All Sorts of Controversy

I try to stay away from controversy. Whenever there is a debate or an issue that brings out the pitchforks, I put my head down and stay mum. Every so often, I'll attempt to add a voice, but then change my mind (hence, the half dozen drafts sitting in my post folder).

However, today I am feeling feisty. Feeling like maybe it's time to give my opinion. Daring to risk unfollows (not really.... I love you all... please don't leave me).

So, here goes the one-stop-shop on all of Jessica's views on the most heated debates over the past few  months..............

1) Fifty Shades of Grey (and Darker, and Freed) - I love Jesus. I really do. I completely understand women who choose for themselves not to read these books.... and I 100% understand their reasons. That being said, I read them and loved them. To me, while they were certainly pretty hot books at certain points, there is a lot more going on than just sex. The books are largely about Christian Grey exorcising his demons and finding a healthier relationship pattern. The "how" of him getting into the BDSM lifestyle is very psychological. That is what drew me in once I started reading it and, imo, is what a lot of people mean about "getting past the sex parts." Also, I think Ana is a pretty strong female.... she is willing to consider and decide what SHE wants. Does she give in a lot? Yes, but usually after she has decided that is what she wants to do. She also realizes when she is being controlled or manipulated and speaks out.

Admittedly, the writing isn't the best. The story may have been even better if the writing were better. Oh, well.

Are they erotic? Yes. Are they about more than sex? Yes. Are they for everyone? No.

Again, in my opinion.... the "Fifty Shades" series is causing a lot of the same drama/arguments that Harry Potter did 12 years ago. Harry Potter books first weren't allowed in public school libraries.... then, children had to have a note from their parents to check them out. Now? Very few people flinch at the sight of a HP book. Universal Orlando has an entire land devoted to it and is about to create a second. Some would say (and they have a right to say) that it's further proof of the downfall of our culture. Others would say that it was much ado about nothing 12 years ago.

2) Magic Mike - I have yet to see it, but I plan on it, eventually. It looks like a fun, silly movie that happens to have a shirtless Channing Tatum in it. Plus, it was filmed in my area and I always think that's cool.

3)  The Olympic Uniforms - Weren't we aware that Ralph Lauren has his clothes made in China before now? All you have to do is look at a tag. Like, I get that it would give all of us a nice, warm fuzzy if they were made in the USA, but last time I checked, very few clothes are made here. 

And, since there are hundreds of Olympic athletes from around the world that train in OUR country, I figure it's a fair trade.

4) Ann Curry - I felt bad that her dreams went up in smoke. She seems like a really nice lady. That being said, she *was* kind of boring.

5) Chick-Fil-A - Again, why are we all surprised? The company is closed on Sundays.... one of the few chains/large companies that still close on Sunday. That should have been the first clue.

May I suggest that everyone stop trying to change everyone else's mind by yelling about how wrong the opposing view is? People in favor of gay marriage aren't going to suddenly decide that they are against it. People who aren't in favor of gay marriage aren't going to be convinced on a dime that they should vote it into law. Yelling and pointing fingers only makes things worse. Really, it doesn't matter what a person says or doesn't say...... when they go into the voting booth, it is just them. They can vote however they choose. And, guess what? There really isn't anything anyone can do about it.

There are a lot of laws that I agree with. There are a lot of laws that I disagree with. I've been able to vote in two Presidential elections, so far. At this rate, I'm 50/50 for getting the person I wanted. When it's all said and done, we don't all get our way........ and, that is ok.

I love nice people. I love kind people. I love thoughtful people. I love quality people. Sexuality doesn't play a role in it. Political opinions don't play a role in it.

I also love really good chicken. So, I will still be eating at Chick-Fil-A.

6) JCPenney - I don't really like their new pricing system, but I do love Ellen. The commercials alone are worth the change.

I think that is it. Was there any other hot topics that I've forgotten?

Hopefully, you all still love me, lol.

Random Thoughts

I unleashed a WHOLE lot of crazy on FD this past weekend. 

All of my playing it cool and keeping my mouth shut? Yeah, out the window.

