Marvelous Things

Revisting Riddle 30

2010-02-18T08:53:00.003-05:00

A little while ago, my post on Riddle 30 invited a comment asking for a more literal, less poetic translation of the Riddle. I'll reproduce three texts below: the original, my first translation, and my edited/poetic translation:

Riddle 30 – Verse Indeterminate Saxon

Ic eom legbysig,__lace mid winde,
bewunden mid wuldre,__wedre gesomnad,
fus forðweges,__fyre gebysgad,
bearu blowende,__byrnende gled.

Ful oft mec gesiþas__sendað æfter hondum,
þæt mec weras ond wif__wlonce cyssað.
þonne ic mec onhæbbe,__ond hi onhnigaþ to me
monige mid miltse,__ þær ic monnum sceal
ycan upcyme__eadignesse.

Riddle 30 – Literal Translation

I am beset by flames,__ sacrifice among wind
wrapped with glory,__storm assembled
eager for departure,__fire troubled
grove blooming,__burning ember.

Very often me companions__send after hand,
that myself husband and wife__ splendid kiss
then I myself exalt__and she bends down to me,
many with mercy,__ there I mankind must
increase up-springing__ of blessedness

Riddle 30 – Creative Translation

I am beset by flames,__sacrifice among wind
wrapped with glory,__storm assembled
eager for departure,__fire-troubled
grove-blooming,__burning ember.

Very often companions__send me after hand
that myself, husband,__and splendid wife kiss
then I exalt myself__and she bends down to me.
Many with mercy,__there I for mankind must
increase up-springing__of blessedness.

The differences between my two translations are not too astronomical; they are mainly shifts in word order to modern English patterns and a bit of re-arranging. Please also note that the "__" indicates a space where the caesura happens; for some reason, Blogger eliminates the tab and makes it a space instead -- hence the "__"

For these translations, and other work I've done in Old English, two texts were my main resources:
A Guide to Old English by Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson. This is an older text, and the edition I had was organized in a really strange way, but the explanations and glossary are solid.
Introduction to Old English by Peter S. Baker. This book is much more approachable and better for the beginner. It offers clearer grammar details and its organization is much more logical.

I'm Back.

2010-01-27T15:18:00.004-05:00

So what could possibly bring me back to this neglected blog? A few things, but mostly a certain exciting announcement by Apple today.

I have been enjoying my tumblr, but it works more as an online scrapbook than actual blog. It feels off to post personal things there instead of photos or quotes, so "Marvelous Things" wins that battle.

----

Today, Apple announced its latest product, the iPad. All inappropriate jokes about the name aside, it looks relatively intriguing.

Pluses:
1. Very low price point. Even if the cheapest option at $499 has no 3G, it's still pretty impressive.
2. It can run pre-existing iPhone apps AND they don't need to be re-purchased.
3. Accessories available include a full keyboard and stand, which would be essential.

Cons:
1. Too small and too square. It doesn't even run widescreen video!
2. Unless you're using a stand/dock, it seems really awkward to hold, especially for typing. The angle would be wonky if it was place on a flat surface and typing on your lap, especially while in a car or a train, would be clumsy as well.

Now, the kicker: will this replace the Kindle? It does read books, and very elegantly. The page-turning action is quite nice. Still, it loses in the eBook reader world in one major respect: it's an LCD, not an eink screen. Therefore, it won't work well in the sunlight and it will tire out your eyes after a while. In addition, it looks like the price point for new books will be $12.99-$14.99, versus Amazon's general under-$9.99 price point.

Giles isn't going anywhere. Besides my enjoyment of the device's UI, I've already invested in books from Amazon (though I do get the majority of my books for free, since a lot of them are classics or just public domain). It would take a lot more from Apple to make me switch eReaders. The iPad seems fine for a more casual reader, but it is not a great device for those who intend to do a LOT of electronic reading.

I can't get over how great it is to use the Kindle for both pleasure/free-time reading and assignments for class. Here is its current state, by the way -- I acquired a skin to improve the pasty white border:

and this is the lovely Oberon cover I got for Christmas:

I will be curious to follow the iPad's progress and see how many Apple actually sells. For now, I won't be investing.

As If I'm Not Hipster-y Enough Already....

2009-10-17T14:26:00.002-05:00

OK folks, the show is changing venues. Please visit my all-new, all-singing, all-dancing tumblr for blogging goodness!

CLICK HERE

But Where Are The Pages? Some Thoughts on the Kindle & the Impending Apocalypse

2009-08-05T18:25:00.008-05:00

This is my Kindle. Its name is Giles (yes, named after that Giles).

First, a bit of background information. I have loved books for the majority of my life (ever since I muddled out how the alphabet worked at a young age). I have read ebooks for about five years now, off-and-on. The platforms on which I have read ebooks are the Palm Zire 71 (what a great PDA that was!), my computer, and this summer, my iPod Touch. None of those reading experiences are comparable to the Kindle, as I will explain.

Most people have one of two reactions to the Kindle: 1) That's amazing! How cool! OR 2) What have you done and why do you want to invoke the end times? There's a sense of outrage, as if by purchasing a dedicated ebook reader, I wish to burn the rain forest and oh yeah, burn the Library of Alexandria again. That is errant nonsense. My commitment to the written word (no matter the manifestation) is why I purchased a Kindle. How can I resist a device that allows me to carry a library wherever I go?

Reading on a Kindle is neither like reading on a computer nor on a PDA. Computers and PDAs and iPhones are light-emitting devices; read on one for a while and then experience that fabulous sinus-shattering feeling from staring at a screen too long. The Kindle's display is electronic ink: that's why it works beautifully in direct sunlight and why reading it at night requires a light source. There's no glare, no dim reflection of your face (and glasses) on the screen. In short, it looks just like paper.

But neither is it like reading the fancy, leather-bound edition of your favourite book. The Kindle doesn't have gilded edges or a ribbon bookmark or a hand-cut bookplate in the front with your name on it. It does have the magic of always remembering your place in the book; the convenience of a built-in dictionary; the charming screensaver images of famous authors and the occasional woodcut or medieval manuscript image when the screen goes to sleep; and the ease of downloading books wirelessly from the internet.

One of the delights about the Kindle is that is does only one thing well: reading. The web browser is amusing to use, as if an abacus had ambitions to become a TI-83 Plus. It's fine for a quick Wikipedia search, but I'd much rather browse the web from my iPod or laptop. The best function on the Kindle is reading itself, not mobile web browsing, but the act of turning (electronic) pages. Such simplicity encourages healthy, productive unitasking, as others have noted. If the web browser were better, I would be tempted to go back and forth from email to books to blogs to websites. As it is, I easily become engrossed whatever text I am reading.

Not everyone loves the Kindle. That's fine with me. And I have my own issues with the device, above all the utter lack of shelves or folders to organize books. However, for now, it's an amazing solution that allows me to carry many books with me everywhere, and that's a wonder to behold.

Something New And Different: The Decemberists concert 06.03.09

2009-06-05T14:53:00.004-05:00

Longtime readers of my blog (hello, immediate family!) will remember that I saw The Decemberists in concert two years ago at the Tabernacle and had an amazing time. When I learned that they were coming back to the Tabernacle this summer, I looked into attending but was set back by the steep price. Due to some lucky circumstances and the intervention of Fate on Wednesday, I was able to attend the concert and had a marvelous time!

Blind Pilot opened the show; I wasn't previously familiar with their work but really enjoyed their set. Unlike the opening act from 2007, the crowd gave them a warm welcome and appreciated their music, rather than booing them offstage.

The main show was very different from the 2007 concert, largely because the setlist was the entirety of The Hazards of Love, their most recent album. I wasn't sure how well this would come off since most audiences are used to a mix of old and new tracks, not an entire new playlist of songs. Well. The Decemberists were joined by Becky Stark as Margaret and Shara Worden as the evil queen, and these ladies did not just sing: they acted their parts with dramatic gestures and costuming. Shara Worden in particular, clad in a short, steel-grey sequined dress, stole everyone's attention each time she swaggered to the front of the stage and belted her lines. Becky Stark set a beautiful contrast, swaying like a fairy princess as she sang of her love for William.

[Becky Stark as Margaret]

After the epic Hazards of Love, the band retreated, leaving the audience to wait hopefully for an encore. It was a long while before the band came back out (this time without Becky or Shara), about 25 minutes. That's not much of a wait unless you are dehydrated (should've stuck a Nalgene in my bag!) and sweaty (yes, I was back in the general admission, standing-only section). In any event, they came back out and did a 10-song encore. I was blown away, since I expected 4 songs, maybe 5 if we were lucky. Here they hit some classic favourites and more recent releases like "The Raincoat Song."

Overall score: 9.8

Setlist -- The Hazards of Love:
Prelude
The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
A Bower Scene
Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
The Queen's Approach
Isn't it a Lovely Night?
The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
An Interlude
The Rake's Song
The Abduction of Margaret
The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
Annan Water
Margaret in Captivity
The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)
The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

Encore:
Shiny
July, July
The Bachelor and the Bride
Engine Driver
Shankill Butchers
16 Military Wives (with audience participation)
Dracula's Daughter (a.k.a. the worst song Colin Meloy has ever written, as he explained)
O Valencia!
Crazy on You (awesome 80s cover)
The Raincoat Song
A Cautionary Song

OK Fine!

2009-05-20T18:48:00.003-05:00

Alrighty, insert standard "sorry I was away" apologies here.

What have I been up to? Let me count the things:

1. I said goodbye to my host family and many dear friends in Tours and Paris. It was very difficult to say goodbye since I have no idea when I will be in France again. The year was incredible and life-changing in ways that transcend all my cliches. I didn't end up writing any "what I will miss in France" entries because I was afraid that I would collapse into a puddle of pitiful emo child, completely unable to make it through to my flight home.

2. I came back home and stayed up for basically 24 hours with no caffeine, fueled by adrenaline at seeing my beloved Davidson family.

3. Being reunited with my parents and siblings (and then my grandparents, a special plus!) was wonderful. Eight months is a long time to be away!

4. My brother, coxswain extraordinaire, had a competition in Oak Ridge the first weekend after I returned home. I was delighted to see the Lightweight Eight take first place!

5. After a little over a week back in the States, I began my summer internship at Paste Magazine. I have loved Paste for four years now, so when I received the offer (after applying in January), I was quite excited about starting out! It has been awesome so far, with a brilliant set of winterns showing the new skinterns the ropes. Words cannot express how thrilled I am to be working there now.

And there you have 5 ever-fascinating things about my life recently.

Travelling, Treking, On ze road again

2009-04-17T01:01:00.003-05:00

Today I'm leaving for Paris. Then I'm going to Corsica. Then I'm heading back to Paris. Then I'm coming back to Tours. Then I'm returning to Paris. Then I'm flying to the USofA!

So! During the approximately two weeks in Corsica-Paris-Corsica, I will have limited web or email access, so don't be hopeful for a sudden, miraculous surge of blogging. However, thanks to the magic of Twitter, I can microblog! It's on the sidebar but for those of you who are not sure how the scroll function works on your computer, here is the URL:

http://twitter.com/sparrowlight

Happy microblog reading...

Won’t Want for Rock: A Review of the Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love [2009]

2009-04-13T09:32:00.005-05:00

I decided to share my recent review of my favourite band's latest release, soon to be published in the Davidson Reader.

In the middle of the Decemberists’ fourth full-length release, The Hazards of Love, the song “An Interlude” provides one minute and forty seconds of quiet, instrumental relief. It’s a necessary pause in an album that barely lets up on pounding guitars and intense vocals. With The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists leave their well-trodden, comfortable territory of sprightly indie pop and enter the darker rock land that they explored with their 2004 EP, The Tain.
Like The Tain, The Hazards of Love is a tightly-wound concept album, centered around the much-wronged character Margaret. Listeners familiar with lead singer Colin Meloy’s distinctive elocution may find the presence of two female guest singers, Becky Stark as Margaret and Shara Worden (from My Brightest Diamond) as the evil queen, jarring at first. However, these female vocals mesh neatly with Colin’s and provide a rich avenue for the complex and morbid lyrics.
“Prelude” opens the album with nearly a full minute of silence; a deep resonance gradually awakens with a threatening atmosphere reminiscent of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Soon the track cuts seamlessly into “The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)” as Margaret’s tale of woe begins. There are three encores of the main “The Hazards of Love” theme as the album continues.
The advance single for the album was “The Rake’s Song,” about a murderous young father, easily the creepiest song on The Hazards of Love. His victims make a re-appearance in “The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge)” as a bone-chilling children’s chorus join the already expanded ranks of vocalists. The album’s longest track is “The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid,” but this is no “California One / Youth and Beauty Brigade.” Instead, Colin and Shara take turns in a duet of debts and desire.
Still, The Hazards of Love is not a release to be sampled in morsels; it is intended to be a complete experience for listening from beginning to end. Tellingly, the Decemberists played the entirety of the album during their concert at SXSW; unlike most concerts where artists play a mix of new songs from the latest release and some old favorites, this one featured solely the tracklisting straight from the album. Only after an encore did Colin play two older songs. Just as that audience in the concert experienced, taking in the music during one fell swoop is the best way to appreciate The Hazards of Love.

