Category Archives: Reviews

Winchester Mystery House

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

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My husband and I purchased expensive tickets for the Winchester Mystery House for July 10th. Do you live somewhere famous with famous attractions other people talk about but you have never seen? The Winchester Mystery House is like that for us. My sister first told me about it. She is a master at learning an area and actually seeing the sights of interest, rather than just living the mundane. Learning a movie would come out soon about this house, I thought it was about time we saw it.

The cost is terrific, in the terrifying sense: $37 a ticket for the basic tour, which boasts of viewing 110 rooms out of 160. I do not recall the other ticket options.

July 9th arrived, and so we did we…at UCSF for my son’s hospitalization. The good people running the Winchester Mystery House were exceedingly kind and rescheduled our tour even though we were not within the stated 48-hour cancellation guidelines.

So we went today. We took the scenic route, sentimental to us both because my husband lived in that direction while we dated and because that was the way we traveled for our Monterrey and Santa Cruz adventures (adventures my sister took first, I admit!).

Smell the garlic of Gilroy! This will improve our immune system, my husband said to me. He turned off the button that recycles the air you have already breathed into your air conditioner so we could experience a purer, more pungent smell of garlic. I thought of the Garlic Festival, another event we always talked about but never attended. Is this a bucket list post?

The Winchester Mystery House is not only surrounded by city but by beautiful shopping, the likes of which we see in San Francisco, DC and the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton. Parking is tight but easy. The air feels good, only 80 degrees here, not the 99 at home.

In the courtyard, spooky music plays while we lament the laser mechanism of the shooting gallery.

Our tour begins. We enter the through the carriage entrance and begin to see the sights of many small stairs (“easy risers”), one staircase that leads nowhere, one upstairs door that leads to quite a drop, two cabinets that lead nowhere. I wonder throughout, is this really the layout of the house? These were the stairs they used. In part they were, yet I cannot get a sense of it.

Poor Sarah Winchester, mourning the loss of her infant daughter and young husband, she is overcome by guilt at the deaths caused by the invention carrying her married name: the Winchester rifle. A medium tells her spirits of the dead haunt her. She must move west, built and never stop. The rooms will house the good spirits; the construction will scare off that bad. This makes me deeply sad for this woman I never knew. Spiritualism was a thing in those days. Had she been a practicing Catholic she might have offered up oodles of money in masses for their souls, instead, she kept construction going.

I liked the kitchens best. I noticed their sinks. It shows my age and state of life. The bathrooms were interesting. The linen room impressed me. The lighting was beautiful. I would like to have a conservatory.

In the end, the visit made me appreciate our local McHenry Mansion all the more. There I can see the same finery and craftsmanship, without the quirks, for free. It is our own treasure of history. My husband and I do not believe in spirits locked on earth to haunt the living, so we were moved most by the age of the house, and the curiosity.

It is a curiosity. That is what I walk away with. It was interesting. I do not know if I can say I recommend it. I am glad I saw it because I would have wondered, especially with the movie. I like to see famous, iconic things. But I cannot say it has improved my life. I could say that about the wallpaper at the McHenry Mansion in Modesto, but then, I do love Art Nouveau.

New Adventures: Beginner Modern Calligraphy

17 Monday Jul 2017

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A little adventure this time: a Beginner Modern Calligraphy workshop with Holly Anna Calligraphy.

Handwriting has been my nemesis. It is too slow for the speed of my thoughts. So I typed. I have relied on typing since 5th grade.

My hand-writing languished. Penmanship was taught but not enforced. Second grade, we competed to see who could write the smallest. Cursive was punishment. In the end, only I could read my scribbles. Now, some days, if I am actually writing my thoughts, it seems I cannot do that.

 

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My thinking penmanship

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Day to day penmanship

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When things are looking good

 

A couple weeks ago, in a memorable bout of good mothering, my daughter and I transcribed a poem onto a piece of paper and painted the rest of the paper with images we imagined from the poem. I wished for some way to elevate my penmanship. Fortunately, this workshop was just around the corner. The kindness of the teacher, Holly, made me feel comfortable to such a commitment. It seems I often have to cancel last minute because of some Peter-related issue.

