Happy Halloween!

 

from Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling, Don Draper and Penny (of course).

Costumes of Halloweens Past, part 3

a whole lotta cute

We're going back again, all the way to pre-kindergarten. I was the flower girl in my aunt's wedding earlier that fall and - never one to waste* - I decided to wear the dress again to be a bride for Halloween. Look at how adorable tiny me and all my tiny friends are!

Okay, don't I look different in this picture? Why do I suddenly look approximately two years older? Or am I just crazy?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I tried to convince my brother to be a groom** so we'd be matching... but he probably scoffed at me and went as a cowboy or something.

One thing I am sure of, thought, is that I had to be really pissed at my mom for making me wear that turtleneck to go trick-or-treating. I didn't CARE that we lived in Salt Lake City and it was October and probably between 30 and 40 degrees, MOM! I wanted to wear that thin satin dress without a dumb turtleneck, dammit! Willing to suffer for fashion at an early age.

Also, check out my stick-on earrings. I was obsessed with stick-on earrings back in the day. I can't even tell you how many of those big sheets with a pair for every day of the month we bought. My childhood best friend maintained throughout our whole friendship that the first words I said to her, in pre-kindergarten, were "I have prettier earrings than you." And yes, I was referring to my stick-on jewels. Now, I personally don't recall this event ever taking place, but she swore by the story.

God, what a Bridezilla.

* This is a lie, particularly when it comes to clothes. I (okay, my mom) bought a lot of fugly shit back in the day that I really wanted at first and then wore once before realizing it was fugly shit. But I'm better now. And I'm sorry, mom and dad, for how much money my poor taste cost over the years.

** I was like four, people! Okay, yeah, it's still kind of weird.

adventures with kittens: red light, green light

Penny only has two speeds: cracked-out and comatose.

She is either racing around the apartment at top speeds, tearing things up and smashing into the walls (because she can't stop properly on the hardwood floors), or passed out. Like passed oooouuuuutttt. When you pick her up in this state, she just goes limp and just kind of lolls about until you get her limbs into a normal laying position. We can pick her up and move her around and she'll just sleep through it completely.

I must say, although she can be pretty cute when she's playing with her various mice toys (presents from Mama Nance and lil Hannah Vick), I prefer her sleepy state. She puts up less of a fight when I'm trying to smother her with my undying love. Plus when she gets hyperactive, she can be really damn crazy. Like so:

the camera can't catch crazy like this

"mom, look what I did!"

She also loves to "help" with things around the house, especially cooking (by purring madly and rubbing against the legs of whoever is making the meal - in a devious attempt to get them to drop food I suspect) and homework:

"whatcha working on?"

very helpful

But when she's not running around like crazy and/or sitting on my homework, she can usually be found in one of the following positions:

 

I love that damn cat.  

we are living in a technological world and I am a technological girl

I've been thinking a lot about the crossover - and in many ways, takeover - of the communication world lately.

For example, I use and/or consume books, magazines, tv, newspapers, smartphones, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc - and most of them all in one day! I am clearly a social media guru.

(Brian lovingly suggested that social media whore might be more precise, but that's neither here nor there).

But in this time of too much information becoming the only acceptable amount of information, where is the line? When do you cross it? Does it even exist?

Fellow (former) BU journalist and one of Brian's favorite sports guys, Bill Simmons, recently wrote a great article about a potential side effect of all this communication crossover for professional journalists.*

I think we live in a cool time. Cool, but scary. Things are changing and fast. I remember a time when people didn't have cell phones. I remember when we got our first family computer and when the Internet entered (and changed) our lives. I remember when facebook was founded (and only for college students), and every permutation it has undergone since.

The scary part, besides the whole "big brother is watching" element (a post for another day), is that kids five years and especially ten years younger than me don't have any idea what life is like without their own personal phone attached to their hand and their own personal computer attached to their lap (see two posts ago). They don't know what life is like without the immediate gratification of the Internet or the constant social feedback of facebook, twitter, etc.

When I was little, if I wanted to interact with my best friend, I called her house phone from my house phone and make plans to meet up for the afternoon or a sleepover. Then I'd go to her house, or she'd come to mine, and we'd play. In person. I hardly ever call my friends on the phone anymore. It's all texting and email and gchat and heytell and the occasional skype. Do kids today play the same way I did? I can't imagine they do.

In Communication 101 lecture today we conducted an experiment to see how many televisions people have. Out of 425 + freshman students, almost all of them had at least four tvs at home. Three students had 9, 10 and 11 tvs in their homes - all for families of four people or less. I find this terrifying.

I also read an article today in the New York Times about toddlers essentially becoming addicted to their parents' iPhones, which are used as entertainment, teaching tools and an easy way to pacify a fussy baby. I find this terrifying too.

