Super Bowl Update

We really go all out for Halloween at my house. Last year I was in Wales for Halloween so it's fun to be back in the U.S. where we love Halloween.

Lets start outside and then work our way in.
Hi, I'm Ghostie and I will be your guide. Beware of posers. There is only one Ghostie around here.

Charlie Brown and Lucy are our favorite indoor decorations.











 I hope that you have enjoyed your tour of the Grow Halloween home. Thanks for stopping by.

(STOP MAKING SENSE. The panel is split between coherent thought and insanity and you might not be too surprised to find out at which side captures the day.)

Ugh, alright. Let's get this over with. Project Runway - I actually really enjoyed this season for the most part. I've said before I thought it was cast better than it had been in a long time. Things seems to be on track at the beginning. But then... the judging seemed to be totally crazy, the eliminations became just as bizarre the critiques, the 1-day challenges that produce less than ambitious designs were plentiful, and the usually composed Tim Gunn was using every new-media format available to call the production team out on their endless bullshit. His FB videos were astonishingly awesome, until one tirade after the "Jackie O.(MFG)" challenge, where he started naming the names connected to the offscreen fuck-up's, got the videos shut down for good. Tim was busy with the book tour and I think he also just got tired of talking about the season once Fashion week happened and he knew Gretchen was the winner. The damage was done though. We knew something was rotten in Parsons. Still there some good times to be had, mostly surrounding the solidification of Team Mondo.

So Mondo vs. Gretchen. There really was no contest, but the show insists there was, so let's dig in. Both there collections were fine, but come on! I wasn't even rooting against Gretchen. I found her high opinion of herself and her colorful commentary on everyone else's work kinda fascinating in a "what the eff makes you so special?" exasperated sorta way. And as the season went on, I understood more where her mental drama was coming from as it was revealed she was in debt and was not the upper class lady she so desperately wanted to be, and therefore tried to compensate for this shame by acting like the Queen of Sheba. Cool, I get it. And the judges really loved her designs in the beginning. But as the season wore on, she fell apart. Her clothes suffered. Her designs suffered. She had nothing left in the tank creatively by mid-season. In her last critique before the finale, she said as much. She was sick of the challenges! She wanted to go home already and make her damn collection and then come back and win just like she deserved to! But where was the output to back up the talk? It really wasn't there.

Then you have Mondo, who started out socially awkward and uncomfortable on the show, but then gained confidence as the season went on. He won three challenges in a row toward the end and could've easily won a fourth because his designs were WAY beyond what any of the others were doing. Not only that but he drew an amazing amount of love and goodwill from the viewing audience for (1) how he disclosed his HIV status, (2) his ability to see the goodness in Michael C. when everyone else teamed up with Nasty Poison Ivy to bully him for no real reason, and (3) his own far out there yet endearing personal style. Mondo was clearly the hero of the season, but his design skills were exemplary and should've made him the winner. Given who his competition was, this seemed like the only acceptable outcome over a MONTH ago. We were all just sitting through the last couple challenges waiting for the happy moment when he'd be crowned the winner. That's how head and shoulders above everyone else he was. He had no real competition.

But then heading into these final two episodes, I started to get nervous. Not because Mondo was faltering, and Gretchen was getting a second wind, but simply because I didn't trust the show to reach a logical conclusion. I figured P.Runway would be too in love with the idea of having "shocking" twist to be seen as unpredictable. I discussed my concerns with Sassy, who felt similarly. I could see how the show wouldn't be content with an obvious ending devoid of suspense. I could picture them sitting around a long table in a cramped conf room brainstorming. Couldn't the show have TWO winners if everyone already loved Mondo, and somebody else had the actual title? Wouldn't that get people talking in outrage? Wouldn't people be more invested if Mondo lost than if he won? The answers to all those questions is "yes." But that doesn't it make it any less ridiculous. So if you wanted me to talk about you, P.Runway, you succeeded in the short term, but this is the last time. We're through. I'm fed up with your bullshit.

