The Selkie

I guess this is in late honor of St.Patrick's Day? Even though he was British...? The Selkie story is kind of a general fairytale in Ireland. The equivalent of Mermaids or Syrens. But more interesting. I watched "The Song of the Sea" last week, which is a really gorgeous animation of this legend. (Made by the same people who did The Secret of Kells...if you didn't see, it's on Netflix). Now, the story below is more like my own specific telling of a general legend, although I took most of the language and a lot of the specifics from the film "The Secret of Roan Inish" (Give credit where credit is due and all that). In this re-telling there are two names mentioned, and being Irish names, I'll help you out with pronunciation: 1. Diarmuid: "deer-mid" and 2. Niamh: "nee-iv". If you're really clever, you'll read this aloud in your best Irish accent. I tried to stick with the authentic language. Enjoy.

The Selkie

There was once a boy named Diarmuid who always preferred to be alone. He set his own traps, built his own boats, sat alone at all the family gatherings. One day, walking along the outer islands, he saw a thing his eyes could scarce believe. In them days, seals was hunted for their oil and hides, clubbed to death and made into coats and pouches. But Diarmuid never took part in it, for he believed, as many did then, that there was no worse luck than to harm a seal.

Diarmuid had seen a selkie; A creature that’s half human, and half beast. He had heard stories of such creatures, luring ships onto the rocks and pulling sailors down into the dark storm of the cold unknown. But all Diarmuid knew, was that he had never seen a woman so unearthly bewitching in all his life.

Now it was said that whoever could take the hide of the selkie could control it. Now the selkie had seen men before and had fled from them back to her own world underneath the seaweed and the rolling deep. But Diarmuid quietly stole the seal hide, and she went with him without a word, without a sound. All the islanders had seen Diarmuid row out to sea alone, and now all saw him return with a strange-looking girl. Island people are a wary lot. They are not likely to pass judgement on another person’s affairs, but there was something so utterly unearthly about her that kept them talking for a long time. And there was much shaking of heads when Diarmuid married her, for she barely spoke, and when she did her Irish was queer sounding: more ancient than their grandfather’s grandfather. And when they asked Diarmuid where he had found her, he would only say “Trabaeg”; but of course this was nonsense, for it was only a speck in the ocean that even the seals had to leave at high tide. And she would always be at the water looking out at the seals and the birds...

Despite her love for Diarmuid and her children, Niamh, for that was what she called herself, had something sad about her, and would always be at the sea, looking out to where she came from.

Now one day her eldest daughter came to her, and said the words that changed it all: “Why does father hide a leather coat in the roof?”

Later that evening, as Diarmuid was rowing home, he was followed by a solitary seal. It seemed joyous in its movements, but its eyes, as with all its kind, held a sadness deeper than the soul.

When the seal left him at last, Diarmuid felt a deep sadness inside, a mad fear, and he rowed home as quickly as he could.

When he got home, it was the looks on his children’s faces that told him that his fears were true. For once a selkie finds its skin again, neither chains of steel nor chains of love can keep her from the sea.

These images are all taken from the film "The Song of the Sea"

A Little Night Music

Here are some of our favorite songs of right now, and probably also of all time ever:

#1: Pixies: Wave of Mutilation

I mean, what does one really have to say about this song? It's just, you know. Brilliant. I mean "I've kissed mermaids, rode the el nino walked the sand with the crustaceans". Come on. Who wouldn't want to listen to that? Seriously, though. Have you ever heard such a glorious conglomeration of dreams and punk rock? Brava, Charles, brava. 

#2: And that goes the same for "Here Comes Your Man": 

#3: On a slightly less surfer whispy punk weirdness note, here is "My Timing is Off" by The Eels:

It's novocaine for the soul, man. Come on.

#4: David Bowie: "Breaking Glass"

'nuf said.

#5: Cage the Elephant: "Spiderhead"

I mean, everything by this band is brilliant. All of it. They are probably the most important band to come along in a while. Go see them live, also. They are fantastic performers. Man. I am so tired of the adjectives. I need to get some new ones. 

#6: Matt and Kim: "Sidewalks"

They're adorable. And their instagram is hilarious. And we get to see them live in April.

#7: Elliott Smith: "Between the Bars"

Anyone who knows the story of this musician can't listen to his music without getting real sad. If you read about all the tributes made to Elliott Smith since his death, including the one in this video, you have to realize what an effect his music has on all who hear it. I don't need to say anything else. Listen to the lyrics, and don't be afraid. 

