Dear Friend,
We apologize for the immense lack of posts lately. The last week of school before break was absolutely crazy- we were both running around on all sorts of missions. It's winter break now and we're completely exhausted, so we thought we should take this time to catch up on some rest. Also, Kylie seems to have come down with what we believe is food poisoning from some Christmas cookies the other day. Hopefully she'll be back in commission soon!
Anyways, we'll be back by the new year and pick up where we left off. Happy Holidays!
See you in 2013!
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Semiotics of the Kitchen: by Martha Rosler
Dear Friend,
This post will continue from our post on Saturday about Elles: SAM. If you have not yet read that post, go read it. It might help this one make more sense.
Semiotics of the Kitchen: by Martha Rosler
This piece was presented on an old TV in a corner of one of the museum rooms. Click on the link to watch the video. Martha Rosler created this video as a nod to feminism In the video, she puts on a "cooking show", as were popular in 1975 when the video was created. One of the assumptions made about women in this decade was that a women's place was in the kitchen. Even in the 21st century, this is still a mindset that some people have. Mrs. Rosler created the first ever feminism parody. Beginning at A and continuing through Z, she puts on a fake cooking show. A= apron, B=beater, etc. She is "teaching" the audience how to cook, similar to cooking shows, however she is very angry doing it. She is less than impressed, and goes through the alphabet with no emotion.
We really enjoyed this piece, because it was different than others we have seen. Many fem-artists show the struggles of living in a male dominated society through paintings, or propaganda, but Mrs. Rosler took a new approach. She included comedy with a darker undertone. We watched the entire video with one of our close friends, and the three of us were trying to suppress laughter int he silent museum. It is a comical skit, but the message behind it is strong.
There are also many metaphors behind the video, besides the obvious one of feminism. At the end of the video, she doesn't actually make anything in the kitchen, showing that women in the kitchen don't actually accomplish anything productive. She angrily mixes invisible ingredients, and throws the off of the screen, or "outside of the box of public television". When she reaches U, she begins to just use hand motions until she reaches Z. at the end she shrugs, showing that the video is not meant to be a hugely negative message, but rather one of reality.
"Behind every successful women, is herself."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
This post will continue from our post on Saturday about Elles: SAM. If you have not yet read that post, go read it. It might help this one make more sense.
Semiotics of the Kitchen: by Martha Rosler
This piece was presented on an old TV in a corner of one of the museum rooms. Click on the link to watch the video. Martha Rosler created this video as a nod to feminism In the video, she puts on a "cooking show", as were popular in 1975 when the video was created. One of the assumptions made about women in this decade was that a women's place was in the kitchen. Even in the 21st century, this is still a mindset that some people have. Mrs. Rosler created the first ever feminism parody. Beginning at A and continuing through Z, she puts on a fake cooking show. A= apron, B=beater, etc. She is "teaching" the audience how to cook, similar to cooking shows, however she is very angry doing it. She is less than impressed, and goes through the alphabet with no emotion.
We really enjoyed this piece, because it was different than others we have seen. Many fem-artists show the struggles of living in a male dominated society through paintings, or propaganda, but Mrs. Rosler took a new approach. She included comedy with a darker undertone. We watched the entire video with one of our close friends, and the three of us were trying to suppress laughter int he silent museum. It is a comical skit, but the message behind it is strong.
There are also many metaphors behind the video, besides the obvious one of feminism. At the end of the video, she doesn't actually make anything in the kitchen, showing that women in the kitchen don't actually accomplish anything productive. She angrily mixes invisible ingredients, and throws the off of the screen, or "outside of the box of public television". When she reaches U, she begins to just use hand motions until she reaches Z. at the end she shrugs, showing that the video is not meant to be a hugely negative message, but rather one of reality.
"Behind every successful women, is herself."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Elles: SAM
Dear Friend,
Yesterday we visited the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) for an unofficial, off-book field trip for English. We all met for dinner at House of Kong, and then went to the museum at around 8:00. Unfortunately the museum closes at 9:00, so we didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked, but we definitely enjoyed what we saw. The current exhibition is called "Elles", and is a selection of art from female artists only. Elles: Pompidou is comprised of over 130 works made by 75 female artists, form the years 1907-2007. The exhibition was first organized in Paris. The art spans mediums, including paintings, videos, and audio.
Although ever piece in the exhibitionism is amazing, three stood out to us:
Semiotics of the Kitchen: by Martha Rosler
Les Pensionnaires: by Annette Messager
Inflammatory Essays: by Jenny Holzer
Art really intrigues us. Art is abstract, because no two pieces are identical. Art does not come solely form nature, or from mathematical concepts, or anything else. Art is a combination of life experiences, thoughts, feelings, fears, messages, anger, and so much more. A painting of a vineyard can hold as much emotion as a long divorce. A simple how-to video can describe the angst of the feminism movement. Simple representations of raw emotion can speak to so many people. Art is timeless. The Mona Lisa's smile does not loose it's charm in the 21st century, nor do Jackson Pollock's seemingly random brush strokes.
