12/29/2008

Down the digital memory lane...

For Chanukah, Deb and Eileen gave Mom a digital picture frame (full disclosure, the holiday is over, Mom has already received the gift, so I am giving nothing away). At first I was unsure of this idea, but to make it instantly useful, Deb scanned in a bunch of family pictures, including some I haven't seen in ages. She slipped a copy of the files in with my present. I offer one of the beauties below:



Here we all are in 1986, the day of my bat mitzvah. I look classic in this photo, with my eyes shut. You can see my dance proclivities foreshadowed in the big, floofy, pink (!) ball gown of a dress I wore (a steal at the now defunct Alexander's). (This dress still exists in my mother's closet somewhere. I think it would fit, but would be very frightening, except for maybe a ceilidh skit. But in 1986, when balls and ball gowns were all about fantasy for me, and not yet a part of my regular life, I adored this dress.)

Deb, I love the pictures! I love that they're electronic, and I can look at them easily at any time, fascinating chronicle of fashion, hair and eyeglass styles though they are. Arlene just sent me two boxes of family photos. Maybe we'll have to have a scanning party...

12/25/2008

Taking the day...

Maybe people in the neighborhood are longing for a white Christmas, but I, for one needed this first truly sunny day we've had in forever.

Christmas day, and moreso Christmas Eve used to be very hard for me as a differently religious person. I always have this notion that the whole world, or the whole of my immediate world anyway, are off somewhere having a grand time with trees and presents and the romantic vision shown in movies and books. But maybe as life seems to get more hectic, I need Christmas day as a day of rest, a day free of obligation, when the only outings are to and with friends because everthing else is closed. And here and there I get the sense that for some, Christmas is no different than my holidays with family traditions and to-do, cooking, and company. It's just that more people I know are doing it all at once.

Last night I finished a book and was well into my second DVD when George called to say he had skipped out on Christmas Eve family things and he was done making cookies, so I should come over, which I did. This morning I slept in, did a laundry, continued the process of scrubbing the kitchen to de-oil it, puttered. And now there's a turkey in my oven for the Christmas dinner I'm going to later on, and hazelnuts to toast, oh, and maybe another movie to watch... Oh, and parties on the weekend to look forward to, and hopefully sunny days, and a peaceful 2009 to come.

An excerpt from my favorite poem for this time of year:

"As promise wakens in the sleeping land
They carol, feast, and dearly love their friends.
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year."

-Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day

Be merry and bright, and to quote another song title, "Happy Whatever You're Having."

In my copious free time...



...I'm going to take up paper quilling. These images come from artist Yulia Brodskaya via one of my favorite design blogs, Oh Joy. Amazing stuff!

12/21/2008

Buried treasure...

After my Aunt Evelyn died six years ago, the task of clearing out her apartment fell largely on my mom. I remember being there to help out at least one day and sorting through books and fabric and slippers. Mom pressed us to take what we wanted, and while there were some things that I wanted, I knew there was no room for them in the one-bedroom apartment I lived in. So mom and I worked it out - I would take whatever we could pack into Aunt Evelyn's under-bed storage boxes, and someday I would have more space to enjoy what we salted away. And there the boxes stayed, safe under my bed, until they got moved to the house this year, still intact in my dining room cabinet.

Today I finally unpacked the boxes. It was like finding buried treasure.

My memory of the contents was bits and pieces of crystal, wine glasses, a set of china, and a few other things. I didn't remember that the set of china was a service for 12 with only one small dessert bowl missing. I didn't remember the cut-glass sugar and creamer set, nor the lone piece of Wedgewood Jasperware.

Today I had an afternoon with Aunt Evelyn for the first time in a while, and appreciate her gifts, bot tangible and intangible.





12/17/2008

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning"

Biblical, I think, but I know the quote from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea. I think of that line often but it's seemed especially applicable for the past few days.

