Geeking out. Again.

THIS.

It was the first PG 13 movie I ever saw.  Dad took me, and it's one of the best memories I have.  We saw it 8 times in the theater.

Seeing it in 3D was utterly worth the 20 year wait! LOL
It was awesome!  I plan to see it in the theater a few more times before it leaves.
Geeky happiness.  :)

My Geek is Showing

This showed up on my Facebook newsfeed from a friend today and I'm all giddy now. :)  Are you a Tolkien fan like I am?  Why or why not?

Raise your hand if you giggled out loud at the last scene! :D

Lucy Jane is still working away at a Lady Hobbit outfit to wear when the film comes out.  People who unabashedly show their love and appreciation for creative works by dressing up in costume- what do you think of them?  Cute?  Weird?  Or weird, but in a cute way (OR, cute, but in a weird way?)?  Would you do it?  ARE you going to do it, come December?  Discuss...

12/13/12 UPDATE:  I posted about this on Lucy's blog, but I don't remember if I mentioned it on TMP, so I'll put it here- I tried to get a hobbity costume together for the premiere of this film, but with everything that's been going on personally (see the Dec post titled "Breaking The Silence"), it just didn't happen.  But all will be well.  The Hobbit has now been made as a trilogy and I think it would be just as fitting and proper to attend the finale film in costume as it would have been to go to this one all done up.  It turns out better, actually, because now I have a bit more time to up the ante on my skills and really get some practice work at corsetry under my belt (HA!) before completing a full out hobbit costume.  So, yay for borrowed time! XD

I'll still be going to see this one Friday night.  Caaaaannnnnn'tttt wwwaaaaaaiiiiiiitt!! :) :) :)

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!

Sometimes my train of thought derails at the speed of light (usually with no survivors).  Every once in a while though, one of of those tangents leads to a phenomenal discovery of which I had been previously ignorant, and the newly unearthed epiphany thereof leaves me squealing with glee and/or babbling incoherently about aforementioned phenomenal discovery to anyone and everyone who is brave enough to stick around and attempt to decipher what I'm saying.  (Such event is happening even as my fingers fly over the keyboard now, so if you've managed to follow the content of what I've just written thus far, CONGRATULATIONS!  You win! :D)

For those of you who are looking around for the evidence of a caffeine overdose, relax.  You won't find anything.  Blame my iTunes for this latest bouncing around the room like a ping pong ball in a hurricane effect.  I had it on shuffle.  It came to "Seize The Day" from the movie Newsies.  I Googled Newsies just to see what came up.  It's not caffeine.  It's the music!  Music does this to me!  Phenomenal discoveries of music I love being turned into better versions of themselves in the form of BROADWAY MUSICALS!!!

THIS

IS NOW THIS!!!!

***Somebody pass me a paper bag before I hyperventilate! :D :D :D :D :D :D***

Links, Jenny.  Give the readers the links!  Focus!

Here is the official WEBSITE.  Here is where you can get the collector's edition DVD of the 1992 movie, if you have $50 bucks to burn. (I do not.  I will have to pray my VCR and/or VHS copy of it do not die on me.)  Here is a wikipedia article on the real life Newsboys Strike of 1899 that inspired the story.  Here is a photo from this NY Times article that I was going to link anyway (see!  I sourced!!) showing the main group of the Newsies cast.  

D'aww!  Cutie Pies!  :)

Now, the only down side to all of this is that it's running on Broadway.  You know, in NYC.  Which, according to Google maps, is 916 miles (15 hours and 35 minutes) from here, straight up I-85 N and passing through 6 states.  Hmmm.  Current circumstances afford me neither gasoline nor airfare for such an endeavor.  POUT.

So I guess I will have to sit tight until either a) somehow I miraculously get together an all expenses paid trip up to NY to see it on Broadway, or, b) stalk Ticketmaster/The Fox Theatre/Broadway Across America's websites and figure out a way to snag tickets if when it comes to Atlanta.  Sigh.  So much of my life recently seems to be made up of having to wait for things.

Until I find a solution, I'll be listening to the new OCR album.  In between Steam Powered Giraffe songs.  (Because I'm nowhere near finished being addicted to their music.  Probably ever.)  But yeah, pretty sure I can make room for the Newsies soundtrack!!!

