New Developments

NEW DEVELOPMENTS


December 17, 2010  

Cayuga Newspaper...doctored!  :o)

 Teeth brushed, ears Q-tipped and clothes right side out, I was ready and eager to make the trip (for me, an hour's drive is A TRIP) to Cayuga Community College to visit my friend and former colleague, Steve Keeler. Steve and I worked together at Syracuse NewChannels 20 years ago. Now he's director, coordinator, teacher and all-around go-to-guy for the department of MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS at Cayuga. In addition, he's responsible for the departments of Music, Art, Philosophy, Foreign Language, English...hope I didn't leave any out! Seems like too much responsibility for me. But for Steve, an inveterate teacher and caring person with the patience of a saint, he's where he belongs. Having been in TV production with him in another lifetime, I know how he works and how he patiently bites off manageable chunks to improve upon. He's changed to look of his MEDIA department...colors, lighting, equipment, utilizing task-oriented furniture...it's a place where a pro can grow with pride! The equipment is brand new and cutting edge for video and audio and his students are encouraged to work independently on their own projects. They've established two businesses that produce, for public consumption, both video and audio products. You can see them at these websites: C3video.com and CayugaRecords.com. Check them out!!  I wish I'd had a facility like this one  when I was in college for COMMUNICATIONS. It's fabulous! If the students would just retain the ethics they're taught, we'll have a more responsible media representation than we have in the working media today!!  One can only hope...

Thanks for the tour, Steve!  XOX, Abbyj

Holiday Thoughts

HOLIDAY THOUGHTS.....

December 10, 2010

 This particular holiday season can be  an emotional roller coaster. It's a time for reuniting with family and friends, remembering times and loved ones past and rejoicing in the new memories being made.  I played with some faces that portrayed holiday emotions and feelings. Take a look at these...
 

Thinking of you

"I hope Santa won't forget me..."

"Oh, what a wonderful surprise!!"

Loneliness

"We grew up together...we celebrate our friendship!"

"Happy, happy holidays!"

XOX, Abbyj

Catching the Feeling...

The Spirit of the Holiday Season....

December 9, 2010

This graphic captures my thoughts,  feelings, worries, senses of awe and love...and my thankfulness for being. What do YOU think?

 

 

My thought for the day...XOX,  Abbyj

 

 

A Tale from New York City

December 3rd-5th, 2010

A weekend in New Y0rk City visiting my cousin...always fun. But, something very special this trip!

 

My overall impressions of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center

 Most newcomers to opera tend to step into the theater without enthusiasm. It's not surprising...there are many unfounded impressions that have been circulated through the years. So, here's a basic primer on the subject: MADAME BUTTERFLY is not just for girls,  DIE  FLEDERMAUS  has nothing to do with dying mice and opera singers are not just fat ladies wearing horns and braids. Opera is one of the most passionate artforms one can experience. The music, the sets, the ambiance of THE MET...it's all magical and awe-inspiring! Before taking that first journey to the opera house, that leap of faith from the music to which you're accustomed to the experience of something totally different ... shed any prejudices to opera you may have had. Before you go, you may think as did Robert Burns, the Scottish poet (1759-1796):   "Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and instead of dying, he sings."  Once you've experienced a performance, you may be hooked as I am and feel as did famous American Soprano Maria Callas  (1923-1977): "An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house." 

My La Boheme ticket

Lobby view at THE MET

Main staircases in lobby...everything is red velvet

Fabulous chandelier in the lobby...one of many

                                                    Give it a try!
My cousin has a season subscription to the  2010-11 opera series...I'm joining her for several operas throughout the season. I can't wait for my next adventure in music...  XOX, Abbyj

 

Finally, A Snow Storm...

DECEMBER 6, 2010
Red Boots in the Snow

"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,

Arrives the snow and driving o'er the fields,

Seems nowhere to alight;

the whited air Hides hills and woods,

the river, and the heaven,

And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.

The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet Delayed,

all friends shut out, the housemates sit Around the radiant fireplace,

enclosed In a tumultuous privacy of  storm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Very late this year, the snows are finally upon us, stretching  feathery, glistening flakes across sky and earth. It's time for roaring fires,  hot chocolate, hot apple cider, soft jazz and good books. I welcome the cleansing facade.

  
These snow scenes are around and near our home in snowy Central New York.    XOX,  Abbyj

IMAGINATION SOARING...

NOVEMBER 30th

IMAGINATION:

"The more we see, the more we must be able to imagine; the more we imagine, the more we must think we see."       

                                                    Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

How many times have you seen a rock, log or tree stump in the distance and thought it was something else?  Admittedly, I do it all the time. May I attribute my faulty perceptions to aging eyes?  When recently in Uganda, I happened upon a large patch of tree trunks and logs, decaying, due to elephant and/or flood damage. My imagination started working, seeing all the things they resembled (to me!) I thought  "I MUST DO SOMETHING WITH THESE."  Finally, I have... this is some of my TREE STUMP ART. Can you see the stumps and logs beneath my creations?

 

Thanks for looking...what d'ya think?

See you soon...XOX,

Abbyj 

Winter Warning...

 WHILE GIVING THANKS...

  November 25th, 2010

  

This is a digital collage inspired by the dusting of snow we had on Thanksgiving morning. It fell on still crunchy autumn leaves, reminding me that winter is fast approaching. I welcome her!  

XOX  Abbyj

APE HOUSE, a new book by Sara Gruen

November 20, 2010

Sara Gruen, author of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, has written a new book called  APE HOUSE. 

