Etsy find of the week: Harry Potter Light Switch Cover

I recently got a bit nostalgic reading an article about Harry Potter. I ended up browsing Etsy looking at some of the creative HP items people came up with. I thought this item was clever:

I stumbled across this adorable light switch cover and if you are a Harry Potter lover like me, you will love this too. It is from the CraftyMuggle (cute name) store. It is affordable ($7) and also inspiration to perhaps craft your own light switch cover (I almost just took a sharpie to mine). So I recommend purchasing it and then discovering who you should keep in your life (those who know what it means) and who you should consider removing (those uncultured swine)...

Female Thor

I've recently been thinking about the announcement that Thor is going to be female in the comic book.

One of the things that popped into my head was the film Adventures in Babysitting. The little girl in that film idolized Thor. It didn't matter he was a male superhero. No one was telling her she couldn't like Superheroes or that they weren't for girls. She didn't like him because she had a crush on him. She liked him because she thought he was awesome. That was something beneficial to see as a kid. Because I liked things that had been deemed "for boys" such as dinosaurs and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I thought of how when I played make-believe TMNT when I was a little kid, the boys would always make me be April because I was the girl. But I would be one of the Ninja Turtles when I played on my own. I had people telling me the way I was suppose to be a fan or how I couldn't be a fan (these are probably the same people who grew up to tell women they can't be fans of comic books) but I disregarded that. I was (and still am...don't ruin that Michael Bay) a fan because I wanted to be.

Little girls, like me, pretended to be whatever superhero we wanted, regardless of gender. We had to do this because we had no other option. It becomes difficult as you get older. You are bombarded constantly with gender roles and the lack of representation of women. I'm glad that I had enough care and confidence to tell society's gender "rules" to eff off and parents that didn't tell me what I could and couldn't like. I liked Barbies and Dinosaurs and Disney princesses and Superheroes (although it has been pointed out that Thor is technically a Disney Princess now since Disney owns Marvel...*eye roll*) and so much more...

Thor being female is important. It matters.

Disney Channel Original Films

Sometimes late at night when I have insomnia I will, like most people, check out what's on TV (late night television is either completely awesome or absolutely terrible). Well, one of the things I happen to come across often are Disney Channel Original films. I'm talking about the original Originals.

Kids these days missed out on one of the great parts of childhood if you are mid 20's-early 30's. Those late 90's/early 2000's Disney Channel Original films ( I realize I'm sounding like a total 90's child...) were kind of epic.

These glorious films include:

Zenon (and the sequels)
Rip Girls
Brink
The Thirteenth Year
Smart House
Johnny Tsunami
(That one with the girl who could turn into a bubble?)
...

These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head...I remember how every couple of months a new one would premiere and I remember being really excited for them. Remember how a lot of them crossed over and used the same actors in the films too?

Sometimes I will catch one on TV late at night on one of the multiple obscure Disney channels. If they ever release a bunch of those together as a set I will be all over it!

May your days be merry and bright and your Christmas trees safe from cats!

I made a Christmas card available for purchase!


A Different Kind of Christmas Ornament

Supporting Women in the Arts

Today I was thinking about some of the "things" that I have been enjoying lately and that make me happy. These are also what I turn to when I need some uplifting because life is trying to push me down. When I made a list, I realized a common thread among them- they are all women-led art. This made me even happier. I have always supported women's work in the arts, but I had never stopped and realized the extent that I unconsciously do and how greatly it has informed my life and become a part of it. Here are just a few of the many women or women-led projects I support and adore:

Amy Schumer- She makes me laugh. Her comedy special had me in tears and her show on Comedy Central is hilarious. It takes a lot to offend me comedy-wise and people seem to get more easily offended by women comedians, but I love when women are as brutal, honest, and raunchy as men. I can't relate to boner jokes. Sarah Silverman is another one of my favorite comedians and also one of my favorite people in general. She's intelligent and thoughtful. If you watch her most recent comedy special, or even just follow her on twitter, it is easy to see how great she is and a necessary voice in today's society.

