Strangers on a Train

Somehow, Mark and I managed to pry ourselves away from the election coverage this evening and settle in and watch a movie. Yep, right in the middle of the week! We've been on a Hitchcock kick lately, and tonight we watched Strangers on a Train. What a deliciously scary thriller! Terrorizing suspense, action, innuendo, and the incredible cinemetography Hitchcock is so famous for. I still have goosebumps!

Throughout his life, Hitchcock was said to have an intense terror of being accused of a crime he didn't commit. This theme is evident in many of his best films: To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest, Saboteur. This fear is also at the heart of Strangers on a Train, in which a man is the number one suspect in his wife's strangulation murder. Tennis star, Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a train. Bruno is a creepy, mama's boy and deeply disturbed individual who strikes up an unusual conversation with Guy. Bruno's knowledge of Guy's personal life catches him off guard. Bruno knows that Guy desparately wants a divorce from his conniving tramp of a wife, so he can marry his true love, Ann, a senator's daughter. Bruno wants his rich, overbearing father dead. Bruno proposes an outrageous solution to their problems: they will trade murders. Guy laughs off the suggestion as they part, but Bruno's persistence lead to a suspense filled drama, in classic noir style. A riveting film that kept me on the edge of my seat with a racing pulse throughout.

Compulsory Education

This is the picture I have hanging on the door of my classroom. It pretty much sums up my philosophy of education!

The Little Prince

I just read this book for the first time. Such a beautiful, wise, magical little book! When I picked it up at the library the other day, all I knew was that it was a popular French classic. Based on the cover and after flipping through the illustrated pages, I assumed it was a children's book. After reading it, however, this is definitely one of those "children's books" for grown ups. The most elemental themes of love, loss, joy, sorrow, innocence, and understanding are explored through the most simple observations of the little prince. The Little Prince conveys the childhood knowledge and acceptance of the rules of life that we tend to forget as we get older and "wiser." To love someone or something will inevitably lead to pain, because everything we love we will one day lose, one way or another. We will either leave or be left. This is a fundamental truth that we spend every minute of our daily lives denying. I found this story both deeply moving and somewhat disturbing. Only disturbing because it plunges into the depths of those very truths we would prefer to forget and ignore. Ultimately, however, the story is one of hope. The promise of a world beyond the physical world inhabited by the ephemeral shell of our bodies is comforting. This is a brilliant, inspiring book; one to be read and shared over and over again.

Sunday Night Dinners

The first Sunday of each month, my mom and dad have a big family dinner. I'm so lucky to have virtually all of my close extended family (grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins) within an hour's drive (most much less than that). As a kid, I didn't think it was so great. Not that I wanted to get rid of any of them, it's just that I was always envious of friends at school who got to go on trips to faraway exotic places like Atlanta or Chicago to visit relatives. Now, I realize what an incredible blessing it is to have my family so close.

Even with everyone living in the same area, it still seems hard to find the time to get together. It used to be that an entire month could slip by and I'd realize I hadn't once been by to visit either of my grandmothers, who only live about 10 minutes away. I would feel awful about it and vow to do better, but time always seemed to slip by and the same thing would happen again. So this year, my mom started our new tradition, designating the first Sunday of every month as family dinner night. Sometimes it takes discipline and committment to forge new traditions. It's all too easy to keep putting things off and end up forgetting about them altogether. But back in January, my mom printed out a list of all the dates and we marked our calendars for the whole year. The week before, she emails a reminder to everyone. Generally, we have about 20-25 people at each dinner. Everything is really casual: potluck, buffet style. My mom and dad provide the main course and the drinks and everyone else brings side dishes and desserts. These simple dinners have become something to look forward to at the beginning of each month, the opportunity to visit with family and stay caught up on the happenings in each others' lives.

I really cherish my family and feel so blessed to have such a huge support system. Instead of having to struggle to find a babysitter, I have grandmothers and aunts calling me up and ordering me to go out for the afternoon so they can babysit Katie Mae! I'm so proud of my mom for making the effort necessary to keep our family connected. It is definitely worth it!

The Thin Man

Last night, when my husband got home from a local gig (yummy gourmet pizza and white wine properly in hand) we settled in to watch one of our favorite movies, The Thin Man. I got the complete boxed set of these 1940s films for Christmas a few years ago, and they have become some of our go-to comfort movies. You know, the kind you can watch over and over again and enjoy them just as much the 8th time as the first. Sometimes its just too much of a mental effort to have to pay attention to a new movie. These five films are based on a Dashiell Hammet novel of the same name, although, in a reverse of the usual trend, the films are better than the book. Featuring witty, sophisticated husband and wife detective team, Nick and Nora Charles, these movies are utterly delightful! The stage chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is incredible, as they guzzle cocktails, engage in witty banter and solve crimes. And don't forget Asta, their loveable canine! Fans of whodunit thrillers and screwball comedy will love the unlikely fusion of these two genres in these wonderful films!

