On "Gay or Hipster?"

I like art and music.  As such, I often find myself in places full of hipsters.  As such, when I'm at a concert, or an art show, or even just out with friends, if I see a well-dressed, reasonably attractive guy, I'm confronted with a question -- is he gay or just a hipster?  (This is not, of course, to mean that the two are mutually-exclusive.)  As such, I've decided to give you, my darling readers, a list of possible ways to tell the difference.

• If he's wearing a bow-tie:
• And looks like Doctor Who or a lumberjack: hipster.
• And looks like Blaine Anderson: probably gay.
• If he compliments your taste in music: probably a hipster.
• UNLESS it's Lady Gaga, Cher, or Madonna, in which case, probably gay.
• If he admits to appreciating Carly Rae Jepsen un-ironically: either gay or a frat boy, but definitely not a hipster
• If he's at a museum:
• With his mother: avoid at all costs.
• With his girlfriend: hipster (and likely whipped)
• With his boyfriend: gay (duh)
• If he's wearing a "SOME __ MARRY ___.  GET OVER IT." t-shirt: gay.  Or just awesome.  Or both.

And now that I've offended a good number of people, we'll end this list.  Feel free to email or comment with more ways to tell the difference, and make the lives of single girls who are attracted to well-dressed men everywhere easier.  Because in a world of Neil Patrick Harrises, Matt Bomers, Tyler Oakleys, and more, we need to stand a fighting chance.

Tune in again for "Nerd or Hipster" when I tell you how to know if that guy in the wolf t-shirt is doing so ironically or because he's a member of a one-man wolfpack.

Best of luck,
Rachel Leigh

Merry Christmas Eve, darling readers!

I hope this post finds you amidst merry and bright days -- and that no matter what you celebrate, you're taking the opportunity to spend time with your family and friends!

Happy Holidays!

Hey!

This not a post, just thought I'd share that we are now entering the final 24 hours of the 2012 Project for Awesome!  It's a 48-hour event on YouTube that raises money for charities which decrease the levels of suck in the world.

You can help out by commenting on P4A videos or donating at the P4A indiegogo page.

Find out more and watch the livestream here: http://dft.ba/p4alive

DFTBA!

On Packing

With three days left of these Nordic winters, the time has come to pack my things and scrub my room spotless for its next inhabitant.  As such, I thought I would provide you all with my brilliant packing tips for when you're moving back to your home country.

1. Throw as much away as possible.  Obviously, don't throw out anything expensive or sentimental, but if you can toss or donate things that you're holding on for no real reason, do it.  Suitcase space is precious.
2. Avoid breakable things.  Failing this, make sure anything which is breakable is nestled softly between as many articles of clothing as possible to lessen the likelihood that it will smash into a million pieces.
3. Throw everything into a suitcase.  Weight limits are for wimps.  By which I mean TOTALLY MIND THE WEIGHT LIMITS FOR YOUR FLIGHTS.  Because having to dump all your crap out at the airport is no one's idea of a fun time.
4. Cry.

Of course I'm not using packing as an excuse to avoid writing my paper, where would you ever get that idea?

On Exam Week: Danish Edition and Eight Days

Well, it's that time of the semester again -- time for my Exam Week post!  Exam Week: Denmark Edition.

It's hard to believe it's already that time of the semester - four months has gone by so fast that it almost makes my head spin.  I've been in five countries, eight cities, and four airports in the last four months.  I've watched the days in Denmark go from never-ending summer nights (no seriously the sun didn't set until like 10 pm) to three hours of daylight (if you're lucky and it isn't overcast).  I've gone to the ballet at the Royal Theatre, a beer tasting at one of only seven Trappist breweries in the world, a party at the EU (although that was kind of a trainwreck because there were issues with wiring and food, whoops), and more.  And I've met some truly amazing people.

Yesterday, someone asked me what my favorite memory of this semester was.  It's a pretty close call.  The single greatest moment, potentially one of the greatest moments of my life, was right before Halloween.  We went to the Halloween village at Tivoli, and there is a ride at Tivoli called the Himmelskibet or Star-Flyer.  It's a really tall swing ride.

It looks kind of like that.

Anyway, it was dark, and we went up on the ride.  When we got to the top, I could see the entire city of Copenhagen, all lit up, and it felt like we were flying over it.  It was absolutely magical.

The other competitor for my favorite memory was sitting in Grand Place is Brussels on our long study tour.  It was our first day there, sunny and warm, and a bunch of groups were picnicking in the square.  We had some time to kill, so we found a Belgian specialty beer shop and a chocolate shop, and grabbed some drinks and chocolate and just sat in the square, enjoying the weather and the wonderful opportunity we had to take a trip with our core class.

It's been amazing to think how this semester has flown by, and while I am really excited to get home to my friends, family, and a phone plan that doesn't charge me 50 cents a text message or decide to sporadically not work, there will be some things I will really miss about Denmark and my time here.  I'm just going to have to work hard to bring the best parts of my time abroad home with me.

Now, I really need to stop procrastinating on working on my international law paper.  Except not really.  Who assigns a paper due Christmas Eve (Heidi, if you somehow find this, you are a wonderful professor and I love your class, but REALLY?)?  Eight days left to pack, study, write, Hobbit, and get in all the sightseeing I still haven't done.

For those my darling readers suffering through Exam Week out there: Good luck, stay sane, and remember that it will be fine (and if it's not, at least it's over).

Procras-Dane-ating,
Rachel Leigh

On the Season

I have been terrible about posting this past month.  I'm sorry, my darling readers.  Between Prague, papers, exams, classes, Thanksgiving, and other such craziness, there just hasn't been a lot of time for it.  Not an excuse, I know.

Happy December!  I had my first (and likely only) traditional Danish Julefrokost (Christmas lunch) yesterday with the other DIS students in my kollegium and our Danish SRA.  Why they call it "lunch" when it starts at like 7 pm is beyond me.  But the food was delicious and the boys did a great job (since the girls took care of Thanksgiving).  They brought a table out into the hallway and it was adorable.

I can't really talk about Julefrokost without talking about alcohol.  Little-known fact - the Danes drink pretty heavily.  Well, actually, if you read Scandinavia and the World (it's a comic), it's actually apparently a very well-known fact in Scandinavia.  But I had no idea before I came to this country.  Anyway, Christmas lunch involves Danish snaps and akvavit, both of which are really strong, and you're drinking all through the meal.  In a country where they release a Christmas and Easter specialty beer, I think it might be safe to say that the only thing the Danes love more than getting cozy with family and friends is an excuse to party.

Friday night my Danish class went to see Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) at the Royal Theatre, which was absolutely wonderful.  It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm only here for two more weeks.  I still need to go see the Christmas lights at Tivoli.  And survive finals week.

Tis the season,
Rachel Leigh

So yesterday was my first Thanksgiving away from home.  It was also, incidentally, the first Thanksgiving I have ever hosted.  Hosting and doing some of the cooking was stressful enough, thank god I didn't have to make the turkey!

Coordinating everything, tracking down a turkey, cooking all day -- I feel like everything leading up to Thanksgiving dinner was just one stressful mini-crisis after another.  But in the end, things went pretty well, we got food on the table, and the American residents of Grønjords kollegium had a nice traditional American Thanksgiving, complete with turkey and football.  Even if I totally hoarded all of the cranberry sauce myself.

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner was kind of a bittersweet thing -- it felt really cool and grown-up to be doing something like that, and we all know how much I love to cook and bake (I made a pie!), but it also felt really wrong to be so far away from my family on a day that has always been so much about family for me.

This year, I am so very thankful for my friends -- those who came to Denmark with me, those who I've met here, and the ones who I still can't imagine life without even if they're a few thousand miles away right now -- and for my family, who have been nothing but supportive, albeit a little bit crazy, about this whole journey.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel that I've had, and I'm thankful that in less than a month I will be home with the people I love.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, darling readers.

