SEO for Dummies

Maintaining a blog during grad school proved to be a lot more difficult than anticipated. Regardless of my excuses, I apologize (this will hopefully serve as a reminder to myself to be consistent with updates). ONWARD.

Ahhhhhhh!

My parents used to say I was on AIM too much when I was a kid. You’ve been staring at that screen for 2 hours! Who knew all those primarily “waz up”-based conversations would come in handy in the future?!

We all learned something from talking about homework assignments and boyz. I developed a freakish typing speed, the ability to navigate a website easily with minor clicks, and the now second nature ability to solve basic troubleshooting issues. This brings me to the theme of a topic very relevant to my life.

SEO

So what does that even stand for? Search Engine Optimization. It’s a fancy name for how high up a company falls in google search results. And why is this important? IT’S SO IMPORTANT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I can’t stress enough how essential it is without the excessive use of capital letters so I’ll try to hold back.

WHY is SEO so important?

Easy. If no one can even find your website, how do you expect them to find you? The days when you could do business based on real live connections and offline marketing are long gone. You have to keep up to keep going (without of course neglecting the importance of maintaining powerful offline marketing).

Sooo…I’m sick of reading, where do I begin? 

Google–>Business Solutions–>Adwords–>Get keyword ideas.

BEST tool EVER.

In order to optimize your website, you need to know what people are searching. This tool minimizes the personalization of Google.

Google is a freakish search engine that personalizes every search by utilizing web history, IP address location, and other assorted privacy-diminishing tactics. I’d start with something basic. For example, let’s say you are just starting an auto parts business in San Diego. I would think of what someone might search when they are looking for auto parts in San Diego. Initially I’d start with something broad like “auto parts”.

Results

“Auto parts” results in 6,120,000 global monthly searches and 5,000,000 local monthly searches with a low-moderate competition level. This might sound ideal because many people are searching this topic monthly and it results in low to moderate competition. Wrong. This should not be one of your primary keywords. What is the benefit of global search results (outside of the U.S.)? Zilch. What’s the benefit of someone in New York finding your company? Eh…kind of helpful but not really. You can do further analysis by determining the interest of those keywords over time.

Let’s get more specific.

Since this company is primarily location-based, let’s focus on the greater San Diego/Southern California region. Search keywords “auto parts san diego” and “used auto parts san diego”. You can get even more specific by focusing on specific parts that someone might want. You can even combine the location with the specific part. And so on and so forth…

Eventually you’ll find the search patterns. You can also run each of these specific searches by deleting web history/personalization beforehand. Look at the “source” of each of the top search results and look for the pattern in keywords.

Source-Huh?

When on your own website, go to View–>View Source

View Source will result in your current Title and other assorted meta/alt tags that you currently have. The Title is the most important. “Keywords” and “Description” meta tags are close behind. There should be keywords within the title, meta tags, and alt tags.

I would use your top keywords in your

1. Title
2. Keywords & Description meta tages
3. Alt tags for images

In addition, don’t forget about in-content keywords!

Soooo…how can you change your keywords?

Use a program like Adobe Contribute with your website admin login to change within-content keywords and meta tag keywords, meta tag description, alt tags, and title keywords to fully optimize your website.

Note: You must change in-content keywords as well in order to fully optimize your site. Bolded words have more weight. Headers have more weight. Italicized have more weight. Keep that in mind and try to fully utilize every image, header, etc.

And BEYOND!

More topics to look into that will help your SEO:

• Google Places
• Yahoo Local
• Yahoo Business Solutions
• Bing Local
• RSS Feed
• Backlinks
• Youtube
• LinkedIn/Yelp and social media sites

Good luck! 🙂

American Idol: Touching the Heart or Stabbing It? The Chris Medina Story

Did anyone else find this severely messed up? We all know American Idol has this history of heartbreaking stories: rags to riches, parental death to Cancer patient. Hey, it boosts ratings. That was all fine with me until this happened:

Video evidence of American Idol’s lack of heart

(look at 3:10)

There should be a distinction between heartbreaking story and capitalizing on a person’s disability. Ouch.

This happened.

I watched in discomfort as Chris Medina told his story. My feelings about his decision to stay and take care of his fiance aside (and all the sympathy, etc. that comes with it), why was it necessary to bring the girl in? She was shaking and could not respond to J. Lo’s comforting words and Steven Tyler’s awkward as hell kiss. She was exploited and publicly pitied on a major popular reality TV show. Ugh. My heart goes out to her but in a different way than American Idol’s producers intended.

