I've moved!

I've moved to Hop To It. Please come visit me there! Subscribers, please update your feeds!

I'm going to keep this site up mostly because I don't really know how to move it all or if it's possible to do so. So feel free to peruse the archives and again, please visit me at Hop To It!

If you're looking for The Good Human, try again!

Better late

Remember how I said that I was going to switch to the new blog today? Well, I lied.

I'm going to give it the big debut over on Wordpress this weekend. (Am I just trying to get you to keep coming back here and checking? Maybe...)

It's a big week for good humanity

It's National Volunteer week.

I've signed up for an extra shifts on the RAINN Online Hotline. You can celebrate by going to idealist.org and finding something to do.

Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Reason, which I will be celebrating. It's also the National Day of Prayer, which I will not. What about you?

Tomorrow I'm also going to be switching to the new blog name. The winner, with 61% of the votes is Hop To It. I'm not entirely sure how to do it, so things may get a little wonky around here until I figure it out. Thanks to everyone who voted on the new name!

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/27/08

Happy Earth Week! Did you plant a tree on the 25th? Did you turn off your TV?

This week's Good Humanity Sunday is a collection of some excellent Earth Week-related posts that I've found.

Why BPA is bad and how you can avoid it.

Earth Day photos in Oakland.

Enough with the plastic bags already!

Recycling also applies to kitchen appliances, y'know.

And finally, stay educated about the dirty greenwashing schemes meant to fool consumers like you and me.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

58th Carnival of Feminists

Welcome to the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists! I'm seriously, seriously thrilled to have you here. If you missed the 57th edition, go check it out at Pandemian.

(And while I have your attention, please take a quick sec and vote for my new blog name over to the right. Thanks! Thanks for voting everyone! Check out my new home at Hop To It!)

So I'm going to break down these excellent submissions based on things my 13 year old sister has said to me. (Translations in parentheses.)

OMG that's sick nasty! (My top picks)

OHH MYYYY GODD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Unitari from Antidrown
"When dealing with issues of women in Muslim countries, even the compassion that comes from some women in the US sometimes takes the form of "Oh my god!" I know, stoning is a savage idea and it's appalling. But when you say "Oh My God!" to make yourself feel better, it shows."

This is How Much a Woman is Worth in America by Cara from The Curvature
"This man raped and killed a woman, a woman who he had only met that night. More than just being a horrible person, he’s a menace to society. This could have been anyone. And for that, he will spend 5 years in jail. Maybe. He’s eligible for parole in four years."

Porn Part 4: Half of the Big Picture by Nine Deuce from Rage Against the Man-Chine

"Men often tell me that they can make a distinction between porn and real women, but I find that a little hard to believe. I would like any dude who uses porn who reads this to do me a favor and think about something: what exactly is the difference between the woman you date, or work with, or know from school, and the woman you last jerked off to?"

Sex Criminal Fashions by Holly from Menstrual Poetry
"Rape is not a funny word, action or mindset and it should most definitely not be used in a comedy bit; the same goes for the word pedophile."

He called me a bitch so I said he was just mad 'cause I wouldn't go out with him. (Misogyny & Sexual Assault)

Last post on rape! (This week) from Advancing the sum total of human knowledge and endeavour!
"I no longer call myself a 'rape victim'. I don't use that term at all, any more. I don't define myself by what's happened to me, I define myself by what I've done."

Self-harm in prisons on the increase from Socialist Unity
"Why couldn’t the staff intervene every time she came back from her therapist by talking to her rather than leaving her alone in her cell where feelings of worthlessness and powerlessness were festering?"

Pictures at Work John Philips from The Word on Employment Law
"What if someone just brings the magazine to work and shows it around the office? Is it ok if a woman does it? Not ok if a man does it?"

You're never too young for implants by Nine Deuce from Rage Against the Man-Chine
"[I]f you want to live up to today’s model of femininity, get ready to starve, cut yourself up, and eschew having a personality that goes beyond being a snottie hottie."

Mothers are best friends and fathers are... by Unmana from Unmana's Words
"So if the mother becoming a friend leaves the child parentless, what is the father doing?"

My new boyfriend is like, really nice. He gave me his cookies at lunch today! (Relationships)

Recognizing Verbal Abuse in Relationships from The Eclectic Female
"Verbal abuse often stems from inadequacies in one’s self, not from perceived negative characteristics in another. This type of behavior is often observed among pre-teen girls who use verbally abusive comments to establish dominance and social hierarchy over one another."

Disillusionment with Love and Marriage from Quest for The One
"So, for over 150 years, individuals have come to personal realizations that love is not what they thought it was when they were 15 years old."

I don't even know why you like Miley Cyrus so much. (Badass chicks)

Firefly and Serenity from Heroine Content
"Firefly/Serenity is a new take on the western frontier adventure story, which is certainly another area of traditional film misogyny."

No Trespassing, My First Short Film by Holly from Menstrual Poetry
"I usually keep my creative endeavors pretty secret until there is something super exciting to say about it and this is most definitely super exciting!"

Art Nouveau - Where Pinups Got Their Start from Tali at The Pinup Blog
"The Women in Mucha’s painings are natural, beautiful and surrounded by beauty. Their sexiness is an inherit trait. Some are classical, some are modern, all are regal and most look you straight in the eye."

Blog for Fair Pay for Women from Womenstake.org
A list of all the bloggers that posted in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Act.

Wait, who is the president again? (Politics)

A glass ceiling for women? by Nick from Understand Media Blog
"Hillary Clinton constantly receives jabs because of her gender but has no opportunity to respond to those comments. This is because the comments directed towards her are subtle, perhaps even subconscious."

Biased Journalists and Bloggers, Heal Thyselves!from Mad Kane's Political Madness
"And that brings me to my latest limerick" (You gotta click through for it!)

Was Jesus a Jew or a Muslim? (Religion)

Dissecting the Burqa from Kejda Gjermani's My Piece of Mind
"Not only does wearing the burqa imply an overly sexualized sense of self, but it also silently spells out a moral condemnation of all women who do not abide by such anal and self-demeaning standards of 'modesty.'"