Thankfully,
Rachel Leigh

On The Right to Slut

Four days ago, a blog post surfaced called "What the Right Doesn't Get About Elections."  I am not going to link you to it, mostly because I don't want the asshat's blog to get any more traffic than it already has.  What I will tell you is that The Guardian, Gawker, and Jezebel have all done response pieces that use actual excerpts from the post, and you should go find those.

Basically, what the post explains is that Romney lost because Barack Obama won the "Slut Vote," young, unmarried women.  These young, unmarried women take birth control, get breast exams and cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood, support their own or other women's rights to have dominion over their own uteri, are poor black women, rich white suburban brats, and single mothers.  And they want the government to pay for their "right to Slut."

Now, we've talked a bit about Slut Shaming here before, but let me reiterate what it means, despite the fact that it is not the main purpose of this post.  Slut shaming is the idea that a person's worth can be inversely correlated with the number of people they have slept with -- that the more partners or pre- or extra-marital encounters a person has, the less they deserve to be treated like a person.  This contributes, in large part, to the disgusting societal idea that a woman who is not a virgin cannot really be raped, that she "was asking for it."  Slut shaming is a problem.  A person's sexuality does not determine their worth.  You totally have a Right to Slut, if that is what makes you happy and seems like the right choice for you.  You also have a Right to Abstain, if saving yourself until marriage is something that really matters to you.  A person's sexuality, regardless of how it coincides with your personal beliefs, does not determine their worth as a person.

What we're really here to discuss today is Mr. "bskillet"s ideas of what defines a slut.  He points to women who are young and unmarried, because "older and married women vote Republican."  Clearly, every unmarried woman is a slut who wants the government to subsidize her promiscuity.  Despite the fact that many unmarried women either abstain or only have a single partner before they marry.  But clearly, SLUTS AHOY.  He goes on to say that poor, black women voted for Obama because he supports their rights to get government handouts for the babies they kept and have the government pay for the babies they didn't want.  The fact that this disgustingly frames all poor, black women as baby-machines that want to do nothing more than have sex and pop out children so the government will pay for them apparently eludes this man.  I also wonder if he's ever met a black woman or if he's only heard from Fox News about what they're like.  Actually, I'm just going to expand that to all women.

And theeen we get into my favorites: all women who take birth control or go to Planned Parenthood are irresponsible, promiscuous, rich, white brats.  The majority of Planned Parenthood's work includes important medical services like breast cancer screenings.  Last I checked, tumors don't care whether you're male, female, sexually-active, or celibate.  And free breast exams are the best kind of breast exams.

So not all women who go to PP are whores, but of course, why would you take birth control if you weren't slutting it up all over the place?  Well, aside from those women who, again, only have one partner but aren't ready to be parents, married women who are still on the pill because, again, they are unready to be parents, and girls who are exercising their perfectly healthy right to control their own sexuality without the risk of pregnancy?  Medical necessity.  The most common treatment for ovarian cysts?  Hormonal therapy - also known as birth control.  Debilitating cramps that leave you out of work or school for days?  Birth control.  Severe migraines?  Some doctors will suggest birth control.  Abnormal periods?  Birth control.  Bad acne, hair loss, breast sensitivity?  All can be treated with birth control.  There's this funny thing about birth control in that it contains large doses of estrogen and other synthesized female hormones -- which means that it's often exactly the right thing to fix whatever lady-problem you might be having.  None of these are problems that "putting an aspirin between your knees" is going to fix.

The takeaways here: not all women are sluts, there's nothing wrong even if they are, and the far Right REALLY needs a lesson in how birth control actually works.

Yours (But Still Entirely Mine),
Rachel Leigh, proud member of the apparent "Slut Vote"

Go VOTE.

On Election Day and the Political Climate

"When we start to imagine those who disagree with us as 'crazy' or 'evil' or 'traitorous,' it becomes difficult to compromise with them and difficult to listen to them; at times it can be even difficult to stay friends with them.  And hurling insults instead of having conversations about policy leads to a social order where no one can talk without screaming, and that, more than either candidate's tax plan, is dangerous."  --John Green

I'm just going to leave that there.  And also remind you that Tuesday is Election Day stateside.  Now, being across the freaking ocean means that I actually voted like a month ago, but that doesn't change the fact that all of my American darlings should take the half hour of inconvenience and go vote.  (Unless, of course, you are perfectly willing to not complain about ANYTHING your government does or does not do for the next four years: if that's really the way you feel, then your apathy makes me sad, but at least you won't not-vote and then be unhappy with the results.)

You have this one chance every four years (well, two years if you count Congressional elections, but still) - the chance to have a profound impact on the way the government is run for the next four years.  And I personally feel like you have a responsibility to act on that chance.  If you don't, and the country goes in a direction you dislike, it's kind of your own fault and you have no right to complain.

That being said, in any election, tensions run high, especially the closer to Election Day that you get.  It's just that the rhetoric and attitudes behind this election have gotten so divisive that it's honestly worrisome.  Right now both major-party candidates remain neck-and-neck in the polls, which means that with the zero-sum political system and the isolating attitudes that surround it, come Wednesday morning, there is a good chance that nearly half the population will feel completely disenfranchised by the results.  And that's not good.

Our political system derives its legitimacy from the idea that no matter who you vote for, your interests will still be taken into consideration and, if they're not, you have the chance to change things four years down the road.  And I think the attitudes that people have developed towards the opposing parties have undermined this basic faith.  Illegitimate governments lead to revolution, so if this happens, I sincerely hope that people's apathy and laziness outweighs their sense of outrage, because otherwise we're looking at four years of serious political turmoil.

Please keep in mind that regardless of who you vote for on Tuesday, you should vote, and remember that the people who don't vote the same way aren't any less human than you are.

Nervously yours,
Rachel Leigh

On "Teach Me How to Hygge"

As it's getting into those infamous dark, cold Danish winter months (Happy November, by the way), and I've been here for two and a half months now, I think it's time.  And maybe also because of a shirt idea that I saw.  It's time, of course, to talk about hygge.

Hygge - it's a noun, it's a verb, it's an adjective.  You can hygge yourself or be hyggelig with friends.  Say it with me: "hygge."  Okay, so, because of the absurd number of Danish vowel sounds, let me help you out "Hoo-ga"...except force that first syllable out like you're also trying to say a y or an e at the same time.

My understanding isn't perfect, as I'm relatively certain it couldn't be if you didn't grow up in these Nordic winters, but I understand enough at this point to talk about it a bit.  And it's such a huge aspect of Danish culture that I would be doing my darling readers a disservice to not talk about it at least a little bit.

Hygge roughly translates to "cozy" in English, and most Northern European cultures have some versions of the same sort of spirit.  It's originally a Norwegian word, though the Norwegian version is more about personal well-being.  And apparently in German, the concept of Gemütlichkeit is pretty similar.

From what I can tell, hygge developed mostly as a reaction to the cold, dark winters.  The basic idea is to take comfort in being home or with close friends.  A hyggelig cafe is one with blankets and big comfy chairs.  And candles.  You cannot have hygge without candles.  One of the Danes that I live with explained that "Staying in with your grandma, drinking tea and watching old movies...that's hygge."  A nice piece of wienerbrød (the Danish word for a danish) and a hot cup of coffee as you curl up with friends - that's hygge.  The night I spent watching Disaster Preppers with my roommate from UR and the Danes who live on her hall -- okay,  probably not hyggelig, but close.

It's all about being warm and happy with the people and things you love as a way to fight off the impending Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it is fundamentally Danish.  And I think that's pretty damn cool.

Gettin' hyggelig with it,
Rachel Leigh

On Lessons I Learned From TV

TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal.

Marina and the Diamonds has it right.  (Side note: Way to be real world for totally not recognizing my Halloween costume.)  I have spent way too much of my life watching television and feeling all the feels.  But thinking back on it I've realized I've learned some interesting lessons.

