Saturday, March 28, 2009

Spring, Random Facts, and Books

"It's not too bad when the sun's out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out."
-J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

I'm gonna go ahead and say it... Canadians are often very recuctant to use this particular phrase, as it is often a bit of a jinx and a huge snow storm and deep freeze follows it's utterance... but here we go:
IT'S SPRING!

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Here's what i wore to work this morning. H&M dress, vintage (from my Nana) shoes.


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And this is what I wore when i got home. Jeans, Smart Set shirt, Great-Grandmother'c necklace.

5 Random facts about me
Just Because...
1. I do laundry about once a month. Sometimes less. That's how much clothing i own. I can go up to 50 days without doing laundry though because that's how many pairs of underwear i have.

2. I finally bought the Katy Perry CD and it is notthatgreat. Kelly Clarkson, however, is FAB.

3. If it gets over 50 days and i really don't want to do laundry, i buy more underwear. (This happened recently. Chyeaahhh Jacob Lingerie 5 for $15)

4. I adore cucumber sandwiches. But only if I make them.

5. I have a brother whose name is Chubbles. When people ask me what his real name is, i tell them that it is Chubbles.

Books

I've recently decided that I need to read more. My first semester of university was crazy (granted, so is the second one...), but i remembered being the first kid in my first grade class to start reading chapter books, and felt really cool and awesome and kinda sorta almost smart, and i want to feel like that again. SO. I made a reading list, plus i am picking up and devouring whatever else i have time to read. Here's what i've read in the last month or so.

1. Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat. I had to read it for my english class. BUT, it was the best assigned reading ever, complete with spirits, intrigue, life lessons, teenaged angst, subtle but effortlessly effective depictions of social issues, and (my favorourite), a complete cast of strong, independant female characters.

2. Bow Grip by Ivan E. Coyote
Probably one of the most beautiful stories i have read in a while. You instantly fall in love with the male protagonist, who aquires a cello and sets out to learn to play it, meeting new people along the way (an older, closeted homosexual man, a single mother and her daughter), and facing a life-changing request from his ex-wife.

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Yeah, i know it's pretty pathetic that i haven't read this yet, and i'm still only halfway through as i started this only a few day ago.. I was supposed to read it in grade 12 english class, but i skipped class to hang out with a boy instead. In my defence, we have now been dating almost ten months and i still got a ridiculously good mark in english.
Anyway, this book is terrifying, basically. I find it much more so than other dystopian novels (i.e. 1984), due to the nature of the role of a Handmaid. Like, can you IMAGINE?! I won't say anything else, because everyone should read it, or at least look it up on the internet if you're really curious as to what i am freaking out about.

If you're not really noticing a pattern in my blogging, don't worry, there isn't one... i think i'm just gonna have fun talking about whatever's on my mind on whatever day things decide to be on my mind. It's all sexy and unpredictable that way, don'tcha think? :)

Love Always,
Amy

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Chocolate, wool, and differentiating myself from a doormat.

The only time better than the weeks leading up to Easter are the days after Easter when all the candy is on sale.
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I don't actually eat sweets very much at all, so this bag will last me a few weeks. They will be an awesome few weeks.

Today i got a surprize visit from my fabulous and lovely boyfriend, N. (yep, i'm gonna do it Gossip Girl style with the names, people. Deal.) Usually we never get to see eachother on wednesdays because of our conflicting class times, but some of his classes were concelled today so we made these:
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Nom Nom Nom.

Okay, enough about food.

Here's what i DID NOT wear today because it is still freezing, but will be wearing as soon as possible:
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I got that wool skirt at Gap on sunday for SIX DOLLARS! loooooooves it. The shirt is just from Suzy Shier and the gold chains are vintage from my Great-Grandmother. My face is terribly unfortunate in this picture but oh well. It's meant to show the skirt more than anything (SIX.DOLLARS.GAP. WOOL.), which is about a size too big so i may alter it so i can wear it higher-waisted.

On to some more serious issues.
I was a good feminist yesterday.

First of all, i discovered recently that the company i work for (a small Canadian jewellery store) has not been paying us properly. For example, if i work 35 hours and 30 minutes in two weeks, they pay me for 35.3 hours, which is very different from what i actually worked: 35.5 hours (because thirty minutes is .5 of an hour, get it?). I showed this to my manager a number of weeks ago and she took a few small steps to get it straightened out, but the head of the company didn't do anything about it, and said she "didn't know what we were talking about". So yesterday, my manager tries yet again to get through to the head of the company, but is shot down once again. I decided to take matters into my own hands because
1. i have been losing up to 2 or 3 dollars per paycheque for TWO YEARS, and
2. because the principle of not being paid properly in the year 2009 discusts and disturbs me.
I spoke to the head of the company for about half an hour until she finally listened to me/told me she understood what i was talking about and was going to look into it.

I was proud of myself for being the one to stand up to the head of the company (i literally had to say "No, H, you're not understanding what i'm telling you. This is what is wrong..."), but i am a little bit frustrated with the fact that none of the other girls i work with really cared that they were being exploited... In fact, i almost felt as though i was looked down upon for caring about this issue. Uh, HELLO, DUMB BITCHES?! I just made it so you would make more money. wtf.

After this, i went to my philosophy class. I hate philosophy, and my professor is blatantly arrogant. Yesterday, he laughed in the face of a girl who provided a simple opinion when he asked the class for their opinionated responses, and purposefully and unabashedly ridiculed her in front of the entire 100+ person class. During the break, i approached her and was like "holy shit, he was such a dick to you, etc." and we talked about what happened in the line for the bathroom. Eventually, other girls joined in, expressing their distaste for his sexism, arrogance, rudeness, and poor teaching. It got to a point where girls were yelling "AND HE'S GETTING FAT, TOO!" out of bathroom stalls. It was glorious.

Going along with these stories, here is an excellent quote that i have been living my life by:

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; i only know that people call me a feminist whenever i express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat."
-Rebecca West, 1913.

Perfect.

before it dies, here is a picture of the beautiful rose i recieved from N on saturday, "Just Because" <3
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Love Always,
Amy

Monday, March 23, 2009

She's at it again...

I have no idea where this will go.
I also have no idea where my pretty pink underwear are, but i guess that is somewhat irrelevant to what i am doing right now...

I used to blog, web design, chat on message boards, etc, up until i was about fourteen and my life became consumed with other things and i became less consumed with sharing my thoughts with others. More specifically, i didn't tell anyone anything for several years... I am now, however, at a good stage in my life and simply bursting with stories and opinions and new knowledge that i am willing to share. This may or may not be to your advantage, but the magic of the internet is that you can click the pretty red 'x' up there to your right and never read my words again... :)

Some specific things i would love to incorperate into this blog over time:
-Pictures of my clothes. I've been reading many fashion blogs lately and find this idea adorable. Plus, it will encourage me to exersize my style... which tends to get lazy in the Canadian winter.
-Stuff i am learning in school. I am a university student taking an Honour BA, double majoring in History and Women's Studies. I feel like everyone can can benefit from a feminist analysis of current issues and the world in general.
-Lists. I'm a huge fan of lists.

I have not yet taken any outfit pictures, etc. But i do have two images i'd like to share with you right away:

This is a Kate Spade ad that has been up on my wall since tenth grade (2005/06). I have never been able to explain why or how, but it defines my life.


Aaaaand this is a very boring picture of me in a Smart Set sweater, very bad hair, and vintage (from great aunt) pearl necklace.

Let's be friends :)