Can’t believe I’m posting this…

…I’m so bored.

Prep
[ ] I shop at Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, or Aeropostale.
[ ] I am/was a cheerleader.
[ ] I’m pretty ditzy.
[ ] I wear pink 24/7.
[ ] My looks are very important to me.
[ ] I can’t live without my cell phone.
[x] My hair is always straight.
[ ] I say ‘like’ and ‘omigod’ a lot.
[ ] I laugh 24/7.
[ ] I have a million friends.
[ ] I always hang at the mall or movies.
[ ] I’ll only date popular guys.
[ ] I listen to rap & pop music.
[ ] I have at least one designer bag.
[ ] My myspace pics are of me making a kissy face or are mirror pics
[ ] It takes me at least an hour to get ready for school in the mornings.
[ ] Uggs + Miniskirts = Love
[x] I don’t have a job
[ ] I wear lots of makeup.
[ ] I can be stuck up or snobby sometimes.
[ ] I flirt with any guy, as long as he’s cute.
Total = 2

Emo
[ ] I cry a lot.
[ ] I go to local shows.
[ ] I wear black everyday
[ ] I write sad poetry.
[ ] I play an acoustic guitar.
[ ] My favorite bands include: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, or Panic! at the Disco.
[ ] I self mutilate.
[ ] I think about suicide or death often.
[ ] People have told me to cheer up.
[ ] I cry when I see dead animals.
[ ] My myspace pics are black are white or angled.
[ ] I wear many band shirts.
[ ] No one understands me.
[x] I don’t talk too often.
[ ] I look down when I walk.
[ ] I wear black eyeliner.
[ ] My fingernails are black.
[ ] I have an ex I still cry over.
[ ] My hair is black.
[ ] My hair covers one of my eyes.
[x] I love Hot Topic.
[ ] I always say ‘life sucks’.
Total = 2

Nerd

[ ] I have straight A’s.
[ ] I wear glasses.
[x] I always do my homework and study.
[x] Lord of the Rings was a massive achievement.
[x] Computer games = Love.
[ ] I’m ‘teachers pet’.
[ ] I’ve never had a real boyfriend/girlfriend.
[ ] I have a bedtime.
[ ] I use an asthma inhaler.
[ ] I carry a calculator with me.
[ ] I bring my lunch to school.
[ ] I always follow the rules.
[ ] I’m shy around the opposite sex.
[x] I’m always on the computer.
[x] I’ve never had beer or cigarettes.
[ ] I always answer every question in class right.
[ ] I correct people’s grammar.
[ ] I read a lot.
[x] School is very important to me.
[ ] I always stump people.
Total = 6

Rebel

[x] I always speak my mind.
[ ] I have 0% of school spirit.
[ ] Forget you I won’t do what you tell me!
[x] I stand up for what I think is right.
[ ] On spirit days at school, I wear the rebel’s colors.
[ ] Whenever people are doing something, I do the complete opposite.
[ ] I won’t listen to authority figures.
[ ] I always break the rules.
[ ] I refuse to compromise.
[ ] I’m always arguing with people.
[x] I love debate.
[ ] I always do what’s unexpected of me.
[ ] I don’t give a crap what people think of me.
[x] If I watch a crappy movie in theatres, right after it’s over, I’ll say ‘that sucked’.
[ ] I’m not afraid to trash people’s opinions.
[ ] I only respect my own beliefs.
[ ] If I don’t want to do something, I won’t do it, no matter what.
[ ] I laugh at compromising people.
[ ] I cheer on the rival’s sport team to stand out.
[ ] Rules were meant to be broken.
Total = 4

Jock

[ ] I’m on one or more sport teams.
[ ] I always wear my varsity jacket.
[ ] I’ve won awards for my athletic ability.
[ ] I will only date popular girls/guys.
[ ] School Spirit 100%.
[ ] I’m going to a college for sports.
[ ] I watch sports on TV all the time.
[ ] I’m muscular.
[ ] I play sports or exercise at least 3 hours a day.
[ ] Go Team!
[ ] I’m a chick/dude magnet.
[ ] I eat a lot.
[ ] I’m egotistical.
[ ] I’m too focused on sports to make really good grades.
[ ] I sit at the jock lunch table.
[ ] All I talk about with my friends is sports.
[ ] I go to lots of sports games.
[ ] I’m very athletic
[ ] I wear sport inspired clothing.
[ ] I play at least 3 different sports.
Total = 0

