Today marks the first day of “Dia de los Muertos” para los hispanohiblantes en Mexico. Kris and I went to my spanish teacher’s room and helped her decorate for the occasion. Isn’t it kewl? She had three altars up. The one on the right is for Elvis, the one in the middle is for Lorca, and the one on the left is for Emilia Zapata and Pancho Villa. “The Day of the Dead” is actually celebrated on Nov. 1st and 2nd, but as a holiday it officially starts on Oct. 31st and ends on Nov. 2nd. Ironically, Nov. 2nd is voting day here in the U.S.
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femtique
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femtique
You preferred Kerry’s statements 50% of the time
You preferred Bush’s statements 50% of the timeVoting purely on the issues you should vote Kerry
Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues?
Find out now!
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femtique
Check out HipMomma’s new design for her blog. It’s GORGEOUS! It reminds me of the 60s. Not like I lived in the 60s, but still… it’s got the whole flower-power thing goin’ on. I give hipmomma 5 stars! -
femtique
Despite that I’ve been quite upset at Kris lately, I was plesantly surprised by Kris today. I guess he is starting to see that I am serious when I mean about taking the initiative. This morning, before I had my spanish exam, Kris bought me a latte at Starbucks (cuz we have two Starbucks on campus) and he said, “Babe, you know, I was thinking we could go to the Natural Science Museum and see the Dead Sea Scrolls…after that we could go and see the movie ‘Ray’…” I said, “Oh, um…ok”.
Sometimes I get so upset at him, but then he shows me how much he loves me in his subtle ways. Thank God this day has come around. I was so upset with him last night I couldn’t even think straight. I was so very sad. It happens sometimes. In fact, I was so upset that I wrote an entry that few people saw. I deleted it today because I felt it was just too much.
Hopefully, tomorrow we will be able to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in person! As far as the layout, hope you guys like it. I made three of the new icons. The globe of blogs icon I got at Lotus’s. Oh, and don’t forget to see our photoblog! We’ve had it for a while, but with each new layout change sometimes I don’t have the room to link it. In this layout I do. Enjoy.
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femtique
I’ve had this little book for a while now, and I’ve posted questions online before. The book is called Would You? by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell. If you find these questions interesting, copy and paste them on your websites and leave us a link to your blog where you published your answers on our comment box or you can do it all on our comment box. We’d really love to see your responses! Let’s get to know each other, eh?
WOULD YOU…
51. Rather age well physically or mentally? – Physically
52. Support any and all medical procedures that extend a patient’s life? – No.
53. Support genetic research designed to slow the human aging process? – Yes.
54. Say that death is the worst thing that can happen to you? – No. It’s worst for those whom love you.
55. Consider culture to be advancing or declining? – advancing
56. Rather see a blockbuster movie or a documentary? – Documentary
57. Prefer to compose an extraordinary piece of music, write a great novel, direct an amazing film, or design a beautiful building? – compose, I’m a music major after all?!
58. Say culture has received a greater contribution from the written word or from the visual image? – The visual image
59. Break a law that you considered unjust? – Absolutely!
60. Turn in your parent upon discovering they were a war criminal in hiding? – Hell no!
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femtique
This was an response to HipMomma’s 10/19 entry…
I don’t think anyones vote is wrong. It is a persons private authority over who they vote for…. it is a shame that people can’t understand that. Let’s take abortion for example… although I am a Christian, and I would not abort my baby (if I ever got pregnant) it isn’t any of my bussiness to tell other women under my religious morals whether or not a woman should or should not abort a baby. I just came from a lengthy argument about this whole issue (must have been 4-5 hours) at the Bruce Religion center (where Kris and I hang out sometimes) and most of the men in the room despite my husband felt that abortion was wrong, and it is just common sense to not abort a baby. The only stipulation they made was that we should have certain bylaws in case of extreme circumstances such as rape, etc. I told those guys (and the Christian educator that was there) that there is a thin line between the public sector and the private sector when it comes to a woman’s right to an abortion. I posed them the question, “would the man also go to jail if the woman had aborted her baby?” — I received a silent response. Hheehe. Typical response from people who don’t know any better.
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femtique
Last night, Kris and I went to the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) to watch Madame Butterfly. It was so wonderful! I’ve taken part in so many operas myself, but never have I been able to go to one. Doesn’t that sound strange? You would think that if I sing in the bel canto style, I would see more operas. College permits me from seeing operas because not only are operas expensive, but they are on the weekend when I normally study the most.
Okay, so let me clue you in as to how our night went. First, we drove downtown, but we got a little lost. We had forgotten that the opera and the ballet share the same building, the Wortham Theatre. Moving forward, we found a parking spot and walked upstairs to the theatre through the backway. When we got to the elevators, we really started to get both nervous and excited. As the elevator doors opened we saw the most beautiful place. In fact, it was the most lucious place I’ve ever seen in my life. There were escalators which took you to the top where the doors were and there were elephant size decorations everywhere! They sort of looked like huge golden candles and at the same time huge men welcoming you to the event. It was as if we went to a King’s caste, that’s how regal everything was.
