There's alot that can be said about female solidarity. Almost every woman has one, and almost every man has seen them.

The group of girls clustered together, laughing, arguing, talking, drinking, dancing, reading, smoking. I know that I have a group of three tight-knit gals that I get together with at least twice a year. We dine, we drink, we dance. We have sleepovers, and go to bars and hit on guys just to get free drinks. We crank call ex-boyfriends and free sex phone chat lines, only to end up insulting our tele-suitors and giving them a piece of our minds. My aunt's group calls themselves "The Five Alive", my friend Kim's mom has her "Margarita Mommas", I have The Girly Party.

Why is there such an emphasis on being anti-girly? Why do I sometimes feel that doing all these things go against what I stand for as a feminist? Can a feminist be feminine?

Before Sex & the City, there was The Girly Party - but rather than treating men the way men have always treated women we treat men the way they want us to treat them, smile at their glances, occasionally dance with them, laugh at their jokes, act stupid, act smart, act political, all as a means of serving ourselves. We go out with the I Don't Care mentality, we play question games and tell off those who contradict our beliefs.

But are our actions a contradiction of our own beliefs? I don't think so. We are making a logical choice to be girly, to act the way we do, regardless of how we have stepped on the male species in the past we have never gone against our morals or ethics. We treat pigs the way they want to be treated, we accept the drinks, laugh at the jokes and lame stories, we make them believe that they are in control, when really - we're the ones driving.

These girls are my support system, and I love them and everything we've done together - proud and shameful moments. I guess they may be Grrl Power after all...

Signed Grrl Friday

Firstly, I'd like to apologize to my loyal readers for not posting since mid-month. Between school and work and Christmas I haven't had any time to devote to my precious blog - thanks for staying loyal. On another note, look for the site to get way more rock-n-roll soon, thanks to the gift of a years worth of Blog Spot Plus (or one of those types) from my beautiful and talented boyfriend J.J. I've also added another link to my list which was introduced to me through one of my Christmas presents from my parents. Have Fun!!!

Working on a new article to be posted between now and tonight...for real this time.

Signed Grrl Friday

Ok, so I realize that I said that I'd have something new up on Tuesday, and it's Thursday and I still have nothing. Please bear with me, I only have two more exams to go. You gotta give me some credit to even be able to write anything at all after working non-stop writing and studying for five exams all scheduled within a eleven-day period. Thanks for your patience, Tuesday I GUARANTEE there will be new material up I promise.

I'm going nuts in front of the computer terminal, having to go to work is actually like a relief for me at this point.

So help me...

Signed Grrl Friday

This week's Tuesday article will be delayed by one day because I am exhausted and need to write three more exams by Monday. I promise I'll post tommorow...email me any topics you're intrested in having me explore.

Signed Grrl Friday

A few notes before I sign off for the night.

To add to my previous post regarding the Montreal Massacre, if you are intrested in learning more about this tragic event or would like to know where memorials are being held in your corner of Canada please use this link to determine the time and location of events across the country.

Additionally, any donations made to this site between December 6 and January 6, 2003 will be forwarded to the December 6th Fund.

As for the blog I have decided that I'm going to publish articles on Tuesdays and Fridays of every week. If you have an article idea or subject email me using the link on the right-hand column.

One last item before I go. After reading an article in my new copy of BITCH I have come across a website I thought you may enjoy. Kristina Sheryl Wong has created a website that looks like a mail-order-bride site but is in actuality a means of educating and advocating the cause of these women, a form of geurilla activism. I strongly suggest that you check the site out it'll make you laugh, and I will be adding it to my links.

Signed Grrl Friday

>>December 6, 1989
Fourteen women are killed at l'Ecole Polytecnique in Montreal. Studying to become engineers, the only crime commited by these women was their field of choice - a field dominated by men.

The violence has to stop.

Contribute in any way you can, volunteer at a women's shelter or rape crisis center, support the white ribbon campaign or attend a memorial service.

In Ottawa there will be a memorial service held December 6, 2002 between six and seven pm at the Women's Monument in Minto Park. The organizers have requested that only women and children attend the event.


In Memory of the Victims

Genviève Bergèron

Hélène Colgan

Nathalie Croteau

Barbara Daigneault

Anne-Marie Edward

Maud Haviernick

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz

Maryse Laganière

Maryse Leclair

Anne-Marie Lemay

Sonia Pelletier

Michèle Richard

Annie St-Arneault

Annie Turcotte

Signed Grrl Friday

I had lunch with a couple of friends this afternoon, I bought the new copy of BITCH yesterday and brought it to their attention. I told them about how I've felt lately about loosing my radicalism, the passion that I had for feminism only a few short years ago when I was in high school and entering into the women's studies program at my university.

