tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84446743930276902392024-03-13T21:34:36.813-04:00Rationally ExuberantWhitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-19185408451934546022011-09-28T11:20:00.001-04:002011-09-28T11:21:58.513-04:00Now posting at Tumblr...You can find me over at <a href="http://rationallywhitney.tumblr.com">www.rationallywhitney.tumblr.com</a> now...someday I'll figure out how to combine these two blogs so I have a proper archive.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-82999628354201169892010-07-26T21:37:00.004-04:002010-07-26T21:47:38.172-04:00Literary digressions<div>My good pal Sherman and I struck a deal a few months ago: I'll read <i>The Plague</i> if he reads <i>The Fountainhead</i>. Interestingly, there seems to be more similarities between the two books than you would think at first blush. </div><div></div><blockquote><div>Sherman noted:</div><div><div>- They were both published within a few years of each other (Rand's in '43, Camus' in '47)</div><div>- They both are inspired as part of their author's response to totalitarianism (Rand to Stalinism, Camus by now should be painfully obviously writing an allegory for Nazified France) </div><div>- They both center on strong, professional men</div><div>- They both deal with questions of how one should live one's life in light of the world</div><div>- They both are written by authors who are a great deal better at thinking of ideas and explaining them than novel-writing with all its plots and stuff</div><div>- Both Rand and Camus are not often regarded highly by "hard" philosophy types, despite being enormously influential on multiple generations... far more influential than Kierkegard or Heidigger, to name two that philo majors obsesses over</div><div><b>- Most importantly, La Peste is as important to me as the Fountainhead is to you</b></div></div></blockquote><div><div></div></div><div>Then Sherman scared the pants off of me by saying he wanted to do an "academic exchange" before we met over dinner to discuss. My first attempt at a thematic essay on literature since at least 2004 is thus below...</div><div><br /></div><div>Both books explore the nature of love though it is neither’s leading lady. Love is an end in itself in The Plague while merely a side effect of principled living in The Fountainhead. </div><div><br /></div><div>For Camus, it seems love is an ambiguous feel-good emotion which is acknowledged as selfish and secondary to societal obligations and duties. “[H]e knew, too, that to love someone means relatively little; or, rather, that love is never strong enough to find the words befitting it” (291). This could be a cover for Camus poor power of description but it is clearly part of Camus’ larger theme that love is second to duty and societal good. Camus is purposefully vague in his descriptions of women, couples, and their connections. Perhaps by relegating women to mere mentions and vague references of ‘wife’ Camus is emphasizing the level of import we are to attach to these attachments. Though Rieux seems somewhat cold and detached from his wife (could just be poor writing?), it is stated clearly that he loves her and misses her. Rambert loves his ‘wife’ as well but as time passes is less and less clear as to why he loves her. Both men struggle with their desire to reunite and connect with their wives – should they be reconnecting with their wives? Rieux does not chasten Rambert’s escape attempts nor condones them: he doesn’t know what is right. He does not know which is the more just end. </div><div><br /></div><div>From the beginning, Camus established love as a central theme. “Perhaps the easiest way of making a town’s acquaintance is to ascertain how the people in it work, how they love, and how they die” (4). The book focuses on these three themes in particular and how their presence or absence affects the individual. “People linked together by friendship, affection, or physical love found themselves reduced to hunting for tokens of their past communion within the compass of a ten-word telegram” (69). Note love is given reverential treatment here with the use of the word ‘communion.’ Since Camus was an atheist was this religious allusion to love meant as a condescension? Absence can make the heart grow fonder but also more vague. The ambiguity and scarce words on the subject are frustrating. Something must fill the gap of love if absent or removed and Camus seems to think that service and duty can. When Rieux challenges Rambert’s zeal for “living and dying for what one loves” by saying “Man isn’t an idea, Rambert.” Rambert jumps to his feet and asserts, “Man is an idea, and a precious small idea, once he turns his back on love” (162-163). Once Rambert discovers Rieux has turned his back on his wife (or at least hasn’t tried to escape), he too turns his back on his escape plans in honor of his greater sense of duty.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Plague’s treatment of love is simpler and more universally appealing than in Rand. Despite the ambiguity with which Camus describes the feeling of love and the impetus for the attachment, it is clear that love is a respectable and desirable end in itself. “A loveless world is a dead world and always there comes an hour when one is weary of prisons, of one’s work, and of devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart” (261). Camus strikes a resonating chord with that line. It is true: we have all been there and felt that basic human need. “They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for and sometimes attain, it is human love” (300).</div><div><br /></div><div>The Fountainhead’s treatment of love may foster a healthier sense of individuality within a couple but its narcissism risks the greater good of society if taken too literally. Self interested behavior would have definitely won out in the love versus societal duty debate for Howard Roark or Dominque Francon. However, love is much more specific in Rand and seems like a more precious and respectable state of being than in The Plague. Dominique loves Roark for what he can do and the honesty with which he lives his life. Roark loves Dominique because she’s hot, clever, and can recognize his worth (aka worships the ground he walks on). Love is a conscious choice. Though this conception of love is more idealistic it is also not an end but a side product of living an honest, rational, productive life. The problem with this is that not everyone is honest, rational, and productive. This hero worship is hard to relate to and sets up unreasonable expectations of what can be