Underbite

LOOK at this dress! LOOK AT IT!!! It's precious!  If I could have picked a more perfect dress that I would have wanted to be my wedding dress/wear everywhere dress because it's so wonderful, I couldn't have even begun to think of anything as cute as this!  It's  $214 and, if my boobs weren't bigger than every sweet and wonderful vintage dress out there, then I would have bought this right as I saw it... that's how crazy in love with unique clothes, such as this, I am.  Ahhh... swoon. Damn you, bust size.

I found this trailer while I was perusing pacingthepanicroom.blogspot.com.  Immediately, as I watched the trailer, I felt the familiar tingle of emotions shoot through my body that movies such as Baraka, All the Real Girls, and the Gods Must be Crazy stirred within me as I watched them.  I realize that this is an extremely random assortment of movies to group together,  however I do feel that what they all hold in common is a respect for humanity and an honesty and insight into human emotions that many movies try to glamorize, but these movies simply observe.  After viewing the trailer, I found the website and joined and will definitely get Joey to join as well, in order to participate in this amazing project.  Check it out...

Ok, so, if Graduate school, teaching, wedding planning, and figuring out where we're going to live, weren't enough things to think about, Joey and I fell into another exciting addition to our lives.  By the way... I'm definitely not complaining about these things, because, although a little stress comes with the territory, these past few months have been the most unbearably exciting ever.  Anyway, to return to the point, Joey and I have found that we now have a new little girl in our lives... Noodle (or Noodles, whichever you prefer, singular or plural)!

So, does anybody else watch LOST?  Is Tuesday the highlight of your week as well?  At 8:00 CT, the most brilliant and intricately planned show takes us fans one step closer to "closing the book" of one of the biggest, yet most satisfying TV series ever.  Unlike most serial dramas on television, the LOST writers expect their viewers to be mature and intelligent enough to commit to their work and follow it out to the end (May 2010).  If you do watch the show and you're a fan, then you will understand my slightly insane addiction and if you don't then I'm sure I fall into a totally different category of "Shit, another LOST fan", which, by the way, I totally understand, because, yes, LOST fans are extreme nerds for the show and usually won't shut up about it (I can say this because I'm rambling about it right now).


Anyway, back to my point... certain shows, of which only seem to come but once in a blue moon, share a team of writers with such skills, talent, and high caliber that all of the other series and sitcoms seem to pale in comparison to the glory of these pieces of Art portrayed through the windows of our TV's.  Twin Peaks was the first show that I was introduced to by my fantastic fiance, Joey, that truly blew my mind and what it knew of televised entertainment.  The series was so artfully filmed, written, and acted, and the characters so realized, that I forgot all together that I was watching a television show at all and not a long film.  Where many television series fall short of character development, and instead, dump their characters into silly stereotypes, this show gave life to it's characters and gave them such depth that they were real, complex human beings... strange and bizarre beings, but human in their emotions and their curiosities, nonetheless.  The same attention to detail could be said about shows such as Mad Men and LOST as well.


Mad Men, a show that I might be equally as obsessed with as LOST, wins the prize for "Most dynamic characters on a show".  This cast of characters has the viewers on a constant roller coaster of emotions and judgments while the actors merely stretch before their main workout routine of wowing us as an audience, showing us each actors broad range of ability to completely capture us into their world.  The world of Mad Men, is a look into an Ad Agency (Sterling - Cooper) and the complex world and society of the late 1950's, early 1960's.  The writing is so utterly brilliant that the show encourages the viewer to study, consider, and relate to each scene, in order to be able to properly digest the theme and concept of each episode, tying into the show as a whole.  There's absolutely nothing better than having a legitimately thought provoking conversation/investigation of the shows tightly woven and sometimes subtle but extremely relevant and poignant details.  Thank you, Mad Men writers, for allowing my brain to actually exercise, rather than falling asleep as I watch TV.  Who knew that it could be possible to urge higher order thinking skills while being completely entertained by the plot of a TV drama other than a made for TV documentary, Ken Burns style, or any of the shows on the History channel or Discovery?  Certainly "CSI" or "Dancing with the Stars" do not encourage such "thought-cardio".


