Research assignment

I've been reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Wolf, and it has made me consider a different kind of writing assignment for English 102. Wolf starts out with the subject of "women and fiction" and develops a thesis arguing that women require money and privacy in order to write/create. In her discussion of her research and what led her to this conclusion, she describes in great detail the discovery process. She speaks about her play-by-play reactions to what men have written about women (since the subject of women seems to have been a favorite of men at this time). She talks of the anger she felt when reading one gentleman's discussion of the mental, physical, and emotional inferiority of women. She describes her experience sitting, watching a male colleague take meticulous notes on some scientific enterprise, while she has trouble reading her own scattered notes. And she describes the visual she conjures of this nasty, prejudiced, misogynistic professor who writes about the subject of women.

I haven't had much luck with annotated bibliographies in my research classes. Many times, it's difficult for students to grasp the concept of summary/paraphrase and doing the work necessary to write a cohesive annotated bib. Maybe, instead of entry-by-entry annotations, I could have students write a narrative of their research. They could describe, like Wolf, the ups and downs of their research and their frustration and anger towards their subject, the authors they are researching, or even me as the professor assigning this project. As long as it was anchored in research and it showed how they thought through the problem to arrive at a research question and then a thesis. Anyway, something to think about...

If only...

this archivist had found Eliza Gurney's letter that was supposedly in Lincoln's pocket at the time of his death. Wishful thinking on my part (related to my grad school project), but either way, it's encouraging that such a pivotal primary document related to the Civil War was discovered at all. The letter's contents highlight this period after Gettysburg as a turning point in the war, which Lincoln recognized and tried to convey to his generals. And yet, although less than 20 miles away, Lee and the rebels slipped through the union army's fingers, and 2 more years of bloodshed followed. As one of the articles suggested, at least this proves that history is still 'dynamic.'

Some think that since we already knew of the information in this document through other sources, that the discovery of this document is secondary. I can see how historians might think otherwise. Sometimes, it's nice to have documentary/visual proof even if it's of what you already knew.

McJob?

Do I have a McJob? The current definition according to the OED is "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector." While this could apply to many temporary positions as well as burger-flinging positions, I guess I am disqualified because I am not necessarily working in the service sector. The rest of the definition pretty much applies.

McDonald's quest to get the term "McJob" erased from the dictionary demonstrates its continued arrogance. If a word is taken out of the dictionary, does it mean that it won't be used? Won't it simply find a new home in a slang dictionary if the OED bends to McDonald's wishes? Even simply changing the nuances of the definition wouldn't do much to change the way people understand the word. Everyone knows that a McJob is a job that goes nowhere and pays very little. If only McDonald's spent its time and money on more beneficial enterprises - like actually changing the conditions of the job so that the word and its definition are no longer accurate. Wouldn't it be nice to see the definition of McJob become "a well-paid union job in the fast food service sector that guarantees pay at least 20% above minimum wage with employee benefits including health care plans and opportunities for career advancement and continuing education." Unlikely.

"Time Wasted, Perhaps It's Well Spent"

Even though all I do at work is waste time (since I have next to nothing to do), this article might be interesting for people who actually have some productive tasks to do during the day:

Slumber

This is just one of the great pictures published on slate.com of people in various stages of sleep.

CAMPANIA, Italy—1960.
© Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

"Adam and Eve in the Land of Dinosaurs"

The creation museum opens on the 28th, and this article in the New York Times gives a look into what exactly a creation museum is and does. With exhibits designed by the guy who did the Jaws exhibit at Universal Studios, there is no doubt that the creation museum offers multiple sights and spectacles for visitors to behold. But what kind of sights and for what rhetorical purposes? Aren't they preaching to the choir, here? Will skeptical visitors come to the museum and be persuaded of the museum's message of creationism over evolution? What is the purpose of such a museum? To persuade non-believers? To strengthen and legitimize existing beliefs? Museums are tools of persuasion, but science, technology, and history usually lie at the foundation of the stories they tell through their exhibits. But we are fooling ourselves if we don't acknowledge the way museums 'fill the gaps' in scientific and historical knowledge, developing narratives in order to make exhibits more visually appealing, persuasive, and memorable to visitors. Maybe we should admire the creation museum for its unabashed attempt to mix biblical legends and "truths" with science and ethics.

