Found this in the Que

September 2010: Banned Book Week

I've always heard of books being on the "banned" list, but I never really knew what that meant. Until now.

Banned or challenged books are works that certain groups or individuals feel should be censored and/or made unavailable to the general public. Mostly they feel that the censorship will protect those who have impressionable minds. "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling made the list for witchcraft (a church in Alamo actually burned this book) and "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway was banned for homosexual suggestion.

Small towns have a bad reputation for being closed minded, so I was pleasantly surprised that the Friends of the Library were hosting a series of events during the annual celebration of freedom of speech, freedom to read, aka Banned Book Week (always the last week in September).

On Tuesday, the community college hosted a read-aloud-session where everyone was encouraged to read aloud from their favorite banned book. I totally missed this, but I heard it was good. On Friday, the library is having a community viewing of "The Lovely Bones," based on the 2002 book by Alice Sebold. This was banned/challenged for content inappropriate for its age group.

On Wednesday, the FOL held a Banned Book Week Costume Gala. Participants were encouraged to dress up as a character from their favorite banned book.

How could I pass up an opportunity to dress up? I literally put my costume together in an hour (with help from mom).

I portrayed “Offred” from “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. This feminist dystopia novel was required reading in my AP English class in 1998. It was placed on the “list” in 1999 or 2000. I chose it because the costume was super easy to do and it is a book that has stuck with me all these years. A well crafted piece about freedoms lost and a new age of oppression. It was banned/challenged for violence against women and sexual content.

There were 20 people who showed up, with half of us in costume. I didn’t know there was going to be a contest, but it was a bonus! Especially when you win “Best in Show” or Best overall Representation. I'm an award winning poodle. I know, way cool. And you thought my talents were only for writing. I had my first pick of prizes and of course chose a gift card to the local book store. Predictable, I know. I also made the paper. Here is the link to the article. http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_16222379

Regardless of close minded idiots who think they know better than us, those of us with common sense can think critically about the issues tackled in the banned/challenged literature, and make up our own minds.
I enjoyed participating in this week of events. In honor of reading from the list of banned books, I chose to read “Speak” (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is currently being challenged for pornography. Some stupid idiot thinks that a tragic and horrible rape is pornographic. (I roll my eyes). It was a well written piece, and surprisingly funny, given the topic.

Perhaps next year, you'll be inspired to step outside your comfort zone and participate in Banned Book Week.

May you read something that challenges you to think today.

Halloween is a Scream!

We spent Halloween in Alamogordo this year and, man, what an exhausting weekend.

Since I wasn't motivated to do the group/family costume this year, Ariel was the only one who dressed up. She has her whole life to be something cute or pretty, so I was going for something less typical.

And so, Ariel was a rock star! A punk rock star, actually.

Over the course of Halloween weekend, she got to wear her costume three times. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Thursday: Eric carved the pumpkin we picked out a few days earlier. We wanted Ariel to help with the gutting process, but as soon as she touched the slimy, stringy innards, she gagged so hard, she nearly puked. Awesome. Daddy went solo on the carving this year and he did a mighty fine job.

Friday: Eric, Ariel, and I went to downtown Alamogordo for trick-or-treat. The participating businesses invite the kids to the door for their goodies and Mom and Dad get to scope out some shopping. The first stop we made, Ariel tried to say "trick-or-treat" and we did manage a thank you out of her. But after that, it was all silent staring. Well, who doesn't like the strong but silent rock star type?
loot bag #1
Saturday: We headed to "Zoo Boo" at the Alameda Park Zoo. It absolutely was a zoo that had nothing to do with the animals. The line to get in was so long, it looped back on itself. Ahhh! I entered Ariel in her first costume contest in the "Most Unique" category. There was a cute category, but that was over saturated with 110+ entrants! She didn't place, but seemed to have a good time on stage. I don't remember what costumes bet her out, but one of them for sure was an astronaut. I now have some neat ideas for future costumes. One of my personal costume highlights was a kid dressed as a toy machine. Like one of those filled with stuffed animals you have to try to get with the metal claw. Yeah, and stupid me didn't get a picture. There was a winner's light on top, money in the shoot, and an actual claw hanging from the ceiling of the box this boy was in. Costuming genius.

