Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Zombie




I know I look mean here and in one of my new haircut pictures, but really... it's just those photos... I'm a very happy, jovial zombie... look at the look on the bunny's face... that's the real me.

If I wear a costume next year, it will have to be something happy. It was so hard not to laugh and smile today. In fact, it didn't work. I need to be a clown or a stewardess or something. Something chipper and perky.

My boss wore a "barely there" costume today... just bear paws with her normal business pants suit. It was absolutely hilarious. A one point during a presentation, she reached with both hands (I mean paws) to take a drink and I nearly lost it. It was so funny. Very, very good.

There is something lovely about leaving your identity for a day and trying something new. Both my costumes helped me step outside of myself for awhile and let go. It felt very free and very fun. I've realized that I am quite happy with things right now. There is stress, there is work, and there are untold scary things ahead, but it is also nice to relax into a moment of fun.

More Lessons from Halloween...

If you are a smiley "look on the bright side" kind of person, then dressing as a zombie will prove challenging.

(picture to follow)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

My 15 minutes...

I was on tv this morning. It was very exciting.

I barely slept last night, afraid I would sleep through my 5am alarm. But I didn't and I had fun... doing yoga on tv to promote a new yoga studio and a high-end line of yoga wear.

Hope I get to do more! If any of you was watching Fox in Philadelphia this morning and saw the three yoga segments, let me know how I look on tv!

I'll try to upload a picture of my "work" costume tomorrow... Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Lessons from Halloween:



Try to avoid eye contact while walking down the street dressed as a bunny.

Friday, October 26, 2007

My new gig...

In an effort to fortify my savings account - which over the last year has collected so much interest that it has miraculously moved from $4.35 to $5.03 - I have gotten a part-time job.

The job sounded perfect: only on the weekends, yoga-related, upscale.

My only issue so far is that I already work more than 40 hours per week, so adding 15-20 hours to that makes for one super-long week. I'm pretty much exhausted. I feel badly because my friends are the ones that are suffering. Listening to me complain about how tired I am is not fun, I'm sure.

It's tough, because as of Nov. 2nd, there will be more money in my savings account then there has been since 2003... just from two little weeks of work. I really want to try to tough it out, hoping my body will just get used to it.

In the meantime, I close my eyes whenever I get the chance. So if you see someone standing at an intersection, swaying a little with their eyes closed, it's probably just me - taking a cat nap. No need to worry - I'll snap out of it momentarily and get back to moving.

And for the first time in a long time, I have real things to work towards, so it feels worth it to try. If I don't get what I want, then I can make some long-term changes that will make life more comfortable, but this is a good interim solution. Or at least I hope it is.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Yay! A Debate.

I got this email, from one of my favorite debate partners:

Email Subject: Stephen Hunter is an Idiot
And was an idiot back when he did film reviews for the Baltimore Sun
when we were in college. Alas, his brand of mixed-metaphor writing
("three-hour gym shots" A shot is something small, short and rapid.
Three hours is none of those) has somehow gotten him a page in the Post.
UGH UGH UGH. I could write circles around him on my worst days.

But he does point out where all this objectification has gotten the
average (and he is so very, very average) male: "Show us a woman we
could never have, and whatever you are selling, we will buy it." There's
a bit of intuition, to be sure.

Is there no place in feminism for praise a part (or parts) of a woman
outside of her mind and her accomplishments?
******************************************

Unfortunately, I didn't save my reply, but basically I said that I was not alone in my distaste for this article. Check out Gene Weingarten's chat this week and the deluge of responses from female readers of the Washington Post about this piece.

I must say that I really don't like the word flesh. And this piece was the equivalent of leering. Do I want people to appreciate my body, yes. Do I want them to leer and stalk, no. Is it even better if they respect me and like the way I look, hell yeah.

But this piece wasn't about me. It wasn't about anyone. It was without identity. And that is truly one of my pet peeves: if you hate me, at least hate me personally, not some generic identification of me. It's the reason I hated the movie Traffic. It's the reason I hate this article.

And I can't speak for Feminism. I can only speak for me. (But I do feel better that I am not alone.)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Fleshing it out...

There is an article in the Washington Post today by Stephen Hunter, idiot.

There are few things that raise my feminist hackles faster that pure objectification. Mr. Hunter has taken the art of objectification to a whole other level with this article.

Usually when I read about hunks of flesh in the street, I imagine it will be sensational coverage of the latest atrocity of war, but this time it was the latest installment in the "Woe is me, I'm a aging man... my virility is waning, so I will assault with my power and my words where I used to assault with my ..."

Okay, well maybe I'm getting away from myself here.

But not for a second did I mistake this article for a prosaic attempt to honor the beauty of the female form. This article is about disembodied parts, not women. This is not about flirtation, attraction, or dialogue,it's about some visceral visual reaction that may not come as easily as it used to.

And I'll just leave it at that.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Ah-Choo

I've become completely addicted to the Sneeze.