Now, I am guilty of all the sins of technology - taking it for granted, being a little too attached to my computer and smart phone, checking my twitter compulsively even in company (it's so rude, I know, but I can't stop!), and of course the aforementioned social media overload.

And I think its awesome that I can blog and tweet and put my pictures on facebook. I enjoy sharing my thoughts with my friends. That I can keep up with people in Mississippi, New York, Oregon and more (even across the sea in Ireland) through technology. My career will more likely than not depend on me using multiple media in this way.

But I can't help but think there is a trade off somewhere along the line. Can't help but think these changing times are cool... but scary.

* So should I tweet about this post? A tweet about a blog post inspired by a different blog post about a tweet. How meta. 

Costumes of Halloweens Past, part 2

Three blind mice.

Ahhhhhh yes, my first college Halloween party. (Actually, it was a sorority/fraternity swap.)

This costume is notable for a couple of reasons: Number one is that, despite the fact that it’s a huge cliche and media overhypes it, I'm pretty sure it is still a fact that approximately 75% of all the girls who have ever been in a sorority have done the "sexy [insert animal here]" costume at least once. I was clearly not above it.

gang's all here: dog, cat, mouse
why are stilettos necessary to be an animal? don't ask me.

I was also not above the terrible phase that seems to hit people between the ages of 15 and 20 where they think kissy/pouty faces are cool.

...they're really not (Tait is though)

But I actually loved this costume, and still do despite the cliche. It was homemade (always a plus), it involved sunglasses and led to some fun pictures. We got on everyone's nerves with our sticks, danced our tails off and finished the night eating frozen capri suns with our Resident Assistant. Fond memories, all.

Plus, I would like to think we (and our poodle and kitty sisters) kept it at least a little bit classier than some interpretations...

adding ears does not make this not lingerie

Tales of a Jank Computer

So my computer, bless its little electronic heart, is almost five years old now. It has been a loyal and hardworking device - it even went all the way to Ireland and back with me - but it is, in technology time, now ancient. And jank.

It has been in and out of the shop pretty steadily for three years now, is on its third battery and second charger... But now it needs a another one. So while my laptop is down for the count until I can get a new charger, some of the blog posts I had in mind (particularly with pictures) are on the back burner. (I am typing this on my smart phone, yay technological oversaturation!)

However, this jankiness brings me to one of my students, who seriously needs to develop a filter. I was laughingly explaining my computer's issues to my class (no battery life and unreliable internet access has an adverse affect on trying to present computer-based activities to discuss), and one student asked me, straight-faced, with no self-awareness at all, "Do you just not have enough money to get a new computer?"

I know college freshmen these days prize laptops over their own mothers, and with BU being an extremely expensive undergrad program, most non-scholarship students have probably never had to worry about money, but really?!? REALLY.

After staring at him in shock and kind of sputtering for a minute, I finally responded with, "Are you trying to ask me if I'm too poor for a computer?" (which possibly wasn't the most professional answer). I then explained to this clueless homo sapien that being in my fifth year of college and paying rent for a Boston apartment means that until mine bites the dust entirely, a new computer isn't exactly at the top of my list.

Of course, if he wants to donate a shiny new Mac to his pitiful, clearly impoverished TA, I wouldn't stop him. I mean he could always write it off his taxes...

Ode to a Taiter

So my bestie Tait is engaged!!!

And in honor of getting to see her/coo over her ring/talk about wedding things nonstop this coming weekend I’d like to take this moment to wander down memory lane in poetry form. Sorry in advance, Taiter.

ODE TO A TAITER

Once upon a freshman year, while I stumbled with a beer,
In Sanderson Hall in the Millsaps Bubble sphere
There I met Taiterweiner, my curly-haired dear

I knew at once we had something special
...Too bad nothing rhymes with "special"

what's going on here? are we on the phone to each other?
....I feel like that's something we would do

We bonded over many a Heritage test
Because for nerdy things we are both obsessed
(Even if we went a little crazy when we got stressed)

In NOLA we cemented our friendship
Between demolishing houses and Bourbon St. on a CMT trip

We bunked together in Isla Mujeres, Mexico
And I got to snuggle with a sexy mo
(I'm talking about you, you know)

you are totally flirting with me right now

There were costumes, pranks, formals and dancing shoes

But the best was when we partied in muu muus

Sophomore year things were mostly devine
Especially when we discovered a mutual love of wine

(The theme of the surprise party you threw me for the big one-nine!)

We busted melons as the Spice Girls with our crushes of rush

And put our faces on shirts with fab airbrush

Junior year we played the suitie game

And got way too busy doing our own things – lame!

But no matter how things changed, some things were always the same

Senior year was filled with crafts, laughs and (of course) booze

A freak snowstorm, Stewart/Colbert and debating religion news

what do these things have to do with each other?
I don't know.

