*Warning: The following post could be considered by some to be a little TMI. Be Brave :)
This past week I helped a friend of mine move from PA to Florida and we had a wonderfully adventurous time despite the long hours in the car and the lack of quality coffee. However, along the way I discovered a problem that I often have in not so public, public places... AKA a public women's bathroom. With a over 20 hour road trip, god knows we spent plenty of time in the communal pottys of several states and it has prompted me to write an open letter to the women of the world (one that, for me, has been a long time coming!).
Dear Women of the World,
I understand your desire and instinct to "squat it out" when using a public restroom. It is indeed quite gross to think about what others might have done in there before you. However, if you choose to refuse contact with with seat and are comfortable enough with your balance to squat it out, please wipe whatever you leave behind off the the seat before you leave. Some of us are forced to put down toilet paper for protection and sit where you were so kind of leave your golden shower. I know when in a place as gross as a public potty it's hard to keep other people in mind because it feels like survival of the fittest, but I promise that with some soap and maybe even purell, you too will be as good as new, even if you had to touch the seat.
Love,
Bridget, and I'm assuming gimpy girls everywhere.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sewing through the pain
Today is not a good day; I'm not going to lie to those of your out there in internet land. Chemo and Keanu* and I are not friends today. The last few days the chemo was giving me belly issues and then this morning at work i was smacked in the face with a killer headache. Luckily I came home early and after lots of advil, caffeine, and law and order svu, the headache decided to vacate the premises.
So i decided to return to my crafts and keep relaxing, but no the thigh tumor has decided it's time to play the shooting pain game. I can only blame the tumor so much because I refuse to take the intense pain killers they prescribe me because that's really not my scene. The last thing I need after 10 years of cancer treatment is to become dependent on pain killers that they hand out to kids like me like the ice cream man hands out choco tacos.
I didn't mean for this to become a ranting post. I'm just irritated at the situation and found it funny that the way I get through it, is "sewing through the pain". Usually this involves some sort of loud music (tonight's selections are old school Incubus and Gogol Bordello) and just sewing away like a robot. It may not make sense to some of you out there but in front of my machine is the one place that makes life slow down. It can take me out of myself for just long enough to focus on the small project in front of me and not the huge one that is my health. I know there are so many other crafters out there who would totally understand that statement... what does it for you guys? How do you fight through the irritations of life?
*For those not in the know, Keanu is the name of the tumor in my thigh... he's a punk.
So i decided to return to my crafts and keep relaxing, but no the thigh tumor has decided it's time to play the shooting pain game. I can only blame the tumor so much because I refuse to take the intense pain killers they prescribe me because that's really not my scene. The last thing I need after 10 years of cancer treatment is to become dependent on pain killers that they hand out to kids like me like the ice cream man hands out choco tacos.
I didn't mean for this to become a ranting post. I'm just irritated at the situation and found it funny that the way I get through it, is "sewing through the pain". Usually this involves some sort of loud music (tonight's selections are old school Incubus and Gogol Bordello) and just sewing away like a robot. It may not make sense to some of you out there but in front of my machine is the one place that makes life slow down. It can take me out of myself for just long enough to focus on the small project in front of me and not the huge one that is my health. I know there are so many other crafters out there who would totally understand that statement... what does it for you guys? How do you fight through the irritations of life?
*For those not in the know, Keanu is the name of the tumor in my thigh... he's a punk.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wise words
Sometimes I Forget that my friend Jen and I are the same age. She is one of the wisest souls that I know and I am so lucky to have come across her in my life. It's the old tale of adjoining handicapped parking spaces our freshman year of college and a god awful professor to hate... and the rest is history.
