Leftovers

 

I haven’t exactly been the best at staying on top of some of my posting in the recent months, so we’re going to call this portion of the blog the “holiday leftovers” – which in no way diminishes their importance btw!  We all know that leftovers are buh-mazing.

Thanksgiving Visit with Jan:

Back during Thanksgiving I had my annual Jan Reynolds Ingersoll visit!!!  In fact, she even came to church to hear me sing that Sunday morning because I had a solo! (Read about the experience on her blog here).  And, if you know anything about a visit to see Jan then you know to expect a couple of things:

Blurry photo of the two of us / An action shot with some kind of weapon / Me, posing with a giant stuffed animal

     

And lest we forget – an appearance from our good friends Feral and Domesticated Cougar (this time in holiday attire!):

 

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!!!

 

Christmas Eve Shrimp Dinner with Will:

Before the two Christmas Eve services at my church I again had the pleasure of joining Will and his family for their annual shrimp dinner. I even got to catch up with my favorite misunderstood Christmas curmudgeons!  (This year I was doubly lucky because I also got to see them all again on my drive home from Crockett back to Houston after Christmas!)

 

 

 

Sid Becomes the Pied Piper Once Again:

When Hannah was visiting recently after Christmas, her dad, my uncle Sid, came over to the city for the day to help dress shop for Hannah’s junior voice recital in February.  In the car to dinner I showed him my clarinet I had taken from Crockett and he couldn’t wait to play it when we got back to my apartment later!  (Too bad the ol’ gem needs a bit of work to it).  At any rate… it was the first time he’d picked one up in years!

Proof for the grandparents!

 

Sugar and Spice… :

No good leftover meal is complete without a second (or third) helping of those holiday pies, cookies, cakes, random sugar packets you have lying around the house just begging to be finished before they spoil.  And by spoil I mean someone else eats them. Regular blog readers will know of my undying love for anything Speculoos, and this Christmas totes delivered!!  Mallory’s dad had traveled recently to the Netherlands and was kind enough to bring me back, in addition to the yearly Maersk butter cookies, a jar of the ONLY FOUND IN EUROPE crunchy spread! Not to leave Mallory high and dry on the Speculoos front—here she is with her giant cookie!

 

 

Mom managed to join the fray and somehow found me a whole CASE of the German equivalent of Speculoos.  What the WHAAAAAT!!!

And now… FOOD COMA!

 

Artist: No Doubt / Album: Everything in Time

Photograph

 

This Christmas, with the generous financial support of a variety of holiday benefactors, will be known heretofore as “A Ruth Orkin Christmas”* throughout the land (or at least in my apartment). I took one more step towards what I envision is adulthood and purchased my very first piece of art—and from the John Cleary Gallery, no less!!!

Ruth Orkin: Couple in an MG, Florence, 1951

 

Now first a bit of exposition:  For those of you who aren’t aware, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Florence, Italy the first semester of my junior year at Baylor.  As one might imagine I had an absolutely astounding time—however, I never came away with that ONE memento that I knew I would have forever and make me think of the experience as a whole.  (Don’t get me wrong, I did plenty of great shopping, traveling, eating, etc.)

Joseph on moped, Florence, 2004

 

Even before I began working at the gallery, when I used to come visit Catherine I would sometimes rifle through the drawers of pieces and I came across this one.  I mean seriously… the goggles, the ecstatic grin, the cap, the car, the city, the EVERYTHING!!  How could I not love it, right?  Immediately I had one of those dramatic soap opera moments: *shakes fist into the air* “One day, you WILL be mine!!” … … …

… … … AND NOW IT IS!!! I get to wake up to that crazy grin every morning now!

 

In reading up on both the photographer and the photograph I can easily say that I am in love with this woman!!  Now, I could wax on and on and on about how fascinating her life was and show you picture after picture after stunning picture but who really has time for that.  So instead, I’m just going to wax on and on about how fascinating her life was and show you picture after stunning picture from her catalogue.  You’re welcome. (Information and photographs primarily from www.orkinphoto.com)

Born the child of a silent film actress and a toy boat maker in Los Angeles, California, Ruth Orkin began taking photographs at the age of 10. While living in Hollywood she became the first ever messenger hired by MGM studios.   At the age of 17 she took off on a bike ride across America to New York to see the 1939 World’s Fair, stopping stopping to take photographs along the way (often making sure to include her bicycle as proof of the trip.