Did you think I was going to tag a Music Mondays post and not leave you with a song?? :)

Here is my favorite song and dance number from the '92 movie, "The World Will Know":

And here it is given new life and amazing sound by the Broadway Cast!

And just because I can't stop, here are two more that I adore and will be singing at the top of my lungs for the next few months. :)  GORGEOUS!  Enjoy!

"Seize The Day"

"Once And For All"

March, Mars and Music Monday

March is here.  It is the third month of the year, which means that 2012 is a quarter of the way over.  (YIPES.  I have to step up my working pace...!)  March is the third month in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and derives its name from Mars.  But not actually this Mars:

4th planet from the sun and one of planet
Earth's closest neighbors (as compared to,
say, Neptune.)

It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.*

This dude.

But I was never much interested in Roman and Greek mythology, so it may as well be the planet Mars.  Planet Mars brings to mind a piece we played in band these 15 years ago.**  For your Music Monday entertainment, I give you the "Mars" movement from The Planets by Gustav Holst.  Turn up the volume and enjoy!

*According to bits and pieces from Wikipedia and the Internets

** It also brings to mind one of these:

Bueller..? Beuller...?

I don't really care that it was a Superbowl commercial. We're not NFL fans in the least here, so we were only vaguely aware that there was a recreational competition of national interest happening on Sunday evening. (We played with the kids at the park and then had a nice supper and played dominoes at home.)

But here is my choice for today's Video Wednesday post (trying to get back to my blogging schedule, you know). It completely made my week. The only thing that could have made it better was to include Alan Ruck, but according to some interviews, he wasn't interested in seeing his days as Cameron Fry revived. I can respect that. Anyway.  I still love this commercial. Enjoy.

Ferris Beuller, you're my hero! :

Dickens is still as popular as... well, the Dickens!

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, arguably the greatest fiction author of the mid 19th century.  Some of us were forced to read Dickens in school whether we liked it or not (most of my peers), but some of us not only read it willingly, SOME of us had voluntarily read it years before that and were re-reading them like letters from an old friend. (ME!!!)  Some of us also found out today that the phrase "like the Dickens" is of Shakespearean origin and has nothing to do with Charles Dickens whatsoever.  (Me again!  Who knew?)

I read and loved A Christmas Carol at the age of 9, after loving the "Mickey's Christmas Carol" movie  year after year until I learned to read fluently (hey, the exposure has to come from somewhere!).  I moved on from there to Oliver Twist around 10 or 11, and by the time we were collectively studying A Tale of Two Cities in high school, I'd already finished Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.  (Yes, I was teased mercilessly by my peers for being a bookworm and an introvert.  Such is the social structure and pecking order of the public school system.)

Dickens has a way with the details of the scene that I love.  His minute descriptions draw me into England the way he saw it.  Every house, every carriage, every article of clothing is depicted to me in words that leave my mind's eye in no doubt as to the existence of every item and every action involved with them and the movement of the plot.  His characters are introduced in such a way as though you are sure you are in the room along side them all.

I have been a life long Dickens reader, although I did not read Little Dorrit, The Pickwick Papers, The Life of Our Lord, and A Child's History of England until I was in my 20s, the latter two appearing in my personal library in handsome hard back covers as a Christmas gift from my dad's mom.  Little Dorrit is perhaps my favorite curl-up-by-a-winter-fire read, excepting maybe David Copperfield.  

I will confess readily that Pickwick Papers was a HARD read, in that it had perhaps more to do with the differing social classes and customs and phrases of the day than any of his later works.  I got through it, but it was an arduous process that took several weeks (ages, in relation to my natural reading speed) and I was forever marking my place and having to Google something I didn't understand (Sam Weller's cockney speech, among others).  And although Pickwick Papers is praised for its accurate descriptions of the old coaching inns of England during that time*, not only have two full centuries passed and rendered such establishments a bit archaic, Georgia and its history bear so little resemblance to the England of Dickens' time, I have no reference point from which to understand the events of the plot which happen in the coaching inns, except what I learn about online and by asking my British friends who love and study the history of their own country.

