Hi All.
So it's been longer than I'd hoped. Mostly due to a script I got to write and direct. Had 6 lovely, hard working ladies put The Norman Rockwell Monologues on it's feet. And it was a great experience. And then I forgot this post existed until today. Oops.
Quote of the Day: "It does make sense, in a 90s children's movie, to have heterosexual horses."
Segue to blog topic:
Little known Kaitlyn Fact of the Day: I am super envious of people who don't schedule their lives. As of late, this envy might have turned to self hatred, rooted in my inability to adapt to said lifestyle.
My people, if you will, are responsible for a great deal of "stick up your ass" rules. Generally broken by much cooler, English 300 type transcendentalists. We are taught in said English classes that these free spirited folks saved the world from the evils of "The English Social Season" and "the Débutante system." After reading these philosophical, enlightened papers we are encouraged to take up the torch, live freely! Carpe Diem! Take time to smell the roses!
Bull Shit.
I present: A Defense for the Neurotic.
While this abominable concept of "free time" may work for some people, when I am given a chunk of unscheduled time, I panic. Take my MWF schedule. My first class doesn't start till 1:40. Big mistake. In an attempt to be less routine-ee, last Wednesday I decided to wing it. The result: I sat on the quad and ate a sandwich for an hour. Bored out of my mind. Tried to combat intense boredom by checking out a Stephen King novel from the library about baseball.
Nothing about this situation is acceptable. First of all, Stephen King novels are terrifying, and I get freaked out by scary movie trailers. Second, I am in no way a fan of baseball. I like to play pick up games, but I was nearly kicked off my t-ball league for doing cartwheels in the outfield. So if unscheduled time for me results in Blockade Billy, we know there's a serious problem.
Que panic: what the hell is wrong with me that I can't handle a morning with no plans? It literally depresses me to think that there may come a time in my life when I will do reading that I won't later be held accountable for or sing without the prospect of an audition.
Then I got to thinking, what's so bad about scheduling every minute of your life? I mean, you have to spend like $12 on a planner, but other than that, you've got nothing to lose! Want to smell the roses? Pencil it in! How great would your day be if you woke up, looked at your planner, and saw that you were scheduled to smell roses from 2:34-3pm!? DAY MADE.
Also, scheduled people get so much more done. If you see how little time you have to write those 5 papers, you'll get um done before 3am. That said, anyone who frequents the IC knows that I occasionally have sleepovers there. Not the fun kind. The kind where you're alone and unconscious, having stress dreams about your pile of note cards that are only half done.
Now, this is not to say I don't love my transcendental, save the human spirit type folks. A lot of my nearest, dearest friends are not chained to their schedules. And I love that they are so darned unregimented. But I feel like no one ever defends the fun suckers.
You're welcome.
Kaitlyn
Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Consider this that love note I never wrote cause I'm not square. Wait, who am I kidding, love notes are not square. Well I mean, they're literally square, maybe more rectangular...
This is really just a quick thought. Mostly because it's 12:15 and I have a 9:30 class tomorrow.
I don't really buy into the concept of God putting people in people's lives for a reason. Than again, I don't really buy into the concept of God, at least not the puppet master, all knowing, personal guide to the universe version I learned in PSR. Any other PSR kids by the by? I feel like most of ya'll went to Catholic school and therefore were protected from the horror that is an additional 2 hours of Monday added onto your Monday simply so you could receive your sacraments.
First world Catholic youth problems.
Anyway
when I look around, I realize how lucky I am to have met the people I am friends with. I think my personality is just the type where I would literally do nothing until provoked. I've always used the analogy of being a fly on the wall of life. Kindof like a wallflower, only not as dainty, faster, and has bitchin' technical maneuvers.
I need to stop segwaying or this will literally never get finished. Did you know that spell check auto corrects segway" to "nosegay"? How is "segway" not a word but "nosegay" is? ohhh it's because segue is spelled differently from segway. On that subject, I need to start segwaying, it looks like a great form of non-exercise and public humiliation.
...maybe I should get tested...ADD is an actual thing...
OK. Bottom line: To the humans in my life: Thank you for being awesome. I love that you are open about things because I have a lot of walls up. Seeing you be so fearlessly honest makes me feel like the world will not crumble to the ground should I decide to crawl out of my shell. If you're not one of my super open, extroverted friends, no fear, I still love you. Quiet kid solidarity for the win. But really guys. I feel like I don't say this enough, I love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for just being [insert winning adjective that my 12:40 brain can't think of]. Does my lack of an adjective cheapen the fact that I've just complimented NO MORE TANGENTS KAITLYN, GO TO BED.
I'm not schizophrenic I swear.
Good night. Sleep well. Pat yourself on the back for being flawless.