Saturday night: My mom and I took Ariel for another round of trick-or-treat in the mall. Our little rock star was quite content to just run around the mall looking cute. Ariel had no interest in begging for candy. Every time I took her hand for the trick-or-treat ritual, she would fuss and try to shake my hand loose. It could have been a lot more fun if we had taken naps after the zoo. But when the princess boycotts her nap, nobody sleeps.

loot bag #2

Sunday: Ariel put the stickers on her pumpkin she picked out at the pumpkin patch. We left it outside to hang with Big Jack so the passing trick or treaters could see her artistic abilities. We left the neighborhood canvas to the professionals and stayed inside with the lights off. Or so I thought.

One of my mom's friends asked if Ariel wanted to trick-or-treat with her granddaughter, Riley. I just couldn't say no to Riley, so we dressed Ariel up in a Halloween theme and set out. We went to Bethel Baptist Church for their "Trunk-or-Treat" event. This is where cars are lined up in a semi-circle, with their trunks open, full of candy. You still have to say the magic words, but you definitely get a bag full of sugar with minimal walking.
Riley as "Dora" and Ariel as "Cute"

Ariel had a great nap today, so going out was so much better. She waved or clapped her hands in thanks whenever candy was placed in her bag. But the highlight of her evening was the helium balloon she got. Despite all the candy, we probably could have got the balloon and gone home. Even though I planned on being in my pj's all day, it was nice to go out for once last Halloween hooray.

loot bag #3

Hope you all had a wonderfully scary/fun/awesome/safe Halloween!

And Then a (Writing) Hero Comes Along

I like to say that when I read, I devour books, I go through them so fast. Every time I pick up a book only to put it down a few days later, completed, Eric is stunned to silence (if you know him, you understand the power of this).

Back in June, I came across "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater (pronounced steve-otter). I stumbled across a listing on Amazon as I was searching for something else to read. I think I killed the book in two days. As I reached the end and closed the book, I was reminded of the power of words and the magic that seeps out of a well crafted story. It reminded me of why I started writing.

So I wanted to give a shout out to Maggie for helping me to reconnect with the young girl inside me. To read a book through her eyes was an unexpected treat. Those dreams and expectations of my youth came back in such a rush, it was hard not to want to reach out and embrace her. I hope she is proud of what the stories I'm telling because her hand has always been on my writing. A long time ago, I promised her a story. And when it's published, I want to to devour the words and be consumed with the magic she helped create.

Please visit Maggie's website and check out the music she writes for her books. I'm particularly fond of the music and trailer for her latest novel "Linger." Enjoy! This woman is so talented, it's blows my mind. If I could achieve just a quarter of her success, I'd be one happy writer. She has inspired me to conjure the magic within myself and put on a show for the world.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls: A Stop Motion Trailer for Linger

The Retograde Series: Episode 3 - Boston Update

Despite near stress fractures in both legs, Eric had a good Boston Marathon experience. He finished in a time 3:10:56. Awesome! Ariel and I are so proud of him. We signed up to receive updates on my cell phone, but something happened to Boston's system and no one was notified. I'm sure there were some pretty upset spectators out there. I was a little ticked, but technology is only good when it works, right?
Eric was a bit disappointed with his finish, but even with the slower-than-expected time, he re-qualified to run Boston next year. He is seriously considering it, as an act of redemption. We'll see how that goes. We have some time before we really have to make a firm decision. Right now, Eric is training for the Denver Rock-n-Roll Marathon in October. Sounds like a good time to me.
Check out the full Boston race report at http://www.ironeric.blogspot.com/

Below is part of the telecast of the race. I woke up late and totally missed the TV coverage. Dang sleep. Around 1:05, look for a guy dressed as Minnie Mouse. Eric is off to right. He's wearing a neon lime-green shirt and a white hat. When the word "Thunder" comes on screen, Eric is behind the letter "d". I guess he did get on TV after all.

The Retrograde Series: Episode 2 - Celebrating Life in the Parenthood

Technically last year was our first Mother's and Father's days, but with Ariel being so small, we didn't do much. So we made up for it this year.

Mother's Day


I woke up to one of my greatest joys. Breakfast. Vicki made Monkey Bread, which if you have never tasted it, are certainly missing out. This is one of the breads we used to devour as kids. It was great to celebrate the past and the present in one delicious dish. Along side were fruit salad, juice and a fragrant bouquet of flowers.

Eric and Ariel took me to finally redeem my birthday present: a massage. And well overdue. I don't understand why I don't get massages more often. They are so wonderful! We finished off our afternoon with lunch at Garbonzo's. Eric and I loved it. Ariel preferred her puffs to falafel.

