[ i am here to live out loud ]

I got a new job lined up for September, and I'm so excited to not only start, but to first enjoy my summer. I guess everything does happen for a reason. I turned job a few interviews while at WTHS thinking, why change when I *have* a job? I almost regretted it when I lost my job, but had I left, I would have never met Christi, and who knows what would've happened. Now, I'm working at a school that's five minutes from home and pays more, and I'm going in with experience and lessons learned.

I'm leaving for Virginia with Joe to see Jen and Chris tomorrow evening. We plan to walk through a cave and find other great adventures... how precise! I am meeting with my new supervisor when I get back to get the text books and whatnot so I may begin planning, plus I have some doctor's appointments lined up.

To top everything else off, I had my skin check, and I'm fine... the dot on my face is a regular mole. I feel blessed to be safe and healthy, to have a job, and most importantly, to have the wonderful friends, boyfriend and family that I do.

Joe has a tutoring gig, and I'm having a "yard sale" (it's storming and I've had zero customers in an hour), so I decided to put the TV on. VH1 was on, so I left it and prepared breakfast. I thought, in 1998, "That's it... this is the end of music." I thought pop was the worst thing that could have happened. At this point, I'd rather pop be in the forefront than this cheap, factory produced "rock." It's awful. And what the HELL is with this song "Stay" by Safetysuit? It sounds exactly like Switchfoot's "Meant to Live." They even copied the format of their band name.

In related news, hey Rob Thomas! I LOVE you, but please stop going solo because you suck without your band. Didn't you learn this the first time? If I wanted to hear gospel, I'd be at Solid Rock right now instead of my living room, waiting to make a sale.

Visit Robinson Science Tutoring Services and please refer a friend!

when you're in a failing relationship, and you both know it's over, or you, at least, know ending it is the right thing to do, but you can't do it? I'm like that with EVERY life scenario. I feel embarrassed admitting something is over. A little piece of my soul feels like it's failed. For instance... I love Everclear, but they suck live. It took me seeing them not once, but twice, to admit this, because I felt like I was taking part in a fan fail.

The point of this all is...

I am sad to admit this, but the Chuck Norris... thing? is no longer at all amusing. It's overplayed, lame, and a cheap attempt at getting a laugh, or lack thereof.

The end.

I'm super tired but I really wanted to write simply because I can't stop thinking about, as I try to drift to sleep, how lucky I am. Joe had the idea to go to Princeton this weekend, where I've never been except with him in passing, and we spent Saturday basically doing nothing. I never knew "nothing" could be such a something. We browsed some shops, spent entirely too much time in one of the best bookstores I've ever been in, and ate at an amazing pancake house called PJ's. The food was great (vegetarian split pea soup!!) and the decor was graffiti everywhere! All the walls, the ceiling, and even the tables were covered in writing and carvings. A very cool place we stumbled upon. That, however, is not the point. The point is, I absolutely adore Joe and am amazed at how much fun we have together. Only Joe could take probably the worst week of my life (the whole potential layoff thing...) and make it one of the best, just by being there. He's managed to make me so happy and comforted and no longer scared. Yes... me, the worry wart... not scared. Okay, okay -- not that scared. I am so truly blessed to have him.

I'm also blessed for the wonderful friends that have kept me going strong with their optimism... Christi, Alex, Brittany, Jeff, Jen, and Joe are all godsends.

Now it's really time for bed. Thank you everyone.

Have you seen this? Have you watched this program? Even once?

Dear Christ.

This is by FAR the most unrealistic piece of shit I have ever seen. I had lots to do today for work tomorrow (break's over!), and while doing this, I saw that this show was on ABC Family. I think it debuted in the summer, and my interested was piqued because, well, I'm lame. I thought it might be the next Degrassi. I was wrong. I watched one episode then, and hated it. BUT, a colleague was raving about it.

Did I miss something? I was determined to find out by giving it another go.

