have you seen ~

have you heard?

loads of movies are seen by members of my household - somebody has to help the creators of film! so we had been going back and forth about 'avatar', james cameron's newest film... with a budget of over $200 million, one thinks of his blockbuster 'titanic'... so why hasn't there been a big stir? or did i miss it? or ~ i have another theory, but that comes later... 

'the secret to film is that it is an illusion.'

~ george lucas

love, love, love fantasy and sci-fi... and i had heard about the incredible cgi in this movie... ok, that's great... but what about plot, characters? will i care? i can appreciate great visual beauty... but i want to feel... i want my heart to ride a rollercoaster... i want to pull for the underdog, i want to marvel at it all... 

so i expect a lot... but i should, right, from a film with this kind of budget?

i had no idea that movie theaters were so crowded the day after christmas, i thought every one would be hanging at home, hungover from the activity... i wouldn't have gone anywhere, except that i had promised we would go... and it was pouring! my parents arrived at the first theater only to find it was sold out... so we headed to a different one and just got in on time... 

we sat down, the movie started... when we arrived on pandora i was dumbstruck (ok, maybe i shouldn't say that, i don't talk in movies) i was awestruck...

at its core, the story line is not new... but then history keeps repeating itself, so it is quite relevant... in a way, it is because of this that it is so moving... so sad...

when a bioluminescent forest scene came on, all i could think was how incredible it must have been for cameron... how 12 years ago when he wrote the story and dreamed, there was no way for him to create  this world complete with a new language... and when it got figured out, how incredibly & utterly rewarding it must feel...

it is in 3D, but not the kind that is used for shock, you know when things come flying out at you... not the kind that makes you sick... rather it immerses you in his world... it is subtle and necessary... 

later in the film i was thinking about how amazing it was that despite the visual grandeur, i wasn't oohing and aahing anymore about it, the story had me in its grip... so seamlessly did he meld acting, storytelling and scenery that it was balanced... 

'the length of a film should be directly related

to the endurance of the human bladder.'

~ alfred hitchcock

good point, oh master of suspense... it is long - 162 min... so don't buy a drink! you won't want to leave...

there are those who are criticizing many aspects of it, saying he copies storyline, but as i have pointed out - this is so relevant because the theme is universal and so of course it has been told before in different ways... people are pointing to movies it is like instead of the historical events that inspired those other movies... dig deeper, think bigger...  that it is the way of a war-like species, a species that colonizes, that doesn't respect the ways of indigenous people... some take pokes at the spiritual aspect... ok, so now i am going to really stick my neck out and say that i felt at home there... i really and truly did... 

but back to the first query - about why this isn't making such a stir... i think you will understand when you sit there... i think that you too will feel that you are seeing something completely different and groundbreaking... like when you saw the first 'star wars'... like when you read the harry potter books as they were being written, and understood that you were in on the ground level of something... that in a century, they would be considered children's classics and you got to read them in real time... i felt like this was the equivalent of seeing the first talkie or film in color... you know this is special... you know that things will change... but you also know that people sometimes aren't ready for it until others have paved the way... 

as a mom, i took my kids - ages 11, 13 and 17... it is pg-13... blood is kept to a minimum... but there are battle scenes & violence... if your kids have seen 'transformers' or 'star wars', i think you might be ok with this... the epic battle was powerful... this movie is not all about beauty... but that makes it mean something... for neither is life... 

'you should see your faces!'

~ trudy - the fighterpilot

i needed to sit through the credits (i wanted to actually) just to decompress and absorb... but it is an impressive group - skywalker sound, weta workshop, lucas films - brought in to create this world... i know i used a lot of superlatives in this post, so forgive me... but i really do feel this way... and if you go, and you are interested, do a search in your tv listings for an hbo: behind the scenes segment (i happen to have verizon, so it is in my search)... it will give you an even greater understanding... because when i got home, i wanted to know 'how' and 'why'... 

ahhh ~

' a happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, 

for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet 

that true joy dare live.'

