Questions

How has the second week of school become even more chaotic than the first was?

Why are we suddenly very popular socially, having to juggle weekend social events? Don't people know we're dorks?   

Will these kids ever sleep past 6:30 am?

If I make a green smoothie with raw red chard, will I really regret it?

Why did PBS Kids move all the good shows to the 7-8 hour so I get voted down and can't watch NY1 news anymore? I miss Pat Kiernan and Roger Clark.

What's the likelihood that I'll be able to push El P's nap back from 10 to 1 without wanting to off us both?

Why can't I get the Curious George theme song out of my head? Thanks a lot, Dr. John.

Comments

[Menita]

You just wanted all of us to know that you are all hott, didn't you?
Duly noted.

[Rachael]

You get to sleep until 6:30?!? I am green with envy.

[Nikki]

The key to getting any song out of your head is to do the intro to Smoke on the Water. For some reason that doesn't stick and clears everything else out.

[ali]

yes, the second week was way way more hectic than the first. i fear that it's only going to get worse...

[Bihari]

Put down the chard. Ma'am, step away from the chard.

[lena]

Just download "Sexyback" and one of your problems will be over. ;)

[Num Num]

You forgot one: What is wrong with people???

[Aussiegal]

What's chard?

[blythe]

and why in heaven's name would you want to put it in a smoothie?

[Ridhima]

, designers seem to be doing a beettr job at focusing on the mass market. As we move into smaller spaces we require multi-pupose furniture which can be seen for sale at IKEA and other places. Personalization is high priority too. Everyone wants to make their own statement. But do we know what the center of the home is now? What role do kitchens play? I think there are many answers to those questions as our families and living space needs become more diverse. One challenge as new designers is finding our market. In some ways, there are so many markets that you can choose what you want to make and you can probably find a niche market somewhere. However, you may struggle to make it because the market is too segmented to support designers who only choose one niche.I shared this article with my mom and we discussed how she is interested in how America transitioned from the 3o's to the war to the 50 s. We talked about my grandparents, married in 1950. My mom was puzzled by the talk of large, chromed refrigerators because she remembers the fridges she grew up with and they didn't fit that description. We decided that my grandparents were too poor to follow trends at that point they farmed and were just trying to make it there are no pay raises when you farm. But my mom does remember her mother being frustrated when she was able to purchase appliances. My grandmother was frustrated that in order to get something that didn't break right away, you had to buy up the social ladder' as the article said, meaning that you were paying for a status symbol that you didn't care about just to get something that worked. Before WWII, there were not as many choices when it came to things like washing machines (wringers at that time) and so the question was whether you could afford it, not whether it would work. In the years after this article, we have begun designing things with a shelf life, things designed to break. I have seen my grandma become even more resigned to buying junk, even though she has to pay a lot for it. Unfortunately, I think we have larger issues than aesthetic challenges and reading social status. As designers, we also have to deal with the fact that you used to be able to buy things that worked, assuming you had enough resources. Today, our market has become so used to disposable goods that we will have to fight to make the public understand the cost of value and fight to reestablish the integrity of a brand.I apologize if this post rambles too much I am still trying to digest all of this myself

[Chika]

More is Better: Mass Consumption, Gender, and Class Identity in Postwar AmericaWorking class women preserved vauels and taste•New found purchasing power deviated away from good design•More is better because it makes work easier form working class women (Spend most time there) kitchen is heart of the home•Solid heavy appliances security symbol for working class (respectability)•Modernity achieved a higher standard of living•Middle class living room most important•Don’t fit in with white collar womenDesigners of mass produced goods satisfy demands of gendered working class market•Suburbs blend white collar and blue collar into middle class culture (two different tastes)•Companies tried to uphold good design, Servel, but sales were not as good as flashy larger items (Populuxe)•Working class rejected severely plain like over the top detail dependability and comfort•Middle class concern for taste (Status anxiety)Researchers/ social scientists articulated persisting taste•Motivation research•Working class- bulk and size, embellishment and visual flash, and color•Upper middle class – simplicity, elegance•Sloanism- GM “More is better” Cadillac big chrome•SRI 53 % upper-lower wage earner (acknowledge social structure)Publishers/ editors of True Story Magazine•Foley – ignore working class taste for upper middle class would fail•Working class still class?•Working class women primary role as house worker middle class women more as wivesStyle used to preserve working class identity, reform social relations in the middle classFemales were targeted by designers because they use the appliances (more liberated after war)

[Sandy]

Hi !My name is Ellie,I go to Spratton C of E Primary School, I live in Creaton With my brother and my mum and dad. I have a dog caelld Lolly and a cat caelld puss, I am 9 years old and my birthday is on the 13th of November. My hobbies are football, arts and craft and bike riding.I go to lots of clubs in school, I go to mathletics, gardening, art and textiles . I go to some out of school as well like cubs, pilots and football.My favouite food is spaghetti bolognaise, but when I go on holiday to Norfolk I love fish and chips because it is near the sea so the fish is realy nice!My best friends are Issie, Ruby, Ayesha, Dilon and Ella From Ellie!