Ode to Linus

I have always felt a kinship to Linus van Pelt. As a child I carried around a "blankie" and I sucked my thumb. Blankie would travel with me everywhere and I pity the fool who would try to take it from my tiny little hands. We were inseparable. But I don't think the fact that I had a constant companion, or the fact that said companion was an inanimate object made me any less awesome. It is said that Linus coined the phrase "security blanket". What is more awesome than that?

I think little Linus is the unsung hero of the Peanuts gang. Linus is undoubtedly an old soul. He is often dropping philosophy or theology on the gang leaving them stunned into silence, or reverence as the case may be. He has a blanket which he uses as costumes, a companion, hats, weapons, you name it. When Linus was being teased by a bully he fashioned his trusty blue blanket into a whip, snaps off a tree branch and tells the bully, "They never tease me more than once."

The most important thing about Linus is obviously the invention of "The Great Pumpkin". This kid invented his own shaman like being called "The Great Pumpkin" who would visit the most "sincere" pumpkin patch and bring gifts. Now, sit with that just for a second. He is the only person in the world that believes this, and in his description he uses the word "sincere".  Linus is a man of faith and high morals. Linus understands what it means to be a believer. Linus like Halloween, a lot.

So, Happy Halloween Linus. And may the Great Pumpkin finally rise out of the pumpkin patch and bring toys to you, and all of the other boys and girls in the world. 

Five Years

Me five years ago - in my first flat in Prague.

This month marks my five yearanniversary for living in Prague. We call it a "Prague-aversary". When I came here back in 2006, I had plans to stay here for a year. And that first year was so hard that I am shocked that I survived. But I did survive. And I still am.

Most people don't have any clue what it takes to pick up and change everything about their lives. Hell, I had no clue. I didn't know what I was getting into, and I still wake up some mornings and wonder! But what I got into was living. I think I was a little dead before I decided to shake up my life. I had gone from one horrid (dull, boring, mundane) office job to the next hating every second of it. I always knew that I wasn't cut out to be a desk monkey, but I just didn't know there was anything else to do. No one ever told me it was possible for me to move to a different country and find happiness.

And find it I did. It wasn't just sitting there waiting for me to pick it like a daisy, but it was there. I had to work for it. Changing your life isn't easy. And I would venture a guess that it is probably harder to do in a foreign country, but who said it would be easy? I have fumbled, failed, cried, choked, sighed, given up all hope and even thought about packing it in. It's hard. But...

Me five MINUTES ago - in my current flat in Prague.

Prague has taught me so much. I have learned that getting lost is just part of life - and getting lost in Czech is even harder. I have learned that old women will beat you senseless if you even think about getting in their way on a bus. I know that all I need to travel is a carry-on bag and my passport. I know not to stress about the small stuff, the big stuff or the in between stuff because no matter what happens I will probably need to get it sealed  and stamped before someone says I did it wrong and "it" is given back to me. I know who cares about me and has my back. I know when push comes to shove that I can handle myself and that I am strong both physically and mentally. I know that home is what you make of it.

So, with this little post I wish myself a happy Prague-Aversary. I have done well here. I am happier than I have ever been. Way to kick ass, Brooksie. 

Makeup Crutch

Everyone is aware that beautiful people have it easier. Everyone is also aware that beauty is subjective. But, I think there are some standards of beauty that the majority of people agree on. (Catherine Zeta Jones, Brad Pitt, Ashley Judd, George Clooney - all considered beautiful by most average folks.) Most attractive people have symmetrical features and are neither above weight or over weight. I am pretty sure I fall in the middle of the spectrum. I am no Catherine Zeta Jones, but I am not ugly either. I think I am average.

I recently read this article in the  NYTimes, and it disturbed me. It states that women who wear makeup increase their  likeability and appear more competent - depending on the amount she is wearing. How unfortunate. 

Makeup should be fun. I use it when I get dressed up, or I am going out for a night on the town. I like the colors and the shiny glamour of it all. There is nothing inherently wrong with makeup, but I would never use it in my daily life. I don't wear makeup to work unless I am trying to cover up some dark circles from lack of sleep. I don't wear makeup if I am just hanging out with friends. I like my face and I think my beauty doesn't come from lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, blush, or anything else we lady folk smear on in an attempt to feel more attractive. 

In the 1960's women were literally show pieces in the work place. It was part of your job description to look good. One needed to be fashionable, and this included wearing makeup. But, a woman was not expected to be more than that. She got the coffee, answered the phones and looked good doing it. Today women are in the corner office but still expected to adhere to an outdated sense of professionalism in the workplace. All men have to do is show up and adhere to the dress code. A woman must show up and look pretty. But not too pretty. And not too sexy. But, a little sexy. And wear makeup. But not a lot. We don't want you walking around looking like a street-walker. (sigh) 

And I don't buy the argument that we wear makeup because it makes us feel good about ourselves. I think that women who feel the need to wear a ton of makeup everyday have a warped perception of themselves and probably glean a lot of their self-worth from otherpeople's opinions of how they look. That is NOT feeling good about yourself. Feeling good about yourself means looking in the mirror (makeup free and naked) and liking what you see. Not liking what you see once you paint on a second face. Personally, I think I look pretty without makeup and I probably think that because I never got in the habit of seeing myself with makeup on a daily basis. I see women with a lot of makeup on and think they look freakish, or clown-like.  I have no desire to look like that.

I don't think this is something that we have to just accept. And, I don't know how true it really is. I should point out that the research was paid for by Procter & Gamble, which sells CoverGirl and Dolce & Gabbana products. I think that like every industry, the makeup industry is playing to a woman's insecurities. If you tell a woman she isn't good enough if she doesn't look a certain way, history shows that eventually she will believe you.

When Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein took makeup from "whores" to the everyday woman, it changed history. They redefined the concept of beauty and sexuality. These two woman started a multi-billion dollar industry and  told woman that we all have the right to be beautiful. And that was the beginning. (You can watch this awesome documentary about the two mavericks of the beauty industry here.)

You are not beautiful. BUT, you CAN be if you buy this lipstick.

And we did. And we do. But it has now become a crutch for many women. Some ladies "can't leave the house" without some sort of product on their face. Some women claim to just wear enough makeup to "look natural". Huh? (A side note on "The Natural Look" - it was invented by the cosmetic industry in the 1960's when the hippie movement was taking hold of American women. How do we sell makeup to women who want to look natural? The beauty industry's biggest trick on women: to sell them makeup to make them look like they were not wearing any make up.) I have even seen women wearing a full face of makeup to the gym. We women continue to buy into the myth that the way we look just isn't good enough. And it never will be. We won't be accepted in society if we aren't pretty enough. And the way to fix that is makeup.

I propose this challenge to all my female readers: Spend a week without makeup and see how you feel. For those of you who just cringed and felt sick, spend ONE DAY without makeup and see how you feel. My guess is that you will start out feeling strange and uncomfortable without your mask on, but eventually you will start to see yourself again and like what you see. 

If makeup is supposed to be fun and accentuate beauty, then we should feel beautiful to start with. If not, you are only covering up something you find not good enough. 

What is Occupy Wall Street?

If you listen to the different news casts, read the different press coverage about what is going on down on Wall Street, you might be a little confused. Some news agencies are focusing more on the "how" rather than the "why" and that doesn't help anybody. Sure, there are some folks down there who are just acting like turds - but not the majority. And is that what we should be talking about? No. We need to be discussing the why. We just need to be discussing. 

And THAT is what Occupy Wall Street is about - discussion. Group participation. Occupy Wall Street is a model of what the protesters want the economy to be based on. The people have spoken and they are pissed. They are disenfranchised. They are fed up. They are looking for a model of economics that is less capitalistic (read: corporations are sucking the money out of the system. There are no jobs. People are in debt for their education they got to get a job that isn't there...)

One option is Participatory Economics - an economic system that is based underlying values that seeks to implement equity, solidarity, diversity, workers' self-management and efficiency. They want to accomplish goals without wasting valued assets. In order for this to work society, culture and politics need to be in harmony, which as we see right now - they are not. 

I don't think OWS people are asking too much. They want a living wage, single payer health care, free college education, alternative energies, a $1 trillion investment in ecological restoration, a racial and gender equal rights amendment, open borders, closing all U.S. nuclear power plants, and complete international debt forgiveness. Sounds good to me. Oh, and an end to corporate greed. no problem.

I think the best thing to come of all of this is the actual protest itself. It's awesome to see American's come together and get 'er done. We need more of that in America. Obviously America is broken. It isn't working anymore. It fosters inequality over fairness. Some Presidential candidates are asking you to view the protest through very narrow lenses. Cain says if you just apply yourself, you'd be rich. Romney says its class warfare. 

But what about the many Americans that have been laid off? What about those poor schmucks that paid for college through student loans and now can not only NOT pay off the loan, but can't find a job? What about families who got screwed over by the banks that are greedily taking their money? The banks have spent years privatizing profit leaving the people and the country broke.

We are at a tipping point. If the country keeps going along the way it is ("Greed is good!", self interest over togetherness) we will fail. And that is unacceptable. It is time for revolution. It is time to stand up and say, "Enough!". Start by boycotting companies that serve only their own self interest. Do what you can at home. Make some noise. 

Fitness

As most of you know, I am a big fan of "The Biggest Loser". I love everything about that show. I love that people are trying to get in shape. I love watching the workouts and challenges. I love watching the contestants crumble at the foot of a treadmill. I love watching the trainers yell at fat people. I love watching people lose hundreds of pounds and gain self-confidence just by changing their diet and learning to exercise. It's awesome. It inspires me to workout more. And I have been.

I finally (after two and a half months!) got paid. You might not believe this, but I was chomping at the bit to get into the gym. It had been a while since I worked out and I was starting to feel soft and weak - two adjectives that I would rather not associate with myself, thank you very much. So, I marched right into the gym and purchased a month-long pass. 

I want to set the record straight before I get any further. I don't go to the gym to lose weight or get skinny. I go to the gym in order to feel good and gain strength. I run because it makes me feel good. I lift weights because it makes me strong. (and feel like a super badass) I like my body. I have an ample posterior, a nice rack and a middle that is sometimes little and sometimes the result of too much beer and Choco Moos. But I don't worry about it. I am happy with myself. I can do ten push ups, and I can do five pull ups. I rock.

Recently, my flatmate and I have taken to watching Australia's Next Top Model. It is a much better version of the Tyra Banks vehicle we all pretend to hate but watch anyway. The models on this show are not "curvy" or short. They are not against type in any way. They are tall and thin. And weak. One episode featured the models doing a workout and a few of the girls couldn't even do a sit up. Not only did some of these girls look disgusting - collar bones and ribs protruding - they looked unhealthy. Gross. I would rather have hips, tits and ass thank you very much. I don't want to be a contestant on The Biggest Loser, but i don't want to be a contestant on America's Next Top Model either.

I want to look like Alias, or Angela Basset in "What's Love Got to Do With It". I want to be strong and healthy. I want to be able to outrun the zombies when they finally stage their uprising. I want to be super ME. And Super Me isn't a weak, skinny, helpless girl. Super Me is a strong, fit, capable, hot badass babe.

Now all I need is a cape.