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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Christmas in Iowa 2015

Christmas 2015 in Iowa
We left a balmy DC on a Wednesday to head to Iowa for Christmas, where the temperatures were moderately lower but the snow no more apparent. But the absence of a white Christmas was more than made up for by the presence of cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles (Uncle Bernie and Uncle Pete even made it by) and the release of Star Wars VII (Nora declined to go and Owen didn't like the ending and tried to warn others as if he had known that ***SPOILER*** he never would have gone).

We only had one full day of the whole crew as Dave and Kara had to head to Chicago to meet up with Kara's sister and parents, but we managed to get in dinner, presents, a couple of rock concerts, a whole lot of pictures (including one of Santa in the act!), pancakes a la Olivia and even got to hang out in the new sunroom Grandma and Grandpa Z finished hours before we all arrived.

Steve, Becky and the kids had to hurry back to Chicago iso that Olivia could perform for half time at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans with the school band. But not to worry, as we still had the Fawcett side of the family to hang out with. Despite a massive ice storm, we braved the backroads (and narrowly avoided a couple of ditches) in order to have a lovely lunch at Ken and Helen's with Grandpa Fawcett, Leanna, Grace and Grant (and Grandpa and Grandma Z).

Then we packed up and headed out the next day (to avoid a second storm on its way) in order to get back for our second Christmas celebration in Maryland.

(To see all the Iowa Christmas pics, click here).

Thursday, December 17, 2015

SWS Winter Concert 2015

Mom Mom and Grandpa Don missed Owen's Sinfonia concert due to a baby shower while Katherine, Lee and Grandpa Fawcett missed it in order for Katherine to run a marathon, Lee to run a half one and Grandpa Fawcett to watch. Not to worry, we told them, not only does Owen have a second concert with the newly formed SWS orchestra, and a duet in the new SWS chorus, but Nora would also be performing that holiday classic, "The Crawdad Song" with her classmates at the first annual SWS Winter concert.

The concert was scheduled for 6:00 pm which was a brilliant choice by the SWS administration in order to insure maximum attendance, but a disaster for the SWS administration in terms of adhering to fire codes as the parents, grandparents and other loved ones of 270 students descended into a gymnasium designed for an audience of 300 tops. It was a standing room only situation by the time I arrived at 5:40. By the time Katherine, Lee and John showed up (about 10 minutes after) it was an overflow situation.

But despite the mania, it was a really good, albeit a seasonally odd program. I'm genuinely not sure what the preschool and pre-K kids were singing but the kindergartners performed "Apples and Bananas" and "Little Bunny Foo Foo;" the second graders paid homage to the sixties with "Three Little Birds" and "Yellow Submarine;" the third graders sang "Albuquerque Turkey" and the "Hokey Pokey."

Nora got to show her flair for drama while demonstrating how to properly mourn dying crawdads (she had practice with jellyfish;-).

Owen and the chorus poised such existential meteorological questions as, "Who can see the wind?" and "Why are there so many songs about rainbows?"

And for the grand finale, the entire fourth grade, many of whom had only been playing their instruments for two months, covered "Eek!" and "Twelve Bar Blues."

It was a pretty impressive show, though I think everyone was ready for dinner at Liberty Tree afterwards, where Allen avoided crawdads but did take in a lobster roll.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Owen's cello playing has come a long ways since his first DCYOP concert.  A solid year of private lessons coupled with additional sectionals now that SWS has its own orchestra means that the pieces Owen now plays are more interesting and the manner in which he (and his fellow orchestra members) plays them is far more enjoyable. Added to that, the audience was encouraged to make noise this year (as opposed to last Spring's accidental contribution), making it a pretty great concert all around.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Nora's 1st Lost Tooth
At Nora's dentist appointment in September, Dr. Jackson announced that Nora had some loose teeth with some permanent ones on the move. This was news to us, but as she was clearly of age, we started to make preparations for the big day (ie we found her tooth fairy box and Allen lectured Nora on the beauty of exponential growth to preempt any disappointment for only getting a penny for her first tooth) and waited. And waited. Months passed and still nothing.

Well, not nothing -- Nora's teeth could practically do 360s in her mouth and her permanent tooth appeared to be coming in between the loose ones in question. Finally, after a few failed attempts and Nora's blessing, Allen pulled Nora's first tooth and a delighted Nora got to show off to all her friends.

Now if we could just get the second one out she can proclaim "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"

Nora's 1st Lost Tooth

Update: The second tooth held out for a long time -- so long that we became a bit worried that it was going to become a problem (it was kind of on its side and seemed to be re-treating into the gum), so after some aggressive loosening from Elaine, Nora pulled the second one on January 4th, by which time, her replacement teeth were pretty much already in.

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Botanic Delight

The tree is up, holiday cards are arriving, and it's time for the annual Botanic Gardens Holiday Reception.  Next to free parking with your zoo membership, there's no better deal in DC than a U.S. Botanic Gardens membership to skip the line for the annual train show, and instead attend the preview night with wine & cheese, trains, lights, and the kids having the run of the place for the night.  Katherine & Lee came down, and Jackie was in town, so she and Dad joined us as well.  Of course we also had to sneak in a side trip to the National Christmas Tree in front of the Capitol to boot.  If only the Hawkeyes would have won the Big 10 championship game, it would have been a perfect evening ;-)

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Ice Capades

Nora was invited to her friend Milena's birthday-skating party. Initially all the kids were using the equivalent of skating walkers to glide across the ice. After a few passes though, Nora decided to try it on her own. She was a little rocky at first, but by the end, she was doing twirls and even making a new friend.

 (To see all the skating pictures, click here.)

Friday, November 27, 2015

Roosevelt Island

Mommy had to work the day after Thanksgiving, but the kids and I were off, so we decided to go to Roosevelt Island for our adventure.  The kids read all the plaques, and decided to, 'have fun on the way to save the day,' as they thought through how the duty of life relates to protecting the earth.

Then right as we were about to leave, we ran into Adam's brother Colin.  Figuring his family might be looking for him, and Adam might be with them, I called Karen, and sure enough a serendipitous play date on Roosevelt Island was in the cards.  Not a bad way to spend our post-turkey day.

Turkey Day

It was a quiet Thanksgiving here in the DMV with a small gathering at Nancy & Danny's after some NE-SE kickball in the morning. Fortunately, we had Nora to get us in the spirit.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Nora loves art, Nora loves marshmallows, a photo opportunity too perfect to pass up.  Great picture Mommy!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Happy 10th Birthday Blog!

Hard to believe it, but the blog is now 10 years old!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Hiking into the Sunset

It was a bit too wet in the morning for our usual Veteran's Day Carderock climbing trip, but the afternoon was gorgeous, so we met up with Katherine and Lee for a hike on the Rachel Carson Greenway instead.  Instead of writing a thousand words, just look at the picture, that's all you need to know :-)

Sunday, November 08, 2015

If You Build It...

The boys were off doing something on a rainy November day and none of Nora's friends were able to make it for a playdate, so the female line decided to finally make use of one of Nora's birthday presents... and power tools! Nora's construction skills would make Grandpa Fawcett proud, though I questioned some of her artistic decisions. Regardless, we finally have a place for birds to seek refuge in our backyard...once we actually hang it.

Sunday, November 01, 2015

The weekend before Halloween, we crashed a party at the Congressional Cemetery complete with a well-stocked bar, hayrides and had a preview of things that go bump in the night (or at least give you the heebie-jeebies).
Hallows Eve was demonstrably less terrifying by comparison. Owen's Halloween costume was pretty much decided on his birthday when Aunt Jen and Uncle Ahzer gave him a Storm Trooper helmet which then just required a costume, blaster and some painter's tape to transform Owen into Commander Rex. Nora designed her costume herself, and while it took some effort to make her vision a reality, we made it work. And while we lacked both the vision and commitment of the Browns, we still managed to have a fun family Halloween.

Me and You

She's working on a whole album now...
I want to be friends with you
I hope we'll make it the whole way through
Everything is going to be alright
We're going to have a great night
I hope you respond to this request
Because that would be the best
So I talk to you, and you talk to me
What great friends we'll be!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

What does find your heart mean?

The best part is her explanation of what the song means :-)
What does find your heart mean?
What does find your heart stand for?
Does find your heart mean you found me?
Does find your heart mean you found your heart?
Because you found your heart pumping
What does find your heart mean?
I'm not so sure about this
This poetry is getting weird
I'm not so sure what this is
Oh Oh
I'm not sure about this
Oh Oh
I'm not so sure what this is
Oh Oh
I'm not sure about this
You found your heart
What does it mean?
Found your heart means you found your love

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Sense & No Sense

The latest hit single from our songwriting sensation!
One way some things don't make sense
But another way they make so much sense
Check out these goggles when I have the lens down
It doesn't make much sense
But when I have the lens up it makes much more sense
Flaps down, doesn't make sense
Flaps up, makes sense
One way some things don't make sense
But another way they do
Check out this block with these blocks down
It doesn't make much sense as nature
But when you put the blocks to the side
It makes much more sense as nature
Blocks down, doesn't make sense
Blocks to the side, makes sense

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Color Song

Nora has been busy writing songs this year.  One of her favorite compositions is her 'Color Song':
Blue and purple might go together
But pink and turquoise look quite better
Green and yellow look like weather
White and grey you might need a sweater
Here she is sharing it with her class :-)

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Go West!

