Old Woman Tased Controversy

I heard about this months ago, but was reminded about it by Kathy Lee and Hoda this morning. They talked about the result of the case and that the old woman recieved $40,000 dollars. Many people have supported this situation or been against it. Although I do believe she was defiant and provoked the officer - she is a 72 yr old great grandmother. I support the fact that she got money out of it because all and all, that taser could have killed her. I think the police officer should have handled his actions differently. Afterall, the U.S.A. has a police force to protect the people. This officer was obviously on a high horse and used his power with cruelty. If we had many police like him, our nation would be afraid of the police and would not feel protected.

The Little Power Ranger

Yesterday I went to visit my little cousin Lily, who is 4. She was at my grandmother's house, and when I got to the door she was in a red power ranger suit. She said, "Where have you been? I've been wearing this for hours. I thought you were coming a while ago". She had wanted to show me her halloween costume. Since she was a Power ranger, she wanted to show me a video of them (she didn't know power rangers were my generation). As I watched I got a funny feeling. I hadn't seen them probably since I was 5 or 6 and it seemed very different then what I remembered. It reminded me of the feeling when you go to a house or a restaurant for a second time it often seems different and you notice more details. I think whenever you have a first perspective of something, your view changes the second time because you know more about it. Like the first time I visited SMU, I thought the campus seemed completely different. Now, I know my way around so my perspective has changed. I realized this yesterday: it's funny how when you first learn about something, it seems so new and exciting, but once your mind recognizes the subject more and more everything looks and feels different - like you're used to it. I had remembered the power rangers as being really exciting and cool, but when I watched the video it was just a much of overdramatic characters and cheesey side effects.

My Inner Artist

Recently, I was asked the question "How are you an artist?". It truly has taken me some time to devise a response because I wanted to dig deeper than just "I paint" or "I like to draw". While I do LOVE to paint, I must admit I've been less of a painter during the school session and more of one during the summer and winter breaks of college. It is sad because I love to paint, but studio art is not my major, so after all the homework and projects - some nights I just don't have the energy to whip out my canvas and paints. Although, painting is like a meditation to me. I love to paint outside and get lost of time completely. I feel like I am an artist in this sense because it is something I am very passionate about while I am doing it. But besides the painting, I am an artist in many other ways. I love fashion. I get up every morning and decorate my body with clothes and paint my face with makeup (majority of the time, unless I've overslept - oops~!). I love fashion and really enjoy finding new, fun, & feminine pieces to play with. Barney's is like an art museum for me. Even if I'm not in for a shopping spree, I adore their window dislays, manicans, and decor. I would say Barney's is where I get inspiration to decorate myself. I'm also an artist in the kitchen. My mom has always been a cooking woman. We are not one of those families that eat out every night because the mom can't cook (no offense), and since I am the only child, I have always been by her side to help. I have learned her recipes and created my own a long the way. I love to try new things, create, and taste. Finally, I would say I am not only artistic in the fine arts realm, but for my own personal sense of style and flavor as well.

Wash Your Troubles Awayyy

During my senior year in highschool I took AP Studio Art and completed my concentration portfolio. I chose to do a concentration which demonstrated stereotypical social situations that modern women in the U.S. put themselves in. Looking back on it now, my topic was a little complicated and could have been more simple. Also, reflecting, there are a lot of things I would change about my pieces, but then again I was only 17 and learning to paint as well. My concentration had 12 pieces, but this one shown was one of my favorites. It shows a housewife in apron, doing her daily house chores (i.e. laundry), and using her Prozac to "wash all her troubles away". The goal of this painting was to show that the modern housewife is much more complex and possesses more scandal in her life than the previous cookie cutter housewife of the 1950s. Also, it is a fact that many woman in america are overmedicated with medications like valium and prozac. In my opinion, many women don't deal with their problems in their own skin like they used to. This is what my painting tried to portray.

My daddy always said, "Don't wish your life away..."