It particularly interested me because I so enjoyed WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, and through my visits to UGANDA, I have developed a relationship with a female chimpanzee.

APE HOUSE is a study of a relative of the chimpanzee, the lesser-known BONOBO chimpanzee...not as well known because its habitat is limited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The common chimpanzee can be found in SEVERAL African nations. Before we chat about the book, I'd like to show you the difference between the Bonobo and the common Chimp... and tell you a short story about an experience I had.

Both Bonobos and Chimps share 98.4% of their DNA with US. Perhaps that why we're so fascinated with these great apes.  Straight from GOOGLE, here are the physical differences...

The Bonobo's eyebrows don't protrude as much as the Chimp's; their lips are different; the Bonobo's ears and head are smaller than those of the Chimp. In Chimp society, the MALES are BOSS...in Bonobo society, the FEMALES are the CEOs!  Bonobos walk upright at least 25% of the time. When walking on all fours, they "palm walk," unlike the Chimps who "knuckle walk."

For the past several years, I've been spending time on NGAMBA ISLAND in UGANDA. It's now home to 40+ rescued chimps. They're all  different ages as they were rescued at different times. On my first visit to the island,  I met, one-on-one, an 11 year old female names ICARU. When we first met, she came over to me, sat down beside me ( I was sitting on the ground in the pouring rain...quite a sight...) and started to groom me, combing my rain-soaked hair with her pencil-thin, long fingers. We played, walked  in the woods together hand in hand and groomed one another...spent some quality time together! We had each made a new friend. Icaru put her arms up to me, as a child would, asking me to carry her. I picked her up and took a few steps, trying...but she was heavier than I had imagined. Suddenly, I fell forward...on top of her! I was frantic that I had hurt her, but she was fine. However, the palm of my hand was badly. deeply cut. The keeper (who was walking with us)  wrapped a clean handkerchief around my bleeding gash while Icaru and some of her friends watched somberly. Eventually, we stood up and continued our forest walk with Icaru holding my uninjured hand. She was clearly very concerned as her eyes searched mine several times for  a reading. After a few minutes, she stopped walking and reached for my bandaged hand and very gently lifted the hanky (using only one long finger,) to see how my hand looked. I tell you all this because when I returned to see her the following year, after walking together for a few minutes, sitting down and grooming one another, she started to listen very carefully to my voice and look at me intently... then, she reached for the hand that had been injured to examine it...she ran her fingers over my palm and brought my hand closer to her face so she could see it better. She seemed satisfied and we got up and continued walking. I asked the keeper (who remembered my accident) whether this was normal behavior and curiosity for the chimps. He said "NO, she remembers you!"  This was truly the experience of a lifetime...one I like to repeat (without the fall) year after year. I've never had a house pet, so having a relationship with a chimp is very special!  I'm proud to introduce you to my friend, (now 14,) ICARU...

 Back to the topic of Sara Gruen's new book,  APE HOUSE...I was immediately drawn into the story of a troop of six BONOBO chimps who live at a university language lab and communicate in English and American Sign Language...this based on fact. Gruen shares her fascination with the emotional lives of animals, bringing alive the Bonobos' interactions and their capacity for feeling and communication. The troop is in danger though,  as they are "freed" from a facility where one of the main human characters, Isabel Duncan, is working with their language skills. They are forced into a much more dangerous place  by corrupt and mercenary outsiders and must be rescued. They often tried to help in their own plight for safety.
I was totally immersed in the world Gruen created and pushed into MORE of a love affair with these Great Apes. When involved with the cast of Bonobos, I was theirs entirely...in their world, thinking their thoughts, feeling what they felt, hoping for a way to help communicate their needs... Gruen was masterful in dramatizing the bonds between humans and our fellow creatures with extraordinary empathy as she did in WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.

Thanks for checking back with me. Hope to see you again soon. I'd be so grateful if you left a comment...XOX, Abbyj
 

MEMORIES...Old and New

Nov. 12th weekend, 2010 
  

The rush of summer is over, the crispness of fall is in the air and the tsunami of summer visitors have returned the island of MARTHA'S VINEYARD to it's permanent residents... I'm certain they're happy to get their island back although they miss the commerce!  And...Michael and I return (as we do each fall) to a place where our family and dear friends have had years of memorable times. We traveled there each summer with Michelle, our daughter, until she was on her own. Now, she's introduced HER family to our tradition. Perhaps it will become one of theirs as well!

It's hard to pinpoint exactly WHAT we love about Martha's Vineyard...what beckons us to return year after year. I think that now, it's the quiet pleasures: walking on the empty beaches; seeing the well-used, weather-tested fishing boats tethered to the wharves as well as the few boats still in the water, docked and rocking gently with the rhythm of the waves; strolling along the near-empty streets and meandering into the few equally empty shops; not needing reservations at our favorite restaurants and revisiting our own special landmarks...places we've grown to love through the many years of our visits...the sculpture garden, Menemsha, the Victorian "Gingerbread" houses...we love the feeling of breathing the salty air and the ambiance of Martha's Vineyard. Fall is a beautiful time to visit...the trees don their autumn coats longer than ours do in Central New York and they are gorgeous. We look forward to our next visit, whether it'll be in the spring, summer or fall.

                                           
                               "Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

                                Lengthen night and shorten day;

                                Every leaf speaks bliss to me

                                Fluttering from the autumn tree."

                                                                                                 Emily Jane Bronte