My Window Is Open

2009-04-11T02:58:00.005-05:00

Erm.

Sorry for the long pause in blogging! I have not been sitting idle, I promise. What have I been doing? Well -- traveling to Berlin, Lyon, cycling to Villandry, and re-discovering Normandy, for starters. Also, wrapping up my semester and preparing to return to the U.S. (!) in less than a month. I have loved my year abroad (lack of blogging updates notwithstanding) but still miss my friends and family.

I've also discovered Twitter (see side bar for the link). Now, I was always one of those people who thought Twitter was strange and faddish, but then I saw the error of my ways. It was my sister who piqued my interest in joining that group. However, I still refuse to use the words "twitterverse" and "tweet" (urgh) since they just sound horrid.

It's strange to request post topics, but is there something I should blog about? The parts of France I love and the parts that are "challenging"? The joys of public gardens and amorous teenagers? The amusement of badly-dubbed television? Tell me.

BBC Meme

2009-02-28T05:43:00.002-05:00

Oh memes. I usually ignore them, but this one was too fun (got a link to it via Facebook). It's a booklist, ostensibly from the BBC, though I have my doubts.

"The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Add a '- ' to the ones you HATE.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

I'm also going to put an * by the ones I plan to read.

Then tag however many people you want and read their responses:

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x +
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien x +
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x +
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling x +
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x +
6 The Bible x +
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x +
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman x
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens x
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller x -
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (some, not all of them) x +
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier x+
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x+
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger x +
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger x +
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot *
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams x +
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh x +
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis x +
34 Emma - Jane Austen x +
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen x +
36 The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne x
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery x
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood x +
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding x
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan *
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel x -
52 Dune - Frank Herbert x
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons *
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x +
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens *
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley x
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck x
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt x
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas x
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac *
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding x
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker x
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x +
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt *
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad x
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery x +
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams x
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas *
98 Beloved - Toni Morrison
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo x +

Total read: 49

OK. This list looks rather uneven to me. What is The Five People You Meet in Heaven doing next to Sherlock Holmes? I'm getting flashbacks to the Humanities curriculum, which seemed to think five female authors sufficient for a two-year study of literature and history. Anyway. I do have a quite a few classics to read still!

And now, a musical interlude

2009-02-03T11:08:00.004-05:00

I have been enjoying my Paste VIP Winter DVD Sampler. The musics videos have been a delight (with a few mediocre numbers -- Matt Costa, I'm talking to you) and I thought I'd share two favourites below. Both song titles start with "How" which is coincidental.

First, one from Greg Laswell:

And then a delightful ditty from The Watson Twins:

Enjoy!

Getting Things Done

2009-01-28T05:25:00.005-05:00

I've previously mentioned the Getting Things Done system, but it deserves another shout-out. It truly made a revolutionary difference on how I look at tasks and projects. I was never a big to-do list person (though I did enjoy writing things down after they were done so I could still check them off) but since reading GTD, I am convinced of their value when used correctly.

After doing the "index cards held by a binder clip" system for a while (known on the street as a Hipster PDA), I decided to kick things up a notch (but affordably!). With a little postcard taping and fancy writing, I put together a spanking-new system that I quite like. I tried having little tabs to demark each section at the top, but found that they simply got too mangled in my bag and it looked messy (and I am never messy...never) so I just took them out.

Studies

2009-01-28T04:07:00.004-05:00

St. Joan of Arc has fascinated me since primary school; she is one of the original female warrior figures, before superheros were invented and before Tolkien wrote about Eowyn and her prowess on the battlefield. Besides her obvious courage in war and perseverance, I've always been inspired by her determination and resolve as a young woman, though she was considered simple and uneducated by those around her.

Now that I am in her homeland, I will be doing an independent study this semester about her life and work, which I will chronicle at Jeanne la Pucelle. If anyone has recommendations on good Joan-related books that I ought to read, I would love to hear about it.

Live from Paris (well, sort of live)

2009-01-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

So, the long-awaited parental visit to Paris was awesome.

Those of you who keep up with Parisian weather reports (don't try to pretend you don't...) may have read that Paris had a "tempest" on Friday. Yes, we were there.

Photos are here, with more on the way.

Knitwear That I Didn't Make Myself

2009-01-11T10:24:00.002-05:00

I found a sweater! Then I blogged about it.

Anticipation

2009-01-06T12:46:00.003-05:00

One of the elements of the Getting Things Done productivity system is the "Waiting For" list. It's not complicated; it's simply a list of what you are waiting for from other people. The knowledge that you are waiting for someone else before a task can be completed can be vital; but if you forget about the task while you're waiting for a response, then you've dropped the ball.

The "Waiting For" list can also be a place for more exciting items, like packages of books (I speak hypothetically) or upcoming albums from one's favourite artists.

Anticipation is a lovely, elusive thing (I will avoid copying Emily Dickinson and will therefore not call it "a thing with feathers"). My parents' phrase was always "delayed gratification," which still holds much merit. Saving a new book for a trip, or having only one square of chocolate a day instead of an entire bar of Green & Black, or saving a special tea for an afternoon with a friend -- the enjoyment may not be immediate, but then one has a double-savouring of thinking about the event and then the event itself.

In less than two weeks, one of my major "Waiting For" items will come to pass. It's not written on any index cards; I don't need any memory aids for this one. There is not a chance that I could forget. It's been in the forefront of my mind since I arrived in France. And I cannot wait until January 17th.

The View From My Window

2009-01-05T02:57:00.002-05:00

'Tis most glorious!

New Year, New Pictures

2009-01-04T16:53:00.006-05:00

Ah, the first post of 2009! How very exciting. I have great hopes for 2009 to be a most excellent year.

I've been keeping busy during the holidays with trips hither and yon and much time spent knitting. There are many new photos up on Flickr from Brussels, Brugge, Amsterdam, Villers Abbey, and the continuous production of knitted items.

The new semester will start in a few days and then I'll back in the swing of things. I do plan on taking more pictures of Tours, though, as I've not posted many pictures of the city itself (besides the Loire, of course). The Cathedral is absolutely lovely, so perhaps I will do a little photoshoot around there.

In other news, I've become enthralled by GoodReads. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a book website that allows you to list books that you have read, hope to read, or are currently reading. It's a bit shameful to see just how many books I have in the works right now, but also extremely handy since I am always reading about new books to try. It's a convenient place to keep the future books list, and it's fun to see what other people are currently reading.

Riddle Contest Winner!

2008-12-28T09:06:00.003-05:00

I greatly enjoyed reading the responses of riddle ideas! It was particularly fun to read extensive explanations and confessions of using an Anglo-Saxon dictionary online to try a first-hand translation for clues.

Overall, there were four people who submitted solutions, and ten solutions overall (Moriah, you get full credit for the most solutions submitted!) but only one could be the winner.

The solution that I found most adequate in answering the riddle and most beautifully expressed also happened to be very close to the official answer, so that made for a pleasant coincidence. The official answer is the Vehicle of the Cross. The winning answer, submitted by Ms. Suzanne Brennan, is an oak tree.

Suzanne's explanation develops the connection between her answer and the canonical answer. Here is the bulk of what she wrote (edited only slightly):

It's talking about the oak tree. They are majestic, beset by gloriously colored flame-leaves in fall, that are sacrificed among the wind but wrapped in pigmented splendor. Storm assembled.. they gather together after a storm/they are arranged in no particular order among the arms of the tree, but messily placed and easily detached. Perishable, they may go up in actual flames, flower in a cool groove with blossoms, or remain as the last evidence of a warm fire.

Now it gets more metaphorical: oak trees often grow together, have long lives, become like companions in their wise old age. The oak trees are personified and become more than just companions [...] what I gather is that the suggestions of "mercy" and "blessedness" refer back to the importance of trees in Anglo-Saxon society [...] It seems that they held trees, especially a "tree of life" reference in high regard. So we get: trees are integral to society, and this is a union of Christian love, majestic like the oak, and giving. The companion nature of their love. Now, "send me after hand" - is their a piece carved from their wood? a cross? that husband and wife kiss? I think this because it is a tradition in the Roman Catholic church to bend down/kneel before a plain wooden cross and kiss it, every year on Good Friday. To acknowledge the Sacrifice. I can't think of an awesome way to resolve this, just that it is talking about a tree - love of companions - love of Christians - the Ultimate Love.

Well done Suzanne! Please email me a reliable post location where I can send your prize.

Thanks again to all the entrants! Once I get fully marinated in Latin, perhaps we can do something similar with a riddle or aphorism.

Riddle 30: What a Conundrum

2008-12-21T15:56:00.007-05:00

Constellations are a fascinating idea: take five or so stars, imagine some lines, and then announce that you've discovered the shape of a dipper or a bear in the sky. Sometimes the conclusions are rather unlikely, but charming once you can make them out.

That's how I feel about the Old English riddles in the Exeter Book. They are lovely, of course (if you like Old English), but the solutions sometimes seem a bit of a stretch. The descriptions can be hazy at best, with no clear answer.

When I took a linguistics course and we did a far too short segment on the history of English, we had the option to recite Old English or translate a riddle. I took as my object Riddle 30, translated it very literally, and then smoothed it out for a clearer modern English version.

Here's the kicker. I have no idea what the solution to this riddle is. Once upon a time, I looked up a scholarly opinion, disagreed with it, and promptly forget the official answer. So, I am starting the first ever contest on Marvelous Things. Whoever provides the most amusing and what I deem the most fitting answer to the Riddle will win a fantastic (yet to be determined) prize. Please don't be lame and try to Google the correct answer; be creative and come up with something. I promise it will be well worth your while. The contest will run for one week.

Please note that the formatting on the riddles below is rather odd; the underscoring between each half of the line is to prevent Blogger from absorbing the space between the characters. The autoformatting eats the caesura (the break in the middle) so the underscoring acts as a buffer. Normally, these riddles would have about a tab's worth of space between the two halves.

First of all, the original riddle in Old English, verse Indeterminate Saxon:

Ic eom legbysig, ___ lace mid winde,
bewunden mid wuldre, ___ wedre gesomnad,
fus forðweges, ___ fyre gebysgad,
bearu blowende, ___ byrnende gled.

Ful oft mec gesiþas ___ sendað æfter hondum,
þæt mec weras ond wif ___ wlonce cyssað.
þonne ic mec onhæbbe, ___ ond hi onhnigaþ to me
monige mid miltse, ___ þær ic monnum sceal
ycan upcyme ___ eadignesse.

My translation:

I am beset by flames, ___ sacrifice among wind
wrapped with glory, ___ storm-assembled
eager for departure, ___ fire-troubled
grove-blooming, ___ burning ember.

Very often companions ___ send me after hand
that myself, husband, ___ and splendid wife kiss
then I exalt myself ___ and she bends down to me.
Many with mercy, ___ there I for mankind must
increase up-springing ___ of blessedness.

Mesdames et messieurs, I await your responses.

ETA: I've published a new post about Old English and this Riddle which includes my first, literal translation.

Hear That Sound?

2008-12-11T06:28:00.002-05:00

Yep, all around the world (or at least schools with semestrial schedules), students are huddling in corners with books, coffee, and fevered expressions.

I'm no exception, though I have the benefit of loose-leaf black tea and a pleasant study space. Still, it's crunch time, so original blog content may not be forthcoming. Even so, inspired as I now am by the discovery of some amazing new blogs, I may be posting a little work that I did last year. We'll see.

Amazing.

2008-12-10T03:29:00.002-05:00

This is why I love English nerds. No, really. You must experience the greatness.

Now back to your regularly scheduled studying.

Sprouting Up All Over

2008-12-08T04:13:00.003-05:00

When I was in grade school, I once slept over at a friend's house (not an uncommon occurrence among the elementary schoolgirl set). We discussed our plans for our Halloween costumes and she informed me that she was dressing up as a "hippie." I had never heard the term before (in my mind I saw the word spelled as "hippy," for one thing) and assumed it was some sort of medical joke about pelvic dimensions.

Somewhere along the line I learned that hippies were part of a 1960s counter-cultural movement that involved odd clothing, free love, and rampant drug use. Along with their political mobilization and brain-killing ingestion of various substances, they were also in natural living and commune-style arrangements. All this is vastly generalized, of course, but that is the gist.

Now it's trendy to be green, to promote environmentally-friendly policies, to invest in solar panels and hybrid cars. While I'm all for stewardship of the earth, I also enjoy the humour of mocking the hardcore sort of crunchy granola types. I like being barefoot, but I do wear shoes 90% of the time. I like knitting and sewing, but I don't have my own organic cotton fields in my backyard.

