ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Monthly Archive: May 2008

Thursday

29

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Singles

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Do you remember the movie Singles? I hadn’t thought of it recently, but then a site I regularly visit posted a review of it. It’s that movie with Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon and Kyra Sedgewick, about 20-somethings in Seattle. I enjoy the movie because, in addition to beautifully capturing all that I love about my second home (Seattle), it also captures the reality of courtship better than I think most movies have since.


So much of it rings true. I certainly don’t want someone to declare their love for me on a billboard at a football game. That’s easy. But one big, grand gesture doesn’t show thoughtfulness. But unlocking your car door while you walk around the car to the driver’s side after unlocking his door?  That’s romantic.


Anyway, the review puts it much more eloquently, so I’ll just link to it here.

Tuesday

27

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Media. Lame

Written by , Posted in Feminism

Well, it’s an interesting day for media.  


First off, Fox News. Well, Fox News and the media. And the folks who control and reward the media.


Have you heard about Barry Nolan? He was fired from his TV news job. He did something CRAZY. Insane. I can’t believe anyone could have done anything so horrendous. Seriously, you won’t believe what he did. You ready?


He protested Bill O’Reilly being awarded the Governor’s Award at the Emmy’s. The Governor’s Award exists to “recognize outstanding achievements in the television industry. The feats and commitment of [Governor’s Award Recipients] are extraordinary and unique, falling beyond the scope of our annual awards.” Sadly, I don’t think being woefully ignorant and narcissistic makes for an extraordinary or unique person these days.


Barry Nolan was (rightfully) shocked and wrote to his colleagues in protest when he learned that this supposed honor would be bestowed on such an undeserving person. They demurred. So guess what he did? He compiled a sampling of some of the absurd and inaccurate rantings Mr. O’Reilly has foisted upon the world and distributed copies at the Emmy ceremony. 


And he was fired.


Now, a reporter becoming the story can be unappealing. Anderson Cooper turned his outrage at the Katrina Response into the Anderson Cooper hour. But I have to say that I think this was an appropriate protest. It was clever, it was not disruptive (he didn’t storm the stage, or even yell ‘boo’ when O’Reilly went on stage), and the comments he reproduced spoke for themselves.


——————————————————————————–


The other issue I wanted to bring up today is the Women’s Media Center’s new campaign “Sexism Might Sell, But I’m Not Buying It.”  They are shining a light on an issue that, unfortunately, has been pretty prevalent this campaign season: sexism in the media.


I’m not a huge Hillary Clinton fan, but I do think she’s been an effective Senator representing my interests. Nonetheless, I voted for Obama in the primary, and hope to have the chance to vote for a winning presidential candidate for the first time when I vote for him again in November.


But the thing is, I don’t dislike her because she’s a woman. And I do think that she has been treated unfairly by the media. Her appearance (Cleavage? On a woman? THE HORROR), her voice (Oh, she reminds men of their nagging wives. Clearly she’s not qualified to lead the country), and even her ability to bear children (God forbid someone with PMS has their finger on the big red button) have all been used as fodder for those who can’t keep their sexism under wraps.


I find it disgusting that I live in a city that has yet to have a female mayor, in a state that hasn’t had a female governor, in a country that hasn’t had a female president. 52% of the folks in the country are female – 16% of our members of congress are as well.


Why is that? Is it because women have the integrity to not just vote for a woman because she’s a woman, while there are plenty of men who will not vote for a woman because she’s a woman? Or is that me just being sexist toward men? Is it because women don’t have as much money, or are busy having children, or are doing things to help others in different ways? Should I be concerned if men are underrepresented in some fields?


I don’t know the answer to general under-representation of women in positions of power and influence. But I do know that it makes me mad. I suppose I could run for office, although I don’t think I’d really like it.


I hope you’ll check out the Women’s Media Center video that shows some of the more painfully egregious sexist comments from this campaign season.

Monday

26

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Summer!

Written by , Posted in Adventures

The weekend started well and got even better.  


But first – I had an interesting moment in Union Square on Saturday. First, a roided-out douche walked by me wearing this awesome shirt. Ready for it? It’s pretty spectacular. It said:


“There’s no room in this country for hyphenated Americans.”


