Tarnishing the Noble Image of Sparky the Sun Devil

It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I started the semester off feeling optimistic, but suddenly the weight of the end of the semester came crashing down on me and I was buried in a pile of papers, presentations and final exams, not to mention uncertainty about what next semester would bring.

I applied for transfer to ASU in the end of October. It took a while for my transcripts to get sent, so my application status changed on My ASU to “pending/in process” on November 15. I checked the status every single day—on some days, I would check back multiple times, just in case—and for 3 and a half weeks, nothing changed. I tried contacting ASU, and all they could tell me was that I should be hearing back soon. Then Monday came, and my status changed to “In Review.” Suddenly I felt like my application was going to be denied. Why? That’s a great question, seeing as ASU has pretty low requirements—a 2.5 GPA will guarantee admission and they boast a 95% acceptance rate. Somehow, though, I convinced myself that they had filled all of the openings for transfer students, and I was doomed to spend another semester at Paradise Valley Community College, which might just be the death of me.

Clearly I was wrong :)

I have a tendency to have extremely high expectations at the beginning of the semester and watch them spiral downwards in a fiery tailspin as finals come around, but I’m still going to say this: I think things are going to be great at ASU.

The second I started writing for my journalism class—really writing, with research and interviews and the whole nine yards—all of the doubts that had been floating around in my mind disappeared.

I’m not in denial—I know it won’t be easy, and I’ll still have days where I weigh the pros and cons of dropping out and becoming a hermit. But I love writing, and I love my major, so I am going into my time at ASU feeling completely optimistic.

That is all :)

Will you kindly remove your hand from my face?

There are two middle-aged women that sit at the same table as me in my anthropology class. They’re very friendly, if not a little outspoken and awkward, but in general I enjoy them because it’s nice to not be the only person in my group talking during our group discussion time.

Today in class, one of the women popped a Tupperware out of her backpack. Inside was an entire brick of jack cheese, which she proceeded to unwrap. She then pulled a knife (a knife…like what you stab people with) and began slicing the cheese into cubes. I expected her to transition into a Julia Child-esque monologue in which she would explain the origins of Jack Cheese and then show the whole class how to make a grilled cheese sandwich with it. Nope, she just cubed the cheese, put it back in the Tupperware, and slipped it back into her backpack like there was nothing strange about it. Still confused, I glanced at the other woman to see if she had reacted at all. She hadn’t—but that was probably because she was busy clipping her fingernails.

Did I mention this was in a public place, not over the garbage can in her bathroom at home?

I was so disgusted, I probably would have excused myself from class if I hadn’t been 2 minutes away from giving a presentation. I immediately remembered my trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC a few years ago, where I came across a girl clipping her toenails on a bench in the middle of the Auschwitz exhibit and had to walk quickly in the opposite direction and keep myself from thinking about the toenail clippings that were surely sprinkled on the floor like confetti.

I don’t know what the deal is, but some people just have no common courtesy or perception of public manners. I don’t care what you do at home. Feel free to leave your toenail clippings all over the couch, eat food that you dropped on the floor, and slurp your soup as loud as you like. As long as I’m not there to put up with it, I don’t care. But please, guys, can we all show a little more consideration toward the people around us when we’re in public?

Last Friday I was at a concert at the state fair. There was a teenage girl sitting next to me, and halfway through the show, she decided to put her sweater on. So she flung her arm out, barely missing my face, and proceeded to take up all of my personal space to put her arm in the sleeve. I was too shocked to verbalize my annoyance; I simply looked from her to my friend and back again with the “would you believe this girl?” look, hoping she’d get the hint. Spoiler alert: She didn’t. She just wielded her arm around my head until she had finished putting the sweater on and then turned back to the concert as though nothing had happened. That time, I didn’t do anything about it. Looking back, though, I wish I had turned to her and said, “excuse me, will you kindly remove your hand from my face?”

Maybe this is purely out of selfishness that I’m asking for this—after all, if these things didn’t affect me, I wouldn’t be nearly as passionate about it. But this is something I think everybody can agree upon. Cube your cheese before you go to school. Remember the concept of personal space. And for goodness sake…stop clipping your nails in public!

