Hey all, I've decided to consolidate all my blogs into one.
You can find it here: thegreattiny
Friday, February 18, 2011
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Cheer up, even though it's Valentine's Day!
Dear Friends,
Each year, Valentine's Day brings more stress and unhappiness to more people than ... something else that is depressing. You might be sad because you're alone, or stressed out trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations about a day that is "made up by greeting card companies" to "reinforce gender stereotypes and sell stuffed animals," or whatever other overanalytical swill. But fear not, because Sasha is back with her annual proclamations of love and good cheer for all!
I know the temptation to feel outraged at Valentine's Day is great. Personally, I love a good outrage here and there. But whether you pay ridiculous moneys for valentines gifts and dinners, or you spend the whole day moping or raging, you're still letting Valentine's Day WIN.
I say today, stick it to the man AND the man who's sticking it to the man. Cook dinner instead of going out, eat all the chocolates yourself, go see your unlucky friend with the V-day birthday, and most importantly...
REMEMBER I LOVE YOU!!
<3
Sasha
Each year, Valentine's Day brings more stress and unhappiness to more people than ... something else that is depressing. You might be sad because you're alone, or stressed out trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations about a day that is "made up by greeting card companies" to "reinforce gender stereotypes and sell stuffed animals," or whatever other overanalytical swill. But fear not, because Sasha is back with her annual proclamations of love and good cheer for all!
I know the temptation to feel outraged at Valentine's Day is great. Personally, I love a good outrage here and there. But whether you pay ridiculous moneys for valentines gifts and dinners, or you spend the whole day moping or raging, you're still letting Valentine's Day WIN.
I say today, stick it to the man AND the man who's sticking it to the man. Cook dinner instead of going out, eat all the chocolates yourself, go see your unlucky friend with the V-day birthday, and most importantly...
REMEMBER I LOVE YOU!!
<3
Sasha
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
philadelphia international
So I'm en route to Karlsruhe, Germany. I've had the insatiable desire to tweet my every move ever since I got into SFO. Since I just now got access to the interwebs (after 5.5 hrs at Philly Int'l), it makes more sense to write a blog post.
SFO security was super quick and easy this time around. Not even a line. The wait was short and I was sleepy.
Window seat on an exit row. Plenty of comfortable space, and it seems we didn't go down so I didn't have to "perform exit row duties." I mean, not that there would have been much i could do if we went down on the mainland. Right?
The beautiful thing about a winter red-eye is that you take off and land in the dark. I love watching the lights. I could pinpoint what I was looking at pretty exactly on take off. I saw the SF city hall and the marina and the blackness of the bay, sliced by the Golden Gate Bridge.
Somewhere in the middle I looked out of my window, and we'd come to a cloudless region. I could see all the stars in the sky and all the lights on the ground. My world was ablaze with distant fireflies...
Someone behind me was coughing and blowing his nose most of the way there. He also smelled like cabbage. So you know, you can't win them all.
When I landed, I looked over itinerary. You'd think I would have done this when I purchased the tickets, or at least sometime before leaving... :) I learned that I have a ten hour layover in Philadelphia. Well this is good fun...
I am about seven hours into my stay in Philly and I feel like I know this airport pretty well now. I've explored a big portion of it before I could find where I could get my free wireless. Google, get over here already!
I looked at an art exhibit here and at a later pass-through, I saw it being dismantled.
I keep seeing people I think I know, but they are doppelgangers. That's how it is when a large crowd is moving around you. Most every person of every type passes through an airport at any given moment. I should maybe do some sketching...
I am determined not to sleep until I get on the planem even though I am exhausted. I get on at 4:30pm Eastern time which will be 10pm in Frankfurt. I had some coffee and later I intend to have some wine to knock me out. Woot for substance dependence. Hmm...
Ok, well... I guess that's it for now. It didn't end up as interesting of a post as I hoped, but ... whatever. Later, suckas! I got Europing to do!!
SFO security was super quick and easy this time around. Not even a line. The wait was short and I was sleepy.