On one hand, we hear the sob story and we feel compassion. Chris is a real person stuck in a difficult situation. Then you stop and think–wait a second–isn’t this a singing competition? You lose sight of the talent again. American Idol is a popularity contest after all. Again, that’s fine but there’s a line. Taking a woman who suffered from a traumatic brain injury to an American Idol audition, where she will later be talked to as if she’s a child by famous people, is just plain cruel and unsettling in my eyes. It’s a definite line-crosser.

That's messed up, American Idol.

“Nursery University”: Preschool Ed At the Price of College Tuition

Here’s to another random post contrived during the holiday season. I’m a documentary fiend so I decided to catch up on some via Netflix Instant.

I recently watched the documentary, “Nursery University.” It’s a film surrounding four children (or should I say their parents) and their search for the perfect nursery school in NYC. The goal is to get their children in the fast track to an ivy league education, which we all know must start at preschool.

What’s the big deal about preschool?

I love preschool. I think it is a vital part of a child’s development. The activities and academic aspects are key components. You learn spatial processing and problem-solving skills. You learn the alphabet and how to express yourself with words. I would almost say the social aspect and byproduct is even higher up on the list of necessary skills for optimal child development. Toddlers learn the ability to empathize, share, and work together, all incredibly important skills for success in…life. Learning to understand other people’s feelings will help a child develop far beyond the immediate scope of circle time.

So she IS gifted!

This film focuses on the pressure–the pressure to pay 25K a year to secure their child’s spot at an ivy. To me that is scary and almost repulsive. You want highly qualified teachers and caretakers. But there seems to be a certain threshold of what is a reasonable amount to charge relative to what they are actually offering. When a preschool is good, it’s good. That in no way means you should fork over the price of a college tuition for advanced finger painting. This creates a for-profit environment and culture that tries to capitalize on overbearing parents in the name of prestige. Ick.

The extreme pressure that these preschools put on NYC upper class parents borders on the “My Baby Can Read” scam (Every Teachers’ biggest nightmare)

It gets even better…

There is a grueling application process. The application process is even more appalling and hilarious. There are admissions essays and multiple family visits and interviews. You need connections and a famous name. The process is absurd! It’s really like a middle school cheerleading try-out popularity contest…with even more bribery.

He really looks like he's ready for Calculus!

I don’t have kids so I can’t and have no right to 100% judge (just a large portion of that 100%…just kidding?). I would solely urge these parents to chill out a little. Relax. Watch their kids grow up. Maybe even potty train their kids first before worrying about their vocabulary and SAT scores in relation to their peers.

If you have an urge to laugh at some overbearing parents, check out “Nursery University”…

Who Put the Fun in FUNemployment?

Well this just looks like fun.

Funemployed. A word that prior to circa 2000 did not exist. The term can either be used to negatively describe someone currently on the welfare system or someone who has fun while being unemployed and actively seeking a job (which is the one I’ll use for our purposes).

There’s the optimistic reaction to the unemployed, “Now you’ll have so much free time! You can get back to all your interests! Why don’t you take up painting? And what about that souffle that you used to love to make?” But what happens when you lose those interests? Or the “Just apply everywhere and you’ll get a job!” Unfortunately, it’s really not that easy and surely not all that “fun”. Job autonomy isn’t as common and skill level qualifications are much more demanding. You have the same job title and salary yet you must take on numerous uncorrelated tasks just to keep the job. The security of a college education yielding at least a decent job isn’t as certain as it was in the comparatively medieval 1990s.

As a response, I’ve compiled a Funemployment To Do List (AKA How To Stay Sane While Unemployed):

First and foremost. . .

Stay Active.

The Stairmaster: not my recommended apparatus of choice...

 

Hey, it’s free (at least in some form)! There’s hiking trails and beaches and the like.

It’s about much more than getting that killer bod you’ve always dreamed of. I personally find that to just be an added bonus. Being active makes you feel more alive and helps you immune system in the process! It’s difficult enough to get out of bed and go for just about anything when you’re unemployed. Getting in the habit of waking up to greet the day is a very good start.

Keep A Schedule

Where'd my day go?

 

I find it’s easy to get into a sleep in and watch Law & Order: SVU marathon-funk. The uneasiness of not having a schedule can be draining and even more discouraging. If you have no reason to wake up at 7am, why waste time? I’m not implying wake up early after some 2AM job searching (very easy to do but I highly discourage). It’s nice to have a plan so you don’t become addicted to video games or one of those addicting iphone apps.

