What I Want to be When I Grow Up

According to Morgan (Jenn's daughter) I'm almost a grown-up. 19 is still a teenager, but when I turn 20 I'll be a bona-fide grown-up. And since I'll be officially grown up, I should have it all planned out, right? Ha! Hardly. I'm still asking myself that question I've heard since kindergarten: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Well, I don't know. See the thing is I'm interested in a ton of things, and they are all great hobbies I can really dig into, but as careers, I'm not so sure about them. For instance, I like colorguard, but I have zero desire to teach it for a living. I'm still trying to figure out how my interests will play out in my life, and in what way. For now I have these crazy fantasies, some of which I'm serious about, some of which are just passing daydreams. And most of these are the shiny, soft-focused versions of the jobs I might do, leaving the drudgery of paperwork and taxes for a time when I'm not fantasizing. For now I'm dreaming big, not

Grown-Up Daydream 1: I'm a super fabulous gallery owner, calling upon the skills I learned as gallery manager in college. I have a wide open gallery space in a cool town, somewhere warmer than Kentucky. I show a wide variety of shows: fine art, photographs (both portraiture and journalism), video and multimedia projects, book tours, and even dance on occasion. I spend my days working with artists, keeping up the gallery, promoting, and picking out delicious food and drink for openings. I get dressed up often for my social outings and openings. I'm super tight with the employees at Hobby Lobby. I might live in a loft above the studio which might have a small studio in a spare room. I make some extra money by renting out the space for weddings and parties.

Grown-Up Daydream 2: I run a children's library. But it's not some stuffy, stale-smelling library. It's super cool with little nooks and cushion-y places for kids to read. There's a coffee shop for the parents, and a playground outside. There are kid sized tables and kids can reach everything. There's storytime and activities several times everyday. Kids and parents can recommend books. There's a wicked mural on the ceiling. All the employees will be kid-tested before being hired to make sure they're not mean and curmudgeonly. There will be at least one sweet little old lady on staff or who volunteers and she will be the resident grandma. There will be book-themed parties often where kids and parents can geek out. There will be a hefty comic book section. I live somewhere warmer than Kentucky. I have no idea how to make money doing this.

Grown-Up Daydream 3: I am the Ayn Rand Institute's official photographer/videographer. I get paid to go to all sorts of lectures and conferences and document them. I work close with the PR staff creating images for brochures and websites. I make sweet video montages of OCON every year and create several video promotions for OAC, ARI essay contests, and the ARI internship. In my own time I do documentaries about Objectivists in real life and how they apply the philosophy to their life. This means I can go to Disneyland, Raging Waters and Magic Mountain all year long. I help advance my ideals in the culture and get paid to do it. I meet a ton of interesting people and get to pick the brains of ARI's top intellectuals. And I take fantastic portraits of the ARI staff to update what's on the site now. I also get picked up by other groups relate to Objectivism and capitalism to do design/video/photo work for their promotions. I also pick up some weddings and portrait work through those connections. I live in California, which is definitely warmer than Kentucky.

Grown-Up Daydream 4: I am an early childhood interventionist for families with Deaf children or parents. I will create a better name than "interventionist". For hearing parents with Deaf children, I will help them assess their child's deafness, put them in contact with resources near them, work on sign language, and steer them away from the destructive "oral only" philosophy. For Deaf parents with hearing children, I will work with kids so they are exposed to spoken English, and help them through learning how to speak and read out loud. The idea for both types of families is to promote good philosophy, better communication, and overall a happier family. I will participate in other Deaf related events like silent weekends, Deaf camp, baby and beginner sign language classes for parents, and social Deaf events. I might teach a photography class for the Deaf. I will try to live somewhere warmer than Kentucky, but some of the biggest Deaf populations are in New York and DC, so fat chance.

There's other smaller ones, like being a broadway dancer, but those would never happen because I would die in the New York cold. Funny, only one of these goes with my Early Childhood Education major. Which makes me wonder occasionally if I should be in college. I've entertained the idea of taking some time off to figure out things. I'm not sure yet.

New Blog!

