18 1/2 weeks!!!

For all you baby-free people, that means 4 1/2 months pregnant. That's, like, half way done! Which is crazy, I can't believe that after this point it's nearly over. I don't even look pregnant yet!

Here's the latest visual:





There isn't a huge difference between week 14 and week 18, but there's definitely a little somethin'. My mom said she popped at 5 months, so I'm hoping that in the next two weeks there will be definite baby stomach visibility. This is definitely the only time in my life that I've been hoping and looking for a bigger belly. But I mean, geez, who wants to be pregnant without the belly? The only way anyone knows I'm pregnant is if I point it out! That's no fun. I want "Oohs" and "Aahs" and smiles from old ladies. Is that too much to ask?

There has also been a noticeable rounding of other areas that I'm not very pleased about, see exhibit C:



I'm pretty sure the baby is nowhere near this part of my anatomy, so why the rounding? It's probably the ramen noodles. Lots of them. Just sitting there on my legs. Damn it.

We go for the big ultrasound on Tuesday morning at 8:15. Hopefully the technician will make sure we don't see the little wee parts between the baby's legs, cause that would totally piss me off! I need to not know the sex of the baby, it's going to be the thing that spurs me on through labor - I'm impatient so I know I'll get that kid out fast to find out what we're having. If we know the sex of the baby, well then all I'll think about is how scary it is to push 6-8lbs of human through such a small space and I'll just try to avoid labor. It's just best for all parties if we don't know. Which is totally driving my mother insane.

First she thought it was a boy because the heartbeat was sort of calm at our first visit. Then at the next visit the baby's heartbeat was really fast and frantic sounding, so she was sure it was a girl. So I might be having both...oy.

I'll have new ultrasound pics either way on Tuesday, yay baby!

Tan boobies

We came home from St. Martin yesterday evening. I have to say, it suited me just fine to have no access to a cell phone or computer for an entire week. Though when I checked my email last night it took me an hour and a half to sort through everything. That's the bad part about vacations.

This vacation was the first and last of its kind - Tripp and I, plus my mom, Cathy, Phyliss, and two family friends. Spending 8 days with your family members, even if it's on a beautiful tropical island, is just not fun. By day 5 everyone was ready to go home. It wasn't all bad though. From now on we'll stick to a friends only policy.


Tripp and I visited 5 different beaches, Dawn Beach, Baie Rouge, Orient Baie, Friar's Bay, and Pinel Island. Orient Baie, Baie Rouge, and Pinel Island were amazing! Really good snorkeling at Baie Rouge, and the water is gorgeous. Well, all of the water on the island is gorgeous. . . Orient Baie is the ritzy frou frou beach, lots of naked boobies and extremely tan old French guys in very little bikinis. Pinel Island requires a ten minute ferry ride and it is definitely worth the $6 round trip. The beach on the island is somewhat small, you can rent chairs and umbrellas, there's a restaurant and a bar on the island, no other trappings of the land locked world though - not even electricity. The water on the beach is completely still, no waves, and doesn't get more than waist deep. The main recreation on the beach is to buy a large alcoholic beverage, sit in the shallow water, and get drunk and tan. Very nice.

When we first got to the island I gave Tripp a quota, he could only see 20 sets of boobies, penalty free. That number totally went out the window, especially once we got to Orient Baie. So to make it some what fair I got to go topless too, and give the ladies some time in the sun. They enjoyed it thoroughly. As did Tripp.

Though the island's motto is "The friendly island" the majority of people were not entirely friendly. The island's wildlife, however, is very cordial. While driving down any given road you are likely to be greeted by many friendly goats, lots of cows, some horses, several dogs, a few roosters, and of course, some pigs. They just roam about freely, greeting tourists and happily accepting any leftovers you might be willing to spare. My mom almost came home with a puppy she met in Phillipsburg. Tripp and I almost came home with a baby goat, they are way cute. We were going to name it Boris, but then found out there's a good deal of red tape when it comes to flying live stock on international airlines. Ugh.




Hurricane Dean almost scared us into coming home two days early (not that we minded by that point) but we found out the airlines wouldn't move our tickets forward anyway. So we stuck it out - Dean visited St. Martin on Friday with some showers, many dark, stormy clouds, and big ass frothy waves. We didn't go swimming that day. There was lots of detritus (new big word found on many beach signs on the island!)and yucky stuff washing up on shore. I don't like to swim with yucky stuff. A few crazy surfers did tempt fate and surfed with Dean. That's what happens when there's too much testosterone in your body.

