Neat Moth!

It's Award Season!

2010-01-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Forget the SAG awards, the Oscars, and the People's Choice Awards. The anticipation is really rising for Monday, January 18th, when the ALA Youth Media Awards announcements will take place. The Newbery, the Caldecott, the Coretta Scott King-- just a few of the 17 awards given by the ALA to recognize the best in media for children and young adults. If you feel like getting up early, 7:45 am EST-- that's 4:45 here-- you can watch the live webcast. It's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Who wants to sleep in on a three-day weekend? I wish I could pretend to be all authoritative about who I think will be the winner this year, but I have to admit to not reading a lot of new books this last year-- mostly older Newberys and a lot of PDFs about the definitions of information. If I had to put in a guess, it would be for Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman. It's a non-fiction book, a genre that hasn't taken the Newbery in a while, but it's also a problematic book, which reflects some of the latest Newbery choices, like Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, last year's winner. Like The Graveyard Book, the age boundaries for this book aren't really clear; the Newbery honors books for children up to age 14, but most libraries I have visited shelve this book in YA... of course, many libraries define YA as 12 and up. The only thing I feel really pushes this book into the older student's category at all is the mention of sex and sexuality, important to Darwin in his studies of inherited traits... and important regarding his wife, Emma, with whom he had ten children. Of course, given some of the difficulties with recent picks, the committee may choose something more traditional. I have heard things about When You Reach Me over and over, and the Amazon review likens it to From the Mixed of Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Harriet the Spy, two of my favorite books ever. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is another I have seen prominently displayed in my recent library forays.

My Newbery frustration? On Friday I read Olive's Ocean, by Kevin Henkes, which was an Honor winner for 2004.

I could not figure out why this book hadn't won the Newbery-- I couldn't even remember the winner for 2004. I looked it up: The Tale of Despereaux (which I thought was a 2005 winner). Can you imagine the difficulty? Despereaux is far and away one of the best books I've read in the last decade, though I feel for sure if Olive's Ocean had been published any other year, it would have been a winner for sure. Newbery Winner or Honor aside, Olive's Ocean is an amazing book that deserves a read.

Field Trip: Li-Berrying

2010-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, I would go on adventures. I would pack my bag with books, drawing paper, pens and pencils, binoculars, and other necessary bits for excursions around our ranch, an adventure-appropriate snack, and set out. I had a very vivid memory yesterday of a bag of leftover McDonald's Sausage McMuffins sitting on our kitchen counter, which I took apart, and put the biscuits in one bag, and the sausage patties in another, and then only allowing myself to eat one bite of one or another at a time. I called it hard tack. This is how I felt yesterday when my supplies bag and I set out with a map of the LAPL libraries, looking to check off as many as I felt like visiting. Of course, I came back with a bag full of books, rather than setting out with one. I got lost a few times-- a couple of times on purpose, a few times, on accident-- but visited one library on Friday, and four libraries yesterday.

The "Library of the Day" award goes to the Los Feliz branch for this picture (and to the reference librarian who let me take it):

What a beautiful reading garden, right? NOT! This is their story reading room, inside the library. Doesn't it just look like an image from Legends of Sleepy Hollow, or Harry Potter? The "moon" is a skylight, and the branches edge the room, which is round, and painted a pale blue, with recessed lighting. There are baskets of stuffed animals and board books everywhere. Los Feliz also has beautiful wood paneling throughout the library, and large cork boards covering the walls, advertising their amazing programming: weekly Scrabble meetings; SAT

tutoring; a quilting bee; infant, toddler, and pre-k storytimes; mother-daughter non-fiction craft book club; Beads and Feathers, a children's craft group. They also have a "Twilight" READ poster prominently displayed, signed by the members of the Twilight cast, which is pretty cool.

The Cahuenga and Wilshire branches had my favorite exterior architecture.

Wilshire was recently renovated, while maintaing the historical aspects of the architecture, including a beautiful fireplace and marble floors. They also have a beautiful courtyard, but there doesn't seem to be any access to it other than gazing at it through their french doors. Their layout is also impeccable, grouping popular materials such as fiction, DVDs, and CDs together, all the nonfiction in a second area, and children's books in a third, all triangulated around the reference and check-out desk. Cahuenga, unfortunately, didn't have this going for them at all, but they have one of the most complete and well-thought out teen rooms I have seen outside of the Central Library downtown. While I wouldn't have known that Cahuenga was the library, driving by (there is only one exterior sign, and it is obscured by bushes and missing several letters: Cahu n Pub ic L br ry), their interior signage rocks the stacks-- large, neon, and zebra print in the teen room, green and jazzy-looking frogs in the kids room.

The Atwater Village Branch has a very interesting way of arranging their adult fiction: there is the standard alphabetical by author's, but there is also a section labeled "Classics." I think this works for teen sections, as they may be looking for book report books, but in the adult section, it felt a little arbitrary. For example, I wanted a copy of Atlas Shugged. Classic. But Lolita was shelved with the regular books. The House on Mango Street? Classic. Some books, like Willa Cather's (there must be a big demand for her books at this branch, because they had about thirty copies of different titles), were shelved in both. So My Antonia was shelved both in "Classics," and under 'C' for Cather. Who decides what a classic is, and isn't? One thing I really like about their organization system, however, is the children's picture book section, which is separate from the children's chapter books. A lot of libraries organize this section by chunking off Caldecotts, Concept books, bilingual or other language books. They label them with stickers on the binding denoting this information, but they are all in one section. Atwater includes them all together, which I think reflects the more organic way a kid might search for books, and also allows them to find something they didn't even know they were looking for-- a monolingual kid finding a bilingual book, for example. How many kids that are age-appropriate for a Caldecott walk into a library saying, "My mind feels dull today. I think I'd like a Caldecott to engage my intellect, and shake off this ennui."? Not many, I think. The former organization scheme only helps MLIS students like me, who have to find five Caldecotts to read for class.

And of course, the final branch, Will and Ariel Durant, with the gigantic kid's novel section, and the sweet librarian who commented as I was paying my fine from the two years prior, "Just think of it this way: you're ensuring your future salary."

The haul:

I was able to find Atlas Shrugged, which I've been looking for for awhile, and the sequel to The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky Breaks, which has been checked out of every library for ages. I did not, however, find The Magician's Elephant. I have a sneaking feeling that every parent in the city who reads educational websites has checked it out for their child, and it won't be much easier to find after the Newbery announcements next Monday. I think DiCamillo may get an honor for this one, though I don't think she'll win-- if she does, I think she'll be the only three time winner.

Seven down, 65 to go!

The Annoyed Librarian, Redux

2009-12-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

I love a woman who can piss me off one day, and then make me do a fist pump the next: Protect Your Children from the Classics!

Annoyed Librarian, I think I'd like to have a martini with you.

In the spirit of the thing, a few of the books I was assigned at my small, conservative high school. Never mind the Shakespeare; it's too easy:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald: Infidelity (is anyone faithful in this book, except Gatsby?), murder (not just one, but TWO! And that's those that are explicit...), flagrantly flaunting the articles of the U.S. Constitution (rum running, anyone?), animal abuse, domestic violence, organized crime, sexism

Lord of the Flies, William Golding: What isn't up with this book?

The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri: I suppose it's fair to say all of the deadly sins are represented? I always felt like the way Dante handled Beatrice was also slightly blasphemous, given the contemporary climate.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck: Animal abuse, ableism, murder, lying, classism, sexism, violence, racist language, swearing

Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau: This book is down-right unpatriotic! All citizens should stand behind their country during a time of war.

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood: Menage a trois, sort of (and Gossip Girl thought they were being all revolutionary), sex slavery, sexism, terrorism, rape, homosexuality (not that I feel this belongs in a class with the former list, but this is the sort of thing conservative parents get all freaked out about), infanticide

Proof positive it doesn't matter what you say, but how you say it.

The Annoyed Librarian-- Right Back Atcha!

2009-12-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the Annoyed Librarian blog on Library Journal's website, through a link to her post regarding MLS/MLIS programs, and the lack of jobs due to ratio of graduates to available positions. Not like the AL gives a hoot, but I found several posts very thought provoking, and wanted to respond to some points:

1. Librarians are "chirpy" and overly-enthusiastic

The AL positions herself as being critical of this particular trait in librarians. Obviously-- she's the Annoyed Librarian. While I value the position of someone within the field posting critical observations of the profession, like many Americans and the current political culture, don't talk smack if you aren't gonna act. Of course, the anonymous nature of this blog makes it difficult to know if AL is doing just that. In the librarians I have known, as an avid library user, and the librarians I am meeting through this program, this chirpiness comes from a genuine passion for the profession and the idea of libraries themselves, revealed in their acts locally and nationally, professionally and personally... of course, the AL also feels that--

2. Librarians shouldn't speak up within their professional role on national and political issues

I didn't realize once I became a librarian I would have to give up my right as a citizen to speak out on these things, such as the war in Iraq-- and now, the escalation in Afghanistan. As a professional organization, the ALA should absolutely take a position on such things. Thinking about my chosen track of children's librarianship, the above two current events and NCLB are three of the most relevant issues shaping the future of my profession. With the money spent on two concurrent wars, education in all its manifestations (libraries) is again shortlisted, legislatively and financially, and this revelation of priorities devalues my profession and the quality of life for those living in the U.S. I think the ALA would be negligent in not taking an issue on these things.