When we got there, they had chocolate mint butterflys. They were made by a Boston food company and every mint had been hand painted like a real butterfly sitting on a rectangular andes mint. Kris and I ate one or two of them and then we proceeded to get some food before the show started. We waited in line as the chefs worked their magic! You got to pick what you wanted, and then they sauteed it right in front of you!! The chef was telling us, “Madame, what would you like?” and I said, “Chicken, shrimp, and zuccini.” The chef replied, “would you like some garlic?” I said, “Absolutely…and could you also add some alfredo when you are done?” She said, “Yes ma’am”. Kris had some penne pasta with some shrimp, chicken, carrots, and tomatoes. We finished our meal with coffee and basked Alaska for dessert. Kris and I had never had baked Alaska before, and it was so good. It was sort of like a Mississippi mud pie.
We then proceeded to watch the opera. Madame Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) was absolutely awesome. The other performers were all right. Of course, the mezzo soprano was awesome too. At the end of the opera, I told Patricia Racette (Madame Butterfly/Cio-Cio San) from the balcony “Bravo DIIIVAAA! BRRRAAAVO!!” I couldn’t help myself…
It was a big night for Kris too, because he had never seen one either. It was one of those events we could share together for the first time.
The day after that, we went to the bookstore and bought a book that I need for my religious studies courses. Before we left, we saw the most beautiful Afghans!
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femtique
Madame Butterfly is Awaiting at the Houston Grand Opera
Besides my obsession with politics, today is a big day for Kris and I. We are going to the opera! I’ll be taking my palm pilot with me to the opera, so I’ll take some pictures. I would take my digital camera with me, but it would be tacky to have a camera very obviously showing out of my purse at an opera. You never know who will be there, and I’d rather not be remembered that way. In the meantime, I took some pictures today of me walking back to the dorm. There is this huge multi-million dollar science and research lecture hall that is being built right now. I walk by there every day, and I figure, you know years from now I’m going to wish I would have taken pictures before it actually gets built.
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femtique
It’s time for me to get real. I am so pissed off today it’s ridiculous. I am so pissed off at lying to myself and trying to conform for society. In my music of the 20th century class, we were talking about Cocteau (a French film writer) and how he felt that music halls, negro music bands, etc. were not art. That’s funny how black music (jazz included since jazz developed in the early nineteeth century) had been picked and proded and incorporated into neo-classical music, but that it was not art. Isn’t that the most absurd statement? Oh, you want to take from black music, in fact, you are completely inspired by black music but you don’t consider it art? Ha! After class, I talked to Dr. Pollack and asked him why in our book there was no information about great African-American composers in the early 20th c. and he merely replied by telling me that the author of the book had to pick and choose and that Nathantiel Dett (the black composer at question) was not a nominal figure in 20th c. music. In other words, he did not revolutionize music. Well, that’s funny, because when I told him that Nathaniel Dett studied with Nadie Boulange, he nearly fainted! For those of you who don’t know, Nadie Boulange was only the most significant composition teacher of the 20th century. She taught most of the neo-classicists such as Aaron Copland, which most of you who are American definately know. You know, the Olympic song? That is taken from a Copland piece called “Simple Gifts”. Simple Gifts was an old Quaker folk tune and Aaron Copland incorporated the folk melody into symphonic works. Now how is that different from Nathaniel Dett, who incorporated black spirituals into classical genres?! I can tell you what the difference is… Aaron Copland was a Jew and Nathaniel Dett was black. Jews are no doubt discriminated, but blacks are, to most Americans, low class society and not worth mentioning. Ironic though isn’t it, considering that the only composers who Nadie Boulange (in Paris) allowed study with her were the greats. Ah, but back then, in Europe, they weren’t as racist as Americans so African-Americans could study in Europe, and their music was considered just as good as anyone elses. I could go on and on… and I will soon. All those stereotypical WASPS must love me by now, well guess what? I don’t give a shit! I gotta be who I am. I can’t pass racism and slavery by as if it was a thing of the past when I continue to experience racism now and every single day that I exist. Screw that. I’m going to fight back. You’ll see… I’m going to write books about the racism where I live in Brownsville; then I’m going to write childrens books that contain biracial families so that little biracial boys and girls don’t feel awkward because society makes them feel out of place. Cause those little boys and girls are special… you’ll see how I fight. -
femtique
Today was Katz 25th anniversary celebration! Katz is our favorite place to eat in Houston and today we got to eat real cheap because it was their anniversary. We had two sandwhiches (roast beef on whole wheat & Pastrami on sourdough), coffee, two blackberry flavored sodas, a potatoe pancake, and one slice of cheesecake with fresh strawberries for only $8.91! Usually when we go there we usually spend about 25 bucks there, but the food was ultra cheap. I got a little bored though and so I figured I’d take some pictures.
![[large][AnimePaper]scans_Bleach_ganjyu-san_47971](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2332774930_eb2c222318_t.jpg "[large][AnimePaper]scans_Bleach_ganjyu-san_47971")