Comedian

[x] I’m very funny.
[x] I’m always making jokes.
[ ] I interrupt class by making people laugh.
[ ] I always entertain people by being funny.
[ ] I worship Kevin Smith.
[ ] I watch comedies more than anything.
[x] I also watch SNL and Mad TV a lot.
[x] I’m sarcastic.
[x] I’ve been told I’m hilarious.
[ ] I always imitate people.
[ ] I pull lots of pranks.
[ ] I always make sarcastic remarks after everything.
[ ] I have to prove myself by being funny.
[ ] People expect me to make jokes, always.
[ ] I have a lot of pressure to make everyone laugh.
[ ] If I don’t make jokes, people ask me what’s wrong.
[ ] Jim Carrey is my idol.
[x] I mostly get along with everybody.
[ ] At pep rallies, I’m the one acting crazy and silly.
[ ] My teachers or parents tell me I need to focus more on work and less on joking around.
Total = 6

Shy

[x] I don’t have a lot of friends.
[x] I don’t talk too much.
[x] It’s not that I’m snobby, I just get nervous when talking to people.
[ ] When people say my name, others say ‘who?’.
[ ] I’m pretty sure mostly no one knows who I am.
[x] People have told me I need to talk more.
[ ] I only talk when other people talk to me first.
[ ] I look down when I walk
[ ] I avoid social gatherings, such as games, dances, or parties.
[ ] People have tried to help me be more outgoing, but it never works.
[x] I always plan to talk to more people, but I never do.
[ ] I sit in the back of the classroom.
[ ] I never join in class discussions.
[ ] I hide behind people to avoid being seen sometimes.
[ ] I could never be a cashier, talking to strangers?
[x] I talk quietly, and people say “What?”
[x] People have called me shy or quiet.
[ ] I usually let others decide for me.
[ ] If someone is talking about my favourite book or movie in front of me, I don’t join in the conversation.
[x] I would like to be more outgoing.
Total = 8

Goth

[ ] I wear black.
[ ] I don’t like to be seen.
[x] I’m very, very pale.
[ ] I only listen to metal or emo-ish music.
[ ] I love creepy, weird movies.
[x] I love gothic cartoons and drawings.
[ ] I don’t like people.
[ ] I only go out during the night.
[ ] I have black fingernails.
[ ] I wear a long black coat.
[ ] I also wear big black boots.
[ ] ‘The Crow’ is one of my favorite movies.
[ ] I only date other Goths.
[ ] I love pain.
[ ] People think I’m crazy.
[ ] I don’t talk to anyone who isn’t as deep as me.
[ ] I love to scare people.
[x] I laugh at teenyboppers.
[ ] People are afraid of me.
Total = 3

Weirdo

[x] I talk to myself.
[x] I say really random things all the time.
[ ] I fidget a lot.
[ ] I still use a wheeled backpack.
[ ] People laugh at me.
[ ] I walk really funny.
[ ] I have a very different sense of style.
[ ] I talk in a robot voice often.
[ ] I’ll stop whatever I’m doing, and break out in a crazy dance if the mood strikes.
[ ] I debate stuff with myself.
[ ] I hear voices.
[ ] I’m obsessed with aliens and the other planets.
[ ] I have a fascination with robots and machinery…And that means I’m weird?
[x] I use really big words no one understands, and they give me weird looks.
[x] I say random lines of babbling that make sense to no one but me.
[ ] I dart my eyes from side to side.
[ ] I always pretend I’m a robot or other weird non human thing.
[x] People have no idea why I think the way I do.
[x] I have some very unusual, extraordinary talents.
[ ] When people ask me if I like something that’s trendy, I pretend to be scared or confused.
Total = 6

Antisocial

[ ] I hate most people
[ ] I prefer to be alone.
[ ] When people talk to me, I just give them a death glare.
[ ] Actually, most people don’t talk to me.
[ ] People are freakin idiots and I wish they’d all die.
[ ] I live in my room, writing in my diary.
[ ] I go out of my way to avoid everyone.
[ ] I never greet anyone.
[ ] I despise people who talk too loudly.
[ ] I want people to think I’m a freak.
[ ] I never talk.
[ ] I can’t wait to get off this earth.
[ ] I always sit by myself at lunch or anywhere else.
[ ] I listen to music on full blast on my ipod/mp3 player/headphones to block out the world.
[ ] I don’t know why I am the way I am.
[ ] People have said I’m antisocial.
[ ] I use drugs or alcohol to escape the loneliness.
[ ] Why bother when people don’t like you anyways?
[ ] I occupy myself so it won’t look like I’m a loner.
[ ] I just don’t get along with anyone.
Total = 0

Skater

[ ] I skateboard to everywhere.
[ ] If I’m not skateboarding, I carry it with me.
[ ] I shop at Pacsun.
[ ] I’m obsessed with Tony Hawk.
[ ] Oh yea, and Bam Margera.
[ ] I always play skateboarding video games.
[ ] I have shaggy hair.
[ ] I wear baggy pants.
[ ] I wear skater shoes only.
[ ] I always wear hoodies.
[ ] I hang at skate parks 24/7.
[ ] I’m always learning new board tricks.
[ ] Forget school, I want to be a professional skateboarder.
[ ] I’ve been skateboarding for over 4 years.
[ ] I hang with other skaters.
[ ] I’ve been hurt while skateboarding.
[ ] I’ve been in a skateboarding competition.
[x] I wear vans.
[ ] Tony Hawks Underground owns.
[ ] I’ve met some of my closest friends at skate parks.
Total = 1

