This Makes Me So Happy

There are a dozen reasons to love this movie clip: it's general vintage appeal, for example, or the 4 year old hula prodigy. Watch it! I swear it'll make you smile.

I originally was introduced to this by my History of Music professor, who used the short as an example of how classical music can be used to great effect in film. If you keep that in mind as you watch, you'll be thinking no kidding! just like I was.

Be Smart

Notice something amiss?

Many websites list ideas of how you can "seem more smart." If appearing intelligent is of any concern to you, forget taking their advice and learn to spell instead. Relying on spell-check is foolhardy! It will not always be there to save you.  

Correct spelling and grammar will shine a spotlight of intelligence on you faster than your college degree can (and in many cases, more accurately than your degree). People are smart in different areas, I know-- I certainly have no gift for math.  Just trust me on the spelling, okay? There are many different ways of being smart, but few faster ways of appearing stupid than poor spelling.

 

Look Alikes

I seriously think that Gordon MacRae (from Oklahoma! and other old movies) and Michael Buble look alike. Possibly it's the smile. Really it was this music video that made me see the resemblance. If you're familiar with MacRae in movies, you'll probably see it too.

Besides, the music video is fabulous! I love the charm of it, and the dancers' exhilaration is contagious-- so much smiling! It's a great pick me up. Every time I see it I wanna grab a baton and dance down a grocery aisle. 

It's been a week since I last posted. Way too long, I know. I plea illness! I spend most of my days roaming the house with a bowl, just in case, and since this afternoon I experienced a rush of joy at keeping down jello... I think it's a fair excuse.

I Want Some Challah

 

Today Ben Jehuda Street Bakery must smell so good. I want challah bread. Happy Friday, everybody!

Curious About the History of Wedding Cake?

While I don't know why anyone would volunteer to read a 12 pg research paper just for fun, Piece of Cake: The Revolution of American Wedding Confection, is now available if you wish to read it.

Photo by Eliot Elisofon for LIFE magazine, 1942.

Please note that my paper isn't perfect; I'm just an undergrad and I don't care too much. Also, I apologize for its dry nature. If I'd been able to include all of my fun research, this would have been WAY more interesting. Apparently scholarly writing only includes authoritative-mumbo-jumbo and is limited to facts that impact your thesis. *eyeroll.* I think for AurelianBall I'll include an addendum with random tidbits. Stuff like this:

DID YOU KNOW:
Queen Victoria's wedding cake was 10 ft wide, and 300 lbs, but
Queen Elizabeth II's wedding cake was 9 ft high, and 500 lbs?


...the best part is that I know why Victoria's was tall and Elizabeth's was wide! Ahem.Exercising restraint. Must stop gushing.

My Favorite Things: Movie Soundtracks

I owe my love of music to my parents and older siblings who wrapped it around me from a very young age. Thanks you for your example. The marvel of your talents filled my young eyes with wonder and has greatly influenced my life.

Film scores, in my opinion, are the true triumph of the symphonic world. I've been a passionate collector of them for many years, and they frequently make me cry, take my breath away, and make my heart beat faster. They can scare me too-- Jaws, anyone? I find in them more glory, beauty, and feeling than is available through any other source. I listen to them all the time! Just ask my husband-- he often mutters about how hardly anything on my iPod has words.

My father once complained that quality, refined music wasn't being written anymore. When I disagreed, he asked, "Yeah? When was the last time you heard a choral symphony?" My response was swift. "Last week. Superman Returns." The fact is that more symphonies are written today than ever before, and we owe that to the film industry. Isn't that wonderful? Finally something to love Hollywood for!

You all know I love movies, and you know a soundtrack can make or break my love for a film. Some movies use the score as a crutch, and some use it for their crowning achievement. Below are a few lists of what I consider "favorites". The following movie that I LOVE is a Janie-Thompson-esque medley of 16 movie themes that John Williams combined for an Oscars-tribute to musical scores. It's quite fun-- Daddy should especially like it. A bunch of movies he likes make the cut. My favorites too!

All-Time Hit List

Jurassic Park, Jumanji, Tuck Everlasting, Casper, Home Alone, Ever After, Little Women, Dances With Wolves, North & South, Cinema Paradiso, The Mission, Rudy, Beauty & the Beast/Pocahontas, Exodus, Patton, All of Ken Burn's documentary soundtracks, The Parent Trap, Last of the Mohicans, and October Sky.

Latest Fascinations

Rachel Portman's Cider-House Rules and The Duchess.
Ennio Morricone-- Once Upon a Time in America

My Top Composers

James Horner, John Barry, Alan Silvestri, Hans Zimmer, Alan Menken, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard, Thomas Newman, Patrick Doyle, Rachel Portman, Elmer Bernstein, and John Williams.

History Rhymes

Jason Powell has done remarkable work with his "Looking Into the Past" set on Flickr. Using Library of Congress photos, he has gone to where they were taken and posed their images over where the present now stands. It's incredible.


