I'll be the first person to rail against the newslessness of cable news. CNN even managed to dampen my inauguration enthusiasm with their CONSTANT!!!! REMINDERS!!!!! THAT THIS!!!!!! IS THE BIGGEST DEAL EVER!!!!!!!!!! for weeks before Obama's big day. But I must admit that every time I turn on a 24-hour cable news station, I come across a story I wouldn't have read in the papers or online. Yesterday's items:
First, some soulless bottomfeeder named James Salcedo thought it would be a good business venture to make a Caylee Anthony Doll, fashioned in memory the murdered two-year-old whose remains were found in December. He probably thought he could get away with it because he planned to donate $3 of the $29.95 pricetag to charity. Apparently the doll was designed intentionally to look nothing like Caylee, and Salcedo said he hoped it would raise awareness. Awareness for what, exactly? I think we can all agree this is one of the worst, most insensitive ideas ever. Thank you for letting me know about it, MSNBC.
Then, I turned to my attention to the next television on the Headline News Channel, and saw this story about a group of firefighters in Massachusetts who saved a struggling deer from icy waters. I was only watching the screen and reading the headlines because my headphones were not tuned to that channel. I thought it was a happy story, but my fact-checking has indicted otherwise. Read to the bottom of the article, and you'll find out they shot the deer because she had a broken leg. There is no where for rehabbing deer to go? Fun fact: Audrey Hepburn had a pet deer!
Needless to say, I experienced quite the roller coaster of emotions during a few short moments on the elliptical machine. I can provide no moral for this anecdote, except to tell you all to be on the lookout for all the WTF moments you experience in your daily consumption of TV news, and please tell me about them, so I can yell about how watching people yell at each other is never informative.
I'd also like to announce the kick-off of a new 20 posts in 30 days blogging blitz. I hope you'll join me in another round of regular posts, filled with all sorts of information you never knew you wanted to read until I wrote it, and even then, you weren't really so sure. Check back soon for my Top 5 Biggest Fears. They will surprise you.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Top 10 reasons school is cool
You may remember that I sort of accidentally took a little leave of absence from school. Well, a leave of absence is what the university calls it, but that sort of makes it sound like I had an emotional breakdown or a family emergency. What really happened was that I made an impulsive decision to take a semester off, live at home, work, and intern. A surplus of credits and rapidly accumulating debt made this seem like a wise idea. I don't know if I'd do the same thing over again, but I do know one thing: it's fabulous to be back on campus. It's my last semester of college, and in all likelihood, this is the final chapter of my education. Ever. Is anyone else daunted by the fact that we might never set foot in a classroom again? It scares me, but I try to keep in mind that the real world? Oh, it's got nothing but lessons to teach me. Anyway, here's a top 10.
TOP 10 REASONS SCHOOL IS COOL
10. Lively academic discussion. One of the things I missed the most was all of the thought-provoking new material that whizzes through the brains of college students on a daily basis. We take it for granted, but in a given day, we are exposed to oodles of new information and perspectives. My internship provided me with a lot of opportunity for research, so I got something of an academic fix at least three days a week. I hope that whatever I end up doing, I'll be able to maintain some of my intellectual curiosity. Feeling your brain go dull is no good.
9. No midnight "where r u?" texts from Mom. I thought after three years of college, turning 21, and generally being a responsible pseudo-adult, the days of curfews and angry parents waiting up were behind me. Nope. Apparently as long as I am out of sight at school, I was out of mind. But once I came home, if I went out anywhere--to a movie, to a bar, on a social engagement with a half-hearted stalker-- Mom was in my cell's Inbox demanding to know when I would be home and oh, could I pick up a gallon of milk?
8. The ability to rest. Since I came back to school, I have had 10 times as much free time as I had, cumulatively, during my seven-months at home. Granted, once I find a job, and work and clubs start in earnest, this will be different. But so far, it's been great to sleep and lollygag, even if sometimes the feelings of self-loathing and wastefulness come knocking. I've always heard college students have tons of free time, and never understood why people thought that. Now I do, and I kind of like it.
7. It is acceptable to go places in your jammies. Sometimes getting dressed seems too daunting. Luckily, most days the only place I have to go is class, and am not looking to impress anyone (See number three). So if I want to wear my gym clothes to class on Friday, then I'm going to do it. And if I make it to the gym after class? Double score!
6. I can walk to and from the bars. Turning 21 was largely wasted in my bucolic hometown. A lack of friends, time, and the fact that I had to drive everywhere, put a serious damper on the party in my liver. I am happy to state that since returning to school, the party has resumed, and shows no signs of stopping until a) I run out of money b) I graduate and become a real person c) Dr. Drew Pinsky brings me to rehab.
