ornery, scandalous, and evil

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are"-e.e. cummings Andrea,22 @yowaddupandrea latina heat. one woman show. empowering myself. empowering others. peace. Pretty Princess

[chelsamander]

[theepitomeofquiet]

[hollymariescombs]

[annnmoody]

A couple-a WIPs

[threemijitas-blog]

Traditions and Assimilation 

American and Latina  

Last fall was the first time our niece, who’s 8 years old, carved a pumpkin for Halloween. Andrea and her boyfriend showed her how one weekend while she was over visiting our parents’ house. While she’s been trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins isn’t a part of her parents’ culture. When she took the jack-o-lantern home, they weren’t sure where to put it or what to do with it. My siblings and I grew up in small, rural towns where our family was one of only a handful of non-white families. I think that played a large role in why our family assimilated very well. Growing up my parents embraced a lot of American traditions. We decorated for Halloween and went trick-or-treating. We celebrate Thanksgiving and have all the traditional foods from turkey to green bean casserole to pumpkin pie. Each year (even now) we get Easter baskets. The tooth fairy came and took all of our baby teeth away. All of these American things, we did. It’s true that my parents infused some of these American traditions with Salvadoran flavor. We never believed in Santa Claus because instead of celebrating Christmas morning, our family had a big Christmas Eve dinner of tamales and then stayed up until midnight to open presents. And New Year’s Eve isn’t the same without the 12 grapes you eat while making wishes for the new year in the last minute of the old year. So when I first found out that our niece had never carved a pumpkin until now, I was a little sad for her. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I should really be feeling sad for me and my siblings? Did our family assimilate too much? Did we miss out on learning about our Salvadoran and Honduran heritage? Should we have been celebrating those holidays in addition to American ones? I couldn’t even tell you what traditional Salvadoran and Honduran holidays are. This is something I have always struggled with. I have never felt Latina enough. I relate very strongly to being a child of Latino immigrants and all that means, but for me to personally claim the identity of Latina sometimes feels disingenuous. I don’t speak Spanish fluently. My husband and closest friends are white. When I told my doctor in our first meeting I was Latina, she was visibly surprised and pointed out that our skin color was roughly the same. She’s white.  

A part of me feels like I missed out on my chance to connect to our culture. With our parents moving, celebrating the major American holidays is going to be hard enough. I know I could make an effort to learn more about our culture and the history of what it’s meant to be Latina in the U.S., but I don’t know that I will. And maybe embracing my child of immigrants narrative should be enough for me to feel confident about my Latina credentials. Afterall, Latinos come in all shapes and shades. Our stories are all different and who’s to say one is better than the other.

-Vicki

[thedoughnutmistress]

Three Mijitas at it again. My sisters and I discuss traditions, assimilation and what it's like to be a brown girl in America. Click through to read Maria's and my post! 😘

[welcome-the-magick]

[slightlyburntcinnamonroll]

Stabulous.

[romy7]

[fuckyeahanarchistposters]

Alerta! Stop fascists rallying on Oxford St

“When Nazi’s show up, you fight like hell.” – Queer Latinx Reverend Alba Onofrio, August 2017

At 1pm on 23 September, a Sydney-based far-right group by the name of ‘Party for Freedom’ are planning to hold an anti-marriage equality rally on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

While the rally should be opposed on these grounds alone, it is important to be aware that Party for Freedom are a fascist organisation with a long record of campaigning against sexual and ethnic minority groups – including refugees – and in support of reintroducing the ‘White Australia’ policy.

While Party for Freedom are often derided for their Westboro Baptist Church style crudity and dismal political stunts, including their incompetent effort at organising a ten-year commemoration of the 2005 Cronulla white nationalist riot, it is critical to note that they are growing more brazen in their willingness to display fascist, Nazi, and white nationalist symbolism. In the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia last month, and the emboldening of the US far-right under Trump, it is imperative, now more than ever, to put an unequivocal check on the transnational growth of fascist (and) homophobic movements.

For readers who are unaware of the significance of the location and timing of the September 23 rally, Oxford Street is Sydney’s main gay and lesbian district and the location of the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Along with several other far-right and fascist groups, Party for Freedom’s rally seeks to take advantage of the intensification of homophobic sentiment following the decision of the Turnbull government to force a poisonous and unnecessary postal plebiscite on same sex marriage.

Party for Freedom has also recently held a rally in Newtown – another key hub for LGBTIQ communities in Sydney, as well as left-wing activism and ethnic diversity. At this rally Party for Freedom supporters displayed signs featuring the Nazi Totenkopf (‘Deathskull’, symbol of the Nazi paramilitary organisation), the white nationalist Celtic cross, and the ‘Helicopter Rides’ meme, a reference to the torture and execution techniques of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, which is a current favourite amongst US-based far-right groups.

