Previously On...Keeping Up With the Kardashians

There is one thing that my boyfriend really can't stand (okay, well maybe more than one) and that is the fact that I watch and enjoy Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I recently started watching the show on Netflix and then began to tune into E! to see current episodes. I think it is safe to say it falls under the heading of trashy T.V., but (like most trashy reality shows) it's super addicting.

Andy hates that I watch it because he seems to think I want to be like the Kardashians or live their lifestyle. Newsflash: I have no desire to be a Kardashian or have such a lifestyle. I watch the show because it's a release. It is mind-numbing and therefore fantastic to watch on a study break or late at night when you don't want to think about what's happening. You can just watch.

Despite the fact that I don't want their lifestyle, I find it fascinating because it is so far from my own. Anything that is different or I would go so far as to say polar opposite from the life and world you know is bound to make you curious. I think that is probably one of the reasons why I like the show so much. Their life is so far removed from my own that I want to observe how the other half lives like an anthropologist studying a foreign culture.

Don't worry, Andy. I promise not to wear fake eyelashes, too much mascara, or start saying "Bible" when I am telling the truth. I won't spend absurd amounts of money on clothes, cars, remote-controlled helicopters, or vacations. I am still me. I just like trashy T.V. Is that so wrong?

Yummy Things to Make!

Whether I've actually mentioned this or not I don't know, but I am a lover of baking and cooking and it is a goal of mine to share some delicious recipes with you all. A few weeks ago I posted the recipe for the scrumptious black bean burgers. Today I bring you the joy of a good cookie: Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Cranberries (and if you're me, Chocolate Chips!). These cookies are insanely addicting. I find myself eating more of them at one time than I care to admit, but I like to tell myself that since they are made with oatmeal, nuts, and fruit that they're mostly healthy.

Not only are they a great bake, they're also an easy one as well! Nothing better than easy, tasty cookies! It is really hard to mess up this recipe. Unless you're me and use all your baking powder on a previous recipe. I Google searched "substitutes for baking powder" and read that if I use 2 parts cream of tartar and 1 part baking soda that I should be fine. I was not fine. You may or may not know this but baking powder (and soda for that matter) are leavening agents, and without baking powder my cookies were flat as pancakes. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious, just flat. Moral of the story: Read the ingredient list carefully so as to avoid discoveries like mine when halfway through a recipe. Another moral: cream of tartar and baking soda are never a good enough substitute for baking powder. End of story.

Now, without further ado, the lovely and delightful recipe: Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Pecans

Speak Up!

In light of some recent events that have taken place on campus in regards to our Student Senate, I have deemed in appropriate to direct my frustration and anger to a source where it might actually do some good. I    wrote an email to our Dean of Students, Chris Ogle, and I thought I might post that email here so that I can hopefully inspire others to write something as well and propel this issue forward. Below is the email:

Hello, I am writing to you right now as an incredibly frustrated student who has lost some faith in her college and its morals. I have just been brought up to date on Senate's happenings from last night by a friend. I was aware Parallax's One-Fund failed. To be honest, it did not come as a surprise because Senate seems to be incredibly stringent when it comes to spending any sort money. Therefore I expected to hear that there were some discussions and then hopefully some revisions to the One-Fund and that it would be eventually passed. I am a great supporter of Parallax for many reasons. I am an English major who hopes to enter the world of editing/publishing/writing as a professional someday. But I am also an appreciator of the fine arts and therefore love to see anything of that nature on campus, especially when it is the work of students! You can imagine then, that I was aghast to learn that Senate approved a One-Fund for $15,000 that same night for something of which I am insanely opposed. My reasons and personal beliefs behind why Karl Rove should never step foot on this campus are besides the point, because what I am most upset about is the amount of money Senate suddenly deems fit to spend on a single speaker for a singular group with a small student base on campus. Yet they can find issue with the amount of money Parallax requested for an academic-based, student-led and created book of fine art. This is outrageous! I was informed that the Senate budget at the beginning of the year was around $87,000. To spend $15,000 on a single speaker would be spending almost 20% of our budget. I say "our" because the money belongs to the students. It comes from OUR activity fee and goes to fund OUR events. Thus, the students on campus should be able to have a say in where that money is spent. Last time I checked that was the point of Student Senate. A group of student representatives gather the opinions of their constituents and meet to vote on the ways in which our money should be spent. I no longer feel like that is how Student Senate functions. The way it runs now, a handful of students meet to decide how to spend our money based on their own opinions and views and leave those of their constituents out completely. I have felt that the senators in general have an air of self-entitlement. They forget they represent a larger entity beyond themselves. You can see why this would be problematic. Only the students (senators) in the room get to have a say. I can say this with confidence because I was a senator for a semester during my sophomore year. When I contacted my constituents I received responses and the first response I got was basically the same. The students responded saying they had no idea they had a senator before me and had no idea who it was or how to contact them. I have also discussed with other students who live in a variety of residence halls (and therefore have a variety of senators representing them) and they, too, have not been asked for their opinions or how they would like their senator to vote. As a senior I am currently living off-campus with my boyfriend and neither of us knew that there was a representative for off-campus students, much less who he is. This infuriates me. If I choose to not offer my opinion that is fine, but I deserve the right to be asked and should feel confident that my senator is going to voice my concerns and vote accordingly. However, this is not the case. And now that there are matters at hand about which I feel passionately, I feel cheated. I do not think the One-Funds presented at Senate on Wednesday night were decided upon fairly because I do not think students were made aware of what was being brought to the table. Students, like myself, were not given a chance to voice their opinions on how OUR money should be spent. Lastly, I am all for publicizing what a fantastic place and institution Ripon College is because, aside from this instance, I have been immensely happy and am proud to call Ripon my home. However, it appears that one of the main factors driving the argument to bring Karl Rove to campus was publicity. This just does not seem right to me. Karl Rove, regardless of whether someone likes him or not, is such a polarizing person and brings up polarizing subjects. Having such a controversial person on campus and then bringing in outside media seems shady. I do not want my college on the news and in the public eye because we brought a controversial speaker to campus. That is not what Ripon should be getting press for. This is attention-seeking in all the wrong ways and not all attention is good attention. Whenever I am in public as a representative of the college whether it was for the Orientation Committee or S.M.A.C., I and others are constantly being told that we represent the college and should be behave in manners such that we do the good name of Ripon College justice. I am discouraged and disheartened because bringing Karl Rove in as a media or publicity stunt seems to be doing just the opposite of that. Bringing such a polarizing figure seems like the exact opposite of "MORE. TOGETHER." Bringing him to campus will and already has, pulled people apart. There is a major upheaval being voiced by students through Facebook statuses and a "we support Parallax" group that grew to 287 members in one day. I would like to note that the people who support Parallax are not solely current students. Alumni have voiced disappointment in their alma mater in this situation as well. At this point, I want to know what there is I can do to reverse or hold the vote that was passed on Karl Rove until senators have appropriately contacted their constituents and have given them an appropriate amount of time to respond. I also think there should be some way for the executive board of the Senate to know for sure whether or not the student body is being reached in regards to the issues because I can almost guarantee that a majority of them are not, have not, and will not be given a say in these matters. I also think something needs to be put in place so that when things like Parallax are called into question that an actual discussion takes place. I was told that no one bothered to ask questions or have a discussion as to why there was any opposition to Parallax's One-Fund. Parallax cannot better itself or their proposal if they do not have a solid grounding in what the issues at hand are. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to stop this or help make these changes. Truly disappointed, Kate Amell

Feast Your Eyes On This:

Blue Nudes, Henri Matisse, 1952

Apart from being a fan of the Fauves and their movement in Modern Art, I have a great appreciation for art and Matisse in general. I am about to embark on a biographical analysis of Henri Matisse for the Modern Art class I am taking this semester. This, by the way, is the reason that you will most likely be getting lots of samples of Modern Art in the Feast Your Eyes on This section because I am more frequently exposed to Modern Art in my daily life due to that class. Anyways, the movement and flexibility of this piece relax me. It appears a very active pose yet in a calm state of mind, much like yoga. I love the representational yet slightly abstract form of this cut-out. There is fluidity and wholeness in this image which is interesting to discuss given its medium. I always appreciate comments and would love to hear about and learn about other artists and works that are particular favorites. But for the most part, just enjoy!

-Kate

What I'm Loving Right Now:

"Perth" by Bon Iver

Here's another song that gets stuck in my head quite often and is currently distracting me from finishing Wuthering Heights for my senior seminar course. Anyways, the whole self-titled album is a great one. Perfect for this cooler weather that we've been experiencing. For whatever reason, the overall tone of this album is an autumnal or wintry one for me. In this video my favorite part is about 2:56 when the horns come back in. The emotion in this one, and really, all of Bon Iver's work is raw and powerful. Beauteous!

Yummy Things to Make!

I have always loved to bake. It started out just being chocolate chip cookies made from the recipe on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag which makes me think of an episode of Friends. Watch the clip to see what I mean. But, I now like to cook as well. Tonight we are having some friends come over and we are going all vegetarian: black bean burgers and corn on the cob with jalapeno chimichurri! The burger recipe is from cookinglight.com and so I thought I'd share the link so that you may all enjoy the goodness that is these easy to make, hard to screw-up burgers! Click the link to find the recipe!  Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa

Feast Your Eyes On This:

Interior with Open Windows, Raoul Dufy, 1928

I have always loved the brilliance of this piece as well as much of Dufy's work. The warmth and at the same time the cooling effects the painting has on me are remarkable! I want to be where ever that scene is, somewhere off the coast of France with an ocean view off the balcony. It makes a person sigh in longing. Someday, maybe.

-Kate

What I'm Loving Right Now:

"Stop This Train" by John Mayer

My apologies for a lack of posts, but school has resumed and I no longer have free time it seems. However, I have had this song stuck in my head for the past few days and particularly enjoy the simplicity of this live performance. He is such an amazing artist! John Mayer has been the background music to my mornings. He played yesterday morning while I got up and made a delicious frittata for breakfast with my family. I hope this song and video offer you a few moments of relaxation and joy. 

-Kate