Things TV Taught Me:

1.  It's Never Lupus.  Except when it is.  Any House fan out there probably knows this.  It's like the fundamental rule of House.  I think the real takeaways from this, though, were that a) it's never as bad as it could be and b) no trope is safe from subversion.  Because it's never lupus.  Except for that one episode where it was totally lupus.
2. Don't Mess With the Girl Who Can Kill You With Her Brain.  River Tam is smarter than you.  She's a better fighter than you.  Also, she can kill you with her brain.  This crazy lady from Firefly is probably the biggest reason to never break the heart of a smart and emotionally unstable girl.  She will find you.  She will kill you.
3. When You're Sad You Should Stop Being Sad and Be Awesome Instead.  Okay, so it's not usually that simple.  But I have to give Barney Stinson some credit for this one... Sometimes the best way to get past being sad is to just pretend that you're not sad, force yourself to go do something fun, and let the fun make you actually not-sad.  Be awesome instead.  Also, a more important lesson from HIMYM: more people should suit up.  You look really classy, and I love that.  Also NPH is a god.
4. Even If You're Completely Nuts, Good Friends Will Love You Anyway.  Okay, so this isn't based off of a quote, but seriously.  Sheldon Cooper.  Gregory House.  Donna Noble.  Real friends love you for who you are, even if that means you are an absolute psycho sometimes.
5. Fictional Characters Are Better At Their Jobs Than Real People.  Jed Bartlet.  That is all.
6. And finally, it doesn't matter if it's non-canon, inappropriate, incest, against their sexual orientation, squicky, or if it involves inanimate objects, bending of fictional universes, or time travel.  Somebody Out There Ships It.

So all those hours watching TV on Netflix totally weren't wasted.  At all.  I promise.

I enjoyed this post, and while I was writing it, I started thinking of examples from books and movies, so there is a decent chance there will be future lists based around books and movies.

Your Favorite Couch-Potato,
Rachel Leigh

On Career Plans and Congress

I'm a Poli Sci major (as referenced in the post "My Fake Major").  This means that I spend most of my time in classes that focus on how the government runs, domestic and foreign policies, and theories about how states should form/act/etc.  Which means I pay a lot of attention to politics.  And I've realized something...

When you get a Poli Sci major to talk about their future plans, if they have any, you tend to hear: campaign advisor, lobbyist, diplomat, civil servant, lawyer...  One of my friends even wants to go into work in the prison system, because, hey, we'll always have prisons. Very, very rarely does a student go into Political Science with the goal of becoming a politician.  Or maybe it's a few years of studying the system that scares us all out of it.  Who knows really?

But I think it's an interesting indictment on our political system that the students who have devoted their college careers, and potentially their lives, to studying it want nothing to do with it in the end.  In my case, as I think I've probably mentioned before, it's because I think domestic politics gets far too clouded by things that don't really matter.  It also has a lot to do with the fact that I find it sad that people's personal and family lives are dragged through the mud in an attempt to prove they're not suitable for office.

But just imagine how differently our system would operate if the people who spent their lives studying the field were the ones who went into government.  If you didn't have to explain to the average Congressman the difference between debt and a deficit.  If everyone in government knew that states are all constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget - one that requires BOTH cuts in spending and increases in taxes, if necessary.  If the people arguing for state sovereignty knew the thinkers who gave that phrase meaning.

We require our lawyers to pass the Bar Exam.  We have the highest academic expectations of our doctors.  Yet we don't have an educational requirement for the people we let run the country.  And so the people who spend their lives learning how the system works end up going elsewhere - either outside of it, or inside, learning to game the system instead.

Politically Yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Halloweekend/Update

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  Which is odd, because I spent many years of my life with a pathological fear of Halloween decorations.  No haunted houses for me, thanks.  But when I was younger, I used to love the ridiculous Halloween costumes that my mother and I would plan out (which always won me awards and free stuff, and we all know how much I love free stuff), even though my request in sixth grade was that I wanted a costume that, for once, I could sit down in.  Try sitting down in an operating traffic light costume.  Do it, I dare you.

Not the point.  The point is, that as I got older, my costumes got slightly less inventive, but I never stopped enjoying planning them out, even as college began putting demands on me for four and five costumes over the course of Halloweekend.  Which is why it made me slightly sad to realize today that Halloween weekend is only four days away (three depending on who you ask), and I haven't even thought about a costume or plans or anything.  I think it's partially because Halloween isn't really that big a thing here (and because I've had a lot of other things on my mind recently), but it just makes me sad that it could have snuck up on me like this.

On the bright side, Tivoli has this gorgeous and magical Halloween village that made me really happy, so I'll attach some photos of that.  Regularly scheduled rant posts will resume in a few days.

On My Fake Major

It's no secret that I'm a Political Science major -- I blog pretty often about politics (although I do try to keep it non-partisan (...I said "try," people, no writer is without bias!)), and it even says in my bio that I'm an "aspiring political activist."  I am quite proud of my studies and the work I hope to do in the future, and I'm not ashamed of my major.

Which is why I get really annoyed when people treat me like my major isn't real.  I almost feel like I didn't even really choose my field; Political Science chose me.  By the time I came to college, the gravitational pull in that direction was so strong that no one I went to high school with even has to question what I decided to major in.  I chose my major because it's what I'm passionate about, because the work I do for it is good, and because I'm very excited about what doors it may open for me when I graduate.

So let's get down to the nitty-gritty of why people seem to think my major is "fake."

My favorite question, by far, is, "What are you planning to do with that? Become the President?"*  Now, if you're an Actuarial Studies major, an Astrophysicist, or studying Chemistry with plans to take up Pharmacology later in life, feel free to ignore this part of the discussion -- your unemployment rates are literally zero and you are therefore pretty much exempt from this whole issue.  You will always have jobs because your fields are either too depressing, too boring, or too complicated for the vast majority of students, so we will always need people like you!  Go you!  But if you are planning to major in pretty much anything else, you can expect your job prospects to be pretty grim.  Almost every field sees an unemployment rate of around 7%.  Interestingly enough, the unemployment rate for students with Political Science degrees?  6%, according to a study done by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce**.

Let's face it, there are only so many Fortune 500 companies in the world to run (incidentally, there are 500 of them), which I'm pretty sure means that, even if everyone in charge of every one of those companies either retired or died, there STILL wouldn't be enough available positions for all of the Business School graduates from just my tiny University alone from the last three years.   So I guess that makes your "job prospects" question a moot point.  I appreciate your concern.

The other major (get it?) question I get a lot in relation to my major's legitimacy comes down to the number of units in my major.  My major has a 10 unit class requirement (which equates to about 35-40 credits for all you crazy credit-system students out there), which is, admittedly, on the lower end.

There are a few reasons I think this complaint lacks legitimacy.  First, we're all still required to complete the minimum 32 classes to graduate that everyone else is.  We don't suddenly get to call it a day after a year and a half.  Second, part of the reason the major is so small and flexible is because they encourage us to pick up minors, second majors, research, or study abroad semesters, and they want the major to be flexible enough to accommodate that.  I actually feel bad for some of my friends in the hard sciences or business programs who just don't have the flexibility to go abroad.  Third, and in my opinion, most importantly -- trying to take an entire semester of Political Science courses is crazy.  If your brain doesn't explode from all the readings (which often contradict each other because theories contradict other theories and often those contradict practice), your fingers will probably freeze up and develop early-onset carpal tunnel from all the papers you'll write.***

It's not that I think other majors don't deserve credit -- I absolutely do.  Most students I know work hard and get stressed, and everybody has their own skill sets.  I, for one, am glad my best friend from high school is the Engineering major and I am not, because I would build bridges that would collapse and kill people.  But while most people I know in my field recognize and respect the legitimacy of other majors, it makes me sad that we don't get the same respect in turn.  Our skills are different than yours and our paths and passions took us in a different direction.  Why does that make us any less worthy?

Studiously yours,
Rachel Leigh

* Leaving aside the fact that very few of the Political Science majors I know want to become politicians.  That's a post for another day (one which is currently in the works).
** Source: http://graphicsweb.wsj.com/documents/NILF1111/
*** Shout out to Dr. Dagger and Dr. McDowell for combining to make me write more papers as a first semester freshman than many of my friends will write their entire time in college!