Yesterday was a horrid day, fueled by bad news and too little sleep and fear of my reveiw at work. But 'round about the evening the wind changed and what followed, through today, was a series of near misses:

-A phone conversation that could have gone badly didn't
-I slipped getting out of the shower this morning and somehow caught myself, not injuring my head or any other vital part
-My local commuter train, reported to be running 20 minutes late didn't, enabling me to be on time, nay, early for my 9am conference call
-For better or worse, my job is intact for another year
-My GCD evening was the predictably small week-after-ice-cream-night let down, but not as small as I feared it would be

Now all I need is a string of sunny days, but that may be just too much to ask for...

The stove of my future



Courtesy of my sister (who's going to buy this for me, I know she is!), and Williams Sonoma...

12/14/2008

Work in Progress?



As I was walking downtown this afternoon, this door caught my attention...

12/09/2008

Playford Aftermath, Part 2

Tonight was our last Swarthmore class of the semester. I'm so proud of my gang this year - lots of good dancing and the promise of more in the future. A whole bunch came to the Playford ball, including a few who started dancing this semester. Here we all are (Photo: Leonard Lu):




This is a photo of current students, alums, and assorted hangers-on, of which I am one. Guilt by association I suppose...

Rachel Winslow sent me the picture below last night.



This one shows my dress from the back in full length. While the whole dress is great, and oh so purple, it's really the back that makes it. You can clearly see the silver ribbon trim, but not any of the 78 little ribbon roses around the neckline and hem. (Yes, 78. Ronnie, my dressmaker extrordinaire counted).

What's next, now that the ball is over:

-Holiday card-making
-Holiday shopping
-The inevitable dance program writing
-Chanukah party prep!!!

I love the prospect of having some time to do all of the above, and maybe even solve my (lack of) heating problem, and do some house stuff.

Let me know if you want to come play!

12/08/2008

Playford Aftermath, Part 1

Every Fall, it takes forever to get to Thanksgiving, and after that time flies with the Philadelphia Playford Ball always the following weekend. And what with ball stuff, the house to clean and house guests to prepare for, oh, and regular work and classes, I don't know where last week went. But the ball has been and gone, and I'm about over the inevitable down that follows the great excitement of the weekend.

The pictures are filtering in, but here's what I looked like with my temporary hairdo and new Jane Austen dress:



Today and tonight were the attempting to get back to normal moments - work, errands, with the added bonus of knowing that the school year ends tomorrow night for me, and all other December things, with the exception of my latke party, are fairly low-stress events (okay, maybe I'm just in denial about making holiday cards).

Tonight the most exciting thing I did was buy space heaters in an attempt to make my room and Laurie's room less frigid in light of our radiators not radiating. These are fancy heaters with timers and thermostats and everything so we can be warm at key times, but not burn the house down. I have mine on now and between it and my laptop on my lap, warmth is not far away. Calling the heating company tomorrow.

And I'm determined to keep reasonable hours this week. Off to bed for me...

12/01/2008

In the center...



I didn't intend this Thanksgiving centerpiece to be red and green - the lady apples were an impulse buy.

This image was my inspiration:



It was more of what I was going for, but vases or hurricanes large enough to accomodate my pillar candles were not in hand, so I improvised.

Note to self, get cranberry vase filler from Pottery Barn during the end-of-season sales in January...

11/30/2008

It's a moose thing...

This year for Greater Moose Day (observed), we went to a Tiffany glass exhibit at the Nassau County Museum of Art and to tea at Lady Anne's Vintage Tea Room, which should have been better than it was (how can you be out of Darjeeling?!?).

As is our way, we wrote haikus...

Mom:

Tea time has arrived
Sandwiches, scones and sweets
Traditions survived

Dance, sing and be gay
Moose Day 2008 continues, yay!
Be happy today,

Deb:

Another Moose Day
Tea at Lady Anne's - haikus
on tiny paper

Tiffany lamps at
Nassau Caounty Museum
of Art - beautiful!

What do the moose eat
on Moose Day? We have tea; they
have water and weeds.

Me:

The first sip of tea
Warms, and enlivens the day,
Renewing spirits

Rainbows of glass pieces
Arranged in natural forms
Tiffany lamp shades

Mom is so giving
As the eclair cream appears
On my plate. Surprise!

Eileen:

Poke Deb in the nose
Take her very last bit of scone,
but give her my eclair.

11/25/2008

Coming and Going...

