Ramen & Rand

What I Want to be When I Grow Up

2011-03-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-07-27T13:24:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

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.

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

Cultivating the Virtues Podcast

2010-04-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-12T21:54:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-05T20:11:00.004-05:00

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:

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.
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?
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.
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.
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

2010-03-26T10:40:00.002-05:00

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

2010-03-23T22:46:00.005-05:00

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

2010-03-21T15:38:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-22T00:58:00.000-06:00

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.

One Year Blogiversary!

2010-02-21T07:46:00.003-06:00

Wow. It's been a year since I first started up this blog. Seems like a looong time ago. But I'm happy to say it's my very first Blogiversary!

Now, I don't have any hit quotas to meet, because this blog is more for me meeting other people, sharing cool things with people I know, and working out my own ideas, rather than be heard on a national scale. I simply don't update with enough substantial content for that. Nor do I have any desire for t at the moment. But it is pretty cool to visit Google Analytics after a year and see where I am:

10,692 visits
My biggest keyword searches were "ramen and rand" (people are looking for me by name!), "japanese iq test", "rand quote opinion cannot validate me", and "tea party protest slogans" (I get a whole lotta hits during tea parties)
My biggest traffic sources are Google searches, direct links (from feed readers I'm guessing), and Diana Hsieh at NoodleFood (there's always telltale spikes when she links to me)
I've gotten hits from every continent...well, maybe not Antarctica
My top five hit states, in order, are: California, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and Texas. Colorado is an honorable mention at 6th place

Cool! Happy Blogiversary to me!

Kanban Review

2010-02-19T01:28:00.001-06:00

Since switching majors, I've gone from the schedule and workload of a photojournalism student (odd hours, physical projects, lots of lab hours, frequent guest lecturers, morning classes) to that of a early childhood education student (lots of reading, frequent papers, observation hours, online quizzes, night classes). The adjustment is going well. I really enjoy all of my classes and am exploring a whole new field of interests. But it's been a bit of a stumble adjusting to the different type of work. I have to continually remind myself to catch up on reading or do research for that paper, something I didn't do often in photo. I've been doing ok so far (Haven't forgotten to take an online quiz yet!), but the new bulk of work has left me feeling overwhelmed.

Luckily, since productivity is a virtue, many Objectivists have found efficient means of getting through their workloads. A favorite is the Getting Things Done, or GTD method by David Allen. I plan to reread GTD and implement it once I have a better workspace, i.e. my own apartment. But till then I have my own simple productivity hack suggested by my friend Rory:

It's called a Kanban. The idea is to have 3 columns, one for things that need to get done, one for works in progress, and one for finished tasks. The works in progress are usually limited to a finite amount, in my case, 5 things to do.

And that's it. It's a very simple system. Perhaps too simple for some, but just right for my impatient, wandering mind. I like it because:

The limited number of works in progress allows me to prioritize what needs to get done by importance and urgency. It also allows me to focus on a small number of things, rather than a super long list that leaves me reeling. I feel much more in control when looking at my top five to-do's.
I LOVE the "Done" column. It seems superfluous, but it's necessary because 1) it closes any open loops so that those tasks are done for sure and I can put them aside to focus on what needs to get done now and 2) it feels wonderful to move a task from "Doing" to "Done". It concretizes that I am being productive and makes me aware when I'm idling.
The "To-Do" column helps me get ready for impending surges in work. For instance, I have a whole mess of application deadlines coming up. Knowing a wave of work is coming let's me mentally prepare, as well as keep my schedule open.
The system allows for easy switching up should priorities change.

Since putting it up I'm a lot more calm about my workload. My biggest issue at the moment is the 5 task rule on certain days when little things tend to pile up, like laundry, taking out the trash, going to the bank, etc. But otherwise it's been very effective. Now I just need to figure out how to get it up on the wall with something besides gaff tape...

Interesting Lectures

2010-02-17T17:03:00.000-06:00

Here's a few interesting lectures from TED (Technology Entertainment Design).

Has anyone ever noticed how at the beginning of each talk the audience applauds and all stop together at the exact moment a person starts speaking? It's gotta be fake track, right?

Stephen Torrence Sign Songs

2010-02-13T12:52:00.003-06:00

I am absolutely LOVING this guy Stephen Torrence! He has a series of ASL sign songs out on YouTube and they are fantastic!

He's doing absolutely everything right. The facial expressions are large and entertaining. His signs are clear, simple, and without hesitation. He matches the quality of his expressions and movement with the tone of the song. He can go from a hyped up pill popper to a lovesick tween:

And while we're on a Miley Cyrus kick:

He is HILARIOUS! And just so good at what he does. What I really like, and this is something I haven't seen with other sign songs, is that he puts two rows of captions at the bottom. One is the English lyrics of the song, and the other is the ASL glosses he's using to translate the song. This is enormously helpful for people just learning ASL so they can learn more signs. It's also beneficial because you can see exactly how he's interpreting the concepts.

And his timing is just impeccable. I love the part from the next video when he looks right at the camera on the word "stare". (Look for it at the beginning!) Coordinating signs with the tempo of the music I think is what makes a sign songs really enjoyable for hearing people.

Here's just one more video! How Stephen Torrence does it all:

Rewards of Baby Signs

2010-02-06T13:52:00.001-06:00

Beyond communication with Deaf people, American Sign Language (or any sign language for that matter) has a very real value for hearing people, namely parents. Recently hearing parents have caught onto the idea of baby signs as a way to communicate with their children earlier than by speech alone. The basic concept is that developmentally, children can make signals with their hands long before they can speak. In short, hands and arms develop quicker and easier than throat and tongue muscles. So by teaching babies basic signs such as "milk", "food", "bathroom", "mom", and "dad", they can express themselves much earlier in life. Babies have been reported able to communicate by sign as early as 6 months, as compared talking which ranges from 6 months to 2 years.

So what's the point? Well, when your toddler is screaming it's head off, having a way to communicate rather than guessing at screams can save you and your child much frustration. It is also useful in quieter situations, like meal time. Babies can learn to ask for specific foods or drinks by name. Or during playtime, babies can ask for a book or specific toy. Here's an example:

Laura Berg, mother in the video and founder of My Smart Hands, shares this success story about Baby Signs:

One story I always share with people is when my daughter was ten months old she was eating Cheerios and signing ‘more'. I'd give her more and she would throw them on the floor and sign ‘more' again. I said to her, "Then you don't want MORE… what do you want?" She looked at me and signed ‘more cheese'. I was amazed for two reasons: 1. She put together a two word sentence at ten months. 2. There was no cheese in sight. I hadn't offered her cheese during that snack time yet she was able to clearly communicate to me what she wanted. I could imagine how frustrated she would have been if she hadn't been able to tell me what she wanted.

Baby signs are also a great way to help along kids' grasp of language and vocabulary. A child may know what something is, but be unable to name it vocally. But with signs, their vocabulary can build as they're learning to talk. They can grasp concepts earlier. Berg says:

Imagine, you have two children and they both don’t talk until they are two. You sign with the first child and not with the second. The first child is able to easily communicate with you and use 50 plus words easily, all while building more and more vocabulary until the age of two. The second child is only able to use pointing and sounds to let you know what he wants. When both children start talking at two, who did you think would have the larger vocabulary? Obviously the child who was signed to because he’s used language in a more advanced way through his two years of life. Plus the adults around him are probably talking to him in more advanced sentences than the second child because we know that the child comprehends what we are saying.

And there is no risk of a child not developing speech. Babies will naturally absorb the language that is around them, and unless the parents are only using ASL in complete silence (very unlikely for hearing parents), babies will listen and imitate sounds of the language they hear. In fact, when teaching baby signs, parents often repeat words many times, giving babies a ton of verbal reinforcement. Berg says:

There have been zero studies that have shown signing to hinder language. In fact, all of the studies on signing with children show that signing accelerates language in many cases. People confuse speech and language. A child who signs is using language, more language in fact than a non-signing child. Speech is the ability to form sounds to produce the language. Some children don’t develop the ability to speak until much later than other children. The reality is babies want to talk, they babble all the time. When they are able to talk, they will. It is not easier to sign than talk. It is much easier for a child to talk. However, when you don’t have that ability then signing is easier and a great bridge until speech does develop.

Parents might feel anxious about trying to teach their kids words from a language they don't know, but Rational Jenn has a different perspective on it, which might put some at ease:

The way I'd explain it that we often teach our kids to wave "bye-bye" without a second thought. And often as not, the child would wave for a while, and then add the word "bye-bye" pretty quickly after. And even if they didn't, wasn't it cool that we knew what the baby was saying? That's how I viewed baby signs--and those signs were ESPECIALLY helpful with concepts like MORE and HELP and AGAIN and ALL DONE. You can't really point at those objects in reality, so I think using signs for higher-level concepts is so much easier on parents and kids.

...

They used signs in the same way they'd wave bye-bye. Humans are naturally gesture-y, I think. Shaking/nodding heads, pointing fingers, etc. I looked at using ASL as an extension of that. They really responded to it, and it was very natural for them, too. Children are conceptual very, very early--as early as 10 months of age. But most of them lack the physical ability to recreate words--there's a lot of skill that they need to move their lips and tongues in a coordinated manner. It's easier for them to use gross motor skills, and many of the simple ASL signs involve large motor skills with their arms and hands. I looked at signing as providing them with extra communication tools, to be able to tell us what they need ('eat' or 'help' or 'again') even though their mouths couldn't tell us.

If you feel overwhelmed, (or are having issues explaining to friends why you're making all these gestures) think of signs as a support for words, similar to the way you wave goodbye. You already use certain movements to connote certain meanings, so think of signs as an extension as that.

Most of the sites I've been to recommend starting baby signs around 6 months. It's about the time developmentally when kids can begin making the connections needed to reproduce signs. But if your kids are older, don't fret! You haven't missed any windows of opportunity. The best thing is to get started is now! To begin, learn a few basic signs (eat, milk, sleep, mama, dad) and begin using them as you say them to your baby. Repetition is good! Don't be discouraged if your baby doesn't immediately copy you. Just keep at it. Once your child begins picking up signs, if you'd like to, learn the signs for your child's favorite toys or animals. You can learn foods, clothes, and more abstract signs such as "finished", "more", "again", "yes", and "no".

So, if you're convinced that baby signs can improve communication between you and your baby (I hope you are!), here's some signs to get you started:

And here's an online ASL dictionary to look up new signs.

Happy signing!

How to Fingerspell

2010-01-29T18:49:00.003-06:00

There's a post in the works about baby sign, soon to be complete with videos of yours truly. But since I have a bunch of dinosaur temp tattoos on my neck, I think I'll wait. (Don't wanna scare the mommies!) Till then, anyone interested in sign (baby or not) can get started fingerspelling. Knowing how to spell words is the first step to learning signs because often you have to spell out words to learn new signs in conversation. So, enjoy!

ASL Frequently Asked Questions

2010-01-23T06:16:00.000-06:00

When I tell people that I know ASL, there's alway that first round of questions, which I'm happy to answer, but so I don't repeat myself a million times online, here ya go!

What does ASL stand for? No, it's not Age-Sex-Location. It stand for American Sign Language.

Is ASL a real language? Yes! For centuries ASL has been considered just pantomime, gesturing, or "monkey speak". The common assumption was that reason could only be attained through spoken language, thus sign language was sub-human or irrational. Only recently have linguists given serious consideration to the form, which has it's own system of grammar, syntax, and etymology and is shared among a community.

Is ASL a universal language? No. Each country has their own sign language. There is an international sign language called Gestuno. It's used sometimes by the World Federation of the Deaf and at the Deaflympics. It uses many signs that are common to several sign languages, but it is such a simple and limited language that it's impractical to use it all the time.

Is ASL derived from English? No. ASL is NOT signed English. It's origins lie with French Sign Language, learned from early teachers for the deaf, and some native signs that developed in the vineyard country in California, which had a large Deaf population. ASL does draw on English, but the syntax is completely different. There is Signed Exact English, which follows the same grammar structure as English and includes specific words not found in ASL, such as articles "a", "an", and "the". However, SEE is rarely used among the Deaf. ASL and SEE can be combined into a Pidgin Signed English, which is the style most hearing people sign when learning ASL for the first time.

Is ASL a foreign language? Yes. Most people associate the word "foreign" with outside the country, but "foreign" is anything that is not familiar to you. So unless you already know ASL, it is foreign to you. Many high schools and colleges accept ASL as a foreign language that can be taken for credit. WKU currently offers ASL 1 and 2 for credit.

Is there a written form of ASL? No. And personally, I don't see how there could be an effective written version of ASL. The language is based on space and movement, which is near impossible to capture on paper. Just ask anyone trying to learn new signs from an ASL book. Does that mean ASL cannot spread ideas past face-to-face interaction? Certainly not. Video is the best way to capture ASL and it be understandable. With technology advancing, ASL has a much better chance of spreading than in the past. In fact, when magazines are able to mass produce digital pages that can play video, I think the Deaf community will enjoy a surge in publications.

Why do people make such weird faces when they sign? If you've ever seen a conversation is ASL, it is very animated. This is for two reasons: one, because raising and furrowing one's eyebrows are central to ASL grammar and two, because facial expressions adds meaning and emotion to signs. People don't talk in a monotone, so it goes that they also don't sign without facial expression.

Are there "accents" is ASL like in spoken languages? Yes. Different regions develop their own native signs and sometimes a style of signing. Kind of like people on the east coast speak differently from the west, the north from the south, etc. The most notable accent in ASL is a "hearing accent". Hearing people tend to sign slower, less smoothly, and move their lips. Unless a hearing person is a native signer, they will almost always have this accent.

Hope that clears some things up. If you have more questions, post them in the comments. I plan on doing a follow up post for more in depth questions or ones I missed.

WKU Center for the Study of Capitalism

2010-01-20T01:11:00.003-06:00

I recently sent this to Brian Strow, the professor in charge of the new BB&T sponsored Center for the Study of Capitalism at Western Kentucky University:

I was thrilled to hear that BB&T is sponsoring WKU for a center to study capitalism. I'm a firm believer that capitalism is the most effective and only moral economic system because of it's regard for individual rights and condemnation of government interference. I'm very interested in helping out the center, and I hope you will let me know if there is ever a need for volunteers.

In the future, I would suggest inviting a speaker from the Ayn Rand Institute. I attended the debate on capitalism last semester and was disappointed by the pro-capitalism debaters. I don't think either one made a complete argument for the moral foundations of capitalism or effectively explained why those principles are so fundamental to capitalism's success. And I was dismayed at their inability to refute even the most inane questions. It just wasn't a true defense. I've heard lectures by many speakers from ARI, and I think students (especially business majors) could benefit from their pointed and specific arguments for capitalism. John Allison himself works closely with the Ayn Rand Institute. Some suggestions are:
"Capitalism: The Only Moral Social System" by Craig Biddle
"Capitalism Without Guilt: The Moral Case for Freedom" by Dr. Yaron Brook
"In Defense of Oil: Celebrating Oil's 150th Birthday" by Alex Epstein
"The Monopoly Myth: The Case of Standard Oil" by Alex Epstein
“The Great Depression: Why It Happened and How the Scapegoating of Capitalism Still Burdens Us Today” by Richard Salsman
“The Morality of Capitalism” by Dr. Eric Daniels
“In Defense of Financial Markets” by Dr. Yaron Brook
I think organizing an open lecture with any one of these speakers would be an excellent way to promote rational discussion about capitalism, generate more knowledge about the center, and to present a clear cut defense of individual freedom in markets I think this campus has yet to see. I would be more than happy to help coordinate an event if a speaker were requested.

Looking forward to the center's future,

Miranda Barzey

Hopefully he takes me up on the suggestion!

John Stossel on Ayn Rand

2010-01-17T00:55:00.000-06:00

John Stossel aired a special on Atlas Shrugged last week on the Fox News Network. It featured advocates of Objectivism including Yaron Brook, John Allison, and Bradley Thompson and a libertarian guest, Nick Gillespie. It touched on the books popularity, its similarities to politics today, and some of its themes.

