Does Online Feminism Have an Agenda?

For my public policy class I decided to adjust my paper (that is due on Wednesday) to focus on the #FemFuture report. Specifically I'll be writing about online feminism and agenda setting. While I was reading about online feminism, agenda setting and online organizing and networks, I thought "Feministas should know this!" Especially since I thought that the #FemFuture report was devoid of historical context including acknowledgement of research done about online feminism, that could have given the report more muscle. So I'm writing up my literature review notes on my PhD tumblr...yeah, it's back. Feel free to follow along and yes, please comment! Back to work!

Nobel Women's Initiative Delegation - One Year Later

Photo by Judy Rand

I cannot believe it has been one year since I boarded a plane alone and arrived in Mexico City to meet a whole new family. I knew going into the trip it would be a life-changing experience and it certainly was. Sadly I've been a huge failure at properly writing up the trip, but really, how can one properly write about this trip without taking an equal amount of time to do so? So I write here and there. Mostly I tell stories to people face-to-face.

A little known fact...Because I moved out of my parents' home right into an apartment with my then-boyfriend-now-husband, the 11 days I spent on this trip was the longest I have spent on my own. I spent most of my time with my new sisterhood, eating, talking, reflecting on the stories we heard earlier in the day. But at night and early in the morning I spent in my head. And I needed that.

Despite the hassle the trip was in terms of my doctoral classes, it may be pivotal to them. Most of the challenges and problems I learned about on the trip are ones of policy failure. Some failed due to just plain ignorance to see beyond tomorrow and the consequences of the policy's actions. Some failed due to valuing a process or stance over human rights. As a student of bureaucracy and how the government works (or doesn't), I have a better sense of taking a moment to play out the chess match a few more moves down the line in order to hopefully anticipate trouble.

I miss my travel companions and the women we met, but knowing that we all continue the struggle for peace in our own corners of the world is comforting. Many of the women who I traveled with are currently in Liberia doing what we did in Mexico & Central America - Meeting and listening to women in order to forge peace in that part of the world.



I am still trying to figure out my role in forging peace, even in my own city. But the memories of women who have lost so much, yet still stand up and fight keep me going in my darkest moments. I do not weigh my issues with theirs. Rather I attempt to contextualize our battles and believe that we are doing what we need to do within our smaller worlds. This is why I will keep our delegation's button up on this blog under "Current Actions," as I hope to always be working on our goals.

We were lucky to have had two amazing film makers with us and they crafted this video to give others a peek into what we learned.

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not very good about New Year's resolutions. In fact I suck. I normally set goals...things I can work on. Yes, I know, same thing, right? But wording is super important to me.

Other than continuing my goal to treat myself once a month to either a haircut, manicure or massage (which I've been pretty good at getting a manicure on a regular basis), my goal for 2013 is to blog more and Facebook less. Specifically to stop using Facebook as lazy blogging. Fewer super long FB updates from me, more short blog posts. So if you feel like this blog has exploded with posts, this is why.

I'm not setting a huge goal to write an essay every day, but I know there are news items that I share on FB that can just as easily be posted here. I don't know if that means you'll see 5 super short blog posts or one blog salad post a day. We shall see. The idea is to use this space more often and not feel bad if a post is 2 lines long with a link to a story.

One other commitment I have is to "Do it with Bitch." Goals are better met with friends, right? And OMG, I totally set my goal before I saw their goal, but it's pretty much the same. Be better online. "Take charge online." And if you take their pledge, you enter to win a year of Bitch. Come on, do it! And don't forget to check back here more often.

Disclaimer: I am on the Bitch Advisory Board

Vote for me!! Time for the Women's Media Center Social Media Award

I am super honored to be nominated for this year's Women's Media Center Social Media Award.

As most of you know, I am thick in the middle of working on a PhD. This has greatly reduced my ability to blog & engage in social media, so when I do, I try to make it count. This nomination means so much. It's nice to see that others see the effort I put into my work I do here and on social media sites to spread the word about women's rights.

So here's the deal. I hate begging for votes, but this is a popularity contest. But I don't have the time to do a full out push, so I am going to beg for not just your vote, but for you to ask your friends to vote for me too. Especially as I am up against some amazing feministas who truly are social media mavens. Let's get this ball rolling!