5. Reaping the benefits of paying through the nose for tuition. The day I tried to log onto LexisNexis and was turned away because I wasn't a currently enrolled student, I threw a mini-tantrum at my intern desk. Granted, we pay good money to go to SU, but when I go to the gym, access hundreds of databases, and lounge around in university buildings, I can almost trick myself into thinking it's free. On a side note, Ashley once suggested that we should get lifetime access to the library's research databases. I totally agree. It is the least they could do for the debt-saddled alum they send into this unforgiving economy.
4.College Pricing. I can get coffee for 85 cents here. My heart misses McLatte, but my wallet has never been happier.
3. Being a spinster is ok! I am not really sure what happened while I was home, but it involved every coworker over 35 inquiring about my love life, and trying to set me up with anything between the ages of 20 and 40. It also involved some confusing situations with suitors and a constant level of nine or 10 on the awkwardness scale. Luckily, I have returned to a land where I am largely invisible to the male eye, and free of constant questions about boyfriends, relationships and marriage. Do I sound like an old maid? Good, because that's exactly what I want to be.
2. They like me, they really like me. Probably the hardest part about being home was the complete lack of socializing. At school, I see people for lunch, class, at parties, everywhere. All my friends are right down the street, and no one bats an eyelash if I send an urgent text demanding coffee and a round of Bananagrams at our favorite hangout. At home this fall, there was no one. Even the friends I've kept in touch with were all in school. The fact that I started watching Dancing with the Stars should give you an idea of how lonesome those months were.
1. Reality is looming, but I only care a little. I've made no bones about the fact that career-wise, I am a lost soul. Journalism isn't doing it for me anymore, and all together, I don't think I can make a career out of writing. At home, all of this seemed more daunting because I had all the time in the world to think about what a failure I could be, or how four years of education has only confused me more. The time has come for me to look for jobs, but at least now I have a career center to help me, and the distraction of classes to keep me from having weekly existential crises. Plus, I need to constantly RSVP to the soirees my liver is having.
TOP 10 REASONS SCHOOL IS COOL
10. Lively academic discussion. One of the things I missed the most was all of the thought-provoking new material that whizzes through the brains of college students on a daily basis. We take it for granted, but in a given day, we are exposed to oodles of new information and perspectives. My internship provided me with a lot of opportunity for research, so I got something of an academic fix at least three days a week. I hope that whatever I end up doing, I'll be able to maintain some of my intellectual curiosity. Feeling your brain go dull is no good.
9. No midnight "where r u?" texts from Mom. I thought after three years of college, turning 21, and generally being a responsible pseudo-adult, the days of curfews and angry parents waiting up were behind me. Nope. Apparently as long as I am out of sight at school, I was out of mind. But once I came home, if I went out anywhere--to a movie, to a bar, on a social engagement with a half-hearted stalker-- Mom was in my cell's Inbox demanding to know when I would be home and oh, could I pick up a gallon of milk?
8. The ability to rest. Since I came back to school, I have had 10 times as much free time as I had, cumulatively, during my seven-months at home. Granted, once I find a job, and work and clubs start in earnest, this will be different. But so far, it's been great to sleep and lollygag, even if sometimes the feelings of self-loathing and wastefulness come knocking. I've always heard college students have tons of free time, and never understood why people thought that. Now I do, and I kind of like it.
7. It is acceptable to go places in your jammies. Sometimes getting dressed seems too daunting. Luckily, most days the only place I have to go is class, and am not looking to impress anyone (See number three). So if I want to wear my gym clothes to class on Friday, then I'm going to do it. And if I make it to the gym after class? Double score!
6. I can walk to and from the bars. Turning 21 was largely wasted in my bucolic hometown. A lack of friends, time, and the fact that I had to drive everywhere, put a serious damper on the party in my liver. I am happy to state that since returning to school, the party has resumed, and shows no signs of stopping until a) I run out of money b) I graduate and become a real person c) Dr. Drew Pinsky brings me to rehab.
5. Reaping the benefits of paying through the nose for tuition. The day I tried to log onto LexisNexis and was turned away because I wasn't a currently enrolled student, I threw a mini-tantrum at my intern desk. Granted, we pay good money to go to SU, but when I go to the gym, access hundreds of databases, and lounge around in university buildings, I can almost trick myself into thinking it's free. On a side note, Ashley once suggested that we should get lifetime access to the library's research databases. I totally agree. It is the least they could do for the debt-saddled alum they send into this unforgiving economy.
4.College Pricing. I can get coffee for 85 cents here. My heart misses McLatte, but my wallet has never been happier.
3. Being a spinster is ok! I am not really sure what happened while I was home, but it involved every coworker over 35 inquiring about my love life, and trying to set me up with anything between the ages of 20 and 40. It also involved some confusing situations with suitors and a constant level of nine or 10 on the awkwardness scale. Luckily, I have returned to a land where I am largely invisible to the male eye, and free of constant questions about boyfriends, relationships and marriage. Do I sound like an old maid? Good, because that's exactly what I want to be.