So while I do embrace some natural living related ideas, like bringing my own bag to the grocery store and using dishrags instead of paper towels, I consider myself fairly sane when it comes being earth-friendly.

Then I fell prey to a new hobby that is both economical and healthy, but possibly slightly insane.

I've started growing sprouts in my bedroom in a glass jar. I'm growing plants in my room and I like it. I was wary about growing sprouts...wouldn't wet seeds or beans in a jar just grow mold and start smelling nasty? However, after Internet research, I decided it was worth a shot.

Here is my first crop of chickpeas!

They grew for three days and then I stuck them in the fridge. You can eat the sprouts raw or cooked. Raw, they are funkier than normal cooked chickpeas (basically, not as soft), but still tasty.

I've just started a new crop of mung beans. Should be interesting to see how it turns out!

Harry Potter Lives On Forever

2008-12-05T08:18:00.004-05:00

NB: This post is dedicated to my younger siblings, who share in my joy for this series. I love you both!

It's not hard to figure out via context clues and my obsessive ramblings, that I adore the Harry Potter books. Not everyone understand this, which I can appreciate. Still, there are many that shared my sadness when the series concluded a little over a year ago.

So, when J.K. Rowling announced the publication of a new book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard (which figured prominently in the last book of the series), I was among those rejoicing. But wait! I'm abroad! How will I ever find this lovely text in this strange and foreign land?

Fear not! A few weeks ago I read in the promotional newsletter for my favourite bookstore, La Boîte à Livres (the box of boxes) that I could expect to see Les Contes de Beedle le Barde very soon! Therefore, I went and obtained my very own copy today. I haven't started reading it yet -- I am going to try to really stretch it out.

Here is the lovely cover:

I adore the design and layout -- old-school is the way to go. J.K. Rowling did the illustrations inside as well, but I am not photographing those because everyone should go find a copy in a local bookstore to enjoy the surprise.

Of course, I am very excited about eventually getting the English version too and comparing the two editions. In reading the original series in French, I pick up on slight translational liberties.

A Sewing Haiku

2008-11-23T15:07:00.002-05:00

stitch by quiet stitch
the cuffs are made to order
for my princess coat

For pictures of the finished coat and more details, please visit the post at my all-new blog on clothing and costumes.

Tim Burton + Alice = love

2008-11-19T07:02:00.002-05:00

Speaking of coats...check out the blue one Alice is sporting in these new set pics from Tim Burton's upcoming film of Alice in Wonderland (which should be, obviously, spectacular in every sense of the word). And now I wish I had long curly hair...but alas.

Snapshots: a review of Richard III

2008-11-15T07:06:00.003-05:00

When I told my family that I was going to see Richard III, my dad remarked that he thought the play would be in French. I was quick to dissuade him of that idea; after all, The Merry Wives of Windsor production that I saw in Belgium four years ago was in English.

Tuesday night, I arrived at the Nouvel Olympia ready to enjoy an evening of beautiful Shakespearian English. An usher handed me a programme and my eyes fell immediately on the words: "traduction Jean-Michel Deprats." In a very un-French moment, I laughed out loud and shook my head. This was the first surprise of the evening, but not the last.

After taking my seat (in almost the last row of the very full audience), I prepared to hear the famous lines "Now is the winter of our discontent..." (but in French, of course). Before the play began, however, I was able to examine the stage layout. It consisted of two elevated floors, one upstage and one downstage, separated by a space of approximately 9 feet. The floors were both higher up in the upper-left-hand corner, and then sloped to a lower elevation at the lower-right-hand corner. A narrow bridge, perhaps five feet wide, connected the two floors near the right-hand wing. In between the floors, in the space underneath, a small area with slats like a cloister could be seen.

At last the lights went down. Soon the sounds of a battle could be heard, and then a grainy video of a battle scene (stylized and animated) flashed onto each of the floors. The introduction before Richard entered served as a good predictor for the rest of the play, as video and music were both frequently used during the production -- often in scene transitions, but sometimes during scenes as well.

After a few minutes of the video, Richard (played by David Ayala) came out on stage, swaggering, flask in hand. He did not have the famous hunchback, but instead various medical accessories like a knee brace, a wrist brace, and ugly scars on his arm. Outfitted in a leather jacket and a sneer, he appeared more motorcycle hoodlum than royal prince. His acting was impeccable thoughout the entire play (three and a half hours, including a brief intermission), matched only by Buckingham (Alex Selmane). Those two schemed, plotted, and slaughterd their way through the play.

While the acting could not have been better, the post-modern use of props, video, and music could be a bit disconcerting at times. Richard used his cell phone to take pictures of his court frequently, and at each execution, his henchmen took photos of the victims. The picture of the victim then flashed across the floors, an image of death. While the idea of Richard and others taking photos provided some much-needed comic relief, it felt over-used by the end, as did the nearly incessant string music. Occasionally it seemed that the use of violin, for example, served a deliberate attempt to increase suspense where suspense and horror already existed.

The sparse set-up of the stage -- which had only one piece of furniture, a reclining chair that served as a throne -- was similar to the costuming, which focused on dark and somber garments. All three female leads wore floor-length dresses, mostly in grey or black (with the exception of Lady Anne and Queen Elizabeth's celebratory dresses). While the female costumes were old-fashioned aesthically, the rest of the cast dressed in fairly modern clothing, including contemporary military uniforms for Richard's armed forces.

The most sensorily overwhelming scene came at the end, right before the final battle (in this production, only two people were on stage during that battle: Richard and the man who killed him). In this second-to-last scene, Richard lay writhing on one of the floors of the stage, clearly thinking of what he had done, while Lady Anne and the two sons of Edward IV came onstage, wearing white garments stained with blood, while a creepy, mournful choir-sung song came over the speakers, as a film montage of Richard's victims drifted over the floors.

As for the translation, it was definitely in modern French, not a French version of Elizabethan English (which was all for the best, I'm sure). I found it fairly easy to understand; it was harder to keep the characters straight as many of them dressed alike and I'd found the synopsis of this play somewhat hard to follow as well.

I'd give this play 4 out of 5 stars, with the star lost for overdone post-modern machinations. Judging from the commentary of the French people sitting around me, they would probably give the play 4.5 out of 5 (no perfect score is possible in France).

Two interesting cultural notes: firstly, no one seemed irritated when I had scooch past them to get to my seat -- no eye-rolling, no sighing, just "Je vous en prie" when I murmured "Pardon, merci." Secondly, while the cast received tumultuous applause (and a "Brava!" from a woman seated behind me) and came forward to bow at least four times, it was not a standing ovation. Standing ovations are de rigeur in the States; if a production, be it a play or symphony, is good, then the patrons generally give the performers a standing ovation. I think here standing ovations are reserved for the truly extraordinary. That is not to say that the play wasn't excellent, or that the audience didn't like it, but rather that a standing ovation is not something that every performance warrants.

The Bard and Me

2008-11-11T04:01:00.003-05:00

Shakespeare and I have enjoyed a long and happy relationship during my life. Spending much of my primary education at a school that required students to read a play every year guaranteed plenty of exposure to his work, and an obsession with words guaranteed an instant attraction. While reading Julius Casear in seventh grade may have been a bit dull, most of my experiences with Shakespeare have been positive.

I love to read Shakespeare, but I love to see it performed even more. Films can be brilliant and delightful (example: the 1993 version of Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh) but there's nothing like seeing it live.

Tonight I am going to a local theater to see Richard III, a play I have never read, seen in film, or seen performed. Naturally, I am very excited. I also thought it would be interesting to recount the times that I have seen Shakespeare performed.

The first Shakespeare play I ever saw performed was Romeo and Juliet. As in many, many other high schools, all the freshman at my high school read this and then went to Atlanta's excellent Shakespeare Tavern to see the play. While I'm not much of a fan of Romeo and Juliet these days (too much melodrama), the performance we saw was brilliant. Even setting aside the authentic decor and Cornish pasties, the production astounded me. A particularly notable feature of the production was the formidable Mercutio, who brought the audience to tears of laughter until his untimely death.

When my dad and I took our amazing trip to Chicago, we saw King Lear at the Chicago Shakespeare Tavern on Navy Pier. We were in the balcony, where we could look down and observe all the action (not only the play itself, but also the beggars in period dress wandering the aisles before the play began) and all the horrible betrayal. For those who haven't read it, King Lear is a pretty grim play. Even so, it mesmerized me so much that I cried at the end (and I'm not usually one to cry at plays or movies). This theater was modern, but more peninsula shaped, so the action was surrounded on three sides by the audience. I remember being amazed at the scene when it rained as well, for there was not only rain, but the stage itself re-assembled to form a cliff.

Four years ago from last summer, I was in Belgium staying with family friends. One of the cultural events I enjoyed during those weeks was a performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor held at the grounds of a 13th century castle. Not only was the performance at a castle, but it was also free and held in the round outside. There were scenes set up all around the audience, who sat on the ground or in lawn chairs. At each scene change, we had to re-orientate our seats to face the action again. Unlike King Lear, the Merry Wives is a rollicking comedy, with no eyes being gouged out or hangings, so it was one cheery laugh all around.

The next Shakespeare play I saw was more obscure one, Love's Labours Lost. This performance was also outside, on the lawn of an old house in Roswell. The cast was composed of both actors from a professional troop and high school students, some of whom I already knew. While this play has fallen into relative obscurity, I cannot guess, because it has some of the best witty banter I've ever heard.

One of the (many) things that drew me to Davidson was the residency with the Royal Shakespeare Company. How can I resist the idea of a British acting troupe (and the most prestigious, at that) spending a month on campus and providing brilliant plays? During my freshman year, they came to campus and performed three plays, two of which were from Shakespeare: The Winter's Tale and Pericles. Because the RSC can't leave well enough alone (only joking, as these performances were incredible), both productions were done in promenade, where the audience is also on stage and interacts with the cast. This is slightly terrifying but thrilling at the same time. I prefered The Winter's Tale (not only because of the bear) but because of Kate Fleetwood's brilliant performance as Hermione (she was most recently seen as Lady Macbeth in Patrick Stewart's Macbeth).

Now, after tonight, I will have another review to write for Richard III. But six plays so far isn't too shabby.

Aubergine

2008-11-10T04:16:00.006-05:00

When I was growing up, my mom never served eggplant. I always assumed it fell into the category of "too horrible to inflict upon children" which also includes brussel sprouts and lima beans (which were also never served in our house. Perhaps it's fitting that I discovered around the same time that both eggplant and brussel sprouts are delicious. As for lima beans, I am not yet convinced.

One of the main reasons that eggplant fails to inspire as much enthusiasm as chocolate or bread or something equally delectable is its name. Eggplant? That hardly conjures up images of something tasty...instead, some kind of horrible hybrid between an egg and a plant.

I'm convinced that if eggplant was consistenly referred to by its French name, aubergine, then the world would be a better, happier place, filled with more people eating eggplant. It's impossible to not enjoy saying aubergine. Just try it: ohhh--behhhr--geeeennnnnneeee. Such fun!

One of the apppealing parts of an aubergine (no, not the seeds) is its rich, deep colour. I have never really worn purple. It can be a little too abrupt for my tastes, and it brings back memories of tacky dress-up sets (not at our house, naturally, since nearly all our costumes were cut-down versions of formal gowns and real historical costumes). But I find the luscious dark colour of an aubergine to be perfectly lovely.

Perhaps its not surprising, then, what happened to me in Paris during September. I was walking around with a few other girls from the group before our afternoon tea on the Champs-Elysees and we entered a trendy clothing store, Naf Naf. It did not appeal to me right away, as "naf" is British slang for ugly. Then I strolled toward the back of the store and came across a beautiful coat, waiting on the hanger.

Another point about my long-past childhood: I'd always wanted an elegant coat (sometimes refered to as a Samantha coat, a reference to the American Girl doll) but Boston weather required intense snow gear, and fancy coats were not "practical" for Georgia weather. I did receive a very classy peacoat a few years ago for Christmas, but I'd left it at home to conserve space for packing.

Here it was, a princess coat. It had a mandarin collar, a empire waist, pleats at the back, double-breasted button placement, a long skirt, and pockets, so it fulfilled my requirements and then some (a winter coat without pockets is pointless). But I hadn't planned on buying a coat at that point in the semester, so I left it in Naf Naf and went to tea, where I proceeded to talk up the coat. When the others heard how much it cost, they laughed and told me I had to purchase it. So I did. It's been great already, as we've had some very cold days.

Unfortunately, the colour does not show up very well (and my room isn't arranged like a studio, with great lighting, which does not help). But this should give an idea of its overall look.

However, I can't leave well enough alone. As the coat is from a major store, I have seen other girls around town in it as well (I hold no trademark on this coat, alas). So I decided to embellish it a bit, but in a non-permanent way, so that I can change it next year if I like. That ruled out embroidering Russian nesting dolls on the sleeves. Therefore, I found a most delightful little antique shop that had old lace and ribbons where I found some Valenciennes lace and light green silk velvet ribbon. I'm going to add them as cuffs onto the sleeves, just tacking them on for easy removal. Here, I have set the ribbon and the lace against the shoulder, so you can see how the colours all work together.