I have kept this marathon on as I worked for a couple hours now, and I want to hang myself. People give me grief over Degrassi, but that show is realistic, I don't care who you are. The acting on this show, first of all, is horrific. Molly Ringwold has actually gotten worse. She has no timing, and I can safely say I have a closer relationship with my butcher than she does with her television-daughter.

Like, right now? The daughter has just announced she is pregnant. Molly's response? "Is this a school assignment?" Yeah. That's right. I mean, at least that's what *I* assign in class. What kind of question is that?! Then she says "I don't understand." WHAT?!

The whore's sister has NO inflection in her voice. She sounds drugged up at all times, and is almost as poor an actress as the girl in Twilight. No, she's worse. Much worse. She's actually the worst I have ever seen.

There's another character who claims to be 16, but he has to be at LEAST 30. I know they always cast people much older than what they're playing, but this guy looks like a short-haired Fabio. Only older. He's HUGE. I do not have a single, solitary 16-year-old student who looks remotely close to this. I don't think any guys *my* age look like this!

Now the premise? The premise is almost as bad as the acting. This girl sleeps with some guy in band camp, gets pregnant, and then some sausage king's son asks her to marry him after, like, a date, knowing she's pregnant. Does this happen? Anywhere?!

What kind of message is the show hoping to send? "Get knocked up in high school! Prince Gayling will sweep you off your feet anyway, and everything will be peachy! Oh, and his dad will approve! Because THAT happens!"

There's an over-sexed female character who is really smart but doesn't want anyone to know. Because the reality of high school is that smart girls are never slutty, of course.

Oh, interruption! The drugged sister is giving a powerful speech about how much she hates everything. Picture Terry Schiavo declaring, if she could talk, "I hate this house and everything about it!" I can't come up with a more lifeless human being to compare this actress to.

Okay, back to my shpeel. What was I saying? Oh, sluts. So this slut is sleeping with the pregnant girl's baby-daddy, and trying to sleep with the 30-year-old, whose ex, by the way, is some minister's daughter and thinks that the baby-daddy is a really upstanding individual. He puts on an act in front of her, an act NO ONE would believe. He's almost as fake as the sausage guy's son.

THIS NEVER HAPPENS. I don't know if I can respect anyone who thinks this show has any value, and the fact that it has won all these awards? Jesus. Please do some research about how youth REALLY acts and then produce a film for me. Mean Girls definitely held 1,000 time more validity. Die.

2008 was a big deal, because of this fact. My memory is pretty damn good. Jen and I remember just about every detail of elementary school. I don't just remember elementary school. I remember lots of random things, but can't always place the exact year. I distinctly recall, however, the release of the Smashing Pumpkins' Adore, and that was in 1998. I recall sitting on my front porch listening to my Walkman, radio tuned to Y100, waiting for them to play a song off the new album, anticipating how wondering it might be, fearful of all the "changes" everyone was talking about on the message boards. The fact that I could remember something that took place TEN years ago as though it were last month scared me.

The Pumpkins, however, were a part of my life since I was eight, so this wasn't that scary. They're an exception to the usual rules of time, and not something I can use to put my age into perspective. 2009, though?

I have lately been coming across some things that happened in 1999, and they definitely seem like yesterday. These are things un-related to Pumpkins, mind you, though the fact that the Arising Tour was '99 is certainly enough to make me choke on my beverage. For one, the Gap commercials with that super hot guy Jen and I used to obsess over? (Everybody in Vests, Everybody in Cords, and Everybody in Leather) Yeah, '99. And, more importantly, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU CAME OUT IN 1999. I'm going to absolutely die from shock. That movie had to have come out a few weeks ago! Oh dear. I think I'm the oldest person ever.

Okay.

Some people are deMENted.

This special on 20/20 first highlighted women who achieve orgasm during the birthing process. This involves water, "making out," and going au natural. I don't have an opinion on this yet. I don't think it's the worst thing in the entire world to want drugs during childbirth, but I also don't think people are nuts for wanting to be natural. That's very valiant. But to orgasm during the process? Hmmm. I don't think bringing something sexual to the birth of your child sounds all too kosher, but then again, how did the pregnancy happen in the first place? Perhaps if it eases the pain, it's simply genius.

