Our UW class was very different - during some weeks I was the lucky girl on the floor who had nothing for UW homework and the next week was up until 5 am working on a paper. Overall I really liked the class and the things we learned. It turned out a lot differently than I expected. I came in thinking we would be studying feminists throughout history, or maybe reading several memoirs over the course of the semester. Instead we saw a movie on Patricia Arquette and read blogs. It was different in a good way! I also learned a lot about how I write, and how to improve. I am also so grateful we had the library sessions because I did not know how to work the Gelman Library system at all so it was very helpful.
This was my only small discussion class so I got to know a lot of people in the class very well...and even if it was a little bit of a hassle getting to the vern I got to spend some GWorld money at Ames (the semester is ending and I've got $613 to go...) I'm going to miss our little class a lot I think next semester!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The Julie/Julia Project
I knew going to our group discussion that I was probably going to be the only one who didn't really like the book Julie & Julia: My year of cooking Dangerously.
The book is based on the blog of Julie Powell who decided that she was going to try and make all of the recipes found in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking during the course of one year. She took on the challenge when she hit somewhat of a quarter-life crisis (including a bad job and a disorder that might make having children difficult).
As a narrator Julie can be funny and is very self-aware. Every time she is being ridiculous she knows she is being ridiculous. She is always the first person to talk about how supportive her husband was throughout the whole process and recognizes how much he put up with.
The book, however; sometimes became overwhelmingly opinionated. I felt like I could definitely have read her blog entries and thought she was great - in weekly doses. But in 307 pages it was too much. Our discussion all agreed that small stories about Julia Child that came every few chapters was also unnecessary and confusing - we couldn't exactly figure out if they were taken from letters? Or if Julie wrote what she thought might have been happening to Julia?
I think part of my dislike for the book was because it was very informal - and something I'm not very used to. Plus the fact that Julie Powell and I could not be more opposite.
The book is based on the blog of Julie Powell who decided that she was going to try and make all of the recipes found in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking during the course of one year. She took on the challenge when she hit somewhat of a quarter-life crisis (including a bad job and a disorder that might make having children difficult).
As a narrator Julie can be funny and is very self-aware. Every time she is being ridiculous she knows she is being ridiculous. She is always the first person to talk about how supportive her husband was throughout the whole process and recognizes how much he put up with.
The book, however; sometimes became overwhelmingly opinionated. I felt like I could definitely have read her blog entries and thought she was great - in weekly doses. But in 307 pages it was too much. Our discussion all agreed that small stories about Julia Child that came every few chapters was also unnecessary and confusing - we couldn't exactly figure out if they were taken from letters? Or if Julie wrote what she thought might have been happening to Julia?
I think part of my dislike for the book was because it was very informal - and something I'm not very used to. Plus the fact that Julie Powell and I could not be more opposite.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Research Topic
For our Research Project I decided to write about Joyce Maynard, her life in memoirs and articles focusing on her relationship with men. I will also be talking about gender roles in general, and especially focusing on the second feminist movement (and maybe the radical feminism from the 70's) which was from the early 1960's to the late 1980's. I'm hoping to discuss how Maynard, a successful author and famous woman, was controlled by men during a time when most women were trying to gain equality (ie: employment discrimination based on sex.)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Lost in Translation
In Eva Hoffman's memoir, Lost in Translation, Eva writes about her experiences as a Polish immigrant who starts her life over in Canada. When the Hoffman's moved to Vancouver Eva was only fourteen. I liked the excerpt that our class read mostly because I could relate to it. When I was 13 my family was in the process of moving to Japan. We went to Tokyo and I enrolled in a middle school and we bought a house. A few weeks after we came back to New York a last minute decision was made that we would not actually be moving.
My experience was much different than Eva's in that she was facing a much more dire circumstance. In the 1950's, Poland had just come out of the second World War, and the communists were slowly taking power. The Hoffman's decided that the best thing for their family was to leave for Canada. Eva and I were in the same position; however, in that the decision to move was not ours. It was completely out of our hands.
I don't know what would have happened if I'd moved to Tokyo, but I do know I would have faced a lot of similar language barriers that Eva did. Even though Eva's story wasn't as traumatizing as Le Ly Hayslip's in When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, the style in which she writes makes her story incredibly interesting.
Because Eva has to learn English and somewhat abandon Polish, she becomes obsessed with language. It's strange to read her memoir, which is so well written, and have her re-count trying to understand English. Hoffman is able to completely change what could have been a boring story about an immigrant girl and makes it riveting just with her mastery of language.
My experience was much different than Eva's in that she was facing a much more dire circumstance. In the 1950's, Poland had just come out of the second World War, and the communists were slowly taking power. The Hoffman's decided that the best thing for their family was to leave for Canada. Eva and I were in the same position; however, in that the decision to move was not ours. It was completely out of our hands.
I don't know what would have happened if I'd moved to Tokyo, but I do know I would have faced a lot of similar language barriers that Eva did. Even though Eva's story wasn't as traumatizing as Le Ly Hayslip's in When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, the style in which she writes makes her story incredibly interesting.
Because Eva has to learn English and somewhat abandon Polish, she becomes obsessed with language. It's strange to read her memoir, which is so well written, and have her re-count trying to understand English. Hoffman is able to completely change what could have been a boring story about an immigrant girl and makes it riveting just with her mastery of language.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Fashion Blogs
Fashion blogs are one of my favorite things to read simply because they give personal insight that is hard to find in the fashion world. You can pick up a Vogue magazine and read that large, black framed hipster glasses are all the rage. And so while you rush out to buy this new "must have" accessory you forgot that maybe the world outside of fashion is not quite ready yet for these glasses. Blogging is a great way in which to bring the fashion world into the real world. What you see on the runway and what you see people actually wearing can be vastly different, and blogs for me, are the nice link between. You get an opinion on what is new in fashion that is not tainted by the Conde Nast magazines.
