The 3 Ps.

Pretty, Pink, and Practical.

Most people know how much I love pink.  Most people also know how much I love pretty things.  The thing that a lot of people don't know about me, though, is how much I love practical things.

For example, I often receive a lot of gifts that encompass only 2 of the 3 "P"s.  I get a lot of pink and pretty gifts.  But they are not always the most practical.  I LOVE practicality.

I decided to compile a little list of things I love that meet all 3 Ps.

n.a.p. Robe from Brookstone

Pink rhinestone earbuds

From LG

From Amazon.com

From Maxell

Another from Amazon.com

Last one from Amazon.com

Burberry Pink Cashmere Scarf

n.a.p. Slippers from Brookstone

 

Pink Umbrellas 

(usually LOVE pink umbrellas - but just got a new pink one w/black pinstripes!)

Not so light.

I usually (recently) like to keep my posts pretty light.  But sexual assault has been an issue my SO and I have been discussing quite a bit in the past few weeks stemming from the Julian Assange debacle over on the other side of the Pacific.

One time J asked me if it was "normal" or "typical" to make such a big deal over extradition of an alleged sex criminal.  I couldn't really think of any examples - mostly drug or Mafia lords or mass murderers who sought shelter in South American countries.

Another time J said he hadn't quite believed the sexual assault charges until he read about Assange's OkCupid profile.  He said he couldn't believe that the WikiLeaks founder (someone so influential and smart) could be capable of sexual assault.  I took a breath and chalked this up to J's own gentle nature and inherent trust that all people are good.

I then started in on my whole rant on how nearly ANY man is capable of sexual assault.  All it takes is a "miscommunication" of consent.  I started going on how men RARELY take sexual assault seriously enough and one of the reasons it's treated so lightly in society is because it is, in fact, MEN who are usually in the positions of authority that could DO something about sexual violence (police, doctors, investigators, prosecutors, legislators, etc.).  I don't mean to say there are NO good men out there doing their part against sexual violence and to help but that, in general, it seems that the individuals who are in positions to "do something" about sexual violence are men, themselves.  Would it really be different if women were in charge?  If women were the authority figures who could take charge of crimes of sexual violence?

I'm not calling for a rogue band of justice-wielding women going around cutting off penises left and right.  But I am saying, that men (in general) don't seem to take sexual violence as seriously as I think they should.  I think that very few men can ever really understand the terror that accompanies sexual violence.  Men don't seem to get what years of "be careful after dark," "never be alone after dark," "don't trust strange men," and "call me when you get there" from concerned mothers and fathers does to a woman.

Men don't seem to feel that same powerlessness and fear of being controlled.  This is not just the physical aspect, although that's a huge part of it.  Admittedly I am overly paranoid, but I am a huge ball of nerves when walking alone at night or taking the subway after 11pm.  I have my fingers wrapped around my keys in one hand (sharp objects to scratch an assailant's face) and the other flexed around my phone or iPod - anything to make my fist harder than it is.

Anyway, the catalyst for this post was J sending me a link that led me to this piece by Naomi Wolf in the Huffington Post (highly recommended).  She has worked with battered women and victims of sexual violence for many years and goes over what a travesty the current Julian Assange case is.  The fact that it has become SO high-profile and that the authorities are suddenly taking a sexual assault allegation so seriously is, in Wolf's own words, "a slap in the face."

In my own quick search for information and links for this post, I came across some headlines and stories that the sexual assault allegations are part of a conspiracy backed by the US government - revenge for leaking confidential US documents.  If conspiracy theorists knew ANYTHING about sexual assault, they would know that is possibly the WEAKEST allegation to bring Assange down.  There is a ridiculously sad history of sexual violence going un-prosecuted and given a virtual blind eye.

"Keep Assange in prison without bail until he is questioned, by all means, if we are suddenly in a real feminist worldwide epiphany about the seriousness of the issue of sex crime: but Interpol, Britain and Sweden must, if they are not to be guilty of hateful manipulation of a serious women's issue for cynical political purposes, imprison as well -- at once -- the hundreds of thousands of men in Britain, Sweden and around the world world who are accused in far less ambiguous terms of far graver forms of assault.

Anyone who works in supporting women who have been raped knows from this grossly disproportionate response that Britain and Sweden, surely under pressure from the US, are cynically using the serious issue of rape as a fig leaf to cover the shameful issue of mafioso-like global collusion in silencing dissent. That is not the State embracing feminism. That is the State pimping feminism."  J'Accuse: Sweden, Britain, and Interpol Insult Rape Victims Worldwide

I just totally agree with Ms. Wolf that the powers that be are using the sexual assault allegations as the main prongs for some other retributive motives.  And I find that completely repulsive.  Sexual assault deserves to stand on its own as a truly serious and repugnant offense against humanity.