And the straw that put the nail in the final broken coffin for me was the judge's final runway deliberation where Michael and Nina just went crazy. Those two made NO SENSE. I couldn't believe the animosity coming from Michael Kors toward Mondo's collection, and the support he got from Nina for Gretchen's collection. They hated his polka dot dress that much? They were that insulted that he wouldn't listen to them and chuck it from the collection, that they refused him the title? Even when Heidi and (random finale guest judge) Jessica Simpson both insisted they loved the dress, Nina practically spat at Heidi that she was a liar. This is coming from Nina, who audibly gasped in pleasure at Mondo's work back in the design-your-own-textiles challenge with his extremely high-waisted hiv-positive pants? Kors nastily challenged Heidi to actually go put on the dress. Then Jessica Simps mentions that Gretchen's clothes are all loose and Kors snaps at her "HELLO?? READ A MAGAZINE!" WTF? Somebody is off their meds.

(I think this is the moment where Heidi realizes from the insane shit coming out of Kors' mouth that she just can't win with Nina and Michael so adamantly against her. She kept her composure, but she sure wasn't happy.)

And then to make it even more bizarro, Heidi and Jessica Simps keep making salient arguments for why the season winner should be Mondo, and Michael and Nina go off the wall in their campaign for Gretchen, contradicting all their former critiques. Their battle back and forth would actually be compelling if both sides made sense. But they don't. I'm just gonna lift a paragraph from Laura Bennet's blog now because she sums it up perfectly.

"It’s like Nina woke up one day and took back everything she had said to Mondo all season — or all designers of all seasons. “Gretchen has no color, and we want color; no, we mean color was yesterday.” “That’s so mumsy, and we want youthful; no, it’s too youthful. Youthful is yesterday.” “That’s clothing, not fashion. This show is about fashion. Who wears fashion? It should be commercial! Fashion is so yesterday.” Mondo = Seth Aaron = what was happening yesterday. (By the way, Nina, way to support your choice just six months ago of Seth Aaron as the next great fashion designer.)"

Isn't that spot on? THAT'S what the real problem is. Taste can be subjective, but if you are a fashion professional, your argument for what you like and dislike still should be consistent with what you've been telling the designers (and the audience for that matter) what you've been looking for all along - for 8 seasons! Kudos to Heidi for sticking up for Mondo as long as she did. But it was a lost cause. As is, perhaps, the show in general.

In closing, I'll restate that I don't dislike Gretchen, because I know Anti-Gretchen sentiment is very strong. I don't feel negatively toward her for winning, nor for her superior attitude throughout the season. It doesn't even really bother me in this instance that the "season villain" won, like it bothered me with Irina a couple seasons ago. I wish Gretchen success in life, just like Mondo. Just like everybody! Everybody should live a happy successful life (well, if karma decides to kick Ivy in the ass, so be it) The show however, has lost any sense of internal logic and artistic relevance. It's one thing when you have a season where there are no super-strong stand out personalities or fashion points of view. Then you have to try to spin gold from straw. But this year the show had the chance to embrace a designer with an excitement around him the likes of which P.Runway hasn't seen since Christian Siriano in Season 4. The fact that they couldn't see that and capitalize on it, is bizarre. Let's face it, the show just cannot get its act together. And 8 seasons in, the panel is cranky and bored. Tim Gunn is at his wit's end. The producers don't know how to design effective challenges that encourage creativity. Even in a 90-minute format, they don't know how to incorporate AN ENTIRE ADDITIONAL SEASON-LONG CONTEST FOR THE WINNING MODEL into the frame of the show. Most egregiously, however, they don't know how to pick a winner. I'm not going through this again in Season 9. To borrow from some of the classic runway critiques, the show has made me question its taste level, it bores me, it gives me nothing I haven't seen before and doesn't leave me interested in seeing more. I'm sorry, Runway. That means you're out. Kiss, kiss. Auf wiedersehen.

 Martha note: It's Civic Soapbox Friday

I’ve often heard liberals criticize average people who vote Republican because they are voting against their economic interests. They seem to assume it’s folly to vote on the basis of social values –on issues like abortion or gay rights—instead of their pocketbooks.

But that’s bogus criticism. These liberals – generally middle class professionals – also vote against their pocketbooks when they support programs like food stamps and Head Start – programs they and their families will never need but that they have to pay for with their taxes.

The issue is not whether people vote their economic interests. It is, rather, whether they know how their vote relates to their economic interests.

In my radio work in the Shenandoah Valley, I’ve often had conservatives protest when I’ve declared that the Republican Party is, and has historically been, the main party of America’s big moneyed interests.

