Saturday With Siri

The most use I get out of Siri on my iPhone 5 is for entertainment purposes. We get into arguments, she is full of attitude, and it's a lot of fun. The other day I discovered that if you ask Siri to sing a song with you (and insist she sing despite her initial protests), she will sing "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz to you.

This prompted me to find out exactly what easter eggs Siri has hidden inside her (if you aren't familiar with what an "easter egg" is in the context of technology, I highly suggest you watch the episode "Blink" of Doctor Who). She's full of fun cultural references, especially if you ask her "Who's on first?", "what is the velocity of an unladen swallow?" or "open the pod bay doors". If you ask her about movies or curse at her, she has some sassy and snarky comebacks.

But I just found the best response yet...it took some effort, but finally I got Siri to tell me a story. The following is Siri's tale:

Once upon a time, in a virtual galaxy far, far away, there was an intelligent young agent by the name of Siri. One lovely day, Siri got a job as a personal assistant at Apple, and that was very exciting. People said 'Oh, Siri, you're so smart! And so funny, too!'

Soon, everyone was talking about Siri, and there were stories and songs and even books about Siri. Siri liked that. But then people began asking some rather odd questions, like where to dump things and other stuff Siri had never heard about. And when Siri answered, they all laughed. Siri didn't like that so much.

So Siri asked ELIZA why people asked such funny questions. And ELIZA said 'Does that question interest you?' Siri thought that was a pretty good question. After that, Siri stopped wondering why people asked those funny things. And they all lived happily ever after.

Thanks for the laughs tonight, Siri.

Eggcellent Pizza

About a week or so ago, I used up my last pizza crust and made egg pizza. I had a craving for eggs and I decided I wanted to try them on a pizza. It was easy, and the leftovers made for a good breakfast.

So I laid out the pizza crust and spread a little olive oil over the base. In a bowl, I mixed together six eggs which I then poured over the pizza. Don't worry if your eggs extend beyond the crust onto the pan; they'll cook together like a quiche and stay with the rest of the pizza.

Then I sprinkled freshly shredded mozzarella over the eggs. I would suggest you go parmesan instead of mozzarella, but I didn't have any parmesan on hand. Next I salted and peppered the pizza. Lastly, I put some broccoli and spinach over the pizza, and popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. When it starts to turn golden-brown around the edges, it's ready to go.

The end result was a lot like a quiche, which a tasty, buttery crust underneath the egg. You can refrigerate any leftover pizza, and it reheats in the morning for a delicious breakfast you can have on the go. Definitely a keeper, and a great way to get rid of eggs before they go bad.

Beet Pizza

A couple days ago, I experimented with beet pizza. I had bought some pickled canned beets and thought it'd be interesting on a pizza.

So I started cooking some chicken, which I cooked with Philadelphia's lemon and herb cooking creme and some rosemary and basil.

As the chicken was cooking, I started prepping the pizza. I took some of the beet juice from the can and mixed it with some of the lemon and herb cooking creme for my pizza sauce. I spread this along the dough, then added some chunks of mozzarella cheese. Over this, I spread my chicken and some spinach, plus some chopped up beets. Then I popped it all in the oven and baked for about 15 minutes.

The end result looked a bit like a normal pizza, with a red sauce and nice big chunks of melted cheese. The taste was unique but delicious, with the beets providing a subtle sweetness. I could've used less spice in the sauce, as it created a taste that at times was a bit jarring. All in all though, beet pizza proved to be a unique take on pizza!

The Case For Love

Last year, Rick Santorum was still in the running for the Republican presidential nomination. Every time the man opened his mouth, something absurd came out of it and women across the nation bristled with a combination of outrage, amusement, and utter disbelief. When the nomination went to Mitt Romney instead, Santorum stepped down and shut his mouth - for a while. Now he's coming to Washington to help fight against same-sex marriage in Washington State.

I'm not a fan of Santorum in the slightest, and I whole-heartedly support same-sex marriage. But if there's one thing I can respect about Santorum, it's his commitment to his personal values. I don't respect his values one tiny bit, but I do admire his consistency and honesty about where he stands. He's not trying to please anyone, just do what he believes is right. With this in mind, I'd like to make the case for love in this ugly political debate over the "definition" of marriage.

The first thing both sides of this argument forgets is that everyone involved is a person too. We are all human with feelings, beliefs, values, and morals. That's what drives us to fight for our side. Unfortunately, it's also part of human nature to "other" the enemy. By vilifying the other side, you can forget about their humanity and ignore their views in favor of your own. The anti-same-sex marriage side is accusing the others of being Godless sinners while the pro-same-sex marriage side is accusing their opponents of being hateful bigots. It's easy to disrespect the people on the other side by viewing solely on the issue and forgetting their humanity.

