ICE ICE baby

I’m going to focus on something for a second that no one EVER seem to focus on. Iceland. That is right. That wonderful country of Iceland located well, where the hell is it located exactly you ask? After googling Iceland for 2 seconds I pulled some insightful info. for you about Iceland.

Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle. It lies about 4,200 kilometers (2,600 mi.) from New York and 830 kilometers (520 mi.) from Scotland. About 79% of Iceland’s land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of glaciers, lakes, a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,000 meters–6,590 ft.–above sea level), and other wasteland. About 28% of the land is used for grazing, and 1% is cultivated. The inhabited areas are on the coast, particularly in the southwest where about 60% of the population lives. Because of the Gulf Stream’s moderating influence, the climate is characterized by damp, cool summers and relatively mild but windy winters. In Reykjavík, the average temperature is 11°C (52°F) in July and -1°C (30°F) in January.

Blah, blah blah. Let us get to the good stuff. I have a friend who traveled to Iceland. Random right? She told me it was her favorite country that she has EVER been to. She said it didn’t feel like reality. So now I’m thinking what is Iceland’s secret?

To start if I were to ever visit Iceland, I would stick out like a sore thumb. Think about it, I look the OPPOSITE of every citizen in a northern slavic country. I am a brunette. I have hzael/ brown eyes. (woah I feel like I’m writing a personal ad describing myself for dates.) I also like long walks on the beach, candlelit crab dinners for two, Al Stewart (who doesn’t?), AND I’m a Sagittarius. The archer. Meaning I am incredibly optimistic.

Back to Iceland. I’m looking for a good reason to convince my parents to take our next vacation to Iceland. Have any good ideas?

Oh I just came up with one! I HAVE to go to a live concert of Sigur Ros. He is icelandic. Haven’t heard of him? Check out his songs: Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur, Hoppipolla, Saeglopur, Gobbledigook.(for the record, I had to go into my I-tunes and copy and paste the titles of these songs because they’re so hard to type. Try even pronouncing them. I can kind of do it after listening to the songs. I am assuming though that Sigur even says these words in his songs.

I don’t know if that will go over so well with the rents. They aren’t too keen on my music taste. Hm, how about

After some more Google searching, I found something really good by the Icelandic Tourist Board: (I wonder if they even get a lot of tourists.) I am by NO means trying to insult Icelandic people. In fact I have never met an Icelandic person. I would love to have an icelandic friend.

Iceland – Discoveries the Entire Year
Iceland is not only closer than you think, but far different than you ever imagined. Where else can you witness such marvels of Mother Nature as a tremendous icecap and several glaciers, spouting geysers and steaming solfataras, volcanoes (hopefully dormant), raging rivers and magnificent waterfalls, a multitude of birds, cavorting whales just offshore and many other surprises. Summers are surprisingly warm and winters not as cold as you might expect. Regardless of when you visit, be assured that the warmth shown by Icelanders, their desire to share their culture and the efforts made to make your stay as pleasant as possible will, like the spectacular landscape, never be forgotten. Looking for a holiday or vacation in Europe? – Visit Iceland for your holiday – Your official Iceland travel guide to Iceland vacation.

Let’s go! Who’s in?

 

ROOMATEYS

college is so weird. think about it. you openly choose to live with a bunch of random girls or guys and hope you get along.

sometimes you do. sometimes you don’t. you definitely learn who you can live with though and who you can’t.

The best are the super weird roommates. You know the kind of people that make you wonder “What planet are you from?” These people don’t 1. shower 2. clean 3. recognize your existence 4. add any presence to your house. It is really strange that you rightfully choose to live with them but then when it doesn’t work out you bitch people out.

