Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

I have a fascination and love for iconography, particularly iconography from Eastern Christianity. What draws me to Orthodox iconography, besides the unique style and mesmerizing imagery, is the complete dedication it takes to create one. There are many elements that an artist does to create an authentic, holy icon . For example, it has to be a true representation of anything "holy" by traditional Christian standards. The work and care that goes in to creating such an image is awe-inspiring. The artist must fast for forty days  and live in an ascetic manner, allowing the artist to be in a prayerful state. During the process and after the icon is finished, there are special prayers to be read, and the icon should be blessed. With all this in mind, I decided to try painting a Theotokos icon for my love's family. Even though I knew that any icon of mine would not be authentic, I tried my best to make due with the time and materials that I could afford such a painting. A...

from Festival of Chariot's gallery My boyfriend and I were driving , and along the road we see colorful tents not yet set up. We saw a sign that said, "Festival of Chariots." He looked over and said, "Oh, that's the Hare Krishna festival. They had one when I lived in D.C." I looked over with a smile, and subliminally he got my message...I had already decided that we would be going. For those of you who don't know, Hare Krishna of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a small religion (some say cult) that is an offshoot of Hinduism that was formed in the 1960's. It's often associated with people with shaved heads and saffron robes. White is a funeral color in India, but also practical to stave off the heat. We went yesterday with my mother, and it was a pleasant surprise. I wanted to go mainly for the delicious vegetarian food, but also for the cultural value. We were surprised to have only received one pamphle...

After the dawn of the year 2013, I made a resolution to create a spiritual journal. A suggestion from a friend a few months previous had put the idea in my head, but I kept thinking how it was a good idea. Although I had never before been able to keep up with journaling, I made the commitment this time. This past New Year's day was the one year mark for my journal, and I don't plan on stopping.  I recently finished a writing pedagogy class, where I discovered why journaling works. You see, writing isn't just a means for documenting thought; it's also a way of learning (epistemic writing). When we write, our thoughts spin out in a web, which allows us to make certain discoveries. Through journaling, which is personal and less-hindered, we are able to make self-discoveries. I had a professor who once said, "reality is a function of language," which to me means that through a shift of view or expression, the world can appear in many different ways. When journa...

It's the heart of late November, and the air is beginning to chill. The leaves have aged through their spectrum of reds and golds, and they're now flying in great numbers through the wind to collect in piles that cover the ground. It's a signal that here in The States, it's that time of year again--a time to give thanks (even though the commercial industry has skipped the Thanksgiving and gone on straight to Christmas). I'd like to take a moment to post about a fraction for which I am thankful. I'm thankful for having such a wonderful support system in my life. My boyfriend has really been there for me through such a whirlwind of a year, and I can't thank him enough. My best friend is always there when I need her, and I've grown closer to many of my family members as well. I give thanks for all the opportunities in my life--they do not go unnoticed. It's jarring sometimes when I look back and realize how lucky I really am. I'm enrolled in a u...

 On the morning of Halloween, I woke up to get together my costume and make-up to wear during the school and work day. I did this last year for my Jareth costume. This year, people were approaching me off the streets asking me to take photos with them (I might be on instagram)! At the sight of me, some people were taken aback and others were beaming with smiles. I was late to my first class because of the make-up, and it was completely worth it for the sake of infusing a little Halloween spirit in the campus. On Halloween evening, I decided to take my skeleton-self over to my infamous aunt's Victorian home. Her house is known for being the most elaborately decorated house on Halloween. They have different themes each year. This year it was "Dead Hat Society." It's a reference to the Red Hat Society, which is comprised of old women who get together and have tea parties. If you see where this is going, you'll know that my relatives set up a giant macabre tea ...

Yesterday, October 24, 2013, at 4:39 pm, my grandmother passed away. I wanted to do a small blog post in her honor, as she had such an impact on my life. Barbara Jane Budner (maiden name Maultsby) was born on August 9, 1934 in North Carolina. She was the oldest of five, all girls. She grew up very poor with no electricity or running water, and often times the girls were left alone. Since she was the oldest, she practically raised the others. When she got old enough to go out on her own, she moved to Chicago to get a job. That's where she met my grandfather. After they married, she went on to have five children of her own. She was the strongest woman I've ever known. She had a great sense of humor, and she was always so giving. I have so many memories of going over to her house, where she always kept candy for the grand kids. When I was younger, I would pack my overnight bag and sneak it into the car for surprise sleepovers. We would stay up late into the night talking w...

Lamentation of Christ is a beautiful painting and a noteworthy example of foreshortening. One of the perks of living in a family that celebrates Easter is food. In fact, since no member of my household actually attends church, Easter really is mostly about the food traditions. It was a lonely holiday this year with just my mother and I at home (come to think of it, Christmas was terribly lonely too!), but that did not stop us from making ungodly amounts of food. I thought I'd share one of my favorite holiday dishes. It was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and my mother to me. It's called "Heavenly Hash." No, not that kind of hash... Ingredients: 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple 29 oz. can of mandarin oranges 12 oz. jar of maraschino cherries 7 oz. bag of sweetened coconut 1 3/4 bags of 10 oz. "fun marshmallows" 8 oz. sour cream  Simply drain the fruit, cut the cherries in half, and put them in a large bowl. Add the coconut to t...

