My Year in Retrospect

2013 has been one hell of a year.  I fell in love, had my heart broken, met some new friends, lost old friends, re-kindled friendships, lost some loved ones.  I traveled to Orlando, Chicago, NYC, Oshkosh, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Columbus, Bloomington, Philadelphia, and northern New Jersey.  I ran my second marathon.  I decided to do bikram yoga three times a week.  I discovered I like to push my body to extreme physical limits.  I took the LSAT.  I also like to push my brain to extreme physical limits. I saw a lot of live theater: Les Miserables (twice), The Book of Mormon, Urinetown, The Old Man and the Old Moon, Wicked, Hamlet, and The Sound of Music.  I fell in love with Radiolab.  I then saw Jad and Robert live.  I discovered The Pigpen Theatre Co. I saw them live as a band, and as a theatre company.  I continued the tradition of seeing City and Colour live anytime they come to Milwaukee.  I saw Mumford & Sons.  I relished in afternoon impromptu dance parties and many hours spent at Camp.  I took a cooking class on the history of chocolate.  I listened to a woman perform feminist post-apocalyptic poetry. I spent many hours at Drag Queen Bingo. I sang to the ukulele on an outdoor patio. I witnessed a surprise engagement.  I was told of many exciting upcoming events in friends' lives including but not limited to: pregnancies, engagements, and returning to school for advanced degrees. I saw the Hunger Games, twice.  I introduced many a person to Thrift Shop.  I rummaged many rummage sales.  I watched the sun set on Lake Michigan.  I biked around Milwaukee and NYC.  I spent hours swimming under the stars.  I played in a summer beach volleyball league.  I danced on a rooftop in the East Village.  I was introduced to the silliness and awesomeness of Dave & Busters.  I was given too many hugs to count by a little girl who calls me Nenny.  I spent every summer Tuesday night I could at Chill on the Hill. I made countless phone calls to my mother crying when I was stressed and needed someone to talk to.  I discovered espresso and how it really keeps me awake.  I re-discovered my love for soul.  I ate lots of small plate dishes with great friends.  I discovered anyone important in my life likes David Bowie and/or Labyrinth. I listened to a lot of live jazz.  I rode in a taxi with a man named Saul who played Shakira videos to his passengers.  I danced to the entire film of the Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense. I saw the best American contemporary art.  I relished in Thomas Sulley's The Torn Hat. I led 800 college freshman in a dance during their orientation.  I didn't cut my hair for 6 months. I sunbathed in Lake Park. I watched the Brewers play.  I ventured to Northwestern to see my Broncos play.  I cheered on my Buckeyes in the presence of the Golden Eagles.  I drove in a couple blizzards.  I ate a lot of pints of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. I completed a 1,000 piece puzzle.  I attended toddler music classes with my best friend and her daughter.  I helped start a junior astronomy club.  I spent some hours as a receptionist for the Urban Ecology Center.  I listened to Janet Jackson's Number Ones on repeat.  I was introduced to the show GIRLS.  I ate lots of Benji's.  I went on a tour de Midwest road trip, solo.  I snuck on a rooftop at Columbia.  I read Joyce's The Dead.  I took a nap almost every Sunday.

This is a snapshot of my 2013.  It is full of moments. Moments that I can't re-create and moments I can't take back.  Moments that taught me how to feel.  Moments that made me laugh.  Moments that changed me.  Moments that made me stronger.  2013 wasn't the easiest year of my life.  But, it was an important one.  So, thanks 2013.  I am appreciative of these moments and am looking forward to the moments of 2014.  I have a feeling it's gong to be a great year full of many blessings.  Who knows what it will bring and I can't wait to live in those moments.

