Where's my Michelangelo?

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-4564 A.D.)
Italian architect, painter, and sculptor

If you have ever been to the Accademia museum in Florence, you might have seen the unbelievably beautiful "trapped sculptures" by Michelangelo. You know that the sight, though beautiful, is a bit unnerving. Maybe it is only unnerving to those of us who have trouble separating the spirit of the art from the actual material, in this case marble. Either way, it is true that Michelangelo believed that the complete sculptures already existed within the marble, and his job was to free them.

As you walk toward the very famous and more than radiant The David (which can understandably eclipse anything else in the museum or the universe), you may or may not notice that trapped sculptures flank both sides of the corridor. Though masterpieces because Michelangelo began them, these sculptures are sadly unfinished. Parts (faces, hands, torsos) of these struggling subjects protrude out of their stoney blocks. My heart broke to see them like that because I sincerely wanted them to be complete, to be free. Some would say that these sculptures are what Michelangelo intended them to be - stuck in their anguish. This means that some of them were not supposed to be complete... Whether or not you agree with this, they are there, immediate and palpable.

As irrational and, to borrow a term from my students, emo as it sounds, I trembled at the thought of existing as one of those unfinished sculptures, probably because I feel trapped in this imperfect flesh at times. I want so badly to be "finished," to be beautiful, and to be "free". I don't know exactly what that means, which may be part of the issue, but I know that I identified with the trapped figures and was frightened at the desperation I felt for them.

Maybe there is comfort in the fact that some of us do get close, for at the end of the corridor stands The David, created from a "trash" piece of marble. The David is stunning and stopped me in my tracks. I became lost in the beauty of his gentle presence and I completely fell in love with him in that light and in his expression. I couldn't look away once I saw him. He made it. The David- finished, beautiful, and free- truly exists! The others must be envious.

I was gutted to leave them all there and was heart-sick at the realization that that was it. American tourist Ginger,one of the millions who get to visit this museum each year, was moving on and might never see this beauty again.

My hope is that there truly is beauty in the anguish of the unfinished, and that eventually we can become free of our "marble" confinements.

My brain needs the crash cart

I have nothing left to give today. School hijacked all of my brain cells, all of my energy, and some of my spirit. This just happens sometimes, and when it does, all I know to do veg. Vegging means listening to music and reading something mindless or watching TV. Today the need to veg is bad. I would rather sit here in motionless silence and stare at the wall (though my brain continues to reprimand itself for all of the "things" it should be doing instead) than actually get up and turn on the TV. (sad face...sigh...)

Blogging is not vegging, so what the heck?!

The least I can do (since this is a crappy attempt at preserving my NaBloPoMo) is offer you something Dorothy Parker:

The Searched Soul

When I consider, pro and con,
What things my love is built upon -
A curly mouth; a sinewed wrist;
A questioning brow; a pretty twist
Of words as old and tried as sin;
A pointed ear; a cloven chin;
Long, tapered limbs; and slanted eyes
Not cold nor kind nor darkly wise -
When so I ponder, here apart,
What shallow boons suffice my heart,
What dust-bound trivia capture me,
I marvel at my normalcy.

WE MET JOAN JETT!!!!

(Extreme zoom - see below)

Rich and Joan Jett(!)


Me and Joan Jett(!) -
Here's how it went:

Me: "Hi Joan Jett. My name is Ginger."
Joan Jett: "Hi, Ginger." (hand shake)
Me: "Hey, thanks for a wicked awesome show!"
Joan Jett: "Hey, thanks for comin'"
Me: "May I take my picture with you?"
Joan Jett: "Sure come on up, babe."
(picture with Joan Jett and a squnch)
Me: "That's my husband, Rich. You're his birthday present. Will you autograph his CD?" (She writes,"Happy Birthday, Rich! Keep Rockin'! Love, Joan Jett")
Joan Jett: "Wow. There are a lot of birthdays tonight. It's Beef's birthday, too. (yelling outside of the bus)Hey, Beef! This is Rich. It's his birthday too!" (Beef is a roadie)
Beef: "Happy birthday, man!"
Rich: "Thanks, man."
Me: "Yeah, Beef gave me a stick (that would be the drum stick in my hand...)." "Let me get a picture of you and Rich." (extreme zoom picture...bad... attempt 2, good)
Me: "Thanks Joan Jett!"
Rich "You kick serious ass!"
Joan Jett: "Thanks and you're welcome"


Lame, yes...BUT

WE MET JOAN JETT!

more to come... (Don't judge the "after rock show" hair. You'll see before pics later.)

