Inner Thoughts & Outbursts

How to feel great about yourself for $2.74

2011-06-29T21:21:00.004-04:00

It's been over a year since I last wrote about the Prison Book Program. In March 2010, the Prison Book Program ran a dictionary drive. I sent in a donation to cover the cost of five dictionaries and was so impressed by the organization that I started volunteering with them.

In the past year I've worked to set up a blog featuring essays and artwork from inmates who write to the Prison Book Program. I've donated books, sorted mail, packaged books for inmates and worked the organization's postage machine. I've recruited a few friends who now volunteer on a regular basis, typing up essays from inmates and sorting through donated books. In short, I've become involved in an organization doing good work and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Now, the Prison Book Program is running another dictionary drive. Inmates use dictionaries to improve their spelling and vocabulary. They use them to check Scrabble words and to help solve crossword puzzles. These prisoners are using dictionaries to improve their lives by making positive choices that focus on education.

Please join me in donating to the Prison Book Program's dictionary drive. $2.74 will buy you a large cup of iced coffee, or provide an inmate with a life-changing dictionary. A mere $13.70 provides five prisoners with dictionaries (or it might buy you a movie ticket and—if you're lucky—a small popcorn). You can change the life of 20 inmates by donating $54.80—the price of a dinner out.

So, consider skipping one cup of coffee, a movie ticket, or a dinner out with your partner and change a life instead. The warm fuzzies you'll receive will be worth it.

Tornadoes hit Western Massachusetts

2011-06-02T21:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, tornadoes touched down in my city and some surrounding communities. My family is safe, as is my home, but I'm still shaken. I think I'm feeling shaky for three main reasons.

First, I've always lived in Massachusetts and I've always believed that my little corner of the world is relatively safe from disaster. For the most part, we don't have earthquakes here or hurricanes. Volcanoes don't erupt. We're not in danger of tsunami waves. New England has always felt safe and free of the natural disasters that plague other parts of the country. This tornado business caught me completely off guard.

Then, there's the fact that the tornado struck so close to home. One tornado touched down only two miles from my house; it hit a neighborhood I drive by frequently, and an area where friends live. While I am grateful that the tornado avoided my house, it's eerie to think about how close it really came. It's even more unsettling to think about the danger my boyfriend was in. He works in a nearby town and a tornado touched down in the parking lot next to his building. Windows were blown out, power lines went down, and trees crashed everywhere. Nearly all the cars in the lot were damaged; some flipped over completely, others were hit with tree branches and debris, and some simply had their windows smashed by rocks. My boyfriend and his coworkers managed to get out of the building safely, but the building is now uninhabitable.

The final reason I still feel shaky is because in the worst-hit areas, the damage and destruction is so complete. Cars were tossed around and landed top-down. Trash barrels, tree branches, and lawn furniture blew together to create small mountains of debris. Roofs were ripped off of schools. The scene that struck me most profoundly was a damaged three-story apartment building made of brick. The whole front of the building had been ripped away by the tornado; what was left looked like some sort of tragic dollhouse—furniture and appliances still inside, but the front wall completely missing. All this complete destruction, and yet, in areas just a couple of miles from the flattened neighborhoods, people were back to business as usual.

I guess that's the eeriest part—the fact that there was a lot of sunshine today and that my house looks no worse for wear, but just down the road, entire homes were blown off their foundations. Four people have already died in Massachusetts as a result of the tornadoes. Towns have declared a state of emergency and the governor called in the National Guard. My little piece of the globe is both completely devastated and wholly unaffected, depending only on which end of the road you happen to be on.

The extremes make my head feel a little woozy. I feel blessed and relieved that my family and friends are safe; a few of our friends suffered some property damage, but to my knowledge no one was seriously hurt and none of their homes were flattened. That being said, neighborhoods I know and love have been destroyed and it will likely take a long time to rebuild. For now, I'm hoping to support my community and help out when I'm needed. I'm also saying a prayer to thank God that everyone I know is all right.

To help with relief efforts, consider making a contribution to the Red Cross.

The heartbreaking effects of homelessness

2011-04-20T18:00:00.011-04:00

For a few years I worked for a non-profit that helped homeless children and their families get access to early education services and become self-sufficient. Our communications director used to joke that we never needed a public relations campaign because the thought of homeless children was compelling enough on its own. She was right, of course, as no one likes to think of children being homeless. As a result, people donated time and money to help our organization help these children.

As heartbreaking as the thought of a homeless child is, I had an even more profound experience with homelessness today. As I was driving to work this morning, I saw a young woman standing near the off-ramp of the highway with a cardboard sign that read "Homeless. Please help." As my car neared the place where the woman was standing, the light turned green and I drove past her with a line of cars both ahead of and behind me.

I knew as I passed, however, that I had to do something. For the first time, I saw someone who looked like me, standing on the side of the road, and it broke my heart. It really made me think—she could have been one of my friends. She could have been me.

We've all seen homeless men sitting around with their paper cups out, asking for change, walking around with their cardboard signs reading "Help a homeless vet," and "Will work for food." We've seen the woman with her shopping cart wearing eight layers of clothing. And when you've worked with homeless families, like I have, you've seen all kinds of women and their children. Black, white, recent immigrants, native speakers, old, young, educated, uneducated... I thought I'd seen it all.

But today I saw that woman and she looked like me. She was younger, granted, but not by much. She was probably in her early twenties. She wore a light jacket and carried a messenger-style bag over her shoulder. She looked like a college student.

For a minute, the thoughts of a scam ran through my head. She's so young! How could she be homeless? It must be an act.

But it was dreary today and raw. It had been drizzling all morning and showed no signs of stopping. Who would stand out in that weather looking ashamed if it was just a ruse?

Scam or not, I decided to go back. I stopped at a convenience store just down the road and bought some food. I tried to choose things that were both appealing and would provide some nutritional value—a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and cheese, a bag of trail mix, a bag of snack mix. I asked for a plastic bag and drove back to the girl on the side of the road. I had to honk, since she was on the far side of the median and her back was toward me. I motioned her over and she came in an instant.

"Here," I said. "I don't really carry cash, but I stopped and bought some food for you."

She looked at me with wide eyes and just said, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," I said. "I hope it helps. Good luck."

She thanked me again and we looked at each other for a few seconds before I hopped back in my car. As I pulled away and turned around to drive to work, I saw someone else talking to her through the window of a car. I hoped that whoever it was might be able to help her.

I thought about that girl all day. Would she be okay? How did she get there—both literally and figuratively—in the first place? I wished that I had contacts in the area who could help her get the services she needed. My contacts from my former job were all hours away on the other side of the state, and it made me feel helpless.

Regardless of how the woman got there, homelessness is a real problem in America. It's easy to say "he brought it on himself!" when we see a grisly old man drinking on the street. And in some ways, maybe he did, but he—like 39% of the homeless, up to 76% of homeless vets—may be fighting a debilitating mental illness. The homeless woman with small children may have lost her home to a fire. A young woman may have left an abusive relationship. A young man may have aged out of the foster care system.

The point is, homelessness is devastating—not only for those who experience it firsthand, but for those in the community. It broke my heart to see that girl today; people shouldn't have to live like that in this country. We should all worry a little less about how people got in the situation and worry a little more about what we can do to prevent it from happening to other people.

And to the girl I saw today, I hope you're okay and that you've found a safe place to stay the night. Tomorrow is a new day; may it be the day you get back on your feet.

Riding along in my automobile...

2011-04-14T17:28:00.004-04:00

When I was in high school my stepmother bought a used convertible. It was a late-80s-issued VW Cabriolet with a maroon exterior and tan interior, and considering that it was now into the late '90s, the car looked a little worn, but it didn't matter to me. Being that I was a licensed driver without a car of my own, I was allowed to drive the Cabriolet often.

My favorite time to drive the car was in the summer, with the top down. I'd toss my mixed CDs into the passenger's seat, pop my cassette adapter into the car and plug it into my Discman, then ride off into town.

I especially loved getting on the highway. Though the Cabriolet couldn't go much faster than 60 miles per hour, I'd hop on Route 2 and happily drive 55 mph with the top down and the stereo cranked. I sang along to rock and roll and pop songs at the top of my lungs, with the wind whipping my hair around and the sun beating down on my skin. I loved the feel of the air blowing around the car and the sticky-hot burn of the sun turning my arms pink. I wore sunglasses and often swooped my left hand in the wind as I drove.

Since then I've maintained that there's little better than driving around in a convertible with the sun shining and the music blasting. Even a rusty convertible is infinitely cooler than the sensible sedan I drive now! And while I haven't driven a convertible in many years, today's warm weather inspired me to roll down the windows of my boring ol' Chevy and crank up the tunes. I even dug out an old CD full of random songs that I had burned while in high school. Driving home in the bright sun listening to Dave Matthews and Coldplay, the Counting Crows and Journey put me in a good mood and I smiled all the way home, thinking of summer days in my Cabriolet.

Still shaking my groove thing

2011-03-23T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that (Just) Dancing my ass off is still working.

So far, I haven't gotten bored by exercising. I'm sticking with my change-what-you-do-every-time routine and it seems to be keeping me motivated. To keep the momentum going, I splurged on a copy of Just Dance 2, and added a few similar games (like Dance on Broadway and Zumba Fitness) to my wish list. Even more exciting, perhaps, was my discovery of the Exercise TV channel that I can watch "on-demand" through my cable box. With the click of a remote I was dancing along with Billy Blanks Jr. for 20 minutes and bumbling my way through a hip-hop workout with a perky twenty-something. Either way, I was burning calories.

The best thing about the on-demand workout videos is that they're free! A close second, however, is the fact that there are enough videos to keep me entertained for quite some time and the selection changes with relative frequency. It really is much more appealing to turn on the TV, scroll through the options, and decide if I'm more interested in a Latin dancing workout or an arm-toning session, than it is to run to nowhere on a treadmill.

I haven't yet stepped on a scale during this latest attempt at fitness. Right now, I'm more interested in getting in the habit of getting moving than I am in wondering if the scale shows any progress. Given my proclivity for getting discouraged, I've decided that moving is better than not moving, and for now, that's all the motivation I need. I don't need a scale to tell me that I'm doing something good for myself.

Note: If you need some dance-like games and videos to inspire your own routine, try one of my favorites (suggestions in the widget below). The widget also includes a few pieces of exercise equipment that I've found helpful.

Bring on spring!

2011-03-20T08:37:00.007-04:00

Today marks the first day of spring and I am relieved.

I have lived in New England my whole life and I'm one of those stubborn Yankees that rolls my eyes and crosses my arms when someone complains about winter in New England. My thoughts were always, Too much snow? Why do you live here? or the classic If you don't like the weather in New England, wait five minutes. I had no patience for people who grumbled about winter; I always just dealt with the snow and haughtily embraced my Yankee grit.

But this year, Mother Nature got the best of me.

Surrounded by mountains of snow, I woke up each morning, peeked out the window, and cursed as I saw the inevitable snow that fallen in the night. I woke up hours earlier than usual to shovel. I crept along to work each morning as my 35-minute commute stretched into 45 minutes, then an hour, and sometimes nearly two. I gave up on wearing anything other than my sturdy boots. I bundled up like I was preparing for an excursion along some frozen tundra and I complained about the weather to anyone who would listen. In short, my hearty Yankee spirit got tossed right out the window into a snowbank.

Now, of course, I'm unbelievably thrilled that spring is here. It's such a relief! Yes, there's still snow on the ground, and yes, I know it could still snow, but the sun is warm and spirits are high. It's just the push I need to forget about winter for awhile.

Happy spring!

(Just) Dance your ass off

2011-03-11T07:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay. I don't have the best track record with exercise. I get bored. I give up. I abandon my workout for a plate of nachos and a glass of wine.

But this time I've figured it out! (Don't roll your eyes! I can see you rolling your eyes!) The answer? VARIETY.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before. As we all know, I figured out that I have to exercise when it doesn't feel like I have to, but apparently that isn't enough. I also have to have some fun while I'm exercising. Moreover, I'm easily bored so I have to change things up frequently. (Damn, I'm picky.)

So I finally found a bunch of things that I like in small doses and I've been rotating them. I feel brilliant. (Seriously, why didn't I think of this sooner?)

I know why I didn't think of this sooner. Because fit people have exercise "plans" and "routines." They get up at 6 a.m. and run for an hour. They take Zumba on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. They do yoga before breakfast and take walks before dinner. They toil away at the gym five days a week. They track their progress on pedometers, charts, and online forums. So if fit people have plans, shouldn't I have a plan if I want to be fit?

The answer is a resounding "no." It's obvious that I've never been able to stick to a "plan". So it makes sense that my new plan would be no plan.

The only routine in my new plan is that I get my butt in gear doing some cardio every other day. On the off days I try to do some strength training by lifting weights and stretching (or just carrying colossal loads of laundry up and down the stairs).

On my cardio days I boogie in my living room to Wii games like Just Dance and shake my groove thing to exercise DVDs like Bollywood Booty. (No, seriously, I do.) When the weather is nicer, I'll add riding my bike and taking walks around the neighborhood. I'm even trying yoga (though yoga via DVD is hard to do, since you can't look at the screen and bend over at the same time).

The trick, I've learned, is not to do the same thing two sessions in a row. The appeal of even the most enjoyable workouts wears off too quickly when I do the same exercise DVDs over and over, or even walk the same loop around town.

So, maybe this time it will work for me. Maybe not having a plan is the best plan I've ever had when it comes to exercise.

Of course, if anyone knows any cheesy dancing games or workout videos, feel free to send them my way. There's always room for variety in this girl's workout.

Parents worried about 'racy magazines' should worry about parenting instead

2011-02-05T08:46:00.009-05:00

Actress Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry on the popular television show Glee, has come under fire for "racy" magazine photo shoots.

The newest cover of Cosmopolitan magazine (left) features Lea Michele in a dress with a plunging neckline. The photo, combined with a story where Lea Michele apparently discusses a "perfect night" that includes a glass of wine and chatting with her boyfriend, is too much for some conservative parents who think Lea Michele is sending the wrong message to children.

Fox News recently published an article claiming that "Lea Michele's Sexy Switch Has Moms Mad". One such mom, Kim Trefcer, mom of a 12-year-old boy, told the news outlet that she thinks Lea Michele "is sending the wrong message. She plays such a 'good girl' on Glee and a lot of kids look up to her persona. Then she poses very provocatively on two magazine covers which makes my almost-13-year-old son very confused and offended." She continued by saying, "I find it frustrating as a parent who is trying to teach right from wrong to their kids and then you have things like this happen which is showing middle schoolers things like sex sells and all that goes along with that."

Here's what I find confusing and offensive: letting your prepubescent son look at Cosmo magazine. Cosmopolitan is intended for adult women; nearly 60% of the magazine's readers are between the ages of 18 and 34. Besides, Cosmo doesn't exactly have a reputation for being squeaky-clean. Word on the street is that the magazine has long-attracted readers who want to read racier stories than those found in other women's magazines.

Lea Michele is 24 years old. Yes, she plays a teenager on television. Yes, many teenagers watch her show. Yes, her recent photos show some skin. But Lea Michele is a grown woman posing for a magazine aimed at grown women. And while a past shoot in GQ included some pretty provocative photos, the bottom line is that parents need to stop blaming actresses and magazines for "showing things like sex sells".

Of course sex sells! The question is to whom is it selling? Parents need to start parenting and stop blaming. If Kim Trefcer is concerned about her son looking at photos of Lea Michele in low-cut dresses, don't let the kid buy Cosmo! If the boy stumbles across a copy of the magazine in the checkout line, maybe his mother should try having a discussion with him rather than shelter him from the real world. How does Trefcer plan to "teach right from wrong" to her child if she's not capitalizing on the teachable moments in front of her?

Next time Trefcer and her son stumble across a racy magazine cover, she should start a conversation with him. Ask him some questions. Point out the difference between fantasy (magazine cover photo shoots, adults playing teenagers on TV) and reality (Lea Michele is 24 years old; she likes — and is allowed — to dress up in fancy clothes sometimes). If the boy wants to read magazines, offer him a subscription to Boys' Life or Sports Illustrated for Kids.

A person can't claim to "teach" something by standing idly by and hoping that a "lesson" is absorbed passively. It's the same reason that abstinence-only sex education does not work; by avoiding the topic, children don't receive any factual information. The only way to ensure that our children learn right from wrong is to teach them, and teaching requires frank discussions and conversations.

Lea Michele is a talented actress and singer. If she chooses to pose for magazine covers, good for her. If the photos show some skin, so be it. If the photos appeared in a kids' magazine, Trefcer and other angry parents would have a legitimate reason to cry foul, but the photos are intended for adult readers. Ultimately, parents need to take responsibility for teaching their children right from wrong and rely a little less on blaming the media.

Amazon's Kindle: A bibliophile's e-book reader review

2011-01-11T11:01:00.002-05:00

There's been a lot of talk in the past year about e-book readers. Amazon's Kindle came onto the market in time for Christmas sales in 2007, while the other major players in the e-book world -- Sony's Reader and Barnes & Noble's nook -- made their way onto the scene in late 2006 and 2009, respectively.

When e-book readers first came out I was happy to join in the debate. As an avid reader, I grew up loving books; not just reading, mind you, but books as well. I love the way a well-read book falls open and the way certain childhood favorites retain jellybean-shaped stickers on their covers or bubble bath stains on their pages. I love browsing through the shelves of books at the library, choosing brightly-covered volumes and well-worn novels from the stacks. I love the musty smell of old hardcovers in the darkest corners of libraries and estate sales. And I really love my home bookshelf covered in my favorite books, like little trophies of my reading accomplishments. How could an e-book compare?

Then, I received an Amazon Kindle for Christmas. At first, I was surprised. What would I do with this thing? Where were its pages? Who wants to snuggle up with electronics? (And who wants to pay for books you can't hold?)

Since then I've come to love the Kindle. I don't think it will (and hope it won't!) replace honest-to-goodness books, but I think it's wonderful in its own way.

For starters, a fair number of books are available for free downloads. Many of these books are in the public domain (primarily meaning that book has been around long enough for the intellectual property rights to have expired), so you can read classics like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Dracula free of charge. Amazon.com also offers a selection of Limited Time offers which are (usually) free for anywhere from a day to a month or so. Once you've downloaded the books, they're yours to keep, regardless of whether the price eventually goes up. I tend to check the page once or twice a week, downloading any free books that seem interesting. I've found a few gems this way and have read books by both popular and virtually-unknown writers. Downloading free books assuaged my fear of paying for books that I couldn't keep on a shelf.

The Kindle is also incredibly handy for traveling. Instead of packing my carry-on bag with two or three novels and a handful of magazines, I simply pack the Kindle. Currently, I have 67 books on my Kindle. I could never bring 67 (or even five or six) books on vacation! Bringing the Kindle saves space and allows me the luxury of changing my mind on a whim, if I'm not in the mood to read whichever book I'm in the middle of. With a Kindle, I simply switch to another book until I'm back in the frame of mind to finish the temporarily-abandon book. (Bonus: The Kindle saves your place in each book you are reading, allowing a fickle reader like me to switch back and forth between stories without having to find my place again.)

Sounds wonderful, right? I see you skeptics out there... But Danielle, you say, who wants to cozy up with a tiny computer? I hear you. I have to say, however, that the Kindle is hardly a tiny computer. While it has the memory to hold 200 to 1,500 books (depending on which generation you own), the Kindle is not back-lit like a computer. This saves your eyes from the strain you may experience while reading on a computer all day. You need to read your Kindle in the light, just like any paperback. And while you're reading an electronic device, rather than a comfy book, I minimized the cold technology feel by purchasing a leather-like cover for mine that attaches to the Kindle and opens and closes just like a book.

Okay, Danielle, you concede, but what about the feel of the pages? You've got me there. On a Kindle, you do have to press a button each time you want to flip the page. While it may not be as fun as turning the pages of treasured volume, it isn't as distracting as I imagined it might be. I hardly notice any more.

There are of course, plenty of instances where printed books still win over electronic books. For starters, I'd find it hard to plop myself into the bathtub with a Kindle. Electronics and occasional splashes don't mix. And I don't think Kindles are an alternative to children's books, which have a beauty and feeling all their own. Of course, there's also the chance that your Kindle's battery might die while you are unable to plug it in to charge, which is an obvious win for printed books over e-readers.

That being said, I think book lovers ought not worry about e-readers taking over the publishing world; there are far too many reasons why printed books are still wonderful. Instead of saying that the Kindle is better than a good-old-fashioned book, I'm simply saying that there's room for the Kindle at my table. (In fact, I love reading the Kindle at the table -- I don't have to prop it open like a paperback novel.) It's great for travel and isn't so bad to snuggle up with after all.

Why not give it an e-reader a try?

A reflection on last year's resolutions, and a few for 2011

2011-01-03T16:02:00.006-05:00

At first glance, 2010 didn't feel like a super productive year. When I looked back at my resolutions for the year, however, I wasn't too far off track.

Here's a recap of last year's resolutions:

Write more/become a better writer. I can check this one off my list. While I didn't write for Inner Thoughts & Outbursts every week, I did, in fact, write more than I had in 2009, and became a better writer to boot. Over the course of the year, I discovered that I wanted to focus on other writing projects like my 15-Minute Party Planner blog. Conclusion: Adapting resolutions so that they better suit your overall goals is still a great form of self-improvement!

Pay attention to the positive. This one can get tough sometimes, but I feel like I did a pretty good job! I faithfully wrote in my Good Thing of the Day book nearly every day, and I've been focusing on the good things in my life. I also drew some inspiration from Erma Bombeck's If I Had My Life to Live Over. The piece reminded me not to wait for "someday", but to use the pretty candles and the fancy office supplies today. I didn't worry about breaking the dishes, I just used them to make dinners fancier.

