When I first envisioned my living/work space a few years ago, I wanted colored walls and neutral linens. I almost got what I wanted. My walls are lilac. Some of my accents are nutmeg. There was a plan for sage linens that never materialized.

Fie years of living in this soothing color scheme wears on your activity level after a while, though, so I’ve been thinking about how I’d like to revamp the color scheme. I’m thinking about moving my nutmeg to the walls, and maybe switching the lilac for a rich shade of blue.

Terra_Shore
Color by COLOURlovers

Oddly enough, this was inspired by a towel thrown over a shirt. I’m not sure how I feel about the middle color, but attempts to apply color theory to the initial blue (#1) and brown (#2) made me cringe. I do love the richness of colors, and I think the browns would give this space a warmth it’s been sorely lacking for the past few years.

On a positive note, I got to name two colors: Shallow Waters and Wet Sand. There are so many “discovered” colors on the site that this is actually a bit of an accomplishment.

  • RT @jeffparks: "If you don't want to stand beside our troops, feel free to stand in front of them." #
  • Someone asked to use one of Dead Bunny's videos today. I can't help but feel a little proud (and flattered). #

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This hasn’t been the best week for my creative project. I haven’t even really had time to draw stick figures at work.

Oh, well. I did something tonight, and I shall simply have to get back on the horse next week!

The apple hit the sour registering part of my tongue. All at once, my eyes were watering shut and my cheeks were trying to climb into my eyes. I waited a moment, chewing the apple all the while, and then I took another bite. This one wasn’t quite as dramatic.

Inspired by oneword. (I wouldn’t suggest posting to the site because you never know what’s in the stories right around yours until they show up in a Google alert right beside your name. Lesson learned.)

As I pointed out the other day, for all the ways we girls complain about how hard it is to get anywhere because we’re girls, the guys really don’t have it easier. Sure, there are a lot of ways in which society favors guys, but there are also points where guys can (and sometimes do) cry foul.

For example, if a guy is emotionally sensitive (and isn’t funny that we’d call a guy “emotionally sensitive” while we womenfolk are just “sensitive”?), he gets picked on for being weak. If he’s gentle and compassionate, he’s derisively called “effeminate”. And if he aspires to “women’s work”, then his sexuality gets challenged (and if he’s lucky, that’s all that happens to him).

The guys just don’t have it any easier when their actions and dreams lead them in a path not traditionally considered “masculine”, and they have to fight to prove that what they’re doing, the choices they’re making, don’t make them any less of a man. They’re just trying to be who they want to be.

Sound familiar, girls?

And like us girls, guys are getting bad messages from media, too. It’s the tough, strong guy who gets the pretty girl. Or it’s flawless Prince Charming. One of my favorite examples comes from a Lifehack article showing how boy-targeted action figures have changed since I was playing with Star Wars and G.I.Joe action figures. What? Now in order to save the galaxy, you have to look like He-Man? I don’t think so!

Oh, and being a smart guy? You’d better be smart in just the right way, or you’re a nerd looking to get pushed into a wall of lockers…or the wall of the conference room. Whatever’s handy for the resident tough guy.

So, we women have a fight on our hands getting the right to become the people we want to be…but we’re not alone. A lot of guys are right there with us, fighting for their own right to be who they want to be, too.

It’s something to think about…

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The Challenge: Do one thing today to support a cause or issue you really care about.

Sketching for a Cause

(For clarification, this is not the actual logo, just a thought on how I would have approached it.)

Locks of Love is an organization that accepts donations of hair and turns them into hairpieces for children who for medical reasons don’t have their own hair. It’s meant to help boost the child’s self-esteem and bolster their spirits during a rough time in their life.

It’s easy to help out. If you’re cutting off ten or more inches, you can have it cut off in a ponytail or braid and then send it in. There are more specific guidelines here, and many salons offer a free cut if you’re donating to Locks of Love. Some will even send in the hair for you after you fill out the paperwork.

I’ve done it twice so far, and I know many people who’ve participated repeatedly in the program as donors who are looking forward to donating again. If you’re looking for a way to give back or help out, you might look into Locks of Love.

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Today was really rough in both my editing and my teaching ventures. Does it show in today’s OneWord exercise?

Sometimes I wish I were mute.

No. Scratch that. Sometimes I wish had no knowledge of language. Then I might not hear all the hurtful, hateful things people say to each other. I might not hear intolerance. I might not hear willful ignorance.

But I’d also miss laughter and music, and those would be terrible things to lose.

Last week, I focused on the messages media can inadvertently send girls. And that’s where a lot of people stop: “Oh, no! Look at what media is doing to our girls!”

Yeah, well, girls aren’t the only ones affected. Look at action/adventure cartoons with a mostly-female cast, and then look at the token guy. Yep, I said it: token guy. It’s like someone decided that the only way you can create a girl-centered action is by inverting the boy-centered action cartoon structure. A bunch of strong girls and a wimpy or subservient guy.

Really, what happened is that they wrote the base of the cartoon with the characters in their “traditional” gender roles, and then just swapped the genders of all the characters. (I want to say I’m kidding, but I have actually seen this technique recommended. I can only hope no one has ever taken it seriously.)

Assuming that there’s even a hair of truth to it, though, male characters don’t have to be weakened to make the female characters around them look strong. In fact, to do that creates a whole new problem. It starts sending the lesson to both girls and boys that it’s okay to turn the tables rather than find equal footing, a mindset that has failed repeatedly throughout history.

Why can’t we promote characters who are strong and capable, regardless of their gender? Why does one side have to be put down so the other can be promoted?

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