Whose fault is it, really?

The latest news in the entertainment world that is causing an (unnecessary) uproar concerns someone I, admittedly, do not know too much about. Hannah Montana, aka Miley Cyrus, has taken some pictures that have thrown normally rather serious newscasters, along with mothers across the country, into a tizzy that shows me how conservative this country really is, underneath the liberal wolf's clothing.
As the mother of a daughter who is not quite old enough to really watch Hannah Montana, and as a parent who has, in the past, been upset by little girls dressed up to look waaaaaay older than they really are, my primary question about the whole Miley situation is, "what's the damn problem?"
YES, I know she's fifteen. I understand that the pictures were a bit, well, revealing. Um, has anyone seen the photo shoot of Lindsey Lohan? I don't care if she's older, those pictures are revealing and a bit, well, trashy. The photos of Miley are just NOT.
And let's get to the real meat here. Would so many people be so upset if every media outlet in the universe hadn't jumped all over this, splashing the pictures on the 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 10 o'clock news, not to mention all over the Internet and TMZ, the bane of many celeb's existence? The pictures are in VANITY FAIR, people. This is NOT a teen magazine. Hell, it's a niche market, to be honest. I don't even read Vanity Fair.
If people are concerned about these photos, do the responsible thing and TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT THEM. Obviously, overexposure by the media has turned this into a three-ring circus disaster and children who probably would have not come across these on their own are now having their parents wonder if Miss Cyrus is really such a good role model for their children. But being responsible and talking to your kids about this sort of thing, explaining that this was maybe not the wisest decision for her at this age but that she isn't showing her crotch, doing drugs, or having babies at her age. Personally, I don't see the problem with the pictures. She's a teenager, and the teens I know do a lot worse than this, some even younger than she is!
I think it's also crucial to remember that she is human, and she will make mistakes. If she doesn't turn out like Britney, or other young starlets and singers who have gone the way of the hoochie mama, can we consider her a saint, lucky, or someone to "really" be looked up to? Additionally, for her to come out and apologize, taking issue with the fact that the shoot didn't go how she envisioned it, is a very grown-up and responsible thing to do as well. Rather than villify her, her parents, the photographer or magazine, we should simply let it go and move on to something more important.
http://www.seenon.com/image/external/SeenonSlideshow/albums/album-40/lg/MileyCyru_Gregg_14433148_600.jpg/fetch/MileyCyru_Gregg_14433148_600.jpg

Some of my friends know I've been struggling with a bit of an existential crisis the last few months. After not being accepted to any of the schools to which I applied for doctoral work, I resigned myself to going back to work-- and soon. Not that I don't want to work, but I have been in preparation for two years to move on to heavier, more involved work at the doctoral level, and to bust my ass for so long only to be turned down, four times, is a bit deflating.
At any rate, it's been about a month and a half since I got my last "no" letter for school, and since then, I've been working hard at several things: finishing my thesis and defending, getting the rest of my school work done, and applying for jobs. Any job, really, though I'm rather picky. See, now I have an extra $30K in student loans to pay off, in addition to I don't even know how much from before. But being as how I now have 2 master's degrees and almost 3 years teaching experience, I didn't count on much trouble finding another teaching position. I applied to two different school districts as well as a bevy of non-teaching positions. I interviewed with (assistant) superintendents, and a couple of principals.
Yet here we are, and still no job. I cannot understand how in the world it could take this long to call potential teaching candidates about interviewing for positions that are already open. Nor can I understand how, after a particular interview goes very well, I would get no follow-up phone call, email or letter in the mail regarding the position. The lack of professionalism, coupled with the agony of waiting around with my thumb up my ass for a phone call, is almost too much to bear at this point.
See, our lease is up soon, and I really would rather not stay in this house for another year. The kitchen is too small to turn around in, the ceiling fan in our room is broken, and there's a hole in the ceiling above Madeline's bed that hasn't been repaired yet. Our landlord won't let us make any changes to the property, nor will she pay for any improvements like, oh, I don't know, SOD in the front yard. We are also responsible for maintenance of the yard, which is covered in leaves and those nasty little worm-looking things right now, making it tough to enjoy these early spring days.
All that to say, we want to buy, but can't do so until I get a job. We also have to give said landlord 30 days' notice, so if I get a call in late June, we're effed for getting out of here before the school year starts, and as those of you with family and job obligations are aware, trying to move during the school year is just not pleasant. So sure, there are self-imposed deadlines and complications, but can I really be blamed for wanting to (finally) own a home and live like responsible adults?

I feel really lost and frustrated about the entire situation. I'm not really the praying type, and therefore it seems rather hypocritical to pray that I get a job. I leave that to the church ladies in the family; so far, though, it isn't working. I've had a couple of really good interviews, and nothing has come of them. I can't understand why, if someone knows they have open positions, they would choose to wait until the end of the summer to hire people. Are they waiting for the freaking Golden Child or something? Truth be told, I'd rather not teach high school again, but if I'm not going to be a student anymore, I should do something more than answering phones and opening mail for someone else. I have too much education to waste on a job like that, and I have too many financial obligations to take a job that can't pay them.

I've just been really sad about it all today, and it seems like every time I get my hopes up about something, even just the slightest bit, I get a huge jolt of-- I don't even know what. I've spent the last 6 months preparing, stressing, waiting, and I just want some good news. Soon. Before I go absolutely insane.

An inaugural post

Always inspired by someone else, so I'll have to give Ciara her due here. (Visit her at nalezing.blogspot.com) She always makes me laugh and think, and lately I've been thinking a lot about the state of things here in Memphis. Well... not even just Memphis, at all, but the whole US, the world.
I'm not a dem, not a repub, and some people might say I actually have no opinions. Those people really don't know me, but their reasons for saying so would come from a little online test called a "political compass" test, which I took over a year ago and which placed me, interestingly enough, slightly off the exact center of the "compass" itself. I'd like to think (and those of you who really DO know me would likely agree) that I have rather strong opinions about lots of things, and that those opinions are pretty much what keep me tottering right there in the middle. Some things I'm way left of center on, some way right. Regardless, I think this is the place I'll come to work them out for awhile. Feel free to join me if you like, or send "a friend" to come argue with me about it. Whatever, man. No worries.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have a good opinion to share.