Ignorance & Raw Meat in the Fridge.

Hi, I am FURIOUS.. Let me fill you in…

So, everyone knows that the safe way to thaw meat in the fridge is to put it on the bottom shelf on top of a plate, which minimizes the risk of cross contamination. . .  and if you don’t know, now ya’ know.

well, my roommates had no idea. They were thawing turkey and chicken on the top shelf in a zip lock bag/shoprite bag. The good roomie puts a plate under hers (because she’s an understanding and awesome human being), and the bad roomie says ” Lets do an experiment.. She will put a plate under hers and I wont under mine and we’ll see if anyone gets sick.” I put a plate under hers anyway, and she said she wasn’t going to wash that plate. (She does her dishes once a week and eats like a cow anyway; not like this one dish would matter but little does she know that if she doesn’t wash it, it will be accidently broken.)

So I went on the internet and found an article about safely storing raw meat in the fridge and posted it on good roomies wall and tagging bad roomie in it.

Bad roomie : “ummm I took a course in microbio and infectious disease….get on my level”

i replied : “its called common courtesy, get on societies level”

You don’t need to take a course in microbio and infectious disease to know that when frozen things melt it leads to condensation, and moisture has a tendency to bond together. And then a little tiny thing called gravity, I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it.. would cause it to drip all over my food. . . If this has been going on all year, I can see why I get sick so often.

What makes me boil the most, is the ignorance and the pride that gets in the way of accepting that her action of thawing poultry on the top shelf in nothing but a ziplock bag risks contaminating all of our food. And rather than just saying “hey, yeah.. I wouldn’t want to do anything that might get other people sick” like normal people in society would…. I get bitchassness.

How would you feel opening the fridge and seeing raw meat dripping all over your veggies!?!?

” Ew.. that can’t be good.”

” Ahem… You know about cross contamination right?”

then shes like “Whatever”

followed by an awkward moment… 

so that lead me to my room….

-JC

Tuesday Night is Bad Karaoke Night/Gotta Get Down Off Friday

First off, can someone help us film during class on Thursday? We were not able to film on Monday, due to some procrastination by our other actor and inability to secure a bike for filming. Oh, and does anyone have a bike? We do not have bikes and were using Andy’s bike for the previous drafts. The filming should only take 25-35 minutes if all the shots come out right. We’d do it for you!

Now that that’s out of the way, I have news. Last Saturday, I went to an open house at Seton Hall. I gotta say, it was nice being at a school that hasn’t had a shitload of bad press in the past academic year(Clementi, Rutgersfest, Snooki). While they recently had the Secretary General of the U.N. stop by to talk about community excellence or something like that(daydreaming about spy mission during that part of the tour), we here at Rutgers paid three semesters worth of somebody’s tuition to an alcoholic to tell us her philosophy on life for two hours. So we get to the library, and in there was a TV with CNN on, and rolling on the bottom of the screen was “GLEE TO COVER REBECCA BLACK’S ‘FRIDAY'”

After some initial disgust, especially since it was on CNN like it’s of national importance, I realized this was a good thing. Wait a minute, don’t I hate Glee? Yes, I do, but I feel them covering ‘Friday’ may finally get enough people to realize how awful this abomination to the world of entertainment is. Don’t get your panties in a twist, cause I’ve actually watched three episodes of Glee before, and besides being a novel concept(teen drama with bad American Idol contestants), it flat out sucks. The blond cheerleader is borderline retarded, the minorities in the club act like stereotypes, Will is inconsistent, the plot is scattered and full of holes and the main couple have NO CHEMISTRY. And, here’s where I’m gonna get a lot of bad press, Kurt and Sue(who are the same character) are to Ryan Murphy what Edward Cullen is to Stephanie Meyer: a wet dream about the romantic partner they never had and built up to be some incredibly unrealistic figure.

I’d be happy with Glee is the characters were more realistic or the singing was better, but them covering Rebecca Black shows the same problem that Lost had: making it up as they go along. Friday came out about two months ago, and it’s already in a script? With a big flashy sequence and tons of bad singing(worse than Rebecca Black did)? Huh, seems like if they just throw in a popular song at a random point it will distract people enough from the poor acting and writing. They’ve become a pop-culture show, one that tackles flavors of the month and finagling a plot around it rather than building one that can stand on it’s own. You might call it equivalent to South Park or the Simpsons, but those shows eventually turned into pop culture shows after about 9 seasons, not 1. Besides, when South Park covers a topic, they do it gracefully, not just cramming as much new crap into an episode and setting it on Friday so they can get the song in and sell another covers CD.

