Who Run the World? Girls.
Buenos Diaz and Happy International Women's Day! Being one of the womens myself, I think having a day to honor us is just swell. After all, girls run the world as Beyoncé done told us; we deserve a little bit of recognition for all of the ways in which we rule, rock and run this mutha.
My original intent for this post was to just publish a quick quote by a woman I respect and admire, so I went in search of one of my many journals and notebooks in search of a good one to share. It is no secret to most that I spend a great portion of my life writing down words that move me, and it just so happens that a lot of the words that inspire me come from women.
What I came across when I opened one of my journals and let the pages open to where they would was this entry from October 2014:
"Today was my first day back at work after a four-day weekend, and not just any four-day weekend. This was the weekend when I officially began to call myself a writer- and by 'officially,' I of course mean that I announced it on Facebook. Ha. Still, it feels like such a big step- I created a page for my blog, invited people to 'Like' it, posted a blog entry detailing my plan to pursue the writing thing, leave my job, etc. I created business cards and ordered them, I wrote in this journal.. in short, I pretended that I was already living the live I want to lead. And it... felt... MARVELOUS."
Today, not even five months later, I'm really doing it! I've made the giant leap of faith and started to pursue this passion of mine. I'm still looking for a job that will both feed my creative spirit and pay for my car insurance- that particular element of my life plan is still a work in progress. I am in the meantimeunemployed self employed, writing both for myself and for a women's health website. I am also in talks to write for a San-Diego based startup magazine and working every other freelance angle that comes my way. It's all a bit tentative and I know I should be terrified, but as I've told any soul who will listen lately- I am HAPPY!!! I've been waiting for years and years and years to find something I was this excited about, to be hungry for success at something that means something to me and not just that I happen to know a way to be good at. I'm thrilled, even though not everyone sees or understands my decision. For those of you that share my faith, I say thank you in the biggest and most genuine way.
So, I hope someday to be one of those women you think of on International Women's Day, that something I said either in direct communication or in my work as a writer will speak to you in the way that so many of my female inspirations have moved me with their words of wisdom, humor, support etc. I'd like to share some of my favorite words with you now and encourage you to honor the amazing women in your life today and always.
Gillian Flynn as Amy Elliot in Gone Girl
I love this passage- this is 100% me, for better or worse, in my outlook on relationships. It also very accurately describes my unsuccessfully attempts to flirt, and Gillian has captured it all perfectly.
"I'm not interested in being set up. need to be ambushed, caught unawares, like some sort of feral love jackal. I'm too self conscious otherwise. I feel myself trying to be charming, and then realize I'm obviously trying to be charming, and then I try to be even more charming to make up for the fake charm, and then I've basically turned into Liza Minnelli; I'm dancing in tights and sequins, begging you to love me..."
To purchase your copy of this smash hit thriller novel and now motion picture, go here.
Kimberly McCreight as Kate Baron in Reconstructing Amelia
A twist on the "everything happens for a reason" and fate-related quotes we've all heard, but perhaps with an added sprinkle of hope.
"Then again, things that are meant to work out, usually do. Everyone has beacons. Lights that guide them home."
To nab this edgy YA thriller with a cyber-bully theme, go here.
Rainbow Rowell from Park Sheridan's POV in Eleanor & Park
Remember young love? All hail Rainbow for this awesome, nerdish and poignant musing.
"Or maybe, he thought now, he just didn't recognize all those other girls. The way a computer drive will spit out a disk if it doesn't recognize the formatting. When he touched Eleanor's hand, he recognized her. He knew."
To get your hands on this touching and heartbreaking YA story of young and unlikely love, click aqui:
Donna Tart as Theo Decker in The Goldfinch
Admittedly, I am one of about seven people who don't think this book is the mastery so many countless others do; It is riddled with temporal inconsistencies and lacks the development of some characters while focusing too much on others, and I think it could have been ultimately more powerful if cut down about 200-300 pages. Still, Donna is undoubtedly a formidable and talented writer, and this particular line is beautiful and powerful in its simplicity.
"I had the epiphany that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that this was the secret of the universe."
To give this generally beloved and meaty work a try and make up your own mind, have at it!
