doctoral candidate in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication
Archive for November, 2006
the birds
0
american life in poetry: column 086
by ted kooser, u.s. poet laureate, 2004-2006
Linda Pastan, who lives in Maryland, is a master of the kind of water-clear writing that enables us to see into the depths. This is a poem about migrating birds, but also about how it feels to witness the passing of another year.
The Birds
are heading south, pulled
by a compass in the genes.
They are not fooled
by this odd November summer,
though we stand in our doorways
wearing cotton dresses.
We are watching themas they swoop and gather–
the shadow of wings
falls over the heart.
When they rustle among
the empty branches, the trees
must think their lost leaves
have come back.The birds are heading south,
instinct is the oldest story.
They fly over their doubles,
the mute weathervanes,
teaching all of us
with their tailfeathers
the true north.
Reprinted from “The Imperfect Paradise,” by Linda Pastan. Copyright (c) 1988 by Linda Pastan. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Ms. Pastan’s most recent book is “Queen of a Rainy Country,” W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
self-portrait, week #5
05 years ago
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~
I’m using an older image this week for my self-portrait check in but the words are all new.
I stumbled upon a blog this morning that hit me in the stomach like a ton of bricks (oh, don’t you love similes?). Losing Lucy is about one woman’s weight loss journey.
I know. You’re saying that there are a million of these out there and why is this one so different? It’s probably not that different but it is new and she is refreshingly honest. She tells us how much she weighs and what her struggles have been.
I’ve never been that honest on here. I’m embarrassed about how much I weigh. I shouldn’t weigh this much and I wonder how I ever got here.
I was that skinny girl. For most of my life, I was that girl. I’m 5’10″ and weighed 110 pounds. I was skinny. Dangerously so, I’m guessing.
So, I’m changing my lifestyle. I eat around 1500 calories per day. I eat anything I want (and I typically eat pretty healthy – lots of fruits and veggies) but I eat around that many calories. I’m exercising between 30 and 40 minutes a day. I am losing weight.
It’s slow because my body is rebelling against me. It thinks we should be eating more and I’m trying to retrain it into knowing that we don’t actually need that much food and I had been abusing it with all of the food I was putting into it. We struggle against one another but I know I will win out.
I’m stubborn that way.
It’s paying off. I got several comments this week from co-workers who asked if I’m losing weight. That was nice. People are actually noticing.
I just nod and blush. I don’t want to jinx it. I just want to do it. I want to make this happen.
And I will.
tasered at UCLA library
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Who needs Abu Ghraib? We have our own militia here in the US who will torture students.
From the Daily Bruin Television:
Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
—
A six-minute video showed Tabatabainejad audibly screaming in pain as he was stunned several times with a Taser, each time for three to five seconds. He was told repeatedly to stand up and stop fighting, and was told that if he did not do so he would “get Tased again.”Tabatabainejad was also stunned with the Taser when he was already handcuffed, said Carlos Zaragoza, a third-year English and history student who witnessed the incident.
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As Tabatabainejad was being dragged through the room by two officers, he repeated in a strained scream, “I’m not fighting you” and “I said I would leave.”
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Neither the video footage nor eyewitness accounts of the events confirmed that Tabatabainejad encouraged resistance, and he repeatedly told the officers he was not fighting and would leave.
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The incident, which Zaragoza described as an example of “police brutality,” left many students disturbed.
I’m surprised this isn’t more public. More people should be saying something about this.
friday fun #5
05 years ago
Being the giving person that I am, I wanted to give you a running start at all of your gift-buying for the holiday season. Some of these are cool and I wouldn’t mind getting them in my stocking for Solstice / Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa.
diy
Do you have old t-shirts that you no longer wear? Especially those with cool logos that you just can’t bear to throw away? Recycle them and share the wealth! The good people at instructables show you how to turn your old t-shirt into a designer laptop keypad cover.
no more ouchies
And speaking of laptops, have you burned yourself by putting your laptop directly against your body while using it? Or is that just me? The good folks at Belkin have devised a cushiony laptop platform, the CushTop.
light me up
Penguins are all the rage. And what’s not to love about the quirky little tuxedo’d beings? They are downright cute! Kokὸ created the penguin lamp for those of us with money to burn – but wait! There’s more! A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of these cute lamps goes toward a penguin foundation. Stylish and altruistic. Can it get any better?
c-c-c-cold?
Not any more. This is the product made for someone like me who always takes a blanket on long drives with other people. They always want to turn on the air conditioning and I’m turning blue. Well, it won’t happen any longer (as long as I have control of the cigarette lighter!). AutoSport has designed the electric travel blanket. And none too soon, I must say. Now, if only I could get this to work on an airplane.
macro crazy
Where was this when all I did was macro shots? I could have been the cameraphone macro queen! These inventions always come a bit late for me. But not for you…now is your chance. Become the next big name in photography with your cool new macro lens for your cell phone.
macro gallery
Once you get all of those photos taken with your new macro lens, you may want to set up a gallery. This diy gallery is easy and stylish. I may do it myself.
who needs $800 handbags?
