Bra-Burning Party!! (Possibly TMI)

But not that kind of bra-burning party!! I might be a feminist deep down, but I see nothing wrong with a nice over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. Which is why I am holding a bra-burning party, because in case you'd like to know, I just got back from a fabulous bra shopping trip after realizing how frightening a couple of my bras have become. So they must be destroyed.

Now this whole bra thing reminds me of a Dear Prudence article in which someone inquired how long one can go before washing a bra. It was from a gentleman whose wife hardly washed her bra and he found it disgusting. Well, Prudie went around and surveyed some ladies only to discover that most women didn't remember the last time they washed their bra. Some people wrote in, outraged that people don't wash them after every use, while others applauded the dirty truth of women and bras.

I for one, am in pooled in the group that doesn't recall the last bra-washing. I am sure it sounds gross to an outsider that doesn't wear a bra, but I too have surveyed some close friends (I actually did it this summer, before I ever read this article) and was glad to learn that I was totally normal- these girls, too, went up to a month before washing. And to make it even better, I've just now surveyed some other close women and found the same results!

To top it off, I asked my husband what he thinks and he said: "well, if you were lactating, then I would care, but since you're not, then who cares" and "How often do I wash my jeans?" Case closed! If it's not (forgive me for this next part!) a moist area, it really isn't a big deal. And I don't stink, don't have b.o., but if there were any chance of b.o. due to my bra, it would definitely be washed every day. lol.

Plus, since bras are so delicate, they are difficult to wash (hand-washing), and will be messed up very quickly from constant wash, so it's simply not worth it to wash them so often!

Anyways I just thought this was an interesting topic. I'm sure there are women who are OCD about bra-washing, but at least according to the women I know, I am more normal than I'd like to believe :)

Happy New Year!

I recognize that I am a couple days late on this front, but I wish everyone a Happy New Year, and the stamina to keep all those resolutions. :)

Speaking of resolutions, I guess I should tell you mine! As always, I want to get physically fit via a combination of nutritious eating and diligent exercise. The good news is, I should have constant access to a gym for the rest of the year, and I have been trying to get educated on healthy eating, which I think will be a lethal combination. Gotta get back on the horse!

Also, I really would like to keep busy on these blogs. I have three blogs: Quack's Passion Pit (makeup blog), Adventures of Abby & Trent (travel blog), and of course this blog. They all serve different purposes, and I hope to really make them worth reading. I have a goal to actually have more than one commenter on my blog by the end of 2010! :)

Well, seeing as though I really haven't given the whole resolution thing much thought, I think those are good resolutions. Oh and I wanna kick a at my job this year and be awesome. I hope that is possible :)

Happy New Year, and here's to 2010 being as good or better than 2009!

What is an American?

Today Trent and I actually got off our lazy bums, and headed down to the newly renovated American History Museum in DC. I have been wanting to check it out for the past few years, but it's been under renovation for what felt like ages, so I was excited to finally see it in its full glory.

And what a full glory it is! I am, admittedly, a history buff. I think I get it from my dad- he told me that when he was 17, he did a summer at GWU, and spent 17 hrs over a period of 2 days in the American History museum!! I am so jealous, I wish I had that much time in there, as there's so much to see.

I love seeing artifacts from other times, and learning and re-learning about the history of the world. But I especially love American History. Although at times I might feel a little disappointed with current state of the average "American", visiting this museum today made really proud of this country and the people who accomplished it all. I realized that not everyone can be a true American; it takes a certain sassiness, a certain drive to really be American. For example, I laughed at a tea pot from the 18th Century that had "No Stamp Act" painted on it- this is so American! Take that, proprietous English tea pot! :)

I am also deeply moved by Abraham Lincoln, and the things he accomplished, even though his time as president was short. He seemed like such an awe-worthy individual, despite looking slightly creepy in a couple photographs. And I love that he was 6'4", which was massive at that time. I mean, I looked at half the men's clothing on display, and they'd barely have fit me! What is the deal, why are people so much taller these days? Evolution much?

We saw the "Star Spangled Banner", the original flag that flew when Francis Scott Key was held prisoner at Fort McHenry. It is a marvel that it still exists, what with its busy life. The family who had it for almost a century were so proud of it, that they'd display it outdoors at times, and often give "snippings" of it as souvenirs to people, hence the reason half of it is gone. Yikes I know! But I remember seeing this flag when I was a little girl- it would be revealed once every hour or so, and then they'd cover it back up. Then, in 1998, they decided the flag was so weak that it couldn't be hung anymore. So, they had to spend time restoring it, and putting it in some chamber where it lays down now. The conservation process looked massive, but totally amazing- I really want to be a conservator! Can you imagine being part of the preservation of such fantastic artifacts?

