We have seen a lot of political turmoil lately. The 2012 election season was full of attack ads and empty promises, we've had financial ceilings and cliffs come and go over the last couple of years, and our country is more divided than it's been in 150 years.
The thing that troubles me the most about this is that when I listen to the news I hear blame, not a call to action. It doesn't matter what station I listen to: if it's MSNBC they're blaming the Republicans; if it's FOX they're blaming President Obama. But on no station do I hear, "Our country is in trouble; let's put our party differences aside, come together, and get it back on track."
The "sequester" is coming in 24 hours. It seems to me that everyone in Washington is playing a game of "chicken," with the American people as the one who will have to pick up the pieces. The politicians are blaming each other and then sitting at home, with no meetings or phone calls on the books, waiting for the other side to blink.
I want to be very clear: I am not at all blinded by my past involvement with the Obama campaign. I am incredibly frustrated with Obama and the Democratic party, as well as the Republicans.
I feel cheated: I worked for Obama for three months to get him re-elected because he promised a better tomorrow, a better country. Kentucky is slated to lose 150 teaching jobs if the sequester happens. My fiancé is a first year teacher and his is the only income we have right now. If Josh loses his job because Obama and Congress can't get their act together to fix this mess that they put us in, you'd better believe that I'll be very vocal about what my president and my congressmen have done for me.
We get to elect our leaders, but I don't feel like we've elected leaders. I feel like we've elected 15 year old boys to Capitol Hill and they're acting like children, refusing to talk to the guys they don't agree with. They need to get it together and remember that they are representing us, the people of America.
They have the honor of having been chosen to represent us at the highest level and they are not taking that seriously. It seems to me that most of the people in Washington (the president, senators, and representatives) are more interested in their own political gain than doing what's right for the people.
Contact your congressmen and congresswomen, as well as your president. Tell them that you don't agree with the way they're doing business on your behalf and you expect better from the people you sent to Washington in your stead.
The only way we will get this country back on track is to stop joining in the blame game. We need to take action, not spend article after article blaming the "other side." We are better than that! Our country is one that has been built on its citizens taking action, not its people complaining until someone else fixes our problems.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Cameron Russell is a Victoria's Secret angel. She's walked in runway shows, done print ads, and starred in commercials for the world's largest lingerie company. She's also worked for some of my favorite designers: Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Dolce and Gabbana.
Cameron did a TED talk about being a highly successful model. This is the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell. I never put links in my pieces, but I wanted to today to draw your attention to it--it's a great talk. Please go watch it right now! Then come back and read the rest of this piece. ;-)
In this talk, Cameron talks about how she's won the "genetic lottery." She's tall, she's thin, she's white. Our society has decided that when it comes to appearances, those are the things that matter. Cameron mentions that she's gotten out of traffic tickets because of her looks as well as gotten free items when she's forgotten her money. Those are the things she has been, as she puts it, "cashing in" on.
Cameron talked about and showed pictures of the amount of work that professionals do on her to get the photos they want. Do they edit photos? Yes. But she also talks about the hair, makeup, clothes, and photography that go into making the photos we see. Honestly, I probably wouldn't recognize her if I passed her on the street. She's gorgeous in her every day photos, but she doesn't look anything like the cover girl photos that thousands of people see. For more on photo editing, check out this post I wrote a few months ago.
Cameron mentioned that little girls come up to her and tell her that they want to be models when they grow up. Cameron's first question to the kids is, "Why? You can be anything." She says that she is in that top echelon of girls with "the skinniest thighs, the shiniest hair," but she's still incredibly insecure about the way she looks. She has to think about the way she looks every day.
Cameron graduated from Columbia University. She is realistic that she won't be able to model forever. She's already 25, which means she's already nearing the end of her modeling career. I have a feeling we'll be hearing great things from her.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
This morning we welcomed anchor Robin Roberts back to Good Morning America! She contracted myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as a result of her chemotherapy for breast cancer a few years ago. Here is an explanation from her doctors of the procedure that would fix the MDS: a bone marrow transplant.
Robin has been off the job for 174 days! She has recovered remarkably well, starting dry runs of GMA in January and coming back for her first show today. Her doctors said today that she will be taking it one day at a time because some days she won't feel well enough to come in to work.
Fibromyalgia is not nearly as crazy as MDS or cancer or anything, but I feel like all of us who have something we are trying to get through can take inspiration from Robin's story. When her doctors mentioned that she would taking it day by day, I smiled because I know exactly what that's like. I never know when I'm going to wake up feeling good and ready to go, or in so much pain I can barely move.
