Kate Langenburg/A&E Groove

This little piggie went to Pennywell Farm. This little piggie snubbed his nose in paint. This little piggie cried “I want to be like Jackson Pollock” all the way home. Cheesy, I know, but how can I resist when the subject of today’s post happens to be pig artists?

You may be familiar with Pennywell Farm. It sits on the hillside of Devon in England and is most known for its cute baby animals, especially miniature pigs. (We might call them piglets.) Lately, its owners have decided to steer from the boring old petting zoo routine and aim more for artistic talents…with their pigs, of course.

The little piglets are creating works of art that have been selling for close to $30 each. All of the profits from their oinktastic talents are going towards the Farm Crisis Network Charity. So far they have raised around $250.

Pennywell Farm’s owner, Chris Murray, told the Daily Mail that his piglets accidentally broke out of their enclosure during a craft fair one day and went straight for the paints that had been laying around, digging their snouts in the tins. (Luckily, the paint was non-toxic.) Ever since, he has seen them as little Jackson Pollocks.

Here is an example of their fine handiwork:

Now can you understand why he calls them Jackson Pollocks?

Murray said, “The pigs tended to go more for pointilism – they weren’t too keen on cubism. We think of them as our little Pigassos.” Not only are the canvases covered in paint when the pigs are done with their work, but so are they!

This week for class we were to create a podcast, including not only our recorded voice, but also pictures, a jungle, and sound effects that went along with the topic. I chose to record myself reading the story of The Three Little Pigs and I have to say, I think it turned out pretty well, not only because I love to do voices, but I had a lot of fun putting it together. I gave each character a different voice, along with my own voice as the narrator, plus I used over 10 different pictures to help add a little more enjoyment to my podcast. The only drawback was that it took me a long time, over two hours to make it.

Other than that my experience making this podcast was great and I would defiantly make more podcasts in the future. I probably would not have one weekly for the general public, but I would make them for my classroom, so when I can’t read a story to my students they could listen to one while looking at the pictures at the same time. It would be like listening to book on tape or CD, but my voice. Plus not every book is on tape, so making podcasts for them would be a useful tool for my classroom.

Thank you so much to everyone who commented about the Three Little Pigs character sketches earlier this week.  I think I am going to sketch out and ink a few pages before I start doing any coloring.  I need some practice creating clear color palettes for my work, so I think coloring them all at once will help me keep everything harmonious.  The medium is still up in the air, but with the line drawing put together and saved in Photoshop, I now have some freedom to play around the with colors and to try out various paitning techniques to see what I like best.  I’m really hoping that these will turn into some strong portfolio pieces and help to give me some clarity in terms of the kind of work I want to be doing.

In order to help focus my work on portfolio pieces, I have decided to take an already existing story and illustrate it.  ‘The Three Little Pigs’ seemed like a great place to start.  It’s a story with many variations and also features animals, which are more fun for me to draw.  These are initial character sketches for the third pig and for the wolf.  Reading the original story by Joseph Jacobs was fascinating because it was a version I hadn’t heard and includes the death of the first two pigs as well as the wolf being eaten for dinner!  Below is the story for your reading pleasure.  I would really appreciate some genuine critiques on these characters as I plan to start sketching out some full scenes tonight.  Thank you!

“Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme
  And monkeys chewed tobacco,
  And hens took snuff to make them tough,
  And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

There was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him:

“Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house.”

Which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”

To which the pig answered:

“No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.”

The wolf then answered to that:

“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig.

The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze, and said:

“Please, man, give me that furze to build a house.”

Which the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the wolf, and said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”

“No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.”

“Then I’ll puff, and I’ll huff, and I’ll blow your house in.”

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig.

The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said:

“Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with.”

So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said:

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”

“No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.”

“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”

Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down. When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said:

“Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips.”

“Where?” said the little pig.

“Oh, in Mr. Smith’s Home-field, and if you will be ready tomorrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner.”

“Very well,” said the little pig, “I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?”

