DawnPapuga.com — Reality 101

This week has been one big ball of exciting craziness after another.  I’m going to be travelling for business this week, and I don’t know if I’ll get to post much.  I have some folks who have expressed interest in contributing to Reality 101 anonymously (some not so anonymously), and what better time to give you some Non-Dawn biased rants?  No time like the present, I say! 

A few quick points before I finish going crazy by being pulled in 93 different directions and someone mistakes me for a chicken with my head cut off:

• Thank you all for the kind words about my “Dear Alexis…” letter!  I didn’t expect such a response, and your comments and emails made my day, so thank you! 
• I know that there’s some complaint about the focus of these Olympics being on the swimmers (Particularly Michael Phelps–see below for gratuitous Michael Phelps photo), but I don’t care.  Hear that?  I love it!!  For someone who gets to watch swimming and diving really only every 4 years, I am happier than a kid in a candy store with a free pass for everything!  I’m getting updates, watching replays, and watching my TV, browser screen, and finishing paperwork and writing simultaneously every night.  It’s like my addiction to March Madness, but worse.  Much, much worse.  I hung up on a family member because they wouldn’t stop talking during the synchronized diving events last night.  Had they been in the same room, I assure you that duct tape would have been put to good use.  The focus has been on Swimming, Diving, Gymnastics, and Volleyball.  Honestly, I’m pretty sure the IOC and Networks must have crawled into my head while I was asleep and created the perfect Olympic schedule to run just for ‘lil ol’ me.  Thanks!
• Randomly:  I am a huge fan of Mesquite BBQ Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.  Yum.
• If you’re itching to get a rant out, a top ten list of snarky wisdom, or just saw something that makes your head want to explode, let me know.  Who knows, maybe this will turn into a regular feature!  (Don’t worry… I know I flubbed the Friday 5 last week–on a movie week, no less–so I’ll keep that the same this week.  I hope.  I’ll try.  I promise.  Look, don’t glare at me like that, I’m only one woman!! )

And now…. My new desktop image and a gratuitous Michael Phelps picture (Oh, I can assure you there will be more…):

Oh, You’re welcome….  :) 

Dear Alexis,

Hi there.  You don’t know me, but I know your Mom.  As it stands, I am poised to know a lot of people’s moms here soon, but I chose you to write to because of a few very simple reasons.  First, the other little ones running around don’t have the letter “I” in their name (Some are still on the way, so we’ll see).  Second, I’ve been following your escapades since your mom and I started playing softball together, and I already see what’s coming down the chute.  Third, soon you’ll start to believe that your parents know nothing and that anything they might say that a stranger says (especially one who shares a shoe appreciation) instantly becomes more valuable coming from said stranger’s mouth.  So think of this as an early college-years intervention.  Print it out, tuck it away, or ask mom to keep it and to give it to you on that day you move into your first dorm room. 

So here are 10 things you need to know and remember:

1. Clowns are evil.  Trust me on this.  I know they might make you laugh, and that their silly antics and bright costumes might seem like bottled baby giggles.  That’s because they are.  Evil, I say.  Evil.  Give a clown a chance and the first minute your mom is looking the other direction he’ll snatch your soul right out of you.  Mimes are okay, as long as they don’t stare. Then they might be serial killers.  Never trust anyone who wears make up.  That’ll become very poignant when boys show up on your radar. 
2. Everything is a test.  Even when you think no one is looking, they are.  And they’re judging you. They’re tallying your appearance and behaviors in order to pigeon hole you into a stereotype.  Once you understand this, you can use it to your advantage. 
3. Ladies don’t do shots.  Sure you might partake in some raucous behavior-who hasn’t?  But know that if you’re out with friends in a place full of strangers, and you’re pounding back shots that people are making assumptions about you.  You could be dressed like a professional prima donna, and they’ll think you’re desperate.  Show some skin and take some shots and you’re suddenly fair game for a fling.  You can say “what other people think doesn’t matter” and that will be true until you pound some shots and puke in public in front of the person you have to interview with for a new job and they recognize you from the previous weekend.  Just know who you’re with and be safe, okay?
4. Using hearts and smiley faces to dot the “I” in your name isn’t cute-it makes you look like an air head, which we both know you aren’t.  People won’t take you seriously, so don’t do it.  You could be a brilliant doctor or teacher and if the first impression of you is a “cute as can be” heart over your name or on anything you are connected to, you have a long way to regain credibility.   