Get healthier. Alright, maybe this one didn't work out as well as I hoped for. I did set the stage for some good habits -- I bought a bicycle, got a rice cooker (for faster, healthier meals), and tried to walk whenever I could while running errands. Oh well; a less than stellar outcome is inspiration to try again.

Do things for me. This resolution felt connected to focusing on the positive. I found joy in using pretty things for everyday uses and took time to craft, write, and do things I enjoy. Most significantly, I left a stressful job this year. While I left my job because of a cross-state move, it was a bit scary to become unemployed. Instead of panicking, however, I embraced the break from work and concentrated on putting my new house in order, organizing my writing, and spending time with friends and family. I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Now, when it comes to this year, my general resolution is to keep learning and growing. More specifically, I hope to make small changes that add up to big changes. In 2011, I hope to...

Get moving! This year I will exercise every day. I know myself. There's no hope in saying I'll go to the gym four days a week for an hour each time, but I can get my butt in gear for a mere 10 minutes every day. Some days I'll spend an hour with a Wii fitness game, and other days I'm sure I'll ride my bike for an hour, but it's good to know that on the days that I feel like I just can't do it, I can spend 10 minutes doing jumping jacks. Something is better than nothing, and I feel more confident making a small goal than developing a big goal that is bound to disappoint me.
Spend time doing things I love. I'm on the hunt for a new job, and I have a few promising prospects. If I have to work for a living (and who doesn't?) I hope that it's at a job I love. And when I'm not working, I hope to spend time crafting, reading, and trying to embrace life.
Simplify. Think my resolutions sound simple this year? They're intended to be. There's no need to create 10 resolutions you can't live up to when you can create one or two that you know you can accomplish. I hope this simplicity helps me be the best person I can be!

Best books of 2010

2010-12-30T11:18:00.009-05:00

Inspired by the BBC's list of the Top 100 Books (of which, I have read 26 in their entirety; another seven are on my to-read list), I started keeping track of the books I read each year. In 2010, I read 61 books (37 hard copies and 20 audio books). Being that I'm usually in the middle of several books on any given day, I also have five books that I've started but haven't yet finished. Those will have to wait until next year. But on to the business at hand...

Because I love books and because I love lists, I have decided to highlight my favorite books from the past year. The following books are not strictly a list of the best books published in 2010, rather, a list of the best books I read in 2010. I hope you enjoy them too!

Best Non-Fiction — Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

I'm a bit of a criminal justice nerd, having studied the subject in college. Because of that, I enjoy reading the books and writings of prisoners. (In fact, I help catalog some of those writings in the Prison Book Program's blog. Though it hasn't been updated in awhile, new posts are coming in the new year!)

I discovered Orange is the New Black at a local library's list of newly-released books and immediately signed up to borrow it. I've since bought my own copy, as Piper Kerman's book is the kind of memoir I like to have on my shelves. The book details Kerman's year-long stay in federal prison, 10 years after a drug crime. Various reviewers have touched on a variety of themes in the book, but what touched me the most was Kerman's discussion of books. Being an educated woman with a vast network of family and friends, Kerman was lucky enough to have a steady supply of reading material, which she shared with fellow inmates. The fact that most prisons and prisoners do not have the luxury of abundant reading material, is tragic, as books are an easy way for inmates to educate themselves. Additionally, inmates who are busy reading are not busy getting into trouble. Kerman's book is a fascinating look at what life can look like behind bars.

Best Non-Fiction Audio Book — The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum, narrated by Coleen Marlo

This book is brilliant. Due to a limited selection of books on CD at my local library, I grabbed this one, not knowing what I was in for. It turns out, I was in for a treat! The Poisoner's Handbook is a well-written (and well-read) account of the history of 20th-century poisoners and forensic science. The book details the most widely-used and effective poisons/poisoners of the early 20th century, and documents the history of New York City's first medical examiner and toxicologist who devoted thousands of hours and thousands of dollars to determine how to identify poisons in the body, ultimately bringing poisoners to justice.

The book is interesting and scientific without being full of jargon. With stories about poisoners and the medical examiner's office, the book is suspenseful and reads more like a novel than a text book.
Best Fiction — The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of those books that some people loved and others couldn't get into. Count me as one person who loved it.

The book is narrated by Enzo, a golden retriever who is waiting to be reborn as a man. In the meantime, he is a wonderful friend and protector to Danny, his owner, and the family that Danny eventually has. The story is simplistic, in that the whole thing is told from the dog's perspective, but the simplicity does not detract from the story's beauty. This isn't just a book for dog lovers, but it will probably resonate even more deeply with anyone whose dog has become a member of the family.
Best Fiction Audio Book — The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, narrated by Jeff Woodman

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a "murder mystery" (a neighborhood poodle has been found dead) told by a 15-year-old boy with autism. The story is beautifully poignant, as the narrator, Christopher, tries to overcome his social issues while he attempts to solve the dog's murder. Everything Christopher does is methodical and follows his many rules and arbitrary habits.

My heart broke a little at least a dozen times while listening to this book because Christopher is trying so hard and his struggles and triumphs are so beautiful. The book is wonderful to listen to, as the reader makes the story come alive. Having not read the paper copy of this book, I do not know if the beauty of the story shines as brightly on the page as it does in the audio book, but I recommend trying it to find out.
Best Young Adult Audio Book(s) — Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale

I read a great deal of young adult fantasy novels because I find the genre so wonderful. (And, for that very reason, I will not be choosing my favorite Young Adult book of the year — I simply can't choose from so many!) I love the wizards, mystical creatures, and dystopian worlds so often found in young adult books.

The Harry Potter series is no exception. This year, I discovered the Harry Potter audio books, and while I've read the hard copies (a few times, actually), the audio books are even more outstanding. Narrated by Jim Dale, the books come to life on CD. The characters have their own voices and intonation that is so vivid, I actually thought I had seen a Harry Potter movie that I hadn't; I had, in fact, only listened to the audio book.

Even if you've already read the series, I recommend listening to the Harry Potter audio books as well; they add a whole new depth and dimension to the stories.

In the words of Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton, "But you don't have to take my word for it!" Grab one of these books today — you're in for a treat!

Last-minute Christmas gifts that come from the heart: Donate to charity this Christmas

2010-12-22T09:41:00.000-05:00

If you haven't pinned down the perfect gift for Great Aunt Suzie yet and you don't know what to get your friend that has everything, fear not! Rather than pawing through the droopy poinsettias and the sausage sets at the grocery store for last-minute Christmas shopping, consider giving a charitable donation.

Why do charitable donations make great last-minute gifts?

For starters, you can donate to most non-profits online in an instant. Many, like Heifer International, a non-profit that gifts of livestock and training to impoverished families, allow you to send an e-card or print a card at home to notify the recipient of a gift.
Secondly, donations to charity are tax deductible expenses. You can save money on your taxes and do good at the same time!
Practically speaking, there are plenty of people who don't need more "stuff." And there are certainly people on your last-minute gift list who don't need a random gift picked up at a convenience store. Making a donation to charity lets someone know that you're thinking about him, without adding to his clutter.
Donations to charity are the "gift that keeps on giving". Not only do you feel good about making the donation, but your recipient feels good about being a part of the gift. The organization to who you choose to donate feels great because they get much-needed money to provide much-needed services. And the recipients of those services feel good because they're getting the help they need! Many charities even accept recurring donations online, which continue to the giving! The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for example, is set up to receive either one-time donations or monthly donations.
Think donating just cash is a bit boring? You can send more than just money. With The Gorilla Foundation, for instance, you can support the amazing Koko, a gorilla who knows American Sign Language, by sending an item off The Gorilla Foundation Wish List. Currently on the wish list? A DVD of the STOMP performances (for the gorillas to watch) and things like laptops and cameras for research. You can send any of these gifts in an instant via Amazon.com, and can even send the foundation gift cards.

So instead of braving the crowds for the next few days to finish your Christmas shopping, cozy up to your computer with a cup of cocoa and donate to a few of your (and your recipients') favorite charities. You can even check the validity of your charity of choice with an agency like Charity Navigator, which evaluates and examines non-profits before providing them with a rating. And if you need a few ideas for some charities that could use some love this Christmas, here are a few of my favorites (with links straight to their donation pages):

Horizons for Homeless Children
An organization that enriches the lives of homeless children in Massachusetts through high-quality early-education services.
Make A Child Smile
Such a simple but important mission: to be a source of support to children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses and their families by having folks send cards, letters, and small gifts to the featured children and their siblings.
Prison Book Program
Featured on IT&O before, the Prison Book Program provides quality reading material to inmates across the country, many of whom are working to better their lives by educating themselves and becoming literate.
Special Olympics A world-wide organization changing lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing Special Olympians with access to sports and the camaraderie of a team.

There are also dozens of local charities that need your support. To find one in your area, you can search via Network for Good or Just Give.

Happy holidays!

A time for thanks

2010-11-24T15:11:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and though I try to remind myself daily that my life is full of blessings, it seems especially relevant to do so in light of the holiday.

I am thankful for my family. Not just for all of the generic love and togetherness stuff, but because I am lucky enough to have amazing people to whom I am related. I appreciate my mother's understanding, my father's sense of humor, my brothers' goofiness and friendship, my sister-in-law's upbeat personality, my grandmothers' ability to triumph through adversity, my boyfriend's sense of adventure, my cousins' unique fabulosity (it's a made-up word... so what?), my aunts' advice, and my uncles' protectiveness.

I am thankful for my friends. Again, it's not just because there are people with whom I can hang out and have a good time, but because my friends are unique and wonderful. I won't mention them all by name, but I will say that it's wonderful to have friends who love to talk about books, friends who are up for adventure, friends who are musical, friends who like theatre, friends who I can call late at night, friends who know my past, friends who will be part of my future.

I am thankful for a place to live. It's not just any place to live; we just moved in this month, and I love it. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to paint the walls, to decorate, to reorganize, and to clear out the clutter. I am thankful that I have room to move in this house. I am thankful that I can walk to the post office, the grocery store, and into town. I love that it's in a part of the world that I think of as home. Most of all, I am thankful to have a comfortable place to call my own (even if it's just a rental).

I am thankful for fuzzy friends like the hedgehogs, dogs, hairless rats, and other pets I have had the privilege of knowing over the years. (I am also thankful for non-fuzzy pets!) Animals give us such strength and comfort; I believe that they are every bit as soulful as people. I also love learning about the work people do with animals like Koko the Gorilla (who has been taught to sign with humans) and service animals who help their owners overcome a number of challenges.

I am thankful for language. I love to read and I love to write; I realize that if I had grown up in another country I might not have had such easy access to books and language. I might not have had an opportunity to be educated and to come to love words. My life would be very different without words and language. I also love American Sign Language — it's a beautiful language and one that I feel privileged to learn.

I am thankful for my faith and the ability and strength to believe what I want to believe. My faith is a hodgepodge of beliefs and customs from a variety of religions (for a breakdown of your own medley of beliefs, try taking the Belief-O-Matic), but it is completely me. Having faith helps me get up in the morning and say thank you before I go to bed at night, and for that kind of calm and comfort, I am eternally grateful.

Most of all, I am thankful for the opportunity to be me. I am grateful that I am able to see my family when I want, love whom I choose, live where I want, interact with animals, speak my mind, read about everything, and keep the faith. I know that many people don't feel comfortable expressing who they are because of where they live or who they live with. I am thankful to have been blessed with a pretty good life, overall, and the opportunity to be me — flaws and all!Happy Thanksgiving!

Trying youth as adults is ineffective

2010-11-23T11:53:00.004-05:00

The Legal Aid Justice Center released a report this month that tells the stories of young people tried and incarcerated as adults in Virginia. The report concludes that trying youth as adults is ineffective.

Virginia is hardly the only state to try children as adults. In fact, all states have provisions for trying people as young as 14 (in some states as young as 10!) as adults in certain cases. The problem, however, is that children are not adults and shouldn’t be tried as such.

The report summarizes four major findings:

Trying and sentencing youth in adult courts increases recidivism;
Youth convicted as adults are not offered therapeutic services (like their peers in the juvenile justice system);
Juvenile justice professionals “support reform of the system”; and
The threat of being tried as an adult is used as a plea bargaining tool and hampers a meaningful defense for the youth in question.

Though this report was only released this month, its findings are hardly new. Juvenile justice professionals have long advocated for a juvenile justice system specific to the needs of young offenders. These professionals request funding for social service programs that would help rehabilitate young offenders, while many communities push for “tough-on-crime” stances that end up increasing the rates of recidivism when juveniles don’t get access to the education and therapy they need.

Inner Thoughts & Outbursts has covered juvenile justice issues in the past. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that life in prison is cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles. One of the major factors in the ruling was the fact that teenagers’ brains are not fully-developed. This seems like such an obvious justification for education and rehabilitation that though it shouldn’t surprise me, it still irks me to find that many people possess a lock-‘em-up-and-throw-away-the-key mentality when it comes to juvenile offenders.

In fact, I was disgusted when I read a recent article about the conviction of Steven Spader, who was convicted of a 2009 murder and sentenced to life without parole. Though his crime was horrific and reprehensible, New Hampshire Superior Court Judge Gillian Abramson was out of line when she addressed Spader, reportedly saying, “you belong in a cage… for the rest of your pointless life.” A juror on the case later said that he believed Abramson would have imposed the death penalty if possible, but that Spader was only 18 at the time of the murder and, due to state law, not eligible to be put to death for his crime.

Quite frankly, it is not whether or not Spader should be punished; that fact has already been determined by the law. Instead, I take issue with the fact that the judge felt it was her place to be insulting. Though an adult in some senses, Steven Spader was only 18 at the time of the murder – not old enough to drink alcohol or even rent a car without surcharges. Calling Spader's life "pointless" was unnecessary.

Ultimately, we need to start thinking about the criminal justice (and especially the juvenile justice) system logically, rather than emotionally. If trying and sentencing juveniles as adults leads to increased recidivism, we need to change! It seems obvious that surrounding an impressionable teenager with "hardened criminals" might affect his future in regard to crime; if we instead provided him with an education and counseling, perhaps he might grow up to be a productive member of society.

Not surprisingly, the AP reports that college costs are rising

2010-10-28T09:11:00.005-04:00

Earning the award for the least-shocking news of the day is today's AP story claiming that c ollege tuition costs are rising.

According to the article,

At public four-year schools, many of them ravaged by state budget cuts, average in-state tuition and fees this fall rose 7.9 percent, or $555, to $7,605, according to the College Board's "Trends in College Pricing." The average sticker price at private nonprofit colleges increased 4.5 percent, or $1,164, to $27,293.

Though the news is far from unexpected, it is worrisome. While political bigwigs and financial experts (like the folks from the National Bureau of Economic Research) claim that the recession officially ended last summer, regular folks just aren't seeing it. Prices are still high, millions are out of work, and most people are still pinching pennies. When families are weighing whether to spend what little money they have left on house payments or food, they aren't thinking about college for their kids. The cost of college seems an enormous expense for many families, making a college degree an unattainable goal for their children.

While I believe that college is not for everyone, I do believe that everyone should have access to education. Anyone who wants to go to college should have the ability to do so without taking on catastrophic amounts of debt. The Project on Student Debt recently released information stating that the average college graduate has $24,000 in student loan debt. Of course, many students wind up with even greater debt. In addition, the statistic does not include the thousands of students who take on student loan debt and find themselves unable to finish college. In particular, it is those students who are pushed out of school due to rising costs that I most worry about. Those students end up with large amounts of debt and nothing to show for it.

Paying off student loans and trying to earn a decent wage becomes a vicious cycle for those who were unable to complete their degrees due to rising costs. When a student drops out of college, his or her loans soon go into repayment status. The student must then work to raise enough money to pay off the debts, but is unlikely to find a decent-paying job without a degree. Without a decent-paying job, the former student is less likely to repay the debt. The student may then try to take out more loans to obtain a degree, which will, theoretically, earn him enough money to pay off his student loans. The cycle then repeats itself.

The problem of students taking on debt without completing degrees is easiest to spot at our nation's community colleges. Though community college offers a more-affordable option for many students, their costs have also been steadily climbing. Combine higher costs with students who may be following a nontraditional path through college (night school, part-time classes, etc.), and you wind up with students who take on debt, but don't graduate. In fact, only 40% of community college students complete their programs, while many students take five or six years to complete two-year degrees. Regardless of whether or not a student completes his or her degree, any student loan debt must be paid off. In fact, most student loans are not forgiven even if the borrower files for bankruptcy.

These days, you need some form of higher education to get a decent-paying job. Whether that education comes from college, trade school, or an apprenticeship, it is becoming apparent that in order to make money you need an education. But in order to get an education, you need money. Quite frankly, fewer and fewer people are finding themselves able to keep up with the rising costs of college. Higher education was once a luxury for the rich, and if we're not careful, we'll be back to that model before we know it. The costs of higher education (even at public schools) are already edging out the poor and middle class folks. What will happen once only the richest can afford college?

With large amounts of debt and low rates of employment, students may start to believe that college is not worth the expense. When people become disillusioned with higher education, it affects the nation. Fewer people find decent-paying jobs, lower- and middle-class earners find themselves getting more and more frustrated, college costs rise because of a poor economy and fewer students, and we end up with a population that is angry, uneducated, and unable to do much about it.

The bottom line? We must put an end to the upward trajectory of college costs. Americans at all income brackets need access to college. By educating our students we are investing in the future of the nation. We need people from all socioeconomic statuses and a variety of backgrounds to run the country, with its schools, banks, public works, and companies in need of quality workers. A diverse workforce is a happy workforce, and to find a place in that workforce, people need to have access to higher education.

There must come a point where the cost of a college education does not overshadow the benefits of that education. We need to reach a place where people who earn college degrees can count on earning enough at work to pay off their student loans. The rising costs of college are doing nothing to convince the public that the recession is over, and the fastest way to wind up in another recession is to scare people into not spending, not investing.

Simply put, in order to inspire people to invest in the fiscal health of our nation, we must invest in the education of our people. To do so, we must cut the costs of college and make education affordable for everyone.

Important DREAM Act stalled by Republicans

2010-09-22T06:25:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, Republican lawmakers stalled a Senate measure that would allow the children of undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (or, more commonly, the DREAM Act)

, would provide immigrant students who graduate from U.S. high schools, are "of good moral character", and arrived in the U.S. as minors to obtain temporary residency. During the six-year period of temporary residency, these students must complete at least 2 years of a college degree and be in good academic standing, or have served in the military and received an honorable discharge. After the six years, the students (or former military personnel) who have met the conditions of the Act can apply for legal permanent resident status.

Versions of the bill were circulating as early as 2001. Most recently, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced last week that the DREAM Act would be included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. While the act would "give hope" to undocumented students, Republicans blocked the measure, claiming "the Obama administration of seeking amnesty for illegal immigrants through administrative changes within the Department of Homeland Security."

I have been a proponent of this bill since its first incarnation in 2001. Since minors cannot obtain permanent status without their parents, the DREAM Act would give undocumented students the chance to remain legally in the United States. Many of these students came to the U.S. at such a young age that they do not remember their home countries. These same students work hard to complete their high school education and many go on to college. Of those who don't go to college, a lack of financial aid, rather than a lack of motivation, is usually the reason. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal higher education grants, such as the Pell grant. The fact that children who grow up and succeed in U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools cannot apply for federal grants is another issue, entirely. (And one, quite frankly, that I hope to see addressed as soon as possible.)

I grew up in a low-income family. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in a college-preparatory program for students who would be the first in their families to attend college. While in the program, I met a number of students who worked hard (some worked much harder than me) to excel in school. Many of those students were immigrants. Some came here legally, others illegally. Some had acheived residency or citizenship, others were undocumented. What shouldn't matter though, is the status of children.

Children have no choice about whether or not to accompany their parents who arrive in the United States illegally, and many of them are not even aware of their undocumented status. Even if they were, I find it hard to believe that people would deny them the right to financial aid in college, or a legal path to citizenship. Immigration isn't something that shady people do in the middle of the night to "stick it" to the United States. They aren't looking to get something for nothing; they're looking to provide better lives for their children. These are real people just trying to do what they can to raise their families in safety.

When thinking about immigration laws,

we must consider the real people who are involved. When Poland declared martial law in the 1980s, my friend Marta (then just a toddler) fled the country with her parents and arrived in the U.S. illegally. My friend Jorge left the Dominican Republic as an eight-year-old, after his family fled the violence of their neighborhood that resulted in his getting shot while playing in his own yard. Maria came to the country from Columbia when her family was threatened by corrupt government officials engaging in the drug trade.

Not only were these people my friends, they were hard-working students. They wanted to be hard-working Americans, but couldn't become citizens without their parents. Their parents, like many others, were too afraid of deportation to go through the process of applying for residency. We should not only provide a way for families to apply for citizenship without risking deportation, we should make sure that children have a way to apply as well. The DREAM Act is an important first step in investing in the future of our country. Any child who grew up in the United States and successfully completed his or her public education should be allowed to apply to and attend college. If that child also needs financial aid, he should be allowed to apply for and receive it. That same child should also have access to a clear path to citizenship.

I am saddened by the great numbers of people who oppose the DREAM Act and take a strong stance against immigration. I find it ironic that people want to "take back the country" when nearly all of them are immigrants themselves. Sure, many of them come from families that have been here for generations, but nearly everyone immigrated here at some point in their family history. Native Americans are so christened for a reason -- they were native to the Americas. The rest of us, when you get right down to it, are simply immigrants. Whether or not our families came here legally, we have benefited from all this country has to offer, and have blended our cultural histories to become one of the most diverse and beautiful nations in the world.

I simply want more children to be able to have access to what I had: a solid education and the ability to "make something" of myself. The DREAM Act will help children achieve their goals of becoming productive and active members of our society.

Is doing away with recess dumbing down our children?

2010-08-26T20:52:00.010-04:00

A Rhode Island school district is doing away with recess this year. The district is taking away the 10-15 minutes before or after lunch during which students were formerly allowed time for free play.