as much as i love christmas, i really love the day after christmas... the quiet that seems to settle... i love being around family and friends, laughter, talking... but i get overstimulated... i can be a creature of solitude - in as solitude a way as a mom of 3 can be... on a day like today, i am happy to hear the kids chattering and helping each other... i am around, i give hugs and kisses, make food, but not talking if i don't need to... i crave quiet at times... that's why i love my walks so much... 


we have a storm again this weekend, but this time the snow has been washed away... in 2 days the temps have risen about 30 degrees - it's in the mid 40s and windy... i can hear the chimes outside and the patter of rain on the windows... it seems just right... took em to work on the boardwalk and the waves are churning... but inside, i am not... in fact it is today that i am ready to create gifts for the friends who will get gifts from me... i don't create jewelry well under pressure to begin with - especially not for people i know... for whom i have to feel what i am doing... i was lucky in that i was able to make my nieces their necklaces - because that exchange is done on christmas eve and i couldn't go empty handed to them... 

for both i used butterflies from nancy schindler at roundrabbit ... one child is very delicate and girly... the other is fiesty... 

so they are similar but not the same... i love butterflies - how they symbolize change and growth..

these free spirit earrings were fun to make... when i tied the cloth onto the back from the top i worried that it looked a bit superhero cape-ish ... but you know what? that's ok... because it's all about flying and soaring to your own heights... i got some incredibly beautiful floss/yarn/fiber from sassa lynne's etsy shop... i love the colours ~ 

today we are going to see 'avatar' ... i am pretty excited about it... although i would like to keep the really low-key vibe of the day going, the kids have been waiting to see this... it should be fun... yesterday we watched 'the jungle book' ... santa brought it on dvd and it brought back so many wonderful memories... 'princess and the frog' is on our list too... it is done in traditional 2D animation... is set in new orleans... and oprah has a role? sounds like a winner to me... 

thank you for your lovely holiday wishes and commiserations on feeling overwhelmed as well... the encouragement shared... a gift indeed...

**applies to more than children ~

'children will not remember you for the material things you provided

but for the feeling that you cherished them.'

~ robert evans

raise of hands please - who out there is still pretty stressed, thinking of the last minute things needed to be done and purchased... who is forgetting to smile, to laugh, to breathe?

i am ...

chances are the kids are done with school today - perhaps you are looking at a short day at work tomorrow or finished for the week today... 

rush, rush, rush...

and naturally, life keeps interjecting so that my best laid plans get sidetracked - but it's ok... nick's trumpet got lost at school, alex ended up needing a ride home instead of taking the bus, and... and... 

it took my darling first born to know what her mom needed - this heart made in the snow... and even at 17 she was so excited when she called me to 'come look'... (and because i didn't know, in my head, i am thinking 'what? i am just trying to put the dishes away, get the laundry switched over, pick up, so that i can... ') 

and it's ok... we are going to be ok... i need to laugh with them, hug them and slow down... not be grumpy because they ate all of the cookies (so i have none to give away!)... which makes kid sense, but not grown-up sense... 

so i will try to get some cookies in, make a couple of things for people in our circle (& you cannot create when you are all in a knot)... 

i hope you aren't doing what i am, but if you are - i hope you can stop, take a breath and readjust your thinking... it will be over before you know it... your life will be too... so enjoy...

thanks em, you knew just what i needed... that was the best gift of all ~

you could've fooled me -

that it's technically still autumn - until tomorrow!

'i prefer winter and fall,

when you feel the bone structure of the landscape -

the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.

something waits beneath it,

the whole story doesn't show.'

~ andrew wyeth

yesterday

today

hier

aujourd'hui
the inuit have 52 words for snow because it is so special to them...

where's waldo - only with sparrows!

a cat's way to spend the day ~ 

 'a catless writer is almost inconceivable. 
it's a perverse taste, really,
since it would be easier to write with a herd 
of buffalo in the room than even one cat;
they make nests in the notes
and bite the ends of the pen
and walk on the typewriter keys.'
~barbara holland

venturing out last night

shortbread that i have been making since i was 16

and a sleepover...

one child was already up and busy ~

may this sunday be exactly what you want it to be~
and i will be on duty as the dresser, shoe tier and clothes dryer!