We still aren't speaking to one another.

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My friend M had her little boy last week. I am in love....

..... and, my uterus is pretty much crying.

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If you pay attention to Big Brother feeds.... wow, what a first week!! I just read the recap blogs, but I have NEVER seen this much action in Week One, lol.

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I think that Emily may be my favorite Bachelorette, ever. I genuinely like her final three picks (even though I don't think Arie would be good for her at this point..... if she weren't a mother, I think they would be great together). And, I like that she has managed to tell off the jerks (Kahlon), while still being a sweet person.

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Two and a half weeks until I go on vacation.

I am itching to get out of this state.

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My Fall is already filling up. It is starting to stress me out.

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In ONE week, my cousin and her family will be on their way across the country to LIVE here!

I still can't believe it is happening.

Ummmmm...... Whoops?

So, I know I said that I was going to recap my "Tuesday Coffee Dates" thusfar, on Tuesday.

However, this needed to be told now.

Last Tuesday, I met with "Bachelor #3." He was super nice. Very, very sweet. He was also extremely quiet. Like, we talked, but I was mentally trying to go through a list of what I could bring up next. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, I made noises about having a few things to do and we said our goodbyes.

He gave me a hug and I told him to let me know if he wanted to hang out, again. I meant it. He was really nice and I'd be willing to give it a shot. My stepdad Mike (the one who passed away) was super quiet, so I know how that goes. While quiet is usually not what I go for (I tend to go for guys that are more outgoing than me), I recognize that there are some AWESOME men out there that are not the most talkative.

Anyway, he texted me the next day (good sign). Told me that he had a nice time and asked if he seemed quiet. I said I had a nice time and told him that he was "a bit on the quiet side." He said that he tends to be that way at first.

To which I responded, "Quiet isn't always a bad thing, lol."

Then, nothing.

Huh?

I honestly was a little puzzled, but basically decided to let it go. I mean, I have enough trouble with the guys who DO text/call but apparently don't want me. If a guy doesn't text or call, I figure that's a pretty obvious sign.

Fast-forward to yesterday. I was going through a bunch of texts, trying to weed out the ones I didn't need anymore. His was fairly far down by this point, but my eyes scanned my last text to him.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest.......

 

Whoops.

He has yet to text me, again, lol.

I'd already accepted that I probably would never hear from him again..... I just felt REALLY bad when I realized it was because I was accidentally a complete bitch to him :/

Anyway, we can pretty much write that one off. Overall, I figure that if he didn't feel the need to clarify my boo-boo..... and, isn't interested in pursuing anything after my boo-boo.... then, he's probably not "The One."

I will just be a little more careful with my texts from now one, lol.

Devotional?

Hey there, friends.

At the beginning of the year, I wanted to try to read the Bible in a year.

I'm seriously failing in this mission. It's extremely sad.

I spent 13 years taking Bible classes, 5 days a week. I've been a regular church attender my entire life. So, the Bible and its teachings aren't foreign to me. However, sitting down and reading it every day is proving to be a challenge.

So, I'm looking to change tactics. I want a good devotional. For a long time, I steered clear simply because it *did* remind me so much of all those Bible classes. Now, it seems like that is exactly what is needed.

All that being said........

What are your suggestions? Has there been a devotional plan that held a particular impact?

I do have YouVersion on my phone, so if there are any on there that you'd suggest, that's another angle.

Thanks, in advance :)

The Joys of Online Dating.....

If you have read over the past few weeks, you know that I have finally broken down and am forcing myself to try M*tch.c*m.

I'm still pretty pissed at FD for this.

Anyway.... If you follow me on Twitter, you know that the past several Tuesdays have been "Coffee Date Tuesdays." Basically, the guys that have shown an interest in meeting me in person have been directed to a certain Starbucks in town. I figure that if I meet enough there, I can make friends with the baristas.... not only might I get a few free Trenta Iced Green Teas, but we can work out a system. Like, if I make a certain motion, they know to save me.

I'm half kidding.

This Tuesday, I do not have any coffee scheduled. I'm actually a bit relieved. I kind of need a break.