Tripp and I ended up coming home only with a lovely set of tans and some kick ass guavaberry liqueur. If you go to St. Martin, get a guavaberry colada from the guavaberry emporium in Phillipsburg. It will rock your socks off. Seriously.

Weight issues - like, oh my god

So today I'm 15 weeks pregnant - that translates into 3 months and 3 weeks. I'll be four months a week from today, holy crap! It goes by surprisingly fast when you aren't nauseous and asleep by 7:30pm.

Okay recap - the first trimester I was nauseous, a lot, but no actual throwing up took place. There was mandatory napping if I didn't get at least 9-10 hours of sleep per night. Safe to say Tripp and I didn't see each other much, our days went like this:

7pmish: Tripp comes home, "Hey Nicole how was your day?"

Nicole - "Great honey. I'm going to bed in a half hour. As soon as I finish eating this entire gallon of rocky road."

And then I went to sleep. Repeat every night for nearly three months. Also, smells were bad. Most smells. Food of all kinds smelled bad. The gyro guy outside of my office, who I visited at least three times a week pre-baby, yeah, he and I had to end our relationship for the first trimester.

A note to any who may be expecting sometime in the future: ice cream is a wonderful way to deal with heart burn. All that creamy, cold deliciousness just turns that tummy acid right off.

Now I'm in my second trimester and it is waaaaaaaay better. The pregnancy glow doesn't occur in the first trimester, you're usually just green in the face. Now, now there is a glow. The glow is caused by the increased blood production. The increased blood production is also the cause of all of the extra urinating you'll be doing. (For instance, when you now wake up every single morning at 4:30 to use the bathroom - that's the extra blood you're making.) And in the second trimester I'm actually awake. And food smells good. In fact it smells great. Perhaps too good. I like to eat now. A lot.

- Edy's 1/2 Fat Ice Cream (Butter Pecan)
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Tostitos and salsa.
- Everything Bagels (accounts for 3 out of the 4lbs. I've gained. I should really just tape two bagels to my butt instead of eating the bagels and then take them off once the baby is here.)

In my first trimester I lost a pound. I have since gained 5! So, altogether 4 pounds gained....and counting.

My mom gained 65lbs. when she was pregnant with me(!) and I am determined not to follow in her footsteps. In fact, I'm thinking that 4lbs. is plenty. I mean the baby is only 3 1/2 ounces right now! Those pounds are all in my butt and boobs!!! Okay, having boobs is kind of a perk. But the extra butt weight, that I could do without.

Next appointment is this Monday - hopefully I will manage not to gain 5 more pounds in the mean time.

Baby Makin'

I'm now 14 1/2 weeks pregnant and officially in my second trimester! Tripp and I went to our first ultra sound about two weeks ago and got to see the little bean. We knew without a doubt that I'm pregnant, but boy does it change things to actually see a baby in your belly!

The technician squirted some belly jelly on my stomach and the instant she put the...ultra sound handle thing...on my stomach there was a baby on the screen! It was kind of surreal and I didn't realize that the ultra sound would be in 3-D so we saw a real live baby shaped baby on the screen. I started laughing and the baby started kicking its legs and waving its arms around. It's really strange to see that happening on a screen and to know that the movement is going on inside your stomach but you don't feel anything! Once I stopped laughing, I actually held my breath, and the baby calmed down. So here are the first pictures of our little bean (You can see more detail if you click on the pictures.)! He or she is about 3 1/2 inches from head to toe right now.



I'm a little disappointed that I don't look more pregnant yet, but everyone keeps telling me that I should be glad because once I have a big belly I'll just want the baby to get here so I can have a flat stomach again. My mom said her stomach "popped" at 5 months, so I might not really show for a whole 'nother month and a half! So lame. Here's all I've got to brag about so far:



And no, I don't ordinarily wear clashing green clothing, only for photos.

Pants: the good, the bad, and the camel toe

I make my grand re-writing not because of an end of the busyness and laziness, oh no. It's the state of pants in the tri-state area that has made it necessary for me to get back into the blogging habit.

The Good: The re-emergence of the wide leg pant and the demise of the skinny jean (praise Jesus)

Much to my glee I've noticed wide leg jeans and pants making appearances in store windows, on racks, and on a few of the more aware fashionistas. I was so excited by this realization that I immediately started researching the availability of wide legs online. Some chain stores aren't quite up to speed but many stores already have wide leg jeans and pants in stores.

