Sunday, February 25, 2007

A Moment in Time

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In a crowd, one rarely notices what is going on with other people within the crowd with them. This one moment in time is an exception, because everyone notices when love is around. Anyone who has a loved one off to war can relate to this photo of an unknown sailor embracing his girl for a passionate kiss, with the smoke from the train billowing around them. It is hard to say whether they are saying hello or goodbye, but the emotion of the photo is one of passion and love. The bystanders sitting inside of the train share the surprise of the girl swept off her feet, and laugh and smile at the couple’s lack of embarrassment. Coming home from war can bring an overwhelming feeling of relief not only for the sailor, but for his family and loved ones. That overwhelming feeling could easily explain the extremely public display of affection which has not only affected the couple, but everyone else watching. If by chance the sailor was leaving to go to war, then this last moment, frozen in time in the photograph, would be one he would carry with him to the other side of the world to fight and possibly die. It takes a moment like this to make people stop and see that the simple things in life, like a great kiss, are much more important and worth more than any amount of money.

The History of the Button

The History of the Button” proved to be one of the most interesting blogs I have seen in a while. A blog completely devoted to discussing the button sounds fairly boring and uninteresting, but as I started looking over the site, I found that the posts were rather intriguing and kept my attention. The blog was very easy to maneuver through, with the articles posted in the order of time, meaning the most recent posts appear at the top, and then as you move down, earlier posts can be read and seen. On the right hand side of the screen, there is a list of the most recent posts about the button, and below that is an archive section for each month, and even further down is a section of categories, so you can find posts about buttons in different contexts. On the left hand side are only three links, Home; FAQ; and Email. It is a simple layout that makes the site easy to navigate.

The author of “The History of the Button” uses the color blue to denote links to comments, categories, archives, and different posts. This makes it easy to see what a link is and what is not, and the same color keeps the reader from being confused about what a different color might mean. The images used in each post show the different buttons being discussed so the reader can see what is being talked about and doesn’t have to use their imagination too much. Simple colors like white, grey, blue and black make the site easy to look at and the text easy to read.

The History of The Button is interesting because the posts on the site discuss how buttons have evolved through the ages, and the interaction design behind buttons. But the site is not just about buttons, but also about the technology and new gadgets, how we perceive and interact with buttons, and what the evolution of buttons means for the future. An example is that one of the posts discusses the new Apple iPhone, with its lack of buttons and touch screen technology. They also discuss the icons on the buttons and how we take each icon to mean.

Layout wise, The History of the Button blog is set up pretty similarly to my own, with the posts in chronological order and with the images embedded in the posts. The links on the side of the page also match up with the links on my blog. My color scheme is bit more extreme that the one found on the Button blog, but both are still easy to read, at least I think so. The History of the Button blog does have a great deal more posts than me, different links, and advertisements. It also contains an image with its title of a woman in the fifties pushing a button, but other wise it is organized the same way as my blog essentially.

A very interesting blog was what I discovered when I had to check out The History of the Button, and I had a fun time browsing the site and learning about the button.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Observational Essay: Day of Beauty School

“Beauty school drop-out, no graduation day for you. Beauty school drop-out, missed your midterms and flunked shampoo.” The famous song from the musical Grease gave the original perception that students of beauty school had little to offer and were not cut out for the real world. Unfortunately, Grease was wrong, and cosmetology students have better opportunities than university students when it comes to careers and they are not taking the easier path through higher education, as I discovered when I went to observe Ashley Tedesco, a cosmetology student at the Littleton Academy of Hair Design.

Walking up to the small white brick building, you would never expect to discover twenty or thirty giggling girls learning the fine art of creating beauty in others. The conspicuous building off of Powers Street in down town Littleton provides students with an opportunity to learn hair techniques, how to apply acrylic nails, perform facials and other beauty services. As someone who knows very little about beauty rituals, watching a typical day at the beauty school became rather informative and revealing.

