I promise, I promise that the next post is going to be about cooking. As a matter of fact, I just got my new indoor grill in the mail today, and I'm looking forwards to giving it a test run tonight to make yakitori and beef yakitori! YAY! I'm so excited!  But unfortunately.. this post will not be the food-with-pictures post. No, this post is going to be on something else entirely. And probably a bit of a rant, while I'm at it.

You see, earlier today I was talking to a nice young lady from Louisiana on facebook. We both play Vampires Wars there, and I'd just added her brother to my clan, which is how I met her. Well, we got to talking, and while we were talking, I started browsing her facebook profile. She had the most gorgeous morbidly themed and inspired pictures collected there, and her playlist picks were absolutely fantastic!  So being the nosy little bat I am, after I took a look at one of her personal pictures of herself (heavy black cat-winged eyeliner, dark purple lipstick, all black clothes with cute little spiked accents and- SQUEE!  An adorable pair of stompy boots with spikes on the toes)  I waited until there was a small lull in the conversation, and I asked her if she was goth.
The reply I got left me staring at the computer screen with my mouth hanging open.
She told me that she wasn't, and could never be a goth, because she was 'too bright and cheery, not doomy and gloomy enough'  by someone else who identified as goth.
AFTER I picked my jaw up and put it back in place, I informed her that goths were not by any means all doom and gloom, and really the only 'requirements' were an attraction to the music or the aesthetic- not necessarily both. Since she seemed to be interested in that, I kept going and told her that there were all sorts of goth- from industrial's, to romantic, to goths who loved pink glitter covered skulls and bats, and goths who adored wearing neon colors.  After that, I gave her the link to the Lady of the Manners website- a more sparkly, upbeat goth I've yet to see- and to Amy's blog, and changed the subject.
I think I did decently well on the not-being-preachy front- at least I hope so. But anyways, I have to wonder..

Mallgoth, Babybat, Eldergoth, whatever- what gives ANYONE the right to tell you what you are or are not, what you can or cannot like, or who you can or cannot be? What gives anybody the right to try and run you down for being a happy person?  There's just no reason for that! It's just ignorant.  I wonder how that young man would have felt if someone had walked up and told him he wasn't goth because of X or Y or Z.  He'd probably be pretty angry over it- so why does he feel it's ok for him to do it to someone else?
...Ok. Sorry. Rant over.
Anyways, Ill make anyone and everyone (all one of you! hah) a deal. You be you, and I'll be me, and let us not judge others for what they like, what they don't like, or how they do/don't identify/choose to present themselves. I think if everyone could at least give that a try, the world would be a much happier place, or at the least a less contentious one.

anyways.. next post! trying out my new grill, testing a consumer grade eyeliner from Maybelline (scary, scary! I get twitchy over using consumer grade cosmetics.. they never seem to work as well for me as pro stuff does!)  annnnnnnd making yakitori! stay tuned!