Humanity

“We’re only human,” said Steven Syverson, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. “They shine a little brighter.” (In reference to being more inclined to accepting students who do not apply for financial aid.)

I really hate that excuse. Even "We can only do so much" is okay, but "We're only human" just rings so wrong. Humanity is not an excuse! Don't use that as some sort of crutch or reasoning for errors. It's the opposite. It's ... an inspiration, it's being able to do AMAZING things with our brains and bodies. I'm searching for a way to rephrase "we're only human" into an expression of my sentiment. Something like "we're lucky to be humans". I need to think about it some more.

Now comes the point where I want to make some terrible pun about all of us being Citizens of Humanity to make a lame fashion reference, but I'll resist this time.

original article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/education/31college.html?pagewanted=1

Singin' in the Rain

Last night I watched "Singin' in the Rain" as part of the spring Dartmouth Film Society series, "Color by Numbers." I was surprised to find a sizable group in the theater, given the fact that it was the first Monday of the term and I'd figured people would've preferred to have mini-reunions all around campus and whatnot.

But the movie was absolutely the perfect to jumpstart the spring; idealistic triple-threats tap dancing through the Hollywood film industry is pretty inspiring! Plus, I now have a crush on Gene Kelly.

What ever happened to the happy-go-lucky protagonist? Why must so many movies be categorized as "dramatic," "macho," "chick flick," and "bro-comedy?" Or even, why don't we have any good musicals anymore? Isn't there any talent out there? Why are so many of our musicals somewhat depressing and just remakes (Moulin Rouge!, Chicago)?

Perhaps the musical niche was filled during the faux-vanilla 1950's when so many of these idealistic films were churned out. But I think, with the war and the recession, this country needs Hollywood to do a better job of creating some escapist cinema. I'm sorry, but numerous Holocaust/apocalyptic films is not going to comfort me.

I'll probably just have to resort to watching these films on my own (or with DFS).

Sean Avery: Why the Fashion Obsession?

Happy Sunday! I was reading the Times online while sipping a Diet Coke (DC for short) when I came across the front page of the Style section: a big ole article about the hockey player/fashion afficionado Sean Avery. A most-hated NHL athlete, Avery stands out from the typical fashionista crowd. He did an internship for Vogue last year (yeah, right) and, according to this article, can call Vera Wang a friend and be respected by Dries Van Noten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/fashion/29avery.html?_r=1&ref=style

"He’s knowledgeable,” said the designer Narciso
Rodriguez, who met Mr.
Avery last summer. “He follows fashion. He knows who
the designers are, who
are the good ones he likes.”

WOW REALLY? It's not like my friends and I follow style.com like it's our jobs for fashion updates and shows or anything. And he has PREFERENCES! Who woulda thunk it?

Obviously, the reason why he garners so much attention from the fashion world is because he is so atypical: a hockey player who goes to fashion shows? NHL and YSL in the same sentence? Yikes! Perhaps I shouldn't be resentful of Mr. Avery and instead embrace the merge between athletes and fashion--more specifically, the merge between brutal guy-sports and fashion (Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters are some of our current female fathletes (new word?)).

The gals on NYMag's blog, The Cut, were quite astounded by Avery's internship: he got to meet Andre Leon Talley, go to executive meetings, hang out with Anna herself, and guest-edit mensvogue.com (RIP). So his internship wasn't exactly a real one, but it was one all the same...right?

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/06/the_diary_of_vogue_intern_sean.html

So I'm still conflicted on how I feel about Avery. Maybe he represents this trend toward different genders exploring various sexualities/interests.

Or perhaps he'll just become the new hit man for Bernard Arnault...

Spruce Up Your Space for Spring (Alliteration!)

I'm redecorating my dorm room and decided to freshen up my room by taping wrapping paper to my walls. No need for wallpaper; wrapping paper is cheaper and easy to remove! I bought some adorable bright green snakeskin pattern for my room and it definitely adds a punch. It's spring, after all, so why not make my room as pleasant as it is outside?

I also found an old wreath my mom had in storage she'd bought from HomeGoods or something and figured it would be perfect for my room. You can't live in a dorm room during the months of April, May and June without walls as renewed as the trees outside. 3D items give your walls more dimension and really warm the space up.

Another neat (does anybody use this word anymore?) idea is to cut out interesting shapes of paper/wallpaper (go to any paper goods specialty store and I promise they'll have some gorgeous prints) and post them on your wall. Make a collage using the white walls as your canvas.

Lastly, because I love magazines, I collect spring issues and cut out pictures I like. A perfect way to liven up your walls is to get whimsical ads or photos to add some movement and keep up with trends.

In a nutshell, here's what you do: buy some wrapping paper, get some magazines and old outdoors items from your family or what have you, and redo your decor. Open the windows, blast some peppy music (Vampire Weekend...) and let the spring breeze slip in!

AD

Why was Arrested Development ever taken off the air? I've been watching the entire third season in the last 24 hours. It is literally the best show on TV I've ever seen. I can't wait for the movie.

Matching again

In Aix-en-Provence, I saw these two elderly women walking together on a Saturday morning probably talking about how to make a good roast chicken or something. I loved how chic they were: a fur coat from the 1950's (I'm assuming) and those tight brown pants prove they didn't give up on fashion as they aged. I especially love their little coifs and that awesome tan jacket: I totally want one (even though I know she probably bought hers in 1984).

