Women Unbound: Start-up Challenge Meme

WOMEN UNBOUND Start of Challenge Meme:

1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act?

Being a feminist to means wanting the same opportunities for all women, whether it be same pay for the same work, or being able to be oneself and not compromise are standards and values in order to work our way to the top. It also means allowing women to be comfortable in whatever they choose, if they choose to be stay at home mom's yeah! If they choose to have a career, yeah! If they choose both, yeah! Allowing us as women to choose how, who, and what we want to be. I feel it also means letting up on the typical female attitudes...such as they're better with kids, or they're more spiritual...treat us as individuals not as a group to be stereotyped.

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

Yes, I definitely consider myself a feminist. I have a desire to see things get better for all of us women...where we can be judged according to our own personal merit and not whether or not we have breasts...Women's issues are very important to me and therefore that makes me a feminist and it's NOT a dirty word!

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?

I guess it depends on where you're at in the world. There are plenty of women being repressed in countries due to religion, plenty of women being raped and mutilated in wars. This never seems to change. In more stable countries where women have more power I would say the greatest obstacle is allowing us to feel comfortable about what we choose to do in life. It seems like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. I'm a stay at home mom right now and in my community that's looked upon very highly; there are a few women who could stay home if they wanted to, but instead are choosing to have a career and be a mom...they seem to be the oddity in the neighborhood, people can't understand why they don't want to stay at home and raise all those babies. Then there's the "how many kids are you going to have?" My hubby and I only want one child and we have our beautiful boy now...but I not him as much, get the flack for it...how can I not want another one? Sometimes it feels like they think I'm just a baby incubator and that's all I'm good for....Then there's the flipside when a women decides to stay at home...there's flack for that too from others in society.

There's definitely more opportunities...more women in careers, politicians, etc...but I think the same obstacle has been around for years...we're still in a man's world and thus subject to those rules...

Monday Movie Meme- Deep Impact

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

A weekly meme hosted by The Bumbles Blog. This week is all about movies that have changed your life in some way, stopped and made you think, or movies that just had major significance in your life.

1. Schindler's List (1993): My parents took me to this one...it still is with me; it's haunting, horrific, and yet beautiful and hopeful. It personified the Holocaust for me and the tragedy and horrificness of war.

2. My Life (1993): This one really got me thinking about how precious life is and how precious it is with those that we love. What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind? How can we live life to the fullest, to live each day like we're dying...It was just beautiful.

Fifty Followers Giveaway!

NOW CLOSED

I'm am proud and humbled to announce I have reached fifty followers and have therefore decided to host a giveaway as my appreciation!!!! For the lucky winner I will send them a book of their choice from Amazon.com to their front door! I've received a lot of books for free from other bloggers and so I feel a bit guilty...so I really want to spend some hard earned cash on someone else to get a book they've had on their list!!! This giveaway ends Friday November 13th at Midnight Mountain Standard Time.

To Enter:

1. You MUST be a follower!!!! Just let me know in your comment.
2. You MUST leave your email address so I can contact you, if not I draw another name.

Extra Entries:

1. +2 if you mention it on your blog/post it etc., leave a link.
2. +1 for each time you social network it via Twitter, Facebook, etc...leave a link.

This is open to everyone since I'm feeling generous! It just wouldn't be fair otherwise since I have followers outside the U.S.!

Thanks again for following and reading a few posts on my blog every now and then!

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I actually read the book and then watched the movie so I will be mentioning both!

This was a wonderful novel...it follows an Indian family from the time they are married (arranged) till their son Gogol is all grown up. The story focuses on Gogol named after his father's favorite author. Gogol grows up first-generation American and takes on all the struggles that that entails. How does he immerse himself in one culture while hanging onto another? We follow Gogol through his life and struggles...he hates being Indian and is embarrassed by his parents. He wants to break out from this mold and chooses to be an architect when his parents want him to be something more distinguished like an engineer or a doctor. He refuses to date Indian women, he even changes his name to Nikhil and people begin to call him Nick.

As a reader along for the ride I wanted Gogol to be proud of who he is and to be proud of the struggles and sacrifices his parents have and are going through and to be appreciative and loyal...but that's life and it's all about the journey. Gogol does learn how to appreciate who he is and am so glad I was along for the ride!

The movie was really well-done...it didn't quite have the impact of the novel, but that's to be expected. They did throw some details into the movie that made it a bit more personal than the book did so that was a nice change. I recommend reading the book first and you'll better enjoy the movie!

Up to 51!!!!

I just hit fifty over the night thanks to Laura and Cindy! So I will do some thinking this weekend and will post my giveaway on Monday!!!! Thanks again faithful followers!

