When I wake up in the morning, I have two main concerns: what will take the least amount of time to eat for breakfast, and what I should wear. Breakfast is usually the choice between an apple for the road or a quick bowl of honey nut cheerios. But the second item proves to be much more of a conundrum. I would describe my workplace as "business casual," meaning as long as the appropriate body parts are contained and you don't wear a logo T-shirt, you're probably good to go. However, this still leaves a very wide range of combinations to choose from. This is a typical morning run-down:
"Hmm, I think the black skirt would be nice today. Except the blue top is dirty and with the black I can't wear the brown cardigan. Ok, green top it is. But it's a little windy outside so the skirt might not be the best choice. So just put the green top with the gray pants. But then do I wear the sandals or the close-toed flats? Ok what interviews do I have today? There's a chance that I could have to go out to Fort Walla Walla meaning I would want not-nice shoes, but I could also have to go meet with the lady at the VA office and that would require nicer shoes. But the grey pants are too short for the heels. I like the white bermuda shorts, but only men can wear shorts to work. And there's always the chance that I'll get assigned to breaking news at City Hall, meaning I should totally scrap the green shirt and wear something collared..."
I think I put more energy into my daily ensembles that most college interns, but it's not for nothing. Whether we like it or not, first impressions are a big part of success in the professional world. And your appearance is a significant part of that impression. Think about it: if you went it to meet with a bank to set up a mortgage, you would think twice about investing hundreds of thousands of dollars with someone who can't keep his or her shirt tucked in. On the flipside, if you went to a farmer's market looking for fresh local berries, you would trust the farmer who appeared to actually work with his or her crops, rather than someone who can't be bothered to get their hands dirty.
And unfortunately, I think this pressure falls more to women than men. I don't mean to go on another "women are treated as sexual objects and considered slightly incompetent in some professional settings" tirade. But the balance between feminine and professional clothing is often quite the challenge. If you dress too much like a "woman," meaning you highlight merely acknowledge the female figure, you're sometimes pegged as a flake or someone who really doesn't know what she's doing. However, if you wear a white collared shirt with black slacks and orthopedic shoes every day, people might say you don't care about your appearance, translating that apathy into a lack of interest in her work. As shallow as it sounds, I think "What Not to Wear" has been an invaluable resource for professional women. It teaches women of varying sizes, ages, and body types how to reflect their personalities and own styles, but within guidelines that are appropriate for a particular setting.
This environment-appropriate appearance is just as important in journalism, I believe. But here, the game is more about camouflage. You have to create rapport with sources, and if they get a vibe that you are either way above or below their environment, you're toast. Granted, doing your research beforehand, especially when covering a topic or feature outside your normal circles, is crucial. But fitting in and looking like you can relate to a person I feel is just as helpful to getting better quotes and a more conversational interview.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
get on down the road
As I was driving back to Walla Walla Sunday night, I glanced down at my dashboard to see how much more gas I was going to have to pay for this summer. And my eyes missed the gas gage altogether when they caught a glaring "2" in the odometer. Yes, that's right: my junk of a car has finally hit the 200,000 mile mark. As of this morning 200,058 miles, to be exact. I have never seen a car over the 200,000 mark, let alone driven one on a daily basis. But this milestone (pun absolutely intended) has come with a price. Since I bought it in November of 2004, my little red 1983 Honda Accord has had:
-3 belts replaced
-1 head gasket replaced (right after the belts were done. no good.)
-required the assistance of the AAA tow service at least twice a year
-2 starters replaced
- 1 rear view mirror fall off in mid-commute to school one morning
-1 battery run down by my lovely sister, who left it running with the radio on for half an hour
- sported the label of "Bootylicious Bacon" across the back windshield
- 1 incident of being completely wrapped in caution tape by my loving friends
- carried a body in the trunk for approximately 6 months (it was a dummy, but very realistic)
And this year my Whitworth compadres will get the terrifying privilege of riding along for the next 200,000.
