SevenUP!Date #5: How I Became Tita Barbie

Wow. This post is a looooong time coming. It'll be fairly long, too. Sorry, ahead of time.

Quick refresher: back in January I agreed to participate in a meme with my friend Melissa. A meme, for those who don't know, is an idea or a game that spreads from person or group of people to another person or group of people, usually for fun, usually via the internet. This was a game that got players to share 7 odd things about themselves. I chose to explain the odd things in later posts. However, the later posts got pre-empted by other things. So I'm picking things up now. I'm on #5;

5. There's a village on the other side of the planet where I'm known as Tita Barbie. And it's not an insult (there; we all know it would be here: I'm 5'2", size 14). Of course, Mattel would never let Barbie eat dinu goan and 'duck's last meal', which they proudly fed me, and (armed with the knowledge of what they were before eating them) I gladly ate.

At Christmas in 2003 through the 3rd week of January, Rick took me to the Philippines to meet his father's side of the family. It was an experience. The first thing I noticed was that NO ONE in the world decorates for Christmas like they do in the Philippines. It was fantastic. Office buildings in Manila had huge nativity scenes that scaled their sheer sides for 6 and 7 stories, brilliantly lit, and occasionally animated! And everywhere there were parols. Just completely gorgeous. So totally beautiful; I was dazzled.

We left Manila for the village of my now father-in-law's childhood. Part of the reason for the timing of our visit was the family reunion being held in this village. The reunion travels, depending on which branch of the family hosts it, and this year one of Rick's cousins was the host. Our presence was auspicious. It was a big deal to have American relatives present at the reunion. It took place between Christmas and New Year's Day, I met dozens of people I am now related to who remain fuzzy in my memory, yet welcomed me more warmly than my family ever has. And that really is saying something.

So one evening shortly before New Year's we were having dinner at one cousin's home. Her 18 month old niece came out to say hello before bedtime, and was passed from woman to woman to be held and cooed over. (She was very very adorable.)

I have to interject a little about this particular dinner. This evening was a little challenging for me. Most of our time up til this point had been fairly 'normal' (?): at least, I hadn't noticed that women and men had been segregated, if they had been before. But on this occasion, the separation was plain and stark and there was nothing I could do about it. It was uncomfortable and a bit frightening, because I'd been in the country less than a week, knew these people not well at all, and was now being forced away from the only 2 people in the country I DID know, who were off with the men. Worse yet? The men had ALL the alcohol. There was none for the women. And the knife twisting in my ribs? GAHH!!! All they wanted to do was talk about weddings and babies!!!! Torture!! It was girl time with girl talk, turning pink with hearts dotting every single 'i'!!! Uggghhh.

(I wear combat boots. My favorite colors are olive green, blue, and black. I like punk rock and world music. I have an open mind, but I detest being pidgeon-holed. I felt for all the world like I was being pidgeon-holed that night. But then it changed...)

So anyway, there's this lovely little girl, and she's making her way around the circle of women. Every once in a while she looks at me, and omigoodness do her eyes get BIG! Each time she looks at me, they grow a bit more!! It gets to be my turn and she's too shy. The women try to get her to go to me and she steadfastly buries herself into the nearest shoulder.

They apologized to me! "What? No! Don't apologize -- I'm a stranger, you should be glad she doesn't want to come to me. This is good!" But no, no, go to Tita Rebecca, they insist; and of course she doesn't. After about 20 minutes, finally she looks at me and points:

"Barbie!" --Little Girl

"OooooOOOOOooooooo! Aaahh! Barbie!" (disolves into knowing laughter and excited chatter in Tagalog) --Various Aunts and Great Aunts

"...uuuummm..." --Me

"She watches 'Barbie Swan Lake' every day -- twice, sometimes 3 times -- and she thinks you are her hero, come to visit her!! That is why she is too shy!"

And the name stuck.

I collect Barbie dolls now. Not the run of the mill, crappy, cheerleader/prostitute-dressing typical Barbie that every child wants. I collect the unusual ones. I like the race- and culture-specific ones, that have culturally correct costumes. Like Diwali Barbie. I'd love to find a Fulla Doll. And there's a whole series of comic book character dolls that I wish were in my collection. They're not for playing with, I just like them. :-) Plus, I'm (aparently) their 'aunt' now...

Seven Up!Date #1: Our Wedding Cake

To review: I was tagged by my friend Melissa for a meme that required me to share 7 random or wacky things about me. I chose to add a bonus thing, and to not elaborate about the original 7 things for the sake of having a post that WOULDN'T be the length of a Russian novel. I promised to fill in the blanks in the coming days. Here's the first installment.

