Orange You Glad?

The other day when I was going to my mom's house, I saw the most amazing tree (above) I've ever seen. It was such an amazingly vibrant shade of orange that I couldn't help but stare at it as I walked down to her house after parking my car. It was almost the color of an orange highlighter, and I didn't think that color could exist in nature. It got me thinking: What if trees where normally that color? What if green trees were the exception and trees turned green when it was fall? Would green trees be as special as orange trees are now? Is it just the rarity of the colors of fall that makes them so special?

Swimming in Filth

On Monday, as I was walking, I saw that the maintenance crew had left unattended a pile they had made from sweeping. The pile was speckled with gray and black dust and debris from the day's activities, but within the collection of dirt was a small pink origami swan. It seemed so out of place. How did it get there?

I'd been wondering that all week, and then today I saw that someone had tacked the pink origami swan to a sign in the hallway. I'm so glad it found a home.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I keep seeing all of these tents where people are selling natural Christmas trees. What a waste. You go to all that trouble to grow a tree, and then you chop it down to put it in a house. And then once Christmas is over, you throw it away. Why? If fake Christmas trees aren't good enough for you, not to mention cost-effective, I have another idea. I think people should buy potted Christmas trees when they're small and grow them themselves. Each year the Christmas tree would get bigger, and when Christmas was over, you'd put the tree outside and let it grow. Once the tree got too big to put in your house, you'd go plant it somewhere and buy a new one. Not only would it save money, but it would also save the environment, and the tree might even smell more like pine.

The New iPaw

A few years ago, my step-sister and I saw an ad for the new iPod at the time. Somehow, I got the idea of an iPod for cats and dogs called the iPaw, and I made a new version of the iPod in Photoshop, complete with paw-shaped buttons and an animal-themed display. Cats and dogs like music too, you know.

Do the Wave

I always make sure that I wave to thank the person who's driving when they let me cross the road. I sometimes let them go first, but when it's my turn to cross the road, I go as fast as I can, so I don't make them wait. I usually expect the same thing from pedestrians when I'm driving, but I rarely get a wave, and they usually cross the road very slowly. I start to expect this disrespect from pedestrians, and when one is polite, I'm always pleasantly surprised, even though I think this should be the norm. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way, but it's still nice to get a thank you. I'm just curious what these people expect when they're driving. It's sad that I'm so pleased when someone is polite. I hope when I wave, it makes someone happy, and they'll pass on the kindness.

Health Care Debate?

I've been following the recent health care debate in Congress, and it seems like such a difficult problem to solve. I agree that something needs to be done, but I'm not sure they're going about it the right way.

There are those who say (and I agree with them) that Congress can't just require everyone to get insurance. If they do, I think there needs to be some sort of public option to bring down the costs.

On the other hand, putting health care in the hands of the government could be really bad. The health care reform would probably use tax dollars, and it could increase bureaucracy and lack of choice. And what about the people who already like health care the way it is?

I think it needs to be more of a dialogue than a government decision. I've done some research about health care reform, but I would have to do a lot more if I wanted to really understand it. I imagine a lot of the public feels the same way, and trying to come to a compromise is difficult when people don't know what the plan would entail. I think we should get a whole bunch of doctors together and let them come up with a way to solve it.

Missing the Obvious

Today, I had to stay late at school to work on a project. This morning, when I got to school, there weren't many parking spaces, so I had to park on the top level. Before I went to work on my project that afternoon, I figured it would be a good idea to drop off some of my books to make the five-flight climb to my car easier that night. Unfortunately, the elevator wasn't working, so I had to climb the stairs with my heavy backpack after carrying it around all day. I got to my car and put my books up as I had planned. Then, I called my dad and started going back down the stairs. I got down to about halfway between the first and second floors when he said, "Why don't you just move your car?" I stopped for a second and thought about it. That was such a good idea. It made so much sense. Did I seriously just go all the way up to the fifth level and not realize that there were almost no cars up there anymore? And, more importantly, did I just come all the way back down without seeing all of the parking spaces on the lower levels? After I thought about it for a second, I decided now would be a better time to climb the stairs again than at night, so back I went to move my car to the second level. Sometimes you just get so caught up in what you're doing that you completely miss the obvious.

