Take me Baby... or Leave me.

So as a result of some nasty womens problems, I am holed up on the couch at 2am with a hot water bottle watching Rent. I just want to take a moment to express my love for this musical.

When I first watched Rent (the movie version, I haven't seen it live although I'm itching to), when it came out in 2005, I was 15 and I didn't like it. I'm not sure why but I remember not being able to follow it easily as there is not much dialogue and there were probably just too many issues my white, middle classed, healthy, 15 year old self couldn't understand. I decided to give it another try last year after reading about it on Autostraddle. My 21 year old self loved it to the point of tears.

Set in 1989 in Alphabet City on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the musical explores the lives of several people. Some gay, some fighting AIDS and some battling addiction. According to Wikipedia the musical is based on Giacomo Puccini's Opera La Boheme.

I was going to write a full review of this movie, but then I realised I don't really know how to write a review, so instead I'm just going to state the three best things about it, and urge everyone to go and watch it (or re-watch it) right now.

1. This song, that makes me cy every time, and which I had to pause in the middle of so that I could stop crying to write this post!

2. This song, which is my life anthem.

3. The marriage of Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, my two favourite people in the world, after Richelle and Hugo of course.

Go watch!

P.S. Have you seen Rent? Did you love it?

On a happier note.

I got these for my Darling for Valentines Day! I'm a bit mushy. We celebrated Valentines by going to an information session about fostering children. Some time in the future we may be temporary or long term mummies!

Not ok.

Image from Fit For A Femme

I know that my blog is very young and that it may not be appropriate to go on a ranting rampage so soon after I started it but I just need to get this off my chest.

Chris Brown being invited to perform at the grammys? Not ok.
Chris Brown being welcomed with open arms and recieving a standing ovation at the grammys? NOT OK.
This reaction to Chris Brown at the grammys? WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH THE WORLD???

If you don't feel like clicking the link, that's ok, I understand. However I'm just going to give a couple of examples of what it is. The article is titled, 25 extremely Upsetting Reactions to Chris Brown at the Grammys, they are tweets from young women, and they generally look like this: "I don't know why Rhianna complained. Chris Brown could beat me anytime he wanted to." and "I'd let Chris Brown beat me any day."

This makes me want to cry with anger at how thoroughly society has failed these girls, that they think it is ok to have so little respect for not only themselves, but for any woman who has been a victim of domestic violence. Chris Brown did this to Rhianna. He beat his partner. Why on earth is the music industry condoning this behaviour by acting like it never happened, and not only that, but by welcoming him back like the prodigal son? What kind of message is that sending to women, whether victims of violence or not? To me that says, it's ok if he hit you, we will pretend it didn't happen, we don't respect you enough to kick up a fuss, to send out the message that it is not ok to use violence, whether in a moment of anger or otherwise, it is ok to hit women, as long as you make good (or sub-par) music.

How do we get the message across that domestic violence is not ok, when this shit is happening? I am so disappointed in humanity right now. And I am so sorry to anyone, man or woman who has ever experienced domestic violence. It is not ok, and it should not happen.

I just discovered that HelloGiggles have a really good article on this topic if you want to read more

Thanks for reading, Melissa.

P.S. I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines Day!

Update:
R just alerted me to this video
I like it! At least someone in the media realised how ridiculous the whole thing is.

Friends with benefits.

Hi Strangers!
This picture is irrelevant but this post needed a picture so, meet my pup Hugo! My very talented girlfriend took this picture.

So something pretty cool happened today. I have this friend who's a brilliant floristry student, and she needed some help today with a top secret project. So my partner (I'm going to call her R from now on) and I went to her work to help her out, and I came out of it with a job! I've got friends in high places! It's only a few days a week, and it's ironing chair sashes and helping with event set up, but it's a job! From which I will earn money! Yay!
The only downside is that R and I will both be out all day and Hugo pup is not going to like that at all.

Hope you had a good day!
Melissa.

P.S. I was so tired when I got home I made dinner from a packet mix. I feel like a fraud.

P.P.S. My mum got me a new set of pots and pans for christmas and they're the best thing ever which made it not so bad.

I am Eleven.

My friend Genevieve made a documentary.
I went to see said documentary last night and was blown away by it. I left the screening feeling uplifted, hopeful, thankful and amazed that, 1. there are such beautiful and intelligent children in the world, and 2. that there is someone in the world like Genevieve who took the time to let us know. Genevieve won and IF award for it last year and she really deserved it. I don't want to give too much away, but I hope that everyone gets a chance to see this film because it made me view the world in a different light. Just watch the trailer and you'll understand:

I Am Eleven - trailer from I Am Eleven on Vimeo.

Go to the website to find out if it is screening near you, and if it is, you should definitely go see it, you won't regret it!

Not quite there yet!

Hi Blogland!
I have made a temporary design. It is not what the finished product will look like, but I like it for a temp job! I will get started on my final design when my partner can help me photograph it.

Whilst I'm not exactly sure what I want to put on this blog yet, I know that I want to use it to interact with people, to share DIY, recipes, thoughts and anything else I come across, or come up with! I hope that from this blog I can meet some amazing people, and stop talking my girlfriend's ears off about all the projects I want to do and just post them for other people to read instead!
Melissa.

Image: Society6

Hello, Hola, Ciao, Bonjour!

Hi, Welcome to my blog!
My name is Melissa, and I have started this blog to attempt to curb my obsession with reading blogs! I'm clueless as to how to use blogger so it may take me a while to make this blog as pretty as I'd like. So please bear with me while I learn. I will write an about me some time soon, but i'd like to decide how much of myself I want to give away here first! I hope that if people happen to stumble across this blog they will enjoy their time here. Thanks for reading! Melissa.