On Danish Kids (also, an update)

It's been ridiculous recently, sorry I haven't been posting.

As you may or may not know, I was in Brussels, the Hague, and Amsterdam all last week, so my internet access was unreliable at best.  Lessons I learned on that trip:

• Even most EU citizens are confused about what the EU does
• Sharing a room with 11 other people is detrimental to my ability to sleep
• A man with a faucet on his head isn't normal, but in Amsterdam it is

Also, I learned that somehow, in spite of being like one-tenth its size, Copenhagen Kastrup Airport is substantially more confusing than Amsterdam-Schipol Airport.  But that's another story for another day.  And by "another day," I mean we're never going to discuss it again.

Today, we took a tour of the Danish Parliament, the Folketing.  Admittedly, I'd done this before, but it was kind of cool to get one from a prominent Parliamentarian and we ended up talking about our impressions of Denmark - namely Danish attitudes towards children.

Which is what I thought I'd talk to you all about today.  The Danes have a very different idea about children and childhood than we have in the States.  Children are given a lot of freedom - I've seen 6 or 7 year olds riding the Metro alone or in small groups, and apparently in a kindergarten class one of my friends is working with, the students are given a lot more free choice about what they're going to do with their time.

The stereotypical example is that Danish mothers will often leave baby carriages (with the babies inside) outside of stores and cafes while they go inside, because the likelihood that your child will get kidnapped in Copenhagen is unfathomably small.

But I just think the level of independence and choice they give children is really interesting.  We structure the lives of children so much to help and protect them, but from what I can see, Danish kids seem to do pretty well on their own.

Pedagogically? yours,
Rachel Leigh

Greetings from my never-ending struggle to adjust to the cold and to gain a grasp of what "hygge" really means!

This isn't really a post so much as a quick update to let you all know how things are going --

1. I am running out of the delicious cheap chocolate stash that I got on the way back from Germany - but luckily I'm set to run out right before we leave for Brussels.  Belgian chocolate, here I come!

2. There was this massive international food fair in Gammeltorv, the square near DIS, yesterday.  I ate my weight in delicious things.

Yes, that is a waffle with whipped cream, strawberries, and peaches.  Judge all you want, it was delicious.

3. It's starting to get cold - so glad I bought my winter coat to keep me warm!  Now if only my room had a fireplace, then we'd be in business.

Hope to have more to update soon!

On Study Abroad Problems

Oh my lovely, lovely readers.  I have encountered a number of #studyabroadproblems (kind of like firstworldproblems, in that they're soaked in privilege and kind of ridiculous, but specific to experiences of culture shock or differences spurred by being in another country) since I've been here, some of which I've told you about, and some of which I haven't.

The first is the fact that the Danes swear almost entirely in English.  In between the words I don't understand, the j's that sound like "y," and the d's that are definitely actually the letter L, you'll here good old American f-bombs.  Or my European Politics professor who likes to start class by yelling "Shut up, you assholes!"  According to my Danish professor, it comes down to the fact that, kind of like "Merde!" sounds less harsh to an English speaker than its English equivalent, cursing in English to the Danes is almost not like cursing at all -- god forbid someone actually use a Danish curse word or she would be horribly offended.  It's just really hard to get used to not understanding entire conversations except when an English swear is snuck in.

The other is just that junk food and junk drinks (like soda, which you all know is an addiction of mine) are super expensive here and also the closest place to get them is like a fifteen minute walk and yes I am so lazy that that is too much effort.

To make up for my whining, here are some pictures from Denmark!

 

Still-not-Danishly Yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Election Season and Why I'm Glad I Have an Absentee Ballot

Darling readers, as much as it pains me to be out of the country during the first presidential election I can vote in (shout out to the Bucks County Board of Elections and my awesome mother for making sure I still get my absentee ballot!), I do have to say I'm not lamenting missing out on the irritating onslaught of campaign ads.

Don't get me wrong, between the daily emails, the political Facebook posts, and the fact that for some reason the Danes do actually seem to care about the outcome of the American presidential election, I'm still bombarded with campaign slogans and election information (and the occasional request to canvas or come to a rally, but sorry guys, it's hard to do that from Copenhagen -- best of luck though!).  But it's refreshing to get a break from every ad I see on YouTube or TV, or hear on the radio, being a political ad.

But the thing is, I didn't miss it entirely.  Because what they neglect to tell you is that campaign season in the States starts long before the primaries.  In fact, especially for House elections, it's reasonable to say that campaign season never stops.  Even before the campaign ads start airing, the media is full of policy critiques and comments from one side on the actions of the other.

What this means is that our politicians can rarely enter into that lull where they can actually govern as opposed to dancing around like trained monkeys trying to win your approval.  The second-term presidencies are really the only chances politicians get to actually do their jobs without worrying about the ramifications at the polls -- after all, they don't GET another shot.

What I've noticed here, though, is that while campaigning can get a little tough (especially in the UK because politics in the UK are so absurd they're actually funny), once an election has passed and a government has taken over, they're given the chance to DO THEIR JOBS, with the understanding that they may have to pay the price in the next election cycle, but that it won't really be an issue until then.

An outside perspective on American politics is actually kind of refreshing, really.

Absently yours,
Rachel Leigh

On European Politics and "Bad Words"

Greetings again from across the Atlantic!  After spending the last week gallivanting around southern Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, going to lectures taught by former VCU professors who now work in a Belgian think tank, a Fatboy Slim concert, and getting a winter coat, I finally have the chance to sit down and write a little bit.

We had a couple meetings with officials from both the Danish and German governments, which was really eye-opening in a lot of ways.  We met with a woman in the Danish parliament (called the Folketing), and it was truly refreshing to hear a politician who wasn't so afraid to give a direct answer when asked for their position on something -- even something as conflicted as whether Denmark should join the Euro zone (spoiler alert: they totally should, the currency is already tied to the Euro so it's stupid not to).

But because most of European Union and European domestic politics come down to a culture of consensus, I thought the coolest thing was that the word "compromise" and "lobby" weren't bad words.  They weren't things to be afraid of.  Lobbying - pitching the facts and rubbing elbows to make the right friends to assert your political agenda - is just a necessary part of getting things done in a system that isn't strictly majority based.  And they recognize the difference between compromise and rolling over and playing dead.  Especially within the EU, compromising and giving up a little bit of what you want allows you to influence the direction the discussions and decisions take, so maybe you might lose one thing you wanted, but ultimately you come out with the things that were really important.

When the system is less driven by conflict and campaigning, it doesn't become such a bad thing to make some sacrifices for the good of the greater cause.  And that, to me, is cool.

You know what isn't cool, though?  How expensive soda is here.  I'm superthirsty right now and I don't want to walk all the way to Netto for a five dollar can of soda.  Rawr.

Politically yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Little Kids and Amusement Parks

This is less a Dane-centric post and more one of my traditional rants inspired by something I noticed.

Yesterday I went to LEGOLAND in Billund, Denmark, which is about three and a half/four hours from Copenhagen.  It was a) totally awesome and b) full of small children, because that is what amusement parks generally are.

Which led me to notice how many of these small children looked absolutely miserable.  Which got me thinking -- How much of "children loving amusement parks" is really their parents WANTING them to love amusement parks?  I'm sorry, but your two year old doesn't want to be here.  Your two year old is too small to ride most of the rides, is probably overwhelmed and distressed by the number of strangers, and would probably rather be taking a nap than coming to Legoland where they cannot eat or poop on anything, which, from what I gather, are babies' favorite pastimes.

I always had a love-hate relationship with amusement parks, especially when I was younger.  As much as I love the lights and sounds and games and park food, I was always really terrified of most park rides which meant that I was stuck either going on rides that scared me (and crying because I was miserable) or waiting for everyone else to go on them (and being bored).  As much as I did genuinely enjoy going to amusement parks, there were parts that sucked, parts that I couldn't really vocalize the suckage of until I was much older.

So take your kids to amusement parks when they're seven and can tell you whether or not they really like it.  Don't drag them there when they're too little to have any fun or to tell you that they're not.

