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allow me to introduce…

Pride and Prejudice takes place in a society where you’re not supposed to talk to/dance with/*cough*proposemarriagetocoughcough* anybody without first going through a highly formalized little “introduction” ritual. This can involve going to someone’s house and leaving your card, and then waiting for them to return the visit, which is what Mrs. Bennet is badgering Mr. Bennet to do re. Mr. Bingley in chapter one, or, if you’re out in public, say at a ball, you get a mutual acquaintance or master of ceremonies to do the honours and vouch for everybody’s good character. At the Meryton Assembly, Darcy refuses to be introduced to Elizabeth or anybody, because he’s a Grade A Snob. They’re all too low-ranking/provincial/unattractive to notice, and he doesn’t care who knows it. Seriously, bro, if you don’t want to dance, just go play cards in the other room with the geezers, or go home and put your grumpy ass to bed. Stop wallflowering and making a spectacle of your arrogance. You have options, here.

A few weeks later, after Darcy has maybe unbent a bit (read: decided Elizabeth is pretty), Sir William Lucas tries to introduce them again. But! Because Sir William is a country bumpkin, he goofs the phrasing in such a way as to imply Darcy is Elizabeth’s superior (“Mr. Darcy, allow me to present this lady…” instead of, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, allow me to present this gentleman….” If a man and a woman are of equal rank, you’re supposed to introduce the gent to the lady.). Elizabeth doesn’t even let him finish. This time she declines the introduction and skedaddles, flat-out refusing to launch their acquaintanceship on any supposition of inequality. 

After that, there’s really no non-mortifying way to remedy the situation, sooooo….these idiots spend the rest of the novel yammering awkwardly and irately at each other apparently without ever having been introduced, which is fucking hilarious and taboo as fuck.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Jane Austen was doing something VERY interesting here.

[twicetheopinion]

advantages to wearing oversized sweaters:

instant cute outfit with minimal effort

it enhances the coziness when u drink hot beverages

sweater paws are guaranteed to make u feel 43% more adorable

u can unbutton ur jeans and no one will know

disadvantages to wearing oversized sweaters:

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and you ask me why i love him?

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I WANT ONE!

are you fucking kidding me

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hey reblog this if you think girls can study and excel in computer science

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Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.

Hans Selye (via wordsnquotes)

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My father had taught me to be nice first, because you can always be mean later, but once you’ve been mean to someone, they won’t believe the nice anymore. So be nice, be nice, until it’s time to stop being nice, then destroy them.

Laurell K. Hamilton, A Stroke of Midnight (via wordsnquotes)

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The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself.

Maya Angelou (via quotemadness)

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🚨 The internet needs you 🚨

You’re up again, Tumblr. 

Back in 2015 you demanded that the FCC adopt strict net neutrality rules and establish a free and open internet. And you won. 

That should’ve been the end of it. But apparently not.

The new head of the FCC wants to undo the net neutrality protections you fought so hard for.

His proposed changes open the door to your web traffic being slowed down, or even blocked altogether. You could be forced to pay extra to use your favorite apps. You could even be prevented from getting news from the sources you trust.

Title II protects consumers and democracy by ensuring all voices can be heard.

You know the drill. Here’s what to do:

The FCC is taking comments from the public, and dearfcc.org is making it as simple as possible for you to make your voice heard.

Go there now 👉 dearfcc.org ✌️

You’ll just need to provide a name, an address, and then say a little bit about why rolling back Title II protections is a bad idea. If you’re not quite sure what to write, here’s something to get you started:

I’m writing to urge you to keep our Open Internet rules based on Title II in place. Without them, we could lose the internet as we know it.

The proposed changes to FCC rules would allow fast lanes for sites that pay, and force everyone else into slow lanes. We’ve already seen access to streaming services like Netflix, popular games like League of Legends, and communication platforms like FaceTime slowed down, or even blocked. Conditions like this hurt businesses large and small, and penalize the users who patronize them. 

The changes also open the door to unfair taxes on internet users, and could also make it harder for blogs, nonprofits, artists, and others who can’t pay up to have their voices heard.

Please leave the existing net neutrality rules based on Title II in place.

