The WhirlyGirl

Student Teaching Poetry I

2009-02-25T14:18:00.004-05:00

These works-in-progress are subject to change...

Sea Inside of Me
I sail these uncharted waters,
this sea inside of me.
Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness,
new as dew on a summer morning,
drench my dampened soul.
Overflow. It overflows
and I drown in this
sea inside of me.

This sea inside of me
churns doubt and anxiousness.
Outrage, too, for
I am not one to back down,
not one to back out,
not one to be scared.
But feeling failure for the first time
I
drown

In this
sea inside of me.
There's no lookout, no
one to light the way.
My sails, now tattered, trap no wind.
My raft won't move, and I
drift.

Where's the hope I
saw in smiles?
The goodwill I sowed (to reap?)
Farmed those fields for so long and
now I
overflow.
They overflow
and I drown in these

tears inside of me.
Holding back my instincts, pinning my resolve.
No light
no wind to
move me. No
sense of self to
rouse me:

doubt presides
and resides here. And confidence?
It's on recess.

So I ask you, teachers. Will I find:
strength when I'm broken?
Resolve in fog?
Motivation to keep going?

It's because you're still here
I sail this
sea inside of me.
Having known hope, courage.
Having loved that light, that warmth,
And seeing you rise after every fall.

The lighthouse is somewhere. Here.

Parents: Help Us Help Your Kids

2009-02-08T16:08:00.020-05:00

Note: First, I must offer apologies to my few readers. :) The past several months have been quite tough on my soul, mostly due to the emotional roller coaster that is my life. I got engaged, got laid off, tangled with the government and a few banks and learned that red tape isn't only pervasive in politics and business -- it festers in academia, too. (In fact, I think academia is knee deep in the s@#t!)

I'm blogging again because I'm writing regularly again, but I should warn you upfront that I probably won't blog as often as I should. I've got a lot on my plate -- student teaching, wedding planning, writing a thesis and graduating! -- and it's a tough juggling act. Though I'm confident I can do it, I desperately need to write as often as I can because it's become a cathartic act for me. The page (and the screen) have become absolutely essential, particularly as I try to make sense of my observations of students and of the things they teach me. I can take out my frustration on the page and find healing between the lines. This is why I wanted to become a teacher: writing allows me to make sense of the world, to find a place that's my own and plant roots. It's that power that needs to be passed on to children. -Me

Speaking of empowering children...there's something that I've learned over the course of my studies that I want to share with parents, particularly parents of younger children. The world is an uber-competitive place (one of the sixth graders used the word uber last week, so I figured I should try to enhance my vocabulary) and the assumption is that it's the teacher's job to prepare those children and get them up to speed. But so much of what is -- and is not -- happening at home makes its way into the classroom. Consider the following:

A long-term study of families in Kansas City by Betty Hart and Todd Risely published in American Educator* found that the "average child on welfare was having half as much experience per hour [with language] (616 words per hour) as the average working-class child (1,251 words per hour) and less than one-third that of the average child in a professional family (2,153 words per hour)." Put into numbers:

a child in a professional family
over a 100-hour week will accumulate experience with 215,000 words
over a 5,200-hour year will accumulate experience with 11.2 million words
in the first four years of life will accumulate experience with 45 million words

a child in a working-class family
over a 100-hour week will accumulate experience with125,000 words
over a 5,200-hour year will accumulate experience with 6.5 million words
in the first four years of life will accumulate experience with 26 million words

a child in a welfare family
over a 100-hour week will accumulate experience with 62,000 words
over a 5,200-hour year will accumulate experience with 3.2 million words
in the first four years of life will accumulate experience with13 million words

Source: The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap By Age 3. American Educator, Spring 2003

If you've heard of the 30 million word gap -- the gap between the number of words known by wealthier children and poorer children -- this is the data on which it is based. Folks like Obama are putting a huge emphasis on early childhood education as a means to minimize the gap.

Here's what we know: parents and families are largely responsible for the socialization of their children prior to the start of the schooling experience. The study found that children's vocabulary often mimics their parents, that the words in a child's vocabulary are largely words in their parents' vocabulary. Hart and Risley wrote that "by the time the children were 3 years old, trends in amount of talk, vocabulary growth, and style of interaction were well established and clearly suggested widening gaps to come. Even patterns of parenting were already observable among children. When we listened to the children, we seemed to hear their parents speaking; when we watched them at play at parenting their dolls, we seemed to see the futures of their own children."

