Switching Gears

I've learned a lot since moving, of course, but my new job has really introduced me to some new exciting realms. First, and foremost, I'm learning the art of the business known as fundraising. This is for higher ed, so it's a little different, but it's still a huge switch for me. I always insist that I couldn't go the sales route if my life depended on it; however, after working my first big fundraising event, the Cresset Dinner, last Saturday (picture above), I've realized I am not so bad at it as I first assumed.

In any case, more discussion on this at a later date...when I'm not cranking out huge papers.

It's the Small Things

Today, I realized that while I totally divulge myself in all kinds of intellectual stimulation, there's really a lot to be said for simplicity and mindlessness. I guess you could point out a faint trace of creativity in this particular segment of my memoir, but that would definitely be stretching it.

As I was cleaning up my office towards the end of my work day, I came across the drawer that happens to be stuffed with all of the rubber bands that I receive each day from Roy, the campus mailman. Roy delivers the department's mail to me each day around 11am, and it's usually this mixed bundle of envelopes, carefully bunched together with high quality yet very monotonously colored rubber bands. Upon unpacking the mail bundle, I've made a habit of stuffing the 4 or 5 rubberbands in my desk drawer. So, today, when I opened that drawer, I immediately recognized the very uncleanly and disorganized aesthetic that the drawer gave off as a result of the scattered mass of rubberbands. It was then that I thought to myself how I've always enjoyed the genius behind those balls of rubberbands one can construct. But, I had no idea how to begin such a project. So, who did I turn to? Only one of my closest and most consistent friends: Google. After finding a "family fun" sight that gave the simple directions on how to start one, that's what I did. As a result, I have my very own rubberband ball creation and a clean drawer to kick it off. Ahhh...office life is good.

So Much Love

Just back, literally, from my Easter visit at home, I have to reflect on what struck me most while I was home. I have discussed my niece several times on my blog, but I haven't talked as much about my nephew, Seth, because he has just been a little too young to even really interact much--especially since my interaction now depends on long-distance phone calls and such. But, both kids helped me realize something big while I was at home for these days. I'm convinced kids are more a functional part of this world than most will give them credit for, and this is because I have had the opportunity to experience the love of these two kids through each of their developmental phases thus far. I've also realized how much you kind of miss as a youngest child...as I was. I never had that little human following me around, trying to emulate my every move, etc. Now, though, I'm really starting to understand human love, and I know it's because I'm fortunate enough to be growing with these two kids. Seth has just begun to really recognize people and show his affection, albeit gaping mouth with slobber flowing out. Sydni, on the other hand, is well into her development. She now expresses her excitement (between squeels and such) by looking at whoever she is with at a given moment and saying she loves them. For instance, when we were playing in the yard, she stopped dead and said this to me, and when I was drying her hair after her bath last night, she did it again. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that that's the purest form of human love you can really ask for or expect. No wonder people have been reproducing for so many years!

Kids are so honest, and when the kids have come from your siblings, their existence takes on such a more profound meaning. As I sat around the fire with my family Saturday night, I realized that everyone has taken on new roles in the family, and I think we're all doing a great job with our new positions. I'm most grateful--for the kids, for growth, and for the good fortune of getting to experience it all.

My Favorite Trilogy

So, in the past and right up through the very recent past, I have been reminded how out of the loop I am to be one of the only people on the face of Mother Earth to have never seen Star Wars. I can, however, let everyone know they can rest assured...because I do have a favorite trilogy; unfortunately, it's not really even remotely similar. What could this be you want to know?...

There is a "trilogy" of sorts in the literary world that I was reminded of as I went back through some old papers and notes from undergrad. I was introduced to this trilogy in Women in Lit at Wheeling Jesuit, and it was proven to me by the feelings that resurfaced today that it will forever be very near and dear to my heart. So, let me tell you about it, and maybe you can somehow get the same sort of pleasure if you try it out.

The first book in the trilogy is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I can't really say that this particular book, standing on its own, would be a pleasurable read. It wasn't bad, but it was made so much better as I progressed through the other two books and made connections back to it. The second book is Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea. This one is delightful to read, but you really only get all of it if you have read Jane Eyre because it's the retelling of the story from the perspective of the mad woman in the attic, Bertha. Everything from its Carribbean setting to the reconfiguration of characters is magical. The final piece of literature in the trilogy is Polly Teale's play called After Mrs. Rochester. This play is based on the life of Jean Rhys and mainly focuses on the period of it when she was composing Wide Sargasso Sea. The three together were really incredible because after reading the first, you could get the impression of how other people interpret literature. You get Jean Rhys's interpretation of Bronte, and you get Teale's interpretation of Rhys.

This is not only a great literary adventure...for those who enjoy observing the minds of others, it's a great way to reconstruct the thought process of two great authors and one fantastic playwright. Word has it, by the way, that Wide Sargasso Sea was once made into a movie, but it pretty much turned out to be a sample of soft porn...very unfortunate...so don't watch the movie!

Dabbling in Art

I experienced my very first major exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum yesterday. This past week, the Andrew Wyeth exhibit opened. Although this was not on purpose, I got to go view it the very first Saturday it was up. This made for a slightly crowded viewing, but it was so worth it. There were just rooms upon rooms of unbelievable pieces that he had created over many decades of the 20th and 21st centuries. I was not that familiar with Wyeth going into it, but coming out of it, I think I could definitely call myself a fan. What I perhaps enjoyed the most was an over all observation--this man is like an enigma. He tapped into almost every artistic trend that spanned his lifetime--and these were plentiful. (He is still alive...old...but alive; he was born in 1917). His long, prolific career has survived even up through the early years of this new century. In fact, there are paintings up from recent years like 2004 and 2001.

Another fantastic part of the walk-through came with the audio commentary available on the personal listening devices that were handed out as I made my way through the admission line. These were very handy as they provided fantastic facts for individual works. Occasionally, there were even audio recordings of Wyeth, himself, commenting. One of the most memorable had to do with the painting above, Winter (1946), which commemorates his father, N.C. Wyeth. He never painted his father (and painter forbear) during his father's living years, so this was one of the many times he attempted to remember his life. In any case, Wyeth proves a very interesting and psychologically-intensive artistic master. All of his comments indicated his emotional and mental acuity in relation to both the human spirit and nature--two of my favorite things.

A couple of other reasons to visit his exhibit: He reigns from the Philadelphia region and one of his most famous paintings, Soaring (1942-50), is said to have train tracks on the back of it. You ask, how and why? Well, it seems that when Wyeth finished this massive painting, he was not satisfied with it. So, he hid it away in his attic. When his boys were playing with trains up there, they set it up as a place to run the trains on. Then, years later, Wyeth released it for exhibit.

In closing, I think one of the best parts of this experience was the fact that I had never done it before. I'm very uptight about the etiquette involved in such things, but it turned out to be a really great experience despite my lack of knowledge, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend my Saturday any other way.