A True Measure of a Man by Janak Patel from Crude Bliss
"She is for compassion - never letting go, always giving it time She is for believing - it will one day, be all okay She is for loving unconditionally - and if it takes sacrifice, so be She is for understanding - the truth yet respecting others viewpoints She is for wisdom - gathered from the beginning of time till the end of space"

I was late for my Spanish class because I was talking to my friends in the hallway and I almost got detention! (Last-minute submissions)

Part-time smartschmuck-time and Finished! and Of course! It's teh girleez' fault! from Deborah at In a Strange Land.

Thoughts on the Tyranny of Marriage at Tax Time and What's Wrong with this Article? Marriage and Taxes, part 2 and Thesaurus.com Says 'Female' is Equivalent to 'Weaker' from don't ya wish your girlfriend was smart like me?

Thanks again for reading! Check out the long-awaited 59th Edition over at Philobiblon!

Sorry!

Please put your pitchforks down, townfolk! The Carnival of Feminists is on its way!

Lame excuse: My gmail has decided not to let me in. This is what I get for waiting until the last minute.

What are you grateful for right now?

I've got a lot going on right now, but I'm taking a cue from Well-Heeled: I'm grateful for iTunes free song Tuesdays and the beautiful sunny weather.

And the new solid shampoo that I bought that magically turned my hair into a lush, pretty-smelling mane. Rawr.

And the Carnival of Feminists is tomorrow! The carnival submission form appears to be down, so send in your last-minute submissions to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com! (BTW, I'm going to post the carnival at around 9-10pm EST. I know it's late. I'm busy!)

What are you grateful for right now?

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/20/08

This week's Good Humanity Sunday is just a reminder that I'm hosting the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists. (Check out the 57th edition at Pandemian!)

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 22nd at 6pm EST.

Submit your post here or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

(All these great submissions have been keeping me busy! I'll have a more uhh... topical Good Humanity Sunday next week.)

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

The times, they are a-changin'

Those of us with common, easy-to-pronounce names are doomed to be unoriginal. And I have to admit, I came up with this blog idea on a whim after staying up late one night, freaking out after watching too many news programs. I wanted to write about how we're treating each other and the impact we're having on the world.

Turns out, someone beat me to it. The Good Human is all about how to live more sustainably and respectfully and be, well, a good human. If you haven't checked it out yet, go there right now. RIGHT NOW.

So in an effort to stop the confusion, I'm going to make some changes. And I need your help! If you have any ideas for a new blog name, please, by all means, leave them in the comments or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I will post a poll with the ones I like the best in a few days and expect to go live with the new site on May 1st.


And now, Bob Dylan:

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/13/08

I love old people. Seriously. They have seen and done so much. Even if you spent hours with them every day, you still wouldn't be able to take in the breadth of their life experiences. Woah.

But the way they represent the inevitable end of life never fails to make me feel all introspective and sad. Take this guy that I found via Boing Boing, for example. He's 80 years old and calls his late wife's voicemail every day just to hear her voice.

Until, of course, Verizon changed their voicemail system and the voicemail message was lost.

But Verizon made it right by retrieving another message that she left, so he can continue to call it, hear her voice, and feel a little closer to her even though she's gone.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Call for submissions

I'm hosting the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists! (Check out the 57th edition at Pandemian! Go right now!)

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 22nd at 6pm EST.

Submit your post here or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

Perspective

In the patchwork group of people that I call my family, Jim Joseph fills the role of a grandfather perfectly. He is unfailingly practical and not one to waste words. An extremely skilled mechanic, he made sure I didn’t drive my first car into the junk yard with my teenage irresponsibility. When he tried to retire from volunteering with Habitat for Humanity a few years ago at the age of like 72, they convinced him to stay on one more year because they couldn't manage without him.

Over the years, he and his wife Florence have taken in people whose own families are lacking and made them a part of theirs. They opened up their home to so many and showed them nothing but love and support, regardless of their lifestyle or background. They’ve lived in that same home for probably 50 years and their phone number was one of the first I committed to memory.

If there is anyone who embodies the proof of good humanity that I’m so desperately trying to find and emulate, it would be my Grandpa Joseph.

Yesterday, I found he has been battling prostate cancer for several months. He didn’t want to tell me because, as it was explained to me, I had “enough to worry about” with the job search.

I guess I get worked up pretty easily over comparatively silly things. Stupid shit republicans do, for example. And my boyfriend’s inability to remember what night to put the recycling out. And my 13 year old sister’s insistence on telling her boyfriend that she loves him when, in fact, she only like-likes him. I’m not sure where I’m going with this other than I guess I cry wolf a lot.

And then a real wolf comes along and I’m left speechless.

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/6/08

Guys, I'm not sure if you know this, but Wal-Mart is a Hellmouth. Seriously. They do bad things.

So it feels so strange and wrong and alternate universe-y to be writing about them for Good Humanity Sunday. But whatev. Watch my tv crush Keith Olbermann tell us what they did. (Skip to 1:28.)



That's right. Brain damaged and unable to care for herself, with memory so spotty that she must be reminded that her son is dead every single day and Wal-Mart tried to rob her of everything she has.

But they finally conceded (thanks mostly to all the press that Countdown got for continuing to run this story every night until Wal-Mart backed down) and stopped seeking the money Shank needs to live on:



I'm thrilled that Wal-Mart was finally shamed into doing the right thing here. This is proof, albeit maddeningly slow and only after they couldn't stand all the negative press, that somewhere in the dark bowels of their corporate office/hell on earth in Bentonville, AR, there is good humanity. Now if only they'd start paying a decent wage, stop discriminating against women in their promotion policies, quit selling products made from Chinese slave labor, start offering an affordable health care plan so their employees wouldn't need medicaid, stop bullying their way into small town America and closing down all the local businesses that can't compete with their prices, and LET THEIR WORKERS UNIONIZE, then we'd really be getting somewhere.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Hired!