 

El, 1939 / Washington Monument

 

Moving to New York in the early 1940’s, Ruth began photographing for various magazines around the city, particularly focusing on street photography of the city.

 

 

White Stoops / Tired Little Boy / Man in Rain / Central Park

 

Concomitant to her work in New York she also spent many summers at the Tanglewood festival, shooting rehearsals with many of the major musicians of the day—an introduction to the photographing of celebrities she would continue to do throughout her career.

 

Bernstein and Marion Anderson / Woody Allen

 

In 1951 LIFE magazine assigned Ruth to travel with the Israeli Philharmonic on its first American tour, later leading to her shooting in Israel for a period of about two and a half months.

 

Jewish Refugees at Lydda Airport, Tel Aviv, 1951 / Sea Wall

 

Following her travels to Israel she headed northwest towards Europe and it was in Florence, Italy that she met a fellow American, Jinx Allen (now Ninalee Craig), who shared her fascination with art and travel.  Immediately they head out among the city to document what it was like for a single woman to travel alone in Europe after the war, leading to what is now considered her most iconic image:

American Girl in Italy, 1951 (Which just recently celebrated it’s 60th anniversary. Read the article and an interview with Jinx, still alive at 83, here)

 

   

Jinx, Beads / Jinx, Goggles / Jinx, Staring a the Statue

 

Upon her arrival back to New York she married fellow photographer and filmmaker Morris Engel, a union that produced two short films, “Little Fugitive” and “Lovers and Lollipops”, the former of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1953.

With the advent of color photography, Ruth Orkin was one of the pioneers of the genre, looking once again towards the streets of New York City for inspiration.

 

Ladies Home Journal cover, circa 1950 / Mother and Child in Water, 1950

 

Until her death from cancer in 1985 Ruth lived the remainder of her life in an apartment overlooking central park, continuously photographing the world and people around her.

Muted Autumn

 

As many of you know, once I’m interested in something I am oft found devouring as much information as I can possibly find on each respective subject (See: “In Praise of Cultural Omnivores”.  [See also: the title of my blog]).  That being said I received a couple of Barnes and Noble (r.i.p. Borders) gift cards and immediately bought a couple of books on Ruth Orkin:

      

 

So finally, thank you thank you every one for helping my “Ruth Orkin Christmas” come true… I honestly couldn’t be more thrilled!

“Being a photographer is making people look at what I want them to look at. […] My life’s work was determined by four passions which I had as a kid:  Film, photography, music and travel.  And eventually, I realize now they all fell together in photography.  Today it seems to me a lot of young people go out and say ‘I’m going to become an “art photographer.”  That to me is a joke.  What’s important is, to me, what you’re shooting… what it means to you. And if somebody else sometime eventually calls it art then alright, it’s art photography.”

- Ruth Orkin

 

Artist: Jamie Cullum / Album: Catching Tales

*As well as the year I got a ginormous television (but I’m not allowed to post pictures as it might entice the inner-thieves amongst you to do bad things)

White Christmas

 

I lamented last year around Christmastime that Texas isn’t exactly the most “idyllic” of settings for Winter positioned holidays.   Now, you all know I’ve never really been one to let a silly thing like scorching hot temperatures keep me from expressing my holiday cheer and have oft been found with enough saltwater seeping from my pores to float a mid-sized barge but, damnit, it’s December and you can pry that soggy paisley scarf from around my neck only AFTER I’ve passed out from severe dehydration (and even then there might be some lingering synapses, so perhaps the “cold, dead hands” metaphor is a bit more apropos) [long sentence much?].  I’m also pretty sure my good friend, Television, agrees with me:

Modern Family’s Cam and Jay (my favorite plutonic May/December relationship) from the 2011 Christmas episode

 

 

from The New Adventures of Old Christine

This year there really wasn’t much to complain about because it was quite chilly (proportionally) and there was a fire in full blaze when I got to uncle Sid’s house in Lufkin. My fraternal grandparents had driven down from Midland and mom and dad had come over from Crockett for the festivities. I kinda took the day off from taking any pictures so Sid was kind enough to send me a couple of family shots!

 

 

Pheobe, Sid, Catherine, Liz, Hannah

 

 

Grandmother, Granddad, Mom, Dad and I

 

The cousins!!