Liquid Liner Sucks!

Yes. It's all anyone can talk about these days - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. So, it's 4 hours until showtime! I really did buy a whole new outfit, make-up and all, for this specific outing because I really want to rock out tonight. My intended image is an ultra sexy, femme fatale who will not hesitate to impale you with her sleek black, Matrix looking stiletto boot. I have seriously had a great time planning for this and it wasn't at all embarrassing running into students when I was shopping for the new lacy, black, push-up undergarments and more. (This happens EVERY TIME I try to act like someone other than a literature addicted, word loving high school English teacher!!!)

I think I've got my bases covered wardrobe-wise. The make-up alone is amusing. I bought hooker red, I mean sunset red, lipstick, XXL Volume+ Length mascara (guaranteed to immediately thicken and extend (!), silver and grey eye shadow AND my first liquid eye-liner. This one's called black shimmer. My regular eye-liner is tattooed on so that I don't have to worry with it (and yes getting a tatoo on your eye hurts. Ask Fougs. She was there (and what a friend!)). I sometimes add a little bit of smudge to my eyes to enhance the liner (I still use Origins products to be good to the environment) , but I have never tried to apply liquid liner! Um. It's hard! I've been practicing and so far, the best I've done is Tammy Fay meets Courtney Love who is in the ring with Rocky Balboa when he is losing to the Russian - overdone, stoned looking, and bruised! I'm going for something like Shirley Manson meets...Joan Jett. Help! It is painfully clear that my roots are that of the tree hugging, granola, hippie chick who didn't wear make-up until she was forced to by the MAN (the man being the school district dress code for teachers)!

This commentary is all you guys get for now.

Yes, I'll send pics to those who requested them and maybe I'll even post a couple... as long as there is no gasp followed by extreme, heart attack inducing laughter. I'm doing my best with what I've got and I can only do so much...

My mom would be so proud!

Joan Jett

The fish-nets, knee-high boots, and ultra black eye-liner are bought... It must be Joan Jett night!

Random Facts and Mind-ness

I am often made fun of (thanks Wratch and students) because I can't concentrate on any one thought at a time. If you ask me what I'm thinking about, be ready for a list. It takes serious effort on my part to really sit and absorb an idea for more than 5 minutes. Meditation is excruciatingly hard for me, especially since I get mad at myself for not being able to simply be. My thoughts are like quick capture snapshots and are generally random, so writing them out requires further explanation here. The following is a part of my list right now:

1. This is litmag crunch time and this year's staff has made an exceptional magazine, especially when considering that this is their first attempt. The design has a 1960's Mod mini skirt (photographed in black and white) marries Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright theme which turns out to be a very cohesive, honest, visually stimulating union. This collaboration is due to go to the printer next week which is an exciting time for the litmaggers but a stressful time as well (especially when InDesign is saving files to random places on the network. Stupid InDesign! Stupid network!). Temp U (Temporary Utopia, the magazine release party) will be held at a really cool, really red firehouse turned modern art gallery here in town (thanks K-Flo!). All are excited BUT there is work to be done!!! (So staff (specifically "Anne" and "Tina"), stop secretly reading this "illegal" blog and get back to work!)

2. I saw Borat last night and laughed so hard I cried. I think the only redeeming quality I gleaned from seeing this film (other than my mother is wrong (and she shouldn't see this movie); bodily functions ARE humorous) is prostitutes have feelings, too. I think Borat deflated some of the brain cells that I pumped up at the salon on Friday. I do, however, think that those who go and see this movie have probably already identified or recognized the political and satirical statement that Sacha Baron Cohen is trying to make about our country (unless they are the drunk frat boys who are only in the theater for the naked bits). Don't know where I'm going with that...

