Shiny lips and stereotypes

Urban Decay, a popular cosmetic brand with teens and young women, recently released a new line of lip gloss called Pocket Rocket.  The gloss isn’t what makes this product special – instead it’s all about the packaging.  It’s been designed to fit better in a woman’s pocket and supposedly contains pheromones to help you attract men, which can be released by rubbing the tube  like some kind of sexual scratch-n-sniff.

The icing on the cake, however, is the lenticular image of a “hottie” on each lip gloss lid. Tilt the tube and your guy goes from fully dressed to skivvies. The site touts that they’re great for bachelorette parties, baby showers, and birthdays.

You know what else they’re good for? Reinforcing ethnic stereotypes.

Of 8 men, 1 is photographed holding a baby. It’s Julio. Why Julio? Why does the Hispanic guy have to play Baby Daddy? Why not David, the white guy in the power suit? Or Timothy, the pretentious yacht-club prep (also white)?

I’m not impressed, Urban Decay… not at all.

Undone.

I always set unattainable goals. Even the little ones. Today’s to-do list was unrealistic to be sure. I knew that when I wrote it up this morning. Still, I’m angry that it’s 10 pm and I’m not done. I took a break to cook dinner and watch a little TV. I needed that time then. I need that time now.

I entered what I ate today into an online calorie tracker. It wasn’t so bad, but not so good either. It tells me I’m not getting enough vitamin D.  Could my lap-top tan have anything to do with that?

I’d like to have a drink. That would be more calories though.  I don’t know what I want more right now, the drink, or to not fall victim to grad-school-gut. I once thought the gut was only limited to theses and dissertations, but I was mistaken. They take years of crafting at library carols and behind computer screens.  It’s one souvenir I’d like to leave without.

fuck it. I’m having the drink.

Fun With Abbreviations

It happens all the time: strange and indeciferable abbreviations for variables in statistical packages. Trying to create a label for a complex construct that is only 4 or 5 characters can be a challenge, no doubt. It can also provide those of us who download these data sets with plenty of amusement. Take for instance this variable name: BTCH. I’ll bet you can guess what I thought when I first read that.  So I checked the codebook. Apparently BTCH is the abbreviation for… btch. Helpful, right?

Bill Cosby would be proud.

The aforementioned cake is nearly gone. I’ve been eating it for breakfast. And as a snack. And for dessert…

Gender roles in the Errata household

(from the kitchen)

Mr. Errata: Do I use this whole can of frosting?

Alotta Errata: (laughing) Yes.

Mr. Errata:  What do I spread it with?

Alotta Errata: A knife… or a spatula…

Mr. Errata: There’s no special frosting tool?

Alotta Errata: mmmm… no.

Mr. Errata:  Well I don’t know, I’ve never frosted a cake before

Alotta Errata: (incredulous) You’ve  never frosted a cake?

Mr. Errata: I’m a man!