Window seat on an exit row. Plenty of comfortable space, and it seems we didn't go down so I didn't have to "perform exit row duties." I mean, not that there would have been much i could do if we went down on the mainland. Right?
The beautiful thing about a winter red-eye is that you take off and land in the dark. I love watching the lights. I could pinpoint what I was looking at pretty exactly on take off. I saw the SF city hall and the marina and the blackness of the bay, sliced by the Golden Gate Bridge.
Somewhere in the middle I looked out of my window, and we'd come to a cloudless region. I could see all the stars in the sky and all the lights on the ground. My world was ablaze with distant fireflies...
Someone behind me was coughing and blowing his nose most of the way there. He also smelled like cabbage. So you know, you can't win them all.
When I landed, I looked over itinerary. You'd think I would have done this when I purchased the tickets, or at least sometime before leaving... :) I learned that I have a ten hour layover in Philadelphia. Well this is good fun...
I am about seven hours into my stay in Philly and I feel like I know this airport pretty well now. I've explored a big portion of it before I could find where I could get my free wireless. Google, get over here already!
I looked at an art exhibit here and at a later pass-through, I saw it being dismantled.
I keep seeing people I think I know, but they are doppelgangers. That's how it is when a large crowd is moving around you. Most every person of every type passes through an airport at any given moment. I should maybe do some sketching...
I am determined not to sleep until I get on the planem even though I am exhausted. I get on at 4:30pm Eastern time which will be 10pm in Frankfurt. I had some coffee and later I intend to have some wine to knock me out. Woot for substance dependence. Hmm...
Ok, well... I guess that's it for now. It didn't end up as interesting of a post as I hoped, but ... whatever. Later, suckas! I got Europing to do!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Amish Choice
You know how the Amish bring up their kids in the community and (16?) they let them loose to try all the evil things in the outside world so they don't have to spend their entire lives wondering resentfully about what could've been. Most of those kids go back to the Amish community afterwards, and the rest of us look on with disbelief.
I was thinking this morning that really, a lot more of us are faced with a similar choice in our young adult lives than we think. It's not as cut-and-dry as "hi, you have a year, then you must DECIDE!!! dun dun dun," of course. Still, when browsing the facebook friendlists of people I met as perfectly normal, perfectly American middle-class kids in middle school, I notice an interesting pattern. So many of my Russian-Jewish friends have friendlists populated with Bernsteins and Goldbergs, and Hazanoviches... so many of my Indian friends have friendlists populated with Patels and Guptas... et cetera!
I think middle school and high school is a trial-period of suppressing the culture you were brought up in and trying to assimilate yourself into the greater/dominant culture. Once we get to college or work, we become freer to re-immerse ourselves into our home culture. Or drawn back in...
I'm not really sure the process by which it happens, nor do I know if it is a good thing. On the one hand, I love the idea of keeping interesting traditions alive, of continuing a cultural evolution with ancient roots. On the other hand, I feel like it is limiting to focus on one culture in your life. But that's another debate for another day.
I was thinking this morning that really, a lot more of us are faced with a similar choice in our young adult lives than we think. It's not as cut-and-dry as "hi, you have a year, then you must DECIDE!!! dun dun dun," of course. Still, when browsing the facebook friendlists of people I met as perfectly normal, perfectly American middle-class kids in middle school, I notice an interesting pattern. So many of my Russian-Jewish friends have friendlists populated with Bernsteins and Goldbergs, and Hazanoviches... so many of my Indian friends have friendlists populated with Patels and Guptas... et cetera!
I think middle school and high school is a trial-period of suppressing the culture you were brought up in and trying to assimilate yourself into the greater/dominant culture. Once we get to college or work, we become freer to re-immerse ourselves into our home culture. Or drawn back in...