 

Artist: Barbra Streisand / Album: A Christmas Album

Light My Fire

As seen driving home from church Christmas morning:

Commentary on the duality of heaven/hell or (more likely) a crafty holiday business model!  Either way, it’s good news for the wise men vis-à-vis the recent announcement of quickly declining frankincense availability

 

 

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense  sterno©, and myrrh.”

~ Matthew 2:11, KJV (King Joseph Version)

I mean… would you wanna be in a manger in Bethlehem in the Winter?!?!?

 

Artist: The Doors / Album: The Doors

Every Day Is a Holiday (With You)

 

(Images from the John Cleary Gallery “Deck the Walls” holiday card. Top L-R Susan Burnstine, Renate Aller, Charles Grogg. Bottom L-R Jeri Eisenberg, Elliott Erwitt, Maggie Taylor)

Artist: Esthero ft. Sean Lennon / Album: Down with Love

The Chimney Sweeper

 

Last year around Christmas time I featured a video about a couple who, for some inextricable reason, kept receiving hundreds upon hundreds of letters addressed to Santa.  It’s quite a fascinating story and if you haven’t seen it then take a couple of minutes and watch it.  (DO IT!!)

This year’s bizarre letter to Santa story, courtesy of io9, comes to us from our friends across the pond in Dublin, Ireland.  Per the Irish Times:

It may have been slightly scorched over the years but a letter to Santa written 100 years ago, which was later discovered in a Dublin fireplace, has the magic of Christmas written all over it.

 

On Christmas Eve 1911, a brother and sister, who signed their names, “A or H Howard”, penned their personally designed letter to Santa with their requests for gifts and a good luck message at their home in Oaklands Terrace, Terenure (or Terurnure, as the children spelled it) in Dublin. They placed it in the chimney of the fireplace in the front bedroom so that Santa would see it as he made his way into the Howard household in the early hours of the morning.

The letter was discovered by the house’s current occupant, John Byrne, when he was installing central heating in 1992. […] Ownership of the house changed over the decades, with the Byrne family moving there in 1961, but the letter survived. “At that time, the fireplaces were made of brick with a shelf on either side,” said John Byrne who works in the building industry. “The letter was found on one of the shelves.”

The letter remained remarkably intact given the passage of time and was only slightly burned from fires set in the house over the years.

Does this mean there’s still hope for that Teddy Ruxspin I wanted when I was four?!?!?!?!

 

Artist: Benjamin Britten and Dietrich* Fischer-Dieskau / Album: Songs and Proverbs of William Blake

*Interesting music nerd/pop-culture reference.  Rain (Dwight from The Office) Wilson’s actual middle name is “Dietrich” because his parents were ardent opera lovers.

 

Angels from the Realms of Glory

 

         BEST.

                                COSMIC.

                                                          TREE-TOPPER.

                                                                                               EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“The two-lobed star-forming region, dubbed Sharpless 2-106, is located in an isolated part of our Milky Way galaxy nearly 2000 light-years from Earth. The bluish ‘wings’ are lobes of super-hot gas illuminated by a monster star—dozens of times the mass of our sun—forming in the center of the still-expanding nebula. A dark ring of dust and gas circling the star (dark bands, center), material that may one day coalesce into a planetary system, acts like a belt, cinching the nebula into an hourglass shape.” [via ScienceNOW]

 

Artist: Renee Fleming and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir / Album: The Wonder of Christmas

Another Christmas Song

 

Last December I took the opportunity to discuss some of my favorite holiday traditions, ranging from my love of Maersk butter cookies to the annual return of CHRIMMUHTREEHEAD!!! 

One such post also dealt with the Christmas at Baylor concert DVD I get out every year and watch while I wrap presents and reminisce about being a part of the production. Besides that, there are only two other things I watch every year during the holidays, the first being the movie Love, Actually and the second being the subject of today’s post, Stephen Colbert’s 2010 Grammy award winning Christmas special: A Colbert Christmas- The Greatest Gift of All!. (If you’re unaware of who Stephen Colbert is, it might be easier just to direct you to his wikipedia page, should you care to know).  Some of you might remember certain songs from the special appearing on my holiday iTunes playlist from last year. 

 

At any rate, the special is a musical variety hour in which the character of Stephen Colbert gets trapped in his cabin in the woods and is visited by a myriad of celebrity guests: Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Feist, John Legend, Jon Stewart, Elvis Costello and, oh yeah… Santa.  For your viewing pleasure, a couple of my favorite numbers from the special!!

