Ask me about 19th century American Locomotives!

I bought this scarf so people will think I'm a train enthusiast.

I'm wearing it today, and I hope people ask me about "George S. Griggs in 1854". That's my favorite train.

You can't carouse in skinny jeans

I had sailor pants. Sailor jeans, actually, but they were still cool. They had wide legs and buttons, and I was all set for drunken carousing.

Somehow, they are now too big. I bought them 2 weeks ago. I've worn them once. This is the saddest tale of losing weight that I've ever heard, really.

WASTED SAILOR PANTS!

This is some tragic stuff.

Why Why Why Do I feel compelled to intellectually prove myself?

Tomorrow I need to write a research paper to be presented at an undergraduate philosophy conference alongside seniors from such legitimate institutions as Johns Hopkins. Who are philosophy majors. And much smarter than me. Who didn't just sign up because their religion professor flattered them. Also: they may have done legitimate research/know what they are talking about. The official program of this conference, for which I am not even close to being prepared for, follows:





Villa Julie College

presents the

8th Annual Undergraduate Conference

Bodies Sacred and

Profane




Wednesday, April 16, 2008

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

St. Paul Companies Pavilion



Sponsored by the

Humanities & Public History Department




9:00 Registration and refreshments

9:15 Welcome, Dr. Paul Lack, Vice-President and Academic Dean of Villa Julie College

Introduction: Alex Hooke, Conference Chair

9:30-10:15 Session I: Sacrifice and Alienation

Moderator: Esther Horrocks, (Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies, Villa Julie College)

1. Salmah Y. Rizvi (Senior, Anthropology/International Relations

Johns Hopkins University)

“On Suicide Bombers”

2. Keith Burton (Senior, Philosophy,Towson University)

“Alienation”

3. Celsus Robert (Senior, Social Relations/Criminal Justice, Cheyney University)

“Should Juveniles Be Treated as Adults in Criminal Matters?”

10:15-11:00 Session II: Beauty

Moderator: (Christine Noya, 3.

1. Chipo Siantumba (Junior, Business Adm., Cheyney)

“The Human Body: A Canvas of Artistic Expressions”

2. Elizabeth Cucchiella (Junior, Interdisciplinary Studies, Villa Julie College)

“Grin and Bare It: The Face of the Exotic Dancer”

3. Stuart Knazik, (Sophomore, Philosophy/Religious Studies, Howard CC)

“Every Breath We Breathe is a Miracle: The Visionary Work of Alex Grey”

11:00-11:45 Session III: Affirmations and Violations

Moderator: Ann Arbaugh (Alumni, Accountant, Villa Julie College)

1. Jennifer Pecor (Junior, Philosophy, The College of Notre Dame)

“Environmental Existentialism and the Human Body”

2. Annmicha Blugh (Junior, English, Morgan State University)

“Sanctity and Violation of the Body in Christianity and Islam”

3. Virginia Petrucci (Junior, Interdisciplinary Studies/Film, Villa Julie),

“Friends as Meals”

11:45–12:15 BREAK Presentation of Certificates

Lunch provided for presenters and their guests



12:15–1:00 Session IV: Images and IDEAS

Moderator: Robert Chee-Mooke (Asst. Professor of Philosophy, Villa Julie)

1. Kia-Lillian Hayes, (First year graduate student, Masters of Professional Studies Program , Georgetown University)

”” Blatant Lies and Intentional Deception: Media and Moral Obligations”

2. Choshena Bhagwandin (Senior, Chemistry, Villa Julie) ”

“The Perfect Smile”

3. Kristen Carpenter (Sophomore, General Studies, Howard CC)

“Physicians and Friars; How Greek Science and Early Christianity Shaped the Medieval Woman”

1:00–1:40 SESSION V: Sexes/Objects/Toys/Cyborgs

A Goucher College Panel Discussion

1. Derek Ford, (Senior, Philosophy)

"Cyborgs in Exodus"