Next on the agenda is those psychos who purchase Reborns The artist, along with all her customers, should be locked up in a mental institution. You will not change my mind on this. If you are barren, had a miscarriage, or simply never had a baby, there are other ways to deal with the loss. This is simply fucked up, and that is all I have to say about these vile attention-whores.

Then came the women who breast feed their eight-year-olds. DIE. Question, mommy... if it's "not sexual" and complete acceptable at eight, why not twenty? Thirty? If the ability to speak, not to mention the presence of teeth, doesn't bring the feeding to a stop, what does? Why can this not continue until the age of forty? Until mommy dies? This entire special makes me really disgusted with women, and really curious as to why so many people are so desirous of attention.

Um, what else? Oh, professional surrogate mothers. Kind of weird, but again, I don't have a strong opinion. It's a good deed and helps others, which is great, but these women seem to, again, do this for attention. "I love being pregnant." That's not a permanent state. Get over it. Perhaps all that matters is the outcome, however, so if they can bring a gift to someone else, more power to them.

Any thoughts?

I don't know what the "other" cell phone service providers do, because I've only ever had Verizon (I know, I'm a complete glutton for punishment), but what Verizon does, if you send a text message to another Verizon customer, is tell you if that person read your text.

Why?

Let's start with the receiver. You receive a text as you're drifting off to sleep, or heading to the shower, or about to sit down and read, or watch "New Numa" on You Tube for the billionth time, that being, of course, the most valuable way to spend your time. If you read the text, Sender will know you got it, and then you HAVE to answer. Or you can deal with being known as a prick. It's a choice you have to make. And then what if Sender has plans? Crappy plans? What if Sender is that friend everyone hates? What if there's a crisis? If you ignore that, you're done for.

Now, think about being the sender. You see that Receiver read your text. That text that said "911." And that bitch isn't responding. Maybe she fell asleep. Let me try again. "I'm stuck at Jay's Elbow Room and I think the bathroom gave me AIDS. Pick me up ASAP." Receiver reads it. NO REPLY. How does that go the next day? "Text? What text? I didn't... oh. Uhm. I did read it? Sorry, I fell asleep... twice... thinking it was TWO dreams!" No. Wouldn't it be better if Verizon did not tell you that Receiver read that shit? Then she could get away with that mumbo jumbo. Life would be so much better if lying were as acceptable as it used to be back in the day.

Bottom line? Verizon is a beacon of truth. A lighthouse illuminating the path to honesty. A parking attendant leading the way to the parking spot of RIGHTEOUSNESS! And it sucks.

Despite being probably the biggest waste-of-life year I've ever lived, this holiday season has been incredible. I didn't see Yes Man yet, but I've still embraced its message to not turn down opportunity. I know things go awry in the film, but that's an extreme. I've simply been saying yes to every opportunity (usually an outing of some sort) that presents itself, and I've been meeting lots of new, wonderful people and having so much fun.

I've learned a ton this year, had several epiphanies, and I look forward to 2009 with great anticipation.

I stole this from Jennifer. I should be sleeping since I'm too tired to concentrate on these lesson plans, but this may just be mindless enough to put me to sleep. :)


Staye​d singl​e almos​t the whole​ year?​​​
No, but I should have. I'd be a lot richer right now.

Kisse​d someo​ne new?
No. Weird!

Done somet​hing you'​ve regre​tted?​
Indeed. Biggest/only real regret of my life, actually!

Lost someo​ne?​
Yes.

Cut class​?​
I don't have class. Haha, wait.

Were invol​ved in somet​hing you'​ll never​ forge​t?​
Of course.

Visit​ed a diffe​rent count​ry?​
Yup. Via car. By myself!