Give Yourself A Break From the Search

How was this ever considered fun?

 

Searching all day on Monster and Careerbuilder and Craigslist (shudder) will only get you so far. Even though the actual job is vital-so is your sanity. Let yourself have fun and do things you love to do. Read a book at a coffee shop or library. Hit up free (or cheap) museums. Cook. Make out with your best friend. Build a fort. Do whatever floats your boat but try to steer clear of doing activities at your own house, an easy trap to a negative routine of rumination and despair.

Volunteer

Look! I'm worthwhile (and maybe even lovable...)!

Volunteer. I’m not saying go buy a plane ticket to China and teach English (not that that doesn’t sound amazing and is a very viable option), volunteer locally intermittently. Surrendering is the worst thing you can do. Although it may seem like this is taking time away from the career search, it’ll help you in the long run. It’ll help your resume. It’ll help your social life and, at the very least, help you maintain your sanity! You’ll be gaining skills and doing meaningful work (even if it’s just for the time-being).

Talk To People

Please tell me your story, wise Grandpa! I finally turned off my ipod.

 

Talk to old professors and family friends. People have been there and have persevered. The mere comfort that you are not alone should lessen at least a speck of tension and may even give you ideas about your future.

Be Positive Yet Realistic

Stay Positive–Easier said than done. Agreed. But it must be done. It is so easy to get discouraged when you are unemployed. That sofa is so comfortable and the TV Line-up is oh so good. You must keep it up.

I’m far from an expert on this matter. These are just some general ideas that seem to help in my opinion! Good luck.

Love and Marriage Go Together Like A…What?

Barbie, you make everything look so perfect...Childhood dreams!

I always love the plane ride back to Chicago, the solidarity and comfort of silently reading a new book, testing out a new ipod playlist, and the my favorite plane ride pastime of all—catching up on current events and research. The holiday season always reminds me of the concept of family, so I was of course drawn to TIME Magazine’s “Who Needs Marriage: A Changing Institution” cover article.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2031962,00.html

As Frank Sinatra such clearly sang,

“Love and Marriage.

Love and Marriage.

Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage.”

The concept of marriage is surely relevant in my generation. I find for majority of my friends (at least the nontraditional ones), it’s more a question of what if and why and when in relation to my professional career rather than solely who and a definite NOW. Cohabitation is much more socially acceptable. Couples move in together sooner maybe because the economy, maybe because they just don’t want to get married at all, and maybe because marriage is just that serious. It’s not that we think marriage is irrelevant, it’s because it is that relevant. Families aren’t typical. We see step siblings and half and half of step. We see same sex marriages and more adoptions. These are all things my generation seems to agree with.  The world seems much more untraditional and young people tend to gravitate towards that change and act accordingly. The consensus that we should all get married just to get married because, well, that’s just what people do doesn’t ring as true with my peers (a generation with a high influx of children of divorce).

AHHHHH!!!

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard someone say “I don’t want to get divorced” or “I’d rather date for several years just to be sure.” This doesn’t seem to be true of our parent’s generation. My parents were married in their mid-twenties. There was a shelf life and if you were a female over 30–uh, you kind of missed the train.

So Why Get Married?

There’s the religious aspect. We all know another part of it is for a show, a status symbol that you found someone important because you are important. That surely can’t be it.

Tradition, TRADITION!

Oh Tevye, you are so wise!

Personally I like the traditional aspect. Okay maybe the actual wedding is more for your parents and creepy uncle that you always seat far away from the kids table. Then again, isn’t pleasing your parents and grandparents important? My mom will surely cry at my wedding just as she did during my elementary school graduation. And high school graduation. And absolutely bawled during my college graduation. So I like the tradition not because I feel we will be united as one under God’s eyes or that it makes me feel cooler and worthy of love. I love the fact that it’ll make my mom tear up and my grandparents beam with pride.

Although marriage’s significance is less obvious today, marriage has surely not become obsolete. With the economic advantages, religious support, and traditional appeal, we’ll continue to see it. It might just look a bit different this time.

Ton Of Love: Wow, Who Writes for TLC?

Let’s begin our journey with “Ton of Love.”

Ton of Love TV-14 (D), CC
Go inside the lives of three morbidly obese couples and see how their weight affects their daily lives and relationships. Including a wife forced to take care of her demanding husband, a couple’s difficulties in the bedroom and a mother’s risky pregnancy.

