Myspace profile pics and self-esteem...woo hoo!.

I guess if I had to "classify" it, it would be called a pet peeve: I hate when people put up high school pics on their Myspace profiles [despite being WAY past high school age]. Then, you click onto their other profile pics and see "current" pictures of them, in which they resemble the earth's Oompa Loompa's of 2006... It's not even that it's "false advertising;" if it is your profile, you can do whatever you want. I just almost see it as being ashamed of yourself... especially if the high school pic is not simply nostalgic but is also a skinnier version of your current self.

I find entertainment in looking at people's pics on Myspace...not in a creepy way...just natural curiosity. I also like reading the obituaries, wedding announcements, and arrests/thefts/etc listings in the paper. Natural curiosity... and yes, I slow down when I see an accident on the highway. Simultaneously, I am cursing at all of the other drivers on the road, "Come on, what, you've never seen a fucking accident before...Move along, move along."

Yes...Myspace lurking is fun....

Been reading a book called Generation Me... basically about the kids born from 1980-current...also called iGeneration, Generation Y [lame!], or Generation Entitlement. The book points out how high self-esteem programs have actually been a disadvantage for our kids... now everyone feels great about themselves, in every aspect...not realizing/appreciating that you can be horrible at one thing but excel in other areas...nope, you're just wonderful no matter what. The book also mentions how kids feel like everything should just be given to them [even if they don't work for it]; that's what Generation Me is used to....



The terms iGeneration and Generation Me make me think of Myspace.... I mean, your profile is like an advertisement of yourself...and of course, you have all sorts of fun pictures up and pictures of hobbies that YOU are into... what strikes me as odd is when all people have on their profile is "posed" pictures of themselves... is this egocentric, "high self esteem," or narcissism? I HATE pictures of me by myself... I like people [or cats!] in pictures with me....

The best image in the book is a color-by-# poster that has the words "YOU ARE SPECIAL" in the center. There are directions for which colors to use for which letters/spaces. Below the poster, the author has the caption of: "Remember, everyone is special. Maybe if you color the whole poster you can catch the irony."


:-P

Slutty Halloween Costumes...

1st choice costume: Renaissance outfit, with the whole corset/bodice thing going on...
Decision: will wait until next year's Ren-Faire and will seek out a "real" Ren-ish outfit, not some lame Party City imitation

2nd choice costume: Pirate
Commentary: I know that being a pirate is probably so trendy now, with the Pirates of Carribbean movies and all. I don't even like those movies; I fell asleep during the first one. All my life, I've had cheesy Halloween costumes. I was always "something" that could be easily concocted: baby, cheerleader, cowgirl, hula girl, clown, etc. I don't think I have ever really felt the full essence of Halloween. Even though the pirate idea is kind of trendy, I think it will be fun... pirate outfit, cheesy hat, sword, boots, possibly fishnet stockings....
Decision: to be decided... Are there any non-slutty costumes out there?

Seriously! All of the Halloween costumes I've seen are so trampy. i know women's costumes tend to be "sexy," but some things I've seen are just ridiculous. Slutty seems to be the new norm. One website featured a "new for 2006!" costume: Red Light Rita. Who's going to be a prostitute for Halloween? Anything that can turned into a trampy costume will be turned into a trampy costume. I looked online for pirate outfits... they've managed to create pirate-slut outfits. I found one costume that was cute and semi-sexy; it was plus size. So is the idea that if you're in good shape, you can dress as the slutty pirate, but if you're overweight, you better cover yourself up?

They even had a "naughty librarian" outfit. I guess costumes like that would be cool if you created them yourself, but the fact that you can buy any costume...that's kind of annoying too...

The adult costumes bug me but, hey, adults can make a choice whether to go the salacious route.

What really bugs me is that they make sexy versions of these costumes for teens [when I think of teens, I think anywhere from age 13-18....]. I find it so disturbing. This one website [www.buycostumes.com] annoyed me. They had a teen costumes section with costumes like [let me preface the costumes with "slutty"]: Little Bo Peep, "Hottie Totties" Little Red Riding Hood, Red Hot Witch Queen [basically a SHORT red dress and red withc hat], etc. I know that there's a huge difference between a 13 year old and an 18 year old, but still. I worry about the kind of thing we're promoting...

So on I go...the search continues... for a "semi" sexy, non-slutty pirate outfit....

Duh...

I can't stand the tv news or internet news. Newspaper news seems to leave out the dumb common sense health stories- if they have them at all, they partition a small square corner of a page to include such findings. So many news "features" result in me sighing, "Duh."

Examples from today:

Online there was an article regarding health tips on how medications can react badly with alcohol. Who doesnt know that? I mean, most people who socially drink will drink despite being told not to because of prescription mixtures, but that's their problem. They've been informed. How they use the information is up to them.