I stopped by American Eagle Outfitters earlier this week (I know, I know, it's a store for 80 lb. teeny bopper waifs, but I've almost always found good jeans in this store!). American Eagle does indeed have several different styles of wide leg denim. The denim trousers are my favorite style, of course, because they're definitely tinged with 70s. There are also a few styles that are more casual and definitely worth a trip to the dressing room. The only negative, since it is a teeny bopper store all the jeans are low rise, no high waisted denim here.

There are wide leg pants at the Gap, but no wide leg denim. I haven't tried on the pants yet, but I plan to. Will update with my thoughts on the fit.

The Bad: Skinny pants and denim

Okay those pants are the bad. BUT - the good news is they're on their way out! I'm pretty sure that about only 1% of the population in the tri-state area could possibly look good in skinny pants and jeans. The other 99% of the population is either too skinny and suffers from complete flat ass and stick leg syndrome or they're too heavy so it becomes painfully obvious that their rear ends are the widest part of their bodies. And, hello!, your bums look like squashed donuts in those pants, large, wide squashed donuts. Attractive? No. Stylish? Decidedly not.

I would fall into the latter category, only I'm aware of that fact and therefore do not wear skinny jeans or pants. Unfortunately much of the population is either unaware that they are dressing themselves in a completely unflattering manner, or they think it is better to be "in style" than to actually accentuate the positive.

Well skinny jeans, at least you brought about the revival of wide leg bottoms. It was worth having you around, if only for the wide leg backlash.

The Camel Toe: I shudder

Dear young women of the tri-state area, this is a call to you. You may not realize this, but leggings...are not pants. They were never meant to be pants and they will never be. They are an accessory, to be worn under skirts, dresses, long tunics, etc. They are not meant to be worn with short tshirts and tank tops. No matter how cute your behind may be it was not meant to be seen in your leggings.

And have you ever thought about what's at the front of your rear end? Yeah. That. No one wants to see your camel toe. Seriously. Except for those really nasty, grimy perverts who can be found in abundance in the tri-state area. So, unless you really like attention from these camel toe loving perverts, you should probably switch to real pants, or wearing your leggings in an appropriate manner. And, your safety and comfort aside, I don't want to see that crap. It's worse than the thongs sticking out of your pants.

Running the Numbers - An American Self-Portrait

Okay, see, my husband came back home and then I don't post anything for almost two months! But then Tripp sent me a link to this artist's site and I think his work is so awesome and such a great representation of all the things I write about here that it spurred me on to finally write a new post.


So this artist, Chris Jordan, has created these massive images that visually reinforce just how much we as Americans consume on a regular basis. And I don't just mean food or clothing. The first image on his site is of 213,000 Vicodin pills and it depicts the number of emergency room visits in America each year due to misuse or abuse of prescription pain killers. And when you read the number 213,000 or think of it in your head, it's just too big to comprehend, really. So seeing it represented concretely really takes the message home.

There's another image of 2.3 million folded prison uniforms, that's how many people were in the American prison system in 2005. 2.3 million people. That's pretty much everyone you know, and then everyone they know, and then everyone they know....I mean it's more than we as humans can wrap our brains around.

He also recreates the famous Seurat painting using 106, 000 cans, the number of cans used in America every 30 seconds. 106,000 cans every 30 freaking seconds! This is why I hate all you people that don't recycle. Bastards.

So, it's a cool site. I can't tell from the site if he's showing his pieces anywhere in the U.S. currently. If anyone has heard of this guy and knows if he is indeed showing his work somewhere, please do tell, I would definitely like to see these images as they were meant to be seen - big and in your face.

Fig - towards sustainable urban living

My friend, Ms. Craptina, brought this great little web site to my attention. If you're interested in some sustainable living/life simplifying tips I highly recommend checking out Fig. This looks like Fig's first issue. Hopefully there will be plenty more to come.

Fig's winter issue offered some advice for the holidays, and alternatives to wrapping paper, which typically isn't recyclable, and obviously increases garbage output by a ridiculous amount every December. They've also got links to sites, like a sustainable/eco friendly hardware store, which I happen to find way cool! And there are restaraunts and community-building sites listed as well.

But - my absolute favorite aspect of the site is the article "Day Tripper." This article listed a great place to visit using mass transit, within two hours of NYC, and for a round trip price of $20 (plus any food/entertainment you may supply yourself with). New Dream has articles about eco-friendly trips as well. I love to travel, but always feel terrible about the damage done by car exhaust and even worse, jet fuel. So these articles are great for me. I like to know that I can still travel without causing as much damage (and for less $$)!