Okay, wow. We might as well look at TLC’s Entire Wednesday/Thursday Line-Up:

Ton of Love
The Man With Half a Body
Sarah Palin’s Alaska
A Baby Story
Make Room for Multiples
Pregnant at 70
Say Yes to the Dress
Police Women of Dallas

So much to say. So much to do. It’s just too much!

The sad thing is every single one of these shows interest me. And it interests many other seemingly normal people as well (that’s debatable!). I want to know the trials and tribulations of being obese without actually having to be obese! I want to know what they even mean by describing a man having half a body! I decided to take matters into my own hands and investigate just why we are so fascinated by TLC and why the writers continue to come up with more and more outlandish  material as we speak.

Exhibit A–Escapism.

I'd rather just watch Say Yes to the Dress than focus on my custody battle!

 

Would anyone rather focus on the grave state of the economy over watching other people’s strange habits and lives? Aw hell no. Escapism, or the ability to not realize your meaningless existence, allows one to feel content with their life because–at least for right now–you’re not focusing on your mundane life. Hey, maybe my life isn’t so bad. Maybe cleaning toilets is actually rewarding! I can’t pay the rent, but at least I have a full body! My kids may annoy me but at least I don’t have 19 children! The list goes on and ours lives continue with our resulting positive outlook.

What is the root of escapism? I remembered learning about it in my psychology courses so I decided to go back to the MADCAT database. While researching for this entry I discovered that I no longer have access to the library services (now this is depressing!). Fortunately, Google Scholar saved the day.

And all I wanted to do was learn...!

Escapism relates to much more avenues than simple reality television. Escapism can be an excuse for alcoholism and binge eating. Okay, so reality TV is definitely not the worst case scenario.

The results from psychology research studies on reality television are pretty obvious. They all point to the happiness stemmed from escaping your problems, even if it’s just for a half hour segment.

So…Why, TLC, Whyyy?

Historically TLC, previously known as The Learning Channel, was not a channel with high ratings.

Learning, Ick!

In the 90s TLC was a place for learning and “Ready Set Learn.” Learning-not such a popular form of entertainment apparently-just wasn’t effective in gaining ratings. That’s where the shift came in. “Cable in the Classroom” turned into “Trading Spaces” and “Ready Set Learn” eventually led to “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”

Culmination of all the poor ratings factors–> Reality Television.

Learning doesn’t yield good ratings and ratings matter more (even if that means we have to turn in the academia for a better education on obesity).

As for the results, I look forward to TLC and their newfound creativity in writing, even if I won’t be learning about the newest book series. Because that’s what TV is for anyways, isn’t it? Right?

Where do we go from here?

Please, for the love of God, read a book!

If only between commercials, let’s start reading again!

Midwest Friendly Versus Sun-Kissed West Coast

Lately I’ve been having some sort of writer’s block (I’ll attribute it to the grad school apps and testing) so I apologize for the lack of creativity in posts. On that note, I’d like to write about a topic that is very personal and relevant to my current life.

I attribute this burst of inspiration to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” song.

“California girls
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh”

Midwest vs. West Coast

DISCLAIMER: First off, I assert that it’s absolutely horrible to generalize entire locations (and in relation, entire groups of people). To refrain from making such brash assumptions, I’d rather mention my observations and analysis based on my short start in San Diego.

Driving

I’ll openly admit it; I’m a horrible driver. An absolutely horrible driver. The thought of switching lanes on the 5 during rush hour makes me nearly want to quit the act altogether and create a tiny pedestrian-only make believe city somewhere in Canada. Or in England. Or just anywhere. . .

Sense the anxiety?

Anything that’ll ease the driving tension is in my book, heavenly. Throughout college, I did not own a car. Madison, Wisconsin is ideal for the college student; everything you ever need is right on State Street: clothing stores, grocery stores, libraries, and even your local independent bookstore. I was definitely spoiled and didn’t realize this until the big move.

Do Do Do...(insert casual walking)

After much analysis (aka you HAVE to drive everywhere here), I’ve determined that driving is probably the most noticeable difference.

The Biggest Driving Difference…

Switching Lanes!!! In San Diego the concept of “letting someone go in front of you” is obsolete. Whenever you absolutely need to switch lanes (i.e. the lane is ending without advance notice, the lane turns into another highway, you have to get off at the next exit-all frequent occurrences btws), every car around you must speed up. It is a prerequisite when moving to San Diego that you speed up to 90mph whenever you see someone sweating and struggling to switch lanes. Driving manners are so foreign to them that even when you give them the “you can go in front of me” signal, they look at you like they have become completely dissociated from their body and remain stagnant in their designated lane. What? I don’t understand it and find it to be a major drawback in living 2 minutes from the ocean. I guess it’s a sacrifice you have to pay for the sun…

Wop

In retrospect, this doesn't look all that appealing...