I'm not really sure the process by which it happens, nor do I know if it is a good thing. On the one hand, I love the idea of keeping interesting traditions alive, of continuing a cultural evolution with ancient roots. On the other hand, I feel like it is limiting to focus on one culture in your life. But that's another debate for another day.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Looking at pictures of people
Recently, I had a discussion with th my friends Dustin and Andy (yes, in a chatroom), about appreciating art. I thought I would share the transcript with you guys because it felt like a productive conversation.
dsal: thegreattiny, pictures of people are weird. It's hard to look at a picture of someone I don't know and see a person.
thegreattiny: o rly? interesting
thegreattiny: is that true for photos I take of people you don't know?
dsal: Yeah. I don't think that's the best way to express it… but it's a kind of weird thing. Most pictures of anonymous people just feel kind of dead.
thegreattiny: I've heard that before
thegreattiny: but I think you are in the minority with that feeling
dsal: I have to wonder if it's similar for other people. I saw a photo for sale in a coffee shop in Seattle. It was just some old lady. Why do I want your picture of an old lady?
thegreattiny: well i haven'ts een the photo
dsal: I suppose that's good. It's my inhuman side showing.
thegreattiny: lol uh oh
thegreattiny: robotic dustin
thegreattiny: people have a really easy time connecting to anonymous people, actually
thegreattiny: most people
thegreattiny: it's sort of depressing to hear you say that, actually
dsal: I've been accused of being a robot before...
thegreattiny: because I base a lot of my artwork on making images of what are, I think, real people
thegreattiny: and that goes for people I make up when I draw
dsal: I don't think you should have any sort of emotional reaction to how I might perceive artwork. :/
thegreattiny: it's like writing a character, but more subtle
thegreattiny: well that's silly, dsal, because art is communication
thegreattiny: it's not a one-sided equation
thegreattiny: and if on my side, I think I'm creating communication, but on your side, it's not being perceived
thegreattiny: that is sad
thegreattiny: not that I'm making artwork specifically for you, but that's irrelevant
dsal: Different people respond to different media differently, though. I like to know people in more depth. A picture can tell a good story, but I just don't feel like I know enough when it's over.
thegreattiny: I would hope that that depends on the picture
thegreattiny: it's hard to imagine that no photo of a person, no matter how good, could ever communicate with you
dsal: Well, it does. It also depends on how willing to be receptive I am at that moment.
thegreattiny: alright
thegreattiny: I'm not sure why you would ever limit yourself in that way
dsal: Mostly because of time. :)
thegreattiny: well then, given enough time, would you be able to figure out why someone would want a photo of an old lady?
dsal: It's possible, but I'm not sure it'd be from looking at the picture alone. I'd want to know more about who she was.
thegreattiny: what if it's a real person, who is a stranger
thegreattiny: would you be able to know much about them, just by looking at them?
dsal: Well, there are more dimensions to a real person. I can observe movement, actions, words, etc… I can learn a lot about a person by observing. At least enough to satisfy me.
termie: dsal, i think it is less about knowing somebody and more about imagining things
dsal: termie, I would believe that. I feel like imagining is kind of lying.
dsal: I imagine things I want to build and then make them true.
termie: dsal, you're not going to actually know the person from the photo but ideally the photographer and photograph is trying to draw you to some archetypal ideal of what this person's life is like
termie: you aren't trying to know the person but rather to think about what being old is like
termie: or what being is old is like when you work in a convenience store
dsal: That makes sense.
termie: in some photographs you can infer stuff about people assuming the photographer's intent is to show you something about them, but that is usually a person you know of, either famous or an acquaintance
termie: pictures of them brushing their teeth or something
termie: so that you can infer about them whatever you would have inferred if you saw them brushing their teeth that way
thegreattiny: I agree with termie. It's really about buying into the story the photographer (and to some extent, the model) are trying to tell
termie: but again, that is usually for somebody whose outer character you will already be familiar with
termie: and whose more intimate moments are being shared
dsal: Perhaps the example I gave above was just a poor one.
thegreattiny: well there is no way of knowing
thegreattiny: well I have a photo of two people who are unfamiliar to you
thegreattiny: that I think tells a story
thegreattiny: I think it's fairly successful in that way
dsal: Where is it?