3. MLS/MLIS Programs are a racket

This is a reoccurring theme in the AL's posts. My immediate response probably isn't appropriately chirpy, but wait for it-- I'll get there. Of course these programs are a racket! Aren't all forms of higher education? I know right in the middle of that sick feeling behind my sternum and the stack of statements from Stafford and Sallie Mae how much of racket they are. Now here's the chirpy part, succinctly expressed in a fluffy cliche-- a racket is what you make of it. Most of the people I have met in my program are bright, articulate people, and could enter a racket of a program where the resulting income would be quite different from the path they have chosen. Yet there we are, standing outside the Art Department on campus getting all excited about realia and non-conformity in library programs. I could go through this program with the minimal effort, but I'm so damn excited about the whole thing I procrastinate writing about libraries by reading about libraries-- and then writing about it here.

Yesterday the department hosted a panel for those of us interested in following the thesis track, and the chair of our department mentioned something that really resonated with me. The people admitted into this program aren't necessarily the brightest, but those that have a passion for libraries (I knew there had to be a reason there was no mention of my abysmally low GRE Math score). Not a passion, like "I like to read," but a passion for an institution that provides access to information, takes steps towards an enlightened citizenry, and maintains social ownership of knowledge is more important than the commodification of it.

Now let me keep this passion in mind while I write page after page for finals week.

Haute (Dog) Couture!

2009-12-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

In general, I am against dogs in sweaters-- I mean, they're dogs! They have fur coats already, right? But this speshul snowflake (I named the second sweater this in homage to my hypocritical feelings on dogs in sweaters) is too cute to be shivering for the next three months.

Glamour

This is an exact pattern (Little Black Dress with Pearls) from My Savannah Cottage. Ms. Abby's momma loves those pearls, so I figured she probably does, too!

Speshul Snowflake

This is based on Need for Tweed from Lion Brand Yarn's free pattern database. I had to adjust the size for Abby, as the smallest size was still too big, but it came up a little short. By the time I knit her next sweater, I won't need to adjust the size at all-- she's growing like a weed!

Big Top, Big Time!

2009-11-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

My mom and I bought this red and white striped fabric last weekend when I was home for Jessie's baby shower, because my mom wanted me to sew some valances for Ava's circus-themed nursery. I haven't used my machine in a few years, doing more knitting than sewing, and I realized my machine's foot was missing! After visiting several stores, I finally gave up and went to Wal-mart; since they sell the brand of machine I own, I figured they might have spare parts. The following scene took place, after I walked up to a sales associate:

Me: Excuse me, but do you have any sewing machine feet?

SA: No.

Me: Really?

SA: Well, we have some over here.

... and she led me over to several sewing machine feet, which all fit my machine.

The final result:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whose Campus? OUR Campus!

2009-11-20T00:17:00.000-08:00

Screw this noise.

And screw the noise of four helicopters hovering in the airspace above UCLA, and police sirens across campus. Take your para-military tactics and get the hell off our campus.

PO'ed? Take action:

Contact the UC Regents

Contact your local representative

(Sorry about the LA Times link above-- no indy media has posted the fee hike yet. Here's a link to Democracy Now discussing what this fee hike means)

Knits and Wits...

2009-11-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

... at least, I hope for wit! There ought to be a law against mid-terms extending across more than two weeks. My first mid-term was in class, on October 30th, and my last mid-term is due next Thursday, on the 19th! I have to say, though, this paper I just finished, on Paul Otlet and the International Institute of Bibliography, is quite awesome-- toot, toot!

I've been knitting like a crazy person to take a break (read: procrastinate) from all these mid-terms, but I can't post pictures of any of it, because they're all gifts... except for the lovely Star Crossed Slouchy Beret (you can click through this link if you're a Ravelry member-- and if you're not, get on it!), designed by Natalie Larson (all her patterns are adorable!). My favorite part of this pattern, aside from the slouchyness, is that star spiral on the top-- of course, I was working on this pattern on the bus, and thought I knew how it should go, and ended up with something totally different. I still love it, though.

Thanks to the Infamous Lady for posing for this shot-- it's incredibly difficult to take good pictures of yourself in a hat.

Library Pledge: Westwood Public Library

2009-11-07T00:32:00.000-08:00

Library: Westwood Public Library

Date: Saturday, October 24th, 2009

I visited this library for a reading by Francesa Lia Block, pesky pixie author of Weetzie Bat.

I have an author worship problem; whenever I meet a writer whose work I admire I tend to get a little spazzed out... When I met Jonathan Safran Foer way back in... 2006? I got up to the book signing table, and handed him my book, the Post-it with my name on the title page, and I couldn't even talk. Couldn't say a word. I just handed him the book, gave him a wimpy little smile, and walked away. He kind of looked at me funny... he will be at the Santa Monica Public Library tomorrow talking about Eating Animals. Maybe I should go and try to not flip out. But really, has anybody seen Mr. Foer? I know he's married, but jeez louise. Can you blame me for going silent? Also, I'm vaguely annoyed about Natalie Portman's recent article on Huffington Post regarding this book; is it really fair for someone to be gorgeous, have kissed Devendra Banhardt, be a genius, and be morally awesome, too?

Anyway, I had the exact opposite effect with Ms. Block when I met her (it was a very small, intimate kind of reading; quite lovely, actually). I started talking a mile a minute about my niece, my sister, how only the very best boys we dated were Secret Agent Lover Men, a book report my sister did where we chopped all this cheapo doll's hair off so she would have a funky Weetzie-do... ridiculous.

The library itself is very nice; I have it on good authority that when it rains, because the library has a metal roof, it's quite soothing. Rainy-day ambiance is very important for libraries, in my mind; this library also has a back window that looks out over a tiny little cemetery.

The Library List

2009-10-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have several points to make:

A) You know how when you live in a city, you never go to any of the landmarks in that city? Like when I lived in San Francisco I never went to Alcatraz or walked across the Golden Gate Bridge or went to the top of the Transamerica Pyramid (though I can't even count the number of times I went to City Lights, which is near the base of the building... sigh. I've been missing good bookstores... I need to find one here in L.A. Or maybe not. I might spend the rent check!) Or when I lived in Big Bear, I never went snowboarding. And I've never been the Forestiere Underground Gardens.

B) I love lists. Don't you love lists? I love lists because you can check things off of lists. Sometimes I make lists, and I write "Make To-Do List" at the top so I can cross it off.

C) People who "do" lists are even more awesome. Like, people who climb "The Top Seven Tallest Mountains in North America," or who visit every state in the United States, or have acted at least once in every known Shakespeare play. This kinda stuff kills me. I feel like it's the epitome of human achievement, even the small stuff, like reading every Jane Austen novel. There is something so lovely in being complete and comprehensive.

Which brings me to my point. I have pledged internally, last night, in my Public Libraries class, to visit every City of Los Angeles Public Library in the system. There are currently 72, two of which I have been to: the Will and Ariel Durant Hollywood Regional Branch, and the Central Library (the cathedral of books... I want to get married in their atrium...). This weekend, I will be visiting the Westwood Branch, for a book talk given by three YA authors. So three down, 69 to go!

I feel so monumental! So it's not Everest, but I still think it's pretty cool.

Harriet M. Welsch, A.K.A., Harriet the Spy

2009-10-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Goodwill on Vine, and, let me tell you, this place is heaven. I had long ago sort of given up on Goodwill-- their prices are too high, and their selection, not funky enough. This Goodwill, however, rocked, and while still more than say, a Salvation Army, isn't too bad for the goodness lurking in their racks. So what did I score?

What! What is this junk? What happened to my impeccable thrift store taste!?! (Hee, hee-- yeah, right. I remember this dress I bought at Mission Thrift-- which will always be the best thrift store in the world-- to wear for a dramatic reading of Virginia Woolf's "Death of the Moth," and after the reading, I cut off the length and the sleeves, but didn't hem them... awesome. My mom yelled at me every time I wore that dress, and I cringe a little to think about how often I did.) Anyway, it's hard to see in this picture, but one of the purse straps is ripped, and the lining, which at first I thought was roses, is in fact leopard print, and there is something red and sticky all over the inside, too-- I'm really hoping it's candy. And there is also a frayed, faded, red hoody, not pictured. So yeah-- it is junk. But.... with a little bit of thread and some genius, I present to you...

...Ta-da!

Wait! Is that a genuine Harriet the Spy Tool Kit? You bet your sweet utility belt it is! The only thing I left off was the knife, because I didn't think it would be such a good idea to go onto campus with such an implement. I am dressing up as Harriet the Spy for Halloween this year, and even if nobody gets my costume, I don't even care (though I am wearing it to a party hosted by the Young Adult and Children's Services Librarians), because this utility belt is everything awesome in life. I might just take to wearing this everyday, so I can have everything I need right at my fingertips-- Blackberry's got nothing on this sweet set-up. I made it by hacking that hideous purse to pieces, sewing them into pockets, and sliding the various pouches onto that fab belt.

Here's a picture for comparison... I'll post one of my in full get-up the day of!

That Pleasant Sense of Dark Autumn Nights...