-3 belts replaced
-1 head gasket replaced (right after the belts were done. no good.)
-required the assistance of the AAA tow service at least twice a year
-2 starters replaced
- 1 rear view mirror fall off in mid-commute to school one morning
-1 battery run down by my lovely sister, who left it running with the radio on for half an hour
- sported the label of "Bootylicious Bacon" across the back windshield
- 1 incident of being completely wrapped in caution tape by my loving friends
- carried a body in the trunk for approximately 6 months (it was a dummy, but very realistic)
And this year my Whitworth compadres will get the terrifying privilege of riding along for the next 200,000.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Teenagers are again destroying all moral value in society. Or are they just changing the values?
One of the top New York Times reads over the weekend has been an article that explores the pros and cons of online literacy. And though I've emailed the link to a few of you, I thought a more in-depth look at the article would be appropriate. I've pulled out a few key quotes or topics to highlight, since the article is, ironically, four web pages long:
1. "Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia, who gets A’s and B’s at school, read books for a change. But at this point, Ms. Konyk said, “I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore.”
This is a fundamental compromise I think a lot of parents are reaching these days when it comes to the Internet. They think that if their child is spending five hours on MySpace, at least they're chatting with friends from school and not potential child molesters (although 1 in 5 children under 18 will be solicited by a sexual predator online). The same applies to reading. They say "well reading Harry Potter is better than not reading at all." And while I agree that the world of Hogwarts has kept a lot of kids engrossed in a book, there are just as many books geared toward a teenage audience that have just as much intellectual or entertainment value.
2. "Some Web evangelists say children should be evaluated for their proficiency on the Internet just as they are tested on their print reading comprehension. Starting next year, some countries will participate in new international assessments of digital literacy..."
This is an interesting concept, although the article goes on to say such testing is not being explored in the United States. It's like taking a required keyboarding class to learn home row and pump out 60 words a minute. It might lose the art of putting a literal pencil to literal paper, but over time, typing has become essential to survival in the workplace or academic environment. I would be interested to see exactly how "digital literacy" is defined.
3. When a friend introduced Nadia to fanfiction.net, she turned off the television and started reading online.Now she regularly reads stories that run as long as 45 Web pages. Many of them have elliptical plots and are sprinkled with spelling and grammatical errors...Nadia said she preferred reading stories online because “you could add your own character and twist it the way you want it to be...Nadia said she wanted to major in English at college and someday hopes to be published. She does not see a problem with reading few books. “No one’s ever said you should read more books to get into college,” she said."
I wonder what Nadia considers "published." I find it encouraging that an online storytelling site can encourage young people to become writers themselves. However, I still cannot ignore the fact that almost any professor or writer will tell you that the best way to become a good writer is to be a good reader. If all she is reading is online amateur works, regardless of length, she will never be exposed to the types of more formal and sophisticated works that she could potentially aspire to create herself. And her last statement just makes me want to smack her upside the head.
4. "Reading five Web sites, an op-ed article and a blog post or two, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book."
Well if this is true, I've read approximately three books a day this summer. But joking aside, I still wonder if this is actually comparable data. Growing up most of the books I read were fiction, or the occasional biography. The article goes on to talk about the plurality of ideas available through reading multiple websites on the same topic. And for things like politics or world affairs, it's true that I, an avid book lover, am more likely to skim headlines and commentary than I am to sit down with 400 pages on one topic in a bound edition. But again, the art of the fiction, or even non-fiction, novel cannot be equated to reading various blogs (unless Harper Lee has suddenly returned to the literary world via a daily short story posted online).
5. Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem.
I won't go into this one a ton, except to say it's the classic struggle for educators and students alike, trying to find textbooks and materials that are both engaging and informative, without having to dumb down a lesson plan or find a way to make everything "fun." (That's for my dad, who always complains that his students expect every class to be entertaining.)