Cooke​d a gross​ meal?​
I hope not!

Lost somet​hing impor​tant to you?
Nope. I even *found* something important at B&N... Santa Mouse! I lost that book in my attic when I was aged somewhere in the single digits.

Got a gift you adore​?​
Every day of my life. I love my friends and family.

Tripp​ed over a coffe​e table​?​
Probably. :)

Dyed your hair?​
Probably. Yes, I must have.

Came close​ to losin​g your life?​
Nope.

Went to a party​?​​​​​
Several.

Read a great​ book?​
Harry Potter! And Please Stop Laughing At Me. Verrry good.

Saw one of your favor​ite bands​/​artis​ts live?​
I saw THE favorite -- the Pumpkins!

Did you meet any new frien​ds this year?​
Yes!

Did you disli​ke anyon​e?​
Ooh yes. (Note the strategic "ooh")

Did you grow apart​ from anyon​e?​
Yes, and it was definitely for the best.

Do you have any regre​ts when it comes​ to your frien​dship​s?​
I try not to regret too much. I guess I could have handles some situations better, but no regrets.

2008: ​Your BIRTH​DAY!​

Did you have a cake?​
No. Maybe at home? I don't know.

Did you have a party​?​
Hahaha, well, we went out. And I flipped shit at Cuba Libre as the entire French Quarter watched. Then I was covered in beer at the Irish Pub, to which Joe got involved (yes, Joe) and Jeff and even Mel. It was quite a night. Oh, don't forget the obligatory trip to Galloway. "I watch you pee pee and poo poo platter!" An... interesting 23rd.

Did you get any prese​nts?​
Yup!

2008: ​All about​ YOU

Did you chang​e at all this year?​
You tell me.

Did you get your hair cut?
Trimmed.

Did you chang​e your style​?​
Well, as of Christmas I changed from someone who wears $12 Walmart fake Uggs to real Uggs. Yay!

Were you in schoo​l?​
As a teacher.

Did you get good grade​s?​
N/A

Did you have a job?
Yup.

Did you drive​?​
Yes.

Did you own a car?
Indeed.

Did anyon​e close​ to you give birth​?​
Jeff and Mel! I got to witness it. AMAZING!

Did you move at all?
No.

Vacat​ions?​
Upstate NY with Jen (best trip ever!) and Canada with me, myself, and I.

Would​ you chang​e anyth​ing about​ yours​elf now?
Weight. Yay for Biggest Loser challenge at work!

Was 2008 a good year?​
Worst ever by far. It's all good!

Do you think​ 2009 will top 2008?​
There's pretty much no way it can't. :D

"You can try to suck me dry
But there's nothing left to suck
Just you try to hold me down
Come on, try to shut me up"

"Avalanche is sullen and too thin
She starves herself to rid herself of sin
And the kick is so divine when she sees bones beneath her skin
And she says:
'Hey baby can you bleed like me?
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?'"

Can you identify these songs? Or perhaps the artists behind them? The first little number is "Gutless" by Hole, the second, a more recent (and thus less popular) tune by Garbage entitled "Bleed Like Me."

Courtney Love is, for sure, a "bad girl" of the '90s. Most of you probably hate her or at least blame her for her late husband's death. Either way, she is a powerful force behind the mic. I don't know how bad one would consider Shirley Manson, but is she certainly pretty bitchin'. My point is, these were the "bad girls" of music, and I guess they kind of still are, but I doubt the younger generation even knows who they are (except maybe for the whole Kurt Cobain thing). Where are our female musicians of today? Sure, we have some fine, upstanding country stars who are incredibly talented, but where are our rock, or even pop ladies?

