On March Madness

It's March.  If you don't live under a rock, you know what that means.  It means that every college sports fan you know, and even some people who aren't, will be glued in front of the television for the next few weekends.

It also means brackets.  Now, brackets are just an interesting statistical experiment, because a) despite the painstaking efforts that go into determining seeds for the tournament, they never really seem to hold in practice and b) no matter how much effort you put in, it seems like there's always that one person who lucks their way into a better bracket than yours.

Don't get me wrong, I get why some people make three and four brackets, each differentiated by a few key decisions.  But I also kind of...don't.  Sure, it's exciting, but unless you're an intense gambler with a lot of time on your hands, I really don't get the hype.

Maybe someone can explain it to me.  Meanwhile, time to return to stressing over mine.

Madly,
Rachel Leigh

On Major Life Decisions

"Everyone I know is getting married or pregnant. I'm just getting more awesome."

~Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

Okay, hold the phone.  Who told everyone around me that it was okay to start getting engaged and married or popping out babies?  When did I miss the memo on this whole life-changing-decisions thing?

I feel like I've got my life in order when both my socks match and I wake up before noon.  How is it possible that people my age are making these huge decisions about spending the rest of their lives with someone?  Or multiple someones, apparently.

I guess I'm torn, because I've read a number of things about how this generation is wasting our 20s, because we think we have our whole lives ahead of us to make these huge decisions, so it doesn't matter if we don't settle down or figure our lives out.  And I rationally know that that really just isn't the case.  But I don't feel like I'm emotionally or personally ready to start making those kinds of choices.

And I think a lot of this comes down to another big difference between Denmark and the States -- because in Denmark, most people don't get married until their 30s, at least, and most people older than I am are still in college and figuring out their lives.  And I feel like that shouldn't be a crime.  But unfortunately, in our system, it seems like not having everything figured out already puts you behind the 8-ball.

So now I'm suddenly having these visions of browsing the Help Wanted ads and spending my nights searching cheap dating sites (since my broke, unemployed, imaginary butt clearly couldn't afford the good ones), taking care of cats that somehow came into my possession, hoping to figure out my life.  And it seems like it's way too soon for those kinds of thoughts.

I guess I'm just not sure if everyone else is moving too fast or if I'm just going too slow to keep up, but either way, my head is spinning and something seems off.  I really just want to watch some cartoons and play with Legos.

Peter Pan-ing with the best of 'em,
Rachel Leigh

On 150!

Today is a very special day.  Not only is it special because it's Spring Break, and I've been moderately productive.  It is special because this is my 150th post!

150!
Woohoo 150! 

I figured that since this is my 150th post and more than three years after I started this blog, I'd do a little bit of looking back.  Sometimes retrospective is good.  I founded this blog on January 22, 2010, in the aftermath of approximately four similar projects which went under at various times for various reasons.  I was, at the time, a senior in high school who was dead-set on attending Columbia University and thought she pretty much had the world figured out.

I've always liked to write, so it made sense that eventually I would end up blogging.  I originally tried to keep my blog politically-neutral, but I realized pretty quickly that that was doing a service to neither me nor my (often sparse) readership.  So I dropped the attempts at professionalism and started writing what I know -- snarky, sarcastic, politically-charged looks at the world around me.

There was a brief attempt to monetize the blog, but that fell through when one of my friends decided to artificially inflate my view numbers.  Oh well, worse things have happened.

These days, I'm a second-semester junior (they've referred to me as a "Rising Senior" a few times already, and that is really disconcerting) readjusting to life in the States and trying to sort my life out one day at a time.  I'm proud of the work I've done so far, and I hope to see it continue to grow.

Here's to three more years,
Rachel Leigh

Greetings my darling readers!

I'm sorry that I've been such an awful blogger since I've been back.  By which I mean since always.  I guess it's just a combination of writer's block and being busy.  Hopefully I'll be able to put some interesting content out soon.

In the meantime, I guess I can tell you what I've been up to recently.  Since I've been back, I've been working on - album art for a friend's mashup album, a grant application, Ethics Bowl, Vagina Monologues, honors society applications, classes, work, classes, and other such shenanigans.