Similarly, LOST gives it's audience a myriad of characters, who are equally dynamic in their complexities and grow with each episode right in front of our eyes.  Though LOST's plot is a maze to be crawled through and explored thoroughly (I mean, this is a 6 year commitment with an enormous list of questions posed!!!), it's never-ending surprises and small gifts of knowledge tempt us away from fully giving up on the show before the big questions are slowly answered.  This show is a PRIME example of the importance of foreplay... it's just SO much better if you are patient and attentive.  The fact that a show can pose a question and create situations for characters during its first season and then artfully tie up loose ends as late as the 6th season that reveals an answer about that character while introducing yet another question, is a fantastic puzzle and gift to the viewer.  After 6 seasons of watching LOST, I am still surprised by the end of each episode when the screen turns black and the word "LOST" is stamped into view alongside the familiar sound byte that is so delightfully LOST.  The fact that the fan base of LOST remains unsure of which way to turn in this labyrinth after a 6 year commitment with the same writers, gives ode to the writers of the show and their extensive story-line that they have created.  J.J. Abrams, thank you.

So, to conclude, having been someone who grew up in a family where TV was labeled "The Idiot Box", and oftentimes rightfully so, I am immensely excited with shows as stimulating as these.  These TV dramas should be the monumental examples to which every television writer should strive to come close to achieving in order to avoid creating an "Idiocracy" of television viewers.

Whew, that felt good.  I can't wait till Tuesday.  Anyone else have any awesome shows to share that you feel are equally impressive?  If so, let me know so I can add it to the list!  I hope everybody had a great Easter... Love to all and have a good night!

Once again, I have taken forever to post... however, Spring Break is almost here and the goal for that week is to catch up and get ahead, so everybody cross your fingers!

Joey and I have been rocking and rolling on the wedding planning.  The square wheel is beginning to wear down to a circle and rolling faster each day!  This weekend, I spent a lovely day with my mom getting some wedding necessities decided on and checked off and then Joey and I caught a Grizzlies game against the Warriors (Grizzlies won!).  Today we're going to go to the Church on the River, possibly enjoying some brunch, catching The White Ribbon at the Ridgeway Four, and then going to Joey's basketball game.  Whew.
I'm pretty excited about seeing The White Ribbon.  It's a movie that gives us a glimpse into the lives of the inhabitants in a village in Protestant northern Germany where strange accidents begin to happen on the eve of World War I.  From what I understand of the movies content, it's a story of this innocent little village where dark events begin to happen, but it also serves as an observation into the early developments of pre-Nazism.  Kind of heavy for a Sunday,  I know, but if you watch the trailer, the photography of the movie is so breathtakingly beautiful, and the characters seem so authentic, that I can't wait to be able to experience it.

So, for this relaxing rainy Sunday morning, I haven't quite gotten a chance to pull together a fluid post focusing on one topic, so I figured I would give ode to some wonderful things that I have found while scrolling through the internet.  Hope you enjoy!

Seriously, these are awesome and fun.  Check them out!

I realize that I am an extremely difficult person when it comes to making decisions. Joey and I's wedding has been absolutely no exception to this fact about my personality.  So, besides being absolutely sure about wanting to marry Joey, every other "wedding planning decision" to be made has been a see-sawish struggle.  Anyway, as June 12th quickly approaches, more and more decisions are being made, and with less of a struggle, which makes both Joey and I extremely happy.  So, today I made yet another decision which I'm extremely happy about and will also be able to create myself... the guest book!

Instead of a guest book, I'm going to copy off of this idea that I found on apartmenttherapy.com.  Not only is it a lot of fun and gets people in a creative, more intimate, and hands on mood, but also, I can frame it for Joey and I's future home so that it can prove itself a whimsical and meaningful piece of memorabilia of our special day.  That way, instead of shelving the guest book, I can frame and display it instead, and it will always be a reminder of the support and love that we both have in our relationship together.