Venus de My Family

My family does Christmas a little differently. We have a tiny tree that's about two feet tall, and every year we whip it out of storage, plug it in (We just leave the lights on it.), and enjoy. I don't feel that we have any less Christmas spirit because we don't make a big production out of decorating. However, this year we wanted to do something outside too, instead of just bringing out our tiny, yet wonderful, Christmas tree. My mom has a statue of Venus de Milo in front of her house that was looking awfully cold, so our solution was to create a Christmas outfit for her. We bought a pair of little girls' socks to make the cap, and a pair of tights to make the scarf. Who says culture can't be fun?

Bo Knows

My cat, Bo, always knows exactly where to get. I'm starting to think that cats can sense the best place to get, so they'll be right in the way. It amazes me how good they are at sensing the focus of your attention and making sure it's them instead. If I'm working on homework, Bo comes and plops down right in the middle of it. If I need my backpack, Bo's sitting on it. If I need to put some shoes in a shoebox, Bo knows.

When I really need to look at some papers, and I see Bo coming, I've devised a way to make sure he doesn't sit on them: I have a decoy pile. I shuffle the papers around and make them look important, so he'll think that's the place to be. Sometimes, he catches on to my trick and still knows exactly where to sit. But you know what? I'm ok with that. It's a welcome distraction.

The Magical House

Every year about this time, something magical happens: THE Christmas lights on THE house go up. It's a neighborhood tradition. This one house hires a lighting service to put up a beautiful display of lights, featuring the nativity scene and gorgeous trees. Every year, they add something new, so it's always a spectacle.

I get so frustrated when I see Christmas displays in stores right after Halloween. Can we at least get through Thanksgiving first before we start Christmas? Thanksgiving gets pushed to the side, and Christmas loses some of its mystique when it starts so early. Therefore, I propose that we have a signal for when the Christmas season should start. For me, it's the magical house in my neighborhood.

A Work in Progress

Every day as I go to school, I pass by this house that's being built in my neighborhood. For the longest time, it was just an empty lot, so I was surprised to see the concrete foundation one day as I drove past. Every few days, there would be some major addition to the house. First, there were pipes. Then, there were walls. Now, there's a roof. I always look forward to seeing how the house has changed since I last saw it. It's cool to see something being made through the entire process. It kind of reminds me of an idea. Sometimes the process can be just as cool as the finished product.

Water, Water Everywhere

A few years ago, my family and I had just finished eating at Friday's when we saw sprinklers going as we walked to the car. It was a summer night, and every kid wants to go running through sprinklers on a summer night. It doesn't matter where they are. I was so tempted, but I didn't want to ask because I thought she would say no. I jokingly mentioned that it would be fun, and to my surprise, she said, "Do you want to run through them?" Of course I did, but it was in front of Friday's, not at home. Then she said, "Let's do it." I thought she was kidding, but she started walking toward them. So there we were running through the sprinklers in front of a restaurant at night in the middle of summer. Then we piled into the car and drove home soaking wet. I loved every minute of it and learned that it was ok to be a kid sometimes in the process.

A Hybrid of Commercials

I've been really impressed with the Toyota commercials I've seen recently. First, I saw this one:



I think that's such a cool idea. The visual goes so well with the idea, and it really makes you think about the impact you're having on the environment and what you should be doing to fix it. I realize that a car can't biodegrade like that, but the idea of making as little impact as possible is greatly enhanced.

Then, I saw another ad for the Prius:



Although the commercial looks completely different, it still shows the impact humans have on the environment, this time in another innovative way. They made the interaction between humans and the environment so beautiful.

