arts & farts & crafts

I think I’ve talked about it before, but my mom has been a quilter for most of my life and in the last few years started doing these really cool fabric collages, and it was my turn to request one so I asked for a phoenix cause I’m obsessed with this one art piece I did in art therapy ages ago

Anyway, my mom has been working on it and THIS was the last update I got???

Here’s some pics from the workroom when I visited in November, and some pics from in-progress pieces before they were finished, if that gives you a better idea of how it works ^^

And here’s some finished pieces!

Also updates on the phoenix!

You can kinda see the metallic details on some of the fabrics chosen! I love them. Also a glimpse at some of the bits cut out to use in the tail!

I was given two options for background as my mom was finishing up the bird part—

I ended up picking the greener one cause I love all the gold stuff, and my mom added even more gold details for that mythical feel

So this is the current most recent form!

Theodora (c. 500-548)

Art by Noni (tumblr)

While most empresses and queens are born into royal or at least aristocratic families, Theodora had a more unusual background.  Her father was a bear trainer near Constantinople’s Hippodrome while her mother was a dancer and actor.  At a young age, Theodora worked as an actor and likely as a sex worker.  She travelled through North Africa with an older male companion as a teenager.  While in Egypt, Theodora converted to Miaphysite Christianity.

Theodora returned to Constantinople as a wool spinner and soon caught the attention of Justinian, heir to the Eastern Roman Empire. The match was controversial and an old Roman law forbid government officials from marrying actresses. Although he was not officially the ruler yet, Justinian repealed the anti-actress law in 525 and married Theodora

Justinian ascended to the throne in 527 and Theodora became Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. As Empress, Theodora shaped foreign and domestic policy.  She had her own court and her own imperial seal.  Twice her canny machinations saved her husband from possible deposition. Unwilling to forget her roots, Theodora also advocated for sex workers’ rights while criminalizing trafficking and pimping.  Many historians consider Theodora to be Justinian’s co-ruler.

Theodora was not a universally beloved figure.  There were many who felt that she intensified conflicts and encouraged more extreme solutions.  Theodora’s brand of Christianity was controversial and she overthrew a Pope who disagreed with her.  Theodora and Justinian quelled revolts with massive slaughters.  

Teen Vogue took on white supremacy over Teen Choice Awards. We spoke to their editor about the decision.

A Peek Inside the Life of a Florist

Florist and photographer of Erin Benzakein of Floret Flowers showcases daily the simple pleasures of being a florist in Washington. 

Please join the Department of Unexpected Interspecies Friendship as they welcome its two newest member: Occy the dog and Biggie the duck in Atlantic Beach, NC. The canine/waterfowl friendship began when the two met as puppy and duckiling respectively. Today they’re inseparable BFFs and their human pal, Frances Marsh, tells WITN 7 News that she believes Biggie thinks he’s a duck just like Occy and prefers his company to that of other ducks:

Marsh says, “He definitely thinks he’s a dog. He wont even eat duck food, he eats the dog’s food and drinks out of the dog’s bowl.”

“Once they’re worn out, you can come back here and Biggie will be sitting on top of Occy. They’ll just be hanging out.”

ADUANTAS (“ah-dWON-tes”) The feeling of unease or anxiety caused by being somewhere new, or by being surrounded by people you don’t know.

AIMLIÚ (“AM-lyu”) Aimliú is the spoiling or ruining of something by exposure to bad weather.

AIRNEÁNACH (“ARR-nen-ech”) An airneánach is someone who takes part in just such an evening, but the word can also be used more loosely to refer to someone who likes working or staying up late into the night.

AITEALL (“AT-ell”) The perfect word for the spring—an aiteall is a fine spell of weather between two showers of rain.

AMAINIRIS (“ARM-an-erish”) The second day after tomorrow.

ASCLÁN (“ash-KLAWN”) As well as being the Irish word for the gusset of a pair of trousers, an asclán is the amount of something that can be carried under one arm.

BACHRAM (“BOCH-rum”) Bachram is boisterous, rambunctious behaviour, but it can also be used figuratively for a sudden or violent downpour of rain.

BACACH (“BAH-cakh”) Means “lame” or “limping” — but it can also be used as a noun to describe a misery or beggarly person, or, idiomatically, someone who outstays their welcome or who drags their heels.

BÉALÁISTE (“bay-al-ASH-tuh”) A drink or toast used to seal a deal.

BEOCHAOINEADH (“bay-oh-keen-yu”) An “elegy for the living”—in other words, a sad lament for someone who has gone away, but who has not died.

BOGÁN (“BOH-gawn”) A bogán is an egg without a shell, by extension, a spineless person.

