smarts

So I was sitting trying to figure out how to write this blog so it was sort of interesting and not completely pointless. Basically I started reading up on this girl, Alice Dellal. She's a multibillion dollar heiress (of the celebuspawn set) and daughter of model Andrea Dellal and Jack Dellal (son of a property-somethingorother). She hangs with the likes of Peaches Geldof and Mick Jagger's son, James. I just started to find out who she is, and she's really interesting. She's been tapped as the next Kate Moss (who, if you didn't know, actually WAS the one to be when she was at her prime. also, she was engaged to Johnny Depp). So enough about her, but if you're curious, here are some pictures of her from recent fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear shows. I think there's a few from 2008 as well.
Anyway, the point of all of this is that I CAN tie this into something relevant. We've all proved the fact that we are smart. But there's all different kinds of smart. Personally, besides the school stuff, I'm really knowledgeable about almost anything fashion or gossip. Yes, sounds superficial. Some of it is. There's a lot more to it than people think, though. To me, it's totally interesting. If you're interested in architecture, it's really similar. Just...on people. An article from the July 2008 issue of Vogue comes to mind. It's all about the 162 year old Spanish luxury house Loewe getting a new creative director. They have a few pictures of some of the pieces in the collection, and there is literally a shoe with a stiletto heel made of a screwdriver. Pretty crazy [awesome] stuff.
So, what I ask of you is:
What makes you smart (other than things that we use in school). It's pretty cool to see what we all know about. Especially when it's some crazy eccentric stuff.

I'm bad at titles, just read the post.

I've been waiting to blog for forever, so I'm a little unduly excited about making a post. I've had this idea for awhile.

I've noticed a recent trend in movies, so I want to know what you guys make of it. There's been a lot of true or based-on-truth historical movies lately. Not just artsy 'films', I mean high-profile cinema movies. Look on the list of movies nominated for Academy Awards tomorrow- Changeling. Defiance. Milk. Frost/Nixon. You've got to admit that's a little unusual. Even movies not nominated for awards, like Valkyrie, fit the category.

It's long been said that art imitates life. Cinema is a form of art, so what do these movies imitate? Certainly not current events, as it's already been noted. So it must be something more subtle that is striking such a chord with audiences. What's so appealing about these movies?

It's definitely not the mood. Changeling is about a kidnapped kid, Frost/Nixon about a lying President, and the end of Valkyrie is reminiscent of the end of Titanic- you know the (metaphorical) ship is going to sink and that the good guy's going to die.

I personally think it's because we're so dissatisfied with the present. It doesn't matter to us as a collective consumer audience if the past is just as or more depressing. We're unhappy with a bad economy, lying stock brokers, yo-yoing gas prices, and the electric car that can’t come fast enough. So we turn to people with important but often drastically different problems. You’re gay and you’re running for senate; you’re eluding the Nazis. Very few people in the general population can personally relate to these problems. But we like them because they’re real and they’re indirectly relevant.

What do you guys think?

Questions

Questions are awesome.  They can be funny, thought-provoking, or just straight-up useful.  Others are obvious, like, "Why is this doofus writing an entry about questions?" or "Why am I reading a blog post about questions?"  I, personally, love questions, and I think they are the best way to learn about something.  

If you, as a student, learn something because you asked yourself, "I wonder if there's a pattern here."  You will remember what you learned much more effectively.  I love asking questions in Math because, 9 times out of 10, you can determine the answer in a manner that enhances your understanding of the topic to the furthest possible manner.  For example, I will always know exactly how slope theory applies to quadratic functions because I asked myself in Math class if there was a pattern in all of the graphs.  I found the pattern in terms that I can understand, and I doubt it would make sense to anyone else.

"What if" questions are excellent.  They can be deep, like "What if I got to design a religion?  What kind of rules would my followers adhere to?  What holidays are there?  What do we consider holy?"  or "What if I don't exist?"  Sometimes they can be nerve-wracking, like "What if this debate doesn't go smoothly?  What if I concede a big argument?"  Other times, though, they can be pesky, such as "What if this weren't a rhetorical question?"  Very rarely, however, are they conclusive, such as "What if I weren't finished with 'What if' questions?"

My downright favorite type of question is "Why?"  "Why are we here?"  "Why am I here?"  "Why does that behave the way it does?"  "Why" questions are the deepest, most philosophical questions.  They, more than any other question, reveal what you really don't know.  You ask them once you have all the facts, and you know all that is necessary on the topic, and you are ready to take it to the next level.  Instead of reciting some memorized fact, you are analyzing the facts.  

