Best Thing in Town

Cause I know that you're the

Best thing in town

Best thing around


I love donuts.

Okay so check out this article...

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michelleno/the-best-doughnut-shop-in-every-state-according-to-yelp?utm_term=.eu0A68PdM#.olkOL1ReJ

WELL I LIVE IN IOWA SO I GOTTA GO TO CHU CHU

2.5 Hours of driving later...
(Yes, I listened to Green Day the entire ride. )

OKAY LET'S LOOK INSIDE 

It was an adorable bakery with tables to sit at and in the front was a glimmering display case! 

Man, I  love donuts.

SO WHAT HAPPENED:

I got to the bakery with only 20 minutes left in their day and let me tell you, I felt blessed. 

It's taken me several trips to Des Moines, Iowa, and waaaayyyy too much planning for this to actually happen. In fact, on my drive there I completely missed the bakery and had to turn around. 

I'm not proud. 

Anyway, I only asked for a half dozen and requested the worker pick out the donuts since she knows which ones are most popular. I explained to her that I had driven 2.5 hours to try their donuts and how they were ranked #1 in all of Iowa! 

She was so happy and quite surprised I made the journey just for donuts so we HAD to take a picture!

THANK YOU, CHU CHU DONUTS!

You guys don't even understand!

I had only ordered six donuts, but having heard my travels, this incredible employee gave me a box for a dozen AND a bag full of donut holes free of charge! (I paid for my original half dozen, though!)

Naturally, I started eating the donut holes in the parking lot and I recorded my reaction but I can't show it because I was so content with myself I just stared out the window for six minutes. 

I've shared the donuts with a few buddies in Des Moines and everyone agrees they're fantastic! I was in a donut coma for a bit after demolishing half the bag of donut holes but I've recovered and had several of the actual donuts. 

IN CONCLUSION:

CHU CHU DONUTS IS AMAZING AND WELL WORTH THE DRIVE. 

FROM ANYWHERE. 

ALL OF THE DONUTS ARE DELICIOUS AND SOOOO PRETTY AND I CAN'T EVEN PICK MY FAVORITE. 

PLUS, IF YOU WANT A DONUT FILLED WITH JELLY OR CREAM, THEY DO IT THEN AND THERE WHEN YOU ORDER IT. WOWZA! 

I cannot recommend these donuts enough!

Seriously.

Chu Chu.

Chu Chu Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChuChu-Donuts-1655121974704037/

Location: 106 SW State St, # 101

Ankeny, Iowa

Caroline: She

She screams in silence

A sullen riot penetrating through her mind

Waiting for a sign

To smash the silence with the brick of self-control

This post is all about periods. 

And no, it won't be a ton of these things:

                             

There's no point in complaining about the blood or the cramps or cravings or anything. 

Why?

Because no one cares. 

And THAT is what this post is about. 

So here we go...

1) Why are men so disgusted by periods?

Yeah, they're gross.

Chunks of uterus flying out. But it seems dudes won't even go get tampons or pads for their girlfriends/sisters/daughters.
YOU don't have to handle those soaked in blood... WE do. 

Ladies go through their days doing everything they can to hide their periods but often when the period is even mentioned, guys freak out and don't want to hear it. 

Guys, this is happening to almost every girl every month for many many many years. If you can't even hear the words "period blood" or "tampons" you REALLY need to reevaluate what scares you. 

2) Why should we feel ashamed?

Story time! In high school I was in a Spanish class and got my period and was wearing a pad and everything should have been fine. BUT when I got up at the end of class, there was just a spot of blood on the chair. We were the last class of the day so no one else would sit there but one kid noticed and told me it was disgusting and to just leave. I was terrified and incredibly embarrassed! I hung my head in shame for weeks!

But... accidents happen. I didn't do anything wrong. If I had control over the period I wouldn't have one in the first place. I explained what happened to the female teacher and she didn't even blink. She just asked me to try to clean it up and that was it. 

Speaking of accidents happening...

Have you ever been in a crowded hallway (I'm thinking middle or high school) and some guy yells "There's some red on your pants!" and every girl immediately turns to see if it's her blood?

It's happened to me! 

Look, girls are suffering with cramps and headaches and our uterus' expanding and blood spewing out. Believe me when I say
we don't need anyone else making us uncomfortable. 



3) Why are pads/tampons so expensive?

I'm not going into this one because it's self-explanatory. 

4) "Are you on your period?"

