Craig Ruvere

15Feb 2011 by CJ

Racism is still everywhere even in places you wouldn’t expect

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth

As a graphic designer for a large newspaper group, I’ve been asked to do some crazy things over the years. But I never thought I'd find a bit of racism in the mix. There was the time a sales rep asked if I could take a dentist’s picture and close the gap between his two front teeth – ironic, huh? Another was adamant about placing party hats on the heads of lobsters in a tank – though I suspect they had no reason to celebrate. But my favorite had to be this past Thanksgiving – when I was asked to put everything from dumb bells to a bottle of beer in the hands of a smiling turkey. That was just weird. While I’d never consider the above creations worthy of…

14Feb 2011 by CJ

A week without snow is a happy occasion indeed

Life & Living

We’ve gone an entire week without any significant snow. There’s no arguing that a fresh, undisturbed snowfall is truly a thing of beauty. But after the snow plows and salt trucks have passed by a dozen or so times and neighborhood dogs have left their calling cards on the mounds, it’s not really all that nice to look at anymore. Each day we take notice of the icy mounds getting a little smaller, and dirtier, when we come home from work – praying that the worst of winter’s fury is finally over. Not so fast. I remember one Easter in mid-April building a snowman with rabbit ears so anything’s possible. The other day I was walking outside, tired of being cooped up in the house like an Eskimo trapped in…

12Feb 2011 by CJ

Twilight now a required read in the classroom?

Information & Education, Youth

Sometimes I stumble upon a news headline that truly leaves me scratching my head. Take the book Twilight for instance. I opened my email the other day to find an article entitled, “Twilight Is Now Required College Reading.” My first immediate reaction was, “Twilight? The vampire book series for teenagers?” A little further digging online confirmed what I found utterly unbelievable. Apparently the book is being featured in an Introduction to Fiction course at Ohio State University – where “Twilight” is in fact on the syllabus. Could you image strapping yourself with student loans in excess of $20,000 a year for an undergraduate education only to find out that some teenage fiction novel is part of your required reading? Needless to say, I’d be over at the registrations office dropping…

11Feb 2011 by CJ

Valentine’s Day should be 365 days a year not just one

Love & Relationships

This Monday is Valentine’s Day - the supposed day of love according to the greeting card companies. It’s a time of year when ordinary husbands and wives pay as much as a 75% premium for such items as flowers, candy, jewelry and dining, and those who’ve lost or never found their true loves lament. Years ago, when I was first married, I used to feel the pressures of society when it came to this over commercialized holiday – buying into the hype even though I didn’t fully support its premise. I remember someone once said to me, “Don’t you love your wife? You have to get her something for Valentine’s Day!” As I’m learning, people really have no concept of the word “boundaries”. It’s a pretty sad day when the…

10Feb 2011 by CJ

Date night can be a costly proposition in society today

Love & Relationships

Once you’ve been married for several years and things start becoming somewhat ordinary from day to day, a new phrase becomes part of your vernacular whenever you find yourself going out to eat or doing anything you used to do before you got hitched – date night. Such was the case one Friday evening when my wife and I decided to go out to dinner and a movie – uncharacteristic for us at the close of a busy work week. We started with dinner at a local chain restaurant, which thanks to a $25 gift certificate, only wound up costing us $15 out of pocket. Not too shabby. The movie was even better as I still had two free passes saved up from a few Christmas’ ago. All in all…