On the whole, however, Dickens is beloved and cherished in our house, and many volumes of his work take their place on my bookshelf along side Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and various and sundry other favorite literary greats.

Also in my list of favorite things are several film versions of Dickens titles, produced by BBC and available either in their shop to order, or on Youtube if one doesn't mind the interruption of moving from one episode segment to the next.  They employ the top of my list of favorite British screen stars: Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Daniel Radcliffe, Matthew Macfadyen, Alun Armstrong, Andy Serkis, and James Fleet (to name only a few).  Stellar writing combined with stellar acting performances = excellent entertainment for this grown up bookworm. :)

*taken from the first paragraph in the summary of Pickwick papers on Wikipedia article here.

Related links of interest:
Little Dorrit miniseries by BBC on Youtube, first part here.
Little Dorrit for purchase at BBC website here. Or on Amazon here.

David Copperfield miniseries by BBC on Youtube, first part here.
David Copperfield for purchase at BBC website here.  Or on Amazon here.

(Interesting note, both of these star Alun Armstrong in vastly different roles!)

My favorite versions of A Christmas Carol:
George C. Scott classic, on Youtube, first part here.  Buy at Amazon here.
A Muppet Christmas Carol, on Youtube first part here.  Buy at Amazon here
Jim Carey's version is too new to be on Youtube, but watch the trailer here. Buy at Amazon here.

I'm sure there are more great movie links, but that will have to keep you happy for now! ;)

Mathematics

Cute Gremlin #2 is learning about Roman Numerals in school.  I was never very good at math when I was in school.  I fought to pass Algebra II (hey look, a Roman Numeral!) in high school with a 76 or something, and I was proud of that C, because it was hard.  You ask me to play a clarinet concerto, fine.  Write a 10 page paper on any part of British Literature?  Sure.  Give a US History presentation with visuals and references? No problem.  But Algebra, Geometry and beyond?  Not so much.

So I'm very proud of my Cute Gremlin for having an aptitude for something that I never mastered.  She's a math whiz.  Her reading fluency and comprehension irk me sometimes, but this is when I am reminded that she is not me.  (Heck, she doesn't even have my genes.)  We help each other learn.  She loves math, and I love that she does. :)

Here are two great songs about math.  One is "New Math" by Tom Lehrer, and the other is a great song (that contains Roman Numerals!) called "18 Wheels on a Big Rig" by Haywood Banks that we heard on the Bob and Tom radio show a long time ago.  Also, here is an Abbott and Costello clip about math that we love.

Enjoy!

Winter Reading

My friend Chris over at Where the Pavement Ends recently posted about the books he's diving into as the weather gets colder.  His new bride is seeking to read through "the classics" this winter, and Chris asked for help in compiling a list* for her.  Here you go, my lovelies!

Here are 50 works of fiction (in no particular order)** that I think fall into the classics category that everyone should read.  You'll notice that many of them are young adult and some even older children's level, but I think it's the enduring (and endearing) story that counts and we should all stay young at heart! :)

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Emma - Jane Austen
3. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
4. Persuasion - Jane Austen
5. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
6. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
7. Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens
8. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
9. Peter Pan - James M. Barrie
10. The Lord of the Rings (complete and unabridged) - J.R.R. Tolkien
11. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
12. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare
13. Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare
14. Hamlet - Shakespeare
15. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
16. Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery
17. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
18. The Watership Down - Richard Adams
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
20. James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
21. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
22. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (these could possibly count as 7 total, but I count them as one.  Up to you.)
23. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
24. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
25. The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas
26. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
27. Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White
28. Stuart Little - E.B. White
29. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
30. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
31. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
32. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
33. Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
34. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskells
35. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
36. Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw
37. The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
38. White Fang - Jack London
39. The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan
40. The Jungle Books (make sure to find an edition that includes Riki Tiki Tavi) - Rudyard Kipling
41. A Bear Called Paddington - Michael Bond
42. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
43. The Borrowers Series - Mary Norton
44. The Cricket in Times Square - George Selden
45. The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann Wyss
46. Little House Series - Laura Ingalls Wilder
47. The Redwall Series - Brian Jacques
48. The Cat Who Series - Lillian Jackson Braun
49. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
50. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

*If some of these titles are not on an official "Classics" list somewhere, then they ought to be.
** Yes, I have read all of these.  Some are more favorites than others, but I've read each one through.