The hell? First off, who thinks that way? America is unique – it really is a melting pot (or mixed salad, as I like to call it). If you’re going to get all up on your horse about what “America” really means, that’s it. And second – who puts that ignorant stuff on a tee shirt? And wears it around New York City?


Okay, back to the awesomeness of the weekend.


Saturday Jon Mark and I met up for yummy Indian food at Cafe Spice on University. I had this really good wrap with a spiced potato filling.  Yummy. Then we headed over to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s entertaining, for sure. My favorite scene was this intense chase scene. I won’t spoil it, but you’ll know what I’m talking about. A lot of hyperventilating during that scene.


Afterwards, we went and met up with a couple of friends – well, a friend and his friend in from out of town – for drinks in Manhattan. Then dinner then back to my friend’s house for some Guitar Hero. Have any of you played that? Man, I didn’t realize how hard it was! I loved it. Anyway, after we went out to a pub, then back to my friend’s place for French toast. I was out later than I’ve been out in possibly five years, and it was awesome.


After two hours of sleep, Michelle and I left for a train ride out to Long Beach (Long Island, not New Jersey and not California) so we could get some pre-cancerous cells and a few more wrinkles. It was perfect weather, and if I had managed to completely cover my back with sun block, I would have deemed it a perfect beach day. So now, I’m a little itchy, but good.


Today I met up with a friend for lunch and a walk through Central Park. It was really nice – good food, fabulous weather and really nice conversation and just generally good times.


Afterwards, Herman and Kathleen and I saw Iron Man and got dinner. The movie was really entertaining. Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect choice.


I’m pretty energized right now and ready for a fabulous summer!

Saturday

24

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Spring Awakening

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Last night I met up with a friend from high school who I hadn’t seen in nearly 10 years. It was great to get caught up. She’s someone who I can not really talk to for years and yet it feels like no time has passed. I love that!


The three of us (her sister was in town as well) saw Spring Awakening. It won a load of Tony Awards a couple of years ago, and the music was written by Duncan Sheik (of “Barely Breathing” fame). The show is based on a play from the 1800s about teenagers discovering their sexuality – which I would like to read, because I think it’s probably better than this show. The music is modern (the lyrics make reference to calling people and listening to the stereo), but it’s set in 1890 and quite good. Nearly everyone was very talented – except the lead. I mean, he can sing, but he was more “best Baritone at his local high school” than “best choice for Broadway,” if that makes any sense. Oh, and everyone was ACTING.  


I didn’t know what to expect from the show, but I have to say some of the scenes made me uncomfortable. Not because of the subject matter (hello, I’ve been 16, I get THAT), but because people who were playing 16-year-olds were simulating sex on stage. Yeah – the fact that a bunch of older men were there, and would probably be adding the breast the young female lead showed to their spank bank just creeped me out a bit.


Some of the story lines were well done, especially in the first act. We got to know the kids, and their back-stories. There were two “adults” who played all adult roles, and they did an excellent job. But the second act seemed too short for what they were trying to accomplish. The ‘downfall’ of the main lead boy’s character wasn’t developed enough. Some serious plot points occurred so quickly that there wasn’t really time to absorb or contextualize them. That might work in a more talented playwright’s hands, but to me, here, it just seemed that they realized they only had an hour to tell a bunch of stories and didn’t adjust it accordingly.


I won’t be recommending the show. But if you get a chance to listen to the original cast recording (I’m assuming the original male lead was better), do it.

Tuesday

20

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Atonement

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Hey, 100th post. If I were a TV show I could go into syndication. Hopefully not on the CW.


I’m reading Atonement right now, and it’s nice to get into a novel again. I mostly avoid reading novels because the non-fiction books always draw me in. I like learning random things (Stiff is a great example, all about the things that happen to bodies after we die), and I worry that frankly I don’t quite always ‘get’ novels.


Example – a friend read my favorite novel (Blindness) and made an observation that is probably true, but in my many readings I hadn’t really even considered. I do recall from my AP English days that we would have long discussions about what mattered in novels – what the author meant or what I got fro the book. But the neurotic in me worries I’ll miss something and end up reading a book, thinking I get it, and find out I don’t. Am I going to invest time in Don Quixote only to realize that I’ve totally missed the point?


But who cares. I think evolving and gaining wisdom involves recognizing that it’s just fine to admit that I don’t know something. It’s much more rewarding to open myself to learning new things even if the occasional person thinks ill of me for it. Because in reality, those people who look down on me for being open about and wanting to learn more about topics I don’t really know aren’t the people I want to know.  