The historic basis for this proposition is vast, but I’d like to call the attention of my conservative neighbors to some new evidence.

This is the first election cycle since the Supreme Court decided, in the Citizens United case – a decision made, incidentally, by five Republican-appointed justices – to allow groups and individuals to channel unlimited amounts of money into our election campaigns – and to do so anonymously.
The money has been pouring in, and where has this avalanche of funds gone in this first unregulated election in recent times? Into a huge preponderance of ads intended to defeat Democrats and elect Republicans. (Like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pouring money into Virginia's 5th District here to defeat Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello.) The reports indicate that nationally the big anonymous money favors the Republicans by a large ratio.

What does that tell you about what party big money believes will best serve its interests?

Do you think that the billionaires and corporations that are funneling this money into the election are doing so for altruistic reasons?

Isn’t it clear that the people putting up millions to influence the outcome of the election are trying to get a government that will look out for their interests?

Do you imagine that the interests of the very rich and of giant corporations don’t differ in important ways from the interests of you and your family? Do you imagine that the moneyed powers will restrain their pursuit of what they want out of concern for average folk?

In America in recent years, the gap between the very rich and everyone else has grown enormously. It’s now greater than it has ever been in living memory. While the proportion of our national wealth in the hands of the richest one percent has TRIPLED, the median wage for average Americans has actually declined.

This didn’t just happen. This widening gap is specifically an American phenomenon; it’s not the pattern in other advanced societies. Do we really need to put even more power over our government in the hands of those who have already been stacking the deck in their favor?

Sure, you can vote your values. But don’t misjudge who your real friends are.

                     --Andy Schmookler lives in the Shenandoah Valley. His writings can be found on his website.

Sometimes we just need a little help from a friend. My friend Yvonne unexpectedly stopped by Renee's today, just when I needed her most. As usual, she came bearing items for show and tell. She attends fun sales and likes to find unique items, and then she inspires me with her stories and goodies.
























Today she told me about an event called Ruffles and Rust that she attended in Monroe recently. She found scarves there made of recycled, soft sweaters, and she brought them in to show me. They were beautiful. I will see if I can contact the artist and bring some into the store for you.







Then she told me about a photo she found on a blog she regularly reads. The author went to Paris in September, and she took photos of clothing displayed in store windows. The lastest big thing is layering. And I mean layer upon layer, from leggings under a skirt to scarves upon scarves. As we talked, I became so inspired I said, "Let's do that in Renee's windows!" She worked her magic, and in no time, the windows were sporting new displays of our most recent arrivals.



Thank you, Yvonne!!! The perfect gift on a perfect day from a good friend; there is nothing better.

I'd bet the farm you are as aware as I am that NPR terminated Juan Williams' contract one week ago last night. And that you've already read a considerable amount of speculation about the increasingly discordant relationship between Mr. Williams and National Public Radio. And so it seems to me there's no need for me to rehash in this blog who said what, when, and to whom vis-a-vis the events leading up to the NPR-Williams divorce.

If you do need a refresher course on what happened, there was an excellent overview compiled by Tobin Harshaw at the end of last week on the New York Times "Opinionator" column -- along with some 25 pages of comments.

Juan Williams-gate took place when WMRA was a day-and-a-half away from wrapping up our Fall Festival of Fundraising. General Manager Tom DuVal was on the phone with listeners pretty constantly for a couple of days after the news broke, explaining something that it seems as though many modern-day news consumers consider a quaint concept: NPR's code of ethics. Basically, this code states, anyone who does any kind of journalistic work for NPR is enjoined to remain publicly neutral on controversial issues.

I posted notice of the termination on the station's Facebook page, and the comments from WMRA Community members were mixed. To give you an idea of what I mean by mixed, one listener claimed Williams' firing was "insane and stupid political correctness run amok." Another commented that "NPR is one of the last remaining vestiges of actual unbiased journalism. To maintain that unbiased aura, Williams needed to go." We had a good, interesting discussion, I think -- which is why WMRA has a Facebook page in the first place.