Christian Girl/Boy

[ ] I go to church at least once a week.
[ ] Most of my wardrobe consists of long skirts and button down shirts for church.
[ ] I always carry a bible with me.
[ ] My whole family is very religious.
[ ] I’ve never been on a date.
[x] I’ve never smoked or had a beer.
[x] My beliefs are very strong.
[ ] I’m waiting for sex until marriage. (not anymore)
[ ] I wear a cross necklace.
[ ] I have a bracelet that says WWJD.
[ ] I’m always preaching to people about the importance of religion.
[x] I believe in God.
[ ] I’m not allowed to watch rated R movies, and sometimes, not even PG-13 movies.
[ ] I never go out and party.
[ ] I read the bible everyday.
[x] I’ve memorized excerpts from the bible.
[ ] I go to Sunday school.
[ ] I’ve been to church camp.
[ ] I pray every night.
[ ] I sing Christian songs.
Total = 4

Gangsta

[ ] I say ‘yo’.
[ ] I also say ‘fo shizzle’
[ ] I wear extremely baggy pants.
[ ] Mah chainz hang low.
[ ] I hang with my homies, biotches, and hoes. (what kind of gangsta says “biotches”?)
[ ] I’m a thug.
[ ] I only listen to rap music.
[ ] 50 Cent is my idol.
[ ] I don’t give a fuck about school.
[ ] I steal/have stolen before.
[ ] I freestyle.
[ ] I breakdance.
[ ] Gold chainz is tha way to go, biotch.
[ ] I’m white but I act black.
[ ] All my heroes are dead rappers.
[ ] Tupac is still alive.
[ ] I party with all my hoes.
[ ] I wear a sideways baseball cap.
[ ] I wear hoodies.
[ ] I wear converse with the tongue flipped out.
Total = 0

Bully

[ ] I always steal people’s lunch money.
[ ] Geeks are afraid of me.
[ ] I get in trouble all the time.
[ ] I steal people’s stuff to be an asshole.
[ ] People have called me a bully.
[x] I have beat someone up before.
[ ] I’m always looking for a fight.
[ ] I pick on people smaller than me.
[ ] I push people out of the way when I’m walking.
[ ] I’ve never been in a relationship before.
[ ] People are afraid of me.
[ ] People know not to mess with me.
[ ] I’m bigger than most people my age.
[ ] I pick on people for the fun of it.
[ ] I make fun of everything anyone else likes.
[ ] If anyone crosses my path, they’re dead.
[ ] People know not to try and stick up for themselves when I’m around.
[ ] I’m one of the strongest kids in school.
[ ] Even some authority figures are afraid of me.
[ ] People get out of my way when I’m walking.
Total = 1

Gamer

[ ] I own at least 2 different video game consoles.
[x] I love Final Fantasy.
[x] DDR & Guitar Hero own.
[ ] I’ve missed school before because I was trying to beat a video game.
[x] I’m always trying to beat high scores on games.
[x] I even play alot of computer games.
[ ] I play at least 3 hours of video games a day.
[ ] My thumbs are sore often.
[ ] I spend all my money on new video games.
[ ] My boyfriend/girlfriend has to be into video games.
[ ] All I talk about is video games.
[ ] I’ve been in a video game competition before.
[ ] My eyes hurt sometimes because I play video games too much.
[ ] My grades are eh.
[ ] I have a handheld videogame system, like Nintendo DS.
[ ] I see every video-game-to-movie movie out there.
[ ] I have at least 3 memory cards.
[ ] I watch lay.
[x] I’ve been playing video games for at least 5 years.
[x] I always look up video game cheats.
Total = 6

Redneck

[ ] Elvis is still alive.
[ ] I hunt.
[ ] I fish.
[ ] I own something camouflage.
[ ] I eat venison
[ ] I live in the country.
[ ] Someone in my family has the name Billy.
[ ] I own a bunch of junk I don’t need.
[ ] I have over 10 pets.
[ ] I drive a big truck with huge tires.
[ ] I wear a cowboy hat.
[ ] I’ve ridden a tractor before.
[ ] My jeans are always dirty.
[ ] I have a southern accent.
[x] I say y’all.
[ ] Yankees can frick off. (“frick off”?!)
[ ] I buy everything at Wal-Mart.
[x] I’m kind of poor.
[ ] I’ve caught a fish then ate it before.
[x] I work hard.
Total = 3

