Autumnal Blush

Autumn is my favorite season, mainly because of the color palette.  This season I have noticed all of the half-turned trees that are multi-hued and they are gorgeous!  See what I mean...

Update on Summer Reading List

Way back in May I created this post about my aspirations for reading this summer.  Needless to say, it did not go as planned, but here is the update of my journey so far.

1. The Dresden Files -- Read them, loved, them, and so obsessed that I found almost all the short stories that go in between the books.  For my immediate reaction after reading Changes see this post.

2. Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy -- I have been trying to find them all summer, however they are constantly checked out as they seem to be the IT books of the summer.  However, Tony, the library specialist from the Modern Languages Library is on the look out for their copy for me.  He's such a nice guy.

3. Devil in the White City -- I started it in May and just finished yesterday (7/31).  It isn't really that long of a book, it just moves a little slowly and is rather jumpy going from the architect to the serial killer to the insane assassin.  Also, each chapter tries to end with a mini cliff hanger which gets tiresome after awhile.  But all in all I really liked it, especially the little bits of sarcastic humor Larson threw in every once in awhile,

"No one saw Twain.  He came to Chicago to see the fair but got sick and spent eleven days in his hotel room, then left without ever seeing the White City.

Of all people."  (285)

I think my favorite quote about it was the Chicago Sun-Times one on the back of the book, "Larson is a historian with a novelist's soul."

4. Kathy Reichs' series -- I have started Deja Dead, the first book of the series and so far, I am unimpressed, especially in comparison to Bones.  The characters aren't very engaging so far and it's a little too graphic for me.  I will at least finish it, but if I don't end up liking it, I'm not going to read the others.

Update 8/11: I got through most of the book and just didn't care what happened. It's probably because I love Bones so much, but Reichs' characters seemed kind of flat and the attention to detail was a little too much for me.

5. Orwell's 1984 --  It's in my bag right now and I plan to start it today, as soon as I finish the other book I am currently reading (I'll get to that a little later).

Update 8/11: 1984 just stayed in my bag. I'm just not in the mood for disturbing, dystopian novel, as I'm already bummed enough that classes are starting up and my relative summer freedom is coming to an end.   

6. A.S. Byatt's  Possession -- I have it checked out from the library and will get to it, but it's a HUGE book, so I am not sure I will be able to finish it before classes start.

7. Italo Calvino -- I am currently reading the revised edition of The Path to the Spiders' Nests (finished 8/2) and so far it's okay.  It reminds me For Whom the Bell Tolls a little. I prefer his more experimental fiction so I also checked out If on a winter's night a traveler.

8.  The Woman in White -- I still have to catch up to Renae.

At least I have most of the books, and no those aren't all the Dresden Files.

As mentioned in the May post, my reading this summer was not limited to the above list.  In addition to the list I have read Namaah's Kiss and Namaah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey (just get past the sex goddess thing and it's an epic tale), Mercedes Lackey's The Sleeping Beauty (see this post), the graphic novel version of Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, and a few trashy romances to rot my brain. 

I really don't think I did too badly, considering all the time I've been at work, plus the TV I've watched as well and the blogs I read daily.  But hopefully, I will finish the rest of the list in the next few weeks.

How To: Appliques on Canvas

After one of my roommates moved out at the beginning of the semester, she took her photos with her that had been our sole decoration in the living room.  I stared at the blank walls for a few months and finally decided I had enough and started to think what I could do about it.  I was immediately inspired by all the HGTV I've been watching recently and decided to cover some canvases with fabric.

I wanted something floral and swoopy (you, know vines running all over and making swirly patterns).   This is the fabric I found at JoAnn's:

Sorry about the wrinkles.

It was a little more pricey than I wanted to spend, but it was the closest match to the ideal fabric-in-my-head.  Once I had the fabric and looked at the pattern, some of the individual flowers were interesting enough to stand on their own, so I decided to do some decoupage appliques on canvas too.

Supplies for both projects:

Fabric covered canvases -- fabric of your choice cut to dimensions that will cover and wrap around to the back of the canvas and push pins or a staple gun

Appliques on canvas -- fabric you want to applique, canvas, plain tea bags, Modge Podge or similar product, sponge paintbrush

Instructions:

The fabric covered canvases are fairly easy to figure out, so I won't bore you with the details.

The appliques are a little more complicated, so here it goes.

Step 1:  Boil some tea bags in a small pot of water.

Step 2:  After the tea has come to a boil, carefully pour into shallow pan or baking sheet. Place canvases face down, to die the tea.  When they reach the color you want, remove from the pan and allow to dry.

Step 3:  While the canvases are soaking/drying, pick out which flower(s) you want to feature and carefully cut them out.

Step 4:  Use Modge Podge to affix the cut out to the dry canvas.  Brush the paste over the back of the cut out.  Then place flower, glue-side down, and completely cover the canvas with a coat of paste so that the fabric doesn't unravel and there is a consistent look to the canvas.

Step 5:  Let paste dry...

...and Voila!

My Life as the Broadway Musical

The theater, the theater, what happened to the theater? I wish that for at least one day, my life would be like a Broadway musical.  I know that I already expressed this wish in a previous post, but I have renewed the idea because I have found the perfect staging scene: The Hallene Gateway Plaza.  It's this great landscaped area on the edge of campus by the alumni center.  Follow me on a quick sketch of my vision:

So this is the proper entrance for the Plaza:

Nice, right? Kind of park-y but with some great architecture.

Speaking of architecture, here is the building, the Alica Campbell Alumni Center, behind the arch. Notice the great second story balcony; perfect for dramatic scenes or dimensionality.

This shot was taken from the Alumni Center's patio. The fountain is a nice touch right?

Here's a panoramic shot of the fountain with the Alumni Center in the back. Notice the nice short, wide stairs in the background that would be great for a dance routine.

Okay, did you notice the nice curve of the fountain/planter rim? It's really wide and flat, so another great spot for dancers. There is also a secondary ledge around the outside, so even more stage area!

There are even picnic tables ... Think High School Musical "Status Quo"number.

Now, I realize that my dream will most likely never come true, but I have the set and am on the lookout for the signs that a big song-and-dance showstopper is about to occur.

1. The clothing of people around you is all in the same color scheme or similar in some way.  The people also have to be diverse: ethnically, professionally, and physically.  It's a sure sign that the chorus has gathered and is about to let it rip.

2. The people around you start walking or moving in formations.  I'm talking about dance formations, with people equal distances from each other, or an attempt to look randomly placed but they leave enough of a personal bubble that it's not quite normal.

3. This is possibly the most obvious sign: music begins to blare over hidden speakers and everyone knows the song, even if you have never heard it before.  This phenomenon is explored in Disney's Enchanted.



4. If you haven't caught on after those signs, meaning you are incredibly dense, when everyone around you begins to dance and you have the uncontrollable urge to join in, you are there.

Other giveaways:
The marching band that arrives for some unexplained reason I'm sure that the Marching Illini would help me out.
The fountain (a la Sound of Music) How great is the Hallene Fountain?
An open space where lots of choreography can happen Notice the patio, the broad walkways, and the grassy spots

Here's another example that meets all the above requirements.






Another fun example is Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet" music video. I LOVE that song!