it took the force of nature...

to get me centered ~
and that somehow feels so very right... 
the east coast is under siege from a nor'easter - snow and winds... they are calling for over a foot here, which doesn't happen often as we live near the beach - which often warms the air and keeps our snow accumulations down... which bums the kids out when the towns just west and north of us get snow days and they don't...
here is what we awoke to - (and i am hoping for some cool after pics)

more importantly for me - it took this storm to calm me down... it's like i got a pass today from going to the stores and rushing around... instead it will be spent in the house, decorating our tree and baking cookies... i really like the way snow can make you feel like you are in a cocoon... insulating and beautiful... 

'in the depth of my soul there is a wordless song.'

~ kahlil gibran

'in the depths' is a bezel created with the symbols of the lotus and om stamped into it... as if to infuse a calming energy... in the resin i set pieces of fiber and fabric... they flash from the depths when the light is right... like labradorite or opal... it's kind of magical...

'wise men speak because they have something to say;

fools because they have to say something.'

~ plato

'pearls of wisdom' bezel has pearls and amethyst set within resin... wisdom is garnered from experience, laced with the beauty of knowledge gained.... amethyst is known to be calming and protective, something needed while facing life's challenges...


hope this weather does you no harm and that you are able to enjoy the beauty and quietude it brings... 

a bit of fun ~

thanks to those who read my LONG post... i just get concerned about self-care... it wasn't meant to be preachy, just thought provoking... i have been known to stop my walks for months at a time... but i try to get going again... anyway - 

'one person's crazyness 

is another person's reality.'

~ tim burton

have you ever heard of woot shirts? every day there is a new one - the one for the day is $10 with free shipping -  and they are so fun and creative... it's about all em wears, and the boys are on board with them too... (i am not selling these or advertising for anyone... we just love them and i know sometimes you can be racking your brain for creative-type gifts...)

this is a family favorite - 'donut panic' ... 

how about 'zombie candy corn'?
went into the city yesterday and it was great... fao schwartz, macy's herald square, rockefeller center... 

we also saw a sign for ~

that is for over the break...
off to get some things done - tempus fugit (boy, oh boy, does it!)

the greatest gift of all ~

'self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin 

as self-neglecting.'

~william shakespeare

right, you've heard this quote from me before... and we are revisiting, but with a different slant... 


because we really do need to have this talk ~


the other day, akilah started a convo about health, citing the need to take care of one's physical self... too too true... whether one is very overweight, struggling with an extra 10 lbs, or even underweight - you have a need to care for yourself... let's take it a step further - how is the health of your mind and spirit? because they are all connected... 


like you, i can rattle off what size jeans i was able to wear or what weight i was at different milestones in my life ... but you know what made me really sad? (and i swear i keep these opinions to myself because i was an anorexic teenager - got myself down to 69 lbs at age 14 by eating 1/4 cup of cottage cheese -measured- for breakfast and dividing a can of string beans between lunch and dinner... i have no recollection of about 9 months during that time... and i absolutely cringe at what i put my family through...) my daughter passed her road test yesterday - she got her license, a really exciting milestone, right? but she was in a bit of a funk because she felt that her face looked fat in her picture... and i felt so sad... emily happens to have a chronic illness that requires her to be on a number of meds, one of which is prednisone... and that can make one's face fuller... she was actually crying on the car ride home... 

this happened right after i had read akilah's post in the morning... so we came up with a plan... a 3 month goal... to start doing the treadmill... getting exercise will be good for her physically but will also trigger the production of endorphins - good for her mental health... but that is 2 sides of the triangle... and maybe that time will free her mind for a bit - good for the soul... 

how many times do you avoid the camera because you aren't happy with the way you look in pictures? have you considered that your kids/friends/family may really wish someday that they had pictures of you? or do you have pictures where you miss the joy of the occasion and focus only upon what you feel is a 'bad' picture of you? life is waaaay to short for this... 
so let's go back to those who are very overweight, a bit overweight or underweight... each person struggles... even the person at the right weight may be struggling... we are talking about wellness... not cat walk ready... if you exercise, you get toned... you may have curves, but they will be the right kind... 