Colorado Springs
Uncle Dave and Aunt Kara moved to Colorado Springs last August, so we gave them a full year to acclimate before we descended upon them. The kids were initially confused that we were going to Colorado but not going skiing, but Dave and Kara proved that there are lots of other fun things to do in the Centennial State besides plummet down the a snowy hill.

We arrived Thursday night, immediately crashed and then awoke Friday morning to a huge breakfast courtesy of Kara. We then headed out to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where feeding of the animals is actively encouraged (provided you purchase said food from their convenient placed kiosks). Everyone got into feeding the giraffes -- a few of the giraffes almost got too into it -- but Nora was the only one that really embraced sharing a meal with the peacocks. Fortunately, none of the animals reciprocated.

In addition to all the exhibits (and I'm pretty sure we hit them all except for the elephants), the zoo also has a ski lift with a climbing wall and playground at the top. The kids got to ride with Uncle Dave and Aunt Kara while Allen and I got a few moments of alone time.

Saturday, we headed out to "The Castle" and Kara's favorite hot dog joint, Johnny B's Taste of Chicago, before meeting up with one of Allen's high school friend, Paul, and his kids at Garden of the Gods. Once we made it past the initial entrance, we were a little sad we hadn't brought any of our climbing gear (though as Allen pointed out, he wouldn't really trust any of us to belay him), as the formations and the views are pretty amazing. Still the kids had a great time bouldering and while we discovered how terrifying playing "hide and go seek" can be in a 1,364 acre canyon, everyone made it out alive and in time for dinner with Caitlin (Nora's Godmother) and Paxton.

Caitlin was offered a job at the Aurora History Museum about a year before Dave and Kara moved to the Springs (and about 20 months before our cousin Brandon and his wife moved to Aurora as well -- apparently, all the cool kids are doing it), so they were kind enough to drive up for the night. Kara had skipped our convening with the Gods in order to whip up a huge spread (homemade baguettes, soup, hamburgers, salad, hand pies, cookies...), so we were able to just relax, catch up and hear all about their life at 5000 feet above sea level.

Sunday morning, Uncle Dave got up early for a donut run (including a cotton candy one for Nora -- her Godfather hooked her up nicely), before we headed to the airport to drop Kara off (she was flying to Chicago for her dad's 75th birthday), drop off the rental car and the had lunch with Dave before he headed back to Colorado Springs and we retired to our hotel room in order to wake up for our 7 am flight the next day.

It was too short of a visit, but I have a feeling we'll be back before too long...

(To see all the pics, please click here.) Colorado Springs

Sunday, October 04, 2015

Help Us Save the Planet People!

Help Us Save the Planet People
The original plan when we had kids was for us to attend mass once a month as a family, meeting once a month as a family, and that the kids and I would pray for Allen in the off weeks. Contrary to the lessons you learned from "The A-Team," sometimes a plan doesn't come together, and so for the first nine years of our parenting, the meeting part never happened.

I've been struggling with the mass part of late, however. DC is a pretty conservative diocese and has been flexing its political muscles on a series of issues that don't really reflect the values Allen and I want to impart on our kids. I thought after Pope Francis was inaugurated, maybe things would improve, and while I think on some level they have, his message of acceptance hasn't really been embraced by the kids' Sunday School coordinator.

So after a particularly frustrating Sunday morning in which the coordinator stated that, "science comes and goes, but God is forever" and informed us that I was expected to take a seminar on "Parenting for Purity" (I attended, but declined the helpful brochures and free CDs), I contacted Owen's friend Gabriel's mom, Megan, who attends the Friends Meeting of Washington and arranged to meet up with them on Sunday.

I don't believe that God takes sides in religions, but if I did, I would have to say that God was clearly favoring the Quakers this past Sunday. While Allen grew up with "First Day School" taking place after a lengthy period of silent worship in the meeting house, The Washington Friends start with it. The kids were handed snacks, allowed to draw and Nora even got to blow out a candle before being informed that the day's topic would be global warming: how does it impact the earth, and what we wanted the United Nations' 21st Session of the Conference of Parties to do about it when they meet in Paris this December. And also that the kids would be making a video describing their concerns that would be then sent to Paris.

Allen, who is rarely moved by the spirit, volunteered to lead the discussion and film one of the videos. Owen and Nora embraced Gabriel's suggestion that they focus on the impact on animals. Owen started drawing animals that are endangered (such as the Tasmanian tiger) while Nora focused on those long since departed (a t-rex complete with volcano). Owen and Gabriel then took turns narrating the video, culminating with an exasperated Nora shouting, "Help us save the planet, please! I'm begging you!" Then after 45 minutes of this, we joined silent worship for 5-10 minutes after which the kids stood up and explained to the meeting what they had done and what they were trying to convey in their videos.

Then they ate cookies and played outside.

Nora is ready to convert. Owen thinks we should split our time. Allen is being characteristically silent on the subject. We're clearly going back to meeting, but we'll still split our time going to mass and Sunday school as well. At least for now.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Marsden Tract

Marsden Tract

This weekend was the first Cub Scouts camping trip of the Fall.  The whole pack camped out at Marsden Tract, along the Billy Goat Trail between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River.  Owen and the other new Webelos got to go with the older Webelos down to the river in the morning to see the secret Webelos spot, a secret den along the Potomac, that looked like it would be the perfect place to hide from the passing Ring Wraith.

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Rock On

Nora got her own personal rock-climbing harness for Christmas this year, but we hadn't had a chance to use it. We'd planned to inaugurate it over Memorial Day weekend, but then she broke her arm. Nora bailed on a second trip due to the heat and requisite hiking. We were finally set to go over Labor Day, but things started looking grim when she slammed her thumb in the door at the doctors office. However, after some cauterizing and an x-ray, she eventually got the all clear.

We'd asked Andrew & Luke, Owen & Allen's regular climbing buddies to join us, as well as Owen's friend Leo, who'd been out of town for Owen's party, and his family, to join us at Carderock. Leo, was pretty nervous, but finally tried it after Owen lured him with a promise a Captain Rex helmet. Jonah did a little better and Micah managed to out-climb both his sons, though they were a bit too distracted to bear witness to his accomplishment.

Owen kissed the 'biener on his first climb and made it almost to the top of the second, but the real story of the day was Nora, who stopped a bit early in her climbing (she totally could have made it farther up), but bouldered like a champion and proclaimed that she would totally be up for another outing. Assuming she's in one piece.
(To see all the pics, click here.)

Sunday, September 06, 2015

Party a Go-Go

Nora's sixth birthday was not without incident. After having cupcakes with her new classmates, we headed off to the traditional birthday physical where after waiting a half hour to see her doctor, Nora opened the exam room door to peak out and then promptly slammed the door on her thumb. There were a lot of tears. There was a surprising absence of immediate medical care (there is also likely a physician change in our future). And there was one very ugly looking thumb nail.

The next morning Allen took Nora back to Kaiser for a trephination to relieve the pressure (or as Nora explained to her classmates, "They set my fingernail on fire and then blood squirted everywhere!") and took an x-ray to determine if her thumb was broken. The film was inconclusive, so they put her in a splint and scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist, warning us that she may need to be in a cast to immobilize said thumb.

To be honest, this is how our luck has been going lately, so I fully expected Nora to celebrate her sixth without opposable thumbs and possibly requiring me to spoon feed her cake. Imagine my delight when the call came at 5 pm Friday night that she was in the clear.

And so, on Saturday afternoon, eight little girls (and most of their parents) came to our house to play games with Mr. Justin from Labrynith (though the majority mostly played dress-up in Nora's room and tried to terrorize Owen), eat cupcakes that were way too rich, and then run around on the playground. It was kind of a perfect way to end our birthday season and most importantly, no one got hurt.

(To see all the birthday pictures, click here.)

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

OBX 2015
To be honest, I've been known to underestimate Nora. Sometimes, when I see her collapse into a heap of giggles while wearing a superhero mask, princess crown and the arm covers of her booster seat as slippers, I forget what a strong and fierce little girl she is. But this year Nora broke her arm and still managed to camp in a cast and dance in a sling. She went parasailing despite having pneumonia. Nora faced down bullies who questioned her right to wear disney princess attire. She skied a blue (well, part of one). She swam with her head in the water. She even ate calamari.

All of which is to say that Nora is sweet and silly and smart and funny and artistic and inquisitive and creative, as well as tough and very, very brave and we love her so, so much. Happy birthday, baby girl, now go and conquer the world!

  1. Not everyone lives in fear that their face will freeze that way.
  2. Fungus is not an acceptable food group.
  3. The sun will come out, tomorrow.
  4. Roald Dahl books should be thoroughly vetted before being included in ones bedtime routine.
  5. Sure, sticks and stones may break your bones, but bicycles are the unsung menace.
  6. "Do you even know me at all???"
  7. 67P is a lot easier to say than Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
  8. Some days you just have to channel your inner leopard princess of bling.
  9. Never forget the cuckoo blah blahs of cuckooness.
  10. And in the words of Nora herself, "Be happy. Be you."

Monday, August 31, 2015

And Another...

