The Handmaid's Tale

Fraternize means to behave like a brother. Luke told me that. He said there was no corresponding word that meant to behave like a sister. Sororize, it would have to be, he said.
~ Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale", pg. 13

There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it.
~ pg. 31

On "Bigfoot"

The topic of 'Bigfoot' appeared in one of my classes last week. A student asked the professor: "Why would anyone believe in this creature?" To this, I responded:

It's fun to believe in things you can't see. That's why we have religion.

No one seemed to get where I was going with that comment, but I was so proud of it I wrote it down!

Peach love :)

It's almost here...

Another birthday. Ugh. I love the parties, the gifts, and god knows the attention. But what I loathe is the annual ritual of self-examination. Have I accomplished anything this year? What has changed since last October 26th? Am I going to get drunk in Broad's class again? Doubtful..although, what I wouldn't give for a presentation on WW1 medicine while intoxicated.

Does this happen to anyone else? Or am I the only pathetic fool who decides to inner-delve on her birthday...Regardless. Here is what I've
prematurely come up with:

In the past year I've:
- Created a blog :)
- Rediculously become self-obsessed with my own feminist demons (Yes, I have those too)
- Rediculously become obsessed with Sex and the City, Band of Brothers, Arrested Development, Californication, and the X-Files
-...is that all?...
- oh wait, I've learned American Sign Language :) And began my professional career within it :)

Still, is anyone ever satisfied with their results? Look at these women:
- Hilary Clinton: Do I need to explain this one?
- Madonna: D.i.v.o.r.c.e, which does equal emancipation, but also debt
- Sarah Palin: yeah she's doing just dandy, dont'cha know

The ever-wrinkling Peach :)
xoxo

Interesting fact for you - thanks National Geographic

Hair is one of the characteristics that set mammals apart from other animals. Even whales and naked mole rats have some.

*

Humans don't have as much hair as most mammals, but many people would prefer less. The Gillette Company reports that, on average, American men shave an area of 48 square inches 24 times a month, while WOMEN shave 412 square inches of their BODIES 11 times a month.

*

~ National Geographic, April 2003

Hankarilla Moody...Mandy Moody? Nah..

Hank Moody, a thirty-something American male plagued with writer's block, among many other problems. Besides his ridiculous good looks and eerie resemblance to Fox Mulder, Hank has recently lost his 'wife' and daughter, who subsequently moved in with a 'Dial Tone' named Bill. Hank has many issues, including drug and alcohol abuse, and a never-satiating addiction to sex. Many flaws does a dramatic character make, however I find myself asking the question: "Could the character of Hank be played by a woman?"

*

Now, you are asking yourselves: "Peach, are you banging the double standard issue over the head with a recently naired high-heeled leg?" To this I answer: There ain't no way in Mary's maroon coloured Janes could a woman be dumb enough to fall into that mess. Plain and simple, the reason Hank is male is because he has to be - women are too damn realistic!

*

Putting aside my ridiculous infatuation with David Duchovny, who I know is quintessentially "life imitating art" right now, I can't help buy fall in love with Hank's character. He's undeniably vulnerable, insecure, emotionally dependent, and utterly adorable in his child-like quest for affection. So why the hell would I be attracted to this? Good question.

*

Let's assume Hank became Mandy Moody. Not that I would marry Hank, because God knows I wouldn't want anyone snorting Coke off my rib cage, but assume the character of Hank was played by a female. Insert Uma Therman as Mandy Moody. She's insecure, vulnerable, emotionally dependent, and on a quest for affection....wait, we call that every female character that has plagued a mini-series or sitcom since the birth of NBC. Okay, let's start over. Insert Uma Therman as a sex crazed, drug and alcohol addicted sex pot who's completely obsessed with taking back her husband who left her. HAHAHAHA! Never going to happen.

*

This is why I have to love David Duchovny as Hank Moody. What makes this character so believable is his penis.

*

With much Hank love,

*

The Peach

xoxoxo

I want a little more control, over the counter

Consider the problem of over-population. Rapidly mounting human numbers are pressing ever more heavily on natural resources. What is to be done?... The annual increase of numbers should be reduced. But how? We are given two choices -- famine, pestilence and war on the one hand, birth control on the other. Most of us choose birth control.
~ Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

A recent experience has driven me to return to the blogosphere. Reluctant as I have been, there is no better outlet to vent my feminine angst. To be dramatically honest, I find it harder and harder to return to this blogspot, and I don't really know why. Alas, I have returned, and I have something to bitch about.