At the request of my blog-friend, Rapparee from Sex Sells, I thought I wouldn't leave you all hanging about the triumphant end of my job search. I tried to sneak it into Good Humanity Sunday from a few weeks ago, but he caught me.

So just to recap, I lost my ever first grown-up job waaaaay back in December. And it sucked. I was also naive enough to think that my former boss wouldn't inhibit my new job search, costing me an excellent opportunity with a company I really admire. Dumb, I know.


Then while in the midst of fighting over unemployment benefits with my former company, (see a pattern of asshole behavior here?) I picked up a freelancing position at a really cool youth marketing agency. And by really cool, I mean too cool for me. I was so not trendy enough to work there. But they let me roll in at like 10:30 and I had complete control over the work I did, so I didn't mind being the only girl not wearing those ridiculous neon tights as pants.

The boyfriend, who is lucky enough to work in a job that offers overtime, was working 6 days a week to make up for my lost income. By mid February it was starting to wear on him. Dealing with me in a constant state of disappointment wasn't easy either. But he did it all without complaining or blaming me. And he absolutely kept me going when I let myself get frustrated.

[/lovey-doveyness]

So throughout all this, I was still looking for a full-time J-O-B. I tapped out most of my linkedin network and used Monster and craigslist as well. I even looked in the newspaper classifieds. (It felt old-timey and weird.) After seeing their ads during the Superbowl, I threw up my resume on CareerBuilder and then didn't give it much thought.

But a VP of human resources at my new job was using CareerBuilder to fill a position in a department due to a large growth of new business. (good sign: business growing despite recession) He liked my resume enough to call me in for an interview with the team, which went great. And then... nothing for like a week. He called back to tell me that they were in the midst of "reassessing the needs of the department" so it would take them some time for them to get back to me. Naturally, I thought he was giving me the runaround and I almost wanted to tell him that he should just be up front with me instead of stringing me along. I was mad.

Then another week went by and I realized that this was a place I really wanted to work at. I had gone on a lot of interviews since I didn't get that other job and this was the first one that I was really excited about. I sent over samples of the freelance work I was doing and reiterated my interest. And lo, I got a call back! And they wanted me! So I wrapped up my freelance work and started up last week.


Now, I can't tell if my first job was so horrendously bad or if this job is just fantastically good. I will reserve judgment until I at least can remember everyone's names. However, I just have to mention that my boss was considering taking on new business and she asked us, her subordinates, what we thought. I was really floored to have my opinion even considered, let alone sought out.

My birthday isn't for a couple of months, but I'm thinking that this is the chocolate fountain celebration type of job. Yay! (Watch video to understand what I just said.)

Good Humanity Sunday 3/30/08

OMG you guys, I love basketball so much. So our proof of good humanity this week is a shoutout to the little guys, the rags to riches scrappers who defy expectations and much higher seeded teams.

This year, Davidson College, led by the monstrous Stephen Curry has danced through the field of 65 all the way to the Elite 8. And by monstrous, I mean in terms of talent instead of looks, because he is just so adorable. Just look at him! I wonder if he even shaves yet.

Cinderella stories (or if you prefer, Davidson vs. Goliath) like this are one of the big reasons that I love March. The NCAA tournament thrusts these kids into such a bright national spotlight and I'm just so freakin impressed that they don't wilt on the spot from all the pressure. I don't even think I could make a layup if I knew millions of people were watching.

The 10th seed Wildcats face Kansas today at 4:30 EST on CBS. I'm so excited, I don't even care that they busted my bracket.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Give your money to strangers

(photo via progressdaily.com)

Today I gave like 65 cents to some lady on the subway who played what looked like a cross between a bagpipe and a recorder. (It sounded horrible. I like the mariachi guys way better.) It's something I try not to do, because as a hard-working American, I feel like I have the right to determine whether or not people "deserve" the money I've worked so hard for.

My recent unemployment stint has taught me a lot about how much money I really need to get by (answer: not much) and now that I'm working, I suddenly feel like I have all this extra cash laying around. And I want to spend all of it. I realized that I still dress like a college student and I could use a new pair of running shoes and omg I need a $5 latte right now.

So I need to figure out something better to do with my money. My current blog-crush, Jen at Daily Mitzvah, has started a charity piggy bank, which I will be appropriating in short order. I'm also verrry open to other ideas. Can you think of another way for me to do something good with my money?

Good Humanity Sunday - the late edition

Here's some proof of good humanity: no reanimated corpses of dead messiahs tried to eat all our brains yesterday. I think we can all agree that this is a good thing. Stay save, everyone!

Good Humanity Sunday 3/16/08

This week's Proof of Good Humanity comes from MSNBC Health. The Janssens were fat - dangerously so. The old "finish your plate" command was killing off this family.

Nine years ago, eldest sibling Claudia Meyer ... had a stroke, and doctors said she'd never walk again. In 2003, youngest brother Bruce passed away at age 47 from a blood clot, and a little over 2 years later sister Valerie, 57, died suddenly from a heart attack.

Instead of letting unhealthy habits continue to pick off the remaining Janssens, they decided to do something about it: go for a walk. Yep, that's it. No crazy exercise regimen or raw food diets; they're just taking walks together. A group of 21 family members even walked a half-marathon together.

Over the miles, family members walked in small groups, catching up on news in their lives, sharing emotions, telling stories, and encouraging each other. "When my blisters started acting up at mile 6, Heidi distracted me with a game of 'let's see who we can catch ahead of us,'" says Lois. Even Claudia, back on her feet despite doctors' bleak prognosis 9 years ago, took part in the walk — 65 pounds lighter and feeling "twice as good as ever." For Nita, crossing the finish line with her sister-in-law Stephanie, who had been married to her brother Bruce, is a memory she will never forget. Heart disease may have claimed Bruce's life, but the Janssen family is walking toward a promising new future.

How great is that? Not only are they getting healthier, but they're doing it together. And they collectively lost almost 200lbs. Woah.

Bonus Sunday Proof: Less than 2 weeks after I got that freelancing job, I finally found the full-time position I was hoping for. Consider the job search tag officially closed!

