Grab Bag Friday: Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick

Here's a video from Slate Magazine that cracked me up this week, a parody comparing Hillary to Tracy Flick from Election.

Starting next week, my February book and music posts will deal with Black History Month. If you missed last year's Black History Month posts, you can find them here.

Have a great weekend!

Andrew Bird: Live on KEXP

I was browsing around KEXP's live performance archives, and came across some pretty cool live performances by Andrew Bird.

Those of you from the Northwest will certainly know KEXP since it is hands-down one of the coolest radio stations out there. It's listener-supported, the djs actually help pick their own music, play requests, and support local bands. You know, a *real* radio station!

I've been a fan of Andrew Bird since I first saw him play violin with the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I was (and still am) completely addicted to his quirky, swing-tinged 1998 album Thrills. I once had a poetry professor who advocated that great poets can "look at the world strangely." Andrew Bird is a master of that skill.

The KEXP live performances were recorded in September '07 and include songs from his newest, very gorgeous album, Armchair Apocrypha. I love his strange uses of the violin, odd tonalities, and strikingly beautiful melodies. Live, the songs are even more sparse and dreamy than they are on the album.

Listen to Andrew Bird live on KEXP here. Click "concert.wma" or "concert.rm" to hear the whole performance straight through. Or click on the song titles to hear them individually.

Read an article about KEXP from Paste Magazine here.

The Brookeshelf: The Potter Project

I was awfully excited to see that The Brookeshelf, one of the wittiest and most enjoyable kidlit blogs out there, has started a brand new series: The Potter Project.

As a child, Brooke received a Beatrix Potter book every year until she had the entire collection:

"As for reading them, I found them enjoyable but cryptic. I was definitely entranced by the books’ charms — anthropormorphic animals in cute little outfits! — but puzzled by others. A world where pigs trotted off to sell themselves at the market? Where mice sewed buttonholes with 'cherry twist' (which I was certain was some sort of Twizzler)? And what the heck was a 'patty pan' or a 'pinny'?"

With the Potter Project, she intends to do "a fresh re-reading of all 23 Beatrix Potter books, with the keen hope that the contrast between the child and adult perspective will prove, if not interesting or enlightening, at least bloggable."

There is not a doubt in my mind that this will be lots of fun and well worth the read. So far, here is what you've missed:

The Potter Project Intro

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, or Stay Away From the Man Who Ate Your Father

Video Sunday: Potter a'Plenty (Including the Charlie Brown "book report" song)

If you are in Maine...

Did you know you can still participate in a primary caucus even if you are not there? Other states may have an absentee ballot process, too, so check with your town office. I really do think each vote will make a difference this time around.

Grab Bag Friday: Primary Fever

Artwork: "A Caucus Race" from Alice in Wonderland

I have to admit it: I've come down with Primary Fever. I knew it was serious when I actually couldn't sleep because I was thinking about it so much. Me! Believe me, if there's anything I can do well, it's sleep. Not to mention the fact that I don't usually bother about politics too much. Especially not the primaries.

And yet, here I am, a staunch Independent, considering switching my party affiliation just so I can go have my say in the Maine caucus on Feb. 10. And yes, it is a caucus, which sounds to me like the most painful form of voting out there:

At the municipal caucus, voters may speak for their preferred candidate and urge others to join with them. Caucus goers then indicate their candidate preference, often by standing in different parts of the caucus room. The number of voters for each candidate is tallied, and a preliminary number of delegates is assigned proportionately. After this first round of voting, caucus goers have an opportunity to change their votes. For instance, supporters of candidates who may not have enough votes to get a delegate may decide to switch to another candidate. A second round of tallying determines the number of delegates for each candidate from that municipality.

Speak? Urge others? Then do it again? Eep. I would like to walk in, stand in line, mark my ballot and turn it in, thank you very much. Have any of you been to a caucus? How bad is it, really?

So, non-political as I usually am, I've been trying to figure out why I've been so caught up in this primary season. Here's what I've come up with: it feels like it counts. For a couple reasons.

1. Neither party has a very clear front runner. So where I usually have the feeling that it is all sewn up anyway, and what is one more vote going to do, swing votes like me might really mean something this year. (Speaking of, have you registered to vote?)

2. With big things like Iraq and a faltering economy in our sights, it's not really just business as usual. And the candidates are pretty different from each other for once. It seems like who we choose to take over these issues might really mean something this year.

3. There are actually candidates that I like. This was a real shocker to me. Normally during a presidential election, I have this sinking feeling when I vote. Like I'm just choosing between two really bad possibilities. But there are a couple candidates in this election and one in particular :) that I really respect and think would be thoughtful and wise and good at the job of leading the country in a positive direction. So when I go and stand in that caucus corner, instead of feeling like I'm just going through the motions, it might actually mean something this year.

You can check the primary schedule here. Happy voting!

Eddie Vedder: Society

I haven't seen the movie Into the Wild yet, but I was pretty excited to hear that Eddie Vedder was doing the soundtrack. In high school, I have to admit, I was a pretty die hard Pearl Jam fan. I even had a picture of Eddie Vedder in my locker. *swoon* :)

If you've read the book, you'll know that Into the Wild is a true story is about Chris McCandless, a young man who decides he doesn't want to be a part of society anymore. He gives all his money and belongings away and begins hiking to Alaska. I think Eddie Vedder's voice was a brilliant choice for the soundtrack...it has that perfect blend of loneliness and determination, a soft, intimate tone that can be absolutely raw with emotion and quiet (or not so quiet) rage. Not all the songs on the CD are amazing songs, but they all fit the mood exactly.