BCP's, the pill, a woman's best friend, and every Conservatives worst nightmare. It has saved the lives of many (HA!) and driven stakes into the hearts of Catholic's worldwide. Not only have we relied on this beautiful invention for over four decades, it emancipated the vagina. Vagina's became free to roam the earth, searching for whomever and whenever. Mr. Right, or Mr. Right In front of You. What a work of art it was. Now where does my beef lie you ask? I'll explain.

It all started when I realized I was coming close to that day - you know what I'm talking about ladies - you're almost out of the wonder drug and dammit, you're jonesing for more.

Making the usual six month trek to the pharmacy I encountered a few problems. Not only was I unable to receive my drug of choice, but I was prohibited from receiving it until I consulted with a medical professional. But the last time I checked, being completely dependent on a little blue pill meant you were a man in your fifties trying to get a stiffy. Enraged as I was, I had an epiphany. Beside me at the counter was a line of condoms, aka male contraceptives. It suddenly occurred to me, not only was it easier for a male to purchase his form of contraception, but it was legally impossible for me to receive my birth control without a doctors permission. What in Mary's virgin vagina is wrong with this picture? A hell of a lot.

A young boy, let's say 12, has the option of strolling into the closest pharmacy to purchase a prophylactic without ever having to consult a doctor, or adult figure. Yet, a 12 year old girl (who, by the way, has taken the initiative to maturely handle her sexual promiscuity by consulting a physician) has to undergo the humiliating act of a doctor's appointment WITH A PARENT, in which you must convince this adult to provide you with birth control pills. Does society wonder why we have pregnant teenagers?

Why does society have such a problem with women controlling their own bodies? Why do they make it so hard for young women and older women to obtain contraceptives appropriate to their bodies? It is not convenient for a woman to purchase condoms, unless we can convince the other sex to slap it on. The pill is our choice, always has been. We enjoy regulating our hormones, saying goodbye to Acne, and god dammit we enjoy controlling our cycles. But most importantly, we enjoy having complete control over our bodies.

So there's my problem: I want more control. I want to be able to walk into the supermarket beside a 12 year old boy, and both he and I can purchase our preferred forms of contraceptives together.

With much vagina and uterus love,

The Peach - xoxo

Racism? Seriously?

Consult link on previous post:

You (Mandy Corbeil, from Toronto, Canada) wrote: El Jones from Canada, with all due respect, the mother is not looking for compassion, she is looking for compensation.

This hunger for media attention does not have the child's well-being in mind. Yes the gymnastics federation should hold policies which guarantee the safety and well-being of the participants, and yes it is quite sad that this child has had to undergo such pain physically and mentally.

My lack of compassion does not lie with the child, but the parent. Again, with all due respect, race has no issue in this debate. It's about a mother who is thirsty for attention, and a young girl who is being forced to live through it.

Soccer Moms, gymnastic style

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080828.wblatch28/CommentStory/National/home

You (Mandy Corbeil, from Toronto, Canada) wrote: ------I'm with Sam Cogley - what speaks to me loud and clear from this article is an inappropriate parent focused on her own supposed entitlement - my gawd, the biggest concern to her is that they're not getting the attention she thinks they deserve?------

I also agree. Let me begin by pointing out that once the author described the young girl as "pretty", I was immediately turned off from the article. Pertinence? I mean, thank god she wasn't ugly AND injured.

I would imagine a public acknowledgment of the young girls accomplishments, devotion, and passion towards the sport would have been quite satisfying to recieve, yet, I fail to understand how this young girl would benefit from media attention at this point. Sympathy? Is that what the mother is looking for? Pity perhaps? After all, the mother did point out it was tragic and awful this has happened to THEM.

Yes mom, the fact that I am now paralyzed really affects you. I'm sorry you have to help me out. Your life is ruined. Me? I'm totally upset that the media isn't swarming around me asking me how I feel. Life sucks, and I want the world to know. ----- Really?!?

And it continued

Please consult previous post for link to comment page

You (Mandy Corbeil, from Canada) wrote: Let me correct myself - could they at least have studied THOUSANDS of women? I must disagree, 100 women is not a sufficient quantitative or qualitative analysis of the female population who use birth control pills.

