I wasn't expecting to make something new for myself, but we've been invited to a party. And it's our first Halloween together since the year D and I were married(!), so it seemed like the occasion needed proper feting.
To that end, here it is, the first part of my costume:
Before you furrow your brows too heavily, let me clarify -- the pumpkins are not part of the ensemble. They were just convenient for propping up the other items you see in the picture. What are those sparkly hemispheres supposed to be? You get to guess! And the costume is entirely G-rated (unlike some of what we saw at a costume supply store this past weekend), so no, the parts you're looking at are not what you might initially think they could be.
Submit your guesses in the comments! I'll post some more clues as we get closer to Saturday.
In other news, thesising continues. I'm still working my way through my committee's recommended reading list, and the most recent stuff has been really helpful with encouraging me to think in scene form, so I thought I'd share titles:
- David Mura's Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality and Identity. This one was great fun to have with me on my way back from the wedding in New York. The woman sitting next to me on the plane asked to see the title, and her comment after I showed her was, "Well, that's certainly not a light read." Amusing reaction, accurate assessment. Powerful, honest memoir with the most effective parts being the use of scene.
- Judith Levine's Do You Remember Me?: A Father, a Daughter, and a Search for the Self. The narrator chronicles her experience of her father's decline from Alzheimer's and its effects on her entire family (primarily through scene). The limits of human compassion get pushed as the disease progresses -- and the author does not shy away from showing her limits or her mother's, does not ask to be liked. But you end up feeling for the family all the same.
- Sue William Silverman's Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You. Really stunning scene-based reconstruction of the way a child sees and understands trauma while having to keep that experience hidden from the outside world. The narrator is relentless (and I mean that in a good way) in her ability to make clear the emotions of characters who start off fairly inscrutable without beating the reader over the head with explanation.
6 comments:
I haven't a clue about the costume and won't even hazard a guess. I'm not good at that sort of creative thinking! LOL But I can't wait to see the clues and hints and the finished product. I love halloween and all the great stuff that goes on. Now that our boys are grown, though, we don't do anything for halloween anymore. *sigh* maybe in a few years when we have grandchildren! LOL
Looking at the titles of your books - in the post and in the sidebar - I'm not surprised you needed a little distraction in the shape of sequins and strange shapes that are masquerading as your costume. I've not got the faintest idea what they will end up as, but I'm going to enjoy the finished thing.
I think I know what they are, but I don't want to spoil the fun for the rest of the guessers. If I'm correct, it's thanks to my son and his obsessions. And if I am correct, I can't wait to see how you make the rest of it b/c it seems as if it will be quite large!
Sherlock -- D loves Halloween too. I think he's even more excited about the costume than I am :).
FF -- heavy subject matter, indeed. It's definitely nice to have projects outside of the reading and writing. This one is especially whimsical.
GEW -- I was almost sure that you'd have a good guess right away because of your son and his interests! I was wondering what he'd think of this idea while D and I were gluing the fabric onto the molds (styrofoam).
CT, I'll definitely be showing him some of your photos! I might wait until after Halloween so that he doesn't get any ideas about what Mommy might be able to accomplish this week. His astronaut costume is supposed to arrive tomorrow!
Hee hee, I'm excited to hear what he thinks, GEW :). This costume is actually not that time-consuming to make. The pieces in the photo required the most effort -- and that was an hour (at most) after dinner of cutting, gluing, and stapling. I'll put the how-to online after Halloween in case people want ideas for the future.
I hope the astronaut costume is awesome!
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