Conversation

Today I conversed about the act of conversation. Talking (and sometimes writing) is generally where some of my more abstract ideas are honed into actual communicable ideas. So here are some thoughts on conversations. Supposedly to be a skilled conversationalist you must focus on asking your companion questions about themselves. Basically the point is to get the other person talking. In general I think this is good advice especially for a first meeting, or a casual acquaintance. My problem is I tend to use this strategy too often. Even talking to fairly close friends and roommates I use this tactic. Which leaves them talking excessively and me rather bored. It's a preemptive tactic that leaves me safe (even if I'm bored).
However, when I end up talking to people that use this tactic as well, or even better then me, it makes me feel threatened. What is this? An inquisition? It's uncomfortable to be the one always talking, because when you talk you are revealing more about yourself then when you stay silent. In other words someone is getting to know you but you aren't getting to know them. Vulnerable, is the word for it. But maybe that's just me. Maybe for most people (like extroverts) being the primary talker is what is comfortable and ideal.
Ultimately I prefer the conversation partner that shares as well as asks, so that you are both becoming vulnerable at the same rate.

Storytellers

In my applied linguistics class this week we watched a movie, one of the sections showed a woman telling a story to some friends, she emphasized her points with almost excessive hand waving. The linguists then explained how she used her words economically and emphasized changes, clauses and movement with her hands. And she did it all naturally. A day or two after I went to a fireside where I heard several other speakers who also seemed to be natural storytellers. They used facial expressions, arm movements and just overall body language. It was very engaging. So are all good storytellers good hand wavers? And if so, are all natural hand wavers good storytellers?  I don't know,but I'm planning on watching more closely,
If so, it is kind of ironic how often people get teased for "talking with their hands."

Rustic Project

 Possibly one of my favorite way to be creative is to see a need and then create something to fill that need. Yesterday I did just such a project. I wanted a small corner shelf to put my clock. At first when I was thinking about it I thought of it in terms of Popsicle sticks. It would of worked, but I figured if I was going to do it I might as well make it a little more classy then that. Thus I created this little shelf with no plans and a little help from my Dad in an hour or two. We split the apple tree branch with a wedge and hammer. Like they used to do to make planks. I was impressed with how well it actually works. It sits on a couple of thumb tacks. So it's not super stable but it works for what I need it to. I didn't use any power tools, all I used was a hand saw, hammer, wedge, square, and nails.

PS. If anyone is curious Rocky, my mountain goat is sitting beneath the shelf in the first picture. He's pretty cute.

Farewell

I walked down the pine needle strewn path for the last time. Sunlight slanted through the trees, dappling the ground and making the mist look hazy and soft. I had run past the pit and the tree fort to the path. Where I now tiptoed through the new poison ivy growth in my bare feet. Each step was sure.

I'd never walk it again. I was saying farewell. My path led along the old paper road, over the small hand dug canal. I half jumped over the little hollow in the trail - tradition. Past the pile of rotting roof tiles perfect for pretend dishes. My hands drifted over the Japanese-Indian Knotweed leaves, the weapons and tools of so many games. My feet turned the corner, passing the thorn bushes' hanging whips. The yellow newspaper stand lay in the leaves, the train track stake still lodged in it's chest. I was at the Log. For the last time.

I checked my watch, I didn't have much time, we would be going to the airport, and Utah in only a few minutes. The intense golden light of morning had already begun to dissolve into the all encompassing light of day. At least we had been able to wait until after my graduation.

The ground was muddy and familiar. I avoided the soggy cushion and used a rock to boost myself up onto the moss covered log. I nestled among the roots and looked out over the marsh. It was a sea of cattails and purple loosestrife, with the forest far behind. A red wing blackbird flew across the blue sky. And I had to leave.

Invisibility

If you have ever watched The Incredibles you are familiar with Violet, the daughter of the family. I was told once that I sounded just like her. That was fine with me, I think her powers are pretty cool; invisibility and force fields. Plus, I really like how she grows and becomes more confident throughout the movie.
Invisibility is interesting though. In some ways it is a cliche for feeling alone or left out, Violet's personal trial. But it is a very understandable cliche if you have ever seen someone else's eyes skip over your face like they were scanning a wall. Someone you know. Or wish to know.
This week school started and as I was walking around campus I felt skipped over at times and I did my own skipping. And I thought about invisibility. When no one notices me, sometimes I laugh (depending on my mood it can be self deprecating or just observationally)  but sometimes I stop noticing people too. Basically I decided that when I notice I'm invisible I then focus so much on being invisible that the people around me become invisible. Weird huh? Invisibility creates invisibility.

Red Mountain

This is a painting of Red Mountain, a mountain near where my brother and his bride live. They have hiked it several times and I decided that I would paint it for them for a wedding gift. I painted it based on several pictures I had. None of them were quite clear, or from the exact angle I was going for, so I mismatched it a bit, but I was told it was recognizable as the appropriate mountain. It was fun to do, not my favorite though. It doesn't have very much going on it, and I sort of got bored at times while painting. I did paint the mountain redder and the sky bluer then I think they typically appear, but I thought that would make it interesting. One interesting tidbit is that after painting most of it I asked for my sister's opinion. She said she saw a lion's face in the foothills on the left. And after that every time I looked at it I saw the lion too. I had to do something about it. So I had to repaint that area. But no, I won't tell you exactly where it was, because then maybe you would see it too, even though I fixed it.

Regency Romance

Due to a combination of circumstances I recently had access to several books of a subgenre I was not even aware of previously. You can probably guess from the title of the post what genre that is: Regency Romance.  Four authors: Elizabeth Gaskell, Georgette Heyer, Julianne Donaldson, and Sarah M. Eden. Seven books: Wives and Daughters, Venetia, The Grand Sophy, Edenbrooke, Seeking Persephone, The Kiss of a Stranger, and finally Friends and Foes. As the name implies they are romance novels set in the regency period, the early 19th century. I have of course previously read the original authors of Regency Romance, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters but I didn't know that there was a whole group of other authors that wrote similar style books. I have decided that I enjoy the genre, although of course there are disadvantages to it. Most of the authors seemed to mix the manners and propriety of Austen, with the mysterious fastness of the Brontes with an added touch of extra sappiness and kissing of modern romances (which I haven't read much of).
The time period is fun. I have always enjoyed the subtle tension that cannot be directly addressed in this type of book/movie, for example when Elizabeth and Darcy are dancing. Also they are clean, and overall I was impressed with the variety of characters and types of relationships that developed. Venetia and Damarally for example had a relationship based on respect, and a commonality of looking at the world. While Sorrel and Philip's relationship from Friends and Foes was based superficially on teasing with an underlying concern, respect, and understanding of the other person. Anyway, they have been interesting, and fun mostly quick reads.
On the other hand, they were often slightly silly, romances in general seem to run along those lines. Some things were absolutely far-fetched, especially Eden's stories with wolves and deranged uncles around every corner, and an amazing disregard for the familiarity of Christian names. And there gets to be a certain amount of predictability. Plus an amazing lack of communication between the couples that could have solved several problems. But for the most part they all ended cute and happily and the characters are fairly well developed and interesting.
I think my favorite out of all these was Edenbrooke though. The relationship between Marianne and Philip was meaningful and deeper then some. Also I loved how not only did their relationship give each other the love each sought but it helped them overcome other issues that they had. For Marianne of understanding her own worth, and for Philip for learning that his family and Marianne loved him for who he was and not what he was.
Overall I have enjoyed discovering this new subgenre and will continue to read books from it as I get the opportunity. If you like a good romance now and again, you may enjoy it as well.