Thank you!

If you need more ammo, feel free to quote these experts from our net neutrality Issue Time. TechCrunch and Battle for the Net also have some good starters.

Everyone is counting on everyone else here. Do your part and tell the FCC to keep a free and open internet under Title II. 

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Book Review: The Sky is Falling

The Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson

If there was any one book (besides Harry Potter) that I can honestly say revolutionized reading for me it is this book. The Sky is Falling is about a young girl named Norah who, during World War Two, is sent to Canada with her younger brother Gavin for safety. When they arrive in Canada they are eventually taken in by a rich woman named Mrs. Ogilvie and her daughter, who had originally only wanted a little boy but to avoid separating the siblings both Norah and Gavin were taken in. Mrs. Ogilvie immediately adores Gavin but Norah shares her stubbornness and the two clash horribly. Add this to the fact that Norah was reluctant to leave home and is terrified to be living in a new country with strange people; the only result could be disaster.

As you read about Norah’s struggles with homesickness, co-operating with Mrs.Ogilvie,  and fitting in with the other children, you feel as if you are in the room with her; watching Norah stare out her window longingly, feeling her anger and confusion with her new guardian, or listening to the taunts of the other children as they call her a coward for leaving England. I think that Kit Pearson did an amazing job in illustrating what it would feel like to be a scared child who was forcibly put into this new environment and shedding light on the fact that, while some children might have viewed being a guest of war as an adventure, there are many others who would have been just as reluctant to leave home as Norah.

In my opinion, Kit Pearson has realistically portrayed what having to completely uproot your life, especially as a child, can feel like. Even the moments when Norah is acting out of spite, because who wouldn’t act out if you were plopped into the middle of this new place and told, “Hey sorry, I know you were just forced to leave a really scary situation happening in the only place you know as home and you can easily be separated from the only familiar person you know (Gavin) and to top it off you could potentially never see your parents again, but can you just behave and go to school like normal and adhere to this random person’s rules? Thanks.”  The raw depiction of Norah’s emotions and reactions make this book more of an emotional read the older you get.

The first time I read this book was when I was about nine years old and immediately I was hooked. Every time that I read this book over, I realize again and again just how much it has taught me to empathize with other people (It also taught me how much hormones are a factor in making me cry). This book is actually part of a series called The Guests of War, the second and third books are Looking at the Moon, and The Lights Go On Again. If you read the first one I seriously suggest reading the others so that you follow the full journey of Norah and Gavin.

I will one hundred percent, recommend this book to anyone, especially pre-teens because it truly opened my eyes to other people’s emotions and how to evaluate your own in stressful situations.

I hope you found this convincing enough that you will give the book a read, even if historical fiction isn’t your thing. Just do it, you won’t regret it, promise. If you do read it, leave some comments! Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear from you and speculate together. That’s about all I have to say, until next time!

Always,

M

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New Netflix Movie: You Get Me

Guys, I’m not normally one to watch new Netflix shows or movies until I hear that they’re stellar. Or at all. I haven’t seen Riverdale or 13 Reasons Why or Orange is the New Black. I love my old action movies and cop TV shows and all the Youtube my heart desires. I’m not exactly adventurous with my viewing choices.

Tonight though, my little sis and I decided to do some bonding and watch a movie. We couldn’t decide on one from our collection, so we headed over to Netflix and oh boy, they didn’t disappoint. They had a new one right front and center called “You Get Me”. It starred Bella Thorne and I was immediately for it.

It’s a new Netflix Original about Tyler, a guy who has a fight with his girlfriend, Ali, and then she breaks up with him. He leaves this party that they’re at and finds Holly (Bella Thorne) outside the house and they go back to her place and hook up.

Honestly, that’s probably when I should have turned the TV off and been like, “Lol, you want to watch Aladdin Nicole?” (She’s 13, but still).

Anyway, we keep watching and Tyler and Ali get back together and Holly moves to Tyler’s school unexpectedly and shit goes down, and (without spoiling the ending) let’s just say everything explodes (metaphorically anyways) after a few suspenseful moments. It’s hinted at that Holly has a mental illness (her stepmom says she hasn’t been seeing her therapist or taking her medication) and it seems that that is the reason she acts the way she does, however it’s never really addressed or confirmed or talked about besides that one scene. I’m just inferring with the information we have (my Grade 7 teacher would be so proud).

