Gee, Thanx

Tonight, I'm seeing my dad play with his band, Thanx.

Although he's my father, Thanx is the most atrocious band name I've ever heard.

Anyways, my dad's been a drummer for over 40 years and it's always a pleasure seeing him play.

He originally went to the Dana School of music as a music education/percussion major, but dropped out after his parents got divorced.

Over the years, his adeptness at drums gave him the opportunity to play in a bunch of bands, one of which included the bassist from The Human Beinz.

When I was little, my dad was in a band called The Impalas and the small amount he collected from shows helped us scrape by as we weren't too financially well off.

I always wanted to be a drummer in a band, like better than Meg White, but not crazy like Dave Lombardo.

I'd still like to pick up the french horn again and maybe even dust off my guitar that's been collecting dust in my closet.

I'll probably stick to collecting records and being a follower in the art of 'shoulda, woulda, coulda'.

So you collect records, huh? Why?

Most people who know me are familiar with my standing as a record nerd.

I began collecting records in November of 2005.

They were having a rummage sale at Debartolo on campus and a professor was selling some of his records from when he was writing a thesis on new wave British music.

I can remember exactly what I bought:

Echo and the Bunnymen-Ocean Rain

The Style Council-My Ever Changing Mood

Haircut 100-Pelican West

Modern English-After the Snow

Over time, I discovered this guy at Four Seasons Flea Market on the East Side named David Kleem.

To say Kleem has a Harvey Pekar sized record collection would be an understatement.

For the past two years, Kleem's record stand has become my Sunday escape.

Like some sort of junkie, I rifle through old, dirty boxes of obsolete technology but for me, it's heaven. It's pacifying.

Before Kleem set up shop at Four Seasons, my collection was quite small and unimpressive.

Now, it's large, slightly more impressive and to a degree, more ridiculous.

-Answer to "Why?"-

Some people collect records for the hell of it, to try to fit in to some sort of delusional, hipster scene.

I collect records because I am a fan of music. Music on vinyl is pure and sweet and magical.

Just as sorting through records is a favorite pastime, so is listening to them.

Everyday, I try and fit in time to listen to my records, especially when the house is empty.

It's become a means of unwinding and changing up the daily monotony of my life.

-Buying phases-

I'll go through hunting spurts where I'll be looking for stand-up albums, soundtracks, imports, Prince (huge fan) or Factory Records albums.

I also buy duplicates of records I already own, especially if they're in better condition than the other copy.

My inclination to share stuff with people can be seen when I lend out and give my records to people whom are attempting to start a collection of their own.

-Pipe Dream-

Records stores like those in the movies High Fidelity and Pretty in Pink have made me salivate over the idea of starting up my own shop, but I think the music community has to get over seeing vinyl as archaic and instead, timeless.

Youngstown Skate might have DJ positions opening up in the Fall and they have a turntable that I could use.

Spinning might be a better direction to go, but I'm not sure. In a couple of years, I'll know.

profile project

Working Class Profile of: Cosmetologist, Sherri J. Manna-Duby

By: Melissa Mary Smith

It was 27 years ago when Sherri J. Manna-Duby, 45, realized that pursuing a degree in telecommunications at YSU wasn’t quite the path for her.

So what did she do? She decided that as she always had a knack for fashion, hair and make-up, enrolling in the former Boardman Beauty Academy and trying her hand at cosmetology seemed to be a better fit. Manna-Duby’s interest in hairstyling was first piqued when she began cutting hair for people in her neighborhood (her first real clientele).

Upon graduation and newly licensed, she first became employed at the JCPenney hair solon in the Southern Park Mall. While there, she built some of her long-time clientele (some of whom have been with her for at least 20 years). After leaving JCPenney, she then went on to Robert’s Hair Salon (formerly the Hair Hut), in Poland. Manna-Duby says she find her job very rewarding largely because of the nonconstructive nature of her profession and meeting fun people every day.

As hairstylists are often seen as big talkers, Manna-Duby feels that in addition to being a great conversationalist, one must also understand human psychology as she has

often taken on the role of psychologist or counselor. She believes that this comprises around 55-65 percent of the profession.

While doubling as a hairstylist and psychologist, clients will often candidly share personal problems with Manna-Duby (some problems they don’t even discuss with their families). This means that she must not only be objective, but confidential as well.

This counselor role has sometimes been a burden for Manna-Duby as she says she is the kind of person who takes other people’s problems home with her. As a young hairstylist, though, she soon learned that it was important to remove herself from her client’s lives and leave work at work. Sometimes, former clients of hers have made her life miserable, so it has helped her to learn which clientele to stick with, and whom to distance herself from.

In light of constantly changing hair trends and the large number of hair salons in the valley, Manna-Duby believes that as a hairstylist, you must always be on top of your game – this means attending eight hours of continuing education every year and renewing your cosmetology license ever two years (as per Ohio law).

