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