Am I, is it possible, maybe, becoming trendy?

As I sit this morning drinking my Starbucks frappuccino, something I’ve actually never had before yesterday morning, it dawned on me that I seem to be turning into some kind of trendy yuppie. I’m a Starbucks addict I guess; I love their hot chocolate especially the peppermint, and now I’ve discovered the wonderful coffee substance known as the frappuccino. Today I had a dark chocolate peppermint mocha frappuccino, and it was delicious. I’m not a coffee person, but the frappuccino does not have a strong coffee flavor, so its really good. I’m also a smoothie addict; I love the Orange Shooter from Freshens. Yes, the fruity goodness calls to me and I’m very much addicted. They are a healthy treat, so it’s not a bad thing, just a ‘dear lord am I really becoming just like them’ thing, which I will explain later. Also I’ve noticed that my choice of clothing has change because, heaven help me, I’ve begun to find some of the current styles attractive and they look good on me. I was looking for a change, to dress up my wardrobe that has been a little boring and monotonous.

And now to explain my fear. I don’t want to become like them, and by them I mean those plastic fake people. I pride myself on being real, on not bending to trends just because that’s what’s cool today. And yet here I sit, drinking a Starbucks coffee in my cute little black and red layered outfit. It scares me to think that I might be losing my own real personality, and that I might not be as strong and independent as I thought I was. I don’t want to lose myself to some random trend. I don’t need to fit in and be like everyone else, so it worries me that I might be slipping. I’m typically a rebellious perosn, I guess, and I don’t fit into a category other than ’southern’. So to feel as though I’m starting to just melt into the crowd.

I don’t want to be one of the thousands of Barbie doll, plastic girls. I don’t want $200 jeans or $100 shoes, and I don’t need them at all.

Almost sisters

Almost sisters, best of friends
we shared the same hopes and dreams.
Nearly twins, they used to say,
might as well be joined at the hip.

What happened to change it all?
How did things go so wrong?
Why was there a split between us?
When did we grow apart?

We made so many promises,
and we made so many plans.
I intended to keep them all,
but you suddenly changed your mind.

Where did my almost sister vanish to?
Who are you, standing in her place?
What did you do with my best friend?
Why did she leave me behind?

I’ve lost my other half,
and I need her back so terribly.
I seem to have misplaced a sister,
and all I want is to find her again.

Will you ever open your eyes?
Can you ever see what you have done?
Do you ever feel the loss that I feel?
Have you ever wanted to make it undone?

Almost sisters, we used to say,
best friends forever more.
The future was so clear then
now it becomes a painful blur.

Do you miss me, my friend?
Do you know how much I miss you?
Are you aware of the hurt you caused?
Can you feel it too?

Come back to me
my sister, my friend.
Return things to the way they were
and let’s make it right again.

Inseparable friends,
pinky swears, and wishes
that was so very long ago.
And everyday I want it back.

This poem is written about some things that are going on in my family, and it centers, obviously, on someone who used to be very, very close to me. I’m so angry with her right now, and I have been for a long time. But I still miss her a great deal, and would do anything to get things back to the way they were.

Saturday night’s alright…

So Saturday night Spoony and I went to see Beowulf. Yes the crazy Lucky went to see yet another guy flick with her boyfriend, but I guess that means that I’ll get to go see a chick flick later. It was fun, even if the movie wasn’t the best I’ve seen in a while. So I suppose I can give you a brief review of the movie and then talk about the rest of the night.

Would I recommend that you see Beowulf? Well, maybe. It depends on what you like in movies. The 3D was OK; there were a few really great scenes and effects. Like the monsters and stuff. This is definitely not a movie to take your little kids to, though. Parts of it were a bit graphic, especially Grendel’s attacks. There was also some nudity and lewd comments that were definitely adult oriented. They actually didn’t screw up the story as bad as I thought they would. It was the original epic with a twist, that sort of gave the old story a new kick. But it’s not a great movie. I sort of laughed at the people who were screaming, while I did jump occasionally, nothing was especially scary to me.

At the theatre we sat for an hour and a half because we were too late for the showing we were going to catch and too early for the next one. So we people watched, and Spoony and I chatted with an older couple. There weer a lot of high schoolers there and it made me feel old. I’m only 20, but all these kids looked like they were 12. And some of them were dressed in ways that made me want to smack them. Why would anyone do some of the things they did to their bodies. As Spoony pointed out, they all look the same, even the guys look just like the girls, and the funny thing is, they were trying to stand out I guess. And you could tell who was there for a date and who was there with just a group of friends. It was sort of funny to listen to Spoony analyse all the people. He’d point out couples on their first date and this one group that were either double dating or the guys were sort of ‘marking their territory’ for later. All in all it was a good night of lots of fun and distractions.