Workshop day arrived! I left the kiddos with my parents and drove off apprehensively to Modesto. Would I feel comfortable? Would it be too difficult to be away from Peter? I already spent the morning away from him. My thoughts swirled with worries about Peter, the heat, and my parents’ energy levels. I thought of Celeste how long it was since I visited the cemetery.

I found the location easily, next door to Vito’s, once Oceania, where Kyle and I spend a couple dates gazing lovingly into each other eyes. Down a narrow, paved walkway with branches of bright pink bougainvillea dropping dried petals like a flower girl there stood the chalk board sign which read, “Calligraphy Workshop.” I seemed to arrive with the early crowd.

Opening the antique glass-paned door, a burst of cold air welcomed me inside from the 104-degree outside, afternoon temperature. A handful of women sat around plastic folding tables ornamented with white paper bags, cream colored tags tied with ivory ribbon. Each tag was decorated with a name, our names in gold ink calligraphy. I thought of my wedding place cards and how we printed them on the computer using Apple Chancery. I thought how pretty they would have been like this. I thought of how long that would take. I thought, better not to regret, and instead, I observed the room.

To one side were products, beautifully created prints with watercolor flowers and words of wisdom scrolled across their centers. A gray couch, a punch of distinctive lighting overhead, and the easy manner of Holly meeting and greeting participants as they entered made everyone new to her feel as though this would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

“We’ll start on time!” she said, to honor those who came early. Everyone was there by the starting gun and off we went, peacefully thumbing through the workbook she created. I laughed out loud at the collective gasp of joy when Holly announced the paper in the Rhodes book provided was see through. We could trace the workbook letters, no need to soil it with our attempts to learn.

We started by learning about our tools and drawing lines, then strokes.

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Every letter is a combination of strokes. It becomes manageable when you see it that way, even the “m’s.”

After tracing and repeating, building our muscle memory, I began to experiment with names.

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I wrote Celeste’s name over and over again. I made me feel close to her as if I were creating something for her. Like a junior high girl doodling her name with her crush’s last name. I tried to flourish a heart around Miriam’s name and draw a train around James’ name. I think of the term “fail forward.”

Never did I think my handwriting could be beautiful. Never did I think I could write that lovely handwritten note Mrs. Post is always talking about. But I did. And I can.

This is the benefit of learning from another person, and along side people. While I could have looked online and studied some strokes, signing up for a workshop means someone who has tried the field of materials gives me her most-recommended pieces. I need not hunt around for the best price. She refilled my ink pot before I left. I asked for help on the flourishes. She gave me her perspective. She gave her alphabet.

In modern calligraphy, there are no strict rules. You are presented with the information and you make it your own. It is a project that looks much better to every other eye than yours. It is forgiving. I need that in life. This is something I can do.

I already have my first card reading to put in the mail.

(This is not a sponsored post).

Review of And Then There Were None

02 Sunday Jul 2017

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And Then There Were None (1945) movie still

 

I did not succeed as an English major because another course of study called me away. It was a course of study with a purpose, with a goal. I was an English major because I liked it, not because I had any goals. This is no judgment on English majors. I would not mind going back now to study literature because I see those books introduced to you by teachers who love them become beloved by you, or me, as the case may be.

So I never read Agatha Christie. I loved Hamlet, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Hurston, and Dickens. I know many women who love Anne of Green Gables, I met her once but did not love her. I wish I could have.

I think you need to read a variety of styles to become a good writer. And I do mean styles, not content. Content is important, but I do not think 50 Shades of Gray or LGBT lit will add to my skill. Read deep and read light, but always read well. The Handmaid’s Tale can stay on the library shelf. Give me Lord of the Flies. Give me Christie.

Sometimes we need Tolstoy and characters like Levin who represent the author’s ideas and characters like Madame Bovary who represent mine— my weaknesses, that is…not adultery, but vanity. I should clarify.

I last read White Fang, which made me more sympathetic to my cousin’s Doberman Pincher licking her paw to the bone when she saw her love masters’ suitcase. Before that, I revisited The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I like a strong woman in a story and men of substance. On a roll, it was time to finally read Agatha Christie.

I watched And Then There were None (1945) on TCM late at night when I still lived at my parents’ house. It was too late for me to realize how boring the movie was though I understood halfway through a bootleg streamed copy that this was not something I could sit through. Still, I revered the original story having a morbid fascination for such clever darkness.

