“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” — Howard Zinn
“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” — Benjamin Franklin
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then.” — Thomas Jefferson
Today North Carolina voted to ban same sex marriage. This war waged against equality for LGBTQ peoples will not continue without dissent, though. Some believe dissent is the highest form of patriotism. I believe dissent is what allows us to progress, and I believe we need to keep fighting until all citizens have the same rights to life, love, and family.
Stand with LGBTQ peoples, friends, and supporters as they request marriage licenses across North Carolina. You have to make noise to be heard.
This week I did a test-drive of outfit posts on Instagram and people seemed into it. So here are the outfits I work this week.
Monday: taught in the morning and worked in the afternoon, so I went for something comfy and classic. I work these heels when I taught, but I usually leave them at school so I didn’t wear them in these shots.
Dress: Jason Wu for Target
Necklace: Modcloth
Rings: Modcloth, World Market
Bag: made by me!
Shoes: Old Navy
Tuesday: my day off of the week, so I went comfy. Didn’t bother to iron out any wrinkles, because hey! Day off!
Wednesday: another teaching day, so I went with a go-to skirt and blouse. We over air-condition here in Texas, so I had a cardigan ready.
Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Target
Shorts: Target
Cardigan: Forever 21
Shoes: Modcloth
Rings: Modcloth, Forever 21
Thursday: I gave a guest lecture in a film music class, so I just wanted a fun outfit. So! Polka dots and colored tights! I wore black heels, not these fun ones, but the black heels live in my “emergency heel drawer” in my office.
Dress: Forever 21
Tights: We Love Colors
Necklace: Modcloth
Shoes: Target
Friday: another teaching day, and I felt like wearing my hair up, so I did a bit of a librarian look. The shoes really make this outfit (but let’s face it, those shoes make every outfit).
Hey look, proof that I can wear nice things. I can dress myself up but can I take myself anywhere? (Nope.)
Lesson one: have an emergency heel drawer, and lots of comfy flats in different colors that work with different outfits. Makes commuting to/from the office much more comfortable!
Lesson two: flat irons make GREAT irons for collars and ties. (Though by the end of the day the ties in Friday’s top crept back.)
Maybe someday I’ll have a nice camera and can take nice outfit shots. For now, iPhone it is.
Today I made my 6th Kiva loan, supporting a small business owner in the Philippines. When Kiva started back in 2004, I pitched in $25 (the minimum loan contribution) to Sem Voeun, a female business owner (grocery) in Cambodia. I was so proud when the loan was met, and when Sem got the support she needed for her food cart and was successful in repaying the loan on time. I’ve since re-invested in a handful of other female entrepreneurs in Peru, Senegal, Kyrgyzstan, and now, the Philippines.
When I was little, before the internet was a Big Thing and I could afford buying strategy guides for games, I would write letters to Nintendo asking for help. I got a few replies, yet this one was the most useful. I had written asking for two things: the location of the secret shells in Link’s Awakening for GameBoy, and the location of Master’s Emblems in SoulBlazer for SNES. A helpful gent named Dervin Camden (a pseudonym? perhaps… but an excellent one) sent me this reply:
If only customer service was this helpful nowadays. Well, I guess the internet takes care of that, doesn’t it? I think I wrote them this letter about a year before I got a reply. But hey! They still replied. Link’s Awakening and SoulBlazer are still two of my favorite games (I still have the poster that came in the box for SoulBlazer). Thanks, Nintendo.
