The best part about these shows is that they are including all the best parts I remember about being girls at this age, primarily middle school age. Having fun and being silly! It kind of reminds me of how I felt when I’d get to go to Girl Scout meetings – that I could just relax because it was fun and free and safe. Plus, the adult women involved are silly and fun too, which is probably why it works. But don’t think it’s all silliness: these young women are doing really awesome things. Writing music, growing food, choreographing, and doing yoga – and they are doing these things now. Erica Lies in her review in Bitch magazine points out that Poehler introduces each interviewee in the present tense as “writers” or “horticulturists” – not saying they need to wait until they grow up to become these things. This series really makes me want to have a sleepover and learn to play the drums while writing and gardening. Of course, they end every episode with a dance party. What could be more awesome!? Check out the whole series online. My favorite so far is Cameron, a writer.

As I got older, my mom and I would watch 90210 and Melrose Place together. My best friend Heather and I used to call each other and talk on the phone through Dawson’s Creek. I’m a real sucker for a good teen drama. Formula is pretty simple: hire some beautiful, actors in their early 20s and cast them as high schoolers. You’ll have some kind of outsiders that are like normal, average suburban kids (in 90210 it was Brenda and Brandon; today’s version is Gossip Girl’s Dan and Jenny). Throw in some money, parties, drinking and teen sex and some love triangles are bound to crop up. Teen dramas don’t mess around these days, but despite the ridiculous plot lines, I just can’t help myself. The clothes! They are pretties! And the dramas! Must know what happens next week!

I feel like I run with some pretty intellectual crowds that talk about the latest bestseller or this cool hipster writer when all I really wanna talk about is the latest episode of Gossip Girl. I can’t help myself. Even Ira Glass from This American Life admits that he watched The OC (even I didn’t go there). I can’t be ashamed any longer. I love television and since the advent of TV on DVD I love it even more. Some of my latest favorites include Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under, LOST and Samantha Who? I have probably watched Sex and the City through all six seasons at least three times (ok five). I think it’s possible that I watch more TV than I read. Ok, its definitely true. But what can I say? It relaxes me. And since premium channels have gotten in the game, the quality of stuff out there has gone way up. Seriously, Six Feet Under – watch it. Best. Show. Evah!

So I’m coming out. I want the world to know that I love television. I sit on my couch for hours and watch through an entire season of a show. I eat junk food. I blog about it. You know what? I am having lots of fun.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have got to get back to season 1 of Gossip Girl.
Anyone have any TV Show suggestions?

I wasn’t always in love with Pittsburgh. For a while I resented the fact that it was assumed I’d stay here, have a family, never leave. I wanted to experience the world and the culture in other areas. I also wanted to get away from my rather large family for a long time. My family is pretty typical Pittsburgh – large, loud and close knit. All up in my business. On both sides of my family, my ancestors immigrated to America and landed here – in Pittsburgh, specifically the south hills. I realized this must say something both about Pittsburgh and what it means to live here and about myself, since I’ve chosen to stay.

I chose to stay because Pittsburgh won me over. Pittsburgh woo’d me. And because I realized Pittsburgh held my heart all along. That I could visit other cities, but Pittsburgh will always be my home. The thing about Pittsburgh is that you can’t be lazy. We are hard workers and if you are willing to just make the effort, you will find out just how much this city has to offer. A vibrant arts and cultural scene. Some of the best hospitals in the world. Amazing colleges and universities. Food like Primantis and Pasta Too. Fantastic sports teams – and even more fantastic fans. And that just the tip of the iceberg.

In the midst of this love letter to my hometown, I have a confession to make. I have not watched one Steelers game this entire season. It’s not that I don’t like the Steelers, its just that I don’t really like sports. I’m more of a hiker and a camper myself. I have been known to play the occasional game of frisbee with my family. But sports never really held my attention, especially football. I am way too ADD to have my attention held when the game keeps starting and stopping. I also don’t mean to sound like a snob – football is a complex sport. Just not my thing. I’m rooting for them though. I will always champion my Steel City.