Reports claim that the East Providence Elementary School will teach its teachers to recognize the need for stress-release and will facilitate in-class breaks, but will this in-class downtime replace the benefits of recess? Regardless, should school districts have the ability to remove children’s opportunity to play?

As an early childhood educator, I emphatically disagree with any district cutting recess. Not only do children need breaks (adults need them too – are you reading this post from work?), but children learn best through play. As the famous Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood said, “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” With this in mind, I would advocate for the introduction of in-class breaks in addition to recess. In short, taking away recess (and other opportunities for free play) will lead to the dumbing down of our nation's children.

In addition to simply needing time to play, recess allows children to make much-needed social connections with their peers. Though students need be respectful of all children in their classrooms, true friendships develop during lunch breaks, recess, and after-school activities. Encouraging our children to develop social skills is critical to their success later in life; taking away recess limits children’s ability to develop those skills.

The world is becoming a scary place, where recess is being removed, politicians are considering abolishing summer vacation in favor of year-round school, and children are pushed into structured activity at every turn. When are kids allowed to be kids? If all of their time is scheduled and regimented, when will children invent their own games, write their own songs, and draw in the dirt? When will they build tree forts, hold tea parties for their dolls, and host impromptu talent shows with their friends? Scheduling every moment of a child’s day takes away the very meaning of what it means to be a child.

TIME Magazine's article The Case Against Summer Vacation outlines an argument for year-round school that emphasizes the "summer slide" -- the notion that children "slide backward" after not learning all summer. While the summer slide is a real phenomenon for many children, the solution isn't to have kids in school all year, but rather to offer opportunities to kids in the summer. Making camp and summer programs affordable and accessible to all children would prevent a loss of knowledge, while engaging children in things in which they are truly interested. It would also allow children to play -- a vitally important part of the learning process that is more and more often being pushed aside in favor of longer school days and more "academics." The same goes for recess; allowing children to make their own choices will ultimately enrich them further than teacher-mandated classroom breaks.

Ultimately, we need to let kids be kids, while also providing them solid opportunities for learning, growth, and development. Enriching the school day by making it more interesting (incorporating the arts, for example) will teach children valuable skills without overwhelming them. It's worth repeating that allowing children to learn through play is not only sensible, but absolutely necessary. Without the opportunity to play our children will, in fact, be less independent and creative than if they were simply given the opportunity to explore the world through play.

No recess? No, thank you.

Dust yourself off and try again...

2010-08-22T18:41:00.006-04:00

Not surprisingly, I fell off the health-kick wagon.

In a nutshell, I went through some seriously stressful things at work and at home and decided that I had bigger things to worry about than getting my butt out of bed early every morning. That, coupled with the fact that this was one of the hottest summers I can remember, didn't do much for my new exercise kick. I'm sorry to say that I schlumped around for much of the summer. I didn't just give up on being healthy over the summer, I gave up a lot of things (like writing for Inner Thoughts & Outbursts... sorry about that), and am just now starting to get in the groove of things again.

Some of the other healthy habits stuck, though. I'm hardly drinking any soda (only at the occasional weekend party) and I only have a glass of wine on the weekends (and not many weekends at that). I've also been able to give up table salt on most everything (except eggs... I love salty eggs). Last weekend I even went on a mini-vacation and spent the weekend riding a hydrobike, swimming laps before breakfast, and biking.

I'm also learning (perhaps confirming is more accurate) that I don't like feeling like I have to do something. Maybe my morning walks felt like torture because they were an obligation. I've been trying to do other things instead, like walk whenever I need to run errands, take the stairs whenever there's an option to do so, and other similar things. I'm trying to make exercise more fun and purposeful than just dragging by butt around town in the morning.

I even bought a bicycle.

Yes, folks, a bicycle. I haven't owned a bicycle since the sixth grade. Up until last summer when I spent the weekend at a mountain resort, I hadn't even ridden a bicycle in years. So, I went out and bought a bike. It's pretty snazzy. I even bought a basket for it. (That's a shot of the bike, at right.)

So far, I'm not a very good cyclist. I'm slow and out of shape, and small boys fly past me on BMX bikes that leave me in the dust. That being said, riding a bike is immensely more fun than aimlessly wandering to nowhere, and even though I feel out of shape while I ride my bike, I feel like I'm getting in shape while I ride it. I haven't been riding on a schedule or anything, but now that the weather is cooler I'm taking the bike out more often and hoping to ride all through the fall.

So, recap: I want to get back on track with my HEALTH plan. It's time to restart the process of being Healthy in my Eating, Actions, Language, Thoughts, and Heart. I'm thinking of this post as the next step toward healthy Language and Thoughts. I've always thought that it's okay to fall off the wagon, so long as you back on it again.

HEALTH: The no-dieting diet

2010-05-24T11:38:00.006-04:00

I am not a fan of diets.

Though the most obvious reason for not liking dieting is that it isn't a lot of fun, it's also impractical. Diets with names (South Beach, Atkins, cabbage soup, The Zone) and all the shakes, powders, and potions out there are not long-term health solutions; they're merely short-term fixes (albeit, some with quick results). The thing is, I don't want to give up carbs or bacon or breakfast forever, and I don't think anyone else should either. Instead, I want to make overall changes in my diet that make an impact without my having to "diet". (The difference between capital-D-Diet and lower-case-d-diet? Everyone's got a diet (it's what we eat), while being on a Diet connotes a list of food restrictions.)

Now that my HEALTH plan is kicking into gear, it's time to start implementing some new Eating habits. My hope is that by starting with small changes, they'll last, rather than setting unrealistic goals that set me up to fail. The plan is to change a few things each week and keep the good habits going. That way, I'll be making a small number of changes at a time, but I'll be end up with better eating habits.

This week's plan? To make quick fixes that require little effort but will start adding up to a better diet. Here are the three objectives I'm tackling this week.

Change my drinking habits.

First, I plan to drink soda, wine, or other high-calorie beverages only on the weekend (or at a special event). I rarely drink soda and I drink alcohol socially, but sometimes I find myself with a root beer or glass of wine after a rough day of work. Most beverages are full of empty calories, so by saving my glass of wine and occasional soda for the weekend, I'm bound to cut out a couple hundred calories. Since I prefer sweet wines like Riesling, a serving contains about 100 calories, and since I tend to fully fill my wine glass (rather than half-filling it), I'm probably clocking about 200 calories a glass. I'll save it for the weekend, thanks.

Secondly, I'm trying to drink more water! I already drink decent amount of H2O as it's my beverage of choice, but I know that there are days at work where I don't drink as much as I should, and there are weekends where I'm too busy running around to stay adequately hydrated. That changes today! In fact, I'd better hurry up and finish this post so that I can go grab a cup of water...
Skip out on salt.

I love salt. Given the choice between a piece of chocolate cake and a plate of nachos, I'd choose the nachos. During the day, I tend to shake salt on most of my meals -- eggs at breakfast, potatoes and squash at lunch, chicken at dinner. My plan for this week (and the weeks going forward!), however, is to stop adding table salt to my food.

I do buy low-sodium options when available because I think the level of salt in packaged food is ridiculously high (and without the benefit of actually tasting it -- salt in packaged food mostly works as a preservation tool). While I don't plan on cutting out all salt (or even all my salty condiments), the table salt is no more. This is probably going to be tougher for me than any other part of the HEALTH plan!

Alright. Easy quick-fixes this week. Next week I'll up the ante.

HEALTH: Healthy Eating, Actions, Language, Thoughts, and Heart.

Supreme Court rules life in prison is cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles

2010-05-22T16:40:00.005-04:00

The juvenile justice system reached a major turning point this week when the Supreme Court ruled that sentencing non-violent juvenile offenders to life in prison constituted cruel and unusual punishment, and therefore violates the Eighth Amendment.

At the end of 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to review issue of juvenile life imprisonment by looking at two cases. For the first case, a jury in 1989 found 13-year-old Joe Sullivan guilty of sexual battery. About a decade and a half later, 17-year-old Terrence Graham was convicted of committing armed burglary and violating his probation. Though both boys were too young to vote, buy cigarettes, or enlist in the military, they were not too young to be sentenced to life without parole (LWOP). Both boys were convicted of non-homicidal offenses and both were sentenced to LWOP. The juvenile justice world has been waiting anxiously since these cases made the docket, as a ruling that overturns life sentences for juveniles affects approximately 2,600 currently incarcerated inmates nationwide, and will impact future sentencing.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the majority opinion (which included support from the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association), which was in favor of banning LWOP for juvenile offenders. Support for the ban generally falls into three categories:

Kristin Henning, co-director of Juvenile Justice Clinic and law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, cites research that states that juveniles brains are not fully developed, causing children to act impulsively. The research also states that children are likely to outgrow the impulse for criminal behavior, though juveniles sentenced to LWOP are not given that chance.
The United States is the possibly the only country that currently sentences juveniles to LWOP. While the U.S. currently has about 2,6000 juveniles serving life without parole, Henning claims that no other countries have children serving such sentences; other sources cite no more than 12 foreign juveniles are in prison serving LWOP.
In 2005, the Supreme Court reviewed Roper v. Simmons, and declared the juvenile death penalty unconstitutional. Proponents of overturning LWOP in juvenile cases cite the 2005 ruling combined with a national consensus against juvenile life without parole in their arguments.

The Supreme Court ultimately agreed, as Justice Kennedy cited the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause, which "does not permit a juvenile offender to be sentenced to life in prison without parole for a non-homicide crime."

I agree with the majority opinion in this case, though I am disappointed that the ruling does not include the seven states (including Massachusetts) that allow LWOP in homicide cases. Though homicide is a horrific offense, I think that juveniles convicted of any crime should have the opportunity for parole. A juvenile incarcerated at the age of 15 and living the average male's lifespan, for example, has more than 60 years to spend in prison. A juvenile sentence that long is ridiculous regardless of the offense.

The bottom line is that the U.S. was virtually alone in its practice of sentencing juveniles to LWOP. With any luck, the practice will be completely overturned in my lifetime. At the very least, nearly 3,000 inmates incarcerated as juveniles will now have the opportunity to be paroled. It is my firm belief that with the appropriate resources, juvenile offenders can be rehabilitated to successfully reintegrate into society. This ruling is a victory for all those juvenile justice workers maneuvering to secure rights for juvenile offenders. May there be many more victories in the future.

Does posted nutritional information lead to smarter food choices?

2010-05-21T13:39:00.008-04:00

Slashfood (one of my favorite blogs) ran an article this week that claims Burgerville (a fast-food chain in the Pacific Northwest) has started printing calorie counts on its receipts, along with suggestions on how to make your next meal healthier.

Some of the article's commenters were thrilled with the idea, hoping that other restaurants would soon start doing the same thing. I, however, think its ridiculous. What good is it knowing the fat and calorie counts of your order, after it's paid for? What restaurants should really start doing is putting nutritional information right on the menu or the ordering board; then, people can make informed choices about what they eat before they buy.

In 2008, New York passed a mandate requiring that nutritional information be provided on menus. When I traveled to the city last year for a vacation, I got to see the effects of this legislation first hand. Every restaurant I entered -- from Sbarro to the Olive Garden -- had nutritional information prominently featured. I found the information incredibly helpful in choosing what to eat. Since I found a number of things I'd like to eat in each restaurant, having calorie and fat counts readily available made it easy to narrow down my decision.

When I ate at the Olive Garden, for instance, I was trying to decide between the Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto or the Chicken Parmigiana, which both sounded wonderful. When I glanced at the nutritional information, however, I quickly learned that the risotto was one of the healthier dishes on the menu, while the chicken parmigiana would have cost me over 1,000 calories and 49 grams of fat. I ordered the risotto (which was still delightfully decadent) and saved myself over 400 calories. Without the nutritional information, I would have perhaps mentally flipped a coin in my head, rather than making the best nutritional choice, and when I have two otherwise equal options, why shouldn't the healthier dish win?

It seems that the people of New York are making the same kinds of choices. A study by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently illustrated that since 2008's nutritional mandate was put into place, "people purchased lower calorie meals at 9 of 13 fast-food restaurant and coffee chains that were included in the study." While I (and many other patrons at these restaurants) know that fast-food isn't good for a person, it's nice to know that people have the option to choose a healthier meal when they're eating in New York. When I'm on the go (or on vacation) and have to eat out, I'd like to have information about what I'm about to consume before I commit to buying it. Otherwise faulty logic can sabotage a person's attempt to eat right. (Fish is healthier than hamburger, so the Filet-o-Fish must be a better choice than a Cheeseburger at McDonald's, right? Wrong. You'll go through an extra 80 calories and 6 grams of fat with the fish sandwich. Blame the breading and the deep fryer.)

While some areas have followed New York's lead when it comes to nutritional information, most have not. If seeing posted calorie and fat counts leads a consumer to purchase one slice of pizza instead of two, or the risotto instead of the chicken parm, the mandate will have been worth it. Restaurants don't have to worry that people will stop eating out. People will continue to eat at restaurants and there will always be someone willing to down a colossal cheeseburger (or two) or an enormous bucket of fried chicken. The rest of us would just like the ability to make smarter choices when we're out, even if that just means eating the thin-crust spinach pizza instead of the deep-dish pepperoni.

HEALTH: How a fat girl survived the first weeks of her journey toward health

2010-05-19T23:21:00.000-04:00

It's time for the first documented account of a Plimpton-esque attempt to try something and write about it. While I'm still hoping to take defensive driving lessons or spend a month "paying it forward", my first attempt at being the next George Plimpton/A.J. Jacobs is something that will be long-lasting. I'm making an attempt to improve my HEALTH.

Why my HEALTH? And why a fancy acronym? I've long been overweight and my size prevents me from doing some of the things I want to do; I want to go rock climbing and buy cute clothes. I also don't want to age into one of those miserable old people with more medications than friends. It is my hope that by taking small steps step toward a healthier me, they'll add up to big change and a more wholesome lifestyle. I'm not in this just to lose the weight and look better (though yay! for that), I want to be healthier inside and out.

The acronym -- HEALTH -- is a quick reminder to help me stay on track. By thinking about my HEALTH, I will pay close attention to the things that are important to me in this journey. I want to remain Healthy in my Eating, Actions, Language, Thoughts, and Heart. Does healthy eating mean that I'll give up pizza? Nope. But I hope to continue to eat thin whole wheat crust covered with veggies and lean meat instead of white doughy blobs of bacon and cheese. With healthy actions, will I start preaching about the virtues of exercise and vilify idleness? Nope, but I hope to walk more and sit less. Will I never refer to myself as a fat girl? Unlikely, but I hope to remind my thinking self that beauty combines the inside and the out, and I hope use my writing as both an outlet for my thoughts and perhaps an inspiration for anyone embarking on a similar journey. And as for my Heart? I hope to do the right thing for my ticker while simultaneously being courageous and compassionate.

The plan is to add thing to my list of healthy behaviors slowly, while simultaneously ridding myself of bad habits. Step one? Exercise more. I planned to get up early to fit walks into my day. As the weeks progress, I'll be putting more of the other elements of the HEALTH plan into action.

For now, a recap of the journey so far.

Day One
I woke up 45 minutes earlier than usual (it was all I could manage!). The night had been humid and I slept poorly. Still, I dragged myself out of bed and put on the workout clothes that I laid out the night before. (I know myself: pre-planning prevents me from grumbling to hell with it! and skipping out when I wake up in the morning). And since I know I'm easily dissuaded I gave myself a specific task for this first walk: deliver my rent check to my landlord's house.

It was a miserable walk. The humidity hadn't broken and less than halfway through the trip it began to rain. As my clothes clung to my body, I thought this is discouraging. I got home soaked through and grumpy. I felt a little better, however, when after using a Googled website, WalkJogRun, I discovered that my excursion was about 1.16 miles, round trip. Not bad for my first attempt, and certainly better than sitting on my butt.

Day Two
Woke up and only had to hit the snooze button once. Then, I got dressed and out the door in a matter of minutes. I didn't have a specific destination in mind (rats), but headed out and found myself at a deserted car dealership. I walked around the parking lots looking at Jaguars and Range Rovers (a weird combo for a dealership!) since the lanes were wide and safe and no one was around so early in the morning. After mapping out the route with my new-found online tool, I learned that I completed just over a mile of walking around town, plus whatever ground I covered walking around the dealership lanes.

Day Three
Twice a week I have an early morning appointment, so I've decided to skip out on my morning walks. Since it was only my third day, I thought I'd try to do something, even if I didn't have the time to walk. I feebly lifted a few weights and did some basic stretches before succumbing to the comfort of my bed again. What was supposed to be a quick closing of the eyes ended up being a half hour nap. Conclusion? On the days of my early appointments I'm going to skip morning exercise all together, and try to "catch up" on some sleep. I'll squeeze some exercise in elsewhere in my day.

Week One Conclusion
I finished the rest of the week on a high note. My three-days a week plan worked out well, with lots of walking on the weekends as well. I live in a pedestrian-friendly town, so when I need to run errands or want to go grab a bite to eat on the weekend, I usually walk to get there. The only downside of the week? I was exhausted by the end. At first, I thought it was just from the early mornings, but in Week Two, I found out otherwise...

Week Two
Long story short, I was feeling tired after Week One and my allergies (or so I thought) were really bothering me. After a miserable Monday morning where I felt too sick to get up, I dragged myself to the doctor where I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis. Since I also have bad allergies and asthma, I was advised to lay low for a week and limit all physical excursion. It was hard for me even to walk up a flight of stairs without having a coughing fit, so no walking for me!

I was initially discouraged at having my HEALTH plans foiled so early on in my attempt, but after thinking about it it seemed like a good metaphor. A journey toward health is full of ups and downs; some of those ups and downs we can control and others we can't. I've also been known to have an appreciation for a strict interpretation of the "rules", but after thinking about being sick, I decided that I'll have to learn when to push myself and when to rest. I don't want to get out of bed early every morning on the weeks that I'm not feeling well. It's going to be a hard lesson, since I want to get healthier and don't want to slack, but I don't want to jinx myself by working too hard either. I'll just have to make sure that I get out of bed when it's only my mind that's tired, and to rest when my body is telling me it isn't well.

Week Three
Present day. I'm mid-way through my third week of the HEALTH plan. I'm still taking it easy, as I just finished my meds and I'm still coughing. I am, however, gearing up for a productive Week Four. Though my initial set back was frustrating, I think I've learned to listen to my body. Even as recently as this past winter, I put off going to the doctor for weeks, thinking that I could ride out a cold. When I finally went, I had to take a super dose of antibiotics to fight the sickness; no one is invincible. When I'm sick I'll see a doctor. When I'm not, I'll stick to the plan of dragging my butt out of bed to exercise. In between I'll plot out my plans for the other parts of my HEALTH plan, like what to eat and which habits to pick up and which to lose. Stay tuned! I think month two will be great.

Beauty and the beach

2010-04-20T19:29:00.011-04:00

Someone famous (the Internet attributes everyone from Albert Einstein to Benjamin Franklin, so who knows?) once said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

I think about my daily life and its routine. I wake up, get ready, drive to work, work all day, drive home, get ready for the next day, go to bed, and do everything over again the next day and the one after that and the one after that. Occasionally my evenings are peppered with classes or dinners with friends, and on the weekends I like to the theatre or a sporting event. But for the most part, my life is predictable.

So as I wait (as I believe many young people do) for "the next big thing" to happen in my life, I shouldn't be surprised that something new and exciting is unlikely to happen to me by doing the same things over and over.

This week I'm on vacation. On this trip, as with any other I've taken, I find myself torn between relaxing and exploring. Catching up on sleep and packing as much into a day as possible. So while I relished the idea of a lazy morning, I was more interested in the unexpected. It was time for different results.

Though I like to think of myself as a morning person, those mornings rarely begin before seven. Today, however, I woke up at five o'clock and dressed by the light of the fireplace in my hotel room. I enjoyed a quick breakfast there as well, then grabbed my camera and headed out into the still-dark morning.

Now, I'm no sunbather, but I've always loved the ocean. I love the sound the waves make as they rumble along and crash into the surf and the rocks. I love the smell of the salt water, the briny air, and coconut-scented sunblock. I love sticking my toes in the cold surf, finding bits of sea glass, and searching for shells. So I chose this vacation spot to try to sneak in some time with the beach before the summer crowds hit.

When I reached the waterfront this morning, it was completely deserted. Not a single soul was walking or running along the beach, and the birds weren't yet awake. I breathed in the salty fresh ocean air and smiled. It felt incredibly indulgent to have the beach to myself and I took the time to drink in my surroundings. Here was the ocean, stretched before me (and only me): a deep dark line and a slightly lighter blue one, split across the horizon by a tiny strip of pinkish orange.

I took a hundred photos of that sunrise. As dawn broke brighter across the sky, joggers and dog walkers started to speckle the path along the beach. Most of them looked like they were engrossed in their own routines; I suspect I was the only tourist among them. And I wondered if they were appreciative of the beauty of the ocean and the sunrise, or if this was merely their own version of the same thing over and over again. If I spent each morning greeting the sun on the beach, would I feel as though I have achieved my "next big thing"? Or would that, too, become a piece of my day to day routine, easy overlooked and under-appreciated?

I like to think that not only can I do different things for different results, but I can do the same things differently. I'd like to appreciate the little things in my life that seem monotonous, but really do bring me a lot of joy. I love waking up to the sun streaming in my window each morning, and I'm forever grateful to see the Boston skyline each morning as I drive into work. I'm lucky enough to have colleagues with whom I get along, and a family that loves me. So while I try new things and pack in new experiences, I'm also going to make a new experience out of the routine. It's my hope that just by looking at things differently I'll be able to produce a few new results. That way, I don't have to wait for the next big thing to happen to me -- I can go looking for it.

Photos by Danielle E. Brown.

Choosing my own adventure: update

2010-04-20T15:56:00.003-04:00

Following my request for everyday adventures, I received several suggestions from readers. I'll be trying several in the upcoming months, some for a day or two, others for longer periods of time. I'll be writing about a few of the experiments as they happen, and others I will simply recap after they've been completed.