As the author says: The Creation Museum offers an alternate world that has its fascinations, even for a skeptic wary of the effect of so many unanswered assertions. He leaves feeling a bit like Adam emerging from Eden, all the world before him, freshly amazed at its strangeness and extravagant peculiarities.

And, of course, it's in Kentucky.

Go Carter, it's your birthday...

'White House Says Carter Criticism of Bush is Sad'

Could modern medicine have saved Lincoln?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR2007052000873.html

This article from the Post describes what the doctors did for Lincoln in the 19th century and how treatment would be similar/different today. As the author points out, the doctors attending to Lincoln followed many of the same protocols as modern EMTs and doctors. And the author poses the question, how would our world have been different if Lincoln had lived? Even if Lincoln had lived with decreased motor function and a drastically decreased ability to communicate, inevitably his survival would have changed a great deal about the course that history has taken since the Civil War.

Michelle Obama's struggle with "opting-out"

"Michelle Obama's Sacrifice" http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/05/21/michelle_obama/index.html

This is an interesting article from Salon about Michelle Obama's decision to, for all intents and purposes, quit her high-powered job to be on the campaign trail. Although I disagree with the way the author reads into various comments by Michelle Obama (the author seems comfortable with putting words/thoughts/actions in Michelle Obama's mouth), the author poses interesting questions about the developing role of the wife on the campaign trail and the role of the first lady. I hope that Michelle Obama defines her own role and finds ways to put all of her talents to good use.

The issue (and Maureen Dowd's column about Michelle Obama) is discussed more on these blogs:

http://thelastplantation.com/search.aspx?q=maureen%20dowd

http://thehnic.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/the-white-lady-just-doesn’t-get-it-a-response-to-maureen-dowds-critique-of-michelle-obama/#more-72

Opt-in

To follow up on the articles I posted about women "opting out" of the workplace, here's an article about how companies are beginning to change their policies about mothers returning to the workplace. A step in the right direction, but just a small step as the author notes.

"After Baby, Boss Comes Calling" by Lisa Belkin

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/fashion/17work.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=b2cd8ac16c107463&ex=1179633600

narcissism anyone?

"My greatest competition is, well, me... I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now." -- R. Kelly

Amy Winehouse - Rehab

I've been listening to this album over and over. I stole it from Mike who has yet to listen to it. She is kind of a mess in terms of her personal life and such, but I love her songs.

Clavicle?

What's a clavicle? If you know and you are obsessing over it, then you are apparently at the forefront of fashion's latest trend. Yes, the clavicle is the latest body part that the fashion world has decided women should start obsessing over. What kind of clavicle do you want? Well, definitely not a chubby one (is there such a thing?). Your clavicle should be pronounced with a nicely defined breastbone beneath it (read: you can count the ribs). How do you exercise a clavicle? Beats me. It looks like the only way to get one is to reduce your calorie intake. So, it's not enough to have a perfect body from the chest down; now women must also obsess about the upper chest/neck area. While it is nice that women's fashion is no longer pushing women to "bare it all," I find the obsession with the clavicle further proof of the fashion industry's hypocrisy. Yes, there have been fashion forums with distinguished panelists including Donna Karan and others talking about how models have gotten way too "skinny" and what fashion should do to remedy the problem. Apparently, the remedy is to find a new body part for women to obsess over. So now they are emphasizing a body part that is almost impossible to change unless you are underweight or naturally blessed with a "beautiful clavicle."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/fashion/10clavicle.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The New Modern Woman, Ambitious and Feeble

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/05/arts/television/05grey.html?ex=1179028800&en=bdc5ad51ee23d031&ei=5070&emc=eta1

My Mom sent me this article review of the latest 2-hour episode of Grey's Anatomy. TV actresses, like their movie star counterparts, should start complaining about a lack of strong female leads. Although I admit to enjoying Grey's, I can't help but wonder why anyone would want to be with some of these women. They can't make up their minds, they complain constantly, and they seem to be highly susceptible to any and every hint of testosterone that crosses their paths. Why not let Addison remain a witch and see what happens? Why does her character have to become more ditzy and "vulnerable" (read - psychotic) to be likeable? It's a disturbing trend, but I don't imagine that it will change any time soon.