Yours exhaustedly after a long day at Legoland,
Rachel Leigh

On Danish Transportation

At a Phillies game that I went to before I left the states (because I'm originally from the land of the Phightin' Phils and because my best friend's family is awesome), they made this announcement to "Stick around until the 7th inning to hear why our fans LOVE SEPTA!"  To which I called shenanigans, because no one loves SEPTA (SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority).  At best, people tolerate SEPTA because it kind of gets you where you need to go sometimes.

But public transportation here in Copenhagen is top notch.  I am obsessed with how simple the Metro system is (two lines, which go pretty much exactly the same places except for like 5 stops), then there are busses and the S-train, which is the regional train that takes you out to the outerlying neighborhoods of Greater Copenhagen.  And everything runs pretty consistently so you never have to wait more than like 10 minutes.  It's awesome.

But this evening, my lovely American roommate and I managed to get completely lost because we got on the right bus going the wrong way.  We were off in search of food: fun fact, they pretty much force you to go into the city from our little suburb-type neighborhood by just not having food anywhere around here.  So we hop on the 33 bus, which runs between our neighborhood and the City Centre.

...And, apparently, the outer reaches of Vestamager, which is two zones past what our school-provided transportation passes cover.  And the fine for getting caught on public transportation without a pass or with an insufficient pass is 750 kr (or about 125 USD).  So, thank god, we just pulled the "stupid, confused Americans couldn't understand the Danish bus schedule and accidentally got on the wrong bus" card and the bus driver was pretty understanding and took us home.

Today's lesson: Don't stray from the path.  Accept the role you have and don't try and adventure, because otherwise you will end up in Zone 4 which is nothing but houses anyway and you could get in lots of trouble.

Confusedly yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Those Fashionable Danes

I wanted to do a post dedicated to dressing like a Dane...but in all honesty, we're still trying to figure it out, really.  They told us during Orientation that the Danes don't wear colors, but that's not entirely true.

Yes, there are a lot of neutrals (grey, black, navy blue, dark brown, white).  But there are also a lot of Danes that wear colors, especially the kids.  As far as I can tell, you can still blend in pretty well in blue, red, and dark purple.  They also tend to have really bright shoes and umbrellas, which makes me laugh.  The point is, though, you may want to leave the neon lodge clothes at home, unless you WANT to stick out as an American.

The biggest thing is dressing for the weather -- it rains a lot and gets cold inexplicably, so layers are absolutely necessary...and rain boots are probably a good choice.  Also, the Danes walk or ride bikes everywhere (because there's a 200% tax on cars), so comfortable shoes are non-negotiable.  If you're going to wear heels, make sure they're not going to get caught in the cobblestone sidewalks.

If I notice anything else relevant, I'll make sure to post it.

Too colorful for Denmark,
Rachel Leigh

On Denmark (Part 1)

Greetings for (surprisingly) sunny and (unseasonably) warm Copenhagen!  Fun fact, while Copenhagen is usually about 15 degrees colder than Richmond, it has actually consistently been warmer here (at least during the day) the entire time I've been here.  The day we arrived was the hottest day Denmark had in two years.  Just throwin' some knowledge your way.

This post comes at the end of my first day of classes (by which I mean my first class, because most of my classes are tomorrow...also it's only 11:30 and I've already been to class, commuted home, and done my reading for tomorrow).

Things I love so far:

• Everything is easily accessible by Metro
• The people really ARE the happiest people on Earth, and it just exudes from the attitudes at certain places

Things I'm still not used to:

• Not understanding half the signs I read (though I'm picking up on some (Udgang=Exit) and I start Danish tomorrow)
• The Danes are REALLY quiet people.  I can already start to pick out the Americans on the Metro...just follow the loud ones.

The biggest thing, though, is that I'm still recovering from jetlag.  How am I supposed to get past this terrible jetlag when they keep rushing me around from place to place and not leaving me enough time to sleep?  My body can only handle so much sleep deprivation.

More to come (especially once I upload some of the photos of things I find bizarre).

Tusind tak,
Rachel Leigh

Why is packing the worst thing ever?

That might be a hyperbole, but I think it's pretty accurate.  Packing and cleaning combine to be the thing I hate most in this life.

That being said, I leave for Denmark tomorrow!  I'm so excited, but I wouldn't expect any new posts or anything until I am done unpacking/going through orientation.  I will miss you all oodles.  In the meantime, enjoy the slight layout update!

All the best and Europe-bound,
Rachel Leigh

On Weirdness

I think it's funny how someone's response when I call them weird is always to shoot back, "No, you're weird!"  I mean, yes, I am.  I'm totally weird.  I'm like the weirdest person I know.  But why does MY being weird preclude your ability to be weird?  Does my being tall somehow stop other people from being tall?

 

I can understand noting the hypocrisy, if I were somehow saying that you're a bad person because you are weird, but it's not like that.  You may have done or said something that I found odd because it doesn't make sense to me or it's unconventional.  That doesn't make it bad, but it does make it, at least to me, weird.  Why does the fact that I am also a weird person somehow make you not-weird?

 

One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Seuss: "We're all a little weird, and life is weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."  The fact that you're weird doesn't make you somehow less -- it makes you capable of mutual weirdness.  But just because I point it out, doesn't mean you have to go "Nuh uh, you are!" like I just called you smelly on the playground.

 

Embrace the weirdness -- but recognize it.

 

Yours in mutual weirdness,

Rachel Leigh

On My Life As a Domestic Goddess (Or: Cupcake-Decorating 101)

This post is completely unrelated to what I normally post, but then again, I normally post whatever anyway.

If you know me, you know I like to bake.  If you REALLY know me, you know I worked as a cake decorator for four years and still take my decorating very seriously (especially on my cupcakes).  As such, I've gotten a couple questions on everything from the materials and techniques I use to the virtues of professional training.

So, here are Rachel's Tips and Tricks for decorating:

1. Buy cheap pastry bags and good decorating tips.  A cheap decorating tip will warp, bend, clog, and generally be a pain to work with.  Invest in sturdy ones.  Pastry bags, on the other hand, are disposable.  Even if you take excellent care of them, they rip, fray, and stain after a couple uses.  If you have to choose where to splurge and where to save, splurge on the decorating tips.  If it comes down to it, you can even use a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off to save money on pastry bags.
2. Know your materials and how they behave.  Cold, stiff frosting is harder to work with, but it holds up better than a warmer frosting, which wilts, melts into the cake, and falls apart if you look at it funny.  Don't try to use cookie frosting on a cake -- they behave completely differently and serve different purposes.
3. Practice and experiment.  It took me a good six months before I could pipe a frosting rose that didn't smoosh up or fall apart the second my hand moved.  Everything from learning the amount of pressure needed to pipe certain shapes and patterns to deciding if a design that looks cool in your head actually works in reality requires practice and a willingness to experiment.
4. Don't be afraid to get messy.  I worked one shift in high school where I had to leave immediately after to go set up and help out with senior class graduation, and it took me 12 hand washes and a shower to scrub all of the food coloring and icing off of my hands and arms.  You WILL end up covered in food coloring and having to wipe down your work station a lot, but it gets neater and easier with practice.  Don't wear anything you'd be horrified to see ruined until the mixer and food dye is safely away.

That's it for now.  If you guys like this kind of post, let me know and I might do more of them!  In the meantime, here is a picture of the cupcakes I made yesterday:

Letting them eat cake,
Rachel Leigh

On Perspective 2 (or Fighting Real Problems Instead of Making Up New Ones)

This post might very well lose me friends.  But I just calls 'em like I sees 'em, and this isn't something I take lightly.

I have never backed down from the idea that I am a feminist -- I'm kind of one of those people of the belief that if you or someone you care about identifies as a woman, than you have no right or sense to not support things that would help make the lives of women everywhere better.

But maybe I haven't been clear on my views towards those people who calls themselves activists who are, in reality, looking for something to complain about.  I came across this tumblog that literally blasted everything from meat eaters to a child abuse awareness campaign.  The campaign in question won the Gold Lion award at Cannes and depicts the cycle of child abuse, showing each child being abused and eventually growing into their abuser.  Actually, you can see them here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/powerful-child-abuse-ads.  And why was she targeting this campaign?  Because the verbal abuse image depicts a woman yelling at her children.

