Stacyverb

The little voice wins

You know how sometimes you fall in love with a piece of clothing in the store, but then later at home you have second thoughts?  Suddenly you think about wearing it and you hear this little voice saying (for example), "Hmmm...I'm afraid this blouse might make me look like a frumpy waitress"?  Well, this happened to me yesterday, except substitute "blouse" with "dress pattern" and substitute "frumpy waitress" with "stoned, pregnant clown."

 

I saw a sample of this dress (view B) on a mannequin in a fabric store back in the spring and thought it would be soooooo cute for summer.  I grabbed the pattern and picked out some fabric.  Over the past few weeks, I've been working on the dress but was having trouble getting enthused about the project.  Yesterday, I finally realized I just didn't want to make this dress anymore, and frankly, I don't know why I ever did.

This is the skirt portion. It measures 60 inches around.  Hint: I am nowhere near 60 inches around.  That's right--the pattern calls for about 22 inches of extra fabric to be gathered around the midriff of this dress.  Again, I say, it looked really fabulous on the mannequin.  A mannequin which was standing up, which I usually am not, being in my wheelchair (aka Fred).  So now let's imagine 22 extra inches of fabric basically pooled around my middle as I'm sitting.  Ugh!

[Edited later: Wait.  I just realized that's how much extra fabric would be around my hips.  Around my middle it would be at least 30 extra inches.  Even more ugh!]

Yesterday I also asked myself the question: was I smoking something when I picked out this fabric?  I've never worn anything tie-dyed in my life.  The only explanation I have is that a) I do love the colors; b) it has sparkly threads, and I am attracted to sparkle; c) it was on sale; and d) it would go great with the yellow satin that was already in my stash as a lining.

I don't hate the fabric.  It may still have a future as beachy wrap skirt or something.  But as a whole dress?  Which would make my shrimpy self look bulky?  A resounding NO.

I'm glad I listened to my little voice.  Sometimes it knows what it's talking about, and in this case it saved me a lot of work that would have resulted in something hideous.

Ready for my close-up

This week, we at Sheepish were excited to be selected as a featured small business for Comcast's "Best of the City."  A crew came on Tuesday to film us and the shop.

 

The camera man had a great time.  He kept raving about how beautiful and colorful the shop was.  Of course, we agreed!

 

Carrie and I attempted to act "normal" (ha!) while the crew filmed us knitting.  Notice we both wore hand-knit garments for the occasion.

Atlanta Comcast customers, look for us to be featured on Best of the City under "On Demand" and then "Local."  The segment should start airing in the next couple of weeks and then will run ad nauseum, probably. 

Thanks, Comcast, for the honor!

Jones Bridge Park

The other day, Adverb and I had a zillion things we should have been doing around the house, but instead we decided to run away from home and spend a beautiful late summer day at the park.  We headed out to Jones Bridge Park, part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

 

On the way, we picked up some picnic food from the Publix deli.  With happy taste buds and full tummies, we took a stroll down to the water.

 

We watched ducks...

 

...and geese...

 

...and this big black dog, who was having the time of his life swimming out to fetch a tennis ball.  (Photo blurry due to dog being in action!)

 

Adverb tests the waters.  Verdict: cold!

 

Scenic pedestrian bridge.  Not the eponymous Jones Bridge, which apparently is at some other, undisclosed, location--or at least we never saw it.

 

Close-up of oddly beautiful rust on the bridge railing, because I like to take pictures of weird crap like that.

 

A lovely day--much better spent than doing whatever it was we were supposed to be doing!

Vermont Studio Center

Founded by artists in 1984, the Vermont Studio Center is the largest international artists' and writers' Residency Program in the United States, hosting 50 visual artists and writers each month from across the country and around the world.The Studio Center provides 4-12 week studio residencies on an historic 30-building campus along the Gihon River in Johnson, Vermont, a village in the heart of the northern Green Mountains.     

via www.vermontstudiocenter.org

This is me trying out my new "Blog It!" feature, which allows me to create a blog post with one click anytime I find a web site that interests me. It seems to be working. Cool.

I've known about the Vermont Studio Center for a long time, and have known some people who've done residencies there. I've been thinking about applying for it.

Random post of randomness

Yes, suddenly I reappear after two weeks of blog silence.  There hasn't been anything major to report (no news is good news, I guess), but here are some snippets of recent activities.

 

I got this little sweater ready for my cousin's new baby.  Cute, eh?  The yarn really did all the work here.  It's Mochi Plus, a new offering from Crystal Palace Yarns (now available at Decatur's own Sheepish).

 

My friend Melissa has hired me to create her "something new" for her upcoming wedding.  This is the design I've been working on for her earrings and necklace.

As always, there have been art parties to check out.  Here, Adverb lounges in the usual wacky atmosphere at Alcove. 

 

This fuzzy cat and her kitten have become regulars on our porch.  We have hopes (delusions?) of taming them so someone (preferably not us!) can adopt them, but so far they've resisted all our attempts to pet them.  They are getting braver, though--here they are peeking in the window at us.  Aren't they adorable?  Don't you want them?

