The Heather Show

Let's Play a Game

I want to play a little game and I'd like you to play along! We're going to play a little word association game, sort of. It's purely for fun and mostly cause I'm curious about something I've been thinking about for a while, but the only way I can get a good, honest opinion out of other people is to start out with this little experiment. So anyway, here's how it's going to work:
I'm going to post a real quote, but I'm not going to tell you who said it. Immediately after reading it, I want you to post a comment and tell me what you think of it. Tell me how the quote made you feel, what your thoughts are. Simple as that.

    There are a couple rules, though!
1 - If you don't know who said the quote, that's great! Post your thoughts, but please don't google to find out who said it until after you've posted your thoughts! Knowing who said it will cloud and color your perceptions and potentially alter your opinion of the statement, and that would spoil the fun.
    2 - If you already know who said it, please don't spoil the fun and give it away! I'll reveal who said it myself later on: it's all part of the plan!
    3 - Please don't post any comments outside the purposes of this game, not yet - if you really want to say something, you'll have a chance later on, I promise. For now, just post responses specific to the game.

Is everything clear now? Good, then here's the hypothetical situation that leads to the quote below, and what you should think about while reading it: the person who said this is a politician who is running for office. You have a vote to cast, and this person is asking you for your vote, they're asking you to put them into an office where their decisions will directly affect your quality of life. This person wants your vote, this person says the following quote, and how does this make you feel about this person?

Here's the quote: "I serve as a blank screen, on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

Now go and post those thoughts! And remember, no cheating!!

Edit - July 4, 2008: Lots of people have asked for further context, and one person has even accused me of misquoting. Well, I first saw this quote elsewhere in a news article. I did some research and found a couple other references for exactly the same quote, so I've done my best to make sure the quote itself is as accurate as possible. And it wasn't taken from a speech, it was from something written by the politician directly. But that said, I'm not stopping there - I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy of where this was originally written in its first publication. Once I get my hands on that, I'm going to scan it - along with its full context - so that we'll have more information to go off.
But please remember, I said this was just one part of an experiment and I'd have more information later, including a place for people to post commentary, thoughts, and opinions. So context will be provided later, this is just for initial reactions. For all you know, this experiment could be about how different a plucked comment is when viewed alone versus in context. Be patient, people, I'm working on it! :)

I'm an Aunt Again!

My brother Tim and his wife Monica just had their second baby, my third nephew!! Michael Timothy was born at 11:38pm, June 29, 2008, and he came into the world weighing six pounds and twelve ounces! Isn't that exciting?!
Welcome to the world, brand new little Lawver! It's gonna be one crazy ride. :)

There Once Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Apparently in Massachusetts, there's also a young boy who's living in a comic book character.

Poor boy, having to live in a hollowed out movie promotion statue. I say if that poor kid had to resort to stealing the Incredible Hulk just to put a roof over his head, he should be allowed to keep it. Although maybe if he's lucky, that old woman living in the shoe down the street will take him in. I'm sure a shoe would be much more comfortable than a giant green guy in purple shorts.
Hehe, this cracks me up. The journalistic world may be going to hell in a hand basket thanks to spell check replacing proper editors, but at least it's funny. Take out one word and suddenly the whole story changes. There's a reason real people need to proofread these things. Computers may be wondrous and fantastic, but to a computer, that's still a perfectly valid sentence. Absolutely ridiculous, sure, but completely valid. :)

sigh

I want one... I miss my bunny.

Turbo Me!

Only once in a lifetime does a comment so mystical, so beautiful, so unflinchingly hilarious come across that it surpasses the blog entry itself. It takes such immense powers of bloggy concentration that few even dare such an attempt. But someone has, my friends, someone has. Today, we are witnessing history, for Timothy has left a comment so fantastic, so outrageous, so freakishly funny, that I think it deserves center stage. Here's what he had to say in response to my most recent blog entry:
"Tja, the GINA is cool, but not as cool as the turbo Heather!"

    You couldn't be more right, Timothy! I know what I'm gonna ask Santa for this Christmas! My very own Turbo Heather, with lighting-fast Southern Belle speed! (I was going to say 'lightning-fast Southern Belle action, but then I realized, whoops, now that could be taken differently...) :)
    Be sure to check out the official Turbo Heather website for special behind the scenes Heather footage!
    I really, really, really need to build myself one of these, hehe... Thanks for the comment, Timothy! You deserve a giant turbo cookie! :)

The Future, Brought to You by BMW

Three words: holy. freaking. crap.

