Cuttin' it to the Quick

I found myself in a peculiar position last night. After a somewhat awkward yet exciting week of transition between jobs, I had a very kind invite to join a friend for some good clean fun--on the aisles of Genuardi's. I thought, what could be better? Quality friend time and groceries all in one night? Fantastic!

So, as we strolled up and down the aisles, discussing everything, from the very intimate to the very general, I started to laugh. And then I pointed out how pathetic it kind of seemed that due to our crazy schedules, we had to resort to Genuardi's time in order to squeeze in some fun together. Pretty funny. But, my two favorite things were yet to come...

First, we started breaking it down to some very grocery store-like music. You know, like those once great hits that you never hear anymore...that is except for when you're in the grocery store at 10pm on a Thursday night. Now, when I say breaking it down, I really mean it. We were both grooving away when I realized that there was a group of shoppers approaching from behind my friend...so I coyly moved over to the yogurt area. Friend, however, continued breaking it down in a major way...then she realized why I had snuck off. That was a good laugh.

Finally, we did the newest grocery store tradition...chose our Nesquick for the night. I got Very Vanilla, while she got the Chocolate. Who ever knew grocery store fun would become such a quality activity for me? What a good night.

Top 10 Reasons to Love Your Undergraduate Years

10.) Most still don't consider you a full-fledged adult, so you get exceptions for your mistakes.

9.) Your "job" is to expand your horizons, becoming well-rounded person; so, if going out and drinking two or three nights a week is what it takes, then so be it.

8.) Your professors do 95% of the work.

7.) Other students (mostly those who choose to remain permanently stoned or in the absurd world of jocks) make it very easy for you to look very studious.

6.) You receive strokes without asking for them and without really wanting them.

5.) "Doing extra work" is usually equivalent to finishing the assignment.

4.) It's okay with everybody involved if the projects you work on for extracurricular activities trump your concern for your class work.

3.) Your sense of accomplishment partially stems from your abilities to come up with the best jokes relating to a class/professor/class materials.

2.) You haven't yet begun to realize how much time you waste.

1.) Sitting in the library, albeit while chatting with friends or surfing the net, totally counts for a day's work.

Call it nostalgia, call it grieving...call it whatever you like. All of these things about undergrad make me laugh, and they all make me want to return to that atmosphere--not as a student, of course.

Coming soon: Top 10 Reasons Graduate School=You're not in Kansas Anymore

Catching the Moment

As I've previously discussed on this blog, catching moments and reveling in them are two of my favorite things to do. I even get more excited when others do these two things, be it friends or entertainment big guys. While I've seen plenty of movies that have done this (i.e., The Aviator, North Country, The Hours, etc.), George Clooney and Grant Heslov undoubtedly caught an extraordinary moment in the film Good Night, and Good Luck.

The way in which this movie catches the moment is fabulous, but I think the moment which they chose to catch is both an important one and one that is striking for the modern audience. What they focus on is the moment that Edward R. Murrow chose to target Sen. Joe McCarthy in his television/radio broadcasts. While the historical implications were important enough, I personally think that the moment in journalism/news broadcasting is very important. One of the terms thrown around in the movie when Murrow decides to discuss McCarthy is the term "editorializing" (aka coming down on one side or another in an issue). The shock surrounding Murrow's choice was just as much what he was doing as to whom he was doing it. I think this movie has the potential to make us all think because can any of us remember a time that we saw a news form that was not editorialized?

The fact that Clooney and Heslov so successfully encapsulate both entertainment and history make this movie very good. The additional "thinking material" about how different news is now also seems invaluable to its audience. Do you think CNN, Fox News, etc., have the big guys coming down on them for editorializing as Murrow had the big wigs at CBS coming down on him?

Feelin' It

I know everybody probably enjoys the two coming seasons of spring and summer in different ways, but are there any markers for you that signal their arrival?

There are two spring events each year that give me this signal and create great feelings of excitement: the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA. Juxtaposed with my other interests, most of which surround the world of the arts, this seems pretty contrary. But, I did grow up playing several different sports (softball, basketball, soccer, etc.), so I guess those things entered my brain as a thread of interests just as literature and music did.

