In the Labyrinth

Crossfit Masters Games...Get Some

I am in Carson City, just outside of L.A. to attend the Crossfit Games -- which brings togther unique athletes from around the world to compete in some of the most demanding workouts ever -- most of which aren't known until announced a day or two before hand. Here's a look at what the inidividual competitors and affliate teams will be doing tomorrow morning at theSanta Monica Pier.

Masters Athletes, Crossfit

But this year is special for me as Crossfit added a section for Masters competitors -- those over 45 to whatever. My husband is one of the 20 selected athletes to compete in the 60 plus category and I am here to cheer him on. Three days, 6 killer workouts. The masters men are pretty amazing -- but no less are the masters women -- grandmothers with arms of steel. All of it pretty inspriring-- and something for me to work toward for next year. So stop by the Masters corner of the Crossfit site to see the workouts (sunday's workout will not be known until Sunday morning!) and check out the streaming video which will begin tomorrow and watch these incredible athletes. You can also check out the younger athletes live streaming here.

Authors Who Draw As Well As Write.

"Do you have any books the faculty doesn't particularly recommend?"
Cartoon by Flannery O'Connor

I have been thinking about the propensity of many authors I know and those I don't know but read who enjoy drawing -- mostly just doodles, but some really striking images. I was especially pleased to see a new publication of Flannery O'Connor's cartoons -- all drawn in the 40s for her high school years at Peabody and at Georgia State College . The cartoons appeared in school journals offering funny visual comments on student life. My favorite is the one above. Go here to see more from the collection.

But there are other notables too! And here are a selection of authors who might surprise you with their drawings, which even though some were private, are still remarkably expressive.

Robert Shelly: From a draft of "Julian and Madalo." Go here to see a remarkable collection of his drafts with drawings...

Jorge Borges "Tango Drawing"

Allen Ginsberg's awesome inscription drawings. Go here to see more of these too.

 

Sylvia Plath who often drew marginal drawings in her diaries. Go here for more information from the curator who worked on her mss.

Stop by the terrific Flavorwire and help yourself to a whole lot more authorial doodles.  And if you want to recommend any that you know of, please share in the comments!

Friday Film: The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

 

I haven't had a chance yet to see the entire 15 minute film, "The Lost Thing," from a children's story by Shaun Tan, but I am mad with curiosity after seeing this trailer and have added to my list of must see films this year. Tan won the Oscar 2011 for best short animated film and from the looks of it, it was well deserved.

And here is an interesting short video interview with Shaun Tan talking about the process of making the film -- from writing it on the kitchen table to developing it into an award winning animated film.

 

Cactus Skirt...Perfect for a Tucson Monsoon

I am a huge fan of "Made With Love By Hannah" -- a terrific artist, designer, and clothing maker. Her original print skirts are the best -- with their flattering aline shape and gorgeous patterns. And while most of her work trends toward European styles (Polish dotted prints, fairy tale themed prints and Hungarian flower embroidery prints) -- I was really happy to see the cactus shirt, one of her latest offerings. Gettin' it! Once I make up my mind which color I like best! Also check here on her blog for more new patterns...all of them fabulous. If you see one you like -- don't wait too long. They are made in limited editions.

And here are some other skirt patterns mentioned above:

And finally, I recommend her facebook page as it seems to be a meeting place for all kinds of people engaged in original textile design. And for fun, I love this quirky little Etsy video of Hannah -- her amazing house filled with inspirational knickknacks and her studio. Awesome.

 

 

Squee! Is It December Yet?

Looking forward to this...was really hoping they were going to do a sequel...I'm so there!

How To Undress a Victorian Lady: Romance Novelists Learn How to Work the Laces

The Wall Street Journal had a funny -- but also quite educational article "How to Undress a Victorian Lady in Your Next Historical Romance" which examines the complexity of Victorian undergarments and the importance of understanding their considerable engineering for Romance writers -- and I suppose those writing Paranomal Romance, Steampunk Fantasies, and any novel set in a period that will require costuming along with lively sex scenes -- though lively here may be the cursing and swearing of an ardent swain using his teeth to undo the laces, hooks, snaps, ties etc of the multilayered outfits! Romance author Deeanne Gist recently offered a workshop in Victorian undergarments at the Romance Writers of America annual convention  -- taking almost an hour to squeeze (with help from an assistant) into the dozen or so layers of Victorian clothing of the 1860's including:

stockings, garters, bloomers, chemise, corset, crinoline or hoop skirt, petticoats, a shirtwaist or blouse, skirt, vest and bolero jacket. By the end, workshop attendees were skeptical that seductions ever occurred, with so many sartorial barriers.