Inside, a client is greeted by a receptionist sitting behind a desk holding a shampoo display, and accented by a neon purple wall holding the portrait of an ideal woman in 1985. The brightly lit, long room reveals two opposing walls lined with mirrors decorated with each individual girl’s names and personal photos with black salon chairs in front of the mirrors. Beneath the mirrors are counters holding styling tools such as curling irons and hair dryers. The smell of chemicals needed for performing permanents, high lights and full colors, for creating acrylic nails and cleaning instruments is everywhere. You feel like you might get dizzy if you stay to long, but soon you get used to the scents and you quickly forget them. As I sat in the black, vinyl, swivel chair that usually holds a client, I began asking my first questions of the student I was watching.

“Yea, we do actually take real classes, such as anatomy and electricity, because as someone who is working on the human body, we need to know how it works and the equipment we work with.”

This is evidenced by the anatomy book seen peeking out of a black school bag labeled “Tennessee School of Beauty”, the previous school Ashley had attended. The common perception of beauty school students held by traditional university students is that they are lazy and taking the easier path to a career. No one would expect to hear that these girls are expected to take biology classes and other difficult subjects.

“I have homework at least three nights a week and I have to pass my classes with at least a B.”

Of course, the expected courses exist as well, such as hair cutting and coloring classes. In a little room in the back of the building, several girls were practicing applying acrylic nails on “sugar hands”, latex gloves filled with sugar and used to mimic the human hands they will someday be working on. Heads of mannequins are scattered around the building, with various hair colors and cuts, a display of the practice that is ongoing in the school when clients are scarce.

Slowly, clients start trickling in and begin their appointments with the different girls on the floor. Down in the basement the rest of the girls are still taking classes and practicing with instructors. An older woman with red hair and gray roots sits down at Ashley’s station, and instructs her on the way she wants her hair dyed, while Ashley tries to explain that the style she wanted wasn’t possible with the way it was presently. Finally, an instructor, Chanda, comes over and begins explaining to the client exactly what Ashley was saying not a moment before. This time, the woman listens and Chanda begins helping Ashley mix the color formula behind the sinks for washing hair. As Ashley begins applying the color mixture to the woman’s roots with a wide bristle brush, her teacher Chanda observes and gives instruction when it is needed or Ashley asks for it. Eventually, Ashley takes over and Chanda runs off, laughing loudly and making jokes with the rest of the girls. Ashley’s client sits silently, never attempting to make conversation with Ashley, who doesn’t mind.

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“I am usually concentrating too much to talk to the clients, unless they are my friends, then I feel more comfortable and can chat a little bit.”

Finally, Ashley finishes applying the color to the woman’s hair and provides her with a magazine as she waits for the color to set so she can finish the appointment. The school’s mascot, an elderly woman with reddish-purple hair and black tips named Rosie, walks around making small talk with the girls and helping Ashley clean up. She stops to talk to us, making gossip about other girls in the school who she clearly doesn’t think very well of, but making us all laugh all the same. For the next twenty-five minutes, Ashley sits next to me and gossips about other girls, what she thinks about them, and what she plans to do next when she graduates in April. The pace of the school seems to be slower than regular college, and pretty laid back. Students can sit around and talk, or just practice various techniques without much stress.

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The time comes around to rinse the client’s hair of the color mixture and to give her a new cut and style. Ashley proves to be meticulous with her shampooing; making absolutely sure all of the color is out, then washing the hair twice with almond scented shampoo. She gently massages the head, almost putting the woman to sleep, and then rinses the conditioner out to begin the final step. Before she is allowed to cut anything, an instructor must be called over to approve of the process and discover how the student intends to proceed. Once the procedure is approved, Ashley begins snipping away, constantly concentrating on her movements and actions, the picture of a perfectionist. Once again the woman makes no conversation, until Ashley finishes blow drying and styling her hair, and the woman says a quick “thank you” and walks off to pay the receptionist. Ashley rolls her eyes and gives me a look of relief, and begins sweeping the floor of the hair lying around, deprived of a head to belong to. It’s been a long day, and she looks glad to be leaving. But she does say she enjoys her days at the academy and is excited to start her career in a few months.