5. Pink is the color of female oppression.  (I say this in that “kinda-joking-kinda-not” sort of way.)  Why do you think Barbie is packaged in Pink and not Blue?  Don’t worry, you’ll understand once you start reading social and literary theory in college. (Call me, we’ll talk.)  You don’t have to wear pink or ruffles to be feminine.  You don’t have to even look feminine if you don’t want.  But be yourself (yes, even if it means pink is your “black.” Your mom and I will likely go into convulsions, but if it makes you happy, go for it). 
6. Having a passion is healthy as long as it’s under control.  Your love of shoes is marvelous, as long as it doesn’t put you in debt or take over your life.  If you decide to max out your charge cards to buy new clothes and shoes every season and neglect to pay your bills, you might have a problem.  And if you start to skip classes to play WoW for 12 hours at a time, seek help.  Everything in moderation, dear.
7. Heartbreak doesn’t last forever.  That boy you love in 5^th period biology who dumped you will probably end up regretting it for the rest of his life.  He’ll remember you in years to come when you’re happily married to your dream man with 2.5 kids and a dog.  It hurts now, sure, but remember that every relationship you have teaches you a little more about what it is that makes you happy and what doesn’t.  You’ll realize this at your first reunion.
8. Value yourself.  Don’t let the decisions of others destroy your self confidence.  If you are underappreciated at a job, do something about it.  Leave!  If you are unhappy in a relationship, leave!  If a friendship proves to be toxic, end it.  Only you can set your own value.  Jobs, loves, and friends come and go.  You deserve to be happy; sometimes that means compromise and sometimes that means knowing when to cut ties and move on.  Life hurts, but knowing who you are and valuing yourself will make it that much easier.  So will chocolate, a good book, and shoes.
9. Dream Big.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t do something.  When you dream big other people want to throw negativity your way, but don’t let that stop you.  Believe in yourself and your abilities and to hell with everyone else.  If you want something, go after it.  Don’t be content with second best, and don’t settle for average.  When the rest of your peers are content to just get a trophy for participation, your hard work and desire will set you apart from the rest.  Be careful, though, because people will see that as a threat.  Be ready for that.
10. Your parents love you.  You’ll probably go through some rough patches with your parents, as all teens do.  And you might even think that they’re out to crush your dreams and trying to ruin your cool status.  In truth, they’ve been through the gauntlet already and they just want to save you from any mistakes or pain you might encounter.  You can’t fault them for that.  They love you.  One day you’ll realize that your mom and dad aren’t as dumb as you think they are, and that they made incredible sacrifices for your happiness.  On that day, you need to find a way to go hug both of them and tell them you love them too.  Don’t forget to say Thank You.

You’ve got an amazing life full of highs and lows ahead of you, and I can only imagine what your world will be like when all of this finally makes sense to you.  Remember to learn from both the good and bad situations you encounter and your road won’t be so bumpy.  Now go put on your favorite froggy boots, grab your finger paints, and start chasing those dreams!

Best,

Dawn

One of the brilliant aspects of blogging, reading blogs, and being part of a blogging community in general is how many new, wonderful things that cross your path that you would never have discovered on your own.  Well, maybe.  Probably not.  Look, the point is that I’m starting to think of the new media & networking community as a type of social consciousness*.  The opportunity to learn new things–usually completely disparate, random things you likely wouldn’t have encountered because you were never introduced to them or interested in them before–is just delicious! 

I’m picky about what blogs I subscribe to, though.  Some I read because they’re industry blogs, some because they’re my friends, and some just because they make me laugh.  There are others that I read that blow me away because of the incredibly interesting things they talk about or find to share.  Then there are some that fall into most of those categories.  I have, however, eliminated some blogs from my reader because, quite frankly, they don’t do it for me.  They don’t make me feel all warm and tingly.  Teh interwebz  are huge and there are plenty of blogs to choose from.  Heck, take two. 

I inteded to share one of the amazing finds that being a part of the blogosphere (using that word just made me twitch) led me to.  I’ve mentioned Tim Siedell’s Bad Banana Blog before, and it never fails to ignite inspiration or set my creative muses on overdrive.  By reading his site I managed to find quite a few other sites (mostly dealing with art, artists, and design) that have piqued my interest.  Because I went on some wild clicking spree, I don’t know which one of those sites eventually led me to D.Billy (and considering the coverage he’s received, I feel like I’m living under a rock).  There’s something about these installations that just makes me smile and want to grab some pipe cleaners and a hot glue gun and get back to basics.

Click on the images to head over to the official uploads of these works, and believe me, it’s worth it!  I don’t know that I can yet wrap my head around all of his other work (the modern, pop culture, and classics are colliding in my head in unpleasant ways when I think of them).  And let me know what you think!  I find these works to be fun and lighthearted and just an interesting collision of comic books meet real world.

*I have this concept of how blogging and social networking communities are contributing to a shrinking, yet expanding social consciousness, and as soon as I figure out what I want to say about that… I’ll post it.  Talk to me about it, who knows, maybe we can figure it out together.