October 15, 2008

Were You Looking for Bitchin' Pumpkin Carving?

I always get a lot of search traffic this time of year for this classic Planck's Constant post. It originally ran two years ago, and it's got some great ideas/fine gourd-based artwork in it.*


* Okay. I don't think pumpkins are gourds, though I know that gourds were used in previous incarnations of the tradition. (My understanding is that root vegetables were carved in Ireland, which seems appropriate enough.) But "fine summer-squash-based artwork" seemed a bit unwieldy. Anyone have good ideas for recasting that last sentence in my entry? I don't seem to have any linguistic dexterity today.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 01:02 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 112 words, total size 1 kb.

July 04, 2008

Yes. I Am, Indeed, From Whittier, California.

But it was really James Thurber who turned me on to this poem, which has been going through my head all day for obvious reasons:

Barbara Frietchie

By John Greenleaf Whittier

On that pleasant morn of the early fall
When Lee marched over the mountain wall;

Over the mountains winding down,
Horse and foot, into Frederick town,

Forty flags with their silver stars,
Forty flags with their crimson bars,

Flapped in the morning wind . . .

. . . the sun
Of noon looked down, and saw not one.

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,
Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;

Bravest of all in Frederick town,
She took up the flag the men hauled down;

In her attic window the staff she set,
To show that one heart was loyal yet.

Up the street came the rebel tread,
Stonewall Jackson riding ahead.

Under his slouched hat left and right
He glanced; the old flag met his sight.

"Halt!" —the dust-brown ranks stood fast;
"Fire!" —out blazed the rifle-blast.

It shivered the window, pane and sash;
It rent the banner with seam and gash.

Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff
Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf.

She leaned far out on the window-sill,
And shook it forth with a royal will.

"Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag," she said.

A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;

The nobler nature within him stirred
To life at that woman's deed and word;

"Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on!" he said.

All day long through Frederick street
Sounded the tread of marching feet:

All day long that free flag tossed
Over the heads of the rebel host.

Ever its torn folds rose and fell
On the loyal winds that loved it well;

And through the hill-gaps sunset light
Shone over it with a warm good-night . . .

It isn't quite the same without Thurber's illustrations, which I may try to scan in tonight. But those lines: "'Who touches a hair of yon gray head / Dies like a dog! March on!' he said" always make me want to cry.

That is, there are principles of humanity, and decency that go beyond just about any conflict we might have as human beings. We wanted to know if we could end the evil of slavery in this country and still have a Federalist system that included reasonable states' rights.

The jury may be out on that, but respect for the loyal opposition and deference to one's elders are not a bad place to start in addressing our remaining challenges.

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

(Cross-posted at Right Wing News.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 475 words, total size 3 kb.

Happy Fourth of July!

Those founding dudes were, like . . . smarter than the average bear, unless I'm mistaken.


Anyway, I'm still swamped with work-work, but I shall ask one provocative question, then go sleep for a while and come back to check in with my e-homies . . .

Which vegetarian hamburgers are palatable? Which ones even actually taste good? I'm especially interested in hearing from non-vegetarians on this issue, because I have a THEORY. So you need to feed me DATA. It's all very SCIENTIFICAL.

Oh, right: Question #2 would be something like--

If you do believe (as I do) that Thomas Jeffereson, et al. achieved some sort of real breakthrough in human governance, which of the founding fathers was the biggest genius? Who contributed most significantly to the things we like about the U.S.?

Remember: neatness counts.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 04:42 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 145 words, total size 1 kb.

December 30, 2007

Now This Is a Fun Christmas Video.

I wonder how it was created. But I like it.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 12:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 24 words, total size 1 kb.

December 26, 2007

The Joys Are Back in Town.

. . . Hope everyone had a juicy, yummy Christmas.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 22 words, total size 1 kb.

December 23, 2007

Merry . . .

Christmas Adam.

I did my Amazon shopping today—because heaven forfend that I put it off until the last minute!

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:52 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 27 words, total size 1 kb.

November 24, 2006

My Cousin Attila

. . . in Maryland puts to rest my doubts about Thanksgiving as a holiday. It turns out it isn't simply a day of gluttony after all.

I have to set aside my Methodist side and affirm that a feast is a celebration of life itself.

There is nothing as worthy as this. "This is the day that the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad."

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 74 words, total size 1 kb.

It's Still Thanksgiving Weekend

. . . for two more days, but I think Harrell gets the last word on the topic.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 26 words, total size 1 kb.

December 31, 2004

HIPY PAPY

HIPY PAPY NTHUDTHDTH THUTHDA NEEWE YRYR.

"I'm just saying 'Happy New Year,'" said Owl carelessly.
"It's a nice long one," said Pooh, very much impressed by it.
"Well, actually, of course, I'm saying 'A Very Happy New Year with love from Pooh.' Naturally, it takes a good deal of pencil to say a long thing like that."

Posted by: Attila at 03:29 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 61 words, total size 1 kb.

November 25, 2004

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the Western world, for developing ideas and systems that lift people out of the wretched existence that has been mankind's lot in too many times and places—and for most of human history.

I'm thankful to inventors, who gave me air travel, my reliable car, electric lights (essential for insomniacs), and my beloved internet, "contained" at present in my 12" PowerBook.

I'm grateful beyond words to the men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, putting themselves at risk to so that it will be less likely that a bomb will go off at Sears Tower or LAX. I'm grateful to the Marines in Fallujah.

I'm grateful to my parents, for instilling curiosity in me, along with a rudimentary notion of fairness, and for all the books and sketchpads that flowed like water when I was a kid.

I'm grateful to live in a peaceful part of the world, in a tree-filled lot that provides glimpses of the San Gabriels (soon to be covered in snow).

I'm grateful to Los Angeles, that petri dish for ideas and imagery; I'm grateful to live in such a concentration of creativity and intellect.

And I'm grateful to my husband, who keeps the rats out of the attic, makes me laugh daily, almost never loses his temper, cherises me, protects me and always sees the good in me—even when I'm in danger of losing track of it myself. He's an amazing guy, and I'm lucky, lucky, lucky.

Let's do this more than once a year, okay?

Have a terrific Thanksgiving; enjoy your family/friends. Eat a nice meal and reflect, this evening, on how good you have it.

Posted by: Attila at 01:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 281 words, total size 2 kb.

<< Page 1 of 1 >>
38kb generated in CPU 0.1324, elapsed 1.903 seconds.
211 queries taking 1.8819 seconds, 436 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.