This one, Society, hits the mark particularly well. Beautiful, determined, and heartbreaking.

Jon Krakauer's book is a fascinating (if a bit devastating) read and Sean Penn directed the movie, so I think it has potential to be pretty good (have any of you seen it yet?) I've saved it in my Netflix queue. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the music.

Martin Luther King Jr: Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Today we celebrate the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. This week, a friend suggested that I read the letter that King wrote from Birmingham Jail in 1963, and I was struck by how relevant his words still are today.

King was arrested during a peaceful Civil Rights demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, April 1963. He was kept in solitary confinement for 8 days. On the day he was arrested, a group of Christian and Jewish church leaders in Birmingham printed a statement denouncing the "extreme" and "impatient" actions of the demonstrators. Disappointed by the lack of understanding in what he called "men of genuine good will," King wrote an eloquent, ten-page response to their statement. (You can read the entire letter, and hear an audio snippet here.)

King's letter takes each of the clergymen's complaints to task, explaining patiently (but urgently) that immediate, direct action was in fact necessary on every level. He wrote (and this is a tiny piece of an incredibly stirring passage that you should go read in its entirety):

For years now I have heard the word "wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never"...Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim...you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.

One of the problems that Martin Luther King, Jr. writes about in his letter has been and will continue to be a problem throughout time: "the appalling silence of the good people." He writes:

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

It is painfully obvious that discrimination, hate, and injustice are still very much alive in our world. These things, unfortunately, did not end with the Civil Rights Act, though many of the blatant, government-sanctioned segregation practices did. And you don't have to live in the roughest parts of Los Angeles, or Baltimore, or New Orleans to see that racial conflict is alive and kicking. You can see it right here in Maine in the recent hate crimes directed at Somali refugees, you can see it in small Northern Wisconsin towns in tensions between the White and Native American populations. You can probably see it right in your own town, without having to look very hard.

In this world, where hate and prejudice are still allowed to thrive (and often in sneaky and subtle ways) we have to be extra vigilant that we do not become part of the "appalling silence" that King points to. It's much easier to stand aside, stay quiet, and maintain that "lukewarm acceptance" than it is to actively stand up, reach out, and work towards a deeper understanding of someone who might seem different from ourselves.

My friend Judy says we need to give each person an "extravagant welcome." That means renouncing "lukewarm acceptance" and opening ourselves more fully and generously than we might even think possible. King calls it being an "extremist for love." I struggle with this constantly. I hope I will continue to struggle, that all of us will continue to struggle, to do the hard work, and become extremists for love. As Martin Luther King, Jr. calls for at the end of his letter:

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Grab Bag Friday: Anton's Angels

It's my mom's birthday today, so I wanted to post a sweet story that will make her smile. Well, it doesn't get much sweeter than this...

Remember the video I made of Little Drummer Boy? Well, back in November, 8-year-old Anton and his father emailed me all the way from Düsseldorf/Germany. They had come across the video on YouTube (don't ask me how...there are almost 1500 versions of that song on YouTube!) and Anton wanted to play snare drum to *my* version at his school's Christmas party. I didn't have a recording of the song, so I ripped the audio from the video & sent them an mp3.

So just before Christmas, Anton sent this picture as a thank you. His father said the concert was a big success, and the poem Anton chose for his picture is about "Angels being around where you don't expect them and not necessarily having good looks." How awesome is *that*? I've put it up in my office, and it makes me smile every time I see it. (You can click on the picture to see a bigger version and all its terrific detail.)

As I always say, it's the little things that make the biggest impact. Thanks, Anton!

p.s. My friend Amy just did a rough translation of the poem for me. It goes like this (thanks, Amy!):

They don't have to be men with wings, the angels.
They go lightly, they don't have to shout,
often they are old and ugly and small,
the angels.
They have no sword, no white robe,
the angels.
He has brought bread to the hungry, the angel.
He has made the bed for the sick,
and he listens, when you call, in the night,
the angel.
He stands in the way and says: No,
the angel.
large like a stake and strong as stone,
they don't have to be men with wings, the angels.

They Might Be Giants: Family Friday Night Podcast

For those of you who've wondered whatever happened to the quirky, fun, indie-pop duo They Might Be Giants, you might be interested to know that they are now actual *giants* in the kids-and-family music scene. They took the scene by storm with their first kids' album, No!, in 2002 and followed up in 2005 with a supercool CD/DVD set Here Come the ABCs (which I *highly* recommend).

Now, with their highly anticipated album Here Come the 123s due out this February, TMBG has begun a Friday Night Family Podcast with videos of songs from the album. Zooglobble has been posting them pretty regularly (check out this great one The Seven Days of the Week: I Never Go to Work) and you can see the whole list here.