Women's bodies are so often regarded within the medical community as an experimental anomoly - trying to figure us out is apparently not easy from any angle. As we know, hysterectomy's (forgive the spelling) are the number one surgery unnecessarily performed on women. The issue of birth control has always revolved around necessity - do we need it? Should we use it? At what age should women control their own bodies? Should they be allowed to do that? So, a study of 100 women cannot conclusively outline to me why we choose our mates determined on how high our horomonal intake is.

Maybe the Alesse and Marvalon packages should contain a warning: "May cause women to choose the wrong men (but when you're trying to get laid without the concequence of getting knocked up, who really cares)"

Globe and Mail, you irk me

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080814.wgenescent14/CommentStory/specialScienceandHealth/home#comment2364776

This article had me fuming at my desk today. Here is the comment I posted:

This is crap. Why don't we just assume that women who are on the pill are delusional - after all, why would women want to control their own reproductive organs? Stop using the pill, become attracted to men who are perfect for you and BOOM, we have babies AND love!

But seriously, could they at least have studied 20 women? If you're going to generalize the entire female population based on what I can only term a quack study, at least make the number easily divisible.

The 'apology'

As many of you know, (or you've been living under the proverbial rock for the past month), our great Canadian leader Mr.Pervy McPerv publicly apologized to the First Nations for the treatment and assimilation of their people and culture during residential schools.

Long overdue, and highly politicized, many scholars debated the 'apology' through the Globe and Mail's open forum. Considering my day job as a "marketing specialist" allows me to surf the web all day long, I kept up with the scholarly debates very closely. I decided to save bits and pieces of my favorite excerpts to put up onto the Peach.

Please, enjoy and let thoughts provoke:

Apologies by institutions or sovereign powers can have the ring of inauthenticity about them. They may be more the result of expert strategy than genuine remorse, more the result of political expediency than moral necessity.
~ Michael Higgins

Why do I always feel uneasy when political leaders make public apologies for the "sins" of our ancestors?....My unease is also rooted in this question: Was every aboriginal child in residential schools abused physically, sexually or emotionally? If not, what percentage of the children suffered significant abuse? What percentage wound up believing they'd had a good experience? We should be told. I am uneasy because I suspect Canadians, in general, and prime ministers,in particular, do not fully comprehend how much society has moved in the last century from the "politics of integration" to the "politics of identity." Is it possible that the policy-makers who established residential schools thought they were helping aboriginal children?...My final unease is that this apology will not be the last. When, for openers, will descendants of Acadians who were cruelly expelled from the Maritimes in 1755 get their apology — and their cheques?
~ Brian Flemming

In creating national narratives, words matter — and I was also uncomfortable with some of the language used by our leaders. "Truth and reconciliation" has become a quasi-metaphor for the South African experience, and no two policies to inter-communal relations could have been further apart than apartheid and assimilation. As for the use of the terms "survivors" and "never again" in relation to residential schools, Auschwitz was about burning babies, not about "killing the Indian in the child".
~ Norman Spector

Those who support the apology argue that it will promote healing among natives and allow them to move forward. I fear that instead it may only lead them to dwell on the grievances of the past. Those grievances are real enough. Awful things happened in the residential schools. Those who suffered deserve the compensation and the sympathy they are getting. But the apology campaign has reinforced the tendency in the native leadership to blame everything on the government and focus its energy on getting more from Ottawa — more money, more land, more compensation, a more heartfelt apology. That reinforces dependency and breeds a culture of complaint that traps natives in a cage of futile resentment.
~ Marcus Gee

On religion

The world's my church, not some mess of people crammed together on little bitty wooden pews.
~ Icy Sparks

Band of Brothers - why have I waited so long

“War is Hell.”
~ Lt. Spears

"We’re all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function like a soldier’s suppose to function. No mercy, not compassion, not remorse. All war depends upon it.”
~ Lt. Spears

On my new (rekindled) addiction

Dear Sir or Madame,

Soon your son will drop from the sky to engage and defeat the enemy. Your frequent letters of love and encouragement will arm him with a fighting heart. With that he cannot fail but will win glory for himself, make you proud of him and his country every grateful for his service in its hour of need.

Signed,
Herbert M. Sobel, Captain in Commanding

~ Band of Brothers

It's been a rotten season thus far..

I realize the Peach hasn't been the most active fruit these days - in over a month actually. It's a busy time of year (surprising, considering school is out) but with two jobs on the go and a little bit of volunteering on the side, this fruit was pooped.