And, yes, that is a picture of figs...not very creative...I'll do better next time.

I miss Tripp!

He's in LA for work for a week! A freaking week!

I just want to listen to the Pixies over and over and over . . . Here comes your man. . . here comes your maaaaaaaaan......

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding - this is a form of therapy for me, or torture. Either way:



That's during our toast...



That's us being so in love you probably just want to throw up on your shoes...



......just marriaged....



Aaaaah, the honeymoon - lots of sex, lots of food, what more could you ask of life?

I'm going to pout now.

You can tell just how much of my time Tripp takes up when he's home by the number of posts I've made since he left. More than in any other month. I don't like it.

China Blue - go see it!

China Blue, a documentary, playing for the next week at Anthology Film Archives and other theatres across the US, covers the lives of workers in a denim factory in China over the course of several weeks. The best thing about the film is that it is from the point of view of the workers, they narrate the film. No middleman narrator putting a spin on things.

You can find out more about the film and where it's playing at the Teddy Bear Films web site.

Also, here is an article from BusinessWeek Online about Wal-Mart and their "inspections" of Chinese factories. The link can also be found on the Teddy Bear Films web site.

Living Simple

Okay, so I'm trying to live my life more "simply". As in, in every way I can think of. This is something I've sort of always done without actually realizing what I was doing until other people pointed this aspect of myself out to me. I've always tried to keep things simple, I don't like drama, and I'm not into fancy cars, in fact, a fancy car doesn't make me turn my head, I couldn't possibly care less. I don't like flashy new hi-tech gadgets, "Oooh, the new iPhone!", I don't care about jewelry, or luxury clothing. Never have. But now I'm actually actively seeking out living simply now.

Things I'm now doing:
- Tripp (the husband) and I don't own a car. And if it remains up to me, we will never own a car. If we happen to move somewhere that makes owning a car an absolute must, I would only buy a hybrid or a car that runs on diesel so that we could use unprocessed grease instead. This would of course require planning and I'm aware of that.
- I did not own a TV but once Tripp and I moved in together I became the owner of a television by default. I'm not a fan.
- There are times when I do like to buy clothes, sweatshop free only now, but for the most part I'm not a big shopper. I don't usually feel any urge to buy superfluous things. Buying an iPod was really the biggest splurge I've ever allowed myself.
- Try to spread the word to friends and family about the value of spenging less money and spending more time doing things you actually love.

Thins I want to do:
- There is someone on New Dream.org that has made a vow to keep the thermostat off until November, and then they only turn ot up to 48 degrees. 48 degrees!! I thought I was being so good with keeping the thermostat at 65, below the average 72, and here's this guy keeping his house at 48 degrees! Clearly my thermostat is not as eco/financially friendly as it could be. I need to improve here, but I don't know if I'm quite ready for 48 degrees.
-I need to shop even less than I do for clothing. My problem is that I won't shop for anything for months, and then all of a sudden I'll realize I really, really need to replace my worn out stuff. That doesn't seem all that bad, but I could probably work on this. A big problem is finding well-made, durable clothing that is sweatshop free and not obscenely expensive.
- Stop my frigging family from spending $1,000 dollars or more every Christmas on presents! Initially all of their spending makes me angry and I want to retaliate against it. Instead I feel the need to shop more for them to make up for how much they are spending on me. It's a ridiculous, stupid cycle. Next year I'll have more resolve. Damn it.

There are definitely other things I could do, and I'll make note of them as I think of them. And this isn't all about, "Oh, I'm going to save the environment!" Honestly, I believe it's too late to really stop the damage we've done to the planet as a whole, but I'm also not a fatalist so I just keep trying.

Living more simply is really about reevaluating my life and how I think and behave. Sometimes I'm amazed to realize how much of my thinking is really affected by modern society. And because of the society I grew up in. Meeting people from different places across the globe really makes you realize how you can think as an "American" and how American mentality is really so different from the mentality of other people across the world. Some people would not believe how much food we throw away because, well, we just don't want it. Or how quickly we replace things that aren't even broken, or that could easily be repaired. Seeing how little other people not only survive on, but actually thrive on, has made me aware of how little I actually need in order to survive and be happy. Thus, I am becoming more serious about my simplicity.

