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| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 | | 9:37 pm |
No, really, guys...
I’ve been taking hip hop dance lessons for two years now, and I love it. It’s definitely a workout with the sit-ups and the dreaded planks, and I have a lot of fun with Ronnie’s choreography. Inevitably, though, someone will ask me to demonstrate my dancing. After two years I can see some improvement in my body rolls and ability to pick up choreography, but my own free styling is as bad as it ever was. My least favorite part of class is when Bekah makes us freestyle across the room. Even in my small class, with other beginner dancers doing the same thing, I feel incredibly self-conscious and will strut my way across the room as fast as I can. During the Grand Canyon trip, then, I made the mistake of mentioning that I take dance classes. We had one evening party during which there was a lot of peer pressure for me to hip hop dance. I explained that it was literally impossible for me to do so, as I couldn’t remember any choreographed dances after a month away from class, and my own freestyling doesn’t in any way count as hip hop. (besides it being an insult to Ronnie for me to claim it as such). It later occurred to me that the people probably didn’t care whether I actually represented my dance studio. But if hip hop dancing was not the goal, then why was I being picked on? Anyone else could stand up and make a fool of themselves as well as I can, and I clearly did not want to be the center of attention. My mom later said I should have mentioned I hobby I wouldn’t have minded demonstrating, but is that the standard? That all of your hobbies are fair game for a demonstration? What if you just really despise impromptu performances? As you may have guessed, I was a party pooper and didn’t perform for the group. Given that various videos from this night have appeared on youtube without permission, I can’t say I regret my decision. | | Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 | | 8:13 pm |
Googling my new name
Is it possible I haven’t googled myself in the last 11 months? Before I got married, I checked to see whether I’d have any competition for “Lynn Garcowski.” There were no hits, so I was assured of my prime position. About a week ago, I googled myself again, but there were still no hits. I really need to work on that. I don’t exist if Google isn’t aware of me. I added a “Lynn Garcowski” to my webpage, but Google still isn’t finding the site. Is there anything else I need to do? Incidentally, this whole “maiden name as middle name” thing is messing up my rankings a little. If I take out the quotes, I’ll get some of the Lynn Revette Garcowski references (mostly from facebook). I like the continuity of including the maiden name, but it’s harder for “Lynn Garcowski” to have many hits if I never refer to myself that way. Not that I’m regretting keeping the maiden name. The googling issue just makes me a little more resentful that women have to change their name in the first place. One year in, I’m surprisingly okay with the reality of my new name. (ie, I don’t feel like I’ve lost my sense of self or my history… with the exception of my online history.) It’s mostly the hassles that annoy me. I don’t like calling people and running random errands. I had to beg time off of work to update my driver’s license, since the DMV was only open during weekday business hours. I’ve lost a decent number of my frequent flier miles, since I can’t figure out how to update my name in all systems. Those systems I have figured out typically include 1- calling the 800 number 2- writing down a snail mail address 3- sending a written request to change my name, along with a photocopied driver’s license or marriage license Annoying, at any rate. I have this fantasy in which men would do all of the phonework and legwork to update their wives’ names. I understand why the DMV needs to see me, and not Jacob, but it feels like insult added to injury. | | Friday, June 19th, 2009 | | 8:36 am |
Boycotts and Mormons
... Or, Mormon Boys Without Cots While on the river, my family was discussing other potential trips. Utah came up, and Jacob announced that he and I are (apparently) boycotting travel to the state of Utah, thanks to the Church of Latter Day Saints’ contributions to Proposition 8 in CA (banning gay marriage in the state). I was very saddened for California when Proposition 8 passed, but I don’t agree with this whole boycott thing. I looked into the statistics, and 50% of the pro-Prop 8 money (total: $40 million) came from out of state, with 45% of that money coming from Utah. The LDS church actively encouraged its members to contribute and campaign, but the vast majority of the money came from the people themselves (the church itself spent about $100,000 - $200,000 on time and plane tickets.) So is my goal to stop Mormons themselves from having any money? If so, we probably should not have gone on this rafting trip. The company is based out of Salt Lake City, and all of our boatmen are Mormon (which we discovered while discussing this subject with one of them – awkward!) If this trip is forbidden by that logic, I don’t want any part of it. The boatmen were fantastic to us, and they worked hard for their money. If we’re boycotting tourism in Utah, these boatmen are precisely the people who will suffer. It probably helps that this was my first opportunity to meet real Mormons. Most of my knowledge of them comes from Robbie, South Park, and reality TV contestants. (Not that I had a bad impression of Mormons previously. I’ve liked all of the Mormon contestants, save Tyson, and I like the general culture. I’ve somehow managed to retain a liberal viewpoint while personally living a rather conservative lifestyle.) The boatmen are probably not proponents of gay marriage (though I don’t know that for certain), but I have no idea whether they donate money to that cause. For that matter, is that the worst use of money ever? We’re not boycotting CA (which donated the majority of the pro-Prop 8 money), so presumably the issue is not just being anti-gay marriage but also sticking your nose in other people’s business. People do some horrible things and spend their money in lots of ways, and I don’t think this is the worst. Then again, maybe Jacob has a whole list of boycotts of which I’m not yet aware. | | Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 | | 7:05 pm |
Vacation!
