FLASHBACK 1826

"i'm free and i love to be free...to live my life the way i want...to say and do whatever i please..."
women weren't always excluded from voting. a rich old widow named lydia taft was allowed to vote in town meetings in uxbridge, massachusetts. and new jersey permitted women to vote if they had at least £50 in cash or property, referring to the voter as "he or she". a law was passed, in 1807, to exclude women. so, in 1826, a scottish woman named frances wright comes to america and doesn't like what she sees. she starts giving lectures on women's suffrage. then, in 1836, polish born ernestine rose campaigns so hard for the right to vote that she even gets a hearing with the new york state legislature, with a petition that only has 5 signatures.  in 1840 boston, lucretia mott and margaret fuller are fighting for women's suffrage. and, in 1848, lucretia mott becomes the first woman nominated for federal executive office when, liberty party nominee, gerrit smith calls for extending women the right to vote. that same year, strong women begin holding conventions for women's rights. these rights include more than just the right to vote. women also want social and legal equality. i could go on and on, and name every single important female that fought for women's rights, but we would be here all day...so i'm gonna skip to 1890. that year, two separate women's right organizations decide to merge. their leader? susan b. anthony. this group obtains a hearing before congress every year until 1919. on may 21, 1919, a bill introducing the 19th amendment is brought before congress for the 5th time. it passes the house with 42 votes more than necessary. on june 4, 1919, the bill passes the senate. it is not ratified by the 36 required states until august 26, 1920. 
FLASH FORWARD today
it's november 6, 2012. election day. i am so excited for this day to be over. my state, ohio, is a swing state. both parties have inundated my television with attack ads. i can't get on any form of social media (facebook, twitter, even pinterest) without being attacked by "friends" who think i'm an idiot if i don't vote how they vote. for a second, i consider not voting. then i remember how hard all these women fought for my right to cast that vote. i think about how lucky i am that the law DOESN'T require me to stay at home and not be heard. so, today, i will find my warmest coat (it's brrrrr chilly rabbit out there!) and go stand in line for an hour or two. and i will cast my vote for the candidate i feel represents me the best. and, win or lose, i will be satisfied that my voice was heard. 
male or female...please exercise your right today. let your voice be heard. 

                 

 

^lucretia mott and susan b. anthony^

                                        

FLASHBACK 1784

"time is on my side, yes it is..."
ben franklin mentions the possibility of what we now call daylight savings time.
FLASH FORWARD 1895
george vernon hudson, an entomologist from new zealand, proposes the modern version of daylight savings time.
FLASH FORWARD WWI
daylight savings time is first implemented. why, you ask?  well, mr franklin thought it would save on candles if people got up with the sun and went to bed with the moon. remember the phrase "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise"? yeah. that was ben franklin. mr. hudson collected bugs. he appreciated daylight after work. it frustrated him to lose these hours as the sun's relation to the earth changed. and, then, there was william willet. an english builder and outdoorsman who was an avid golfer. he didn't like having to cut his round short at dusk. so they proposed extending the daylight hours in the summer. in april of 1916, germany used daylight savings as a way to conserve coal during wartime. the united states began using it in 1918.
we all know how it works. in the spring, we "spring forward", setting our clocks from 2a to 3a. and, then, we all cry about that hour of sleep we lose. boo. in the fall we "fall back", setting our clocks from 2a to 1a. and we all rejoice over that extra hour of sleep. 
FLASH FORWARD today
today is the day AFTER daylight savings time ended. i woke up, yesterday, at 7a. i was bright eyed and ready to face my day. since it was lazy sunday, all my day would hold was donuts, coffee, reading, and watching football. it was a great day. until the clock said 8p. i'm yawning. i really want to go to bed. 9p. i'm DYING!! i really really want my bed. FINALLY! 10p and it's time. i sleep like a baby. the alarm goes off this morning. i don't want to get up. ugh. the extra hour we all got? yeah. ummmm...it's gone now. and i'm back to wishing they wouldn't change time. that it would just stay the same all year round. i will really feel that way in spring, when the powers that be force me to "spring forward". which will lead me to fall...when i am extremely grateful to "fall back".

                                

 

FLASHBACK july 2009

"lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon..."
i fly in to cincinnati for my first weekend with the bk. sunday morning he says he likes to go out and get a donut, coffee, and a newspaper. cool. i'm down for whatever. so, we get up and i start to go get dolled up. "what are you doing?" ummmm...getting dressed and ready to go get donuts. "what's wrong with what you're wearing?" ummmm...i'm in my pj's. "so? you look cute". so, off we go. me in my pj's, a sloppy bun, and VERY dark sunglasses. as we are walking out of the donut shop, bk stops to talk to someone. he introduces me to lance and alissa. i am SO mortified that i look like a live under a bridge. in my head i hear lance telling danny "bk's girlfriend looks like a troll, man". ugh.
FLASH FORWARD september 2009
i have moved in with the bk. our first sunday morning, off we go. a donut. an extra large coffee. a newspaper. and football. all day. we never get out of our pj's. tradition.
FLASH FORWARD today
the bk and i continue our little tradition. but doesn't that get boring? don't you feel like you're in a rut, you ask? ummmmm...no. if you are in a rut, you do something all the time with no thought. kind of by habit. like smoking, only it could be going to the same restaurant every friday because you can't think of anywhere else to go. or walking the same trail because you aren't sure where the other trail will take you. you start getting bored, but you're afraid to try something new. but a tradition? a tradition is something you truly enjoy. you can't wait to do it. it boosts your spirits. our tradition. our lazy sundays. we can't wait for them. they boost our spirits. 
do you have any little traditions? tell me about them... :)

                       
 

               

 

ps...3 years later, lance and alissa are allowed to see me looking like a troll...