Lauren sharing the vibe of some music for a musical she's working on |
Nanette's New Life - Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Every day is a new adventure -- whether or not it involves a change in physical latitude. Taking advantage of the latitude I have to experience new things, meet new people and go new places has enriched my life. And sharing the discoveries I've made along the way makes these experiences all the more meaningful. Thanks for reading my musings.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Talking with Playwright Lauren Gunderson
Monday, September 23, 2024
The Art of Beck Lane
Beck Lane in her artist residency space at ARCOS on Central Avenue with "sketches" for the Highwaymen mural |
With Beck (and Frida x2 and John Sims) |
The Moore family |
Detail from upcoming Highwaymen mural |
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Fun and Games at the Sarasota Toy Museum
My faves from the massive lunchbox collection |
Like many boys, owner Richard Pierson swapped trading cards and action figures and comic books with his friends. But as time progressed Pierson set aside his childish play and got a job and had a family. His fascination with toys continued, but real life had taken over.
A few years back, Pierson came upon the toy collection of Gary Neil while antiquing in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Neil expressed an interest in selling his toys so they could be exhibited in a larger space where more people could enjoy them. The seed was planted. When Pierson retired, he acquired the massive collection with the intention of creating the Sarasota Toy Museum. I can't imagine how much work packing and unpacking the two 53' tractor trailers was. Today, you can see more than 15,000 of the vintage toys, games, merchandise and memorabilia on display at the Museum. There's also an impressive toy train set that makes its way around the Green Mountains.
Pez Containers |
When we first moved to Panama City, I was 10 years old and Suzanne was seven. We shared a bedroom (thankfully only for a year), with walls that boasted competing posters of David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman. Is it a surprise that I had a huge crush on the sexy guitar-playing Cassidy? Seriously, how could you resist him when he sang "I Think I Love You"? (Click here to see the Partidge Family performing the song. It was slightly disturbing to find a video of him singing the tune at a concert when he 66 years old. Little did Cassidy know at the time that his gig on the Patridge Family would be the acme of his career.) Note: I did like Sherman on "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but he was just so wholesome comparied to Cassidy.
"Dark Shadows" game and archery set |
As to Nancy Drew, you probably won't be surprised to learn I've been a reader from a young age. I remember my parents practically begging me to go out and play kickball with the neighborhood kids in the middle of the street. (Those were the days.) But reading has always transported me to another world, and my athletic skills are better left unmentioned. So "Nancy Drew" it was. She was smart and curious and loyal, not to mention pretty. Really not a bad role model for a young girl. Moving on...
Sculpture at the Ringling Museum |
You might expect this recollection to be a memory deep in my subconscious that came to the surface when I saw the game. Nope. I think about it every time I walk through the galleries at Ringling Museum and come upon this sculpture (for which no info is available). How could I not think about Barnabas whenever I encounter this guy? I would love to know what Ringling was thinking when he acquired this sculpture. But I seriously digress.
I'll leave you with another toy that evokes childhood memories. Yes, it's an oversized Hulk Hogan action figure sitting atop a case full of his campatriots. I'm outing my sister on this one.I have no idea how Suzanne came to be obsessed with "professional" wrestling when she was a kid. All I can say is she was into it big time. When I talked to her for a refesher, she reminded me that she had a wrestling poster in her bedroom. The days of Bobby Sherman were long gone. She also played Kiss on her record player while getting ready for school just to add to the healthy atmosphere. No reason for our parents to be concerned!
The icing on the cake is that she somehow convinced our dad to take her to a professional wrestling match out of town. It was only an hour way in Dothan, but still. Good times. I think that might have been when the harsh realization came that professional wrestling wasn't totally real.
Hopefully you've gotten the sense of how much fun the Toy Museum is. But don't take my word for it. Grab some friends and head on over yourself. The outing will be sure to evoke some childhood memories of your own.
For more about the Toy Museum, click here and here. Have fun!