Shaker Style

The simplicity and functionality of Shaker design really appeals to me. I was flipping through a coffee table book at the library the other day, and the opening section featured a Shaker inspired kitchen. Although I lack the discipline for such an austere look, I do admire the clean, simple, no clutter elements of this style. Our design style at present might best be defined as Mid-Infancy.....feature pieces being the navy blue Pack N' Play set up in the middle of the living room and the Winnie the Pooh walker that travels from room to room lending baby style and elegance wherever it goes. I wouldn't trade such a mess for the world, since it includes a sweet, bubbling baby to adore, but it's still fun to leaf through the pages of design books and dream. Looking at this feature piece on the Shaker kitchen sparked my curiosity to know more about the utopian community that inspired it, so I did some research and found this fascinating article detailing the history of the movement.

The fact that"Shaker" is now more often associated with design style than a religious movement is ironic in and of itself because the original Shaker communities actually scorned beauty. As Shaker Elder Frederick Evans said, "The beautiful....is absurd and abnormal. The divine man has no right to waste money upon what you call beauty in his house...while there are people living in misery." The essence of Shaker style is extreme simplicity, which makes it strangely akin to the modern contemporary design ethic. Shakers believed that everything you do (especially the small, day to day routine tasks), you should do as well as you could to honor God. Unlike other Utopian communities, Shakers embraced technology and innovation. Several common inventions are attributed to the Shakers, including: the flat broom, the apple corer, the clothespin, and the circular saw. The emphasis on form and function reflected the creed of the Shaker communities that "beauty rests in utility."

Ultimately, Shaker communities virtually died out (might have had something to do with their strong beliefs requiring celibacy for all), but the legacy of their fine crafts and handiwork remain.

Lovely Saturday

My little miss and I had the most lovely afternoon. While the music man worked in the studio, Katie Mae and I went into town with no purpose other than to stroll around and enjoy ourselves. As we were browsing through the shops on Main Street, I went into a little antique store I had never visited before and it was most exquisite! Full of all these charming, beautiful treasures...I saw so many lovelies I wanted to take home with me! I ended up buying this georgous picture. I'm not sure who the artist is, but I love the opulent costumes and the coy expression on the lady's face. I also bought a bar of fancy lavendar soap for my mom. The owner packaged everything up with such care. No plastic bags here! She carefully bubble-wrapped my picture and put everything into a brown bag with red tissue paper and rustic green ribbon. You don't get that at TJ Maxx. A most enjoyable experience that makes me even more resolved in my pledge to support small businesses!

The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life

This is a lovely little gem of a book! My mother-in-law is the queen of gift-giving, and she knew I would love this, so she got it for me for my birthday. I have just been eating it up since then. Growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, I consider myself lucky to be born into a family that still prizes a lot of these disappearing folk arts. The section on using rag curlers for your hair made me smile, because I remember as a kid, every Saturday night, going to bed with damp hair rolled up and tied with socks so it would be curly for church on Sunday morning. Any one who enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a child (and what little girl didn't?) would probably enjoy this charming little book.

Despite the differences in geography, prairie girls and mountain girls have a lot in common and this book is just chock full of interesting tidbits, fun projects, and cute, nostalgic illustrations. The book is designed in little sections describing quaint homemaking projects like embroidering pillow cases, making soap, throwing a tea party, and even one entitled "How to Tell a Good Parlor Story." If you're looking for a serious guide to anything, this is probably not your book. The instructions are not nearly detailed enough to put to any practical use. I would approach this book as more of a survey course, a collection of fun ideas to pique your interest and inspire you to learn more. It's a fun book to keep sitting on the coffee table to flip through during idle moments, and who knows, it might just inspire you to get crafty!

Shannon Whitworth: No Expectations

My snooty musician husband frequently points out that a banjo is a dangerous instrument in the wrong hands. Having been subjected to far too many clunky banjo solos in my lifetime, I would have to agree. But this in no way applies to one of my favorite local artists, Shannon Whitworth. Shannon lives in Brevard, North Carolina, a small town about an hour away from my own. She is an incredibly talented musical artist. Not only does she have a captivating voice, equally at home on a cabin porch or a majestic concert hall, but she is an accomplished musician as well, especially in her banjo and guitar playing.