achieved or expected out of one’s partner. </div><div><br /></div><div>“To say ‘I love you,’ one must first be able to say the ‘I.’” It is hard - if not impossible - to honestly accept another's love for you if you cannot recognize your own self worth. Dominique takes time to fully appreciate her worthiness of Roark and thus her circuitous path to ending up in his arms both in the light of day and in the bedroom. This maxim can help remind people in relationships to maintain their individual identities. What does “I love you” mean if you cannot define the “I”? </div><div><br /></div><div>Rand also goes so far as to speak derogatorily of brotherly love. The more specific love is, the more meaningful under Rand’s view. Ergo, the less specific the more dangerous the ideal of love because it can then become a call to action for the amorphous beast Steven Mallory imagines is personified best by Toohey. Brotherly love can be an excuse to quell any individual action and that is the root of all evil in The Fountainhead. This paradigm is extreme and does not go so far as to explain what happens to the poor and destitute in society if all men acted so purely self-interested. </div><div><br /></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-73913965300052686792010-07-08T12:11:00.004-04:002010-07-08T16:30:33.705-04:00The end of fatherhood<div>Funny that I was engrossed in an online discussion about the "<a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/07/the-end-of-men-the-beginning-o">End of Men</a>" yesterday. Talking esoterically about 'proper' gender roles and their importance to the social fabric of civilization was all fine and dandy. But today, the topic hits far too close to home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I know my father is not the man I thought he was. Not only is he more irresponsible and selfish than I ever dreamed possible, he has forsaken first his wife and now his children in pursuit of fleeting whims and corporeal pleasure. </div><div><br /></div><div>I only mention this very painful and personal fact because of its salience to the issue in question. Where are all the good men? I fear the vast majority will die out with my grandparents "Greatest Generation." Having not read <i>The Greatest Generation</i> by Tom Brokaw yet, I cannot attest to anything other than the anecdotal evidence of how badass my own grandparents are. But trust me, they are. One summer during the Great Depression my grandmother subsisted on scarce root vegetables and small vermin meat. My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor and served in the Navy. These are the rough and tumble makings of humble, hard-working and grateful individuals. The kind of productive and patriotic folk who to this day give more often than they receive and donate as much of their time to charitable causes both necessary and artistic. And despite maintaining a fairly traditional gender dynamic, they both respect and love each other immensely. </div><div><br /></div><div>It started with the Baby Boomers eschewing American values of patriotism, hard work, and family. Hello rebellion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then much of Generation X was raised on a steady privileged diet of video games and the illusion that there is no such thing as failure. Much of this generation was also raised in faithless, broken homes which surprisingly turned out self-centered namby pamby youngsters. One commentator summed up the general exasperation with young men today on the Amspec blog yesterday:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>As I watched my husband rip bushes out of the ground this weekend, using a pick ax and his bare hands to clear old brush, then head up to the roof to work on the chimney, then into the garage to do something with woodworking tools, then change the oil in my car, then pick up a bug using only one kleenex, then declog the drain in the kitchen, carry trees using one hand from the truck to the yard........I felt like a useless idiot, so I helped where I could.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was just in one day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I go to work and spend the day with soft, young men who wear Ipods and love to talk about women's make-up, Southpark and hairstyles. They don't know how to do things around the house, deal with gas lines, blowtorches or shoot a deer. They voted for Obama and think that conflict and anger should not touch life. They sport tattoos but have never serve in the Navy. They eat too many carbs and then moan about eating too many carbs. Their stomachs are plump at an early age and their hair is sprayed. Even their clothing is mauve or soft tan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Masculinity does not exist without hair on the chest, dirt under the fingernails, and other behaviors which should not be mentioned on polite blogspace.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think that we all need a little less in the things department and more basic struggle. It is coming soon - it may be here already.</div></blockquote><div></div></div><div>A few months ago, I saw a documentary <a href="http://www.generationzeromovie.com/?gclid=CMPx8KvZ3KICFcRM5QodJiijxQ">Generation Zero</a> which predicts that we're on the cusp of another great crisis of the same ilk as the Civil War or Great Depression or WWII. I hope we aren't but nevertheless I look around and see such lazy, self-indulgent boys parading as men I fear it can only get worse!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I sound like a stodgy old lady and never fear I'm still libertarian, but this is why I can relate to conservatives: I value civil society. Civil society, tradition, family values all tie us together and holds us accountable so the government doesn't have to. When we are no longer capable of policing ourselves, the government will step in and with devastating effects. </div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, if a crisis does occur, I shall blame in great part the demise of the masculine ideal: tough, hard-working, and protective. This MAN provides for and protects his family first and foremost. His needs come second. When men are not held accountable by church, family, and neighbor, their priorities become short-sighted and ephemeral. We all suffer for it. </div><div><blockquote><div><blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote><div></div></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-45079081708962238472010-06-23T13:54:00.004-04:002010-06-23T14:16:11.590-04:00Barton was right but is completely tactlessHizzah - Amspec got a <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/joe-barton-joe-barton-was-right/gloaters-/?cid=cs:headline5">Daily Beast mention</a> - indirectly but still.