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Resolutions Revisited

So it's the middle of March now, a time when most people can't even remember what they resolved to accomplish in the new year. Me included! Good thing I blogged about it. To quote, uh, myself:

1) Find a way to pay my bills.

2) Drink less pop.

3) Volunteer my time in person.

4) Multitask less.

I think I've got the first one figured out. Not so much the rest of them. That's disappointing. Time to prioritize!

How are you doing with your resolutions?

Pick Somebody Up

I just love this song. Take it to heart, people!

Lysol your ladyparts

(Click for larger view.)

Found this at The Essentia Sphere and just had to repost it. Because OMG SO RIDIC! Nevermind the implications that your smelly vag is causing marital strife, I can't even imagine the havoc this would wreak on "delicate tissue." Gah!

We are listening

Guess what! WE ELECTED THIS WOMAN! (Well, Oklahoma did, but still...) If we allow hatemongers to represent us, then we are hatemongers ourselves. If you're outraged by this, write your representative and demand a House Censure.

Update: Pam at Pandagon posted (alliteration!) some great insight on this. Check it out!

Good Humanity Sunday 3/9/08 - Celebrate!

This past week was pretty busy for me. You may have noticed that I didn't post anything. My proof of good humanity this week is that I found a freelance job that I really enjoy. After a lot of ups and downs, and much emotional hand-wringing, someone finally gave me another chance to prove how awesome I am. I'm still on the lookout for a full-time position that will satisfy my middle-class guilt, but this was just what I needed, in a talk-me-down-from-the-rooftop sort of way.

(Oh, and I promise to get back to posting 2 or 3x per week like you're used to. Sorry.)

Send me your own proofs of good humanity! I love to read them and I will likely post them on Sundays. Email to beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

Good Humanity Sunday 3/2/08

As part of my ongoing search for proof of good humanity, I thought I would share this gem, which I found on Consumerist. Basically, Staples tried to rip off this old guy for computer repairs and this guy Michael stepped in and fixed it for him for free!

The senior, who had been lulled into Staples for a free tune up that suddenly cost $39.99, didn't understand why he needed to spend money on a "diagnostic screening ($49.99), virus removal services ($150), and more RAM (~$150)." Michael intervened and offered to look at the computer free of charge. He couldn't believe what he found when he popped open the computer.

Great story. Go read the rest. It's a cautionary tale and proof of good humanity all rolled into one!

In an attempt to bring some kind of stability to my posting schedule, I'm going to try to start (or end, depending on your calendar) your week off right with some proof of good humanity every Sunday. If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

What I'm doing with my free time

I've got some free time on my hands. See, I'm currently unemployed. Sometimes it's great. Sleeping in! No responsibilities! Not having to jam myself on the train at rush hour! Sometimes it's not so great. No income! Boredom! It's like a vacation, but without the fun and friends and funds for which to pay for it.

But I'm still committed to being a good human. So, here, in convenient bullet format, is what I'm doing with myself:

• I take my magazines to the dialysis center nearby. I've been told that dialysis is quite time consuming, so who wouldn't want to kick back with a nice Us Weekly or Mother Jones while a machine filters their blood for them? I like the idea of getting multiple uses out of something before recycling it. (Yes, both of those subscriptions were gifts. I really, really love one of them. Guess which one.)


• I'm taking fewer showers. And therefore using less water. TMI?


• I'm keeping my heat as low as possible, while (barely) avoiding frostbite. I'm trying to make a game out of it, like every degree I can stand to lower it is a point for me. I was sick last week and lost a bunch of points though. :(
  


• I go to the library instead of the bookstore. Again with the reusing thing.
  


• I talk to my family more. I chatted with my gram for over an hour the other day and I could tell that it totally made her day. St. Joseph is being very sluggish with selling their house, btw.
  


• I'm reading a lot more blogs. Right now I'm totally crushing on Daily Mitzvah, Menstrual Poetry, MMM Brains!, Muslim Hedonist, No Impact Man, Shakesville, Stickpaste, The Curvature, Well-Heeled, and Where It Stands, just to name a few.


• I'm able to devote more time to the RAINN Online Hotline. Have you been sexually assaulted and don't know how to deal? Not sure about what happened to you? Still feeling anxious even though it was a while ago and you "should" be over it by now? Chat with a trained volunteer (like me!) securely and anonymously.
  

Do you have any ideas? I've got plenty of time to implement them! Leave 'em in the comments or email me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

Feminism at its Finest

Great name for a carnival right? I love alliteration. Anyway, it's up over at Menstrual Poetry and it's a really good one. Holly does a phenomenal job, as usual. Go read it!

Good Stuff

I've been on an increasingly desperate lookout for what I like to call proof of good humanity. Basically something, anything that proves we haven't lost the ability to do good as a species.

I found a shining beacon of positivity with the Carnival of Good Stuff posted over at Pollywog's Pond. My post on how to make people think you care about them is included, as are a pretty random collection of... well, good stuff. Go read! Happiness abounds!

On privilege

I thought I would hop on the so-called privilege meme floating around these days. When you think about how much farther some people have to go in order to achieve, it's kind of shocking. To be sure, this list works best for people in first world nations. Obviously.

Reminds me of this quote I read somewhere from Barry Switzer: "Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple." (Thanks Will!) Likewise, there are some people born in the dugout who never even get up to bat. I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle.

Bold all that are true for you.

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were the same or higher socioeconomic class than your high school teachers
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children’s books by a parent (Hands down, my favorite childhood memories involve bedtime stories. She always gave in to my pleas of "just one more!")
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (I'm not sure the media portrays anyone positively anymore...)
    
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school (on scholarship and lots of debt incurred by my mother)
17. Went to summer camp (basketball)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (I busted my ass serving pizza and bought my own car thankyouverymuch!)
    
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single family house (after age 11)
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child (for the most part)
    
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (Maybe that's why I didn't even get a 1300. Or maybe it's because I was lazy and didn't study.)
    
28. Had your own TV in your room in High School
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up (The first time I went to a museum was last September when my bf took me to The Met. It was boring.)
    
