on Steinbeck and Progress

   Steinbeck and Progress

Book report on travels with Charlie

By Carly Mathiot

Steinbeck went on his journey to get back in touch with America but when he went, he realized how much it had changed. Technology had changed culture, people and attitudes towards others. The world seemed lonely and had an everyman for himself feeling. He found that so much had changed because of progress.

            When Steinbeck when on his journey he found wastefulness was masquerading as convenience and convenience was masquerading as progress. These three things cause a vicious cycle.

            Wastefulness, which is considered convenience, makes the need for cleanup of wastefulness stronger. See a need fill a need. This creates opportunities for new ideas and inventions to help clean up after our “convenience” and we call this “progress”.

I think when Steinbeck sees this he is saddened. “Convenience” takes away from our social interaction in our daily lives. Instead of going into a dinner for lunch and interacting with your waitress/waiter and the people sitting around you, you can simply go through the drive through with as much interaction as handing over some cash and saying “you too.” Automatically to the person on the other side of the window, even if they never said “have a good day.”

Then you take your bags and container instead of reusable dishes and napkins, eat your food without a word and throw away the trash, not even considering the option of recycling.

Steinbeck reflects on the social impacts of this lonely cycle when he meets a cold, lonely woman at a hotel. Self service made it no longer mandatory for her to interact with the guests. How many times a day do you actually have a real conversation with someone, with no phones, no computers? How many times do you actually talk to a stranger?

Convenience takes away from our human interaction. How many times did Steinbeck reflect on his loneliness due to the lack of social contact? Now if you were to say hello and how are you to just anyone, would you get strange looks? Cold shoulders?

Because of convenience the way we talk to people, and the amount we talk to them a day has changed drastically. In the story, Steinbeck talks about truck drivers. Truck drivers are a convenience. They cause lots of bad impact to the environment, and their social lives are reduced to talking to other truck drivers at rest stops

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It’s all cause and effect. But there’s one last arrow and it points to work. Our time is spent working our jobs and then our family is squeezed in at the very end of the day. Like a last after thought.

So our jobs call for convenience. Instead of making breakfast and sitting down with our families in the morning, we rush out and go through a drive through, say “you too.” Drive off to our job, eating a wasting ever minute. We don’t have a social life because we’re working to pay off the breakfast we pick up every morning.

When Steinbeck notes this spiral he feels lonely and depressed as if that was all life had to offer him now. He wanted to see things and people. He wanted to write about what he experienced, but his expectations were caught up and sucked away by the spiral of the modern everyday life.

My Music List for 2013

I’m not a music expert. I’m not a critic, and I just now understand what a genre is. Most of my time with music is spent actually singing it because that’s just my hobby. I’ll hear a song, learn it, sing it then move on. Lately I’ve been listening to the radio and hearing songs I really like.

I’ve been noticing different styles and voices and have been getting the whole genre thing down. I’m into alternative/indie rock. I also like some popular alternative songs.

So here is my list of songs I really like for 2013 and some you probably never heard of. (hipster Carly.) I will try to explain what I like about them. Usually the reason I like a song is because it has the perfect mix of good lyrics, good voice, a good beat, and a good tune. I wish more songs had these attributes. Here are some that do.

Top favorite songs of 2013…

Little talks –Of Monsters and Men

You don’t hear a lot of duets anymore. It’s probably because they are usually so sappy. This one was tasteful and had a deeper meaning then sex. I feel like a lot of songs now are all about money, sex, drugs and cars, so it’s refreshing when you find a song that means more. I’m not sure what it’s about but the two singers voices were beautiful together and the song gives you kind of a melancholy feeling, but you’re still happy somehow.

Royals-Lorde

This is just a freaking cool song. Awesome beat, awesome singer, the melody was fantastic. You don’t hear a lot of melody now. It was almost quire like. The lyrics are so interesting and they keep you guessing. I just love her style.

Sail-AWOLNATION

This song has some cool sounds going on. I think it’s about moving on from a broken relationship. I’m not sure though. I also think it’s about being abducted by aliens. That would be cool to. But the beat is rad and its one of those songs you want to blast in your car.

