sarah ayoub, Freelance Writer

Hey there Wordsmith Laners,

When I started this blog in July 2009, I was pretty down in the dumps. At the time, I’d been suffering from situational depression for a few months, which made it hard to write (let alone do other things, like be my normal self). I had also been made redundant from a job that I did not actually like, which made things ten times worse. I was out of a job for five months or so, and in that time, all I wanted to do was WRITE.

My inspiration for this blog came from the fact that when I started out as a freelancer a few years before, there was not many places I could turn for some REAL advice on breaking into the industry, let alone as a freelancer. There were PLENTY of things I had to learn from my own, and I copped a lot of rejection in those early years, and made a lot of mistakes that I learnt from.

I figured that I didn’t want this difficulty to be the case for everyone who wanted to freelance in magazines or journalism. I wanted to help. I wanted to give them the content they weren’t really getting anywhere else, whilst sharing with them my own wordsmith journey. In all its mistakes, faults and glories. I remember excitedly telling a big time magazine writer about my idea, and she laughed and told me I better be charging for all that content I was giving away. But I never have, because it was never about that.

In the past two weeks, I have gotten some feedback about my blogging. Apparently I need to be more humble. I shouldn’t speak to you as though you are my students, and I shouldn’t be proud of my achievements or successes the way that I am. I should reply to all your comments. And beauty blog in a manner that doesn’t resemble advertising. I shouldn’t say that I am a good writer either.

So I am going to lay my cards on the table, once and for all. I am going to say what I am about, and what I think, and suss out whether or not I should keep blogging to begin with. It’s not that I want to silence the critics, because I believe in free speech and know that criticism is an essential part of the game. But I also know that keeping this blog up and running costs me time and money. Money because I fund things like domains and applications on wordpress (and occasionally prizes and the like), and money because I have lost a lot of time that I’d otherwise devote to freelance writing to blogging. That’s right, I blog more than I write these days, because my readership has grown and I thought I would devote more time to the demand, even at the risk of my bigger career. And you know what, it’s not just that.

Most writers don’t get to come home from their full-time jobs and drink a glass of wine on the couch at the end of the day, and I am one of them. I come home after working eight hours, have dinner and a shower, and try to blog or write until 11pm, which is when I go to sleep. My shoulders actually hunch over because I am always hunched over my laptop, and when I go to the osteopath to get treated for my back, I am always berated for spending too much time at my computer. What I am trying to say is that this blog doesn’t serve a lot for me. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I do this to help you guys out. Because I genuinely care about your career goals. This means that some of the time I could otherwise devote to my own writing career, which I make money off, is coming to this blog. And there’s no point in me running it if you are not enjoying it, or thinking that you don’t want to learn from my lessons. (And FYI, those bars you see for ONYA and Trespass are not for advertising, they’re my support for friends who have done really well to start and work on online mags that serve Gen Y.)

Anyway, another criticism is my lack of replies to your comments. But I just have to say, when I do get comments that require a response, I email that person directly. And I have developed some great relationships with some of you. In fact, one reader sent me an email two days ago, to thank me, because I put her in touch with one of my contacts for some casual temping work, and she now has a job at a women’s lifestyle magazine at ACP. Sometimes, people ask me questions (via the comments) that they might not want the answers to broadcast for other readers to see, which is why I like to keep things private.

I’m also sorry if my confidence has come across as arrogance. People who have read this blog since its establishment would know that I am a woman of many issues and insecurities where my writing is concerned. I have made a lot of mistakes, get a lot of rejection and work really hard for whatever successes I have earnt. Moreso, how could I possible motivate and encourage you if I was always negative? Why would you bother pursuing freelance journalism if all you heard was the bad bits? a big part of it self-esteem and self-motivation in the face of rejection, so when I say ‘I am a good writer’, it is me attempting to go on despite my setbacks. I think if I was arrogant I wouldn’t bother trying to help people out, I would want to hog all the advice to myself. Plus, I don’t mean to speak to you as students. That is SO UNINTENTIONAL. I teach sometimes too, so I am sorry if that comes across in my writing. I just consider so many of you my ‘baby wordsmiths’ and I want your success more than YOU KNOW. And lastly, I am not being a show-off when I say I have a lot to do. And immodest when I say I am exhausted. I really am exhausted. I work five days a week, do the usual housework, blog, try to write, stress about everyone else’s problems (that’s just me), plan my wedding, go to uni. I juggle. It’s part of the reality, it’s really not a lie.

