It always amazes me how life - any life - can start out with just two cells (or, in some cases, a single cell) and, almost magically, become a human or a horse or a carrot. A sprinkling of amino acids, a dash of peptides and there you have it - life.
Last week, I sliced my finger with a tomato knife while cutting, well, a tomato. It hurt like a monkey and I used a whole paper towel to stop the bleeding. I didn't do much to it - just wrapped a band-aid around it to keep the flap of flesh smooshed down to protect the wound. And now, a week later, it's almost completely healed.
How does that happen? How does the body know what to do? Or even that it needs to fix something? Without me paying much attention to it - I went along my way going to class, studying, searching for jobs, doing yoga - my knife wound healed all by itself. And it goes back to just the way it was before - no scar, no disruption in the fingerprint grooves.
What amazes me is that I don't even know how my own body does it; I mean, I must know - my brain must be orchestrating the production of more blood to make up for what is lost and the production of more protein - but I don't know. Are the mind and brain two separate entities?
Good stuff. Although it hurts my brain to think about it. Or is it my mind? Either way, at least my finger is all better.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
A Little Green Man Named Oscar
For those of you watching the Oscars last night, you saw Penelope's dress that looked like it was made from a muppet. You marveled over the quirky "shadow people." And you heard that the Oscars made history by going green.
The Academy didn't give too many specifics on how they went green this year, but I was excited to see a influential body make a statement and encourage others to do the same. By bringing conservation to the forefront of everyone's minds, they set a good example to a celebrity-captive audience.
Granted, there is still some work to do be done. For example, it would have been nice to hear more about the Academy's greening efforts throughout the night, rather than just a mention by Al Gore during his presentation. And the story about the Academy going green didn't even make it to the front page of Oscar.com...I had to click a bit to find it. But a journey of a thousands miles begins with a single step...or something.
You can also click here to read the Academy's tips for the rest of us - what we can do everyday, to make a small difference.
The Academy didn't give too many specifics on how they went green this year, but I was excited to see a influential body make a statement and encourage others to do the same. By bringing conservation to the forefront of everyone's minds, they set a good example to a celebrity-captive audience.
Granted, there is still some work to do be done. For example, it would have been nice to hear more about the Academy's greening efforts throughout the night, rather than just a mention by Al Gore during his presentation. And the story about the Academy going green didn't even make it to the front page of Oscar.com...I had to click a bit to find it. But a journey of a thousands miles begins with a single step...or something.
You can also click here to read the Academy's tips for the rest of us - what we can do everyday, to make a small difference.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
America is Really Bored
February is just about the time of year when people start getting bored. The holidays are over, New Years' Resolutions aren't so shiny anymore and Spring is a long way off. Never mind that the groundhog didn't see his shadow and spring is right around the corner - it's still really cold!
But that gives no excuse for the sad state of media affairs lately. First, it was Anna Nicole Smith. Now it's Britney's hair. Really?
It's one thing for these stories to make front page of The Superficial or People or US Weekly. It's quite another when it makes the front page of CNN and MSNBC. Are we truly that bored with the rest of the world that we devote all our energy to Britney's shaved head? And why do we devote video clip upon video clip about her motivations? Someone who has millions of dollars shaved her head. Why is this more newsworthy than, say, genocide in Darfur? Or, say, the Chinese New Year? Or, say, just about any other event that's going on that has some kind of connection to the rest of the world?
I know us Americans love our celebrities. And I will be the first to admit that I get hooked on celebrity gossip (just check out my link to the right). But there is a line, and we have crossed it. Maybe it's time to break out those New Year's Resolutions again...
But that gives no excuse for the sad state of media affairs lately. First, it was Anna Nicole Smith. Now it's Britney's hair. Really?
It's one thing for these stories to make front page of The Superficial or People or US Weekly. It's quite another when it makes the front page of CNN and MSNBC. Are we truly that bored with the rest of the world that we devote all our energy to Britney's shaved head? And why do we devote video clip upon video clip about her motivations? Someone who has millions of dollars shaved her head. Why is this more newsworthy than, say, genocide in Darfur? Or, say, the Chinese New Year? Or, say, just about any other event that's going on that has some kind of connection to the rest of the world?
I know us Americans love our celebrities. And I will be the first to admit that I get hooked on celebrity gossip (just check out my link to the right). But there is a line, and we have crossed it. Maybe it's time to break out those New Year's Resolutions again...
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
You are a Superstar!
Have you noticed how "You" is everywhere? First, You posted your own videos on YouTube. Then You were Time's Person of the Year. Next, You were producing SuperBowl commercials for Doritos. And now, You performed live at the Grammy's with Justin Timberlake.