<div><br /></div><div>Basically Joe Barton (or a Joe Barton staffer) had the audacity to retweet an Amspec blogpost entitled<a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/23/joe-barton-was-right"> "Joe Barton was right"</a> Luckily, <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/06/joe_barton_un-apologizes_with.html?wprss=right-now">the Post got a screen capture of the tweet </a> before it was taken down.</div><div><br /></div><div>This further illustrates my point that Barton WAS right but lacks some serious tact. That House hearing was not the time and place to make that point. Or maybe it was and it is Barton's delivery that doesn't sit right with me. Still it wasn't a good political move. And neither was retweeting something that says you're right!</div><div><br /></div><div>He is fundamentally right though - the government should not coerce private companies into surrendering their property. BP was already processing claims and now we have just bogged the process down with another layer of government bureaucracy.</div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-16217714086814928432010-06-17T09:43:00.005-04:002010-06-17T10:01:09.364-04:00The government in your bedroom<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; "><div>He goes about it in a roundabout way, but I was happy to hear Bob make the case for the privatization of marriage since he is such a strong social conservative:</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/17/another-peaceful-solution">http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/17/another-peaceful-solution</a><br /><br /><div>Obvi I'm for overturning Prop 8 because it writes discrimination into the law, but ideally there would be no law regarding marriage to begin with. Why make a positive right? Why is the government involved? </div><div><br /></div><div>Just as I'm not happy that Prop 8 put heterosexual marriage in the law, I'm not crazy about explicitly putting gay marriage on the books either. I hope that court precedents can take care of this so we can avoid overlegislating. Doesn't the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment take care of this discrimination? Gay couples should sue for rights and a new norm will form. Couples should be able to add a significant other to their insurance, have them visit them in the hospital, and yes adopt children if they want. </div><div><br /></div><div>If gay marriage goes into law, I am concerned, like Bob, about the argument that churches' tax exemption could be revoked for discrimination. Call me crazy/old fashioned/whatnot but private organizations should have the right to discriminate! Girls belong in Girl Scouts and boys in Boy Scouts. Sports teams discriminate based on athletic ability. Country clubs discriminate based on income. Colleges discriminate based on academic ability - oh wait now they are forced to enter race, income, and a whole other bevy of socioeconomic factors into the equation. You get the idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why must marriage be a public and federal issue? The government shouldn't be in our bedrooms.</div></span>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-79376276421550314462009-11-16T14:43:00.003-05:002009-11-16T14:53:16.701-05:00Quiescent - my word of the day<div>My pastor Tom preached on the addictive nature of sin yesterday. I don't really consider myself addicted to anything but his words still hit home somehow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Addictions fill the void where God should be. It can be anything you try to use to create heaven here on earth...anything you use to supplant your suffering. Tom said addicts are only comfortable when fully occupied or incredibly dull. There's no room for meditation or contemplation on God if you're really busy and likewise if you're zoned out in front of the television. Where's the room for introspection? </div><div><br /></div><div>As someone who values introspection, I am going to consider yesterday's message a wake-up call. Yes, I have work, school, family issues, surgery, and friends to keep up with, but I need to make room for reflection. I need to make more room for God.</div><div><br /></div>Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "<b>In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength</b>, but you would have none of it."<br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#001320;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#001320;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-38581626642950700872009-10-12T10:44:00.002-04:002009-10-12T10:47:36.696-04:00It's Columbus Day and I'm workingFor those of you outside of D.C., this may not seem like a big deal, but in a city in which at least two out of every three people work for the government directly or indirectly nobody else seems to be working. This kind of eerie quiet, makes me want to do a dance number in the streets....kinda <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5ndoBdm0yY">like this</a>.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-7114128839549172272009-10-08T19:58:00.003-04:002009-10-08T20:43:53.171-04:00Corn puddin'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/Ss6HH58JjEI/AAAAAAAACkY/PazC674zQ2k/s1600-h/DSC02602.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/Ss6HH58JjEI/AAAAAAAACkY/PazC674zQ2k/s320/DSC02602.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390394373891001410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/Ss6FTiP9eqI/AAAAAAAACkQ/h3qQ3aOURFw/s1600-h/DSC02600.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/Ss6FTiP9eqI/AAAAAAAACkQ/h3qQ3aOURFw/s320/DSC02600.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390392374666820258" /></a><br />My boss has a farm and brings in a variety of fresh produce. Inspired by this seemingly endless supply of squash and a recipe for corn pudding I stumbled upon recently, I made corn pudding in squash for dinner tonight. <div><br /></div><div>Here's my edited version of <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/roasted-corn-pudding-in-acorn-squash-recipe.html">this recipe</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Depending on the size of your squash you might have quite a bit of filling leftover - I poured my leftovers into a buttered ramekin and baked that alongside the squash for a nice, light corn-flecked pudding. Or alternately, you might use a second squash.