It Just Blew In One Morning...

Darkness is the Matriarch

2010-08-18T18:59:00.000-04:00

Darkness is the matriarch
Calling me back home
Her patch of daises overturned
The stark whiteness of her dress
Bleach blonde hair
Smells of chlorine
and pesticide
Laughter rings from the babe's mouth
Pulled up in a little smirk grin
She bathes it in blood and filth
I hold the towel
Standing naked, wet, and shiny.
My ass is her funny play thing.
Darkness smacks it hard.
Tumbling into bed, I tremble as she hugs me.
She is my blanket for the night.
My mother left me here long ago
To wander in the shadows
Dew dropped and dreary eyed
I pound away my earnings
Swept the barren floors
But each evening she comes to me
With dark thick straight eyelashes
With a dark glimmering eye
and Smooth sailor's tongue
Darkness kisses me every night.
And every night
I dream of night
and every morning
I drink of death
The hallowed halls shriek with ghosts
Their echoes make ghastly tombs
For the house of the matriarch
When she buries the dead.

I just want to know, love

2010-08-18T18:48:00.000-04:00

If I could hold you, would you touch me?
Would you hug me? Kiss me? Love me?
Or would you throw me in the dust, like a musty smelly old used towel.
I'll love you to the ends of the earth.
Broken hearted and alone.
I will still love you, even if you love another.
How will I know that you love me?
In our darkest hour, when time threatens to destroy us,
Will you hold me?
Or will you just ignore me, glad to be rid of me forever.
How can I know when nothing is certain.

A poem

2010-08-16T10:20:00.000-04:00

This path that I am wandering on
Is full of mystery
Once paved with dark and eerie death
Now paved with light and mirth.
The angels they are calling to me,
Singing their somber songs.
Goats and fishes dance with dishes,
And so I stay for tea.
Who knows where I shall go,
Who knows how it will all end?
Only fate knows for certain,
What is around the next bend.

No title

2010-08-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

Death is a masterpiece.
Carved in dark wood and ebony
It sheds no light
Death can be intricate
Carved with a delicate hand and crafty mind
Or death can be simple
Just a plan black blade will do
Our lives are repeated
In hopes of changing things
and when they change
it comes to us like the surprise birthday party we never had
Funny, how the moon looks so old
Her beams of radiance
She is proof that there is lightness in the darkest of times
There is always a light at the end of a tunnel
No matter how many times you've repeated living
One day you will shine
~Kelly Heikkila

No title

2010-08-16T09:54:00.000-04:00

The waves crasehd against the sully shore
Calling Calling Calling me home.
Boats lay moored in the quaint harbor
While the storm labored on
Moaning with pain
Groaning and Grunting with every stress gained
I stare out the window
At my broken past
It smells of herring
Sweet berries of summer
Love I once knew
Now gone forever.
I clutch my ring, weave it through my fingers
He promised me:
I'll be safe
He promised me:
I'll be back
I see his boat sinking in the distance
Emotion crashs over me like a tide
And I hear him calling my name
As I walk to sea
To the shore
And there I fufill MY promise:
I will be with you forever.
Because I love you.