2009-10-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

I went for a walk this afternoon, and the little girl who lives two houses down from me was "playing" the harmonica. She would belt out, "Feliz Navidad!" (wheezy harmonica) "Feliz Navidad!" (wheezy harmonica). She was really breathing into the harmonica in the same intonation of the phrase she just sang, so the playing was a bit more like a kazoo than a multi-tonal instrument, but the effect was celebratory nevertheless.I love how, this time of year, people leave their windows and doors open, a little for that last bit of warmth, but mostly for the crispness (such a fall word!) that is starting to creep in. I learn so much about my neighborhood; a block and a half away, there is someone who is quite diligent about their violin scales, and the violin player's neighbor is in the music business and thinks the Sunset Strip is played out. A young man down the street wants something real, "none of that Gossip Girl crap, you know" and the other morning, a little boy was having a temper tantrum because he didn't want his grandpa to take him to school.

You know what else kicks butt about fall? Carbs. Nobody really wants to eat carby stuff in the summer-- it's too hot and heavy, and besides peach pie, there is nothing worth standing in a kitchen with the stove on in August.

Best baked goods this week? Truffle Muffins, adapted from Trader Joe's Truffle Brownie baking mix. By baking the mix in a muffin tin, the chocolate chips are distributed in proportions to the caky-ness just right for one muffin, modified with a little cinnamon. Heck yes.

DIY Door Headboard

2009-10-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

So many projects! In honor of the ShakeOut on Thursday, I will share a project done this weekend and earlier today, not just for aesthetics, but for safety reasons.

When I was younger, my mother owned a floral shop, and she had this amazing door that she would use to spray paint against. I have used this door as my headboard for years-- but even in San Francisco, I just screwed it into the wall! No anchors, no studs, just straight, powdery, flaky drywall. I can't believe I lived in San Francisco for four years with this wedge of wood just hanging precariously over my head... not to mention the unaware who would bonk their head on the doorknob.

Once again relocated to an earthquake zone (and to make it pretty, of course), I added legs and thick bolts (with washers) to stabilize the door behind the bed. It now looks a proper headboard: whaddya think?

The City of West Hollywood Book Fair: Goodness

2009-10-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

The first book fair I can remember was in my elementary school library, in third grade. My mom came to school that day, because she didn't trust me to carry the money to school myself. The whole library was transformed by red folding shelves, just full of yumminess. Glitter pencils were all the rage that year, but I spent my $15 book fair allowance on American Girl books-- Kirsten, Molly, and Samantha were the only girls then. Felicity and Addy (and now, Kit, Josefina, Julie, Rebecca, Kaya, and Julie, and their best friends) were out by the time I was in fifth grade. My mom volunteered for the book fair that year, and I remember coming home and finding three of the Addy books and a beautiful blue bookmark on my bed. As I was driving to the book fair today, with the crisp weather and the jumbly clouds overhead, I was so excited I wanted to hug myself... which is a bad idea when driving down Santa Monica. But the feeling was there, and it was good.

I was stationed to volunteer at the information desk in the Children's Area, next to the Storyopolis booth, and in perfect line of the stage, where ballerinas, rats, and pirates cavorted all day. Psuednonymous Bosch, who may or may not have written The Name of This Book is a Secret, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late, and This Book is Not Good for You (besides Here Be Monsters, one of the best websites I've seen) may or may not have been at the Storyopolis booth, but he certainly signed my copies of the latter two titles (the former being one of my favorite chapter books I've read in the last year), with some of the best inscriptions ever. I may not be a librarian yet, but I about cried when I read this one:

I also picked up a subversive feminist coloring book, by Jacinta Bunnell and Julie Novak, girls are not chicks, and a DVD of the history of KPFA, which I was introduced to at 17 by Ms. Sarah, and is now an addiction, and not to forget, of course, a ton of resources for the future librarian, including a brochure for 826LA, whose theme is time travel, which is at least as cool as 826Valencia, and their pirates and blowfish.

The goods:

Homework, then tea, chocolate, and inky deliciousness!

Field Trip: Craft and Folk Art Museum

2009-10-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the Smithsonian sponsored a weekend of free admission to museums nationally; this weekend, several Southern California museums followed suit. Free? Sounds like a grad school field trip to me!

I chose the Craft and Folk Art Museum, located on (in?) the Miracle Mile. I've been thinking a lot about the intersections of theory and practice, which always ties into ideas of beauty and functionality for me; craft museums are an excellent place to examine this. I was very interested in seeing the Myth and Manpower: Graphics and the California Dream exhibit. There was also an exhibit of the work of Dora De Larios, Suenos/ Yume: 50 Years of the Art of Dora De Larios.

The museum itself is tiny, and slightly (delightfully) incongruous, brick and plaster amongst the buildings of steel and glass up and down Wilshire. There are three floors, the top two for the exhibits, and a classroom, welcome desk, and gift shop on the ground floor. The plaster inside is unevenly patched, and the wood floors are worn down in certain places-- much less sterile than most museums-- I felt like this was perfect for the art, which really, is the art of the people.

Dora De Larios focuses on ceramics and sculpture; the fascination of this exhibit is the range of her pieces, starting in the 1950's, which reminded me of those heavy earthenware bowls to get excited over in thrift stores, to her contemporary work, which focuses on aspects of the goddess and these marvelous ceramic animals. My favorite piece by her was a metal and wood sculpture from the 1960's or early 1970's, entitled "Warrior." The figure has his head thrown far back, guarding his body with a shield, and is standing on one leg with a large foot; the other leg is cut off just above the knee. The awareness of the strength in body in the piece made me very aware of my own body-- just what it is to stand.

The Myth and Manpower exhibit was very powerful; the whole floor is chunked off in bold citrus colors, with floor-to-ceiling text discussing the forms of graphic art. Sectioned along the wall are pairings of fruit crate labels, sent East to entice migration to California, and UFW-centric protest posters. Comparing the fairy-tale world of boosterism to the graphic starkness of the silk-screened posters was the perfect bundling of California, the glamour and the glitter thick over this history of oppression and the activism that rose (rises) from it. The comparison of a fruit crate label close-up of a rosy-cheeked blonde, smiling through perfect teeth (from eating Sunkist fruit, I guess) next to a stark, simple print in the same pinks and blues of Dolores Huerta was a beautiful place to consider that intersection of beauty and functionality, and where each rises from-- which is the commodity, and which is of worth?

Then, to bring it down a notch, I walked across the street to the La Brea Tar Pits. Blech. They have this horrible sculpture of a female mammoth being sucked into the tar pit, while her mate and baby watch, their trunks stretched out to her. This really upset me; I felt really bad for this mammoth. I know if I was a kid visiting the tar pits, I would just be heart-broken by this scene. It's worse than Bambi, because you can see the mom sinking away right in front of your eyes, and it's perpetual-- this whole mammoth family is being frantically pulled apart until someone more sensitive is in charge of the pits. I didn't even take a picture of them-- it made me too sad. But here's the pits anyway.

And not only are they heart-wrenching, they stink to high heaven.

So Meta!

2009-10-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

When I was an undergrad, there was a group of us going through the literature/creative writing program that were properly surly, generally myopic (judging by the number of thick-rimmed glasses), and of course, snobbily obscure. One subset of this group even started a salon-type gathering called the Clinamen Society, referring to Harold Bloom's (grr...) theory of creative break in which writers move away from their predecessors. I felt this name to be vaguely... racy, for no discernible reason.

This same general group would frequently refer to things as "meta," as in, "metafiction" (fiction about fiction, which was all the rage for a semester with the creative writing kiddos), or "metalanguage" (language used to talk about language). The former and the latter are proper examples of the use of "meta," but it sort of became a schwa. "That bar was kinda meta"; "She is a little meta tonight." I have no idea what these were supposed to mean-- the literal definition of meta, in this context, is of a higher or second order. A bar to define bars? That's a damn good bar.

In honor of the re-introduction of "meta" into my paradigm (metadata; meta-science; meta-fields; meta-discipline; meta-structures; I read about all of these this week), I have created a little photo essay in the same loose "meta" sensibility to explain why in the heckers I moved to L.A. anyway.

This is the building where I learn about information science and libraries;

Then I go to the main library to...

...read library science books.

Books about libraries, in the library, read by a library and information science major. So meta!

New Digs!

2009-09-30T17:32:00.001-07:00

I have returned, with all kinds of newness and fabulosity! A new design, a new apartment, a new city, a new school... even some new flats-- but more on those later.

With all this newness, I have committed myself to this blogging thing, in the sake of being a future "information professional"-- a librarian, that is. After only three classes, I have been amazed and astounded at the intensity of academic study that goes into blogs, Wikipedia, Google, Bing... you name it, somebody has written a thesis on it! I imagine I'll talk more about this later, as well. The really juicy bits I want to share is my new pad.

I've been in my new West Hollywood apartment for one and a half weeks, and my stuff is all moved in. Things are still changing-- and missing. I need a couch, a nightstand, and a cheese grater, among other things, but in the past I have always jumped into buying what I needed, in addition to what I already had, right away. The resulting effect was being sick of my apartment decor in two months, which meant taking all the curtains down, re-dying them, sewing new pillows, and spending hours in thrift stores looking for dishes in this particular shade of olive that they have exactly at Restoration Hardware, but who can afford that malarkey? I want this to be a bit more of a growing process, adding only things I love, one at a time.

So I may have to lie on the carpet for awhile-- I don't really like chairs anyway-- at least, for sitting in. I use to rescue chairs from the San Francisco sidewalks, and line them up on the walls all over my apartment, then stack books, plants, or whatever on the seats. This was incredibly frustrating to my roommates, but I thought it was just adorable. When I moved all my things out of storage last fall, I had eight mis-matched chairs (two with no seats), and almost nothing else!