Overall I though the show was a success. It was great PR for Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and Objectivism. I think it hit upon some good points in the novel without going past an average person's understanding of philosophy and politics. None of the guest were rushed to speak (though John Allison was talking pretty quick at the beginning) and the opinions were concise and clear. Stossel did take some opposing viewpoints from people in the crowd, but he did not have an equal amount of dissenters on stage to rebuff the Objectivists. It was a smart choice because it allowed the focus to be on Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand, rather than letting it dissolve into a heated back and forth argument where little is heard and nothing is accomplished. The opponents didn't deserve equal time because frankly, they had nothing to say. There was not a legitimate argument from any dissenters, only ad hominems and misunderstandings about the book and the philosophy. I think Brook, Allison, and Thompson did an excellent job of addressing each comment with a calm, brief reply that left no room for confusion.

I also think Allison did a great job of demonstrating how win-win relationships without sacrifice or predation helps businesses grow, which is in contrast to the stereotype that corporations only succeed in taking advantage of people. "We won't ever consciously do something that's bad for our clients. In fact, we believe that if we do the right things for our clients, in the long term, we'll be more successful." I wish he had made the reasons why BB&T took TARP money a bit more clear, but the confusion stemmed more from my lack of economics knowledge than his explanation. I'm really glad he mentioned that education needed "10,000 experiments, 9,990 of which fail" just like business. The idea of competition in education (not just secondary) needs to be promoted more. If education is ever going to get better in this country, it needs to be entirely private so that the best teaching methods win out over bad ones. With the government involved, public education is just a "monolith" that never improves because there is no competition.

And the segment on the growing nanny state was accessible to anybody with a brain. The government is getting involved with fish pedicures? During this part of the show my mom yelled out, "This is what I'm paying my government to do?" It put in very simple terms just how absurd the government is in "protecting" citizens.

But don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself:

Spring 2010 Semester Goals

2010-01-14T00:37:00.003-06:00

I'm not making New Year's resolutions per se because 1) it doesn't feel like a new year, just the second half to my sophomore year and 2) I prefer to break up chunks of time into more manageable pieces and make semester goals.

That being said, my Spring 2010 goals:

Distribute The Undercurrent: In order to promote my values, and to possibly meet more people that share those values, I will be distributing 250 copies of The Undercurrent, an Objectivist college newspaper, on campus. I will drop off stacks of papers at several intellectual "hot spots" and refresh the supply every two weeks. I will also put up flyers advertising the paper and drop a few issues here and there around campus.

Participate in a dance class: For fun and exercise, I'm continuing to take a dance class, but this time I'll try a different style, either jazz or salsa. I will go to class weekly. And at least once I will make the trek to Nashville and take a hip hop class.

Audition to be a face character through the Disney College Program: When the time comes, I will attend a presentation for the Disney College Program and if I like the benefits, apply for it. Then I will go to one of the character auditions and try out to be a face character (one who's face you can see). If I do land the job, I'll get to be a character at Walt Disney World (hopefully a pretty pretty princess!) in the fall.

Successfully get the Hearst anniversary gallery show up: As gallery manager, it's my job to get the 20th Hearst Anniversary show ready to present this semester. This is a huge project that requires fixing all the frames, plastering and painting the gallery, printing photos in the best quality possible, and then eventually hanging the show (a lot harder than it looks). The show opens February 6.

Devote at least 1 hour a day to studying, homework, reading, etc: I will consciously block off time everyday to focus on being prepared for my classes. I've been severely lacking in being ready for class my whole life. Thus most of my bad grades were from a lack of organization rather than not understanding the material. I will get all my homework done this semester.

Hone my style: Last semester I dressed much better than freshman year, and I felt great about it. I wore more dresses and kept sweats only in my dorm room. (OK, I wore them publicly like twice. But that's a huge difference from previous years!) It fell off as it got colder, but some Christmas gifts helped build up my cold weather wardrobe. Now I'm working on creating more of a style for myself, something more formal. I feel my best when I'm put together inside and out. And the new style works well for observing in classrooms.

Go on adventures with Flat Ryan: To help Jenn and her son learn more about geography (and of course for my own childish fun), I'll be taking Flat Ryan to interesting sites in the area and taking photos. Then I'll email photos and a stories about my adventures back to Ryan, who will save them in an album and mark them on a huge map. And while I love helping a kid learn about the world, it's also a good exercise for me to learn more about the area, and to go on photo adventures. Plus, I no longer have an excuse to have a dull weekend.

Get started on a portrait series: I have a zillion and a half ideas for portrait series. Now that I've got some basic lighting skills down, it's time to actually get shooting. Not sure which one yet, but it will happen this semester. I'm auditing Advanced Studio Lighting, so I'll be learning more and be able to use assignments to get started.

Apply for the Clemson Capitalism Summer Conference: I can't make it to OCON, but a 5-day capitalism seminar that's all expenses paid is a nice runner-up. "It's like OCON with people your own age," Rory tells me. Plus it allows me to still attend deaf camp. Count me in. Applications due March 10.

Try fasting: I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I often didn't think about it till I was already halfway through a meal. But I'm going to consciously pick a day and prepare for a 24 hour fast. After a few tries with that, move up to a 36 hour fast. Intermittent fasting helps keep your metabolism on its toes, and combined with my diet and exercise from dancing, should result in some weight loss.

Choreograph a dance: I LOVE knowing choreography that I can recall and perform. That's my favorite part of dance. Now that I have some class experience under my belt, I want to try my hand at actually creating a choreographed dance. I've created a few small pieces here and there with friends, but I want one that's all mine. By summer I will have an entire piece written and memorized. It will be good to have when Samm starts teaching colorguard again to show to the girls.

Get the photo business up and running with a website, prices, business cards, and logo: Despite photo not being my major anymore, I still want to do some work on the side. I've gotten a few commissions from friends, but to get anything steady I need a base. So, by spring break I will have at website up complete with several portfolio galleries, blog, contact info and a set system of pricing. By summer I will have a logo ready to print.

Redesign Ramen & Rand: I'm tired of my blog looking like every other one. So I'll be shooting a header photo, updating my blogroll, including links to my photo website, and changing the color scheme. I'm also going to do a post on the meaning of the name, which I think isn't at all clear.

Post more substantial writing: I want to add more meat to my blog. To chew on ideas a bit more than I have. Writing more in depth posts will force me to get over hurdles in my writing and to clarify my thoughts. Also it should draw more readers to my site, reinforcing the process to deliver consistent content.

Submit a post to the Objectivist Roundup every week: A goal to help the previous one. There's a certain standard for posts in the roundup and by keeping a standing order to submit articles weekly, the caliber of my writing should increase. Plus, I get more links and readers.

Support my winterguard buddies: My sister, my roommate, and several friends are all participating in winterguard this year. To support them, I will go to at least one show per guard. And I will try to go to WGI if I can afford it.

Produce the band banquet video for North Hardin: This will be my first project combining music, video, and photos. I want to do well not just for the band, but also to use in my portfolio. I want to get into video projects and this is good practice.

Supplement my diet: I will be vigilant about taking vitamin D, cod liver oil, and fish oil capsules everyday to cover gaps in my diet (you can only do so much in a cafeteria) to improve my overall health.

Read one book on Objectivism, one on education, one on marketing, and one on ASL: I'm not so worried about quantity of books as I am quality. Besides, I read slow anyways, so set numbers don't usually work for me. But I am pushing myself to read more about my interests. So I will read and study one book for each area. It should result in a better understanding of my values and more blog posts.

Attend Deaf events as much as possible: Get on the email! That's the trick. Otherwise I forget and all the fun times pass me by. Not being in a sign class make it very easy to lose the language. I'm already forgetting simple signs. I will attend every Deaf event that I can make it to.

Wake up at a decent hour: I don't have any classes till 11:30, and knowing my lazy self it can become all too easy to slip into a crazy sleep schedule where I'm awake too late and sleeping in till the last minute. During the few rare times I've been up hours before class, I had free time to spend reading, studying, and getting ready for the day. It was great. I will set my alarm for 8 at the latest everyday to not sleep the day away.

And to make sure I stay on track: motivation music.

I Wanna Be a Pretty Pretty Princess!

2010-01-11T02:48:00.000-06:00

The six-year-old in me is bouncing off the walls to join the Disney College Program, audition to be a character, and spend a semester dressed up as princess, signing autographs, marching in parades, and hanging out with little kids all day. It makes sense. I love Disney. I love performing. I love dress up. Hello dream job?

(Yes I know the costumes are hot an Florida is sticky and it's basically minimum wage and not every child is a well behaved angel, but I still think the perks outweigh the cons.)

I can't learn anything more about the program until a rep comes to WKU or Disney reopens it's EPresentation. But from what I've seen it is a good experience, college credit is a possibility, and it's not far from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Plus being in Florida would give me an opportunity to visit the Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf. Exciting!

Here's a Novel Idea

2010-01-09T10:48:00.000-06:00

Note to Self:

Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about your career and future and holy-crap-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life and the student loan debt you're racking up, and just follow your interests. Despite how old you feel, maybe 19 is young. Maybe you do have time. Maybe you really aren't the only one. Maybe it isn't a crisis. Maybe you should grab opportunities as they come, do things, figure out what you like and don't like, and take it slowly. Maybe you can get some sleep.

Just a suggestion. :)

Technology is a Good Thing

2010-01-08T08:20:00.000-06:00

My dad is old. I mean ooolllldddd. He'll be 60 in May. But he acts like a little kid when it comes to technology. Computers, DVR, satellite radio, and his beloved iPhone. Often you can find him tinkering with his phone adding new music and apps and then giggling like a school girl when he discovers a new trick. It's quite adorable.

But the reason he gets so excited is because technology has come so far since he was a kid. Back when he was my age, the hot new item was a portable radio. "You could plug in your headphones and walk down the street jamming with music in your pocket." So you can imagine his joy at being able to choose the music in his pocket. And on top of that having a calendar, phone, address book, gps, voice recorder, notepad, internet, and games in one little box.

Dad told me he remembered when the first color TV came to his town. The lady who owned it would leave her door open and all the kids would crowd in the hall to watch old westerns in technicolor. And now he can keep track of all his favorite shows via DVR. (This is especially useful for SYTYCD, because we can rewind the dances we like and talk about them. Hooray art!)

It's nice to see the world through his eyes. And I wonder where technology will be when I'm almost 60.

Brilliant Opening Sequences

2010-01-03T18:25:00.007-06:00

Since the Mountain Workshops, I'm really developing an appreciation for video and editing. Watching the hell some of the upperclassmen go through to put together a short piece, I know it's not an easy process, and takes quite a bit of vision. That said, I'm raving about these opening sequences from popular shows. The pattern I'm seeing in them is that the present the basic premise of the show in images and metaphors, are perfectly in sync with the music, and quickly convey the tone of the show.

What I Did in 2009

2009-12-31T13:32:00.001-06:00

A look back.

I went to the inauguration and took photos
I learned sign language and fell in love with it
I got through a tough breakup with my first long term/long distance boyfriend
I saw Wicked! live (and quietly sang all the songs to myself)
I started seriously following a paleo/primal diet
I started this blog
I came to terms with my disappointment with college and vowed to be happier
I learned how to record audio and create multimedia pieces
I attended and took pictures of a Tea Party
I became a redhead!
I worked as a waitress and learned a lot about dealing with people
I was a counselor at deaf camp and had a blast
I found out my parents were getting a divorce
I took a last minute road trip to Charleston, SC with friends and met a band
I decided to change my major (what to, still not totally sure yet)
I became a godmother
I was a labbie at Mountain Workshops
I learned how to do small systems and studio lighting
I chaperoned for my old marching band at Grand Nationals and learned I definitely don't want to work with teenagers
I met a whole bunch of Objectivists online
I saw the season 5 So You Think You Can Dance top twelve dancers perform all my favorite dances live
I completed my lighting portfolio on dancers
I saw my first 3d movie

Pioneers! O Pioneers!

2009-12-30T18:30:00.000-06:00

I recently have become enamored with this poem, "Pioneers! O Pioneers" by Walt Whitman. Yes, I heard it first off the new Levis campaign, but you can blame my poor public education for not introducing me to more poetry.

I like it, especially read by this guy Will Greer. It's romantic, determined, and courageous. It's about breaking new ground and not settling for complaisance. It's youth as it should be. It make me want to run out into the wild and be a kid again. It makes me want to be among life loving people who seize each day with energy and willfulness. It's inspiring. Just in time for the new year.

Well...

2009-12-29T21:08:00.002-06:00

I didn't do much of anything today. Ready to go back to school so I'll have something to do.

I did experiment with melting down unrefined shea butter my sister got me for Christmas. She got it for me for my eczema, which has become worse in the past few years. I added virgin coconut oil to it and was able to melt it down and pour it into a mold without the butter becoming grainy. However, cutting up shea is similar to cutting up cheese: it crumbled. But I know better for next time and will have a how-to up soon.
I watched Gran Torino for the first time today. I would love to gt a portrait of Clint Eastwood.
I'm trying out Google Chrome. It's okay so far, nothing that I find better than Firefox.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

2009-12-29T00:33:00.002-06:00

I despise the cold. Really. I miss my dresses and sunshine and walks outside. Nevertheless, winter does have some bright spots.

I got my $60 thrift store couch home today. Thank you Mom for helping me load/unload it in the blistering cold.
I watched my brother wrestle for the first time today. He's pretty good. First match he pinned a guy in less than 20 seconds. I also realized how adorable elementary school wrestling is and I have plans for a super cute portrait series.
I went to Waffle House late at night with a few friends and bitched about scholarships, teen pregnancy, and work over multiple cups of coffee.

Now to go defrost.

Google Chrome

2009-12-28T13:21:00.003-06:00

I've yet to try out Google Chrome, but I'm in love with their features commercial:

Here's the kicker, everything you saw was done in camera, even the music. It took a team of very creative and patient professionals to create all these concepts live. Kudos to Google for continuing being awesome.

(Videos via Alexx Henry)

Avatar

2009-12-27T20:05:00.002-06:00

I saw Avatar in 3D about a week ago. And wow. I have to commend James Cameron for creating such a visual feast. The alien planet Pandora is a conceptual beauty. The flora and fauna in the film are exotic and colorful in a way that reminds me of a coral reef. The jungle pulses with light from the electricity that connects the entire planet, which Dad mentioned was a beautiful way to physically show the connectivity in nature. I really recommend seeing the film in 3D. I took my glasses on and off periodically to compare to 2D and it just wasn't the same. Even the previews were more engaging.

As for the storyline, it was engaging, though somewhat predictable. Watching the main character perform tasks to become part of the native people reminded me of other movies where Indian tribes took in a white man and showed them their ways. I admit while Neytiri (alien girl guide) was guiding Jake (crippled Marine turned alien) through the forest I instantly thought of Pocahantas and had "Colors of the Wind" playing in the back of my mind.

The theme was just as cliche: corporate greed is bad, living in humble harmony with the nature is good, environmentalism for the win. Every detail the movie reflected that. The army base was gray, bare, and cold. The Pandora jungle was alive, bright, and light. The majority of the humans were manipulative businessmen, cruel unthinking soldiers, or weak scientists. The only hero humans were those who lived partly as natives. However, the natives were happy, pure, brave, and peaceful. Even the natives are more interesting in terms of looks. They're blue and light up! Almost everything human is negative while on the flipside everything on Pandora is positive. Given only these two views, the emotional support clearly goes for the pretty blue people over the destructive humans.

Clearly the aim of the movie was to draw parallels between the destruction of Pandora and the destruction of Earth. At one point in the movie Jake is talking to Ehwa (the natives deity, AKA Mother Nature) and says something along the lines of, "There's no green where I come from. We've killed it all, and now we're here doing the same thing." Later on Ehwa literally fights back by sicking wild animals on the human army. By the end of the movie all things industrial, business, and human are forgone for running around in the woods with spears.

Awful themes, but excellent visually. I suggest everyone see it (in 3D!), but keep your brain on.

Christmas Eve Good Things

2009-12-24T20:18:00.002-06:00

I'm back after some time off for finals and rest.

Dad took us out for Chinese food. It was delicious.
When we got home Dad was dancing in the kitchen. I love when that happens. Some of my best memories of home involve us blasting music and dancing.
Tomorrow is Christmas!

Objectivist Roundup: Christmas Edition!