Puns with Words

I love puns. Every day, I get excited when I create new puns because I get to share them with my friends and family. I feel so accomplished when I make a pun that I know is brilliant. Sometimes they're groaners, but they still make me happy. It's like a puzzle to me: I have to find just the right words that will convey the meaning and be funny. When other people laugh, I know it's a good one, and sometimes they even turn into jokes. Two of my favorite ones that I've come up with in the past couple of years are:

(My take on the Bob Dole Depends joke)
In the 2008 presidential elections, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama were all asked, "Do you prefer boxers or briefs?" Hillary Clinton said, "Briefs, of course," John McCain said, "I'm a boxers man," and Barack Obama said, "What does it matter? I'm going to be commando-in-chief anyway."

Does Sam Walton still run Walmart? Isn't he dead? Well, it's an underground operation.

Harmony: Striking a Chord

Whenever I'm driving in my car, I always turn on my radio and listen to my favorite station. They play all of the current hits, including pop and rap. However, my interaction with the station is not like that of your average listener. Yes, I crank up my volume and sing along, but I do so much more than that. I make the songs my own. I change them every time I hear them. I sing harmony to pop and rap songs. Luckily (for me and the rest of the world), I usually do this with the windows closed. It's just not enough to me to sing along with the song the way it already is. I have to interact with the song and add my own parts to it to truly enjoy my experience. Sometimes I make it different, and sometimes I sing a harmony that I already know I like. Maybe it's the nine years I spent in choir, or maybe it's because I have an incredibly musical family. Either way, if you ever see me driving, you can probably guess what I'm doing: I'm creating a song.

The Sidewalk Less Traveled

Today was Homecoming at SMU. I didn't think that I'd have an opportunity to be creative at a football game, but today I did, and it made the game so much better. After watching the parade and unsuccessfully wandering the Boulevard in search of food before the game, my friends and I decided to head over to the stadium. One of my friends decided that he needed to get there early, so he could save us seats, so he strode off, vanishing in the thick crowd before we could catch up with him. Seeing the slow-moving crowd, and not wanting to try to push our way through, I suggested to my other friend that we take another path to get there. The sidewalk we ended up on was almost empty, so we were surprised to find that so few other people had decided to stray from the crowd. We ended up getting there much faster than if we had stayed in the crowd.

Another opportunity presented itself later in the game. It was an incredibly sunny day, and because of where we were standing, the sun was directly in our eyes. Looking over to the end zone, I saw a shady area covered with grass. There were a few people sitting on it but not many. I didn't think my friends would go for it, since we were in the student section, but I suggested it anyway. To my surprise, they started to pack up, so we could relocate. I'm so glad we moved. It made the game so much more fun because I didn't have to shade myself from the sun, and we could actually sit down. I still don't understand why more people don't sit on the grass. What's wrong with having a slightly wet butt from grass if you get to sit in the shade? It's totally worth it.

This Post Contains No Artificial Flavors

Think about the number of artificial smells and flavors that we have in our lives. I find it amazing that we try so hard to reproduce things that already exist. "Fresh vanilla scent!" "Banana flavored!" Why don't I just go smell some vanilla and eat a banana? I'm sure it's much better for me than all of those chemicals that they put in there to try to make me think I'm smelling vanilla or eating a banana. And then we get so excited when a scent or a flavor is true to life. The funny thing is they usually smell or taste nothing like their inspiration. Now, if they could make something that smelled like rain, that would be a different story. Otherwise, there's no need to reinvent the wheel.

Monarch Butterflies Staying Home for Winter Because of Higher Gas Prices

By VALERIE GROSSMAN

DALLAS, Tx. - As monarch butterflies' migration season approaches, monarch enthusiasts are left asking, "Where are all of the butterflies?" Normally, during the fall, thousands of monarch butterflies head south from Canada and the United States to Mexico for the winter. This year, residents in the migration path haven't been seeing as many of the butterflies in their area.