My daughter asked what my book was about. There was no good answer I could give her.

I did not know this was considered Christie’s best by some circles. Not knowing if my nerves can take another novel by her (though I will be drawn to it like a Netflix binge) I am glad to have read the best.

The novel is perfect. Is that right? Yes, I think it is perfect. It is not deep. It is not difficult. It is fitfully entertaining and grips you as you enter into the suspense the characters’ experience.

10 people on an island. Everyone is guilty of something. The murders begin. One of them is the killer.

You pass through the thoughts of ten characters, you hate only a small handful of them. Even having seen the movie, anticipating the twist, the movie is different enough from the book that I doubted who the murderer was.

Yet it was there. She dropped some clues: too calm, and that smile…

I wanted them to live as in the movie but you feel the supreme literary justice that movies do not often give.

The book was perfect. I do not know what other people read on the beach. I would read Agatha Christie. I would absolutely read And Then There Were None. If I dare, before I read that again, I will read Witness for the Prosecution. Because I love Marlene Dietrich.

Review of Simply Tuesday

26 Monday Jun 2017

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In A Million Little Ways, Emily P. Freeman encourages the reader not to fear if someone has the same message because you have a different way to say it. That way of saying it might be just the right way from some recipient, who would not otherwise be heard or been penetrated by the core message. Freeman’s book, Simply Tuesday, does just this with St. Therese of Lisieux doctrine of the Little Way. Does Freeman know about St. Therese or the little way? I do not know, and it does not matter. The message is beautifully put in her lovely writing style which takes a scene or a moment or an object from her personal life and holding that image in mind, she reflects on its meaning and its application to our life.

Not only is Freeman’s prose impeccable, it is filled with a gentle rhythm that makes her work a proper meditation on maintaining peace in a chaotic life, and quieting ambition in our typically hectic work. She allows her words and images to build organically. Her tactic of returning to images from previous chapters as she includes new ones connects each of the concepts of the book, going ever deeper in reflection.

Rev. Francois Jamart, O.C.D., summarizes the little way as this:

  1. We must fully recognize our spiritual poverty, our incapacity, and accept this condition.
  2. We must have recourse to God with blind and filial confidence, in order that He may accomplish in us what we cannot do by our own powers; for God is our Father; he is Love infinitely merciful.
  3. We must believe in Love and apply ourselves to the practice of love.

Spiritual poverty, described as smallness by Freeman is considered at length between the smallness of humiliation and the smallness of wonder. She invites the reader to embrace the smallness of wonder and the ordinary moments of our lives, which she encapsulated in the concept of Tuesday.

There is a bit of the lady bug philosophy, that when we learn to sit still is when ladybugs will come to us, that grace will come to us. God has called us to these moments, so let us sit and reflect and calm the rush of daily life.

In the third point of the little way, the practice of love, Therese emphasizes the importance of practicing love in the mundane tasks (because in our spiritual poverty or smallness, this is all we can do). You will find the same message throughout in Freeman’s work.

Does this cheapen Freeman’s reflections as something copied? Most definitely not. The message may be the same but the telling is wholly original. Therese wrote her little way as pieces of her autobiography and as a response to the direct request to write out this belief and practice. In that, it is not more ornate or poetically written than came natural to Therese to explain her ideas.

Freeman’s book is a verbal painting of the little way. This little way is at the heart of scriptures, wholly original and wholly tradition, and Freeman, by engaging the scriptures, with the help of others in her life, describes herself as being on this path.

This is the second book by this author that I have made my daily companion, an event of each day when I stop what I am doing and meditate on the chapter where a business card marks.

Reading her work, I have become more reflective and more appreciative of the small moments. It has helps me to act more intentionally and to move a little but further on the path of regaining peace and balance in my life. I heartily recommend Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman.

Review of The Artisan Soul

19 Monday Jun 2017

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After perusing The Home Design Doodle Book, I picked up The Artisan Soul: Crafting your Life into a Work of Art by Erwin Raphael McManus (2014). How odd to wax poetic over a doodle book and then have very few good things to say here. I will not finish the book. My reading reduced to a skim. The reviews on Amazon on overall quite positive. My experience was not.

The moment I read the author thought he should not have hidden his naked body but danced joyfully in the front yard, I thought perhaps something was off about this book.

The first chapter was wonderful.