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>1 small (2 lb.) acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded</div><div>1 tablespoon olive oil</div><div>1 cup milk </div><div>1 egg plus 2 egg whites</div><div>1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (or more if you like)</div><div>1/2 cup chopped scallions or onions</div><div>1 tbsp of Curry Powder</div><div>1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt</div><div>1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Preheat the oven to 375F degrees with a rack in the middle.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Rub the orange flesh of the squash with the oil. Place cut side up on a baking sheet. You will want it to sit flat (and not tip), if you are having trouble just level out the bottom using a knife. If the squash is tilting on the pan, the filling will run out - bad news. Cover the squash with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the squash starts to get tender.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>In a bowl combine the milk, eggs, corn, half of the scallions, curry, and salt. Fill each of the squash bowls 3/4 full (see head notes about using leftovers). Carefully transfer the squash back to the oven without spilling (tricky!). Continue baking uncovered for another 30 - 50 minutes, or until the squash is fully cooked through, and the pudding has set. The amount of time it takes can vary wildly depending on the squash and oven. At the last minute sprinkle with cheese and finish with a flash under the broiler to brown the cheese. Keep and eye on things, you can go from melted cheese to burnt and inedible in a flash. Serve hot.</i></div></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-54768904909864942702009-10-06T00:24:00.003-04:002009-10-06T00:46:56.772-04:00Weekend RecapA friend from Texas asked me what I did this weekend, and I don't think I did it justice so here's take two.<div><br /></div><div>Saturday...</div><div>I woke up begrudgingly early to work a booth at a vast right wing conspiracy conference until a lovely intern showed up (30 minutes late) to take over my duties. Then, I strolled over to Pentagon City Mall to meet up with Amanda, Jana, and Kate to review Amanda's bridal hair-do and pick up some badass designer jeans. Jeff from Denim Bar talked me into a light wash (gasp, I know). Next, we ladies luncheoned outdoors in the beautiful weather. The experience was only slightly besmirched by an exboyfriend sighting but quickly righted by our next destination: Nordstroms. Ahhh, the peace that comes from entering this culmination of capitalist perfection. After a mere hour enjoying the comforts of the establishment, I had to return to the conference to work the last couple hours. Next, home for a nap...that only lasted 20 minutes before a galpal called me with a boy counseling. Then, I donned my outfit for the evening and drove downtown to Levante for an outdoor meal with the lovely Leigh Ann and dancing with some long lost pals at the Darlington House in Dupont (mondo cool venue to rent out - note to self). Evening ended with a quite colorful X-rated meander down P street to my car - not fit for publication. Nightmares followed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday...</div><div>Burnt the candle at both ends to wake up for church. Decided yes, it's ok to wear the same dress as I did to Dupont last night to church this morning (but with flats and a cardigan). Picked up darling Denise for church and caught up with her post-service over coffee and pastries at St. Elmos in Del Ray (I HAD been there after all - quite cozy but it aint no Murky). After dropping Denise off at home, I had every intention of going home to do my Microecon homework but found two of my three neighbor boys locked out of their humble abode in nothing but their boxers. Keep in mind, it's like 12:30 on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Long story short, they take refuge in my living room to wait for the locksmith while I go upstairs to study when five minutes later I hear "There's a sale at the Fashion Boutique!" OMG the neighbor boys Alex and Frank have set up Mall Madness - I have to go play with them. As soon as the locksmith arrives, it's time for me to leave for another right wing/liberty loving conspiracy event, Crabfest! Beautiful weather, venue, people, and crabs - what more could a girl want? Basically for my Cowboys to win, which they didn't. But I did have someone to assuage my grief with scrumptious baked goods. ;) Not too shabby of a weekend. Finally, home to attempt the microecon problem set due the next day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pretty par for Whitney's course.</div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-27185298457007003402009-09-14T13:00:00.000-04:002009-09-14T13:00:02.449-04:00Tariffs and trade warsOne of the first papers, I wrote in college was on the onerous steel tariffs we used to have back in 2001. Oh the folly of tariffs, subsidies, and trade restrictions. I know it's naive to think that we could ever have truly free trade, but it makes so much sense. Otherwise you get into nasty trade wars like the one we're <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/business/global/14trade.html?_r=1&th&emc=th">falling into with China</a> right now. And how arbitrary is this?! Because we decided to levy tariffs on Chinese tires, the chicken farmers of America and our already weak auto industry will suffer China's retribution. All I can do is shake my head.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-59051001974074208812009-09-12T10:29:00.000-04:002009-09-12T10:29:00.324-04:00Happy Anniversary to my Rationally Exuberant self!So in honor of the anniversary of my blog and because it has started to get cold again, I've resolved to start blogging again, plus it's getting colder so I'll be indoors more. Another theory I have about my blogging hiatus is that my blogging was directly correlated to how much time and coffee I consumed at Murky Coffee. Since it closed, my life just hasn't been the same...sigh. <div><br /></div><div>I initially <a href="http://rationallywhitney.blogspot.com/2008/09/in-beginning.html">started this blog</a> thinking it would prepare me for an ambitious role in public policy analysis - or that it would at least hone my chops a bit. But let's be real. I'm a people person. I'm probs going to continue in fundraising and or perhaps consulting. I do like solving problems, giving presentations, and basically just helping people. But that upcoming Masters in Public Policy is not all for naught. I do think it has given me a more realistic perspective on government, tamed my knee-jerk "government bad" grunting, and exposed me to some awesome people. So resolved, you'll see more posts, more candor, and more slice-of-Whitney-life variety on this site from now on.