Treating the Awkward Years

Jan Hoffman
The New York Times
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: Doctors specializing in adolescent care can make the most awkward doctor's visit comfortable and helpful.

This is such a good idea. Being a teenager has become so hard. There are so many mixed messages, be honest, but don't do this this or this. You'll get in trouble, we'll yell and scream and make you feel like shit.

The idea of having a doctor that you can speak freely to, and who WON'T tell you parents. Especially when it comes to sex and sexual health. Sex is one of those things that the more you know, the better choices you make. Yet, because of our puritanical heritage, sex is one of the last things parents want to talk about with their kids. Doctors who are comfortable helping teens make good choices about sex and birth control and the benefits of waiting (or not waiting, as the case may be) are a great asset to parents and educators alike.

Even simple things like stretch marks or a period or strange pains can be embarrassing to talk to parents and other adults to, but medical professionals that are comfortable talking to teens, and have the knowledge can be a comfort for a teen, not an embaressment.

The article really focused on how teens often get lost in the shuffle between pediatritions and adult doctors.

That job has become more time-consuming and complex. “Adolescents are not big children and they’re also not little adults,” said Dr. Walter D. Rosenfeld, an adolescent medicine specialist and chairman of pediatrics at the Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, N.J.

Talking to parents about anything "down there" is hard. Especially if they're really strict about sex and virginity. If you are a virgin, you'll worry that they'll get suspicious and falsely accuse, and if you're not, you'll worry they'll get mad and never talk to you again, saying your bladder infection is because you're a giant dirty whore.

Being a teen is hard. Going to the doctor is hard. Having doctors especially for teens makes things easier.

"They tried to cure me of being gay"

I've been away on a choir tour the last three days. While on the bus, I read magazines.
Stephen Fried
Glamor
May 2007
The Story
The Summary: A woman who struggled with her gay/strait identity her whole life tried "ex-gay" Christian therapy.

Christianity is strict. This is why so many people struggle with religion and real life. Not only do you have to believe, but you have to follow 10 rules, and then we're gonna add in other rules that aren't part of the original 10, but you have to follow those, as well.

Homosexuality is one of those things, like birth control and premarital sex, that people struggle with. They still believe, but there's so much saying "this is wrong" and "if you do this, you're not Christian" "THIS IS A SIN!" But any good Christian literature tells you that we're all sinners. Why is sex one of those sins that's really bad, but not one of the ten commandments? And yet it's not such a bad thing if we "covet thy neighbor's goods."

This woman is still struggling with her conflicting gay and Christian identities. She knows what she believes, and she's told she can't believe that and be true to herself. The radical led conservative Christian movement is making up rules and making people feel guilty for being themselves.

In one breath we're told that Jesus loves everyone, the next is that we're going to hell if we do anything wrong, and then they turn around again and told that God is merciful and forgiving.

Christianity is confusing. It's no wonder there are so many people who say fuck it all, and give up. Honestly, I like church, I like the fellowship and sense of extended family. I don't like organized religion. I don't like someone telling me what I should and shouldn't think do and say. Especially when these are the same people who say a woman's place is in the home, and we should cook and clean and pop out babies as often as we physically can.

Pill That Eliminates the Period Gets Mixed Reviews

Stephanie Saul
The New York Times
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Story
The Summary: A company has released a birth control pill cycle that eliminates the placebo pills, as well as periods.

There were a suprising amount of women who embraced the idea of a period. I've hated it since I got it. Honestly... I think it's nasty.

Since "the pill" came out in the '60s it has freed women. It was the first step in women enjoying sex the way a man does... with out worry of a child. But as research went on, they found other benefits of oral contraceptives, lighter "periods", clearer skin, it lowers the risk of ovarian cancer, and they found out they could skip their periods.

Think about how much of our money goes to personal care items... and we're lucky that tampax hasn't decided to randomly jack up their prices. They could, you know. All the personal care companies could increase prices, and what are we gonna do about it. Nothing! (well, there is the diy version... but I don't think I'd want to wash my reusable maxi pads with the rest of my clothing :S)

I'm actually surprised there's so much opposition. Most people have a "that's fine for you but not for me" attitude, but a few are questioning it. The maker of the documentary "Period: The End of Menstration" Is worried that it's women giving up control of their bodies to a drug. But I see it as taking control away from me. Traditionally, women didn't have many periods in their life time, because they were either pregnant or nursing... say that process is about a year (nine months for the pregnancy, a few more until the baby starts to eat food) and then she would have her period again, once or twice, before becoming pregnant and starting everything over.

