"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost
When I first moved to Omaha two years ago, my boss told my co-workers, who were also new town, and me that we should check out the Ground Hog Prom. We were told it was a crazy costume party held every year. We thought it sounded like fun, so we scrounged up some crazy outfits and headed over. Julie, Rebecca, and I discovered the Ground Hog Prom is so much more than a costume party.
Ground Hog Prom is a state of mind! You see, Omaha is home to the Knights of Ak-sar-ben (Nebraska spelled backwards), which is an organization for civic service and philanthropy. They do a lot of good work and they also enjoy recognizing themselves. Every year they host the Ak-sar-ben Coronation Ball and crown a king and queen. I get the impression that it's very debutante-ish. The queen is always young, and the king is always old. I admit that I know very little about the organization or their Ball, and I apologize if I have over-simplified things. But the general impression in the Big O is that they take themselves a little too seriously.
So on Groundhog's Day in1979, a group of what I assume were old hippies, artists, and general counter-culture types, decided to get together and hold their own anti-Ak-sar-ben Ball. And Groundhog Prom was born.
Rebecca, Julie and I had the distinct pleasure of getting to experience our first Groundhog Prom on the 30th Anniversary which also happened to fall on Grounghog's Day. It was just two weeks after I moved here and it was probably the first time I realized that Omaha was a pretty flippin' cool place to live.
Left: Rebecca and her "date". Right: Julie as a peacock. Their costumes were way better than mine...
But I got my picture taken the the Prom Queen, Edward Scissorhands!
By the time Groundhog Prom rolled around last year, Julie had moved away from Omaha, but Rebecca and I got my cousin Mary Kathryn to go with us, and of course, she loved it. It was just after Obama's Inauguration, so there was a bit of a political theme. I went as the Stature of Justice, Rebecca as the Statue of Columbia, and Mary Kathryn was a Pink Lady.
This year, Mary had moved away, so Rebecca and I brought her husband-to-be Michael along. I recycled my Little Edie costume from Halloween. Rebecca went as a cyclops, and Michael was a zombie guido. I was a bit hit as Little Edie. Several people asked to take their picture with me. One man who was a more than a little high, told me I had "a cute face," and another man, who may or may not have been high but was definitely dressed as Mr. Clean told me that I was "just the cutest thing."
Zombie Guido and the Cyclops (that would make an awesome band name, just fyi...)
Top: with Boba Fett, Bottom: with my 'cousin', Jackie Kennedy
So there you have it: Groundhog Prom is amazing. And not just because you get to dress up and dance, but because everyone is having fun and happy. Where else can 20-somethings and Baby Boomers (who have been attending for 30+ years now) get together and dance to live bands while dressed in costumes ranging from a Geisha Cowboy to Swine Flu. It's the joy of being surrounded by like-minded people and getting to buck the establishment, if only for an evening.
Also, on a more thrifty note, all of my Groundhog Prom costumes have either been made of up of things I already owned, items from thrift stores, or a combination of both. And I made my own sword and scales for my Lady Justice costume!
"Every great film should seem new every time you see it." -Roger Ebert
It's that time of year again when the red carpet gets rolled out and the stars come out to shine: Awards Season. I love awards season. Not because I like celebrities patting themselves on the back and telling themselves how great they are, but because I love movies and I like seeing great movies celebrated. Film is a fantastic medium because it reaches the masses in a way that few things can. And it can open windows to new ways of seeing others and the world around us. So while we wait for the Academy to decide what film is the best of the year (I'm pulling for The Hurt Locker), I thought I would share my top five favorite films. I by no means claim that these are the best or greatest, just my favorites.
#5. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, director Philip Kaufman.
This is the most recent addition to my favorites list. I saw it for the first time two years ago on Valentine's Day. It was a month after I moved to Omaha and I decided that I would make the best of my least favorite holiday. I got some Greek food, including baklava, and sat down to watch this incredible movie with an incredible cast. I was just falling in love with Daniel Day-Lewis, and I already adored Juliette Binoche (more on her later), when I became instantly absorbed in this tale of a rather complicated love story. It's basically a love triangle between Tomas, his artist lover and the young innocent woman who eventually becomes his wife. Not to mention the various other women Tomas sleeps with. All this takes place in Prague in 1968, during what was known as the Prague Spring. It was a time a bit like the Summer of Love in the US, but the Soviets roll in to town with tanks. The film is mostly about how different people view love and sex, and how they relate to one another, particularly during times of war and oppression. Juliette Binoche makes this movie. Her portrayal of Tereza is heartbreaking. She is the reason to watch this movie, and Daniel doesn't hurt the eyes either.
