Happy 100th Annual International Women's Day!!

Wake-Up and Help Stop Violence Toward Women Worldwide
Marie Claire Editors' Daily Dish Blog
March 8, 2011
By Marian Daniells

What better way to celebrate International Women's Day today than by changing the fate of a woman on the other side of the world?

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is kicking off a three-month campaign today called WAKE UP, which aims to educate people about the violence and injustice toward women worldwide — and provide opportunities to make a difference. Those opportunities include sending letters to key policy makers about a range of human-rights issues, and donating your time or money. Just go to rescue.org/WAKE UP to find out more.

On the site, you can also watch videos from IRC volunteers recounting their own personal wake-up calls — the specific events that inspired them to take action. A great example: a woman named Iman Alaqrabawi in Jordan, who works with the Jordan River Foundation (in partnership with the IRC) to provide support to victims of domestic violence. When she heard that distributing pamphlets with domestic violence hotlines puts women at more risk from their abusers, she teamed up with the foundation to distribute makeup bags instead — with the hotlines stitched secretly inside. (Donate $50 or more and you can receive a makeup bag yourself, inspired by the bags in Jordan.) Got a wake-up call of your own to share? You can do that on the site as well.


Check out the full post here.

Surprise :)

Exclusive Q&A: Sarah Bower’s Sins of the House of Borgia
Marie Claire Editors' Daily Dish Blog
March 8, 2011
By Marian Daniells

The Borgias were one of Renaissance Italy’s most famously corrupt families, a sultry mix between the Tudors and the Sopranos. The family history, littered with outlandish tales of murder and debauchery, has an addictive quality to it, and Showtime is set to premier The Borgias, a new series on the crime family, April 3. Against a backdrop of scandal and lust, British author Sarah Bower paints the story of Violante, a converted Jew who joins the court of Duchess Lucrezia Borgia, in her new book Sins of the House of Borgia (Sourcebooks Landmark, March 8).

We spoke with Bower about her longtime fascination with the notorious crime family, the Showtime premiere, and her own Borgia family crush.

Check out the full post here.

Today's Obsession: Kappa Kappa Gamma

Happy International Panhellenic Badge Day! In the spirit of NPC pride, I wore my amazingly wonderful Kappa badge to work today. And my pearls. The only problem is... when I got to work, the badge wasn't there. Somewhere between West 34th and 57th lies one of my most prized possessions. And I'm heartbroken. Yes, technically the thing is replaceable but it's both expensive and has a boatload of sentimental value.

Since I can't rep it on my clothes, I'll rep it on my blog. Today's obsession is my sorority pin (and by extension all sorority pins). I love mine especially because it has both pearls (my birthstone) and sapphires (my mom's birthstone). It's a little piece of metal that represents a whole lot more. I love my little pin with the retardedly messed up clasp, wherever it is. It's utterly Kappatastic. Obsessed.

Kappa Kappa Gamma Alternating Pearls and Sapphires Badge**, $PRICELESS

**There's no link or price because non-Kappas can't buy them anyway. But check out the Herff Jones Kappa store--which has lots of awesome jewelry and accessories--here.

Poem: Pieces

When we disagree, it's like two steel trains,
hurling toward each other at hundreds of miles per hour,
bracing for the collision,
preparing for arguments with evidence and persuasion.

And when we do collide, it's a never ending rush,
of emotion and perfect syntax.

When we fight, it's all business and momentum.
Never relent, never give up.
She taught me that.
Come to think of it, she'd make a great lawyer.

She'd make a great anything, actually. Especially a writer.
I'm guessing her brain barf is far more snarky than mine,
I'm a novice, she's a master.

Whenever she's around, there's no writer's block.
We just sit and talk, laugh, expand, explore.
She's so full of ideas and turns of phrase and transitions.

I'd like to think that I've stored away little pieces of her,
her stoicism, her sarcasm,
her super sly winks from across the room.
Her eyes, her laugh, her taste for adventure.

Of course, there's also her obsessive planning,
the frazzled freak outs, the curtness.
And both our noses can pop.

Growing up, it was always my dad that I turned to,
about boy problems and general frustrations.
Meltdowns and freak outs.

Once, when I was crying after a breakup,
she looked at me, dead-faced and said,
"Why are you crying."
But she was always strong like that.

At the time, I thought I needed hugs,
and copious amounts of chocolate.
But really, I needed her perspective. I survived.