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
    

(The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.)

Hmm! I expected to have more than 9 bolded here. I guess I'm snobbier than my upbringing would imply. How many do you have? Leave it in teh commentz!

Update: Will Barratt, one of the creators of this exercise, has a blog on the subject of class where he dissects it all in a typically academic fashion. Sound boring? It's actually really fascinating and worthy of checking out, especially if the list above made you think twice.

Plastic bags again

Jen x over at the Daily Mitzvah is also cutting down on her plastic bag usage as a part of her Carbon Fast for Lent. Basically, she finds one small thing to do each day during lent to reduce her carbon footprint. Genius, right? The lapsed Catholic in me is kicking myself for not thinking of it first.

Some of the other daily Lenten tips include taking shorter showers, switching to green power, and unplugging the cell charger. All good ideas. It is highly recommended you check it out.

Update: As Jen noted in the comments, the Carbon Fast for Lent idea came originally from Tearfund, based in the UK.

Pollution means execution

The Electric Company's blissed out funky tunes never fail to make spelling and environmentalism fun.

Yesterday I did something I hate. I went grocery shopping and forgot to bring my reusable bags. So I ended up coming home with 4 double-bags of groceries and a very surly attitude. Ugh.

My good friend Michael brought to my attention a so-called trash vortex floating in the Pacific Ocean. Greenpeace has this neato animator that shows how all that swampy, disgusting muck of our own filth gets from the shores of California and Japan to the middle of the ocean over time. It's not just plastic bags that we're choking the ocean with, but they're a big part.

Reusablebags.com has a few pages full of scary facts about plastic bag usage.

Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.

Yikes!

Luckily, I live in NYC, where the City Council recently passed a bill requiring stores to recycle plastic bags. Don't live near a recycling facility? Well, for one, get some reusable bags and don't be dumb like me and forget them when you go shopping. Reusablebags.com even has a cool one that folds into itself and can fit in your purse so you never forget.

If you've already got some plastic bags at home that you can't stand to throw away, a quick google search of "reuse plastic bags" will not disappoint. The first link on the page is for a ThriftyFun (since 1997!) post with tons of reader tips and ideas. Some are good:

"Plastic grocery bags act as a protective cushion when packing dishes or breakables."

"The little plastic grocery bags we get are useful the little ones when teaching them to help clean up a room. They are also good for the little garbage cans in our bathrooms."

Some are gross:

"An emergency pair of plastic pants to put over your baby's diaper."

"I kill two birds with one stone. We have not solved two problems in decades: Dog waste problems in urban areas and grocery bag problems. My pooper scooper has a collapsible frame structure which springs open any grocery bag instantly, and it catches dog feces before it hits the ground. If all dog owners reuse grocery bags for 68 million dogs in the US, they might need more bags."

So don't be a wastoid. You have a lot of options and with your participation, we can stamp out pollution.

Pull out some hope for me

I've been looking for some Proof of Good Humanity lately, to no avail. Anybody got some to share? It can be something good you heard on the news, or read in the blogs, or something good that's going on in your own life.

I'd love to hear it.

Wherefore the hot wife?

I stumbled upon this Slate article from 2005. (Though I did not StumbleUpon it, actually.) It discusses the phenomenon in teevee sitcoms known as "fat guy, hot wife." Writer Matt Feeney points out sitcom couple after couple that are "ill-matched looks-wise." These couples had a lot of other endearing little quirks in common. "In addition to their girth, a signal characteristic of these men is immaturity. Most of them are unable to master the simplest daily tasks." Oh, and the women have no real discernible personality or value besides being the hot wife that graciously puts up with her clumsy husband's antics. Having never really watched the shows mentioned, I skipped down to what appeared at first to be a pretty spot-on explanation:

"It's tempting to register a feminist complaint about the message these shows convey—that they perpetuate the view that women shouldn't expect autonomy or fulfillment in romance and marriage. They do, after all, play to a certain male fantasy: living the gluttonous, irresponsible, self-absorbed life of an infant and basking in the unconditional love of a good-looking woman."

But alas, that's not it at all. As Feeney explains, the reason these incongruous pairings are so common is because women watch sitcoms, too!

"In portraying husbands as lousy parents, marginal breadwinners, and repellant sexual partners, the fat-husband sitcoms convey a persecution fantasy"

That's right! Women want to be saddled with an irresponsible, lazy, all around jackass of a husband to satisfy our persecution fantasies. Ugh.

Now, that's not even the worst of it for me. Men are given a pass to be overweight, sloppy, crude, etc, whereas the women are relegated to playing the stunningly beautiful martyr, bravely putting up with the slovenly man she loves. Why aren't women allowed to be unattractive assholes? Is that not acceptable for television?

Wimminz Carnival

53rd edition of the Carnival of Feminists is up at Uncool, featuring lots of great lady-posts from great lady-blogs. I'm in there somewhere. Go! Now! Check it out!

How to get shit done when you're depressed

Or overwhelmed. Or distracted. Any and all of the above.

Don't take it one day at a time. Or even one hour at a time. Take it one task at a time. Tomorrow can feel like an eternity away if you can't even get out of bed today. So laser-focus on the tasks themselves. When you brush your teeth, really clean the shit out of them! That second molar on the bottom hasn't received enough attention lately, so you should probably be liberal with the brushing and flossing back there.

Objectify it. It's hard to make decisions and get shit done when it's all so personal. If you're perceiving some crappy busywork from your boss as an insult, you're going to get angry and work slower. It's much easier to think of it as simply a task that needs to be done without getting your emotions involved. Not only will you avoid getting upset, you'll become ruthlessly efficient.

Throw out your huge to-do list. Plan instead on accomplishing 5 things each day. They don't have to be great feats either. Writing them down creates opportunities to feel successful when you cross them off. Here's my to-do list for today:

1. Apply for 5 jobs online.
2. Get the mail at 4:45pm.
3. Call my cousins in Tennessee and see if their house is still standing.
4. Drop the netflix in the mailbox around the corner.
   
