Ok, I'm straying from my usual topics to post a quick tip on how to quickly heal your nose, if you've rubbed it raw from using a tissue too many times. I'm thinking this is something others who either have allergies, a flu, or a cold will want to know. So, I figured you might like this miracle tip.

No matter how dry or torn up your skin is around your nose, rub the tiniest bit of Vaseline on the area. Yeah, it'll make it a little shinny for about an hour, but within a day you'll notice an immediate difference. It won't hurt anymore and it'll heal much more quickly.

This tip also works with other skin abrasions, too. I don't know why, but it does. I promise.

So, that's your medical tip of the day. Use it wisely.

So a friend sent me these videos, which I loved. They're so different, but I don't know if they really qualify as interstitial art. What do you think?

 After nearly 4 years of no vacation, other than going to Maine for my MFA residencies, I am taking some real time off from work. I'll be on vacation from this very minute until next Wednesday. 

The great thing about this vacation is that I'm not going away. I'm staying right here in my house so that I can spend a whole lot of time on me. The first thing I'm going to do is read a book, and I think I'll start with Ken Scholes Lamentation because it's been sitting on my "To Be Read" shelf for far too long.

A few other items on the Vacation Bucket List are clean my office, work in my garden, find some new deck chairs, have a barbeque, go on a drive to somewhere, and sleep in until at least 5:00 am every day! Whoo hooo!

Ok, then. I'm off to read Mr. Scholes' lovely novel.

I'm sure many of you have heard of the Interstitial Arts Foundation (IAF), which publishes the Interfictions anthologies. The IAF does a lot more than publish fiction, it works to bring artists of all stripes and colors together regardless of genre or medium through live social events, online communities, and a variety of other venues.

In today's very flat world, barriers and borders are making publishing and selling art an art in itself! It's through the work of organizations like the IAF that those barriers between us are starting to fall.

So, with the publication of Interfictions 2, the IAF is continuing to give space to artists whose work doesn't fit cleanly or neatly into a category. However, they need your financial support.

Book sales alone aren't enough to cover the cost of producing this wonderful anthology of interstitial fiction. I know that it's a difficult time for people with this crazy economy, but if you have the ability to make a gift to the IAF, your contribution will go a long, long way toward supporting this anthology and helping to build a stronger community for artists across the genres.

To learn how your gift can make a difference please visit the IAF's Online Appeal - and remember "Support a story, get a book!"

Please spread the word.

Thank you for your help. I'm going to make my gift now.

Artists and enthusiasts are cordially invited to the first Brunswick Interstitial Salon for an evening devoted to the pleasures of conversation among boundary-crossing artists, writers, musicians, and creators. What better place to gather than the Frontier Cafe, the ultimate in art friendly venues for the thriving artistic community of Southern Maine?

The Conceit: The origins of literary and artistic salons go back to 17th century France, when inspiring hosts and hostesses gathered “stimulating people of quality” together to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation. Today there may be fewer wealthy patrons willing to host an event in their townhouses, but there is always a need for artists to meet other artists, to explore other circles of creative influence, to cross borders.

The Hosts: The Interstitial Arts Foundation is a not–for–profit organization dedicated to the study, support, and promotion of interstitial art: literature, music, visual and performance art found in between categories and genres — art that crosses borders.

The Place: “The Frontier Café is very much an evolving, creative canvas for visual storytelling. Our unique 75-seat cinema provides a dynamic space for screening films, hosting lectures, workshops, meetings and community events and festivals. Our Beyond Gallery wall is a vibrant opportunity to exhibit contemporary visual stories produced collaboratively with storytellers from Maine and around the world. Our Compass Points compliment seasonal themes with stories and artwork that educate and inspire. Additional exhibition space is dedicated to presenting local stories and artwork.” – Frontier Café’s Web Site

So, bring your laptop and show off your portfolio or your tunes. Bring friends, and bring a willingness to mingle with strangers — who might turn out to be colleagues, friends, or even artistic soul-mates!

And help spread the word by forwarding or linking to this invite!

Event: Brunswick Interstitial Salon
Date: Wedesday, July 15, 2009
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Location: Frontier Cafe, 14 Maine Street, Brunswick, ME 04011

To RSVP, please send an email to Erin_Underwood AT hotmail D0T com . We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note that all personal data will be kept private.

The last few weeks, no months!, have been a whirlwind as several projects wind to an end and others begin. This month I submitted my fiction thesis to my MFA program. It's the first 1/3 of my time travel novel. It's going to have to sit and cool for awhile since I still have to finish the last set of edits on my screenplay, which has received some great feedback from my readers. There are a few things left to fix, and I should be sending it out the door to agents by the end of June as planned. My next project will be set in Ireland, which should be a lot of fun to research and write.

Some other interesting things that have come up recently include the work that I'm doing with the Interstitial Arts Foundation. It's funny how an unexpected chain of events could have me playing a role in fundraising and setting up IAF Salons in Brunswick, Maine and Boston. More will be posted soon on the IAF's fundraising efforts and on the upcoming auction. Remember, if you're interested in donating some specially designed art for the Interfictions 2 Auction, it's not too late! 