Back in the days of the Comstock Laws, it was techinically illegal for a woman to know that sex = baby (well, for a man to tell her that) because that was contraceptive information.

I'm not trying to get uber feminist here... but menstation is one of those uber feminist things. It's strictly feminine... like prostates are strictly masculine. A period is something that controls women, and oral contraceptives are something that turns the tables.

Dr. Constantine cited company-financed research indicating that women often feel less effective at work and school during their periods. They limit sexual activity and exercise, wear dark clothes and stay home more, resulting in absenteeism, she said.

Menstrual suppression may be particularly appealing to women who suffer severe pain, heavy bleeding or emotional problems during their periods. A study by Canadian researchers found that women afflicted by heavy menstrual bleeding give up $1,692 a year in lost wages.

One of the things that makes us ultimately feminine is so gross and makes us feel very unfeminine and disgusting, and smelly. Even pregnancy is gross... too many uncontrolable body functions. We've been taught that body functions (by anyone) are rude.

Women are women because of who they are, not because they bleed every month. Periods are a little earthy/hippy for me. I'll stick to my chemical induced world.

The Biggest Sell Is the Audition

Allen Salkin
The New York Times
Thursday, April 19th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: QVC holds open auditions for hosts in West Chester Pennsylvania.

I found this article interesting because my boyfriend works at HSN, QVC's main competitor. I hear a lot about the goings on at HSN. I hear my boyfriend's ranting about how much better it would be if they listened to him and did a few things his way. (like everyone does about the people they work for)

An open casting call is a risky, you never know what type of psychos will show up. That, and the type of people who host the home shopping shows are scary to begin with. I've heard some strange stories about home shopping hosts. Apparently, a lot of them are prima donas. Rewarded for acting like idiots in front of millions of people.

In the TV world, that is one job I would not want. I work in retail, I'm used to selling stuff to people. But on TV they only get to see it. You don't get to feel or use it. I was just watching Wolfgang Puck on HSN. The host said that the food looked marvelous, perfect every time... because of the pans. No! I think it's because Wolfgang Puck was cooking. It doesn't matter what you're cooking with... if you can't cook, it's gonna turn out like shit.

I've never liked the idea of home shopping. At least with online shopping you can get a product description and (if applicable) and ingredients list. TV home shopping only gives you the good. There's normally some type of negative side to everything. Even my favorite products have some downsides.

And the clothing on home shopping... it's always ugly, grandma clothes... most of which are loungy-types. Gross... those are the clothes that people get fat in. Like sweats and stretch pants.

Home shopping, gross.

Deadly Rampage and No Loss for Words

Alessandra Stanley
The New York Times
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: Amateur reporters had a major part in reporting yesterday's tragedies.

News has changed. We used to look to strong men to give us the hard facts about recent events (Edward R. Murrow, Peter Jennings, Walter Cronkite) but times they are a changin'. Women have become a staple in today's news reporting. Katie Couric is the first woman to host the evening news for a network station solo (both Barbra Walters and Connie Chung had co-hosted in the past). But the news has also become more emotional, and more fluff lately.

I don't think that its because of women, but because of the 24-hour news cycle. They created the news networks that never went off the air. There wasn't enough hard news to fill 24 hours (or even 16... with replays during the night time) Fluff worked its way into hard news, and ratings went up for those peices. Because of this you have almost 2 months of air dedicated to the Anna Nicole Smith story. If you search Time magazine's archives between August 1st, 1962 and September 1st, 1962 you find eight stories mentioning Marilyn Monroe's name. Not neccessarily about her, but mentioning her name. Her picture wasn't even on the cover of the magazine containing her obituary. (She died August 5th, 1962)

Compare that to the hours dedicated to Anna Nicole Smith on networks such as CNN and FOXNEWS. Everyone paralelled their lives, but the news coverage of their deaths was not.