Radioactive-imagine dragons

Once again. The beat, the lyrics, the voice, the tune are fantastic. This too cool song is like an explosion of references to Alice in wonderland, communism and the end of the world. Totally paints a picture of how the future might be. I think it was also based off of a TV show called heroes. There is this guy in there that is actually radioactive. And I kept making connections from the show to the song. Cool.

Summertime Sadness – Lana Del Ray

I guess I like this song because it’s haunting and weird. It paints pictures. The beat sounds like a war march but the lyrics sound like a surrender...

Wrecking Ball- surprisingly, Miley Cyrus

I don’t think she wrote those lyrics because they were amazing. She’s vulnerable and naked, everything’s out in the open and she’s wrecked.

Wake Me Up- aloe blacc 

my happy song, also sad. Mixed feeling suck. Never mind I hate this song. I’m kidding. I don’t know!

Sweater Weather-the neighborhood  

Weird song.  Makes me laugh for some reason. Don’t care what it means. I like it.

Burn It Down-Lincoln Park

Explains itself.

Cool Kids –Echosmith

Cool song, has a message, makes a statement.

Dear No One-Tori Kelly

This lady can sing. Please get her new single on itunes. Its kinda pop-ish but it’s really good!

Heartbeatz-jjamz

Funky, alternative, sweet and cute. Awesome sound.

Love me again-John Newman

This. Guys. Voice. What? I think he’s the next big thing. I hope he never changes his style.

The Mother We Share-chvrches (yeah that's their band name.)

This song is weird. But I like it, and I think the “mother” they share is mother marry. Go check it out.

Ribs-Lorde

Not as good as royals, but it’s still got their sound and style, so I like it.

My songs know what you did in the dark (light ‘em up)-Fall Out Boy

This song is crazy and is saying way too many things. I feel like whoever wrote this was trying to pack to many points into one song and it became was too confusing. But it’s still a really rad song.

Let Her Go- Passenger

I just like it.

Just Give me a Reason-Pink and Fun

Pink and Funs voice together makes the best song ever. The lyrics were awesome and I ship them! Oh my gosh those two were perfect. This song is packed full of emotions we have all felt. Hopelessness, helplessness, vulnerability. It’s just a raw and truthful song.

I hope you all find my opinions interesting. I don’t know why you might care, but you obviously do if you’re reading this. ;) enjoy and if you like alternative like I do and you haven’t heard of some of these songs, you should really check them out. 

poetry contest

hey guys! i want you to write about your halloween and send it to me on my google plus forum! its called night owl community forum. hashtag it with #poetrycontest. so excited!

writing for yahoo?

yahoo. you think you can write something genius up, publish it, and make a hundred bucks. truth is, no. i hate writing for yahoo because they have so many limits! while here, i can say what ever i want. sure i don't make money at it, but that's freedom. no money = totally free. in a sense anyways. seriously though, i don't know why people waste their time on yahoo. if they are good enough, they can get a job writing for a magazine or the news paper and actually make a little money. time is money people. get up.

Pumpkin Spice Diet Shake/Herbal Life

i am one of those people who drink all natural diet shakes and juice vegetables and wash my hair with vinegar..you know, one of THOSE. so I'm always trying to come up with new and interesting ways to make a diet shake tasty. my mom found that a couple dollops of puree pumpkin in an herbal life shake and a sprinkle of spice makes everything nice.

two scoops of herbal life dulce de leche shake mix

two large spoonfuls of puree pumpkin

one table spoon of cinnamon

a couple of shakes of all spice

about a cup of almond or silk milk

and ice!

it really doesn't taste anything like a diet shake. its like desert.

for more information about herbal life, go to http://www.herbalife.com/global

Tech News Kindle Fire HDX

so i guess the kindle fire HDX has better resolution then the last kindle fire HD. they say the HDX has a 8.9-inch display option?this thing has a whopping 2GB of ram and (the best of them all) an 8MP camera. <3 

HD-1GB RAM
HDX-2GB RAM
HD- WI-FI 802.11
HDX-WI-FI 4G
HD-10 HRS USE
HDX-11 HRS USE
for more info http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/kindle-fire-hdx-vs-kindle-fire-hd/
information weekly says it's display is better then Apple iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the google nexus tablets.

also, if kindle were to ever make a phone, draw me a picture of what you think it would look like and send it to me email. obscurereadsblog@gmail.com i'll post the best ones! also tell me what they can do, the apps, etc. sorry about that weird text if you read my earlier post (its gone now)...i have no idea what is going on.