Beanie Babies

http://www.your90s.com/beanie-babies/

You had them.  You loved them. You had to have them all. I think Beanie Babies really hit their peak of popularity when I was in the 4th and 5th grade - I even had some friends cash in on this fad and make a little profit off of beaded name collars for your favorite Beanie Baby (they were a hot item).  And then there were the special collector editions - I remember going on the hunt for the Princess Diana bear.  I think we picked ours up at a card show in our local mall - it was a hot conversation topic at school the following Monday.   We loved our Beanie Babies so much that my family invested in those beloved plastic tag protectors to keep everything in mint condition.  Also, I'm pretty sure we got the full collection of the McDonald's Happy Meal toys.  So, my family may have all fallen for it and spent far too much money on these toys, but there was something so sweet about finding out their names, birthdays, and bio on each tag that we had to make them a part of our family.

After work today, while driving to head out to my "spot" to go for a run along the lake, I heard a story on NPR's "All Things Considered" about how the creator of the Beanie Baby, Ty Warner, was charged with tax evasion.  He plead guilty today in court and owes a serious amount of money, $53.5 million, in addition to facing jail time.  And all for what?  It saddens me that I was duped.  Duped to believe that these Beanie Babies were created for me to play with and create memories with.  Ty Warner wanted me to buy his bean filled creations so he could put more money in his Swiss Bank accounts for financial gain.  I mean, I get now as an adult that consumerism is something that drives our country - we can't do anything without purchasing something.  Advertisements constantly swarm around us, attempting to target specific groups to get those people to buy those products.  I get it.  And for the most part, I'm OK with it.  I mean, I like to purchase goods that are geared toward me.  I think was saddens me most is his gain was at the expensive of children and their families.  I do appreciate Warner's willingness to plead guilty to the charges and him coming clean now, but it still is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

I can say, however, I haven't really thought about my Beanie Baby collection in quite some time... I'm sort of excited on my next journey home to Michigan to find the bin they're all packed in and say hello to the gang. So I guess, in a way, thank you Ty Warner.

Back to School, Back to School, to Prove I am No Fool...

Billy Madison spoke it best about why it's important to go back to school.  It got me thinking - today marked the first day of school for my students.  Hard to believe summer came and gone, but here we are back in the school year.  With that I'd like to give my personal top 10 countdown as to why one should enjoy the start to a new school year:

1) New outfits.  I remember growing up my sister and I would always do our back to school shopping, which included hitting up the local mall. (Shout out to Woodland Mall)  Unfortunately, my high school had a strict dress code, so I just had a plethora of collared shirts.  But, I did get to break out NEW collared shirts every year.  There's always a positive.

2) Getting back into the routine.  As much as we all enjoy galavanting around in the summertime, it's nice to have a little routine here and there.  I personally like being busy and the school year aids in that sense of business.  Maybe that's why I've continued to work in education...

3) Meeting new people.  A new school year means new people coming into school and the opportunity to make lots of new friends.  I have 750 people living in my building that just want to meet one another.  What a neat thing.  Part of what makes my job most exciting is getting a whole new batch of these first year students to help them with their college transition.  

4) Holding on to the summer anthem.  There's always a song that sort of summed up the summertime.  And although school's back in session, you can still jam out to that song and feel like you're still on vacay.  I think my favorite summer anthem that will take me back will have to be "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk.  Simply amazing.

5) Football season.  I know we've spent the summer enjoying America's pastime, but nothing beats watching a good college football game.  Enough said.

6) Crisp Fall air.  It's just around the corner.  Bust out those layering sweaters and boots - we're almost there!  And nothing smells better that taking in that crisp air, who's with me?!

7) Learning stuff.  Come on, our brains want to learn and absorb as much information as possible.  We might as well be useful and put more fun facts into it.

8) Free stuff.  Working on a college campus opens the flood gate for cool programs that come with a lot of free stuff.  For example, this upcoming Thursday, there will be a festival to celebrate our student organizations on campus with food, fun and prizes followed by an outdoor movie showing of The Great Gatsby!  All free!  Count me in!

9) Have I mentioned football season?  I'm sorry, I'm just so geeked to watch some football, preferably my Buckeyes (O-H)!