Stay tuned!

Choose (my) own adventure

2010-04-15T11:22:00.007-04:00

I want to live biblically, learn to salsa, eat nothing but pizza for a month, drive a race car, eat locally, and try out for a reality show.

Okay, not really.

But I do love reading about the way people live, and what I love more than how-I-grew-up memoirs, are George Plimpton-esque experiments that lead to interesting experiences and fabulously wonderful reading. Because of this, I’m hoping to embark on an interesting journey and then blog about it.

So, what should I do? I could try a social experiment like “paying it forward” to various people every day for a week (or a month, or whatever). I could try something with my diet – cutting out meat or carbs or eating a certain number of vegetables with every meal. I could try something with my spending habits – shopping locally, not shopping at all, buying only sustainable products… I could try something creative too, like pursuing a new artistic pursuit every day for a week or every week for a month. Or a feat of stamina – reading the dictionary cover to cover, walking some obscene distance, learning something new every day.

I do have a regular 9-5 job which would require some semblance of normalcy. While I could eat nothing but vegetables at work, for instance, I couldn’t arrive wearing pajamas or communicating solely through American Sign Language or answering all questions with questions. So my exploits would have to be easy integrated into my work day or able to happen solely in the evenings/on the weekends.

Faithful readers, it’s time to weigh in. What could I do that would result in both a novel experience for me and interesting reading? Leave your ideas in the comments. Poll your friends; tell them to join the site and leave their own ideas in the comments. I’ll keep you posted!

Root for the home team (but don't boo the competition)

2010-04-13T11:22:00.012-04:00

This weekend I attended the home opener for the New England Revolution, where they challenged fellow Major League Soccer team Toronto FC. The game was great (after being down 1-0 at the half, the Revs came back to score four goals in the second half and won the game), but the fans were obnoxious!

Many Revs fans (not all of us, thank you) booed when Toronto took the field, jeered when a Canadian was injured, and hollered things like "you suck!" when Toronto players had possession of the ball. In return, Toronto fans hollered at the Revs (though they were much farther away from me, and tougher to hear). The overall atmosphere in the stadium wasn't the palpable excitement of opening day, but rather an undercurrent of malcontent and ugliness.

Don't get me wrong: I love a good rivalry. Give me a Red Sox/Yankees game, for instance, and I'm happy grumble about the "Evil Empire" and poke fun at its players, but I do so from home and all in jest. I would never go to a baseball stadium and scream obscenities at a player or team. It's rude and it takes away from the fun of the game. I go to the games to see my team win, not to watch the other team lose. People who do otherwise aren't respecting the beauty of the game.

At the Revolution game, I was upset to hear adults jeering at the opposition, but even more saddened to see clusters of children (some as young as six or seven!) and cliques of teenagers hurling hateful words at the field and being generally disrespectful -- throwing popcorn and drinks, swearing, and standing in front of people who were trying to watch the game. Where are these kids' parents? It's inappropriate to send your children to a sporting game without teaching them the rules of the game and the rules of good sportsmanship.

I'll be attending more Revolution games this season (I already have my tickets), but I'm hoping for a more refined crowd. Though I may not get my wish, perhaps I'll at least remember to bring some earplugs...

Airline to charge for both checked and carry-on baggage

2010-04-06T13:29:00.007-04:00

This afternoon's Bad Idea of the Day has been announced, with Yahoo News reporting that Spirit Airlines will "charge as much as $45 each way" for carry-on baggage. The charge is in addition to the fees passengers pay for checked bags (between $15 and $100 per bag, depending on the circumstance).

Yahoo reports that "Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza said having fewer carry-on bags will help empty the plane faster. He said the idea is to get customers to pay for individual things they want, while keeping the base fare low."

Fewer carry-ons will empty the plane faster, eh? Is that a big draw for people? Are travelers going to flock to Spirit Airlines for the prospect of getting off the plane three minutes sooner than with other airlines? Can people set aside the fact that they're being nickel and dimed by an airline? I can only imagine that Spirit Airlines has just committed a big ol' PR blunder. By charging passengers to bring luggage on the plane, the airline is letting its customers know that their needs aren't important, but revenue is.

If the comment traffic under the initial report is any indication, Spirit Airlines is unlikely to have many takers on its offer of "keeping base fares low", since nearly everyone travels with luggage of some kind. Comments range from "Wow, next they will be charging to sit or stand on a plane, " to "Well thanks, Spirit. You just made it easier for me to decide I WILL NOT be flying with you!" and "Sounds like a great plan... if you want to chase away customers to other airlines."

I can't say I disagree. While baggage fees have inspired me to pack lighter, I simply carry on my (fewer) belongings now, instead of paying to have them checked. I can say undoubtedly, that I would never fly an airline that would require such ridiculous fees. I prefer to do business with people who appreciate my patronage, rather than people trying to stick me with unprecedented charges.

What do you think? Will people stop flying Spirit Airlines? Will (far worse) other airlines follow suit and start charging for carry-on baggage?

Prom problems? You must be kidding.

2010-04-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

File this one under You must be kidding me.

CNN reported today that an Alabama teenager was suspended from school because her prom dress violated the school dress code. While revealing, the dress is far from risque. What's even more shocking, however, is that the girl, Erica DeRamus, had a choice of punishments and chose to take a three-day suspension over a paddling.

Pardon? Paddling? There are schools that sanction the use of corporal punishment against their students? I assumed, wrongly it seems, that paddling was an archaic method of punishment that long-ago faded away in the school systems. According to one human rights group, however, over 200,000 children were paddled in school in 2008. And in the case of DeRamus's school, 17 potential prom-goers chose to be paddled, rather than face suspension from school.

So while I shake my head in disbelief that this girl was punished for the look of her dress, I'm outraged that missing the prom (or being asked to change dresses) wasn't consequence enough and that the chosen punishment was paddling. According to the school's principal, Trey Holloday, 18 students violated the prom's dress code; all but DeRamus chose paddling over suspension. The principal states that young people make mistakes, and that school officials are "very patient when those [mistakes] are made -- including this -- but we're not tolerant of bad behavior or defiance."

It seems to me that Principal Holloday has several problems on his hands. First, he says he's patient when students -- like DeRamus -- make mistakes, but that he won't tolerate bad behavior; simply stated, he acknowledges that DeRamus made a mistake, but punishes her anyway, as though she was purposefully defiant. Secondly, his opinion of inappropriate dress is out of line; while DeRamus's dress was short, it wasn't a miniskirt, and the top was just as cleavage-barring as most prom dresses on the market. Thirdly, having to change clothes or missing the prom should be "punishment" enough for students who violate the prom's dress code; no additional actions need be taken. And finally, the fact that corporal punishment was even an option (and a widely-chosen one at that!) is barbaric and archaic.

People like Principal Holloday shouldn't be educators, nor should the folks who canceled 18-year-old Constance McMillen's prom after she asked to wear a tuxedo and bring a same-sex date to the dance. What, exactly, are these adults afraid of? Are they so scared by the fact that Constance is a lesbian that they're willing to battle with the ACLU and deprive kids of a major rite of passage? Does principal Holloday enjoy being a bully or exerting his power? Randomly subjecting students to punitive actions doesn't teach them anything; it merely gives the impression that people in positions of power get to be bullies, creating and enforcing rules arbitrarily.

It would be nice if kids were allowed to be kids. Put basic safety rules in place and let kids go to the prom in tuxes or dresses and with whomever they choose. The world has bigger problems than whether two girls go to the dance together or whether a student arrives in a cleavage-baring gown. Only once educators start focusing on what's really important will they truly be impacting the character and moral fiber of their students.

Writer's block

2010-04-01T10:20:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week, the Boston Globe reported that March was the wettest on record. After excitedly writing about the beginning of spring mere weeks ago, it's been a little depressing to be surrounded by so much rain and gloomy weather. What's more, all the rain has caused flooding and damage to many of the homes and businesses of family and friends here in New England. The resulting exhaustion from cleaning up all that water and from dealing with all that gloom has made this writer at a loss for topics. In short, I've had writer's block.
This is not, of course, an isolated incident. Writer's block has affected me before, sneaking in before deadlines and sitting on my keyboard, taunting me. It's as if someone has crept into your brain, removed all its stories and funny anecdotes, siphoned away its insight and cleverness, and replaced it with mud. Instead of writing with my laptop I find myself distracted instead, playing The Sims or taking endless Sporcle quizzes.

Doom and gloom may have worked for Edgar Allen Poe (a favorite of mine), but I find it increasingly difficult to write anything of substance when the world outside is dark and dank. Perhaps I could channel the gloomy feeling into a mystery novel...

In the meantime, I've been having a blast writing for my new blog, the 15-Minute Party Planner. Things have been going very well, and there's nothing like a party to cheer me up and sweep away the doom and gloom. If you have a minute, go check it out -- the layout alone is enough to cheer me up, with its adorable retro banner and bright pink and white polka dot background. I'm also trying to read (if you can't go outside, you might as well be a book worm!) and find other slivers of inspiration to kick-start the writing process.

At the very least, I've gotten the proverbial pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be) and am shaking off the writer's block one word at a time. Though today's post may not be brilliant, I'm confident that inspiration is on its way back in.

'Til next time...

Small change adds up to big savings when "going green"

2010-03-26T09:21:00.006-04:00

Brilliant.

This morning, the Associated Press reported that the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has found a simple way to cut costs and "go green". By simply changing the school's default e-mail font from Arial to Century Gothic, printing e-mails will now use 30 percent less ink. The article also states that with the price of printer ink estimated at $10,000 per gallon (yes, that's ten thousand dollars... no typos here), 30 percent savings will really start to add up.

We live in a world where "going green" is getting trendy, which makes many people ignore the problem, labeling recycling and eco-friendly policies as the work of "tree-huggers". Skeptics of global warming and other ecological problems scoff at the idea that doing little things can make a difference, and many people believe that doing their part doesn't make a real impact.

I argue quite the contrary. I believe that it is in the little things that we have the opportunity to make the greatest impact. Not everyone can afford to buy all eco-friendly products all the time, but we can all afford to recycle the packaging of whatever products we do buy. Not everyone can carpool to work or take public transportation, but we can all walk or bike more on the weekends, using our cars less. Not everyone can afford energy-efficient appliances, but we can all turn off lights and faucets and unplug electronics and appliances when they aren't in use. Small change adds up to big change, when everyone is contributing in some way.

Computers and printing are one of the biggest sources of waste in my daily life. My work computer remains on (albeit frequently "asleep") 24 hours a day, seven days a week because my employer requires it. Colleagues print multiple copies of e-mails for filing that never happens, wasting reams of paper and gallons of ink. So while I understand that there are people who will laugh and shake their heads at the idea that changing e-mail's default font is good for the earth, I'm not one of them. If changing the font saves the University of Wisconsin 30 percent more ink, it's also saving them from buying (and throwing away) more packaging and it's saving them money. If the footer of my e-mails (reading please consider the environment before printing this e-mail) prevents even one person from needlessly printing a few pages, I will have made a small difference.

This is not to say that big change isn't needed to combat our environmental problems, but in the absence of a worldwide rallying cry in favor of eco-friendly measures, the little things will have to count. As a frequently cited quotation states, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." —Margaret Mead

So change your e-mail fonts. Don't print out unnecessary e-mails. Turn off your computer when you're done for the day. Buy products with less packaging and recycle the leftovers. Ride a bike. Buy local. Do the things you can that will make an impact without convincing yourself that doing so little will never add up to much. The world (and your wallet) will thank you.

Books for crooks? Why I donated to the Prison Book Program

2010-03-24T21:32:00.004-04:00

Ten minutes ago I donated five American Century dictionaries to prisoners in Massachusetts.

The Prison Book Program is a grassroots organization that has been sending books to prisoners since 1972. Based in my own backyard (just outside of Boston), the organization sends free books to prisoners and is currently hoping to collect enough money to buy 1,000 college-level dictionaries for inmates.

Wondering why I donated five dictionaries to inmates?

First and foremost, I believe in a right to education for all. The prison system in the United States focuses on a punitive form of justice, not a rehabilitative one, but an educated prisoner makes for a more useful member of society after his release. By providing books (and dictionaries) we are encouraging inmates to educate themselves and become more productive members of society after their releases.
The majority of inmates currently incarcerated are reading at a sub-standard level. Not only are dictionaries are important to understand words in books read for pleasure, but they are important for inmates who are signing important legal documents. It is critical that people understand all the materials given to them and dictionaries allow prisoners to do that.
Plenty of people make poor decisions that land them in prison, but many learn from their mistakes and should have an opportunity to better themselves. Other inmates are incarcerated due to a failure of the justice system. All prisoners should have access to books, but I feel especially passionate that those people who are unjustly locked up and those who have a desire to improve themselves through education should have access to all the books they can read.

There are, of course, half a dozen more reasons why this cause is important to me, but I think the inmates say it best. The Prison Book Program website publishes actual requests from inmates. One says,

"I have to have my room mate [sic] help me with the big words... I have only been reading now for about 21 months. I am 46 years old and when I get out of prison, my son will be 11 years old. And I would love to be able to read and write to my son. So please if you all could see to help me I will be able to help my son when I get home. The dictionary will help learne [sic] how to spell big words."

Like this inmate, many of people who end up in prison have the proverbial odds stacked against them. These are low-income people with little or no education, living in poor neighborhoods, and failing to see that there are any positive options. I only wish that the man quoted above had better opportunities for education in his youth; if he had, perhaps he wouldn't be in prison today. Since he is in prison, however, I'm glad that he's making an effort to improve his circumstances by learning to read and write. When he gets out of prison he'll be able to teach his son that it's never to late to learn.

If you're interested in donating dictionaries to inmates, know that the Prison Book Program is buying 1,000 dictionaries at the wholesale price of $2.47. By donating less than it costs to buy a latte at Starbucks, you'll send a much-needed and much-appreciated dictionary to an inmate. Give up fancy coffee for a single week and you can send 10 dictionaries to folks who really need them. Besides, you can donate online with the click of a button.

For more information on the Prison Book Program, visit their website: www.PrisonBookProgram.org.

Spring has sprung

2010-03-18T10:14:00.006-04:00

Spring has sprung! (Or, the crocuses have, at least.)

This weekend marks the official start of spring, but the sun is shining, the snow has melted, and the crocuses in my yard are blooming bright purple and white. Teeny little tufts of green grass are poking through the lawn, and my lilies are slowly poking up from the dirt. I've dusted off my flip flops and optimistically stowed away my winter jacket in a closet. Since it feels like spring, all that's left to do is to wait for Saturday's First Day of Spring announcement, and it's official.

I am one of those hearty New Englanders who actually enjoys all four seasons and extols the virtues of fall foliage and winter snowfalls. I like to haughtily turn my nose up at people who bemoan the weather and the gloominess of winter. Secretly though, I'm glad to see it go. I love a white Christmas and making snow angels, but I hate shoveling and driving in Boston traffic when there's a storm. So I'm understandably excited to see a few days of sunshine; my spirits have lifted considerably! I love that I can go for a walk with a light sweater instead of bundling up in a long winter jacket complete with scarf, hat, gloves, and boots. Ahhh, spring!

In fact, I believe I'll go take advantage of some of that almost-spring sunshine right now...

What are you still doing here? Get outside!

Short and sweet: sound advice from fortune cookies

2010-03-12T09:50:00.008-05:00

I am a firm believer in the fact that a steaming container of Chinese food can make a bad day better. If not because of the salty and sweet goodness found at the bottom of a container filled with orange chicken, then at least for the pick-me-up found inside a fortune cookie.

So for today, I simply leave you with my latest fortune cookie message:

Despair is criminal.

So cheer up, dear readers. There's always a sunny side, and if you're due some cheeriness, I'm sure it's on its way.

Upward Bound needs your help: Why TRiO programs need to be fully-funded

2010-03-04T11:11:00.016-05:00

Change.org recently posted a call to action, asking readers to contact their federal elected officials in support of TRiO programs.

TRiO programs are “federal outreac h and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.” In essence, these programs allow low-income and disabled students the opportunity and tools to become the first in their families to go to college.

According to Change.org, during the last grant cycle (in 2007) for TRiO’s Upward Bound (UB) program, nearly 200 Upward Bound programs lost their funding, including a disproportionate number of programs housed at historically black institutions. It is my understanding that in response to this loss, an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) “provided $57 million each year for fiscal years 2008-2001” to fund UB programs that served approximately 12,000 students. Unfortunately, because the funds were put into effect immediately – and didn’t result in forward-funding like typical TRiO grants – there are no funds to account for these programs once the CCRAA’s money runs out.

Essentially, by not providing additional discretionary funds to cover the costs of these programs, the government has decided to cut the number of active Upward Bound programs from 964 to 788, serving 12,000 fewer students each year. This is in addition to the over 39,000 students who already lost services for fiscal year 2010, due to rising costs.

Why is Upward Bound so important?

For starters, Upward Bound evens the academic playing field for at-risk kids. The teenagers who participate in UB programs can be from low-income or minority families, the first in their families to go to college. Many are also homeless or living “doubled up” with friends or family. Most UB students are a combination of some or all of those things. They also live in economically-depressed areas, like rural communities with high rates of poverty and few social service programs or big cities with lots of crime and few jobs. These are kids who are unlikely to go on to college without the guidance of a program like Upward Bound.

As a former UB student, I urge you – the readers – to encourage your elected officials to support the expansion of TRiO programs and, consequently, funding for the 2011 fiscal year. Because of the Upward Bound program, I was encouraged to go to college and given the tools to do so.

I grew up in a rural, economically-depressed area, where less than half of my classmates made it through four-year college. With Upward Bound's guidance (and financial assistance) I applied to seven colleges and universities, was accepted at six, and graduated cum laude in four years with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I was the first in my family to go to and graduate from college. It was something no one else had ever been able to do. In fact, shortly after my graduation, I had to attend the funeral of a family member. At the service, my grandfather pulled me close to him and said to anyone who would listen, “That’s my granddaughter – she’s a college graduate!”

The fact that I went to and was able to graduate from college was no small feat. I didn’t know anything about college until Upward Bound came along and helped me through the process. I wouldn’t have known to take difficult courses and the SATs – kids who have college graduates for parents know those things, but why would it occur to the rest of us? That I was guided through the process and given the skills (academic and emotional) to cope with and excel in college, resulted in my becoming the first person in my family to go to college; I hope that future generations of my family will be able to pursue their dreams of higher education as well.

In addition to helping me as a high school student, Upward Bound was also able to provide me with an internship during the summer, in between semesters at college. That lead to offers of employment every summer thereafter and turned into a fulltime job upon graduation. I was eventually promoted from Office Manager to Academic Advisor, and I was given the opportunity to help guide hundreds of other kids through the college process. I also helped to educate parents, teaching them how to advocate for themselves and their children by requesting AP classes and extracurricular activities at their children’s schools. I helped raise funds to cover the gaps between a student’s financial aid packet and the cost of college. I took everything that Upward Bound taught me, turned around, and taught it to those kids coming up behind me. I know the value of what was given to me and am eager to pay my good fortune forward.

TRiO programs need to be fully-funded. The opportunity to grow up with Upward Bound and then work for the program made me who I am today. The government likes to count things, to prove that their programs are making a difference. I don’t know if you can count the individuals who went on to lead productive lives because of UB, but I’m afraid that you can count the number of people who didn’t – they’re the ones in dead-end service jobs, in prison, in rough neighborhoods, and in bad relationships, because they didn’t have access to someone who cared about them and guided them through high school and college. They didn’t have the support networks that UB students build with their classmates, teachers, and advisors. They didn’t know that anyone believed in them, and they didn’t get the chance to shine.

College should not be a privilege enjoyed only by the rich or the offspring of college graduates. TRiO programs (including Upward Bound) allow children of all backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and ethnicities to achieve academic success. These students grow up to give back to their communities and become productive members of society. Eliminating or level-funding TRiO programming is irresponsible and will result in a greater discrepancy between the haves and have-nots in American society.

By not funding the Upward Bound program, we are denying our children the opportunity to take charge of their education and we are most certainly depriving ourselves of a brighter future filled with teachers, doctors, lawyers, writers, social workers, businesspeople, and entrepreneurs who knew what it was like to grow up poor. These are precisely the kind of people we need to make the world a better place. They are the people who give back to their communities by mentoring the next generation of at-risk kids so that the cycle of learning and giving back continues.

Please join the cause and write to your elected officials. You can find them online through the Change.org call to action and read more about the issue at the Council for Opportunity in Education.

The five best websites you've never heard of

2010-03-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

What's not to love about the Internet? Okay, okay, maybe pop-up ads, spam e-mail, and viruses, but otherwise, the World Wide Web is full of fascinating stuff guaranteed to give you something to do. If you're in the market for some new distractions, check out these five best websites you've never heard of.

Listography
According to the website's "About" page, "Listography provides users (listographers) of all ages an easy-to-use tool for creative list writing and sharing." Not only can you make your own lists (Bands I've seen in concert, Items to get at the grocery store, Places I'd like to visit), but you can peruse other people's lists. Go ahead; give it a try!
Sporcle
If we're RLF's, maybe you've heard of the wonderful distraction that is Sporcle, but otherwise, chances are that you haven't. If you're the kind of person that would be amused trying to recall all the lyrics to Don McLean's American Pie (in 14 minutes or less) or if you know George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words, or if you think you'd have fun identifying companies by their logos, Sporcle is for you. Some games take just a minute, others give you upwards of 15 minutes, so there's a distraction for any period of time you've got.
Slashfood
Slashfood is the best blog for foodies. The site covers everything from dessert wines to newfangled ketchup packets to wacky products made with bacon, and I love reading all of it. You're also likely to stumble across restaurant news, polls, and debates about tipping and service.
I have seen the whole of the Internet
Seriously, that's the name of the blog. And if you don't have time to read all those hilarious e-mails that people forward you and poke around YouTube for funny dog videos, just head over to Joanne Casey's ("Internet Caretaker") blog, and you'll be brought up to speed in no time.
Wordle
Wordle creates a "word cloud" based on text entered by the user. According to the site, "the clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text," and you can change the color and font of your creation. A Wordle graphic appeared in this IT&O article; they're fun to make and handy when you need a unique picture!