Truly hard news has become a thing of the past. Even with yesterday's tragedy, we must put every thing in an emotional, personal light. Why can't we have facts like we used to. Human interest stories have run the news for far too long.

I'm not saying there isn't a human side to every story, because there is. But hours after is not the time to show it. Today was far to soon to be interviewing victims, yet there were interviews on TV today. And there is one photo they keep showing and I wish they wouldn't. A guy is a bloody mess as they carry him off the scene. I hate it. Just stop showing it, or at least give us a warning to look away.

I agree with the article. This is a time that America should be speechless... yet no one can shut the fuck up.

Best-Informed Also View Fake News, Study Says

Katharine Q. Seelye
The New York Times
Monday, April 16th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: People who watch fake news are more informed than people who don't.

I like to laugh when I watch TV. As much as I want to be informed, I'd like to be entertained. If I just wanted to be informed, I'd read a newspaper. That being said, I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report regularly, and before I had cable... I'd get a lot of my news from Weekend Update. (I was a champion at the Current Events game we played at my elementary/high school.)

Fake news really isn't that fake. The news is real... they report on real stories, they just have a biased and humorous.

I think the people drawn to these shows have a genuine desire to be informed of recent events, but the choose to go outside the mainstream news sources to get it.

The six news sources cited most often by people who knew the most about current events were: “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” (counted as one), tied with Web sites of major newspapers; next came “News Hour With Jim Lehrer”; then “The O’Reilly Factor,” which was tied with National Public Radio; and Rush Limbaugh’s radio program.

This is the age-old Mass Communication Senior thesis topic. (okay... maybe not age old... but for about the last 10 years?) Every class there's someone who takes the easy way out and decides to do their research on where college students get their news from. (They choose college students because there's a large amount of them readily available, and most professors are willing to give up 5 minutes of class time to allow you to do a survey for academic research) It's nice to see that "fake news" not only rules us academics but those out in the "real world" as well.

There is legitimate news value in The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. It's not made-up news, like The Onion, but a satirical take on the real news. You learn things from it. In fact, you can learn things that you can't from other news programs. (Like the fact that President Bush has used certain phrases, such as "stay the course", repeatedly over the course of his presidency.)

So, here's to "fake" news... because it's not really fake, it's based in truth, and spun to make us laugh.

Virginia Tech Shooting Leaves 33 Dead

Christine Hauser and Anahad O'Connor
The New York Times
Monday, April 16th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: Today's top story. Headline sums it all up.

I really don't know what to say. It only seems appropriate to post it further... just incase someone, somewhere hasn't heard about it yet. It's one of those things that you can't really have an opinion about... of course it's horrible, no one, right or left, is going to argue with you.

I think it's really sad that in order to get people to agree about something in the country, large numbers of people need to die. And even then, there's arguement about something. (9/11?)

Even in tragedies like today's, people want to start playing the blame game.

Take Columbine... all of a sudden it was Marilyn Manson's fault that these boys were as sick as they were. Not the parents, not those who were close and could actually have a real effect on them, but Marilyn Manson, a musician who happens to look really freaky.

Marilyn Manson didn't buy the guns, and Marilyn Manson didn't shut them out. Parents want to be fully responsible for their children until their children f*ck up... then they had nothing to do with it... it was the TV (we bought for him) or the video games (we bought for him) or the music (we bought for him). Stupid breeds stupid, it's as simple as that.

Back to what's important... my (as so many others') thoughts and prayers go out the victim's of today's tragic events and their families.

He’s Not My Grandpa. He’s My Dad.

Thomas Vinciguerra
The New York Times
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Story
The Summary: The article examines the trend of older men becomming new dads.

It's strange to think about someone as old as my grandpa being my dad, especially since both my grandfathers are gone.

This article goes into some of the psychological issues, such as a young child dealing with their father's illness, and how the man's first set of children feel about his new wife and second set. (The new wife often being young enough to be his daughter) Other issues include (obviously) the death of a parent, and the single parenthood that follows.

The article said that most of these "start over dads" (the article calls them SODs) are rich, most often married to women much younger than them. Most of which are second or even third marriages.