I've also been dragging myself out to basketball games and such related things.  It's been a great time to be a Spider.

Back to procrastinating on Midterm prep.

On My Plans for Valentine's Day

This week is the Vagina Monologues, which in addition to being a great time with an amazing group of women, is one of my favorite times of the year because it allows me the opportunity to make people extraordinarily uncomfortable by yelling at them about vaginas.

 Now, the reason I enjoy making people uncomfortable by yelling at them about vaginas is not simply because I like making people uncomfortable.  The fact is that I like pointing out the ways in which your discomfort doesn't make sense.  The word "vagina," and the legions of college girls yelling about them in the Student Commons, are considered weird or offensive because we are taught from a very young age that vaginas and the things they do and the things they're used for ought to be shameful and secretive.  All you need to know to know that is to look at the ways a girl will go out of her way to hide the fact that she's on her period -- which is, y'know, entirely out of our control and completely natural.

So girls are taught that our bits are supposed to be secrets that ought to be kept quiet, out of sight, and out of mind.  But while it's weird and disconcerting for women to be tabling about their vaginas (and, more honestly, about the violence which is perpetrated against those people who possess them), it's totally fine for men to be yelling about testicular cancer or to draw penises in public.  But people see our weird emoticon-vaginas on our posters and think they're creepy and wrong.

{( )}

For the record, they look like that.  Is that weird?

So, yes, I will continue to yell at you, professor who is refusing to make eye contact, about the wonders of vaginas and the things we say about them and the things we don't say about them (the things that lead to illness and violence because we're AFRAID or ashamed to talk about them), because I want to force you to think about why exactly the most quintessential piece of female human anatomy should be seen as creepy or wrong.  I mean, yeah, I get that they're all flaps and doo-dads, but I'll keep yelling about them Until the Violence Stops.

Yours in Vagina-Love,
Rachel Leigh

For the record, any one in the area of the University of Richmond, the show is the 13th, 14th, and 15th in the Pier (Tyler Haynes Commons) at 9 pm. You can get tickets, t-shirts, or chocolate vagina lollipops in the Commons every day.

On Identity

Thanks to the internet, we've learned over the years (and had it driven home with the whole Te'o fiasco), we can be anyone.  We can be any version of unreal we want -- whether it's simply the best possible version of ourselves or someone entirely different.

We've been trained in the Lady Gaga school of Identity: reveal enough that interests people, and you can control the questions they ask.  You can end up an entirely different person, simply by marshaling what you share and what you choose to keep a secret.

This pliability of identity can be liberating, and to some extent, it can be amazing.  But, of course, it also has its negative upshots -- complete anonymity and shifting identity lets people believe they can't be held responsible for the things they do...in spite of the fact that, very often, you can.

But the fact of the matter is that I can be the best, wittiest, happiest version of myself on the internet... more so than I ever could be in the offline world.  Even the name I use in my blog is a partial construction, pruned to be the person I choose to be.

I'm still tossing this idea around, but I think this idea of constructed identities is really necessary.

Identifiably yours,
Rachel Leigh

So this weekend was Ring Dance -- for those of you who DON'T go to a preppy Southern school that does things like this, Ring Dance is an annual tradition which Westhampton College uses as a way to honor the achievements of Junior women.  It involves getting all dressed up and going to the swankiest hotel in Richmond and trying not to fall down the stairs as they call out your name and major.  Technically they're supposed to present your class ring as well, but if you know anything about me and my complete aversion to jewelry, you know I wouldn't have spent money on that.

But basically, it was a great excuse to get my family to come down and to go shopping for a nice dress and spend some time with some really wonderful people.  But between that and the Super Bowl, I can sufficiently say that I am beyond exhausted.

Hopefully there will be more real posts soon (be happy, I spared you all from a post about periods), and I'm hoping to do something big or interesting for the 150th post.

Lots of love to my darling readers,
Rachel Leigh

On Happiness

It's been a month and a half back stateside, and today in class my professor brought up the fact that the Danes are the happiest people in the world.  Now, I've spent years trying to be the best possible version of myself.  The problem, I think, is that what I've considered the "best" version of myself has varied greatly at different times in my life.