The birthday celebrations continue, this time with a duel family party for the kids at Aunt Katherine's with cake by Mom Mom.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Back to School

First day 2015
For the first time since Nora was a baby in daycare, the kids are at the same school (in first and fourth grade)! A block from our house! And it's free! We're officially living the dream.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Party On

Owen's birthday extravaganza almost didn't happen this year. To be honest, its a struggle every year to make the magic happen as invariably: we get back from Iowa mid-August, Owen has his birthday the following week, we have Owen's birthday party that weekend, school starts two to three days later. We then have a joint birthday party for the kids with family, Nora has her birthday, Labor Day is in there somewhere, we have Nora's birthday party, and then we're well into September when baseball, orchestra, dance, soccer, swimming and all other activities take over. As you can see, we have very little wiggle room in our calendar and have not let little things like tornados (Nora's 3rd birthday) or a thunderstorms (Owen's 8th) interfere with our meticulously planned fun agenda.

But the week of Owen's birthday, he came home from camp with a fever and migraine, and ended up going to the ER for another croup episode early the next morning. We kept him home Tuesday and Wednesday, flirted with the idea of sending him to camp on Thursday (his birthday), but by then a bad cough had emerged (making us fear another pneumonia victim though Children's swore on Tuesday that it wasn't that) and another headache and late day fever (as well as loss of appetite) sealed the deal.

But what to do about his birthday? We had 10 or so kids scheduled to spend 3+ hours at out house and no viable weekends to re-schedule until mid-September or later, and by then we'd be in full activities mode. Also, aside from the cough, Owen was healthy most of the day -- he just tended to get a fever and headache late in the afternoon. I didn't want to cancel because Owen had already missed all the fun of camp but I didn't want to get anyone else sick or have Owen pass-out mid-way through.

I conducted a Facebook poll asking how late one could cancel a party and the overwhelming consensus was to cancel it now. And while they were all very convincing, we ultimately decided to screw it, gave Owen some advil a half hour before his guests showed up and hoped for the best.

It went pretty well. The kids all had fun playing baseball and going to the arcade. I think Owen was feeling spent on the walk home and would have been happy to skip the pizza and ice cream in favor of a nap, but he really enjoyed hanging out with his friends before school started and he loved the presents they gave him.

Plus I got to cross one more thing off my to-do list.

To see all the party pics (including some from the drone) click here.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

OBX 2015

Eight was a big year for Owen, full of ups and downs.  He changed schools, made some great new friends, and learned that sometimes being a baseball fan means staying up past midnight, even if you're tired and cold, just to see your team lose a playoff game in 18 innings (also that some seasons, being a baseball fan can be rough). Eight meant independence and walking to school by himself (while we observed him the whole way from our landing). It meant learning to play on the cello both the theme from Mahler's first symphony and Ok Go's "The Writings on the Wall." Eight meant demonstrating proper climbing technique to the uninitiated, pitching an inning in AAA ball (little league AAA, mind you), skiing with poles and becoming a Bear (metaphorically via Cub Scouts). It also meant a few more hospital trips than we'd hoped. Eight meant a lot to Owen and a lot to us -- seeing him grow up, expanding his interests and demanding more independence, was pretty amazing. And given that nine is Owen's favorite number, next year should be huge... and hopefully a lot healthier. Happy birthday, little man. We love you so, so much.

1. Creepers gonna creep.
2. Make new friends, but keep the old.
3. Form. It all comes down to form.
4. "[McDonald's] food is bad and they know it. That's why they have to give you a toy."
5. It's good to be a level 7 Elf Wizard with a Pointy Hat of Power and a Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment when you're fighting a Large Angry Chicken.
6. "Asking questions gives you a reason to read more."
7. If they build it, we will come.
8. Zip-lining away
9. Third time isn't so charming when it involves ambulances.
10. FasterHigherStronger.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Be Happy, Be You

Be Happy, Be You

Nora decided to have a talent show with all her stuffed animals, but she was worried that they would be nervous.  So she prepared a speech to give them so that they would be nervous, "Be happy, be you." :-)

Saturday, August 15, 2015

SWS Meet-Up

The day after we returned from Iowa was the annual Scouts Night out at the Ballpark. Last year we enthusiastically participated and had a great night at the Potomac Nationals park, but after three weeks of travelling - much of which with a sick child -- we just weren't up for camping with 100+ other families.

Fortunately, SWS allowed to bow out by organizing a back-to-school picnic at Yards Park. We all had a great time: Owen was able to hang with several of his buddies; Nora made a new friend, Matilda, who's going to be in her class this year; and Allen and I had a lovely dinner while chatting with some of the other parents.

And we all got to sleep in our own beds.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

The Friendly Confines

My love for baseball started when I was around Owen's age, listening to the Cubs on the radio, and each summer we would take a trip with the Centerdale Women's Club on a bus to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game.  Now it's finally Owen's turn to take in a game at the Friendly Confines.  We left Iowa a little early to visit Steven & Becky, and drive into town for a Cubs game.  Owen was thrilled of course to add another major league ballpark to his list, and the Cubs didn't disappoint, they hit 5 home runs, and beat the Brewers 9-2 for their 7th straight win.  The Nats may be having a disappointing season, but maybe the Cubbies will squeeze into the playoffs for a little October magic this year.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Iowa 2015

Our trip to Iowa didn't begin so auspiciously -- we literally drove from the condo in Duck to a CVS Minute Clinic in the outer reaches of the Outer Banks to see if we could figure out what was wrong with Nora, only to discover that despite its website, the place didn't open for more than an hour. We decided that Nora would be fine hanging out in the car watching movies until we reached Richmond, VA where the clinic was both open and welcoming. Unfortunately, they weren't much help in diagnosing Nora, so after picking up a different flavored Children's Tylenol (that she still refused to take), we headed to Charleston, WV where we stayed for the night, while Nora' temp hovered around 104 range and her emerging cough drove Owen from the comfy bed that they were to share to the couch in the suite. We high tailed it out the next morning, drove to Iowa and upon arrival quickly dropped a 104.7 degree Nora on the Grandma and Grandpa Z's couch while we attempted to find a local pediatrician to see her. They wouldn't, so we muddled through the night and then Allen took her to an Iowa City Urgent Care clinic Tuesday where they proclaimed that she had croup (she didn't), gave her a steroid shot (it didn't help) and sent her home. By Thursday, her temp hadn't improved, her cough had worsened and she'd lost 4-5 pounds so I took her to a Mercy Urgent Care where they drew some blood (in the most painful manner possible), took an x-ray of her lungs, diagnosed her with pneumonia and prescribed some antibiotics. That coupled with an alternative method of taking acetaminophen, resulted in Nora finally being on the mend (and her completely sleeping through Uncle Bernie's and Aunt Ellen & John's visit.

But while Nora and I spent the first few days of our trip relegated to cuddling on the couch (plus some tea parties, crafts and baking with Grandma Z), the boys had things to do and places to go: namely the pond to supervise the last stages of dock and high-dive renovation project. Allen went for a search and recovery dive to reclaim a lost board while Owen tested out the new ladder and making instructional dive videos.

By Friday, Nora was able to spend a little time at the pond for the pre-Hooverfest fete with the Hoovers (and more importantly, Grace and Cousin Blaine). Saturday we actually all got to partake in some of the festival itself, though the boys had to represent alone at the pond (too exhausting) and the fireworks (too late).

By Sunday, Nora was really starting to get her groove back, which was convenient as that was when her cousins arrived. Owen and Nora had a blast at the pond with their cousins, Olivia, Maura, Sam and Erin. Grandpa Z set a new record for the new high dive, Maura, Olivia and Sam tried it out, and there was an impressive amount of kayaking, paddle-boarding, and general merriment. Monday we road-tripped to Dyersville to see the "Field of Dreams" followed by some more pond time and a few rounds of hide and seek (FYI: Uncle Allen is a very good seeker).

Tuesday, the cousins headed back to Chicago, Nora and Grace had an extended playdate as did Allen and Owen at the pond followed by us finally taking Grandma and Grandpa Z out for a belated anniversary dinner which we postponed due to Nora's self-imposed quarantine (and because Nora wanted to pay and she only got around to printing her own money and credit card that morning). Wednesday, we had a last day at the pond while Allen and Grandpa Fawcett went with Ken and Kent to see a man about a bridge...

And then we left for Chicago.

(To see all the Iowa pics, click here.)

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

No, it's Iowa

Field of Dreams

”Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” - Terence Man, Field of Dreams.

Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams has been one of Owen's favorite movies since he watched it on a drive out to Iowa three years ago.  How could it not be, when it combines two of Owen's favorite things, baseball and Iowa?  Well, this year we finally made the pilgrimage to Dyersville with all the Zimmerman cousins to see the actual Field of Dreams. When we arrived there was even an actual actor from the movie dressed up as Shoeless Joe pitching to some kids (courtesy of the Make a Wish Foundation it turns out, not a regular feature of the site). The kids got to field balls and shag flies for a while, then Steve and I pitched for a while, so they could have their turn at the plate.  The clouds were starting to roll in, so we made a quick trip to check out what was really in that corn field, but then the skies opened up, and we rushed back to the cars and then home in the rain.  Heaven?  I could have sworn this was Iowa.

Sunday, August 02, 2015

OBX 2015

OBX 2015

This was a year for a beach trip with Mom & Don and Katherine & Lee to Duck.  There's something nice about the familiarity of Barrier Island Station, the kids love the giant pool, and the snack shack is always a hit.  After last year's Hurricane shortened trip, we couldn't have asked for better weather at the beach this year.  The temperatures were never above the low 80's, and for the first half of the week the Ocean water was warmer than I can ever remember.