When did You become so popular? Last week Fuqua hosted a Marketing Conference, where many of the panel discussions focused around consumer-generated media. On one hand, companies like Frito Lay (the maker of Doritos) love this stuff, because they are able to accurately target their market and truly understand this demographic. And it's super cheap. On the other hand, are we going a little overboard? Now I see that Jeep is partnering with Marvel comics, encouraging people to create a comic centered around a new Jeep product. Are we getting an overdose of You?
And when did this trend start, anyway? I guess it could be traced back to blogs, where people finally had a way of voicing their opinion and really getting the attention of big business. And then it mushroomed when people had the chance to visually show their creative sides, courtesy of YouTube. But I think it started long before blogs.
My theory points the finger at reality TV and, specifically, Survivor. Being the mother of all reality TV shows, Survivor was the first chance to give real people, You and Me, a chance at 15 minutes of fame. We tuned in each week to watch ourselves compete for a tiki torch. And as more seasons were bought, it wasn't uncommon for us to know someone who knew someone who went to school with one of the Survivor contestants. Which made the show all that more real to us.
And slowly, through Darwin's natural selection, we've evolved from Survivor to American Idol to blogs to YouTube to SuperBowl to Grammy's. Surely, You will start to either die out, or continue to morph into the next great thing. Maybe it should be We.
When did You become so popular? Last week Fuqua hosted a Marketing Conference, where many of the panel discussions focused around consumer-generated media. On one hand, companies like Frito Lay (the maker of Doritos) love this stuff, because they are able to accurately target their market and truly understand this demographic. And it's super cheap. On the other hand, are we going a little overboard? Now I see that Jeep is partnering with Marvel comics, encouraging people to create a comic centered around a new Jeep product. Are we getting an overdose of You?
And when did this trend start, anyway? I guess it could be traced back to blogs, where people finally had a way of voicing their opinion and really getting the attention of big business. And then it mushroomed when people had the chance to visually show their creative sides, courtesy of YouTube. But I think it started long before blogs.
My theory points the finger at reality TV and, specifically, Survivor. Being the mother of all reality TV shows, Survivor was the first chance to give real people, You and Me, a chance at 15 minutes of fame. We tuned in each week to watch ourselves compete for a tiki torch. And as more seasons were bought, it wasn't uncommon for us to know someone who knew someone who went to school with one of the Survivor contestants. Which made the show all that more real to us.
And slowly, through Darwin's natural selection, we've evolved from Survivor to American Idol to blogs to YouTube to SuperBowl to Grammy's. Surely, You will start to either die out, or continue to morph into the next great thing. Maybe it should be We.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Because I like to ruffle feathers
I contribute regularly to the Fuqua Times, Fuqua's weekly magazine. This week, I submitted the following article. While I did contemplate hiring a bodyguard (as much for the protection as for the view), I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions. Scott was sure that I was going to burn networks, and maybe I have, but I've also received a lot of e-mails from people who agree with me. I had to share...
I Don’t Heart Duke Basketball
Welcome to ACC Country, where rivalries run blood deep and team colors are more sacred then religion. Perhaps the deepest seated rivalries in the ACC run along Tobacco Road, the 75-mile stretch of I-40 that starts in Winston-Salem and ends in Raleigh and whose history first began when tobacco tycoons RJ Reynolds and Washington Duke battled it out for cigarette market share in the late 1800s.
So, naturally, many people were baffled when this Wake Forest graduate told that she was attending Duke for graduate school. The question continues to pop up in interviews. And my answer is always the same: I have internal conflict. Because while I love Fuqua, I can never, I will never love Duke basketball.
However, by attending Duke University, it is assumed that I must love Duke basketball. The assumptions started the first day of FY orientation, when we were all herded, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, into a room where we were taught several Duke basketball cheers. I stood there, fuming, with my arms crossed, refusing to participate. Or when I received dirty stares from those in the student section at last years’ Wake-Duke game in Cameron (granted, I was dressed in all gold, screaming at the top of my lungs for the Deacons, but really?). Fast forward to SY, where I get quizzical looks from classmates when I mention I’m rooting for Clemson over Duke. Does it really surprise people that there are many students at Fuqua who despise the Blue Devils?
While I could give concrete reasons for this animosity, it really comes down to something much more irrational – emotion. For four years, I was bred to hate our rivals, who include Duke and Carolina. And we were truly rivals, as the Deacons were just coming off their back-to-back ACC Championships when I started (something that won’t be repeated this year, unfortunately). Like any true fan, we smeared it in our rivals’ faces when we won and hated them when we lost. How can anyone erase four years of wonderful college memories, rooting for the beloved Deacons? How can you replace hanging out in bars with the basketball team players? This is my alma mater, after all. Nothing will ever come between me and Wake Forest.