Over the past ten years, Shannon has devoted her time and energies to mountain bluegrass music. As co-founder of the popular bluegrass band, The Biscuit Burners, she traveled the country garnering a national and international following. Her masterful clawhammer banjo and guitar playing, as well as her sultry vocals and definitive songwriting lent depth and artistry to the group. She left the band in 2007 (by all accounts on good terms) to pursue a solo career.

Her first solo album, No Expectations, is absolutely brilliant. Although the Biscuit Burners are a great group, it's clear that as a solo act, Shannon is better able to express her unique artistry and depth as a songwriter. The songs on this album are beautiful, passionate, heartfelt renderings that explore the dual themes of innocence and wisdom. Shannon is often compared to Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, and for good reason. She certainly shares these iconic artists’ depth and artistic integrity, but her sound is uniquely her own.

My favorite song on the album is “Keep Me On This Road Tonight.” I always get chills listening to the haunting desperation in this song about unbridled passion and the madness of losing control. I wish I had written it myself! Absolutely beautiful! Take a listen here.

Art I Like: Mother and Child

Isn't this a gorgeous painting? I love the beautiful soft colors and the sweet, casual intimacy between the woman and her daughter. The artist is Lord Frederick Leighton. Having only taken one art history class in college, this is a name I was unfamiliar with, so I did a bit of research. Lord Frederick Leighton was a British painter and one of the leading established classical artists of the Victorian era. Apparently, he came from a wealthy family with connections to Imperial Russia and was quite a dashing, cosmopolitan figure, spending much of his time in Italy and Germany. Most interestingly, Leighton, a lifelong bachelor, had a favorite model later in life, Ada Alice Pullen, known as Dorothy Dene. She was a poor girl from south London whose career as an actress Leighton helped to foster. Both artist and model were friends with George Bernard Shaw and it is widely believed that they were the models for Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. The 1964 retelling of that story, My Fair Lady is definitely one of my top ten favorite movies of all time! I especially love the hat scene at the races. Hats are another one of my passions and it is one of my great regrets that I have been so unfortunate as to be born in an era when hatwear is limited to ballcaps and toboggens.

Inspirations

It was during my maternity leave with my daughter that I first entered the blogosphere and realized what an incredible forum it really is! The notion that a community of people can come together based on interests and ideas, no longer constrained by geography is amazing and something I definitely want to be a part of. Becoming a mother was the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me and I cherish every second of this special journey. However, while being a mama is a HUGE part of my life, it's not the only part, and I think it is important (and often difficult) for all mothers to retain a sense of their individual identity and purpose. I'm also a wife, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, and citizen of the world. One of the other purposes of this blog is to share music, books, art, movies, and ideas that inspire me.

Music: As you will soon come to see, music is something I am passionate about, so I will frequently share artists and albums that I enjoy. Most of my favorite music will fall under the ambiguous Americana genre, meaning it's somewhat hard to classify. Ultimately, good music isn't restricted to any particular genre and often the best musical artists are those who fuse together various influences to create something new, while still honoring the traditions and torchbearers of the past.

Books: As a college English major, I've been a bookworm all my life. To me, libraries are sacred places akin to cathedrals, and stepping into a bookstore always gives me an electric thrill, as the possibility of new worlds and knowledge await in the humble pieces of paper stacked against the walls. I will frequently be sharing books that I am currently reading or those books I have read in the past that continue to inspire me.

Artists: I love art, especially folk art and anything that is genuine and handmade. I won't be giving critical analysis of the masters of the Renaissance, but I hope to share some of my favorite contemporary artists who are always in the process of creating beauty out of whatever media they choose to work with. I recently discovered ETSY and now would far prefer a few uninterrupted hours of ETSY browsing to a trip to the mall.

Movies: In my humble opinion, Netflix is the greatest business concept ever. I absolutely love going to the mailbox and finding those bright red envelopes. It's like getting a present! I have a huge list of movies I intend to watch, but unfortunately, it seems I rarely get around to actually doing it. I think it gets back to that whole uninterrupted block of time problem. Also, I have a very serious movie watching method. I insist on sitting down on a comfortable couch or chair with properly fluffed up pillows, a cozy throw nearby, and a TV tray properly laden with the essentials: remote, beverage of choice (will obviously depend on the film), snack, tissues, hand lotion, lip balm, and anything else that will prevent me from having to get up during the movie. Bathroom breaks should be avoided if possible, although if necessary, the movie must obviously be paused and position carefully reassumed upon return. I cannot tolerate movies on tv unless it's something I have seen a million times before. I guess its becoming clear now why I don't get to watch as many movies as I would like, but I will be sharing those I do.