At an anti-Islam rally in Lithgow in late July 2017, Party for Freedom displayed a banner with the phrase ‘blood and soil’, a Nazi reference that is also used by US fascist groups, and which was one of the main white nationalist rallying chants in Charlottesville last month. A more extensive background on the group can be found at Andy Fleming’s blog ‘Slackbastard‘ and the Anti Fascist Action Sydney dossiers.

The key point here is that fascists need to be opposed and disrupted when and wherever they appear. This is especially so in a climate where they are more confident in displaying their white supremacist, anti-Muslim, and queerphobic beliefs. Party for Freedom’s recent actions are an expression of a global rise in far-right and fascist politics. A powerful display of opposition towards their rally this September would go a long way towards diminishing their confidence, and building the strength of anti-fascist resistance here and around the world.

Resources

Alerta! poster, colour [PDF] Alerta! poster, black and white [PDF] Alerta! Twitter graph Alerta! FB graph

[fuckyeahanarchistposters]

Fuck yeah target practice posters

[frie-nds]

[oldpaintings]

1.Study for nymphs finding the head of Orpheus by John William Waterhouse  (English, 1849–1917)

2.Orpheus, 1875 by Gustave-Claude-Étienne Courtois (French, 1853–1923)

3.The Lyre of Orpheus, 1898 by Alexandre Séon (French, 1855–1917)

4.The Death of Orpheus, 1893 by Jean Delville (Belgian, 1867–1953)

[threemijitas-blog]

The Struggle is Real

My relationship with my body and personal health has been an ever changing journey, which I assume is true for many people. Body confidence continues to be a goal that on same days I can completely embrace and on others, it feels like an unachievable idea I will be chasing forever. I’d describe myself as a moderately healthy person. I’ve always loved food and exploring foods that are different from what I grew up on. On that same token, deprivation has never been something I could subscribe to. This way of thinking comes from my mother. She eats to her heart’s content!  I generally eat what I want, as well, and as I’ve gotten older, I am conscious about portion control and moderation. For example, I’m a sucker for a turtle sundae and I allow myself to have one when I get the craving for that hot fudge, caramel, and pecan combo!

Exercise and activity have popped in and out of my life, but it became more of a priority when I met my husband. I have always known him to a fit person and going to the gym is just part of his routine. He was also an All American type kid who played sports every season and “working out” came more naturally to him. I was an active kid. I played outside with my siblings and neighbor kids, our family camped often, and we took fun family trips to the beach, zoo, and museums (I’m counting walking as activity.) However, I absolutely hated Gym Class in school, mainly because I’m not athletically inclined at all and I did not want to “perform” in front of my classmates. I was not familiar with sports and their respective rules because our family was not a sports family. Occasionally, I’d catch my dad watching a soccer match, but that was the extent of it.

Exercise and fitness became something I thought about more seriously after college. I started going to the gym with my husband and enjoyed going. I’ve tried a variety of cardio, group exercise, and lifting. Recently, I have been enjoying yoga again at a wonderful local studio, and I can see myself sticking to it for a while. In addition, I recently discovered I have access to a free YMCA membership through work. Several of my co-workers frequent the YMCA, and I think I’ll be joining them to increase my activity.

I am realistic about setting health goals and I know I will never be a size 2 who runs 5 miles a day. Nor will I ever be consistent about my eating habits. I’m not perfect and I’m ok with that. I enjoy trying new things and will probably try a few more diet and exercise fads in my lifetime. My priority is to maintain good health so I can enjoy this wonderful life I’ve been blessed with. So, some days I will feel great about my body and where I’m at with my health and other days won’t be so blissful. That’s life. I believe I’m pretty resilient and a good night’s sleep usually turns my mood around like nothing else. One thing I know for sure is that I’ve grown more confident as I’ve gotten older, which is so comforting! I care less about what others think and focus more on what makes me feel strong and empowered. Knowing this makes me look forward to each year to come.

-Maria

[threemijitas-blog]

Body, Mind, and Soul

It’s important to stay healthy, because that’s the way we survive on this Earth; and that’s probably why it sometimes feels like it’s the hardest thing to do in our lives. Being healthy to me goes way beyond just physical. For me, it’s a balance of a healthy body, mind, soul, and environment that matters, and obviously keeping 4 things in balance isn’t that easy.

I think in America, we all grow up on a societal standard of what a healthy human should act and look like. Trying to live up to that standard can sometimes lead up to negative outcomes. But as I got older, I started to see things more clearly and realize that I didn’t have to look like anyone but myself, and I have now learned to accept no flaws about my physical, outer form. I’ve also realized that I don’t have to do a traditional work-out routine to work-out. Like Maria, I’ve adopted yoga into my routine, loving the fact that it’s more than just physical exercise and I prefer it to taking pain medication for my back; but yoga is the only traditional “exercise routine” that I do. Staying active for me is simply doing the things I enjoy, like going hiking or out dancing, because I’m never going to schedule 50 squats or a jog into my day.