2. They like me, they really like me. Probably the hardest part about being home was the complete lack of socializing. At school, I see people for lunch, class, at parties, everywhere. All my friends are right down the street, and no one bats an eyelash if I send an urgent text demanding coffee and a round of Bananagrams at our favorite hangout. At home this fall, there was no one. Even the friends I've kept in touch with were all in school. The fact that I started watching Dancing with the Stars should give you an idea of how lonesome those months were.
1. Reality is looming, but I only care a little. I've made no bones about the fact that career-wise, I am a lost soul. Journalism isn't doing it for me anymore, and all together, I don't think I can make a career out of writing. At home, all of this seemed more daunting because I had all the time in the world to think about what a failure I could be, or how four years of education has only confused me more. The time has come for me to look for jobs, but at least now I have a career center to help me, and the distraction of classes to keep me from having weekly existential crises. Plus, I need to constantly RSVP to the soirees my liver is having.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
"...and begin again the work of remaking America."
"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and promise of citizenship."
Both the government and the people are finally paying attention. They noticed the trouble our country is in and are willing to take action. With Obama's inauguration comes a wave of relief, and a surge of hope that we have a president who will commit himself to the betterment of our country. I trust him. I never trusted Bush. Hearing Obama's speech today and looking at the national mall filled with millions of excited Americans is the most heartening thing I've seen in a long time. Progress will be hard and slow, but today, let's just be grateful it has begun.
(Full inaugural transcript here.)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Songs that make your heart sing: Gentleman Love Edition
Girls, let's just admit now that we would completely swoon if a boy ever played this song for us. Boys, please acknowledge that I just put you on the Super-Express-Love highway faster than the Pick-Up Artist ever could.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
How can 1,000 pounds of hay fit in the back of one pick-up truck?
Shreve Stockton has taught me many lessons. Her blog, The Daily Coyote chronicles her life in Wyoming with a rescued coyote, and relies on a steady stream of stunning photographs to do most of the storytelling. In the year that I have been visiting the site, Shreve first taught me the value of escapism, when I started to look forward to the daily pictures of a life far, far away from the gray, depressed scenes of Syracuse. Then, in March, when I (half) jokingly invited myself over, Shreve taught me that the Internoodle is a very small place when she commented on the blog entry, and miraculously, did not seem at all freaked out by my friendliness. This Christmas, Santa brought me her new book. (But somehow my mother wrote inside the jacket...why did Santa let her do that?) My biggest hope for the book was that it would answer many of the details that were left out of the blog, and it did! But it also led me to more questions than ever before. I guess you can never know too much about things like coyotes, hunky neighbors with tragic pasts, and what the author refers to as a "very rudimentary outhouse situation." Those three things? THEY SMELL LIKE A BESTSELLER TO ME.
The initial descriptions of the sprawling Wyoming landscapes had me hooked. Ms. Stockton has a way of writing that will make every reader feel like they're missing out on something huge. While she pours the vivid scenery onto the pages, I suddenly felt acutely aware of all of the places I've never been. The sense of wonder about an entirely unfamiliar place and situation (ie, there is a wild coyote sleeping in your bed) is what will keep you reading through the night.
Given the limited personal information that is divulged on the Daily Coyote Web site, I was surprised to read more intimate details about the author's relationship with Mike, a neighbor/cowboy/hottie whose job, strangely, is to cull the coyote population in order to protect local livestock. Many of Shreve's personal struggles are also chronicled with impressive candor and fluidity. She writes with a seemingly effortless understanding of what swirls around her, whether it's to do with Charlie rebelling and biting her, or knowing when it's best for her, the coyote, and her neighbor boyfriend to move out of the 12 x 12 cabin she loved. The feat is that we know it could never have been effortless. I have trouble writing about the most basic, hum-drum daily activities, nevermind trying to get readers to understand and relate to all that comes along with taking in a wild animal.
Perhaps even more impressive is the full-page photography throughout the book. First of all, I must say, more "grown-up" books should have pictures-- so kudos to Shreve as well as Simon & Schuster for getting it together and harkening back to the days of the children's library. (If only I still worked there, I would demand this as a storytime selection.) The photography serves to further immerse readers in the setting of the book, and help wrap minds around the idea that a baby coyote can fit into the palm of a hand. It may be partly due to the fact that I consumed between two and nine glasses of wine while reading this book, but I found myself constantly flipping between baby Charlie and grown-up Charlie, in disbelief of the simultaneous cuteness, majesty, playfulness, and maturity.
My only real complaint is that after all that, I still have more questions. The book concluded neatly, but there is still a story going on in Wyoming! Maybe one day there will be a sequel. Until then, hop over to the Daily Coyote Web site, because a slew of throwback pictures of tinyfluffballcutenessexplosion baby Charlie are featured.
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