I think, so far, Apartment 4 (below) is my favorite:

Julie Morgenstern: Organizing from the Inside Out

After the holidays are over and the new year comes around, I almost always get the organizing bug. I start to think of all the projects I want to do over the new year and have this urge to reevaluate and find ways to be more efficient, more organized, more productive. For those of you who have similar tendencies, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

A few years back, a friend gave me Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out, and it really changed the way I think about organizing. Here are two very simple but brilliant concepts from the book that really stuck with me:

1. Work with your habits, not against them. Habits are really really hard to break. If you tend to leave your dirty clothes in a heap by the bed, for instance (and no, I'm not pointing any fingers here!), putting a hamper in the laundry room or in the bathroom is not going to help. You are probably still going to leave the clothes in a heap by the bed and at some point scoop them up and take them to the hamper.

Instead, Julie Morgenstern suggests that you work *with* your habit and put the hamper right there at the foot of the bed or very close by. If your jewelry piles up on top of your dresser, put some hooks and/or a little box right there. If you try to create an organizing system that goes against your normal habits, it won't work, and it will be endlessly frustrating.

2. Create Activity Zones. I love this one. The idea is that every room should be organized like a kindergarten classroom with "zones" for each activity. The first step is to figure out what you *do* in your space. I'll use my office as an example. Here are my activities:

• Read
• Create (music, writing, etc.)
• Teach lessons
• Pay bills
• Work on curriculum for Songwriting for Kids
  
• Work on music promotion, online & offline, booking gigs, etc.

It used to be that everything was all mixed in together (my desk had song fragments, bills, enrollment forms, and books on it) and each time I walked in my office, I was overwhelmed by so many things to do. So I Julie Morgenstern-ed my office. I now have:

• A corner with all the books on my reading list, a futon, and a reading lamp.
• My desk is completely devoted to song and story ideas, works in progress, and books on songwriting.
• A corner with the piano, guitar, and shelves that are filled with all my lesson books.
• The left side of my closet has shelving with all my Songwriting for Kids supplies, enrollment forms, and curriculum.
• The right side has slots for bills, contracts, CDs, all my equipment for shows, and other financials and paperwork.

The best thing about this new setup is that I can close the door (or rather, the curtain) on all the bills, music business, and other paperwork and financial materials. So when I am *not* working on those things, I don't even have to see them. Just the piano, guitar, books, and writing materials.

It's a *much* better place to create!

Grab Bag Friday: African-American Boycott of L.L. Bean

This has been cracking Kevin & I up for weeks (we live just a few minutes from the L.L. Bean headquarters). My friend Andy used to work for the Onion when it was just a goofy little college newspaper out of Madison. I had a subscription delivered to Maine when I went off to school and my friends and I would gather around a table in the union, read it outloud, and laugh uproariously. Ah, I love the Onion.

(If you can't see the embedded video, click here.)

IMPORTANT FAMILY-FRIENDLY NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with the Onion, please note that, especially in recent years, much of the content on their website is highly inappropriate for children. So if you head over to browse their site, please use caution and/or be careful who you're browsing with.

U2: The City of Blinding Lights

Sorry for the slightly sporadic posts this last week. I've been traveling, and there were a couple days there when I was simply too busy looking for shells and surfers, working on crosswords and puzzles, falling asleep during movies, and playing Uno and Spanish "I Spy" with my nieces and nephews to write a blog. Thanks to all my family for the great visits. I miss you already!

So, last night, just before Barack Obama gave his eloquent and inspiring speech at the New Hampshire primaries, the Obama campaign blared The City of Blinding Lights by U2. I had the song in my head all day today, and it reminded me of 2 things:

1. How much I like U2. I tend to just take them for granted as one of the "given" megabands of our time. Their songs come on, I turn the radio up, and that's that. But when I take the time to really pay attention, it never ceases to amaze me how seamlessly and consistently they can pull off such catchy riffs, soaring melodies, and moving lyrics that always manage to be both melancholy and hopeful. Like:

The more you know the less you feel
Some pray for, others steal
Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel… luckily

It's that last line that gets me in this song. I love that it ends there. Luckily.

2. I'm going to a mega-concert! I have two TicketMaster gift cards (ugh, I know, the corporation I can't stand). Now, I have never in my life been to a huge stadium concert with lights and staging, smoke and screaming crowds like in the U2 video below. (Ok, I went to a White Heart concert in 7th grade, but that *really* wasn't the same thing.) I've always gone for the intimate, folksy or indie-rock venues. Belly in a dive bar. Alison Krauss in a small, tasteful auditorium. Badly Drawn Boy in a space the size of a living room.

So I've decided that in 2008, I'm going to use those blasted gift cards to see something BIG. Problem is...what's worth seeing? Seen any good, huge shows lately? I've got 12 months to pick something...and I'm up for taking suggestions!

In the meantime, enjoy U2 in Milan:

Sounds Eclectic: Nic Harcourt's Best of 2007

It's time, it's time for KCRW's Nic Harcourt to make the judgment call on the best songs of 2007. Last year's show got me hooked on Band of Horses. What will this year bring?

You can listen to the entire show here. It aired on Sunday, but I'm just getting around to it today.

Well, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? What are *your* favorite songs of 2007?

Off the top of my head, mine would have to include:

• Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us from the new Alison Krauss/Robert Plant collaboration.

• It would be hard to single one out from Andrew Bird's stellar album Armchair Apocrypha, but I have to say I'm partial to the quirky swing of Imitosis.