Cowgirl/Cowboy

[ ] I live on a farm.
[ ] I own at least 2 horses.
[ ] I own a pair of cowboy boots.
[ ] I own a cowboy hat.
[ ] (Girls) I always wear my hair in two braids.
[ ] I ride a tractor.
[ ] I live in a small town.
[ ] I’ve lived in Texas before.
[ ] I wear flannel shirts.
[ ] I wear overalls.
[ ] I say y’all and howdy.
[ ] I have other animals on a farm.
[ ] I’ve been in a rodeo before.
[ ] I’ve ridden a mechanical bull before.
[ ] I love home cooking, country style.
[ ] I always wear my cowboy hat, even in restaurants.
[ ] I say yee-haw!
[ ] I’ve went to horse races before.
[ ] I love cowboy movies.
[ ] I square dance.
Total = 0

Social Butterfly

[ ] I have a lot of friends.
[x] I get along with everybody.
[x] I enjoy talking to different people.
[ ] I’m a people person.
[x] I love having tons of fun.
[x] People come to me for advice.
[ ] People take an instant liking to me.
[ ] It seems that people always want to talk to me or hang out with me.
[ ] I can relate to Ferris Buller.
[ ] Everybody thinks I’m awesome.
[ ] I’m not in any clique; I’m friends with people from every clique.
[ ] I can turn an antisocial person nice.
[ ] I talk to at least one different person a day.
[x] I’m pretty cheerful.
[x] I’m involved in something, like a club, that allows me to meet new people.
[ ] I never want to argue with people.
[ ] I love talking.
[ ] I always have fun doing anything.
[x] I’m optimistic.
[ ] I have over 150 friends on my IM or cell phone book.
Total = 7

Stoner

[ ] I’ve tried at least 2 different drugs before.
[ ] I always feel chill or extremely hyper.
[ ] Getting high is awesome.
[ ] My room smells like pot.
[ ] I’ve been caught with drugs before.
[ ] All my money goes toward buying drugs.
[ ] I’ve sold drugs before.
[ ] 4/20 frickin rocks.
[ ] I’m fascinated with the color green.
[ ] I own something with a pot leaf on it.
[ ] I have lots of air freshener so my parents won’t suspect I smoke pot in my room.
[ ] I’ve been to school high before.
[ ] I’m a slacker.
[ ] I couldn’t care less about school and my grades.
[ ] I see things that aren’t there sometimes.
[ ] I’m like ‘whatever’ to everything.
[ ] I’ve skipped class to get high with friends.
[ ] I’ve resorted to more powerful drugs like cocaine or meth because pot is so lame.
[x] Marijuana should not be illegal.
[ ] Drugs make me feel good.
Total = 1

Whore

[ ] I’ve had at least 10 boy/girlfriends.
[ ] I’ve hooked up with a random guy/girl whose name I didn’t know.
[x] I’m not a virgin.
[ ] I’ve made out with at least 20 different guys.
[ ] I dress like a slut, sure.
[ ] I’m a bitch and I know it.
[ ] I use my body to get what I want.
[ ] I’ve hooked up with someone for money before.
[ ] I’ve done things I regret while high or drunk.
[ ] I’ve dated someone at least 3 years older than me.
[ ] I party often.
[ ] I get drunk all the time.
[ ] Other girls give me dirty looks a lot.
[ ] I’ve gotten in trouble for what I’ve worn before.
[ ] I’ve had my thong show before on purpose.
[ ] I have random piercings.
[ ] I have a tattoo.
[ ] Guys flirt with me all the time.
[ ] I act really ditzy.
[ ] I’ve cheated on my boyfriend before.
Total = 1

Slacker

[ ] I’m failing 2 or more classes.
[ ] I sleep past noon on weekends.
[ ] I miss a lot of school.
[ ] I’m late for school often.
[x] I don’t have a job.
[ ] All I do is pig out and play video games/watch TV.
[ ] I don’t take care of myself.
[ ] I’ve done drugs before.
[ ] I don’t do my homework.
[ ] I sleep all the time.
[x] I’m bored constantly.
[ ] People tell me I need to try harder.
[x] I’m on the computer 24/7.
[ ] I admit it, I slack off with everything.
[ ] I do everything half-assed.
[ ] I’m not going to college, ever.
[ ] School is for dorks.
[ ] I don’t have any ambition in life.
[ ] People tell me I need to get a life.
[ ] They need to, not me.
Total = 3

Raver

[ ] I party all the time.
[ ] Glow Sticks kick ass.
[ ] I love nightclubs.
[ ] I love decking out in body glitter and rhinestones.
[ ] I have tons of energy.
[x] I love to dance.
[ ] I go out nearly every night.
[ ] I meet lots of people at parties and clubs.
[ ] I’ve DJ’d before.
[ ] I’ve taken a party drug before.
[ ] I love fog machines.
[ ] I have crazy dance moves
[ ] I sleep all day and party all night.
[x] Techno music is life.
[ ] I love popping pills, especially X.
[ ] I love neon body paint.
[ ] I shake my ass in clubs.
[x] I’ve grinded before.
[ ] I’ve made a ‘sandwich’ with other people.
[ ] I’ve bought more drugs at clubs than anywhere else.
Total = 3