But through the years of vodka, tequila and Dom

(I mean Andre), there was one constant – vom

You vommed in the dorm, vommed at frat houses
Vommed in Mexico and possibly on some trousers
After your 21st you vommed for five hours - wowzas!

there's something on your shorts, ma'am

Somehow, together, we survived Millsaps nation

Best friends from freshman year to graduation

Now you're in New York, with your man and a new ring

And I'm so happy for you that I could sing!

(Just don't get any vom on your bling)

you're gonna marry that man!

I tease, but only because I love you Tait, and my love is hearty
I can’t wait to hold your hair after your bachelorette party.

glee: Britney and Cheesus

So all my glee-lovin’ friendys are going to yell at me, but the Britney Spears episode? Sucked.

Yep, I said it.

Now hear me out.

I love Brittany. She has long been one of my favorite characters and has been long-overdue for her own episode. And the girl can DANCE. So pairing her up with Britney Spears made perfect sense. She KILLED the first dream sequence.

Except then the producers took a good thing and essentially repeated it until it was boring and redundant. Too many exactly-recreated videos, too many dream sequences. Waaaaaaay too many times the words “Britney Spears” were uttered. In the same vein as the Madonna episode of last season (although that was much, much better), this whole episode just felt like a Britney infomercial. They put all plotlines on hold to basically kiss Britney’s ass. Madonna is still relevant because she kind of always will, even when she's not. (Plus it allowed for that amazing rendition of "Like a Virgin.") But Britney Spears just isn't. Do high schoolers really care about her anymore? She was my generation's Madonna, but everyone I know is kind of over it/her.

But my biggest issue with this episode as a whole is the my issue with the show as a whole sometimes – it can be horribly inconsistent.

Take Sue for example. Sue is hilarious and fabulous and the show could probably survive on nothing but her cynical one-liners. But she is still a character and I still want her to exhibit some character consistency. During the Madonna episode Sue preached the need for women to be sexually free and whatnot, but then Britney Spears (who is essentially Madonna 2.0) shows up and Sue is super concerned with the chasteness of teens?

I’m not even going to touch that sex riot.

Moving on….

This week: Glee does religion!

So I was all prepared to commend the show for giving both sides of the religion debate equal footing. Until I read my Tom and Lorenzo’s take on it. And they swayed me (I’m so easy) that the message was kind of ruined in the end when both Kurt and Sue seemed to embrace at least the possibility of religion.

BUT I still appreciate that the show’s writers presented two valid arguments for atheism. Being gay and watching society reject your sister/hero are completely legitimate reasons for a person to not believe in God. Kurt’s speech on God making him gay and then having his followers tell him its sinful was super emotional and perfectly illustrated what I think is one of the major problems with modern religion.

And I still liked the line about Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn all being from different denominations, so one of them were bound to be right.

And I still cried like a baby when Kurt’s dad’s finger moved.

All in all, this episode was SO. MUCH. BETTER. than all that Britney nonsense. Kurt’s relationship with his dad is one of the best ones on the whole show, the songs were more good than bad and we got some real characterization. Last thoughts:

The GOOD:
- Puck really doesn’t get to sing enough. He and Billy Joel are a match made in heaven.
- Who is that kid playing young Kurt? Because he looks EXACTLY like him. And the scene where lil Kurt is teaching Papa Hummel about sushi? Adorbz.
- Mercedes plus full choir. Love.
- "I'm very impressed by everyone's Sunday best. Very Christ chic.” Also Kurt’s hat.
- As usual, everything Brittany says.

The BAD:
- Oh Rachel. Rachelrachelrachel. Girl’s got a bangin’ voice, but that song was just weird. And somewhat creepy.

The UGLY:
- Finn… shouldn’t sing that song.

Costumes of Halloweens Past, part 1

In honor of Halloween (aka the best holiday ever), and while I ponder on my costume for this year, each week in October I am planning to feature a costume of yore. Because we all like to see how incredibly awkward I was/am.

nothin' but sass

The first comes from when I was nine-ish years old. My then-best friend and I decided to be a pair of dice. So we got a couple of giant refrigerator boxes and my mom and I went about carefully measuring and tracing the dots to exactly replicate a die.*
 
And then I slowly and carefully colored in all the dots.

With a black marker.

Make that several black markers.

It took multiple hours, which I passed by watching The Sound of Music on tv. Do you guys know how long that movie is? I was coloring the entire time.

my cat is thinking, "giiiirl, you crazy"

Looking back, I often wonder why I didn't just cut out black circles and glue them on and save myself five hours, a pack of sharpies and several hand cramps. But I was young. And while I was a perfectionist already, common sense clearly hadn't quite kicked in yet.

* Because we are super neurotic.