-Kelly Heikkila

Cycles of Life and Cyborgs

2010-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

I think I'm losing weight.
Which is good, I need to lose some weight.
So today I need to walk Miika, and I will probably ride my bike around the neighborhood as well.
I feel fresh today.
Actually I felt fresh the last two days as well.
No no I don't mean fresh like-the bad kind of fresh.
I mean fresh like: energized, new, vibrant, want to go places kind of 'fresh'.
When I feel 'fresh' I usually dress nicer too.
Ironically I always feel this way after my monthly gift.
How weird it is the cycles we Women go through.
I feel pretty for a while (a couple of weeks or so) then I'll just feel normal, casual. Then I might get super depressed or ultra moody when I'm PMS-ing.
It's weird how that happens.
Makes me wonder what life will be like after menopause, with no cycles to rely on.
In fact, more or less, everyone in the world relies on cycles.
The cycles of daily life, of nature, of the seasons.
I live in the northern hemisphere, so we get snow, and I can't imagine life without the seasons.
Where would I be without summer to fall back on? The season of plenty abundance and the season to enjoy life? Where would I be without spring, my favorite season, the season where plants begin to grow and life starts again innocent and beautiful. Where would we be without fall to ruminate in-giving thanks at thanksgiving and preparing for the cold winter ahead. Where would be If we didn't have xmas or chanukah songs in our heads all year round, just waiting for that holiday to spring up, a celebration of 'the days getting longer' 'light returning to earth' the winter solstice!
We rely on the holidays and the seasons.
When we move to a new place however, we must adapt.
Up north the winters are longer, down south there are barely any 'seasons' just warmer or cooler.
Our rythmic clock is patterned to where we live and how we live our lives.
Perhaps that is why we do not have a biological clock attuned to the magnetic poles like birds, cows, butterflies, and other animals.
This makes us more adapatable.
A blank slate makes us more adaptable.
We may envy other creatures for super human strength and ability
but it is in fact our blank slate that has made us conquer the world. Our high rate of adaptability.
We have no fur-and advantage if you can make clothes with your hands, suiting yourself to whatever environment you live in.

And yet-we are so un-connected to our daily rythmns nowadays.
Who can recall or name a point in the pattern they look forward too-
the wildflowers coming back in the spring, the robins arriving, the cardinals coming back, can you pinpoint what season this occurs? No?

By making ourselves technology geniuses we have become disconnected with the world we live in.
Technology is a good thing.
In fact, technology has helped us develop mentally.
You would be in an entirely different mental state if you lived like someone in the 70's, then someone in 1910, then someone in 2010.
I can see hints of a future where the technologies we develop are put inside us.
I've heard of research being done on an 'electronic hippocampus'-the part of the brain that learns.
All you would have to do, is plug in and download a new language.
Considering how fast the rate of technology developments is going
PHENONMENAL compared to the 20th century, I can see us in the near future very much technologically advanced.
We may have technology help us so much that we become 'cyborgs'.
and in the far far far far far away future
one day me may be able to emulate life itself.
be able to grow a heart, kidney, liver, tissue, a human.
What if we managed to make a human capable of super strength by altering the genes of the human so that when it grows it will have stronger muscles.

I'm getting off topic, forgive me, after all this is a random blog.

Othello Rehearsal

2010-03-03T13:09:00.000-05:00

Boy did we have a treat on Monday!
I went to see the first othello rehearsal @ CASE!
This was very interesting, and I will discuss what happened and my thoughts here.
.....The dim murmuring of voices could be heard as me and my drama teacher, Rick Hamilton, followed the small corridor. We came to a door that said: Rehearsal Hall and we pushed open the door. The dim murmur was now a bunch of garkle, and we were greeted by a light brunette holding a clip board and a cup of Starbucks coffee. "Hello," she quiped, "Can I help you?" "Yes" said my drama teacher, "I'm Rick Hamilton, and this is Kelly Heikkila from the Montessori High School." "Oh! So you're who I've been emailing with back and forth, and now I've met you in person." the girl cracks a smile and laughter is hiding behind her face. She looks exuberantly happy, and must be one of those awfully chronic cheerful people who like to brighten everybody's day. Sadly, I happen to be one of those people. My drama teacher clears his throat, "We're looking for Kelly, the stage manager....?" "Oh, she stepped out for a moment but she'll be here soon." Rick and I turn to face the room, which is large, with a vaulted ceiling covered in old fashioned wood panels. In fact the height of the ceiling is bigger then the Room. I wonder why they made it that way. People file in from the door, all college students, and I am unable to tell their age because they all look so young. Eventually the other Kelly, the stage manager, walks in. You know who she is right away, because she has that sort of 'in control and demanding' gait that assertive woman walk with. Eventually everyone is settled and the director introduces himself to the actors and to us, in part. The actors introduce themselves, as do the tech designer, scene designer, and dramaturg. The guests, meaning us, make our introductions. The CASE students look really interested and happy about the fact that we were from Montessori and that I an IB student, which is apparent from their squabbling and quabbling nodding their heads yes saying 'oh how interesting' and then pouring their attention back to their director, who has something important to say. The director is setting Othello during the Boer war, and this interests me for several reasons. The first being, it completely fits with the theme and story of Othello to put it during the Boer war. A popular setting is in south during reconstruction, but the boer war makes much more sense. He then goes over how we wants to vision to be put out. He will not change any of the names, though he is changing the male role of Desdemona's father to be, instead, a female who is a wealthy land owner. How interesting, I think. When I read Othello perhaps it will tell me why that change has been made. Then the scene designer goes over the set, which has drawn inspiration from the tulu warrior tribe of South africa (from which othello will be from) he also says that the furniture will start out african but end biritish colonial. And the bed that Desdemona is murdered in is a British Colonial bed. That is a good prophetic tool. the lighting will be colorful and fiery, though at some times the actors will step from a lighted up part to a 'less light' or dark part, so it looks as if there faces go from light to dark.

