Kings Bearing Gifts

Happy Three Kings Day!! Or, as they say in Spanish, "Feliz día de los reyes magos".  :-)  


Yes, that's right, today, January 6, is the official day in which Christians celebrate "Epiphany," or the arrival of the Kings to the manger of baby Jesus (who, apparently was technically born today as well, fyi).  In olden days, before Santa made his debut and Christmas was moved to December 25th to fall in line with pagan holidays so that conversion to Christianity was easier, January 6th was the day for "Christmas" celebration.  Traditions vary greatly across hispanic cultures, but some include leaving piles of hay for the camels, receiving little trinket gifts or boxes of coal (hopefully you were good all last year!), or receiving all of your gifts on that day.  In fact, New York City has a Three Kings parade in East Harlem, which can be found on youtube if you so wish to check.


So, if you want another day of presents, are looking for a new tradition, or wanted to know when the official "12 days of Christmas" ended...it's today!  Enjoy!

Ye Old Advice

I love advice.  Do I always take it? No, but I enjoy seeking it out to see and understand other people's perspectives and points of view on a topic.  I always feel the more information I have the better I can be at making a good (or at least informed) decision.  Sometimes advice is boring and sometimes it is nothing different than what I already know or what I would tell someone myself, however, every now and again, I come across something new or interesting.


Today was one such day.  I read a copy of Real Simple, a lifestyle magazine while at the doctor's office this morning.  Granted, as most offices go, this edition was from early this year - June to be exact - but, then again, we are talking about doctors' offices.  They don't tend to rotate their reading material very often.  And, actually, it was a good thing too.  This particular article was written by Jancee Dunn, a New York City author, and covered the 10 best pieces of advice she received from her father.  They are as follows: 


1)  Hold hands while you Hast it out.  This is because when you're fighting, you don't become as angry when you're holding hands with someone.  As she says, "you'll feel goofy," but it works.  So next time you and your loved one fight, grab each other's hand, and you might find your fight is more manageable.  :-)


2 and 3)  Pay attention to anyone who wears a tool belt or Uniform.  (a) this is to help you learn how to do it so that next time you don't have to call mr. specialty man and (b) people in uniform (mailman, maids / janitors, etc) don't receive the credit they deserve for the jobs they do.  


4)  You can never have enough baggies.  Need more twist ties, shoe laces, electric chords/ plugs, or paper clips??  The more things you keep in "baggies" the less you have to buy later!


5)  You can't go wrong with Clint.  As her dad said, even the worst Clint Eastwood movies are better than some other great movies.  I'm personally not a big Clint fan myself, but you never know.  It might hold true.  Nowadays I usually go for Tom Hanks or an animated film.  Personally, when in doubt...Pixar is great.


6) Don't belittle the annual Sack Race.  It might be dumb when you hit puberty until you are 30, but those annual family traits are needed and meant to be held dear.  In my family, it's the annual bocci ball tournament at the Family Reunion, or the family member dressing as Santa to give out gifts to EVERYONE on Christmas Eve.  These are the things that keep family spirit and traditions going!


7)  Stop worrying.  Aah, the age old adage.  So true, yet so easily forgotten.  As one of the Bad Boys said:  "go woo-sah" something.


8)  Carry a Hankie.  They come in handy, and they don't disintegrate in your purse, as Jancee happily explained.  She also points out they can be used for the obvious cold, to dry your hands when those dang towels are out, or to wrap up something like a cookie.  However, sadly, ask a kid today for a handkerchief, and they look at you like you're speaking alien.  Sad, but true - someone needs to bring back the "hankie"


9)  No one's smarter than you.  As she says, even if you have no idea what's going on in a conversation, ask a question or for someone to explain further.  It's called the art of conversation, people, and most of the time, if you don't know something, chances are you're not alone.  Plus, when you ask people questions, they get to talk more about something they know or about themselves, and people always love doing that.  Then, afterwards, you now have more knowledge than you had before!  Ergo, don't stay silent simply because you don't know something.  That's now you learn.