If you've got five minutes to waste, now's the time to get poking around the Internet. Enjoy!

The battle for marriage equality rages on

2010-03-01T09:31:00.010-05:00

I admittedly don't follow politics very closely. The reason isn't that I don't care about what happens in the world, it's that I don't like to watch grown men slinging proverbial mud at one another, running dirty campaigns, and spouting their hateful opinions and misguided ideas to any media outlet foolish enough to listen. I also find the influence of money in the political arena heartbreaking; those campaigns with more money shouldn't "win" simply because their money buys more airtime and more flyers.

One issue in particular is always in the spotlight -- equal marriage rights. In fact, this battle rages on across the country making progress and then falling back. I'm sometimes shocked at how long "we the people" are able to debate an issue! Back when Inner Thoughts & Outbursts was just a column in a weekly newspaper, I wrote a piece comparing the battle for marriage equality (allowing same-sex couples to marry) to the battle for civil rights (allowing black children to attend the same schools as white children). In that editorial I stated that now, as always, the answer to a human rights question is equality. Denying marriage (or calling it a "civil union") to gay couples is unequal and unconstitutional.

Sitting down to reread the column (written this very week, six years ago), I am shocked that the issue is still so prominent in politics and in the public eye. I expected gay marriage to be commonplace by now. I didn't expect that the battle would still be so prevalent and that states that had granted equal marriage rights would have to fight to defend their positions, sometimes losing and having once-granted rights suddenly taken away.

All hope is not lost, however. About a month ago I read a story about a high school in California targeted by the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). The WBC routinely protests gay rights and carries signs reading, "God hates fags," "God hates the U.S.A." and other such nonsense. The WBC is also a group with enough cash behind it so as to have a sophisticated website and a whole staff committed to organizing press opportunities and protests. While I was shocked that such a group would target a high school, I was pleasantly surprised to read about the school's response.

According to the article, Gunn High School's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) planned a peaceful counter demonstration that not only showed its support in the fight for gay rights, but poked fun at the WBC protesters. Students from other schools and school groups joined the GSA and spent the morning singing songs, waving flags, and holding a peaceful demonstration. They even carried signs reading "God hates signs" and "Love is Love" to poke fun at the ridiculousness of WBC's hateful protesting.

Students interviewed for the article talked about the peace and love behind the demonstration, and discussed why they won't be deterred by protesters' intolerance. When I read the kids' sentiments and saw their funny signs, I felt a wave of relief rush over me; maybe the future isn't doomed! Perhaps there is still hope for polite politics!

The kids of Gunn High School showed class when they responded to such hatred in a peaceful and tongue-in-cheek way. They also gave me hope that someday marriage equality will no longer be an issue -- it'll just be the norm and everyone will be able to enjoy the same rights. Someday these children will grow into adults, and maybe the political mudslinging will stop. Maybe these young people will be able to separate politics from human rights and our national policies will change for the better. Maybe, there will come a day when I can turn on the television or read the news and not be dismayed by the ugliness and bigotry displayed there, because there won't be any.

Top ten forms of free entertainment at your local library

2010-02-21T18:37:00.015-05:00

I am lucky to live in a town with a great public library. The Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts is a big, bright space full of books and much more. When I calculated my average monthly usage for the library (using this handy calculator), I learned that I'm saving myself upwards of $300 worth of services every month!

Here are the top ten reasons (in no particular order) to use your local library as a source of free entertainment.

Free books!
If you like to read even half as much as I do, borrowing books from the library will have you hundreds of dollars each year. No, you can't write in the books, and yes, you can only have them for a month or so, but you can read great books at no cost and don't have to make space on your shelves for those books you're too embarrassed to admit you've read. *coughTwilightcough*
Learn a language.
Not only can you go to the library to pick up books in other languages or language-learning software, but many libraries also offer free online learning for foreign language. After spending a few years debating the merits of the Rosetta Stone language programs, I recently started learning German from the comfort of my own home via the library. Through a link on the library website, I enter my library card number and I get free access to language lessons. All I need is my computer and an Internet connection, and I'm learning German for free!
Get some culture!
My library offers museum passes that allow you free or discount admission to Boston-area museums. I recently visited the New England Aquarium and I have a pass on reserve that will get me into the Museum of Science next weekend to see the Harry Potter exhibit at a discount price.

And speaking of Harry Potter...
Borrow movies for free.
If you thought those $1 deals at Redbox were a good deal, consider this: you can borrow VHS tapes and DVDs from the library for a week at a time and get your movie-watching fix for free.
Surf the Web!
Have half an hour to kill in between appointments or errands? Hop over to the library, where you can usually find an available computer for thirty minutes of e-mail checking, blog reading, and Web surfing.
Save paper, save the planet.
Share resources and save the planet by reading your favorite newspapers and magazines at the library. I have my absolute favorite magazines sent to my house each month, but there are dozens more magazines I read whenever I have the chance. Next time I've got an hour or two to myself I'm hitting the library: People, Real Simple, and Harper's, here I come!
Socialize!
Libraries are way more than big buildings full of books. At my library you can watch a series of Audrey Hepburn or Alfred Hitchcock films, join a book club, listen to piano recitals, and even attend a pie tasting. Whether you're new to the area or just want to meet new people, the library is a safe way to meet new people and enjoy an evening of entertainment.
Entertain out-of-town guests.
Parents visiting for a week? Pick up a Masterpiece Theatre DVD set from the library and let the folks settle in with something to watch. Have nieces and nephews coming over? Grab some picture books, books on CD, and videos so that they'll have something to do. Throwing a dinner party on the night of your guests' arrival? Borrow a cookbook with recipes for their favorite dishes and make guests feel at home.
Try something new!
I never thought I'd like listening to audio books (it's cheating!), but they make my long commute to work fly by so quickly that I take back my criticisms (it's not cheating, it's multitasking!). At the library, I can borrow audio books for free, and if the reader isn't someone I enjoy I haven't wasted money on a book I can't listen to; I just return it and try a new book.
Teach yourself something.
Want to lose weight? Borrow a low-fat cookbook and an exercise DVD. Always wanted to try knitting? Use the library's photocopier to copy your favorite patterns from one of the knitting books. Planning a garden? Spend an evening with fellow green-thumbs at a library meeting and bring home a book about flowers. The possibilities are endless!

Would you change your name after marriage?

2010-02-14T20:32:00.010-05:00

The Boston Globe ran a piece yesterday titled The Ms. myth. The article focuses on married women's decisions regarding whether to keep their maiden names after marriage, and claims that fewer married women are keep their own names now than a decade ago.

Though the article cites studies that suggest that about 13 percent of white, married, college-graduate women, age 30 to 34 kept their names after marriage, my own friends are generally fans of the practice. In my office, only one of my close colleagues is interested in changing her last name upon marriage. That being said, hardly any of my want-to-keep-their-maiden-name friends are married, leading me to ponder a few things.

Are women who would prefer to keep their maiden names less likely to get married?
Maybe the reason none of my I'll-keep-my-own-name-thank-you friends has married is because they have fiercer independent streaks than the (as Bridget Jones would call them) the smug marrieds. Perhaps, the desire to keep one's own name correlates with the desire to stay single (or a lack of necessity to make a relationship "official" with marriage).
Why does not changing one's name brand a woman as a feminist while changing one's name is labeled as sexist?
The status quo here needs an update. I don't particularly care if a woman changes her name or not, I just want her to have the right to choose. Taking your husband's name doesn't make you less of a feminist, and keeping your name doesn't make you a card-carrying member of NOW.
Why don't more women keep their names after marriage?
I definitely don't have an answer for this one. I find it curious that only 13 percent of women keep their names after marriage. Do women change their names out of habit or tradition? For the sake of their children so that they'll have a "family" name? Answers, please!

Though I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity to change her name, I am surprised that more women don't keep their given names after marriage. I have no desire to change my name if I get married. I grew up Danielle Brown and I intend to stay Danielle Brown. It's the name on my birth certificate, my report cards, my diploma, and my driver's license. My parents gave me a name that fits me. Why would I want to change it?

Readers, did you change your name after marriage? Would you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

2010 Winter Olympics open in Vancouver

2010-02-12T10:55:00.007-05:00

The 2010 Winter Olympics begin tonight in Vancouver and I'll be watching.

Though I'm not much of an athlete and I don't really follow sports, I always love watching the Olympics. Something about the pageantry, the Parade of Nations, the chance to see people excelling at what they love... it warms my heart. I love to cheer on the United States, the underdogs, and whoever catches my fancy.

CNN ran an opinion piece today by Fulbright scholar Robert A. Kaufman about why the Olympics matter. The piece mentions a story about the 2006 Olympics; Canadian cross-country skier Sara Renner entered her race as an underdog, having placed "no higher than eighth" in Olympic events four years earlier. In the middle of the last heat, however, Renner's ski pole broke, effectively knocking her out of the competition.

Opposing ski coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen saw what happened and handed over his Norwegian team's spare pole. Renner and her teammate completed the race with a second-place finish, while the Norwegian team didn't medal.

Kaufman continues to explain that Renner was so touched that she gave Håkensmoen a big thank you and a bottle of wine. The Canadians were so touched by Håkensmoen's kindness that they developed Project Maple Syrup, which shipped over 7,000 cans of the nation's pride and joy to Håkensmoen and Norwegians. Håkensmoen, for his part, remains humble about his part in the story, saying simply that "It was natural for me to do it, and I think anyone should have done it."

Kaufman encourages his readers to remember the collaborative spirit of the Canadian and Norwegian cross-country teams as they tune in to tonight's Olympic festivities. He encourages viewers to not only root for the United States, but for all nations participating in the Games.

I agree wholeheartedly. While I wish the United States much success, I also hope that the Canadians can win some events "at home" and that some of the underdogs have a chance to shine. Regardless of the Games' outcome, I am eager for another chance to cheer on my country and the athletes of the world.

So tune in tonight to watch the Olympics on NBC!

A box of Kleenex and RuPaul

2010-01-31T20:35:00.010-05:00

I didn't grow up with cable TV. My house had an old TV with rabbit ear antennas and we usually got only two stations -- PBS and FOX. Because of this, I didn't spend my tween and teen years watching a lot of television. I watched Ghost Writer and Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS and the occasional movie or show on FOX. When my friends were discussing 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dawson's Creek, I didn't have a single point of reference. I didn't watch any of that stuff and I wasn't that interested.

When I was 15, however, my father remarried and we moved into my stepmother's house. She had cable and her channel lineup even included MTV and VH1! My brothers and I never tired of music videos, but I had yet to slip into the world of reality TV until a weekend that I was feeling sick. I spent an entire Saturday wrapped up in a blanket in the recliner, sipping on ginger ale and feeling miserable. Without cable I would have spent that day reading or sleeping, but now I had MTV! I spent the whole day watching an entire season of The Real World.

I can't remember which season I watched or what city they were in, but I remember being transfixed by this marathon of "reality" TV. Even back then, when reality TV was a relatively new phenomenon, I had little tolerance for the semi-staged drama and the months and months of footage condensed into a dozen or so hours of television. That did not, however, stop me from being enthralled by this weird microcosm of society neatly packaged into a day's worth of TV-viewing. I didn't have to devote all my Thursday nights to watching a particular show! I could just sit in the recliner nursing a ginger ale and watching a whole season's worth of crazy in a single day.

I have to admit that the habit hasn't left me. Whenever I'm home sick and I'm too tired to read but not tired enough to sleep, I flip around the channels until I find some odd bit of "reality" to watch. It's voyeuristic, but I like to watch the weirdest "reality" possible when I'm feeling crummy. When I've been home sick I've watched marathons of shows that I actually enjoy (like Project Runway or America's Next Top Model) and marathons of shows I'd never even heard of (like The Chef Jeff Project or -- sadly -- RuPaul's Drag Race, which features contestants competing to be the next big drag star).

Though I can't imagine watching these programs religiously once a week, I find them oddly satisfying to watch when I'm curled up on the couch, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, too sick to do much of anything else. When I'm not feeling well, it's too easy to fall asleep watching a movie and I lack the concentration to watch anything serious. There's no way, however, anyone can accuse me of lacking the mental stamina to watch five hours of a Project Runway marathon while I eat chicken noodle soup and blow my nose.

So the next time I'm stuck on the couch with a box of tissues and a cup of tea, I hope I find four hours of a cooking competition show followed by reruns of an old season of HGTV Design Star. Either way, it sure beats the reality of a raw, red nose and cough syrup!

Tyra Banks announces "fiercely real" plus-size model search

2010-01-30T07:06:00.006-05:00

Tyra Banks announced this week that her latest modeling competition will involve plus-sized teens. She calls the competition the first "fiercely real" teen model search, as it is open to any girl between the ages of 13 and 19 who wear a size between 12 and 20, and are between 5'9" and 6'1".

Now I love me some Tyra. I think she's a beautiful woman, a wonderful role model, and that she genuinely cares about girls in America. I also know and love the plus-size world. It's not easy being "plus-size" as an adult and I imagine its even more difficult as a teenager. Thinking about the difficulties, I'm excited about the prospect of young plus-size women having the chance to show off their curves on a national stage.

A few things about this competition jump out at me though. For starters, Tyra's plus-size models will not be competing on a season of her show America's Next Top Model. Instead, contestants will submit an application with photos and finalists will be announced on an episode of The Tyra Show, and the winner will be revealed the following day. The winner of the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search will win a one-year modeling contract and a spread in a major fashion magazine, however, just like the winners of ANTM.

I am a little disappointed that Tyra's search won't result in a season of ANTM. I suppose that there are several reasons for this, including the fact that TV shows are still sponsored by advertisers, some of whom may not share Tyra's appreciation for girls of all sizes. I also suspect that a few of Tyra's modeling gurus who appear on the show -- including runway coaches, photographers, fashion designers, makeup artists, and the like -- may not want to be associated with plus-size girls, or don't believe that high-fashion can be plus-sized. While I certainly think this is wrong, I understand that our society is still driven by the almighty dollar, and an often-impossible standard of beauty.

I've also heard a lot of griping about the fact that the girls must still be between 5'9" and 6'1". This is not a fact that bothers me. While I'm all for elevating young girls' self-esteem and celebrating bodies of all types, models in the industry simply aren't often short. If plus-size girls have to be tall to model in this competition so be it; at least its a start.

The only other thing I hope for is that the winner of the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search ends up somewhere in the middle of range. No offense, but a 6'1" size 12 model is hardly plus-size. I hope a lovely young woman wins because of her unique beauty and curves, not because she's the smallest of the plus-sized contestants.

All negativity aside, I do hope the winner of Tyra's plus-size model search is featured in Glamour, one of my favorite magazines and one of the few glossies that is committed to featuring plus-size (and even "real-size") girls in their magazine. I know that the winner's curves would be appreciated by Glamour's readers and that such exposure to the mainstream media would help boost her career.

In a statement to Us magazine, Tyra said, "I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty." She went on to talk about "celebrating non-traditional beauty" and expressed her disappointment that the term "plus-sized" has a negative connotation, when it refers to the average American woman.

"That woman is healthy, fit and beautiful," said Banks. "Adolescence is such an impressionable time in a young woman's life, and I hope this contest helps teen girls discover their own beauty from the inside out."

I do too, Tyra. And I can't wait to see the results.

Tune in to The Tyra Show on March 2 to see the winner of the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search.

TGIF

2010-01-15T20:58:00.011-05:00

Friday nights hold a special wonder for me.

What I love most about Friday nights is that they lazily stretch out before you. You have no obligations! In fact, the whole world seems preoccupied with relaxing, so you're nearly always sure to be left alone and you can do whatever you want. And though I enjoy the company of my friends and family, I'd prefer to reserve Friday nights for just me.

My favorite Friday nights aren't spent at a club or a fancy restaurant. Instead, they start with no expectations and no commitments. A typical Friday night usually begins with my changing into comfy pajamas, eating something delicious and warm (bonus points for anything cheesy, gooey, crunchy, or salty), and drinking some wine or a big mug of hot chocolate. Then, I proceed to do whatever I feel like.

Sometimes I borrow half a dozen movies from the library spend Friday night kicking off a weekend of watching them all. Other times I borrow half a dozen movies and decide to ignore them and not watch any at all! I spend many a Friday night catching up on DVR-ed TV shows, reading chapters upon chapters of books, or playing Tetris until my thumbs are sore. Other Friday nights I take a bubble bath, paint my toenails, or putter around the house with beauty potions and pastes on my skin and in my hair.

The best thing about Friday nights is that nearly everyone is unwinding in his or her own way from a long week at work, so it's unlikely that you'll have any specific responsibilities. There are no doctor's appointments to rush to, no banking that can be done, no commitments to keep. For a few precious hours, nothing lies behind you but another completed work week, and nothing stands in front of you until the rush of Saturday morning. For a few glorious hours you can do whatever you want.

I love my Friday nights because they help me unwind from one long week and prepare me to gear up for another. For a few hours I can be selfish with my time and do whatever I want to do. Sometimes, it's the only few hours of my week that aren't pre-scheduled -- with commitments or fun. Even though I love participating in my sign language classes and going to the theatre, sometimes they those things run the risk of becoming just another item on a list of errands, appointments, and tasks. Friday night is the one block of time I can nearly always count on to be open for anything.

With that in mind, please pardon me. I think it's time for a novel and a bubble bath. Or perhaps another glass of wine and a few games of solitaire. Or maybe an hour of Project Runway and a pedicure... The night is young!

I'd learn to play the violin

2010-01-12T13:55:00.007-05:00

Where do people find the time to do everything they want to do?

I have so many things I want to learn (how to speak German, how to paint, how to cook like they do on the Food Network...), and so many things I'd like to practice more (writing, American Sign Language, working out...), and I hardly have time for any of it. In fact, the bulk of my week is taken up by my job, something that would surely make the bottom of my priority list if I were independently wealthy. With all that I want to do competing with all that I have to do, I mostly just find myself frazzled.

I try to imagine what life would be like if I took the fifty hours I spend commuting to and then working at my job, and spent them doing things that were more fun.

For starters, I'd be fluent in American Sign Language and German.

I'd be healthier (since I could spend more time at the gym, less time starving when I finally get out of work -- leading to less eating of Ramen Noodles and quick-fix meals).

I'd be writing a book instead of goofy blog posts.

I'd paint like Bob Ross.

I'd take a cooking class.

I'd volunteer at the library.

I'd have completed scrapbooks instead of a desk full of half-done art.

I'd own a dog.

I'd take up the violin.

I'd travel more and stress out less.

I'd read more of the hundreds of books on my "to-read" list.

I'd upload my photos in a timely manner.

I'd vacuum. (Heck, I might even dust.)

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. I wrote a post for my part-time writing gig. I surfed around the Internet. I read for a bit. Now, I'm writing this post. It was nice to have two whole hours to myself to do stuff I wanted to do. Of course, I wanted to sleep too, but I didn't have time for that and everything else! I guess I'll just try to keep squeezing the most out of the hours I have.

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to ignore my German lessons, scrapbooking, working out, and photo uploading: I'm off to work.

If I were a rich man...

2010-01-04T22:14:00.015-05:00

Man, oh man. If I had a dollar for every time I got worked up about the inequalities between the rich and the poor, I'd be one of the rich folks about whom I complain.

Last week, Yahoo! News reported that earning just $32,879 puts you in the top half of taxpayers. The story was tucked away on the site's finance page, and while I understand that this might not be breaking news, I'd be surprised if many people know that figure.

I think it's an outrage that wages are so low in this country. We're one of the most educated, technologically-advanced countries in the world and more than half of our residents are living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Let's do the math: Let's say that I make just a little more than the $32, 879 that puts a person in the top half of taxpayers. (I work in Boston, which has a higher cost of living, so I make about $35,000 each year before taxes.)

The average cost of an average apartment in Boston is $1,350 a month ($16,200 a year!). Transportation (whether by car or train) is easily another $150 a month, and that doesn't include maintenance costs. Groceries for a single person come in at around $160 a month. Add in health insurance — which is mandatory in Massachusetts — for an average young professional (at around $175/month), the recommended 10% of your income in savings and/or a retirement plan ($290/month), and about 20% of your gross income for various state and federal taxes ($583/month), and you've got about $2,500 each year (or about $200 a month) for such extravagances as co-pays for doctor's visits or medications, utilities, phone/Internet, travel, and — God forbid — entertainment.

When people are paid so little and costs are so high, it's hard to imagine that people are getting ahead when so many of us are barely getting by. I live well-within my means. I don't have credit card debt, a gambling habit, or even a car loan. I buy store-brand groceries, use coupons, and shop on sale. I drive a beat up car that uses regular gasoline, cover my windows with plastic to keep the heat in during the winter, and have worn the same snow boots since college. I'm a saver, not a spender, and yet I'm still not making much financial "progress."

I do have a modest amount of school loans from obtaining my Bachelor's degree, and I have a fondness for theatre tickets, which I spend my discretionary "fun money" on. Aside from that (and a penchant for pizza, which I indulge once or twice a month), I'm hardly a careless spender. And yet, I make more than half the tax payers in the United States, and I can't afford a house, an extravagant vacation, or even major car repairs.

Something is wrong when more than half the country is barely scraping by. I tend to blame the structure of the system, but also the super-rich for the discrepancy and disparity in wealth.

How do we fix it? Someone recently told me about a business model in Japan that requires companies to succeed together. Though I don't claim to know much about it, it sounds like in order for high-level executives to earn more money, the whole company must improve and all employees must receive wage increases as the executives' wages increase. The "little guys" wages must always be a reasonable percentage of the top executives' paychecks. This ensures that companies work together to succeed and that high-level employees are cognizant of the necessity of having skilled, motivated workers throughout the whole company.