2009-12-24T14:10:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of the Objectivist Roundup! The theme of this roundup is the Benevolent Universe Premise, which I consider Christmas a prime example of. Leonard Peikoff describes the concept of a benevolent universe premise as:

Although accidents and failures are possible, they are not, according to Objectivism, the essence of human life. On the contrary, the achievement of values is the norm—speaking now for the moral man, moral by the Objectivist definition. Success and happiness are the metaphysically to-be-expected. In other words, Objectivism rejects the view that human fulfillment is impossible, that man is doomed to misery, that the universe is malevolent. We advocate the “benevolent universe” premise.

The “benevolent universe” does not mean that the universe feels kindly to man or that it is out to help him achieve his goals. No, the universe is neutral; it simply is; it is indifferent to you. You must care about and adapt to it, not the other way around. But reality is “benevolent” in the sense that if you do adapt to it—i.e., if you do think, value, and act rationally, then you can (and barring accidents you will) achieve your values. You will, because those values are based on reality.

In other words, the benevolent universe premise consists of seeing the world as a place for opportunities of happiness, success, and achievement of values by default if one lives pursuing rational self-interest and does not fight reality. So how does that relate to Christmas, a holiday typically hailed as altruistic and self-sacrificial for the joy of others? Well, to quote Ayn Rand:

The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: “Merry Christmas”—not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form—by giving presents to one’s friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . .

The best aspect of Christmas is the aspect usually decried by the mystics: the fact that Christmas has been commercialized. The gift-buying . . . stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure. And the street decorations put up by department stores and other institutions—the Christmas trees, the winking lights, the glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which only “commercial greed” could afford to give us. One would have to be terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle.

Christmas is a fantastic time because it demonstrates the benevolent universe premise all month. It's a time of goodwill towards others without contradiction of values or conflict of interests. We put up decorations and buy gifts for loved ones, not out of some duty to others, but because it brings us joy. I personally love trying to find a great gift for each family member that they will appreciate. It's not at all altruistic for me because seeing the people I love happy serves my own self-interest.

So, without further ado, I give you the Objectivist Roundup for Christmas Eve!

Diana Hsieh presents Christmas Cheer posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Although I've not been feeling terribly well, I decided that I needed some Christmas cheer in the form of a tree and lights. I'm so glad I did!"

Rachel Miner presents Getting Started posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, "After so thoroughly enjoying other Objectivist parenting blogs, I've decided to jump in and try my own. I have my first post and three goals up so far (broken into sub-posts, so please look at the main blog site to understand this beginning). I know I have plenty to learn, so any thoughts and suggestions are welcome."

Rachel Miner presents My Top Three Parenting Books posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, "Having added links, pictures, and strike outs to my blog tool box, this is my first content-based post."

Paul Hsieh presents The Known Universe posted at GeekPress, saying, "This video takes you through a tour of the known universe. It's like the classic "Powers of Ten" video but astronomically accurate."

Greg Perkins presents An Objectivist Recants on IP?? posted at NoodleFood, saying, "The anarchist-libertarian mises.org has a posting featuring one of their regulars, holding himself out as an Objectivist who has seen the light: That intellectual property is transparently wrongheaded, and that Rand was simply confused about the application of the fundamentals of her philosophy when she wrote that IP is at the base of *all* property rights. But in fact, this fellow simply seems confused about the fundamentals of Objectivism, and therefore of their application to things like the legitimacy of IP."

Trey Givens presents How I Ruined Christmas posted at Trey Givens, saying, "I was going to submit my post about how people should not be upset when someone wishes them a happy [insert some holiday you don't actually celebrate here] but since it's kind of crotchety and not very in the spirit of Christmas, I think this post is better. This is the post in which I explain how I ruined Christmas. If Santa doesn't show up at your house, now you know who to blame. Sorry!"

Ari Armstrong presents Ralph Carr Shows Politicians Can Stand for Liberty posted at FreeColorado.com, saying, "Ralph Carr, governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943, advocated economic liberty and civil rights for Japanese Americans."

Rational Jenn presents A Day in the Life posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "We are all really enjoying the homeschool experience lately!"

C.W. presents Green Jobs; Obama’s Jobs Program and Inflation posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "People have talked about what Obama's Jobs Program will not do (create jobs or stimulate the economy. This talks about this government spending and inflation."

Kelly Elmore presents My Life Long Love Affair with Jane Austen posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "This post explains my changing love for Jane Austen's novels as I have gotten older and wiser. There are some spoilers, but not too many."

Ottens presents The Polluted Health Care Debate posted at Atlantic Sentinel, saying, "Rather than denouncing "socialized medicine" as being impractical, Republicans should point out that it is immoral. People do not have a "right" to health care any more than they have a "right" to food or shelter."
[Note: While the author of this post is an Objectivist, most of the other authors on this group blog are not Objectivists.]

Rituparna Basu presents Obama?s Cynical View of Human Nature posted at The Undercurrent, saying, "***NOTE PLEASE USE Ryan DeGoyler AS THE AUTHOR*** Does Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech prove his view of human nature is cynical?"

Amy Mossoff presents Adam Sandler posted at The Little Things, saying, "Something about Adam Sandler's goofy grin and silly laugh gives me a sense of the Benevolent Universe Premise. If you haven't heard his Chanukah Song, now is your chance."

Amy Mossoff presents Jewish Christmas Dinner posted at The Little Things, saying, "Christmas is my favorite holiday, and food is a big part of it. Find out why I decided to make Jewish Christmas Dinner a tradition in our family. Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Miranda Barzey presents A Very Mischievous Christmas posted at Ramen & Rand, saying, "Christmas at my house has become an all out game of sneakiness and misdirection...all in good fun, of course."

And may I also recommend another article:

Leonard Peikoff's "Christmas Should be More Commercial"

With that, may you all have a lovely Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas tomorrow!

A Very Mischievous Christmas

2009-12-23T21:22:00.003-06:00

Christmas at my house has become a game. A sneaky, tricky, misleading sport full of red herrings and false leads. And as my parents tell me, it's my fault. See, when I was a kid I hunted after Christmas presents like it was my job. In my younger years it wasn't hard. Presents were easily found stuffed behind coats in the hallway closet, under beds, car trunks, and following internet histories showed me all that was to be mine Christmas morning. Eventually my parents caught wise and starting hiding presents in safer places, like at neighbors' houses and other places I've yet to find out. Still, I had learned by then to match our Christmas lists to the boxes under the tree by carefully shaking and listening. Lava lamps have a rather distinctive sound.

Then Mom and Dad really started pulling out the stops. Shaking presents wasn't effective anymore because Dad used crazy shaped boxes that were far too big for the actual present (think a TV box for a DVD). On top of that he stuffed the boxes with beans, shopping bags, and books to throw us off. Presents no longer had names on them, just 3 different wrapping papers, one for each kid, though we had no idea which paper was for whom. And Dad being the scheming type would give us false clues. One year he told me all my boxes, which were heavy, were full of books. I didn't believe him, but it did cause some nervous gift shaking late at night and joy on Christmas morning when I found out they all contained camera equipment.

As for this Christmas, I don't know what's in the boxes under the tree. (Well, I do know one. A coat. But only because Mom asked me what color I wanted it in, not by any snooping of my own.) And I haven't shaken any presents. In effect I have been beaten by my parents at the Christmas game. I have thrown in the towel. But on Christmas morning I will be surprised at whatever I get. And in that respect I win.

I'll let you know the results after Christmas.

By the Way

2009-12-16T08:42:00.003-06:00

You see the box on the sidebar?

That's my Facebook page for my photography. You should be a fan. I'll keep you updated on the business. And maybe you'll hire me.

Heads Up for Christmas Edition of ORoundup

2009-12-16T08:19:00.003-06:00

While Rational Jenn is hosting the Objectivist Roundup this week, I just wanted to give everyone a week's notice of the Christmas Edition of the ORoundup that I'll be hosting here. The theme of the roundup will be the "benevolent universe premise". I consider Christmas a holiday that celebrates the idea. To quote Ayn Rand:

The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: “Merry Christmas”—not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form—by giving presents to one’s friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . .

The best aspect of Christmas is the aspect usually decried by the mystics: the fact that Christmas has been commercialized. The gift-buying . . . stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure. And the street decorations put up by department stores and other institutions—the Christmas trees, the winking lights, the glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which only “commercial greed” could afford to give us. One would have to be terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle.

I ask those who submit articles to please let the more negative commentaries on politics and news rest for this roundup and instead turn in something related to the theme and the holiday. I really want the Christmas Edition of the ORoundup to reflect the mood of the holiday. So write about the Objectivist interpretation of Christmas, about your own holiday activities, the year in review, or perhaps the year ahead. Write something that celebrates life, achievement, and productivity that allows Christmas to exist. And be sure to turn it in before 11 PM on Wednesday, Dec 23.

Final Lighting Portfolio: Dancers

2009-12-09T14:00:00.001-06:00

It's finally done!!!!!!! My lighting final - a portrait portfolio on dancers - is completed. And I am exhausted. But in a good way. The purpose of the portfolio was to show our range of ability in lighting. In terms of the dancer theme, I wanted to show a range of dancers at different stages in their ability and in different styles. I think I did pretty good on showing my various lighting abilities, but I wish I could have got a wider variety of dancers. Time was against me for this project, since most dance departments and studios were prepping for recitals. Not to mention finals were coming up, so I was busy as well. I hope to continue the project later on to include more dancers.

The project was also a great head start for my photography business. My favorite things to shoot have always been related to the arts: dancing, marching band, music, etc. I want to make arts photography my niche. Visiting several different studios and interacting with dancers, parents, and teachers is helping me get a foot in the door. It's also made me realize just how much more I need to learn about dance in order to direct dancers. Example:

ME: Can you do a jump for me?

SUBJECT: What kind?

ME: Um, something like this with your leg out and hands up? (awkwardly stretches into a halfway pose of what I want)

SUBJECT: ???

The project has been a major learning experience to say the least. So without further ado, my final lighting portfolio:

You can see the portfolio with captions in my (temporary) website here.

AHHHH!

2009-12-03T21:26:00.002-06:00

AHHHHHH! IT'S THE END OF THE SEMESTER SO INSTEAD OF BLOGGING I'M STRESSING! LIGHTING PORTFOLIO! ONLINE BIOLOGY EXAM! LIGHTING PORTFOLIO! DANCE PAPER AND CHOREOGRAPHY! LIGHTING PORTFOLIO! PSYCHOLOGY FINAL! DAMN LIGHTING PORTFOLIO ABOUT DANCERS WHO ARE BUSY AND UNABLE TO SIT FOR PORTFOLIOS AND NOT HAVING MY OWN GEAR BECAUSE I'M CHEAP AND BEING AT THE MERCY OF GEAR CHECKOUT AND FRIENDS WHO LOAN ME EQUIPMENT AND WHY WON'T THAT LIGHT FIRE AND YES THIS WILL TAKE LONGER THAN 15 MINUTES AND THE STUDIO LIGHTS ARE WIGGING OUT AND WHY DIDN'T I START EARLIER AND I'M A HORRIBLE PHOTOGRAPHER THAT CAN'T LIGHT WORTH A DAMN AND I WHEN IS THIS SEMESTER OVER SO I CAN BREATHE?!

See you after the finals week aneurysm. :)

How Do You Know When You're in Love?

2009-11-28T17:33:00.002-06:00

A first for me, I'm using my blog as a means to complete a homework assignment. The subject is Psychology and the assignment is to collect 1 short paragraph from a series of people answering the question: "How can a person know when he or she is in love with someone?"

So, help a girl out with her homework? Please?

Thanksgiving, Oh Boy

2009-11-26T21:08:00.003-06:00

While each family has their own little quirks, I truly believe my family has had some strange times that nobody else can replicate. Especially during the holidays. Take this holiday for instance. My mother put her nursing degree to good use by injecting the turkey with butter. And yes, with a real needle. Probably one of the disposable needles we use for allergy shots for my brother and father. And speaking of butter, we managed to use two whole pounds of butter for our feast. Granted, it wasn't an ideal primal Thanksgiving, but we definitely nailed the high fat aspect of the diet. Dinner conversation was nice enough, until we brought up girls my brother is guilty of texting which launched into a huge discussion about sex, condoms, and the maturity needed for meaningful sexual relations. Poor mom was reminded of her fear of her babies having babies. Thankfully there's always wine in the house. We washed dishes to Christmas music and Harry Belafonte, and Dad and I watched The Fountainhead before bed. Considering my parents are in the process of getting a divorce, it could have been much more wild and dysfunctional.

So what is there to be thankful for? Alternative cooking techniques, a diet that embraces my love for butter and bacon, open communication in the family which helps prevent teenage pregnancies, holiday liquor, good music, Objectivism, a very amiable divorce, and my crazy, unique, loud, funny, outspoken family that I love.

Yeah, I think that's good. :)

I'm Really Girly Today

2009-11-25T23:39:00.002-06:00

Home again.

My sister (AKA Diva of the Family) did my hair and makeup today. And she did well. I feel pretty.
I did some pregame for Black Friday by going to a few stores, trying on clothes, then logging what items I wanted and what size so I could get in and out quick Friday morning. Hope it works.
I danced around in my leotard in my huge basement.

Twilight Hysteria is Unhealthy

2009-11-25T23:21:00.002-06:00

Yes! Finally somebody takes a serious look at the literary quality of the Twilight series (not just fantasizing about Edward's perfect topaz eyes) and sees it for what it is: crap. You can read it here.

The typical Twilight fangirl response to this would be (after shocked and indignant gasps of horror), "Well have you even Breaking Dawn?" No, I have not read the crowning finale to the series. I don't need to. I got through the first book, but couldn't get more than a few chapters into New Moon because Bella's pages of whining and pining over Edward wasn't going anywhere, and I had better things to do then trudge through an empty plot. I was given the rundown on the plot of the rest of the books: Bella and Edward get married, there's crazy violent sex that leaves Bella battered and bruised, then there's a pregnancy which rips her apart (literally), she nearly dies, but then Edward finally makes her a vampire to save her. All the while Edward is beautifully moody about the dire nature of his soul, Bella assures him he's a perfect being, and Jacob the werewolf sulks in the corner.

And this is the great romance of our times? Bella, a wholly undeveloped character, falls madly in love with Edward, also an undeveloped character (besides detailed description of his physique), for reasons unstated. Her passion is so intense that his leaving causes her nightmares and an addiction for danger. When Bella is with Edward she's constantly in a state of physical pain and peril. She literally wants to die for him. She wants him to kill her so they can be together forever. And this is the romance millions of girls (and women) are falling all over themselves to have? The ultimate goal is death by love? What? That kind of love is unhealthy. It's a dangerous pathology that leads to battered women.

So can we please calm down with the Twilight hysteria and look for a love story of substance?

Lost and Found, Dancers, Turkey!

2009-11-24T21:29:00.002-06:00

Hello downtime!

I'm pretty sure I found the yearbook's missing flash today. I checked it out several weeks ago, but haven't had it on me because I thought I turned it back into the Talisman. Gear checkout didn't have it either. I was scrambling to find it (may I remind you it's a few hundred dollars to replace) and thought to try checkout again, this time more thoroughly. Low ad behold there it was. Yes! My savings are safe!
I'm working my way towards completing my final portfolio in lighting. I'm hoping to continue with my dancers theme, but it's hard because of scheduling. But I had a great shoot last night with an engaged couple in my dance class. And they asked me to shoot their wedding!
It's Thanksgiving break! I can't wait to flex my domestic skills cooking dinner!

Insightful Little Cartoon

2009-11-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

Beware of the snake oil salesman pandering the latest government panacea:

This Weekend

2009-11-22T22:40:00.002-06:00

Some good things from this weekend:

Signing Santa was this Saturday. I had a blast signing on skates and getting my picture with Santa (haven't done that in many years). It was covered by both the local and college newspapers, and the extra publicity is gret to try to get the American Sign Language minor back.
It was my brother's birthday Saturday as well. He had his first wrestling tournament that day and won 2nd in his weight class. I didn't get to see any of his matches, but I will next week!
I started reading a book about starting my own business. It got me thinking about what I wanted to photograph. The typical senior portrait and weddings won't cut it for me in the long run, but luckily I was watching So You Think You Can Dance at the time. I realized that dance and other performing arts have a real need for photos and video. It's something I love and it's not as formulaic as hooting weddings. I have a niche now! Exciement!

