I don't know if it is the BEST $4.99 that I have ever spent but for this weekend, it comes close. Victoria's Secret is still having remnants of their semi-annual sale. How can stuff still cost 15 bucks or more when it is 75% off, I have no idea. Spice Girls' Greatest Hits CD was "exclusively" released by Victoria's Secret...and was in their clearance bin for under 5 bucks. I had to indulge. "Greatest Hits" is a bit of a misnomer...tons of bands have greatest hits albums when they only had 2 or 3 "real" top hits. This one has "Wannabe," "Spice Up Your Life," and one of my faves: "2 Become 1," spelled just like that too. It's a hilarious attempt at a sexy and romantic song.
The Spice Girls are a conundrum. When they came out, it was also about "Girl Power," but I also think they were about society's acceptance of having semi-trashy women as girls' role models. "Wannabe" in itself, if you read the lyrics "deeply, [which I am sure is NOT the intention] almost seems like it's about some big girl-on-girl orgy. Weird. It's funny that they're the Spice Girls because the Spice Channel is a pay-per-view channel featuring pornography... Also, the Spice Girls were kind of trampy...well...mainly Ginger Spice...but still, it was enough trampiness for the 5 of the girls.
I just think it is weird how we have these female singers who are so sexual and have sexually suggestive lyrics, yet somehow they become role models for little girls.
Don't even get me started with Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus...that girl is so artificially made up. Looking @ her is like looking at one of those statues in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Annoyed
So---it's the end of the marking period. Grades are due and as I grade homework, quizzes, and projects and am in a frenzy, I think, "What's the point of this?" It all just gets annoying. I like to believe in effort and improvement (although not that much---am a true pessimist), but this is what happens: the kids who get A's always get A's and the kids who do shit work end the marking period with D's or F's....or with, god forbid, C's. It pisses me off how a C is considered "unsatisfactory" by so many students and their parents.
Truth of the matter is we're all not little geniuses. Most of us fall in the middle, are "average." How is it that most of us are average but if you looked at school records where I work, a VAST majority of kids are getting mostly A's and B's?
Work has been so annoying lately. I'm there later than everyone else and wonder, "What am I doing wrong?" The special ed teachers, one specifically, piss me off. We have this one teacher who just has no sense of planning or creativity with his lesson plans....none whatsoever. And he just coasts along. He has small classes of 3 or 4 students----this guy won't get fired or anything... he somehow managed to get tenure and now will be at our school for awhile. It pisses me off.
Am maybe going to get all New Agey and start writing daily affirmations...or reading them. Today, after a shitty day at work, I wrote to myself: Don't let people control you---control yourself.
We'll see.
Truth of the matter is we're all not little geniuses. Most of us fall in the middle, are "average." How is it that most of us are average but if you looked at school records where I work, a VAST majority of kids are getting mostly A's and B's?
Work has been so annoying lately. I'm there later than everyone else and wonder, "What am I doing wrong?" The special ed teachers, one specifically, piss me off. We have this one teacher who just has no sense of planning or creativity with his lesson plans....none whatsoever. And he just coasts along. He has small classes of 3 or 4 students----this guy won't get fired or anything... he somehow managed to get tenure and now will be at our school for awhile. It pisses me off.
Am maybe going to get all New Agey and start writing daily affirmations...or reading them. Today, after a shitty day at work, I wrote to myself: Don't let people control you---control yourself.
We'll see.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
One Perfect Day
Read a book over the summer--- One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding, by Rebecca Mead. The book basically talked about bridezilla culture and how it almost is unavoidable. It contrasted wedding from years ago to weddings of today; some time was spent discussing the "almighty" bridal expo shows that are put on and make planning a wedding seem like THE most important and ONLY thing one should be focusing on for a year+.
We put the initial deposit down for the ceremony/reception place. While talking to an employee, we were offered extra such as raw seafood bar and extra dessert table/chocolate fountain. I don't think any of those things are necesary. In regard to the chocolate fountain/ dessert spread, John's mom said, "But I havent been to a wedding where I haven't seen one of those."
And I guess that is what has fueled this bridal culture--the idea that you don't want to be "the one" who didn't have something at her wedding that countless others have had at theirs.
My friend Valerie is also getting married and has booked the Madison Hotel. Was looking at their website and thinking of how beautiful that place is for a wedding. I feel like I am slowly being sucked into the bridal culture. Like..I LOVE where we are getting married, but I quickly see myself comparing it to where my friend will get married.
In the end, the place, dessert options, chair covers, etc should not matter. It's the people who really make the event special.
I have to just keep that idea in my head continuously. Maybe I could even be ultra philosophical and keep one of Hamlet's most well-known mantras in my mind too: "To thine own self be true."