DON'T ASSUME THAT BECAUSE WE'RE UPSET WE'RE ON OUR PERIOD.

(I swear so many people will assume I'm on mine because of this post. Point made.)

Girls are emotional. Dudes are emotional.

Girls sometimes cry. Dudes sometimes cry.

Girls can get angry. Dudes can get angry.

Our periods change our hormones. They change our chemical make up for just a little while and we can't help it. If we seem a bit on edge, maybe it's because our insides are shredding themselves up. 

Or, I don't know, we're genuinely upset with something and are voicing our opinion with or without being on our period. 

<<< If one of your organs (that didn't expand and retract daily) just nearly doubled in size for a week...

You may be a bit uncomfortable.

5) "He's such a great boyfriend! He got me chocolate and was with me during my period!"

...okay? 

It's nice of anyone to get you a gift, but it shouldn't be shocking that your boyfriend wants to spend time with you. 

Let me rephrase:

Your boyfriend shouldn't NOT want to spend time with you just because you're on your period.

6) Why do we have to pretend as if it's not happening?

I've never understood this. We shove cotton between our legs, take medication, use those heating pads you can stick under your clothes, and so much else... to make it seem as if we're not on our period. 

But... if almost every woman goes through this then why is it such a secret?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying everyone should just blatantly talk about bleeding out their vaginas and the cramps and etc. But I think every girl I've ever talked to has stories about being stuck in the fetal position because cramps are so bad and yet we go to school or work every day pretending nothing is wrong.

I don't have a solution to this one. I think society just needs to be a bit more understanding to what's going on with women's bodies. 

And to all the people saying "I'm a guy! I don't want to hear about this! It's lady problems!"

You might have a girlfriend.
You might have a sister.
You might have a daughter.
You might have a mother.
You might have two mothers.
You might have female friends.
You might have female coworkers.

49.5% of the world's population is female.

Get with the program. 

One of the roughly 364,594,565 females in the world,

Letterbomb

Strike the fucking match to light this fuse

Hello, everyone! 

This post is a little different because we have a guest blogger! 

The article "15 Thoughts Every Guy Has When Dating a Bigger Woman" was brought to my attention and I was enraged by it. My buddy, Sam Sam, had some pointed words to say regarding the article and she has written the response below.

Since this post was written, the original article was taken down considering the amount of backlash it had received. Don't worry! I have the main points here:

(These words are copied verbatim from the subheadings of the original article)

"15 Thoughts Every Guy has when Dating A Bigger Woman.

1. They Are Easy To Ask Out
There is one thing of course that comes before the time when a guy is going out with a plus-sized woman, and that is when he is actually asking out the plus-sized woman. This is why it happens so often in the first place, of course. Guys don’t like getting stressed out, so they go with something that they consider more of a sure thing. It is hard to ask out a woman.

2. You Can Take Her Anywhere
When you are dating a woman who is a tad overweight you usually have a built in sidekick. That is not meant to sound insulting, it simply is true. She will go pretty much anywhere you want to go, and do whatever you want to do.

3. They Tend To Be Eager To Please
I know, I get it. I know that sounds really bad. But it is true. While so many women want a guy to put her up on a pedestal, when you are dating a plus-sized girl it is often the exact opposite. 

4. They Tend To Be Funny
Plus-sized girls tend to be funny, or at the very least they often have a really good sense of humor. This goes a bit hand in hand with the fact that they are easy to talk to. So many times girls that grew up being told they were hot all the time tend to stifle their sense of humor- why do they need to be funny? 

5. Jealousy Is A Thing Of The Past
I never had it as bad as a lot of guys, but some guys are jealous all the time; they just can’t help it, or maybe they can help it and they just choose not to

6. There Is Less Pressure On How You Look
You know how when you were hanging around with your ex all the time she was always nagging you constantly about pretty much everything there was to do with your appearance? 

7. She Is A Built-In Workout Buddy
A thin chick probably has a pretty workout set routine; and not only that, she might be in better shape than you are. This might sound good on the surface but just like with everything else in this type of situation. 

8. The Cuddling Is The Best
Let’s face it. There are some things that are simply not as fun when you are hanging out with a skinny woman. Like what you ask? Cuddling a skinny woman is no fun at all. Not so if you are dating a plus- sized woman. 

9. Picking A Place To Eat Is Easy
This can be a huge issue, no pun intended, in your typical relationship. You know how when you and your girlfriend go out, this is always such a big decision? You want to go get some wings and some fries and watch the game at a sports bar and she wants to go to that new hip place and get Thai food. 

