Reflections on the season

I'm not one for mushy blog posts. Mushy lifetime movies, yes. But mushy posts just seem a bit insincere when you don't know the person sitting behind the computer.

This is different, though. How can I not be sentimental now that the leaves have fallen, the pumpkins have been harvested, and we are only a few exams away from Thanksgiving break and the end of our poetry careers at Sem.

Poetry class has been so incredible on a number of different levels. First off, never would I have thought that poetry class would have me create a blog. And this blog has taught me a lot - needing to post once a week has been a deadline exercise, and seeing our audience and views increase has been incredibly rewarding. Not to mention the fact that I have been officially introduced to twitter in the quest to have the most blog posts in order to win the ultimate prize: Mrs. Lewis' chocolate chip cookies (Seriously, they're to die for. PS: Mrs. Lewis, I really do love poetry class for more than just the cookies)

Secondly,  who gets to create their own takeoff on Ginsberg's A Supermarket in California?! Walking to the local Walgreens and searching for inspiration... or, rather, letting inspiration find me.  I'll even let you read it!

i walk in through the automatic door in to
the merchandise everywhere. romney, why is he in the black and orange section.
american Royalty celebrated on
the  magazine shelf, no paper of news around.  read of the "Kings and Queens of silicon valley"
and of a former wife, the marriage was a mission, impossible.
what is going on in the other states today.
the other Countries away so far in distance but not in
mind - influence culture they always do:
hanes, Se Habla Español
revlon nail polish, passage to India,
Sari, my dear
the america of the star spangled banner
is only seen mid-summer in the
walgreens holiday aisle.


I'm most proud of that poem, it was a poetry breakthrough for me.


Third. I will admit, I was a bit dubious when I looked up  "Public Enemy" and saw what we would be doing for the rest of the week.  I've heard that rap was poetry but I guess I just didn't believe it since it doesn't exactly sound like Emily Dickinson. But after watching the "Art of Rap" documentary, I can officially say that rap is poetry, and darn good poetry.


I'm really unbelievably sad that our time in this class has ended, and I'll truly miss seeing everyone 7th bell. I'm so happy and thankful I took Poetry!! :)

 

Behind the White Picket Fence

Some think living a cookie cutter lifestyle is best - and from outside of the invisible glass dome that surrounds the suburbs - it may seem that way. In TV shows (ex. Leave it to Beaver) and movies, suburban life seems simple - the houses are all the same, the lawns are all the same, everyone is the same - perfect. Everyone is happy.

You're typical suburban family:
happy, perfect, zero problems

At one time the suburbs were the perfect place to live and start a family because that's what they were originally built for. After World War 2 was over and the soldiers came back home, the first thing they wanted to do was get married and have babies with their wives. Waiting throughout the war had worn down their patience and they wanted to get started and have a place of their own to live as soon as possible.

This was a common problem for young veterans until a man named William Levitt developed the idea of a suburban sprawl or Levittown as the first one was called. 

These towns were built specifically for veterans and their families as they had the appeal of being less crowded and less expensive than a place in the city. Also, the houses in these "Levittowns" could be built fairly quickly for the couple who wanted to get started on their new life right away. 

While "the suburbs" had started out with a positive connotation, as time began to pass, the suburbs began to lose their charm. 

Many begun to feel  that there was too much...sameness.

Look how much variety! So many interesting
people must live here!

As the years passed, the connotation the suburbs conjured up became more and more...questionable. Sure there were those that still saw suburbia as a great place to raise their kids - where they could be surrounded by like people and not worry about crime.

But, there were also those that began to see the suburbs as a place where EVERYONE was the same. White, boring, same occupation, same car. Everyone was the same.

Soon, books and movies were written where, if the author wanted a dull setting, they would write their play, book, etc. as taking place in the suburbs.

John Cheever, an American author let his thoughts of  life suburban life shine through in a short story titled, The Swimmer. 

John Cheever - Mister Rogers?