Things I Love This Week: 10/13

• I want to start this week off with some really great news: After 69 days, 21 of the 33 trapped Chilean miners have been rescued [as of 12:45pm]. That still means there are 12 men trapped down there, but this is very happy news for their families and loved ones—they’re on their way out. Be praying for the rescue workers as they work hard to get them all out safely, and for the miners themselves. You can also watch a live feed, which shows the rescue efforts from the surface as well as a camera that is inside the mine.  [MSNBC]
• As it turns out, it’s slightly illegal to block off a freeway in order to promote your music. Take note, future musicians. [Today Show]
• New York Magazine criticizes this season’s new network sitcoms, including NBC’s Outsourced (which I firmly oppose…really? A show about a call center in India? Lawsuit waiting to happen.) [New York Magazine]
• This is quite possibly the best cake ever made. [The Daily What]
• The Fug Girls (of GoFugYourself.com, a fantastic website) have made a slideshow & commentary of the worst men’s hair in pop culture for their NY Mag column. It’s so bad, it’s almost good. My favorite? Voldemort, of course! [Vulture]
• Want to dress your pet up for Halloween? Check out the pop culture inspired pet costumes on Flavorwire. I personally plan on dressing my cats up as Lady Gaga and Elton John… [Flavorwire] 
• TLC recently premiered a TV show called Sister Wives (Sister Wives? Really?!) and the family is now being investigated for polygamy. Well done, guys. Well done. [Newsy]
• In case Ed Hardy’s bedazzled shirts, trucker hats, and a plethora of other unnecessary items aren’t enough for you, Christian Audigier’s house is up for sale. It could be your …for only $8 million. Upside: He’s throwing a Rolls Royce Phantom 5 into the deal. Downside: I won’t be your friend anymore if you buy it. [Curbed LA]
• I am a nerd, so most of these posts have the obligatory Harry Potter reference. Here’s a pretty cool scan of the spreadsheet JK Rowling used to plot out The Order of the Phoenix. So much planning…nerd sigh. [Slash Film]

Things I Love This Week: 10/6

• Flavorwire has a gallery of 10 of the world’s most eye-catching offices. I want to work in the Google office…they have a slide. A slide! [Flavorwire]
• A few old Wendy’s training videos have popped up on Youtube, in which they use made-up R&B songs to teach employees how to pour drinks, serve chili, and grill burgers. I like the one about how to serve cold drinks…but don’t miss the video on grilling in which the trainer wears a sequined shirt and gold specs… [Youtube]
• Did you drop some food on the floor? Figure out if it’s still safe to eat in this flowchart [MyConfinedSpace via BuzzFeed]
• Apparently in Saudi Arabia, where modesty is of huge importance, Mariah Carey is often photoshopped into less revealing outfits. Check out a few examples from throughout the years… [Jezebel]
• Vanity Fair has a feature on the woman whose photo was made into the cover of Vampire Weekend’s newest album, Contra. Apparently she had no idea…fascinating (opinion: She should not fight it. That’s kind of a big deal, I’d just brag about it for the rest of my life) [Vanity Fair]
• A writer for Jezebel decided to pull a stunt at New York Fashion Week: She dressed up a doll in the same outfit she wore and carried it around all day. People loved it…people believed it. Amazing. [Jezebel]
• Fast Company ponders whether or not companies should allow their employees to take powernaps. Answer: Yes. I like sleep. [Fast Company]
• For those of you who are still excited about yesterday’s massive storm (we skipped lecture and talked about this instead in my geo class today) here’s some photos, and also a bit about the two tornadoes that touched down in Bellemont this morning, just outside of Flagstaff [AZ Central]

Okay, one last thing: I am trying to expand the websites I check for my weekly posts, so if anybody has some interesting/entertaining websites they’d like to recommend, let me know!

Things I Love This Week: 9/29

• The owner of the Segway company died in a Segway crash this past week. So sad, and yet…oh, the irony! [New York Times]
• Remember the older version of Rose in Titanic? The one that threw the Heart of the Ocean back. Gloria Stuart, the actress that played her, died at the age of 100. This article gives some examples of her career—she was the oldest actor to ever to be nominated for an Academy Award at 87, and helped form the Screen Actors Guild in the 1930’s, among many other accomplishments. [BBC]
• An analysis of the two and a half hour Facebook outage last week. I just love the Geekosystem quote: “Some Facebook users may be forced to roam the streets in tears, shoving photos of themselves in peoples’ faces and screaming, ‘DO YOU LIKE THIS? DO YOU??’” Which, ironically, is exactly what I did. [Newsy]
• This video of two boys playing the Super Mario Bros. theme song on xylophone made my little geek heart happy :) [Youtube]
• I’m in love with Media Storm. It’s not just really great in-depth journalism, but some incredible photography and videography. I was going to post a specific link, but there were way too many good stories, so instead I just recommend checking out the entire site. [Media Storm]
• I love Steve Martin. Now he’s all into playing banjo, which is great and all, but I prefer his comedy side. So I love that the two sides mixed in this post on his website: October Tour Ideas Leaked! [Steve Martin]
• A few people have posted this on Facebook, and Megan sent the link to me yesterday…I proceeded to cry through the entire thing. I want a pet lion. Or, as Megan said, “I want lion hugs!” Christian The Lion. [Youtube]
• I am the biggest Harry Potter nerd ever, so of course I love things like this from NY Magazine: Hogwarts finally hooks up the internet. Too funny! I love all the attention to detail in the Facebook pages…even the ads! Love. [New York Magazine]

Boys of Summer

In my world, the end of September means one thing: the end of regular season baseball. Sure, there’s the post-season in October, but it’s hardly exciting when your favorite team hasn’t been to the post season in 9 years and has absolutely no chance of making it this year. So the last days of September are the days when I say a fond farewell to the major leagues—and the  Seattle Mariners—until February, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training camp and the hype begins again.