My parents started me a year early in preschool because they "thought I was ready", so I have always been the baby of all my friends. While everyone was getting there driver's licenses during their sophomore year in highschool (when most people turned 16, or some people were driving freshman year because the South Carolina driving age is 15 - and many people from my school commuted over the Savannah River to go to our private school), they were all busy driving me around. I was the last to turn 16 and it felt like an eternity. And now, I'm going to be the last to turn 21. So while allll (okay, not ALL I'm exaggerating but MOST) of my friends have been turning 21 this fall, I just turned 20 August 31st. Yes, 323 days and counting left until I too can go to all the cool places my friends can go to (stress free). Because I am the baby and always have been, I have always wished to be older so I can catch up on all the fun. One of my good friends who is about to be 22 recently told me: "Don't wish your life away. Of course 21 is EXCITING and something you wait for - but, I'm about to be 22 and I'm like ****! After 21, you don't have that many ages to look forward to ever again". I truly took this to heart. When I thought about it, it really makes a lot of sense. You're never going to be like "OMG you guys I'm going to be 23 woooooo I'm getting OLD!" I also realized how I should embrace my last few years of college and not wish to be any older, even though I won't turn 21 until my senior year in college. Today, while at lunch with my little cousins and mom in a local Italian restaurant, one of our neighbors approached me and said "Stefanie! I haven't seen you in soo long! I can't believe how grow you are! How old are you now?" I almost was going to say 19, but today was the first day I really thought about it - I am 20 now. Two decades old. In between 10 and 30. Half way between a little girl and a woman. At 10 years old, I was in the 5th grade and very care free. At 30, I hope to have built a beautiful resume, married, and hopefully am on maternity leave at that point (I want to have kids in my late 20s, *subject to change). Long story short, today was the first real day that I thought about my current age, where I've been, and where I want to go. There's still a little bit of that fun-loving little girl in me, and I hope the next few years will help me to get to where I want to be by 30. But after all this pondering, I have definitely learned not to wish my life away any quicker than it's already moving.

All Aboard: Jimmy Choo Choo!

On november 14th, Jimmy Choo is releasing a fall collection for H&M. There will be shoes, bags, clothes, & accessories. H&M is a european company similar to Urban Outfitters, which has lower budget clothing. I think it's fantastic with the economy that a lot of designers are recognizing the struggles which the average person is facing & offering great clothing pieces at great prices. For example: Anna Sui for target, Vena Cava for Gap, Miley's line at Wal-mart and Charlotte Ronson for JCPenny. In my opinion, a person should be able to buy great clothes at whatever price they want to spend, and right now not a majority of people have the funds for expensive clothes. Also, I worked in retail & I realize how much markup is placed on clothes so the brand can thrive and the designer can make a lot of money. So, I think this is a great way for designers to show intrinsic motivation & design because it's their passion, rather than marking their clothes up 300%.

A Place Not Even the Locals Can Get To: the Lady & Sons

Yesterday after watching the UGA game in downtown savannah while I was home for fall break, I got a little craving for southern food so my dad and I thought we'd make our way over to the Lady & Son's. This is Paula Deen's restaurant which used to be a more mom-and-pop local place, but in more recent times has changed to a food network landmark. It is a block long and 3 stores high, seating hundreds of people. We walked up around 4:30pm because dinner begins seating at 5 on a first come first serve basis, unless you have a party of 10+, then you can make a reservation . The hostess informed us that the restaurant was booked solid with parties of 10 or more for the entire night. I thought this was amazing! Not only is Paula making bank, but she was still turning hundreds away for that night. I think because of this, she should open another location in downtown savannah. Savannah is a very busy city in the fall because of the great weather we have. (It was in the high 80s yesterday with a cool breeze and I laid on the beach ALL day) Because of this, the weekends in September, October, and early November are jam packed. There's really not a "slow" time in Savannah because tourists are always on the trolley tours or walking around the squares. When I thought about it, Paula's buffet dinner is about $30 a head. If she turned down 250 people that night (and I know atleast 100 were waiting for the 5pm seating), she was turning down $7,500 dollars - just for that night - on top of the $15,000+ she was already profitting. I know there's cost of a new venue, staff, etc., but I definitely think a new location in Savannah would be a benefit to her. Afterall, every tourist in Savannah wants to go to the Lady & Sons when they visit, and not everyone always gets to. Plus, Paula has made Savannah more famous. Everyone that I meet in Dallas asks me if I know Paula, and FYI we get our hair done at the same place! ha!