The History of Big Government

2009-11-22T22:22:00.002-06:00

I recently finished "The Rise of American Big Government: A Brief History of How We Got Here" by Michael Dahlen from The Objective Standard. It details from the 19th century to today how America went from a mostly laissez-faire capitalist system to the socialist nanny-state fiasco it is today. The article also describes the positive effects of free enterprise as well as the negative effects of government regulation in the economy.

Here are the opening paragraphs:

"Nineteenth-century America was the closest thing to capitalism—a system in which government is limited to protecting individual rights—that has ever existed. There was no welfare state, no central bank, no fiat money, no deficit spending to speak of, no income tax for most of the century, and no federal regulatory agencies or antitrust laws until the end of the century. Consequently, total (federal, state, and local) government spending averaged a mere 3.26 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Constitution’s protection of individual rights and limitation on the power of government gave rise to an economy in which individuals were free to pursue their own interests, to start new businesses, and to create as much wealth as their ability and ambition allowed. This near laissez-faire politico-economic system led to the freest, most innovative, and wealthiest nation in history.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, however, capitalism and freedom have been undermined by an explosion in the size and power of government: Total government spending has increased from 6.61 percent of GDP in 1907 to a projected 45.19 percent of GDP in 2009; the dollar has lost more than 95 percent of its value due to the Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies; top marginal income tax rates have been as high as 94 percent; entitlement programs now constitute more than half of the federal budget; and businesses are hampered and hog-tied by more than eighty thousand pages of regulations in the Federal Register."

I found it refreshing to read a history of the Industrial Revolution, Great Depression, and WWII economy that was backed up with facts and objective analysis. Anytime I learned about those times in school, it was always tainted with leftist overtones. The industrialists were robber barons, children were forced to work in unhealthy conditions, workers were exploited, and the government rode in on it's white horse to save America from greedy monopolies. When talking about business at that time my Western Civilizations teacher actually said in class that communism is the best economic system, but people aren't good enough to practice it. At the time I felt in my gut that she was wrong, but I had no ammunition of real facts. This article was a good reeducation for that time period.

The article is only available in part online for non-subscribers. I suggest you subscribe to the journal (60% off till November 30!), buy a PDF of this article, or head to Barnes & Noble and pick up a the current issue!

Dresses, Bellydancing, and a Hand Turkey

2009-11-18T20:04:00.002-06:00

Meh. I'm so tired.

I got to see (online at least) what Andrea's bridal gown and my bridesmaid dress will be. The wedding is unofficially in March.
I photographed bellydancers today and had a blast. It makes me want to take classes. The girls looked so powerful and confident with their movements. Plus it looks like a ton of fun.
The first thing Samm said to me when she walked in the dorm was, "I made a hand turkey!" Who says you're too old to do crafts.

FIVE Good Things!

2009-11-18T01:23:00.002-06:00

Today was a really good day! There's way more than 3 Good Things!

I had a great "ghetto light" shoot at the Air Evac Lifeteam base. Check it out.
I got a lovely and encouraging email from Brian Masck about changing my major. It made me smile.
The Bosnia to Bowling Green gallery is officially open!
I did two photo shoots, did some shopping, went to an Deaf community event, played around with studio lights, and got a ton of homework done. Today was one of those rare busy but not anxious days. I could use more of those.
Rainy day + guard nostalgia = spinning my umbrella like a dork and not caring who saw.

Gallery, Change, and a New Job

2009-11-16T21:31:00.003-06:00

Getting back into the swing of college life after a weekend away.

I got the majority of the next gallery show ready for exhibition tomorrow night. Gotta do some tweaking tomorrow.
I put in my change of major form and registered for classes.
Jim Bye asked me to fill in as studio manager for the rest of the semester which means an extra 5 hours a week of work and doubling what I make now as gallery manager. Plus, I get a studio key!

Comforts of Home

2009-11-15T18:44:00.003-06:00

I love coming home.

I had the most glorious sleep last night cocooned in my bed. It was much enjoyed after several long days and sleepless nights at Grand Nationals.
I got to eat REAL food today: hamburger steak, eggs, and hot tea. Can't get that in dorms.
I had a lovely long, hot shower.

Grand Nationals Weekend

2009-11-15T17:41:00.003-06:00

I spent the last few days in Indianapolis for the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championships. I worked as a chaperone for my old marching band. It was quite an experience. I never got to compete at Grand Nationals when I was in band, so it was wonderful to get a chance to go. I saw some of the top bands in the nation and wow, were they tight. It was a good experience for the kids to see these monster bands too to serve as an example for what they could become. North Hardin's band has taken steps in the past few years to reclaim their former glory, and placing 2nd in Class 2A at semifinals this weekend is a major statement for the program. We're coming back as a champion band!

I also experimented with video this weekend. I've been asked to produce the band banquet video this year, and I hope to include a lot of what I shot at Grand Nationals. Since Mountain Workshops I've been thinking more about what video can do as a creative medium. I'm also learning to look at a situation and decide whether it would be best represented in a still image or in motion. I'm still working out how to eliminate camera shake. I can't afford a stedicam, and a tripod isn't always practical. Also, I think I'm for sure going to save up for a camera that shoots good stills and video (Canon 5D MArk II if I can). Here's a few images from the trip:

I think it's obvious I have an affinity for the colorguard. :) My hope is that the video goes over well at the banquet and I can try again to get parents and students to pay me to photograph the band. Last year I posted over 1500 photos of the band for parents to buy prints, but I only got a handful of orders. If things go over well at the banquet, I might try again next year.

Also, I was supposed to host the Objectivist Roundup on Thursday, but was unable to due to limited internet access. Thankfully, Rational Jenn filled in and hosted the Better Late Than Never Edition on her blog. Thanks again for the help Jenn. :)

Music, Calm, and Awards

2009-11-09T23:11:00.004-06:00

Today started out worrisome, but turned out well after some successes.

I had a great shoot for my musician assignment in lighting. I photographed a banjo player whom I met in a coffee shop a few months earlier. She opened up about her training as a classical singer, being sensitive about her work, being an older student on campus, and even sang two of her songs. I was reminded of the benefits of photography in introducing me to interesting people and listening to their stories. I think people open up to me differently as a journalist than they would if I were just another stranger.
Writing out my options for my career gave me a deep sense of calm.
College Photographer of the Year results are cranking out and several WKU grads have snagged awards.

Goodbye Photojournalism

2009-11-09T21:31:00.006-06:00

It's taken several months of discontent, introspection, and exploring other areas of life to reach the decision to quit the photojournalism major. I haven't loved the work that comes with being a photojournalist since high school. I have enjoyed meeting interesting people, pushing myself to create better images, and the opportunities photo gave me to explore different slices of life. But I don't enjoy the constant feature hunting, following people around, getting assignments, or the amount of time it consumes. The good doesn't outweigh the stress for me. I don't love the work, and that's reason enough for me to leave.

This is not to suggest that I've given up photography all together or that I'm severing all ties with the department. Photography is still a great value to me and I intend to keep up friendships with the PJ kids. I want to continue to dabble in studio work and learn more about video.

Finally deciding to quit the program is a huge weight off my shoulders. It's difficult to walk away from something I had been committed for several years to do. My biggest challenge now is figuring out what I want to change my major/career to now. I have it narrowed down to two options:

Option 1: Commercial Photographer. Told ya I wasn't dropping photo completely. :) I really enjoy shooting portraits, events, and working with businesses/individuals to create visuals to market themselves better. This would include some weddings and senior portraits, but I want to branch out past those to change up my clientele. I'd like to even do some freelance journalism work. I'm considering marketing or entrepreneurship major for this career. I think these are far more applicable to my goals than PJ since it focuses on the business side of the job. I can handle the creative side on my own through practice. The biggest downside to these majors is lots of math and accounting classes. And I really hate math.
Option 2: Deaf Child and Family Mentor. Eh, I'm still working on an official name for this one. I absolutely love sign language and have enjoyed working with kids at deaf camp. My experiences with deaf children have taught me that many deaf children are born to hearing parents that are either unwilling or unable to give their child access to the resources he or she needs to thrive. The biggest of these is language. Many profoundly deaf children get no exposure to language - ASL or English - during the first few years of their life when their minds are most apt to pick it up. The result is preschoolers who are unable to communicate and whose lives will be a constant struggle to master language and achieve good communication. I saw this in person and it was heartbreaking. The career I see is to help these children and families by providing exposure to sign language, advice on schooling and auditory aids, and perhaps even homeschooling depending on the child's circumstances. For this path I would do my undergrad in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, hopefully with a minor in ASL if WKU brings it back, and a masters in Deaf Education from Gallaudet, a deaf university in DC.

Writing my options out like this really helps to clarify my goals. Though I change my mind day to day, I feel myself leaning more towards working with deaf children and running a small photo business on the side for extra money. I feel calmer now. Less like my life is a chaotic mess. I tend to over-worry.

Studio, School, and Screening

2009-11-05T20:47:00.002-06:00

Today was good.

I had an awesome, awesome, awesome studio shoot for a yearbook assignment. I had a blast creating an idea, and then seeing it become a reality. I really enjoy working in the studio. I'm keeping that in mind as I decide my career path.
I've been devouring articles by Lisa VanDamme about her teaching philosophy and the successes of the VanDamme Academy in Aliso Viejo, California. I'd really like to take a trip out there to observe the classes. I really get inspired by the rational, hierarchical approach to education that VanDamme takes. I'm also keeping this in mind as I consider career and life options.
In honor of November 5, I'm heading out soon t a friend's house to watch V for Vendetta, one of my favorite movies!

Lighting, Lab, and Literature

2009-11-04T18:48:00.004-06:00

3 Good Things today:

I've got a theme idea for my final portfolio in lighting class. I hope to turn it into a long term project.
Turns out my bio lab grade isn't going to go down the drain after missing last week due to Mountain Workshop. The TA was more than glad to excuse the absence, let me make up the quiz, and even turn in some missing homework to boot. My GPA isn't screwed!
I got caught up on several episodes of Rationally Selfish Radio by Dr. Diana Hsieh. I always love listening to her clear and insightful analysis of Objectivist philosophy and practice. I'm particularly liking the Exploring Atlas Shrugged series. I'm gaining a much better understanding of the characters and their moral mistakes which drive the plot of the novel.

Ah, Video

2009-11-04T18:27:00.001-06:00

I'm starting to be opened up to the possibilities of video lately. I found this gem by chance:

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury from Tim.Chris.Film on Vimeo.

3 Good Things

2009-11-03T18:12:00.003-06:00

I'm going to start posting 3 Good Things here everyday. It's a positive psychology technique I've picked up from several Objectivist bloggers. The point is to recognize the positive from each day to prevent getting sucked into a vortex of negatives, as I've been prone to do in the past. I did it last year privately and it helped a bit to get me out of my antisocial rut. It's a really life affirming acitivity and I'm going to start up again. So, everyday I'll post 3 Good Things. They can range from something as simple as a good meal to something big such as landing an internship.

I met with an adviser today to talk about switching into the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education major, which deals with children birth to Kindergarden.
I think I'm going to garner some business from the dance and theater departments for head shots. I've asked several of my Modern 1 classmates to pose for assignments, and they're all really enthusiastic. One dancer even came up to me asking when I could photograph him again. A few more shoots and I think word of mouth will spread.
I had the best endorphin high after dance class today. I'm going take more dance classes, but maybe not at Western.

Mountain Workshops 2009

2009-11-02T10:23:00.003-06:00

After 8 days away for the Mountain Workshops, I'm finally back in Bowling Green. It was a great experience. I've known about MWS since high school. I used to eat up the books and websites and couldn't wait to shoot it. To my dismay last year I found out you had to be higher up in the program to shoot, however I could be a labbie. So this year I spent the workshop unloading/loading the Uhaul, hooking up computer networks, taking out the trash, and getting coffee for the coaches. On top of those general duties, I was assigned to be gallery labbie since I'm gallery manager back at WKU. I spent most of my time going through about 20,000 photos from the workshop participants trying to find the best 47 to print and frame for the gallery. In my downtime I got to get portfolio reviews from former students working in the field now, some of which are Pulitzer prize winners. Every night I saw presentation by the coaches about their experiences as photojournalists. I met photographers from across the US and got to know my own classmates better.

It was a great experience and I learned a lot:

Be careful using wide angle lenses as they distort towards the edges of a frame. Bleh.
The best critiques are usually the ones that make you nervous. Case point: Cheryl Diaz Meyer. Tough, blunt, but ultimately right. She gave me the most helpful critique.
Watching Jed Conklin tone photos is going to drastically change how I process my photos. Who knew levels could do that much?
Going through other people's shoots and competing in a 50 frame shootout has made me realize the importance of taking time to compose a photo rather than just shooting everything. I need to think more while shooting.
Working relationships are not the same as personal friendships.
Jim Bye is awesome. He drove back to Bowling Green from Murray, a two and a half hour trip, halfway through workshop to pick up faster computers to make the network run more smoothly. We had a Jim Bye Appreciation Day when he came back complete with masks, a card, and a plate of brownies. I think he enjoyed getting recognition for his hard work, something he rarely sees.
Liz O. Baylen's multimedia piece gave me a different outlook on video as a creative medium. I have some ideas brewing. I might ask for the 5D Mark II for Christmas.
Photojournalists are a very weird and tight knit bunch. Everybody seems to know everybody else.
Workshop has been helpful in clarifying my goals for photography and where I want to take it, something I've struggled with for a long time.Even after all the time with the professionals, looking at good work, and even getting some ideas for future projects, I don't feel the overwhelming passion that I would need to be a photographer. I still love it, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to be a hobbie on the side rather than a full fledged career.

Go check out the Mountain Workshops website for work from this year and years past.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-10-26T12:10:00.002-05:00

Ahhhh! It's been a crazy past week or two. Hence no posts. I was busy waiting for this guy to enter the world:

Meet Rayson Kyle Chitwood, my new godson. He was born on October 24 at 6:37 AM by C-section. The hospital had his mother Andrea on pitocin for days trying to get her to deliver, but there was no way his 8.12 lbs self was going to fit. I think this kid will have a flair for the dramatic, because he was born at the last possible second before I had to leave for workshop. I'm glad I was there. I was expecting to hear about the event over the phone rather than experience it firsthand. I think it will be interesting to see how being a godmother will work out. I've never had more than a passing relationship with a child. I'll actually be involved with this kid, watching him grow up. Wow. And then there's me being an atheist. But Andrea knows that, and doesn't expect me to promote or participate in anything religious relating to him. I won't be sponsoring a baptism/christening. "Just love him... and buy him stuff," she said. I can do that. Really I think of myself as more of an unrelated auntie to him. I've yet to think of a nonreligious term for "godson" though. Any ideas?

Right now I'm at the Mountain Workshops as a labbie. It's a week long photo, multimedia, and picture editing workshop. I'm not shooting, but I do have access to coaches who can look at my photos and tell how to improve. I also get free food and lodging. And the company is fun. A good deal I think. I'll update on critiques I get as well as any other interesting workshop events.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Tour

2009-10-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

My wonderful, awesome, amazing, generous father bought tickets for the SYTYCD Season 5 tour in Indianaoplis this past weekend. We took my sister along too. It was stunning. I got to see almost all my favorite dances up close (6 rows back from the stage!) and met most of the dancers after the show.

It was a bit weird to see these dancers- whom I followed religiously and rooted for on TV for several months- up close in person. They don't look any better or worse (I guess TV doesn't glam you up that much), but they were a bit shorter than I expected.It was really inspiring to see these people up close. They LOVE what they do, and they've worked hard to get to the tour. It's nice to see someone achieve their dreams.

I am so buying tickets for next season as soon as thy go on sale. Hopefully I'll get to see Ryan Kasprzak!

ryan and b @ Yahoo! Video

A Living Magazine: The Next Step in Media

2009-10-08T23:40:00.002-05:00

Ah! This is so inspiring. Using technology to bring a new level to communication in mass media. This is just one of the many ways that different media - writing, video, audio, still photography- are converging to produce a total package story. I don't think it's signaling the end of any of these forms, but rather allowing journalists to choose the best method for delivering a story, using more mediums if necessary. It's so cool!

onBeing is Back

2009-10-06T00:08:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post started a segment last year called onBeing. The video project was started by Jennifer Crandall with "the simple notion that we should get to know one another better", as it says on the site. Each video is a short interview with a person (sometimes two) about their lives. It's on simple white background with quick straight cut editing and no embellishments such as music or ambient sound.