Most automakers build a few concept cars every year, creating something unique when compared to their regular line of production cars. But that one blip of innovation is almost always completely unrelated to the cars they put up for sale; the only shared element being the badge of the automaker. For me, concepts have always created a confusing dichotomy between the innovative and the mundane; while others were getting excited about the concept cars, I never saw the point. Any innovation displayed in the concept seemed hollow, because the unique concepts only served to illustrate how truly boring, dull, and uninspired the production line truly is. I didn't see the point in getting excited over a concept when, time and again, most automakers have proven that those outlandish concepts never bridge the gap from concept to production. So why bother? By the time the auto shows are over and done with, I'm always left wondering, why can't automakers invest that inspiration in the cars they sell, rather than just showing off design skills that they never use?

BMW is different. Their concept cars are rare, very few and far between, because rather than using them as a means of generating hollow excitement, they are in every aspect true concepts. Every concept car they create is directly related to one specific theme within their construction line. Although some of the shapes and lines may seem exaggerated or outlandish, somehow nearly every aspect of a concept car will be applied to the construction cars. Nothing is wasted, no amount of inspiration is chucked in the bin after the auto show is over. When they build a concept car it's not about attention, it's about truly testing viable concepts to then be applied to the cars we average people will be driving within the next few years.
I respect that so much more than the bizarre and ridiculous concepts we see every year from the other major automotive companies. For BMW it's not just about garnering attention, it's about testing true business models and creative ideas. When a concept is delivered by BMW, any excitement you feel from the design and innovation will be found again in upcoming production cars.

That is why the BMW GINA is so exciting. When BMW goes to the effort to actually build a concept, your excitement isn't for naught, because you know BMW has every intention of putting these concepts into action. Some day in the near future, their production line will mirror the vast majority of what we see in the GINA.

    For me, this is one of the most exciting concept cars I've ever seen. And that says a lot, since I've been excited for the past several years by the development of the Hydrogen 7. From a beautifully complete engineering point of view, the Hydrogen 7 is endlessly inspiring and incredibly significant; it has the potential to revolutionize the entire driving experience. Out on the roads right now are a select number of fully operational hydrogen-powered vehicles - BMW 7-series running solely on the power of hydrogen. Not a hybrid, not a mix; pure hydrogen. While other automakers are still trying to get ethanol to work, despite the warnings of agricultural experts, BMW already has a working automobile that has no dependence whatsoever on oil. Most people don't notice and a lot of other automakers are sincerely hoping we won't notice, because the majority of them are decades behind what BMW has already accomplished. While everyone else was twiddling their thumbs, BMW saw ahead and began working on their hydrogen concepts decades ago. Now, just when we need it most, their concepts have become a reality.
    As exciting as the Hydrogen 7 is, the GINA is exhilarating in its own way. This is unlike anything anyone has ever imagined. Not even Hollywood and all of its bizarre futuristic concepts its come up with for sci-fi blockbusters have ever come close to this. Yet right here, right now, BMW has created a car with a skin made of fabric. While others would dismiss a fabric-covered car from any other automaker, from BMW it makes sense. Never has BMW ever sacrificed safety for a bit of innovative fluff.
    Take for instance the different approaches to the creation of a convertible. Any other automaker knows that the public assumes all convertibles won't be as safe as a sedan. Because of this, most automakers don't bother using up their resources to improve the safety standards of their sports cars. They get complacent because they're fine resting on their laurels, feeding into the expectations of the public rather than encouraging innovation.
    Compare that to the BMW approach to the Z4, a soft-top two-seater convertible. If someone were to look at that car without any knowledge of the engineering that went into it, I'm sure they'd assume that it - by nature of being a convertible - would be a "death trap." BMW didn't have to buck that assumption, but they did anyway. The Z4 is so structurally sound, so resilient, and so beautifully thorough in its design, that it's regularly ranked as the safest convertible on the market today. Some elements of the car that seem to be purely aesthetic are, in fact, part of the safety features worked into the car. There are roll-bars built into an arch behind the headrest and into the windshield; there are vast solid new steel reinforcements woven around the engine.
    The best testament to the safety of any car isn't just in the government or insurance crash tests, but in true real-life events where accidents never follow such basic and precise impacts as in laboratory tests. For the Z4, the best example of its safety comes from the very first Z4 that was ever totaled. A woman was driving her brand new Z4 through the hills of Northern California when she came to a sharp curve in the road. As she approached the curve, a semi-truck was coming from the opposite direction. It swerved into her lane, causing her to veer off the road into a slick of mud. She corrected the car beautifully, but unfortunately just as she had gotten back onto the road, the curve swept away and she ran out of road. The car sailed over the cliff at the side of the road and fell 150 feet. It rolled three times, only stopping when it was caught - upside down - by a tree.
    By all accounts, if she had been in any other convertible, she would have been dead. Especially considering the fact that the convertible top was down when this happened. Any other car and she most likely would have been decapitated.
    But she was in a BMW Z4. She walked away from that accident with only a few minor cuts and bruises. In the magazine where this story was published, there were pictures of the car being pulled out of the tree and placed back on the road. The car was completely mangled, so twisted and bent. But what saved this woman's life was the cabin, which looked entirely whole and untouched. The engine didn't crash through to the cabin, the headrests were still in place, and she was kept safe inside. The roll-bars and steel reinforcements did their job and saved her life.