And finally, I am sorry if my beauty posts sounds like advertisements. I get a lot of press releases and invitations to things, and a lot of opportunities to endorse many a product. About 20% of these make it to the blog. I make it my mission to write about things that I LOVE or things that I have tried. Yes, maybe I suck as a beauty writer, but it was never in my big plan. I started writing beauty because a lot of you asked about the industry and I couldn’t dish advice out on a subject I knew NOTHING about. So my beauty writing is a learning curve. And when I rave about a product in a story or open letter, it’s because I actually loved it. You can tell which products I like because they are always featured: Benefit, Trilogy, Planet Earth & Burt’s Bees (esp their cuticle cream and blemish stick). And Nivea body moisturisers, and the scent of anything by MOR (which I just recently discovered) float my boat too.

So that’s it. That’s me, stripped bare, cards on the table. The thing is, I am not invincible. I still have not developed my thick journalist skin. Things still hurt. Especially when they’re coming from people who don’t actually know me. I am a non-fiction features writer. I can’t write my intentions to make sure they’re not misread, and you can’t feel my emotions when I write. So what comes across as arrogance is just me encouraging myself in the face of discouragement.

So where do we go from here? I am thinking of eliminating my own personal writer’s journey from the blog; no more tales from my own experiences and no more lessons in skills textbook (especially when those lessons stem from my own). I honestly don’t want to sound like a sook, and I don’t want to be misinterpreted. You might be sick of me, or you might want to learn your own way. Either way, Wordsmith Lane can change enough to be a generic writer’s blog with writer’s interviews and writerly news. Up to you guys.

In the end, I can’t help thinking that this is still a personal blog. MY OWN. Which makes me entitled to my own thoughts and opinions. But at the same time, criticism gets me bad. Maybe I am still in the early stages of my career and very unequipped to deal with criticism (depsite what I think). I value your advice and your feedback. If you want change, I will do my best to accomodate.

A lot of stuff to think about and plenty to mull over this weekend. As for me, I’m over and out.

Hi guys,

I’m a little sickly this week, so apologies for the fact that I have not posted since Tuesday. We’ll be back up and running next week (here’s hoping!), with more for wordsmith spotlight, interviews and bookshelf bits.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend.
Sarah xx

PS – I’d like to congratulate Clare Griffin who is the lucky winner of our Wordsmithlane Birthday Prize Pack. Clare’s won a great pack of goodies plus a one hour one-on-one session with moi to workshop and discuss her writing dreams/queries/objectives. Don’t forget that the rest of you also have a chance to win the smaller prize pack for the most retweets about it on Twitter, to help wordsmithlane reach 500 followers!

Hello there Megan. My name is Sarah Ayoub, and you might remember me from writerly pursuits like rants and ramblings at WordsmithLane, fine and dandy feature articles in the likes of Madison, Yen & CLEO (and more), bridal diaries on Bride To Be  and, look, even a little interview on your very own writerly blog, Literary Life.

Despite all the above pursuits, you probably now associate me with all sorts of negative things, like annoying car hoons, gelato places that run out of (or worse, don’t stock) flavours like Pannacotta and Green Apple, mothers who do not discipline their children and a world without France. Or more simply, people who make a half-arsed attempt at committing to things and then bail out of them at the first sign of trouble.

Although you might not want to hear (or read) it, this is my plea for clemency, or leniency, or whatever drug dealers ask for when they’re going to be executed. Not that I think you’re going to execute me, but then again, I do inhabit a world of negative things (see above) when I am wedged in the reality of life and not daydreaming thanks to the after-effects of many a packet of Pascal Marshmallows (mostly the fault of my sugar-banishing boyfriend who lives in fear of me getting diabetes or repeating my tribal-like dance/march around the living room wearing his police boots, a plastic bag on my head and a stainless steel pot and wooden spoon in my hand after getting high on lollies). But yeah, negative things happen (serious aside note: my editors are constantly telling me my sentences are too long and I have too many side brackets. Maybe you aspiring wordsmiths can learn from my mistakes, after all, I have probably exhausted your brain with afore-mentioned sentences and bracketed side bits).