The main issue with this project is that I have to complete it almost all at one time, since I'm not keen on leaving the house in a coat with pins still in the sleeve (not that I've never done that by accident). But I'm looking forward to making this garment even more like Sara Crewe's second-best coat.

NaNoWriMo...Second time's the charm

2008-11-03T05:49:00.003-05:00

The particularly observant among you may notice the new widget on the right-hand sidebar. Yes, it is a badge for NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as "National Novel Writing Month."

Yes, I attempted this last year with no success (no link to that post since it will just be too disheartening). I haven't even dug up that shell of a manuscript since it will probably depress me with its mediocrity.

Happily, I was struck by the Muses during one of my Loire walks with what I think is a pretty nifty idea for a story. It's somewhat fantasy, somewhat gothic fright, which is a good combination in my mind. I'm still in the new beginning excitement of writing, however, so I may need some encouragement and/or additional neurons to actually finish this book.

Flickr Update

2008-11-01T05:03:00.003-05:00

Greetings! Just wanted to point out that I've done a massive re-haul of my Flickr organization to make it easier to look at things. Now I've got organized collections on the right-hand side bar, which takes you to various sets. It's pretty self-explanatory, but for example, you can go to "Travels" on the right and then you have the option to go to "France 08-09" where you can see all the photos from this trip.

Hopefully that will make navigation easier. Recent uploads include pics from Arromanches, the debarquement beaches, Pointe du Hoc, Saint Malo, and Mont St. Michel. I've also added some pics of my current (embroidery) project and some pictures from last summer when I had finished sewing the canvas corset.

You can click on the Flickr badge in the right-hand side bar or you can take this direct link to my photostream.

In Which I Submit a Public Apology

2008-10-29T03:31:00.005-05:00

Dear Embroidery,

Hey. It's been a while, hasn't it? I mean, I tried to figure out French knots in elementary school and then basically gave up. We never really got along well -- you always required that hoop and that thread which gets tangled so easily. And there was also that time I tried to make an alphabet sampler and left the hoop in too long and then the fabric was distorted. Remember how annoyed I was?

So I ended up abandoning you for a long while. With knitting, crochet, and sewing to keep me company, I thought I didn't need you. You seemed superfluous and vaguely pretentious.

Then on Friday, I saw the Bayeux Tapestry.

I'm sorry, ok? Mea culpa. I was too blind to see how awesome you can be. Maybe it was the multicoloured ships, maybe it was the border of strange birds, maybe it was the battle scene, but something in those 70 metres gripped me. So yes, I visited the gift shop and bought that kit, and yes, it is rather addictive.

Now I'm haunting Sublime Stitching, browsing the little embroidery shop near the house, and deciding whether I can embroider everyone I know pillowcases for Christmas in time.

If I ever doubt you again, then just send me a little flashback to Bayeux, and I'll snap back into shape.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline

I Fought the Loire and the Loire Won

2008-10-09T15:06:00.002-05:00

There are two rivers in Tours: to the North, the Loire; to the South, the Cher. The Cher is apparently navigable in canoes, as several students in the group made plans to canoe it last weekend. The Loire is another matter. My host family gave me one of the few safety warnings I have received for Tours on its dangers: the Loire has whirlpools, quicksand, and the ghosts of sailors to ensnare unaware travelers. OK, so the last one is maybe not true, but the other two are definitely accurate.

When my host dad told me the ways to escape whirlpools and quicksand, I nodded attentively, thanked him, and filed the information in the “interesting, but will probably never be needed” compartment. I have absolutely no desire to swim in the Loire; the presence of surface scum and various large rocks somewhat diminishes any need to explore it hands-on.

So. I am a proponent of the Long Walk. One of the best parts of the Long Walk is peaceful thinking, with or without musical accompaniment. The contemplation of natural settings is also required. The Loire is an ideal place for a walk for two main reasons:
1. It’s beautiful.
2. You can’t get lost. If you are following a river on your walk, when you are done, you simply turn around and return the way you came. Genius!

Today I was walking east alongside the Loire, enjoying a fine mix from the iPod, when the path stopped being as solid and gravely and started becoming more muddy and indistinct. At this point, there was an optional, higher-up cement sidewalk (atop wall). Did I take that path? Of course not. I am all about being close to nature! I can’t just take the cement path!

As I walked, I saw some people further out on the bank – there was a wide expanse of sand – and I decided to troop out there. I avoided the particularly damp areas and walked onto the sand, where I concluded that it was too unstable to stand on for very long and thus I marched back to the path.

Well. There was a patch of fairly solid looking ground in front of me and I trusted it. I trusted to be solid and not to – very very suddenly, like hitting a wall – stop being solid.

I sank into thick mud up to my knees in less than half a second. Just to clarify, I am not wearing “play in the mud” clothes. I’m wearing my beloved black boots, a black skirt, a nice shirt, and carrying a new purse and another bag. My first reaction (after a brief moment of panic) was determination that I was not going to die stuck in mud. I quickly identified a patch of grass and pulled on it, dragging my legs out of the mud.

I’m covered in mud from my feet to my knees, with several sizeable patches of mud on my skirt, on my hands where I caught my fall, on my new purse, and on my other bag.

The second thought that came after, “I am so glad to no longer be stuck in that patch of mud” was, “Oh man, I have to blog about this.” So I did what any intrepid blogger would do: I stopped and took pictures of myself.

Then I walked back along the path carefully and took the first secure path that I found, whereupon I made my way to a nice little restaurant for lunch.

I must say, walking through Tours covered in mud made for a fascinating cultural study. No one had visibly shocked reactions. There I was, looking like the Creature from the Mud Patch, and the most anyone reacted was allowing a slight, subtle backward glance downward to see whether I really was dripping in mud (I was). The only person who asked what had happened was the man at the kebab restaurant who took my order.

The boots are drying in the garden after their bath. My clothes will probably recover after a nice hot wash. My dignity, while slightly wounded, remains in stable condition.

Fashion and Anti-Fashion

2008-10-08T14:06:00.003-05:00

Despite my occasional frustrations with the fashion industry, I remain fascinated by clothing both in a historical costuming context and in the everyday wear context. Try as I might, I can't always wear garb to class (blast!), so I have learned to appreciate modern clothes much more than I had previously liked wearing 21st century attire.

One of the aspects I anticipated for this year abroad was the chance to study, nay, scrutinize many a French woman's wardrobe. Aren't we all told that French women have few items of clothing, but all of very high quality, and that they always look chic and put-together? This mythical woman owns one white button blouse, one chic trouser (in the singular, as Stacy London would demand), one LBD, one pair of black pumps, a very good brand of mascara, and a Chanel bag.

Well. Perhaps those women live in Paris, and I was too busy taking pictures of flowers to notice their completely fabulous yet simple style. However, now that my time as a tourist is largely at a close whilst I settle into Tours, I have begun to examine the fashions and trends alive in Tours. I have come to several conclusions, some of which I have found rather surprising.

First, the classy women do exist, and they pull off chic (not trendy) and classy looks -- mostly it seems to be the businesswomen. They'll wear the pointy heels (especially impressive in a city where most people walk or bike) and hose with a well-fitted skirt and that iconic white blouse, all with a tailored trench coat (it's already cold here). Their hair looks tidy, their makeup is immaculate, and they don't look like they woke up half an hour before they had to leave.

As if to counter-attack this picture of elegance, we have another style that currently flourishes in Tours. This style isn't new in the world; in the 90s, it was big in the States. It was called grunge, and it was terrifying for anyone who enjoyed the occasional shower and shampoo. Now, it lives on in its natural habitat in Tours. It's difficult to delineate whether perpetrators of this style are in fact French (whether they are from Tours or elsewhere in France) or foreign students. However, many of foreign students that I have observed (at l'Institut de Touraine and elsewhere) tend to lean toward the classier end of the clothing spectrum. So, I am forced to include that it is mainly French university students wearing grunge.

What does grunge involve? you may ask. Well, it typically involves several of the following elements:
1) A melange of rather grubby clothing items, some of which are more hippie (tunics, harem pants, wrap skirts) and some of which are just old (ancient sweatshirts)
2) Dreadlocks. I have seen more dreadlocked hair here in Tours than I have seen in my entire life to this point.
3) If no dreadlocks are involved, then hair is highly unkempt and may be kept partially obscured by a scarf
4) Piercings in the facial region in addition to ear piercing, a.k.a. eyebrow, nose, lip, and so forth
5) A general air of casual disaffection and lack of grooming

All this may sound judgmental. I am fully aware that is is a perlious post; I can hear the arguments now: "Well, isn't that how you dress?" Dear readers, I do laundry. I take the occasional shower and/or bath. I don't wear sweatshirts from 1983. While I am a propronent of layering and the headscarf, I don't wear grubby clothes.

This post is also serving as an intro to a hoped-for stealthy photo series in which I will document these travesties. It's rather disappointing, perhaps, to read a fashion post without pictures. I do apologize. Snapshots are forthcoming to illustrate the reasons for my particular frustration.

Une Journee Extraordinaire

2008-09-20T02:30:00.009-05:00

Here in Paris, our program has pre-scheduled events nearly every day -- museum visits, tours by boat, plays, dinners, etc. This isn't exactly a problem -- it's been excellent to have a guided overview of what Paris has to offer, so when we do get some time to ourselves, we can maximize our time around the city to do what we please.

Yesterday we had a free day and thus I was able to plan and execute some quite exciting adventures!

My day began with a visit to the Musée des Arts et Métiers. This museum doesn't have impressionist art or Greek sculptures or tapestries: what it does have is a wide assortment of historical technology, contraptions, inventions, and (as the French would say) rather strange trucs. One may see a re-creation of Lavoisier's laboratory, a miniature model of a steam-powered engine, astrolabes from hundreds of years ago, very early sewing machines, and modern robotic technology (to name a few).

However, the journey is half the fun. The metro stop on line 11 for the museum, called Arts et Metiers, is decorated like a Jules Verne submarine. Any steampunk worth her salt knows about this metro stop! It is part of the destination itself, and I found it delightfully shiny. I'd read online that it had been largely obscured by graffiti, and so I was pleased to find that was not the case at all.

After locating the museum (it is situated in an old abbey right near the metro stop), I began my exploration. I enjoyed it immensely; it was laid out in a logical, orderly fashion, broken into categories like Navigation and Energy. Most of the displays were in nearly all glass boxes, set in the middle of the corridors so that one could fully circle the objects within.

Here's a flying machine I came across:

Any museum that brilliant has to be followed by a meal somewhere. As I had yet to explore any of my vegetarian restaurant listings, I decided to check out La Victoire Supreme du Coeur. There I enjoyed a lavish lunch: an appetizer of little onion fritters and salad, the Indian plate for my main course, and then the chocolate-orange-cardamom cream for dessert! It was all delicious and I adored having wheat bread instead of the all-fluff-no-substance baguettes that are tasty but not very filling.

I still had some time to spend in the afternoon, so I took the metro to the Centre Pompidou, where I recorded my adventures the old-fashioned way (in my Moleskine) for future reference. Then I headed back to the hostel for some resting (reading, not napping -- napping is something I find very difficult).

But friends! The day is not yet over! A friend from Davidson, the charming Ms. Wood, met me for drinks at Les Furieux. After several minutes of debating whether we ought to order at the bar (apparently we are both rather inept at bar culture and correct mannerisms?) we both ordered glasses of absinthe. Never fear, ye who worry about such things. Today's absinthe bears little resemblance to the absinthe of early bohemians. It lacks the hallucinogenic properties and simply bears a strong licorice flavour. We found it quite appealing.

Here Ms. Wood looks charming with her glass:

And I simply guard my drink from passers-by:

So there you have it! It was one of the best days of the trip thus far. I really enjoyed planning out the day, navigating toute seule, and of course, seeing Ms. Wood.

Ca m'a plu beaucoup, merci.

2008-09-19T08:28:00.005-05:00

And now for your entertainment, two lists:

a) Things I like about being in Paris

1. The wide availability of carbohydrates on every street corner (hello, baguettes and/or freshly made fries)
2. The strangely compelling teeny servings of coffee
3. One phrase: the brilliant Metro system
4. Visiting a somewhat obscure museum by myself and strolling at my own pace
5. French people who patiently explain everything in French instead of switching to English as soon as I hesitate
6. Waiters who call me "Madame"
7. Sancerre
8. Reading Harry Potter a l'ecole des sorciers in the park
9. The accordion player that shows up sporadically on the train
10. Finding the world's best falafel stand, and having the woman behind the counter guess my order before I say anything (when it's the fifteenth day that I've been there...)
11. Making friends with random French children in playgrounds during regression-to-youth adventures

b) Things I dislike about being in Paris

1. The occasional motorcyclist who has orders to mow me down when I cross the street
2. The metro station called Montparnasse Bienvenue, aka The Pit of Despair
3. Paying 2.40 euros for a microscopic roll of off-brand tape
4. Occasional sketchy people
5. Pigeons everywhere I turn

[NB: it was much easier to write the first list than the second.]