What I really like about the series is that it almost feels like a conversation with that person. There is an instant intimacy in the pieces. Crandall gets the subjects to open up and the stories just flow. I also love that the editing gets straight to the point without tedious introductions. The combination of anecdotes, recollections, and opinions make the interviews feel very similar to how people interact in real life. I think it breaks out of the normal interview box that journalists get stuck in sometimes.

The project has been criticized as being too simplistic, so much that it loses journalistic merit. It's just people talking about their lives, sometimes just complaining or rambling, they say. But that's what features are: a look at someone's life. Granted, I don't like all the interviews. I think some of them prattle about nothing and shouldn't have been posted. But for the most part they are slices of life taken from a wide variety of people. The simplicity is a good thing. It lets you focus on the person's expressions, gestures, faces, voice, and story. My only major criticism of the series is that different styles of fonts are used in each piece and often it comes off as cheesy and unprofessional. And the new site is a bit awkward to navigate through.

My favorite video is about Jessica Tibbets, a girl who fel in love with the Arabic languge and through it learned Yemeni sign language. I appreciate her passion and fascination with the relationships of different languages to each other. The piece makes me smile and I feel a common understanding with her. A good feature does that: it connects humanity. I encourage you to go watch the videos.

Why I Didn't Like Dave Labelle's Speech

2009-10-05T01:13:00.000-05:00

I know it's a sin in the world of photojournalism, but I was very disappointed with Dave LaBelle's speech last Wednesday. I came to hear about the business of photojournalism. I came to hear how I could use my talents to create a living for myself. I came for advice on how to be a better photographer. Instead I was bombarded by a presentation about the homeless in Ventura, California and why I must give my life to help those in need.

The show started off with several statistics about how many people in America are homeless and how the unemployment percentage is creeping back to its high in the Great Depression. Then LaBelle segued into a recent project he started to at the Ventura County Star to document homeless people called Hard Times. He said he noticed that every pet of the week featured in the paper was always adopted and figured a similar effect could be made to help homeless in the area. He said he felt it was his duty as a journalist to use his talent to help other people. He said he didn't try to make his photographs great, that they were meant to be about the person, not him. I'm assuming what he meant was that by creating a stunning photograph the focus would have been more on the photographer than the subject.

Then he went on to say how he was disgusted by the people who judged these homeless and felt no pity for them. He said to us if anybody had never made a bad choice to cast the first stone. He told us that nobody plans to be homeless, and any of us could end up in the same situation. After that he remembered what the topic of the speech was supposed to be- the business of photography - and opened the floor up for questions. There were only a few. He ended the meeting with the advice to save 10% of everything we made for financial security, and then to give away 10% to those in need so we might foster a world where everyone cares for each other. He also mentioned that he had seen many people die and those who were selfless went much more peacefully than those who were selfish.

At the end of it, I couldn't hep but feel angry. I had come to get some knowledge from a professional about how to better myself and earn money for my work. Instead I was hit over the head with this project about people whose bad choices led to their demise, and then I was told by judging them for their actions that I was immoral. I was told that I was no different from the alcoholic who couldn't get a job or the woman who lost her car after lending it to someone who got it towed. I was told that my previous bad choices prevented me from morally judging any of them. I was told unless I was willing to give away my money to someone in need that I would die unhappy. And he got a standing ovation.

Don't get me wrong, I respect a lot of the work LaBelle has done. His books The Great Picture Hunt 1 and 2 are great guides to finding features and are simple enough for amateurs to benefit from. But I completely disagree with his philosophy and ethics. His notion that the homeless shouldn't be judged is unjust. True, not every person living on the streets deserves to be there. Life brings about unexpected change or crisis that lands people in tough situations. But to hold up the drug addict and the victim of a natural disaster as equal is evil. The drug addict inflicts his own suffering; it is earned. The disaster victim did not earn his misfortune. If LaBelle had focused on those who were victims of uncontrollable circumstances, then the series would be justifiable. Then it would be about people who had hit hard times by no fault of their own and were soliciting voluntary funds from readers. But most of the subjects in the series brought about their situation on their own, sometimes by years of bad choices. To include them with the innocents is unfair.

I'm so tired of seeing these depressing features on people who dig their own holes and suffer because of it. I'm so tired of seeing the story about the single mom who was habitually involved with the wrong man, or the pregnant teenager, or the drug addict, or any of the miserable people trying to get back to zero. I want to see something uplifting. Where are the photographs of the creators, the inventors, the people who live life to the fullest and make no compromises on their happiness? Even today's "inspirational" stories are still ones that feature someone sacrificing their dreams and life to another. Journalism's stuck in such a rut of documenting suffering and sacrifice that it's almost omitted all the other parts of life. So that's all we end up looking for in stories and whoever finds the saddest situations wins the Pulitzer. And I'm just sick of it.

I wish LaBelle had focused on some of the features from his book and how he went about finding them. I wish he would have inspired me to be a better photographer rather than condemn me for valuing myself and my life. I'm finding that the world of journalism has many people who's work I can look up to and whose technical advice I can value, but very few whom I can admire for their ethics.

Awesome Shows

2009-10-03T22:26:00.004-05:00

I don't watch much TV. In fact the cable isn't even connected in my dorm room right now. However there are some really interesting shows on right now that I've been watching through the internet and Netflix. And I'm quite excited.

My newest interest is Glee. It's a high school show, sure, but it delves into some deeper issues such as the how to obtain happiness, recognition of achievement, and self-esteem. And yet it remains lighthearted and funny. Each character has a rich personality and their own struggles. And I just love when they burst into song. The musical-loving dork inside of me rejoices. The show several episodes into it's first season, but you can catch up on Hulu. The show is on Fox every Wednesday night.

I'm really excited about the second season of Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's latest project. It was nearly canceled after some low ratings last season, but luckily Fox brought it back. Hopefully it will garner some more followers this season. Like it delves into some philosophical issues, much deeper than most shows. Questions such as: What makes up a person? What's ethical in terms of selling parts or all of one's body? Can you really erase a person completely? Is moral to ease suffering by wiping memory? What's right and wrong when it comes to giving people abilities? What is real? It's truly great science fiction because one imagined leap in technology opens up a whole slew of questions that build upon one another. It's fascinating. Also the writing is superb. I'm constantly surprised by the plot twists, and everything is still cohesive. Season one is available on DVD. Season two is on Fox now on Friday nights and is also on Hulu.

I've been watching True Blood, flip flopping between seasons one and two, through Netflix and HBO. After the melodramatic Twilight craze, it's a comedic relief to see a vampire story set in the deep south. The show isn't always edgy and super serious, which I think makes it stand out from other vampire dramas. I hope to read the novels soon. The show touches on the idea of individual rights as the vampires, who have recently "come out of the coffin", fight for voting and marriage rights. It's interesting to draw parallels between the vampires' fight for rights and other campaigns such as gay, black, and women's rights. Religion also plays a significant role in the show, becoming militant towards vampires. Season one is on DVD and season two will be in a few months I expect.

Jesus Freaks

2009-09-27T12:24:00.003-05:00

*Sigh* It happens every semester. A crazy evangelist or two stand outside the university center where virtually every students passes by on the way to class, lunch, their dorms, whatever. They wear day-glo shirts and shout the word of God. They condemn passing students of being sinners for not living up to God's decree.

They are clearly off their rocker.

And yet every time they come, students respond to it. They argue and yell back. They say things like "Don't judge!" or "That's not what God said!" or even "Fuck You!". The last one is a particular favorite of most kids. Some people actually try to reason one on one with men, discussing the finer points of religion and what the Bible actually says. Eventually a crowd forms and things escalate (or disintegrates) into a mass of angry yelling people, shaking their fists and blocking my way to the cafeteria.

It's ridiculous. It's happened once before and I'm sure t will continue to happen many times while I'm here at Western. What I don't understand is why kids give these guys the time of day. They obviously preach insanity. They condemn students for lusting, homosexuality, girls for "dressing immodestly", doubting the word of God, and otherwise being sinful every day. To me, it's not worth trying to refute any of it because it's so out in left field and they rely on faith rather than reason. Also, I don't buy into religion or it's package deal ethics. But other people do, even if it's not to the extent that these evangelists do. And that's why this craziness always breaks out every year. Many of the students accept at least at a basic level that there is a God. The rest is just semantics. But all of it is irrational. There is no rational explanation for any religion. It all has to be bought on faith, which is a wishy-washy system to build beliefs on. The whole exchange between preacher and students is just a back and forth of nonsensical garbage. What's the point? Nothing is gained. Everyone gets all worked up for nothing.

This is my last time shooting the event. I covered it last year because it was the first time I saw something like that happen on campus. I covered it this time because the preachers (rudely) interrupted an event that was already going on. Next time, I will not shoot it. Such an irrational exchange doesn't deserve news coverage.

Ayn Rand Institute Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

2009-09-18T00:34:00.000-05:00

I just submitted my (winning?) scholarship essay on Atlas Shrugged to the Ayn Rand Institute. I hope it does well. I'm dying for a new camera and some tuition money. And the ARI essay contests are some of the last totally merit based scholarships out there. Even most "academic" scholarships take financial need into account. This is what I submitted:

In Atlas Shrugged, the heroes want to "make" money while the villains want, on the surface at least, to "have" money. What is the difference between these two views of money? Explain your answer by reference to actual events in the novel.

The opposing views of money in Atlas Shrugged stem from opposing moralities. The heroes view money as the root of all good. The villains view money as the root of all evil. Because of their contrasting value systems, the two groups go about acquiring money differently: the heroes want to “make” money while the villains want to “have” it. However only the heroes, who understand the root and nature of money, are able to master it and they are the ones who will keep it.

The morality of the heroes is one that values man’s life. In order to support his life, man must acquire his needs through trade. He needs a system that will allow him to trade value for value. A system of money- capitalism- is the solution. It is a free system that allows men to deal with one another through mutual benefit. It is a system where only honest, productive men can succeed. It is a system built on the laws of reality. And reality dictates that wealth must be created. It cannot be wished, begged, or forced into existence. Wealth is a result of productive work led by the use of man’s mind. Without producers, money lacks any value. “It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears not all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow.” Francisco and the other heroes understand that money must be “made” for it to have worth.

While money is a tool for the heroes, it is a curse for the villains. Their morality is a mystical one, where men live in a vague fog of feelings, whim, and non-absolutes. Their morality is fundamentally anti-life and anti-man. They wish to live outside the laws of reality, but money does not allow them to do so. The villains are forced to recognize that they must rely on money to continue living. However, they continue to try to defy reality by getting money by means other than production. But wealth must be created before it can be looted or mooched. So after Directive 10-289 is passed and inhibits all production, the economy begins to crumble. As more producers are driven out to Galt’s Gulch, there is less wealth for the villains to feed on. Consumption quickly exceeds production. Eventually society collapses as a whole and the villains finally achieve their goal: the annihilation of business, man’s mind, and life.

The reason money serves the heroes and not the villains is that money demands that a man be virtuous in order to make and keep his wealth. Money is the physical representation of the trader principle: giving value for value by mutual benefit. It is productivity concretized. Money does not reward the incompetent, the lazy, or the dishonest. In a system built of free will and values, it is the man who is most talented, most efficient, and most productive who will succeed. In an unregulated free market, the best offer will always win. The nature of money precludes anything but the best as being victorious.

But the moochers and looters have no desire to earn their money. The immoral villains, whose moral code calls for the sacrifice of man to others, do not deal in raw materials or means of production. They deal in the control of men. They do not work for their money; they “get” it by any dishonorable means necessary. Theft, begging, graft, inheritance and mooching are all ways of “having” money, but they are by no means ways of keeping it. Money cannot be amassed by the dishonorable man. It will destroy him. The parasite depends on the host. The villains are still dependent on the producers to mooch and loot from. Because the villains’ wealth is not self-generated, it is unreliable and likely to vanish. As more businesses in Atlas Shrugged collapse under the pressure to give more then they produce, the villains are constantly searching for new ways to wheedle money away from producers. But when the well runs dry, the villains are left without options.

And so the villains scream that money is evil. Because they cannot master money, they become slaves to it. As much as the moochers and looters try to escape reality, the need for money anchors them in it. They fight and rebel against the laws of reality and because of it fail to accumulate any wealth. The heroes, however, acknowledge and abide by the rules of reality. They recognize money as the only non-sacrificial way (neither self to others or others to self) for men to deal with one another. Their morality enables them to be masters of their wealth and their lives.

Essentially that’s what the difference between the two groups boils down to: life. Money is the livelihood of any man and his relationship to money mirrors the relationship to his life. The fundamental distinction between the villains and the heroes their approach to life. The first wish to escape it. The latter wish to live it. And in the end of the novel, each group achieves their goal. The villains waste away in the destruction they created while the heroes enjoy the spiritual and physical wealth of a moral life.

Objectivist Roundup

2009-09-17T21:41:00.001-05:00

Go check out the 114th Objectivist Roundup at ReasonPharm.

Virtual Objectivist Club: Roark's Speech on Selfishness

2009-09-17T00:08:00.001-05:00

I just finished my first meeting with the Virtual Objectivist Club. (It's their second call in, I was busy the first night.) And I really like it. I'm really glad it was moderated by Dr. Diana Hsieh. I enjoy her blog and more recently her podcasts. She's good about talking about subjects in a clear way that doesn't leave anyone feeling overwhelmed. I've been wanting to meet/talk with her for a long time too, so that was a bonus.

We discussed Howard Roark's courtroom speech on selfishness from The Fountainhead. You can find it in the Ayn Rand Reader (the club's go to reference book) on pages 71-78. I really enjoyed breaking down some of the principles behind altruism and egoism and then connecting them to events in news, politics, and my own personal life. I felt like the discussion went well, spanning a good range of topics. Although I felt like I talked a bit too much. In situations where I'm excited and have a lot to say, I tend to dominate discussion. I wish the talk could have lasted longer. There were more topics I wanted to cover and expand upon.

It was great to finally have an outlet to talk philosophy openly without fearing that my ideas aren't fully developed, that I would get into a dead end argument, or that the person discussing wouldn't go off on arbitrary tangents. And having a knowledgeable moderator to drive the discussion to major principles was helpful. I look forward to the next call in.

You can listen to the recorded call here:

Photoblogness

2009-09-14T12:47:00.001-05:00

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Go check out my photoblog for evidence.

Dealing with Emotions

2009-09-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

A part of myself that I'm becoming increasingly aware of (and annoyed by) is my inability to handle my emotions well. Well, certain emotions. I believe I am more apt to remain rational in the face of certain emotions over others. For instance, I'm pretty even-tempered. I can be annoyed easily, but to get me all out angry is harder to do. And even when I am angry, I generally don't resort to drastic action like yelling/throwing a temper tantrum/chucking objects/hitting. I usually just need a few minutes to vent my anger and then it's gone. I rarely if ever stay angry over long periods of time.

Sadness, however, gets me. I am a total crybaby. Sometimes all I need is a small trigger such as a song or physical reminder of a sad memory and the waterworks flow. Unlike anger, depression for me comes quicker, hits me harder, and stays longer. At times being depressed can become a regular habit, like in middle school (utter hell) and my freshman year of college. Though I've found that in instances like those, most of my misery comes from a single problem (atrocious friends, a relationship that isn't working) that I don't have the courage to deal with and from that my problems multiply. An unresolved problem leads to constant worry, which leads to stress, which leads to low self-esteem, which leads to m being tired and reclusive, which all leads me to being even more unhappy. The snowball effect continues until I'm completely overwhelmed by a series of issues that could have been avoided by dealing with the root problem. The good news is that once I do discover the root and deal with it, life instantly become better. It's getting to that point that's tough.