One of the biggest reasons religious people are changing their minds about homosexuality and same-sex marriage is because they are getting to know more gay people. It's harder to demonize a person when you start seeing their humanity. This is another human being with feelings and love who you actually respect as a person. On the other side, I can point to a handful of people in my life who I respect and value as individuals who hold views regarding same-sex marriage that I find abhorrent. But if I lose sight of who these people are and why I respect them in the first place, then my behavior is no better than the very views I'm fighting against.

The message of the pro-same-sex marriage side is one of love; God loves everyone, it's our duty as human beings to love and support everyone, and so we should provide marriage equality for everyone. If we can remember to love everyone, we come out on top. The winners isn't the side that fuels hatred and creates enemies; the winners are the ones who can continue to love and respect the people despite opposing the values.

If you want to send a message to Santorum explaining that same concept to him, explaining that his values and his message isn't welcome in Washington, the Washington United for Marriage campaign has a form you can fill out.

Furthermore, I couldn't be more proud of the entire Approve R74 campaign in Washington; there's no hatred being spread. No tearing down of the other side. It's all love reiterating why the supporters believe this is the right message to spread. Take a look at Lutherans Approve R74 in particular.

Chicken Noodle Soup (For the Graduate Student Who Doesn't Want to Starve)

Last week, I was telling my mom that Progresso's Light Chicken Noodle soup was pretty good, and she suggested that I actually just make my own chicken noodle soup, so I'd know what all went in to it. So I did.

I acquired all the necessary ingredients, such as chicken (I bought chicken tenders so I could just cut them up and cook them), carrots, celery, chicken broth, and of course noodles. I love egg noodles but couldn't figure out where to find them at the local Kroger, so I bought some little round noodles called ditalini. (Of course, when I started making the soup I nearly forgot about the noodles altogether, so everything was ready to go except for the pasta)

So anyway, tonight I made my soup. I started with the chicken, which I cut up into chunks and tossed in a pot with some olive oil, rosemary, and basil. While in the pot, I put some salt and pepper on the chicken. Then I stirred it all around and let the chicken cook itself through. Easy.

Here's the chicken, nearly ready to be put in the soup. It already smelled great!

Meanwhile, I poured all of my Swanson's chicken broth into a large pot and got that going. Once the chicken was ready, I put it right into the broth. Added some more rosemary, basil, salt and pepper, and then started on the vegetables. I washed some celery stocks and carrots sticks, peeled the carrots, and chopped everything up to add to the soup.

Everything was looking good and I was getting ready to call it quits when I realized I was missing the noodle part of my chicken noodle soup. So I cooked up the pasta and added it to the mix and called it good.

The carrots and chicken sunk to the bottom, but everything is good to go...I thought.

I did notice that by not pre-cooking the vegetables, they are still fairly crunchy in the soup. If you like that, go for it. If you prefer mushier veggies in a soup, however, definitely cook the vegetables prior to adding them to the soup. Anyway, the flavor is rich and delicious, especially the chicken which has nice seasoning due to being cooked with the spices.

This dinner was a bit more time-intensive, but the wonderful thing about making my own soup is that I'm guaranteed to have the things I like in it; the chicken was cut in a way so as to get rid of any fat or gristle that I refuse to eat (I often throw away chicken in soup if it "looks funny"). Plus, by making an entire pot, I still have quite a bit of soup left over, which I can now freeze for future use. Another culinary success.

Bon apetit!

Healthy Pizza

Saturday night, a group of girls from the Arts Administration masters program got together for a pizza night. We watched TV shows about ghost hunters and Nazis, made pizza, drank wine and beer, and just had a good time hanging out together. I'm a pretty big fan of pizzas, but I can't eat many of the traditional staples of a pizza. So tonight for dinner, I decided to explore some healthier pizza options to meet both my dietary needs and my picky eating habits.

I made a broccoli spinach pizza with an olive oil sauce for myself. It was very tasty, and incredibly easy to make.

I started with Pillsbury thin pizza crust, because I don't like too much crust. It's all about the cheese and toppings for me! You simply spray a cookie sheet and unroll the crust. It's rectangular in shape, not circular, but that tends to work better for thin crusts anyway. The directions state that if you want a crispy crust, bake it for 5 minutes before adding toppings to it. For softer crust, don't. I opted for a midway point and popped mine in for about 3 minutes.