BUT - I've managed to find some time for myself (a.k.a cut down one of the jobs) and now there will be plenty of room for some Peach activity :) Which makes me quite happy, because this fuzz has been storing up some goodies in her pit.

Enjoy what is to come - Peach love :)

My public apology

I remember a little girl I played with when I was quite young, who one day told me she didn't believe in God. We were having a discussion post bus drop off, we attended different schools but took the same #4 bus, when all of a sudden she mentioned that neither her nor her parents believed in God, or Christmas, or Easter (I believed the Easter bunny was some how a religious icon). Everything I had been taught at home, school, Church, and my grandparents living room floor went out the window. I was mortified that someone, a friend of mine particularly, did not believe in heaven - after all, I had a one way ticket leading to a land of chocolate, cartoons, and chips ahoy (keep in mind my "plump" childhood). What a shock! Where was she going to go when she died? Hell?! Nooooo!!!

This experience haunted me throughout my childhood, until one day I learned a concept called "opinion". Heck, I was allowed to form my own thoughts and ideas? And did I ever. However, not with all issues - some take longer than others.

One of my best friends, Miss T. Hanson we'll call her, was wildly known throughout our group of friends as the girl who did NOT want to have children. I've known Miss T. Hanson since grade five, where she was privileged of meeting a chubby, short girl with glasses on a beach, whom she dearly fell in love with and called her best friend from that point on. Throughout high school Miss T. Hanson was adamant on her stance of children, and the fact that she wanted nothing to do with them. Although I was much older than the atheist experience in grade school, I felt a similar wave of emotion - What?! This was not a normal feeling for a teenage girl - we all wanted to be mothers! Heck, one of our friends had already become a mother at the age of 15! This was not normal! But she was and is to this day one of the dearest people to my heart, so I accepted her with everything that came along, including her anti-child bearing hips.

~

It took me a while to understand (probably half way through my undergraduate career) that women do not have to have children simply because they can. I wonder if Miss T. Hanson was already enlightened to the feminist aura at the young age of 15? She was, after all, the first feminist amongst our group. It goes to show you that this "gift" of a uterus is not necessarily a gift waiting to be unwrapped. In fact, I use it quite frequently and to a monthly schedule. So Miss T. Hanson, I apologize for the immature teen I was, who was unable to understand that your opinion on children, was in fact your opinion. If you would have told me you were an atheist, heck I was a seasoned veteran on that topic (although I know you too well, and you are looking forward to the chocolate and chips ahoy as much as me).

This Peach love is to you Miss T. Hanson,

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A hilarious excerpt

Staring at Wilma's face, round and puffy, punctuated by two black eyes that raced back and forth like cockroaches beneath thick lenses, I suddenly realized that I was looking at the ugliest face on earth. Tiny pimples covered her skin, and a dull pink scar zigzagged over her right cheek. Black, oily, stringy hair fell limply against her shoulders. A dark, bushy moustache thrived above her lip; but, for all of her hair, she strangely had no eyebrows. If I hadn't heard her name and eyed her closely, spotting breasts that hung down like bags of corn feed, I would have taken Wilma for William.
~ Icy Sparks in Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Some 'borrowed' words of genius..

I can find no better way than to give you these quotations without my useless filler. Enjoy :)

People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat.
~ Rebecca West

I represent the ovarian half of the world.
~ June Callwood

Because women's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and...for lots and lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement.
~ Author unknown

Against abortion? Don't have one.
~ Author unknown

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world...indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
~ Margaret Mead

My thoughts on 17 year olds having anal sex - YEAH!

This was too good NOT to comment on:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080430.3consent0430/EmailBNStory/National/home

As many of you might be aware, Ottawa has officially upped the age of consent for vaginal intercourse to the age of sixteen. The age of consent has historically been set at fourteen, which is appalling. I was quite intrigued when reading this article, but not as intrigued as I was when I ran across this little tidbit of knowledge:

"It is currently illegal for Canadians under 18 to have anal sex..."

*Insert Brian Griffin's WWHHHAAATTT????!!!!!*

Am I the only Canadian who was unaware of this little law? I mean by golly, no wonder homosexuals are pissed! They've been breaking laws for years - as have the heteros, although that's not at all what the Conservatives would elude to. So what an interesting glimpse into the workings of the Canadian government and their priorities. Clearly, it is more important for a sixteen year old to screw a stranger and become pregnant, but heaven forbid a seventeen year old receive it in the end zone and NOT get knocked up and kicked out of Catholic school.