“Oh, at six o’clock.”

Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six) and who said:

“Little Pig, are you ready?”

The little pig said: “Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner.”

The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said:

“Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple-tree.”

“Where?” said the pig.

“Down at Merry-garden,” replied the wolf, “and if you will not deceive me I will come for you, at five o’clock tomorrow and get some apples.”

Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o’clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said:

“Little pig, what! are you here before me? Are they nice apples?”

“Yes, very,” said the little pig. “I will throw you down one.”

And he threw it so far, that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig:

“Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon, will you go?”

“Oh yes,” said the pig, “I will go; what time shall you be ready?”

“At three,” said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter-churn, which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig’s house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said:

“Hah, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter-churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the hill.”

Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the little pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and made up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off the cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover again in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived happy ever afterwards.”

I think I could be thoroughly entertained by Christopher Walken reading just about anything…

From YouTube:

Oscar-winning Hollywood anti-hero Christopher Walken performs Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’

I think my favorite though is his reading of the Three Little Pigs. Bad Wolf!

From YouTube:

Walken doing a Jackanory spoof on Jonathan Ross

so i love christopher walken. i think he is an awesome actor and a hilarious person, and i seem to like every second of his performances every time. hyperbolic? yes. is walken worth it? yes. i don’t know what exactly it is – maybe it’s that even though he’s an actor he appears to be able to be nothing but himself. or maybe that’s what makes him a great actor. but the ego that is walken fasinates me. and then i heard that he was reading lady gaga on the bbc!!
i just watched the christopher walken/ lady gaga video. it was everything you would hope for and more. in celebration and in an effort to do something other than watch the rest of season 3 of “lost” on hulu, i’ve compiled a small gathering of fantastic walken videos, in no particular order despite that they are numbered.

1. walken poker face. OOH. i just wish he’d gotten farther in the song. walken saying “bluffin’ with my muffin” might have been the greatest six syllables to never exist.

2. snl – walken as a census taker. deliberate, dedicated absurdity. i think it’s my favorite snl bit of his (sorry cowbell, i still love you). “do you own or rent this apartment?” “sure.”

~~~walken fun fact: christopher walken did not run for president in 2008!~~~

3. weapon of choice. i could watch walken dancing to a man plucking a rubber band and snorting rhythmically. happily the song is also rad. he actually helped choreograph this because he is that awesome.

4. puss in boots. oh my god every time i thought he was gonna say “these boots were made for walken.” it doesn’t happen, but this is tragically ridiculous anyway and he still makes it compelling.

~~~walken fun fact: eight separate actors impersonate christopher walken in the play “all About walken”!~~~

5. conan interview. this is long but it’s worth it because 1) it’s 10 minutes of walken and 2) he talks extensively about how he wants a tail and what he would do with it and it makes him soooo happy, which, in turn, makes me happy. i especially love how he owns the interview the whole time, like says nothing for 45 seconds and then cracks conan up. the psychiatrist story at 3:00 is a thing of beauty.

[[edit: the embedding doesn't work but click it and you will be taken to the website. taken, i say!]]