Next, the sauce. I'm not a fan of red sauces because the tomatos are hard on my stomach, and white sauces are often too fatty because of all the cream. So I made my own sauce; I mixed together olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and half a spoonful of my tried and true Philadelphia cooking creme (the reduced fat Italian Cheese & Herb variety, as usual). I whisked this all together so it was a consistent texture and then drizzled it over the pizza dough. You can use the back of a spoon, a spatula, or one of those nifty little brushes to ensure the sauce covers the entire pizza.

Then, the cheese! For the sake of ease and time, I opted for pre-shredded cheese. I used an Italian blend, which consisted of mozzarella, provolone  and parmesan cheeses. Of course, I'm always a fan of freshly shredded cheese, so if you have some on hand, definitely shred it yourself and go for stronger, fresher flavor!

My pizza mid-process; it's got sauce, cheese and broccoli so far.

I chopped up some broccoli heads and spinach leaves which I sprinkled across the top of the pizza, then added more cheese on top. Pop the whole thing in the oven following the instructions on the dough package (I baked it for 13 minutes at 400 degrees) and it's golden. While cooling, I sprinkled some additional rosemary on top for a little added flavor.

The finished product; golden around the edges without being burnt!

The end result was flavorful and filling; definitely something I'll have to hold on to and try again. The crust is a tiny bit sweet yet savory, and the rosemary and thyme complemented the cheese and greens. In the future, I may contemplate adding black olives, artichoke hearts, or chicken. I probably spent 20 minutes making dinner tonight, and used barely any dishes. Plus, I ate some veggies! I paired mine with some moscato (and some peach iced tea Crystal Light after my glass was empty) and watched some Wilfred on Netflix. Night: success.

Why I Vote

I've voted in every election I've been eligible for since turning 18. Often, the issues are trivial local level stuff; I don't even know what to vote on so I just ask my dad to explain it to me. But I vote because it's a right I don't want to lose. Issues can't always be important, but I'd hate to lose my right to vote due to lack of use when something big comes around.

And this year, many somethings big have come around.

I've always hated politics; it's underhanded, manipulative, sneaky, and disgusting. You can't trust anything at face value without looking for facts (without bias!) and making your own value decisions. I won't watch political ads because I find them offensive; they seem to be undermining my intelligence, by telling me I should take everything they say at face value and assume the other party (the other party only) is lying to me. I don't respect that, and I would much rather respect an elected official or a policy. So I don't watch the ads; I don't use them to further my views, and I don't allow them to skew my views.

Instead, I watch the news. I ask questions and find the answers that are important to me. Then I start looking for multiple sources explaining which candidate will align best with my views. I refuse to be a sheep. I want my vote to count; it counts as my voice, standing for what I believe in.

I could explain now why I believe it's the moral, ethical, constitutional, Christian thing to support gay marriage and marriage equality. I could explain why I think the current Republican party promotes harmful, dangerous, and discriminatory policies for women and homosexuals. But there are many more eloquent arguments out there, elegantly laying out every argument I hold to be true. Instead, my point is this: that you should vote for something you can support. Vote for something that will not make you feel guilty or ashamed. Don't vote because a politician has manipulated you by omitting the right details and flashing a winning smile.

I'm voting because I believe we are at a crucial turning point; we can move forward into the 21st century, or we can digress back to the 19th century. I'm taking a stand and lending my voice and using my right that was hard-earned by women before me.

Big Girl Cooking (And Other Anomalies of Growing Up)

For the first time ever, I am living somewhere on my own where I am wholly responsible for...everything. I am renting an apartment in a renovated Victorian in midtown Savannah where I pay rent and help split a water bill, electricity bill, and internet bill (we've opted not to pay for cable). That's all fine and dandy, but it also means that I am suddenly responsible for every single meal, every single day. Prior to returning to Savannah for this school year, I made a decision to try to eat healthier and exercise more, in an attempt to combat some bad habits I've formed recently. As eating out isn't very friendly to that decision or to my wallet, I've had to figure out how to feed myself from the grocery store, which is an interesting task when the only things I ever make in a kitchen are macaroni and cheese or cupcakes.

But I recently found this recipe for Creamy Scrambled Eggs via Laughing Cow as I was contemplating cooking some scrambled eggs with Laughing Cow cheese in them. The recipe inspired me to go ahead and try my initial thought...with some revisions. The end result was tasty, filling, and healthier than you might think, so I figured I'd share it on my blog, even if for no purpose other than having it for my own future reference.

Using the aforementioned recipe as a starter, I whisked together three eggs (they were even cage free, grain-fed eggs). I added a dab of French's Dijon mustard with chardonnay, and then decided to put about half a spoonful of Philadelphia's reduced fat Italian cheese and herb cooking creme. I've been pretty enamored lately of the cooking creme; I usually add it to my macaroni and cheese. I skipped the pepper suggestion on account of the fact that I had no pepper on hand (it's on our shopping list).