Here is the top list of things that I think are necessary to be a good roommate:

1. Cleanliness

2. Consideration

3. Respect

4. Open-mindedness

5. Cooking skills (ok maybe that is a little harsh to claim)

The “Rules”

When it comes to dating, we live in very confusing times. Oftentimes at my shoe store we talk about what College was like for my bosses. Now my bosses are by no means old, but hearing their opinions slightly freak me out. They weren’t nearly as connected as we all are nowadays. Think about it. Everyone owns a phone. Everyone texts. Everyone calls. Everyone checks their e-mails, facebooks, AND twitters on their phones. There really isn’t a point in time when we AREN’T all connected to the entire world around us. Now compare this trait, truly characteristic to Millennials, with Gen X and Baby Boomers. My mom loves to lecture me that when she went out on dates she would have to plan long in advance for the date. She would have to be reliable because unless she was home, she wouldn’t know who was looking for her. Imagine what life would be like without your cell phone. Pretty liberating. Pretty darn liberating.
Or would it be? I forget how connected I am to everyone else. I love the online world and the depth of knowledge available at my fingertips. At the same time however, I think it is really detrimental. I think that we take advantage of how connected we are and as a result we mask behind this deep longing to be connected. It’s kind of sad if you think about it. We try to be SO connected to the world around us to prove to others that we are connected. But we’re not. We’re not able to just see people eye to eye. We are losing the ability to relate to others on a personal level.
Sometimes I try to imagine what life would be like if I lived in a time before cell phones. Were guys any different back then? I bet they weren’t.
Was life different back then? I bet it was. I have this hunching suspicion that people had to be a lot more accountable and a lot less sketchy. If you were going to a certain bar or party or house back in the day you had to go. You didn’t have a choice if you wanted to flake out and text someone.
Did you know that some people have come up with certain acceptable rules for dating.
Here are the top 10 rules for women:

1. Be a Creature unlike any other. Being a creature unlike any other is really an attitude, a sense of confidence and radiance that permeates your being from head to toe. It’s the way you smile (you light up the room), pause in between sentences (you don’t babble on out of nervousness), listen (attentively), look (demurely, never stare), breathe (slowly), stand (straight) and walk (briskly, with your shoulders back). When a relationship doesn’t work out, you brush away a tear so that it doesn’t smudge your makeup and you move on!

2. Show up to parties, dances and social events even if you don’t feel like it. Realize that you may not meet Mr. Right naturally and that you therefore must take social action immediately even if you don’t want to. Get a manicure and go out on another date or to that singles dance — do something to increase your chances of meeting men.

3. Its a fantasy relationship unless a man asks you out. 
Don’t waste time on a fantasy relationship. You may have a good rapport with your doctor, lawyer or accountant, and you may find yourself wondering if he is interested in you romantically. How can you know for sure? If he’s never asked you out, then He’s Just Not That Into You!

4. In an office romance, do not email him back everytime he emails you unless it is business related. On all non-business e-mails, responding once for every four of his e-mails is a good rule of thumb. Remember, you never know who has access to your e-mail, so keep all romance off the screen and save it for Saturday nights.

5. If you are in a long distance relationship, he should visit you three times before you visit him. Remember, the first three visits are really nothing more than three dates… and on the first three dates we don’t sleep with a man or have him stay at our place overnight.

6.When considering whether to use personal ads or other dating services, you should place the ad and let men respond to you. It goes back to the basic premise of The Rules: Man pursues woman. When writing your ad, remember that every man has a type, a voice or a look he likes. There has to be a spark for him that attracts him to you, something that makes him find you unexplainably special.

7. If he doesn’t call then he is not that interested. Period. We know this is hard to accept, but it’s not that he hasn’t called because he’s busy, or because you didn’t smile or talk enough (or did too much). It’s not that he lost your phone number. The bottom line is, if he hasn’t called, he’s not that interested.

8. Close the deal- rules women do not date longer than 2 years. 
If you’ve followed The Rules, your man probably loves you and wants to marry you. Your problem is not if he marries you, but when! If it’s been more than a year, see less of him and think about dating others. You’ve already spent more than a year waiting for him to propose; do you have another year to wait?

9. Buyer Beware: Observe his behavior do you don’t end up with Mr. Wrong. 
Love may be blind, but Rules girls are not stupid! How does he act in the relationship? Is he cheap on dates? Is he critical of you? Remember, The Rules are not about marrying the first man you are attracted to who calls you by Wednesday for Saturday night and buys you flowers. It’s about marrying your own personal Mr. Right — a man whom you love and whose character you admire and can live with.