She passed along to me her love of wine,
And her recipe for the world's best margaritas,
her stubborness, her determination.
Her my-way-or-the-highway-ness.

During high school, we shared weeknights on the couch,
an hour with Lorelei and Rory and Jess.
And Wheat Thins and cream cheese.

I spent school mornings in the car with my dad,
angstily belting out Taylor Swift.
But those nights were for her.

She knows my favorite foods and my taste in books,
the way my cheeks get pink after a third glass.
She laughs at the fact that I constantly hear music,
as if some ADHD-ridden DJ is spinning in my head.

We share a love for good shoes and toe rings,
and for our perfect little black lab
(who she not-so-secretly loves more than me).

At one point in the Netherlands, we stopped for a bit
and spent an hour sitting crosslegged
on the floor of some Dutch bookstore.
It was one of the simplest joys of our European adventure.

She's wild, tamed by marriage and domesticity.
But wild nonetheless.
I would hope that she passed that along to me, too.

I love you, Ma.

###

Today's Obsession: Boston Gear

I recently discovered the key to not getting creeped on while walking to work. In a sea of Yankees and Mets fans, wearing a Red Sox has quite the silencing effect. And while it isn't necessarily recommended, it did prove a successful maneuver. I just had to be sure that I didn't get jumped. And having that kind of heightened awareness is exhausting, to say the least.

I'm not a huge Sox fan. I'd say I'm more a Boston fan. I support and love the city, but I'm just kind of indifferent about its sports. Except for hockey. It's on my Bucket List to see a Bruins game this year and I want want want to go :) I love hockey. It's in my blood, it's in my past.

So today's obsession is this beanie. While the Bruins could have picked a sexier set of team colors, I'm still happy to rep the black and yellow (*cue song*). It's cute, warm, and serves as a handy creeper repellent. Who needs pepper spray when you've got Bruins gear? Obsessed.

Reebok Boston Bruins Women's Cuffed Knit Hat with Pom, $15

Marianisms

I've decided to start this new section where I define various terms that, in turn, define me. There are numerous words that frequent my life and my writing that aren't listed in the Merriam Webster dictionary. But they are listed in the Marian Daniells dictionary. They are Marianisms. Stay tuned :)

Today's Obsession: Sea Turtles

In 2008, my parents and my brother and I took a vacation to Cancun at an all-inclusive resort. We watched the Olympics from our room and spent our free time hiking Mayan pyramids, biking, swimming in cenotes, drinking virgin strawberry daiquiris by the pool and doing AP Language summer assignments. Ah, the good ol' days...

That vacation was transformative for me, though. The resort we stayed at collected sea turtle eggs on the beach and protected them from predators until they hatch, which they did the week we were there. I got to see newborn sea turtle hatchlings, and that night we helped release them into the water (they release them at night because the dark helps them have an additional advantage).

Since then, I've been fascinated by sea turtles. They are simple and beautiful and are dying off at an alarmingly fast rate. One of my bucket list items this year was to go to Costa Rica, which probably won't happen for financial reasons. But I wanted to go there and spent a week or two volunteering at a turtle conservation program.

Today's obsession is this makeup palette from Chantecaille that is made from sea turtle shells. Just kidding. Not funny (but I'm still smirking). No, but Chantecaille is known for supporting marine wildlife, and 5% of the proceeds goes to the WIDECAST Organization, which helps save sea turtles in North, South and Central America and in the Caribbean. Pretty snazzy, no? Obsessed.

 

Chantecaille Sea Turtle Palette, $79

The Shis Outgrow Tiny PQ

Once upon a time, I wrote a post titled "Toto, We're Not in PQ Anymore..." about my best friend and our shared childhood and how somewhere between then and now, we grew up.

I talk to Bo on a multiple-times-daily basis. She is my rock and I her's... We'd probably fall apart if we were to be seperated from each other, but somehow by leaning on one another, we form some sort of Tee-pee-esque structure and stay afloat.

Bo recently moved to Georgia, as I've mentioned before. And having her on the same time schedule has been angelic. We talk all the time: Morning text, lunch chats, late-night vent sessions.

--

Recently, one of the girls Bo and I grew up with had a baby boy with her husband. Bo and I have been talking about it, trying to decide if the recent birth made us feel old or young.