Naked man leads police on 40 minute chase

40 minutes? Thankfully, I don't have any pictures to accompany this article.

And to think that I just saw the naked-girlfriend Seinfeld episode yesterday :)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KY_NAKED_POLICE_CHASE_KYOL-?SITE=KYLOU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

On payday, it's still a man's world

These statistics are worse than I imagined. And what kills me is that even though there is no reason coming out of college for women to earn less, they still do (even though they outperform men in the college setting).

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/23/news/economy/gender_gap/index.htm?cnn=yes

Green Grass, Running Water

This week I finished reading Green Grass, Running Water, a novel by Thomas King. I've never read anything quite like this book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in magic realism or native american folklore/texts. King's ability to weave together multiple storylines, both real and surreal, is really amazing.

While writing this I feel like that old spot on Reading Rainbow where the kids hold up their favorite book and give a short report on it. But it's true, take a look, it's in a book :)

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Grass-Running-Water-Thomas/dp/0553373684/ref=cm_syf_dtl_pl_6_rsrsrs0/002-3175872-8708052/002-3175872-8708052

The Cho Show

Here's a good article from Slate about the controversy surrounding the airing of the Cho tapes:

http://www.slate.com/id/2164717/nav/tap1/

no words

When I was watching the coverage of the VA Tech shootings yesterday, I was struck by how difficult it was for newscasters to convey the "seriousness" of these shootings. Inevitably, their descriptions ended up sounding almost trite and cliched (although I know this was not their intention). Shooting, Massacre, Slaughter, Carnage, Mayhem, Havoc, Chaos, Violence. These words do very little to describe the indescribable violence of this event. The newscasters then tried to put the event into context, first labeling it as "one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history" and then, as the number of dead began to rise, "the deadliest massacre in modern U.S. history." Comparisons were made to Columbine and the Luby's Cafeteria shooting in 1991. CNN showed the student cell phone video over and over again. And the newscasters struggled for words. I was almost glad to see them struggling to find the right words; it means that an event like this does not happen often, and when it does, we still have difficulty processing and understanding what has happened.

Here's a link to Slate.com's daily news roundup, which links to many of the major news stories on the events: http://www.slate.com/id/2164357/fr/flyout

And here's an article about how students have turned to the online community to comfort each other: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-web17apr17,1,3926754,full.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage

The Thirteenth Tale

I just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. If you devoured Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, then you would love this book. It's sort of a gothic novel within a novel, told by a popular novelist to her gothic-novel-loving biographer. Definitely entertaining. Apparently, Setterfield made a huge splash in the UK when she sold the book for 800,000 pounds. And then it sold for a million in the US. She was discovered in a writing class. Go figure. Perhaps there's hope for all of those creative writers out there.

Here's the official website: http://www.thethirteenthtale.com/

And a link to the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thirteenth-Tale-Novel-Diane-Setterfield/dp/0743298020/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8200658-9479132?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176386939&sr=8-1

Salon.com: "Memo to Bill O'Reilly: More immigrants equals less crime"

http://salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/10/geraldo/

This article addresses the recent screaming match between Rivera and O'Reilly over immigration and crime. Although I am posting this mainly for my Mom (Hi, Mom!), I think that the interview debunks some pretty commonly held myths about immigrants and crime. The article ruffled a few feathers (see the last page), but it probably won't reach many of the people it is aiming to persuade. People just love to blame everything that goes wrong in their lives and in their neighborhoods on "the Mexicans," and one article probably isn't going to change their minds. Just another case of how perception (and prejudice based on perception) differs from reality.

