Yes, I have read “Fifty Shades of Grey”…

…and in my opinion, it is a *bad* book. I don’t find the characters interesting, I don’t find the “romance” between the leads all that compelling, I feel the heroine is “dumbed-down”, I feel the so-called “hero” of the book is the kind of man you should run away from, not invite into your bed (or consider signing a BDSM contract with). I don’t find the sex scenes all that sexy (honestly, I’ve read way better and hotter sex scenes in books that only feature one or two scenes and that don’t involve handcuffs and paddles), and I believe that the author’s understanding of BDSM is an insult to actual BDSM. It is not a book I would recommend to anyone, be they a fan of romance or not, and yes, I do cringe when people who aren’t familiar with the romance genre immediately point to the “Fifty Shades” trilogy as an example of “the best Romance has to offer” to the general public…

All that being said, I REFUSE to be someone who SHAMES another person for choosing to read it, for wanting to read it, for even loving the darn thing.

No two people’s book tastes will completely match. What one person finds to be a great book and would sing about to the heavens and embrace with their entire heart and soul, another person will kick across the room, gagging as they do so, because they can’t believe they wasted all that time (or part of their time if they didn’t finish it) on that piece of crap.

The thing is, we seem to spend so much time critiquing what women read (especially books that are written by women and with a majority-female audience in mind) but hardly any “judgment” is passed if someone is reading something that is typically found in the “literature section”?  And women are every bit as guilty of this as men are.

It’s one thing to dislike something and share your reasons to why you disliked it. (for example, I can’t stand The Great Gatsby and personally think it’s a waste of a tree, and I feel no guilt whatsoever in putting it on the same level as Fifty Shades–and no, it’s not an “insult” to F. Scott Fitzgerald that I placed his novel on the same shelf with that of E.L. James; they deserve to be together because, in my opinion, they’re both BAD BOOKS)…but it’s entirely something else to shame others for reading what they like to read.

We don’t have to agree on the books, but at the very least, we should respect the freedom to choose what we want to read.

nerdymouse:

I firmly believe that not only should we raise the minimum wage, but we should also create a maximum wage. There is no reason in which an orthopedic surgeon, which is the highest paying doctor will make an average of $464,500 a year, while the top 10 CEOs earn well over $33 BILLION a year. If we even so much as cap their earning potential at $1 billion, which is more money than anyone should really need to live a happy fulfilling lifestyle, then it would force them to put that money toward the company or be punished. This means giving their employees better health insurance, giving them more vacations, better wages, paying for their college or their children’s education, creating more jobs, and improving the functionality of their companies. Perhaps even force them to invest in the communities they are serving. 

For those of you who are still skeptical… let me put it this way… the highest earning CEO “earned” $156,077,912 in 2014.

Let’s boil this down. There’s about 52 weeks in a year. Let’s say that he works 40 hours a week. So a total of 2,080 hours a year. That’s $75,037 an hour. The median HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $50,502 per year. He’s earning 1.5 times the amount per hour than the average household makes in a year. That disparity is absurd.

To put that even further into perspective, the average NEUROLOGIST earns $219,000 a year according to a 2014 statistic. Every single one of the CEOs on the 100 highest paid CEOs earn at least 93 TIMES the amount that a NEUROLOGIST makes. 

Something needs to change. People shouldn’t be starving for the sake of someone else’s greed.

mother fucking this

So I’ve been on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program for 4 days now, and I *think* I’ve finally managed to get a handle on my meal planning :o)

I’m not gonna lie, it’s not easy, and despite what the ads say, you DO have to think about what you’re eating and spend some time counting points…BUT, once you get a few “meal stables” under your belt, it does get a little easier. The point I’m trying to make is, if anyone out there is thinking about doing this, yes, I recommend it, but at the same time, don’t go in thinking you can really eat whatever the heck you want without a second’s thought.