So let's see where things stand so far, some areas I'm really digging:

My desk (vitally important, as I already have a ton of homework!), and my coffee cart, which I have some plans for, but is serving its caffeinating purpose just fine for now:

I love my mantel, but I cannot figure out what to do with my empty fireplace: I have a couple ideas, but I would love to hear more!

And, of course, what would my apartment be without a wall of books? I really need to get a fourth bookcase though; they're starting to spill out!

Today-- the new apartment; tomorrow, the new school!

Blech. Scary Photo!

2009-04-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

What a laggy blogger I am! But I've been photo tagged. I almost thought about pretending I didn't read this post from Sarah Said, but that would be cheating. Here it is! Friday, noon, my day off. I'm sort of sick and was up all night, and am still in my jammies!

I followed the rules exactly:

Take a picture of yourself right now.
No primping or preparing.
Just snap a picture.
Load the picture onto your blog.
Tag some people to play along.

Well, except I'm not sure who to tag. Maybe some of my favorite Ravelry blogs? But they all blog about yarn. Maybe I can photo tag their yarn, and some lovely pictures of yarn or projects will make me feel better...

I think this gross feeling is existential as much as physical. Working all these hours is killing me! My room is a mess. I'm a mess! There is laundry everywhere... I haven't been to the gym in a month. Yesterday, I slept through THREE alarms! I've had no energy, and am feeling vaguely nauseated and achey all the time. I think I need a good cleanse, and two days off in a row, to clean and exercise, rest, make a good meal. To blog about yarn. To knit! To read!

I am living off of caffeine, and it is no good. Yesterday, I had, in order:

2 cups of coffee
A bottle of Diet Coke
A restaurant-size glass of Diet Coke
A grande size cup of coffee
Another glass of Diet Coke

My teeth are going to fall out.

Oh, No!

2009-02-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

In this time of economic downturn, with blocks of foreclosed homes, vast unemployment, and businesses closing right and left, this may seem very petty, but I am so sad: Domino Magazine is shutting down! Conde Nast publishers have cited poor advertisement revenue as the reason the magazine will no longer be in print.

While the magazine has always carried high-end decor ideas and products (even in their "budget friendly" issues), I have always turned to this magazine for inspiration for my home (I've lived in nine different places since the first issue came out); I even bought every issue when I was living out of my car! I think I have the first issue, and have saved every issue since, even if a few are missing pages I've torn out for collages (their photography is always gorgeous). While I could never really afford any of the stuff in their spreads, I could always copy it really well. With spray paint, new fabric, and some touches added from Lowes or Michaels, I could come close to some of their featured pieces. They have featured an annual green issue, and always promote low-VOC paint, repurposed wood, and recycled flea-market antiques as viable options for decorating your home, and most of the designers and products they interview are independent. Over the four years the magazine has been in print, many recent and current design and art-school grads have been featured, and the resulting boost to the careers of these designers is surely significant. While the magazine is basically one big ad, the home set-ups are still inspiring, and fresh and modern, unlike most of the home decor magazines that aren't very relevant to many younger people.

Saving for grad school, and staying home so much more as a result, I am constantly looking for pieces in the magazine to copy. I have always believed "home" is a place of activism and community, and the pages in Domino, while pretty consumerist, are great for sharing ideas that make that space open to entertaining, cooking, and just being.

Bullcrap, I say. I'm sad.

I Want It!

2009-02-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

This may be the very best bracelet ever, next to my Jack Kerouac bracelet. Same style-- lacquered images set into metal braces, with elastic cord in between, designed by Carolyn Forsman. Seriously awesome.

It's kind of hard to see, but each one of these images is a cover of a banned book. There is an adult version, with books like Howl, Go Ask Alice, and The Color Purple, and a children's version with Captain Underpants, King and King, and Blubber. I found it while I was searching the ALA (American Library Association) website for scholarships. That's right. Spending money while I'm trying to earn it.

Get it here, and support the ALA!

I've Got the Wanderin' Blues...

2009-01-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

Last year, I had this job that provided room and board... except on the weekends. And the weekends were glorious. I lived out of my car. I had a road atlas, and a campground guide with all the free campgrounds in California dogeared, a tiny little camp stove, a kick-ass Northface backpack, and water-proof boots. Bottles of wine and bags of puffed brown rice cereal I had to move every week to keep the bears from can-opening my car. And a lot of yarn and books. All in the trunk of my car.But now I'm all responsible and stuff, with a normal job, and my own bed (which I hadn't slept on in a year and a half), electricity and continuous hot water (instead of the little bits I would warm up to wash my face). Which is lovely. But I'm going to post these pictures and mourn it a little bit.

OK. I'm gonna mourn it a lot.

NUM83R5

2009-01-26T22:46:00.000-08:00

For an English major, my life seems to be more and more ruled by numbers. I spent today filing my taxes; these are all of my W-2s (five), retirement accounts, student loans, and investment returns from 2008.

I thought my taxes from 2007 were crazy complicated, having worked for several non-profits, but those were nothing compared to this year! Damn complicated.

There is my student loans; in preparation for grad. school, I consolidated my loans and in return, the federal government sent me a lovely pay schedule, with an estimated pay-off date, if I continue to pay the payment I'm making (which, granted, is tiny): April 31st, 2031!

Then there is grad. school: GRE minimum scores, actual GRE scores, application deadlines, application fees, projected tuition rates, cost of living, fellowship awards, fellowship application deadlines.

Numbers stress me out. If I were from the Kingdom of Wisdom, I would live in Dictionopolis and very rarely travel.

Something is Very Wrong With Me...

2009-01-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

I did it. I frogged it. I frogged the damned Frock Camisole.

Allow me to share two comments on this project from my Ravelry Project Page:

9/29/2008: ...This will be the first garment I knit that I won't frog, I swear! (For some reason, I knit tops, then frog them, a habit that stops here)...

10/28/2008: ...I am not sure why I am so darn determined not to frog this thing-- as I mentioned above, I have frogged whole tops just for not liking the drape! I think it's the symbolic meaning of this top, which makes me feel-- contrary to what I normally feel when I have a mistake in my knitting-- very strong. I am liking this idea of incorporating a "mistake" into the design of my work, instead of freaking out over one inconsistent stitch in that lovely seed stitch tank I made two years ago, which is now re-balled into a million balls of Lamb's Pride in my stash basket...

I suck. This top, as these comments hint at, was supposed to be symbolic of starting anew, accepting the mistakes I make, and being at peace with them. Nope. No such luck. It wasn't even just the mistakes with this top (there weren't even that many, just a change in the pattern). After taking a break for some other knits, including my Christmas knits, I picked this top back up, and was just so frustrated and in such a funk, I decided to be done with it. And now I am-- and I have a huge ball of 30% acrylic/70% cotton hanging out on top of my dresser, staring at me as I put my pajamas on, being like, "What, fool? What now?"

I don't know, yarn. I just don't know.

Crafty Me

2009-01-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

Oh, how sweet it is-- a day off, with no errands to run, nowhere to be!

I decided to take a few pictures of the crafts and baking I have been doing over the last month, but haven't had a chance to post!

I made this earring holder in a couple of hours-- and it would have been less if it hadn't been raining, and the spray paint wasn't drying like... well. Like paint drying. I love the color-- it's a new color, Paprika-- and having all of my cute earrings out instead of jumbled in a box makes it easier for me to remember what I have.

Earring Holder

Frame, Goodwill: $2.00

Screen, OSH, 2 yrds.: $1.39

Dowels, OSH: $0.39

Spray Paint, OSH: $3.49

Total Cost: $7.27

I baked this cake from scratch, using this recipe from Family Circle. Seriously-- this cake is one of the most beautiful I have ever made. I wasn't crazy about the cake itself, though; it was really heavy, almost like a cheese-cake. Everyone in my family loved it, though-- there wasn't a single piece left!

This rocking chair is one of the first major projects I took on since I moved back to Clovis. I got the rocking chair from Sarah and John, when they moved out of their old apartment. It was pretty badly broken at the join between the rocker and the chair, and the dowel keeping them together had snapped off and was stuck in the join. They were going to through it away, but since I didn't have much to do, I thought I would make it a project.

It's totally fixed, with new woodscrews and a new dowel to reinforce the old broken join, with new foam padding on the seat, and new adorable birdie fabric. I also had to do a little creative sanding, because some kitties who shall not be named had been nibbling away on the edges. This is the fabric I used; it's so stinkin' cute! It's called "Bird Seed," and I love it to death. JoAnn's has suddenly gotten kind of hip with their fabric choices.

Rocking Chair

Chair: Free (Thanks, Sarah and John!)

Woodscrews, Dowels, and Sandpaper: Free (just lying around the craft bin)

Spray Paint, Lowes: $2.50 (with 25% off coupon)

Foam: $8.99, JoAnn's

Fabric, 1 yrd.: $4.99

Total: $16.48

The Milkweed Project

2009-01-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

There is a lovely collaborative art project germinating (hee, hee) over at Stitches and Sticks. Shan is asking knitters and crocheters to make long swatches of knitting in white or off-white to construct a giant milkweed pod that gallery visitors can walk through. Her concept is beautiful and just the thought of walking through a soft white pod of fluff makes me want to wrap myself in hugs. If you are a stitcher, head on over to the site to volunteer. Pass the info along to really get this thing in bloom!