I think more than anything else, these two sports events are indicators that another spring and summer are about to bloom. This makes me a very happy person in and of itself. But, I also enjoy close athletic competition, which is why I don't bother with the regular season games when it comes to college hoops--at least for the most part, but I did watch a few more before graduate school consumed all of my free time. I enjoy the Superbowl, too, but there's a very different feeling when these two particular events roll around. Overall, I love watching athletes compete in situations where passions are at their highest, and I love this atmosphere of excitement set against the dawning of a new year for nature. Weird combination, I know, but I think they complement one another.

Part of the reason these tournaments tend to bring feelings of familiarity is, at least with the Masters Tournament, I clearly remember my family gathering in the living room year-to-year after dinner, watching its close. I guess some years it was because of where Easter fell on the calendar...other years, especially when the weather has broken, we usually start cooking out. All of these things would fall under my favorite things.

Picture of Contentment

As I read the Vanity Fair article on Natalie Portman today, I started thinking about what a truly awesome person she is. I try to rarely, if ever, go googly-eyed over a Hollywood star (if anything, I stick to fairly obscure public figures like Roland Barthes), but I would call this googly-eyed--just admitted admiration for the life someone is leading.

What I really like about the article is it really allows you to see the humanity behind Natalie Portman's public image. The article accentuates some very small but very meaningful facts--like Natalie wears Converse shoes day in and day out, refuses to eat or wear animal stuff due to her choice to be a vegetarian, wears cheapo jewelry for the big events, etc.

It also discusses her days at Harvard a bit, allowing one to get an idea of how others received her and how she presented herself. But, the greatest thing about all of these details combined, is you learn how truly solid Natalie Portman remains despite her incredibly fortunate slot in life. She is a very powerful Natalie first, and then she deals with the rest. She has clearly done exactly what she has wanted to do and just the way she has wanted to do it--nothing better! The reason I like this so much? Well, because I have to say that I think it's tough being a solid human being with a set of morals and values without having my face plastered all over public and every move analyzed and picked apart. So now, I can just use Natalie Portman as one of my many little "notes to self." If you have access to the article, it is a great read, and much can be learned.

Lessons from a Spontaneous Adventure

Bala Cynwyd is an actual suburb--I had never visited this area. They have a great way of assuring one's confidence in being in their neighborhood; they have one street named Bala and one immediately following it named Cynwyd. This stretches out one's chance to feel confident that they are, indeed, still in the right burb.

The portions I remember from the Pittsburgh Olive Garden were far bigger than the portions atthe Philadelphia Olive Garden I visited last night. But, the real lesson I learned here is that if someone generously holds a door for you, then you should walk through that door and save yourself the pain of walking into a still locked alternative.

The Milkboy Coffee shop, a new business in the heart of Ardmore, is a fabulous new find. They have great atmosphere to offer, with soft couches as well as tables. They also offer wonderful desserts, and the peanut butter chubby is a great place to start. The coffee I had was just a "Brew of the Day," --mocha java--but it was so good that I didn't use any sweetner or cream, and it was some of the best coffee I've had.



Milkboy Coffee also has a Tuesday night open mic night. We only stayed for the first bit of this, but it seems like a great gig. I have to say that this would probably be one of the best ways to branch out in the Ardmore social scene. Most other places, everyone remains isolated in their personal sphere, but this seemed like a great way to go outside of that sphere in a friendly and warm setting.

Never be ashamed of even the most unpopular in your tastes for music. For the drive, we popped in some Genesis--and I think it was one of the best things I did in choosing the new Platinum Collection as my pick from the promos at work. I didn't even realize what a good collection it was until last night!

A great new set of finds...all in a night that, had Hugh had his voice, I would have been sitting in a classroom at Villanova! And in honor of him and his unintended illness, I'll sign off today with a little 'Pip, pip!'

Got Eggs?