#8: Morning Teleportation:

These guys are cool. Look at that artwork on their album cover: I met the guy who drew it. He's obsessed with cats. But that's beside the point. Their music is pretty rough without being necessarily gritty. I guess they would call is psychedelic. But not in the Pink Floyd way. In the Morning Teleportation way. And I got to meet a few of them. They sleep in their van and make no money and they won't sell themselves to a label. 

#9: Joy Division: "Disorder"

Ian Curtis's voice is like no one else's voice I've ever heard. He was only 23 when he died, but he ingrained this trademark baritone on the music world for ever after. They're eerily spatial, and too often forgotten.

#10: The Cranberries "Linger"

Just because. Who doesn't love The Cranberries?

How Charles Dickens Helped Save Christmas

Say what you will about Charles Dickens’ personal life (I know all about it) his novels all have a focus on redemptive themes. He always created dark characters; characters fraught with all kinds of misdeeds and wrongdoings towards others. Take Steerforth in David Copperfield, for example. He is charming, yet extremely manipulative. When we first become acquainted with Steerforth, it is through David’s naïve young point of view. Later on, we learn how dastardly he actually is. And yet, he begs David to remember him at his best. Even though Steerforth does not come to a moment of redemption within the action that we as the readers see within the action of the novel itself like so many other of Dickens’ characters, he is aware of his sinful nature, and knows that it will eventually come to light, thus shattering David’s illusion of his “good” character. The point remaining though that with that little line- “think of me at my best”- we have a sense that despite Steerforth’s uncouth behavior, perhaps he too is redeemable.  

 

To understand just how Charles Dickens came to have such an immense influence upon the Christmas that we know today (one could even go as far as to say that he actually “saved” Christmas) it is important to understand how extremely and astoundingly popular Dickens was within society, and culture, both in the UK and America.

After hearing Dickens read aloud in Boston, Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “too much talent for his genius; it is a fearful locomotive to which he is bound and can never be free from it nor set to rest. . . . He daunts me! I have not the key.” People were deeply moved and affected by his works. I don’t remember where I read this, but I wrote a paper on Dickens in 7th grade and I remember reading in a book that a man on a train grew so distraught over Little Nell in the last installment of “The Old Curiosity Shop”, that he threw his copy of the paper out the train window, sobbing and saying “He shouldn’t have killed her!” over and over. (I believe it was an Irish diplomat, but I can’t be sure. Kudos to Dickens for upsetting said diplomat if ‘tis true). The actor William Macready wrote in the wake of Little Nell’s demise: "I have never read printed words that gave me so much pain. . . . I could not weep for some time. Sensations, sufferings have returned to me, that are terrible to awaken."

 

 

Charles Dickens was not just a writer; he was also a wildly famous public figure due to his phenomenal readings of his works, and his skill as an amateur actor. He had a rare ability to completely emotionally manipulate people, and he took full advantage of it in his writing. Anyone who is at all acquainted with his work knows the pictures of injustice that he paints: the poor, the needy, the orphans, the child labor, the unkind step-parents. And he himself could relate to a lot of it. He grew up in squalor, the debtor’s prison so tragically described in both Little Dorrit and David Copperfield became his home at a young age, and so he was no stranger to the darker walks of life in Victorian England.

 

Aww look at tiny Daniel Radcliffe

 

 

During the period that Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, England was going through a terrible depression. There were thousands of unemployed and starving people in the streets. His grief at seeing such injustice is what fueled his writing- that and the fact that he was broke. He finished A Christmas Carol in just six weeks. Despite the fact that he was in financial straits, he requested that the novella be sold for an affordable 5 shillings, so that many people would be able to read it. The book was an instant and smashing success. There were three stage productions created within two months of the book's publication, and Dickens did popular readings of the book every Christmas,for nearly twenty years in a row after it's publication. His creation of the Christmas that he envisioned for England created new traditions, and family oriented celebrations of the holiday emerged as a result.

 

Before his novella was published, England had almost completely ceased to celebrate Christmas. The old medieval traditions of celebrating the birth of Christ annually decreased rapidly under Oliver Cromwell, who wanted the festivities of the season to return back to simply somber and a strictly religious observance. Christmas, and the observance thereof, became almost obsolete. Prince Albert introduced many of the holiday traditions that we know today to England in the mid 1800’s, such as Christmas trees, cards, and Christmas carols. But with the Industrial Revolution in full swing, most of England was constantly at work, even on Christmas, with children working 10 or 12 hour days. It was not a holiday observed by the public at large.