Monday, September 9, 2024
"Suchitra Mattai: Bodies & Souls" at Tampa Museum of Art
"to leave a trace" (2024) |
"bodies and souls" (2021/2024) |
"a path, a sea, a love" (2024) |
"the power to give, the power to receive" (2022) |
Monday, September 2, 2024
Introducing Artist Annie Dong
"Who Are We" by Annie Dong and Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County participants |
Annie with "Red Cranes" at New College |
"The Essence of Sarasota" -- mural at Art Center Sarasota Mural by Annie Dong and Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County participants |
Annie with "I Promise" |
Thursday, August 22, 2024
The Art of Translation: Monica Lavin and D.P. Snyder
Author Monica Lavin and translator D.P. Snyder |
Snyder explained that it's the job of the translator to capture not only the meaning, but the feeling of the words on the page. Her goal is to feel the same way she did when she read the book in its original language. She asks herself, "Does it make my heart beat the same way? Do the same things surprise me or make me cry?" If not, there's more work to be done.
It's also important that the translation doesn't sound like, well, a translation. The narrative must flow in the same way. And the words must evoke their intended meaning. Sometimes that means leaving words in their original language. Snyder gave an example in which she struggled with translating the word "honey" (the term of endearment, not the sugar) from English to Spanish. After much consideration, she landed on the word "dear." Close, but no cigar. So she left "honey" in the text. After all, readers could always use google to translate if it was a word with which they are not familiar. As she talked about this decision, I could see how carefully she had considered what might seem to be an insignificant choice. But capturing the nuances is required if the translation is going to be true to the original text.
Lavin has been an active participant in Snyder's process. The relationship between the two women began years go when Snyder contacted Lavin about translating one of her books. Since then, they have become good friends in addition to work partners. While being friends isn't crucial for a good translation, it certainly helps the translator get on the same wavelength as the author. It also facilitates the author's involvement in the translation process when a particularly thorny issue comes up. This availability isn't a given. Some authors have moved on to their next project and don't have the time (or the interest) to work with a translator. The book might be being translated into 19 different languages and having the author involved isn't practical. Or, of course, the author might be dead. This last scenario is particularly challenging, with more than the usual amount of research being required.Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Recommended Reads
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore -- This is one of the hot books of the summer, and there's a reason for that. If you're in the mood for a good mystery/family drama, this is the book for you.
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel -- I am truly baffled about this book not getting more (actually, hardly any) press. I happened to see the novel on a table at Barnes & Noble, checked out the first couple of pages and decided to give it a try. It's a real gem.
The story starts with a widow and her two teenage daughters in Siberia on a scientific expedition. Not exactly the summer vacation the girls had hoped for. But their mother is with a team of researchers working to find the remains of a wooly mammoth. (Yes, wolly mammoths are extinct, which makes it a difficult task.) Their objective is to harvest genetic material from the mammoth and create a new type of test tube baby -- a cold-adapted elephant.
I know -- it sounds gripping. But trust me when I say these girls are not your average teenage kids. Having spent much of their young lives traveling around the world with their parents for their work, the girls are self-sufficient and smart and quite funny. I don't want to spoil the pleasure of reading this book, so no more details. But I will say that it is wholly different from yet reminiscent of "Lessons in Chemistry," with a single mother working in the science field, precocious children and an animal for the ages. Read it!
"Headshot" by Rita Bullwinkel -- "Headshot" is on the longlist for the Booker Prize and is a real knock out of a read. (Feel free to groan.) It has also been named a Best Book of 2024 So Far by the NYT Book Review and has been recommended by NPR, Vulture and The Guardian. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that it is Bullwinkel's first novel.
The story takes place in a boxing gym in Reno, Nevada. It is not an upscale gym. The lights flicker; the walls are dirty; and I can't even imagine what the ladies' room looks like. And there's a reason I mention the ladies' room. Readers are dropped into a world where eight young women -- none older than 18 -- have come to box for the title of winner of The Daughter of America Cup national title.
The book is brutal. There's no getting around the inclusion of violence in a story about boxing. But what's fascinating is the story within the story. We get a look into each girl's psyche as she fights for the title. We learn how she got into the sport, what drives her, and what's going through her head as she weaves and bobs and punches -- and gets hit over and over. It doesn't give anything away to tell you that Andi Taylor, one of the boxers in the first match, has a summer job as a lifeguard and a four year boy just drowned under her watch. It's right there on the first page of the book. Talk about a way to thrust readers right into these young women's lives.
I get that this is not a book for everyone. But if it sounds the least bit up your alley, give it a try.
Happy reading!
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