And it's not just about how often you speak to your children but how you speak to them. The study found that children from professional families had more instances of encouraging feedback (affirmatives) and less instances of discouragements (prohibitions) than children of working-class and welfare families. Those numbers skew even more negatively when dealing with welfare families, wherein the average child "might have had 144,000 fewer encouragements and 84,000 more discouragements of his or her behavior than the average child in a working-class family" by the age of four. Imagine the damage it does to a child to equate words and talk with the negative instead of the positive? Teachers wants to develop independent learners, but intervention can be hard when children are not comfortable with taking risks and indulging their own voices/ideas as students. (Particularly if they are concerned about right answers or pleasing the teacher.)

So parents, talk to your kids. Don't be afraid to veer from baby language and use grownup words with them. And step up your own vocabulary. (It will do wonders for your personal and professional development.)
When kids ask questions, don't dismiss them, even if you think the questions are silly: genuinely respond to them. And if you don't know an answer, own up to it. In doing so you create an opportunity for inquiry and exploration that you can share with your child, thereby fostering an enjoyment of exploring curiosities.

Additionally, try to give your kids authentic experience with the many worlds (and words) of our world. E.D. Hirsch argues that there is a cultural and contextual vocabulary with which students must be acquainted in order to succeed. While he's controversial -- so much of his cultural vocabulary seems to focus on the culture of power, e.g. Anglo culture, and forgoes similar contexts and knowledge in other cultures -- there is some truth in what he says. Consider the trouble an urban student might have when the word subpar is used to describe a negative experience if they have no idea what the word par means, the contexts in which it's used, etc.

The exposure of which I speak doesn't require much: sure, it's nice if you can take your kid to the zoo or museum once a month, but that can get expensive. The easiest thing to do is read with your children. Experience can be shared, empathy can be encouraged. And worlds that are normally inaccessible become accessible through the written word.

*Hart, Betty and Todd R. Risley. (2003). The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap By Age 3. Originally appeared in American Educator, 27 (1), 4-9.

Nearing The Promise

2008-11-05T21:52:00.014-05:00

One of my Georgetown buddies, Donald, linked to a New York Times blog post on his Facebook profile. The commentary about Tuesday night's election and the elation that erupted thereafter begins with the following :

"History will record this as the night the souls of black folk, living and dead, wept – and laughed, screamed and danced – releasing 400 years of pent up emotion."

Being a one-time AmStudder and an English major I immediately recognized the reference to W.E.B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk (1903), a collection of essays about brown folk living within The Veil. (It's an extremely complicated concept, and this UVA website explains it well, but let's just simplify it and say The Veil is largely a metaphor for racism and the problems surrounding and resulting from it.)

Related to The Veil is the concept of double consciousness and the dilemma it poses for blacks, who struggle with reconciling their identity as "Negroes" with their identity as Americans. From The Souls of Black Folk:

The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, — this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face. (Du Bois 4)

Double-consciousness is not unique to black Americans -- other racial and ethnic minorities, women, and members of the GLBT community struggle with their double "selves" -- but here Du Bois spells out his hope: That everyone would be treated the same, despite differences in appearance and identity. Black people could just be, and our race would no longer dictate our opportunities.

That wasn't the case some 40+ years ago, but things have changed since then. And the biggest change of all happened Tuesday night.

Michelle Obama got a lot of flack earlier this year for saying that she was for "the first time in [her] adult lifetime...really proud" of her country due to Barack's early primary successes and supporters who yearned for change. But lots of folks -- white, black, purple and green -- have said the same in the hours following last night's blowout (look at the NYT blog comments) and no one has gotten upset. People are oozing patriotism, and rightfully so. Many suspected that Barack would lose because race would factor into the vote; this was especially true for the black community, for many Democrats of any shade, and likely for a lot of Republican voters, too. But the vote (and exit polls analyzed by CNN) showed that race was barely a factor. We showed the world that we've shed some of ugly vestiges of yesteryear, and I think we've surprised ourselves.

Our idealized American Dream was supposed to be blind to the more noticeable differences among us, but that hasn't always been the case. Obama's victory, Palin's place on the GOP ticket, Hillary's primary fight and even Richardson's brief campaign support Obama's assertion on Tuesday that "America is a place where all things are possible," that "the dream of our founders is alive in our time."

I cried on Tuesday night, but the reason for those tears were bigger than Obama and his victory. If all anyone could see was Obama, then all I could see were papers. Yellowing, fraying documents with fading text. Pieces of paper on which we spend thousands upon thousands dollars a year to maintain; pieces of paper for which men and women have given their lives; pieces of paper that inspire people to believe we can become our "better and truer" selves as we pursue the happiness of our existence. The Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights enshrine the United States in lofty detail. For a long time it's seemed like a work in progress, but this election made me believe that we are finally getting it right. And my heart swells at the thought.

***

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. - President Elect Barack Obama

Further reading:
Du Bois, W.E.B. (1903). The Souls of Black Folk.

Hysterical. Hilarious. Sooo Not Hillary!