Here’s what we can all learn from Glee’s failings. We have to make films(or PSA’s, I don’t even know anymore) and have been given time to work out concepts, storyboard, shoot a rough cut, edit, shoot again, edit again and repeat until golden brown. We should be spending that time making a sustainable product, not shoving things in at the last minute because it’s cool today. Sure, this one concept to throw in might seem like a good idea when you’re doing it, but a few months from now you’ll look back and realize you made a whole sequence based on ‘Friday.’ And no one wants that. You also can’t just assume that an idea you have is going to fly with everyone else. Things have to be workshopped and thought over for a long time before finally being settled and agreed upon that it’s good. If an idea was good three months ago and is still good today, that’s a pretty good idea. Not one that’s getting it’s fifteen minutes of fame in.

Hopefully, in the time we’ve had in class to work on our ideas, we’ve developed ideas that are good enough to stand on their own. Not having a cultural tie-in allows the idea to be used again and again, rather than going out of style. It will still seem fresh down the road because it’s not automatically dating itself by putting a one trick pony into the plot. It also helps if you’re willing to sacrifice some creative licensing and give in to other people’s ideas and opinions, unlike Ryan Murphy, who at this point has developed quite a God Complex. Not every idea you have is a golden egg, since you are not a golden goose(unless you are, then by all means disregard that statement). By now, we should have a great concept(I know we do) and have worked out all the kinks, have a strong storyline and put our best foot forward. If everything doesn’t work out the way you planned, take solace in the fact that you are not JaMarcus Russell, who’s a good person to compare yourself to when feeling bad(it’s one of his strengths).

Mirror mirror on the wall, MY movie is the fairest of THEM all!

As I sit here listening to Capital Lights trying to calm myself from a terrible past 10 days, I lay stuck because my video and I have a love hate relationship. Words are not flowing like a river tonight! The content and the idea behind the movie is awesome, but I have some reservations about the shots that were taken and the message conveyed. My head is so confused with this video. I love learning how to film and edit a video that I shot and story-lined with my partners. Working with premiere pro has been a blast as well. I feel like a pro when it comes to the technical and editorial aspect! I feel that I am really good at coming up with ideas, both creative and concise, concerning the video. However, I feel that when actually shooting the necessary scenes for the movie, they fall short. Like they are all missing something. Something like continuity or fire and desire. They are just not the caliber that I would like. To sum up, I really do have a love hate relationship with this video.

OH WHY DO THINGS HAPPEN LIKE THIS!

Burned Out

I just wrote a whole post about how I don’t know how I remembered to blog and I don’t know how I’m going to wake up tomorrow. But who wants to read that?! Enough with the negativity.

I found this post on a blog that I follow (The Daily What) and thought it was pretty cool. For those that don’t know, I’m a huge photo geek and love all things concerning cameras. No, this has nothing to do with the class, except maybe for the lesson that we need to broaden our minds. Just because something has expired doesn’t mean it still won’t work.

Another thing I love is reading. I came across this list of 10 books the United States tried to ban last year and could only shake my head. Not only that people want to censor great word-smiths like Aldous Huxley, but that Twilight was included on the list… I will leave my opinions in my head and not in this blog but I’m sure everyone can guess what I think.

Anyway, here’s something else to make you think: a lecture given at the RSA about whether or not the internet helps or hinders in empowering citizens

Why I Voted Democrat

The GOP‘s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year included giving 1 trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top 1% of Americans, cutting educational funds by 24%, drop Medicaid and Medicare completely and cut transportation by 40%. I ask the anti-Obama supporters to take a second and to fully absorb this proposed budget by the Republican party. With all of us in college right now, I am sure you can imagine  the immediate effect that cutting a quarter of our entire educational budget would do. The U.S. is currently rank 18th out of the world in education. This may seem like an accomplishment, but  we are much farther behind when you take into account how many of these nations are considered industrialized such as the United States. The U.S. is supposed to be a leader in today’s world, but how can we do so when we constantly slip further behind in education. How prosperous a country is cannot be determined solely by its financial capital but also it’s human capital. If we cut educational funding, we are hurting the future of our children and our country. I do not understand where all the hostile criticism of Obama’s opposition to the GOP’s budget comes from. Why does the top 1% of Americans need 1 1trillion in tax breaks. It is proven that the trickle down effect does not work anymore. Any extra money is usually spent in foreign markets rather than in our own economy. How can it be okay to keep giving the millionaires and billionaires of this country tax cuts while 44 million Americans today are on food stamps because they cannot afford to adequately feed their family. The proposed budget also dropped Medicare and Medicaid programs completely leaving 58 million senior Americans without health insurance, leaving them to fend for themselves from the health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. The average senior citizen spends $1,500 every year on medicine and if  we were to disband Medicare, this amount could easily quadruple making it impossible for most senior citizens to get the medical attention they need.  If this doesn’t seem bad enough, the additional 40% cut from transportation will more than likely cripple our infrastructure in the future. The United States is already the 3rd worst industrialized country in the world when it come’s to green energy. We are leaps and bounds behind our European allies, whom taking huge progressive steps in the alternative energy field. We cannot afford to fall behind any further than we are now. We need a revolution, a moment of pure clarity, when both parties can meet on a common ground and finally begin taking our country in the right direction in which we are providing an adequate future for not only ourselves but for the generations after us as well.

