Relaxing? What a concept.

For the first time (in literally 7 days) I feel relaxed.

relax |riˈlaks|verb1 make or become less tense or anxious: [ no obj. ] : he relaxed and smiled confidently | (as adj. relaxing) : a relaxing vacation.• [ no obj. ] rest or engage in an enjoyable activity so as to become less tired or anxious: the team relaxes with a lot of skiing.• [ with obj. ] cause (a limb or muscle) to become less rigid: relax the leg by bringing the knee toward the chest.


I am warmly snuggled in bed with Mugsy and was just brought a hot cup of coffee. (deep smiling breath) The past week has been a roller coaster of driving here, doing this, fixing that, organizing this oh and make sure you are smiling and look pretty too. All of this while my dissertation was on hold and yikes, that was rough for me. I now feel relaxed knowing that my dissertation is moving forward and, for the most part, going well. (Aww... Jay just brought me breakfast in bed too, mmmmm feeling the love).

While Jay works on filing taxes for his family, I get to work on my dissertation and re-focus. This afternoon we are going to his storage unit to take inventory. As we plan our adventure across to West Virginia we are deciding on what to sell of our individual items and what items we want to bring along. It has been interesting to look at maps of the West Virginia area and see how close we will be to major historical sights and events. I am personally looking forward to:

- Big band music in Pittsburg

- Trip to Gettysburg

- Groundhogs day in Punxsutawney, PA

- Football Hall of Fame Canton, Ohio

-Washington DC Smithsonian 

There are so many more amazing things to do and see in our county! If you have any suggestions! Please let me know! xxoo

Last official class as a PhD student

So I just realized the other day that I am taking my last class as a PhD student ever. Whoa and awesome. I have been procrastinating this 'take home exam' because, well I don't know I just don't want to do it. I think it is often referred to as 'senior-itits'. I have 4 months, 16 weeks, or 112 days to finish my dissertation. That is my main focus right now, and that I get to see my Grandma tomorrow. So, No I do not really want to write about.........

5. Discuss the considerations relative to making research in which qualitative data have been collected and analyzed credible. What procedures must be taken/completed and how does one inform the reader that the work is credible, reliable and valid (from a qualitative perspective)?

Seriously, this is painful. Uhhhhhh but I have to tell myself that the sooner I get it finished the sooner i can stop thinking about it. But then once I do that, other things will just creep on in and I will be thinking about them! I need to stop google searching for cut picture of kittens and puppies and get focused on this stupid final. Lol, well it is not stupid, I know that it is undeniably important information for me to know, I. Just. don't. want to. 

Pictures to show how I feel:

Fine....... I'll do my final.

Wait..... won't you help me??

K never mind your'e bothering me, I'll do it myself. 

My reward, a good snuggle.

Another reward a nice sunbathe and a goodnight sleep. 

Kittens are so cute!!!!!!

Fashion tips!

Hahah I am laughing outloud in my office as I admire my very trendy and fashion forward outfit for today. I am wearing DGH high waisted, tapered (yes tapered) aqua blue denim pants with an adorable charlie brown sweater. Here is my interoperation of the spring trends, it is actually sunny outside so I decided to spruce things up a bit. Not to mention that I get to see one of my best friends tonight! When I am in a good mood I always tend to dress a little louder.

 Reflection: I am where I am today because I initially loved to draw, create and play with clothing. How funny that those things brought me to where I am right now...... In a very messy office with papers and candy wrappers around. I guess not too different from when I was younger :)

So back to my fashion tips! The rage this Spring 2012 is bright bold colors in a single location. This trend is called color blocking. For example, you wear bright yellow pants with a printed or sheer top. Here are a few pics from Fashion Week in Milan and GAP's 2012 collection:

The yellow on black is really hot right now and so are the 'loud' colored pants.

Might make you Cry.....

Let me be clear, this post won't make you cry however studies show that more often than not, women who weigh themselves feel worse about themselves than those who do not........ food for thought....

After reading studies that go in depth about the 'stress' endured when you weight yourself, I decided to do an experiment. I did a self check after I weighed myself- I would ask- how do I feel? Instead of weighting myself every Thursday morning after my spin class I decided to stop and ask myself- how do I feel now?