A sort of middle ground for me is happiness. It seems like it would be the easiest emotion to handle, right? Just be happy. But sometimes joy clouds reason for me. I can get excited about an idea, usually some great opportunity or project, and quickly forget about the practicality of the ideas. For example, I got super-excited about the Ayn Rand Institute summer internship. I applied and imagined how great it would be to be working and studying among great intellectuals in California near my relatives whom I haven't seen in ages. And of course, the beach. While gushing about the possibilities of it to my mom one day, she kindly pointed out that the pay from the internship probably wouldn't be enough to sustain me in California's high cost of living. That killed my high a little bit. Granted, there were things that could have been worked out had I gotten the internship, but it would probably have involved living on a diet of beans and crackers. This is not a unique instance. I've often floated up into the clouds with my fantastic dreams and needed someone to gently pull me back to Earth. I don't think this is a terribly bad trait to have. I dream big. And after being reminded of obstacles to those dreams, I quickly begin devising ways to achieve my goals. I just need to work on not getting so carried away sometimes.

I found the solution to keeping my emotions in check is reason. In every instance where emotion overcame me, it was because rationality went out the window. I didn't account for the facts while I was daydreaming or when I was sinking into sadness. However, after stepping back and looking objectively at my life, everything became clear. Life was not as hard or easy as I previously thought (or rather felt). Once my situation was put into perspective, the action needed to pursue my goals became clear. I needed to move on from a troubled relationship. I needed to find more realistic summer plans. I needed to ditch my crap "friends". And after doing so, life was good again.

So the next time I'm reeling from some overwhelming emotion, somebody please point me back to this post. I'm sure it's a life lesson I'll have to keep coming back to.

Thoughts on Sex, Teenage Pregnancy and Babies

2009-09-04T11:35:00.000-05:00

The topic of pregnancy and babies comes up around here often. At my high school it was completely normal to see about ten girls in the school pregnant. It was normal for girls to bring their toddlers to football games with them. The high school down the road had a day care program especially for high schoolers with children. My senior year at least four freshman were sporting a baby bump. Since graduation the trend has hardly quit. There was a baby boom for my class the first year out followed by marriages and many guys joining the military to support the new family. With so much of it going on around me, I've spent a great deal of time thinking it over.

My stance on teenage pregnancy has always been negative. With all the free and easily accessible birth control out there, the likelihood of anybody getting pregnant should be minimal. It's just too easy to walk into the health department and grab a goodie bag of condoms. But things go awry, especially when you're young and horny. And possibly uneducated. Our school had a sex ed class freshman year, but many people were having sex before then and others just tuned out. But I don't think it's a failure on the school's part that kids aren't knowledgeable about sex. I think it's a fault of the parents. I don't know of any parents save my own that spoke often and openly to their kids about sex. Most parents avoided sex until they were forced to acknowledge it, which was usually too late. I was lucky to have parents that were not squeamish about sex. I can't remember any definitive "birds and bees talk" because they were always open, revealing more information as I got older. They never taught me about the proper use of a condom or the effects of STDs, but they did give me valuable information about the nature of sex, something my sex ed class couldn't do. Dad talked to me about the emotional consequences of having sex to early. Mom talked to me about the consequences and choices of her unexpected pregnancy with me. They both talked to me about the maturity required for physical interaction, about the joys of sex, and even the humor of it. We talked about abortion, breastfeeding, one night stands, and first times just like we would about any other subject: openly and without shame.

Sex is not shameful. It should not be tucked away, only to all be brought out on one's wedding night. Sex should not be made into some mystical activity that is either too holy or too filthy to describe. It should be seen for what it is and all consequences considered. Sex cannot be ignored as irrelevant or unimportant. Parents inhibit their children's lives and health when they don't talk about sex. And the results (one in three girls pregnant before 20) speak for themselves.

But what about later on when it's too late? How does one act when there's a pregnancy? Personally, I would have an abortion. There are too many things I want to do in life (including being a parent) that would be jeopardized by raising a child now. I wouldn't consider adoption because I think it would be too much pain to give away a child of mine. For me, the choice to be a parent should be a very purposeful one, not to be taken lightly. I think it impacts your life more than anything else and I want to do it on my own terms.

But what about when a close friend has an unexpected pregnancy? It happened to me recently and I went through a series of emotions: shock, disappointment, excitement, fear, and ease. I think often times when it happens people feel disappointed about the timing, but excited for the child. My hardest thing to overcome was finding a way to support my friend, but not support teenage pregnancy. I think the reason early pregnancies are so prolific these days is that they are condoned by today's culture. Many of my peers are quick to congratulate a young couple on their pregnancy, but I've always been wary about it. I've come to accept that while I may not always agree with my friends' decisions, it's still worthwhile to stand by them in return for their friendship. Their actions serve as a lesson and motivation for me to continue pursuing my values.

Hello Sophomore Year!

2009-09-02T12:51:00.005-05:00

Right off the bat I'm going to say that this year is going to be SO SO SO much better than last year. Really. This past week or so back at WKU has been fabulous. I moved out of my horrible brick box dorm (PFT) and into Southwest Hall which has... a bathroom! Yes! My very own bathroom. No more walking in my towel through the hallways and making squishy sounds with my flip flops. The room is also much bigger and has movable furniture, so I was able to put my bed right up against our huge window.

I'm also rooming with my best friend again this year and things are going well. We've gone out to some PJ events together and she loved meeting my PJ friends. There's a benevolent atmosphere among everybody right now and I hope it stays.

I'm already working on my first gallery show due to be opened in about two weeks. The show will feature multimedia and stills taken from a special projects class last year that focused on the issue of immigration in Bowling Green. I'm also on staff for the Talisman, WKU's yearbook. Being so involved in PJ stuff has put me back on the fence about whether to stay in the major or switch, but I'm hoping to have it resolved this semester.

Outside of photojournalism I'm taking a children's literature course, which has really peaked my interest. The bulk of the work is around a reading journal which examines works from several genres of children's lit. The final project is to set up an lesson plan (kind of) with an annotated bibliography of 15 books, all centered around on major topic. I'm not really interested in some of the suggested themes, like weather or sports. The constitution or Renaissance has crossed my mind, but more on that later in the semester. I got into modern dance with my roommate and am really excited! The class requires a leotard and tights, and it's the last class in a back-to-back class schedule, so I think I'll be rocking a leo under a skirt/dress/jeans for most of the semester. That should be interesting. Photos to come. I'm also trying out for autumn dance company to get a taste of what scheduling will be like later in the program. I'm still undecided about minoring in dance. If not, I found a great little studio downtown that offers classes after class.

I'm a bit surprised by how much is going on this semester. It all just happened the first week, but I'm up for the challenge and happy to be doing better this year. :)

Welcome Back

2009-08-29T11:38:00.000-05:00

In honor of the first weekend back at school, a cautionary video for incoming freshmen. Ha.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Stand Up Poetry on Teaching

2009-08-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

I don't always agree with his ideas on education, but on some things he's right on point. Taylor Mali is a joy to listen to: his pieces are often funny, smart, and sometimes even a little dirty. But he's brilliant at hitting his message home.

Virtual Objectivist Club

2009-08-26T02:33:00.003-05:00

Not sure who created this, but I got word through Diana at Noodlefood that there's a Virtual Objectivist Club getting together for the Fall 2009 semester.

The Virtual Objectivist Club (VOC) is a weekly phone-based discussion group dedicated to the study of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. The VOC is being offered for the first time this 2009 academic year. It's open to any current students who would like to learn more about Objectivism.
The club meets on the phone every Wednesday evening, for approximately 1.5 hrs. An essay or other short reading will be assigned prior to the meeting. The meeting will be a moderated discussion about this essay.

I am so excited! I flirted with the idea of starting an Objectivist club at WKU, but I doubted the amount of people interested and also my own time constraints. This is a great solution for me and should provide some much needed intellectual discussion that I craved for last year. Oh this semester is shaping up to be a good one.

SYTYCD Season 6 Hopeful

2009-08-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see this guy on So You Think You Can Dance season 6 this fall. He was underage last season, but he was so good that the judges gave him an automatic ticket to Vegas. I expect he'll make the top 20.

Road Trip!

2009-08-21T10:08:00.003-05:00

I'll be gone till Wednesday on a last minute road trip to Charleston, SC with my roommate Samm and a few other friends. We're mainly planning to hang out on the beach, meet up with a friend who goes to school in Charleston, and possibly see a band that some of our friends know personally. Most of the trip we'll explore and do things on the fly. I'm so excited to have some last minute fun before school! Most of my summer has been spent working without a lot of social time. I'm glad for the time to just relax before the grind of school work begins again.

Anybody happen to know anything fun to do in Charleston? Some cliche tourist trap along the way, like the world's largest ball of yarn, or something of the like?

The Case for Gay Marriage

2009-08-21T08:20:00.000-05:00

I rarely encounter people who are obstinately against gay marriage. Or rather, I rarely get into arguments about it with them. Most of the people I discuss it with are moderately to completely OK with homosexuality and gay rights. However, usually in an argument with the moderates we reach a point where they say "I'm fine with gays having civil unions, but not marriage." And when I ask why the answer usually is, "Well marriage is a religious thing. Christianity/Catholicism/Islam/whatever doesn't approve of gay marriage, so obviously the law can't allow it. That's what civil unions are for."

This irritates me. If we're talking about rights and government and legislation, then religion has no part in that. Separation of church and state forbids allowing religious dogma to dictate laws (though America has never fully separated the two). So no, I don't care what a certain religion does or does not accept in terms of marriage. Forget god, love, the white dress, rings, etc. To the government, a marriage is nothing more than a contract binding two people together so they will have equal rights to property attained in the marriage. If that's all it is, a contract, then by what standard are we preventing two people of the same sex to enter into this contract? Such prohibition doesn't occur between two males or two females in business contracts. Any arguments against allowing gay marriage are irrational and anti-freedom as they bar consenting adults into forming contracts.

I wish more gay rights advocates would recognize this fact. So often they clamor on about love, religion, and being OK with homosexuality itself, which does nothing to change legislation. If they want the laws amended they must think and argue in terms of laws and rights. They should stop wasting time trying to change the minds of religious bigots and fight for their rights in government.

Waitress Rant

2009-08-19T00:40:00.003-05:00

In celebration of my soon-to-be last day at work (till I go back to school) I'm taking a look back at my summer as a waitress. While I do like my job, there are some times where you come across rude/weird/unbelievable people. Here's a quick little guide to be kind to your waitress from her point of view.

So, first up, when I say "Hi, how are you today?" the proper response is "Good", "Great!", or "Hungry". Even a lackluster "Fine" is acceptable. "Decaf, no cream" is not. not everyone wants to get chatty with their waitress. I understand. I'm usually one of those people, but at least have the decency to give a quick answer before you start barking orders.

And speaking of that, I am a human being, not a food delivery robot. Do not command me, "Bring us jelly". Be polite! All bark and no please makes Miranda a pissed off girl. And much less likely to give you the best service possible. How long can you keep smiling to someone who treats you like dirt?

Now that we've gotten our introductions out of the way, let's get down to business. I'm more than happy to give you a few minutes with the menu. I can go do other stuff. Just let me know and I'll leave you to peruse the sandwiches. But let me know through words, not disgusted looks. (I might not come back!)

When you are ready, please actually be ready. Don't take 10 minutes to order. It's not a major life decision, it's just dinner. If you get it wrong, you can always try again tomorrow. So please stop fretting. Everything will be ok, whether you go with the meatloaf or the chicken. I promise.

Now that I have your order in and cooking, don't assume that our relationship is now completely nonverbal. Pointing to your half empty (half full?) glass may be ok from across the dining room, but not when I'm two feet from you. "More tea please?" will work just fine.

Ok, you're food is here. Something missing? Need condiments? Please let me know ASAP. I'd like to let you enjoy your food in peace without me constantly making trip after trip to bring you all the things you forgot to ask for before. Take a minute to survey your meal and if it needs anything. This will save us both a lot of grief.

And if I got something wrong please don't wig out. Mistakes happen. Most times I can fix them, so please let me. Nothing irks me more then a table that makes a scene about something I did wrong and then refuses me to correct it. What's the purpose there? You're complaining for the sake of complaining. If it really doesn't matter, then keep your mouth shut. And please don't do that passive aggressive thing where you don't mention my mistake until you're about to leave. What am I supposed to do? The quicker you bring it to my attention, the quicker I can fix it and we can all be happy.

On a side note, if you have kids, please don't let them run wild. I love kids and I understand they make messes. That's fine. A messy table and some crumbs on the floor is okay. But biscuits ripped into 100 pieces, forks on the floor, and spilled coke is not. Remember that I have to clean up everything after you leave, so be kind. And if you'd rather leave the mess, at least leave a good tip.

Ah yes, don't forget the tip. It's why I'm here. The restaurant only pays me $2.13 an hour, so the big chunk of my pay comes from you. Please don't stiff me. Unless I was completely terrible, I still did my job and still deserve payment. I believe tips should be directly related to quality of service, but there's still a bottom line, about 15% of the cost of your meal. And please, if you come with a large group of people, tip your server(s) well. Organizing 7+ people to sit down, give their orders, and then get all the orders right, on time, and fresh takes work. It's especially hard when people walk in at different times and everyone wants to talk instead order. All in all, tip always, and tip well when deserved.

Please don't be a jerk when you go out. Treat your waitress well and she will return the favor. That is all.

Fun with Post-Its

2009-08-18T01:45:00.000-05:00

This made me smile.

Watch Post-It Note Experiment on CollegeHumor

Guide to Freshman Year: What College is Really Like

2009-08-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

Having been shocked and disappointed when my expectations of college life were not met, I'd like to share what I learned in hopes that it will shatter unrealistic visions of college life. When I blogged about it, I learned many others had experienced the same thing. So, I hope to help out upcoming freshman by sharing the things I learned my freshman year. Granted, these are my own personal experiences. College life will vary incredibly depending on the college, one's personality, and one's purpose. But I think that what I went through speaks to many people. Armed with reality, I hope this post makes the transition from high school easier for anyone reading this.

College is not that intellectual: I couldn't wait to get out of high school to get past the immaturity and get to college where I would finally be surrounded by people who were passionate about ideas, took them seriously, and discussed them openly and often. Turns out that college is actually full of ex-high schoolers (who'd have thunk?!). Not once have I had a real conversation about ideas or principles. There was some ruckus on campus around election time, but most of it was mindless spouting of cliches. Classrooms didn't foster any real discussion. Either students refused to talk, or they talked so much and so off the point that the professor had to step in and end the misery. I probably had my most serious conversations in relation to my photojournalism classes. We talked mostly about aesthetics and technicalities, which was good, but I always wished we could dig deeper into areas of ethics. Outside of that, I went to books, blogs, and my father for most of my food for thought.

Be prepared to face the weather: In high school I spent all of two minutes outside getting from my house to my car to my school. I could usually get by with a hoodie even in the dead of winter. But in college I spend a lot more time outside since I walk to class. Make sure you have a good set of rain boots, umbrella, hat, mittens, and warm jacket.

Partying is big: Take several thousand teenagers minus parental supervision plus a new found freedom to do anything plus easy access to alcohol and drugs and you have a typical college night. Most people (freshman at least) party. Whether it be at a huge frat party, beer pong in a basement, or sneaking drinks in a dorm, people can be found getting drunk every night of the week, though it's mostly the weekend for bigger events. People will brag about how gone they were at a party, how they can't remember, etc. Not to say there aren't things going on outside getting blasted, but they're a bit harder to find.

The cops will come: If it's a big party, the cops will most likely make an appearance. They usually don't arrest anybody who's not being belligerently drunk/vandalizing/doing drugs. They usually just tell everyone to move on or be quiet. The party often breaks up into smaller groups and continues on at separate locations.

Rooming with a friend will NOT wreck your friendship: That is, if you and your friend handle it well. I roomed with my best friend and despite dire warnings, we are still good friends today. We're actually rooming again together this year. Way before moving in we agreed to be upfront with each other about anything and to be accommodating to each other. Ultimately we respected each others property (no taking food/clothes without asking) and practiced common courtesy (be quiet when the other is sleeping). The reason it worked so well for us is that we spent lots of time at each others' houses beforehand, so there were no surprises when we lived together. I knew what to expect and picked my battles, which were very few (thermostat and boys).

You will appreciate (and miss) the amenities of home: Private bathrooms, front porches, laundry with no quarters, home cooked meals, sleep, parking spaces, couches, your own room, and quiet nights. You will learn the great value in these things after living in a dorm. They are truly great things. Appreciate them while you can and take advantage of your visits back home.

