Friday, December 23, 2005

Blogs = brain kitsch

Who reads my blog???
This type of communication i think evolved out of our "post- senfieldian world" where we muse upon the innane, glorify the miniscule, where we become virtual characters in our own lives- displaying our oddities, manias, and trivialities with unabashed candor, and spend an inordinate amount of time and attention on things of minor significance. you've heard it on NPR- some person reading an wendell berresque nostaligic or questioning essay. These type of thoughts--I like to call it "Brain kitsch" thoughts, topic, subjects we can all relate to or laugh at- either, it gives a sense of belonging, affliation, it warms our heart- even though they have inherently little value. we feel at home in this virtual world- we may have wondered those same things or if we didn't we have some "equal but different" idiosyncratic thoughts of our own. It is a great outlet for my wit, or musings (which as a SAHM i sorely lack an audience for) Its a stage for all the crazy thoughts in head-(maybe i should have gone into stand -up-- maybe it's not to late to get on NPR either??) the thoughts we share, the things we mock, the silliness of ourselves.

so blogs get 2 thumbs up- just like my little pony lunch boxes, star wars action figures and dads 70's horn rimmed glasses...there is a whole world of virutal "thought americana" out there waiting to be enjoyed-- blog on!

Apron fantasy

yes i need to post my thoughts on aprons-- lately i spend my occupied time (washing dishes, in the tub, changing diapers, riding in the car) thinking, designing, fantasizing about sewing vintage style aprons-- I think feminsm destroyed the apron-- they used to be stylish, kitschy, fitted, cute- now they look like lead aprons- giant unisex swarths of industrial fabric- what happened to a cute flirty chintz? anyway i obsessed with making them-- returning fun feminity to kitchen work- after all who doesn't want to look cute- aprons should not simply be utilitarian- but anyway i would like to start a glam apron movement-- so i call on the kitchen goddesses to unite- you cook better than a man so why try to look like one in the kitchen!

smart mama's christmas

okay- so i finally have time to work on my blog-- only because all of the rest of the family is out of the house engaged in festive holiday activities and i am being sacrificial mom- staying home with baby who is napping. actually i really hate Christmas crowds and the strapping and unstrapping of carseats so i chose to stay home.

trouble is i am not home-- where i can work on that tea towel i wanted to embroider or that vintage apron i wanted to sew (i know you think i am jesting with reference to there stereotypical 1950's domestic tasks) but i am serious- those 2 items are on the top of my project list.

but christmas is a favorite time of year for me-- i love, yes love chosing children's toy-- maybe i am a controlling mother-- but really it's the thrill of the hunt-- creating the optimum, child development promoting and fun toy collection of the course of my childrens childhood (while mainting a strict 50$ per yr per child toy budget) so it's half about finding the worlds greatest bargains through the year to maximize that! Maybe the whole MS in child development predisposes me to this mania--and i have to say my favorite "what are you getting your boys for Christmas this year" friend was also a teacher. Our children could one day be college roommates and reminsce about their childhood toys with a sense of collective experience-- "oh i had the middle eastern wood block set" "hey me too" "i had thomas and lionel trains-becasue my mom likes realistic toys" "hey we had both too".

I love playing with the toys- i love seeing the toys spark thought, knowledge, imagination. There is some sick joy in the assembly of such things as the playmobil grocery store that brings and immense sense of accomplishment-- like creating miniature worlds - bags of hundreds of tiny labels-- an ikeaesque instruction manual (which you can quickly abandon- after you pickup the playmobil learning curve) Its sad but i feel more excited doing things like that than say going through college graduation--(amazing how the events that are supposed to fill us with pride and accomplishment are cheesy and boring) i'd feel much more accomplishment assembling an entire playmobil city!

so Merry Christmas to all-- wishing you hours of assembly fun and childish delights

Monday, December 05, 2005

are you a smart mama? take the test

1 Does the droning of NPR hold a special allure for you?
2. Do you "just say no" to sheeplike following and devout adherence to psychodribble of such unqualified lifestyle experts: oprah or "judge (insert first name)"?
3. Do libraries depress you- because you think so may books so little time?
4. Do all museums and cutural venues get you going? (okay--make that some after all there are some lame things out there)?
5. Do you wonder how anyone with a real conscience can wear $1000 shoes? (if you wear $1000 shoes, or are in other ways extremely extravagant please exit this blog immediately, sell your shoes on ebay and buy a ticket to most locations in asia or africa and don't come back until you have seen how real people live)
6. Dinner party conversation topics prompted by reading The New York Times or OK magazine?
7. If an artsy or foreign film is in you dvd player- 10 smart mama points for you?
8. Do you think you are smart? (if you don't, get some confudence and come back later)
9. If you've ever watched nova or scientific american frontiers (classroom settings don't count)- another 10 points/

more to come

Smart mama

that's quite a self engranding title isn't it, but i'll be honest I chose the title because it fits i am a smart mama. With that said i'll elaborate

What is a smart mama?

Take the word smart-- likely if you are reading this you have grown up in a world post "howard gardnder's multiple intelligences revolution" so you likely have a contemporary framework for understanding intelligence -- for the old people who think that means IQ score (it doesn't, but then again IQ score it never hurts) smart means good skilled in any number of ways, smart means you think, you question a lot- especially what are culture feeds us and are wildly leery of advice distributed via the mass market. You care about what you are doing not aimless shuffling with crowd of in our ever isolated, disposable, tech- driven, virtual, consumer world (kind of funny to type that in a blog) for those of you picture types, who want a mental image think subway car in rush hour. everyone should at least try to be smart.

okay on to the mom topic
I have to say the smartest women I know are moms (or would love nothing more than to be moms- my plug for those single gals or those dealing with infertility) they are math smart--as a former math club member I write out my equation for you

1 smart mom + 2 kids =3 smart people

1 smart woman + 0 kids= 1 smart person

which sum is greater?

smart women are supposed to work- stupid women are supposed to be moms- or that's what we are told- my 11th grade chem partner robbie was deflated when i told him i planned to stay home when i had kids- he lectured me that my solemn duty and moral obligation, as the class "brain child" was to find a cure for cancer or some other grandiose accomplishment. i recently read an article in child magazine- it was about mogul moms- talking about balancing career and kids-- one mom said her kids sat her down and told her they thought she had missed their childhood-- she explained to them she hadn't she had come home on weekends and carried them around in a backpack sometimes when she was doing work in the city and they felt much better after that talk--oh i am sure they did -- if you kids tell you you missed their childhood- then, you did. you can't go back and change that-- that boat has sailed. I chose not to sell my time as a mother- my kids need me-- they need me to be smart- to help them to be smart- i chose to be a great mom, a be-there mom, just call me one smart mama

Sunday, December 04, 2005

flavor of the week

okay- so i will admit it i am a "flavor of the week" sort of girl. think mr. toad in "the wind in the willows". always a new craze-- so this week it was going back to art school (i had a fab idea for a collection- esp of installation sculptures- but i can't disclose my idea for fear someone will steal it before i get a chance to go back get through art school and do it in say 20 years)-- it was probably prompted by my watching of old "art 21" episodes i checked out from the library during that 10 minutes to kill before preschool pickup.

i am way to easily excited by ideas- i am idea person-- if you asked my greatest talent-- it would be brainstorming-- i wish there was a job where all you did was brainstorm--i would totally rock--if people magazine did a 50 most fabulous brainstormers- i know i'd make the issue- so i am curious to catalogue my whims and see what the flavor of the week is...

dec. o5- go back to art school
jan.06- e-gallery/e-shop