Jen Johnson

Bleakonomics

Check out my article in the April/May issue of Bust Magazine, "Bleakonomics."  It offers lots of great tips for surviving the current financial crisis -- everything from how to find extra money in your budget to what to do if you get laid off.

It's no secret the economy isn't exactly booming right now.  Banks are in a world of hurt, folks are losing their jobs left and right, and the stock market is going crazy.  There's no doubt about it: we're in a recession.  But how does this craptacular economy affect someone who's less likely to invest a spare $50 than drop it on a night of drinking and Sunday brunch -- or who doesn't have a spare anything to begin with?  What is a recession anyway, and more important, what does it mean to you?

Reflections on International Women's Days Past

I contributed this piece over at the Population Action International blog about the history of International Women's Day (March 8th).

"One seething trembling sea of women." These were the words Russian revolutionary and feminist Aleksandra Kollontai used to describe the one of the first International Women's Day celebrations in 1911. The first events were organized by German socialist Klara Zetkin to call attention to the plight of the female worker. As the year wore on, a whole series of marches and strikes were organized as news of these demonstrations spread across Europe like wildfire.

Read the whole blog entry: Reflections on International Women's Days Past

Recession 2.0

Last week, I contributed an essay on how this new recession (which U.S. News and World Reports is apparently calling "Recession 2.0") is affecting me over at the U.S. News and World Reports' Alpha Consumer blog.

Recession 2.0 hit me hard and fast, long before news of foreclosures and bailouts started headlining the nightly news.

My husband runs his own consulting firm and I'm a writer for a nonprofit. We've never been rich, but we were comfortable, able to enjoy some of the finer things that money brings young professionals who don't have kids or a mortgage. Nice wine, fancy dinners out on the town, the occasional massage . . . things you don't really need, but are very easy to get used to.

Then, one evening last June, I walked into our apartment to find my husband pacing the living room. I knew something was up and I knew it wasn't good.

Read the whole essay.

Trazzled: Snippets of Trips to France, Bulgaria and Mexico

I've been playing around with a new website called Trazzler, where you chronicle snapshots of your travels.  Pretty interesting concept and a lot of fun for a procrastinating writer.

Here's what I've posted so far.  The pics are mine, except the map on the Bulgaria entry.  I really wish my camera hadn't died on that trip!

Sunbathing on the Pebbled Beaches in Nice, France

Bargaining for Lace with the Lace Ladies in Sofia, Bulgaria

Praising the Gods at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico

Review: Food Network Magazine

I've got a new Magazine Whore column up over at Bookslut.  This month's victim?  The premiere issue of Food Network Magazine.

You may be surprised to discover that this is Food Network Magazine's first issue. After all, the Food/Wine section of the newsstand has been plastered with the faces of Food Network “stars” like Paula Deen and Rachael Ray seemingly forever. It's almost as if someone in Food Network upper management walked past the newsstand one day, picked up a copy of Rachael Ray’s magazine, smacked their hand to their forehead and exclaimed, "Dammit! Why didn’t we think of this?” A few marketing meetings later, here we are.

Read the whole review.

Review: Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters

My review of Courtney E. Martin's amazing non-fiction book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection Is Harming Young Women, is up over at Feminist Review. 

Who doesn’t want to be perfect? We’re bombarded by images of perfection every day. Mothers are expected to work full-time, do more than their fair share of housework, volunteer for PTA fundraisers, and dazzle everyone at the local bake sale with their homemade peanut butter cookies. Our celebrities aren’t just actresses or singers anymore; now they do both, while simultaneously designing their own clothing line and serving as goodwill ambassadors to third world countries. Young girls are encouraged to get straight A’s, serve as student council president, play on the tennis team, and get perfect SAT scores. And every one of us is supposed to achieve these feats effortlessly, moving gracefully through life in stiletto heels and a perfect size six dress. According to Courtney E. Martin, author of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is Harming Young Women, these expectations—whether they are from young girls' parents, from the media, or self-inflicted—have created a breeding ground for eating disorders among young women in America.

This book really made me think.  I highly recommend it for anyone who has struggled with disordered eating or who has struggled with the idea that they have to be perfect.

Election Cheat Sheet #5: Environment

The last of my election cheat sheets is now online at 2Sensemag.com. 

Check it out: Election Cheat Sheet: Environment

Now that you're prepared, don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

Election Cheat Sheets: Iraq and Healthcare

Two more days, two more election cheat sheets.  One for Iraq and another for Healthcare.

So, do you know who you're voting for yet?

Election Cheat Sheets #1 and #2

Check out my first two Election Cheat Sheets posted over at 2Sensemag.com, breakdowns of both Obama and McCain on the five biggest campaign issues. 

The first covers the economy while the second covers education.

Also, head over to current.com and vote them up!

Review: Mental Floss

I finally managed to sit down and review Mental Floss over at Bookslut.  It's a great read for all you trivia junkies out there. 

I should start this by saying that I'm sort of a trivia fiend. My friends and I have had violent battles over drunken trivial pursuit (it's not so trivial to us, I suppose). I record Jeopardy every night and play along with my husband over dinner. Very romantic. So, Mental Floss, the magazine devoted to so-called "knowledge junkies" is right up my alley.

Read the whole review.