The reviews online gave it a 4.8/10 (IMDb) and a 5.1/10 (Filmweb) but as a teenage girl looking for an entertaining movie? I’d give it closer to a 7.5 or 8. The acting was really well done and while the ending was kinda abrupt and sudden, I felt that it had a good storyline and the entertainment value was definitely there. Like, it’s set in California with an impressive cast and you never really know what Holly is going to do until she does it - and you never know how far she’s willing to go.

But yeah, it gets a definite thumbs up from me, and the branding of a ‘Rave’. Leave your thoughts, and especially if you watch the movie!

Love,

V

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Feel empowered

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What Not To Do at a Pop-up Shop

What Not to Do at a Pop-up Shop

 (Mac) Recently my friend and I, the person with whom I share this blog, traveled to an outlet mall prompted by an invitation that she saw on Facebook. This invitation told us that there was a pop-up shop run by a fellow teen at a mall fairly close to us. Anyway, at seven o’clock Victoria picked me up from work and we went on to brave the treacherous highway.

 (Vic) We get to this mall and walk into H&M to ask where the pop-up shop even is (because the guy never told us on social media; his first mistake). The employees have no idea what we’re talking about but point us down the street to a store where they saw some activity coming into work. The pop-up shop is not there and instead, we find two ladies who are setting up for one the next day. So we leave after a nice conversation and head back down the street, feeling like we’re walking in circles. We walked toward London Drugs, the other suggestion from H&M, feeling disheartened and stupid. This was a lot harder than we thought. We pass London Drugs continuing on our quest, and finally, finally spot the damn pop up shop. It was between two mundane stores that we cannot remember, but the music was loud and people were spilling out the door and it was filled with the likes of what we’ll call ‘Instagram Models’ and ‘Frat Boys’.

 The only part that I liked was the fairy lights strung above our heads.

 We walked in and immediately felt uncomfortable. Everyone was wearing white tees with the brand’s logo on the front and staring at us with judgment in their eyes (second error). No one said hello, no one smiled, no one made any sort of sign that they saw us, except tracking us with their stares. After a quick clothing examination, we found ridiculously high prices (Macklemore was right, it’s ridiculous to pay $50 for a t-shirt). The one thing that I had really liked on the Instagram page (that I had stalked before the event) was a pink sweatshirt with the outline of a hand drawn mouth on the back. The colour was gorgeous and I loved the artistic take on a simple human feature. Sadly the price was $70 and there were only large sizes left, when I looked up to try and ask for another size, no one was paying attention to us (number three?). All of the “employees” (groupies?) were crowded together in little groups, taking Instagram pictures, choosing new rap songs to play, and lounging on white couches. It was a strange atmosphere.

 Finally, to truly complete the ambiance was a huge military style jeep parked in the middle of the room but I couldn’t figure out why. In my mind, fairy lights and military jeeps don’t really… go together?

 (Mac & Vic) Sadly, it was our first (and most likely last) adventure into a pop-up shop. So some tips from us if you one day decide to host your own pop-up shop.

 Make sure you are clear on the location of your pop up shop so people don’t end up journeying halfway to the centre of the earth to find it.

Do not have twenty plus, motionless, haughty, cliquey employees. If you are an amateur business trying to make a name for yourself, make sure that your employees understand the value of customer service.

Remember that you are an amateur business, you are an ant compared to the already existing companies, you’re not even an ant, you’re a crumb, you’re a spec of dust, so you better build your support network through loyal customers.

Music sets the background tone, it is called background music for a reason. Avoid blasting music at a deafening volume even if the initial reason is to attract customers.

Have a theme: remember themes can change season by season, month by month, or even week by week, whatever the heck you want. The only rule, the theme has to be consistent.

 Our take on the increasingly popular pop-up shop phenomenon. Let us hear your thoughts below, but for now...

 Love,

M&V 

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Words have always had the power to change the world.

Terry Pratchett - Soul Music (via terrypratchettparadise)