Another remarkable thing (as frankly there were so many, that I'd be here for days if I were to tell all the things I loved), was the exhibit on Edison, and his light bulb. Although Trent may beg to differ (he argues that Edison unfairly ruined Tesla, a claim I will have to research further), I am really grateful for Edison. Can you imagine where we'd be without the light bulb? Holy cow! I just don't understand how so many centuries went by with people relying on the light from a flame. If we never got the light bulb, imagine how little would've been currently accomplished- probably 1% of what we've done. And, I might have gone slightly mental from having to constantly light candles. :)

So, in conclusion, I think visiting this museum has only reinforced my hope of what heaven will be like: A disclosure of all things unknown. I want all those "guess I'll never really know" inquiries to be fully answered, and I want to meet all these amazing people from our history, and the WWWWH of it all. I really hope that's what it's like, as I could care less for the tropical island and juicy pears lol.

Oh and can I just say how inspiring the whole city of D.C. is?

Some People!

Sometimes, in life, I am compelled to check ksl.com or desnews.com, ya know, just to see how Utah is doing. Every time, I am repelled by either totally ridiculous articles, or totally ridiculous reader comments, and I realize why, as soon as the plane touches the landing strip, I'm always ready to leave.

Case in point: This article about the LDS Church's support for Utah anti-discrimination laws. As a side note, why is this even newsworthy? I would hope that the church does not support discrimination, but who am I?

Now, allow me to quote some reader comments for you.

From Hardtail, who, I gather, finds himself to be a model LDS:

We don't want a repeat of the kiss-in because two

skirt-wearing (at least in their minds)fairies were feeling
each other up in public.

We don't mind giving the Sexually Confused a few general
rights, but they ain't gonna get the right to marry like
normal people do.

Ok, pretty offensive, but not surprising. Though I'm sure the leaders of the church are grateful that you're reinforcing stereotypes about Mormons. *sarcasm*

And again from Hardtail (after someone criticized his views):

Since it is you who blatantly disagrees with your
Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, I would venture to
proclaim that it is you who is entirely confused.

It happens to be a fact that your Lord and Master
is Jesus Christ.

It's a hard fact.

Not knowing this, is confusion.

I see you have an extremely large dose of this
malfunction and therefore, your faith is based on
ignorance and not the facts.

So righteous is he that this individual chooses to spend his time in contention with people on a ksl message board. Definitely sounds like his WWJD? bracelet is working well.

From Wompus, an apparent elitist:

I have a great friend who isn't LDS and she trying hard to be a good person, not to go partying all the time at clubs, drinking, hanging around the wrong crowds, etc...

She moved to sacarmento about a year ago and she called me basically just so upset, all the men she meets just want sex, they don't want to have a good relationship. It's basically what can you do for me and can I get in your pants! I feel so bad for her. If she only had what we in Utah have, a people, who as you mentioned are far from perfect, but at least are taught the difference between right from wrong and are asked to make a commitment to choose the right and forsake the crap!

Our society doesn't raise good kids anymore! Our society doesn't hold firm on good values, honesty, hard work, morality, fidelity. They say, you're going to screw up anyways, lets through some condoms at you, teach you the how to put one on a banana, and if you screw up, we'll allow you to murder the baby inside you because hey, we don't want a life to ruin your dreams! You should be allowed to escape the consequences because hey, you're not good enough to make the right choices, we know you're going to screw up so let's prepare you for failure now, because that's really what you are!

I don't think I can even express how it disgusts me that this sort of 'better than thou' attitude actually exists. It's the same reason I hate being in Utah- constant judging, people thinking the outside world is so evil and without morals. Mormons are not the only ones with a conscience!

I guess if people want to wallow in their misconstrued facts all day, I just must ignore them. It's like a sociopath- you stay away, unless all you want is to be constantly disappointed.

BUT, that said, I know a lot of great people in Utah, some that I'd love to keep in my life, so the reality is, that just like there are some kooks in Utah, there are a lot of wonderful people there. It's a shame that they are overshadowed by the crazies on these websites, whose inaccurate comments are visible to people all over the world.

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone is having (or had) a wonderful Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus! Mine was very enjoyable, and might I brag that my husband is a phenomenal gift-giver? I mean, as much as we hate to admit it, the gifts are pretty much the best part of Christmas. I scored a Tiffany's bracelet, complete with the cutest scottie dog charm, which will hopefully tide me over til the day when I can get a real scottie dog :). I feel so "bling bling" wearing it, it's pretty much the nicest piece of jewelry I've really ever had. At first my insides might have tied into a knot b/c I know Tiffany's is not cheap, and mi money es su money, right? But then I thought, we are most likely not going to have these nice of Christmases every year, so might as well enjoy it while we can, right? Who knows what next year will (or won't) bring?