Robin's photo should be in the lexicon next to the phrase "the power of positive thinking." I know that she always knew in her heart that she would get better and come back to work. There were days that were struggles, but she never gave up. And now she's back, sooner than any of us ever imagined she would be!
Even though I know my fibromyalgia might never go away, I believe in the power of positive thinking and I need to practice it more. We are only truly victims of our conditions when we refuse to see the light. Robin saw the light and still does. The rest of us would do well to follow her amazing example. :-)
Robin, I've never met you, but you have helped and will continue to help inspire and motivate me every day. Thank you.
#WelcomeBackRobin
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
I'm 24 and I graduated from college almost a year ago. I'm engaged and planning our wedding for this summer. My fiancé and I live together in a small apartment close to the high school where he is the choir director and theory teacher.
I started the ChickOpinion blog in late August as a way to stay connected with the world while I dealt with my fibromyalgia diagnosis. I've talked about politics, social issues, religion, and personal struggle. I've also gotten almost 10,000 hits in less than six months! I know that that's not "viral," by any means, but it seems like a lot to me. :-) I've also gotten 6,000 hits on my website that I started a few months ago.
I am still unemployed. I've applied for over 50 jobs and haven't gotten any of them. Granted, I've got fibromyalgia so that limits the kind of job I can have. But it's not like I'm not keeping busy--I have a wedding coming up, I'm opening an Etsy shop (today, hopefully, if I can figure out the tax code!), and I do a lot of the household chores.
So how is it that I still feel like I'm just on the brink of something big? I know that a lot of us dream of doing something that gets attention on a big scale. I used to want to be a well-known inner-city teacher, something akin to Erin Gruwell (the "Freedom Writers" teacher). Then I wanted to be an amazing education researcher, published in all the great journals. With the fibromyalgia diagnosis, all of that was put on hold, but I don't think the passion is gone.
I've always had this drive and a knowledge that I can do something bigger than what I'm doing at any given time. I also have an intense urge to help people. I'm really good at social media networking and I feel like that's going to do something for me sometime soon. Hopefully. I'm not necessarily on the drive to be "famous." I don't want to come off like that. I just want to use the abilities I have to help other people, whether it be fibromyalgia patients, third-culture kids (I guess I should do a story on this soon), or smart unemployed young people.
The hats and scarves my Mom and I sent to Hurricane Sandy victims.
So, whether it be through writing, fashion, education, or volunteering, I hope I inspire you. Please keep sending me your stories--they inspire me every day!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Last week I mentioned that during Lent I would be doing kind things every day instead of giving something up. Giving is something that, in my opinion, is more Christ-like than giving something up during this season. To hold myself accountable, I also said that I would be giving weekly updates on what I did each day. So here's the first report!
Day 1. Wednesday: I called my little sister and we talked for over an hour. She and I lived together through college and ever since I moved away, it's been hard to keep up with her. Making the conscious decision to call her made her feel good because I cared enough to call, and it made me feel good because I like hearing about what she's up to these days.
Day 2. Thursday: Valentine's Day! My fiancé had work all day and then a meeting in the evening, so we decided to have a low-key time and go on a date on Friday. But I decided it would be nice to make dinner for him. I made a very nice rotini dinner and he was happy. I like making making him happy. :-)
Day 3. Friday: I moved away from Montana when I was 13 years old. Until then, I saw my grandparents every week. I've done my best to stay in touch with them because I miss them and I know it means a lot to them for me to keep up with them. I gave them a call and we talked for about 45 minutes. They always thank me at the end of our conversations and I know it makes them happy when I call. I like talking with them, too!
Day 4. Saturday: My dad is working on his doctoral degree in education. He's going to graduate in May! Part of his work is interviewing Ethiopians about education. He has a lot of video interviews and needs them transcribed so that he can write about them. Now, I'm not doing it for free, but I worked on getting these videos typed out for him for a couple of hours on Saturday. It helps him with his work and it helps me make a little bit of cash. :-)
Day 5. Sunday: My fiancé and I take some time each week to talk about our relationship. I don't know if you count this as an "act of kindness," but lately I've been working really hard on listening more and talking less. Yesterday we had a great conversation about where we are and what we want for the future. A lot of this had to do with the fact that I was willing to listen and not be so defensive. It made a difference to Josh. :-)
Off for another week of acts of kindness! Hope you all are having success in your giving ways, too!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Author's Note: Please read this post carefully and in its entirety before you get angry or judge my view or anything else.
