Marla Olmstead

Is anyone familiar with Marla Olmstead?

Marla is a now seven-year old painter from Binghamton, New York. She started painting randomly, like any seven-year-old would, but she ended up making thousands and thousands of dollars in the process.

At first, her artwork was displayed at a local coffee shop, where locals questioned the price for the pieces (which seemed like a joke at first). Eventually, Marla opeed her own show which caught media attention of the New York Times, and her name spread world-wide.

Then, 60 Minutes came out with a bit on the "scandal" of her paintings. Apparently, some analyst came to the conclusion that Marla was not painting the pieces, but she was receiving help from her father due to inconsistancies in the paintings and from video footage watching her paint. Her parents say that she does not perform the same when on camera.

It's really your decision. Who knows if she really is painting them? Do we need to know? Is this really a big scam to make money, or is she a child prodigy? I'm curious to see what you think.

For more information, check out this article, view the artwork below, or view the documentary My Kid Could Paint That, of which I have viewed, and it left me puzzled and still searching for answers.

What do you think?

Is it special? Significant? Does it matter that she does/doesn't paint this? Do you like it? Is it too abstract? Is it crazy that they're selling for thousands of dollars? Anything?





Lollipop House



Asian Sun



Sick Teeth



Ode to Pollock





Zane

Give Me Truth

Before I put Into the Wild down and pass it on to others who need to read this incredible book, I wanted to record some passages that I found rather interesting and fascinating. They're thought-provoking, so I hope to provoke some thought and/or discussion amongst anyone reading.

The following is a passage highlighted in a book found with Chris McCandless's remains. It's a quotation from Henry David Thoreau in Walden:

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices."

I would prefer good conversation over food any day. You can smell insincerity as much as you can the aroma of a delicious dinner looming into the dining room. Conversation feeds the soul, especially if it is meaningful, and perhaps a bit deeper than a surface "how was your day?" conversation. Offer more than food to your guests.

"You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living." -(Alex) Chris McCandless

Don't you feel this whenever you truly have a moment in nature? When I feel really connected and centered when I am hiking or somewhere outside, I really get this feeling that happiness and joy really is constructed everywhere. Reading passages like this make me feel less alone, that I'm not the only one who thinks that one can find joy in anything, anywhere.

"For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy." -G.K. Chesterton

How true is this quotation after what Alex went through in his death? He did not burn a fire down to draw attention to himself. He died an honorable death, not causing harm or destruction to anyone around us. I don't think I am as noble as that by any means. I think our natural instinct is survival, not necessarily what is always right for everyone and anything involved. This is one reason why I truly respect Alex.

"Happiness is only real when shared." -(Alex) Chris McCandless

Really? Do you agree with the above statement? I am normally in complete agreement with Alex, but I don't really know if I agree with happiness only being real if you share it. Share it with someone else? I think a person can truly feel happiness by oneself. Some forms of happiness can really only be truly understood and felt by the individual. Love, perhaps, is not one of those things. Perhaps happiness and joy for other things, like winning or excelling at something personal, could be experienced by oneself. Why does it have to be shared?

Any comments or questions to add to my further probing?

Apple Picking

Apple picking is definitely one of my favorite fall activities, hands down. I love getting out during the fall season, climbing trees, picking off delicious apples, sampling them, walking around the orchard, and taking some awesome fall photos.

I went apple picking a couple weekends ago, and I want to share the photography that we took.

Does anyone else love apple picking, or just apples in general? What is your favorite kind?

(I'm a personal yellow delicious fan. There's no denying that.)

Into the Wild

Okay. I am absolutey FASCINATED by a new book: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.



I recommend this book to every person who reads this. I am utterly astounded. I can't put this book down, I can't stop thinking about it--it follows me everywhere, in my mind of course.

The cover of the book basically reveals the background of the story: In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in his savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, buried all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter...

The book retraces his hitchhiking escapades, completely based on interviews and experiences had by all of those who encountered him. His life absolutely amazes me. This man was such an amazing, brilliant, free-spirit who died at the hands of being different and seeking adventure. I wish I had that much devotion to a cause or passion to live a certain way that I would give up material things for it.

This passage stuck out to me, and I felt that I really need to share it with as many people as I can. This passage was written by this man himself to a friend of his, giving him wise advice:

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one piece of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty."

Wow. Wise. Can it be better said?

Change is such a scary thing for people, but taking risks (like threatening your stability through creating change) brings the greatest rewards. Taking chances (like instigating a relationship) may bring negativity (rejection), but sometimes it does work out. Don't those experiences bring us the greatest highs?