She said the campaign disgusted her -- not the acts portrayed as a part of it -- but the fact that it only depicted a woman yelling, which she thought fueled the "nagging" stereotypes about women.  Statistically, it might have made sense to make the abusers in all three images men (each image represented a form of domestic abuse -- sexual, physical, and verbal) because an overwhelming percentage of abuse is male-dominated, but doing so would have been unfair to both men and women because, due to the structure of the campaign, it would eliminate the possibility of women as perpetrators or victims, and they do, in fact, fill both roles, more often than we'd like to believe.  And, unfortunately, women are far more likely to perpetrate verbal abuse than any other kind of domestic abuse -- and would it really have been better for the global image of women to have the only woman in the campaign be a sexual predator or a violent monster?  Or simply to put a woman as a passive victim?

This is just one case, among many, I'm afraid, where people get so caught up in the politics of activism that they forget what's actually important.  This campaign should disgust you, but not for it's content.  What it depicts, and the fact that child abuse is still a prevalent issue in America, one that's still not talked about because it's taboo, which creates a self-perpetuating cycle of violence as children who feel mistreated grow up to mistreat others.  Your need to be confrontational, to take an issue with everyone just so you have something to say -- has made you blind to the real issue, which makes you unable to do anything to stop it.

So until you start complaining about the real issues and stop letting the small details distract you from the problem at hand, I am still going to take issue with the way you handle things like this.  Your loss of perspective is terrifying.

(infinitesimally) yours,
Rachel Leigh

'Sup Darling-Type-People?

I think one of the coolest things about the internet is this seemingly-endless desire to give back to the people who have made it a community.  I really first noticed it with crossover and guest comics on Questionable Content -- how the creators of these really different webcomics in different artistic and narrative/comedic styles could come together to create a really interconnected community that credited the people who have helped and inspired each individual creator.

And then there's YouTube, which I think has the single strongest Creator-Community of any site I've seen.  Users promote other users' material and form not only working relationships but real friendships with their co-creators.  I think the coolest example I've seen is the Liker Chain, where prominent YouTubers go on to list the channels that either made them want to start producing videos or make them continue to want to be a part of the community.

In this same spirit, I've tried to, in the past, credit the people on the internet who have made me want to become a content creator and have, mostly unbeknownst to them, helped me hone my style and realize the kind of blogger I want to be.

So, to the YouTubers who help me understand myself -- Jenna Marbles/Mourey and Tyler Oakley, for helping me realize that being snarky and weird for no reason can actually be cool. Philip DeFranco and SourceFed for helping me see that being serious is not only okay but can actually be important and something of a responsibility.  The VlogBrothers for turning the internet into a community.

To the bloggers, columnists, and writers who helped me realize the writer I want to be -- Dan Savage for being no-holds-barred awesome about the things he writes about in "Savage Love," Allie from "Hyperbole and a Half" for the single funniest blog I've ever read, The Ticking Time Bombshell/BerkeleyBabe for being a hot mess and totally honest about it.

And, of course, to the friends and family who help make me feel like I don't just write this blog for my own selfish entertainment, even though I totally do.

Love you all, darling readers!
Rachel Leigh

On "Because I'm a Psycho"

I swear, if you looked up "Crazy Cat Lady in the Making" in the dictionary, there would be a definition something along the lines of "Perpetually single, slightly demented girl in her early-to-mid-20s with an unnatural obsession with cat videos on the internet and next to no social skills."  Next to this brilliantly-worded entry, you would find a picture of my face and a nice little "See Also" tag.

But, even this crazy cat lady has a wedding board on Pinterest and like six seasons of "Say Yes to the Dress" in her Netflix queue.  And that got me thinking... Why?  I can understand why women who are deeply, soundly in love with someone might start dreaming about their future wedding day.  But what prompts the rest of us, the girls for whom the prospect of a future wedding may actually be what most people consider laughable, to fantasize about these things?

Is it some sort of way of filling in the gaps in our lives?  Is it the manifestation of years of brainwashing by Disney princesses who want nothing more than to be married and live happily ever after?  Is it because we're actually planning these elaborate weddings so we can one day marry those 20 cats that we're probably already on the road to having?

I honestly wish I had an answer.  But, in all honesty, I don't even understand it in myself.  Said Pinterest board is sub-titled "Because I'm a Psycho," so clearly I think it's as nuts as everybody else does.

Confusedly yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Graffiti and the DB of the Day

Here's the thing: I love graffiti. I think a well-executed tag in the right place adds one of the coolest possible touches to an urban landscape. Aside from that, there are very few things in the world that I find as cool as spray paint.
But there's a difference between a really cool, artistically-executed signature tag on an abandoned building, and some of the crap I've seen in the last couple days. I live in a relatively small town, not particularly known for its crime, and I'll admit, the first time I saw what looked like a non-sensical tagline spray-painted on a billboard that I didn't even like anyway, I laughed.

But seeing the same tagline spray-painted on the side of a small business that had just been opened (and had the building re-done in the process)? That just makes me angry. A good tagger is an artist -- Banksy is a legend who uses spray-paint as a medium to convey intense messages about politics and society in creative and highly-public way. Someone who thinks its cool to paint a penis on the side of a mailbox or their pseudo-intellectual "tagger name" on the side of a building is nothing more than an asshole.
So today's DBotD Award goes to -- that guy. You know who you are. And you're just a dick.
Angrily yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Toys That Ruined My Childhood

A happy Sunday, my darling readers!

The other day, my mother posted a link on my Facebook Timeline (yes, my mother has a Facebook and, yes, I have Timeline...these are both old news, get over it), that Hasbro is re-introducing one of their most popular toys: Furby.

I was 6 years old when the original Furby released in 1998, and like everyone I knew at the time, I wanted one, because they looked so damn cute, and also I secretly wanted a Gremlin (seriously, have you SEEN Gizmo? He's like the cutest thing to ever exist).


How can you say no to that face?

 But what Hasbro appears not to realize is that while Furby may have made them more money than Lincoln Logs could ever possibly hope to be worth (which, by the way, is complete crap, because Lincoln Logs were the definition of awesome), no one actually liked their Furbies.  What appeared to be an adorable, fuzzy knock-off of the pet every child born after 1984 ever wanted was actually a demonic, bird-like doll from Hell that most of the world was intent on destroying.

   

The look on its face says "I will destroy everything you love."

The freaky little thing had a ridiculously sensitive light and motion sensor which often caused it to wake up in the middle of the night, scaring the crap out of anyone and everyone in the room.  And then it would croak out "Furby huuuuungry..." and you'd have to feed it with the tip of your freaking finger, like Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.  The damn thing was one step short of demanding human sacrifices.

Hasbro, if you're listening, I'm begging you not to release these little monsters back into the homes of children everywhere.  I, for one, gave mine a proper burial in the bottom of my closet for many years before finally getting rid of it.  And if you don't believe that I'm not the only one who has a reason to want them gone, I suggest searching YouTube for the phrase "death to furby."  There are guys there with firecrackers and drills who would gladly vouch for me.

Having nightmares about the Furby Apocalypse,
Rachel Leigh

You know what's awesomely safe for everyone on the road?

Let's say there's an intersection.  For argument's sake (or, because people are morons and this actually happened), let's say it's an intersection downtown with pretty heavy foot traffic.

Say you pull up to this traffic light, and you find yourself at a red light.  Where do you stop?  I, personally, would say "before the crosswalk."  But, apparently, if the drivers on the road today are anything close to resembling right, then I would be wrong.  The answer is, apparently, "In or even over the crosswalk."

Because nothing says "the picture of safety" quite like forcing pedestrians to walk in the middle of the intersection to get around you.

Dear FOUR PEOPLE I saw do this today: You have been rated my Douchebags of the Day.  I wish I had gotten a picture of your car so I could post it on the internet just to humiliate you for apparently not knowing how to operate your freaking motor vehicle.  You suck, thanks.