I Wanna Be Your Fine and Feathered Friend...

2009-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

And I want these tights to be it in...

What? Why are they so adorable? And why are they thirty dollars? There is no way I could wear these to work, what with all the crawling around on the floor I do. Somebody take me to the symphony and I'll rock these.

Get 'em here.

It's the Unraveling...

2009-01-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like a Joni Mitchell song for a good knitting quote!

No blogging for awhile. No apologies either-- this girl got a big promotion, and I really like my job, so I'm OK with working ten-hour days and not blogging while I was making the adjustment.

Mostly.

Mostly because I have been a mad, mad knitting fiend to unwind after hanging out with kiddos all day, resulting in a pile of knitted goods. In total, from December 15th to today, I have knit:

4 hats
2 cowls
1 pair of fingerless mitts
2 cup cozies
1 bomb-ass ornament

Hm. Well, now it doesn't seem like that much. I'll post pictures one day, and maybe even add them to my Ravelry projects page. If I do the math, that's one object every three days. Maybe it is a lot. But the important thing is, I have really knit:

7 hats
3 cowls
4 cup cozies
1 pair of fingerless mitts
1 ornament

because I knit and then unraveled, then knit again. My name is Britt, and I am an unraveler.

I have always been a sweater unraveler-- there is not a single full-sized garment out there that I have knit, though I have knit several, because every time I do, I pull it all apart. The tendency has never gone beyond garments to accessories until recently, when I cast on the Frock Camisole, and swore I wouldn't unravel it, even if it was all wonky and full of holes (I had to do some creative math for a pattern mis-read in the beginning), as a lesson in being OK with some slight imperfections. So now I'm unraveling everything but that. I guess I haven't learned my lesson very well.

If you look very closely at this picture of a cowl I knit for myself out of some wool yarn I bought on sale for a dollar, you can see about six stitches of stockinette where it should have been garter (I was knitting in the round and missed the switch):

Unraveled that real fast. But here's the end result:

Oh, knitting. You are a cruel and beautiful mistress. To end on an even more fiber-ful note, two lovely pictures of two of my favorite knitting-related things from the holiday:

The first is my cousin, whom I taught to knit on Thanksgiving-- she's sporting a lovely Thick N' Quick scarf we added the fringe to on Christmas (the picture's kind of cruddy because I got a new camera and I suck at using it).

The second is this awesome green tea cup Sarah and John gave to me for Christmas, with some delicious Chai Tea (it has the perfect bit of anise). Yum nummy. Isn't it the cutest?

How I Feel Right Before, During, and Right After a Good, Good Rain

2008-12-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

You said it, Toothpaste for Dinner!

Product Review: Brittany Needles and Hooks

2008-12-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

A few years ago flipping through a Knit.1 magazine, I noticed Brittany knitting needles, and for my Christmas knitting needs purchased several of their DPNS in varying sizes. These knitting needles are my very favorite that I have ever used. I always prefer wood needles to metal (especially in this cold weather-- I took a pair of metal Size 17 Buoy Straights out of my car this morning, and they were so cold I had to hold them by the plastic end!), but have always used Clover Bamboo needles, because they are so widely available, and affordable. Since I knit on DPNS a lot (which all knitters know are the easiest things in the world to lose), I like that I don't feel put out buying another set to replace the needles I have lost to the couch cushions, the bus stop, or the bottom of my purse only to be re-found after I purchase another set and complete the project!

Brittany needles, however, are made of high quality birch wood, and only slightly more expensive than the bamboo. Their wood is sustainably harvested from small lumber distributors, and at every step of production, Brittany considers the impact of their product; the packaging is 100% recyclable, and if you remove the label, the packaging can be put in the compost pile! They make crochet hooks (which have a lovely carved end that makes me want to learn crochet even more) from D to K, and knitting needles in straights at 10" and 14", and double points in sizes 5", 7.5", and 10", sold in sets of five, from sizes 0 to 35 (though not all sizes are available in all lengths). They guarantee their product for up to five years, and will replace any broken needles.

Ecological and economical friendliness aside: my favorite part of these needles is they all have the company name (along with the size) printed into the needle, so all my needles say "Brittany." It's like having a customized set of needles for free!

Day Without a Gay... and More Twinkly Lights!

2008-12-13T12:44:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in another post, Wednesday December 10th was Day Without a Gay, as well as International Human Rights Day.

Well, I took the day off of work and headed over to Wesley United Methodist Church to help bag up some food for those in need, then picked up trash on Christmas Tree Lane.

I think Day Without a Gay was a success in Fresno-- we received media coverage from at least two TV stations here in Fresno, which given their biased coverage of the move against Prop. 8, was quite nice. Although they did refuse an offer of hot chocolate while doing an interview at Christmas Tree Lane. Who can refuse hot chocolate?!? Anyway, if you click here you can see KMPH Fox 26 and their report of the day's actions. Just click on the number 2 link, entitled "Valley Activists Mark 'Day Without A Gay'." One of my co-workers saw the broadcast and said, "You were on TV last night! I recognized your hair!" I found this pretty hilarious. Almost as hilarious as trying to pick up trash in the middle of Christmas Tree Lane while people with strollers are running you over in their haste to view all the twinkly lights.

Something about this broadcast really bothered me, however; if you listen to the reporter, he repeatedly uses the phrase "lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender people," in the context of, "LGBT people took the day off of work," or "LGBT people picked up trash on Christmas Tree Lane."

Well, I have news for you, Mr. Anchorman-- I am not a lesbian, nor am I bi, nor am I transgender. I have no problem with people assuming I am any of the above, as I am very comfortable with my sexuality, but I do have a problem with the media reporting this issue as if only the LGBT community cares about it. I am a person who identifies as a straight woman, and I care about this issue. Very nearly half of California's voting population this November agreed that Prop. 8 is illegal and unfair, and I am willing to bet that they don't all identify LGBT.

This is not to appropriate the struggle; I can't identify with so many of the fights the LGBT community deals with everyday. I have never come out to my family, or to my coworkers; I've never dealt with police violence because of my perceived gender; I've never been discriminated against for the way I choose to love. But it is a struggle that I acknowledge, and a fight I want to support and ally myself with.

If only the oppressed party worked for change, change would never come. It is about community, and togetherness, and recognizing the humanity of each one of us, and taking action to make a world where this is the modus operandi, and not the exception.

The Best Gifts Are Tied With Heartstrings...

2008-12-09T00:53:00.001-08:00

Oh, man. I think I'm addicted to Etsy. I mean, I've always enjoyed perusing the site, and gathering inspiration, and creating a wish list in my head of shops I want to purchase from (especially handspun yarn and roving... sheesh, there's a lot of gorgeous stuff out there!), but I just made my very first purchase-- which was planned-- but then, promptly made another-- unplanned. I was only stopped by the fact I had to break into the Grad. School Savings for the second purchase (only four dollars, but still).

Part of what facilitated this is this year for the holiday season, I have pledged to only give handmade things-- either by me, or by someone else. I am making the majority of my gifts, but I had something very specific in mind to personalize a hat I am knitting. No details until after the holiday, though-- don't want anybody to guess what they're getting! There is no way I could reproduce what I wanted myself, not having the equipment, but I found EXACTLY what I wanted, but better, at an Etsy shop. I could spend YEARS picking out just buttons on that site...

So why handmade?

Well, for several reasons.

First, the economy is kind of down the drain lately, and despite what we keep hearing, spending MORE at chain and corporate stores is not going to "stimulate the economy." Much like trickle down, it's a big financial myth. By putting money into something, you no longer have the money yourself, and unlike investment, where the money grows, money spent on consumer goods just cycles around, never increasing in worth, but in fact, decreasing as inflation steepens. At least by purchasing goods that go directly from producer to consumer, a larger chunk of the money spent goes into circulation, where with large corporate stores, your dollars are split into lots of costs, such as labor, marketing, insurance, and so on.

Second, the impact of handmade goods is so much less than mass produced items; not that there aren't chemicals used in handmade items, but the energy resources and type of processing handmade goods go through is on a much smaller scale, and though super-glue fumes may not be the safest, they're quite a bit better than some of the byproducts manufacturing disposes of into lakes, rivers, and our air.

Third. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure most people who choose to make their gifts by hand, or provide handmade gifts for others to purchase, are enjoying the process. While not quite a cottage industry, people who are good at one skill market or give it to others who have a need for that skill, or the product of the skill. The result is a fair trade of money, goods, or services for a job well and happily done-- nothing like the sweatshops that are supported by the demand for cheap and quick consumer goods. When you consider the working conditions that such a market creates, who wants to pass that karma along with a heartfelt holiday gift?

It's nearly impossible in today's world to live a lifestyle that is 100% sweatshop free, and economically and ecologically sound-- but with the biggest spending period of the year, making a conscious effort to put the dollars someplace where the impact is less makes the exchanging of gifts even better... And really, giving and getting gifts is part of the love of the season, along with lots of yummy food and twinkly lights.

I love me some twinkly lights.

