Analysis: Will and Kate, Fairy Tale Wedding?

Comparison and Original

It's interesting to me how easily something, such as a picture, can be altered online and passed around as the real thing. For example, take the two sets of pictures above. When the wedding pictures for the Duchess Catherine and Prince William were released, it was a matter of days before a copy of a set of photos that were similar (but not originally identical) from Disney's Cinderella were released in comparison to the original photographs.

"Was Will and Kate's wedding truly a fairy tale wedding?"

This spoof of Cinderella says yes! But even the least discerning eye can tell there is a distinct lack of detail in the altered pictures. Someone took the photos and using Photoshop or some other image editing software, changed the colors of the original Disney art so that it would match the photographs of the royal couple.

Cute, neat, but hopefully not confusing people and duping people. I certainly heard comments that people thought that the rendering was real. Conclusively, everything gleaned from the web should be taken with a grain of salt and examined with your intellect before ever assuming truth.

Poem: Una Memoria è Dimenticato

Questo è il mio poem. Ci sono circa un uomo e la sua memoria circa la morte del suo fratello. In primo luogo lui parla al suo fratello, allora lui parla alla Memoria.

Una Memoria è Dimenticato

Desidero dimenticare.

ha detto che non andresti mai

ha detto vita non concluderebbe

non ti credo

la bici rossa nella strada

il piega metallo

il corpo del mio fratello volo

ed allora ci sono voi

dio grande della terra

avete detto

potreste aiutarmi

se li desiderassi

avete detto che potreste

 aiutarmi a dimenticare il mio fratello

ma non posso dimenticare il colore rosso

bici.

è bruciata nella mia testa

la memoria non può essere dimenticata

ora io sono

un uomo con gli occhi scuriti

il cielo ed il mare gridano con me

grigio e blu lavano la mia faccia

tuono sopra me, pioggia sotto me

che cosa era ancora esso

che non potrei dimenticare

qualche cosa di rosso nella strada

Caught in the Web of Literature, Or How I Came to Read (Part 2)

When I was young my dad frequently went on many business trips. As daddy’s girl, I allowed him to go on these trips if he promised to bring back something interesting. Returning from one of those business trips, when I was about eight years old, my dad brought me back a book. At first glance I thought the book looked unappealing. The girl was obviously not a princess, and the only intriguing thing about her was her purple eyes. I asked my father why he thought I should read the book, trying not to convey any of my misgivings. He said he read the back cover and thought I might like it. Only with his confidence buoying me up, did I read the back cover, and then the first couple of pages. Alanna was supposed to be sent off to a convent to learn magic and her twin brother to the castle to become a knight, but the two switch places and Alanna goes off to be the knight, while her brother studies magic. I was hooked. This book fuelled the expansion of my imagination though reading. It was called Alanna: The First Adventure and was the first in a quartet of novels for young adults.

After that book I quickly and greedily devoured every book written by that author and continued to purchase every book of hers published. My interests were stuck fast to fantasy writing. I loved reading about knights, princesses, castles, magic, kings, and monsters. I especially liked reading about quirky princesses; anyone who was out the ordinary fairy tale was interesting to me. One story I enjoyed was called Ella Enchanted. It was loosely based on Cinderella, but truly its own story. It was far more imaginative than the original story and not as grotesque. Told in first person, by a brave, strong-willed girl named Ella, and full of wit, it was enjoyable and funny. It was also right up my alley. I loved stories about princesses, and unlike Alanna who was a very strong female protagonist but wanted to be a knight, Ella was strong, feminine and funny. Who knew, that with these tales of bravery and strength, I would be caught in the luring web of reading forever.

For many years of my childhood, I read mostly fantasy stories. When I was in high school and college my reading turned more towards classic literature per the “required reading lists”. My readings were more of Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and The Fountainhead, as in high school, than the fun fantasy I enjoyed most. And in college I read works such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Crime and Punishment, and Emma. I learned to analyze these literary works and evaluate them through from different critical perspectives and get multiple meanings as well as to enjoy them as literary works. I learned to imitate these readings and create my own literary pieces.

Initially I found value in literature’s ability to provide me with material to create imaginary worlds with. Later when I was able to analyze literature for its social, psychological, and cultural information, my imagination was not daunted; rather my abilities to interact with literature were expanded. I could turn to literature to act as an escape or for material to create with, or I could turn to literature to learn from it about cultures and peoples around the world. Through literature I could see another time and another place, in the world of imagination, whether fictional or real.