A question that percolates with us often is "What is art?" To be honest, we don't have an answer to this question. What makes a Pollock or Picaso painting any more legit than an enduring 4 year old's finger painting? Is art in the eye of the beholder? Another reason why we love art so much is that it causes us to ask these unanswerable questions. Art conveys so much depth and meaning, that some pieces are so frustratingly unexplainable, and that's where the beauty steps in. Some people claim that they "just don't get art", but we think that anyone can understand art. Part of understanding is uncovering the paradox that perhaps by not understanding, we learn to understand. Understanding involves patience, and the ability to not have all of the answers and to be okay with that.
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -Thomas Merton
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Yesterday we visited the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) for an unofficial, off-book field trip for English. We all met for dinner at House of Kong, and then went to the museum at around 8:00. Unfortunately the museum closes at 9:00, so we didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked, but we definitely enjoyed what we saw. The current exhibition is called "Elles", and is a selection of art from female artists only. Elles: Pompidou is comprised of over 130 works made by 75 female artists, form the years 1907-2007. The exhibition was first organized in Paris. The art spans mediums, including paintings, videos, and audio.
Although ever piece in the exhibitionism is amazing, three stood out to us:
Semiotics of the Kitchen: by Martha Rosler
Les Pensionnaires: by Annette Messager
Inflammatory Essays: by Jenny Holzer
Art really intrigues us. Art is abstract, because no two pieces are identical. Art does not come solely form nature, or from mathematical concepts, or anything else. Art is a combination of life experiences, thoughts, feelings, fears, messages, anger, and so much more. A painting of a vineyard can hold as much emotion as a long divorce. A simple how-to video can describe the angst of the feminism movement. Simple representations of raw emotion can speak to so many people. Art is timeless. The Mona Lisa's smile does not loose it's charm in the 21st century, nor do Jackson Pollock's seemingly random brush strokes.
A question that percolates with us often is "What is art?" To be honest, we don't have an answer to this question. What makes a Pollock or Picaso painting any more legit than an enduring 4 year old's finger painting? Is art in the eye of the beholder? Another reason why we love art so much is that it causes us to ask these unanswerable questions. Art conveys so much depth and meaning, that some pieces are so frustratingly unexplainable, and that's where the beauty steps in. Some people claim that they "just don't get art", but we think that anyone can understand art. Part of understanding is uncovering the paradox that perhaps by not understanding, we learn to understand. Understanding involves patience, and the ability to not have all of the answers and to be okay with that.
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -Thomas Merton
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Friday, December 14, 2012
Sandy Hook Elementary
Dear Friend,
As you may have heard, an awful and unthinkable event occurred today. At Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, a gunman took the lives of twenty seven people, including twenty children and himself. We heard about this terrible shooting during class this morning and it put a huge damper on our day. We don't normally get worked up about news stories, but this one has left us quite upset and it has definitely put life into perspective for us.
There is a lot going through our minds right now. To be honest, our first thought after hearing about this was "Seriously?" We didn't believe it- we were in denial. Many people had mentioned there was a "shooting," but none of us knew exactly what happened, so hearing that twenty seven people had lost their lives was a huge shock to us. It made us realize that a "shooting" isn't just another "shooting." This then brought up the question- are we desensitized by news stories? Does hearing about crimes after crimes on a daily basis make those situations less terrible? While reading articles on this school shooting, we came across an interesting fact- out of the twelve deadliest shootings in U.S history, six of them have happened over the last five years. Ever since Virginia Tech in 2007, the two of us have remembered quite a lot of massacres and it makes us wonder why they seem to keep happening...but we digress.
Hearing about this shooting has brought up a lot of feelings. We are angry that this one man chose to turn a place that is supposed to be safe into one that is now forever tainted by such horrible memories....we are upset that many families will be mourning instead of celebrating during this holiday season...and we feel sick thinking about the fact that some children have completely lost their innocence and that some will never experience prom, graduation, college, weddings, etc. And worse of all, although we've sent good thoughts and prayers to Newton, Connecticut, we feel hopeless. We could never imagine experiencing such a tragic event at our own school. It make us shudder at the thought that some of our teachers or classmates could lose their lives in a matter of seconds. As we said earlier, this put things into perspective and it's sort of a reality check that we never know what can happen. Right now, we're having trouble putting our thoughts into words, but if there is anything you get out of this post, it should be that you make sure you let those close to you know that you love them each day. Life is short..even though it is the longest thing we've got.
Our hearts truly go out to those effected by this incredibly dreadful event.
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Madeline F. Hsu, 6
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Russeau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N Wyatt, 6
“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together,put me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever .” -A.A. Milne
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
As you may have heard, an awful and unthinkable event occurred today. At Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, a gunman took the lives of twenty seven people, including twenty children and himself. We heard about this terrible shooting during class this morning and it put a huge damper on our day. We don't normally get worked up about news stories, but this one has left us quite upset and it has definitely put life into perspective for us.
