Deep thought for the day:
If you were the marketing manager for a play at a theater, and the play were showing at said theater Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, would taking Tuesday and Wednesday off work be the most logical thing to do, marketing-wise?
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Monday, 28 April 2008
whiny pants
The conundrum of the day and evening is whether I ask my newspaper teacher for a chat to discuss the fact that she continually elevates the other team's newspaper while making "joking" comments about our team never getting our paper out on time and suggesting that we do a lot of complaining. (We have gotten our paper out on time, and we did it weeks ago, before the other team did.) And I'm not a terribly competitive person, but it pisses me off that it doesn't matter what we do or how hard we work, we still get these comments.
On the one hand, it doesn't matter much, because in a week and a half, we'll never have to listen to her comments on our newspapers ever again. In fact, we won't ever make newspapers in this context ever again. But on the other hand, I'm a big believer in the idea that if you continually shit on a certain person's or group's work or on them as people, their confidence will go down and their work will get worse as a result.
Did you ever see the Brown Eyes/Blue Eyes film/documentary? Well, what happened was, there was a teacher (this was maybe in the 1960s) who wanted to teach her young class (probably 1st graders or thereabouts) about racism. All the kids in her class were white. So what she did one day, without any warning to them, was start making comments about how brown-eyed people were so much smarter and better at their tasks than blue-eyed people. When a blue-eyed child made a mistake, she'd say something like: "Well, what can you expect from someone with blue eyes?"
The day went on, and the blue-eyed kids participated less and made more mistakes. In addition, the brown-eyed kids started being very cruel to the blue-eyed kids. The next day or week, the teacher switched, and the blue-eyed people were better, with similar results.
I know my stupid newspaper class is not like racism, and not really much like this experiment either. But it's what I've been thinking about. And I am having a hard time focusing on the reading I have to do for an essay for another class, when I am thinking about this problem. I suppose the solution is to wait until tomorrow, at least. If, when I wake up, I am still bothered by it, I go have a chat. I explain that I realize perhaps that the other team is better at making newspapers. I can live with that. But I don't think it helps us to improve when all positive criticism goes to them, and none to us. Maybe we are the complainy team, but who ever got his or her point across without being a little complainy once in a while?
On the one hand, it doesn't matter much, because in a week and a half, we'll never have to listen to her comments on our newspapers ever again. In fact, we won't ever make newspapers in this context ever again. But on the other hand, I'm a big believer in the idea that if you continually shit on a certain person's or group's work or on them as people, their confidence will go down and their work will get worse as a result.
Did you ever see the Brown Eyes/Blue Eyes film/documentary? Well, what happened was, there was a teacher (this was maybe in the 1960s) who wanted to teach her young class (probably 1st graders or thereabouts) about racism. All the kids in her class were white. So what she did one day, without any warning to them, was start making comments about how brown-eyed people were so much smarter and better at their tasks than blue-eyed people. When a blue-eyed child made a mistake, she'd say something like: "Well, what can you expect from someone with blue eyes?"
The day went on, and the blue-eyed kids participated less and made more mistakes. In addition, the brown-eyed kids started being very cruel to the blue-eyed kids. The next day or week, the teacher switched, and the blue-eyed people were better, with similar results.
I know my stupid newspaper class is not like racism, and not really much like this experiment either. But it's what I've been thinking about. And I am having a hard time focusing on the reading I have to do for an essay for another class, when I am thinking about this problem. I suppose the solution is to wait until tomorrow, at least. If, when I wake up, I am still bothered by it, I go have a chat. I explain that I realize perhaps that the other team is better at making newspapers. I can live with that. But I don't think it helps us to improve when all positive criticism goes to them, and none to us. Maybe we are the complainy team, but who ever got his or her point across without being a little complainy once in a while?
Monday, 7 April 2008
Selling my soul to the masters of the printed word
Ok, so not the masters, exactly. Just some people who print words on paper. I have now applied for five internships/work placements. The last one, which just went out about 8 minutes ago, was the toughest. It's for a pretty well-known magazine here in the UK, on the Arts and Books desk. So, obviously, for someone like me, a dream internship. I just realized in the last couple of weeks that what I really would like to do is be the woman who runs Bookslut (which is an online book magazine, for those of you behind the times). I don't even need to be her, but to be as much like her, job-wise, as humanly possible would be sweet. She gets paid to blog about book news (which includes comics and almost anything related to the written word), to interview cool authors, and to read books. Publishers send free books to her door!!!
Anyhow, that is the ultimate internship, the last one out, but any internship would be good.
Tomorrow Dan and I head to Edinburgh for a well-deserved vacation. Two of my classmates will be there at the same time, so maybe we will even have friends on our vacation. I really want to see a loch. The other goal of the trip is to figure out where to find media/publishing/journalism job ads in Edinburgh, so I can job hunt there. Oh yeah, and if we like Edinburgh, we might move there in September (only for a year, only for a year, stop freaking out). But nothing is certain these days.
Today I mail my tax returns, buy film for the trip, and figure out how the hell we get to the airport tomorrow morning. Ta.
Anyhow, that is the ultimate internship, the last one out, but any internship would be good.
Tomorrow Dan and I head to Edinburgh for a well-deserved vacation. Two of my classmates will be there at the same time, so maybe we will even have friends on our vacation. I really want to see a loch. The other goal of the trip is to figure out where to find media/publishing/journalism job ads in Edinburgh, so I can job hunt there. Oh yeah, and if we like Edinburgh, we might move there in September (only for a year, only for a year, stop freaking out). But nothing is certain these days.
Today I mail my tax returns, buy film for the trip, and figure out how the hell we get to the airport tomorrow morning. Ta.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
If you dream in Lebanese food, I lived your dream last night
If the underlying goal of doing an international MA program was to have friends from other countries come over and cook food at my home, my work here is done.
Iesmin (pictured, cutting pita), wanted to have a Lebanese night so she could cook food for people. She decided her university housing wasn't an appropriate venue so we had the evening at our home. Score one for us, because in addition to the fun, we got to keep the leftovers. Her new bf, shown observing in the photo above, helped a lot with the cooking.
Wook (pictured, frying delicious Korean barbecue) decided to participate as well. He was one of the first guests to arrive, and he made good use of our kitchen to whip up some Korean barbecued pork and some fried tofu.
The spread:
Just go ahead and keep your envy in your own dance space, ok?
Iesmin (pictured, cutting pita), wanted to have a Lebanese night so she could cook food for people. She decided her university housing wasn't an appropriate venue so we had the evening at our home. Score one for us, because in addition to the fun, we got to keep the leftovers. Her new bf, shown observing in the photo above, helped a lot with the cooking.
Wook (pictured, frying delicious Korean barbecue) decided to participate as well. He was one of the first guests to arrive, and he made good use of our kitchen to whip up some Korean barbecued pork and some fried tofu.
The spread:
Just go ahead and keep your envy in your own dance space, ok?
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