For now, I want to tell you about the IAF Salons that I'm putting together. These events are still in the planning process, so I've only got basic details at this point. The Brunswick IAF Salon will be held on Wednesday, July 15th from 6-8 pm at the Frontier Cafe. It's open to anyone who is an artist or loves art. More details will be coming soon.

There's also going to be an IAF Salon in Boston. We're thinking that it'll be held sometime in Boston, but we've not nailed down any details yet. So, stay tuned!

These IAF Salons are a fantastic medium for bringing artists of all sorts together (painters, sculptos, musicians, writers, photographers, singers, filmmakers, performers, etc) to socialize and to talk about art and their artistic passions. Hopefully, some amazing friendships and collaborations will come out of these salons. Considering the wide mix of artists who attend, we have great potential for continuing to bring down the barriers that are all too often used to define us and our work. To learn more about the Interstitial Arts Foundation, be sure to check out the web site.

Pioneering “Heather Has Two Mommies” author Lesléa Newman to read in York

On Thursday, May 14, at 7:00, multi-award-winning author and poet Lesléa Newman will give a public reading at the York Art Association, an “Art of the Word” event co-sponsored by York Diversity Forum.

 

Ms. Newman’s Heather Has Two Mommies is widely recognized as the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way. She followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday is Pattyday. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
 
Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism.

Lesléa, Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, is the author of over 50 books, including the groundbreaking Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear. Her many literary awards run the gamut from the NEA Fellowship to the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement. All that, and she even served as Allen Ginsberg’s apprentice—when she was 16!

 

 

 

 

 

Admission is free. Wine and refreshments will be served.

York Art Association, 394 York Street (Route 1A), York Harbor, ME 207‑363‑4049

There's a lot of talk going on about how Uhura is just chick window dressing in Star Trek. Honestly, this is just not true. In fact, this kind of derogatory characterization of Uhura only reinforces the glass ceiling for women characters in film. Unless women are written as more masculine than femine in an action film, they are labeled as the "love interest" or the "girl friend". I've now seen half a dozen posts on LJ alone that decry her character as little more than a short skirt in an action flick because she doesn't do any hand-to-hand combat or contribute anything useful to the plot other than a pair of legs and a mini-skirt.

I for one think this is a very limited opinion of what her character actually contributes to the film. I also think this threatens to set up requirements that female characters have to be more masculine than feminine in order to be considered "strong." Why can't a strong, powerful woman wear a short skirt and fall in love? Don't get me wrong.... I love Starbuck, Sarah Connor, and Ripley. They are iconic action women, but that doesn't mean they should define what a strong woman should be in an action film.

Uhura is getting a bad rap. She is strong, intelligent, attractive, and she is in love. That combination doesn't make her weak. It actually makes her seem like a real person.

( Uhura is a strong capable feminine character. Read more - SPOILER ALERT*** )
When did it become wrong for strong, capable women to have career aspirations - and - still remain interested in such things as an adult relationship? Why do we have to have play "either" "or" when it comes to females in action movies?

Men can be smart, handsome, tough, and romantic. Why can't women be smart, attractive, feminine, and romantic? We're in danger of creating a double-standard for ourselves by expecting our "strong" women to be so much like "men." This double-standard is already pretty active in the real-world. Why do we want it to carry over in to our entertainment?

As for Uhura's character, she is essential in translating the message that allows Kirk to realize what's happening. (Yes, this is a Kirk/Spock film, so Kirk has to figure it out.) Without Uhura they'd all be dead. Plus, she is the voice of reason on the ship. Even after it's revealed that her character is involved with Spock, she continues to question Kirk's authority and to work with Checkov in figuring out a plan. In addition, she allows the audience to see that there are more emotions in Spock than violence and anger. There is also tenderness and kindness - which are the things we love about old Spock. It's essential that we see these things in young Spock.

Sure the kiss on the transport pad is a little obvious, but wouldn't you kiss the person you love when he's leaving for an almost "certain death" mission? If you were Spock, wouldn't it be logical to have a farewell kiss with the person you love (even if it's in public) given the tight timeline and urgent nature of the mission?

Just because Uhura doesn't throw punches doesn't mean she isn't a strong female character. How have strong female characters come to be measured by the amount of testosterone in their pants? Why must strong women be masculine to be considered equal? Doesn't that just reinforce the stereotype that "it's a man's world?"

Here's a must see review from the Onion.

So, instead of working on my thesis today, I did some Mom things for Mother's Day, and then I went to see Star Trek. Let's just say, "I loved it!"

I don't want to risk giving away any of the plot here, but let me tell you this movie takes everything I love about the series and keeps it. Then, the story gets shaken and stirred so that everything from this point forward is new and exciting. I honestly didn't expect the story to unfold like it did, and I certainly didn't expect it to end like that. Whoa! 