Can you guess? I feel free. I have felt free for almost 1 year. I am no longer a slave to the scale. That is no longer a measure of worth or value for me. This morning, as I walked into the locker room after my workout I saw this young women walking toward the scale and my heart ached for her. I wanted to yell nooooo don't do it. I watched passively as she got on, looked down and waited. She waited for what? A number to tell her if she was loosing weight. I watched as she kept her head down as she walked away disappointed. I wanted to hug her and say it is OK, I think you are fantastic just the way you are. My heart goes out to those who stress and pressure themselves and fear the scale. My wish, which I recognize is not socially acceptable yet, is that men and women decide to get off the roller coaster of the scale and up + down ride of valuing self.

p.s. teaching this class next quarter!!

Women’s Only Fitness w/ Dr. Deb

Are you new to exercise? Would you like the comfort of learning how to exercise in a group format? Does going into Dixon, make you nervous? This weekly class emphasizes the pleasure and enjoyment of an active, healthy life for all shapes and sizes. This will be a safe environment to learn how to move your body in ways that feel good to you. Whatever your age, size or ability, you have the right to be active and feel comfortable while doing it. This class is open to all women, please join Deb in 301 Langton Hall.

Epic Sunday and Monday

Today has been great- I painted and tidied fabric with the black cultural center club and it was a blast! Picture of that to come! But here is a small overview of the weekend.........Sunday was so beautiful! I mowed the lawn and cut some fresh daffodils. Something about fresh flowers, especially yellow ones, they brighten up any room. Here is my bouquet, I added a red and creme gingham ribbon to give it a country feel.

Here is an oldy but goodie- Jay and Mugsy snuggled up on a Beaver basketball saturday. xxoo

Hmmmmm

Good Morning,

Today is Saturday and I am snuggled on my couch contemplating my attack for the day. I have several to-do's and feel more motivated when I have a game plan (often abbreviated GP).

In other news, I have decided to sell my car! I am having my expert brother help in the process of getting it posted on the internet and take care of all the specifics. My thought is that it is time for a new car and I can invest in a newer more environmentally friendly one when I get to WVU. In order to get the ball rolling on my car, I'll need to wash it and take pictures of it today. Hoping the sunshine comes out because pictures look happier with the sun.

Yesterday the sun was so amazing! I took Mugsy to the doggy park for over an hour and he loved it! He was running around and playing with the other dogs. It was really cute. It is also funny how to the other dog owners remember who you are based on your dog. One person said to me yesterday, "oh how is Mugsy doing?" Hahahahaha

Here are a few pictures of a design submission I am sending to the ITAA Hawaiian Conference that is coming up this November- WVU is sending me there :) This will be the first time ever that I am being sent to a conference all expenses paid AND they are sending me because I am smart. Awesome. Aside from this design I am submitting a research project and anti-fat bias in the apparel and merchandising management academic departments..... but I think these pictures are more interesting than a research article :)

                 

                       

Buttttttttt........... If you are interested, below is the work in progress of the research I am submitting.

Sunshine in the NW

It is so beautiful outside today however it is still cold. I am talking 40 degrees, hmmmmmmm I am checking out weather in Morgantown and it is currently 68 and sunny. Hmmmmmmm I like the sound of that.

Not much to report over here except for that I am enjoying my last few weeks of Winter quarter. I am feeling pleasantly swamped with responsibilities yet I am not stressed out. Maybe that is to come or maybe I just won't get stressed out and that would be great. My to do list entails a lot of reading and writing and proof-reading and helping students on some of their work. I very much enjoy working with the undergraduate students...well some of them. Question: Have you ever had a person pick a front wedgie while in the midst of a conversation?

Well, it happened to me after class the other day and I felt very awkward. I wanted to say, "excuse me, but I cannot hear anything you are saying because I am so distracted by your wedgie picking right now"

Oh well, I guess when you gotta pick you gotta pick.

In other news.......I am a happy camper today, planning a fashion show with the African Student Center. This upcoming Monday I am meeting with their club and teaching them to make traditional Batik fabric. It is the technique where you use wax to draw designs on fabric, then dye the fabric then scrape the wax off and wallllalallla! You have beautiful batik material. It should be fun. Well, I am also working on 2 other publications as well as my dissertation. yeah baby- living the motto of 'work hard and play hard'.