I've not been in the office for a couple of days, but still out and about in WMRA Land. Everywhere I've gone people have wanted to know what I, personally, thought of the situation. And I think the best way for me to comment is to say that I, personally, am not going to say what I think in public. Not on the air, not giving a talk, not teaching a class, not on this blog. Neither am I going to comment on this, or any other controversy on my personal Facebook page, because that, too, is a public forum. The only comments I make about controversial issues are made in private..

Why? Because I'm bound by the same code of ethics that Juan Williams was. Airing my personal opinion on any controversial issue would automatically make me less effective at what I do.

And what is that, you ask?

My job, as a person who works and writes in the National Public Radio system, is to listen, question, explore, and challenge. And then to present whatever I discover to you in an organized and understandable way. I'm a conveyor and a convener, not a preacher. I want to inform and engage; not entertain and convert.

I believe firmly in leaving the hard work of forming your opinion entirely up to you.

Please, let me know what you think of journalistic ethics. . .

(It's a cake of legend. The mint chocolate cake by Gracie. A cake worthy of the Birthday of Champions.)

"Birthday of Champions!
BIRTHday of CHAMPions!
NOOO time for LOOOOSERS!
It's Birthday of Champions... of the world!"

- Birthday of Champions, sung to the melody of "We are the Champions" my annual birthday anthem.

Today I turned 31. I'm cool with it. I actually like the #31. It's prime. It's a number connected to Halloween and New Year's Eve. I like to think of it as my Baskin-Robbins birthday, for BR's famous 31 flavors of ice cream. It really ain't so bad at all.

30 was a good year for me. I had my first play produced, went on a solo adventure in Paris, ran my second marathon, was in a very meaningful relationship, and as corny as it might sound, really learned a lot about myself. If 31 brings the kind of opportunities that 30 presented, I'll be a happy guy. Through it all, I felt an immense amount of love and support from my friends and family. I value that above it all.

I've got new goals for the next year, and I had some fun wishes in my heart and mind when I blew out my birthday candle. Here's hoping I can make 'em come true. :)

It is with a heavy heart that I bring to you news of the death of Paul the Octopus. Paul, you'll remember, was the Octopus gifted with future sight, correctly predicting 8 for 8 match ups in this year's World Cup tournament, mostly following his home country Germany until they were eliminated, and then accurately predicting Spain's title win. Well, Paul passed away last night in his aquarium at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre. He was almost three years old and cause of death is assumed to be old age. No foul play is suspected.

Let us be clear: those Germans killed Paul. They hated him after he predicted Germany's loss and then even more when he saw Spain's fated win. He already had received death threats from the Argentinians and the Iranians but he should've been safe from them. No, his enemies were much closer to home. The Germans couldn't just let Paul go off and live the rest of his life as a hero in a Spanish aquarium. Oh, no. They held on to him until the world's attention was elsewhere and then they murdered him for abandoning the German football team. I don't have proof, but I know it in my heart to be true. RIP, Paul. Thank you for supporting Spain!!

So in less than 2 weeks, I'll be running the 2010 ING NYC Marathon! This will be my 3rd year in a row! It will be my ninth official Road Runners race this year and my fifth 13+ mile race of the year as well. No wonder my legs are always tired.

(This is me finishing up my last race a couple weeks ago. That was such a good day. If Marathon Day is like that day, I'll be in great shape!)

I'm very excited about this year's race, because this time I get to run in support of Lauren´s First and Goal, a 501(c)3 charitable organization started in 2004 by my cousin Marianne Loose and her husband John Loose in honor of my cousin Lauren, a 13-year-old pediatric brain tumor survivor. The Loose family started the foundation as a way to help other families who are battling childhood cancer. And they all happen to rock.

Since its inception, LFG has raised more than $1 million toward its mission to provide financial support for brain tumor research and cancer services, to offer financial and emotional support to families living with pediatric cancer, and to increase awareness of the disease. These goals are made possible through the funding gained through LFG Football Camp and charitable contributions.

I'm so thrilled to be raising money for this organization and I hope you can contribute to my fundraising efforts!

Please support me by donating to the cause at this link.

http://www.crowdrise.com/owensnycmarathonforl/fundraiser/runowenrun

When you get to my page (which features a picture of my headshot since that's the only pic I had that didn't horribly stretch and distort the uploaded image), just click the big orange DONATE button. It's for a great cause and I will definitely appreciate your support!