Although it's probably like this every year and I just don't remember, I'm going through this intense not-being-at-home phase. And it's catching up with me...

I guess it started with Mom's surgery, which was an unexpected time away. And then there was the last second wedding invite - to a wedding in Boston, which I made work in my schedule (leave MA at 9 to be back for demo rehearsal at 4 - no problem!). And this past weekend was the Brattleboro Ball with a waltz in Whately the next day (home Sunday at midnight, work on Monday - no problem!). And Thanksgiving is nigh, the Philadelphia Ball following, and then possibly NYC the weekend after that. Crazy.

And yes, I'm "home" all week, meaning I sleep in my own bed, but home is always a relative term. Most of those nights I'm out dancing or teaching. My one free night at home usually takes me and my laptop elsewhere to work on dance programs, etc., in more distraction-free places like the library (also home to free wireless - thank you Mayor Nutter for keeping my two local branches open...).

So what falls through the cracks:

-Housecleaning - oh-so-easy to avoid
-Making/eating dinner at home
-Grocery shopping in a non-piecemeal way
-Crafts
-House projects
-Adequate sleep

I have these notions of a life more home-centered. I want to entertain. I want to work on the house and make it feel more like mine. I want to do all of those things on the list (okay, I don't want to clean), but I think the thing that overwhelmingly stops me is that I don't prefer to do any of those things alone. I love being with people, so I leave the house at a whiff of socializing, and try to fit in the house stuff in the small gaps of time, or when absolutely deadline driven.

So, how do single, extroverted people stay motivated to do solo tasks? How can you get people to keep you company over unglamourous projects when everyone's life is over-scheduled? Do I re-prioritize, or get more comfortable with the fact that my life is not home-centered and that it will take me longer than seven months to get my house in order. Because, give up one of my nights out? How would I do that.

So while I ponder, I will continue to work on that 'don't choose, do both' theory in my whole life, rather than in just my dance life...

11/18/2008

I've been following a few rubber stamp/paper craft blogs for a few months now and find it amazing that starting a few weeks ago, the posts on those sites either began to slow down or feature holiday cards almost exclusively. The ones that slowed to a few posts a week, or none, did so so that the bloggers could work on making holiday cards. And what baffles me even more is that the holiday cards they do show seem very elaborate, which leads me to believe they must be making only about 10, or that they have way more evenings free than I do.

So the search for my holiday card design begins!

-The design must be simple with only a few stamps/layers/assembly steps

-The card must be easy to replicate many, many times

-The card must use images and papers and inks I already have (or not, but within reason)

Here are some recent designs:



From 2006 - stamps, ink, colored pencil, and only one layer.



From last year. The background paper is one I designed. It's a collage of handwritten English dance tunes. I love it! One layer, edged in gold ink, stippled ink over top.

Today I came across a possible design idea from the Memory Box blog:


While this color scheme is not mine, I love the idea - one image over stamped in two colors, a sentiment that matches either the edging or the base card. I may use this one, or keep looking.

Stay tuned for more ideas...

11/17/2008

Party planning, the winter edition...

Although it's early days yet, I'm starting to think about this year's Chanukah party. The first question is when should it be. December weekends are ridiculous, but weeknights are school nights, and some will be less inclined to party. And then there's the issue that Chanukah is crazy close to Christmas this year which will make fitting a party into people's already busy schedules that much harder. But since I believe that holidays should be celebrated during the actual holiday, we'll work with what we have and hope for the best. And I'll send out the invitations early to try and get on as many people's calendars as possible.

The other question I always have about the party is what to serve. Latkes, of course, with the trimmings, are filling and the whole point of the bash, but are they enough? What are the fitting accompaniments for oily, fried potatoes? What are your sides when french fries are your main dish? I've done salad as an antidote. I don't want to even think about a making meat course for the masses. You don't need a starch when starch is the star of the evening. And what is the best beverage to compliment the latkes? Beer, wine? Red or white? Sodas? Punch? A signature cocktail?

Serious research is called for, clearly. I predict evenings in Borders in the Jewish cookbook section to come.

Send all of your menu and other party suggestions right along...