 

 

It's a hard knock life for these kids...

 

The redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge is quite obvious: he goes from a penny pinching miser to a good master and citizen, keeping Christmas all year. But what always strikes me the most about the book is the scene in which The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals Ignorance and Want to Scrooge. The scene in which he sees his own dead body and uncovers his own name on his future tombstone is chilling:

 

 

But it is when he gazes upon Ignorance and Want in the form of sad, hungry, ragged children, Dickens’ point is made. First of all, this scene is incredibly bizarre and more than just mildly disturbing due to the fact that Ignorance and Want are revealed to be hiding under Christmas Present's robe...which means they have been walking around with Scrooge the entire time. Scrooge is completely appalled by the appearance of these shriveled children, and asks the Spirit “Are they yours?” He replies: “They are Man’s”. Scrooge expresses his disgust, and asks the ghost to hide them so that he cannot see them. The spirit does so, but forebodingly declares "But they live on". Society’s utter abandonment of the poor is here brutally laid bare for Dickens’ readers. Even more significant, in the earlier scene in which Scrooge and Christmas Present pay a visit to the Cratchit’s home, the Spirit throws Scrooge’s rashly spoken words back in his face when they observe the slowly dying Tiny Tim hobbling around on his crutches: "Man," said the Ghost, "if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked can’t until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!" These scenes, and these lines are extremely harsh. “A Christmas Carol” is not just a lighthearted novella to read during yuletide, it is heavy with reproach towards mankind, and it was this reproach that preserved Christmas for the masses.

 

 

 

(This video clip contains the two scenes described above. I watch this movie every single year. That last scene with Ignorance and Want disturbed me so much as a kid, and it still send shivers up my spine.)

 

You could read this post as “Right on, Dickens, way to take employers on a giant guilt trip, cheers for paid holidays!” But whatever. Point being, he made a huge difference, and actually reinstalled a lot of the traditions that we hold dear today. He made Christmas accessible to the poor, not just to those who could afford not to work on that day. His influence was so palpable over the holiday season, that upon his death a little girl remarked: “Mr. Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?” Such was the affect he produced upon the world, with his little Christmas Carol.

 

 

(So I'm obsessed with the George C. Scott version. You should watch it)

Fun Fact: Dickens came up with the name “Ebenezer Scrooge” when he misread a tombstone in Scotland that said: “Ebenezer Scroggie, Meal Man” (It was common back in the day to write a person’s profession on their tombstone. “Meal Man” meant corn merchant.) Dickens read it as “Ebenezer Scroggie: Mean Man”.

 

I’ve linked below an article I used for this post, but a lot of this just came from muh brain, because I’ve read a massive amount on Dickens. ‘Cause I love him.

http://thingssaidanddone.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/how-charles-dickens-saved-christmas/

 

 

Cast Iron GLORY

Behold: the cast ­iron­ pan pizza


This pizza is the best thing that ever happened to me, other than y’know my birth and whatnot.
it’s pretty delicious. And by delicious I mean LIFE. CHANGING.

That’s right. This pizza is like finding true love. Probably better, because you’re not really allowed to eat your true love.
Not in this society, anyways.
oh, I am so alone.
ANYWAY
PIZZA
PIZZA IS SO GREAT

This particular pizza is made in a gigantic cast iron pan, which is ideal #1 because it’s like a tiny oven in and of itself, allowing for optimal baking quality and #2 because you don’t
have to ever clean it. Just let it sit and collect up all those flavors. because that’s why I don’t clean it, not because I’m lazy.
I just want to use this opportunity to say that most pizza recipes found on baking blogs really piss me off. It’s probably the use of imperatives that causes it more than anything:

“Let the dough rise for blah blah hours” “heat the oven to 550*”

YOU DON’T KNOW ME, FASCIST BAKER
YOU DON’T KNOW MY PROBLEMS

For all you know, I might like my dough to rise for 3 hours instead of 1 or 5.

I might want to bake my pizza at 500* or maybe my oven only heats up to that temperature, you don’t know.

Being sponsored by King Arthur Flour doesn’t give you the right to DICTATE MY BAKING PROCEDURES especially with pizza, which is something everyone has a different preference for. Thin
crust. Deep dish. Cheesy crust. Maybe you like your crust a little burnt or a little uncooked, because you are an animal.
It’s like a savory Starbucks up in here!
I give up.