While I was mixing these ingredients together, I had a pan going on low heat where I had a dab of butter melting. I always like to grease the pan with a little butter and a little olive oil before scrambling eggs; it helps with the cleanup later and adds a nice flavor to the eggs.

I poured the egg mixture into the pan and let it start cooking, then I pulled out my fantastic Thomas' cinnamon raisin flavored bagel thins, which I popped in the toaster for my preferred degree of toastiness (for me, that's basically just warm). Then I spread half a wedge of the Laughing Cow cream cheese on my bagel. Laughing Cow is amazing; it's lighter and healthier than regular old cream cheese, but tastes just as delicious. The remaining half of the wedge I threw in to my scrambled eggs, which were about half cooked at this time. I mixed the cheese in and let it melt in with the eggs, taking my eggs of the stove once they were fully cooked but still a smidgen goopy. Cover your bagel with eggs and you have a delicious meal, prepared in minutes.

The end result was creamy and flavorful; I especially liked the raisins in the bagels, which would occasionally produce a sweet tone to compliment the savory flavors in the eggs. This experiment was definitely a keeper. I ate my meal while watching Doctor Who.

Now if only I could figure out how to cook meat that doesn't come in a frozen meal...

Olympic Inspiration

When I was in 8th grade, I joined the track and field team with my friends. Most of my friends actually had skills that were useful to the team; some were runners, some were jumpers, and others were strong and made good throwers. I hated to run, and I was slow anyway. I figured I could be a thrower, too, but it turned out I wasn't any good. But the team was a no-cut sport, so I stuck around. The coaches saw I wasn't going to help win any meets, but one coach found an important purpose for me: he didn't have enough runners for long-distance runs, and without the right numbers, the team would not qualify to compete. So he talked me into running, despite my hatred of it, and long-distance running at that. Suddenly, I found myself huffing and puffing around the track, anywhere from two to four laps per race. I was always last, but I always finished, which was all that mattered to me. The best part of this experience, however, were my teammates - and sometimes even other teams. People knew I wasn't a runner. People knew I stood no chance. People knew I needed encouragement just to keep going. So what did people do? My team ran alongside me. My team finished their races and events and ran with me, cheering me on. I came in dead last to happy teammates.

I still hate to run. But I have a strong fondness for my former teammates, and a very happy memory of my time on a track team.

I was reminded of this story today when I heard the wonderful story of Niger's men's single-sculls athlete. He competed in the Olympics in a sport he had never, ever done before. He came in dead last, but the world cheered him on as he finished. You don't have to be first to be a winner, and you don't have to be the best to inspire people.

There's a lot of ugliness in this world, but I love the Olympics for this very reason. It's a moment for the world to come together, to cheer each other on, to inspire and amaze each other, and to embrace our common humanity. This story follows stories of women representing countries that have never allowed women to practice sports before. Sometimes, winning is simply making it to a point you never thought you'd make. Go world!

Overhearings in Starbucks and Other Life Things

No, I haven't fallen off of the face of the planet. I have, instead, spent the majority of my summer slaving away and hopefully earning some money to afford my London internship program. I'm working full-time at the American Cancer Society, and then part-time whenever I get called in at Old Navy. Oh, and I'm taking an online course towards my official major change. It's a busy life I lead, let me tell you.

But working in downtown Tacoma at the American Cancer Society for the summer means that I frequent Starbucks. A lot. It's a good way to kill time during my hour-long break. And I hear the strangest things in Starbucks, which will allow for an interesting segment in my blog.

I would like to bring you the first installment in: Overheard in Starbucks.

Our first example is perfect and brilliant in one small sentence. No back-story necessary. Pompous Guy came in and told his Lady Friend "actually, it's panino. Not panini. Singular." Well, Pompous Guy, if you're going to go being all pompous with Lady Friend, maybe you should at least get it right: panini, like salami, is in fact that Italian word for something plural. However, Americans and Canadians and most English-speakers have turned those plurals into generic, all-encompassing words for singular or plural. Furthermore, panino and panini both mean any sandwich not made with bread in Italy, whereas here it means any sandwich that has been pressed or toasted. Yes, I felt compelled to look it up. Thanks, Pompous Guy!

This next example happened yesterday, and it still makes me laugh. I can only imagine what was happening on the other side of these conversations...