We have to keep changing our horizons, otherwise we will be sucked into a life of monotony, like he describes, and how can we change and learn if we remain so stagnant? Does it mean that we have to keep traveling? Not necessarily. I think we need to be open to try new things and experience, adventure, and explore our surroundings, including the people in those surroundings. Our neighbors can teach us the most valuable lessons.

And, so many people DO live with negativity because they refuse to let go of it. It's all up to that person to release that negative energy within themselves. Some situations are harder than others, but when we learn to forgive, then we can truly be happy and peaceful with ourselves.

Like another book I'm teaching with my class writes, something along the lines of, "We can only be truly peaceful when we find it within ourselves." (We talked about that in class today, which is ironic because it has to do with my rant on another fabulous book). Literature intertwines with life. That's a secret.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. What do you think or make of the above quotation? Please give me some feedback--it's too monumental and interesting to ignore.

Here is the brilliant, deceased man himself.

Fall

Yes, it's my absolute favorite season of the year: fall. This is the prime time that the leaves are changings from their natural state of green to various shades of yellow, orange, and red--all providing for excellent scenery for a long walk or drive. Even sitting here in my living room right now, as I sit I can see the yellow leaves out the window on a nearby tree. This is one thing that I absoultely love about Upstate New York.

What is your favorite color that the leaves turn?

(I'm a personal fan of that incredible red hue...)

I'm going to post some of my favorite fall pictures. Feel free to comment on fall or the pictures I provide.





My dahling and I...





And my yesterday walk...

Pumpkin Fest

Pumpkin Fest: a tradition for all Cortland residents and college students. Every October for one weekend, the best food and crafts gather together at Cortland's main park area for weekend festivities. It's a cultural must-see.

Every year since I've been here (excluding freshman year when I did not explore Cortland very much), I have visited the excellent weekend we all know as Pumpkin Fest. I have walked away with incredible tie dye t-shirts, baked goods, artwork, and jewelery that I cherish to this day. You'll find such creative and interesting artifacts at such craft fairs. That's one reason I love events like this.

Anyway, what was so excellent about this year was that the park where Pumpkin Fest is located is literally in the backyard of my apartment this year. Parking is normally a huge issue since so many people come, but this year, I was able to just walk over from my apartment. I walked over with Megan, later accompanied by Jess, and we had a nice time walking around and buying cool things.

Let me show you my favorite Pumpkin Fest memories.



Sleeping hobo...



The cutest sisters feeding each other pumpkin pie. What else would you expect to see?







Check out the pumpkin-designing contest. Which is your favorite?













My Dad loves Pumpkin Fest too, so I'll end with him visiting me there. :-)

Martha Stewart

How do we stand on Martha Stewart, for or against?

I find that many people, since her little "incident," do not really like Martha. They think that she is snobbish, self-centered, receives special treatment, and shouldn't have gone along with the stock market scheme in the first place.

Why are we so cynical against Martha?

Personally, I think that if someone suggested us a tip to make us a lot of money, we would go after it too. Maybe Martha did have a lot of money to begin with, but I bet if we had a lot of money too, we would have done the same thing.

I really don't find her that stuck-up either. I've watched her on her show and on talk shows, and I think she's a pretty decent woman. She's made me laugh from time to time. She's taught me a thing or two about creating a corkboard to creating halloween baggies with homemade prints of bats and pumpkins. She's not a bad lady, in my opinion.

On Conan O'Brien, she was a riot. She made Conan go dunking for apples, which was quite a sight to see. She also talked about making creme brule with her microwave. Yes, I know that it's a special privilege to have a microwave in a jail cell, but that's the way the world is: celebrities get special treatment in jail. Do you think that's right or wrong? Whatever. We have no control over it. It might not be fair, but that's the system.

Anyway, I don't see the big stink against Martha. Some people passionately dislike her. I'll take the opposing stand. I have no problem with the woman. I wish I knew so much about making things in the home. I know they're not ALL her ideas, but she's not dumb as rocks.

Are we for or against Martha? Why? Shed some light on the issue.

Sky Woman

A few weeks ago, my roommates and I were palming through a New York State Encyclopedia (don't even ask me why). I came across this painting, and it really stuck with me. I find it very powerful.



It's called "Sky Woman" by Ernest Smith. It was published in 1936 about the Indians. You can see how important the turtle is, but even more interesting to me was the depiction of this "underworld" and the woman who is falling into it in the center of the painting. Hm, why a woman? Why a turtle?