I propose that the United States adopt a similar method. There's no need for the super rich to continue amassing more wealth than is necessary, while millions of people live in or very near poverty. The government also needs a wake up call in regard to its so-called "poverty line." When the national poverty line (meaning that anyone earning less than that amount is living in poverty) is at $10,830 for a single person and $22,050 for a family of four, something is deeply wrong. I, a college-educated, frugal, single person, could not support myself on $22,000 a year, and I certainly couldn't support a family of four on it.

Readers, what do you think? I know that you have opinions on this matter! Please feel free to share them in the comments.

Not a year in review, but a look forward

2009-12-30T16:43:00.007-05:00

As much as I enjoy reading retrospectives of a year gone by, I'm not much for writing them myself. I prefer to think ahead to the upcoming year when I can write some resolutions, map out some ideas, and keep striving for that "someday," even if my idea of "someday" changes.

I also like resolutions because I like lists. Oh the joys of lists! I have somewhere to keep track of things and can keep a visual track of my progress. In honor of my love for list-making, here's my list of resolutions for 2010.

Write more/become a better writer.
Each year I like to focus on a particular hobby. In 2009, I wanted to spend more time scrapbooking; the result was a beautiful gift for my brother and new sister-in-law that captured every moment of their new marriage from proposal through honeymoon. For 2010 I vow to work on my writing. Practice makes perfect and though I love writing, I don't do it enough. This year's goal? Post to IT&O at least once a week. I can do it! Give me some topic ideas in the comments...

I'd also like to take up journaling again. I like having a written record of my life to look back on and I like writing things down, but I just don't do it. I'd like to make journal writing a regular habit this year.
Pay attention to the positive.
For the past few year's I've kept a Good Thing of the Day book. Everyday I take a minute to jot down something that was good about the day. Some days it's amazing: "Chris and Jenni get married!" "Saw the opening night performance of Mamma Mia and met two cast members outside the theatre!" Some days more mundane: "Turkey club from Doyle's for lunch." "Hung out with Penelope." And some days a real stretch: "Went to bed early," "Didn't have to work late." The point, is to pay attention to the little things that make life worth living. It's important to me to remember why I love dogs wearing argyle sweaters or how much I enjoy seeing the Boston skyline as I drive into work each day. Those little things remind me not to dwell on the gloomy things in life.
Get healthier.
I always resolve to get healthier and this year is no different. It's an ongoing battle and one that everyone can relate to; I know it's on millions of people's lists of resolutions! Getting healthier doesn't have to be just about losing weight though. It can be about learning to like new foods (in 2009 I got over my dislike of bananas!), drinking more water, going to bed early, walking around the block every day... I hope to continue making little steps that will improve my well-being and not worry about the slip-ups like downing some soda or skipping the gym now and again.
Do things for me.
I want to travel this year, take some classes, learn new things, taste great foods, sing at the top of my lungs. I resolve to remember that life is short and that the list of things to do "someday" ought to start today.

And so I say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010. This year, as always, I resolve to make this year the best yet. Happy New Year!

Girls gone wild: How you can help rescue our teenage girls

2009-12-22T09:53:00.007-05:00

The presence of girls in the U.S. juvenile justice system is on the rise, even though the nation’s juvenile crime has decreased overall in the last two decades. While the rate of delinquency dropped 29% for males between 1985 and 2002, the rate of delinquency for females rose a whopping 92%.

Such a rate of female delinquency is shocking and diversionary programming must be implemented immediately in order to reverse the trend. In response to this crisis, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing in October entitled “Girls in the Juvenile Justice System: Strategies to Help Girls Achieve Their Full Potential.”

Dr. C. Jackie Jackson, Ph.D., executive director of Girls Inc. of the Greater Peninsula, addressed the Subcommittee. Throughout her speech, she underscored the need for juvenile diversionary programs, particularly for girls.

According to Jackson, “primary prevention is the most cost-effective way to address the problem of juvenile crime among girls.” In addition to providing a safe place to go after school, programs like Girls Inc. provide programs that focus on life and social skills, financial and media literacy, empowerment and self-esteem, academics, and wholesome fun. When adolescents participate in after-school programming, they are participating in positive activities and avoiding the peak times for juvenile crime, juvenile drug and alcohol use, and teenage sexual activity.

Diversionary programs like Girls Inc. are critical in ensuring that girls have an opportunity to avoid the juvenile justice system. Such programs are a cost-saving measure, investing in girls’ development instead of paying their way through the juvenile justice system. Jackson reports that nationwide estimates for housing one adolescent in a juvenile detention center range from $32,000 – $65,000 per year. In contrast, a year’s worth of programming at Girls Inc. (including both after school and summer programs) costs less than $2,000.

Though the return on investment of these preventative programs seems obvious, Girls Inc. and thousands of other juvenile diversion programs across the nation find themselves struggling for funding. Many adolescents participating in these programs come from low-income families and cannot afford to pay for services. It is crucial that both Congress and the community rally to support juvenile diversion programs that help children access education and keep them from winding up in the criminal justice system. It is especially critical to meet the needs of teenage girls who often find themselves lost in a juvenile justice system designed for teenage boys.

What can you do to help? Get vocal! Support your local juvenile diversionary programs by calling on your elected officials to fully fund essential programs and volunteer or donate when you can. You can find a list of representatives that make up the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, by visiting its webpage. To learn more about Girls Inc. and its programming, visit www.girlsinc.org.

Some people just have a laundry list of issues...

2009-11-18T14:10:00.008-05:00

Add this one to the list of things people argue about when they have too much time on their hands.

Perkasie, a small town in Pennsylvania, is home to less than 10,000 residents including Carin Froehlich. Yahoo! News reported today that Froehlich has had to fight for her right to hang laundry outdoors.

Neighbors have complained that they don't want to see Froehlich's laundry outside because makes the neighborhood “look like trailer trash.” A town official has even gone so far to call Froehlich to ask her to stop drying her clothes outdoors.

Froehlich argues that it's an American right to dry clothes outdoors, wryly noting that if her husband has a right to bear arms, she has a right to hang laundry. Besides, Froehlich, like many others who hang laundry outdoors, talks about the savings, since line-drying clothes lowers the family's electric bill.

Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that there is a non-profit organization dedicated to making air-drying laundry an “acceptable and desirable” practice. Project Laundry List doesn't merely believe that that Americans have a right to line-dry their laundry, but also touts the environmental benefits of line-drying and cold-water washing.

According to Project Laundry List's sample letters to elected officials, “clothes dryers use an estimated 6 to 10 % of residential electricity use. The average family can save over $85/year by using a clothesline instead of a dryer.”

The take of this Inner Thoughts & Outbursts writer? Hanging clothes outdoors makes sense. There's no reason people shouldn't be allowed to hang their clothes (even their undies!) to line-dry instead of using a dryer. While I personally prefer my dryer (I have allergies that make line-drying more of a hassle than a help), I certainly appreciate the environmental benefits of line-drying. Of course, the bottom line isn't that line-drying saves people money or that it's good for the environment; the bottom line is that people should butt out of their neighbors' business! Clean laundry blowing in the breeze is a nod to a bygone era, not a malicious eyesore. This writer says, “get over it!”

Teen rehabilitation: The bleak "status" update

2009-11-12T09:03:00.007-05:00

Most teens know what a status update is (think Facebook or Twitter), but what constitutes a status offense?

A status offense is an act that is unlawful for juveniles, though it would be legal for adults. Common status offenses include running away from home, truancy, and alcohol possession by minors. Regulating these behaviors in children is regarded as a way of preventing future crime. Unfortunately, the juvenile justice system often produces repeat offenders, since its focus is not solely rehabilitative.

Though federal guidelines discourage the incarceration of status offenders (hoping, instead, to focus on community-based programming), between five and six percent of juveniles currently serving time are locked up due to status offenses. What’s worse, young people who are chronically truant can be confined with juveniles incarcerated for serious violent crime. Rehabilitative forms of justice should be available for everyone; it is clear, however, that the needs of teens with truancy issues are very different from the needs of juveniles convicted of sexual assault or murder.

Status offenders should be placed in residential rehabilitation programs, not detention centers.
Teens with substance abuse issues need treatment facilities with regular access to counseling, education, and groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Those who are truant or runaways need a social worker or child advocate that can provide ongoing access to counseling and alternatives to school or home that will benefit both the child and the community.

Juveniles require follow-up support.
It’s not enough to ensure that a child goes through treatment. Juvenile offenders require follow-up support including ongoing access to counseling and a court-appointed adult serving as an advisor and case manager after the teen has been released from treatment. Without this level of support, juveniles are likely to offend again.

Treatment options and follow-up support must include families.
The Policymaker’s Guide to Effective Juvenile Justice Programs illustrates the link between ineffective parenting and juvenile crime. By educating family members and involving them in treatment plans, juvenile justice professionals are helping family members “buy in” to the treatment plan. If a parent isn’t willing or able to participate, someone else — a relative, teacher, or other trusted adult — should step in to support the juvenile.

Juveniles who make mistakes need coaching and support, not punishment. By putting children through appropriate treatment instead of locking them away in detention centers, we are investing in the future of our communities. Each dollar spent on prevention and rehabilitation saves money further down the road. Status offenders who are given help to overcome the obstacles in their lives are unlikely to become repeat offenders who enter the adult justice system, saving thousands of dollars that would be spent on adult courts, incarceration, and parole.

Only when we as much about status offenses as we do status updates, will we be able to enact change. Wouldn’t you rather your tax dollars went to rehabilitating youth than paying to house adult inmates? If officials are truly concerned about the cost of the justice system they should invest in rehabilitative programming that has a proven return on investment, instead of sticking to the status quo.

'Tis the season: the best toys to buy for young children

2009-10-20T15:44:00.014-04:00

Being in the toy business (at my day job I build playrooms for children living in homeless shelters) I often get asked for advice. What's the hottest toy this season? What would make the perfect gift? Which toys are worth the money?

While my specialty is toys for early childhood (infants through six-year-olds), this advice applies to toys and games for all ages.

Rule number 1: Ignore the "it" toy of the moment.
Next year (or next month) it won't matter if little Susie has the newest Zhu Zhu Hamster, because it will be forgotten or broken. Focus, instead, on toys that will keep your child stimulated and are constructed to last longer than a season.

Rule number 2: Know your audience.
A budding baker would prefer a set of toy pots and pans to a trendy toy that doesn't grab his or her interest. If you're not close to the child, you can still choose a "classic" gift like wooden blocks or hand puppets that will make an impact.

Rule number 3: Follow your heart.
Choose a toy that you loved as a child or one that catches your eye and it's bound to be special. You don't have to spend the morning after Thanksgiving bundled up outside Toys "R" Us waiting to buy The Next Big Thing. Follow your heart when choosing and you'll be successful.

Here are some of my favorite toys and brands of toys. These are IT&O-tested and kid-approved; they are sturdy, tons of fun, and in many cases educational. Some are even sustainably-made and good for the earth. Read on, toy buyers!

Melissa & Doug

Melissa & Doug started out in the garage at Doug's parents' house and has grown into one of the most successful toy companies around. Their products are high-quality, featuring many well-constructed wooden toys. In times when children are inundated with cheap plastic toys, the feeling of warm, solid wood is a comforting alternative. Some of my favorite products by Melissa & Doug? Puppets, puzzles, and wooden toys.

Green Toys

Green Toys says that they believe that "the world would be a much better place if everyone said 'please' and 'thank you', cell phones didn’t ring during movies, and all toys were fun, safe, and made from environmentally friendly materials. Since it’s probably no use holding our breath for those first two, we’re concentrating on the toys."

Made from recycled plastic and other environmentally-friendly materials, Green Toys are classic toys that are great for kids and great for the planet. I'm personally a big fan of the tea set (since in addition to it being planet-friendly, it's one of the few tea sets around that isn't plastered with images of Disney princesses or glitter), but all of the company's toys are wonderful, durable, and more pleasant than stuff made from cheap, destructible plastic.

Cranium

If you're looking for high-quality games, look no further than Cranium, the makers of super-popular games for everyone from preschoolers to adults. The games are silly, lots of fun, and allow people of different ages and abilities to play the same game without anyone feeling as though he or she is too advanced or too far behind. These games are guaranteed to bring you a lot of joy and laughter. (Classic Cranium is my favorite Cranium game for adults!)

Crayola

Please do me a favor and don't buy Rose Art crayons and supplies for your kids! It pains me to see kids scribbling around with cheap, waxy crayons, when Crayola crayons are so durable and inexpensive in their own right. Stick with the classics here. My favorite? A big box of crayons in many colors.

Buying toys that are well-constructed will serve the children in your life better than plastic pieces of junk that will be forgotten in a few days. Feel free to share your own toy recommendations in the comments!

Common sense overrules suspension of six-year-old

2009-10-14T10:52:00.006-04:00

In a rare win for common sense, first grader Zachary Christie's suspension was lifted yesterday following a meeting of the school board.

It's about time that common sense won out over zero-tolerance policies that make zero sense. The Christina School District, where Zachary is a student, has dealt with similar cases, including the expulsion of a young girl last year after her grandmother sent her to school with a birthday cake and a knife with which to cut it. (She was, coincidentally, not reprimanded until after the teacher used the knife to cut the cake.) After the girl's case, a state law gave school districts flexibility on punishments that included possible expulsion (the girl's expulsion was eventually overturned), but failed to affect cases that led to suspensions instead of expulsions. Thankfully, Yahoo! News reports that the district may be working on more changes to the school's code of conduct.

I'm in good company on my quest for common sense. Yahoo! News reports that Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services agrees with my sentiments. "When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe environment," said Trump. "People have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."

Today's score?
Common sense = 1
Ridiculousness = 0

Six-year-old suspended for eating with camping utensil at school

2009-10-12T15:29:00.013-04:00

I used to teach at a high school with high rates of teenage pregnancy, drop-outs, and general misbehavior. The administration tried a variety of tactics to keep kids on the straight-and-narrow, including the introduction of ID badges, police officers in the hallways, and a number of other interventions. The school also had a very strict policy regarding threats to students or the school. A frustrated student muttering, Gosh, this is so boring I could kill myself, led to an automatic removal from class accompanied by a psych evaluation.

If a psych evaluation seems harsh, consider the "zero-tolerance" policies adopted at many schools across the nation. On Sunday, the New York Times reported that six-year-old Zachary Christie was suspended for bringing a Cub Scout camping utensil to school because the tool contained a fork, spoon, and a knife; the knife violated the school's zero-tolerance policy on weapons. In addition to the suspension, Zachary (who takes school so seriously that he often wears a suit and tie to his first grade classroom) faces 45 days in a reform school.

Watch the video here.

The New York Times reports that school officials argue that it is difficult for schools "to distinguish innocent pranks and mistakes from more serious threats, and that the policies must be strict to protect students." I disagree.

While basic policies must remain in place to keep children safe, basic common sense must take precedence when dealing with young children. Has anyone considered the harm being done to poor Zachary, who is without the benefit of formal education or social interactions with his peers for 45 days? Has it occurred to anyone that the children in his classroom might benefit from a lesson and an explanation, rather than seeing a well-behaved classmate suddenly removed from school? Did anyone think that young Zachary might be so excited about Cub Scouts that he just wanted to share his enthusiasm with friends? Be sensible! The poor child is six years old and hasn't shown any disciplinary problems. Treat him with respect and make sure that the punishment fits the crime (if indeed bringing a Cub Scout tool to school can be called a "crime").

There's no denying that some children bring weapons to school with the intention of causing trouble. There's also no denying that we all want to protect our children from violence and that we must be vigilant to ensure that no one slips through the cracks. Zachary, however, slipped through the cracks of common sense when school officials thought it appropriate to suspend a six-year-old for bringing his camping utensil to school. Perhaps next time the school will follow the Cub Scout Law of the Pack, and "give goodwill" to children who obviously meant no harm.

Sports for the soul

2009-09-30T15:14:00.001-04:00

I love a news story that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Bonus points if it has to do with underdogs or kids doing amazing things.

Remember the story a few years back about the autistic boy who was allowed to play in the last game of the season and ended up scoring several points, including a just-before-the-buzzer three pointer? (Here's the video, if you need a refresher.)

Back then, the story made me teary. I was so glad that this kid got his chance to shine, doing something he loved so much. Everyone was genuinely excited to see Jason McElwain not only play the sport he loved, but succeed at it too. The community rallied around him and celebrated his achievements.

Today, I stumbled across a similar story. This one didn't make the mainstream media -- I found it on a website that covers Kansas City sports -- but the sentiment is every bit as heartwarming.

Matt Ziesel is a fifteen-year-old freshman at St. Joseph Benson High School. He is also five feet, three inches, 110 pounds, and (as of last week) had yet to play in a real game. But at last Monday's game, with the opposing team up 46-0, the Benson High coach, Dan McCamy, called a time out and sent Ziesel into the game.

KansasCity.com reports that Coach McCamy went over and spoke with the opposing team's coach, saying “I’ve got a special situation. I know you guys want to get a shutout. Most teams would want a shutout, but in this situation I want to know if maybe you can let one of my guys run in for a touchdown.”

The opposing team cooperated, allowing Ziesel to run 60 yards for a touchdown, but keeping pace with him the whole run so as to make the moment feel as realistic as possible. As a result, Ziesel was able to score his first touchdown, and two communities were able to share in the joy of seeing a boy accomplish his dreams.

Sports, like many organized activities, offer kids the chance to participate in something that makes them part of a team, makes them feel included. I'm a big fan of anyone who includes children with special needs in their activities. It may not always be easy, but it's always worth it. Just ask Matt or the basketball player if it was worth it. I'm sure they'd say it was.

Rules for the gym: friendly guidelines for the etiquette-impaired

2009-09-23T10:15:00.012-04:00

In an effort to be generally healthier, I've been heading to the gym. It's working out (hee hee) okay and I find that even if I don't fully love going, I certainly don't hate it either. There are, however, a few things I encounter at the gym that make me cringe. Parting with my hard-earned cash and dragging my keister to the gym in the wee-hours of the morning are tough, but sometimes, dealing with the fellow members is tougher.

Here are my top three rules for the gym:

Wear appropriate attire.
Sweatpants, shorts, and tee shirts are all acceptable items of clothing at the gym.

Wearing Spandex bike shorts sans underpants is unacceptable. Same goes for nothing but a sports bra on top (save it for Sweatin' to the Oldies at home) or men's short-shorts that would qualify as dubious even on basketball players in the '70s. No one wants to see your jiggly, dimpled butt, bouncing around on an elliptical for half an hour.

While I'm at it, wearing too much clothing is just as bad as not wearing enough. A pair of jeans and a long-sleeved fleece pull-over do not an appropriate gym outfit make. Riding an exercise bike in such gear is unacceptable, as it makes me worry that you'll will pass out from heat exhaustion, or I'll pass out from nervousness that you'll pass out.
Keep quiet.
Although it's somewhat annoying, feel free to exhale sharply when exerting yourself; breathing is important! You can even listen to your iPod (at an acceptable decibel level), or chat with a nearby friend.

Grunting, however, is not allowed. Neither is singing along to the Ruff Ryders' Anthem so loudly that I can't hear myself think. I also don't care much for your TMI conversation with anyone who will listen. I don't even like to be at the gym at 6:45 a.m., so the less I have to listen to your grunting, groaning, singing and over-sharing, the better.
Work out alone.
Sure, you can bring a buddy or a significant other, but nothing's worse than being surrounded by the varsity cheerleading squad. Similarly, leave the damn Blackberry at home! For the love of God, no one needs to hear a one-sided conversation about your latest visit to the gynecologist, your recent mole biopsy, or your drunken regrets. I also don't want to worry about your falling off the treadmill in a texting frenzy; think of the paperwork! You can handle being "alone" in a crowded gym for an hour; the Blackberry can wait.

By following these simple rules, you'll save hundreds of fellow gym-members from the anxiety induced by bouncing butts, off-key singing, and your beeping Blackberry. Many thanks in advance for your cooperation in following these rules!

Faithful readers, what would you add? What are your gym pet peeves?

Music so bad it's good

2009-09-16T10:10:00.004-04:00

I once worked with a guy who was very knowledgeable about music. He was in a band, reviewed new albums as a freelancer, and knew more about bands than anyone else I hung out with. And although he loved all kinds of music, he was especially big into folk music and artsy stuff.

And the ringtone on his cellphone was Milkshake.

Seriously.

When I heard I asked him about the ringtone and he extolled its virtues I figured, it's official: everyone has some guilty pleasure music.

I'm willing to bet that I have more than most people, and I am equally eager to admit that I love my guilty pleasure music unabashedly. I'll listen to it in my car with the windows down and the volume cranked. I'll listen at work, in the shower, at a party, or while doing chores. It's music so bad it's good.

Do I have a go-to tongue-in-cheek rap song from the '90s? Yup. Highly embarrassing Spice Girls CDs and '80s movie soundtracks? Uh-huh. Several burned CDs with inappropriate music from Eminem and 50 Cent? Sure do. Songs sung by cartoon characters? Definitely. But doesn't everyone?

While you think about your own list, I give you this, for your viewing pleasure:

Enjoy!

Madam Librarian

2009-09-10T10:30:00.013-04:00

Lately I can hear the sirens' song, and it's about books. The tune is forever in the back of my head, tempting me to read in much of my spare time and making me long for a job in which I'd be surrounded by writing.

I have loved books for as long as I can remember. My parents tell me I learned to read before I was three years old and I never stopped. Many days of my childhood were spent flipping through my books, my brother's books, my parents' books, library books... I spent dinners sneaking glances at novels and magazines, while my parents scolded me: No reading at the table!

As I got older, I read even more. In middle school we were required to read at least eight novels each year during our "silent reading" period; we then had to take tests to "prove" that we had read them. Some kids never finished. Most kids read eight to twelve books. I read 140.