Or maybe they dressed like that for camouflage. So practical.

Duality and Two Thoughts

“The duality between being a woman and a warrior.”
- Thierry Mugler, describing the inspiration behind his designs for Beyonce's current world tour.

Ugh, she's so great. Whatta woHman. I also have an inexplicable soft spot for Lauren Conrad. Inexplicable, I told you.

Also, love love love:

MK Slays

MK, girl, why you gotta be so fly? Also, Tilda Swinton: your freakishly cool aunt who looks like one of those sand bugs that are transparent.

Matching

Okay, this is absolutely adorable.

When I was in Paris on the Left Bank, I saw this couple and I almost died. Speaking of unisex...juuuust kidding.

More couples should wear matching outfits. Screw rings: couples can show they're together by dressing the same!! That's a way to show committment, n'est pas?

I Know Why I'm Frugal

Rocko's Modern Life, "Who Gives a Buck?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjA2JSM-oDY&NR=1

In an attempt to randomly revisit my childhood by watching '90s Nickelodeon cartoons (Angry Beavers, Ahh Real Monsters, CatDog...) on Youtube, I came across my favorite show, Rocko's Modern Life. To be honest, Nickelodeon has really gone downhill since the 90's. The content was more adult and inappropriate at times (an episode called "Who Gives a Buck" wouldn't fly nowadays, with Dora the Explorer playing with Mr. Map and Backpack or whatever), but I learned some good morals. Looking back, Rocko is pretty freaking trippy.

In this episode, Rocko and Heffer (hah--he's a STEER) are sitting on Rocko's decrepit couch watching the Bagpiping channel. Realizing Rocko's place is pretty rundown (his couch has sentimental value with its springs and stains), the two decide to go to the mall to buy some new stuff for the house.

The episode makes fun of everyone's mall/Walmart experience: finding parking spaces (they find out they're following a crazy person to a non-existent space), going up all the levels of a parking garage, getting lost in an eerily modern mall (more relevant today, what with TV screens in malls and such and such), and losing control by using a credit card.

With the recession, obviously everyone's thinking about how not to splurge, but this episode reminds us of the boom in the 90's. You can't resist loving the old-school credit card contraptions they use at the register. Those'll never get old.

We see the two characters justifying their purchases by rarity, necessity, longing, and ease. Heffer (with those uneven eyes...am I the only one who notices that dimple in his eye?!?!)stupidly convinces Rocko to buy stuff with his credit card. Once he sees a painting of a clown crying in an iron lung (WTF??!) Rocko says in his meek, Australian voice (he's a wallaby, remember) "I've always wanted one." If he buys such a ridiculous picture, you can see he's ona downward spending spiral. It only gets worse.

Watch the episode if you want some laughs. Here's the moral of the story: beware of credit cards! It's fake money! Get cash from...organ donations???

Best advice ever. Thanks, Nickelodeon!

Mountains Beyond Mountains

Just finished readings Mountains Beyond Mountains, a book about Dr. Paul Farmer and his work to eradicate TB and HIV/AIDS in some of the world's poorest regions. I was a bit underwhelmed by the book, but it offers a clear, even-keeled viewpoint on Dr. Paul Farmer - it doesn't evangelicize him. I chose to read this book because I knew Paul Farmer worked with Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the new President of Dartmouth College. The book also offers a very incisive look into JKY as well - his motives, his methods, his mindset.

This books follows up on something I've been struggling with a lot recently - how to make a difference in the world. Especially after I learned a bit more about JYK and what he did, I've been thinking more and more about what I'll be doing in the near future, after school. How can I positively effect change? I need to do something that matters with my life. Mountains Beyond Mountains reveals one (amazing, albeit extreme and controversial) way to do this - the Farmer method, doing everything and anything to help the individual on a mass scale. But it also shows how important other roles are as well - for one, the entire Partners In Health operation that Paul Farmer founded would have literally been impossible had it not been bankrolled (by the millions) by his contact Tom White, who owns a large Boston construction firm - far from medicine or microfinance or global environmental health or all those other Big Ideas that I ponder and that Matter. So the biography, since it is a biography about Paul Farmer, mostly goes to show how important the work of one person was/is, through direct action and hard work and perseverence. But I can't help but also take away the message that funding is so incredibly important to getting anything done. That, as much as Paul Farmer has done, incredible as it was, much of it would not have been happened without Tom White or other sources of funding. So donations do matter. It's not just an outlet for expunging that Catholic/Jewish/Christian/Buddhist guilt and getting some tax credit along the way. I remember someone (a professional in the Chicago area, I believe) saying that to me a few years back at some summer conference too. That one can only help change the world for real with money. But maybe I'm only wont to think this way because I'm priming the excuse for going into finance or some branch that won't Matter as much as what Paul Farmer has been doing. I really want to help Matter. The font change is to bring up the question of: do I just want to do something that matters in the world so I matter? How much does self-perception and ego play into this? I also very much wish I had seen Paul Farmer speak at our school last year. Priorities, priorities.

Lots to think about.