Honestly, it just makes me feel different. I'm 3,000 miles from home working my butt off in some cubicle. The notion of getting married or having kids sounds so far away, it's almost comical.

From there, the conversation transitioned to other people we went to high school with, particularly the losers we dated. Of all the people I dated or "talked to" or crushed on in high school, none left the state. A couple are in community college, a couple are in UCs or similar schools, and more than one have been through rehab. It's not like I'm attracted to bad boys (goodness, I'm not). But my school just didn't have the finest pickings.

--

San Diego does not qualify by any means as a small town. But my little corner of the city (Rancho Penasquitos--shortened to PQ) functions very much like some tiny little podunk town. There are two high schools with enough of a rivalry to create stirs, there is one "town center" with the local hangout (Vons shopping center and Jack-in-the-Box, respectively), there are seasonal carnivals and PTAs.

And for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to get out, to see the world, to try something new. I always felt like my dreams (whatever they were that particular week) were too big for my little neighborhood.

In one of our daily ongoing conversations via various social media and technological networks, Bo wrote "Why do I feel that you and I are the only people from that town growing and changing? Obviously we were born for leaving..." and I got thinking.


Which came first? Was I born for leaving, therefore I grew and changed because I had to adapt in a new world? Or did I grow and change and therefore had to leave to find something bigger and better?

--

I'm a city girl now, through and through. I actually looked at apartments with lawns the other day (obviously in other towns) and was turned off by how much space there was between apartments. What personality is there in thick walls? In matching furniture and manicured lawns? How am I supposed to entertain myself at night without being able to eavesdrop on my neighbors late night phone sex?

Whichever came first, Bo, we outgrew our tiny little town. Now, all we gotta do is take on the world. The world is a big place, even if my apartment is 8'x10'. Shi shi shii!!!

###

Today's Obsession: The LWD

Have you heard? White is the new black. Ironic that while I'm writing that I'm wearing black, black, and more black. But I think it's about time that we women banish the archaic style rules of only wearing white between Memorial Day and Labor Day. White for three months out of the year? How practical is that?

With the help of my beloved Google, I found a TIME article (I know... I'm so hypocritical) about the potential origins for the rule. Check it out here.

Honestly, I think that Labor Day is a pretty decent cut-off date for wearing anything overly spring-y, but there's no way I'm waiting until June to don some summery clothes. It's sunny. I want color.

Lilly Pulitzer recently released her new line of LWDs--a sassy twist on the LBD--and they are all looking very stylish. One TSM posts (so many acronyms...) joked that the collection was made for sorority rituals. Ironic, but potentially true. Lilly knows how to play to her target audience. My favorite of her pieces is this little number, which I think kind of looks like someone hemmed a wedding dress.

You know the best part about the LWD?? It pairs exceptionally well with a dark Bahamas tan :) Obsessed.

 

Lilly Pulitzer Reeve Dress Lace, $368

Dior too classy for "Fash-holes"

So I'm happy to admit that I know very little about the fashion world, but that doesn't mean I live under a rock, either. The New York Times, Huffington Post, ELLE, MC, and just about every other news source have been reporting the recent scandal of John Galliano's anti-Semitic remarks.

Galliano, by the way, is Parisian fashion house Christian Dior's chief designer. And from the looks of various Google photos, the guy is very eccentric and flamboyant.

According to the NYT article, a video was released Monday that showed Galliano screaming anti-Semitic remarks at various cafe patrons in Paris. Galliano reportedly slurred out "I love Hitler" and various unmentionables somewhere along the lines of "Your forefathers would be dead...gassed."

He even suggested that two women be gassed. E! News labeled him a "Fash-hole." I like.

When the footage was released by Bristish tabloid The Sun (catch the video here), Galliano was arrested. In France, it turns out, racist remarks or actions are illegal.

According to my twitter feed (yay 21st century news sources), he was put on some sort of probation for a while. But Dior has now severed their ties.

--

I recently blogged (and then deleted my post) about some other racist comments. I guess I'm just confused by the whole damn thing. I. Don't. Get. It. I don't get how people can look at an entire race or culture or religion and make such vast sweeping generalizations. I don't get how people can be so small-minded. And I suppose I may be being small-minded for not understanding the pillars on which these elitists stand, but at least I'm not offending anyone with my shortcomings.

Cheers to Dior for taking a stand. If I could afford to support them in ways other than blogging, I would.


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