There is a lot going through our minds right now. To be honest, our first thought after hearing about this was "Seriously?" We didn't believe it- we were in denial. Many people had mentioned there was a "shooting," but none of us knew exactly what happened, so hearing that twenty seven people had lost their lives was a huge shock to us. It made us realize that a "shooting" isn't just another "shooting." This then brought up the question- are we desensitized by news stories? Does hearing about crimes after crimes on a daily basis make those situations less terrible? While reading articles on this school shooting, we came across an interesting fact- out of the twelve deadliest shootings in U.S history, six of them have happened over the last five years. Ever since Virginia Tech in 2007, the two of us have remembered quite a lot of massacres and it makes us wonder why they seem to keep happening...but we digress.
Hearing about this shooting has brought up a lot of feelings. We are angry that this one man chose to turn a place that is supposed to be safe into one that is now forever tainted by such horrible memories....we are upset that many families will be mourning instead of celebrating during this holiday season...and we feel sick thinking about the fact that some children have completely lost their innocence and that some will never experience prom, graduation, college, weddings, etc. And worse of all, although we've sent good thoughts and prayers to Newton, Connecticut, we feel hopeless. We could never imagine experiencing such a tragic event at our own school. It make us shudder at the thought that some of our teachers or classmates could lose their lives in a matter of seconds. As we said earlier, this put things into perspective and it's sort of a reality check that we never know what can happen. Right now, we're having trouble putting our thoughts into words, but if there is anything you get out of this post, it should be that you make sure you let those close to you know that you love them each day. Life is short..even though it is the longest thing we've got.
Our hearts truly go out to those effected by this incredibly dreadful event.
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Madeline F. Hsu, 6
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Russeau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N Wyatt, 6
“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together,put me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever .” -A.A. Milne
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Thursday, December 13, 2012
How to Write Heartfelt Letters
Dear Friend,
At our school, there is a special tradition called "Feast Wishes." Occurring every year on the last day before winter break, it is an event that originated during our school's boarding school days. Every holiday season, students would celebrate by presenting their teachers with personalized letters of appreciation for their work and wishes for a good Christmas. This is our favorite tradition because it is a time where our whole school comes together and although the weather outside is nippy, the environment is warm and welcoming. The two of us are feeling very nostalgic because this is our last year to write Feast Wish letters. In fifth grade, we wrote letters to faculty and staff we didn't really know because it was our first year in middle school; as seniors, we are writing letters to all the teachers who have been such huge influences in our lives over the last eight years. With that being said, we have written around twenty Feast Wish letters. You may think this is overkill, but we're so thankful for many of the faculty at our school and to be honest, we love writing letters. If you ever have trouble telling someone how much they mean to you in a heartfelt letter, below are some tips we have found helpful when writing such letters:
-Think about what you want to say before putting it on paper, but don't over think it
-Be truthful- write from your heart (without sounding fake or too cheesy)
-Think about your favorite qualities of the person you're writing to
-Be witty
-"Yolo it"- don't second guess yourself
-Proofread
-Use cute stationary
We hope those little tips help. Writing letters should never be something you dread- they are a wonderful way to give heartfelt messages to someone you deeply care about.
"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."- Phyllis Theroux
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
At our school, there is a special tradition called "Feast Wishes." Occurring every year on the last day before winter break, it is an event that originated during our school's boarding school days. Every holiday season, students would celebrate by presenting their teachers with personalized letters of appreciation for their work and wishes for a good Christmas. This is our favorite tradition because it is a time where our whole school comes together and although the weather outside is nippy, the environment is warm and welcoming. The two of us are feeling very nostalgic because this is our last year to write Feast Wish letters. In fifth grade, we wrote letters to faculty and staff we didn't really know because it was our first year in middle school; as seniors, we are writing letters to all the teachers who have been such huge influences in our lives over the last eight years. With that being said, we have written around twenty Feast Wish letters. You may think this is overkill, but we're so thankful for many of the faculty at our school and to be honest, we love writing letters. If you ever have trouble telling someone how much they mean to you in a heartfelt letter, below are some tips we have found helpful when writing such letters:
-Think about what you want to say before putting it on paper, but don't over think it
-Be truthful- write from your heart (without sounding fake or too cheesy)
-Think about your favorite qualities of the person you're writing to
-Be witty
-"Yolo it"- don't second guess yourself
-Proofread
-Use cute stationary
We hope those little tips help. Writing letters should never be something you dread- they are a wonderful way to give heartfelt messages to someone you deeply care about.
"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."- Phyllis Theroux
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Three Wishes
Dear Friend,
What would you do if a you found a genie and he granted you three wishes? Besides the initial confusion as to why you are talking to a genie, and how he has the power to grant three wishes, and why genies are all men and never women etc. etc. etc., meeting a genie and getting three wishes would actually be pretty awesome. The only problem would be deciding on what wish to make.