So despite my lack of knowledge about football, I’m so excited that the Steelers are going to the Superbowl! Because what’s great about the Steelers is also what’s great about Pittsburgh: the people, the fans. Those of us that live here, we get it. If you go to other cities, I guarantee you’ll find a Steelers bar. And it’s not just about football, it’s about community. It’s about that feeling that you get when you are surrounded by people who value the things that are important in life: family, friends and damn good food.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of issues in my personal life. That struggle has forced me to reach out to my support system. Locally, I have a large extended family that has always been really supportive. I also have way more good friends than I ever thought I did. These people have really been there for me, even some in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. I’m seriously so lucky.

I have missed my online community. I have still been around on Twitter and what not, but I have missed this blog. When I took it down, I got a number of people contacting me asking how they could access it. I had no idea so many people read it. I longed for that connection with a larger community.

So I am back. And I’ve decided something about this year in my life. It’s going to be the Year of Laura. I’m taking a phrase from my friend Molly, who decided to focus solely on herself for a year and make her life the one she’s always wanted. 2009 didn’t really start off the way I’d planned it, but I’m going to ride that wave of change into the coming months and see where the tide takes me.

I myself am particularly drawn to art that is informed by science and scientific progress, primarily because I considering myself more creative than scientific. I’ve been working on incorporating more scientific or medical elements into my poetry. I’ve written a poem paying homage to bowerbirds, beautiful creatures who use found human objects to make their nests colorful, thus attracting new mates. I studied parts of the heart and how it functions to write a poem about the word “open” – without actually using the word “open” in the whole poem. I even wrote a funny poem about pareidolia and how people love to see faces of religious figures in their food. I hope to explore this area more in the future with my writing. I also hope some of these poems are published someday so I can share them with you.

It only makes sense that in the first issue of Weave Magazine you will find a number of poems where science is informing the writing or visual art. Dana Guthrie Martin’s poem Parasitic Cloaking is a great example, such a haunting look at pregnancy, birth and the strange, symbiotic relationship between mother and (what becomes) a child. It seems that this theme has come to the forefront of Weaves second issue where we explore the world of fairytales and science and their overlap. My co-editor Margaret writes:

Issue 02 will show you science versus fairytale, and where the two may meet. The characters are diverse; a man working in an asylum in the 1960′s, the monsters in your closet, and a princess who’d rather be a mad scientist, among others, all equally colorful.

I’m very excited to see where this theme takes us – especially now that we’ve shared it with our readers. We are hoping we will get more submissions along this strange and beautiful theme.

With only two days from Thanksgiving, I still have some planning to do. I have yet to buy the ingredients for the green bean casserole. But I figure it will all be on sale anyway and I won’t make it until Thursday morning regardless. I need to get some kind of gift for my mom and grandma – they always do such a lovely job with Thanksgiving. They have always included me, despite the fact that I am vegetarian. People always ask me what I eat on Thanksgiving. I usually ask them what they eat and I tell them I eat everything they do, except the turkey. My mom makes a large tray of vegetarian stuffing (MY FAVORITE), corn casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, yams – there is always plenty of food for anyone and everyone. We will have at least 14 of us this year at Thanksgiving. I love this holiday, mostly because of the food and family time, but also because it is a secular holiday. It requires no belief, except gratitude for what you have. I have a lot to be grateful for.

I began baking this weekend. I don’t really bake any other time of year except now when my mom, grandma, sister-in-law and I make cookie trays to give as gifts. We all split up the cookie recipes and make at least 5 dozen of each kind. Then in mid-December we bring them over to my mom’s house and lay them all out on her dining room table, sometimes spilling over into the kitchen. We bring beautiful big trays and smaller little plates and cover them with over 20 different kinds of cookies. Some of my favorites include apricot rolls, molasses, oatmeal raisin, baklava, lady fingers, cream wafers and of course, chocolate chip. This was a tradition my mother and grandma have shared for years, longer than I’ve been alive. I remember when my grandma would come over with boxes and containers of cookies, my brothers and I trying to sneak one or two (or ten). I remember when my sister-in-law (who also happens to be a friend of mine since fifth grade) and I were included. We got new kinds of cookies from her family’s recipes. When we give these cookie trays as gifts, people are always impressed with the variety and that everything is homemade. I love this tradition.