Almost 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm almost to fifty followers! That's huge for me. I didn't expect anybody to read or even care about my little corner of the blogging world. So in honor of this soon (hopefully) occasion I will be holding a giveaway to be determined once I hit that magical number! I'm so excited!

Women Unbound: A Reading Challenge

Yes! Another reading challenge! This one is just too awesome to pass up! This challenge is all about books on women's studies, defined as:

the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender.

The challenge runs from November 1, 2009-November 30, 2010. No need for a reading list, but here's the challenge:

There are three levels you can choose as a reader:

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

I'm going to go the middle route with BLUESTOCKING. I haven't decided completely on what I want to read, but I have a few ideas! I'll be sharing them soon.

For more information please visit Women Unbound: A Reading Challenge for all the details and updates on this fabulous challenge! I hope you will at least think about participating!

TV Thursday- Star Trek

TV Thursday is a weekly meme on, well, TV! Please leave a comment and/or link to your thoughts/post! Thanks for participating!

This weeks theme focuses on Star Trek! Including all spin-offs of the original.

I grew up on Star Trek! I'm a Trekkie, yes, I admit it! And I have loved all the spin-offs and most of the movies. My favorite spin-off is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Totally cheesy the first couple of seasons, but superb. Enterprise is my second favorite. It has Scott Bakula in it as Captain Archer!

OK, basically I'm saying if you haven't given Star Trek a try before you really ought to give it a go. The original series is super campy and fun and cheesy! But who can resist Captain Kirk's double-fisted battle blow or Dr. Bones saying "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor not a barber!" Or Spock saying illogical!

If you're a Trekkie what's your favorite? Why do you love Star Trek? Or if you're not a big Trekkie what's your favorite sci-fi show?

This is also in honor of the new Star Trek movie coming out on DVD in a couple of weeks! So excited!

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. If you want to play along, grab the new button (or the old graphic), and join the fun! (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)

From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

p.16 "For though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to every body."
SUPERCILIOUS: haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.
ORIGIN: 1520-30. [Latin superciliōsus, from supercilium, eyebrow, pride : super-, super- + cilium, lower eyelid; see kel-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

From The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

p.40 "A handful of women ululate as the proceedings begin."
ULULATE: to lament loudly and shrilly.
ORIGIN: 1615-25. [Latin ululāre, ululāt-, ultimately of imitative origin.]

Teaser Tuesdays- The Namesake

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"The husbands are teachers, researchers, doctors, engineers. The wives, homesick and bewildered, turn to Ashima for recipes and advice, and she tells them about the carp that's sold in Chinatown, that' it's possible to make halwa from Cream of Wheat." p.38 of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Holiday Blogging Swap!!!

Join in on the holiday blogger swap! Check it out here for more details on how to sign up be involved! It'll be a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers and to give a little something of yourself and get a bit of something in return! You must sign up by November 12 to ensure everyone gets a swapping partner!

One Lovely Blog Award!

I just received this "lovely" blog award from Bites! Thank you!

Here are the rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award": Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1. alita.reads.

2.Book Rat

3. Brizmus Blogs Books

4. Butterfly Blessings

5. Diary of an Eccentric

6. Fishmuffins of Doom

7. Freda's Voice

8. Happy Endings

9. Library Lounge Lizard

10. Okbo Lover

11. Paradoxical

12. Peeking Between the Pages

13. Read.Read.Read

14. Sharon Loves Books and Cats

15. Simpleng Kaligayahan

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

One Line Summary: Death is only the beginning.

This was a beautifully written novel. The perspective was amazing from the ghost of the girl who dies in the first page of the book how she looks down up all those she loves and those she wanted to, and the one who murdered her. Questions I thought of while reading were, How do the dead perceive us? Do they watch us and hear what good and bad things we have to say about them? I like to think if I ever have someone I'm close to die, that I could talk to her and tell her my thoughts and feelings. I do feel we're connected to those who've passed on and this story just brings that to life.

Disclaimers: There were a few scenes in here with a murder and some sex...they don't last long an I think there were a couple of f bombs, but overall the book was pretty clean.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

One Line Summary: Katsa kicks some major booty!

What a refreshing book! This is one of the best new fantasy concepts I've read in awhile! The concept of Graceling is kind of like mutants but set back in time to a different land. If you are graced then your eyes will change to different colors at a certain age and it's up in the air what "grace" you'll be blessed/cursed with!

The main character is Katsa and her grace is killing. How is she able to be a compassionate and loving person even when her grace is the art of killing? I just loved her and admired her throughout the whole book. She learns so much about who she is and how to control her grace for the help of others. She was strong and yet had so many flaws. I think more books need some strong female characters, especially for youth and this one hits the mark.