Some things that don't require lots of shopping and money that bring me the most happiness/fun:
- Filling our planters in our backyard in the spring. This past spring was the first time I was able to do this and it was SO relaxing and enjoyable I was actually surprised. Not to mention how proud I was when things actually grew! I paid for some soil and seedlings and then I was off. No pesticides or gross chemical stuff either.
- Dancing with my girlfriends. Granted, I do usually spend some money on booze, but I'm a bit of a light weight so I never really have to spend too much. And then the dancing until 4am is an amazing release of tension, and it makes me feel good. No one loses there.
-Books, books, books, a lot of books. In fact I am out of books to read now. I'm reading the last few stragglers that I never actually intended to read because I had to go a week without any books at all and then I just couldn't take it anymore. The funny thing is I actually am really enjoying these books I never intended to open.

So many ways to live simply, I just haven't thought of all of them yet. If you happen to be into living a simpler lifestyle feel free to fill me in on the ways that you've simplified your own life. I'm always open to new things.

New American Dream

Dear fellow bloggers,

If you:

a.) are concerned about the environment
b.) are an obsessive recycler
c.) freaking hate junk mail because it's a waste of your time and a waste of landfill space
d.) don't buy into the whole, "Oooh, I'm an American, my favortie activities include buying things and piling up credit card debt," mentality
e.) like organizing things like book swaps, clothing swaps, and other community building activities
f.) love the holidays because you get to spend time with loved ones, NOT because of the shopping mania
g.) want to meet other people who are into points a.-f.

you should definitely check out the New American Dream web site.

The New American Dream is an organization that promotes, well, a new "American Dream". In short, it's a web site full of resources for people who don't buy into American "consumerism". Most of our culture promotes buying things as a means to "finding yourself", giving you fulfillment, and making you happy. Television is full of commercials telling you how much happier you'd be with this new shiny car, that bigger house, a new flat screen television....the list goes on.

Well if you are like me, and you don't think that a new pair of shoes will really give your life more meaning, you might find this site a valuable resource. New American Dream offers information, web sites, contacts, petitions, and more to help you live your life in a more meaningful way, by spending time with the people you care about, doing things you enjoy, and overall improving your quality of life. It sounds cheesey, but seriously, do you really want to spend the rest of your life working 50-60 hours a week so you can pay off your credit cards, mortgages, and whatever other kind of debt we can manage to compile in your pursuit of shopping happiness? I don't!

You can set up an account on New Dream, post a picture, search for New Dreamers by location or interests, and send emails to other New Dreamers (kind of MySpaceish only without the pedophiles and annoying bands). This is really useful if you're trying to organize something in your neighborhood, say a food co-op, a yard sale (everyone on this site LOVES second-hand goods since it cuts down on waste from production and it's less expensive than shopping at the mall) or some kind of public event.


There are also discussion forums on lots of great topics. You can even find really good book reviews and local events.

The greatest, most wonderful feature of the New Dream web site is that they have a database of forms (both electronic and paper) that are addressed to the appropriate people/offices to remove yourself from junk mail lists! I removed myself from every single junk mail list that New Dream has listed and after about two months the amount of junk mail I received dropped, a lot. I hardly get any junk mail at all now, which makes me happy. It also keeps my recycling bin empty.

Take a look, and if you like the site let me know!

How to be a mostly normal commuter in the tri-state area

Okay, let me first say that this post should not need to be written. The following bits of "advice" may seem like common sense to most people, because that's what it is. The following is a list of common sense for the many people who live, work, and commute between New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Because, clearly, not everyone is born with the same amount of common sense.

You don't have to follow these rules, but failure to do so, may and should result in verbal and/or physical abuse by other people with more common sense.

Let's start with the basics: WALKING

1. When walking, on streets, in subways, on staircases, etc. STAY TO THE RIGHT. Failure to stay to the right means that people walking towards you must now navigate around your ridiculous self, causing congestion, confusion, delays, and anger. Serious anger.

2. On escalators, if you decide that you don't want to walk up or down the escalator because a. you're old and should not be required to walk if a machine will walk for you b. you're injured c. you're fat and lazy: you need to stand to the right side of the escalator so that younger, more agile people can continue walking up the freaking escalator on the left. If the escalator is only wide enough for one person and you are not an elderly or injured person, walk down the escalator instead of holding everyone else up, you lazy bastard.

Navigating the subway system:

3. When coming to a subway turnstile have your Metrocard out.
If your Metrocard is not out
go off to the side and get it out. If you hold everyone up while searching through your oversized knock-off Coach bag, someone may mug you for your bag simply out of spite. If I catch someone holding up rush-hour commuters fumbling through an oversized over-priced bag, I'll probably be angry enough to mug you for your bag and toss it infront of an oncoming train. So don't do it.