Voting will be open until October 29.

I may not have a media empire, but what I do kick ass at, in my humble opinion. The work I cite for the WMC ballot page includes:

• My first post from the Nobel Women's Initiative Delegation: There were many reasons why I was invited to join the delegation, but having some mad social media skills certainly helped them select me. I spent 11 days in Mexico & Central America and every wifi signal I could snag allowed me to amplify women's stories of resilience. I am humbled that they shared their stories with us and even more so that I have been able to retell them in person and via social media.
• My support women's sports Facebook page: What started out as a bit of a personal dare has grown into great community of women's sports fans who love to discuss the field. This community has piqued a lot of interest on outlets such as the Matt Filipowicz Show and On the Issues magazine.
• Summer of Feminista 2010-2012: What can I say about my baby? In 2010, I asked Latinas to write about their relationship with feminism and whoa did we get some amazing posts. In 2011, I asked about Latinas as public intellectuals. This year I asked Latinas to write about the upcoming elections. That was difficult for some, but I still received some fabulous and inspiring posts. And this year's edition almost didn't happen due to my hectic schedule, but I got far too many requests for me to put it to bed.
• I did the initial training for the My Voice, My Choice, My Blog team: I have never been more proud of setting up a blog, teaching a handful of women how to post to it and then walking away. This blog belongs to the women of the leadership group and that group is made up of women who have used CAF's services. They are pissed off at a system that says women have a choice, but only if they can afford it. They take to the streets, cable access/YouTube and the blogs/social media to do reproductive justice education and voice their opinions. Their media empire is growing and you should check them out.

Whew! And that's not even all the amazing work I have done over the 12 years I have been blogging, four years on Twitter (which I didn't get at first, does anyone?) and seven years on Facebook (old school!). Do I deserve an award for all of this? Hell yeah! But so do all the other feministas I'm up against. But you're still voting for me, right? Pleeeeease?

Thank you in advance to everyone who will vote and especially to those of you who help spread the word.

And for my fellow Chicagoans, one vote per person, so get your grandmama to vote for me! 

Vote. Vote. Vote.

Checking in...Here's what's up

As one can tell by the radio silence on this blog, the fall semester has begun.

I started blogging as a way to get all the thoughts in my head out into the universe. Now that I'm back in class, the kid's in school (well, not right now, but soon I hope!), soccer season has begun (we won the first game 6-0, second game 5-0) and a zillion other things, not to mention work, I just don't have the time to always get here to let the words out. It doesn't mean I don't have them. I swear I'm thinking up blog posts all day long. Eleven years of this and you start to think in blog posts. I wonder if columnists do the same thing? I just don't have the time to sit down and write the way I want.

Summer was quite productive for my writing though. I did find time to write up a short piece for the Bitch List on Derby Lite. It's in the current issue, Elemental.

I also reviewed Jessica Valenti's book, Why Have Kids?, for Ms. Magazine and that issue should be out soon. I'll write more about my thoughts once the review is out.

Lastly, I reviewed Practicing Feminist Motherhood for the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement journal. Once that is published, I'll link here and at Goodreads.

I also read some great background stuff for my PhD program.

I did take some time for vacation, but as I enter week four of the semester, vacation seems a million years ago. Oh, the peace of the Northwest, why did you leave me so quickly?
Well back to the grind.

What aren't I allergic to? CHOCOLATE! (Possible TMI)

Today I finally went in for allergy testing.

I've suffered from seasonal allergies since I was in the first grade. As I have gotten older, my allergies have only gotten worse. Somewhere in my twenties, my allergies turned into a touch of asthma. Really cold weather is my big trigger, although heavy exercise does as well.

But this spring I had a few weeks where my allergies were seriously killing me. I felt like they were aggravating, if not triggering migraines. Because I kept showing up at my doctor's office begging to be squeezed in, I saw a few different doctors. One, the man, diagnosed me with a deviated septum. This is something I have suspected for many years. When my allergies get really bad, I can feel it in the same spot on the left side of my nose. So he sent me to see an ear & nose specialist.

That specialist said my deviation wasn't impacting my allergies very much. It wasn't helping, but fixing it wasn't going to do a lot for me. Instead she strongly suggested allergy testing. And yes, this was so we could see if allergy shots would be a benefit for me.