For knowing nothing about Indian culture, this painting just blows me away and leaves me curious and confused about the meaning.

Any interpretations?

I found one myself. Feel free to elaborate or argue to mine or this one:

"Sky woman depicts a moment in the Haudenosaunee story of the World's creation in which a woman falls from the Sky World toward the dark watery world below. Soft winged birds fly up to slow her descent. A great turtle offers its back as her resting place, while a muskrat dives for soil to place on its back. The soil spread and become the Island on the Turtle's back.

Our world sits on the back of a turtle. The turtle swims in a vast, dark, watery world where many beings, most of whom we call "Grandfathers," live. We give the Grandfathers our utmost respect for they will be our helpers in life. If we do not respect them, they can cause us great harm.

Beyond the dome we call the sky is Sky World. Here live the creator and our ancestors who have reached this place by slipping under the western rim of the dome. A large tree with sweet fruit and bright flowers light the Sky World. Our Grandmother, Sky Woman, fell from here to the back of the turtle when the Ancient Chief uprooted the tree for her to see what was beneath it. It was the turtle which offered its back as a home for the woman from above, and here grow the trees, plants and other forms of life with which human beings co-exist.

Many beings share the back of the turtle with us. Everything here is alive, and we maintain a relationship with them as brothers and sisters. Some of these beings are very powerful. Like the Grandfathers around us, they deserve our respect. Still other beings come to teach us lessons, threaten us when we do not walk the correct path or help us overcome some of the dangers we as human beings face day to day."

Sometimes I wish our culture was as peaceful or meaningful as the Indians' is.

All Lives Intersect

So, I might not be posting as avidly as I normally do because of school. (Sidenote: avid is a vocabulary word this week. I am such a geek now). My 12th grade AP class is now reading Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven, which is a great book with awesome lessons in it for students about to graduate. They hold Socratic Seminars where they discuss the book themselves, which I love to watch and listen to, but today's was really good. I wanted to bring up some quotations and discussion topics. This is why I want to be a teacher.

"There are no random acts. We are all connected. You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."

There is so much you can do with quotations like this, and those beneath this entry. I do believe in randomness and spontaneity, but I do think that everything happens for a reason. Every person we know is there for a reason. We will learn something from each person we meet and encounter--there are no random acts. Even if it's a small lesson, we can learn something from anyone and anything at anytime, especially when we're least expecting it.

"Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young."

"The human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed."

"Scenery without solace is meaningless."

I love reading books where you can pause on certain passages, like the ones above, and just get that feeling of confirmation. Yeah, I'm not the only one out there who thinks or feels this. It's good to see in print.

All lives do intersect, somehow. I like to think how I effect others; sometimes it uplifts me if I have a crappy work day. Sometimes I think about my negative effects on others too, like scolding a kid at school, but I just do it to try to keep my sanity.

I think it would be cool if we let people in our lives know if they have changed us in a good way. Sometimes we can tell other people the story, besides that person, but doesn't that person who changed you deserve to know, even if we haven't spoken to the person in a very long while? It's easier said than done. Maybe I should whip out some paper and start writing encouraging words to people who helped me or changed me in the past, unknowingly. Even the small things, even the things they probably never even noticed. Wouldn't it make your day if you received an email like that from someone who you changed in a positive way?

I wish we were more open to kindness on a regular basis. It's just easier to not do it than do it, and that's what we opt for. I don't do it either--I preach and don't follow through. But, maybe this is my chance to talk myself into doing it.

Who would you write to and what would you say? Maybe I'll blog some of mine later, but not today.

Any reactions to the quotations, or anything else I rambled on about? Enlighten me!

Get Away

We all need to get away from our hectic, normal, every-day lives. This weekend was one of those get-away weekends. Megan and I escaped from the student-teaching cycle and drove up to the lake, far away from Cortland.

I forget how serene and tranquil I feel when I come here. Just being in this setting makes me feel differently. It's funny how much an environment can control your mood or overall state of being. Being around my apartment doesn't provide as calming or relaxing of a setting than the lake does for me. It's not always positive, with the noise from police and fire engines racing down the block, loud beeping noises from the traffic crosser, loud cars and motorcycles blazing by, or trains that toot from a mile away. At least we hear the church bells every day--that always enlightens me and acts as background music that is actually quite soothing.

Anyway, it's good to get away and re-center yourself every so often. Where do you go when you need to get away? This is my place.

(Pictures courtesy of Kelly Law)

















And at night...

Just Imagine

Do you have a spare 4:18 in your day?