6. "When researching the 19th-century Chief Justice Roger B. Taney for one class, he typed Taney’s name into Google and scanned the Wikipedia entry and other biographical sites. Instead of reading an entire page, he would type in a search word like “college” to find Taney’s alma mater, assembling his information nugget by nugget."
All I can think is of a Whitworth professor's threat that she would haunt the dreams of any student who used Wikipedia for research purposes. And as the 2007 AP Stylebooks notes, the Internet is "1/4 wheat and 3/4 chaff." A little dramatic, but it gets the point across.
1. "Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia, who gets A’s and B’s at school, read books for a change. But at this point, Ms. Konyk said, “I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore.”
This is a fundamental compromise I think a lot of parents are reaching these days when it comes to the Internet. They think that if their child is spending five hours on MySpace, at least they're chatting with friends from school and not potential child molesters (although 1 in 5 children under 18 will be solicited by a sexual predator online). The same applies to reading. They say "well reading Harry Potter is better than not reading at all." And while I agree that the world of Hogwarts has kept a lot of kids engrossed in a book, there are just as many books geared toward a teenage audience that have just as much intellectual or entertainment value.
2. "Some Web evangelists say children should be evaluated for their proficiency on the Internet just as they are tested on their print reading comprehension. Starting next year, some countries will participate in new international assessments of digital literacy..."
This is an interesting concept, although the article goes on to say such testing is not being explored in the United States. It's like taking a required keyboarding class to learn home row and pump out 60 words a minute. It might lose the art of putting a literal pencil to literal paper, but over time, typing has become essential to survival in the workplace or academic environment. I would be interested to see exactly how "digital literacy" is defined.
3. When a friend introduced Nadia to fanfiction.net, she turned off the television and started reading online.Now she regularly reads stories that run as long as 45 Web pages. Many of them have elliptical plots and are sprinkled with spelling and grammatical errors...Nadia said she preferred reading stories online because “you could add your own character and twist it the way you want it to be...Nadia said she wanted to major in English at college and someday hopes to be published. She does not see a problem with reading few books. “No one’s ever said you should read more books to get into college,” she said."
I wonder what Nadia considers "published." I find it encouraging that an online storytelling site can encourage young people to become writers themselves. However, I still cannot ignore the fact that almost any professor or writer will tell you that the best way to become a good writer is to be a good reader. If all she is reading is online amateur works, regardless of length, she will never be exposed to the types of more formal and sophisticated works that she could potentially aspire to create herself. And her last statement just makes me want to smack her upside the head.
4. "Reading five Web sites, an op-ed article and a blog post or two, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book."
Well if this is true, I've read approximately three books a day this summer. But joking aside, I still wonder if this is actually comparable data. Growing up most of the books I read were fiction, or the occasional biography. The article goes on to talk about the plurality of ideas available through reading multiple websites on the same topic. And for things like politics or world affairs, it's true that I, an avid book lover, am more likely to skim headlines and commentary than I am to sit down with 400 pages on one topic in a bound edition. But again, the art of the fiction, or even non-fiction, novel cannot be equated to reading various blogs (unless Harper Lee has suddenly returned to the literary world via a daily short story posted online).
5. Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem.
“Kids are using sound and images so they have a world of ideas to put together that aren’t necessarily language oriented,” said Donna E. Alvermann, a professor of language and literacy education at the University of Georgia. “Books aren’t out of the picture, but they’re only one way of experiencing information in the world today.”
I won't go into this one a ton, except to say it's the classic struggle for educators and students alike, trying to find textbooks and materials that are both engaging and informative, without having to dumb down a lesson plan or find a way to make everything "fun." (That's for my dad, who always complains that his students expect every class to be entertaining.)
6. "When researching the 19th-century Chief Justice Roger B. Taney for one class, he typed Taney’s name into Google and scanned the Wikipedia entry and other biographical sites. Instead of reading an entire page, he would type in a search word like “college” to find Taney’s alma mater, assembling his information nugget by nugget."