Hippie

[ ] I’m a tree hugger.
[x] I want to save the earth.
[ ] Smoking pot is herbal and natural.
[x] I’m comfortable with nudity.
[ ] I have long hair.
[ ] I make the peace sign a lot.
[ ] I’m stuck in the 60′s.
[ ] I’m a vegan or vegetarian.
[ ] Animals shouldn’t be eaten.
[ ] I love tye dye.
[ ] I’ve made tye dye stuff before.
[ ] I wish I was alive when Woodstock happened.
[ ] I love 60′s music.
[ ] I’m always chilled out.
[ ] I love those cute headbands you wear on your head.
[ ] I have crimpy hair with little braids.
[ ] I wear bell bottoms.
[ ] I say groovy all the time.
[ ] I love smiley faces.
[ ] I’m a naturalist.
Total = 5

Goody Goody

[x] I make really good grades.
[ ] I’m teachers pet.
[ ] I act sickly sweet to people.
[x] I’m nice to everybody.
[ ] I act happy 24/7.
[ ] I go to church every Sunday.
[ ] I never cuss.
[ ] I always say hi to everyone.
[x] I dress appropriately.
[ ] I want to portray a pure image.
[ ] Girls who party and act rude need to be taught a lesson.
[ ] I want to impress everybody.
[x] I’ve never been called rude.
[ ] I’m one of the nicest people.
[ ] I want to achieve everything.
[x] I try my hardest with everything I do.
[ ] I’m a kiss up to my teachers/boss.
[ ] I’m in many different clubs.
[ ] My after school schedule is filled with extracurricular.
[ ] I’m very optimistic.
Total = 5

Band Geek

[ ] I love band class.
[x] I play at least one instrument.
[ ] I go to all my band concerts.
[ ] I’m going to a college for instrumental music.
[x] I’ve won awards for band. (orchestra!)
[ ] I’ve been to band camp.
[ ] I’m in the marching band.
[ ] I wear my marching band uniform often.
[ ] People have called me a band geek.
[ ] I play my instrument at least 3 hours a day.
[ ] I’m hoping to make instrumental music a career.
[x] I’ve been playing an instrument for at least 4 years.
[ ] I hope I get a band scholarship.
[ ] Marching band is fun.
[ ] I go to other band concerts to get tips.
[ ] I like football games….for the band!
[ ] Band is way better than anything else.
[ ] I carry my instrument home every night.
[ ] I only date other people in band.
[ ] I go on band field trips.
Total = 3

Choir Nerd

[x] I sing all the time.
[ ] I want to try out for American Idol.
[x] I’ve been in choir for at least 4 years.
[ ] I’ve won awards for choir.
[x] I’ve sang solos for concerts before.
[x] I never miss a choir concert of mine.
[x] I sing every single day.
[x] I know what range of voice I am.
[ ] I love singing duets.
[x] I always practice singing with my favorite songs.
[ ] I hope to get a choir scholarship.
[ ] I want to go to a music college.
[ ] I watch American Idol religously.
[x] Singing is a way of expressing myself.
[ ] Choir is my favorite class.
[ ] I’ve won All Region before.
[x] I hum alot.
[ ] I write down lyrics all the time.
[x] I want to be a singer.
[ ] I always practice pieces for choir class.
Total = 10

Let’s Give ‘Em Something To Talk About!

-No particular subject for this post, not even anything to do with that song, just some tidbits I found blog-worthy:

-The Supreme Court is reviewing its last cases for the current agenda this week. The one I’d been following was Washington, D.C. v Heller. HELLER WON! I’m so happy about this. For those who have not been following the case or didn’t read the news about yesterday’s verdict, D.C. v Heller was the case regarding the city’s ban on the ownership and use of handguns by ordinary citizens. SInce the ban had been in effect, D.C. gun crime rates had skyrocketed. You wouldn’t think it made sense, except that CRIMINALS DON’T CARE ABOUT THE LAW, and when nobody else has a gun, it’s easy pickings. Duh, D.C.! But the Supreme Court struck down the handgun ban this week. It was 5-4, so it was close, but it’s done. I hear that some D.C. residents are unhappy, but I think people will get over it when local news of gang activity and murder slows to a trickle. Thank you, Supreme Court!

-AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) has opened a chapter in Boise! The Boise chapter of AIGA marks the organization’s 60th chapter nationwide.This is great news for Boise designers and design students. AIGA helps designers form networks and provides professional resources, and it can really be a great tool for success. They are also opening a student group, so design students at BSU and elsewhere should look out for that. Check out their main website here and the site for the Boise student chapter here.