2008-10-19T19:42:00.002-04:00

I'll give Gov. Palin credit for being a good sport...looks like she's got a little rhythm.

Oprah, Spiderman and Farms: Wha?

2008-10-16T00:31:00.003-04:00

Oprah. (You know to which Oprah I refer, right?) Her personal story is inspiring, her charitable works admirable, and her character flawless. Her book club, the turnout for her appearance at Barack Obama's rallies earlier this year and other instances demonstrate what some folks have already figured out: Oprah's got a lot of clout, y'all.

But she's clearly missed one of the big lessons of Comics 101: with great power comes great responsibility. (That line, from the Spiderman comics, is often credited to Peter Parker's uncle, Ben.) And here's where I run the risk of having my Woman card revoked: she was, in my view, completely irresponsible with her power and her platform on her Oct. 14 show. Tsk, tsk, Oprah.

The October 14 show, entitled "Lisa Ling Reports: How We Treat the Animals We Eat," was a semi-investigative report about the conditions in which many of the animals we rely on for food (chickens, pigs, cows) are kept, with the goal of educating viewers as to what "cage free" and "free range" mean. I say semi-investigative because while it may have clarified some of the confusion/uncertainty surrounding these terms and how their different from conditions on other farms, it was mostly an hour-long political plea from Oprah.

Let me explain: apparently, California voters are considering a new proposition (Prop 2) that will "prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs." (Wikipedia's got more info here.) Essentially, the proposition asks for more humane conditions for these animals -- something I don't have a problem with. In fact, once you see the conditions these animals live in, you can't help but feel for them. So the show was really about informing "consumers" (voters) about both sides of the Prop 2 debate so they could make "conscious choices" when appropriate.

My beef (get it?) is that Oprah failed to present a balanced view, despite claims that said otherwise. (The onus was on her to get it right, considering that 1998 libel lawsuit with cattle ranchers. She doesn't want another lawsuit coming her way.)

What did Oprah do wrong? The short list:

It was clear from the jump that Oprah favors Prop 2. She opened the show by telling her viewers that she believes we can measure our humanity by our treatment of the smallest of us. (I'm paraphrasing.) Yellow flag! Tug at the heart strings, but be clear: it boils down to how you view these animals -- as providers of food, simple commodities, or something more. And couldn't you just extend the "smallest of us" play to insects and vermin -- they're living. I'm sure Oprah isn't humanely letting bugs, mice, or other living pests roam freely on her properties around the world.
She was more aggressive in questioning Prop 2 opponents about their positions, while the Humane Society flak was able to make his case for the proposal with nary a query from O.
Oprah made the observation that what this really comes down to is economics but failed to get in the weeds. When the family farmers said their costs would go up if Prop 2 passed, Oprah looked to the Humane Society flak for answers. As if she couldn't (or wouldn't) trust the word of the family farmers. And when the premium price of cage-free and free range products came up, Oprah and the Humane Society dude correctly observed that prices would come down as demand increases for cage free and free range products. But what would spur such demand? How about an hour-long Oprah infomercial!!

The least Oprah could have done, a day after a Suze Orman show about budgeting and the "things we can afford," was compare the cost of the whole host of free-range and cage-free products with those produced by industrial farms. Show, in numbers, how the cost of eggs, pork and other products will rise initially as more farms move to meet Prop 2 -- because their cost of doing business will go up and it will be reflected in the price you pay at the supermarket -- but later stabilize and come down once those changes go into effect. Efficiencies will be found -- they're key to being able to turn a bigger profit.

Oprah also should have reminded her viewers that all of the products, cage-free/free-range and industrialized, are FDA approved. Watching Lisa Ling's tape, you could easily walk away with the impression that products from industrialized and family farms are sub-standard when that's just not the case.

Given that Oprah used to be a serious journalist, I'm a bit disappointed that the show seemed to blantantly favor one position over another. If animal cruelty is the issue -- and it truly is -- then take on all industries built on the sacrifices of animals -- fashion is a biggie. Are these farm animals mistreated? They're well-cared for regardless of the method in which they're kept. (My Dad raised an interesting point: are there different standards for the treatment of pets and the treatement of animals raised for food?) To present it in such a black-and-white way, not taking into account the budgets of families across the country, the animal vs commodity viewpoint, economies of scale issues, etc., is irresponsible. But Oprah knew what she was doing, and she knew the number of people she would reach (she mentioned that such issues may find their way onto ballots across the country soon), which is why I think she abused her platform a wee bit.

The show may have been about consumer education, but given the shortcomings I've mentioned, I just don't see it. With the vote a couple of weeks away, the show seemed more about influencing viewers -- particularly California viewers -- to vote the Oprah way.

(I know I can't afford cage-free and free-range products. Would I like for farms to house their food-producing animals a bit more humanely? Yes. But in this economy, not enough to stop buying industrialized and family farm products to force the move.)