OBX 2015

We had a few new adventures in store for this year's trip.  Last year Owen and I went hang gliding off the dunes at Jockey's Ridge (well Owen went hang gliding, and I went scooting along a foot off the ground while attached to a hang glider ;-), and Owen was set on another adventure this year, so we decided to go parasailing.  Wednesday morning Katherine & Lee, Owen & Elaine, and Nora & I all took turns being harnessed to a giant parachute and towed behind a boat on the sound.  Katherine & Lee had parasailed once before in Mexico, and were thoroughly impressed with the spectacular safety measures here in the States (e.g. not crossing the lines between two parasailing tow boats and dropping people out of the sky).  Owen was of course thrilled to give parasailing a try, though I suspect Elaine could have dealt with not hearing all of Katherine & Lee's stories beforehand.  Nora declared herself 'scared-cited', but once we were up she thought it was just like a peaceful swing with a view, and couldn't stop smiling.

OBX 2015

The other fun new toy for this trip was my GoPro.  After giving it a full workout on our ski trip last winter, it was time to try it out in the waves.  We took some fun bodyboarding videos, but the coolest shots really came from the way it could freeze the churn of the surf in mid-air and the smiles in full grin :-)  Not to mention the fun parasailing selfies!

OBX 2015

Katherine and Lee of course brought lots of games, and even signed us all up for a corn hole tournament.  Elaine & I won our first round match, but fell to the ringers brought in at the last minute to balance the bracket.  Katherine & Lee made it all the way to the finals, but fell to the same team that beat us in the second round.  We'll get em' next time.  The trip wasn't all fun and games though.  After our parasailing adventure Wednesday morning, Nora started feeling really tired, and by that night she was running a high fever that would last for the next 10 days, through the rest of the beach trip and all the way to Iowa, but that's a story for the next blog post...

(click here for all the pictures)

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Beach Balls

The building museum is always a fun place to visit, and lately they have upped the ante with some cool experience exhibits.  Last summer was The Big Maze, and this year they staged The Beach, a gigantic ball pit taking over almost the entire floor.  We wanted to squeeze in a visit to The Beach before our trip to the beach, so before finishing packing on Saturday morning, we headed over to the Building Museum.  Unfortunately we weren't the only people with the same idea.  While last year we had The Big Maze almost to ourselves on a Saturday morning, the crowds and lines for The Beach were huge.  The kids decided they would rather run around and do all the regular exhibits instead of waiting in line, so we took in the spectacle of it all and had some fun playing with blocks :-)

Friday, July 24, 2015

The Best Little Theater in Town

After rave reviews for her performances in various "Play-in-a-Day" productions, we decide that Nora needed more of challenge in her thespian pursuits. So we signed her up for two weeks of "Atlas Theater Camp" where she channeled her inner sound designer and performed with 22 other kids (including her good friend, Hazel), "The Best Little Theater in Town."

It was pretty impressive. Two weeks of dedication to one's craft really ups the production value and improves script retention by leaps and bounds for the 5 to 12 age group. There was exposition and stage direction! There was a villain and a hero! There was a love-story! And there was dancing and singing because, as Nora so dramatically informed us, "Gotta have a tear-jerker, a 'boo-hoo- ballad' in every show, you know!"

Mom Mom and Aunt Katherine joined us in the audience, and we gave Nora and the rest of the troupe a standing ovation. Afterwards in the cast party, Nora didn't seem so certain she wanted to have an encore performance next year, but we're hoping we can convince that the shows must go on.

Atlas Theater Camp 2015

(To see the rest of the pics click here. To see the full performance, you'll have to come by to view the limited edition DVD.)

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Catoctin Camping

Catoctin Camping

For our summer Cub Scout camping trip, Owen and his fellow rising first year Webelo's, along with the Bears, went to Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland for a camping and rock climbing adventure. We were a little worried about the weather, as it was forecast to be blisteringly hot along with severe thunderstorms, but while we drove up to the park in a torrential downpour, the weather cleared by the time we got to the camp site, and the heat and humidity weren't nearly as bad as we had feared.  For my part, I was responsible for the climbing portion of the trip, so after we set up camp, we hiked a mile and a half up the mountain to Wolf Rock with all my climbing gear, where I found a nice spot to set up a challenging but doable climb for the kids.  Owen of course wanted to go first, and he did a great job utilizing all the holds he could find in the cracks and on the face to find his way to the top. The rest of the kids eagerly followed, but found the climb was harder than Owen made it look.  In all 13 kids tried the climb, but only 3, including Owen and one of the older Boy Scouts with us, were able to make it to the top.  Great job Owen!

We cooked out over the camp fire (hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids, and steaks for the grown-ups ;-), and made peach cobbler in the dutch ovens for desert.  After a decent night's sleep in the tents, Owen and his fellow Webelos woke up bright and early to make breakfast for everyone: eggs and all sorts of fixings in the dutch ovens, with bacon and sausages cooked over the camp fire.  All and all it was great camping trip for all the Scouts!

Catoctin Camping

(click here for all the photos)

Saturday, July 04, 2015

July 4th, 2015

July4th, 2015

On Friday we went to the Nats game with Dad, Mom & Don, and Katherine, but we had an extra ticket, so Owen invited Hayden to join us.  This was quite fortunate, since we didn't have plans for the Fourth, and Hayden's parents were hosting a party for some friends and neighbors, so we were happy get together with them for our Independence Day celebration.  We had a great time at the party, and presumably the kids did too, but they were off in their own world for the most part, which might be why we had so much fun with the adults ;-)  When evening rolled around, no one really had plans for going to see the fireworks on the Mall, so we walked down to Lincoln Park instead to see all the 'neighborhood' fireworks.  We heard more than we saw, but I think everyone had a good time.

(click here for all the pictures)

Friday, July 03, 2015

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

When we were buying our house, the realtor warned us that soon a DC landmark known for its chili and half smokes would be opening a few houses down and that we might be subject to the occasional breeze filled with the aroma of said half smokes and chili. We were undeterred, in part because we hadn't found any other houses that met our needs that we'd successfully bid on, and it wasn't really clear that Ben's Chili Bowl would ever open. After all, it collapsed just a few weeks into the renovation meant to maintain its historical façade, resulting in a whole mess of issues. Construction finally started...and then stopped, due to a budget dispute with the contractor. Months past. Projected opening dates past. Other Ben's restaurants opened across the city.

Eventually, though, new contractors were brought in and we received a notice that Ben's would like to invite their neighbors in for a sneak peak. Grandpa Fawcett was pretty excited -- he'd been privy to all the building problems due to his regular site visits (during his morning constitutional of H street development) and wanted to inspect the final product. Uncle L was equally excited, having become a fan of Ben's shortly after he moved to the DC area, and feeling a little toyed with having to see the "Coming Soon" sign every time he visited. The kids were mainly psyched about free hot dogs.

We had to wait in a line that snaked around the corner to get in (though Ben's son brought out ice cream for the kids), and we were a little bummed that they decided by the time we placed our order, that milkshakes should be off the menu on a giveaway night, but all in all it was a fun and delicious (if you like that sort of thing) evening with n'ere a Cosby mention around (though weirdly there was a shout-out to Pauly Shore in the History of Ben's pamphlet). Welcome to the neighborhood, Ben's.

To see all the pics, click here.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sotano Over Exposed

Sotano at the Print Shop

Brad's band Sotano played an awesome kid-friendly show at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center on Saturday.  The space was a funky art-gallery/print-shop that really leant itself to some cool washed out over-exposed photos of the band that made it look like they were straight out of an 80's video shoot.  The kids had a great time dancing, and even got to do some cool silk screening projects.  Keep Calm and Rock On!

Sotano at the Print Shop

Sotano at the Print Shop

(click here for all the pictures)


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Guitarist Jimi Bell

 A giant on the guitar, Bell has used his talent’s to work with many top artists in music and the entertainment Industry.

Jimi Bell appeared on the 1986 Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett film “Light of Day where he was both a performer in the movie and he played on the soundtrack and his band toured with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

As 1987 drew to a close Bell was selected to audition for Ozzy Osbourne. The auditions would narrow down to two candidates with Zakk Wylde pitched against Bell.  Although Wylde scored the gig, Bell would be diverted off into another branch of the Black Sabbath family tree, joining bassist Geezer Butler’s solo band the Geezer Butler Band. (Uncredited as a writer but still listed) Joining bassist Geezer Butler’s solo band the GEEZER BUTLER BAND. Here he wrote the track ‘Master Of Insanity,’ subsequently used, but uncredited, on BLACK SABBATH’s 1992 ‘Dehumanizer’ album.

Bell performed guitar work on Cannata‘s CD’s from 1993 to 2013: ‘Watching The World’, Mysterium Magnum, Tamorok and “Harlequin of Lights.

Longtime friend and drummer BJ Zampa recruited Jimi for the German-based Rockers band ‘Thunderhead for their ‘Ugly Side record.  This formed a partnership between the two for many future projects. THUNDERHEAD toured Europe in partnership with METAL CHURCH.  Bell and Zampa then signed on for David Wayne’sMETAL CHURCH‘ Project. For 2001 album on Nuclear Blast.

In 2003 Bell was a contributor as a guest soloist to the Rob Rock album ‘Eyes Of Eternity‘.

2003 Bell and Zampa joined former lead vocalist Mike Vescara from OBSESSION & LOUDNESS Band for the ‘MVP Project.‘ The CD was released in 2004 in Europe and Japan.

In mid-2005 Jimi Bell joined celebrated Melodic Rock Band HOUSE OF LORDS‘.

