Next to me, there is a woman talking on her phone. She was recounting her day to her friend, talking all of the oddities in her life. Sure, you think, we all do that.
She was talking, in the bathroom.
Everyone has their cell phones with them at every minute of every day, but talking in the bathroom? Is that really completely necessary?
The last thing you want to hear is the person in the next stall talking on the phone to her friend about whether or not she and her boyfriend are a good fit.
I have seen people do many things while talking on the cell phones. They shop, drive, and apparently now visit the restroom too!
Last week there was a gal in the rest room in Mendocino Hall pacing back and forth in front of the sinks because she was on the phone and talking with a friend. Their conversation didn’t seem to be worthy of being taken into the actual stall.
But apparently it was the pace in front of the sink worthy type of conversation. The difference? Who knows?
The interesting thing about this, is that it is not just young college age twenty-something’s doing this either-- grown adults do it too!
A while back I was in a department store and went to use the rest room and low and behold this woman walks in and she is talking. This is something that it not uncommon, since women generally visit the bathroom in pairs.
I realized she was on the phone when no one replied back after she paused. If that wasn’t enough she went into the stall, did what she had to do, flushed the toilet, and came back out, all while carrying on a conversation with her friend, about when they want to plan for dinner and when everyone should come over to her house…
A conversation about food. In a bathroom. On a cell phone?
This really takes going to the bathroom in pairs to a whole new level.
According to the US Census 2004-2005 Statistical Abstract of the United States, cell phone use is up over 300 percent and in 2003 159 million people had cell phones. By now we are probably up to somewhere around 255 million, maybe more.
That is a lot of cell phones out there to be used at various times. People literally are on their cell phones every minute of the day. I brought this up to my boyfriend, because I was so shocked when this first occurred. I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh, or feel just a little bit violated. I had to know. Do men do this too?
The look he gave me said it all, but he followed it up with an emphatic, “No!” So now, I am curious.
Is this more of a woman’s thing because we have an obsession with multi-tasking? Do we feel that by talking on the phone and using the restroom we are saving time somehow?
Hopefully the multi-tasking takes itself a step further and the women wash their hands!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Multi-Tasking Goes to a New Level
Next to me, there is a woman talking on her phone. I can hear all about her day and her personal issues. Now many of you may wonder, why this is worthy of a column topic?
She was talking, in the bathroom.
Everyone has their cell phones with them at every minute of every day, but talking in the bathroom? Is that really completely necessary?
The last thing you want to hear is the person in the next stall talking on the phone to her friend about whether or not she and her boyfriend are a good fit.
I have seen people do many things while talking on the cell phones. They shop, drive, and apparently now visit the restroom too!
Last week there was a gal in the restroom in Mendocino Hall pacing back and forth in front of the sinks because she was on the phone and talking with a friend. Their conversation didn’t seem to be worthy of being taken into the bathroom, at least to a bystander. But apparently it was only the sink worthy type of conversation as opposed the actually go in and use the bathroom worthy.
The interesting thing about this, is that it is not just young college age twenty-something’s doing this either. Awhile back I was in a department store and went to use the rest room and low and behold this woman walks in and she is talking. This is something that it not uncommon, since women generally visit the bathroom in pairs.
I realized she was on the phone when no one replied back after she paused. If that wasn’t enough she went into the stall, did what she had to do, flushed the toilet, and came back out, all while carrying on a conversation with her friend, about when they want to plan for dinner and when everyone should come over to her house…
A conversation about food. In a bathroom. On a cell phone?
This really takes going to the bathroom in pairs to a new level.
According to the US Census 2004-2005 Statistical Abstract of the United States, cell phone use is up over 300 percent and in 2003 159 million people had cell phones. By now we are probably up to somewhere around 255 million, maybe more.
That is a lot of cell phones out there to be used at various times. People literally are on their cell phones every minute of the day. I brought this up to my boyfriend, because I was so shocked when this first occurred. I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh, or feel just a little bit violated. I had to know. Do men do this too?
The look he gave me said it all, but he followed it up with an emphatic, “No!” So now, I am curious. Is this more of a woman’s thing because we have an obsession with multi-tasking? Do we feel that by talking on the phone and using the restroom we are saving time somehow?
Hopefully the multi-tasking takes itself a step further and the women all wash their hands!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Wondering What to Wear to Fall Weddings? Here are a few options.
September is the fourth largest month for weddings. According to the Association for Wedding Professionals International, 213,000 people were married September of 2008. September is a tricky month for finding the appropriate wedding attire. It is still warm enough to have an outdoor wedding, though the weather is unpredictable and can turn at any moment.
