Monday, May 12, 2008
Nicknames
Growing up the little sister of two older brothers, I was subject to my fair share of teasing. The name that stuck for a good 25 years or so (and still occasion from my oldest brother), was the name Bill. Because it is a somewhat obscure reference to a TV movie from 1983, let me explain. Bill was a mentally disabled man played by Mickey Rooney. In pre-PC days, some teacher must have thought it a good learning experience for her students to watch. My brother and his friends, being in the 7th grade, missed the intended compassionate message and instead started calling anyone who did something "retarded" Bill. I was five and the name stuck. I was reminded by this yesterday when we all got a good laugh at the adopted child mother's day card (in my defense, there wasn't a label!).
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day
Is it me or is Mother's Day really hyped up this year? Every advertisement I hear or see seems to be trying to induce some of type of guilt-based buying behavior on me. I heard Earth Day was big because Easter was so early, but Mother's Day is huge. I think the recession - er economic downturn - has made large businesses go into Mother's Day overdrive. I refuse to be sucked into the madness and do anything different than I normally do. Call me a bad daughter, but I usually stick to a card, a plant and some fun girly things you don't think to buy for yourself (face masks, pjs, pink flip-flops, lotions). I'm pretty sure my own mother is fine with this routine and I hope any recently added family members will be as well.
Typically I really enjoy picking out a cute and well-meaninged card for occasions, but this week's trip to Hallmark was an exception. Apologies to all you Mother's out there, but most of the cards were silly and insipid. And not even irreverent, just irrelevant. The woman next to me looking through cards kept giving me dirty looks because I couldn't help to make gagging noises at some of the cards. New rule for me and card buying - if it takes both sides of the inside of the card to get the message across it is ridiculously wordy and probably saccharine sweet. Gah. I finally got out of the store with four cards that didn't make me throw up in my mouth (although three of the four are not up to my usual card standards).
After all the drama at Hallmark, I got home to let Chris know he was responsible for mailing the cards to his mother and grandmother. I braved the card store to pick them out after all. Uh, yeah, they are still on the table. What's worse though, is upon signing the card I picked out for my mom, I realized I misread it at the store. It's really intended for an adopted person to give to his or her mother (it says I can't thank you for my DNA, but I can thank you for all the other things you have done for me)...oops. Well, my brothers always said I was actually found in a dumpster and not really related.
Regardless, I'm wishing all you mothers out there a special day!
Typically I really enjoy picking out a cute and well-meaninged card for occasions, but this week's trip to Hallmark was an exception. Apologies to all you Mother's out there, but most of the cards were silly and insipid. And not even irreverent, just irrelevant. The woman next to me looking through cards kept giving me dirty looks because I couldn't help to make gagging noises at some of the cards. New rule for me and card buying - if it takes both sides of the inside of the card to get the message across it is ridiculously wordy and probably saccharine sweet. Gah. I finally got out of the store with four cards that didn't make me throw up in my mouth (although three of the four are not up to my usual card standards).
After all the drama at Hallmark, I got home to let Chris know he was responsible for mailing the cards to his mother and grandmother. I braved the card store to pick them out after all. Uh, yeah, they are still on the table. What's worse though, is upon signing the card I picked out for my mom, I realized I misread it at the store. It's really intended for an adopted person to give to his or her mother (it says I can't thank you for my DNA, but I can thank you for all the other things you have done for me)...oops. Well, my brothers always said I was actually found in a dumpster and not really related.
Regardless, I'm wishing all you mothers out there a special day!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Picture This
It's become a cliché to say that a picture speaks a thousand words, but after visiting this exhibit at the Ohio Historical Society yesterday, I would say the adage is completely true. The exhibit is made up of Pulitzer winning photographs from the last 50 years. It's an intense visual journey through history.
Several things struck me about the exhibit. To begin with, these are 11x20 or larger prints of the photos. Usually when you see a great example of photojournalism, you see it on grainy newsprint and in a small box above the fold. The size of these photos really brought the emotion they were depicting to life. Pulitzer prize winning photos tend to show raw emotion, but are composed perfectly.
As you are walking through the exhibit, it's important to read the accompanying text as the words work together with the picture to put it in perspective. Without the text, it would sometimes be hard to understand the photo. Some of the images, though showed such heartbreak you didn't really need the complete story. Fear, pain and suffering is the same on the face of a starving child as it is on the face of a civil war embattled widow.
It's also interesting to see how the technology and the focus of the photos have changed in the last 50 years. The accompanying text for the early photos tells of photographers changing flash bulbs at just the right moment to get the shot. The text also told of photographer in the 70s and 80s, smuggling film out of war zones. The photos eventually switched from black and white to color and then some back to black and white as the format changed to digital. It also seemed the early images were more national in subject while the more recent are international. All are powerful.
