Number 10

A little while ago we started collecting string art that we found in thrift stores or estate sales. Behold the handily-labeled tenth:

 

Seriously, I'm not sure we would have definitely known it was a teardrop without the label...

On a hobby-life.

What with all my working hours now totally filled, I'm starting to feel like my hobbies are all being neglected. But indeed my interests are still budding (pun very intended), and one that I've been playing with for a little while now is terrarium-building. 

I started with moss from the woods, and some died and some lived depending on where I placed them and whether I left the lid on or not. So, it turns out that leaving the lid off is best (really, is it a big surprise that a plant living in the PA woods would not like being sealed up in a glass jar in the sun?). For my birthday I got a pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, and planted that in a neat glass jar, and a few weeks later my parents bought me a succulent plant, Echeveria, that I wedged into an old cookie jar. It must like it in there, because it sent out a flower stalk and is blooming like crazy. Just today as I was  buying a dehumidifier for the basement (boo!), I saw little Venus flytraps for only a couple dollars and picked one up to put in with the pitcher plant.

The other, dare I say, hobby that I dabble in from time to time is photography. Now, I say that knowing full well that I'm not a photographer,but  I just enjoy it and like playing with it from time to time. I also know that it's complete heresy that the majority of my photos are from my iPhone, but what is better than always having a camera in your pocket? The other point of heresy is that the photos below were all taken with the instagram app, which seems to be all over the interwebs these days:

Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Moss (don't know the species)

Will you look at that. So nice.

My little blooming beauty (Echeveria x "Topsy Turvy")

I also really want to learn how to/start pruning Japanese maples and evergreens in the Japanese pruning style method, Niwaki. Imagine Bonsai type trees but larger and in the ground. Some forms are called cloud pruning, but many others have Japanese names with no direct English translation.They are generally pruned heavily to make them look like older trees in specific locations (i.e., on a cliff, mountain top, or riverside). Not many people do this type of pruning because it is very labor-intensive, but there are small groups of people that enjoy it. I am thinking of going to the local Bonsai Club monthly meeting to ask around if they know of anyone that prunes trees in this method in the hopes I can tag along and learn a few things.

As a side note, I'm also thinking about applying to the Longwood Garden graduate program in Horticulture. They only choose 5-6 people a year for a fully-funded two-year program through the University of Delaware. I have a friend that is in the program now, and I've been reading the bios of the other students. Wow: they are all ridiculously amazing individuals that have amazing resumes and make applying really intimidating. 

But here's to hobbies, optimism, acceptance to graduate programs, and a better economy so that we can all have jobs we enjoy.

Denny Hilton

While researching a paper I'm writing for a course this summer, we met the folk artist behind the work that proliferates a mere 4 blocks from our house. (There are more sculptures and holiday-themed murals that change each season, but I'm looking at neighborhood memorials for this project.)

May retrospect, part deux

Among the odder things that happened in May -- along with learning, courtesy of our friends' cocker spaniel, that our neighborhood sidewalks are covered with chicken bones -- was the black doll show hosted by Temple University last Saturday. I attended with a friend, and found black doll collecting to be a surprisingly thriving subculture. For a second I considered putting together a well-researched post about this, but in the end I'm not that interested. If your curiosity is piqued, though, have at it. And do tell. 

Advocacy apparel.

You are correct, that IS a tie with mold spores and fungus mushrooms on it! What's that, you would prefer to sport something featuring, oh, hepatitis B or influenza? Coming right up.

All available here. Father's Day, here we come.

Acquisitions

First things first, to the far right in the photo below you will see the latest addition to our string art collection: a string art golfer. Actually, it's copper wire so maybe I can't call it string art. If you were able to look a bit more closely you would see that a golf tee sits in each corner of the frame. Ah-May-Zing! The only piece of string art that can top a golfer is an owl. I've only ever heard stories of this mythical beast and hope to one day own this elusive creature.

Next is a book I stumbled across in a Nashville thrift store. I won't say much but it caught my eye as I'm currently in job search mode, so the words 'profit' and 'how to' just jumped out to me.

