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Monday, February 25th, 2008
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My last post was very soapbox, about an issue that isn't exactly soapbox worthy right now. I have trouble writing about bigger issues, probably because I can't always see the black and white in them as I can the small things that personally affect me.
So... here's a somewhat larger issue that I do feel pretty strongly about, but have less ideas about how to solve.
www.storyofstuff.com
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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I really hate this term. I re-realized this when I recently talked to someone else who equally dislikes the term African-American.
Not saying everyone should hate it, just saying I do.
When you're talking about what I look like, my ancestry, my race (which all really boils down at this point to what I look like, and a slight preference above the normal for salty fish), you can call me Asian, or Chinese/Japanese/Okinawan. Hell, you can even call me yellow, or brown, or soy latte with a bit of cinnamon-colored. That's accurate.
When you're talking about my nationality, about which country I have ALL my ties to, in terms of patriotism, birth, language, culture, and so on, I am AMERICAN. There are no significant qualifiers to this statement. I wouldn't say that I am a Female-American, because being one has nothing to do with being the other. I am a female and an American. If I decide to leave this country and declare my citizenship elsewhere, I will be a British citizen, or a Canadian citizen or a Japanese citizen, I won't be an Asian-British, or an Asian-Canadian or even an Asian-Japanese citizen.
This is probably why I've always had such a problem with answering the question "Where are you from?" Not to single out white people (most of my friends are white people) but often, I've noticed the question is separated into "Where are you from?" meaning where are you born and "What is your ancestry?" for those who "look" American. Whenever I answer "Where are you from?" with "New Jersey" I almost always get a laugh and am re-asked, "Where are your parents from?" "Hawaii" "So what are you?"... People seem a bit baffled by my intentional misunderstanding, but I've found myself to be a staunch protector of the English language from lazy ambivalence. If only in this respect.
I honestly don't know how other Americans who happen to get qualifier prefixes feel about this term, perhaps that leaving out the race before the American is turning my back on my heritage. Personally? I feel strongly about being an American (although not always proud) whereas my strongest Asian feelings are probably guilt when I walk into a house and don't remove my shoes.
America! I ask, why the labels? Is it really that important that you know what I look like or where my ancestors six generations back were born - a hyphen before you know that I am American? I would like to think not. I'd like to think that we're past the point where we judge people by how they look. Of course, we're not, but at least by our language, couldn't we pretend to be?
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, February 9th, 2008
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So in an odd turn of events, a couple of weeks after I started my job at the Smithsonian, I got a call from my old art professor Jefferson Pinder. The video piece titled "Invisible Man" that we had worked on, along with two of his other film pieces were accepted into the National Portrait Gallery (which is part of the Smithsonian) as part of the hip-hop exhibit, "Recognize". Since I was the "set" designer (I think I would actually consider myself the lighting designer) J and I got to go to the opening of the exhibit. So besides getting to see WAY too many rich people not dancing to the hip hop music, I had the REALLY awesome experience of getting to see my name in small print on the wall of a museum of the Smithsonian. FREAKIN' AWESOME. 15 minutes of fame, here I am!
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/film.html
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
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Thursday, June 14th, 2007
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in ireland. internet is slow. not enough bandwidth for capital letters. love you all.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
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Recall Date:
DEC 11, 2003
Model Affected:
1996 BUICK REGAL
Summary:
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE RETAINERS COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
Consequence:
IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL NEED TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, SIMILAR TO A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER ASSISTED STEERING. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES EVEN FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER EFFORT TO TURN LEFT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AS MUCH AS INTENDED. WITH THE MAXIMUM PINION SHAFT MOVEMENT, WHICH REQUIRES INTERNAL GEAR COMPONENT DAMAGE, THE DRIVER CAN ENCOUNTER HIGH RESISTANCE TO TURNING LEFT, FOLLOWED BY UNINTENDED POWER ASSIST TO THE RIGHT. IN ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537; OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Potential Units Affected:
750283
Notes:
GENERAL MOTORS CORP. 03062
It really just felt like the power steering gave out these last two weeks. I didn't think anything was seriously wrong until I started hearing pinging as I made a left turn, and then the steering wheel was at a ninety degree angle when I was going straight. And then I drove home. On the beltway. Someone's watching over fools and idiots. I think it may be time to lay the the latest Katmobile to a well deserved rest. Now reviewing applicants for the new Katmobile. Considering the 2007 Pontiac Vibe and the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon TDI.