My dad can text.

So, I have quite a backlog of ideas and random links that I want to post/write about.  This one was started on February 22, 2010.  Gonna finish it up now.

My dad got a Blackberry Storm (touch screen) last fall and since then he has become quite a texter.

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And while I never thought that technology would bring my dad and I closer, in a way it has.  The man I grew apart from as I grew up, the one I can't and don't talk to on the phone nearly everyday like I do with my mom, this man and I are growing closer together because of a little something called texting.

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A little background.  There are 4 in our family: my dad, my mom, me, and my younger sister.  So my dad is the lone Y chromosome in the house.  In my senior year of high school, I tried for a bit to be the son to him for the daughter I am to my mother.  I woke up early every Sunday my senior year of high school to go to the golf range with my dad.  I talked to him in the car and asked him questions and tried to have him open up to me.  However, he's not much of a phone person and when I went off to college we got used to sending messages to each other through my mom or my sister.


But now, with his adoption of texting as a mode of communication, we are able to become a daily presence in each others' lives again.  I am able to share things that you wouldn't necessarily call someone to tell them - I can share these thoughts with a short text.  I can tell my dad I am open to revisiting my religion.  He tells me that there's a church 2 blocks away from my internship site.  I give him advice on women (my mom) and he tells me to enjoy the weather (when it's sunny) because he remembers that I claim to suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder).

Something that we've started in the past few months is a daily "good morning" text.  This way no matter what else is going on during the day or in my life in general, at least I'll have touched base with my dad once daily.  Usually there's nothing out of the ordinary.  Just a good morning, sometimes a comment on the weather, or what I have planned for the day.

Now, here without further ado, a sampling of some of my dad's texts:

11/9/09

My precious.  Enjoy the beautiful day.  Very happy for you for the sunny brit day Smarty!!! I LOOOVE U.

(My sister and I guess that my dad learns a new word b/c he'll use it in every text for a few weeks before rotating a new word in - here it seemed he had just learned "precious" and kept using it completely unaware of my aversion to it a la Lord of the Rings).

(He also appears to have learned "couch potato" during the week of Thanksgiving b/c he used it to describe me in every text he sent me.  Regrettably, it looks like I've deleted all those texts ...).

2/16/10

Wah sah poo ning honey.love U smarty

(Referencing a line from "Born in East L.A." 1987).

11/10/10

Good morning smarty I wish your Jo eun ha loo n happy dayJ

Go Mah wer!  Youl sheem ee sahl ah heem cha gea smarty

11/22/10

Good morning smarty!  Have a nice day. :). Library is the good place to be. Love you

11/29/10

Good morning smarty! Another beautiful day is coming!

Pee gon hae ser geu lae!

11/30/10

Eung :) good morning smarty. Have a happy day ;) don’t be boring =D

12/6/10

Good morning smarty! Stay warm very very cold outside. Take care. Love you!

12/7/10

JustThinking about you smarty :) have a nice day. Love you :)

12/8/10

Thank you smarty. Good morning n enjoy the sunny day. Love you :)

12/12

Thank you smarty! You too have a warm day. I’m going from work. Dropped men off job site. Love you

12/13/10

Good morning smarty! I wish your joyful day. Love you

12/14/10

Good morning smarty! It’s cold out  stay warm. Have a great day. Love you :)

Jahl Hal soo it Jee!!!!!!! Pray for you

12/16/10

8hrs ? final for school not the bar.

Long hrs joon bee jahl ha go !!!

More bow rings!

Juicy Couture

Max and Chloe

 

Kohl's

Kate Spade

Charlotte Russe

Ann Taylor

Coach

All Tied Up!

I've been so in love with ribbons and bows forever.

And a few days ago I ran into this lovely little bow necklace from Tiffany's.

I think it's a nice alternative to hearts (which can be a bit cheesy in jewelry - don't even get me started on Kay Jeweler's "Open Heart" line, which totally reminds me of the Slytherin shield). 

It reminded me that I've also been in love with this cute ring from Uncommon Goods for ages.

Lovely Hat.

Saw this lovely hat and FELL IN LOVE.

Was available at White House | Black Market but looks like it's sold out now. (sad face!)

Loved this collage of cute gift ideas from Capitol Hill Style (one of the latest blogs I've fallen in love with).

I just noticed there is a lot of LOVE in this post ... and I think that's ok.  Because, seriously, can you ever have too *much* love?

(Final exams stink!)

Jake Gyllenhaal

So honestly, I always thought he was uber-dorky looking ...

Where did THIS guy come from? 0.0

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