Amy Poehler in Yes, Please
There are so, so many of Amy's witty and/or powerful words in this hilarious and introspective debut that had me fist-pumping while yelling, "Yessssss!'' Here are a few.
“Saying “yes” doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying “please” doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission.”
“Hopefully as you get older, you start to learn how to live with your demon. It’s hard at first. Some people give their demon so much room that there is no space in their head or bed for love. They feed their demon and it gets really strong and then it makes them stay in abusive relationships or starve their beautiful bodies. But sometimes, you get a little older and get a little bored of the demon. Through good therapy and friends and self-love you can practice treating the demon like a hacky, annoying cousin. Maybe a day even comes when you are getting dressed for a fancy event and it whispers, “You aren’t pretty,” and you go, “I know, I know, now let me find my earrings.” Sometimes you say, “Demon, I promise you I will let you remind me of my ugliness, but right now I am having hot sex so I will check in later.”
“Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that- that's what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself”
“However, if you do start crying in an argument and someone asks why, you can always say, "I'm just crying because of how wrong you are.”
“Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier.”
“It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for.”
“It’s never overreacting to ask for what you want and need.”
To laugh, think deeply and perhaps shed a tear with the one and only Amy Poehler, go here
BONUS! To learn more about a project of Amy's that I am a huuuuge fan of, click here.
Kristin Hannah as Eva Lange in Night Road
This blogger chick whose name rhymes with Schmanessa Piaz wrote a piece about one of her life mantras that Kristin Hannah echoes in this very quote: love is a choice.
“It isn’t about being at the same school or the same town or even the same room. It’s about being together. Love is a choice you make.”
To read this tear-jerker from one of my favorite authors, go here.
To read this author's incredible new work (The Nightingale) about sisters in WWII France that will also make you cry your face off, go here.
To read that blog I talked about by that super cool chick, go here, duh.
Last but certainly not least... two of my faves from the incomparable J.K. Rowling:
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.”
"And the idea of just wandering off to a café with a notebook and writing and seeing where that take me for awhile is bliss."
Amen, sister. How apropos.
For stuff by J.K., see this.
Because it would be like a day without orange juice if I didn't mention or plug Harry Potter at least once: go here.
Hey, look! Stuff I've written for other people (http://www.periodview.com/site-bloggers/). Scroll down to my bio!
Oh, It's Just Cramps - my story about that time it wasn't just cramps and the importance of listening to your body.
Paging Edward Cullen - exploring the hilarious monikers given to "that time of the month" over the ages.
My original intent for this post was to just publish a quick quote by a woman I respect and admire, so I went in search of one of my many journals and notebooks in search of a good one to share. It is no secret to most that I spend a great portion of my life writing down words that move me, and it just so happens that a lot of the words that inspire me come from women.
What I came across when I opened one of my journals and let the pages open to where they would was this entry from October 2014:
"Today was my first day back at work after a four-day weekend, and not just any four-day weekend. This was the weekend when I officially began to call myself a writer- and by 'officially,' I of course mean that I announced it on Facebook. Ha. Still, it feels like such a big step- I created a page for my blog, invited people to 'Like' it, posted a blog entry detailing my plan to pursue the writing thing, leave my job, etc. I created business cards and ordered them, I wrote in this journal.. in short, I pretended that I was already living the live I want to lead. And it... felt... MARVELOUS."
Today, not even five months later, I'm really doing it! I've made the giant leap of faith and started to pursue this passion of mine. I'm still looking for a job that will both feed my creative spirit and pay for my car insurance- that particular element of my life plan is still a work in progress. I am in the meantime
So, I hope someday to be one of those women you think of on International Women's Day, that something I said either in direct communication or in my work as a writer will speak to you in the way that so many of my female inspirations have moved me with their words of wisdom, humor, support etc. I'd like to share some of my favorite words with you now and encourage you to honor the amazing women in your life today and always.
Gillian Flynn as Amy Elliot in Gone Girl
I love this passage- this is 100% me, for better or worse, in my outlook on relationships. It also very accurately describes my unsuccessfully attempts to flirt, and Gillian has captured it all perfectly.
