@J'accagan: Aw, that was fun to read. I miss those halcyon days when I thought John Mayer was smart and witty and not sexist and a little bit racist and kind of a dick. I used to really like John Mayer back then.
@prestocaro: Ooh, did you document your 30 for 30 anywhere online? If so, I'd love to see!
@wesker1989: I don't think the author is using "conservatives" to mean members of the Conservative Party. And I don't think that she's specifically referring to the current government/administration but to the government in the sense of "the authorities"/"the system" in general, if you get what I'm saying.
@bigazzkid: Maybe you are weird, but it is truth that she has a beautiful head.
@Descarada: Colouring is great! When I was having a tough emotional time a few years ago, I turned to colouring as a way to destress. And I didn't even use complex colouring books and coloured pencils - just the ordinary books for, like, 6-year-olds, and cheap crayons. Once I forgot my book and crayons at a relative's house; she called me the next day telling me that she had thought that my "colouring thing" was kind of weird and juvenile (I was in my late 20s at the time), but then she sat down and tried it and found it to be really enjoyable and relaxing.
I like to imagine Nicki and Rihanna liming* together, just kicking it West Indian style. I imagine it would be a good time.
*translation: chilling out, hanging out.
*translation: chilling out, hanging out.
@Descarada: You're right; apologies for the mis-read. Nevertheless, I don't find the quote to sound ridiculous or prissy, even given that I have no more context that what I've read in the post (i.e. I didnt' click through to the linked article). But I understand where you're coming from with your opinion.
@Descarada: I think she's trying to express that it's, as she said, "a change of lifestyle". Before she was living in luxury, and an important part of her role was being pretty and glamorous, and now she's going to be having a completely different experience altogether. It's a big change. To interpret her remark as saying that the worse thing about war was her hair and make-up is a bit uncharitable, I think.
I wouldn't expect (not saying it's impossible, but I wouldn't expect it) a member of the armed forces who's already served in a war zone to express "well reasoned, passionate opposition to war, or perhaps some squeamishness about possibly being killed or having to kill someone else"; I think that military training is, for better or for worse, about inculcating a certain mentality about those things as part of doing your job.
Also I wouldn't be inclined to call anyone who has reached the rank of corporal and completed a tour of duty in Iraq ridiculous or prissy. Bad-ass and brave are more the adjectives that would come to my mind.
I wouldn't expect (not saying it's impossible, but I wouldn't expect it) a member of the armed forces who's already served in a war zone to express "well reasoned, passionate opposition to war, or perhaps some squeamishness about possibly being killed or having to kill someone else"; I think that military training is, for better or for worse, about inculcating a certain mentality about those things as part of doing your job.
Also I wouldn't be inclined to call anyone who has reached the rank of corporal and completed a tour of duty in Iraq ridiculous or prissy. Bad-ass and brave are more the adjectives that would come to my mind.
"There's always a strange undercurrent of gleeful revelry when news like this is announced, that a woman who is held up as a paragon of glamor is going to be forced to work hard, to take the makeup off."
This would have never occurred to me until I read this post—not saying it's a wrong assessment, just that it wouldn't have occurred to me.
Part of my response was that it was kind of awesome because of the way it subverts the notion of the beauty queen as a pretty-pretty lady who can't work hard, and undermines the notion that pretty and tough are mutually exclusive. A beauty queen who's also a soldier? That's kind of amazing.
The other part of my response was that it's not awesome at all, because this is war we're talking about and, as we all know, war is good for absolutely nothing.
This would have never occurred to me until I read this post—not saying it's a wrong assessment, just that it wouldn't have occurred to me.
Part of my response was that it was kind of awesome because of the way it subverts the notion of the beauty queen as a pretty-pretty lady who can't work hard, and undermines the notion that pretty and tough are mutually exclusive. A beauty queen who's also a soldier? That's kind of amazing.
The other part of my response was that it's not awesome at all, because this is war we're talking about and, as we all know, war is good for absolutely nothing.
I remember seeing pictures of her in Essence magazine back in the day and not being able to look away - she looked like a queen.
Got to see the Alvin Ailey company perform last year, and to attend a post-performance Q&A with Judith Jamison. One of the best nights of my life. The show was beyond amazing, and I was giddy with glee at being able to see and hear Ms. Jamison in the flesh, and awe at being in the presence of such a star.
Here's a thing that struck me: during the performance, I saw Ms. Jamison slip in and out of the main theatre a couple of times and noticed that she was walking heavily and with a distinct limp. But when the time came for her to enter and exit the stage for the Q&A, she moved across the stage with so much grace and lightness and presence and dignity, like the great dancer she is. Phenomenal woman.
Got to see the Alvin Ailey company perform last year, and to attend a post-performance Q&A with Judith Jamison. One of the best nights of my life. The show was beyond amazing, and I was giddy with glee at being able to see and hear Ms. Jamison in the flesh, and awe at being in the presence of such a star.
Here's a thing that struck me: during the performance, I saw Ms. Jamison slip in and out of the main theatre a couple of times and noticed that she was walking heavily and with a distinct limp. But when the time came for her to enter and exit the stage for the Q&A, she moved across the stage with so much grace and lightness and presence and dignity, like the great dancer she is. Phenomenal woman.
@SarsDoesn'tSave: Great article, thanks for the link.
One of my ex-boyfriends, when I started running, was so kind as to share with me several scatological distance-running stories, and the prospect of having to take a dump in public put me off races longer than 10K.
One of my ex-boyfriends, when I started running, was so kind as to share with me several scatological distance-running stories, and the prospect of having to take a dump in public put me off races longer than 10K.
@solidfever: Me too. I'll be there in 3 weeks — envy me!
@Jennybell: I don't know, I've never had an American Christmas and honestly don't know for sure what they're like. But I'm sure that tackiness at Christmas time is a transboundary phenomenon.
@50 Foot Queenie: It's quite pretty, but when I see a tree adorned with (and I quote from the linked Guardian article) "premium bling including gold, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones" worth $11 million, "tasteful" is not exactly the word that comes to mind.
Are we sure this is "official", as in Sesame Street/CTW-endorsed/marketed? Because that's not the feeling I'm getting from the site. Super-cute shirt, though.
@RosieComeOutTonight: Agreed. Also, if you don't want to be sad, you may not want to read it. Like, I'm not even pregnant, but that story left me feeling shattered.
I am not sufficiently informed to offer an opinion on the student fees situation in the UK, but I just wanted to say that the discussion that is happening in the comments reminds me of some of the best things from the early days of Jezebel: it's thoughtful, informative, educational and people are sharing different opinions and points of view and expressing different principles, all without things getting personal and/or petty. It's really great.
@sheistolerable: My first thought! What a lack of regard for women of traditional size.
@Sukie is Brianna; non-anonymous: I had the same thought, pretty much word for word.
@LibraryChick: For what it's worth, I got the point you were trying to make.