• And yes, oddly, Harper Simon's version of Yankee Doodle. I'm telling you, against all odds, he makes you like that song. :)

Ring Out, Wild Bells: Lord Alfred Tennyson

Photo by Karen

Tennyson wrote this poem in 1850 as part of a larger work called In Memoriam. It is a call for release and renewal. Tennyson calls us to let go of old griefs, mistakes, grudges, and wars, and embrace (wildly, and with abandon!) new light, love, joy, and peace. I'm ready for some changes...how about you? Let's go ring some bells!

Ring Out, Wild Bells
by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Grab Bag Friday: Origami Club

Last week, when we were snowed in, I did a little internet search to find out how to make small origami gift bags for my students. I came across the Origami Club which has tons of easy-to-follow origami designs rated from easiest to most difficult.

So I made my gift bags. But when Kevin came into the living room 45 minutes later, he also found an array of hats, bears, and stars strewn about. I looked up sheepishly and said, "What? I had to see if I could do them." Kevin's reply: "This may be the biggest nerd alert yet."

Well if you and/or your kids are bored over winter break, you might wander over to the Origami Club for a little paper-folding fun. Just watch out...it can be addictive!

Band Aid: Do They Know It's Christmas?

Ah, do you remember this one? How could you forget? But I bet it's been years since you've seen it last (at least it was for me)and it's *worth* watching again just to see the hair-dos! The Poop recently reminded me of this by posting the video, and Peter's comments are hilarious. A small taste:

"I remember when this came out, I couldn't go out and buy the single fast enough. Sting AND Simon Le Bon AND Boy George AND Phil Collins wanted me to do it, which pretty much made it 13-year-old law. How could I say no and keep feathering my hair with a clear conscience?"

Truman Capote: A Christmas Memory

I've seen Truman Capote's short story A Christmas Memory in the Chinaberry catalog for a couple of years now, but didn't actually pick it up until readers of Seven Impossible Things for Breakfast mentioned it recently. I have to thank both Chinaberry and the 7-imp readers...once again, you did not steer me wrong.

Truman Capote (author of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood) wrote A Christmas Memory in 1956, and it's a beautiful story about the friendship between a 7 year old boy and his "sixty-something" year old cousin. Truman Capote was abandoned by his mother early on in life, and this story is largely a true memoir about his years growing up with aunts and cousins in Alabama. The story is nostalgic without being sentimental, and truly captures the delight, wonder, and joy inherent in the best holiday traditions without ignoring some of the darker, sadder aspects of life.

You can read the entire story online here.

You can pick up the illustrated book at Chinaberry here.

You can even listen to Truman Capote himself read A Christmas Memory on This American Life. How cool is that?

Here's a bit about Truman Capote's life at American Masters.

Grab Bag Friday: A Wish for Wings that Work

Does anyone else remember this? Oh, I *loved* it when it came out. Animated Bloom County? What could be better? I just put it in my Netflix queue to see if it will stand the test of time.

I still have the book which I love even more.

The Local Level: Baby, It's Cold Outside

I wrote about this last year, too, but I think when we're talking about how to make a difference on a local level, this is one of the simplest, most effective things to do: donate a coat to help keep someone else warm. As my dad would say: It's a no-brainer.

There are coat drives all over the country that you can participate in. Even in warm climates, the evenings can get cold, days can be wet, and a good coat can make all the difference.

If you have extra coats around, please visit One Warm Coat to find a drive near you, or to learn about how to organize a drive in your area.

You can also donate money for new coats at Coats for Kids.

Have a warm, happy day! If you have a snow day like we do here in Maine, check out this cool snowflake maker. But I'll warn you...it's kind of addictive. (Thanks to Annie Patterson for the link!)

Emmylou Harris: Christmas & Hard Times Come Again No More

I've said before that Emmylou Harris' voice reminds me of Christmas. So why has it taken me until this year to discover her album of Christmas songs: Light of the Stable? Some things in life are truly inexplicable.

Light of the Stable is absolutely gorgeous with guest appearances from Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and more. It combines well-known traditional songs like O Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel with lesser-known songs like the beautiful There's a Light and the country-blues twinged Angel Eyes. This is the kind of album that makes you want to sit around a crackling fire with eggnog and the whole traditional kit & caboodle. Definitely going in my permanent Christmas rotation.

Since I couldn't find an Emmylou Christmas tune on YouTube (if you know of one, please pass it along), here is a video of Stephen Foster's great song "Hard Times Come Again No More." That's a youngish Rufus Wainwright, if you couldn't pick out his voice! Also Emmylou Harris, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Mary Black, Karen Matheson, and Rod Paterson.

Alternative Gifts: Kiva

I hope the recent endorsements of Oprah, and the Today Show, and yes, even Bill Clinton will spur lots of gift certificates to Kiva.org this year. Here's a little blurb from Oprah's site about how the organization works:

"A revolutionary idea has made it possible for anyone to help people in Third World countries via the Internet—and it can be addictive! Visitors to Kiva.org can read the story of someone who needs help starting a small business. For as little as $25, they can choose a loan to partially finance—and help lift someone out of poverty in the process. Kiva's thousands of success stories include a peanut butter stand in Uganda, carpet weavers in Afghanistan and a fruit vendor in Vietnam."