So, today, I'm going to talk about a few that haven't made the cut. Next Tuesday, I'll do a breakdown on the ones I've met.

Hey, if I'm going to do this, I might as well get some blog material out of it, right?

Non-Bachelor #1

This guy's profile was great. We live in the same town. He's a great height. At a glance, seemed like a great match.

Oh, except for that whole "Separated" word next to his relationship status.

I moved on, but he ended up emailing me. He was open about the fact that he is currently going through a divorce. I emailed him back and told him that I'd love for him to contact me once he can say he's legally divorced.

So, then, he emails me back to say that he understands, but that his wife is a lying cheat and that he has no intentions of ever reconciling with her.

There were a few reasons that I just decided not to respond to that.

Non-Bachelor #2

This guy out of Orlando emails me out of the blue. No joke, this is how the emails went.....

Him: "Hey! You have a captivating smile. Let me know if you want to hang sometime."

Me: "Thank you for the compliments! I hope you are having a great week."

Him: "So are you going to watch the game or the fight tonight?"

Me: "I'm sorry. I don't know which game or fight to which you are referring, lol."

Him: "The basketball game or the UFC fight. Call or text me.... 407-xxx-xxxx."

Please forgive me for being picky, but if you notice, I never actually got his name.

Non-Bachelor #3

So, at first, I was kind of excited about this one. Out of pure vanity, really. He was super good-looking. And, he seemed interesting in his profile.

And then, he started out his emails by wanting my number. I asked if he'd be ok just emailing a little before doing the whole number exchange thing.

His response? "Don't take this personal, but why do girls not want to give out their numbers? Email is so sterile... what happened to a good ole fashioned phone call?"

My response? "No offense taken.... and, if we had met in real life, I'd totally agree. However, I'm uncomfortable handing out my number to a bunch of virtual strangers, so I'd like to try to email first. If we'd met in public and chatted, you'd at some point be able to choose to ask for my number or not.... and, I would choose to give it to you or not. We met online, so I'd like to try to get to know one another online, initially."

His response? "Yeah, I get your reasons, but I don't have time to spend on the internet all day."

Ummmmmmmmm...... then why are you on an INTERNET dating site?


Non-Bachelor #4

I talked about him a bit, yesterday.

Basically, he opened up with the fact that he'd spent his week (last week) volunteering on a presidential campaign and thought we could volunteer together. 

Yeah, I'm not all that gung-ho about politics. That's not my idea of a fun date.

Plus, he was campaigning for a candidate that I pray doesn't win, so there's that.

There, sadly, have been others..... like getting matched up with my creepy ex-coworker.... but, those rank at the top of the weirdo scale.

Monday Musings

This weekend was a good one! Spent some time lazing around.... went to a water park.... went to Disney World.... watched church online.... finished a book... walked 4 miles.... swam in the pool.... didn't get sunburnt.

Overall, a good weekend!

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This morning, I had an outfit in mind. In fact, I'd been planning this outfit since last week.

It's a cute outfit.

Only, when I put it on, it didn't "work." I just didn't feel right.

So, I put on another outfit that I've worn 100 times. That didn't feel right, either.

So, I changed tops. Still, no dice.

At last, I put on a completely different outfit (technically, my fourth try). We have a winner.

Sometimes, I think the outfit just chooses you.

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FD is acting "normal."

It is stressing me out. A lot.

As much as I miss him and "us", him acting normal towards me stresses me out. 

Because, I know he is still with BSG. And, I know that even if it's not for another month, I will have to see BSG again.... and, we'll have to go back to being not normal. Because, she doesn't like us being friends.

Like, I really, really, really hate this.

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On a sadly related note..... I'm fighting with myself to keep up with M*tch.c*m.

Maybe "The One" is on this site, but I'm having trouble locating him. There are a lot of weirdos on there.

The latest winner? His opening line in an email to me was political. I would be pretty turned off by that, regardless.... I don't like politics or debating them, so opening up with politics isn't my thing. To make matters worse, his line was in direct opposition to *my* leanings.

And, no thank you.