Stepping out of the building into the evening sun, I feel as if I have seen another speed of life, a speed where a career is practically guaranteed and hard work is still expected. These girls are following a passion and are learning through experience, which can prove to more valuable at times than a certain amount of classes.

Monday, February 5, 2007

Random much??

Randomly Chosen Words: addicted, belligerent, commandeer, domestic, enmity, flippant, gullible, hypocrite, ischium, jojoba, kurtosis, larceny, meningoencephalitis, nematocyst, ostracize, pituitous, quixotic, rabbinate, shibboleth, talaria, undersexed, ventricose, weasand, xenophobe, yenta, zounds.


Although being addicted implies dependence, it is possible to be dependent on a drug without being addicted. In times of war, belligerent countries can be contrasted with neutral countries and non-belligerents. Policemen used to commandeer cars more often. Domestic policy is policy existing or occurring inside a country, not foreign or international. These nouns refer to the feeling or expression of deep-seated ill will. Give them visual queues, what videos you like, what looks you like so the VFX people could have a point of reference. Dolphins are allergic to shrimp. Porpoises are not. The goal of this page is not only to inform you of whether you are a hypocrite or not; it is to inform you of the type of hypocrite you are or are not. The cup-shaped acetabulum is formed by the superior part of the ischium, the superior part of the pubis, and the inferior part of the ilium. Jojoba grows to 1-2 m tall, with a broad, dense crown. A distribution with the same kurtosis as the normal distribution is called "mesokurtic. Larceny is divided in some states into grand and petit larceny depending upon the value of the property stolen. After, nausea and vomit are followed. What if your body also consisted of delicate gelatinous tissue that would easily be destroyed by a struggling prey. As for scientists who might be tempted to pursue the theory, he says, they worry that their colleagues might ostracize them for stepping out of line and that their funding could suffer. Color compositions useful for effecting designs on substrates comprise a color in a thickened aqueous mixture containing a high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) homopolymer. I only managed to excavate deeply enough into said box, because I’m infected with a bad case of startitis and needed to find the perfect needles for something(s) new. The Chief Rabbinate consists of The Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks and his cabinet. Shibboleth is standards-based, open source middleware software which provides Web Single SignOn (SSO) across or within organizational boundaries. Our works have appeared in films and museum exhibits, in classrooms and lavish homes, and in hotels and even on the Nightly News. Many serial killers were undersexed. Distended or swollen in the middle, at the side or round the base. Weasand is from the Middle English wesand and the Old High German weisunt meaning windpipe. Xenophobia is hatred or fear of strangers or of anything foreign or strange, and a xenophobe is a person who has that hatred or fear. Yenta is pleased to provide you with an area to find out "how to do just about anything." "Someone must have slipped one of those post-anarcho-syndicalist pamphlets in with these guys' Beano comics!"

Sunday, February 4, 2007

What is hair gel for??