I don’t carry a purse but if I did…the ribbon photo bag would probably not be it. It’s a bit too hip for me. It might appeal to your grandma…or your kids’ grandma. But don’t despair. I do have a recycled product that is just up your geeky alley: the diskette handbag. They’ve thought of everything. Even the metal slide has been glued down. What next?
in style
And finally, because no holiday would be complete without some really stylish clothing, I give you Way of the Rodent holiday shirts. Forget ties. Your dad will love these trendy t-shirts. Personally, I would like PacMan walking across my chest. :-) And just in case dad isn’t into simple t-shirts, you may want to feed into his inner artist. Some funky-cool scientists came up with the perfect air guitar accoutrement: the air guitar shirt. The silent masses will be silent no more.
Happy shopping!
theatre of the absurd
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I’ve been listening to some podcasts on rhetoric lately. Last night I was listening to one about the Roman rhetoricians (specifically Cicero). Most of this I have studied in my classes but I think that some of it went by so fast that I missed it.
One of the main tenets of Roman rhetorics (and politics) was that they put integrity way above anything else when it came to holding a respected position within the Senate. Of course, you had to be well-connected and wealthy in order to even get in to the Senate (although Cicero was an anomaly in this – neither well-connected nor wealthy but intelligent and convincing beyond imagination).
I’m sure this changed over time. I mean, there was plenty of back-stabbing in the ancient Roman Senate (et tu Brutus?). But they really tried to make the offices those that were respected and deserved that respect.
Fast forward.
The Democrats aren’t even in office yet and there are rumors of bribes and improprieties. Barak Obama has a real estate connection with a man who is known to play dirty politics. Pelosi is aligning herself with a man who refuses to vote in favor of ethics reforms.
Where is the integrity in our representative government?
Are there no untarnished people left who go to work in government?
Is everyone corrupt?
Is it possible to hold an elected position and not be corrupt?
I’m at the point of where I won’t trust anything that anyone says because they are all out for themselves. It’s all about *memememe* not the common people.
Yeah, yeah…the Romans weren’t about the common people either. But at least they put integrity at the top of their priorities.
precarious
0
I stumbled across a few web sites recently that have the purpose of outing women that don’t fit the ideal female profile. One is a commercial site and one is a private site.
The private site, fat girlfriends is about one man’s issues with his wife’s weight. The person who wrote it admits that he encouraged her to eat and be comfortable. But then she bypassed his threshold and now he isn’t as fond of her. He outs her in public (and, nicely enough, conceals her face but shows her body in all of its glory – in bikinis, no less).
It all seems like he is really worried about this. However, the deeper into the site you go, the more it seems to ridicule women who have gained weight. BUT…he doesn’t talk about himself or if he has gained weight during the time. And he doesn’t show images of himself.
Then again, maybe it’s okay for a man to gain weight but not for his girlfriend/wife to do so.
Overcoming questionable hook-ups is something we should all be concerned about. I mean, it’s devastating, isn’t it, to have “dirty feelings caused by questionable hook-ups.” Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to just scrub away those dirty feelings?
Axe Snake Peel has a site geared toward encouraging men to do just this. They go so far as to define questionable hook-ups, to entice men into a secret society (ala Masons) and to shed the shame.
While there is some humor in the whole idea of a secret society, it’s not a very funny premise. It is implying that men can just scrub women away – if they don’t fit an ideal expectation.
I’m sure there are plenty of web sites out there that do this – either to women or men. These are just two that I came across recently and found distasteful. It’s not okay to ridicule either gender.
And definitely not okay to do it to make money.
prescribed
05 years ago
During my (many) years online, I have read many blog entries, discussion posts, forum entries, and bulletin board discussions about the use of language online. I have read about the way “young people” write online and how they don’t know how to construct proper sentences. I have read about the laziness of people who use shorthand online.
I typically shake my head and chuckle at these discussions. To me, what is going on is a regurgitation of the rules that someone’s third grade teacher told them. You must follow the rules! You can’t deviate in language!
One of the (many) problems with a prescriptionist approach to language is that it doesn’t take into account that language changes – a lot. It doesn’t take into account that technology may be driving language into a whole new incarnation.
There are many who will raise the battle flag against this. It is the death of the language as we know it, they will cry. It is the beginning of the end!
It reminds me of Chicken Little.
When Shakespeare made up words to use in his plays because there weren’t any words in use to make his point the way he needed it made, do you think the people rose up and bemoaned his pioneer spirit? When the OED includes new words that are in our lexicon, are they promoting the destruction of our society as we know it?
The New Zealand’s Qualifications Authority has decided that instead of fighting the change and progression of language, they are going to accept it (but not necessarily embrace it). What they call text-speak is now going to be allowed as acceptable writing on exams.
Of course there is going to be backlash. The article quotes a blogger (and interestingly enough, I couldn’t find this Phil Stevens in a blog – but a lot of people were using this quote as if he is a definitive voice on the subject) saying that this is not a smart move (I’m taking a little latitude in paraphrasing).
I think the New Zealand’s Qualifications Authority is being responsible. They are being progressive and understand that language is not stagnant and if comprehension of the topics is being met, then the way we reflect that can be flexible.