1. We had Fisher Price Little People on our wedding cake. And a reference to a chicken. And Fisher Price Little People chickens. All on our wedding cake.

That's our cake!

I wanted something non-traditional on our cake, if even we would have anything on our cake at all. When I came across this wedding couple on eBay, Rick and I both agreed it was perfect for our personalities. We both collect toys. It's whimsical. It's traditional with a solid chunk of tongue firmly in cheek.

Then there was the whole chicken thing.

A little more than 5 years ago Rick saw a t-shirt that said something along the lines of

"People think A.D.H.D. is funny, but it's actually a serious neurological condition that involves a combination of attention and behavio-- Hey look! A chicken!"

Yeah, we both have A.D.H.D. We thought it was hillarious. We also started using the phrase, "Hey, look! A chicken!" to re-focus each other when we get off topic. It was especially funny in the Philippines, where there are chickens running around EVERYWHERE. Rick's cousins finally, in a fit of exasperation, asked us if there are no chickens in the U.S. We had to explain it, but they were unimpressed. Anyway, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Rick to see it on our wedding cake.

By the way, the wedding cakes were Dairy Queen ice cream cakes. Fantastic, in the middle of summer.

We used a mix of vintage table cloths and whimsical LED lights that gave a soft glow on the tables (it was a backyard reception), with mason jars filled with cherry whips and starlite mints. It made the scene extra festive: less picnic, more garden party, but not so much that you were afraid to be at home. It was nice.

Another flight of whimsy I had to take was with the wedding bouquet. I didn't carry one. I carried this, instead. We were starting a new life, creating a new home (not moving, and we'd lived together for almost 3 years, but symbolically), and intending things to last forever. The nest and two eggs were very meaningful to me. Plus, all the materials were completely recycled, as were we!! (2nd marriages for both of us.) Also, I felt strongly that people getting married in the woods (as we did) really ought not to bring flowers to the forest. It's redundant, really.



Hope that explains "Seven Up! #1"! I meant to blog months ago about our wedding, but up til now all I managed to write was how it was mandated by my former job, if I wanted to stay employed. As it's clear I no longer work there, you can see how well that worked for me.

Enjoy! Click on the pictures and you'll go to our two wedding Flickr sets. The nest is from one set, the others from the other set. You're welcome to look and comment all you'd like. Every picture has notes, so you'll know what's going on. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Seven Up! Plus One Bonus!

I've been Tagged for a meme!

Well, sorta. Full disclosure: My friend (she's an invisible friend; more on that later) Melissa from Part of Everything posted a voluntary meme on her blog. She got tagged, and tagging others was part of the rules of the meme. (It usually is.) But she didn't want other feeling obligated, so she asked for volunteers. I volunteered. I'm tagged. Now I'm it.

So here's the deal:

The Rules
~ Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
~ Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
~ Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
~ Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ready? Rebecca's 7 Random Things

1. We had Fisher Price Little People on our wedding cake. And a reference to a chicken. And Fisher Price Little People chickens. All on our wedding cake.

2. We have an antique player piano. No one's allowed to play it. EV.ER. I mean it. And yet the cats obstinately refuse to respect my ahthorita'. On a daily basis. Yes, the cover's closed.

3. We don't have cable. We don't have satellite. We have 'rabbit ears' on our tv. We do watch tv (actual tv, not just tv hooked up to a dvd player), we are not 'reality tv' fans. And yet, life doesn't suck. (But I really miss Life, Bones, and Pushing Daisies.)

4. Speaking of Pushing Daisies, I love LOVE LOVE to knit along with Emerson Cod.

5. There's a village on the other side of the planet where I'm known as Tita Barbie. And it's not an insult (there; we all know it would be here: I'm 5'2", size 14). Of course, Mattel would never let Barbie eat dinu goan and 'duck's last meal', which they proudly fed me, and (armed with the knowledge of what they were before eating them) I gladly ate.

6. I know they exist, because I saw them in both TJMaxx and Burlington Coat Factory. I just can't find them again. I am desperately searching for opaque tights that have a split for the big toe so you can wear them with thong sandals. Socks, too.