“The great divide is not between those who are artists and those are not, but between those who understand that they are creative and those who have become convinced that they are not.”

I wrote about this recently in my article, “What is Art?”

“There is an order to the creative process: we dream, we risk, we create.”

That is beautiful and deep, though I cannot say he expands on it more. Once could write an entire reflection series on that quote.

There are other reflections on the way that as art comes from us and we are made in the image of God, so beautiful art will, essentially, reflect God. The best art is authentic to who we are. This is why it is so jarring to see ugly “art” in the fine arts because it reflects our brute nature rather than our angelic nature.

Soon, his theology gets a little wonky; his philosophy a little sloppy. I think he actually says we are all drawn to the good, without referencing Aristotle.

It contains a reflection on craft distinguishing it from product. A craft is handmade. A product uses people. I could think of tidier definitions.

This highlights how things that are not part of the fine arts can still be done as an art, along with how those who are creating in the field of fine arts, can create garbage or art that is not moving. It is an important distinction.

Artists love without reservation. They give their hearts completely and leave nothing on the table. They are naked and unashamed…but not without struggle. This path is not an escape from life’s wounds and disappointment. To live from our souls is to pursue our greatest passions and expose ourselves to our greatest pain. We cannot live to create and be surprised that we have traveled through failure. We cannot live a life of passion and not know sorrow… All creativity emerges from struggle. All art is born out of the pain of labor. The artisan soul must be both tender and tough.

Wonderful insights and great explanations as to why it seems the great artists all suffered so much. Not because art makes us suffer, but that suffering finds expression and hopefully, healing, in art.

All well and good. The subsequent chapters I take issue with.

In Chapter 2, McManus discusses the role of our internal voice/narrative. He writes that some think a narrative of pessimism (despair) means only darkness can be authentic. He proposes a narrative of hope (optimism – but it’s not really) can show authentic art to be happy and about love.

The fault here lies in conflating pessimism/optimism with despair/hope. In psychology, these are particular terms. I think is one is making an effort tot write a book, it is important to have one’s terms clear. A better interpretation of his point would be an interior narrative of hope can make our art transcendent, lifting it out of darkness (negative emotions, brokenness) into light (love, self-gift).

In Chapter 3, McManus writes interpretation is more important than truth, and truth exists because God is trustworthy. It hurts to even repeat that. The fault here lies in a belief that truth can and cannot exist. It gets us into the realm of “your truth” and “my truth.”

A better interpretation would be truth exists regardless. By trustworthy, I think the author means reliable. Reliability is proven by experience. If someone earns our trust, in that we seek answers from him, it is because of how well they conform their lives to the truth. Others we can trust will answer in a particular way (honest or dishonest). That implies reliability. Interpretations of life are unique, but if they do not conform to reality they are insane. If they do not conform to a transcendent truth, they are limited, often depressing or vapid. Truth matters a great deal because it grounds interpretation to something anyone can access, even if one might interpret it differently. It is the thread that unites us.

In Chapter 4, McManus discusses the concept of vision or imagination. He writes, “Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.” Quoting Picasso, a point is made that Picasso’s gift came not with technical genius but imagination. The child imagination is praised. Yes, children have imagination. They do not yet possess not knowledge or skill. The fault here lies in believing imagination and knowledge are opposed to each other.

A better interpretation would be imagination without knowledge belongs to the child while imagination maintained in the adult is refined and focused by knowledge. Learning the art can be seen as having the imagination (creativity) to apply the skill in new and interesting ways. The author also touches on concepts of wonder and awe, which are different. This chapter wanders more than previous chapters. By now his writing feels tangential as well as repetitive.

I could read no more. If one will write about God like this and one is Christian, then let him reference Christian theological tradition. I know this may not be promoted in some Christian denominations, so I do not blame the author, but this book is not for me. Too many insights we have come because we are nested in a culture with a knowledge that has been passed down. What we think we access all on our own has been seeded by our culture and academic tradition. Let us give it some credit. And let’s define our terms.

A reading of Inspired You by Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed

19 Monday Jun 2017

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I admit I found this review in my draft folder. I read Inspired You last year as my son was in the hospital.

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Freeing my mind from the digital world of too much information and attempting to rest all at the same time, I picked up a copy of Inspired You by Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed.

