fairytalebeginnings

harold, they’re lesbians

people are gay, steven 

i’m a lesbian, carl 

don’t be a transphobe, chad 

we support the gays, david 

Pretty sure this encapsulates all of us

I don't want the: Jesus Christ I was just complimenting you. Fuck, women are so fucking sensitive these days. Oh good, now what. You'll call the cops? Fine! Ha! See if I ever say anything nice to you ever again. Fucking bitch. So fucking entitled. I'm going to make you regret this in the end.

I am tired, and just trying to go home, and I don't want it to be while followed. I don't want it to be under shouting and screaming and distinct threats. I soft-no like a dancing puppet: half-smile, say "maybe", offer lies and excuses and "sorry!" Like I am sorting out change from my wallet: here, if I give you this 50, will you please not stab me? Here, if I laugh weakly, will you not attack me?

Women are told: just say no! As if we live on a different planet. Everyone knows "no means make them say yes". "No" means he might kill you and then in the morning people will look at your headline and say: well she deserved it for giving him such a terrible rejection. "No" means fired without severance pay. "No" means walking home alone keys clutched in your fist with your throat closed swallowing tears because behind you in a chorus are a bunch of drunken frat boys five years your younger all slinging slurs at you in little wasp nests and you might be a young professional woman with her own life and a dog and closet with your first pantsuit and matching jacket but right then all you are to them is a target.

"No" is for my good days, when I'm a good feminist, when I have the time and the space and the patience, when i have the sense of safety, "no" it's not for bosses or for strangers on the street or for the tired days when I just want this guy to stop hitting on me.

Guys - It’s been announced recently that the American Music Awards will be honoring me with the Artist of the Decade Award at this year’s ceremony. I’ve been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show. Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I’m not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be re-recording my music before I’m allowed to next year. Additionally - and this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news - Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years. Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music or performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either of them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film.

Scott Borchetta told my team that they’ll allow me to use my music only if I do these things: If I agree to not re-record copycat versions of my songs next year (which is something I’m both legally allowed to do and looking forward to) and also told my team that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun.

I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate. The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished.

This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the writing of those songs. They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans. So this is where I’m asking for your help.

Please let Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun know how you feel about this. Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work. Please ask them for help with this - I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote. I’m especially asking for help from The Carlyle Group, who put up money for the sale of my music to these two men.

I just want to be able to perform MY OWN music. That’s it. I’ve tried to work this out privately through my team but have not been able to resolve anything. Right now my performance at the AMA’s, the Netflix documentary and any other recorded events I am planning to play until November of 2020 are a question mark.

I love you guys and I thought you should know what’s been going on.

Makes 1 dozen 10cm cookies or 2 dozen 5cm cookies

Ingredients

•       Cookies:

•       ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

•       ½ cup vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil.

•       ½ cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sugaring tops

•       ½ cup powdered sugar

•       1 large egg

•       2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean

•       2 cups all-purpose flour

•       ½ teaspoon baking soda

•       ¼ teaspoon salt

•       1 packet of chai tea leaves

Icing:

•       1 cup powdered sugar

•       ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

•       ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

•       3 tablespoons of eggnog (or milk if you don’t have any)

 Method – Chai cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

3. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute.

4. Add the vegetable oil.  It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. 5. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg, vanilla and chai leaves beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.

6. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low. Note: The dough will be soft.

7. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle.

8. For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 5cm apart.  For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie.

9. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1cm thickness.

10. Generously sprinkle sugar on top of the cookie dough.

11. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies.

12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

13. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

TAYLOR’S PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups semisweet chocolate

Non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175 degrees C

2. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray or line them with parchment paper.

3. Using a mixer beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

4.  Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

6. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips.

7. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.

8. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

TAYLOR’S CHOCOLATE CHUNK OATMEAL COOKIES

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

340g block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1  cup walnuts, chopped

Large flake sea salt, for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C

2. .In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and kosher salt.

3. In large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter. Using an electric beater or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until it they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat them into the butter and sugar mixture. Add in the vanilla as well.

4.With a rubber spatula or with the stand mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.

5.spoon the cookie dough by 2 tablespoon-size balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the cookie dough balls 5cm apart on the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 12 to 13 minutes.

6. When the cookies come out of the oven IMMEDIATELY sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of sea salt. This is really important to do while the cookies are hot.

Got out some popcorn , as soon as my rep starting going down, down, down .

Laughed on the school yard as soon as I tripped up and hit the ground, ground ground

But I forgot that you existed , and I thought that it would kill me, but it didn't ,

And it was so nice so peaceful and quiet

Track # 2

And it’s oh , whoa oh , it’s a cruel summer ,

It’s cool that’s when I tell em no rules ,

Unbreakable heaven but oh whoa , oh oh

And at every table ,

I’ll save you a seat ,

Track # 4 ,

I’d be a fearless leader , I’d be the alpha type ,

What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars , and gett’n bitches and models , and it’s all good if you’re bad , and it’s ok if you’re mad

I’m so sick of running as fast as I can ,

wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a mann ,

I’ve been the archer ,

And I’ve been the prey

I think he knows his footprints on the side walk , Lead to where I can't stop , go there every night

I think he knows his hands around a cold glass ,

Make me wanna know that body , like it's mine

He got that boyish look that I like in a man

I am an architect, I'm drawing up the plans , It's like I'm seventeen, nobody understands

He got my heartbeat , Skipping down 16th Avenue ,

I saw the scoreboard , and ran for my life . No cameras catch my pageant smile

I counted days, I counted miles , To see you there , To see you there , It's been a long time coming but , It's you and me ,

Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet

Now I've read all of the books beside your bed

I like shiny things , but I’d marry you with paper rings

I hope I never loose you ,

I hope it never ends ,

I’d never walk Cornelia street again .

But if the story’s over , why am I still writing pages?

I ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright ,

They say I don’t know ,

Gave you so much, but it wasn't enough

We can go drivin' in, on my scooter uh, you know, just riding in London

They say home is where the heart is

But that's not where mine lives ,

And I can't talk to you when you're like this

Staring out the window like I'm not your favorite town ,

I'm New York City

And I’m just like ,

Uh oh ,

Uh oh ,

Uh oh ,

You need to calm down .

I blew things out of proportion now you’re blue .

Put you in jail for something you didn’t do .

I’m the only one of me ,

Lost my gloves, you give me one

"Wanna hang out? Yeah, sounds like fun

Luck of the draw ,

Only draws the unlucky ,

So I became the but of the joke .

I've been sleepin' so long in a twenty-year dark night . And now I see daylight