Age is Just a Number

I had discussed with some of my fellow "Project Runway" aficionados my assertion that I thought this season had the oldest crop of finalists, since there were no twentysomethings.  I know the twentysomething doesn't always win, but there is usually at least one. 

Well, thanks to the folks keeping this Wikipedia page updated, I have some probably meaningless thoughts about ages of finalists. 

So.  First disclaimers.  Talent is clearly ageless, so this probably says much more about "Project Runway" casting, and/or people who sign up for reality shows.  Also some people in their later years might have made their way and not need a reality show boost.  Or have kids they can't leave for a month.  So certainly all of this only applies to the show, not the fashion industry as a whole. 
There is, as the page states a multi-way tie for youngest contestant, at 21, which includes a winner - Christian Siriano.  Oldest contestant Cindy Marlatt, from season 11, was 59. 

Season One there was one twentysomething (29) in the finale - the winner Jay.  In contrast, season two the oldest finalist won (at the ripe old age of 33) - Chloe. Season Three there were four finalists, and Jeffrey the winner fell in the mid-range age-wise at 36. 

So, first, my guess was wrong, season 7 also contained no twentysomethings in it's final crop (winner Seth Aaron, youngest of the three at 37). Seth Aaron is currently the oldest winner.  Perhaps that was just luck that that was the season after season 6 where all three finalists were twentysomethings (winner Irina at 26). 

Of the 175 contestants so far (wow, no wonder I can't remember them all) the average age is 31.  Of the 36 finalists (and note, some years there were three finalists, some years four) the average age is...31. (Strangely I left out a season in my original calculation, and still got 31.  And no, I am not counting all star seasons.)

And the average age of the winner is 30.  Now, I am using averages, not means or medians but it is interesting.  And of the 175 contestants: 90 were in their twenties, 60 were in their thirties, 20 were in their forties, and 5 were in their fifties.  So more than half of the total contestant pool is in their twenties. 
When we narrow in on finalists 16 are in their twenties, 15 are in their thirties, and 5 are in their forties.  No fortysomethings have won.  (So far.)
Now, I'm not suggesting there's ageism here, because even if they weren't my favorites, I understood why most of the winners won, and would only personally jump in and, ahem, adjust two winners, should I have such power, and in those cases the new winner would only be different by a year or two.  
So, really, this was me playing with numbers, but I found it interesting.  So, season 12 folks, it might be in your interest to be 31 or so.  Just saying.  Or maybe pair up with someone who averages your age to 31. 

Three Interesting Things

1. ALOTT5MA pointed me to this interesting comparison of the increasing age gap that occurs for many leading men in movies as they age, but their co-stars (mostly) do not.  (Okay, everyone ages, but well, go look at the charts.) They include my favorite movie example of such, although they mention the age gap between Richard Gere and Julia Ormond in First Knight, leaving out the tidbit that it was a love triangle with Sean Connery (who was, by my count, 65 in that movie).  Certainly the idea is not that age gaps are bad, but in a movie world where women are often aged up to play grandmothers before their time, it's an interesting phenomenon. 

2. And, in case your social media friends did not pass on this link, Tylenol may help your emotional pain too.  This is an early study, but, seemed to show that Tylenol, in blocking pain receptors, dulled emotional pain too.  It is interesting for what it may say about the brain, and because, well, they used a David Lynch movie and clips from "The Simpsons" in testing.  Or to set bail for a prostitute. (Seriously, it's days like this that I wonder why none of my freshman and sophomore psych experiments were this interesting.  Do they save this stuff for the seniors?) 

3. And, a passing mention on twitter led to being pointed to this post by The Blogess about metal chickens, that, well, certainly brightened my day. 

7 Things: Brain Pleasantly Full

It was the Washington Romance Writers retreat this weekend.  I enjoy this things so much even if I come back exhausted.  Something about the staying up late talking craft or playing Apples to Apples and then getting up early to attend workshops leaves me with a tiny bit of sleep deficit.  I somehow feel unable to begin to do justice to the whole of the weekend, so will use my traditional 7 Things format. 

1. So many times the things that stick with me seem sort of silly, like Cathy Maxwell talking about how at writer's conferences people think it's normal that you say you're a writer or Angela James talking about publishing myths - like editors don't edit anymore, and once you get published you'll just sit there on piles of money. And yet these things are no less important. 
2. And there is the fun, which is not to be minimized.  Apples to Apples is just as important to one's well-being as the yoga workshop where the lovely Kimberly Kincaid (coming to a bookshelf near you, if she's not already there) always manages to remind me of something my sedentary jobs are doing to me.  I'm less convinced that Romance Jeopardy is good for my health, given that the game is not fair.

3. The social media panel included Sarah Wendell, Pam Jaffee, Sue Grimshaw, and Joyce Lamb.  They mentioned that social media is ever evolving, and that you need to be aware of the context in which your message is going.  Your message about your new book may look a little tone deaf amid posts of an ongoing tragic event.

4. The American Author event was interesting just to see how often the opening words can either confuse or ground you.  Or just be infodump. There were also wonderful keynotes from Dorien Kelly, Shiloh Walker, and Mary Burton.

5. I might have told the lovely Stephanie Dray/Draven that it was so convenient for her to sit next to me at lunch so I could stalk her up close and personal. 

6. I continue to be amazed how many people I managed to talk to and reconnect with, and yet each year I need it to be longer, because I barely got to talk to this or that person.  The best of problems to have really. 

7. And well, somebody better write that Zombie Mafia Secret Baby story. 

Three Interesting Things

1. There's an interesting adoption case making it's way through the courts involving the Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes placing children of Native American Indians with Native American Indian families.  Where it gets interesting (from a legal perspective, this case is clearly sad for just about everybody involved) is that the birth mother notified the tribe, who at the time of the adoption, did not show the father in their records.

2. Megan Mulry (who, by the way, I met last year at RT) has an interesting ponderance on the way social media helps expand and grow our friend set, and how that can complicate disclosure. 

3. And this post from DCist explains how sometimes issues with literacy, and a possibly desire to not produce a recognizable voice print, can foil your attempt to rob a bank. 

My Heart Goes Out

I imagine it was coincidence more than agile TV schedule planning, but last night I found "Legally Blonde" in my channel hops.  I think "Legally Blonde" is an amazing movie and I have also seen the musical (which I like because- more singing, although I have a tiny quibble with two character shifts, overall it's very true to the movie.)  So, I watch "Legally Blonde" often finding it on my travels through the channels. 

I was in the mood for something happy.  A storywonk post that seems to have been lost to the internet (or my google-fu) once talked about how the type of books you read has to do with the type of justice you want.  As much as some people make fun of romance novels or mysteries for their formulas, there is something to be said for going in knowing, no matter what, people will fall in love or a criminal will be brought to justice.  And, hey, "Legally Blonde" contains both of those things. And it takes place partly in Boston. (The internet tells me it wasn't so much filmed there, but we'll put that aside.) 

So, people of, in, and near Boston, people with loved ones in Boston, you are in my thoughts.