I have been reading fashionologie as my blog of choice and have discovered many interesting insider information already. The New Yorker's style issue is the best place to find designer profiles. This might not seem very important at first glance, but it is amazing to find a in-depth piece that offers more about a designer than their resume. Fashionologie seems to understand, and points out that the profile of Donatella Versace is more than just the cookie-cutter interview. Lauren Collins describes Donatella exactly the way people truly view her (with "meaty brown hands") and skips the overflow of compliments and adoration. No one wants to read about how amazing Marc Jacobs is, they want to read about his shocking mid-life crisis transformation from geeky to dripping in diamonds.
The blogger from fashionologie also gives reviews for books that involve fashion insiders. She gives a review of a memoir by Lucky magazine's beauty-editor, Jean Godfrey-June. There are also multiple posts throughout the month that have interesting links to stories that involve everything from a website giving away a YSL handbag, to the story about how Vogue created the term "brassiere." Other great posts include the actual breakdown of how much a fashion show truly costs, and side by side pictures of models that no one can seem to tell apart on the runway.
One of the things I hate the most about fashion in general is that it has become so hard to be unique. Designers, models, and practically everyone in New York City has tried to stand out so much that even the most outrageous outfits now seem boring. No one truly seems to have their own style anymore. But fashionologie definitely stands out to me. She has a sense of what she likes and doesn't like, regardless of whether or not it's popular.
And how could not love someone who puts this in their "About Me" section:
"I have a soft spot in my heart for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2003 collection, because it was inspired by pirates. I swear I’ll learn to swashbuckle before I die. Besides, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, and I must learn how to slay you."
*small side note: Fashionologie is 100% correct - Phillip Lim is going to be HUGE!
I have been reading fashionologie as my blog of choice and have discovered many interesting insider information already. The New Yorker's style issue is the best place to find designer profiles. This might not seem very important at first glance, but it is amazing to find a in-depth piece that offers more about a designer than their resume. Fashionologie seems to understand, and points out that the profile of Donatella Versace is more than just the cookie-cutter interview. Lauren Collins describes Donatella exactly the way people truly view her (with "meaty brown hands") and skips the overflow of compliments and adoration. No one wants to read about how amazing Marc Jacobs is, they want to read about his shocking mid-life crisis transformation from geeky to dripping in diamonds.
The blogger from fashionologie also gives reviews for books that involve fashion insiders. She gives a review of a memoir by Lucky magazine's beauty-editor, Jean Godfrey-June. There are also multiple posts throughout the month that have interesting links to stories that involve everything from a website giving away a YSL handbag, to the story about how Vogue created the term "brassiere." Other great posts include the actual breakdown of how much a fashion show truly costs, and side by side pictures of models that no one can seem to tell apart on the runway.
One of the things I hate the most about fashion in general is that it has become so hard to be unique. Designers, models, and practically everyone in New York City has tried to stand out so much that even the most outrageous outfits now seem boring. No one truly seems to have their own style anymore. But fashionologie definitely stands out to me. She has a sense of what she likes and doesn't like, regardless of whether or not it's popular.
And how could not love someone who puts this in their "About Me" section:
"I have a soft spot in my heart for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2003 collection, because it was inspired by pirates. I swear I’ll learn to swashbuckle before I die. Besides, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, and I must learn how to slay you."
*small side note: Fashionologie is 100% correct - Phillip Lim is going to be HUGE!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Intro
Okay, so first of all, my blog is named "my arrested development" for two reasons. #1 - It's my favorite television show (RIP) #2 - The term arrested development itself is basically the idea that the development of a person is stunted, stopped, or...arrested. I took a year off before going to college and my development was somewhat arrested.
I live in Pelham, New York, a small town 30 minutes outside of New York City. I live with my parents, my sisters, and our Dalmatian. My older sister graduated from GW in 2007 and now lives in Virginia. My twin sister is a sophomore at GW and she lives on the Mount Vernon campus although we are both usually found together at the Gelman Starbucks or at my dorm on Foggy Bottom.
I went to high school at Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls school in Greenwich, Connecticut. I was supposed to be a freshman in 2006 but after I graduated high school I decided to defer my admission to college and take a year off. I went to London (St. James) for a while, and worked during the winter/spring. I also spent some time in Boston, Virginia and D.C.
But, I did promise my mom I would eventually go to GW, so here I am, starting my freshman year 12 months late.
I live in Pelham, New York, a small town 30 minutes outside of New York City. I live with my parents, my sisters, and our Dalmatian. My older sister graduated from GW in 2007 and now lives in Virginia. My twin sister is a sophomore at GW and she lives on the Mount Vernon campus although we are both usually found together at the Gelman Starbucks or at my dorm on Foggy Bottom.
I went to high school at Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls school in Greenwich, Connecticut. I was supposed to be a freshman in 2006 but after I graduated high school I decided to defer my admission to college and take a year off. I went to London (St. James) for a while, and worked during the winter/spring. I also spent some time in Boston, Virginia and D.C.
But, I did promise my mom I would eventually go to GW, so here I am, starting my freshman year 12 months late.
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