Portrait Display

One of our favorite places to hang out here in Vegas is The Center:
https://www.facebook.com/TheCenterLV
http://thecenterlv.com/

Which hosts our favorite coffee/ sandwich/ vegan shop:
https://www.facebook.com/bronzecafelv

Currently, The Center is also playing host to a display of portraits spearheaded by Linda:
https://www.facebook.com/events/329634063832065/

Trust me, this display is WAY better in person.  I highly suggest going to check it out if you happen to be in the area.  It will only be available until June 16.  Also, there will be a "Meet & Greet" with Linda on June 12 at The Center from 6-8 p.m.  If you can make it, come on down and tell her how great this project really is.  As an added bonus, my husband and I will attend the Meet & Greet :)

Our picture (see above) will be displayed by Monday evening (June 10).

Graduation decor

This article is inspired by this article: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/high-school-senior-denied-diploma-for-wearing-when-did-graduation-become-a-battleground--192900808.html

My senior year of high school (1994-95), my nickname was Chicken.  This was a bit of a joke that I started, but soon became wide-spread.  When I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, the entire graduating class and half of the people in the audience yelled out the name "Chicken!" in a congratulatory cheer.  For someone who thinks of herself as "Merelyme Noone," this was a feat bordering on impossible.

Cutting the story short, when I was preparing for graduation, I intended on placing a small stuffed animal chicken on top of my mortarboard as a nod to this chosen moniker.  I was politely (but firmly) asked to remove it.  I complied.

This illustrates the fact that I understand the desire for Ms. Ramer to portray an important part of her life during such a milestone as graduation.  I also understand the desire for the high school to keep the uniform of the day just that: uniform.

When Ms. Ramer made clear her intention to sport the eagle feather, the headmaster made it clear she was to refrain from doing so.  Ms. Ramer decided her "spiritual and cultural symbol of pride" was more authoritative in this situation than the headmaster of the school from which she was earning a commendation.

In this situation, I would have advised the school to disallow Ms. Ramer from walking with the rest of her class, but to not fine her, nor to hold her diploma for ransom.

In my humble opinion, high schools should be used to antics of seniors by now.  They should be the adults in the situation and take control as if they actually are the adults in control.  Ms. Ramer did not do anything really out of control, nor did she do anything illegal or disruptive.  If her actions are too disruptive to be allowed to walk with the rest of the class, no other action should be necessary.

Just how I understand things,
Laura

Food

One of my writing ideas is a non-fiction book surrounding my approach to food.  The "working title" for this work would be "An Inconvenient Necessity".  The underlying idea: I hate food.

Food is incredibly inconvenient.  First of all, you NEED it...a lot of it...throughout the day...every day!

You feel hungry, and so you eat.  Within a few hours, you feel hungry again.

Even when you eat healthy, balanced foods throughout the day, you remain hungry.  But then again, what is healthy and balanced?  That definition changes almost daily, and is highly subjective, depending on your activity level, hormones, diagnoses, etc.

On top of the incessant need to eat, we have to obtain our food.  That can mean growing our own, hunting, purchasing, or any other means of obtaining sustenance.  Any of the above requires a certain amount of skill and effort.

Next, you have to store the food somewhere.  And then you have to prepare it in one way or another, especially if you are to present it to others.  After that, you must clean up after it: clean the kitchen, wash the dishes, throw away the waste, etc.  Lastly, you must clean up after the waste products: take out the trash, and toilet duties (to put it politely).

Healthy and good foods rot and otherwise go bad relatively quickly.  Foods that do not go bad are usually bad for your health.

To answer all of this, I have lamented in other forums that we do not have something similar in nature to "Soylent".  If you recall the movie, there were more colors than green; only green was made from people.

Consuming something such as Soylent (for me) would solve much of the problems above.  I wouldn't have to take the time to consume food, I wouldn't worry about the strawberries going bad, and I wouldn't have to prepare much.

I know, I know, many people truly enjoy food, but for me, Soylent seems like a great alternative to "real" food.

