Feminism, Schmeninism

So Chris and I were in the car last night, and he asks me what I think about "freezing my eggs." Keep in mind that this what not relevant in any way to any conversation we were already having. He had recently read an article where a woman said that freezing eggs is degrading to the cause of feminism. (If I find out which article, I'll post it.) That made me think of another issue I had read about recently, which is that in Turkish state goverments and universities, it is unlawful to wear a headscarf, even if a woman prefers to do so. A new generation of women in Turkey are now fighting to have that right again as a form of free speech and expression. Ironically, some women there think that only anti-feminists would ever want to "degrade" themselves in that way. This sparked a whole coversation about feminism.

To me, the whole purpose of feminism (historically and currently) is for women to have the same inherent rights as men (and therefore, as all humans). So why do people insist on labeling feminism as a task list in which doing or not doing certain tasks allows someone to be a feminist!? Who cares?

I think that by having the right to make that choice freely is what allows all women to be feminist. If a woman chooses to stay home and raise 20 children, then she has made a choice which shows her feminism in a very traditional way. If I woman chooses to not marry or have children, and becomes a major CEO for a bigshot company, that is her choice! She expresses feminism by stretching the parameters of how other people perceive the role and capacity of women to do tasks traditionally occupied by men.

Grr...It's just another thing that frustrates me about the world. Women and other minority groups will never entirely break out of their pre-conceived shells until they stop talking about the parameters of the label itself. It people want to be seen as "not women," then they need to stop talking about why they are such "forward-thinking women" and just go into the world the way they are. We'll never be equal until we forget that labels ever existed.

Thoughts on Change

I have just finished reading Zaatar Days, Henna Nights, in which I read this simple yet powerful statement:

"He was not so much against change as against the changing of principles."

I can see the relevance to so many things: the environment, media-centered culture, even Facebook! I don't think people are against preserve the environment, reusing/recycling materials, etc., but I think many people are resistent to the idea that they are asked to change the way they shop, choose packaging, choose food, reuse items, and recycle more than the occasional plastic water bottle. In other words, I think all people are united toward the goal, but not all people are united to change their lives in ways to help the world meet that goal.

Another quote: "I was beginning to realize that places mattered less than the spirit and connections forged along the way."


Speaking of change in my own life, we have found an apartment to move to across the street (literally) from where we live now. This change is the right one for us to make at this point in our lives, although I will admit that I'm losing several things I have become used to: a bright, large kitchen, a fabulous balcony that gets plenty of sun, and a general "newness" in the whole place.

I am also trying to come up with an answer for an offer someone has recently made me...cryptic I know. Doing this is rewarding, but I have had some bad experiences with it in the past. I am trying to prayfully decide the right thing, but saying "yes" could lead to more decisions that I cannot make yet. Some people might say that being ready is not the point. They may be right.

Quick Thoughts

1. I HATE it when people leave their car running while they sort their recycling!

2. Interesting quote about writing:

"She thought about the word 'capture,' how it put a writer on par with a fur trapper or big-game hunter, and how it implied that stories were whole and roaming around loose in the world, and a writer's job was to catch them. Except of course that a writer didn't kill what she caught, didn't stuff it and hang it on a wall; the point was to keep the stories alive."

-Love Walked In, Marisa de los Santos
(This quote was the only quality bit in the entire novel.)

A Romantic Day at the Vineyard

Chris and I spent yesterday afternoon at Arrington Vineyards, where took a very yummy and simple picnic lunch to enjoy with a bottle of wine from the vineyard. We ate fresh mozzarella and garlic & herb goat cheese spread on crackers, pita and hummus, chilled apples, and some fabulous dark chocolate. We chose a wine called Desert Rose, which ended up going perfectly with our picnic lunch! It was a quiet day there, and the weather was warm but not overwhelming. It was so nice to relax and enjoy some quiet time together doing something special. It was also a great chance to stock up on more bottles of wine than we'd ever bought at once! Hopefully, we will make them last. :)

In other news, WE ARE MOVING! ::sigh:: Ten months after moving in, we decide to move out again. I am already collecting boxes for the big day sometime in June. We are actually moving across the street (quite literally - about 1/4 mile away) in the effort to protest the rising cost of rent and the ridiculous addendums being added to our lease next year. The good part is that we will have slightly more square footage and bigger closets. The bad part is that in addition to the actual moving process (of which I am a champion, I can assure you!), we will have to buy a washer and dryer for the first time. C'est la vie!

