Karla Rodriguez

My name is Karla Rodriguez, a writer looking for a place to really write. I am currently a journalist covering pop culture so I am dedicating this space to discuss things with a bit more soul like womanhood, society, love, career, spirituality and social issues.

[wordsnquotes]

There was nothing to talk about anymore. The only thing to do was go.

Jack Kerouac (via wordsnquotes)

[hamilfessions]

[thebaconsandwichofregret]

this gets funnier when you see the time stamp

[last-bi-in-town-deactivated2023]

I. AM. SHOOK.

[lagonegirl]

[gentle-reminder]

gentle reminder

sometimes there’s no need to dwell over the past, be it regret or nostalgia, if today isn’t going well; things may not be so great right now,  but it won’t stay like this forever - please try your best to remember that everyday is a new opportunity: you’ll be okay 

[ourexes]

he came for his entire life holy shit

[holyromanhomo]

[purpletangyvaginas]

[grandpaq]

If I reblog it does that mean I’m gonna have good dick to give out this summer? 🤔

[lickmetilllicecreammmm]

Just here for the money part lmao

[chrissongzzz]

[ernmark]

During a conversation with my manager this morning, she mentioned that her manager– the district manager– had told her that “We want people who are passionate about our products. We don’t want people working here if they’re doing it for the money.”

To which the manager (internally, because she doesn’t want to be fired), went “you’ve got to be fucking shitting me.”

Here’s the thing: it is totally possible to do a job for the passion and not be obsessively thinking about the money every minute of every day. In fact, there have been economic studies regarding that very thing.

You know when it starts?

When the employee in question is making $50-75k per year.*

That’s the starting point of financial security. That’s the point when you’re fairly secure that you’re going to have rent, food, and basic living expenses covered. 

I’ve worked a lot of jobs over the years. A lot. I saw the same working as a freelancer– when I charged lower rates, my clients treated me like shit and acted like they were doing me a favor; when I charged more, they respected me as a professional. A newspaper that started out paying me above market wage also treated me very kindly, because they started with the assumption that I was a human being who needs to eat.

In my experience, the employers that insist that your job be your “passion” are also the ones that pay you nothing and treat you like garbage. It’s exactly like abusive people, who tell you that you would put up with their abuse if you “loved them enough”. It’s a way of convincing the victim that they’re responsible for their own mistreatment, which is absolutely fucked up.

Here’s my advice to you:

It is absolutely okay to take a job that doesn’t pay you what you deserve–  you’ve got to eat, after all. But don’t think for a second that you have a responsibility to that job. If you see something available that pays better and treats you better, take it and don’t look back. Don’t waste an ounce of sympathy for employers who try to convince you that passion is an acceptable substitute for survival. 

[symphonicseauxl]

Ginuwine - In Those Jeans (violin cover)

I dedicate this to all the girls who have to lay down to zip their jeans up this spring

IG: frank_lotion SC: franklotion0

[photosbyjaye]

This is probably one of the most depressingly heart-wrenching photos I’ve ever seen. Native American children taken from their families and put into school to assimilate them into white society. the slogan for this governmental campaign ’“kill the Indian to save the man”. no official apology has ever been issued. never forgotten.

[morninggggstar]

This is why we keep talking. Every child in this photo deserves to be talked about. The children grew up to be adults… adults who suffer from mental illnesses and a lack of connection to a culture/people that never wanted them to leave. These scars are passed down from generation to generation… and in reality the above picture is closer to present times than many would like to admit.

[swampvvitch-1990]

The amount of inter generational trauma from these schools ALONE has caused so much fuckery amongst native peoples.

And barely anybody understands it’s impact because the school systems don’t teach you this forced assimilation.

[dfr1323]

[wnq-writers]

Why do you like thunderstorms?” “Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometimes.

E.D.  (via wnq-writers)

[karlasthoughts]

International Women’s Day

For as long as I can remember, my biggest fear in life has been to give birth to a daughter. Part of that was because jail is a scary place and that's where I'd end up if someone ever tried to harm her in any way. Now at 26, the only thing I can say is that I feel so ignorant for feeling that way. For the first time in my life I feel like I could raise a daughter, and raise her well. I could teach her all the things I was taught, but most of all, I can tell her all the things I wish I knew but didn't. 

In the last few years, I have gotten phone calls from women I didn't even know asking me for help or some type of guidance. Often they have been friends of friends who have been referred to me because of certain situations I have lived through. Though I know I don't have the answers to everything, I have learned, I have researched, I have lived, I have read enough to know that there might just be a little something I can tell them to help them deal with their situation. I always believed that any bad experience I went through was so that no other woman around me had to go through it alone. I knew that me suffering or me going through a terrible situation would only help me learn and be prepared for when someone came knocking at me door looking for answers. Though I used to think that it was brave to go through difficult situations on your own so that you don't bother anyone else with your problems, I understand now that asking for help or for someone to hold you takes twice the courage. 

