Consider My Soul Stirred

So... for this week's assignment we had to find a "soul stirring" black and white picture from before we were born and try and duplicate it. I looked and looked, having a pretty good idea of what kind of picture I wanted and I couldn't find it so I got desperate, found this one by chance and said "DONE! Easy Peasy!" Ok, well maybe I didn't say "Easy Peasy" but was satisfied that it would be easy to replicate it. It's called "Eleanor" by Harry Callahan taken in 1947.

I kept thinking about the picture and looking a it. As I kept reflecting on the picture I came to see the beauty in the simplicity of the picture, in the lighting and in the lines of her body. It is beautiful and sexy, and the model is openly vulnerable. I had originally planned on modelling for it myself, cause I figured it would be easy enough to do myself and was kind of dreading it. After reflecting on the picture I was looking forward to modelling for it! After all, why shouldn't I?!?!?! I know that "fluffy" girls shouldn't do stuff like this, and as a self proclaimed "Fluffy" girl, I wanted to suddenly do nothing more than try it. Who is to say that I can't be beautiful and sexy?! I don't know who "they" are that determine who/what defines feminine beauty, but they are so wrong! There is beauty in all of us! It may not be the conventional beauty that society seeks, but we are beautiful non the less. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made! I was wrong for choosing this picture originally when I didn't feel anything for it, but now I consider my soul stirred by this picture, so here is my interpretation.

SHELLY! I Love You More Than Kodak!!!

  This past week was nice and relaxed. What could be more relaxing than sitting back, munching on goodies and watching some movies with your fellow classmates? That's right, we had movie week! We had to watch a minimum of 3 movies, and the 3 that I watched  were 1) Born into Brothels, 2) One Hour Photo, 3) Pecker.


Born into Brothels was... I'm not sure that I can use only one word to describe the movie. It was inspiring, sad, heartbreaking and a million other emotions. I knew that it was going to be a sad movie going into it and expected to cry, but I didn't. Not until the very end when the updates were given on the children. That kind of surprised me, as I am a crier. What surprised me most about the movie was how all of the children wanted to get out of the red light district, because they knew what kind of life awaited them if they stayed. I know that sounds bad, but you know the saying "Not seeing the forest for the trees", well I guess I expected the kids to see the trees and not the forest. But they did and knew the forest well. As badly as their families treated them they still loved them, one of the little boys made a remark along the lines that even though his father wasn't a good one, he was still his father so he tried to love him. I couldn't get over how these children seemed so old, yet so young at the same time. This is totally foreign to my understanding of childhood. What is it like to constantly worry that you will "join the line" any day, will your mother be killed by her pimp or a customer, to be abandoned to family because your mother is unwilling to care for you? One little boy, Avjit commented "There is nothing in my future called hope.". So when Zana Auntie, began to try and get the children out of the brothels, I started to silently cheer along side her victories and feel her keen disappointment when it seemed like nothing would come together. I applaud her for all her efforts in helping these children. That she was able to help even some is a miracle in itself, these kids that she has helped don't have to fear life in the brothels. I was so excited when she was able to get these kids out of the brothels, and when they gave updates on the kids at the end of the movie, my heart broke upon learning that not all of the children remained in the schools where Zana Auntie got them admittance to, and it broke even more upon learning that one of the girls left the school of her own free will. I did a little bit of research on where the kids are now and am pleased to report that 2 of the kids were attending schools in the USA. Avjit being one of them, he was attending NYU studying film. After the movie was over some of us were discussing it and someone remarked that they felt like shit and wanted to hop on a plane over there, right then to help. And while I empathize with the feelings, I came to realize a long time ago that not everyone is cut out for being a hands on advocate like Zana Auntie was, but there are always financial needs, and helping financially is every bit important as being there in person getting your hands dirty, for without the financial support there would be no hope for these kids.


  One hour Photo! CREEPY! I have no other word for it, I really don't. Sy turns from a photo stalker to an actual stalker. It made me want to look suspiciously at all photo lab technicians from now on. To become so enamoured with a family through their photos that he felt he had become a part of the family (Uncle Sy) is creepy and scary beyond belief. To believe that he was a part of the family and to have daydreams of what it would be like to be an integral part of that family is disturbing. That he begins to stalk them, trying to relate to them and in a way protect them from the husband/father is mind boggling. Are there really people like that out there? I really have nothing more to say on this film other than I will never watch it again!


