It's Not You, It's Me

So, I've been considering this for a while and I decided that I think it's time for us to see new blogging sites. We're just taking a break, you know. If, after a while, we come back to Blogger, then that's great. But... I don't think it's likely.

I have migrated all of my previous posts to the lovely mypancakethoughts.wordpress.com. Mostly because it's prettier. Partly because it's easier to adjust and show things like comics, which I plan on doing more of soon. Very soon.

Please join me there, because otherwise I'll miss you.

A Vlog?

I thought, hey, why not let people get to know me more and put my college degree to good use at the same time? So here's a vlog I made with a timed list of everything I could think of about me. Check it out!

"Are You Pregnant?"

I have gotten this question not just lately but in multiple different times in my life. Never when I was my skinniest, but since gaining an extra 20-40 pounds, it has cropped up now and again. It's strange, though, because when I was my fattest, this was never even a question. People could completely tell that I was overweight, not "with child."
So why does it hurt so much when people do get confused?

I have a few theories on why this happens and why it hurts more than people just blindly going along with the fact you're fat.

1. You're carrying around water weight. And a lot of it. 
Even though it's going to make it feel as though your stomach is puffing out more, even if it hurts because you're so bloated, drink more water. So much water you don't even think you can finish it. Most people don't get enough water, I know I definitely don't. Aim for 2-3 liters of water a day. It's a lot, but sometimes you can lose lots of weight just by drinking that much water and flushing all of that salt out of your system.

2. You're losing weight other places. 
I'm still not nearly as skinny as I want to be. I haven't even lost much visible weight. But as I get in better shape and I feel my legs getting more muscular, I'm starting to notice my stomach just a little bit more. This may be because of #1. But it's probably also because weight around your stomach comes off more slowly than other places normally.

3. Pregnancy is a blessing and a curse. 
Or, at least, the image of pregnancy is. See, if you're unmarried like me, there's a fear that others might judge you because they think you look pregnant. Then there's the concern of, "Does everyone think this?" You're probably wondering what the blessing part is. And let me tell you, it's not much of one. But, man, do I love how excited people get when they either see that I'm engaged or think that I'm pregnant. Until, you know, I have to say things like, "No. I'm not pregnant."

So, while these may not be very consolatory, I thought I'd share them. Hopefully these three thoughts will help you the way they've helped me keep my calm when customers ask me in the drive thru about my reproductive status.
Now, stop reading and go drink up!

Best Workout Ever

For a better view of the comic, click here.

That's Very Pinterest-ing

I am addicted to Pinterest and I really think it may be a problem. See, I hop onto my computer pretty much immediately after I wake up or get home. Sometimes, if I'm very hungry, I'll eat first. When I turn on my computer, I have so many different things I could do. I could edit a video, maybe try out that Lego program that was supposedly used to create the Lego Movie (which I feel will end up being my favorite movie of the year), or I could write something. Throughout the day, I tell myself, "I am going to be productive and I am going to create something."

I spend at least half of my free time on Pinterest with the other half probably firmly cemented on Facebook, talking to my fiance (long distance is so not the best). I search through fitspo and thinspo and see if my term I tried to make up on pinterest - fightspo - has caught on (it hasn't but I'm trying anyways). I used to look at it for wedding things, it seemed really helpful for that. I might pin cosplay things for when I get skinny and apparently rich and able to afford Comic Con or DragonCon or whatever.

You know what I don't do during that time? I don't learn how to sew so I can make my own costume as I tell myself I want to while looking at the girls in the impeccable outfits. I don't work out so that I'm as in shape as the girls in the photos. I don't create anything pin-worthy, whether it's a written quote or a comic or a video.

And I find that very Pinterest-ing. Why is it that Pinterest makes me - and probably most other users - feel so oddly accomplished because we found images on the site or on the web and pinned them? Now we have a collection of things that inspire us - but we waste that inspiration finding other things to inspire us to find more. It's nearly insanity to me.

Well, now that I've shared that little bit of inspiration, I guess I'll go sift through the pins for some more.