Caught in the Web of Literature, Or How I Came to Read (Part 1)

My first encounter with literature occurred when my parents read me bedtime stories at night before I went to sleep. One of my earliest memories is of the sound of my mother’s voice as she read the books aloud to me placing emphasis on dialog and inflection on important words. I truly enjoyed listening to my parents read to me, mostly because I liked imagining the stories before I fell asleep. The next day I would continue the stories I had imagined the night before in my daily games of imagination. I was often a princess, though I enjoyed being the type that was in disguise, hiding from the evil monster, endeavoring to save the kingdom. I usually did.

 However, there came the day when my parents decided that I should learn how to read before I entered first grade. I asked them, whatever for? I could easily understand the road signs of stop, yield, and merge, what need had I for reading? But my parents persisted. My dad created a book of words for me to study. The horrid thing was blue with pages and pages of typed words. It was the most boring book in the whole entire world. The rule was that if I agreed to read one page of the words I would be allowed to listen to a bedtime story. Now the great delight of my evening was blocked by a menace so obnoxious to my young self that I went so far as a to throw temper tantrums to stave off the impending torture. I realize now that my parents did this in love, but at the time, I swear I was tortured. And I wasn’t allowed to guess at the words. I had to read all of them, or learn them that night before I was freed to the joys of stories.

Eventually I mastered the skill of reading well enough that the blue books were left behind. I could read, and bluff my way through troublesome words so well, that future reading, such as before bedtime was left up to me. Sometimes my parents would present me with books I enjoyed reading such as Little House on the Prairie, which my dad read with me because he said it was “a little above my reading level.”  He would tuck me under the covers of my pink quilted blanket and sit on the edge of the bed. Often, my grandparents contributed books to my burgeoning library. Spoiling a little intellectual girl meant books such as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, requite with beautiful, colored pictures of dress and slippers.

Reading books as a child, I often read the book once, and moved on to another book—adventure, story, place to escape to—as quickly as I possibly could. I never wanted to read things twice and read as fast as I could. My parents often scolded me for skipping over words and names I didn’t know, refusing to stop and sound them out. But I didn’t mind, my purpose was to gather all of the stories in my head so I could use them to create my own stories in their worlds.

Poem: Friends of Another Calibur

Friends of Another Caliber

Crackling wax paper

my birth certificate states

in yellowing letters,

I was born to Ohio.

Alabama’s hot sun

scorched my back

I don’t remember

afternoons spent in serene pools.

Two states away

Texas tempestuously kept me

company through my young years

when no one else would.

With Washington I acquired

scraped knees climbing,

playing, on a fire truck.

Every little incident loomed.

I played with cool winds

whistling mountains

Colorado Rockies

the child in me laughed.

California thought to win me

with her mild climate

and sparkling ocean

of natural beauty.

Colorado claimed me again

for the longest time—ten years

brief escape visits to AZ, UT, NM,

though kept me too long.

I returned to Washington.

I won’t stay here.

Canada or Mexico? Ireland or France?

No place should think to keep me perpetually.

Review: Cultural Activities,Seattle Area

Favorite Places/Cultural Activities

In Seattle and the Eastside Areas

Theatres

The Seattle Repertory Theatre www.seattlerep.org·My favorite theatre. I have been a subscriber since 2007. They have great plays (all kinds—funny/serious/large cast, small cast/ make you think topics etc.) and great customer service. Location: the Seattle Center, Seattle

The Intiman Theatre www.intiman.org This is my second favorite theatre. I have been here a few times. The stage is a different setup than the Seattle rep and creates a different atmosphere—overall enjoyable experiences. Location: the Seattle Center, Seattle Note: they accept Prime card

Second Story Repertory Theatre www.secondstoryrep.org Luis and I have been intending to go here—it looks good. Location: Redmond Town Center, Redmond Note: they accept Prime card

ACT Theatre http://www.acttheatre.org Luis has been here, he says he wasn’t impressed, I’ve never been though, so who knows, you may like it. Location: 7^th and Union, Seattle

Museums

Seattle Art Museum seattleartmuseum.org Seattle Art Museum is internationally recognized for its excellent collection of Asian, African and Native American art and for its fine collection of modern art. They have a permanent collection as well as some rotating exhibits. Location: Seattle

Museum of Flight http://www.museumofflight.org The Museum of Flight is home to more than 85 aircraft including the supersonic Concorde and the first jet Air Force One. The Museum of Flight announced this month it will house a full-fuselage space shuttle trainer in its new state-of-the-art, 15,500-square-foot Space Gallery. The space shuttle trainer is the only one of its kind in the world and is the simulator in which every space shuttle astronaut trained for space flight. Unlike the actual shuttles, which the Museum of Flight did not get, the public will be allowed to walk inside it and actually see where the shuttle astronauts trained. Location: Seattle Note: they accept Prime card

Burke Museum of Natural History http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/ I’ve been to this museum—it’s a great natural history museum on the University of Washington Campus. You can also walk along University Way NE, which has a lot of restaurants and shops. Note: they accept Prime card

Musicals etc.