6. henry rollins interview. walken’s best moment is 0:37, “i’m not sure i am an actor.” (side note: anybody else feel like henry rollins is mostly a tool? someone being worth their weight in salt would mean they were worth probably around $200-$300. ner.)

~~~walken fun fact: christopher walken prefers not to discuss his family life in public!~~~

7. pennies from heaven. how could anything possibly better than the fatboy slim video? how about he also strips! and he’s young and rocking the slightly gender ambiguous eyeliner look, double plus.

8. three little pigs. this is probably the most amazing video i came across tonight. more children’s lit. also his sweater is hot. (untrue)

thank you christopher walken for existing so publicly!

Larchmont Bungalow opens in Larchmont Village, OCT 2009 (MFB)

LOS ANGELES – “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!” cried the Big Bad Wolf in Walt Disney’s 1933 cartoon the “Three Little Pigs.”  Luckily, Pig No. 3 built his house of bricks and stones, obstructing any blow by the Big Bad Wolf. Likewise, the aptly-named coffee shop Bricks&Scones, opening in LA’s historic Larchmont Village, has so far escaped the huffs and puffs of the local village association.  However, the artisan café Larchmont Bungalow has not been so lucky.

In less than a week after its soft opening, the Bungalow faces an “Order to Comply” served by city-council member Tom LaBonge and his constituent-led Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association.  LaBonge and the Association allege that the establishment violated a zoning provision on Larchmont Blvd between Beverly and First, also known as the “Q Condition.”  The Q Zone ordinance passed in 1996 regulates the number and diversity of businesses in Larchmont Village with the goal of preserving the neighborhood’s small-town aesthetic.   The condition designates a limit of ten sit-down eateries in the Q Zone, which at the moment has been filled.

In compliance with the regulation, the newly-opened Bungalow registered as a “take-out” boutique.   But at its opening last Sunday, the take out was replete with indoor and outdoor seating complete with a two-way fireplace and valet parking.  Instantly, angered residents picketed in front of the Bungalow urging locals to boycott the shop.  Councilman LaBonge then followed with legal action ordering the owners to remove all seating and threatening the party with penalties including imprisonment up to six months.

Despite these charges, the owners, as of this morning, seem to have ignored the protests and are conducting business as usual, seating and all. (SIDENOTE: A large bowl of their wild mushroom miso soup will enchant you.)  For  biased coverage of Larchmont Village v. Larchmont Bungalow, visit I Love Larchmont Blvd.

Bricks&Scones front sign, OCT 2009 (MFB)

Truth-be-told, the controversy over the Bungalow is nothing foreign in Larchmont land.  Ever since the Westside developer and Bungalow owner Albert Mizrahi purchased several properties on Larchmont Blvd in 2008, rents have skyrocketed and mom-and-pops have closed shop.  In fact, 107 N. Larchmont, the location of the Bungalow, hosted the closure of a former antique shop effected by Mizrahi’s ventures.

An LA Times editorial in 2008 deplored the changes in the Village and noted in particular the loss of Larchmont Hardware, a beloved Larchmont fix since 1925.  The shop was replaced by Opportunity Workshop, a “pop-up” store vending hispter wear and indie art.   Unsurprisingly, Opportunity Workshop is managed and owned by Mizrahi’s son.  Among other businesses shut down, listed by blogger Racked LA, include the local photo shop, La Luna, Floret, and Petticoats.

But fear not! North of the infamous Q Zone tells a different tale of brighter beginnings.   Bricks&Scones, which lies half-a-block away from the Larchmont melee, is free from village monsters, mongers, and wolves and is set to open on Halloween day.  Owners Jinah Kim and her family promise to serve homemade goodies, Intelligentsia coffee, and Lupicia tea and hope to create an inviting atmosphere where Los Angelinos could plug in to free wi-fi and slouch in comfy chairs.  Be sure to check out the cute “baristo” every morning from 7AM to noon.

Nestled in Hancock Park, Larchmont Village serves a quaint and self-proclaimed upscale community in the center of the bustling urban strata of LA.

Ufa! Achei que não ia postar essa semana!

Existem várias, inúmeras, diversas bandas que sempre olhamos (eu principlamente) e dizemos: “Hmpft, essa banda só tem essa música ai! O resto das músicas devem ser todas ruins”