Who questions are interesting also, because they can be either really deep, or really shallow.  It could be "Who was the emperor of China when Jesus was born?"  or "Who am I?"  I try to avoid "who" questions.  The deep ones should be rephrased with the word "Why" and the shallow questions should be avoided because there is no need to ask a shallow question.  You don't learn anything from them.  

"Where" questions are no good, but the topic of where can be of vital importance.  Knowing exactly where you are can be essential to avoiding embarrassment, as there is a distinct difference between peeing in a pool, and peeing into a pool.  A "where" question wouldn't help here, because if you don't know already, it's not funny.  It's hard to come up with a good situation for a "where" question, unless you count, "Dude, where are we?  Where is the ground?  And why is it so windy?"  as good.

Another good series of questions might be "Where is the concluding paragraph?  Why is this guy so lazy?  Who is he to tell me what questions to ask?  Why did I read all of this?  What if I don't care about questions?"

SGT

As many of you know, I'm involved with a program called Special Gifts Theatre in which kids mentor other kids with special needs to put on a musical. (more info at specialgiftstheatre.com)

I'm mentoring a girl named Patty, and the play this year is Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.

I was wondering if any of you guys would want to come to the show.
The shows are on March 14th and 15th at 2 o'clock and tickets are 12$ each.

Let me know if you want to go and if you give me the money, I can order tickets for you.

If you can't attend the show and still want to support the cause, I'm also selling raffle tickets for 4$ each or 3 for 10$. I'll have them at school with me, so if you'd like to buy one come talk to me.

Thanks!
~graicey

Wall-E :D

Six or seven months ago I reluctantly followed my friends into a theater showing the Pixar film Wall-E. I went in expecting a mediocre movie that I wouldn't enjoy too much, and I came out surprised by how much I liked it. It's much deeper than a kids' movie, I think it's a great movie for all ages. Anyone else seen it?

Music. That's right.

Music, it's pretty much a given that everyone listens to it these days. It's often the source of discussion, and even sometimes causes arguments. I am blogging because I think this is stupid. People need to learn that music is music, no matter if it's rap, rock, country, jazz, whatever.

There are hundreds of genres and sub-genres of music now, each with some number of followers. I know some people that only listen to Rap, and some people that won't listen to any of it. While I do try to find the good in all music, I will admit to listening less to rap and country. However, that doesn't mean that there's nothing good about it.

For example, I came back from a quick trip to the library about a half hour ago. I probably came home with the most outrageous variety of music ever, and I think that's okay. I rented Buddy Rich, Steely Dan, Santana, Nat King Cole, The Police, Chick Corea, and Miles Davis. Yeah, it's a weird combo. 

I guess the major reason that I'm posting is to let everyone know that I think all music is alright. Whether it's Reggae or Pop, music is a way to portray emotion and thinking in a creative way. It's an art, so we have to accept all different forms of it. In the end, we all have likes and dislikes, and that's okay. I guess I probably would run away if you asked me to listen to a lot of the new music out there. But hey, other people will be giving the same songs Grammy nominations. 

P.S.- I'd say the only reason I'm listening to Nat King Cole in the first place is because of Jazz Band. Try some new music - you'll like it. But you won't probably won't like this, it starts to make you feel a little bit like an 80-year-old at times.

Obama..?

Needless to say, during our last "political" discussion, I was upset.  What upset me wasn't the fact that my views were unsupported, but that they weren't the least bit respected.  The only reactions I got were personal attacks, eye rolling, and the occasional sarcastic sigh.  Just because I do not fully heartedly support Barrack Obama and his policies*, doesn't mean that I don't have a valid opinion.   So honestly, the next time we try to have a "political discussion", refrain from personal attacks if you find yourself at a loss for intelligent comments.  It just makes you look stupid.

So to keep the classroom a little quieter how about we talk politics here.  What do you think about the new stimulus package?  Do you have faith in Obama?  Should the Bush tax cuts be renewed?  What are your overall opinions on George W. Bush?

Also, if I had an extra $1,000 a month I would not by five pairs of shoes, I have never bought a $200 pair of shoes, and I find that quite ridiculous.  But I would stimulate the economy by making other purchases, and donate to my church because it is falling into debt.  Just in case anyone was wondering.

*My current opinion is that the new stimulus package it was too expensive, it creates minimal jobs, wastes money on ambiguous categories, and is lacking a short term fix.