11/10/2008

Keeping Time, Part 2

This is that heady time of year when the blogs extol the praises of the perfect letterpress stationary for your holiday cards, indy craftie artists to purchase your holiday gifts from, and, of course, calendars. These are but a sampling from the Real Simple Home blog and Decor8's calendar round-up...



The one top right is KrissColorStripes. I already have that one.




I love the simplicity of some of these. One image, one color, random pattern. I find this in my stamping as well - the simpler designs are often better.


So what's the verdict? Should I go independent this year, or stick with some old favorites?

11/05/2008

Keeping Time

I'm a planner. There's almost nothing I like better than full boxes in my calendar and knowing I have plans and a busy schedule well into the future. So it's no surprise then that my house is full of calendars. I've fallen into some calendar purchasing habits, with some slight variations:


The ever-so-snarky Anne Taintor - a must-have...

The small Motawi Tile calendar - I love having this one at work.



My favorite of the moose calendars out there. I couldn't find it last year and was heartbroken!


My favorite kitchen calendar for over 10 years now...





Already on hand I have two others: the KrissColor Stripes previously reported on, and one acquired tonight at GCD - DanceUSA Philadelphia's calendar featuring FiddleKicks and other local dance groups.

And during this time of years, lots of blogs feature creative calendars by independent artists sold on Etsy and the like. I'll highlight a few of my favorites next time.

11/03/2008

Sometimes we volunteer, or sometimes volunteering is thrust upon us...

I don't think anyone becomes a dance caller to make their fortune. I'm a dance caller for a number of reasons, but mainly because I want to help people discover the joy in dancing that I did at a critical stage in my life. And I'm beginning to hit this moment where I'm getting hired to do things. I love that.

But I'm also beginning to have these moments where ego meets reality, and it's left me with some dilemmas to puzzle through, mainly, is there ever a gig you say no to?

-I call for GCD once every couple of months. I get very little money for this, and it matters not at all. I love GCD with all of it's craziness. It's my home dance and I complain about it, but I support it, period.

-I teach at Swarthmore and get paid essentially a little gas and coffee money, and while in my head it's annoying because I know the college can afford more, I keep on because I love teaching in the college setting and working with the students, even though they think I'm old.

-I call for LCD this past weekend and make very little, but know going in that this will likely be the case. Fine.

-Any camp that hires me, if I'm that lucky, if they cover my travel, great. Call a dance out of town, ditto the travel thing, also great. Let's just hope I have the vacation time...

-Neffa. Total volunteer gig. I covet the opportunity every year, and fear that this is the year they'll say no.

All of these situations are clear in my head. And now I'm faced with a situation that I'm searching for reasons to say yes to.

-I won't get paid. I won't even get any discount on my admission.

-This year, I will have no teaching opportunity, just evening dance responsibility.

-It's for an organization I'm not a member of and don't have a reason to join.

-The organizers of the event don't think carefully about what goes into making a good, fun event for people outside their small circle of friends and admirers

On the other hand,

-This was my first camp, so I have some historical attachment to it

-Though none of my close friends will be there, there are lovely people I will enjoy seeing/dancing with/catching up with

-Though unlikely, there may be people with hiring power there which could lead to other gigs

-It IS nice to be asked to have a public role and remind people I exist in this genre from time to time, so maybe just suck it up and do it.

Sleep on it. Maybe it will be clear in the morning.

Genius!


Candle Carver from Kitchen Kapers.

11/02/2008

Help! I'm bleeding!

Radiators, that is...

Or trying to, at any rate.

The radiators in my bedroom and in the bedroom of my housemate are baseboard affairs. And they're cold when the heat is on, so bleeding is likely the solution to the problem. And I know they both have bleeders, but the past few times when I've turned the only possible thing that can be the bleeder, nothing has happened but some gas/air escaping. So now I have nothing but more questions (Google, here I come...):

-Do you bleed the radiators with the heat on or off?
-If you only bleed one or two radiatiors, does that do the trick, or do you have to do all of them for the bleeding to be effective?
-Does it matter where in the radiator sequence you start? I've heard start from the radiator nearest the boiler and the farthest. Which is correct?
-I've my eventual bleeding doesn't work, what else could the problem be if the heat is working in the other more tradtional-style radiators in the house, and how much will it cost to fix?