E com o Green Jelly não foi diferente. Lembro de assistir o clipe de Three Little Pigs e dizer: “Ai ó! Mas uma banda de apenas uma música”. E pra variar estava enganado.

Cereal Killer, de 1991, é um daqueles albuns feitos apenas de “brincadeira”, mesmo estilo Massacration de ser, mas sem a parte poser, e conta com um singelo Rock’n'Roll, muitas vezes baseados em alguns clássicos do Rock e sempre com letras irreverentes.

Após o lançamento desse album, eles ficaram mais sérios e tentaram fazer algo mais original e pesado com o album 333… até deu certo, o som está muito mais evoluído musicalmente, mas não fez sucesso e o fim todos já devem saber!

A primeira música é a excelente Obey the Cowgod, que conta com o riffzinho da Ace of Spades do Motorhead:

A faixa homônima Cereal Killer é boa, mas parece que falta um “sequênica lógica nela”, seguida de Rock’n'Roll Pumpkihn, praticamente um rock instrumental com alguns solinhos no meio e uns vocais distorcidos.

E agora o momento extremamente épico, não só do album, mas da MTV e do Rock em geral, Three Little Pigs, que qualquer comentário meu só pode ser explicado através do vídeo:

Trippin on XTC lembra muito aquele estilo antigo dos Red Hot Chili Peppers, meio funk metal californiano, inclusive os vocais (até acho que é alguma paródia…). Misadventures of Shitman não tem nada de especial.

Electric Harley House of Love tem um riff estilo cavalgada bem legal e ainda conta com o riff the Enter Sandman do Metallica como base no solo, com certeza uma das melhores:

House Me Teenage Rave só tem a letra boa (paródia das meninhas “bobinhas”), uma tentativa de uma música tecno. Flight of Squajakada parece que só está no album para preencher espaço. Anarchy in the UK, é um cover dos Sex Pistols com a letra adaptada para os Flintstones (I Wanna be Fred Flintstone!):

O album ainda contén Green Jelly Theme Song, outra música para preencher espaço, chata.

Um ponto forte do album é o clima anos 90 que ele transmite, principalmente quando assitimos aos clipes.

Ou seja, Cereal Killer é bem legal, vale a pena escutá-lo.

Comentem!

Headline in The New York Times: Three Pigs May Be the First in the U.S. With Swine Flu

Okay, that’s the three little pigs who built their houses from straw, sticks and brick, right? And the wolf comes and huffs and puffs and blows their houses down, all but the last pig, the smart pig, who gets to keep his house and also manages to boil the wolf for dinner when the wolf, prowling on his roof, falls through the chimney into a big iron pot?*

They ALL have the flu? Things are in a bad way in this country.

A few days ago, I dreamed I had the flu, so I guess I have some anxiety. Not enough. My last memory of having the flu is very pleasurable. I was in my 20’s. I liked the mild delirium. The body aches felt sexy, like being spanked. And I thought getting the chills while burning up with a fever was fascinating. (Mother and husband kept telling me to take aspirin. I wanted to write poetry.)

Charles dreamed last night that he was either a teacher or a student at Harvard. “I must have been a graduate student,” he said, trying to puzzle out the conflicting images.
“You don’t apply that kind of reason to dreams,” I replied. “In dreams you can be both at the same time.”
“But I was trying to figure it out in the dream,” he said. “Why the students looked up to me.”
“And?”
“I was probably a TA.”

MORAL: If you live in a nice house and your mortgage is paid off, stay inside day and night, avoiding the company of other pigs, or you will sicken and die. Also, if you’re offered the post of Head of the Art Department at Exeter when you’re a 30-year-old father of four with no advanced degree,  don’t quit and become a freelance artist. It will spark anxiety dreams for the next several decades, and even having a crackerjack dream-interpreter wife won’t help.

*Depending on the version, the pig also has turnips and apples to add to the pot, which should make for a good stew, once you strain out the wolf fur. I’d add onions, thyme, and a jigger of  high quality sherry, to give it that dangerous-but-still-a-gentleman flavor.

Here’s one of my favorite poems of all time.

Eating the Pig

Twelve people, most of us strangers, stand in a room
in Ann Arbor, drinking Cribari from jars.
Then two young men, who cooked him,
carry him to the table
on a large square of plywood: his body
striped, like a tiger cat’s, from the basting,
his legs long, much longer than a cat’s,
and the striped hide as shiny as vinyl.

Now I see his head, as he takes his place
at the center of the table,