Women in the workplace: the opt-out myth

"The Opt-Out Myth" by E.J. Graff (Columbia Journalism Review): This is one of the first articles that I have read that considers all sides of this debate and, most importantly, uncovers the media's biased reporting of the women in the workplace issue. Definitely worth a read: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2007/2/Graff.asp

Here's an excerpt: By offering a steady diet of common myths and ignoring the relevant facts, newspapers have helped maintain the cultural temperature for what Williams calls “the most family-hostile public policy in the Western world.” On a variety of basic policies—including parental leave, family sick leave, early childhood education, national childcare standards, afterschool programs, and health care that’s not tied to a single all-consuming job—the U.S. lags behind almost every developed nation. How far behind? Out of 168 countries surveyed by Jody Heymann, who teaches at both the Harvard School of Public Health and McGill University, the U.S. is one of only five without mandatory paid maternity leave—along with Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland. And any parent could tell you that it makes no sense to keep running schools on nineteenth century agricultural schedules, taking kids in at 7 a.m. and letting them out at 3 p.m. to milk the cows, when their parents now work until 5 or 6 p.m. Why can’t twenty-first century school schedules match the twenty-first century workday?

The article was referenced in this article on Salon about the book The Feminine Mistake, which the article author describes as "another book telling women they are doing something wrong."

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2007/04/03/feminine_mistake/index.html

"Amazing Girls"

Here's a link to a New York Times article about the pressure on teenage girls to achieve perfection or some version of it so that they can get into a good college, have a good career, make good money, and have a good family. Of course, you can't have all of the things that go with a successful life (money, career, family) unless you get into one of the best colleges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/us/01girls.html?ex=1176523200&en=79cd42f1c3cffa70&ei=5070

The pressure that these girls are under is enormous, and I don't know who is more to blame for the pressure - the girls or their parents (or society?). There is something deeply disturbing about this article, probably having to do with the contradiction between the girls' intense focus on NOT conforming to societal pressure to be materialistic, thin, and cookie-cutter beautiful and the comprises they make (i.e. buying $250 jeans and saying that being "effortlessly hot" is probably prized over everything else).

This, coupled with the most emailed article in The New York Times "A Great Year for Ivy League Schools, but Not So Good for Applicants to Them," makes me so thankful that I went to college when the application process wasn't so insanely competetive. Then again, applying to grad school has been pretty competetive... Which makes me wonder how the bar will continue to be raised as these kids finish undergrad and move on to grad school. Scary. Somebody stop them!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/education/04colleges.html?em&ex=1176004800&en=1f0bd7218ce4c9f6&ei=5087%0A

Horoscope

My horoscope today (I'm a Leo):

When you're shown the secret of a happy life, it looks suspiciously like an old dying tree. Look past the appearances, and keep going for the gold (The Courier-Journal).

What the &*$% (heck)? Is my horoscope telling me that money is everything? That life is crap? That I should become an Olympian? That even old trees will one day bloom? That it's what's on the inside that counts? That youth isn't everything?

I have no idea, but the astrologers manage to be totally vague as usual.

Richards: "Snorting My Dad Was a Joke"

Ha Ha

Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards insists he never snorted his father's ashes - his recent comments were made in "jest." The Gimme Shelter guitarist can't believe people took him seriously after he told British music magazine Nme he once snorted his dad Bert's ashes mixed with cocaine. He said, "He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared. It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive." However, Richard's manager Jane Rose tells MTV.com that the hellraiser's comments were "said in jest. Can't believe anyone took (it) seriously."

From IMDB News: http://imdb.com/news/wenn/2007-04-05/

Jazz Mystery

I learned about the following rare and recently recovered jazz recording in a book I am reading by Michael Connelly, Echo Park. http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10459

Apparently, in January of 2005, jazz archivist Larry Applebaum was digitally transferring the Library of Congress' Voice of America collection when he found some tapes marked “sp. Event 11/29/57 carnegie jazz concert (#1),” with one of the tapes barring the sole marking “T. Monk.” He listened to the tapes and recognized them as a rare, and previously completely unknown, recording of the collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk at a concert in Carnegie Hall.

