WHERE IS NATALIE PORTMAN?

I yell at the Oscars' red carpet coverage like some people yell at their TV during football games. The best part is that I don't even have a TV, so I'm screaming at my computer (yay Oscar.com for streaming the red carpet!) like a crazy old biddie with stock in whether or not Natalie Portman will actually wear purple Rodarte.

Note: Just clicked back to the coverage, and was greeted by Sharon Stone's HUGE feathery floral shoulder corsage piece and massive beehive. Lady, you never fail to deliver.

Soapboxin'

WARNING: In case you can't tell, this is going to be a post about the recent House of Representatives vote to defund Planned Parenthood. I'm no expert on the issue, but I have opinions and a blog, so here you go. Posts about shoes, food, and jewels will resume shortly.

My first thought when I heard the result of the vote was "HOLY FUCK." My second thought was, "No really, HOLY FUCK." For every person that's saying "calm down, it's not like they're making birth control illegal!", I get it. But they're making it expensive. And for people who don't have insurance, that's shitty. Pardon my lack of eloquence on the topic. I'm currently lucky enough to be under my parents' health insurance, but if I weren't, I would be spending a good deal of money to maintain my sexual health. Which really, is what every girls dreams of having to do with her money. My part-time job doesn't offer me benefits, and it's pretty difficult to find a full- or part-time job around here that I'm qualified for that does. Trust me, I've tried.

It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly about this cut makes me most angry. Could it be the fact that this is basically damning low-income and/or uninsured women to start praying that they don't get pregnant? Well, I guess that's a big deal. For now though, I'd like to focus on the reactions that people have had to this. It has been reassuring to hear and read all of the outrage that women (and men) are having over this defunding possibility. However, one comment that I wish would stop is "Planned Parenthood isn't just an abortion provider! They provide low-cost birth control so that abortions don't even have to be an option." Now, this is true. Some PP facilities don't even provide abortions, and they are incredible at providing affordable birth control. But what I don't think people understand is that by saying abortion doesn't need to be an option as long as birth control is available, they're halfheartedly agreeing with those that proposed the budget cuts to PP so that they wouldn't be funding abortions. Let's review the facts: no birth control, besides refraining from vaginal intercourse, is 100% effective.

I work with a pregnancy/abortion/adoption/all-around options hotline, and have talked to plenty of women who got pregnant while on the pill and using condoms, and one special woman who got pregnant even after taking the morning after pill. They did not want to have kids, so they took precautions. Which didn't work. So let's not fool ourselves into thinking that providing access to birth control eliminates the need for abortions. No matter which way you look at it, an abortion is a necessary, safe (when done by a licensed provider), and often simple procedure. It can be incredibly emotionally draining and life-changing for some, produce no emotional change whatsoever in a person, turn a woman into a pro-life activist, turn a woman into a pro-choice activist, keep a woman off of welfare, have no impact on her station in life whatsoever, and about a million other things. Abortions are not universally awful, horrifying, or transformative. Sometimes, they're just a five- to fifteen-minute procedure that causes some physical pain.

Am I trying to be cavalier about abortions? Certainly not. I'm simply pointing out that no matter how uncomfortable abortions make us, we owe it to women and ourselves to have honest discussions about birth control in all forms--abortions, condoms, the pill, emergency contraception, and the like. If we keep saying things like "well, I think low-cost birth control (i.e. the pill, condoms) is great, because then we don't need abortions", we're only leaving ourselves vulnerable for people to come in and say, "we're so glad you agree! Make sure you take your pill on time, wrap up your partner, and we should all be good! When you're not, have fun trying to take care of a baby."

Here's hoping that the Senate shuts this ridiculous shit down. I love my Planned Parenthood, and would hate for them to lose a substantial funding source.

Style ruts

In thinking about this post, I referred to my state of being as a style runt rather than a rut. So, candy photos are in order. Sidenote: How great is it that this picture comes from a place called CandyBlog? I like to think that if people aren't reading my blog, they're busy reading about lollipops.

Wearing the same 30 items for 30 days is boring. It's not like I don't have outfits to wear, either. Since I'm quite the Type A-er, I love nothing more than planning out outfits, so I have plenty at my disposal. It's just that I never thought I would lust after a certain t-shirt or a pair of jeans. I do enjoy that my wardrobe is going to seem SO HUGE after this month is up, though. If anything, this challenge has made me think about the other ruts that I'm in. I realized that other day that I haven't listened to a new band in, oh, 6 months? All I listen to is Girl Talk and Diana Ross. I used to be so hip! I think those days are long gone.

However, one thing that I haven't gotten in a rut with is food. Having a part-time job and part-time school really allows for one to cook up a storm. On the docket today was ketchup-fried rice (quiet now, it's wayyy less trashy than it sounds), egg-less cookie dough, and homemade ice cream to mix it in! No, I didn't churn anything or purchase a five-pound bag of rock salt. My friend Corinne posted a link to this blog, and I knew that I had to make ice cream right away. Or seven hours later when I bought a can of sweetened condensed milk and a pint of heavy cream. It's still in the freezing stage, but you best believe that I'll be posting about whether or not I succeeded with it.

The perfect boots

IT IS THEM. You know they're a big deal when 1) I actually take a picture and manage to make it appear on my blog, 2) I pose them in my closet/hallway hybrid. Normally, I don't freak out about shoes. Some part of me thinks that I'd be just as happy with fancy bags on my tootsies as long as it meant I could use that money to buy a knuckleduster of a ring or that really fancy cheese they sell at the organic grocery store.

But these are shoes I can get behind. They make me feel like an extra in There Will Be Blood (or True Grit, or whatever Western you've enjoyed in the past 50 years), the grey coloration means that they can get scuffed up and no one will notice, and they zip up the sides so that I don't have to remember how to tie my shoelaces. Perfect boots for the win!

Heartz!

This picture is from an adorable accessory website called ban.do, and while I love me a good red heart sparkle pin, the model is looking utterly confused. Like, "how did I end up with a messy topknot? And where did this perfect shade of lipstick come from?" Though I would be lying if I said that I wasn't growing my hair out to achieve that exact level of topknottery. And confusion.

I hope that everyone is having a GLORIOUS Valentine's Day and lovin' on yourselves and others the way the saints would have wanted us to. My manfriend (just trying out some new labels) and I celebrated over the weekend since he's spoken for today. Law school is his wife, I'm just the awesome mistress. Anywho, my plans for this evening include eating taco soup, making cornbread muffins, and watching Dear John while crying over Channing Tatum (the aforementioned "John") not being in Step Up 2 the Streets or Step Up 3D.

Fierce beauty

Hi all! This isn't what I wore for my second day of the 30 for 30 challenge. Though be proud--I haven't reverted to emergency pants yet! I'll wait until day 4 for that. No, I felt it was important to reblog this photo of Rosie the Riveter from my friend's blog.

I've never been much for the propaganda posters of Rosie the Riveter, but something about seeing a picture of the real-life inspiration (Geraldine Doyle, who just passed away) for the WWII icon was, well...inspiring. She looks so impossibly beautiful, and since I've been in a slump these past few days, I'll take all the gorgeous bits I can get.