Kaitlyn
I don't really buy into the concept of God putting people in people's lives for a reason. Than again, I don't really buy into the concept of God, at least not the puppet master, all knowing, personal guide to the universe version I learned in PSR. Any other PSR kids by the by? I feel like most of ya'll went to Catholic school and therefore were protected from the horror that is an additional 2 hours of Monday added onto your Monday simply so you could receive your sacraments.
First world Catholic youth problems.
Anyway
when I look around, I realize how lucky I am to have met the people I am friends with. I think my personality is just the type where I would literally do nothing until provoked. I've always used the analogy of being a fly on the wall of life. Kindof like a wallflower, only not as dainty, faster, and has bitchin' technical maneuvers.
I need to stop segwaying or this will literally never get finished. Did you know that spell check auto corrects segway" to "nosegay"? How is "segway" not a word but "nosegay" is? ohhh it's because segue is spelled differently from segway. On that subject, I need to start segwaying, it looks like a great form of non-exercise and public humiliation.
...maybe I should get tested...ADD is an actual thing...
OK. Bottom line: To the humans in my life: Thank you for being awesome. I love that you are open about things because I have a lot of walls up. Seeing you be so fearlessly honest makes me feel like the world will not crumble to the ground should I decide to crawl out of my shell. If you're not one of my super open, extroverted friends, no fear, I still love you. Quiet kid solidarity for the win. But really guys. I feel like I don't say this enough, I love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for just being [insert winning adjective that my 12:40 brain can't think of]. Does my lack of an adjective cheapen the fact that I've just complimented NO MORE TANGENTS KAITLYN, GO TO BED.
I'm not schizophrenic I swear.
Good night. Sleep well. Pat yourself on the back for being flawless.
Kaitlyn
Monday, September 3, 2012
I Know What You Did Last Summer...
Ayeee Mates,
As previously agreed upon, it has been about 3 weeks since my last blog post, and I am back to keeping this thing updated. In short, I finished up my stuff in Cleveland, moved to Chicago, survived a week of classes, celebrated properly, and spent the awake part of my today recovering.
So before all memory of my summer job is taken over by 300 theatre history terms, I'm gonna write a blog about it. And Mates, if anything in my life is blog worthy, this is.
Without further adieu, allow me to present: "Quick Stories/Lessons learned from my summer Working at a Special Needs Summer Camp"
1. Sticks are the work of the devil. Placed on earth only to be used as weapons, weed whackers, obsessed over, javelined, and collected. Situation: kids are not allowed to go into the woods. Kids LOVE STICKS. Sticks are in the woods. 75% of summer spent sprinting through the woods after a child. Fucking sticks.
2. Kiss your personal space good bye at the door. Have you ever had to peel a human off yourself? Did they then start singing Titanic? I don't feel the need to elaborate here.
3. The self defense skills of a ninja. Because there are a lot of reflexes that are out of anyone's control. And they happen fast.
4. Slow down. Anyone's whose walked anywhere with me (class, finals breakfast, unwanted doctors visits) knows that I keep the pace of someone with a gun to their head. Working with kiddos taught me that just about every human on the face of the planet has a slower pace than mine. And if I just talk, walk, and exist a tad closer to normal speed, people actually understand what I'm trying to get across.
5. Not everyone needs words. I think I prefer non verbal communication. Not that I don't see it's faults, but you slip into non verbal functioning without even realizing it. It's pretty cool.
6. Over chlorinated pools can burn off your tan. Funny that you think I'm kidding.
7. Every behavior is a function of something. Theatre folk, this is like acting. Everyone has reasons for their actions. You may not know what they are or understand them. Hell I almost NEVER know why people do what they do, but everyone has their reasons. Here comes the preaching: Stop judging other people because they're different than you. I decided that needed that amount of emphasis. But seriously, it's really starting to piss me off when people make fun of other people because they don't understand them. Why on earth would anyone be intentionally mean or "weird" or different just to piss you off. I'll tell you why, they wouldn't. The problem is that you don't know what's going on in their head. I totally understand the need to vent and blow off steam, but this impersonal enemy of the week shit is getting old. So seriously. I'm gonna start calling people out on it. And if I do it, feel free to call me out as well. Really folks. Humans need to work on this.
*Gets of soap box*
8. Don't sweat the small stuff. For real though. If someone's not about to die, don't freak out. Cause you'll drive yourself, and the rest of the staff, up the wall. My apologies to the staff (also my family, friends, cast, and that one squirrel I cussed out) during field trip week :)
9. I am not cut out for this kind of work.
10. A new appreciation for the educators, staff, counselors, and families who work with the spacial needs population. Seriously. These people have something very special that I definitely don't have. I learned so much from my co-workers and other volunteers this summer. It's a whole different ballgame. All we see is the tip of the ice burg. Major props.
So there's the short list. I've learned so much more this summer than I can put into words. It's definitely an eye opening experience.
Hmmmm there's a way to cap off this blog, but I can't think of it.
*Insert inspirational quote of your choice here*
Or just make fun of me for blogging about my summer job.
Or for having a blog in general.