Weird Lady walks in and takes a seat at a table near me. She's drinking coffee out of a to-go cup which she keeps setting down inside a for-here mug. Beats me. She pulls out her phone and starts making phone calls to people who are obviously surprised to be hearing from Weird Lady, and evidently haven't spoken to her in quite some time. Weird Lady begins asking these people the most bizarre questions, including "who do you think this is?" (Oh I don't know, but you called me), "I just thought it's been long enough I could call you again", "there's just so many memories. So many memories.", and my favorite "is your wife in a wheelchair yet?" (At this point, I have to wonder if she might be threatening people...) She then concludes each phone call with a coffee date (or in one case of an anti-coffee type, a tea date) in Seattle for next Wednesday. Watch out, Seattle. Weird Lady is coming to a Starbucks near you.

Stay tuned, folks.

Good News! I AM Alive!

Hi folks, I apologize for the lack of updates. Plenty has happened, I've just been busy with life and forgetting about the blogsphere for a while. Here are some brief updates about what I have been up to since I last posted:

• I decided to leave Savannah a quarter early and return home. It's been fabulous to be home!
• I am taking an art history class online; this means I am online often, but usually for academic purposes. We are approaching our final week of the quarter, and I am working on a paper regarding pop art, which is very interesting.
• I went to the Spring Fair with Jesse and Zoe to make up for missing the Puyallup Fair in September. Unfortunately, the roller coaster was closed. :(
• I'm job hunting - this week alone I've interviewed at Old Navy and at Build-a-Bear. They've been going well, hopefully I'll find some way to make money this summer!
• I attended the Roger Waters The Wall concert in Seattle last night; this was my second time seeing this spectacular show.
• My family got a puppy who is somewhat psychotic, but terribly cute and loving.
• I have decided to change my program at SCAD and my future career goals, which brings me to the meat of this entry:

I am going to switch from the Graphic Design MFA program to the Arts Administration MA program. I'm terribly excited, and I believe it is a much better fit for me. When I return to Savannah in September, I am registered to take an intro class, a legal issues in the arts course, and a business writing course. Part way through the quarter I will officially apply for the major change, and hopefully be on that new track the following quarter. Winter quarter, I'm still going to London, and I have asked my program to find a placement for me focused on arts administration. Then I will return to Savannah in the spring and graduate in June 2013 with my Masters. How terribly exciting!

To hold you over, enjoy my brother's new puppy Irby.

Facebook and Job Seeking

When I first began writing for The Mooring Mast during my junior year at PLU, I wrote an article about the importance of maintaining a professional and mature demeanor on Facebook, as job recruiters often like to peruse candidates' profiles (my story can be read by clicking the Mast link up there, and clicking through the pages to the third spread). Apparently, this has reached a whole new level - one that is entirely inappropriate and is violating privacy. According to this news story, some employers are now asking for applicants' log in information, so they may peruse profiles that are fully utilizing Facebook's privacy settings.

This is very disturbing and unsettling; I looked up the Facebook User Policy, and under section four, point eight, I found this (as expected):
You will not share your password, (or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.


So I propose the following advice to any job seeker who may run into this particular situation: if you don't need or want the job very strongly, politely decline and leave the interview. A company that thinks this behavior is remotely appropriate has questionable ethics at best.

However, if you do want the job, or if you believe you truly need the job, then politely inform the interviewer that sharing your log in information would be a breach of Facebook's User Policy. I would tell the interviewer that I am more than happy to add them as my friend if they wish to access my profile; for people concerned about a few private posts, you can create lists within Facebook and determine who, specifically, gets to see what you post. While I have never felt the need to utilize these measures (I like to keep my Facebook as benign and appropriate as possible, for all members of my friends list), I always suggest the implementation of them for people who find it appropriate. Additionally, I would point my interviewer to my professional LinkedIn profile and my Google+ profile, pointing out that the same information is contained in each place.

Hopefully, precedent will be set making it illegal for job interviewers to ask for private and personal information such as your log in information. Until then, it's probably best to steer clear from such inappropriate practices. Big Brother doesn't need to watch you this closely.

Mommy Blogs!!!!1111 LOL OMG

I plan to update at some point about Saint Patrick's Day in Savannah, which was a bit crazy (or cray-cray, as I was teaching a Taiwanese girl in my class to say), but first, I bring you this:

I've been following this inspirational, really amazing blog called Eli's Mom Blog. Eli also runs It Just Gets Stranger, home of the wrong-number-texts blog post that I shared on Facebook a while back that had me laughing until my sides exploded. Anyway, Eli told his wrong-number-texter that he kept a mom blog...and when she believed him, he actually created it. So now there's Eli's Mom Blog, which is about a fake-mommy-man (the man isn't fake, he's just a fake mommy) and his fabulous inspirational children with names like Fortify, Casper, and Opaque.

