overeducated and underemployed

a paradox

How can something so awesome:

Totally bum me out?:

just because

...I am frivolous enough to think that Skip NEEDS a costume.

It doesn't mean I'm not frugal enough to make sure he can wear it for at least one more holiday.

would it be wrong to mention?

That while the current weather in Los Angeles is (clearly) terrible for the prevention, containment, and eradication of brush fires, it's really good for my hair?

my feminist rant of the moment

Nothing draws you in like the promise of a feminist rant, am I right?

I hate myself for responding to this, but I must. Please, let me refer you to Maxim's 5 Unsexiest Women Alive list, which includes (in descending order): Britney Spears, Madonna, Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

I'd love to counter with a list of Maxim's 5 Douchiest Editors, but how to narrow the field? So instead, let me say this:

Substance abuse and possible mental issues aside (which, upon consideration, makes this list even worse), these are five incredibly talented and successful women. Women who, as far as I can tell, have the following faults: aging, gaining weight, losing weight, having opinions, and giving birth.

Apparently, in the middle of living their lives, they stopped being worthy of wearing hot pants and a push-up bra in some over-airbrushed Maxim cover, and landed on this list.

How ridiculous is it that we ask these women to not only sing, act, dance,  and make millions as industry moguls but to also fulfill "our" ideals of what "sexy" is? And who sets those ideals? Because Madonna is frakkin' sexy for a 49-year-old mom, and I am not just saying that because she could beat me up. And Sandra Oh? As in, Golden Globe award-winning, Emmy-nominated, amazing actress Sandra Oh? Are you kidding me? (btw -- cliff notes version of this post = "Are you kiddng me?").

I suppose this means I should be angry about any list that involves a woman's sexiness. But I'm not (and that's what makes this such a reasonable feminist rant, if I do say so myself), because unless that list reduces the women honored on it simply to the sum of their physical features, it's okay -- being sexy is okay. This, on the other hand, is  just mean-spirited. Worse? It's mean-spirited without even coming close to being funny.

And you are welcome, Maxim, for the very minor increase in traffic. Douches.

britney's aunt hits the nail on the head

Judges, toss out your court orders, and talking heads, abandon your carefully crafted insights into Britney's psyche, because Spears aunt Chanda McGovern has got the inside track on the true tragedy of the fallen pop-star's story.

“Not wearing panties is not something a true southern girl would do.”

My stars!