Hello blog readers. I have news.
I have recently gotten word that I received a Fulbright grant for this academic year!! In light of this major life-change, I decided to start a new blog dedicated to my time abroad.
Go here: My Fulbright
You didn't think I would stop blogging did you?
Moonlight Masquerade is just on a little hiatus until I get back from Uruguay.
Imagine. Butterflies everywhere! 
At the American Museum of Natural History in New York City they had special exhibit about butterflies. And a room full of...you guessed it...butterflies.
We were able to walk into the butterfly conservatory that allowed us to stand inside a special glass room while butterflies flew freely all around us. It was awesome! Something I always wanted to do.
They made us enter through one set of doors, wait until the first door closed, and then opened the door to the conservatory. I supposed they didn't want the butterflies to escape. Then we walked around and snapped pictures, and let the butterflies flap around. None landed on me, but several landed on people's heads, shoulders, hands, etc. around me. Walking amidst these winged creature was surreal.
I think I could've stayed in the butterfly conservatory forever. If we hadn't been in New York City, with so many other great sights, I think I just might've.
Only in New York. 
$350 fine? Really? That seems a bit steep.
I'm certain I heard honking too. Maybe the fine ought to be more. Would a $500 fine deter honking? Or better yet, a prison sentence? An electric shock? A neighborhood watchman with a 9-iron? A bed of nails that pops out of street when a certain sound threshold is violated?
Would anything deter honking in New York City?
This weekend I took a completely random last-minute trip to New York City. Yay for spontaneity. 
NYC is arguably the best city in the world. It is living color. Words in action. All glitz and glam.
Apparently it is more affordable to take a bus from DC than it is to take one from central PA. What's with that? DC is 2 hours further away yet costs less than half the price from Harrisburg or Kutztown? Strange.
Even though I ♥ NYC, I still ♥ DC. They are both lovely, just in completely different ways. Points to NYC for the arts and culture. Artists and adventurers flock to the city to make their mark upon the world. Points to DC for the metro and cleanliness. The subway systems don't even compare. New York's subway is to DC's metro as a garbage heap is to a grassy hill.
The thing about living on the East Coast is that we can visit nearby cities so easily. I love it. NYC itself will always hold a special place in my heart though. There is nothing quite like the Big Apple (even if they do have sketchy sketchy subway system).
This almost hurts to read. There are a few lines of reason (namely fear of the nanny-state), surrounded by hateful bigotry that negates the rest of the message. I present to you why women will never be equals in this world, and why conservative thinkers get a bad rap--because of articles like this, America has become a Nation Ruled by Emotion Rather Than Reason by J.D. Longstreet on WesternFront America. I've copied an excerpt for you, but you really should read the whole thing.
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"We have feminized our churches, our government, our military, and our businesses, even the Main Stream Media. Woman have been taught they can have it All. Nobody mentioned the cost to her. Now, it no longer matters.
We have gangs of young people, little more than children, roaming our streets, as the barbarians and vandals of old, striking terror in the hearts of the people in their communities. Why? Because they have no home, no parents, and especially no mother, to teach them in the way they should go. Now, our own children are our enemies.
Our men are no longer men. They are something well short of manhood (Metrosexuals!). Men have been taught that being male, and acting as a male OUGHT to act, is somehow abnormal. The American male is so confused he has lost his identify. He is a pitiful sight. When the maleness of a society goes, so does that society. For the foundation of any society is based on the males of that society. The protection of that society is the burden of the same males. When those males are taught that they ought not take up those responsibilities… their reason for existence is lost, and they are confused, and that society is doomed. I offer Europe as an example.
Women, attempting to take up that burden of male leadership, are a pitiful and pathetic sight. Estrogen is no substitute for testosterone! As a result there is little if any action, and when action does take place it is based upon emotions rather than reason. (Example: The US House of Representatives!) It is the worse possible combination for any society seeking to continue its existence.