One of the current ethical debates in America right now is surrounding the issue of egg donation. I've heard echoes of this debate in the past, but it seems to have entered my sphere even more so lately. Last week, while listening to NPR one morning, there was a program about this very issue. The discussion surrouded the current discussions in state governments, regulating this practice and the compensation for doing it. Some states, in fact, are considering banning the compensation while ignoring the specifics on the sperm donation. Why would this be? Granted, the egg is the portion of the reproductive process that seems to dominates, but this really isn't the case, right? An egg, alone, cannot produce a child just as a sperm, alone, cannot create a child. It's the pairing of the two. So, why is it that eggs would be off limits for donation or any more controversial than sperm?

Some of the arguments include the medical risks. Another equally discussed arument against the practice is the free market factor--the profits for the donor. Looking at this from a common sense standpoint, though, wouldn't one follow the other? If there is more risk (and there obviously is) in an egg donor, then they should receive more compensation in the case that there are undesirable effects. In addition, if the issue is the difference in compensation between sperm and egg donation, then shouldn't the emphasis be on balancing out those two factors instead of banning the female's freedom to donate?

There is also an issue since Americans cannot currently sell any other organs. But, again, how is the sperm not a part of the human body while the egg is? I guess I just don't see the differences between the two. I do partially agree that they should both be regulated in the same manner, making both just as valuable as the other.

And to be fair, there are some aspects of the practice that do blow me away. I am liberal, and I say if couples need help reproducing and choose to use this method, then that's their choice. But the ads for egg donors, like those that can currently be seen on Craig's List, are pretty astounding...calling for ivy league graduates and certain SAT scores. These are not variables that are predictable when using the natural methods of reproduction, so I do think that their a little inappropriate for fertility practices.

The Song of Roland

There was once a great literary theorist (who doubled/tripled/etc. as a critic of many other things) named Roland Barthes. In addition to regularly striving to be enigmatic and novel in his ideas, he also demonstrated very clever intellectual ways. For instance, he wrote a piece that was technically autobiographical, but he wrote it as biography in the 3rd person (Barthes on Barthes). As I read a small portion of this for class, I thought it may be a great blog exercise.

J'aime, je n'aime pas ~ I like, I don't like

I like: coffee, Thai/Chinese/Mexican food, acoustic-based music, happy little kids and babies, sunshine, the ocean, the mountains, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, get togethers, technology, laying on my bed with Sydni and watching Ed, Edd, and Eddy, classic cheesy movies (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc.), discussing beauty secrets with my Aunt Deb while drinking a morning coffee, morning fog, summer breezes, laughing without making noise, making others laugh until they make no noise, books on theology/world religions, books on psychology, books on history, childrens' picture books, love and loyalty, white noise, etc.

I don't like: rudeness, loud talkers, the harpsichord, most nuts (some exceptions), lies, opening gifts in front of the giver, feeling stuck, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, spiders, soggy french fries (if I'm going to eat unhealthy stuff, it should be worth it), bands that do bad covers, winter months without snow (again, it should be worth it), feeling distance between myself and close friends, highway driving (too boring), grits, heavy metal music, most rap music, dance music, Romance novels, Westerns, Joan Rivers, Montel, Jerry Springer, fantasy/science-fiction, etc.

There are undoubtedly things I've missed, but the way Barthes wrapped this section of his book up was priceless:

"I like, I don't like: this is of no importance to anyone; this, apparently, has no meaning. And yet all this means: my body is not the same as yours. Hence, in this anarchic foam of tastes and distastes, a kind of listless blur, gradually appears the figure of a bodily enigma, requiring complicity or irritation. Here begins the intimidation of the body, which obliges others to endure me liberally, to remain silent and polite confronted by pleasures or rejections which they do not share."

Good Description

As I shopped with my friend, Sara, yesterday, I realized many things. They were all sort of summed up, though, in a rather random comment and discussion we had between King of Prussia and Wynnewood.

The less serious realizations? I'm so bad at making decisions about professional attire purchases. Part of this is undoubtedly related to the fact that it's just not as much fun as finding casual dress purchases. The other part is I've never had to take it seriously before. But, with my new job comes new expectations. Should be fun! The other thing I realized is how I do not discriminate when it comes to malls. I hate the thought of tackling King of Prussia, but I will jump at any chance to enter it...just as I did yesterday. At the very same time, I thoroughly enjoyed the offering of the much smaller and much less crowded Springfield Mall. Final minor realization? I have lots of driving to do in order to become more acquainted with what Philly and its suburbs have to offer. Sara's a pro at this and makes me want to expand my horizons. So, now on to the more serious realization...