I was talking to my mom this past weekend and she asked me if I had plans for Christmas Eve this year. My family usually attends a local church service and spends time with a family friend who celebrates the Italian tradition of the Seven Fishes. I realized these past few Christmases, my (now ex) husband and I had created a little tradition of opening our gifts early on Christmas Eve. This was kind of special to me because as a child, my parents never let us open one gift until Christmas morning. I’m not sure what I’ll do this year on Christmas Eve. My sweeties will be with their respective families so I might just end up attending a service at the Unitarian Universalist Church I belong to. This time of year… I long for that looking inward again, while anchoring myself to a community so I don’t fall too far inside myself. My mom also invited me to spend the night at their house on Christmas Eve. Considering they all wake up at 7am on Christmas morning to open gifts, I might just stay at my place. I think I will need to come up with my own tradition.

Most of all, this time of year, I crave the slower pace. I crave the time to sleep in, to eat more, to move less. Less sunlight, less serotonin. Cold outside, warm inside. More sleep. More cuddling. I love the natural tradition of biology and seasonal shifts – that simple reminder that humans aren’t outside of nature looking at it, but connected to it. Even if depression sinks in a bit, I have the experience and maturity to know it will thaw and melt with the snow come March. That is the bright side of this darkening. But as the days will continue to shorten I will take the time to reflect, to write, to read, and to spend time with the ones I love. And probably gain a couple pounds too.

The Mattress Factory is a museum of contemporary art that exhibits room-sized works called installations. Created on site by artists from across the country and around the world, our unique exhibitions feature a variety of media that engage all of the senses.

Whilst following the MF on twitter, they alerted me to an interesting local art project called Street with a View. Artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley collaborated with the Google Street View team to “blur the lines between fiction and reality” with their documentation of Sampsonia Way on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Working with actual community members and the MF (which is on Sampsonia Way) they created and acted out various stories of potential happenings on a neighborhood street. Things like sword fights, band practice, a human ham and a moving van are now all a part of the actual street view option for Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh (seriously, check it out for yourself). It is a really interesting idea about how art, technology and community can all converge into one statement. Makes me wonder how I would want people to visualize my neighborhood and what stories we could tell through pictures.

Check out this short documentary: The Making of “Street with a View

If you are visiting Pittsburgh I strongly suggest you check out the MF (along with our other wonderful museums!)

Today I voted for Barack Obama who will now be the 44th President of the United States. He will be the first African-American president. I just watched his opponent John McCain concede graciously. I am waiting to hear Obama speak and just thinking about it gives me chills. I am happy to post prior to this speech because I just want to let this whole experience resonate in me. I consider myself a skeptic, but a lot of people confuse that with the term cynic. There is a big distinction to make there. These last few years I found myself getting more cynical about this country and politics. I’m happy to say that while we have a lot of work to do, Obama has clearly inspired people out of the cyncism and into action. I’m excited and hopeful to see the direction this country with take under the leadership of President Obama.

I’m speechless and honored to have a candidate like him for which to vote.

I found a great organization via this blog post over at Creative Synthesis:

• River of Words is a non-profit group based in California that uses art and poetry to involve students in an “observation-based nature exploration” – using art to teach science, respect for nature, community involvement, one’s role in society and the natural world – WOW. Just an awesome program.

sciencegeekgirl shares a podcast:

• Science Teaching Tips (a site by and for science teachers) discusses the use of theater in the science classroom in their podcast – “Exploratorium staff educator Tory Brady performs a bit of theater, demonstrating the roles of the star players in the immune system.”

And I just thought this one was cute:

• Where Art Meets Science: Kids are so awesome. It was made in Sunday school too. Woot.

The above statement is obviously false.

I posted a big long comment on his blog to which he graciously responded and accepted my position, clarifying that he simply meant to argue why he chose a particular career path. But I pointed out that in the process he created a false dichotomy between art and science and failed to see how they feed into one another, particularly in the area of technology and art.

Before I go on, I want to share with you my response to his post as he has given me permission to repost my comment here. I have portions of his post in italics.

I have to say that, as a writer and co-editor of an art and literary magazine, I have to STRONGLY disagree with your logic regarding the intrinsic value of the arts as a whole. So I’d like to correct you if you don’t mind:

The importance of arts is the inspiration and effects that the artist has on its audience. The right artist, with the right exposure, has the chance to change the world and the way people see it. However, this is very infrequently the case.