The Swimmer is a criticism of the stagnant life that is suburbia. The story revolves around Neddy Merrill, a typical suburban husband and father who becomes absorbed in the cyclical nature of life in the suburbs causing him to ignore his family as his life falls apart. In a metaphor for the passing years, Neddy embarks on a journey through his town that -- to him -- seems to take only a day, but by his journey's end, we find out that along the way, he has had an affair, become a drunkard, and harassed his friends for money. He arrives home to an empty house - his wife and children have left long ago but he had never noticed.

Today, the suburbs are still given this stereotype. Suburbia in fiction is often full of airheads, ignorance, and rebellious children trying to escape the impending doom of turning into their cardboard cut-out parents.

What was once a haven for easy living has turned into a black hole, sucking out the life of those who live within.

Thankful for Traditions

As horribly tempting as it is to write at length on the tumultuous, outrageously expensive, grueling election our nation just survived, I will refrain. It's not that I don't believe politics are important; in fact, I think this election especially was crucial. But, writing about Obama will alienate 50% of Americans and writing about Romney will alienate the remaining 50%. And I'd like us all to be friends.

On that note, I'd like to mention the one day out of the year (other than the  once-every-4-years-presidential-election-day) that unites the entire country. At least 95% of the population. One of the greatest, if not the ultimate best, holidays of the year. Thanksgiving.

It takes all of us Americans, whether we are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents (or one of the other many, many parties) and takes us back to our roots. Or, our hypothetical roots (since most of us did not, in fact, cross the Atlantic on the Mayflower).

Yes, there is plenty of reason to cast a gloomy cloud on the holiday, as it historically can be associated with many sad events in our nations past. But, I'd like us all to be happy friends.

So, onto the main point. The wonder and beauty of Thanksgiving. I'd like to share my top 10 favorite Thanksgiving traditions. I'll admit, they're not all mine, but, thats the thing about traditions -- you can always make new ones.


10. Turkey Trot - What better way to acquire an appetite for the feast ahead than a run or walk in the brisk Thanksgiving morning air?  There's nothing better than feeling the cool air on your face, having your hands numb and all the while thinking of the hot turkey that awaits!

9. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - The giant balloons, Manhattan as crowded as ever and delicious food everywhere. Plus, if you stay the night, Black Friday in NYC is the greatest. Early Christmas shopping, anyone?


8. Touch-football game - Does this really require an explanation? Plus, it will also get your appetite ready to go!

7. Baking Pumpkin Pie - Two words for you: Delicious & Nutritious



6. Add marshmallows to those sweet potatoes - You won't be sorry!



5. Roast pumpkin seeds  Granted, this can be done as early as Halloween, but those hot roasted seeds right out of the oven are just as yummy on turkey day!

4. Two types of stuffing - Because stuffing inside the turkey is just not enough! There must be stuffing inside and outside.


3. Thanksgiving Play Production - How can you not, after Everybody Love's Raymond did such a fantastic job?

Skip to 7:40 for the skit! 

2. Give thanks - At the end of the meal, go around the table and name at least two things for which you are thankful.

1. Make a Cornucopia - Because I refuse to be cliché enough to have "Giving thanks" as the number one tradition. Plus, its creative, fun, and represents the abundance of food/harvests/goods that the holiday was founded on (well, theoretically, at least)






Happy holidays!

Quotations by the Woman Who Took England by Storm

Sadly for those of my young generation, or perhaps sadly for me alone, the first time I heard of Margaret Thatcher was in a movie preview featuring Meryl Streep:

This is not your average Bridget Jones movie about a British girl with whom American audiences become infatuated. No, this is far from it. Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of England played a defining role in British History especially in British Politics.

Thatcher is credited with reviving the economy and the nations foreign policy. She most notable dealt with the controversial problems of the Falklands and the ensuing war.

