Anne Hutchinson- My Hero

If you are in my class this semester, we either just talked about Anne Hutchinson or will soon be talking about her (depending on which meeting time you have) and when I saw on my "This Day in History" widget that on this day in 1634, Anne arrived in Boston after her long journey from England, I figured I'd talk a little more about her story.

Anne and her husband were both staunch Puritans. They toed the religious lines- wore black, modest clothes, were in church every time the doors were opened, pointed fingers at their sinning neighbors- and actually were assumed to be saints within the community, meaning that God had predestined them for an afterlife in Heaven.

But Anne wasn't your typical Puritan woman. When she disagreed with what the town leaders were doing in terms of running the community, she spoke out. OK, that was bad because women weren't supposed to be that outspoken, but even though the mayor gave her the side-eye, they let it slide.

Then she took it too far. When Anne disagreed with some of the things the preacher said in sermon, she once again spoke up. During Bible studies she held in her home, she said that the preacher was wrong about certain things and that this was how she would have presented that information. Oh the horrors!!! A woman voicing her opinion!!! Can't have that... it might lead to anarchy or at the very least other women voicing their opinions.

Anne was brought before the town judges on charges of heresy, an offense punishible by death. Every time Anne tried to defend herself in court, she was told to keep her mouth shut, that the learned men of the bench did not need to hear the voice of a foolish female. When they found her guilty and were on the verge of sentencing her to death, a very pregnant Anne spoke her peace. You can't blame her; she had 13 kids at home and if they hung her, the baby she was carrying would die with her.

She essentially told the judges that if they hurt her, God would punish them, their community and all the generations to come. I bow to this woman!!! She spoke with such conviction that the judges still found her guilty of heresy but rather than execute her, the banished her and her family from the Massachusetts Colony. They relocated to the newly formed Rhode Island Colony.

Sadly, Anne's story from there isn't a happy one. The stresses from the trial and from the hasty move to Rhode Island took their toll on the expectant mother and she gave birth to a stillborn child on the way to Rhode Island. The judges in Massachusetts said that this was due to the fact that she was a "monster" and "a woman not fit for society."

It didn't stop there. Less than five years after building a new life in Rhode Island, Anne's husband died suddenly. Anne simply couldn't live there anymore so she relocated to the New Netherlands Colony (which is now New York; at the time it was under Dutch control). But she didn't find peace there either. A few months later, she and 5 of her children were killed in an Indian attack.

But despite her sad story, Anne Hutchinson is still one of my heroes. I love the stories of women who didn't quite fit in with the lot in life that men had given them. We need more Anne Hutchinsons in the world today.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

OK, go outside (yes, even if you are still wearing your pj's), close your eyes, take a deep breath and take in the smell of...the beginning of the fall TV season. Isn't it just wonderful?!?

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. As the oppressing heat of summer begins to fade away and we start to get the first hints of nippy fall weather I get all giddy because new TV has started. I can immerse myself into the fake lives of all the characters that I love and love to hate. Sons of Anarchy and The Vampire Diaries have both started off with a bang. And Supernatural and Nikita are yet to come. The premiere that I'm most looking forward to though is Fringe; I've gone all summer jonesing for a good Walter fix.

On top of all my returning faves, it looks like there's going to be a bunch of good newbies on the block. The Secret Circle piqued my interest and Terra Nova is looking pretty good. But the one that I have high hopes for is Ringer. Identical twins where one "dies" and the other assumes her life? A trite concept, I know, but after watching last week's pilot, I'm anxious to see where they go next. My only question as I watched was, "Hey Buffy, where's Spike?"

I have already resigned myself to the fact that things like prepping for class and writing the next chapter of the book I'm working are just simply going to have to play second fiddle to my old friend the TV right now. If I suddenly go off on tangents talking about Damon and Elena and how I wish I had an identical twin so I could fake my own death, just bear with me.

Remembering 9/11

"Naked and starving as they are
We cannot enough admire
The incomparable Patience and Fidelity
of the Soldier."

George Washington wrote these words in his journal during the horrendous winter of 1777-78 when he and his soldiers fought to survive at Valley Forge. They are now inscribed on the monument at the campsite.

Today, over 2 centuries later, I truly believe that the same feeling applies as we remember the events of a decade ago when this country suffered from its worst attack in recent memory.

On that day, I remember sitting in my car, listening to the radio as I waited to go into the office and start the workday. I had already dropped Caitlin off at school and since traffic was lighter than normal, I had a few extra minutes to kill. When they broke into the music to tell about the first plane hitting the WTC, I ran into the office and turned on the lights and TV just in time to watch the smoke begin to plume from the 2nd tower. In my 28 years, I had never been so scared. Was it an accident? Was it the beginnings of an invasion? We just didn't know and the longer we waited, the worse the fear got. As my co-workers and I watched the footage and saw the Pentagon get hit and then the crash of Flight 93, all I could do was to pray for those who had been lost and those who were trying to help.

Today, as we remember 9/11, I am still doing the same. I pray for our country and its leaders. I pray for all of those who willingly put their lives on the line to serve in our military and keep us all safe. I pray for those who serve on a civilian level, the policemen, firemen, emergency crews who constantly put themselves in danger for us. I pray for us all as I know with all my heart that I am proud to be an American.

God bless America!

It's a Barbie World

Seriously, what toy has had more impact on people today than the Barbie doll? Since today is Barbie's sort of birthday I figured it was a good time to walk down memory lane and relive my Barbie playing days. The reason that I say it's her "sort of" birthday is because Barbie's debut was at a New York toy fair in March 1959 but today is actually the anniversary of Mattel putting the blonde bombshell on toy store shelves so all the little kiddies could partake in the wonderfulness that was Barbie.

Since the rise of the Feminist Movement, Barbie has gotten a lot of flack. If the perfectly proportioned Barbie is supposed to be ideal, are little girls going to grow up and starve themselves and buy some boobs so they can be ideal too? I never really bought into that, mainly because by the time I was deep into Barbie-world, they had stopped doing things like putting a weight loss guide that said "Don't Eat" and a scale set at 110 lbs in with the doll. Was Barbie supposed to be a ditz? I think this got blown out of proportion too. People hit the roof because Barbie said things like "Math class is tough!" I personally agree with her, math class IS tough, it's MATH!!! It's supposed to be tough. Did this mean that Barbie couldn't be whatever she wanted? Not so much. My Barbies were queens of the world, warrior princesses, powerful sorceresses, astronauts, doctors, teachers and mommies. Barbie could be anything which meant that I could be anything!

I did a little research on Barbie's history when I saw on my "News of the Day" that today was the first day Barbie was sold and I learned several surprising things. I knew that the original model for Barbie was a New York girl named Barbara Millicent Roberts but I didn't know that Mattel originally published a series of books based on Barbara's/Barbie's life. I think Ken was made up just so Barbie could have a boyfriend but I never knew that he actually had a last name (Carson) and when Ken and Barbie broke up (Ken severely needed a makeover and attitude adjustment) Barbie got "close" with Australian surfer Blaine. I love that, Mattel actually used the word "close" to describe their relationship.

Despite all the controversies, I personally think that Barbie has made much more of an impact on the life of young girls than anybody gives credit for. I might be a grown up now, but to this day, nothing makes me happier on Christmas morning or my birthday than to receive a Barbie in a long dress with gorgeous hair and jewelry. I think that's something I'll never grow too old for.