In pop culture, girls who crush hopelessly on guys they can’t have are painted as just that – hopeless. Over and over again, we’re taught that girls who openly express sexual or romantic interest in guys who don’t want them are pitiable, stalkerish, desperate, crazy bitches. More often than not, they’re also portrayed as ugly – whether physically, emotionally or both – in order to further establish their undesirability as an objective fact. Both narratively and, as a consequence, in real life, men are given free reign to snub, abuse, mislead and talk down to such women: we’re raised to believe that female desire is unseemly, so that any consequent shaming is therefore deserved. There is no female-equivalent Friend Zone terminology because, in the language of our culture, a man’s romantic choices are considered sacrosanct and inviolable. If a girl has been told no, then she has only herself to blame for anything that happens next – but if a woman says no, then she must not really mean it. Or, if she does, she shouldn’t: the rejected man is a universally sympathetic figure, and everyone from moviegoers to platonic onlookers will scream at her to just give him a chance, as though her rejection must always be unfounded rather than based on the fact that he had a chance, and blew it. And even then, give him another one! The pathos of Single Nice Guys can only be eased by pity-sex with unwilling women that blossoms into romance!

— Lamenting the Friendzone, or: The Nice Guy Approach to Perpetuating Sexist Bullshit (via ignify)

Part of what I failed to express last time a ‘friend zone’ discussion came up.

edwardspoonhands:

I met this guy at VidCon and had a very brief conversation with him. He’s been ahead of the curve with pretty much everything he’s ever done on the internet since the beginning, and while he’s a successful guy, he’s never been about using what he knows to become a billionaire. He’s extremely smart and very excited about online video, and I was honored to have him at the conference.

In this talk, he discusses the problems with our economy, how cable companies complain about us letting them sell our content for free, and what a vibrant and exciting community YouTube is. Charlie is his favored example…which is good because Charlie is also my favored example. 

Carve out 25 minutes for this at some point, it’s a wonderful and refreshing look at the world and how to be a part of it. Very inspiring.

Extremely interesting video.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

So due to all the cute gifs and quotes from the bachelorette I started watching the most recent season. That is how I stumbled upon People Water. I really love their business model, and the way they’re showing that companies can give back in a genuine and meaningful way. Their company is founded on the idea of ‘giving a drop for a drop’. You buy their bottled water and they will contribute to building sustainable water projects in areas of the world where clean water is inaccessible. In addition they partner with other charities that do things such as repair and maintain wells. You can check out more at http://www.peoplewater.com/

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
Link

Best-Ever Teen Novels? Vote for Your Favourites

John Green blogged this link to great teen novels. Go vote for your favourites! I’ve copied the entire list below in case you’re curious, and starred the absolute favourites I chose (picking only 10 was hard!) and bolded everything I’ve read. A couple of the books I read I didn’t read the entire series, and in the case of the Pigman I didn’t finish it (I found something in it upsetting, but it was a long time ago and I don’t remember clearly). There are a lot of books on this list I have been meaning to get around to reading too.

A big part of the reason I wanted to save (blog) this list is that it looks like the perfect list to have on hand if you run out of things to read. Maybe it will be helpful to you too 🙂 If you want, feel free to reblog and indicate the books you’ve read!

Young Adult Fiction Finalists

The Complete List

Many of you told us you just can’t wait until mid-August — when we unveil the results of the Young Adult Fiction Vote — to start reading. So here’s the complete list of finalists, nominated by you and the NPR Young Adult Fiction Panel. Happy Reading!