Enter the brilliance of NASA:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/nasa-awards-grant-3d-food-printer-could-end-194050661.html

I would buy this.  In fact, I would volunteer to be a human test subject, once it is ready for human testing.

That's how I understand it
Laura

The Unbalanced Semester

School semesters are always unbalanced, and probably for good reason.  As an example, I will use my current semester.  I have four classes with a total of 12 credit hours.  The first two weeks included introducing myself to the instructors and "classmates" through online means such as email and Blackboard.  I printed the syllabi, checked that I had all the required textbooks, and organized for the semester ahead.  These last two weeks: four major essays are due.  Two integrative essays, one research report, and one grant proposal.  I have been reading, researching, and writing like crazy for over a week, and I am nowhere near finished.

Sigh--

Break over: back to work.

Laura

Women and Gender assignment

One of my assignments for my class Women and Gender Studies was so interesting, I just had to post it.  The assignment was to analyze a "youtube" video for content concerning how women are portrayed in the media.

After searching for an appropriate video, I came across this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN6Sfj5MMQ

“Hgwhiteknight” compiled a montage of 96 advertisements from around the world portraying women; each of these advertisements focuses on at least one part of a woman as part (or the whole) of the advertisement.  Many of them portray the woman as dead or dying; just before rape, in the act of rape, or just after rape; having been beaten or in the act of being beaten; drug use; too fat or too skinny; and as being controlled by a video game controller. 

In 17, I am unable to tell what product is being advertised.

In 12, the product is specifically for men.

In 22, the product is something usually for men, or being marketed toward men (not including the previous items).

In  8,the Plot is rape (about to happen, happening, or just finished)

In 4, the product promises to make the woman more attractive

In 4, the ad suggests that without the product, women are dumb and useless

In 7, the ad uses women as a tool in one way or another

In 3, the entire purpose is how thin the woman is (too skinny).

In 3 is shown augmentation for beauty (2 while wearing evening gowns)

In 4, the model is or looks pre-pubescent

In 8 is the act or suggestion of a blow job

In 13 is the act of violence toward women, or a woman having been beaten

One shows the act of bestiality

In 18, death is used to sell a product

In 5, bondage is used

In 20, consensual sex is shown or suggested, or the model is in a position to suggest that she is ready to have sex.

Food Preparers and Music Performers

Just a thought this morning:

There is a fundamental difference in how a chef approaches food preparation and how a baker does so; similar in nature to the fundamental difference in how a Jazz musician approaches the performance and how a concert musician does so.

In this simile, the chef is comparable to the jazz musician; the baker to the concert musician.

A chef will find a recipe that works, play with it, add a spice, take away an ingredient, and mix it up.  A jazz musician will find a tune that works, play with it, add a note, drop a chord, and mix it up.  The chef will taste the food to see if it continues to work together.  The chef will continue to re-work it until the chef is happy with it.  When the customer gives feedback, the chef continues with what works, and changes what doesn't.

The baker, on the other hand, must follow the recipe exactly.  A pinch too much salt, a bit too little flour, and the entire recipe tastes different, usually for the worse.  A baker cannot just add more cinnamon half-way through the baking process, the baker must be precise for the finished product to taste right.

A jazz musician can liven up the tune while on stage.  The jazz player can change something on a whim, and the other players barely bat an eye; they pick right up and change their parts right along with the other player; this is generally considered an attribute.  Each player complements the playing of all of the other players.

A concert musician must follow the exact notes in the score, at exactly the right time.  If a player misses one note, the entire audience can hear it.  If a concert musician has the audacity to suggest a different chord here or a movement there, that musician is probably already looking for a new position.

No moral to the story; no lesson to be learned, just some random thoughts.

Laura

On "Making a good first impression"

In the midst of my busy day packed with housework, cooking, and studying, I occasionally do something less than productive.  Today, I started off by reading some Yahoo news, and came across this little gem: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/making-good-first-impression-153300242.html

Now, I'm not out looking for a job or anything, but I do like to see what the latest "expert" advice is on etiquette, charm, and class.  This article had a mixture of "Yeah, ok, that makes sense," and "Um--no."