</div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-5739716302638155162009-09-11T11:21:00.003-04:002009-09-11T11:29:29.900-04:00I would have done well in finishing schoolIf I had my way, I'd be a modern day version of those women in Jane Austen novels. I'd be well educated, well read, articulate, demure but assertive when need be...and I'd know how to draw, paint, sew, play piano, and speak at least three different languages. There just never seems to be enough time! <div><br /></div><div>I was reminded of this ill-fated aspiration of mine when I read this op-ed in Forbes this morning - <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/10/feminism-motherhood-betty-friedan-opinions-columnists-peter-robinson.html?feed=rss_opinions">"What about Motherhood?"</a> - in which the author suggested to his 18 year old daughter that perhaps he should send her to a two year finishing school in Switzerland rather than college. After all, what does the American college do to prepare a young woman to be a wife and mother? Practically nothing! You may become well-educated but with college standards and requirements evaporating most women can't really be considered "well read" anymore and few colleges require the languages. Maybe if colleges required some finance, home economics, and cooking? But such suggestions are blasphemy to the liberal academia.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would have done welll in finishing school.</div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-28386366706479158552009-07-29T08:36:00.007-04:002009-07-29T08:56:53.018-04:00Chinatown Coffee Company<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/SnBGpt1SZyI/AAAAAAAACh4/qJP2iDvwqhc/s1600-h/ChinatownCoffee.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/SnBGpt1SZyI/AAAAAAAACh4/qJP2iDvwqhc/s320/ChinatownCoffee.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363864838689941282" /></a><br />So Chinatown Coffee Company opened up at 475 H Street NW on Monday. After ready the <a href="http://www.dailycandy.com/washington_dc/article/71186/Bean+Town?utm_source=recentcandies&utm_medium=email&utm_content=dc">Daily Candy review</a>, I hopped over there yesterday to check it out myself because Lord knows I miss me some Murky Coffee!<div><br /></div><div>First impression walking up is of the cute and unassuming store front - a little more polished than I had actually hoped for - I miss the grunge a la Murky. The interior has the cool urban industrial feel of the exposed brick wall, cement floors, and slick counters. They kept all of the old rickety tables and chairs from Murky which fulfilled some of my yearning for my old "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Place">third place</a>" (Hat tip: Mr. McKelvey for this sociological reference). I walk right up and order my usual - Medium Skim White Mocha. She says they don't do White Mocha. Uh! At Murky, the White Mocha was so popular that they often ran out. Just another attempt to shun the yuppies. So I order a regular Mocha. It was a frothy dream and just the caffienated sustenance I've been missing for months on end. The only bummer? My "medium" is now a dainty 12 oz for $4.20 instead of the old 16 oz. for $4.95.</div><div><br /></div><div>I took a seat in the one and only window seat - locals should note that there are now only about 40 seats at this location with no outside benches or backroom to accomodate spillover. I faced West toward the Chinatown Friendship Gate - lovely view - too bad only one or two people can have it at a time. I could see myself getting there early on a Saturday morning and camping out in the window with a good book. But I do miss my ten minute walks every Saturday morning to my grungy, hipster coffee shangri la.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/SnBGOqtvV_I/AAAAAAAACho/AyVLwE04qdE/s1600-h/ChinatownCoffeewindow.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5jrVtjc8R7M/SnBGOqtvV_I/AAAAAAAACho/AyVLwE04qdE/s320/ChinatownCoffeewindow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363864373996509170" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-29463627495760805572009-07-07T21:54:00.002-04:002009-07-07T21:56:20.447-04:00Blogging is a cold weather activitySo I've realized that I'm outdoors and way too active in the summer months to keep up with this blog. More when I feel like it...Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-4235496394571463232009-07-04T00:01:00.003-04:002009-07-04T00:02:30.808-04:00Happy Fourth of JulyI'm in Colorado right now celebrating a wedding, but before I left I came across this speech by Frederick Douglass originally given on the Fifth of July, 1852. Some highlights to ponder on this Fourth of July:<br /><blockquote>I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me....<br /><br />Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him. </blockquote><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927t.html">Click here</a> for the full text of this magnificent and moving speech. <br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">May we all say a prayer of gratitude today for the liberties that ALL Americans now enjoy.</span>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-13457060513223669682009-06-26T09:19:00.004-04:002009-06-26T09:23:27.301-04:00"How to Argue Like Jesus"Admittedly I have not read this book <b><a href="http://arguelikejesus.com/">How to Argue Like Jesus</a></b> yet, but I can vouch for one of the authors and I think it's a cool concept. Anywho, John Facebooked all his friends, and said I could win a free book if I linked to a <a href="http://christianbooknotes.com/2009/interview-carter-coleman/">recent interview</a> John and his coauthor Joe did for Christian Book Notes. So here you go!<div><br /></div><div>From the<a href="http://arguelikejesus.com/"> book's promo pag</a>e:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>How to Argue Like Jesus examines the life and words of Jesus and describes the various ways in which he sought—through the spoken word, his life, and his disciples—to reach others with his message. The authors then pull some very simple rhetorical lessons from Jesus’ life that readers can use today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both Christian and non-Christian leaders in just about any field can improve their ability to communicate effectively by studying the words and methods of history’s greatest communicator.