Okay, okay, I understand this is a minor one but I think it’s worth noting and serves more as a symbol of the differences in random everyday slang. The topic of “wop” came up in conversation. Wop, for those of you not yielding from Wisconsin, is basically just a ridiculous term for jungle juice. I mentioned the word and all my new west coast friends thought I was an alien. They had never even heard of the word! Maybe it’s because I graduated from the University of Wisconsin, a large tailgating-based (and academic of course!) school. Or maybe, just maybe–we really don’t have that much to do in the midwest that we come up with bizarre names for alcohol. True stereotype? Possibly.

Clothing

Two words: California Casual.

Dis is real.

Yes, that is a “thing” here. In some offices you can dress “California Casual” for work, a term meaning you can pretty much wear whatever you want minus a t-shirt and flip-flops. Oh how California of them!

Swagger

And what I mean by swagger is more the behavioral aspect and not so much the actual walk. There’s an attitude that comes with having the ocean at your fingertips. It doesn’t seem to be an attitude in the general “stuck up” sense, it’s more of a lifestyle. They just seem more chill, more relaxed, more whatever. This was another one of those things that I assumed was just a made up theory. Nope, I’d fully support it. Not too shabby of a character trait I’d say. On a comparative note, midwest is slow as well (minus maybe Chicago). Buuuut in a completely different way.

Conclusion:

There aren’t too many vast differences. We are all people after all. There are, however, a fair amount of minor differences that can account for the disparaties. As an inhabitant of California, I’d say that I am happy to call this crazy place my new home despite all its little quirks and weird customer service habits.

California Gurls are really undeniable.

Halloween: A Time for Creativity & Tooth Decay

I love Halloween. I absolutely LOVE a holiday with no rules. I love pumpkin-affiliated food products, haunted houses, etc. And, of course, this week’s hilarious Modern Family episode really solidified my interest.

Unfortunately, this year I’ve been a little distracted and haven’t figured out my costume yet (so on top of everything!). I’d like to continue this post with my favorite Halloween costumes.

So every year it becomes a conflict: to be attractive or not on halloween. Every year this dilemma starts even younger (some 6th graders at my sister’s elementary school wore stilletos to their halloween parade).

I’ve decided that next year I want to be something either ridiculous, freaky, or just plain unattractive. Here are my favorite costumes from this year (and possible costume ideas for next year)!

1. Pee Wee’s Playhouse

2. Gorilla

3. Sexy Elmo

4. Sister Wives

5. Mad Men

6. Double Rainbow Guy

7. Antoine Dodson: Hide ya kids, wife, husbands

8. Vampire

9. Board Games-Operation

10. Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head

Until next year…!

Hereafter: Matt Damon-The Only Redeeming Factor

Why, Matt Damon, Whyyyy?

Before I finish up my Mad Men recap (a task that’ll probably take months, especially because I’m starting back at Season 1!), I’d like to analyze the movie I just saw last weekend, “Hereafter.” Typically I would add in here “SPOILER ALERT!” This is not the case with this movie. I wouldn’t recommend seeing it all together so this isn’t so much a spoiler as a persuasive piece. Then again, it all depends on your movie taste.

Right away the film starts with a “BAM!” The transition from the previews to the actual film was unclear until a tsunami strikes. That’s right, a tsunami. And no, they didn’t show this as a quick interlude into the film. It was excruciating. You see a child drown and a woman get hit in the head with a building. This would all make sense if it was that type of movie. Overall it just seemed unnecessary and excessive. But to be honest-I definitely closed my eyes during the first sequence. Maybe it was my fault to view this on a Saturday night instead of “It’s Kind Of A Funny Story.” And I hate violence and overly depressing films. Okay, maybe it’s 100% my fault. Regardless, this film was a major and unnecessary buzzkill any day of the week.

Dat was real.