Obvious ones that come to our minds are:
1. Healthy families
2. Happy lives
3. World peace
Those are all great, but if we really think about it, isn't it sort of conceited to just ask for OUR families to remain healthy and lead happy lives? What about everyone else's families? Is illness just a part of life? And isn't happiness something we all have to discover for ourselves? If a magic genie all of the sudden makes us happy, what would that mean? Is it possible to magically become happy without working or waiting? And world peace is just one degree warmer than impossible. But more on that later.
So then we thought of simpler wishes that wouldn't impact anyone as much:
1. Endless J. Crew giftcards
2. Endless Starbucks giftcards
3. Endless supply of those chocolate acai berries
After that, we felt really materialistic. If we could have ANY three wishes, what would they be? And don't say for more wishes because we all know that that is against the rules. We came up with even more possible wishes that solely had to do with other people:
1. That two of our close friends realize that they still care about each other and go back to being best friends because they are and always will be, even if they don't believe it
2. That our other friend realize that her current "best friend" is actually just bringing her down
3. That our other friend know that we are here for her no matter what, even though we never really talk
But then we thought that those are things of free will, and it isn't fair to make two people be best friends (even though they totally are), or break up another friendship (even if it isn't healthy). As for the third wish, we could just tell that friend that we support her, and all would be fine and dandy. So those friendship wishes are out.
It turns out that thinking of three wishes that have positive impacts while remaining non-intrusive and safe are nearly impossible. After even more deliberation, we finally came up with our final list:
1. That we always hold reminders of grace, love, and courage in our hearts
2. That we remember the simple necesity of complete presence
3. That we never stop seeing life as an adventure
If you were granted three wishes, what would they be?
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
What would you do if a you found a genie and he granted you three wishes? Besides the initial confusion as to why you are talking to a genie, and how he has the power to grant three wishes, and why genies are all men and never women etc. etc. etc., meeting a genie and getting three wishes would actually be pretty awesome. The only problem would be deciding on what wish to make.
Obvious ones that come to our minds are:
1. Healthy families
2. Happy lives
3. World peace
Those are all great, but if we really think about it, isn't it sort of conceited to just ask for OUR families to remain healthy and lead happy lives? What about everyone else's families? Is illness just a part of life? And isn't happiness something we all have to discover for ourselves? If a magic genie all of the sudden makes us happy, what would that mean? Is it possible to magically become happy without working or waiting? And world peace is just one degree warmer than impossible. But more on that later.
So then we thought of simpler wishes that wouldn't impact anyone as much:
1. Endless J. Crew giftcards
2. Endless Starbucks giftcards
3. Endless supply of those chocolate acai berries
After that, we felt really materialistic. If we could have ANY three wishes, what would they be? And don't say for more wishes because we all know that that is against the rules. We came up with even more possible wishes that solely had to do with other people:
1. That two of our close friends realize that they still care about each other and go back to being best friends because they are and always will be, even if they don't believe it
2. That our other friend realize that her current "best friend" is actually just bringing her down
3. That our other friend know that we are here for her no matter what, even though we never really talk
But then we thought that those are things of free will, and it isn't fair to make two people be best friends (even though they totally are), or break up another friendship (even if it isn't healthy). As for the third wish, we could just tell that friend that we support her, and all would be fine and dandy. So those friendship wishes are out.
It turns out that thinking of three wishes that have positive impacts while remaining non-intrusive and safe are nearly impossible. After even more deliberation, we finally came up with our final list:
1. That we always hold reminders of grace, love, and courage in our hearts
2. That we remember the simple necesity of complete presence
3. That we never stop seeing life as an adventure
If you were granted three wishes, what would they be?
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Favorite Ten Things: Red
Dear Friend,
This post will be the first of many top ten lists. Today, it is dedicated to our favorite ten things that are RED.
1. Roses
2. Elmo
3. Cherry tomatoes
4. Apples
6. Starbuck's holiday cups
7. ASB pins
8. Wax seals
9. Cake (red velvet)
10. Clifford (the big red dog)
"Cause loving him was red...we're burning red." -Taylor Swift, Red
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
This post will be the first of many top ten lists. Today, it is dedicated to our favorite ten things that are RED.
1. Roses
2. Elmo
3. Cherry tomatoes
4. Apples
6. Starbuck's holiday cups
7. ASB pins
8. Wax seals
9. Cake (red velvet)
10. Clifford (the big red dog)
"Cause loving him was red...we're burning red." -Taylor Swift, Red
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Monday, December 10, 2012
Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Dear Friend,
A few weeks ago, we posted about our obsessions. #1 was the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries". This post is going to expand on them.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries started on April 9th, 2012. They are a YouTube series which uploads every Monday and Thursday. Essentially, the diaries are a modern interpretation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Lizzy Bennet, the middle sister, runs a video blog in which she outlined the events of her life, following the book. In the video diaries, Lizzy is an graduate student, living at home. Her younger sister Lydia is the partyer of the family, and Jane is the super sweet older sister, working for a fashion company. They are hilarious, fun, and surprisingly true to the book (well, as true as they can be in modern times). So far, there are 70 episodes. Each are 3-4 minutes long. We HIGHLY recommend that you watch them. Even if you're thinking oh, those are probably super lame, or I don't have the time, just watch the FIRST ONE before you make a judgement.