P.S. So the blogging has been a bit lax. Sorry about that -- it's mainly because wireless likes to do its own thing here in the hostel. However, I have been uploading a few pictures (read: a lot) as wireless permits.

Au Debut

2008-09-01T14:04:00.003-05:00

Bonjour a tous! Tout va bien ici et nous sommes en train de nous amuser beaucoup!

Yesterday the group went to the Eiffel Tower and we also went on a boat cruise on the Seine...so I took more than my fair share of pictures (shout-out to Cameron -- I'm following your directions). Please check them out! I'd love to hear (ok, read) your comments.

I Survived CDG

2008-08-30T08:36:00.002-05:00

Greetings from a top-secret, undisclosed location in Paris! After two flights, one bus ride, and a certain number of long queues, the group has arrived. Not much of note has occurred, but I'm looking forward to having our adventures start soon (a.k.a. tomorrow, when people are awake) which will include pictures!

Details, Thoughts, and OAQs

2008-08-09T13:15:00.004-05:00

Yes, it has been ages since my last post, and for that, I do apologize. It's been a busy summer!

Anyway, moving on to more exciting times! The vast majority of my audience of 5.3 readers know that I will be leaving shortly for a year abroad in France. I've hoped to study abroad for some years know and it's quite exciting to finally be able to go.

Since there are lots of logistics to think about as I leave and for while I am abroad, I've decided to post a few Occasionally Asked Questions (OAQs) about my plans for everyone's information:

Q: Where are you going?
A: France. More specifically, Paris for all of September and then Tours from October through May inclusive. I will go on excursions around France as well as traveling around Europe.

Q: How will you keep folks updated?
A: You're looking right at it. While some folks send out mass emails when they go abroad, I'm planning on using the pre-existing structure of this blog. I will also post more photos on Flickr than here, but I will provide links in my posts to the new photos.

Q: What if I can't be bothered to type in a URL to follow what's happening?
A: Fortunately, there are several options. You can follow the RSS feed in your preferred reader (I strongly recommend Google Reader) which is the way I like to keep up with blogs. The easiest and most painless option for most people is to subscribe via email, which you can do in the sidebar. You will have to click through the confirmation email, so be sure to keep an eye out for that in your spam folder.

Q: How else will you keep in touch?
A: Email, natch. Also, I have Skype. If you're on Skype and you want my username, just send me an email.

Q: What are you studying?
A: Mostly French itself, but also literature, art, history, international relations, wine tasting, picnic-packing, the fine skill of finding flea market bargains, &c.

Q: Do you want to hear an idea for something to do in France or Europe?
A: Yes please! I'd love to hear suggestions for places to eat, things to do, locations to visit, so please do add them in the comments or shoot me an email if you would like.

That should do it! Additional OAQs? That's what the comments are for!

St. Brigid Completed At Last

2008-06-08T12:43:00.002-05:00

It's finally finished! Yesterday I finished the seams and the affixing (not asphyxiating -- an important distinction) of the collar. Unfortunately, it will be quite a long while before it will be the right weather for a ten-pound wool sweater, but I will try to be patient.

I'm pleased with how it turned out as my first Aran (and my first Starmore design, which are notoriously complicated). There's a certain charm in the fact that it's not a contemporary or even a very flattering design. It's boxy. It does not do anything helpful for my figure -- it's just warm, which is the whole point. It's the kind of sweater I could wear on a ship, immigrating in the 1830s from Ireland. That sort of opportunity does not often present itself, but one must be prepared.

This exercise has also impressed upon me the necessity of upgrading my camera. Besides its delays and temperamental nature, the camera I currently use does not capture colour well at all! The red here is much too tomato-y (at least on my browser) and the cables don't look as delineated as they truly are. Alas. I will rectify this situation this summer.

There will be an update on Ravelry shortly with more pictures.

Onward to the Finish

2008-06-05T18:13:00.004-05:00

My epic project for 2008 has been St. Brigid. It's beautiful but complicated, fiddly but fun, and thus it has kept me company through many a viewing of Chocolat and not a few episodes of Bones. I'm excited to say that I'm finally on the homestretch; the front, back, and sleeves are finished. What remains: all the seams (oy vey), the collar, and I'm contemplating cuffs as well. I have really enjoyed knitting this sweater and the colour is so lovely. The picture is not accurate -- it's a deep, deep bloodred.

Excellent NYT Article

2008-05-08T08:45:00.003-05:00

My roommate kindly pointed out this fantastic NYT piece about steampunk. Though I think it focuses too myopically on the commercial potential of steampunk, it does mention some mainstays in the community and says positive things about the movement overall.

New Projects!

2008-05-07T15:27:00.006-05:00

Ah, the lack of posting that occurs when the end of the semester rolls around...so tragic, and yet so predictable.

In between epic papers and exams, I have done a bit of knitting. Mostly I've been working on St. Brigid, but I also just finished a little project from some spare yarn. It's an armband/wristband with the Universal Translator symbol from Star Trek. I love doing two-colour Fair Isle knitting and this came together really quickly.

the front

the back

I have more Information on Ravelry...

I've also acquired yarn for a secret project and for some new socks, but they have to lie dormant until the semester has really concluded.

No longer live -- Jason Mraz Concert Part III

2008-04-18T15:33:00.002-05:00

Alright, so I didn't post again last night to wrap-up the concert details. In my defense, I was busy doing essential schoolwork-related items (ah, the life of a student: something Jason Mraz alluded to in one of his meditations on life).

That being said, the latter part of the concert was excellent. Jason Mraz was lively and sang several favourites, including "Life is Wonderful," "Curbside Prophet," and "Geek in the Pink." Besides the typical back-up band, he also had a fantastic horn section with a trumpet, trombone, and saxophone that added a jazzy air to the more upbeat tunes.

Next, he went into what he termed the "easy listening portion" of the set with quieter, guitar-driven songs. The kicker came in what appeared to be his finale when he brought the co-ed Acapella group at Davidson, Androgyny, onstage to sing "I'm Yours" with them. It brought the house down. Although Jason and his band then left the stage for about ten minutes but then came back for about five more songs.

Overall, an excellent concert. My only complaints were the rather cheesy magic tricks and the lack of students in attendance (most of the crowd were clearly either out-of-towners, high schoolers, or non-Davidson college students). Belk Arena is a huge space, and to see it only partway filled is fairly disappointing.

LIVE from the Jason Mraz Concert! Part II

2008-04-17T19:46:00.003-05:00

8h46: And the concert is having a ten-minute break, so hence the update!

It's been great so far -- a short but charming set by the Makepeace Bros, who substituted "North Carolina" for "Sweet Caroline" in one of their songs (no, not the Neil Diamond tune); several tricks by Justin Kredible; and a rollicking set from Bushwalla and his band (who he referred to by several names, including Raiders of the Lost Ark).

The Makespeace Bros' music is mostly of the chill/acoustic genre, while Bushwalla covered more territory with a blend of reggae, funk, and rap. His amusing dance moves and occasional moments of juggling bowling pins earned him the crowd's enthusiasm. Also, one of his songs included the line "It's hard to be a gangsta / with a basket on your bike" so what's not to love? He talked about the difficulty of being a gangster in LA, and how it's difficult to maintain your street cred when your vehicle is a bike.

This is a short break and I really ought to socialize, so I'll be back later on tonight with more updates.

LIVE from the Jason Mraz Concert!

2008-04-17T18:17:00.002-05:00

7h17: I'm liveblogging here from Belk Arena, where the Music Magic & Makepeace Tour is stopping in T-minus 13 minutes.

Tonight's show will feature the Makepeace Brothers, Bushwalla, a magician called Justin Kredible, and as headliner: Jason Mraz! It should be an excellent show. Whilst the masses waited in line outside, the Makepeace Bros. played a short set outside (three band members -- one plays guitar, one sings and plays guitar, and one sings and plays the ukulele. They attempted witty banter with the crowd, but the difficulty there was that most of their comments were directed to "Davidson College" and most of the at that point was comprised of non-students. Still, their music was enjoyable.

I'm signing off for now (as one of the students in the audience tonight, I have more schoolwork to get done!) but I may be back between acts for updates and reviews.

Cemetery Series, Part II

2008-04-11T09:17:00.012-05:00

A rather belated post, I'm afraid -- but here is the second part of the cemetery series. These photos are of the cemetery near the senior apartments on campus. Though the graves are not as interesting as the ones in the Cimetière Bellarbre, this cemetery has the advantage of a large tree to lean against when reading poetry or writing a paper.

Approaching the cemetery -- it was overcast the day I took these pictures.

A Most excellent tree

The hazy shade of winter

Angled

I love the look of wet leaves.

Despite the spelling, the one on the right seems familiar...

Watching over the dead

Flowers in the damp leaves

From the back of the cemetery

The Two Trees

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...

2008-03-30T21:54:00.005-05:00

A moment of silence, if you will, for my Wildcats and their brilliant season.

On to the knitting content. Hand-knitted socks, as previously extolled on this blog, have many merits; nevertheless, they are not eternal and will eventually wear out:

Alas! One brother from the first pair of socks I ever knit has suffered from grievous damage. From this charming image one may also note how the wool has felted into an almost slipper-like consistency and how there is some slight discolouration from less-than-spotless floors. [I feel like my roommate when she comments on forensic anthropology...] All good things must come to an end, and so I mourn the pleasant, full life that these socks have enjoyed before they go to the Great Yarn Store in the Sky. Naturally, I will keep wearing them until they positively fall off my feet.

Now, for some new socks (I feel like doing some sort of "Circle of Life" rendition now): the Nutkins are chugging along, helped with doses of waiting rooms, Humanities lectures, and basketball games.
As the picture makes clear, I'm knitting them both at once. Contrary to any appearances, the socks are not connected; they are knit completely separately, just on the same needles. It's a lovely process, thought it can be somewhat like wrestling the Hydra at times.

For my little sister, my ballet feet:

Ravelers can see a plethora of photos should they desire!

The Sweet, Sweet, Taste of Victory

2008-03-28T23:23:00.003-05:00

So, we are in the Elite Eight!!! It's completely surreal to see the campus transformed by the victory. Basketball has consistently been important to students, but now it's the main focus for the majority of folks. As I am not used to having sports personally impact me, it's a new set of experiences, but it's been such fun so far to watch the team destroy their opponents.

Ann of Mason-Dixon Knitting fame has a lovely post up which I had to link to, mainly because it's not often that legendary knitting blogs discuss college basketball.

PSA

2008-03-28T11:31:00.001-05:00

There is only one important thing to say today:

GO WILDCATS!!

Explanation for the Concerned & Weaponry

2008-03-24T16:03:00.005-05:00

So. Perhaps I was over-hasty in posting my latest entry with the photos of the cemetery, for two reasons. First, it's important to note that apparently images do not show up in the email feed, so some of y'all may have gotten simply the list of captions. Thus, they would have seen a vaguely emo and scatterbrained poem. The photos are the essential part of the post, folks!

Second, I must be clear. I am not a card-carrying Goth who wears excessive amounts of black eyeliner, maintains a grieved expression, and clutches a Nightwish CD. Though I occasionally indulge in my romantic sensibilities and attempt to walk lightly among oak trees, singing ballads (off-key), and looking for mythic creatures, it's not because I'm mentally imbalanced. Yes, I wrote my share of depressed love poetry in high school (fortunately, that's not longer my métier); however, I am not depressed nor do I immerse myself in macabre settings constantly. The cemetery is a place of quiet, of history, of beauty; I enjoy it for those reasons, not because I long to live out a Poe short story.

Anyway. Over Easter break my brother gave me this fantastic weapon that he re-made for me, completely of his own volition. He's gotten interested in steampunk as well, so he refashioned this nerf gun which will come in handy should I ever really get into cosplay. Thanks bro!

[classy carpet shot]

Cimetière Bellarbre

2008-03-15T14:49:00.018-05:00

When it comes to places where I can study, there are several options: the library, the student union, my room, and the computer lab. Sadly, none of these places holds any kind of great aesthetic appeal. Enter the Cimetière Bellarbre, a small cemetery near campus. Of the three local cemeteries, it is my favourite. I must confess that I named it myself, as there seems to be no traditional name given besides "the Main Street cemetery." This cemetery is superior to the other two for several reasons: 1) It is the closest to my room; 2) It has the oldest graves; 3) The trees are charming; and 4) There is a bench on which to spread out.

This morning I had several essays on Renaissance Revenge to read, and so I headed out, this time with my camera to capture the scene. The sky was overcast, on the verge of rain, so conditions were ideal.

Walking into the cemetery, with the bench toward the back

Cracked from old age? Or darker forces at work?

A plaque at the center of the bench's stone courtyard

Note how the lid to this grave is shifted...