This rehearsal taught me a lot about plays. I saw the dynamics between the small cast, and how they were able to produce a production. And I saw how a production could be put on, and the different roles in putting on a production such as the tech designer, and the dramturg, and the director, the stage manager, the scene designer, the music guy, etc.

I cannot wait for us at Montessori to do our production.
Our school is small and we will do a bunch of one acts.
One will be a drama and One will be a comedy.

I am seeing Emma this saturday, and am looking forward to it.
another entry about that will come soon.
~Kelly

Writing inspiration and the Joy of Children

2010-02-22T13:32:00.000-05:00

i love kids!
Kids are amazing, they see things that ordinary people cannot. I find it sad that I am slowly drifting away from the state of pure innocence. Me, an adolescent, becoming an adult. Sigh.
Oh well, we all must get old and leave neverland, though we may never leave it in our hearts.

The reason that i'm saying this is because last weekend i was writing in the park. It's winter so it's cold, and I'm under the picnic shelter, the sky is blue, the sledding hill is right next door to the picnic shelter and I heard a lot of children merrily playing. One went to the bathroom (which is by the picnic shelter) and he walked past me. He curiously asked me what I was writing, and i was like "oh, poetry, i'm a writer" he asked me to read him a poem or two and he thought it was so good he brought his friends over to hear it!
he and his friends were all in the third grade! They were so nice! they totally said I should publish my work!

This excited me very much. :D

SO I'VE DECIDED TO DO SO! I WILL GATHER MY POEMS AND CREATE A BOOK! AND GET IT PUBLISHED!

:D hooray!
This kid inspired me, so i'd like to thank him!
he also was friends with kids I babysit, and he lived near my house, so that was cool too.

Also, I'm reading some of my poetry and prose at a coffeehouse benefit for Haiti Wednesday, and that should go well.
My poetry readings have been met with enthusiasm in the past.

A Bientot! (in french, till next time!)
~Kelly

sadly couldn't go to ballyhoo, though some random musings

2010-02-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

I couldn't go to last night of Ballyhoo friday night (i was a bit tired, in pain, and exhausted to the max)
However, I've had random theatre musings over the past couple of days

So I'm really excited about my Sami theatre project! Yeah! I wonder, what form it takes place in? Is the Kalevala one of the epics presented? I dunno.....
Also, I'm finnish so this is extra interesting for me.
I am interested in finnish and sami culture. It's really cool. and interesting. The ancient raindeer herders and the modern finnish people are two cultures very interesting to me: the technology and outdoor oriented finns, and the traditional and ancient sami people!

another theatre musing is what is the role of theater in the general community?
There is an island I go to every summer, Mackinac island. It is an island with no cars, (it's in michigan) and it is beautiful in the summer with the victorian cottages and the horse drawn carriages, and the main economy is based on tourism. 2/3 of the island is a state park, and there is a large community of artists, writers, and such.
There is also a movie theater, which plays movies only on fridays the old fashioned way.
I was wondering, if the island would benefit from a community theater?
If so, what would be the role of this community theater? What would it's purpose be?
Would it be during the tourist season (May-November) or would it be also during the off season (for residents) or during the winter festival they have.
Would it serve children and teens who have an interest in theatre?
What kind of plays would be presented in a community theatre?
What would the goal of the theatre be? Education? Entertainment? Both?
Wow.......I could potentially make this into a project!
It would be an extremely hard though I believe I am capable.
And how do you get actors to come? Are there already actors on mackinac island?