-Pixar’s newest film WALL-E is in theatres today! I can’t wait to go see it. Reviews I’ve heard so far say it’s very good.

I guess that’s all for now. Have a good one!

HA!

This website is a beautiful thing. I hope you find it as enjoyable as I do ^_^ (and yet, at the same time, the video makes me want to barf…)

Who Needs Designers?

Summer Classes

Yaaay.

Actually so far it’s not bad. A lot of work, but it’s in a subject I actually care about- typography!

It sounds like learning the history, uses and structure of type and letterforms would be really frakkin’ boring, but I actually think it’s useful and VERY relevant to my line of work (how many times have you seen a small company with a logo or ad that just really disgusts you because the text is so inappropriate to what they’re trying to sell? Maybe that’s just me…) and the professor loves what she’s teaching. Yesterday we saw some photos of hers from Paris. One was of Cezanne’s studio, which was amazing and gorgeous and looked exactly like one of his paintings, and the rest were of Parisian type! They had a really nice art-nouveau-style metro entrance, and of course the elegant scripty cafe signs that you’d normally find with nearly anything French in America (one was a McCafe… which is apparently a cafe-style settee in a French McDonalds o_O weird). Makes me want to go to France, badly. Too bad I’m taking Spanish this upcoming fall instead… I guess there’s always time for French, too!

What’s most challenging about the class at this point is doing type by hand, something that’s practically obsolete now thanks to the computer, but it’s important anyway for learning basic principles.

Anyway, that’s about it for now. Typography’s interesting. Gotta go finish up some homework. Bye-bye!

Uh, yeah.

I need to write more posts that don’t have sexual references in them o_O here were my top searches when I looked at my dashboard tonight:

male sexist ads,  orgasming,  dominant women good caner

“Good caner?” WTF?! I didn’t even mention that kind of stuff…! It was just about sexist advertising! …and, well, sex in advertising. But, um. Well, there are some medical blogs I know of who’ve had far worse. Just usually not referring to their first… relevent post…

Back from the South

Not that I update regularly anyway, I never have things I want to write about (here’s my question to the bloggers who update daily or even semi-weekly: where do you find all this stuff to post? I need some ideas, here!) but I thought someone might like to know where I’ve been.

Me and hubby took a week to go visit his relatives in Alabama and Baton Rouge. Really wish I could have seen more of Baton Rouge or visited New Orleans, but we were only there for two days to attend a second cousin’s wedding, then spent the rest of our time in Alabama near Mobile.

Southern culture/geography/climate/history etc. is just so different (to a person raised in the northwest US). I had a vague notion of it from my southern mum and more recently my southern mum-in-law, which boiled down to grits, Confederates and “y’all”. But even just a week in the South with granddad-in-law showing us around was eye-opening. The South is much older than the northwest, it was thriving well in advance of our area (transport didn’t depend as heavily on railways) so it seems to have more of an identity foundation. Almost anyone from the US can think of the South and think of a few things that are distinctive to it. That’s harder to say for some other areas.

Food was very good. I love seafood, and on the Gulf Coast, we ate lots of it. The sad part of living inland, along with the depressing lack of beach, is the fish is never quite as good, so I take advantage of coastal areas’ fresh seafood as much as I can. I’d also rarely gotten to have Cajun food, so that was a great experience too. It was my first time trying crawfish etouffee, SO TASTY.

I never would have anticipated how much Katrina has changed the landscape and the attitude of the Gulf Coast. Driving back to Alabama from Baton Rouge, we passed through a Mississippi coastal town that had been torn apart. There had previously been casino barges offshore- gambling was illegal onshore- but they were all destroyed in the hurricane. So, as a result, they moved the casinos onshore! They had some nice-looking casino hotels along the way, and a good deal of them still under construction. Mississippi didn’t want to lose its revenue and everywhere we were, we noticed people still using the phrase “after Katrina” as a qualifier. There was just enough damage everywhere that you couldn’t forget about what caused it. Katrina seems to have sobered the outlook of the people who lived through it.

On our last day before flying out, we visited the Mobile Art Museum. Boise Art Museum pales in comparison. Mobile’s is a lot bigger, they had some really gorgeous exhibits. The first one we walked through had a lot of Romantic period art, mostly portraiture, still lifes, and ships. There was the permanent collection which included historic furniture and paintings that were of historical significance to the area. My favorite, though, was the featured exhibit of art by gen-x and post-boomer artists in the “new south.” I really have a fondness for innovative contemporary art, and this definitely struck a chord with me. Some pieces spoke of the artist’s experience with politics, some spoke of the experience of black people in the modern south, others of living with privilege in the south. All of it was educational. I walked out of there feeling like I’d seen something new.

Well, that about sums it up. Another thing, my hubby and I recently celebrated our one-year anniversary. Yay! So, we’re doing well. I also start school again today for summer classes. I’m not too bummed, though- it’s a class I wanted to take in the fall but couldn’t, so I’m looking forward to it, even if it is four-and-a-half hours straight.

