorrow. At four, I'm meeting my study group for o-chem to work on a group assignment, and then at 8 o'clock tonight I'm stopping by CNU's Unitarian Universalist campus ministry to see what that's all about. I've been looking for a UU congregation to join in Newport News, and then I found one right on campus!

If I can find the time to later, I'll also be running to Target and some other places to run some errands. I'll try to post sometime about my experience with our UU ministry, but as of right now I'm out of ideas of good things to talk about :/but I'm sure something will happen/come to me!

See you sometime soon lovelies, and don't forget to GO VOTE TOMORROW. Regardless of how you vote, don't ignore your duty!

Wind mills not oil spills! (lol),
Ali

The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game - Illustrations

Hello lovely people,

Another mercifully short week has (almost) passed. This week I had a rough draft of a literature review research paper peer reviewed and got my sources approved by my professor, I dehydrated 2-methylcyclohexanol in chem lab, I learned about Jainism, and we had a guest speaker (who will be the keynote speaker at this year's Virginia Humanities Conference being held at CNU) come join our discussion in Religion & Ecology. 

(Though this is completely irrelevant, I'd just like to say that I love the idea of Jainism and their devotion to nonviolence, but I see some hypocrisy in their actions. Pouring milk onto a statue to show devotion when cows go through a lot to produce milk, and elders sitting on wooden thrones when a tree has to die to give wood seem to be glaring contradictions to what they believe in. I mean, you don't want to harm a cotton plant to make clothes but you'll cut down a tree? Hmmmmm.)

Today, after some self-absorbed pictures of my clothes, I'll be talking a little bit about this book:

Before I get to the point, I'd just like to share my outfit from today. I thought it would be horrible, but I ended up loving it!

This was me when I had to go outside. I love the way the layers ended up looking.
Peacoat: Target, last year
Cardigan: American Eagle
White tank: American Eagle
Scarf: Maurissa's
Skinnies: American Eagle

Bag: Goodwill (Lord & Taylor, $2)
Booties: Aerie

A better look at the outfit as I would look inside or in class.
(My face looks weird because this is a cheap Walmart mirror with a gigantic warp right down the middle. College life.)

Last night I had a lot of difficulty picking out a scarf that wouldn't clash with my cardigan, which I knew I wanted to wear. I ended up grabbing this fuchsia one out of Maurissa's wardrobe (with her permission!), thinking it would clash but not really caring because it's freezing here this week. I ended up liking it though! And yes, I know it's a LOT of American Eagle. Trust me, throughout high school that was like the only place I shopped. So my closet is 60%-40% AE and Forever 21 now. I try not to wear all one brand in an outfit, but sometimes it's unavoidable. :/

ANYWAY. I wanted to do this post to share with you guys some really interesting artwork that we analyzed as part of our group discussion in Religion and Ecology a couple of weeks ago. The book is The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game by Paul Shepard, and the illustrations are by Fons van Woerkom and appear in the original hardback version (it's out of print now, so I'm stuck with a paperback I found on Amazon). The basic premise of the book is that we as a species have strayed from our natural role as hunter-gatherers, and that we need to re-integrate that way of life back into our lifestyle. It's kind of weird, and the author borders on being a luddite, but he makes some okay points. Anyway, a lot of the artwork really moved me, and makes some striking points about our reliance on technology and our shift away from Mother Nature. I'll share some below, with my comments on some of my favorites.

This is the first illustration, showing how mankind came from the Earth (debatable allusion to evolution). Men and women are seen "evolving" separately, which is supposed to indicate their different roles in a hunter-gatherer society; in general men hunted (hence the spear) and women were gatherers.

Shows a hunter and a gatherer in action, doing different jobs but being intimately connected. It was impossible for more primitive societies to subsist on just game, that was hard to find, or just on foraged nuts and berries, which aren't as nourishing.

A little gory at first glance, but actually super interesting. Our senses evolved the way they did specifically for us to  interact with prey, the same as every other hunter. The way we hear, see, smell, etc. is all because of certain species that we depend(ed) on.

Herders, at the beginning of the horticultural revolution when humans started to grow crops and herd their food animals. The hole in the abdomen represents something missing, as if they had abandoned a part of themselves in abandoning the hunter-gatherer way of life.

Now we're seeing an increase in the use of technology. Note how the man is still "attached" to the Earth, but is straining to move closer to his pray with his fancy technological weapons. Also note the broken umbilical cord - he has left his nurturing origins.

Moving even farther along; humanity completely cut off from nature. This "hunter" shoots from afar, never leaving his cozy artificial home. Note the umbilical cord, now attached to the inside of the cave-thingy. Technology gives man everything he needs and wants; hunting becomes a luxurious hobby.

This is one the class didn't really know how to make heads or tails of. The best we got after group discussion (where all the other explanations come from) was that a younger man experiences more "modes" of existence than an older man. The younger man plays many roles, such as a spiritual participant (wearing a headdress) or being a father. The older man only knows a few modes of existence, and they are related to various periods of consciousness. 

What do you guys think of the last image? Any thoughts or interpretations that my class may have missed? It really is eating at me, but compared to the glaring messages of the others, it seems this one is very innocent and straightforward. What about the other illustrations in general? Did any one in particular stand out to you? Why?

Thanks for reading guys, and I hope you enjoy picking those images apart as much as I did. Sorry for the weird flow of this post, there was just a lot to go over. :/

'Til next time!

<3, Ali