Most notably, however, was her fearlessness to be a female leader. She was the first female Prime Minister of England and held one of the longest serving times ever.  She was not afraid of the fact that she was a woman, in fact she embraced it. She believed that she could make a difference, and make a difference she did.  The movie, "The Iron Lady" emphasizes how she did not let her gender get in the way of her passion for politics. She is seen arguing in parliament, insisting that she be allowed to wear her pearls and explaining that she could not sit by and let other people control politics. 


For more on Thatchers full biography, click here.

Read some of her wisest and wittiest quotations below: 

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." 

"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy." 

Introducing Pop Art: A Soup Can Etched in History, and More

Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola) made an irreversible mark on the history of art.  Warhol is famous for his innovative use of colors and dimensions resulting in what is modernly known as Pop Art. Since he pioneered the movement he is known as the Prince of Pop Art. Though he started as a commercial illustrator, Warhol is known worldwide for his Pop Art paintings, such as 32 Campbell's Soup Cans pictured below.

Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962

The work was composed of 32 Canvases which each measured 20in x 16 in. They hung on a wall and were supposed to represent how they would be on a shelf in a grocery store (sounds similar to Ginsberg's A Supermarket in California, no?)  Each canvas was made using a printmaking technique. See an individual canvas pictured below.

This exhibit was a hit when exhibited in 1962, but, as one newscaster put it, Warhol's 15 minutes of fame is not over yet. Last month, Campbell's released a 50 year commemoration. Target will be selling cans inspired by Warhol's exhibit:

Target's Collection of 50 year anniversary Campbell's Soup Cans 

Warhol's fame extends far beyond 32 Campbell's Soup Cans. You may recognize, his 1962 portrait of Marilyn Monroe,his 1964 Jackie Kennedy, or his 1965 painting Atomic Bomb. 

Portrait of Marilyn Monroe, 1962

Jackie Kennedy, 1964

Atomic Bomb, 1965

Currently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a collection of Warhol's work. His work will be on display from September 18th 2012 - December 31st 2012. The exhibit will juxtapose Warhol's paintings against other painters to demonstrate Warhol's vast influence on the culture of art. The exhibit is made possible by Morgan Stanley. 

Check out Andy Warhol's work for yourself and you'll see his amazing contribution to Pop Art, American Art and art worldwide. 

The Black Ruby

In November of 1960, Ruby Bridges walked into a formerly whites-only public school in New Orleans and made history.


Norman Rockwell, one of the most famous American illustrators of the 20th century, immortalized that moment in his painting Problems We All Live With in 1964.

In this painting Rockwell captures the racial tensions from the height of the Civil Rights Movement. On the wall behind this beautiful little girl is the racial slur "nigger" as well as the initials KKK which stood for the Ku Klux Klan. She is guarded on both sides by security personnel.  The painting is done from the perspective of the white onlookers. Though we can't see their faces or hear their taunts in this painting, we know what that day was like in New Orleans:

Watch from 7:00-8:00 to see the movie's portrayal of Ruby Bridges entering the school.


Last year, Bridges was honored with the opportunity to meet with President Barack Obama to see Rockwell's painting on display in the White House.

Read more on the topic here.

SOMETHING WITTY.

SOMETHING WITTY?
Have something you want us to write about?
Comment below :)



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xoxo ,
L & K

The New Beatles

The Beatles was the band of the 1960s. Without a doubt. No contest. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were royalty. Literally. Queen Elizabeth II appointed the four to the Order of the British Empire in 1965. But, all good things must come to an end. And after their last song release in 1969, people were left with a void, listening to albums over and over, nostalgic for the band that changed the world.

Fast forward to 2007. England yet again produces a band that changes the world:  Mumford and Sons, a notably "indie rock" band made up of Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane.



In 2009, the band released its first studio album "Sigh No More" which went four times platinum in the UK and twice platinum in the US. Listen here (and feel free to read more about the band's discography as well!)