</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-44348277708261054412009-06-23T12:39:00.002-04:002009-06-23T12:44:47.239-04:00Waste in the education systemI'm not well versed in the pros and cons of unions but generally believe that in civilized societies such as ours they generally hinder labor mobility and cost us more trouble than they are worth. Specifically, teacher unions gum up the works of attempts to reform the public school system, but I had no idea to what an extent they soaked up money and paralyzed the system. Case in point <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/ap_on_re_us/us_rubber_rooms">this AP article</a> about suspended teachers that the district is unable to fire due to their union contracts:<div><blockquote>Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that's what they want to do.<div><div><blockquote><div></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote><div><div><blockquote><div>Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its "rubber rooms" — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.</div></blockquote><div></div>This is one of the worst wastes of taxpayer dollars I've heard of in a while!<div><div><div></div><blockquote></blockquote></div></div><div>Hat tip: Freddie</div></div></div></div>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-20296798664139387652009-06-18T14:02:00.003-04:002009-06-18T14:13:37.703-04:00Homesick for TexasI blame the torrential downpours of the last two weeks. I think it might be the first time since I moved here permanently after college that I'm actually homesick for the Lone Star State. "It's a lovely place to be born and raised, but I've had my fill, " I say at cocktail parties when introduced as the token Texan. Immediately people always want to know if I'll ever go back. Probably not for a multitude of reasons, but today...today my friends I am homesick. <br /><br />Homesick for incessant sunshine...<br />Homesick for being baked alive when I get into a car that's sat in triple digit heat...<br />...for Blue Bell Ice Cream...<br />...for that friendly Texan twang...<br />...for TexMex and margaritas...<br />...for pick up trucks and guns...<br />...for Sonic Drive-In drinks...<br />...for goshdarn sunshine!Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-41637948615659256192009-06-18T08:52:00.001-04:002009-06-18T08:54:16.720-04:00How much could I pay you to stand in line?Fascinating story about the economics of line standing to get into Congressional Hearings on the Hill. The reporter does a good job of covering both sides of the story:<br /><br /><object width="305" height="284"><param name="movie" value="http://www.thedailybeast.com/swf/TheDailyBeastVideoPlayer.swf"></param><param name="quality" value="high"></param><param name="menu" value="false"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="video=http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/06/17/vid-jason-bellini-on-homeless-line-sitters_211424790444.flv&still=http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/06/17/img-homeless-men-on-capitol-hill_212627847647.jpg&title="></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.thedailybeast.com/swf/TheDailyBeastVideoPlayer.swf" id="tdbvideo" name="tdbvideo" bgcolor="#ffffff" quality="high" menu="false" wmode="transparent" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="305" height="284" flashvars="video=http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/06/17/vid-jason-bellini-on-homeless-line-sitters_211424790444.flv&still=http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/06/17/img-homeless-men-on-capitol-hill_212627847647.jpg&title="></embed></object>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-46154420964833071292009-06-17T09:28:00.003-04:002009-06-17T09:36:24.291-04:00Freedomfest in Vegas!!!OMG - OMG - OMG<br /><br />I get to go to <a href="http://www.freedomfest.com/">Freedomfest</a> in Las Vegas for work! Three huge reasons to get excited for Whitney:<br /><br />#1 I've never been to Vegas.<br /><br />#2 This is libertarian/free-market mecca. It even has a theme song called "Freedom and Gold" - lol<br /><br />#3 This means my boss doesn't hate me after all! <span style="font-style: italic;">whew</span>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-5087188416422606562009-06-16T15:30:00.004-04:002009-06-16T16:05:25.380-04:00My black thumbMy college boyfriend once berated me for having gone through five cellphones during the course of our relationship. He had the same one circa 1999 and he was damn proud of that. I also went through three computers in college, two mp3 players, three printers, a palm pilot, and God knows how many other various sundry electronics that now escape my memory. <br /><br />Now my office rajah (ahem Romulo) claims I'm the only one who ever has systemic computer/printer problems. I like to think I'm just a good user of these items - I use them so much and so vigorously they just give up. It's not my fault things are built to fall apart and be replaced these days! I may not be an environmentalist hippie, but I do lament the quality of consumer goods having deteriorated over time. It seems egregiously wasteful and seems to be a poor reflection of our culture. One European habit I wish we would adopt was buying high quality clothes. Europeans don't own as much as us - especially in their closet - but what they do have lasts much longer and fits even better. So there - it's the poor production quality and not my incessant mouse clicking that is the downfall of electronics in my path.<br /><br />In other news, my office plants are thriving.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-38149325653978588902009-06-12T09:02:00.003-04:002009-06-12T09:06:05.567-04:00Quintessentially Arlington, VASo there are some places that give Arlington a little more character than this video/rap gives it credit for, but I thought my out of town friends would be amused to see a little slice of life of where I currently live. For my DC peeps, this is mucho entertaining as well!<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4T1RMuoQnKo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4T1RMuoQnKo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />LYRICS<br /><br />Just moved to a new hood<br />and it's straight up gangsta<br />Let me show you around...<br />my town<br /><br />People all around<br />better know the deal<br />that the people in this town<br />are ghetto for real<br /><br />So when people tell me<br />Remy, where you calling from?