Father's Day

I surprised Eric with a trip to the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Back when we were dating, Eric took me here on one of our dates. It's a shame it took us this long to get back. It was a great weekend to be outside - not too hot and mercifully cloudy. Ariel enjoyed looking at all the costumes and animals and music. I was afraid she'd start crying from overstimulation, but apparently, she's not that kind of kid. We watched a play or two, went to the archery booth, and listened to the masterful playing of the carillon musician. The Carillon is a rare Medieval Instrument, made entirely of 4 Tons of Bells and was impressive to see. It was Phantom of the Opera meets the music of the middle ages. Visit this webiste to hear sample of the music. http://www.castinbronze.com/

But the highlight of our day was the jousting tournament. We sat on the villian's side and everytime we were prompted to boo, Ariel jumped right in, growling and screaming with the rest of us. She actually watched the action in the arena. She really is a great kid to take on outings. We slept so good that night. It was a perfet day to celebrate Daddy Eric.

The Retrograde Series: Episode 1 - The Little One Stopped to Celebrate Twelve!

365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months, no matter how you count it, everything adds up to one year of life for our little angel. And with such a momentous occasion, a party is a must do. We held Ariel's first birthday party at the Aurora History Museum. We rented the space for a great price and I didn't have to clean my house. Hooray! The theme of the party was ladybugs with red, black, and white as the major color players.

I love hosting parties. Blame on the DNA. Seriously. But in my old age, I'm realizing that I don't have to be super-crazy-person and do everything myself. Well old habits die hard. I spent over three hours on cupcakes alone. Ouch. The menu consisted of sparkling punch, fruit salad, garlic bread, garden salad, and three kinds of freshly made pasta (classic mac-n-cheese, traditional spaghetti with meat sauce, and chicken... I enlisted kitchen slaves, I mean elves, but it was the kind of help that wasn't so helpful. Next time I throw a party, we are having it catered.

Because of time mismanagement in the kitchen, we (me and the food) arrived a good 45 minutes late. A party foul for sure. But everything went well and I thank all of our guests for being so incredibly patient with my madness.

Being an independent sort of girl, Ariel decided to boycott her nap for the sake of curiosity. So by the time we got to the birthday cupcakes, she was a crying mess. After getting her in the high chair, we all started to sing "Happy Birthday" which immediately got her attention. She went from crying to awe in 3 seconds. It was pretty funny to see. She enjoyed her frosted cupcake and all of the attention that came with being the guest of honor.

Ariel was really into the baby babble. She was constantly making so much noise, I thought that at any second she would burst out into a full monologue. Alas, this was not the case, but she made us smile. Four days before her actual birthday, she started walking. She tottered to her feet and just went for it. Ariel is so driven it makes me wonder who she gets that from. She also learned to navigate the stairs, but only in the upward direction.

The past 12 months has been a time of frustration, anxiety, and constant worry; the joys, surprises and the endless love that can only come from God. Eric and I wear our battle scars proudly knowing that we truly have been blessed.

Traveling the Smoky Hill Trail

I promise that my next post will address Ariel's first birthday that was 3 months ago (yikes, how did I get this far behind?). Speaking of our precious little one, she received a wagon for her birthday from Gma Pat & Gpa Leon. It started out as an ugly, green, utility wagon, but through the magic that only grandmas posses, has made a remarkable transformation.
Stage 1: ugly duckling

Stage 2: pretty panda cover and dissected swim noodles (for protection against bumps)

Stage 3: the panda express is ready to roll, complete with skin cancer fighting parasol

Stage 4: tripping back in time to the days of the covered wagon, all we need is a horse

Stage 5: 4th of july parade where the wagon was temporarily renamed "the sparkler express"

Ariel loves to ride in this thing! Seriously. I think it make her feels like a princess (which she is, just in case you were wondering). She is able to ride in style and wave to her subjects while maintaining complete protection from the sun. Some days I feel a little ridiculous hauling the wagon around, but then we get so many compliments, how can I not crack a smile? Maybe I should make her a pioneer dress so we can re-create the the game, "The Oregon Trail *." Wait . . . maybe not. I'm pretty sure all my peeps contracted the measles or malaria or the flu and died. So, the Smoky Hill Trail it is (it runs right behind our house). Yee haw!

* I know you remember this awful computer game we played back in middle school. I know I'm not the only one who lost everything. All but that one horse . . .