society has imposed almost unattainable definitions of beauty... can we see it for what it is? can we decide that health is more important than the size of your clothes?


in the mental realm we have destructive, negative thoughts - the very overweight may feel that they are too far gone to make a change, it may just feel too daunting... the struggling with 10-15 lbers may be so tired of having weight be an issue that they just want to throw in the towel and forget it... and the underweight may be fearful of gaining... clothing is shown on rail thin models... all unhealthy thoughts... some people may feel disgusted by themselves, some may not look in the mirror when naked or even clothed, some have made serious suggestions to apparel stores to consider putting dimmer switches in the dressing rooms (truth), some feel revolted at themselves because of what they may have or have not eaten... and none of them like themselves... 


spiritually healthy? no way!


where is the self-love, the self-acceptance?


how about understanding that as we age, our bodies change? maya angelou has a great one on that... i hit about 42 and my body decided that it was really just time to shake things up a bit... i had (kind of) figured out a way to maintain (for the most part) my weight... and then ~ well, i guess my body figured things had gotten too predictable... that i had a system for a good number of years (and through the births of 3 children) and it was just getting BOOORING... and you know how i talk about opportunities for growth through challenge, right? i got one!
where is the desire to just be healthy for health's sake - for your sake... which in turn benefits those you love...


what if, most of the time, you try your best? not because it is a new year's resolution, not because a reunion is coming up & not because you have a 6 month goal to be able to wear shorts or a bathing suit next summer... 


what if right now, you realize that your body is an engine? that if you give it the fuel it really needs then you feel better, think clearer... enjoy life more... 


what if you think about this - we eat to live, not live to eat... (once told to me by my uncle, a professor of nutrition at purdue - practical people my relatives!)


how about you set yourself some realistic goals? 


and how about, if you have a free day and eat whatever you like every now and then, you don't beat yourself up about it... i know a woman who runs so she can have her ice cream each night... there are people who give themselves a day off once a week... whatever works for you... 


it's not about dieting, remember? it's about health... dieting makes people think of deprivation... being healthy shouldn't... whole wheat over white? chicken over beef? low-fat products over full fat? some vegetarian substitutes? maybe parking your car further away from a store? days when it is raining don't count... this one is easy for me, i have a suburban and only like pull-throughs... pretty simple really... it's a matter of habit and execution of the plan... 


if you get outside for 10 minutes a day you will get yourself the natural vitamin d that your body needs (it increases the absorption of calcium and phosphorus **important**), you will also get some fresh air, and some exercise... you will feel better... you may even feel at peace taking in what nature has to offer... 


if you set exercising for 30 minutes 3x/week as a goal, you may be so pleased you will do more... you may look forward to 'your' time (and get a little grumpy when you cannot get it)... away from the noise, the shoulda's, the laundry!


you may come up with some great ideas that in the busyness of our days you might have never had... 


i love to walk outside - and i love walking outside in winter more than in summer (not a heat person)... i have walked in the negative temps... but the point is, getting outside for a walk connects you to what the weather is, where the seasons are at... noticing leaves changing, snowflakes falling, first daffodil bulbs, birds chirping from nests... 


we live in such a climate controlled world that i think it throws our eating out of whack as well... fruits and certain veggies grow in the summer because that is what our bodies need at that time of year... lighter foods! we eat heavier foods in the summer when we live in a.c. controlled homes & workplaces... the heavier foods are there for a reason as well... 
things are just a bit off kilter... 


kiss (keep it simple stupid) principle applies... 


do some people eat for comfort? you bet... wouldn't it be nice, if other stress relievers could be found? a walk around the block maybe?


you would be caring for yourself - showing yourself some love... you deserve it, you know... 


how about that being a resolution this year? being good to yourself? your whole self... 


something new you want to learn or read? great... maybe you can listen to an audio book while you walk... 


so don't forget to care for yourself... and ~

'don't forget to love yourself'

~ soren kierkegaard

 like i tell my kids, you are the only you there is... applies to adults too - we just forget sometimes...