Stephen getting’ things started with a plea for royalties

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

 

Toby Keith puttin’ a smack down against those on the wrong side of the “War on Christmas”

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

 

In which Jon Stewart attempts to sell Stephen on Hannukah:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

 

 

 

Stephen and Elvis Costello warning that there are much worse things to believe in during the holidays

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

 

 

 

 

Here’s to you, legions of dispassionate dyspeptics!!

 

 

Artist: Stephen Colbert / Album: A Colbert Christmas- The Greatest Gift of All!

Keep on Truckin’

 

Christmas this year seemed to mimic last year’s stuck-in-a-blizzard-while-driving-to-west-Texas (the stories I could have told if I had my blog back then) theme of awfulness as far as the transportation aspect of it all was concerned.  I got home at 12:30am on Christmas morning from the second of two Christmas Eve services and was up until about 2:00 finishing up packing and wrapping presents. Awake at 5:00 and off by 5:45, thinking: “Allright! I’ve got my coffee, I’ve made some CD’s for the trip, and the General is runnin’ great!!!”

Cut to about three and a half hours later when the old warhorse gets wounded in battle and the transmission blows in Ennis, TX.  Luckily dad came to the rescue (as dad’s so often tend to do) and picked me up so I could make the festivities at Matt and Joanie’s!!

We were all lucky enough to be joined by my aunt Brynda, uncle John, cousins John and Katy, as well as my granddaddy Dan for the holiday.

   

 

Me looking on from the peanut gallery as Joanie put it

 

Even Daisy got to come up and celebrate… much to Scout’s chagrin.

  

“I promise I’ll behave!”                                                        “Heh heh heh”

 

One of the joys of going up to Richardson was getting to spend time with my nephew, Luke.  Not that everyone else wasn’t interesting, but there was really no competing with the most adorable 2 year old EVAR.

As I mentioned previously, I got him a couple of books (Even Monsters Need Haircuts and a German-language version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar I got while on tour this last summer) as well as a giant, stuffed Memo Nemo.  I think it was a hit!!

 

   

My meager attempt at artistry! Also, the reason I was up until 2:00am

 

Daisy looking on and mother apparently floating whispily about

 

It’s exhaaaaauuuuusting opening all those presents

 

One of the biggest hits of the weekend was the Play-Doh set up in the play room.  There were many hours spent molding animals on those tiny tiny tiiiiiny chairs.

Joanie, who is about a week away from welcoming Mr. Roberts No. 2; Luke, our master sculptor; and myself

 

      

             I LOVE this picture!!!!                                     Playin’ it cool with a snake right in front of him

 

When talking about Play-Doh creations I can’t help but think about one that my friends Jeremy, Chris and I made one weekend out of boredom in Ann Arbor.  This time it isn’t so much of a snake as it is a worm taking a vacation at the beach with a cocktail, paisley umbrella, bow tie and sunglasses. Forgive the poor picture quality, it’s from my old phone.

 

That would be a box of orange tic-tacs on the right hand side, in case anyone was interested.  WE COLORED OUTSIDE THE LINES!

 

Monday, Matt was nice enough to drive me back to Ennis to get my car checked out at the local Ford dealership where we met a gentleman in the service department with a certain penchant for abbreviations.  “Okay gents, gimme just a second and we’ll get a diag started and see if we can figure out what’s wrong with your tranny,” which quickly prompted this text conversation with my friend, Will:

Me: Looks like I’m going to have to get a new “tranny” as the Ford guy puts it.

Will: So what’s a new tranny cost these days?

Me: I dunno, about $2,700 and a new tube of lipstick?

I ended up just driving back to Crockett at 35mph (those cars behind me were NOT having it) so that I could get it checked with someone we actually knew.  Unfortunately the General did end up having to get an organ transmission transplant but some very generous family friends of ours were kind enough to loan me a car, of which I have decided to temporarily name the Colonel, so that I could get back to Houston and, more importantly, back to work.

Even with all of the travel travesties I am so thankful for such a wonderful group of family and friends.  The holidays can be a stressful and even sad time for everyone involved, but at the end of the day all you can do is value the time you have together.

So thanks to everyone for the presents and the food and the festivities and the roadside assistance!!!

 

Artist: The Temptations  / Album: The Temptation Collection