Mumford and Sons, pictured here in 2012

This summer, the band released their new album "Babel".  According to E! News, the album has already topped billboards for one of the most popular album releases of the year.  Listen below:

Comparing Mumford & Sons to The Beatles actually goes much further than the fact that both are made up of four British males. Statistically, Mumford & Sons have done something that has not been done since The Beatles. The band placed six songs on the Hot 100 list, the most songs by one band in one week since The Beatles.

Their 2011 Bonnaroo performance was outstanding, and American's who didn't make it to the festival are left now feeling pretty sad. Mumford and Sons will be touring this year, though not in the United States. Tour stops include Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK.

When food came from The Jungle

Yum!

Perhaps we take for granted where our food comes from. We walk into our nice, clean supermarkets, stroll down the aisles with our shiny carts, pluck colorful, carefully packaged goods from the shelves, and plop them onto a moving belt where we hand over our money and trot along on our merry way home without a second thought.

Where does your food come from? Yes, a supermarket. But where did the supermarket get your food? You don't know? You don't care? In this day and age, we don't need to worry very much about where our food came from - with so many regulations and rules, there's not much cause for concern. 

Back in the day though, in the early 1900s there was cause for concern. Like people nowadays, people back then didn't think much about where their food came from but there were no regulations - and that was scary. People had no idea what they were eating until one man came along and changed everything.

That man, was Upton Sinclair.

THANK GOD FOR THIS GUY

Let me cut to the chase now. The food industry - mainly the meat industry was disgusting. Why? Because money > health. Those in charge of the meat industry were not concerned with the conditions of their factories or what went into their products, only that their products went out and were bought by everyday, naive Americans.

Well, one day a man named Upton Sinclair went to check out one of these factories and decided to write a novel about what he saw.

The novel, The Jungle, revealed to Americans that the nice pretty packages their meat came in was just a facade. Also, that what was in those packages probably contained more than just pork or beef. They probably also contained rats, rat droppings, dirt, bugs, and maybe an actual worker thrown in for good measure.

I'll have the human sandwich, hold the rat poison please.

Needless to say, the public were shocked with what they read. Even the president at the time, Theodore Roosevelt, had trouble believing such things were true, so he sent an investigator to a factory only to find the same unsanitary conditions - meat in piles with rats running over them, meat being picked up off the filthy floor to be thrown in a grinder, and more mouth-watering ways of making food!

In response to these findings, Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act which set regulations on the food industry, implemented inspections, and cleaned up factory conditions.

 The Meat Packing Industry was no longer a Jungle and the Food and Drug Act ended up controlling other products in the food industry, such as eventually removing cocaine (yes, cocaine) from Coca Cola. 

I think it is safe to say that Sinclair was a very important man in American history and we should be very grateful that he found and exposed the horrors of meat factories and as he once said "I aimed at the public's heart" (the original intent of the book was to describe the working conditions for immigrants) "and hit its stomach".

The Picasso of Poetry

ee cummings incredible, naïve at times, (yet brilliant, 

unusual topography the creative use of capitalization and punctuation to bring forth feelings of ambiguity he invented that) 


For modern eyes, obsessed with perfection, with dotting every i and crossing each t, with a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and one punctuation symbol at the end, perhaps is hard for us to understand cumming's brilliance. Some of us cast him aside, another poet lost in Paris, lost in our history, to avant garde for his time and for ours. But in doing so, we overlook a man whose creativity rivals anyone and everyones. A man who was not just a poet. 

A man who was (a genius)


cummings was a painter, though many today only recognize him for his poetry. Influenced and inspired by Picasso, who he met while in France, cummings painted self portraits, and other surrealistic works. 

Self-portrait with sketchpad, 1939, oil on canvas. 

Noise Number 1, 1919, oil on canvas. 