(more…)

Last week, I posted about celebrating my first blogging birthday. And no birthday is complete without a present. Except, it’s going to be one of you guys who gets the present in this instance, all to say thanks for your loyal readership and to do what I can to help you on your wordsmith journey.

Now that I have put it together, I can officially divulge the contents of the Wordsmith Lane Style, Smarts & Savoir-Faire 1st Birthday Prize Pack. Some of the gifts are donated by kindly beauty brands, the rest are items that I myself have purchased and collated for you in recognition of some of my wordsmithlane posts.

So without further ado, one of you will have the chance to win a one-on-one one hour Wordsmith Workshop session with me at the Cupcake Bakery in Sydney Central Plaza, or, if you are interstate, a one hour workshop via SKYPE. In addition, you will also score:

• A limited edition tin of T2 Creme Brulee loose-leaf tea, valued at $15
• Nivea Rich Moisturising Body Moisturiser for Dry Skin, enriched with Almond Oil, valued at $5.40
• Benefit Cosmetics Some Kind a gorgeous Foundation Faker, valued at $53
• A notebook and pen from TYPO, valued at $6.50
• Reading material: The latest issue of CLEO, plus a collection of books from the Wordsmith Lane bookshelf, including Eithne Farry’s Lovely Things to Make for Girls of Slender Means, To Heaven by Water by Justin Cartwright and R.J Elleroy’s brilliant suspense novel The Anniversary Man, plus more, valued in excess of $120
• The beautifully-scented multi-purpose balm that has luxe all over it: Trilogy’s Everything Balm, valued at $18
• A bottle of Matte Vinyl Nail Polish from the latest Orly Matte Couture Collection, valued at $18.95
• Dove Summer Glow body lotion, in anticipation of summer, valued at $6.99
• Australis Perfection Brush-on Mineral Illuminating Wand, valued at $13.95
• A Bloom Face Pamper Pack, valued at $14.95
• Nivea Natural Volume lip gloss, valued at $5.50

To have a chance at winning this amazing prize pack valued at over $200, simply email wordsmithlane[@]gmail.com, telling me in 25 words or less, what your perfect wordsmith journey will culminate in and how (ie, a book deal, a TV career, fame). Entries close 5pm Thursday 15th July. Competition open to Australian residents only. Sorry everyone else. Good luck!!

And that’s not all. In a mission to reach 500 followers on Twitter by the end of July (nothing like spreading the wordsmith word), I am also giving away a smaller prize pack valued at $30 to someone who can help achieve the mission with the most retweets. It features a typo notebook and pen, Nivea Lip Gloss and Bloom Pamper Pack for body. So make sure you tweet to win!

Oh the joys of having a large, close-knit family. When people know how much you love desserts and sweets, they’re always making the rounds at your house. These rocky road cupcakes are courtesy of my 12 year old cousin Amelia, an ardent Masterchef viewer and a girl, who at such a young age, already knows for certain that when she’s a grown-up, she’d like to be a chef. Good luck (and thank you) Milly!

My good friend Liv leaves for Shanghai this week, and then she’s off to Europe for some time (it is my understanding that the Chinese word above means goodbye, and sincere apologies if it does not but I do not speak Chinese of any kind). She’s always itchy for travel and experience, in fact, one might call her a modern day explorer. I’m hoping to catch up with her in Europe next year, if financials permit, but otherwise, I will be living her fun vicariously through her blog.

Liv’s a busy busy girl juggling the demands of Trespass mag, which we launched over a year ago, and which I walked out on (sorry Trespass) when things got a little too much.

Liv recently told me that she’s looking forward to writing when she’s away, and I can totally empathise with a way a change of atmosphere is great for the writer’s mind. She will finally have the time to put her amazingly creative brain to some personal use. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with (she is superbly talented, and FUNNY – she has this overt critical thought that I love) and I have said it time and time again – publishers need to take note of her and snap her up NOW. 

I want us all to mentally wish her the very best in her new chapter. Even if we are not all enjoying the amazing going-away cake she was recently gifted. (No hard feelings, everyone). Have a safe trip Liv, because I know you’ll definitely have a fun one. And please, do keep us abreast of your writing life abroad – the more we can learn from other wordsmiths, the more we can navigate our way along our own writing adventures. Bon voyage xx

This time last year, Wordsmith Lane launched to very little fanfare. Back in the day I was a depressed freelance writer who has just been made redundant from a job she hated in advertising, and despite this, still pretty bummed about it. Because I loved the idea of being a writer and journalist so much, I decided to create a place where all aspiring writers could come to learn more about the industry. I interviewed some great up-and-comers, and some fantastic established novelists and journalists. I looked at journalists and writers in the movies, and dispelled some of the myths associated with what we see, and what the industry was like.