5. Write a blog post.
   

Each task has a reason. #1 is obvious because I'm not a millionaire. #2 helps me maintain a routine and gives me something to look forward to. #3 will give me a chance to talk to people I love and exercise my vocal chords. #4 is especially important, because it gets me out of the house and requires me to change out of my jim jams.

This is #5. Check! But the reason is because I like to blog. And it's important to do things you like. I've been told that depression can cause you to lose interest in activities you once enjoyed. So if you still enjoy something, do it.

Answer the phone. I have a nasty habit of letting everyone go to voicemail. It's partly because I love dancing around to my ringtone and partly because I don't want to expend the effort required to have a conversation. But lately I've been actively trying to answer more often and I haven't regretted it. I set up some interviews and found that chatting with my friends actually makes me happy. Imagine!

Remember to eat. (Disregard if you're one of those people that eats your feelings.) It doesn't really matter what it is, but healthier is better for obvious reasons. I've been subsisting almost exclusively on toast for about 3 weeks now. Good thing I take a multi-vitamin! Eating something, anything really, will help combat fatigue and lethargy. Those are the devils that tell you to just watch another Law & Order episode on TNT instead of tackling your super-easy and totally doable to-do list.

Ask for help. Most people don't even know you need it unless you ask.

I do what I want

So, I've gotten some pretty interesting emails recently about the Blogs I Hate post. First, thank you for being angry enough to send them! I did notice a few common themes:

• I'm a stupid cunt/whore/bitch/liberal.
• I'm on the terrorists' side.
• I should repent for my sins.
  
• 9/11 was my fault.
• I should go cook dinner and/or perform light house work and/or fellatio.
  
• WTF does me bitching about conservatives have to do with being a good human?

All valid points. However, please let me address the last one. It's true, very little is accomplished by whining. And perhaps, my time would be better spent at the SPCA, cleaning shit out of cages. But y'know what? I don't give a shit.

If I see something that needs to be called out, I'm going to fucking call it out. Misogynist advertising included. Dumbass government decisions included. Wingnut blogs and websites definitely included.

I very much believe that part of being a good human is pointing out when someone isn't. So many people believe that Reagan was a great president. Only he was a fucking terrible president! He just told everyone, and the media told everyone that he was great, that the "trickle down theory" of bullshit economics works and everyone was stupid enough to believe it. And now after 20 years, after the veneer of time has piled on, obscuring the truth even more, today's Republican presidential candidates are invoking Reagan's name as laudable and worthy of emulating. Being able to fool people into thinking you're good doesn't make you good.

So I guess I'm hoping that if I can draw attention to issues and people that I believe are completely wrong, well maybe everyone else will stop for a second, for one goddamn second and think critically about it. Maybe they'll come to the same conclusion they already had, but at least they wouldn't have just lined up, like animals for the slaughter without second-guessing themselves first.

I believe good humanity thinks, questions, and is often unsure. Good humanity is angry when faced with proof of the opposite. Good humanity isn't going to shut the fuck up either.

Pros & Cons: Pajamas All Day

Pro: Less laundry!
Con: You may forget to shower regularly.

Pro: Avoid the hassle of having to pick out something new to wear each day.
Con: You pretty much have to stay home unless you're the type to go out in your jim jams.

Pro: Elastic waistband for maximum comfort
Con: ...




(Photo via armorofgodpjs.com. You can really buy them!)

Blogs I hate

Welcome to the dark side of the internet. In no particular order, here are just a few sites that I read for pure, masochistic glee.

Insight on Freedom - It's almost as if this is a joke, like some guy decided to make a blog combining every single hilarious stereotype of the American conservative. Just the right column alone, there are predictable proclamations toward bombing Iran, hatred of immigrants, against universal healthcare, and pride at being the descendant of a Confederate soldier. Yikes.

Arthur's Hall of Viking Manliness - Someone has a small penis.

Townhall - It's a nice consolidation of "middle of America" conservative opinions. Y'know, the kind that believed the swiftboaters, want to teach intelligent design, and are concerned that teh gayz will somehow ruin their marriage by getting married themselves.

Freedom's Watch - Heavy on the patriotic theme. Note the red, white & blue colors, the flag superimposed over an image of the US, the EAGLE. They've also got the typical Reagan-fellating conservative thing going, which is pretty annoying. But then they go above and beyond with "Big Labor's Radical Agenda." As if workers unions are the ones that are outsourcing manufacturing jobs and leaving American towns devastated when their main job source is shuttered and moved to China.

God Hates Fags - Imaginary deities don't have feelings.

GodTube - It's like YouTube, but for Jesus. The vid below is a great example of specific demographic that this site targets. It seriously made me LOL.

Musings of a Maniac - The title says it all really. Obsessed with American Idol, secret crush on Hillary Clinton, and the most dumbed down, regurgitated right wingnut malarkey I've seen in quite some time.

Concerned Women for America - Y'know, it's really disgusting when a man perpetrates a misogynist agenda, shielded by religion - that it's "god's will" that women should stay at home and raise the family, "defer to her husband's leadership," have no reproductive choices whatsoever because they're simply "vessels," holding tanks or storage lockers for his children. It's even more loathsome to see women wreak this kind of havoc on each other.

Exodus International - Jesus will save you from your dirty homo lifestyle. That's seriously what this site is about. No joke.

World Net Daily - These people love guns, Ann Coulter, labeling everyone that isn't a white christian a terrorist, etc. All under the extremely specious label of "free press."

New to the RSS reader

Newly added to my RSS reader this week are these three blogs:

Are We At War With Iran? Good Question.

The Essentia Sphere - Unfortunately, this blog turned off comments, which is understandable when there are posts like this to make assholes angry.

feminist_rage - Ok so, I don't know anything about Live Journal, but this is a community in it and I only discovered it when I was getting a bunch of links from it. But it's a good read, especially when you're feeling all Womyn Power!