thegreattiny: you may not agree
thegreattiny: I am about to link it
dsal: *anticipates*
thegreattiny: linky!
termie: i hope it isn't in any way romantic
dsal: I hope it's NSFW
thegreattiny: nsfw?
termie: i get it, she's weary after a hard lay from the mountain man dude
dsal: kidding
dsal: hahaa
thegreattiny: um
thegreattiny: that's awkward
termie: *wins*
chiragrules: hahahahaha
thegreattiny: k well so much for the discussion on art and communication
dsal: Nah, that's a better picture. You should sell that to coffee shop patrons in Seattle.
dsal: Although I do very quickly feel that I want to know the truth. What's the real story...
thegreattiny: well
thegreattiny: what is the story you are getting from the photo?
termie: "tl; dr"
dsal: I kind of get the impression that the woman is tired/sick and the man is sad.
dsal: It just leads to ``why.'' I can't get ``why'' from the picture.
dsal: The title makes me think it's alzheimer's or something.
thegreattiny: well it's part of a set
thegreattiny: but really, I think it stands alone
thegreattiny: I don't put that much influence on titles
thegreattiny: although, your title interpretation is not incorrect :)
dsal: Right, so that changes the picture a lot for me.
thegreattiny: I think it's fair for you to process whatever information you are presented with and extrapolate from there
thegreattiny: maybe my communication isn't that clear in that instance
dsal: I'm bad at both sides of art in ways.
thegreattiny: I mean I could tell you the story behind this photo
thegreattiny: but if you're not presented with the luxury of having someone explain it you
thegreattiny: I would hope you would still be able to enjoy it
thegreattiny: in a gallery situation, for instance, you could put a piece of paper next to the work with the "artist's intent" but I think that's sort of a copout
thegreattiny: and it doesn't work out, necessarily, in a situation where you sell a work to someone and they put it up in their home
dsal: I agree with your perspective. I have to do similar things. I do feel that word count is inversely proportional to truth.
thegreattiny: hm
thegreattiny: to a point, I'd say
thegreattiny: because the fewer the words, the more is left up to interpretation
thegreattiny: and once you let people loose with interpretation... well you know, people are dumb, etc
dsal: In another channel, I'm watching a lot of discussion about an article that was written with far too many words to be understood. Too many words == "looks too complicated."
dsal: It's not so much interpretation as it is just saying what something is concisely.
thegreattiny: I didn't disagree with you, per se
dsal: I had a thing I built in the past where I defined three rules for its operation. People would come by and ask me all these really complicated usage questions. I'd just apply their question to my three rules hoping they'd learn to do so themselves.
thegreattiny: I was just saying that your statement was too cut/dry
dsal: I certainly agree. Sometimes things are simple, but require effort to internalize the simplicity of them.
thegreattiny: interestingly, in terms of art
thegreattiny: if you do not provide an explanation
thegreattiny: people (well, some people) tend to get quite attached to their own interpretation
thegreattiny: and that is some of the rationale behind not explaining
thegreattiny: it's a fine balance
thegreattiny: because overexplaining is boring and insulting to the viewer
dsal: Heh, yeah. I saw an explanation of the song ``Smells Like Teen Spirit'' a while back and it's a great example of that.
thegreattiny: ie, I want to show that the person in this image is creative, so I show them painting, or just hell, holding brushes or something
thegreattiny: that's like ... "shuddup"
dsal: Yeah. Sometimes you can find that someone understood what you were doing even better than you did. That happens to me sometimes. :)
thegreattiny: then there's the opposite side of that, where you don't show anything interesting about a person
thegreattiny: it's a fine balance
thegreattiny: between not giving enough and giving too much
thegreattiny: as for people understanding what you're doing better than you
thegreattiny: lol
thegreattiny: yes that does happen
thegreattiny: not sure where that fits in
thegreattiny: sometimes I get annoyed at people who overinterpret what I'm doing
thegreattiny: I show them a photo I took
dsal: It's leaving them enough room to imagine why you did something.