10. Keep doing the RULES even when things are slow.
Take care of yourself, take a bubble bath and build up your soul with positive slogans like “I am a beautiful woman. I am enough.”
You must learn to accept that, as an adult, you can’t always rely on a friend to do things with you. Even if you don’t meet Mr. Right, going out — whether it’s a restaurant, lecture or party — is a chance to meet new people and practice The Rules.

Are the rules old fashioned? Should there even be rules for dating?

I phone therefore I am

To all of you haters of the world, I have an Iphone. I say haters because you probably hate for having one if you don’t have one. Maybe you are a blackberry who swears that they are so much cooler because you own one. (Instantly making the phone cooler). Maybe you have one of those random phones that takes on smart phones names but isn’t smart at all.

Exhibit A:

The point is, the Iphone has thus proven why I love Apple. I really, truly do. I think Apple is an example of an amazing and innovative company and one that many should learn from. My Iphone has the best features. I like the touch screen. I like being able to do so many things with my phone. I like my I-pod on it. I like the Apps. I like to think different. Talk about inspiring. I could quote Apple campaigns all day. I admire both the Steves (the founders.) I admire their 1984 commercial that they had to push to put on the air. I’m a Mac. I own a Macbook. You should too. If you don’t you probably wish that you did. If you do, then you know what I am talking about.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

If the world knew what was good for it, it would try to aspire to be more like Apple. The world would be a healthier place.

JP in the house

As I recently explained, I am intrigued by politics. For this reason alone, I have gotten involved in the Colorado Political Scene. I was involved with the Boulder County Democrats during election season last fall volunteering to count ballots and votes and to canvas. (Its really fun to canvas btw…NOT). I believe for anyone and everyone interested in politics, you must find at least one issue that you’re passionate about.

If you stand for nothing, then you’ll fall for everything.

There are in the end of the day a hell of a lot of issues that I stand for. I am pro-choice, I am pro women’s rights. I am pro gay marriage, pro abortion, pro pretty much every social issue that democrats would deem worthy of time and resources from the government. I am also pro-Israel.

Let me go into this a second. It really pisses me off when people are like how can you be so liberal and pro-Israel. For some reason, this is a really bad stigma to being liberal, democratic, and pro-Israel. People regularly think that Conservatives, or Republicans would first take on this issue and make it important in their hearts. I can see how some can claim this putting Israel in the category of national defense and international diplomacy, which in the past has often been associated with war and thus more of a Republican hot button. YET, on the other side, Israel is an extremely liberal country. Way more in fact, than the US and 100 x more liberal than any middle eastern country. I know I’ve already ranted about this, but you would be amazed how many ignorant people there are out there. At the same time I am not saying that I am know-it-all. If anything, I am thirsty for this information so I make it a point to read up about it as much as possible and to actively make an effort by being an activist.

I think more people would be involved in politics if they saw how easy it is to become involved. You can chose how involved you are, what issues you care about, and what direction you would like to do. It is so cool to be able to lobby and to MEET congressman, senators, and their aids/assistants. They are the people that are making big, HUGE, influential decisions in our lives and they want us to be involved. The time is now.

Which brings me to the title of this post, JP in the house. JP stands for Jared Polis, and he is Boulder’s newly elected congressman in DC. He is very pro-education, and very knowledgeable, which is why we are bringing him to campus, my group, the Israel Public Affairs Committee, and the College Democrats, to discuss Iran.

Damn, democracy feels good.

Je t’aime

Has anyone ever seen the movie Paris, Je T’aime. According to the trusty IMDB:

Paris, je t’aime (French for “Paris, I love you”) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements. (The various neighborhoods in Paris) The 21 directors include Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.