Till next time, y’all!

Catherine

Scapegoat? Or serious problem?

It seems as though a recent tragedy in Britain has begun a new round of music-scene scapegoating.

You know, normally I’d roll my eyes and say the media just wants someone to blame. There are parts of this article I have serious issue with (MCR a “suicide cult” band?!) but the overall concern with the emo scene glorifying self-harm and depressive behavior is something to think about. In the same vein, way back after the Columbine shooting there were words being tossed around about Marilyn Manson’s influence on the perpetrators, along with other incidents where heavy metal and other “alternative” genres were blamed for influencing violent behavior. On the surface, it makes sense that we should worry about listening to lyrics that glamorize and poeticize violence and death. It might easily convince the listener of the truth of its message. But there are two points going beyond this that I’d like to address.

First: blaming a scene or a genre of music, videogames, movies, etc. removes a great deal of responsibility from the perpetrator. It seems like yet another example of how today we never want to take any responsibility for the things we cause to happen in our own lives, so we try to blame whatever we can to avoid the hard fact that we were wrong. True, there are many influencing factors that can contribute to actions a person takes in his life, but ultimately it all comes down to individual choice. Each person is responsible for what he does to himself. This girl didn’t have to kill herself because she was emo. She didn’t even have to do that stupid “emo initiation” cutting thing; she could have chosen to listen to whatever music she felt like (including MCR) and worn whatever kind of clothes she felt like and not have to do herself harm in any way. Trust me, I know plenty of happy scene kids. I don’t know what drove the girl to kill herself, but that doesn’t make it any less her choice.

My second point is that for those who do subscribe to violent ideas in music, they have crossed an important line distinguishing fantasy and reality. Music is a performance art. That means that, like in other performance arts such as theatre (or even visual arts), sometimes ideas are expressed that do not reflect true intentions. Most people who watch Shakespeare’s Hamlet understand that the actor playing Hamlet isn’t actually insane, and doesn’t actually want to kill the actor playing Hamlet’s uncle. The same suspension of disbelief applies to music. Much of the time, lyrics are written for drama, not for reality. Think of all the artists who sing about breakups and haven’t actually had one occur anywhere around the time the song was written or recorded. Now, there are always exceptions- thinking of Nightwish’s “Master Passion Greed”, it is a hate-filled  and somewhat violent song directed at a specific person after a traumatic event in which the songwriter felt that person was central. But even there, there is a line to be drawn. The songwriter used the song as a medium of drama, confrontation and emotional outburst, but he never carried it further than the lyrics. The violence ended there, as it does with most songs expressing similar sentiments. For listeners who carry it further, that is a reflection of their own poor judgment and skewed understanding, rather than the “evil” ways of the musician. I feel this is true because I see substantially more healthy people who happen to like music with themes of violence than I do people like the girl in this article (who, truth be told, was listening to comparably tame lyrics). As for emo itself, it’s disturbing that so many young people are unable to draw this important line to the point that self-harm has become a feature of the style, but once again I don’t think it’s the fault of the music so much as the individual.

So the ultimate point is, it’s not fair to hold a music genre responsible for individual acts of violence. We need to look beyond blaming outside parties and start taking a hard look at what really drives people to do terrible things. It’s internal, more often than not, and it’s irresponsible to go blame something else just so you don’t have to deal with that more difficult internal turmoil. It’s not fair to the musicians, it’s not fair to the mourning parents, and it’s not fair to troubled kids who need real help and real answers before they decide to ruin the lives of others or themselves.

Stereotyping: What Is It Good For?

Taking Art Foundations I this semester has been a real chore. I don’t feel I’ve learned anything at all about art or iconography. I don’t feel I’ve learned anything, period, except that I completely suck at all things cutting and pasting, and that superficial pointless ‘art’ projects (“cut out shapes in a magazine and rubber cement them on black bristol”) are a waste of time and thought. But probably the most obnoxious part of the class has been the last month or so, wherein the only thing we’ve done in lecture is ‘discuss’ stereotypes in advertising and art.

I have never seen another class try so hard to be a gender studies class and fail. Cultural anthropology had the prerogative to talk about gender stereotypes and history. Maybe art does too somewhere down the line in an advertising- or iconography-centered course, but not with this professor, and not with a basic art class. I felt as though the whole unit was simply her opportunity to inject her brand of bias into our ears, and I was amazed at how many people seemed to buy into it (then again, some people will say anything to please teacher).