While I was waiting for the computer to warm up, I bled the radiator in my room one more time and actually got water out of it. I'm off to discover whether the room is warm, or whether I have to dig up more blankets...

10/28/2008

The most perfectest stripey socks ever...

Well, at the moment anyway...




I only bought 3 pairs. Is that enough?

10/27/2008

Milestones...

-I turned on the heat tonight. I wanted to wait until November 1st for no good reason, but the temperature being in the 40s tomorrow during the day was enough for me to say, "Why wait?" (I also just this moment remembered all of the things I had hiding in the window seat downstairs, and rushed down to remove them from in frot of the radiator within - which is already warm)

-I must be from Philadelphia now. I actually care whether the Phillies win the series, and while I was out working on dance programs tonight, I checked the score a few times, and then went to see the princess for a dress fitting, a gossip session, and to watch the end of the game (which is on official rain delay until April)

-I stopped waiting for my cell phone to stop acting up and just got a new one. Still not suave, but slightly more chic than previous, plus with no antenna thing to break off. Now I just have to learn the quirks of this one, like how to put it on silent mode.

Time to check the bedroom ceiling!

10/24/2008

Dateline: Forest Hills

Time: Thursday, 9:45 am

I am, at this moment, experiencing a fascinating phenomenon: the alternate-side-of-the-street parking game in NYC.

I'm in Queens, staying at my mom's, and as I got in late on a Wednesday, there were only parking spaces available on the Thursday side of the street, meaning that on Thursday mornings, you have to move your car so they can clean that side of the street. Luckily though, I was on the right block of the Thursday side so I didn't have to move my car until the civilised hour of 9:30 am.

So I dutifully troop out at 9:20 and begin cruising for spaces on the Friday side. Still no parking. And I realize as I'm endlessly circling that there are cars on some blocks of the Thursday side, even though the time restriction is still in place until 10am. And then I notice that someone is sitting in every car, ready to move at a moment's notice when the street sweeper or meter maid comes along as the taboo time is nearing its end. What to do but join them?

And when the sweeper does, in fact, come along, we signal to each other with the start of engines and the flash of headlights and parade around to the next likely Thursday side. Where I now sit waiting for the block's-worth of drivers to exit their vehicles, in synchrony, precisely at 10am.

10/22/2008

The ubiquitous purple dress...

Somehow it just happened that the main colors in my wardrobe are black, red/burgundy and purple, with small touches of navy, fuschia, and forest green thrown in from time to time. And looking in my closet, especially at my dance dresses, purple is clearly it. Photographic evidence below:


The dress above is in my favorite fabric from Eagle Ray Traders based in MA, vendors at many NE dance and folk festivals. I love this fabric so much that I have three dresses it in: the short jumper shown, a long jumper and a short flippy dress.




This picture is from a few days ago at the Baltimore Playford Ball. The dress is one of my favorites - the shape of a ball gown, but in comfortable cotton. You throw it in the washer, and then in the dryer. The skirt has all kinds of spin, and it is, of course, purple, with the added bonus of swirls:


I have two other versions of the dress. The first one of that pattern is green. Number two is above, and number three is, not surprisingly, purple, with an oak leaf pattern.

And I've just come back from a fitting for my Jane Austen dress, actually a practice, less formal dress than the eventual ball gown will be. When I went fabric shopping for the fancy dress, I was looking for burgundy, but came away with, yes, purple. And when we decided to do the less formal dress first, just to see if the style was plausible on me, what color was the many yards-worth of fabric I just had lying around the house. Yes, right again, purple.

Hopeless! But hopelessly wonderfully purple!

10/20/2008

Brrrrrrrrr.....

You know it's time to turn on the heat when you are using your laptop to help keep you warm...

Tonight, an array of pictures:



I think this is brilliant! It's an Apple Slicer by Jennifer Battram for MomaStore. It spiral slices for fun eating, and if you don't want to slice the whole thing, simply leave the disk in place to keep the apple from turning brown.



This is from Apartment Therapy, always a source of neat ideas. I love the idea of expanding your mantel shelf on either side of the fireplace to create instant built-ins and and even bigger space to festoon with candles and other festiveness (pictures of my Halloween mantel to come). This would be great for my livingroom. Another project for the endless list of house stuff.