Did Oprah give viewers adequate and accurate information to make "conscious choices?" In the end, I think she gave viewers enough info to make the Oprah choice.

Based on the way all Oprah-approved things go, I'm sure Prop 2 will pass. But will it have passed for the right reasons?

Parsing The Gift of Soap

2008-10-14T21:47:00.004-04:00

Ever get the gift of soap from someone and wonder, "What exactly is this person trying to say?"

My friend Shash and I talked about this last weekend over a bottle of wine. I was sharing stories about my fiance-to-be's family, you know, things that would give her a sense about the family I'd be joining. (We went ring shopping, so barring a natural disaster, a proposal is imminent.) And so I mentioned that my FFIL (future father-in-law) has given me body wash/soap sets for Christmas every year since I started dating his son. We're at five plus years now.

"What, does he think you stink?" she asked jokingly.

"That's what I said!" I replied in mock horror. We had a real good belly laugh over it. Until she said, "Well, it makes sense."

Hold up. Wha?

It's an impersonal nice gift, she explained. He can't possibly judge how serious you two are, nor does he know you well enough to know your hobbies or things you'd like. So he gets you Bath and Body Works. It's a nice gift, shows he was thinking about you.

I think you're onto something, I told her, but in my heart, I felt a little twinge. I truly do appreciate every gift he's given me, even though I did at first wonder if he was trying to give me a hint. But you'd think, over time, that soap wouldn't be the go-to gift. The FH (future husband) must talk about me enough to give Pops some sense of me, right?

But here's where I take heart -- FH once told me that Daddy-o advised him to give his brother's girlfriend the gift of soap for Christmas. The ladies love it, FFIL told his son. And sure enough, it's become my boy's go-to gift when he's running out of time to be creative. Because you know what? Soap sets are nice, despite what they could imply on some left-field level. (Maybe I'm just sensitive like that.)

Another plus: the quality of the soap sets has gotten better over the years. Last year, FFIL and his girlfriend got me the above gift set from Crabtree and Evelyn, and I loved it. I loved it so much that I held out on using it for as long as I could -- I've got one bar left.

And...I haven't gotten soap and only soap in at least two years, a reflection that we've gotten better acquainted over the years. Pops is a big-time gourmet and he knows I consider myself a budding foodie. So he showed some love and gifted me some of his fave cooking condiments, including Stonewall Kitchen's Roast Garlic Onion Jam (despite what it sounds like, it tastes great!); Iron Chef's Orange Ginger Glaze; and a yummy cranberry mustard.

More importantly, FFIL has opened both his heart (and home) for me. His acceptance is a great gift and means more to me than any soap set.

So soap. It's an odd gift. It's a nice gift. But it's a gift, and the giving of a gift is a lovely gesture in and of itself.

What's Past is Prologue

2008-09-15T00:49:00.007-04:00

About a two weeks ago, I asked my mother to find my Georgetown diploma and transcript -- I needed it for some job-related paperwork. No, I can't explain why my mother had my diploma, but I've got it back now. I digress...

Mother, in her quest to find my most expensive piece of paper, stumbled upon some memorabilia from my childhood. Class pictures, notes traded between friends, letters that crisscrossed country and the Pacific just to keep me update to date with the latest Alamo drama.

And then I found things that stirred memories I want to forget; memories that make me cringe in disgust and shame and sadness; memories of a time when all I did was cry and cry for days on end, when the mere thought of going to school gave me ulcers and made me physically sick. All dredged up now, I tried to make sense of what happened, to make connections between the person I was and the person I am today.

But why even begin to reflect on such a thing? It's old news, right? Well, my 10-year high school reunion is coming up -- one of the things I won't think about is how old I feel ;) -- and it's an event that I've both dreaded and looked forward to for a while. I'll be pretty candid and say I think I've kept in touch with all of the people with which I wanted to remain friends, and most people I know say the same whenever you talk about high school reunion. Like me, however, those same people relished the opportunity to attend their college reunions. Why? What makes one reunion different from the other?

It's about the people we were then and the people we are now. My college experience was a profound change agent that saw me move from being a conservative Republican to a liberal Democrat; from cantankerous chica with no qualms about crossing words with someone who dared to shoot me a funky glance or couldn't talk about me to my face to a contemplative chicky who has a better understanding about the psychology and inner workings of people, particularly those of us who live in girl world; and from a girl struggling with identity issues to a woman comfortable in her unique skin. Some things haven't changed: I'm still stubborn as a mule. Lord knows that I will always have diva moments. Though I'm better at keeping my emotions in check, I still cry crocodile tears during moments both happy and sad and when my anger and frustration boils over.