I should ask Anno (my mom's friend on mackinac) about this, (well I really should call her Mrs. Parish. my bad. Sorry Mrs. Parish)
Wait-that is their last name right?.....yeah me thinks so.
TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!
I LOVE TIGGER!
~Kelly

two performances and upcoming IB PROJECT

2010-02-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've been to two perfomrances and i will talk about the up coming IB project for theatre
So Lost in Yonkers is about world war 2 and a crazy jewish family, and how these boys mother died and they have to stay with crazy grandma and crazy aunt. It is a story about growing up, and family love. In it Bella the child like crazy one is struggling with asserting herself in front of her ever strict mother. And Bella's brother (the boy's uncle) is a gangster who hurts other people to get money. Aunt gertrude can hardly speak right anymore without breathing weird, and their father is a shy and insecure man in need of love. It is a story about how a family comes together and loves each other despite weirdness and such. It is a good story. And I like it because it was comical.
Ain't misbehavin on the other hand I was not prepared for. I wanted a story line, a plot, but all I got was corny love songs and porny shirtless males. Oh god. It just pissed me off. If i had wanted to excite myself, and go to that performance, sure I would've loved it. But I was not in the mood for love right then and there, especially because I'm having love troubles of my own!

As for the up coming IB project
I plan to research Sami theatre and to see how it has empowered the Sami people in their culural identiry as a people. Just so you know, I'm exhausted and dont care about spelling right now.

So anway, I look forward to my poetry performance on wednesday (not this one, but next one)

A bientot!
~Kelly

Creative writing EPHIHANY!

2009-11-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, on a night where my brain had trouble sleeping, I selected a book to read that I haven't read in a long time. Natalie Goldbergs Writing Down The Bones. I have currently been overally ambivalent about being a famous writer. Yet I have apprehensions and nervous feelings about writing down my work in journals. I have been fudgety and fissy and prissy. I need this I need that! When all I really needed was to take a step back and breath a really long breath. I had an epiphany when I read the first three chapters of the book. I realized that my writing should come from my heart not from my deterministic ambitions. I should write about what moves me what causes me to sing in the morning, gasp for air, smile merrily, welcome the sunshine in the morning, all that jazz! I was fidgetdy before about getting the 'right' materials the 'right' equipment. Hell, such a thing never exisited. I was merely apprehended by nervous and dscrinimating thoughts plauging my head. And I also realized that even if I wasn't famous that I would be happy with who I was and happy as a writer because I love writing. It doesn't matter if I'm famous. I don't have to be famous. I can just be me. :D This makes me happy. If I hadn't opened the pages of Writing Down The Bones I would've been still stuck in that stupid realm of stupidy which is fidgety fussbudgeting. Sigh. I am happy again. :D

So I want to go to CVS to get a spiral notebook and a pen. (NOT A BALL POINT BEN! Why? There is no control. In Writing Down The Bones Natalie gives some suggestions on some pens to use. No pencils either. I can't write my ideas down quick enough. There needs to be a balance of control and free flow for ideas. Besides, good handwriting doesn't matter in personal notebooks.)

Random Theater musings

2009-11-11T08:45:00.001-05:00

My previous entry was about Inherit The Wind. I also saw a rehearsal of that performance as well.
What amazed me was the professional atomosphere the actors created versus a high school atmosphere. The actors were really good at their lines and with voice, diciton, prounounciation, articulation, speech basically. The actors obvioulsy looked like they'd reharsed the scene often, and aslo they were performing without a script. INCREDIBLE!