Deb brought this artist Don Stewart and his composite drawings to my attention with a shoe horn image, but I love this one, the Periodic Table of Elephants! Either follow the link, or click on the image to get the full effect. I think these would make fabulous coloring books!

10/14/2008

"Purple," they all shouted!

Did the obsession start with Mouse Paint, the greatest book in the universe? I can't be sure, but clearly purple feet in the form of purple socks and purple toenail polish are really just the best thing going. Right up there with stripey socks.

On Saturday, as I was dashing off to my hair appointment before heading up to Boston, I realized I had forgotten the burgundy tights I was going to wear with my always-fashionable black dress. Undeterred, I made time for a stop at the store (and somehow also managed to squeeze in a quick run through Ikea on the way...) to find tights. In my largely uncaffeinated state, I didn't find the tights, but when I did:



"Purple," she shouted!

Perfect! I bought three pairs and wonder now if that was enough.

10/12/2008

Finally Fall...

It's really Fall now:

-I drove north this weekend and saw the foliage. It was great driving weather, and the colors really popped out of the hillsides and roadsides.

-I've found and set out my halloween candleholders and autumn door wreath. I have to buy a pumpkin (I keep meaning to and forgetting). What should I name it? Now that I have a big porch, should I go for a big pumpkin?

-It's Fall Break! A vacation from teaching for the week. In celebration I will finally get to the 10,000 dance programs that I suddenly have to write.

-Okay, it's going to be 80 degrees tomorrow, but they have finally turned off the A/C at work. I can now begin to wear sweaters outside rather than many layers of them in the office.

-Now that it's getting cold, I'm starting to think about putting plastic on the windows. But that will wait for when I turn the heat on. When should that be?

-It's time to get back to crochet projects, now that it's cool enough to keep yarn on your lap.

-Time to put the extra blanket back on the bed...

10/04/2008

The perfect date?

Because my life includes lots of long range planning, and because I love being organized, every year I have about 4-5 calendars hanging around my household. The calendars are pretty constant - Jenny's wonderful papercuts, the teapot calendar in the kitchen, Anne Taintor, moose, Motawi tiles, sometimes a second tea calendar. Most years I try to get at least one new and different calendar, often for hanging at work. This past week, in one of the blogs I read, I happened on this year's must-have design: KrissColorStripes available on Etsy. I must get one.







10/02/2008

So many books...

It's one of the first really chilly nights here in the balmy southland of Philadelphia, and my thoughts turn to finding some place to go see the foliage, burning candles, fuzzy sweaters, and curling up with some new books.

Tonight after a long day at work, longsword rehearsal and a rather mediocre class, I went to Border's to recover with coffee and browsing. And inevitably, there's now an even longer list of books to look for at the library:

-The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss, author of the Coffee Trader and A Conspiracy of Paper
-Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle, airy, fun, and designed to make you crave good coffee
-The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith, not really a mystery, but fakes it well
-Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - I was sure this one was due out this month, but now Amazon says 4/09. Rats.
-Roanoke by Margaret Lawrence - okay, it's not due out until January, but it's her first novel since 2001, and I'm impatient!
-A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith, prequel to the Crown Duel/Court Duel series
-The Shanghai Tunnel by Sharan Newman, best known for her Catherine LeVandeur series
-The Conjurer and Deception's Daughter by Cordelia Frances Biddle, of the Philadelphia Biddles

...and more, but these should get me started.

9/28/2008

This time of new beginnings

Many years ago now, Deb and I, who never send Rosh Hashannah cards, found the perfect ones and made an exception. And while the one I kept is elusive among my unsorted piles, I still remember the gist of the sentiment:

At this time of new beginnings
Let us do everything in our power
To ensure peace on earth
For all people, everywhere.

Though the cards are aged, the message is eternal. Wishing you all health and happiness in the coming year.

L'shannah tova.

9/25/2008

Autumn in full swing...