The Chronicles of Continental

2008-12-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

When it comes to knitting, I've always been a thrower, sending big looping arcs of yarn all over the place with my right hand. This is English knitting, and the way I learned when I was six years old. When I picked knitting back up again almost fifteen years later, after being a sewer, the method of looping my yarn around came right back to my hands like I had never put my fiber down. This is proof that "throwing" my yarn is engrained in my muscle memory like riding a bike. I think this has been part of the obstacle to my learning to crochet, which is much more like Continental Knitting, or "picking," which is considered by most knitters to be a much quicker and more efficient way of knitting. But with a list of Christmas gifts in front of me, I decided to give Continental another try. There are many less hand movements, and when working with DPNs, which I mostly am (hats being at the top of my list), a much more controlled way of wrangling in those five needles. So last night, I asked my mom to time me on a row of English knitting, and on a row of Continental knitting. Even though this was my first time knitting Continental, it took me 46 seconds to complete the row, compared to the 40 seconds in English, which I've been knitting all my life, and can do in the dark without even looking! That's craziness. With practice, I'll be churning out rows of stockinette. This video has been the most helpful of anything I've ever read or seen in helping me grasp Continental-- and grasp my yarn in my left hand!

2008-12-03T00:51:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Barnes and Noble, looking desperately for a funky card. No luck. But I was feeling down, so I perused the children's section (always a picker-upper) and the new releases.

For one thing: are moths suddenly in, and I happened to already be on that bandwagon? I saw a million and a half books that have moths on the cover (not to mention this adorable gypsy moth brass hanger from Anthropologie), noticeable for being moths that are recognizably MOTHS, not brown butterflies. One of the books I saw was a pink book clearly aimed at tween girls with several moths on it, and tweens and pink usually go hand in hand with butterflies. Hells yes.

But this is the really exciting part:

The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia

I want this book so bad I might not even wait for the library to have a copy available (my heart is literally racing thinking about it), or for the inevitable B&N gift certificates I am sure to receive for Christmas.

This book touches on so many topics that are close to my heart, and several I have written on academically, and contains a chapter that dives right to the meat of what I envision my grad. thesis to be about. From what I gathered on the book jacket, Miller felt compelled to write this because she loved The Chronicles of Narnia as a child, but felt betrayed by the overt Christian theology later in life (oh, that ENDING! Why, Lewis, why?).

Note: I am not knocking stories that act as religious allegories at all-- they are some of our most beautiful and moving stories (East of Eden immediately springs to mind), but C.S. Lewis and his personal move to Christianity, studied alongside the Chronicles, is an interesting and problematic view of the genre.

I felt the same qualms when I re-read the series as a high school senior, and was shocked to discover layers and layers to the series that were a lot darker and more disturbing then anything I could have understood as a wonder-struck child. It's part of the quandry of an adult reader: how to retain the awe of a beautiful and amazing story, but to have the understanding of experience and the perspective of a generation several after the author's. This is a particularly poignant issue for me, having decided to study children's books with the theory of my adult education, but to still approach them with a heart open to imagination and astonishment.

My senior year as a lit. major, my final project was to look at several children's books, both picture and novels, and analyze the relationship between gender and violence-- this project is ultimately what made my decision to become a librarian final. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the book that inspired the project: there is a scene when Father Christmas gives the Pevensies gifts: the boys receive weapons, and while Susan is given a bow and arrows, she is told that women are never to fight in battle except in the direst of needs. There are so many gender issues in this; several I know Miller touches upon in the book, from the chapter I read standing up in the bookstore.

Part of me just wishes I had written this book myself!

Current Obsession: Abigail Washburn

2008-11-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

... and The Sparrow Quartet. But I love Ms. Washburn by herself, too! I am currently playing "Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet" over and over, especially "Great Big Wall in China," and "Oh Me Oh My."

I've been on a female folk/bluegrass kick for the past year, listening to "The Be Good Tanyas" (oh, my lovely ladies, when, oh, when are you going on tour!), Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and the cracklin' girls of Lost Highway Records, Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams. There's something about these ladies and their ramblin' that has really hit my heart for the last year...

I discovered Abigail Washburn one night listening to NPR-- she is the only musician to tour Tibet with funds from the American Government, and the only American featured on the Beijing Olympics Soundtrack. Not like the Olympics were anything heartful or humane, but Abigail Washburn is. She began her music career when studying abroad in China, sitting and watching Chinese dancers. She wanted to feel a connection to the culture of America that strong-- so she picked up the banjo. Her music is haunting, and winsome, and intelligent and sexy and imaginative, and fun and dark. All of it.

Gay Rights are Human Rights

2008-11-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

After Election Day, I was elated. It honestly felt like the whole United States was celebrating. Ebullient (hee, hee-- GRE, get outta my brain!). But the celebration was tempered by the passing of Prop 8 for me (and many, many others-- nearly half of the California population). I am very pro-gay rights (pro-human rights), but I'd like to think that even if my morals or religion took me in another direction, I would recognize Prop 8 as denial of civil rights, as guaranteed by the good ol' contested Constitution. In the weeks following, we have seen protests, boycotts, and sit-ins-- and I hope this continues until UNIVERSALLY one person enjoys the same rights as another. Which brings me to two actions: the first, a boycott of businesses that financially supported Prop 8; the second, Day Without a Gay.

This list is a list of companies and organizations that supported Prop 8 financially or endorsed Prop 8 through media or other methods; while there aren't too many in Fresno, I believe that knowing who is an ally, and whose businesses to not support, as they do not support my beliefs, is important. Randomly, my childhood dentist is on this list-- I actually stopped attending his practice because he was a frightening dentist-- he had the shakes like crazy, which is not at all good when somebody is scraping away at your teeth. Check it out.

The second action is an action which has exciting possibilities: Day Without a Gay. Much like the economic protests of 2006 which called for all immigrant and immigrant-rights supporters to refrain from any purchases, Day Without a Gay asks for all people who support Gay Rights to take the day off of work, dedicate the day to service, and not make any purchases, to show the impact of those of us out there who did not support Prop 8, who believe that any loving family should be able to welcome a child into their home, and that denying ANY right due to sexual preference-- like race, gender, religion, or ethnicity-- is illegal and unfair. By taking a step further and calling for a donation of time to a deserving non

-profit or other activist group, DWAG is showing that it is love, community betterment, and social justice that motivates the community-- not discrimination and hate.

My First Blog Swap EVAH!

2008-11-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this, I had to post right away-- as opposed to studying math for the GRE (see post below). I know, what sacrifices I make. I originally started my blog for three reasons:

1. Because I was so totally inspired by the wonderful Sarah P. and her blogging over at Sarah Said

2. Because I wanted to sort of chronicle the huge changes in my life recently

3. Because I am a crafty, crafty girl, and I love reading other's marvelous craft blogs, especially after reading Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together. I loved how Larissa Brown used her blog to initiate beautiful swaps of knitterly goods!

I have really been slacking on the crafty part of the blog, though-- I have actually finished several knit objects (including a pair of striped glow-in-the-dark fingerless gloves-- hells yes), refinished a rocking chair, and made an awesome cover for this totally nerdy photo album I bought at a thrift store for $2.99! I have pictures of all this goodness on my camera, but haven't yet blogged about it. Just wait 'til this GRE/Grad School application stuff is out of the way. Then I'll be non-stop!

Anyway. The exciting thing is-- Sarah of the previously mentioned Sarah Said, and Talia, of Rejoicings and Ramblings have created a Scarf Swap called, "Girl, Get Your Scarf On!" I'm all over it. I am going to hand-knit it, but I won't share any secrets about it so I won't spoil the surprise for whomever I get to send it off to! YAY! My excitement is boiling over. Go to either Talia or Sarah's blog to sign up, and find all the details! The scarves totally don't have to be handknit, either, so if you're not feeling the fiber, it's OK. Let's all get cute and cozy, scarf style.

Me and My Buddy Math

2008-11-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Math isn't really my buddy. Math is like that kid in elementary school who you think is really cool, and you get excited when they invite you to their birthday party at the rolling rink, and they are nice and all, but when it's time for partner skating, Math is somebody else's partner. You're OK with it-- I mean, you aren't Math's best friend or anything. It would just be nice to be really good friends with Math, 'cause she seems pretty neat. But you just don't have that much in common, so it's best not to force it.

Reading, writing, vocabulary. Sentence and paragraph comprehension. We're best friends. Verbal and I have gotten down and dirty with it all my life. In third grade, I got in trouble for reading ahead in the CAT-5 testing book to the vocab section when I was supposed to be doing the geometry section. We even fight-- should language be prescriptive or descriptive? I love my canon (oh, Jane Austen!), but I want space for everybody else. Is Shakespeare really all he's cracked up to be (current opinion-- yes. This changes almost annually). But Verbal got me scholarships. Verbal got me grants. We're very close, Verbal and I.

It's not that I hate math-- I think it's endlessly fascinating, and when combined with theory, an incredibly gorgeous art form. I have a friend who talks about math and physics like it's the one true religion, and when he talks about it, I sometimes think it is. But all the respect in the world for math isn't going to get me a score above 600 on the GRE.

The thing is, it's seventh and eighth grade math (supposedly). I have freakin' taught seventh and eighth grade math! So why can't I score above a 510 on any of the practice tests? I've been studying like a fiend (which has brought my score up from a dismal 410), with The Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE. I highly recommend it. Also, working with math teachers helps, too-- I've brought several concepts to work, and the lovely ladies have stayed after or on their breaks from students to help me factor exponents and figure out the formulas for percentage increases and decreases. I feel more confident now then when I got that 410, but I'm still really stinkin' nervous.