I can take it.
Good Night.
Kaitlyn
As previously agreed upon, it has been about 3 weeks since my last blog post, and I am back to keeping this thing updated. In short, I finished up my stuff in Cleveland, moved to Chicago, survived a week of classes, celebrated properly, and spent the awake part of my today recovering.
So before all memory of my summer job is taken over by 300 theatre history terms, I'm gonna write a blog about it. And Mates, if anything in my life is blog worthy, this is.
Without further adieu, allow me to present: "Quick Stories/Lessons learned from my summer Working at a Special Needs Summer Camp"
1. Sticks are the work of the devil. Placed on earth only to be used as weapons, weed whackers, obsessed over, javelined, and collected. Situation: kids are not allowed to go into the woods. Kids LOVE STICKS. Sticks are in the woods. 75% of summer spent sprinting through the woods after a child. Fucking sticks.
2. Kiss your personal space good bye at the door. Have you ever had to peel a human off yourself? Did they then start singing Titanic? I don't feel the need to elaborate here.
3. The self defense skills of a ninja. Because there are a lot of reflexes that are out of anyone's control. And they happen fast.
4. Slow down. Anyone's whose walked anywhere with me (class, finals breakfast, unwanted doctors visits) knows that I keep the pace of someone with a gun to their head. Working with kiddos taught me that just about every human on the face of the planet has a slower pace than mine. And if I just talk, walk, and exist a tad closer to normal speed, people actually understand what I'm trying to get across.
5. Not everyone needs words. I think I prefer non verbal communication. Not that I don't see it's faults, but you slip into non verbal functioning without even realizing it. It's pretty cool.
6. Over chlorinated pools can burn off your tan. Funny that you think I'm kidding.
7. Every behavior is a function of something. Theatre folk, this is like acting. Everyone has reasons for their actions. You may not know what they are or understand them. Hell I almost NEVER know why people do what they do, but everyone has their reasons. Here comes the preaching: Stop judging other people because they're different than you. I decided that needed that amount of emphasis. But seriously, it's really starting to piss me off when people make fun of other people because they don't understand them. Why on earth would anyone be intentionally mean or "weird" or different just to piss you off. I'll tell you why, they wouldn't. The problem is that you don't know what's going on in their head. I totally understand the need to vent and blow off steam, but this impersonal enemy of the week shit is getting old. So seriously. I'm gonna start calling people out on it. And if I do it, feel free to call me out as well. Really folks. Humans need to work on this.
*Gets of soap box*
8. Don't sweat the small stuff. For real though. If someone's not about to die, don't freak out. Cause you'll drive yourself, and the rest of the staff, up the wall. My apologies to the staff (also my family, friends, cast, and that one squirrel I cussed out) during field trip week :)
9. I am not cut out for this kind of work.
10. A new appreciation for the educators, staff, counselors, and families who work with the spacial needs population. Seriously. These people have something very special that I definitely don't have. I learned so much from my co-workers and other volunteers this summer. It's a whole different ballgame. All we see is the tip of the ice burg. Major props.
So there's the short list. I've learned so much more this summer than I can put into words. It's definitely an eye opening experience.
Hmmmm there's a way to cap off this blog, but I can't think of it.
*Insert inspirational quote of your choice here*
Or just make fun of me for blogging about my summer job.
Or for having a blog in general.
I can take it.
Good Night.
Kaitlyn
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Oh hey blog, It's August now. Oops.
Hey Cats,
It's been a while.
Any of you know me personally know that I bit off a little more than I could chew this summer. Needless to say, my blogging dropped off the face of the planet. As so many do. I'll try to keep it up throughout the year. I actually just posted an unfinished blog on CATS that I started in June, so there's that. And I've got another one that can only be described as "shit gets real" (I think I started it in early July) waiting in the wings. Right now it's a lot of emotional vomit. I'm gonna edit it as to not terrify you and I'll post that eventually too.
So here's what's changed since June:
1. My Hair. I'd never dyed my hair before July. Than I bleached the crap out of it. It was a little spicy. But looked awesome. Then I was like, "you're only in your early 20s once" and promptly fulfilled my preteen dream of dying my hair blue. Out of a box. Well actually a jar. But I now have a nice bright blue splotchy ribbon thing atop my head. It looks pretty weird. And I sort of love it. That's a lie, I definitely love it (Credit: Nicole Tischler. Amateur hair colorer extraordinaire). And I can't wait till it grows out into a blondeish, brownish, rooty blueish mullet. Not kidding. Seriously can't wait.
2. Belting. So I'm trying that now. It's resulted in me shout/cracking a lot of half tones at the front row of All Shook Up. Sorry I'm not sorry.
3. My parenting skills. I will write a blog about my summer job. Basically I worked full time at a day camp for special needs children. Lesson learned: Not my thing. Other lessons learned: how to be super mom. Seriously, my kids will be so well behaved, they might be mistaken for robots.
