Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Catching Up and Talking About English

It has been a bit since I last wrote, and I have to admit, as I'm sure you might have noticed, that I have yet to post a "Fashion Friday" blog. "Fashion Friday" was meant to be a super addition to the line-up, which, in all honesty, needed a bit of work. By that I mean, there needed to be more of a unifying thread throughout the blog.

I would say that, at this point, I resolve to never again let another Friday go unfashionable. I would say that, but it's probably not true. In fact, as I write this, I can't help but feel that this very Friday may be quite unfashionable. In case you were wondering, I'd originally planned to debut the "Fashion Friday" blog with an in-depth look at the high heel shoe. Perhaps it could have been titled: "High Heel Shoe: Friend or Foe?" Okay, that's a bit too pedestrian, but I think you catch my meaning. You know, a really hard-hitting analysis of the high heel and its place in our lives.

I'll transition those thoughts with three yesses and a no. Yes, I am serious about the high heel shoe blog. Yes, I am hoping for a Pulitzer. No, I'm not serious about the Pulitzer.

My next topic is English, as in the major, as in the thing I spent an inordinate amount of time working on (time that might have been better spent learning to decorate cakes or ballet dance, but I digress). Anyways, I always found it interesting when people would ask what I was majoring in. Then, of course, I'd have to say,"English." People generally respond to that by asking, "Do you plan to teach?" To which I would say, "No." I probably felt annoyed by that when I was younger. You know, always being asked the same question, always getting the same follow-up question, always getting the same perplexed look. I think that I wouldn't take it so terribly now. I mean, now that I really do teach. I'd probably just feel guilty and awkward that my teaching is limited, and probably always will be limited, to the university classroom, to those students who have made it past at least one sizable gatekeeper and into the university. Now, is that where the gatekeeping ends? No, of course not. I'm well aware of that, but I know that I'm not teaching in the sense that those people asking the question meant "teaching."

So, that is one response to the "major" question. Another response is for the question asker to suddenly become very aware of his or her own speech, with particular interest to grammar. The question asker always lets you know of his or her discomfort. Then I have to admit that I don't really care. Do I care about grammar? Sure, in some sense I do. But, I care more about the comfort of the conversation than I do about checking someone's ability to speak "properly." Who cares about that so much in casual conversation, really?

Anyways, as gesture of my not caring, I (a terrbile typist) have decided not to edit the blog. BEWARE. Typos and mistakes lurk throughout!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The Snow is Here!

Happiness is a snow day...when you're 28 years old and still a student, specifically when you're 28 and waiting to see if you must-must-must make it to an undergraduate class for which you TA. That has been my morning--looking out the window, wide eyed and amazed at the amount of snow accumulated and the amount of snow still falling. I can't even see my street or tell where the yard stops and where the street begins.

Before moving to the great North, I'd seen some snow. It snowed in my hometown when I was six, and I'd played in the snow a few times when visiting my grandparents at Christmas. But, this is a completely different type of snow. There are these huge, fluffy snowflakes coming down, and I bet I can make a decent snowball out of it when I get my lazy self outside. In fact, I made some snowballs yesterday as I walked to dinner after class, and then I rather pointlessly threw them at nothing or at the trees along the sidewalk. What can I say? I've never had much of a chance to make snowballs, so I take the opportunity when it presents itself.

So, along with getting the chance to make snowballs, this snowy land has introduced me to a whole snowy culture, an entire etiquette built around how to handle the cold weather. I sort of watch cold weather behavior, like an anthropologist studying the habits of an as yet unknown people, and then I replicate the behavior, figuring these people know what they're doing. Like, when you walk into a building, you stomp your feet on the doormat. This sounds silly and obvious, but I never think of snow being dirty, so I wouldn't have done this. From what I can see, stomping your feet on the mat serves a few purposes: 1. It gets rid of excess snow and salt so that you don't harm the floors; 2. It helps you have more traction on slicker floors; 3. Stomping of feet is a cultural practices and to not partake in this cultural practice has the effect of making the non-stomper a cultural Other. Um, okay, maybe number 3 is a bit of a strectch, but I'm not taking any chances. I will stomp.

There are other cold weather things I've learned here as well. For example, many people take their shoes off when going into houses. I have always been a bit anti-taking shoes off. Partly, this is due to being kind of short and feeling vulnerable when some of my height must be checked at the door. So, I just sort of stand in the entryway, all Carrie Bradshaw-like, thinking (while motioning up and down with hand) "BUT! This is an outfit!" True story, I have difficulty with the way fashion becomes the unwitting victim of function in these parts. I'm trying to reconcile this. I find that perusing neimanmarcus.com keeps my brain in check. It is a vain endeavor, but the things are so pretty! And, I figure I"m still being good because I don't actually buy any of it.

Okay, as you can see, a snow day means a lot of writing. I think it might also mean curling up in bed for a little while longer and watching some silly morning shows before getting onto some real work. So, stay warm!

Monday, February 12, 2007

Sometimes Happy Tunes are Just Good!

I consider myself pretty much the queen of the guilty pleasure. I think I've seen all of VH1's "I Love The" series, and I may have seen one or more episodes of "Flavor of Love." Foodwise, I have been known to partake in that oh-so-nasty combo of plastic orange cheese and noodles known as Velveeta Shells and Cheese, and the burrito is my all-time favorite food, tied only with a giant sundae from Shake's (specifically--vanilla custard, hot fudge, salted pecans, three cherries on top). And if you heard the rumor that I nearly reduced a Shake's employee to tears just before I moved to the great North, this might also be true. Okay, in truth, there were no tears; there was, however, a free giant chocolate malt on account of their being out of the beloved pecans and my eminent move.

Now that I've set the stage, it should come as no surprise that my love of the guilty pleasure extends to the world of music. I'm guilty of the occasional dance to Culture Club as well as singing along to some Gwen (B-A-N-A-N-A-S, embarrassingly enough). But, lately, I've started to hugely love Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" and Feist's "Mushaboom." Both songs are infinitely infectious and make me almost burst with smiling whenever I hear them. So, I highly recommend giving these songs a go. Listen and Love!

Friday, February 09, 2007

Fashion Friday!

I've decided to take a turn and introduce "Fashion Friday!" to the mixed up files. The thinking behind this introduction is that it'll be fun to think about my favorite thing (fashion, sorry M) on my favorite day (Friday, sorry other days of the week). I may or may not have been influenced to do this during my Friday ritual of watching What Not to Wear.

So, Fashion Fridays will bring you my loves and loathes of fashion. Stay tuned!