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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my search today for ceramic wire nuts and old-stlye non-NEMA twist-lock connectors has given me and every electrical and theatrical supplier in the state and Ohio, a good long laugh. "Oh honey, I don't even think they make those anymore."
Why the heck can't Montgomery County pay to update the lighting system at Springbrook to one that isn't so archaic the dustbunnies have dustbunnies? When I request for the asbestos wiring to be replaced, or at least taken out, I didn't expect to have the county pay for an electrician to come in and cover all the wiring with electrical tape (which is now falling off). When I said, each lighting instrument should have a safety cable, and printed out a picture of a proper one they brought me dog chain and s-hooks. When I said hey, the roof is leaking in 4 different spots, one in a room filled with 60 amp dimmers, they said, here's a bucket. (Ok, so they finally fixed that one two years later)
I'm not unhappy here, I just wish the administration in the school would have at least half the concern and the pride that I have in the students who work so hard to put on shows here.
Speaking of which, I will definitely post a picture of the cart that Peter designed and made and Kim painted.
In case anyone else ever needs to get them, I found the previously mentioned items at iseincstore.com and productionadvantage.com respectively. Good prices too.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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From the suggestion of Will, I thought that I would ask all of you for wedding music suggestions. Here's some stuff that's already on our maybe list.
Just Like Heaven Cure
Just to get a girl UMC's
Geeks get the girls All american rejects
I believe in a thing called love The Darkness
Leave before the lights come on Arctic Monkeys
Motown
Canon in D Major Pachelbel
Your Song Elton John
Chasing Cars Snow Patrol
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours Stevie Wonder
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Tainted Love Soft Cell
That's the Way Love Goes Janet Jackson
You're My Best Friend Queen
Ain't that a Kick in the Head Dean Martin
Let's Get it Started Black Eyed Peas
It must be love Madness
It had to be you Frank Sinatra
Love and Happiness Al Green
Beautiful Day U2
These Words Natasha Bedingfield
Such Great Heights Postal Service
My Girl Temptations
The Way You Look Tonight Frank Sinatra
Daughters John Mayer
In My Life Beatles
When I'm Sixty-Four Beatles
How Sweet it is (To be Loved by You) James Taylor
You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC
I Want You To Want Me Cheap Trick
Hey Ya Outkast
Music Madonna
I Bet you Look Good on the Dancefloor Artic Monkeys
Kiss Prince
I Melt with You Modern English
Freedom George Michael
Ain't No Other Man Christina Aguilera
After Hours Velvet Underground
It's The End of the World as We Know it (And I feel fine) REM
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Busy busy busy.
Since my last journal entry, I finished props for An Irish Tale, the deaf access play with Imagination Stage. I started and finished props for Washington Savoyards' production of "Kiss Me Kate" which was pretty awesome. It's a really good show, and this coming week is the last week of performances. My favorite part of the show is when a bird comes out attached to a girl's wrist, sings to the female lead for a bit, and flies up into the catwalk. One of the mobsters on stage then takes out a gun and shoots the bird, which falls to the ground with a plastic thud. Half a beat of silence and then everyone continues singing and carrying on. I love ridiculous musicals. This might top my previous favorites like Jane Eyre: the musical, and Zombie Prom ("Jonny? My son? My own rotting flesh and blood?")
Somewhere in there, I helped Springbrook put on a Heritage Show, which had some really awesome dancing.
For the spring musical, they've decided to do Oklahoma, or, as the kids call it because of Springbrook's demographic, "Oklahomies"
Had dinner with the family, talked about wedding stuff with my mom.
"Hey mom, did you figure out who you wanted to invite to the wedding?"
"Yes, there's three families, the Thompsons, the Mathis's and.... I can't remember the third."