4. When waiting for the train doors to open so that you can enter a train, stand off to the side. Do not stand directly infront of the doors so that passengers who are exiting have to go around you. Move your ass to the side until everyone is off the train, and then you get on. Got that? People get off the train first, you get on the train after. Two steps. Take it one at a time if you have to. This rule is of the utmost importance. People do not like to be pushed through while they are exiting a train. People can get violent. People like me. If you happen to push through me while I'm trying to get off of a train, I will trip you. Blatantly. And then I will point and laugh at you. Other responses to not being allowed off a train because of pushy subway riders include: loud, violent expletive threats, near fistacuffs, and altercations involving the police.

5. While waiting to get on the train, after the other passengers have been allowed off, do not shove past the more courteous people who have been waiting to get on the train. If you shove, you will be violently shoved back and possibly worse. Late commuters can take on a mob quality, so you don't want to be the rude neandrothal who couldn't wait his turn only to have the mob of courteous people take you out. There will be no witnesses on your behalf. Seriously.

6. If you are not elderly, not handicapped, not injured, and not pregnant get up off your ass and offer your seat to anyone who is: elderly, handicapped, injured, or pregnant. If I see one more 20 or 30 something guy sit on his fat khaki ass reading his newspaper while some elderly person or pregnant woman gets tossed around the train, I will let loose a barrage of curses and oaths so vile you would not repeat them infront of your grandmother (who you would also not give your seat to). Young men, if you read this, you should be VERY ashamed.

7. While on the subway, unless the car is nearly empty DO NOT LEAN AGAINST THE CENTER POLE. Other people, yes I know it's hard to think of anyone other than yourself, but other people will need to hold onto that pole. Most people, like myself, do not want to hold onto the center pole and have their fingers crushed by your back. Nevermind crushed, most people do not want to have to touch any part of some random subway rider. So get your ass off the pole and hold on with your hand you self-absorbed freaks.

These are all of the lessons I have to offer for today. As commuters lacking common sense perpetrate other offenses, I'll be sure to update you on the correct and incorrect manner in which to handle such situations.

I stand corrected

I finally heard the NPR broadcast about the clothing industry in Cambodia. It only took me an entire year after the broadcast initially aired, but at least I am now in the know. The short and sweet of it is this: Cambodia's clothing industry is trying to revive the economy and in an effort to garner more textile business, Cambodia has revamped its policies on workers' benefits in the garment industry. Cambodian garment workers receive a mandatory 40 vacation days a year, they have a minimum wage, mothers with small children have mandatory access to their children for breast feeding at all times and garment workers are among the highest paid workers in Cambodia.

Obviously, I was very much incorrect in thinking that purchasing clothes with "Made in Cambodia" on the label would be supporting sweatshop labor. Now that I know this I would definitely encourage people to seek out clothing that was made in Cambodia, since this could help stabilize Cambodia's economy and pave the way for working conditions in other sectors to improve as well. BUY CAMBODIAN! And American, and from any other sweatshop free nation. To the reader DAS, thank you for your earlier comment about encouraging people to buy Cambodian. You obviously didn't miss the NPR broadcast the first time it aired.

One major store that is definitely a supporter of Cambodian textiles is The Gap. So if you happen to be shopping there, keep an eye out for "Made in Cambodia" clothing.

On another note, American Apparel has lots of new dresses available, as well as a few men's pieces added lately. If only Apparel Agents would get a move on putting out some new items, that would be something to shop for!

To all of my three readers, please do leave me a comment if you have any information related to buying sweatshop free. And if you think I'm incorrect in something I've written here, let me know as well. I'd definitely rather do some more research and spread the truth than unknowingly mislead anyone!

Oh so funny hate mail

This is some hate mail that the people at Outspoken Clothing recieved. The hate mail isn't as fabulous as the super gay counterpoint from the Outspoken Clothing people:


From: "ELEKTEK" ELEKTEK@sc.rr.com
Subject: "GAY"
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 11:40:26 -0500

If you are proud of being a homosexual, why then don't you cease and desist from hijacking the word "gay" to describe your deviant lifestyle. Obviously, the definition of the term that really defines you disturbs you. However, I believe that parents should NOT have to explain the different meaning of the word gay to their children who use the words in different songs that do not espouse your definition.

Outspoken Clothing:
This hate mail was like really gay. I felt really gay and did a dance when I read it. Then I donned some gay apparel from this site and said fa la la la la.