I can understand getting excited about Duke basketball if your alma mater wasn’t a big basketball school. And I don’t deny that it’s an experience to be squeezed into Cameron, deafened by the jeering crowd. And yes, I camped out last year, but it was just for the experience. I’ve done this basketball thing all before so I just can’t get excited about the Blue Devils…except when they lose. So, Orientation Leaders, please don’t force-feed cheers to the new class. And let’s make Fuqua a safe place for those whose loyalties lie elsewhere.
I love Fuqua and I will be proud to call myself a Duke Alumna when I graduate. But I will never cheer for the Blue Devils. I am, and will forever be, a Demon Deacon.
Laura is currently petitioning ESPN to star in a “Never Graduate” commercial, featuring pudding wrestling with the Deacon, the Devil and the Ram. Hunky male applicants for these roles are now being accepted.
I Don’t Heart Duke Basketball
Welcome to ACC Country, where rivalries run blood deep and team colors are more sacred then religion. Perhaps the deepest seated rivalries in the ACC run along Tobacco Road, the 75-mile stretch of I-40 that starts in Winston-Salem and ends in Raleigh and whose history first began when tobacco tycoons RJ Reynolds and Washington Duke battled it out for cigarette market share in the late 1800s.
So, naturally, many people were baffled when this Wake Forest graduate told that she was attending Duke for graduate school. The question continues to pop up in interviews. And my answer is always the same: I have internal conflict. Because while I love Fuqua, I can never, I will never love Duke basketball.
However, by attending Duke University, it is assumed that I must love Duke basketball. The assumptions started the first day of FY orientation, when we were all herded, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, into a room where we were taught several Duke basketball cheers. I stood there, fuming, with my arms crossed, refusing to participate. Or when I received dirty stares from those in the student section at last years’ Wake-Duke game in Cameron (granted, I was dressed in all gold, screaming at the top of my lungs for the Deacons, but really?). Fast forward to SY, where I get quizzical looks from classmates when I mention I’m rooting for Clemson over Duke. Does it really surprise people that there are many students at Fuqua who despise the Blue Devils?
While I could give concrete reasons for this animosity, it really comes down to something much more irrational – emotion. For four years, I was bred to hate our rivals, who include Duke and Carolina. And we were truly rivals, as the Deacons were just coming off their back-to-back ACC Championships when I started (something that won’t be repeated this year, unfortunately). Like any true fan, we smeared it in our rivals’ faces when we won and hated them when we lost. How can anyone erase four years of wonderful college memories, rooting for the beloved Deacons? How can you replace hanging out in bars with the basketball team players? This is my alma mater, after all. Nothing will ever come between me and Wake Forest.
I can understand getting excited about Duke basketball if your alma mater wasn’t a big basketball school. And I don’t deny that it’s an experience to be squeezed into Cameron, deafened by the jeering crowd. And yes, I camped out last year, but it was just for the experience. I’ve done this basketball thing all before so I just can’t get excited about the Blue Devils…except when they lose. So, Orientation Leaders, please don’t force-feed cheers to the new class. And let’s make Fuqua a safe place for those whose loyalties lie elsewhere.
I love Fuqua and I will be proud to call myself a Duke Alumna when I graduate. But I will never cheer for the Blue Devils. I am, and will forever be, a Demon Deacon.
Laura is currently petitioning ESPN to star in a “Never Graduate” commercial, featuring pudding wrestling with the Deacon, the Devil and the Ram. Hunky male applicants for these roles are now being accepted.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Power of Brand
I'm just going to go ahead and admit it: I'm a dork.
This past summer, my treat on the train ride from NYC back to CT was to pick up that week's The New Yorker and read it cover to cover in a mere 40 minutes. The articles are interesting, the writing is fantastic, and I loved to learn about all the goings-on in the city.
I'm not a big magazine reader to begin with, especially with school in full swing. I didn't renew my Traveler subscription because I never got around to reading it. But I found, in the months I've been back in NC, that I've missed my New Yorker.
So I subscribed. I may be the only North Carolinian to have a subscription to The New Yorker, but I love it. I love reading the articles, appreciating the writing, and learning about all the goings-on in the city, even though I'm too far away to appreciate them. But it's just a short plane ride away, right? Plus, I like being the only North Carolinian reading The New Yorker. I feel sophisticated, educated and cultured. At least, that's what the brand tells me I should feel.