Look at the Mainstream Media in America today. Try viewing a news show on the TV. You will find more women than men as anchors. Why? Because they are pleasant to look upon and… sex sells the products of the sponsors… and no matter what they tell you… that is the sole reason those blonde cuties are in front of the cameras! If the networks were actually serious about delivering the news in a powerful, impactful, way, the anchor would be a male. That, of course is NOT what they are interested in. The networks are interested in SELLING the airtime and making money. The news, itself, has become only filler, between the commercials and the entertainment, as the networks rake in the loot.
Our churches have become feminized. Women in the pulpits, in the office of Bishop (strictly against Scripture) and, as a result, their membership rolls are shrinking. The mainstream denominations are losing membership in droves! Visit any Mainstream Denomination’s Sunday Worship Services and count the women in attendance as opposed to the men in attendance. You will quickly see that men are staying home. In my case, I don’t need a woman in the pulpit telling me how to behave. My mother took care of that… and my wife took over from her!
Our military can no longer win wars. Why? Because we are too concerned over how the actions we need to take, to secure victory, will be perceived by the remainder of the world. That is most certainly not a manly trait. Even our soldiers are being put on trial for killing the enemy! That tell you anything about the lack of commitment to victory??? It ought to!
Having said all the above, and expecting to be boiled in oil for it, I ask only that you think about it. Look around you. The evidence is everywhere. America is but a shell of her former self. The country has a mortal; a terminal, illness and any reasonable person would not expect recovery.
Watching a strong man wither away and die is always painful to those who love him. That is the sort of pain I feel as I watch my country die right before my eyes."
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Seriously? You've got to be kidding me. I think someone needs to channel his glorious testosterone into more useful channels than undermining the value of women. Disgusting.
And my favorite part? As he spouts on and on about weenie men, metrosexuals, and the emasculation of America, he uses a feminine personal pronoun to describe America! "America is but a shell of her former self." Followed by a metaphor of his country as a man. "Watching a strong man wither away and die is always painful to those who love him." What does this say? This says somebody is seriously mistaken about the way he sees freedom, leadership, and gender roles. He just doesn't realize it.
I don't want the socialization of America either, but how that connects to the horrible "feminization" of our nation is beyond me. Looks to me like Mr. Longfellow can't help but let his ugly male chauvinism cloud his political thought. Ugh. Has feminism really brought us this far, only to have ridiculous, far-flung essays like that challenge the female voice in the public sphere?
Yep, that's about right xkcd.
(And just for fun this one too)
But there won't be any Anti-Valentine's Day Forum for me either. Nope.
Hmmmm. The GOP has quite a lovely selection of valentine's cards. At first I thought they were parodies created by democrats to mock republicans, but no. The GOP really has these cards, ready to email on their website. Send one of these to your valentine. He/she will love it!
Nothing says romantic like a card such as that. Hahaha.
Relationship Energy?
This Freakonomics post is very interesting. For very many reasons.
Excerpt 1:
A business exec told me that he thinks of consulting firms a bit like Charlie Sheen thinks about prostitutes. When I asked him to explain, he said that when Sheen was being sentenced for using a prostitute, the judge asked him why a man like him would have to pay for sex. And Sheen reportedly replied: “I don’t pay them for sex. I pay them to leave.”Excerpt 2:
But Sheen’s (possibly apocryphal) quotation has me thinking that there may be contexts in which people would pay a premium to avoid a relationship. Some people may at times prefer A.T.M.’s to tellers in part because they don’t want to speak to tellers. Some people may prefer Merry Maids to a regular housekeeper (or may prefer to be absent when the cleaning is done). Or some people may prefer buying at Amazon.com in part because of the lack of human contact.Excerpt 3:
Of course, there are other ways to spin the demand for non-relational contracting. Restricting and regulating our contractual relationships allows us to control and concentrate our limited relationship energy on those people who matter most to us. Surely this is sometimes the case. But conserving our limited relationship energy may backfire. Our capacity to interact with others may atrophy if it goes unused.