#4 Giant, director George Stevens
I will admit that the first two times I watched this movie I fell asleep. Not because it is boring, just very long. But don't let that discourage you! It is well worth the wait. I fell in love with James Dean after watching Rebel Without a Cause, and knew I had to see more. Unfortunately he only made three movies in his too short career. Giant was his last. This movie follows the story of the Benedicts, a family of cattle ranchers in the great state of Texas. Jordan Benedict (Rock Hudson), the owner of the ranch, marries Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a wealthy young lady from Maryland. This isn't your classic East Coast meets Wild West. Leslie is no wilting flower. This movie, WAY ahead of it's time, addresses the issues of racism, immigration, oppression of women, and capitalistic greed. And James Dean's performance as Jett Rink, the cowhand-turned-oil tycoon is perfection. Giant is one of those epic movies of the old Hollywood studios, but still rings true today, and is particularly timely in some of its themes.
#3 O Brother, Where Art Thou?, directed by the Coen Brothers
Only the Coen Brothers can bring together Homer's Odyssey and the Depression Era South to make one of the funniest, quirkiest, and most clever movies I have ever seen. Everything about this movie is brilliant. The casting, the costumes, the script, and of course, the music. I could listen to the soundtrack on repeat and be quite happy. George Clooney has the perfect, Clark Gable-like smugness that makes you want to kiss him and slap him at the same time. And I fully confess that I have a weird, non-physical crush on John Turturro. As a bonus, Tim Blake Nelson is from my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, so that makes it all the more awesome. These three guys have an on-screen chemistry like few men have. And the one-liners! My favorite scene in the entire movie is when Everett (Clooney) and Del Mar (Nelson) think Pete (Turturro) has been turned into a toad by the "sireens." Everett looks over at the toad in Del Mar's hands and says, "I'm just not sure that's Pete." To which Del Mar replies, without skipping a beat, "Of course it's Pete: look at 'im." The comedic timing in that one line is priceless. I can't do it justice.
#2 The Empire Strikes Back, director Irvin Kershner
Really, the entire Star Wars Trilogy could easily fit in this space, but Empire is my favorite of the three, so it gets the billing. It's got all the darkness and gravitas that the other two lack. It has the mysticism, the good vs. evil, light vs. dark, to a much higher level than A New Hope or Return of the Jedi. And let's not forget that scene with Han and Leia in the mechanical room. My 13-year-old self thought that was the height of sexual tension, and I have seen little to change my mind. Harrison Ford can be my scoundrel any day. But then he gets frozen in carbonite! Tragedy! And how many young lives were shattered when Darth Vader uttered those now famous and oft misquotes words, "No, I am your father"? As a whole Star Wars is so great because it didn't seem to try too hard. While Lucas and the other directors created a universe that was totally believable, it was still all about the characters and the story. The prequels never got that. They were too showy. The prime example is the light saber fights. The new ones have CGI characters doing back flips over lava pits. The first dual between Obi-Wan and Vader, however, doesn't even have music playing. The starkness of that scene just heightens the tension between the former master and pupil. Intense stuff. In my universe, Episodes 1-3 don't exist.
#1 The English Patient, director Anthony Minghella
Oh, where do I begin? I saw The English Patient the summer before I started high school. At the time, it was probably a bit over my head, but I was completely obsessed with it, and the obsession continues today. I don't think I would be quite the film buff I am today if it weren't for this particular film. It taught me to look a movies in a new way, to really seek out films that were off the beaten track. It taught me to appreciate cinematography and art direction. This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful movie ever made: the contrast of the arid sand dunes of the Sahara with the lush hills of Tuscany, the lurid shapes of the landscape ("a mountain the shape of a woman's back"), the muted color palate. Not to mention the stunning contrast of Ralph Fiennes' blue eyes against the oranges of the desert! It's an undying love. And like in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Juliette Binoche is absolutely perfect. Hana is one of my favorite characters on film. And the easy relationship between Ralph and Juliette is really evident in their performances. For those of you that haven't seen the movie, The English Patient follows the story of a man who is found in the Sahara Desert, very badly burned near the end of WWII. He eventually ends up in an abandoned Italian monastery, being cared for by Hana (Juliette Binoche), a Canadian nurse. Others eventually come to join them in their refuge: a morphine addicted thief/spy (Willem Dafoe) and a couple of mine sweepers (one of whom is Naveen Andrews of Lost). As the film progresses, the mystery of the patient is revealed through a series of flashbacks that consist of his time in Cairo before the war and his affair with a married woman (Kristen Scott Thomas). The English Patient is all about love: the platonic/affectionate love between Hana and the Patient, the innocent young love of Hana and Kip, the sordid erotic love of Almasy and Katharine, the not-quite romantic love between the Cliftons, and the friendship love between Kip and Hardy. For me the real fascination with this movie has always been the idea of how circumstances bring random people together and how those people interact with one another. It's sort of the same principle as The Breakfast Club. I also feel like The English Patient has sort of grown up with me. I love it for very different reasons now than I did when I was 14. I see it through different eyes, but love it just the same.