Silver linings, etc

(photo from icanhascheezburger.com)

This has been a hard week. Turns out, I was wrong in my assumption that I would just bounce back after getting canned. My egomaniacal idea that my vast skillset would translate easily into the non-profit sector proved false when I realized that I don't really have a skillset. That superhot guy is avoiding me again and I think it's because my ex badmouthed me. The bf has been working 6 days/week to make up for my lost income and I miss him. Brad. Heath. Republicans.

It's probs just my hysterical uterus and I just need to buck up.

At least I still have all my lady parts. And I have a truly awesome, selfless bf, who hasn't complained once about all the extra hours he's working. I'm still able to line up job interviews and I have another one tomorrow. I get to spend some real quality time with my beta fish, Gene McGranagan. Turns out, my neighborhood is a lot of fun to walk around while everyone else is at work. Netflix. My RSS reader. Facebook.

Update: I was wrong; I am FUCKING AWESOME. I let the situation get me down and I let the dirty, underhanded tactics of my petty former employer make me think that I'm less than I am. Anyone know a good lawyer?

Contact your Congressman

So a while back, I reminded you to contact your Congressional representatives because y'know, their actions represent us. When they pass stupid shit like the Patriot Act or No Child Left Behind, we do too. Yikes.

But it's kind of intimidating, just calling up your rep and demanding stuff, right? What do you say? Who should you talk to? How should you go about it? Well, I came across an eHow article detailing just that.

They're your representatives in Congress; you pay their salary and they work for you. So there is no reason why you can't contact your Congressional representative. You might want to explain why you think she should vote a certain way on a bill, or get him to help solve a problem you're having with the federal bureaucracy

It's specific to just the House of Representatives, but you can easily translate the ideas to the Senate, as well as your local and state legislators. It recommends emails, which is a good first step. I've sent a few to my representatives, but have only received form replies. If you're concerned that you'll be disregarded, it's a good idea to get on the phone. That way you'll know that at least 1 person has heard what you have to say.

New Blogrolls!

I added a few blogrolls to the right column. They're just a few of the many, many (some would say too many) blogs I have in my RSS feed and keep track of regularly. Now I'm sharing them with you.

Update: As I noted in the comments, I'm working on a new post of blogs I hate. Have you surfed some particularly infuriating ones lately? Leave them in the comments or email beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Misogyny in office supplies

Inspired by this post from The Curvature and this one from Days in a Wannabe Punk's Life I bring you this from the loathsome ad agency that represents Axe body spray:

See what they did there? You're not just surfing the net, you've got your whole fist up some disembodied whore's skirt! Click those buttons; scroll that little wheel thing; you know she likes it! After all, she's got no mouth to tell you no and no hands to fight back. Ha! Ha!

In my estimation, Axe users not only smell like cheap man-perfume, they're misogynistic assholes, too. Definitely NOT proof of good humanity. If you can't boycott all Unilever products, banning the purchase of the crappy Axe line is a good start. Being a good human means not supporting ones that aren't.

Ugh, disgusting. Source.

I'm rich!

I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 429,712,644 richest person on earth! How rich are you? >>

And I didn't even know it!

Well, I kind of figured it out, thanks to the Christian Children's Fund commercials when I was a kid.

I stumbled upon this site, the Global Rich List, which showed me just exactly where I stand in the world from an income standpoint. Just put in your annual income and it will tell you how rich you are. I used my old salary and found myself within the top 7% in the world. The top 7% in the whole world. Wow.

Cool right? I lifted this from their "Why are we doing this?" section:

"We are obsessed with wealth. But we gauge how rich we are by looking upwards at those who have more than us. This makes us feel poor.

We wanted to do something which would help people understand, in real terms, where they stand globally. And make us realise that in fact most of us (who are able to view this web page) are in the privileged minority.

We want people to feel rich. And give some of their extra money to a worthwhile charity."

Sounds good to me! Go check it out and see just how loaded you are.

How to make people think you care about them

So I sound like a sociopath, so what? Truth is, I care very much about people, individually and collectively. It's just that they might not know it. So maybe a more apt title would be, "How to let people know that you care about them." But that's kind of lame. These highly insightful tips are useful for a number of reasons. People who think you care about them are more likely to trust you, to like you, to care about you in return. Making them think you care about them can lead to friendship, marriage, and/or a successful money-swindling scheme. Because I care about you, I will enumerate them for ease of reading.

1. Actually care. Not required, but extremely helpful. Be interested in what they have to say, how they feel, and about the events that are going on in their lives.
   
2. Buy them stuff. Careful! Buying someone's affection often backfires if it's not accompanied with genuine care and love. But a little something out of the blue is great. Ex) My friend is in school for massage therapy. I saw a massage therapy magazine one day that looked really interesting and informative, so I got her a subscription. It didn't cost a lot and I was able to show my friend that I was thinking about what's important to her.
   
3. Really listen to what they have to say. Don't remember COM 101? Well, check this helpful page on active listening for details. An easy way to do this is to devote all of your attention to them while they are talking. Turn the TV off. Step away from the computer. Look at them. If you're on the phone, go sit someplace where there aren't any distractions.
   
4. Don't disagree with them. Go back to the active listening page and figure out how to apply the paraphrasing and primary empathy sections. Suppose they've got some whack opinions that you don't agree with, but don't really want to get into an argument over. Showing them that you're listening and restating their ideas back to them will help them feel validated, while you didn't admit to agreement. This works best with old people and children.
   
5. Call them to do stuff. Making plans to include them is an obvious way to show someone that you want them around. But don't be an idiot about it. Your friend that just got dumped probably doesn't want to go the the bridal expo with you. And as much as you want your athiest friend to go to church with you, I bet he or she really doesn't want to.
6. Do stuff that they want to do. So maybe you're the recently dumped or athiest friend. Go anyway! They will appreciate it and you may not hate it (although you probs will.)
   
7. Tell them. This is the one that I suck at most, which is a shame since it's arguably the easiest to pull off. Maybe I will add this to my half-hearted resolution list.

There you have it, an easy peasy little guide to making people think you care about them, whether you do or not.

And we're back!