And here are the details from the Kiva website. If you're looking for a last minute gift idea, this is a great one.

Kiva.org was born of the following beliefs:

• People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
• The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
• By connecting people we can create relationships which exceed beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

Kiva.org promotes:

• Dignity: Person-to person lending encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
• Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
• Transparency: The Kiva.org website is an open platform where communication can flow freely between the developing and developed worlds.

Step 1: Choose a business

The businesses on our site are always changing. They are being uploaded by our microfinance partners around the world. You can find a new business on the home page or on the Businesses 'In Need' page.

Step 2: Make a loan

When you have selected a business, you can make a loan using your credit card (via PayPal). You can loan as little as $25 at a time. Checking out is easy and safe because of PayPal.

Step 3: Receive journals and payments

Periodically, you will hear back from the business you sponsor. Partner representatives (often loan officers) write directly to the website to keep you informed on the progress of the business. If you choose, you can receive these via email.

Step 4: Withdraw or re-loan

When your Kiva loan is repaid, you can choose to withdraw your funds or re-loan to a new business.

J. R. R. Tolkien: Father Christmas Letters

Sometime in the 1920's, Father Christmas began writing letters to J. R. R. Tolkien's children. The letters came with his very own intricate drawings of the North Pole, elves, goblins, and of course Father Christmas's assistant: the North Polar Bear.

The letters tell the Tolkien children about all the yearly highlights and happenings in the North Pole. The North Polar Bear is always getting into scrapes. Like the year that he accidentally turned on two years' worth of Northern Lights:

It was the biggest bang in the world, and the most monstrous firework there ever has been. It turned the North Pole BLACK and shook all the stars out of place...

Father Christmas wrote these letters in his shaky handwriting every year for 20 years. I have a book that has some of the letters reproduced, in actual envelopes. You can pull out the letters and read them, just like the Tolkien children did all those years ago. Each year at Christmastime, I open up the envelopes and smile as I read about the adventures in the frozen North.

Apparently, there is a newer version that contains even more of the letters. I haven't seen it, but I don't think it has the pull-out letters (which are half the fun). It does have the gorgeous color illustrations, vividly intact. For Tolkien lovers like me, one version or another of this book is absolutely worth picking up.

Grab Bag Friday: Amy Schimler & Wisconsin

Ok, so these two things have nothing to do with each other at all. They just happen to be on my mind on the same Friday.

Item 1: Art!

Remember Amy Schimler from my Robert's Snow interviews? Well, it turns out that she has a very cool collection of wall art and an online store with all kinds of bibs and onesies and tote bags. If you know anyone who is getting ready to furnish or re-vamp a baby room, the wall art could not be more perfect. You can see all the canvasses at Oopsy Daisy (I *love* the underwater submarine!)

Item 2: Wisconsin!

My dad sent this to me. I know this is one of those forwards that you get from every aunt and uncle and co-worker, but it totally cracked me up. As a native Wisconsinite, I find it hilarious. I mean, I grew up in a town where our big summer event was the annual PolkaFest, I had to wear a snowsuit over my ballerina Halloween costume, and it was the law that you could drink at a bar at any age as long as you were with your parents. There are things in here that will probably make sense to anyone who lives in a remote area, but if not, you'll just get a nice sneak peak into the first 20 years of my life.
It's funny 'cause it's true. :)

You know you're a Wisconsinite when:

1. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
2. 'Vacation' means going up north past Hwy 8 for the weekend.
3. You measure distance in hours.
4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
5. You often switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again.
6. Your whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
7. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
8. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings and funerals ).
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
10. You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife or girlfriend knows how to use them.
12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
13. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
15. You refer to the Packers as 'we.'
16. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
17. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
18. You have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
19. You consider Minneapolis exotic.
20. You know how to polka.
21. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
22. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
23. Down South to you means Illinois.
24. A brat is something you eat.
25. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
26. You go out to fish fry every Friday.
27. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
28. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
29. You find minus twenty degrees 'a little chilly.'
30. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Wisconsin friends.

The Local Level: Books and Music

I was reading Britt Bravo's list of 10 Holiday Gifts that Give Back over at Have Fun Do Good and I came across #2: Buy Books from your Local, Independent Bookstore. Britt writes:

When it comes to spending your holiday dollars, would you rather they went to Amazon and Borders, or to your local economy? Di's Book Blog recommends using the BookSense web site to find independent bookstores near you. You can also buy a BookSense gift card that can be used at hundreds of independent bookstores. The Jackson Street Book blog recently reported that the New York Times and NPR have added BookSense.com as an online book purchasing option, in addition to Amazon.com.

I have to admit, this is something I'm particularly bad at. I'm often sucked in by the convenience of ordering books from the comfort of my desktop. I get a corporate discount at Borders. Super Saver Shipping at Amazon. But last night, I stopped by Gulf of Maine Books, where a friend of mine was collecting a 3-foot stack of holiday gifts. It was warm and cozy there, we chatted with the owners, got book recommendations, browsed around.

So I thought, to get us started, I would give you some links to great book and music recommendation lists. If you happen to choose some of these items for your holiday list, consider giving your local, independent store the business. (You can also browse my Please Come Flying book, music, and children's book recommendations from the year.)