7. My hair is waist-length now, and when it gets warmer, I am looking forward to donating it to a charity that will turn it into a wig.
********* (that's a drumroll) ***************************
and the bonus!!! >@< (that's a cymbal crash)

8. Yesterday I posted my first blog post as a member of the technical editorial staff of the online zine, The AntiCraft. You'll have to scroll down to see my post. There have been posts since then. What's The AntiCraft? Well, do you have a talent for fiber arts? (knitting, weaving, crochet, embroidery, even duct tape; but consider going past that and other fine arts crafts) Do you have a slightly warped sense of humor? Or do you have an interest in things outside of the mainstream? (comic books, sci-fi/fantasy, horror movies, RenFaires, punk rock, more) Then this is a good site for you to visit regularly. It suited me. There are knitting and crochet and other craft patterns, there's a forum, a blog, it's an endless font for creative energy, but especially for people who have tastes other than the mainstream. (I'll refer you to my romatic date to see Sweeney Todd. We cuddled and snuggled. Please don't judge me. And, no, if you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't mistake me for a "freak" (unless you count the earrings). This decade. College would have been a different story. But I still won't wear LLBean on the grounds that the preppy cooties will make all my hair shoot inwards, boiling like spaghetti until my skin bursts.)(*grin*)
______________

Need a few explanations? I'll do what Melissa's doing: 'splain it over the next few days. Or week; who knows what'll come up? (It's been a TIME of late!) See how long things got with that 'bonus'? That's probably all I'll say about #8, unless there are questions. Please don't be shy! Ask, and I'll answer in the comments.

But I think that gets my first part of the meme off and running. Now I have to find some friends who will agree to also volunteer to take up the reins of this wild horse.

a. this one probably will, but I'll ask first
b. I'm not sure about this one
c. I'll check with this one
d. hmmm, don't know if this one has a blog
e. perhaps
f. perhaps
g. perhaps

If you'd like to volunteer, post a message! :-D I'll gladly take volunteers. The fun thing about memes is it's supposed to bulk up your blog traffic. That's kind of nice!

I figured the art stuff was fairly obvious, though I hit some o'that with bonus #8. The nature stuff too. This other stuff hasn't really been addressed as such, so I hope you all enjoy! I'd imagine I'll hear about it one way or another. Make sure you visit Melissa's blog. She's really neat. I love her writing and her generosity of spirit. Read the comments, too! She's got good friends.

Oh -- the 'invisible friend' concept. I have friends who are definitely friends. We have things in common -- values, goals, hobbies, talents, dreams -- but we've never met in person, just via the 'net. Hence the 'invisibility'. It's very poetic, but not my original idea. Another of my invisible friends shared the term with me. I think it's a great description! Invisible: yes, but not absent.

Tag! I'm "It"! 7 Random Things About Me

A few days ago, I got 'tagged' for a meme by Leandra, another artist participating in National Blog Posting Month. I looked at her blog. Beautiful drawings and paintings! I recommend checking out her site! Be sure to leave a friendly comment!

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, a meme is:

n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

And it's a cool meme, so I'm going to play. Here goes! Read along; the rules I followed will be at the end (per the rules), and then I have to find 7 more people's blogs to tag. Like Leandra did with her list, I will make mine as art-specific as I can.

1. I never took any art classes until my second year of college. I was all science and music and English lit, until my archaeology degree required a drawing class. That one tiny 3 tiny credit requirement, during which I executed one drawing of my ski jacket under the influence of one bottle of Bailey's. It changed my life. There's not a type of art I've tried that I don't love. Well, it didn't take the whole bottle.

2. According to my husband, I collect art supplies. That's how he sees it, anyway.

3. What I really collect is old textile equipment. Contact me if you have any submissions! I'd love a drum carder. (shameless, really...)

4. I like the late, great Bob Ross. I secretly imagine "happy little (ANYTHINGS)" all over everything I draw.

5. In art school, we were indoctrinated to disdain Monet. (It's mostly a knee-jerk reflex against having prints of famous art by dead famous people, the originals of which you could never truly hope to afford OR pry off the museum walls where they actually are exhibited, rather than real, original art by not-yet-famous people, whose art is actually in a realistic pricepoint. Support the Arts!) But when I paint and draw using color, I can't help but think, "What Would Claude Do?" And then I do it.

6. Though my degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I have been gainfully employed more years using my science background than my art degree, even though I never finished that part of my degree. I am a legitimate naturalist, though.

7. Hands are a pain in the (ahem) ANKLE to draw. I therefore tend to avoid drawing people. Yep. That's the main reason.

So that's my list of random, odd things about me. They are all true! I hope you enjoyed them. I will add 7 blogs in tomorrow's post. I have to get this posted before midnight.

The guidelines as provided by Leandra:

* Link to the person that tagged you and post these rules on your blog.
* Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
* Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
* Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

More tomorrow!