"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face." -Lizzy, impersonating Darcy
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
A few weeks ago, we posted about our obsessions. #1 was the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries". This post is going to expand on them.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries started on April 9th, 2012. They are a YouTube series which uploads every Monday and Thursday. Essentially, the diaries are a modern interpretation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Lizzy Bennet, the middle sister, runs a video blog in which she outlined the events of her life, following the book. In the video diaries, Lizzy is an graduate student, living at home. Her younger sister Lydia is the partyer of the family, and Jane is the super sweet older sister, working for a fashion company. They are hilarious, fun, and surprisingly true to the book (well, as true as they can be in modern times). So far, there are 70 episodes. Each are 3-4 minutes long. We HIGHLY recommend that you watch them. Even if you're thinking oh, those are probably super lame, or I don't have the time, just watch the FIRST ONE before you make a judgement.
"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face." -Lizzy, impersonating Darcy
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Birds
Dear Friend,
You may be startled by the new background theme of our blog and you're probably wondering why we changed it. First off, this theme is temporary- we'll be changing it to a more winter/holiday theme within a week or so. Second, the reason behind us choosing this odd theme is because we're trying to get over one of our fears:
Birds.
Even though we've made the effort to change our blog's theme to birds, it probably won't change the fact that we are not fans of birds.
Birds are odd little creatures that just happen to be everywhere. If you think about it, you probably don't go a day without seeing a bird. Maybe this is just us imagining things, but we see birds all around campus, when we're driving home, or just sitting outside our windows. They are like little spies who are watching your every move. We always feel like they're judging us, waiting for us to fall on our faces and make a fool out of ourselves. They are not friendly or trustworthy- you can't just casually go up to a bird and have a real life conversation with it because a) it will refuse to listen and probably fly away or b) it will share your secrets with all its little bird friends. That brings us to another reason why we highly disapprove of birds. When they fly alone, they're creepy, and when they fly together as a flock, they are even creepier. Why do birds do that? It's like they are an elite gang or cult that only accept you if you conform to their standards. If you aren't one of them, you better watch out because they might just bring you down.
Our fear of birds might be a bit out of control, but let's be honest...we made some good points about why one should avoid those little flying balls of feathers. Watch your back- you have been warned!
"Don't take chances with birds."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
You may be startled by the new background theme of our blog and you're probably wondering why we changed it. First off, this theme is temporary- we'll be changing it to a more winter/holiday theme within a week or so. Second, the reason behind us choosing this odd theme is because we're trying to get over one of our fears:
Birds.
Even though we've made the effort to change our blog's theme to birds, it probably won't change the fact that we are not fans of birds.
Birds are odd little creatures that just happen to be everywhere. If you think about it, you probably don't go a day without seeing a bird. Maybe this is just us imagining things, but we see birds all around campus, when we're driving home, or just sitting outside our windows. They are like little spies who are watching your every move. We always feel like they're judging us, waiting for us to fall on our faces and make a fool out of ourselves. They are not friendly or trustworthy- you can't just casually go up to a bird and have a real life conversation with it because a) it will refuse to listen and probably fly away or b) it will share your secrets with all its little bird friends. That brings us to another reason why we highly disapprove of birds. When they fly alone, they're creepy, and when they fly together as a flock, they are even creepier. Why do birds do that? It's like they are an elite gang or cult that only accept you if you conform to their standards. If you aren't one of them, you better watch out because they might just bring you down.
Our fear of birds might be a bit out of control, but let's be honest...we made some good points about why one should avoid those little flying balls of feathers. Watch your back- you have been warned!
"Don't take chances with birds."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Saturday, December 8, 2012
TED Talk: The Happy Secret to Better Work
Dear Friend,
If you haven't heard of TED Talks, we encourage you to check them out. TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design" and is a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas. Spreading ideas has the power to change people's lives and behaviors. These talks can range from a few minutes to some longer than twenty minutes, but regardless of how long each talk is, they all have a valuable lesson for you to take away. As mentioned on their website, "TED is best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world."
You can watch TED Talks online or on your smartphone via their fancy app (which is actually quite helpful when looking for talks that suit your best interest). There is a wide variety of talks, but we thought we would share some of our favorites through this blog.
The first TED Talk we would like to suggest is given by psychologist Shawn Anchor. In this talk, he talks about happiness and its influence on our lives (it's actually quite similar to our recent blog post about choosing happiness). Shawn is a vibrant speaker and what he has to say is extremely valuable and inspiring. Check it out below!