Many attribute the low travel rates of the butterflies to increasing costs of transportation. The butterflies have been especially affected by the increase in prices because of their long flight. As gas prices rise, more monarchs are forgoing their annual trip to the warmer states of Mexico to save money and conserve energy.

"They'll have new families in the spring to take care of. With the economy the way it is, there's no way they can fly all the way down to Mexico. Oil's too expensive," a monarch travel expert said.

Those not canceling their travel plans will have to deal with increased prices on their winter homes due to deforestation in Mexico.

Taking Candy from a Baby

I used to be really in to Halloween. The candy, the trick-or-treating, the decorations--I loved it all. Every year after I was about two, I'd plan my costume and get excited for Halloween. After sixth grade, I got even more into it because my best friend and I went trick-or-treating together around our neighborhood; it became a tradition we looked forward to every year, and we really had an imaginative collection of costumes. Then we started to wonder, how old is too old to go trick-or-treating? We had agreed beforehand that our senior year would be the last time we would go. Well, that year really ended my Halloween spirit. It was all going ok until I noticed how many little kids were out in force that night. I tried to just ignore that and enjoy myself as I walked from house to house with little princesses and Power Rangers. Then we came to a house that looked like all the others and rang the doorbell. Expecting to see a mom-type answer the door, we were very surprised to see a toddler reaching into a bowl to dole out the candy to the trick-or-treaters. Having to bend down so a small child can put candy in your bag is a great way to end your desire to go trick-or-treating really fast. That definitely answered my question. I was too old to go trick-or-treating.

One Light Two Light Green Light Blue Light

It's come to my attention over the past few years that cars are missing something very important to a polite driving environment. There's a serious lack of communication among drivers. I'm a very cautious driver, but when I make small driving mistakes, I wish I could apologize for them. I feel bad that there's no way to let other drivers know that I acknowledge that I've made a mistake, and I wasn't trying to be rude. Most of the time, I notice this lack of communication not when I want to apologize, but when I want to thank someone, maybe for letting me into the lane or for letting me go first at a stop sign. Instead, I sit there wildly waving my hand to try to thank them, but I doubt they ever see it, and the gesture goes unnoticed. That's why I think we need to make a few additions to cars' external lights for signaling: a blue light that would flash when the driver wanted to say, "I'm sorry," and a green light for "thank you." These lights would be right next to the turn signals and would be turned on pretty much the same way as turn signals. Think of how much more polite our roads would be and how much misunderstanding could be avoided if our cars were better equipped.

The Disappearing Picture

On Monday, October 5, I used a picture of Steve Jobs in one of my blog entries. A couple days later, when I went back to look at the entry, the picture was gone. All that stood in its place was a big black empty box. (I've fixed it since then.) Now, what I want to know is, where did Steve Jobs go? Is this like in Harry Potter when people can come and go in pictures whenever they want? Did he not like my idea, and so he decided he would leave so he could go "think different" somewhere else? I checked the original link, and the picture is still there, so why wouldn't it show up in my blog? Did someone steal him?

I want some answers.

Send It On

This summer, Disney Channel started a campaign called "Friends for Change" to get kids involved with helping to save the planet. They can vote online for which causes they'd like Disney Channel to support, and all of the proceeds from the "Send It On" song the Disney Channel stars made for this campaign will go toward charity. I think this is such a cool way to educate kids about the environment. If kids can learn early that little things can make a big difference, and that we all need to work together to reduce waste, I think it'll create a more environmentally-conscious generation. Disney Channel was also really smart by using kids' favorite Disney Channel stars to get them interested, so they'll want to go to the website and learn about saving the environment. I think it's really cool to tell kids that if we all work together, we can change the world. Keep sending it on, Disney.

Your Arts. Delivered.