5^th Ave Theatre www.5thavenue.org The 5th Avenue Theatre is operated as a venue for nationally touring Broadway and original shows by the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre Association. The 5th Avenue Theatre has established a tradition of being a "testing ground" for new musicals before they make their debut on Broadway. I haven’t been there, but it looks awesome and I plan to go sometime. Location: Seattle Note: they accept Prime card

The Paramount Theatre http://stgpresents.org/ As of 2009, the Paramount is currently operated as a performing arts venue, serving a diverse patron base that attends Broadway theatre, concerts, dance, comedy, family engagements, silent film and jazz. It is considered to be one of the busiest theatres in the region. They musicals we’ve seen there have been good.

The Moore Theatre http://stgpresents.org/ We have been here for musical performances. It’s good! And it’s right next to Buenos Aires Grill (so you could go to dinner and a show). You should see if there are any artists you would like to see. Pretty good, somewhat less fancy than the Paramount. Location: Seattle

Seattle Opera seattleopera.org Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each. You should get a subscription and ask to always get tickets for the main cast—which is very good. The main cast will make you want to go back for more. Note: they accept Prime card

Seattle Symphony www.seattlesymphony.org The season runs from September through July. The building has the absolute best acoustics. They show traditional symphonies and cultural events such as PLAY! A Video Game Symphony—a concert series that features music from video games performed by a live orchestra.

Restaurants

Buenos Aires Grill (# 2000 2nd Ave Ste 103, Seattle) www.buenosairescuisine.com Join in on the Dance Of Culture and Cuisine! At Buenos Aires Grill, we pride ourselves in providing a romantic atmosphere to savor a variety of authentic Argentinean cuisine. Amazing food! Note: they accept Prime card

La Carta de Oaxca (# 5431 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle) http://lacartadeoaxaca.com/ Amazing food! There is usually a long wait (about an hour) and they don’t take reservations, but the food is AMAZING!

The Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant (1415 5th Ave, Seattle) elephantcastle.com This is one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle. Luis says great food, great beer, and great location.

Sushi Me (1299 156th Ave NE Ste 145, Bellevue) sushimebellevue.com Always good food and good service if you talk to the Mexican cooks, but not too fancy. Near Microsoft

Barrio (10650 NE 4th St. Bellevue) barriorestaurant.com They feature a menu that takes a unique and modern approach to Mexican inspired cuisine and complement that with cocktails that are creative, classic and Latin focused. The scene is lively as the restaurant thrives off the street energy and relaxed locale of the neighborhoods we are pleased to call our Barrio. Great food, GREAT services, you should make reservations. Very good Mexican food, judged by Luis!

Broadway Grill (314 Broadway Ave. E. Seattle, WA 98102) http://www.broadwaygrillseattle.com/ We’ve been here for breakfast, dinner and happy hour. Great food! Highly recommend House Teas: a half carafe of vodka, rum, gin, tequila, sweet-n-sour and you choose the flavor! You can also walk along Broadway; there are a lot of interesting shops in the part of Capital Hill, Seattle. Open mind necessary!

Elysian Brewing Company (1221 E. Pike St. Seattle, WA 98122) http://www.elysianbrewing.com/ Our original location, Elysian-Capitol Hill, is a 220-seat beer hall and full-service bar and restaurant. Constructed in a 1919-era Packard storage building, this location embodies the classic American brewpub feel with large exposed timbers, high ceilings, concrete floor and a full wall of brewery tanks. Great food and great beer. One of my favorites in Seattle!