So I got my final expenses taken care of at the old job. Now I really think I can wash my hands of the whole situation and, as a bonus, open Be a Good Human back up to the dozens of you that missed my narcissistic missives. I hope never to have to do that again. Lesson learned.

Oops!

I have a link for this blog in the signature of my personal email. And I am an idiot. Today I sent an email to my former boss and copied the directors of HR and payroll regarding an expense reimbursement issue and I forgot to delete the link in my signature. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

So I've decided to restrict the permissions to people I know and love for a while. At least until I know I'm getting paid for those expenses. Then I won't really care if they see that I hated their guts.

RAINN online training

So I've been doing the initial 20 hours of online training in order to volunteer for the RAINN online hotline. I've been trying to do it a little bit at a time, because immersing myself in rape and sexual abuse statistics and stories kind of makes the days a little grayer. It's like a Law & Order: SVU marathon, only without Ice T or that nice feeling when the bad guys go to jail at the end of the hour.

Feeling shitty about your day? Maybe nothing is going right for you lately and you just want to catch a damn break. Consider volunteering your time with people who need it and you might notice that you don't have it so bad.

Cross your fingers!

So I'm going on another date with that superhot guy again. We chatted on the phone a few times, but I got the feeling that he wasn't really into me as much as I was into him. I went on a few dates with some other guys over the past few weeks, but I don't like them as much as him. Tomorrow I'm definitely going to convince him that we should totally be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Some Light Reading

The Carnival of Career & Job Advice is up at Ask the Career Counselor. My losing my job post is in there somewhere, amidst some really excellent, helpful posts on just about anything job-related. It is highly recommended that you peruse the selection.

Debt free say wha?

So I'm reading this book, Debt Free by 30. No joke. I'd really like to believe that I can be free and clear of debt in a scant 8 years, but that is an awful long time from now.

How, you ask, does my level of indebtedness have anything to do with being a good human? Well, as I not-so-subtly alluded to before, if, as my Papa would say, I don't have 2 pennies to rub together, there's no way I can make good on all my grand promises and ambitions of good humanity. I can get so bogged down with fear that I'll never pay off my loans that I can't even take action to help myself, let alone anyone else.

(That was some sloppy sentence structure right there. Do me a favor and read it as if I were speaking to you and all those awkward word choices and comma placements will just seem like the charming idiosyncrasies of our conversation.)

You should know that I'm not a personal finance expert by any means. Take nothing I say as sound advice, except for the part when I say that you should ask someone else. I put bar tabs on my credit card in college. Drunken calzone binges, too. I shackled myself to a 6.75% fixed student loan interest rate to save $150 off my monthly payment but added thousands over the long run. I'm dumb as hell.

I'm about 1/3 through Debt Free by 30. Right now I'm lurching through a section on investing that I'm not prepared to handle yet. But the first section, that was really helpful. Would you believe that in all my "Just put these car bombs on my tab!" financial experience, I never really thought about looking at what I spend my money on? Shocking.

This book gives a thorough list of all possible expenses, including fixed bills like rent and cell phone to flexible spending like groceries, going out, and cable. All I had to do was open up my checking and credit statements for the past 3 months and add up what went where. I used the calculator on my phone for the hard stuff.

Now here's why I'm so evangelical about it: because of all this financial evaluation, I found a way to save over $300/month without significantly changing my lifestyle. That means no extra roommate, no getting rid of my cell, no passing up an invitation to go out. With an extra $300, I can eliminate the credit card debt in like a second, make a bigger dent in the student loans, and support causes I care about. I do love winning, especially if that means that Bank of America loses.

Maybe this won't help you. Probably because you're not a dumbass like me and you already keep pretty good track of your spending. In that case, do a blog search of "personal finance" and good luck to you with the results. There are some pretty smart people out there who aren't making nearly enough money on AdSense.

Pros & Cons: New Year's

Pro: Evaluating yourself and setting goals for improvement
Con: They're the same damn goals every year

Pro: Kissing at midnight
Con: Vomming around 2 or 3

Here's a quote I read in someone's away message one time and just remembered: Champagne for my real friends; real pain for my sham friends.

What did you do for New Year's?

I went on a dinner-and-a-movie date with the bf. We saw Juno, which is good, if a bit simplistic. And no 16 year old talks like that. They're simply not that clever. All my home friends think I'm crazy for not going to Times Square. I don't really understand the allure of being fenced in like herded animals, standing around in the cold. I also don't really get the ball drop. What's that all about anyway?

2007 was a pretty big year for me.
-I officially became the most educated person in my entire extended family by graduating from college. That was kind of exciting. Then I moved away from almost all my friends and fam and now it's kind of boring.

-My bf and I hit the 3 year mark and escaped all the "When are you two gonna get hitched?" questions unscathed. (One time, we went to our local big-box store and we were waiting in the checkout line and I put my arms around him and gave him a big kiss because we do that and everyone always gags and tells us to get a room. Then this guy came up to us and tapped on the bf's shoulder and handed him a business card. He said, "You look so nice together. Give me a call if I can be of service." And his card identified him as a pastor. Creepy! And very sweet! I found it in the bf's stuff while we were packing to move here and got all misty that he kept it. True story.)

-I gave my little sister a great xmas that she bragged to all her little friends about.

I never really make New Year's resolutions because think they're kind of lame. Or maybe I'm kind of lame. I dunno. Here is a half-hearted attempt:

1) Find a way to pay my bills. Whether that's getting a job, opening a brothel, or selling my eggs, I don't really care. The sooner the better.

2) Drink less pop. It's a sick, sugary addiction that I kicked once, only to have it come roaring back. Yuck.

3) Volunteer my time in person. I'm still excited about the RAINN online hotline, although I haven't finished the training yet. But I'd like to, y'know, interact with live people. I used to spend so much time at work and now in my job search in front of a computer. It makes my eyes burn and also makes me forget how to converse with people right in front of me. Which reminds me:

4) Multitask less. Paying a little bit of attention to 800 different things doesn't get any of them done. I can see that when I'm being objective about it, but I have a hard time doing anything about it.

Not a very exhaustive list. Do you have any good resolutions that I can piggy back on?