So I will continue to post pictures of Dwight from "The Office" hoping to encourage you to watch this show. He is truly hysterical. I wish that I had a friend like that in real life.....Frens may be the closest to him!! JK. I love Mark.

Speaking of Frens, he came over Tuesday night with Jill and we cooked dinner and hung out. I am officially learning how to cook many different things. I cooked a whole chicken, some stuffing, mashed potatoes, and corn. The best part was, it was edible. I was a bit nervous as I pulled the whole chicken from the bag and then had to look inside....what a surprise. Chickens are now on my "wierd" list.

So today in class we had a diaglogue (not discussion...they are different) about gender. We talked about when we realized our gender, what made us realize this, and how this plays into our everyday life. We came up with these thoughts.....

Males should be (according to our culture): Tough, the Provider, Athletic, Strong, Emotionless, The Pursuer, leader, etc

Females should be: the caretaker, the listener, emotional, weak, beautiful, creative, obedient, etc

Again, these came from my diverse class of people, not just from me. Then we talked about what happens if you go against one of these gender norms. For example, if a guy cries he is seen as a "wuss" or "weak." There are these boxes that culture tries to force people into so that we can abide by certain gender norms.

Is it possible to be outside the box? Does the box still exist? Do people who judge others trying to go out of the box do so because of ignorance or lack of understanding? Should gender norms be a part of culture or should we try to go out of our way to just be who we want to be?

Many people in the group said that going against the culture norms were much more difficult than staying in the box. I agree but also see the norms changing as the years go on and the younger generations (who seem more tolerant) come through.

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear some feedback on this issue. Until then....enjoy The Office.