"Shawn Anchor: The Happy Secret to Better Work": http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html
"It's the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time." -Shawn Anchor
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
If you haven't heard of TED Talks, we encourage you to check them out. TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design" and is a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas. Spreading ideas has the power to change people's lives and behaviors. These talks can range from a few minutes to some longer than twenty minutes, but regardless of how long each talk is, they all have a valuable lesson for you to take away. As mentioned on their website, "TED is best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world."
You can watch TED Talks online or on your smartphone via their fancy app (which is actually quite helpful when looking for talks that suit your best interest). There is a wide variety of talks, but we thought we would share some of our favorites through this blog.
The first TED Talk we would like to suggest is given by psychologist Shawn Anchor. In this talk, he talks about happiness and its influence on our lives (it's actually quite similar to our recent blog post about choosing happiness). Shawn is a vibrant speaker and what he has to say is extremely valuable and inspiring. Check it out below!
"Shawn Anchor: The Happy Secret to Better Work": http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html
"It's the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time." -Shawn Anchor
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Friday, December 7, 2012
Future You
Dear Friend,
One of our friends told us about a really cool website and we thought we would share it with all of you:
www.futureme.org
On this website, you are able to send emails to your future self. You can type up a little message to your future self right now and then set it for a date to be emailed back to you. This could be used for many different reasons- you could send reminders or little positive quotes for an upcoming rough day. You could even write an email to your future self for the heck of it.
This is a very fun website and we highly recommend that you check it out. Plus, who doesn't like messing with the future?
"Dear younger me, you will get much better with age."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
One of our friends told us about a really cool website and we thought we would share it with all of you:
www.futureme.org
On this website, you are able to send emails to your future self. You can type up a little message to your future self right now and then set it for a date to be emailed back to you. This could be used for many different reasons- you could send reminders or little positive quotes for an upcoming rough day. You could even write an email to your future self for the heck of it.
This is a very fun website and we highly recommend that you check it out. Plus, who doesn't like messing with the future?
"Dear younger me, you will get much better with age."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Reasons to Smile
Dear Friend,
Sometime life can seem overwhelming and dreary. Maybe you have to much homework, or your friends aren't being as supportive as they ought to be, or you're counting the days 'til winter break. Below we have listed 10 little reasons that you should be happy and smile right now:
1. Leg warmers are back in style
2. Kate Middleton exists
3. You read our blog
4. Coffee dates with friends
5. Cats
6. Your favorite sweater
7. Warm cups of tea
8. Channing Tatum
9. Hugs from friends
10. The fact that tomorrow is a day with no mistakes. Make it the best!
"For every minute you are angry, you loose 60 seconds of happiness." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Sometime life can seem overwhelming and dreary. Maybe you have to much homework, or your friends aren't being as supportive as they ought to be, or you're counting the days 'til winter break. Below we have listed 10 little reasons that you should be happy and smile right now:
1. Leg warmers are back in style
2. Kate Middleton exists
3. You read our blog
4. Coffee dates with friends
5. Cats
6. Your favorite sweater
7. Warm cups of tea
8. Channing Tatum
9. Hugs from friends
10. The fact that tomorrow is a day with no mistakes. Make it the best!
"For every minute you are angry, you loose 60 seconds of happiness." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
How to Start a Blog
Dear Friend,
When we first had the idea to start a blog, we both had doubts. Would we be able to keep it up? Would anyone read it? What would we write about? And the biggest, Why does anyone care about what we have to say? If you've ever pondered starting a blog of your own, you may have had some of these questions.
Would I be able to keep it up? This is entirely up to you. If you choose to put forth the effort to write often, then you will obviously keep it up. The great thing about blogging is that if you don't have the time, there is no punishment for not posting.
Would anyone read it? If you get a good follower base, this will encourage you to post more often. When people tell us that they like our blog, or even just that they read our blog, we feel incredibly happy and lucky. This keeps us motivated to write more, which is why this is a daily blog (our apologies for getting behind in publishing these posts...if you check the date, we still have 1 a day...we haven't failed yet!). If you write about things you are interested in or passionate about, we guarantee you that at least a few people will read it. If no one does, send it to us, and we will check it out (you can e-mail us if you have our personal e-mails, or contact us on twitter, link on the sidebar). Also, who cares if no one reads it? Just open yourself up to that vulnerability, and keep writing no matter what.
What would I write about? Starting to write can be scary. The two of us spend nearly three hours on the phone writing our first blog post. You've probably heard this before, but write what you know. Write about funny stories, or sad stories, or things that pop into your head, or advice, or quotes, or really ANYTHING. There are no wrong answers. As long as you enjoy writing it, chances are, people will enjoy reading it.
