Oh Gramp

This photo is ten kinds of awful because I took it with my phone. It shows my grandfather (my grandparents are visiting from Birmingham, England for a bit) drinking his tea out of a straw even though it kind of looks like he's snorting coke. Right before this we were telling stories of memories that stuck out for us (thank you for that lesson on flashbulb memories, psych class) and he chose a story of when he was walking home from school when he was four years old (he was in the "babies' class") and he accidently messed himself because he was . . . well, four years old. Though we all thought it was hilarious Gran kept going, "Oh I can't take you anywhere!". Then he got his coffee and filled it to the top with creamer and so he had to use a spoon to sip it, and when that didn't work so well he used a straw, as seen here. Then it went in too much to fast and he jumped back and snorted.

And then he did a decidedly NOT PC though good natured imitation of a Native American. But I suppose it's not nearly as insulting coming from him seeing as he's British, not American, and therefore not the society that raped and burned the Native American civilizaiton to the ground.

He is an odd but delightful fellow.

Love/Hate/Internal Conflict

So here are the lovely new plates and bowls and such! Looking at stuff like this makes me wish that I could do ceramics. I mean, I can. I know how. But it never looks any good. I just think about how satisfying it must be to churn out something clean and simple like a plate or mug and glaze it beautifully so it is shiny and lovely from something as messy and lumpy as clay. I’ve decided that of all the arts, ceramics must be the messiest. Every time I’ve done it, especially when I’ve used the wheel, it’s taken just as much time to clean up as it has to actually do the project. That's probably where I lost interest. I don't like cleaning very much.

Anyway I got these from Anthropologie, a store that I both love and hate. I love it because it has some really cool and unique looking things like these plates. But I hate it because its owned by the same company that owns Urban Outfitters (which I also love/hate) and they have a target that they want to get at: women that are starting up families but are also career oriented and want to seem funky/cool/indie or whatever. So pretty much everything is ridiculously expensive and also its kind of gross corporate because its an identity that has been made commercial. That's how it goes, though. Huzzah for capitalist pigs!

That reminds me of an episode of Daria. I started watching it online and it's stunning how different it is than MTV now. It totally makes me miss old school MTV that actually played music videos and such. The episode in question, however, was one where they were fund raising to open a cafe. Daria had to partake because her parents would send her to music camp otherwise because she had to get extracurriculars to impress colleges, so she wrote something to recite at the opening of the cafe. Here is what she read:

"As students standing at the dawn of a brand new century, we face certain choices. How do we prepare for the future? Melody Powers knew how she was going to prepare, as she checked the fit one more time on her tooled leather shoulder holster. She thought about all the communists she would be taking out tonight. Melody harbored no illusions about unilaterally stemming the resurging red tide. 'But,' she reflected with a grim smile, 'what special agent could resist the opportunity to fill a few Bolshevik cemeteries?' As Melody sun-bathed on the Rio beach, she looked back upon the past few days with a certain quiet satisfaction: twelve dead Russians, five dead Chinese, three or four dead Cubans. The world was once again safe for democracy, she reflected while watching Tonio's exquisite chest rise and fall with his light snoring. Safe for democracy, or almost safe. Melody brushed some errant grains of sand off her fingers, tied her top back on, and reached into her beach bag. Tonio heard nothing, and that was a pity, because he would never hear anything again. 'So long, Tonio,' she thought as she calmly stood up. 'I could have loved you, if you weren't as red as the blood stain now spreading across the sand.' Melody walked calmly away toward the hotel. There'd be a message there from HQ, no doubt. She hoped she had time to shower."

I literally burst out laughing the first time I saw it. Later in the episode we found that Daria's prose had caused the entire football team to go into an anti-communist rage. You can watch it here.

listening to: Maddi on el radio. Arcade Fire is playing!

Finally

Okay. So I finished this bag eons ago. But I'm lazy, so here are the pics now finally. I'm actually fairly pleased with it. I quite like the colors and the lining fabric is really cute. But it was costly and not exactly really easy to put together so the next one will be all in once piece and will require very little actual sewing for the outside knitted bit and will only use one skein of the seafoam green.

Oh, and you can totally tell how cool I am by all my pins. Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones? You can only tell I'm post '80s because of the Itchy and Scratchy one. Also the scholarly owl is some pin I found in a drawer left over from the 4th grade when I got the presidential award for awesome academia-ness and got that certificate that was "signed" by the president (Bill Clinton at the time) even though you could totally tell it was a stamp or print off or something.

I guess we learned later on what Bill Clinton was busy doing instead of signing those papers . . .

Oh, and if your wondering what books are in the background of the second picture, I'll tell you right now. Ranma 1/2. I've been rereading it to study up on the ways of the graphic novel considering its going to be my junior project and all and I must say that Rumiko Takahashi has a way with slapstick humor, even if it is the same exact story over and over and over. At least it's not like Inuyasha where they're chasing minuscule jewel shards and then keep losing them. Seriously, how many jewel shards are they going to end up having to find?