 

I have great plans for one last summery sewing project, which so far looks like this.  Yeah, I haven't gotten very far.  I need to step it up because I want to wear the dress to...

 

...San Francisco.  Ten days and counting until we head west!

Reply from the author

Hello, loyal readers!  Just a quick note to let you know that I received a response about Handle With Care from Jodi Picoult this weekend.  To recap: I emailed her basically the same thoughts that I had posted here, although I refrained from dissing the ridiculousness of the story or her less-than-great writing.  I focused only on what I objected to as a reader with OI (I was also much calmer and did not use ALL CAPS or italics.) :)

Here is the reply I received from her, via her Blackberry:

Stacy...allow me to disagree. The reason Willow is silent till the end is because it allows th other characters to speak to her...she is the fulcrum of the book. As for her death...it is the ultimate lesson for Charlotte. It also is ironically the one time in her life that she is just like any other kid since her fall thru the ice had nothing to do with OI.
I am very proud of the fact that the OI Foundation has endorsed this book for its accuracy and hundreds of readers have become involved with OI walks etc after reading the book. I am sorry to hear that you felt differently about it.
Jodi Picoult

So there you have it.  Of course she stands by her work, which is the right thing for any writer to do.  But she doesn't seem to see how demeaning it is for the first character with OI ever to appear in a novel (as far as I know) to be used as a "fulcrum" who can teach some non-disabled character "the ultimate lesson."

I was telling Anthony (Adverb) last night, that this reminds me of those patronizing kinds of movies that appear now and then, in which, say, a white teacher goes into a black ghetto neighborhood and the experience somehow rocks the teacher's world and he/she learns all kinds of important things about his/herself.  One character's life circumstance becomes another character's life lesson, blah blah blah.

Props to Ms. Picoult for replying at all; I'm sure she gets a ton of email and could easily have ignored my comments entirely.  I wish the reply at least had acknowledged the validity of my perspective, but I'm still glad I sent her my feedback.  Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to do so.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!

A-R-T and B-B-Q

Last night Adverb and I went out for a little art gallery hopping.  First stop: Mudfire pottery gallery.  It was opening night for Mug*Shots, an exhibit of drinking vessels.

I was very attracted to these striking black and white pieces by Karen Newgard.

Skull vessels by Steven G. Cheek.

Debra Fritts made this wonderfully strange little shot glass with the tongue sticking out.  This might be the face you make after doing your shot. :)

Before we could continue, we needed sustenance.  The legendary Daddy D'z on Memorial Drive fit the bill.  This metal pig sculpture and sign adorn the roof.  The black and white portrait below the pig is of Daddy D himself.

With full tummies, we moved on to the Brotherman Comics show at the Art on 5 gallery.

Adverb's pal Dawud Anyabwile is the mastermind behind Brotherman.  This guy is amazingly talented and quite a Renaissance man.  He even composed the music that played during the evening's festivities.

There was a slide show previewing the Brotherman graphic novel, currently in production and scheduled for release in 2010.

This was one of my favorite paintings in the show.  These pieces were enlarged panels from the comic books.  Dawud has done a fantastic job of creating a whole world for his characters in the fictional setting of Big City.

He even had a large map of the Big City Massive Transit System on exhibit.  I loved this little detail on the map key, especially the note about wheelchair accessibility.  Great job!

Don't you forget about him

And so it seems we've lost another icon of my youth.  Director John Hughes died yesterday.  He was only 59 years old.

For those of us who came of age in the 1980s, it's hard to imagine our teen years without the work of John Hughes.  Although he was closer to our parents' ages than ours, he completely "got" what it was like to be a teen in the 80s.  Brains, athletes, basket cases, princesses, criminals...somehow he understood us all.  And he gave us credit for being more complicated than most adults did. 

Were his movies always realistic?  Would Jake Ryan really have showed up in his Porsche to whisk Samantha Baker off for a romantic birthday cake?  Maybe not.  But these movies were hilarious without being condescending, sensitive without being sappy, and hopeful without being schlocky.  That's no mean feat, especially when your target audience consists of hard-to-impress adolescents.

For people my age--and those who came up behind us--John Hughes movies became part of the fabric of our lives.  I think I've probably quoted his movies at least once a day for the past 25 years.  His words are just part of our vocabulary.  "Bueller?  Bueller?"  "What's happenin', hot stuff?"  "Screws fall out all the time.  The world's an imperfect place."  I could go on and on. 

Hughes movies also had great soundtracks.  As a teen in a midwestern small town/suburb of a city that wasn't exactly a cultural center, these movies introduced me to bands like The Smiths, New Order, Jesus and Mary Chain, and the Psychedelic Furs--bands that got zero airplay where I was.

Farewell, John Hughes, and thank you.  Those of us who continue to cherish your movies would do well to remember the wise words of the great Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."

Earring extravaganza!

First, thanks to everyone who left comments here, or on Facebook, or spoke to me in person about Handle With Care.  Several of you encouraged me to send my comments to Jodi Picoult herself.  I'll let you know if I hear back from her.