In the midst of it all, there was many a crisis. At such a tough time in my life, it was hard to stay motivated. But i still pushed myself. Sometimes, I neglected the blog, at others, I neglected myself. I fell really ill, and at the height of my sickness, wound up in hospital lucky to be alive. I remember the doctors telling me that my white blood cell count was so low, it was almost as if I had just come out of chemo. To top it off, I lost my grand dad, and I really did not think life could get any worse.

As usual, I was wrong. Life picked back up, and since that time, I have had some pretty good career moments. I am getting called to comment on more and more issues in our media, have gotten work with some publications that I love and thought were out of my league (Madison and Notebook: for example) and I have appeared on/run more industry panels and writer’s workshops. I am also doing really well with my novel, and although I don’t blog as much as I planned (though this layout makeover seems to have inspired me somewhat), wordsmithlane’s readership has grown and now has a small following. Last week, for the first time, I broke 500 hits in one day, and the timing could not have been better.

So to celebrate our growth in readership as well as our first birthday, I am giving one lucky Wordsmithlane reader the chance to win a Wordsmith Birthday Package, complete with wordsmith goodies like books and quirky stationary, as well as a number of things we’ve checked out as part of our wordsmith banter (like T2 tea and lovely and luxurious beauty products). This package will be hand-presented to you by yours truly, in a one-on-one one hour wordsmith workshop session held at the Cupcake Bakery in Sydney Central Plaza. Even better, you can tailor this session to your own benefit, and we can talk resumes, work experience, pitching or ideas brainstorming, workshopping your goals and your work so that you too can get cracking on your writer’s journey.

So if you’re interested, stay tuned for details on how you can win (remember, it’s for one lucky reader only) and for a sneak peek into what kind of goodies are up for grabs.

Thank you for being a part of my blog. Happy Birthday WordsmithLane – cheers to many more adventures in writing, and many happy returns!

Image courtesy of nyshoespy & pinkcakebox.com

• Vote for Rachel Hills in Cosmopolitan’s Fun, Fearless Female Awards. She has inspired this wordsmith in so many ways and she deserves many an accolade for her fantastic work in the social and political. Note, she didn’t ask for this mention. I’m just trying to get votes her way because I genuinely think she deserves it!
• Check out Sassi Sam’s interview with the costume designer from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I love those dresses at the top of the page.
• I’ve always wanted to be in Paris at the times of the sales. I could just imagine the frenzy I’d be in when hitting up Le Bon Marche or Galleries La Fayette. I’m planning to be there at this time next year (God Willing). Hopefully it pans out for me. Either way, this post on Girl’s Guide to Paris (one of my new favourite websites) equips you with tips on navigating the sales. You might even be able to apply it for sample sales here, and the like. Enjoy!
• Read this relevant post for any of us who review products on our blogs, which The Blog Stylist’s Bree tweeted this morning from British Beauty Blogger. Very important for those of us who review, and those of us that think blogging is just as credible as print journalism.
• Some reading on the thin models debate (not new, still relevant considering the number of girls with eating disorders) at collective shout. I don’t understand, I love food too too much. (How eloquent).
• It’s Bright Young Things week over at Trespass mag. Get inspired.
• Buy those last things that you can claim, and go home and get your tax in order. If it’s all a little too chaotic, invest in some financial management material at Kikki K, which will just about ensure it’s easier next time around.
• To celebrate Wordsmithlane’s birthday this July, I am trying to reach 500 followers on Twitter by the end of July. If I get this happening, the person who re-tweets the most will win a little pack of girly wordsmith goodies. And for all you loyal wordsmithlaners who are visiting me day in and day out and actually want a job in the industry, there’s a more relevant prize coming up. Stay tuned for the announcement!

Flipping through the latest issue of CLEO recently (with Hilary Duff on the cover), I came across a loose definition of marriage:

“An archaic ritual that resembles a pimped-out, beige-themed joint 21st party, which culminates in: a) an expensive bar tab and a series of pre-emptive compromises (better known as vows); or B) regret”.