Siblings

One of the older graves, dating to 1888

The back of the bench

The courtyard (with a bonus shot of my boot toe)

The sun broke through the clouds as I sat on the bench

Another view where where I sat

Sun in the trees!

To my left

The curious carving on the arm of the bench

My favourite grave. It is the only one I've ever seen that says "drowned" instead of "died," and I feel that this man has the makings of a story.

The view through the gate, while departing

Je tricote! Je vous promets! Part II

2008-03-13T18:29:00.003-05:00

Socks are ideal little portable projects. I'm sure I've opined at great length about how much I like to knit socks already, so on to the interesting bits:

The pattern is something new: Nutkin, from Beth LaPensee. I found it on Ravelry, and as I'm always up for a basic 16-st pattern to work into my basic sock blueprint, I decided to give it a shot. It's simple enough that I don't need to reference the chart, which is a huge plus.

Both socks on two circulars

A toe -- the colour is more accurate in this shot

I'm knitting this pair on two circs, which I haven't done since Jack's socks. One socks on five double-pointed needles may be a little fiddly, but it is more portable than two socks, two needles, and two skeins of yarn. Also, I like the old-school look of wooden dpns. Nevertheless, I broke out the 24" size 1s for these socks and they aren't aggravating me too badly so far.

Je tricote! Je vous promets! Part I

2008-03-13T18:02:00.006-05:00

OK, OK. I have been knitting these past few weeks, albeit sporadically. Somehow, reading Renaissance revenge tragedies and writing short fiction and re-making costumes have eaten up some of my free time this semester.

First, the sweater of All Things Epic, St. Brigid. I'm delighted (read: relieved) to report that the back and front are now finished, and I've got both sleeves on a circular needle right now. After the sleeves, I'll only have the seaming and collar left. I am not doing the silly fringe on the hem, as I have yet to find fringe around my hips a flattering look.

A sleeve!

A front!

Up-close-and-personal shot of the cables

The astute reader will observe that the sweater looks...large. Do not adjust your monitors! The sweater is ginormous. In fact, the size is 40" (stop laughing). I'm aware that it's big; it's going to be a burrow-inside-a-cabin sort of sweater, not a stylish runway piece.

In my next post: new socks!

"Geek Love" in the NYT

2008-03-10T09:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's New York Times ran a tribute to Gary Gygax, the famed creator of Dungeons & Dragons. While I never played D & D (RPGs are one of the few arenas of geekery that I have yet to explore), I can appreciate its continuning influenced on some of my interests. Thus, I found the diagram the paper ran alongside the article quite amusing:

[Large Version Here]

Yes, this chart lists a few of my interests...just a few.

The Violent Collision of My Interests

2008-03-06T23:24:00.001-05:00

When it comes to subcultures and styles, I've never fallen into one perfectly. Too gypsy for the preppy set, not hardcore enough for the punks, not quite intense enough to join the goths, too pragmatic for the bohemian types...

And yet, I think I may just have found a subculture/movement/aesthetic that neatly sums up my interests. It is Steampunk.

Most simply, Steampunk is a type of science fiction set in the Victorian era (when steam power was still prevalent -- hence the first half of the name). More broadly, it's corsets and goggles, fine calligraphy and spaceships, classy manners and fighting with rayguns. What appeals to me most is the embrace of new technology along with the historical setting of Victoriana and a certain attention to beauty. Why use an ugly plain brick for computing when you can enjoy a machine of elegance and style?
I always thought that being interested in the archaic disqualified me from being interested in new technologies; surely I couldn't hold a PDA in one hand and an antique classic book in the other? With steampunk, I'm learning how those two are not mutually exclusive.

Besides the excellent Wikipedia article, I also recommend the forums at Brass Goggles, where everyone has been solicitous and helpful. One of the best parts of steampunk is that there is a wide range of interests: some people use steam power for their creations, but dress in a normal fashion. Others wear cravats day in and day out, but may spend more time tailoring their clothes than welding in a workshop. Overall the community seems reluctant to set boundaries to declare what counts as steampunk and what doesn't; instead, people embrace the idea of a spectrum. That is vastly more apppealing than an over-policed group of elitists, laying down the law.

Coming Attractions

2008-03-06T22:45:00.005-05:00

Alas, I have been remiss in not posting nearly often enough, and now that I have content to post, I am without my camera cord.

Look for these updates in the coming week, which should include pictures:

1. Progress on St. Brigid
2. A Civil War era corset, made entirely from stash material
3. Thoughts on the cemeteries around town
4. Possibly musings on tea
5. Extra ramblings

Please contain your enthusiasm; all in good time.

Finished Object!

2008-02-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

Socks are charming little projects, which can be carried handily in a bag and drawn out during dull moments. However, it's difficult to finish them if you stuff them in a drawer.

I started Cookie A.'s Monkey socks from Knitty last semester, but only finished them this week. To tell the truth, the pattern started to frustrate me, but I did complete the pair at last.

More details are on Ravelry, but for all the non-Ravelry folk, here are the details:

Pattern: Monkey
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn in Sand Ridge
Needles: Size 1 Bamboo dpns
Verdict: Good pattern, well written. The socks fit nice and snugly.

A Tribute to S.I.B.

2008-01-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

I have a fantastic roommate.

Before you go to college, all of your well-meaning friends (mostly the older ones) counsel you to not expect to be best friends with your roommate. "You'll just live with them," they say, "so it's a businesslike arrangement." You're told to be reasonable in what you think your roommate will be like.

The Residence Life Office here matches up students well, taking into account their likes and dislikes, circadian rhythms, even their Myers-Briggs results. Even so, I was not positive that they would do a decent job. I was quite afraid that I would end up with someone whose loud, wanton ways would drive me crazy.

Then I met Sarah, my amazing roommate. We are highly compatible -- her F type complements my T -- and she has an incredible ability to overlook my more atrocious caprices, like my very noisy coffeemaker and tendency to strew my clothes everywhere. Every day we discover ways in which we are similar, sometimes reading the other one's mind, but we also learn the ways in which we deviate -- and we definitely have our differences.

Besides her high tolerance level for my nonsense, Sarah is also very creative, making beautiful cards for people on their birthdays and covering the walls of our room with her calligraphic brilliance. When we got back from the Christmas holiday, she presented me with my gift: a recipe box.

[It is not crooked. I just can't take normal pictures.]

Not only did she paint the box with a fantastic goddess/fairy/muse/nymph, she wrote Rensad ryn adin on the cover. I was so dumbstruck by the gift that Sarah had to remind me that rensad ryn adin was from the language I created. The phrase means "to eat and to drink" in Pannat.

I can't thank Sarah ever enough -- not just for the beautiful recipe box, because her friendship extends way beyond that -- for her gracious spirit, her charming presence, her perfect advice, and her enduring patience. This post is thus dedicated to her and her wonderful self.

Surely it's not 2008 already?

2008-01-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

Poor little abandoned blog! It's not for lack of events in my life that I haven't posted. I suppose the end of the semester was simply too overwhelming. As for NaNoWriMo, let us not even speak of that false start...

In the area of knitting, I have been a busy little bee. I finished the Gryffindor scarf for my little sister in time for Christmas. In truth, it was all knit up a while ago, but I delayed the finishing because I find putting on fringe so tedious. My monkey socks are on the backburner because they are sort of driving me mad.

The main project I'm working on now is St. Brigid, a sweater that I have admired, adored, and longed to knit for about, oh, three years now. I'm working it up in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, in Firecracker Red. It's a heathered yarn and I'm pleased with how it's turning out.

That's the back of the sweater, with about four repeats of the main charts. I love the Celtic cables!

NaNoWriMo!

2007-11-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

In a moment of insanity, I have joined a community of similarly crazy writers who will each write a 50,000 page novel during NaNoWriMo. It's a national event to get writers to go ahead and write a novel, rather than equivocating and saying it will happen eventually.

Now, I hardly expect to create a Pulitzer-worthy novel--in fact, I would be happy if I simply finish with a novel in hand! But I do love the ambitious quality of the movement, and so I have joined it.

Ravelry, Love, Socks, and Chai Tea

2007-10-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

[for non-knitters, there is non-knitting-related content further down!]

Having explored Ravelry's functionality further since my initial post, I can safely say that it is an amazing resource and community. It's a brilliant idea and so useful when creating something new. I wanted to knit Monkey [a Knitty pattern] but the pattern is written for a top-down sock. I prefer to knit socks toe-up but wasn't sure how the stitch pattern would appear upside-down. A quick search on Ravelry for completed Monkey socks revealed multiple pairs of sucessfully knitted toe-up socks with a charming upside-pattern. Rather than trawling Google results to find a specific modification on the pattern, I could access a veritable cornucopia of finished socks with notes on the yarns chosen and the changes made. Fantastic!

Ravelry's photo sharing settings require Flickr, so I have obtained an account [hence the sidebar addition]. I've posted photos of my new Victorian wristlets, one completed monkey sock, and some sundry items.

Yesterday was a delightful day as I drank chai tea and read a new cookbook, Veganomincon. It's funny, clever, and full of new recipes to try. It has even convinced me that I ought to expand my spice rack beyond the boring cinnamon, pepper, and ground ginger that I currently own. I'm put off by the cost of spices, but when they are available in bulk in a nearby store, I really have no excuse to stock up on at least some small amounts...

Besides several books, my latest reading material has been my dear friend Lauren's blog, Writings in Cursive. How could I not love the blog of a history major studying abroad in Scotland? Her writing is excellent and she takes wonderful photos, so everyone should go visit and enjoy her blog.

Ravelry = True Love

2007-09-19T16:34:00.000-05:00

This week is crazy thus far, but I have to share my joy because I am finally on Ravelry! I got on the waiting list back in June or July and today, I received my invite at last. I hope to get a nice link in the sidebar menu eventually, but for now, my username is sparrowlight if anyone is on there. : )

Second City

2007-09-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Last night the legendary and incredible comedy troupe Second City graced our campus with their presence.

Beyond sketches, songs, and strange skits, a good portion of the show was improv--a ridiculous situation if there ever was one. How people can stand on stage and whip out lines after lines of dialogue or hysterical actions without knowing beforehand what they will have to do is beyond me. Certainly, they can practice with weird prompts during the rehearsal, but it's impossible to predict precisely what a group of [crazy] college students yell out.

What made the show particularly brilliant was that the troupe clearly either researched Davidson first or talked to students beforehand. They referenced Davidson's culture and events, which made the show even funnier. Also, for the last act, they brought Oops! on stage--Davidson's own improv troupe, who held their own with the professional group.

It was strange to have that event be on a Wednesday night, when it felt more like a Friday night type of event, but it was a great interlude to the week nevertheless.

Humanism, Carpe Diem, and Love for C.S. Lewis

2007-08-27T15:46:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day of classes after the summer break; it's excellent to re-enter the world of academia. Both my French class (on contemporary France--current events and the like) and Humanities should be great.
The title of this post concerns this morning's lecture in Humanities, given by Dr. Randy Ingram of the English Department, who gave an introduction to the Renaissance and humanist thought before we began our first reading. He delivered a lecture full of enthusiasm, passion, and genuine enjoyment of the topics (or so it seemed). It is not easy to attain and hold the attention of eighty-odd college students whilst discussing Renaissance thinkers' fascination with antiquity or humanist motivations for study or other historical topics, unless the group of students are all personally interested in those areas of study. Nevertheless, Dr. Ingram managed to not only instruct the class, but he was also entertaining, making references to Chaucer's "The Miller's Tale" and The Colbert Report. I had a personal moment of glee when he quoted C. S. Lewis, but I enjoyed the entire lecture.

Clutter, Messes, and Stuff

2007-08-17T11:19:00.000-05:00

I keep stuff. I have notes from French classes in high school, articles from theonering.net that I printed years ago, and enough fabric to clothe an army. My Mac isn't much better--so I have three Word documents for one essay, PDF articles from the Stone Age, and files for programs that I've uninstalled.

Although I can argue that the piles on the floor are "organized," the motto my mother taught me for years comes to mind as I survey the chaos. "A Place for Everything...and Everything in its Place" reverberates in my mind. A little creative clutter is good for some projects, but mentally it's difficult to function in an extremely messy space.

All this points to one thing--a determination to get tidy and stay tidy. It's sort of appalling how much stuff I have accumulated over the years. I read these "get organized" blogs--like Declutter It! and unclutterer, but the fact remains that reading blogs posts does NOT clean my room. It can give me ideas on how to be organized, but will not do my work for me. At the end of the day, I have to keep things tidy...not my computer.

I'll report on my progress (hopefully not lack therof) on the Great Get Organized Project. I'm working on implementing the principles of David Allen's Getting Things Done, so that should help as well.

My Apologies, Paired with news

2007-08-15T17:45:00.001-05:00

First of all, I am appalled at myself that I have not posted in so long. I certainly planon improving my writing schedule to prevent this sort of extreme lapse in future.