The purpose of grades changes: In high school, it was important to get good grades to get scholarships, get into college, etc. They were a means to an end. Grades in college are also a means, but you must decide the ends for yourself. Most people go to college to train for a career. Sometimes a project for your major must take precedence over other classes. For example, in photojournalism, most employers look at a students portfolio and don't care about grades. They care more about hiring a skilled photographer than someone who did well in math. This has led many photo students to skip class and even slack on non major courses to shoot, edit, etc. However, it's still a good idea to keep high grades for earning scholarships.

Keeping friends requires effort: In high school, I was guaranteed to see my friends everyday at the same time in the same place. We all ran on the same schedule and saw each other frequently. However, in college everyone has their own personal schedule and is all over the place (different buildings, school, states, and sometimes countries). In order to maintain friendships, you must make the effort to keep in touch. Planning a class together or having regular meetups for lunch helps. For far away friends, make good use of the internet and phone.

Keep about $20 in quarters in your room: Seriously. The change machine will be broken. The soda machine's return button will be stuck. The convenience store won't let you hit them up for change. All your friends and neighbors will be at class. And you'll be stuck with a basket of wet clothes because you ran out of quarters for the dryer. I speak from experience, begging for quarters in the lobby is embarrassing.

The Disinterested Educator

2009-08-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

I came across this passage in my ASL textbook, For Hearing People Only.

"Let it be said that the Roman Catholic Church, among others, has made tremendous strides in eradicating negative viewss and in combating prejudice against deaf persons. The Church produce the abbe de l'Epee, who devoted the latter half of his life to the education of deaf people- without seeking any glory or wealth from himself. His concern for deaf people was entirely disinterested."
[emphasis added]

The text is taken from a chapter answering a question if deaf people suffer from bad Karma, or are punishments sent to their parents from God, which is just ridiculous. The text is praising the abbe de l'Eppe, who was one of the first major educators of the deaf. But look at the language used. It suggests that the abbe was truly noble for being "disinterested" in deaf people, meaning not acting on selfish motives. He sought no payment for his actions or recognition.

I'll agree with the text that the abbe was not fully selfish. Refusing money for his work because it somehow would have tainted the purity of his work is irrational. Money is the means of exchanging values. By providing a service (education for deaf children) the abbe rightfully should receive payment. He worked for it. He earned it.

But what most concerns me is the last sentence. "His concern for deaf people was entirely disinterested." Isn't that a contradiction in terms? How can one be concerned and disinterested at the same time? Moreover, how is someone's disinterested service a good thing? If the abbe was truly disinterested in deaf education, then it follows that he did not care about the people he worked with, that he had no feelings about his achievements, and that none of it held any value for him. He was doing it for what? Solemn duty? What praise is there in man who did not love his work, but who merely slaved away in disinterest?

The passage gives away that the authors of the book believe wholeheartedly in altruism. Had the abbe taken selfish pleasure in his work, his achievement would be diminished in their eyes. He would become somebody who was making money off deaf people's condition rather than the noble sacrificial worker he's painted to be now.

I myself take great selfish pleasure in interacting with deaf people, especially children. Practicing the language and helping kids grasp concepts are major values for me. And yes, when I become a deaf educator I will expect payment. To accuse me of making money off somebody's deafness is akin to accusing the doctor to making money off of somebody's sickness or the chef making money off of somebody's hunger. Services, no matter who they tend to, deserve just payment.

My Goals for Fall Semester 2009

2009-08-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Goal time! Here's what I'll plan to accomplish this coming semester (List subject to change due to time/priority conflicts):

Dance! I will dance this semester. I've found a hip hop class in Nashville that I'll be going to 1-2 times a week (time and money permitting). I chose hip hop because it's something I've never done before but always wanted to, it's not offered at WKU, and I think it will help put more force behind my movements. Plus it will expand my dance vocabulary. I should start once I get settled in my dorm. I'm so excited!

Apply for more scholarships. I am still in desperate need for money for school. OK, not desperate; there's always loans. But my goal is to take out as little money as possible. This includes entering the Atlas Shrugged essay contest by ARI, deadline is Sept 17.

Eat better. I'm going to try to save some money by cutting down my meal plan and keeping more food in my room. My guess is it will take a lot of trial and error till I get it down. I'm also trying to cut even more carbohydrates from my diet.

Figure out my major. I'm pretty sure by now that I want to switch out of the photojournalism program and into elementary deaf education. I know I might be a little shaky on that decision when I get back to school and into my lighting class. Therefore I'm going to try to spend more time volunteering at Deaf events and Montessori schools in the area to explore the field more. I'll also discuss my options with the education department. Time is running out to make a decision, and I don't want to be in school for 5+ years (undergraduate anyways).

Dress better. OK, so it's not some lofty goal of getting a 4.0 GPA or winning scholarship money, but it's nonetheless important. Sometimes going out in sweatpants is comfy and OK, but I'm trying to avoid constantly doing it like last year. I'm not breaking out the high heels and jewelry; I'm still very low maintenance. But when I'm more put together, I feel better. And that's a good thing. So I'll try to do that every day.

Be a kick-ass gallery manager. Did I mention I'm one of the managers for the School of Journalism and Broadcasting's gallery? It's a minimum wage job, but I'd probably do it for free anyways. I'm not totally clear on the details yet, but my duties include putting together shows for the gallery, framing, and occasionally painting. I've always thought that being a museum curator would be fun, and this is a great way to test those waters. The lab manager expects to work on several big projects this year for the gallery. I'm so excited!

Get lighting techniques down and make some great portraits. Just because photo isn't my major area of study anymore (I think), doesn't mean I'm dropping it completely. I still have big ideas and plans for portrait series and will continue to shoot weddings/portraits for extra money. Furthering my skills, especially in portraits, is still a great value to me.

Keep up this blog and my photoblog. Sometimes ideas (and motivation) for posts run dry. I procrastinate and don't post for several days on end. This year I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open for inspiration for writing. Similarly for my photoblog I'm going to continue to take photos and make the effort to post them. I won't set a regular schedule for myself, because to stay interested I want ot post at my own disgression. I will however try to update more frequently.

Winterguard? This one's still up in the air. Not really a goal yet, more of a "what-if?" My roommate Samm is planning to join a winterguard in Nashville, and I'm tempted to sign up with her. I miss performing and the friendships that come with beng in a guard. However, it's a very demanding activity. I'm pretty much guaranteed to have all my weekends taken up from October till April either practicing or competing. I'm not sure if I have that much time to spare. But at the same time, I'm not sure if I want to miss out on doing guard again. Until I become settled in my schedule at school, it's a toss up.

Thoughts on Switiching Majors

2009-08-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

80% of all college kids change their major at least once. I am now a part of that statistic. Probably. I'm still a bit uncertain about switching out of the photojournalism major, mostly because I still need to do some research into other possibilities. But for now it's back to the drawing board, which is a weird place to be since I thought I knew what career I wanted since junior year of high school. I, miss OCD planner, am currently without a path. But I'll figure it out. Here's what I do know:

I enjoy photography, but I'm not sure I want it to be my central purpose in life, my career. I enjoy documenting a good story when I find it, but I'm not sure I want to live my life constantly digging for features, being always available for spot news, and being at the beck and call of an editor. Sure, I could freelance, but the lifestyle just doesn't appeal to me anymore. It's not what I want.

I do enjoy portraiture, and still plan to take lighting in the fall. I still plan to do some portraits and weddings on the side for extra money, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy doing that for the rest of my life. Shooting weddings in particular is so circular. It's shooting the same event every time (getting ready, vows, kiss, group photos, dance, cake, toast, bouquet, car), just with different details. There are portrait series and ideas that I'd love to follow through with, but I can do those on the side.

For a while now I've been drawn to American Sign Language. I've also been reading up more on educational philosophy and techniques by homeschoolers and private educators alike. I'm becoming increasingly fascinated with both. Naturally I am considering a career in deaf education. The best plan I have worked out now is to do my undergraduate work at WKU and pursue a master's degree in deaf education, possibly at Gallaudet University in DC, the largest deaf university in America.

While a degree is neessary to enter the field, I think most of my studies will be outside the classroom. I've been reading more about the VanDamme Academy in California and their teaching philosophy. All the subjects are taught in heirarchy, teaching concepts in sequence to build upon what has been previously learned. Sounds like common sense, but looking back on my own education, everything was illogical and out of order. I went through several years of (repeated) American history before I learned anything about ancient civilizations. Science was even worse, learning about anatomy one day and cells the next. Unstructured teaching like tht isn't even really teaching. It's forcing kids to memorize facts for a test and then quickly forget it, never really have understood it in the first place. At VanDamme, the purpose of education is to train a child's mind so he or she can become a "mature adult who knows what he thinks and can think on his own."

I love the purposefulness and logic behind their teaching philosophy. I hope to visit the school one day and maybe even observe/teach. Who knows, maybe by the time I graduate the head Lisa VanDamme will have set up academies in other cities. That's her goal anyways.

Right now I'm stuck deciding what level I want to teach. My initial reaction was early chilhood education to help kids, particularly deaf kids, get a good grasp on language and other foundation concepts that are essential to preparing them for higher learning later on. However, after reading more and more about VanDamme, elementary and midde grades sound appealing as well. If I did go with those, I would have to pick an area of focus, and I think I would like to teach English/literature or history.

Ah! So many different options!

Protest Letter to the White House

2009-08-06T14:48:00.003-05:00

The White House recently posted this on their blog, calling for all citizens to do their patriotic duty and turn in anyone who openly opposes Obama's healthcare plan:

Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, "facts are stubborn things."

Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to "uncover" the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.
...
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

This scares me. Really. The government is trying to collect information on dissenters for... what, exactly? It doesn't say. But nothing good can come of it. Along with several other Objectivists, including Diana Hsieh at NoodleFood, I've sent in this protest letter to the White House:

Dear Propaganda Czar,

I am turning my self in. I have openly opposed Obama's healthcare mandates both online and in casual conversation. I believe his actions are leading us closer to socialized medicine in America, which will neither improve healthcare, make it cheaper, or make it more readily available. Aside from the impracticality of it, the healthcare measures are immoral. The government has no right to undermine the individual rights of doctors to trade their services to whom they choose.

Moreover, I find it monstrous that White House is asking for reports on those who oppose the Obama administration. The right to free speech includes the right to openly oppose the government. But it seems as if that right is also going by the wayside under President Obama.

Sincerely NOT yours,
Miranda Barzey
ramenandrand.blogspot.com

I encourage anybody who values their free speech to send in similar letters and make it known that freedom of speech is a right, not a privilege given to us by his highness Obama.

Journalism Features on Objectivism

2009-08-05T00:14:00.000-05:00

Hm. I've been chewing on this idea for a while now: creating journalistic multimedia pieces on Objectivists. A whole series linked by the idea of Objectivism, how it's spreading, and specific examples of how people apply it to their lives. The possibilities are endless. Objectivist activists, parents, students, doctors, lawyers, artists, entrepreneurs, businessmen, teachers, military personnel, writers, etc.

I've also played around with the idea of a series of interviews about the impact of Atlas Shrugged on people's lives: when they first read it, their views before and after, impressions of the book, etc. Setting up an interview area at OCON would be cool. I could get tons of willing participants without flying all over the country!

Put the pieces up on their own website, Youtube, maybe get featured by an online Objectivist publication (hello Voices for Reason, Undercurrent, and Objective Standard!), and even on my subject's sites (I think a lot of you bloggers would make great subjects!).

It's all a question of time, skills, and money. Time to learn and master photography, storytelling, and technical stuff. Then improving those skills once learned. Then getting funding through a grant or sponsorship. What do you think?

I Hate the Alarm

2009-08-03T02:34:00.000-05:00

This is partially me in the mornings and definitely my brother. I truly suck at waking up on time, whether it's 5 am or 10 am.

Alarm from Meteorix007 on Vimeo.

The Difference Between Selflessness and Altruism

2009-07-31T02:22:00.000-05:00

Dad pointed out a flaw in my understanding of selfishness and selflessness and what the two entail. After doing a bit of thinking on it, I discovered that in many situations I was not being selfish and it was due to my poor understanding of the definition. Before, I defined selfishness as acting for my own interests and happiness without sacrifice to others. I defined selflessness as the opposite, which was sacrificing my happiness and interests to the happiness and interests of other people. What Dad pointed out to me though was that I made the fatal flaw of basing both on other people. That is to say, one can be selfish or selfless without any effect or influence from other people. For example, choosing to sleep in over going to class is a selfless act, even though I'm not sacrificing my interests to another person. However, I am sacrificing a lesser value (sleeping in) to a higher value (going to class).

A small but decisive detail has changed my outlook on selfishness. I rarely if ever sacrifice myself to other people (a few slip-ups), but I still wasn't being entirely selfish. I realize now that much of being selfish is defining my own priorities and following through with pursuing them. A major roadblock for me in being totally selfish is just plain laziness. The sleeping in/class example is very much taken from real life (I do love my warm bed in the morning). Much of the work lies within me, as it should be.

Not a Great Day

2009-07-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

My parents are getting divorced. My sister and I have known for about a week or so, but they just told my brother today, who was in Arizona for the past month.

I can't think of any other word to describe it other than weird. My parents are so different from other parents. I know every kid thinks that, but they really are. Mine are never overly protective, nor are they negligent. They approached their parenting very rational and goal oriented. They didn't just get through it like I feel a lot of parents do. They love us very much and relate to each of us on a personal level. We get along so well that it's considered odd by most people.

Knowing that they were so different as parents, I expected them to be different as a couple. I expected them to be together till one died. (Forever never seemed like the right word since I don't believe in an afterlife and all that). So imagine my surprise coming home one day to overhear them fighting about alimony and separate apartments.

At first I was shocked and didn't really know how to handle it. After a while it settled in. Right now I know it's real, but it doesn't feel that way. Things at home are pretty much the same other than some home improvement projects to pretty up the house for resale. I don't think it will really set in until we sell the house and my parents move into separate living spaces. Till then it's just me thinking about the details of what's to come: where my parents will live, where Briana and Miguel will stay, where my stuff will go, if and when they'll start dating, how the divorce will change our expenses, where I'll stay when I come home, etc. Except for the first few days, it hasn't been too emotional. My parents are getting divorced. They're doing it because their relationship is no longer working. They're going to do their best to keep our lives normal and with their schedules, the kids are almost guaranteed equal time with both. I'm not affected too much by it because I'm (halfway) out of the house. I think what it so weird is that everybody is so calm and accepting of it. No after-school special drama here.

I think it's our close bond as a family, open communication, and the fact that we're all 13+ years old that has given way to such a calm divorce. We all know that Mom and Dad still love us. We know that they've tried for a long time to make it work and this is no light decision. We know it will be better for them to move on individually rather than stay together. We know that it will all be OK. It's a very amiable divorce.

My only hang-up on it all is that for the longest time my parents were a model for me for relationships. Everybody else's parents were either divorced or together but passionless. My parents seemed to make it work. They didn't run away from their issues and they made an effort to go out together and spend time at home. Lately that had changed as jobs and different interests led them to spend more time apart. I thought that was just them pursuing their individual interests. They can't spend all their time together, right? Maybe it was because I was away at school or I'm not that perceptive, but I really didn't see this coming. It scares me that I didn't notice the weren't wearing their wedding rings for a long time. And it scares me that the one couple I had put my confidence in is now breaking apart. Most of the relationships around me are so broken. Divorce, stale marriages, messy breakups, hasty engagements, and just mismatched people are everywhere. More than half of all marriages end in divorce. With all that, my confidence in two people being happy together for life is a bit shaken.

I expect even that will be temporary. Right now I'm focused on living life to the fullest and being there for my family. This isn't easy on any of us. But we're going to be OK.

Juggling my Wide Range of Interests

2009-07-20T00:52:00.000-05:00

So lately I find myself interested in:

photography
journalism ethics
applying Objectivism to everyday life
decorating (mostly in terms of my amazing, hip, nonexistent apartment)
blogging
Montessori method of education
homeschooling
Positive Discipline
American Sign Language
making money (as a waitress, photographer, and scholarships)
dance and choreography
musicals
colorguard
cinema
reading

I would say I have a healthy and well rounded range of interests. But finding time for all of them is hard. I'm trying to work on time management and what Craig Biddle calls "integrating values". So far I've done pretty good combining ASL and photography by taking photos at Deaf events. Actually, many of my values mesh well with photography, since a camera is kind of like a VIP pass. But sometimes I want to put the camera down and be all in on what I'm doing, like reading or dancing. I can't add more hours in the day, and I do need to sleep, eat, and shower on a regular basis. So I must prioritize my values and then arrange my schedule accordingly. Anybody know of any good books or articles on the subject?