I teach Oral Communication: Principles and Practice and have my students bring in an artifact to illustrate some concept we will go over within that class.
One of my students used this video as an example of listening gone all wrong.
It's quite appropriate (and by the same token, completely inappropriate).
Hahahaha.
I love my job.
So Christina Aguilera, that's what you were really saying. Hmmmm.
Apparently there are a bunch of these. I had no idea.
Yellow Ledbetter
Temperature
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
Numa Numa
The Cool Hunter website is a pretty 'cool' website for finding new stuff (that you probably can't afford). But ultra stylish, nonetheless.
Haha, last semester I was trying to explain the difference between appeals to field related standards and individual standards, and the only example I could think of was the Cool Hunters. I couldn't remember the name of the website though, so I went on this digression about cool kids giving out stickers to people with trendy purses, new scooters, the latest jeans, and fancy apartments setting the standards of "coolness" for the rest of us. Wow. That's probably why I recieved all those raised eyebrows. No really, I wasn't making it up: The Cool Hunter. 
I wish I could be a cool hunter. It'd be like getting paid to envy appreciate other people's stuff. Cool.
What a good movie.
I know now what all the hype surrounding Slumdog Millionaire is all about. I give it an A+
From the first moments of this movie you will be drawn in. It's different and refreshingly so. The cultural elements are beautiful. The symbols potent and messages complex, ripe for criticism and deconstruction. I don't want to spoil the plot for any of you who have not seen it yet; just know that you must see this one.
The first showing of the movie was sold out this past weekend so we had to buy late night tickets, but it was well worth the wait. The whole ride on the train back home we discussed what is all meant. A movie that can make you feel, think, and chatter that much ought to be appreciated.
I went to my first UMD basketball game this weekend.
Maryland fans are about the classiest ones I've ever met.
When the visiting team is announced everyone gets out newspapers and pretends to be reading. Haha. And then, if that isn't bad enough, after each starter's name is called we chime in with a "sucks." So it goes something like Joe Smoe, 6"7" forward from Florida sucks. And so on and so on.
And it doesn't end there. The poor point guard for the other team missed a shot by a mile which subjected him to jeering chants for the rest of the game. Every time he touched the ball you'd hear rhythmic calls of "airball airball airball." He'd pass to a teammate, "woahhhh." And back to him, "airball, airball, airball." The cheers weren't enough though, they were coupled with one armed robotic air chops. Are other schools this mean at sporting events?
Home court advantage. We won.
The game was good.
Pittsburgh gave me a scare, but they pulled it out at the end!
The ads on the other hand did not meet my expectations. They sucked (bunch of crap Washington Post to suggest otherwise). I half expected a snuggie commercial to find it's way into the mix with the interest level of this year's bunch.
I still can't believe how largely disappointing they were. The economy must've killed the commercials. I mean even the Coca-Cola advertisements weren't amusing. Must be because PepsiCo wins as this year biggest advertiser
For the first time in a long time, PepsiCo, not Anheuser-Busch, this year will be the Super Bowl's biggest advertiser. Including spots for its Gatorade, SoBe Lifewater and Cheetos products, PepsiCo will have 5 to 6 minutes.And note that only 30 seconds of airtime costs about $3 million. Pepsi must have bought out NBC. Geez.
Seriously? People aren't excited about the Super Bowl this weekend?
Well, I am. I can't wait see the advertisements Steelers play.
Really though. I am ready to see both. I live in that sort of world. (The one were TV commercials and TV programming rate about equal on my interest gauge)
Advertising Age reports
Blog mentions of the phrase "Super Bowl ads" appear to be running at least 20% below the rate they were at the same time last yearI think that they are just counting their hits too soon. Give the blogosphere some time. We are excited about those Super Bowl ads this Sunday. So there. Take that.
Well, it is an interesting concept, but um, disturbing, at the same time. The newest craze seems to be sweaters--made out of your pet.