Books for Children:

Fuse #8 (a children's librarian at the New York Public Library) posted a terrific two-part list of her recommended kids books according to what *type* of kid you're buying for. It's a great list and fun to read, too!

• Part One
• Part Two

The Miss Rumphius Effect (great blog title!) also has a very good list.

Books for Adults:

The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2007

National Book Critics Circle "Most Recommended" list as posted by Powell's blog:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

Music for Kids:

Zooglobble's favorite kids and family albums

The 2007 Fids and Kamily Award Winners

Music for Adults:

KCRW's 2007 Music Holiday Gift Giving Guide (choose a DJ on the left for his or her specific recommendations)

Paste Magazine's Signs of Life 2007: Best Music List

Mahalia Jackson: Silent Night

You know how people always ask that question about if you could meet anyone, alive or dead? Mahalia Jackson would have to be at the top of my list. And I don't think Christmas songs get much better than Mahalia Jackson singing Silent Night. This is just perfect.

(You can see my version of Silent Night here.)

Alternative Gifts: Gifts that Give Back

This is a very short list of places where you can buy gifts that help someone else. There are many more. If you have a particular favorite, please feel free to post it here. Happy shopping!

Nothing But Nets: $10 of every hat & t-shirt purchase will send a mosquito net to Africa to help fight malaria.

UNICEF: Proceeds from sweet gifts like "My Little Monkey" support "child survival, protection, and development worldwide through education, advocacy, and fund raising." I'm a big fan of the I Never Forget a Face! Matching Game ($13.00).

DonorsChoose.org: This is like a grown-up, education-oriented version of MarkMakers. Teachers from underfunded public schools submit proposals for things they need (everything from a rug for a reading corner and wet erase markers to projectors and entire science labs). You can buy gift certificates for your friends, and they can choose which project(s) they want to fund. Proposals are searchable by total cost, the school's level of poverty, subject matter, and state. You may choose to fund all or part of a project.

Good Magazine: 100% of every subscription purchased goes to one of 12 organizations (like Room to Read, NRDC, and Teach for America)...you choose where your money goes.

Fair Trade goods: Fair Trade helps provide fair pay and regular work to artisans from around the world. Beyond that, buying Fair Trade is a great way to find unique, handcrafted gifts for your friends and family.

There are so many ways to find gifts that give back in personal, innovative ways. Check local arts organizations in your area. My friend Kate's modern dance collective Live Animals, for instance, just sent out an email to their subscribers offering a gift pack of homemade chocolate turtles (made lovingly by the grandmother of one of the dancers!) for a $25 donation. I will definitely be picking up a box or two of those for some chocolate lovers I know!

Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking

On a recent trip to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Kevin and I listened to the audio book of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking. I was glad to have an intermission halfway through to browse a picture book art museum because this book, while beautiful, is very intense and very sad.

Joan Didion wrote The Year of Magical Thinking after her husband of 39 years, John Gregory Dunne, died. It's a memoir about grief, memory, and loss, and how those three things interact on a day to day basis after such an event.

Kevin has been a huge fan of Joan Didion's for years, but I had never read any of her work. I was struck by the way she uses the most minute, mundane, everyday details to describe and pick apart a huge, overarching theme. Kevin said, "Oh yeah. That's her thing."

He also said that because of this, some people found the book to be too clinical and cold for such an emotional topic. I didn't find that to be true at all. It seemed to me an accurate reflection of how someone might find themselves reacting to loss. The "magical thinking" that your mind engages in, whether you want it to or not. She describes a memory loop: how one small thing triggers a memory, and then another, and you end up thinking about the same things over and over even against your will. She writes about the many times throughout the day when she would think, "I have to remember to tell John about this." And how she could give away his clothes, but not his shoes. Because he might need them.

Terry Gross did an interview with Joan Didion shortly after the book was published in 2005. At the Fresh Air site, you can listen to the interview and read an excerpt from the book.

The Year of Magical Thinking is definitely worth reading. The writing is exquisite, and it will really make you think. But it might be wise to wait until you are in a good, relatively happy frame of mind before you begin.

Grab Bag Friday: The GOOD Stuff

Well, it's that time of the month...my GOOD magazine arrived in the mail. The theme of the magazine this month was Big Ideas. Out of all the grandiose ideas GOOD outlined (a lunar ark, carbon offsets, Russian democracy), my imagination was captured by a seemingly small, simple idea that earned a couple paragraphs in the issue: changing our paper margins.

Tamara Krinsky has started an effort to change the U.S. default paper margins from the standard 1.25" to .75". Simple enough, right? Well, according to Penn State University, if the entire country made this small change, it would save 380,000 tons of paper per year, and over $400 million in paper costs. That is stunning.

You can read PSU's statistics & breakdown of the study here (.pdf).

Tamara has what I believe to be some pretty simple, accessible goals. According to her website, www.changethemargins.com, she would like to accomplish the following:

1. Convince Microsoft to change the default margin settings in Microsoft Word to .75 on all sides. The more convenient it is for people to change their habits, the better chance there is that they will actually do so. (You can sign the Microsoft petition for margin change here.)
   