I can't say that I think it's entirely wrong. Having children is a choice. If these May-December couples choose to have children, I can't see anything entirely wrong with it. Most of these men have money, and as long as they leave funds for their children's upbringing I can't see anything absolutely horrible about it.

Yes, there are psychological issues when a child deals with the death of a parent, but on the other hand, it doesn't mean a man who fathers a child at 25 is invincible. Yes the older man has a higher chance of death, but that doesn't make him a bad father. In fact, the article said that one of the perks of being a SOD was that these men spent more time with their children, becuase they were either retired, or at least weren't working as hard as they did in their 20s and 30s. The men also said they were more mellow with their 2nd set of children.

I can't leave the subject with out touching on Hugh Hefner. Not only does he date women that could be his daughter, one of his three girlfriends (Kendra, 21) could be his granddaughter. He has two adolescent sons, and two grown children from his first marriage. He's the ultimate poster-child for this type of lifestyle.

Recipe: Supernatural Brownies*

The New York Times
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

*So... it's Friday, and just for fun, I'm gonna re-post this entire article, which is just a brownie recipe!

Adapted from “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers,” by Nick Malgieri (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998)

Time: About 1 hour

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional.

1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

ENJOY!!!!

CBS Drops Imus Radio Show Over Racial Remark

Bill Carter and Jaques Steinberg
The New York Times
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Story
The Summary: After about a week of media hoopla, Don Imus gets the boot, completely, from everyone for making sexist and racist comments about the Rutgers' women's basketball team.

So, I know that this story has been developing for the last week, but I didn't know much about it. I didn't even know who Don Imus was, to tell you the truth. I had to do some backgrounding to figure out who he was, and why he was significant enough to matter. So, for everyone like me, who has no idea who he is, I give you Don Imus: a mini biography (courtesy of Wikipedia)

John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. (born July 23, 1940) is an American comedian, writer, and radio talk show host, best known for his sarcasm and often harsh language. His popular radio show, Imus in the Morning, aired weekday mornings until it was canceled on April 12, 2007[1] following a controversy stemming from comments he made on air which were perceived by some to be racist and sexist.

Imus began as a radio disc jockey in 1966 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California after hearing the morning disc-jockey. He immediately walked over to the nearby station and convinced the owner to hire him, saying he could do a better job. At the time he was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. He stayed at the station for about two years,[6] leaving in 1968 for a move to KXOA in Sacramento, California. His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings.

In 1977, WNBC fired Imus for his cocaine and vodka habits and unprofessionalism; he had missed a hundred days of work in one year.[citation needed]Imus then went to work in Cleveland and cleaned up his act. In 1978, Imus commuted between Cleveland and New York to tape a TV talk show, Imus Plus at WNEW-TV. (The show was nationally syndicated by Metromedia, which owned WNEW at the time). Imus was reinstated in September 1979 as WNBC's morning drive time host.

From 1982 to 1985, the station also employed talk-radio host Howard Stern, and WNBC heavily promoted the pair in print and television ads, which often featured the slogan "If We Weren't So Bad, We Wouldn't Be That Good." Although Stern's show aired later in the day, Imus and Stern often made brief appearances on each other's shows, giving the audience an occasional glimpse of an on- and off-air rivalry that continues to this day.

Now that we're all caught up to speed (is it bad that I'd never heard of the guy until he was fired?) Should this guy have been fired? Personally, I think so. But... there's the First Ammendment. He didn't say anything that would be classified as obscene. It seems like the comment is stated as opinion, and opinion, no matter how wrong, isn't false. Between the First Ammendment and the FCC, Mr. Imus made no infraction.

But I still thing MSNBC and CBS Radio did the right thing. That kind of biggotry can't happen in this country. Mr. Imus just might have a First Ammendment case against them, not that he would win. The First Ammendment only works when one has something intellegent to say. Mr. Imus made his career by saying something stupid. A lot.

Ever-Changing Fame, as Fluid as It Is Fleeting

Caryn James
The New York Times
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Story
The Summary: Finally, we know who the father of Dannielynn, Anna Nicole Smith's 7-month-old daughter, is... but is the media circus over yet?

Yay!!! Creepy Howard K. Stern gave up and let DNA test be done... and Larry Birkhead is the real father.