Oh, did I mention I have a new blog? I fell off there for a bit because I didn't have much to write about, other than, "OMG when is somebody going to hire me?!?!" But now that I've secured a nanny gig in Atlanta, as well as a teaching job at a homeschool co-op, I'm ready to get back to blogging. And I think a new blog is called for. It will cover my adventures of being a college drop-out, live-in nanny in a new town with a zillion new things to do. It also has a slicker design and will feature more photography. Go check it out and mark it in your readers.

Building Atlantis

Super Fantastic Birthday Wishes

I will be 20 soon. As in not a teenager anymore.

*Pause for joyous celebration of adulthood*

I'll be officially in my twenties. A time of fun, being constantly broke, and gray-free hair. (Then I turn thirty and become a REAL adult, complimentary with arthritis, a minivan, and a zillion vitamins.) In celebration, here's a list of fantastic and crazy birthday wishes. Just because I have still the imagination of a six-year-old.

1. A wild blowout party with performances from all my favorite musicals, performed in my living room by the original casts of each.
2. A trip to the Chrysler building where I take photos of the skyline from atop a gargoyle, a la Margaret Bourke-White.
3. A huge trunk full of beautiful vintage clothes that all fit perfectly without any need to alter them.
4. My name in lights on top of the Eiffel Tower.
5. There is a Book 4 for Avatar: The Last Airbender that ties up all the loose ends of book 3.
6. Zero gravity fun.
7. Happy Birthday sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
8. Math and science become easy and comprehensible (to me).
9. Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance has a reunion tour.
10. Life becomes a musical for the day and everyone breaks out into spontaneous song and dance.
11. Clint Eastwood stands in the corner at my party, simply being a badass.
12. A private tour of Google headquarters.
13. For a day I am 6'5" and thus the tallest person in my family (as opposed to being the shortest).
14. The Starbucks fairy is real. And she gives free birthday coffee.
15. All my current and future student loans are paid off!
16. Nickelodeon brings back all it's old 90s shows.
17. Spice Girls reunion tour. Again.
18. Free airfare for a lifetime.
19. Firefly comes back on air and a better Dollhouse finale is revealed.
20. Whole Foods is cheap.

Cultivating the Virtues Podcast

Excitement! Jenn Casey and Kelly Elmore, whom I knew via the internet for a while, then met and stayed with in Atlanta, and will hang out with in the future when I move to Atlanta, have joined forces (like the mommy superheroes they are) to create a podcast about Objectivism and parenting. I really enjoy reading both of their blogs and learning about their views and practices in parenting. This podcast is another step up from the blogs, which is great, because I think it will help reach more people.

So here's the first podcast for Cultivating the Virtues. Enjoy!

Objectivism and Charity

One of the biggest criticisms of Objectivism is that it leaves no room for charity. If everyone is committed to rational self-interest, i.e. selfishness, then surely there's no room for compassion for others. Objectivists are all greedy money mongers who don't care about others. It's all me me me.

This is a skewed perception of the philosophy. Yes, Objectivism is based on selfishness and does not permit sacrificing oneself to others. But that doesn't mean that helping another person can't fit into rational self-interest. Charity is not considered a necessary part of one's life in Objectivism, because it is not a major virtue. However, the philosophy doesn't condemn charity in worthy cases. Objectivism would support helping a man rebuild his house if it burned down through no fault of his own. It would not condone charity if the man was an arsonist who destroyed his own home. Bad things happen in life, and sometime they happen to good people. Because Objectivists value human life, it would be perfectly appropriate to help those good people.

For example, recently Jennifer Iannolo of Food Philosophy had her apartment broke into. Her laptop was stolen. Jenn is a good person. She's built a business from the ground up and spends everyday of her life pursuing her values and sharing her passions. And through no fault of her own she was robbed. How do Objectivists react? They didn't snub her. They didn't say, "Tough shit," and move on. Instead, Shea Levy set up a Paypal donation fund to buy Jenn a new laptop. And through the magic of Twitter, the word spread and the fund grew. Last time I checked, the fund was over $245. He did it because he values Jenn and the work she's doing. It's why other people donated money. None of it was at odds with Objectivism because seeing Jenn recover what was stolen from her, making her feel better, and helping her continue her work is a value for each person who donated. And pursuing one's values is selfishness.