3b. Camper Imitations. I'm really good at these. And I have stories to top all crazy kid stories. Have you ever seen a kid pee in another kid's face? I thought not.
4. Body Image. Not gonna dwell on this. Expect a full blog later. Long story short, stopped dieting, gained some weight, don't care. Quite literally the first time in my life I can say that I'm not freaking out about my body. And it's awesome. Not gonna touch on eating disorders because it's a crazy touchy subject. So I'll tackle that later. I just felt that my brain not being crazy regimented was worth noting. And celebrating. :)
5. My general uptight-ness. Definitely related to #4. But I've chilled out a lot since May. So now I'm probably only like 3 times as nervous as the general populations. Crazy liberating.
6. Tolerance for stupidity. Lower. Much, much lower.
7. Vocalizing my lack of tolerance for stupidity. Higher. Much, much higher.
Hokay, this blog is crappy. But now you're updated. Quick and dirty. Basically I'm super overwhelmed with end of summer, beginning of school year stuff. So stick around. I'm going to try dotting my light witty blogs with a few serious subjects. You won't want to miss me trying to write a serious blog without sounding like a serious blog. It's gonna be fun =]
In the mean time
Here's the plan. I'm gonna sleep. Get myself finished with work and this show. Say adios to my friends and family in Parma. Move my life to Chicago. Sleep some more. Order my books. Start classes. Get a job. Adjust. Sleep more. Gonna give myself 3 weeks or so for my brain to get in order. Then I'll have the time and brain power to write. Super excited to get this started again!
So I'll see ya in 3 weeks.
*Puzzled look*
Yep.
Kaitlyn.
It's been a while.
Any of you know me personally know that I bit off a little more than I could chew this summer. Needless to say, my blogging dropped off the face of the planet. As so many do. I'll try to keep it up throughout the year. I actually just posted an unfinished blog on CATS that I started in June, so there's that. And I've got another one that can only be described as "shit gets real" (I think I started it in early July) waiting in the wings. Right now it's a lot of emotional vomit. I'm gonna edit it as to not terrify you and I'll post that eventually too.
So here's what's changed since June:
1. My Hair. I'd never dyed my hair before July. Than I bleached the crap out of it. It was a little spicy. But looked awesome. Then I was like, "you're only in your early 20s once" and promptly fulfilled my preteen dream of dying my hair blue. Out of a box. Well actually a jar. But I now have a nice bright blue splotchy ribbon thing atop my head. It looks pretty weird. And I sort of love it. That's a lie, I definitely love it (Credit: Nicole Tischler. Amateur hair colorer extraordinaire). And I can't wait till it grows out into a blondeish, brownish, rooty blueish mullet. Not kidding. Seriously can't wait.
2. Belting. So I'm trying that now. It's resulted in me shout/cracking a lot of half tones at the front row of All Shook Up. Sorry I'm not sorry.
3. My parenting skills. I will write a blog about my summer job. Basically I worked full time at a day camp for special needs children. Lesson learned: Not my thing. Other lessons learned: how to be super mom. Seriously, my kids will be so well behaved, they might be mistaken for robots.
3b. Camper Imitations. I'm really good at these. And I have stories to top all crazy kid stories. Have you ever seen a kid pee in another kid's face? I thought not.
4. Body Image. Not gonna dwell on this. Expect a full blog later. Long story short, stopped dieting, gained some weight, don't care. Quite literally the first time in my life I can say that I'm not freaking out about my body. And it's awesome. Not gonna touch on eating disorders because it's a crazy touchy subject. So I'll tackle that later. I just felt that my brain not being crazy regimented was worth noting. And celebrating. :)
5. My general uptight-ness. Definitely related to #4. But I've chilled out a lot since May. So now I'm probably only like 3 times as nervous as the general populations. Crazy liberating.
6. Tolerance for stupidity. Lower. Much, much lower.
7. Vocalizing my lack of tolerance for stupidity. Higher. Much, much higher.
Hokay, this blog is crappy. But now you're updated. Quick and dirty. Basically I'm super overwhelmed with end of summer, beginning of school year stuff. So stick around. I'm going to try dotting my light witty blogs with a few serious subjects. You won't want to miss me trying to write a serious blog without sounding like a serious blog. It's gonna be fun =]
In the mean time
Here's the plan. I'm gonna sleep. Get myself finished with work and this show. Say adios to my friends and family in Parma. Move my life to Chicago. Sleep some more. Order my books. Start classes. Get a job. Adjust. Sleep more. Gonna give myself 3 weeks or so for my brain to get in order. Then I'll have the time and brain power to write. Super excited to get this started again!
So I'll see ya in 3 weeks.
*Puzzled look*
Yep.
Kaitlyn.
Hello Friends,
This week has kicked the crap out of me. I started my summer camp job (more on that later) and teched/opened CATS (the subject of this blog). This resulted in a serious lack of sleep that manifested itself in a 12 hour hibernation ending around noon today. It was glorious. Basically what I'm saying is, I let a week lapse in blogging. And that's ^ why.
