A Sharpe move

On Monday, July 11th, New York City’s neck was twisted upward as it watched in awe and horror Seanna Sharpe’s daring flight between two towers of the Williamsburg bridge, 300 feet in the air. She skillfully spun and fell in the cradle of just one long sheet of silky fabric. I wasn’t at the bridge, but watching the video was enough to give me goose bumps.

Promptly, the NYPD descended upon her from all angles, and the insane bout of creativity was forced to end. As she spent two nights in jail, the world buzzed with contraversy over whether what she did was to be admired or admonished.

Her decision and its real and potential impacts are certainly worth examining. She was called “an idiot”, “selfish”, “a hipster” by the more conservative crowd who felt she deserves to be in jail for what she did, as well as “awesome”, “courageous”, “fearless” and “amazing” by those who were inspired by her stunt. Yes, she COULD have fallen; she MIGHT have died and hurt others; she SHOULD have gotten a permit… But in all honesty, would it have been the same had she been surrounded by hundreds of policemen, holding back the crowd; had the bridge been padded and traffic blocked off? Would she really have been free as she was then?

Ever since finding out about her escapade, I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about it.

While I hate selfish acts that can hurt others, I love art, and I think there is and should always be a place in the world for beauty, defiance and redefinition of norms.

Anyone who knows Seanna or has seen her work, understands how perfectly in sync she is with that fabric and how well she understands its every move. I had no doubt that she would not have fallen, but others, especially the law, are not as confident. But great art isn’t nurtured by following the rules. Every innovation, every inspiration, every daring move, started out as a breaking of a rule. And when you think about the selfishness of so many of our sanctioned actions, Seanna’s expression provides more potential benefit than harm.

Just because something is lawful, it does not make it inherently good or even ethical. Take for instance the treatment of farm animals. Numerous farms keep their livestocks in conditions so deplorable that they would be arrested for animal cruelty were they to attempt the same treatment of dogs or cats. Yet our society looks the other way, simce mass farming of animals and animal products, such as milk and eggs, is tremendously profitable. So that makes it OK.

Perhaps we can start with one defying act, like tying ourselves to a bridge and doing some aerial dancing, but if we have the courage for that as a society, perhaps we’ll then be bold enough to speak out against other injustices that plague our world.

Everyone will see Seanna’s flight as something different. I see it as a statement worth making. I hope each of us finds the courage to take our own flight. Without getting hurt, of course.

Surprise Logo, Part II

SurpriseIndustries.com

SurpriseIndustries.com!

Wonderful little life surprises… keeping your childhood in adulthood.

First a very quick intro to this post:

Tonight Maya and I got to talking about the purpose of Surprise Industries (our new baby business, with Kat as the other mommy) and we got on the topic of surprise in general. We realized that surprises are relics of our childhoods and that giving and receiving surprises is one of the few droplets of childhood that many adults manage to save. We also realized that little surprises are everywhere, so we decided to play a quick surprise association game to see what images and memories would come up. The result was a lengthy g-chat that would have easily continued if it didn’t have to stop. Because it made us so very happy, we decided to share it with you in its entirety. If you have anything to add to the list, please do!

It would be a wonderful surprise : )

Remember these?

Maya: peek a boo

me: holding a goodie in one hand behind your back and telling someone to pick a handgot your nose

2:05 AM Maya: detached thumb trick

me: the coin behind your ear

Maya: something with hide and go seek

2:06 AM me: yeah!