ANYWAY. I’m really enjoying this book. The writing is fabulous and descriptive, and even though I have images of the characters in my mind thanks to the movie preview that ran incessantly last summer, I think those images fit the writing, if that makes sense. I’m also enjoying the story and the exploration of the characters. The ability to write from so many different perspectives – a young teen, a young woman, young men, the mother – is such a talent. It’s especially great because it provides a reminder of how everything we view looks different depending on what we bring to the table.  


And then that gets me thinking about my own life and how I experience things. I took a course in school that asked us to look at things “from the balcony.” View the scene or incident as an objective observer, not as a participant. It is amazing how that clears some things up. Sure, it isn’t a solution to all miscommunications or misunderstandings, but it adds clarity to so many situations. For example, in a meeting today, we were discussing a project that I had a big hand in. People had criticism – but it was constructive. And even the less than constructive criticism could be helpful. In the past, I may have just gotten defensive (hopefully only in my head, although depending on my mood that wasn’t guaranteed), but I’m getting better at being able to separate myself from that and look at it from other perspectives, which is so much more productive. And so much less stressful.

Saturday

17

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

It’s so cold, and so rainy, but SO AWESOME

Written by , Posted in Adventures

Last night a couple of friends and I did something uniquely NYC. We participated in an Improv Everywhere event. You may have heard of them – they are responsible for Frozen Grand Central and another 70 or so entertaining ‘pranks’.  

At 9 PM we went over and joined a few hundred of our closest (mostly hipster) friends to await our mission. It was raining steadily – the rain would not stop. We were told our mission: a flash wave from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. We filed across the Brooklyn Bridge and lined up single file from end to end, which in itself is kind of cool. We were up there for probably an hour in the pouring rain.


It was so much fun. It was so cold, and so wet, and so windy, but so fun. I laughed myself hoarse, and got to know the people I was with better.


Video Proof!

Friday

9

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

Mini quiche? You’re a mega douche

Written by , Posted in Random

Like most people, I love some words and hate others. Some I hate because of the things they represent or bring to mind. Some I simply enjoy saying (banana-nut, awesome). And some I thoroughly enjoy because of how descriptive they are.  


Namely:


Jackass


and


Douche


I really feel like the term jackass is just not used enough. People go right to the hard insult – the “f-ing jerk”, or the “bitch”, or the “asshole.” But what about jackass? It’s just great.


And douche. Oh, it’s so, so SO great. It’s a pretty fun word itself, and frankly, it is applicable to a wide variety of lame people (usually men).


Lucky for me, someone has taken the time to categorize the different types of douches.


Many Dimensions of Douche


Enjoy.

Friday

2

May 2008

0

COMMENTS

It keeps getting better

Written by , Posted in Random

So, I’m in the midst of a kind of awesome ‘crisis’ – the kind where the future is wide open, options seem endless, and things are looking up. I appear to have some choices – stay in NYC and redesign my current job to make a difference in the agency, or move to a new job and really contribute to Seattle.  


And I’m totally terrified. But when I take a few breaths and calm down, I do realize that my life for the past 28 years has been pretty great, and I’ve been making those decisions just fine.  


I have a couple of friends I have really talked to about this (thanks Kate and Jon Mark, and of course Stephanie), and I really appreciate how wonderful they’ve been. I’m worried I’m creating drama, but tonight someone pointed out that it was okay and I’m not really creating drama – these are kind of big decisions I have to make. It’s okay to be worried about this. I don’t need other people to reassure me, but at the same time – it’s kind of nice to know that at least someone else doesn’t think I’m off my rocker.


But to add to the bizarreness I’m feeling this week – I got an email today from another job I applied for. It was awhile ago, and while I hadn’t forgotten about it, I wasn’t really thinking of it. But – I have an interview! Oh, and one other thing . . . it’s for a job in IRELAND.


What? I know. Bizarre, right? While I’d love to fly out to Galway for the interview, I’m going to see if I’m someone they are seriously considering, or if I’m, you know, filling a quota of people to interview. Maybe they can talk to me over the phone?


Things really are quite good. I’m just having a week of the unexpected. New friends, new job opportunities, new choices.