Twitter and CSA countdown

This is a hysterical comedy sketch about Twitter! http://current.com/items/89891774/supernews_twouble_with_twitters.htm

In other news, I cannot stand the wait until May 3rd when we get to pick up our first crop share from Avalon Acres (our CSA). They are expecting strawberries, green onions, kale, radishes, beets, etc. in the first few weeks! I truly love the experience of going to get my box each Sunday, not knowing what surprises await. It's like a little piece of Christmas excitement when you open it up to see what amazingly fresh foods you get to cook with and enjoy during the week. Heaven!


17 Days Left

Week in Review

Monday - Holy Week Madness.
Tuesday - Holy Week Madness.
Wednesday - Funeral AND Holy Week Madness (Why not throw in a couple of funerals? It's only The Busiest Week of the Year).
Thursday - Holy Week & Passover Seder Madness.
Friday - Holy Week Cramming Madness

Also visited a new apartment complex. It's not actually new, since it has been around since The Dawn of Time, but it will be new to us. Doing some number crunching to decide if we truly will save enough money to merit moving there and having to buy a W/D.

Avoided deadly tornado.

Friday Evening - AMAZING concert with the Nashville Symphony. I was literally on an emotional high after hearing James Ehnes perform Alban Berg's Concerto for Violin, composed in 1935 using Arnold Schoenberg's technique of 12-tone composition. The conductor was brilliant to give the cliff notes version of scales and tone rows before the performance, and he had individuals in the symphony play the original tone row and variations of it so we could digest it properly throughout the performance. The piece was originally created as a Requiem for Mahler's "step-daughter" (easiest way to describe it), but as the composition progressed, it became clear the the Requiem was also written to reflect milestones of the composer's life, as it was the last piece he would complete in his lifetime.

I am truly fascinated by composers who create their own requiems, and also at examining the final pieces completed by composers before what could only be their dramatic and untimely deaths. Composers are quite dramatic, after all. ;)

Saturday - Received junk mail from Furman Alumni Assn. offering me a credit card. Gasp and shock! Proceeded to write a sternly worded email to voice my complete outrage at receiving a credit card because of a connection with my alma mater. Ugh!

Rescued a co-worked from total isolation by picking him up at a bar - a convenient place for a car to break down - and earned myself a free beer!

It's been a busy week! I am so looking forward to cooking on the grill tonight, and celebrating Easter with another family tomorrow afternoon!

Thoughtful Reading

"Important events - whether serious, happy or unfortunate - do not change a man's soul, they merely bring it into relief, just as a strong gust of wind reveals the true shape of a tree when it blows off all its leaves. Such events highlight what is hidden in the shadows; they nudge the spirit towards a place where it can flourish. " -Suite Francais, Irene Nemirovsky

This quote is from the book I am currently reading, which is actually comprised of two books. The author intended to write a 5-part series about WWII and its great effects on the lives of the French people. She herself was a Jew living in Paris during the war, and she died tragically at Auschwitz. (*The level of impact of the events at Auschwitz are apparent even in the computer age, since the name of that particular concentration camp is recorded the the Blogger spell-check.) After lying undiscovered for 46 years, the books have been translated and edited by Sandra Smith.

It is intense reading, but the novel is worth every minute of study. The quote above captures the essence of the author's writing style and purpose in delivering this pair of novellas. Words like this stand the test of time and are relevant in any age.