I promise it will be worth it.

I have this video in my favorites, and I was just thinking of it because I was thinking about my own artistic talent, which isn't very much if you ask me. I'm not that great of a sketcher, painter, sculptor, etc. even though I wish I had that talent to create, create, create. I feel like I have the mind, but I lack the hands to create it. It's frustrating and unfortunate at times.

Anyway, this video is called "Just Imagine," and it shows someone creating artwork right on the screen, of course accompanied by a light piano.

Let me know what you think. Enjoy.

The video.

Soul to Squeeze

Has the melody of a song ever encompassed how you're feeling at a specific time in your life? Right now, I feel "Soul to Squeeze" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, perhaps an under-recognized song that was put out as a single years and years ago. It is truly amazing.

Sometimes I just fall in love with the sound of a song without really paying much attention to the words (unfortunately I will admit this, but I am being honest). I am not proud of it, but aren't we all victim of this?

Anyway, "Soul to Squeeze" has that slower, relaxed feeling that I feel lately. Starts off kind of slow but with an upbeat melody, just one person playing by himself, and then the rest of the band builds up to a relaxed, continuous beat. The melody is so calming--it gives this peaceful and happy overtone that I find quite easing.

Then, as I obssess over this song with myself, I check out the lyrics and find that they're not too far off. Maybe the song was speaking to me for a reason. I feel that this is a transition time for me, and I'm trying to figure out what's going on with me (as an individual) and my career (with student teaching). I think this song helps me figure out and explain my feelings.

Do you have songs like this?

I felt the need to share my song love with you all. Feel free to comment on the song or any song that is momentarily yours right now.

Here are the lyrics...

I've got a bad disease
But from my brain is where I bleed.
Insanity it seems
Has got me by my soul to squeeze.

Well all the love from thee
With all the dying trees I scream.
The angels in my dreams (yeah)
Have turned to demons of greed that's mean.

Chorus:
Where I go I just don't know
I got to got to gotta take it slow.
When I find my piece of mind
I'm gonna give you some of my good time.

Today love smiled on me.
It took away my face say please
All that you had to free
You gotta let it be oh yeah.

Chorus

Oh, so polite indeed
Well I got everything I need.
Oh make my days a breeze
And take away my self destruction.

It's bitter baby,
And it's very sweet.
I'm on a rollercoaster,
but I'm on my feet.
Take me to the river,
Let me on your shore.
I'll be coming back baby,
I'll be coming back for more.

Doo doo doo doo dingle zing a dong bone
Ba-di ba-da ba-zumba crunga cong gone bad

I could not forget
But I will not endeavor
Simple pleasures aren't as special
But I wont regret it never.

Chorus

Where I go I just don't know
I might end up somewhere in Mexico.
When I find my piece of mind
I'm gonna keep you for the end of time.

Pets

Personal opinion: Pets seem to correspond to the personality of their owner.

Through analyzation, one can understand why I am a cat-lover and an owner of cats. Cats are needy, they make you earn their affection and attention, they are territorial, they are cuddlers, they are particular, they are moody, etc. I think that a lot of my own personality traits mirror those of the cat, my pet.

Think about personality traits of the pet you have that correspond to yourself, even the specific qualities of the breed of animal. I think we all have certain animals for a reason, and you can analyze someone immediately if you see and know their pet.

Dogs are playful, animated, more independent, protective, goofy, etc. Think about snakes... my first impression is something sexual and patient, yet would attack at any minute. I have a couple friends who have snakes, and I think they're very telling.

My blog post was initiated because my roommate Jess and I just bought 2 fish (yellow : D'Artagnan and albino white: Pandora) and an albino frog (unnamed as of late). I never really thought of myself as being a fish-owner, nor do I really think I possess fish qualities. But maybe I do. Maybe I do this semester.

Specifically, my two fish are very energetic, always swimming everywhere in their tank. Pandora likes to swim in circles for hours, which is quite amusing to watch. They can actually be quite distracting when I need to make lesson plans or grade papers. The frog (formerly named Sir Arthur Templeton of Church) literally floats in a tense position for so long, unmoving, to the point where we think he's dead. Then he'll surprise you and start leaping to the top of the water for food. Sometimes he gets really excited and swims all over the place, I think because of the fish's influence. I don't really see yet how their personalities correspond to mine.

Can you think of how you or other's personalities correspond with your/their pet?

Have you ever thought about it before?

I find it fun to analyze. Give me some more insight. Also, I'll post pictures of my fish later, but I don't have any yet...