Seemingly, the main event in a media circus that has been going on since Dannielynn's conception is over. Before the her death, before the death of her son, before the birth of her daughter, there was this paternity battle primarily between Birkhead and Stern.

This poor woman's whole life has been a media circus. Granted, she brought a lot of it on herself (the Anna Nicole Show). But even when you do let the public into your life, there are times you don't want them there.

She was a stereotypical "dumb blonde" who married for money. Her story is the thing of "Life Original" movies. Married young the first time, had a child, divorced shortly after. She became a stripper to make money to raise her son. The she sent photos to Playboy, and made it to the big time. Her marriage to Howard J. Marshall was highly scrutinized, and a long court battle with his adult children followed his death.

Just as her life was getting back on track, her son died, and so did she. She was in the media more than ever before.

Her life parallels that of her hero's, Marilyn Monroe. America thought they were sluts. Hollywood took, America hated, and then they died young and mysteriously.

It's the end of the story that had everything. Love, fame fortune, a buxom blonde, a dark evil type, the good guy (not as rich as the bad guy), a baby, an evil step mother (except she was the real mother) and even a prince! Too bad it's not the end of the media coverage.

Good luck in life, Dannielynn and Larry!!!!!

Size 0?

Time to get a little off track. I was watching Rachael Ray today, and the super curvey, super cute awesome cook chick was discussing being a size zero. This has been a topic that's been in the news a lot lately, ever since there have been model deaths due to extreme anorexia.

It seems like Americans are either too skinny or too fat.

Every day we see a commerical for a new weight loss pill, or a new exercise machine. We hear about hot celebrity bodies. It's hard for a normal person to have an AWESOME body.

I gained a significant amount of weight the summer after my sophomore year of college because I was working two jobs, often 12+ hours a day, and would often end up eating McDonald's. Plain and simple, that was my problem. Waaaaay too much fast food. I take full responsibility for it.

Now my goal size is 8... I'm a 10... want to lose about 10lbs and 1 size. I'm struggling. And then I hear stories about these models who are a size 0, and want to be a 00. I see pictures of Lindsey Lohan when she was super skinny, and I wanna vomit... she was HOT in her Mean Girls days. Nicole Richie, too. Who told her to get THAT thin? I liked her when she was a little chunkier. She held her own with Paris Hilton, and I think she really stole The Simple Life

Diet and exercise. Two simple things that every doctor and dietician say are the key to weight loss, yet seem like the hardest things to do. Exercise takes time. Not only the actual time spent exercising, but you have to shower after, and too many showers make my skin dry.

I know that I'm a size 8 with some extra fat that makes me a 10. I wouldn't want to get any smaller than that. I don't get it. I don't get the obsession with being so small. Ask any man, and he'll tell you that a girl who looks like five toothpicks and a ping-pong ball isn't hot. But neither is a girl who looks like the ping-pong ball alone.

America has a obsession with food. Whether it's eating it or not eating it. Food has become a part of our everday lives. It's not just like breathing. We make decisions of when, what and how much we eat. What was once a form of fuel for our bodies has now become something we do for pleasure. It's not so much a fuel as it is an enemy. It's easy to go overboard, to eat too much.

Our culture has divided itself... we're about more calories, but smaller sizes

Romantic Revulsion in the New Century: Flaw-O-Matic 2.0

John Tierney
The New York Times
Tuesday, April 10th
The Story
The Summary: Going back to a study the author originally did in 1995, he examines the pickiness of daters now and 10 years ago and how new forms of dating (speed dating and online dating services) fosters those scrupulous tastes.

I don't see pickiness in dating as a bad thing. If you have incredibly high standards, you're less likely to settle for a bad person. Not saying that being extra picky is a good thing, though. Like everything, there's a balance.

Romance is one of those things that isn't science, but we want to make it into a science. There's biology, sociology and psychology behind relationships, and still we don't have all the answers.

The research behind the article found that money was a large factor in chosing a partner:

They found that a 5-foot-8 man was just as successful in getting dates as a 6-footer if he made more money — precisely $146,000 a year more. For a 5-foot-2 man, the number was $277,000.