Read more about Picasso and cummings here.

cummings was influenced so much by Picasso that he wrote a poem entitled "Picasso" :

Picasso

you give us thingswhichbulge:grunting lungs pumped full of sharp thick mind
you make us shrillpresents alwaysshut in the sumptuous screech ofsimplicity
(out of theblack unbungedSomething gushes vaguely a squeak of planesor
between squeals ofNothing grabbed with circular shrieking tightnesssolid screams whispers.)Lumberman of the Distinct
your brain'saxe only chops hugest inherentTrees of Ego,fromwhose living and biggest
bodies loppedof everyprettiness
you hew form truly




cummings' use of unusual typography is evident in his use of parenthesis and selective capitalization and his poem honors Picasso and Picasso's work. 

It's important that we search beyond the surface, that we try to learn more, try to contextualize what we know. Learning that cummings was a painter is so very important for understanding him as a person. And understanding who cummings was helps us understand his poetry. 


cummings (never ceases to amaze) 

Flappers? But its 2012

The Twenties. Speakeasies. Bootleggers. Flappers.



What is it that conjures up this romantic, racy image of men in loose suits and women in dresses adorned with fringe seated at a bar drinking the forbidden fruit of the early twentieth century?

Woody Allen's film "Midnight in Paris" took that image. Ran with it. Made a movie of the smoke filled cafés in Paris where the très chic discussed and mingled and thought.

But its not only the film industry that is exploring the past. Taking cues from the popular lifestyle of the '20s. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has come to a close for this year.  But as models prep their skin for the next photo shoot and we prep our wallets for the shopping extravaganza that inevitably occurs after the Spring/Summer 2013 fashion shows, it feels only right to take one last nostalgic look back at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections -- A time  one year ago when the fashion industry presented one of the most daring styles for our era of tight, tight, tight. Designers took a 180 and landed at loose, landed in a speakeasy in the 1920s crowded with women in short pixie cuts and drop waisted dresses. The flappers were back.


Gucci's 2012 Spring Collection

Models came down the runway sparkling from head to toe. The difference from the 1920s? Everything is just more dramatic. The necklines are more dramatic, the makeup is more dramatic, and the hair is more dramatic (though I didn't realize that was all that possible). Hair stylist Luigi Murenu crafted sleek pulled back styles that emphasized the higher than high cheekbones  of the models.   Fashion show goers raved about the flapper-esque styles. (Read and see more here )

Ralph Lauren's Spring 2012 Collection

Once again, loose fitting, pastel colored, light and airy clothes float down the runway. Models wore short hats and drop waisted dresses remnicient of the 20s. Not nearly as dramatic, but equally as beautiful as Gucci's collection, Ralph Lauren captured the wistful, dreamy, I-can-do-anything-despite-what-everyone-says feel of the era.

Watch the video of the show here:

(Read more here and here)


Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 Collection 

“[The show] will ignite a half a dozen new movements in the world of clothing and style…the most influential show this season … the best presentation in New York in many seasons,” said Fashion Wire Daily of the world renowned designer's collection. Shiny details paired with light, pastel colors dancing with fringe came as yet another homage to the fashion of the 1920s. 

Gone but certainly not forgotten. And I'm not only talking about the 1920s. The styles that walked down the runway last September were echoed again as Vogue headlined "Prohibition-era Style at Billy Reid Spring 2013" (Read more right here)


I made a typo, you say? Yes, I was wondering when you'd call me out on that statement I made earlier.

The flappers ARE back.

What is a week-end?

With Season 3 of Downton Abbey beginning in England this week, it seems only fitting that we pay homage to one of the shows best characters. Perhaps you watch only to see the chatter between Michelle Dockerty as Lady Mary Crawley and her love interest Matthew Crawley played by Dan Stevens.  And yes, Hugh Bonneville is remarkable in his portrayal of Robert Crawley as is Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley. But the star who steals the PBS Masterpiece Classic Series is none other than Maggie Smith who plays Robert Crawley's mother, Violet Crawley.
(Need some background on the show and how Violet Crawley fits in? Go here. )

In times of war (World War I, that is) Violet's witty comments lighten up the serious tone. Her clear disgust with anything and everything american is humorous, I imagine even more so for the British viewers. Yet even we as Americans can appreciate the digs -- they are too funny to make a fuss about. Delivered in Maggie Smith's dry tone, they become the most recognized lines of the show.