I would never ever claim to be “put together” or to know anything more about doing my hair other than brushing and straightening it. That is why for my observational essay, I plan to observe my good friend, Ashley, as she attends cosmetology school at the Littleton Academy of Hair. I want to research this subject because for one thing, I want to pick up some tips on how to make myself more competent in being a girl, and second, it is something I can easily observe and pay attention to without becoming too distracted. Another important reason for me doing this subject is because Ashley has been my best friend since fourth grade, and she has been living out of state for the last two years, and now that she is back in Colorado I want to get to know the new her better and see what her life is going to be like in the future. Researching this topic will help me understand her chosen career path and where she is going in life.
The first item I started to research was the school itself because I wanted to know what kind of setting I would be observing and how my friend would be acting during the day, and what she would be doing. At the Littleton Academy of Hair Design, I expect to see small classes, with a large amount of personal attention from the teachers and mentors there. My friend is already “on the floor” which means she is done with classes for the time being, and works in the salon part of the school with actual clients, with little help from the teachers. They are always there to assist though when needed. This website tells me that the school is run by Joe George, and his letter on the site makes him seem very friendly. I am hoping to have a relaxing experience while observing Ashley preparing for her future career.
Concerned about the job market she would be entering, I “googled” some facts about the cosmetology career field and what I found was pretty positive. According to the Career Academy of Hair Design, 9 out of 10 professional hair stylists would not change careers, 76% of salon owners couldn’t find qualified professionals to fill empty positions, cosmetologists enjoy a 0% unemployment rate, and Money Magazine stated that cosmetology ranked among the top 50 most desirable growth jobs.
And finally, I had to know, what is cosmetology?? Well luckily I found the site, Wise Geek, and I learned that being a cosmetologist requires more than knowing how to wash hair and use a pair of scissors. Yes, anyone who is in the hair cutting or barber business is a cosmetologist, but that field also includes knowing how to do manicures and pedicures, facials, coloring treatments, and make-up techniques. To become a cosmetologist, you have to pass a State exam to get a license to perform cosmetology. More than knowledge of what hair style is in this season is required. Students have to take anatomy, electricity, and other science courses to understand the human body. It seems like my observing will be a little bit more that watching hair get cut…

Friday, February 2, 2007

The SuperBowl Shuffle

DISCLAIMER: This video contains professional athletes attempting to dance and rap. Viewer discretion is advised.

Many people will agree that just because you are famous for being a stud on the gridiron doesn’t mean you should get to make a music video where you attempt to rap, pretend to play instruments, and dance. But thanks to YouTube, our generation has the pleasure of experiencing the 1986 Chicago Bears perform the Super Bowl Shuffle.
Unfortunately, the Bears did not make it to the Super Bowl that year, the Denver Broncos had the lucky chance to go and lose to the New York Giants, but at the time of this wonderfully cheesy video, the Bears were known as the “bad ass Bears”, according to my mother. Everyone felt this music video was awesome and made the Bears that much better than the rest of the teams in the NFL. They did have an incredible season, finishing 14-2, and that confidence probably prompted the idea of the Super Bowl Shuffle. I felt this video was appropriate for this assignment because today the Chicago Bears participated in Super Bowl XLI, and as you all hopefully know, they had no reason to repeat the Super Bowl Shuffle because the Indianapolis Colts walked all over them.
The focal point of this video was to make the Bears seem invincible and “bad ass”, to intimidate other teams with their own confidence that they would make it to the Super Bowl. Looking back at it, we would not understand that because as I stated before, this song and dance is horribly cheesy, and its almost painful to watch quarterback Steve Fuller try to dance to the rhythm of the song, and find that he is at least half a beat off every time. The Bears even rap at one point “We’re so bad, we know we’re good”. It is also interesting to see starting quarterback, Jim McMahon, who has an interesting history with alcohol, rap in his cool shades. I guess back in 1986, those were the style, and he could brag that he wore his sunglasses at night, but he also suffers from “white man syndrome” and admits it openly with his line “I can’t dance, but I can throw the field”. My favorite aspect of the whole thing was watching these professional athletes, people who were looked up to and admired, pretending to play the bass guitar, electric piano, drums and saxophone. They are not even trying to look like they know what they are doing.
The online community understands this video because a portion of it was around to witness the Super Bowl Shuffle when it was new and cool. There children, or us, get to see it from our perspective and laugh at what our parents thought was cool back in the day, which was a Wednesday in case you didn’t know (Dane Cook, had to throw it in there.) The fact that we are watching this on the internet is because no one who respects themselves would keep this on VHS. But we search for it and watch it so that we can get a handle on what was acceptable and awesome at a different period of time. The Chicago Bears were the “end-all, be-all” of football at that time, creating such groups as “Da SuperFans”, who today would be proud to be cheering for “DA BEARS” on this Super Bowl Sunday.