Wisdom

A friend of mine recently came over for a visit and brought her six year old daughter with her. This adorable little girl is full of bouncy energy. I love being around her. She is what a smile would look like if a smile was a person. Her mother is a great friend to me as well. As her mother and I talked, this little girl played around and entertained herself. I made tea and my friend and I settled in to talk. I have a small world globe on a base on a table in my living room. The little girl picked it up and began to play with it. Eventually, she began asking her mother questions. Her mother took the globe, turned it upside down, and said "Sometimes it's helpful to look at things a different way." She turned South Africa to the Northern Hemisphere. "See, doesn't it look strange?"  As we talked about how funny it looked, and why we always look at it the same way, I asked the little girl how she thinks God sees the world. She took a look at the globe, now upside down, and put her hand over the top of it. "I think He sees it this way, cause His hand is always over it all the time."


Now that's a different perspective that how I sometimes look at the world. Who is in control? Sometimes it doesn't seem like God. It seems like everything but God is in control, but that's not true. This little girl reminded me that, like her mother said, it is good to look at things in a different way, not the worldly way, but how God sees it, right in His hand. Such great wisdom form a person who doesn't even have front teeth, but has a heart that trusts and believes. Awesome.

TV

Recently, I had a run in with the cable company. That is, they found out they had made a mistake and I was getting expanded cable in one room and basic in another. Now, my life is very basic. Here is what I miss.

And here is what I still watch.

There really aren't that many good shows on TV right now. 

Worlds collide

My theoretical perspective for my research comes from the work of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. But in my perfect dream life I would be a fashion designer, as far from academia as you can get. While looking for more info on my theoretical muse, I came across a designer who draws on Bourdieu's concept of social capital for inspiration in clothes design. Could this be true? Is it real? Fashion and theory coming together? A synergy of two opposing worlds? I guess anything is possible with Europeans...

Scandinavian Neo-Edwardian

lifeiscarbon® has fallen in love with the first two collections from Göran Sundberg, a new fashion designer from Sweden. He claims that his underlying influence comes from the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s study of cultural fields, social positions and assimilated agents of taste. This theoretical departure point certainly results in some highly wearable garments in which an aristocratic sense of style collides with the realism of the streets.

We love the cut, materials and details of the new collections and the interesting combination of refinement and nonchalance in which the salon meets the street.

Chanel Fall Collection 2012

Because every woman wants to look like a yeti...


I couldn't find my razor this morning....


This one doesn't even fit properly. Gag!

They didn't completely make a mess of things. They got it right on this one.

I'm not knocking on Chanel. I mean, come on. Coco Chanel was one of the most glamorous women who has ever lived on this planet.

Just look at her. Even with the cigarette, she looks more polished than I could after years of reading fashion magazines, watching E! Fashion Police, and abstaining from any activity that would wrinkle my skin and turn my teeth brown.
But the women in this collection don't look polished. The look like they're waiting on the zoo keeper to come feed them. I think most of the collection is insulting tot he memory of Coco.

But don't just take my word for it.
To see the entire collection, go here.
http://www.chanel.com/fashion/8-fashion-accessories#8-fall-winter-2010-11-chanel-collection-21,1

Shoes!

I went fantasy shopping, and here is what I bought :)





































Pretty awesome, huh? Now if I could only go 'for real' shopping... That will have to wait until I graduate. Being a PhD student doesn't pay well.

Girl Power

So I realize in my last post I was very much a non-feminist, so here is a list of the awesome female artists I also listen to. (But I will be unfemimist and say I do like my guys better :)

Lilly Allen

Adele

Duffy

Giorgia

Ingrid Michaelson

Malika Ayane

Ladyhawke

Kate Nash

OK, they're pretty awesome.

Bands I like

I'm avoiding reading about post-constructivism. Instead, I'm making a list of bands I like to listen to. To start with, the band I'm listening to now.

Phoenix

Muse

Kasabian

Arctic Monkeys

The Bravery

The Strokes

Franz Ferdinand

Radiohead

Death Cab for Cutie

Vampire Weekend

Kaiser Chiefs

Interpol

Cold War Kids

I have a special love for the Bravery. I think it's because they're American and they make good music. A lot of the music I like comes from Europe. Ironically, I hear it more here than when I'm there, seeing as how they're so in love with electronica. I love the Bravery's song lyrics. "This is not the end." That can be a very encouraging statement. Read the lyrics for yourself and see what you think. (I always tell my students when I am sharing my opinion that they are free to disagree with me and make up their own minds. I do that so hopefully it will transfer to their other courses, because I know many professors who teach their opinion as fact, and never give students a change to think for themselves...)

This is not the end
Tell me
C'mon tell me what you can
Even as you wait for death
You're wiser than I am
Tell me
What does it mean to exsist?
I am not a scientist
I must believe in more than this
And I cannot accept that everything that's real
Is only what our eyes can see
And our hands can feel

Not even earth can hold us
Not even life controls us
Not even the ground can keep us down
The memories in my head
Are just as real as the time we spend
You'll always be close to me, my friend
This is not the end

I see
I can see you're so afraid
You wear it like a silver hood
On you, even fear looks good
I wish
I wish I had some words to give
But all that I can think to say
Is I'll be with you everyday

Not even earth can hold us
Not even life controls us
Not even the ground can keep us down
The memories in my head
Are just as real as the time we spend
You'll always be close to me, my friend
This is not the end

This is not the end

This is not the end

This is not the end

I don't care
I don't care what you believe
As long as you are in my heart
You're just as real as me
And maybe
Maybe even more
Someone who's touched so many lives
Can never never die

Not even earth can hold us
Not even life controls us
Not even the ground can keep us down
The memories in my head
Are just as real as the time we spend
You'll always be close to me, my friend
This is not the end

This is not the end

This is not the end

This is not the end

Nice, huh? But my favorite is this one- Time won't let me go. I feel like this from time to time. It makes it better to hear your feelings set to a catchy tune and a nice beat.

Time won't let me go
Whenever I look back
On the best days of my life
I think I saw them all on T.V.
I am so homesick now for
Someone that I never knew
I am so homesick now for
Some place I will never be

Time won't let me go
Time won't let me go
If I could do it all again
I'd go back and change everything
But time won't let me go

I never had a Summer of 69
Never had a Cherry Valance of my own
All these precious moments
You promised me would come in time
So where was I when I missed mine?

Time won't let me go
Time won't let me go
If you gave me back those years
I'd do it all better I swear
Time won't let me go

Ba babababa babababa bababa bababa (x4)

If I could go back once again
I would change everything, yeah
If I could go back once again
I'd do it all so much better

Time won't let me go
Time won't let me go
If I could do it all again
I'd go back and change everything
But you won't ever let me go

Ba babababa babababa bababa bababa

What is your favorite band? I'd really love to know. You can see how much I like music. If you introduce me to something new and fabulous, think of how indebted I will be to you!