My Favorite Things

I should note that I don't actually own any Tiffany's jewelry, have never been to Australia, am completely out of my favorite perfume (which is, actually, quite sad), and don't have a canary diamond ring. But they are all still my favorite (hopefully future) things!
-Autumn

Crossroads

Ever so often life leads to a crossroads. (Or should I say without fail, soon, life brings some sort of decision that must be made...) The question is, how to decide what to do at the time of crisis.


I am at a crossroads of sorts. I have been working and settled for the past year and a half, teaching, playing, going to church, and living in Southern California. But now I have a few options before me. Go to school and teach... don't go to school and teach. Go to school for English in England or go to school for theology at Talbot. The question is how to decide which to do. It is not as if I am going to cast lots and see what turns up.

So I have made a pro and cons list and thought and prayed. I have talked it over, I have had a couple days of confusion, and I have had days of rest. But, I must decide soon....












Talbot and teaching I think. Talbot because I want to know more about the Bible and how to study it well and teaching because I love it.

-Leilani

Photography

I am taking a photojournalism class. Previous to this class, I had never uploaded pictures onto a computer and, on the first day of class, identified the battery as the flashdrive (yeah. That was embarrassing).

Our final is a portfolio-"your absolute best work"-and my life collection of pictures consists of shots of my boyfriend at a Laker game and a few selfies of me and my friends. Reviewing the pics I took in Europe showcased my uninspired methodology of, uh, point and shoot.

SOOO I've been trying to compile a porfolio ("up to 500 pictures"). I've found out how awkward it is to actually take pictures and how I have absolutely no courage whatsoever. Case in point: I found a truckload of dogs and was too shy to ask the owner if I could take a picture of them (I PASSED BY A PERFECT PHOTO OPPORTUNITY! DOGS! A TRUCK!).

But here is one shot I got off today from the clifftops of Palos Verdes. I think it's my favorite so far.

Bridal Gowns from the Art Gallery

Carolina Herrera 2010

Carolina Herrera's collection is an example of the inspiring nature of art. Herrera found her muse in the works of famous painters and crafted her gowns around them.

The dresses are functional interpretations of the masterpieces. They are, to a certain extent, traditional. The gowns must appeal to a mass audience. They must maintain their wearability. Herrera does a good job of keeping the commerical needs of the bride in mind while still tying in the various feels of the painters' she's emulating.

.....And I love them!

The Seurat gown is my favorite (Gown on top). Seurat, the artist, used pointillism to create his paintings (little dots that together make up the painting). Herrera emulated that with her gown, using dotted fils coupe organza-basically fabric with polka dots! The dots make the gown fun and informal, perfect for a summery wedding.

For the Monet gown (the second gown), Herrera used a dramatic ballgown skirt. It stands out amid a collection of slim A-lines and sheaths. The huge skirt is like a blank canvas, artistically displaying the hand painted lilies. There is something very somber about this gown. I think it captures the quiet, meloncholy of Monet perfectly.

-Autumn

Vivez Verite!

About two months ago, I was in a minor car carsh. (Read about the details in the Demise of Gus) I call it minor, because other than the casualty of my car everybody walked away.

After the accident, I sat on a wall with the older man who ran into me.

"Let's let the insurance take care of this," he said. Then he added, "I'm sure you'll be fair with me."

"Of course, I will," I assured him. Anything less was not an option. So when the police came, I tried to give an accurate and honest re-telling of what happened.

Fast-forward and I am talking to my insurance agent and just wanting to make sure that all is well, I asked when it would be decided who is at fault.

"Well, we're waitting for the police report, because we have conflicting stories."

"What?" I asked shocked.

"Yeah, the other party said you hit him." I was floored. I clearly remember being hit. I mean you usually don't forget something like that. Especially, when you are hit from behind.

At that point my rather idealistic view of human integrity manifested itself, in my rather shocked response.

After getting off the phone, I prayed. In some ways, it was a small request to ask that the truth win, but in another way it was not small. After all, little victories on the side of truth remind us of the day when all will be totally right and the truth wins ultimately.

Two days ago I received a phone call... after the evidence was looked at by the grace of God the case was decided in my favor. Vivez Verite!

-Leilani

The Death of Books?

Cushing Academy, a New England prep school, has taken the first supposed steps into "the brave new world." It is one of the first American schools to shelve what used to be considered a fixture in the halls of education: its library.
In its place? A sleek laboratory of learning that features a flat screen TV and the book of the future: 18 electronic readers (the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader). Oh, and a coffee bar.
Books-those comprised of spines, pages, and covers-are all gone.
Through an alignment of resources (Cushing Academy reportedly shelled out half a million dollars on the venture) and vision (Cushing's headmaster sees this as a 'model for 21st education'), Cushing has been able to create a new technological framework for American schools.
I think this is problematic for adequate education. It caters to speed, efficiency and, basically, instant gratification (you want a book, push a button, you have it). It deprives students of the search for knowledge, a physical action that I believe mirrors the inward one. The electronic library narrows the exposure students will have to various topics. Browsing through an actual library allows students to stumble upon other titles and, also, other interests.
Some may wonder if electronic books will take over our bookstores. I don't think so.
There is a culture of book lovers who will always love books: the tangibility, the connection to previous readers, and the mobility (who hasn't curled up with a book on a rainy day?). There is something beautiful about books, something seductive in their smell, feel, and look. There is a sense of context when watching your bookmark make its slow journey from the front cover to the back cover. Because of this, I don't think books will go away. They are moving and they speak to the human soul in the way that a brightly lit Kindle cannot.
Because of this, I don't think books will go away.
But will other schools follow the Cushing model? I want to say no. But it is undeniable: the Cushing movement was simply a response, an answer, to their aliterate students: for their previous school year, at a school of 435 students, only 30 books were checked out.
And most were children's books.
-Autumn

Love at First Sight

"And they lived happily ever after..." says the storyteller as the prince and princess, or prince and peasant girl, or farm boy and buttercup walk or ride into the fairytale sunset. This of course follows a trying episode in which most certainly the lovers would never be together. That was preceded by the magical first meeting where the two looked into each others eyes and realized they had met before "once upon a dream," and that life as they know it has come to an end." Ahhh, yes love at first sight, it had been wrote of, dreamed of, talked of, and laughed at.

A couple weeks ago my industrious students and I stumbled onto the question of love at first sight. "That's a fairytale," one of my girls declared. "No one can fall in love at first sight."

As it is my duty as teacher to challenge their assumptions, all I said was, "Really?" and looked at her with half-raised eyebrows indicating that she had not considered all the options.

But, really? Maybe my student just knows that real life is better than dreams and reality firmer than romance.

And yet... In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo declares when he first sees Juliet, "I never saw true beauty until tonight." If what he saw was really true than didn't he need to love her? Isn't that the proper response to beauty? And if he saw her right, that he means he really looked... perhaps the reason no one loves at first sight is because something is wrong with our sight. And if our eyes were less blind than maybe we could really see, and love. Crazy? Maybe, but love usually is... At least this idea made my students pause.

And after all, once, when I was in Spain browsing an outdoor market, wandering through the different merchandise. I saw...



A beautiful blues Spanish style pendant and I knew that it had to be mine.... Love at first sight my friends ; )

-Leilani