10. They Are Easy To Talk To
One of the main things a guy dating a bigger chick is often thinking is how easy his girl is to talk to. This may seem like something that is not important to many guys, but after hanging out with a lot of uptight women. 

11. He Might Like Them Better
Some of guys prefer this body type in general, and would rather be with a large girl than with any other kind. There are also guys that usually prefer women that are on the smaller side, but that find one particular plus-sized girl attractive.

12. It Is Good For His Confidence
Some guys just lack confidence. They don’t feel ready to ask out the women that they truly desire. They need to work their way up so to speak. I know that may sound cruel, but this is about what guys think when they date plus-sized women

13. Calorie Counting Is Out
So we have all been there. You get out of work and have had a long day, and you are totally starving. You want to order a large Pepperoni pizza from the pizza joint, the kind they say feeds 4 people and you want to eat all of it all by yourself. 

14. My Girl Can Cook
So maybe this goes without saying, I don’t know, but I am going to say it anyway. Big girls usually get big for a reason.

15. Your Date Is Tough
A lot of guys out there act like they want a girl that they can take care of. They want someone that they can hold tight when they are scared, that they can protect and be all tough around. Well, a guy that dates a plus-sized girl is usually not one of those guys."
_____________________________________________________

Okay, here's Sam Sam: 

 

 And here's her post regarding the original article: 

__________________________________________________

Because I Can’t Believe Someone Actually Wrote What I Just Read…

Apart from the blatant insults in “15 Thoughts Every Guy Has When Dating a Bigger Woman” even where the author, Jim Hogue, attempts to be "sensitive" there are underlying contemptuous thoughts embedded into the very language used.

I'll start with this "some guys just like a woman who can take care of herself in every way." This is clearly intended by the author to be a statement which claims "look, I'm really not insulting anyone! See, I think women who are overweight are tough!" False. This is insulting, not only to women who are overweight and can see through this remarkably thin veil, but to women of all body types, implying that just because a girl is thin she cannot take care of herself and needs a man to do it for her.

While there is so much I could say about every "point" made in this article this post would turn into a PhD length thesis so I will stick to just a few. One of the worst statements made in this article comes when discussing "calorie counting is out." The point ends with the sentence "the only problem is you're going to have to buy two." This is outright horrible, effectively calling an entire demographic of women pigs with no impulse control. This is one of the more blatant insults I mentioned early, lacking any subtlety of hiding behind a veil of "PC" language.

The author continues to discuss food, saying that picking a place to eat is easier when dating a plus sized woman, and makes an already distasteful statement even more unappetizing. No pun intended, to quote Hogue in his own remark. “[Picking a place to eat] can be a huge issue, no pun intended, in a typical relationship.” First of all, what is a “typical” relationship? Second of all, consider how damaging is it to imply that a relationship with an overweight woman cannot be typical. Then again, given the blatant disrespect Hogue shows women throughout his entire article, he clearly doesn’t view overweight women deserving of the respect due to any human so why would he go out of his way to consider damage to their psychological welfare?

Moving forward, the article goes on to say that overweight women are good for building up a man's confidence. "But how is one supposed to get better at flirting, at asking out women, and even in the sack if they have never practiced at the whole thing? Well, they might need to work their way up." Beyond the initial despicable nature of this statement it holds a deeper implication that women, particularly those who are over weight, are objects that men can use for their own gain. It implies that these women can be discarded at will and demotes these women to a status that is below human and is utterly unacceptable.

"…This is why a lot of guys like dating a woman that they don't have to worry about unwanted eyes." Let's get something straight: anyone who dates me is not throwing me a bone and if I get even a hint of the idea that he MIGHT think that he is that will be the end of that. Additionally, men, if you don't think the woman you are dating is attractive enough to attract attention from others then you don't deserve to be with her and I genuinely hope that whoever DOES notice her (because it's not an if but a when) catches her eye as well and they live happily ever without you and your warped mindset.

“…girls that are a little on the big side… don’t get nearly as much attention as their skinnier friends so they have to get it in other ways, and one of those ways is to be funny.” I can’t even begin to put into words how tired I am of this stereotype. I consider myself funny, but I promise you it has nothing to do with the fact that I am overweight. I’m not funny for guys. I’m funny because I like to be amused and because I like to make my friends smile. I’m funny because that’s who I am.