So CATS.
Not my favorite show. Not even a show I liked. Until now.
The reasons to not enjoy Cats are pretty clear. Real simple, almost non-existent, plot, confusing metaphors you didn't really pick up on when you saw the movie, "JELLICLE SONGS FOR JELLICLE CATS, JELLICLE SONGS, JELLICLE DANCE, JELLICLES CAN, JELLICLE, JELLICLE, JELLICLE, JELLICLE" *punches Andrew Lloyed Webber in the face...then asks what the hell jellicle even means*
Jellicle = Jolly Old (cat) with an old man British accent. Way to be T.S. (We're on a first name basis).
Less obvious are the reasons to love CATS. Which I have posted in list form:
1. The Crazy Cat People. This show has the greatest fan base of any musical. Dare I say, they have exceeded the Rocky Horror level of cult. Don't believe me? Google "Cats the musical" and see what happens. Actually I'll save you the trouble: http://goldenjellicles.gotop100.com/. These are people that rent the costumes just to cat around their houses. And do makeup demos. And write thousands of character descriptions. I am proud to be part of a musical that so many crazy And come to the shows and hiss at us. Which is awesome.
2. Subtext. I don't know who came up with it, but it's awesome. Performing has the feeling of being in on a really good secret. Like halfway through the Jellicle Ball (sex romp) I lose my virginity. Upside-down in the splits mind you. And how Macavity has slept with pretty much all the lady cats. His sexuality basically motivates the show. It's great. There are Cat families and relationships. And the audience is clueless.
3. The Characters. I picture T.S. writing this show surrounded by at least 40 Cats. All with unique personalities. Pardon my getting sentimental, but I love that this guy wrote poems with so much specificity.
4. Makeup. We look like cats. And it freaks me out. I can't think of too many live shows that have makeup this extensive. I seriously think I can make a career out of kids face painting now. And it's fun to wear. In a gross way. An accurate simulation of the feeling can probably be achieved by covering your face is Vaseline, dunking your head into a vat of baking flour, and having someone hose you down. Then run a half marathon.
5. Cardio. We're offstage for a grand total of 10 minutes. If that. And I'm convinced we spend at least 50% of the time in high kicks. This creates the illusion that you can eat whatever you want. Lies, we wear unitards.
6. If you're not moving like a stripper, you're doing it wrong.
With that, I will let you know that I never posted this in June when I started it. It's now August 14th. Soooo this is not current. But I'm posting anyway.
Awkward 3 month late Peace Out,
Kaitlyn
This week has kicked the crap out of me. I started my summer camp job (more on that later) and teched/opened CATS (the subject of this blog). This resulted in a serious lack of sleep that manifested itself in a 12 hour hibernation ending around noon today. It was glorious. Basically what I'm saying is, I let a week lapse in blogging. And that's ^ why.
So CATS.
Not my favorite show. Not even a show I liked. Until now.
The reasons to not enjoy Cats are pretty clear. Real simple, almost non-existent, plot, confusing metaphors you didn't really pick up on when you saw the movie, "JELLICLE SONGS FOR JELLICLE CATS, JELLICLE SONGS, JELLICLE DANCE, JELLICLES CAN, JELLICLE, JELLICLE, JELLICLE, JELLICLE" *punches Andrew Lloyed Webber in the face...then asks what the hell jellicle even means*
Jellicle = Jolly Old (cat) with an old man British accent. Way to be T.S. (We're on a first name basis).
Less obvious are the reasons to love CATS. Which I have posted in list form:
1. The Crazy Cat People. This show has the greatest fan base of any musical. Dare I say, they have exceeded the Rocky Horror level of cult. Don't believe me? Google "Cats the musical" and see what happens. Actually I'll save you the trouble: http://goldenjellicles.gotop100.com/. These are people that rent the costumes just to cat around their houses. And do makeup demos. And write thousands of character descriptions. I am proud to be part of a musical that so many crazy And come to the shows and hiss at us. Which is awesome.
2. Subtext. I don't know who came up with it, but it's awesome. Performing has the feeling of being in on a really good secret. Like halfway through the Jellicle Ball (sex romp) I lose my virginity. Upside-down in the splits mind you. And how Macavity has slept with pretty much all the lady cats. His sexuality basically motivates the show. It's great. There are Cat families and relationships. And the audience is clueless.
3. The Characters. I picture T.S. writing this show surrounded by at least 40 Cats. All with unique personalities. Pardon my getting sentimental, but I love that this guy wrote poems with so much specificity.
4. Makeup. We look like cats. And it freaks me out. I can't think of too many live shows that have makeup this extensive. I seriously think I can make a career out of kids face painting now. And it's fun to wear. In a gross way. An accurate simulation of the feeling can probably be achieved by covering your face is Vaseline, dunking your head into a vat of baking flour, and having someone hose you down. Then run a half marathon.