I agree with your first sentence in part: you seem to miss the whole point of self-expression and the value that creating art has for the artist themselves. After that first sentence I completely disagree. You are saying that unless you are Picasso or The Beatles then why bother trying? You aren’t really affecting any kind of real change right? That’s completely and totally false. The arts do have ways of reaching people – I run a small art and literary magazine and we have been very successful in bringing together a small community of people. We are building connections with other artists for collaborative projects. We are providing people with an outlet for their self-expression. We are a showcase for beautiful poetry, photography, fiction – the list goes on! We are running community workshops for writing and helping people get more involved with other writers. Ok, now that I’m done talking about how awesome my magazine is, I can take a break to say that we probably won’t change the world. But this experience alone has changed my life forever. My life is richer and has more meaning knowing that I’m helping people succeed as writers and artists. You simply cannot try to measure inspiration in the number of people you inspire. Even if you write a beautiful poem and it only inspires yourself – well, I feel there is deep, meaningful value there. You simply can’t measure emotional experience, personal growth or inspiration. Just because something isn’t quantifiable doesn’t negate its importance.

The more common use of music and art is simply entertainment, which I do believe is important. However, I feel that it is important to distinguish that I am not saying that any of these pursuits like athletics, arts, or politics are not on some level important, but just that I regard them with less overall greater importance than I do science.

Here you are saying that if you aren’t affecting great change, then the only other purpose art must serve is entertainment. This is kind of ridiculous. Even on a small scale, the arts have so many purposes: community building, education, cultural preservation and expression, affect political change, therapeutic purposes, add value to a community, self expression! One beautiful piece of art can change someone’s emotional state. I’m not just talking about Mozart’s symphonies here. I have a friend who writes beautiful songs and barely sings them to anyone – but I’ve been changed by her music. To say the only value the arts have is for entertainment you are devaluing the better part of human history. Human beings create. Human beings imagine. This is one of the things that sets us apartment from all other species.

Arts, to me, are like a drug…

I will refrain from being insulted here because I think you are a nice guy and don’t mean any harm. For you to argue that just because all your experiences with the arts made you irresponsible and flaky and then to deduce that this must be the case for all people with all art forms – that is not only insulting, but its unfounded. You are saying that your personal experiences must define everyone else’s – and that’s just bad logic there. I will give you this: art can be used as a form of escapism. But arts also inspire people in the darkest moments of their lives. They are a call to action – personal and political action. The arts have inspired revolutions! Great literature has made people so upset they wish to burn the very words of the author. The arts can change they way people think, the way people live their lives, their ethics and values.

Arts make you feel better for a little while but science actually makes us better, more often than not, forever.

This statement is wrong in two ways. One, you are making it sound like all scientists are working on a cure for cancer. There are plenty of scientists out there who aren’t extending our life span. There is also plenty of silly science out there! Just take a look at the Ignoble Prize winners for this year. Science can simply make our lives enjoyable in the same way some art can make our lives enjoyable. I have see no problem with this – but don’t argue that all sciences endeavors are solving the AIDS crisis when we all know its not the case. Also, you seem to say that any value that art provides is fleeting emotional distraction at best. You have sold the arts short here. Why do we have entire museums dedicated to the preservation of great works of art? Should we not waste our time investing in the preservation of our libraries full of great works of literature? These things have lasted through the ages just like science. The arts and sciences do strive toward different goals in some areas, but neither is more or less valuable than the other. So sure, science can extend our lifespan so humans will someday live for 500 years, but without the arts, with out language, without music, without self-expression – we will surely be bored and lacking. Sure science can keep us a live but the arts make life worth living.

This whole dialogue has inspired in me a desire to blast open this false dichotomy between art and science. I will be writing a series of posts under the theme “The Intersection of Art and Science” in an attempt to correct the notion that these two disciplines are unrelated. Rarely anything in life is that cut and dry and while our society loves to categorize us, loves to label us as either “creative” or “scientific” – why can’t someone be both? Certainly scientists have to be, at times, creative and innovative and artist need to be methodical and disciplined sometimes as well.

If you have any ideas or examples of such an intersection, feel free to contact me and let me know.