So here are my results:

Right Wrist: Positive for Cottonwood & White birch

Left forearm: Positive for White Ash (Top-left: do you see how awesomely bad I reacted? The nurse practically gasped), White Oak (Bottom-left) , Ragweed (Top-right) and Pigweed (Bottom-right)

Right forearm: You can see the slight reaction to dog & cat. The cat is worse than the dog reaction.

I was tested for about 36 items and came up positive for 12 items. TWELVE!

*drum roll*

• Aspergilius (mild)
• Cat
• Dog
• Cottonwood
• White Birch
• White Ash
• White Oak
• English Plantain
• Lamb's Quarter
• Ragweed
• Pigweed
• Western Waterhemp

Whew!

I wasn't tested for any food allergies, but there are a lot of foods that could be causing my allergies due to cross-reactivity like apples, cherries, potatoes, peanuts and a whole lot more that I pray I don't have to cut out of my diet. Cause seriously, bananas and chamomile?

Today isn't the end of my journey, but it was something I thought would be fun to share. Cause as awful as my photos look, it was pretty damn cool to watch the process. If you are thinking of allergy testing, it doesn't really hurt. It felt like getting pricked by thumb tacks. And believe me...I have fainted from getting a flu shot. I would not lie to you!

Summer of Feminista is headed to Blogher '12

I'm taking Summer of Feminista to Blogher!

I am loving all the blogger badges, but here are the ones that fit me:



Due to the last minute decision, I'll only be at Blogher on Saturday. But don't let that stop you from stopping me and saying hi.

The reason for attending Blogher (other than to see friends) is to be on a panel about Latinas in elected office:

Event Date:
August 4, 2012 - 9:30am - 10:45am

The demography couldn’t be more clear: Latinas are the new power brokers, politically and economically. Elected officials and analysts of electoral politics speak about the rising influence of Latinas in elected office, what they uniquely bring to the political process, and the role of social media in their 21st century political leadership. This panel takes a close-up look at the roles some key Latinas are playing in shaping politics. Ana Roca Castro moderates a discussion with blogger Veronica Arreola, Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, NYC Councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito, and NH Representative Marilinda Garcia.

Mujeres, as you can see, I'm the lone non-elected Latina on the panel. I'm there to bring Summer of Feminista to Blogher. So if you are Latina, I would love to hear your thoughts on Latinas in elected office.

* Do we need more Latinas in elected office? If so, why?
* Are there issues that Latinas are best at addressing?

Viva la Feminista is a whole hand!

WOWZERS! I can't believe it's already been five years since I opened this blog.

I seriously do not even know where to start. So much has happened since this baby opened. So many new books read, honors, opportunities, but seriously, it is all about the people I have met through my writing here.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to check in here despite me neglecting it during my return to graduate school.

And to celebrate VLF's anniversary, I've spiffed her up with a new template (so if you're reading this elsewhere, you might want to click over). Not everything is perfect yet, but some things had to wait until I hit the switch.

I'm planning a few surprises for the rest of the summer...before I have to hit the books again. And don't forget to keep up with Summer of Feminista. Tomorrow's post is excellent!

Here's to another five years!

There is too much to tell!

So I will sum up.

1) I'm headed to DC as one of the top Blogueras for the first ever LATISM Latina retreat. Monday we head to the White House for a briefing with administration officials to discuss issues concerning Latinas. I'll be sure to report on all the happenings over Twitter and Facebook. I'm not sure if I can live blog from my tablet, but we'll see.

2) I entered the Good Maker competition to speak at the TedxUChicago 2013 gathering. I need your vote! Thankfully you can only vote once, so no need to go back every day.

It's been a whirlwind around here! Hope to catch you up when I return.

I'm back!

Well you'd know that if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, but hey, I'm back here!

I'm still digesting what I heard on the trip. There's a lifetime to digest. A big chunky soup of feminism, violence against women, poverty, foreign policy, privilege, language, love, pain, bravery, history, bureaucracy and tears.

Photo by Judy Rand

I did want to quickly post to say hi to everyone. And to post this fab pic of the delegation on our way to Guerrero to hear from the women of Guerrero. We started out super early, thus me wearing my glasses. A classmate asked me if I went on my trip by myself. I said, "Yes, but soon gained a bunch of sisters." After what we experienced, we are certainly bonded to each other forever.