Growing up, I often played baseball in the back yard with Megan and my dad. Note the batting stance—probably why I never made it to the majors.

I grew up loving the Mariners. I remember going to the Kingdome with my dad and my sister, dressed in my teal Griffey jersey, which I so fashionably wore with a blue turtleneck and a matching teal baseball cap. We would sit in the 300 level seats eating peanuts and watching the games. I loved everything about going to games—parking ridiculously far away from the stadium and walking to the game, trekking up the ramps that encircled the dome, watching batting practice—every memory was a good one.

The 1995 Mariners. Photo: Seattle Sports Commission

When Norm Charlton, nicknamed “The Sheriff,” was warming up in the bullpen one day before a game in the mid-90’s, Megan convinced me to call down to him. At 6 I was the most easily swayed child ever, so I proudly cried, “Sheriff, Sheriff! Help me, I’ve been robbed!” Not just one time—no, that wouldn’t get the point across. I distinctly remember yelling the same line at least a half-dozen times within about ten minutes.

Growing up, my favorite player was Ken Griffey, Jr. I remember asking my dad one day who his favorite player was. He pondered it for a moment, and I suggested that Griffey should be his favorite player. He responded with a nonchalant, “sure.” I was shocked—hurt, even—that my dad didn’t avidly agree that Griffey was the best player of all time. It should come as no surprise that I felt that way, though—after all, I’m the girl that dressed up as Griffey for Halloween in kindergarten, eye black and all.

 

The Kingdome, home to the Seattle Mariners from 1977-1999, was imploded on March 26, 2000. Photo: University of Washington

In 2000, the Mariners began playing in Safeco Field, which was built across the street from the Kingdome. I remember sitting in front of the TV on a Sunday morning with my family, watching the local news coverage of the implosion of the Kingdome. The 23-year-old stadium, which had been home to the Mariners as well as the Seahawks, Sonics, and Sounders [note: Seattle is a big fan of alliterations] since opening in 1976, had been deemed unusable. In order to make way for a new home for the Seahawks—now Qwest field—the Kingdome had to go. We watched as the explosives detonated and the huge cement structure folded in on itself. Of course, Safeco Field was state-of-the-art and remains to this day a beautiful stadium—but the Kingdome’s implosion marked the end of an era in my memory.

 

The Seattle Mariners in 2010. Photo: 67C

To be a Mariners fan is to suffer year after year. Every year we go into the season with high hopes, citing a fantastic pitching rotation or great  clubhouse relationships as our saving grace. Enthusiastic phrases like “This is our year” soon melt into “well, there’s always next season.” Of course, I am blinded by my love for the Mariners, and so I will always believe that their day will come and I will see them at the World Series at some point in my lifetime.

So while the Mariners stumbled out of the gate and never quite caught their footing this season, I will still put my hope in them next year. I may be somewhat more of a cynic as years go by, but I will always have that small string of hope: There’s always next season.

Things I Love This Week: 9/22

I’ve decided to turn this into a weekly thing, so I’ll try to post every Wednesday or so! Here’s what I love this week:

• I’m a big fan of websites like MLIA and FML, so naturally I love the next funny site to come around: Dear Blank, Please Blank. People post funny miniature letters. For the most part, they are completely fictional. A couple of my favorites: “Dear Edward, This is why you were in Hufflepuff. Sincerely, The Sorting Hat.” and “Dear Billy Mays, Oxi Clean didn’t work. What now? Sincerely, Lady Macbeth.”
• One of my friends on Facebook posted this gem about a week ago…Phil Davison, a candidate for treasurer in Stark County, OH, goes a little crazy. My favorite part is that people actually applauded at the end. Were they being polite? [Note: This video takes a minute or two to load. I would recommend pausing this video and letting it fully load…it’s much better without the constant ‘buffering’ pauses]
• There’s an article on Flavorwire called The Terrible Pop-Song Relationship Advice Hall of Fame, which chronicles the awful dating advice we get from our favorite songs. 
• For those It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia lovers out there…there is an entire Tumblr devoted to all things Sunny! From screen caps to information about the show and cast members…it’s not an official Tumblr for the show, but it’s still pretty dang awesome.
• I listen to the “Answer Bitch” podcast, which is a bunch of answers to questions about Hollywood…but mostly because Leslie Gornstein is a riot. She also does a column for E! Online, and this one is one of the best…Did Anyone Ever Eat Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress? I mean, really…jerky?!
• I’m pretty sure everybody and their mother has seen this by now, but just in case you haven’t, you must check out The Wilderness Downtown…it’s an interactive film created with Google Chrome, set to Arcade Fire’s “We Used To Wait”…and it’s pretty spectacular.