For my birthday, Joey gave me 2 books, Beyond Innocence and Through a Window, by Jane Goodall.  They are both autobiographical reflections of her life, work, and lessons learned, while spending time observing the chimpanzees of Gombe.  She has always been a hero of mine and will remain someone who I aspire to be more like in my daily work and ambitions as well as my outlook on the world.  She is truly an amazing person.


I finished Through a Window recently and, while reading the book, was immediately drawn into the world in which I dreamed of living in as a young girl.  For me, simply coexisting with animals in their natural habitat and observing how their society works and correlates to our own seemed, and honestly still seems (if Joey would be able to follow), like the dream of a lifetime.  Through her hard work, patience, and determination, she has become a huge influence on today's wildlife research, education, and conservation.  Though her main work has been primarily and most famously with the chimpanzees of Gombe, her compassion for animals and her influence in wildlife conservation has helped to reach beyond the chimpanzee communities and outward to the Animal Kingdom in general.

One of the chapters in this book, "The Exploitation of Non-Human Animals", addresses the issues concerning animals being used for science and the conditions for which they are being housed and experimented upon.  The conditions of these poor animals are often beyond inhumane and are sometimes unnecessary as many research studies duplicate previously researched data, and some research is simply for the sake of gaining knowledge and not intending to be used specifically for a purpose, such as working towards curing a disease.  The growth of science is necessary, however, with the rapidly growing advancements in the developments of techniques used for research, in vitro testing, tissue culture, computer simulation, etc.,  alternatives for animals and their inhumane treatment within laboratories is obviously a cruelty in which humanity can easily correct if we decide to take action and show our compassion and concern for these issues and their importance.  In one section of the book she approaches the complaint about the costs of introducing humane living conditions to those animals being used for medical research or research studies.

'Look at your life-style, your house, your car, your clothes.  Think of the administrative buildings in which you work, your salary, your expenses, the holidays you take.  And, after thinking about those things, then tell me that we should begrudge the extra dollars spent in making a little less grim the lives of the animals used to reduce human suffering'

 I believe that as humans, we often forget that we ourselves are animals.  We are a dominant species because of our intellect and what we are able to do and feel with the growth of that intellect.  However, we should not be so arrogant as to consider ourselves above the rest of the animal world simply because we are better able to adapt an environment to our needs and dominate other species, but instead, reach out and offer our assistance and compassion towards wildlife and their habitats that are steadily floundering due to humanities mark on their lives.

This book was informative, inspiring, and enlightening, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the habits of the chimpanzees society and how it correlates to our own, as well as many other insights into the world through a chimpanzees eyes.  When I was around 15 years old, I was able to hold a baby chimpanzee through an exotic animal training group that came to do a promotional event at Blockbuster. Though, looking back on it, I disagree with the exploitation of Angel, the chimp, who was dressed in leopard print underwear and had been trained to smile on command for the camera, I was able to discover the uncanny likeness of a chimpanzees hand to that of a humans.  When I touched her small little hand, if I had not been looking, I would have thought that I was holding a child's hand... the skin of a human.  This may not be a huge revelation to anyone else, but I remember at the time feeling simply astonished at the likeness of our hands.  Later, I found out that, along with Gorillas and Orangutans, chimpanzees DNA have only a 1% difference to that of our own.  Crazy, right?  The world is a beautifully complex and bizarre place.

Old cartoons.  There is such a sense of nostalgia, a strange sense of comfort, happiness, or sadness and bittersweetness, knowing what's behind us and re-visiting "the familiar".  When a bad day rolls along, or I find myself simply feeling blase, I know that I can always resort to my collection of old cartoons from my childhood that seem to bring me back to my original, most primitive self, and help me to re-align my mood.  Looking back, these animations were so extremely important to me, as they played a significant hand in guiding me into the life that I now lead, as well as into the person I have become.


Now, don't get me wrong, there are obviously many other factors that play into the development of a human personality, environment, society, family life, etc.  However, looking back on those specific animations that I so loved and still do to this day, as I'm sure many people would agree with, I have begun to notice a specific trend in the selection of animated movies and cartoons that I was shown and then personally chose to repeat watching over and over again due to their exceptionally relative and significant content.