This one is my favorite.

Schlossvaduz, Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is a tiny country* crammed between Switzerland and Austria. But it's very pretty.

Eiffel Tower, First Level Shot

I think I've underestimated just exactly how tall the Eiffel tower really is. The "first level" that this picture was taken from is 19 stories high. The tower itself-- is over 90 stories high!

• 300 iron workers, for the two years 1887-89,
• 2.5 million rivets,
• 15,000 pieces of iron,
• 40 tons of paint,
• Total tower weight: 9441 tons (8.56 million kg)

Major Foreign Cities I'd Like To See

On my last post Bill commented that he'd most like to see London and Sydney, which got me to thinking about which cities in the world I'd like to see most. Now remember, this is just the list of BIG cities that I want to see abroad.

Here they are in a mostly-accurate-ranking-order.

ROME
BERLIN
LONDON
ST. PETERSBURG
PARIS
KYOTO
SALZBURG
COPENHAGEN
FLORENCE
PRAGUE
ISTANBUL
MUNICH
BUDAPEST
KIEV
VIENNA
TIRANA
EDINBURGH
POSITANO
STOCKHOLM
GRENOBLE
LEIPZIG
BARCELONA
AMSTERDAM
MONTREAL
LJUBLJANA
DAMASCUS
DUBLIN
BATH
CALGARY

World Folk Fest

A while back I saw this Chinese group* perform at a World Folk Fest, a place where dancers from all over the world joined to showcase their country's culture. I particularly enjoyed the group from Poland, because they sang a Polish song with deliciously tight harmonies and then... sang America the Beautiful. (Yes, I cried, though I cried way more during the "thousand arms" dance the Chinese girls did. It was so beautiful!)

But then the Hungarian group was fantastic, the Belgian flag throwers were mesmerizing, and how that group of Korean kids stuck to a steady rhythm I'll never know. Basically, you should have been there, cause everything was breathtaking.

*Check it-- they're wearing ABBA pants.

Somewhere Breathtaking

I have decided that a summer in Italy might just be ideal. Think about it! Tasty food, sculpture, music, architecture, natural beauty, and of course history. Not to mention the romantic nature Hollywood* publishes for the country? Roman Holiday? Hello! What's not to die for? Think about it-- a summer in Italy. Seriously.


Volterra


Firenze


Lake Misurina (who knew Italy had places like THIS?)


and... somewhere breathtaking in Italy.


Tuscany


Best for last: The Neptune Fountain in Rome. ROME ROME ROME ROME ROME!

*And I quote. 1. "Venice! Oh, I loooooove Venice!" 2."Legend tells that if you tell it a lie and stick your hand in there it will be bitten. Off." 3."Thank you, Father. Friends of mine were hoping to go to Rome for a few weeks during carnival... [of course you may go] ROME!" 4. "It-lee? What's my wife doing in It-lee?" 5. "No milk and crackers.")

Speaking of Birds

Alicia, I think you'll really like this. I especially like the on point plie step. Embedding disabled? *sigh* Just double click.

Shine Like a New Penny

Lincoln is the only person to be featured on a US coin for more than 100 years. His face was first featured in 1909, the 200th anniversary of his birth.


For the 150th birthday anniversary, the Lincoln Memorial penny was completed. I'm going to miss it; it was my favorite coin.


2009 is --you guessed it-- his 200th birthday, and this year these four penny designs will be issued. Have you seen them yet? I just saw the log-cabin this morning (which is how I found out about the new pennies in the first place).




According to Wikipedia, "in 2010, the cent's reverse will be redesigned again, with a new, permanent design being released into circulation. The redesign will bear an image that is emblematic of Lincoln's preservation of the United States as a single and united country. Lincoln will remain on the obverse, though a new obverse design is possible."

I really hope the 2010--foreseeable future penny isn't hideous.

Politically Correct

In 1949 the Crayola factory first produced the "flesh" colored crayon. Civil rights actions led to the company changing the color's name to "peach" in 1962. Isn't that just peachy.


For more history of discontinued crayons, visit the factmonster.

Anyone ever hear of this?

THE GREAT SMOG OF 1952 (aka "big smoke" and "killer fog") Early in December of '52 a cold fog settled over London like an icy comforter, blanketing everything. Not usual, right? No big deal-- just add another lump of coal to the fire. Well. The increased pollution was trapped by the fog in what's known as an "inversion," (which all Utahns are intimately familiar with). Inversions are caused when concentrated pollutants become a haze trapped by a dense mass of cold air. Trapped within the sooty brew were particulates and gasses from London's many factories, though the main pollutant was coal smoke. It was as if a black soot bubble had surrounded the city.

Smog was everywhere, even indoors; concerts, plays, and movies were canceled because the audience could not see the stage or screen. Archivists at the British Museum found smog lurking in the book stacks. Maureen Scholes, a nurse at the Royal London Hospital said the smog penetrated through clothes, blackening undergarments. Cattle in the city's Smithfield market were killed and thrown away before they could be slaughtered and sold — their lungs were black.