I think at this point, my goal is just to try to be happy and to do the best I can within those confines.  And, for that, I'm trying to pull some lessons from my time in Denmark.

So, without further ado, Rachel's Keys to Happiness (The Danish Way):

• Don't Try to Do or Be Everything: This is completely antithetical to the UR way of life, and I know that.  I go to a school of over-achievers and the over-involved.  But from now on, I'm going to try and stick to only those things that I have the time to do and do well, rather than beating myself up for not having three majors, two minors, and being the president of six clubs.
• Don't Forget to Take Care of Yourself: I've noticed I feel a lot better about myself when I take the time to take care of myself -- to eat foods that make me feel good, drink enough water, work out.  They take up time, but I end up feeling like an entirely different person.
• Don't Judge Yourself in Comparison to Others: Thank you Jantelov.  This set of the tenets of Danish life come down to "Don't think you're better or smarter or more deserving than anyone else"...but at the same time realizing that it means you're no less of those things either.
• Don't Take Life Too Seriously: If there's one thing I really learned from the Danes, it's that when it comes to joking, nothing is off limits.  And not taking life or any one aspect of it too seriously is a struggle that I need to remind myself of on a regular basis -- but one that will ultimately leave me a lot less stressed and a lot happier.
• Don't Be Afraid to Take Some Time: Danes put off going to college longer than we do.  Danes put off marriage and kids longer than we do.  And that time to make the big decisions, I think, probably gives you some analytical distance and maturity to help make those decisions when the time is right.  I'm not as a afraid to not know RIGHT NOW what I want or need to do.
• LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS: The secret to happiness is low expectations. Seriously.

So that's the life goal right now -- live life just a bit more Danish (and embrace the happy that hopefully follows).  So I have the keys... now I just have to look for the locks.

Keyed in,
Rachel Leigh

On "Nerd or Hipster?"

Big, thick-rimmed glasses used to be a pretty big giveaway that someone was a nerd.  Combine that with a button-up shirt, pocket protector, and pants that are a bit too short, and suddenly the "Revenge of the Nerds" theme song starts playing in the background.  But thanks to the advent of hipsters, who also seem to rock the too-short pants and the heavy-framed glasses, it's become a bit harder to tell the difference.  So, as promised by an earlier post, let me teach you how to tell if that guy you've just spotted is a nerd or a hipster.

• If he looks like he hasn't showered in the last week: hard to call. Potentially either.
• If he's rocking the "computer tan," that absurdly pale complexion that only comes from spending far too long inside (we're pretty sure at this point that eventually the screen sapping the tan from your skin as a form of ritual sacrifice): Definitely a nerd.
• If he's wearing a My Little Pony shirt:
• Ironically: Hipster
• Unironically: Brony. Run.
• If he references a band you've never heard of: Hipster
• UNLESS it's K-Pop, J-Rock, J-Pop, or from the soundtrack of any major video game, in which case Nerd.
• If he kind of looks like Skrillex: Hipster. Also likely a girl.
• If he references Star Wars, Harry Potter, Back to the Future, or ANY movie in the strain of WarGames, Hackers, or Revenge of the Nerds: Nerd. Also, he has great taste in movies and you should probably ask him out like right now.
• If he references any movie by Wes Anderson: Hipster. Also, he has great taste in movies too.  (Hey, I'm just a fan of good movies.)
• If he's wearing a wolf t-shirt
• And looks like a member of a one-man wolfpack: Nerd.
• And pairs it with a pack of Parliaments/Spirits and an ironic sense of humor: Hipster

And thus ends another horribly stereotypical post from me.  For the record, I love both nerds and hipsters, but sometimes this is a legitimate question (and also a game I frequently play when people-watching).

If anyone is interested in another one of these kinds of posts, let me know!

DFTBA,
Rachel Leigh

On My Problem with Nate Silver

When you look at this graph, what percentages do you think is being represented?

For the first, it's kind of hard to eyeball.  I'd probably guess about 1%.  But what about the second one?  If you said 50%, then you're probably an average American, and your selection makes perfect sense.  But you're also wrong.  Though my issue is more with the graph than with you.  That graph represents 28%, but appears to represent nearly half.  (For the record, that first one represents .12%.)