For instance, Don Bluth films (Land Before Time, Secret of Nimh, American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven), in my opinion, are significantly darker and more insightful into human emotions than most Disney films.  However, I do NOT want to dismiss some of what I consider to be the greater Disney films, when talking about "darker" animations.  My favorite Disney films which I re-visit to this day and will for the rest of my life, I'm sure, are extremely emotionally charged. Dumbo, The Fox and the Hound, and the newer animations Tarzan and Lilo and Stitch are four Disney movies that I, and I would venture to say that most people, respond to emotionally, more so than most other Disney movies, through their themes of family and friendships and the explorations of what those relationships are and what they mean.  In my opinion, these specific Disney films as well as the Don Bluth films mentioned previously, and I might be excluding a few movies so forgive me if I have, are greater, due to the remarks on society and the walls that are built around what's normal vs. what's taboo.  E.G. the relationships represented in both Land Before Time (Little-foot and his circle of friends consisting of a variety of species of dinosaurs), The Fox and the Hound (Tod and his friend Copper, a fox and a hound), and the rest of the aforementioned animations, are all that suggest a well-functioning, healthy, and supportive relationship between inter-racial and/or inter-cultural relationships, whether in a family environment, or in a friendship.  These movies represent a message of tolerance as well as the importance of the relationships within families and friendships, no matter how they are built.  The point is that these relationships are necessary and important!

Little-Foot, after losing his mother in a tragic scene in the Land Before Time, would most likely not survive if he had not formed such a bond with his other dinosaur friends (Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike).  This friendship/team, who would otherwise exist as possible enemies, or, in the least, strangers, persists in a long journey that could not, perhaps, been taken, without the support, guidance, and individual talents and personalities that each character brings to the table.  The same goes for Dumbo, with the replacement of Timothy Q. Mouse as his protector, when his mother is taken from him as a young child while simply fulfilling the role of mother and protecting her child.  Similarly, Tod in The Fox and the Hound, is taken in by not one, but two mother figures, Big Mama, the owl, and the Widow Tweed (the parting montage shared between Tod and the Widow Tweed tears my heart out every time I see it).  These extraordinarily significant roles in a person's life play a huge part in the foundation of our personalities, and these issues are not something, one would assume, that are typically approached as children's animations, making them that much more meaningful in their content.

Children are often darker-minded than we think.  Their imaginations may act equally as a doorway into an innocent and whimsical play world as well as a much darker and more insightful play world paralleling reality, but with more exaggerated features.  The boogie man is the unpredictable world we live in and our fears that controls us, personified.  According to this article from Iowa State University, "Several factors contribute to a child developing fears by age 2.  Children beween the ages of 2 and 5 have experienced real fear or pain from being lost, injured, or bitten.  They also have vivid imaginations and struggle with the idea of cause and effect.  A toddler knows something about size and shape, but not enough to be sure that he or she won't be sucked down into the bathtub drain or into a flushing toilet.  Older children also are aware of dangers that they hear about or see on TV.  It's hard to know what is real and what is not".  I'm often reminded of this reaction to unpleasant experiences in life when my students approach me with fears and or tragedies of life.  Often, I see hints of this in their art and will sometimes approach them about it and, more often than not, they really want to talk to someone about these issues.

These issues, when approached through the familiar and comforting form of children's animation helps children to grasp them in a more secure and confident way, not only by accompanying them through these dark moments, but also encouraging them to face life with more confidence, knowing that they're not the only one's who have dealt with fears, tragedy, and other life obstacles.  I believe that the wide range of tragedy transformed into hope and new love, bravery against the unpredictable and unknown, the importance of friendships when you feel most alone, and the imagination within these movies serve to build a child's abstract thought and understanding.  This is why, although, perhaps it's a silly point to make, I find these darker animations to be severely relevant and important.  I'm not saying that children should be exposed to scary cartoons, in fact, I've really just orbited around cartoons appropriate for elementary aged children, and I do believe that it would be unwise to unleash an emotion that has not yet been learned or exposed to by a young child, however, shielding these issues when they've already been introduced into a child's life, could be discouraging to their mental and emotional growth.