3. I read an article in The New Yorker by Robert Gottlieb called "A Lost Child." The article is about a French child prodigy named Minou Drouet. Minou Drouet is known for her astoundingly mature poetry that she wrote when she was only eight years old. She survived, at eight, a horrendous plagiarism scandal and a brutal media bashing, and now lives her life in seclusion, timidly vowing never to make her life public again. Here is an excerpt from the article about a letter Minou wrote before she gave-up on the world. It contains beautifully haunting imagery:

"Perhaps the most extraordinary [letters] are those addressed to her friend Philippe, who's fifteen and has sworn to marry her when she grows up, and with whom she's made a pact: they will always think of each other at exactly eight in the evening. This is from the last letter that appears in "Arbre, Mon Ami": 'My darling, it's eight o'clock, our eight o'clock. You remember the night when you said to me, in our cedar, 'I love you so madly that if you want I'll go and find you the moon.'... Philippe, at the eighth stroke of eight o'clock I plunged the silver crystal you sent me into the sea, at the place where the moon trembles, and I held it out to you, the moon, that living petal in its crystal cage. And I threw back my head and held out my hair to you, my hair in which you so loved to bury your face, it was the color of sad water and tasted of salt, and its tendrils were saying to you: You're loved.'"

4. What am I going to wear to the Joan Jett show? I think I need to go shopping for some liquid black eye-liner, fish-net stockings, one hell of a sex kitten dress (rock n' roll!), red boots, and maybe something in leopard print (?).

5. I'm hungry.

6. I have 130 Stranger tests I need to be grading instead of blogging. They're essay ones (Why do I do this to myself?! Stupid integrity!... I miss multiple choice...). Also I need to read "Fra Lippo Lippi" for IB. I love Browning. I love creepy, twisted dramatic monologues. Oh yeah, and I need to grade the character analyses from the IBers. I seriously need to stop being frivolous... I'm stalling...I want to clean the house instead...

7. I wonder if it's going to be cold today (cold meaning 50 degrees Fahrenheit in my neck of the woods). (still stalling)

8. I'm hungry (still)

Descartes to Plato to JT

The salon was amazing last night! Here's the scene: After driving to Dallas in frightening traffic, you end up in the arts and cultural district of the big city. This means that in the heart of tall, beautifully lit buildings - night is gorgeous in Dallas - sculpture gardens, twinkle lights, small boutique type stores, and wineries begin to materialize around you. One immediately feels like she should use correct grammar, hold a glass of chardonnay, and utter phrases like, "Yes, but invariably Descartes's Aristotelian way of thinking would have you believe that the enlightenment... "Je pense, donc je suis" and what not...and let's also remember Newton...".

OK, so I am a huge nerd, but even if I wanted to say something hoity-toity, what comes out is really something like, "Ooooh. Pretty!"

Once in the Dallas Institute, everyone is invited to partake in a variety of wines, whiskeys, and brandies after which you may make a sweep (or in my case, a pillage) past the snack table, usually adorned with all kinds of fancy finger-foods, most of which you are encouraged to spread on a cracker. People mingle. They talk about the horrendous traffic, shake hands and meet new friends, and discuss the fact that they know Dr. L wants them to sit in the inner circle, but that they'd rather sit outside of the spotlight.

Wonderful Dr. L eventually invites everyone to join him in the "living room" of the Institute. This literally is a large, cozy common room where chairs are set up in a huge circle that can accommodate 25 people or so, and there are chairs behind this inner circle if there are more than 25 attending the salon (which is ALWAYS the case). The inner circle is considered the hot seat. In other words, if you signed up to be at the salon (as opposed to just walking in), you are supposed to sit in the inner circle and are expected to be more proactive in the discussion than those who sit behind the circle.

Dr. L, as usual, senses my plan to wait until the last second to join everyone in the common room so that I can take a seat in the wings and always says, "Ginger, you'll be sitting in the inner circle tonight, won't you?" To which I sheepishly reply, "Yes, Dr. L,"eyes cast down to the floor. (Dang-it!)

We assemble. Dr. L reminds us about the salon guidelines:
1. A salon is a venue for conversation rather than argument or debate.
*The best salons are marked more by ideas than by opinions.
2. Conversation consists of both listening and speaking.
3. There is a difference between casual and serious listening an speaking.
4. Every remark made should be taken seriously. Most so-called "dumb" questions or comments are really honest inquiry.
5. One doesn't have to be staid or colorless in conversation, but one should try to say thoughtful things. Personal style should not mask a thoughtless utterance.
6. If one hears one's own voice two times consecutively, one should probably not speak again for a while.

Then we dive into the topics. The people who participate in the salon represent all walks of life. I think Rich and I are usually the youngest in the room. Most people there are business men and women. Some are teachers. Some are students. Some are retired. Some are not from the US. We are not all the same race, and many of us have different belief systems (in other words, the salon is not a place that only represents the stereotypical white Southern Baptist Texan), and this means that there are a variety of opinions and suggestions which is MARVELOUS. Also, despite (or maybe because) of our differences, the salon feels very familial. People are incredibly edifying to each other; they actually take time to consider all opinions and they value all input. Giving one's opinion to a large room of strangers requires that 25-35 people in the room become vulnerable to each other, which, interestingly enough, helps to create that familial bond.