Two nights ago, President Obama gave the State of the Union address. In my opinion, there wasn't anything new until the second half of it; the beginning was just a mash-up of all his campaign speeches and part of the inaugural address. In the second half, there were statements about different subjects in which the President mentioned that we can do better. There were not specific ways mentioned to get us to the point of "doing better."
At certain points in Obama's speech, there was applause. Sometimes everyone stood up, sometimes some people stood up, and sometimes everyone stayed seated. Apparently, this showed which senators support or do not support the statement at hand.
Here are some of my questions:
Is it a partisan issue to have equal rights for women? When the President mentioned the Equal Pay Act and there was a standing ovation by about half of the chamber, the camera focused on a few female Republican senators who remained seated and did not clap. This bill is for them. Do they not want equal pay? Is having the vote enough; do we not need to actually have equal rights?
Is it a partisan issue to keep our planet clean? We all live here. All of us. It's not like global warming is going to skip over the congressmen and women who refuse to pass a bill that promotes clean energy. Our environment is the only one we have; we don't have anywhere else to go if our climate gets so extreme that we kill off our planet. We will all be effected.
Is it a partisan issue to help people in poverty? Don't we all want a strong country? An argument I've heard from a lot of Republicans is that the poor "just need to work harder." Right. Is that what Jesus would have said? The only reason I'm mentioning Jesus (because, yes, I acknowledge that it's not directly related) is that a lot of these Republicans are the same ones who run around mentioning Christianity. If they want to take this Lenten season to reflect on the life of Jesus and prepare for his coming (as is the wont of Christians during this time of the year, I understand), maybe thinking about solving poverty in our country would be a good place to start.
Is it a partisan issue to have equal education in this country where we offer free public education? Schools are getting intensely competitive and even preschoolers are having to procure letters of recommendation to get into the kindergarten their parents want them to attend. But not all parents can afford to send their kids to preschool. Just a few weeks ago, the governor of Kentucky, who ran on a platform of state funded preschool for all children, cut funds. The funds he cut were to the program that gives single mothers who are enrolled students at a state university free preschool for their children while they go to school. So, now those mothers cannot obtain a higher education degree because they have to stay home with their children. Do you see how this is a broken cycle? Do you see how this is a humanitarian issue, and not a Republican or Democrat issue?
Is it a partisan issue to keep military grade guns that were never intended for civilian hands off our streets? There is not one, not one person in Congress who thinks we need to take everyone's guns. No one is saying that. But that's the only argument against gun control I'm hearing. I'm going to repeat: no one is trying to take your guns. But semi-automatic killing machines that were built for the battlefield have no place in our neighborhoods. And I don't think that if any one of the children of any member of Congress had been in Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, there would be a dispute about this.
These all seem like subjects we can agree on. All of us. If at this point you're reading this thinking, "No, those aren't high priorities for the government; that's an issue for individual people," please put either you or your family in the position of anyone in any of the above scenarios. Go ahead. Let it sink in. I'll wait.
Can you see how upset you would be if you were enrolled in school, one semester away from getting your bachelor's degree (putting you in the top 30% or so of educated people in the country), your three-year-old's preschool was suddenly cut, and you couldn't finish school so you could get a higher paying job to make a better life for your child than the one you had? Or can you understand how angry you would be if you'd worked your tail off for 25 years in your career, got a PhD in your field, were internationally respected, and then found out that you make 15% less money than your male counterpart, just because you are a woman?
Now that you've actually thought about what it would be like to be in those situations and we can all agree that they're problems of the non-partisan sort, let's get to work on figuring out how to fix them. Cue: Arguing.
Yes! This is where the arguing starts. Disagree on how we are going to fix the problems, not on whether or not we should fix them. This is where people, in both Congress and the general public, disagree. We can and should disagree, at least a little bit, on how to fix things. Disagreement, if done in an intelligent and respectful way, can foster the best compromises and solutions. But there must be solutions. And there must be compromises. Neither side--neither side--will ever get everything they want. That's not how building community works.
Please, urge your congressperson to do what is right for our country. Please stop disagreeing with progress just because of the party of the person who suggests it. We need to get our country moving together, not in two halves.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
The Christian observation of Lent starts tomorrow. The purpose of Lent is to prepare the Christian faithful for the coming and resurrection of Christ (aka Easter). It is tradition that one gives up something during the 40 day long observation; thus removing worldly distractions, allowing the faithful to focus.