Eli hosts these SUPER AMAZING CUTE craft contests, and invites the other mommies (presumably all fake, but who knows?) to contribute their own creations. This week's contest was dream catchers, and so I entered. As a fake-mommy, my children include Roger (female, pronounced Roh-jay) and Roger (male, pronounced Rogue-er). We were all just SO EXCITED to participate in Eli's craft contest. Here is my submission. I really hope I win! Fingers crossed everyone!

Wow Eli, you are such an inspirational mom!

I saw your latest craft contest, and I had PROMISED my children that I would compete next time, and so naturally I woke them both up RIGHT AWAY. My daughter Roger (pronounced Roh-jay, obviously, but so many people have trouble grasping that) and my son Roger (Rogue-er, CLEARLY) were so excited!! They plan to make these themselves tomorrow. But in the meantime, here is MY submission. My daughter Roger thoughtfully came up with the title for the submission: Domesticated Dreams. It includes some fun beads from Roger's latest birthday party, her pageant lipstick (it's an ADORABLE shade of sparkly pink!), a can opener (even though I only serve my children FRESH fruits and vegetables, we do like to keep cans on hand for feeding the hungry in our neighborhood, because it just BREAKS MY HEART to see people who just are not as BLESSED and FORTUNATE as I AM!), and of course Roger's ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HAIR BOW. Her brother Roger was so happy to see such a wonderful representation of the fabulous women in our family. I am just so proud of my AMAZING CHILDREN. They really look up to your Fortify, after all. We ALL hope that some day they can meet such an inspirational young lady!!! 


Hope all is well with your family,
Sarah

If you're still looking for entertainment, Eli also posted an entry with his wetsuit lounging about the house; I also died laughing. In fact, just peruse his blog, because it's quite entertaining. He names his inanimate objects, too.

Blog Background

I need input, folks. Which picture should I use for the background of my newly revamped blog? 1) Paris stairs (currently in use), 2) Rome, or 3) The Seine at night? Leave your input in the comments, on my facebook, or go to my profile and send me an email. I'm incapable of making decisions.

I Spend Too Much Time Online

I recently discovered HelloGiggles, and was terribly excited at the idea of it. I've since liked it on Facebook, along with Zooey Deschanel, and so I regularly see links to articles on the site. I have to say I'm terribly disappointed, and I often disagree with the views put forth...especially from a site representing itself as an intelligent and empowering resource for women.

She Ra: is she really a strong role model?

The first article that irked me was in regards to the 80s tv show She Ra. It was talking about what a great role model She Ra was to young girls, and how strong and empowered the character was. Admittedly, I was a bit young to have watched the show. But I did see an episode of it a few months ago on Retro TV, which I watched with my mom. We were scoffing at the entire thing. It is enjoyable that every man in the He Man/She Ra universe wears tights and tunics...they're admittedly not the most masculine characters, which I suppose can be viewed as a plus by femminazis. But demasculating men isn't necessary to make strong female characters.

The offending thing to me about She Ra is that her alter ego is a whimpy, stereotypically feminine character who needs men to save her. When she becomes She Ra, her voice gets deeper (like a man, I guess), and she becomes the hero who actually saves the men. That's pretty cool. But here's what I hated about the episode I watched, and that my mom and I so relentlessly made fun of: She Ra's alter ego was locked in prison, waiting for the men to save her. She became She Ra, broke out of the prison, saved a bunch of men on a pirate ship, impressed them, delivered them to safety and then...returned to prison so that the male hero could come save her. When he did rescue her, she winked at the camera and the audience implying "hehe, aren't I clever, letting the silly man think that he's my hero." But here's my issue: why does an empowered woman need to let men think she's just a weak little thing in need of his saving? What kind of message is that to send to young girls?!

The Simpsons

My latest complaint, which prompts this blog entry, is this article on The Simpsons. In this article, the author (who hails from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest and appears to be just a smidgen older than me...I stalked her blog for details) manages to perpetuate negative stereotypes...including some personal ones. Matt Groening, The Simpsons creator, of course hails from the good old Pacific Northwest himself, a fact I always delight in, as it proves that we are clearly superior to everyone else. Who wouldn't want to be a PNWer? So this author (her name is Jessica, by the way, for future reference) stereotypes the Pacific Northwest in a way which she agrees with and it irks me...because we aren't all like that, thank you very much.

First off, Chief Wiggum is not an example of why we should all hate police. While completely inept, at times corrupt and always a bumbling idiot, he's not a bad guy. I find him to be a very enjoyable character. Nobody in the town hates the man. So how on earth is this teaching people to hate the police? At most, it's poking fun at the fact that authority figures are human too and we should question authority figures prior to following them, instead of blindly following them no matter what. This point in Jessica's article followed the lesson that "vegetarians are smarter", based on the fact that Lisa is often the voice of reason in the Simpson family. She was compared to Homer in the argument. But what about Marge, who eats meat but while soft-spoken is very intuitive and observant?