You can also join my facebook group "Run Owen Run! Rock that 2010 ING NYC Marathon! Part III - Dream Warriors!" to cheer me on. It's a long group title, because it's a long race.

While grocery shopping the other day, something caught my eye in the soda aisle. It wasn't what was there actually, but what was missing. I took a picture to illustrate my point.

There are three Fanta flavors on display. Purple, Yellow and Orange. But there's no red flavored fanta on the shelves. It jumps straight to Sprite. Then iit dawned on me that I've never seen a 2-Liter bottle of Red Fanta. There are supposed to be 4 colors of Fanta, as represented by The Fantanas.


I'm mostly used to seeing Purple Fanta in the grocery store or maybe Orange Fanta. Yellow fanta is harder to find. But Red Fanta? It is never on the shelves. Is Red Fanta not legal in the United States? Is the red dye that makes it red fanta not FDA-approved? I don't have the answer. All I know is that I've never seen 2-Liter Red Fanta. Now I am on a mission. Red Fanta, I will find you. You will be mine.

STEP UP, Preserve Resources and show your Prof Pride!!!Join us on the ground floor of the Student Center (next to the food court) this Wednesday, October 27th to make FREE Spirit Shakers!!!When: Wed., Oct. 27thWhere: Ground Floor of Student CenterTime: 5pm-7pmCost: Free!Go Prof's!!!!

Sometimes we just need a little pick-me-up! Stop by Renee's and get yourself (or your hostess) a little something.

For under $10 you can indulge in European soaps; darling little gloves; cozy, comfy socks...

























For under $50 get one-of-a-kind scarves and shawls, luxurious slipper socks, shea butter hand cream, Hanky Panky thongs, sparkly jewelry, and much more.

















These treats were chosen for you with love and care, and can be beautifully wrapped for free.

Martha note: I'm taking a break from blogging through Wednesday, October 26th. See you back here on Thursday with some thoughts about Juan Williams, public radio, and journalism . . .

It seems as if much of my life has been spent in packing up and moving somewhere – first as the daughter of a field geologist who moved around Southern Africa, then as the wife of a physicist who took me plus an ever increasing brood to Virginia, New York, and Cambridge, England. Later as a widow, I packed up the family and took them back to South Africa and then after some years brought them back to Virginia.

Time passed and offspring grown, I moved with a new husband to an old farmhouse in the county. Now, a widow of advancing years, I am in the process of moving again, this time into a bungalow in the city. This, I tell my offspring, is likely to be my last house and I feel very comfortable saying that.

But now the reorganization has to start – the downsizing, or as a recently moved neighbour said – the streamlining of one’s lifestyle. Another concept came to mind, as well – crystallizing my life.

I started with the hardest task of all -- my books. Studying the bookshelves was like seeing my history, my late husband’s history, and our family history, all laid out on the shelves. Precious books saved from high school in South Africa, books of the history, natural history, architecture and literature of places we have traveled to and lived in. So, although I pruned a little bit, I also had bookshelves built in the bungalow.

Furniture next. My family and friends don’t often sit formally on couches but spend a lot of time at tables, eating, playing games and chatting. We have also squeezed more and more people into the farmhouse at Thanksgiving, everyone bringing food. When one of my dear friends heard about my planned move, she said “But what about Thanksgiving?” And so one of the biggest challenges has been to calculate how to squeeze a lot of people at tables into a bungalow for that very special holiday. Of course my mother-in-law’s beautiful old oak dresser has to come with me as well as the beat-up old dresser I bought for $60 that is the perfect music center. The big old couch that unfolds into a bed is also essential, to cope with extra overnight bodies.

Just Dogs By K F Barker 1933

A question I am often asked though is “What will you do with your dogs?” Well, a fence has already been put up and three scruffy old farm dogs will be moving into a city neighbourhood with me. The neighbours have been forewarned and say they are looking forward to meeting the dogs.

I am giving a lot of stuff away, and I know there will be many trips to Goodwill and Salvation Army. But I’ve also realized that crystallizing my life doesn’t mean I have to change my lifestyle; it just means reducing my lifestyle to its essence.

So, downsizing or streamlining, it is another of life’s adventures and I plan to enjoy it as much as I can.

                           --Val Matthews lives in Charlottesville