So, every day (okay, not every day, but with some degree of frequency), I would like to share some of these inspirations with you. Enjoy!

Baby Proofing Hurdles

Who needs television when you have a kid? Watching Katie Mae's progression from backward crawl, to wormlike undulation in a general forward direction, to four-legged speed of light escape maneuvers is far more entertaining than the latest drama from the presidential election. As we watch our daughter grow stronger and faster, baby-proofing our house has been in the forefront of our minds. Somehow, the parenting magazines make this "babyproofing" step seem like such a one step process. Devote a leisurly Saturday morning to inserting safety plugs in your electrical outlets, put a baby gate in front of stairs and you're done!

Hardly! Babyproofing is like laundry. It never ends! There is always some new hazard to be avoided. I never realized how DANGEROUS my home was. The living room alone, with the rock fireplace, coffee table corners, and rug fringe, is a virtual landmine! Not to mention our own careless habits to reform. No more jewelry, pens, or hair ties left lying about to be inadvertently swept into the floor and promptly inserted into her mouth. My poor husband, he of the Y chromosone who is genetically incapable of putting things away where they go, struggles even more than I do. As a musician, for years Mark has operated under the managed chaos theory of guitar picks. Translation: If I leave them laying around everywhere, I'll always have one nearby when struck by divine inspiration. Perhaps an artistically sound theory, but not one in line with safety precautions for infants.

And then, no matter how vigilant I am, it's always the things that you never even worry about, until they happen. For instance, the other day I looked over to find Katie Mae happily chomping down on a rawhide bone that Sally Rose (the canine member of our family) had been chewing five seconds earlier. Just yesterday, I glanced over to find her holding and licking my gray satin flats (the ones Mark calls my elf shoes) like a raspberry flavored popcicle. The same flats that had traversed the halls of a public high school (the most germ filled building known to mankind) all day.

I guess babyproofing a home is an extended metaphor for parenting in general. Making our home safe is something tangible that we can physically do to hopefully keep Katie Mae out of harms way. The dangers inside the confines of our tiny box of indoors, we can (theoretically)control. The real threat is outside those walls. Out in the big, wide, world where Mommy and Daddy aren't there to snatch her away from the rock wall, or guide her in the direction away from sharp-corners. Even to advise her that maybe it's not the best idea to share saliva germs with a dog (who is probably much cleaner than the awkward teenage boys she'll be sharing saliva germs with soon enough). The world is a scary place. I know that one day, far sooner than I would like, I will have to send Katie Mae out into that world. I suppose the best I can do is try my best to instill in her the wisdom and discretion to keep herself out of harm's way.

Welcome!

Last Friday, August 29th, I turned 27. I think that officially puts me in my “late twenties.” On the same day, Michael Jackson turned 50 and John McCain turned 72, so clearly it was a monumental alignment of the stars.

Since a birthday is the ultimate “New Year” and sign of new beginnings, I’ve decided to start this blog to record the simple life I am so lucky to be living. I have been blessed beyond anything I could have ever hoped for. Somehow the angst ridden cynicism I suffered through in the prolonged adolescence of my early twenties has miraculously disappeared over the past couple of years, and things have (shocker!) worked out. I no longer operate under the dangerous and false assumption that life has to be full of reckless adventure, pain, and pathos to be interesting and meaningful. I no longer feel the pressure to go out and find myself. Here I am and my happiness and peace are derived from the small everyday blessings that comprise my daily life.

This past Valentine’s Day was the most important day of my life. My daughter, Katie Mae, was born and she has given me purpose and meaning in a way I could have never imagined. All the clichés and hackneyed phrases about motherhood come nowhere near describing the all-encompassing, unconditional love I now know exists. In a strange way, the birth of my daughter strengthened and solidified the other relationships in my life as well. I never knew how much my own parents loved me until I looked into the eyes of my daughter. While my faith may never again correspond to the rigid structures of my fundamentalist Christian upbringing, looking at the amazing growth and transformation of my daughter has reaffirmed my belief in a higher power out there somewhere, however undefined.

These past six (almost seven!) months have been so amazing and inspiring that the entire 26 years and six months before seem a blur in comparison. Katie Mae changes daily. Sometimes it seems hourly! Flickers of understanding and small gestures of communication and independence send me into raptures!

People warned me that time really starts going fast after you have kids. Of course, I scoffed at the time, but it's so true. Today's experiences are tomorrow's memories. This blog is my attempt to record this wonderful whirlwind and maybe meet some interesting folks along the way.

Welcome!