Parking In The City

Graduation is only 40 days away and I can't wait...I mean if any senior says they aren't counting they are lying. Don't get me wrong I've loved my time at Temple University but as a commuter if there is one thing that I will not miss it is parking! I could take the PATCO from New Jersey but then I'd have to transfer to the subway and that is another hassle in itself.

Parking anywhere in the city is horrendous and is something that I will never understand. I have gone into the city to do an interview for a journalism assignment and spent more time trying to find a parking spot, even meter parking, than completing the entire interview. 

But the worst part is there are the people who are also parking their cars that make this experience even more dreadful. 

Space Saver
If your car leaves the spot it no longer belongs to you. I mean I get that for your life it makes it easier to come home from work tohave a spot near your house. But dammit if I have to park 6 blocks from school one more time because there are orange cones, lawn chairs, and trash cans lining the street I'm gonna explode. 

The person who doesn't pull up enough
I've found reasonable parking just a few blocks off campus near Temple's Suburban station only because I take 8am classes. But there could honestly be at least ten more cars on each side of the street if people knew how to park. If you can fit half a car in front of you and half a car behind well then you are doing it wrong. Like just please for the love of all that is good pull up, your precious car will not get hurt. 

Get out of your car
I am neurotic about being late for class so I always arrive to campus earlier than I need to. Sometimes I sit in my car and other times I don't. But, I always turn my car off so that any other cars trying to grab a prime spot know that I'm not leaving. Honestly, I have pulled up so many cars with people just sitting there. Minutes have gone by and the driver still hasn't moved or given me any indication they aren't leaving. Please just let me know you aren't going anywhere and I will gladly find another spot. Don't ignore the fact that I want to park there !

I know at this point a lot of you are saying just buy a parking pass. Well honestly, I'd rather not spend another $500 a semester to park. I mean I love the school but it isn't cheap to park on Temple's Campus or anywhere is the city for that matter. Also, my rant is now over and like I said I only have 40 more days left ! Then I will refuse to ever drive into the city ever again. Except for sporting events, and concerts, and shopping. Oh who am I kidding this vicious parking cycle will never end !

Throwback Thursday I DIY Halloween Costumes

Making Halloween costumes is something that I love to do ! My mom and Aunt Mary used to make our costumes every year. My sister Rachel and my cousin Kelly were Minnie and Mickey before I was born. Then Rachel and I were Peter Pan and TinkerBell one year. I don't remember because I was an infant but they entered us in a contest and we won !

Two years ago my cousin Jenna and I dressed up as a good minion and bad minion from Despicable Me. Besides the aluminum foil goggles the costume was super comfortable and everyone loved it !

In 2010, we visited Jenna at college in D.C. Kate and I made Four Loko costumes. Obviously at the height of the craze there were other groups of girls who had the same idea. I don't have pictures but let's just say we definitely beat them in a costume contest. Dying the sheet, cutting the letters, and adding the embellsihments was super easy. The hardest part about this costume was sizing the sheet so that it lined up right going around our bodies. When we got that right we used velcro to attach the two sides which worked really well !

Anyway you put it I love Halloween. Mostly because it is in my birthday month, my favorite season, I get to do a fun DIY and it gives an excuse to watch my favorite movie Hocus Pocus (who am I kidding that movie is saved on my DVR and I'll watch it whether it's Halloween or not). 

Hope you enjoyed Throwback Thursday. Let me know what some of your favorite homemade costumes were.

Tabloid Tuesday I Protecting Celebrity's Children

Celebrities whether they like it or not open their lives up to the public eye when they become famous. However, that is not to say that their children should also face the same publicity. No child, even if their parents are famous should be followed by paparazzi, have flashing lights in their face, or pictures of them sold for money.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard created the “No Child Policy” that campaigns to stop news outlets from sharing, buying, or posting pictures of celebrities' kids without permission. Many celebrities are campaigning alongside Bell and Shepard to stop media outlets from using these photos.

Dan Shepard and Kristen Bell

Effective in January of 2014, stricter penalties were put in place in California for paparazzi. But, this has no stopped them from hounding celebrity's children. State senator Kevin de Leon assures that they will work to protect every child from harassment no matter who their parents are.

Some media outlets such as Entertainment Tonight and Us Weekly have agreed with Bell’s terms and signed her policy. These companies say they now just have the extra step of getting the parent’s permission.

Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lawrence both refused interviews with Weekly magazines Life & Style, OK! and In Touch, and websites such as TMZ because the media outlets have not signed Bell’s policy. These sources continue to publish pictures of celebrities kids without consent and also refuse to comment on the matter.

In a world where social media and a strong online presence have caused children to be bullied and scrutinized posting a childs image without consent is completely wrong. Placing a child in the public eye because of their parent’s career choices is no excuse to expose their lives to the public.

Bell has said that while she loves her career she loves motherhood more and if something doesn’t change she wouldn’t hesitate to quit acting. Although the “No Child Policy” has garnered support from celebrities with children and even those without Bell has said more needs to be done.

Michelle Williams, most well know as Jen on Dawson’s Creek, thanked Bell for improving the situation.