I do not remember how I came across Miss Mustard Seed. It may be when I wandered into Vintage Market, a lovely shop in downtown Turlock and learned about Chalk Paint and milk paint. Or I may have known about milk paint first. Somehow, someway, I came across the blog Miss Mustard Seed.

There are few blogs I follow regularly. There are even fewer I enjoy consistently. I avidly read anything Al Kresta posts, Catholic news commentator, or Elizabeth Scalia, and I bought book by both of them. If I found a blog by George Weigel I read it as well. These three have in common their Catholic faith, their insightful observations and wit to boot. Miss Mustard Seed is the first and only decorating blog I thoroughly enjoy.

What is it about Mrs. Marian Parsons?

To review why I have become attached to her blog and follow her consistently is also a way to review her book because her book naturally reflects many of the same messages as her blog.

Marian Parsons reveals her authentic self in her writing. Her writing style is good. Her photography is a peaceful feast for the eyes. The combination of the two is not always guaranteed in the blogosphere. She does it beautifully every time. In her tutorials, her stories, she somehow makes it all accessible by sharing her fears, her “just-winging-it,” and her faith in God. She never preaches, simply shares her experience. She is the only blogger I have read who emphasizes that the photograph you see online is not what it looks like in real life or on a normal basis. In her book, she includes photographs showing her home, unedited, and another as it really is day to day. She wants readers to know this is all obtainable. It is one thing to say it does not have to be perfect, and then every photograph is perfect so you walk away, possibly inspired, but not so encouraged. It is another thing to be vulnerable and say, “here is reality.”

While she expressed a difficulty in staying balanced, she expresses some key aspects of balance required when one loves to decorate. She does not hold back sharing the importance of decorating for your family instead of in spite of your family. As a Catholic wife and mother, I have seen my love of decorating and creative projects as a way to make a beautiful space for my family. I would have made different choices or used different styles if it were only about me, but I see this gift and these skills as part of my vocation to be used for my vocation, my call to love and serve the people I live with. Mrs. Parsons views it the same way. She refers to decorating as her love language for her family. What a beautiful concept!

Because it is tied into our vocation, I believe we should always make some effort. That effort does not have to be perfect. It will wax and wane.

I identify with her and I am learning from her. Over 6 years ago I began re-upholstering pieces but never dared venture towards zipper foots, zippers, piping, or slipcovers. One day, I plan on changing that largely in part because of her encouragement and the clarity of her instruction.

So thank you, Miss Mustard Seed!

Everlane Review

09 Friday Jun 2017

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Everything is always on sale. I imagine you can think of more than a couple stores where buying something full price is basically cheating yourself because you can always get it for 30% or 40% off. Loft, Gap, Old Navy, Macy’s, Kohl’s…can you list more? JC Pennys attempted to do away with the constant sales and simply sell at lower prices. Instead of a $24 top, always marked down 50%, they would just sell it for $12. It did not work. Sales continue to drop, so the company returned to its former pricing strategy.

In order to comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines, stores must offer these items full price for a certain period of time, which is a boon to them because of those of us who finally made it all the way to the store and do not want to wait for a sale or pay for shipping when it is on sale again. This happens for me at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby when I get there on the off weeks. Their merchandise seems to alternate sale weeks, so each item is 40% off…50% of the time.

These practices strike me as dishonest and manipulative, though it is sensible marketing. Americans love a deal, even if we know in the back of our mind that this is no deal. It is hard to deny the lure of that discounted price tag. As a bonus, brands that never go on sale have an elite quality the bargain bin of Walmart cannot compete with.

Through regularly reading Verily magazine, I have learned about the impact of the fashion industry on our environment. Earlier this year, the magazine posted three TED talks on the subject. I was convicted.

Already, through their reviews of ethical companies, I purchased a backpack from Everlane. At the time, my youngest son was on continuous g-tube feeds and a 20-hr TPN cycle. To carry him around, I must always wear a backpack with his pumps and bags. In order to maintain the caliber of my Easter outfit, I wanted a better-looking backpack.

Everlane Backpack

I was amazed at the quality. Incredibly sturdy, strong stitching, metal zippers, great shape, and leather straps. What an improvement! I looked forward to when I could use it just for myself, rather than with baby Peter. And I have.