After the discussion, people mill around some more and talk, gesturing with half empty wine and brandy glasses, and they depart with well wishes and pats on the back, as friends do.

The more salons I attend the more comfortable I am in the inner circle. I know that even if I simply sit and absorb the conversation, I am maturing mentally and spiritually.

The salon is good for my soul.

I do want to conclude this entry with some thoughts/ideas from last night's salon. Feel free to comment:
1. Is the West's privileging of reason over emotion a prejudice?
* This was a difficult one because it required a yes or no answer.
* We had great difficulty defining reason and discussed that possibly the individual is the balance between reason and emotion. (Plato's charioteer and the two horses)
* We wondered if the ability to reason took away from the emotion. We wondered which came first reason or emotion (Do we make decisions out of emotion first, and then use reason to justify them? Do we make reason-based decisions which then define our emotions?)
* When we say emotion, do we mean passion? What's the difference?
* Can choice be emotional?
* Is reason scientific?
* Transcendence requires both reason AND emotion.
* Is reason intelligence?
* What does this have to do with the West? Is the statement true; do we PRIVILEGE reason over emotion? How is that a prejudice?
* We (the US) wanted to be the first to the moon. This is a decision that was qualified rationally and scientifically, but really didn't we just want to beat the Russians to it, an extremely emotional argument?
2. "In the long term secularization holds more dangers for the human race than religious fanaticism." - Historian Paul Johnson. What are the dangers of secularization?
* Define secularization: Is it the opposite of a religion base in which one's behavior is conducted according to reason? Generally, religion is a catalyst for morals. People are more readily able to accept rules in a religious circumstance (especially if God says this is right and this is wrong). A secular society does not have that catalyst/tool, therefore it may be more difficult to set rules.
* Does secularization lose the value in human life?
* Does religion have something that secularization does not?
* What about the sacred? (the sacred transcends doctrine or religion; ie. The Native Americans knew the sacred just as much as a devout Catholic, Muslim, or Buddhist does) .
* In fanaticism, there is no sense of moderation. Fanaticism is the antithesis of the sacred.
* The danger is that religious fanaticism creates an "us v. them" mentality, but what are the benefits of this?
* Secular=non-threatening
Religious= turn or burn type threat
* Moral values are not dependent upon religion.
* Is religion secular control?
3. Why, in fact, did Justin Timberlake choose to bring sexy back now? From whence did he have to bring it?

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WRATCH!!!

It's Rich's birthday today, and in true Morgan/Haag fashion, we are going to extend the birth "day" into a week long celebration! Tonight it's dinner with our most excellent compadres, Pat and Amanda (and beer since Rich and Pat are the utimate brew connoisseurs). Tomorrow is a salon night (which I think rocks), and afterwards we'll get to see P-ta and Steve in Big D. Saturday and Sunday we'll do whatever Rich wants... BUT Monday, we have tickets to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Aw yeah! Retro Magic is about to overtake us. Get ready!!!

In the mean-time, listen to the new Killers album and channel our energy!

Duck Heads!

A Church in Edinburgh, Scotland

Auld Town Edinburgh, Scotland

Overlooking England

Little girl at a wedding, Edinburgh, Scotland

Duck Heads!

Ok. This is the boy band of ducks. It represents cohesiveness... World unity... The MODness of the 90's. Please note that the angle of beaks is almost perfect. These ducks are singing the same note, at the same time, black head, white head, then black again. Also, the heads are symmetrical. Is this art?

This is one of my favorite pictures of all times. My little Putz, Dutch Mac, is the artist. He has a knack for capturing the absurdity in life, and also the beauty as seen in the first several photos.

Love you, Putz!

g

Salon Topics

My freedom topic didn't make the list this week for the salon (sigh). I'll have to wait until next month. In the meantime, here are the topics for this week. Enjoy:

Discussion topics for November 10, 2006:

1. Is the West's privileging of reason over emotion a prejudice?

2. "In the long term secularization holds more dangers for the human race than religious fanaticism."--Historian Paul Johnson. What are the dangers of secularization?

3. Is memory moral? Do we have an obligation to remember some things--and to forget others?