It also stated that women are pickier than men. That doesn't make much sense to me. Why did Britney Spears marry Kevin Federline? Why do girls rush to the alter with the first thing that asks them? Women date losers all the time. I don't see many girls who are extra picky. The author does say that New Yorkers are pickier than anyone else, and I do live far, far away from New York.

I don't believe than anyone will find the perfect mate by making lists of traits they do and do not want. I'm a big believer of finding people you're attracted to, and going from there. You might be attracted to a loser... great, dump him. Move on to the next one. There isn't a science to attraction. Compatability might be a science, but attraction isn't. Just because you can live with someone doesn't mean you'll want to sleep with them.

H.P. Tries to Create Printers That Love the Web

Damon Darlin
The New York Times
Monday, April 9th, 2007
The Story
The Summary: HP sees a rising trend to a paperless society, so their trying to get people to print more.

I'm not a huge environmentalist... I like to recycle, and I try my best to shut off a light before I leave a room (doesn't always happen, but I TRY) I also do things like drive a car frequently (most of the time by myself) and drink water from pre-packaged bottles (they're convienent!)

But I'm not a big fan of randomly printing stuff out, just for the sake of randomly printing stuff out. I don't like to kill trees! Why would I want to print out a website? With CRT monitors dying out for easier to read LCD monitors, it's easy to read large blocks of text for long periods of time with out printing them out.

Granted, the use of recycled paper is on the rise, but still. When email first came out and the home computer became as common as telephones there was all this buzz of a paperless society. "We won't need paper anymore! We won't need real mail, we'll be able to correspond by email!" But printing increased.

And now, as HP foresees the use of printers going down, they're trying to increase printing of websites and blogs. (if you're reading this, please DO NOT print it out!!!)

I'm not comfortable with the idea of increased consumption. Don't we use enough in this country? Almost everything is powered by finite resources. We don't need big corporations pushing us to use more. I own a printer, but I don't use it. I haven't had it hooked up to my computer for more than a year. If I need to print something out, I do it at school.

It annoys me when we can't just email our professors assignments. Why should we print out a copy?

Grrrr... DO NOT WASTE

For Your Next Trip, Stock Up on Dental Mitts

Michelle Higgins
The New York Times
Sunday, April 1st, 2007*
The Story
The Summary: The trials and tribulations of liquid restrictions in carry-on bags on airplanes are examined.

I flew for the first time this past January. FIRST TIME EVER... at 21. I was most worried about not packing the right things, and ending up in some holding cell in an airport as a terrorist because I packed a tube of toothpaste that was too big. Because of this, I packed all of my body care in my checked luggage, with the exception of three two-ounce bottles of shower gel, lotion, and splash... back-ups just incase I wound up loosing my checked luggage. I was visiting a friend, so stopping by a Walmart or Target to pick up anything else I might need wasn't too much of an issue.

I made it to Tampa all right, and nothing got lost or majorly damaged. (I did have a shampoo bottle bust on me, but when ever I travel, I put everthing in plastic baggies... for just such an occasion.

One problem for airlines that has developed from the 3oz or less rule is that more people are checking luggage than before. Which is what I ended up doing on my way back. I packed my soft bag that had been my carry-on with dirty clothes (so there wasn't anything breakable in the bag) and checked it. It was a pain to carry two heavy bags around the airport. I was only going home... I really didn't care if my hair was perfect (it wasn't) or if my breath smelled (if you eat or drink anything, all toothbrushing/breath freshening efforts are shot, anyway.)

Trial sizes for traveling have been around forever! I don't know what the big deal is. Most people had smaller bottles of their favorites for traveling in the first place. Who wants to lug around full sized products! Where I work, all of are trial sizes are around 2oz... and come in small enough bottles where one should be able to fit a small arsenol of body care products in a 1-quart bag.

When it comes down to it, all of this is for our saftey. We can't complain too much, and just live with it.

*I found this article online, while finding the link to the previous article... and I liked it :D

Substitute Teacher Tells History Firsthand

Paul Vitello
The New York Times
Wednesday, April 4th, 2007
pgs
The Story
The Summary: A Long Island substitute teacher captivates his middle school audience by telling real tales of his past.