Jimi then recruited Drummer BJ Zampa and Bassist Chris McCarvill to join original vocalist James Christian to complete the band.  This line up continues to tour, write and record.  They have released together with the following CD’s: ‘World Upside Down,’ ‘Come to My Kingdom,’ ‘Cartesian Dreams,’ and’ Big Money’ and more to follow.

Also, Bell is also the “go to” guitarist for studio work for sports giants like ESPN, WWE, Impact Wrestling and NASCAR.

Currently, Bell is an official endorser of EMG Pickups, Dean Guitars, Ovation Guitars, GHS Strings, Rocktron, Marshall Amps (Europe),  KickAss Cables and Roberts Guitar. Jimi Bell is the inventor of the SHREDNECK

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IMG_0157Some thing else that’s bothering me is the fact that God could’ve healed him. I know some of the reasons he didn’t, and I have to make sure to not become bitter towards family members for those reasons… but it’s still unreal that he’s gone and a miracle was so possible. God even told me he would heal him if certain things happened… so being me, I tired to make those things happen… and they didn’t happen and I hate it.

Still, I honestly thought that a miracle would happen for sure. When the doctor told me he had three days and his system was shutting down, I smiled and said I was “ok.” I genuinely believed at any moment a miracle would happen…. but then he was gone 6 hours later. And it was so fast. Too fast. My last memories are putting juiced fruits and vegetables into his feeding tube because I was convinced the enzymes inside of them would help his healthy cells get strong… and he literally looked at the green stuff being poured into the tube and said “what is that?!? what are you doing to me Amanda?! Stop!” Of course I continued and to try with every effort in me to save his life!

And then when he passed it was strange… I don’t know what to make of that either. To be in the room and watch the breathe of life leave my father’s body. To watch my my watch my sister run down the hall and call me into the room because he’s dying and had DNR. To watch my mom jump over the hospital bed and start praying, and to have my grandparents standing right there too. It was just too much in that moment. And then to feel his pulse and watch him gasp for breathe and know that it was over… that death was about to become a reality and there was nothing I could do. Nothing. And my little, but bold grandmother trying to do something, anything. And watching my grandfather pounding on his chest, hoping for life.

Those moments were so real, so raw. So alive even though death was the topic. And I don’t know what to do with them at all. I think it helps me see that he was loved, so cared for, so admired that we were doing everything within our power to have him here with us. But my thoughts, standing there feeling his pulse were, “please don’t let him come back and let him live like this in pain.” At that point all I could do was walk away from the situation… only to find myself in the arms of so many people that just wanted to express their love.

Now… Mom and I keep asking if we were naive in not embracing the reality of the fact that death was so close. In April, when he was so sick… I knew deep down he was going to die. He was just so sick and so thin. But the three of us still believed a miracle would happen. I decided a month ago that what I believe, have seen and know far outweigh cancer… but it wasn’t enough. Death became a fast reality.

And mom keeps saying she wished she hadn’t believed so much, and that she could’ve embraced the fact that death was so close because there are so many things she wanted and needed to say. And I feel so bad for her. My mom has so much life in her. She’s so strong and it’s partly because she lost her dad. So why did this have to happen to her? Why does she have to start life over again? Why can’t she just have my dad in her life for the rest of her life? There’s no such thing as fair, but gosh this sucks. And it’s going to continue to suck for a long time.

Change is happening whether we like it or not… And I feel bad for change. I feel bad because I am usually so willing to change. So when I hear mom and Bridge talk about hearing the door open and thinking it’s dad… well I don’t have those thoughts because my mind is always changing it’s patterns and accepting the fact that life moves on. So it’s not like I’m trying to forget my dad, it’s just that I’m already ok with the fact that it’s not him coming in and out of the house. But am I wrong for that? Or, am I saving myself from the heartbreak of longing for someone that will never return?

One thought on “Change

  1. Betty and

    Amanda darling, if I misspell some words here please forgive me, it’s kinda hard writing with tears streaming down my face and clouding my eyes. Just know that your Aunt Betty and I love you, Bridget, and your mom so much that we honestly feel the pain you three have. I too expected a miracle and was shocked that it didn’t occur. I told myself that GOD needed an exceptional mansion built and HE needed Chris to build it, so that eased my heart to some degree. And once again we love you dearly, and we pray for you all daily.
    Uncle Adrian

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Bridal Bouquet Passion

– One (1) bridal bouquet made of Premium Farm Roses + satin ribbon.

– One (1) Bridal Toss Bouquet made of roses FREE.

SKU: BB1029 Categories: ,

Product Details

– One (1) bridal bouquet made of Premium Farm Roses + satin ribbon.

– One (1) Bridal Toss Bouquet made of roses FREE.

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Your bridal bouquet will be produced as closely as possible to the picture, but we can NOT guarantee that this will be perfectly identical since flowers can be quite variable in size, shape or out of stock.

In the event that a floral substitution may be necessary to make certain that your bridal bouquet is delivered on time, we take the utmost care in assuring that your order is as similar to your original flower and color choice as possible even if this means substituting flowers of higher value. While we will always try to inform under these circumstances, flower substitutions may be shipped without verbal confirmation from you.

Since flowers are a product of Mother Nature and due to variation in monitor resolutions, the exact color tones of this flower may vary to some degree.

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             Saturday December 11, 2010

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Wedding on Xunantunich, the Stone Lady
Website of the Day
Olivera Rusu Photography is a professional photography studio specializing in artistic wedding and engagement photography in San Pedro, Belize. Olivera provides professional photography services to clients in Belize, San Pedro, Caye Chapel, Belize City, Ambergis Caye, Belmopan, and San Ignacio.
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Wedding on Xunantunich, the Stone Lady

Photograph by Olivera Rusu Photography
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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Brianne Grant's thesis on Education in YA Lit

Back on July 9th, 2007, I blogged about Brianne Grant's article "Opening the Cache of Canadian Secrets: The Residential School Experience in Books for Children."

Today, I point you to Grant's thesis: Where Hope Lives: An Examination of the Relationship Between Protagonists and Education Systems in Contemporary Native North American Young Adult Fiction.

She considers educational systems as portrayed in four novels:
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
  • The Porcupine Year, by Louise Erdrich
  • Good for Nothing, by Michel Noel
  • No Time to Say Goodbye: Children's Stories of Kuper Island Residential School, by Sylvia Olsen, written with Rita Morris and Ann Sam
I'm partway through it (gotta stop and do some writing of my own) and look forward to sitting down with it when I have more time. Her thesis may prove perfect for my History of American Indian Education course next spring.

Jean Mendoza said...

Very interesting piece by Ms. Grant -- logically written and organized, thoughtful and informative! Thanks for connecting us to it.

dayana said...

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.


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Category Archives: AMHBN

At our recent AGM we voted a change to the executive. Our new President is Nathan Nixon, Secretary is Alison Livermore and Treasurer is Dianne Davey. Alison and Dianne are Publicity Officers. The remainder of the positions will be listed in the Minutes which will be included in the next newsletter.

One very important outcome from the AGM are our first ever life memberships. Awarded to Julie Stott and Joy Walters, the executive and those present felt their outstanding and diligent contributions to the AMHBN should be recognised. Congratulations and our heartfelt thanks to you both for your extraordinary achievements in respect to breed development and sheer hard work regards the association. The new generation of Miniature Hereford breeders have an easy task because of your expertise and commitment to excellence, and a robust and growing association to take us forward into an exciting future.

Happy end of 2017, Christmas and the SUMMER newsletter is nearly ready to be posted to AMHBN members.

Mini Herefords in the paddock

Winswood Miniature Herefords – some of their calves this year

Winswood Miniature Herefords on 325 acres in South Gippsland. The animals they have for sale can be viewed here

All our stud animals are registered with Herefords Australia and we are members of the Australian Miniature Hereford Breeders Network (AMHBN)

Miniature Herefords are an easy, friendly breed, easily distinguished by their markings, and we have had nothing but pleasure in our involvement with them. We look forward to breeding animals that others on small properties can enjoy too and will have steers for sale in the autumn.

Apple Valley Miniature Herefords Animals For Sale

Apple Gully Miniature Hereford Stud is in the NSW Southern Highlands near Moss Vale, half way between Sydney and Canberra.

The miniature Herefords that Apple Valley Miniature Herefords have for sale can be viewed here

Article on Miniature Herefords in the HAL magazine

AMHBN is pleased to be associated with the article that appeared in the Herefords Australia magazine – the first one on miniature Herefords since mini Herefords arrived in Australia for this magazine. Click here to read the article.

Don’t forget to visit our For Sale page to see what AMHBN members have for sale here

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Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Feeble Tribalism of the Technoblatherers

Of course there are plenty of things one can legitimately talk about, elaborate, complicate, criticize in the substance and emphases and so on in Morozov's book, like any other. But, a whole lot of the response to Morozov is feeling to me much more like some sort of collective freakout than any kind of actual engagement with the actual words he has actually written. All this instant intense wagon-circling defensiveness surely feels worryingly familiar even to some of the folks who are moved to indulge in it?