Basically, it all began with iconography, reading symbols in art. That morphed into a weird over-sexualized version of semiotics, with us receiving a dated article touting the naturalized sexuality of cigarettes. Here’s the first problem. The article was dated by at least 20 years. That in itself makes it less valid to a modern worldview. It also implied that cigarettes are very often used in a sexual manner, almost always smoked a certain way by men, almost always smoked a different certain way by women, and the cigarette is a phallic prop. This made me laugh out loud! Looking at the modern U.S., where cigarettes are no longer considered even acceptable by a lot of people, the sexual contexts of smoking have all but disappeared. The idea of cigarettes being a naturalized sex prop certainly applies to, oh, say, half a century ago, when doctors apparently recommended certain brands of cigarettes to their patients and you rarely saw a flick without the hero or heroine lighting up at some point. But this is no longer the case, due for the most part to what we know of the health effects of smoking- it makes sense that the thing that causes something as disgusting as mouth cancer, something that invariably makes you less healthy and can be addicting, would be un-sexy (yet, ironically, hard alcohol still has a strong sexual context). Thus, in contrast, if smoking is ever done in the movies today, it’s increasingly done by the villain, the abrasive and unlikable protagonist, or the ‘stupid’ kid. Doctors recommend quitting smoking. Most magazines rarely run cigarette ads anymore, for fear of retribution by anti-smoking groups or a fall in sales due to consumer disgust. Most would agree that for the larger part, cigarettes as sex props are a thing of the past for Americans. Yet apparently my professor doesn’t.

For the record, this article served as her basis for talking about everything in advertising being a matter of sexuality. I swear, she could make an ad for Starburst or Little Tikes into a sexual thing. Sex sells, we get that. But it doesn’t sell everything!

This developed into genderization in advertising. Boy oh boy! Apparently the western world’s still a patriarchy. I think she failed to address that there are different standards for different target audiences, mostly because she really does believe advertising is patriarchal. So we saw some male-dominant ads from the 80s and early 90s. The only one I think was printed within the last 5 years was this:

(Sorry for the small image size. If you can’t see it very well, the man is looking at a picture of a BMW folded open over the woman’s face. The text reads “The ultimate attraction.”)

Yes, it’s an extraordinarily sexual ad- nothing subtle about this one. And it is also clearly sexist, with the man on top looking at his car and using the woman as a sexual object- hell, she’s gladly objectifying herself. So this is a good example of sexism in advertising, a la my professor. But wait! What’s this I found while googling for this advertisment…?

Oh my gosh! It’s a woman on top this time, objectifying and dominating the man, while orgasming to the image of a car! And it isn’t even a more ‘feminized’ model of car- it’s the same one. Fancy that. I’d guess these ads were printed in different magazines, probably a men’s magazine for the first and a women’s magazine for the second. Target audience changes, advertising changes. And this woman-dominant advert is no anomaly. Look at many sexually-driven ads and you’ll see that a good number of them feature dominant women.

Sexism goes both ways. It’s less about who’s actually in charge than it is about what your target viewers or readers want to see. I think that’s the way it’s always been in advertising. It’s just that people have wanted to see different things in the past.

A Blog Is Born

Hi all! Welcome to my new blog. I’m not yet sure what exactly I’m writing about, and the blog title, just like most of my other stuff (art or no) is a work-in-progress. Well, I suppose I ought to do the obligatory thing one should do when new to someplace… tell you about myself.

First off, I’m an American. I hope, pray and strive not to fit the stereotype that everyone else in the world has set us up with. I’m not obese. I don’t eat fast food that often, even though it sometimes seems like the most practical option- I prefer sushi any day. I know who the prime minister of the UK is. I’ve travelled overseas. I’m still unilingual, unfortunately, but working to fix that in favor of Spanish and Finnish. I did NOT vote for Bush. I’m a Christian, but certainly not a bigoted nutjob evangelical like Jerry Falwell.

Apart from that whole American thing… I’m an undergraduate student at Boise State University majoring in Graphic Design and Illustration. My preferred medium is digital at this point but I’m beginning to branch out… I’m rather fond of charcoal and very curious about photography right now. Yes, I’m on deviantART. Maybe someday I’ll give a link, when my gallery is a little more substantial.

I once was a music major. I sing mezzo-soprano and play violin. I still love the music department but just don’t think I could find a niche for it as a career. It’ll always have a place in my life. Art has been my thing since before I could walk so it shall continue to be my thing till I can’t walk anymore.

As for the blogosphere itself, I am married to the writer of Rational Christian, an insightful blog on religion and politics to be enjoyed by skeptics and Christians alike (if they aren’t one and the same). If you’re not interested in that, he at least has a very long list of interesting blogs of all sorts of subjects, from people who raise coyotes to a British M.D. and “libertarian gun nuts”, and of course other political and religious blogs. Shameless promoter, I! Well, if no one cares about my blog they might care about his. And Andrew’s said that he’ll let me guest-write sometime, if I ever think of something political or religious that could possibly be a new subject, so you might look out for that!

Anyway. I need to go finish up an “art” project (acrylic value scales… puh) before I zonk out completely. Thanks for reading! Oh, and feliz cinco de mayo to all of you!