With that said the question that pops into most people’s minds is “What am I going to wear especially in this season?” This is a question that contrary to popular belief plagues both men and women. (Mostly it is because women are usually pestering the men for ideas on what to wear to the afore mentioned weddings.)
All joking aside it is a matter that most people take very seriously. Many brides think about what the guests are going to wear even in the planning of the wedding. Many sites have cheat sheets for guests so that they can plan what they are going to wear based off of the littlest detail, like what the wedding invitation looks like.
The knot.com is one site in particular that has a guest dress cheat sheet. In theirs they go through what would be deemed appropriate based on what the invite says. For example if the wedding invite says black tie. The knot.com suggests you should wear a cocktail dress or something very “chic” and of course a tuxedo for a guy. This is the most formal type of attire and will most likely be a rare one for college students and recent graduates.
Dressy casual and casual are most likely the top two choices for weddings. For example a friend had an outdoor wedding on Sunday. The guests had a large range of clothing choices, some more casual than others. Of course the wedding party was dressed to the nines with pinstripe tuxedos on the gentleman and long black and white gowns on the ladies. Yet some of the guests showed up in jeans and shorts.
Now the location was definitely suitable for jeans, since it was a rural farm area with a nice grassy knoll and pond, and the wedding invitation did not specify what to wear. But why ruin the natural and romantic location by not dressing appropriately. The knot.com says jeans are not appropriate for the most casual of weddings. They actually suggest that you should go business casual in order to be on the “safe side.”
Many people may ask, “What is business casual?” Gentlemen this would mean a nice pair of slacks with a nice shirt and polo, preferably tucked in so that you look presentable. For the ladies this could be a whole array of options. The knot.com suggests a skirt with a blouse or a nice summer sundress. If it is getting towards cooler weather you may want to wear a nice casual dress or pair your sundress with a nice shrug in case the weather turns on you, especially with an outdoor wedding. Even if the wedding does not specify what styling is appropriate you can generally go with the standby of what time of day it is. Morning weddings are more casual, afternoon wedding can go from dressy casual to slightly formal, and evening weddings are generally more of formal attire.
Shorts, on the other hand, go into the jean and tank top category as probably not wedding wear appropriate. Guys you can suffer through a couple hours of wearing pants and a nice shirt. Also if you are single, looking well put together may help attract the equally well put together ladies.
With that said the question that pops into most people’s minds is “What am I going to wear especially in this season?” This is a question that contrary to popular belief plagues both men and women. (Mostly it is because women are usually pestering the men for ideas on what to wear to the afore mentioned weddings.)
All joking aside it is a matter that most people take very seriously. Many brides think about what the guests are going to wear even in the planning of the wedding. Many sites have cheat sheets for guests so that they can plan what they are going to wear based off of the littlest detail, like what the wedding invitation looks like.
The knot.com is one site in particular that has a guest dress cheat sheet. In theirs they go through what would be deemed appropriate based on what the invite says. For example if the wedding invite says black tie. The knot.com suggests you should wear a cocktail dress or something very “chic” and of course a tuxedo for a guy. This is the most formal type of attire and will most likely be a rare one for college students and recent graduates.
Dressy casual and casual are most likely the top two choices for weddings. For example a friend had an outdoor wedding on Sunday. The guests had a large range of clothing choices, some more casual than others. Of course the wedding party was dressed to the nines with pinstripe tuxedos on the gentleman and long black and white gowns on the ladies. Yet some of the guests showed up in jeans and shorts.
Now the location was definitely suitable for jeans, since it was a rural farm area with a nice grassy knoll and pond, and the wedding invitation did not specify what to wear. But why ruin the natural and romantic location by not dressing appropriately. The knot.com says jeans are not appropriate for the most casual of weddings. They actually suggest that you should go business casual in order to be on the “safe side.”
Many people may ask, “What is business casual?” Gentlemen this would mean a nice pair of slacks with a nice shirt and polo, preferably tucked in so that you look presentable. For the ladies this could be a whole array of options. The knot.com suggests a skirt with a blouse or a nice summer sundress. If it is getting towards cooler weather you may want to wear a nice casual dress or pair your sundress with a nice shrug in case the weather turns on you, especially with an outdoor wedding. Even if the wedding does not specify what styling is appropriate you can generally go with the standby of what time of day it is. Morning weddings are more casual, afternoon wedding can go from dressy casual to slightly formal, and evening weddings are generally more of formal attire.
Shorts, on the other hand, go into the jean and tank top category as probably not wedding wear appropriate. Guys you can suffer through a couple hours of wearing pants and a nice shirt. Also if you are single, looking well put together may help attract the equally well put together ladies.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Rally Held to Protest Fee Increases
Wednesday, students, faculty, and members of the community all came together to protest the budget cuts and the fee increases that are being followed by teacher furlough’s in University classes.