10) The countdown begins.  Although we're excited for the year to start, of course the countdown begins until the next break.  You've always got to have something to look forward to!

Happy Learning!

Best. (and shortest) Reunion. Ever.

To be honest, MTV has fallen off my radar as a station that I frequent.  I don't frequent TV in general, but when I do it tends to just be a lot of HGTV.  This changed earlier this week with the announcement that Justin Timberlake would possibly be reuniting with the group that started his career, *NSYNC.  I was so excited with the thought, I could have peed myself with glee.  Too much?  Let me further explain.  *NSYNC was my boyband.  Hands down.  I saw them twice in concert, once just following their Disney Special (please check out this link... their outfits are priceless) and the second on their first arena tour (they never came back to Grand Rapids after that performance because they blew up).  Following these live concert experiences, I often rushed home after school to turn on TRL to see Carson Daly play their videos, and on several occasions they were special guests of the show.  And although now I totally think JT brought sexy back, in 1998 I was mad crushin' on JC Chasez.  Obvi.

So, for the first time in years I had my girlfriends over for a little VMA viewing party.  We commentated on the outfits (or lack thereof).  We watched the performances (and were appalled by Miley Cyrus).  We ate cake (it was delicious).  We painted our nails (they look semi-professional).  And we freaked out the entire Justin Timberlake performance (duh).  For 20 minutes we were back in high school.  And I couldn't have been happier.  If anyone else noticed, JT started with more recent songs and slowly worked his way back to the *NSYC tribute.  So what if only 3/5 of the group are in shape? Sorry, Chris and Joey.  Love you both, but those jackets looked a little tight.  Granted, you still were able to seriously bust a move. It was the most amazing minute and a half of my recent life.  I was transported back into the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids, MI.  I was in seventh grade again, screaming my head off for 5 guys that sang of teen love and heartbreak. 

Tonight's performance gave me hope.  Boybands of the past have been making major comebacks.  This summer NKOTB, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men toured the nation. Could this be the start of *NSYNC's new beginning?!  I sure hope so.  Here's to wishful thinking.  Until then, I'll just jam out on Spotify in my office to their classics like "Digital Getdown," "Space Cowboy," "Here We Go," "Girlfriend," and "Dirty Pop."  Don't judge me.

When Pop Culture is No Longer Pop

I've been on this kick as of late - a Gilmore Girls kick.  This show serves as one of my favorites - I watched every episode weekly with my sister and mother (and now own the entire series).  For one hour a week, the Steiner Girls wanted to be the Gilmore Girls.  I often wanted to have my own Gilmore Girl moments fast gabbing throwing around witty remarks intermixed with pop culture references.  

As I've been re-watching the show (currently perusing season 3 where one episode guest stars a young John Hamm), I've giggled several times as references that were current and fresh at the time of filming are old news.  For example, a reference was made to the former power couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and that it would be mad if they were to end their relationship.  Now, in 2013 - we're very aware that they broke up many years ago and Brad is happily apart of the Brangelina phenomena.  

It got me thinking - when is pop culture no longer considered pop?  Think of today's Kardashians'.  Yes, Kimye is featured maybe on the daily thanks to Perez Hilton, but it will only be a matter of time before someone else comes along.  I guess that's why their doing their best to soak it up while they can.

But seriously - what makes pop culture lose it's pop?  And how is it determined that something stays important and becomes a part of history as opposed to today's tabloid news?  Last night, I was listening to an old RadioLab episode on Emergence - the science of complex systems created from relatively humble beginnings. The internet is one example of emergence where from a micro level seems simple and from a macro level is a very complex system.  With technology advances today, it makes it easy for us to obtain information about the new and exciting this and that of society.  It's instant.  It's user friendly.  It's at our finger tips.  We can Facebook, instagram and tweet information and use these avenues to find the latest trends.  Its also an easy way to drop the old and embrace the new.  

