Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Project for Poetry Friday and a few tidbits


This photo of my daughter at the dentist has nothing to do with the post.

I've been working on music for a poem that I'm going to feature in this week's Poetry Friday roundup. That's the reason this blog has been quiet for the past couple of days. In a time where so many people have the tools and abilities to post home videos, I am very much a Joanie-Come-Lately. Musically, I am still far from where I want to be, and am working on enriching the tone and range of my singing voice. My plan is eventually to put together a 2-3 minute promotional video. I would love to be able to hire a professional, but in the meantime, I want to see what I can do on an operating budget of zero. Currently, I film during the day with all the windows open and lights focused on the area of the video. Through the lens, it all looks well-lit, but when I look at the footage, the light is still dimmer than I like. My respect and admiration for good filmmakers continues to grow.

A few tidbits:

*Thirty-four people subscribe to this blog. To those 34: thank you. I appreciate you. If there are any lurkers I don't know about yet, please post a comment, so I know who you are and where you blog.

*I've been brooding about Colleen Mondor's post, Faces in the Crowd (just so you know, there are several photos of lynchings in this post).

*I am glad for ABCGirl's blog happy stuff, and that she refers to her husband as "mr. happy stuff." ABCGirl's blog isn't about denying the pain and struggle in life, but about finding the grace in small, good things. Limpid photographs of yummy food items accompany many posts.

*I wish I were as whip-smart as LoneStarMa. Here is her About Me profile: Lone Star Ma is a working mama of two Lone Star Daughters. She loves Texas dearly but is sadly underachieving its average of 3 guns for every man, woman and child. She eats mushroom fajitas instead of beef ones and has been known to breastfeed during City Council Meetings. Lone Star Ma has a pathological need to read a LOT and is into peace, equality and the Gulf of Mexico.

*This was posted awhile ago, but I still smile when I think of Adrienne's colleage Jason performing Little Miss Muffet. Scroll down to see the video.

*I depend upon Urban Mennonite to keep me up to date on all the hijinx and merriment going on among the Mennonites and the Amish. In case you didn't know, my mother's side of the family is Mennonite, and her father's stepmother was Amish. (My grandfather was the youngest of 13 children, spoke Pennsylvania Deutsch as a first language, and started high school when he was twenty-two years old.) My favorite feature is the Menno Roundup. I have a feeling I should know Urban Mennonite, or at least have friends in common, but I'm satisfied with maintaining the mystery.

7 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Miss Pretty in Pastels there is as cute as she can be, with those sunglasses. I want to wear sunglasses at the dentist!

The phrase Urban Mennonite for some reason just gives me giggles. I love it.

Lone Star Ma makes me think happy things about Texas at last. I'd be into the Gulf of Mexico if I could just get there.

Colleen's post threw me right back into childhood; the first time you discover that is YOUR history, it's about YOU, that people would do that to YOU had you been born then; well, I suppose it's akin to being a Jewish child and first hearing about the long, twisted history of "let's off the Jews," which culminated in the Holocaust. For awhile, you walk... tentatively through the world, and behind your eyes is always something whispering, "It could still be you."

pax

Lone Star Ma said...

Whip-smart? Me? Thank you. I feel pretty fuzzy and slow, mostly...

Your baby is so cute.

Anonymous said...

Look at Lucia rockin' those sunglasses. That girl is just so cool.

I'll have to tell Jason he got a mention today. :) That rhyme is even better live; I really never know what that boy is going to do next when we do storytimes together.

I know what you mean about making videos. I had exactly zero appreciation for how difficult it was to make a decent video until we started trying to make some ourselves. Hopefully we'll be getting some equipment and training with this grant we're hoping the current financial crisis doesn't screw up, but we'll see. We keep working with what we have. One of our problems is the lighting in the library is poor on the best of days, even without the camera.

Saints and Spinners said...

TadMack: It's even more unsettling, I think, that it's a history that happened not that long ago. There is so much for which humanity has to atone. On a happier note, LSM is one of the great features of Texas. Lyle Lovett, James Marshall, and the bats flying up from under the bridge in Austen are also on that list, too.

LSM: Isn't she, though?;) You may feel fuzzy-headed, but you write clear articles and posts.

Adrienne: If I could bottle the je ne sais quoi of the gentle giants (i.e. big guys who are gentle and great with kids), I'd be rich, I tell you. Or at least, comfortable enough to buy a slightly larger house.

The answer to my video prayers might be on the horizon. If something comes of it, I'll let you all know.

Saints and Spinners said...

P.S. That would be Austin, not [Jane] Austen.

abcgirl said...

thanks for the shout-out! now maybe i should go post something new...

:)

Jules at 7-Imp said...

We'll take photos of your devastatingly cute daughter ANY time, even if they're appropos to nothing in the post.