I did a project last year on the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, and I learned a lot about how it was supposed to help give Dallas a renewed interest in arts and culture. Because I had learned so much about it, I was surprised to hear the other day that it has now been renamed The AT&T Performing Arts Center. Is it just me, or does the corporate sponsorship seem to work against the whole artsy atmosphere thing? We have so many corporate sponsorships in Dallas, like the American Airlines Center, Superpages.com Center, and the Nokia Theatre. Do we really need another one? Yes, it will provide a lot of funds to the center, and it'll probably give us a lot of cool technological stuff, but is that worth compromising our integrity as a city? (Unless, of course, I can get some of the action. :-))

Singing in Plain English

I've always wondered why English people never have an accent when they sing. Sure, there are those few that have a really strong accent that comes through when they sing, but for the most part, unless you hear singers speak, you might not know they were from England. For example, Jay Sean, a British singer, has a really popular song out right now called "Down," but I had no idea he was from England until the radio announcer said he was. I'd never actually heard him speak until a few days ago when they played a clip of him talking on the radio. Then they played his song, and it was so strange to listen to his heavy British accent and then to hear his song. It seems to be a pretty general trend, though. The Beatles, one of my favorite bands, is from England, but their songs don't suggest their British roots. I wonder if British people think the same thing about American singers.

A Nobel Cause

Today the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. While many people are skeptical about whether or not he deserves the award, others consider it an honor not only for the president, but also for America. Both arguments went through my head when I heard that he had received the award.

He doesn't deserve it. He's only been president for nine months. He has a lot of plans, but usually to get an award you have to have done something. Yeah, he's made a lot of great speeches, but that doesn't mean he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Look at all of the people around the world who say it's too early. He even said he doesn't deserve it.

It's such an honor. How cool is it that our president won the Nobel Peace Prize? It's not just about him. It's about our country getting something right. It's about the message we're sending to the world. He's only had nine months in office. He can't do everything he said he's going to do in nine months. This is a "call to action" to make sure that he knows the world is behind him. I think they made a wonderful choice.

I think both points of view have their merits, but whether or not people think he should have won, he did win the Nobel Peace Prize. I think we should congratulate President Obama for his award and start working on the problems he wants to address. I like what the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee told the Associated Press: "Some people say — and I understand it — 'Isn't it premature? Too early?' Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now. It is now that we have the opportunity to respond — all of us."

Sign Here

The other day when I was driving to school, I saw a small sign on a stoplight. It was too small to read, and I wanted to know what it said, so as I drove into the intersection, I slowed down to look, and I saw: "Do Not Block Intersection." Wow, really? That's one of the most useless signs I've ever seen. It's actually counterproductive. You have to drive into the intersection, possibly blocking it, to see what the sign says.

I started thinking about it, and now I wonder how many things in our society are meant to do something, and actually make the opposite happen. Maybe we need to take a step back and look at the larger implications of our actions, and not be complacent in just doing something and moving on. Because if we don't, we may end up with a lot of people in the middle of the intersection.

Room for Interpretation

To me, a person's house says a lot about them. Ever since I was little, I've enjoyed getting to see people's houses because I feel like it helps me understand them better. It gives me a glimpse into how they were raised, what they like to do, what kind of taste they have, etc. To me, knowing where someone comes from makes it easier to understand who they are now.

Even more so in college, I love to see people's dorms. A dorm is like a compressed view of a person's style. From that small room, I can tell the resident's cleaning habits, their favorite colors, and sometimes even what they like to eat (but that relates back to cleaning habits). How they get along with their roommate, how their furniture is arranged, whether or not they have a TV, and whether or not they've coordinated colors all give hints as to what they're like outside of class. The best part about dorms is that they're all different.

Watch This

In a world where sports players receive some of the highest salaries, people care way too much about movie stars, and reality TV shapes the way some people view society, it seems to me that society has some misplaced values. When Keeping Up with the Kardashians creeps its way into conversations and the media, a lot of meaningful conversation gets shoved aside. Kids may even grow up thinking that's the way they should live their lives. Reality TV just seems to be a waste of airspace. It might be different if the networks offered a more beneficial set of options, but they don't.

