Brain dump for the week

-I will admit, I take things like astrological signs and personality types with a grain of salt. But when all three of them say more or less the same thing, they might have a good idea about my personality. Also, it's fun to say "I'm a Scorpio and a Snake, messing with me is just not a good idea."

-There are days I feel like I need a disclaimer.  Because it seems like no matter how often I explain that I will sometimes hermit myself away for no reason in particular, someone might feel ignored.  In short, I need a neon "It's not you, it's me" sign to hover behind me.  We can break the laws of physics right?

-Three cups of coffee on a Thursday night makes for a very weird Friday.

-Just because you don't get a response text from a person, doesn't mean they're ignoring you or not wanting to disclose information. Your phone is a POS, and doesn't always send texts.

-While it would be fun, I don't think I can justify getting another job abroad unless I'd be making bank...

-With the amount of stubbornness running through my veins, it's amazing that I ever ask anyone for help (see: I threw my back out Friday....)

-I don't think everyone realizes just how much I use deadpan for humor

-As long as I live in Salem, I will have to maintain a gym membership to stay active.

-It's not everyday that a person you knew in high school/college shows up as an FBI felon of the week.

-I flip tenses when talking to myself....

Anyway, hopefully next post will be more coherent. In the meantime, going to go lay down and stretch, because I really did throw my back out. Something about moving a 60 pound box up to my car, and into my apartment did not agree with my muscles.

A... Female rant

This week's topic:  Boobs, bras, and the fact that most women in the United States are not in their correct bra size.

First, let's take a look at a  map of the world

The map you saw shows the average cup size of women globally.  There's just one problem with that map... And that's America (surprise, surprise).  Why do I say this?  Well, here's an article about it.  Oh hey look, there's that map again...   

If you were to go into a Target, Kmart, Walmart, or even Victoria's Secret (the "end all, be all" of lingerie shopping...), the largest cup size you would find would either be a DD or DDD. And most of those would be in a 36, 38, or 40 band size. Even the department store JC Penney does not offer a cup size bigger than DDD in store. They do have more selection in their catalog on online. For the woman trying to get a proper fit, though, this does nothing to help.  But more on that later.

Moving on to Macy's and Nordstrom, they offer more cup sizes than those previously listed, but often the bras are not as... Pretty. Most often they could be described as plain, serviceable bras for everyday use. They're not cute, and they're not something that you would want to surprise a partner with.  Next we move to another lingerie store:  Fredericks of Hollywood. They get some points, because they offer a wider selection of cup sizes and band sizes, and don't automatically assume that D cups and above are going to have a large rib cage.

So, why is this so important?  Why should we care if a woman is sized correctly? Who cares if a woman's bra is too big in the band size and too small in the cup size so long as there are no lines?

Well, there are multiple reasons to care. A properly fitted bra can help a woman look up to ten (count 'em, 10) pounds lighter. A bra that fits right can reduce back strain, neck strain, core strain.... Lots of body strain. A proper bra can even make a woman feel sexy. *le gasp!* There are so many reasons to get properly fitted for a bra, and yet so many women don't.

So why is that?

Well, reread the list of places I listed. Quite a few of them are chains. Said chains do not offer a comprehensive selection of bras, much less an extended selection. Even Fredericks of Hollywood only goes up to 42G

Quick tangent for those of you who do not understand how a bra is sized/fit on a woman.  The numbers are the circumference of the woman's rib cage. The letter is the difference between the rib cage and the fullest part of the breast. Now, here's where things get tricky.  The United States, the UK, France, and other parts of Europe all use different ways to measure cup size (and France and Europe use centimeters instead of inches for band size).  The UK standard has been--in my experience, at least--the most logical of the sizing charts. They use the letter to designate inch differences, and as you traverse down the alphabet you get D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, I, J, etc.  These all designate an inch difference.

Now, contrary to popular belief, the smallest rib cage size is not 32. Rib cages can be much smaller. One girlfriend of mine has a 28 inch rib cage.  Just stop and think about that for a second...

Back to the main point, though. Without a comprehensive selection of bras for women available in the large stores, they turn to boutique shops to get a bra that actually fits and will give them the support they need to get through the day.  The drawbacks of the boutiques is the price of the bra.  I can easily spend $250 in a bra shop and maybe get 3 bras, if I'm lucky. I don't do online shopping, because each bra maker has minor differences in their bras.  So what one would call a 32GG another might call a 30H or a 34FF, and unless you have the exact bra design memorized and you are committed to wearing one style for the rest of your life (or until the manufacturer decides to stop making that bra)... You're stuck. You could spend hundreds of dollars on bras and try them on, find what fits, and send back what doesn't.  But that's a crapshoot...

So, the next time you go bra shopping or critique a woman's bra, just think about that.  We're dealing with what we have. The large suppliers don't believe in comprehensive sizes, and as a result many women will suffer.

Traipsing through a winterized landscape

So, it's happened again. My part of the Northwest got hit with a massive snowstorm. It dropped anywhere from 5"-24" of snow, depending on the area... In two days. The city I'm in declared that no one was allowed to drive without chains or traction tires, parts of the interstate had the same restriction, and parts were closed down completely due to the icy conditions. We closed the office early on Friday, because my boss saw that the snow was getting worse, and he didn't want to get trapped at the office. Granted, he told me this while he was out to lunch. I closed down the office shortly after that, grabbed food, then debated staying in my town.... I've been stuck at my apartment since, because I don't have chains or traction tires. As stated previously, I've never used them, or had a need to use them. *sigh*  it makes for a boring weekend.

It also makes me want to learn how to snowshoe or cross country ski. I may end up taking some classes and getting the necessary equipment. I'd rather not be trapped in any one place, especially if the apocalypse should happen now.

In other news, I broke my writer's block on my main story, and have gotten back on track... Somewhat. I'm trying to get my first draft finished by the equinox, but with the other stressors of life, that has been a bit difficult to maintain. With this change, though, the story is back on track.  Granted, my  main character is less than pleased at the turn of events, but if an author always kept the characters happy, the story would not be worth the read.  At least, not to an audience that could learn something from the story.

Yes, I know, I've been lax on updating. Je suis désolée. As previously stated, life is stressful, and I get home drained. The current situation does not make for an easy time writing, or even sitting in front of a computer for an extended period of time. I used to have my email inbox organized to a fault. Now, I can't find the energy to care.

Hope that those of you affected by the snowstorm of doom are okay. And those of you who have not experienced enough snow to get trapped inside for multiple days... Consider yourself lucky.