Desire Is Messy

That's what one of my professors said today when discussing Shakespeare's As You Like It. Like everything usually does, that statement, "desire is messy", started my mind on a million other thoughts. I thought of the Jane Austen quote "Is not general incivility the very essence of love?" I thought of songs..."All You Need Is Love", "Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing", "I Think I Love You". I thought of a high school class discussion on how other cultures have many words for love, and yet in English we can say "I love my family", "I love tacos" or "I love you", and it is supposed to all make sense. And as crazy as I now sound for being so ADD, I began to think that maybe we don't ever really think of what desire, what love, what attraction, what any of these things really mean. Sure, we've all felt them...but do we actually think about what they mean? What is the difference between desire and attraction? What makes desire messy or love patient? And why in the world do we apply the same word to a taco as we do to a person that we deeply care for? Maybe what the world needs isn't "love sweet love." Maybe what the world needs is to define what love is in the first place. Webster need not apply.

Transitions

I'm not very good at transitions. Transitions in my stories, transitions in my career, transitions in life. I would rather jump from one thing to the next than have those excruciating "in-between" steps. In my head, I know that those steps are the building blocks that make the bulk of "my story" worthwhile. But right now, as I face transitions in all aspects of my life, I can't help wishing that they'd just go away and leave me to my adventures. I don't want to deal with paper work and details! But I know that God gave me these transitions for a reason. So I begrudgingly take them, boringness and all. I just hope the plot picks up again. Soon.

The Seven Swans: Part One

One of my favorite fairy tales has always been "The Seven Swans" by the Brothers Grimm. It might be because of the birds and themes of flying, or maybe its because even in its original form, the heroine takes a more active role than in many of the classical fairy tales. I'll bring you the story part-by-part each week. I hope you enjoy it.

Once upon a time, there lived a king and his eight children. The queen had died, and the king was beside himself with grief. He knew he must marry again, but he couldn't get his beloved wife out of his head.

One day, as he was hunting in the woods, the king became separated from his men. No matter which way he turned, the forest seemed to swallow him up, and it seemed he might never return home to his children. Suddenly, the king saw a light. It was a strange, penetrating light that seemed to seek him out. The king followed the light until he came upon a cottage carved out of the base of an old tree. The king strode inside, forgetting to knock. (He was the king after all.) Sitting inside the cottage was a beautiful young woman. She didn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Just waiting. The king was captivated by her looks. A voice came from behind, and the king spun around to see, what else, but a hideous witch. The witch beseeched the king to marry her daughter, and the king, under some strange spell, agreed. The following morning he took the young woman home with him to his castle, which suddenly wasn't so very hard to find at all. Announcing the marriage to his horrified people, the king noticed how his new bride glared at his seven sons and daughter, and he knew he must keep his children safely locked away.

The king asked his baker to look after the children, and the baker took them to an abandoned tower on the old castle grounds. The king would come to visit his children once a week. He groaned for his stupidity at falling into the trap of the witch, but knew that if he ended the marriage, things would get even worse. Eventually, his new bride grew curious as to where the children had gone. The king wouldn't answer her questions. So the queen followed him to the old tower and saw where he met his sons and daughter. Jealous that perhaps he would never love her own children so well, the new queen came up with a plan to get rid of the little princes and princess. 

The next day, the new queen rode to the tower. The children had been playing hide-and-go-seek, and the princes were still trying to find the princess when the new queen strode in. Raising her arms she cast a spell on the sons of the king. The air rose and swirled around the room, until the boys were lifted up on the currents, arms outstretched towards the ceiling. They twisted and screamed until their screams no longer sounded human, and their movements looked deliberate as though they could fly. The new queen lowered her arms. The princes had turned to swans. The princess let out a gasp. The queen turned, cursing for forgetting one of the children. The princess ran from the room, down the stairs and out the door, heading for the woods. As she ran she heard the cries of the queen behind her. A great rush of wind knocked her to the ground. The princess looked up to see seven swans flying overhead, making their way towards the sea. Her brothers were leaving her.

The Christmas Story

"But the angel said to her 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.' "

-Luke 1:30-33

Quote of the Week

"I write so the endangered thoughts roaming naked and vulnerable through the misty jungles of my mind aren't slain by the guns of practical living."

-Kim Krizan

August Rush

Alright, so this movie is about sugary sweet and hopeful as they come. But that doesn't mean you should discredit August Rush, a musical urban fairy tale that gives a twist to the classic orphan-finding-his-parents fable. The orphan, Evan, "believes in music like some people believe in fairy tales." If he could only play it loud enough, maybe his parents could hear him. Its this young boy's undying belief in the power of music that sets the film apart and binds together the film's otherwise implausible plot points. The hypnotic melody of a street performer draws Evan's parents to the rooftop where they meet. Rock and classical overlap as characters thinking about each other play at separate venues. The sounds of the street inspire the ten year-old Evan to write a symphony that is played in Central Park. The music is the movie's core, and its what makes it such a beautiful film. Despite the syrup.

Quote of the Week

Luke: Very romantic.

Lorelai: Says the man who yelled "finally" at the end of Love Story.

-Gilmore Girls

I Haven't Posted In A While, And I Need To Clean Out Photo Files, So Here's Some Random Photos For Your Pleasure

To Write Love On Her Arms

"To Write Love On Her Arms" is a group that's trying to help people quit cutting, and I thought the name was such a beautiful picture of hope. Cutting wasn't brought to mainstream attention until Princess Diana confessed to struggling with it in 1996. Now it's so common it's joked about constantly ("I wish my lawn were emo so it'd cut itself."). They're even releasing a comedy this weekend called "Wristcutters: A Love Story." The truth is that cutting is serious, and i think the more it is honestly discussed, the better. There is no reason to hurt yourself, no matter what your circumstances are.

American Gangster

Two words: Denzel Washington. Two more words: Russell Crowe. Add to that it's directed by Ridley Scott, director of "Gladiator" and "Kingdom of Heaven." Do you think I want to see this film?

Quote of the Week

"Give me the songs of a nation, and I care not who writes its laws."

-Ravi Zacharias

Fashion Flash: Scarlett Johansson @ Venice Film Festival

I love this dress. I love the idea of arriving at a film premiere in Venice by boat. With Josh Hartnett waiting for you.

Fashion Flash: Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has such an elfish beauty. I love this retro-inspired dress...cinching dresses and blouses in with belts has always been a "thing" with me.

I Want To...

i want to climb Mount Kilamonjaro.
I want to see anacondas in Brazil.
I want to sail the seas as a pirate, not the pillaging sort, but the sort who sings songs and wears lots of stripes.
I want to be a cab driver.
I want to attend the Academy Awards, wear a Vera Wang, and sit in between Lauren Bacall and Heath Ledger.
I want to learn how to uncork a wine bottle with style, like fancy waiters do.
I want to hike the whole Appalachian trail.
I want to backpack through Europe, and learn a million languages.
I want to dance barefoot under the stars.
I want to be able to curl my hair and have it not go straight in half an hour.
I want to wear high heels and not trip.
I want to sword fight on horse back.
I want to paint...with my feet.
I want to travel around like a gypsy and wear a hundred bracelets.
I want to invent my own language.
I want to fly...I'm not sure how.
I want to fall...into sync, in love, into a mystery, into something I wasn't expecting.

Mary Cassat Prints

I love the simplicity and blocks of rich, yet muted colors in these prints. Mary Cassat is one of my favorite artists. She paved the way for other female artists and drew attention to how the little moments in life could be just as beautiful as the grandiose ones. (Pardon the big word.)