Here are the posts that I wrote while on the delegation:

• We will carry their stories
• Radical acts of organization
• Fierce feminists of Honduras

2011 Feminista Travel Log: Everywhere else

My first travel log covered my four trips to Washington, DC. Here, I'll cover the other places that welcomed me and my family.

Seattle: This was the worst of my trips as I traveled to Seattle to be with my Tia and cousins after my Tio died. I obviously did not do much sight seeing. But just being back in the Northwest was comforting. I love the SeaTac airport, especially the salmon that are imprinted on the floor of the terminals, not to mention the way the water fountains gurgle like a river. *big sigh* I can't wait to get back there.

Butler University: I drove down to Butler University to kick off their activities for Women's History Month. I had a lot of fun talking to their students. I didn't go to a fancy-looking school, so it's always nifty to visit one. The students who go to Butler are blessed with a beautiful campus. I hope they all enjoy it.

Denver: I went to Denver for a work conference. We stayed at the Lowes, which is swanky looking, but is pet-friendly. A detail that was not communicated and was a surprise to a few of my fellow conference goers. But it was a great place to stay, good food and great service. We ate dinner one night in the artsy part of town. The restaurant was ok, but the area was super cute.

Starved Rock: We decided to drive down to Starved Rock for our summer vacation. It's only 100 miles away from our home, but it felt like a different world. When you live in the Midwest you forget that we have pockets of non-flat land. We spent 3 days hiking the many trails and didn't see everything. It was so much fun! We were a bit disappointed in the lack of "wildlife." We see more deer at the North Park Village Nature Center and driving on the Jane Addams. Although we did get a good scare from a raccoon who popped out of a garbage can! We stayed in the lodge and did not camp. The room and pool were great, but the restaurant food got a bit old after a few days. BUT the fried chicken was amazing! They give you a lot, so just order one plate and share with a friend. Overall, it's a great getaway for us city folk. My cell phone didn't get a great signal, so there was also a vacation from technology...even if I did log into the free wifi in the evening.

Atlanta: The National Women's Studies Association Conference was in Atlanta this year. I was on a panel with fellow Girl w/Pen'ers discussing how we combine our academic work with blogging for a popular audience (instead of for other academics in academic terms). I roomed with Feminist Teacher, so I started out the conference with a big squeal. Ileana and I totally hit it off after being friendly on Twitter for a few years. I am so happy to add her to my circle of hermanas. I also met Merle Hoffman and interviewed her. That interview should be up on this blog soon! I even was able to find Denise Schultz to say hi to her before her panel.

Luckily before I left for Atlanta, someone made a remark about visiting the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. And even more luck had the conference hotel just minutes from the memorial/center. It was so worth the walk and missing out on a few hours of the conference. Words truly fail to express what it felt and meant to visit the resting place of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King.

Kalamazoo: We went for a visit to see our godson and his family, but we decided to take in downtown Kalamazoo. And wow! Not sure I would say take a vacation to Kalamazoo, but it's definitely worth a stop during a road trip. The museum downtown is free and while might small by Chicago standards, it was the perfect size when you have 4 kids with you. And yes, on the way out of town, we did hit Sweetwater Donuts and brought home a dozen. There is no reason to visit Kalamazoo and not grab at least one donut at Sweetwater. On a diet? Share with a friend!

2011 Feminista Travel Log: Washington DC

2011 brought a good amount of traveling, although far too bunched up for my taste. Why can't the Goddess space out my trips better? Let's look back at where I went and what we learned, shall we?

Me and my coworkers at the Executive Building

Washington, DC: FOUR, four trips to our nation's capital this year! All for wonderful reasons, so who can really complain? In January I zipped off with my coworkers to accept an award at the White House. We spent five days in DC in a lot of meetings with a lot of other people who are dedicated in our shared mission to increase the diversity of scientists and engineers in the USA.