When in San Francisco with Peter, I use a tote in the morning as I walk from Family House to the hospital. It fits my laptop and whatever else I need for the day. I thought about buying one from Everlane, but didn’t want to spend so much. I shopped around. I found a couple I liked at Target. One was too small; the other looked good. I compared it to the Everlane bag. Only $20 more and I knew the quality difference would be considerable. And so it was. I love the bag.

Everlane tote

My husband’s band wears black when they play. It was time to buy him additional black dress shirts. I ordered two from Macy’s and one from Everlane. Both purchases were about $50 (so Macy’s, on sale, was half the price). At Macy’s the selection was somewhat overwhelming. The fits of the fitted Alfani shirts varied widely. For one, I missed the presence of 40% polyester when I ordered it. My husband needs to stay cool when he plays in the club. Polyester will not do. He procrastinated trying on the shirts because of the immense amount of packaging and pins. He procrastinated folding them back up for the same reason.  When it was all said and done, we returned both.

The Everlane package came. An oversized cardboard envelope with one strip of paper tape. Inside, two shirts. There were no plastic bags, no pins. Only one piece of cardboard under the collar of the dress shirt. Both shirts feel lightweight yet substantial. The fit and look are great (there is something to be said for buying from a company that targets to your age demographic). I learned about cotton in researching how to buy good sheets. Long staple cotton is more durable than a shorter fiber. His Gap t-shirts always seem to develop mysterious holes. I suspect shorter fibers in those soft cotton shirts. The man could wax poetic about these Everlane shirts: their Cotton Pocket and The Air Oxford Shirt – Black.

Everlane shirt

Everlane breaks down their pricing strategy so you can see the cost of materials and labor. They are honest about their markup. Other sellers want to appear as though they make little to no profit. Everlane is a for-profit company that is not out to earn it at all costs.

I am not ready to purchase all our goods from companies like this, but I will follow the advice from the TED talks.

…

Buy second hand

Donate or sell used clothing

Buy quality so it does not end up in the landfill

Find companies that will recycle unusable clothes (almost all are recyclable)

Look for companies who share not only photos of their factories but name and location

Do not get caught up in sale prices, they often do not reflect true discounts. At what costs do these discounts come?

Quality costs, but quality lasts…consider cost per wear rather than initial cost upfront.

…

 

Review of The Home Design Doodle Book

22 Monday May 2017

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As an avid reader of the blog, Miss Mustard Seed was excited to explore her latest creation, The Home Design Doodle Book. I was not disappointed. The artist in me delighted in the look and design of it. The friend in me delighted in the gift potential, already thinking of several friends who would enjoy this book. The fan of me happily supported a woman who inspires me.

First, this is a book by a creative, crafty artist…and this book is beautiful. It is filled with heart, joy, and inspiration.

Second, this book contains the most sensible, five steps for discovering your style.

  1. Observe and collect items//swatches/images that speak to you
  2. Filter what you love vs. what you love for your home
  3. Recognize patterns in the images/items you love for your home
  4. Unearth your style based on the patterns observed
  5. Transition your style: after noting what fits and does not fit your style in your home, gradually transition your home to fit the style you identified.

After this, she encourages a room reset, the creation of mood boards, organized and planned shopping with a budget in mind, and offers her tips. Pages are frequently inserted for your expression/reflections like, “I think that is stupid!” or “seriously need a new stove.”

Third, a warning: this is not a reading book. This is a workbook. As Mrs. Parsons says, it is a conversation. But as any great designer, she offers only prompts and expects you to do the talking and discovering. She can give tips, but it is up to you to seek the information.

I can see how this book could be an excellent guide for those who are a) to intimated to make design choices, b) cannot focus their many projects or desires, or c) feel their home is too far from what they would like it to be. The format is open enough to allow you your own mode of operation, style, and pace, but tight enough to maintain concrete steps in your creation. When a home feelings overwhelming, the latter can be invaluable.

I would highly recommend this book. I plan on keeping a copy in my home to give as a gift whenever the opportunity arises.

Caveat

If you seeking information and guides on how to do in more detail, you will not find it here. It is what it says, a doodle book. This is the tactile version of creating a Pinterest board. It is an advanced form of a bulletin board (well, many bulletin boards). If you want to learn how to do these things, I recommend Mrs. Parson’s video tutorials and her many other digital offerings through missmustardseed.com.

