The Bathtub

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Um, Really?

So I picked this theme because I thought, my goodness, there are so many different types of art, the must be so much to say. I mean, there's painting, sculpture, film, music, ceramic. There's even less "official" art forms like tattoo and fashion and interior design. Some may even consider athletes' bodies to be works of art on their own (I saw David Beckham when they came to play D.C. United and dayum he looks like Michaelangelo chiseled him). I had hoped to maybe comment on all of these different forms of art, but I just kept coming back to what everyone else has been more or less coming back to: painting.

I think the reason for my paint-on-the-brain is the fact that my office is full of art. Our head partner is very into art in general and especially likes discovering "new" artists. He often trades legal service for artwork from our clients and I think that's really cool. One particular piece that he received a few months back hangs in our main conference room and has quickly become his pride and joy. He raves at how genius it is, how romantic the theme is, how it's such an interesting piece. Now, I couldn't find a picture of the actual painting on the internet, but I did find something similar by the artist. It looks like this:

Shiny Happy Caitlar: What Do You Think?

To be completely honest, I had a lot of difficulty with this post. Game shows don't make me all that shiny and happy. It's not that I don't like game shows, it's that I feel more indifferent towards them.  I didn't grow up in a household where we watched Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. In fact, I watched Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight during those post-news, pre-primetime hours.

Although my obsession with American Idol has been well documented, somehow I feel like AI does not qualify for game showdom. I think a line should be drawn between reality show and game show because, to me, they are two different beasts. And the more I come up with game shows I like, the more I'm realizing they are actually reality shows.

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Will Not Be Seen Today

Caitlar is on vacation and won't be posting this week. Instead, I refer you to the above edition of YouTub, to view again and contemplate its unique contribution to The Bathtub.

Shiny Happy Caitlar runs on Thursday afternoons.

Men in Cages: With This Ring I Thee Give Shiny Things

Note: This is a special Internet Potato edition of Men in Cages.  The theme being revisited is "Weddings."

Okay so here I am, Caitlar the Queen, charged with the task of writing Men in Cages this week from a feminist perspective. Now I’m pretty girly in the traditional sense—I enjoy gossip, shopping, kittens, cute things, etc—but I’m totally down with feminism (not that I’m saying traditional girliness and feminism are mutually exclusive, but feminism asks us to reevaluate traditional gender stereotypes, and I felt the need to address the stereotype that feminists are all butch, hanger-wielding lesbians). I totally dig female empowerment and equality in the home, workplace, media, etc. and I think we have a responsibility to not allow societal constructs to limit the paths we've chosen for ourselves. But there are a few traditions that, as a feminist, I should not be into because their histories are rooted in exploitation and dominance. One tradition I have a particular problem letting go of is the wedding.

Shiny Happy Caitlar: The Immigration Tango

Okay so usually when I punk out on the bathtub, it's for one of 2 reasons: 1) I am drunk/hungover or 2) I am crazy busy at work. I feel like #1 is pretty self-explanatory and many people can sympathize. Sometimes you can barely string a coherent sentence together, let alone try to lend our readership some insight on a given topic. I've also tried before to somewhat explain why my work (U.S. business immigration law) takes up all the time and brain power I have on an unpredictable and sporadic basis. Luckily, I am not going to  punk out today. Rather, I'm going to try explain #2 a little better because immigration is like so totally trendy right now in U.S. politics and I really enjoy my job and my office, but in times like these, immigration gets confusing and overwhelming.

Shiny Happy Caitlar: There is a Point, I Think

It's been a pretty nice week here in DC, which started out with a great weekend. Saturday was gorgeous. I got to sit by the pool and drink mimosas and feel like I was on vacation at my own house. Naturally, I was excited to repeat the process on Sunday, but this time get up even earlier and spend even more time in the gentle June sun. So I jumped out of bed when my body woke at 9:30, jumped right in the shower, lathered on the sunscreen (I am very white), pulled on the bathing suit, put the pool bag together and stepped outside to run out for coffee and.....RAIN. It was raining. Booooooo. I probably should have checked the weather before I made a dash for the Coppertone, but such is life.

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Queen Bee

Andy Poo and I were hanging out the other day and while we were waiting for our clay facial masks and pedicures to dry, we flipped on the TV to find much to our delight that one of the best movies ever made was on: Mean Girls. I love Mean Girls, not only because it is actually a very funny and well-written film, but because I feel like it truly reveals the inner-workings of teenage girls. Although it doesn't really explain why girls treat each other the way they do, it is an accurate portrayl for the most part of how girls can be. The Queen Bee is central to this theme. Just like LiLo in her last commercially successful role, I find myself drawn to the Queen Bee of the film, Regina George; I agree with Lindsay's character Cady when she says, "the weird thing about hanging out with Regina was that I could hate her, and at the same time, I still wanted her to like me."

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Today in 1983

Contrary to what my mom thinks, I am not 24 nor am I even turning 24 this year. I am 22, I will be 23 in July. So I may not have been born in 1983, but I can certainly appreciate it via TV shows like Vh1's "I Love the 80's" and sweet sweet memories of the awesomeness that I'm sure was the womb. Therefore, I'll explain a little bit about May 17, 1983: the day before the world changed forever and Lauren McMahon was born.

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Words from The Donna

I moved to DC last year, right out of college, so I haven't been home in the Philly burbs for a while. But I always talk to my mom on the phone during the week, maybe one week night and always on Saturday mornings. And although our conversations detail what went on for each of us during the week, I can always bet that my mom will mention one or all of the following topics:

1) Marriage and/or children. I live with my boyfriend and we are not married and I think the only way she can make this acceptable in her mind is by pretending we are. So she often adds comments like "well the new furniture doesn't have to be that nice, it's going to go in your guest room" or "how are my grand-kittens today?" or "say hi to your husband."

Shiny Happy Caitlar: Stand Right, Walk Left

I liked history class a lot when I was in school (pre-college I mean--I didn't take any at Penn State). I've always been kind of a humanities/social studies kind of girl rather than a math/science chick. History to me was like stories where there are really awesome costumes and funny ways of speaking. I went through phases of fascination with certain figures and periods in history, much like Lauren, that included Mary Queen of Scots and the French Revolution. But the best part of history class was the fact that more than in any other class in school, you got to go on field trips. Being that I grew up in Philadelphia, there were always places to go: the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Valley Forge, King of Prussia Mall. In 8th and 9th grade our teachers (bless their brave souls) even took us on Revolutionary and Civil War tours that lasted 3 days each and we stayed in hotels. We went to Williamsburg and Jamestown and Manassas and Gettysburg and, of course, Washington, DC.