Sonic Blooms

A friend got me one of these "guitar pick flowers" for my birthday (mine is purple, but I could find a picture of a purple one).


A Houston artist makes them out of guitar picks and recycled guitar strings. They are also available on Etsy.


The flowers have a magnet on the back, so the flower can be used as a hair clip or a brooch. I wore it out last night in my hair and it was definitely a hit.


This exactly the sort of gift I love: local, incorporating recycled elements, and creative.


Have you discovered any interesting local artists in your neck of the woods?

The Adorkable Feminist

Or... Feminism Part 2, a matter of definitions

(click here for Part 1)

So, the definition of feminism is this:

the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.

Which is practically the least offensive thing ever, right? Unless you're Rick Santorum.

(source: afternoonsnoozebutton)

So here's the prob, Rob.

Or Roberta.

A lot of anti-feminists claim that's not actually the definition of feminism. Here's how one website defines feminism:

"♦ Feminism had nothing to do with getting the vote.
♦ Feminism is not about equality. Feminism is about extremism.
♦ Feminism isn't about bringing out those traditionally female attributes of nurture and care.
♦ Feminism is about telling women what they should be and restricting their choices.
♦ Feminism hates men. Feminism doesn't want a woman to feel loved.
♦ Feminism is deceitful and dishonest."

Basically, they are saying that if you say you are a feminist, and you aren't a man-hating liar, then you're wrong about what feminism is. So not only are you not a feminist, according to them, you're also stupid.

(Just Google anything like "percentage of women who are feminists" and you start getting similar hate-filled rants after three or four links.)

A lot of women also believe that to claim the label of "feminist" means to claim the popular image of a humorless woman who never shaves her legs and wears cardigans covered in cat hair.

I'm here to say: I'm a feminist. And I'm adorkable.

You see, Entertainment Weekly had a whole article about the TV show The New Girl this week. It was about how some feminist critics bashed The New Girl, because Zooey Deschanel's character acts too much like a "little girl." The show's creator is a feminist, and based a lot of the character on herself. So of course, she felt pretty crap about all that.

Again, a problem of definitions. Some feminists, just like the dude above, seem to be saying that true feminists have to claim more than just a belief in equal rights. They have to be serious. They have to be adult. They don't play the ukulele.

photo source: Fox.com so ironic...

I am a feminist. I claim a belief in the equal rights of all humans. But I'm not just a humanist because I believe we live in a patriarchal society which systematically oppresses women. "Systematic oppression" does not mean that there is a group of men somewhere deciding to oppress women (although the GOP seem to be trying to give the impression that they are that group). No, it refers to the accumulation of largely sub-conscious cultural and personal acts which serve to advantage men and disadvantage women.

But I also believe that a feminist can wear sparkly shoes and make up twee songs if she wants to. God knows I do. In fact, I believe the fact that such "feminine" actions are viewed as "unserious" and "childish" is a result of said patriarchal oppression. My sparkly shoes are fighting the power!

As long as women or men make us believe that claiming feminism means also claiming the popular perception of feminism, then we've got a problem.

Automobile 2: Electric Boogaloo

I saw an adorable little car at the grocery store today, and when I looked closer, I saw that it was the electric Nissan Leaf.

It's pretty remarkable that I even noticed it, because I'm notorious for not noticing things like the aesthetics of cars. Or even knowing what different cars are. The guy who works at Express Lube is always shocked at how few miles I've driven (48,000 - and I've had my car for 6 years). Cars are not in my wheelhouse (crappy pun intended).

But this car is - seriously- frickin' cute. Yes, I realize that makes the car even less manly-seeming than "electric car" sounds. Who cares? I love it.

It's definitely out of my price range (and I don't need a car, given the afore-mentioned mileage on mine) but I'm psyched to see that at least a few actual human beings are driving electric cars in the oil-guzzlin' city of Houston.

(photo courtesy of CrunchGear)

How Smart is Your Decor?

I was checking out my daily email from Fab.com and saw the words "eco-friendly furniture."

Great, I thought. Eco-friendly means mega-bucks.

But I've been thinking about getting a desk, and so I clicked anyway, even though I was pretty sure that anything eco-friendly would be out of my price range. I mean, even furniture at the thrift store seems expensive to me.

$36.

What?

I mean, I know Fab is a sale site, but that seems like some sale.

It turns out, though, that the desks (and dressers and night stands) were from a company called SmartDeco that makes furniture out of corrugated fiberboard. Yes. That's a kind of cardboard. But it's made from renewable resources and is recyclable -- just like a box. The desk is regularly priced around $60. It seems like a good option for first apartments or growing homes -- or for kids - because the SmartDeco furniture is "customizable". That means you can write on it!

I'm just imagining covering the top with my favorite quotes for inspiration. Hmm... not a bad idea.

Shampoo Fail

One reason I think that people haven't fully adopted green products is that they've had bad experiences. Greener products usually cost a little more, and then if they don't work the way we expect products to work, people sometimes decide it's the fault of all "green" products.

That's why I like Burt's Bees. No, they aren't the greenEST, but they work, and they are cost effective. They are great starter products for folks who want to green their beauty routines.

That's why I was excited to see that Burt's Bees was launching a new line of products called gud. They have no parabens, pthalates, or petrochemicals, and are not tested on animals.

Perfect.

So I bought the "Orange Petalooza" Nourishing Shampoo. It smelled awesome -- like an Orange Julius. And it had a very pleasing neon orange appearance.

A few days later I noticed that when I tried to do no-heat headband curls, the next morning my hair looked stringy and unwashed. But it had been less than 24 hours since I washed it! I put up my hair and moved on.

I began to notice, however, that stringy hair was becoming a pattern. My new shampoo, like a lot of greener shampoos I've tried, left my very fine hair feeling waxy and weighed down.

So I'm back to my old stand-by, Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Pomegranate Soy Shampoo, with a weekly hit of Neutrogena Clarifying Shampoo every Saturday.

It hasn't failed me yet.

Get in my belly!

OK, things have been a little serious around this blog, what with responding to attacks on women and The Lorax indoctrinating our children. So now for something completely different.

I am obsessed with these:

They are called Laura's Wholesome Junk Food and they are kind of like cookies, only lumpier and chewier. I buy them at Whole Foods but you can also order them. I especially love the chocolate fudge flavor you see here -- which is also wheat free, for those of you who might be allergic or sensitive to wheat.

When my friends and I cook dinner together, we've been having these for dessert lately with some fruit. Much healthier than the typical baked goods we get. These also make a great snack -- because they have oats and dates, one serving of two "bite-lettes" can tide you over till your next meal.