Trail Blazin

While riding my bike, gasping for air, on one of my first rides of the spring season the other day, I thought I would blog about mountain biking. I enjoy riding bikes whether is be on the trails in the woods that surround where I live, or simply down the roads in my town. It is an excellent form of exercise that gets the heart and legs pumping, and gets those buns tight tight tight! 

I mean it is only appropriate that trying to promote the Rutgers Bike Share program, that I myself actually ride bikes. Though I do not ride to class, because I do not have my bike down here at school (one of the main problems the BSP is trying to fix!) In highschool I was in the mountain biking club which opened my eyes to the many spots around New Jersey that there are to mountain bike. Just in my area I can ride at Tourne Park in Boonton which has great trails for riding!  Also is Ringwood State Park in…uhhh Ringwood. Those are my usual spots that I like to go riding at because they allow both biking and hiking on their trails. Many parks do not allow biking on the trails as it damages the trails which is understandable, and as an EPIB major I would not want to go against those rules.

If you are looking for a nice ride in the Rutgers New Brunswick area, go across route 18 and right in the middle of the Raritan River is a LONG flat gravel bike and hiking path known as the D&R canal State park that runs from I believe Trenton, New Jersey all the way to Delaware. I have biked on it numerous times but have never went further than a few miles down and back. It will be on my “bucketlist”.

So if you are a biker like me, or want to get into it. DO IT! It’s so much fun and is a great exercise and a wonderful way to experience nature at the same time. If you are not from the area’s I mentioned no problem. Get on google and just search: mountain biking in New Jersey and you will find tons of lists like this. Find a place you want to visit and ride your bike at…or hike, and enjoy. Hey, if you want I will come with and we can have a grand ole time!

You wouldn’t like Optimus Prime when he’s angry

Or maybe you would. Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve updated on the bike video. You know, the reason for this class, but that’s because there wasn’t a whole lot to report. Ryan and I had a pretty clear concept from the beginning for the video, and aside from a little tweak here and there that came from the slideshow presentations, the core of it has been intact. Now, though, we actually have a pretty decent cut of what will likely be the final clip. There’s an instrumental that will be placed over the last extended shot, as well as one line probably being dubbed over, but that whole process should take 20 minutes tops. Looks like all things are sailing smoothly on the good ship S.S. Bicicleta.

Though it’s essentially supposed to be a PSA, it also has a nice self-contained storyline that tells what it needs to tell in the time it has. Probably too much time, but editing it down shouldn’t be too bad. If this class was simply about getting facts across, we probably could have knocked out 6 or so little clips to promote biking or recycling or any other environmental issue. But this class is also about telling stories to the audience. This is going to go on a Green Carpet, and no one goes to the premiere to see an ad, even if its Super Bowl worthy.

From the videos we were shown last class, I thought the second place one was interesting. Having the boy find the bike light by the end and give it to his mother(aunt?) gave closure from the opening scene in a predictable fashion. Having them make shadow art that spelled HOPE rather than a bike as the previous shots suggested was not predictable and a good twist. I do prefer the film that won though, for one important reason: IT WAS A FILM CONTEST. The boy and mother(older friend?) film was good, but it didn’t have the depth that Charlie’s story did. (Anyone else think he looked like Charlie Kelly?) That had an ending that didn’t resolve in a direct way that gave audience’s one direct way to see it end. Did he save the ocean? Get the girl? Build a viewfinder? Then again, they didn’t have to resolve it in a concrete way. That’s because they trust the audience. Just like these guys.

Heroes, and not just because they love Bowie. Wait, did I just put in a picture?

