Reality check

This
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article3029451.ece
"I’m not saying that I’m the greatest prize out there, but at least I’d put on a clean shirt, shaved and brushed my teeth. Sophie tumbled into the house looking like a refugee from Hurricane Katrina. She smelt like the R&D lab at Philip Morris. Her outfit was about as sexy as a half-pound of ground meat. And, surely, the only time she’d seen the inside of a gym was to ask directions to the nearest pub. I was hurt that my friends thought I’d be remotely interested in Sophie. Even more insulting was when my friend’s wife pointedly said: “Tad, I hear you just sold a screenplay to the producers of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” I could not believe it. She was selling ME to HER!? I sat there watching Sophie tuck into a second huge plate of shepherd’s pie and realised why no self-respecting American girl consumes carbohydrates after 2pm. I’m not surprised Sophie was having trouble finding a boyfriend. Regardless of whether she was interested in me or not, she was unwittingly sabotaging her own chances with any man. "
Have you ever read anything more cruel and, more importantly so clumsily written? (this blog excepted)
and then this
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight/article3022116.ece
Are these some of the worst examples of slightly muddled over generalisations you will ever hope to read? I suspect so, but worse they are both from the Times not a red top where they belong.
In answer to the former article, a man so swayed by the shallowness of looks deserves to remain single and childless for the rest of his life because if that's what he thinks is important in life what signal would he ever send to his children.
As for the latter, again, too over sensationalised "The days of smoking behind the bike shed to indicate your free and rebellious spirit are long gone – today’s young rebel is more likely to be swallowing cotton wool and tracing shapes on herself with a penknife, ably assisted by a culture that sometimes actively encourages such self-destruction."
I teach a broad cross section of girls and this is not the case, they obsess about hair and music and clothes, most just want to eat because the appetite of a teenager is rarely satiated. A few over indulge or at the other extreme don't, but this is not because their mothers obsess about food, its much more a reflection of deeper issues within the fabric of the child and the family.
In my experience my mother and her sister both worried constantly about their weight all that concerned me was finding and eating food, their concerns had little or no impact on my desire for food. I have tried never to raise the "D" word at home but I will not hesitate to preach about healthy eating and to eat all things in moderation. I think before people make such generalisations about children they should maybe talk to more than just a handful of relations and friends siblings.

Velevt Week

I recently went to Uniglo to marvel at the pantone cashmere as anyone who reads this blog will know I loose all sense of financial reality around cashmere, my fingers really twitched around the dark grey marl, so tempting, on my right shoulder the devil in me is screaming "buy buy". On my left shoulder the angel in me (very small) screamed "step away from the cashmere you have too much grey". I would like to say that self control won the day, but it didn't, size and fit did, this lovely knitwear is cut skinny and straight which does not sit well on my middle aged spread. I did also try on a Shetland wool dress that was lovely but would have been too warm sans coat on the frozen tundra. Sadly I fell flat on my face financially in jigsaw buying a delicious turquoise thermal cardie and a hook and eye fastening down the back cardie.
I realised on Sunday with a start that we are nearly a third of the way through the Velvet season and I haven't worn any yet so this week is officially velvet week.

The view from here pt3

Well the view for my year 11 exam class, they are making a personal response to Cezanne via a shaded pencil drawing. I have just told them if I catch one more student smudging her shading with her finger I will chop them off.

The view from here pt2

I got this abstract beauty from a sink in my class room it is rarely used and has no working hot tap hence the gloopy mess, so I had some fun creating abstract compositions from the chaos of colour.

The view from here

As my early morning train chuntered into the medway wastelands I looked up from my paper to see this stunning sunrise.

Maurizio Pecoraro

Via Kingdom of Style a jacket of such immaculate beauty I just had to have it on my blog too.

Vogue Korea

http://creativeflairchic.blogspot.com/ These pictures are from Korean Vogue via All Things bright and Beautiful via Kim Carney, thank you to both. I love the Hanbok My father lived in Korea for a while and managed to buy Kitty one when she was little. I still have it and use it for students to draw. They are not cheap to buy or very easy to find as I found out when I went to visit. I would have liked one, I would like a kimono as well but they are also very expensive, when I was young my parents had Japanese students to stay, I fell in love with them all they were so kind and patient I was able to dress up in their Kimonos but could not keep them as they said the cost to their parents for them was so great. These photos are so beautiful I wish both the Korean Vogue and the Japanese Vogue would drop the western features and use more images based on their own culture which the Chinese Vogue manages to do.