All I can think is of a Whitworth professor's threat that she would haunt the dreams of any student who used Wikipedia for research purposes. And as the 2007 AP Stylebooks notes, the Internet is "1/4 wheat and 3/4 chaff." A little dramatic, but it gets the point across.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Just one of the reasons why I'll never be as bad ass as my mother
A few weeks ago when my mom was rummaging through the years she stores in dusty boxes underneath my parents' bed, she came across many things (one of my favorites being her 7th grade cheerleading squad photo, in which she's front and center). But she also found two notebooks she then lent me for "education of why you're lucky to be a woman when you are." The notebooks are a faded yellow, with black binding, and labeled Spokane Elementary Schools Composition Book in a sans serif. At the top of one, a smudged print reads "Home Economics Cooking Unit. Judy Jeanes, Adams 8th." This would date it to approximately 1961. Here is just one of the entries:
Table settings and manners
pages 154-163
1. In selecting linens servicability, durability, and cost must be considered.
2. Silver plated ware and sterling silver should be chosen carefully. Either should used daily to increase its beauty and to make the meal attractive.
3. In selecting china cost, suitability, ease of replacement, and attractiveness must be considered
4. Glassware is relatively imexpensive and gives a certain sparkle and attractiveness to the table.
5. All these table accessories should be chosen with care and should be suited to family income and use.
6. The individual cover depends upon the menu and the type of service.
7. Family service is an attractive, simple, and hospitable service used most frequently in American homes.
8. Formal service is used for occasional dinner parties if well-trained help is available.
Below the list is pasted a magazine cut-out of a formal table setting, complete with gold silverware and candesticks of appropriate height. The opposing page lists recipes for a fruit salad I and egg salad sandwiches. And yes, my mother forgot a crucial verb in the second sentence of the second item. That may have contributed to the B written in bright red ink in the front of the book as her final grade. Or it could have been that she always wanted to take wood shop instead of home economics.
Table settings and manners
pages 154-163
1. In selecting linens servicability, durability, and cost must be considered.
2. Silver plated ware and sterling silver should be chosen carefully. Either should used daily to increase its beauty and to make the meal attractive.
3. In selecting china cost, suitability, ease of replacement, and attractiveness must be considered
4. Glassware is relatively imexpensive and gives a certain sparkle and attractiveness to the table.
5. All these table accessories should be chosen with care and should be suited to family income and use.
6. The individual cover depends upon the menu and the type of service.
7. Family service is an attractive, simple, and hospitable service used most frequently in American homes.
8. Formal service is used for occasional dinner parties if well-trained help is available.
Below the list is pasted a magazine cut-out of a formal table setting, complete with gold silverware and candesticks of appropriate height. The opposing page lists recipes for a fruit salad I and egg salad sandwiches. And yes, my mother forgot a crucial verb in the second sentence of the second item. That may have contributed to the B written in bright red ink in the front of the book as her final grade. Or it could have been that she always wanted to take wood shop instead of home economics.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I stole this idea from Sarah
Things I tolerate in life only out of social necessity:
1. the Mango. I do not enjoy eating mangoes fresh, frozen, or as a flavoring. I only occasionally like their smell in lotions and potions. But mango is the "it" flavor right now, in everything from margaritas to sno cones. I just don't enjoy them. I realize that they're good for you and a really pretty color and seemingly a flavor you can't go wrong with if offered to a large group of people. Not for me.
2. drip coffee. I know it sounds high maintenance and spoiled to say I only like certain lattes made with certain coffee from certain places. But it's true. I cannot just walk into a coffee shop and order a vanilla latte and expect to be satisfied. I will drink regular coffee with creamer, but it almost always makes me really nauseous and just leaves a general sense of not feeling good. My wallet definitely wishes this was not the case sometimes.
3. watches. A lot of people cannot function in life if their watch isn't in the exact place on their wrist. I own two watches (one of which currently has a dead battery), and the second was only bought out of necessity for my job last summer. I don't like having something on my wrist all the time, and I inevitably bang it into filing cabinets or injure myself. I just don't find them convenient, or necessary.