I returned in March for a grantee meeting. I stayed at the Omni Shoreham Hotel which was like a museum. It had all these amazing displays about the building's history. I was fortunate that a few of my DC friends trekked over to Open City for dinner one night. I stopped by another time just to grab tea & a muffin. I also got away one night and walked over to Adams-Morgan and hit Idle Time Books, then had dinner at Mama Ayesha's. Which is ironic since I live near a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants and rarely go. It came highly recommended and I wasn't disappointed.


The whole family came back to DC in April for the White House Easter Egg Roll. This was not connected to the award in January, rather a wonderful gift from a friend. If you get a chance to attend, you really should. It is amazing. We got one of the early slots and thank goodness because it was a hot day. The White House staff and volunteers did a bang up job at corralling all of us in and out of the official area within the allotted time. We even got to hear the First Lady and President Obama address the crowd, then spot the whole First Family as they walked the lawn.

We did a lot sightseeing in the small amount of time we were in town. A new tradition, for myself and the family, is to eat at least a snack at the National Museum of the American Indian. It's a beautiful museum (not only because one of my dear high school friends worked on the exhibits) with an equally beautiful cafe. Tamles, buffalo burgers and fry bread! On a whim, I had us jump into the National Portrait Gallery. OMG, one of the best snap decisions EVER!You can see the kid curled up on the floor sketching a portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt.

My fourth trip came at the end of November where I stayed in Crystal City, which is this oasis from the intensity of the district. It's close enough to get work done, but far enough that one isn't overwhelmed by the energy that makes up DC. The unnamed, but "top" hotel won't be named because they fail to provide their guests with complimentary wifi, even in the lounge areas. When asked about it, I was given a mini-lecture on how "at *company's* hospitality school, free wifi is a thing of the past. The only reason anyone would stay at a Holiday Inn would be for the free wifi." On the upside, I did have a few friends trek their way to said hotel for drinks when I arrived. I love getting different friends together when I travel. It's almost like having a mini-summit on feminist issues. We talk kids, family, partners, schools, environment, mothering, science/technology, foreign affairs. We cover a lot of space in a short amount of time. Feminists are efficient!

Before I left town, I did grab my carry-on and headed into the district to visit the newly rehabbed Sewall-Belmont House. I believe the only other time I had made it there was in 1999 for a Women's Leaders Online one-day conference. Oh, how the house has changed! If you are visiting, you must take the time to stop in there to see the fab exhibits that tell the story of the women's rights movement in the USA from suffrage until today. There are also some exhibits on international women's rights. I was on a tight schedule and was able to get through the museum in about an hour, but I'd recommend two so you can really take in the history. The best part? There is a recreation of the lobbying cards the suffragists kept on the US Congress. You can flip through index cards with the names of U.S. representatives, their stance on suffrage and any comments that they gave suffragists. Which are ASTOUNDING and sadly still hear from the lips of far too many people today.

As for the airlines I traveled...Southwest still wins as best carrier. And while it may its issues, Midway will continue to win for best food as long as I arrive early enough to get egg & potato tacos at Lalo's. Although at Dulles, Vino Volo is fast becoming a favorite place to grab a bite to eat.

I will note that none of the companies, stores, restaurants or otherwise commercial entities asked me to review them, paid me or whatnot. This is just a summary of my travels from 2011. Next up...everywhere else I traveled this year!

Viva la Feminista on the radio

 

It's Feminist Wednesday time on the Morning AMp! Catch me on Vocalo tomorrow from 9 am - 10 am. 

You can join in our discussion by calling in to 888.635.1112, posting on Facebook or tweeting me. Listen online or via the vocalo app!

Viva la Feminista is headed to Atlanta

Friday morning I'll be on a panel with my Girl w/Pen sisters at the 2011 National Women's Studies Association conference.Our panel title is "Gone Virtual: Opportunities & Challenges for Feminist Scholar-Bloggers" is on Friday at 9:45 AM. Which will be a bit of a challenge for me since I'll be getting into Atlanta around midnight because I have class on Thursday nights. Thus I apologize to the 8 am panels that I'll be eating breakfast through.

If you will be there, please leave me a comment or @ me on twitter so we can meet up!

Internet access is not going to be strong at the conference, so I can't say that I'll be live-blogging/tweeting anything. I will have my phone in order to tweet things when I can. I also have draft 2 of a paper due the Monday I return, so I will have my laptop in order to write. Wish me luck in balancing an awesome conference with homework!