But if, by chance, this pizza seems like the right one for you, basically just heat that oven right on up to your temperature of preference (which you should probably prefer to be
around 500* F), plunk that pizza dough in the (maybe well­oiled?) pan (and maybe let it sit for an hour but that’s just a suggestion), throw some pizza­-ey ingredients on top (or leave it plain, if you enjoy that minimalist look for your food. and if you hate flavor) and bake it for as long as you want (or until the crust looks like a dark golden-­brown, around 15 minutes). And then enjoy (OR NOT!! WHATEVER YOU LIKE!!).

Okay, I kind of get the imperatives now. That wasn’t even a proper recipe and it took forever to type.
But still.
This is America, after all.

LUSH (more organic stuff I put on my face and my hair....)

I know, it's been a minute since we posted. But really, when you have nothing to writ about, you have nothing to write about. So... sorry, not sorry.

I recently purchased several items from a cosmetic company called LUSH. They are committed to making all natural, organic, chemical free products such as soaps, conditioners, shampoos, facial masks, acne treatment, moisturizers, deodorants, etc. They also do not test their products on animals. I heard about Lush through one of my favorite youtubers, and decided to give it a try. No worries, I am still in love with Chagrin Valley, but it doesn't hurt to branch out, am I right? Of course right.

Of all 5 products I purchased, I love all 5. Seriously, these products are wondrous, and I am so peeved that I spent so much time and money putting chemicals in my hair and going to the dermatologists to be prescribed 500 different chemical/ medicinal treatments for my skin which NEVER WORKED. I have found the Mecca of skin and hair care products. Combined with Chagrin, I have achieved the status of WUNDERHAIR. I will explain in the following paragraphs:

Firstly, I love the shampoo bars from Chagrin, but I found recently that my hair has been a tad dry, probably due to the delightfully scorching weather around these parts. I purchased the "American Cream"  (clever, no?) conditioner from Lush. Firstly people, this thing smells like... a garden of just... dreams and rainbows and puppies. It is delightful. Some of the ingredients are as follows: Vanilla pod infusion (yummy), fresh organic oranges (ORANGES, PEOPLE), fresh strawberries (There are strawberries in my hair. Literally), clary sage oil, and lavender oil. There are other ingredients, less interesting, too numerous. Sorry if oxford commas annoy you, but I will never stop using them.
This conditioner, besides making me smell like everyone's favorite smell ever, makes my hair very light and soft. It is very de-tangling as well, so if you have that problem then you should check this out. PICTURE TIME:

 

Alright, the second product is a facial moisturizer called "Celestial". Before this, I was using a moisturizer from Neutrogena which I am pretty sure was making my face break out into oozing craters like nobodies business (Sorry Neutrogena...but...you kind of are awful). Celestial is the lightest, best covering moisturizer I have ever used. Not to mention the heavenly scent it exudes from your pores is other-worldly. I was slightly concerned when it arrived and I saw how small the container is, but this thing will last me until Christmas. You hardly have to use any to get full face-coverage. Highly recommend. It has a very vanilla-y scent.
 

 

(I think this eyebrow is just chronically...up)

 

The next product is a facial mask entitled: "Mask of Magnaminty". It's got mint in it... so... You can use it for your face and/or back. This container is a pretty good size. I've done the mask three times so far, and I really like it. It seems to really close up pores and reduce redness. And it smells like mint and grass after a rainstorm, so that's a plus. You only have to leave it on for 5-10 minutes, so it's a nice one if you are pressed for time. It is very cleansing.

 

 

The next product is probably my most favorite, because it has healed my skin. Which has not been this clear in 2 years. It's a gel called "Grease Lightning", and you just spread it on your trouble spots twice a day, and it works wonders. At least, it did for me. And after years of dermatologist visits and pills and 1,000 different creams three times a day, this has been the cheapest, most effective product I have ever used. It is beautiful. And I love it. My skin has almost completely healed in only 1 week.

 

 

(I don't know what this face is and I don't care)

 

The last product I purchased from Lush is a toner water called "Eau Roma Water". It is basically a cold tea infusion of rose hips and lavender, so again with the amaze-smelling face. I put it on once a day before the moisturizer and after the grease lightning, and it really helps keep my skin hydrated. I have naturally pretty dry skin, so I need all the help I can get. Also, keep this in your refrigerator and spritz it on in the morning and it will feel so nice. Especially in the summer, eau lala! 