I also scored:

-Reebok "Easy Tone" shoes, but the sad thing is that apparently they're sold out virtually everywhere, so they weren't the exact ones I wanted...so I've gotta decide if I should just return them and wait til the good ones become available, or if I should settle for these? Decisions, decisions.

-North Face puffy vest, which I'd wanted for like 3 years now...

-a white North Face jacket

Trent scored:

-A bunch of climbing gear, aka overpriced nuts bolts and wires

-LRG shirts

-Climbing Headlamp

-Arc'teryx 'Atom' Jacket

-The sickest mini sock monkey EVERRR- it was definitely my favorite gift for him, even though it was the cheapest at $6.99 :)

Oh and in my stocking, I got a lot of feathers. Now, you may think what does she need feathers for? Well, I've been making headbands lately...I couldn't find exactly what I wanted at the store, so I thought, well hell, I'll make my own, and so far so good! I have gotten a lot of compliments on them. I will have to add some photos on here, so you can see how amazing they are. ;)

Well, I hope everyone likewise had a good holiday, and if didn't get your fill of sweets, come on over, as we have lots of candy leftover :)

Healthcare

Ok so I kinda try to stay away from politics these days and so I'm deffo not looking for a big ol' debate that goes round and round and round, but doesn't really establish anything, but...

...can I just say, for those who are against universal healthcare, I envy you, b/c you must have affordable healthcare. I am one of those 30million + people that don't have it. It's not that I don't want it, but I don't want to pay $700+ a month on something I use maybe once a year for a checkup. I guess I could go for the $300-400/month insurance, but then my deductible is like $2000, and again, is pretty worthless to me. And frankly, I'm happy to pay for my insurance, but can it just be reasonably priced?

It's crazy how many people I know that are without healthcare, or will just get healthcare on their infant or kids, but can't afford it for themselves. In fact, I barely know of anyone who HAS insurance, lol.

I also like how many people in my religion are so anti-socialist, but what is the United Order? Law of Consecration? Tithing? Any of these things ring a bell? For people who are so wrapped up in socialist organization, it's kinda ironic.

I just hate worrying about this stuff. End rant.

Glee Finale (a.k.a. Cheating part II)

Yes, this is a bit late I know, but a couple of weeks ago I promised my sister that I'd write a blog about my thoughts on the Glee finale, so here goes. I'm sorry if you haven't seen the show, but hopefully it's not all in vain :)

But my thoughts are basically on the relationship between Emma and Mr. Shu. *Spoiler Ahead, so leave if you don't wanna be spoiled*

As we know, there has been an obvious connection between the two for the entire season, despite the fact that Mr. Shu is married (albeit, a bit unhappily). I've been wishing and hoping and praying for nothing to happen btwn Emma and Mr. Shu b/c I think Mr. Shu is better than cheating on his wife, and so is Emma.

But now that Mr. Shu has apparently left his wife, what now? Obviously, he seemed to think that it's ok to pursue Emma at this point...but is it ok? I was frankly quite pleased when Emma basically insisted that b/c he'd "just left his wife", it wasn't ok. I agree with that. But what I want to know is, how does someone (Emma, for example) fall in love with a married man in the first place?

I mean once a man is married, how do you let yourself fall for them? Yes, they may have great attributes, but they're taken, get over it, and find someone else with equally good attributes that is single.

Ex: When I first met Trent, I thought he was married (b/c I lived in women's and married housing, so by process of elimination, I thought he was married, didn't think that him and his buddies had circumvented the system and somehow got a guys only apt, lol). Anyways, when he first knocked on our door to ask us something about the complex, I was taken aback b/c this "married man" was kinda flirty. In fact I definitely was cold to him the first few times, until I realized he was single. I think I barely said 2 words to him when he came to the door, to get his creepy self to go away, lol. And though I thought he was attractive, and wished that I could find a guy like him, I didn't want the actual married man. The key word is a man like him.

I also get a little sad how some people completely disregard the fact that people are married. It's really disrespectful. Look, I have no problem w/ someone having a "crush" on my husband or thinking him attractive, but if they were trying to pursue him, I'd say go get yourself a single man, you'll have much less drama that way anyways :)

IDK, I guess it all goes along with my thought that fidelity/infidelity is a decision and completely premeditated the entire way. It's not like "oops I dunno what happened, one minute I was at work, the next I woke up in their bed". The thought arises that "XYZ would be cheating", and the person decides if they will or will not go through with it.

Anyways, that's kinda what I gathered from the show. And no, I don't think Mr. Shu is, by any means, ready to pursue Emma. Actually, I think his wife should be forgiven. She seems contrite, and her actions were obviously not meant to betray him, she was just afraid of losing him. She is not an inherently bad person, just a bit confused. Mr. Shu is honestly the one that needs to take a step back and figure it all out.

See ya :)