Even more duh-worthy was a tv news/internet news feature on how having kids involved in too many activities may stress them out and harm them in the long run.

CHICAGO — Here's some soothing medicine for stressed-out parents and overscheduled kids: The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime.

Many parents load their children's schedules with get-smart videos, enrichment activities and lots of classes in a drive to help them excel. The efforts often begin as early as infancy.
Spontaneous, free play — whether it's chasing butterflies, playing with "true toys" like blocks and dolls, or just romping on the floor with mom and dad — often is sacrificed in the shuffle, a new academy report says. ... [blah blah blah]

I never understood the need to have one's kids involved in tons of activities. Well, I kind of understand the schedule-them-in-everything mentality: 1] parents almost feel this "need," maybe it's due to competitiveness, to have their children involved in tons of activities... it almost validates them as parents, that they're doing a good job ; 2] some parents want to give their children the opportunities that they never had; and 3] some parents want to turn their kids into what they never got a chance to become.

When I was a kid, I did softball in the spring. During the schoolyear, I was in band and on safety patrol [Choruses sing "Dork!;" I know]. As the years went on, I got involved with clubs at school. But I would never say that my schedule was packed- only during sports seasons. Even then, I'd get home at 6 and have time for homework and for myself. I don't understand the need to rush kids from place to place; it ends up stressing parents too...since Mom and Dad are usually the drivers from place A to place B.

We're fatter than ever. We're tired than ever. We're out of touch more than ever.

Calm down, America.

Nature! Goulet!!

I never liked Will Ferrell's Robert Goulet skit but... I've recently come to appreciate it:
"Staring contest, me and you. You win, you always do." So funny. And I found out the other day that Robert Goulet really exists...thus making the skit even more funny.

I love this type of weather. The air is chilly and most conventional people are already wearing their "fall jackets."I don't own a fall jacket. It's either a wool peacoat or nothing. I like feeling the cold air hit my body; it wakes me up in the morning. Sometimes, even during the winter months, I drive with my driver's side window down. I sing out the window; sometimes I can see my breath fade into the distance, as I drive on.

I always get annoyed when I see people driving with their windows up, despite a beautiful day of weather. I just don't understand why they wouldn't want to feel a cool breeze as they drive. This annoyance sometimes turns into true pissed-off-ed-ness. I know that's kind of crazy... I don't get it though. Unless it's 95 degrees out with 100% humidity, why not drive with the windows down?

The leaves are starting to change color and this is the season where I get to run the gamut with color adjectives: vermillion, mustard, mahogany, burgundy, crimson, ...

80s diversions

I have a book review essay to write... it's due Wednesday. I "should" [if I was standing in front of you, I'd be using the finger quotation marks too!] take my time and completely work on the review during this weekend, thus making next week less stressful.

Friday, we're going to see Frankie Goes to Englewood play at a local bar. Worst name ever for a band? Close to it. I plan on wearing as many earrings as I can -- kind of an 80s look, I guess. Remember Jane Child with the nose-to-ear jewelry?


I've already re-pierced my 2nd earhole; it wasn't too difficult. I must have pliable flesh. Lovely.

I also plan on sporting my jeans which feature the authentic hole-in-the-knee. I was slightly intoxicated at a concert and fell on concrete, on my knees. I least my jeans look cooler now...

Saturday is lovey-dovey day. John and I have vowed to no longer have Qdoba, Moe's, or Baja Fresh for mid-afternoon lunches. The huge meals incapacitate us for the rest of the day: we lie around like beached whales or manatees.

Sunday we might go to Great Adventure. FrightFest is cheesy but I get scared so easily. John enjoys hearing me shriek when some ridiculously dressed "monster" jumps out from behind a random haystack.

I like how things have been lately, in terms of "getting out" and being social. Damn- it only took 26 years for me to act like a normal human and go out and have fun. These times are much better than years ago...I'd come home from work on a Friday afternoon, have chicken soup and tons of bread [carbs= happiness? I don't know- but it seemed to be my theory at the time], and go to sleep at 9:00...

Onward and upward, with the low-carb life diet.

academic readings....

Have the day off from work because of Yom Kippur...am using the holiest day of the Jewish year [information courtesy of wikipedia... what would I do without that site?] I am at the public library, reading for my grad class. Just read for 2 straight hours... it feels like much longer. I feel like I have been here for a myriad of hours....Myriad is a word that I see often in academic readings...It's like the writer even bored himself with his 500 line paragraph, so he decided to pop "myriad" into a random sentence.

I don't "get" academic readings; it's like there's a contest to create the most indecipherable language. Just because something is said in a simpler way does not make it "stupid."

I'm stopping with the reading for today... at this pace, I should finish reading my assigned books by....never.

The boredom of the academic readings has motivated me to go home, do some laundry, and listen to the swish of the washer machine.