his wide pig’s head; and he looks like the javelina
that ran in front of the car, in the desert outside Tucson,
and I am drawn to him, my brother the pig,
with his large ears cocked forward,
with his tight snout, with his small ferocious teeth
in a jaw propped open
by an apple. How bizarre, this raw apple clenched
in a cooked face! Then I see his eyes,
his eyes cramped shut, his no-eyes, his eyes like X’s
in a comic strip, when the character gets knocked out.

This afternoon they read directions
from a book: The eyeballs must be removed
or they will burst during roasting. So they hacked them out.
“I nearly fainted,” says someone.
“I never fainted before, in my whole life.”
Then they gutted the pig and stuffed him,
and roasted him five hours, basting the long body.

*         *         *

Now we examine him, exclaiming, and we marvel at him—
but no one picks up a knife.

Then a young woman cuts off his head.
It comes off so easily, like a detachable part.
With sudden enthusiasm we dismantle the pig,
we wrench his trotters off, we twist them
at shoulder and hip, and they come off so easily.
Then we cut open his belly and pull the skin back.

For myself, I scoop a portion of left thigh,
moist, tender, falling apart, fat, sweet.
We forage like an army starving in winter
that crosses a pass in the hills and discovers
a valley of full barns—
cattle fat and lowing in their stalls,
bins of potatoes in root cellars under white farmhouses.
barrels of cider, onions, hens squawking over eggs—
and the people nowhere, with bread still warm in the oven.

Maybe, south of the valley, refugees pull their carts
listening for Stukas or elephants, carrying
bedding, pans, and silk dresses,
old men and women, children, deserters, young wives.

No, we are here, eating the pig together.

*         *         *

In ten minutes, the destruction is total.

His tiny ribs, delicate as birds’ feet, lie crisscrossed.
Or they are like crosshatching in a drawing,
lines doubling and redoubling on each other.

Bits of fat and muscle
mix with stuffing alien to the body,
walnuts and plums. His skin, like a parchment bag
soaked in oil, is pulled back and flattened,
with ridges and humps remaining, like a contour map,
like the map of a defeated country.

The army consumes every blade of grass in the valley,
every tree, every stream, every village,
every crossroad, every shack, every book, every graveyard.

His intact head
swivels around, to view the landscape of body
as if in dismay.

“For sixteen weeks I lived. For sixteen weeks
I took into myself nothing but the milk of my mother
who rolled on her side for me,
for my brothers and sisters. Only five hours roasting,
and this body so quickly dwindles away to nothing.”

*         *         *

By itself, isolated on this plywood,
among this puzzle of foregone possibilities,
his intact head seems to want affection.
Without knowing that I will do it,
I reach out and scratch his jaw,
and I stroke him behind his ears,
as if he might suddenly purr from his cooked head.

“When I stroke your pig’s ears,
and scratch the striped leather of your jowls,
the furrow between the sockets of your eyes,
I take into myself, and digest,
wheat that grew between
the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.

“And I take into myself the flint carving tool,
and the savannah, and hairs in the tail
of Eohippus, and fingers of bamboo,
and Hannibal’s elephant, and Hannibal,
and everything that lived before us, everything born,
exalted, and dead, and historians who carved in the Old Kingdom
when the wall had not heard about China.”

I speak these words
into the ear of the Stone Age pig, the Abraham
pig, the ocean pig, the Achilles pig,
and into the ears
of the fire pig that will eat our bodies up.

“Fire, brother and father,
twelve of us, in our different skins, older and younger,
opened your skin together
and tore your body apart, and took it
into our bodies.”

–Donald Hall

Este o animatie scurta creata in 1933 de catre Walt Disney.In 1934 a castigat premiul Oscar pentru cel mai bun desen animat,iar in 1994 a fost ales pe locul 11 cele mai bune animatii din toate timpurile.Numele originale ale porcilor au fost Nanufe, Nanafe and Cacofe dar  au fost schimbate in Fifer, Fiddler and Pratical (Fluieras,Violonistul si porcusorul cel Practic) ca sa fie mai usor de tinut minte pentru copii.Personajul negativ este lupul mare si rau.De aici totul e istorie,lupul darama casele primilor doi porcusori,la al treilea Practical are o mica-mare problema pentru ca e casa de piatra…si de aici o gramada de aventuri si muzica(fiecare porc canta la un instrument,respectiv,fluier,vioara si pian).Le place sa cante mai ales  Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?(Cui ii e frica de lupul mare si rau?)