Peach and underage anal sex love :)

haha, i couldn't even write that without laughing

My view on the anti-fems

A friend of mine had posted on her blog that she was unsure whether or not she would label herself a feminist. Yet, she believes in women's rights. Yet, she dearly wants to get married, have babies, and fall deeply, deeply in love. She sees this as an inner-struggle (i will make no comment, because she is a friend). Here is what I posted in reply to her comment, which was actually titled to the Peach:

First of all, I take offense to those who constantly put effort towards pointing out they are in fact NOT a feminist - why is this necessary? Are you embarrassed, that as a woman, you feel that you deserve equal treatment in the law, at home, and at the workplace? Is that an embarrassing notion?

Secondly, just the mere fact that you are examining your beliefs gives me a sense of optimism. However, you are examining stereotypes and comparing them to yourself. That, my dear friend, will get you nowhere.

Am I alone in this? Do other feminists become insulted when you see women arguing why they do NOT consider themselves a feminist? I mean seriously: that's like a male arguing he doesn't enjoy ejaculation (well at least to me they compare in seriousness). If you are a woman, who loves being a woman, and who loves other woman, why WOULDN'T you want them to have the ability to decide for themselves? Here are the misconceptions:

1) we are not against marriage
2) we do not hate men (hell, at least we don't hate the penis)
3) we do so shave our legs
4) we do want to nourish that maternal instinct and bare children one day

If you are going to judge us, then please, read a little bit about us first! I once had a girl in my 'Women In Film' class, who when asked if she was a feminist answered: "No, i'm not a feminist. I believe men and women are equal."

Please, to all you peaches in bloom, tell a friend what feminism really means and bring them over to the dark pink side.

Peach love :)

In regards to: "the making of me"

I played team sports for the better part of my childhood and adolescence. Looking back, it's fair to say that those summers in the dugouts and winters on the ice were at least in part, the making of me.
~ ACD

Dear ACD,

Many male children are forced, and i mean forced, into participating in competitive sports becuase their parents feel little boys are intended to play soccer, hockey, and what-have-you by birth right. Fortunately for yourself, you felt as if this atmosphere fostered your development, and made you the wonderful man you are today :)

That being said, you do not speak for all males. There should not be two styles: the girl way and the boy way of growing up. The girl way being passive-aggressive, ballet, etc. and the boys way being competitive sports. The Big Divide only becomes evident once parents begin to conform their children to one of these styles. As I've mentioned before, I tried to break the mold and took on the Tom-Boy persona by playing rough and fighting when confronted with issues. As I said in the previous post, I chose where I landed, and I think I straddled the pink and blue line pretty darn well. Again the important word being chose.

One of the key roles of parents is to foster their child's development by encouraging them to make their own decisions, develop their own tastes, likes and dislikes. It's easy for parents to force children to play piano, or swimming lessons, but it's actually harder for parents to listen to what their children are telling them.

much, much Peach love :)
xo

On "More Women Attending University"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080429.wuniversity0429/EmailBNStory/National/home
An article appearing in today's Globe and Mail entitled, "More Women Attending University", very much gender bashes and belittles Canadian males. Oh wait, no. It attempts to excuse the high level of female post secondary attendance to physical and psychological weaknesses among males.

David Psutka published this article to perhaps enlighten the public as to why woman are attending university at staggering rates. Do we need an explanation? How about: because we fucking choose to? Instead, Psutka presents the argument that "In general, boys begin life lagging behind girls on a number of physical, cognitive and emotional dimensions.....As they progress through the school system, the gender differences tend to increase even more." Psutka also points out that in 2003 (the year I happened to enter university) forty percent of female high school graduates attended university, compared with only a quarter of male graduates. Okay, Mr. Psutka, are you saying that prior to 2003 boys did not need a physical excuse to underperform us?

Ladies, I'm sorry to inform you, BUT the only reason we outnumber males is because they are dumb. Not because we have intellect. I apologize for this rude awakening.

(please leave Mr.Psutka a comment. Believe your ass the Peach did)

Angry Peach love

On a child's insatiable creativity

I like my red stockings the best.
My mom says, "Wear these. Your white stockings look good with that dress."
But I can jump higher in my red stockings.

I like my red jacket the best.
My mom says, "You need to wear your blue jacket. It's too cold out for your red jacket."
But how can I be Red Riding Hood in my blue jacket?

