Firebird Anthology (Parts II and III)

     It has been a while since I have posted something about books. Part of this is because I have not had the time to read due to the combination of school and work (which I seem to be surviving so far). Recently, however, I was able to go to the library, my favorite place to get new books.

    I have a method that I often employ in searching for new titles. Starting at the section of authors whose last names start with 'A' I scan the titles and book bindings for something that catches my eye. If it looks interesting I will pull it out and read the summary to gather more information. You would be surprised how much you can tell about a book by it's cover! Usually I only cover one shelf of books per visit, so each time I come back I gradually progress through the library (usually the teen fiction section). The only hard part is remembering where I left off!

     On my most recent trip to the library I picked up a fantasy and sci-fi anthology of short stories called Firebird. I was very pleased with my discovery because fantasy/sci-fi is my favorite genre and the stories are the perfect length to read one or two (or three or four) before bed. Apparently there are three volumes in the anthology, though I was only able to check out the second and third.

     I very much enjoyed reading these anthologies. They were a refreshing break from my usual form of book matter, novels. Most of the stories were enjoyable and fun to read. There were a few, however, that were a bit strange. Still, I would recommend this series of anthologies to anyone who is looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy read!

Comedy and Confusion

     I had the honor and joy of seeing Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors performed by a fortnight ago (I waited two weeks just so I could use that phrase). For those of you not familiar with the Comedy of Errors, here is a short synopsis to provide some clarity:

The city of Ephesus is at war with Syracuse. Anyone from Syracuse who illegally comes to Ephesus must either pay a fine or forfeit his life. Egeon, a merchant from Syracuse, faces this predicament. He tells Duke Solinus that he is in Ephesus searching for his son. When his twin sons and their twin servants were but babies Egeon and his wife were separated in a ship wreck, each with a set of twins. Supposing his wife and other son to be dead Egeon names his surviving son and the servant after the ones he lost. He is now looking for his remaining son, whom he has not seen for several years.

Unbeknownst to him both of his sons are alive and well and in the town of Ephesus. To make matters worse, neither knows that the other exists. Confusion ensues when the brothers and servants are repeatedly mistaken for the other. 

     My main emotional response for this play was puzzlement. According to the director’s notes in the playbook they, “sought to be true to Shakespearean sensibilities, not by way of historical accuracy in costuming and such but rather with respect to the desire to be funny and relevant to our particular audience and the embracing of theatricality.” This meant that while they did change the costumes and add a few modern references, much of the language was still kept the same. This, combined with the content of the play itself (where two twin brothers and their twin servants repeatedly get mistaken for the other) left me in a state of mild confusion.

     Even though the meaning of the words were hard to make out, the actors did a good job of portraying what they meant through voice inflection and body language, so I was not completely lost. The play is a Shakespearean comedy, in that no one dies, but it was also a comedy in the modern sense. While tense at times the situations the twin brothers unknowingly put the other in were comical and much hilarity ensued through out the course of the play. I also felt relief, at the end of the play, when the two sets of twins were reunited and all the confusion was made clear.

Why I Am Going to Vote (And You Should Too)

     Election day is fast approaching and the decision of who to vote for (or to even vote at all) is a huge predicament for our country. People who do no side directly with a specific candidate wonder, "Who do I vote for?" and "Do I even vote?" I am a staunch believer in voting. Now that I am above the age limit I consider it a privilege, right, and honor-bound duty to help decide who stands as head over the United States of America.

     As of now,  I am having difficulty choosing a candidate to vote for. Some are so torn over this conflict that they have decided not to vote at all. However, I cannot do that. Not voting means that I don't have a say in who is in charge of our nation. It implies that I don't want to vote and that I don't care what happens. But, I do care what happens! Being of the younger generation especially, I will have to deal with whatever decisions the President makes that will affect our country for years to come. So I must vote!

     However, the issue escalates; who do I vote for? I mentioned that I am having a hard time choosing which candidate (among the main two) to vote for. This problem would be solved if I sided directly with either of them or with a third part candidate, but I don't. And I can't in good conscience vote for a third part candidate, because that vote would only hinder one of the main candidates and the third party candidate would have no chance to win the office (sorry Mr. Johnson, it ain't gonna happen this year). So, I believe that I should put my vote where it will do the most damage, as it were.

     I must vote for one of the two candidates, or the other, and vote I shall! As soon as I figure out who to vote for.....

     But the presidential election is no the only election being hashed out on the ballots. Voting for the state and city government representatives and leaders is just as important. So, when November 8 finally rolls around I will be voting not just for the president, but for every position I can.

     I would also encourage you to vote. I do not care what party you are from or which candidate you are going to vote for (or the other government officials). This is our right and duty as Americans and we should honor it!

#voterpride

Costume Creativity

     It is almost Halloween, so I thought I would post a little how-to on the costumes I am making this year. First up we have:

The Butterfly

     To make the wings for the butterfly I bought a yard of orange and black tule. To add to this I already had several yards of white tule at home. So, in total, I used about 6 yards of tule.

     Then I took the tule (still folded like it was on the bolt) and scrunched it up. I layered the bundles of tule on top of each other and tied them together in the middle with a piece of string. This formed my 'wings.'

     After that I could attach the tule bundle to the back of a black shirt. This costume is pretty simple. I plan to wear a black shirt, skirt, and shoes to go with my wings. All I needed was an antennae! To make this I took an old headband, some pipe cleaners, and a couple of pom poms. I wound the pipe cleaners around a pencil to get them to spiral and then attached them to the headband. I used hot glue to secure the antennae and add the pom poms.