Remember this whenever someone says Objectivists are unfeeling jerks.

Not Coming Back

I'm not going back to school next semester.

I'm dropping out, or taking time off, depending how you want to interpret the news. I wish I could just give a press conference and have the whole world know why and be done with it. I've had to explain my reasoning so many times to so many people that I'm sick of it. So this is the next best thing.

I'm not going back to school for many reasons:

1. I'm not sure what I want to do. I don't know what career I want. Sure, many college students don't, but I don't even know what field I want to go into. Sign language? Child care? Photography? Some combination of all of them? I don't know. But I do want to find out, and I think the best way to do that is to actually go out into the world and work in those fields and see how I take to it.
2. I'm not crazy about my major. I started out as a photojournalism major and after several classes discovered I didn't want to be a journalist. So after much painful deliberation, I change to Early Childhood Education this semester. Sure, I like my classes, but I'm not passionate about them. So why continue to pursue something I'm only so-so on?
3. I'm only bringing in a meager amount of scholarships, so most of my education is being covered by student loans. I refuse to spend thousands each year on an education I'm not sure about. Not when I could be making money and figuring things out.
4. I feel like I'm at the end of my rope at WKU. I've taken most of the classes I would be interested in and I really am not looking forward to any classes that lay ahead of me. I want to branch out and experience more, and I feel like it's not going to happen here.
5. I want to try something new. I want to get out, see new places, meet new people, and challenge myself. I want to be more independent and in control of my life.

So what's next? What am I going to do? The dream right now is to move to Atlanta. Well, not Atlanta exactly. More like the suburbs around Atlanta, because I'm not at all comfortable with living in a big city, not after all my sheltered years on army bases and the semi-country. I picked Atlanta because I don't want to go back home. That would do nothing for my independence. And while I know I can make a good living for myself in Bowling Green, I don't want to stay here either. I think it would feel too much like college. I'd be hanging out with the same people, going to the same parties, going to my same hangouts, etc. Sure, I wouldn't have class and would be working more, but I don't think that's enough of a change for me to feel satisfied. Bowling Green is just too comfortable, and I've played things safe my whole life. So I chose Atlanta because I know some really amazing people out there and it's not so far from home that I would need to buy a plane ticket to visit. Atlanta is looking like a great choice. I'll have a support system and circle of friends when I get there, my opportunities are more varied, and it's warmer weather!

Everything's still in the planning phase, so I'm not sure if Atlanta will be a reality. It is more expensive than Bowling Green, and I'd have to secure a job and place to stay before moving. But I'll be damned if I don't try my hardest to make it happen. For now I'm looking up affordable apartments, stalking Craigslist for potential jobs, and looking for summer work to generate some money.

I'm really excited about this decision. My mind is reeling with all the new opportunities and experiences open to me. There's a lot of planning going on. I've been dreaming a bit about what I'll do when I get there. No doubt it will be hard, but it makes the payoff all the more sweet. I'll update as things progress.

VanDamme Academy on YouTube

I'm really enjoying the videos posted by Lisa VanDamme on YouTube. She's one of the many people I follow as I develop my own thoughts on education. My particular favorite is the 8 part seres on the VanDamme Academy's art curriculum. I've never been much for 2 dimensional art. Oh it's pretty, but it doesn't get a rise out of me like dance or poetry or literature does. So watching this and going through the analysis of a painting rocked me a bit, in a toally awesome way. I really would love to go on a museum tour with Mr. Travers and learn how to pick apart a painting. Also, he's taking students to Paris this summer for an art tour. Oh, why not me?

Okay, jealousy for junior high kids aside, here's the first video in the series. I encourage you to watch the entire series, and check out the other videos on the channel.

Harvard Education: Guaranteed and Free

This article from 3 Ring Binder is hilarious comparing Obamacare to getting a guaranteed acceptance to Harvard and free tuition to boot. Here's the opening:

Now that Congress and the Administration has institutionalized the idea that rights are government granted and that one’s rights cannot be discriminated against because of pre­-existing conditions, I’m going to Harvard!

My reasoning, which follows that of the majority of our Congressmen, is that in this country, education, much like health care, is considered a right granted to us by the government: a right to the products and efforts of other men’s minds, rather than a freedom to act in one’s best interest.