We can eliminate the sugary pop of Britney Spears and the like, for as much as I enjoy her music, I don't consider her a real artist. She's fake, and produces fake music that is fun for car rides and dancing at clubs. She's manufactured. I don't know the story behind Katy Perry, but she is the focus of this little diatribe. All I have to ask is, what is up with all that? Is she the current generation's voice? Is she the one proclaiming the modern mottos? Love and Manson are honest. They can be vulnerable, but they put it out there, whatever "it" is, and make their music real. They tackle demons within their lyrics. What does Katy Perry do? Once again, as everyone knows, I listen to everything, so don't call me a hypocrite for having "I Kissed a Girl" on my iPod (Side note: I liked it better the first time when Jill Sobule did it in 1995), but I have no actual respect for the song.

Speaking of Sobule's song of the same title... that was a fun song with a message of empowerment and, I guess you could go as far as to say gay rights. Perry's? Not so much. It's a "please look at me, look at me" song about a "bad girl" that does what she thinks is going to attract male attention by being "risque." Wow, you're drunkenly making out with a chick. Really classy. This isn't a real bad girl. this is a typical slut girl who does whatever it takes to be on top, figuratively and quite literally. Why are we praising the artists who tell women to give into what society wants and go against one's morals? I'm sure parents have no problem letting their young girls listen to this trash, however, because Katy looks the part of the typical pop princess. God forbid we download some Hole ... Courtney looks like trash, so her music must be the devil.

No musician or celebrity of any sort should ever be a role model (Uhm, except everyone from Harry Potter because they are flawless [YES, I'm kidding...sort of]), but if we're talking about empowerment and inspiration, I think the music of the 90s and even early 2000s was far better than the trash that's popular today. Get a brain, get a clue, and dictate for yourself what is acceptable for you to do. Never ever do what a stupid song tells you is okay. It's not brave or fierce, and it makes you look really trashy.

End rant.

I'm done with the Christmas complaints. I started listening to Christmas music on the 1st, and if you don't like it, you can drive with someone else. I don't really care about your negative opinion on the subject. :)

I keep being reminded of the fact that people get depressed around the holidays. It gets dark early, which does suck a little, plus it's cold. In addition, people may be low on funds, ESPECIALLY this year thanks to our wonderfully spectacular economy.

Let's address these issues. The darkness? Get over it. I'm a morning person and *I* get over it. The cold? Yes, it's chilly, and you may have to warm your car up in the morning, but you can always add clothes. The summer is hot and sticky and there is often no escape. Nudity does not even cure heat stroke, and even bodies of water get so hot they are no longer refreshing. You often NEED the AC to feel any relief, whereas in the winter (or fall), even if heat is expensive, you can layer, layer, layer for free. See how I transitioned into the money thing? I have more to say on that...

This is my favorite time of year, and I honestly would feel the same way if I received no tangible presents. If I didn't have money to buy presents for people, sure, I'd be upset because I love giving gifts, but I know deep down that my friends feel the same way as I do, and that doesn't matter to them. Christmas isn't just some moment in time wherein we, as Tim put, "make up jolly songs to make us believe that it really is a merry time of year." I truly feel that way. No matter your religion, this season is about celebrating life. It all starts with giving thanks on Thanksgiving, and goes all the way into the New Year. My dear friend Sarah T., who is a Jew, doesn't mind when people wish her a "Merry Christmas" because typically, the intentions are good. A warm wish of happiness is never a bad thing, which is why I'm so sick of people acting as though they're SO against the mainstream in their dislike of this "commercialized" holiday. Please. Merriment, peace, joy, and giving thanks isn't commercialized bullshit. The notion that being a miserly misanthrope is hardcore is what's commercialized bullshit.

And as for people making ME out to be some mindless sheep, "buying into the hype," give me a frigging break. I'm excited about everything, and I deck myself out for spirit days at work. It has nothing to do with me buying into anything or "giving into the man." I LOVE HOLIDAYS and any type of celebration, and if I spend a few pennies here and there to decorate myself, my car, or my house, so be it. I've been this way since I was little. My dad plays Santa, and my household is filled with traditions that have been added to through the years. My favorite things? Walking the town with my dad on Christmas Eve, and hearing him read T'was The Night Before Christmas before bed. Exchanging gifts with friends and spending time with them throughout the season, looking at lights and singing songs. Oh, golly, I'm such a foolish wit for valuing these things!