My family just returned from our fabulous trip to the Grand Canyon. ( Read more ) | | Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 | | 10:09 pm |
Who’s the Biggest Star in my World?
In the lead up to Star Trek, I found it kind of entertaining to refer to Chris Pine as “That Guy from Princess Diaries 2.” I did realize, however, that his presence in two (and now three) movies I’ve seen is pretty remarkable. I see few enough movies that Chris Pine may have as many Lynn-seen acting credits as Brad Pitt. Let’s find out: Cameron Diaz: 8 (My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, Very Bad Things, Being John Malkovich, Charlie’s Angels, Shrek, Vanilla Sky, The Holiday) Tom Hanks: 8 (Big, Joe Versus the Volcano, A League of their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Catch Me if You Can) Adam Sandler: 8 (50 First Dates, Mr. Deeds, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan) Ben Stiller: 8 (Meet the Parents, Starsky and Hutch, There’s Something About Mary, Mystery Men, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Fockers, Along Came Polly) Ben Affleck: 7 (Mall Rats, Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy, Shakespeare in Love, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) Owen Wilson: 7 (Meet the Parents, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Fockers, Starsky and Hutch, Wedding Crashers, Cars) John Cusack: 6 (Sixteen Candles, Stand By Me, Say Anything, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Must Love Dogs) Anne Hathaway: 6 (Princess Diaries, Princess Diaries 2, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart, Becoming Jane) Julia Roberts: 6 (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, Mona Lisa Smile, Ocean’s 11, The Mexican, Hook) Bruce Willis: 6 (Unbreakable, Pulp Fiction, Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too, Fifth Element, Sixth Sense) Reese Witherspoon: 6 (Legally Blonde, Election, Sweet Home Alabama, The Man in the Moon, Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions) Brad Pitt: 5 (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 13, Fight Club, Snatch, The Mexican) Matt Damon: 4 (Good Will Hunting, Dogma, Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 13) Drew Barrymore: 4 (Charlie’s Angels, Scream, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed) Sandra Bullock: 4 (Miss Congeniality, The Net, While You Were Sleeping, Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood) Chris Pine: 3 (Just My Luck, Princess Diaries 2, Star Trek) Angelina Jolie: 1 (Girl, Interrupted) … So, maybe Chris Pine isn’t as big of a star as Brad Pitt, but 60% as big isn’t too bad. I found this list rather interesting. I don’t think I watched any of these movies *because* that actor was in it, so it mainly speaks to which actors make the most commercial movies and/or movies for my demographic. (Or my friends’… I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one who suggested all of the Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller movies.) I was also a little bit surprised that the women did so well. Since so many movies treat women as disposable/interchangeable (“Why hire a star when we get this new younger model for cheaper?”) it was nice to see - at least at the upper echelon - women were regularly making commercial films. Also of note: My absolute numbers appear to be pretty low. Jacob’s seen his top draw (Bruce Willis) in 20 movies. Heck, he’s seen 15 Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. I somehow feel better about myself. | | Saturday, March 21st, 2009 | | 7:30 am |
Morality
In A.J. Jacobs’ “The Year of Living Biblically,” the author sets out to follow the Bible as literally as possible for one year. While he grew up as a secular Jew, at least part of his motivation – besides selling books – is to learn morality to teach to his two year old son. I really don’t understand this concept. Atheists can be just as moral as anyone else. (At least in terms of how ones treats others... I don't really subscribe to laws of morality that don't make logical sense to me.) I can sort of understand how a person who grew up very religiously might believe that religion owns morality. But for Jacobs to argue this? All he has to do is look at his extended family to see examples of kindness and morality in – gasp - atheists. The Golden Rule, at least, is linked to all sorts of religions, which only highlights its universality. Treating others as you’d want them to treat you is ultimately common sense for any civilization, religious or not. | | Thursday, March 19th, 2009 | | 6:11 pm |
Stingy Dumbledore
In rereading the Harry Potter series (for the third to ninth time, depending on the book), I find I’m feeling sorry for the Dursleys. While Harry has a big pile of money, no one sees fit to share it with his guardians. The Dursleys do have legitimate costs for his food, clothing, tuition, and healthcare, which are generally though to average $100,000 from birth to age 18. (Although potentially less in the UK with the healthcare system.) The Dursleys do not spend much money on Harry’s food (by not feeding him much) or clothing (by giving him Dudley’s hand-me-downs), but this could potentially be remedied by giving them access to his inheritance. Besides, the Dursleys’ stinginess wasn’t known when Dumbledore decided to cut them off entirely. Note: Harry sometimes justifies not sharing his money with the Dursleys by claiming his Wizarding money is no good in the Muggle word, but this is clearly untrue. Hermione’s family exchanges money at Gringott’s in Book 2. Otherwise, how would any Muggle-born children pay for Hogwarts? | | Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | | 6:41 pm |
Romance and the Bechdel Test
I recently read a couple of articles on the so-called Bechdel test (apparently originally referenced in an Allison Bechdel comic, although Liz Wallace originated the idea.) for movies: A movie in which 1. two women 2. talk to each other 3. about something other than men. This shouldn’t be difficult, yet it’s kind of impressive how many movies fail to make the cut. Heck, even my favorite movie of all time (Back to the Future I) fails. Back to the Future contains only one woman of consequence (Lorraine), and even her scenes with her mother and daughter revolve around dating/men. I am somewhat contented, however, that said romance is the A Plot of the movie. Which begs the question: Are romances forbidden/anti-feminist? I personally only have a problem with the failing movies if they relegate women to Romantic Interest with no other characteristics or connection to the plot. When the romance is the plot, I don’t think the lack of conversation topics conversation is a problem. For instance, I love the movie Love Actually, but I’m not sure it passes the test. There are lots of women in the cast, but they rarely talk to each other (and ditto for the men… although I can think of at least one male/male friendship, while the same can’t be said for the women.) Still, the relationships are the point of the movie, and the women have just as much characterization as the men. | | Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 | | 5:39 pm |
Rivalries
I've been getting some flak lately for my choice to root for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the postseason. As a Cleveland Browns fan, the theory goes, I must hate all of the Browns' rivals. I do understand the logic of rooting against the teams in your division during the season. Since you are competing for a division championship in order to qualify for the postseason, it makes sense to root for other teams' failure. Once the Browns' season ended, however, it seems the perfect time to root for the Steelers. Their success has no impact on the Browns' chances. If anything, the Steelers' postseason success benefited the Browns. We didn't lose a loser; we lost to a winner! Logic doesn't seem to rule the day in football rivalries, though. Jacob rejects my argument because "we hate them." (This is demonstrably untrue in my case, since I developed an affection for the Steelers when I lived in Pittsburgh for a year. Even though I watch all of the Browns games now, my two favorite NFL players – Troy Polamalu and Jeff Reed – play for the Steelers.) I'm told I can't be a true Browns fan if I don't hate the Steelers. While I'm probably not a true Browns or Steelers fan (I enjoy watching the games with a crowd, but I rarely watch a game alone), I don't agree that rivalries have to be so negative. In high school, our rivals were those teams we competed against most frequently. We knew the people the best, so there was more at stake personally. Hence, the rivalry. As mentioned above, I'll always root for the person who eliminates me from a tournament, and that is particularly true if the person is my "rival." Why should I root for a stranger above someone I know? I should add here that my competitive activities in high school were speech activities, tennis, and track. I was never good at team sports (and contact sports, in particular), which may make some difference. The individual nature of my activities means more interaction with the rival as a person, so I have a harder time hating him or her. Or perhaps I just don't hate teams because they're successful. Most of my friends at the Superbowl party were rooting for the Cardinals as the underdogs. I used to root for the underdog, but I increasingly find myself rooting for the overdog. (See also: New England Patriots in 2008 and Duke basketball). If a team is doing well, it's usually because they're well managed and work hard. Why should I root against that? I know that money plays a big role in baseball, but I don't think that's the case in football. Between the salary caps and draft system, the playing field should be relatively flat. Go, Team Good Work Ethic! | | Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 | | 4:01 pm |
Dentistry update!
I just had my first.. through seventh... cavity. I was flossing last weekend and the floss repeatedly broke between a couple of teeth. I kept working at the area, and eventually two pieces of tooth chipped out. I scheduled an appointment (at a new dentist) for Friday, which turned to just be a diagnosis visit. While there, though, the dentist noticed that in addition to the cavity that caused the chipping I had another cavity in the next tooth. On my visit today, the X-Rays revealed an additional five cavities. How does this happen? In my 27 years of going to the dentist, I hadn't had a diagnosed cavity. I haven't missed my 6 month appointment for the last two years. I brush twice daily and floss six times a week. My dentist hasn't been using a fluoride rinse, which Jacob suggests may be the cause of the problems. I'm also not clear on whether my old dentist should have found these cavities. I was last there four months ago, although the most recent X-Rays were from 10 months ago. Should he have seen something? As mentioned above, I switched dentists for the fillings (and beyond). I chose my old dentist based on his location two doors down from my house. I liked the dental hygienist, but the dentist himself was a little weird. I can't understand his NC accent very well, and he has a habit of putting pressure on my face while he examines my teeth. However, since my appointments only consisted of cleanings and brief visit with the dentist, I figured that was okay. When I needed more extensive work, I decided to switch dentists... to the new guy two blocks away. I have no idea why there are nine dentists within a mile of my house. The fillings themselves went fine. There was no pain, although the filling process took longer than I'd anticipated. I've never interrupted a dentist appointment for a bathroom break before. | | Friday, December 19th, 2008 | | 7:21 am |
| | Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | | 9:13 am |
Second class flier
I've been flying a lot lately, but Thursday was my first time using Terminal 2 at RDU. Generally, I was a huge fan. The terminal is very inviting with tall ceilings, soft lights, moving sidewalks, and large bathrooms. My one complaint: the security line. Three separate lines were set up (first class, expert traveler, and casual traveler.) The man in front of me was directed to the "expert traveler" line, while I was told to go to the "casual traveler" line. My line was longer, but I was mainly annoyed by the implication that I'm not an expert traveler. I fly quite a bit for work, and I take pride in my efficiency through the security line. I asked the security guy how they divided the lines, and I was told that the "expert traveler" line was being used by first class passengers. I don't understand why first class needs one line, let alone two (expert as well as a devoted first class line). Does their extra fare go toward the TSA? I don't mind my coach fare giving fewer amenities on the airplane, but I don't like the class system extending to the airport. What's next, waiting longer for my bagel or - god forbid - the restroom? | | Thursday, September 11th, 2008 | | 9:10 pm |
Yay bandanas
I first discovered the bandana in the summer of 2003, when I worked as a lifeguard at sleepover camp. I was standing for hours in the sun, so they were pretty indispensable for protecting my part from sunburn. Also, I was only showering about three times a week, so the bandana kept my greasy hair from being too noticeable. Since then, though, I’ve used a bandana for essentially any athletic event I do. (racquetball, hip hop dancing, contra dancing, ultimate, soccer, DDR, etc.) They keep my hair out of my face better than a scrunchy/headband combo. They mop up forehead sweat. Yet I don’t see that many other women rock the bandana. Is my hair particularly messy? Do I just care less about how I look? That said, I too have my limits. I have a bright yellow Miller Light buff which was given to me as a promotion at a bar. The thing is amazingly comfortable (it keeps my hair out of my face as well as a hair tie without pulling at all), but I still don’t wear it out in public. | | Saturday, August 30th, 2008 | | 9:31 am |
Food Choices
I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," which relates her family's experience in eating locally for a year. Earlier this year I read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma." This book is less personal and traces the history of meals from the plate to their origins. (fast food, hunter/gathering, organic farm,CAFO). I definitely agree that it's important to make informed choices when eating, whether I ultimately change my diet substantially. It's kind of impressive how many criteria one can use when eating: - Cost - Morals - Convenience - Environmental Issue - Taste - Nutrition Unfortunately, they don't dovetail as well as I might hope. I generally cook simple meals at home. When I shop at the grocery store, I generally maximize convenience (go to the closest grocery store) and minimize cost (buy generic brands when possible.) I'd like to eat more organic produce and non-CAFO meat, and I can stomach the increased cost. After all, an organic meal is still cheaper than going out to eat, and we do do that occasionally. Convenience is a bit of a sticking issue, however. I don't like to drive far to errands, and the health food store and farmer's market are decidedly farther from home than the standard grocery store. Plus, going to the market requires more organization and planning. Plan for now: Stop by health food stores when we're near them. (We're headed to the farmer's market today.) I think I may stop eating CAFO beef. Ideally, this would be extended to CAFO chicken as well, but I'm not yet up to planning a protein-free diet if I don't find the acceptable meat. | | Friday, August 29th, 2008 | | 8:07 am |
Book Requests
I recently read my list of "Requested Books" at the library and was impressed by how well it described me. "The Sandman" (Neil Gaiman) marks me as a bit of a geek, while "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" (Barbara Kingsolver) shows my hippie side. Both probably correlate with me being a liberal, but if there was any doubt, I'm also waiting for Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope." "Twilight" (Stephenie Meyer) is on there, so I'm likely female, although between that book and Newt Scamander's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," I might be thought to be younger than my 27 years. The other books, to my knowledge, don't skew too much in any direction. | | Thursday, August 28th, 2008 | | 7:54 am |
Fuel Efficiency
Jacob recently sent me an article which proposed reporting a car's fuel efficiency as gallons/mile rather than miles per gallon. I shrugged off the suggestion, because what difference could the inverse make? It's still the same information for every car, right? Technically, yes, but the current system doesn't emphasize the benefits in increased fuel efficiency at the lower end of the scale. One might (mistakenly) look at the increase from 10 mpg to 12 mpg as being equivalent to increasing from 33 mpg to 35 mpg. If, however, the cars were advertised by the inverse (how many gallons to travel 10,000 miles?), the first situation becomes 1000 gallons versus 833 gallons. The second situation becomes 303 gallons versus 286 gallons. That 2 mpg increase saves 167 gallons at the lower end and a mere 17 gallons at the upper. I never understood before why the SUV hybrids won awards for being the "best environmental car of the year." Shouldn't that go to the Priuses or other cars with the highest mpg? Clearly, though, the SUV hybrids are making a much greater dent in total fuel consumption. A Prius owner would most likely drive something small and efficient even if the Prius wasn't available. That standard SUV owner, however, isn't likely to switch to such cars. By making the SUV hybrid available, it offers a legitimate option for these owners – and at the low fuel efficiencies where it really counts. That said, I still try to get the best fuel efficiency out of my Corolla. My natural inclinations push me toward good fuel efficiency: I'm a rule-follower (so I rarely drive more than 5 miles over the speed limit), I don't like excitement (so I accelerate slowly), and I'm cheap (so I bought a relatively efficient car.) Since I bought it in 2005, I've kept a tally of mileage, cost, and gallons at each fill up. I traditionally get around 40 mpg on the highway and 33 mpg on my daily commute. Since gas went over $3 a gallon I've been trying harder on the commute, mainly by coasting to red lights when possible. I recently tallied my fuel consumption, and I've averaged 35 mpg on my last three commuting tanks. That'll save me 17 gallons! | | Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 | | 1:07 pm |
| | Monday, August 11th, 2008 | | 1:28 pm |
Art
It's been too long since I've done anything artistic, at least graphically. I do all right with the performance arts: I played the violin through high school, and I sang with an a cappella group in college. I now take my hip hop dance classes and play the piano occasionally. But when's the last time I drew something? Maybe a Christmas card two years ago? When I was at Clyne Castle in Wales, my friends and I participated in weekly CRAP (Clyne Residents Art Project) sessions. I mainly drew people out of my friends' Entertainment magazines, but some of my friends were quite talented at original compositions and paper cutting. I know I improved with the repetition at least. Since seeing the elephants paint in Thailand, I've been feeling rather inspired. Two elephants painted during the show at the Conservatory, and the second one was rather impressive. The first did an abstract piece. I hadn't realized elephants could do paintings *of* things until the second elephant clearly painted a flower at the end of several stems. The elephant painting gallery showed several clear renditions of flowers and trees. Some of our fellow travelers bought paintings to frame at home. I understand that part of the appeal is that the artist is an elephant, but I did think, "I could do that. And those are pretty. I should paint something for my house." For now, I'll probably stick with some pencil drawings, but a first step is a first step. | | Thursday, July 24th, 2008 | | 8:42 am |
| | Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 | | 5:53 am |
More thoughts on Thailand
Jacob and I are safely back in NC. (Arriving at the house at 11:30 PM). Since my sleep schedule is still off, read below for more thoughts on Thailand: ( Read more... ) |
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