But I'm more patient, more open minded, and more content with myself and my place in the world around me, among other things. Huge change from ten years ago, and I think the real reason I'm feeling dread about going to the reunion -- today me wouldn't really like the me of yesteryear. That's the me those high school folks remember.

I don't want to hate on the person that I was -- time has put me in a better position to examine that person, to grow out those flaws. And somewhere inside of me -- hopefully very deep down -- the remnants of that self remain. I've matured, though. I'm sure we all have.

Past is prologue. The experiences of old -- folded notes and Sorry So Sloppys, the cruel games that girls play, the drama over nothing, the boy craziness, the singing, the fighting, the laughing, the late night games of tag, volleyball and follow-that-car -- laid way for the future and helped me become the person that I am. A person who continues to grow and looks forward to the changes and challenges that will come.

Revival!

2008-09-13T19:04:00.003-04:00

Hmmm. The last time I blogged was in 2007.

It's September 13. Of 2008. Ouch!

What's new? Well, I quit my job. Even though it was a long time coming, I secretly hoped things would improve so as to avoid a painful separation. But they didn't.

Do I miss it? Yes and no. The daily deadline was stressful yet challenging, and I do think the years of meet-it-and-beat-it helped improved my writing. However, whatever joy I found in my job went away once we moved to a quota system of providing content. It never bother me that I worked remotely from New York -- the relationships I established in Washington were solid, and I didn't need to be in the office everyday to feel like a member of the team. But as more and more of my colleagues left to work for other companies, my ties to the team became tenuous. The lines of communication with my managers stretched thin, and a seemingly innocent company reshuffling drew a line in the sand. I toed it for as long as I could, but my heart wasn't in it. And at some point my head made the choice to save my heart, despite the importance and necessity of that salary.

So I left, with a part-time job locked in and the promise of another job in the wings. The day-to-day business of writing is behind me.

The trouble is, I can't completely give up writing, even if I don't get paid to do it anymore. You see, I've taken a hopefully-temporary-but-huge salary cut to pursue my master's degree in Secondary English Education. Yes, I want to teach English. And no matter where I end up, I'm pretty sure large parts of the curriculum will include writing. As burned out as I may be, my burnout can only be temporary. I can't get rusty, otherwise, what kind of teacher will I be if I totally forget how to write?

With that in mind, welcome to the revival of The Whirlygirl. I'm a bit more free to speak my mind now that I'm not attached to a corporation and don't have to worry about my co-workers scouring the web to tattle on me. (Not like they would -- well, some of them wouldn't.) I'm free to ramble at will...and I will.

There's so much on my mind, but it will have to wait. My fingers are shaking -- they haven't this much prolonged contact with a keyboard since I quit my job -- and they need to recuperate.

This blog is more for me than for anyone else, but if you're reading now, thank you for taking the time to visit. I 'prreciate it.

XOXO,
The WhirlyGirl

Learning After Undergrad: What About Your Friends?

2007-04-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Let's start off with this, the lovely ladies of TLC droppin' some knowledge on the people:

(GAWD, I love old-school TLC!) I love this video becauseof the message: if a friend is down from the beginning, they'll stay down, as long as they "stand their ground" and continue to "be around."

This becomes even more true after you graduate from college. I'm a steadfast friend -- I can't help it, I'm a Capricorn, and we're known for our loyalty -- and I expected that the friends I had post undergrad would be my friends for life. Because I did a purge in high school to weed out the friends that I knew couldn't or wouldn't stick it out. Because I swore to myself that after graduation I would take the time to cultivate and maintain the friendships that I wanted to be lasting.

I've had my heart broken recently by people who I thought would be lasting friends. (A good way to tell if someone is a lasting friend is to consider whether you would go out of your way to invite the person to your wedding.) One is a person who I threw away another friendship for, out of loyalty; another is someone that I grew to be friends with post grad.

Now, I'm not a high-maintenance friend -- holla at me through e-mail or over the phone every once in a while and I'm good. I understand that life can sometimes get in the way. But I got friends in low places (sea level Long Island), in high places (hello, Wyo!), and across the globe(Lee, my dawg!) Shoot, I've dated my boyfriend long distance for almost three and a half years now, getting by on a three-day visit every month and nightly phone calls. I'm not asking for much. Just a shout-out, an acknowledgment that the years you spent laughing and crying and arguing meant something, that it wasn't for nothing.

So it pains me to think about the time I invested in these people, only to learn it was a waste. But I guess I should've known -- learning doesn't stop after undergrad.

(And I'm not all that bitter, just sad. But that's life, right?)

No, I Didn't Forget I Have A Blog...

2007-04-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

I've been super busy taking certification tests (passed both) and applying for grad school. I haven't really had time to check in, and I'm starting to see the quandry that some of my blogging friends have run into...there's never enough time.