I've done the Mardi Gras thing before: dinner at Qdoba, dessert from Dairy Queen, and evening snack from Wendy's. Then the next day I give up fast food for Lent. I've done this the last three or four years with my sister. Neither of us actually likes fast food (I think the last time I had a Big Mac was four or five years ago), but we get a lot of attention and makes us look amazing for giving up something that most people couldn't.
But I have a different idea for Lent this year: instead of giving something up, I'm going to give something away or do something unexpectedly kind for someone every day of Lent this year. If the point of Lent is to pay attention to how Christ lived, then maybe instead of depriving ourselves of something (although I know it's a reference to the 40 days in the desert) we could give, like he did. It turns the act of being Christ-like from focusing on ourselves to helping other people. If I gave something up for Lent, I would only affect myself. If I do something kind or give something away to someone different every day of Lent, I can touch 40 people's lives. (And, as a side note, if Jesus had his second coming in the next 40 days, don't you think he'd rather see us being kind to each other than depriving ourselves of things?)
So, in this vein, I guess that means that Mardi Gras (today) can be about me! Today I will be selfish and spend the whole day (well, part of it at least!) doing what I want to do. I'm going to work on my rehearsal dress, my wedding invitations, and I might even give myself a manicure. :-)
What are you going to do for Lent? What will you give up or what kind things will you do? I'm going to give weekly updates on my Lenten endeavors and I'd love to hear your stories, too!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Are the mid-winter blues getting you down? Me too! :-) Every now and again during the winter it's easy to feel sad, which can lead to being overly critical, which can lead to poor self-esteem. Here are five sure-fire ways to get you back to loving yourself in no time!
1. Write down 10 things you love about yourself. Start with 5 physical traits (e.g. hair, eyes, voice, etc) and then write 5 personality traits (e.g. passionate, loving, caring, etc), so you can identify the difference.
2. What's a chore you've been dreading (e.g. cleaning out the fridge, moving the couch to vacuum under it, etc)? Give yourself a finite amount of time in which to get it done and then finish it! It'll be off your mind and you'll be surprised at how much better you feel!
3. Do something that makes you feel good. Again, so you can identify how you think about yourself, start with the physical self: paint your nails, use a great body wash, or try a new shade of lipstick! Then do something that makes your mind feel good: do a brain teaser, meditate, or solve a self-problem you've been working on lately.
4. Identify something you are ridiculously good at and enjoy doing (e.g. painting, singing, writing, etc) and make at least 15 minutes a day for yourself to work on that passion. Having time to do your hobby every day will allow you to relax and clear your mind.
5. Do something nice for someone else. Anything from giving a compliment to sharing food to giving a gift will do the trick here! When you do something that is not egocentric, you will get a sense of fulfillment that will help you feel better about yourself.
Make today great!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
When neither your nor your fiancé's football team makes the Super Bowl and you don't care too much about who wins, it's a relaxed, fun evening. It's also fun when your team does make the championship, but it's a lot more intense and much less enjoyable when your team loses. Again. *cough* Patriots losing to the Giants. *cough, cough* Moving on! I'm writing this in chunks so those of you who only care about certain things can skip to the section you want or skip the sections you don't want. ;-)
The Football
After a couple of amazing pre-game performances (see below) the football started! Flacco came out swinging for the Ravens. The 49ers couldn't get anything started--on offense or defense. Kapernick threw an interception. Randy Moss was being double and triple covered, making him a non-factor in his second championship game. The Ravens were up 21-6 by halftime. It wasn't looking too great for the 49ers. I had been looking forward to a great game between two great teams and that was not happening. I was pretty disappointed.
The second half started off with a play that seemed appropriate to follow such a great halftime show: a 108 yard kickoff return by the Ravens' Jones! At first, they called it at 109 yards which would have set an NFL record, but it was later changed to 108 yards, only tying the record. The 49ers got the ball, down 28-6, and then on third and long, suddenly half of the stadium was thrown into darkness. The lights just went out! It was a thirty-five minute disruption that some say shifted the momentum to the 49ers. I'm not sure about that. It was on their first possession after halftime--we don't know what their locker room chat was like or what their game plan was for the second half. Regardless of the reason, the momentum definitely shifted: after a great touchdown pass to Crabtree, a quick touchdown run by Kapernick, and a lucky field goal by an injured Akers, it was 28-23 at the end of the third quarter!
The Ravens marched back down the field in the fourth quarter to go up 31-23. The 49ers countered with another touchdown; and a botched 2-point conversion attempt. 31-29: the Ravens wanted to make it an eight point game again, but didn't quite get there. Tucker banged through another field goal, though: 34-29. Five point game with just over 4 minutes left. The Niners ran/passed it straight back down to the red zone. And missed the touchdown pass. Controversial call, or lack thereof. There was a lot of holding on that last pass. On both sides. C'est la vie.