So, to round back to my original starting place.  Although I'm a sucker for almost any cartoon and enjoy them immensely as a mode of transportation to relaxation and a trip back to childhood, I believe that the animations featuring the heavier content is essential for the mental and emotional growth and support of a child.  To the deeper and more emotionally charged movies that Disney put out, "Well done!"  And, of course, a high-5 Don Bluth, I think you're the man.

Check it out... I know this is redundant having two articles from apartmenttherapy.com featured one post after the other, but I was reading *this article and started thinking about how Memphis gets a ton of water as well and how Memphians should probably think about these alternative ways to saving and using water more efficiently.  I mean, even though we often associate Seattle with granola, music-loving hipsters, and a general concern for a "greener" lifestyle, that doesn't mean that the South, as well as the rest of the U.S. can't live up to or at least make an effort to work towards a more environmentally conscious ideal as well.

*The article is a quick and informative look on using cisterns to collect rainwater for use within the home water supply as well as irrigation for the yard.  This not only saves money, but it also conserves water, prevents stormwater pollution, offers high-quality water for your plants and yard, as well as earns green building credits.



So, anyway, back to my discovery.  After having read said article, I began thinking about how much rain Memphis gets and began to wonder what exactly our rainfall per inch per year was compared to "The Rainy City's".  I did a quick google search and found this article, which opened my eyes to a lifetime of misconception of the city of Seattle.  Apparently, Memphis is wetter... and so are many other major cities not known for it's rainfall.

So, yeah, I was really excited upon discovering this.  It might not be as exciting as I'm making it out to be and it may simply point out my ignorance so as the weather in America is concerned, but I thought it interesting enough to share.

My bad... I got so busy with the flurry of activities and things to be done this year that I forgot to make my Wednesday post.  Apologies.

I've been dreaming about "nesting" and where that will be once Joey and I are married and find a place to live.  I can't wait to decorate and hopefully create a beautiful home that is welcoming, creatively stimulating, and not as cluttered as my past abodes (knock on wood).

One of the things I would love to be able to have for my future fantasy home, even though I don't actually see this happening until we have a decent backyard, is a chicken coop.  Free fresh eggs, free fertilizer, and feathered friends sounds like a project that I would love to take on.

Thank you everyone, both on and off the blog, who helped out with the choosing of the Save the Date design.  Those should be coming to a mailbox near you sometime soon in the month of Feb.

I figured I would catch you up on Gus pictures since more have surfaced since his arrival.  He's beautiful and I can't help but to look at him in awe.  Friday can't come soon enough when I can actually meet the little guy in person!

Elizabeth, I hope you don't mind that I'm stealing your pictures to show off.  They're beautiful and I can't help but to share them to the world!

Time to Vote!!! Let me know which one you like best... or, if you don't have an opinion either way, then I would love to hear your thoughts or constructive criticisms! Thank you!

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for... may I present to you my beautiful, brand-spanking-new nephew Gus.  We all love him so much already, and I am so eager to meet him I can't stand it!

The Save the Date designs are just about ready to be voted on.  I wanted to have them finished for this post, but ran out of time.  So, I'll try to have that post ready by Wed. if not earlier.  In the meantime, I've been dreaming about the summer, and, even though I don't have the body type to pull it off, I think that this swimsuit, sold by LaBronz on Etsy, is Amazing!

Stumbled across this over my lunch break.  How relaxing and cozy would it be to live here.  I completely swooned when I saw this.

This week has been busy.  Classes started (I've got class Tues., Wed., and Thurs.), I had an observation on Tues. that I believe went pretty well, I've been working on a prop for my buddy Brent, who's creating and managing the design of the event, and school + wedding stuff seals up any left over time.  Phew.  P.S. - Gus is coming soon, oh so soon, and I can't wait!!!