Also, I got some awesome plates and bowls and a mug from Anthropologie yesterday. More on that and pictures of the awesomeness later.

reading: To the Lighthouse--Virginia Woolf

The Office

The Office season finale was totally kickass. I'm SO glad that Jim and Pam have finally gotten it together. I can't wait for next season.

Bwahahaha!

I got a D in Physics! Okay, I know a lot of people would not be happy with a D, but guess what suckers? I was afraid that I would fail and that D means that I never have to look at math or science again if I don't want to.


Which I don't.

listening to: Sufjan Stevens--A Sun Came

Knitting: Winter Horizon Hat

Continuation of Theological Debates

So I finished watching the debate online tonight. Overall it was really interesting but I was irritated with both sides. The atheists did a fairly good job and certainly won given what the debate was supposed to be about (proving the existence of God without using The Bible or faith) but started to grate on me with their condescending attitude toward anything that is not logical. The girl especially (I think her name was Kelly) was very annoying because everything she said sounded snitty. You can make your point without sounding like a condescending asshole. Overall I disagreed with conclusion of both sides. I wrote this on the discussion board:

I am of the opinion that both Kirk and Ray are rejecting their faith by deciding that they need to prove the existence of their God "scientifically". The entire point of the Christian God is that He is not proven but that you have faith in Him. Those who have read Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy know what I'm talking about: the Babel fish proved God's existence and therefore disproved God's existence. Ray and Kirk will just have to accept that their faith and science are two entirely different fields of thought. It seems that they have a real desperation to prove what they believe is real. There is nothing wrong with having faith in something you don't fully comprehend . . . that's part of being human and is a concept that is as old as the earth. They certainly did NOT prove the existence of God tonight. I am personally irked by both parties assertation that you have to view the world in a specific manner. A diversity of beliefs along with a rudimentary system of values instated by society (i.e. do what you will so long as you harm no other being) creates fascinating culture, beautiful art, great literature, and so much more.

Unfortunately many people on both sides are small minded so the likelihood of something like this ever happening is pretty much nil. The other posts on the discussion board were mostly ludicrous, irrational, and grammatically incorrect. I actually think that I could hold my own very well in a debate like this. Maybe someday I'll get the chance.

Watching: Futurama

Huzzah for theological debates!!

So for the past six months or so I've been watching A LOT of the religious channel for two reasons. The first is that I'm doing research for my novel which involves evangelical characters and the second is that I'm thoroughly fascinated, disgusted and entertained by the multitude of ridiculous programming. I know a few people who are fairly religious but they aren't like what I see on there. I mean, I'm in art school so this is such a different world that the one I exist in.

Anyway, there's this one show that involves Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains fame and Ray Comfort, and evangelical preacher. It's called The Way of the Master and basically involves these two talking about the 10 Commandments for half an hour and interviewing people about their beliefs on the street. Seriously, every episode I've seen thus far (4) has the interviewer asking the interviewee if they believe themselves to be a good person. Then they ask them if they lie, steal, or commit adultery. Here the definition of adultery is simply looking at another person with lust rather than having relations with a person while they are married. May I honestly ask God to get over himself if that is the case? I mean, seriously, how on earth does he think more humans get made in the first place? Anyway, there was an episode on idolatry (2nd Commandment) which really irked me simply because they deem their extremely specific version of God as the only correct one and everyone else is an idolater. I would argue, however, that they are basing their version off The Bible which has been translated thousands of times and has been passed from human to human to human. I would even say that their perfect God is impossible to please because once something "perfect" touches anything human it immediately becomes imperfect simply because humans are not perfect. But I digress.

Anyway ABC Nightline had a debate between Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort and two atheists whose names I forgot because I've only seen them for twenty minutes and I'm bad with names. Ray and Kirk were supposed to prove that God exists without using The Bible and without talking about faith which I thought was really funny because the idea of it is ridiculous and totally negates itself. God without faith? God proven with science? Impossible, at least with the science we know. Science requires experimentation and data and proof, none of which we have about God. I know we're in a scientific age and that you want to reach all the nerdly nerdingtons out there, Ray, but it simply doesn't work. I am not an atheist. I am agnostic and after a lot of thought about what I personally believe I have come to the conclusion that there may be things out that that humans cannot comprehend. Daemonic Reality by Patrick Harpur is a good read for this. I think that there may be things out like ghosts and faeries and magic which can be explained by science, it just isn't science that we can understand or see yet. Then again, there might not be. Even J.K. Rowling creates a scientific branch for Harry Potter's magical world. There is a scientific way that spells are set up and it's called arithmancy.

The atheists debating Ray and Kirk did an all right job. They were a bit snottish and irritating, though. I think they had a pretty easy task, though, and that Ray and Kirk just set themselves up for failure the moment they put science and God in the same sentence. You can't PROVE that God exists. Faith is the whole point. If you prove the existence of God, aren't you then disproving the existence of a God who cannot exist without faith? I mean, if we had a Babel fish this might be a bit different . . . but then God would disappear in a cloud of existential smoke. Ray and Kirk say they will not cite The Bible, but do quite a bit when they talk about the 10 Commandments, so that was kind of dumb. Anyway, they seemed pretty easy to argue against considering they didn't answer some of the questions posed to them and that their "proof" was flimsier than most of Paris Hilton's wardrobe. It's still an interesting watch, though because I often watch their show and start yelling things out at the TV that they will never hear. It's nice to see them outside of their element and not having control over the debate so they actually will have these things said to them and so that their silly statements will not be given a free bus pass.

