life in the fast lane...

jessica has been really testing her mom a lot lately...since she has only had certain freedoms for a few months, you would think she would start out slow before trying to get the world! she has been "disappearing" for hours and talking on the phone constantly to the point where no one can call the house---she wont answer the other line if she is talking to the boyfriend...what drama!

there's a method to my madness...

in doing my field research i attempted to utilize a wide variety of mediums. i watched from the outside looking in whenever it was feasible, i "stalked" their myspace pages, i conversed in person, i surveyed them online, i used polls to see where they stood on certain issues (i.e. what do they see as important issues in the world), i participated in certain "rituals" and activities, i talked to their friends and family members, and last, but certainly not least, i peeked into where they spent their time...their significant spaces. i made mistakes...like when i had a conversation with ashley about her boyfriend and told her how i felt instead of hanging back and getting at what she felt at that moment...and when i gave jessica a lecture on respecting her mom...lol. i think though that all in all i learned a lot from these girls about how to really see someone...not just who they want the world to see...but that secret person inside that they hide to avoid being hurt sometimes.

i hope that i can operationalize all of the things i learned from all of my classmates as well...you guys are just about brilliant in how you can incorporate yourselves into the role of anthropologist with some of these kids...it was amazing to read about how effortless some of your interactions were with these kids.

i hope that i can put down in words what i feel i have learned...and let others see these young women as i have begun to really see them. i think that must be what the true lesson to be learned has become for me...the art of not only being there myself...but being able to evoke that same feeling in someone else who reads my research...

drama for jessica...

jessica has decided to pursue a power play with her mother...she is definitely testing her new freedoms and limits...at some point the line will finally get drawn on this one...hopefully i am there to see it!

the morning after...

ashley gave birth to a new baby boy...lucas james came into the world at 11:44 pm last night weighing in at 8lbs 2 oz and 20" long...both baby and momma are doing fine...here is a picture of the new family...