Camp Takota- I am a fan of Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart's YouTube videos and seeing their hard work and collaboration is really inspiring. Plus, they seem like people you could be friends with. Supporting their shows and new projects and seeing their growth creates a community among their viewers and shows the strength of female content-creators.

Nina Nesbitt- a female musician I came across last year whose music I love. She writes all her songs, plays multiple instruments, and is just really talented. I love when I come across new musicians who are just genuine and honest.

The Mindy Project- this is one of my favorite shows. Mindy Kaling seems to to be able to tap into things about women that you do not see often in other shows. There are so many throw-away jokes as well, that you need to watch an episode more than once to catch them all. This has become a quote-worthy show for me.

Girls- This season is rocking and every episode seems to be getting better and better. I think I need an 'I Heart Lena Dunham' t-shirt.

Saturday Night Live- As usual, the ladies are killing it on SNL and I enjoy the sketches where they are left to shine. Between Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Cecily Strong, it is a good time to be a woman on SNL.

So I realized I was happy because I was supporting people's work that I can relate to. Representation is important and hearing women's voices in the arts is undervalued. I think women do community and collaboration the best, yet we are always made out to be angry and bitchy towards one another. Watching these amazing women speak to what it is like to be a woman and showing the depth and intelligence that seems to get taken for granted with women is inspiring. Watching them succeed makes up for hearing things such as the professor who won't teach novels written by women in his college literature class... With International Women's Day having just passed I keep thinking about how we've come so far, but still have a long way to go.

100 days of happy.

I have decided to do the 100 happy days challenge.

I had seen people posting pictures everyday and acknowledging what day it was (ex. day 1: ...) and hashtagging it #100happydays. I became intrigued and decided to look up what it is.

Basically, for 100 straight days, you are suppose to post pictures of things that make you happy. It can be anything (my first post was about eating cake for breakfast). I think the purpose is to help you acknowledge the good things in your life and help you to focus on what makes you happy. I decided I wanted to try it and see at the end if I though it was worthwhile.

I think I am going to post the pictures on my twitter account: @onewordkerianne or tumblr: kerianneisoneword. Follow along if you want, or start your own 100 happy days challenge!

Olympics Obsession

I love the Olympics. I am usually obsessed with them and try to watch every single minute. I imagine this is because it is exciting to watch athletes at the top of their respective sport compete with each other. Also, there is usually more ups and downs and happiness and drama than most forms of entertainment. And we can never predict what is going to happen. However, with the Sochi Olympics, I have had a really difficult time being excited about watching them. I have diligently still tuned in every night and been watching during the day and online, but it just feels different this time. I am not sure if it is because of the controversy surrounding the host city that has made it disappointing or the reaction from the (often not full) crowds to only cheer for fellow Russians. But there just seems to be no excitement with these games.

A couple of additional notes:

One of the things I have been disappointed with is the NBC coverage. Just to give one example: not showing at least one of the skating routines from the first black figure-skating pairs team in the Olympics. I mean, seriously. Big fail NBC. Look how awesome they are too:

Speaking of figure-skaters, Jason Brown has easily become my favorite Olympian this time around. He is so bright, enthusiastic, and talented. I am excited to watch him in the future and also want to tune into other skating competitions to see him compete.

Finally, speaking of Olympians I like, I have decided that my Olympic crush is the Snowboarding and Slope Style skiing teams. Yes, it is not limited to just one person, but the whole team. Aside from these becoming my favorite sports to watch in the Olympics (in all its forms), they seem like the athletes with the most camaraderie and happiness. Also, they are adorable. Olympic talent, happy personality, and total cuteness. They are completely crush-worthy (if, in some cases, too young for me. Minor details, people.).

Overall, I have enjoyed the figure-skating, snowboarding, and skiing, but I really hope the games four years from now are something that is exciting to watch again. I want my Olympic obsession back!