I am frankly flabbergasted to see Cory Doctorow describe Tim Wu's review of Morozov as "admirably economical and restrained" even if he has arguable reasons to support Wu's views over Morozov's. In my review of Wu's review I showed that his piece was mostly a diatribe against name-calling in which his own name-calling was rather prevalent. I've got to say it is actually pretty astonishing to me the way Doctorow (whose every book is sitting on a shelf in my house after my reading of it) actually reprises these criticisms of Morozov the name-caller while at once reproducing long passages in Wu's piece in which Wu is literally engaging in the same name-calling before our eyes, with the difference that Wu's piece actually consists of little but a painstaking essay-long elaboration of an act of name calling -- if not name-calling Morozov as a "name caller" and hoping this gambit won't make heads explode, name-calling him and all who appreciate Morozov's argument as "luddites" in perhaps the tiredest techno-utopian dance move known to man. Apart from the transparent hypocrisy of this sort of thing, which we can skip because there are obviously a whole lot of frayed nerves and bruised egos around here, the deeper problem is that it suggests people like Wu and Doctorow who very appealingly like to declare themselves open to criticism and championing of criticism aren't exactly open to actually threatening forms of criticism in the mode of ideologiekritik in which one implicates actual figures and actual arguments in logical, topical, tropological, citational, historical, organizational, symptomatic relations and contextualizations of which they may not be fully aware themselves or publicly approve. Since Morozov's style is acerbic (he's like me this way, and so you would be right to say that in defending him on this I am also being a bit defensive myself) it can become difficult to untangle these sorts of critical assertions from ad hominem attacks, I guess (I really don't know that I truly agree it is that hard to tell the difference in most cases) -- and which in turn, I fear, also makes it all too easy to dismiss uncomfortable questions and problematizations as ad hominem attacks rather than the critical assertions they are.

I have to say that what I feel I am actually seeing from Doctorow here -- as well as from my friend Michel Bauwens, from the smart but disappointing Annalee Newitz and many others who are usually more or less congenial to me -- is folks taking sides in what is shaping up as an essentially tribal conflict pretending to be a battle over ideas. (As someone who has engaged in grassroots queer politics, labor union politics, academic departmental politics I can't say that this is exactly unfamiliar to me.) In such a conflict, social ties and subcultural signals often end up standing in for the work of actual thinking. I am the last one to deny the importance of the information conveyed by such social ties and sociocultural signals as it happens, but it matters that we not pretend that they are what they are not, or that they can do work that they cannot.

I have long noticed that while people like to pretend that they are moved to conviction by the persuasive force of arguments, they actually more often seem in practice to be moved to conviction by their attraction to those who make arguments than to the arguments themselves. I say I have long noticed this, but of course Aristotle noticed it long before I did when he referred to ethos as one of three rhetorical registers (logos, the propositional content and orderliness of an argument, pathos, an argument's address of its audience's affective life and useful mobilization of specific emotions of admiration, fear, greed, and so on, and ethos, the projection of character -- or more usually a useful character -- and engaging in subcultural signaling of parochial belonging or welcome to the audience one addresses). Of course, students are still astonished to discover that this least discussed dimension of argument -- ethos, as against logos and pathos which everybody talks about when they talk about rhetoric -- was for Aristotle the most powerful of them all.

I am truly flummoxed -- and I don't mean that as a slur but as an honest confession of personal perplexity -- when I read Doctorow declaring:
[Morozov] is fundamentally pandering to censors, surveillors, and repressors. All of the former are cheerful about their attempts to lock down and spy upon the net, because, they assert, nothing of much importance happens there... Morozov's biggest boosters are the copyright thugs, the spyware vendors, and the data retention snoops who argue that ripping up the Internet's fabric does no particular harm because the Internet isn't even a thing.
Now, it is not empirically the case that Morozov's "biggest boosters are... copyright thugs [and] spyware vendors," that is simply and obviously not factually true. It is not true even if the fact that Morozov writes in a way you feel insulted by makes you assume that he must belong to the tribe that praises those you revile. What Doctorow surely substantially means is something more like that he thinks copyright thugs and spyware vendors are the ones who should, in his view, regard Morozov's views as congenial, and perhaps he is actually predicting that Morozov's formulations may lend comfort or eventually may be enlisted to support these reactionary anti-democratizing constituencies. One would expect such a belief would encourage him to read Morozov more closely for usefully exploitable tensions and fissures in his account rather than to celebrate dismissive superficial readings like Wu's honestly is, even if one sees Wu as a more natural ally. If Doctorow wants to make this kind of engaged case in greater depth I personally welcome it. Since Morozov seems to me to be proposing critique precisely in the service of anti-incumbent democratization in the face of a complete propertization and panopticization of networked formations while tech-enthusiasts mostly just endlessly applaud the latest vacuous bleeding edge app, to make the kind of case Doctorow seems to imply he believes I have to warn him that he would probably have to engage in precisely the kind of ideologiekritik that gets Morozov castigated by his friends as nothing but a name caller.

You see, I think it is absolutely false and facile to charge that Morozov is "pandering to censors, surveillors, and repressors" but since I side with those who fight censors, surveillors, and repressors myself I would be the most eager person in town to hear how Morozov's formulations enable these bad actors exactly, as I have to say I think Morozov would too. But whining that proposing these entailments and consequences amounts to being mean and indulging in name calling is hardly something I could care less about since I actually care about the issues involved incomparably more than that sort of thing -- and I modestly propose that this is how it should be, people. Frankly, I simply expect debates about important issues to look and feel contentious.

Be that as it may, if Doctorow is actually simply arguing that the metaphor of a monolithic internet -- whether the figure is fabricized or spatialized or formulized or computerized or what have you -- must prevail in order for us to resist the work of censors, surveillors, or repressors I have to say I for one would find that argument... in need of considerable further development. There are a whole lot of figures stuffed in our archive you know, and it's not like we aren't still making new ones as we go along. Codes are dynamic systems of signification, infrastructural affordances are used abused maintained destroyed, networks have both norms and forms, are both situated and moving -- I daresay we might profitably look into the work done by the rich metaphors of sedimentation, branching, weaving, clearing through which we paradoxically (to put it generously) figure and refigure our experiences and stakes in "the" ever-changing network of networks.

Does saying this sort of thing now imbue me with the tribal coloration of panderer to censors, surveillors, and repressors, I wonder? Does that really make sense to anybody? I am used to idiotic Robot Cultists declaring me "anti-science" for refusing to embrace their pseudo-scientific techno-transcendental faith-based initiatives, or describing me as a "luddite" who is "afraid of the future" because I insist that progressive technodevelopmental struggle requires first of all the equitable distribution of actual costs, risks, and benefits of technoscientific change to the actual diversity of stakeholders to that change. Perhaps now a confession of sympathy for discourse analysis, ideologiekritik, and Latourian interventions will cast me out of suave secular democratic geekdom as well. And yet I am a queergeek, a space and science enthusiast, an advocate for consensus science based harm-reduction models of public policy, a passionate partisan for the democratizing work of equity-in-diversity and for the sustainable work of permaculture, a teacher of science and technology studies, environmental justice, media criticism, and critical thinking and rhetoric at the university level. Choose the TED-squawkers and technoblatherers and the "third culture" hypenotized white brite techno-promoters and self-promoters over the posthumanist/humanist literary/liberal humanities critics if you like. I must ruefully confess as a wide reader that I already know how this story ends.

D. Gloumbia said...

the through line I see in this, that I think you see too, is that, contrary to what Doctorow and even Bauwens seem to say, the computerization of the world is a fundamentally capitalist enterprise, and that the most prominent ideological supporters of computerization--e.g. Mitch Kapor, O'Reilly, Lessig, Benkler--have to maintain their blindness to the real base that drives their interventions. This is why the language of people like these sounds increasingly Hayekian. These people (and I include Bauwens here, although he tries, at least at times) say and even think they are agitating for a more democratic world, but they don't want to face the fact that the most powerful supporters of that view think that the actors in democracy just is capital--and the more concentrated and powerful, the better. That's why I find "cyberlibertarianism" a useful frame, because it indicates the blurring of actors and agents that gets encompassed under what should be opposed points of view. This is nowhere clearer than reading, e.g., Benkler and Tapscott side by side: Benkler nods toward but does not really address the power radical openness gives to capital, while Tapscott openly celebrates it, and but for that difference, in many ways their arguments and even language are identical. I think these people have swallowed so much Kool-Aid that it has become abhorrent to them even to consider that they might be mistaken--that the giant technological experiment they are conducting (on democracy in particular) might be endorsed and even piloted by the very forces the leftier folks believe they are opposing.

Dale Carrico said...

I think these people have swallowed so much Kool-Aid that it has become abhorrent to them even to consider that they might be mistaken--that the giant technological experiment they are conducting (on democracy in particular) might be endorsed and even piloted by the very forces the leftier folks believe they are opposing.

The whole comment, not just that last quoted bit, was very well said. Yes, this seems right. The actually interdependent neoliberal/ neoconservative circuit re-framed the already mostly notionally left right liberal/ conservative re-framing of the actual left right democratic/ aristocratic distinction into variations of incumbent elite right politics: what you are calling computerization and I call the futurological represent registers in the instrumentalizing/ mechanizing non-thinking Arendt maintained abetted de-politicizing wealth accumulation without end. I wonder if you would agree with her that Hobbes is the Big Bad at the root of things -- pumping up plutocracy as it were. I am feeling one of those metanarratives I am so incredulous of forming, like a song coming on.

jimf said...

> The through line I see in this. . . is that, contrary to
> what Doctorow and even Bauwens seem to say, the computerization
> of the world is a **fundamentally** capitalist enterprise,
> and that the most prominent ideological supporters of
> computerization -- e.g. Mitch Kapor, O'Reilly, Lessig,
> Benkler -- have to maintain their blindness to the real
> base that drives their interventions.