At first glance, Nate Silver seems like the kind of guy with whom I would get along quite well.  With a shared penchant for poker and for proving people wrong, and the understanding and admiration for probability and statistics that comes with those things, he actually seems like he could be one of my major nerd heroes.

And because of THAT graph, I find myself exceedingly annoyed with him.  That graph was pulled from Chapter 1 of Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise, a book about how bad or poorly-read data can lead to bad predictions.  And in this midst of all of this warning about how when you only choose to see the data the way you want to see it, your predictions will end up being not only wrong but potentially really harmful (this section in particular was on the housing bubble), he chose to use a graphic that was willfully manipulative and presented in a way which fools the average thinker into being a lot more concerned than they need to be.  Don't get me wrong, the fact that the number of securities which failed was 500 times the predicted number is a pretty damning statistic.  But don't compound that with intentionally misleading representation.  You're giving credence to the idea that there are "lies, damned lies, and statistics" in a book that is supposed to be defining the traps that our predictions fall into.  One such trap is EXACTLY what you did just there.  And it's unfair and manipulative.

I have since come to enjoy quite a bit of the book, which I am nearly through, but I can't help but remain hung-up on that one glaring point (and copious typos - did you even HAVE a copy-editor?) and getting really disgruntled about how knowingly misleading it is.

Irritably yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Being Out of Shape

It's no secret -- I am entirely unathletic.  Made of tiny little wrists and next-to-no-muscle-mass and lungs that are ready to give out at any given moment, the idea of working out has never exactly appealed to me.  I mean, seriously, I get out of breath just THINKING about having to walk across campus.  And let's not even talk about how much I felt like dying after walking up the steps to Prague Castle.  Take my word for it, I have spent most of my life so out of shape that it was actually pretty laughable.

Which, of course, has sparked this never-ending cycle of not wanting to work out because I was so out of shape, and being out of shape because I didn't want to work out.  I've been trying over the last couple of months to be better about that, and I think to some extent it's been working pretty well.

The big question is going to be whether I can keep up this good behavior when I get back to school, or whether the lure of D-Hall fried chicken and being "too busy" (watching Netflix) to go to the gym will win out.

I've always had an odd relationship with working out, a combination of disliking how out of shape I was and feeling so helpless and overwhelmed (and, okay, I admit, lazy) to even know where to start to make it better.

Ohwell, here's hoping I can keep it up in the coming months.  If not, you have my permission to hit me.

"Round is a shape, right?"
Rachel Leigh

On Richmond

In a few days, we'll be loading up the car to take this show on the road, again.  And by "on the road," I mean about 275 miles down south to my second home, the River City, Richmond, Virginia.

Over the last three years, I've heard a lot of people say a lot of things about Richmond.  From my friends in high school who promised they'd send Sherman in after me if I wasn't surviving the South to friends from much further south commenting on how far North RVA really is, I've pretty much heard it all.

Which got me thinking -- Is Richmond really Southern or is it Northern?

On the one hand, Richmond was the Capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

And yes, this is what the ACTUAL Confederate flag looks like.  Learn some history, fools.

And trust me, riding down Monument Ave, it's easy to tell that they'll never forget it.  And Virginia itself isn't exactly known for being a beacon of northern ideals, though who doesn't love a little Southern hospitality from time to time?  (Although if you so much as dare to say "Bless your heart" in front of me, we might have a problem.)  Besides, I have never been called a Yankee so many times in my life (you know who you are).

But at the same time, Richmond itself is a relatively Northern city -- more progressive than a lot of its more-Southern counterparts, and I dare you to find someone with a twang.  Go ahead, try.

In a lot of ways, it's almost like this little Northern Bubble inside a very Southern state (and don't get me wrong, the University itself is even more a Northern Bubble (two words: Nantucket. Red.)).  Never truly Northern and never truly Southern, not really belonging to either.

Confusedly yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Back to School

Going back to school has always been something of a toss-up for me.  On the one hand, the stress levels are definitely not on my list of my favorite things – particularly when I know that I’m going back to a class that I’ve been dreading for years (yes, I’m looking at you, Methods).