So tomorrow is the big day-- eight in the morning, and no coffee allowed. All I want is a score in the low 600's. Verbal will be my skating buddy... I just want Math to come to the party and eat some cake.

The Cost of an Education

2008-11-10T18:00:00.001-08:00

I registered for my GRE a few days ago, and it was $140.00 for the computer-based test. I am applying to three schools, and the average application fee is $50.00. Since none of them are in the same university system, I can't pay one application fee, so that's another $150.00. So far, including the postage for mailing what isn't covered by the online application (letters of recommendation, transcripts), the cost of applying alone is over $300.00. That doesn't even cover any of my tuition or fees. Now, I recognize that I am applying to three distinguished and somewhat competitive programs (although my field-- librarianship-- isn't that competitive, compared to say, business, or medical or law school), in three of the most expensive cities in the United States (L.A., Seattle, and New York). I did complete my undergrad work in another incredibly expensive city-- San Francisco-- which left me with a little chunk of student loans (though I was lucky enough to have several scholarships and grants, which offset the cost a little). The minimum I will pay for my masters is $20,000, not including cost of living. Getting educated is friggin' expensive! And with the economy crumbling, options like federal student loans and private loans are getting harder and harder to secure-- especially for those with fair or poor credit, or large credit balances-- like undergrad student loans! It's a vicious cycle.

Why I Want Obama for President-- And Why I Won't Be Voting for Him

2008-11-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

I want Obama to be President so much that I've almost been sick with anticipation for the past few days. Once the polls are closed, and the votes are tallied, and the winner is announced, I know I'm gonna cry like crazy either way. But I'm not voting for Obama. And here are a few reasons why:

I first heard of Barack Obama in January 2006, when I was twenty years old, and before there was anything but vague speculation amongst a few about this young Senator and a presidential bid. I visited Washington, D.C., to discuss with a national panel of people brought together by College Summit (an amazing organization that brings together students who have the odds stacked against them to ever attend college) why students don't go to college, and how to address that in our specific communities. I met a young man named Willie, who had worked on Barack's Senate Campaign. We had dinner in Chinatown, and he told me about this person whom I couldn't believe was in politics-- his politics were so close to mine I couldn't believe that someone that left was ever elected on the national level. Willie said he thought Obama might try for President in a few elections (who knew it would be the next one?). I told Willie that was a candidate I could get behind, get really excited about. But Willie's Obama, by the nature of campaigns and politics, has had to compromise on his progressivism, courting votes from the moderates. I understand it-- it's the nature of elections. But I was disappointed on hearing his position on Israel (which I don't think is genuine to the way he really feels). On his supporting immunity for telecommunication companies that violated Constitutional Rights. For being less vocal about the disenfranchised after securing the nomination-- women, people of color, the LGBT community. For voting for a bail-out that looks more like Bush's Trickle Down than anything truly effective for the average citizen. So I am not voting for Obama to remind him of his progressive, leftist roots. I want him to know there are active voters and citizens that support his leftist policies, that want to hear more about "socialist" economic policies, who want a president willing to be a diplomat before a war-monger, and not be apologetic about it. I want a real leftist president-- a person who is concerned with the power of the people. I saw this in Willie's Obama-- and I want that Obama back once he's in office.

I live in California. I can vote for yo momma, and it's not gonna make a difference. If I was in a swing state, or even a state that was within ten poll points, my vote would be for Obama. But as a California voter, I have a unique opportunity to support something I believe is very important for a truly representative democracy-- and that is a multi-party system. If you listen to enough political pundits, you'll hear references to conservatives, neo-cons, moderates, left-to-center Democrats. All of these labels attempt to define politician's platforms, votes, and actions on a nuanced spectrum of left-to-right. What should be noted is if the politicians show this diversity, than the millions of constituents they serve will be even more diverse. So why just two parties? What America does that represent? I want to vote for a candidate who most closely represents my beliefs, and I want a Congress that isn't regularly effectually gridlocked by party affiliations-- be it opposing parties leading the executive and legislative national government (like the last years of Bill Clinton), or a judicial system that can, with one appointee, make a decision that only represents roughly half of the nation. With the effect of third parties in recent elections, I believe it is time Washington recognizes that people want more choices in their candidates.

Yet for all of the reasons above-- I believe that Obama is the best candidate. I believe that no other candidate (in my short voting life of two presidential elections) has the chance to change America from the Imperialist, classcist nation it is. I think no other candidate will open the possibilities to third parties carrying real weight in America, and no other candidate will consider the working and needful classes as Obama will. But I also believe that to be that President, Obama needs citizens who expect nothing less from him, and support him every time he makes moves in these directions-- and to keep him (and all our other elected officials) accountable every time he doesn't follow through.

We got approval from where I work to keep the election coverage going tomorrow, and Virginia and Pennsylvania's polls will close while I'm on, and with students all around me, I don't know how I'm going to handle it. But I have hope for change, and hope for America. And with my vote tomorrow, I have dissent-- the best tool a citizen has for getting that change.

Fake Flyers

2008-11-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

After reading this Wired report about people posting fake flyers, I feel like it's just so important to point out the extreme significance of voting, and of being an informed voter, from the top of the ticket to county legislature. People are serious about taking this right away, from local idiots like this, to voting systems that disenfranchise those that need to make their voices heard the most. It's a cliche, but only because it's true-- people have been beaten and killed for our right to vote. Not in the "hawk" sense that some people seem to like to throw around as a justification for war, but in the South in the fifties and the sixties. All over America in the beginning of this century.

Follow the issues that are on the ballot. Research each proposition outside of the biased and special-interest-funded TV and radio commercials. Don't vote the way your friends and family do just because they're your friends and family. If you're still not sure about where you stand on some issues, check out this broadcast from KPFA-- they are a progressive, independent media source, and while they do have a strong left slant, they present each prop as well-researched, and share points of view from those on the left that aren't in agreement on how to vote. I found this especially helpful, as the brochures that are sent out the month before elections drive me crazy-- I just can't get over THE ALL CAPS GRAMMAR and TWENTY million exclamation POINTS whoever writes these things seem to think get THEIR POINT across BETTER!!!!!!

I'm going to take some time tonight to sit down and fill out my sample ballot, from top to bottom, and to do further reading on some of the propositions I'm not decided on-- like 3, 11, and 12, and research the options for my local school board, and other non-partisan officials that I haven't heard all that much about. This is probably one of the most exciting elections ever, and either way, it's going to be historical.

I'm excited. Let's all go vote!

Damn DUMB! Let's Do Something About It

2008-10-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

As if there isn't enough stupidity floating around these days (McCain on Barack's "terrorist" ties yesterday?), I was flipping through the September Better Homes and Gardens my mom checked out from the library this afternoon, and came across a DuPont Countertops ad with this picture--

and this caption, with several countertop options pictured under it--

Who Says You Can't Lust After Colors?

I'm not even gonna pretend like the advertising industry is a bastion of diversity, but when diversity is represented, and that diversity is appropriated to sell consumer goods, it defies the point of a representative market, and becomes just plain offensive.

In this ad, a woman of color looks seductively at the camera, with about three inches of the ad actually showing the countertop. The language of the blurb below uses words like, "touch you," "move you," "focus on more exciting things," and "be seduced." Words like these used in conjunction with this image portrays this woman's ethnicity as sexy-- and that is the selling point. When ads exoticize women of color for marketing, they play into the stereotype of these women being sex objects, of being wild and uninhibited, ideas that come from outdated colonial, imperial, and master/slave mindsets where non-white people are seen as an "other," and women in these situations are especially targeted be seen as lesser than to be seen as lesser than.

If this ad bothers you as much as it does me, write, call, or email DuPont at:

DuPont

Wilimington, DE,

19898

Ph: 302-774-1000

Web: www.dupont.com

You can also visit DuPont's page at CoOp America's Responsible Shopper website, and read about other unhealthy ways DuPont is affecting us and our planet, and some ways you can take action on your anger.

Question: Why is Sherman Alexie Such a Genius In My Heart For Always?

2008-10-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Answer:

1. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

3. "The Business of Fancy Dancing"

When I was in high school, I wrote quotes from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven on my bedroom mirror with lip liner I bought from the 99 Cent Store. If I could serve fresh tomatoes to any ten authors in a library, he'd be at the top of the list.

My Political Two Cents

2008-10-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

This election has really made me think about the media, and the way that political campaigns on all levels-- from local board members to the presidential candidates-- have utilized TV, the internet, print, all of that to shape their campaigns, and how different things would be if campaigns created the media, versus the media creating the campaign, and how if often seems as if the media treats the campaigns as something that doesn't affect them on the personal level, but as some great sweeps event that has lasted for a year and a half. Maybe I'm campaign-fatigued, not voting for either candidate running from the major parties, and so I am sick of not hearing any other party voices in the major media outlets-- except to poke fun at their futility. I thought with the impact that third parties have had on recent elections (for better or worse), and the campaign of Ron Paul, I would hear some of these voices outside of my favorite independent media sources.