I hope that helps, Chris and Cort! This list looks so inviting, I think I will also make a few trips up to the library and check out some of my favorites to enjoy while curled up with a cup of hot tea!

What are some of your favorite classic books, and why?

Frank's First Football Game

I graduated from Alexander High School in June of 1999.  Since then, I have only lived a maximum of 30 miles away, and even now have moved back to my hometown and within my alma mater's district.

Tonight, the band director (who was one of my classmates back then) hosted any alumni who would come and allowed us to march down to the field with the band (oh, the memories!!!) and even play if we wanted to.  I need dental work, so I chose not to play, but Frank came along for the fun and even made some new friends in the stands (see below).

AHS beat Lithia Springs 34-21.

Without further ado, here are the pics. :)

Band Room, Sweet Band Room

Frank poses with Director and
fellow c/o 99 Alumni Andy Daniel

Jennifer and Frank during the National Anthem

Members of the Performing Arts Program singing our National Anthem

"Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave?"
Yes.  Yes, it does!

Frank's view from the top of the band stands.

Frank hangs out with the drum line in the stands.
I didn't get this Alumni dude's name, but he was nice.
He was additionally considerate in that he didn't take out my
kneecaps in his furious mallet swings when they played!

The show looks good!  Go, Cougar Band!

Musical Memory

When I was much younger
And the world was not yet so heavy
on my shoulders
I learned that I loved music.

I learned that it was
a living, breathing thing
on its own
And that I was always better
for having experienced it.

Somewhere along the way
the radio wasn't enough
to satisfy my cravings
to apease my appetite for melody.

So I followed its call
to learn an instrument
A clarinet
My own means of
instant musical gratification.

I joined the ranks of that elite club
those individuals who could
glance at dots on the lined page
And make sense of them
Translate it to something beautiful
or comical or loud and frightening
or soft and haunting.

This new language I spoke fluently
I reveled in it
But as time passed
I became busy with other things of life
heartaches and joys
And I stopped reading the dots on the lined page
until the language was halted.  Broken.  Foreign.  Lost.

This year I turned 30
and looked back over
What my life has been so far
And where I want it to go
From here.

I missed that knowledge
that I used to have
that brought me such happiness
and swelled up inside my soul
like a flower blooming
until it can't bloom out any more.

So I take myself to task again
with posters of piano chords
and fingering charts
and sheets of that lost language
of dots on the lined page.

For, my soul is in need of feeling
of emotion
of passion
of depth
of life and breath.

Not content to relearn only what I once knew
Now I need more
the thirst is never quenched
note by note
chord by chord
song by song

Building
Swelling
Crescendoing

Like a breaking storm or
a wave of the sea
Quiet at first but then
crashing and deafening

This is who I am
What I want in my life
What I love
What I need
Like Oxygen or Energy.

Now I am older
And the world has been heavy
on my shoulders
But music changes it somehow
Lightens the load
Eases the sorrows
Heightens the joys

It breathes new life
into my humanity
And I am always better
for having experienced it.

Happy Feet and a Happy Birthday

Happy Music Monday!

Source

Today is the 60th birthday of legendary bassist Verdine White, who has played with the American R&B band "Earth, Wind & Fire" since 1970.  While the initial popularity of EWF was way before my time, I do remember playing some of their music in band, and my Dad used to tell me stories of doing the same when he was in college and they were the 'in' thing on the radio. :)  (He was born a year before Verdine White, and attended Shorter college from around 1974 - 1977 or 78 (ish).)

One of their hit songs has come back to have even my kids singing along, though.  Here is their 1979 hit "Boogie Wonderland", as covered by a groovy, rocking out flock of celebrity penguins.  :)  Enjoy!

It's HOT!!!