Dupa succesul avut s-au mai creat inca 3 animatii pe tema porcusorilor si a lupului cel rau(fiind singurele care au legatura intre ele).Toate au facut parte din seria Silly Symphonies.

Desenele au multe legaturi cu istoria,cu nazistii,evreii..etc,cum erau vremurile,au fost mult timp cenzurate unele faze.

Va doresc vizionare placuta,merita.

Three Little Pigs

The Big Bad Wolf

Three Little Wolves

The Practical Pig

]]> http://feelnotes.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/artist-analysis-zeid-hamdan-shift-z/ Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:30:18 +0000 omarfil http://feelnotes.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/artist-analysis-zeid-hamdan-shift-z/ http://crossroadstalk.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/useless-friday-info-64/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:32:11 +0000 crossroadstalk http://crossroadstalk.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/useless-friday-info-64/

Can you believe it’s been gone so long?

Have you missed it?

Well no matter which side of the coin you may be on, it’s back!  And since we’ve been gone a few week’s, we’re going to ease into it.

With that being said, here is this week’s edition of “Useless Friday Info”.

“It takes 3000 cows to provide the NFL with enough leather to produce a year’s supply of footballs.”

“For each NFL game, the home team must provide the officials 24 footballs for use during that game.  That means that over 6,000 footballs will be used in one NFL season.”

“Chain letters seemed to have first begun in 1935 as a get-rich-quick scheme.  The source of the letters is unknown, but the letters became so popular that post offices around the nation had to hire extra help.”

“The “Three Little Pigs” – released May 27, 1933, and produced by Walt Disney-was seen as symbolic of the Great Depression, with the wolf representing the Depression and the three little pigs representing average citizens who eventually succeeded by working together.”

“The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.”

“The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime.”

“Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.”

“The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.”

“The tradition of placing candles on birthday cake is attributed to the early Greeks, who believed that the smoke of the candle carried their wishes to gods who lived in the skies.”

Christopher Walken reads to your children:

There were three little pigs.  The eldest pig left home after an altercation with their parents. For some reason, their parents distrusted the eldest pig, though he was considerate and kind. When the eldest left home, the house became less vibrant. The middle pig and the youngest pig felt the sting of living without their brother, so they left home to forge their own path.

When the three pigs reunited, they were happy, but they wanted to live separate lives. The youngest pig lived in an overly decorated mansion. Although he lived in a beautiful mansion, the youngest pig spent most of his money on video games, gadgets, and iPhone usage. As time quickly went by, he realized that his income and his lifestyle weren’t within the means of living. Before he could do anything, a wolf came to his door. Mr. Wolf was part of the foreclosure department at his bank, and he came to take his home.

“Let me in!” cried Mr. Wolf, banging on the door to the youngest pig’s expensive mansion.

The youngest pig refused. Because he was never taught how to spend his money wisely and save money, the youngest pig had nothing left. Once he realized his mistake, he escaped from his mansion and ran to the middle pig’s house.

“You have to help me!’ said the youngest pig to his sister as she let him into her simple cottage. “I have nothing in my bank account and Mr. Wolf is here to claim my possessions!”

The sister pig shook her head. “I can’t help you,” she replied. “We have always told you to be careful about your money. I don’t have enough money to bail you out and live decently myself. After all, I’m still in college.”

The youngest son became angry at his sister. “Bitch,” he murmured as he exited the sister pig’s home. He left, cursing under his breath while he ran to the oldest pig’s humble condo. ‘He’ll understand me,’ thought the youngest.

“You have to help me!” cried the youngest pig to his eldest brother when he answered the door. “I have nothing in my bank account and Mr. Wolf is here to claim my possessions!”