     That's it for my butterfly costume!

The Minion

     For this costume my first preference was to get a pair of overalls at Goodwill and wear a yellow shirt underneath, along with a couple accessories. However, I was unable to find a pair of overalls and instead had to resort to wearing my mother's old jean jumper (so I was going for a 'female minion' look). In addition to that I bought a pair of black gloves and made a hat for my other accessory. To make the hat I used a knitting loom.

     If you have never used a knitting loom, I can assure you that they are quite easy. It's almost like cheating! They allow you to knit in the round with little to no actual knitting experience required (just so you know, I do have some knitting experience, I just find this way easier when I want to make  hats)!

     I made the hat out of a pale yellow yarn that I had on hand (I was going for quick and easy - I'm probably only going to wear this thing once or twice). For fun I added a black pom pom on top, to mimic a minion's hair.

     Next I glued on the eyes! I had bought sheets of black and white felt, and we had some brown felt in reserve that I could use for the irises. I made a circle template for myself, cut out the pieces and then layered them how I wanted. I also used strips of black felt for the straps for the goggles.

     The finished product:

     I hope you have enjoyed this! Not to worry, I will have pictures of the finished costumes all put together in the coming week!

Carriage Factory Art Gallery

     A week ago I visited the Carriage Factory Art Gallery with my mother and grandmother. The gallery did indeed produce carriages at one point in time, but it has since been converted into a space where local professional artists can showcase their work. The main floor of the gallery featured a series of paintings by Joseph Longanbill of scenes around town. Having spent many a Friday in the adequately sized town the pictures depicted, I enjoyed seeing how he transferred familiar scenes onto canvas with pain and brush.

     In the upper portion of the gallery another piece caught my attention. It was a painting done by Ethan Patrick Harris called The Vibes. Most of Harris’ work displays grotesque fantastical creatures, but this one was of a tree with what looked like pink bubbles of bubble gum on its branches. This gave it a lively and joyful appearance. However, on closer inspection I realized that the tree was dead and the ground around it was barren. This greatly contrasted with the bubbly appearance of the tree’s foliage. I wondered what had inspired Harris to paint the pretty bubbles on a dead tree and what the piece meant to him personally.

     Unfortunately for me (and for all of you) the gallery prohibits photos of its artworks, so I don't have any pictures of the paintings to go along with this. I planned on getting a photo of the front of the gallery as we left, but I forgot. However, we stopped by an outdoor Stutsmans greenhouse to pick up some pansies and admire the multiple mums. And these I do have a picture of!

Operation Pumpkin Patch

     Recently I had the opportunity to go to a pumpkin patch with some of my friends. It was fall break and some of the gals who were out-of-state had come home for the weekend, so we decided to take advantage of our chance to get together.

     We decided to go to a pumpkin patch..... well, because it was fall! Also, some of us had never been to one. My personal pumpkin patch memories are scant. They weren't a huge part of my childhood, and I was okay with that. Mostly I remember picking out a pumpkin in Kindergarten and First Grade and getting lost in the corn maze in middle school. So, I was not overly excited at the prospect of exploring the pumpkin patch as a somewhat-adult.

     Despite my concerns, we had a great time! Most of the equipment had been designed for humans smaller than us, but that only aided us as we returned briefly to our childhood.  After squeezing up and down several slides (okay, one was compatible for adult-sized people) we ventured into the corn maze. I wouldn't consider it an actual maze, because there was only one entrance/exit, but it still got the job done.

Here we are, about to enter the corn maze!

     After the corn maze we discovered an attraction called, "Pumpkin Land." Think of a life-size version of the board game "Candy Land," except not as elaborate. We needed to backtrack to the concession stand for a spinner, so instead we contended ourselves with jumping from tile to tile. In the middle of "Pumpkin Land" was a small playground, with various child-sized wooden structures. We squirmed in and around them for a bit before moving on.

Why couldn't we have come here as kids?

     A couple of the attractions we were able to partake in without fear of bodily harm (to us or the equipment) were a giant tire swing that could fit all three of us and a giant jumping pillow. The pillow was like a big inflated trampoline and after a full afternoon of running around corn mazes it felt like the perfect place to take a nap. 

     Unfortunately, time continued to move on. We knew we would have to return to being responsible adults sooner or later. Even though it was only for a couple hours, it was nice to be a child again. I really enjoyed going to the pumpkin patch and getting an afternoon off to spend in the company of friends.

     

'Tis the Season for Fall!

     Fall is here! While not all of the leaves have started turning colors, the weather has definitely been getting crisper. To help mark the approaching holiday season my mother dug up our two strands of orange Christmas lights. Only half of one strand lights up, but the other strand makes up for it by being made in the good old days to last forever (thank goodness for thrift shops!). I helped out by twining the lights around our stair bannister, giving the entryway a festive look. We hope to have the lights up until they are replaced by a multi-colored strand at Christmas.

     Another sign of the arrival of fall is the approach of Halloween (this event has been long in coming - I work at a craft store and we had our Halloween stuff up in August).  Our family is not super big into Halloween, but this year I will be wearing a costume! This was prompted by one of my college professors, who promised us extra credit if we came to class with a costume on Halloween. I'm a sucker for extra credit, so I couldn't resist. Plus, it gave me an excuse to fire up my creative spirit!

     After much deliberation I decided to tackle two costumes. This year I will be dressing up as a butterfly and a minion (from Despicable Me). The butterfly will be the main costume, with the minion set on the back burner (it won't be completely useless; I can wear both costumes to work).

     Stay tuned for pictures of the process and final product!