Cool Places

Pike Place Market pikesplacemarket.org One of Seattle's most famous landmarks, Pike Place Market is the oldest continuously working public market in the country. This place is really cool and has a lot of shops and restaurants. The famous fishermen who throw fish are here. Location: Seattle

Can-Can thecancan.com This place is a bar/restaurant/night show. They have really good food and drinks. The shows they have are interesting circus/burlesque—go with an open mind. Location: Pike Place Market, Seattle

Seattle Aquarium www.seattleaquarium.org Located on the waterfront, next to the Omnidome, this aquarium features exotic fishes, sea mammals and other ocean life. See the sea lions, and harbor seals. Location: Seattle

IMAX Theater at the Seattle Center www.pacsci.org/imax 180 degree domed screen theater. They have movies here that are in the regular movie theaters like Sucker Punch, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. Note: they accept Prime card

Even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea: Oh Ireland, how I miss you!

Dun Aengus

Kilronan, Inishmore, Gallway, Ireland

Just playing around with WORDS

I was just playing around with words and the position they are placed in sentences in poems and how this placement affects the entire piece. Below I took one stanza of poetic writings I had (stanza 1) and it reworked in and often times reversed the order of words in a line to create and entirely different line and structure (stanza 2).

The pain of yesterday
follows quickly on the morrow.
The dew is unable to wash it away.
The rising, dawning sun cannot scorch;
it merely twists and ripples the water
leaving only traces of unfettered light.
The hum of insects permeates the air.
Gravel crunches, it sounds like broken glass.

Glass broken like sounds it crunches gravel
Air permeates the hum of insects
Light unfettered leaving traces only
Water ripples and twists it merely
Scorching. Cannot sun dawning rising
The Morrow quickly follows
Yesterday the pain of
Away it washes to dew unable to melt

What do you think? Is stanza 1 better or stanza 2? Does changing the word order, change the meaning of the stanzas or do they basically mean the same thing? Are the nuances important? Does the word by word structure have a big impact on the whole?

Recipe: Foil Dinners

This recipe comes courtesy of summer camp. Foil Dinners!!! They are pretty much the best things ever!

1. First take a good sized piece of foil and lightly coat one side with butter or cooking spray.
2. Add a layer of biscuit dough.
3. Then add whatever filling you want. The classic CYO fillings are carrots, celery, seasoned pre-cooked ground beef, and cheddar cheese.

I like to mix it up, though... use cooked chicken breasts or ground turkey, hot peppers, and pineapple.

Some people like to add tatter tots (thawed).

Oh, and no foil dinner would be complete without Johnny's Seasoning! Just make sure to keep the size manageable (no thicker than an inch and a half) and the veggies cut thin.

Once you have your ingredients packed, fold the foil up tightly and place on hot coals or bbq, or in a hot oven. Cooking times vary greatly, so just kinda guess.

Oh man, no you've got me craving for a foil dinner!!!

Poem: Fighter

Run, run, run faster!

Turn, parry, jump, dodge, stumble, fall.

Get up!

Nightmare rages behind—growling, stamping, snorting, roaring...

Monstrous

Adrenaline swoosh—rushing, swimming, floating, flying, gliding, free...

Escape!

Gravity. Pulled down, down falling, plummeting...

Wake in cold sweat.

 

Whew, Safe.

Writing Prompt: The room was…

This is my cat, Shadow and my carved pumpkin from last year.

The room was dark except for the orange glowing string of LED lights that hung from one end of the window to the other. The orange lights cast the furniture (a couch, a coffee table, two arm chairs and an end table) into shadow. Small ghost figurines on the coffee table threw orange shadows on the table because of the glowing orange string of lights. Normally they would be white. The smell of candy corn drifted from the end table and a witch’s hat lay skewed at one end of the couch. Sticky caramel goop lay in a puddle on the floor and the smell of sour apple schnapps wafted from the next room. There was a glowing pumping on the mantle placed as a center piece. Next to the pumpkin on the mantel piece sat a yellows plastic cup with an inch of flat sprite left. Next to the cup was a cheap red lighter. The orange hanging lights began to flicker giving the pumpkin a sister grin it’s carved face flashing in and out of sight. The mouse that snuck out of its hidey hole to nibble at the stocky caramel glob caught its paw n a pile of white spider web.

Writing Prompt: sad in a happy situation

Dear Diary,

Lucy got married today. I suppose I’m supposed to be happy for her. And I am. Really I am. It’s just, I never imagined her to get married so young. Not that we’re young, but I guess so soon. I didn’t expect her to get married so soon. I know we’re 22 and adults. All grown up and graduated from college and all that, but I thought I’d have a few more years with her.

I mean, come on, we’re twins! We’re supposed to be together forever. Sisters for life! But then she had to go and start dating Ryan, and then fall in love. What about our plans? And not only does she date Ryan, but she gets engaged to him. And does she listen when I tell that he’s not right for her. He’s not the one.  Oh no, she doesn’t listen at all. In fact, she goes off and decides to marry the guy. And this brings us back to today.