Happy decorating!

Cinema in new lights: where tolerance and art meet face to face

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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There are two primary reasons I find cinema fascinating. (1) As different art mediums come together in cinema, the limitations it places on those artists forces a particular sort creative thinking; and (2) since film is multi-faceted, people will love and approach it in unique and personal ways.

The Wizard of Oz, 1939

 

First: Putting boundaries on the artist

While I love to write, and I love photography, I think the cinema has become my favorite art medium. It is so limited, and yet so free. In the greatest pieces of cinema, actors master their particular art (whether film, television drama, sit-com, or documentary) while weaving together the skill of writing with the beauty of the visual art. All artists can come together in the cinema. It is so more limiting than designing clothes for a model, paintings for a gallery, or music for a symphony. There, the art is allowed to reach whatever heights the artist can imagine. The endless possibilies are incredible. Here it is restricted. It must be applied. The artist must bend to the purpose. If the artist can bend to the purpose, while still remaining true to the art, while still keeping the highest quality, here I think the artist has also achieved something incredible, in a different way. Both are necessary. The ability of any artist to adapt from an environment of total creative freedom to an environment filled with boundaries shows the adeptness of the artist.

Time and again 1939 is considered the greatest year of cinema. It brought us Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Princess, Midnight, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Women, and Wuthering Heights. The list goes on and on. What happened that year? The production code began to be enforced. Censorship was on. The writers and directors had to make appealing art within the limitations of that production code and it is known for producing several of the greatest movies of all time.

The Women, 1939

The Women, 1939

 

 

Second: A multifaceted medium

What interesting things happened with an art form that has so many facets? People approach it from different directions.

To be specific, I am not a fan of the Disney machine. I think that is primarily because I am sensitive to psychology, perspectives of culture and marketing (from a psychological perspective) and what message is given through those lenses. In my opinion, Disney uses consumers to make a profit. It frequently sends a message of the uselessness of fathers and the requirement of either a passive female or aggressive, who needs men, feminists. Complementarity is not explored. Religion is excluded. Costumes are sold. Princesses engineered to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. As the culture has changed, Disney has changed.

Snow White, 1931

 

Frozen, 2014

 

I spoke recently to a lover of the theater. Her view is totally different. Why wouldn’t it be? Other than Rogers and Hammerstein, in the past 50 years who has brought theatrical music to the general public? Disney. She thought the music from Frozen to be of incredible quality, harking back to the Disney Renaissance.

Since I approach the film differently, I see different things. Neither is right or wrong. Just as life is made better by the variety of worldviews, so we can take what we want out of a film and enjoy it in our own personal way.

Going further with the concept of the personal, there are limitations beyond the creators’ control in film. With a painting, the artist places’ his stamp on the image of the model. So in a way, it is the painter we see, even though he sought to represent the model. In a novel, the reader places his own image on the descriptions. Readers are either delighted or angered by the choice of actor to play the role, or the manner of the actor depending on how it aligns or disfigures their mental image of the character.

This brings us to the point. Like photography, cinema brings us real people. We are drawn or experience aversion to people and their manners. For example, I an a fan of “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” I love the courage and desire for personal development of the main character. I love the subtle and over-the-top humor, the multitude of cultural and iconic references. I love the strength of the female lead, whose existence is not dependent on other male characters. It’s a great piece of television in my eyes. A friend who also loves cinema dislikes the show because of the main actress. That happens. Not all personalities can be attractive to everyone. If they are, that is when you end up with mega-stars.

This is also experienced in theater, Even in theater, an actor who is more than just “a body with a voice,” viewers creates the character in his or her image. My husband and I have watched a filmed theatrical version of Into the Woods and really love it. We watched the recent film by Disney, so ready to love it, and were sorely disappointed. Why?

Into the Woods, 2014

We had in our minds the portrayal, energy and comedic timing of the theatrical actors. Disney movie just did not compare.

Into the Woods - into-the-woods Photo

Into the Woods, Original Cast

Does that make less of the experience of someone else watching it?

No, not at all.

Might one be objectively better?

Possibly. But also possible that it was our personal experiences that led to enjoyment or displeasure.

Conclusion

The discussion could go on and on. Cinema provides us with a special place, wildly boundless and yet full of boundaries for those who help to create it. It is deeply personal from the personhood of the actors to the personalities of the viewers. There is something for everyone.