The story of the jazz tapes and Applebaum's opportune discovery of them plays into the background of Connelly's crime mystery in interesting ways (one of the reasons I like Connelly; he always gives you a little more than you expected from a detective novel). The above link from Blue Note records describes the discovery of the tapes and allows you to listen to a couple tracks from the recordings. The story behind the tapes' discovery adds to the mystique behind these recordings. I'm not a huge jazz listener, but I enjoyed listening to these tracks.

Richards: "I Snorted My Dad"

Rolling Stones star Keith Richards has stunned fans by revealing he once snorted his father's ashes, mixed with cocaine. The 63-year-old guitarist, who has long been associated with all manner of substance abuse, has told Britain's Nme his most bizarre drug-taking session came after his father Bert died in 2002. He says, "He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared. It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive." Richards accepts he should be one of rock's casualties - but luck and an amazing constitution has kept him alive. He adds, "I've no pretensions about immortality. I'm the same as everyone... just kind of lucky. I was number one on the 'Who's likely to die' list for 10 years. I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list."

From IMDB News: http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2007-04-04/

7th Heaven, We hardly knew ye...

"7th Heaven's Last Season" (CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/03/television.heaven.reut/index.html

Ah, how I will miss those crazy Camdens and their constantly-rotating cast of moochers. How fondly I will reminisce about the semi-retarded twin brothers, the practically perfect in every way, except the Godly way, Lucy Camden. And her hot husband who can't act. Not to forget the rest of the cast who can't act (which includes almost everyone). I always kind of wanted to write an episode for the show. Too late, I guess. Maybe someday there will be a reunion. Mary will participate by phone, of course.

Simpsons Quote

From the TV Gal Column:
"And then I had this dream that my whole family was just cartoon characters and that our success had led to some crazy propaganda network called Fox News." Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons." Thanks to Josh for the quote.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-tvgal-031207-badbehavior,0,7152740.story

One of the most disturbing pictures I've seen of the war so far:

This picture accompanied a story on CNN that cited last week's Tal Afar truck bombing as the deadliest of the war so far.

For some reason, the picture really struck me. Maybe it's the men perched on the side of a truck full of bodies. Or maybe it's the contrast between their morbid mission and the colorful rainbow of material covering the bodies. Even though there's no blood apparent in the picture, it's one of the saddest I've seen of the war.

This kind of puts my droning about office monotony in perspective.

CNN Story: (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/02/iraq.main/index.html).

Would you like some cheese with that w(hine)?

Why is moving so bone-crunchingly tiring?

And why is labeling and data entry so boring?

Yes, I know the answers to both, but I just needed to vent.

Happy Monday :)

This guy wants to be your next governor.

This guy is crazy. He's a good ol' boy that no one likes, who doesn't give a crap that no one likes him because he just wants to be known for being crazy (but no one knows his name).

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/NEWS01/703281206

Let's Go, Hoyas!

Thanks to Melissa for the link to this report on the celebrations following Georgetown's win over Carolina. These are some really drunk students...

http://www.wusa9.com/video/player.aspx?aid=42019&sid=56954&bw=hi&cat=2

R.I.P. Jake the Diamond Dog

Jake the Diamond Dog suffered a stroke on March 18 and died the next day. The 14-year-old golden retriever was best known for performing at Louisville Bats games. "My new dog has taken over," said owner Jeff Marchal of Harrod, Ohio, "but it's not Jake." (The canine will keep the same moniker as his predecessor.) "I thought I was big, I thought I was tough, but I'll tell you what, it's been a rough road," Marchal said.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070327/COLUMNISTS18/703270306/1062

Protesting Mohler

Protesters from Soulforce (http://www.soulforce.org/) held a sit-in yesterday to protest Al Mohler's recent comments.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703270394

I spy..

a businessman using his lunchbreak to practice his banjo. Only in Kentucky.

"The Album, A Commodity in Disfavor"

The future looks bleak for the album, as seen in this New York Times article, "The Album, A Commodity in Disfavor."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/business/media/26music.html

Although there might be hope. Maybe that's why Radiohead is thinking of moving to Starbucks' label...