On 'Murica and Bosons

Happy Independence Day, darling readers!  The day we celebrate our independence from the British by drinking, eating hamburgers, and shooting off explosives.  America...f*** yeah!  (If you don't know what that's from, get the internet).

It is also MOTHERLOVING HIGGS BOSON DAY.  Do you know what that means?

No?  Let me explain.  You know how things around you have, like, mass?  That thing that makes them heavy and also tangible?  My chemistry teachers always described it as the amount of "stuff" in an object.

Well, in order for things to have mass, modern particle physics says that elementary particles (those little subatomic things that MAKE UP atoms, like quarks (up, down, strange, charm, top, bottom!)) need the Higgs mechanism, which is the process which gives those awesome little particles mass.  And in order to explain the Higgs mechanism, they needed the Higgs Boson, which has never been discovered.  (Hence the punchline, "If you don't allow Higgs Boson Particles, how do you have mass?!" (Yes, the interrobang was necessary.  I think the joke involves something about a pastor.  Ohwell, the punchline's the only relevant bit anyway.))

Until, you know, today, or well, yesterday in Switzerland at this point (you suck, time zones), when the awesome guys playing around with that terrifying supercollider known as the LHC at CERN found a new particle which they are more than 99% certain is the God Particle itself, the Higgs Boson.

Like...the answer to why things have mass and therefore, yknow, exist.  Was discovered.  We think.  And for that, you get a HAPPY MOTHERLOVIN' HIGGS BOSON DAY.

Particle physicists and nerds of the world, I suggest we celebrate this holiday by drinking and setting off explosives.  Hamburgers optional.

Wishing you and yours a happy day,
Rachel Leigh

On SCOTUS, Obamacare, and Perspective

Let's get a perspective check, shall we?

While we've been squabbling over whether a government should provide health care to its citizens (heads up, America: the rest of the first world has already made a decision on this issue and, even today, we're still way behind the trend...so, awesome).

In the 12 hours since the SCOTUS decision about Obamacare

• Roughly 15,000 people died from malnutrition and starvation.  What did you throw away today?
• 820,000,000 people struggled to find safe, clean drinking water (Meanwhile, I have gone to the Brita in my fridge today three times to fill up my water bottle, and can't even begin to comprehend what it would be like to not have access to drinkable water)
• Roughly 3600 people have contracted HIV (for which we have yet to develop an affordable, accessible cure), in spite of worldwide programs designed to increase awareness and stop the spread of the disease
• 360 people were raped or sexually assaulted in the United States alone

I'm not saying there aren't things worth fighting about.  There absolutely are.  I think affordable access to medical care, education, and housing is the right of all people.  But there are bigger issues, within our borders and outside our reach to keep in mind.  We forget that the world has ACTUAL problems, problems with some obvious and not-so-obvious solutions that we can't seem to fix.  And when we get so wrapped-up in what side of the aisle we fall on or whether the wealthiest taxpayers should be taxed 34 or 35 percent, we lose sight of these real, tangible, terrifying problems and we forget to fix them.

If all this can happen in 12 hours, what could we do with a week?  A month?  A decade?  What could the world look like if we didn't get so off track?

Sorry that got so serious.  I promise, the next post will involve a picture of a kitten.

Seriously yours,
Rachel Leigh

Sources:

• Worldometers.info (http://www.worldometers.info/)
• The United Nations AIDS Clock (http://www.unfpa.org/aids_clock/)
• The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network [RAINN] (http://www.rainn.org/statistics/)
• Basic math skills on the calculator on my laptop

I just watched "The Newsroom."  Watch it.

It was seriously responsible for what I think may have been the most startlingly-honest expressions of American society and America as a nation that I have ever heard.  So, yeah.  Go Aaron Sorkin; I was impressed.  And YOU.  You go watch it now.  Get an HBO subscription, and forget about the girls with dragon powers and the crazy vampire sex for an hour and go watch The Newsroom.

That is all.

On "High School Never Ends"

Has anyone considered what high school reunions are going to be like for our generation?  Like, "Hey, uh, sorry I deleted you on Facebook" or "Yeah, I already knew you took that job in Boston because it showed up on my News Feed" or "I can't look at you the same way since you tweet constantly about your bowel movements."

The whole point of a high school reunion is to catch up with the people you cared about in high school, but thanks to our massively inter-connected world on the internet, there's really no "catching up" to do.  Anyone I still even slightly care about from high school is still my Facebook friend, probably also a connection on LinkedIn (because I am professional when it comes to my talent for doing nothing productive), on my Skype contact list, and potentially someone I follow on Twitter.  And everyone else, I really don't care about enough to want to reunite with them.

There's no room for some "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" stunt, because everyone already knows who you've become in the last *insert number of* years.



What are you talking about?
Of course I invented post-it notes and married a billionaire!

In all seriousness, though -- I can't even imagine what I would talk to people about at a high school reunion at this point.  Even with my friends, there's this sort of comfortable silence sometimes because we already know what's going on in everyone's lives.  And if that's the case, then what's the point?

Thankfully no longer in high school,
Rachel Leigh

On Denmark/An Update

So, as I've mentioned before, in two months, I will be studying in Copenhagen.  What I have neglected to mention is that, from research that I've done and people I've talked to, I've come to the conclusion that Copenhagen is some perpetually-dark-and-overcast place where everybody is absurdly quiet and people leave their babies on sidewalks (no kidding, like, people have made a point to tell me this).

Also, that it's cold.  Have I neglected to mention that I'm not a big fan of the cold?  I really like sundresses and shorts and sunglasses...cold weather isn't really conducive to that kind of lifestyle.  Instead, I've been freaking out about needing boots and a winter coat and about 34809384083 more sweaters than I currently own.  Even though I'm pretty sure I can bring exactly 3 articles of clothing with me on the plane to Denmark.  (Whaaaat? I don't exaggerate ever, where would you get that idea from?)

In all seriousness, though, we're getting down-to-the-wire when it comes to preparing for Denmark.  I even got my housing invoice email the other day (talk about things getting real).  I'm excited, and nervous (see: dark, overcast, quiet, cold city), about the whole thing and it's kind of weird that it's actually becoming a reality.

Kobnhavn, here I come,
Rachel Leigh

On the Best Advice I've Ever Gotten

On of the best pieces of life advice I've ever gotten was delivered to be as part of a speech the summer when I was 13 years old.  It was my first summer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth at their site at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.  Our then site director, Bret, was discussing the CTY Honor Code.

The Honor Code was kind of all-encompassing -- be tolerant, do your work, go to class, don't lie, don't break stuff, don't have sex anywhere at any time because you're all 16 or younger and we don't want to explain that to your parents, etc.

But the good advice that I got came when Bret said he wasn't going to read us the whole Honor Code because it boiled down to one thing: "Don't. Be. A. Jerk."  Before you do something, think about if it's something a jerk would do, and if it is, don't do it.  All the other rules, he felt, naturally followed from this one.  Making trouble for the RAs meant being a jerk to the RAs.  Not respecting someone's religion, sexuality, etc, meant you were being a jerk to them.  Not going to class made you a jerk to your instructor.

And it makes sense.  This rule is kind of fundamental -- just don't be a jerk.  We usually know what makes us a jerk to somebody, and it's a good, simple rule to follow.

I'm reminded of this because of a struggle my friends who are still at CTY are going through, trying to hold on to some traditions that the administration is trying to ban.  My heart goes out to them.

Wishing you a three-tiered layer cake of Safety, Learning, and Fun
Rachel Leigh

100!

Darlings, I do believe I promised you a 100th post extravaganza!

Well...I don't really have anything extravaganza-worthy to say.

So, we got our crack team of graphic designers to whip up a celebratory graphic for the occasion.

I'm thinking maybe we should fire our so-called "crack team of graphic designers."  That is an infuriating gif.  Off with their heads!

I came up with an awesome idea for a post today at work, and then I totally forgot to write it down and now I have no idea what I had intended to say in the first place.