            And honestly, “eager to please?” How much more conceited can a person get? Not to mention the fact that this is another “point” made by this author that is not insulting only to bigger women but to women across the board. “A guy with a plus-sized girl can soon feel like a king, which can be really appealing to the guy that was getting pushed around in another relationship.” This statement implies that heavier women are (and also that they should be) grateful that any man even thought to look their way let alone felt the desire to sleep with them. But really, let's be honest, men, maybe you should be more focused on being able to satisfy a woman than how eager they are to get you off. You’ll get yours, make sure she gets hers.

And honestly, Mr. Hogue, to use your own words: 

“[This response] is not meant to sound insulting, it simply is true.”

This post is courtesy of,

Caroline: Burnout

I'm not growing up,

I'm just burning out

And I stepped in line

To walk amongst the dead

Did Green Day Sell Out?

Okay, so my favorite band is the one and only...

...and as a fan of both their older music and newer stuff, there are definitely noticeable differences in the songs.

 Did Green Day sell out to appeal to a different audience?

Did they just do what record companies wanted?

Do fans prefer the older songs to the newer ones? 

...a punk broadway musical?

What's going on?

Let's take it from the beginning...

I watched this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47S-NVekatA) of the top 10 biggest musical sellouts and to my surprise, Green Day was listed as #1. It's an understatement to say I was angry! My beloved band! I had to investigate! 

Thanks to social media, I conducted a poll on Tumblr (asking only Green Day bloggers) and Google+ Communities that revolved solely around the band, as well as taking to Facebook pages and groups dedicated to Green Day. 

From data collected from 178 people across the internet, the results are in: 

I also went ahead and asked everyone their favorite album:

(It should be noted that not everyone answered)

So it would appear that in general, more people would say Green Day has not sold themselves out, and in fact enjoy the newer album of "American Idiot," above any other. 

But then how could they be named #1 Sellout in that video? 

Green Day has changed. They've evolved. They are different than they were when they began. 

Well, yeah. Do you really want to hear these 43-44 year old men (who have kids) sing about masturbation, being bored, and complaining about their parents? I love songs on every album, from "Disappearing Boy (39/Smooth)," to "Dirty Rotten Bastards (Tre)," and it's obvious that as the band members grew up, so did their music. 

Let's look at the album people think they sold out with: American Idiot

American Idiot is a concept album, and that is defined as "a rock album featuring a cycle of songs expressing a particular theme or idea." The album tells a story about growing up from a teenage- punk perspective. That feeling of being outcast because maybe you don't agree with society. The album stamps out the opinions Green Day has on politics and social norms. 

In my personal opinion, this album is everything. 

"Jesus of Suburbia" was every bit of teenage angst we know and love from Green Day.

"St. Jimmy" was the rebellious side everyone has. 

"Give Me Novocaine" was playing whenever I couldn't take the stress. 

"Wake Me Up When September Ends" played when I remembered losing someone I love. 

"Whatsername" is for remembering that one person you could have had. 

That's not even all the songs and yet each one is still relatable, intense, and brilliantly written.

Then, yknow... 

I think this is really where everyone got lost. 

I saw a college production of the show, and I've listened to the official recordings of the broadway cast. Again, it's different. But a good different. 

For Green Day to take their punk sound to broadway levels is astounding!

Talk about a break through!

It's not what we'd expect from the band, but they took punk rock to orchestral music, ensembles, acting, they added a plot and character development to characters that sprang out of song titles.

I don't care if you like their older music more, this was INCREDIBLE.

Did they sell out with this? How could they?!
Rock musicals were already done with shows like RENT
Punk musicals were already done with shows like Spring Awakening

Green Day had something different to bring to the table, which was a musical that exploded from an already existing set of songs. This musical is new in the kind of music, the pulling of songs from different albums, the story following pre-made songs, characters being made up after the fact...
Green Day didn't sell out, they created a whole new kind of show.

And it's unfortunate that people can't get over the fact that the band went on broadway and see how amazing it is that THE PUNK ROCK BAND WENT ON BROADWAY.

Next up is 21 Century Breakdown.
People really seem to think this was the end of Green Day.

Okay.
Stop.

You really think this is so far from the Green Day we know and love?

Compare "Misery" from the album "Warning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixnes1K1SB0

With "Viva La Gloria? Little Girl"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4_-JiDoL2M

And both songs have a similar style to "Peacemaker" and "Restless Heart Syndrome" on 21B.

"Murder City," "Mass Hysteria," and "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" sound like anything the band had released already.