Some of the images, such as the soldier being greeted by his family in the 70s and Babe Ruth's last game in the 50s, were familiar. A few of the images, such as the fireman carrying the baby out of the rubble of the Oklahoma City bombing in the 90s and the little Vietnamese girl with her clothes burned off in the 70s, were painfully identifiable. There were many pictures of war and famine. A lot of the images dealt with the civil rights movement, a lot more dealt with the Vietnam war and several of the images were of places and times most Americans wouldn't know about if the photographers wouldn't have traveled the world.
Many of the images and related text moved me to tears. The exhibit is laid out with a large reflecting room in the middle. It has couches and plenty of Kleenex and is mostly a visually devoid space. I skipped the reflecting room, but maybe shouldn't have because I did feel rather overwhelmed after walking the exhibit. We had only planned on being there for a little bit, but ended up staying for almost two hours. If you're local, it's worth the trip. If you're not local, don't be so quick to dismiss the photographs on the front page of a newspaper, as they could be telling an important story. I know I won't be so fast to dismiss the next piece of photojournalism I see.
Several things struck me about the exhibit. To begin with, these are 11x20 or larger prints of the photos. Usually when you see a great example of photojournalism, you see it on grainy newsprint and in a small box above the fold. The size of these photos really brought the emotion they were depicting to life. Pulitzer prize winning photos tend to show raw emotion, but are composed perfectly.
As you are walking through the exhibit, it's important to read the accompanying text as the words work together with the picture to put it in perspective. Without the text, it would sometimes be hard to understand the photo. Some of the images, though showed such heartbreak you didn't really need the complete story. Fear, pain and suffering is the same on the face of a starving child as it is on the face of a civil war embattled widow.
It's also interesting to see how the technology and the focus of the photos have changed in the last 50 years. The accompanying text for the early photos tells of photographers changing flash bulbs at just the right moment to get the shot. The text also told of photographer in the 70s and 80s, smuggling film out of war zones. The photos eventually switched from black and white to color and then some back to black and white as the format changed to digital. It also seemed the early images were more national in subject while the more recent are international. All are powerful.
Some of the images, such as the soldier being greeted by his family in the 70s and Babe Ruth's last game in the 50s, were familiar. A few of the images, such as the fireman carrying the baby out of the rubble of the Oklahoma City bombing in the 90s and the little Vietnamese girl with her clothes burned off in the 70s, were painfully identifiable. There were many pictures of war and famine. A lot of the images dealt with the civil rights movement, a lot more dealt with the Vietnam war and several of the images were of places and times most Americans wouldn't know about if the photographers wouldn't have traveled the world.
Many of the images and related text moved me to tears. The exhibit is laid out with a large reflecting room in the middle. It has couches and plenty of Kleenex and is mostly a visually devoid space. I skipped the reflecting room, but maybe shouldn't have because I did feel rather overwhelmed after walking the exhibit. We had only planned on being there for a little bit, but ended up staying for almost two hours. If you're local, it's worth the trip. If you're not local, don't be so quick to dismiss the photographs on the front page of a newspaper, as they could be telling an important story. I know I won't be so fast to dismiss the next piece of photojournalism I see.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
In the Who Knew Catergory
I make it a point to learn a new thing each day. I do this so I am a more interesting person and so I won't develop Alzheimer's. On Sunday, I learned two things I wasn't quite ready for.
It began when Chris and I took a road trip to Delaware, Ohio. It's only about a 30 minute drive, but to me anything longer than 15 minutes is a road trip. So when we stopped for gas on the way, I made sure to stock up on water and lottery tickets. Wouldn't want to get dehydrated or bored during the trip, now would we? We were heading to Delaware because I wanted to test-drive a Prius. We'd been researching them online, but before I went any further, I wanted to see the colors in person and make sure the driver's seat has comfortable lumbar support. Yes, that is how I choose a car. Of course, there are Toyota dealers within the Columbus city limits, but not Toyota dealers who were offering a $50 gift card to Buca for test driving the Prius. So off to Delaware we went. And, yes, I see the hypocrisy of driving out of our way to test drive a hybrid car. If it makes you feel better, I planned some trips in the area (we'll get to that later).
Little did I know, the Prius is so popular since the recent increase in gas prices, that the dealer had no cars to look at or drive. Not a one. Not even a Hybrid Camry. Only plain old gas guzzling cars were on the lot. The salesman thought he had a used Prius we could see, but, no even that one had been sold earlier in the day. I knew the Prius was a popular little bugger, but I had no idea it was waiting list, can't keep the cars on the lot, popular. And, oh yeah, you usually can't pick your color (if you really want one, you get what they have) and you pay sticker price (or at some dealers a little more.)
