Brittany Rayne

THE DOG HAD RUN AWAY, FADING HER TEETH ON CHAIN ‘N ROPE. FIGHTING LIFE FOR EV’RY DAY, LIVING BY THE HAIR OF HOPE.

THE DOG FOUND FREEDOM HARD. FAMINE ‘N PAIN. THE CHASE, THE FEAR. COMFORT NOW WAS NEWLY BARRED, THE WAY AHEAD WAS NEVER CLEAR.

YET INSIDE SHE SAID, “IT’S RIGHT.” SHE CAUGHT THE SUN AND CHEERED THE LIGHT, HER DOGHEAD LAUGHED AND HER MOUTH TURNED SLIGHT —

WAKE, MY HEART, REST NO MORE. BEAT YOUR BEAT, AGAIN. THE DOG NO MORE A DOG, NO MORE TO TOIL BY HUMAN CLOCKS. NOW THE BEAST WHO CRAWLED THROUGH FOG HAD COME OUT LOOKING MORE A FOX.

No, not the last five years of my life, although I could/should document them a bit.

The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown.

The Last Five Years was one of my all time favorite musicals. I had every word of the soundtrack memorized in high school, which was many more than five years ago. Since the movie was released, I have been looking for someone to discuss the changes from stage to screen. I have not found said person, who cares the way I do about the seemingly tiny but socially telling and significant changes. Therefore I will put my thoughts out into the abyss of the internet:

 “I met a guy in a class I was taking who you might say looked like Tom Cruise. He wouldn’t leave me alone unless I went with him to dinner.” original lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, 2001.

Well Tom Cruise can officially consider himself unattractive, and obsolete. Apparently the fantasy of a Tom Cruise look-a-like has been replaced with a guy “with some very well placed tattoos”.

Having to do with book, this one made me especially sad:

“I saw your book at a Borders in Kentucky, under a sign that said new and recommended.”

Not only can people not identify with buying books at Borders (or any real bookstore) but they simply can’t buy their books at a Borders. RIP Borders.

They couldn’t change it to “Barnes and Noble”? Okay Okay, the syllables don’t really fit... but what about simply “book store in Kentucky”? Were they that desperate for a Target product placement opportunity?

Research & Regulations Catch up with “Bamboo” Textiles By Diana A. Wyman

The article above was recommended to me by J. Michael Quante through the Apparel and Textiles Professional Network on LinkedIn. There has been some controversy within the industry about what should be considered a Bamboo product. The US Federal Trade Commission has refined the regulations on how Bamboo products should be labeled. Many of the items that have been labeled "bamboo" in recent years have actually been regenerated cellulose fibers. Although the original plant contributing the cellulose fiber may have been a bamboo plant, it has been treated, filtered and extruded to the point that they no longer have the qualities of a bamboo plant. The viscose process was developed in 1892 by Charles F Cross and Edward J. Bevan (Hatch, 184). The process has been tweaked and perfected in the years passed. During the Viscose process the raw materials are seeped with an alkali solution until they become a soda or alkali cellulose. The new white colored alkali cellulose is shredded into "cellulose crumbs" and aged (Joseph, 72). The next step in the viscose process includes treatment with carbon disulfide and reacts to create a bright orange product called sodium cellulose xanthate. The sodium cellulose xanthate is dissolved in dilute sodium hydroxide and forms a honey colored liquid. The solution is aged again, until it reaches the "proper viscosity" or consistency. In the last stages of the viscose process the solution is pumped to spinning tanks where it is forced through spinnerets, and then into an acid bath. "The acid bath reacts with the solution causing pure cellulose to coagulate into filament fibers". These filaments can later be combed and spun into yarns (Joseph, 75). After the chemically loaded viscose process, the raw material is no longer the woody plant that provided the original cellulose. If any woody plant, including bamboo is drawn into thread using the rayon/viscose method, must be labeled as rayon or viscose. There is still discussion as to weather a label of "rayon made from bamboo" will be adequate. In order for this label to be used it must be proven that the textile is indeed made from Bamboo fibers. After it has gone through the viscose fiber, it is not easy to identify what woody plant provided the original cellulose material. Check out the article by Diana A. Wymath for more information about the harvesting, unique qualities, and advantages of Bamboo textiles.