What if we could change people's perception of reality TV? What if the networks created shows that were entertaining, but they showed people in society who were helping to change it in a good way? I think a really cool idea for a reality TV show would be to show the everyday lives of famous inventors and innovators: the revolutionaries who are positively impacting the world on a daily basis, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I think their lives would be interesting enough that people would want to watch, and it would also create a more productive interest for society. Just think: If these people were our role models and were the topic of conversations and the media, less attention would be paid to the Kardashians and more effort might be put into innovation. This new emphasis might encourage more kids to pursue careers where they could be a part of the innovation too. I think that's a much better reality than one filled with overpaid reality TV stars.

Esperanto, Why Don't You Come to Your Senses?

Before going to Spanish class last week, I ran into a friend who's taking Chinese. We started talking about all of the different rules that are in Chinese and Spanish, among other languages, that make no sense. For example, in Chinese, the same word can mean many different things depending on its tone, not to mention that the written language is also incredibly complex, and the different dialects within Chinese are mutually unintelligible. While I find Spanish easier than Chinese, it still has its fair share of irregular verbs and strange idioms. Why are languages so complicated? You'd think that after all of these years, people would have come up with a better system. What about Esperanto, you may ask? Esperanto was intended to be a universal language that would be easy to learn. It obviously hasn't become a language for trade or one that is considered simple enough to be widely used.

Then I started thinking about English. English might be a top contender for the strangest language. I can't imagine knowing another language and trying to learn English. It has so many strange rules about spelling and pronunciation, and a lot of the time, it doesn't even follow its own rules. Even some of the very first things we learn in the English language don't make sense. Think about it: Our numbers sound nothing like they're spelled. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. While this is supposed to be simple, if you spelled them phonetically, you'd get a completely different-looking set of words. But before I criticize English too much, I have to say that I'm really glad it's the language I learned. It's constantly evolving, and it's full of new things to discover all the time. Plus, its complexities are what allow us to play with words to create just the right meaning. That's where the fun is.

But I Digress

The other day, I had a really interesting conversation with two of my good friends. It was one of those discussions that keeps going because there's so much to talk about. I find that those are the most interesting ones, filled with tangents and digressions. You know, the kind that change from subject to subject, and then at the end, you try to remember how you made such a great leap. I find tangents amazing. It's strange how you can transition from one topic to the next without even realizing it, but it does pose a problem if you didn't finish your original story, and you can't remember what it was.

It kind of reminds me of a mind map, starting with one idea and then branching out in different directions. If conversations can be thought of as being creative, they seem to include both convergent thinking, where there's only one right answer, and divergent thinking, where there are many right answers. Usually, convergent thinking is the default, and it's considered easier than divergent thinking. However, if these concepts are loosely applied to conversations, it's almost as if in conversations, divergent thinking is easier because you're free to take the conversation in many directions. When you try to think convergently to get back from the tangent to the original subject, it's a lot more difficult. Maybe communication is the key to creativity. In that case, we should start having a lot more conversations.

A Matter of Taste

Today, when I was on the phone with my friend, a lot of the discussion focused on how tired we were. His advice to me was, "Drink some coffee." I explained to him that I've never really been that fond of coffee. It's ok, but I'd much rather have a Coke to get my caffeine fix. "Coke doesn't have as much caffeine. Coffee's a lot better," he continued, "I guess it's an acquired taste."

An acquired taste? That phrase has always bothered me. Why would someone want to acquire a taste if they don't like it, especially if it's bad for you? Why would I want to repeatedly ingest things like coffee and alcohol to make myself like them? I'd much rather grab a Coke or some juice.