    For me, that's what BMW is all about. Time and again BMW could give the public cars that only meet their expectations, that never exceed their assumptions of what safety means. Instead they choose to surpass trends and expectations in every way they can. In my opinion, that's what makes a car company great. They acknowledge their responsibilities to the public, they adhere to principles of safety and innovation not because they're forced to, but because they want to.
    That's the corporate and creative environment at BMW. That's what makes the GINA so exciting. While anyone would expect a car with a body of fabric to be flimsy, I know not to expect anything less than perfection from BMW. They won't rest on potentially low expectations and neither should we. In this day and age, when science, engineering, and design are constantly evolving and improving, there's no reason for us to assume cars should be unsafe and uninspired. If we expected more from the rest of the pack, other automakers would raise their standards just as BMW has.
    Maybe then we could truly get excited about all concept cars. Maybe then we'd be presented with production cars that are safer, more efficient, and truly viable for our daily lives and for the environment. If we expected more, we'd get more. It's all up to us.

Nothing Like Last Minute Planning

    I'm having surgery tomorrow. It's a relatively simplistic procedure, so nothing too serious to worry about as far as that goes. But my doctor and I decided that the situation is serious enough to warrant the risks involved with me being so swollen and everything, so it has to be done, and done quickly.
    What's being done? Well, about a year ago, around the same time that the swelling started, this lump showed up on my foot. It's on my left foot, inner side, right where my arch meets my heel. It started growing, getting worse, hurting like hell, and generally just being a big nuisance. Over the past few months the lump has gotten even bigger, it's been causing a lot of excess swelling in my foot, and the pain has gotten so bad that it's been literally keeping me up all night. Considering how many narcotics I'm on, it's remarkable that the pain is still bad enough to keep me from sleeping. But not only that, it feels as if the lump is starting to push bones out of place, as the pain has gotten distinctly skeletal and my ankle seems to be collapsing inward. All around, the situation just isn't so good.
    So it's coming out.

Over the past year it has been subjected to a lot of different tests, so we're fairly certain it isn't some kind of infection, so that's good. Most likely it's just another byproduct of the Dercum's disease - a lipoma, a benign fatty tumor that some Dercum's patients tend to get quite regularly. I've never really had many of those, as the form of Dercum's I have is slightly different from the more common type that produces countless lipomas all over the body. I've had a grand total of two, both of which were taken out, found to be benign, and since haven't grown back. So given that, if my doctor can remove all of the lump in my foot, there's a good chance it won't grow back, which is good.

So tomorrow my left foot goes under the knife for the first time in seven years. That's going to bring back some lovely memories...

Anyway, all should be well. We've been busily getting everything ready to make sure I'm comfortable. I'm hoping everything will go smoothly. We've arranged to have my brilliant pain management doctor there as the anesthesiologist, which is fantastic because he knows my case better than anyone, he's knocked me out before, and he's familiar with my tolerances to pain meds and knock-out drugs. So he'll be there for the actual procedure and then handle all the pain management stuff afterward. Thank heavens for that. I really don't know what I'd do without that man.
The whole thing is scheduled as an outpatient procedure, but with me, that's no guarantee of anything. What with my body's fondness for magnifying pain, I wouldn't be surprised if I spend at least one night in the hospital and then come home with some IV meds or something. Plus I'm sure there'll be some antibiotics involved.