But it wasn't over! The Ravens went three and out. Well, three and...safety? Yes! They had to punt with 12 seconds left in the game. So they had their punter hang out in the end zone for eight seconds before he was shoved out of bounds! Brilliant. Then they kicked it away and the return was good. But not good enough. Ravens win: 34-31! Great game!
The Performances
Last night was great! It started off with a great performance of "America the Beautiful" by the Sandy Hook Elementary children's choir and Jennifer Hudson. The kids were adorable and loving the cameras, and Jennifer Hudson was amazing, as always. After that wonderful performance, Alicia Keys took the stage. I've never heard our national anthem sung like that before. What an incredible performance. It was slow, to the point, not too showy, and just phenomenal! Loved her look, too, in a red dress hearkening back to the inauguration look she sported less than a couple of weeks ago.
After a lopsided first half, I was disappointed. But then Beyonce took the stage. What a bombshell! She both looked and sounded amazing. If there had been any doubt about her ability after the inaugural lip-sync, there is no doubt now. She belted out eight songs in twelve minutes, joined for a couple of minutes by Michelle and Kelly from Destiny's Child! They all sounded great! And looked amazing! Beyonce was in a gorgeous three layer leather and lace creation by Ruben Singer. She took off the top two layers as she sang, throwing them into the crowd. Michelle and Kelly were also in great leather bodysuits by Singer.
My one tiny criticism is this: yes, Beyonce looked absolutely stunning, as did Michelle and Kelly. Stunning. My fiancé wasted no time in voicing his admiration of Beyonce's costume. ;-) And I'll agree: she looks so good! But. It feels like every year the costumes get smaller. By the time I have kids, will they even be allowed to watch the halftime show?? I don't want my six-year-old watching strippers on stage. How far is too far?
In my not very humble opinion, Beyonce's show was the best halftime show I've ever seen. Ever. She can sing, she can dance, the technology was fantastic, the costumes were memorable and relevant to fashion today (as opposed to last year, when there were grecian goddess costumes surrounding Madonna), and Beyonce generally just threw down. :-) I loved the show and it will be remembered in history, for sure!
The Commercials
The commercials weren't that good this year! I was pretty disappointed in them. The worst ones were the Bud Light commercials that had Stevie Wonder in them. He kind of looked like Flava Flave, no? There were three commercials I loved:
1. This Budweiser clydesdale commercial definitely made me tear up! So glad I was leaning on my fiancé's chest--don't think he saw...! It's so sweet. But is it good marketing? Yeah--I really want a clydesdale now! Oh wait...I guess that's not what they were selling...
2. The Dodge Ram commercial "So God made a farmer" was so great. Didn't make me tear up, but it really made me appreciate the farmers in our country. We are so lucky to have them and it's so sad they've had such a rough year.
3. This Axe commercial is the only ad that actually made me laugh out loud. Very cute and funny!
The Storylines
The "Har-bowl" was the first time two brothers have coached against each other in the Super Bowl. Can you imagine being their parents?! One of your kids is going to be a world champion, the other is going to lose in the world championship and may or may not ever get a chance at redemption. Oof.
Ray Lewis announced two months ago that he was going to retire at the end of the Ravens' season. And went out on top! Regardless of his past, how great for him!
The Super Bowl was Colin Kapernick's tenth ever NFL start. There is some part of me that is so happy he didn't get a ring. He seems like an arrogant jerk. When other players make a touchdown, they do a dance; when Kapernick makes a TD, he kisses his biceps. How attractive.
This was Randy Moss's second Super Bowl appearance. And his second Super Bowl loss. I really wanted him to get a ring.
Culliver, on the 49ers defense, made an anti-gay comment last week. I cheered every time he botched his coverage and the Ravens receiver he was guarding made a catch. :-)
Flacco. In all honesty, he is the most underrated quarterback in the entire National Football League. Five postseason starts in his first five seasons? Never been done before. He's good. He's consistent. But he's not flashy. Which is why (I think) he doesn't get talked about as much as a Brady or Rodgers or Manning (Peyton, not Eli).
Conclusion
Was it the perfect end to the 2012 season? Nope. The Patriots didn't beat the Packers in the championship. Ha! But it was a really great end to the season. Two great teams playing a really great game with a fantastic Beyonce concert and Destiny's Child reunion in the middle of it! Awesome. Can't wait 'til the fall!