1) Your feet do the talking Yes, it is true that footwear can say a lot about you as a person, and your mood of the day.  The shoes can make or break an outfit.  I am out and about in the world quite a bit (despite my being chained to my computer with school work), and I see a plethora of differing styles of "fashion" people have dared step out in public wearing.  I have even thought about taking pictures and starting a blog entitled, "You wore what?!" or "What were you thinking?"

Flip-flops belong on the beach (or, you know, your local politician), not "complimenting" an otherwise well-planned outfit.  Also, heels do not belong with a tube top (yes, people still wear those) and Daisy-Dukes.  Oh, and by-the-way, we can tell when you bought that pair of boots at W@l*M@rt.

Along with the advice about footwear, I would add in a bit about your watch.  I have always heard that people judge you most by your shoes and your watch.  This advice goes along with the occasion just as much as the footwear advice.  Don't wear your Tag-Heuer to your local water park, but don't wear your Swatch to an interview, either.

2) Cosmetic powers I admit, a little polishing can do a world of good, but (as the article says) don't go overboard.  I am amazed whenever I see someone with "tarantula eyes" that still expects to be taken seriously.  Personally, I don't wear make-up.  I think I'm attractive and so does my husband.  No one else needs to at this point.  But if I were headed out to an interview, you bet I would put on a bit of powder to polish the look!

That being said, did you notice who funded that "research" concerning the affects of a little blush and eye shadow?

3) Grin and bear it At first, I thought this was going to be all about putting on a smile to get the job (would have been better advice); alas, this advice was all about whitening and straightening your teeth.  Here again, I advise noticing just exactly who funded the "research" behind this little tidbit.

I have nothing against white and straight teeth, but just before a job interview is not the time to start thinking about that.  If you have a true dental problem, by all means, think about getting it fixed.  But we live in a world with too many fakes out there, we need more real people.  I do not have the most brilliant white teeth, nor do I have ruler-straight teeth.  Quite frankly, I don't feel the need to "fix" either, even if I were looking for a job.

4) The clothes make the woman This segment is all about how you should wear a skirt-suit.  I agree, a skirt-suit is better suited for many professional positions, but not all.  And just as a quick aside here, who says this article is specifically for women?  Some men out there might be reading this type of thing, too.  Anyway, back to my point: some positions are better suited to a lovely pant-suit as opposed to a skirt-suit.  It all depends on the personality of the woman, the type of work she does, and the people she works around.

For instance, an architect frequently on the construction site might feel more comfortable in a lovely pair of flat shoes (or a short heel) and a nice (but not too nice) pant suit as opposed to a set of 3" heels and a just-above-the-knee skirt suit.  That's not to say that same woman would not prefer to wear the second outfit to a meeting in a board-room (or an interview).  As I said, it all depends.

For the more masculine reader, the same advice applies:  A suit and tie ensemble might be better suited to the board room meeting than the architectural meeting at the construction site.  For the second type of meeting, I recommend a nice pair of blue-jeans, work boots (wolverines or redwings) a plain t-shirt under a long-sleeved chambray, and a hard-hat.  But that's just me.

5) Take up space I actually thought this one was going to be advice on how to gain weight or slouch, but I actually agree with the advice given in this segment: stand up tall, practice good posture, etc.

This reminds me of last November when my husband and I went to a local polling place to vote.  After voting, he was asked a few questions in front of a camera for a documentary (I wonder how that is going?).  Anyway, while he was on camera, I was standing off to the side, staying out of the picture, and pretty much minding my own business.  I noticed out of the corner of my eye a small group of (what I think were) tourists who seemed to be speaking an Asian language.  They were taking pictures and giggling amongst themselves.

Assuming they were tourists, I chalked it up to a bit of cultural gap, and didn't think much of it, until I noticed they were pointing at, laughing at, and taking pictures of me.  I always practice good posture, but this made me stand up straighter, take a deep breath (the whole "count to ten" thing) and purposely ignore them.  Seriously, what else was I going to do?  I suppose they thought the good posture was hilarious because they started laughing again, harder this time.  They were still laughing at me when my husband finished and we left the area.

Bad manners from others is no excuse for poor posture or manners from me.