I like my red barrettes the best.
My mom says, "You wear pink barrettes with a pink dress."
But my red barrettes make my hair laugh.

I like red paint the best.
My mom says, "But, Kelly, there is hardly any red paint left. Maybe you could use orange instead."
But red paint puts singing in my head.

~ 'Red is Best' - Kathy Stinson

As most of you know, I have the privilege of taking care of a pair of five year old twins, boy and girl, once a week for that fabulous woman who just celebrated her birthday. They also happen to live above me, therefore it's quite convenient, (and who doesn't want a break from twins?). They are two curious, adventurous, inventive, adorable, and heart-warming kids :) Yes, I'm quite taken. There is a point to this blurb - I ran across this story-time book this evening when I was asked to read it to them before bedtime. I began reading and absolutely fell in love with it. What an incredibly simple example of a child's creative capabilities.

I had a ridiculously creative mind as a child - not surprising given my obsession with Harry Potter and anything from Pixar - but I don't entirely believe it was nourished. I was forced into sports, group extra-curricular activities such as bowling (i know), and other events that didn't satisfy my thirst or encourage creativity. I found it hard to assimilate into the 'team atmosphere'. Eventually, when my parents got the damn hint, I was allowed to join gymnastics, ballet (although i quit because the teacher called me fat, a whole other story, but i was quite plump in all honesty), and other activities that encouraged me to decide for myself, not listen to someone scream at me from across a baseball field or skating rink.

I realize how hard it was for my parents, specifically an OHL-playing father, to accept that I wasn't cut out for group sports. Once they realized there was no coercing me (maybe with chocolate), they began taking me on weekend trips to the library, I became a Brownie, joined gymnastics, and really enjoyed swimming. My brother became ridiculously active in sports, so that satisfied my dads need to watch from the sidelines. Unfortunately, that wasn't my style.

Looking back on my childhood, I realize I fell in "the Big Divide", but I chose where I landed.

Peach Love :)

My high regard towards having a sense of humor

Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got to not forget to laugh.
~ Katharine Hepburn

My ultimate sense of pleasure stems from meeting women who's passion drives them towards great bouts of self-expression, and sometimes utter humiliation. Last night I met the latter.

Most passionate feminists melt my inner sense of pride with their plethora of knowledge, which seems to stem from an inner pool of genius. Those women I meet who are passionate about something other than feminism, implore me to take a deep breathe and prepare myself for a deeply intellectual conversation, probably surrounding a topic I, myself, need to read into much further. Last night I, along with my best friend, had the privilege of joining a birthday party for an amazing woman, who has oh-so-much to celebrate: a successful career, an outstanding family, and an immense wealth of inner and outer beauty. I also had the privilege of meeting her circle of friends, which consisted of (not surprisingly) more awesome women. One in particular, we'll call her "Cory", gave me quite the interesting lecture, and I don't use that word lightly, on how ignorant and uneducated I was, on all issues encompassing politics, history, pacifism, and the value of life (or my lack of). The lecture ended, with this fabulous line: "You are a horrible person. Have a good night."

As fantastic as this story sounds, I quite enjoyed myself! Not only did I enjoy her passionate nature about all topics she was apparently superior with (which, let me tell you, included quite a few), but I enjoyed being spoken to like an unintellectual, uneducated, ignorant woman. As odd as this sounds, and I realize it sounds preposterous, but I sincerely enjoy having one-sided conversations where I feel I might be able to take a few pieces of knowledge concerning a topic I was previously unaware. The conversation began with my NDP beliefs, led into Hillary Clinton, then into her beliefs and education spanning the birth of time until approximately the death of civilization.

I realize you are all quite jealous you could not join this "conversation", and if I ever happen to come across Cory again, I would encourage you to stay far away from us. I think she might whip out her penis, I my insatiable appetite for destruction (of life that is), and we would go at it, Hitler style.

Peach love,
xoxoxo

That darn "A" word

Re: KittyDobson said...
do you think you could really ever go through wiht it though? or do you just relish the option of choice?


Kitty,

One reason that I know I could "go through" with an abortion is because I honor and admire those who have made that tremendously brave and courageous choice to respect their bodies and their rights as women. I can think of a few women in my own life who have made that choice, and I cannot even begin to express my respect and gratitude towards them; women have an unbelievable power.

