Category: Stuff I Like

We Gets No Cover Love

I just want to know why the foreign versions of books always look so much better than the American versions.

So I bought The Five, an amazing social history of the five canonical victims of Jack the Ripper. Amazing book y’all, seriously I told y’all all about it in a previous blog post I’m too lazy to link here but yeah, you need this book.

I bought the ebook as I do most books these days so I could enlarge the type. Then I started following Hallie Rubenhold (the author) on Twitter and now I’m hella mad. The UK version has a MUCH better cover, and they’ve got TOTEBAGS with the women’s names.

The hell you say? So not only do we get an ugly cover that doesn’t have their names inscribed like the Brit version, we don’t even get totebags. Y’all know I’ve got totebag issues, right?

So I tootled over to amazon.co.uk and much to my amazement I discovered I can order the Brit version, but still no totebag. Thinking about low key stalking Rubenhold until she sends me one (or blocks me on Twitter).

The Five

 

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I know it’s been forever since I blogged, but I miss it and will try to blog regularly going forth. I’ve got a lot going on in my personal life and have had to sideline a lot of stuff, but I miss writing so I will do as much as I can.

I have been reading a lot. I just got back from vacation and I read this book. The Five is about the five victims of Jack the Ripper. I’ve long been a fan of true crime, and used to listen to a lot of true-crime podcasts. With my growing consciousness as a radical feminist I’ve been examining my interests in this genre.

Almost all the victims are women killed by men, and most of the true crime podcasters are men. I have a major problem contributing financially to men profiting from the murder of women by other men.

The infamous ‘Ripper Tour’ has long been on my bucket list should I ever find myself in London–unlikely, but you never know. This tour has become controversial of late as being the glorification of male violence. An opposing tour has started, highlighting the victims which is what led me to this book.

The Five is an indepth look at the lives of the Ripper victims. It’s shockingly indepth given that these women were purportedly prostitutes, born 150 years ago the author was able to find an astonishing amount of information about them. The most amazing fact she discovered is that of the five, only two had records of being prostitutes. The other three were assumed to be streetwalkers because they were out-of-doors at a late hour. Never mind, that it was common for poor people who didn’t have the price of a bed to ‘sleep rough.’ The author further speculates that it’s possible that the Ripper attacked his victims while they were lying on the ground, sleeping.

And that’s another aspect of the story that’s so very striking. The issues that led to these women being available to killer are very common to anyone with even a passing interest in social services today. The speed at which a woman could go from being a respectable working class wife and mother, to a homeless alcoholic sleeping on the ground is breathtaking. Having worked in social services, this is remarkably familiar. And that’s a damned shame.

It All Started With a Shower Curtain

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Yeah, I know, not exactly an inspired way to start a story, but seriously, it did start that way and there’s no point in lying. By now y’all know how I shop. I find something I love, then find something similar in a price that sane people would pay.

This shower curtain right here is the exact shower curtain I wanted. It’s Ruan Hoffman. I love his pottery like damn and whoa. And, I don’t have to tell you what store it was in. Is there any other store for me? Anthropologie, of course. (I really need to get a job at that place). And I don’t have to tell you the rest of the story, it’s a $100 shower curtain. Here’s the thing, I have never in my life seen a shower curtain I love more than this one, and nothing similar has done it for me, so yes, I bought a $100 shower curtain. (Believe it or not, they have shower curtains that cost TWICE as much) and I’m not even ashamed. I look at that curtain every day and it makes me HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!

And what’s the point of this blog post other than to reify my love and adoration of all things Anthropologie? It’s not always about being frugal or sensible. I don’t indulge often,  and am a firm believer in making do, but sometimes you just have to go for it. So there’s your lesson of the day; SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO GO FOR IT!!!

 

Men’s Anti-Perspirant: Better, Cheaper, Gentler on Your Pits

OS_FresherCollection_Citron-APDO_900x900.jpgI’m more than a bit annoyed about this. Why did no one tell me that men’s anti-perspirant works better, costs less and believe it or not, is gentler on your skin? As a melanated woman I’ve struggled with underarm discoloration caused by anti-perspirant since forever. I was convinced switching to male products would worsen this issue, but menopause is causing me to sweat like crazy so I decided to try it. No discoloration at all. My underarms actually look better. And Old Spice has some of the most amazing scents EVER. This Citron with Sandalwood is my favorite, but Wolfthorn smells awesome as well. And did I mention this stuff works like a champ? I mean, I never have to worry about not smelling fresh, it keeps my pit game tight ALL DAY LONG and on to the next day.

Audiobooks?

LogoQuestion, how many of y’all (readers and authors) use Audible or some other audiobook system? I’ve pretty much reached my saturation point of learning software, and the thought of having to hire readers and such makes my eyes cross. I’m seriously unable to can at this point, but if I have a lot of readers who like audiobooks it might be worth the trouble. Hit me up in the comments to let me know, and if you use something other than Audible let me know that too. Thanks.

Nightstand Salvation

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Before I go to bed each night, I put a big bottle of water on my nightstand. I drink it during the night, and finish it off first thing in the morning so I get a good start on meeting my water goal for the day. (Full disclosure, that picture is NOT my nightstand, it’s Whit’s. His nightstand has four things on it, mine looks like a goat exploded). Anyway, I also like a cup of chamomile tea before bed. So I have a minimum of two beverages on a wooden nightstand. And yes, I’ve ruined many over the years. You see that lovely glass round under that glass?That’s a glass cutting board, repurposed as an extra-large coaster. Get this, I found them at the dollar store. They’re only about 8” across so they’re much too small for a cutting board, anyway, but they make an excellent coaster. Reasonably attractive and they have little rubber feet so if any water gets underneath it’ll dry without ruining your furniture. I bought like five of them, never know when they’ll come in handy. I’ll keep one under the carafe I keep on the dining room table and vases too so when I refill I don’t have to worry about water rings. Yay me!