2. Persuade five corporations to officially sanction narrower margins for all company documents. In this way, people will get used to seeing documents with this formatting as the standard, as opposed to the exception. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure.
3. Challenge five universities to adopt narrower margin settings as the standard for their students and faculty, and include this information in their course guidelines.

Here's an interesting 4 minute interview with Tamara Krinsky on NPR about her project.

So, what do you think? Good idea? Can you think of any reason *not* to change the margins?

Paper photo by pawpaw

The Local Level: Stockings for Nursing Home Residents

One of my favorite traditions of the holiday season is the stocking program we participate in. Each year, one of the local nursing homes sends our church a list of all the residents and a short description of things each individual particularly likes (plus a list of things that are generally appreciated by all). Then we get to choose a name and create a stocking for that person.

This year, Kevin and I chose Ada. Our card read:
"Ada likes detailed coloring books of flowers and nature, cookies, and crackers."

Here's what we put in her stocking:

• An intricate butterfly coloring book
• Pepperidge Farm cookies
• A pair of extra fluffy, extra cozy socks (you know, the kind that make you feel like you're in heaven)
• A variety of Burt's Bee lip balms
• Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream
• A copy of my new CD

This is such a great program. It's simple, fun, and brings real joy to an otherwise often dreary place. Some of our friends sat down as a family one evening to draw pictures and write notes to include in their stocking. Their kids were so excited to be a "Secret Santa" of sorts...it was *very* sweet!

Any group could contact a nursing home and arrange to do this: your office at work, your elementary school class, your Girl Scout Troup, Little League Team, PTO, even a group of friends or families in your neighborhood. Apparently, even your Motorcycle Club can get in the game. :)

Other ways you can help spread some joy at a nursing home this season:

• Get a group together to come sing carols
• Create cheery crafts and decorations
• Simply visit, chat, listen, play games...sometimes company is the best gift of all!
  

Ask your local nursing home...they'll be able to tell you exactly what would bring some cheer to their residents this year.

Bing Crosby & David Bowie: Little Drummer Boy

Here's a treat for you. When Kevin told me about this, I didn't believe him but here is the proof. David Bowie and Bing Crosby together...a little peace on earth all their own. Apparently, this was filmed just one month before Bing Crosby died. I always assumed they just dubbed the Bowie part onto an original version. I never imagined they actually *sang* together. Very cool.

(You can see my version of Little Drummer Boy on YouTube, too...but it's not as cool as singing with Bing Crosby!)

Also, the new I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest winner was announced this week: Katie, age 10, from Cheshire, England wrote a great song called Don't Need. Congratulations, Katie!

Alternative Gifts: MarkMakers

We spent last Christmas with some friends, and when their 8 year old son opened a card from an aunt and exclaimed, "Cool!" I expected there to be cash or some kind of toy store gift certificate inside.

Well, there was a gift certificate, but it was not your run-of-the-mill gift, and it was very, very cool. So cool that I've been waiting an entire year for the Alternative Gifts series to come around again so I could blog about it.

Markmakers.org is "A Place for Young People Making a Difference." Here's how it works:

1. You buy a Markmakers card (for any amount, $10 minimum) for the young person of your choice.

2. That young person can then go to the Markmakers online store and spend the cash on any number of things inside.

The store is visually appealing and fun to explore. You can browse different sections of the store to learn about the items you are about to purchase. Here is just a tiny sampling of the things your Markmakers card can do:

• Purchase Vaccines to Immunize Children Against the Six Major Childhood Diseases
• Provide Meals To Elderly, Disabled & Homebound Americans
• Help Purchase a Cow or Goat To Provide Sustenance for a Nomadic Kenyan Family
• Help Build Playrooms for Hospitalized Children
• Help Fund the Cost of Organ Transplants For Young People
• Help Rescue and Rehabilitate Seals, Dolphins, Sea Otters & Whales
• Provide Shelter & Care For Homeless and Abandoned Animals
• Help Protect Threatened Coral Reefs
• Help Repair and Provide Refurbished Musical Instruments to Kids in Need
• Help Encourage a Worldwide Ban on Land Mines
  

This is such a great stocking stuffer or gift for an important young person in your life. What I love most about this is that it puts the power in the hands of the child. *They* get to decide what is important to them, and how *they* want to make a difference in the world. And they can begin to believe what J. R. R. Tolkien wrote in The Lord of the Rings:

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

100% of your donation will go to the organizations the child chooses. Here is the complete list from the Markmakers site:

The name of the organization providing the relevant goods or services is indicated in each product description. The mix of organizations is designed to appeal to the broad range of interests and concerns on the minds of young people today. The organizations that receive funding do not pay to be here. They are as follows:

Doctors Without Borders

Earth Force
First Book
Grameen Foundation
Heifer Project International
Human Rights Watch
Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
International Campaign To Ban Landmines
International Rescue Committee
Jumpstart
Marine Mammal Rescue Center
Meals on Wheels
Miracle Flights for Kids
Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation
Nomadic Kenyan Children's Educational Fund
Operation Smile
One Laptop Per Child
Performing Animals Welfare Society
Playpumps International
Save the Children
Seeds of Peace
Seva Foundation
Solar Cookers International
Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
Surfrider Foundation USA
The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp
The Hunger Project
The Nature Conservancy
The Wilderness Society
Trees For Life
United States Fund for UNICEF
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (North America)
World Learning
World Wildlife Federation

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Snow-Flakes

Today is the first big snow of the season here in Maine. It's a perfect, fluffy snow...the kind for snow angels and snowshoeing and catching flakes on your tongue. "This is the poem of the air" as Longfellow puts it.