5. Cardio. We're offstage for a grand total of 10 minutes. If that. And I'm convinced we spend at least 50% of the time in high kicks. This creates the illusion that you can eat whatever you want. Lies, we wear unitards.
6. If you're not moving like a stripper, you're doing it wrong.
With that, I will let you know that I never posted this in June when I started it. It's now August 14th. Soooo this is not current. But I'm posting anyway.
Awkward 3 month late Peace Out,
Kaitlyn
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Thoughts on Toddlers and Tiaras
Hi Fellas,
It's mid-week (in case you were wondering). I think I'm gonna aim for one solid blog per week-ish that I share on Facebook, Twitter, Smoke Signals, etc. I'll post some short random blogs in the mean time. Just to write. Because it's fun. That way you can kill 5 or 6 birds ("bird" = blog entry) with one stone per weekend, with at least one well thought out article. And I still get to write random stuff that doesn't suit itself to a full blog. Win win.
Sidebar: MY DOG IS DRIVING ME UP THE WALL. I will eventually do a "why my dog is cuter than your dog" blog, but right now, I would kill for puppy Ritalin.
I have some thoughts on Toddlers and Tiaras.
Who doesn't have some thoughts on Toddlers and Tiaras? This show is nuts. It's unhealthy. The parents on the show argue that pageants raise their kid's confidence. They probably do. But I think the collateral damage is worse.
What really gets me is their emphasis on facial beauty. It's a buzz word.
"It was a tie, so we broke it on facial beauty." "Facial beauty is worth 75% of their score." "My child has the best facial beauty."
OF COURSE your kid is the most beautiful. Beauty is subjective, and you're her mom. Duh. And how do you even judge facial beauty? Especially on kids! There are some beautiful people in this world who have nontraditional quirky faces. That's what makes them adorable! (see what I did there? I dodged the bullet of quoting a One Direction song. Well done self, well done). But seriously. How can you tell a three year old that she is more beautiful than another three year old? More importantly, how can you tell which three year old is more beautiful?! Beauty is genetic until you start taking meth or tanning too much.
Not only is beauty undefinable, but the emphasis parents put on it is crazy. Crazy Mom Quote of the Afternoon: "Facial beauty is the most important thing in a pageant, and really in life too. Beautiful people are the most successful." Full stop. I don't even feel the need to elaborate here.
What kind of effect would that have on a poor kid's self esteem? Puberty is rough enough when it's just your classmates judging you. They're putting their kids in front of a panel of adults. Unbelievable.
Some of the parents do it right. I don't see any harm in dressing your kid up and letting them strut around on stage. Even if it's a little too sexual. The kids are 10. It's going right over their heads. If you don't believe me, re-watch the spice girls movie. See, you turned out alright.
But still. How can we teach young girls that beauty counts for anything?! Everyone is beautiful (I tried so hard to avoid said cliché. Just lost that battle). It's not objective. And it shouldn't effect anything in life. In a perfect world.
I think this is what TLC intended when they put this show on the air. Even as I write this, I'm pretty confident most of you will agree with this blog. I hope this can be a catalyst away from crazy, old fashioned views of beauty. But in the mean time, I will definitely continue to watch, in horror.
True life.
Hope your weeks (collectively) are going well. Mine is pretty solid. Gonna walk my crazy dog now :)
Catch ya on the flip side (of what? I never really understood this)
Kaitlyn
It's mid-week (in case you were wondering). I think I'm gonna aim for one solid blog per week-ish that I share on Facebook, Twitter, Smoke Signals, etc. I'll post some short random blogs in the mean time. Just to write. Because it's fun. That way you can kill 5 or 6 birds ("bird" = blog entry) with one stone per weekend, with at least one well thought out article. And I still get to write random stuff that doesn't suit itself to a full blog. Win win.
Sidebar: MY DOG IS DRIVING ME UP THE WALL. I will eventually do a "why my dog is cuter than your dog" blog, but right now, I would kill for puppy Ritalin.
I have some thoughts on Toddlers and Tiaras.
Who doesn't have some thoughts on Toddlers and Tiaras? This show is nuts. It's unhealthy. The parents on the show argue that pageants raise their kid's confidence. They probably do. But I think the collateral damage is worse.
What really gets me is their emphasis on facial beauty. It's a buzz word.
"It was a tie, so we broke it on facial beauty." "Facial beauty is worth 75% of their score." "My child has the best facial beauty."
OF COURSE your kid is the most beautiful. Beauty is subjective, and you're her mom. Duh. And how do you even judge facial beauty? Especially on kids! There are some beautiful people in this world who have nontraditional quirky faces. That's what makes them adorable! (see what I did there? I dodged the bullet of quoting a One Direction song. Well done self, well done). But seriously. How can you tell a three year old that she is more beautiful than another three year old? More importantly, how can you tell which three year old is more beautiful?! Beauty is genetic until you start taking meth or tanning too much.