That said, here are a few updates--

1. Hunter's blanket is 100% finished! I will be giving it to him next weekend (not the one in two days, the one after that) and plan on having a full photo shoot.
2. Sockapalooza 4 is partially wrapped up. I sent Michaela her socks and to my delight, they fit her well and she likes them. What a great ending! I'm still waiting on the socks from my pal, who did send me an entertaining email.
3. I'm soon to start another Harry Potter scarf. This will be my four (!) HP scarf, in Gryffindor colours for my little sister.
4. The manly socks for my younger brother are finished too--they fit him well. I hope to sneak in a photo session soon.

More to come soon...

[edited 13.03.08 to add photo of sock-in-progress. Sorry for the strangulation effect with the yarn twisted like it is -- the socks are in good health, I promise.]

The End of An Era

2007-07-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

A momentous occasion took place today. During a tense episode of "The Next Food Network Star," I cast off the final border strip of Hunter's blanket.

This project has carried me through many, many hours of TV and movie viewing, late nights, etc. It's been my fallback knitting for so long that it will be strange to finally finish the project. Of course, tonight doesn't mark the end. I've barely begun the arduous process of weaving in the ends--a project in itself!--and I still need to sew the corners of the border strips. Also, I am debating a crochet border for stability.

In anticipation of finishing the blanket, I started another project--my brother's long-promised pair of socks. They are his present...from last Christmas. Better late than never, eh? I'm knitting them in Knit Picks yarns--Essential in Navy and Gloss in Serengeti (gold). The toes and heels will be gold and the foot and leg will be navy with one gold stripe at the top. I'm doing a small patterned rib. There will also be his monogram at the outer edges of the sock. I'm knitting this pair on two circular needles, which I've never done before. I ordered 2 24" circs from Knit Picks as well, and I have been so pleased with the needles and the technique. I can't believe it's taken me so long to try this method.

I've still got my sock pal's sock on the needles too--the first one is nearly finished. I love the yarn, but the pattern (2x2 rib) is so boring. I wish I had tried something more interesting!

I Never Could Get the Hang of Thursdays

2007-06-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes days go by when I barely think of blogging, while sometimes I wish I had more time to keep this blog more current. I really admire the fantastic knitbloggers (and other bloggers) who manage to post quite frequently. However, my knitting progress, if measured daily, is not always that exciting. I have been working mostly (surprise) on the epic blanket. Now I am on the third border strip. I've enjoyed having copious amounts of garter stitch for movie and TV knitting, but it will be great to finally finish this project. It definitely wins for the largest thing I've ever knit.

Later on this summer, I plan to knit some vintage-inspired cardigans (for office wear to fend off the air conditioning!) from Interweave Knits.

Project Updates!

2007-06-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

It’s been a great summer so far—lots of sewing, knitting, and reading before I start work. I’ve mostly worked on Hunter’s epic blanket, and I finally reached the border.

The other main knitting project is the sock for Sockapalooza, which I’ve been taking out during waiting times or car rides. The yarn is knitting up beautifully and it’s Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, one of my favourite sock yarns. I wish it were a bit heavier so I could use my size 2 sock needles, but I do have 1s that I’m using now.

Besides the knitting, I’ve sewn a green dress from Simplicity 4072. I was very pleased with this pattern overall. It fits well (the shoulders are a bit wide, but that is a common problem with commercial patterns and my personal fitting issues) and is quite comfortable. The sleeves are in two parts, and next time I make it, I think I’ll use just the upper sleeve.

I also have worked on my quilt, but hand-quilting is such a slow process that I’m sure I’ll be fifty before it’s done!

More blanket news

2007-05-23T23:25:00.001-05:00

Here's an in-progress updated photo. The top edge is all crinkled from being gathered on the needle. That's the second-to-last section. The last section is half black, half blue, and will be knit at the exact opposite end. Then the border, in sand, will be knit all around. It looks wonky but isn't in real life.

Updates galore!

2007-05-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

As the spring semester wrapped up, I became (surprise) increasingly busy. Now that the summer is ahead, I will have time to post more often.

Last week I went to Panama City for the RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) Summer Conference. At the conference, about 700 students from all over the country took seminars in the mornings and interacted in the afternoons. It was an excellent and informative week.

During the trip, I worked on the Turtleneck Tube Vest and the Sockapalooza 4 socks. The socks have already entered Sock Legend. The first time I started to knit, I decided to design a pattern where a diagonal row of yarnovers and decreases would zigzag symmetrically across the foot and then around the leg. However, I disliked the way the pattern looked knit up and decided to do a simple 2x2 rib instead. So, I ripped back the toe and started afresh. This time, I messed up the stitch shifting between needles and ended up with 2x2 rib...except for a section of 4 knit stitches. I unknit the foot section that I'd completed (not the whole toe) and got started again.

I also enjoyed a delightful moment as I reached the end of the second-to-last section in Hunter's blanket. The tan sections are the most boring, so I was very pleased to approach the 33 ridges needed. Then I re-checked my directions and realized that the section has 66 ridges instead. Fortunately I had two hours of 24 to enjoy whilst I knit these superfluous rows.

"Our future is a big question mark"

2007-05-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

Today Davidson College hosted a video conference between approximately fifty students at Davidson and about 25 students from the University of Baghdad.
Similar events took place at Davidson in 2003; one conference was held right before the invasion of Iraq and one was held soon afterward. Several Davidson students who attended the first two conversations came today as well.
The event was moderated and hosted by James Zogby of the Arab American Institute. He did an excellent job; it is not easy to deal with satellite lag, take questions, and steer discussion all at once. Satellite lag was perhaps the biggest issue; there were 4 satellite hops (Washington to London to Abu Dhabi to Baghdad).
We convened at 8 A.M. because of security concerns for the Iraqi students. Indeed, they did not even meet on campus, but went instead to a hotel. Several students spoke to the uncertainty of each day and the danger in simply getting to university. Besides having their lives in danger, many students said they did not always have electricity or running water.
As can be easily surmised, the main topics of discussion were the current occupation of U.S. troops in Iraq, the stability and effectiveness of the new government, and continuing civil strife. Most students seemed unhappy with the troops in Iraq, but wanted them to stay and help them fix the problems. They were happy to have Saddam gone and for the election, but mostly they seemed angry at continuing fighting and problems that were not assuaged by the presence of troops. Most seemed unhappy with the current government and thought that it was not effective.

I found this event unsettling. A lot of media outlets I’ve observed seem to say “Yes, there is violence, but in general the Iraqi people are glad we helped deliver them from Saddam.” The impression I got today was much more negative and almost pessimistic. I was delighted to attend, because of my interest in politics, but it was more sobering than I had expected.

Press Release
Article about first conference

Sock Pal sock yarn and new project

2007-05-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

I stopped at the yarn store today where I work to pick up yarn for two new projects.

I got two skeins of this Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in 504 "Lakeview" for my Sockapalooza 4 pal. Hopefully she'll really like it. I haven't decided on a pattern yet; it'll probably end up being something I designed myself with a short-row heel and toe.

The other project is the Perfect Periwinkle Turtleneck Tube Vest (which wins an award for wordiest pattern title!) from Fitted Knits. I got two skeins of Cascade 220 in colour number 7813.

Now I just have to pretend the yarn isn't here until my road trip in a few weeks...

Project updates

2007-05-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post some progress pictures for my two current projects (there are more on the needles, but I'm mostly working on these two).

The first is Hunter's blanket. I've done a lot of it, but there are still a few sections left and the border as well. The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting; it's the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket. Because it's in garter stitch, it's an excellent movie and tv project. The blanket in the picture below is on my charming roommate's bed (thanks Sarah!) because I didn't want to photograph it on the floor.

The other project is the Sierpinski scarf from Knitting Nature. It's for on-the-go knitting. I'm just knitting it in dishcloth cotton yarn.

Sockapalooza 4 assigments!!!

2007-04-30T18:46:00.000-05:00

Sockapalooza begins today...the matches are in! I'm delighted to receive my match...won't say anything here about the details just in case she reads this, but I hope she's looking forward to getting a pair of socks.

Now I have to choose a pattern--I'm tempted to make cabled socks because I've never tried that before. I still love varigated yarns though! We'll see.

April is the cruellest month

2007-04-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,	10
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour. T. S. Eliot, "The Wasteland"

Tony Snow, Class of '77, Visits Davidson College

2007-04-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today Davidson had the privilege of hearing Tony Snow speak on the topic of liberal arts education and the importance of critical writing and thinking skills. The lecture was not planned well in advance; rather, Mr. Snow was in town this weekend for alumni events and he graciously agreed to speak to students briefly.

He gave a few brief remarks on the importance of brevity in thought and writing, but then spent the rest of the hour answering questions. Question-and-answer sessions tend to make me nervous; I’m always afraid that someone will ask a dumb question or worse, attack the speaker. Fortunately, only one student fell into the latter category. His question—one of those that last five minutes before getting to the point—seemed designed to trip up Mr. Snow and criticize some of his past action. Despite the student repeated efforts to engage Mr. Snow in his bizarre dialogue, Mr. Snow simply refused to fall for the bait.

The most surprising and pleasing element of his talk was the humorous aspect. “When people stop laughing at politicians, that’s a problem,” he said. Responding to a question about his opinion of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, and satirical commentary, he reminded the crowd of students that laughing at yourself and at others is important and not something to avoid.

Questions ranged from asking Mr. Snow his opinion on Fox News, to how he would explain the White House’s perceived “lack off transparency.” He answered each question with style and articulation. Though I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to ask a question—I was afraid I would speak too quickly and that he wouldn’t understand—I did at last. I asked what relevance a liberal arts education had today, in light of new technologies, especially blogging. He responded about blogs first, adding more humor, but then becoming serious in his note that blogging democratized the media—now everyman and everywoman who can access the web can share an opinion. Then he addressed the liberal arts education, giving his insight that college teaches you to learn; he said he’s in the “world’s longest grad school.” I love the concept of life-long learning, and thus found his position valuable.

Overall, Tony Snow’s lecture inspired me to be more articulate in both my speech and my writing. His notes on brevity reminded me of Strunk & White’s admonition: Omit Needless Words (also one of my father’s favourite aphorisms). It was a wonderful opportunity to hear him speak and also highly entertaining.

Sockapalooza 4!

2007-04-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's almost time for Sockapalooza 4--this is my first swap and I can't wait to get started.

Not that I need more more knitting, but I love to knit socks. I need a new portable project for carrying around and knitting during the in-between times. Hunter's blanket is now so large that it has to live in its box and doesn't travel with me very far.

Stars

2007-04-22T18:18:00.000-05:00

"He first, I second, without thought of rest
we climbed the dark until we reached the point
where a round opening brought in sight the blest

and beauteous shining of the Heavenly cars.
And we walked out once more beneath the Stars."

(Dante's Inferno, lines 140-147 of Canto XXIV)

Though the Divine Comedy is one of those iconic, classic works that everyone is supposed to read during their lifetimes, I've never been assigned the work before. In the Humanities sequence, we are reading parts of the Inferno and Purgatorio, but none of the Paradiso, oddly enough.
The most interesting fact that I've learned about the Divine Comedy so far is that each of the three books end with the word "stars." Perhaps this is just the rapid Harry Potter fan in me getting excited, but I am reminded of J.K. Rowling's plan to finish the last book with the word "scar."

What Time to Protest?

2007-04-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

In light of the recent tragedy in Virginia, a discussion of campus safety in general has begun.

Last night on the news, following a brief coverage of the shootings, the local channel of Fox News interviewed directors of safety at UNC Charlotte, a local large university. They were asked how they would respond to a similar incident, and thus explained their alert system, the emergency call stations located around their campus, and so forth.

Students from VA Tech have also been discussing their lack of awareness of what happened after the first shooting, claiming that emails were vague and not helpful. They have been critical about how the crisis was handled.

What concerns me is this: does society not have a period of grace or mourning during which criticism is frowned upon? Can the campus not have a time to grieve before others and outside parties begin to critique their methods of handling the situation. Naturally, the students are an exception, because they are part of the campus, but nevertheless. It seems that as soon as tragedy strikes, someone is blamed for not preventing or dealing with it in a better manner.