"I'm not interested in being set up. need to be ambushed, caught unawares, like some sort of feral love jackal. I'm too self conscious otherwise. I feel myself trying to be charming, and then realize I'm obviously trying to be charming, and then I try to be even more charming to make up for the fake charm, and then I've basically turned into Liza Minnelli; I'm dancing in tights and sequins, begging you to love me..."
To purchase your copy of this smash hit thriller novel and now motion picture, go here.
Kimberly McCreight as Kate Baron in Reconstructing Amelia
A twist on the "everything happens for a reason" and fate-related quotes we've all heard, but perhaps with an added sprinkle of hope.
"Then again, things that are meant to work out, usually do. Everyone has beacons. Lights that guide them home."
To nab this edgy YA thriller with a cyber-bully theme, go here.
Rainbow Rowell from Park Sheridan's POV in Eleanor & Park
Remember young love? All hail Rainbow for this awesome, nerdish and poignant musing.
"Or maybe, he thought now, he just didn't recognize all those other girls. The way a computer drive will spit out a disk if it doesn't recognize the formatting. When he touched Eleanor's hand, he recognized her. He knew."
To get your hands on this touching and heartbreaking YA story of young and unlikely love, click aqui:
Donna Tart as Theo Decker in The Goldfinch
Admittedly, I am one of about seven people who don't think this book is the mastery so many countless others do; It is riddled with temporal inconsistencies and lacks the development of some characters while focusing too much on others, and I think it could have been ultimately more powerful if cut down about 200-300 pages. Still, Donna is undoubtedly a formidable and talented writer, and this particular line is beautiful and powerful in its simplicity.
"I had the epiphany that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that this was the secret of the universe."
To give this generally beloved and meaty work a try and make up your own mind, have at it!
Amy Poehler in Yes, Please
There are so, so many of Amy's witty and/or powerful words in this hilarious and introspective debut that had me fist-pumping while yelling, "Yessssss!'' Here are a few.
“Saying “yes” doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying “please” doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission.”
“Hopefully as you get older, you start to learn how to live with your demon. It’s hard at first. Some people give their demon so much room that there is no space in their head or bed for love. They feed their demon and it gets really strong and then it makes them stay in abusive relationships or starve their beautiful bodies. But sometimes, you get a little older and get a little bored of the demon. Through good therapy and friends and self-love you can practice treating the demon like a hacky, annoying cousin. Maybe a day even comes when you are getting dressed for a fancy event and it whispers, “You aren’t pretty,” and you go, “I know, I know, now let me find my earrings.” Sometimes you say, “Demon, I promise you I will let you remind me of my ugliness, but right now I am having hot sex so I will check in later.”
“Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that- that's what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself”
“However, if you do start crying in an argument and someone asks why, you can always say, "I'm just crying because of how wrong you are.”
“Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier.”
“It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for.”
“It’s never overreacting to ask for what you want and need.”
To laugh, think deeply and perhaps shed a tear with the one and only Amy Poehler, go here
BONUS! To learn more about a project of Amy's that I am a huuuuge fan of, click here.
Kristin Hannah as Eva Lange in Night Road
This blogger chick whose name rhymes with Schmanessa Piaz wrote a piece about one of her life mantras that Kristin Hannah echoes in this very quote: love is a choice.
“It isn’t about being at the same school or the same town or even the same room. It’s about being together. Love is a choice you make.”
To read this tear-jerker from one of my favorite authors, go here.
To read this author's incredible new work (The Nightingale) about sisters in WWII France that will also make you cry your face off, go here.
To read that blog I talked about by that super cool chick, go here, duh.
Last but certainly not least... two of my faves from the incomparable J.K. Rowling:
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.”
"And the idea of just wandering off to a café with a notebook and writing and seeing where that take me for awhile is bliss."
Amen, sister. How apropos.
For stuff by J.K., see this.
Because it would be like a day without orange juice if I didn't mention or plug Harry Potter at least once: go here.
Hey, look! Stuff I've written for other people (http://www.periodview.com/site-bloggers/). Scroll down to my bio!
Oh, It's Just Cramps - my story about that time it wasn't just cramps and the importance of listening to your body.
Paging Edward Cullen - exploring the hilarious monikers given to "that time of the month" over the ages.