If you haven’t here is one of my favorite clips from it, thanks to the good folks at Youtube:

(I’m including the version with the translation as this movie is originally in French and I know for some this is slightly difficult)

The funny thing to know about this clip is that the woman’s accent in French is HORRIBLE. Like so mad I can not even try to imitate it.

This is hands down one of my favorite movies in the world. I would advise anyone to see it, even if you aren’t that fond of Paris or France or French. The central theme is so moving, and the vignettes really accomplish a unique feel.

This brings me to a movie that was recently released but isn’t on a large national scale yet, New York I love you.

According to IMDB again:

In the city that never sleeps, love is always on the mind. Those passions come to life in NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU(rendition of 2006 PARIS, JE T’AIME) – a collaboration of storytelling from some of today’s most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous, surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the city’s heartbeat. Sexy, funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline. From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn, the story weaves a tale of love as diverse as the very fabric of New York itself. Written by Vivendi Entertainment, Distributor

Below is the trailer.

Youtube says: This super-project film brings a collaboration of storytelling from some of todays most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous, surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the citys heartbeat. Sexy, funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline. From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn the story weaves a tale of love as diverse as the very fabric of New York itself.

 

New York I love you is in select theaters RIGHT NOW. I am slightly killing myself slowly by not being able to watch it. So please if you can do yourself a favor and go see it. For me. Eventually it will get to Boulder. Key word being eventually. (and I’m being hopeful)

May I resume now…

I’ve been treating this space more like a venting ground, but I feel it is necessary to go on for a moment about the ultimate, stupid-est (yes I made up a word), thing that I have been dealing with lately.

Resumés.

In order to offer some help other than just bashing the general topic, I thought I would disclose something I found when googling the topic.

The first thing to look at here is the purpose of your resume. The purpose of your resume is to get you interviews. If your resume is getting you interviews, then it is considered to be a good resume. If your resume isn’t getting you interviews, then you should change it.

Two, your resume should tell your story. If you’re a college graduate looking for your first job, a one-page resume is just fine. But, if you have a longer story, your resume needs to be longer. You want put your experience on your resume, so resume readers can tell when, and for whom, you did what.

Three, if you’re long on experience, then short resumes are not appropriate. The real audience for these short resumes is people with short attention spans and low IQs. I assure you that, when your resume gets into the right hands, it will be read thoroughly.

Four, short resumes are not appropriate, if you have to use a small (7-point) font, to get your resume onto one page. Resume readers don’t like eyestrain, and if your resume is mechanically challenging, they just throw it aside for one that is easier on the eyes.

Five, in light of the current emailing scenario, your longer than one-page resume is no problem because recruiters will copy and paste it into their databases. And once it is in there, and searchable, you have accomplished one of your goals of resume distribution.

Six, short resumes are not appropriate, if you have to sacrifice clarity in order to get your resume onto one page. Why? Because resume readers don’t like to guess, and most won’t call you to clarify what is on your resume.

Ok now I may resume. Pardon the pun. I think resumés are the stupidest thing in the ENTIRE world. Honestly. I really can not tell you enough how much I despise them. I understand the purpose of them in providing a template for employers who have no idea where we are from, but in all reality they don’t shed a light on anything but the ability to write a good resume. That is it. Zilch. Nadda. Nuthin’. I don’t think they highlight a candidates strengths. If anything, they highlight how much we suck up and pretend to be interested in a particular job. In some ways we might be interested but in reality, we don’t even know what we’re doing.

The four elements

Ever seen the movie the 5th element? If you haven’t you should because it is really good. Maybe just to me because I’ve always been really into kind of sci-fi esque movies, but anyways Bruce Willis is in it and there is this girl who is the fifth element. Like her and water,fire, earth and ground make up and protect the world. An abstract concept but a good one nonetheless.

I got to thinking about this because it snowed about 3 feet the past 2 days in Boulder. Everyone went a little crazy. My busiest day Wednesday, was now a day of freedom. The campus shut down, my boss told me not to go in, and my night class was canceled.

My roommates and I went slightly crazy, but I’m not going to lie it was so much fun. Everyone on my block had time to hang out. We built (as the pictures below show) a snow woman. The guys across the street built (or at least started) an igloo. It was cool but it was funny because they were pretty intense about it.