Thanks to Kairosnews for the link.
barriers
05 years ago
I haven’t really talked about my trip to Mexico. I think, in a lot of ways, I’m still processing it and thinking about it. I think, too, that it bothered me too much and I just can’t express what it was about it that bothered me.
But I’ll give it a try.
The trip itself was beautiful. The drive down took us into an amazing sunset that glowed red over the desert mountains. The saguaro, organ pipe, and ocotillos actually gleamed in the sunset.
My brother’s house is cozy and comfortable. It’s about 200 yards from the tidal bay (Choya Bay). The roads are all sand. His neighbors are a mix of American vacationers, American ex-pats, and Mexicans.
Everyone we met was generous and kind. There wasn’t a sour face or an unkind word. Even the street vendors were incredibly kind in their hawking (even to the point of complimenting the kids over and over).
The food was delicious (but I do tend to be partial to Mexican food).
The colors were wonderful.
But…
In my brother’s neighborhood, I mentioned that there are a lot of American vacationers. They have come in and bought up houses at very low prices and have now raised the property values so high that it is not possible for the locals to buy in to the neighborhoods any longer.
And while some may say that’s not bad, as someone who lives in an area that is being bought up by more wealthy people, I can say it is a huge struggle to exist. It’s almost impossible to buy homes, food, clothing, etc. It’s too expensive.
That’s not what bothered me the most though.
I have a big disdain for people who go into foreign countries and treat them like their playground or their dump.
Choya Bay is beautiful. It is a tidal bay that ebbs and flows with tides. There are points during the day when you can walk across the entire expanse of it (quite a few miles). People go out clamming and kids can be seen roaming, looking for the perfect shells.
But there are also people who treat it like the land doesn’t matter. They drive across the Bay (which is illegal). They use it as a driving range, littering it with their golf balls. They stumble out drunk, leaving broken glass bottles and sharp aluminum cans on the floor of the Bay. It makes it dangerous to play in the sand. It makes it look like a dumping ground.
By and far, these people are Americans. And it embarrassed me to be an American because of the way they treated the land.
That’s not to say that the nationals don’t dump things. They do. The roads are littered with trash that people just throw down.
But if you’re going into another country, it is important to treat it as well as your own home, if not better.
Would we want people driving through our tidal bays? Throwing trash in our backyards?
We wouldn’t. And we shouldn’t be doing it either.
in november
05 years ago
american life in poetry: column 085
by ted kooser, u.s. poet laureate, 2004-2006
The Illinois poet, Lisel Mueller, is one of our country’s finest writers, and the following lines, with their grace and humility, are representative of her poems of quiet celebration.
In November
Outside the house the wind is howling
and the trees are creaking horribly.
This is an old story
with its old beginning,
as I lay me down to sleep.
But when I wake up, sunlight
has taken over the room.
You have already made the coffee
and the radio brings us music
from a confident age. In the paper
bad news is set in distant places.
Whatever was bound to happen
in my story did not happen.
But I know there are rules that cannot be broken.
Perhaps a name was changed.
A small mistake. Perhaps
a woman I do not know
is facing the day with the heavy heart
that, by all rights, should have been mine.
Reprinted from “Alive Together: New and Selected Poems,” Louisiana State University Press, 1996, by permission of the author. Poem copyright (c) 1996 by Lisel Mueller. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
self-portrait, week #4
05 years ago
I wanted to do self-portraits every week. However, that doesn’t always work out for me and, quite honestly, I can’t say that I really want to take my own photo every week. It really isn’t all that appealing to me.
There is, afterall, a reason why I am on the other side of the camera.
There is a new movie coming out on HBO this week. Laura Greenfield has created Thin, a look into the lives of four women who are battling eating disorders. I’m looking forward to watching the film. Laura has a history of delving into women’s body images and how society encourages us to look at ourselves and other women in a very critical way.
I’m curious, however, if they saw evidence of body images being taken to the opposite extreme due to how society looks at thin women. For instance, I had been thin my entire life. In my twenties, I got the wrong kind of attention due to the way my body looked and dealt with a lot of violence from men because of it.
To deal with it, I gained weight. I have been told by therapists that I have an eating disorder because I use food and my body for control – just in the opposite way of how people typically use them. Once I gained weight, I was no longer as attractive to men and didn’t get the bad attention that I seemed to get previously.
I used the weight as a mechanism. I used the control of my body and my food intake to control things that were beyond my control otherwise.
The problem with all of this is that the weight I gained so easily isn’t as easily lost. Overcoming the issues that helped me gain weight is an ongoing process. It’s safe being overweight. Who wants a fat girl? I don’t have to worry about being hurt – or hit. I can hide away and not worry about any of that.
But I’m confused, aren’t I? Because I do want to have someone in my life. I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. In order to do that, do I need to be thin?
I do want to be healthy. And I am working hard to lose weight. I’ve lost some and still have a ways to go.
I’m not actually doing it to be in a relationship. I’m doing it because I want to be healthy. Because I care about myself enough to do it.
Because I am worth it.