The Art of Nerding

I am a nerd.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I tend to be more subtle in my nerd-dom then others, but it is there.  Always lingering.

I usually nerd out over British things.  You know, the usual suspects:  Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Luther, Pride and Prejudice (the '95 version of course),  French and Saunders, Fry and Laurie..not Harry Potter, sorry....but my latest nerd out is over something very American.  This is, of course, the latest and last installment of Nolan's Batman films.   There was something about this last one that made the nerd in me blossom like my inner nerd hasn't in quite a while.  This led me to scour various Tumblr pages for information regarding the film, which in turn revealed to me the greatest insight of them all.  As with all things American, they are usually inspired by something fantastically British.  The Dark Knight Rises is no exception!  One blogger claimed that there were numerous references to A Tale of Two Cites and, being the ardent anglophile I am, I delved right into the book to see for myself.  I read the book in a record 18 days (yes, I am a meticulous reader) and now report to you my findings:

Exhibit 1:

Barsad.  Yes there's a character named Barsad in TKDR
and if you don't know which one he is...

this is he. 

           

Exhibit II:

Have we started the fire? Yes brother, the fire rises!
Need I say more?

Exhibit III:

There are so many things mirrored in this film:  the storming of the Bastille, the storming of Black Gate Prison for one

Exhibit IV:

The felons were trying the honest men...

Scarecrow anyone?

Exhibit V:

A great storm coming

I think this line is famous enough right now that I don't need to explain it

Exhibit VI:

Mme Defarge infamously knits through the entire book.  I scoured the
internet to find a pic of Bane and his rope knotting during the sentencing
scene, to no avail.  And let me just add this, if I was an actress and was told
that I could plan any role of my desiring, it would be a toss up between
Lady Macbeth and Mme Defarge.  

Exhibit VII:

Eulogy of course, the most obvious connexion.  I decided not to post pics

of all the lines in the eulogy, but they were all taken from the last few 

paragraphs of the book.  

Case closed.  

My Grandma's Things

6 years ago this month, my grandma died.  I was living in another state and didn't have to witness her decline like the rest of my family did.  I wasn't even at her funeral.  Maybe because of this, she never seemed to die for me.  It is only with the passing of the years that I've come to realize that she is gone forever.  Last week, I went to visit my family back home and take one last look at her house that will someday be inhabited by another family.  There were still a few articles of clothing that my mom couldn't get rid of and, with barely any prompting, I was more then willing to take them home with me. My grandma was a classic woman of the 50's and being so, her waist was a good 2 to 4 inches smaller then mine.  I'm not sure if some miracle of stitchery will ever make it possible for me to fit into these treasures, but even if it were the case, I don't even own a sewing machine, let alone know how to use it.  But, for now, I'll hold onto them anyway.  The dresses that still smell like her perfume, even after all this time.  The little pink trash can that lived in her little pink bathroom.  Little items hidden behind glass that I would gaze at as a child, jealously wishing to play with them.  Even as her memory warps with time, these little things will keep her alive to me. 

The dress my grandma wore to my parents wedding. 

Fantastic wool dress, with an impossible 26" waist!

Blue and yellow plaid, pleated bottom half of this dress

Top of the dress with matching blue jacket, 3/4 length sleeves

The top of the dress with matching belt

Pink knitted skirt and sweater number, also with matching belt

Little pink trash can, missing a bejeweled butterfly

Classic fake bonsai tree, all wire and glass

Tiny tea set

A Slow Return

I have been horrendously neglectful of my blog.  Really, I haven't been active at all since December I think.  But in an effort to reconnect and put myself out there, I have sworn to renew my efforts!  Now I just need to figure out which direction I want this to go...

In the meantime, I may just start a series of skirt and shoe pictures.  Enjoy.  ;)

Christmas Time

I can't help it...I love Christmas.  I think part of it is just that I have really good memories of Christmases throughout my childhood.  Traditions are big in my family.  Starting on Thanksgiving, with Miracle on 34th Street and ending on Christmas Eve with White Christmas, my family probably watches a Christmas movie every single night.  Of course they save the best for when I come home, like It's a Wonderful Life and Muppets' Christmas Carol.  We always do one present on Christmas Eve, which is always pajamas.  Then my older sister and younger brother get up before dawn to gaze at the Christmas tree in all its glory and start the coffee and tea for the old people (aka those of us who loathe early mornings, even on Christmas...so me and my parents).  They wake me first so we can have some sibling bonding time before the parents are up.  After that, the goal every year is to frighten my parents awake.  I think we've managed to actually scare them once in our lives.  Maybe.  They are usually awake before we even think of waking them.

Since I'm the only one not living in the same town as the rest of my family (not even the same state actually), it can be a little harder these days to keep the Christmas spirit alive.  I'm sure some people must think I'm nuts for Christmas, but I try to keep it in perspective by telling them that I'm the grinch in my family.  But I always get a tree.  I don't hold to the steadfast rule, mandated by my sister, that only Christmas music in allowed from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day.   But I do like to listen to Bing more often then not during this season.  This year, my fella and I made our own advent calendar.  It's not perfect but it was fun to make and more fun to open the boxes every other day (we alternate days so we don't have to have a calendar for each of us) and see what he's put inside.

The long green ornaments are vintage!

I love the round light bulbs

Our little advent calendar made of small matchboxes

With buttons for the knobs

As we do a day, we turn the box around for the number to show

From the back

Spanish Remnants

My boyfriend recently returned from a month-long trip to Barcelona where he was working on a film.  He returned with many treasures for me, all of which are remarkable in their own way.  Of course he didn't get anything for his mum.  Fearing the potential-mother-in-law grudge I knew might befall me, I told him he had better give her the bottle of wine from Spain he had brought back with him.   A little while later he went out to lunch with his mum and he informed me that she asked him if he'd found a girl he liked better than me in Spain...
Now, we keep the wine.

These are real flowers that have been dipped in some kind of resin

Made with a beautiful purple wood 

Yes, I love owls.  But who doesn't really?

I love copper, even if it leaves my finger green!

Lovely silver ring

My one request was for a shawl...

...and he got me two!

The big surprise was this beautiful leather purse

Autumn Surprises

This is my favorite time of year.  I believe the holiday season has the potential to bring out the best in everyone.  And while it is fun to receive gifts, it can be so much more fun to give them.  I love the challenge of gift hunting.  Even finding that item in the corner of the shop, the shaft of light from heaven pointing you towards it...a chorus of angels singing "This, this is the perfect gift to give so and so!" as you pick it up and hold it in your hands.  And if most people feel the same as I do, it's not even the gift that's important.  Just the fact that they took the time to think of you makes me so happy.
Case in point, I just received an unexpected package from an old friend of mine...

 First I love all the little personal details.

And a little note, just for me.

 Even the tea in the cup is arranged grey, purple, grey, purple, grey.

And homemade biscotti! So yummy.

A pumpkin for a bit of fall spirit.

This just happens to be a quote from one of my favorite men:

And in the box...a cosy hat for the cooler weather!  Handmade of course. 

I love you, Jessica!

Plant Babies

I have recently become quite taken with gardening.  I can't do much since I live in a second story apartment, but that's probably for the best.  Admittedly, I don't have the greenest thumb in the world.  Here are some of my most recent creations/acquisitions.  

These two are air plants and really have no root system.  I have a third but didn't take a picture of it for some reason.  So neat!  

These are little succulent gardens that I put together.  A new hobby that is surprisingly fun.