Maya: like the “Found ya!”

me: yeah

or the terror of waiting in your hiding spot

and your heart pounding in your ears and the giggles escaping from your lips

and probably the smell of shoes (b/c you’re probably hiding in a dark closet)

2:07 AM that’s my memory anyway

Maya: yeah, mine is in a trash can

me: haha once I hid in a washer

Maya: tooth fairy!

me: yeah!

close your eyes and taste this

Maya: christmas morning

ooo

2:08 AM me: cat jumping out at me after hiding behind the rocking chair with his butt wiggling in pre-pounce mode

Maya: seeing a star shoot

me: aw

Maya: I saw the BIGGEST one last night

like I got a little scared it was so big

2:09 AM balloons popping

me: jumping into a pool without touching the water to check its temperature

champagne bottle opening

or a can of soda that someone shook without telling you

Maya: sitting on a whoopee cushion

me: haha

2:10 AM Maya: sneezing

me: filling your mouth with water and then squeezing your cheeks at someone

Maya: sneaking up on someone to surprise them

me: a little note in your lunchbox

from your mom

Maya: <3 mommy

mm

me: or a note on your mirror from your boyfriend

2:11 AM georgie and I used to write each other poems and stick them to the fridge before the other person woke up

passing notes

Maya: dreaming that you woke up, then waking up for real

me: and seeing something surprising in the note and trying not to gasp or giggle in class

opening your book to the right page by accident

Maya: seeing the person you’re in crush with when you least expect it

2:12 AM me: !

finding money in your pocket

getting a letter

Maya: discovering a whole new anything you’ve never heard of before

me: yeah! like a new species

2:13 AM that’s always weird and fun

or a new vegetable

getting a call from someone you haven’t spoken to for years

Maya: or new sex something that you’ve never heard of but want to try out immediately

me: yeah!

finding out that someone said something nice about you

2:14 AM from someone else

Maya: eating a fruit that is Perfectly in season

me: or reading about yourself somewhere

god avocados

the perfect avocado!

just when you split it open

the perfect neck crack

Maya: what comes up when you google your name

2:15 AM me: finding a metrocard with money on it

petting a huge dog

seeing kittens or puppies playing

Maya: when you put on a color that compliments every natural color in you

me: oh and inter-species love

2:16 AM the feeling of cutting your own hair

Maya: when you think an outfit will look okay, and it turns out slammin’

me: yeah!

Maya: I got this new dress like that

me: waking up and feeling full of energy

Maya: it looked like a straight, long shirt

me: oh waking up before the alarm goes off

Maya: but became the sexiest dress ever

me: that’s so great

2:17 AM George just bought his first suit

and the store didn’t have his size

but he tried on this one suit that was the wrong size and it fit as though it were custom tailored

Maya: i sent you dress photos

2:18 AM me: oooh

Maya: how excellent!

me: hourglass

Maya: I know!

me: I’ll send you my pulp fiction when I have the camera

Maya: and the turtleneck/long sleeves are great

yeaah!

2:19 AM what else..

me: okay so…

having a page load really fast

Maya: ripping a piece of paper in two

me: loving a movie you thought you’d hate

Maya: getting the mouth droplet sound perfectly

me: going on line really late and seeing that your crush is still on

2:20 AM an air popcorn popperoverflowing

Maya: the first word after you’ve sipped helium

me: finding out there’s a sale after you’ve already taken everything to the checkout counter

hahahaha!

Love that!

2:21 AM having a leaf land on you

or a perfect snowflake

Maya: finding baby movie/photos you didnt know existed

me: jumping into a deep puddle

yeahh

Maya: finding a lady bug on you

me: trying a new desert

cooking something new and taking the first taste

2:22 AM oh oh oh

chasing after one of those little puff things

what are they called?

Maya: being called/IMed by someone who you don’t know the identity of at first

and then finding out it’s someone amazing

me: ooo

but what are the puffs?

Maya: the seeds?

me: if you catch one it means you’ll get a letter from someone

yeah

2:23 AM one day recently I got off the train in the city and the air was FULL of puffs

Maya: floofy seeds

me: yeah floofy seeds!