The aftermath

I have tried really hard to keep this blog separate from my work life. For one, I work for the state, so I try to keep my rantings and ramblings about how the state works to politics, not on how my actual employer is doing. So the fact that NBC used my blog as my "title" and not my actual work title meant that far more people know about this blog than before last week. It's not like I was hiding it, just trying to keep things in separate boxes. And despite being a blogger & quite the media hound, I'm terrible at self-promotion.

Last year at Leadership Illinois, we had a presenter on social media and I sat there quietly enjoying the presentation. Until one point when I asked a question or responded to someone else's question. The presenter asked me how many followers *I* had and kinda blew his mind. I get stuff done, but I don't flaunt it. Or at least I try not to flaunt it. Also last year a colleague asked me to be on a panel about social media at work. She then did a real time Google of me to show and it freaked me out. Why? I can't quite put into words. Just more of that two separate arenas. And it's not like I'm not "Viva la Feminista" at work either! I guess I just don't want my employer to have to deal with my ramblings.

So here my two worlds are meeting again. And it still freaks me out, but it is also nice. It'll be cozy soon enough. As long as I don't write anything here that pisses my long line of "bosses" off. *waving*

I'm in the new Our Bodies, Ourselves!

Yesterday was one of those days that everything seemed to have hit me at once. When I opened the envelope and saw that the latest edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves was inside, I was giddy. I quickly found a shelf in the post office to flip to the back where contributors are listed. There I was. Fuck yeah!

It's a bit embarrassing at the same time as I know I didn't contribute a whole lot, but I did what I could.

Then it dawned on me that I've been at this women's health thing for over twenty years. I'm by far not an expert; I am a hobbyist. And it all started back when my mom use to tell me stories about working in the delivery room, from her nursing school classes and when she worked at a clinic. She would remark about the news as if talking to the TV (now I know where I get it!) or the newspaper. I would sometimes ask her to explain more. Sometimes she would just go on a rant and explain it whether I liked it or not.

By the time I got through college and working on women's health projects, I was sure in my love of the topic. One of the first websites I designed for work was for a women's health center. It was awesome to help be part of the amazing work the medical and research team was doing. Seeing as my coworkers carry on that work, I get to watch with pride.

And that is how I view my role in women's health advocacy, as a hobbyist who watches as others do the hard work, being their champion and amazed at what they accomplish. I love that I am so closely involved that I learn far more than others and consider it an honor to do so.

I showed the kid and my husband the copy at dinner. I let the kid know that just about any question she would have about her body would be in here. It will sit on the bookshelf in the living room where she has access to other books any growing girl should have access to from Beautiful, You, UnMarketable to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

While I may have contributed just a few lines and thoughts to this edition, I am deeply blessed to have done so.

You can get yourself a copy at Powells or IndieBound. Look at out for the Our Bodies, Ourselves book tour too!  And a reminder that if you purchase a book through those links, this blog gets a tiny slice of that purchase price.

Lisa Madigan, I really do take that much decongestant

This post could also be entitled: Why I hate meth & its users!

Six months ago, I was a happy (as much as one can be) seasonal allergy sufferer. I had my prescription for a certain name brand for so many years, it is like a security blanket for me. Seriously, when I forget to get a refill or renew the prescription, I panic because I know how messed up my head is going to get with all the snot, sneezing, itchy eyes and more snot. DRUG-D was my BFF. So when the company decided to put my second favorite pill (Sorry, Drug-D, but my birth control is #1 DBFF) on OTC, it turned me into a drug hunting mad woman.

First...Because the D means it has a decongestant and that decongestant is pseudoephedrine. Yup, the stuff that meth is made from. So there's a strict Illinois law about how much of that stuff you can buy AND you have to show ID if you don't have a prescription for it. That means I get to see my pharmacist team more often because the pills come in packs of 5 or 10.

Second...Now that climate change has gifted everyone seasonal allergies, there's a run on my drug! It's mine peoples! Go use the other stuff! Meaning that I have actually tried to locate my Drug-D in 2-3 different pharmacies in a 24 hour period.

Third....Because the packs for Drug-D are in 10s and I take it every single day of my life, means I'm at the pharmacy 3 times a month. Lovely, huh? But wait...