But I'm making time tonight because of...Sanjaya! OMG, the kid is, well, how do I put this gently?

HE SUCKETH MUCHO.

Okay, maybe that was too harsh. He doesn't suck -- in fact, I venture that if I were in high school with him, we'd be chorus friends. He'd do vocal jazz, the musicals, variety show, etc. He'd be the center of chorus drama, and after fights, we'd make up by braiding his hair. Point is, he's got a decent voice.

But if you are Sanjaya, and you're competing on American Idol -- Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks are the better singers on the ladies side, IMHO, while Blake Lewis is the total package -- you have to bring your "A" game. Making a girl say "aw, shucks" doesn't make you the next American Idol. Or at least it shouldn't.

I totally feel for the kid, I really do. I cringe every time he performs -- because I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst, and then the trainwreck happens.

Compare the following to Sanjaya's performance of "Bathwater" last week, and tell me you don't agree -- Sanjaya's small potatoes.

Cute Kid Of The Week, Vol. 2

2007-01-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

Now this is absolutely cute...

I don't know if I can keep this up, but I'll try...

SNOW!!!

2007-01-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

I saw snow!

Not flurries, like actual snow. Like powder snow. Pretty snow.

It snowed the entire time I was in Ann Arbor. Five freaking days straight. And normally I hate snow -- here in New York, it's pretty for first 15 minutes and then it becomes a nuisance. Then the streets gets salted and the snow gets pushed around, and it becomes ugly.

But in Ann Arbor, the snow fell gently. Miniscule snowballs of powder, versus the downpour slush flakes that I'm used to. Even after the streets there were salted, the snow remained white. The sullied snow vanished, it seemed, into thin air.

Maybe it's that lake effect stuff I always here them mention on the news, or maybe it's the fact that I'll tolerate snow in Ann Arbor because I really like Ann Arbor. It reminds me of Georgetown, without the money and the pretentiousness. And without the closed campus.

Unfortunately, I'll probably never live there. I found out last weekend that the University doesn't really hire it's own graduates, so there's no way the boyfriend will get a job there after he graduates. Oddly enough, he mentioned the possibility of wanting to go back to Georgetown to teach.

It's funny how things come full circle.

SNOW!!

Cute Kid Of The Week, Volume 1

2007-01-16T23:29:00.000-05:00

I've been on a "Shoes" kick all day, so it was a pleasure to find this on You Tube:

So cute, right?
And by the way, I do think he totally said "pooh on my hand, boy." But that makes it so much more adorable.

Rosie vs. The Donald -- Brand Management Gone Awry?

2007-01-14T12:29:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, folks! Here's the 2007 being a lot more fruitful than 2006...

Now let's get down to the business.

Have you heard about the continuing feud between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump? O.K., you'd have to live on Mars to NOT hear about it. It's been in the news, on the TV, everywhere on the web and it will be preserved for posterity in libraries across the country that archive mags like People and US Weekly (and there are some libraries that do.)

A quick re-cap: The Donald decided to let Miss USA keep her crown. Rosie pooh-poohed The Donald's decision (by the way, everytime I put 'The' before 'Donald' I feel as if I'm writing about a mob boss) on The View. Donald comes back on the attack, Rosie blogs about it, Donald hits again and drags Barbara Walters into it, and poor Barbara has to "clear things up" and declare neutrality. Then Donald sends a lovely letter to Rosie, telling her that Barbara is lying to the both of them. NY newspapers then say Rosie blew up at Barbara backstage at The View, prompting this exchange meant to show that everyone's okay. Donald retorts once more, calling Barbara a "pathetic puppet" and insinuating that Rosie is steamrolling The View. Maybe they've reached a detente, because I haven't seen anything more about it in the news.

Hyped up by the hysterics of the feud, the press and TV's talking heads missed some things. First, Rosie's a comic. What's the fuss about her opening monologue? She told him to "sit and spin" and she mentions his bankruptcies. She dislikes him. She makes it funny. She predicts that he would respond with a lawsuit.

So Donald responds because she attacked him personally, but did you expect anything else? He had to respond because that's what The Donald would do. The Donald is a brand, and his aggressiveness -- both in his personal and professional dealings -- is part of it.

I bring up the brand because I, too, disagree with the decision to let Miss USA keep her crown, but for reasons that differ from Rosie's.

The fact that Donald would let her keep her crown seems to go against everything they teach in Brand Management 101 (or that I think would be taught in such a class. Sorry, I did not go to the B-School.) Isn't Miss USA a brand, one that Mr. Trump and NBC have ownership of? You'd think they'd work harder to protect the brand and the image from getting tarnished, and stories like this and this seem like they would do more harm than good. I mean, it's the stories and the rumors and photos that prompted pageant organizers to look into decrowning their Miss in the first place.