And I ran after them all the way down the block and couldn’t catch a single floof

but then I just stopped and held my hand up, and I finally got one!

oh and chasing after a tumble weed and catching it

2:24 AM getting a just-because gift

getting home and seeing all the dishes done

playing a game

Maya: feelings your skin after a facial

me: mmm

2:25 AM running conditioner through long hair

Maya: having someone say I Love You for the first time

me: !!!

kissing someone you’ve been dying to kiss

or kissing someone you always kiss but suddenly getting all the tingles again

Maya: finding out an assignment is due a week after you thought it was due

2:26 AM me: getting accepted into a program of some kind

(George is playing now too)

Hey say: bows and gift wrapping

G: hands clapping in the giggly little kid way

2:27 AM Maya: making a great edit unintentionally

me: ooh like in Final Cut

totally

Maya: getting an obscure job

2:28 AM me: getting someone a job

seeing a cat/dog do a trick perfectly

the smell of freshly showered skin

the smell of sunned skin

the smell of really fresh curry

2:29 AM Maya: when you realize internalized metaphors for your definition of romance

me: aw

!

Maya: when you write a letter and carried exactly the right tone you wanted

me: realizing you don’t have to do something that was on your to do list

yeah

drawing a perfectly straight line

2:30 AM Maya: when you find out that an interesting friend has a blog

me: molding clay until it is warm in your hands and then noticing that it’s taken a shape

when you see that someone tweeted about you

when someone writes about liking FYSH in the blog

2:31 AM G: ordering tea in a restaurant and finding out they have your favorite kind

getting warm bread for the table at a restaurant

Maya: <3

me: finding a ring you thought you lost

Maya: did you find it?

me: yea!

Maya: OH

I KEEP FORGETTING TO TELL YOU

me: WHAT?

2:32 AM Maya: I LEFT THE BOX ON THE PLANE

AND THEY SAID THEY LOST IT

me: ohhhh

Maya: AND THEN THEY FOUND IT!

me: !!!!!!

Maya: Yeah!

me: WOW!!!!!!!!!

No waaaaaaaaaaaaay

Maya: I was SO heartbroken

and then they called

me: woaaaaaaaaaah

Maya: and I was like YEAHHHHHH

me: they called?

Woaaaaaah!

Maya: yeah, the lost and found

me: How cool is that??

Maya: I left my number

me: Oh wait I have one

Maya: I KNOW

me: WINNING $10,000!!!!!!!!!!

Maya: ahahahahaha

2:33 AM me: or trading in your prize for a minifridge

your lover’s cold hands on your warm skin

2:34 AM Maya: when you walk into a junk store and find something beautiful

me: finding out the weather is beautiful when you thought it would be a crappy day

Maya: or when you walk into a craft store and just get oodles of inspiration for the rest of the day

me: finding mysterious looking coins in your coin jar

and really, really old pennies

2:35 AM lying down on a new comfy mattress

or trying on comfortable shoes

Maya: yeah, finding that someone gave you a Canadian coin instead of a nickle

me: a freshly fluffed pillow

yeah

Maya: IRONED SHEETS

me: yeaaaaaaa

a mint on your pillow

Maya: getting bottles of agave

me: heeee

2:36 AM Maya: every time I taste it

me: walking into your hotel room and seeing a little animal folded out of towels on your bed

when we went on a cruise they made us a new animal every night

dancing with someone who leads well

cutting with a really sharp knife

2:37 AM flavor tripping!

Maya: yeah!

me: G: looking for something that you remember from your childhood in a store and then finding it

Maya: or or

me: G: biting into a piece of food you loved as a kid and seeing it’s just as good as you remember it

kitten purring

2:39 AM Maya: when someone you care about mentions something from their childhood and you try to find it

and succeed

me: oh yesss

getting a bouquet of celery (that’s what my mom and sis get me)