Not only is beauty undefinable, but the emphasis parents put on it is crazy. Crazy Mom Quote of the Afternoon: "Facial beauty is the most important thing in a pageant, and really in life too. Beautiful people are the most successful." Full stop. I don't even feel the need to elaborate here.
What kind of effect would that have on a poor kid's self esteem? Puberty is rough enough when it's just your classmates judging you. They're putting their kids in front of a panel of adults. Unbelievable.
Some of the parents do it right. I don't see any harm in dressing your kid up and letting them strut around on stage. Even if it's a little too sexual. The kids are 10. It's going right over their heads. If you don't believe me, re-watch the spice girls movie. See, you turned out alright.
But still. How can we teach young girls that beauty counts for anything?! Everyone is beautiful (I tried so hard to avoid said cliché. Just lost that battle). It's not objective. And it shouldn't effect anything in life. In a perfect world.
I think this is what TLC intended when they put this show on the air. Even as I write this, I'm pretty confident most of you will agree with this blog. I hope this can be a catalyst away from crazy, old fashioned views of beauty. But in the mean time, I will definitely continue to watch, in horror.
True life.
Hope your weeks (collectively) are going well. Mine is pretty solid. Gonna walk my crazy dog now :)
Catch ya on the flip side (of what? I never really understood this)
Kaitlyn
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Stuff I'm Shamelessly Obsessed With
Aye there Buddies,
It's been another week of intense Catting. And by Catting I mean dancing my fanny off. I'm having a blast. I am so grateful to be part of such a dedicated, talented, hysterical cast this summer. I am also grateful for the icy-hot patches I have applied to my hamstrings for the weekend. I really should just get garbage bag pants.
With all my (not so) abundant free time I have this summer, I've found plenty of ways to bide my time until work starts. All of them, things I make fun of other people for. So I've decided to shame myself publicly.
Additionally, I'm gonna apologize for length here. I usually try to keep it short, sweet, and edited. But this is the list of stuff I'm so stuck on, I could probably give a 3 hour speech on each topic. I've organized it pretty nicely though I think. So take what you will.
Without further ado (is that how you spell that? I never know), allow me to present: My list of stuff that I love. Without Shame.
1. TLC Shows. Is it shameful? Yes. Can I literally feel my brain cells dying at every commercial break? Yes. This one is so unjustifiably good, it needs some sub-titles.
1A. Toddlers and Tiaras: Sickening? Cringe worthy? Kiddie Porn? Probably. 'nuff said.
1B. Sister Wives: I have never given polygamy much thought. But I think this is a workable system. I'm sure this show isn't the best representation of the polygamist community at large, but it looks like it works for them. I could never do it. But it's given me a new controversial issue to think about and pick your (collective) brains about. Mission accomplished.
1C. The Virgin Diaries: They only made 1 episode. And that is a shame. Feelin' crappy about your love life? There isn't a better downward comparison out there. I promise.
1D. Dance Moms: Like Toddlers and Tiaras. Only the kids are better dancers than me. Which inspires me to go on crash diets and stretch a lot. No harm done.
1E. All of the Wedding shows: Despite my vocal opposition to gender roles and feminism that boarders on philosophically extreme, I will have a classy wedding if it kills me. And I'm doing it for under $5,000. Mark my words.
2. "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number. Call Me Maybe." I know it's a pop-y, overplayed, poorly written song. And I don't care. It's like my foot starts tapping before my brain can tell it to stop. There are few things better in this world that boppin' down the highway belting this bad boy out the car window.
3. Skins. This wouldn't be embarrassing if I hadn't watched seasons 3 and 4 a total of 5 times this summer. But I have. I'm sure the third gen is great, and the first gen was pretty solid, but this second one has engulfed all of my attention. Here's why:
3A. The parallels between Effie and Freddy's relationship and Hamlet. And how they point it out a season in advance. And how I just noticed it last night. Mind, blown.
3B. Naomily. No words. And my roommate Emily's analysis of the writing :) "Can we just sit here for a while. Yeah, for a while." God it's well done.
3C. Their accents.
3D. Pandora. "What do I want, surfing and turfing, when do I want it, now." Also, she doesn't look like a model. And she's so quirky. Again, well done.
3F. How the music changes each episode to fit the character.
3G. (Maybe Skins just deserves its own blog. Soon. I have some ends to tie up. Later this summer friends.) Ok, I love Cook's character as well. He's such an asshole. And this show made me care about him. Mission accomplished.