Big red flag? The girl could have been arrested for underage drinking and if the stories are true she could have been caught doing coke. (The underage drinking and admission to clubs is well documented.) Do you honestly want someone who's a liability reppin' your brand? I think not. And now, the poor girl will be the infamous "rehabbed" Miss USA. Tarnished image much?

Some would say I'm being too harsh. I mean, underage drinking and partying is to be expected on college campuses and in cities and towns across the country. I did it, my friends did it, G. Dub's twins did it, and (scarily) my baby sister will probably do it, too.

And then there's the fact that the reckoning happened only days before she turned 21. Uncanny timing, huh? Is all the hubbub for naught?

So it's not as if Tara Conner's behavior -- and that of her 18-year old Trump Towers roommate, Miss Teen USA -- is unexpected or unforgivable. But if you choose someone to represent a brand, to fulfill an image, then you better damn well make sure that person is someone to be respected, who will raise the profile of your brand in a positive way (and spawning Celeb Feud '06 does not count).

Especially if you are holding her out to be a role model for young women across the country.

Just my two cents.

It's......Been So Long

2006-12-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

First things first. Two snaps for me because I've completed my first grad school class. Woo-Hoo! I only missed one class, I facilitated a session (and my lesson was well received), and I wrote not one but TWO papers -- a five pager and a 16-page bad boy I named Ellipses. I'm waiting for a grade, but I would be surprised if I did not do well. (Of course, I could get a B and that would suck. I'm really aiming for an A.)

Second, my Hoyas are 7-3 for the season thus far, though that could change since they were supposed to play Towson tonight. Given the way the Hoyas played in my day, the record is not bad. And I don't think they're ranked, either. That sucks, too.

Let's see, TV has been a complete bore. Both Heroes and Lost are on hiatus. Smallville and Supernatural are re-running. But gawd, next month is going to be so sweet! 24 is back, woo-hoo! And Heroes will come current on Jan. 22. So it's all good.

I doubt I'm going to get the chance to blog again before the year is out, so here are my resolutions for the coming year. These are not in any particular order, by the way, these are just the first things that come to mind.

1) Hunker down and study for the LAST, ECST, and GRE. Complete applications.
2) Find a new job, because I can't take the abuse anymore! Let's hope that recruiter hooks me up with something sweet.
3) Auditions and open mics. And maybe I should start recording again, too.
4) Celebrate my birthday in style. I'm old. I want fun in the sun, but I think it takes more than 24 hours to get a passport.
5) Start going to the gym again. Not because I need to lose weight, but because I really miss working out.
6) Give more love to my family and my man, and show love to the friends who've really stood by me.
7) Blog more. And about stuff that matters, too. I'm dying to dabble in some poli-talk.
8) Take a wine-tasting class, and possibly a knife techniques/cooking course. I chop all wrong.
9) Pray more.
10) Commit to getting most, if not all, of these things checked off before yearend 2007.

It's been swell, y'all, truly. Here's to finishing 2006 with style and grace and ushering in new beginnings in 2007.

Happy Holidays!

What I'm Watching

2006-11-08T22:25:00.000-05:00

Save The Cheerleader, Save The World!: If you have yet to catch onto Heroes, you can log onto NBC's website and watch the episodes you've missed. Which you should do, because it's basically X-Men Lite, except that these 'heroes' actually have powers you would want and wouldn't make you superfreaky. With the exception of radiation guy from Monday night's episode -- um, he can give you radioactive burns by touch. Case in point -- he gave his wife cancer. Yikes!

Notable characters: The dynamic duo of Hiro the Hero and his sidekick Ando. We know I have an obsession with all things Japanese, but Hiro by far is the most kick-ass of all those featured on the show. And Ando's wisecracks -- ah, so funny! Yokkata! Ones to watch: Claire, Micah (so adorable, that little tech-mech-manipulator) and Peter (I can't decide...Milo's kind of cute but the bangs are killing me!)

If I were stranded on an island...: Lost, I still love you. Even though the Easter egg hunt you sent us on (you know, the one that started at the end of the last season and continued through the summer. Yeah, that one!) was enough to make me (and many others) feel like a casual castaway. I'm just going to let the season unfold without second guessing or taking up an investigation a la the Scooby kids. (However, it's also helpful to check-in with Entertainment Weekly every now and again. Jeff Jensen is the magazine's expert Lost theorist. He tries to put all the pieces of the puzzle together so the rest of us don't have to).

I mean, I live for my shows but I don't want to have to WORK for them. I spend good chunks of my week doing that for other people, anyway. TV Time= Relax Time.