Shortly thereafter, I got my first summer job as a librarian's assistant at the Carnegie Library in my hometown. Each day I'd get there early (some days before the other librarians), eager to get started. My working hours were filled with checking out and shelving books, updating the card catalog (which was still made up of cards and in triplicate, since our library had other branches) by pulling out the cards of books we no longer carried and replacing them with new cards. I spent my Friday mornings helping with the children's story hour, my afternoons helping patrons, and much of my time feeling blessed that I was fortunate enough to score the perfect summer employment.

The best part about working at the library was access to all the books. I read dozens of books that summer. I read lots of young adult fiction, worked my way through law novels of all stripes, and even managed to read all 1,000+ pages of Gone with the Wind, which smelled musty and had thin pages like a bible and felt weighty and substantial in my hands. During lunchtime, most of the librarians would go home to eat and I would stay at the library, sitting outside in the warm sun with my back pressed against the hot brick or snuggled inside on cloudy days, wedged underneath the giant moose head on the wall or tucked back in the stacks sitting on a footstool, my book in my lap and a sandwich in my hand.

While all this may seem to make me a bit of a nerd, I always maintained a social life and other interests. I don't suffer from the debilitating shyness that is sometimes linked with being bookish, and though I often prefer to get lost in a book, I enjoy parties and get-togethers a great deal.

I've always pondered what it would be like to be a librarian. Lately (since I'm finding less and less satisfaction with my work), I've been considering this whole librarian thing a bit more seriously. And when I read (in the New York Times, no less!) that being a librarian is suddenly cool, I began to think that maybe a career change is in order. After all, there's nothing I love more than a cardigan and a good book!

Good books aside, becoming a librarian will require more school. I'm not sure if I'm ready for more school. While I love to learn, I don't love being broke or being overbooked. Life as an undergraduate is relatively simple; you take out some loans, focus on nothing but school and extracurriculars, and spend your summers living at home, rent free. Graduate school is another animal entirely; you have to hold down a full-time job, take out even more astronomical loans, and pay for your own rent and groceries.

I haven't yet decided if I'm up for the challenge of library school, but it's certainly always nagging in the back of my mind. For now, I'll continue working my way through mystery series, memoirs, and non-fiction and will pepper my life with young adult novels (which I still love wholeheartedly). Maybe I can volunteer at my local library (which, alas, is not the library of my youth and does not feature a giant moose head on the wall) and live vicariously through a friend who just started library school.

And at the very least, I can keep reading. In fact, I think I might start right now...

Too cool for school? President Obama's plan to address students

2009-09-04T13:24:00.006-04:00

Yahoo! News reported today that President Obama's national address to the students of America is under fire by conservatives who believe that the president is promoting a leftist agenda. The article goes as far to say that some conservatives are "calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children."

At noon on September 8, the address will be broadcast live on the White House website and C-SPAN. According to the press release, President Obama intends to speak directly to students about succeeding in school. He will challenge them to "work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning."

Image courtesy of AP Photo/Charles Dharapak.

Oh no! The President of the United States of America (elected by a solid 53% of the population) is encouraging children to embrace education? What's next? Socialism? The brainwashing, good-for-nothing monster shouldn't be allowed near our children!

Seriously though, sparking a national conversation about education is exactly what this country needs, and America's young people could use a little encouragement to take their education seriously. Our nation's children are far from mindless. It is highly unlikely that President Obama (or any U.S. President, for that matter) would be able to "brainwash" any students or even sway them to unwillingly support a "leftist" agenda.

Just moments ago, presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, "I think we've reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can't tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school. I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success."

My point exactly. Our children need encouragement to pursue an education, and they need to hear about the importance of education from a variety of sources, including parents, friends, teachers, and people in positions of authority. In addition, since many of our nation's failing students are from low-income or minority communities, hearing from successful men of color does nothing but good, in my opinion.

I even think that this speech is an opportunity to teach children critical thinking skills. If a teacher or parent doesn't agree with what President Obama says in the address, why not ask the students questions that require critical thinking skills? Why do you agree or disagree with the President? What improvements would you make to the education system as it is now? What is the most important factor contributing to your success in school? What is the hardest obstacle getting in the way of your education? Failing to allow our children to develop critical thinking skills is failing as parents and teachers.

We need to expose our kids to healthy, appropriate situations in which they will have the opportunity to think for themselves. We need to stop being a country full of helicopter parents and politicians who enjoy nothing more than standing on soapboxes. What we need, is to stop and listen to the President on Tuesday at noontime. Give the man a chance to say what he has to say; then, form your opinions and find a young person with whom to talk about your reactions.

Bigger sizes not bringing in bigger bucks: why the sale of plus-size clothes is down

2009-09-03T10:11:00.009-04:00

Last week the Associated Press ran a story about a slow-down in the sale of plus-size clothes. The article discusses market researcher's ideas as to why sales have slowed; overall, I find their theories unlikely and misguided. Among the theories? Retailers don't want to send out "the wrong image" by marketing to plus-size shoppers, plus-size shoppers prefer to shop online, and plus-size women have been hit harder than average-size women by cuts in pay.

Oh please.

Being a plus-size woman, I have a few of my own theories on why plus-size clothing sales may be down. The number one reason in my book? They were too expensive to begin with! Retailers like Lane Bryant, The Avenue, and Torrid cater to plus-size women, offer fashions exclusively to those size 14+, and have used their niche to charge high prices for plus-size clothes. Given that many stores do not offer attractive options for plus-size ladies, many women were forced to shop at these stores and pay the exorbitant prices. In this economy, however, people can't afford $98 blouses, $188 jeans, or $70 "casual" dresses.

I believe that women are finally cluing in that they shouldn't have to pay super-high prices for clothes simply because they're overweight. As the argument goes, it's more material, but it's not so much more that a size 1X sweater should cost $20 more than a size XL sweater! And women shouldn't have to pay for the "convenience" of shopping in stores that cater to carrying their sizes.

I buy most of my clothes at Kohl's, a department store that has a reasonable selection of plus-size clothes that are both trendy and classic and of good quality. The clothes I buy there are nearly always on sale and those that aren't I buy with coupons. It's more economically sensible than spending two- or three-times as much at a specialty store, and I leave with great clothes. Plus, since Kohl's is a department store, I can also pick up new towels, a toaster oven, or some makeup while I'm there; it's one-stop shopping.

The AP reports that other department stores are getting in on the action, and I see it as a step in the right direction. With more than half of American women wearing plus-sizes, featuring plus-size fashion in most department stores makes simple financial sense. Plus, long-gone are the days of mumus and sack-like garments made to conceal the body. Plus-size women want fashionable outfits just like average-size women. Stores like Bloomingdales, JCPenney, and Macy's all offer plus-size lines, which the AP reports is good for business.

I'm perhaps most excited by the prospect of stores like Forever 21 (a clothing retailer aimed at teenagers) creating plus-size lines. Teenagers and young people need fashionable options that fit their bodies and lifestyles, regardless of their size. It's hard enough to be a plus-size woman; I think it's even harder to be a plus-size teenager, dealing with all the other perils of adolescence. Why trendy retailers haven't thought to reach out to plus-size teenagers before this is beyond me. Teenagers have always had more disposable income than adults and they spend most of their money on clothes. In tough times, more retailers would benefit from marketing to young people, who are more likely than adults to keep spending.

Readers, what do you think? Why is the plus-size clothing market dropping even faster than women's apparel overall? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Juvenile justice system in the news

2009-08-28T13:03:00.009-04:00

The past month has been a busy one for the juvenile justice system in the United States. CNN reported that teen offenders in Missouri are "finding a future" through a juvenile justice program that focuses on therapy and education, while the New York Times reported that mentally ill juveniles are straining the system. In either case, it's a good sign that people are talking about the juvenile justice system, which is far from perfect -- and in some cases, far from functional.

In Missouri, teen offenders are housed in dormitory-like buildings that provide colorful, comfortable accommodations. Teens go through therapy and are given the opportunity to go to school and receive job training. Juvenile offenders are also assigned case workers and work closely in small groups, learning about self-control, teamwork, and other skills necessary to become productive members of society. Even violent offenders are given the chance to work toward rehabilitation in small groups, though they live in gated facilities.

While the federal rates of suicide and recidivism in youth offenders remain relatively high, officials in Missouri note that no juvenile offenders have committed suicide while in the program (which began in the 1970s) and only about 9 percent of juveniles in Missouri are back in trouble within three years of release. The low rate of recidivism, in turn, saves the state's justice system billions of dollars by lowering the number of repeat offenders and cutting down on the costs of building and maintaining more prisons.

Many of the young people who go through the Missouri system eventually go on to college and become productive members of their communities. CNN reported that one girl, who was incarcerated in 2005 for alcohol abuse and behavioral problems, said that she had always wanted to go to college, but didn't think it could actually happen. This year, she's graduating from college and applying to law school.

More states should follow the Missouri model for juvenile offenders, ensuring that youth get the attention and education they need to become productive members of society. It is a stark contrast with the Ohio system mentioned in the New York Times article. The system in question houses a juvenile population that includes many teens with mental illness. Nationwide, nearly two-thirds of juvenile inmates are dealing with psychiatric disorders. Housing juveniles with mental illness in correctional facilities fails to address the issue at hand, which is getting the youth access to medication, therapy, and other tools that will allow them to manage their illnesses and work their way toward becoming reintegrating into their communities.

The article in the New York Times also reports that juvenile correctional facilities are the usually the only option for teenagers who deal with serious mental illness and criminal records. Once they arrive, teenagers are usually kept on strong psychotropic drugs and receive limited access to therapists and behavior modification programs. The article also mentions that in 2001 over 9,000 families relinquished custody of their mentally ill children to the juvenile justice system so that the youth could get access to mental health services.

It is irresponsible not to allow children and teenagers access to the appropriate resources in any case, but it ought to be criminal to ignore the needs of the mentally ill. If we don't allow mentally ill teenagers some control over their bodies and minds through medication and therapy, how do we expect them to navigate the world in a safe and appropriate way? What do we expect mentally ill teenagers to learn in correctional facilities? By simply locking them up and throwing away the proverbial key, we're only teaching them that no one is looking out for their best interests, so they'll have to fend for themselves.

My hope is that more states will begin to follow the Missouri model. It's appropriate, intelligent, and ultimately better for society if we prepare juvenile offenders for a life outside prison walls. Prepared teens are functional teens, and functional teens become functional adults who stay out of the prison system. The investment with teenagers up front will pay for itself a dozen times over in the end; we just need to be willing to make the investment now to reap the rewards in the future.

Don't judge a book by its cover

2009-08-27T21:06:00.006-04:00

This evening, I joined a book club.

Since I'm a list-making kind of girl I weighed the pros and cons carefully before signing up.

Pros:

The club is in town (and within reasonable walking distance).
Tonight was the club's first meeting (thereby nullifying the awkwardness of being a newcomer).
The club is for 20- and 30-somethings (that's me!).
The club focuses -- obviously -- on books (which I love!).

Cons:

Book club people can be nerdy (which I am, but with admirable social skills).
Book clubs sometimes read pretentious stuff (when I'm busy re-reading Harriet the Spy).
Book clubs can involve investing in books (which was only temporarily a con, since I figured I could beat everyone to the library and grab a free copy!).

So, with free library books overruling having to buy books, the pros definitely won, and I went to the meeting.

When I arrived I was mildly horrified when it was announced that most members wanted to read historical fiction. Historical fiction? No, thank you. In metered doses, perhaps, but not taking over my life. The proposed books were Sula, The Sound and the Fury, The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, and The Good Earth. I don't even know that they were all "historical," unless you count being written awhile back "history." I wasn't terribly interested in any of them, though I thought I'd give Sula or The Good Earth a go if I had to.

Then, a savior! An attractive, fit, tattooed guy walked in and approached our table. He looked more likely to be heading for the gym, a bar, or something else manly and cool than to be seeking out our book club. Our club was decidedly not manly or cool. We had but one man among us and the rest of us were women -- a few of us polished and tidy, a few others sloppily dressed, none of us downright cool.

Once he joined us, I thought Tattoo Guy would be an ally. Here's a guy, I thought, that will enjoy a good crime novel or something funny like one of A.J. Jacobs's books. I am not alone! We can sway the populace!

I was sadly mistaken. It turns out that Tattoo Guy reads about history almost exclusively. He's also the type to read several books at once (as am I), but since they sounded like big, scary, involved books, I gave him more credit for reading half a dozen at a time. Do not judge a book by its cover! I thought lamely, no pun (originally) intended.

In the end, we decided on The Most Famous Man in America (though how famous can the man be if I've never even heard of him?) and I, peer pressured by my new-found nerd friends, will be reading something that I find mind-numbingly dull. Tattoo Guy will probably be quite pleased. I've read a few pages thus far and it's going to be a long journey for me. One that traipses through quite a bit of boredom, but leads to what Calvin's dad (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) would call "character building."

If nothing else, I hope that the book club finds me some new friends or acquaintances, if not (at least this month) new favorite books. As I walked to the library to borrow a copy of this month's book, I spoke with another attendee, Linda, who was very friendly and not overly nerdy. She seems pleasant and I can imagine being friends with her. Since Tattoo Guy didn't work out as an ally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe Linda will have a secret infatuation with Helen Fielding or Susan Jane Gilman and will second my nomination for something a little frivolous the next time around. At the very least, perhaps we'll read the biography of someone I've heard of.

Here's to hoping!

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

2009-08-06T11:54:00.005-04:00

I love to travel.

I like to pack up and get away for awhile. It's the feeling of "away" that I enjoy the most. I'm just as happy to explore a new city as I am on Space Mountain or tucked into a comfy hotel bed reading a book. That's why, even in this rough economy, I am reluctant to give up on the idea of a "vacation" in favor of a "staycation".

Cartoon by Jeff Stahler.

I'm a pretty frugal person by nature. I shop with coupons. I don't have any credit card debt. I recycle plastic sandwich baggies by using them for a week at a time. The most expensive thing in my closet is a pair of $150 shoes that I bought on clearance for less than ten bucks. So when I talk about splurging on vacation, I know that some people think it's odd. It goes against my instincts just a little bit, but...

Ultimately the urge to get away, to go on vacation, to see or do something different, wins. The angel on one shoulder waives a deposit slip and extols the virtues of saving, while the devil in a Hawaiian shirt dangles a passport in my face and whispers in my ear that you only live once. So the devil wins and I grab my suitcase and head off.

Bon voyage!

Happiness is

2009-07-30T16:19:00.010-04:00

... a capella shows.
... antique postcards.
... birds at a feeder.
... board game marathons.
... dairy-free ice cream.
... dogs in argyle sweaters.
... finding the right vintage postcard.
... a fireplace and a good book.
... fleece blankets.
... freshly-baked brownies with crunchy edges.
... fresh-blooming lilacs.
... fuzzy friends.
... gerbera daisies in full-bloom.
... getting a manicure.
... giving people presents.
... goofy office supplies.
... good jazz.
... having your birthday remembered.
... kicking butt at Texas Hold 'Em.
... making cupcakes.
... musicals.
... nachos for dinner.
... photo booths.
... the smell of leather baseball gloves.
... sourdough toast with butter.
... sunshine.
... Tchaikovsky.
... trivia games.
... used books and used bookstores.
... vacation time.
... warm summer rainstorms.

Maybe not Martha

2009-07-24T19:31:00.012-04:00

I am not what you might call a "domestic goddess."

I'm hopelessly cluttered, I don't bake from scratch, I can't use my sewing machine for more than a day (and only after someone has threaded the machine for me), and I don't think I've ever washed a window in my life. My house is more shabby than it is shabby chic, and most of my appliances and furniture are hand-me-downs or relics found on Craigslist.

This, however, does not mean that I don't aspire to be at least somewhat domestic. (Or perhaps, more amusingly, somewhat of a goddess.) I have dreams of baking my own bread, owning a brand new sectional couch, sewing adorable curtains and bed skirts, and keeping everything in its place a la Clean Sweep.

I can see it now: It's the weekend and I'm in the kitchen happily baking fresh bread for the days ahead. While it's in the oven I'll sit on my comfy sofa reading a book. (Note: I am not covered in flour.) When the bread has finished baking I set it out to cool and I go downstairs to my craft space, which is not only perfectly organized and labeled, but displaying my artsy fortitude, with home-sewn pillows propped up on a nearby couch and crocheted scarves folded delicately into hand-painted gift packages. I then spend the afternoon hand-making all of this year's Christmas cards and embroidering gifts for my loved ones.

Then reality hits and I remember that attempting that very same weekend would result in my staining my blouse with smudges of butter on the sleeves. While trying to figure out how to clean the grease from my shirt, I'd forget about the bread in the oven, charring it to a dark black mess and forcing the opening of all kitchen windows and doors (regardless of the weather). In any downtime I'd be shuffling piles of shopping fliers and half-finished "to-do" lists so that I could sit on my hand-me-down couch with the uncomfortable springs and the ill-fitting slipcover. My craft table would be piled high with half-finished projects like the curtain I started to sew but had to stop since I ran out of thread and can't reset the bobbin without assistance. My Christmas cards would be from the Dollar Tree, and I would have written in them and addressed them, but run out of stamps, thereby not tossing them into a mailbox until February.

My lack of domestic dexterity isn't completely troubling. I'm grateful that I don't live in an era that requires me to be a perfectly-coiffed housewife with dinner on the table at five and homemade pies adorning the counter tops. And I don't mind trying and failing all that much. I'm happy to work on my sewing one bobbin at a time, buy my bread from the bakery in town, and make my cakes from a boxed mix. Sometimes I wish I had fabulously coordinated furniture with adorable curtains, but for now my eclectic mix will work (supplemented by occasional splurges on rugs that don't feel like sandpaper and tablecloths that make me feel like a grown up).

Besides, I have to keep busy. What would happen to the self-help and craft sections of the library if I stopped checking out books with titles like Messies Anonymous and Easy Sewing Projects? Who would support the local economy by buying bread from the mom and pop place? What would Duncan Hines do if I stopped buying its boxed cake mixes in bulk? And who the heck would come pick up my crappy couch if I got a new one?

Ahh... to be a domestic goddess. For now, I suppose I'll settle for something less... something more like domestic apprentice. I'll tinker with my sewing machine in an attempt to finish those curtains until I remember that I can buy a set for $6 at the Christmas Tree Shops and I'll try to make all my own Christmas presents until I realize that I have a big family and a half dozen friends and it would be easier to shop online. I'll keep buying storage bins and labels and will attempt to find all of my possessions a designated place in my home. I'll even try my hand at baking from scratch and force the trials on my colleagues at work. Wish me luck!

Teaching old dogs new tricks: inmates train service dogs

2009-07-23T09:50:00.006-04:00

What makes people do the things they do? What makes some people commit crimes, while others walk a straight and narrow path? How can we reform former law-breakers into law-abiding members of society?

To find the answers to my questions, I studied criminal justice and psychology in college. I was interested in the "human condition" and I wanted to find out as much as I could about what makes people behave a certain way. I focused a great deal on juveniles as well, trying to figure out what it takes to keep young people out of the criminal justice system and what could be done to help them find a place back in the community if they had already been part of the system.

Fast forward to a few things that I've learned:

Children do not misbehave, they make mistakes.
When very young children act out they need something (such as attention) that they can't ask for outright. When adolescents act out, they're also seeking attention or gratification that they can't find elsewhere. Even if they "know better" they're still just kids without fully-formed brains; adolescents do not have very good impulse control and need to be taught how to deal with their feelings and needs in a productive way.
Nothing good can come from locking folks up and "throwing away the key."
Very few offenders in the grand scheme find themselves behind bars forever. Because of this, our communities need to find a way to rehabilitate inmates so that they can rejoin society and become functional members of their communities. Teaching inmates about self-esteem along with technical skills will produce people who are ready to become part of the outside world again. Without this support and rehabilitation, many former inmates fall back into old patterns and wind up within the prison system once again.
People are inherently good.
There are plenty of people in this world that don't get along with one another, but all of them have some good somewhere. Many inmates are poor and are dealing with mental illness or addiction. By bringing out the good in them, finding them the proper treatment for whatever illness or addiction they are battling, we can also showcase the good in people, allowing inmates to reintegrate into society after they've served their time.

It is obvious that I am a firm believer in a rehabilitative form of justice. I believe that inmates should have access to counseling services, education, and spiritual guidance. I also believe that there are many programs (or potential programs) that can benefit both inmate and society. One such program that I've been seeing more and more of lately is Puppies Behind Bars (and similar programs).

Puppies Behind Bars.
Photo courtesy of Radhika Chalasani/Redux.

Puppies Behind Bars is the brainchild of Gloria Gilbert Stoga. After adopting a Labrador Retriever who was trained as a guide dog but discharged from the program for medical reasons, Stoga began researching the process of training a guide dog. It commonly costs $25,000 to train one dog, who then goes on to be a service animal for a blind, deaf, or physically handicapped owner or assists law enforcement as a drug- or explosives-sniffing dog. When a friend of Stoga's commented that prisoners might make good dog trainers, and idea was born.

Puppies Behind Bars operates in a handful of prisons across the country. Dogs have been trained by both men and women inmates, and there are successful programs for juvenile offenders as well. Puppies live in cells with their trainers and receive weekend furloughs to outside homes to experience life outside prison walls (to get used to traffic, doorbells, telephones, elevators, and the like). Trainers attend weekly classes and train their dogs in obedience as well as the special skills required to be a guide dog or law enforcement dog.

I support the programming of Puppies Behind Bars one hundred percent. Research shows that dogs have a calming, positive affect on people (inmates included). It also shows that the inmate trainers who work with these dogs finish the program with higher self esteem, more compassion for other people, better impulse control, and a drop in selfishness. They've also learned valuable skills that can help them when they reintegrate into society. These inmates can find work with animals, or -- with their new-found patience -- can train for other types of work.