Maya: when songs hit my sweet spot

me: since I don’t like getting flowers

Maya: when you listen to the perfect song at the perfect time

me: hm yes

2:40 AM remembering a song that was on the tip of your tongue

yeaah

talking to a stranger on the train and really enjoying it

swinging higher than you thought possible on a swing

2:41 AM Maya: when someone get’s you a really risky gift that’s perfectly you

me: getting someone a risky gift that they love

finding out someone’s a libertarian

2:42 AM Maya: finding out someone is wearing sexy underwear

me: understanding something in a language you just started learning

Maya: yeaah

me: making a fire with sticks

touching the bottom of a deep swimming pool

skiing for the first time

Maya: having people do something really sweet all on their own initiative

2:43 AM me: or the moment the ski lift scoops you up off the ground

Maya: walking through a dark place until you get to the light

2:44 AM me: Finding out someone great loves a book that you love.

Maya: waking up before the alarm clock and feeling completely rested

me: discovering you have a similar childhood memory

getting a hug from a kidor making a kid giggle

an unexpected video chat

dancing and dancing and dancing

2:46 AM realizing you are stronger or more flexible than you thought

finding yummy leftovers in the fridge

2:47 AM Maya: bouncing out of being mad quickly

me: yeah

hearing a great musician on the subway

Maya: flowy conversations where you never think about the talking

me: finding out a bad class is canceled

yes, yes

2:48 AM running outside in the rain without an umbrella

and realizing the rain is warm

Maya: hot rain!

haha

me:

being moved by a speech

2:49 AM giving a standing ovation

Maya: learning about something you didn’t know there was a lot to be taught about (bras)

me: (LLCs)

Maya: hahaha

me: signing up for an exciting class

Maya: finding a note someone dropped

2:50 AM me: ordering books online

being chosen student of the month

(we got free ice cream certificates)

Maya: hah

2:51 AM me: oh finding out someone you know is part of the same volunteer organization you volunteer for

(found out a woman in my dance class also does Citizen Schools)

Maya: smelling a perfume your parents wore when you were a kid

2:52 AM me: Facebook friending a high school teacher you liked

and having them write back

The cologne of ex boyfriends (and the sudden rush of memories)

Maya: learning about great studies

2:57 AM me: yesss

and that the researchers are still alive

and that you can email them

2:58 AM Maya: running into someone who you end up spending the whole day with

finding coconut water in California

2:59 AM me: (oh this song…)

finding a vegan restaurant

3:00 AM Maya: (the 2nd song?)

me: yeah

oh singing the theme song to an old sitcom with someone

3:01 AM Putting on tap shoes and realizing you still remember how to tap dance

looking at the time just as it’s 11:11

counting down to happy new year

3:02 AM the first moment on ice when you go ice skating

remembering your dream vividly

3:03 AM baking bread that rises just right

the smell of home

Maya: finding a food that’s delicious AND nutritious

meeting Santiago

getting perfect fortune cookies

3:04 AM me: hehe

getting a A

better yet, an A+

reading a letter of recommendation for yourself

Maya: finding your philosophy summed up perfectly in one sentence.

3:05 AM me: mmmmmm

finding a flaw in your philosophy and understanding how to fix it

feeling good about determinism

winning an item on ebay

3:06 AM Maya: (I’ve never done anything one ebay before!)

me: oh I used to be addicted

oh and having someone bid on your item on ebay

getting IRB approval

Maya: (In fact, I think I’ve only EVER bought.. maybe… well, I could count on one hand the amount of things I’ve bought online)

me: (my research group just got permission to proceed with our experiment [on creativity])

doing data analysis and finding those little *s that mean you have significant results

Maya: Yaaay!

me: hehe yea

Maya: finding bruises

3:08 AM (I rarely get bruises)

me: heh I always get bruises

3:09 AM Getting an unusually low electric bill

ordering food and having it come really fast

getting into a spontaneous snowball fight

3:10 AM Maya: blowing your nose after it’s been stuffy forever and having everything clear up

me: Finding a sudden patch of free time during the day and filling it up with someone happy

Maya: smelling things for the first time in hours/days

me: ugh yes!