4. exclamation points. use your words, not your punctuation.
1. the Mango. I do not enjoy eating mangoes fresh, frozen, or as a flavoring. I only occasionally like their smell in lotions and potions. But mango is the "it" flavor right now, in everything from margaritas to sno cones. I just don't enjoy them. I realize that they're good for you and a really pretty color and seemingly a flavor you can't go wrong with if offered to a large group of people. Not for me.
2. drip coffee. I know it sounds high maintenance and spoiled to say I only like certain lattes made with certain coffee from certain places. But it's true. I cannot just walk into a coffee shop and order a vanilla latte and expect to be satisfied. I will drink regular coffee with creamer, but it almost always makes me really nauseous and just leaves a general sense of not feeling good. My wallet definitely wishes this was not the case sometimes.
3. watches. A lot of people cannot function in life if their watch isn't in the exact place on their wrist. I own two watches (one of which currently has a dead battery), and the second was only bought out of necessity for my job last summer. I don't like having something on my wrist all the time, and I inevitably bang it into filing cabinets or injure myself. I just don't find them convenient, or necessary.
4. exclamation points. use your words, not your punctuation.
Monday, July 14, 2008
the new journalist
Anyone who is remotely connected to print journalism these days knows that the industry is tanking almost as quickly as the stock market. Papers and corporations across the country from the Boston Globe to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to even the Tri-City Herald (owned by McClatchy, who made cuts of their own) are scaling back through layoffs or attrition. It's a scary time to be thinking about finding a job.
But as newspapers shift to smaller, online news coverage, a shift in style is coming with it. For example, the Washington Post just launched the second crime series in two weeks, this one is investigating the still-unsolved case of Chandra Levy from 2001. The series works with a style almost better suited for a mystery bestseller than a reporting of facts. Granted, I will be the first to jump on board the shift to more conversational and stylistic journalism, especially when dealing with long stories or less timely features, such as stories about semi-colons or fans going shirtless at baseball games. But in this series about Levy, many of the facts or information are left uncited, and comments are made about Chandra's feelings or thoughts or opinions that would be hard to nail down as concrete without hearing them from her directly.
Another debate about the same sort of language shift is being discussed by Politico about the Associated Press and its new head, Ron Fournier. The wire service is seeing more first person (considered the unpardonable sin by some journalists and professors) and "emotive language."
I have been saying for a few years now that the shift to increasing online content should not change the basic job of a reporter: gather facts, check accuracy, and write stories based on interviews and credible research. Online news still requires fact checking, still requires accurately quoting a source, still encourages watchdog journalism. And there is still plenty of this going on, both in print and online. But I worry that as newspapers desperately try to target the under-30 audience, they will compromise quality reporting for informal language and less "choppy" citations in order to mimic personalities such as Stephen Colbert (who actually is exceptional at citing sources for his facts or statistics) or E! news. The ride is keeping aspiring journalists on their toes, that's for sure.
But as newspapers shift to smaller, online news coverage, a shift in style is coming with it. For example, the Washington Post just launched the second crime series in two weeks, this one is investigating the still-unsolved case of Chandra Levy from 2001. The series works with a style almost better suited for a mystery bestseller than a reporting of facts. Granted, I will be the first to jump on board the shift to more conversational and stylistic journalism, especially when dealing with long stories or less timely features, such as stories about semi-colons or fans going shirtless at baseball games. But in this series about Levy, many of the facts or information are left uncited, and comments are made about Chandra's feelings or thoughts or opinions that would be hard to nail down as concrete without hearing them from her directly.
Another debate about the same sort of language shift is being discussed by Politico about the Associated Press and its new head, Ron Fournier. The wire service is seeing more first person (considered the unpardonable sin by some journalists and professors) and "emotive language."