Many music executives dispute the idea that the album will disappear. In particular, they say, fans of jazz, classical, opera and certain rock (bands like Radiohead and Tool) will demand album-length listening experiences for many years to come.

What women want

I don't know if I'll watch this special on twentysomething women at 8 tonight on Lifetime, but I'm glad that it's out there. Too bad it has to be on "Lifetime Television for Women," known for its soap-opera portrayals of women (many of whome seem to have, at one time, acted on 90210, Melrose Place, or Saved by the Bell) being victimized by countless tormentors.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/COLUMNISTS15/703260358/1048

So true

This OPUS cartoon was published in yesterday's comics: http://www.comics.com/wash/opus/index.html

I am already so sick of the run-up to the election, and we aren't even halfway done with 2007. While the media acknowledges that it is ridiculously early in the race to be polling (or even discussing?), they continue to cover (nonstop) the candidates, their speeches, spats, and youtube political ads. I understand that the primaries have been moved even earlier for this election, but come on!

I don't know what to think about the Elizabeth Edwards cancer situation, but I do know that I had no interest in watching the 60 Minutes interview with her and John Edwards last night. Is that callous? Was he simply explaining a very touchy situation, or was he using his wife to get a little more spotlight? Any publicity is good publicity? If that's the case, it's disgusting.

And I can't believe I am saying this, but I don't know if I would vote for Hillary. Maybe I do need the constant media coverage to figure it out. But somehow I don't think so. Instead, I might become so disgusted that I boycott. But what good would that do anybody?

I heard the following report on NPR during my ride home last week. It really boggles the mind how much money is being spent to influence and sway the relatively few people who care at this early stage in the race.

All Things Considered, March 19, 2007 · It may be 11 months before the Iowa caucuses, but presidential campaigns are busy raising — and spending — money. Some of the brightest stars in U.S. politics are plenty busy, as records with the Federal Election Commission show. Wouldn't it be cheaper just to buy everyone who cares a new car?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8997422

Starbucks + Radiohead = ?

Starbucks is in talks with Radiohead to record on its new label, Hear Music. Paul McCartney will be the first to release a CD with the coffee giant, with material out this summer.
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/r_m/2007/03/23/2007-03-23_jayz_exec_deal_looks_def_jammed.html

I expected this from McCartney, or even from someone like Norah Jones, but Radiohead? Disappointment.

Chicago

Sarah and Judith around the corner from Sarah's apartment.

Sarah and Christy

Sarah and Me waiting for the El

Sarah, the constant in all of these pictures, hosted Christy, Judith, and me at her apartment in Chicago this weekend for a weekend of shopping for bridesmaid's dresses for Christy's upcoming wedding in August. Miraculously, we found a dress at the second store we tried. Unheard of, I know. http://www.anntaylor.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&RestartFlow=t&Section_Id=9794&Product_Id=825110

The rest of the afternoon we spent fighting off the hordes of rich people crazed by the Spring shopping bug who were fighting over button-down shirts at Banana republic's store-wide sale and preppy plaid shorts in JCrew. When our feet couldn't take any more abuse (and we felt like drop-kicking the little girls in braids who were carrying their American Girls dolls in little backpacks, never mind that they looked like they were at least 12 years old), we went to see The Namesake, a movie I would highly recommend. The general consensus among the four of us was that the movie was good, although Sarah liked the book better. Independent of the book, though, the movie was entertaining, touching, and sad. I do agree with Sarah that Gogol might have been a little sexier, but I think Kal Penn did a pretty good job. Here's the NY Times review. http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/movies/09name.html?em&ex=1175054400&en=90aef78fa4e1b20d&ei=5087%0A

And here's a link to interviews with Mira Nair and Jhumpa Lahiri conducted on NPR's "Studio 360" that I heard two Sundays ago. http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2007/03/16

We then went out to an Italian restaurant by Sarah's house, went home and crashed. Christy and Judith had us on the road by 6:45am (!), and we were back in Louisville by 1:15pm. A whirlwind tour, but a fun time. Thanks, Sarah :)