Oh, and Ray? You're not Jewish. If you believe that Jesus Christ is a form of God and is your savior then you are NOT Jewish. Stop saying you are. It's really annoying.


Part one of Face-Off: Does God Exist?

Why do people

continue to watch 7th Heaven? Every single character is just an awful, awful person. Their "political" episodes are just inane and insulting to either side of the argument. Actually, I find this show insulting to humanity in general. Especially since it's supposedly the most watched show on the old WB and the new CW. Also, why do all these girls want to hook up with the wretched Martin? He's definitely not cute enough to act like the total jerk that he always acts like. Seriously, you have to be wicked hot (like, Johnny Depp hot) to get away with that. Anyway, I would say that this show is demeaning women but I'm pretty sure that men would mostly be insulted by the way they're portrayed as well so lets just say that it sucks and be done with it.

Seven days to summer

Welp, I turned in the old research paper. It came out pretty good if you ask me, but we'll see what she thinks next Friday I suppose. I also FINALLY got a response from Interlochen and it appears that I'm not good enough for them or something. Whatever. I got over that awhile ago when they didn't respond to my application for 10 weeks. I'm just going to spend the summer focusing on making stuff for my website, taking those kish classes, and taking care of that potential commission. I hope it pays good. I also hope its something I can do and do well.

Oh, and I finally finished signing up for classes. Only one studio next semester which is weird. Other than the book arts class I got all the classes I wanted so that's good. I really wanted that book arts class, though so its a bit disappointing. I just wanted to split up the number of english classes I was taking as opposed to art classes better. Now I'm taking four english classes at once. It's going to be taxing and it would have been nice to have two studios and three english classes. Oh well.

So anyway, here's what I'm taking:

Intermediate Studio Arts with Ros Schwartz--M/W/F 9-11:40
Current Art Issues Seminar with Conrad Bakker--T 4-6:40
Introductory Narrative Writing with David Wright--M/W 3:30-4:45
American Lit 1914-1945 with William J. Maxwell--T/R 2-3:15
Intermediate Expository Writing with TBA--M/W/F 12-12:50
Dostoevsky with Harriet Murav--M/W 2-3:20

So it's a lot. But its doable. That's what she said.

Listening to: Ben Folds--Rockin' the Subarbs

Jesus Christ

is pretty much the coolest. Karen isn't bad, either.

Right now: Procrastinating on the old paper.

Research Paper?

Ha. I haven't written a research paper since I was forced to sophomore year in highschool. And that wasn't even a research paper. It was a freaking speech. And I rocked it, even though I don't remember what it was about. So now I'm writing a research paper on the roles of women in post WWI America in the modernist literary movement and in politics and how they had trouble finding roles for themselves and how it relates to Tess Slesinger's The Unpossessed which is brilliant, by the way. My findings thus far?

"The revolution [in manners and morals] was accelerated . . . by the growing independence of the American woman. She won the suffrage in 1920. She seemed, it is true, to be very little interested in it once she had it; she voted, but mostly as the unregenerate men about her did . . . Few of the younger women could rouse themselves to even a passing interest in politics: to them it was a sordid and futile business, without flavor and without hope. Nevertheless, the winning of the suffrage had its effect. It consolidated woman's position as man's equal"

--Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the Nineteen-Twenties (New York, 1931)

Crazy man. I wonder where he did his research. Or got his facts. Probably the same place that those crazy Christians of Acquire the Fire do.

JSTOR is my new bff.

listening to: Sigur Ros--Ágætis Byrjun

Yay! I'm all done with life drawing as of 11:40 this morning. This was my final drawing project and I'm ecstatic with the way it turned out. I'd almost forgotten how much I LOVE water media! The only downside is how unforgiving it can be and how messy I am. There was a bit that got some oil paint on it and it was pretty upsetting but I erased it. The texture isn't as nice, but I figured that a bit of rough texture was better than a dark orange spot.

I am now going to start experimenting with using line color other than black. I used brown here and I think it looks really nice and helps with the lightness of the piece. If it had been black it would have been too harsh. I just love the colors I got in this. They are exactly where my palette is right now.

So anyway, Vanessa got to find out what she would look like as blonde. I think pretty nice. She has the skin tone to pull off pretty much any hair color though I think, like Reese Witherspoon. I've seen that woman as a blonde, brunette and redhead and she looks amazing all the time. I'm so jealous because I would love to experiment with hair color like that but I think I mostly will only look okay with my natural color. I dunno. Maybe in a few years when I have expendable cash and can have a professional do it.

I am so pleased with this. I can't wait to experiment with different color palettes for the different places in my graphic novel to create different moods and such.

Watching: Battlestar Galactica