Peach love :)

My take: On my bookshelf

It has occured to me, my bookshelf currently contains 22 novels, most of which have been read. Out of these 22 novels, only four authors are female: J.K Rowling, Kim Edwards, Gwyn Hyman Rubio, and Sophia Kinsella! What the hell is wrong with me? Has my lifestyle lost its feminist presence? Am I a sexist reader?!? Are you? Similarly, of the 12 'Peach picks' I have posted on this blog, less than half the authors are female. Am I not practicing what I Peach?

Granted I have much, much additional literature sitting in my closet back with the Moldy Peaches (my parents), I believe those authors follow this trend as well. Why am I buying novels which are largely written by males? Are male authors advertised with a more semen-laced vigor?

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
~ Maya Angelou

Okay Maya, sounds good! For those of you who also consider yourself literature-sexist, I emplore you to investigate your bookshelf and begin altering your selections at Chapters. Although I must admit, those bargain bins should be fair game. For an interesting observation re: female authors and the sexist-laden New York Times Book Review, please check out this article by the very witty Sarah Seltzer: http://bitchmagazine.org/article/hard-times

Peach Love, xoxo

In regards to: "On the 'A' Word"

I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is trusting the individual to make the right decision for herself and her family, and not entrusting that decision to anyone wearing the authority of government in any regard.
~ Hillary Rodham Clinton

So, many were left confused by my last post (an Arrested Development snippit), which lightly touched on abortion. As most of you know, I am very pro-choice, but I have not always been. I chose that quotation because I felt it was a hilarious attempt by one of the characters (Gob) to degrade religious women and their pro-life stance. My lord, I laughed, and laughed, and then rewound the clip and grabbed my laptop to immediately put it up on the Peach! But, I guess if you aren't familiar with the television show, it was lost on you non-Gob followers.

Many, (i'd hope most) feminists believe in a woman's right to choose...hell, that's the very definition of feminism. Therefore, most feminists are pro-choice, believing a woman has the right to decide what is best for her body. Her body, her choice - comprende? When I was younger I was raised under a quasi-Catholic household. Growing up, I was told abortion was wrong, and it was not right to kill a living being...blah, blah, we know the story. However, as I decided to foster opinions of my own, I had a slight realization: "It's my god damn body and i'll do with it as I please, God." And there grew the pro-choice Peach.

That's my slight attempt to touch on my pro-choice lifestyle. I mean, after all, being pro-choice means I can have sex whenever and with whomever I choose and not care about the consequences!! YIPPEE!! Bring on the STD's, but say goodbye to an unwanted bastard child :) .......God I love those republicans.

Peach love xoxo

On the "A" word

...plus she's religious. That one gets pregnant, it stays pregnant. Believe me, I dated a chick like that once in highschool...no I didn't...
~ Gob, Arrested Development

Best pro-choice statement i've ran across in a long time!

Peach, and choice love :)

My take: On fairytales

Snow White is doing dishes again cause what else can you do with seven itty-bitty men? Sends them to bed and calls up a friend, says "will you meet me at midnight?". The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair, says "would have cut it myself if i knew men could climb hair. I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows".
~ Sara Bareilles

The following are examples of fairytales which lack positive female role models and substantial parenting:

Snow White: Betrayed by her "evil step-mother", saved by a Prince.

Cinderella: Employed into slavery by her "evil step-mother", saved by a Prince.

Belle (Beauty and the Beast): Manipulated by "the Beast", developing Stockholm Syndrome.

Ariel (The Little Mermaid): Tricked by an "evil sea-bitch", saved by a Prince.

Little Red Riding Hood: Unfortunate food delivery servant, saved by a hunter.

Goldilocks: Nosey little orphan, eaten by a family of bears.

Rapunzel: Locked up by a "bitch enchantress", saved by an improvised weave-climbing Prince.

The Little Match Girl: Homeless orphan child dies in corner. The End.

Well, if you can see where I'm going with this.....how in the hell did I grow up to be a fully functioning and competant woman?

Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother"

This photograph, known as "Migrant Mother", is one of a series of photographs Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in 1936. Lange was concluding a month's trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state of California. In 1960, Lange gave this account of the experience:

I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it. (From: Popular Photography, 1960)

Lange was an incredibly influential documentary photographer and photojournalist, who's photos humanized the conditions of the Great Depression. This photo was introduced to me in Grade 10 art class, where I was taken in by its raw honesty. Later that year I was fortunate enough to visit the photo at the Art Gallery of Ontario, here in Toronto. It has taken me years to appreciate the picture's simple complexities.

Peach Love xo