I'll still get my celeb updates on thesuperficial.com, but I'm also chic enough to read about why Lieberman sees himself as the Lorax. Now that's good marketing!
This past summer, my treat on the train ride from NYC back to CT was to pick up that week's The New Yorker and read it cover to cover in a mere 40 minutes. The articles are interesting, the writing is fantastic, and I loved to learn about all the goings-on in the city.
I'm not a big magazine reader to begin with, especially with school in full swing. I didn't renew my Traveler subscription because I never got around to reading it. But I found, in the months I've been back in NC, that I've missed my New Yorker.
So I subscribed. I may be the only North Carolinian to have a subscription to The New Yorker, but I love it. I love reading the articles, appreciating the writing, and learning about all the goings-on in the city, even though I'm too far away to appreciate them. But it's just a short plane ride away, right? Plus, I like being the only North Carolinian reading The New Yorker. I feel sophisticated, educated and cultured. At least, that's what the brand tells me I should feel.
I'll still get my celeb updates on thesuperficial.com, but I'm also chic enough to read about why Lieberman sees himself as the Lorax. Now that's good marketing!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Baby steps
Inspired by the curmudgeon, I've decided to try to lower my electricity bill for this upcoming month. This past month's bill was $71! And we only live in a 1200 square foot aparment. Part of the problem, with the onslaught of colder weather, is that our apartment is not well insulated. If you stand by the windows, you can feel the cold air seeping through. So our heat runs non-stop. So, to help save the environment, and to help save for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica, I'm taking a few baby steps. If you have other suggestions, please let me know!
- Washing my clothes with only cold water
- Keeping my printer off until I actually print
- Putting my computer on "Stand By" at night and when I'm at school
- Lowering the thermostat when we're out of the house for long periods
- Shutting off lights when we're not in the room (I could buy those energy-saving bulbs, but I'll wait until the ones I have burn out)
Friday, February 02, 2007
'Tis the Season to be Stressed Out
There seems to be a lot of stress around Fuqua lately. The first years are just about fried by the summer internship interview process and are burned out from classes. The second years are stressed out because we are making decisions that will impact the rest of our lives.
Before school, our job and careers didn't really matter. We knew we would one day be returning to school and whatever job we held prior to school was just a bus stop on our journey. Our summer internship, while important, was just a way to postpone the inevitable decision. But now, NOW, we have to decide. And our decision is what will shape our future.
Where will we live? Where will we work? Am I choosing the right path? For some reason, my guy friends aren't as stressed out by these decisions as my girlfriends. Many of the girls feel torn between choosing what we want and what we'll compromise for. In many cases, husbands and wives want different things, but it's our husbands that get a loud voice. I don't see that in relationships where the husband is the student - he seems to make the decision that's best for him (and ultimately, his family). But why are we, as educated and career-driven women, forced to compromise? Why do we feel the angst of doing what is right for the whole family? Why are we the ones brought to tears as we struggle to make the right decision?
Perhaps, despite being as progressive as we'd like to think, we are still bound by an unspoken cultural tie in which the man is the head of the household. That he holds more power. Not that we aren't treated as equals, but we're also not the type of women to stomp our foot and demand that things go our way. Maybe we should. Maybe we're being too passive. Maybe...but I don't forsee any of my girlfriends who are in this situation doing anything differently.
Or maybe we're just trying to be fair to everyone in the relationship. But why does that burden fall on women?
Before school, our job and careers didn't really matter. We knew we would one day be returning to school and whatever job we held prior to school was just a bus stop on our journey. Our summer internship, while important, was just a way to postpone the inevitable decision. But now, NOW, we have to decide. And our decision is what will shape our future.
Where will we live? Where will we work? Am I choosing the right path? For some reason, my guy friends aren't as stressed out by these decisions as my girlfriends. Many of the girls feel torn between choosing what we want and what we'll compromise for. In many cases, husbands and wives want different things, but it's our husbands that get a loud voice. I don't see that in relationships where the husband is the student - he seems to make the decision that's best for him (and ultimately, his family). But why are we, as educated and career-driven women, forced to compromise? Why do we feel the angst of doing what is right for the whole family? Why are we the ones brought to tears as we struggle to make the right decision?
Perhaps, despite being as progressive as we'd like to think, we are still bound by an unspoken cultural tie in which the man is the head of the household. That he holds more power. Not that we aren't treated as equals, but we're also not the type of women to stomp our foot and demand that things go our way. Maybe we should. Maybe we're being too passive. Maybe...but I don't forsee any of my girlfriends who are in this situation doing anything differently.
Or maybe we're just trying to be fair to everyone in the relationship. But why does that burden fall on women?
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