But on the other, I find a certain comfort in being back at school – not just in being surrounded by friends and having things to do, although I absolutely miss those things.  And also not just the River City itself, though I am extremely excited to get back to that as well.  But in some ways, I feel comfortable in a classroom in a way that I don’t feel comfortable anywhere else.

It’s one of the few places where I don’t feel like I need to temper myself or work to impress anyone – I can just be open about the things that get me passionate or things that I nerd out about, and not have to worry about being socially awkward.  Outside of the classroom, it takes a very different comfort level for me to act the same way.

On the other hand, back to school means that I have to pack this week, which everyone knows is my least favorite activity.

Good luck to everybody!

Procrastinatorily yours,

Rachel Leigh

Happy New Year, readers!  Also, Happy We-Didn't-All-Die-in-2012 and Happy Avoiding-the-Fiscal-Cliff-Though-Just-Barely!

2012 was a big year for us here on WCS!  Our lead (and only) writer went to Europe.  We hired and fired a graphics team (by which I mean after my 100th post, I hung my head in shame and swore never to make terrible graphics again...and then ended up doing it anyway on Election Day).  We watched an election and yelled at a lot of people in the process.  We laughed, we cried, we wasted a lot of time on Netflix.  All in all, a good year.

Now, I'm not going to post any New Years' Resolutions on here -- not because I think resolutions are stupid or for some practical reason, but because I don't want to have to shamefully post at the end of the year about how much I have failed to complete.

Here's hoping 2013 keeps the ball rolling!

On "Gay or Hipster?"

I like art and music.  As such, I often find myself in places full of hipsters.  As such, when I'm at a concert, or an art show, or even just out with friends, if I see a well-dressed, reasonably attractive guy, I'm confronted with a question -- is he gay or just a hipster?  (This is not, of course, to mean that the two are mutually-exclusive.)  As such, I've decided to give you, my darling readers, a list of possible ways to tell the difference.

• If he's wearing a bow-tie:
• And looks like Doctor Who or a lumberjack: hipster.
• And looks like Blaine Anderson: probably gay.
• If he compliments your taste in music: probably a hipster.
• UNLESS it's Lady Gaga, Cher, or Madonna, in which case, probably gay.
• If he admits to appreciating Carly Rae Jepsen un-ironically: either gay or a frat boy, but definitely not a hipster
• If he's at a museum:
• With his mother: avoid at all costs.
• With his girlfriend: hipster (and likely whipped)
• With his boyfriend: gay (duh)
• If he's wearing a "SOME __ MARRY ___.  GET OVER IT." t-shirt: gay.  Or just awesome.  Or both.

And now that I've offended a good number of people, we'll end this list.  Feel free to email or comment with more ways to tell the difference, and make the lives of single girls who are attracted to well-dressed men everywhere easier.  Because in a world of Neil Patrick Harrises, Matt Bomers, Tyler Oakleys, and more, we need to stand a fighting chance.

Tune in again for "Nerd or Hipster" when I tell you how to know if that guy in the wolf t-shirt is doing so ironically or because he's a member of a one-man wolfpack.

Best of luck,
Rachel Leigh

Merry Christmas Eve, darling readers!

I hope this post finds you amidst merry and bright days -- and that no matter what you celebrate, you're taking the opportunity to spend time with your family and friends!

Happy Holidays!

Hey!

This not a post, just thought I'd share that we are now entering the final 24 hours of the 2012 Project for Awesome!  It's a 48-hour event on YouTube that raises money for charities which decrease the levels of suck in the world.

You can help out by commenting on P4A videos or donating at the P4A indiegogo page.

Find out more and watch the livestream here: http://dft.ba/p4alive

DFTBA!

On Packing

With three days left of these Nordic winters, the time has come to pack my things and scrub my room spotless for its next inhabitant.  As such, I thought I would provide you all with my brilliant packing tips for when you're moving back to your home country.

