Nonsense Makes Sense

“My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz.  It’s the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz.  You’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond ‘Z’ and start poking around!”  ~Dr. Seuss

We’ve had a rough go on the east coast in recent weeks, and as I write this, the predicted Nor’easter is bringing down the temperature a whole lot more. What the snow will do remains to be seen, but the whole affair adds insult to injury for thousands of still-out-of-power or displaced folks.

Within all this, schools and towns are in various states of open or closed throughout the area, the election happened, and “the show must go on” with work to be tended. (yes, dear clients, I am working!)

So I decided to lighten up a bit, with a little nonsense borrowed from the great Dr. Seuss ~ which seems to make as much if not more sense than “real life”. (And I’ve a feeling there will be more installments of nonsense down the pike …)

………

Here’s wishing you a bit of nonsense in your day. 🙂

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Art & Life”

Chris Staley

How the life we live influences what we create, and how art may influence the way we live..  This is one of my favorite videos in the series. Chris’ stories and insights about artists, students and teaching (with a flourish of psychology mixed in) make me wish there’d been a class like this when I’d been in school. Great stuff.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Post Sandy

It’s been a week since Sandy started to rip up New Jersey and New York City, and it’ll be a long road to fix things. Places that have been “in my backyard” for many, many years have been shredded and rocked to pieces.

So for what it’s worth, I just can’t let this pass without comment, without saying out loud that my heart aches for the people hit hardest, who have lost everything, who have the unimaginably daunting task ahead of rebuilding.

I might also be experiencing a microcosm of “survivor guilt”. Yes, 90% of our inland town has been without power until yesterday, when it went to 50%. Yes, there are wires down, trees down, home and car damage. Clerks use flashlights to assess mostly empty grocery shelves. Gas stations are closing; those open had 4-hour gas lines; yesterday rationing began. Schools are closed. But our downtown is open and we are far, far more fortunate than those along the coast. (There is no comparison.) And on a more personal level, my little street was one of the 10% with power.

Pangs of something resembling guilt arise ~ although I know it was through no action of my own, just a stroke of luck. I also know that feeling bad for not suffering as much as someone else does not take away their strife. So I choose to be grateful, and share with friends in need.

Sandy’s not all that different from disasters in other parts of the world ~ the difference is the proximity to home; the similarity is a sense of  one’s hands being tied. You see and hear about what’s happening. You feel terrible. You go about your business. Which sounds harsh ~ but I don’t think it’s so much insensitivity as it is a helplessness to “do” anything of significance combined with the natural urge towards “life”.

You can pray. You can offer soup cans. If you can get there, you can help at a shelter. If you have money, you can give that. But you are not going to house and feed thousands of people or put their memories in order or salvage their losses, and you are not going to fix the subway system. All your feelings of compassion have nowhere to go. Those feelings don’t fix the scale of broken things brought on by a natural disaster. But you wish they could.

I find it hard to look at some of the images, but one thing I can say is ~ the human spirit is indeed magnificent and strong. Bless the emergency units, the utility workers, the fireman, the police, the military, the animal rescue teams, local businesses and regular everyday people who’ve been helping in any way they can ~ and continued prayers that those who need help will be comforted.

~ Patricia

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One More for All Hallows’ Eve

Happy Halloween! / Week 9 / 52 Weeks of Peace

“Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, “Tonight is Halloween!”
~ Dexter Kozen

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Moments of Prayer in Sandy’s Wake

Even as the sun strains to shine again, making the storm’s memory surreal, I want to put my prayers out there for everyone who’s suffered at the hands of Hurricane Sandy, and for those who are still in her wide, destructive path ~ and I welcome anyone who’d like to join me, in whatever form your prayer takes.

We’re in New Jersey, which has been among the hardest hit…. and while (with enormous gratitude) we are safe, many have been less fortunate and my heart goes out to them all up and down the coast and now reaching inland to the midwest. These are not ordinary times and this has been no ordinary storm.

Though our prayers may seem miniscule in the face of such force ~ a force that once again reminds us of how little control we have ~ prayers are worthy and needed. They may not stop a tunnel from flooding or a building from toppling, but in some unseen but powerful way, I believe (and hope) they matter. So, prayers to all, and huge, bountiful blessings to those who are able and willing to roll up their sleeves and brave the elements to help. They are heroes, all.

~ Patricia

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Creativity in Sports”

ChrisStaley / Snowfall At Night / 16x15x15

This week’s video shows Chris interviewing Penn State Head Football Coach Bill O’Brien. How, one might wonder, do you relate a game like football with the arts?

Chris manages to weave the two worlds together quite remarkably, within the context of perceptions like illusion, deception, sculpting your medium, and discipline … and it all makes sense. (If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Loving Doisneau

Photo professionals and art history buffs have surely fallen in love with French photographer Robert Doisneau long before I did ~ but no matter when in time, I’m glad I found him. Of course, we’ve all seen his work, but perhaps didn’t know the name behind the lens.

His work is rich, spontaneous, human story-telling at its photographic best. And, if by chance I needed anything more to endear me to his work, it’s black & white.

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Robert Doisneau lived from 1912 – 1994. There’s a fabulous site about Doisneau and his work, here.

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Pumpkins!

‘Tis the season to bring out your carving knives and spook those goblins with clever sculptings!

Here’s a sampling of fantastic pumpkins* ~ some of which I’d think would require not just skill but the patience of a saint. They’re inspiring, yes? Another example of our wondrous capacity for creativity. Enjoy!

* All images found on the web, at various places: marthastewart.com, countryliving.com, goodhousekeeping.com, flicker and google images.

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Throwing a Snowman”

Chris Staley

“Everything an artist makes is a metaphor.” This is the overriding theme in this week’s video from Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate. With disarming style, Chris recreates a snowman, a flower, a bent can and sticks in snow, inspired by a classroom visit with young children. (If you missed my introduction about Chris, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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