Anyway, that's what's going on, and now you know. Wish me luck, although I think we've long since established that luck ran out on me years back.

The End of an Era

Yves St Laurent has died.
This may not seem significant to most people, but it certainly does to me. I was sad and nostalgic when he decided to retire, but now that he's gone forever, it's a more finite end to a remarkable era of fashion, art, design, creativity, expression, and innovation. It's a time of such radical revolution that despite all the wonders of technology available to us, somehow we still have no been able to rekindle.

It's remarkable to me that, considering the great advancements and availability of technology, clothes are becoming simpler, smaller, less detailed, less innovative. Fads seem more like things that are simply tacked onto the top of very basic repetitive shells, rather than the complete revolution of shape and aesthetic that we saw in the heyday of Chanel, Dior, and St Laurent. Where's the innovation? Our tools are better than ever, yet we haven't risen to the opportunity.

Looking back, I've always marveled at the complexity of garments made one, two, three hundred years ago and more. Looking at how detailed, how extensive, how gorgeous those garments were - for both men and women - it's so easy for us with our modern conveniences to forget just what it took back then to create such clothing. All that embroidery, all that detail, all the layers, all the construction, all the undergarments you don't even see; all the hard work, all the man-hours, all the effort and care that went into everything. And it was all done with such comparatively crude equipment.

But today? Now? Think of the amazing tools we have at our disposal. But even more importantly, those tools are available to practically anyone. Techniques can be studied easily, inexpensively. Even the cheaper sewing machines out there are a million times better than what anyone had back in the 18th century. We can create so much more, so much better, and so much faster. Yet do we for the most part create anything as wondrous as they did?

Yves St Laurent may not have made garments as elaborate as those centuries ago. The point isn't how elaborate it is, but rather how revolutionary, how different, how radical; how comparable to the tools at your disposal. Do you make the most out of what you're given? Does your creativity really reach for the outer edge of possibility?
Yves St Laurent's did. Bear in mind, this is the man who invented the ladies' pantsuit. He completely revolutionized the aesthetic of womens wear. He took a traditional shape, tore it down, and rebuilt something completely new, completely unfamiliar, and yet so beautifully simple. So many people have copied him, to the point where pantsuits are now completely commonplace. But no one did it as elegantly as he did, and he did it first.

I've been dying to see that kind of originality in fashion today. I've been craving it so completely. We throw that word around so much, but I still haven't seen it truly applied to someone who deserves it. The best familiar example I can think of was Christian Siriano, the (unfortunate) winner of the latest season of Project Runway. Oh how I cringed every time the judges applauded him for his originality. I'm sorry, but if you go back through that season and you look at the entirety of his garments (go ahead, you can), you'll see the same exact shape and the same exact details repeated again and again. His look was a tight, straight pant or skirt, with a tight ill-fitting top in a basic inverted triangle shape, with some sort of ruffle down the front. Again and again and again. Even if he repeated this same idea, it could be called original if he'd come up with it on his own. But I've seen that same wardrobe in shopping malls across the country for years. Is that original? No. It's just tacking a ruffle onto a worn out silhouette.

I will certainly miss Yves St Laurent; for his contributions to style, art, fashion, femininity, social change, and the aesthetic of our daily lives. I sincerely hope that one day someone will be able to carry on the legacy of his era of design and again revolutionize the way we shape our appearances, the way we perceive beauty; the way we see the world. Even if you go through life oblivious to the world of fashion, it surrounds you. It's a part of your life. Let's hope we can carry on that legacy and enrich our lives through the beauty of exquisitely beautiful, elegant, tasteful clothing.

This is how I feel right now

I need a hug bad. srsly.

I Want it SO Bad....

Steve McQueen's Porsche is up for sale. Oh how I wish I had a few spare million right now... This is the car he raced at the legendary 1970 12 Hours of Sebring, where he led the race until the second to last lap when he was passed by none other than Mario Andretti in an incredible Ferrari. This car was also one of the many cars used during the filming of 'Le Mans', my all-time favorite movie ever. (They had a couple kit fiberglass Porsches for the more dangerous scenes, as well as the bit where the car crashes big time. Understandably they didn't want to end up slamming this one into a guard rail.)

*sigh* I wants it so, so, so, so, so, so, so bad. Excuse me while I go drool for a while now...
I wonder if Hal Wing will buy it...