Do's and Don'ts in Make-Up for Your Unique Face

I'm going to go over the face and general facial structures to show you what makeup is good for your face and what you want to avoid. I'm covering lips, eyes, lashes and then a tip for you older ladies. There are so many styles of makeup, and so many different faces out there. There is a style of makeup for every face. Some look good on you and some just don't

For example, if you happen to have thin or small lips, they would look better in a light pink with a gloss coating instead of a bright red so you can't tell as much where the lip line is. The gloss reflects and gives lips more dimension and the light pink looks close to a skin tone.

Right...

Reese Witherspoon may have lips a little on the thin side, but she knows how to rock them. Alicia Keys, on the other hand may need some tips. One thing she does rock is her skin tone. Shes wearing a pinky eyeshadow that looks almost brown on her. This is because of her shade of skin. Not everyone can pull off wearing red with pink. *glamour.com

 not so right...

your eyeshadow is just as important as you lips, and so is the way you put it on. Putting eyeshadow on is probably the trickiest part of makeup. It can either 

make your eyes pop, or just make you look like you have colorful eyelids. The technique is so important.

For instance, More protrusion of the eyelids require a blending upwards of the make up towards the brow bone, otherwise the make up will cut off awkwardly. If your eyelids protrude like an outward shell you will need to apply the make up with a cat eye effect to make them look less round or bulbous. highlight less of the upper lid and bring the focus point to the outer feather of the cat eye and underneath your eye. Make sure to place highlighting in the corners. But if you just happen to have more-set-forward eyes, simply blend the shadow upwards and highlight the brow bone. For deep set eyes and bushy lows set brows, don't use purple unless you know how to apply it in a way that accentuates the depth of your eyes.

If you have deep set eyes, you don't want any more shadow. You have enough. You want highlights. Natural browns, a light shimmery pink. Put these light colors on your lid and the darker colors above it closer to the eye brow. “You're pretty much doing the opposite of what someone with normal set eyes would do,” says Shelby, teacher to estheticians at Craven Community College in New Bern North Carolina. “Putting the darker colors on top and lighter colors on the lower lid creates the illusion of forward set eyes.” And it all depends on your preference.

To open your eyes more you should blend up and out towards your temple but not all the way. You definitely want a little more highlighting in the corners of your eyes and on the brow bone. This brings the eyes forward. If you have thick eyebrows you should consider maybe plucking or waxing so your eyes are not hooded. But overall, it's a matter of what you like and what looks best on you.

   

Right...                                                                 

Wrong...would you wear this on a daily basis? She looks like a raccoon.
Can you see the feathering upwards on the first picture, and how she has highlighted her brow bone? She rocks her thick brows.

Your lashes are critical to your eye technique, they can change the shape of your entire eye and can change the style of your look. Your eyelashes are more important then you may think. And so is the type of mascara you use. Not every mascara may suit your lash type.

For thin lashes, you would not want to use a dense, wet formula. This will bring your thin, delicate lashes down and make them droop. For thin lashes, you want a thick, dry formula to sculpt and add volume to your lashes. It makes them stiff and and mold able. Make sure you get the right wand also. One that has bristles that are close together so your lashes don't stick together. This makes it look like you only have a couple of thick lashes. Very awkward.

The wand is just as important as the mascara its self. The technique that is best for us thin-lash-girls is to put two thin coats on, one after the other. This lets the first coat dry before we layer on the next, decreasing clumps.