thegreattiny: and they go on and on about what it says to htem
thegreattiny: and I'm like "suuuureee whatever you want"
dsal: Heh. ``Can we move past the one where I dropped my camera?''
thegreattiny: ;)
thegreattiny: anyway, that's sort of the rationale behind trying to sell a photo of a stranger to someone
thegreattiny: I hope this helps :D
dsal: Hah. I'm thankful for your time spent teaching me art appreciation. :)
thegreattiny: :)
thegreattiny: time well spent, as far as I'm concerned
dsal: thegreattiny, pictures of people are weird. It's hard to look at a picture of someone I don't know and see a person.
thegreattiny: o rly? interesting
thegreattiny: is that true for photos I take of people you don't know?
dsal: Yeah. I don't think that's the best way to express it… but it's a kind of weird thing. Most pictures of anonymous people just feel kind of dead.
thegreattiny: I've heard that before
thegreattiny: but I think you are in the minority with that feeling
dsal: I have to wonder if it's similar for other people. I saw a photo for sale in a coffee shop in Seattle. It was just some old lady. Why do I want your picture of an old lady?
thegreattiny: well i haven'ts een the photo
dsal: I suppose that's good. It's my inhuman side showing.
thegreattiny: lol uh oh
thegreattiny: robotic dustin
thegreattiny: people have a really easy time connecting to anonymous people, actually
thegreattiny: most people
thegreattiny: it's sort of depressing to hear you say that, actually
dsal: I've been accused of being a robot before...
thegreattiny: because I base a lot of my artwork on making images of what are, I think, real people
thegreattiny: and that goes for people I make up when I draw
dsal: I don't think you should have any sort of emotional reaction to how I might perceive artwork. :/
thegreattiny: it's like writing a character, but more subtle
thegreattiny: well that's silly, dsal, because art is communication
thegreattiny: it's not a one-sided equation
thegreattiny: and if on my side, I think I'm creating communication, but on your side, it's not being perceived
thegreattiny: that is sad
thegreattiny: not that I'm making artwork specifically for you, but that's irrelevant
dsal: Different people respond to different media differently, though. I like to know people in more depth. A picture can tell a good story, but I just don't feel like I know enough when it's over.
thegreattiny: I would hope that that depends on the picture
thegreattiny: it's hard to imagine that no photo of a person, no matter how good, could ever communicate with you
dsal: Well, it does. It also depends on how willing to be receptive I am at that moment.
thegreattiny: alright
thegreattiny: I'm not sure why you would ever limit yourself in that way
dsal: Mostly because of time. :)
thegreattiny: well then, given enough time, would you be able to figure out why someone would want a photo of an old lady?
dsal: It's possible, but I'm not sure it'd be from looking at the picture alone. I'd want to know more about who she was.
thegreattiny: what if it's a real person, who is a stranger
thegreattiny: would you be able to know much about them, just by looking at them?
dsal: Well, there are more dimensions to a real person. I can observe movement, actions, words, etc… I can learn a lot about a person by observing. At least enough to satisfy me.
termie: dsal, i think it is less about knowing somebody and more about imagining things
dsal: termie, I would believe that. I feel like imagining is kind of lying.
dsal: I imagine things I want to build and then make them true.
termie: dsal, you're not going to actually know the person from the photo but ideally the photographer and photograph is trying to draw you to some archetypal ideal of what this person's life is like
termie: you aren't trying to know the person but rather to think about what being old is like
termie: or what being is old is like when you work in a convenience store
dsal: That makes sense.
termie: in some photographs you can infer stuff about people assuming the photographer's intent is to show you something about them, but that is usually a person you know of, either famous or an acquaintance
termie: pictures of them brushing their teeth or something
termie: so that you can infer about them whatever you would have inferred if you saw them brushing their teeth that way
thegreattiny: I agree with termie. It's really about buying into the story the photographer (and to some extent, the model) are trying to tell
termie: but again, that is usually for somebody whose outer character you will already be familiar with
termie: and whose more intimate moments are being shared
dsal: Perhaps the example I gave above was just a poor one.