I also don't know how I feel this season set-up ABC's got going on. Yes, there were far too many reruns last year but I think those were helpful for those viewers who missed episodes. But now Lost is taking a break until February, and then we get 16 new episodes back to back. And those egg hunters will be tuning in to the last twenty minutes of Daybreak just to catch the Lost sneak peeks. I hope Daybreak does well, but the premise doesn't thrill me and at this point, with Denzel's movie coming out soon, it seems overdone. (Interesting that Daybreak is an ABC show, Deja Vu is a Touchstone picture, and both ABC and Touchstone are Disney entities.)

Smallville. Yes, you had me at Ar-row. As in Green Arrow. Granted, Justin Hartley may not be the world's best actor (loved him on Passions) but I love him as Oliver Queen -- he's totally stealing Soop's thunder. (To the idiots who passed on Hartley's Aquaman series -- how you feeling 'bout that now?) Add to that the possibility of other JLA members making appearances this season, and you've got a reinvigorated show that may be winning back some fans.

Good TV is hard to come by, but these are my can't miss thus far. More to come.

Gets to Tivo-ing, already!

Because A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste...

2006-10-26T19:49:00.000-04:00

When you get a chance please read this article from The Washington Post, because this man has the job I want, the job that I'm working towards at this very moment.

Yes, yes, y'all, that's right. I'm going back to school so that I can get my MA in English Education, as well as my New York State certification. Given my work experience, I wanted to focus on writing and rhetoric. And while you can concentrate on a specific sub-area, it's my understanding that you can only do so after years of teaching standard English (writing and lit). The course I'm taking right now is fascinating and it's opening my eyes to the challenges that teachers, especially those teaching in urban schools, face.

That's also where I want to focus my efforts, in inner-city and urban schools. Have you read and/or heard some of these No Child Left Behind stories? How there are some schools that actually underreport (or sometimes completely fail to report) the test scores of their minority students because the actual results might show that the schools and teachers aren't making any progress towards meeting NCLB mandates, and there's a (legitimate) fear that they will be held accountable. And because of NCLB, teachers may feel pressured to test prep all year long instead of actually TEACHING -- helping their kids make lasting connections to the concepts they learn, connections that will stick around long after testing day.

The whitewash, it seems, is nothing new. This week I read a biographical account of a now 30-year old man who was once a student in NYC public schools, and you know what -- he couldn't read a lick! His teachers passed him each and every year -- he even attended one of the most competitive high schools in the city -- and by the end of it all he could read is "and" and "but"! His grades were no indication -- As and Bs. He didn't graduate (dropped out in 11th grade) and he's learning to read now, trying to make his business big out of his apartment in one of the LES projects. But I could feel his frustration in his story...It begs the question -- how many other kids got passed along for show, in the end had very little to show for it?

As well-intentioned as NCLB was, it puts the focus and emphasis on testing and pays less attention to the quality of the teaching. It's not to say that tests aren't important, but shouldn't we be concerned when kids feel like the purpose of reading is to answer the questions at the end of the story? Don't we want them to read between the lines and come to conclusions that will stir their own curiosities, their own questions, and those questions in turn will lend themselves to those at the end of the story?

If life is one big test, education is a key part in preparing in prepping our kids for what life holds, the challenges it will bring. It's key to unlocking the potential of young minds, in passing down the keys to the kingdom. I'm saddened to think about all those minds going to waste, to only being considered as a number to meet a mandate. Quantity versus quality, indeed.

Jumping On The Bandwagon

2006-10-20T20:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm showing up late to the party. Again.

This blogging revolution is what, like, two or three years old, right? There were even some people out there that were hip to it eons ago -- I've seen some of those sites. But now everyone can get in on the game, which is pretty sweet considering that the idea of HTML scripting makes me want to put my head through the wall. I got a (respectable) C in that class in college, but that website project was a killer.

So why me and why now? A couple of reasons. First, opinions are like assholes and everybody's got one -- myself included. There are millions of moments in a given day where I would love to call up my boyfriend or one of my friends and talk their ears off about my frustrations at work, about the latest boneheaded move by this bonehead politician. About how I'm still undecided about making the investment in the Xbox 360 ( I will blog about that in the future) or waiting until PS3. Or how I love Justin Timberlake to death but "Sexy Back" just ain't doin' it for me.

Nope, nothin' doing.

Point is, I can't just call everyone up like that anymore. And even if I could, would they care? I've got a boatload of friends who think I'm super silly for still being into cartoons and video games at my age. Out there in the blogger-verse, however, there may be someone else who is feeling me about the Xbox dilemma.

Secondly, blogging is great practice for me as a writer. My job is very industry-centric and sadly my interests DO NOT lie there. Our lives and experiences are so varied that it's quite frustrating to find yourself pigeonholed into a box with walls that someone else defined.

So...Um...Yeah.

I'm unsure as to whether I've fully answered the "why me, why now" question. But I'm starting to get hungry, and that box of Cookie Crisp is calling my name...