After two days of the smog, visibility fell to one foot. The sun was entirely unseen. Driving became impossible and abandoned cars littered the streets. Ambulances stopped running, and thousands of gasping residents walked through the smog to the city's hospitals. Children, the elderly, and smokers were affected most (as per usual). Deaths were attributed to hypoxia, pneumonia, and other infection. Doctors noted that a virulent pus filled lungs and airways and was particularly difficult to treat.

The extreme air pollution caused or advanced the death of several thousand Londoners. In the blitz, 30,000 Londoners died. According a recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, 12,000 may have been killed by the great smog. The terror of the fog's lethal nature led to parliamentary action. In 1956 the "Clean Air Act" was established, a forefront pollution restriction which led several other countries to take action, hoping to avoid a tragedy of their own.

That Shocking Time of Year

I'm back. Despite popular belief that my life expired having fallen from the edge of a cliff and rumors of being otherwise incapable of blogging, I have returned to haunt you once again. Aurelian is back on the market, boys!


Guess who wasn't ready for the picture? If you guessed sullen-face-Cassidy with the bow in her hair, you'd be right.

You seek explanation? Very well. This past month I was away from the internet (zooks! zounds! egads!) and any semblance of normalcy. My life was deliciously turned topsy turvy; I was on tour with a folk dance team from BYU, visiting 58 elementary schools to perform for children. What exactly did we do? We shared worldwide culture with kids by showing them dances from:

South Africa, Russia, Korea, Colombia, Poland, Sweden, Italy, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ireland, Mexico, the United States, and we even did a Yiddish dance.

Four weeks hanging around these beautiful people? Cant beat that!

This is the dance from Colombia. I'm the saucy one in the pink skirt.

Half way through our final number in the show (Ukraine), we pose. Everyone thinks the song is over and starts to clap, but no-- we're not done. Then it happens again (cue clapping? not yet) and then the music stops again-- okay NOW we're really finished. Reminds me of an orchestra performance when people start clapping before the third movement has really ended and "...diminuendo sheepishly."

Shown below is our first POSE-BUT-THE-SHOW'S-NOT-OVER-YET moment. My eye scrunching smile is visible front and center (which is slightly to the right from the camera's angle). Heaven and saints be praised, I finally got to wear those red boots! Huzzah!


Proof that I've done Hopak? Check.

P.S. A true story addendum to the top picture.

Friend #1: Bacchus elementary? Wasn't Bacchus the Greek god of... something dirty?
Rachel: Wine and Revelry. And it's Roman, actually-- Bacchus is the Roman form of the Greek's Dionysus.
Friend #2: Geez, do you know everything about that stuff?
Rachel: Not complicated, chief. Cartoon education--Bacchus is in Fantasia.
Friend #1: No way!
Rachel: Dude with the splashing-wine goblet and the nymphs. Yes way.
Friend #2: Hey, you're right-- that guy is in Fantasia.
...
(A moment later)
Principal: Are you with the BYU assembly?
Friend #2: We sure are! *dimpled smile*
Principal: We're so excited to have you all here.
Friend #2: Thanks so much, we're glad to be here too.
Rachel: (rudely interrupts by raising her hand) I have a question.
Principal: Okay.
Rachel: Please tell me you didn't name your elementary school after the ancient god of wine and revelry.
Principal: Our school is named for Thomas W. Bacchus, the distinguished founder of our city.
Rachel: Good! Cause I was gonna say...
Friend #1: You'll have to excuse her. She gets carried away with mythology.
Rachel: (glares playfully at Friend #1) You get no cookies from me. Tee hee.

KVETCH THIS.

Boy would I love to read this book! It would teach me even more about that magnetic-yiddish-poetry-set that my mom (I mean SANTA) got me for Christmas.



kvetch (yiddish):

verb [intrans]

a chronic complaint, or to complain with whining persistence. To nag.
"a rambling kvetch against the system"

Create Your Own Pollack & Full Fathom Five

Here's something you all really should do today-- create your own Pollack-esque print using just your mouse button. Every time you click, the paint will change color! Better yet, let the kids play with "paint."  So much fun to do, and sans the mess.

The only real Jackson Pollack I've ever liked even a little bit:

Full Fathom Five, 1947

The texture is great, isn't it? And I do so enjoy orange. Fabulous title too. Ha! FFFFFFabulous fffffull fffathom ffffffive? Mmm, yes. 

Spectacular

Saturday night movie with Folk Dance friends: Cyrano de Bergerac. French has never sounded so good. 

Rachel's Review: Spectacular!

Best quotes:

"The truth which I speak strikes more sparks from men's hearts than your spurs do from the cobblestones."

"May I know a thousand victories, a thousand defeats, and never timidity."