She asked me to be her maid of honor. And I tried. I really did. I got fitted for a dress. I bought shoes. I had my hair done. I doted on her. This morning I bought her our favorite Starbuck’s caramel macchiato, forgetting her new favorite with health conscious Ryan is those nasty skinny vanilla lattes. She smiled, said thanks, and took a sip, but I know that $4.15 of delicious caramel went down the drain the second I wasn’t looking.

Dad said during the ceremony that I looked like the dentist wanted to do a root canal. He said he hoped people would thing I was emotionally ecstatically happy for my sister. He said he hoped it was true. The happy part I mean, not the root canal part. Sure dad, sure, whatever you want.

It’s not like he has to lose his other half. Lucy and I used to be close. We were each other’s halves. When we were little girls we would dress alike just because we wanted to. We finished each other’s sentences. We did everything together; we braided each other’s hair, we were in all the same classes at school and we were on the same gymnastic steam. We even went to the same college and were both in the Liberal Arts school, though Lucy was English and I was Drama. We always knew what the other one was thinking.

Then Ryan came along. And he changed everything. I think it’s all his fault. Why did he have to come between us? What’s he to Lucy? Why did he have to take her away from me? She’s my sister. And not just that, she’s my twin. She’s my mirror. I need her.

I feel so alone now. That’s why I’m here hiding in the coat closet. I think Lucy and Ryan are opening presents now. Soon it will be time for them to leave. I hope that dad doesn’t make we wave goodbye to them. I think that would definitely be more that I can handle right now.

Lucy always told me I was too emotional anyway. She probably thinks I’m a crybaby, a basket case. Hah, but what does she know. She has Ryan now. And who do I have? Who does Lucy think I’m going to tell my Shakespearean tales of woe to—the dog? Mr. Chipper Puppy Pants is not good at midnight gossip conversation. He just chews on his rawhide bone and rolls on his back for a tummy scratch.

Opps, I hear someone at the closet door. I wonder if it’s time for them to go. I wonder who it is. Lucy?

Beware: Dock Ends, Water Ahead

This picture was taken on a trip I took to Ireland in 2006.

Review: Mad Men Season 3 Finale

Mad Men is a period television drama about the Ad Men who worked on Madison Avenue in New York in the 1960's. Mad Med airs on AMC and was the Best Drama Emmy winner for four years in a row.

While watching Mad Men season 3, in which the ad company, Sterling Cooper is sold to to a British company it seemed that the series took a deviation in focus and direction from the previous two seasons. What was missing in Season 3? I feel a main part of what was lacking in the Sterling Cooper office was the the vivacious acting of Christina Hendricks and the character of Joan Holloway. In the first two seasons, Joan is an integral part of the office at Sterling Cooper. In Season 3, she has left the office to get married and be a housewife. Luckily for us at the end of Season 3 Joan is brought back to the off-shoot office of Sterling Cooper Draper Price. The season finale of Season 3 works to redeem the entire season. No wonder they brought Joan back to the office--they needed her and she need them. Besides, the show is much stronger with Joan as a more central that peripheral character.

Writing Prompt: Describe an ordinary house hold item from the perspective of an alien. They don’t know what it is.

The creature holds up a long black string that runs from a small bag with a hard mouth on it. It is heavy. The mouth is hard like armor and the bag is soft and deflated, but feels filled with something.  (Maybe this is alive?) The creature thinks as he drops it. (But it appears dead. Or maybe it is edible…) The creature tries to eat it, but its sharp teeth find no purchase and slide off of the thing’s hard mouth and the creature spits it out. (Yuck! More likely it is a weapon.) The creature swings the bag by the string and hits the wall. The bag breaks off of the hard mouth and its contents spills everywhere. (Blegh, what is this stuff?) The creature pokes at the contents spread about. (Looks like half eaten discarded debris. Maybe it really was alive at some point… this is boring) Another creature approaches the first. (I know what to do with that!) The second creature takes the long black string and attaches it to the wall. All of a sudden, the mouth comes alive and jumps around on the floor. (Gah! It’s still alive even though it is missing its body!) The two creature move cautiously back from the jumping head. (That was not a good idea.) The first creature says to the second. (Eh.) The second creature yanks on the things tail and it dies again. (Perhaps it is best as a crude weapon, but otherwise it is simply not useful. Let’s look to see if there is something else more useful.)