"How did they ever have hanky panky?" asked novelist Annie Solomon.

With great effort, it turns out. Women wore blouses under their corsets—making actual bodice ripping fairly pointless. Corsets fastened in front and laced up the back and couldn't be undone in a single passionate gesture. "You'll see pictures of corsets on bare skin. That's completely historically inaccurate," Ms. Gist told her audience.

The article is a hoot and offers some excellent references for clothing, even patterns for the do-it-yourselfer for technically challenging undergarments of different historical periods. Have a look at a slide show here of Ms. Gist dressing up, and below is a short video of the same process -- the corset kept the body tucked in nice and tight, so it makes sense that such a contraption wasn't going to come flying off at the touch of a manly hand!

The Book, The Shop, The Kindle

There's No Place Like Here: Brazenhead Books

For years independent bookstores have been decrying the overwhelming economic power of the big box bookstores; the loss of hand selling, the loss of book shops with character, the loss of the personal touch that makes a difference when selecting a book. So it is on the same day that I am reading of financial failure of Borders Bookstore (closing will begin this Friday -- and my heart goes out to the 16,000 employees who will be looking for work) that I find out about this lovely quirky article at Flavorwire celebrating 10 Unconventional Bookstores around the world. Oh, be still my heart -- what a travel journey this would be....as long as all of them had UPS so I could ship home my purchases! These book stores range from a setting in a medieval castle in Spain, a totally sleek modern store in Brazil where even the front doors are functioning bookshelves, a book barge in England, to an apartment in NYC (see the above video) that houses roomfuls of fabulous used books. Glance through these awesome places and tell me...where would you go first?

I have been contemplating my life with books this week because I bought a kindle and yes, fell gobsmack in love with the idea. I immediately purchased half a dozen reference books I couldn't afford in hardcover or even paperback but were pretty dang cheap as an ebook. I carted all of them to my local coffee shop, and though I forgot my reading glasses -- was able to change the font and read them with no trouble. (ok...so it amounted to one sentence per page!) Do I still love the book, yes, always and truly. I love the sound of pages turning, the full sail of a page filled with words, the slowness of reading it, the notes I keep like a journal in the margins. But new technology is a sweet cousin to the library's matriarchs so I am very happy.

*special thanks to Sarah Skwire and Amy Willis for the link to the Flavorwire article!

Last Friday's Film on This Monday

 

What can I say...I wasn't exactly sure when Friday came and went...so I am putting up my usual Friday Film on Monday (I really haven't been as consistent with my weekdays as I should be!). In any case, here are two awesome animated films "Basin Street Blues,"  and "Fender Bender," with music composed by an old favorite, Kid Koala, a fantastic scratch d.j. (and artist) who makes the records talk and sing like no one else.

 

Cartel Coffee Lab Scribbles...Or How Not To Waste A Good Receipt

I am a very early riser... always have been and my husband and I usually wind up at Cartel Coffee Lab, our local coffee shop at about 6AM every morning, newspapers under our elbows, ordering cappuccinos that are pretty fabulous. One of the recent innovations at Cartel has been the use of an ipad cash register that lets one "draw" one's signature on the debit receipt form -- which is then automatically emailed to you. Once I realized I didn't actually have to sign my name...I started drawing what ever came to my half awake head -- swirling out a fast design with an index finger. Here's some of the results. A caveat: I am not an artist, but I do like to scribble on letters and now electronic receipts. I hope you all have a chance to sign onto one of these new inventions -- don't miss your chance to be creative!

Love Affair With Persian Prints Persists

Who could say no to some yardage of this fabric? (well..not me anyway). I posted a while back about vintage Persian themed fabrics, but it turns out such prints are still available. Feeling rather happy about that. In fact you can find quite an assortment of weird and wonderful cotton prints here. Now if I can just find the right pattern...maybe a skirt with some secret pockets...for all the talismans of course.