How can theater be made to appeal to families and to younger audiences? Families like educational things. Hence the numerous memberships to museums of art, science, and history. Perhaps if theater examined social issues that pertain to modern audience or other educational content, then families will wilingly go. However, even when education is incorporated into theater the result (to my knowledge) is that schools take the oppurtunity to take the kids to plays and not families. What then is holding back the typical family from attending the theater? Perhaps people think of entertainment like the theater in terms of modern television. Perhaps when they think of the theater they think of familiar tv programs like Glee, Grays Anatomy, or perhaps shorter versions of movies. Affordibility could be one problem. Not many families have enough money to subscribe to a theater membership. Whereas museum memberships are about $50-$100 on average, tickets for a one show run around $75-90 for a family of five (cleveland playhouse). The average family doesn't have enough money for the theater on a regular basis. If memberships to the theater were made family friendly, for example five tickets to all the performances of the Great Lakes Theater Festival for only $100, then many families would quickly sign up. If a family has really young children attention span may be another. Although parents would most likely take their school aged and high school children with them to the theater. Limited participaton could also be another factor. Whereas in todays theater modern audiences just sit and watch. A very passive activity. At least in art museums the people who go walk around and look at art and think about it or admire it. Although art history is a private knowledge these days, enjoyed by few. So little people today understand the value and meaning of art. So how can we encourage families and young people to go to the theater? Perhaps by making the theater more affordable, experiential, and appealing to familes and young people.

Inherit The Wind

2009-11-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

Last saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Inherit The Wind for the Cleveland Playhouse College program. The play was very interesting. It dealt with the issues of the place of evolution and the bible in education. At that time, the bible was a much a staple in the south as cotton is to plantations. So here comes evloution, which religous leaders believed, was against the scriptures of the holy bible. A law was passed outlawing the text from being taught in schools. Scopes went against the law and continued to teach evoulution. Well he was snitched on, and a trial ensued. The scopes monkey trial. It was one of the biggest trials in decades because of the content of the trial. The play is based of off the true story, but fictionlizes it a bit with a slight romance, different names for characters, and a bibilical fanatic by the name of William Henry Harrison, who had almost been elected president 3 times.
The story is as relevent today as it was back in the 1920's when the scope monkey trial occured. Today we are still debating: science or religion? But why should we say or? Perhaps we should say AND. Science AND religion must be held hand in hand because science explains the world one way and religion the next. Science can never hope to acheive the spiritual, nor can religion hope to acheive the concrete and rational.
In a reccent study that was done (I saw the results in Parade a while back) spirituality is the new norm in America. Instead of a strict religion dominating our lives, more people are opting to choose their own spirtual path, a leap forward considering the legacy of religion in America. However, strict religion still dominates the lives of most Americans. Although, Religion will perhaps always be commonplace in America. Perhaps that is because of our freedom of religion, or the various ethnic groups that make up America. Or it holds us together, keeps us in one paridgm, the American paridgm. America is the anomly in the industrilized world. Many european countries don't have as religious a country as we do, although on the other hand they do have religions that have had a long existance in those countries. Like french catholics for instance. Catholicism dominates france because the ruling family who had power long ago was Catholic. England is mostly protestant. Ireland is mostly catholic. So is Italy and Spain. Overall, religion holds humans together, for whatever reason, in order to survive.
Back to the theatre.
Theater can demonstrate many social issues effectively. In Inherit the Wind the debate between the religious realm and the scientific realm was clearly exhibited. By using the theater to convey these social issues, the audience gains a more real life experience to these social issues up front. However, the theater can be more experiential. Mostly older audiences are commonplace in theaters. When the Cleveland Playhouse College came to watch it, we took up 2-3 rows. The stage manager had to ANNOUNCE TO THE OLDER AUDIENCE WHAT THESE 'YOUTH' WERE DOING THERE! This is sad because it shows that not many young people come to the theater often enough to make a significant presence.
I encourage families to take their children to the theater. Weather it be local theater, regional theater (like the playhouse), festivals (like Great Lake), or uber professional theater (playhouse square), the theater is an essential social catalyst and media form and needs to be perserved.