I have been saying for a few years now that the shift to increasing online content should not change the basic job of a reporter: gather facts, check accuracy, and write stories based on interviews and credible research. Online news still requires fact checking, still requires accurately quoting a source, still encourages watchdog journalism. And there is still plenty of this going on, both in print and online. But I worry that as newspapers desperately try to target the under-30 audience, they will compromise quality reporting for informal language and less "choppy" citations in order to mimic personalities such as Stephen Colbert (who actually is exceptional at citing sources for his facts or statistics) or E! news. The ride is keeping aspiring journalists on their toes, that's for sure.
Friday, July 11, 2008
footprints
Yesterday, during an assignment for a feature story, I ended up tromping around in large piles of soft dirt for about an hour. I was in white flats that were in no way meant for tromping around in large piles of soft dift. When I got back to the office, I dumped about two inches of the icky brown filth from each shoe, then went home to sit on the side of the tub and scrub my feet clean. It took 15 minutes.
It was at that moment that I realized if I lived during the time of Jesus, when this cake of dirtiness would have been a daily assumption, and someone showed up at my house and not only told me to eat dinner but washed my feet as I did, I would have declared him the Messiah right then and there.
It was at that moment that I realized if I lived during the time of Jesus, when this cake of dirtiness would have been a daily assumption, and someone showed up at my house and not only told me to eat dinner but washed my feet as I did, I would have declared him the Messiah right then and there.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
BABIES
Instead of inching closer to my third completed season of "Law & Order: SVU" for the summer, I've tried to mix in another genre of Netflix Instant Play options: documentaries. I loved watching documentaries throughout middle and high school, and my heavy diet of PBS as a small child has created an appreciation in me for the grassroots-like footage and simple message of an hour-long look into a particular issue or historical event.
Last night's choice was "The business of being born," a project taken on and produced by Ricky Lake. The film received a mixed bag of reviews and controversy when it opened in January. It essentially focuses on the "deception" of obstetricians and how the United States has the one of the highest infant mortality rates in the industrialized world. Less than 1 percent of Americans use a midwife. In Europe, that number is 1 out of every 3 births. Those statistics alone were surprising to me, considering many people in this country consider midwives to be, as the film described it, "an old lady who brings a rolled up towel for the mother to bite down on." However, this is not the case. The organization featured employed midwives who were not only certified as such, but many had nursing degrees and had worked in traditional labor rooms for several years before becoming midwives. Another fascinating statistic was the huge increase in cesarean sections in the US: almost 40 percent of all children born here do not enter the world through vaginal delivery.
But despite the clear agenda of the film, the thing that surprised me the most was the actual footage of several different home births. I'm used to the "Father of the Bride: II" images of childbirth, the woman sucking on ice chips who is definitely sweating and in pain, but still able to carry on conversation and give her father friendly advice. I know this is extremely idealized, but at the same time, how many of us have ever seen what birth looks like in its natural state, without induced contractions or fetal monitors or eight doctors buzzing around in sea foam green smocks? The footage was both revolting and fascinating. Women were walking around their homes, often completely naked, moaning and swearing and just being in general states of agony. (And not gonna lie, the image of watching a baby's head literally pop out of a woman is probably the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I didn't take health class in high school, so I was spared the infamous birthing video.)
I will always remember when at one point in 10th grade language arts when Kim Maldonado said bearing the responsibility of giving birth is the greatest honor she could have received; for her it was a blessing, not a burden. The film also talked a lot about the rite of passage of becoming a mother, and the euphoria that comes from holding your labor pains, literally, against your chest for the first time. I just hope when and if that day comes I can remember the blessing part, rather than what an episode of Gilmore Girls described as "doing the splits over a pile of dynamite."
Last night's choice was "The business of being born," a project taken on and produced by Ricky Lake. The film received a mixed bag of reviews and controversy when it opened in January. It essentially focuses on the "deception" of obstetricians and how the United States has the one of the highest infant mortality rates in the industrialized world. Less than 1 percent of Americans use a midwife. In Europe, that number is 1 out of every 3 births. Those statistics alone were surprising to me, considering many people in this country consider midwives to be, as the film described it, "an old lady who brings a rolled up towel for the mother to bite down on." However, this is not the case. The organization featured employed midwives who were not only certified as such, but many had nursing degrees and had worked in traditional labor rooms for several years before becoming midwives. Another fascinating statistic was the huge increase in cesarean sections in the US: almost 40 percent of all children born here do not enter the world through vaginal delivery.