They told me that it was immature to think that way, that to really change stuff you need to be in a position of power. But does it really have to be that way? I'm not looking to change the world, just my little corner of it - influence whoever and whatever I can through my words and actions.

What they said angered me. Why can't the little person be proactive and make change without being in a position of power? That's part of the reason why I began this webpage, I want to influence YOU to do something. Magazines like BITCH and BUST can't do all the work, neither can the administrators or the government or the activists. But we can each be responsible for our little piece of the planet, speaking out against sexism, racism, homophobia - discrimination of all shapes and sizes. Instead of trying to get into power, why don't we use the power which we each posess?

Our voices, our actions and our words can all make a difference. Revolutions start with the people - we are the people and we need to do something. I've created a new area devoted to this exact cause, and inspired by my friends comments.

Geurilla activism was created to promote feminist education and activism. It contains information about something you can voice your opinion about right here and now.

Read the clip, email Soma and XLR8R magazines, and think about this quote...

"We must first be the change we wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

Signed Grrl Friday

Written at 1 am, uploaded tuesday morning

No rest for the weary.

The continuing saga of the bad day that has no end has ended, and I don't work again until the weekend - thank god. I'm not sure if I could do another day like the past two tommorow - I'm definetly looking forward to the next four days of studying and writing for finals.

Things went rather smoothly this evening at work, except there were some unexpected last-minute tasks that didn't get done, so I'm showing up tommorow before the store opens to get them done.

I've been criticized for working too much, people at work joke about how much time I spend there. I just enjoy what I do, and I'm the kind of employee that does extra things regardless of being asked or not. It's who I am, and what I do.

Spoke to J.J. on the phone today, just a quick hello - he was doing dishes and still working one of several papers he immersed himself in this past weekend.

Spent five hours this afternoon trying to fix the blog's layout, I know it doesn't seem like very much but I'm trying. Hoping to have a pic and proper links to sites and friends blogs soon, need to talk to J.J. or Simon about HTML.

DS9's on in five, ah to live on a spacestation...in my next life I'm coming back as someone on Star Trek.

Signed Grrl Friday

Sorry about the mess, I'm currently in the process of fixing it.

Signed Girl Friday

Written @ 1:20 am, uploaded Monday morning.

What a day, what a night.

Did you ever have one of those days where it started all well and good, but ended horribly and left you wishing you didn't have to go through the same thing the next?

I have had one of those days.

Everything blew up at work, I feel like the Atom bomb landed on the strip mall that I work in and my store was ground zero.
I acheived nothing and worst of all, I have to go back and do it all over again, making up the work that didn't get done today tommorow.

Totally useless.

Last day of classes tommorow and frankly I'm looking forward to it. The weight of all my assignments these past two weeks has left me dragging my feet and with a permanent headache.

Nonetheless I will continue, whether or not I pass one of my courses is of course a burning question, if I pass I stay, if I fail I get kicked out of school...again. I've tried my best, I hope and I guess that'll have to do for now.

Get up, go to class and work - that's all I gotta do.

I need a hug

Signed Grrl Friday

I know what you're thinking, how many freaking layout changes can she make since Friday. Apparently alot, please exuse all the crazy links and writing stuff. The blogskin wouldn't properly adhere to the site so I had to cut and paste and I need to clean up a bit, and change the colours - pastel - Ugh!

Work was crazy and I still don't know if it's done, I may have to go back in at ten to fill in for the ASM. Not cool, not cool but I volunteered to do it and so I made my bed. Even so, Markopoulous is working and he's always guaranteed to make me laugh.

Got my last class tommorow, and then my first exam on Thursday. School went by fast, sometimes too fast, but more often not fast enough. I just want to get exams over with so I can focus on having a good time during Christmas. And speaking of Christmas...

My mother has decided to give us the twelve days of Christmas for Christmas, even though I know that on some level it will be fun I have an awful feeling that it may involve sleigh rides and skating...here's hoping...

Later, Signed Grrl Friday

I know what you're thinking, how many freaking layout changes can she make since Friday. Apparently alot, please exuse all the crazy links and writing stuff. The blogskin wouldn't properly adhere to the site so I had to cut and paste and I need to clean up a bit, and change the colours - pastel - Ugh!

Work was crazy and I still don't know if it's done, I may have to go back in at ten to fill in for the ASM. Not cool, not cool but I volunteered to do it and so I made my bed. Even so, Markopoulous is working and he's always guaranteed to make me laugh.

Got my last class tommorow, and then my first exam on Thursday. School went by fast, sometimes too fast, but more often not fast enough. I just want to get exams over with so I can focus on having a good time during Christmas. And speaking of Christmas...

My mother has decided to give us the twelve days of Christmas for Christmas, even though I know that on some level it will be fun I have an awful feeling that it may involve sleigh rides and skating...here's hoping...

Later, Signed Grrl Friday