I can't remember it ever being this sticky and uncomfortably hot this early in the year in Georgia.  Ever.  I grew up having to play outside all day instead of lounging around the house, and I also spent my late summers (August-ish) in my high school days at band camp, learning the drill on the painted lines of the school's parking lot.  The sweat poured down our faces and between our shoulder blades, and we felt our arms and the backs of our legs blister and bake in the afternoon sun as the sunscreen we had so carefully slathered on began to slough off over the course of the day.  My black resin clarinet, with it's metal keys, burned my fingers and I held it gingerly, not wanting the sizzling thing any closer to me than it had to be.

It was hard work.  It was uncomfortable and icky.  But I can't ever remember any of us whining or complaining or ever saying "It's just too hot!"  Or if we did, we acknowledged that it was August in GA and that seemed to explain it all.  But it's not August.  It's barely even June.

This I could possibly handle at 97 degrees Fahrenheit. 

This... Not So Much.

I turn 30 on Sunday.  Is it that I'm getting older and my body simply can't make the temperature adjustments as quickly and easily as it used to anymore?  Or is it that I've spent more time in the last decade in the comfort of air conditioning and no longer have the heat tolerance I once had built up?
Gran just had to have the downstairs AC fixed (the 30 year old motor finally gave out).  It had been running and running but staying at 85. :(

Whatever the case for me not being able to just roll with it, it's HOT!  So I reached waaaaay back into my childhood (All 20 years ago. ;) Yep, I'm still just a baby.) and pulled out this Shel Silverstein favorite for Poetry Wednesday.

Y'all try and stay cool.  And if you have any rain, send it down this way!

IT'S HOT
From "A Light In The Attic"
By Shel Silverstein


It's hot!
I can't get cool.
I've drunk a quart of lemonade.
I think I'll take my shoes off
And sit around in the shade.

It's hot!
My back is sticky.
The sweat rolls down my chin
Think I'll take my clothes off
And sit around in my skin.

It's hot!
I've tried with 'lectric fans
And pools and ice cream cones.
I think I'll take my skin off
And sit around in my bones.

It's still hot!

Poetry Wednesday: "Growltiger's Last Stand" by TS Eliot

This is my favorite selection from T.S. Eliot's book The Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats, which was the basis for Lloyd Webber's hit Broadway musical, CATS.  Available only on the full original cast recording soundtrack, and in the live production, Growltiger's Last Stand is the past role that Gus the Theatre Cat reminisces about during his song in the musical.

Adam Jones and I used to sing it together in high school when we were supposed to be drawing and painting in art class.  That qualifies as "art".  Doesn't it? ;)

Growltiger's Last Stand 

by T. S. Eliot

GROWLTIGER was a Bravo Cat, who lived upon a barge;
In fact he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large.
From Gravesend up to Oxford he pursued his evil aims,
Rejoicing in his title of "The Terror of the Thames."

His manners and appearance did not calculate to please;
His coat was torn and seedy, he was baggy at the knees;
One ear was somewhat missing, no need to tell you why,
And he scowled upon a hostile world from one forbidding eye.

The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame,
At Hammersmith and Putney people shuddered at his name.
They would fortify the hen-house, lock up the silly goose,
When the rumour ran along the shore: GROWLTIGER'S ON THE LOOSE!

Woe to the weak canary, that fluttered from its cage;
Woe to the pampered Pekinese, that faced Growltiger's rage.
Woe to the bristly Bandicoot, that lurks on foreign ships,
And woe to any Cat with whom Growltiger came to grips!

But most to Cats of foreign race his hatred had been vowed;
To Cats of foreign name and race no quarter was allowed.
The Persian and the Siamese regarded him with fear--
Because it was a Siamese had mauled his missing ear.

Now on a peaceful summer night, all nature seemed at play,
The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molesey lay.
All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide--
And Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side.

His bucko mate, GRUMBUSKIN, long since had disappeared,
For to the Bell at Hampton he had gone to wet his beard;
And his bosun, TUMBLEBRUTUS, he too had stol'n away-
In the yard behind the Lion he was prowling for his prey.

In the forepeak of the vessel Growltiger sate alone,
Concentrating his attention on the Lady GRIDDLEBONE.
And his raffish crew were sleeping in their barrels and their bunks--
As the Siamese came creeping in their sampans and their junks.

Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone,
And the Lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone,
Disposed to relaxation, and awaiting no surprise--
But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes.

And closer still and closer the sampans circled round,
And yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound.
The lovers sang their last duet, in danger of their lives--
For the foe was armed with toasting forks and cruel carving knives.
Then GILBERT gave the signal to his fierce Mongolian horde;
With a frightful burst of fireworks the Chinks they swarmed aboard.
Abandoning their sampans, and their pullaways and junks,
They battened down the hatches on the crew within their bunks.

Then Griddlebone she gave a screech, for she was badly skeered;
I am sorry to admit it, but she quickly disappeared.
She probably escaped with ease, I'm sure she was not drowned--
But a serried ring of flashing steel Growltiger did surround.

The ruthless foe pressed forward, in stubborn rank on rank;
Growltiger to his vast surprise was forced to walk the plank.
He who a hundred victims had driven to that drop,
At the end of all his crimes was forced to go ker-flip, ker-flop.

Oh there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land;
At Maidenhead and Henley there was dancing on the strand.
Rats were roasted whole at Brentford, and at Victoria Dock,
And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok.

Vegging Out

If you like to talk to tomatoes,
If a squash can make you smile,
If you like to waltz with potatoes,
Up and down the produce aisle....

You should seek professional help, OR you are like me and watch THESE GUYS!

I first met Bob Tomato and Larry Cucumber as a senior in high school.  One of my band friends was wearing a Larry shirt.  This one, as a matter of fact:

When I asked him about it, he sang me the cheeseburger song:

And I was an addict from then on.  Here are 3 more of my favorites. :)

And just for good measure, here is the theme song of the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, as previously mentioned in my 'P' post last week:

The band Relient K did a cover of this, and the kids and I rock out to it fairly often. Here are the lyrics as well. :)

You can find even more Veggie fun at the Veggie Tales Website.

Reenacting

For the last dozen years or so, I've been dressing up in clothes that have been out of style for 150 years, to go out to a field and watch as my friends shoot at each other.

Before you get the idea that I'm some sort of masochist freak, let me explain.

In 1997, my boyfriend (who is now my husband) invited my family to come and see a reenactment of a Civil War battle in North GA.  My mom knew a woman who sewed Southern Belle style dresses for the Atlanta 4th of July parades and pageants and such.  So we rented a couple and went out to Tunnel Hill, GA for the day on a Saturday in September.

It didn't take long.  The smell of the campfires, the hay, the sulfur from the cannons, the leather of the horse saddles.  I was hooked.

Over the years, I've been to events in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Florida.  We do at least one event a month, when we can.  There is so much to tell about them, so many stories about fun things that have happened, that I really can't do it justice in a blog post.  I love sewing costumes for, and going to, the events.  We take canvas A frame tents and camp out all weekend.  The kids have fun and it is really good for us as a family to be disconnected from the constant electronic buzz of cell phones, computers, cars and technology.  We connect with each other, and with our friends and always end up making new friends as well.

Though it hasn't been updated in a while (we're working on it), you can take a look at our unit website.  It answers a lot of general questions about reenacting, such as how we fire guns at each other without getting killed, what we eat, what we wear and other FAQs.

We portray units that were in the south-eastern theatre during the war: the 28th Georgia Heavy Field Artillery, Co. C; the 1st Ohio Light Artillery; and the 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

We do both North and South impressions*, depending on what's needed at an event.  (Usually it's Union, though.  A good 98% of the time.)  It's a close-knit community of people from every walk of life.

If you are interested in coming to an event, or just want to know more, please feel free to send me an email or comment and I will do my best to point you in the right direction.

Our next event is coming up next weekend in Selma, Alabama.  There is a grand ball there, in a historic home, and I will try my best to finish my new ballgown in time.  I'll be sure to post pictures from Selma after the A-Z challenge is through.  In the meantime, here is a 4 part video of our group at past events.  It's the best way to show you what reenacting is like.  A number of the photos in it were taken by me. :)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Here are more photos on my Facebook albums:
Resaca, GA 2010
Aiken, SC 2009

*Even 150 years later, there are still high political tensions regarding "Yankees" and "Rebels", particularly here in the south.  Know in advance that our unit are proud Americans who reenact to educate the public on the way life was back in the middle 19th Century, for both sides, and I won't publish any comments that put down one side or the other. (No "Boo, hiss, Damn Yankees" comments, especially.  That's a typical reaction I get when I tell people we portray a Union unit.)