More funny lines here!

So what does this say about the audiences world wide that tune in every week to watch what will transpire at Downton? Well, a sense of humor is most important on all shows. Downton Abbey is certainly not an American Sit-Com. but  I have laughed as much at Maggie Smith's lines as I have while watching "Seinfeld" or "Friends". Maggie Smith breathes life into her character. As a result, the entire show reaps the benefits.

The arrival of Shirley McClain as Cora Crawley's American mother, has Brits and Americans alike sitting on the edge of their seats to see the showdowns between these two ladies.

What The War Had To Do With sPIEs

Wars have a funny way of changing things, whether it be by destroying their city or country, bringing the persecuted closer together, or inspiring great movies or poems. When people think of war, thoughts that often come to mind are the economy, brave soldiers, comedians and singers who became famous by trying to squeeze joy and laughter into the lives of the suffering.

Edith Piaf, Winston Churchill, and Hitler may be topics of discussion, but what about Julia Child?

Yes, I know what you're thinking - I have been misinformed or maybe I misspelled "Abraham Lincoln" and auto correct chose "Julia Child".

Well, neither of those things happened and my spelling is not that bad, thank you very much.

Julia? I don't think so

en.wikipedia.org 

Julia Child was a spy. An American spy. A famous and talented chef and an American spy (if you can think of a more badass career combination, please let me know). 

photoshop but still pretty cool

abcnews.go.com

Having Mrs. Child on our side has proven to be very beneficial to us. She worked on important developments such as creating shark repellent for underwater mines (apparently they look very tasty to sharks) and dealt with highly classified information. Her being involved in the war and travelling to places such as Sri Lanka and China led to her discovery that not all meals came from "cans and freezers". The OSS (Office of Strategic Services) later introduced her to "Paul" who introduced her to "the joys of real cooking". These "joys" were later developed during her famous stay in France when she truly developed her talent for making super delicious food and then brought those talents back to America.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech-Culture/2012/0815/Julia-Child-was-a-spy.-Was-she-any-good-at-it-video

In a way...thank goodness for that war (don't quote me out of context on that) or we'd still be eating out of freezer-burned cans.

When Silence is Music

"Thinking outside the box" is cliché. What do people mean when they say that, really? I never understand, but I nod along anyway. Perhaps I'm fearful that not knowing the meaning makes me less smart. That only truly smart people can define something so un-definable. 

I get wanting to be creative. Take risks. Creativity and risk are immensely important factors in the evolution of ideas. And its those people who think creatively and take bigger risks, that change the world. 

John Cage was a man of risk. He wrote his own history and made his own rules. College? Dropped out. In explanation, he stated " I received the highest grade in the class. That convinced me that the institution was not being run correctly. I left."    And Silence? His music.  "I found out by experiment... that silence is not acoustic. It is a change of mind, a turning around. I devoted my music to it. My work became an exploration of non‑intention"

Read more of Cage's biography and autobiography.



In silence, Cage found music, heard music and made music. In one of his most famous compositions four minutes and thirty three seconds, Jonathan Cage sat at the piano. The noises in the auditorium filled the air and wrote music that could never be repeated. Cage's composition ripped apart pre-exisitng notions of what music is. He pioneered the use of electronic music by creating bits of electronic sound bytes. Take a listen to the electronic sounds here. 

Cage also significantly increased the use of the prepared piano. The prepared piano "turns a piano into a percussion instrument by inserting objects between the strings" according to Alex Ross, music critic for  The New Yorker  "His intricacy of rhythm is really astounding,"  Ross says, "and the quality that separates him from a great many other composers, even some of the greatest in the classical canon."

Read more here.

For John Cage, creativity and risk were a part of every day life. He didn't intend to change American music, but his willingness to take risks allowed him to shape the future of the way people look at, define and hear music. And silence.