For me, said sentence was a stab in the heart. Wow, look at what we’ve reduced marriage to. An expensive shindig or an avenue for regret. One or the other. Awesome. Now, let’s reduce motherhood to vagina-stretching, eternal shape-shifting and social-life-threatening, complete with nagging, discipline we can’t be bothered for, and a reliance on (by kids) we really don’t need. While we’re at it, let’s strip the good of other life choices and experiences and focus on the negative. I mean, is that we’re all about these days?

To be fair, said definition was in the context of marriage being an old milestone in the life of the modern girl, replaced with the trial-marriage/de-facto relationship/moving in together. The expert in the article, one Mark McCrindle (author of The ABC of XYZ: Understanding The Global Generations) says that “the progression of not living with someone to seeing them 24/7 is more of a leap of faith”, especially because most couples who get married are living together anyway. But that sentence, although true of the times, didn’t seem evidence for the afore-mentioned marriage-bagging. 

While I know that marriage is not perfect, I found it really hard to reconcile the fact that (as it was presented) marriage is an institution either marred by regret or financial death. Even though defacto relationships are more common these days, and indeed, a more accurate reflection of social norms, I doubt very much that they kill marriage as a milestone altogether.

In case any of you are wondering, I am not being sensitive to the issue as a result of my own impending nuptials. Yep, marriage works for me. And it does not necessarily work for all people.  But still, why the marriage-bagging? Why must we define marriage by its negative connotations? Certainly, there are plenty, but they don’t exactly outweigh its positives either. I know many a feminist who would still like to get married, and would be happy to do so at that.

I’m not married yet. And I admit, I am scared to do away with my fabulous single way, but you know what, if I didn’t think it was going to better my lifestyle, or better my relationship with my partner, then I would not do it. And ironically, the thing I am looking forward to MOST about marriage, is that it is going to teach me to be less selfish. I am actually looking forward to learning how to compromise. I am over the negative run that marriage keeps on having in the press, almost like it’s the Tony Abbott of relationships.

Being in love is a beautiful thing. Moving in together is certainly a milestone. But disagree with me if you will, but there is nothing better, or more cementing of a relationship, than a couple who believes in their love so much that they’re willing to profess it to everyone they care about, spend a lot of money on it (or little, even, because, they’re in love and they do not need to prove a thing) and admit that they are willing to put their own bullshit aside, to take on and handle someone else’s.

You see, the flaw is not in marriage. The flaw is in us and how prepared we are to step up to the plate to make it work when we ruin it. Speaking with plenty of old folks shows me that marriage was just as hard, if not harder, back in the day. But back in the day people were a little less indulgent. (Granted, also, that a lot of women put up with shit they did not need, but these days, we’re a hell of a lot luckier. I mean, if James didn’t help around the house, I’d have walked out ages ago).  These days, we’re all about instant gratification. And marriage, I am afraid, is never about the instant, but the long term.

Thankfully, for those whose boat it floats, there’s a little guide that can make the decision-making process about ‘the one’ a little bit easier. Father Pat O’Connor, 79 year old Priest and Marriage Counsellor, was interviewed by journalist Maureen Dowd in her New York Times Column about choosing an ideal husband. His advice made the column the most downloaded Times article that week, and it eventually went global, with appearances on the US Today Show and now, a book to his name.

Whom Not To Marry: Time-tested advice from a higher authority (Hachette, $29.99) is his collection of advice and real-life stories, gathered from his presiding of over 200 weddings, and wait for it, over 40 years of marriage counselling (pre and post marriage). The beautiful thing about his book is that the chapters are divided along the lines of that beautiful Corinthians verse that a few people read at their nuptials (you know the one, Love is patient, kind, not envious or boastful or rude; love is not irritable or resentful, etc), and peppered with lovely quotes from the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Erica Jong.

For women who want to distinguish Mr Right from Mr Right Now, Father Pat’s tips are sure to be useful, no matter your relgious affiliation or lack thereof.

• Never marry a man who has no friends, for he won’t be capable of the intimacy that marriage demands.
• Never marry a man who is not responsible with cash. Most marriages that folounder do so because of money.
• Never marry a man who lets you walk all over him.
• Never marry a man who makes you feel bad about yourself.
• Never marry a man who refuses to accept responsibility for his actions.
• Never marry a man who doesn’t know how to apologize.