Every had those teacher, whether they were subs of full time. The teacher who had stories in their pockets, and would spend a whole class period way off topic, but, at the same time, you came away knowing more than you would have if class had gone on as planned.

History is a hard thing to understand. I barely remember what it was like before the days of computers and cell phones. I could only imagine how sucky it would be to have to share a phone with my roommates, and then having long distance charges on top of sharing. No thank you.

Having a person who was there who can provide a direct connection to the past which makes it easier for students to understand. You can say "The USA had ration stamps" or you can say "this is what it was like to buy food using ration stamps, and this is what my family did to adapt..."

A first-hand account of an event or time makes it more real. It takes the facts from history and turns them into people and places. Add a good story teller to the equation, and you have a history goldmine, where children enjoy listening to history. History becomes their favorite subject.

This teacher, Mr. Blume, 81, subs everything from math to spanish, and manages to bring personal experiences to every class. As a full time teacher he taught English and Social Studies. He retired in 1983, but now spends an average of 4 days a week subbing at Great Neck North Middle school.

I have a few substitute teachers that stick in my mind. One was Mrs. Oistead... she was a sub for as long as I knew her. I remember not liking her as an elementary student. She was one of those community people who, like Mr. Blume, never really retired.

Another, I can't remember his name at the moment, would bring his guitar to sub. Even if he was subbing shop. He was pretty cool.

Substitute teachers are special people who change the world, with out even knowing it. Especially the ones who retired, and still come back to teaching. (One of my high-school English teachers spent the beginning of her career subbing, as a part-time job while raising her family.)

For Girls, It’s Be Yourself, and Be Perfect, Too and Too Busy to Notice You’re Too Busy

For Girls, It’s Be Yourself, and Be Perfect, Too
Sara Rimer
The New York Times
Sunday, April 1st, 2007
The Story*
The Summary: The trials of female high school seniors at a competetive school are examined as they discuss the pressures of their everyday lives.

Too Busy to Notice You’re Too Busy
Alina Tugend
The New York Times
Saturday, March 31st, 2007
The Story*
The Summary: The author details how our everday lives have become hectic, and whether or not this is a bad thing.

These two articles caught my eye. The first is about the new generation of super-girls. They're athletes, musicians, strait-"A" students, good friends and good daughters, among other things. These girls live hectic lives for the sake of getting into a "brand name" (well known, but not neccessarily Ivy League) college.

But then what? Breaking their backs in college to get into a good grad school or professional program? And after that, course and club work to build a resume to get that awesome job? And what after that, working 80-hours per week, raising a family, being involved in a community.

Enter artcle #2... our lives are busy. Very busy.

if at some point life seems to calm down, then it is time to take on a big construction project, get a dog or have another baby.

I'm in the middle of these two stories. I work 25+ hours per week, plus I'm a full time student, plus I'm trying to eat better and exercise, which means finding time to exercise (luckily, the weather should be getting nicer, which means more bike rides) and I'm trying to find time to cook my own meals. That and I want to move in two months, and I need to pack and find a place to live for the summer, and I still haven't heard from either school I've applied to, so I don't know where I'm even going yet.

There's a "where does it end" feeling to it all. We work really hard in high school to get into college, we work really hard in college to get a good job, we work really hard at our jobs to rake in the big bucks, which we never have time to enjoy, because we're always working so hard.

And then you have the slackers, which makes you want to shoot everyone else and then yourself, because they seem to be getting by just fine, and you work your @$$ off.

I feel inadequit when I read about these girls in high school. I didn't even take the SATs... let alone worried about an external prep coach.

This life had become insane. We've become a nation of extremes. No one's healthy, we're either too fat or too skinny. No one's average, they're either smart or stupid. You either work extra hard, or not at all. What ever happened to getting a BA from the local state school and working 40 hours/week, buying a house on a thirty year morgage, and enjoying life? Even as I type it, I detest the thought. I think we've become a nation of addicts. If it's not drugs or alcohol, it's work or media.

I want a mandatory afternoon nap, or a month of vacation... I want to feel like it's okay to relax.

*I looked at today's paper, I didn't like what I saw. So I started digging online, and found not one, but two articles that I liked... enjoy!