thegreattiny: well there is no way of knowing
thegreattiny: well I have a photo of two people who are unfamiliar to you
thegreattiny: that I think tells a story
thegreattiny: I think it's fairly successful in that way
dsal: Where is it?
thegreattiny: you may not agree
thegreattiny: I am about to link it
dsal: *anticipates*
thegreattiny: linky!
termie: i hope it isn't in any way romantic
dsal: I hope it's NSFW
thegreattiny: nsfw?
termie: i get it, she's weary after a hard lay from the mountain man dude
dsal: kidding
dsal: hahaa
thegreattiny: um
thegreattiny: that's awkward
termie: *wins*
chiragrules: hahahahaha
thegreattiny: k well so much for the discussion on art and communication
dsal: Nah, that's a better picture. You should sell that to coffee shop patrons in Seattle.
dsal: Although I do very quickly feel that I want to know the truth. What's the real story...
thegreattiny: well
thegreattiny: what is the story you are getting from the photo?
termie: "tl; dr"
dsal: I kind of get the impression that the woman is tired/sick and the man is sad.
dsal: It just leads to ``why.'' I can't get ``why'' from the picture.
dsal: The title makes me think it's alzheimer's or something.
thegreattiny: well it's part of a set
thegreattiny: but really, I think it stands alone
thegreattiny: I don't put that much influence on titles
thegreattiny: although, your title interpretation is not incorrect :)
dsal: Right, so that changes the picture a lot for me.
thegreattiny: I think it's fair for you to process whatever information you are presented with and extrapolate from there
thegreattiny: maybe my communication isn't that clear in that instance
dsal: I'm bad at both sides of art in ways.
thegreattiny: I mean I could tell you the story behind this photo
thegreattiny: but if you're not presented with the luxury of having someone explain it you
thegreattiny: I would hope you would still be able to enjoy it
thegreattiny: in a gallery situation, for instance, you could put a piece of paper next to the work with the "artist's intent" but I think that's sort of a copout
thegreattiny: and it doesn't work out, necessarily, in a situation where you sell a work to someone and they put it up in their home
dsal: I agree with your perspective. I have to do similar things. I do feel that word count is inversely proportional to truth.
thegreattiny: hm
thegreattiny: to a point, I'd say
thegreattiny: because the fewer the words, the more is left up to interpretation
thegreattiny: and once you let people loose with interpretation... well you know, people are dumb, etc
dsal: In another channel, I'm watching a lot of discussion about an article that was written with far too many words to be understood. Too many words == "looks too complicated."
dsal: It's not so much interpretation as it is just saying what something is concisely.
thegreattiny: I didn't disagree with you, per se
dsal: I had a thing I built in the past where I defined three rules for its operation. People would come by and ask me all these really complicated usage questions. I'd just apply their question to my three rules hoping they'd learn to do so themselves.
thegreattiny: I was just saying that your statement was too cut/dry
dsal: I certainly agree. Sometimes things are simple, but require effort to internalize the simplicity of them.
thegreattiny: interestingly, in terms of art
thegreattiny: if you do not provide an explanation
thegreattiny: people (well, some people) tend to get quite attached to their own interpretation
thegreattiny: and that is some of the rationale behind not explaining
thegreattiny: it's a fine balance
thegreattiny: because overexplaining is boring and insulting to the viewer
dsal: Heh, yeah. I saw an explanation of the song ``Smells Like Teen Spirit'' a while back and it's a great example of that.
thegreattiny: ie, I want to show that the person in this image is creative, so I show them painting, or just hell, holding brushes or something
thegreattiny: that's like ... "shuddup"
dsal: Yeah. Sometimes you can find that someone understood what you were doing even better than you did. That happens to me sometimes. :)
thegreattiny: then there's the opposite side of that, where you don't show anything interesting about a person
thegreattiny: it's a fine balance
thegreattiny: between not giving enough and giving too much
thegreattiny: as for people understanding what you're doing better than you
thegreattiny: lol
thegreattiny: yes that does happen
thegreattiny: not sure where that fits in
thegreattiny: sometimes I get annoyed at people who overinterpret what I'm doing
thegreattiny: I show them a photo I took
dsal: It's leaving them enough room to imagine why you did something.