When it comes to eating right, it really isn’t too much of a struggle for me. I love food and eating, it’s one of my most favorite things, so choosing to eat healthy food isn’t a problem for me. Plus, the majority of what we buy from the grocery store are plants anyway because it’s a lot better on our budget. But I love all foods from all kinds of places, made all kinds of ways, with all kinds of ingredients- healthy and not healthy. And although I like to pretend I have no limits on what I can eat, I actually have to be cautious of what and how I eat, because my digestive system isn’t one that functions normally. Every day I hope for smooth moves and no bloating, and all my loved ones know this too because I love to overshare my bodily functions. I don’t let it get between me and food though, I’ve now just added foods and teas that I know are good for my body and in what order to eat them throughout the day so that I can have a normal, functioning digestive day. Instead of focusing on keeping my body toned and defined, I focus on keeping it happy and functioning as well as it can, and sometimes even that can be the hardest thing.

Before even thinking about making my morning ginger tea, I brace myself for a new day and hope the best comes out of it, because before focusing on my body, I have to focus on my mind and hope it allows me to do what my body needs. Life with depression and anxiety is a whole different game, and to make sure you stay healthy in the head, you have to remind yourself of that and not punish yourself it. When you have any kind of mental illness, your days can really be unpredictable, even on medication. The majority of many of my days consist of trying to keep my emotions balanced, and some days I wake up feeling as if I had no emotions at all. On those days, I’m simply focused on getting to tomorrow, and I’ve had to learn that those days will happen where I’m not able to do anything but get out of bed, go to work, feed my animal children, and crawl back into bed, and I don’t beat myself up for it.

There are great days too, and those are the days I can get out of bed and make time to balance my mind so that I’m able to balance the rest. So included in my morning health routine is medication and grounding myself with meditation. I’ve learned to listen to my body and soul as I’ve become older, knowing to honor it and be thankful for it on good and bad days. Staying healthy is simply learning to take care of yourself, and I will continue to do my best at that every day.

-Andrea

[threemijitas-blog]

My Body is Strong

I was in middle school when I went on my first diet. And by diet I mean trying hard to eat less so I wouldn’t gain weight. I’ve always been petite, but I so desperately wanted flat abs like I saw in magazines that I thought would make me happy and make my various crushes want to date me. As I went through middle school and high school, being healthy continued to be tied in my mind to being physically attractive. Sometimes I would workout, running mostly. Sometimes I would try to eat less or eat better. But none of that ever lasted.

It wasn’t until I went to college that things started to shift. I had more control over what I ate, and we had a great health complex that was free for students to use. I started working out on a regular basis learning how to do strength training, taking fun cardio classes with friends, and finding real enjoyment in running. During this time, I was also building confidence in who I was and that shift allowed me to see being healthy in a different way. I didn’t need to workout to be skinny but to be stronger so, as Andrea said, I could survive on this Earth.

In the years since college, my eating habits have continued to improve. My husband is the cook in our house and makes great meals with fresh ingredients that keep our diet relatively healthy. But I’ve had high periods and low periods when it comes to ensuring I’m working out on a regular basis. Sometimes it was because of money, being able to afford memberships to gyms with classes I’d actually use. Other times, it was boredom with my routine or plain old laziness. More often however, it was prioritizing work or something else to the detriment of my own health. This is something I was particularly struggling with before I made the transition to my current role. I would get stressed from work and life, know I should workout but feel too tired to actually do it and then feel bad about myself for being lazy.

When I made my job switch, I was determined not to let that happen again. I made a goal to workout a minimum of 3 times a week, got a subscription to Daily Burn so that it was convenient to workout at home especially when it was too cold to run outside, and was intentional about making it a priority. Overall, I’ve stuck to this goal, even when work’s been busy and I feel that familiar stress because it makes me feel good. I physically feel stronger and mentally feel proud about what my body can do. This year, I’ve gone indoor rock climbing, kayaked more and hiked in the Rocky Mountains! A friend said to me recently that I like to prove that I’m tough as hell, and he’s right. I’ve gotten to a point where I want to push myself and see what I can do. I will never have those flat abs of my middle school dreams, but that’s alright because my body is strong and capable and I’m happy that it’s mine.      

-Vicki

[bio-child]

Just found out about the iNaturalist app and I’m so excited! I was telling my sister two nights ago that someone should make an app where you can contribute biological observations. It’s already been done! :)

[madonnasfault]

[hatake]

when something stressful comes up

[chelsamander]