But despite the clear agenda of the film, the thing that surprised me the most was the actual footage of several different home births. I'm used to the "Father of the Bride: II" images of childbirth, the woman sucking on ice chips who is definitely sweating and in pain, but still able to carry on conversation and give her father friendly advice. I know this is extremely idealized, but at the same time, how many of us have ever seen what birth looks like in its natural state, without induced contractions or fetal monitors or eight doctors buzzing around in sea foam green smocks? The footage was both revolting and fascinating. Women were walking around their homes, often completely naked, moaning and swearing and just being in general states of agony. (And not gonna lie, the image of watching a baby's head literally pop out of a woman is probably the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I didn't take health class in high school, so I was spared the infamous birthing video.)
I will always remember when at one point in 10th grade language arts when Kim Maldonado said bearing the responsibility of giving birth is the greatest honor she could have received; for her it was a blessing, not a burden. The film also talked a lot about the rite of passage of becoming a mother, and the euphoria that comes from holding your labor pains, literally, against your chest for the first time. I just hope when and if that day comes I can remember the blessing part, rather than what an episode of Gilmore Girls described as "doing the splits over a pile of dynamite."
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
apples and oranges
Before the start of the 2008 race for president, I think a lot of people in this country had given up on our generation having anything useful to contribute to society besides chat abbreviations. But now, it seems like a whole focus of the campaign coverage has been the influence of "young people." In light of this, I was surprised to stumble across a Newsweek article denouncing Generation Y for not being able to identify the significance of a sign reading "Colored Entrance" or name the largest lake in the United States (Lake Superior). Now I consider myself a fairly educated individual. I can tell you the year Robert Kennedy was assassinated, why outsourcing is a debated issue, and how to look up a book using a card catalog in a library (a lost art in my opinion). The article focuses mainly on the lack of fact memorizing, such as dates or names. But it also gives credit to young people's ability to multitask and think critically, sighting Dungeons and Dragons as actually equivalent, at least in brain power, to a story problem in algebra class.
I think the discussion should not surround whether or not the same history books are being memorized by the new generation. Young people are processing and gathering information in new ways, and that should be considered. Many people would say that technology is the cause of stupidity, or perceived lack of intelligence. But think about how many of us can use the Internet to find information with a few simple clicks, that used to take a person hours to search for? How many of us can use a cell phone responsibly to check in with our parents when we went out during high school? We can create anything from family photo albums to complex power point presentations that save money, space and time. Granted, I will be the first one to admit that technology sometimes can cause more frustration than assistance. The question should not be if it is good or bad, but whether at the end of the day a person is educated enough to contribute something to society, whether that be a new way to connect the globe or merely spout of an answer for tomorrow's episode of Jeopardy.
I think the discussion should not surround whether or not the same history books are being memorized by the new generation. Young people are processing and gathering information in new ways, and that should be considered. Many people would say that technology is the cause of stupidity, or perceived lack of intelligence. But think about how many of us can use the Internet to find information with a few simple clicks, that used to take a person hours to search for? How many of us can use a cell phone responsibly to check in with our parents when we went out during high school? We can create anything from family photo albums to complex power point presentations that save money, space and time. Granted, I will be the first one to admit that technology sometimes can cause more frustration than assistance. The question should not be if it is good or bad, but whether at the end of the day a person is educated enough to contribute something to society, whether that be a new way to connect the globe or merely spout of an answer for tomorrow's episode of Jeopardy.