"Success? Don't you know it's all about being able to extend love to people? Really. Not in the big, capital-letter sense, but in the everyday, little by little, task by task, gesture by gesture, word by word." -Ralph Fiennes
Share the love this Valentine's Day with a little hand-made card that let's your special someone know just how you feel. Visit my Etsy store, Madding Crowd at griffiths.etsy.com for a hand-printed card for your Valentine.
Order by February 9th to ensure delivery in time for the 14th!
Cards are printed on acid-free paper. Printed with dark brown, water soluble ink on ivory. Monogram on the back of each card.
If you would like more than one card, or want the design as a 4" x 6" print, or printed in black, just convo me, and I'll create a listing just for you!
Kojak the Owl: This wise old owl knows just whom it is you love. So why not send this little card to let them know? [inside is blank]
Right: Hortus Octopodis (Latin for "Octopus' Garden"), Where would you like to be? Why, under the sea! And where under the sea? In an Octopus' Garden with the one you love! So send them an invitation to let them know how you feel! [inside: "I want to be/under the sea/in an Octopus' Garden/with you."]
Left: Peas and Carrots, You and your Special Someone are like Peas and Carrots, right? Why one send them a special note to let them know how special they are. [inside: "You and Me like a Carrot and a Pea."]
Right: Love Card, Show a little classical love with this charming hand-printed card. Card reads "Amo, Amas, Amat, Amamus, Amatis, Amant" which is Latin for "I love, You love, He/She/It loves, We love, You love, They Love." [Inside it simply says "Love."]
Left: I am the Walrus Card, Sometimes you're the Eggman, but sometimes you are the Walrus. Card reads "Sum Odobenus" which is Latin for "I am the Walrus." [Inside reads "Coo-Coo-Ca-Choo!"]
"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." -George Orwell (1984)
Hello, my name is Megan and I am a facebook addict. I have struggled with the idea of giving up facebook for a long time now. First, it was just the time issues. No matter how much I told myself that I would spend less time on facebook, it would never last. I would rarely spend a lot of time at once. But I needed multiple hits. If I was near a computer, I could only go a few minutes before I had to sign in to see if anyone had posted something funny or commented on whatever clever thing I had chosen to share.
But then the bombardment hit. Quizzes, Farmland, free gifts galore! It was just too much. Just when my patience was wearing too thin, the ever mindful creators created facebook lite, a stream-lined, parred-down version that was much closer to the original. And that delayed the inevitable by a solid six months or so.
But as the New Year/Decade rolled around, I found myself increasingly annoyed by all the statuses my friends were posting. I mentioned this in a previous post as a reason for creating this blog: to channel my frustrations in a healthy fashion. But it did not take. I was becoming bitter, jealous, and down-right angry. I've always been an eternal optimist. The proverbial glass is half-full and with a little patience, hope and old-fashioned gumption, that glass would one day overflow. My reactions of late to my "friends" turned me into a brooding pessimist who saw the glass as half-empty with no hope that it would ever be filled and was on the brink of getting knocked over by some thoughtless status update. It is an ugly way to see the world. My rose-colored glasses were not only foggy, but beginning to tarnish. It had to stop!
My best friend's initial reaction was that it was drastic. Another friend worried that I would fall off the face of the earth if I left facebook. Both of these wonderful ladies should have no fear that they will lose touch with me simply because I decide to lose a little bit of my cyber identity. And that's what's wrong with the whole thing. I want to be in contact with all my friends, but if that limited contact creates a distilled persona which may or may not be likable, and makes me not want to be their friend anymore, then it is not the way to keep up a friendship. If I lose touch with most of the 227 people who are nominally my friends, then so be it.