Lamott's Amazing Grace

My Aunt Eileen gave me Amazing Grace for Christmas one year, and I read that and one of her other books. I really enjoy Anne Lamott's work. She admits to being a really flawed, awkward, weird, crazy individual, but she's always honest and has some interesting views on religion, politics, etc. This is an interview with her on Salon.com about her new book, Grace Eventually.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/03/21/lamott_walsh/index1.html

The Hater on Grey's Anatomy

I have a love/hate relationship with Grey's Anatomy, but this author just hate/hates it.

http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59887?utm_source=avclub_rss_daily

I also hate the show's annoying habit of adding "Mc" to everyone and everything deemed hot by producers. It's now spread to other shows. "McTreemy" (sp?) on Men in Trees? Give me a break. The media's adoption of this awful fad has to stop. Now.

I also dislike Meredith Grey; I find her character intensely annoying. Can anyone tell me why she's considered pretty and desirable by all the men on the show? She has constant emotional problems, needs desperately to eat something (maybe a Mc...Donald's?), has stringy hair, and has obviously-collagened lips. It boggles the mind, really.

But, of course, I will continue to watch on Thursday nights. Come on, it's Grey's Anatomy!

Best Dog Ever

"Booker" books around the backyard, pines for the dog next door ("Beautiful Girl" a.k.a. "B.G."), and kicks tennis balls under the furniture so that he can watch his owner crawl around on his knees to recover them.

Oprah wrong?

This author attempts to bust the myth of the "down low." Watch out, Oprah!

http://www.slate.com/id/2161452/fr/flyout

Book

Yesterday I finished reading Angels Flight by Michael Connelly. I've never read anything by Michael Connelly before, but I liked the book and the character of Detective Hieronymous Bosch.

Angels Flight (1999)
When the body of high profile black lawyer Howard Elias is found inside one of the cars on Angels Flight, a cable railway in downtown Los Angeles, there's not a detective in the city who wants to touch the case. For Elias specialized in lawsuits alleging police brutality, racism, and corruption, and every LAPD cop is a possible suspect in his killing. Detective Harry Bosch is put in charge. Elias's murder occurred on the eve of a major trial: on behalf of black client, Michael Harris, Elias was to bring a civil case against the LAPD for violent interrogation tactics that had caused his client the partial loss of his hearing. Harris had been acquitted of the rape and murder of a twelve-year-old girl, but many, including Bosch, believe him guilty. Elias had let it be known that the trial would serve a dual purpose — to target and bring down the guilty cops and to expose the real murderer of the little girl. Post Rodney King, the 1992 riots, and the trial of O.J. Simpson, the City of Angels is living on its nerves. To discover the truth Harry must dig deep in his own backyard — except that it's a minefield of suspicion and hate that could detonate in his face.

And as if he didn't have enough on his mind, his happiness with Eleanor Wish looks to be short-lived. Five cards on the felt are pulling her back to a place where Harry cannot follow, back to herself.Angels Flight is available now as a paperback and as an audiobook and eBook. Read the Lost Chapter from Angels Flight.

Stuff

Here are a few links that I've sent to various friends in the past couple of days. I tend to hound slate.com, so you might see an inordinate number of Slate articles posted on this blog. So be it. It's a great site. I also like the celeb gossip, so that will pop up as well.

-- Crazy Cramer. Apparently, Cramer admits to doing less-than-legal activity in a recent interview:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03202007/business/cramer_reveals_a_bit_too_much_business_roddy_boyd.htm

youtube video of the interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708wDFX28lc

-- Hoya Superstition. I had no idea Georgetown's campus paper, The Hoya, is online.
http://www.thehoya.com/sports/032007/sports7.cfm

I have Georgetown winning it, cutting down the net, or however you are supposed to put it. Apparently, this guy thinks that Georgetown is the "chick pick." That kind of pisses me off. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2805390&sportCat=ncb

-- Birth Control BS. Another thing that pisses me off surfaced in Slate recently.

