Stuff I bought that I love: Hillary Clinton Tee

Thank you for this gem, Print Liberation. This t-shirt is perfect for my low-key, domestic life. The perfect shirt to cover my fiery little Hillary-loving heart.


I heard Al Gore speak the other night at the Clinton Library. He started out super-boring but got riled up and took us to what I'm describing as Climate Change Church. I loved one of his ideas for how we can help the environment is by educating girls all over the world. Education equals empowerment and if they had access and knowledge about their fertility control, the world's population could level off. (and individual female's economic opportunities expand and contribute to the global economy, but that's a bigger story.)

Educating girls all around the world is the same thing Hillary has been championing since she was First Lady speaking about Women's rights are human rights and working with Madeline Albright to bring womens issues to the forefront of US Foreign Policy.

When I hear about Hillary running in 2016 I see her flying through the air like Michael Jordan in a 180 dunk. I am a fan of celebrations and anticipation and I'm thankful I'm going to get years out of this biggie.

Con Ed 4-Ever

I'm back in school. I'm just taking one class. It's a freaking Biology class! I have a degree in fine art and design, so it's a slightly different language. The class is a precursor to a very special trip I'm going on this summer with my teacher and classmates.

I had this teacher in under-grad about twelve years ago. I love him. He has a black-belt in Power Point and he explains things in a lovely way.

I did so bad on this quiz tonight. I'm just not used to studying these types of materials and then being asked scientific questions in sentence form.

I think it's fine, because no one thinks I'm a hardcore Biology student, I'm just being educated about our trip.

We're going to Peru to see Machu Picchu and then we go to Ecuador and visit the Galapagos. And snorkel with the sea lions. And hug and kiss them maybe.

I'm happy that a wet-suit or spring suit is on my school supply list. And binoculars.

But I have to drive (a car, not a bicycle) kind-of far for my class.

My Grandmother lives half-way between my home and my class, so on the way, I stop and hang out with her.

For my drive, I fix my iPod up with new Podcasts and Playlists. I'm adamantly No Phone Zone when driving.  This podcast of Alec Baldwin interviewing Lena Dunham was great, and covered one leg of my journey.

Today we were watching Hillary. My grandma was so pissed that some of the men were disrespecting her. My Grandma was fingering the costume jewelry she was wearing and using a pick on her hair in a feisty way. I loved how pissed she was. She's 89.

This past weekend, Me and Bonnie went to this Rally for Reproductive Rights (pro-choice rally) and it made me miss my volunteering at Planned Parenthood so much. I miss being confident and pleasant to the patients who are coming in for a variety of things, totally not-necessarily abortions, while the pro-lifers are all bent out of shape.

Here's Bonnie having fellowship with a friendly feminist.

Jocelyn Elders spoke at the rally and said clever things like "The vows of abstinence break far more easily than latex condoms."

It's really special living in Little Rock, I think. I love having the Bill Clinton Library as a part of my life and I love that these former people from his administration are a part of the community. 

How I spend my days

I need to tell the curious internets what I'm doing with my life in Arkansas. 

Dear Internet, 

I've been spending my time volunteering at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center/Library. I love it. I love the people, I love the subject matter. I'm very happy to be there. I was asked to be a docent (tour guide) so I had to study like I haven't studied since I had to take actual final exams in college (over ten years ago!) My husband has never seen me study like this. I'm very proud to be a docent and learn everything I possibly can about this institution. 

I've split my time giving tours, volunteering on lectures and events and recently I worked on a naturalization ceremony. It was very special and moving and made me cry several times, it was so precious. 

147 people from 38 different nations became citizens. It was moving and precious and I'm so honored to have been in that room. Most were dressed up and brought their entire families or handfulls of friends. 

It was a lot like a graduation ceremony, except it's a legal proceeding facilitated by a judge. 

They stepped to the microphone and announced their name, country of origin, and some gave excited charges or simple a "God bless the USA!" which were all greeted with rousing applause. They shook the judge and the mayor's hands and received a certificate and other American paraphernalia. There was a little reception outside with refreshments for them at the end. 

I give tours and volunteer on lectures and events like this one. I'm getting an amazing American history education and the other volunteers and employees are so wonderful. Most are adorable and funny too. I've even spent some time "off-campus" with a favorite lady. 

There is a dress code. Scarves are involved. I've been researching how to tie a scarf tutorials.

But that's how I'm spending my days here in Little Rock. I've been back living here for about three months and in month two, I got myself back to the point where I keep my schedule full.  Reaching the full google calendar schedule status was a happy day. 

