I'm About to Rant

Watch out, dear readers (ha!), but I'm about to rant. Sorry, but that's what I'm entitled to as a real-life blogger, right?

I can't stand Jenny McCarthy. She's even more frustrating to me than Nickelback (which is saying a lot; see below). I saw this video with her and Perez Hilton last week and it brought back so many reasons that she makes me crazy. I don't really care about her status as a celebrity/Playmate/comedian, what I care about is her position as an advocate for autism.

I guess I should preface this by saying I've pretty much decided to spend my career working with young kids with developmental disabilities, particularly autism. I've really only had a taste of it and I know it's going to be an incredibly fun, challenging, and rewarding experience. I am all about increasing autism awareness and funding to try to figure out what causes this thing. I also know a lot of amazing people with autism, and know how incredibly hard even the simplest things can be for families living with this complicated disorder.

Jenny McCarthy has a son with autism who has apparently been "cured" through some pretty controversial therapy techniques (I'll get to that later). The main reason I can't stand her is because she is telling people things that are not supported by any credible scientific research. She has gone on tons of talk shows, done countless interviews, even written books saying that autism is caused by vaccines. That is just not true. Well, I should clarify that statement - all of the research studies that have investigated it have concluded that there is no link. The only study that I know of that linked autism to vaccines was retracted this year due to unethical and unscientific research techniques; namely, the study was partially funded by lawyers representing parents looking to sue vaccine companies. To top it off, the researcher forced kids to endure painful and unnecessary procedures like lumbar punctures.

Besides spreading false claims about the cause of autism, Jenny McCarthy also loves to talk about how her son was "cured" of autism with controversial and dangerous techniques including chelation therapy and a gluten and casein free diet. Some people are saying her son might not even have autism at all, but some type of seizure disorder.

So maybe you can see why I think it's completely irresponsible of Jenny McCarthy to take advantage of her position as arguably the most prominent parent of a child with autism by spreading inaccurate information to the public. Parents are so desperate to "fix" this, and will take any advice, especially if it comes from a seemingly reliable source. Even if said source is a former Playboy model.

Side note: If you want to do something small to support autism, check out www.communicationshutdown.org.

Current Musical Obsessions

At any given point, I'm usually obsessed with at least one song. Like, I cannot get enough of said song and whenever I'm in the car I'm secretly hoping it will come on the radio so I can belt it out. Right now, I can say I feel that way about 4 songs.

1. Like a G6 - Far East Movement
Whenever I hear this song I get an uncontrollable urge to dance my little heart out. Also, I enjoy rapping Asians so it's really a win-win. I don't really know what a lot of the lyrics mean but that's okay.

2. Stuck Like Glue - Sugarland
This song is just so darn peppy. I saw them in concert recently and realized that Jennifer Nettles is adorable and I want to be her when I grow up. So I listen to this song and for 4 minutes and 7 seconds I can pretend I'm a country singer with a cute haircut.

3. Enrique Iglesias - I Like It
I may change my mind about this soon, because it's super overplayed. BUT my first exposure to this song was in Guatemala where I saw precious Guatemalan children performing a choreographed dance to it in the middle of the street. (I think this was their PE - I wish I got to dance in the street for PE!)

Yes, that is a volcano in the background.

4. Whatever You Like - Anya Marina
Okay, I don't actually hear this bad boy on the radio. But I just love it! I have a special place in my heart for good covers/remixes and this definitely falls in that category. My only problem with it is that it sometimes makes me think of this scene on Gossip Girl. Can you say threesome with Lizzie McGuire? I felt so violated. But, I can't hold that against this gem of a song.

As much as I try to keep an open mind about music (I feel like I have relatively eclectic taste), there is a certain type of music that I despise. It's called Nickelback. Creed and Daughtry are also in this category. Sorry Chris, I know this is probably un-North Carolinian of me, but your music blows. Also, if I ever hear that California Gurls song again I'm going to take it upon myself to take Katy Perry out with that whipped cream bra.

Boots

I love shoes. I just love the way you can put on a different pair of shoes and totally transform your outfit. I also love that I've been the same shoe size since I was 12, so I can dig out an old pair of shoes and they still fit perfectly (can't say the same for clothes). I have a habit of buying expensive shoes I never wear because I never have an occasion to wear them. I also have a habit of buying pretty heels that I never wear because I'm a giant.

I've recently been pining for a pair of these bad boys:

I think it's the fact that fall is in the air and that it's been raining like crazy lately. But dude, they are precious. I had a pair just like them when I was in preschool - my mom called them my "puddleducks." That's an example of something I thought everyone said until I realized that no, it's just a mom-ism.

In any case, these puddleducks are going to set me back a pretty penny. Christmas?