thegreattiny: and they go on and on about what it says to htem
thegreattiny: and I'm like "suuuureee whatever you want"
dsal: Heh. ``Can we move past the one where I dropped my camera?''
thegreattiny: ;)
thegreattiny: anyway, that's sort of the rationale behind trying to sell a photo of a stranger to someone
thegreattiny: I hope this helps :D
dsal: Hah. I'm thankful for your time spent teaching me art appreciation. :)
thegreattiny: :)
thegreattiny: time well spent, as far as I'm concerned
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Vienna Succession?
Hello! So if you're unfamiliar with the Vienna Secession, it was a magnificent art and design movement in Austria, wherein a group of designers seceded from the Viennese Academy. They also succeeded, but that's beside the point. The point is that my art history prof is driving me insane.
She's this very elegant, high society New York (designer?) woman. She loves to use her expansive vocabulary and then translate for the little people. For instance:
"And this will serve as a segue, that is a transition, to..."
Agh! If you think there's nothing worse than uber-pretentiousness, how about misplaced arrogance? The worst part is that she mispronounces stuff all the time. I keep thinking she's talking about the succession of Viennese kings or something. And I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as rubication (the rubics-cubification of medieval manuscripts??) The word is rubrication.
Another thing is that she constantly makes a point of pronouncing and translating French. Except the thing is, I'm certain she doesn't speak it, because I have never, not even once, heard her pronounce a French word correctly. I've seen grammatical and spelling errors in names of pieces on her slides.
I mean, if these were the honest mistakes of an uneducated person, I think I'd be more likely to forgive them. It'd still be pitiful and annoying, but at least understandable. When a pretentious know-it-all does this, it's inexcusable.
I know I'm being petty, but it's actually interfering with my education. No matter how fascinating the material, the medium matters.
She's this very elegant, high society New York (designer?) woman. She loves to use her expansive vocabulary and then translate for the little people. For instance:
"And this will serve as a segue, that is a transition, to..."
Agh! If you think there's nothing worse than uber-pretentiousness, how about misplaced arrogance? The worst part is that she mispronounces stuff all the time. I keep thinking she's talking about the succession of Viennese kings or something. And I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as rubication (the rubics-cubification of medieval manuscripts??) The word is rubrication.
Another thing is that she constantly makes a point of pronouncing and translating French. Except the thing is, I'm certain she doesn't speak it, because I have never, not even once, heard her pronounce a French word correctly. I've seen grammatical and spelling errors in names of pieces on her slides.
I mean, if these were the honest mistakes of an uneducated person, I think I'd be more likely to forgive them. It'd still be pitiful and annoying, but at least understandable. When a pretentious know-it-all does this, it's inexcusable.
I know I'm being petty, but it's actually interfering with my education. No matter how fascinating the material, the medium matters.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Scrabble smack talk
Since I'm too lazy to write stuff lately, I'll just post some excerpts from a conversation over a game of Internet scrabble.
2:55:53 AM me: fuck I'm totally gonna set you up and this word isn't even any good
2:56:01 AM me: things were going so well
2:56:07 AM Austin: mwahaha
2:56:14 AM me: there must be another way
2:56:23 AM Austin: trade in your letters
2:56:25 AM Austin: death before dishonor
3:11:56 AM me: I really feel like we should start building left :P
3:12:16 AM Austin: already ahead of you
3:12:33 AM Austin: shazam
3:13:53 AM me: I'm afraid I'm not following suit just yet...