As I've commented before in my blog, Sara and I moved here to Philadelphia around the same time--on the same day, in fact. So, we've both had the advantage of the support from one another throughout all of the ups and downs of making a big move like that. Yesterday, though, Sara made a comment about no longer feeling heartbroken about moving here, and that particular description really struck a chord for me. It impressed me that she was able to admit to herself, as well as to me, that she was truly feeling that sad about being here. In addition, though, I know and could admit to myself for the first time that I had been feeling the same way but was afraid to admit it to either myself or others. Granted, our situations are a little different (she had little choice but to move and support her husband's success whereas I totally made this decision on my own), but it's still nice to know that it's at the very least okay to feel this way.

This is not to say that Philadelphia hasn't been good to me and for me. I have grown more in the past months than I have ever before in my life. But, I think when a life event serves to put a lot of stuff into perspective for a person, he/she cannot help but feel a little bit of mixed feelings. I am not always glad I'm here in Philadelphia, but I will make the best of it. I will continue to successfully engage in those things that I have chosen to be a part of, I will open myself up to new experiences, and I will always keep my roots holding strong at the very center of all of this. While this has not been the joy ride that my inexperienced self thought it would be, I couldn't have found a better corner of the world within which to experience it. I have been very fortunate to have met such wonderful people and to have had the opportunities that I have thus far had.

Represent

For those of you who do not know, I'm hanging out at home right now...which also explains the irregularity in postings. Spring break proved much needed this year. After several months of reshaping and remolding, I felt a real drive to get back home and remind myself of some of my roots.

Everytime I make the trip home, I get all sentimental and homesick in preparation for my return to Philadelphia. The funny thing, though, is that I know in my heart that I need to return to Philadelphia...there hasn't once been a convincing thought of returning home. I have, however, learned some pretty valuable lessons in growing up.

I've always been a big preacher of getting over fears and living a full life. I have to admit I developed a fear of my own over the past couple of years, though, and that was the fear of flying. I was thankfully placed in a situation, though, where I had to either choose to allow this fear to cheat me out of time with those whom I love or just make myself beat it. I chose the latter, and I'm so happy I did. Not only did I get to come home this time pretty effortlessly, but I also have realized how much easier it makes it for me to live between Philadelphia and Wheeling. This doesn't even take into account how the world will open back up to me for fun trips, too.

Another thing I've learned from this time away is how important, albeit arduous, it is to preserve a personal balance and devote time to keeping my focus. It's so easy to be distracted, but I have realized how I must remain true to myself in order to be happy and a better person all around. And while it's great fun to live life to its fullest, it's also important to recognize your personal boundaries and keep your priorities in mind. That is, after all, what makes you you, right?

So, I guess old age (ha!) is bringing the wisdom of balance and moderation.

Consumer Extremists

I had dessert and a late-night chat with my college roomate, Julianna, Friday night. During this incredibly entertaining and fun-filled meeting, something was brought to my attention that I still find unbelievable.

I've discussed with several people the fact that I am not completely supportive of the extremes of American consumerism. I do, admittedly, fall into its grips now and then, but I, for the most part, think it's pretty upsetting. Julianna, however, told me about a recent experience she had at the Atlanta airport that left me stunned. She was in a general vending area and came across a vending machine with...ELECTRONICS!!! What kind of electronics you ask? Well, Apple iPods and handheld game systems just to name a couple. I couldn't wrap my mind around this. She said there was a place to simply swipe your credit card and make the purchase.

We both agreed that if we had the chance to purchase an iPod this way, it would make for years of conversation at every mention of the product. I can't imagine the sentence, "Oh, I got my iPod from the vending area at the airport..." coming from my mouth. We discussed how this type of trend could catch on and revolutionize the way Americans shop. Just think of vending malls where no store support is needed, etc. Where will the American economy go next?