"Mom, when you pick a dress, J's mom would like to know what color it is so she can figure out what she's going to wear to the wedding."
"I have to wear a dress?!"
"Um.."
Went to court to testify against a guy that fell asleep at the wheel on 295. He ran his car off the road, and took out a light pole, his car then jumped onto the guardrail, where it lost its gas tank, luckily managed to fall into the woods instead of the road, and then burst into flames, leaving a trail of fire that quickly started to catch the underbrush of the surrounding woods on fire. He got out of the car, closed the door and walked up to the road completely unharmed. I called in 911 where I had a kind of surreal conversation:
"Police, Fire, or ambulance?"
"Um... Fire and ambulance I guess?"
"Well which is it?"
"Er... well, this guy just ran his car off the road, and it burst into flames, I think the guy's ok because he got out of the car, and I don't think anyone else is in it, but you might want to send an ambulance anyway."
"Is there still fire?"
"Yes, there is definitely still fire."
They ended up sending out all three. The ambulance didn't really do much, because it turned out the guy was completely unscathed. The fire people put out the fire, and the police charged him with negligent driving.
"License and registration?"
"Here's my license, the registration is in the glove box."
"Right."
So, I got to court, feeling bad because I could imagine falling asleep at the wheel, but willing to do my part to bring about justice. And the police officer didn't show up, so the guy got off completely free. Still not sure how I feel about that.
And I went to Disney World with J's family, which includes his niece and nephew of 4 and 2 years respectively.
Things I learned in Walt Disney World
Roller coasters are scarier when you're tall enough to feel like you're going to hit your head on the ceiling.
Listening to Disney musak causes my eyes to twitch.
My left eye twitches more than my right.
Kids are the best form of birth control.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
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Sorry I haven't been updating recently, there's a big one that I wanted to be able to take my time in telling everyone about.
But first in other news:
November:
Did another lighting design for a UMCP Off-Center Show called Stonewater Rapture. I ended up doing it because NO ONE else in the department would touch it. I think people were either busy or weren't comfortable with the subject matter (uber-Christian girl gets knocked up in a rape by a team of football players and her boyfriend decides to marry her so she doesn't have to go through the stress of telling everyone she got raped)
Altered a dress for one of my students for her coming of age party and attended said party. The dress was awesome. It looked like a cake. At the party I had to give a small speech and was pretty terrified, but I guess I survived.
Get Bill Shakespeare Off the Stage happened at Springbrook. It was pretty successful, and I am sooo proud of my kids because they designed a really kick-ass set with 7 foot balconies, swingout walls, a curving staircase and a chainlink fence wall. And they did it all by themselves. I'll have to post pictures later.
Ate lots of food for Thanksgiving somewhere in there.
December:
I really don't remember much of this month, even with Google Calender's help. I know I graduated, and I know Christmas was somewhere in here. Kristin came down from Michigan and I got to see her which was awesome. Other than that, I think I was extremely busy with the props design gig I got with Imagination Stage. (see below)
January:
Went to Hawaii for Uncle Dwight's wedding. It was pretty awesome, and I guess I should put pictures up for that too at some point.
Ian's Dad - I have Macademia Nuts for you.
Ian's Mom - I have Kona Coffee or Macademia Nuts for you.
and.... I got a present from J while we were there.
So... the date is set for sometime in the summer of '08.
In current news, I am in tech for the show at iStage which is called An Irish Tale: A Journey to the World's Edge. It's a cute show, done by high school kids half deaf and half hearing. Makes me want to learn sign language. And it's what I'm considering my first real professional design job. So congratulations to me many times over. Upcoming events include a prop design for Kiss Me Kate with the Washington Savoyards, a set design for Overnight with Imagination Stage, a set design for Thoroughly Modern Millie with Wildwood Summer Theatre, and Technical Direction for Oklahoma with Springbrook. And that gets me through August. Phew... And people kept on saying that I would have more time after I graduated.
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Comments: Read 24 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
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The Weir is over. Pictures to come when I remember how to post them.
I taught the Springbrook Crew kids how to calculate square roots by hand. Little by little, I feel like I am reclaiming minds from the brainless button-pushing that is taught beginning in elementary school.