She and I have been working on a project with Villanova university about invisible illness and body image for the last few weeks and it has been an absolute delight to get to spend so much time chatting with her. She has been a real live health activist for quite some time now and you can't help but be inspired to get involved when she is around. There is something about her that pulls out the activist in all of us and it is one of the reasons I love her dearly. Today while chatting with her she came out with this little quote below and I felt like it was something I would have heard in school when recognizing someone who was badass enough to deserve their own bank holiday. She said, "Don't quantify activism. Activism is measured in reach, not volume, and not even intent." and I was immediately moved! She is completely right and I plan to use that as my new motto when it comes to the health activist side of me. I am not just a girl playing artist and activist anymore in her room, but I am a woman out there living it and doing it; sometimes I just need a little reminder :)
She and I have been working on a project with Villanova university about invisible illness and body image for the last few weeks and it has been an absolute delight to get to spend so much time chatting with her. She has been a real live health activist for quite some time now and you can't help but be inspired to get involved when she is around. There is something about her that pulls out the activist in all of us and it is one of the reasons I love her dearly. Today while chatting with her she came out with this little quote below and I felt like it was something I would have heard in school when recognizing someone who was badass enough to deserve their own bank holiday. She said, "Don't quantify activism. Activism is measured in reach, not volume, and not even intent." and I was immediately moved! She is completely right and I plan to use that as my new motto when it comes to the health activist side of me. I am not just a girl playing artist and activist anymore in her room, but I am a woman out there living it and doing it; sometimes I just need a little reminder :)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sick Buddies
This past week I had coffee with my ex boyfriend (who from now on will affectionately be called J) just to catch up on life and see how things are going. It had been about a month and a half since we had last gotten together and although we are doing pretty well at the whole being friends thing, it is still a bit of a struggle at times. The last time we saw one another I told him that he looked obscenely thin and that he should go see a doctor. J has crohns disease that was diagnosed during his teen years, but over the last few years he has been in a bit of a medical rebellion just like me. It turns out I was right because a month after we last saw each other he found himself in the ER with a fever and kidneys that weren't functioning properly and to be honest he is lucky to be alive. Not only does he have crohns but he also has the common male problem of refusing to go to the doctor, especially when it's recommended by the women in his life haha. But all jokes aside, it is weird how life has a tendency to work out. One of the reasons he and I bonded so well was that we both knew what it was like to miss out on a huge chunk of your formative years because of an illness. He understood something in me that is just so hard to explain to someone who has never been sick, and we rekindled that part of our friendship this past week. We know that we should never date because there are parts of us that are just too vastly different, but we have instead decided to be "sick buddies".
We are both facing some rather intense treatments in the near future (I've given up on my medical protest which I promise to post about later) and have decided that it is better to be 2 sickies watching a movie together than alone and sad. The agreement goes as such, if one of us is having a really horrible day and feels too crappy to go out but is rather lonesome and the other one is up for the journey, than the person having a decent day will be lazy and ill with the one who feels like hell. It sounds like the most basic idea, but it's sometimes hard as the person who is sick to ask vital and healthy friends to slow down just for you. It's almost embarrassing, so this way we each know we have a backup plan. I guess being sick is a lot like learning to swim... its scary but it works better with the buddy system :)
We are both facing some rather intense treatments in the near future (I've given up on my medical protest which I promise to post about later) and have decided that it is better to be 2 sickies watching a movie together than alone and sad. The agreement goes as such, if one of us is having a really horrible day and feels too crappy to go out but is rather lonesome and the other one is up for the journey, than the person having a decent day will be lazy and ill with the one who feels like hell. It sounds like the most basic idea, but it's sometimes hard as the person who is sick to ask vital and healthy friends to slow down just for you. It's almost embarrassing, so this way we each know we have a backup plan. I guess being sick is a lot like learning to swim... its scary but it works better with the buddy system :)
Thursday, December 30, 2010
New years revolution!
I have never been the type to even try when it comes to new years resolutions. Every year my mother makes one to loose weight and to be honest, that is what I thought "new years resolution" meant for a long time. It was just a fancy name for a diet that everyone started after the holidays. I personally don't believe in the term "diet" when it goes with other words like Atkins or south beach. To me it's all bullshit about starving yourself and making your life uncomfortable to look better on the beach. I prefer to live by the eat reasonably healthy motto instead of starving myself for 3 months at a time.