Quirks and Quotes

I know I won't be the only A-Z challenger to do these, but 'Q' is rather limited and I have a busy day ahead, so here is my 'Q' post:

10 QUIRKS: Things that make me...well, me.

1. When I was 5, I got the chicken-pox.  I did well at not scratching any of the bumps, except for one- the one on my face, to the left of my nose.  It developed into a mole that I've had ever since.  People ask sometimes if I'm self-conscious about it or if I've thought about having it removed.  Truthfully, I have thought about it, but was told that the removal would leave a small flat scar.  So if there will still be a mark, why go through all of that?  It makes me distinguishable in a crowd and all of my photos have it in them.  So I've accepted it and will likely have it forever.

2.  I am a notorious procrastinator.  Seriously.  I will wait until the last possible second to do anything that I needed to have already have done.  Sometimes it's not all bad.  When I have an impressive project that gets done just under the wire, it makes me look pretty cool and like I have it together.  But that's a rare occasion.  So generally, I don't like this quirk.  I'd like to change.  But for now, it remains one of my quirks.  I'm surprised that my A-Z posts have all made it to 'published' status before midnight on that letter's day.  So far.

3.  I am extraordinarily patient.  To the point where it becomes laughable.  I put up with more drama, more crap, more complaining, more hemming and hawing around (mostly by my younger children) and more mental and emotional stress than anyone should have to endure.  Exerting more patience and compassion when faced with things that would make other people lose their tempers has become a quirk.  I've kept more friendships, become a trusted confidante to my children, especially the older ones, and become a strong woman with innumerable blessings as a result of holding my tongue, taking the extra time and going the extra mile to be patient with others.  This is not to say I am a doormat.  By no means. I have a temper and I show it on occasion.  But it's a rarity.

4.  95% of my musical talent comes from a genetic disposition to be able to hear pitch and tone and then imitate it.  I play by ear.  I made top marks in band and was even 1st chair clarinet for a time, but I actually came dangerously close to failing the sight reading portion of my band exams because my brain was quick to learn how the notes sound and slow to comprehend and retain how to play back what I see written on the page.

5.  I love to write (everyone reading my blog utters a unanimous "No, really?! Duh!"), but I've never really had any drive or desire to be a writer, as in published author.  If it were to happen someday, that's great.  But it's not my life's ambition or my heart's desire.  Just something I enjoy and do and hope others can relate to, if they ever even see it.  I feel better about writing something to someone, rather than talking to them.  My hand is better at translating my heart than my mouth is.

6.  As per quirk #3, I don't get angry- like steam coming out of my ears and red faced, high blood pressure angry- except every great once in a while.  But when I do, I get so emotionally flooded that I shut down.  I can't think of anything to say to defend myself and am often handicapped in an argument, not because the other person is 100% right and I am 100% wrong, but because I can't function.  I go completely blank.  And if a verbal response is required of me, I stutter.  Badly.  I physically can't make any words come out.

7.  There are several things that creep me out, but my biggest "creeped out" quirk, by far, is that I have an irrational panic that upon seeing someone in a casket, real or on TV or in a movie, they won't really be dead and will open their eyes or sit up or talk or something.  It's the stuff my nightmares are made of.  It's not as bad in real life.  When my father died 12 years ago, I wasn't afraid to stand by his casket.  I knew he wasn't going to do any of those things.  It's not a fear, really.  Just more like makes me very, very, VERY uncomfortable.  But I've seen it in movies and previews and stuff.  There are plenty of horror movies out there that feature those things happening as an integral part of the plot, I'm sure.  I don't know because I don't watch those kinds of movies.  But the concept makes me break out in a cold sweat and sends the hairs on the back of my neck reaching for the sky.

8.  My body has an aversion to pineapple.  I can have it in small quantities, but if I have too much I have to go to the ER.