12th Night or Yearning for Imrpov

2009-10-22T08:51:00.000-04:00

So I reccently saw 12th night at the great lakes theatre festival.
It was awesome!
I wish I could say more-but I'm writing a review which I will post soon.
I'm not really sure what to talk about.
Friends next to me are watching Achmed the Dead terrorist.
Speaking of, I LOVE IMPROV!
I wish there was an IMPROV workshop somewhere outthere because I love being funny.
I yearn for IMRPROV!
~Kelly

Fall sadness

2009-10-22T08:45:00.000-04:00

When the leaves descend in fall it reminds me of someone.
First so vibrant on the tree then golden and crisp-like the cereal-falling to the ground.
Like something slipping out of my hand-forever-falling, tumbling, whirling to the ground in sadness.
In despair.
In agony.
The tree in vain wishes it to be spring again, when the leaves were so fresh on it's branches-a connection so tender, so young, so sweet.
Or the tree wishes it to be summer-happy, frolicking, the good times are about to arrive.
Then something happens.
The atmosphere gets cold and icy. Brutus descends towards Cesear-and sadness ensues.
Then winter happens-you try, as best you can, to survive in the coldest weather on the earth.
And I'm waiting for the spring again.
I'm waiting for someone......

Oedipus the King

2009-10-14T08:50:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, tuesday, I had the privilege of seeing Oedipus Rex (an ancient Greek play) on DVD at the boarding house. The play was very well acted and has interesting movement. The movements made by the actors were very un-natural in the concept that the movements weren't regualr every day movements. The movements the actors made was like that of living statues: perfectly sculpted and perfectly moved with grace and dignity and eloquence.

The costumes were draped magnificently! I noticed the king, queen, laius, and the king's daughters, wore rich vibrant colors-which demonstrated their royalty. The chorus wore more earthy colors-representing their poor status. While the soothsayer, shepards, and messengers, wore either an off white or a vibrant white. Perhaps the white color of the robes was to bring out the characters and seperate them from the others, to deem their importance to the story.

The masks were interesting. They looked like groutesque folk characters, and resembled the 50's canadian show Stingray.

Don't ask me how I know that show.

Especially the king, Oedipus, looked very fishy (like a neptune-so said my teacher) similair to the king of that undersea world in Stingray where Aquamarina was being held captive in the first episode.

I wonder if there's a relation?

~Kelly

How have watching plays affected me?

2009-10-12T19:19:00.002-04:00

Well the subject of this post is how has watching plays change me and my perceptions on theatre. I think that college theatre is entirely different from professional theatre, as can be seen when I went to cleveland playhouse performance: Beethoven as I knew him, the CASE mfa performance: All's Well that Ends Well at the cleveland playhouse, and CASE's undegrad production: The Hedi Chronicles at Eldred Theatre.

Undergraduate student actors perform with basic acting skills beyond the high school level. They don't fidget in their places and have mastered the art of movement. What needs to be fine tuned is the actions they perform and the belivability of the actions, and not making them look 'fake' or 'acted'. One trouble actors seem to have is 'acting' as an actor. You need to actually be that charater on stage. I think Scoop had it on the Hedi Chronicles, but Hedi herself was not a belivable character as protrayed by the actor. She needed to be more well develped and belivable and not just 'playing a role' and 'doing this here' and 'that there'.

Graduate student actors such as the MFA students in All's Well that End's Well, were accomplished actors. They were belivable and well rounded in ther acting skills and were ready to go onto the stage as full time professional actors. Although All's Well could've been directed better because of the way the british director inseted some iffy politics (we don't want to be reminded of avan gard while watching something for entertainment. Especially if it's not our fault, it's our government's. When the president is in then you can do something like that, the american people on the other hand, no.)

And the professional actor of the Beethoven As I Knew Him, was well rounded to the point where he could perform a one person show with ease and simplicity, with added humor and accent and advanced character development. He kept the audience entertained without worrying about his role, and he was marvelous at keeping his energy and stamina up when there was only one guy doing it.