Fourth...This three packs of Drug-D in a month, which has been my usual pill taking for many years, puts me OVER the legal limit. So yeah, I went to my pharmacy and the pharmacist DENIED me.

Yeah, kinda embarrassing to be told the Attorney General blocked me. 

But looking at her website [pdf], I'm thinking that because I have a prescription on file, he should have handed me my pills. I'll have to print this out and have a conversation with them soon.Until then, I have a bottle of Drug without the D. If I can't get my hands on a continual supply, maybe I'll go every other day and hope for the best.

And to whomever decided to turn my preferred allergy medicine into meth - FUCK YOU!

Quick Thoughts on Utoya Island

It's not that I wasn't shocked when I heard about Oslo and the Utoya Island shootings. I was. But what shocked me the most was the news is that the terrorist (I don't want to use his name) targeted children at a summer camp. Not any children, but children whose parents are involved in the Labor Party.

When McVeigh blew up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City children died as well, but they were not targets. I vaguely remember someone saying they were collateral damage. But on Friday children were targeted.

I don't know how to verbalize my thoughts right now, except that I am obsessing about this twist. Yes, I know that terrorists in Afghanistan have used children, drug dealers in Chicago use children, but this targeting of children for a mass murder is something different. Perhaps because they were targets because of what their parents believe in, fight for and stand up to defend.

As a parent who does voice her opinion, stands up for her beliefs and fights for things that many people are offended by, this shit scares me. Part of me wants to run and hide. Give up. But I can't. I won't.

Or will I?

Other things I've written...but not here

Woohoo! It's another post about stuff I've written for other blogs.

First up is a piece I did for Gapers Block last month on the Chicago Bandits and the grand opening of their stadium:

Opening night for the Chicago Bandits, Chicago's professional softball team, was a pitchers' duel between Bandit Monica Abbott and the USSSA Pride's Danielle Lawrie. After a picture perfect first inning, an errant throw by Abbott in the second led to the Pride getting on base. Thankfully she was saved by a clinic-worthy cutoff throw to home to keep the game scoreless. The duel resumed and continued until the bottom of the seventh, when the Bandits skillfully moved Megan Wiggins, who led off the inning, around the bases, capped off with Caitlin Lever's shot to right field to bring Wiggins home. The crowd erupted in a roar to signal the end of the game. [read the rest at Gapers Block]

Second is a bit of an op-ed I write for Gapers Block about the Chicago Red Stars shortened home season:

Women's professional sports has a long history of ups and downs. Women's professional soccer reached its peak in 2000 by riding the wave of Mia Hamm fever and the USA team winning the World Cup in sports bra-baring style. But then the fans did not show up and the Women's United Soccer Association folded in 2003. In 2009, the Women's Professional Soccer League opened shop with a Chicago franchise, the Chicago Red Stars, and played at the beautiful Toyota Park in Bridgeview. They fielded all-star players like Illinoisan Ella Masar and Brazil's Cristiane.[read the rest at Gapers Block]

And no, Andrew hasn't totally roped me into being on staff at Gapers Block. But I am joining their softball team.

Lastly, I wrote a ranty lil piece for Chicagonista on women and unions. I'm sure that one will "haunt" me in the future. But ya know what? I stand by that piece. And hopefully my future self will too.

Late last week, the Mayor said that the city workers union had to come up with contract concessions by July 1st or risk hundreds of layoffs. The current contract was signed by former Mayor Daley and built upon the idea that furlough days would continue and Mayor Emanuel does not want to continue them. And that means real money needs to be cut and by last Friday.

So why am I saying that this is a way on the working women of Chicago?

Think about it. Who are the bulk of Chicago teachers? Women. Women make up 60% of local employees*. When we get to state employees, it is 50.7% of workers, which makes Governor Quinn’s refusal to pay raises important to this state’s women…and as we know, when women are shortchanged, families are shortchanged. [read the whole piece at Chicagonista]

 I'm scheduled for a piece at Girl w/Pen soon, so head over there too.

The Final Stretch!

While you are voting for Viva la Feminista, take a moment to also vote for the other feminist moms on the list such as my bloggy BFFs PunditMom, Gloria Feldt and Write like She Talks. There are also other fab feminists on the list too. Thanks for your support!