My only big criticism for the whole thing is that when they (Weight Watchers) provides you with meal ideas, they DON’T take beverages into account–so unless you plan on only drinking water, black coffee, or a selection of diet beverages, you better make sure you set aside “points” for whatever you want to drink with your meal

But…I will admit, after only 4 days, I am feeling (not so much seeing, but certainly feeling) a difference, if that makes sense? I need to go get a scale at some point, and I know it’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon to be having any sort of significant results, but like I said, I am feeling a difference, which certainly boosts my positivity about the whole thing at the moment :o)

One more thing I would add: while I am not at that point *yet* (I want to keep at this whole routine for a least a week before I do this) I do think it is necessary to have a “cheat day”. If for any other reason than for your own psychological well-being…because gosh darn it, some days you just want a cheeseburger or a pizza or an ice cream sundae, and drink a can of soda or a glass of wine or even *gasp* a sugary beverage from Starbucks (thank heaven I’m doing this post PSL season)–so yes, there will be days every so often when I don’t follow WW’s meal guidelines…but the key phrase is just that: “every so often”

ANYWAY…that’s where I am with that :oP But I wanted to share my feelings and findings since so many lovely people came out in support of my little decision/announcement :oD THANK YOU ALL!!! I’ll keep you posted once I get that scale and start clocking my *fingers crossed* success

I decided to take the plunge and try the Weight Watchers Freestyle program. Can’t deny, it’s a bit discouraging at first (I had 24 points designated for today, and both my breakfast and lunch went through 22 of them)…but like anything “new” you try, it’s going to take some planning and practice. I am confident that I can eventually get there, and am able to figure out how/when to eat “low point” foods intermixed with “higher point” foods. And I know it’s going to take more than just me changing eating habits to lose anything of significance, but at the same time, I know this will help a lot too.

I’ll always be a plus-size girl and that’s ok, I’m rather proud to be plus, I just want to be a HEALTHY plus :oP

GALENTINE’S DAY is Tuesday, February 13!

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Well, I think Leslie Knope said it best:

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And that is what we’re going to do! Celebrate all the lovely female friendships within the DA universe through picsets, drabbles, and fanart! This is open to EVERYONE across the fandom, no matter which character or ship you support, come on down and get in on the celebration (bonus points if you bring breakfast food) ;o)

Wherever you are in the world, whatever your timezone, come February 13, let’s flood our blogs with all things positive about female friendship and celebrate these friendships from Downton Abbey! Be it show-verse or modern AU or any historical period of your choosing, whatever the genre, HAVE FUN!

And don’t forget to tag your GD posts! #DA Galentine’s Day 2018


**images not mine

Who Gets A Happily Ever After In 2018?

lucyreadsromance:

thingsireadin2018:

romancingthebookworm:

lastcenturykindagirl:

Takes about 1/3 of the article to get to the most important points.

Jenkins told me, “Historically, I lack the privilege of taking to my bed and pulling the covers over my head. Instead, I curse and pray and write.”

THIS.

This is the romance article I needed to see today. Not that piece of crap from earlier.

And she almost got me crying with this line: “Romance is political because all art is political”

Peeps, she called our genre “art”, on a very public platform. And like, WE know that romance is art. But how often do we get to see that kind of positivity in the media?

YES GOOD. This is so much better!

Romance novels are political because of, not despite, the fact that they are usually really fucking fun.

Nailed it!

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Who Gets A Happily Ever After In 2018?

is this something men deal with?

A few months ago I moved to a new city due to work. I feel that I’ve finally gotten my bearings of the area, and I now feel ready to get out and start being socially “active”. 

But I fear that as a woman, this is going to be interpreted as “she’s seeking a romantic/sexual partner” when I’m not. The only kind of “relationship” I am interested in seeking with others are friendships, nothing more.

But I don’t know if people believe that, meaning “woman wants to be social and interact with others = she’s seeking a relationship beyond friendship”

So my question stands, is this something men deal with?  If a man wants to be social and active with any kind of group, does anyone call into question his “desire” for seeking a partner, or do they just shrug their shoulders and think “cool, glad you could join us, we meet every Tuesday at 7pm”

Because I don’t think my concern is crazy, I think it’s quite legitimate. So often it seems that any kind of “social group for adults” is also “choose your own hook-up”.

Can’t it simply mean, “hey, I love playing board games, let’s form a group to meet up somewhere and play board games once a month/week” and nothing more?  Can’t women be active and social with other people without the assumption that she’s seeking a partner/spouse?