I Just Like Even Numbers Better.

"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."
~Larry Lorenzoni

I like even numbers. My affection for even numbers goes well beyond just preference, however. I enjoy making everything even. Even amount of M&Ms. Even number of raviolis on my plate. Why would you ever eat anything one at a time, unless you were counting up to an even number? And the volume on my laptop or the TV -- the number always has to be even. I know, I know. A little strange. But lest you think I'm borderline cuckoo, let me assure you that multiples of 5 are okay, too. :)

So there was cause to celebrate last week, when finally after an agonizingly "odd" year, I became even again. I'm officially a number I can handle, a number I like saying. Good riddance to that previous prime number, which I patiently endured FOR A YEAR! On to bigger, better, and more even things. :)

Photo found here.

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Happy birthday to me!
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More soon... I'm just trying to get through finals.
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When the list of things to do keeps getting longer...

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
~Alfred D. Souza


Life is good, but...

I'm tired.

I haven't done my taxes. Seriously?

I have two term projects due on Monday and Wednesday next week.

Work has been non-stop busy. Business reviews. Big wigs in town. Lots of schmoozing.

I've been needing to go to Costco for oh, about three months now. Haven't made it yet.

Still haven't bought a new car. Mine died. Well, not exactly, but it's been deemed unsafe to drive.

Been driving an automatic (my mom's -- THANK YOU!) for six weeks now, and I STILL reach for the clutch and my gear shift at every intersections. Seriously, it's like I have driving Alzheimer's. I'm just a stick-shift girl for life. Besides, automatics drive themselves! What's up with that?!?! I can't figure out who decided that was a good idea.

Also, been needing to get my dry cleaning done... for five months.

I find that I don't have time (or energy) to pick up my voicemail for days. That's a little pathetic. Sorry for any unreturned phone calls.

Last week brought the sheer pleasure of singing Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil" three nights (one in The Cathedral). Remember how I said life is good. Marvelously soul-soothing. (But that also meant eight hours of additional rehearsals last week.)

Trying to keep up on Primary. (Oh, I'm the first counselor in the Presidency now. That happened three and a half months ago... haven't had a chance to tell you.) We've lost eight teachers. EIGHT! My goodness.

I'm tired of people using Facebook as their political soapbox. Especially when they are so openly raunchy and disrespectful. It's exhausting. And embarrassing. And... well... annoying.

I need to clean my bathroom. Desperately.

I've been needing to take a few of my favorite pairs of shoes to the shoe repair guy... for three years.

Lots to do.

But, it's Spring. And I can feel it. Loving the fact that I can sleep with my windows open!

Oh and my Driver's License is expiring on Tuesday. Gotta get that taken care of. Oh, and yes, that does mean it's my birthday... :)

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Glee Returns!

"Glee is all about sparking ambition, getting kids off the sofa and doing creative things. But it also has a healthy dose of sarcasm and skepticism to offset its peppy interpretations of Journey hits. The production numbers show the sweat and constructive criticism that goes into good performances."
~Ken Tucker (ew.com)

Since mid-December, I've been eagerly waiting to get my Gleek on. Now, it's finally here. Since I don't really have time for TV and don't ever want to strapped to a particular time slot (I know, you're going to tell me to get a DVR... I don't want one. Thanks, though.) , Hulu is my friend. They post the episode the next day (with fewer commercials), so you can watch it whenever you want.

Here's a sneak preview.

Now, tell me you're not excited.
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Wild Cherry Steam Thing?

"I love argument; I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me; that's not their job."
~Margaret Thatcher

So what are your first thoughts after looking at this advertisement?

We spent forty minutes today, in one of my visual communication classes, discussing this advertisement. Debating ensued and the whole class was a bit riled up expressing opinions, which were met with more and more opposing arguments.

I believe that if I were flipping through a magazine and saw this ad, the image of the red washer and dryer would catch my eye first, and I'd think, "Oh, cool. Red washer and dryer." I love the color red. I enjoy "pretty things." I'd probably think that it would be cool to have a red laundry room. However, seeing as this particular advertisement was submitted for analysis of text/visual integration, I read the larger print first. My initial thought was, "Well, that's kind of stupid."

The larger text causes the reader to view the woman as rather dumb and silly because she calls the appliance, a "thing." Clearly she's not smart enough to know what the proper names for the appliances she "needs" are called. She clearly doesn't want/need the washer and dryer for it's effectiveness; she only wants it because it's pretty, which is why the discussion of the superior product qualities is in finer print.

I think it's pretty safe to assume, that often when we hear the phrase, "A woman has needs," the writer is referring to her sexual needs. And the following sentence, in the text, saying that she needs "this wild cherry steam thing," drives home the obvious intent to sell with sex. Wild. Cherry. Steam. Thing? Come on, now.

Now, for better or for worse, it's not the fact that the designer/writer of the ad was trying to sell the product with sex that irks me about this ad. It certainly pokes at stereotypes, but so does almost all comedy. I actually think that the play on words is clever and rather understated, due to the image of the woman who is pretty, but appears to look like your average American woman, with a little (very unnoticeable) smirk on her face. She could have been portrayed with an obvious smirk on her face, or bright red lipstick (matching the "wild cherry" color of the appliances), or in a more suggestive environment.

The thing that gets to me, is how instead of just coming across as a woman interested in sex, she just seems stupid. I recognize that they probably thought it was funny, but it just didn't sell me.

What do you think?

A few questions and thoughts to ponder (and leave comments on):

• Would your opinion of the advertisement change if the woman were a worn-out looking housewife? If so, how?
• What if she were wearing red lipstick to match the color of the washer and dryer, thus causing her to look a little more sultry in appearance?
• Would the ad be more or less effective (or offensive) if the woman had a definite smirk on her face (a nod to her understanding the witty/sarcastic text)?
• What if the ad said, "A man has needs...," and showed George Clooney with 5 o'clock shadow, frozen in mid-wink? Would this be more/less offensive or humorous?
• There's also the fact that LG named the color of these washers and dryers "wild cherry" and not just simply red...

What sells to you?

Image found on a Google search.