Well to jump on my friend Jen's bandwagon, I have decided to make some new years resolutions that I could not only see myself keeping, but that I would want to accomplish. I'm often coming up with a list of goals for the season (I still have my list of 10 goals from the summer hanging on the back of my door), so a list for the whole year is really not that different.
So without further ado here are a few of the things I hope to accomplish this year.
1) Become a better business woman
I have started this business without really any knowledge of how it should be done. I have never been a business minded person and the hippie in me just want to give everything away because I love making people happy. However, I have come to realize that if I want to make this work so that I can even remotely support myself with my art, than I will have to gain some semblance of a business mind. I am in no way expecting miracles from myself, but just some basic steps in the right direction and some additional knowledge on the subject as a whole.
2) Used more recycled materials for the craft biz.
Recently I have started making these little wristlet bags from recycled neck ties that I usually find at goodwill. Normally, they are far too girlie for any man to ever wear and I can't bare to have them go to waste so I came up with a solution. They have become one of my favorite things to make because it's a bit of a challenge but is still something beautiful and completely one of a kind.
3) Take charge of my health
I've really been avoiding my cancer patient status for quite some time now. I know what the consequences will be and I have made the choice to live with them, but I think it's time to go back to the doctor and face the music. To tell him that I want to avoid chemo unless it's becoming a dire situation, because after 10 years of this off and on I have hit a wall with my treatment. I want to try and find a balance in what is best for my body, as well as my sanity and my soul.
4) Buy better and less
I need to get over my love of things that cost $5 because it's really not logical anymore. In college, buying that hilarious graphic tee at 5 below totally makes sense because you can wear all the time, but I am finding myself at a new place in life that calls for quality. I'm finding that I need my clothes to hold up longer and to be functional for so many occasions. I have found a great balance in my professional life, where on most days I go to the office feeling like myself. I have always been the type to express my personality through my clothes and I find that when I put some creativity into my outfit choice, it sets a creative mood for the day. I've decided that it's time to give up the constant search for the $5 purchase because it makes so much more sense to just shop less and spend a little bit more on the items that you need. As I write this the bargain hunter in me is screaming "But I love the $5 purchase!!!". I'm not saying that I won't be making any, but only if I come across them out of sheer luck. It's better to save up and buy that warm coat that will last several winters as apposed to the cheap one that will barely last the week.
I hope to start a life revolution this year and make the best of every second that my existence has to offer. I hope 2011 brings the rest of the world a fantastic, magical, whimsical, and all around happy new year! Lovelovelove
Well to jump on my friend Jen's bandwagon, I have decided to make some new years resolutions that I could not only see myself keeping, but that I would want to accomplish. I'm often coming up with a list of goals for the season (I still have my list of 10 goals from the summer hanging on the back of my door), so a list for the whole year is really not that different.
So without further ado here are a few of the things I hope to accomplish this year.
1) Become a better business woman
I have started this business without really any knowledge of how it should be done. I have never been a business minded person and the hippie in me just want to give everything away because I love making people happy. However, I have come to realize that if I want to make this work so that I can even remotely support myself with my art, than I will have to gain some semblance of a business mind. I am in no way expecting miracles from myself, but just some basic steps in the right direction and some additional knowledge on the subject as a whole.
2) Used more recycled materials for the craft biz.
Recently I have started making these little wristlet bags from recycled neck ties that I usually find at goodwill. Normally, they are far too girlie for any man to ever wear and I can't bare to have them go to waste so I came up with a solution. They have become one of my favorite things to make because it's a bit of a challenge but is still something beautiful and completely one of a kind.
3) Take charge of my health
I've really been avoiding my cancer patient status for quite some time now. I know what the consequences will be and I have made the choice to live with them, but I think it's time to go back to the doctor and face the music. To tell him that I want to avoid chemo unless it's becoming a dire situation, because after 10 years of this off and on I have hit a wall with my treatment. I want to try and find a balance in what is best for my body, as well as my sanity and my soul.