After the Frenchwoman who was submerged under a building was revived-which resulted in supernatural powers that allowed her to communicate with the dead-we are transported to England. This character segment I could not emotionally handle. The scenes in England revolve around two twin boys, one a chatty Cathy and the other a borderline mute, who live in an unstable household. Their mother is an alcoholic and they do everything in their power to save themselves from social services. Obviously social services strives to look out for the better interest of the child. These children had a neglectful mother. Despite this fact, the twins still wanted her there. They had no one else, and she was still their mother. As one of the twins goes to the drug store to pick up medicine for his mom, he calls up his brother to look up what the drugs were on the internet. It turns out they were supposed to help her combat her alcoholism. They weren’t broken promises anymore–dreams really do come true! As soon as we start feeling optimistic, a group of kids start beating him up and taking his pills. He then tries to escape and a car hits him. He dies. I closed my eyes during this scene as well. I watched in agony as the boy talked to the empty twin bed next to him and wore his brother’s baseball hat. He needed his brother there to help him get through it all. I admittedly cried twice (and I’m not typically a big crier in movies). It wasn’t a light cry either.

Aka ME. Yes, that was me. Substitute the stuffed animal with my purse (a signifier of my moderate maturity) and that was my clone during every twin scene

I’ve decided not to go into full detail about the movie–I don’t want to bore you. My general response is that the film was marketed much differently via trailer than how the actual movie turned out, a common Hollywood tactic. It was a disappointing shift and a bad decision in my view. I found it to be depressing and not in a-this is depressing but for a deep philosophical, inspiring, or meaningful-way. The only person I’d recommend the film to is someone who was had an outer body supernatural experience themselves and somehow feels understood by a movie about other people with outer body supernatural experiences. And if you simply (and solely) watch the Matt Damon-focused scenes.

MATT DAMON-Team America Flashback, anyone?

El Fin! Now on to a Netflix Instant “The Office” re-run for a little pick-me-up.

Just A Little Bit Of History Repeating: The Tomorrow of Mad Men

In order to effectively (and semi-productively) take a break from business school applications, I decided to write about Mad Men’s season 4 finale! AMC’s three time Emmy Award-Winning Outstanding Drama series, Mad Men, is undeniably captivating. It draws audiences into the Pleasantville-era, a description previously believed to be an accurate depiction of 1960s America. Ladies wore pretty floral dresses and their greatest aspiration was to get married, and the men brought home the bacon. Everyone smiled and everything was peachy. Mad Men shakes up that idealized perception. It reveals the secrets and the contradictions between the coveted façade and each character’s innermost feelings. It shatters the appearance of what we want to be at the expense of  who we really are. If you aren’t already obsessed with Mad Men, I would highly recommend the show to every adult demographic. It is quite possibly the most wonderfully unusual show on television. On paper it may seem like a common soap opera. A plot contrived around an ad agency (yawn). In truth, Mad Men is so much more than a series based around a specific era. The acting is simply astounding. From the emotional breakdowns to the apathy, Mad Men never disappoints. How can these characters not realize their miserable existence? How do they manage to keep their lives so secret from their families and friends? Spare me from trying to convince you, just watch it!

Spoiler Alert!

Mad Men finished off it’s fourth season tonight. As is true with every season of Mad Men, this season concluded with an “ending” that left us aching for the next season to start (rather than wait 9 months!).

“Tomorrowland,” the season finale, focuses on the future of SCDP, both professionally and personally. This season started off unlike any season prior. The office was different. The music was even different. Initially I grew estranged at the transformation. I had been so used to Sterling Cooper and all the secrets Don Draper had kept in that I was skeptical of the future of the show. It’s so character-driven that any lapse in writing could have a dramatic influence on the acting (and my reactions following). Matthew Weiner simply can’t beat season three. Boy was I wrong. The season 4 finale didn’t beat season 3′s triumphant finale, but it definitely didn’t disappoint us. Season 4 was emotional and at some points agonizing. We saw Don Draper morph from being externally perfect to a straight up disaster puking often and partaking in frequent relationships with hookers. Don wasn’t hiding from his past. After the many alcoholic outbursts, he really seemed to be moving forward in terms of accepting his imperfections because, well, he kinda had to. Hey, there’s beauty in the breakdown.

“What about Tomorrowland? I don’t want to ride an elephant; I want to fly a jet.” -Bobby Draper

Don grew up. He limited his alcohol. He started to develop a real relationship (to the extent any character on Mad Men can have a relationship) with Faye. She knew him, the real him. But Faye takes work. Real relationships aren’t solely composed of the honeymoon period.  Could he handle it? Faye’s send off message says it all, “I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things.” The relationship between them started off great. Faye didn’t buy into him right away (we all know Don loves that). Once it really got heavy, Don’s relationship cycle continues. Faye was cold at times, something he’d have to work on fixing. She borderline demands him to move on and grow up. Don does to some extent but definitely not in the way Faye had planned. As I mentioned, Faye takes work. Now that doesn’t sound like Don Draper material to me…

Can "Don Draper" ever be happy? (but he's so attractive!)