Women in the World Summit Re-cap

Gosh, my weekends are huge lately. I wanted to sit down and be more organized in writing about attending the Women in the World conference last weekend, but this weekend is going to be as big and fun in a totally different way. So I need to go ahead and write this down.

These are my thoughts and memories on the Women in the World Conference from last Saturday. I only went to the Saturday session. I made the faster-than-snap judgement decision to buy a ticket when they announced the final special guest was Hillary. Hillary my love, Hillary my leader. Snap, click, ticket in hand (inbox.)

I packed some magazines but never pulled one out because this thing ran seamlessly without interruption. They would simply dim the lights and the next panel or speakers would appear instantly. That was great. So many awesome panels packed into a morning. Just as I was digesting one panel the next one was in full-swing.

There were so many amazing stories at every turn. In the security line before the thing the girl behind me was talking about the non-profit she manages and told this story:
Some medical clinics in villages in Africa do not have electricity, so sometimes in the dark of night, the midwife or care-giver holds their cellphone in their mouth to create light to sew up an episiotomy after a baby has been born.

Oh my god, we are such American spoiled brats. OK, so now my mind is in the right place: Bleeding liberal, like cartoon tears bleeding out of my bloody liberal heart.

It was open seating and I got in there about 9:30, so I was late, but my seat was good so I vowed to not get up. I did not want anything to prevent me from having a good seat for Meryl Streep & Hillary.

My notes are in a notebook at home and they’re wild but here are memories:
-The President of Kosovo is a young woman. Kosovo. She’s a classy badass with a police background. She makes so many American politicians look like total d-bags.

-The Digital Lives of Girls Panel could be a report in itself, but it thrilled me to see teenage women not only identify as feminists, but start blogs and network and share The Struggle.
Chelsea Clinton moderated this panel. The girls were overwhelmingly optimistic and hopeful about everything, and they didn’t feel like the internet is a danger zone because for every bad thing on the internet, there is a positive canceling it out.

At one point, a guy was on the stage. This was an odd sight after seeing so many powerful, amazing women. This gentleman was a film maker. His film is called 10x10 and one of the 10 in his film is a Nepalese girl who was sold into indentured servitude at 6. She was on the documentary clip being shown on the film screen with subtitles. In the subtitles she’s saying “I wrote a song about my experience” then in the auditorium we are hearing beautiful singing that doesn’t match up with what the girl on the film screen is saying anymore. They cut the film and that actual little girl was standing on the stage in the most beautiful get-up singing her song and I just started crying out through my eyeballs. It was so powerful! She was so tiny and beautiful. I drew her picture. 



That former-slave (indentured servitude is modern-day slavery) girl singing so beautifully and hearing that she’s going to school now brought down the house. Even at that point, if I had not gotten to see Hillary, I would have still be so glad I came to this, because I was so wrung-out with emotion.

Tina Brown really pissed me off with this Princess Diana at 50 Newsweek cover, but this conference is so amazing I forgive her.

Meryl Streep came out in a crazy little jacket but she was going somewhere with that in her speech. I thought it was going to be a discussion between M & H, but M gave a speech, a lengthy introduction of Hillary, then Hillary gave a speech and I’ve been so pleased to find so many articles about what she said. Meryl (and I wish I was better with names) told about how radical women in developing/troubled nations have their photo taken with Hillary when she comes to meet with them and that photo becomes their bullet proof vest.

I remember being a very small girl in Arkansas and my mom telling me about how in the news people were being tough on Hillary for not changing her name from Hillary Rodham to Hillary Clinton. My mom was explaining how she was as established in her career as her husband, and as such an established professional, she shouldn’t have to change it.

Isn’t that such insignificant bullshit to what she’s dealing with today? And isn’t it so amazing how far she’s come? Yes and yes.

Meryl’s speech was a lot about how similar they were - Similar in age, how they both attended public school until they went to distinguished women’s colleges, then grad school at Yale.
Meryl said they took two different paths though, in that she was a cheerleader and Hillary was the student body president. M’s an actress and Hillary is Hillary. She said we shouldn’t scrutinize her hair or her jackets. Women should support each other. She said “We are all Hillary.” And I probably welled-up over that too. I cried a lot at this thing. 



I cried so much. I loved this conference so much. I love teenage girls who write feminist and anti-bullying blogs so much. I love Hillary so much.

No one better bash Hillary in the comments. The ghost of my dead mother will haunt you if you do. We promise.

Highlights on HuffPo.
Hillary urges women not to take any shit.