It is never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot
62 posts
Latest Posts by stuffilikebyjen-blog - Page 2
Julianne Moore as “Famous Works of Art” by Peter Linderbergh - for Harper’s Bazaar
Seated Woman With Bent Knee by Egon Schiele, La Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Saint Praxidis by Vermeer, The Cripple by John Currin, Les danseuses by Edgar Degas, Madame X by John Singer, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer, Woman With a Fan by Modigliani, Man Crazy Nurse #3 by Richard Prince, Adele Bloch Bauer I by Gustav Klimt.
Jason Collins : I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.
“The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. “I’ve known you were gay for years,” she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin. In her presence I ignored my censor button for the first time. She gave me support. The relief I felt was a sweet release. Imagine you’re in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know — I baked for 33 years.
When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.
No one wants to live in fear. I’ve always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don’t sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I’ve endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back.
The most you can do is stand up for what you believe in. I’m much happier since coming out to my friends and family. Being genuine and honest makes me happy. Some people insist they’ve never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who’s gay. In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who’s out.
You're rooting for him to finally, for want of a better word, get laid. So it was good to get that on the show, as it was. - Kit Harington
Kit Harington confirming what we all know, we've been waiting for 3 seasons for Jon Snow to get laid.
This is disgusting.
Gun group holds rally with AR-15s to congratulate Congress for blocking background checks.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/a-speculative-list-of-jay-zs-99-problems/
Awkward street cred issues re: recent events with “the 99%.”
Discomfort with monogamy and upcoming fatherhood, esp. w/in the context of being a very powerful individual (i.e. sex from whoever he desires widely available yet unattainable due to moral obligation).
Increasing existential distress re: fatherhood, fame, identity, public image.
Trouble figuring out which is the healthiest cooking oil.
cont...
My life as a concert pianist can be frustrating, lonely, demoralising and exhausting. But is it worth it? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, says James Rhodes
Tubing it home, setting the score, pencil, coffee and ashtray on the piano and emerging a few days, weeks or months later able to perform something that some mad, genius, lunatic of a composer 300 years ago heard in his head while out of his mind with grief or love or syphilis. A piece of music that will always baffle the greatest minds in the world, that simply cannot be made sense of, that is still living and floating in the ether and will do so for yet more centuries to come. That is extraordinary. And I did that. I do it, to my continual astonishment, all the time.
An ethnicity does not indicate any sort of defined motive or ties to any possible group or groups and law enforcement has yet to provide any confirmation of the current reporting. Chechen groups also have traditionally focused their ire on Russia rather than targeting the United States. Finally, given their lengthy residence it is difficult to discern what — if any — ties or sympathies the two brothers have to Chechen terrorist groups. The older of the brothers — Tamerlan Tsarnaev — has been in the United States since as early as 1992 as a refugee and in 2002 hoped to box for the United States at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
ThinkProgress’ Hayes Brown, reminding everyone that what we think we know is still only speculation, (via cognitivedissonance)
Reading the list of Hollywood’s 20 Most Hated Celebrities I’m struck once again by how many women are on the list (and rank highest!) because “ugh, they’re so obnoxious and fake!” and how many men are on the list because of racism, misogyny, violence, and charming things like defending enablers of pedophilia.
The Rainbow Crosswalks Of Sydney, Australia
A popular rainbow crosswalk has been suddenly removed from Sydney, Australia’s gay and lesbian district because the city claimed it was a traffic hazard. The crosswalk was created to honor the 35th anniversary of the gay and lesbian carnival, and supporters want to keep the crosswalk because they say it serves as a symbol of the city’s tolerance.
In response to the city removing the crosswalk, people have started creating their own rainbow crosswalks.
Examples of overwhelming kindness following the Boston Marathon explosions.
One of my dearest friends! So proud of you!
lainey gossip interviews sarah kaff, an inspirational masters student who is using her own brilliance to bring help & hope to buenos aires.
*disclaimer: no celebrity endorsements are intended or implied from the content of these interviews.
Sarah Kaff, 22
Born: Saudi Arabia (Father is Egyptian, Mother is Algerian)
Moved to Canada: August 1994 first to Montreal and then to Ottawa in 1997
Languages spoken at home: Arabic, French, English
Lainey-
Where are you right now?
Sarah-
Buenos Aires. I’ve been in Argentina since January.
Lainey-
You’re there on a practicum, right?