It’s Thanksgiving Day once more…

And so Lucky feels that it is time for her annual thankful post. This is going to be one of those warm and fuzzy posts about what is good in my life; so enjoy it because posts of this nature are really rare around here. I know I complain a lot, and I’ll admit I can be down right bitchy, but I really do have a great deal to be thankful for.

I’m thankful for my family. Even when my mother is being overbearing, my father is being a jerk, and my brother is being annoying, I love them very much. I’m lucky my mom cares and I’ll always be my daddy’s little girl. He may pick on me and seem mean, but that’s just his way of being affectionate. When it comes down to the the line, my dad will always look after me. My kid brother is an annoying little urchin, but he’s also the greatest kid sometimes. I will always have his back and he has mine. And then there is my totally crazy extended family. I have my Grandmother and Nanny, but I’ve lost my Papa and Pa. I’m so thankful to have those two wonderful women in my life. And I love all my aunts and uncles and cousins for their weird and wacky ways. And I’m very lucky to have my Grandmama, who survived a series of TIAs this summer. That was one of the scariest things I’d ever faced. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we had lost her. I’m so thankful that God was looking out and helped her survive.

There’s another person who should definitely not be forgotten. I’ve really been blessed because I found Spoony. He’s been my rock when things have been rough, when I’ve had troubles, and when I’ve needed someone to let me cry. He makes me laugh through my  He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to be his forever if he’ll have me.  I’m hopeless in love with him, and I’m truly lucky that he loves me too. This guy is one of those once in a life time guys who few people are lucky to find.  And we are such an unlikely couple. The Southern Belle and the Yankee; the tomboy and the prince. But we work, and that’s all that matters.

And I’m thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. I’m a college student and I have the chance to go to law school. I can do mock trial and I can drive. I’m grateful that I live in a country where I’m not kept at home because I’m female. I may not come from a wealthy family, but we have what we need.  Our family survives and doesn’t really struggle.

I’m really lucky, and today I remind myself of that.

♥Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!♥

What are we teaching our youth?

The other day in my political status of women course we were talking about culture and relativism and the way it effects basic human rights especially for women. There is a culture in Africa where being a ‘large’ women is considered attractive. This means that young women are taken into huts and beaten and forced to eat and drink until they are the right size for men to find attractive. There were many people in the class who were appalled by this, myself included, because these girls have no choice at all. But Dr. Petersen, our professor, said something that struck a chord in my mind, and I think she is entirely correct. She said, “We do the same thing to our own children, our daughters, except our stick is the media, and we beat into them the idea of perfection from an early age.”

It makes sense; you just have to think about it. Look at the women on television, the teen idols for girls. Young girls have role models like the Olsen twins, Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and many other stars who have too many problems to count. The images they are bombarded with are those of thin, ‘flawless’, women in tight fitting clothing showing off lots of skin. Perfection is shown as skinny, and beauty is skewed as if to say that if you aren’t tiny you aren’t attractive. It’s no wonder that eating disorders are so prevalent. Young women feel they must starve themselves to be pretty enough and acceptable. Heavier people are always depicted as the butt of the joke, the unpopular characters. Pretty thin girls are the popular, well-liked characters.Think of the message you are sending your children when you allow them to take what they see on television and in the media and apply to real life as if it were the only truth. “Be thin and pretty and you will be loved.” That is the message that the media is sending young girls.

And let’s take it beyond that. Have you seen the Halloween costumes and toys for young girls these days? Girls dress up as a ’sexy pop diva’ or ’sexy cowgirl’ at the age of eight. It’s ridiculous. Little girls running around in skimpy costumes that show way too much skin. What are these parents thinking? And don’t tell me it’s harmless fun either. There is serious harm in allowing your daughter to run around scantily clad pretending to be a ‘pop princess’. The message you are sending is one that fundamentally objectifies women. You are teaching them that it’s OK to allow yourself to be judged on what you wear and how you look. This teaches them that women aren’t smart, strong, and independent; this teaches them from an early age that women are sex objects. And to add idiocy to the moronic, give your child a Bratz doll. These dolls with their over done make up and skimpy clothing is sending the same message. And not only that you also have Bratz Kidz and Bratz Big Babyz, two more dolls that encourage young girls to be solely concerned with being a ‘diva’.

I know what you are thinking now. Why is Lucky so concerned with this stuff? She sounds like a grouchy, bitter, feminazi. Well maybe I’m just a little disturbed by the fact that we are teaching our daughters that all that matters is image, make up, clothes, and being thin. Maybe I’m thrown off by the fact that eating disorders become more prevalent everyday because young girls are convinced that in order to be loved they have to be thin and beautiful. Frankly folks I think that it’s bull shit, and it’s time for a change.