4) Buy better and less
I need to get over my love of things that cost $5 because it's really not logical anymore. In college, buying that hilarious graphic tee at 5 below totally makes sense because you can wear all the time, but I am finding myself at a new place in life that calls for quality. I'm finding that I need my clothes to hold up longer and to be functional for so many occasions. I have found a great balance in my professional life, where on most days I go to the office feeling like myself. I have always been the type to express my personality through my clothes and I find that when I put some creativity into my outfit choice, it sets a creative mood for the day. I've decided that it's time to give up the constant search for the $5 purchase because it makes so much more sense to just shop less and spend a little bit more on the items that you need. As I write this the bargain hunter in me is screaming "But I love the $5 purchase!!!". I'm not saying that I won't be making any, but only if I come across them out of sheer luck. It's better to save up and buy that warm coat that will last several winters as apposed to the cheap one that will barely last the week.
I hope to start a life revolution this year and make the best of every second that my existence has to offer. I hope 2011 brings the rest of the world a fantastic, magical, whimsical, and all around happy new year! Lovelovelove
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Oh blog world it has been far too long! Life has been crazy, but in the best way possible. I am starting my own ETSY business and that has been taking up a lot of my spare time. I am so excited because it's something I have wanted to do forever and ever. It's given me an amazing excuse to have some hilarious and memorable hangout times with my friends while having them model the goods.
Cait modeling a scarf for the original shop banner
The last few months have been so good to me and I am constantly grateful for the amazing things that continue to happen. Lets briefly catch you up...
-My best friend Christy got married! There was an amazing celebration and ceremony at her parent's farm as well as a gorgeous Hindu ceremony in new york.
-I found a way to balance being happy with my "day job" and my artistic job!
- I went on a date that involved a personal banjo serenade (the only way to date really)
-I've created some of my best work artistically and I am finally going to get to share it with the world.
I hope life is treating the rest of you equally well!
Lovelovelove
Cait modeling a scarf for the original shop banner
-My best friend Christy got married! There was an amazing celebration and ceremony at her parent's farm as well as a gorgeous Hindu ceremony in new york.
-I found a way to balance being happy with my "day job" and my artistic job!
- I went on a date that involved a personal banjo serenade (the only way to date really)
-I've created some of my best work artistically and I am finally going to get to share it with the world.
I hope life is treating the rest of you equally well!
Lovelovelove
Thursday, September 9, 2010
September Wedding.
So last summer sometime, my college roommate Cait and I jokingly decided that we should just get married and out of this decision came the idea for the September wedding. Basically what this meant was that for the last year we referenced it as an inside joke that slowly everyone in our little Villanova group started to pick their roles and express their excitement for said September wedding. Well this past weekend we took the fake plunge and had ourselves a fake wedding.
It was really just a reason for some us all to get together and be silly. Everyone picked a wedding role to fill and we had a silly 10 minute ceremony full of sexual innuendos and best friend jokes.
(Our 'flower girl' in the midst of throwing her bag of rose petals everywhere)
Cait and I had an excuse to wear amazing dresses that really aren't acceptable in public. Mine was an old "punk rock prom dress" that I bought in high school and hers was this amazing 70's bridesmaids dress that we bought at a vintage shop.
(Yay Married!)
Cait ended up baring a striking resemblance to Jenny from Forrest Gump and I'm not entirely sure how I would classify my look... maybe high school Bridget. Our friend Kristen was our master of ceremonies (hence the super badass superman t-shirt) and came up with the most hilarious ways to tie Cait and I together for life. Her references to the princess bride and glorious pop songs spanning several decades were truly the work of a comedy genius. After our little ceremony we all we back inside and sat around talking, drinking and playing silly games.
(This is what happens when you give Joe and I booze and a camera)
It was really just a reason for some us all to get together and be silly. Everyone picked a wedding role to fill and we had a silly 10 minute ceremony full of sexual innuendos and best friend jokes.
(Our 'flower girl' in the midst of throwing her bag of rose petals everywhere)
(Yay Married!)
(This is what happens when you give Joe and I booze and a camera)It was a marvelous time and was exactly what I needed in my life!
Lovelovelove!
Lovelovelove!
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