After some thought, it's pretty certain that a number of factors contribute to things losing their pop.  When one thing loses it's pop, another thing will come to replace it.  And although the topic of "thing" is different, the underlying themes remain.  Think of my example of Brad and Jen.  They were Hollywood's power couple in 2002.  Now, one may consider Jay-Z and Beyonce' to be unstoppable.  Regardless of the year, we still have a couple that many in society adore and reference.  This keeps them relevant.  This gives them their pop.  And for now, that's all that matters.

Guns of Love

Today, I made a rediscovery of my childhood years.  Today, I rediscovered The Moffatts.  Who are The Moffatts, you may ask?  Well, let me tell you - they are a group of four Canadian country singing brothers. Sound like an oxymoron to you?  It's not.  Think of it as Hanson for country music.  

I honestly think I learned about The Moffatts from my grandparents.  One day they brought over the cassette tape to play for my sister and I and instantly we fell in love.  They had great hits like The Caterpillar Crawl and I Think She Likes Me.  And of course, Guns of Love.  I can distinctly remember nights where I would put that cassette into my walkman and place those headphones on my head and sing along (sort of defeating the purpose of using a walkman).

My rediscovery was sparked by a conversation with a co-worker today about how students we work with know less and less about major events happening in the early 90s.  He stated that he had some students who didn't know about the Oklahoma City Bombing.  Although this may be a bit shocking, many of the students who we work with were born right around 1995 when the bombing took place.  As a response to this tragic event, The Moffatts paid tribute to those lost in the bombing by releasing the single Guns of Love. 

Although I never knew much about The Moffatts after their debut album was released in 1995, I do know that they will always hold a special place in my heart and I will forever be grateful for the memories.  

With the 18th anniversary of the bombing happening later this month, I think it's appropriate to share their song Guns of Love.  Enjoy.

Who Run the Superbowl... Beyonce'

I'd like to think that I'm a strong independent female.  Often times, the media doesn't portray women to fit this image and that woman are merely sex symbols.  Last night during the Superbowl, Beyonce' took the stage for the halftime show and got me thinking...

Beyonce' is beautiful and talented.  Often times, the lyrics to her songs are very empowering to young woman, celebrating single-hood or talking about how girls run the world.  And although I loved every second of seeing an all female band and all female dancers backing one of the most successful female artists of all time, I couldn't help but wonder... is this empowering or degrading?  Yes, I partially would love to own and rock an outfit similar to that of Beyonce' up on that stage... a girl can dream, right?  But that outfit is exactly buying into what the media believes to be beautiful - leather, lace, and lots of skin.  Was I impressed in her ability to rock it out on that stage in heels? You bet.  I actually would love to learn all the choreography from her show.  It was dynamic and energetic. 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is although yesterday's Superbowl extravaganza - or as some called it, the Beyonce' Bowl - brought back moments of nostalgia of listening to Destiny's Child on repeat in my childhood home, I couldn't help but also think of how thin and perfect Beyonce' looked. Reflecting on it today, I couldn't help but think of the parallels of Beyonce's performance to that of a beauty pageant.  Contests like Miss America or Miss USA offer scholarship opportunities for young women and serve as a tool to empower them to reach their career goals.  Yet, in order to win the crown, these young woman walk across a stage with flawless makeup in a swimsuit or a ballgown, hoping it will bring about victor.  I do support the idea of empowering young woman and am actively engaging in my community this summer with the Junior Miss participants to lead them in some team building exercises.  What I find so empowering about Junior Miss is that the young ladies I will work with will be competing in a pageant, but the foundation of the experience will be rooted in leadership.  And that's maybe why at the core, I find the performance from last night's Superbowl to be noteworthy - behind all that leather and lace are some powerful lyrics that teach young woman that it's OK to be independent. 

On the flip side, I can't help but bring to light the bigger issues that come to mind about gendering and being a strong woman.  You can't just be a successful woman, you also have to be sexy while doing it (or so the media tells us). In order for young woman to obtain the American dream, they have to have brains and beauty... Just some food for thought.