4. Cats. I have some explaining to do. When I first watched it on youtube, I bailed halfway through the second act for lack of plot. But after having to work on it, I'm hooked. This show has a CRAZY fan base. And cult fans are the best. These people have written thousands of descriptions for each cat's individual personality. I had just clumped them into a vague "grown adults pretending to be cats" category. Wrong. This show captures the crazy cat person's love of each cat as an individual. Seriously though, there's the fat cat song, the mischievous cat, kittens. An unexpected orgy. A series of cute, personal poems set to music. Clever. Original. Appreciated. I think I'm reading too much into this, and I think I'm becoming a super fan. And I will flaunt that. Cat's might have it's own blog entry too.
Well I think that basically covers the bases of "stuff we can't get Kaitlyn to shut up about this summer." At worst, my list of interests will make your list of interests look phenomenally intelligent. At best, you love all the shameful things I love and we can geek out about it together. Give me a call. Seriously though. Because I hold you captive and force you to watch seasons 3 and 4 of Skins in one sitting. Don't think I won't.
All of the love,
Kaitlyn
It's been another week of intense Catting. And by Catting I mean dancing my fanny off. I'm having a blast. I am so grateful to be part of such a dedicated, talented, hysterical cast this summer. I am also grateful for the icy-hot patches I have applied to my hamstrings for the weekend. I really should just get garbage bag pants.
With all my (not so) abundant free time I have this summer, I've found plenty of ways to bide my time until work starts. All of them, things I make fun of other people for. So I've decided to shame myself publicly.
Additionally, I'm gonna apologize for length here. I usually try to keep it short, sweet, and edited. But this is the list of stuff I'm so stuck on, I could probably give a 3 hour speech on each topic. I've organized it pretty nicely though I think. So take what you will.
Without further ado (is that how you spell that? I never know), allow me to present: My list of stuff that I love. Without Shame.
1. TLC Shows. Is it shameful? Yes. Can I literally feel my brain cells dying at every commercial break? Yes. This one is so unjustifiably good, it needs some sub-titles.
1A. Toddlers and Tiaras: Sickening? Cringe worthy? Kiddie Porn? Probably. 'nuff said.
1B. Sister Wives: I have never given polygamy much thought. But I think this is a workable system. I'm sure this show isn't the best representation of the polygamist community at large, but it looks like it works for them. I could never do it. But it's given me a new controversial issue to think about and pick your (collective) brains about. Mission accomplished.
1C. The Virgin Diaries: They only made 1 episode. And that is a shame. Feelin' crappy about your love life? There isn't a better downward comparison out there. I promise.
1D. Dance Moms: Like Toddlers and Tiaras. Only the kids are better dancers than me. Which inspires me to go on crash diets and stretch a lot. No harm done.
1E. All of the Wedding shows: Despite my vocal opposition to gender roles and feminism that boarders on philosophically extreme, I will have a classy wedding if it kills me. And I'm doing it for under $5,000. Mark my words.
2. "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number. Call Me Maybe." I know it's a pop-y, overplayed, poorly written song. And I don't care. It's like my foot starts tapping before my brain can tell it to stop. There are few things better in this world that boppin' down the highway belting this bad boy out the car window.
3. Skins. This wouldn't be embarrassing if I hadn't watched seasons 3 and 4 a total of 5 times this summer. But I have. I'm sure the third gen is great, and the first gen was pretty solid, but this second one has engulfed all of my attention. Here's why:
3A. The parallels between Effie and Freddy's relationship and Hamlet. And how they point it out a season in advance. And how I just noticed it last night. Mind, blown.
3B. Naomily. No words. And my roommate Emily's analysis of the writing :) "Can we just sit here for a while. Yeah, for a while." God it's well done.
3C. Their accents.
3D. Pandora. "What do I want, surfing and turfing, when do I want it, now." Also, she doesn't look like a model. And she's so quirky. Again, well done.
3F. How the music changes each episode to fit the character.
3G. (Maybe Skins just deserves its own blog. Soon. I have some ends to tie up. Later this summer friends.) Ok, I love Cook's character as well. He's such an asshole. And this show made me care about him. Mission accomplished.
4. Cats. I have some explaining to do. When I first watched it on youtube, I bailed halfway through the second act for lack of plot. But after having to work on it, I'm hooked. This show has a CRAZY fan base. And cult fans are the best. These people have written thousands of descriptions for each cat's individual personality. I had just clumped them into a vague "grown adults pretending to be cats" category. Wrong. This show captures the crazy cat person's love of each cat as an individual. Seriously though, there's the fat cat song, the mischievous cat, kittens. An unexpected orgy. A series of cute, personal poems set to music. Clever. Original. Appreciated. I think I'm reading too much into this, and I think I'm becoming a super fan. And I will flaunt that. Cat's might have it's own blog entry too.
Well I think that basically covers the bases of "stuff we can't get Kaitlyn to shut up about this summer." At worst, my list of interests will make your list of interests look phenomenally intelligent. At best, you love all the shameful things I love and we can geek out about it together. Give me a call. Seriously though. Because I hold you captive and force you to watch seasons 3 and 4 of Skins in one sitting. Don't think I won't.
All of the love,
Kaitlyn
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