I sure hope there are more movies with J.J. Abrams and this cast. The screenplay was well written, the actors did a fantastic job, and the level of adrenaline pumping excitement was expertly tempered by humor and drama. 

Star Trek is DVD Worthy.

So, I've been stewing over whether or not to buy a Kindle from Amazon. I spent quite a bit of time putting together a spreadsheet that tracked the savings between the Amazon price of a physical book and the same book's Kindle price. (Note that I didn't include shipping charges since I have Amazon Prime.)  I chose books from all genres, both paperback and hardcover, both new releases and old standards. Here's a very short report on my findings:

• If you buy lots of new release hardcover books that cost about $16.50 on Amazon, Kindle will pay for itself and start saving you money after about 54 purchases. This means if you read 1 book per week, you can start saving money in about 13 months. If you are a slower reader, well, you might save some money a couple of years from now. However, by then a new version of Kindle will be released that is "even better!"  than the one you purchased for $359.
•  
• In most cases, the price of the paperback vs the Kindle edition is less than a dollar. In some case the Kindle version is more expensive. I think this primarily happens when a new release is issued in paperback since the standard new release price for any fiction book seems to be $9.99.
•  
• If you want to buy Kindle books for anything other than mainstream fiction, you're going to have a difficult time. A fair share of the newer financial books and some of the computer books are available on Kindle, but the vast majority of non-fiction books can't be found.
•  
• If you're a student, the Kindle might come in handy. You can read it anywhere! The screen has no glare and the text is crisp. Even better is the fact that you can write notes in the margins, using the Qwerty keyboard and then export them later.
•  

So, here's the thing..... Buying the Kindle to save money makes no sense. You won't save money unless you buy dozens upon dozens of books every year. Most people buy a mixture of genres, hardcovers, and paperbacks. Given this fact, you'd need to purchase about 100 Kindle books before it starts saving you money. 

There's a bit more logic behind the decision to buy a Kindle, if you're buying it for convenience or because you want to "Go Green."

The biggest problem with the Kindle right now is the price. $359 is a lot of money. Unless you're rich or a student, you're better off buying a physical book.

End result, I don't see myself owning a Kindle anytime soon.

It's rare, but we've all had those moments when we were privileged to witness something that is as touching as it is incredible. Susan Boyle's story is both of these things. This video of Susan Boyle's performance on the 2008 season of Britain's Got Talent is one of those moments where you can't help but to acknowledge the beauty that humanity has to offer the world. She is a simple woman who has lived a difficult, if not lonely, life. For nearly 50 years, her vocal gift had gone recognized by those who knew her. All of that changed on April 11th when the first episode of Britain's Got Talent aired.

Once you've seen the video, read this article about Susan Boyle. I'm telling you that knowing about Susan Boyle's story truly makes me believe that humans are incredible creatures and that dreams are attainable. I hope Susan gets all of the goodness coming her way and I hope she gets to perform for the Queen.

For the first time in I dont know how long, there will be sunshine and a 3-day weekend. It's soooo unnatural. I'm a bit worried that the planets may collide or something. Well, fingers crossed, I'm heading home today with high expectations to play in my garden, write a short story, go for a walk outside, have a bar-b-que, and read a book. My book stack is a mile high. I don't know where to start. Where do I start?

Oh, and I'm jazzed! I won a pair of Red Sox tickets for July 27 - Red Sox vs. the Oakland As! Both of my home teams in the same game. How lucky can a girl get? 

Oh, and I didn't work on my thesis at all today! Yeah!!!

.... However, I have spent the last 5 hours slicing my fingers on manilla filing folders. But, still, no thesis! Yeah!!!!

Ok, ADD Girl is over and out!

Do you know how much simpler life would be if I had a clone? Well,  think I really need three clones, but I guess this one body will have to due until science catches up with the demanding needs of our modern day society.

I have been wanting to write an LJ post for over a month. Now that I'm here doing it I have no idea what to say. There is simply too much going on to write it all down coherently. So, I figure I'll just post it in little bursts here and there throughout the day until I catch up with myself.

Right now, I'm knee deep in edits on my thesis, which I'm dying to ditch for a week so that I can pound out a new short story. We'll see how that goes.

Also, for you Stonecoasters out there, I set up a Twitter account called  StonecoastTweet. I'll post a few things here and there, but the main plan is to try and Tweet at the residency. I'm not sure how that will work out.

Ok, then. That's it for now. Nothing special or groundbreaking in this post... just clearing away a few dead weeds.

Just a note that the IAF now has a Twitter account. If you're on Twitter, come check it out.

Before I sat down to do my self-evaluation, I felt like I could do so much more at work.

There are days when things are so busy that I'm racing to keep up with the work, and then there are other times when the day inches by minute by minute. However, now that I'm preparing my annual self-evaluation (which lists EVERY type of task that I performed over the last yeat), I realize how much I actually do. I don't know if I could do more and still get through the day without overtime.

I'm so lucky to have a job right now. The economy has me scared.