So after not getting to test-drive the car, we backtracked to the Polaris area to go to The Great Indoors. The Polaris Fashion Place is only about 15 minutes from our house, but it is outside of 270 and so I very rarely go there. We were headed to the Great Indoors because a very nice person had given us a gift certificate from there for our wedding. We didn't need anything, but it was $50 not coming out of our checking account and we were there, so gosh darn it, that $50 would be spent. We looked at doormats, I drooled over the Le Creuset section, and then we pondered how much use we would actually get out of a margarita maker. As we were wandering around the store, wondering again why we aren't rich, we saw the huge selection of faucets. Then we remembered, oh yeah, we do need a faucet to go with the new granite counter tops coming later this month. But, seriously, why are faucets so expensive? I was dripping(!) with sticker shock. Needless to say our $50 gift card barely put a dent into the faucet purchase.
It began when Chris and I took a road trip to Delaware, Ohio. It's only about a 30 minute drive, but to me anything longer than 15 minutes is a road trip. So when we stopped for gas on the way, I made sure to stock up on water and lottery tickets. Wouldn't want to get dehydrated or bored during the trip, now would we? We were heading to Delaware because I wanted to test-drive a Prius. We'd been researching them online, but before I went any further, I wanted to see the colors in person and make sure the driver's seat has comfortable lumbar support. Yes, that is how I choose a car. Of course, there are Toyota dealers within the Columbus city limits, but not Toyota dealers who were offering a $50 gift card to Buca for test driving the Prius. So off to Delaware we went. And, yes, I see the hypocrisy of driving out of our way to test drive a hybrid car. If it makes you feel better, I planned some trips in the area (we'll get to that later).
Little did I know, the Prius is so popular since the recent increase in gas prices, that the dealer had no cars to look at or drive. Not a one. Not even a Hybrid Camry. Only plain old gas guzzling cars were on the lot. The salesman thought he had a used Prius we could see, but, no even that one had been sold earlier in the day. I knew the Prius was a popular little bugger, but I had no idea it was waiting list, can't keep the cars on the lot, popular. And, oh yeah, you usually can't pick your color (if you really want one, you get what they have) and you pay sticker price (or at some dealers a little more.)
So after not getting to test-drive the car, we backtracked to the Polaris area to go to The Great Indoors. The Polaris Fashion Place is only about 15 minutes from our house, but it is outside of 270 and so I very rarely go there. We were headed to the Great Indoors because a very nice person had given us a gift certificate from there for our wedding. We didn't need anything, but it was $50 not coming out of our checking account and we were there, so gosh darn it, that $50 would be spent. We looked at doormats, I drooled over the Le Creuset section, and then we pondered how much use we would actually get out of a margarita maker. As we were wandering around the store, wondering again why we aren't rich, we saw the huge selection of faucets. Then we remembered, oh yeah, we do need a faucet to go with the new granite counter tops coming later this month. But, seriously, why are faucets so expensive? I was dripping(!) with sticker shock. Needless to say our $50 gift card barely put a dent into the faucet purchase.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Spring Sprouts
A weekend summer ritual for us is walking or biking up to the Clintonville Farmer's Market each week, stopping for Starbucks and picking up some goodies. It's a great way to start Saturday mornings and I simply love the idea of buying produce and other goods from local suppliers. After the long winter months without our local Market, I was so happy to welcome the tents back to High Street this morning.
As it's still early in the season, this week's Market featured sprouts and seedlings as well as a couple of early produce choices (greens and asparagus). I didn't know about the Sprout Sale last year, but this year I was really excited to take part. It is great to know where my seedlings came from and how they were produced. Also, I think the sale was a bargain - for about $30 we bought five different varieties of heirloom tomato plants, a sweet pepper seedling, basil and tarragon plants, a bag of organic fertilizer and my favorite purchase of the day: two hanging baskets of green beans (one is for my parent's house).
In other garden news: our lettuce is just about to the point where we should be thinning it out, there is one healthy volunteer fennel plant and I threw down a few more seeds to even out that row. The grape vine we are foster-parenting for our friends Jacqui and Brad is starting to come back nicely (would have felt bad if we would have offed that guy).
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Circling
For as much as I cried my way through 10th grade geometry, I've always loved shapes. Of all the shapes, the circle is my favorite. I like the perfection of them. The roundness and the gentle curves of an even 360 degrees. Circles often appear in our daily lives and I find comfort that, like a wedding band, there is no end and no beginning. Circles just are. There are many common idioms about circles: circle back, full circle, circular reasoning. Most of all I like circle the wagons. The phrase originates from the prairie days when wagon trains heading west would stop for the night. In a long, grueling crossing, often not knowing what the next day would bring, these overnights were probably a welcome break and a chance to relax, plan and enjoy the other traveler's company. The wagons would be arranged in a circle with livestock, women and children in the center. The wagons then formed a protective barrier around the core.
Consequently, I've taken this saying to mean to protect what is important while taking the time to figure out what comes next on the journey. This site has a different take on it, which I don't find half as endearing. And there goes the simile I had in mind for this post, huh, will just go take a walk now.
Consequently, I've taken this saying to mean to protect what is important while taking the time to figure out what comes next on the journey. This site has a different take on it, which I don't find half as endearing. And there goes the simile I had in mind for this post, huh, will just go take a walk now.
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