It's so funny. I especially love the "No, Steve, Don't eat it!" feature. It's hilarious. I wish my blog were funny. Heck, I wish I were funny, but too often my attempts fall flat.

Speaking of sneezes though... the new hair product that I bought from the salon that gave me my fancy new style smells remarkable like one of those earth-shattering sneezes. I'm now afraid that when I walk into a room that a friend or loved one will say, "Um, did you just sneeze?"

Just in case you're dying to try it, here's the product. It does great things to curly hair, but it sure does smell funny:
http://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Surf-Spray-oz/dp/B000141RIE

Friday, October 5, 2007

Ch-Ch-Changes...

I got my hair cut last night.

Massively chopped off... it's awesome.

Pictures to follow after work.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Finiteness

Let me be clear about one thing: African Dance is hard. It has the frenetic energy of Jane Fonda on a venti red-eye with an extra shot, featuring staccato movements to a super-fast drum beat. It has been a truly humbling experience. It takes the title of that TV show, "So you think you can dance?" and adds a hefty dose of attitude - one that has left me hanging my head.

No. I can't dance like that. At least not yet.

I am getting a little better every week, but it will take me YEARS to master this entirely impressive style of dance.

The "years" part has me very aware of the finite nature of my life at this point. I am finally realizing that I must set my priorities and focus my intentions.

I am no longer so buoyed by youthful naivete to think that I can master everything all at once. I cannot master African dance AND refresh my Samba skills AND get better at Salsa AND study for the GREs AND learn swahili AND go to yoga twice a week AND do my art AND get my PH.D AND maintain an active social life AND volunteer AND go hiking every week AND go to the gym three times a week AND end world poverty AND lose 20 pounds AND keep my house clean AND spend time with my loved ones AND travel to exotic locales AND save money for my non-existent kids to go to college.

It's depressing. I know I can do some of those things - some of which I already do quite well, but how do I keep learning new things, trying new things, and perfecting new things, when there is already so much on my plate?

I'm willing to admit that African Dance stresses me out. It is so structured and I struggle to grasp the complexity of making my body move in a new way - and at such a fast pace! I'm almost ready to give up. Even typing that makes me feel bad. I AM NOT A QUITTER!

See? See my internal struggle here? There are so many things to be done. I want to be able to set my priorities in a way that empowers me and gives me more energy for the things I love, but I am also nearly paralyzed by the guilt I feel in letting go of things that are not working.

I need a shot of youthful naivete. Anyone got some just hanging around?

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Harder than expected...

I've just started studying for the GREs, and I've decided that I need some leisure reading that will challenge my vocabulary a bit. Most of the exercises in my prep book are boring as anything, so I need something more interesting to augment my studying. Any suggestions? I need an author that describes the damsel in distress as pulchritudinous instead of beautiful, describes the 3rd child as the antepenultimate, and isn't afraid of a latin word here and there.

I'm also having trouble keeping up my studying, my movie watching, my working out, and this new promise of more pictures. But... I'll keep trying.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Breaking News **

Woman Charged with Multiple Counts of Assault Over "Bad Hair Day"

Philadelphia, PA. Staff Writer

A local woman was arrested mid-day after two bizarre assaults on area businessmen. In the first incident, the woman snuck up behind the man and carefully removed a long ponytail with a pair of office scissors. The man chased after her and when he realized the damage was already done, he called police. "I've been growing that ponytail for years," the man told police.

In the second incident, just a few blocks away, the woman stole a local man's hairpiece, causing several abrasions where it was attached with adhesive. The man declined to comment, but witnesses say the local businessman is regularly harassed about the hairpiece and that applause broke out after the woman snatched it. An anonymous coworker offered,"I feel bad for him, he just wants to look nice, and I don't think he understands how awkward he looks with that thing on his head. She shouldn't have done it though."

The woman was taken to an area hospital for psychiatric evaluation after telling police that she was attempting to help alleviate a "trans-galactic bad hair day." The woman also explained that while she remained "...powerless over my own hair, I have been given special powers that allow me to identify and help those in need."

**um, not really, I did see these two men and imagine being arrested for tampering with their hair issues. And I am having a bad hair day... but besides that, this is totally fake.

I like to imagine this is Starbucks


nataliedee.com

Monday, October 1, 2007

Picture this...

I am going to make a concerted effort to start taking more pictures.

For example, how can I describe the madness of the Phillies freakout yesterday without a picture of the fans at City Hall?

How can I describe the woman with the shortest tennis skirt ever, if I don't document it?

How can I keep you all interested and intrigued by my boring life, if you can only imagine it? Wouldn't you rather see it?

I'm gonna work on it. You'll see. Maybe even tomorrow, there might be photos. Especially if I can get my wireless to actually work at home.

In the meantime, for old time's sake, instead of a photo of how lovely a day it is here in Philadelphia, let me offer this poem:

Children laughing
People passing
Sun is shining
Workers dining

Cell phones ringing
Homeless singing
Traffic stalling
Drivers galling

Couples dreaming
Phillies streaming
Leaves are falling
Lunch is calling