We put the initial deposit down for the ceremony/reception place. While talking to an employee, we were offered extra such as raw seafood bar and extra dessert table/chocolate fountain. I don't think any of those things are necesary. In regard to the chocolate fountain/ dessert spread, John's mom said, "But I havent been to a wedding where I haven't seen one of those."
And I guess that is what has fueled this bridal culture--the idea that you don't want to be "the one" who didn't have something at her wedding that countless others have had at theirs.
My friend Valerie is also getting married and has booked the Madison Hotel. Was looking at their website and thinking of how beautiful that place is for a wedding. I feel like I am slowly being sucked into the bridal culture. Like..I LOVE where we are getting married, but I quickly see myself comparing it to where my friend will get married.
In the end, the place, dessert options, chair covers, etc should not matter. It's the people who really make the event special.
I have to just keep that idea in my head continuously. Maybe I could even be ultra philosophical and keep one of Hamlet's most well-known mantras in my mind too: "To thine own self be true."
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Honeydew and apple red
Wow--haven't blogged in over a month. Feels odd. But at least I don't feel compelled to do an entry on New Year's resolutions or how refreshing it is that a new year has arrived. It'd be a little unseasonal, being that it is January 16th.
Nights are terribly annoying. I can't get to sleep at a "decent hour." 11:45 is usually when I wind up getting into bed. Am usually asleep around 12. I wake up and feel like this machine that just has to keep moving, otherwise I will stop dead in my tracks. It's not something that is that bad---it's really annoying though.
So...John proposed. Friends have asked, "Oooh what is the story? Tell me exactly how he did it." I feel like tying up a transcript and distributing copies of it. The best part of the story that I feel is necessary to say is that I had no idea he was going to propose. I didn't help him pick out a ring or anything either and he did an amazing job. He didn't know my ring size so he told the lady at the jeweler's, "She is 5'5", about 150 pounds, and has big feet." Priceless. The lady apparently was "large" and John went with a ring size that fit her---it didnt fit me. We had a whole debacle of me wearing the ring on my pinkie finger until it got resized.
Wedding details are drifting into place. Everyone acts like it is crazy hard to plan one but I think it is only as complicated as you make it. Am quickly realizing how much everything costs though. According to one website I saw, on average, couples will spend $38,300 for their wedding in New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island NY, NJ, PA. That's crazy. This state is ridiculous. John and I have "good jobs" and can't afford a house...not even in a shitty area. That's scary. And the wedding...I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible. It's hard though.
John's mom and sister are "on board" to help me plan. Last night we sifted through 6 or 7 bridal magazines. I got bored after about 15 minutes. They proceeded looking and pointing things out.
Thus far--- wedding on October 24 of this year. Can't wait to incorporate leaf-inspired invitations, favors, etc. John is obsessed with red and I am obsessed with green. Neither of us is budging on our color preferences. John's mom and sister seem to have found some common ground for us in the shades of honeydew and "deep" apple red. I love how color names are so vivid...and often food-related. Favorite one: Crayola's Macaroni and Cheese.
Nights are terribly annoying. I can't get to sleep at a "decent hour." 11:45 is usually when I wind up getting into bed. Am usually asleep around 12. I wake up and feel like this machine that just has to keep moving, otherwise I will stop dead in my tracks. It's not something that is that bad---it's really annoying though.
So...John proposed. Friends have asked, "Oooh what is the story? Tell me exactly how he did it." I feel like tying up a transcript and distributing copies of it. The best part of the story that I feel is necessary to say is that I had no idea he was going to propose. I didn't help him pick out a ring or anything either and he did an amazing job. He didn't know my ring size so he told the lady at the jeweler's, "She is 5'5", about 150 pounds, and has big feet." Priceless. The lady apparently was "large" and John went with a ring size that fit her---it didnt fit me. We had a whole debacle of me wearing the ring on my pinkie finger until it got resized.
Wedding details are drifting into place. Everyone acts like it is crazy hard to plan one but I think it is only as complicated as you make it. Am quickly realizing how much everything costs though. According to one website I saw, on average, couples will spend $38,300 for their wedding in New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island NY, NJ, PA. That's crazy. This state is ridiculous. John and I have "good jobs" and can't afford a house...not even in a shitty area. That's scary. And the wedding...I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible. It's hard though.
John's mom and sister are "on board" to help me plan. Last night we sifted through 6 or 7 bridal magazines. I got bored after about 15 minutes. They proceeded looking and pointing things out.
Thus far--- wedding on October 24 of this year. Can't wait to incorporate leaf-inspired invitations, favors, etc. John is obsessed with red and I am obsessed with green. Neither of us is budging on our color preferences. John's mom and sister seem to have found some common ground for us in the shades of honeydew and "deep" apple red. I love how color names are so vivid...and often food-related. Favorite one: Crayola's Macaroni and Cheese.
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