The rally opened with a song written by David Bradfield, and revised by Peter Baird for the rally, called the Furlough Blues.
The song got everyone in the mood for listening to speakers from various parts of the campus and the community. Students, teachers and ASI leaders all spoke on their feelings about the budget cuts and the now teacher furloughs.
Many were very passionate about the cause and gave moving speeches that they crowd was very wrapped up in. Some in the crowd went on and on with the lead mantra of “when they say cut back, we say fight back.” Some were so enthused by the mantra that they kept going even after the speaker who started it was done. Some in the crowd even started into the mantra themselves, even without the speakers help.
One of the other mantra’s was a little troubling though, and many in the crowd were so wrapped up in the chanting that they most likely did not stop to think about the implications of what they were saying.
They started chanting, “Tax oil, not students.” While at face value this looks like a wonderful thing, until you actually stop and think about what you are saying. Three people in the crowd actually did stop and think about what the chant implied. Three, out of the 200 hundred or so that were in the audience. That is an awfully low number especially for a crowd in a higher education arena.
Let’s break down what is being said here, “tax oil, not students.” Sacramento State is known for being a commuter college. So that means that many of the students drive their cars into campus from 5, 10, 15, and up to 50 miles away, some maybe even farther. Now, what fuels those cars? Gas, which comes from oil refineries. Every student needs gas to fuel their cars. If you end up taxing oil, the tax will automatically pass itself down to the end consumer, in this case the students, not to mention the teachers, and everyone else who drives cars. It is a nice idea, but not a very productive one. You end up taxing the students no matter what.
One of the community members put it in the terms of taxing the oil tycoons that have exorbitant amounts of money do to success in the oil industry. He said that we should charge them for the oil they have taken out of the California soil. Nice thought, but the cost will still transfer to everyone who buys gas.
While the idea behind the rally was solid, the focus was on stopping the budget cuts.
A question that comes to mind is how we are going to stop the budget cuts. Here is a concept that was not introduced at the rally.
Sure they said they want to stop the cuts, but they do not want fees increased. Rally organizers handed out the numbers of the Chancellor, and of President Gonzalez so that students and teachers can complain to them about the fees and furloughs. Complaining only gets you so far though. Eventually you have to come up with alternative solutions.
How are we going to stop fee increases and budget cuts if the State is still spending money like they actually have it?
The rally opened with a song written by David Bradfield, and revised by Peter Baird for the rally, called the Furlough Blues.
The song got everyone in the mood for listening to speakers from various parts of the campus and the community. Students, teachers and ASI leaders all spoke on their feelings about the budget cuts and the now teacher furloughs.
Many were very passionate about the cause and gave moving speeches that they crowd was very wrapped up in. Some in the crowd went on and on with the lead mantra of “when they say cut back, we say fight back.” Some were so enthused by the mantra that they kept going even after the speaker who started it was done. Some in the crowd even started into the mantra themselves, even without the speakers help.
One of the other mantra’s was a little troubling though, and many in the crowd were so wrapped up in the chanting that they most likely did not stop to think about the implications of what they were saying.
They started chanting, “Tax oil, not students.” While at face value this looks like a wonderful thing, until you actually stop and think about what you are saying. Three people in the crowd actually did stop and think about what the chant implied. Three, out of the 200 hundred or so that were in the audience. That is an awfully low number especially for a crowd in a higher education arena.
Let’s break down what is being said here, “tax oil, not students.” Sacramento State is known for being a commuter college. So that means that many of the students drive their cars into campus from 5, 10, 15, and up to 50 miles away, some maybe even farther. Now, what fuels those cars? Gas, which comes from oil refineries. Every student needs gas to fuel their cars. If you end up taxing oil, the tax will automatically pass itself down to the end consumer, in this case the students, not to mention the teachers, and everyone else who drives cars. It is a nice idea, but not a very productive one. You end up taxing the students no matter what.
One of the community members put it in the terms of taxing the oil tycoons that have exorbitant amounts of money do to success in the oil industry. He said that we should charge them for the oil they have taken out of the California soil. Nice thought, but the cost will still transfer to everyone who buys gas.
While the idea behind the rally was solid, the focus was on stopping the budget cuts.
A question that comes to mind is how we are going to stop the budget cuts. Here is a concept that was not introduced at the rally.
Sure they said they want to stop the cuts, but they do not want fees increased. Rally organizers handed out the numbers of the Chancellor, and of President Gonzalez so that students and teachers can complain to them about the fees and furloughs. Complaining only gets you so far though. Eventually you have to come up with alternative solutions.
How are we going to stop fee increases and budget cuts if the State is still spending money like they actually have it?
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