That Girl Looks Like Trash

There are a lot of things I love about GW. There’s also a lot of stuff that GW people like. But sometimes I just don’t get it. I understand that fashion is (kind of) important. You get judged by what you wear. You don’t want to look like a slob. But GW fashion is ridiculous. Everyone seems to wear a variation on the same thing. Especially the girls (pea coat, leggings, Uggs, non-t-shirt shirt, Blackberry, Starbucks).

For a group as uniform in appearance as we are, GW’s a bit judgey about fashion. Which, GW students must be the epitome of class if they’re too good for pants, right? I wouldn’t know, not owning a pair of leggings. Shocker, I know.

But, for as politically active and socially aware as GW students can be (especially PoliComm majors, just sayin’), they are still ridiculous and judgey about clothing and fashion. Case in point. I just… They turned a wonderful and insightful political event of former White House press secretaries into an opportunity to critique professional fashion. Guys… really? I’ve seen girls strutting around thinking this is an okay look. Pick on her!

I’m just saying – it’s kind of preposterous for a 20 year old to pick apart the clothing choices of an adult when said adult is, roughly, 1000% more successful than you. They worked in the freakin’ White House. They corralled unruly journalists (and presidents alike, I’m sure). They were the source of information and poise when talking about the whole Monica Lewinsky thing, 9/11, the beginning of the Iraq War and much, much more. They probably have more things to worry about than what GW students (and C-SPAN viewers) think of their clothes. Most of them run communications firms and… I’m just exasperated.

The event was fantastic, though. I really learned a lot about what the actual job of the press secretary is. Because, as much as I love Aaron Sorkin, Allison Janney, and the West Wing, it was nice to hear a real-world perspective. They spoke candidly about their time in the White House during international crises. They spoke about delivering a message without being the one that crafts the content. They spoke about having to rely on themselves and their gut instincts, all while knowing when to ask questions and become a journalist themselves. And, despite what Ari Fleischer said, they kind of are rock stars. Especially at GW.

I’m Terrible at Birthday Wishes

Mid-January is always a bit of a busy time for me. I have to readjust to life in DC, start all my classes, figure out my work schedule, celebrate my birthday, and this year go to GW basketball games as a member of the band. To make matters worse, this is a 17 credit semester. That’s the most you can take. I’m not complaining, I like all of my classes.

But. Anyway. January, right. Birthday-times. I’m now 20. I’m not sure how I feel about this. It’s kind of blowing my mind. I’m not a teenager anymore. I’ve officially embarked on the third decade of my life.

At the same time, 20 seems to be the most useless age I can imagine. 16′s cool because you get to drive. 17′s nice because it’s your last year at home, last year to pull shenanigans without the repercussion of being arrested and charged as an adult. 18 you get to vote!!! 19 is good for getting drunk in Canada. And everyone knows that at 21 you can drink. But at 20, well, there’s really nothing beneficial being thrown your way. It’s just a big milestone number with no milestones associated with it. At least I got a good birthday and two cakes out of the bargain.

I had a great time. I brought in my 20th birthday playing Mario Kart and Super Smash brothers with some friends and my “exuberant” RA. Then we watched Family Guy. When I woke up again after officially turning 20 (January 17, 10:01 am) I went to see my advisor to get the greenlight for my study abroad plans. Then Amanda and I played Mario Kart for a solid 4 hours before heading to dinner with a huge group at Fuddruckers, eating a special-made triple-layer heart-shaped chocolate chip cake with chocolate icing. It was heaven.

But maybe the best gift that could have been given me that day (aside from Anne’s wonderfully beautiful birthday card) was getting a happy birthday tweet from Joshua Malina. He has the same birthday as me, don’t ya know? (So do Muhammad Ali and Michelle Obama, but Josh Malina, guys!!!) I mean, Will Bailey himself tweeted me happy birthday.

Best day ever. Honestly, it was a great day. I even got to make ridiculous birthday demands and vetoes. For a person who doesn’t like the spotlight all that much, the power was kind of fun.

Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful day. Now, a gift for you:

I have big dreams for this year. Let’s hope that at least a few of them come true!

Are You Ten Years Ago

Give or take a fortnight I’ve lived through exactly two decades. With the aughts winding down, I thought I’d take a look at the advancements, publications,  and occurrences of the decade* that were most influential in my life.

Music: iTunes, dub-step, auto-tune

• Radiohead
• The Decemberists
• The Killers
• Tegan & Sara
• Kings of Leon

Television: HD, on Demand

• West Wing
• Stargate SG-1
• Veronica Mars
• LOST
• The Daily Show

Movies: 3D (for this one I’m doing directors, it’s just easier)

• Joe Wright
• Quentin Tarantino
• David Yates
• Jason Reitman
• Lee Unkrich

Books:

• The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
• Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
• Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• Summerland by Michael Chabon

Fashion:

• leggings
• “vintage” t-shirts
• skinny jeans, or, conversely, jeans that are too baggy
• Vera Bradley bags
• North Face fleece jackets

Technology:

• GPS
• iPods
• Smart Phones
• Internet (modems => cable => broadband => wifi)
• social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, blogs)

Current Events:

• 9/11 terrorist attacks
• medical scares: SARS, Avian Flu, Swine Flu
• America invades Iraq & Afghanistan
• financial crisis
• hipsters

*This entire list is made up of my opinions, and the things that were the most influential to myself. Given that, I figured it’d be easiest to limit every category to five items. Keep in mind that, to me, the decade started in 2001 and lasted until the last moment of 2010. The next decade will be 2011-2020.