If you love Fluffy, then you'd probably love to WEAR Fluffy too, right?
Ihabitots presents: Make a Sweater From Your Pet's Fur.
Danelle German, a professional cat groomer based in Simpsonville, S.C, was troubled by the large amounts of fur she would dispose of after grooming clients’ Persians and Angoras. Her solution? Spin the fur into yarn. Then you can knit the yarn into warm, cozy creations (cute little sweaters, mittens, hats, you name it). Can’t you just imagine grandma knitting your little one a sweater made from Mr. Buttons?
One e-card you don't ever want to get. Nooo, it's not happy birthday. Nooo, it's not get well soon. Nooo, it's not congratulations. It's hey, sorry, but I may have given you syphilis, and I don't see you often enough in my real life to tell you in person. Have a nice day. The newest thing in e-greeting cards appears to be a nifty little one that notifies all your 'friends' that they might have been exposed to an infection.
From the NYT:
The e-card, which allows the sender to select the disease involved and includes links to public health sites and services, is part of that strategy.Ummmm, I don't even know where to start with the problems with this sort of service from In Spot. Not that I'm not against the spread of disease, but sometimes I have to wonder if I am the only one concerned that our society needs oops-I-gave-you-an-STD e-cards?
“Notifying the person exposed to a sexually transmitted infection is the critical piece in preventing further spread.”
Last Sunday I attended the pre-inaugural concert that boasted of a boat-load of stars. The list of expected stars kept on growing and growing as the day approached. The most fun part of the afternoon was questioning "and who's gonna be next?" 
It was a little cold and lot of standing, but fun regardless. The theme was We Are One. The complete star list was as follows: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Caleb Green, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Bettye Lavette, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, Usher, Will.i.am, Stevie Wonder, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashley Judd, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney, George Lopez, Kal Penn, Marisa Tomei, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, and Tiger Woods.
Despite it being an inauguration concert and all, someone needs to explain to me why Garth Brooks got to sing 3 solo songs while other artists were paired up in rather...unusual combinations. Take for example, Shakira with Stevie Wonder and Usher. Huh? Those three? Together? I wonder who was the dude who got say, "yeah, and let's group together a latin singer, motown/blues singer, and a hip hop artist." Not that they didn't do a good job. I'd just like to have seen a little more Shakira and whole lot less of Garth. But, hey, that is just my opinion.
If you can make it, vendors can sell it...and Obamafy it. 
You can't even imagine all the different products vendors were selling on inauguration week along the streets of DC. For starters, there were the classic buttons, t-shirts, posters, and hats. But those don't even touch upon the more absurd products I saw being sold among the streets. There were vendors peddling Obama perfume body spray (with catchy slogans like "I smell change"), Obama boas, Obama condoms, Obama puppets (creepy), Obama bling, Obama sandwhiches, and Obama dolls among other Obamarific goods. What craziness.
We were joking that next they were going to sell Obama Chia Pets. But, oh wait, they actually do!
Yes, I went to the inauguration.
Yes, the city of Washington DC was a mad-house.
Yes, I woke up at 5 AM and stood out in the freezing cold for hours upon hours.
Yes, there were so many people on the mall that we huddled in front of a jumbo-tron near the Washington Monument and still could hardly see.
Yes, Obama looked like an ant way up at the capital when he messed up took his oath of office.
Yes, I went to the inauguration of the 44th president of United States.
Even if I had to do it all again, I still would've gone. This is the first presidential inauguration that I've ever witnessed in person and I doubt it will be my last.
Today I had the unique opportunity to meet with two White House high-level speechwriters through one of the graduates of my program at UMD. It was so exciting to hear their take on what it is like to work for the both Bush administrations and the McCain-Palin campaign to name a few. 