Something's Missing

I've always been fascinated by computer-animated movies. The more realistic the animation, the more I appreciate the movie. One of my favorite computer-animated films is The Polar Express, a "live action" movie that uses performance capture technology. Every time I watch this film, its amazing visuals make me think about the power of computer animation. With the new motion capture technology available to filmmakers, animated human characters are more realistic looking than ever. However, there's still something missing. Sometimes I look at the animated inanimate objects on the screen, and I forget that they're not real. Then they show a person. As amazing as the animation is, I can still tell that they were created by a computer. What's the difference between the inanimate objects and the people? Why, with all of their own complexities, are the inanimate objects and animals so much easier for me to accept as real-looking? What is it about people that makes it impossible to make them as realistic as their surroundings for right now? Most of what I notice as definitely being computer animated is the characters' movement. There's something too smooth about it. It's too perfect. Maybe that's what's wrong with the animation in general. The animators don't incorporate enough flaws. I still applaud them on their efforts. They create freckles and hair that are incredibly convincing. I just don't know if we'll ever be able to get to the point where computer-animated characters can be substituted for people like other objects can be for their real-life counterparts. Nor should we necessarily try to. That's kind of what makes people cool. That something that's missing from the animated characters is what makes us unique.

Intertextuality

This ad featuring Jay-Z is a great example of horizontal intertextuality because the connections the viewer makes all happen within the genre of music (and Jay-Z in particular). Each of Jay-Z's different poses is supposed to mimic his poses on each of his past album covers. Because this commercial for Rhapsody is in effect comparing Jay-Z's new CD to his previous CDs, the viewer brings their past experiences with Jay-Z and his music (the old texts) to their interpretation of his new album (the new text). I love the line that says "Jay-Z fans get it" because it shows that fans have to draw on their previous knowledge of Jay-Z to understand the commercial.


For vertical intertextuality, this Volkswagen ad is a great example of the reader having to make connections across genres. The ad is meant to imitate the work of M. C. Escher, so the viewer has to compare cultural texts from two different genres (advertising and art). M. C. Escher created a series of prints depicting impossible scenarios, such as "Relativity," the source for this ad, in which people climbed stairways going in all directions. Only if the reader is familiar with M. C. Escher's work will they completely understand the message of the ad.

Fireflies

Things That Make Us [Sic]

I love grammar. I love punctuation and big words and editing. If I'm not clear on a grammar rule, I search for it on Google, and I usually end up finding a whole lot of things I wasn't even looking for. (Yes, I know that I just ended a sentence with a preposition.) For example, one of my most recent searches took me to a site for a book about grammar. This isn't just any old boring book. This is one of the coolest books I've ever seen. It's called-- get ready for it-- Things That Make Us [Sic].

First of all, I LOVE the title. It completely conveys what the book is about, but it also makes an amazing play on words. Such a skillful use of a pun should not go unnoticed.

Secondly, I'm so excited that someone is making a book about grammar that's both informative and interesting. In the book, the author also calls out famous people who have made their share of grammar mistakes. Actually, the full title of the book is Things That Make Us (Sic): The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar Takes on Madison Avenue, Hollywood, the White House, and the World, which suggests that she also points out mistakes that have been made in advertising (Madison Avenue). I think it's really important for people in advertising to make sure they're using the language properly because I know every time I see a typo or a grammatical error in an ad, I automatically ignore the rest of the message. If advertisers can't take the time to proof their ads, what does that say about the products they're advertising?

And yes, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar is real. They even have a website.

Full of Color

The other day, as I was standing in line at Subway, I saw a guy who was wearing a bright pink shirt and matching pink and purple shoes. After I had been looking at him for a few seconds, I thought, "Why is he wearing that?" Then I caught myself and thought, "Why does it matter?" So what if he wants to wear pink? Why has society decided that it's weird for guys to wear pink?

Later that week, I saw one of the coolest rainbows I'd ever seen as I was driving home. It was a full arch, something that you rarely have enough rain to see in Texas. It was only there for a few minutes because the sun was setting, so I knew I had to enjoy it. It was so neat to be able to see how one color faded to the next. That got me thinking more about the pink shirt issue. All of these colors in the rainbow seemed to have equal importance. So how did we ascribe different meanings to these colors? Why is blue a baby boy color and pink a baby girl color from the beginning? Do these colors have inherent meanings? The only difference between colors is their wavelength, so where do ideas about colors come from? If all of the colors are good enough to be in the rainbow, I think we should be able to wear whatever we want.