So, yeah, I'm bitching, thus making me a hypocrite, but I've had it with all the judgment. If I'm such an imbecile, then don't talk to me until January. And if you want to be soooooo pugnacious against commercialism, make your own damn cards and fight the power. Whatever you do, shut up.

I am so completely and utterly confused about the plastic creation that is the Bratz doll.

Honestly, I cannot believe that these dolls are sold. Anyone who knows me has heard me rant about this about a million times, but each day, it sinks in more and more, and the fact that I seem to be the only person outraged makes me even MORE outraged!

I get quote heated over... lots of things. I'll admit it. i mean, the fact that Little People are now huge round people pisses me off, and don't even get me started on Polly Pocket. The fact that toys have to be made SO safe because children have no supervision annoys me, but Brats dolls make me angry to the point where I fear I may die a couple years early because of the rise in blood pressure I endure even thinking about their existence.

What does one think when she buys her daughter a Bratz doll? How has anyone EVER found this to be a rational idea? Let's look at the name. Bratz. Well, I'll be! Kids aren't spoiled enough these days! Looks to me like your impudent terror of a child needs a new role model to instill a REAL sense of bratdom.

Now let's look at the doll. Does she have a career like Barbie? Barbie's been a mom, a doctor, a teacher, a veterinarian, etc., but she was missing one staple of an occupation. PROSTITUTE. Get with the times, Mattel. Where the Hell is Sidewalk Hostess Barbie when you need her? These dolls are sickening. I'm displaying an image I took recently at Target, I believe:



What the FUCK is this? Why is this doll, made for CHILDREN, dressed like one might dress a Real Doll, made for MEN TO HAVE SEX WITH? She's wearing a garter for Christ's sake! Her skirt is small enough to be an eye patch! And are those handcuffs in the package? (I think they're earrings, but still....) What kind of parent on the face of this earth would buy this product for his or her child? Who would even let their child play with this, even if someone else bought it? If someone ever purchased something like this for my child, I'd burn it sacrificially right in front of them and then punch them in the ovaries. People buy these dolls, and let their 11-year-olds wear bootie shorts with "HOTTIE" written across the ass, and then wonder why their daughters have naked pictures on the internet and are pregnant at age 12. It should be legal to abduct children of these types of parents and then shoot said parents in the face. Okay... maybe not the shooting part, but at least a citizen's arrest.

Barack Obama is our 44th president, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Yes, in the end, he is a politician, which is synonymous with corruption, but I do need some form of hope to hold onto in this world. I am counting down the next 74 days eagerly.

In other news, I have proudly moved on. I fully regret practically begging for him back, because no one is worth that. I know of very few incidents in life wherein one person is completely to blame. It's not usually a one way street, and this was no exception. It's all for the better. I was convinced I had anger problems (which I never denied) so vast that I was 100% at fault for every problem we had. I hated myself most of the time I was with him, which isn't a feeling I typically enjoy. Now I see, thanks to others, that it wasn't just me. I can't say I'm 100% fine, because I still cannot accept how easy it is for some people to lie, and someone I have spent so many years of my life trusting. I'll eventually get over that, and in the meantime, I'm going to be on guard. It's all for the best because we simply did not get along. I've never fought with someone so much in my life.

I'm not looking for anything except the prospect of having fun. It's the perfect time to do so, with Christmas rapidly approaching. I'm excited for that. My friends say they are taking over my life, however, and I'm not allowed to date anymore unemployed boyfriends (or boyfriends whose values aren't the same). And they're right, because constantly pouring my savings into men is getting old, feminist or not, and it would would be spectacular to be taken on a date and presented with flowers for once in my life.

I should learn to trust my instincts, and realize that no one lives up to his word. Promises mean nothing, and people do NOT change. Everclear's "Overwhelming" was my anthem the last time this happened, so why ruin tradition?

