lincoln logs were invented by frank lloyd wright’s son.
—
a trivial gift for you on january 4th, in honor of national trivia day
—
‘i think Iim a trivia nerd. i love to learn about everything. i’m curious.’
-adam rodriguez
Jan4
Author Archives: beth
Jan3
chatty.
I was 6 years old and so excited to finally get my chatty-cathy
a doll with a string in the back
that you could pull and she would talk
(18 phrases at random)
‘please take me with you’
‘may I have a cookie?’
‘I love you.’
she was a wonderful doll
we were happy together
until
I came home one day
and noticed to my horror
that my oldest sister
had given her a haircut
(picture a choppy hacked pixie cut with stringy bits)
I did not have a good reaction to it
I exploded in tears
very dramatically
sobbing and instantly tattling on her
chatty’s hair never grew back
and one day she was gone.
(the doll, not my sister)
after all these years
I still bring it up
to my sister
every so often
she always tells me
she had no idea
I would have such a strong reaction
she was just trying to give her a fancy hair style
and while I have long-ago forgiven her
I still have no idea
what chatty may have said to her during the haircut.
‘
—
“a beloved doll’s voice speaks directly to your soul
in a way that cannot be explained in words.”
-gayle wray
p.s. I am not a fan of dolls as an adult, they kind of terrify me, especially talking ones.
—
image credit: Mattel Toys
Jan2
sci-fi or reality tv?
Rod Serling – working at home in Connecticut, 1956
anti-war and social justice activist, tv-writer, producer, narrator
and one of my idols.
—
*In 1955, the miscarriage of justice in the Emmett Till case proved a galvanizing point in the Civil Rights Movement. Rod Serling, a 30-year-old rising star in a golden age of dramatic television, watched the events play out in the news. He believed firmly in the burgeoning medium’s power for social justice. “The writer’s role is to be a menacer of the public’s conscience,” Serling later said. “He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus the issues of his time.”
Soon after the trial concluded, Serling, riding off the success of his most well-received teleplay to date, felt compelled write a teleplay around the racism that led to Till’s murder. But the censorship that followed by advertisers and networks, fearful of blowback from white, Southern audiences, forced Serling to rethink his approach. His response, ultimately, was “The Twilight Zone,” the iconic sci-fi anthology series that spoke truth to the era’s social ills and tackled themes of prejudice, bigotry, nuclear fears, war, among so many others. At this point in history, the censors didn’t know what to make of this genre and he was free to deliver his message in a new way.
—
in honor of Rod Serling on national science fiction day,
who understood the power of the arts
as a way to communicate important messages.
—
“there are weapons that are simply thoughts.
for the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy.”
-rod serling
—
credits: Getty Images, *Smithsonian Magazine
Jan1
turn of the wheel.
it’s a new year’s eve tradition
the famous wheel of cheese is back
much to everyone’s delight
let the celebration begin
happy new year
—
‘if I tell you there’s cheese on the moon, bring the crackers.’
-tyronn lue
Dec31
bubbles.
how many bubbles are in a glass of champagne?
—
french researcher, gerard liger-belair
has spent more than 15 years studying the drink
and has released his best guess:
2,000,000.
that is science, trial and error, trying until you get it right.
in support of his very thorough study,
I may be conducting my own research this evening.
—
“champagne…it gives you the impression that every day is sunday.”
– marlene detrich
—
credits: veuve cliquot vintage ad, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, bbc
Dec30
mind the gap.
there should be a word
for the feeling you get
after you work many hours
to complete
a beautiful jigsaw puzzle
only to find
there is a piece missing.
—
‘the historian has before him a jigsaw puzzle
from which many pieces have disappeared.
these gaps can be filled only by his imagination.’
-gaetano salvemini
Dec29
come home to you.
where olive belongs.
—
“Want to know the truth about belonging?
It takes courage to belong.
It takes bravery to show up in your own skin.
It’s easy to fit in.
It’s easy to blend in and hide your outrageousness.
And it’s also the easiest way to lose the precious parts of you.
You deserve to be seen. You deserve to be heard.
You deserve to be known for the real deal that you are.
Stop taking the easy way out. Stop trying to fit in.
The best place in life is where you’re already okay.
Come home to you.
It’s where you belong.”
―
Dec28
that bit.
Dec27
plans.
the recipe said it was easy
only 4 ingredients
no cooking
only
melting
spreading
drizzling
chilling
but
they did not say
not to wear a white sweater with bell sleeves when melting chocolate
don’t forget that you have to individually unwrap each caramel
while chocolate is still warm and not solidifying
that the peanut butter chips won’t actually drizzle
that the caramel will come out in blobs
that the chocolate on the bottom won’t easily come off of the foil
that the slab will not actually break in the right way
that the 4 ingredients will re-solidify in the disposal
that the whole thing will not resemble the picture
that it will still taste good if people are daring enough to try it
that this will be a one-time recipe for me.
‘just because you make a good plan, doesn’t mean that’s what’s gonna happen.’
-taylor swift
Dec26
cure.
picking up chinese food late in the day
everyone wanted
the same cure
for holiday madness
restaurant was so busy
it was all a blur.
—
‘the Chinese do not draw any distinction between food and medicine.’
-lin yutang