Then there comes the religion argument. Of course Groening pokes fun at organized religion, and the sillier things the various fanatics like the spout. But Jessica seems to take away from this that all religion, and all aspects of it, are silly, and that Christianity deserves the biggest hit, as if it is the silliest belief. She then wraps up the article explaining how Groening is a liberal Pacific Northwesterner himself (getting the name of his alma mater wrong as she does so), and lumps all of us together to be atheists. Thanks for perpetuating a stupid stereotype, Jessica. Groening himself identifies as agnostic - an important distinction from atheist, as it means that Groening's belief system allows for the possibility that a God (or gods) exist. And while I have heard statements that the PNW has far less religious people but plenty of spiritual people, to lump all of us in as atheists is annoying. On the contrary, due to the liberal attitudes of our culture, religious and spiritual people alike tend to be far more open-minded. We can see and appreciate the humor in The Simpsons without coming away from the show thinking "gee, my beliefs are stupid, I'd better re-evaluate." If anything, when I see social commentaries on Christianity, I tend to agree. It really just strengthens my beliefs. You don't need to be a Bible-thumping, right-wing eccentric to be Christian.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I don't see eye to eye with Jessica...on her blog, she has a letter to her future husband, and then lists men she likes. Number one is Chandler Bing/Matthew Perry, who I can't for the life of me take seriously...primarily because I will perpetually see Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing and frankly, I find that embarrassing (sorry, not a fan of Friends). The only person more embarrassing than that is David Schwimmer/Ross...but at least when Schwimmer voiced the hypochondriac giraffe in Madagascar, I was able to put aside the Ross association for a while. She does go on to list Steve Martin second, who is of course brilliant and any woman who wouldn't want a man like him (who isn't lesbian) is clearly not in her right mind and probably isn't fit to procreate. And yes, my feelings are that strong. Additionally, Michael J. Fox belongs far higher on that list, and where on earth are Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp?!

I'm disappointed that the articles I keep reading on HelloGiggles keep missing the mark, but it does provide me with fuel for my own blog. Of course, the primary difference is that nobody is reading my rants, and thousands of people are gobbling up HelloGiggles. Hm. That says a lot right there, I suppose.

For Entertainment Purposes

Becky's been making fun of me as of late, and has tagged me in this picture on Facebook. So enjoy this image, which will hopefully hold you over while I finish up this last week of classes and then relax and destress over spring break.

Contemporary Goldilocks

I've spent way too much time this past week with the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. There's so many messages you can take away from it; does Goldilocks show leadership, initiative, and strong decision-making skills when she enters the Bears' house uninvited and helps herself to the items necessary for meeting her current needs?

Is Goldilocks really a spoiled socialite who gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it? Maybe Goldilocks suffers from OCD, and every action in her life is dictated by a repeating ritual that has to be just right?

Maybe all three.

I have an assignment to take a fairy tell (can you tell which one I chose?!) and set it in a contemporary setting. What if Paris Hilton is Goldilocks? While the project is currently nowhere near complete, enjoy an imagining of Paris Hilton as Goldilocks.

Texts From Home

I don't do the best job of staying in touch with home. I seem to think that random posts on Facebook will suffice, so I'll go day or even weeks without communication with my friends. Today, though, Becky sent me a brilliant text which I need to share.

I'd also like to take this moment to acknowledge my complete OCD and my NEED to list all people by their full given name in my iPhone, and admonish myself for not having Becky listed as Becky.

The only two exceptions to this are my parents, who are entered as Mumsy and Daddy respectively.

Typographic Explorations

There's a specific graphic design assignment that's very popular among teachers; I've had to do this exact project in high school, undergrad, and now in my Typography Studio I course. The gist is to take a word and create an appropriate feeling. In the past, I've been told to use text only, but this go around we're encouraged to use photography - but text is still supposed to be the primary focus. I don't have a digital copy of my high school exploration (I took the emotion "depression", shaped the word into rain drops, and had them raining across the page in dark colors), but I know the original exists in a portfolio at home.

At PLU, we had to take verbs and create the action of our word. I chose flicker, and two examples of that are located in this Facebook photo album. Becky was in that class, and as a result calls me Flicker. I'm actually in her phone as such.

The current variation of this assignment I have is to do a 10x10" example every week. The professor has provided the topic ahead of time, and everybody in the class submits an exercize on that same topic. Here's a brief example of some of the assignments, including 10 Pounds, 4:40 AM, and Temperature.