So how has watching plays changed me? It has changed me because now I know what the differences are between different acting groups and actors. I also cannot wait to see twelfth night at the Great Lakes Theatre festival.

Speaking of which there was an article in the paper about Tom Hanks in the Great Lakes Theatre festival in it's infancy days. How amazing.

Heidi Chronicles

2009-10-12T19:02:00.002-04:00

So on friday I saw the Hedi Chronicles at CASE's Eldred Theatre. For those of you who don't know, the Hedi Chronicles is written by a feminist who was often unsatisfied romantically because of the times she grew up in. The Hedi Chronicles follows the story of Hedi, a girl who was born in the 50's, was a teen in the 60's, in college in the 70's, and at work at a university in the 80's. The play first shows Hedi giving a lecture on women artists as a university college teacher of the 80's. Then the play transitions to the 60's where Hedi is at a dance and meets Peter. Peter is one of the main characters of the story, he is Hedi's good friend who turns out later in the story to be gay. Much to the dismay of Hedi, who thought that Peter loved her. The second character we meet is in Hedi's college days while she is working at an event. There we meet Scoop, a jew and a journalist. He and Hedi fall in love in an on and off relationship. Her friends call Scoop an asshole, mainly because he wants Hedi to choose either or. Either him or her career ambitions. After that scence happens, and Hedi chooses her career ambitions, the play chronicles the struggle between the two as they grow up longing for each other but neither one willing to compromise on their images of their future. Ultimately Hedi moves away from New York (the place where this is all happening) to become a college professor in Chicago.

The play discusses feminist issues of the time; What is a woman supposed to be? What is the definition of a woman? Who are women supposed to be as a whole? Are we supposed to be pretty and flirty, intelligent and nerdy, or a mix of both?

These questions still haunt generations of women today. Perhaps the most important question that women face today is: What is the definition of women? What is the image of a 21st century woman?

I think a 21st century woman is 1. strong in who she is (personality) 2. determined in who she wants to become (profession, job) 3. positive about her sex (doesn't have to show cleavage to win appreciation, etc.)

Once we have those three elements down then the rest will be a breeze.

We certainly have a long time until that happens.

First CAS post

2009-09-25T17:08:00.003-04:00

Here is my first cast post (we were sent a document in which to type our responses in.)
file:///Users/kheikkila/Desktop/community%20partnership%20journal%20prompt%20%231.pages

I would also like to further that response here.

Today I went to the FOOD-CO OP with Francoise, my french teacher, and with others who were interested in working there. The FOOD CO-OP is a wonderful place! They have organic, natural, and healthy foods for people as well as vegan foods, natural health supplies, and natural beauty products. You can also order anything in the store in bulk and they offer fresh produce!

I really like the place and plan on purchasing/shopping there in the future. However it was sad what the co-op was going through. Before the rescission started they had 400 members and the store was actively vibrant. Then several things happened: farmers markets opened in other suburbs (whole foods too) and gas prices rose to $4. People stopped driving to the food-co op and started driving to closer places. Now the food-co op has only about 200 members. THATS A 50% DROP FROM BEFORE!

The best thing about the food co-op is that for A LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP you only pay $30. You pay the member prices (prices on shelves) and if you're a case student you also get a certain percent off (10% ?). The co-op is working on a special montessori high school membership where every student will have a membership and applicable discount (10%) also if you volunteer at the co-op you get a 10% discount.

I really liked the co-op because: it wasn't a big chain superstore like WHOLE FOODS it had people work there who cared for other people, it had a large selection of organic food, herbs and supplements, vegan options, and beauty products too! You can order in bulk as well, you can get fresh produce, etc.

It is such a good place, yet it needs livening up. few people can see it because of the trees blocking the way! If they painted a sign on the side (or 2 sides) of the building it would look much better! People would know what it was and know to go there.

I really do care for the food co-op and I hope that more people will go to it once we make some improvements.