It can come from out of nowhere,
Hit you when you're safe and warm.
Take it easy, my star, your time is gonna come,
Your time is gonna come.

Yeah, you got those crazy blue eyes.
Yeah you got those crazy blues.
All those pretty smiles,
I can see them laughing at you.
Your time is gonna come, your time is gonna come.

I don't wanna be your punching bag,
your complacent little princess all tragic and sad.
I'm not gonna let you overwhelm me anymore.
No not anymore.

Yeah, you say you got this bad thing,
Yeah you say you've got it bad.
You have broken every heart of every friend you've ever had.
Someday the time will come when all your friends just go away.

I wonder why I stick around, sometimes I wish you would leave.
You say you love me forever, then you spit on me.
Your time is gonna come,
I swear your time is gonna come.

I don't want to be your whipping boy,
Your pathetic little loser, someone you can ignore.
I'm not gonna let you overwhelm me anymore.
I'm not gonna let you hurt me anymore.
I'm not gonna let you hit me anymore.
I'm not gonna let you kick me anymore.
I will not let you overwhelm me anymore

It can come from out of nowhere.
I don't wanna be your simple saving grace,
Just another little victim with a happy face.
Someday, someday, someday soon, somebody's gonna come,
I hope they do this to you.

I'm not gonna let you overwhelm me.
I will not let you hurt me anymore.
No, I will not let you hurt me anymore.
I will not let you hit me anymore.
I will not let you twist me anymore.
No I will not let you turn me inside out.

What I don't understand is why I somehow lose all common sense in the name of love. The last time Jamie came to see me, I wouldn't agree to make things official. After spending that week with him, I thought long and hard, and decided this could work. When he got home to Canada, he changed his mind. I attributed this to his youth, but now I see it's his nature. Same scenario, only this time, there were real life promises. It's simply cruel to do this to someone. Why didn't I see this before dragging my heart through this mess?

I ♥ Snapfish!

I'm looking up tabs for the Free Credit Report.com commercials.

Who does that?

Leaving for vacation Friday... very excited! Summer is awesome when you're an educator.

I received over 30 emails in less than an hour today, arguing about the vote on the contract. Finally, someone said, "anyone with half a brain will vote NO today." I had had it, so 4th period, I sent this to the *entire* district:

Because I am new to all of this, I truly value the opinions of everyone, but could we please not resort to personal attacks and insults? That helps nothing.

Thanks,
Me

"A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated."
--Horace Mann

As soon as 5th period, I walked into lunch to see a standing ovation for me, followed with "Way to go!" comments throughout the day, and one lone attack email that basically implied I was a stupid little girl. Awesome.

I voted yes, and am loved and hated throughout the land.

Thomas Beatie - you’re not a pregnant man. You’re a pregnant freak of nature. A pregnant disgrace to humanity. Okay, maybe that’s going a bit far, but I don’t really think you should bring a child into this world as confused as you are.

Transgendered people are such because, to my understanding, they feel as though they personify a sex other than that which they were born, and that’s fine. GOD KNOWS I support GLBT causes on a daily basis.

If Thomas Beatie feels as though he/she is a MAN, why is a desire to be pregnant instilled in him? WOMEN get pregnant. This person was born a woman and took measures to be a man. Fine. But you can’t have it both ways. You are choosing to embody a WOMAN by being pregnant. All you are is a pregnant woman who has attached man parts to himself and taken pills to grow facial hair.

I don’t think Thomas Beatie should be legally recognized as a man. The technology to have a FULL sex change, organs and all, is not possible… I understand that. But if you truly want to BE a sex other than that which you were born, then do it the best you can. If it were possible to fully become the opposite sex, this scenario is akin to a man saying, "I want to be a woman, but monthly periods suck, so I don’t want that to happen."

NO! You don’t get to pick and choose. This is not a miracle, and I am sick of hearing about it. Thomas Beatie, you are nothing but a pregnant, confused woman.