2011-2012 You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

I have posted 100 posts! Here is a collection of the top pieces posted this year and the ones I thought should have made it to the top!

Top 10 Posts of 2011 based off of the stats from percentage of readers and feedback:
A Tie for 10th:
Two Stories, One Issue: Sexualization of Women's Bodies
American Apparel XL Campaign
9th:
Fat Friday: Tara Lynn, Whales, & Body Image
8th:
Cornell Gets Bad Press
7th:
Mo Money, Mo Problems
6th:
Fat Friday! The Adipositivity Project
5th:
Fat Fashion: A Continued Conversation
4th:
Eight is Great
3rd:
Discrimination Error: You're Unemployed, Therefore Unemployable
2nd:
Shut Your Fat Mouth
Number 1 post of 2011:
Rain and Bridesmaids (the movie)

Top 10 posts (in no particular order) I think should have gotten more attention: 
Warning! Not Suitable For Children
Shut Your Fat Mouth 2
Education Overhaul  
What a Douchebag
The So-Called Protect Life Act: Pro-Life? Let's Call It What It Is: Anti-Choice!
Reinventing Feminism with Courtney Martin
World Contraception Day: The Pill VS Condoms
Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mama, Sugar Baby Debate
Feminism In The Art World: Barbie, Friend or Foe?
Fierce Fat Feminism: The Language About Weight

The Top 10 Things That Happened In My Life (again, in no particular order):

1. I moved twice

2. I applied to grad school and didn't get in

3. My last grandparent, my grandpa Joe passed away

4. I started accepting my body and learning how to love myself

5. I moved in with the man I love

6. I planted my first flower garden

7. I got work done on a tattoo

8. I didn't smoke a cigarette at all

9. I started writing this blog

10. I got a new job.

I'm ready to start a new year, although I still haven't had quiet time for reflection or contemplation.  I have been working, so right now I resolve to make more time for myself: away from my phone, my computer, from paying bills, washing dishes, doing laundry, running errands.

I want to read more, write more, meditate more, take more photographs, practice more yoga & more gratitude, take more walks, continue to learn how to cook new recipes, get enough sleep, go somewhere I've never been before (even if it's in this area), create new art, continue my journey in self-care, self-acceptance, & self-love, laugh more and love more.

But my top resolution(s) for this year are to be less judgmental and more gentle with myself, which will help be that way with others and to be mindful.  The work starts within, then watch the ripple effect!

So goodbye 2011, hello 2012!

Were you surprised by the posts that didn't get much attention? Did you think a different post should have made it to either list? What was something memorable that happened to you in 2011? Do you have resolutions for the new year? How are you going to work on treating yourself (and others) better? Comment below! or email me shapedbymylife@gmail.com

Tumblr Tuesday!

I found this video via a post from tumblinfeminist!

Readers I need your help! I am trying to figure out if posting Monday through Friday is the best route for this blog (I'm leaning towards yes right now).  I am also trying to decide, if I do post five days a week if there should be more of a schedule, so you know what topic to expect on what day.  Would more order be positive?  If, for example, Monday were an open day for whatever were happening in the world locally or globally, internally or externally, Tuesday was committed to a shout-out to someone's tumblr, Wednesday were about sex, food, books, or music, Thursday was about body image and Friday was about Feminism?  Do you have feedback or suggestions about some kind of schedule?  Do you prefer the free format as is?  I want to hear from you!

Comment below or email me shapedbymylife@gmail.com

World Contraception Day: The Pill vs Condoms

Yesterday was World Contraception Day.  Ms. Magazine's article A Zero-Cost Way to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy was interesting and no, the solution is not abstinence! The proposed solution is to extend the length of prescriptions so women don't run out of the pill.  As someone who used to be on the pill for years, and as someone who takes other medications now, having a short-term script is extremely annoying.  For one, I don't have health insurance and having to sit in the local free clinic for hours to walk in and spend less than five minutes with a doctor to get a prescription filled is extremely annoying.  Even when I make an appointment with the local planned parenthood, by the time I realize something is running out or already ran out, there is then the additional time spent waiting to get said appointment.

When something is over-the-counter and it runs out, I run the risk of missing maybe a day, or I can walk into the store and buy it when I see I'm running out.  When taking a prescription and it runs out, I run the risk of missing many days, especially with the added effort involved.  It could be argued that why can't the same thinking be used for prescriptions.  Any added step makes something more work, and also more time consuming, which most people don't have.  It's different to have to stop by a local pharmacy or market to pick up multivitamins, then it is to have to call and schedule an appointment with a doctor that costs more money just be seen, then the added cost of the prescription, plus the time spent waiting in the waiting room, then the added time waiting in the doctor's office.  

Leah Berkenwald says, "Running out of pills can cause women miss or skip a day or two or more, which reduces the effectiveness of the Pill in preventing pregnancy.  Longer supplies could help the growing numbers of uninsured or underinsured women who can’t cover the cost of a doctor’s visit every three months.  They could also provide a safety net for women who unexpectedly lose their jobs and thus their health insurance coverage, and have not budgeted for the full out-of-pocket prescription price (which can be as much as $180 for a three-month supply). In this economy, that is a very real concern." 

The issue I have with talking about contraception and only talking about the pill is that when having heterosexual sex, there is more to be concerned with then whether or not pregnancy is the outcome.  And with the recent Massive Birth Control Recall, I think talking about other forms of birth control is extremely important; birth control that protects the woman from not only getting pregnant unintentionally, but also protects from sexually transmitted diseases.  While avoiding pregnancy is seen as the biggest concern, and while I myself have taken necessary precautions to avoid having to invoke my right to choose, I also don't want to contract any STDs.  There are so many brands and types of condoms and these are the kind of birth control that if you run out of your script, or if you're not on one, you can walk into the market and buy a package whenever!

Do you think prescriptions for the pill should be written for short-term or long-term?  Do you think the conversation between birth control and protection against STDs can be separated?  Do you agree or disagree that both are extremely important issues to discuss when talking about sex?  Comment below or email me shapedbymylife@gmail.com