Alls well that ends well.
~Kelly

Test post

2009-09-25T17:02:00.001-04:00

HEY DOES THIS TEXT POST WORK????
^^)

HAVE A HAPPY DAY!

ENCHANTED review

2007-12-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Todays post is not about the holidays thank goodness. :)
instead i have decided to post a posting about a great movie: ENCHANTED.

most peoples view on the movie is that it's corny but a good corny.
here's my review:

The artists purpose of the movie was to create a new kind of fairy tale with a modern twist. amazingly that's just what the creators did. They created a fairy tale story about a girl named Giselle whose prince hears her singing and she joins in (he saves her first) and they're married the next day. or they would be if not for an evil queen and stepmother of the prince who'll do anything to keep her throne. she sends Giselle down a magic well and she comes up out of a sewer hole in NY city. The movie challenges the traditional princess tales because she eventually falls in love with a certain lawyer who helps her-Giselle has to choose between the prince and her one true love. Overall although the movie is corny it sends a good message overall. "true love doesn't have to be with a 'handsome prince', and you can be happily ever after in todays modern world-not just in a fairly tale world."

i loved the movie! If you see it please bear with the first 10 minutes of cartoon disney. it's worth it.

another holiday entry

2007-12-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

well what do you know, another holiday entry. Where i live its snowing. it looks absolutely beautiful. snow reminds me of angels shedding their wings. or angels dandruff. What does snow remind you of I'd love to hear!
me and my family decorated gingerbread houses and we are going to decorate our tree. we aren't christian or catholic- we're actually atheist but we celebrate Xmas anyway. we celebrate no religious aspect of it though.

Just sharing some of my Xmas celebrations with all of you. have a wonderful holiday season everybody!

holiday/thankful

2007-12-15T13:22:00.000-05:00

The holidays are here, the giving, the love, the family fights, yes its truly the holiday season!
I was inspired by a certain story on bored.com and i thought it was relevant to the holidays. So i decided to post it!

click on the link below to go to the story:

http://www.bored.com/parablesite/index1.htm

or read the story below!

A Special Gift

Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots; he didn't like them. And besides he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. They did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend." Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try. There just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far. What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. Bobby had two older sisters and one younger one. They ran the household in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to. Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home. Then suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as did Bobby at that moment. As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body, and he walked into the first store he saw. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he couldn't buy anything with only a dime. He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you." As Bobby waited, he looked around the shop. Even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers. The sound of the door closing as the last customer left, jolted Bobby back to reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. The shop owner returned holding an arrangement of twelve long-stem red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box. "That will be ten cents young man," the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime! Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?" This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son." As he returned inside, the shop keeper' wife walked out. "Who were you talking to back there, and where are the roses you were fixing?" Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was getting ready to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few minutes ago a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime. When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago when I didn't have any money with which to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses. The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.

Yay the first post!/ holiday gifts

2007-12-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

Welcome everyone to it just blew in one morning! i am very happy that it's the first posting. In todays post i will post on how to make cute gifts for the holidays. the items are commonly used items in your home so you won't have to buy anything. Yay for you!

Memory Book (for love, friendship or for your parents. can be given as a journal as well.)

supplies:
Any type of paper (preferably sturdy colorful paper like construction paper-no notebook paper)
hole punch
ribbon or string
optional:
shoe box and wrapping paper to wrap in
markers and crayons or colored pencils, pens
photos of you and the recipient

1. take the paper and size the paper to any size you like or keep the paper size as is. hint: you need more paper for a bigger size.
2. stack the paper together and hole punch along one side with at least 3-6 hole punches. i suggest four for letter size paper.
3. take the ribbon or string and tie it through the first hole punch and around the top of the book. tie in a secure double knot.
4. take the string or ribbon and weave in and out through the holes. when you come to the end weave back the opposite direction and tie again around edge this time to the side.
5. if you wish you may decorate the book with memories of you and the recipient or you can decorate or personalize with marker pen pencil etc.

Ta da! your finished book! now you don't have to spend millions on the perfect gift. homemade gifts are always from the heart!

Happy Holidays! please comment i would love some feedback. ^^)