Sarah-
Yes, I’m doing my practicum at a teaching hospital in HIV prevention.
Lainey-
What’s your focus?
Sarah-
Women with HIV, pregnant women with HIV, and women trying to get pregnant with HIV, and gay men.
Lainey-
Why Buenos Aires?
Sarah-
I really wanted to go to S America for my practicum for my masters. I’m doing a Masters in Public Health at the University of Waterloo and they encourage us to stay in Canada but I looked at the list of possible options, and I really wanted to go abroad, especially in the developing world. I wanted to get into HIV prevention and treatment and work with women.
Lainey-
Why women in particular?
Sarah-
We talk a lot in our program about the feminisation of HIV. What that means is that we see it more in developing nations — more and more women are getting HIV than there are men. Over 50% globally more infections are in women. HIV, to me, it’s not just a virus. It’s a social disease. It’s spread through sex work, especially in Africa it’s spread through migration. Women tend to be the ones who uphold the family so when they get infected and they don’t have treatment, it’s the entire family that gets affected by it. That’s why it’s my focus. The implications that this disease is having on the Female, collectively. And in North America, we might be hearing about it as much.
Lainey-
So what are the particular challenges of the people you’re working with and the patients you’re treating?
Sarah-
The majority of our patients are middle class, upper lower class, they tend to be more educated, they understand the disease but there are a lot of cultural implications that are intertwined with the disease. Argentina is not well known for advocating for sex ed and encouraging people to educate themselves. Most infections are from sex. Not IV users. People are being infected by partners. I’ve met a lot of hetero couples who are infected together. You go to a drug store and condoms are locked away, not readily accessible. We need to start encouraging these discussions.
We are trying to develop programs to send to adolescents, especially young women about the benefits of having safe sex.
Lainey-
Have we become complacent about HIV?
Sarah-
Yes, especially in my generation. People my age don’t worry about it. That’s what I see here with a lot of my patients. They worry about other STIs. There’s still a big lack of education. And we are still seeing a lot of deaths from AIDS, even in places that are socioeconomically sound.
Lainey-
What do your parents think of what you’re doing?
Sarah-
They love it. They are really happy I’m here. My dad is a pharmacist, he knows it’s important. Coming from immigrant parents, they always wanted me to be a doctor. You know, the traditional professions. I had to convince them I could still work in health care but not necessarily be a doctor. I told them in 2nd year that I didn’t want to go med school. And I sat them down and showed them all the programs. Now they’ve come around. Now I fight with them about where I should work afterwards. They want me to go into government!
Lainey-
Do you think your generation gets a bad reputation?
Sarah-
There’s always the reputation that we are selfish, that we don’t know how to communicate, that we are inept at social situations, that technology has spoiled us. I think that’s really unfair. Obviously there are bad apples in very generation, but when they say technology has ruined the youth I object. It has done nothing but help us. It has helped us connect to the world. Every generation is selfish. It’s not just us. It’s just amplified by the media now.
Lainey-
How about entitlement?
Sarah-
I have 3 roommates. We’re 19 - 26 and we do agree that we are the entitled generation. That we want things NOW. I don’t know where that comes from. I don’t want to blame our parents. But it had to come from somewhere. For me I come from immigrant parents who busted their asses. My parents worked so hard. My dad didn’t have an income for the first few years because his degree didn’t transfer immediately to Canada. So I saw their journey and I learned from that. I always think about what would my mom think, what would my dad think before I make my decisions. That matters to me. I call my mom the Camel Mom, like the Tiger Mom from that book. It shaped my work ethic. Maybe it has to be the example that parents set for their kids.
Lainey-
OK, so you’re doing your practicum, you’re dealing sometimes with some heavy sh-t, what’s your balance? How do you balance?
Sarah-
Celebrity gossip is my fallback! My first year in university when I was overwhelmed by my studies, I can focus on and it helps me forget. And, um, I’m a huge one direction fan. Because I’m obviously 12 years old. And…my profession might be in science, but I love the arts. I love movies and music. It’s always nice to know what goes on behind that world. My favourite articles are the ones about the industry and why someone was picked over someone else. And the publicity. It’s a big reflection on society.
Lainey-
What is a gossip story you refuse to believe?
Sarah-
I don’t think Jake gyllenhaal is gay.
Lainey-
Good because he isn’t.