Tuesdays with Maury, Wednesdays with John

A long time ago I came to terms with a simple fact: I am a geek.  Not only do I read like it’s my job (in actuality, I probably read with more diligence for fun than I would if I were at work), but I have for as long as I can remember always plod through summer with sheer excitement for school to restart. I like to learn. I have a reading list this summer that I compiled for myself. It has sixty-nine books on it, all of them either non-fiction or literature. I’ve been out of school for 17 days and I’ve already read ten books – none of them on my list.

And, for as much TV as I watch (which, believe me, is a lot), it actually helped me, come college! Even the non-educational, completely fictional, escapist shows that I watch helped me ace quizzes and classes in college. And parents say TV rots your brain. Honestly, ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 and seven of the West Wing helped me pass Astronomy and PoliSci, respectively.

The first few books on my reading list: Faiths of the Founding Fathers, The Oxford Companion to World Mythologies, and Generation Kill. I was looking forward to reading Anne’s book about quantum physics, but I forgot to borrow it from her before we parted ways for the summer.

But, seriously, even some of my favorite cartoons  are geeky. Regardless, I can’t wait for Futurama to come back to TV this summer. Also, is it just me, or does the theme song for Futurama sound reminiscent of the chime-y intro to 17? Decide for yourself:

But the geeky thing about me that really seems to take the cake: I love over-the-phone political surveys. Always have. I think they’re fun. Sometimes I bond with the pollsters. Like yesterday, for example. I bonded with the guy interviewing me over the fact that we were both too young to vote in the 2008 election. Apparently, we’re the same age, and even have the same birth month! Go figure. See, politics can be fun. (Speaking of, you go John Sides!)

Go! Watch! Now!

Don’t walk, run. Click here as fast as you can and watch the “Maneater” Psych-out (it should play automatically when the page opens, perhaps after a short ad). It made my day.  It was actually better than watching the Jam wedding on the Office this morning (I missed it when it was on last night due to work). I watched this Psych-out at least three times. Actually, I’m going to do it again as soon as this is posted.  Joshua Malina, I love you.

PS – We have the same birthday! And if you love Joshua Malina, too, you should check out his stint on Sports Night and The West Wing. Kudos Aaron Sorkin for putting him on your shows.

Oh, and here’s some music:

EXCITEMENT!

Jon Favreau* sighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After class today Amanda and I walked to the White House after grabbing some lunch at the McDonalds around the corner. ( We go out for lunch every Thursday to avoid our cleaning lady because we feel strange having someone else do our chores).  While we were loitering in front of our favorite stretch of fence we saw staffers from the West Wing entering and exiting the front gate.  As we watched, a man in a blue dress shirt came outside.  After some gawking, Amanda supposed that it might be John Favreau.  She snapped an inconspicous picture of the fella on her cell phone. Upon returning to the dorm, we shared the picture with Anne who helped us confirm it was, indeed, Jon Favreau.

To make this all the more exciting, he seemed like a supremely affable guy.  He was chatting amiably with other West-Wingers.  Next time, I promised Amanda, we would say something.

This was infinitely more exciting than the possible sighting late in June.  My college orientation group was hanging out on Pennsylvania Avenue at about 11 pm and I though that I might have seen him leaving work, but there’s no way to be certain.

If we can get Amanda’s picture up here, you’ll be able to have your very on Jon Favreau sighting!

*Jon Favreau is Obama’s Director of Speechwriting. He is the second-youngest person to hold the position.  He also happens to be my idol.

Our Own Side Yard

So Amanda and I got adventurous tonight.  After ordering in Chinese food with the rest of the roommates, we wandered over to Wendy’s (the restaurant). We ordered some deliciously twisted Frostys, and returned to the room to invite Anne on a night-time stroll while eating our dessert.  Anne couldn’t go, so we invited our hall-mate, Ryan. He joined in the fun and before we knew it, we were in front of the White House.  Ryan had never been so close to it before, so Amanda and I took a few minutes to point out the different parts (e.g. the West Wing, which contains the staff and press room and the East Wing, which houses the residence). Our faces were smushed up against the fence hoping to see some senior staffers leave when I noticed a dog on a leash inside the grounds. After a second, I realized it was the First Dog, Bo! We quietly called out to him and beckoned him, but he was leashed and seemed to ignore us. It didn’t make the sighting any less enjoyable.

We planned on strolling along to the back side – the one facing the Ellipse – but were ushered out before we got very far.  We returned to the main street, passing the Department of the Treasury. On that corner, you can spot the Capitol Building all sixteen blocks away.  We were struck by genius and decided to walk to the Capitol.  The walk was pleasant and we passed lots of buildings whose names and functions we don’t yet know.  One of the buildings we did recognize was the Newseum. Out front the front page of a daily newspaper is displayed from each state for the current date.  As I passed Alabama’s I exclaimed, “Why the hell do they have the Decatur Daily?” I had expected the Birmingham News, the Montgomery Advertiser or the (Mobile) Press-Register. The fact that I had never heard of the city, despite living in Alabama for half my life, combined with having misread the title resulted in my pronunciation of the city as Deca-tour. Not one of my better moments.

Anyhoo, here are some beautiful pictures from our 4.8 mile walk:

Shot of the Capitol’s dome from fountain edge

Back side, facing the Ellipse.