Kimiko Martinez
Lifestyles Editor
I’m not Superwoman.
I’m just now starting to realize that.
OK, maybe not just now, but recently.
I actually like Wonder Woman better, but Superwoman has different connotations. I want to be the Supermom, Superstudent, Supereditor, Superworker, Superme, but I really just don’t have the time. Or the energy.
I decided to take a tally of the total hours of straight, non-negotiable weekly commitments I have and it came to 60 hours per week. And that’s just the stuff that can’t be worked around — class, work, newspaper. That’s not even counting homework, taking the kids to and from school or all that other stuff you cram into your week. No wonder I’m always so tired.
People often ask me, “How do you do it all?”
And honest to God, I sometimes just really don’t know.
I’m sacrificing my sleep. That’s for sure. And sanity probably, too. But what are my options? When you have things to do, you just find a way to make them work because you have to.
So I’ve given up the cheery, I-can-handle-everything façade that many might have seen last year, and accepted the fact that I might have too much on my plate. For now, I’m back to Wonder Woman — wondering when it’ll all work itself out. Until next semester, I’m just gonna have to make due.
I might not be Superwoman, but I’m still a super woman. I just need to remind myself once in awhile.
I don’t know why people are so star struck.
Maybe it’s just because I see celebrities every night I work.
Maybe it’s because I don’t have time to watch television to see how really great these people are.
Or maybe it’s because I just don’t care. After all, they’re just people.
It may seem a little hypocritical of me to say this, seeing as celebrity spottings have dominated the ETC column for the last couple of weeks, but I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Yes, it’s a little daunting to be standing face-to-face with Cindy Crawford. She’s absolutely gorgeous. I’ll admit it. Way prettier in person than in any picture I’ve ever seen. But she’s nice too. Has this kind way about her. She’s human. And that reality strikes me after a millisecond of utter awe.
Yes, it’s been interesting seeing Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks and other well-known actors, but seeing them for more than a minute makes you realize how normal they really are. There are certain ways that people interact with others — family, friends, significant others — that makes you like them as people, not as the hyped-up Hollywood image that network spin doctors and studio public relations people would like you to believe.
So should you see a celebrity, don’t stare … at least not blatantly, though it’s probably OK to sneak a couple of peeks out of the corner of your eye. But remember they’re human too. Take their presence for what it is — a good story to tell your friends — and nothing more.
— Got a gripe? E-mail Kimiko Martinez at kimiko.l.martinez@pepperdine.edu
October 03, 2002