Anyway, I never thought, two and a half years ago, that I would still be blogging today, let alone at the 100 post mark (and most of them actually quality posts and not just crap!  I know, I'm just as surprised as you are!)

Here's to many more years and many more posts to come.

Here's a better gif for you.

Yours, most sincerely and forever,
Rachel Leigh

On Internships

Do you know why they have interns in movies and television shows constantly running for coffee? Because I do. They’re attempting to demonstrate the menial and occasionally demeaning work that interns have to do for little or no pay. But the funny thing is, if they actually accurately depicted what an intern does most days, they would have no viewership.


I WISH my day involved going on coffee runs, sometimes. Want to know what I did today? Hand to heaven, I spent Four. Hours. stamping papers and then moving those papers to the bottom of a stack of papers.

Getting coffee is glamorous compared to what I’ve done as an intern. Which is, in all honesty, literally anything. Licking envelopes, checking information, lugging boxes up and down from the attic, making databases, using databases, crying in a corner intermittently, and other various bizarre and not-at-all glamorous tasks.

This would all be slightly better if a) I didn’t have to get up at 6:40 every morning and b) didn’t have to dress for the off chance that I run into someone important every day. YOU try doing manual labor in dress shoes, tell me how you like it.

And the best part is, I get to do it all again tomorrow.

In all honesty, though, I think I’ve lucked out. I’ve never had a job that I absolutely hated, and the bizarre internships I’ve had are certainly included. Sure, I’m not doing the most exciting work, but I have always loved the people I’ve worked with and, hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Complainingly yours,

Rachel Leigh

On The Internet

So. Hey. I'm 20. They don't warn you that birthdays kind of suck in the years between 16 and 20 (I mean, I kind of liked 18 but that's just because I wanted to vote). They're a lovely reminder that you have (insert multiple of 365) days until something important happens. Namely, turning 21. And then after that, more of the pointless birthdays.


But that is not the point of this post. I just thought I'd share that with you guys, my darling, darling readers.

My question for today is why various internet outlets (particularly social media outlets) want me to sync up all of my accounts. No, I don't want to follow the people that I'm friends with on facebook on Twitter...unless, that is, I know them well enough to know I actually have an interest in what they have to say. I do not WANT my internet persona to become some massively-integrated single entity. I mean, a younger me (okay, a current me) was (is) an obsessive user of Harry Potter fansites. I don't WANT that to become a part of what my facebook friends or my blog readers see of me.

Yes, I understand that the whole point is so they can get a better profile of the sites you use, the things you like, and the people you know, so that, ultimately, they can better market to you. But I don't want that. I just want to use every major social media site WITHOUT converging them all together. Is that so much to ask?

When that "Would you like to link this account to Facebook?" option comes up...burn it. Kill it with fire.

Yours in internet anonymity (ha),
Rachel Leigh

On Global News and International Security

I don't mean to sound unpatriotic.  I mean, I make a lot of comments about dumb Americans, but really, I just find most people to be dumb.  I am, in fact, quite proud of the country I live in.  But the people who are surprised that Shakeel Afridi, the doctor who helped the United States track Bin Laden to the compound in Pakistan where he was later killed (Hey, good job, Seal Team 6...no really, though, that was bad-ass) was tried and convicted of treason are....kind of naive, really.

I'm all for what he did, but just because he did the right thing doesn't mean there aren't legal consequences.  He reported internal affairs to an outside intelligence source.  That's treason.  And the 33 years in prison he would serve as a result?  Pretty light compared to the punishment for treason in most countries, which is death.

Doing the right thing in spite of its legality is something you still have to consider.  Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail focuses on the idea that we have a moral obligation to break immoral laws.  But we also have a responsibility to accept the punishment that comes with it.  That punishment is what makes civil disobedience different from outright criminal behavior.

I think Dr. Afridi did exactly the right thing -- he helped us catch and eliminate a dangerous criminal and a threat to international security.  But what he did was still a crime against his country, and they have a right to prosecute him for that.  If the same thing happened in the U.S., they'd have just as much a right to do the same thing.  I'd like to think we'd have the fairness and good judgment to overlook or downgrade the crime in the face of what was accomplished as a result, but when a country's security and sovereignty within their borders is threatened, they have the right to try the people responsible for treason and to go after them as they see fit.

Just my two cents on a big global news story.

Tiredly yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Facebook, Nerdfighteria, and Being The Product

John Green's video for the week this week on the vlogbrothers' channel on YouTube (Do I have to explain this?  Really?*) was called "You ARE The Product."  Once again, he made me smile by making more sense than you.  It was in response to the Facebook IPO, which is a topic far too complicated for me to try and flesh out right now and is not really the point of this post.

A lot of people have been wondering how Facebook's IPO could have estimated the company's worth at $100 billion.  That's enough money for me to pay off my student debt, make some significant head-way into the national deficit, buy each of my immediate family members a home, invest in MULTIPLE pools filled with jello or other delicious edible food-type products, and still have some to spare.  And it seems like a lot of money for a company that seems to have a business model that shouldn't be capable of generating a profit.  I, and most people I know, would never pay money for Facebook, which makes it seem kind of absurd that a company with no tangible product can be worth so much.

But that's the point John raised -- it's not that Facebook has no product, it's that we, as the users, are the product.  Our use of the site has commodified us and made us a product worth a multi-million dollar advertising market.  But, I mean, John really only focused on one aspect of how Facebook commodifies its users -- it's not only that we are exposed to the ads that Facebook gets paid to show us.  It seems naive to ignore or forget the fact that Facebook has been blasted several times for selling user information to companies and ad agencies, so those same companies get both the ad space they pay for and the added benefits of a helpful profile that makes sure they're not wasting their advertising dollars on people outside their target market.  Both literally and figuratively, your online personality has been turned into a product to be bought and sold, and THAT's what makes Facebook billions.

I guess the bigger question is -- does it matter?  Does the fact that the information I post and view on Facebook can be sold to an ad company so they better know how to market to me make me want to stop using Facebook?  Not really.  While the idea of treating human life as a commodity to be bought and sold is grotesque, in all honesty, the way Facebook does it doesn't leave me feeling that squicky, exploited feeling that I would have thought it would.

Just my two sense.  I miss you, darling readers!

Productively Yours,
Rachel Leigh

* John Green is one of the YouTube-famous "VlogBrothers," the famous and wonderful real-life brothers, John and Hank Green.  John Green is also a New York Times best-selling author and his videos (as well as Hank's) are alternately hilarious, breathtakingly brilliant, and, occasionally, both.  These two are also the co-creators of an online community known as Nerdfighteria (home of the Nerdfighters) whose home base used to be In Your Pants, but since Your Pants has been faulty for a while now, they've transitioned back to controlling the world through YouTube.  Just, like, go check them out.  I'm tired of trying to explain this.  DFTBA.

On Looking for Trouble

So the other day, a few of my friends were arguing on a post on my Facebook page about a movie poster for The Avengers (Joss Whedon, if you're reading this, I love you).*  It had to do with the posing of the characters on the movie poster and their costumes.  At first, I didn't really respond, because, honestly, while I could see both sides to the points they were making, I really didn't take it seriously.  I saw no need to.  It's a movie poster.

And that got me thinking.  People get so riled up about things and, in all honesty, I think sometimes it clouds the bigger issue.  The world has enough REAL issues worth fighting about -- war, torture, famine, violence, marginalization -- that I don't entirely understand the point of starting arguments or looking for problems in places where, honestly, it doesn't matter.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good rant as much as the next person.  And when I find something to rail about, I will in a heartbeat.  I just honestly don't see the point in looking for arguments in places where there really aren't any...the world has enough things to fight about.

I've got shit to Avenge,
Rachel Leigh

* No seriously.  Joss Whedon, and fellow Whedon fans, understand my love here.  I was already psyched for The Avengers because, honestly, I'm a hardcore Marvel dork, but then JOSS friggin WHEDON.  Writing amazing characters and then breaking my heart with them** for years and hopefully for years to come.


** "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"