For you lucky girls with luscious lashes, you can use the wet formula and apply thick coats. Make sure you have a long bristled wand. A spiral shape would work best for you. *Michelle Phan Mascara 101, Youtube.com

           Right...                                

                                                                   wrong...look at that awful wand.

Now here are some tips for you fabulous forties. You begin to realize that the makeup you used to wear in your twenties just doesn't flatter those fine lines that are showing up under your eyes and around your mouth. As you get older, LESS IN MORE! You still can be glitzy in your forties with gloss and pink, but as you age, natural is factual. Natural is more mature. You'll want browns and greens, you can even wear blacks, as long as you wear it with a mature Smokey eye effect.

For your eye liner, I suggest switching from black to dark brown. The eye liner melts throughout the day and sinks into the creases under your eyes. This makes them more visible.

For your foundation, again, less is more. You don't want to cake on the foundation, and you might want to switch from pancake foundation to mineral powder. Mineral powder sits lightly on top of your creases, but doesn't fill them in. *Jones magazine suggests that Foundation or pressed powder “can actually accentuate flaws.” Try a lightweight coverage instead. It might suit you much better. joseibi.com, cosmetics and skin care blog says to “Use concealer on spots that need it, and powder those spots (with a colorless/translucent loose powder)only. A light-reflective and diffusing concealer will work wonders to brighten up your look.”

Your skin will start showing damage so soft soaps like *Cetiphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is suggested for daily cleansing and makeup removal by Jones magazine. There you can see that MURAD Hydrating Toner is also suggested to restore and repair skin. Bronzer will also help you keep a radiant glow.

.

Right..

Wrong...
This is the same person in both pictures! Brooke Shields looks younger without so much make up and so will you.

Your makeup should not change your face, it should enhance your special features. Not all makeup styles look good on everyone because everyone has a different and unique face. Weather you have thin lips, small lips, big eyes or little eyes, we all have something we want to highlight. And thats what makeup should do.

this is graffiti

graffiti is vandalism as is street art. but when people compare street art and graffiti, id have to say ill take the street art any day. like i said, graffiti is just scribbles and junk on a wall. graffiti is meant to mess with people, cause trouble. street art is meant to brighten someones day, cause thought, state an opinion, light up an ugly street. street art is NOT graffiti. this is graffiti. know the difference.

really? REALLY? that's all you think about? you think its funny? come on..

seriously?

.....

now this makes me mad..because they just messed up a REAL work of art with their trash..come on guys, get a life.

all street art taken from street art utopia. click link for more

i believe there is a fine line between graffiti and street art. street art states something like an opinion, a view point, an idea or just shows something imaginative and interesting with an artistic flourish. but graffiti is a crude drawing of a penis on an underpass. here are some really cool street art pictures. i will then compare it to graffiti  in my next post. for more of this awesome art, check out this link. http://www.streetartutopia.com/?p=10554

the floating world?

okay I know I've read way more books, but it's hard to remember them all. just like I never know the last movie I watched. actually I usually watch TV series because I can get into the characters and see them develop. that's usually why TV show has more of a following/fan-dome then movies or one book. you get so attached to the characters!! so I'm watching XXXholic. I have no idea why it's called that, but it isn't porn I swear! what with the xxx it's easy to misunderstand. it's actually an anime, a clean one at that, and it's about a boy who can see spirits and has no friends. one day he finds himself drawn to a fortune teller of sorts and wishes for her to take away his gift. but she must receive an equal payment first, so he works for her until he has paid her. so basically it's about all the other clients she gets and destiny and future. it's actually very fun and entertaining, even if the art isn't all that great. the animation has a unique style to it; everyone is super elongated and some movement translates as block-y and choppy.  wiki says that the art is influenced by
Ukiyo-e which means "pictures of the floating world." its a genre of Japanese woodblock prints or cut outs, which would explain the angular style of the characters. this genre of art is all about the fleeting moments of beauty and pleasure, thus, the floating world. look it up! it's super interesting. the things you can learn, just by looking up an anime! check it out!

from left to right: Kimihiro Watanuki, Shizuka Dōmeki, Yūko Ichihara