Okay, on to new business.  Fall is right around the corner (sort of) and that means it's time to clear out my remaining stock of Stacybeads summer items.  These are the last of my spring/summer earrings and you can save big!  All of these are at least 25% off of the original price, and most are at least 40% off.  Grab 'em while you can!  Shipping and handling will be $2.00 per pair anywhere in the U.S., or you can combine shipping to save even more.  Think ahead to holiday gift-giving, folks!  Just email me; to let me know which ones you want.

 

A. Onyx, quartz, 14K gold-filled beads and wires.  SOLD

B. Czech glass beads and sterling silver.

C. Golden jasper, wood, 14K gold-filled beads and wires.

D. Clear and indigo Swarovski crystals, sterling silver.

EARRINGS A, B, C, and D: $10 per pair.  Order here.

 

E. Wood, jasper, gold-plated wires.

F. Mother of pearl, sterling silver. SOLD

G. Mother of pearl, Czech glass, sterling silver.

H. Pearlescent Czech glass, seeds beads (hand-woven), sterling silver.

I. Mother of pearl, indigo Swarovski crystal, sterling silver.  SOLD

EARRINGS E, F, G, H and I: $10 per pair.  Order here.

 

J. Sterling silver and Czech glass.

K. Jasper, vintage wood and bone beads, 14K gold-filled posts.

L. Czech glass, 14K gold-filled beads and wires.

M. Mother of pearl, carnelian, 14K gold-filled beads and posts.

EARRINGS J, K, L, and M: $12 per pair.  Order here.

 

N. Czech fire-polish beads and seeds beads (hand-woven), sterling silver.

O. Copper, jasper, Czech fire-polish beads.

P. Lacquered seeds, Czech glass, 14K gold-filled posts.

Q. Sterling silver, Czech glass, wood.

EARRINGS N, O, P and Q: $12 per pair.  Order here.

In which I assault an innocent library book

[Warning: The end of this post contains spoilers.  I'll warn you again before you get there.]

When I heard that there was a new novel that dealt with the subject of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), I was intrigued.  This is the brittle bone condition that I have, and it's quite rare, so I was excited to see it represented in a book by a very popular author.

Here I'll pause to say that I'd never read any of Jodi Picoult's books before.  All I knew about her was that she writes what I perceived to be sappy family dramas--not at all the type of thing I normally read.  But I set aside my pre-conceived notions to read this because of the subject matter.

When I started the book, I was thrilled with it.  Picoult (or someone on her staff) clearly had done a lot of research on OI, and I was impressed with how realistically she portrayed the psychological and physical aspects of the condition.  (At times it was a bit too realistic--I did have a few PTSD-type moments while reading her graphic descriptions of fractures and emergency room scenes.) 

The story in Handle With Care centers on a little girl named Willow who has Type III OI (a much more severe form than what I have).  She's precocious and pretty tough despite being so physically fragile.  I definitely recognized my childhood self in her.  Other characters include Willow's parents and sister, her mother's obstetrician, and the lawyer the family hires for a controversial lawsuit.  The novel raises important questions about disability and who gets to decide which lives are worth living or not.  It all continued to seem very promising.  However, after a while, I had a major problem with the way the story was being told.

[Stop reading here if you don't want to know any more specifics about the novel or how it ends.  If you do read the book, please come back later and read the rest of this post and let me know what you think.]

Picoult writes the book from multiple points of view, alternating chapters told by Willow's mother, father, sister, doctor, and lawyer.  Did you notice anyone missing there?  Yup--Willow does not get to tell her own story or make her own voice heard.  This pissed me off to no end.  It absolutely reinforces one of the most frustrating things I experienced as a kid with a disability--being talked about like you're not there, as if you're a baby or an inanimate object with no opinions of your own.  (Never mind the fact that Picoult did an absolutely dreadful job creating individual voices for these disparate characters.)  The story kept taking more and more ludicrous turns (the lawyer's birth mother for whom she's been searching just happens to end up on the jury?  Puh-lease!) and the characters became less and less likeable, but I kept on reading.

But then I got to the end.  Ladies and gentleman, I don't endorse this type of behavior, but when I reached the end of this novel, I physically threw the book (library property--gasp!) across the room.  (It was unharmed.)  Because get this: the last chapter is finally narrated by Willow herself and...guess what happens.  She DIES.  She freakin' dies, in a scene fraught with very cheesy symbolism (the only kind of symbolism Picoult can write, as far as I can tell).  Infuriating.  Willow was the center of the whole story, but Picoult chose to make it be about the rest of the characters and how Willow's OI had affected them.  And then, of course, we can't have a character with a disability go on to live an interesting, productive life--nope, she has to die tragically.

I looked the book up on the internet afterward and saw that it has gotten many bad reviews.  But I didn't see any reviews written by anyone with OI, or anyone who mentioned specifically being upset as a reader with a disability, so I felt that I needed to put this perspective out there.  The world does not need any more patronizing portrayals of people with disabilities, especially kids with disabilities (don't get me started on the Jerry Lewis telethon).  I had hoped that such a popular author as Jodi Picoult could raise awareness of OI (which I'm sure she has), but do it in a way that was not belittling or demeaning to the population she portrays.  I was wrong.  Maybe if I want a book like that to be available to the public, I will have to write it myself.