10) You will want kids.  According to Jancee's father, you will, even if right now you abhor the idea, want kids someday.  Can't personally tell you what my take on that is, but it's worth mulling over.  


Maybe you, too, have some great pieces of advice that you've learned over the years.  Out of this list, #1 is my new all time favorite.  :-)  Spread the news, and start holding hands, people!!!

Investigating Art

I recently had the privilege of having an art related blog recommended to me.  I love art, especially painting and architecture, and the Art Blog By Bob is an exciting gateway into the art world.  He provides background, insight, relays critiques, and just generally brings more awareness to a world that is often remembered as an afterthought.  He highlights sculpture, American and contemporary art, and he also provides references to classic and more referenced art.


If you like art, you'll both fully enjoy and appreciate this website.  I know I do!  I especially like the portrait from fruit by Giuseppi Arcimboldo and the piece Bob previewed on Hong Kong, Art, and Deterritorialization.  Generally my preferences are towards abstract and visually stimulating pieces, like Dali, and impressionistic art, like Monet and Renoir.  I'm also starting to really enjoy more contemporary works, like the ones featured at the MOMA - Museum Of Modern Art, in NYC.  I also visited this really cute art store, the name of which has sadly escaped me, but I loved it because it featured new artists, and I found one particularly exciting.  It was pop art meets portrait, but her portraits were often the negatives and painted with cake decorating tools!  So fun!  And there was a photographer who tore his pieces into strips, encased them in fiberglass, and then warped the strips to make 3-D pieces.  Love it!


Ok, off my art-box for now.  Explore the website, and feel free to share any artist you enjoy!  I know I certainly always love expanding my knowledge base.   

9/11

September 11, 2001.  I was sixteen and a junior in high school.  I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news - in first period computer graphics class.  It was around 8:45-ish because I was heading to my next period, US History (ironically enough).  He turned on the TV and let us watch the event, although the high school initially "poo poo"d the idea thinking it was just breaking news, not something worthy of stopping class.  The instant the 2nd tower was hit, though, things quickly changed. Everyone's TV was on.  That's all people wanted to watch.  That's all they talked about.  Kids were on the phones with their parents trying to find out if everyone they knew and loved was safe.  People were starting to find out that the ones they knew weren't all coming home that night.  

In all, parts of that day will remain as vivid as if they had happened only five minutes ago.

September 11th was brought up yesterday at school.  I work with eighth graders.  They're thirteen.  That means they were four when this happened.  I don't remember much of anything from when I was four.  Yes, they have heard of 9-11.  Yes, they have seen a video or photo or montage or two of the events of the day, but it's not the same.  And how could it be?  When I was four the first Spanish commercial was launched on network TV, starting to change the advertisement community and the realization of the demographic shifts in America.  Students in Beijing take over Tiananmen Square in China.  The latter is was so monumental it is still talked about in textbooks and in classes. It was a big deal.  But I was four.  I don't remember.  I only know through reading and watching videos.  

It's different, the memory of something because you watched it happen and the honor given to something you're told to hold in reverence.  9-11, for millions and millions of people like me will be the former - something they remember, something that sits poorly in their stomach because they remember the horror and devastation attached to the event.  For others, it is something they will remember but only because they've been taught to remember it.  That doesn't make it wrong.  It just makes it different.  I imagine people who went through the bombing of Pearl Harbor felt much the same way.  Living in modern day history is an interesting and reflective idea if you allow yourself the time to acknowledge it, realize it, and reflect on it.  

Honor those things which deserve a moment of remembrance.  Maybe you didn't live through it.  Maybe you don't remember it, but people risked their lives and died that day so that you could be exactly where you are right now.  On your couch? Maybe.  Out with friends?  Maybe.  Remembering family? Sure.  Or maybe your even in NYC watching the memorial skyline.  Regardless, on 9-11, nine years later, you are still here.  Learning about it might not have as much of an impact as living through it, but at least people know.