Lainey-
OK, so who would play you in a movie about your life?
Sarah-
Unless an Arab star breaks out in Hollywood any time soon, there’s no one who looks like me so it’s more on attitude. I’ll say Jennifer Lawrence because I love her and I feel like we could be really good friends. Ha!
Lainey-
Who would be your best friend in the movie?
Sarah-
Emma Stone. I really like her. And I’ve gotten really close with some of the girls on GossipCon Facebook. And they’re all really crazy and funny and wild. Someone like that.
Lainey-
Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone are friends in real life. It’s like gossip porn. OK, what song would be playing in the movie of your life during the montage?
Sarah:
Something by Arctic Monkeys. And Tina Fey would write it and Amy Poehler would play my mom!
Lainey-
What music video would you have wanted to be a part of?
Sarah-
Anything by Beyonce — I want to be one of her backup dancers.
Lainey-
And whose celebrity baby would you want to be the godmother for?
Sarah-
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Apple. Just so I can get an in with the whole crowd.
Lainey-
Favourite Oscar dress of all time?
Sarah-
Anything that Maggie Gyllenhaal has ever worn. Rachel McAdams’s Elie Saab. Charlize Theron this year. Anything that Helena Bonham Carter wears. I like it when people go crazy on the red carpet. Cate Blanchett’s Dries Van Noten when she was pregnant.
Met Edith Windsor: The 83 year old woman who is fighting to strike down DOMA With the Supreme Court hearing arguments for and against DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) in the case Windsor v. United States, I thought an info post about the woman who brought suit against the U.S. federal government was necessary. If the Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, her last name will live forever in constitutional law, but her life with the woman she loved for over 40 years, is really the heart of story. — Edith Windsor was a top IBM programmer in the 1960’s… in other words, bad-ass! Windsor moved to New York City after divorcing her husband to work as a secretary while earning a master’s degree in mathematics from NYU. She also had a a fellowship at Harvard University, you know, just because she was awesome. — Edith Windsor didn’t know how to get a date with a lady Like a lot of lesbians who move to a big city to be free, gay versions of themselves, Edith didn’t know exactly how to pursue a dating life (sound familiar, Tumblr?). She asked friends, “If you know where the lesbians are, please take me.” Her friends took her to a Greenwich Village restaurant called Portofino where she caught the eye of Thea Spyer, a psychologist. They danced. “We immediately just fit, our bodies fit,” said Thea. — Edith Windsor was engaged to Thea Spyer from 1967 to 2007 Thea proposed to Edith with a round diamond pin. She got down on one knee during a drive to the countryside in 1967. “She was beautiful,” Edie said in a recent interview. “It was joyful, and that didn’t go away.” At 45, Thea was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and in 2007, the doctors gave Thea the grim news that she didn’t have much time left. Edith and Thea flew to Toronto and on May 22nd, 2007 they were married. — Edith Windsor’s case is about estate taxes, but about so much more Despite being together for more than 40 years, in a relationship that most of us can only dream of and having a marriage that is legally recognized in Canada, when Thea passed away in 2009, Edith was saddled with a tax burden of $600,000 in state and federal estate taxes because her marriage isn’t legal in within the borders of the United States. This is one of the 1,138 benefits afforded to couples who are married in the United States. DOMA only recognizes a legal union between a man and woman and thus these benefits do not extend to same sex couples EVEN IF their marriage is legally recognized by the State. But in reality, this case is about so much more than just benefits and protections. Edith Windsor says, “The fact is, marriage is this magic thing. I mean forget all the financial stuff, marriage symbolizes commitment and love like nothing else in the world. And it’s known all over the world. I mean, wherever you go, if you’re married, that means something to people, and it meant a difference in feeling the next day.”
I like strong woman. The ones who look at you straight in the eye, the ones that can make you quiver in your boots with the simple raising of an eyebrow. These woman who wear their skin like well-worn armor, who have their experiences etched in the creases of their hands and laugh lines around their eyes, these are the women who inspire me. I like their unapologetic nature, their fierce determination and their unshakable beliefs in the legitimacy of their cause. I know that these woman are sharp, they can be demanding, unrelenting, uncompromising. After all, they are from a generation that had to fight tooth and nail to achieve their successes. They persevered in arts, politics, academia, and media and carved the paths that younger women like me take for granted.
Kathleen Wynne
(http://www.shahrvand.com/archives/34023)
Summer is Coming...