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson

Abhorsen Trilogy / Old Kingdom Trilogy (series), by Garth Nix
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Across the Universe, by Beth Revis
Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars, by Daniel Pinkwater
Along for the Ride, by Sarah Dessen
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins *
Anne of Green Gables (series), by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden
Ash, by Malinda Lo
Ashfall, by Mike Mullin
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing (series), by M.T. Anderson

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (series), by Jonathan Stroud
Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray
Before I Die, by Jenny Downham
Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
Betsy-Tacy Books (series), by Maud Hart Lovelace
Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys
Blood Red Road, by Moira Young
Bloodlines (series), by Richelle Mead
Bloody Jack Adventures (series), by L.A. Meyer
The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley
The Book of Blood and Shadow, by Robin Wasserman
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan
Brooklyn, Burning, by Steve Brezenoff
Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Chaos Walking (series), by Patrick Ness
The Chemical Garden Trilogy (series), by Lauren DeStefano
Chime, by Franny Billingsley
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (series), by Diana Wynne Jones
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica (series), by James A. Owen
Cinder, by Marissa Meyer
Circle of Magic (series), by Tamora Pierce
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein
Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (series), by Louise Rennison
Copper Sun, by Sharon M. Draper
Crank (series), by Ellen Hopkins
Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins
Crown Duel, by Sherwood Smith
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
The Curse Workers (series), by Holly Black

Dairy Queen, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Dark is Rising (series), by Susan Cooper
Darkest Powers (series), by Kelley Armstrong
Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor
Daughter of the Lioness / Tricksters (series), by Tamora Pierce
Delirium (series), by Lauren Oliver
The Demon’s Lexicon (series), by Sarah Rees Brennan
Discworld / Tiffany Aching (series), by Terry Pratchett
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
Divergent (series), by Veronica Roth
Dolphin Sky, by Ginny Rorby
Dreamland, by Sarah Dessen
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnenblick
Dune, by Frank Herbert

Earthsea (series), by Ursula K. Le Guin
East, by Edith Pattou
Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (series), by Patricia C. Wrede
Everybody Sees the Ants, by A.S. King

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Fallen (series), by Lauren Kate
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green*
Feed, by M.T. Anderson
Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones
The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan
Forever…, by Judy Blume

Gallagher Girls (series), by Ally Carter
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (series), by Libba Bray
The Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
The Giver (series), by Lois Lowry*
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
Gone (series), by Michael Grant
The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
Graceling (series), by Kristin Cashore
Graffiti Moon, by Cath Crowley
Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers
The Green Glass Sea, by Ellen Klages

Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie
Harper Hall Trilogy (series), by Anne McCaffrey
Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling*
Hate List, by Jennifer Brown
The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
Hex Hall (series), by Rachel Hawkins
His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series), by Douglas Adams
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride
Hold Still, by Nina LaCour
House of Night (series), by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff*
How to Save a Life, by Sara Zarr
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins*
Hurt Go Happy, by Ginny Rorby
Hush, Hush Saga (series), by Becca Fitzpatrick

I Am the Cheese, by Robert Cormier
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
Immortal Beloved (series), by Cate Tiernan
The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa
The Immortals (series), by Tamora Pierce
Impossible, by Nancy Werlin
The Infernal Devices (series), by Cassandra Clare
Inheritance Cycle (series), by Christopher Paolini
The Iron Fey (series), by Julie Kagawa
It’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini

Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta*
Jessica Darling (series), by Megan McCafferty
Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
The Legend of Beka Cooper (series), by Tamora Pierce
Leverage, by Joshua Cohen
Leviathan (series), by Scott Westerfeld
Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
The Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lost in the River of Grass, by Ginny Rorby
The Lumatere Chronicles (series), by Melina Marchetta
Lux (series), by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Make Lemonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
A Mango-Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass
The Marbury Lens, by Andrew Smith
Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork
Matched (series), by Ally Condie
The Maze Runner Trilogy (series), by James Dashner
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers
A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
The Monstrumologist (series), by Rick Yancey
The Mortal Instruments (series), by Cassandra Clare
My Most Excellent Year, by Steve Kluger
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson
Nation, by Terry Pratchett
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
North of Beautiful, by Justina Chen Headley
A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly

The Only Alien on the Planet, by Kristen D. Randle
The Outside of a Horse, by Ginny Rorby
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
Outtakes of a Walking Mistake, by Anthony Paull
The Oz Chronicles (series), by R.W. Ridley

Paper Towns, by John Green
Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
The Piper’s Son, by Melina Marchetta
Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King
Postcards from No Man’s Land, by Aidan Chambers
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman*
The Princess Diaries (series), by Meg Cabot
The Princesses of Iowa, by M. Molly Backes
Private Peaceful, by Michael Morpurgo
Protector of the Small (series), by Tamora Pierce