Why does anyone care about what I have to say? This is tricky. We're sometimes self conscious about blogging, because we don't want to seem like we think that what we have to say is any more valuable that what other people have to say. But we are proud of what we come up with, so we post it anyways. Self pride can sometimes be seen as a negative thing, but in reality, it is great. If you have pride in your work and are proud of your accomplishments, there should be no shame in that. Stand tall, and trust that your voice matters just as much as anyone else's. If you care, people will care. Just start writing.
"I used to think that bloggers were twenty-something pariahs who sat in the back of coffee shops drinking green tea and complaining about humanity...until I became one of them."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Song of the week: Vienna by Billy Joel
When we first had the idea to start a blog, we both had doubts. Would we be able to keep it up? Would anyone read it? What would we write about? And the biggest, Why does anyone care about what we have to say? If you've ever pondered starting a blog of your own, you may have had some of these questions.
Would I be able to keep it up? This is entirely up to you. If you choose to put forth the effort to write often, then you will obviously keep it up. The great thing about blogging is that if you don't have the time, there is no punishment for not posting.
Would anyone read it? If you get a good follower base, this will encourage you to post more often. When people tell us that they like our blog, or even just that they read our blog, we feel incredibly happy and lucky. This keeps us motivated to write more, which is why this is a daily blog (our apologies for getting behind in publishing these posts...if you check the date, we still have 1 a day...we haven't failed yet!). If you write about things you are interested in or passionate about, we guarantee you that at least a few people will read it. If no one does, send it to us, and we will check it out (you can e-mail us if you have our personal e-mails, or contact us on twitter, link on the sidebar). Also, who cares if no one reads it? Just open yourself up to that vulnerability, and keep writing no matter what.
What would I write about? Starting to write can be scary. The two of us spend nearly three hours on the phone writing our first blog post. You've probably heard this before, but write what you know. Write about funny stories, or sad stories, or things that pop into your head, or advice, or quotes, or really ANYTHING. There are no wrong answers. As long as you enjoy writing it, chances are, people will enjoy reading it.
Why does anyone care about what I have to say? This is tricky. We're sometimes self conscious about blogging, because we don't want to seem like we think that what we have to say is any more valuable that what other people have to say. But we are proud of what we come up with, so we post it anyways. Self pride can sometimes be seen as a negative thing, but in reality, it is great. If you have pride in your work and are proud of your accomplishments, there should be no shame in that. Stand tall, and trust that your voice matters just as much as anyone else's. If you care, people will care. Just start writing.
"I used to think that bloggers were twenty-something pariahs who sat in the back of coffee shops drinking green tea and complaining about humanity...until I became one of them."
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Song of the week: Vienna by Billy Joel
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
How to Stop Stressing for Finals
Dear Friend,
With finals right around the corner, many of our classmates have been freaking out. Freshman seem to feel like this is an end-all in their high school experience, and some seniors are scared because this grade may determine their chance at college.
The best advice we can give you is this:
FEAR NOT.
Someone sent this to us in an e-mail around this time last year, and even though she said it offhandedly, we have used this as one of our guiding mottos. Fear Not has helped us navigate many situations. Some people will tell you not to worry or stress over finals, but if you're anything like us, this just makes us more nervous, because we then feel like we should be more freaked out than we actually are, causing a terrible chain reaction. Fear Not takes a little different approach.
Finals do not determine your life. Sure, they are a big deal, but in the larger scheme of things, they are not something you should be afraid of. Life throws things at us that seem overwhelming, but if we just remember to breath, we can overcome more than we could if we hold our breath. Fear Not and trust yourself. Have confidence that you are going to A-C-E that test, and even if you don't, that is okay as well. Nothing life threatening will happen if you get a bad grade, so don't be afraid. You got this.
The worst thing you can do is stress yourself to the point where you actually do worse on the final because of your anxiety. We have both been in this position, and it is not fun. Make sure that you get enough sleep the night before-this is important. There is nothing worse than taking a test on material that you know, but being too sleepy to recall any of it. Drink tea before you go to bed, and when you wake up. We recommend some form of green tea in the morning, as this has caffeine that will wake you up, but just a little bit, unlike coffee which is sort of like being hit by an energy bus, and not in a good way. Coffee is great sometimes, but you should be calm and collected during your test.
Good luck!
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
With finals right around the corner, many of our classmates have been freaking out. Freshman seem to feel like this is an end-all in their high school experience, and some seniors are scared because this grade may determine their chance at college.
The best advice we can give you is this:
FEAR NOT.
Someone sent this to us in an e-mail around this time last year, and even though she said it offhandedly, we have used this as one of our guiding mottos. Fear Not has helped us navigate many situations. Some people will tell you not to worry or stress over finals, but if you're anything like us, this just makes us more nervous, because we then feel like we should be more freaked out than we actually are, causing a terrible chain reaction. Fear Not takes a little different approach.