Still waiting..... and The Lorax

Well, it has been several weeks and I am still not approved for my dissertation study. Thus meaning that once I am approved, I will be collecting data in overdrive. Dear family and friends- I will miss you while I am locked in my office :) Just kidding!!! I think I have mastered the art of work/life balance. I do know that I will be working more than usual to complete my degree here at Oregon State. The more and more I submerge myself if the area of "fat people, clothing, athletics and discrimination" - I see more of it engrained in our society. Example:


Jay and I went on the BEST date night this past weekend. We went to his cousins basketball game, went out for tapas/dinner and then went to see the Lorax in 3D. Jay is the best, he went to the theater ahead of time - got the tickets and the glasses - the movie has had a lot of hype and I was slightly concerned about seating (grateful for a partner who eases my mind). Aside from the fantastic date night, the main point is the move: The Lorax.


Brief Lorax and Dr. Seuss History:


The Lorax is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. As in most Dr. Seuss works, most of the creatures mentioned are original to the book. (From Wikipedia)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lorax


Dr. Seuss: March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer, poet, andcartoonist most widely known for his children's books. His first book,  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times. 


A few opinions I have of the film: (Considering this for publication too) This is my ROUGHH draft I wrote in 17 minutes. 

The Lorax: Signs of Sexism and Sizeism.

Disney continues to teach our youth it is acceptable to discriminate again women and fat people.

Some of you are thinking, common can’t we just enjoy the movie? Well, yes. BUT, I think the movie would have been better without the discriminating aspects. The point of the movie is phenomenal and clearly Dr. Seuss was beyond his years when he originally wrote the Lorax over 50 years ago. He obviously saw things that we did not (still do not clearly see), he truly was an innovator. He felt strongly enough about his stories that he pushed through rejection of publishers saying, ‘children will not want to read this kind of stuff”.  Well, they were wrong and so is Disney for putting certain characters in poor light.

Breaking down sex barriers:

You wouldn’t hit a woman?

What? That’s a woman??

This scene of the movie shows that it is unacceptable for a woman to be tall, aggressive, commanding, large, round or with a deep voice because you might be considered a man if you are!! The Lorax (Orange character) here is discriminating against this woman and assumed she was a man because of her height, commanding nature, size and shape. RUDE. Disney common, you are the leaders of children movies! Can you realize what type of messages you are sending to our youth? It is OK to make fun of those who are different. Is it??? NO it is not. How do you think a young, round, deep voiced girl would feel about herself after watching this?

 I am not saying that all Disney movies are so blatantly disrespectful and I do very much appreciate that Disney used different body types, shapes and sizes in this film. However, I wonder if that was influenced from Dr. Seuss and his depiction of the characters from the book? Regardless of where that came from I think it is great to show characters of all size, shape and color….even though this one was lacking the ethnicity diversity. Showing that in order to be accepted you have to be white…. Yikes.

And yes, I do recognize that the movie is an adaptation of the book so all aspects will not be the same.

And Yes, I am hypersensitive to this topic because it is what I study. For a moment, place yourself in the shoes of someone who is made fun of for being different, in this case fat or unidentified with a certain gender. It does not feel good. Once our movies, magazines, television shows, newspapers, media and society as a whole stops discriminating against those who are colored, large and transgendered the laughter will continue.

Last soap box: Sizeism. Not OK in my book. This move repeatedly makes fun of the talles, largest, roundest and fattest member of the bear family. Look at this picture below where the bears are eating marshmallows. Notice who happens to have a mouthful while the others do not?

What assumption do you make about the bear with his mouthful? Maybe he overeats? He is lazy and stupid in comparison to the other bears? I don’t know about you but I know plenty of small bears (metaphorically speaking of course) that eat a ton of marshmallows (again metaphorically) and they are lazy and stupid but no one would ever assume that about them because they are small.  One more photo from the movie…..

The Lorax opens the refrigerator to find, yet again, the fattest bear in their eating sticks of butter. Really? Why the fat bear? Take a second and ask yourself is this funny? If yes, why? This is really stereotyping people who are fat and saying that ALL they do is sit around and eat fat. Again, I don’t know abut you but I know large people who are active and don’t eat sticks of butter all day. I hate this message of if you are fat this is what we (Disney and the rest of society) thinks you do.  My dream is to show fat people and fat bears in a better light. The movie would have been just as good without these scenes that reinforce the negative stereotypes of women and fat people.

I guess in a way I feel like I am speaking for those who cannot or will not be heard. Each of us, in our own way, cares a whole awful lot and if there is no action to better the world, nothing is going to get better. So simply put, thank you Dr. Suess. Next time you watch a movie, be aware of what you are laughing at and ask yourself, why is this funny? Am I laughing at someone else’s expense?

Is there anything that you deeply care for that maybe the rest of society doesn't quite understand?

Stepping of my soap box for a few days… Love you! Thanks for listening