Poem for Monday

2007-04-09T16:59:00.000-05:00

Rather than exclaim over my shock at how cold it is for an April day, I'll substitute by offering a personal poem. When my French class last semester centered around poetry analysis, I found it extremely challenging. Because I lack a musical ear, I struggled with hearing the syllabic breakdowns and rhythms. However, I still enjoyed penning small poems in French. This poem grew out of that experience.

in translation

when I write to you in
French
it becomes a labour
of love, of course and
of academia, of deliberation

and yet too scientific
les pieds se mêlent—
I count the syllables, weigh
The hémistiche
like the scientist
who titrates carefully
o the wonders of analytical thought!

instead,I write in
my mother tongue
whose kind nature
and comfortable contours
that familiarity and welcome

reminds me of you

Live at the Tabernacle: The Decemberists

2007-04-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I saw The Decemberists in concert at the Tabernacle. I’ve loved The Decemberists for a while but had never seen them in concert before. When I read their tour schedule and saw that they’d be in Atlanta Easter weekend, I knew this was my chance.
My dear friend Lauren drove the two of us to the Tabernacle with half an hour to spare. We waited impatiently while laughing at the emo haircut* that many members of the crowd, both male and female, sported. The stage was already decorated with a large backdrop of a Japanese-style landscape and large paper lanterns were hung overhead. The floor and balconies quickly filled and at 9, the opening band came onstage and played approximately seven songs. Towards the end of the set, the crowd was clearly restless. Our fellow floor-standing audience members were complaining and we all wanted The Decemberists to arrive.
At last, Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and Joen Moem came onstage. They opened with the title tracks from their latest album, The Crane Wife. Colin made excellent conversation between songs, which was delightful. Sometimes bands play songs continually, pausing only to say “Hello [name of city]” or just “We’re so glad to be here in [name of city].” A weak attempt at interaction can ruin a concert or at least make the experiences much less enjoyable. Fortunately, Colin had no trouble, cracking jokes about the rats in the parking lots (inspiring a fan to shout, “Atlanta’s rats love you too!”) and breaking into a spontaneous moonwalk. He led the crowd in a contest at the end of “16 Military Wives” to see which side could do the “la-dee-da” part better. “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” featured an accordion, a huge upright bass, crazy percussion, audience participation screams, and an impressively imposing large grey whale onstage, made of what looked to be paper-mache.
While I had most anticipated seeing Colin sing and perform, I found myself drawn to Jenny, who played the piano and keyboard (among other instruments, including the accordion). She threw herself into every song, playing with panache and passion. When she sang backup vocals or had a few parts in a song, the audience gave her the recognition she deserved.
Overall, it was a fantastic concert. We could have listened for another hour, but the set did last for an hour and a half, which was fairly long. Even if the set list looks paltry, The Decemberists tend to have quite long songs—more 8-minute epics than 3-minute radio hits.

Set list (all the songs they played, though I can’t remember the exact order):
The Crane Wife 1 & 2
The Crane Wife 3
Billy Liar
Grace Cathedral Hill
O Valencia!
The Island: ~ Come and See ~ The Landlord’s Daughter ~ You’ll Not Feel the Drowning
16 Military Wives
The Mariner’s Revenge Song
Eli, the Barrow Boy

(encore)
The Tain

*The emo haircut is characterized by short, choppy hair that includes fall-in-your-eyes bangs. Often accompanied by ironic small ponytails at the back of the head, its predominant color tends be black or brown. Blond streaks are permitted. Above all, the emo haircut must look slightly messy and unkempt.

A New President for Davidson

2007-03-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

Halfway through my nascent post on Davidson College’s new president, I accidentally closed the web browser window and lost all that I had written. I’m taking that as a strong encouragement to write my posts in Word, save them, and then post them. Hopefully that will lower the risk of anger, frustration, and general angst at losing what I’ve written.
Suffice it to say that Davidson announced its 17th president today: Thomas W. Ross. He isn’t quite what my friends and I had hoped for (a woman president) or even expected (someone from outside the Davidson community), but looks to be an excellent president. As a graduate of Davidson and a trustee, he clearly understands the Davidson community and knows its values. Overall, I was favourably impressed by his speech. The head of the presidential search committee emphasized his faith and his humility, two qualities that are vital to any leader.
I look forward to seeing how Dr. Ross interacts with students in the months to come. Bobby Vagt enjoys great popularity among the students; it will be fascinating to see how well Dr. Ross assimilates himself.

See Also:
Official Bio
Timeline
Press Release

La Negritude

2007-03-27T14:03:00.000-05:00

The French class I am currently taking is L’experience noir en la littérature de la Caraïb et l’Afrique, or The Black Experience in Caribbean and African literature. Normally I would have taken French Romantic Poetry, or Women Writers of Medieval France, or even Modern France and Advertising. However, none of those classes or anything similar was available this semester. I knew taking a semester off would probably result in a degeneration of my French knowledge, so I reluctantly signed up for L’experience noir.
Aside from some difficulty earlier in the poetry analysis (who knew scansion was triply difficult in French?), the class has done a wonderful job exposing me to writers that I’ve never encountered in English or in French. Currently the topic is the movement “La Negritude,” which was a French literary and social movement inspired by the American Harlem Renaissance. The writings of Damas—short, powerful, staccato poems—and of Césaire—violent and rebellious exhortations—are fascinating. Even though I personally cannot join these men in proclaiming my strength and pride in my African or Caribbean ethnicity (my WASP status is fairly concrete), it’s stirring and emotional to just read their words. The call to arms for human rights after centuries of oppression applies to many peoples throughout history and not only to one particular place or time.

mais l’œvre de l’homme vient seulement de commencer
…
et aucune race ne possède le monopole de la beauté, de l’intelligence, de la force

[but the work of man has just begun
…
and no race possesses a monopoly on beauty, on intelligence, on strength]

from Aimé Césaire’s Cahier d’un retour au pays natal

And voila...

2007-03-25T13:44:00.000-05:00

At last--photos on the blog! I have acquired a digital camera and will be adding photos to my posts. Now I can show the progress on the epic blanket and also add excitement for other discussions.
I took the above photo last weekend at Lake Norman. The tree had a wonderful, other-worldly quality to it.

On to the knitting:

Here is the massive yarn box for Hunter's blanket:

And here is the blanket so far:

Coming soon...

2007-03-21T17:50:00.000-05:00

There will be exciting changes in this blog...so stay tuned. I'm psyched about the new developments.

Update on the blanket

2007-03-19T17:09:00.000-05:00

After only starting the project on Friday night, the first block of the MLCB [Moderne Log Cabin Blanket] is done. I bound it off yesterday and picked up stitches on the right hand side for the next section. Since I cast on 76 stitches and knit 66 garter ridges...that's a lot of knitting for a weekend!
My picked-up stitches always seem to come out a little wonky. Even when I knit the stitch right after picking it up, and tugging the stitch so it's smaller, it still ends up looking weird. I like the wrong-side better--the little v's lined up look more uniform.

Jesus Camp

2007-03-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw the documentary Jesus Camp with a group of friends.

It was fairly disturbing and raised a lot of questions. The film is about a Pentecostal Evangelical children’s camp in North Dakota.

After we watched the film, we talked about the issues that the film raised, doing our best to not bash the leaders of the camp or anyone else in the film. Rather, we wanted to critique what was horrifying about the film and commend what was good.
One of the most interesting topics was the difference between teaching and indoctrination. If these children are being brain-washed into believing certain statements by a persuasive speaker who plays on their emotions, then how can they have true belief? If they are sheltered their entire lives in a highly insular environment where opposite beliefs are scoffed and disregarded out without any consideration, how can they stand up for what they believe in when challenged? For example, one of the moms who homeschooled her son Levi claimed that “science never proved anything” and said that global warming was a myth.

Nevertheless, the most troubling aspect of the film was the part when the leaders of the camp told the children to “stop being hypocrites” and “clean up their act” and then come to Jesus. There was no mention of salvation by grace or of God’s mercy. Rather, the camp was about training militant and coerced children to take over the country.

It's epic...

2007-03-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I commenced a new project: a blanket for my friend Hunter's birthday.

Like most gifts that I knit, the project was chosen with his input. I'm basically following the pattern for the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket in Mason-Dixon Knitting. The yarn we chose is Caron Simply Soft in tan (3 skeins), navy blue (4), forest green (4), and black (4).

I love all-garter stitch projects for movie viewing and nighttime knitting, so this project will be great. Also, Hunter's birthday isn't until October, so I have plenty of time.

My heels can't touch the ground...

2007-03-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's critique of "the zen of knitting," I tried something that is supposed to be genuinely centering: yoga.

I'd always wanted to try yoga but found classes prohibitively expensive and was loathe to teach myself from a book, for fear that I would do it wrong. When I found out that the community center was offering free classes this month, I knew that this was my chance to find out what it was really like.

Overall, it was quite nice, though challenging. I've never been flexible but I tried to follow directions. It wasn't as relaxing as one might hope, but that will probably come with practice.

It did occur to me that knitting was much, much easier than most of what we had to do during class. However, I plan to keep trying it and see if I improve. I did like the emphasis on posture.

The Zen of Knitting

2007-03-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

If I were to read the title of this post somewhere on the web or in a magazine article, my eyes would probably roll to the back of my skull as I shook my lace chart in the author's face, crying, "Does this look relaxing to you?!"

The trend toward comparing knitting to yoga, or meditation, or touting knitting as a form of self-help or therapy, always seemed to be fairly ridiculous. Perhaps if someone who was familiar with the craft decided to make something simple--a garter stitch scarf in a plain yarn--then that experience would indeed be easy and relaxing and "centering." But I've always failed to understand how painstakingly following a lace chart, discovering a mistake five rows back, and ripping out hours of work helped one achieve inner peace.

At the same time, knitting helps keep me sane. Long car rides without knitting or movies without knitting make me squirm. If my purse doesn't have a knitting project in it, then I'm prone to grumpiness when situations require waiting. And conversely, knitting during those in-between times reminds me of the joys of handicraft. Standing at the airport, knitting socks while waiting for someone to arrive--I'll remember that whenever I wear those socks. If it's in a doctor's office and all the appointments are pushed back, then I can be productive and avoid the decaying issues of Time from 2004.

Even though I will laugh at those who embrace knitting as the new yoga, or because it is trendy, or because some actress took it up, I can appreciate the attractions of something as simple as two needles and yarn. It can be as complicated or as simple as I desire, and that is beautiful.

New knitting projects

2007-03-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits is full of clever sweaters.

Top of my list to knit:

but in blue,
and this:

but in some other colour..maybe black.

Icarus

2007-03-10T12:02:00.000-05:00

[picture from Interweave Knits; this is not me or my shawl!]

I wish I had a digital camera to show a picture of the shawl I finished on Thursday--it blocked overnight and then was ready yesterday morning.
Because I lack the camera to document the finishing, here are the specs:

Icarus Shawl

Colour: greenish teal
Started: July 2006
Finished: March 8, 2007
Pattern source: IK Summer 2006
Yarn: Skacel laceweight wool (about 1300 yards a skein!)
Notes: This shawl took forever to knit because I took very long breaks. The first part, the long stockinette and yarnovers section, was pretty boring. Towards the end I never wanted to knit a shawl again. After it was blocked I started thinking about what colour I would knit the pattern in next time...another example of how quickly the mind forgets tedium.

Yesterday I started a new project, a gypsy shawl made from my sock yarn scraps. It's simple enough for with-movies knitting but the colour changes make it interesting enough to hold my attention otherwise.

Prose poetry

2007-03-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

When I was in elementary school, the emphasis on poetry was that it ought to follow certain guidelines, contain rhythm, contain rhyme, contain meter and alliteration and metaphor.
In high school, the emphasis changed to "anything goes," but poetry still had a certain look--like broken up lines. It never stayed in tidy paragraphs like prose.

Recently in my French Literature class, we began to discuss poetry. At the beginning of our text were two poems, one a classical French sonnet and one a prose poem. I was skeptical. Prose and poetry never overlapped in my mind. They were two separate entities that did not meet.

However, reading the selection revealed poetic elements: alliteration, metaphor, and a sort of rhyme. Against my prior inclinations, I had to admit that this paragraph was poetry.

La maladie que j’ai me condamne à l’immobilité absolue au lit. Quand mon ennui prend des proportions excessives et qui vont me déséquilibrer si l’on n’intervient pas, voici ce que je fais :
J’écrase mon crâne et l’étale devant moi aussi loin que possible et quand c’est bien plat, je sors ma cavalerie. Les sabots tapent clair sur ce sol ferme et jaunâtre. Les escadrons prennent immédiatement le trot, et ça piaffe, et ça rue. Et ce bruit, ce rythme net et multiple, cette ardeur qui respire le combat et la victoire, enchantent l’âme de celui qui est cloué au lit et ne peut faire un mouvement.
[from La Nuit remue , Henri Michaux. http://www.ada-theatre.com/sections/spectacles/index.php ]

A poem for Spring-

2007-03-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things,
For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow,
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls, finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced, fold, fallow and plough,
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange,
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim.
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change;
Praise him.

--Gerald Manley Hopkins, 1918

[HT: http://withallyourmind.net/archives/2006/gerald-manley-hopkins-pied-beauty/ ]

Welcome to Marvelous Things

2007-03-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog, Marvelous Things. This is my first blog and I'm delighted to finally join the blogosphere after reading many blogs over the past several years.

The inspiration for the title of my blog comes from Micah 7:15, one of my favourite Bible verses. The context of the quote is about the works of God as "marvelous things." I intend this blog to be unlimited in its scope and discussion--music, books, politics, current events, craft, etc. Therefore, the idea of writing on marvelous things was greatly appealing.

Feedback will be appreciated, so don't hesitate to email or send comments.