In an Elle UK interview Williams says "Every month I send her a gushy, ‘You don’t know what you’ve done’ note." She continues, "Now my daughter and other kids aren’t scared to walk down the street anymore. It’s like a miracle."

Yet, there is still more to be done as paparazzi continue to photograph celebrity’s children. Last week Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mother, got into a verbal battle with paparazzi as they surrounded her granddaughter Blue Ivy with cameras.

Like Blue Ivy, there is a certain amount of “fame” that surrounds Suri Cruise because of her parents being famous actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Since birth, cameras have chased Suri and media outlets have posted those images without permission.

In Bell’s opinion, "Suri Cruise is not fictional. She's a real little girl... and it's just not fair.”

The bottom line with this issue is that these children have the same innocence as those who are not born to celebrities. They deserve the same privacy that every child does and should not be exposed through magazines and online sources because their parents are famous. While more celebrities are joining the cause action needs to be taken to stop these paparazzi from invading the lives of children. Legislation needs to be improved in California and that can only be done if this issue gains awareness. 

Tabloid Tuesday I Defending Meghan Trainor

I've come across more than a few articles recently that said Meghan Trainor, most famously known for her song “All About That Bass”, was a bad role model for teenage girls. 
This assumption comes from judgment passed about other tracks on her debut album. Her songs “Dear Future Husband” and “Title” are the songs in question. However, these catchy tunes are nothing to get in a tizzy about.

In “Dear Future Husband”, Trainor sings

"Take me on a date

I deserve it, babe
And don't forget the flowers every anniversary
'Cause if you'll treat me right
I'll be the perfect wife
Buying groceries
Buy-buying what you need"

Feminists across the nation have been "hating" on the pop diva for this simple verse as well as others from her track "Title". 

Slate.com has gone on record saying while Trainor hopes to empower women with her song to make a man commit to a relationship her lyrics make her a bad example for young girls. 

Slate writes "“You gotta show me off,” she tells her would-be boyfriend in the song’s rap interlude.“You gotta treat me like a trophy./ Put me on the shelf.” Trainor is asking, quite explicitly, to be objectified, as if she were nothing more than a prize. And once again she is sending the message that a woman’s worth is defined by men"

In my opinion I feel as though her lyrics are being overly read into. Through her lyrics Trainor could also simply be expressing that she wants her boyfriend to treat her like a trophy in the sense that we are proud of our trophies and we don't mistreat them. Therefore, for a boyfriend and or a girlfriend treating their significant other like a trophy is not necessarily objectifying them. I agree that the term "trophy wife" has negative connotation but maybe listeners are missing the mark and Trainor's song should be heard as a satire. 

Her main goal is not centered around her status of being his girlfriend just because she needs the "title". She wants to be with this boy and although she uses somewhat misguided attempts to attain this I think what people really need to remember is this is just a pop song. 

If Meghan Trainor was writing a book on how to get a boyfriend or traveling to high school's giving presentations then maybe I could find some judgement of her words. Her song is meant to entertain and would the masses really enjoy it if she kept it PC?

For me I think it is way more enjoyable to hear the Nantucket native belt out lines like this in "Dear Future Husband"...

"I'll be sleeping on the left side of the bed (hey)

Open doors for me and you might get some kisses
Don't have a dirty mind
Just be a classy guy
Buy me a ring
Buy-buy me a ring, (babe)". 

This verse genuinely makes me laugh and when I hear it I don't automatically think that she 1. Is telling her Future Husband he can't think about sex cause she is the one who clearly alluded to it. I mean her words are playful and 2. It is not setting any of us back to the stone-age to think that when you are marrying someone they are going to buy you a ring. 

Is it just me or are Trainor's critics being to harsh of her word choice? 

With artists today who parade on stage in nothing more than bikini tops and rappers who use profanity ever other word I think we could find fault in most performers style. So, when I hear a Meghan Trainor song my first thought is to sing along, not to get offended that she is insulting females everywhere. 

I know when a person achieves celebrity status they automatically become a role model but in my honest opinion if I had to choose I don't think Meghan Trainor is a bad one. 

Her songs shed light on body image and standing up for yourself all with a retro pop feel. Some of her lyrics may be in question but hey we all learned from Hannah Montana that "Nobody's Perfect". 

Give her songs a listen and let me know how you feel in the comment section below:

                                         

ThrowBack Thursday I The Baby Years

I found these pictures recently when I was cleaning my room. They were in this amazing photo album that my Aunt Jo made for me. Although there were tons of pictures in there of just me I wanted to use these two because they have my beautiful mother Lynda in them. (If you don't know me, right about now your questioning how this chubby brown eyed babe came from that blonde beauty. But, I did!) We may not look alike but I am a lot like her and I wouldn't want it any other way. In this picture I am about one and even now at 23 I am still learning constantly from her. She has the biggest heart and would do anything for not only my sister and I but anyone who comes into her life. She manages to have an impact on the lives of all the people she meets. (Just ask the 100 kids she has babysat over the years!) I hope one day to be even half the mother she is. So, now that I am done being all sappy, enjoy these chubby baby Allie photos as your Throwback Thursday !