"I wanted to hit the place with a programme Lev Davidovitch
would have been proud of. I wanted to see the junta generals
fill their pants when they realized that the future
is - in Earth terms - bright, bright red."

-- Diziet Sma, "The State of the Art"
(when the Culture stumbled on Earth, ca. 1977 local

Oh well.

D. Gloumbia said...

Hobbes: absolutely. I trace that genealogy back in my book, as a matter of fact. He provides exactly the political philosophy that worries me so much and that seems to me to be breaking out all over: a strong leader who is unique, and many interchangeable machine parts over whom he (or they) exerts sovereignty. Hierarchy everywhere.

Dale Carrico said...

Thought I remembered that. Reading Arendt makes me feel more redundant than anybody else I agree with.


text:
A Response to Alastair Renfrew’s “The Dialectics of Parody”

As I did with last week’s blog post, this week I decided to choose different quotes from Alastair Renfrew’s article, “The Dialectics of Parody” to use for our Mediating Theory Project. Because this project has three different parts – the literature review, the rationale, and the presentation – I thought that this approach would be the most beneficial in order to have a clear idea of the stance of this particular article. By tying these quotes together with the other articles, a better view of parody can be understood from these different perspectives.

“Tynianov (1977a [1921]: 201) argues that stylization is close to parody in that both ‘live a double life.’ Both imply, in the simplest of terms, the presence of two levels or domains: the later text generates meaning through the interplay between itself and the text it parodies or stylizes. He suggests therefore that both parody and stylization might also draw attention to a relationship not just between particular texts or writers but also between schools, genres, or periods; and the terms of these relationships may vary according to the context in which the precursor text (or writer, school, etc.) is invoked and the critical purpose its invocation serves. The categories of parody and stylization thus invite analysis of the degree of variation between what we may call ‘subject’ (later) and ‘object’ (precursor) texts, the extent to which the latter is preserved or transformed in the former, and a comparison of the various ways each relates its own immediate context. That ‘context’ itself possesses a number of aspects or levels: the parodying or stylizing element related first to the work in which it appears (is this a work of the same genre, mode, or register as the work in which the parodied or stylized element appeared?), then to the broader ‘system’ of literature into which each work is born, and finally to their respective historico-ideological environments” (Renfrew 304).

“In stylization, there is a greater degree of correspondence between the stylizing and stylized works, whereas in parody the differences, contradictions, irreconcilability of  subject and object domains are foregrounded. When an author utilizes the style or devices of a predecessor for broadly similar purposes, we have stylization, and the ‘struggle’ that drives literary history is contained; but when those same devices are utilized to perceptibly different effect in the later work, then we have parody, woth the ‘struggle’ openly declared. The motor of parody, in essence, is non-correspondence: ‘Parody requires the disconnection [neviazka] of the two levels [the parodied and the parodying], their confusion; a parody of tragedy will be a comedy.. a parody of comedy may be a tragedy’ (Ibid)” (Renfrew 305).

“[P]arody possesses a transformative power that is able to expose the generic makeup of its object, to demand a renewed perception of the later work as it related to the new context in which it is produced. Parody thus has significant implications for the generic system; it not only lays bare the fact of its evolution but shows how aspects of that evolution are taking place” (Renfrew 305).

“Parody foregrounds a transformation in the historical understanding of a given work over time” (Renfrew 306).

“Tynianov’s initial interest in parody led him to the conviction that the device must be understood as historically transformative. This understanding develops – at the expense of continuing interest in parody itself – into a general concern with the question of how literature renews itself and an overarching theory of literary evolution, which harnesses the historicization of the device to the historical exchange of the forms between the literary and nonliterary domains” (Renfrew 312).

“[T]he two ‘levels’ of the ‘double life’ Tynianov associates with parody and stylization are present in virtually all authorial encounters, whether these are dominated by style, tradition, device, or even ‘personality.’ Bakhtin expands upon certain implications in Tynianov by establishing that parody is at best a species of an encounter between two consciousnesses, at worst an entirely surface phenomenon, the literary manifestation of essentially extra- or supra-literary forces – a mere ‘compostitonal device,’ as Bakhtin would have it, which is mistakenly understood to describe and contain phenomena that in fact exceed its scope. It is certainly ‘double voiced’ or ‘lives a double life,’ in Tynianov’s phrase- but no more so, in no more specific a manner, than any word uttered in any context” (Renfrew 319).

Dr. Alastair Renfrew is a Reader in the Department of English Studies with research specialization in literary and critical theory at Durham University.

Renfrew, A.“The Dialectics of Parody. Poetics Today” 33:3-4, (2013) 301-328.

A Response to Robert Harimon’s “Political Parody and Public Culture”

For my blog post this week, instead of analyzing and reviewing Robert Harimon’s article, “Political Parody and Public Culture,” I decided to choose specific quotes from the text that I feel will be relevant and beneficial to use in our Mediating Theory Project. The quotes listed below are examples of what parody is, how it is used in rhetorical context, and how different people respond to it. Parody is used in many different contexts across several different genres, so it is important to look at it both holistically and in specific situations.

“Parodic techniques involve various combinations of imitation and alteration: direct quotation, alternation of words, textual rearrangement, substitution of subjects or characters, shifts in diction, shifts in class, shifts in magnitude, etc” (Harimon 250).

“Parodic artistry crafts a productive articulation of public identity and agency through at least four operations: doubling, carnivalesque spectatorship, leveling, and transforming the world of speech into an agonistic field of proliferating voices” (Harimon 253).

“The parody replicates some prior form and thereby makes that form an object of one’s attention rather than a transparent vehicle for some other message… Comic doubling also introduces a profound ambiguity into the direct address” (Harimon 253-54).

“Parody does not stop with ambiguity. What begins as a binary reversal (father/daughter, science/morality) ultimately can put the binary under erasure. The full significance of the parodic function is evident when placing a parody and its target discourse side by side. Before being parodied, any discourse could potentially become all-encompassing (such is the dream of totalitarianism). Once set beside itself, not only that discourse but the entire system is destabilized. As the act of replication replicates, everything is potentially both where it is and beside itself. Now there are two possible responses to any discourse: that which it intends and the laughter of those who see it through the lens of its parodic double” (Harimon 254).

“Everything left as it was, because the original discourse is not itself subject to any change and the comic recasting is patently ritualized; this is the conservative fact of parodic transformation. And yet everything is changed, for what was capable of becoming an all-encompassing worldview has been cut down to size, corrected against ‘the backdrop of a contradictory reality,’ positioned to be set aside or otherwise not obeyed, and challenged to adapt toward the critique in order to continue to hold an audience; this is the radical fact of parodic transformation” (Bakhtin 56). “Needless to say, parody is neither radical nor conservative, but both at once” (Harimon 254).

“By remaking the direct discourse into an image of itself, parody creates a virtual world in which one may play with what has been said and so think about it without direct consequences of reprimand, censorship, or punishment” (Harimon 255).

“By doubling discourse into a self-consciously comic image of itself, and then casting that image before the most democratic, undisciplined, and irreverent conception of a public audience, parodic performance recasts the hermeneutics of public discourse in terms of a ‘’fundamentally new attitude toward language and toward the word'” (Bahktin 21).

“In sum, the long-term effect of a public culture alive with parody is an irreverent democratization of the conventions of public discourse, which in turn keeps public speech closer to its audiences and their experiences of the public world” (Harimon 258).

Like the novel, public culture is defined not by the creation of a new, distinctively modern discourse of representation, but rather by the historical struggles that Bakhtin describes as the constant tension between centripetal and centrifugal forces, that is, those forces that would ‘unify and centralize the verbal-ideological world,’ and those, such as parody, that would disrupt that process” (Bahktin 270).

“Parody and other forms of political humor are workhorses in this regard, as they can take any other discourse outside of its given context of assertion and assent to show how things could be otherwise” (Harimon 260).

Robert Hariman is Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University.

Hariman, R.  “Political Parody and Public Culture.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, 94, (2008) 247–272.

A Response to Marika Lüders, Lin Prøitz, and Terje Rasmussen’s “Emerging Personal Media Genres”

The main focus of the reading “Emerging Personal Media Genres” by Marika Lüders, Lin Prøitz, and Terje Rasmussen is to illustrate how genres should be understood and applied in terms of modern day social media, particularly with the recent rise in blogs and selfies (947). Genres are important to understand because they provide insight as to what to expect from the media, while also giving a general framework for analyzing said genre and media.

Genres are “an interdisciplinary concept with analytical potential as it connects texts and social organization. It helps to clarify relationships between texts and media, as well as between texts and society” (948). This means that understanding how they function in relation to the writers and the readers is especially important because that essentially explains how and why that particular genre operates and succeeds in the way that it does. Take selfies for example. The person posting the picture and corresponding text has a specific idea or message in mind when posting the picture. Those on the receiving end may take away the intended message, or may form their own opinion of the post. Connecting these two mindsets and determining how they work together to form this emerging genre in social media can help us to better understand why people post the things that they do and why people react to these posts the way that they do. This is known as expectations and conventions (953), and it is a key element of understanding this genre.

Another key element of this genre is time. When factored in with expectations and conventions, this is another component within this genre that helps to explain why people act and react in the ways that they do (954). With media such as blogs and text messages, time is very important due to nature of material. Online journals and blogs, for example, might document the author’s daily activities or ideas one day at a time. Text messages, on the other hand, are meant to be quick and easily responded to. This draws back to the idea of time working in tandem with expectations and conventions to set the framework for this genre.