The eldest pig narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “I can’t help you,” he told him. “We’ve told you so many times to watch your spending. Now look at you!”

“But our sister would not help me! You have to help me!” the youngest protested.

The eldest shook his head. “She is right. You have to learn the consequences of spending too much. You can’t even rely credit cards these days.”

The youngest pig sneered at the eldest pig. “I hate you!” He left in a huff and soon arrived at his parents’ small house. “Mom! Dad! You have to help me! I have nothing in my bank account and Mr. Wolf is here to claim my possessions!”

Both of the parents stared at their son solemnly. “I’m sorry, son, but you know your mother and I cannot help you with this,” said the father. “We are still paying off our debts and we can’t afford to pay your expenses as well.”

The mother pursed her lips. “Remember, we warned you what happened if you spent more than you make!”

The youngest pig left the house, angry as ever. Why was everyone against him? He needed their help, yet, they refused to help him out. His own family! The pig went to ask his friends in the countryside. All of them said the same thing his brother and sister said.

“Yeah, you suck with money,” remarked one close friend as he drank his beer.

Angry, the youngest pig stormed back to his mansion. He hoped Mr. Wolf was gone. Unfortunately, the wolf was still there, waiting for the youngest pig to return. “We are taking your home and all of your assets,” announced Mr. Wolf, giving him a clipboard to sign things off. Before the youngest pig could protest, Mr. Wolf interrupted him. “We have given you enough chances and you have not complied. There is nothing you can do right now to stop us from taking your things today unless you pay now.”

Sadly, the youngest pig could not pay for anything. After all, he was behind his credit card payments. He watched as all of his precious items were placed onto a truck and carted away. Mr. Wolf put a “Foreclosed” sign on his property.

“Why is this happening to me?” the youngest pig questioned aloud. “I’m a teacher, but this is happening to me.”

Mr. Wolf heard him and answered, “This happens to anyone who doesn’t know anything about money.”

The youngest pig glared at the wolf. “Give me a break. My parents told me enough.”

“Obviously, you didn’t listen,” said Mr. Wolf.

Scratch: defined by its producers at MIT,

 “Programming language aimed at children that let them create their own interactive stories, games, music, and art.”

 Specifically, Scratch is an application that allows students to mix media to create. In the article, From SuperGoo to Scratch: Exploring creative digital media production in informal learning, Scratch is cited as just one of many tools that speaks to urban youth, and meets the goals of media educators.

 Media educators? My first thought was that this article really did not apply to my job as a kindergarten teacher. Likewise, the majority of my cohorts in continuing education at Seattle Pacific University agreed. However, upon reading more into the article, I realized the purpose was to do more than simply suggest that today’s youth are participating in using multi-media; they are producing it! If you can agree that creative, digital media is going to be a large part of our future, than as an educator, you too should realize the importance of educating tomorrow’s future leaders. Yes, teachers and parents alike are responsible for exploring creating ways of gaining your child’s interests, as well as providing them with the early building blocks that will provide them with the skills to produce.

Produce multi-media? Well, it’s about more than producing media mixes. If you can imagine it, you can produce it. If you can produce it, you can share it. Scratch provides a format in which kids are familiar. Using the background knowledge they have acquired in other subject areas, Scratch allows them to create a project that will be both meaningful to you and to them. At the same time, they will be investing in their future, and creating something that will too interest their peers.

Can Kindergarteners really use Scratch? Training students to use a new application can be challenging, though I’ll wager this concern can be resolved easily. Although Scratch is intended for students ages 8 and up, my class of 5 and 6-year-olds could easily use this application. My half-day kindergarteners spend 30 minutes a week, in a computer lab with a 1:1 ratio of computers to students. The first several months of the school year will need to be reserved for exploration, paired with modeling, by the teacher, in class. After viewing the tutorial, and exploring the Scratch website, I began thinking about the different media projects that could be created using scratch, and how I might relate them to my kindergarten classroom.

