Hello

Hey there. I don't know how many people are still using this blog but I thought that I could try contacting some of you through this. I was just wondering how everyone is doing and what you are doing with your lives. I am living in Mexico again wondering how I am going to be able to move back to CA with the costs of living and then what I will do with my life there. I have been thinking about going to nursing school instead of grad school because I have done some more work with midwives here in Mexico and I think that is where I want to go with my life. I have also been trying to figure out how I can do that but at the same time learn how to treat people but without all of the medicines that we use these days. Well that is a little bit about what I have been thinking lately. I hope that you are all doing well.

abrazos,
Meg

I am posting this poem by my sister, the lovely Abigail Smithson, at her request.

I am an ice cube alone in the ocean
I was awoken from sleep
Startled, I felt drowsy but excited
In your body
I was delicate as lace
But you were careful
Like water fills a lake
You gently washed against me
Drumming your mouth against my legs
Your arms were like clouds, gently sliding on the surface
Wanting and then gone, so early before the blue hit the sky
And now my delicate lace and I want to visit the lake

International Women's Day Goodbye Post!

Happy International Women's Day, ya'll! I hope you all are going out to celebrate. I, myself, am staying in to mark the occasion. It may appear that I'm inside and sober due to illness but actually it's for the holiday.

I also wanted to let you all know that this is going to be my last post for a LONG while, if not forever. Between school, work, research, and socializing, it has (obviously) become difficult for me to post lately. So I'm going to keep the website up for a while and see what happens but I'm not going to try to update it regularly. If you're interested in feminist writing/news check out Feministing.com.

Well I guess I will leave you with some personal news. I have accepted a clinical internship position at the Simmons College counseling center for next school year. Simmons is an all-women's college with an ultra-feminist counseling center where I will be doing individual and group therapy. It seems like it'll be a really great fit and I'm really excited and nervous about it! Wish me luck!

New Soul

I apologize for being a virtual mute in my posts lately. I'm just stressed to the max at the moment and haven't found the energy lately to blog. Next week I plan to be more on the ball so expect big things, ha. Anyway, to make up for it I've got yet another video. This one is beautiful and joyful and inspiring. I was thrilled to watch it tonight because it definitely lifted my taxed spirits. Enjoy.


Yael Naim - New Soul

Elections.

Thank you again xkcd.

Democracy is Happening

Undifferentiated Again?!?!?

Your Score: Undifferentiated

You scored 0% masculinity and 0% femininity!

You scored low on both masculinity and femininity. Your personality includes characteristics of both traditional sex roles, but your gender is not strongly defined.

Alright well I don't really get what Richard Simmons has to do with it but this is not the first time the Bem Sex Role Inventory has labeled me "undifferentiated". And probably not the last time either. The description may make it sound alright, but the meaning here is very different from androgynous (another possible outcome) which would refer to a person who scored high on masculinity and femininity. 0% masculinity, 0% femininity - do I have a personality?!?! Anyway if you want to see if you're a Richard Simmons or Arnold Schwarzenegger or Marilyn Monroe click here.

Shout out to Meg for immediately coming up with the name "Richard Simmons" from the clues: fitness guy in the 80's, seems gay, white with a fro.

Tribute to a Feminist Icon

Brilliant.

Gyno Stories - There's Still Time!

If you're in the Northeast, here is your chance to be a feminist star! You've got to send in your stories soon though because time is running out.

We are currently in production on a film called At Your Cervix. (Check out our website at www.atyourcervixmovie.com). We are seeking stories of women or female-bodied trans folks about gynecologists. The film takes a critical look at gynecology and the provision of breast and pelvic exams. Some gynecologists are absolutely amazing and have a way of making us feel comfortable, open and respected. Some gynecologists do the opposite and we are always amazed at the stories we hear of humiliation, disrespect and pain inflicted by many gynecologists. Our film aims to create a vision of what it can be like when the experience is a positive one and to end practices that leave patients feeling like they don't want to go back to a gynecologist because they have been so mortified or traumatized.

We are looking for people who are willing to tell their stories on camera, both positive and negative. We will be shooting these stories on Jan 26 or Feb 2 in New York City. If you or someone you know has a story to share, please contact us asap so we can discuss it with you and possibly set up an interview time.

Please respond to me, Amy Jo Goddard at amyjogoddard@yahoo.com and to our production manager Stephanie Dawson at SD@eclectionmedia.com.

Voting Pro-Choice

I had a dream last night that I was pregnant. Seriously. I was two and a half months pregnant and had just found out. Oddly enough I was sublimely happy about it but also very worried. For two and half months I had been drinking for two without knowing it! My kid was clearly going to suffer for it. In the dream I wasn't thinking about whether or not to have an abortion, but in reality I would definitely consider it. Not just due to the fetal alcohol syndrome but also the place I'm at in my life. My ability to support a child and raise him or her in a stable, responsible way is more than limited at the moment.

My reasons for voting pro-choice, however, are not just about my current circumstances. I vote pro-choice for all the women in this country who are protected by our right to choose. Choosing an abortion is not just about birth defects or money or age or time. The reasons for choosing an abortion are vast, too numerous to list here. To deny a woman her right to an abortion limits her power over her body and her life. It's a human rights issue. It continues the cycle of poverty, it denies violence and abuse, and it can lead to the death of adult women. Adult women have a beating heart. They have fingernails, they have hair, a fully developed brain, and they should also have choices.

For tons more Blog for Choice Day posts see today's Feministing.