Watch Your Food

Someone asked me tonight, "How do you watch what you eat?" I'd never really thought about it before, honestly, and I didn't give it a good answer. I pretty much brushed it off with a, "I ate four spoonfuls of icing yesterday and that's not a rare thing to happen" and a "well I have food allergies so no dice on eating whatever I want." Obviously not helpful. So, when I got home, I thought about it some more and decided maybe I should share what I really try to keep in mind when eating.

1. Eat whole foods as much as possible. Rice over noodles and bread, potatoes (baked or mashed) over french fries and chips, actual fruit over fruit snacks, etc. It's not something I did much growing up, honestly
2. Try to consider what you need nutritionally when figuring out what you're going to eat. Haven't had fruit today? Have a smoothie. On a high-carb, low fat diet and haven't had the fat part yet? Have some a burrito with some guac. Need iron? Put spinach on your sandwich or in your smoothie. Zinc? Nuts (also helpful for fulfilling the fat quota). 
3. Try not to eat oils and salt. Unfortunately, if you're really strict about this one, you can't eat out as pretty much anything and everything will have both salt and oil. Which brings me to my next point - 
4. Make your own food. If you can find some quick, good recipes to make for yourself that you like, do it! It costs less or it costs the same amount for larger portions. It's healthier. If you prepare it beforehand and bring it to work, you waste less time during your lunch break waiting for food. There's really not much of a downside, as long as you pick simple, tasty recipes.
5. Don't try to make healthy food into your favorite junk food. Just don't. They won't taste as good, they'll make you crave more real junk food, and they probably won't be very healthy anyways. Instead, come up with new favorite, healthier foods. If you find things you really like, you'll start craving more similar things. Your taste buds can change, if you give them time.
6. Don't tell yourself, "Everything in moderation will be fine" or "I can have a cheat day." This often leads to cheat weeks and four spoonfuls of icing because "it's not that bad." As cheesy as it sounds, I firmly believe the whole saying about shooting for the moon so if you miss you'll at least end up among the stars. Apply that to this.

These are somewhat idyllic principles, but I find that they've been much more helpful in watching what I eat than simply telling myself to eat better. 

Anyways, happy belated Valentine's Day! 

No Girls Allowed

Okay, I'll admit it. I loved having mostly boy friends. I had zero boyfriends, but all the guys were my friends anyways. We'd joke and toss around innuendos and flirt and then no one would actually date me. It was great. Honestly. Because it gave me good practice for life.

Film is considered a male-dominated field. Statistics showing the amount of women in film are a little bleak. Look here for crazy statistics. But seeing statistics about big, bad Boys' Clubs always makes me question things. Like, how many women are wanting to work in film? And out of those women, how many of them really want to be in more technical positions (gaffer, DP, editor, etc.)? Most of the girls in my film classes had to beat each other out to be producers or set designers on projects, with only a couple of select girls choosing more technical positions. And, the ones who did choose to focus on technical positions ended up either beating out guys who wanted it or working together with the guys.

Obviously, this is life and in class you can't just completely exclude a member of your class. But, I feel like the attitude can't be that much different. The girls wanted to make documentaries and, as shown in the infographic, adult women want to make documentaries a lot too and they want to produce. So my question is - how many girls really want to dive into the technical aspect of film? And how many of these girls are we scaring away by saying that it's a tough, male-dominated field? Maybe it wouldn't be so tough or guy-centric if girls just went out and became qualified and did it.

And, yes, I know there's lots of misogyny. I have had my fair share. I have been asked, "So are you competent?" After describing previous projects and classes. Never once has my fiance been asked that - not even by the same person that asked me. People question my competency frequently, whereas they will typically ask my fiance his opinion. This may be out of some kind of gender bias, it may be because he comes off more confident than me, it is likely a little bit of both.
But the same things can happen anywhere at any time. Whether I'm making coffee or making films, writing emails or writing screenplays, I will likely never escape it. But, if women like myself move into these male-dominated areas, maybe we could not only change the ratio but show to women and men alike that women can hold their own in these Boys' Clubs just as much as men can.