The Three Little Pigs – scratched The classic story of The Three Little Pigs is one of our first projects at the beginning of the kindergarten year, Our exploration of various versions of the story include comparing the similarities and differences between different author’s versions, as well as the characters’ houses, the characters themselves, and ultimately how the story ends.

 The Scratch Gallery boasts a number of impressive projects containing retells of The Three Little Pigs. Due to the relevant reading age of the story, the majority of the projects I found were too created by kindergarteners or first grade students. The pictures, videos, and sound clips, were all examples of things I am already doing with my students. Scratch, however, provides an avenue for putting it all together, and sharing it with others. Meanwhile, students are developing proficiency in the kindergarten technology standards.

But this is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.  Is it wrong that I want one?

Ok, yes, the brick house was just a facade, but still.  Take that, three little pigs.

***

This morning when I woke up I could hear a rustling outside my window.  At first I thought it was the sprinklers, then I thought maybe there was a bird on my balcony, it turned out to be the one thing everyone has been wishing for for the last few days:  Wind.

Glorious, glorious Victoria breeze… you made my morning run possible!

This morning has kicked ass so far, actually: I ran for 50 min, opened a new bag of Oso Negro coffee (So.  Good.) and ate a fresh spinach omlete for breakfast.  Add to that the fact that it feels about 10 degrees cooler today, and I was actually able to leave the house in jeans… that’s a good start to the day!

***

My delightful friend Olivia is trying really hard to make Canada her home.  She’s from Ireland, but she fits in so well here we’d be stupid not to keep her!  However, visa’s cost money and hers has run out so she can’t work.  So does she beg her parents or friends?  Does she give up and head back to Ireland?  No.  She throws a freakin’ HUGE party as a fundraiser.  Do you see what I mean about this girl being just the kind of awesome this country needs more of?

With the help of Natalie and Clare and all the lovely artists and musicians that live in the Pink Palace, tomorrow is going to be amazing. (The Pink Palace is a huge character house on Victoria Drive that has been divided into 10 apartments, and all who live there are friends / relatives… and super funky.) There will be a bake sale, silent auction, live music and DJs, refreshments, all kinds of amazing things happening, with all the proceeds going to the Olivia’s Stay in Canada Fund.

Olivia (left) and Clare

Everyone is invited, so as I’ve said before: if you’re in Vancouver you should probably be there!

This is cool…

Courtesy of BBC One.

This is too cool for school. I saw one a few days ago that could blow smoke rings over a hundred feet — inside  a warehouse —but that was child’s play compared to this bad boy. Watch and learn, little piggies…

ThinkGeek.com has a much safer home/office version of one of these that you can have for your very own. Not quite as exciting, but it still looks like fun!

Create a crises, and the people jump in to ’save it’, Demi Lovato and Trace Cyrus’ ‘romance’ split  ensured that Demi Lovato’s album, Here We Go Again, debuts at #1. Those Cyrus’ help their friends get noticed!-people

If Lady Gaga is Miss Piggy, than the Jonas Brothers are the Three Little Pigs. Yes, they really are rocking these fairy tale pig outfits –E!

“Fed-ex: Life After Britney”… Kevin Federline gets a reality show on VH1 - perez

Hailey Glassbong Glassman, says that’s Jon’s “just a part of the family,”–people 

Jon Gosselin and Hailey Glassbong joke that they’re swingers on the slide–HuffPo

President Obama says leave my favorite fuggy denim jeans alone –E!

Marc Anthony flips for a stake in the Miami Dolphins –people

Harry Pothead Potter actor, Jamie Waylett gets off lightly for growing the ganja – E!

Emma Watson is Harry Potter’s Brown girl in the college ring–HuffPo

Ellen’s a judge tonight on So  You Think You Can Dance — wooot!

Trace Cyrus of Metro Station is a sweet kid!