 

Not going to lie; these products were on the pricey side. But you know what? They work. And I'm not putting chemicals and all sorts of nasty bad stuff on my hair or my skin anymore. I mean, skin is your largest organ...so you should probably be nice to it and treat it well. Or it will turn on you. Now, just as a rule, one should read all ingredients before using. Just because someone says they are organic and chemical free does not necessarily mean that they are. These products are, but I am given to understand that there are a few Lush products that are less then chemically free. Just as a warning, read all ingredients before use. These 5 are great though.

One more thing I started doing recently is drinking an absurd amount of water. I got a glass water container from the grocery store (Voss...that fancy Norwegian water) and I've been drinking about 2 1/2 - 3 of those a day. It's been helping with the skin issue and the insomnia issue and the depressed issue. Yay nature.

That thing is bigger than it looks. One of those is about 28 ounces. YUMMAY. Put fruit in your water too. It makes it more appealing. And pretty. And presentation is everything. Right?

 

 

 

The Secret Garden

Annie and I decided to watch "The Secret Garden" today. It was one of our favorite films growing up, and I recently found out that Francis Ford Coppola was one of the executive producers for the film, which was a fun fact, realizing that one of my favorite directors was involved with one of my favorite films as a child. I am not sure what it is about "The Secret Garden" that is so appealing to me. It has an aura of mystery and tragedy that is unapologetically woven into the tale. I remember it being the first film I watched that made me cry. I think I was about five or six years old at the time.

The movie, based upon the book by Francis Hodgson Burnett, reflects the lonely lives of abandonment led by two ten year old children living in a gloomy old mansion in the English countryside. One child is abandoned by her parents through their deaths, the other, bedridden and sickly, is rejected by his deeply distressed and
heartbroken father. The story has something very tangible and earnest about it. It is a story of healing through nature, but it takes real loss and tragedy and turns haunted memories into joyful ones. It also not only heals the children, but it also heals the adults in their lives.

The movie is filmed with a lot of simplicity: it is a story originally meant for children, so there aren't any "big" scenes to film. But the cinematography, combined with the truly gorgeous score makes the film very moving. There are also so many subtleties in the film that I noticed watching it this time around that I never noticed before. Fun fact: Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst were both turned down for the roles of the two children in favor of two unknowns, (Heydon Prowse and Kate Maberly) which always makes me happy. 

The Doldrums of Post-Graduation

Well... it has been awhile. And I have to say, despite the amount of homework I have had to complete in order to graduate from college, which I did last weekend, I have been avoiding this blog. I have not felt like writing, and I have not been inspired to write anything lately. And although I have plenty of things to write about now, such as five days in NYC, various fantastic concerts, people thinking that I am racist, and the horrible nagging fear of having my wisdom teeth extracted, I just do not feel like writing about these things as of yet, so instead I will just be writing about not wanting to write.
 
There have been a lot of incidents leading up to this complete lack of inspiration, but I believe the band Keane says it best "everything is changing, and I don't feel the same". That pretty much sums it up right now. Everyone is moving on with life, and I can't stop that from happening. It just feels like I am standing in the middle of a room while everyone I care about is leaving it in slow motion, and I am powerless to stop it from happening. And most of this "leaving" is in the form of things you are supposed to be really happy about, such as graduation or marriage. And while that's really great and exciting, it's also kind of the saddest time I have ever experienced. So I suppose that is why I have pretty much been watching Lena Dunham's show "Girls" on repeat for the last month.

After graduation, I just felt this void. It was not this crazy wonderful experience. I did not feel accomplished, I did not feel relieved. I felt horrified, and scared, and alone. I just stared at that piece of paper declaring me a Bachelor of Arts and all I could think of was the time... the time and money and work that went into that little piece of paper. A paper that did not even have my major on it. I don't know what I had expected, but I thought maybe it would have all the jobs that I had to work in order to get through college listed on there, or maybe all the sleepless nights somehow accounted for, or all the people who had helped me pull through it with their names listed, or all the pain I had gone through transferring and my trouble with the registrar and all of my personal relationships with people all written down there somewhere. But all it said was "Bachelor of Arts".

I guess I am writing this down because I am sure I am not the only person who has felt this way before. So hopefully if you are going through the same thing, you will be able to relate.

And hopefully I will find something real to write about soon.