My grandmother and I both went down to visit my aunt's. Before departure, I mentioned to my grandmother that maybe we'd see a ghost! I'm not so sure how my grandmother feels about the existence of ghosts, but she does not like to talk about them. That evening, I had a big slice of chocolate cake, and we all watched some Celebrity Ghost Stories and Dead Files by the fire. As it was time for bed, one of their cats followed me until I tucked myself in. What a lovely host, that cat was! The rain outside beat down on the roof with thunder in the distance. I was sleeping in the "haunted room" yet again, but I slept like the dead this time. It was cold, so I slept with socks on. When I woke up, a sock was missing! I looked under the covers, but I was unable to locate it. My cousin finally found it all the way under the bed. My uncle half-joked that it was "the girls" that took my sock. The girls to whom he was referring are the ghosts who are said to haunt...

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday (whatever holiday you do or don't celebrate). We celebrate Christmas in my household, but I wouldn't really call it celebrating...more like going through the motions. Regardless, I got some gifts I'm excited about! This is a neat little crushed velvet backpack-purse. I'll be decorating it with patches and pins in the spirit of DIY. So..many...books. I'm looking forward to reading Zak Bagans' (of Ghost Adventures) book. For any new followers, you must know that I regularly partake in making fun of this "ghost hunter." It's all in good fun. I think I'll do a post about his book when I get around to reading it.  This is such a neat little necklace. It makes me wonder how they punched the cross out of the coin...It must be Christmas Magic! ;) These lipsticks and the lip brush are Make up Forever brand from Sephora. The colors look lighter than they actually are. I tried these two colors in...

source It's Alexander Skarsgard aka Eric Northman from Trueblood. I've had quite an eventful holiday this year. There's many changes happening, so I'm pretty much just rolling with the punches. Despite my expectations, I've had a good Christmas this year. I've spent a lot of time catching up with friends, and for that I am thankful. I just got back from one of my friends' family Christmas parties. We had Chorizo and steak, we busted piñatas, and I even learned to dance the Cumbia  (although not very well) . Maybe I should've been born Mexican, because they sure know how to have fun. ;)  In the morning, we'll be opening presents. I'll make sure to do a separate post for that.  And now for something completely different...I was quite proud of this outfit, because I tied the tie all by myself like a big girl. The top says,"Buzzkill Police."  Goodnight, everyone. I have to go to sleep now since it's almost the witching ...

I just recently got over a stomach virus, so today was the first day I could eat anything substantial...and I did eat a pretty substantial amount of food! I won't bore you all with the details, as I'm sure many of my readers are familiar (or at least acquainted) with this tradition. I made a video I thought I'd share with you all. It's a video I made for my brother of our pets' thanksgiving feasts. My brother, John, is teaching English in Thailand, so he isn't able to attend any of the holidays this year. This video was very special to him since he and his dog, Lucy, are very close to each other. That's my mother in the background, and I'm the lady behind the camera. The large blonde dog is Lucy, the small one is Jack, and my little cat baby is Abby. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

My family and I went out to my favorite restaurant for my birthday dinner. It's called Gumbeaux's, and it's the best Cajun place that I know of. I wanted to try frog legs, so we ordered it as an appetizer. I picked one up, and bit into it. It tasted a lot like chicken, but you could taste the lake water in some bites. When I bit into Frogger's thigh, swamp juice shot out at me. It was odd, but something I wanted to try once. I ordered my usual Jambalaya for my main meal. It was delicious as usual. I even got free bread pudding for dessert! When it came out, the waitress and customers sang "Happy Birthday" to me. froggy legs The best Jambalaya I've ever had. My lovely Grandma! Grandpa!  After we got back, I opened my presents. Finally! Skeleton-hand Hairclips. My Mom said the necklace was sacrilegious. Nuh uh, lady! Lightbulb earings! Sassy bag Psyched for Dead Poets I love this movie. It's the best b...

I spent this weekend at my Aunt's house. I figured since I had a school assignment at an observatory near her house, that I'd spend the night while I was out there. She lives in a lovely Victorian house that is filled with antiques and Halloween decorations. They even say it's haunted. (They had me sleep in the "haunted" room, but I didn't see any ghosts. :/). I took some pictures of the house while I was there. Below, is just a portion of the Halloween decorations they keep. Around Halloween time, they go all out to decorate. I'm not kidding. My Aunt was even born on Halloween, and she's the one who really fueled my love of spooky things during my childhood.  This is an antique baby carriage they keep in front of my cousin's room.  This table is in the front parlor. I thought it was beautiful, and the witchy sign is a nice touch. This beauty is probably my favorite thing in the house. It was an antique organ that came from a ve...