Monday, July 7, 2008
a must read (or at least required listening)
This past week I was on a vacation that took me to a new realm of travel skills: a solo road trip. Sure my family sported the two-week power vacations every summer when I was little, but I could sleep or play "I Spy" or just generally keep myself occupied in the backseat. But for my 8-hour haul each way, I decided to kick back to the thing that always got me through those long drives through New England or down 101 to California: a book on tape.
Except now, books on tape are really books on compact disc, which makes finding a chapter so much easier, not to mention you don't have to haul around 20 cassettes and worry about whether you left off in the middle of side A or B. I rented Bright Shiny Morning, the latest bestseller from James Frey. And despite the controversy that will inevitably forever haunt this writer's career, his book was stunning. It's essentially small snippets of the lives of at least 20 different characters, whose only commonality is the fact that they currently live in Los Angeles. The book brought back the art of storytelling, the sense that you don't have to create fantastical plots or surprise endings that could inspire a summer blockbuster at the movie theater. Stories start with strong characters, period. It doesn't matter if they are on an epic journey or live out an entire novel in the space of one hour.
If you have strong, believable characters, you cannot fail.
Except now, books on tape are really books on compact disc, which makes finding a chapter so much easier, not to mention you don't have to haul around 20 cassettes and worry about whether you left off in the middle of side A or B. I rented Bright Shiny Morning, the latest bestseller from James Frey. And despite the controversy that will inevitably forever haunt this writer's career, his book was stunning. It's essentially small snippets of the lives of at least 20 different characters, whose only commonality is the fact that they currently live in Los Angeles. The book brought back the art of storytelling, the sense that you don't have to create fantastical plots or surprise endings that could inspire a summer blockbuster at the movie theater. Stories start with strong characters, period. It doesn't matter if they are on an epic journey or live out an entire novel in the space of one hour.
If you have strong, believable characters, you cannot fail.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
loosen it up
I was playing Frisbee yesterday for the first time in quite a while. It was unusally hot for Seattle, and I have not been diligent in drinking water, and thus ended the day fairly dehydrated. But apparently I gave off more than just a "I want to sit down and never get up again" vibe.
For most of my grown-up life (or at least since like 7th grade), I always have people asking me the dreaded question.: "Are you OK?" Once in a while, it's justified because I'm clearly preoccupied or struggling with something. But most of the time, it worries me more than it helps. For some reason I am often seen as distant, or anxious. And it's always at times when the question couldn't be less warranted. I've always struggled with getting my facial expressions to imulate my state of mind, but I try to show happiness when I'm happy, contentment when I'm content. A lot of it comes from a struggle in high school to get over certain people that told me "everyone thinks you're a bitch" and "you're so uptight all the time." I try to just let loose and live life. I try to be silly when it's called for, and serious when it's appropriate. I try to live in the moment, because I've learned it's a waste of energy to do anything otherwise.
But still, I get questions about my state of mind or emotional worries. Don't get me wrong: usually I appreciate that I have people in my life that are paying attention and invested in my well being. But it still makes me wonder why I cannot seem to come off as happy, or at least as not worried about something, when I really am just being myself to the best degree I know how.
For most of my grown-up life (or at least since like 7th grade), I always have people asking me the dreaded question.: "Are you OK?" Once in a while, it's justified because I'm clearly preoccupied or struggling with something. But most of the time, it worries me more than it helps. For some reason I am often seen as distant, or anxious. And it's always at times when the question couldn't be less warranted. I've always struggled with getting my facial expressions to imulate my state of mind, but I try to show happiness when I'm happy, contentment when I'm content. A lot of it comes from a struggle in high school to get over certain people that told me "everyone thinks you're a bitch" and "you're so uptight all the time." I try to just let loose and live life. I try to be silly when it's called for, and serious when it's appropriate. I try to live in the moment, because I've learned it's a waste of energy to do anything otherwise.
But still, I get questions about my state of mind or emotional worries. Don't get me wrong: usually I appreciate that I have people in my life that are paying attention and invested in my well being. But it still makes me wonder why I cannot seem to come off as happy, or at least as not worried about something, when I really am just being myself to the best degree I know how.
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