The right arrow key of my keyboard sometimes types in n/, b, an occasional c, minimizes the window, or actually functions as a right arrow key. I think when I tilt the laptop at about a 30 degree angle, I have a better chance of it being a right arrow key. Laptop is still under warranty though, so a new keyboard is going to be mailed to me. I'm excited. The last thing I tried to fix was my car, and I don't think I really fixed it so much as the service engine soon light died.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, October 18th, 2006
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Hi, happier post.
I'm looking for songs with a reference to Shakespeare.
For example:
Brush up on Shakespeare - Cole Porter
Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cults
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
It's for Get Bill Shakespeare off the Stage.
Any Ideas?
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, October 15th, 2006
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66 days, 15 hours, and 45 minutes until graduation.
Stupid f-ing theatre department.
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
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I'm not really, but I'll just say, it's a good thing I'm so young at heart and in body, or I might feel self-conscious. It feels good to be modest too.
Just an update on shows.
Cabaret with Wildwood Summer Theatre in July, I did the set design for it. I'll post pictures later.
Sleeping Beauty: the Time Traveler - showing now at Imagination Stage or iStage (assistant set design, model builder, and tapestry painter)
The Weir - Off-Center for UMCP, going up in a couple of weeks (lighting designer)
Get Bill Shakespeare off the Stage with SHS - Techinical Director
Something funny, J's desktop had one of the fans burn out, and long story made short, Dell couldn't get him a new one. We did some research and found out that many dell users have been having a similar extremely frustrating problem. Thanks to google translator, I got to read the opinion of one Korean user which was titled, "Fan Dell computers CPU under purchasing the man with underdeveloped genital organ."
more later.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
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So apparently Mac is giving something away for free, but only if a certain number of people blog about it. I don't own a mac, but I think they're pretty so here's 5 cents for you Ian.
1. SubEthaEdit from CodingMonkeys
2. BLOGZOT 2.0 on MacZOT.com
3. MacZOT and TheCodingMonkeys will award $105,000 in Mac software
4. Don't own a Mac but I'm thinking about getting one.
And that's my good deed for the day.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, April 6th, 2006
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Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
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Just finished closing Home Free at CSPAC which was a lovely one act about an insane brother and sister who are having a baby together. We'll see if I can get some pictures on here sometime soon. Next up is set design for Cabaret this summer and maybe lights this spring for Tis Pity She's a Whore, which is coincidentally also a show about a brother who gets his sister pregnant, only Jacobean. Springbrook will be doing a Broadway revue which should be fun and some of my crew kids are going to sing and dance in it which I am very excited about. I'm going to a bachlorette party this saturday which is extra exciting and to a wedding the Sunday after that which is also very exciting. I seem to be very excited this posting, possibly because I didn't get much sleep last night as I was preparing to completely dominate my midterm today. I am SO graduating this winter. I can't wait to be in that weird limbo land between school and career. I think I may get a nice 9-5 job and take it easy for a couple of months. Hmph.. Well... I don't actually know how to post images in these journals, so pictures will have to wait until later.
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
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If you don't know what Happy Batman Sticker Day is all about ask Will.
And with Valentine's Day came a wedding annoucement.
My uncle Dwight is getting remarried! My reaction was much like Kristin's (who was with us on our last family reunion) when I told her.
Kat: Hey! Uncle Dwight's getting remarried!
Kristin: He got divorced?!?
Kat: Apparently!
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, February 12th, 2006
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This is what I learned in my musical theatre history class the other day.
Linear plots are called masculine plots, Episodic plots are called feminine plots. Why? Linear plots involve a long build-up to a single climax while episodic plots have a series of smaller, spaced out climaxes. Really? Really. PhD students wouldn't lie. And there IS a pool on the fourth floor of the high school, you just need an elevator pass to get there.
Classes:
History of Science
Graduate Lighting Design
Musical Theatre History
Painting
Oceanic Art History
Countdown to Graduation
315 days
I just opened Savage In Limbo, which is a play about a bar. I did sound design for it which was a fun and exciting experience that I don't think I want to repeat unless I'm being paid for it.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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