2. Rachel Wilkins, (Senior, Philosophy)

“The Historicity and Re-Writing of the Sexed Body, Sex Toys and Sexual

Agony”

3. Michelle Kurta, (Senior, Peace Studies)

“The Pregnant Body, The Docile Body, The Useful Body”

1:40-2:00 Session VI: Panel on Location and Space

Moderator: Richard C. Monk (Professor of Criminal Justice, Retired, Coppin)

1. Chioma Uqwveabulem (Junior, Communication/English, Cheyney)

“The Feminine Body in the Igbo’s Perspective”

2. Jeremy Mann (Junior, Mass Communication, Towson)

‘Homecoming: A Personal Inquiry Into Location, Space and Angst”

2:00–2:45 SESSION VI: Powers of The Gaze

1. Chidi Okpalaoquchi (Junior, CIS/Mathmatics, Cheyney)

“The Influence of the Eyes on Moral Perception and Inclination”

2. Jessica Rachid (Senior, Interdisciplinary Studies, Villa Julie)

‘I See Me”

3. Kyla Bender- Baird, (Master’s Candidate, Women’s Studies,Towson)

“Gender Anxiety and Abject Bodies”


3:00 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Moderators; Manminder Singh, Kellie Smith (Seniors, Science, Co-Chairs of Philosophy Club, Villa Julie College)

Alphonso Lingis (Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University)

“Love Junkies”


Woo! It's a good thing I am so experienced with failure...it will come in handy, I'm sure.

Above the Store

Patty is my grandmother. The location is Quincy, Michigan, and this store is arguably one of the most influential places in my life. I grew up playing hide-and-seek in racks of wedding gowns and being babysat by employees, playing in dressing rooms. I can't possibly begin to explain how the store's physical qualities-- its rooms, staircases, wallpaper-- have influenced the aesthetics of my imagination.

Out of all the fantastic spaces in the store, upstairs is by far (in my mind) the best. Formerly apartments, interior walls have been torn down, windows boarded up (covered by the faux-stucco facade), and a place where families used to live their lives is now "storage". As depressing as that sounds, it's kind of fantastic. The following photos far from do the space justice, mostly owing to poor lighting and my incompetency, but it's something. I might steal some photos from Kylie, too, as she has a bit more skill with the camera...











*

*A note on this one: My mother, who "never did drugs" painted this "when she was a kid" Mmhmm...


Hole in the floor


Hole in the ceiling

I am solving all of my problems

I hate the shoe cliche. If anybody ever gives me a novelty plaque that says "If the shoe fits...buy it in every color!" or a calendar with a different pair of 6-inch heels on it for every month, I'm going to be pretty pissed. This is a problem because I absolutely fit the shoe cliche, the shopping cliche, the "give me some peep-toe pumps and a piece of chocolate and I'll be happy" cliche. THERE ARE NOVELTY FIGURINES AND CROSS-STITCHES THAT APPLY TO MY LIFE.





This is unacceptable. I am WAY too pretentious to acknowledge that I may have something in common with the so-called fashionistas of mainstream middle America.

Naturally, I had to do something about this. Abandoning my shoe collection, or even ceasing to expand it, really wasn't an option for me. Instead, I bought these:



See? They are totally practical and almost ugly (I'll still wear them with dresses, though). Shoes bought entirely for their functionality.

They don't make motherfucking cross-stitches for that.

Happy Philospher Death Day!

So, technically it is no longer March 7th, because it is 2:26 AM, BUT, this news is too exciting/essential to your life that I need to blog about it.

It is Philosopher Death Day!! The greatest holiday since Leif Erickson Day, clearly!

Both Aristotle AND Thomas Aquinas died on March seventh. And like, Thomas Aquinas was totally influenced by Aristotle. So. This is significant. People should be having parties and getting drunk and eating traditional foods on this day.





But seriously, do they know the actual date of Aristotle's death? Foreal?

Take it from me

Tip of the week:

If you are not interested in feeling like a horrible human being, don't watch The Last King of Scotland and then go to the mall.