The online social networking revolution has devolved in a lot of ways into a disturbing mix of exhibitionism and voyeurism watered down to the inanities of day-to-day life. Not to mention the folks out there that have no regard for how they present themselves to the online world at large. My peace of mind is worth more than your "hubby", stomach ache, or bra color! Why must we be so self-absorbed to think this is something we should all be caring about? I have been just as guilty of all of the above (except the bra color) as anyone else. It's not anyone's fault but my own that I feel this way. But only I can make the decision to stop myself and begin to feel better.
I have spent half of my adult life on facebook. Yes, I have reconnected with people that I might not otherwise have found again. But I don't always feel as if there is a real connection. Seeing snippets of what you thought about the Conan/Leno saga does not a real friendship make. Reading your snarky comments about health care reform just makes me mad and no dialogue takes place. And your status that you copied and pasted telling me that if I don't do the same then I am not a Christian is insulting. A forum for bitching and bragging is not a place where I want to reunite and stay in touch.
And on a more personal level, when my thoughts began to take the form of facebook statuses, and I realized I was feeling compelled to send those thoughts out into the ether to whomever might catch them without any real reason as to why, then it was time to rethink things.
So why a blog? Well, I find others' blogs inspire my creativity and provoke my thinking. They often give me good advice and I hope to do the same. I am embracing quality over quantity! My followers, lovely as you are, and as few as you are, can choose to read or not. You can even choose to no longer be a follower; I won't be offended.
Thus I am reclaiming my feelings, my self-control and my free time. I want to spend this time crafting, thrifting, sending thoughtful letters or e-mails, and getting away from the computer screen. Facebook has served its purpose and that purpose has come to an end.
"Look around, leave are brown, and the sky is a hazy shade of winter." - Simon & Garfunkel (A Hazy Shade of Winter)
When I look out the window, all I see is white and grey. It could be rather depressing, and I find myself getting really excited whenever I see a patch of soggy grass peaking out of the dingy snow. But I have decided to embrace the greyscale of the world around me and present this photo shoot of outfits I have put together from thrift store finds and older pieces of my wardrobe. Black, white and grey clothing that makes me think of black and white photography and old movies. Everyone looks better in black and white. It is classic.
Top: Dress - Goodwill / Bottom: Shirt - Banana Republic (sale rack), skirt - Goodwill (Ann Taylor, $3.50!), shoes, St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store
Top: Shirt - Chadwicks, Skirt - H & M, Shoes - ??? / Bottom: Dress - H & M, Shoes - Assistance League Thrift Store, Belt - Birthday present, handmade by Rebecca!
Probably my greatest thrift store deal: Jacket - Thrift World, originally from Saks Fifth Avenue, $5!
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things." -My Favorite Things (The Sound of Music)
Nebraska winters are cold. Just in case you didn't already know that, I feel the need to inform you of that. But this year has been a real doozy. The other night we had an actual temperature reading of -24 F! The windchill was something like -45. That should be illegal. I feel some comfort and satisfaction that it has been pretty miserable for other states as well.
When I moved to Omaha, I bought myself a pair of mittens at Target. They served me well, but they have recently begun to fall apart, especially around the thumbs. Thumbs, as I have come to discover, are kind of important, especially when scraping ice off your car, or shoveling snow. It doesn't do if said thumbs get painfully cold. I tried patching them up with some spare yarn, but that didn't last long. I needed new mittens, and I needed them to be warm.
As you may recall from a previous post, I had knitted myself a hat. I love this hat. It is so warm, and cute, and I've gotten many compliments on it. But it was lacking something. Matching mittens! Thankfully, I had planned ahead, and bought two skeins of yarn. While I was stuck in the airport over Christmas, I began said mittens, and was very excited when I finished the right one. Then it dawned on me that there is an inherent problem when knitting gloves or mittens: you have to knit two... It's taken a couple of weeks for me to find the time, but over several lunch breaks and many episodes of Lost, I successfully completed a darling matching pair of warm woolen mittens. And the fact that my hands were sweating while taking the following photos bodes well that they will in fact keep my hands toasty over the next few months.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." -Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities)
How is it that I am not even thirty years old, but I have now entered my fourth decade? Something seems wrong about that. But needless to say, I have never been so happy to see a decade end. Some really great things happened in the '00s, but some really awful things happened, too. Not only nationally, and internationally, but also personally. I became an adult in 2000, so my entire adult life has taken place in this lousy decade. While I would never trade all the amazing, life-changing, totally awesome things that occurred in the last ten years, I am ready to move on and embrace the Teens! This new decade can't possibly be worse than the last.