In some other service professions, a tip is usually a part of the picture. Manna-Duby, despite one time being issued a $50 tip, does not view tipping in a monetary sense but rather in a complimentary sense; if a client loves their haircut, highlights, coloring job, etc, or if she is referred to new clientele.

Manna-Duby’s modesty is only one facet of her personality. She is also very honest with customers (she thinks she is sometimes too honest), when regarding which hairstyles will work for them and which ones will not.

As with any job, Manna-Duby sometimes comes into contact with her share of difficulties. Being a hairstylist means being on your feet anywhere from 8-10 hours a day, so she takes the necessary precautions. “I actually wear tennis-shoes, I really try not to wear anything that is not supportive to my feet. I have rheumatoid arthritis, I found out about 10 years ago, so I really try to protect my joints as much as I can,” Manna-Duby said.

As for her tennis-shoes of choice? She swears by her Sketchers.

No two hairstyles are alike, so some hair types can be easy to work with, others, not as much. Manna-Duby cites very extra-fine hair as the most difficult to work with as it doesn’t have much of a cuticle and is just generally uncooperative.

The reality of using harsh chemicals in her job is something she faces regularly.

“I worry about it on a daily basis,” Manna-Duby said.

She also said that she specifically worries about hairspray even though they have removed certain polyurethanes from it in recent years.

Although hairdressing leaves a large room for error relating to injuring a client or ruining their hair, Manna-Duby says that she has had a good career thus far and recalls no real horror stories as she is friends with her clientele and has been through a lot with them over the years.

Even though she has no horror stories to speak of, Manna-Duby once did shock a customer when she was finished cutting her hair. The customer had extremely long hair and requested that it be cut short. When she was done and turned the chair around to face the mirror, the customer seemed the panic as it was such a drastic change. Later on, she

was contacted by the customer who, in the end, loved her new haircut

Despite having clientele with mostly conservative hairstyles, one customer felt slightly different about their hair. “I had a 10-year-old kid come in one time and wanted a complete Mohawk.” As ridiculous as was the request, she did a fairly good job. In her youth, she herself even sported some rather wacky hairstyles; uneven hair lengths, bright red highlights, etc.

Establishing such a deep-rooted relationship with her clients, Manna-Duby has occasionally been asked to do the hair and make-up for some of her deceased clients. She said that she only attempted it once, but found it too difficult as she was too close to the person.

Aside from her job, Manna-Duby’s other passions lay in her daughter, Kiley, 5, and singing. As a means of spending time with Kiley, they will garden and sing together.

As far as her vocal talent is concerned, Manna-Duby has been singing ever since she was 5 years old and got her starts at church. By the time she was 16, she began performing in area bands at bars, restaurants and weddings.

Having accomplished so much in her life and job, Manna-Duby feels that her family, especially Kiley, are proud of her achievements. Just as she chose her passion 27 years ago, she also wishes the same for Kiley; for her to look up to as an inspiration for choosing to do the things in life that she loves and wishes to pursue.

Evaluating Websites

For my first New York Times article, I chose the story Release of Grand Jury Files is Sought in Rosenberg Atomic Spy Case.

The article appeared the same online as it did in the newspaper, but the online version of the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/nyregion/01rosenberg.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Julius+and+Ethel+Rosenberg&st=nyt&oref=slogin

allows links to the websites of various people involved with the reopened investigation.

I found the article informative and interesting as my knowledge of the Rosenberg case was limited prior to reading it. It also sparked my interest in further reading about the Rosenbergs, as I find governmental cover-ups and spy cases fascinating.

I found the other form of the article, presented by The Chronicle Herald Metro of Nova Scotia:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1036284.html

provided more information than The New York Times regarding the pertinent people involved with the Rosenberg case, both past and present. The article was a bit wordy, however and I definitely just skimmed over it rather than being a bit more engaged like with the New York Times article.

I felt both internet versions of the two articles could have spiced up the stories by interspersing links relevant to the case and possibly even providing video (I mean, it is the internet and is more interactive than mere text. If you have the ability to be more interesting and engaging to your readers, go for it).

The other story I chose from the NYTs was an article discussing increased suicide symptoms in patients using seizures medications. Although the article was very informative, it lost my interest a few times as it mainly just presented findings from various research studies. The article appeared the exact same way in the paper as it did on the NYTs' website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/us/01suicide.html?ref=us

I suppose it's all right to have the sort of continuity the NYTs has with both its actual paper and website but the reality is, is that I'm still getting the same exact story. There's no fun incentive for me to check out the article online if there isn't going to be at least some interactive links provided.

I went to the San Francisco Chronicle's website to do additional reading on the suicide symptom story and I found that both articles presented almost the same information, but unlike the NYTs', the SFC presented a list released by the FDA of the actual names of seizure medications that double suicide symptoms. I felt that this additional information might be beneficial, especially to readers whom might suffer from seizures (like I once did) and might think about switching medications.