Meanings of words change. Just like 2,000 years ago, the word Christian meant someone who followed Christ - you know, someone who fed the hungry and healed the sick, hung out with society's "undesirables", and judged not lest he be judged - and now it means someone who tells the hungry it's their own fault, doesn't care if the sick have health insurance, and condemns people for loving each other. I don't particularly like the new definition of Christian, and I'm not looking forward to explaining to MY future children how people whose leader espoused love can be so hateful.

Middle class doesn't like Congress

It's about f*cking time someone just said that out loud. A good article by Lou Dobbs from CNN.com (I don't know anything about Lou Dobbs, is he just a journalist? That might be a ridiculous question):

(CNN) -- Just weeks before crucial midterm elections, a new poll says nearly three quarters of Americans see Congress as out of touch, much as they did in 1994, the last time the minority party took control of Capitol Hill.

Seventy-four percent of respondents to a new Opinion Research poll say Congress is generally out of touch with average Americans. That's up from 69 percent who agreed with that view in a January poll this year.

In 1994, 75 percent of respondents to a CNN poll also said Congress was out of touch. Voters then proceeded to vote out Democrats in both the House and the Senate, a sweep that hadn't been seen in the House since 1952. (Watch to see if the middle-class American dream is broken -- 1:50)

Recent polls have suggested increased voter interest in this election, as growing unpopularity over the U.S.-led war in Iraq and scandals in Congress have boiled over into the political arena. (Full story)

The GOP's hold on power in Congress is slim. Democrats need only a net gain of 15 seats to retake the House and six to control the Senate. Political watchers say those majorities, especially the one in the House, may be threatened.

According to the poll, 58 percent of respondents said they believe most members of Congress are focused on special interests, and 38 percent said the legislators pay more attention to constituents.
Chasing the American dream

Belief in the so-called "American dream," according to the poll, appears to be split between college graduates and people without college degrees. Sixty percent of respondents who had no college degree said it's impossible for most people to achieve the American dream, while only 38 percent of grads said so.

Nearly half of the 506 people surveyed on that topic said they have just enough money to maintain their standard of living, while 26 percent contended they are falling behind. Less than a quarter, or 23 percent, said they are getting ahead.

More than half, or 54 percent, agreed that the American dream has become impossible for most people to achieve. Forty-five percent disagreed, and the rest had no opinion. Those numbers were roughly the same in results from a poll in January 2003 -- almost two years before President Bush won re-election.
White House and 'big business'

Fifty-five percent of respondents said they are dissatisfied with the current opportunities for the next generation to live better than their parents, and 44 percent said they were satisfied.

Respondents also were asked whether "big business" has too much influence over decisions made by the Bush administration.

Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed in the new Opinion Research poll said they feel big business does have too much influence over the administration's decisions. The poll comes after a congressional lobbying scandal and questions about White House ties to the Halliburton Co., a key U.S. contractor in the Iraq war.

The percentage of people who feel the administration is overly influenced by corporations is up 10 percentage points from a poll conducted in April 2001, a few months after Bush became president.

The newly released poll is based on phone interviews with 1,012 adult Americans. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For the half sample of 506 respondents, the margin of error is plus or or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Woo!

Breaking news - American Apparel's pant line is coming soon! That is correct, according to the website the new unisex "slim slacks" will be available shortly. I will no longer be forced to go out in my American Apparel outfits, which are actually just underwear, and my No Sweat sneakers. I can actually wear sweatshop free pants!

This is cause for celebration. Seriously. Between No Sweat, American Apparel, and Apparel Agents we can all be stylish without wearing clothes made by 9 year olds making 32 cents an hour.

Check out the new pants:

Coming Soon to American Apparel

Bras

I tried to buy a bra a few weeks ago. I have to say I'm a fairly simple person, I just want a nude colored bra that isn't made in a sweatshop. There are no other specific criteria. I went to Victoria's Secret, because I have a few bras that I bought there in the past and I was satisfied with them. I've gone to other stores and walked into a fitting room with no less than 15 bras, and not a single one was satisfactory.

I went to Victoria's Secret at Newport Mall and picked out pretty much every bra that came in nude without padding. I took my time browsing, figuring that if I'm going to pay almost $50 for a bra, I'm going to make sure it's a good one. So I get maybe 12 bras, flag down a black suited sales person and walk into a fitting room. Instantly, I realize that I didn't look at the tags on any of the bras. I forgot to check where each bra was made.