I was a suffer-in-silence kind of girl, a martyr if you must, but now I can't shut up. My silence has betrayed me in the past. My silence has been seen as weakness, acceptance and even consent. So when I'm vocal now and people are offended, I do not care. I grew up trying to be the opposite of what my mother was, but God damn was I wrong. My mother was loud, demanding and resolute in her every conviction. I was apologetic, shy and malleable. It took a lot of falling and picking myself back up to realize how right she was. She told me to protect myself above all, but I chose to give people the benefit of the doubt. (Don't do that!) I got hurt, forgave and rose again. But that is draining. It drains your spirit. It drains your heart. It drains your kindness. I know now that people have to work to earn your trust. I also understand that the world might be a scary place but the people around you, when you choose them right, will be your sanctuary. 

I've found myself at times sitting on my bedroom floor, not really sure how to go on. But there were women who called my phone repeatedly, knocked on my door, literally barged in and took me out of my hole to save me from myself. Whether or not they knew the difference they were making in my life by simply believing in me and telling me that I was more than I thought I was, does not even matter, because they changed me regardless. And because of them, I am here. Because of them, I am who I am. Because of them, I exist. My sister has rescued me more times than I can count, so that's why you will catch me crying every time if Frozen is on TV. The first true love I've ever known was hers, and it took me a very long time to realize it but I'm glad I did. My mother has given me the world and the stars. My mother has knocked down every boundary, every limit, every wall that promised to box me in. She has pulled me away from danger before I even sensed it time and time again. She has protected me from evil I did not even know was threatening my peace. I'm sorry I didn't appreciate this then but I do now. 

I have girlfriends who have heard me vent at 3 a.m. about nothing but they listened intently. I have friends who have pushed me to speak up, to yell at the top of my lungs and fight for myself, but letting me know I never have to fight alone because they have my back. I have friends who have left work in the middle of the day to come be by my side on a bad day. I have friends who took me in just to make me laugh when they knew that was the last thing I wanted to do. I have friends who keep it real with me. The type of people who tell me when I'm selling myself short or when I need to quit doubting my damn self. I've been hard on myself my whole life, holding myself to impossible standards and putting unnecessary pressure on myself to be a certain way to fulfill an ideal that I am not even sure I truly wanted. But thanks to these women who constantly open my eyes to the reality of things I have learned to be kinder to myself and patient with my own growth. I have learned to sort through my issues with calmness and certainty because they have assured me that things will be okay. That I am okay, and will one day be better than just okay. 

For the first time in my life, I could see myself raising a little girl. I can teach her what to do and what not to do and hope she listens and vow to be there when she doesn't. I promise to teach her and show her her worth and love her so fiercely she won't accept any less from anyone else. I will hold her accountable, I will forgive her, I will hold her when she needs me to and give her space when she asks for it. I will teach her her body is hers and teach her no one should touch it without her consent. I will teach her that people will want to do her harm and if they ever do, to raise hell and that her mom will be ready to raise hell right next to her. 

I could see me raising a beautifully intelligent little girl like some of my friends have, and I honestly can't wait. Now it is the thought of raising a boy that terrifies me because that's just as important, but I'm sure I'll find a way.

[lagonegirl]

the movie even said with our genetic makeup we can excel at almost ANYTHING.

[yungnefertiti]

and when he was at the “party” the white people literally said being Black is trendy and fashionable.

[blackpoeticinjustice]

and when Chris and Rose was in the kitchen during the “party”, the white woman literally laid her hand on Chris and complimented his physique, probably looking for a fit black male to for her unfit white husband

[czarcasm-love]

I think it’s a little deeper than that, that scene draws to the fetish about black men. She wanted to fuck him because black men supposedly are hung. This goes past the wife and even the husband seemed eager to take on that form. Both white men and women are obssessed with the sexuality that black men possess.

[karlasthoughts]

This movie opened my eyes to a lot of shit I didn't even realize I was doing and saying that displayed some micro-aggressions toward black people. The man at the party literally said that being black "is IN" as if that's a new concept or a new trend. Black has always been in, since the beginning of time. Not just black bodies but their minds, their souls, their drive, their work ethic, their hearts, all of which produce such beauty for this world but are rarely credited for it. This theme is said in a way that makes it seem like it's coy but it's so in your face that you find yourself really opening your eyes to how messed up it is. Everybody wants to be black, but no one wants the pain that comes with it. Black culture is beautiful and rich and cool, but at what point does admiration/appreciation turn into obsession? Black men and women are the epitome of what the perfect man and woman look like physically, but why can't we all just admire that respectfully instead of lusting after it or trying to become it?

This is just what I thought from an outsider looking in. There is so much to learn, so much to change. But this movie is for sure a start into a conversation that could turn into everyone as a whole admitting just how much people's hate or disdain for black people comes from feeling less than. "Get Out" does a hell of a job at displaying just how superior, in every way, black people can be and I'm sure that has to make certain people very upset.

[lejazzhot]

[redlove3]

When Jack Warner was casting the movie My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews, who played the original Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, was overlooked for the part, that was given to Audrey Hepburn.

That made her available to accept Mr. Disney’s invitation to play Mary Poppins.

At the 22nd Golden Globes, when she won the best actress award (she was up against Audrey for My Fair Lady), she had her sweet revenge.

[tyleroakley]

THE SHADE OF IT ALL.

[kateordie]

My boss told me this story and I didn’t believe it. It’s so good.

[karlasthoughts]

boss shit

success is the only revenge you need.

[marleyworld]

How do they live with themselves after breaking someone’s heart?

10 Word Story. ((Heartbreakers.))