These are Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, the creators or The Venture Brothers. Jackson(Hulk) hates to give away spoilers from the show, which he feels ruins the fun of watching. Doc(Optimus Prime) goes out of his way to dispel fan rumors by writing those ideas being dispeled into the show itself. They’ve also taken some unbelievable risks, such as (SPOILERS) showing only part 2 of a 3 part arc, making a non-linear season premiere, killing 1/2 of a comedy duo, making the fan favorite bodyguard quit and, oh yeah, KILLING OFF THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN SEASON ONE! Why do they go to such lengths and write themselves into corners. For fun, to advance the show, and because they trust their audience.

They don’t want to hold the audience’s hand while they watch, letting them know everything will be okay by the end of 22 minutes. Jackson and Doc let the audience get comforable and then BOOM! Henchman 24’s dead, Brock quits and Colonel Gathers is a double-agent. All in the span of 1:30, in what’s supposed to be the resolution bringing season 3 finale. Nope, no resolution, just more crazy being thrown at you that you need to accept as Jackson and Doc knowing what they’re doing.

For our projects, we aren’t going to take big risks or throw in massive sequences or have an unexpected death(that had to be cut for time). But we are given about 2-3 minutes of the audience’s time to give them a story. If they trust us enough to watch with open eyes and minds, we should trust them enough to give them a good story. They already know the Green Carpet is for environmental themed videos, so they know they’ll get preached to, and it’s up to us to make their time worthwhile. The videos don’t have to be straightforward(to a degree) and plain as day. Throw in a little bit of crazyness(quack) and trust that your audience will get it. After all, we’re presenting these videos on merit, not on somebody’s star power.  

Another Pic?! Oh well, it's not The Royal Tenenbaums, but still a great movie

Lastly, I was told not to venture down this route again, but somethings don’t go according to plan. This past Monday, Adam Copeland aka Edge retired from wrestling due to complications from a previous neck injury(broken neck in 2003) that has gotten worse in the past few months. He will never be medically cleared to wrestle again, as one wrong move on his neck could paralyze him, the same diagnosis that led to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s retirement. This has come as a shock, seeing as how he just wrestled April 3rd during Wrestlemania and successfully defended the world title, and gives me one less reason to watch WWE. I spent that night watching old clips of his, particularly 2000 when I started watching, which only made me realize how much of a loss this is. He was a tag team specialist, one of three wrestlers that revolutionized the ladder match, an evil opportunist and the best psychological wrestler of the past 5 years. To me and countless other fans, he will remembered for this move, that showed how far he was willing to go for the fans. Thank You, Edge.

Cosmic Voyage

I’m taking a senior colloquem called Communication in the Life Sciences with Dr. Mary Nucci. It’s really interesting, and we’ve been learning a lot about the dissemination of information in the scientific and public communities.

If you think about it, this class is a little like that. We’re trying to broadcast our message to the Rutgers community about our topics.

This week, our colloquem class watched Cosmic Voyage, an IMAX film about the world around us. I thought the clip that we had to watch for homework was a great example of information that was presented in a way that is easily understood by a wide range of people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xcc2vGE7s

I’d Like To Point Out…

that I’m not crazy.

Alright… I play a lot of Intramural sports, my Club Sports season just ended, I have 2 jobs, 6 classes, write for the EPIB Trail and am heavily involved in Recreation Activities Crew.

Okay. Writing all that out, maybe I am a little crazy. But I’d rather be busy than just sitting around wasting my time staring at a TV. I’ve found that the busier I am, the more it forces me to focus on school work. I think I might thrive on the busy schedule, that it plays into my competitive nature.

Anyway: I’m sane, I promise. I might just like to make sure my work is the best it can be and be involved in my communities.

The Maturity of our Goverment

How is it possible for our government to shut down? I have been asking this question recently while watching CNN. As many of you may know, if a deal is not struck between the democrats and republicans by midnight on Friday then the government goes into shut down where “essential” employees will be asked to come to work and with no pay while all other non-essential employees will be told to do not come to work or even turn on their blackberries.  The Republicans and Democrats are in a battle over the 2011 federal budget and they have been unable to come to any sort of agreement in negotiations. President Obama has even had a meeting with both party leaders to try and help settle this argument. The Republicans also publicly announced they will vote strictly on party lines and cause the government shutdown unless more cuts are made.  When discussing the matter Obama said “But it’s going to require a sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved to prevent a shutdown that could have real effects on everyday Americans.” The other heated topic on the table between the two parties is the Republicans call to repeal the clean air act which listed certain gases such as carbon pollution and also mercury, soot, smog, and sulfur. I find this absolutely ridiculous that our government can’t reach an agreement and that the party’s are trying to see which one will make the first move. It’s embarrassing that we are facing complete shutdown over something as simple as this.