So I sigh, realizing that of course, most of these are probably made in some third world country that was devastated by war and is now being devastated by neo-liberalism. I look at the tags, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Macao, Cambodia...you know, hotbeds of Democracy and workers' rights. So...I spent over an hour sorting through and choosing bras, only to have to retrace my steps and put all of the bras back. I went home empty handed. And so now, I still need a bra. American Apparel and a few other places make and sell sweatshop free bras, but they never have underwire. I can't swing underwire free. If anyone reads this and know of someone selling sweatshop free bras, with underwire, I'd appreciate a heads up.

Another problem, jeans. I can't get a frigging pair of decent looking jeans sweatshop free. Sweatshop free companies tend to sell overalls and lumberjack looking jeans. Not my style. American Apparel is supposed to come out with a denim line. Hopefully, sometime in the near future. For now I'll be trolling the aisles of my local Salvation Army looking for old Levi's.

Sweat Shops

I've been wondering a lot about sweatshops, and why it is that so many people don't mind buying products made in sweatshops. After a bit of pondering I realized it is probably because most people don't know about, hear about, read about anything related to sweatshops in their daily lives. I mean why would you? We live in capitalist america where the main reason that most companies exist is to sell people crap, and a lot of that crap is stuff we don't need. So, it's safe to say that most big businesses don't want the public to hear about sweat shops.

I decided that I should write a little bit about sweat shops so that the 16 people who do read my blog will be a tiny bit more informed and maybe even take a look at the "Made in ..." tag on the products they buy.

Reasons not to buy products made in sweat shops:

1. The countries that use sweatshop labor are the countries that american jobs are being outsourced to. Why would some corporation pay you or me minimum wage, as lousy as it is, when they can pay some little kid in Cambodia or Mexico 30 cents a day? There go all of our manufacturing and production jobs.

2. If you care at all about humanity, you don't want to support slave wages, 12 hour days, and child labor. When you stop buying a product that you normally buy because you find out it is made in a sweatshop, write an email to the company's customer service address. These corporations need to know why their sales numbers are dropping. If they don't know you're pissed off about sweat shop labor they aren't going to do anything about it. Here's a tip, draft one letter and save it. You can emal it to companies and just change the name of the company each time you send it out.

3. This reason should strike a chord with all of you penny pinchers out there: If the shirt you buy at Banana Republic or the sneakers you buy from Nike cost you $150 and the company is only paying their workers sweatshop wages, who the hell is keeping all of your money?! That's right, some rich fat white guy who owns a lot of stock. Don't give that guy your money! When you buy sweatshop free at least you know the person who made your product isn't young enough to be in daycare and can afford to eat dinner.

So those are my top 3 reasons for deciding not to buy any more products made in sweatshops. Buying sweatshop free is not easy, I can testify to that. It takes a lot more searching to find the clothes, shoes, and products you want and need that are made in sweatshop free countries. Once you start looking at the tags on everything from tshirts to coffee mugs you'll realize just how widespread sweatshop production has become.

I tried to buy an outfit for my little sister's birthday, and hadn't planned enough time to spend trying to find children's clothes made in the U.S. or some other first world country. Gymboree, Baby Gap, The Children's Place, none of these stores had anything made sweatshop free. Everything was made in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Sri Lanka. Yeah, I've heard GREAT things about human rights in Sri Lanka! Buy the end of my shopping day I switched to childrens' books and was deeply saddened by how many chidlrens' products are made in sweatshops. Think of the irony, some little kid my sister's age probably made the clothes she wears.

Look in your closet at the tags on your clothes. How many items are made in the U.S., England, France, Canada...probably not many.

Here are some links to websites and stores that sell sweatshop free products:

http://www.theapparelagent.com/ (This one is by far my favorite)

www.americanapparel.net

http://www.outspokenclothing.com/catalog.php

http://www.fairindigo.com/?gclid=CO3Vr-i29IYCFQhfUAodp0Y4Zw

http://www.nosweatstuff.com.au/

http://www.nosweatapparel.com/

http://www.newdream.org/consumer/clothing.php

http://www.justiceclothing.com/thereis/justice/

Change of pace

Okay, so I am obviously not that interested in using this blog as a travelogue as I had originally planned. And using it as some sort of public journal is out of the question. So I think that I need to use this as my outlet for commenting on the current world events. My poor friends and family are rightfully frightened by my heated and often loud voicing of my opinions in this arena. Since I feel so strongly about current events, perhaps I'll post more regularly now. Perhaps.

Later tonight I will draft my first new posting.

Until then.

Israel

The body of what MUST be a Hezbollah terrorist. Because that's who Israel is after, right?