Anyway. I heard something on the mid-day news today that made me very upset, and is a great example of the way the media interprets the presidential campaign. Barack Obama's grandmother is very ill, and he has stopped campaigning to fly to her home in Hawaii to support her. Now, if the news had reported only this, I would have had no issue, as so many aspects of politicians' lives have become fodder for the media. However, when this action began to be analyzed for the effect it would have on his campaign, I got mad. Republicans argued when news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy was released, and the media began to analyze its effect on the McCain/Palin campaign, that this was a family issue, and it should have no bearing on the campaign. However, Palin has created her political persona around the issue of family politics, and this was a real-life example of the effects of her platform. This is not true of the illness of Obama's grandmother, and while the media is gleefully reporting that Obama's willingness to support his grandmother will boost him further along in the polls, I am sure that Obama could give a rip about any of it and the way it will effect his campaign as this woman, who in all accounts seems quite remarkable, means the world to him and his family. Like any person who is ill or in a personal crisis-- red or blue-- deserves only our thoughts and well-wishes for a speedy return to health and NOT to be treated as a campaign stump.

Current Obbession: "The Wolves Chronicles"

2008-10-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

We all have our little things we like to do if we feel cruddy or just need a day off-- I really like to go to the library and check out a huge stack of "kid's" novels and snuggle up to read them. Plus, not like time off ever needs a justification, but I can always call this "research" for my future career of children's librarian extrordinaire.

This summer I went through a huge list of books that kind of point to the turning point in books targeted at kids-- though I have a lot of opinions about the genre in general. Anyway, I'll save that for my master's thesis.

Starting with the more well known books that were scattered about from the forties and fifties like the ubiquitous Catcher in the Rye and John Knowles' A Separate Peace to books from the sixties onwards that chronicled the shift in young readers and their sensibilities like Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, The Chocolate War, and Maniac Magee, Stargirl, and anything by E.L. Konigsburg (whose books I love to an almost addictive point), I've been looking at stories that have a hard steel thread running though them. But now the weather is turning, it's almost Halloween, and I've been steering more towards children's novels that have a more classical structure of good vs. evil, orphaned kids, mysterious doors that lead to more mysterious mansion secrets. Think Secret Garden type stuff.

These led me to "The Wolves Chronicles," by Joan Aiken. I found them by accident at the local library-- I saw the title Black Hearts in Battersea (cuz you can't ignore a title like that), and pulled it off the shelf. The version I found had the front cover illustrated by Edward Gorey, whose work points towards the atmosphere I want to dive into this time of year. I read the first one, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, in a couple of hours-- these books are divine. They are dark and slightly gothic, set in Wuthering Heights-type rambling moors, and cobblestoned, sooty city streets, with relief in a picturesque English countryside where nobody pronounces their " 'atches." They chronicle the adventures of several British children attempting to overcome evil-- usually in the form of tyrannical adults, orphanhood, and poverty, and remind me of several other books I have read recently that I wouldn't be surprised if the authors took some inspiration from.

These all have steampunkish elements to them, where precocious children don't take no smack from dictator-ish adults, using a lot of trains and boats to do it, like some more recent books: The Mysterious Benedict Society series, by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which is written to read like a silent movie, and Here be Monsters (which is called Volume I of the Ratbridge Chronicles and was published in 2005, so I've been checking bookstore and library shelves forever waiting for the next one).

Product Review: Clairol's Nice n' Easy Perfect 10

2008-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I love dying my hair-- I like makeup, and I like clothes, but I love dying my hair! My mom let me dye my hair for the first time when I was 16, and I dyed it a bright strawberry blonde, and it was rockin'. I never once saw my natural color again, until very recently-- more on that later. I've done it myself all but twice-- once for what I thought was very Andy Warhol-esque chunky platinum skunk-stripes on dark chocolate, but in retrospect, really just looked kind of like a lot of girls' hair in SoCal, and once, to have my hair effasoled. Only once has it gone wrong, and that was when I thought buying hair color from the 99 cent store was a good idea. It had probably expired or something, because my hair ended up a brassy orange. I called my grandma, who dyes her hair more than I do, and she said just dye over it, because my hair was young and healthy and would be fine. Here's the color I ended up with after the overdye (I think I'm 17 in this picture, and I know I'm definitely pasty baby-butt white):

The thing with dying your hair, though, is getting it back to its natural color ever again, which, when I started dying, was dark, ashy blonde. Once I moved to San Francisco, I just kept getting progressively darker, and darker, until I went jet black. My hair was halfway down my back, and there was no way in hell I could dye over that. That's when I had my hair effasoled-- chemically stripped-- and it didn't really work. We got it to a very dark brown, so I just had red chunks put in it and to hell with it. To finally get rid of all that black, I cut my hair off very short, and to my surprise, my hair had, in the seven years I had been dying it, actually got to that darker brown shade with hints of red I had always wanted! But of course, this newfound joy in my natural color only lasted about a year-- mainly because I lived in my car and had no sink to stick my head under. I went a little lighter for summer, and as the weather cools down, I decided to dye my hair a darker brown, and to use the new Clairol Nice n' Easy Perfect 10 I had read so much about. I love the natural looking colors they offered-- working in classrooms, they want your hair to not look like a circus act. I figured it must be less chemically harmful to my hair and the environment, too, since it sits on your head for less time, and supposedly has no harsh chemical scent-- which I equated to "no harsh chemicals."

Hooey. This product, with its "lovely scent," was more fumey than any hair color I have ever used-- and it did stink like hair color, but with a strong perfume scent over it. Disclaimer-- I did have a terrible chest cold when I dyed (hee, hee), so maybe this irritated my little inflamed lung nodules more than it might have usually, but I had to open the windows and get the fan going cuz this stuff stank. During the dye (that giddy dazed look comes from the fumes):

The product also came with a comb attachment for more even application, but I had a really hard time dragging that thing through my thick-o hair. I eventually just squeezed it through the comb and into my hands and worked it in like shampoo.

It was nice to only have to worry about not rubbing the color off on furniture for ten minutes, though I was reading, and got caught up in the book and left it on for 15. Glad to report no big chunks fell out once I did wash it out. Rinsing it all out was no issue, though it doesn't lather like my old favorite does, and I kept rubbing at my head hoping for some bubbles. The conditioner that comes with the dye, however, is to die for (oh, the puns-- they just keep coming!). It made my head smell like swanky salon, and even my thick mess was glossy and shiny like your hair never is unless you have it styled. The result (I wish I had a wind machine):

I think I basically dyed my hair back to its normal color.

I checked out Skin Deep, a great resource if you ever wonder just how damaging to you and the planet your choice of beauty products is. Perfect 10 has not been added yet, but most of Clairol's hair coloring products have earned a 7 or 8 on a scale of one to ten, one being like chemically untreated water, ten being like Calvin Klein's Eternity for Men Eau de Toilette (no, really-- this fragrance has a 10 on their scale for containing neurotoxins and causing biochemical or cellular level changes). My conclusion is that in order to be effective in ten minutes, they gotta make that chemical stuff strong.

Why You Gotta Be Hatin'?

2008-10-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Moths get a bad rap.

Maybe not so much a bad rap as ignored when compared to their lepidoptera kin, the butterfly. Butterflies are everywhere, commercially, and are pretty much seen universally as signs of peace and sunshine, except in Japan, where I've been told moths and butterflies are a common fear, like snakes and spiders in the United States. Random trivia: fear of moths is known as "Mottephobia." As a knitter, I know one of the cases against them; they chew holes in lovely wooly bits. More random trivia-- when moths chow down on your beloved wool knits, they aren't actually hankerin' after the fiber, so don't get jealous-- you can have the wool! It's the lanolin and your body oils they love to chow down on.

If asked to name some famous moths-- if you can name one at all-- you might come up with Mothra, who certainly isn't a shining example of why we should love moths as much as their flitty (maybe even flaky?), daytime counterparts.

There are a few major differences between butterflies and moths:

1. Moths rest with their wings out to the sides, while butterflies generally rest with their wings straight up.

2. Most moths are out and about at dusk and dawn (crepuscular), and at night (nocturnal), while butterflies are diurnal (active during the day).

3. Moths tend to have thicker and furrier bodies and antennae, while butterflies have thinner, scaled bodies with finer antennae.

4. This does not hold true for all moths, but I think it is why they are less popular (think of an eighties' high school-- popular kids wear colors like pastel pink and yellow and blue; Ducky wears grey plaid. But, here's my point. Who is ultimately more cool?). Moth wings tend to be black, brown, grey, rust, and white, while butterflies are famous for their varied wing hues, for camouflage purposes. The rosy maple moth and the luna moth are great examples of moths that screw that noise.

If you want a close-up observation of some of these traits yourself, here's a recipe for moth goop to paint on a tree (or a removable sheet you can pin up and take down later, if you have bears or raccoons in your area!) before the nights get too cold. This goop attracts moths by nature of the sugar, both processed and from the fermented fruit.

One brown banana in its peel, left to sit in the sun for a day

1/4 cup Maple Syrup or Honey (Maple Syrup works best, in my experience)

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Peel the banana and mash it all up in cup until it's of a pasty consistency, then with a paintbrush, paint it very, very thinly on the tree or sheet (if it's too thick the moths will get stuck in it and not be able to fly away). If you have a light source (spotlight, floodlight, porch light), this is even more effective! Expect the moths to start arriving around late dusk.

For those of you who still think moths are a bit icky, here's a trick: bats, who are natural predators of moths, emit SONOR to help them locate their tasty treat. While we humans can't hear the sound of SONOR, moths can-- and to them, it sounds like keys jingling on a key ring! Shake your keys around when you get home and moths are flocking around your porch light-- the sound should scare them off right quick.