Awesome Dance

2009-07-16T22:32:00.003-05:00

Every so often I find a dance that strikes a major chord with me and really hits home. Last year on So You Think You Can Dance it was a Wade Robson piece danced by Joshua and Katee (which unfortunately has all but disappeared from YouTube). This year it's a piece by Travis Wall danced by Jeanine and Jason. Whoa.

Cavewoman in College: Eating Paleo on Campus

2009-07-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

This coming fall I'm going to experiment with my eating habits at school. It's easy to cook up meat or eggs at home, but living in a dorm makes sticking to my paleo diet tougher, especially in winter when you have to brave the weather for a decent meal. I did pretty good before, but this year I'd like to do even better. This includes:

Eating more protein
Eating more vegetables
Eating less sugar
Eating less carbs

I'm trying to rearrange my meal plan so that I might have more control over what I eat. Breaks in my diet usually were a result of poor selection at the cafeteria (just about the only place on campus that comes close to what I need), weak will power (I am a sweet tea addict), and cold weather. Such breaks drove me to the closest food possible, which was hardly the best. This year though, I'm going to try cutting back on my meal plan (which should save some money) and stocking my fridge up with caveman-friendly snacks. Here are some essentials:

Whole milk
Cheese
Almonds
Small cut veggies like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and celery
Jerky
Fruit
Cod liver oil/fish oil (I've heard fish oil is better than cod liver oil because cod oil has undeveloped vitamin A)
Trail mix of nuts and dried fruit
Tuna salad
Water

I've also been considering alternatives to Walmart to get cheap, better food. These include:

Going to the farmers market.
Buying stock (very small stock) in a farm for raw milk, raw cheese, meat, eggs, etc. There's plenty of farms around Bowling Green and I actually took photos of a farm family last semester.
Grabbing all the fruit I can at the buffet-style cafeteria.
Making my own dried fruit and jerky.
Take advantage of the kitchen and utensils at Mom's work to cook tasty dinners for myself and the crew.

I'm still trying to figure out how to work my favorite food (BACON!) into my diet at school. The cafeteria bacon does not cut it whatsoever. I'm not sure it's even real meat. I'd also like to try more fish since it helps my eczema. I might have to make some deals with upperclassmen so I can use their kitchens.

Some Thoughts on SYTYCD Season 5

2009-07-14T00:17:00.005-05:00

The dancers have much more talent overall than last years dancers. It puts everyone on a more level playing field, whereas last year it was clear who was staying and going.

The choreography is not as creative or intriguing as last year. I'm not getting goosebumps as often. I'm not crying out in awe. My feelings most often are lukewarm, but the dances are getting better as the competition dwindles down.

Nigel Lythgoe is still my favorite judge. He gives great constructive criticism, highlighting both the good and bad. He also gives the reasons why something was good or bad so the dancers can grow. He never puts them down or insults them. I love the way he puts things bluntly but not rudely (unlike Simon on American Idol, which I haven't followed in years). He also always makes sure to thank the choreographers for coming on the show. It's good PR for them. I almost always agree with his judgments.

Mary annoys me. Her personality is so forced. And quit screaming, woman!

Watching the show has really got me into wanting to dance again. It's such an inspiration to see the flawlessness and joy of the dancers. In the fall I will take a dance class, most likeyl a hip-hop class in Nashville. Craig Biddle mentioned in his lecture "God Said" that he found most dancers to have a great sese of life. I think being in that atmosphere with those kinds of people having a great time (and making endorphins) will be a great thing for me. It's on my to-do list to make next year better than the last. I am also more resolute about minoring in dance. I'm really interested in the choreography aspect of it. Lately I've been coming up with (bad, disconnected, repetitive) dances in my head to my favorite songs. Getting the opportunity to choreograph and get help stylizing it sounds awesome.

I like all the dancers, but my favorites now are Jeanine, Brandon and Kayla. I think because all the dancers are so close skill-wise, what will determine who make is to the top 4 is whoever gets the "star quality" Nigel talked about the last episode. The contest is for America's favorite dancer, not necessarily the best.

I am so excited that a new season will be in the fall! I hope Ryan Kasprzack makes it to the top 20. He is such a great entertainer. One problem though: I don't get Fox on WKU's cable setup. Wednesday and Thursday nights might turn into SYTYCD nights at an upperclassman's house.

OCON

2009-07-13T00:09:00.000-05:00

So after following the #OCON tags on Twitter for about a week now, I am super jealous and seriously considering going next year to Vegas and possibly 2011 to Fort Lauderdale. Both are pretty doable I think. My grandparents live 3 hours from Vegas, so I could have a double vacation and Fort Lauderdale is a close(ish) drive. I don't think I've ever met another Objectivist besides my dad in real life, and going to a weeklong gathering with them where we can dance, eat, and learn sounds awesome. I've heard nothing but good things. And I could meet a bunch of OBloggers! Though I'm thinking I might have some sort of intellectual starstruckedness (dictionary please?) at seeing all these people I follow online in real life. Oh I can just imagine the conversations...

Ethics and Style of Photoshop

2009-07-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Excuses aside, I've taken a bit of a break from blogging for some much needed free time. What was supposed to be a part time job has turned into over 40 hours a week. However, I'm making good money, so no complaints there. The downside is that I trade off time for other pursuits like writing and reading. Still gotta work on time management. Anyways, here's a problem I've been grappling with in my photography:

In photojournalism, the morality of using Photoshop is pretty straightforward: correctional adjustments only, stay truthful, and don't overdo it. While there are some debates and details, there's a definite line between what's real and what's not. However, that line becomes fuzzier as we delve into portraiture and commercial photography. In those areas the purpose of the photo determines what is right in terms of Photoshopping.

In journalistic portraits, i.e. anything accompanying a news story or appearing in a news publication, the same rules apply for any other shot: correctional adjustments only. This includes lightening, darkening, adding contrast, or color balancing a photo to match the original scene. A photo can easily be corrected too far and become deceitful, like Time did with the OJ Simpson mugshot:

Obviously OJ is not that dark and the photo was darkened to make him appear more sinister. Time twisted the photo to convey their opinion of OJ rather than a factual presentation of how he looks. Not okay in journalism.

The exception to that rule is photo illustrations. Creative Photoshopping of a picture is okay if it's obvious the photo has been altered and is labeled as a photo illustration. Still, unless the photo is an info graphic, photo illustrations really belong on the editorial page where expression of opinion is okay.

Now what about commercial photography? Are they bound by the same restrictions as news photos? No. The purpose of news is to present facts truthfully and objectively. The purpose of commercial endeavors is to sell something, thus any commercial photos must show the best side of their product, service, person, etc. Using heavier Photoshop for commercial is fine morally. It's expected. I get so aggravated when women complain about fashion models being Photoshopped and not being "real". Of course they're Photoshopped! The purpose of high fashion photography is not to depict everyday women, but to show off clothing and accesories on highly stylized models. Photoshop is used to create a specific atmosphere to a photo, usually one of glamor and elegance. Anyone who expects raw realness from fashion is obviously missing the point.

In commercial photography, I think the use of Photoshop is not an issue of morality, but of style. Determining the right use of Photoshop depends on the purpose of the photo and the personal preferences of the photographer. And that's what I'm struggling with now. As I branch out into more commercial photography (weddings and portraiture), I am asking myself what Photoshop techniques I am comfortable using. The biggest question for me is skin retouching.

Skin retouching is a given for most portrait photographers, but coming from a news background (where retouching is a no-no!) it's giving me some trouble. My first instinct whenever I see retouched skin (it's not too hard to tell) is "That's not real." That's not what the person really looks like, the photo is somehow lying, and it's not the full truth about the person. The photo may be absolutely gorgeous, but the retouching always sits there above it, like a veil. It doesn't bother me much, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable doing that in my own photos.

For now I'm dabbling in the retouching side, but I'm not fully satisfied with the results. I'll have to do some serious thinking on it. I also think talking it over with other photographers should help as well.

If...

2009-07-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

If alternative energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, or biofuel really do work on a massive scale and are cheaper than fossil fuels, don't you think businesses and consumers would immediately switch to them?

If we are the greedy, energy consuming, material obsessed scum that environmentalists paint us to be, wouldn't we be after anything that could save us a buck?

If alternative energy sources really are effective, then why are we not using them?

Or could it be that alternative energy sources don't work on a national scale?

Photo Blog Update

2009-07-06T00:28:00.002-05:00

Go check out my photoblog for photos from my week at deaf camp. I got some decent portraits of the kids there, who were fascinating. And please feel free to comment. I rarely get feedback on my photos.

So This One Time at Deaf Camp...

2009-07-03T16:43:00.006-05:00

I lost my mind. And I had fun. It was an experience to say the least. Here's a synopsis of what happened:

I fell in love with one little camper and I quickly became his mother for the week. He was difficult to handle at times because he's only 6, doesn't sign often (though he can), can't talk, is profoundly deaf, and is insanely curious about the world. All of these factors combined together to have him running off some direction to explore, me yelling after him fruitlessly, and after catching him trying to explain that he needs to stay, hoping he understood (because he didn't sign back). He wore me out, but it was interesting to watch him. He was particularly fascinated with my camera. He would sneak up behind me and start playing with my camera while it was slung behind my back. Whenever I took it away he would babble and start pointing to whatever he thought would make a good picture, signing to me to take it. On the last day I let him walk around and take photos (with the camera still around my neck). I'm sure it was an interesting sight to watch: me bent over being led by the neck by a snap happy six year old. I hope to see him next year.

I relived my preteen years while watching the kids go through that awkward age between being a kid and a teenager. I cringed seeing their self doubt and obsession with the opposite sex, remembering my own experiences with that in middle school. The most surreal part was watching the girls get ready for the big dance. Everyone 7 and up crowded the bathroom putting on tons of glitter, bright eyeshadow, and red lipstick. I smiled and told them all they looked beautiful in their Tammie Fae makeup. At the dance it was all about boys. Some girls were depressed because the didn't have dates. Others were happily dancing at arms' length away with their "boyfriends". One of the girls in my room ran up to me excited because she was officially going out with a boy. The whole night I flashbacked to awkward and angsty memories of being 12.

One counselor said that camp had become our own real life version of The Sims. We put all these personalities in one place and watch them interact. Occasionally we point them in a new direction to go eat, sleep, or shower, but ultimately we observe. And we did. The campers became our world for a few days and we knew all about their friendships, fights, triumphs, and romance. The girls especially liked to tell us all about their crushes and tragic breakups after being together for only a day. The melodrama was fun to watch.

I had read in my textbook that at residential schools for the deaf, deaf kids from deaf families are usually leaders among their peers. I didn't think much of it then, but I really saw that at camp. The kids who had a strong signing background and were comfortable with the language (usually profoundly deaf one who didn't talk) attracted the kids who didn't sign at all (usually hard of hearing kids who were strictly oral). Two girls in my room who never signed were engaging in full ASL conversations by the end of the week. They spoke quieter or not at all usually. I think the change came from a fascination with a new language and to the kids who could express themselves confidently. A similar change happened with one of the counselors. He originally signed up to counsel the blind camp, but somehow ended up with the deaf kids. I laughed and told him he better pick up ASL quick. Funny thing is, he did. He learned how to fingerspell and from there picked up signs. By the end of the week he was signing even when the kids weren't around. It was so cool to see people just get into the language. Immersion helped I'm sure.

Overall I had a great time. And if I'm not committed elsewhere (like an internship or studying abroad), I plan to go back.

Photo Blog Update

2009-06-25T15:17:00.003-05:00

Go look at my photo blog for some pictures I've been taking this summer. I've fallen pretty behind, but next week I'll be shooting up a storm at the Lions Club Deaf Camp at Camp Crescendo, where I'll be a counselor. ASL and photography everyday for a whole week. How's that for integrating values?

Mia Michaels is Anti-Life

2009-06-24T00:44:00.001-05:00

Mia Michaels is a contemporary choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. She is probably the best known choreographer on the show, and for good reason: she's brilliant. She has an incredible ability to match dance movements to music and to push dancers to their limit. She even won an Emmy for a dance she choreographed on the third season. I love her work, but I hate her sense of life.

Though brilliant, Mia's dances often feature dysfunctional relationships and negative outlooks on life. They are very painful. Ayn Rand defined art as "a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments." What an artist creates is an edited version of how he or she perceives the world. Judging Mia's art, her perception of the world is that it is unwelcoming, painful, and unable to sustain happiness.

And Mia hates Brandon. Mia says that she can't take what he brings to the floor; it annoys her. I think what annoys her is his confidence. Brandon has a commitment behind his moves that many dancers don't possess. Every step, jump, and roll he does has a purpose and is followed through. He is confident in his ability and it shows when he dances. Once again, Mia accuses somebody of a fake smile. The concept of a confident, happy person is so out of her world view that she perceives it as attitude and deceit.

I am glad that the other judges stood up for Brandon, especially Nigel. He shut Mia down (in an incredibly polite way) when she kept trying to inject her opinion, he told Brandon not to be brought down by her comments, and he pledged to stand up for Brandon as long as he continued to achieve excellence. Nigel is my absolute favorite judge on the show. He has a tremendous respect for talent and gives precise constructive criticism to dancers, telling them exactly what was wrong and how to improve. Quite the opposite of Mia, he recognizes the beauty in life and values the good. Without him, the show would not be as good as it is now.

I continue to enjoy Mia's brilliant choreography, but I have no respect for her as a person.

Lessons From Disney: Meet the Robinsons

2009-06-22T08:09:00.000-05:00

Meet the Robinsons has got to be one of my all time favorite Disney movies. It centers around Louis, a young orphan and budding (but brilliant) inventor. He travels to the future where life has been improved by the leaps in technology. Throughout the movie he is chased by a two bit villian and his evil "helping hat". I love the movie because it captures good ideas and displays them in a way that is funny, inspiring, and accessible to all ages. I'd show videos, but there are so many good scenes that you just have to watch it yourself. I give you the trailer instead:

However, when you do watch (and you should!), look for these great themes in the movie.

The Power of Man's Mind: Louis's trip into the future reveals that technology has leaped forward to travel by bubble, insta-buildings, and time machines. The city in the movie is not shown as a dark and dirty place (like so many industry haters paint it), but a bright and thriving place where people are happy. However, that depressing image does appear later in the movie when the villain succeeds (momentarily) in taking control of humanity and the future is changed. In this alternate totalitarian future, people are not thinking individuals, they are merely tools of the regime. Innovation has halted and the city is crumbling. Pixar did a great job of contrasting the two images to show what life would be without the man's mind.

It's OK to be a Geek: Louis is a science geek. He gets completely involved in his work and is often oblivious of the weird looks he gets. And I love that. It reminds me of Howard Roark, who thought nothing of the opinions of others. All of his thoughts rested in his values, mainly his work. Despite the exasperated sighs of those around Louis, he continues to work. Eventually it pays off and his achievements receive the recognition they deserve.

Keep Moving Forward: It's the motto of Robinson Industries and the movie. Everyone in the Robinson family lives by the motto. They work through their failures and move onto better things (like the meatball cannon!). The motto is very life affirming in that it encourages people to pursue values and further their life. Living by that mantra led to the life enhancing inventions of the future.

Second-Handers Never Win: The villain duo (Bowler Hat Guy and his robotic hat named Doris) try their best to bring down the Louis and the Robinsons. Jealous of their success and talent, the villains attempt to claim Louis's invention of their own and bring down Robinson Industries. The second-hander role is mostly portrayed through the lesser intellect of the team, known as "the Bowler Hat Guy". Unable to let go of his past and take control of his life, he blames Louis for his misfortune. However by denying Louis the right to his invention, and thus his mind, the world becomes a dark place where force rules. Bowler Hat Guy eventually realizes the state of his life was his own doing.

I love love love love love this movie. Please watch it.