The above picture is a slide of an actual snowflake taken by Wilson Bentley in 1896. I recently came across a picture book about Bentley and his story is fascinating, but his slides are breathtaking. You can view many of them online at the Bentley Snow Crystal Collection.

In other snowflake news, this is the last week of the Robert's Snow Auction. Your last chance to own a one-of-a-kind piece of snowflake art! Until next year, anyway.

Here is a lovely poem by a fellow Mainer (my apologies to Longfellow for the lack of indents...if you want to see the poem closer to it's original formatting, you can find it here):

Snow-Flakes
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

Grab Bag Friday: Can You Believe It's Been a Year?

A year ago in November, I wrote my very first blog post, inviting all of you to Please Come Flying. I can't believe it has been a year already! I've met so many interesting and nice people, been in touch with old friends, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. So *thank you* for reading!

As I look forward to my second year of blogging, I have a question for you. I have a pretty open format, right? Books, music, and a little something extra each week...

What is it that you like to read about most at Please Come Flying?

You can be as specific as you want...list a particular post that you liked, or a general type of post (poetry, music, movies, recipes, etc.) I always write about things that interest me, so now I want to know what interests you. :) Is there anything that you'd like to see more (or less) of?

Things to look forward to in December & January:

• I'm going to reprise the Alternative Giving and Local Level series' that I did during the holiday season last year. If any of you have ideas for alternative gifts (things that move away from the traditional store-bought gift or things that "give back") or ideas about how to help on the local level during the holidays...please send me an email and I'll include it in my series (jcinfo *at* josephinecameron *dot* com).
• I'll pass on a few Best Of 2007 lists that I think are cool. (Hey, maybe we'll even create our own!)
• In January, I'll be focusing a bit on time management and the ever-present problem of how to keep balance in our lives.

Just for fun...
Top 5 most-popular posts at Please Come Flying since day one:

1. Alice Munro: The Bear Came Over the Mountain (688 views!)
2. American Songs 2 Sneak Preview: Oh Susanna
3. Lullaby: I See The Moon
4. Ruby Bridges: Through My Eyes
5. Goin Home: Antonin Dvorak & William Arms

*Thank you* to all of you for reading. *Thank you* for the comments. *Thank you* for the links. You're the best. Really.

I'd like to send a special thank you to the following people and blogs who have kindly reviewed my blog, spread the word, or otherwise helped out during this first year of Please Come Flying:

Kevin from Alert the Bear (sadly on hiatus right now, but you can still read the archives)
The other Kevin from Confessions of a Trophy Husband
Bill & Reba from Hatchet Cove Farm
Stefan from Zooglobble
Bill from Spare the Rock
Shipyard (the Capt'n Eli's Strawberry Pop people!)
Jules & Eisha from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Amy from Red Fish Circle
Jewels in the Jungle

Here's to another 12 months!

In a cloud of fiery pale chemicals,
please come flying
to the rapid rolling of thousands of small blue drums
descending out of the mackerel sky
over the glittering grandstand of harbor-water,
please come flying.

(Elizabeth Bishop)

Harper Simon: Yankee Doodle

I've been slowly working my way through Song of America, the 3-disc compilation of "the history of America through music" put together by Janet Reno. Yes, Janet Reno. For real.

One song that I keep coming back to is the Harper Simon (Paul Simon's son) version of "Yankee Doodle". I never even *liked* "Yankee Doodle"...it was just one of those catchy but kind of annoying tunes with goofy lyrics that you learn when you're a kid. But this version really took me by surprise. And it made me do 3 things:

First, Harper Simon's dreamy, cool version forced me to actually like the song itself. You can listen to it on iTunes and see what I mean.

Then, it made me actually think about it. What day to day life must have been like for soldiers during the Revolutionary War, many who were just boys, gathered by the thousands to fight.

Father and I went down to camp,
Along with Captain Gooding;
And there we saw the men and boys,
As thick as hasty pudding.

Yankee doodle, keep it up,
Yankee doodle dandy;
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.

There was Captain Washington
Upon a slapping stallion,
A-giving orders to his men,
I guess there was a million.

Finally, it made me look it up. Apparently, the song was written by the British and was sung to deride and make fun of the American soldiers. Funny how it has become completely co-opted and is such a firm part of the American tradition. This quote is from the Library of Congress website:

"Doodle," as found in old English dictionaries, meant a sorry, trifling fellow; a fool or simpleton. "Dandy," on the other hand, survived also as a description of a gentleman of affected manners, dress, and hairstyle. All taken, "Yankee Doodle" is a comic song and a parody. Indeed, the British made fun of rag-tag American militiamen by playing "Yankee Doodle" even as they headed toward the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

On an interesting side note, in February, Harper Simon is apparently coming out with an album that is a collaboration with Edie Brickell. Sheesh...think I'm looking forward to *that* one just a little bit?

Here's an NPR story on Janet Reno's Song of America.