Scully and McConnell had very many intriguing and insightful things to say. They called their speech shop a little "word factory." I was suprised to hear that they collaborate in the writing process from the very begining and then the speech runs through many many hands before being finalized, sometime reaching up to draft number 30. They mentioned at the time they cleaned out their computers there were 10,800 speech drafts saved on the hard drive that are permanently resting in the presidential records.
Wow. That would be the job. Writing speeches for the president.
I ordered frames from American Frames this summer for some of my artwork. I loved their classic metal frames because their look is so clean and elegant. I first bought merchandise from them per a recommendation from my drawing professor four years ago. As a bonus to cutting your frames to the perfect (sometimes unusual) measurements, they give you a free cut mat to fit your work as well.
My favorite part, by far though, is that you can snap a photo of your artwork, upload it into their website, and see what your painting is going to look like in the frame you want to order even before it arrives at your door. You can even paint the wall behind the makeshift digital image. Yep. That's nice. I'm sold.
I couldn't decide between pewter and brushed silver on the painting above, but in the end, brushed silver looked better. Alas, when it arrived at my door, brushed silver indeed did accent quite well. Thank goodness for easier framing; I hate ruining a good piece of artwork with shoddy frame-work.
Quote Unquote
"I think it's time we had a national conversation about the economic downturn. We need to get past all the disease and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming man-eating tigers. We need unicorns, not unemployment. Unicorns are our change we can believe it. And we need to have change in the economic downturn."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com
Not into stardom, or onto American Idol or anything like that (which coincidentally aired it's first episode last night), but rather, I made a camera case.
I wanted to make a matching laptop, cord, and camera case, but my mom cleared out some of the old clothes in my closest and gave them to Good Will. Therefore, I had no ugly old flannel shirts to cut up and turn into pretty new things. Awww, poor me (and people who received the flannel). 
Alas, I still made the case from some scrap material around the house. The sad part is that I sewed it all wrong first and to redo the whole thing. Yes. I am that bad at sewing. But in the end, I suppose the final product isn't that bad.
I just finished reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath after ordering it off of Amazon earlier this week! I loved it. One of my new faves. Tracing the psychological journey of young girl coming of age in the mid-twentieth century, The Bell Jar is rich in colorful descriptions and capturing prose. Esther, the protagonist, struggles to make life decisions that ultimately cripple her and send her into a downward spiral of psychosis.
Ahhh, the beauty of a well-crafted metaphor:
"...I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."Plath's insights into life are disturbingly real.
Have I ever mentioned that I like ice? 
I like ice and pretty red berries that pop against a complementry green and white background. 
Although, a little Christmasy, I prefer to think wintery instead. Somehow, I feel like there should be horses and sleigh bells lingering behind these holly bushes. I didn't see any though when I was out freezing to death in the sloshy rain. One must suffer for art.
I ♥ Icy Weather.
Not because it's slippery or slidey. Just because it is so beautiful.
And a great excuse to play with my new camera. 
Yay, for icy cold pretty!
Little People--a tiny street art project
Little handpainted people, left in London to fend for themselves.
First a close up. Then a long shot.
How can you not love this stuff? Beautiful art. 
Insightful commentary on urban life and human interaction with our environment.
The blog here: Little People
Or check out the artist's website here: Slinkachu.
Emily and I went to the festivities in Harrisburg to ring in the New Year. The fireworks were spectacular. I've never seen such a concentrated bunch of sparkling lights in the sky. A+ central PA. I didn't think you had it in you.
Did you realize that Pennsylvania has the weirdest bunch of goofy things that we drop out of the sky every New Years? We've got a pickle, an anchor, a Hershey kiss, a strawberry, two roses, a frog, a stuffed goat, a lollipop, a spring, and a wrench to name a few. My favorite by far though has to be the annual bologna drop. Yep, in Lebanon, because they are famous for their Sweet Lebanon Bologna. Watching a bologna drop out of the sky to bring in the new year seems a little crazy to me. At least they donate all the meat afterward.
Here's a nice listing of how PA kicks every other state's butt when it comes to New Years celebrations. Never been so proud.