3:11 AM (one of those crazy days on which I was running btwn Brooklyn College and Hunter to get permission to teach, I suddenly found that I had 30 minutes of free time I hadn’t anticipated, so I bought juice and lay down on the grass and just stared into the sky, sipping my juice)

a really unexpected twist in a book

finding a TV show you love

3:12 AM getting the water temperature just right in the shower

Maya: having it be the perfect temperature outside

all day long

me: mmm

3:13 AM realizing it’s warm enough to take your coat off

Maya: blowing on the embers of a fire just right so that the flames get huuuge

me: yeahh

sitting outside in a hot tub as the snow falls

3:14 AM

Maya: my Digg/OKCupid friend:

this one cloud I saw one time that was lost to cosmic chaos within 10 minutes of my noticing and appreciating it.
and pattern of light and dark the sun made on my window a week and a half ago that looked like a perfect angel in light, and a perfect demon in the negative space next to it.

3:15 AM me: wow

talk about romantic

cooking for someone and seeing that they like the food

letting someone cook for you

doing the trust fall and feeling people catch you

3:16 AM discovering that someone you didn’t like is pretty great

Maya: being led blindfolded and finding out you weren’t at all where you thought you were

me: finding out a friend is close by when you’re out and meeting up for an unplanned lunch

hehe

3:17 AM rescuing someone

coming up with a new business idea

3:18 AM I don’t think we’ll ever stop if we don’t stop.

Do you think we could?

Oh! that first conversation with someone you like where you spend the whole night talking.

Maya: hahaha

yeeaaah

A Long-Time-No-See Tip

As I’ve been catching up with friends lately that I haven’t been in contact with for a while, I’ve been confronted with the conversational “where to start” scenario. And so far I’ve come up with a little method that seems to be a wonderful aid: When I don’t know where to start, I talk about my day. Once I begin detailing the daily events, the larger, more interesting experiences and thoughts dig themselves up for me.

Study Skills: The PAMPRD Baby

Back to books and I’m already ringing the steam out of my collar. Being back in California has been a wonderful reemergence, but the speedy reminder of college bureaucracy and worries about how much material I’ll need to store for the test, from the large view concepts to the arbitrary details, fall short of a happy reunion. So, the other night I had an idea that could make my studying an interesting and fun use of time. In order to help remember the material for my cognitive psychology class, a course wrought with studies named after researchers, I’d like to create creative little videos on each chapter. Each could incorporate a variety of memorization tactics (mnemonic devices, visual aids, story lines, etc). One video series I thought would be fun to work in the likeness of is the In Plain English instructional shows (like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc).

Thus, I present to you my first video in the hopefully continued series! Feedback welcome and encouraged.

If anyone has any ideas for ways in which I could make a video memorable or fun to watch, or if you know of other great instructional/educational video series, let me know!

Blog Status Update (or what happened to the blogging on this blog?)

Behind the scenes of a photo shoot (Tania, Maya, & Morgan - can you spot them all?)

Dear Readers,

Are you still there? If so, please don’t think that this lovingly assembled blog was abandoned by its creators. In fact, we still think of it often and plan our return to its digital pages in the Fall.

For now, Maya and Tania are communicating the old-fashioned way: face-to-face. There is little need to catalog our lives here since we are now happily spending them together. When Maya returns to California, we will return once more to our dear Yummy.

In case you’re curious about how we are spending our days lately, here is a brief overview:

Taking classes, start-up development, random creative projects, developing a curriculum for a class, and collaborating on weekly photo shoots for IPPOLITA.COM (with the lovely Maya as the model/art director and Tania as the stylist/photographer).

In conclusion… we’ll be back.

TaniaDudina.com!

I finally made my official Me site to share my writing, recipes, projects, etc. What do you think?

TaniaDudina@gmail.com

Air Jelly

I can’t read German!

Professor Tania?

http://www.theslblog.org/2008/04/what-happens-wh.html

Please check out for the latest Tania life news.