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Monday, 01 February 2010

  • Work Languages

    There are quite a few legal aliens working at my place of employment, speaking a variety of languages, bonding together in the break room in their national subgroups. Since I speak English fluently, Spanish barely, and none of the other major languages, I communicate mostly by smiles and simple sentences. Being an introvert, this type of communication is quite alright with me. What I didn't count on is how others at work might take this.

    One group of co-workers (Euro-Americans) constantly refers to the fact that I am always smiling. I tell people (usually with a smile) that is my default facial expression. It's polite, it's good customer service, and it makes me feel better. I'm sure all of you can think of scenarios where the employees of certain big businesses have low morale, and do nothing but schlep around the store with depressed countenances. My smile is my own attempt to be cheerful, and make both my co-workers and our customers more at ease with the whole shopping experience.

    Another group of co-workers (African and Latino) took the idea that since I do not talk a lot, I must not be American. I didn't realize this would happen until one of my friends at work told me about this. There were a couple of people who thought I was Eastern European, or Albanian, and didn't speak English very well, which is why I never said anything more than "hello", or "how are you". This was pretty funny, and both my friend and I laughed about this. No, I'm not Albanian.

    This is all background information to another story I was going to post, but I think I will leave you with those short paragraphs, and get back to my 600 word post for my American Revolution (History) class. Good night!

Friday, 29 January 2010

  • Temporarily Misplaced

    It is an odd feeling when you are physically located somewhere, doing things there with your hands, but your mind is somewhere else. When I'm at work, this feeling often comes on me.

    I'll be standing there in the aisles, ordering the merchandise on the shelves. As I turn the cans of soup so their labels face outwards, and pull them forward so the shelf looks full, I find my mind drifting away. Often, I end up in a land very far away.

    With my hands, and with a small portion of my mind, I'm at work. But with the rest of me, I'm out wandering in the woods with Alathea, Farmer's Daughter. In my mind, I'm not standing on a hard cement floor, staring at bright blue and red cans of soup. No, instead, I'm riding a giant charger named Heavy, wandering through the forested wilderness, on my way to the army of Fitzdraco, seeking my long lost parents.

    Or perhaps I'm in another place, this time galaxies away. I walk without a lightsaber, for I am a Jedi who doesn't believe in such things. To some, I am a heretic. To me, they are the ones who follow the roads that lead to darkness. I am much older than my real age in this world, a Jedi who has lived the traditional Jedi life, but has discovered a way that allows me to live peaceably with all beings. My apprentice has not yet given up her lightsaber, but I know she agrees with me, otherwise she would leave. I hope Luke Skywalker will pay us a visit, for I think there is much I could show him, and convince him to leave his tendency to violence behind.

    Or maybe I'm watching a young woman trapped in her own house by the scheming of her step-sisters, and step-mother. I know she will get to the ball, and I just wait until her fairy god-mother appears. At the ball, I am astonished. Yes, the Prince falls in love with her, but there is another who has loved her since a boy, who recognizes her even with the makeover from her god-mother. I watch him, watching the Prince, and I sense some possibilities for the future.

    Or I move back in time, visiting Newport, RI in the 1890s, a time of fashion and status, especially in the summer when the aristocrats from New York descend upon the island resort for a month. I can see a governess, a woman on the brink of spinsterhood, following her charges along the Cliff Walk. Ahead of them, her charges' uncle walks, attended by a handful of sparkling young women, laughing and light-hearted. I notice her eyes follow the others' activities, perhaps more than they ordinarily would. She knows this is the last time he will see Newport, for the war with Spain is about to break into open fighting, and he will answer the call of his country. She knows there is a depth to his character that he has shown only to her and the children, and she admires him. I hope he returns from Cuba safely.

    Someone asks me, "Can you tell me which aisle the breadcrumbs are in?"
    "They're in aisle seven," I answer automatically to the most common of questions. When they leave, I find that I'm back at work, and have moved beyond the soups. Now I'm zoning the ramen noodles and tuna fish. But the spell has been broken. The mundane has broken into the imaginary, and I can't get the latter back.

    Well, at least I finished the aisle. It was nice to be temporarily misplaced into the fantastic realms of my mind. I give a little sigh as I go off to get the carriage of reshops. Someday all those imaginary worlds will be in books, and they won't be distracting me as I work.

Monday, 28 December 2009

  • Costumes 3

    Carlo's costume is mostly done: I just need to do the buttons and hem it.



    And: Prince Simon's costume is done completely (I think, although I'll have to run it by Prince Simon pretty soon.)



    Isn't my sister kind to be a model for me?

    So that means:

    King - more or less finished. I'm pretty sure I'm going to wear Dad's academic robes. We'll need a crown, though.

    Queen - Finishing needed only (hemming, zipper and fixing the waistband).

    Carlo - finishing needed only (as stated at the top of this page)

    Prince Simon - complete

    Princess Camilla - I think I want Katie to wear what she wore to the masquerade ball a couple years ago. Would be appropriate.

    Dulcibella - Need some more ideas, but I'm not making anything for her, so we'll say she's complete.

    Chancellor - Have no idea what he's doing. I'll have to talk to Aimee about his costume.

    I'm excited that I have this much done.

    Take care everyone!

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

  • Costumes 2

    Queen costume: 85% finished. I need to sew on the trimming, do a zipper in the back, and hem the dress.
     

    Costume #2: Carlo

    Description: Red brocade doublet, buttoned up the front, coming to a slight point at the front, with flange at shoulders. To be worn over white shirt and dark pants.

    Fabric:
     


    As you can see, I already cut out the pieces for Carlo. This is because we actually know (at least I was told) who Carlo's actress is going to be, therefore, I can start working on his/her costume.

    Besides the costumes that are already complete, I have a feeling this will be the easiest one to make. Still have to buy the buttons for it, though. Have to add them to my JoAnn's list for shopping after December 18th.

Monday, 14 December 2009

  • Costumes

    Current sewing project (s): Outfitting a cast of 7 for the play "The Ugly Duckling".

    Current costume: The Queen

    Line Art (sorry about the poor drawing skills):



    What the line art does not show is that the skirt is gathered to the waist. I'm still not sure about the sleeves. Maybe they need a bit more flare and drape. I have enough fabric to give them a little flare. Hmm... this is also a dress I made to go with my mask, so even if I'm not the Queen in this play, I have to be happy with it for the future. (although I have no doubts about that).

    The Fabric:


    For the main dress: the black crushed panne. For the inset and waistband: the paisely print brocade. For trimming: the strands of silver beads. I also bought a sheer black for a veil to go with the mask, and we might use it under her queen's tiara, but I haven't talked to our "director" about that.

    I actually haven't cleared any of my ideas with Katie, but since I'll be using this dress in the future anyway, I thought it would be safe to go ahead and work on it.

    Pattern used for inspiration:



    With alterations, of course. Mostly, I'm keeping the skirt with train, and using the bodice pattern as the foundation for the v-shaped neckline and supplementing it with the insert.

    That's it for now.

AnotherSecondMommy

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    • Name: Michelle
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About Me

  • What to say?... I am from Auburn, MA, and have lived in three corners of the continental US: New England, Florida, and Washington State. I am a Reformed Baptist, and a member of an ARBCA church. My interests, well, I love Star Wars. No, that's too mild: I LOVE STAR WARS. I have seen all of the movies a million times, and read practically all of the books and anthologies. My two favorite characters are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And that's across the entire Expanded Universe spectrum. Even though there have been numerous authors who tried to ruin Luke, but this is not the place for that kind of discussion...

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