My sister and I have been so lazy lately, just sitting around on the couch watching TV all day. Since summer is here and with it bikini season we decided to turn our lazy TV watching marathons into a workout. This is the ab workout I made for Game of Thrones:
And for those who don’t know what Supergirls are, it’s when you lay flat on your stomach and raise your arms and legs off the ground (like you’re flying like superman).
The friendly boy at the information desk at the B&N on State Street informed me today that they open everyday at 7am during the week! I will be there tomorrow waiting to clutch ADWD in my hands. This is really going to stall my other reading, though.
Can I have your boots, Kate Moss?
If Duchess Catherine started a haircare line, I would buy.
You are awesome too, Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler's a member. Are you? Make your membership gift by June 30 and it will be matched dollar for dollar. Dear You know who is awesome? Cecile Richards. She's the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She's smart, she's tough, and she's totally dedicated to fighting for women's health. And you know who else totally rules? Every single doctor and nurse and receptionist and volunteer who shows up at a Planned Parenthood health center to make sure that every person who walks through their door gets the care they need. And when it comes to Planned Parenthood, there's one more group of people who are really, truly, no-kidding awesome: the members who give money and time to make it all possible. I should know. I'm one of them. You should be, too. In fact, you should stop reading this email right now and click here to become a Planned Parenthood Federation of America member like me this very second. Helping Planned Parenthood help women is always a good thing, but right now it's even better because some very generous people will match your membership bucks (but only until June 30, so do it now). You get these emails, you pay attention — you already know how important Planned Parenthood is. But now is an important time to give and become a member. Give a dollar right now, and it magically turns into two. Give $50, and that's a hundred dollars for Planned Parenthood. There's no better way to have an impact for women's health than being a Planned Parenthood member —and if you give now, you have twice the impact. Admit it, that's pretty convincing. You know it's time to reach for that credit card and make your donation. But if you're still not sold, think back to the first time you went to a Planned Parenthood health center, scared or broke or confused or hopeful. Think about your friends, or your sister, or your daughter, son, niece, or nephew. Think about every person out there who has nowhere else to go, nobody else to count on, nobody but Planned Parenthood. It's up to us to make sure Planned Parenthood is strong enough to protect their rights and their health. Especially because we are having a moment right now when people are trying to come up with new ways to make the lives of all the folks who rely on Planned Parenthood pretty difficult. What makes it possible for Planned Parenthood to make a real, irreplaceable difference for those folks are members like me — and hopefully you. So why are you still reading? You should be click-click-clicking right here to become a member! Thanks for reading this, thanks for joining or renewing, thanks for sticking with the incredible people at this incredible organization, and thanks for joining me in saying that Planned Parenthood is awesome! Sincerely, Amy Poehler
Okay, one last summer reading review (for now). This one was hilarious, and I read it in my local B&N cafe in one sitting while waiting for a wedding reception. (It was one of those things where the wedding is in the afternoon, and the reception is at night, don't you hate those things?) Anyway, sorry B&N, I didn't pay for this one, but I bought lots of other books, and had a soy milk latte, grande size.
Winston writes short essays mostly about her ex-boyfriend, who said she has a fat ass, actually the largest one he has ever seen, and then he wrote a book about it. Obviously an ex. Of course I googled who her ex is, his third book is about to be published. None of his work appears to be my cup of tea.
cognitivedissonance:
Teenager living in privilege is self-aware and mocks it - hilariously. I sorta want to give him a high-five just for being clever, if nothing else.
Another summer quickie, which became so tedious I started skimming it. I was so excited to get this book I ordered it from the UK. Felt very similar to Prozac Nation. How's that for a literary reference generation X? Anyway, too depressing, and I'm not interested in cutting.
Devouring a whole cheesecake on the other hand, I can totally get on board with that.
Hoda, from Hoda and Kathie Lee fame, said she loves watching commencement speeches when she is feeling blue. Me too, Hoda, me too...
I really enjoyed this book as a light, summer quickie (that's my term for books I don't get too emotionally invested in), until I googled the author and read that she started a "princess camp" for 8 to 11 years olds. At 4,000 bucks a pop your little Cinderella can travel to London and walk the royal wedding procession and learn a proper curtsy. I shudder to think what Peggy Orenstein would say.
Alice Peacock - I love this song, "You Might As Well Have Fun"