Now let me get back to this episode. So the big reveal: Don tells Megan he’s in love with her and proposes! What? I’ve heard some mixed reactions. I find some truth to his interest in her but I wouldn’t call it love. I’d say Don has become more of a coward. He’s finally breaking down and manning up to his past. Some may argue that Faye was really just paving the way for Megan. She led him to be capable of a mature relationship. Although I believe Don has matured (he even tells his kids that the Dick+Ana mark was about him), I think the whole Megan thing is really just a cop-out, a way to start over. Letting go of your past is one thing but starting anew, impossible. Henry puts it best, “There is no fresh start! Lives carry on!” I think Don’s actions are really just him running away again. He was making such good progress! I don’t think he has lost all of that growth, but he definitely hasn’t developed into a fully functional real human being.

He sees Megan as someone who can just cure it all. Megan treats a little milkshake spill as no big deal, a direct contrast to how Betty would’ve handled the situation. Just as Don remarked, she’s Maria von Trapp! But life isn’t that simple. Although Megan is different than most of Don’s love interests, she’s still his secretary. She sees a future for herself beyond being a secretary (even hints at becoming a copywriter), but still may I reiterate-she’s still a secretary. It’s been done before and he’ll grow tired. Megan claims she doesn’t care about Don’s past and knows who he is now. That’s all well and good until the relationship progresses. Yes, you can grow from your past but it’ll always be there. Don’s tendency to escape reality has an influence here. Pessimistic as this may be, I highly doubt Don will miraculously turn into a loyal and honest man who never cheats on his wife and is truly happy. Can Don Draper truly be happy?

In Peggy’s view, this is absolutely absurd. Here she is saving the company and it’s irrelevant once news breaks of the wedding. Peggy further proves her strength in this season. She wins the nylon account. An occurrence that oddly enough relates to Don’s comment to Rachel Menken prior, “Love doesn’t exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me to sell nylons.” Peggy’s made it with the big boys and what’s the thanks she gets? Don quasi-compliments her in claiming that Megan admires her work. Ugh, where’s the recognition? Despite her lack of formal affirmation, we all realize Peggy’s tremendous accomplishments. Here she was a naïve copywriter and now she has legitimately saved SCDP and grown to become an independent woman in a not-so-independent woman era.

Love the wardrobe!!

Betty, oh Betty. We all know Betty is a child. She has absolutely no business having children, and is no way a warm and caring person (especially in firing Carla!). Her parents really never taught her compassion. She’s spoiled and selfish. This selfishness has shown through more than ever in Season 4. We knew she was cold-hearted all along but surely not to this extent! Glen is correct, just because she’s sad, doesn’t mean everybody has to be. Perfect response!

To be continued…

Prop 23: The Importance of Civic Engagement over Political Opinions

Common sense tells us voting is a right that we should practice. With all the propositions and candidates it’s very easy to lose sight of its importance. Does my vote matter? I’m too lazy. Who are these people? Like many others, I’d like to stress that voting is essential. Maybe your specific vote won’t change the outcome. Regardless, keeping yourself informed and engaged in the community can only help (even in a small-scale sense) change the world. Now I’ll step off my little soapbox.

Sorry-totally had to add this in here...

As a new California soon-to-be resident, I’ve tried to educate myself on Proposition 23. According to voterguide.ca.gov, Proposition 23 entails:

“SUSPENDS IMPLEMENTATION OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL LAW (AB 32) REQUIRING MAJOR SOURCES OF EMISSIONS TO REPORT AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING, UNTIL UNEMPLOYMENT DROPS TO 5.5 PERCENT OR LESS FOR FULL YEAR. INITIATIVE STATUTE.”

To put it simply, yes means suspending current regulations that address global warming (efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions). The implications for both sides are vast. I’ve listed the main implications for both sides below.

Yes:

• Prevention of energy taxes
• Saves jobs while potentially lowering unemployment rate
• Increase short-term state revenue
  

  For Prop 23: small business, agriculture, oil companies

No:

• Threats to public health (air pollution and the like)
• Reduces California wind and solar job-creating efforts
  

  Against Prop 23: clean energy firms, green job workers

The strangest aspect of the proposition is Texas (yes, Texas…not California) oil companies are pumping in money to reduce clean energy and air pollution standards. This will lead to even more reliance on oil.