Inside the Lines

Driving is sort of like coloring. You have to stay inside the lines. From the time you start both, you're told to stay inside the boundaries that are provided for you. Just as a picture is only recognizable if you use the appropriate colors in the appropriate places, our roads and highways can only function if everyone agrees to stay within the lines. If there were no lanes for traffic, imagine the chaos that would result on the highway. There would be incredible delays and much confusion. The road system simply would not work. Similarly, a tree that's colored with no regard for its outline would be unrecognizable, having no meaning to the rest of society. While some may say this stifles creativity, these activities that involve motor skills (pun intended) still allow you to be creative. A child can decide what color the picture should be, and he or she can even add to the drawing. Drivers can create their own route and vary the way they go each time. Maybe they want to take the fastest route one day and the scenic route the next.

Just think of all of the cool things you can do between lines. You can read between lines; you can play music in lines; you can even dance in lines. Sometimes it's finding ways to be creative within the lines that's most impressive.

It's All in How You Say It

You can change the meaning of just about anything with phrasing. Depending on the intended effect, the proper word choice can put a positive spin on something that really isn't that positive. Take the United States economy. Few would argue that the past few months haven't been trying economically. Earlier this year, politicians and journalists alike rattled off depressing facts about the housing market and the stock market. Companies are shutting down. People's houses are being foreclosed. Some economists predict that the recovery may take a while, and the stimulus money that Congress fought over for so long seems nowhere to be found. Why is it that news that US new jobless claims fell to 545,000 this past week is so exciting? In case the politicians and pundits didn't get it, we're still losing jobs, and for every person who's unemployed, there's probably someone who's underemployed. I guess they never stopped to think that with each passing week, there are less jobs to lose. Of course the jobless claims are going down. That's like saying, "We're getting worse at a slower rate!" By emphasizing that the new jobless claims "fell" and going on and on about how wonderful that is, pundits and federal officials have been able to make the fact that people are still losing their jobs and receiving unemployment something to celebrate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090917/bs_afp/useconomyunemployment_20090917140130

The Spoils of Our Labor

Today, my family had a cookout to celebrate Labor Day, as we normally do every year. When my mom asked my six-year-old cousin, "Do you know what Labor Day means?" she thought for a second and said, "No." Embarrassed, I realized I couldn't answer that question either. I've always confused Memorial Day with Labor Day, and I've just thought of them as days people got off work. It seems to me that the original intents of these holidays are wasted when people have no idea what their significance is. They've simply turned into party days. (Not that I don't enjoy days off.) I love getting to see my family and eat really good food. It's part of Labor Day. I just think that these holidays would be a lot more meaningful if people knew what they meant and why they were created.

According to the United States Department of Labor website, "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

"The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television."

How come I've never seen stuff like that on the news? I know I'm not the only one who confuses Memorial Day with Labor Day. Maybe it's the whole Monday thing.

It's All in the Surprise

Now, I don't normally advocate people hurting themselves, but I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this video. It was a relatively quiet night, and my friend said she'd send me some YouTube videos to keep me entertained. This was the first one. We've all seen the various versions of the dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies," including the famous Saturday Night Live skit with Justin Timberlake, so I wasn't expecting much from this one. At first I thought, "Yeah, yeah. Another person who has way too much time on her hands trying to copy Beyonce. A clown mask? Really?" In fact, I was about to close the video, thinking I'd seen all there was to see, disappointed at the been-there-seen-that feeling I got, but then, 22 seconds into the video, sitting by myself, I burst out laughing. 0:22 made it a completely different video. I mean COMPLETELY. At that moment, I realized that sometimes a surprise is worth waiting for. Had I closed the video, I would have missed out on one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. Had I known what was coming, it wouldn't have been nearly as hilarious. (Although, when I showed it to my friends the next day, even though I knew what was coming, I definitely laughed with them.) It's all in the surprise.