Life has slipped into the routine of the Fall semester - Mondays are free, except when they're not. Mondays quickly become meeting nights, library nights, get-together nights. Midweek evenings are dance nights that keep me sane, and keep me out late. The weekends vary with scheduled activities and the ever-beckoning laundry and housework that I quickly push aside in favor of spontaneous dinner invitations, a dance I had been thinking about but hadn't yet decided to go to, or errands that have to be done right now, immediately.

But the weather is cooling off, and pretty soon the fear of rain inside my house will disappear and lead to a bedroom painting project and the long list of other ideas - shoring up the first floor walls from the basement, pillows and windowseat cushions for the livingroom, hanging up pictures and calendars and prints everywhere!

And there are dance programs to write and brunches to plan and craft projects calling my name.

I'm glad I like being busy...

The next must-have accessory?




After seeing this great paper clip design, I think a similar concept would transfer very well to the only kind of hair clip that ever stays in my hair:


Picture these with letters of the alphabet in the same metal mounted on the top part of the clip. It would be adorable. If only I can find a manufacturer, I could make a mint...

9/21/2008

Philadelphia murals...

One of my favorite things about Philadelphia is the huge number of murals that liven up the streetscape thanks to the Philadelphia Mural Arts program. I have many favorites, and so many I haven't yet encountered, but yesterday I happened to be parked just opposite "Crystal Snowscape," one of the seasons series by artist David Guinn. His "Spring" is my favorite, but I do like "Welcome to the Neighborhood," at the Center City end of the South Street Bridge, and "Early One Morning in the Twentieth Century," depicting the early cityscape in Welcome Park.



It's the pixelated nature, and that Seurat idea of using many small blocks of color to create a whole image, that I love. You can stand close and see the individual blocks, or stand at a distance and see the whole idea. And Mural Arts is excellent at pairing image, artist and environment. The winter images above include the rowhouses of the surrounding blocks. My favorite "Spring" extends the open space it stands next to with a group of trees beginning to bloom.



I love traveling through new parts of the city and meeting new murals. It encourages me to explore because of what new things I might find...

9/20/2008

Happy 3rd Friday...

This evening was my favorite dance of almost any I go to: Perdue's, the 3rd Friday English dance.

As far as dances go, this one is an anomaly. The crowd is not gigantic, but is quite regular. It's not that there are no beginners, or less-familiars, but the crowd is generally knowlegable, and mostly quite advanced. The repertoire doesn't change much. There's not always live music (loving those old Disney and London Symphony recordings...). And the dance is special and magical in so many ways, has been happening for over 50 years, and these days on a typical Friday, attracts people from 3-4 neighboring states. And what's more, at this talk-through-and-go event, the caller doesn't expect that most people are even listening to the talk-through.

And we just dance. Sometimes the dance is silly. Okay, there are often wonderfully silly moments and alternate choreographies, but still great attention to interactions and intersections. And there's such joy in dancing with people who's movements you can anticipate almost to the moment. And when you're out at the bottom of the line, watching the clear pattern of the dance, and a whole line of people moving together emerge out of the chaos, you know exactly why this is home.

So much of my English dance knowledge comes from Perdue's. This is where I learned much of our local repertoire. This is why I can hear the opening bars of Miss DeJersey's and just go. This is a dance to write in on your calendar as soon as you get a new one for the year. This is a dance to rearrange your travel schedule around.

I have many clear Perdue's memories, from moving endless numbers of chairs to a rotating Fandango, but one memory in particular sums up my love of the dance in a nutshell. Many years ago now, I had a 3rd Friday evening work committment which, when I finally escaped, got me to the dance after 10pm, and in time to only do three dances. But it only took one, it was King of Poland, to relax me, to rid me of the craziness of the day, and to realign my brain from work life to real life - dancing.

You can just guess where I'll be every 3rd Friday I'm anywhere near Philadelphia...

9/18/2008

Life is a song cue...

When I was in college I often wondered how it was possible that someone who could memorize dozens of lines of song lyrics on only a few hearings could not memorize the relevant dates of paintings in art history or anything having to do with physics.

To this day, song lyrics still come easily and much of my day has a soundtrack in the moments when I'm not directly engaged in conversation or specific activity. There's always a song in my head as I walk from the train station to my office, or when I'm in the car by myself, and that ever active brain seems to call up the words that mirror what's pre-occupying me at any given moment, or an image in front of me, and spill out those thoughts in the form of a showtune, standard or folksong of one sort or another.