I have a post that I'm working on that I haven't quite finished writing yet.  So, in order to keep "good" with my resolution to create a post every Wed. and Sun., I'm going to put a short and sweet daydream of the haircut I want after Joey and I get married.  Usually, by the time my hair gets this long, I've already gone and chopped it off, so the fact that I have to wait 6 more months to cut it is driving me insane.  I love having my hair short and I only grow it out every once in a while to remember the long haired feeling.  Well, I'm missing my short-haired normalcy and looking forward to the post-wedding haircut.  This is what I'm thinking and I simply cannot wait for that freeing feeling that comes after you've chopped your hair off!

In an earlier post I had shown the process of the "Underwater Sea Collage"(based loosely around Eric Carle's techniques) that my students were creating at school.  The project has come to a close and I am extremely excited with the results.  The kids seem to have really enjoyed this project and the ending products are so much fun to look at.  They did a great job!  My pre-K, as well as my Kindergardeners and First Graders, used pre-cut, warm colored fish and line/shape patterns in order to populate their Underwater sea scene whereas my 2nd-4th graders used the their own textures that they created to draw and cut out any fish or underwater objects.

Wedding plans are slowly starting to come together and I'm beginning to ponder the smaller details more often as the bigger details begin to fall into place.  (By the way... I'm going to be working on an actual "Information Packet" with Joey and I's plans thus far for anyone who is interested.  This will be complete with pictures of the dress and bridesmaids dresses, cake ideas, grooms and groomsmen attire, and much more fun eye candy.)  Anyway, back to what I was saying... I'm thinking about hair.  Usually, when I grow my hair to about this length, I chop it off completely because I prefer it to be short.  However, I realize that it would probably be best to keep it long for the wedding... so I'm going to harness my urge to take some scissors to my hair and instead focus on some pretty hairdo's.  Please, let me know what you think and which hairstyles are your favorites!

If you're ever feeling indecisive and aren't sure what to do about any kind of food or drink consumption, then you can take a look at these handy dandy Food Charts on apartmenttherapy.com!  Pretty fun.

Ok, so tomorrow school starts back marking the beginning of a very busy semester.  I feel good about the mountainous "To Do" list that lies before Joey and I.  When I step back and observe this giant list of challenges, errands, hurtles, and tasks, it looks back at me dauntingly and mockingly... for, in the past, I have proven that organization and accomplishing large quantities of tasks consistently is not my forte.  However, it's a new year, with big milestones.  I've completed all of the courses and tests necessary to gain certification as a teacher, I'm going to be an Aunt soon... very soon, I'm taking the big plunge and getting hitched in June to my best friend, Joey, and I see the light at the end of the tunnel in getting my Masters at the end of FA2010.  It's definitely one of the most exhilarating and exciting times of my life, and I want to be able to breathe it all in and experience it to the fullest.  I have been extremely blessed, and the last thing I want to do is to take it for granted.
So, I'm going to step up to the plate and begin to knock off these "To Do's" one by one while shaking the urge to give way to "the lazies" and give up on my New Year's resolutions.  Though I might falter, I will work my hardest to not procrastinate, stay pro-active in achieving each individual goal, and remain positive when times get overwhelming.  This is my promise to myself.

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year's sealed with either a kiss from their loved one or made merry by the company of good friends.  Goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010.

This post will be short and sweet.  Cliche', though it is, I'm going to list my resolutions for the new year.  I'm determined to better myself and to stick with my goals, so hopefully, by posting them to the world, their will be more pressure, and therefore more motivation, for me to accomplish them.  So, simple as they may be, here are my New Year's Resolutions:

• To Quit Smoking... all together.
• To make it a point to have a real work-out AT LEAST twice a week.
• To keep a cleaner and more organized home.
• To really begin to eat healthier (guzzling LOTS of water) and cook more, using healthy meals and saving money by not eating out all of the time.
• To read at least 15 books this year.
• To complain less.
• To get into a routine of posting at least 2 posts per week... one on Wednesdays and one on Sundays.