So is the desire for communication what drives this genre? Or is it the user’s desire to create an image or social presence for him or herself? I personally think that it is a combination of both. When I post on social media, for example, it is because I have something that I want to share. But there are times that I will stop myself from posting things because I wonder if those viewing it will have a negative response. This stifles communication and goes to show that I have a certain idea of what I want my social media presence to be. Similarly, there are times that I alter things that I want to post in an attempt to somehow change my initial message or how I want it to be received. There are also times that I will think of something that I want to say, but decide to wait until a better or more appropriate time to say it. Again, these traits support my thought that both communication and the user’s personal social media presence image are important in forming and explaining genre.

A Response to Henry Lowood’s “High-Performance Play: The Making of Machinima”

“The early history of Machinima illustrates a number of themes in the appropriation of game technology to create a new narrative, even artistic medium. (Lowood 38).”

This article highlighted the ways in which Machinima was developed, improved, and sustained among the gaming community. Machinima, according to Lowood, is animated films created using first person shooter video games. It exemplifies the idea that “the dissemination of accessible tools – even if they are not necessarily easy-to-use – creates opportunities for the emergence of unexpected content in a postmodern environment that places playful experiments and throwaway pieces alongside startling and original instances of creative expression (Lowood 26).” But what does this mean? It means that the tools that are embedded in video games have had some unintended uses that have allowed users to showcase how they feel about, view, or play the game. By filming their realtime actions, the gamers are able to accurately portray their exact vision within the game to others. These visions can greatly differ between users, which adds to the creative expression aspect of Machinima.

Machinima is a film-like medium in many ways. Those creating Machinima are able to change the camera angle in which the film is shot, just like in traditional frame-based methods. However, they are shot in real time and the camera angle can be altered at any moment without affecting or having to go back and reshoot what is happening, so Machinima does have an advantage in that way (Lowood 33). Machinima is also a film-like medium because it pays attention to the sequence, the audio and visual in relation to each other, the mise-en-scène, and many more of the aspects associated with film. While the variation between Machinima is technically limited, there can be great variation between them due to the freedom that each user has during creation.

For my example of Machinima, I found a clip title “Los Santos Psycho,” which is a remake of the introduction to the movie American Psycho made using Grand Theft Auto 5. In this clip, some of the key elements of Machinima are easily identifiable. First, the changing camera angle and the attention that is paid to it by the creator. The different scenes, camera angles, and shots used in Los Santos Psycho also closely mimic those in American Psycho, although there are some slight parodic twists. Another element present is the attention paid to the movement and mannerisms of the virtual actor. The narration and movements of the character in the film are very similar to that of the narration in the movie, and in watching this clip side-by-side with the original, the creator’s intentions are clear, easily visible, and understood.

This is just one of countless examples of Machinima, but I thought that this one did a good job of displaying just how close attention to detail and creation a user can have in order to accurately depict and display what they have in mind. Perhaps one day Machinima will be the “original” film, and real life actors will be the ones doing the remaking.

A Response to Paul Wells’ “Animation: Genre and Authorship, Chapter 2: The Animation Process”

Paul Wells’ “Animation: Genre and Authorship, Chapter 2: The Animation Process” brings to light both the history of animation and the differences between the different types of animation that have been created. In many ways, these modern day types of animation are similar to each other, in terms of how their design processes are carried out. But in other ways, they are different, mainly due to the rise of the CGI era. Artists are now able to broaden their horizons when designing animations because there are more resources available to them than just paper, a pencil, and a camera.

No matter the animation, however, there seems to be no limit as to what the characters within it can do. The affordances of characters within animations are essentially whatever the author decides, because there are no rules of reality that apply to them. The only time this really changes is when the production company has a say in the matter. Disney, for example, uses an aesthetic template for all of their animations, and in doing so takes away from some of the creativity of the artists (Wells 20). Artists are then forced to incorporate their personal visions and ideas in ways other than the characters, such as the background.

Affordances for the animation itself are seemingly endless, too. The author is able to sequence the film in whatever way they see fit, and can even alter the story line if it isn’t working as planned. These affordances are ones that I think will be very useful when creating our film for class. Because we are the authors of the film, and no one knows the message we are trying to get across other than us, we are able to tweak and edit the sequence, as well as the story line if necessary, in order to create a film that effectively conveys the idea we want to get across.

A Response to Barry Hampe’s “Visual Evidence”

“A documentary is existential. It has to stand on its own. You can’t go along with the print and explain to the audience what you meant to show or shoot, or what a particular scene is supposed to mean. You simply have to shoot the best analog of the actual situation that you can manage and then edit the footage into a single, coherent print that will clearly communicate your intentions to the people who will see it. Sound-narration, dialogue, interviews, and music-may help the audience to interpret the documentary. But it won’t take the place of solid evidence in the form of concrete visual images (52).”

This is the key takeaway I got from reading “Visual Evidence” by Barry Hampe. In this reading, Hampe discusses how the visual aspects of documentaries are the most important in communicating an idea, a point, or a message. While narration is important, what the viewer sees is what truly shapes the documentary. He gave many examples of ways that he framed what he was filming in order to convey a distinct message, as well as ways that he edited the film so that only certain sequences were shown. In both of theses ways, he was able to shape the documentary to display exactly what he wanted to get across. Because documentaries do usually take a particular stance or mindset regarding what they are about, these factors are important to consider when filming and editing to make a finished product.

The documentary I watched for class was The House I Live In. In this documentary, the narrator is explaining why the War on Drugs has been a failure within the U.S., and does so by interviewing anthropologists, government officials, law enforcement, drug dealers and users, and convicted felons. Each of these interviews were conducted in-scene, which added to the visual evidence for viewers. Being able to see each of these interviewees in their respective settings (i.e. Anthropologists in their college office, police officers in their squad car, convicted felons in prions) it added to the effect and the realness of the documentary. Additionally, the sequence in which the shots were presented was important in shaping the documentary as a whole. First, we are introduced to the slums in which those arrested for drug related charges live. Then, the background to the War on Drugs and how these slums were created was explained and shown. And finally, we go back to those slums and to the prisons and talk to the people who have been directly affected by the War on Drugs. This order of presenting information proved very effective, because it draws the viewer in with the first scenes, then takes a stance while the viewer feels an emotional connection, and then combines the emotions and new knowledge of the viewer in the final scenes to tie the documentary together. By interviewing both sides of the argument, viewers are able to see how each side truly feels, and are then able to form their own opinion without fear that they have been presented biased, misrepresented, or untrue information. These examples of visual evidence were key in making this documentary, and helped to make it the success that it was. See the trailer for this documentary here:

A Response to Timothy Corrigan’s “Film Terms and Topics for Film Analysis and Writing”

In “Film Terms and Topics for Film Analysis and Writing,” Timothy Corrigan explains many different vocabulary terms and ideas relating to film and film-making that he believes are crucial for a viewer to have an informed opinion of what they are seeing. It is not so much the concrete definition of the terms that he thinks are important to know, but rather how the terms relate to film and how they are used within it. As Corrigan says on page 36, “Every discipline has its own special language or use of words that allows it to discuss its subject with precision and subtlety.” This applies to film in that an understanding of the different uses of these terms within a film can completely change the mood of the film, or the way in which the viewer is supposed to interpret it. There are a few key terms that Corrigan feels are essential for the base knowledge in analyzing film.

Theme – What is the film about?
Narrative – 3 parts: a) The actual storyline; b) The plot; c) The narration (perspective from which the narrative is told)
Characters – Are they main or minor? How do they relate to one another?
Point of View – Does the point of view from which the movie is being explained affect how you interpret the movie? Would another point of view change the movie?
Mise-en-Scène – Everything that is visible on scene (gestures, positioning, lighting, costumes, etc.). How do these objects, and their relation to each other, affect your interpretation of the film?
Realism – How does the story match up with the actual world? Is it supposed to?
The Shot – How do the actions presented, and the order they are presented, affect how you see the film? Is there a reason the camera focuses on specific characters, images, or places during a scene?
Moral – What is the specific morality associated with the story? (i.e. Does good defeat evil?)
Editing – Was the scene edited to convey a specific message? Was in used in the correct context, or out of context, to prove a point? This is especially important to consider when viewing film, because it completely shapes what we see, as well as when and how we see it.
Sound – What sounds were used, and were they used to enhance the visuals? Does the sequence in which the sound was presented affect the film? Does the sound match what is going on in the scene, or does it distract from it?

All of these terms, according to Corrigan, are important in understanding and analyzing film. By viewing each of these terms within a film in isolation, it is easier to draw a deeper understanding and meaning from the decisions made in making the film, and the message that was trying to be portrayed. In the last dance scene in Black Swan, for instance, there is a very intense moment with the main character. In this scene, the camera switches back and forth between the dancer’s face and her mother’s face, both of which are crying. Very dramatic classical music plays in the background, with no words exchanged between the two women. Then, the music stops as the pained dancer falls from her podium to end the dance. The way that the camera uses close-up images of both women, in conjunction with the bellowing, suspenseful music in the background, creates a very intimate, nerve-wracking scene for the audience. Because the entire movie had led up to this dance, it is a very suspenseful moment already, but the way that all of the elements came together during this scene (the dramatic lighting, the music in the background, the focus on the two women only) made this scene that much more heightened, and confirms Corrigan’s idea that a better understanding of these terms leads to a better interpretation of the film. This scene can be seen here at the 1:00 mark: