Classay Cat

So I worked at a summer camp in Pennsylvania for 10 weeks this year. I just got back home. 









I discovered that my cat now eats Disney's The Aristocats brand of cat food!

It makes her feel fancy.

Hey I'm back!

Anti Age-Judging

I happened to hear a conversation the other day that went something like this:

Person #1: This guy is 40 years old, but he looks really good for his age. 

Person #2: Yeah, he could pass for 35 easily, maybe even younger. 

This type of thing is pretty common, right? Take a look in the personal ads and you'll see time and time again something like "35 years old, but get told I look 25" or "50 years old, but look much younger". 

What's wrong with looking your age? I think our culture has a huge obsession with looking younger than you are*. Ever notice how every makeup commercial includes the phrase "reverses the effects of aging"? Why is it so bad to age? 

I realize that I'm still young, at only 20 years old. I don't really know what feeling "old" is like, and I hope to never know. I hear people my age say that they "feel old". A recent study has shown that, on average, women begin to feel old at age 29 and men at 58. How ridiculous is that? Apparently women begin to feel old when their "assets begin to sag". I imagine that each day, thousands of people in America are told this: "You look good for your age!" Maybe if there was less pressure to look younger, people would get less plastic surgery, use less Botox, and be happier with their bodies.

Seriously, if you want to compliment someone, don't insult their age. That would be like someone telling me "You look great for being Caucasian!" Race is not something a person can change, and neither is age. Can we start giving real compliments?

My suggestion: Find beauty at every age. Wrinkles are not ugly. White, gray, and salt and pepper hair are not ugly. "Sagging assets" are not ugly. Learn to respect people of every age, and yourself at any age. Next time you think you're looking old, remember that "age" is a number that doesn't represent your true beauty.

* Except for children and tweens, who are told to look older than they are. That's another blog for another day.

Keep Earth Weird!

"You are so weird!" 

I used to say that all the time to my mom when I lived at home. She was always offended, understandably, but I really didn't mean for it to be offensive. Dictionary.com defines "weird" as "fantastic; bizarre". I think a common definition would be "different from 'normal'". To me, "weird" is a positive thing. I love "weird" music, movies, books, paintings, and people. Especially weird people.

Please don't write this off as one of those "Go be weird! Spend all your time making dioramas of Star War scenes if you want!" speeches that teachers gave to the kids who hung out in the computer lab in middle school. I'm not asking you to accept "fringe" culture as mainstream or to stop having opinions about people's "unusual" choices. No, my point of this post is show that every human being is weird, and that it's a great thing.

The day before my nephew was born, my sister was in labor and I was driving to my piano lesson. I thought that the clouds above the mountains were simply dramatic and lovely, so I pulled over and snapped a few shots. I was in the hospital for most of the labor process and my thoughts ran deep, as I'm sure many people's do when there's a new family member on the way. I envisioned myself showing the pictures to my nephew in twenty years saying, "these magnificent clouds were simply a harbinger of the magnificent life you would lead." I had a vision in my head of the solemn business of birth, and my expectations for my nascent nephew were very high and very rigid. 
When Milo was born, he was weird. He looked red and wrinkly, he cried real loud - not solemn. And he's still weird. He surprises his family with his personality-- the unexpected things he does, the unexpected interests he has, and the unexpected talents he possesses. He is fantastic, he is bizarre, he is weird, and I wouldn't change anything about him. Although my nephew is not filling the shoes I prepared for him the day I took that picture, it doesn't matter to me. If everyone filled our expectations perfectly, life would be extremely boring.
I believe that human beings are God's greatest creation. It's impossible for a human being to take on a role (parent, child, teacher, custodian, president) and act exactly according to expectations. Each person injects their role with a unique personality, and some reject the role given to them and make up a new one. Is Picasso remembered because he painted what people expected? Was President Obama elected because he acted how people expected? Are The Beatles famous because they produced the music that was expected of them? NO!

Weird is mainstream! Plato thought up something weird! Shakespeare wrote something weird! The American founding fathers did something weird! And you have something weird inside of you that you can share with the world, too.
I believe that God is in the weird. Just as giving birth is a reverent, meaningful, painful, and weird experience, so is all creation. Art is weird, sports are weird, architecture is weird. And as human beings, the "creators" on this world, we are made to be weird.

So keep it up, weirdos!

Whether I Control the Weather

Monday, February 14, 2011- High of 57°, Low of 29°, Partly Cloudy:
The weather is warm, but the students are anxious. With the holiday in mind, one might assume that it has something to do with the expected romance of the day, but there is another reason. The heavy clouds above keep everyone on their toes. We left our homes in t-shirts, but packed jackets in our backpacks (not that anyone will admit it). Looking across campus, I see thick gray cloud-cover blocking the sky. Lowering my vision I notice that all the students are walking as if the sky is falling. No one actually looks to the sky and cowers, but the effect is the same. We fear the future.


Tuesday, February 15, 2011- High of 54°, Low of 25°, Windy:
It's impossible to tell the temperature of the air because of the wind. No hairspray invented could hold a 'do in place today. All I feel is a million air particles taking tangents from my face. No one is immune-- we pull our jackets tight and tie the strings on our hoods. This is not the kind of wind that sinks into your bones. No, it's the kind of wind that lifts you up and smacks you right on the face. From my vantage point on the library staircase, I see more leaves outside than people, and both are flying erratically. 


Wednesday, February 16, 2011- High (undetermined), Low of 24°, Rainy:
Windy again, but different. We've given in. All on campus are happy to sport the suddenly-trendy windblown-fashion. Not many clouds today. Surprisingly, it begins to drizzle-- a blessing after some consideration (at least it's not pouring, right?). Judging by the tireless wind and the lack of overcast, this rain probably originated in Seattle. The scarcity of raindrops makes it quite exciting when a droplet collides with my skin. The concrete slowly takes on a darker hue-- freckles begin to merge. The earth is new, again, for the millionth time. 

These last few days, the weather has mimicked exactly things that have been happening in my life. I'll let you fill in the details. And, sorry for taking all of Mother Nature's attention. I'll try to be less selfish.

Fun Blog

Does anyone else think that the best part of Fun Dip is the white dipping stick? The powder isn't bad, but the white stick alone is freaking delicious.

Am I right?

Hello again.