Although my GPA, test scores, and transcript may reveal academic achievement below current Harvard standards, it could be beyond my control. These liabilities notwithstanding, in dismissing my claim that I have a right to the education it offers, Harvard would be discriminating against my pre-existing conditions. Harvard must therefore be forced to accept my application for admission under all circumstances. Anything less than full matriculation is a grave social injustice. Attending Harvard is not a value for me to earn, but a simple matter of my right to an education.

Click here to read the rest.

I'm Back

Well, I took a one month sabbatical without meaning to. The new major plus spring break kind of shoved the blog aside. I'm back to blogging, but it's going to be light. And one of these day's I'll get around to redesigning it.

So. Spring break was fabulous. I met a bunch of Objectivists I know online down in Atlanta, and met a bunch more. And yes, I came back alive. I wasn't kidnapped and sold into a prostitution ring. See Mom? I knew what I was doing. Here's a short overview of what happened.

• I met Shea, Alyssa, Kelly, Aaron, Livy, Jenn, Brendan, and the Casey kids in the flesh. They're cool people.
• We talked about everything under the sun from religion to breastfeeding to sex to Apple to drugs to food. It was so fulfilling to be around like-minded people and just talk without having to battle over different life views.
• I ate meatza for the first time and loved it! It's so easy to make. I made some for my family when I came back.
• We all freaked out Rory by gathering around the computer for video chat. And Sean and Rory carried on a very long philosophical conversation about dinosaurs. It was hilarious.
• The weather was wonderful! I got to roll down the windows, blast my music, and cruise.
• Alyssa gave us henna tattoos!
• I had a photo shoot with the kids that turned out pretty good. Cute little things.
• Lots of Beatles. Waking up to Beatles in the morning. Being amazed that the kids knew all the words. Sean constantly asking to hear "Be Back!" Beatles rock band.
• Going to the best party of my life and getting rolled cigarettes, kimchi stew, and a brand spanking new Firefly DVD set from the host.
  
• Meeting up with Zack and meeting all his GA friends, who are ridiculously musical.

I had a blast. Can't wait to go back this summer. I'm trying to get Dad to go with me.

An Atheist Kid During Lent

So, this whole Lent thing, I never really understood it. I've always been an atheist. I didn't grow up going to church and I never felt a strong desire to go. I didn't know much about the rules and stories of religions, just what I gathered from other kids and adults, and what I caught reading. Especially when I was younger, I was always baffled by Lent.

First there was Mardi Gras, which in elementary school I knew had to do with parties and beads that were bad for some reason or another. People ate and drank a lot and acted crazy and then the next day went to church and felt bad. The priest/pastor/reverend/whatever-his-title-is rubbed ashes on people's heads and then it was Lent. In Lent the rule seemed to be if it felt/looked/tasted good then you couldn't do it anymore. And people had to eat fish on Fridays. Why? Cause the adults said so, I guess. They always offered fish on Fridays in the cafeteria, but I would get a burrito or pizza or casserole instead because school fish is gross, even in Hawaii. And then the kids would ask me why I was breaking Lent and I would say my family doesn't do Lent and they would ask me if I went to church and I would say no and they would ask if I believed in God and I would say no and they would say I was going to HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL and then I would eat my delicious not-fish lunch and make sure to eat the chocolate pudding slow to tease the other kids and if I was going to hell at least I was going with a stomach full of sugar which I bet they didn't have in heaven cause God seemed to hate good tasting food a lot. And then towards the end of Lent most of the kids had broke Lent -but only once!- or if they hadn't were counting the days till Easter. And then there was something about palm leaves, but I don't think that was very interesting because the kids never talked about it much. And then it was finallyfinallyfinally Easter and the girls wore pretty pastel dresses and the boys tugged at ties and went to church while I slept in and the Easter Bunny hopped into my house to hide the eggs we dyed. But being the biggest I knew it was really Dad, but Mom said not to tell the little kids. And every year we opened our Easter baskets and got chocolates and eggs and new swimsuits for the spring.

And that was it: Lent as I saw it in 3rd grade. It was weird. Still is today.