DID I ASK?!?

I am a woman. I work in construction. I ride a motorized two wheeled vehicle. Men think they need to help me. With everything. A lot.

[mcsarch]

That last post was a little heavy so here is a picture of Catniss loving Jeffrey and Jeffrey tolerating it.

[mcsarch]

Changes

The men in my life became unbearable. The unsolicited advice transformed from mansplaining about how I should do my job or ride my bike, into aggressive instruction that productively doing my job included fucking them. This should be obvious but keeping with my theme, I did not ask. This had been an underlying current of my interactions with most of the men of this company. My breaking point was when these ugly and offensive suggestions were being shouted during a meeting I am trying to hold, and other team members do not even consider this an odd occurrence. This breaking point came with the realization that my breaking point should have come a long time before that. 

I did what I could to take care of myself. This included finding a company that not only understood my complaints, but laid it out from the beginning, that this type of behavior would never be acceptable. No woman should take anything less. I don’t care if you are a nurse, mechanic, dancer, doctor, poet, engineer or stay at home mom. Your job should be YOUR JOB and you should NEVER feel like you have to put up with terrible men just because “thats how it is in this profession”. Nope. There are people out there that care about their employees in general and make a concerted effort to be respectful to all of them. I know this now. 

Obviously, I am much happier now. Although men still give me lots of advice; they aren’t interrupting me whenever I try to speak, they are letting me participate in conversations and debates, and they are not turning every conversation into some dirty double entendre. From my perception, they are listening when I speak and understanding that I am a person that has worked hard to gain my current skill set (just like them). I am really glad but also frustrated that this is something I not only had to actively look for as a working woman but also move 3000 miles to find it. 

I just want other ladies that feel stuck to know: you can get unstuck. It can be hard to do but it is worth it! :)

[mcsarch]

Jeffrey's yearly excursion was a success! We made it all the way to the front door (3 more floors than last year) before he started meowing and running away. Next year we might make it outside!

[mcsarch]

I told them I never did this before and they hired me anyway!

Man with same job as me: hi I called to tell you some things that are wrong with your ideas Me: ok shoot Man with same job as me: I've been doing this a really long time. Me: ok Man with same job as me: I know when plans are going to go really wrong Me: ok well I'm waiting Man with same job as me: *thing that indicates he was not listening, thing that is wrong, and thing that is really wrong* Me: thanks. Glad to have you around

[mcsarch]

I did not understand what this man was trying to tell me

I got off the train with a man who apparently could only go up the platform stairs backwards. I kept walking and while standing at the light waiting to cross the street, he came up behind me and screamed "ahhhhh" in my ear. Maybe I did not look alert enough. 10 blocks later a cat jumped out of a bush at me. I met two other cats before I got home so I call that walk home a success.

[femalerolemodel]

Cat Calling

[mcsarch]

Happy Valentine's Day to Meeeeeeeee!

[imreallybad-deactivated20150610]

i wish men understood that when women are talking about feminism and rape culture and shit, it’s not just a political conversation. it’s not about being a “social justice warrior” or whatever. it’s about our actual lives being shaped by misogyny since childhood, and the daily reality of living in fear of violence. this isn’t a fucking game or philosophical debate. this is our fucking lives. 

[mcsarch]

It's also a real problem. We are not making it up. It is not our fault for being "too sensitive" to your discrimination. Men need to realize that a woman's life is different than theirs no matter what they percieve. 

[mcsarch]

If you squint you can see Mt. St Helens from my new bedroom

[awwww-cute]

Just the bomb sniffer at my hotel

[mcsarch]

Heeeeyyyy guyyyssss! I'm here! Where's the bomb?

[mcsarch]

He's going to be really sad when they don't make phone books anymore

Mom just told me a story that revolved around the fact my dad was reading the phone book on their honeymoon. I would be surprised, except yesterday, I helped Dad find the phone book in this hotel room. I guess I should find it cute that 40 years later my Dad is still in a relationship with the phone book.

[gif-guy]

Other Funny Gifs http://gif-guy.tumblr.com/

[andrewbelami]

[mcsarch]

Yeah I want an elephant as a pet

[natureisthegreatestartist]

[mcsarch]

I get to see my cats in 12 hrs! They don't even know how many forced cuddles are in their future.

[rosadoves]

Garden Tools Horoscope

Aries: Shovel 

Taurus: Hose

Gemini: Hoe 

Cancer: Watering can with flowers all over it 

Leo: Rake 

Virgo: Those cute gardening gloves  

Libra: Brown gardening gloves  

Scorpio: The thing that connects to the hose that makes it spray 7ft across 

Sagittarius: Chainsaw 

Capricorn: Sprinkler but the one that goes up like a rainbow 

Aquarius: Sprinkler but the one that goes ch ch ch ch ch chhhhchchchchchchch ch ch ch ch 

Pisces: The lil hats the old ladies wear while gardening

[mcsarch]

Yeah I have about three pairs of cute gardening gloves and I haven't had a garden in the ground in at least 3 years. 

[mcsarch]

Debunking the myth that having boobs make you unable to use a screw driver

I took it upon myself to unscrew 6 screws from my office chair to make it more comfortable. You won't believe it, but I did not ask for help. I got "props" for taking this task on by myself, which I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for. I wrote my masters thesis in screwdriver use, tyvm and I get no respect.