Reflections on Strange Gods, Chapter Eight: The Super Idols

11 Saturday Apr 2015

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What follows are my reflections on Elizabeth Scalia’s book Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Every Day Life, Chapters 8: The Super Idols. Click here to read my other reflections on Scalia’s book. There’s more to read than my reflection contains. I highly recommend you check out the book for yourself.

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 First things first. A definition:

“Super idolatry grows out of ideologies watered too well. A super idol is not one but two steps removed from God. If all ideologies contain elements of self-enthrallment, the enthronement of a collection of our ideologies ramps things up by endowing the ego with a heavy veneer of moral authority. Dress up tribal identifications that accompany one’s participation in a party or a movement, determine that the opposition is not merely wrong but evil, and suddenly mere ideas become glittering certainties.”

Two steps removed is pretty intense. I have seen it. I’ve seen it in Republican radio, I’ve seen it in pro-life activists, I’ve seen it in traditionalist Roman Catholics. It exists on the other “side” as well, but I haven’t seen it because we don’t tend to cross paths in conversation too often.

How does the super idol work?

“We begin to measure every headline, every news story, every sermon, every comment and tweet that comes our way by how it conforms to our worldview.”

Scalia adeptly uses the word “enthrallment” to describe this. One gets excited, one gets passionate, but one becomes so taken up they can no longer see clearly.

Some time after high school I experience something along these lines. I had always felt strongly about modesty, but as a way to fight the difficulty I felt upon hearing just how pornogrpahy or immodesty work on a man’s brain, I became very nearly obsessed with the whole concept. I couldn’t look at another person without judging his or her (usually her) modesty or lack thereof. I was distracted when speaking with someone who was immodestly dressed. I wasn’t sexually attracted to the person, but was preoccupied thinking, “could she be tempting someone?”

Charitably, Scalia identifies that very thing.

“Ironically, that spiritually deforming hatred is very often conceived in love. We love our country; we love our community; we love our church; we love our traditions; we love our perception of ourselves; we love life; and we love babies.”

In my case, I loved my brothers in Christ and did not want to be tempted. I wanted to protect those in my life who I cared for.

But if we become preoccupied with anything in this way, what happens?

“We lose the willingness to bear with the imperfect, flawed, and sinful humanity of another in light of our own broken propensity to sin.”

I stopped seeing the people. I saw only the exterior. I do not recall the path of realization that woke me up from this phase, but I think it had to do principally with realizing that I was so taken up in judgment of what people were wearing that I lost sight of who they are.

I once was so strict, so rigorous, so zealous that I probably missed many opportunities to learn something wonderful.

“We all do that from time to time; we get caught up in our cause, and we become careless with our words. Sometimes that’s about busyness and distraction, and not idolatry. But when we catch ourselves being thoughtless (or when someone points it out to us), we should consider the first commandment and ask ourselves if we have not elevated the object of our enthrallment to that position where it blocks God.

“A good way to tell if God is being blocked is if we have lost sight of the hope for mercy for the sake of another.”

 And that’s the key isn’t it? When Christ says, judge not, he isn’t saying to excuse it, but to never put weaknesses or differences before God and the image of God in the people we encounter. I’m learning to put first things first. People are different, some people do not have the fullness of truth. Many who have the fullness of truth neglect to own it. We all have a long way to go and different journeys to get there. I thank God for that. I do indeed.

If you think someone you love has made a super idol of some cause or passion, pray for them. But have a little fun with them too. When they make comments about the people on the other “side” point out the humanity of that person, say something that any normal person would have sympathy for or could relate. Make excuses for how that person may have become that way. If someone comments on the aggressively pro-abortion activist, say, I wonder if she feels so strongly because she or someone she loved was raped. Or when the anti-Hilary bashing starts, “I wonder if she pursues things like this because her parents taught it the way to success was through power. It’s funny to think what messages we get from our parents on what will make us happy.” You’ll stop the conversation dead, and make it very awkward, but you know what, it’s kind of fun.

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There’s more to read from Elizabeth Scalia, and I’d encourage anyone who has enjoyed these posts to get a copy of her book as soon as possible. My reflections will not be your reflections. There is a wealth of ideas in this little book, relevant to all walks of life.