9.  Seeing real life blood and guts causes me no problems.  However, seeing blood and guts in a movie, coupled with screaming of the character, makes me throw up.  Instantaneously.  I don't understand it either.

10.  I've written about this before, but it is one of my coolest quirks.  I have a talent for remembering not only entire movie scripts, line for line, by every character, but I can do that with the score too.  I can hear a score and tell you what action is happening at that point in the movie.  It's a pretty useless quirk, but it makes me unique. :)

So there you go, 10 of my quirks for your enjoyment and potential future blackmail use.

Now here are 10 of my favorite quotes, in no particular order.  (I've opted to not use quotes from movies because there are so many.  See quirk #10 above.)

10 QUOTES: Stuff other people have said that I wish I had thought of first.

1. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"
     - Eleanor Roosevelt

2. "We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be."
     - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

3. "The course of true love never did run smooth."
     - William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

4. "Never explain--your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."
     - Elbert Hubbard

5."And the tree was happy."
     -Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree


6."I see you're still using that old thing." [referring to Elpheba's broom]
   "Well.  We can't all travel by bubble." [spoken acidly]
     -Glinda the Good and Elpheba The Wicked Witch of the West, Broadway Musical Wicked


7."You know what I like about you?"
     - My husband, Jake

8."Unless I'm wrong...which, you know I'm not."
     -Adrian Monk, USA series Monk

9."I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
     -J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

10."Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it."
     -Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Affection for the Art of Animation

Here's my 'A' post of the A-Z challenge!

When I was in high school, I had a talent for recreating stills of animated movies.  I could pause a tape (yes, VHS tape!  No DVD player in 1994-1999!) and advance it frame by frame in slow motion until I found the image I wanted and then draw it.  The magic of a few lines on paper coming to life has always fascinated me.  The entire animation process, from storyboarding an idea to fine tuning the characters and recording the vocals that would later bring them to life, is completely enchanting and amazing to me.

I pursued animation as a career for some time, even majoring in Graphic Design in college and taking every animation class they had to offer.  But it was not to be.  I'm content to not have become an animator.  I would have had to leave GA for CA and as much as I enjoyed my visit to Los Angeles in 2001, I don't think I would ever want to live there.  (If you are reading this and you live in California, I'm not dissing it.  I just love Georgia and would miss it!) :)

I still love animation, though I'm not as much of a trivia nerd about it as I was some years ago.  I was actually banned from playing Disney Trivial Pursuit with my husband's family because not only did I know all of the answers, I actually found 2 mistakes. (One of them: "Name Cinderella's two ugly stepsisters." The answer printed on the card was "Anastasia and Cruella".  The answer is "Anastasia and Drizella". Cruella is the villainess in 101 Dalmatians.)  I know nearly every character from every Disney movie, from Snow White all the way up to The Princess and the Frog.  I can recite most lines and dialogue exchanges and sing ALL of the songs! :)  (Which proves, beyond any doubt, that I had entirely too much free time on my hands when I was a teenager and into my early 20s.  Just sayin'.)

Here are a few of my favorite animated Disney characters in no particular order:

Stitch of "Lilo and Stitch"

Dumbo

Frost Fairies from the original 1940s "Fantasia"

Sprite of Spring from "Fantasia 2000"

Tantor from "Tarzan"

Of course, not all of my favorite animation is by Disney.  I'm a huge fan of Chuck Jones' style of animation, namely Rikki Tikki Tavi, Mowgli's Brother's, The White Seal, and A Cricket in Times Square.

Chuck Jones also directed and influenced a number of Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoons.  This is by far my favorite:



There are other animated shorts that I love.  This one is a beautiful example of "live line" animation, which means the rough sketch has been animated and the drawings appear to "wiggle" a little bit.



And then there is the entire other creature of computer animation.  I love traditional 2D, sketch animation the best, but there is a lot to be said for computer animation and the brilliance of such animators as the people at Pixar Animation Studios.  Partnering with Disney to create films = best corporate decision EVER!  Here's my favorite Pixar short:



And finally, here is one of my favorite computer animated shorts, which won the 2009 Best Animation Award.  Enjoy. :)