<br />I say a straight up thug town<br />called Arlington<br /><br />It's a real tough town<br />packing heat and boat shoes<br />my crib's in a rough spot<br />right next to the Whole Foods<br /><br />I'm ducking gunfire daily<br />check to see if one got me<br />but that's just life in the hood<br />when I go get my puffed kashi<br /><br />But we never do ... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo&feature=email">more</a>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-72542806298656761732009-06-11T11:39:00.003-04:002009-06-11T11:43:08.610-04:00Becoming the Party of FreedomI've recently <a href="http://rationallywhitney.blogspot.com/2009/04/about-those-log-cabin-republicans.html">come out</a> (hardy har har) about how I feel on the issue of gay marriage and was excited to see another conservative touting the same sentiment over at <a href="http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mflynn/2009/06/10/the-republican-case-for-gay-marriage/">Big Hollywood</a>:<br /><blockquote>...gay marriage isn’t a complex issue. Science aside, one needn’t believe that homosexuality is moral in order to understand that nowhere does the Constitution give the federal government the right to regulate marriage.<br /><br />The Republican Party has made a huge mistake in advocating a kind of Cafeteria Constitutionalism. (I’ll take some guns, no helmet laws, please, a free market, and…yuck, hold the gay marriage!). One can’t legitimately invoke the Constitution to oppose federally mandated sex education, and then use the federal government to impose school prayer. Leave that fair-weather-federalism to the Left.<br /><br />It’s not a state secret that the Democrat Party has become little more than a loose coalition of special interest groups with few or no coherent philosophical underpinnings. It’s also apparent that the Republicans are equally lost philosophically and couldn’t even manage to nominate a presidential candidate with the fiscal good sense to oppose corporate bailouts. Now here we are: face to face with an opportunity to take stock, recalibrate, and decide what we want from our political leaders.<br /><br />Me, I implore the Republicans to become — once and for all — the party of freedom. The true moral highground is there to seize. Our Constitution was created as a shield against government encroachment on our personal lives. Conservatives should be the last people who would dare turn this document into a weapon.</blockquote>To me, pressing a social agenda like this is part of the Republican party's undoing. To be consistent and ultimately successful at the ballot box, we need to always be on the side of liberty.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-69969411388199076322009-06-09T23:00:00.002-04:002009-06-09T23:06:11.258-04:00Contradictions, Qipaos, and Characters - CHINAWhat a foreign way of life! Having been to Europe, Latin America, and <a href="http://rationallywhitney.blogspot.com/2008/11/tainted-views-of-africa.html">Africa</a>, I now realize that you haven’t truly “been abroad” until you’ve been to the East. In Europe as a white American, I blend into the background. In Latin America, everything is just a little brighter and louder than America, but still not so foreign. In Africa, my expectations for development were so low I’m sorry to say I wasn’t too astonished by anything. China, however, was different. From the systemic contradictions to the plethora of umbrellas, China held one surprise after another. <br /><br />China’s development was impressive, but my experiences demonstrated that they still have a long way to go. For instance with all the pollution, traffic, and general overcrowding in Beijing, I’m amazed they were able to pull off the Olympics. Only by shutting down factories both to cut down on pollution and to encourage people to visit relatives in rural areas were the Chinese able to make way for Olympic guests. This, however, was a temporary fix and the city seems to be struggling to accommodate the population and reign in pollution. Some (not me) might argue the lack of Western toilets and toilet paper may be a cultural preference, but it is pretty clear sanitation overall and water quality is still an issue in Beijing, Hufei, and Shanghai so imagine what the smaller towns are like! Not to mention the personal sanitation issues of spitting and allowing children to defecate on the streets. When we visited the industrial park in Hufei, the power went out twice killing the productivity of the call center upstairs. Perhaps the economic Tiger of the East is not so scary after all.<br /><br />Having read that China is a country of contradictions many times before my arrival, I thought it might merely be a rhetorical tool for authors to hedge their bets about China’s future, but now I have seen some of these ironic paradoxes firsthand. It is commonly known that civil disputes or protests are on the rise in China, yet many everyday forms of expression that I’m used to as an American were noticeably absent. For instance, I only saw graffiti once during my two weeks – on a random late-night cab ride through Shanghai – also missing were flyers, street musicians, street surveyors with clipboards, and picket lines in general. In America, these blend into the background, but in China the dearth of physical evidence of individual expression I had heard and read that I shouldn’t be worried about being attacked or mugged in China (maybe just pickpocketed) because the Chinese want to save face and make a good impression especially amongst foreigners. They had no problem ripping me off with steep prices in the market though. I often had to haggle down to 25-30% of their initial price. When I had lunch with a Chinese-American friend in Hong Kong, there were two menus – one in Chinese and one in English – everything was the same but the prices! They blatantly discriminated against English speakers by charging 10-20 yuan more per dish. For many of our lectures by Chinese professors, I found you had to read in between the lines of contradiction. Dr. Yu Yongda informed us of his “Advantage Integration Theory” which diminishes the role of natural resources or comparative advantage in a country’s development yet clearly China needs to hone certain sectors or skills if it is to be competitive globally. Once, Dr. Lu Wei even said, “Sometimes you can signal left, but turn right.” Even if I could remember the context, I don’t think that would make much sense, but to the Chinese people subtleties such as this can indicate a lot and can help clarify such contradictions. Reviewing