In this regard, I am going to look back on all the great things of the last ten years, in hopes to be able to reminisce about the 2000s one day without wanting to claw my eyes out. In no particular order, here are the best of the best of the first decade of the new millennium:
1) Graduated high school, college, and grad school. 2) Lived in London and Scotland. 3) Visited 20 countries. 4) Traveled around the world in 6 weeks, by myself 5) Sat front row to watch Ralph Fiennes as Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar" in London 6) Met Joseph Fiennes at a play in London 7) Saw Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths in "Equus" in London 8) Earned my masters from the University of St Andrews 9) Got two jobs in my field. 10) Moved to Omaha 11) Met some really amazing people. 12) My Godson was born 13) Was the first winner of the Anderson Cooper 360 Challenge 14) Wrote a novel 15) Got a tattoo
Ah! That makes me feel better. Good times. There are many more things I could add, I'm sure. But that'll do for the time being. Now I need to catch you up on events from the last month. And what a month! Omaha had a blizzard at the beginning of December, so I was snowed in to my apartment. Once I was actually able to get my car out of the huge pile of snow, I managed to get to work with no problems. But once I left to go to class, my car, my dear, sweet Cadillac named Gladys was dead. Poor Gladys. She didn't quite make it to twenty years. But we had bought her when I graduated from grad school, hoping she would last six months so I could get a job. She lasted two years.
Now, I could have just paid to fix the old girl. But I already knew she needed $1100 worth of work done. That is just under what we paid for her. Just not worth it. Thus I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new car. And by new, I mean new for me. Buying a brand-new car is probably one of the least financially prudent things you can do. Buying a year-old car, much more prudent. But I can't even afford that, so I found a great little '99 Subaru Forester. I took it to a mechanic and it checked out. It has some hail damage, and now that I've had it for a couple weeks, I discovered yesterday that the latch on the trunk is broken. But bungee cords will have to do for now. As long as the car is running and can handle the ice and snow of these Omaha streets, I'm happy. The salesman was great, he even called the previous owner to ask about why he sold it. The finance guy at the dealership, however, was a real ass. I almost walked out, but I kinda needed the car to get to class... Despite the broken trunk latch, I'm really happy with the car. I named him Jemaine after Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmDTSQtK20c
Now on to Christmas. Another blizzard was headed my way for Christmas, so I assumed I would get stranded in one airport or another. I hoped it would be in Omaha so I could just go home. But no such luck. I made it to Chicago, even got on my flight to Tulsa, only to have it get halfway to Tulsa and turn around to head back to Chicago. So I spent most of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day at O'Hare, my least favorite airport in the world. I didn't make the first flight, got on the second flight, just to get pulled for weight restrictions. I managed to remain patient until I saw the stand-by list for the last flight and saw that I had been bumped to #12. I learned that United's stand-by policy is not first-come-first-served. It is based on who paid more for their ticket and whether a person is a frequent-flyer. Thus, I was being punished for buying the cheap ticket online. SO NOT FAIR! I complained, and got bumped to #2, and made the last flight out to Tulsa on Christmas Night and made it to my parents' house 24 hours late.
Once home, I had a lovely visit with my family. Then it was off to Princeton to spend New Years with my bestest friend Grace, her husband Nick, and their son, my Godson, Joe. We spent a couple days just relaxing. And getting to spend time with Joe was fantastic! The last time I saw him, he was just three weeks old, and just sorta laid there, giving me the side eye. Now he's a tiny person and very entertaining! I knitted him a little hat, which he actually seemed to like. He looked like an adorable little Fraggle.
Grace and I went to DC for New Year's Eve day. We met up with her friend Jeff and started at the Lincoln Memorial and made our way to the Capital. It was really great. I had never been there before. In the last ten years, I had been to about ten other countries' capitals, so it was nice to end the year in my own.
There you have it! The end of the year, the end of a decade. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to do a better job of updating this thing. I'm aiming for at least every other week. But I have some good stuff coming up, including a new pair of mittens I'm knitting, and decorating my dining room. That will keep me motivated through the end of January. But there will surely be more.