A federal appeals court ruled that employer-provided health insurance doesn't have to cover birth control. Ruling: 1) It's not sex discrimination, since the company in question didn't cover birth control for men, either. 2) It's not pregnancy discrimination, since pregnant women don't need contraceptives. Dissents: 1) It's pregnancy discrimination, since lack of birth control causes pregnancy, and only women suffer the consequences. 2) It's sex discrimination, since the company covered other preventive drugs, Rogaine, and Viagra. (For Human Nature's takes on birth control and responsibility, click here and here. For the joy of sex and food without consequences, click here.)

-- Southern Fried Baptist. Al Mohler outdoes himself once again.

Some conservative Christian leaders are endorsing prenatal treatment to prevent homosexuality. Rev. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes, "If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin." In an AP interview, Mohler says this would be morally no different from curing fetal blindness or any other "medical problem." A leading Catholic thinker agrees: "Same-sex activity is considered disordered. If there are ways of detecting diseases or disorders of children in the womb, and a way of treating them that respected the dignity of the child and mother, it would be a wonderful advancement of science." Conservative reaction to Mohler: How dare you suggest homosexuality is biological. Gay reaction: How dare you say it's still wrong even if it's biological. Mohler's clarifications: 1) I oppose genetic, as opposed to hormonal, intervention in the fetus. 2) I'm trying to head off something worse and more plausible: abortions of gay fetuses. (For Human Nature's takes on prenatal treatment to prevent homosexuality, click here and here.)

Original blog entry by Mohler http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=891

-- Scooter Pardon? From that oh-so-reliable-source, PageSix.

March 21, 2007 -- WE HEAR THAT Vice President Dick Cheney spoke to Hudson Institute members Monday at the Union League Club. Asked about a possible pardon for Scooter Libby, he smiled and said, "You can imagine how I feel about that." Libby himself was seated in the front row.

-- Music Stuff. Here is a link to a video of The National playing at a dinner party in the south of France and a link to a great station to stream while at work.

"The National" http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/forkcast/41800

KEXP http://www.kexp.org/home.asp?noflash=false

OfficeTemporal Take 1

I've decided to stop hounding my friends and family with emails citing links to "very interesting" articles. Instead, I will post them on this blog, which almost guarantees that even fewer people will take the time to click the link and read. But it doesn't matter, because here I can while ("while" vs. "wile"? http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-whi3.htm) away my time as an office temp. Anything to pass the time, which we talk about as though it was a commodity to spend or lose at will (see Metaphors We Live By http://www.amazon.com/Metaphors-We-Live-George-Lakoff/dp/0226468011).

As anyone who has temped before knows, time is everything with this job. Not only are you ruled by the timesheet that you fax in every week to the company that is making money off of your blood, sweat, and boredom, but you spend the majority of your day fruitlessly checking the time, as the movie Clockwatchers (1997) depicted so accurately(http://imdb.com/title/tt0118866/).

As I sit at my desk waiting for the phone to ring or for the odd labeling job, I consult the clocks that rule my world. When it is 11:05 on the phone display, it is 11:06 on my cell phone, and 11:07 on my desktop. Only 6 hours and 20 some odd minutes to go. Rather than irritating me, these disparities comfort me. Time will march along in spite of me. And I log out according to the clock on the desktop, which is the fastest of the three.

This office obsession with time has also seeped into my relationship with clocks outside of the office. I recently fixed my car radio's time display to match the time announced on NPR; the announcer's version is somehow always at least one minute ahead. Does he go by an atomic clock, or is he just messing with my head?

This year's early shift to Daylight Savings was a surprisingly welcome shake-up. Although I hate getting up when it's dark, I love having extra time after work to forget the day behind me and enjoy what remains. This is one of the first times that I can recall feeling so personally affected by Congressional decision. That might be sad, but it's true. I don't know if crime and car accidents will go down as the legislation predicts, but from what I hear, most people are enjoying the extra hours of daylight. Maybe it's because the weather seems to have shifted along with the clocks; it's now officially spring, and we have the warm weather and rainy days to prove it.

Time to answer some more phones.