1. Throw as much away as possible.  Obviously, don't throw out anything expensive or sentimental, but if you can toss or donate things that you're holding on for no real reason, do it.  Suitcase space is precious.
2. Avoid breakable things.  Failing this, make sure anything which is breakable is nestled softly between as many articles of clothing as possible to lessen the likelihood that it will smash into a million pieces.
3. Throw everything into a suitcase.  Weight limits are for wimps.  By which I mean TOTALLY MIND THE WEIGHT LIMITS FOR YOUR FLIGHTS.  Because having to dump all your crap out at the airport is no one's idea of a fun time.
4. Cry.

Of course I'm not using packing as an excuse to avoid writing my paper, where would you ever get that idea?

On Exam Week: Danish Edition and Eight Days

Well, it's that time of the semester again -- time for my Exam Week post!  Exam Week: Denmark Edition.

It's hard to believe it's already that time of the semester - four months has gone by so fast that it almost makes my head spin.  I've been in five countries, eight cities, and four airports in the last four months.  I've watched the days in Denmark go from never-ending summer nights (no seriously the sun didn't set until like 10 pm) to three hours of daylight (if you're lucky and it isn't overcast).  I've gone to the ballet at the Royal Theatre, a beer tasting at one of only seven Trappist breweries in the world, a party at the EU (although that was kind of a trainwreck because there were issues with wiring and food, whoops), and more.  And I've met some truly amazing people.

Yesterday, someone asked me what my favorite memory of this semester was.  It's a pretty close call.  The single greatest moment, potentially one of the greatest moments of my life, was right before Halloween.  We went to the Halloween village at Tivoli, and there is a ride at Tivoli called the Himmelskibet or Star-Flyer.  It's a really tall swing ride.

It looks kind of like that.

Anyway, it was dark, and we went up on the ride.  When we got to the top, I could see the entire city of Copenhagen, all lit up, and it felt like we were flying over it.  It was absolutely magical.

The other competitor for my favorite memory was sitting in Grand Place is Brussels on our long study tour.  It was our first day there, sunny and warm, and a bunch of groups were picnicking in the square.  We had some time to kill, so we found a Belgian specialty beer shop and a chocolate shop, and grabbed some drinks and chocolate and just sat in the square, enjoying the weather and the wonderful opportunity we had to take a trip with our core class.

It's been amazing to think how this semester has flown by, and while I am really excited to get home to my friends, family, and a phone plan that doesn't charge me 50 cents a text message or decide to sporadically not work, there will be some things I will really miss about Denmark and my time here.  I'm just going to have to work hard to bring the best parts of my time abroad home with me.

Now, I really need to stop procrastinating on working on my international law paper.  Except not really.  Who assigns a paper due Christmas Eve (Heidi, if you somehow find this, you are a wonderful professor and I love your class, but REALLY?)?  Eight days left to pack, study, write, Hobbit, and get in all the sightseeing I still haven't done.

For those my darling readers suffering through Exam Week out there: Good luck, stay sane, and remember that it will be fine (and if it's not, at least it's over).

Procras-Dane-ating,
Rachel Leigh

On the Season

I have been terrible about posting this past month.  I'm sorry, my darling readers.  Between Prague, papers, exams, classes, Thanksgiving, and other such craziness, there just hasn't been a lot of time for it.  Not an excuse, I know.

Happy December!  I had my first (and likely only) traditional Danish Julefrokost (Christmas lunch) yesterday with the other DIS students in my kollegium and our Danish SRA.  Why they call it "lunch" when it starts at like 7 pm is beyond me.  But the food was delicious and the boys did a great job (since the girls took care of Thanksgiving).  They brought a table out into the hallway and it was adorable.

I can't really talk about Julefrokost without talking about alcohol.  Little-known fact - the Danes drink pretty heavily.  Well, actually, if you read Scandinavia and the World (it's a comic), it's actually apparently a very well-known fact in Scandinavia.  But I had no idea before I came to this country.  Anyway, Christmas lunch involves Danish snaps and akvavit, both of which are really strong, and you're drinking all through the meal.  In a country where they release a Christmas and Easter specialty beer, I think it might be safe to say that the only thing the Danes love more than getting cozy with family and friends is an excuse to party.

Friday night my Danish class went to see Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) at the Royal Theatre, which was absolutely wonderful.  It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm only here for two more weeks.  I still need to go see the Christmas lights at Tivoli.  And survive finals week.

Tis the season,
Rachel Leigh