BREACAIMSIR (“BRAH-cam-SHUR”) Describes the weather when it is neither particularly good nor particularly bad.

BUNBHRÍSTE (“bunya-VREESH-ta”) Those jeans you’ve got that are nearly worn through but are still wearable? They’re a bunbhríste—namely, a pair of worn but still usable trousers.

CLAGARNACH (“CLOY-ger-nach”) Literally meaning “clattering”, clagarnach is the sound of heavy rain on a rooftop.

CODRAISC (“COD-reeshk”) As well as referring to a riff-raff or rabble of people, a codraisc is a random collection of worthless or useless objects.

DÉLÁMHACH (“TEE-lay-wah”) Délámhach or dólámhach literally means “two-handed” in Irish, but it can be used idiomatically to mean “working all-out,” or “giving your best.”

DROCHDHEOIR (“DROCK-ywee”) Literally a “bad drop”—is a negative or unflattering character trait that a child inherits from his or her parents.

FOISEACH (“FAR-sha”) Grass that can’t easily be reached to be cut, so is often used of the longer grass around the edge of a field or lawn, or to the overgrown grass on a hillside or verge.

IOMBHÁ (“OM-wah”) Either a sinking boat half submerged in the water, or any place where there is a danger of drowning.

LADHAR (“LAY-yer”) The gap between your fingers or your toes is your ladhar. A ladhar bóthair is a fork in the road.

MAOLÓG (“MAY-loag”) When you fill something up to the brim but then keep on adding more, the same word is also used for someone who sticks out from a crowd, or for a small knoll or hill in an otherwise flat expanse of land.

PLOBAIREACHT (“PLOH-ber-acht”) When you’re crying and trying to speak at the same time but can’t make yourself clear, that’s plobaireacht.

POCLÉIMNIGH (“POH-claim-nee”) “Frolicking” or “gambolling.” It literally means “buck-jumping,” and is a one-word name for an energetic, excitable leap into the air, or a jump for joy.

RAGAIRE (“RA-gerra”) Ragaireacht means late-night wandering, or for sitting up talking long into the early hours. And a ragaire is someone who enjoys precisely that.

SABHSAÍ (“SAWH-see”) Someone who works outside no matter how bad the weather.

Wow! Such color! Much illusion! Very surprise!

Today the Department of Astonishing Optical illusions invited you to stare at this colorful image and watch as it vanishes before your very eyes. The longer you look at it, the less of it you’ll see as the blobs of color shrink, the entire image turns bright yellow and then fades into a blank white field. If it doesn’t seem to be working for you, focus your attention on the very center of the image. It took us a little while the first time, but eventually it was gone and we swear our eyes were still open.

We don’t know what the specific scientic explanation is for this entertaining phenomenon, but a commenter from Sploid has a good theory as well as a tip for making the illusion work for you:

“It’s not that the color-detecting cells are being overloaded, it’s actually quite the opposite. The cells in our eyes send impulses to the brain when they detect a change in the intensity of the light they absorb. If you stare at anything that isn’t changing and manage to hold your eyes still long enough, your vision will grey out. This happens because the cells aren’t noticing any change in light and are basically going to sleep. The grey that you see is actually your visual cortex turning off!

The reason it’s so easy to make this effect work with the image above is because of the soft blending between colour fields. Lack of contrast between adjacent areas means less noticed change by our rods and cones, even if we slip up and move our eyes a little bit. It’s very difficult to do with a high contrast image, but if you focus hard enough, maybe you’ll be enlightened.

*pro-tip for the images above: Choose the most visually pronounced part of the image and stare at that. It will be the last to fade, so it will make it easier for you to keep your eyes focused on the same spot. Though we all perceive the same colours (except for those few who suffer colour-blindness) we may perceive them slightly differently, so if the blue spots disappear first, try using the orange spots, or the yellow spots to see if you can make the whole image go grey.”

Marley Dias is like a lot of 11-year-olds: She loves getting lost in a book.

But the books she was reading at school were starting to get on her nerves. She enjoyed Where The Red Fern Grows and the Shiloh series, but those classics, found in so many elementary school classrooms, “were all about white boys or dogs … or white boys and their dogs,” Marley says.

Black girls, like Marley, were almost never the main character.

Last fall, Marley decided to do something about it. She set a goal of collecting 1,000 books about black girls by the beginning of February, and #1000blackgirlbooks was born.

She has far exceeded her goal, with almost 4,000 books and counting. Now, she wants to set up a black girl book club and pressure school districts to change what books are assigned to students. Morning Edition’s David Greene spoke with Marley about her campaign and how she’s handled her success.

Where’s The Color In Kids’ Lit? Ask The Girl With 1,000 Books (And Counting)