3:14:12 AM Austin: take your time getting on the fast train to futureville, dear
3:14:23 AM Austin: : P
3:15:02 AM me: you can go ahead to futureville
3:15:08 AM me: I'll stay back here, where the points are
3:31:41 AM me: I'm just saying
3:31:48 AM me: that was a really dumb move
3:31:51 AM Austin: mhm
3:31:52 AM me: you're fucking ruined
3:32:00 AM Austin: yeah, i know
3:32:06 AM me: Austin, meet the end
3:32:10 AM me: end, this is Austin
3:32:10 AM Austin: i was playing more to words and opportunity than any particular goal
3:32:20 AM Austin: oh shit
3:32:22 AM me: are you ready?
3:32:23 AM Austin: this is gonna hurt though
3:32:25 AM Austin: not really
3:32:30 AM me: brace yourself
3:32:31 AM Austin: could you at least say a few kind words first?
3:32:56 AM me: there there
3:32:58 AM me: *hugs*
3:33:00 AM me: it'll be ok
3:33:04 AM me: there'll be other scrabble games
3:33:09 AM me: your turn
3:33:12 AM me: *snirk*
(Austin plays the word "mule")
3:35:34 AM me: haha like a "mule" he stubbornly keeps going
3:35:39 AM Austin: lol
3:35:55 AM Austin: a mule, a beast of burden, a jackass....ladies and gentlemen, austin
3:38:21 AM me: I suppose you could still be saved by a q word on a triple word
3:38:38 AM Austin: -rolls eyes-
1:15:51 PM me: this is a freebie
1:15:52 PM me: enjoy
1:17:05 PM Austin: not even a q on triple could help me out
1:17:14 PM me: :)
1:17:17 PM Austin: and thats exactly what it was
1:17:19 PM Austin: haha
1:17:51 PM me: that's perfect
2:55:53 AM me: fuck I'm totally gonna set you up and this word isn't even any good
2:56:01 AM me: things were going so well
2:56:07 AM Austin: mwahaha
2:56:14 AM me: there must be another way
2:56:23 AM Austin: trade in your letters
2:56:25 AM Austin: death before dishonor
3:11:56 AM me: I really feel like we should start building left :P
3:12:16 AM Austin: already ahead of you
3:12:33 AM Austin: shazam
3:13:53 AM me: I'm afraid I'm not following suit just yet...
3:14:12 AM Austin: take your time getting on the fast train to futureville, dear
3:14:23 AM Austin: : P
3:15:02 AM me: you can go ahead to futureville
3:15:08 AM me: I'll stay back here, where the points are
3:31:41 AM me: I'm just saying
3:31:48 AM me: that was a really dumb move
3:31:51 AM Austin: mhm
3:31:52 AM me: you're fucking ruined
3:32:00 AM Austin: yeah, i know
3:32:06 AM me: Austin, meet the end
3:32:10 AM me: end, this is Austin
3:32:10 AM Austin: i was playing more to words and opportunity than any particular goal
3:32:20 AM Austin: oh shit
3:32:22 AM me: are you ready?
3:32:23 AM Austin: this is gonna hurt though
3:32:25 AM Austin: not really
3:32:30 AM me: brace yourself
3:32:31 AM Austin: could you at least say a few kind words first?
3:32:56 AM me: there there
3:32:58 AM me: *hugs*
3:33:00 AM me: it'll be ok
3:33:04 AM me: there'll be other scrabble games
3:33:09 AM me: your turn
3:33:12 AM me: *snirk*
(Austin plays the word "mule")
3:35:34 AM me: haha like a "mule" he stubbornly keeps going
3:35:39 AM Austin: lol
3:35:55 AM Austin: a mule, a beast of burden, a jackass....ladies and gentlemen, austin
3:38:21 AM me: I suppose you could still be saved by a q word on a triple word
3:38:38 AM Austin: -rolls eyes-
1:15:51 PM me: this is a freebie
1:15:52 PM me: enjoy
1:17:05 PM Austin: not even a q on triple could help me out
1:17:14 PM me: :)
1:17:17 PM Austin: and thats exactly what it was
1:17:19 PM Austin: haha
1:17:51 PM me: that's perfect
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