As far as personal life, job prospects include profiting from the rapture, trimming trees, teaching in Philadelphia public schools, and/or scheming a job at the Arboretum. Hopefully one of these prospects works out.

Overheard: Poet vs. Novelist

I caught this on Studio 360 this morning:

It's funny because it's (mostly) true.

One free thing led to another.

Since I moved to Nashville I've been trying to attend as many films as possible offered through the Vanderbilt-Belcourt Theatre partnership called Faculty-Led Interactive Cinematic eXplorations (FLICX). The screenings are free for students who pre-register (and agree to stick around for the post-film discussion) and yes, it's about as nerdy as it sounds. But I love movies, independent theaters (especially those so conveniently located), and most of all free admission, so this program was basically designed for me.

Because I've attended so many of these (okay, not a lot, but a solid handful), the program director offered me a free ticket to a Sundance preview featuring an appearance by the director. What's that? And there will be free popcorn? Yes please.

Christopher Munch was on hand to introduce his new film, Letters from the Big Man, which is about a human-Sasquatch friendship in the Pacific Northwest. Aside from a few unfortunate intrusions of plot, the film was evocative and character-driven and not as cheesy as it sounds. Mostly recommended.

What language do you speak?

-- is nearly an irrelevant question. How, or why, or where, or when, or with whom you speak might all be more informative. On the other hand, maybe those questions are all tied up in the choice of which language to speak when.

I've long been interested in the issues surrounding translation among languages, and I spent a lot of time this week reading about language and how it works (Wittgenstein, MacIntyre, Kristeva, anyone?). Is language a social phenomenon? How does narrative work to construct self-identity?

I remember reading years ago about Alex, the African gray parrot who was perhaps the non-human animal most fluent in a human language. He was able to communicate effectively on a number of fronts -- to the point of coining words -- but I always thought it was a little suspect to evaluate his intelligence based on his performance in a second language.  I was happy to discover this morning that language is not, after all, distinctive to humans, and we will have the chance to learn the syntax of another species. Hopefully they think we're smart (and that speaking with us is worth their while!).

As a side note, I saw Whistler's mother at the Frist last Saturday. She's looking as well as ever. 

[Insert joke about her talkativeness here...]

 

The day job.

I know – you’re sick and tired of looking at that bepollened bee! Why haven’t we been posting on this blog, you ask? For one thing, it turns out that actual 40-hour-per-week jobs take up a lot of time. Then there’s commuting, and spending time with friends, and chores, and…

Faithful readers will remember that I am working this summer at Art-Reach, a nonprofit dedicated to making the arts accessible for people with disabilities or economic disadvantages. Aside from the fact that I am on the phone more than I ever thought I would be, it’s been a great job so far. Not only does Art-Reach advocate on behalf of people in need to get reduced-rate admissions to a couple hundred cultural venues throughout the area, they also organize pretty great community events. A couple weeks ago Art-Reach collaborated with the Walnut Street Theater to present a fully-accessible performance of Fiddler on the Roof, complete with audio description, ASL interpretation, and a sensory tour before the performance.

Since there were a few extra headsets, I checked out the audio description during the play. The speaker described what was happening on stage (“curtain rises;” “they shake hands”), although I found that he provided more details as the show progressed (“the dancers are moving faster now, left legs extended, bottles balanced on their heads”).

The pre-show sensory tour allowed patrons with visual impairments to check out props before the show started. Two actors presented their costumes and then passed around the wig used in the show’s dream sequence, several hats, and of course a fiddle. I loved that the male actor also presented his beard as an element of his costume, although people were cracking up at feeling his face:

And a few weeks before that event, Art-Reach partnered with the Philadelphia Museum of Art to present audio-described tours in the collections and touchable tours in a gallery of work by artists who have visual impairments. Sighted patrons were given the option to don blindfolds as well (I couldn’t because I had to take flashless photos, sigh).

A docent described two paintings in the early American gallery, but I sort of preferred the work of the contemporary artists with visual impairments:

 

The bright colors, geometric shapes, and incorporation of found objects reminded me a lot of Haitian art, so it was fun to see. I’m not sure how much longer this exhibit will be up, so if you’re in Philadelphia definitely head over and check it out.