Finals do not determine your life. Sure, they are a big deal, but in the larger scheme of things, they are not something you should be afraid of. Life throws things at us that seem overwhelming, but if we just remember to breath, we can overcome more than we could if we hold our breath. Fear Not and trust yourself. Have confidence that you are going to A-C-E that test, and even if you don't, that is okay as well. Nothing life threatening will happen if you get a bad grade, so don't be afraid. You got this.
The worst thing you can do is stress yourself to the point where you actually do worse on the final because of your anxiety. We have both been in this position, and it is not fun. Make sure that you get enough sleep the night before-this is important. There is nothing worse than taking a test on material that you know, but being too sleepy to recall any of it. Drink tea before you go to bed, and when you wake up. We recommend some form of green tea in the morning, as this has caffeine that will wake you up, but just a little bit, unlike coffee which is sort of like being hit by an energy bus, and not in a good way. Coffee is great sometimes, but you should be calm and collected during your test.
Good luck!
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Monday, December 3, 2012
A Question
Dear Friend,
We are sort of on a low for blog post ideas, as you might be able to tell by the short posts lately. It wold be greatly appreciated if you could send us a quick comment or e-mail and let us know if you have ideas, so that you don't have to be continually disappointed by lame posts like this one.
You rock.
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
We are sort of on a low for blog post ideas, as you might be able to tell by the short posts lately. It wold be greatly appreciated if you could send us a quick comment or e-mail and let us know if you have ideas, so that you don't have to be continually disappointed by lame posts like this one.
You rock.
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Sunday, December 2, 2012
We Feel Awkward When...
Dear Friend,
We all have situations that make us feel out of place or awkward. Some people have more than others, and below is a list of 20 times that we feel awkward.
1. When we fill up our cars with gas
2. When Kylie tries to park
3. When our special "God Saves the Queen" text tone starts playing in Panera
4. When certain people refuse to carry on or end conversations
5. When we get read receipts on text and e-mail, but no response
6. When we come to school wearing the exact same thing to a T
7. When Catherine runs red lights
8. When people say that the library is a long walk
9. When Catherine accidentally responds to the wrong group e-mail
10. When we try to shop at J Crew
11. When we miss 11:11, even though we have alarms set
12. When people eat from our eating corner
13. When friends replace friends
14. When Kylie has to order extra large boba teas with extra boba because of a 4$ credit card minimum
15. When the gas light comes on
16. When people write on our white board
17. When the campus minister is gone and we become homeless
18. When we think we're funnier than we actually are
19. When people think we carpool
20. When people dislike us because of our friendship
These are just a few situations in which we feel particularly awkward. Oh well, at least we have each other through them all.
Be yourself.
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
We all have situations that make us feel out of place or awkward. Some people have more than others, and below is a list of 20 times that we feel awkward.
1. When we fill up our cars with gas
2. When Kylie tries to park
3. When our special "God Saves the Queen" text tone starts playing in Panera
4. When certain people refuse to carry on or end conversations
5. When we get read receipts on text and e-mail, but no response
6. When we come to school wearing the exact same thing to a T
7. When Catherine runs red lights
8. When people say that the library is a long walk
9. When Catherine accidentally responds to the wrong group e-mail
10. When we try to shop at J Crew
11. When we miss 11:11, even though we have alarms set
12. When people eat from our eating corner
13. When friends replace friends
14. When Kylie has to order extra large boba teas with extra boba because of a 4$ credit card minimum
15. When the gas light comes on
16. When people write on our white board
17. When the campus minister is gone and we become homeless
18. When we think we're funnier than we actually are
19. When people think we carpool
20. When people dislike us because of our friendship
These are just a few situations in which we feel particularly awkward. Oh well, at least we have each other through them all.
Be yourself.
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Sleep Cycle
Dear Friend,
Think about how you feel when you first wake up. You either want to throw your alarm clock across the room and curl back up in bed or you feel fully rested and ready to conquer whatever the day has in store for you. Wouldn't it be great to find a way to start each day feeling wide awake? Well, if you keep reading, you'll find out how.
If you have a smart phone, you're in luck! The app, "Sleep Cycle," is one worth buying if you would like to wake up feeling rested. Each night, you go through different states of sleep, from deep sleep to light sleep. This app is able to sense your movement at night to determine the different sleeping states you are in every hour. By doing this, it is able to wake you up during your lightest sleeping state so that you feel most relaxed. Before you go to bed, you select a time frame (half an hour is recommended) in which Sleep Cycle can wake you up. For example, if you choose 6:30 to 7:00 a.m, Sleep Cycle will wake you up during your lightest sleeping state in that time frame. In addition, you are able to choose from a variety of alarm tones to wake you up. You can choose anything from "Warm breeze" to "Sunrise" to "December moon." Just by their names you can already tell that each one is so super soothing. Also, after you wake up, you can view some statistics from the previous night. You can see how long you were in bed, when you were in deep vs. light sleeping states, and your overall sleep quality compared to other nights.
We highly recommend this app!
"There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep." -Homer, The Odyssey
Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine
Kylie and Catherine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)