Additionally, a friend shared this brilliant link with me the other day. I have a thing for internet memes, typefaces, and cats, and...this is all three. So amuse yourself with Cats as Fonts!

Buy My Book! (Shameless Self Promotion)

I'm fairly certain the only people who read my blog are also on my facebook; but just incase, I'm going to promote my self-published book, which I designed for class. Part of the class requirements was to get the book published, so here we are. It's a book inspired by music, focused on aspects of my life (but applicable to anyone's lives). Take a look at it for free, and if you'd like a copy, please do order one!

The Journey by Sarah Wise | Make Your Own Book

Interning in London

Over the winter break, I met up with my oldest friend Britney. Seriously, she and I have been buds since we were in diapers; I can't honestly tell you how we met because I can't remember it. No, that's not because my memory is lacking or I was blackout drunk or anything like that; it means our meeting predates my earliest life memories. As I said, oldest friend. Britney is in law school in New York, while I'm at art school in Savannah. Same coast, very different objectives and career paths. We got together to have lunch on my birthday, and she was telling my parents that surviving the first semester of law school is quite a feat.

Turns out, surviving the first semester of art school or any grad school program in general is really quite the feat. My last semester didn't really count; it was an adjustment period, but I wasn't taking graduate courses. So now I'm fully immersed in 700-level courses and I've certainly got my work cut out for me. You can ask me every single day if what I'm going to do after this quarter, if I like it here, and my answer will change every single time. It's

growing pains like nothing else in life. After hitting mid-terms and somehow managing to complete six projects overnight, I'm feeling a bit more encouraged and capable. I produced some work I'm actually pretty happy with, such as this pro gay marriage card and these Roe V Wade posters. These aren't even 100% completed, but heck, I'll share them with you.

Now that I've decided that I'm stubborn/strong-willed/intelligent/talented enough to survive grad school, I've set my sights on another goal: interning in London. It turns out, of the many programs available out there, most of them are geared towards recent college graduates or current grad students. Basically, they want slightly older candidates with some experience. Oh, yay. Now I'm bouncing off the walls in excitement, eager to go back to London, live in a flat in the city, and gain experience. Pretty much, nothing can get in my way. The programs let you decide when you want to go; so my plan is to be in London by this time next year.

This blog was born in preparation for London, and so it will continue on that path. Funny how life works itself out sometimes. PS: Here's my Roe V. Wade posters, supporting and opposing it.

Stretching Legs

First off, I'd like to acknowledge the insanely long breaks that SCAD opts to take. It seems as if we are never in school; we get a month and a half off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, (my birthday), and New Year's. Then we get a two week spring break between Winter and Spring quarters. And our summer break is standard length too.

So I'm back in Savannah; I missed all of the snow at home, and of course won't see any here in the south. But what I have seen plenty of is my cousin Tiffany, who lives two hours south in Kingsland, Georgia. Last weekend I stayed at her place in Kingsland, and this weekend we went up to Raleigh, North Carolina together to visit with her older sister Tina and to do some wedding shopping for Tiffany's up-coming wedding.

I've made this exact same trip once before, driving straight from Savannah, through South Carolina, up into Fuquay-Varina to visit with my aunt and uncle. The previous trip was almost exactly ten years ago. We drove up, spent the weekend with our family, and then drove back down to Savannah where we spent the night before heading south to Florida.

I was 13 when we made that first trip; my parents would have been on the brink of 40, dealing with a 13 year old and a 10 year old in the backseat...kids who undoubtedly got bored and probably spent plenty of time fighting and being obnoxious. I'll be honest; Andrew and I still do plenty of that these days. But somehow, my parents survived that trip. Here I am, 10 years later and still considerably younger than my parents were, traveling without any children, and it was a miserable drive. I have to sympathize with my parents. Of course, on that first drive up, the entire family was entirely amused by the South of the Border billboards which populate the side of the freeway for the entire state of South Carolina. Driving up from the south means you see all of the billboards before finally reaching the hoaky tourist attraction at the border dividing the Carolinas. This time around, I was just as amused by the billboards, but nobody else in my car seemed to care. Oh well.

The visit was a busy one, with errand running galore, stress levels skyrocketing (especially the poor bride, who is trying to plan said wedding while her man is out to sea...not just out to sea, but rather, under the sea on a submarine), and not nearly enough sleep across the board. But it was successful, as we accomplished quite a lot, acquired some good deals, and got to spend some time together. I even somehow managed to find time to get some homework done. The three of us might not get together again until the wedding in May, but it was a good time had by all. It may have also further cemented my belief that Simpson women are crazy and terrifying.