 Pecker! Oh, Pecker. Stupid, stupid, STUPID movie! But it did have it's funny points, I will admit that, and it did have some pretty funny quotes. My favourite is Pecker to Shelly "Shelly! I love you more than Kodak!". But, I also loved the blind photographer "I feel portraits and smell landscapes!", I loved it! So ridiculous, but kinda true at the same time, in a weird sort of way.  I could've done with out certain things in the movie, such as the lesbian strip bar for straight men?!?! Did no one else find that weird? Little Chrissy creeped me out! First the insane sugar highs!, and also referring to herself in the third person, just plain weird. think it is every photographer's secret dream that they will be "discovered" out of the blue and to become an instant sensation in the art world. Alas life doesn't work that way, at least for 99.9999% of us, but it is nice to dream. But we do all have family that support us in our photography adventure, like Pecker did.


  Well I think that about sums up my movie week. Now back to my reality of research projects, print auctions and cameras. Blog you later.

Christmas Chez Moi

   Christmas was nice this year. I did all of nothing! It was a great time of relaxing and hanging out with family and friends. If I could change one thing about Christmas this year, it would be spent in Montreal with  family like last year, instead of here. I love the people that we spent Christmas day with, but it's not quite the same as family. Oh well maybe next year. My fingers are crossed!

 

   So, this year I actually put up all the Christmas cards that I got this year, totalling a whopping 4!!!! Well 5, but I misplaced the last one (shh, don't tell). I am not a card person, so this is quite the accomplishment for me. I also had the most WONDERFUL advent calendar, it was a Lindt chocolate one. Can you say YUMMY?!?!?

   So, one of our family traditions that has been for as long as I can remember, is that every Christmas my Dad goes to the meat shop and buys a side of smoked bacon for the holidays.  A side of bacon is a LOT of bacon. I think the real reason he buys it, is for the Club Sandwiches using the left over turkey. It also serves as breakfast on Christmas morning, healthy, I know! But tasty!

   

   For those that know me, know that I LOVE presents! I am a snoop! As soon as the first presents appear under the tree I am there lifting the tags to see whom the gifts are addressed to. I can't help it, it is my own personal addiction. I am also the first one up Christmas morning, normally around 6am, but this year I was a bit better, 7am. Since I was up I decided to go check FaceBook and posted this as my status:

'Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the house not a creature 

was stirring not even a mouse. Nina sat by her Mac fully awake 

in hopes that her family would soon start to wake. The stockings 

were stuffed and the presents were wrapped, Nina started feeling her 

energy zapped. Since the family's still sleeping all snug in their beds, 

Nina too will lay down her still tired head.

   Sadly, this little ditty took me about 30min to come up with. Then I did go back to bed until I was woken up but the rest of my family getting up. The we went downstairs and:

   

   

   One of the things I love doing at Christmas time is Boxing Day shopping! I love it! I now wait until about 9-10am to go as I don't like the waiting outside a store for 2 hours before the store opens. BRRRR! I love the hunting for bargains and beating down old ladies for the last of whatever it is on the shelf that we are both going for!!!! Just kidding about the old ladies. But i do love a good bargain. I am quite happy with my treasures this year. A bunch of movies,some cloths, some odds and ends, some Christmas chocolates and what I consider the crowning glory of my Boxing Day shopping...a 2ft purple tinsel Christmas tree!!!!

   Ok, so it may look like the twin sister to Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree, but it's purple, it's shiny and it's all mine!

   My brother and I drove down and spent a day in Grand Forks one day this past week. It was fun! I love going down to shop for the day. I love looking to see what they have down in the States that we don't have up here! It would take me hours to list the things they have down there, so I won't. But what I did find was awesome. I found... Coconut-Pecan Frosting!

   And I could just imagine how it would taste. So, after we got back, no not that night, I baked a cake using my newest US find as the Piece du Resistance. I have one word to describe my cake...YUMMY! Ok maybe two words...PRETTY! 

   I had a pedicure! I LOVE pedicures! My toes always look SO pretty afterwards! I took a picture of my toes, and let me just say it was extremely challenging taking a picture of my toes using a tri-pod. I would also like to apologize, I never realized that my feet look like hairless Hobbit feet. However my toenails are still pretty and that is all that counts!

   Well, that about covers my Christmas holidays. Hope that yours were a bit more exciting than mine, but just as relaxing. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  May the New Year bring you joys unknown.