There's been a lot of Joni Mitchell lately, mixed in with a healthy dose of Coope, Boyes & Simpson, and some Irene Kral for sides.

Does this happen to you? What's on your soundtrack these days?

9/17/2008

All set...






Success! Dansk Floating Leaves series... The generally unavailable salad plates that match the other bits I got a bunch of years ago.

9/15/2008

Ceilidh, ceilidh, ceilidh!!!

This past Saturday, out local Scottish Branch held its first ceilidh dance. Of the main group, I wouldn't call any of us ceilidh dancers; we're country dancers who do or did the classes and the technique and all of that. But the goal was to throw a fun event and bring in beginners, and the plans went forward, and...

...And I really wasn't sure that anyone other than the usual suspects would show up, and they would gamely dance and we would eat our tea and go home with hours still to kill on a Saturday night.

But it didn't go that way at all. It was a fun and successful evening and I think it's worth thinking about why and how it works.

-Put people in charge who like having a good time. With that alone, it's hard to go wrong.
-Get lots of people involved in the planning. Consult! It makes people feel needed and gives them a stake in the success of the evening.
-Get the word out - hang signs and balloons, send out press releases, offer to drive the students there
-Spread out the leadership responsibilites - give many people the limelight. We had the strengh and the variety of many callers. It worked and meant no one person had the stress and the responsibility of making things go.
-Mix it up. We didn't just dance. We did some dancing, we got some water. We had a song and more dancing, we broke for tea. This way, no one died in the sweltering hall or overdid it on the hard floor.

And more. And much to think about for next time, but the event was a winner. Thanks especially to Chrissy and Nora for making it happen. Definitely the start of something good...

The free and the cheap...




Two new tray designs from Ikea, one of my air conditioned errands of yesterday. How could I leave the elephants behind?





Tonight's big score - Dansko clogs, in my size, free for nothing from Freecycle.

9/14/2008

Summer redux...

I had a whole list of things to do this weekend, but my overall goal for today was to spend as much of the day in air conditioned spaces as possible. Over ninety degrees in September. Can we please rethink this...

So I ran many errands, none really vital, and came home with a full list of things to do with the evening, most of which disintegrated with the full force of the heat in the house. Thank goodness for a better weather outlook for the week, including a lack of rain in the forecast - bad for the plants, good for the roof (repairs to happen next week or the week after)!

Early this afternoon, I met Rachel for coffee at Infusion Coffee & Tea, just a few blocks away on Germantown Avenue. The coffee was great, and the seating options included tables, sofa and outdoor patio. The one drawback is they seem to keep early hours almost every night. This is of little use. But not always: they have events many Friday evenings that add a few extra hours. I would love a local, non-bar option with late hours, climate control and free wireless. Infusion or the Hill Tea Bar are the most likely candidates for this. Or couldn't the Trolley Car stay open daily until at least midnight? Come on, work with me here.

Or maybe I just need to invest in some sturdy, comfy furniture for the porch, and break down and buy a hi-speed connection and obviate the need for a cafe open on my schedule... Another entry on the Someday list...

9/10/2008

Catching up...

I haven't written properly since before Camp, and weariness prevents me from doing so now, but much has happened in these weeks that are each a topic in and of themselves. I may or may not get to them later, but know there's much to say:

-E&A Week 2008 report - making good
-Swarthmore begins
-Cocktails for 65
-When it rains it pours - inside the house

I'm thrilled with the approach of cooler weather and the lovely Autumn. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend, mostly at home, to regroup, clean up, and bleach tablecloths back to their pre-stained white - a deep breath before the holidays kick in. And best yet, I might even get to sleep in!

So to bed...

It apparently is true!




Walking from the trolley this morning, I spied these in the window of Steap. I'll have to go investigate!

My future cat?



Folks keep asking me whether, now that I have a house, I'm going to get a pet. But I'm still never home, so it's probably still not the brilliant move. However, I am partial to this cat who comes to visit when I leave my front door open, and hangs out on my porch with some regularity...