what I have written thus far, I can see how it might seem as if I have a negative perception of China. But the Chinese people made all the difference in the trip. <br /><br /><strong>My favorite part of the trip</strong> was building a relationship with my tailor’s family in Beijing. Having arrived early to Beijing, I spent a couple days wandering the city by myself and happened upon a back alley pedestrian street which was under heavy construction. Despite the physical mayhem of the street, the businesses flanking either side of this treacherous obstacle course were still open. This dusty venue is where I found my tailor in a small shop. I had priced qipaos (traditional Chinese dresses) all day and wanted to see what they had to offer. The store itself was not that impressive but they had a decent selection of qipaos and I found one I especially liked. “How much?” I asked an eager 13 year old girl. She grabbed her calculator and typed in 600. I typed in 200 and she laughed and typed in 450. I laughed and typed in 250. She shook her head and retyped 450 but when I started to walk away she agreed to 350. I said I would need to try it on first. I stepped into the makeshift dressing room which consisted of a curved shower curtain rod and a sheet of fabric. I needed only to put my arms through the dress to see that it would not fit. I stepped back out and shook my head. The girl frantically started gesturing and saying “custom, custom.” Then I noticed the disgruntled old man who had been staring at a computer screen and listening to Chinese talk radio quietly. He grunted at the girl and picked up a phone. The girl was able to communicate that I should wait. Five minutes later the energetic and smooth talking Jian Nan came bouncing into the store with her strawman of a husband in tow. Next thing I knew, I was agreeing to being measured for a custom qipao that I would only pay 420 yuan for. The 80% downpayment up front made me nervous, but Jian Nan showed me “many picture of happy Western customer” and reassured me that “we a business, we go nowhere.” Looking back, I wonder if she was hurt by my skepticism. After all, the Chinese have guanxi. When I came back to pick up my dress two days later, I brought a friend to buy a suit. The family was thrilled and Jian Nan let me pick out a scarf for free. She asked if Eric and I were boyfriend/girlfriend – all Chinese seemed very relationship focused – who is who in relation to one another at all times. I said no. She said “better or else you have babies and work too hard – always working to take care of them.” I asked her how many children she had. Obviously, she was a lower income working class girl so how could she afford more than one child? She and her skinny husband have two – they paid a heavy tax for their second child but it was worth it she said. The government is apparently caring less about this now and not enforcing the tax as much. China must be realizing the critical demographical situation they have created. Only while Eric was getting measured for his suit did I discover that the recalcitrant old man was the actual tailor and not Jian Nan. She was just the mouthpiece. I think she mixed up her pronouns somewhere because she seemed to really know her stuff and run the place, I thought SHE was the one who made my dress. Yet, her only talent is her English. That’s fine – she’s got the gift of gab even if her grammar is a little rough. They Jian family was so sincere and appreciative of my business, I wish I could go back and ask them more questions about their life and business!<br /><br />Everyday encounters such as mine with my tailor and his family held their share of wonder and were the moments that made the trip worthwhile. I shall cherish many random endearing moments as well. Apparently Chinese people only like intense, slow songs for karaoke or else they are incapable of singing fast songs in English. These ballads make for some entertaining moments! Also, Chinese people are very fastidious about not having food stuck in their teeth and habitually use toothpicks after meals, but are very careful to cover their mouths. Yet, they lack any other table manners! I arrived a day early and went on a tour with a group of Chinese strangers, my first meal was a baptism by fire in not caring about other people’s germs when they used their chopsticks to eat off communal plates. Then, there were the umbrellas. So many and in so many varieties! The Chinese seem to be very conscious of protecting their skin – or perhaps staying cool? Everyone seemed to have one and many made bold, often glittery fashion statements with them. Shortly after arriving home, news coverage of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre started picking up. CNN and BBC reporters were sent to Beijing to film segments on site, but plain clothes police officers bared any decent footage with their umbrellas. The result was a hilarious but sad dance while reporters tried to sincerely engage with the camera on a serious subject while dodging an army of umbrellas. <br /><br />I loved my time in exotic China, but unlike any other trip abroad I’ve taken, I was excruciatingly thankful to be coming home to the United States of America despite the characters and genuine people such as Jian Nan that I met while I was there.Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8444674393027690239.post-9881643216718113352009-06-09T09:06:00.002-04:002009-06-09T09:08:38.817-04:00"If I could turn back time"How about this for a romantic revelry of what coulda been? Sure, I was stoked to get my first job out of college and yeah it was a do or die (move back to TX) situation but this laundry list doesn't sound too shabby and could equip nearly anyone for a badass job after a year...<br /><br />[From <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/graduate-school-for-unemployed-college-students.html">Seth's blog</a>]<br /><blockquote>How about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):<br /><br /> * Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.<br /> * Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery.<br /> * Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.<br /> * Start, run and grow an online community.<br /> * Give a speech a week to local organizations.<br /> * Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.<br /> * Learn a foreign language fluently.<br /> * Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.<br /> * Self-publish a book.<br /> * Run a marathon.</blockquote>Whitney Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726785207422553890noreply@blogger.com0