"Last of the American Girls" has the same theme as "She's a Rebel" and "Pulling Teeth"
_______________________________________

Green Day has changed.

I'm a drummer and have looked at the sheet music for Tre from different albums.

The fills are different, but his love of eighth notes on snare and bass are the same. Even his love for the floor tom has not changed!

The songs often still feature Mike's bass lines and the rhythm section prominently.

With Billie taking rhythm guitar, new sounds and layers of guitar come through.
________________________________________

Do I think the band sold themselves out?

Nope.
Change isn't bad.

In fact, I think it's way cool that we, as fans, got to follow Green Day as they evolved!
We went from the teenage boys to them finding a new sound and hitting new mediums.

If we've learned anything from them, it's to challenge authority and break out of whatever barriers society puts on us. That's exactly what they did. That's all that they did.
_________

Can't we just be glad that our favorite band is still together and making music?

As a 20 year old who fell into Green Day annoyingly too late,
I love them for their original work and admire them for the creative risks they've taken since.

I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us!






Let's be honest, do they look like they've grown up that much?








_______________________________________





So thank you, Green Day





You taught me how to live.














Thank you to everyone who answered the polls!

A proud member of Idiot Nation,


P.S. follow me on tumblr at http://dinodusted.tumblr.com/
I blog a lot of Green Day!

Caroline: Murder City

"The clock strikes midnight in the murder city."

Caroline read a book. 

Listen up, kids:

It's time for a history lesson...

First, look at this handsome devil...

Because he's the "Devil in the White City"...

Yeah.

Okay.

His name is Herman Webster Mudgett 

But in 1886 he changed his name to Henry Howard Holmes and is known as

H. H. HOLMES

Born in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, this guy wasn't that crazy as a kid. That is until two older kids had locked him in a doctor's office with a real skeleton. After hours of this, Mudgett was traumatized and this likely assisted his then fascination with death and more morbid things. 

Young Mudgett enjoyed reading Edgar Allan Poe.

As if that's a surprise. 

They could have compared moustaches. 

Herman went to school like a good little boy and actually became a teacher and then a principal!

This is where things get weird...

...Holmes found himself in a life insurance fraud.

It was a pretty sweet gig! Holmes and a bud would deal with insurance for cadavers and, OH WAIT they're dead, so they could collect on the life insurance! They would get $40000 for the death benefit!

I'm explaining this in so many words but you get it. 

Moving on... 

Mudgett then became a keeper at Norristown Asylum. 

Interestingly, Mudgett had to quit his job because the faces of the patients were too unsettling. 

1886: Herman Webster Mudgett changes his name to Henry Howard Holmes and runs a pharmacy. 

This is when he left to live in Chicago. 

THE CHICAGO WORLD FAIR OF 1893

Because the world was finally ready for the Ferris wheel. 

Think about it! People from all over the world attending this massive event right in Chicago! Holmes wasted no time in having his dream hotel (OF MURDER) built! Our favorite serial killer was having the time of his life hiring contractors and builders only to fire them halfway through trivial projects like installing doors. By continuously firing and hiring new workers all the time before anything was even finished, no worker could figure out what Holmes was planning. It's brilliant! 

So yes, here is the three story (plus basement) murder mansion:

Let's take a look inside...

Inside this place there were rooms that could be gassed up to knock out the visitors. There were stairs leading nowhere. There were rooms that could only be opened from the outside... etc. 

And at the center, there was a chute that sent dead bodies straight to the basement. 

THE BASEMENT

This was where our buddy performed experiments on his victims. He would torture them. Kill them. Mess with them. Who knows? Holmes had a thing for seducing women and most of his victims were young ladies who he had promised to marry. We do not know how many people were killed here. 

So what happened?

I'm gonna summarize (as if I haven't been doing that this whole time)...

Holmes and his insurance fraud pal, Pitezel, got stuck in jail. In their cell in Texas, Holmes and a guy named Hedgepeth made a deal for the life insurance of Pitezel. Carrying out the first stage of the deal, Holmes killed Pitezel, but did not send Hedgepeth his part of the share. Of course, Hedgepeth was mad so he told the authorities who then went after Holmes. After our favorite serial killer killed Pitezel's children (not to mention the 20-100 other people from the hotel) Holmes was captured and hanged on May 7, 1896.

As for the whole "devil" thing... 

It's not just because he killed a bunch of people in Chicago. Holmes was convinced that the devil was inside of him and that's who wanted the blood. 

So there you go.

You learned something.