This post may seem obvious. I find that as obvious as this may all be, citizens still seem to be apathetic. I figure if we are even the smallest bit more informed, the world will be a better place! Whichever side you are on of the debate, go out and vote on November 2nd!

There are an overwhelming number of resources to help you make a decision. I’d recommend a more objective source (i.e. .gov endings).

Check out http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm

Still “Waiting for Superman”: Education Reform or Lack Thereof

The longly anticipated education reform-based documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” finally reached select theaters last Friday. As a sibling of a teacher and fan of all that is documentary film, I anxiously awaited the film opening. As if the trailer’s incorporation of Matisyahu’s “One Day” wasn’t convincing enough, the first few emotion-driven camera angles and sound effects sucked me in.

The film centers around five kids lost in the current education system. We see the family struggle, the parents’ unwillingness to accept their children’s projected failure. With the exception of maybe Emily (a girl from the suburbs…I don’t buy it), the charter schools will determine their fate. If they aren’t lucky enough to make the lottery, they won’t make it…anywhere (unless you consider the slammer a few streets over an appealing alternative). The film taught me to look well beyond the politics. In a simple human way, I felt for the family. In these cases it wasn’t lack of parent involvement or passion. It was all a matter of chance. You are born into this system and that’s that. But with every child showcased in this film comes another thousand that don’t have overly passionate role models. At no fault of their own, children born into this alternative environment help fuel the cracked system. But how does the average citizen handle this problem? We continue to throw our hands up and surrender to the mess. In layman’s terms, the apathetic call the shots.

I am with company in this when I say the lottery was my lottery. I could have easily been in that role. That could’ve been my neighbor or my childhood best friend. Now that is what makes a film amazing. These were real people and there’s no way an audience member couldn’t feel that connection.

As aforementioned, the main culprits are the ones who comprehend the disconnect yet stay immobile. The blame doesn’t end there.

Although we’d like to believe the film was a beautiful work of art with no lean–there was a lean, oh was there a lean. The bias was clear: teacher unions are what prevent change and the unqualified D.C. School Districts Chancellor, Michelle Rhee has absolutely no idea what she is doing (I’m still not even sure how she ended up with this job-she’d unquestionably make a pretty scary elementary school teacher). Parent involvement isn’t the main issue and charter schools will solve everything. After the charter school trend is implemented, we’ll reign as world leaders once again. It’s like Sputnik-era superiority all over again!

Before we ambush the streets with our patriotic “USA! USA!” chants, I’d have to proclaim-I disagree (Again, this is what I love about documentaries. I can disagree in part with them yet love the film nonetheless). Obviously the apathetic are in large part to blame. In congruence with most of history, the silent are at greatest fault. Where our opinions diverge, however, is in the belief that charter schools will magically solve world hunger. To me that is saying that despite poverty and gang violence, all students can become neurosurgeons if they ‘just put their mind to it.’ Obviously every child is capable of success. Where they fall in the socio-economic ladder isn’t an indicator of their potential to thrive. It is (unfortunately) a very influential factor. It takes a village, a very attentive and overbearing village.

To backtrack a bit, charter schools aren’t all the same and their successes aren’t isolated incidents. The film does mention that charter schools focus on a range of subjects from music to general academic achievement. This variability makes these schools even less comparable. Additionally, the whole premise of the charter school is to succeed. The parents who put these kids in the lottery want their child to succeed. The teachers who work there want the children to succeed. Anyone who has taken a psychology course (or even walked passed the psychology building) could tell you positive affirmation creates positive outcome. Just by going into this school with the “we can do this” attitude, the kids already have a better chance at success and a resulting–by the universalized definition–future.

I don’t intend to put down charter schools by any means. But if we are to go about generalizing entire school systems, we could just generalize that these school systems work because we are putting in extra time to make them work. So what about the drop out factory a few blocks south of downtown? What happens to that school once we place all the ‘lemon’ (reject) teachers there? It’s multifaceted and one film could not solve the issue in any realm. What it does do is cause us to feel a bit more uneasy, the perfect seed for real reform.

“Waiting for Superman” is playing at Landmark Theatres Hillcrest Cinemas. Check out movie times at   http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/sandiego/hillcrestcinemas.htm

Kara Bellowe’s Blog

Welcome to my blog! I’ve decided that it’s finally time for me to start a more formal blog. I plan on keeping up-to-date with current events, the latest documentaries, youtube trends, Mad Men episodes, and pretty much everything else that the internet has to offer. Get ready!

It all depends on how we look at things and not how they are in themselves.

-Carl Jung.