The world is so much more beautiful covered in snow. This white layer promises peace. Everything feels so much more peaceful and I’m not really sure why.

“Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.”

Earl Wilson

 

The real thing I love about snow is the divine power that it holds. When it snows everyone MUST stop what they’re doing. Things that we take for granted like driving and even getting to the grocery store prove to be much harder. I love it though. It reminds everyone that at the snap of fingers we all can stop what we’re doing and be granted a small gift from above. I don’t necessarily think of myself as a religious person, but snow has this effect on me. It is natural beauty. And extremely romantic. I can’t even get over hold romantic it is to be in the snow with someone that you like. Sledding, board games, fireplaces and blankets put a smile on my face. People have more cheer. People are happier. Boulder turns into a winter funderland.

 

Halloween is approaching and I couldn’t be more excited. It is on a Saturday and between football games and costumes I know that a lot of fun is in store.

Thank you for snowing. Thank you for the serenity that snow has brought to my house, block, and town.

No-drama O-Bama

Ooooo Obama

I am an avid magazine reader and I just sat down tonight to read my new Time magazine for the week. The seam of the magazine turned me to an article by Joe Klein discussing “The Real Peace Prize. How can Obama possibly live up t his Nobel By using it to strike a deal in the Middle East.”

Since I have an invested interest in the Middle East, I thought I would read the article and then reply. To make this more interactive, I am going to include some brief quotes from throughout the magazine as I respond.

“So the peace prize presents him with an immediate challenge: How does he go about actually earning it? The foreign policy that Obama favors, requires qualities of wisdom, horse-trading and fortitude that we cant yet be sure he possesses.”

Why is everyone so skeptical of Obama? Am I the only one in the world with the upmost and utter faith in him.

“The moment may be at hand for a dramatic U.S. initiative, even from a no-drama President….The notion of putting enormous pressure on the Israelis to do anything has proved problematic for U.S. Presidents over time, however- and Brzezinski’s well-known edsire to apply such pressure has made him unpopular among Israel’s noisy neoconsevative and Evangelical supports. But there are others including well-know supports of Israel like David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who think a breakthrough is possible. Makovsky’s idea is to start with hat seems the toughest problem: the Israeli settlements.”

I will say that in this article in particular, Klein made pro-Israel supporters seem like nutjobs. Let me just say that we’re not. We care about the only democracy in the Middle East and one of American’s best friends. Israel. Let the peace talks begin.

Peace

The county fair

I kind of wish I grew up in a small town in the middle of the midwest. The kind of town that had county fairs.I think if I went to a county fair I could attempt to re-enact that whole scene with Zoltar from Big. Remember Big, that Tom Hanks movie where a 13 year old all of a sudden wakes up to be 30? It has totally be re-made a gazillion different times including 13 going on 30 more recently by Jennifer Garner. Sometimes I wish I could wake up and just be 30. But at the same time I would miss so much of what growing up is about I would be completely out of place. I am aware of that, it is just really nice to remove yourself from any situation when it isn’t 100 % perfect. I don’t know why I have all of a sudden concluded that I have lived a boring deprived life because I never attended a fair. I have lived a very amazing life full of opportunity, love and support. But, there was no carousel. No ferris wheel. No cotton candy ( 6 Flags/ Elitch gardens DOESN’T count.) I long to sing “we go to together like ram lama lama ba dinga dee boo sha boo” just like the whole cast of Grease did at…. that is right you guess it.. at the FAIR!

I grew up in Denver. No fairs were there. There were no fairs everywhere. Maybe I’ll rhyme for the rest of the post. Because I am the most but I don’t like toast. So (st?). I am giving up rhyming but am instead providing one of my favorite quotes of ALL time.

The Man in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
And see what the man has to say.

For it isn’t your father or mother or wife
Whom judgment on you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people might think you’re a straight-shootin’ chum
And call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathways of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears,
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass. (-anonymous)