And these are the basics, because there’s plenty more where these came from. As NW Columnist & all-round guru Reality Chick says:

“I’m sure I’m not the first to think it’s a bit strange, a man of the cloth offering advice about marriage. After all, what would a priest know about good husband material versus blokes who, by law, should have a Run Now! warning tattooed on their charming little faces? Well, a lot as it turns out …”

Yes, marriage is a bit of a toughie, and maybe, it wouldn’t cop as much flack as it did if it came with a manual. But alas, here we are Father Pat, so excuse me while I trot off to read this for reassurance while I sing Allellujiah.

So say a few acquiantances of mine, jokingly (I hope). But I can’t help but wonder if there are still simmering attitudes about the capabilities of women floating around in our midst. Not by the Tony Abbotts of the world, not by fundamentalist honour-killing type men, not by abusive husbands with alcohol-related problems. Just by the average Australian bloke.

In the (very short) time that Julia Gillard became our first Prime Minister, a few facebook groups have crept up that, perhaps jokingly, wonder how she’s going to have time to run the country from her kitchen – out of the expectation that, just because she’s a woman, she’s supposed to be at home mopping up someone else’s mess or setting the table, having dinner ready and applying her lipstick before her man comes home.

Far be it from me to tell women how to live their lives. And I actually am one. And, lest anyone think I am on some sort of high horse: I will say this, I was rightfully criticised on Twitter for not thinking Julia Gillard is feminine enough. Yep, on some levels, I am of an old school of thought. I don’t get why everyone complains about her voice (in all honesty, I don’t get the issue) but I can’t help but imagine that my female political leader needs to be a little more graceful. The one image I have in my head is of her making crude gestures across the parliament at the opposition (and in case anyone is wondering, it’s not like I favour Bronwyn Bishop anyway). Maybe that’s politics, and it certainly is question time, but that’s not the image I have of someone leading my country. Setting an example. Representing the people.

Don’t get me wrong, I like having a female PM. We have caught on with the rest of the world. Then again, I am wishing said PM was elected. And maybe this is an archaic attitude on my part, but I wish she had epitmoised the avergae Australian woman a little more. Apparently 3/4 Australian women have children, so our new female PM might be out of touch with 75% of her female voters? I accept the fact that she might not have gotten to where she is today with a brood behind her, but then again, I reckon I’d love her if she did. I don’t want to criticise single women though, that is not my point. (And in case anyone is wondering, yes, what would men know of women, but they did have wives. And wives have an uncanny capability to influence their husbands. Plus, most of these blokes were family men, so they’d understood the plight of families. I think.)

Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I hate the way this whole shindig went down. And a very small part of me is scared. Why?

Kristina Keneally was heralded in to lead the NSW Labor party after years of its dramas. I figure most of us know they probably won’t come back. So, what, did they put her there to have the woes of the party fall on a female shoulders? And is that the same thing happening in our federal parliament? I certainly hope not. I drew the line at the backstabbing. This is not what I imagined Australian leaders to be, and boy, is it getting worse. I just saw a video of Mark Latham on The Sydney Morning Herald’s website, saying that Gillard will get what’s coming to her. I do believe in Karma, but I am wondering, would this negativity have happened if it were a man that did what she did?

I may not be happy that she is there, but I have no doubt that she won’t be able to do the job. Regardless of the qualities she does not possess, regardless of the ideals I have about a female leader, a woman can do any job. Joan of Arc led armies that united France and crowned its King. Her gender landed her in hot water (fire actually, hot fire) because she dared to do a man’s job. Julia Gillard might not be a woman of God, but it’s still time to take her gender out of the equation. It stopped being relevant now. She’s just a leader, and we need to see her as such.  

Not ten minutes ago I read a tweet by Sydney journalist Sandra Lee, qouting Peter Hartcher, who “intones pompously” in The Sydney Morning Herald that Gillard “is as smart as any man”. Let’s stop comparing women to men. We’re over that. Yes, there’s something beautiful about a woman who does the house/mother thing (and that’s a part of my life I cannot wait to begin). But let’s not go dismissing women altogether because we think their capabilities lie elsewhere. We can do both if we want to. In fact, we can do anything. Degrees on the oven and degrees on the wall included.