...In which our heroine ponders the strange and wonderful world of technology.

I'm sitting on my home couch watching UK kick some Wake Forest ass and my tummy is full of my momma's cupcakes. It's a lovely feeling.

Here's the thought for the day: The internet is a strange and spectacular place, most of the time. Through happenstance, I've gotten very into reading various Tumblr accounts on a regular basis because why read when you can look at lots of pictures...kidding. I haven't started one myself, but I find the format to be really interesting in terms of how information gets disseminated so widely.

Case in point: In my ongoing quest to love my body just as it is, one of the Tumblrs I check is called Fuck Yeah Chubby Girls. It's a body positive site that encourages reader submissions and posts them. It provides me with a daily self-esteem boost, and a lot of times there are cute fashion tips. Another way I've been working on embracing my curves is to take pictures of myself on days when I'm feeling cute. One such picture ended up very cute and I thought - hey, why not share my narcissism with the world. So I submitted to FYCG, and it got posted. 

34 people have liked, and 4 have reblogged the picture of yourself. I wasn't doing it to fish for compliments, but more so for 15 year old versions of myself that found FYCG and could have more positive role models - we all know the media is devoid of them. One of the likes was from a 15 year old, whose Tumblr mentions her low self-esteem. I know it would've helped my 15 year old self if I would have found such a site sooner.

However, 2 of the reblogs were porn sites. I clicked on them, and there I was between a couple hardcore shots. I realize that putting yourself out onto the internet opens you up to all sorts of that stuff, but it was still weird. Aside from some cleavage, my picture in no way shape or form resembles the other stuff on the sites.

It presents an interesting conundrum to me: I submitted a picture as a means of self-empowerment and obviously people liked it, but just enough to get posted on pornographic Tumblrs. It also begs the question of how not anonymous people are anymore. While I don't post my business all over the internet, I do have a Facebook, a Twitter, this blog, and now have submitted to a site where a photo of me takes you to sites featuring content unmentionable for this blog. It certainly wasn't my intent, but it's done now and forever out into the black of cyberspace. It makes me wonder if I'll ever submit anything again, even though I really do like the site and what it does for chubby girls like yours truly.

Isn't the internet a strange place, that one photo of you, or a post made, or a video made, can be seen throughout an entire network of people you don't even know. Nothing is private, and we're doing it to ourselves. I don't even mind so much that the photo ended up where it did - I opened that up when I submitted it - but still, it isn't everyday that I as your pesky, verbose heroine faces such a situation.

In other fantastical news, WE FOUND AN APARTMENT. It's right in Lincoln Park, the yuppiest part of Chicago (my mother called me a "yupster," a yuppie and a hipster, of which I am neither) and near a Borders, an Aveda, and an arthouse theatre. 4th floor walk-up, 3 bedrooms, huge living and dining rooms, newish kitchen, lots of breeze and beautiful natural light. I'm so in love with the place, and can't wait to make it my own. We signed the initial paperwork yesterday, and I had one of those moments - despite the blister from having to wear the cute flats to visit apartments and the fact I didn't do as well on midterms as I should have - when you realize that sometimes life gives you exactly what you could only dream of.

RIP Alex Chilton - this is one of the sweetest songs ever written.