In addition to benefits for the inmates, training dogs behind bars has advantages for the dogs and the community as well. For starters, the dogs involved in the program find themselves with devoted care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Prisoners do not have demands on their time the way those outside the system do. Even the most devoted dog trainers in the "outside" world have the distractions of spouses, cell phones, children, dentist appointments, and the like. In prison, dogs have access to their trainers -- and undivided attention -- 24 hours a day. The community benefits as well, since training a dog through a program like Puppies Behind Bars costs less than it does in the "real" world. More dogs can be trained less expensively, which means that more service animals are out in the community, assisting people who need them.

For more information on Puppies Behind Bars, you may visit them online at: http://www.puppiesbehindbars.com/index.asp

A time to weep and a time to laugh

2009-07-09T22:19:00.004-04:00

Today I had both the honor and misfortune to attend the wake of a good friend's grandmother. It was an honor because I love my friend dearly, and her Nana -- though I never met her -- sounded like a wonderful person. She sounded a lot like my Grandma Welcome, to be honest -- a woman I loved and respected more than anyone else I have had the privilege of knowing. It was my misfortune, of course, because death is never easy and it is harder still to find the right words, to say the right things.

For all of my wishing that I have the right words to say when necessary, my track record is pretty poor. At the memorial service for a high school friend's father I blurted out "I'm happy to be here!" when my friend's mother thanked me for coming. And when I heard on Monday that someone's beloved Nana had died all I could manage was a hollow-sounding "I'm so sorry."

Of course, the people dealing with loss don't know what to say either. The mother of my high school friend smiled and nodded, as though she was happy that I was happy. My friend today laughed nervously and smiled a lot to keep from crying. What does it say about our society that we can't just cry together and let the sadness out? From whom are we hiding our true feelings? For whom are we trying to be brave?

The facade of bravery always surfaces after a death, trying to shimmer its way past the sorrow. Sometimes it is self-inflicted, other times it is pushed on the grieving by uncomfortable -- if not well-meaning -- friends and family members. But the cascade of well-intentioned she's-in-a-better-place-nows, at-least-it-wasn't-unexpecteds, and cheer-ups that inevitably follow a loved one's passing, are inappropriate. Perhaps more so than even my nervous and foolish I'm glad to be here! These overly optimistic fronts of bravery do not allow the grieving to actually grieve.

I think finding a way to let people mourn is what perplexes people the most when attempting to comfort someone. Maybe it's a soothing nature of our own, since we don't want to see friends suffer, but I suspect that it's more likely our own vulnerabilities that make us nervous and uncomfortable. It’s hard to watch a person grieving, and it’s harder still to be the person who can come right out and say "If you need a place to cry until your mascara runs, come find me!" Or, conversely, "If you're tired of being miserable and need a giggling spell, come find me!" Or, finally, "If you want someone to simply listen to how great a person your lost loved-one was, come find me."

In the end, I want to say all those things. After all, how often do we hear the words of Ecclesiastes at a funeral? For everything there is a season... a time to weep and a time to laugh... I don't have all the answers, but I want my friends and family to know that I'm there when they need me. I'll bring the tissues or the Chris Rock DVD or the scrapbooking supplies and we can wade through the grief until it’s gone, or (at the very least) until it’s more manageable.

In the meantime, I'll try to keep my bumbling comments to myself. I'll make sure that my friends and family know that I love them and that I'm not so much happy to be there as I am happy to be there for them. If I have done my best I will count it as a success, because surely, it is not what we say so much as what we do, that makes a difference in comforting our loved ones during a time of loss.

Denied a diploma for blowing a kiss?

2009-06-28T23:48:00.004-04:00

Earlier this month the ABC-affiliate from Portland, Maine reported that high school student Justin Denney was denied his diploma after "misbehaving" during his graduation ceremony. Denney's misbehavior? Blowing his family a kiss and bowing on stage.

The "proud gestures" were enough for superintendent Suzanne Lukas to deny Denney his diploma, saying that the boy's actions violated a code of conduct signed by the graduating students. After a public uproar over the situation, the school board met to discuss the decision. It is reported that the school board supported the superintendent's actions, though they did mail Denney his diploma.

According to ABC, Denney and his family have asked for an apology and for the superintendent to step down, but the superintendent defends her actions and states that "this is a closed issue" as far as she is concerned.

Having watched video of the graduation in question (not the video above), I understand why school officials instituted a policy to maintain order during the graduation ceremony. Students were batting around beach balls and acting up during various points during the ceremony, which was obviously distracting to families, as well as the students who were not participating in the shenanigans. School officials said that graduations had been quite rowdy in the past, which is why strict standards were implemented.

What concerns me is the obvious difference between disrespectful teenagers bashing each other with beach balls, and a student blowing his family a kiss after four years of hard work. Denney wasn't showboating. He didn't yell and do cartwheels on the stage; he merely showed excitement at his accomplishment. He wasn't misbehaving, he was being a kid!

The fact that a superintendent and school board would stand behind their misguided decision to deny a student his diploma is even more appalling. An apology is certainly called for. Denney was denied the opportunity to graduate with his class -- he'll never again have the opportunity to relive that moment. In addition, Superintendent Lukas was completely out of line. If she was worried about misbehavior, she should have paid more attention to the catcalls and beach balls in the audience and less attention to a student celebrating his achievement.

I was initially shocked when I heard this story, but the shock quickly wore off, since I hear stories like this far too often. We live in a society of excess. On one hand there are children being allowed to throw beach balls to interrupt a graduation ceremony, and on the other there are school officials punishing a minor offender (if it can be classified as offensive at all). Children shouldn't be allowed to throw beach balls during graduation, but who's to blame for that? Where are the parents teaching manners about social decorum? Where are the teachers who tell the kids how proud they are and explain how to act during the ceremony? Perhaps if we taught our children about socially-acceptable displays of exuberance and affection, we wouldn't be dealing with overly-excitable kids and an overly-uptight superintendent, with one boy singled out as an scapegoat.

A day in the life (someday)

2009-05-22T11:45:00.011-04:00

I wake up at 8 a.m., well-rested after a good night’s sleep. I put on my slippers, plod out to the kitchen and warm up the pan on the stove, preparing my customary egg breakfast. While it’s cooking, I feed the pets, tidy up from the night before and get ready to start my day.

I eat my breakfast of eggs (with spinach and cheese this morning) at the kitchen table in front of the sun-filled windows. I read the local paper, spending the most time on local news, the comics, and letters to the editor. I also fiddle around with the Sudoku puzzle and half-heartedly attempt the Jumble before I get moving on to more important things.

After breakfast, I hop into the shower, dress, and boot up my computer. It’s a slow-beast of a thing, so while the computer is waking up from a night off, I gather my research materials and prepare myself for a day’s work. I’m halfway through a book about party planning that I am reviewing for the Examiner. Maybe I’ll read another chapter today and make a few more notes for my review. I also have a stack of research on contracts, which is serving as the basis for both my 20-page final project at Northeastern University and an upcoming Examiner series. The last two stacks include materials that cover some teen health information for my gig as a teen advice expert and a pile of multi-colored Post-its with column ideas for Inner Thoughts and Outbursts.

I start with an article for a wedding blog about what to wear to a summer wedding. When it’s completed, I read a few chapters of the party planning book, make some cursory notes on the pages sticking out of my contracts research, and take a break to start some laundry. I hate doing laundry – the sorting of whites and lights and darks and delicates – but it’s a necessary chore and a good, quick break to clear my head of the cobwebs that get in the way of concise writing.

Downstairs in the basement, I throw in a load of towels and am temporarily distracted by my crafting supplies. Hmmm… I think. I wonder if I’ll have time to work on some scrapbooking today? Maybe make some cards… I’m often momentarily distracted by the hobbies I love but don’t have time for. I’m happy, however, to be working from home, so I trudge back upstairs and write for another hour.

At half-past noon I take a break for lunch. I bake a piece of trout with some asparagus and eat it in front of the television, alternating between the mid-day news and shows on TLC. The decorating, makeover, and medical mystery shows that cycle on the channel are enough to distract me from the formulaic and alarmist news that I can only stomach in short bursts, so I don’t mind my guilty pleasure of eating in front of the TV.

Feeling relaxed after my TLC-fix I pile my dishes into the dishwasher and head back to my desk to write for an hour. It’s just enough time to let my stomach settle before I go to the gym. It’s about a five minute drive and I feel guilty driving instead of walking, but I’d have to cross a six-lane highway – something that doesn’t seem like an incredibly good idea. Instead, I drive, park, and spend an hour or so kicking my own butt with the free weights and a treadmill. Some days my trainer meets me here, but he’s usually here later in the evening and I like the way the gym is half-empty at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I don’t feel like such a spectacle when I lunge across the gym floor mid-day as when the gym is packed at 6 p.m. and I feel like all eyes are on me.

The gym break is good for my body and good for my mind. I get back to work and spend the rest of the afternoon compiling research, reading all the online news I can handle, paying bills, and responding to e-mails and phone calls. I wrap things up for the most part, but know that I’ll be poking around with a particularly tough-to-write article later tonight.

Once my boyfriend gets home from work we have dinner, go for a walk around the neighborhood and settle into our evenings. He putters around in the garden, watering bushes, picking tomatoes, and pulling stray weeds. I sneak down to my neglected craft table and work on a few scrapbook pages. I keep the TV on in the background, a crime show soundtrack keeping me company.

That night, content from a productive day, I cuddle up in my bed with my laptop and chat with friends online. I do poke around the tough-to-write article for a few moments, but leave it for the morning when I have fresh ideas and inspiration. Then, computer off, I snuggle in with a Lisa Scottoline novel and read a few chapters before setting my alarm to get up and do everything all over again the next day.

Life is good.

Car Karma?

2009-05-17T22:08:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week I had a routine physical at my doctor's office. I drove from work, parked my car in the lot, and spent an hour in the medical center. After my appointment I got back in my car, turned the key in the ignition, and... nothing.

I tried again. A faint buzzing sound, but no engine running. I fiddled with the ignition, the gears, and all important-looking buttons, to no avail. My car was good and dead.

I popped the hood, took a cursory look around and called AAA. They promised to send someone within the hour, so I hung up and poked around under the hood some more, not doing much other than enjoying the sunshine and lamenting my dead car.

All the while, people came and went from the medical center. Mothers with their school age children, elderly couples, college students -- they all traipsed about the parking lot on their way in and out of the doctors' offices, without more than a sideways glance at me. There I was, alone with the hood of my car propped up, and those people never bothered to give me a second glance or ask if I was alright. Finally, after about a half an hour, a woman my own age saw me from the far end of the parking lot, drove over to my car, and asked if I was alright. I explained that the car had died and I had called AAA, but that I really appreciated her stopping to check on me. We chatted for a moment, she wished me luck, and then she was off.

Right after the woman's kindness, a man had the gall to drive up in his SUV and park in the space I had been trying to save for the AAA truck. He ignored the space on the other side of the one I was unsuccessfully saving, and barged right in, hopping out of his car without a single word to me. Later, when the tow truck appeared (and awkwardly maneuved around the parking lot), Mister SUV gave me a pompous look and hopped into the gas-guzzler with two rosaries hanging from the rear-view mirror.

Non-Samaritans aside, AAA tried to jump my battery and, when that didn't work, readied my car for towing to my mechanic's shop. I did have a bout of good luck when a woman I know popped out of the medical center and offered me a ride home. I gratefully acceptable and thanked her profusely.

I hear stories about how you can never be too careful these days; you don't pick up hitchhikers and you don't stop for strangers. But at 3 p.m. on a sunny Friday afternoon in a wide-open medical center parking lot, was it too much to ask that someone stop and see if I was okay? Did I maybe need to borrow a cellphone or could someone jump my car for me? Did the women with elementary schoolers have to explain to her children why my hood was open and she did nothing? Did the man with the rosaries go to mass the next day with a clear conscience? Did the father of a newly-licensed teenage girl tell her never to assist broken-down motorists? I am truly surprised that people were so callous.

I am grateful to the woman who stopped to check on me, the kind AAA folks, and the woman who eventually gave me a ride home, but I'm still puzzled that no one else bothered to say anything. I also wonder what I would have done in the same situation. I can only hope that I would have at least asked if the motorist was okay, and maybe offered my cell phone. I'm an advocate of personal safety, but not personal oblivion. When we ignore our fellow man and possibly lie to our children about it, we're doing a disservice to ourselves and our communities. I don't want to live in a place where you can't ask a twentysomething woman in a bright, suburban parking lot if her car is alright when its hood is up and she looks puzzled.

I hope to make conscious decisions to assist those in need of assistance whenever possible, and I hope that Friday's incident in the parking lot was an anomaly, not the norm. Here's to appreciating the good-hearted women who stopped for me and to hoping that those who ignored me will have second thoughts next time around rather than suffer from bad car karma.

Traveling solo -- a way to relax

2009-04-23T23:59:00.002-04:00

It isn’t often that we get to do whatever we want whenever we want. 40 hours each week are consumed by work, another 10 for the commute, a couple for the gym, a few dozen more for housekeeping and errands, and it often seems like the rest are used when I fall – completely exhausted – into bed just to do it all over again the next week.

This week, however, I went on vacation. Not any old vacation, but a trip totally by myself. I didn’t have to answer to anyone but me. No bosses, no boyfriends, no colleagues, no parents. It’s the first time I’ve ever traveled by myself, and I must say that I feel relaxed in a way that I’m not when I travel with others.

Don’t get me wrong – I love traveling with people. It’s wonderful to experience all the world has to offer with the people closest to you. I wouldn’t trade my adventures with family and friends for anything, but I also underestimated how much fun traveling alone could be. When I booked my trip I needed a break; work was getting a little stressful, home wasn’t a restful place to be, and I had a growing list of things I wanted to do for me that never got any shorter since it was always trumped by staff meetings, oil changes, and laundry.

To get away from it all I ended up in New York City. Since this vacation was to be as stress-free and rejuvenating as possible I didn’t even want to bother with driving or taking a bus; I booked a flight straight to NYC from Boston and never looked back. An hour on the plane and three days and nights in a swanky hotel room near Times Square turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered.

I did all sorts of things that no one would appreciate as much as I did, and that’s the best thing about traveling alone – you don’t have to please anyone but yourself! I stood in line at the TKTS booth to score discounted tickets to Broadway shows, then parked myself in various musical theatres three times in just over 24 hours. I had breakfast in bed. I drank over-priced wine and ate pretzels from street vendors. I wrote for my blogs and read young adult novels (a favorite guilty pleasure). I even trotted my traveling gnome all over the city and took her picture in several hotspots. I didn’t follow an itinerary, just followed my heart (and directions to the Cupcake Cafe).

Bottom line, there’s nothing that can beat a soft bed in a posh hotel room and three days of doing exactly what you want when you want. No one wants too much of a good thing, but I think anyone would benefit from a week of paying attention to herself and doing whatever she wants – bosses, boyfriends, and busy-bodies be damned. It’s great to be away and it’ll be great to go home, but I want to remember what fun I’ve had while I was gone. Maybe I can try to incorporate a little bit more “me time” in the real world too. Hey, there are 168 hours every week; the least I can do is try to reserve a few for me. (Besides, an hour at home with my scrapbook supplies is cheaper than flying off to the city that never sleeps!)

To traveling alone and to living life to the fullest! May each of us be like Willa Cather, who said “I shall not die of a cold. I shall die of having lived.” Cheers!

Process vs. Product — Editorializing about children’s creativity

2009-04-13T19:04:00.011-04:00

In many educational settings, we find adult-directed art projects for children that focus on a product, rather than the process.

Whether it’s a teacher creating egg-carton caterpillars with his class, a daycare provider making handprint turkeys with her charges, or a mom with a snowflake craft kit after school, the tendency is the same — adult-implemented art projects for children make the projects themselves the primary focus.

When planning art projects for children, we adults must consider what it is that makes art fun in the first place: creativity. We must also remember what we're creating — not handprint turkeys, but well-rounded people.

The theory

While older children may enjoy the structure of a craft kit or a coloring book, children in early childhood (ages 0-6), are learning rapidly and will get more out of open-ended activities. Childcare providers (including parents, teachers, and volunteers) help children learn through play and art activities are a great way to facilitate this learning. Giving children access to art materials helps them express themselves, work on fine motor skills (drawing with a crayon, writing with a pencil), learn important skills for the future (cutting with scissors, communicating with peers and adults). By allowing children to choose their own materials, children are given the opportunity not only to express their feelings but also to learn how to make choices and build plans. Once children choose and use their materials, adults can reinforce their choices with concrete praise. Saying “You were very careful cutting with scissors today!” or “I like the way you used crayons and paint on your paper” gives children a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence that is not earned by hearing an endless string of “good job” or “nice work.” Children who develop this sense of self-confidence are also more willing to take other risks such as trying out new skills like writing, shoe-tying, or hard puzzles.

Putting it into practice

The key to child-centered art isn’t letting the children have a free-for-all with art supplies, but rather building an environment where children feel comfortable creating art. Adults can facilitate art experiences by subtly structuring activities and leaving the participation to the children.

Here are some ways to guide art activities without running the whole process or letting things get too chaotic.

1) Set out a variety of materials. You don’t need to empty an entire supply closet — that would be overwhelming. Instead, try choosing three or four materials and allow the children to choose what they’d like to use and experiment with various methods (cutting and pasting, coloring, painting, etc.).

2) Choose a “theme” by talking to the children about it. Chatting about the weather and asking the kids to create a picture that represents their favorite kind of weather is an open-ended, process-focused way to create art. Giving children cut-outs of clouds and raindrops and telling them to glue them on blue paper is, however, a product-oriented activity.

3) Give the children unusual materials. By giving the kids access to supplies they haven’t used in art projects, you’re giving them the freedom to create. Bring in recycled materials such as paper towel tubes, empty thread spools, or milk cartons and tell the children that they may use the materials in an art project. Or, paint with sponges, pine needles, or toothbrushes. New materials will inspire new ideas for your kids!

4) Create a challenge. By creating a challenge to solve, kids are involved in the process of art, not worried about the final product. Ask the kids “how many shapes do you think we can we cut out and glue to this poster board?” or “What do you think will happen if we mix these different colored paints together?” You can even present a handful of odd supplies (try paper plates, paperclips, and paper cups or ribbon, toilet paper rolls, and empty yogurt containers) and ask the children how they would like to combine the materials in a group art project.

Conclusion

By focusing on the process of creating, learning, and artistic design, we allow children to be who they are and learn at their own pace. When we force kids to confine themselves to our expectations and focus only on a product as the end result we aren’t enabling the kids to be all that they can be. The next time you’re working with children try to brainstorm ways to let the kids go through the process of creation and worry less about the product they end up with.

Felix the Cat

2009-04-09T10:38:00.005-04:00

Reuters ran a story yesterday about a 12-year-old Berlin cat named Felix. Felix was found alive and beneath the rubble of a six-story building that collapsed on March 3. Rescue workers were clearing the rubble from the collapse that killed two people when they saw Felix’s tiny paws behind some cinder blocks. Report has it that Felix is in good health and will make a full recovery.

It’s nice to see some good news peeking out of the bad. Since bad news is so often prevalent in the media, I enjoy reading something good for a change, no matter how silly. I must admit that some of the most fun news I read comes from Reuter's Oddly Enough News and the Living section on CNN.com. It brightens my day to read that Clowning around pays off for circus hopefuls or that a Woman finds $357,959 cashier's check and returns it.

So go ahead and peruse some odd news or a favorite blog to get your mind off of the media's spotlighted tragedies. You'll be glad you did.

Mighty Michelle

2009-04-07T10:08:00.005-04:00

Ivy-league educated. Healthy and in-shape. Style icon. In a loving relationship. Mother of two beautiful girls. On the cover of dozens of magazines one month and in Europe the next. This poised has-it-all-together woman? None other than Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States of America.

Michelle Obama has impressed me from the very beginning. Politics aside, she’s the kind of person I’d like to have cupcakes and tea with. She just seems like a fun person. She’s the epitome of who I want to see in the White House – graceful, eloquent, and educated, but also realistic, funny, and down-to-earth. She seems equally capable of mingling with foreign dignitaries and joining my family for a barbeque. She also seems as comfortable talking about sociology as she does fashion.

Speaking of fashion, I am enamored with many of the First Lady’s choices. I didn’t grow up watching Jackie O, but I can imagine what it was like. While female pop stars are running around in ripped leggings with diamond-encrusted tops and “it” bags, Michelle is wearing (comparatively) reasonably priced items from White House Black Market and J. Crew.

Make no mistake, Michelle is no frivolous fashionista; there are brains to back up that beauty. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Michelle had several high-profile, intellectual jobs before campaigning for her husband. She’s smart and snappy and an asset to diplomatic relations. On her recent European tour, she seemed equally comfortable with Queen Elizabeth and French school children, and according to a CNN poll, eighty percent of Americans thought that the First Lady strengthened the U.S. image abroad.

All in all, I’ve never really been one to idolize celebrities, but I do respect the life-in-the-limelight that Michelle Obama is living. I love that she’s so classy and yet, so approachable. If I were ever inspired to write a letter to the White House, it’s likely that it would be addressed to Michelle Obama. She gives me hope that her husband’s administration will bring about the promised change, and will look good and sound smart doing it.

Here’s to change, and to Michelle Obama.

Welcome!

2009-03-27T10:38:00.002-04:00

Spring has sprung, and everybody who’s anybody has a blog these days. I’d like to jump on the bandwagon, so here’s version 2.0 of Inner Thoughts and Outbursts, everyday musings from yours truly.

As copy editor of The Comment, my old college newspaper, my weekly column was titled Inner Thoughts & Outbursts; I’m happy to revive the column here on the Web. It is my hope that this blog will both give me an outlet for my inner thoughts and outbursts and also open doors to more writing opportunities.

With that, welcome to Inner Thoughts and Outbursts!