In his life, Kurt Vonnegut embodied the notion of beauty found in irony. His literary works reflect his unique feelings of society and his belief in humanism is revealed through his lifestyle. His death marks the end to a period of our culture and history.

When I heard of Vonnegut's death, I remembered an interview he gave where he announced plans to sue the manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes for not being able to kill the chain smoker. He could find the irony in his own life and he acknowledged the awkwardness of existence.

I remember, in my junior year of high school, a friend casually passed on a copy of Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five." Some people hear great speeches which inspire them, some people fall in love with idealistic leaders, and some people devote their lives to a cause; I started reading Kurt Vonnegut books and found comfort with the fact that someone could laugh at the world's problems and still find a simple beauty in people.

You may think it odd that I feel strongly about the death of a person I never met, but Vonnegut was the last of a generation who spoke against the glories of false promises and encouraged an admiration for the individual. His devotion to being humane and his mindful nature of the best and worst accomplishments of society are qualities I hope will continue with future authors.

I fear that, with his passing, the world may move on from laughing at itself, but as Vonnegut pointed out in his last book ("A Man Without A Country"), when Pandora released all the evil onto the world, she also released hope.

To my great dismay, the popularity of their kiosks is growing. People are flocking to them at the mall. The colors are seen all over campus - green, blue, red and pink.

What am I talking about? Crocs, the bright-colored, obnoxious shoe.

When I see Crocs, all I can think of is a garden clog, the rubber shoes my mom quickly slips on when gardening. The official Crocs Web site says the shoe was "originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole. By 2003, Crocs had become a bona-fide phenomenon, universally accepted as an all-purpose shoe for comfort and fashion."

Fashion? I have to disagree. These shoes are obnoxious and ugly. Not to mention, each time I see someone wearing them, it looks as though the shoe is a size too big for them. That, combined with the bright colors they come in, makes them look like clown shoes. It's fine that the shoe was created as a boating shoe, but why are people finding them to be "cute" and wearing them with skirts, jeans and sweatpants?

As I checked out their product line, I discovered they have a "professional" set of Crocs, which the Web site (http://www.crocs.com) even goes so far as to say "[look] great at the office." Picturing someone in a full-on business suit paired with a set of Crocs makes me cringe. If Clinton Kelly and Stacy London of "What Not To Wear" could see such an outfit, I think they'd both die from a stroke.

It seems like the Croc Web site can't even come up with some good "reasons you gotta have 'em." Their site lists such reasons as, "Sold Everywhere," "Nothing's more comfortable," "Big air ventilation ports" and "Can save your marriage." (I'm not kidding; saving your marriage is listed on there.)

My point in this: Crocs are ugly. If you are going to wear them for boating, to the beach, fishing or gardening, great. I bet they'll be very useful as they're really easy to clean. All other purposes? Leave them in the closet.

Desiree Smith is the multimedia editor for the Northern Star.