The Queen’s Thief (series), by Megan Whalen Turner

Raw Blue, by Kirsty Eagar
Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly
A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L’Engle
Ruby Blue, by Julie Cassar
Ruby Oliver Quartet (series), by E. Lockhart
Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier
The Rules of Survival, by Nancy Werlin

Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta*
The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (series), by Michael Scott
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
Seven Realms (series), by Cinda Williams Chima
Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi
Shine, by Lauren Myracle
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupis
The Shiver Trilogy, by Maggie Stiefvater
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (series), by Ann Brashares
The Sky Is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson
Sold, by Patricia McCormick
Something Like Normal, by Trish Doller
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
The Song of the Lioness (series), by Tamora Pierce
Soul Screamers (series), by Rachel Vincent
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Split, by Swati Avasthi
Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli*
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
Stolen, by Lucy Christopher
Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr
The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han
Sweep (series), by Cate Tiernan
Sweethearts, by Sara Zarr

Teach Me, by R.A. Nelson
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
This Lullaby, by Sarah Dessen
Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Trash, by Andy Mulligan
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
Twenty Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler
Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Uglies (series), by Scott Westerfeld
Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

Vampire Academy (series), by Richelle Mead

Wake (series), by Lisa McMann
The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic, by Allan Wolf
Weetzie Bat (series), by Francesca Lia Block
Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher*
Where She Went, by Gayle Forman
Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley
Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler
Wide Awake, by David Levithan
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green, David Levithan
Willow, by Julia Hoban
Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Year of Secret Assignments, by Jaclyn Moriarty

thatsnotwatyourmomsaid:

im sorry rosie youve been a good friend

This is what happens when you’re grammatically ambiguity people. People throw out perfectly good childhood friends.

THINK OF THE ANIMALS.

alt text: “I had a hard time with Ayn Rand because I found myself enthusiastically agreeing with the first 90% of every sentence, but getting lost at ‘therefore, be a huge asshole to everyone.”

Calendar Complete

A little thing after a long day of not doing much, but it still feels good.

Got some water (for drinking, not choking on, as pointed out by the boyfriend) and ready to tackle that assignment.

I’ll draw you a pretty picture when I’m done 😀

Resolve

Today I slept in.

I got sucked into the internet and put off tasks with tight deadlines and my own organizational plans.

I find that once something has been put off for even a short period of time it’s much harder to start.

MUCH harder.

And today I have been beating myself up about this whole process, despite not feeling great physically, and dealing with some anxiety.

The phrase “it’s never too late” sort of throws my brain in to an anxious, frantic, realist, argumentative place. And I don’t know if I’m quite ready to move on from the days disappointment, but it’s time to let it go a little bit.

We are not just the sum of our actions. And sometimes things are more difficult then they outwardly appear. Or sometimes we just don’t feel strong, or motivated or ready to tackle challenges.

Right now I feel pretty low, but I know that if I start tackling those problems I’ve been putting off I’ll start to feel better. I know because it’s happened many times before, and that I will be able to gain a feeling of worth and achievement that will help me forgive myself for past mistakes.

Maybe it is too late to do everything perfectly, but I can still set reasonable priories, and no matter how much I say I don’t feel like doing something or that I just don’t want to it’s ultimately my choice what I do with my time, and what attitude I decide to face my decisions with.

So the moment is now and the plan is this.

1. Finish recording activities in my Calendar because it will help me achieve a sense of piece in relation to remembering what I do, and hopefully keep track of my time (whether fixating on recording day to day details is important is not important tonight – lots of people journal, and recording and reflecting can be very positive)

2. My materials assignment because I can do it, and it isn’t a super long assignment.

3. Reassess because I have another assignment to do, but my health is important too, and having the option to decide whether I want to complete it or accept the consequences of not completing it will help me reclaim the control that I feel I’ve lost when I’m overwhelmed.

This is reasonable. I am okay. I can do this.

Thanks for helping me regain my motivation tumblr. <3